01-MN-101-Devadaha-(2010-08-30).txt

Tonight is the 30th of August, 2010. And this is the 41st talk on the Majjhima Nikaya. Now we come to Sutta 101, Devadaha Sutta. Devadaha. Thus have I heard On one occasion, the Blessed One was living in the Sakyan country, at the town of the Sakyans, named Devadaha. Then the Blessed One addressed the monks thus. Monks, remember Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said, Monks, there are some recluses and Brahmins who hold such a doctrine and view as this. Whatever this person feels, whether pleasure or pain, or neither pain nor pleasure, all that is caused by what was done in the past. So, by annihilating with asceticism past actions, and by doing no fresh actions, there will be no consequence in the future. With no consequence in the future, there is the destruction of action. With the destruction of action, there is the destruction of suffering. With the destruction of suffering, there is the destruction of healing. With the destruction of healing, all suffering will be exhausted. So speak the Niganta's monks. sorry for a moment. These Negantas are one of three types of naked ascetics. They are also called Jains. And even up to today they have, they are still surviving in India. But nowadays there are two types of Jains ascetics. One type is naked, but with a small cloth covering their private part. And another type is not naked. And the Buddha continued, I go to the Nibbantas who speak thus and I say, Friend Nibbantas, is it true that you hold such a doctrine and view as this? Whatever this person feels, whether pleasure or pain or neither pain or pleasure, all that is caused by what was done in the past, etc. If, when they are asked thus, the Niigantas admit this and say yes, I say to them, but friends, do you know that you existed in the past and that it is not the case that you did not exist? No, friend. But friends, do you know that you did evil actions in the past and did not abstain from them? No, friend. But friends, do you know that so much suffering has already been exhausted or that so much suffering has still to be exhausted? Or that when so much suffering has been exhausted, all suffering will have been exhausted? No, friend. Friends, do you know what the abandoning of unwholesome states is, and what the cultivation of wholesome states is, here and now? No, friend. So, friends, it seems that you do not know that you existed in the past, and that it is not the case that you did not exist. or that you did evil actions in the past and did not abstain from them, or that you did such and such evil actions, or that so much suffering has already been exhausted, or that so much suffering has still to be exhausted, or that when so much suffering has been exhausted, all suffering would have been exhausted, or what the abandoning of unwholesome states is, and what the cultivation of wholesome states is, here and now. That being so, it is not fitting for the Venerable Nigantas to declare, whatever this person feels, whether pleasure or pain, or neither pain nor pleasure, all that is caused by what was done in the past. So by annihilating with asceticism past actions, and by doing no fresh actions, there will be no consequence in the future, etc., etc., and all suffering will be exhausted. If, friendly Gantas, you knew that you existed in the past and that it is not the case that you did not exist, or that you did evil actions in the past and did not abstain from them, or that you did such and such evil actions, or that so much suffering has already been exhausted, or that so much suffering has still to be exhausted, or that when so much suffering has been exhausted, all suffering will have been exhausted, or what the abandoning of unwholesome states is, and what the cultivation of wholesome states is, here and now. That being so, it would be fitting for the rebel Nigantas to declare, whatever this person feels, all is due to past kamma, etc. So, stop here for a moment. So the Buddha asked them whether they existed in the past, but they said they don't know. And whether they did evil actions in the past also, they said they don't know. How much suffering has been exhausted also, they don't know. So the Buddha said, in which case, it's not valid for you to say that all that is due to past karma, etc. Friend Igantas, suppose a man were wounded by an arrow thickly smeared with poison, and because of this he felt painful, wracking, piercing feelings. Then his friends and companions, kinsmen and relatives, brought a surgeon. The surgeon would cut around the opening of the wound with a knife. probe for the arrow with a probe, pull out the arrow, and apply a medicinal cauterizer to the opening of the wound, and at each step the man would feel painful, wracking, piercing feelings. Then on a later occasion, when the wound was healed and covered with skin, The man would be well and happy, independent, master of himself, able to go where he likes. He might think, formerly I was pierced by an arrow, thickly smeared with poison, and because of this I felt painful, wracking, piercing feelings. Then my friends and companions, kinsmen and relatives, brought a surgeon. The surgeon cut around the opening of the wound with a knife, probed for the arrow with a probe, pulled out the arrow and applied a medicinal cauterizer to the opening of the wound. And at each step, I felt painful, wracking, piercing feelings. But now that the wound is healed and covered with skin, I am well and happy, independent, my own master, able to go where I like. So too, friend Nigantas, if you knew that you existed in the past, and that it is not the case that you did not exist, etc. etc. or what the abandoning of unwholesome states is and what the cultivation of wholesome states is here and now. That being so, it would be fitting for the Venerable Nigantas to declare whatever this person feels of all that is due to evil actions in the past, etc. etc. But since, Friend Nigantas, you do not know that you existed in the past and that it is not the case that you did not exist, etc. etc. or what the abandoning of unwholesome states is, and what the cultivation of unwholesome states is, here and now. It is not fitting for the Venerable Niganta to declare whatever this person feels, whether pleasure or pain, or neither pain nor pleasure, all that is caused by what was done in the past, etc. Let's stop here for a moment. When this was said, the Niganthas told me, Friend, the Nigantha Nataputta is omniscient and all-seeing, and claims to have complete knowledge and vision thus. Whether I am walking or standing or asleep or awake, knowledge and vision are continuously and uninterruptedly present to me. He says thus, Niganthas, you have done evil actions in the past. Exhaust them with the performance of piercing austerities. And when you are here and now restrained in body, speech and mind, that is doing no evil actions for the future. So by annihilating with asceticism past actions and by doing no fresh actions, there will be no consequence in the future. With no consequence in the future, all suffering will be exhausted. We approve of and accept this and so we are satisfied. When this was said, I told the Niganthas, there are five things, friend Niganthas, that may turn out in two different ways here and now. What five? They are faith, approval, oral tradition, reason, cogitation, and reflective acceptance of a view. These five things may turn out in two different ways here and now. Herein, what kind of faith do the venerable Niganthas have in a teacher who speaks about the past? What kind of approval? What kind of oral tradition? What kind of reason, cogitation? What kind of reflective acceptance of a view? Speaking thus, monks did not see any legitimate defense of their position by the Nigantas. Stop here for a moment. So this head of the Nigantas is this man called Niganta Nataputta. He has another name, I forgot. Mahavira, I think his name. That's his other name. So Buddha is telling them that if you believe in a certain view, normally it's based on five things, either on faith, approval, oral tradition, reason, cogitation, and reflective acceptance. And then he says what kind of approval, what kind of oral tradition, what kind of reason, cogitation, what kind of reflective acceptance. And they don't mention any of these. So basically, the Buddha says, what you believe in, there's no good basis. Again, monks, I said to the Nigantas, what do you think, friend Nigantas? When there is intense exertion, intense striving, you then feel painful, wracking, piercing feelings due to intense exertion. But when there's no intense exertion, no intense striving, do you then not feel any painful, wracking, piercing feelings due to intense exertion? And they said, when there is intense exertion, friend Gautama, intense striving, then we feel painful, wracking, piercing feelings due to intense exertion. But when there is no intense exertion, no intense striving, then we do not feel any painful, wracking, piercing feelings due to intense exertion. So here for a moment, here these people are not like Buddhist monks. We meditate, we don't torture ourselves. But these people, they purposely torture their body with all kinds of ascetic practices. So that's why when they strive, they feel intense pain, as the Buddha said. So it seems, friend Nigantas, that when there is intense exertion, intense striving, etc., you feel painful, wracking, piercing feelings due to intense exertion. But when there is no intense exertion, no intense striving, you do not feel any painful, wracking, piercing feelings due to intense exertion. That being so, it is not fitting for the Venerable Nigantha to declare whatever this person feels, whether pleasure or pain, or neither pain nor pleasure, all that is caused by what was done in the past. So by annihilating with asceticism past actions, and by doing no fresh actions, there will be no consequence in the future, etc. and all suffering will be exhausted. If friend Niganthas, when there was intense exertion, intense striving, then painful, wracking, piercing feelings due to intense exertion was present. And when there was no intense exertion, no intense striving, then painful, wracking, piercing feelings due to intense exertion were still present. That being so, it would be fitting for the available Niganthas to declare, whatever this person feels, whether painful or pleasurable, etc. All that is due to actions in the past. But since Friend Nigantas, when there is intense exertion, intense striving, then you feel painful, wracking, piercing feelings due to intense exertion. But when there is no intense exertion, no intense striving, then you do not feel painful, wracking, piercing feelings due to intense exertion. You are therefore feeling only the painful, wracking, piercing feelings of your own, of your self-imposed exertion. And it is through ignorance, unknowing, and delusion that you mistakenly hold whatever this person feels. All that is due to the actions of the past, etc. Speaking thus, monks, I did not see any legitimate defense of their position by the Niggantas. I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha shows them that when they practice these ascetic practices and torture their body, then of course they feel pain. But when they don't torture their body, there is no pain. So how can you say then that all your feelings are due to past actions? Again, monks, I said to the Niggantas, what do you think, friend Niggantas? Is it possible that an action whose result is to be experienced here and now can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be experienced in the next life? And they said, no, friend. But is it possible that an action whose result is to be experienced in the next life can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be experienced here and now? No, friend. What do you think, friend Igantas? Is it possible that an action, whose result is to be experienced as pleasant, can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be experienced as painful? No, friend. But is it possible that an action, whose result is to be experienced as painful, can, through exertion and striving, Become one whose result is to be experienced as pleasant. No, friend. What do you think, friend Niganthas? Is it possible that an action whose result is to be experienced in a matured personality can, by exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be experienced by an unmatured personality? No, friend. But is it possible that an action whose result is to be experienced by an unmatured personality can, by exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be experienced in a matured personality? No, friend. What do you think, friend Igantas? Is it possible that an action whose result is to be much experience can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be little experience? No, friend. But is it possible that an action whose result is to be little experience can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be much experience? No, friend. But do you think, friend Igantas, is it possible that an action whose result is to be experienced can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is not to be experienced? No, friend. But is it possible that an action whose result is not to be experienced can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be experienced? No, friend. So it seems, friend Niganta, that it is impossible that an action whose result is to be experienced here and now can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be experienced in the next life. And impossible that an action whose result is to be experienced in the next life can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be experienced here and now. Impossible that an action whose result is to be experienced as pleasant can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be experienced as painful. And impossible that an action whose result is to be experienced as painful can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be experienced as pleasant. Impossible that an action whose result is to be experienced in a matured personality, can, by exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be experienced in an unmatured personality. And impossible that an action whose result is to be experienced in an unmatured personality, can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be experienced in a matured personality. Impossible that an action whose result is to be much experience can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be little experience. And impossible that an action whose result is to be little experience can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be much experience. Impossible that an action whose result is to be experience can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is not to be experience. and impossible that an action whose result is not to be experienced can, through exertion and striving, become one whose result is to be experienced. That being so, the Venerable Niganta's exertion is fruitless, their striving is fruitless. So the Buddha, by slowly showing them that you cannot change kamma and the result, Because it's only logical, step by step, the Buddha shows them, until in the end they have to admit that if an action whose result is to be experienced, you cannot change it, so that it cannot be experienced. So speak the Nigantas monks, and because the Nigantas speak thus, there are ten legitimate deductions from the assertions that provide ground for censuring them. 1. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by what was done in the past, then the Nigantha surely must have done bad deeds in the past, since now they feel such painful, wracking, piercing feelings. 2. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by the creative act of a Supreme God, then the Nigantha surely must have been created by an evil Supreme God, since they now feel such painful, wracking, piercing feelings. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by circumstance and nature, then the Niigata surely must have bad luck since they now feel such painful, wracking, piercing feelings. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by class, then the Niigata surely must belong to a bad class since they now feel such painful, wracking, piercing feelings. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by exertion here and now, then the Niigantas surely must strive badly here and now, since they now feel such painful, wracking, piercing feelings. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by what was done in the past, then the Niigantas are to be censured. If not, then the Niigantas are still to be censured. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by the creative act of a Supreme God, then the Niigantas are to be censured. If not, they are still to be censured. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by chance, then the Niigantas are to be censured. If not, they are still to be censured. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by class, then the Niigantas are to be censured. If not, they are still to be censured. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by exertion here and now, then the Niigantas are to be censured. If not, they are still to be censured. So speak the Nigantas, monks. And because the Nigantas speak thus, these ten legitimate deductions from the assertions provide grounds for censuring them. Thus their assertion is fruitless, their striving is fruitless." Let's stop here for a moment. So the Buddha, by logic, used this argument to show that whether the feelings are caused by bad deeds or not by bad deeds, it's still they kind of deserve it. If it's caused by bad deeds, then they must have done a lot of bad deeds, so they deserve it. If it's not caused by actions in the past, but other people don't feel and they feel, then they deserve it also. Etc. And how is exertion fruitful, monks? How is striving fruitful? Dear monks, a monk is not overwhelmed by suffering and does not overwhelm himself with suffering. And he does not give up the pleasure that accords with Dhamma. Yet he is not infatuated with that pleasure. He knows thus, when I strive with determination, this particular source of suffering fades away in me because of that determined striving. And when I look on with equanimity, this particular source of suffering fades away in me while I develop equanimity. He strives with determination in regard to the particular source of suffering which fades away in him because of that determined striving. And he develops equanimity in regard to the particular source of suffering which fades away in him while he is developing equanimity. When he strives with determination, such and such a source of suffering fades away in him because of that determined striving. Thus that suffering is exhausted in him. When he looks on with equanimity, such and such a source of suffering fades away in him while he develops equanimity. Thus that suffering is exhausted in him. stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says, if a monk strives and it helps to get rid of that suffering, then he should strive. And if by practicing equanimity, it helps to get rid of the suffering, then he should practice equanimity. For example, A monk is troubled by desire and lust or sleepiness, for example. And then he strives, uses energy, energetic effort, and then his mind becomes one-pointed. And then that source of suffering, desire and lust or sleepiness, fades away. Or if his mind is agitated by something, then he practices equanimity. don't want to feel attachment, then it fades away. Suppose monks, a man loved a woman with his mind bound to her by intense desire and passion. He might see that woman standing with another man, chatting, joking and laughing. What do you think, monks? Would not sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair arise in that man when he sees that woman standing with another man, chatting, joking and laughing? Yes, member sir. Why is that? Because that man loves that woman with his mind bound to her by intense desire and passion. That is why sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair would arise in him when he sees her standing with another man, chatting, joking, and laughing. Then monks, the man might think, I love this woman with my mind bound to her by intense desire and passion. Does sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair arise in me when I see her standing with another man, chatting, joking, and laughing? What if I were to abandon my desire and lust for that woman? he would abandon his desire and lust for that woman. On a later occasion, he might see that woman standing with another man, chatting, joking and laughing. What do you think, monks? Would sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair arise in that man when he sees that woman standing with another man, laughing and joking, etc? No, Venerable Sir. Why is that? Because that man no longer loves that woman. That is why sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair do not arise in him when he sees that woman standing with another man, etc. So two monks, when a monk is not overwhelmed by suffering, and does not overwhelm himself with suffering, and he does not give up the pleasure that accords with Dhamma, Yet he is not infatuated with that pleasure. He knows thus, when I strive with determination, this particular source of suffering fades away in me because of that determined striving, etc. Thus the suffering is exhausted in him. Thus monks, the exertion is fruitful, the striving is fruitful. Stop here for a moment. So the earlier part the Buddha says, The monk is not overwhelmed by suffering and does not overwhelm himself with suffering. If he understands the Dhamma, when suffering comes, he doesn't allow himself to be overwhelmed by that suffering. And also, he does not overwhelm himself, make himself, torture himself with suffering. And he does not give up the pleasure that accords with Dhamma. This pleasure that accords with Dhamma probably is the pleasure and bliss from meditation, from deep meditation, jhanic bliss. Yet he's not infatuated with that pleasure. So this example given by the Buddha is quite a striking example. A lot of young people, when they are very attached to their boyfriend or their girlfriend, and they see their boyfriend or girlfriend laughing and joking with another man or woman, then they get totally upset. They cannot accept it because of attachment. This is a very common example. And if that person is wise, then he gives up the attachment. Again monks, a monk considers thus, while I live according to my pleasure, unwholesome states increase in me and wholesome states diminish. But when I exert myself in what is painful, unwholesome states diminish in me and wholesome states increase. What if I were to exert myself in what is painful? He exerts himself in what is painful. When he does so, unwholesome states diminish in him and wholesome states increase. At a later time, he does not exert himself in what is painful. Why is that? The purpose for which that monk exerted himself in what is painful has been achieved. That is why at a later time, he does not exert himself in what is painful. Stop it for a moment. So here, just to give an example, for example, after our meal, most people will feel very sleepy. So if we follow our tendencies and live according to our pleasure, then we go and sleep a lot. But what happens, the Buddha says unwholesome states increase, sloth and torpor, the mind becomes torpid, and when you try to meditate, it's very difficult. and wholesome states diminish. But instead of going to sleep, this person puts forth energy, at least to fight that sleepiness. Of course, as he says, it's painful, it's unpleasant. But when he strives in the right way, and unwholesome states diminish, the mind starts to clear up. the sleepiness goes away, awesome states increase, so he exerts himself. So later, when he has attained a clearer mind, then he doesn't have to put so much effort. When he's tired, he lies down. But of course, by then, he would have the skill to maintain his mindfulness, his recollection. Suppose monks and arrowsmiths were warming and heating an arrow shaft between two flames, making it straight and workable. When the arrow shaft has been warmed and heated between the two flames and had been made straight and workable, then at a later time he would not again warm and heat the arrow shaft and make it straight and workable. Why is that? The purpose for which that arrowsmith had warmed and heated the arrow and made it straight and workable has been achieved. That is why at a later time he would not again warm and heat the arrow shaft and make it straight and workable. So too, a monk considers thus, While I live according to my pleasure, unwholesome states increase in me, etc. But when I exert myself in what is painful, unwholesome states diminish. What if I were to exert myself, etc. That is why at a later time he does not exert himself in what is painful. Thus mounts the exertion is fruitful, the striving is fruitful. I stop here for a moment. Similarly, the arrow smith warming and heating the arrow shaft and making it straight. And after that, he doesn't need to do it again. Shows that the monk makes effort. And then he gets rid of the sloth and topper. The sloth and topper has vanished because he has attained the jhanas. The five hindrances are eliminated. After which, he doesn't have to make so much effort. Again, monks, here a Tathagata appears in the world, Arahant Sammasambuddha. Here, he's quoting, the Buddha is quoting this part. Now, it's exactly as in found in Sutta 51, Section 12 to 19. I guess it's about a person after hearing the Dhamma, he goes forth, goes forth and then he practices Charana, the conduct of a monk or the practice of a monk. And then finally comes to Having thus abandoned five hindrances, imperfections of the mind that weaken wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, he enters upon and abides in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought with delight and pleasure. born of seclusion. Thus, to monks, the exertion is fruitful, the striving is fruitful. I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says that if a person can attain the first jhāna, then his exertion is fruitful, his striving is fruitful, because this is the aim of the spiritual path. This is one of the objectives of the spiritual path, to attain the first jhāna. Again, monks, with the stilling of applied and sustained thought, a monk enters upon and abides in the second jhāna, which has self-confidence and singleness of mind without applied and sustained thought, with delight and pleasure born of concentration. Thus, to monks, the exertion is fruitful, the striving is fruitful." This is another objective of the holy life that he achieves. Again, monks, with the fading away as well of delight, a monk abides in equanimity, mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure with the body, enters upon and abides in the third jhāna, on account of which noble ones or āryans announce, he has a pleasant abiding who has equanimity and is mindful. Thus, too, monks, the exertion is fruitful, the striving is fruitful. Again, monks, With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and the previous disappearance of joy and grief, a monk enters upon and abides in the fourth jhāna, which has neither pain nor pleasure, and utter purity of sati and equanimity. Here is his mindfulness and equanimity. Thus to monks the exertion is fruitful, the striving is fruitful. When his concentrated mind is thus purified, bright, unblemished, rid of imperfection, malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability. All these terms are the characteristics of the fourth jhana. And then he directs it to the knowledge of the recollection of past lives. He recollects his many four past lives. That is one birth, two births, three, four, etc. A thousand world cycles, etc. Thus with the aspects and particulars, he recollects his many four past lives. That's two monks. The exertion is fruitful. The striving is fruitful. When his concentrated mind is thus purified, bright, unblemished, rid of imperfection, malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs it to the knowledge of the passing away and reappearance of beings. etc. Thus with the divine eye or heavenly eye which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands how beings pass on. according to their actions. Thus two monks, the exertion is fruitful, the striving is fruitful. Stop here for a moment. So you see these two, recollection of past lives and the heavenly eye, being able to see beings dying and passing away, dying and passing away in different destinations. These are the two types of psychic powers. So, you see, in the Buddha's Dhamma, psychic powers are not to be shunned. Psychic powers are part of the objective of the holy life. Unlike nowadays, some Vipassana monks, they try to belittle psychic powers. They should not try to achieve psychic power. They should not try to attach to psychic power and all these things. But in the Buddha's teachings, it's all part of the objective of the holy life. That's why the Buddha says, if you can achieve these two, the exertion is fruitful, the striving is fruitful. When his concentrated mind is thus purified, bright, unblemished, rid of imperfection, malleable, wielded, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs it to the knowledge of destruction of detains. He understands, as it actually is, this is suffering, is the origin of suffering, cessation of suffering, and the way leading to the cessation of suffering. These attains This is the origin of taints, cessation of taints, way leading to the cessation of taints. When he knows and sees thus, his mind is liberated from the taint of sensual desire, from the taint of being, and from the taint of ignorance. When it is liberated, there comes the knowledge it is liberated. He understands, birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived. What had to be done has been done. There is no more coming to any state of being. Thus to monks, the exertion is fruitful, the striving is fruitful. So the Tathagata speaks, monks, and because the Tathagata speaks thus, there are ten legitimate grounds for praising him. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by what was done in the past, then the Tathagata surely must have done good deeds in the past, since he now feels such taintless pleasant feelings. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by the creative act of a Supreme God, then the Tathagata surely must have been created by a good Supreme God since he now feels such taintless pleasant feelings. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by circumstance and nature, then the Tathagata surely must have good luck since he now feels such taintless pleasant feelings. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by class, then the Tathagata surely must belong to a good class since he now feels such tainless pleasant feelings. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by exertion here and now, then the Tathagata surely must thrive well here and now since he feels such tainless pleasant feelings. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by what was done in the past, then the Tathagata is to be praised. If not, then the Tathagata is still to be praised. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by the creative act of a Supreme God, then the Tathagata is to be praised. If not, then the Tathagata is still to be praised. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by chance, then the Tathāgata is to be praised. If not, then the Tathāgata is still to be praised. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by class, then the Tathāgata is to be praised. If not, then the Tathāgata is still to be praised. If the pleasure and pain that beings feel are caused by exertion here and now, then the Tathagata is to be praised. If not, then the Tathagata is still to be praised. So the Tathagata speaks, monks. And because the Tathagata speaks thus, there are these ten legitimate grounds for praising him. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. That's the end of the Sutta. So here the Sutta shows that this belief of the niggantas are all useless and they're striving and torturing themselves, tormenting themselves with all these unbeneficial ascetic practices. It's all in vain, all useless. And then the second part where the Buddha talks about how exertion is fruitful. This is interesting, this is beneficial because the Buddha says that If you put forth effort and the suffering can reduce, then you should put forth effort. If you look on with equanimity and the suffering can reduce, then you should look on with equanimity. And also the Buddha talks about the how the exertion is fruitful. The exertion in the spiritual path is fruitful only when you attain these objectives. The first objective here the Buddha mentions is the first jhāna, then the second jhāna, third jhāna, fourth jhāna, and then followed by the recollection of past lives. And then the divine eye or heavenly eye. And lastly, the destruction of the tains or asavasla. These are the very things that the Buddha attained on the path to enlightenment. Without these, let me see, one, two, three, six objectives, seven, four jhanas, and the three abhinyas, the Buddha would not have become enlightened. So these are the footsteps or the footprints of the Buddha. So if you want to talk about the bodhisattva path, how to become a Buddha, this is the footprints of the Buddha. These are the real bodhisattva path of the Buddha, the real one according to the sutras, are these seven steps, attaining the four jhanas and the three higher knowledges, because these are exactly what the Buddha obtain to become enlightened. So it's not some silly other things that nowadays is taught in other books.

02-MN-102-Pancattaya-(2010-08-30).txt

Okay, I think we can go to one more sutta. 102. Pancataya Sutta, the 5 and 3. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jeta's Grove, at Nathapindika's Park. Then he addressed the monks thus, Monks? Venerable Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said, Monks? This part is about speculations about the future. Monks, there are some recluses and brahmins who speculate about the future and hold views about the future, who assert various doctrinal propositions concerning the future. Some assert thus, the self is percipient and unimpaired after death. Some, number two, some assert thus, the self is non-percipient and unimpaired after death. 3. Some assert thus, the self is neither percipient nor non-percipient and unimpaired after death. 4. Or they describe the annihilation, destruction and extermination of an existing being at death. 5. Or some assert nirvana here and now. Does A. They either describe an existing self that is unimpaired after death, or B. They describe the annihilation, destruction and extermination of an existing being at death, or C. They assert Nibbana here and now. Does these views, being five become three and being three become five? This is the summary of the five and three. Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha at first talked about five views and then after that he says these five views are basically three. How come? The first three can be combined together to be one because the first three actually means that there is an existing self that is unimpaired after death. If you take it as three views, then the second one is the annihilation, destruction and extermination of an existing being at death. And the third one is Nibbana here and now. So either you can see it as five views or three views. Therein, monks, those recluses and brahmins who describe the self as percipient and unimpaired after death, describe such a self, percipient and unimpaired after death, to be either material or immaterial, or both material and immaterial. or neither material nor immaterial, or percipient of unity, or percipient of diversity, or percipient of the limited, or percipient of the immeasurable. Or else among those few who go beyond this, some assert the consciousness casino, immeasurable and imperturbable, to be the Self. The Tathagata monks understand this thus. Those good recluses and Brahmins who describe the self as percipient and unimpaired after death, describe such a self to be either material or immaterial, etc. Or else since the perception there is nothing is declared to be the purest, supreme, best and unsurpassed of these perceptions. whether perceptions of form or of the formless, of the limited or the immeasurable. Some assert the base of nothingness, immeasurable and imperturbable, to be the self. That is conditioned and gross. But there is a cessation of volitions. Having known there is this, seeing the escape from that, the Tathagata has gone beyond that." That means we've gone beyond that view. Therein monks, those recluses and Brahmins who describe the self as non-percipient and unimpaired after death, describe such a self, non-percipient and unimpaired after death, to be either material or immaterial, or both material and immaterial, or neither material nor immaterial. Therein monks, these criticize those recluses and Brahmins who describe the self as percipient and unimpaired after death. Why is that? Because they say perception is a disease, perception is a tumor, perception is a dart. This is peaceful, this is sublime, that is non-perception. The Tathagata monks understand this thus, those good recluses and Brahmins who describe the self as non-percipient and unimpaired after death, describe such a self, non-percipient and unimpaired after death, to be either material or immaterial, or both material and immaterial, or neither material nor immaterial, that any recluse or Brahmin could say, Apart from material form, apart from feeling, apart from perception, apart from volition, I shall describe the coming and going of consciousness. Its passing away and reappearance, its growth, increase and maturation. That is impossible. That is conditioned and gross, but there is a cessation of volition. Having known there is this, seeing the escape from that, the Tathagata has gone beyond that. So the Buddha says he has also gone beyond the second view. But here, there's something that's interesting. Apart from material form of body, apart from feeling, apart from perception, apart from volition, I shall describe the coming and going of consciousness. That is impossible. This is also stated in some other sutta, I think in the Samyutta Nikaya. The Buddha says that once you have consciousness, it must come along with the other four aggregates. Five aggregates come together. 13. Monks, those recluses and Brahmins who describe themselves as neither percipient nor non-percipient and unimpaired after death, describe such a self, neither percipient nor non-percipient, and unimpaired after death, to be either material or immaterial, or both material and immaterial, or neither material nor immaterial. Therein amongst, these criticize those good recluses and Brahmins, who describe the self as percipient and unimpaired after death, and they criticize those good recluses and Brahmins, who describe the self as non-percipient and unimpaired after death. Why is that? Because they say perception is a disease, perception is a tumor, perception is a dart, and non-perception is stupefaction. This is peaceful, this is sublime, that is, neither perception nor non-perception. The Tathagata monks understand this thus. Those good rincuses and brahmins who describe the self as neither percipient nor non-percipient, and unimpaired after death, describe such a self, neither percipient nor non-percipient, and unimpaired after death, to be either material or immaterial, or both material and immaterial, or neither material nor immaterial. If any recluses of Brahmins describe the entering upon this base to come about through a measure of volition regarding what is seen, heard, sensed and cognized, that is declared to be a disaster for entering upon this base. For this base, it is declared, is not to be attained as an attainment with volition. This base, it is declared, is to be attained as an attainment with a residue of volition. That is condition and gross, but there is cessation of volition. Having known there is this, seeing the escape from that, the Tathagata has gone beyond that. Thirin monks, those recluses and brahmins who describe the annihilation, destruction and extermination of an existing being at death, criticize those good recluses and brahmins who describe the self as percipient and unimpaired after death. And they criticize those good recluses and brahmins who describe the self as non-percipient and unimpaired after death. And they criticize those good recluses and brahmins who describe the self as neither percipient nor non-percipient and unimpaired after death. Why is that? All these good recluses and Brahmins, rushing onwards, assert their attachment thus, We shall be thus after death. We shall be thus after death. Just as a merchant going to market things, through this, that will be mine. With this, I will get that. So too, these good recluses and Brahmins seem like merchants when they declare, We shall be thus after death. We shall be thus after death. The Tathagata monks understand this thus. Those good recluses and Brahmins who describe the annihilation, destruction and extermination of an existing being at death through fear of personality and disgust with personality keep running and circling around that same personality Just as a dog bound by a leash tied to a firm post or pillar keeps on running and circling around that same post or pillar, so too these good recluses and Brahmins, to fear of personality and disgust with personality, keep running and circling around that same personality. That is conditioned and gross. But there is cessation of volition. Having known there is this, seeing the escape from that, the Tathagata has gone beyond that. monks, any recluses or Brahmins who speculate about the future and hold views about the future, who assert various doctrinal propositions concerning the future, all assert these five bases, or a certain one among them. Stop here for a moment. So these recluses and Brahmins who say that when somebody passes away, everything is annihilated, there is no being, the annihilationist. So they say that those who say after death there is still a being, they are attached to this being, to this personality. Actually, in the Buddha's teachings, the cause of rebirth is craving, the cause of us going around the cycle of birth and death is craving, the Buddha says. And tanha, the Buddha says there are three types of tanha. Craving. Craving for sensual pleasures is one. Craving for being is another one. And craving for non-being is a third one. So it looks like the first type, these recluses who say that a being exists, unimpaired, after death they might be the type of people who have this craving for existence. And then this second type, they say that a being is annihilated on dying, there's nothing left. They seem to be this second type of recluses who crave for non-existence. This craving for non-existence, you can say there are two types. One is, for example, a person, he becomes financially bankrupt. So he commits suicide. He doesn't want to exist anymore. He wants to annihilate the self. So that is craving for non-existence. But because he still has that ego, He will come back. He hasn't let go of the self. He's not cool. You can only get out of samsara when we become cool. But this person, when he commits suicide, his mind is boiling. So, he cannot get out of samsara. And then, so, so this, these two still have that craving. Okay, monks, there are some recluses and Brahmins who speculate about the past and hold views about the past, who assert various doctrinal propositions concerning the past. One, some assert thus, the self and the world are eternal, only this is true, anything else is wrong. Number two, some assert thus, the self and the world are not eternal, only this is true, anything else is wrong. 3. Some assert thus, the self and the world are both eternal and non-eternal. Only this is true. Anything else is wrong. 4. Some assert thus, the self and the world are neither eternal nor non-eternal. Only this is true. Anything else is wrong. 5. Some assert thus, the self and the world are finite. Only this is true, anything else is wrong. 6. Some assert thus, the self and the world are infinite. Only this is true, anything else is wrong. 7. Some assert thus, the self and the world are both finite and infinite. Only this is true, anything else is wrong. 8. Some assert thus, the self and the world are neither finite nor infinite. Only this is true, anything else is wrong. 9. Some assert thus, the self and the world are percipient of unity. Only this is true, anything else is wrong. 10. Some assert thus, the self and the world are percipient of diversity. Only this is true, anything else is wrong. 11. Some assert thus, the self and the world are percipient of the limited. Only this is true, anything else is wrong. 12. Some assert thus, the self and the world are percipient of the immeasurable. Only this is true. Anything else is wrong. 13. Some assert thus, the self and the world experience exclusively pleasure. Only this is true. Anything else is wrong. 14. Some assert thus, the self and the world experience exclusively pain. Only this is true, anything else is wrong. 15. Some assert thus, the self and the world experience both pleasure and pain. Only this is true, anything else is wrong. 16. Some assert thus, the self and the world experience neither pleasure nor pain. Only this is true, anything else is wrong. Therein mounts, as to those recluses and Brahmins who hold such a doctrine and view as this, the self and the world are eternal, only this is true, anything else is wrong. That apart from faith, apart from approval, apart from oral tradition, apart from reason, cogitation, apart from reflective acceptance of a view, They would have any pure and clear personal knowledge of this. That is impossible. Since they have no pure and clear personal knowledge, even the mere fragmentary knowledge that these good recluses and Brahmins clarify about their view is declared to be clinging on that path. That is conditioned and gross. But there is cessation of volition. Having known there is this, seeing the escape from that, the Tathagata has gone beyond that. Similarly, for the other views of the sixteen. Therein, monks, as to those recluses and Brahmins whose hold such a doctrine and view as this, the self and the world are eternal, or both eternal and not eternal, etc. etc. That apart from faith, approval, oral tradition, reason, cogitation, reflective acceptance of a view, they would have any pure and clear personal knowledge of this, that is impossible. Since they have no pure and clear personal knowledge, even the mere fragmentary knowledge that those good recluses and Brahmins clarify about their view, is declared to be clinging on their part. That is conditioned and gross, but there is cessation of volition. Having known there is this, seeing the escape from that, the Tathagata has gone beyond that. So the Buddha also doesn't accept all these 16 views. Then we come to Nibbana here and now. Here monks, some recluse or brahmin with a relinquishing of views about the past and future, and through complete lack of resolve upon the factors of sensual pleasure, enters upon and abides in the delight of seclusion. He thinks, this is the peaceful, this is the sublime, that I enter upon and abide in the delight of seclusion. That delight of seclusion ceases in him. With the cessation of the delight of seclusion, grief arises. And with the cessation of grief, the delight of seclusion arises. Just as the sunlight pervades the area that the shadow leaves, and the shadow pervades the area that the sunlight leaves. So too, with the cessation of the delight of seclusion, grief arises. And with the cessation of grief, the delight of seclusion arises. The Tathagata monks understand this thus. Thus, this good recluse of Brahmin, with the relinquishing of views about the past, and the future, and through complete lack of resolve upon the factors of sensual pleasure, enters upon and abides in the delight of seclusion, etc. That is conditioned and gross, but there is the cessation of volition. Having known there is this, seeing the escape from that, the Tathagata has gone beyond that. Here amongst some recluse of Brahmin with a relinquishing of views about the past and the future, through complete lack of resolve upon the fetters of sensual pleasure, and with the surmounting of the delight of seclusion, enters upon and abides in unworldly pleasure. He thinks, this is the peaceful, this is the sublime, that I enter upon and abide in unworldly pleasure. That unworldly pleasure ceases in him. With the cessation of unworldly pleasure, the delight of seclusion arises. and with the cessation of the delight of seclusion, unworldly pleasure arises, just as the sunlight pervades the area where the shadow leaves, and the shadow pervades the area that the sunlight leaves. So too, with the cessation of unworldly pleasure, the delight of seclusion arises, and with the cessation of the delight of seclusion, unworldly pleasure arises. The Tathagata monks understand this thus. This could be clues of Brahman, with the relinquishing of views about the past and the future, etc. and with the cessation of the delight of seclusion, our world pleasure arises. That is conditioned and gross. But there is cessation of volition. Having known there is this, seeing the escape from that, the Tathagata has gone beyond that. Sorry for a moment here. So the Buddha is talking about the delight of seclusion, probably refers to the first jhāna, the piti and the unworldly pleasure refers to the sukha that arises in the first and second jhāna. Dear monks, some recluse a Brahmin with the relinquishing of views about the past and future to complete lack of resolve upon the factors of sensual pleasure and with the surmounting of the delight of seclusion and unworldly pleasure enters upon and abides in neither painful nor pleasant feeling. He thinks this is a peaceful, this is a sublime that I enter upon and abide in neither painful nor pleasant nor pleasant feeling, that neither painful nor pleasant feeling ceases in him. With the cessation of neither painful nor pleasant feeling, unworldly pleasure arises. And with the cessation of unworldly pleasure, neither painful nor pleasant feeling arises, just as the sunlight pervades the area that the shadow leaves. And the shadow pervades the area that the sunlight leaves. So too, with the cessation of neither painful nor pleasant feeling, unworldly pleasure arises. And with the cessation of unworldly pleasure, neither painful nor pleasant feeling arises. The Tathagata monks understand this thus. This good recluse of Brahmin, with the relinquishing of views about the past and future, etc., and with the cessation of unworldly pleasure, neither painful nor pleasant feeling arises. That is conditioned and gross. But there is cessation of volition. Having known there is this, seeing the escape from that, the Tathāgata has gone beyond that. Dear monks, some recluse of Brahmin with a relinquishing of views about the past and future, to complete lack of resolve upon the factors of sensual pleasure, and with the surmounting of the delight of seclusion, unworldly pleasure and neither painful nor pleasant feeling, regards himself thus, I am at peace, I have attained nirvana, I am without clinging. The Tathagata monks understand this that this good recluse of Brahmin with a relinquishing of views about the past and future etc. regards himself thus, I am at peace, I have attained nirvana, I am without clinging. Certainly this venerable one asserts the way directed to nirvana. Yet this good recluse of Brahmin still clings, clinging either to a view about the past, or to a view about the future, or to a fetter of sensual pleasure, or to the delight of seclusion, or to unworldly pleasure, or to neither painful nor pleasant feeling. And when this rebel regards himself thus, I am at peace, I have attained nirvana, I am without clinging, that too is declared to be clinging on the part of this recluse of Brahman. That is conditioned and gross. There is a cessation of volition. Having understood there is this, seeing the escape from that, the Tathagata has gone beyond that. Monks, this supreme state of sublime peace has been discovered by the Tathagata, that is liberation through not clinging, by understanding as they actually are the origination, disappearance, gratification, danger and escape in the case of the six bases of contact. Monks, that is the supreme state of sublime peace discovered by the Tathagata, that is, liberation through not clinging, by understanding as they actually are, their origination, disappearance, gratification, danger, and escape in the case of the six bases of contact. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. Oh, a lot of words here, all about different types of use. not much benefit to go and analyze them too much. This last part, the Buddha talks about the six bases of contact, the six sense bases like the eye, the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. It is through contact that feelings, perception, volition, everything arises. And the world arises at the six sense bases, at the six consciousnesses. So when the six consciousnesses cease, and the world also ceases. So I think that's enough for tonight. Anything to discuss? This is not what we want to do. So, hey, we've got a project. So, we've got a project that we want to do at the University of California. So, we've got a project that we want to do at the University of California. I don't think so. I think all these views are due to too much thinking. People think a lot. They have all kinds of views. If they have attained jhāna, they will see very clearly. They will have got rid of their hindrances. In page 845. This last one, yes, but they are all different recluses and Brahmins. Because in the beginning, the Buddha talked about the five. So this one is the very last one. They are different from the earlier ones. Oh yes, certainly. Oh yes, certainly. Oh yes, this happens. A lot of people, they practice meditation and think they have finished their work. This also happens with Hindu yogis. Also, nowadays, if you look carefully at some books, just because certain monks or nuns have attained certain high states of meditation, they say that a person has become an Arahant. It's not so easy in the Buddha's teachings, not so easy. Dhamma foundation is extremely important. Without the Dhamma foundation, a person can think that he has attained this and attained that. But it's not according to Dhamma. Say again. Say again. Only the first two. The third one is destruction of the asavas. Yes. Yes, it is possible to attain enlightenment without recollecting the past life and without having the heavenly eye. But if you look at the case of our Sakyamuni Buddha, I think you have heard why I say that I believe that when he came back in his last life as Siddhartha Gautama, he must have been Sakka Degamin, second fruition ariya. That type of person, because there is no dhamma in the world, If he does not remember the Dhamma from a past life through this way of attaining this psychic power of remembering, then it's very difficult for him to become enlightened, probably not possible. So he has to struggle and remember his past. Then only the dharma comes back. Then only he can become enlightened. But with an arahant, when there is dharma in the world, you don't need. But when there is no dharma in the world, and this Sakadagamin is struggling so hard, I think he must attain this psychic power and remember his path. Otherwise, if there is no dharma base, he cannot become enlightened. Yes, yes, definitely. Without the Dhamma, reflecting on the Dhamma, there is no Samasati. Samasati, out of the four objects of Samasati, the most important is recollecting the Dhamma, the Buddha's Dhamma. Because in the Suttas, the Buddha talks about five occasions of liberation. An arahant becomes an arahant only on five occasions. One is when he's listening to the Dhamma. Second, when he's teaching the Dhamma. Third, when he's repeating the Dhamma. That means the suttas. And the fourth, when he's reflecting on the Dhamma. Only the fifth is during meditation. But then even meditation also, you need some Dhamma. So without Dhamma, a person cannot become enlightened. OK, so we end here.

03-MN-103-Kinti-(2010-08-31).txt

Today is 31st of August, 2010 and this is also the 42nd time or night we are speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Now we come to Sutta 103, Kinti Sutta. What do you think about me? Thus have I heard On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Kusinara, in the Grove of Offerings. There, He addressed the monks thus, ''Monks, Venerable Sir,'' they replied. The Blessed One said, ''What do you think about me, monks, that the recluse Gotama teaches the Dhamma for the sake of robes, or that the recluse Gotama teaches the Dhamma for the sake of alms food, or that the recluse Gotama teaches the Dhamma for the sake of a resting place?'' or that the recluse Gautama teaches the Dhamma for the sake of some better state of being? We do not think thus about the Blessed One. The recluse Gautama teaches the Dhamma for the sake of robes, or for the sake of alms food, or for the sake of a resting place, or for the sake of some better state of being. So monks, you do not think thus about me. The recluse Gautama teaches the Dhamma for the sake of robes, or alms food, or resting place, or some better state of being. Then what do you think about me? You think thus about the Blessed One. The Blessed One is compassionate and seeks our welfare. He teaches the Dhamma out of compassion. So monks, you think thus about me. The Blessed One is compassionate and seeks our welfare. He teaches the Dhamma out of compassion. So monks, these things that I have taught you after directly knowing them, that is, the four intense states of recollection, the four right kinds of striving, the four bases of psychic power, the five faculties, five powers, seven enlightenment factors, the Noble Eightfold Path, these things you should all train and concord with mutual appreciation without disputing. I'll stop here for a moment. These few things here, if you add the 4 plus 4 plus 4 plus 5 plus 5 plus 7 plus 8, they add up to 37. They are called the Bodhipakya Dhammas, the requisites of enlightenment. And they are the most important of the Buddha's teachings as far as practice is concerned. While you are training in concord with mutual appreciation, without disputing, two monks might differ about the higher Dhamma. Let's stop here for a moment. The higher Dhamma, the Abhidhamma, in the suttas, refers to these 37 Bodhipakya Dhammas. And anything connected with them. It's not the later Abhidhamma that nowadays is found in the Abhidhamma Pitaka. Now if ye should think thus, these verbal ones defer about both the meaning and the phrasing. Then whichever monk you think is the more reasonable should be approached and addressed thus. The verbal ones defer about both the meaning and the phrasing. The verbal ones should know that it is for this reason that there is difference about the meaning and difference about the phrasing. Let them not fall into a dispute. And whichever monk you think is the most reasonable of those who side together on the opposite path should be approached and addressed thus. The variable ones differ about the meaning and the phrasing. The variable ones should know that it is for this reason that there is difference about the meaning and difference about the phrasing. Let them not fall into a dispute. So what has been wrongly grasped should be borne in mind as wrongly grasped. Bearing in mind what has been wrongly grasped, as wrongly grasped, what is Dhamma, what is Vinaya should be expounded. Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says, suppose two monks have a difference of opinion about the higher Dhamma, the higher Dhamma of the Buddha, and they differ in the meaning and the phrasing. the higher Dhamma, then there will be monks who side one party and there will be monks who side the other party. So the Buddha said, you should try to approach both parties and tell them not to dispute, to understand the Dhamma correctly, the Dhamma and the Vinaya, and then don't have a dispute. Now if you think thus, these verbal ones defer about the meaning, but agree about the phrasing, then whichever monk you think is the more reasonable should be approached and addressed thus. The verbal ones defer about the meaning, but agree about the phrasing. The verbal ones should know that it is for this reason that there is difference about the meaning, but agreement about the phrasing. Let them not fall into a dispute. Then whichever monk you think is the most reasonable of those who side together on the opposite path should be approached and addressed thus. The variable ones differ about the meaning but agree about the phrasing. The variable ones should know that it is for this reason that there is difference about the meaning, but agreement about the praising. Let them not fall into a dispute. So what has been wrongly grasped should be borne in mind as wrongly grasped, and what has been rightly grasped should be borne in mind as rightly grasped, bearing in mind what has been wrongly grasped as wrongly grasped, and bearing in mind what has been rightly grasped as rightly grasped. What is Dhamma and what is Divinaya should be expounded. I'll be here for a moment. So again, here, the second case is they differ about the meaning but agree about the phrasing. So the Buddha is asking any monk who can settle their differences to try to settle their differences. Don't let them fall into dispute. Because if the Sangha of monks dispute and they break into two Sanghas, it's a very serious thing. It's called a schism. and if a monk strives to create schism in the Sangha so that the Sangha splits into two Sangha, then it is one of the very heavy offenses, karmic offenses that can bring him to hell. So that's why the Buddha says to try to bring the monks together. Don't allow them to dispute. But before you can do that, the monk should be one who is very familiar with the Dhamma Vinaya, who knows the Dhamma Vinaya very well. Then only he can explain so that the two parties can agree. can accept what he says. Now if you think thus, these verbal ones agree about the meaning, but defer about the phrasing, then whichever monk you think is more reasonable should be approached and addressed thus. The verbal ones agree about the meaning, but defer about the phrasing. The verbal ones should know that it is for this reason that there is agreement about the meaning, but difference about the phrasing. But the phrasing is a mere trifle. Let the verbal ones not fall into a dispute over a mere trifle. Then whichever monk you think is the most reasonable of those who side together on the opposite path should be approached and addressed thus. The variable ones agree about the meaning, but differ about the phrasing. The variable ones should know that it is for this reason that there is agreement about the meaning, but difference about the phrasing. But the phrasing is a mere trifle. that the verbal ones not fall into a dispute over a mere trifle. So what has been rightly grasped should be borne in mind as rightly grasped, and what has been wrongly grasped should be borne in mind as wrongly grasped, bearing in mind what has been rightly grasped as rightly grasped, and bearing in mind what has been wrongly grasped as wrongly grasped. What is Dhamma and what is Vinaya should be expounded. Now if you should think thus, these Verbal Ones agree about both the meaning and the phrasing, then whichever monk you think is the more reasonable should be approached and addressed thus. The Verbal Ones agree about both the meaning and the phrasing. The Verbal Ones should know that it is for this reason that there is agreement about both the meaning and the phrasing. Let the venerable ones not fall into a dispute. Then whichever monk you think is the most reasonable of those who side together on the opposite path should be approached and addressed thus. The venerable ones agree about both the meaning and the praising. The venerable ones should know that it is for this reason that there is agreement about both the meaning and the praising. Let the venerable ones not fall into a dispute. So what has been rightly grasped should be borne in mind as rightly grasped. Bearing in mind what has been as rightly grasped, what is Dhamma, what is Vinaya, should be expounded. While you are training in concord with mutual appreciation, without disputing, some monks might commit an offence or a transgression. Now monks, you should not hurry to reprove him. Rather, the person should be examined thus. There shall not be trouble, and the other person will not be hurt. But the other person is not given to anger and revenge. He is not firmly attached to his view and he relinquishes easily. And I can make that person emerge from the unwholesome and establish him in the wholesome. If such occurs to you monks, it is proper to speak." Stop here for a moment. So if a monk commits an offense, Buddha says, don't be in a hurry to reprove him. You should examine the situation. Suppose on your part you are not too much troubled and the other person does not have too much anger, is not too attached to his view, then it is proper to speak. Then it may occur to you, monks, I shall not be troubled, but the other person will be hurt, for the other person is given to anger and revenge. However, he is not firmly attached to his view, and he relinquishes easily, and I can make that person emerge from the unwholesome and establish him in the wholesome. It is a mere trifle that the other person will be hurt. But it is a much greater thing that I can make that person emerge from the unwholesome and establish him in the wholesome. If such occurs to you monks, it is proper to speak." Stop here for a moment. So this second case, this person, he has some anger, but he's not too attached to his view. And it is possible to make him see what is wholesome and what is unwholesome. If you are able to convince him, then the Buddha says you should speak. Then it may occur to you, monks, I shall be troubled, but the other person will not be hurt. For the other person is not given to anger and revenge, though he is firmly attached to his view, and he relinquishes with difficulty. Yet I can make that person emerge from the unwholesome and establish him in the wholesome. It is a mere trifle that I should be troubled. But it is a much greater thing that I can make that person emerge from the unwholesome and establish him in the wholesome. If such occurs to you monks, it is proper to speak. Let's stop here for a moment. So in this third case, this person has a lot of anger. Sorry, this person does not have anger, but he is firmly attached to his view. But it is possible to make him relinquish his view. But it will take a bit of trouble. And the Buddha says if you can do that, it is proper to speak. Then it may occur to you, monks, I shall be troubled and the other person will be hurt, for the other person is given to anger and revenge, and he is firmly attached to his view, and he relinquishes with difficulty. Yet I can make that person emerge from the unwholesome and establish him in the wholesome. It is a mere trifle that I shall be troubled and the other person hurt, but it is a much greater thing that I can make that person emerge from the unwholesome and establish him in the wholesome. If such occurs to you monks, it is proper to speak." I'll stop here for a moment. So in this case, it is difficult but it is possible to make him see that he has done wrong and make him come out from the unwholesome. So it is possible then again to speak. Then it may occur to you, monks, I shall be troubled, and the other person will be hurt. For the other person is given to anger and revenge, and he is firmly attached to his view, and he relinquishes with difficulty. And I cannot make that person emerge from the unwholesome and establish him in the wholesome. One should not underrate equanimity towards such a person. Sorry for a moment. So this last case, this person, It's not possible to make him change his mind. Then the Buddha says, then you should just abide equanimous. Don't try to talk to him. While you are training in concord with mutual appreciation without disputing, there might arise mutual verbal friction, domineering views, mental annoyance, bitterness and dejection. Then whichever monk you think is the most reasonable of those who side together on the one path should be approached and addressed thus. While we were training in concord, friend, with mutual appreciation without disputing, There arose mutual verbal friction, domineering views, mental annoyance, bitterness and dejection. If the recluse knew, would he censure that? Answering rightly, the monk would answer thus, while we were training in concord and mutual appreciation, etc. If the recluse knew, he would censure that. But friend, without abandoning that thing, can one realize Nibbāna? Answering rightly, the monk would answer thus, friend, without abandoning that thing, one cannot realize Nibbāna. Stop here for a moment. So here, two sides, there's some verbal friction between two parties of monks. So here, the Buddha says you should talked to them and said if the recluse knew, the recluse here refers to the Buddha I guess, if the Buddha knew that he censured this and that party agrees, then he would know what to do. Then whichever monk you think is the most reasonable of those who side together on the opposite path should be approached and addressed thus. While we were training in concord, friend, with mutual appreciation, without disputing, there arose mutual verbal friction, domineering views, mental annoyance, bitterness and dejection. If the recluse knew, would he censure that? Answering rightly, the monk would answer thus. While we were training, in concord with mutual appreciation, etc. If the recluse knew, he would censure that. But friend, without abandoning that thing, can one realize Nibbāna? Answering rightly, the monk would answer thus, Friend, without abandoning that thing, one cannot realize Nibbāna. If others should ask that monk thus, was it the Venerable One who made those monks emerge from the unwholesome, and established them in the wholesome? Answering rightly, the monk would answer thus, Dear friends, I went to the Blessed One. The Blessed One taught me the Dhamma. Having heard that Dhamma, I spoke to those monks. The monks heard that Dhamma, and they emerged from the unwholesome, and became established in the wholesome. Answering thus, the monk neither exalts himself nor disparages others. He answers in accordance with the Dhamma in such a way that nothing which provides a ground for censure can be legitimately deduced from his assertion. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. That's the end of the Sutta. So here, this Sutta is more for monks. The Buddha is advising monks. If the Sangha, there's a problem in the Sangha, how they should deal with it, how to bring the two parties together back to concord and harmony. Not so much for lay people, more for monks. And the last part the Buddha says that if a monk can bring about harmony of the Sangha, then He should give the credit to the Buddha, not to himself. The Buddha taught him the Dhamma. Using the Dhamma, he spoke the Dhamma to them.

04-MN-104-Samagama-(2010-08-31).txt

Now we come to the next sutta, 104, Samma-Gama Sutta. At Samma-Gama, thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living in the Sakyan country at Samma-Gama. Now on that occasion, the Niganta, Nataputta, had just died at Parva. On his death, the Niganta's divided, split into two, and they are taken to quarrelling and brawling. and were deep in disputes, stabbing each other with verbal daggers. You do not understand this Dhamma Vinaya. I understand this Dhamma Vinaya. How could you understand this Dhamma Vinaya? Your way is wrong. My way is right. I am consistent. You are inconsistent. What should have been said first, you said last. What should have been said last, you said first. What you had so carefully thought up has been turned inside out. Your assertion has been shown up. You are refuted. Go and learn better, or disentangle yourself if you can. It seemed as if there were nothing but slaughter among the Niganta and Nataputta's pupils, and his white-clothed lay disciples were disgusted, dismayed, and disappointed with the Niganta and Nataputta's pupils, as they were with his badly proclaimed and badly expounded Dhammavinaya, which was unemancipating, unconducive to peace, expounded by one not fully enlightened, and was now with its shrine broken, left without a refuge. Then the novice Chunda, who had spent the rains at Bawa, went to the Venerable Ananda, and after paying homage to him, he sat down at one side and told him what was taking place. The Venerable Ananda then said to the novice Chunda, Friend Chunda, this is news that should be told to the Blessed One. Come, let us approach the Blessed One and tell Him this. Yes, Venerable Sir, the novice Chunda replied. Then the Venerable Ananda and the novice Sunda went together to the Blessed One. After paying homage to Him, they sat down at one side. And the Venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One, This novice Chunda, Venerable Sir, says thus, Venerable Sir, the Nighanta Nataputta has just died. On his death, the Nighanta is divided, split into two, etc., and is now with his shrine broken, left without a refuge. I thought, I thought, Venerable Sir, let no dispute arise in the Sangha when the Blessed One has gone. For such a dispute would be to the harm and unhappiness of many, for the loss, harm and suffering of gods and humans." And the Buddha said, What do you think, Ananda? These things that I have taught you, after directly knowing them, that is, the four intense states of recollection, the four right kinds of striving, the Four Bases for Psychic Power, the Five Faculties, Five Powers, Seven Enlightenment Factors, Noble Eightfold Path. You see Ananda, even two monks who make deferring assertions about these things. No, Venerable Sir, I do not see even two monks who make differing assertions about these things. But Venerable Sir, there are people who live deferential towards the Blessed One, who might, when He has gone, create a dispute in the Sangha about livelihood and about the patimokkha. Such a dispute would be for the harm and unhappiness of many, for the loss, harm and suffering of gods and humans." And the Buddha said, A dispute about livelihood or about the Patimokkha would be trifling and undone. But should a dispute arise in the Sangha about the path or the way, such a dispute would be for the harm and unhappiness of many, for the loss, harm, and suffering of gods and humans. I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says, a dispute about livelihood or about the Vinaya is not so important. But the dispute about the path or the way, that means about the Dhamma, how to practice the Dhamma, that is really serious. Because if there is such a dispute, then it shows that some people are practicing the wrong way, practicing the wrong Dhamma, or practicing the wrong method of the Dhamma. There are, Ananda, these six roots of disputes. What six? Here, Ananda, a monk is angry and revengeful. Such a monk dwells disrespectful and undifferential towards the teacher, towards the Dhamma, towards the Sangha, and he does not fulfill the training. A monk who dwells disrespectful and undifferential towards the teacher, towards the Dhamma, and towards the Sangha, and who does not fulfill the training, creates a dispute in the Sangha, which would be for the harm and unhappiness of many. for the lost harm and suffering of gods and humans. Now, if you see any such root of dispute, either in yourselves or externally, you should strive to abandon that same evil root of dispute. And if you do not see any such root of dispute, either in yourselves or externally, you should practice in such a way that the same evil root of dispute does not erupt in the future. Thus, there is the abandoning of that evil root of dispute. Thus, there is the non-eruption of that evil root of dispute in the future. Again, a monk is of contemptuous and domineering, or envious and avaricious, or deceitful and fraudulent, or has evil wishes and wrong views, or adheres to his own views, holds on to them tenaciously and relinquishes them with difficulty. Such a monk dwells disrespectful and undifferential towards the teacher, towards the Dhamma and towards the Sangha, and he does not fulfill the training. A monk who dwells disrespectful and undifferential towards the teacher, towards the Dhamma and towards the Sangha, and who does not fulfill the training, creates a dispute in the Sangha, which would be for the harm and unhappiness of many. for the loss, harm and suffering of gods and humans. Now, if you see any such root of dispute, either in yourselves or externally, you should strive to abandon that same evil root of dispute. And if you do not see any such root of dispute, either in yourselves or externally, you should practice in such a way that that same evil root of dispute does not erupt in the future. Thus, there is the abandoning of that evil root of dispute. Thus, there is the non-eruption of that evil root of dispute in the future. These are the six roots of dispute. Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha is saying that the cause of monks having disputes is due to a few types of monks. One is angry and revengeful type of monk. Another one is contemptuous and domineering. Another one is envious and avaricious. Another one is deceitful and fraudulent. Another one has evil wishes and wrong views. Another one adheres to his own views. So all these type of monks, they cause problem for the Sangha. If a person attains right view, then his ego reduces and he doesn't have these evil roots of dispute, these qualities, these evil qualities. So the Buddha is saying, if you see in yourself or in other monks such evil qualities, you should try to abandon Nanda, there are these four kinds of litigation. What four? Litigation because of a dispute. Litigation because of an accusation. Litigation because of an offense. And litigation concerning proceedings. These are the four kinds of litigation. I'll stop here for a moment. This litigation in Pali is Adhi Karana. when there is a problem in the Sangha, say because of dispute or accusation or an offence or proceedings. Proceedings means the proceedings of the Sangha. When the Sangha has something to discuss, the Sangha comes together and proceeds according to the Vinaya. So sometimes the proceedings people find fault, certain monks find fault with the proceedings, that also causes litigation. So these are the four kinds of litigation. Nanda, there are these seven kinds of settlement of litigation. For the settlement and pacification of litigations, whenever they arise, removal of litigation by confrontation may be provided. Removal of litigation on account of memory may be provided. Removal of litigation on account of past insanity may be provided. The effecting of acknowledgement of an offense, the opinion of the majority, the pronouncement of bad character against someone, and covering over with grass. These are the seven kinds of settlement of the litigation. And now the Buddha discusses them one by one. And how is there removal of litigation by confrontation? This litigation by confrontation, the translation in the Vinaya book is verdict in the presence of luck. Here monks are disputing. It is Dhamma. It is not Dhamma. It is Vinaya. It is not Vinaya. Those monks should all meet together in concord. Then having met together, the guideline of the Dhamma should be drawn out. Once the guideline of the Dhamma has been drawn out, that litigation should be settled in a way that accords with it, such as the removal of litigation by confrontation. And there comes to be the settlement of some litigations here by removal of litigation by confrontation. Just stop here for a moment. This one, these monks are disputing and then in the Vinaya books it says verdict in the presence of, that means if there is some problem concerning some monk then it has to be discussed in the presence of that monk. If it is concerning the Dhamma or the Vinaya, then the Dhamma and Vinaya should be discussed. That means there is a meaning of verdict in the presence of whatever is the problem, it must be discussed in its presence. In other words, for example, you cannot accuse a monk of some offence and you take action against him without his presence, you must call him in front of the Sangha, question him in his presence, then only you decide what to do. And how is there the opinion of a majority? If those monks cannot settle their litigation in that dwelling place, They should go to a dwelling place where there is a greater number of monks. There they should all meet together in concord. Then having met together, the guideline of the Dhamma should be drawn out. Once the guideline of the Dhamma has been drawn out, that litigation should be settled in a way that accords with it. Such is the opinion of a majority." So there comes to be the settlement of some litigations here by the opinion of a majority. I'll stop here for a moment. It's like taking a vote, so the majority decides, and everybody goes according to the majority opinion. Number three, and how is there removal of litigation on account of memory? This account of memory is sati vinaya. Here one monk reproves another monk for such and such a grave offense, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat. This defeat is parajika, the most heavy offense of a monk. Defeat means once he acknowledges that he has broken that offence, that precept, then he is defeated, he is no more a monk. Does the venerable one remember having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat? He says, I do not, friends, remember having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat. In his case, removal of litigation on account of memory should be pronounced. Such is the removal of litigation on account of memory. And so there comes to be the settlement of some litigations here by removal of litigation on account of memory. I'll stop here for a moment. This one, if some accusation is made against some Arahant, and Arahant is supposed to be mindful 24 hours a day. So if he says that he did not commit that offence, then they know that he is an Arahant, then they accept his word, they remove that litigation. Number four, and how is there removal of litigation on account of past insanity? Here one monk reproves another monk for such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat. Does the rebel one remember having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat? This defeat, as I mentioned, is Parajika. And the other grave offence bordering on defeat is called Sanggadhisesa. These two are the most heaviest offences. He says, I do not, friends, remember having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat. Despite the denial, the former presses the latter further. Surely the venerable one must know quite well if he remembers having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat. He says, I had gone mad, friend. I was out of my mind. And when I was mad, I said and did many things improper for a recluse. I do not remember I was mad when I did that. In this case, removal of litigation on account of past insanity should be pronounced. Such is the removal of litigation on account of past insanity. And so there comes to be the settlement of some litigations here by removal of litigation on account of past insanity. So this one, if a monk, he has a mental problem, and because of insanity, he did something wrong. And they accept that at that time, he was mentally deranged. Then they accepted and settled that litigation. 5. And how is there the effecting of acknowledgement of an offence? Here a monk, whether reproved or unreproved, remembers an offence, reveals it, and discloses it. He should go to a senior monk, and after arranging his robe on one shoulder, he should pay homage at his feet. Then, sitting on his knees, he should raise his palms together, and say, Remember, sir, I have committed such and such an offence. I confess it. The other says, do you see? Yes, I see. Will you practice restraint in the future? I will practice restraint in the future. Such is the effecting of acknowledgement of an offence. And so there comes to be the settlement of some litigations here by the effecting of acknowledgement of an offence. Stop it for a moment. So here, a monk, if he has committed some minor offence, he confesses it to another monk. and then it is accepted, then the case is settled. Number six. And how is there the pronouncement of bad character against someone? Here one monk reproves another for such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat. Does the venerable one remember having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat? He says, I do not, friends, remember having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat. Despite the denial, The former presses the latter further. Surely the venerable one must know quite well if he remembers having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat. He says, I do not, friends, remember having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat. But, friends, I remember having committed such and such a minor offence. Despite the denial, the former presses the latter further. Surely the venerable one must know quite well if he remembers having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat. He says, Friends, when not asked, I acknowledge having committed this minor offence. So when asked, why shouldn't I acknowledge having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat? The other says, Friend, if you had not been asked, you would not have acknowledged committing this minor offence. So why, when asked, would you acknowledge having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat? Surely the venerable one must know quite well if he remembers having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat. He says, I remember, friends, having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat. I was hurried, I was confused when I said that I did not remember having committed such and such a grave offence, one involving defeat or bordering on defeat. Such is the pronouncement of bad character against someone. So there comes to be the settlement of some litigations here by the pronouncement of bad character against someone. And how is that covering over with grass? Here when monks have taken to quarrelling and brawling and are deep in disputes, they may have said and done many things improper for a recluse. Those monks should all meet together in concord. When they have met together, a wise monk among the monks who side together on the one path should rise from his seat, and after arranging his robe on one shoulder, he should raise his hands, palms together, and call for the enactment of the Sangha thus. Let the verbal Sangha hear me. When we took to quarrelling and brawling and were deep in disputes, we said and did many things improper for our recluse. If it is approved by the Sangha, then for the good of these verbal ones, and for my own good, in the midst of the Sangha I shall confess by the method of covering over with grass. any offences of these venerable ones, and any offences of my own, except for those which call for serious censure, and those connected with the laity. Then a wise monk among the monks who side together on the other part should rise from his seat, and after arranging his robe on one shoulder, he should raise his palms raised his hands, palms together, and called for an enactment of the Sangha thus, Let the venerable Sangha hear me. When we took to quarrelling and brawling, and were deep in disputes, we said and did many things improper for our recluse. If it is approved by the Sangha, then for the good of these venerable ones, and for my own good, in the midst of the Sangha I shall confess, by the method of covering over with grass, any offences of these febrile ones, and any offences of my own, except for those which call for serious censure and those connected with the laity. Such is the covering over with grass." And so there comes to be the settlement of some litigations here by the covering over with grass. Stop here for a moment. This last one is sometimes the Sangha, they split into two camps and they quarrel for a long time. a long time, they decide that there is no point to continue quarrelling, so they decide to make up. When they decide to make up, they get one monk to represent each side. This monk confesses on behalf of the monks he represents, and both sides agree to cover the whole problem over, just like covering over with grass, just settle everything. Ananda, there are six memorable qualities that create love and respect and conduce to helpfulness, to non-dispute, to concord and to unity. What are the six? Here, a monk maintains bodily acts of loving-kindness, both in public and in private, towards his companions in the holy light. This is a memorable quality that creates love and respect and conduces to helpfulness, to non-dispute, to concord and to unity. Again, a monk maintains verbal acts of loving-kindness, both in public and in private, towards his companions in the holy life. This is a memorable quality that creates love and respect and conduces to unity. Again, a monk maintains mental acts of loving-kindness, both in public and in private, towards his companions in the holy life. This is a memorable quality that creates love and respect and conduces to unity. Again, A monk enjoys things in common with his virtuous companions in the holy life. Without making reservations, he shares with them any gain of a kind that accords with the Dhamma and has been obtained in a way that accords with the Dhamma, including even what is in his bowl. This is a memorable quality that creates love and respect and conduces to unity. Again, a monk dwells both in public and in private, possessing in common with his companions in the holy life those virtues that are unbroken, untorn, unblotched, unmottled, liberating, commended by the wise, not misapprehended, and conducive to concentration. This too is a memorable quality that creates love and respect. and conduces to unity. Again, a monk dwells both in public and in private, possessing in common with his companions in the holy life that view which is noble and emancipating, and leads the one who practices in accordance with it through the complete destruction of suffering. This too is a memorable quality that creates love and respect, and conduces to helpfulness, to non-dispute, to concord, and to unity. These are the six memorable qualities that create love and respect, and conduce to helpfulness, to non-dispute, to concord, and to unity. If, Ananda, you undertake and maintain these six memorable qualities, do you see any cause of speech, trivial or gross, that you could not endure? No, Venerable Sir. Therefore, Ananda, undertake and maintain these six memorable qualities that will lead to your welfare and happiness for a long time. That is what the Blessed One said. Remember, Ananda was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. That's the end of the Sutta. So this last part is very important. In a monastery, where a lot of people stay together, it is important to practice these six qualities. Metta, loving kindness, through the body, speech, and mind. And then, sharing anything you have with others. Not to be selfish, not to be stingy. And then, number five, to have good sila. In a monastery which practices good sila, it can be seen that the monks, they help each other They cooperate with each other. They support each other and all that. But I've seen in town monasteries, city monasteries, that the monks don't keep good vinaya. Everyone looks after himself only. Very selfish. And then sometimes when a monk is sick, nobody bothers with him. Old monks and all that. This is not what you see in a monastery which practices good Vinaya. Because if a monk practices good Vinaya, he acts in accordance with Vinaya, not motivated by his own selfish motives. Also, this one, right view. When a person understands the Dhamma and has right view, Aryan right view, then the ego reduces a lot. So that also is very important for harmony. When your ego goes down, your anger also goes down. So it's very helpful for harmony and concord. So these two things, right view and having good sila is very important. So these six qualities, when people stay together, especially in a monastery, we come from different backgrounds, it is important to practice them. So this is another sutta that has a lot to do with monks' lives. I think I'll stop here for the suttas tonight. I'd like to read this, something that our Jojo has drafted. on this protocol and behavior during our meditation sessions. But before I come to this, maybe you have anything to discuss on this suttas. We finish it before we come to them. I don't know. I don't know. Why, in that, can I never, my whole being, be what you think it is that you think it is? But my whole being is that I have to be what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's what you think it is, and that's There are differences of opinion concerning the Dhamma and the Vinaya. The Buddha says that if anybody claims that the Buddha taught This and that, the Buddha says, not to accept it and not to reject it. The Buddha says that we should compare what he said with the suttas and the Vinaya. Only with accordance with the suttas and the Vinaya can we accept it as the Buddha's teachings. So, it is important to be familiar with the suttas and the Vinaya, otherwise you cannot judge whether the monk is teaching according to what the Buddha is teaching, has taught or not, whether he has wrong view or not. So we always compare with the suttas and the Vinaya. Okay, there's nothing else. We stop here for the suttas tonight. you.

05-MN-105-Sunakkhatta-(2010-09-01).txt

Today is the 1st of September, 2010 and this is the 43rd time I'm speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Now we come to Sutta 105, Sunakata Sutta. Two Sunakata. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Vesali in the Great Wood, in the hall with the peak roof. On that occasion, a number of monks had declared final knowledge in the presence of the Blessed One thus, we understand, birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming to any state of being. Sunakata, son of the Licchavi, heard, a number of monks it seems have declared final knowledge in the presence of the Blessed One thus. We understand, birth is destroyed, a holy life has been lived, etc. There is no more coming to any state of being. Then Sunakata, son of the Licchavi, went to the Blessed One. And after paying homage to him, he sat down at one side and said to the Blessed One, I have heard, Member Sir, that a number of monks have declared final knowledge in the presence of the Blessed One. Did they do so rightly, or are there some monks here who declare final knowledge because they overestimate themselves? When those monks, Sunakata, declared final knowledge in my presence, there were some monks who declared final knowledge rightly. And there were some who declared final knowledge because they overestimated themselves. Therein, when monks declare final knowledge rightly, their declaration is true. But when monks declare final knowledge because they overestimate themselves, the Tathagata thinks, let me teach them the Dhamma. Thus it is in this case, Unakata, that the Tathagata thinks, let me teach them the Dhamma. But some misguided men here formulate a question. come to the Tathagata and ask it. In that case, Unakata, though the Tathagata has thought, let me teach them the Dhamma, he changes his mind. Stop here for a moment. So here, the Buddha says, some monks, when they say that they have become liberated, some are actually liberated, but some are not. Of those that are not liberated, the Buddha thinks of teaching them further, but Some of them are not humble enough and they come to ask the Buddha a question, probably to debate with the Buddha or to test the Buddha. So the Buddha changes his mind about teaching them the Dhamma. And Sunakata said, this is the time, blessed one, this is the time, sublime one, for the blessed one to teach the Dhamma. Having heard it from the blessed one, the monks will remember it. Then listen, Sunakata, and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Venerable Sir, Sunakata, son of the Licchavi, replied to the blessed one. The Blessed One said, There are sunakata, these five courts of sensual pleasure. What are the five? Forms cognizable by the eye that are wished for, desired, agreeable and likable, connected with sensual desire, and provocative of lust. sounds cognizable by the ear, odors cognizable by the nose, flavors cognizable by the tongue, tangibles cognizable by the body, that are wished for, desired, agreeable, and likable, connected with sensual desire, and provocative or plus. These are the five courts of sensual pleasure. It is possible, sunakata, that some person here may be intent on worldly material things. When a person is intent on worldly material things, only talk concerning that interests him, and his thinking and pondering are in line with that, and he associates with that kind of person, and he finds satisfaction through him. But when talk about the imperturbable is going on, he will not listen to it, or give it ear, or exert his mind to understand it. He does not associate with that kind of person, and he does not find satisfaction through him. Suppose to Nakata, a man had left his own village or town a long time ago, and he were to see another man who had only recently left that town of village. He would ask that man whether the people of that village or town were safe, prosperous and healthy. And that man would tell him whether the people of that village or town were safe, prosperous and healthy. What do you think, Sunakarta? Would that first man listen to him, give him ear and exert his mind to understand? Yes, Mabuzir. So too, Sunakarta, it is possible that some person here may be intent on worldly material things. And a person is intent on worldly material things, He does not find satisfaction through him. He should be understood as a person who is intent on worldly material things. I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha is saying that worldly people only want to talk about worldly things. They want to find other worldly people to talk to. But when you talk to them about states of meditation that are deep and all that, imperturbable, they are not interested. It is possible, sunakata, that some person here may be intent on the imperturbable. When a person is intent on the imperturbable, only talk concerning that interests him, and his thinking and pondering are in line with that, and he associates with that kind of person, and he finds satisfaction through him. But when talk about worldly material things is going on, he will not listen to it or give it ear or exert his mind to understand it. He does not associate with that kind of person and he does not find satisfaction through him. Just as a yellow leaf that has fallen from its stalk is incapable of becoming green again. So to Sunakarta, when a person is intent on the imperturbable, he has shed the factor of worldly material things. He should be understood as a person not bound by the factor of worldly material things, who is intent on the imperturbable. It is possible, sunakata, that some person here may be intent on the base of nothingness. When a person is intent on the base of nothingness, only thought concerning that interests him, and his thinking and pondering are in line with that, and he associates with that kind of person, and he finds satisfaction through him. But when talk about the imperturbable is going on, he will not listen to it, or give it ear, or exert his mind to understand it. He does not associate with that kind of person, and he does not find satisfaction through him. Just as a thick stone that has split in two cannot be joined together again, so too sunakata, when a person is intent on the base of nothingness, his factor of the imperturbable has been split. It should be understood as a person not bound by the factor of the imperturbable, who is intent on the base of nothingness. I'll stop here for a moment. Normally when we talk on the imperturbable, we mean the fourth jhana and the arupas or arupajhanas. But here you can see this imperturbable here refers to the fourth jhana, the base of boundless space and the base of boundless consciousness. So the Buddha separates the base of nothingness and later the base of neither perception or non-perception from the former. In this sutta, the imperturbable refers to the fourth jhāna, the fourth rūpa jhāna, the base of boundless space and the base of boundless consciousness. So when we compare to the earlier section, if a person has attained to the fourth jhāna, then he is no more interested in the worldly material things. So here section 10 talks about the person intent on the imperturbable, one who has attained the fourth jhāna or the base of boundless space or boundless consciousness is no more interested in the worldly material things because the bliss of the fourth jhāna is so, how do you say, so high that It derives so much happiness and pleasure in the fourth jhāna, that worldly material things are nothing compared to this bliss of the fourth jhāna, so it's no more interesting. So, you can see from here, that's why when you compare it with some other sutta, there is Majjhima Nikaya 14, When Mahana Amma came to ask the Buddha, he said, Bhagawa, although he understands the Dhamma, he says, in spite of having understood the Dhamma, he says sometimes this greed, hatred and delusion still overcomes him. And then he asked the Buddha whether he He has not developed something, he has not attained something. And the Buddha said yes. The Buddha says he has not attained the piti and sukha that is secluded from sensual pleasures and secluded from unwholesome states. That means he has not attained one-pointedness of mind, jhana. So what the Buddha means is that if a person has attained jhana, the bliss is so high, is no more interested in worldly material things. And here, especially the fourth jhāna, the imperturbable, the bliss is so much higher than worldly pleasures or sensual pleasures. If a person has attained the fourth jhāna, he is utterly no more interested in worldly material things. And then after that on section 12 the Buddha says if a person has attained the base of nothingness, that is even higher, then he is also no more interested in the imperturbable. It is possible, sunakata, that some person here may be intent on the base of neither perception nor non-perception. When a person is intent on the base of neither perception nor non-perception, only thought concerning that interests him, and his thinking and pondering are in line with that. but he associates with that kind of person, and he finds satisfaction through him. But when talk about the base of nothingness is going on, he will not listen to it, or give it ear, or exert his mind to understand it. He does not associate with that kind of person, and he does not find satisfaction through him. Suppose a person has eaten some delicious food, and thrown it up. What do you think, Sunak Khatta? Could that man have any desire to eat that food again? No, Vembul Sir. Why is that? Because that food is considered repulsive. So too, sunakata, when a person is intent on the base of neither perception nor non-perception, his fetter of the base of nothingness has been rejected. He should be understood as a person not bound by the fetter of the base of nothingness, who is intent on the base of neither perception nor non-perception. It is possible, Sunakata, that some person here may be completely intent on Nibbana. When a person is completely intent on Nibbana, only talk concerning that interests him, and his thinking and pondering are in line with that, and he associates with that kind of person, and he finds satisfaction through him. But when talked about the base of neither perception nor non-perception is going on, he would not listen to it or give it ear or exert his mind to understand it. He does not associate with that kind of person and he does not find satisfaction through him. Just as a palm tree with its top cut off is incapable of growing again. So too Sunakata, when a person is completely intent on Ivana, This factor of the base of neither perception nor non-perception has been cut off, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, done away with, so that it is no longer subject to future arising. It should be understood as a person not bound by the factor of the base of neither perception nor non-perception, who is completely intent on nirvana. Stop here for a moment. If a person has attained the base of neither perception nor non-perception, at that point the consciousness is wavering, it's almost like a flame going to die off. Sometimes it's percipient, sometimes it's not percipient. So that is a very high state and when he has achieved that state, lower states, he is no more interested. But then the final one, intent on Nibbana, probably refers to the cessation of perception and feeling. When a person attains the cessation of perception and feeling, consciousness also stops. And the Buddha says that is the highest bliss, Nibbana, Paramahamsukham. This cessation of perception and feeling is that state where the sixth consciousness stops. And when the sixth consciousness stops, the Buddha says, that's the highest bliss. It's similar to the state of this parinibbana. It is possible, sunakata, that some monk here might think that craving has been called an arrow by the recluse, that is the Buddha. The poisonous humour of ignorance is spread about by desire, lust and ill-will. The arrow of craving has been removed from me. The poisonous humour of ignorance has been expelled. I am one who is completely intent on Ibana. Because he falsely thinks of himself thus, he might pursue those things that are unsuitable for one completely intent on Ibana. He might pursue the sight of unsuitable forms with the eye. He might pursue unsuitable sounds with the ear, unsuitable odors with the nose, unsuitable flavors with the tongue, unsuitable tangibles with the body, or unsuitable mind objects with the mind. When he pursues the sight of unsuitable forms with the eye, etc., Lust invades his mind. With his mind invaded by lust, he would incur death or deadly suffering. Suppose you now cut up a man who was wounded by an arrow, thickly smeared with poison, and his friends and companions, his kinsmen and relatives, brought a surgeon. The surgeon would cut around the opening of the wound with a knife, and he would probe for the arrow with a probe. Then he would pull out the arrow and would expel the poisonous humour. leaving a trace of it behind. Knowing that a trace was left behind, he would say, Good man, the arrow has been pulled out from you. The poisonous humour has been expelled, with a trace left behind, but it is incapable of arming you. Eat only suitable food. Do not eat unsuitable food, or else the wound would separate. From time to time, wash the wound, and from time to time, anoint its opening, so that pus and blood do not cover the opening of the wound. Do not walk around in the wind and sun, or else dust and dirt may infect the opening of the wound. Take care of your wound, good man, and see to it that the wound heals. The man would think, the arrow has been pulled up from me, the poisonous humour has been expelled with no trace left behind, and it is incapable of calming me. He would eat unsuitable food, and the wound would separate. He would not wash the wound from time to time, nor would he anoint its opening from time to time, and pus and blood would cover the opening of the wound. He would walk around in the wind and sun, and the dust and dirt would infect the opening of the wound. He would not take care of his wound, nor would he see to it that the wound heals. Then, both because he does what is unsuitable, and because of the foul, poisonous humor, had been expelled with a trace left behind, the wound would swell, and with its swelling it would incur death or deadly suffering. So too, Sunakata, it is possible that some monk here might think, craving has been called an arrow by the recluse. The poisonous humor of ignorance is spread about by desire, lust, and ill will. That arrow of craving has been removed from me. The poisonous humor of ignorance has been expelled. I am completely intent upon Nibbana. Because he falsely thinks of himself thus, he might pursue those things that are unsuitable for one completely intent on Nibbana. etc. With his mind invaded by lust, he would incur death or deadly suffering. For it is death in the discipline of the Noble One, Sunak Katha, when one abandons the craving and reverts to the lower life. And it is deadly suffering when one commits some defiled offense. Stop here for a moment. Here the Buddha says, sometimes a monk, he overestimates himself. He thinks he has no more craving. He has let go of everything. But he has not. Just like the wound, there is still some humor of this poisonous humor, some poisonous liquid is still left there. So in the same way, when a monk overestimates himself, he thinks he has eliminated craving, but there is still some craving in him. So just as the wound may how do you say, the wound would get worse, pus and blood would form. So in the same way, if he's not careful, he doesn't watch his sixth sense doors, then he looks at unsuitable sights, hears unsuitable sounds, etc., and then He would be invaded by lust. Lust invades his mind. And then either he would disrobe or he would commit some heavy offence, break some major precepts. So that is death or deadly suffering. So sometimes it's very easy for a monk to overestimate himself. Even when a person just goes forth, sometimes he thinks, oh, he has let go already. He has only let go on the outside. But the inside, it's difficult to remove the attachment inside. Especially a monk has just gone forth, the Buddha says, this tie, the family tie, is extremely strong. This family tie is stronger than iron chains. Iron chains are nothing compared to this attachment, family attachment. So for a monk, the first few years, it's very important that he completely cut off several of his family ties. Otherwise, he's still chained by this attachment, family attachment. That's why when a person intends to go forth, it is good to go forth in a foreign country. Just like last time when I went forth in America, there was a lot of suffering, but because it was so far from home, there was no chance to go back. It is possible, Sunakata, that some monk here might think thus. Craving has been called an arrow by the recluse. The poisonous humour of ignorance is spread about by desire, lust and ill will. That arrow of craving has been removed from me. The poisonous humour of ignorance has been expelled. I am one who is completely intent on Nibbana. Being one who really is completely intent on Nibbana, He would not pursue those things that are unsuitable for one completely intent on Nibbana. He would not pursue the sight of unsuitable forms with the eye. He would not pursue unsuitable sounds with the ear, unsuitable odors with the nose, unsuitable flavors with the tongue, unsuitable tangibles with the body, or unsuitable mind objects with the mind. Because he does not pursue the sight of unsuitable forms, etc., Lust does not invade his mind. Because his mind is not invaded by lust, he would not incur death or deadly suffering. Suppose Unakata, a man who was wounded by an arrow, thickly smeared with poison, and his friends and companions, kinsmen and relatives, brought a certain The surgeon would cut around the opening of the wound with a knife, then he would probe for the arrow with a probe, then he would pull out the arrow, and would expel the poisonous humour without leaving a trace of it behind. Knowing that no trace was left behind, he would say, Good man, the arrow has been pulled out from you. The poisonous humour has been expelled with no trace left behind, and it is incapable of harming you. Eat only suitable food. Do not eat unsuitable food, or else the wound may separate. From time to time, wash the wound, and from time to time, anoint its opening, so that pus and blood do not cover the opening of the wound. Do not walk around in the wind. and sun, or else dust and dirt may infect the opening of the wound. Take care of your wound, good man, and see to it that the wound heals. The man would think, the arrow has been pulled out from me, the poisonous humor has been expelled with no trace left behind, and it is incapable of harming me. He would eat only suitable food, and the wound would not separate. From time to time he would watch the wound and from time to time he would anoint its opening and pus and blood would not cover the opening of the wound. He would not walk around in the wind and sun and dust and dirt would not infect the opening of the wound. He would take care of his wound and would see to it that the wound heals. Then because Then both because he does what is suitable and because the foul poisonous humour has been expelled with no trace left behind, the wound would heal. And because it had healed and was covered with skin, he would not incur death or deadly suffering. So too Sunakarta. It is possible that some monks here might think thus. Craving has been called an arrow by the recluse. The poisonous humour of ignorance is spread about by desire, lust and ill will. That arrow of craving has been pulled out from me. The poisonous humour of ignorance has been expelled. I am one who is completely intent on Nibbana. Being one who really is completely intent on Nibbana, he would not pursue those things unsuitable for one completely intent on Nibbana, etc. And because his mind is not invaded by lust, he would not incur death or deadly suffering. So here the Buddha gives the instance of a person who has finished his job. He has expelled completely ignorance and craving. But even then, He would not go and look at unsuitable forms. He would not hear unsuitable sounds, etc. Also because he has no more interest. But then you see, before a person can be completely intent on Nibbana, he must pass through the various stages. He must attain the imperturbable first, the fourth jhana, the base of neither at least the fourth jhāna and if possible the base of boundless space and boundless consciousness. And there are some arahants who attain these rūpas, there are some arahants who do not attain these rūpas. But to have completed the work, a monk would need at least the fourth rūpa jhāna, in which case he would not be interested anymore in worldly things. Insight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Sunakata. I have given this simile in order to convey a meaning. This is the meaning here. Wound is a term for the six internal bases. That means the eye, the ear, the nose, the tongue, body and mind. Poisonous humour is a term for ignorance. Arrow is a term for craving. Probe is a term for mindfulness or recollection. Knife is a term for noble wisdom. Surgeon is a term for the Tathagata. When Sunakata, a monk practices restraint in the six bases of contact, and having understood that attachment is the root of suffering, is without attachment, liberated by the destruction of attachment, it is not possible that he would direct his body or arouse his mind towards any object of attachment. Suppose Sunakata there were a bronze cup of beverage possessing a good color, smell and taste, but it was mixed with poison, and a man came who wanted to live, not to die. who wanted pleasure and recoil from pain. What do you think, Sunakarta? Would that man drink that cup of beverage, knowing, if I drink this, I will incur death or deadly suffering? No, Vembal Sir. So too, when a monk practices restraint in the six bases of contact, and having understood that attachment is the root of suffering, is without attachment, liberated by the destruction of attachment. It is not possible that he would direct his body or arouse his mind towards any object of attachment. Suppose, in Al-Qaeda, there were a deadly poisonous snake and a man came who wanted to live, not to die, who wanted pleasure and recoil from pain. What do you think, Sunakarta? Would that man give that deadly poisonous snake his hand or his thumb, knowing if I am bitten by him, I will incur death or deadly suffering? No, Venerable Sir. So too, when a monk practices restraint in the six bases of contact, and having understood that attachment is the root of suffering, is without attachment liberated by the destruction of attachment, it is not possible that he would direct his body or arouse his mind towards any object of attachment. That is what the Blessed One said. Sunakata, son of the Licchavi, was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. is the end of the sutta. So here you can see the Buddha is saying that any object of attachment is like a poisonous drink or a venomous snake. So the Buddha says that When a monk practices restraint in the six bases of contact and having understood that attachment is the root of suffering, is without attachment and liberated, it is not possible that he would direct his body or arouse his mind towards any object of attachment. This contradicts the later teachings found in the Mahayana and this Tibetan school. In the Mahayana, like for example, Vimalakirti Sutra, they say the bodhisattva enjoys socializing and a worldly life, and yet he is supposed to be higher than the arahant. And in the Tibetan teachings, they say that the enlightened person can still engage in this, what they call tantric Buddhism, where the master can have sex with the disciple, This is completely contradictory to the early dhamma found in the suttas. It is not possible that in some other suttas it is mentioned that an arahant, it is not possible for an arahant to purposely kill, to steal, to engage in sexual intercourse, to lie or cheat people. It's not possible. And even do anything wrong because of greed, hatred, or delusion, or fear. So this sutta is very good because sometimes we overestimate ourselves if we are on the spiritual path. So whether we have finish the job or not, this sutra cautions us not to be very cautious in the sixth sense basis, not to see unsuitable sights, not to hear unsuitable sounds, etc.

06-MN-106-Anenjasappaya-(2010-09-01).txt

Now we come to Sutta 106, Aninja Sapaya Sutta, the way to the imperturbable. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living in the Kuru country at a town of the Kurus named Kamasadama. There, the Blessed One addressed the monks thus. Monks! Remember, Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said, Monks, sensual pleasures are impermanent, hollow, false, deceptive. They are illusory, the brattle of fools. Sensual pleasures here and now, and sensual pleasures in lives to come. Sensual perceptions here and now and sensual perceptions in lives to come, both alike are Mara's realm, Mara's domain, Mara's bed, Mara's hunting ground. On account of them, these evil and wholesome mental states such as covetousness, ill-will and presumption arise. They constitute an obstruction to a noble disciple in training here. Stop here for a moment. So here you see the Buddha's attitude towards sensual pleasures is very clear here. The Buddha says, anybody talking about sensual pleasures is a prattle of fools. And sensual pleasures are Mara's realm, Mara's domain, Mara's bed, Mara's hunting ground. And it's because of sensual desire, sensual pleasures, that even unwholesome states arise. Also, when we enjoy sensual pleasures, there is this tendency to lust, crave for it. We have read some other sutta where the Buddha says it is impossible to enjoy sensual pleasures without the tendency to lust for it, to crave for it. If you enjoy it, then you have the tendency to lust, to crave for it. So also the Buddha says that sensual perceptions are also the same thing. There's this tendency to crave for it. So a person on the spiritual path, he stays far away from sensual pleasures. Also, if you remember when we talked about the 12 links of dependent origination, the 12 links that lead to suffering, the origin of suffering. It is stated that being arises, the perception I am or I exist, the ego arises when there is craving and attachment. When you have craving and attachment, the ego arises. I want this, I cannot do without this, I cannot live without this and all this. That's why here it says, on account of sensual pleasures, all the evil, unwholesome mental states arise. Okay, to continue. Therein mounts a noble disciple who considers thus, sensual pleasures here and now, and sensual pleasures in lives to come, et cetera, constitute an obstruction to a noble disciple in training here. Suppose I were to abide with a mind abundant and exalted, having transcended the world and made a firm resolution with the mind. When I do so, there will be no more evil, unwholesome mental states such as covetousness, ill-will, and presumption in me. And with the abandoning of them, my mind will be unlimited, immeasurable, and well-developed. When he practices in this way and frequently abides thus, his mind acquires confidence in this base. Once there is confidence, he either attains to the imperturbable now, or else he decides upon perfecting wisdom. on the dissolution of the body after death, it is possible that this consciousness of his leading to rebirth may pass on to rebirth in the imperturbable. This monk is declared to be the first way directed to the imperturbable. So here as we mentioned before, the imperturbable refers to the four jhanas and the arupa jhanas. But here since It is mentioned, my mind will be unlimited, immeasurable and well developed. So it refers more to the Arupasla. Although the commentary says this only refers to the fourth jhana, but it could well refer to the Arupasla more likely. Again, monks. So here this noble disciple, this monk, he frequently attains this imperturbable state, that means the fourth jhana and the higher jhanas, the arupas. He acquires confidence in this space, that means he is very familiar with these fourth jhana or the arupas. So on passing away, either he is reborn in the imperturbable, those formless realms, or if he decides upon perfecting wisdom, that means if he decides to become an arahant, to become liberated, then he doesn't go for rebirth. Again, monks and noble disciples consider thus, there are sensual pleasures here and now and sensual pleasures in lives to come. Sensual perceptions here and now and sensual perceptions in lives to come. Whatever material form there is, all material form is the four great elements and the material form derived from the four great elements. He practices in this way and frequently abides thus. His mind acquires confidence in this space. Once there is full confidence, he either attains to the imperturbable now or else he decides upon perfecting wisdom. On the dissolution of the body after death, it is possible that this consciousness of his leading to rebirth may pass on to rebirth in the imperturbable. This, monks, is declared to be the second way directed to the imperturbable. Again, monks and noble disciples consider thus. Sensual pleasures here and now, and sensual pleasures in lives to come. Sensual perceptions here and now, and sensual perceptions in lives to come. Material forms here and now, and material forms in lives to come. Perceptions of forms here and now, and perceptions of forms in lives to come. Both alike are impermanent. What is impermanent is not worth delighting in. not worth welcoming, not worth holding to. When he practices in this way and frequently abides thus, his mind acquires confidence in this base. Once there is full confidence, he either attains to the imperturbable now or else he decides upon perfecting wisdom. On the dissolution of the body after death, it is possible that this consciousness of his leading to rebirth may pass on to rebirth in the imperturbable. This monks is declared to be the third way directed to the Again, monks and noble disciples consider thus, sensual pleasures here and now and sensual pleasures in lives to come, sensual perceptions here and now and sensual perceptions in lives to come, material forms here and now and material forms in lives to come, perceptions of forms here and now and perceptions of forms in lives to come, and perceptions of the imperturbable, all are perceptions, where these Perception sees without remainder that is the peaceful, that is the sublime, namely the base of nothingness. When he practices in this way and frequently abides thus, his mind acquires confidence in this base. Once there is full confidence, he either attains to the base of nothingness now or else he decides upon perfecting wisdom on the dissolution of the body after death. It is possible that this consciousness of his leading to rebirth may pass on to rebirth in the base of nothingness. This monk is declared to be the first way directed to the base of nothingness. Again, monks, a noble disciple gone to the forest or to the root of a tree or to an empty hut considers thus, this is void of a self or of what belongs to a self. When he practices in this way and frequently abides thus, His mind acquires confidence in this base. Once there is full confidence, he either attains to the base of nothingness now, or else he decides upon perfecting wisdom on the dissolution of the body after death. It is possible that this consciousness of his, leading to rebirth, may pass on to rebirth in the base of nothingness. This monk is declared to be the second way directed to the base of nothingness. Again, monks, a noble disciple considers thus, I am not anything belonging to anyone anywhere, nor is there anything belonging to me in anyone anywhere. When he practices in this way and frequently abides thus, his mind acquires confidence in this base. Once there is full confidence, he either attains to the base of nothingness now or else he decides upon perfecting wisdom. On the dissolution of the body after death, it is possible that this consciousness of his leading to rebirth may pass on to rebirth in the base of nothingness. This monk is declared to be the third way directed to the base of nothingness. Stop here for a moment. So here, the Buddha is talking about a noble disciple who frequently enters this base of nothingness. In this base of nothingness, he feels that this is, as mentioned in section 7, this is void of a self or what belongs to a self. He realizes in this state that there is no self. Everything is empty. So also in section 6 it says, where these perceptions cease without remainder, that is the peaceful, that is the sublime, namely the base of nothingness. Actually in the Digha Nikaya Sutta 9.16, it is said that there is still in this base of nothingness, there is still a subtle but true perception. There is still a subtle perception. It's not that there is totally no perception, there is still a subtle perception. So here, when a person attains this base, constantly enters this base and acquires confidence in this base, either he can attain Arahanthood when he perfects wisdom, or if not, then he is reborn in the base of nothingness. Again, monks, a noble disciple considers thus, sensual pleasures here, and now and sensual pleasures in lives to come. Sensual perceptions here and now and sensual perceptions in lives to come. Material forms here and now and material forms in lives to come. Perceptions of forms here and now and perceptions of forms in lives to come. Perceptions of the imperturbable and perceptions of the base of nothingness. All are perceptions Where these perceptions cease without remainder, that is the peaceful, that is the sublime, namely the base of neither perception nor non-perception. When he practices in this way and frequently abides thus, his mind acquires confidence in this base. Once there is full confidence, he either attains to the base of neither perception nor non-perception, Now, or else he decides upon perfecting wisdom. On the dissolution of the body after death, it is possible that this consciousness of his leading to rebirth may pass on to rebirth in the base of neither perception nor non-perception. This, monks, is declared to be the way directed to the base of neither perception nor non-perception. Stop here for a moment. So here in the same way, this monk constantly abides in this base of neither perception nor non-perception and acquires confidence in this meditation. Then either he becomes an Arahant or he is reborn in the base of neither perception nor non-perception, this formless realm. So here, it's only here that perception sees without remainder. This base of neither perception or non-perception. Earlier we said that the base of nothingness, there is still a subtle perception, but here the consciousness is about to go off, so there is no perception. When this was said, the Venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One, Venerable Sir, here a monk is practicing thus. If it were not, it would not be mine. It will not be and it will not be mine. What exists, what has come to be, that I am abandoning. Thus he obtains equanimity. Venerable Sir, does such a monk attain Nibbana? Stop here for a moment. This quotation, if it were not, it would not be mine. It would not be, and it would not be mine. What exists, what has come to be, that I am abandoning. This is from the Kudakanikaya, I think the Sutani Patha. So the Buddha says, if a monk considers this, and he obtains equanimity, one monk here might attain Nibbana, another monk here might not attain Nibbana. What is the cause and reason, Venerable Sir? Why one monk here might attain Nibbana while another monk here might not attain Nibbana? Here Ananda, a monk who is practicing, does, if it were not, it would not be mine. It will not be, and it will not be mine. What exists, what has come to be, that I am abandoning. Thus he obtains equanimity. He delights in that equanimity, welcomes it, and remains holding to it. As he does so, his consciousness becomes dependent on it, and clings to it. A monk, Ananda, who is affected by clinging, does not attain Nibbana. But, Venerable Sir, when that monk clings, what does he cling to? To the base of neither perception nor non-perception, Ananda. When that monk clings, Venerable Sir, it seems he clings to the best object of clinging. When that monk clings, Ananda, he clings to the best object of clinging, or this is the best object of clinging, namely the base of neither perception nor non-perception. Here, Ananda, a monk who is practicing thus, if it were not, it would not be mine. It will not be, and it will not be mine. What exists, what has come to be, that I am abandoning. Thus he obtains equanimity. He does not delight in that equanimity, welcome it or remain holding to it. Since he does not do so, his consciousness does not become dependent on it, and he does not cling to it. Among ananda, who is without clinging, attains Nibbana." Stop here for a moment. So when a monk understands this, If it were not, it would not be mine. It is referring to the past. If it were not, it would not be mine. It is the past person. If it did not exist in the past, it would not now be mine. It would not be, it would not be mine. What exists, what has come to be, that I am abandoning. So this body and this mind, this personality has come from the past. And if this person understands the Dhamma, then he is abandoning this self, this ego. And if he understands it, he attains equanimity. But if a person clings to the equanimity, that means the base of neither perception or non-perception, he does not attain Nibbana. He does not cling to it. The Buddha says he attains Nibbana. It is wonderful, Venerable Sir. It is marvellous. The Blessed One indeed has explained to us the crossing of the flood, independence upon one's support or another. But Venerable Sir, what is noble liberation? Here Ananda, a noble disciple, considers thus. Sensual pleasures here and now and sensual pleasures in lives to come. Sensual perceptions here and now and sensual perceptions in lives to come. Material forms here and now and material forms in lives to come. Perceptions of forms here and now and perceptions of forms in lives to come. Perceptions of the imperturbable, perceptions of the base of nothingness and perceptions of the base of neither perception or non-perception. This is personality as far as personality extends. This is the deathless, namely the liberation of mind through not clinging. Thus, Ananda, I have taught the way directed to the imperturbable. I have taught the way directed to the base of nothingness. I have taught the way directed to the base of neither perception nor non-perception. I have taught the crossing of the flood, independence upon one support or another. I have taught noble liberation. What should be done for His disciples out of compassion by a teacher who seeks their welfare and has compassion for them, that I have done for you, Ananda. There are these roots of trees, these empty huts. Meditate, Ananda. Do not delay, or else you are regretted later. This is our instruction to you. That is what the Blessed One said. Remember Ananda was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. That's the end of the sutta. This part about that phrase, let's check what the notes say on 017. The notes The note 1017 says, according to commentary, if the round of karma had not been accumulated by me, now there would not be for me the round of results. If the round of karma is not accumulated by me now, in the future there will not be the round of results. What exists, what has come to be, are the five aggregates. The first part of the formula again seems to be a condensed formulation of a view. held by non-Buddhists. Several suttas identify it as an expression for the annihilist. Annihilationist view adapted by the Buddha with new meanings assigned to it. So here, they're talking about kamma, might be, or more likely it's about this personality. If there was not this personality in the past, it would not be mine now. So if you can understand the Dhamma, so you can eliminate this personality, so it will not be mine, no more I, no more mine. What exists, what has come to be, that I am abandoning. This personality that has come to be, I am abandoning, I am walking the path to abandon it. So instead of the commentary says it's concerning kamma, but I don't think it's concerning kamma. I think it's concerning the personality. If this personality were not in the past, it would not be mine. And if you can cultivate yourself until you will not be, let me say, no more I, no more self, then it will not be mine. What exists now, what has come to be, that I am abandoning, I am practicing the path to abandoning of this personality. Do I have anything to discuss? Otherwise, I go into another sutta. Okay, we go to 107, Ganaka Moggallana Sutta, to Ganaka Moggallana. Anyway, we just recap this last sutta, where the Buddha says that if a monk He starts off by saying that sensual pleasures are the prattle of fools. Also, it's Mara's realm, Mara's domain, Mara's bed, Mara's hunting ground. On account of sensual pleasures, all unwholesome states arise and they constitute an obstruction to a noble disciple in training. After that, the Buddha talks about how to attain the imperturbable, that means reborn in the realm of the imperturbable, the height of the fourth jhāna, or the beast of boundless boundless consciousness. If a monk wants to be reborn there, he must constantly abide in the state of the imperturbable and acquire confidence in it. So either he is reborn there or if he directs it to knowledge, then he becomes liberated. And similarly for the base of nothingness and the base of neither perception or non-perception. And for Nibbana, the Buddha says, must not cling to anything. does not cling to anything, then he can attain nirvana.

07-MN-107-Ganakamoggallana-(2010-09-01).txt

Okay, we go to Sutta 107, Ganaka Moggallana, Sutta 2, Ganaka Moggallana. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in the Eastern Park in the palace of Migara's mother. Then the Brahmin, Ganaka Moggallana, went to the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him. This courteous and amiable talk was finished. He sat down at one side and said to the Blessed One, Master Gautama, in this palace of Migara's mother, there can be seen gradual training, gradual practice and gradual progress that is down to the last step of the staircase. Among these Brahmins too, there can be seen gradual training, gradual practice and gradual progress that is in study. Among archers too, there can be seen gradual training that is in archery. Among accountants like us who earn our living by accountancy, there can be seen gradual training that is in computation. For when we get an apprentice, first we make him count 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9, 10, 10 and we make him count 100 too. Now is it possible Master Gautama to describe gradual training, gradual practice and gradual progress in this Dhamma Vinaya. I'll stop it for a moment. So this man is asking the Buddha, how is the gradual training in the Buddha's Dhamma Vinaya and the Buddha's religion? And the Buddha said, it is possible, Brahmin, to describe gradual training, gradual practice and gradual progress in this Dhamma Vinaya. This as Brahmin, when a clever horse trainer obtains a fine thoroughbred coat, he first makes him get used to wearing the bit and afterwards trains him further. So when the Tathagata obtains a person to be tamed, he first disciplines him thus. Come, monk, be virtuous. Restrain with the restraint of the patimokkha. Be perfect in conduct and resort at seeing fear in the slightest thought. Train by undertaking the training precepts. I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says when a person becomes a monk the first thing he must learn is moral conduct. The Patimokkha refers to the precepts, 227 precepts of monks. And perfect conduct and resort. Conduct is how we conduct ourselves. Resort is where we go to. There are certain places, certain resorts, a monk is not supposed to go. For example, a place where prostitutes stay, a place where a single woman lives, is not supposed to go. If he goes to such a place, people will suspect him of breaking the precepts. In Brahmin, the monk is virtuous. and seeing fear in the slightest thought. Then the Tathagata disciplines him further. Come, monk, guard the doors of your sense faculties. On seeing a form of the eye, do not grasp at its signs and features, since if you were to leave the eye-faculty unguarded, evil, unwholesome states of covetousness and grief might invade you. Practice the way of its restraint. Guard the eye-faculty. Undertake the restraint of the eye-faculty. Similarly, on hearing a sound, smelling a note and odor, tasting a flavor, touching a tangible, cognizing a mind object. Do not grasp at its signs and features. Since you were to leave the faculties unguarded, evil and wholesome states might invade you. Practice the way of which restrained. Guard the faculties. Undertake the restraint of the faculties. So the second step here is to guard the sixth sense doors. If you see or hear anything, don't pay too much attention. Here it says, do not grasp at its signs and features. If you pay too much attention, we are biting the bait that Mara has set up for us. In Brahmin, the monk guards the doors of his sense faculties. Then the Tathagata disciplines him further. Come, monk, be moderate in eating. Reflecting wisely, you should take food neither for amusement, nor for intoxication, nor for the sake of physical beauty and attractiveness, but only for the endurance and continuance of this body, for ending discomfort, and for assisting the holy life. Considering thus, I shall terminate old feelings without arising new feelings, and I shall be healthy and blameless, and shall live in comfort." I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says, the monk has to practice moderation in eating, That's why the Buddhas in the monastic code, a monk is only allowed to eat in one part of the day, in the morning, after dawn, and before noon, when the sun is at the highest. And here it says, thus I shall terminate all feelings. All feelings refers to feelings of hunger without arousing new feelings, new feelings of greed. We just take the food to get rid of hunger without allowing grief to arise. Brahmin, the monk is moderate in eating, then the Tathagata disciplines him further. Come, monk, be devoted to wakefulness during the day while walking back and forth and sitting. Purify your mind of obstructive states. In the first watch of the night, that means ten, 6 to 10 p.m. While walking back and forth and sitting, purify your mind of obstructive states. In the middle watch of the night, you should lie down on the right side, in the lion's posture, with one foot overlapping the other, mindful and fully aware, after noting in your mind the time for rising. This middle watch is from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. After rising in the third watch of the night, while walking back and forth and sitting, purify your mind of obstructive states. This third watch is 2 to 6 a.m. So this devotion to wakefulness is to try to be wakeful, be awake as much as possible. So here the Buddha recommends only four hours of sleep. This is very difficult to do. You see here, if a monk wants to aim to practice this, then the whole day he should sit and walk, sit and walk, and then even at night also sit and walk. The only time to lie down is the middle watch. When Brahmin, the monk, is devoted to wakefulness, then the Tathagata disciplines him further. Come, monk, be possessed of mindfulness and recollection. mindfulness and recollection. Sati Sampajania. Act in full awareness when going forward and returning. Act in full awareness when looking ahead and looking away. Act in full awareness when flexing and extending your limbs. Act in full awareness when wearing your robes and carrying your outer robe and board. Act in full awareness when eating, drinking, consuming food and tasting. Act in full awareness when defecating and urinating. Act in full awareness when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking, and keeping silent. When Brahmin, the monk, possesses mindfulness and recollection, then the Tathagata disciplines him further. Come, monk, resort to a secluded resting place, the forest or the root of a tree, a mountain, a ravine, a hillside cave, a charnel ground, a jungle thicket, an open space, or a heap of straw. He resorts to a secluded resting place. On returning from his alms round, after his meal, he sits down, holding his legs crosswise, setting his body erect, and establishing mindfulness before him. Abandoning covetousness for the world, he abides with the mind free from covetousness. He purifies his mind from covetousness. Abandoning ill will and hatred, he abides with the mind free from ill will, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings. He purifies his mind from ill-will and hatred. Abandoning sloth and torpor, he abides free from sloth and torpor. Percipient of light, mindful and fully aware. He purifies his mind from sloth and torpor. Abandoning restlessness and remorse, he abides unagitated with the mind inwardly peaceful. He purifies his mind from restlessness and remorse. Abandoning doubt, he abides having gone beyond doubt. Unperplexed about wholesome states, he purifies his mind from doubt. I'll stop here for a moment. So here, this one, abandonment of the five hindrances. You can notice from this description here, when a person abandons sloth and topper, he's a recipient of light. This light wells up from within him. And after that, he finds that these five hindrances are eliminated. And with the elimination of the five hindrances, he notices that his anger comes down a lot, and also his lust comes down a lot. These two are very noticeable. Having abandoned these five hindrances, imperfections of the mind that weaken wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, he enters upon and abides in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with delight and pleasure born of seclusion. With the stilling of applied and sustained thought, he enters upon and abides in the second jhāna, which has self-confidence and singleness of mind without applied and sustained thought, with delight and pleasure born of concentration. With the fading away as well of delight, he abides in equanimity, mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure with the body, he enters upon and abides in the third jhāna, on account of which Noble once announced, he has a pleasant abiding, who has equanimity and is mindful. With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, he enters upon and abides in the fourth jhāna, which has neither pain nor pleasure. and utter purity of sati, recollection and equanimity. This is my instruction, Brahmin, to those monks who are in the higher training, whose minds have not yet attained to the goal, who abide aspiring to the supreme security from bondage. But these things conduce both to a pleasant abiding here and now, and to mindfulness and recollection for those monks who are arahants, with gains destroyed, who have lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, preach the true goal, destroy the factors of being, and are completely liberated through final knowledge. I'll stop here for a moment. So here you see the Buddha lists out the gradual training of a monk or anyone on the holy life. And this list is called Charana. Okay, so I was saying that this list of this gradual training is called Charana in Pali and is translated as conduct or practice of the holy life. I mentioned before that this list in any one particular sutra is not complete. I mentioned before that complete list, there are 10 items, but usually what is given in most suttas is only 7 items. So like here, what is missing? This one is contentment, contentment is not here. And then the 7 saddhamma, the 7 good things are also not here. So you notice this practice of conduct of the holy life ends with the four jhanas. And just like the Noble Eightfold Path, it is mentioned in another sutra, which you will come to, Sutra 117, it is mentioned that the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path must go in a definite sequence. It must start with right view. And then the Buddha says, only when you have attained right view, you have entered the Noble Eightfold Path. And right view will bring you to right thoughts, and right thoughts will bring you to right speech, which will bring you to right action, and that will bring you to right livelihood, and that will bring you to right effort, and that will bring you to right recollection, and that will bring you to right concentration. So the Noble Eightfold Path also ends with right concentration, which is defined as the four jhanas. So here also it ends with the four jhanas. But when after a person has attained the four jhanas, then if we follow the footprints of the Buddha to enlightenment, that he has to attain the abhinyas, the higher knowledges. The six higher knowledges, the six abhinyas, five of them have to do with psychic power. five of them, like the various types of psychic power called psychokinesis, and then the divine eye or heavenly eye, being able to see devas and devis and ghosts and all that, and then the heavenly ear, being able to hear, and then recollection of past lives, reading the minds of others and all that. So the five have to do with psychic power, but they're not so important as the last one, and the last one is destruction of the five, of the asavasa, destruction of the tens, or uncontrolled mental outflows, which is basically the destruction of the flow of consciousness. Once the tendency of the consciousness to flow is destroyed, then when the arahant dies, the consciousness does not flow anymore, It is the six consciousnesses that flow, that create the world. So with the four jhanas, and if that person has the four jhanas, and that he studies the Buddha's words, you can consider that as the seventh factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, Samasakti. And that can also be said to be vipassana. Vipassana is not a meditation. Vipassana is contemplation. So this knowledge of the suttas plus the four jhanas will bring one to enlightenment. When this was said, the Brahmin Ganaka Moggallana asked the Blessed One, when Master Gautama's disciples are thus advised and instructed by him, do they all attain Ibana, the ultimate goal, or do some not attain it? When Brahmin, they are thus advised and instructed by me, some of my disciples attain Nibbana, the ultimate goal, and some do not attain it. Master Gautama, since Nibbana exists, and the path leading to Nibbana exists, and Master Gautama is present as the guide, what is the cause and reason? Why, when Master Gautama's disciples are thus advised and instructed by him, some of them attain Nibbana, the ultimate goal, and some do not attain it? As to that Brahmin, I will ask you a question in return. Answer it as you choose. What do you think, Brahmin? Are you familiar with the road leading to Rajagaha? Yes, Master Gautama, I am familiar with the road leading to Rajagaha. What do you think, Brahmin? Suppose a man came who wanted to go to Rajagaha, and he approached you and said, Rampotsa, I want to go to Rajagaha. Show me the road to Rajagaha. Then you told him, now good man, this road goes to Rajagaha. Follow it for a while, and you will see a certain village. Go a little further, and you will see a certain town. Go a little further, and you will see Rajagaha with its lovely parks, groves, meadows, and ponds. Then having been thus advised and instructed by you, he would take a wrong road and would go to the west. Then a second man came who wanted to go to Rajagaha. And he approached you and said, remember, sir, I want to go to Rajagaha. Then you told him, now, good man, this road goes to Rajagaha. Follow it. and he would see Rajagaha with its lovely parks, groves, meadows and ponds. Then having been thus advised and instructed by you, he would arrive safely in Rajagaha. Now Brahmin, since Rajagaha exists, and the path leading to Rajagaha exists, and you are present as a guide, what is the cause and reason why when those men have been thus advised and instructed by you, one man takes a wrong road and goes to the west, and one arrives safely in Rajagaha? What can I do about that, Master Gautama? I am one who shows the way. So to Brahmin, Nibbana exists, and the path leading to Nibbana exists, and I am present as a guide. Yet when my disciples have been thus advised and instructed by me, some of them attain Nibbana, the ultimate goal, and some do not attain it. What can I do about that, Brahmin? The Tathagata is one who shows the way. When this was said, the Brahmin Ganaka Moggallana said to the Blessed One, There are persons who are faithless and have gone forth from the home life into homelessness, not out of faith, but seeking a livelihood, who are fraudulent, deceitful, treacherous, haughty, hollow, personally vain, rough-tongued, loose-spoken, unguarded in their sense faculties, immoderate in eating, undevoted to wakefulness, unconcerned with recluseship, not greatly respectful of training. Luxurious, careless, needless in backsliding, neglectful of seclusion, lazy, wanting in energy, unmindful, not fully aware, unconcentrated, with straying minds, devoid of wisdom, frivolous. Master Gautama does not dwell together with these. But there are clansmen who have gone forth out of faith on the home life into homelessness, who are not fraudulent. deceitful, treacherous, haughty, hollow, personally vain, rough-tongued and loose-spoken, who are guarded in their sense faculties, moderate in eating, devoted to wakefulness, concerned with recluseship, greatly respectful of training, not luxurious or careless, who are keen to avoid backsliding, leaders in seclusion, energetic, resolute, established in mindfulness, fully aware, concentrated, with unified minds, possessing wisdom, not drivelous. Master Gautama dwells together with these. Just as black orris root is reckoned as the best of root perfumes, and red sandalwood is reckoned as the best of wood perfumes, and jasmine is reckoned as the best of flower perfumes, so too, Master Gautama's advice is supreme among the teachings of today. Magnificent Master Gautama! Magnificent Master Gautama! Master Gautama has made the Dhamma clear in many ways, as though he were turning upright what had been overturned. revealing what was hidden, showing the way to one who was lost, or holding up a lamp in the dark for those with eyesight to see forms. I go to Master Gautama for refuge and to the Dhamma and to the Sangha of monks. Let Master Gautama remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for refuge for life." That's the end of the sutra. So here, this description about fraud monks, what the Buddha calls fraud monks, The monks who go forth for the sake of a livelihood, they are haughty, vain, loose-spoken, unguarded in their sense faculties, immoderate in eating, undevoted to wakefulness, unconcerned with reclusion, not interested in the training, careless, neglectful of seclusion, lazy, unmindful, unconcentrated. Those are fraud monks. There's a lot of fraud monks nowadays. So this sutra is another one of those that gives a list of charana, the gradual training of a monk. So it's very clear from here how a monk is supposed to live the holy life trained in this gradual training. OK, we stop here for tonight. Anything to discuss? I'm trying to go as fast as possible so that we can finish this Majjhima Nikaya and then we have some time. Hopefully the last month of the Vassa we can just concentrate on meditation. Okay, shall we end here?

08-MN-108-Gopakamoggallana-(2010-09-02).txt

Today is the 2nd of September and this is the 44th time we are talking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Now we come to Sutta 108, Gopaka Moggallana Sutta. With Gopaka Moggallana, thus have I heard. This is a very important Sutta. On one occasion, the Venerable Ananda was living at Rajagaha in the bamboo grove, the squirrel sanctuary, not long after the Blessed One had attained to final Nibbana. On that occasion, King Ajatasattu, the Dehiputta of Magadha, being suspicious of King Bhajota, was having Rajagaha fortified. Then when it was morning, the Venerable Ananda dressed, and taking his pole and outer robe, went into Rajagaha for alms. Then the Venerable Ananda thought, it is still too early to wonder for alms in Rajagaha. Suppose I went to the Brahmin Gopaka Moglana at his workplace. So the Venerable Ananda went to the Brahmin Gopaka Moglana at his workplace. The Brahmin Gopaka Moglana saw the Venerable Ananda coming in the distance and said to him, Let Master Ananda come. Welcome to Master Ananda. It is long since Master Ananda found an opportunity to come here. Let Master Ananda be seated. This seat is ready. Venerable Ananda sat down on the seat made ready. The Brahmin Gopaka Moggallana took a low seat, sat down at one side and asked Venerable Ananda, Master Ananda, is there any single monk who possesses in each and every way all those qualities that were possessed by Master Gautama, Arahant, Sammasambuddha?" The Ananda replied, there is no single monk, Brahmin, who possesses in each and every way all those qualities that were possessed by the Blessed One, Arahant, Sammasambuddha. For the Blessed One was the arouser of the unarisen path. the producer of the unproduced path, the declarer of the undeclared path. He was the knower of the path, the finder of the path, the one skilled in the path. But his disciples now abide following that path and become possessed of it afterwards. Stop here for a moment. So here, remember Ananda is saying that the Buddha is the founder of this noble, gateful path. has long been forgotten. And the Buddha is very familiar with this path and teaches this path. And his disciples follow the same path. So if they follow the same path, they must arrive at the same destination. So the enlightenment of the Buddha and his disciples are exactly the same. Only thing, as is mentioned, In the Samyutta Nikaya, the Buddha says he is the first one to find this path which has been lost for a long time. In other words, the Buddha is the first Arahant. In fact, in the suttas we find only the Buddha is called the Arahant. His disciples are not called Arahants. His disciples only later came to be called Arahants. During the Buddha's time, his disciples were called disciples liberated by wisdom. But this discussion between the Venerable Ananda and the Brahmin Gopaka Mughlana was interrupted. For then, the Brahmin Vasakara, minister of Magadha, while supervising the work at Rajagaha, went to the Venerable Ananda at the workplace of the Brahmin Gopaka Mughlana. He exchanged greetings with the Venerable Ananda. And when this courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down at one side and asked the Venerable Ananda, for what discussion are you sitting together here now, Master Ananda? And what was your discussion that was interrupted? Brahmin. The Brahmin Kopaka Muglana asked me, Master Ananda, is there any single monk who possesses in each and every way all those qualities that were possessed by Master Gautama, Arahant, Samasambuddha. I replied to the Brahmin, Gopaka Moggallana, there is no single monk, Brahmin, who possesses in each and every way all those qualities that were possessed by the Blessed One, Arahant, Samasambuddha. For the Blessed One was the arouser of the unarisen path, producer of the unproduced path, declarer of the undeclared path, etc. But his disciples now abide following that path and become possessed of it afterwards. This was our discussion that was interrupted when you arrived. Is there, Master Ananda, any single monk who was appointed by Master Gautama thus, he will be your refuge when I am gone, and whom you now have recourse to? There is no single monk, Brahmin, who was appointed by the Blessed One who knows and sees. Arahant Sama Sambuddha does. He will be your refuge when I am gone and whom we now have recourse to. I'll stop here for a moment. So actually we find in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta when the Buddha was about to enter Parinibbana, Venerable Ananda asked him, whom should we follow after you are gone? And the Buddha did not appoint a disciple to take his place. Instead the Buddha said, You follow the Dhamma and Vinaya that I have taught. That will be your teacher after I'm gone." This is in contradiction with the Mahayana teachings. In Mahayana, they said that the Buddha appointed Mahakassapa to succeed him. Also, I forgot to mention here, this is one of the suttas that was compiled after the Buddha had passed away. In the time of the sutta, the Buddha had entered Parinibbana. But is there, Master Ananda, any single monk who has been chosen by the Sangha and appointed by a number of elder monks thus, he will be our refuge after the Blessed One has gone, and whom you now have recourse to? There is no single monk, Brahmin, who has been chosen by the Sangha and appointed by a number of elder monks thus, he will be our refuge after the Blessed One has gone, and whom we now have recourse to? But if you have no refuge, Master Ananda, what is the cause for your concord? That means your harmony. We are not without a refuge, Brahmin. We have a refuge. We have the Dhamma as our refuge. I'll stop here for a moment. As I mentioned just now, the Buddha says, take the Dhamma Vinaya as your teacher after I'm gone. So that is what we are following. Even for the Buddha, after the Buddha was enlightened, he says, Buddha says that his teacher is the Dhamma, that which he venerates. Even though he's the Dhammaraja, he conducts himself according to Dhamma. But when you ask, is there Master Ananda, any single monk who was appointed by Master Gautamadas, he will be your refuge when I am gone. and whom you now have recourse to?" You answered, There is no such single monk whom we now have recourse to. When you were asked, Is there, Master Ananda, any single monk who has been chosen by the Sangha and appointed by a number of elder monks thus, he will be our refuge after the Blessed One has gone? and whom you now have recourse to?" You answered, there is no such single monk whom we now have recourse to. When you were asked, but if you have no refuge, Master Ananda, what is the cause for your concord? You answered, we are not without a refuge, Brahmin. We have a refuge. We have the Dhamma as our refuge. Now, how should the meaning of these statements be regarded, Master Ananda? Brahmin, the blessed one who knows and sees, Arahant, Sama, Sambuddha, has prescribed a course of training for monks, and he has laid down the Patimokkha. On the Uposatha day, as many of us as live in dependence upon a single village district meet together in unison, and when we meet, we ask one who knows the Patimokkha to recite it. If a monk remembers an offense or a transgression while the Patimokkha is being recited, we deal with him according to the Dhamma in the way we have been instructed. It is not the worthy ones who deal with us, it is the Dhamma that deals with us. I'll stop here for a moment. So here, remember Ananda is saying that monks, if they go on alms round to a certain village, and they stay around that village, maybe on the hills or in the valley or whatever, since all of them come to that same village or town for alms round, So every two weeks, they meet to chant the Patimokkha on the Uposatha day. The Uposatha day is the 15th of the lunar calendar and the 30th or 29th sometimes. So when they come together, if they have any offense, they will confess to another monk. Practice the Dhamma in Vinaya as laid down by the Buddha. Is there, Master Nanda, any single monk whom you now honour, respect, revere and venerate, and on whom you live in dependence, honouring and respecting him? There is a single monk, Brahmin, whom we now honour, respect, revere and venerate, and on whom we live in dependence, honouring and respecting him. But when you were asked, is there Master Ananda, any single monk who was appointed by Master Gautama? You answered, there is no such single monk. When you were asked, is there Master Ananda, any single monk who has been chosen by the Sangha? You answered, there is no such single monk. When you were asked, is there Master Ananda, any single monk whom you honour, respect, revere and venerate? and on whom we live in dependence, honouring and respecting him?" You answered, there is such a single monk whom we now honour and to whom we live in dependence, honouring and respecting him. Now how should the meaning of these statements be regarded, Master Ananda? There are, Brahmin, ten qualities inspiring confidence that have been declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant Sammasambuddha. When these qualities are found in anyone among us, we honour, respect, revere and venerate him, and live in dependence on him, honouring and respecting him. What are the ten? Here, Brahmin, a monk is virtuous. He dwells with the restraint of the Patimokkha. He is perfect in conduct and resort. Seeing fear in the slightest faults, he trains himself by undertaking the training precepts. Number two, he has learned much, remembers what he has learned, and consolidates what he has learned. Such teachings as are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end. with the right meaning and phrasing, and which affirm a holy life that is utterly perfect and pure. Such teachings as these he has learned much of, remembered, mastered verbally, investigated with the mind, and penetrated well by view. 3. He is content with his robes, arms, foot, resting place, and medicinal requisites. 4. He obtains at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhanas that constitute the higher mind and provide a pleasant abiding here and now. 5. He wields the various kinds of psychic power. Having been one, he becomes many. Having been many, he becomes one. He appears and vanishes. He goes unhindered through a wall, through an enclosure, through a mountain, as though through space. He dives in and out of the earth as though it were water. He walks on water without sinking, as though it were earth. Seated cross-legged, he travels in space like a bird. With his hand, he touches and strokes the moon and sun, so powerful and mighty. He wields bodily mastery even as far as the Brahma world. With the divine ear element or heavenly ear element, which is purified and surpasses the human, he hears both kinds of sounds, the celestial or the divine and the human, those that are far as well as near. Number seven. He understands the minds of other beings, of other persons, having encompassed them with his own mind. He understands the mind affected by lust, as affected by lust, and the mind unaffected by lust, as unaffected by lust. He understands the mind unaffected by hate, as affected by hate, and the mind unaffected by hate, as unaffected by hate. He understands the mind affected by delusion, as affected by delusion, and the mind unaffected by delusion, as unaffected by delusion. He understands a contracted mind as contracted, and a distracted mind as distracted. He understands an exalted mind as exalted, and an unexalted mind as unexalted. He understands a surpassed mind as surpassed, and an unsurpassed mind as unsurpassed. He understands a concentrated mind as concentrated, and an unconcentrated mind as unconcentrated. He understands a liberated mind as liberated, and an unliberated mind as unliberated. Number eight, he recollects his manifold past lives, that is one birth, two births, three, ten, a hundred, a thousand, many worlds, cycles, et cetera. Thus with their aspects and particulars, he recollects his manifold past lives. Number nine, with the divine eye or heavenly eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate. and he understands how beings pass on according to their actions or kamma. 10. By realizing for himself with direct knowledge, he here and now enters upon and abides in the liberation by mind and liberation by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints. These Brahmin are the ten qualities inspiring confidence that have been declared by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant Sammasambuddha. When these qualities are found in anyone among us, we honour, respect, revere and venerate him and live in dependence on him, honouring and respecting him. When this was said, the Brahmin Vasakara, minister of Magadha, said to General Upananda, stop here for a moment. So these ten qualities, if you have a look at it, first one is virtuous, that means he has this moral conduct. He is restrained by the patimokkha, the 227 rules, precepts. And then number two, he has much learning, bahusacca or bahusutta. That means he knows the Dhamma very well. And number three, he's a contented person. Number four, he has the four jhanas. And then number five onwards are the abhinyas. The abhinyas are the higher knowledges. Five of them are various types of psychic power. Then the last one is the destruction of the asava or destruction of the taints, which is synonymous with enlightenment, with liberation. So these are the ten qualities. When this was said, the Brahmin Vasakara, minister of Magadha, said to General Upananda, What do you think, General? When these worthy ones honour one who should be honoured, respect one who should be respected, Revere one who should be revered, and venerate one who should be venerated. Surely they honour one who should be honoured, respect one who should be respected, etc. And venerate one who should be venerated. For if these worthy ones did not honour, respect, revere and venerate such a person, then whom could they honour, respect, revere and venerate? And on whom could they live in dependence, honouring and respecting? Then the Brahmin Vasakara, minister of Magadha, said to the Venerable Ananda, Where is Master Ananda living now? I am living in the bamboo grove, Brahmin. I hope, Master Ananda, that the bamboo grove is pleasant, quiet, and undisturbed by voices, with an atmosphere of seclusion, remote from people, favorable for retreat. This is the type of place a practicing monk wants to stay. Pleasant, quiet, undisturbed by voices, with an atmosphere of seclusion, remote from people, favorable for retreat. And Venerable Ananda said, Indeed, Brahmin, that the bamboo grove is pleasant, quiet and undisturbed by voices with an atmosphere of seclusion, remote from people, favorable for retreat, is because of such guardian protectors as yourself. Indeed, Master Ananda, that the bamboo grove is pleasant, quiet and undisturbed by voices with an atmosphere of seclusion, etc., favorable for retreat, is because of the worthy ones who are meditators and cultivate meditation." Stop it for a moment. So here, remember Ananda says that they have such a suitable place like the bamboo grove to practice is because of strong supporters like this minister, guardian protectors. They protect the monks, protect the monks' places. And then he's a bit humble. He said, no, it's because the bamboo grove is so pleasant because of monks like you who meditate. And he continued, on one occasion Master Ananda, Master Gautama was living at Vesali in the hall with the peak roof in the great wood. Then I went there and approached Master Gautama and in many ways he gave a talk about meditation. Master Gautama was a meditator and cultivated meditation and he praised every type of meditation. And remember Ananda said, the blessed one, Brahmin, did not praise every type of meditation, nor did he condemn every type of meditation. What kind of meditation did the blessed one not praise? Here, Brahmin, someone abides with his mind obsessed by sensual lust, a prey to sensual lust, and he does not understand as it actually is the escape from arisen sensual lust. While he harbors sensual lust within, he meditates, premeditates, outmeditates, and mismeditates. Similarly, he abides with his mind, obsessed by ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse and doubt. And so while he harbours these hindrances within him, he meditates, pre-meditates, out-meditates and mis-meditates. The Blessed One did not praise that kind of meditation. And what kind of meditation did the Blessed One praise? Here, Brahmin, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a monk enters upon and abides in the first jhāna. With the stilling of applied and sustained thought, he enters upon and abides in the second jhāna. With the fading away as well of delight, he enters upon and abides in the third jhāna. With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, he enters upon and abides in the fourth jhāna. The Blessed One praised that kind of meditation. It seems, Master Ananda, that Master Gautama censured that kind of meditation that should be censured. and praise that kind of meditation that should be praised. And now, Master Ananda, we depart. We are busy and have much to do. Now is the time, Brahmin, to do as you think fit." Then the Brahmin Vasakara, minister of Magadha, having delighted and rejoiced in the Venerable Ananda's words, rose from his seat and departed. And soon after he had left, the Brahmin Gopaka Moggallana said to the Venerable Ananda, Master Ananda has not yet answered what we asked him. Remember Ananda said, did we not tell you, Brahmin, there is no single monk, Brahmin, who possesses in each and every way all those qualities that were possessed by the Blessed One, Arahant Sammasambuddha. For the Blessed One was the arouser of the unarisen path, producer of the unproduced path, declarer of the undeclared path. He was the knower of the path, finder of the path, the one skilled in the path. But his disciples now abide following that path and become possessed of it afterwards. So this last part, Ananda says again, there is no monk that can compare with the Buddha. For the Buddha was the founder of the path, the first Arahant. All the monk disciples, the Arahant disciples, they are humble. They say the Buddha is the one, their teacher. and they do not compare themselves with him. Even though many of them have all the psychic powers that the Buddha possesses, they never compare themselves with him. Also, whenever they teach, they don't say they teach the Dhamma, they always say they teach the Dhamma of the Bhagavad Arahan Samasambuddha. Okay, this most important part is that what type of meditation does the Buddha praise and what type of meditation does he not praise. The type of meditation that the Buddha did not praise is the one where a monk is obsessed by the five hindrances, sensual lust, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse and doubt. These five hindrances, as we know, are the cause of our delusion, our stupidity, not seeing things as they really are. So if you meditate and you don't get rid of these five hindrances, you are not practicing Buddhist meditation. And what type of meditation did the Buddha praise? It's the first jhana, second jhana, third jhana. So from here it is very clear that Buddhist meditation is only the four jhanas, nothing else. And we can see in some other suttas that only when a person attains the jhanas can he get rid of the five hindrances without attaining the states of jhana where the mind becomes focused and one-pointed, it is impossible to get rid of the five hindrances. As we read in some other earlier sutta, that the hindrances obsess the mind and remain. It's only when a person attains the jhanas that they no longer obsess the mind. and no longer remain anymore, gotten rid of. So this is a very important sutta because of this point, only one type of meditation is praised by the Buddha, that is the four jhanas. And if any meditation method, you cannot obtain the jhanas, that is not praised by the Buddha. Because only when you attain the jhanas can you get rid of the five hindrances. So nowadays people are teaching all types of meditation which contradicts the Buddha's teaching. The object of your meditation, whether it's the breath or casino or anything, is not important. What is important is you must end up with the jhanas. Only if you meditate and end up with the jhanas, that is praised by the Buddha. Because when you attain the jhanas, you get rid of the five hindrances, then the mind can see things as they really are. That's the first step. in attaining wisdom. You must see things as they really are. The second step is understanding. When you see things as they really are, then you understand. The third step, when you understand, then you can let go. So that is wisdom. The final purpose of wisdom is letting go. If a person thinks he has wisdom but he cannot let go, he certainly does not have wisdom.

09-MN-109-Mahapunnama-(2010-09-02).txt

Now we come to the next sutta, 109 Mahapunama Sutta, The Greater Discourse on the Full Moon Night. This sutta I think is also found in the Sankhyuta Nikaya, Sankhyuta 22, Khanda Sankhyuta 22.82. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in the Eastern Park in the palace of Migara's mother. Palace of Migara's mother refers to Visakha. On that occasion, on the Uposatha day of the 15th, on the full moon night, the Blessed One was seated in the open, surrounded by the Sangha of monks. Then a certain monk rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe on one shoulder, and extending his hands in reverential salutation towards the Blessed One, said to him, Venerable Sir, or Bhante, I would ask the Blessed One about a certain point, if the Blessed One would grant me an answer to my question. And the Buddha said, sit down on your own seat, monk, and ask what you like. So the monk sat on his own seat and said to the Blessed One, Are these not, Venerable Sir, the five aggregates affected by clinging, or the five aggregates of attachment? That is the material form aggregate, or body, affected by clinging. The feeling aggregate affected by clinging. Perception aggregate affected by clinging. The volition aggregate affected by clinging. Consciousness aggregate affected by clinging. And the Buddha said, these monks are the five aggregates affected by clinging. That is the material form aggregate, the feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. saying, Good Venerable Sir, the monk delighted and rejoiced in the Blessed One's words. Then he asked a further question, But Venerable Sir, in what are these five aggregates affected by clinging rooted? And the Buddha said, These five aggregates affected by clinging are rooted in desire, Chanda, monk. Then he asked again, is that clinging the same as these five aggregates affected by clinging? Or is the clinging something apart from the five aggregates affected by clinging? And the Buddha said, Monk, that clinging is neither the same as these five aggregates affected by clinging, nor is the clinging something apart from the five aggregates affected by clinging. It is the desire and lust in regard to the five aggregates affected by clinging that is the clinging there. But Venerable Sir, can there be diversity in the desire and lust regarding these five aggregates affected by clinging? There can be a monk, the Blessed One said. Here, monk, someone thinks thus. May my material form or body be thus in the future. May my feeling be thus in the future. May my perception be thus in the future. May my volition be thus in the future. May my consciousness be thus in the future. Thus, there is diversity in the desire and lust regarding these five aggregates affected by clinging. My venerable sir, in what way does the term aggregates apply to the aggregates? Among any kind of material form whatever, whether past, future or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near, this is the material form aggregate. Any kind of feeling, whatever, far or near, etc. This is the feeling aggregate. Similarly, any kind of perception, whatever, any kind of volition, whatever, any kind of consciousness, whatever, whether past or future, whether past, future or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near. It is in this way, monk, that the term aggregate applies to the aggregates. What is the cause and condition, Venerable Sir, for the manifestation of the material form aggregate? What is the cause and condition for the manifestation of the feeling aggregate, perception aggregate, volition aggregate, consciousness aggregate? The four great elements Monk are the cause and condition for the manifestation of the material form aggregate. Contact is the cause and condition for the manifestation of the feeling aggregate. Contact is the cause and condition for the manifestation of the perception aggregate. Contact is the cause and condition for the manifestation of the volition aggregate. Mentality, materiality is the cause and condition for the manifestation of the consciousness aggregate. Stop here for a moment. So the earlier parts I think you can understand. Buddha says these five aggregates are rooted in desire. It's because of desire that they manifest. And the clinging is the clinging for the five aggregates. And this last part, the four great elements are the cause and condition for the manifestation of the material form aggregate. Rupa or matter is defined as the four great elements. So normally in the suttas it is said that when consciousness, vijnana arises, it arises together with Nama Rupa. Nama Rupa is mentality, materiality. So Nama Rupa arise with Vijnana and cease, they always come together. They are like Siamese twins joined. So when you have Vijnana, which is consciousness, for these six consciousnesses, that means seeing consciousness, hearing consciousness, smelling, taste, touch and thinking consciousness, whenever the consciousness arises, there must be an object. Nama Rupa is the object of Vijnana, object of consciousness. So Nama Rupa is phenomenal. So this phenomena, what we are conscious of in the world, we normally say has two parts, mentality, materiality, the mental part and the material part. The mental part, of course, is from the mind. This material part, rupa, normally we think is the physical world, right? But this physical world in the suttas is defined as the four properties like earth, water, fire, wind. The four great elements. Earth signifies the hardness, hardness element. Anything that we consider hard, we say that is the earth element. Of course, hardness has varying degrees, various degrees of hardness. Even softness also is a type of hardness. And then, earth, water. Water is a property of cohesion. Water has a property of cohering things together. It's because of the water element in us that we have a form. If we were to take away all the water from our body, desiccate our body, we turn into powder. and the body will crumble. So this water has this property of cohering and giving things a shape. Earth, water, fire. Fire is a heat element. So the presence of the heat element or the absence of the heat element, so that is the heat. And then fire, and then earth, water, fire, wind. Wind is the motion, motion. So this physical world, we like to think of it as something very distinct from the mental, that it is the physical world. But if you consider it in more detail, each one, for example, this hardness. Hardness is perception. Hardness is perception. So perception is mind made, right? So similarly with heat. with heat, with motion, with this perception of form and all these things. So, for example, two persons may have different perceptions. For example, if somebody's karma is so bad, he lands up in hell, so he's burned by the fires of hell. But if an arahant goes to hell, his mind is different, so he does not feel the fires of hell. It's not burned by the fires of hell. So even this physical world that we think is so solid, is so real, actually it's all mind made. That's why the whole world exists in the sixth consciousness. So when there is consciousness, there is world. There is no consciousness, there is no world. So Nibbāna, the state of Nibbāna. Nibbāna is not a place. Nibbāna is a state when the sixth consciousness ceases. No world exists. And Buddha says Nibbāna is an extremely blissful state. Very good, sir. How does identity view come to be? This identity view is Sākhāyāditti. Here, monk, an untaught ordinary person who has no regard for Aryans, noble ones, and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma, who has no regard for true men, and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma, regards material form as self, or self as possessed of material form, or material form as in the self, or self as in the material form. Similarly, he regards feeling, perception, volition, consciousness in the same way. That is how identity view comes to be. But Venerable Sir, how does identity view not come to be? Dear monk, a well-taught noble Aryan disciple who has regard for noble ones, Aryans, and is skilled and disciplined in their Dhamma, who has regard for true men and is skilled and disciplined in their Dhamma, does not regard material form as self, or self as possessed of material form, or material form as in the self, or self as in the material form. Similarly, he does not regard feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness as self, or self as possessed of the aggregates, or the aggregates as in the self, or the self as in the aggregate. That is how identity view does not come to be. Stop here for a moment. This identity view is one of the ten factors that we have to eliminate to become an ariya. to become a sotapanna, the lowest fruition. The sotapanna has eliminated three factors. One of them is identity view. So this identity view means you identify yourself with the five aggregates. You take the five aggregates to be the self, or as belonging to the self, or the self as inside the five aggregates, or the five aggregates as inside the self. So you identify yourself with the body and the mind, because these five aggregates are the body and the mind, which ordinary people so regard. You take the body and the mind to be the self. So when a person understands the Dhamma, he can see that the body and the mind are impermanent, changing, ever-changing, changing at a very fast speed. And if you cling to it, it's going to cause you to suffer, because nothing in the world is permanent. So when a person understands the Dhamma slowly, he lets go of his body and mind. So when he does not see that the body and the mind are the self, so he becomes a sotapanna, although he still has a self. And the self is somehow tied to the five aggregates. But he can see that the five aggregates, the body and the mind, is not the self, or belonging to the self, etc. What, Ven. Sir, is the gratification, what is the danger, and what is the escape in the case of material form? What is the gratification, danger, and escape in the case of feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness? The pleasure and joy monk that arise in dependence on material form. This is the gratification in the case of material form. Material form is impermanent, suffering and subject to change. This is the danger in the case of material form. The removal of desire and lust. The abandonment of desire and lust for material form. This is the escape in the case of material form. Similarly, the pleasure and joy that arise in dependence on feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness, that is the gratification in the case of the aggregates. But these aggregates are impermanent, suffering, and subject to change. That is the danger in the case of the aggregates. The removal of their desire and lust, the abandonment of desire and lust for the aggregates, that is the escape in the case of the aggregates. I think last year we went through one sutta where we, in the Majjhima Nikayela, where we talk about the danger the gratification danger and escape in the case of material form. And it was said that the gratification of material form is to see a very beautiful body, a very beautiful material form, like in the case of a 16-year-old young girl in the prime of her beauty. And the danger is that when you see her again 80 years later or 90 years later, she's bent over, and white hair or no hair and feeble with age, wrinkles, skin, ugly looking. That same girl after many years becomes ugly looking. That's the danger. Or she gets cancer or something in the middle of her life and then she's lying on her bed, lying on her own, excrement and urine, unable to help herself. and people have to feed her, clean her, and all these things. That is, again, the danger. And then the third case is that after this beautiful girl has died, suppose the corpse is three days old. You look at the corpse, it's smelly, bloated, blue blanks, and all that. So this is the danger of material form. So things in the world are like that. When it's beautiful, we appreciate it, we want to cling to it, and then it turns, it changes, and that beautiful girl becomes ugly, becomes a smelly corpse, and all this. So if we understand the Dhamma, then we realize things that we like to cling to are the very source of suffering, so then we realize it's not worth it. Slowly, as we mature in the spiritual path, we let go. How does one know, how does one see, so that in regard to this body with its consciousness and all external signs, there is no I-making, mind-making and underlying tendency to conceive? Monk, any kind of material form, whatever, whether past or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near, one sees all material form as it actually is with proper wisdom thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. Similarly, any kind of feeling, perception, volition, consciousness, whatever, whether past, present, With the past or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near, one sees them as they actually are, with proper wisdom thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. It is when one knows and sees thus in regard to this body with its consciousness and all external signs, that there is no I-making, mind-making or underlying tendency to concede. So here the Buddha says we have to see that these five aggregates, any type, whatever, past or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near, all types of aggregates are not mine, are not I, are not myself. So when one realizes this, then the tendency to concede, slowly we let go. Then in the mind of a certain monk, this thought arose. So it seems material form is not self. Feeling is not self. Perception is not self. Volition is not self. Consciousness is not self. What self then will actions done by the not self affect? Then the blessed one, knowing in his mind the thought in the mind of that monk, addressed the monks thus, it is possible, monks, that some misguided man here, obtuse and ignorant, with his mind dominated by craving, might think that he can outstrip the teacher's dispensation thus. So it seems material form is not the self. Feeling is not self. Perception is not self. Volition is not self. Consciousness is not self. What self then would actions done by the not-self affect? Now monks, you have been trained by me through interrogation on various occasions in regard to various things. Monks, what do you think? Is material form permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change, fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No, Venerable Sir. Monks, What do you think? Is feeling, perception, volition, consciousness permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change, fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No, Venerable Sir. Therefore, monks, any kind of material form, whatever, whether past, future or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, etc. Similarly, any kind of feeling, perception, volition, consciousness, all should be seen as they actually are with proper wisdom thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. Seeing thus, a well-taught noble disciple becomes disenchanted with material form, disenchanted with feeling, disenchanted with perception, disenchanted with volition, disenchanted with consciousness. Being disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate. Through dispassion, his mind is liberated. When it is liberated, there comes the knowledge it is liberated. He understands birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived. What had to be done has been done. There is no more coming to any state of being. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. Now while this discourse was being spoken, through not clinging, the minds of 60 monks were liberated from the tales. That's the end of the sutra. This last part is very important. You find this a logic that the Buddha uses when the Aryan disciple understands it, then he lets go and he becomes liberated. Namely that the Buddha makes them see that these five aggregates are impermanent. And what is impermanent is a source of suffering. And what is impermanent is a source of suffering and subject to change. It's not fit to regard it as mine or I or myself. So when they see this, then they let go of this enchantment. The problem is, unless our body is very sick, it's very difficult to see this. Imagine one day if you have cancer, you have terminal cancer and your body, the cancer has run all over the place and it's giving you a lot of pain and it's breaking up. Then only that person will see really what the Buddha says. What is impermanent is suffering and not fit to be regarded as I and mine.

10-MN-110-Culapunnama-(2010-09-02).txt

Okay, I think we have time to go another sutta. Sutta 110, Chulapurnama Sutta, a shorter discourse on the full moon night. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in the eastern park in the palace of Migara's mother. On that occasion, the Uposatha day of the 15th, on the full moon night, the Blessed One was seated in the open, surrounded by the Sangha of monks. Then surveying the silent Sangha of monks, He addressed them thus. Monks, would an untrue man know of an untrue man? This person is an untrue man. No, Venerable Sir. Good monks, it is impossible. It cannot be that an untrue man should know of an untrue man. This person is an untrue man. But would an untrue man know of a true man? This person is a true man. No, Venerable Sir. Good monks, it is impossible. It cannot be that an untrue man should know of a true man. This person is a true man. Monks, an untrue man is possessed of bad qualities. He associates as an untrue man. He wills as an untrue man. He counsels as an untrue man. He speaks as an untrue man. He acts as an untrue man. He holds views as an untrue man. And he gives gifts as an untrue man. And how is an untrue man possessed of bad qualities? Here, an untrue man has no faith, no shame, no fear of wrongdoing. He is unlearned, lazy, forgetful and unwise. That is how an untrue man is possessed of bad qualities. And how does an untrue man associate as an untrue man? Here an untrue man has for friends and companions those recluses and Brahmins who have no faith, no shame, no fear of wrongdoing, who are unlearned, lazy, forgetful and unwise. That is how an untrue man associates as an untrue man. Stop here for a moment. This true man is called a Sapturisa. So an untrue man is a Sapturisa. It refers to the ordinary person, but here it seems like it's worse than an ordinary person. It refers to an evil ordinary person. An ordinary person is just a puthujana, but this is an evil and stupid ordinary person. So he possesses bad qualities. No faith, no shame, no fear of wrongdoing, unlearned, lazy, forgetful and unwise. And how does an untrue man will as an untrue man? Here an untrue man wills for his own affliction, for the affliction of others, and for the affliction of both. That is how an untrue man wills as an untrue man. And how does an untrue man counsel as an untrue man? Here an untrue man counsels for his own affliction, for the affliction of others, and for the affliction of both. That is how an untrue man counsels as an untrue man. And how does an untrue man speak as an untrue man? Here an untrue man speaks false speech, malicious speech, harsh speech and gossip. That is how an untrue man speaks as an untrue man. And how does an untrue man act as an untrue man? Here an untrue man kills living beings, takes what is not given, and misconducts himself in sensual pleasures. That is how an untrue man acts as an untrue man. And how does an untrue man hold views as an untrue man? Here an untrue man holds views such as this. There is nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed, no fruit or result of good and bad actions, no this world, no other world, no mother, no father, no beings who are reborn spontaneously, no good and virtuous recluses and Brahmins in the world, who have realized for themselves by direct knowledge and declared this world and the other world. That is how an untrue man holds views as an untrue man. And how does an untrue man give gifts as an untrue man? Here, an untrue man gives a gift carelessly, gives it not with his own hand, gives it without showing respect, gives what is to be discarded, gives it with the view that nothing will come of it. That is how an untrue man gives gifts as an untrue man. That untrue man does possess of bad qualities, who thus associates as an untrue man, wills as an untrue man, counsels as an untrue man, speaks as an untrue man, acts as an untrue man, hold views as an untrue man, and give gifts as an untrue man. On the dissolution of the body after death, he appears in the destination of an untrue man. And what is the destination of untrue man? It is hell or the animal world. So this untrue man is one who is walking the path to hell or the animal world. That means he is not only stupid but he breaks the precepts and does evil deeds. Also in the beginning, I forgot to mention, an untrue man, he cannot distinguish an untrue man from a true man. He cannot really know another person. Why? Because an untrue man, his mind is very clouded with greed, hatred and delusion. So because of that, he cannot see things clearly as they really are. So how can he judge who is an untrue man, who is a true man? And this untrue man here, it's quite clear. He has bad qualities. He associates with friends who have no faith, no shame, no fear of wrongdoing, who are lazy, unwise, etc. And then when he gives advice, he gives advice that harms himself, that harms others, that harms both. And he wills also for his own affliction. for others' afflictions. Then he breaks the precepts, the precepts against speech, the precepts against actions. He is careless. Then he has a wrong view, a wrong view, a worldly wrong view. Basically there are three things here. One is that there is no result of good and bad actions. And then there's no other world. Then it's after death. There's nothing. There's no being reborn. And thirdly, he doesn't believe that there are good ascetics who have realized by direct knowledge the world. Monks, would a true man know of a true man? This person is a true man. Yes, Venerable Sir. Good monks, it is possible that a true man would know of a true man. This person is a true man. But would a true man know of an untrue man? This person is an untrue man. Yes, Venerable Sir. Good monks, it is possible that a true man would know of an untrue man. This person is an untrue man. Stop here for a moment. So here this true man, I guess, should refer to Aryan disciple of the Buddha. And because his mind is not clouded with so much greed, hatred and delusion, that he can see things as they really are. So he can tell who is a true man, who is an untrue man. Monks, a true man is possessed of good qualities. He associates as a true man. He wills as a true man. He counsels as a true man. He speaks as a true man. He acts as a true man. He holds views as a true man. And he gives gifts as a true man. And how is a true man possessed of good qualities? Here, a true man has faith, shame, and fear of wrongdoing. He is learned, energetic, mindful, and wise. That is how a true man is possessed of good qualities. And how does a true man associate as a true man? Here a true man has for his friends and companions those recluses and Brahmins who have faith, shame and fear of wrongdoing, who are learned, energetic, mindful and wise. That is how a true man associates as a true man. stop here for a moment. You see, every one of us, we have our ideals. Different people have different ideals. So a true person, a wise person, he appreciates those qualities that are good. So he himself has a sense of shame fear of wrongdoing, he's energetic, not lazy, he's wise, etc. So as the saying goes, birds of the same feather flock together. So he would look for ascetics or monks who are like that, who possess good qualities that live up to his ideal. And how does a true man will as a true man? Here a true man does not will for his own affliction, for the affliction of others, or for the affliction of both. That is how a true man wills as a true man. And how does a true man counsel as a true man? Here a true man does not counsel for his own affliction, for the affliction of others, or for the affliction of both. That is how a true man counsels or gives advice as a true man. And how does a true man speak as a true man? Here a true man abstains from false speech, from malicious speech, from harsh speech, and from gossip. That is how a true man speaks as a true man. And how does a true man act as a true man? Here a true man abstains from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, and from misconduct in sensual pleasures. That is how a true man acts as a true man. And how does a true man hold views as a true man? Here a true man holds views such as this. There is what is given and what is offered and what is sacrificed. There is fruit and result of good and bad actions. There is this world and the other world. There is mother and father. There are beings who are reborn spontaneously. There are good and virtuous recluses and Brahmins in the world who have realized for themselves by direct knowledge and declared this world and the other world. That is how a true man holds views as a true man. And how does a true man give gifts as a true man? Here a true man gives a gift carefully, gives it with his own hand, gives it showing respect, gives a valuable gift, gives it with the view that something will come of it. That is how a true man gives gifts as a true man. That true man, thus possessed of good qualities, who thus associates as a true man, wills as a true man, counsels as a true man, speaks as a true man, acts as a true man, holds views as a true man, and gives gifts as a true man, On the dissolution of the body after death, he appears in the destination of true men. And what is the destination of true men? It is greatness among the gods or greatness among human beings. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words." That's the end of the sutra. So in the Buddha's teachings, you notice here that it is good to be born among the gods or among human beings. Some people, they say it's not good to get rebirth in heaven. It's not true. It's difficult to get rebirth in heaven. So if you say it's not good, it's like sour grapes. You cannot get, you say it's no good. So we'll stop here. Anything to discuss? One thing I thought about earlier is, one of the problems with trying to make a dialogue about the mentality and materiality of failure, I was wondering if you could comment on this down the line. I just really wanted to know if you could answer this. Because I think there is a very interesting work on completion. I sometimes have heard that it's a thought, and sometimes I've heard it's a decision. So I doubt that's a thought, it's a notion. The mentality of plurality, the mentality of that thought, or the fact that you're speaking, for example, of an old white house, or of a car, is that a mentality? This mentality, materiality, is Nama Rupa. Nama refers to a few things in the Sutasla. I have to check, I think it's in Sutra 43, let me see. But just, we have to spend some time to go through it. But just briefly, mentality and materiality, just now I mentioned, is the phenomena, what we are conscious of. So the mentality part, we have internal and external. Internal is what arises in our mind. External is what arises in other people's minds. Rupa, materiality, is also internal and external. What is internal, our own body. what is external, other bodies and other physical objects, etc. in the world. So, the mental part, you are asking about the mental part, right? The mental part, in the Buddha's teachings, although he talks about thoughts, volition, feeling, perception and all that. If you really look into it, they are all basically different types of consciousness. Feeling is a type of consciousness. Feeling is a type of consciousness. Volition is a type of consciousness, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That being the case, so I guess the Buddha has defined it in a certain way and so we just accept it as that. I think there are some monks who have tried to analyze it and they've given a lot of thought to it and they come up with things like in the Abhidhamma. And I think it's not worth the time to investigate all this because the Dhamma As the Buddha says, the purpose of the Dhamma is like a raft for going across to the other shore. It's not for analyzing and arguing with people and for the sake of knowledge. It is not for the sake of knowledge. It is for the purpose of cutting our greed, hatred and delusion. Sometimes a lot of this is not worth the time to investigate too much. Okay, what I'm trying to say is that all the newspapers read that the Central Bank is a big country. Yes, why? The Central Bank is a big country. The Central Bank of the United States of America is a big country. This is very wrong to say that all the newspapers in the United States are big countries. They're not big countries. The best way to do it wouldn't work, because you don't want it to be there, but as soon as you let it dissolve, it's gone. You don't want it to come back and be in the zone that it was. That's what I want to do. So I mean, the first thing that I get to do is, oh, I like this, I like this, I like that, I like this, I like that, I like this, I like that, I like this, I like this, I like that, I like this, I like this, I like that, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like this, I like It is not wrong to have sensual pleasures or to have money or to have a lot of children and property and all that, the Buddha says. That is not wrong. But if you suffer because of it, then it's wrong. If you don't suffer, for example, somebody like Natapindika or somebody like Visakha, they are very rich. but they know how to use their money to do dana, to benefit people, and at the same time, enjoy themselves. The Buddha said, if you have a lot of money, for example, the Buddha says, firstly, use it to enjoy yourself. Secondly, you benefit your family, make them happy, make them enjoy life. And then you benefit your friends and relatives, your workers, and you keep some for doing charity. so that you can get some blessings out of that. As you enjoy life, we use up our blessings. So it's important to replenish our blessings. So if you know how to conduct ourselves, if you're wise, if you're guided by the Dhamma, then you can enjoy life now and then act in such a way that you will get to enjoy life again in heaven. but you need wisdom, you need to be guided by the Dhamma. The most important condition to enter the stream because the first path is to enter the stream. The most important condition is to understand the Dhamma, to get right view. When you get right view, then you have become a first path attainer. In the Sutas, in the Majjhima Nikaya, Suta 43 I think, it says there are two conditions for right view. One is the voice of another person, somebody else teaching you the Dhamma, because nowadays that includes the books. And the second condition is Yoniso Manasikara, thorough attention. Now, not everybody is able to have Yoniso Manasikara. You only know Manasikara means you have a clear mind so that when you listen to the Dhamma you can understand. So it helps if you practice Samatha meditation. When you practice Samatha meditation, you train your mind to focus, to become one-pointed. If you constantly train your mind to become one-pointed, then when you either listen to the Dhamma talk on the CD or you read the Nikaya, the Suttas in the Nikaya, then you are able to focus your mind and understand. So I always say, for us, the spiritual path, two things are most important. One is to listen to the Dhamma that is based on the original suttas. And the second is to practice Samatha meditation to train your mind to focus. There are four Uposatha days in a month. If we go by our Chinese lunar calendar, which has 30 days or sometimes 29 days, the first one is the 8th of the month, Chobat, and then the 15th, and then the 23rd, and then the 30th, or 29. But in Thailand and in India, the lunar calendar is a bit different. They go two weeks, two weeks, not like ours, 30 days, 30 days, or 29 days. For them, it's two weeks. So the first two weeks of the lunar month is 15 days from the first lunar day until the 15th. Then the second fortnight, sometimes it's 15 days, sometimes it's 14 days. Okay, sorry I didn't elaborate. So for lay people, the Buddha says The lay people should keep the eight precepts on the Uposatha days. That means the four days of the month. That means the eighth day, 15th day, 23rd, and 30th or 29th. But for monks, we chant the precepts once a fortnight. That means on the 15th lunar day and the 30th. If no 30th, means 29th. If you notice in the description of Charana, the conduct of a monk, the sequence of the monk's practice is that He goes forth, then he keeps the precepts, then he practices contentment, then he guards his six sense doors, he practices moderation in eating, he strives to maintain his wakefulness, and all these things, and then he goes to a secluded place to practice, and then he meditates hard. When he meditates hard, and the mind starts to become one-pointed, then the sloth and topple begins to be eliminated. When the sloth and topper is eliminated, then it is stated that perception of light comes forth from within, wells up. So when that happens, these five hindrances are all eliminated together. If you meditate hard, those things in Charana that the monk practices, what you can do, you do. There is a perception of light welling up. Ah, that one is, no, that one is like, that one is, that one just comes and goes, la. Chi Foon, do you hear that? This Sutra, 108, the Buddha said, only 45, only 45, the Buddha's 45. Okay, so we end here.

11-MN-111-Anupada-(2010-09-03).txt

Today is the 3rd of September and this is the 45th time we are talking of the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Now we come to Sutta 111, Anupada Sutta, one by one as they occur. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. There he addressed the monks thus, ''Monks, whereabouts sir?'' they replied. The Blessed One said, ''Monks, Sariputta is wise. Sariputta has great wisdom. Sariputta has wide wisdom. Sariputta has joyous wisdom. Sariputta has quick wisdom. Sariputta has keen wisdom. Sariputta has penetrative wisdom. During half a month, monks, Sariputta had insight into states one by one as they occurred. Now, Sariputta's insight into states one by one as they occurred was this. Dear monks, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states. Sariputta entered upon and abided in the first jhana, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with delight and pleasure born of seclusion. And the states in the first jhana, the applied thought, the sustained thought, the delight, the pleasure, and the unification of mind, the contact, feeling, perception, volition, and mind, The zeal, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, and attention, these states were defined by Him one by one as they occurred. Known to Him, those states arose. Known, they were present. Known, they disappeared. He understood thus. So indeed, these states, not having been, come into being. Having been, they vanish. Regarding those states, he abided, unattracted, unrepelled, independent, detached, free, dissociated, with the mind rid of barriers. He understood there is an escape beyond, and with the cultivation of that attainment, he confirmed that there is. Again monks, with the stilling of applied and sustained thought, Sariputta entered and abided in the second jhana, which has self-confidence and singleness of mind, without applied and sustained thought, with delight and pleasure born of concentration, and the states in the second jhāna, the self-confidence, the delight, the pleasure and the unification of mind, the contact, feeling, perception, volition, and mind, the zeal, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, and attention. These states were defined by him one by one as they occurred. Known to him, those states arose. Known, they were present. Known, they disappeared. He understood thus. So indeed, these states, not having been, come into being. Having been, they vanish. Regarding those states, he abided unattracted, unrepelled, independent, detached, free, dissociated, with a mind rid of barriers. He understood there is an escape beyond, and with the cultivation of that attainment, he confirmed that there is. Stop here for a moment. This Venerable Sariputta, after he came to the Buddha, became a disciple of the Buddha, he strove very hard and attained the Jhanas. And after he attained the Jhanas, about two weeks after he had become the Buddha's disciple, he was listening to the Buddha talk to an external ascetic, and he was fanning the Buddha. Just from listening there, he attained liberation became an arahant. So here the Buddha says during half a month, Mount Sariputta had insight into states one by one. Maybe it's during that time. So here you find the description in the first jhāna and the second jhāna. The applied thought, sustained thought, delight, pleasure, unification of mind, contact, feeling, perception, volition and mind, zeal, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity and attention. These states were defined by him one by one as they occurred. Known to him, those states arose. Known, they were present. Known, they disappeared. So indeed, he understood. So indeed, these states not having been, come into being. Having been, they vanish. Regarding those states, he abided unattracted, unrepelled, independent, etc. So this description of the jhāna is very different from what some monks say. Some monks say that in the state of jhāna, you have no mindfulness. You are like in a trance state. That is what those people who have not attained jhāna, they say. their idea of jhāna. But it's not like that. In the state of jhāna, the monk is very mindful, even more so in the third and fourth jhāna. The other thing you have to know is that the jhāna of the suttas, as mentioned here, is very different from the jhāna in the Visuddhi Magga. Isudhimagga is a later book and the way they describe jhāna is different from here. There is a very interesting book called The Experience of Jhāna by an American. It's a new book and people who are interested in meditation should read that book. We have copies of it in the library. Again monks, with a fading away as well of delight, Sariputta abided in equanimity, mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure with the body, he entered the pond and abided in the third jhana, on account of which noble ones announced, he has a pleasant abiding, who has equanimity and is mindful. And the states in the third jhana, the equanimity, the pleasure, the mindfulness, the full awareness, and the unification of mind, the contact, feeling, perception, volition and mind, the zeal, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity and attention. These states were defined by him one by one as they occurred. Known to him, those states arose. Known, they were present. Known, they disappeared. He understood thus, etc. And with the cultivation of that attainment, he confirmed that there is. Again monks, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, Sariputta entered upon and abided in the fourth jhāna, which has neither pain nor pleasure. an utter purity of mindfulness and equanimity. And the states in the fourth jhana, the equanimity, the neither painful nor pleasant feeling, the mental unconcern due to tranquility, the complete or utter purity of mindfulness, and the unification of mind, the contact, feeling, perception, volition, and mind, the zeal, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, and attention, these states were defined by him one by one as they occurred. Known to him, those states arose. Known, they were present. Known, they disappeared. He understood thus. So indeed, these states, not having been, come into being. Having been, they vanished. Regarding those states, he abided unattracted, unrepelled, independent, detached, free, dissociated, with the mind rid of various. He understood that there is an escape beyond. And with the cultivation of that attainment, he confirmed that there is. Stop here for a moment. So you see the description of the third jhāna, mindful and fully aware. And even more so in the fourth jhāna, it says this utter purity of mindfulness and equanimity, the pariśuddhi. Pariśuddhi is utter purity. of this sati and upekka, utter purity of mindfulness. So this sati or this mindfulness or recollection is most pure in the fourth jhana. Again monks, with a complete surmounting of perceptions of form, with a disappearance of perceptions of sensory impact, with non-attention to perceptions of diversity, aware that space is infinite, Sariputta entered upon and abided in the base of infinite space. and the states in the base of infinite space, the perception of the base of infinite space, and the unification of mind, the contact, feeling, perception, volition, and mind, the zeal, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, and attention. These states were defined by him one by one as they occurred. Known to him, those states arose. Known, they were present. Known, they disappeared. He understood thus, as before. So indeed, these states, not having been, come into being. Having been, they vanish, etc. Again, monks were completely surmounting the base of infinite space, aware that consciousness is infinite. Sariputta entered upon and abided in the base of infinite consciousness, and the states in the base of infinite consciousness, the perception of the base of infinite consciousness, and the unification of mind, the contact, feeling, perception, volition, and mind, the zeal, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, and attention. These states were defined by him one by one as they occurred. Known to him, those states arose. Known, they were present. Known, they disappeared. He understood thus, as before. So indeed, these states, not having been, come into being. Having been, they vanish, et cetera. Again monks, by completely surmounting the base of infinite consciousness, aware that there is nothing, Sariputta entered upon and abided in the base of nothingness. And the states in the base of nothingness, the perception of the base of nothingness, and the unification of mind, the contact, feeling, perception, volition and mind, the zeal, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity and attention. These states were defined by him one by one as they occurred. Known to him, those states arose. Known, they were present. Known, they disappeared, etc., etc. Stop here for a moment. You observe in this section 11, paragraph 11, with the complete surmounting of perceptions of form, that means what is seen, and with the disappearance of perceptions of sensory impact. This sensory impact, or what is sense, refers to the smell, the taste, and the touch. In the next sutta that we are coming to, it is specified there. So basically here, What is seen, smelled, tasted, touched, and not mentioned here, the heard also, these five senses, they close. So when a person attains Arupajana, the lowest being the base of infinite space, he is no more aware of the five sense doors. So it is only in the Arupajana that the five sense doors close. Now we come to paragraph 17. Again, monks, by completely surmounting the base of nothingness, Sariputta entered upon and abided in the base of neither perception nor non-perception. He emerged mindful from that attainment. Having done so, he contemplated the past states which had seized and changed us. So indeed, these states, not having been, come into being. Having been, they vanish. Regarding those states, he abided unattracted, unrepelled, independent, detached, free, dissociated, with the mind rid of barriers. He understood there is an escape beyond. Out of the cultivation of the attainment, he confirmed that there is. Stop here for a moment. You see here the difference between this base of neither perception or non-perception compared to the others in this base of neither perception nor non-perception. Sometimes there is perception, there is consciousness, sometimes there is none. So he is not aware like the previous states. In the previous states, I mentioned about the perception, the contact, feeling, perception, volition, mind, the zeal, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity and attention. These states were defined one by one as they occurred. This one is absent in the base of neither perception nor non-perception. This is different from the others in that the perception or the consciousness He's sometimes there, sometimes not there, so he's not aware of these things. Again, monks, by completely surmounting the base of neither perception nor non-perception, Sariputta entered upon and abided in the cessation of perception and feeling, and his states were destroyed by his seeing with wisdom. He emerged mindful from that attainment. Having done so, he recalled the past states which had ceased and changed. Thus, so indeed, these states not having been, come into being. Having been, they vanish. Regarding those states, he abided unattracted, unrepelled, independent, detached, free, dissociated, with the mind rid of barriers. He understood there is no escape beyond, and with the cultivation of that attainment, he confirmed that there is not. Monks, rightly speaking, were it to be said of anyone, he has attained mastery and perfection in noble virtue, attained mastery and perfection in noble concentration, attained mastery and perfection in noble wisdom, attained mastery and perfection in noble liberation. It is of Sariputta indeed that, rightly speaking, this should be said. Monks, rightly speaking, were it to be said of anyone, he is the son of the Blessed One, born of his breast, born of his mouth, born of the Dhamma, created by the Dhamma and heir in the Dhamma, not an heir in material things. It is of Sariputta indeed that rightly speaking, this should be said. monks, the matchless wheel of the Dhamma set rolling by the Tathagata is kept rolling rightly by Sariputta. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words." That's the end of the sutta. So, in paragraph 19, the Buddha says that, remember Sariputta, attained the cessation of perception and feeling, and his stains were destroyed by seeing wisdom." Actually, his stains were destroyed when he was listening to the Buddha speak to the external ascetic. What was his name? Dighanakha or something. He attained liberation, that means his stains were destroyed. But here, I guess every time a monk, a cultivator, when he enters the state of cessation of perception and feeling, when he comes out of it, as mentioned here, the stains are destroyed. because the attained, the dasavas, is the tendency of the mind to flow, the tendency of consciousness to flow. But when a person attains the cessation of perception and feeling, it means cessation, feeling, consciousness, everything stops. The sixth consciousness stops. And when he comes out of it, there is no more that tendency for the consciousness to flow. And because when he comes out of that state, he realizes very well that the whole world only exists in the Sixth Consciousness, just like a dream. So these uncontrolled mental outflows stop. Also, it is mentioned here, there is no escape beyond. That means there's no higher state than the cessation of perception and feeling. The cessation of perception and feeling is the highest meditative state that anyone can attain. And when someone attains that state and he comes out of it, he becomes an Arahant. This cessation of perception and feeling, not all Arahants can attain it. The minimum meditative state to become an arahant is the four jhanas. But to attain this cessation of perception and feeling, a monk has to attain the arupa jhanas. So only those monks who can attain all the arupa jhanas, only they can manage to attain this cessation of perception and feeling. So in paragraph 21, you see the Buddha's high praise for Sariputta. I don't think any other disciple the Buddha praises so highly. He says, Sariputta is a master and perfect in virtue, concentration, and samadhi, and liberation, attain mastery and perfection in virtue, concentration, wisdom. These three things, sila, samadhi, paññā, are the basics of the Noble Eightfold Path, the holy path. Also, the Buddha says he is the son of the Blessed One and heir to the Dhamma. And the Venerable Sariputta turns the Dhamma wheel exactly like the Buddha turns. So of all the arahants, the Buddha praises Venerable Sariputta the most, the highest. And this is very different from the Mahayana books. The Mahayana books are always trying to put down Venerable Sariputta because he sort of disgraced this Devadatta. He told, being instructed by the Buddha, he told the lay people that Devadatta is no more a disciple of the Buddha. Whatever he says and does has nothing to do with the Buddha. So all the followers of Devadatta hate this Venerable Sariputta and Moggallana. The other thing I'd like to point out is that later books like commentaries, they say that Venerable Sariputta was liberated by wisdom, and they say that a monk liberated by wisdom has no jhana. But you see very clearly from here, even though Venerable Sariputta is liberated by wisdom, he has all the jhanas. And the Buddha has stated in several suttas that to become an arahant or even an anagamin, you need at least four jhanas. There is no arahant without four jhanas. But later books, like the commentaries, they talk about the dry vision arahant, the pure vipassana arahant. There is no such thing in the suttas. All the arahants have at least the four jhanas. And here you can see Venerable Sariputta, even though he was liberated by wisdom, he has the four rupa jhanas, he has the four arupa jhanas, and he has cessation of perception and feeling, all the meditative states. That's why the Buddha says here that he has attained mastery and perfection in noble concentration. So this is a very important sutra in the sense that a monk who has attained liberation by wisdom might possess the jhanas.

12-MN-112-Chabbisodhana-113-Sappurisa-(2010-09-03).txt

Now we come to the next Sutta, 112th, Chabisodana Sutta, the sixthfold purity. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jhs. Grove, Anathapindika's Park. There he addressed the monks thus. Monks! Rampal Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said, Dear monks, a monk makes a declaration of final knowledge thus. I understand. Birth is destroyed. The holy life has been lived. What had to be done has been done. There is no more coming to any state of being. That monk's words should neither be approved nor disapproved. Without approving or disapproving, a question should be put thus. Friend, there are four kinds of expression rightly proclaimed by the Blessed One who knows and sees Arahants, Sammasambuddha. What for? Telling the seen as it is seen, telling the heard as it is heard, telling the sensed as it is sensed, telling the cognized as it is cognized. These, friends, are the four kinds of expression rightly proclaimed by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arhatsama Sambuddha. How does the Venerable One know, how does he see regarding these four kinds of expression, so that through not clinging his mind is liberated from the taints? Monks, when a monk is one with taste destroyed, who has lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached the true goal, destroyed the factors of being, and is completely liberated through final knowledge, this is the nature of his answer. Friends, regarding the sin, I abide unattracted, unrepelled, independent, detached, free, dissociated, with the mind rid of barriers. Regarding the hurt, regarding the sense, regarding the cognized, I abide unattracted, unrepelled, independent, detached, free, dissociated, with the mind rid of barriers. It is by knowing thus, seeing thus, regarding these four kinds of expression, that through not clinging, my mind is liberated from the taints. Stop here for a moment. So the Buddha is saying that if a monk claims to have attained enlightenment, you should not accept it or reject it. Instead, you should ask him, you should question him concerning this. How does the Venerable One know? How does he see regarding these four kinds of expression? So here, the answer should be regarding the see, regarding the hear, regarding the sense, regarding the cognize. I abide unattracted, unrepelled, etc. So you see this refers to the six senses. The first one is the seen. The last one is the cognized, the thinking. The first one is the seen. The second one is the heard. And then the cognized is mentioned. That means three sense doors are mentioned. The other three are inside the sense. So the sense refers to the smell, the taste and the touch. The other three senses are not mentioned here. So regarding the six sense doors, if it's an arahant, he will say he abides unattracted, unrepelled, independent, detached, free, dissociated with mind, rid of barriers. Saying, good, one may delight and rejoice in that monk's words. Having done so, a further question should be put thus. Friend, there are these five aggregates affected by clinging, or these five aggregates of attachment. rightly proclaimed by the blessed one who knows and sees. Arahant, Samasambuddha, what five? They are the material form aggregate of attachment, the feeling, perception, volition, consciousness aggregates of attachment. These friends are the five aggregates of attachment rightly proclaimed by the blessed one who knows and sees. Arahant Sama Sambuddha. How does the Venerable one know, how does he see regarding these five aggregates of attachment, so that through not clinging his mind is liberated from the taints? Monks, when a monk is one with taints destroyed, etc., and is completely liberated through final knowledge, this is the nature of his answer. Friends, Having known material form to be feeble, fading away and comfortless, with the destruction, fading away, cessation, giving up, and relinquishing of attraction and clinging regarding material form, of mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies regarding material form, I have understood that my mind is liberated. Similarly, friends, having known feeling, perception, volition, consciousness, to be feeble, fading away and comfortless, with the destruction fading away, sensation, giving up and relinquishment of attraction and clinging. Regarding these aggregates of mental standpoints, adherences and underlying tendencies, regarding these aggregates, I have understood that my mind is liberated. It is by knowing thus, seeing thus, regarding these five aggregates, affected by clinging or of attachment, that through not clinging, my mind is liberated from the chains. Stop it for a moment. So here, Evis and Arahan, he will say regarding the five aggregates, that he knows the five aggregates are to be feeble, fading away, comfortless. In other words, the five aggregates are so unstable, and they will fade away one day. They're going to die, disappear. So it is comfortless. You can't get much comfort from clinging to the five aggregates. So because of that, he has relinquished this attraction and clinging regarding the five aggregates. So that's how his mind has become free, liberated. Saying good, one may delight and rejoice in that monk's words. Having done so, a further question may be put thus. Friend, there are these six elements, rightly proclaimed by the Blessed One who knows, Arahant Sama Sambuddha. But six, they are the earth element, water element, fire element, air element, space element, and the consciousness element. These, friends, are the six elements rightly proclaimed by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant Sammasambuddha. How does the Venerable One know, how does he see regarding these six elements, so that through not clinging, his mind is liberated from the taints? Monks, when a monk is one with taints destroyed, etc., and is completely liberated through final knowledge, this is the nature of his answer. Friends, have treated the earth element as not-self. with no self based on the earth element, and with the destruction feeding away, cessation giving up, and relinquishing of attraction and clinging based on the earth element, of mental standpoints, adherences and underlying tendencies based on the earth element, I have understood that my mind is liberated. Similarly, friends, I have treated the water element, fire element, air element, space element, consciousness element, as not self, with no self based on the elements, and with the destruction fading away, cessation, giving up and relinquishing, of attraction and clinging based on the elements, of mental standpoints, adherences and underlying tendencies based on the elements, I have understood that my mind is liberated. It is by knowing thus, seeing thus, regarding these six elements, that through not clinging, my mind is liberated from the pains. I'll stop here for a moment. So here regarding the physical world, including the body, the body is also made up of the four elements. In fact, the six elements here, So the person, if he is an Arahant, he sees that this body or these six elements are not self. So because of that he has relinquished attraction and clinging based on these elements. Saying good, one may delight and rejoice in that monk's words. Having done so, a further question may be put thus. But friend, there are these six internal and external bases rightly proclaimed by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant Sammasambuddha. But six, they are the eye and forms, ear and sounds, nose and odours, tongue and flavours, body and tangibles, mind and mind-objects. These, friends, are the six internal and external bases rightly proclaimed by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant Sammasambuddha. How does the Venerable One know, how does he see, regarding these six internal and external bases, so that through not clinging his mind is liberated from the taints? Monks. When a monk is one with things destroyed, etc., and is completely liberated through final knowledge, this is the nature of his answer. Friends, with the destruction, fading away, cessation, giving up, and relinquishing of desire, lust, delight, craving, attraction, and clinging, and of mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies regarding the eye, forms, and eye consciousness, and things cognizable by the mind through eye consciousness, I have understood that my mind is liberated. Similarly, with the destruction feeding away cessation, giving up and relinquishing of desire, lust, delight, craving, attraction, and clinging, and of mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies regarding the ears, sounds, and ear consciousness, and things cognizable by the mind through ear consciousness. Similarly, regarding the nose, odors, nose consciousness, and things cognizable through nose consciousness. And similarly, Regarding the tongue flavors, tongue consciousness, and things cognizable through tongue consciousness, and regarding the body tangibles, body consciousness, and things cognizable through body consciousness, and regarding the mind, mind objects, mind consciousness, and things cognizable through mind consciousness, I have understood that my mind is liberated. This mind, knowing thus, seeing thus, regarding these six internal and external bases, that through not clinging, my mind is liberated from the taints. Stop it for a moment. So here, if the person is an arahant, you see, concerning the six internal and external sense bases, then he has destroyed, given up, relinquished desire, lust, delight, craving, attraction, and clinging, and even mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies concerning the six internal sense bases, the six external sense bases, and the six consciousnesses, etc. He has totally given up any desire and lust towards these sense bases and objects. That's how he's liberated. Saying good, one may delight and rejoice in that monk's words. Having done so, a further question may be put thus. But friend, how does a venerable one know, how does he see, so that in regard to this body with its consciousness and all external signs, eye-making, mind-making, underlying tendency to conceive, have been eradicated in him? When a monk is one who attains, destroys, etc., and is completely liberated through final knowledge, this is the nature of his answer. Friends, formerly when I lived the home life, I was ignorant. Then the Tathagata or his disciple taught me the Dhamma. On hearing the Dhamma, I acquired faith in the Tathagata. Possessing that faith, I considered thus. Household life is crowded and dusty. Life gone forth is wide open. It is not easy while living in a home to lead the holy life, utterly perfect and pure as a polished shell. Suppose I shave off my hair and beard. put on the yellow robe and go forth from the home life into homelessness. So what follows is a description of this person going forth and training in Charana, conduct of a monk, what we have read before in Sutra 51. So he abandons the five hindrances and then attains the four jhanas and after that he directs his mind to the higher knowledges culminating in the destruction of the Asavasya. When I knew and saw thus, my mind was liberated from the taint of sensual desire, from the taint of being, and from the taint of ignorance. When it was liberated, there came the knowledge it is liberated. I directly knew. Birth is destroyed. The holy life has been lived. What had to be done has been done. There is no more coming to any state of being. It is by knowing thus, seeing thus, friends, that in regard to this body with its consciousness and all external signs, eye-making, mind-making, and underlying tendency to conceit, have been eradicated in me, saying, Good monks, one may delight and rejoice in that monk's words. Having done so, one should say to him, It is a great gain for us, friend, that we see such a companion in the holy life as the Venerable One. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words." So, this last one, The Buddha said, if that person is an arahant, then he would describe how he led the holy life out of faith in the Dhamma and practiced all that was recommended by the Buddha under this charana. And then finally, having attained the four jhanas and the higher knowledges, he attained liberation. Without the four jhanas, it is impossible to attain liberation. So you see from here, it's not so easy. Sometimes some people, They practice for a while and they think they are already an arahant. Two years ago, in Malaysia, we had one monk who was telling people that he finished his work. But evidently he had not attained the four jhanas, so how could he have finished his work? So, it's not so easy. So you can see from here, he's really an arahant. He has already relinquished all these different things. He's no more attracted by sight, sound, smell, taste, touch. And also doesn't cling to the five aggregates, he knows. The person has actually become an Arahant. Then, because the final state, parinibbana, is a state of cessation of perception and feeling, so if a person has attained arahant, arahanthood, then I guess he is no more interested in the world. He will be always abiding in meditation, just like the arahants during the Buddha's time. Okay, we have time for another sutta, 113, Sapurisa Sutta, The True Man. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. There he addressed the monks thus, Monks, Noble Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said, Monks, I shall teach you the character of a true man and the character of an untrue man. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Venerable Sir, the monks replied. The Blessed One said, monks, what is the character of an untrue man? Here an untrue man who has gone forth from an aristocratic family considers thus, I have gone forth from an aristocratic family, royal or noble family, but these other monks have not gone forth from an aristocratic family. So he lauds himself and disparages others because of his aristocratic family. This is the character of an untrue man. But a true man considers thus, it is not because of one's aristocratic family that states of greed, hatred and delusion are destroyed. Even though someone may not have gone forth from an aristocratic family, yet if he has entered upon the way that accords with the Dhamma, entered upon the proper way, and conducts himself according to the Dhamma, he should be honoured for that, he should be praised for that. So putting the practice of the way first, he neither lauds himself nor disparages others because of his aristocratic family. This is the character of a true man. Moreover, an untrue man who has gone forth from a great family or from a wealthy family or from an influential family considers thus, have gone forth from a great family or wealthy family or influential family, but these other monks have not gone forth from such families. So he lords himself and disparages others because of his family. This, too, is the character of an untrue man. But a true man considers thus, it is not because of one's family that states of greed, hatred and and delusion are destroyed, even though someone may not have gone forth from an influential family, etc. Yet, if he has entered upon the way that accords with the Dhamma, entered upon the proper way, and conducts himself according to the Dhamma, he should be honoured for that, he should be praised for that. So, putting the practice of the way first, he neither lords himself nor disparages others because of his family. This too is the character of a true man. Stop here for a moment. So, here the Buddha says, An untrue man who does not conduct himself according to Dhamma, if he comes from a good family background, he'll be very proud of himself, very haughty, very arrogant. So, when we know the Dhamma, we don't think of our background. A lot of people are always thinking about your background. You don't look at your faults. Your faults are more important to look at than your wealth or your family background and all that. Moreover, an untrue man who is well-known and famous considers thus, I am well-known and famous, but these other monks are unknown and of no account. So he lost himself and disparages others because of his renown. This too is a character of an untrue man. But a true man considers thus, it is not because of one's renown that states of greed, hatred and delusion are destroyed. Even though someone may not be well-known and famous, yet if he has entered upon the way that accords with the Dhamma, entered upon the proper way, and conducts himself according to the Dhamma, he should be honoured for that, he should be praised for that. So putting the practice of the way first, he neither lords himself nor disparages others because of his renown. This too is the character of a true man." I'll stop here for a moment. So sometimes certain monks, after a few years, becomes famous. In the Sangyuta Nikaya, there's one chapter on Labasakara, where the Buddha says that gains and fame are a great obstacle to the holy life, especially fame. If a monk becomes famous, a lot of dangers come together with it. So the Buddha says it's good not to be famous, not to have some name, Keep a low profile, otherwise it's an obstacle to the holy life. And also the Buddha says, once a person becomes famous, his character changes. Usually, just like some people, lay people, when they become wealthy, their head swells. So similarly with monks, when they become famous. Moreover, an untrue man who gains robes, arms, foot, resting places, and requisites of medicine considers thus, I gain robes, arms, foot, resting places, and requisites of medicine, but these other monks do not gain these things, so he lauds himself and disparages others because of gain. This too is the character of an untrue man. But a true man considers thus, it is not because of gain that states of greed, hatred and delusion are destroyed. Even though someone has no gain, yet if he has entered upon the way that accords with the Dhamma, entered upon the proper way and conducts himself according to the Dhamma, he should be honoured for that, he should be praised for that. So putting the practice of the way first, he neither lords himself nor disparages others because of gain. This too is the character of a true man. Moreover, an untrue man who is learned, or who is an expert in the Vinaya, or who is a preacher of the Dhamma, or who is a forest-dweller, or who is a refuse-rack-wearer, or an alms-wood-eater, or a tree-root-dweller, or a charnel-ground or cemetery-dweller, an open-air-dweller, or a continual-sitter, or an any-bed-user, or a one-session-eater, considers thus, I am such and such, but these other monks are not such and such. So he loathes himself and disparages others because of his being such and such. This too is a character of an untrue man. But a true man considers thus, it is not because of being a one-session eater, etc., that states of greed, hatred, or delusion are destroyed. Even though someone may not be such and such personal practices, such and such. Yet if he has entered upon the way that accords with the Dhamma, entered upon the proper way and conducts himself according to the Dhamma, he should be honoured for that, he should be praised for that. So putting the practice of the way first, he neither lost himself nor disparages others because of his being such and such. This too is a character of a true man. Stop here for a moment. So here, sometimes certain monks, they practice certain things, ascetic practices, and they become arrogant because they think they are a forest monk, or they are an ascetic monk, or they only beg for their food and all that. But if he knows the Dhamma, then he knows what is important is to get rid of greed, hatred and delusion, not to have an inflated head. Moreover, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, an untrue man enters upon and abides in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with delight and pleasure born of seclusion. He considers thus, I have gained the attainment of the first jhāna, but these other monks have not gained the attainment of the first jhāna. So he lords himself and disparages others because of his attainment. This too is the character of an untrue man. But a true man considers thus, non-identification, even with the attainment of the first jhāna, has been declared by the Blessed One, for in whatever way they conceive, the fact is ever other than that. So putting non-identification first, he neither loves himself nor disparages others because of his attainment of the This too is a character of a true man. Moreover, with the stilling of applied and sustained thought, an untrue man enters upon and abides in the second jhāna, or the third jhāna, or the fourth jhāna, or the base of infinite space, the base of infinite consciousness, or the base of nothingness, and the base of neither perception nor non-perception, And because of that, he lost himself and disparages others because of his attainment. This too is a character of an untrue man. But a true man considers thus, non-identification, even with the attainment of the various jhanas, has been declared by the Blessed One. For in whatever way they conceive, the fact is ever other than that. So putting non-identification first, he neither lost himself nor disparages others because of his attainment. of the various jhanas. This too is the character of a true man. So the Buddha says, a true man who understands the Dhamma, he is not conceited because of his attainment of the jhanas or the high knowledge or whatever, because he knows that there is no self, no self. Ultimately, so, So it's very important to be guided by the Dhamma. If you're not guided by the Buddha's Dhamma, sometimes a person can attain quite high states and then fall down from there, just like Devadatta. Devadatta attained high states and his ego was his tumbling block. So this ego is very important. But you only realize that when you are quite familiar with the Buddha's Dhamma. In fact, somebody like Mara was probably a cultivator in a previous life. Somebody like Mara probably attained some jhanas. But because of his ego, he ended up being Mara. So if you're not careful, we can also end up being in his gang. Moreover, by completely surmounting the base of neither perception nor non-perception, a true man enters upon and abides in the cessation of perception and feeling, and his stains are destroyed by his seeing with wisdom." This monk does not conceive anything. He does not conceive in regard to anything. He does not conceive in any way. That is what the Blessed One said. The monk was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. This last part is a real arahant. He does not conceive anything. does not conceive in regard to anything, does not conceive in any way. He has no opinions whatsoever in that sense. He does not think at all, does not use his mind as his normal self. So the higher we progress on the spiritual path, the less views we have, the less opinions we have, the less conceited we become. The more childish, the more childlike we become. Just like in the Bible, Jesus liked to play with some children and some older people tried to chase away the children. And Jesus said, don't chase them away. And Jesus said, you all have to be like children. Unless you become like children, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. In other words, we have to be innocent like children. A lot of people, as we grow older, we become more cunning. Okay, I think we can stop here for tonight. Anything to discuss? And yet what? Yes, but when a person attains Jhanas, he has got rid of the five hindrances. But the five hindrances is not about the ego. He has got rid of sensual desire, ill will, thought and topper, restlessness and worry, and doubt. But even though it has got rid of them, the roots have not been eradicated. So when the condition is right, sometimes, for example, in the suttas it is mentioned that certain rishis, certain ascetics, when they got very angry with certain villages, they used their psychic power and burned the whole village. So this ill will, even though they have eliminated ill will, but because the root has not been eliminated, if their ego is such that they become angry, then this ill will can rise up suddenly. Yes. It's when a person attains the jhanas, the states of one-pointedness of mind, so you can only achieve one-pointedness of mind if you are fairly equanimous. But it's only in the fourth jhana that you have perfect purity of equanimity. That's why I always say the fourth jhana is not just purity, it is utter purity, parisuddhi. Perfect purity of mindfulness and equanimity. So in the fourth jhāna, the equanimity is perfect. But even in the first jhāna, there is already some equanimity. Otherwise, you cannot attain that first jhāna. So, in the first jhāna, you have to If a person has become a Sotapanna, it means that he has seen the Dhamma as it really is, but not the ultimate Dhamma because he has seen the basic Dhamma as seen in permanence basically. So this right view of a Sotapanna is not as deep as profound as the right view of a Sakadagamin, which is not as profound as the right view of an Anagamin, which is not as perfect as the right view of an Arahant. So they are different levels. So you can say that a Suttapanna does possess knowing and seeing, but not as well as an Arahant. You are talking about the ego. What do you think? Am I correct? Yes, you must be careful, you know. States, Jhana States, are not Aryan states. Aryan states are the first path, first fruit, second path, second fruit, third path, third fruit, and fourth path, fourth fruit. There are eight Aryans. There is a great difference between Jhana states and these Aryan states. These Aryan states Once a person becomes an Arya, that means he has understood the Dhamma. So only by understanding the Dhamma that our ego reduces. Whereas meditative states like these Jhanas, they are states of great tranquility, great peace, but the ego is there. So unless it is combined with knowledge of the Dhamma, then it's dangerous. It's just like a person has a sharp knife. The higher stage of jhana that he achieves, it's like he's carrying a sharper knife. So with a sharp knife in your hand, if you don't know the dhamma, you can create a lot of kibok. you can be a very dangerous man. But if you know the Dhamma well, then even with a sharp knife in your hand, you're still harmless. So that's why, especially like psychic power, if you don't have a good foundation in the Dhamma, it's dangerous to cultivate psychic power. because some people when they attain certain achievements, then their ego becomes very big. And they think of harming others. Okay, so you can end here. The experience of Samadhi, yeah. Author's name? Hmm, forgot.

13-MN-114-Sevitabbasevitabba-(2010-09-04).txt

Today is the 4th of September and this is the 46th time we are speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Now we come to Sutta 114, Sevitabha, Sevitabha Sutta, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. This title consists of two words, Sevitabha and Asevitabha, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savatthi, in Jeta's Grove, and at Apindika's Park. There he addressed the monks thus, Monks, Pebble Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said, Monks, I shall teach you a discourse on what should be cultivated and what should not be cultivated. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Member Sir, the monks replied. The Blessed One said, Monks, bodily conduct is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And bodily conduct is either the one or the other. Verbal conduct is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And verbal conduct is either the one or the other. Mental conduct is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And mental conduct is either the one or the other. Inclination of mind is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. An inclination of mind is either the one or the other. Acquisition of perception is of two kinds, I say, to be calculated and not to be calculated. And the acquisition of perception is either the one or the other. Acquisition of view is of two kinds, I say, to be calculated and not to be calculated. And the acquisition of view is either the one or the other. The acquisition of individuality is of two kinds, I say. To be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And the acquisition of individuality is either the one or the other. Sorry for a moment. So here the Buddha says, as far as bodily conduct, verbal conduct, etc. There's one type that we should cultivate. There's another type that we should not cultivate. When this was said, the Venerable Sariputta said to the Blessed One, Venerable Sir, I understand the detailed meaning of the Blessed One's utterance which he has spoken in brief without expounding the detailed meaning to be thus. Monks, bodily conduct is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And bodily conduct is either the one or the other. So it was said by the Blessed One. And with reference to what was this said, such bodily conduct as causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it should not be cultivated. And such bodily conduct as causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it should be cultivated. Let's stop here for a moment. So this is criteria for this bodily conduct. If it causes unwholesome states to increase, then we should not cultivate it. But if it causes unwholesome states to diminish, to decrease, then we should cultivate it. What are wholesome states and unwholesome states? Wholesome states Wholesome states are those states accompanied by non-greed, non-hatred and sometimes non-delusion. And unwholesome states are accompanied by greed, hatred and delusion. So unwholesome states result in unwholesome kamma and unwholesome results. painful results, whereas wholesome states have pleasant results. And what kind of bodily conduct causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it? Here someone kills living beings. He is murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings. He takes what is not given. He takes by way of the wealth and property of others in the village or in the forest. He misconducts himself in sensual pleasures. He has intercourse with such women as are protected by their mother and father, brother, sister or relatives, who have a husband, who are protected by law, and even with those who are garlanded in token of betrothal. Such bodily conduct causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it. And what kind of bodily conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it? Here, someone, abandoning the killing of living beings, abstains from killing living beings. With rod and weapon laid aside, gently and kindly, he abides compassionate to all living beings. Abandoning the taking of what is not given, he abstains from taking what is not given. He does not take by way of theft the wealth and property of others. in the village or in the forest, abandoning misconduct and sensual pleasures. He abstains from misconduct and sensual pleasures. He does not have intercourse with such women as are protected by their mother and father, brother, sister or relatives, who have a husband, who are protected by law, or with those who are garlanded in token of betrothal. Such bodily conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it. So it was with reference to this that it was said by the blessed monks, bodily conduct is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And bodily conduct is either the one or the other. Stop here for a moment. So here, you can see the precept. concerning bodily karma. Not to kill, not to take what is not given, and not to engage in sexual misconduct. So here, it defines quite clearly this unwholesome bodily conduct. One kills living beings, is murderous, bloody handed, given to blows and violence. And then Second one, I think, is what is not given. The third one, you see, misconduct in sensual pleasures is defined as having sexual relations with four types of persons. One is too young, so under the protection of parents or brother and sister or relatives. Second one, one who is married. Third one, one who is engaged. And fourth one, one protected by law. Protected by law, maybe like the kings, concubines, or monks and nuns, etc. So these are the four types of persons. If you have sexual relations with them, it's misconduct in sensual pleasures. Monks. Verbal conduct is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And verbal conduct is either the one or the other. So it was said by the Blessed One. And with reference to what was this said? Remember, sir, such verbal conduct as causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it should not be cultivated. But such verbal conduct as causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it should be cultivated. and what kind of verbal conduct causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it. Here someone speaks falsehood when summoned to a court, or to a meeting, or to his relative's presence, or to his guild, or to the royal family's presence, and questioned as a witness does. So, good man, tell what you know, not knowing he says, I know, or knowing he says, I do not know. Not seeing, he says, I see. Or seeing, he says, I do not see. In full awareness, he speaks falsehood for his own ends, or for another's ends, or for some trifling worldly end. He speaks maliciously. He repeats elsewhere what He has heard here in order to divide those people from these, or He repeats to these people what He has heard elsewhere in order to divide these people from those. Thus, He is one who divides those who are united, a creator of divisions, who enjoys discord, rejoices in discord, delights in discord, a speaker of words that create discord. He speaks harshly. He utters such words as are rough. hard, hurtful to others, offensive to others, watering on anger, unconducive to concentration. He is a gossip. He speaks at the wrong time, speaks what is not fact, speaks what is useless, speaks contrary to the Dhammavinaya. At the wrong time, he speaks such words as are worthless, unreasonable, immoderate, and unbeneficial. Such verbal conduct causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it. And what kind of verbal conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it? Here is someone abandoning false speech, abstains from false speech, when summoned to a court, or to a meeting, or to his relative's presence, or to his guild, or to the royal family's presence, and questioned as a witness does. So good man, tell what you know. Not knowing, he says, I do not know. Or knowing, he says, I know. Not seeing, he says, I do not see. Or seeing, he says, I see. He does not in full awareness speak falsehood for his own ends, or for another's ends, or for some trifling worldly end. Abandoning malicious speech, he abstains from malicious speech. He does not repeat elsewhere what he has heard here in order to divide those people from these. Nor does he repeat to these people what he has heard elsewhere in order to divide these people from those. Thus he is one who reunites those who are divided, a promoter of friendships, who enjoys concord, rejoices in concord, delights in concord, a speaker of words that promote concord, Abandoning our speech, he abstains from our speech. He speaks such words as are gentle, pleasing to the ear and lovable, as go to the heart, are courteous, desired by many, and agreeable to many. Abandoning gossip, he abstains from gossip. He speaks at the right time, speaks what is fact, speaks on what is good, speaks on the Dhamma Vinaya. At the right time, he speaks such words as are worth recording, reasonable, moderate and beneficial. Such verbal conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish, unwholesome states to increase in one who calculates it. So it was with reference to this that it was said by the blessed monks, verbal conduct is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And verbal conduct is either the one or the other. I'll stop here for a moment. So here, this concerns the unwholesome verbal conduct. You can see there that In the precepts, there are four precepts concerning this verbal conduct. One is to lie, speak falsehood. The second one is to speak maliciously. So here speaking maliciously means repeating what you have heard to some people so that you cause discord. So you hear somebody saying bad about somebody, you repeat it and then it causes problems. And then the third one is to speak harshly, rough words, hurtful words. The fourth one is gossip. Here it says quite clearly, gossip means to speak at the wrong time, speak what is not true, speak what is unbeneficial. meaning of gossip, what is not true, what is unbeneficial, speaking at the wrong time, immoderate. Okay, so this verbal conduct. Mental conduct is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. and mental conduct is either the one or the other. So it was said by the Blessed One, and with reference to what was this said, Venerable Sir, such verbal conduct as causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish, in one who cultivates it should not be cultivated. But such mental conduct as causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it should be cultivated. And what kind of mental conduct causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it? Here someone is covetous. He covets the property and wealth of others thus. Oh, may what belongs to another be mine! Or he has a mind of ill-will and thoughts of hate. Thus, may these beings be slain and slaughtered. May they be cut off, perish, or be annihilated. Such mental conduct causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it. And what kind of mental conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it? Here someone is not covetous. He does not covet the wealth and property of others. Thus, O may what belongs to another be mine. His mind is without ill-will, and he has thoughts free from hatred thus. May these beings be free from enmity, affliction and anxiety. May they live happily. Such mental conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it. So it was with reference to this that it was said by the Blessed One, monks, mental conduct is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And mental conduct is either the one or the other. I'll stop it for a moment. So here the Buddha talks about mental conduct concerning two points. One is wrong or unwholesome mental conduct is being covetous. You want other people's wealth, property. And the other one is to have a lot of ill will, bad temper. intentions of hate or thoughts of hatred. Inclination of mind is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And inclination of mind is either the one or the other, so it was said by the Blessed One. And with reference to what was this said? Remember, sir, such inclination of mind as causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it should not be cultivated. But such inclination of mind as causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it should be cultivated. And what kind of inclination of mind causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it? Here someone is covetous and abides with his mind imbued with covetousness. He has ill will and abides with his mind imbued with ill will. He is cruel and abides with his mind imbued with cruelty. Such inclination of mind causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it. And what kind of inclination of mind causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it? If someone is uncoverageous, and abides with his mind detached from covetousness. He is without ill-will and abides with his mind detached from ill-will. He is uncruel and abides with his mind detached from cruelty. Such inclination of mind causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it." So it was referenced to this So it was with reference to this that it was said by the Blessed One, monks, inclination of mind is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. An inclination of mind is either the one or the other. I'll stop here for a moment. So here you can see the difference between the earlier one, mental conduct, and this inclination of mind, is that this inclination of mind, it has one more Having a mind of cruelty, imbued with cruelty. So, this inclination of mind, cittupada. The other one, mental conduct is manosamacara. There's a slight difference here. The acquisition of perception is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And the acquisition of perception is either the one or the other. So it was said by the Blessed One. And with reference to what was this said? Venerable Sir, such acquisition of perception as causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it should not be cultivated. But such acquisition of perception as causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it should be cultivated. This acquisition of perception is Sannyāpatilāpā. And what kind of acquisition of perception causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates? Here someone is covetous and abides with his perception imbued with covetousness. He has ill will and abides with his perception imbued with ill will. He is cruel and abides with his perception imbued with cruelty. Such acquisition of perception causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who calculates it. And what kind of acquisition of perception causes unwholesome states to diminish? and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it. Here someone is un-covetous and abides with his perception detached from covetousness. He is without ill-will and abides with his perception detached from ill-will. He is uncruel and abides with his perception detached from cruelty. Such acquisition of perception causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it. So it was referenced to this, that it was said by the Blessed One, monks, the acquisition of perception is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And the acquisition of perception is either the one or the other. I'll stop here for a moment. So this acquisition of perception, this perception is like our, how we see something, our attitude. someone's perception, his curvatures, his ill will and cruelty, then he will act from that kind of perception which is unwholesome. The acquisition of view is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And the acquisition of view is either the one or the other. So it was said by the Blessed One. And with reference to what was this said? For example, sir, such acquisition of you as causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it should not be cultivated. But such acquisition of you as causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it should be cultivated. And what kind of acquisition of view causes unwholesome states to increase, and unwholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it? Here someone holds such a view as this. There is nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed, no fruit or result of good and bad actions, no this world, no other world, no mother, no father, no beings who are reborn spontaneously, no good and virtuous recluses and Brahmins in the world, who have realized for themselves by direct knowledge and declare this world and the other world. Such acquisition of view causes unwholesome states to increase and unwholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it. And what kind of acquisition of view causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it? Here someone holds such a view as this. There is what is given and what is offered and what is sacrificed. There is fruit and result of good and bad actions. There is this world and the other world. There is Mother and Father. There are beings who are reborn spontaneously. There are good and virtuous recluses and Brahmins in the world who have realized for themselves by direct knowledge and declared this world and the other world. Such acquisition of view causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it. So it was with reference to this that it was said by the blessed monks, the acquisition of view is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And the acquisition of view is either the one or the other. So here is having wrong view, having wrong view here. basically three things, that there is no result of good and bad actions. Secondly, there is no other world, there is no being reborn. And thirdly, there are no virtuous recluses who have realized for themselves by direct knowledge and declared this world and the other world. So wrong view will bring unwholesome states. to increase and right view is the opposite. The acquisition of individualities of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And the acquisition of individuality is either the one or the other. So it was said by the Blessed One. And with reference to what was this said, Remember, Sir, such acquisition of individuality as causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it should not be cultivated. But such acquisition of individuality as causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it should be cultivated. And what kind of acquisition of individuality causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it? When a person generates an acquisition of individuality that is subject to affliction, unwholesome states increase and wholesome states diminish in him, preventing him from putting an end to being. And what kind of acquisition of individuality causes unwholesome states to diminish, unwholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it? When a person generates an acquisition of individuality that is free from affliction, unwholesome states diminish, unwholesome states increase in him, enabling him to put an end to being. So it was with reference to this that it was said by the Blessed One, monks, the acquisition of individuality is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And the acquisition of individuality is either the one or the other. Remember, Sir, I understand the detailed meaning of the Blessed One's utterance, which He has spoken in brief without expounding the detailed meaning to be thus. But it's the last one, Atthabhava Patillava, Acquisition of individuality. If a person is born as an individuality that is subject to affliction, for example, you are born as a ghost or an animal, then at awesome states increase, awesome states diminish, and you cannot get out of samsara, put an end to being, but you are free from affliction. That means you are born in a happy destination and you have a lot of blessings. When a person has a lot of blessings, then his mind is free to think about the Dhamma. Like we can see animals, like for example the cow, they don't have enough blessings. So every day their time is occupied looking for food. Probably the same with ghosts. They don't have enough blessings. They cannot practice the spiritual path. So we need somebody with a lot of blessings. So here it says, free from affliction, then unwholesome states can diminish and wholesome states increase. And you can put an end to being, get out of samsara. And the Buddha said, good, good, Sariputta. It is good that you understand the detail meaning of my utterance, which I spoke in brief without expounding the detail meaning to be thus. And then the Buddha repeats exactly what the Venerable Sariputta said. Sariputta, the detailed meaning of my utterance which I spoke in brief should be regarded thus. Sariputta, forms cognizable by the eye are of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Sounds cognizable by the ear are of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Odors cognizable by the nose are of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Flavors cognizable by the tongue are of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Tangibles cognisable by the body are of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Mind objects cognisable by the mind are of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. When this was said, Venerable Sariputta said to the Blessed One, Venerable Sir, I understand the detailed meaning of the Blessed One's utterance, which He has spoken in brief without expounding the detailed meaning to be thus. Sariputta, forms cognizable by the eye are of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. So it was said by the Blessed One. I mean reference to what was this said? Remember, Sir, such forms cognizable by the eye as cause unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish, in one who cultivates them should not be cultivated. but such forms cognizable by the eye as cause unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates them should be cultivated." So it was with reference to this that it was said by the Blessed One, Sariputta, forms cognizable by the eye are of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Similarly, sounds cognizable by the ear, odors cognizable by the nose, flavors, tangibles, mind, objects are also of two kinds, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Sense objects as cause unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates them should not be cultivated. But such sense objects as cause unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates them should be cultivated. So it was with reference to this that it was said by the Blessed One. Sense objects are of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Well, sir, I understand the detailed meaning of the Blessed One's utterance which he has spoken in brief without expounding the detailed meaning to be thus. So here, sense objects, if we pay attention to those sense objects and they cause unwholesome states to increase, then we should not attention, but on the contrary, if they cause unwholesome states to diminish and unwholesome states to increase, then we should cultivate them. For example, if you listen to certain sounds and cause unwholesome states to increase and unwholesome states to diminish, for example, you listen to gossip, So unwholesome states increase, unwholesome states decrease, unwholesome states diminish, then you should not listen to gossip. But if you listen to Dharma talk, that causes unwholesome states to diminish and unwholesome states to increase, then you should listen to Dharma talk, not to gossip. Similarly for the other senses. Good, good Sariputta. It is good that you understand the detailed meaning of my utterance which I spoke in brief without expounding the detailed meaning to be thus. And here again the Buddha repeats exactly what Venerable Sariputta said. Sariputta, the detailed meaning of my utterance which I spoke in brief should be regarded thus. Sariputta, robes are of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Alms food is of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Similarly, resting places, villages, towns, cities, districts, persons of two kinds I say to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. When this was said, the Venerable Sariputta said to the Blessed One, Venerable Sir, I understand the detailed meaning of the Blessed One's utterance which He has spoken in brief without expounding the detailed meaning to be thus. Sariputta, robes are of two kinds I say to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. So it was said by the Blessed One. And with reference to what was this said? Remember, Sir, such robes as cause unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates them should not be cultivated. But such robes as cause unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates them should be cultivated. So it was referenced to this that it was said by the Blessed One, Theriputta, robes are of two kinds, I say, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Similarly, arms, foot, resting places, villages, towns, cities, districts, persons to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. Those things or those persons that cause unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish, one who cultivates it should not be cultivated. those things or those persons that cause unwholesome states to diminish and unwholesome states to increase, in one who cultivates them should be cultivated. So it was with reference to this that it was said by the Blessed One, arms, food, resting places, etc. are of two kinds, to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. I understand the detailed meaning of the Blessed One's utterance which He has spoken in brief without expounding the detailed meaning to be thus So here Venerable Sariputta also says all these things are of two kinds. One, if you use them or you associate with them, then they cause unwholesome states to increase and unwholesome states to diminish. Then we should not use them or associate with them. But on the contrary, if they cause unwholesome states to diminish and unwholesome states to increase, then we should cultivate them. Good, good Sariputta. It is good that you understand the detailed meaning of my utterance which I spoke in brief without expounding the detailed meaning to be thus. And again the Buddha repeats exactly what Sariputta said. Sariputta, if all nobles understood thus, the detailed meaning of my utterance which I spoke in brief, it would lead to their welfare and happiness for a long time. If all Brahmins, all merchants, all workers, I understood the meaning of my utterance, which I spoke in brief. It would lead to their welfare and happiness for a long time. If the world, with its gods, its Maharas, and its Brahmas, this generation with its recluses and Brahmins, its princes and its people, understood thus the detailed meaning of my utterance, which I spoke in brief, it would lead to the welfare and happiness of the world for a long time. That is what the Blessed One said. The Merable Sariputta was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. That's the end of the sutta. So the Buddha distinguishes all these things of two kinds. If it benefits you, then you cultivate it. If it does not benefit you, don't cultivate it. And what benefits you are those things that cause wholesome states to increase and unwholesome states to decrease. What is not beneficial is those that cause wholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase.

14-MN-115-Bahudhatuka-(2010-09-04).txt

Okay, let's go to the next sutta, 115, Bahu Dattukasutta, the many kinds of elements. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jeta's Grove, in Atthapindika's park. There he addressed the monks thus, monks, help us sir, they replied. The Blessed One said, monks, whatever fears arise, all arise because of the fool, not because of the wise man. Whatever troubles arise, all arise because of the fool, not because of the wise man. Whatever calamities arise, all arise because of the fool, not because of the wise man. Just as a fire that starts in a shed made of rushes or grass burns down even a house with a peaked roof, with walls plastered inside and outside, shut off and secured by bars with shuttered windows. So, two monks, whatever fears arise, All arise because of the fool, not because of the wise man. Thus the fool brings fear. The wise man brings no fear. The fool brings trouble. The wise man brings no trouble. The fool brings calamity. The wise man brings no calamity. No fear comes from the wise man. No trouble comes from the wise man. No calamity comes from the wise man. Therefore, monks, you should train thus. We shall be wise men. We shall be inquirers. I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says all problems in the world arise because of foolish people. Foolish people create problems for themselves as well as for others. Also as far as fear is concerned, our mind state is very important. Fears arise because we have fear inside of us. Sometimes we put the blame outside. But actually, fear arises because we have fear inside. We do not have fear inside. And whatever happens outside, we will not have fear. So, okay, let's see what is elaborated. When this was said, the Venerable Ananda asked the Blessed One, in what way, Venerable Sir, can a monk be called a wise man and an inquirer? When Ananda, a monk, is skilled in the elements, skilled in the basis, skilled in dependent origination, skilled in what is possible and what is impossible, in that way he can be called a wise man and an inquirer. But Venerable Sir, in what way can a monk be called skilled in the elements? There are Ananda, these 18 elements, the I element, the form element, the I consciousness element. the ear element, the sound element, the ear consciousness element, the nose element, the odor element, the nose consciousness element, the tongue element, the flavor element, the tongue consciousness element, the body element, the tangible element, the body consciousness element, the mind element, the mind object element, the mind consciousness element. When he knows and sees these 18 elements, a monk can be called skilled in the elements. for a moment. This is talking about the six sense bases, salayat tanah, and the internal sense base are the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, and their corresponding objects are form, sound, smells, taste, touch, and thoughts. for each of the sense bases. When you have a good eye and form appears before the eye, the eye consciousness will arise. Similarly for the other sense bases. Venerable Sir, might there be another way in which a monk can be called skilled in the elements? There might be ananda. There are ananda. These six elements The earth element, water element, fire element, air element, space element, and the consciousness element. He knows and sees these six elements. A monk can be called skilled in the elements. So these are the four great elements, earth, water, fire, and air or wind, makes up the rupa. Rupa is defined as the four great elements or the materiality. arising from the four great elements. So the space element and the consciousness element. Consciousness element is part of the mind. But Venerable Sir, might there be another way in which a monk can be called skilled in the elements? There might be ananda. There are ananda, these six elements. The pleasure element, the pain element, the joy element, the grief element, the equanimity element and the ignorance element. When he knows and sees these six elements, a monk can be called skilled in the elements. So here the pleasure and pain element refers to the body, pleasure and pain. Joy and grief refers to the mental and the equanimity element and the ignorance. When there is neither pain nor joy, and if that person is aware of it, then he feels equanimity, the equanimity element. But usually the neither painful nor pleasant feeling, because it is not like pain or pleasure, it tends to be ignored. You get the ignorance element. But, Marable Sir, might there be another way in which a monk can be called skilled in the elements? There might be ananda. There are ananda, these six elements. Sensual desire element, renunciation element, ill-will element, non-ill-will element, cruelty element, and the non-cruelty element. When he knows and sees these six elements, a monk can be called skilled in the elements. So this six refers to the wrong and the right thoughts. Right thoughts are thoughts of renunciation, non-ill will and non-cruelty, and wrong thoughts are the opposite. Venerable Sir, might there be another way in which a monk can be called skilled in the elements? There might be ananda. There are ananda, these three elements, sense fear element, fine material element, and the immaterial element. But he knows and sees these three elements. A monk can be called skilled in the elements. This refers to the kamaloka, rupaloka, and arupaloka, the sense fear realm. realm and the formless realm, the three planes of existence in the world system. Venerable Sir, might there be another way in which a monk can be called skilled in the elements? There might be ananda. There are ananda, these two elements, the conditioned element and the unconditioned element. When he knows and sees these two elements, a monk can be called skilled in the elements. This condition refers to everything in the world, in the universe, and the unconditioned is Nibbana. Venerable Sir, in what way can a monk be called skilled in the basis? There are, Ananda, these six internal and external bases, the eye and forms, ear and sounds, nose and odours, tongue and flavours, body and tangibles, mind and mind-objects. When he knows and sees these six internal and external bases, a monk can be called skilled in the basis. So this refers to the six sense bases which we already mentioned just now. But Venerable Sir, in what way can a monk be called skill-independent origination? Here, Ananda, a monk knows thus. When this exists, that comes to be. With the arising of this, that arises. When this does not exist, that does not come to be. With the cessation of this, that ceases. That is, with ignorance as condition, volition comes to be. With volition as condition, consciousness. With consciousness as condition, mentality, materiality. With mentality, materiality as condition, the sixfold base. With the sixfold base as condition, contact. With contact as condition, feeling. With feeling as condition, craving. With craving as condition, clinging. With clinging as condition, being. With being as condition, birth. With birth as condition, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair come to be. Such is the origin of this whole mass of suffering. With the remainderless fading away and cessation of ignorance, there comes cessation of volition. With the cessation of volition, cessation of consciousness. With the cessation of consciousness, cessation of mentality, materiality. With the cessation of mentality, materiality. cessation of the sixfold base, cessation of contact, cessation of feeling, cessation of craving, cessation of clinging, cessation of being, with the cessation of being, cessation of birth, with the cessation of birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair cease. Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering. In this way, Ananda, a monk, can be called skilled, independent origination. In this dependent origination, the Buddha says, everything in the world arises due to causes and conditions. So the basic formula, when this exists, that comes to be. Because something exists, it brings about the existence of something else. Because something arises, it causes some other thing to arise. But when something ceases, it causes some other things to cease. So, as far as suffering is concerned, the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination are stated here. First condition for suffering to arise is ignorance. Ignorance of the Four Noble Truths. When we don't know the Dhamma, we keep turning in the round of rebirth suffering. So, ignorance, because of ignorance, we have volition. Volition, basically the will to live. So it is because of the will to live that consciousness arises. Consciousness, as I mentioned before, is not an ending stream of consciousness. Consciousness arises and passes away extremely fast. In one second, many, many times consciousness arises and passes away. arises and passes away. So each time it passes away, it is volition, the will to live, that makes the next consciousness arise again. So consciousness keeps arising because of our will to live. So our will to live is very strong, it causes consciousness to arise. So when consciousness arises, it comes together with Nama Rupa, mentality, materiality, which is phenomenal, what we are conscious of, makes up the world. So mentality, materiality makes up the internal world and the external world. After that you have phalayatana, the six-fold base, the six sense bases, because consciousness must lodge in self, or must rise at the six sense bases, because there are six types of consciousness, the eye consciousness, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind consciousness. So that arises at the six sense bases. So that's why you have six sense bases. And when you have the six sense bases, you have contact. The internal sense base and the external sense base makes contact. And when there is contact, feeling arises. And if you have pleasant feeling, then you crave for it. You crave for it and you cling to it. Craving is followed by clinging. And because of craving and clinging, this being arises. You have this perception, I exist. I want this. I cannot live without this. So that being, that I, comes into existence. So that's why sometimes it's translated as being, sometimes it's translated as existence. So once you have being, you see yourself existing in the world, then you think that you are born into the world. And if you don't have being, then you don't think that you are born. You're just like a tree. A tree doesn't think it is born in the world. But because you have a being, then you think, I am born. So when you see yourself born into the world, and then later you will age. and become sick and die, and all types of sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair arise. This is the origin of the whole mass of suffering. So the converse is true. When one ceases, it causes the other to cease, just like dominoes. Okay. Venerable Sir, in what way can a monk be called skilled in what is possible and what is impossible? Dear Ananda, a monk understands it is impossible, it cannot happen that a person possessing right view could treat any volition as permanent. There is no such possibility. And he understands, it is possible that an ordinary person might treat some volition as permanent. There is such a possibility. He understands, it is impossible, it cannot happen that a person possessing right view could treat any volition as pleasurable. There is no such possibility. And he understands, it is possible that an ordinary person might treat some volition as pleasurable. There is such a possibility. He understands it is impossible. It cannot happen that a person possessing right view could treat anything as self. There is no such possibility. And he understands it is possible that an ordinary person might treat something as self. There is such a possibility. So here this word sankara, a lot of books translate it as formation or volitional formation or mental formation. But I prefer this word volition, volition or intention because in many cases we see that This word Sankara means volition, for example in the five aggregates and in the dependent origination. There is a saying, Sape Sankara Anicati, all volitions are impermanent. Why? I feel that the world is created by volition. Whenever we have volition, we cause something to happen. Will, our will, we cause something to happen. So things happen in the world, basically. The creator of the world, I think, is volition. That's my view. If volition is impermanent and volition causes things to appear, then since what appears in the world depends on volition which is impermanent, then whatever appears is even more impermanent. Just as the Buddha said, a tree causes a shadow to appear and the shadow is impermanent. The shadow depends on the tree, depends on sunlight and other conditions. So if the conditions for the shadow to appear, namely the sunlight, the tree and all that, is impermanent, then the shadow is even more impermanent. So that's why if volition is impermanent, then volition is a condition for other things to appear, then other things are even more impermanent. He understands it is impossible, it can't happen that a person possessing right view could deprive his mother of life. There is no such possibility. And he understands it is possible that an ordinary person might deprive his mother of life. There is such a possibility. He understands it is impossible, it cannot happen, that a person possessing right view could deprive his father of life, could deprive an Arahant of life. There is no such possibility. And he understands it is possible that an ordinary person might deprive his father of life. might deprive an Arahant of life. That is such a possibility. He understands it is impossible, it cannot happen that a person possessing right view could with a mind of hatred shed a Tathagata's blood. There is no such possibility. And he understands it is possible that an ordinary person might with a mind of hatred shed a Tathagata's blood. There is such a possibility. He understands it is impossible, it cannot happen, that a person possessing right view could cause a schism in the Sangha, could acknowledge another teacher. There is no such possibility. And he understands it is possible that an ordinary person might cause a schism in the Sangha, might acknowledge another teacher. There is such a possibility. Stop here for a moment. refers to six things. The first five are the heaviest karmic offences, evil karmic offences that somebody can do. These five are to kill your mother, to kill your father, to kill an Arahant, then to intentionally injure a Sammasambuddha, causing the blood to flow. And the fifth one is to cause the schism of the Sangha, a Sangha of monks that is in concord. You cause the Sangha to split into two Sanghas. So these five are the heaviest karmic offenses a person can do. And if anyone does one of these five deeds, the moment he dies, he will be sure to go to hell for a long time. the world cycle, at least. So the last one, the sixth one, might acknowledge another teacher. This one, Arya, if a person becomes an Arya, a noble person, he will acknowledge that his teacher is the Buddha. Buddha acknowledged the Triple Gem as his refuge, so he will not follow another teacher. But an ordinary person, putujana, can follow another teacher even after coming to Buddhism. He understands it is impossible, it cannot happen that two arahants, samasambuddhas, could arise contemporaneously in one world system. There is no such possibility. And he understands it is possible that one arahant, samasambuddha, might arise in one world system. There is such a possibility. He understands it is impossible, it cannot happen that two wheel-turning monarchs could arise contemporaneously in one world system. It is possible that one wheel-turning monarch might arise in one world system. There is such a possibility. In the Buddha's teachings, at any one time, there is only one Sammasambuddha. And the Buddha mentioned that he looked into the past 91 world cycles. He only saw six Sammasambuddhas. So it's very difficult to meet a Sammasambuddha. But Pacheka Buddhas, there are many, many. You come across them. In the next Sutta, the Buddha talks about many Pacheka Buddhas. So the same with this universal monarch, a wheel-turning monarch, is a king who is so Good, he rules by Dhamma. So he is so popular that the whole world, all the countries in the world want him to rule. So he rules the whole world, the whole earth. Such a person also is very hard to come across, such a virtuous king. He understands it is impossible, it cannot happen that a woman could be an arahant samasambuddha. There is no such possibility. And he understands it is possible that a man might be an arahant samasambuddha. There is such a possibility. He understands it is impossible, it cannot happen that a woman could be a wheel-turning that a woman could occupy the position of Sakka Devaraja, that a woman could occupy the position of Mara, that a woman could occupy the position of Brahma. There is no such possibility. Ani understands it is possible that a man might be a wheel-turning monarch, that a man might occupy the position of Sakka Devaraja, that a man might occupy the position of Mara, that a man might occupy the position of Brahma. There is such a possibility. I'll stop here for a moment. a woman cannot become these few things, Sammasambuddha. Sammasambuddha we know because Sammasambuddha, I mentioned before, usually his anagamin come back the last time. So there is no more Dhamma in the world. He has to struggle extremely hard. The Buddha said that when he struggled for enlightenment, he suffered so much that no ascetic suffered more than him. The Buddha said, at the most, any ascetic in the past, present or future can only equal the amount of suffering he went through to attain enlightenment. So a woman cannot stand that type of hardship. A man can. And for the other positions, a woman or so cannot become Mara, Sakadevaraja, etc. He understands it is impossible, it cannot happen, that an unwishful, undesired, disagreeable result could be produced from good bodily conduct, from good verbal conduct, from good mental conduct, There is no such possibility. And he understands it is possible that a wishful, desired, agreeable result might be produced from good bodily conduct, from good verbal conduct, from good mental conduct. There is such a possibility. He understands it is impossible It cannot happen that a person engaging in bodily misconduct, engaging in verbal misconduct, engaging in mental misconduct, could on that account, for that reason, on the dissolution of the body after death, reappear in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. There is no such possibility. And he understands it is possible that a person engaging in bodily misconduct, engaging in verbal misconduct, engaging in mental misconduct, might on that account, for that reason, on the dissolution of the body, after that, we appear in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination. In perdition, even in hell, there is such a possibility. It is, he understands, it is impossible, it can't happen that a person engaging in good bodily conduct, engaging in good verbal conduct, engaging in good mental conduct, could on that account, for that reason, on the dissolution of the body after death, reappear in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell. There is no such possibility. And he understands, it is possible that a person engaging in good bodily conduct, engaging in good verbal conduct, engaging in good mental conduct might on that account, for that reason, on the dissolution of the body after death, we appear in a happy destination even in the heavenly world. In this way Ananda, a monk can be called skilled in what is possible and what is impossible. So here concerning kamma, the Buddha says kamma is such that if you do good Karma, good conduct through the body, speech or mind, the result to be expected is that you will get a good rebirth, you will be happy because of that action. And if you do some evil, harming others through the body, speech or mind, then you can expect to suffer for it and not the reverse. But sometimes kamma is so complicated, the Buddha says, sometimes it can happen that a person has led a good life and he has done more good deeds than evil deeds. But at the moment of dying, sometimes evil kamma from the past might come into his memory just as he is about to die, then when he remembers that past evil kamma maybe done a few lifetimes ago, it is possible that that evil kamma can bring him to a woeful destination of rebirth. So he goes to a woeful destination of rebirth because of some past evil kamma, not because of the good deeds he has done. Kamma is such that you benefit others, you make others happy, you will reap happiness. But if you do evil, harm others, make others unhappy, you will suffer for it. When this was said, the Venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One, it is wonderful, Venerable Sir, it is marvellous. What is the name of this discourse on the Dhamma? And the Buddha said, you may remember this discourse on the Dhamma, Ananda, as the many kinds of elements or as the four cycles, and as the mirror of the Dhamma, and as the drum of the deathless, and as the supreme victory in battle. That is what the Blessed One said. The Venerable Ananda was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. That's the end of the Sutta. Okay, I think that's all I have to say on these two suttas. Anything to discuss? Do you have any researches in effect for people born in Arya and for people born in Mahayana? Oh no, definitely not, because we have read that Arya will never be reborn in the planes of rebirth. If the kamma was so serious, he could not have become an ariya. It's only as we read just now, let me see, it's quite interesting. The acquisition of individuality in the Sutta 114, the Buddha says, when a person generates an acquisition of individuality that is subject to affliction. Unwholesome states increase and wholesome states diminish in him, preventing him from putting an end to being. But when a person generates an acquisition of individuality that is free from affliction, unwholesome states diminish and wholesome states increase in him, enabling him to put an end to being. So if a person becomes an Arya, he is on his way to to end being, so he will not be reborn in a woeful plane. Okay, when I twist the crown, I want to block the hand, and sometimes I think it's harmful. Harmful what? Say again? It's harmful? The crown. Yeah. The way I touch it, You're the one sweeping the floor. You have to think. If you can avoid it, you avoid it. You may sweep some other time. Or if you find it's disturbing to you, one thing you can do is you can get a pipe, bring the pipe water and Jet at them, make them go away. It depends. For example, like in the sala, we sweep with this soft broom. So if you think you don't kill them, it's okay to sweep. Or sometimes like you wash the floor, there's a lot of ants, you wash with water, and they go into the drain. They won't die so easily. They go into the drain, then they climb up the drain. That's okay. If you know you don't kill them, then it's okay. Yeah, that is a mitigating factor, but also you must see whether it really kills them or not. So if you think the possibility is that you don't kill them, then it's okay to sweep. But if you think you might kill them, then you don't do it. You try to sweep some other place. It's not too important to sweep. In May of 2010, the country was declared free in 2004. In July of 2010, the United States was declared free. In August of 2010, the United States was declared free. In April of 2010, the United States was declared free. In June of 2010, the United States was declared free. In April of 2010, the United States was declared free. It's time to change the way we look at things. We can't just talk about it, we have to think about it. And I don't want to talk to you today, but I want to talk to you in the future. If we don't do this, then none of us is going to know anything about it in the years to come, nor will we be able to do that. And, uh, it was one of the last things I did was to check to see if there was any information on the planet that would help my mind and help me in my research. So, I did that too. Um, while I was out there, I did it, and... Yes. So, it seems to me that, uh, In the Vinaya, the Buddha has stated that His disciples, monks, are not allowed to have communion, that means associate with other monks or even Buddhist monks who practice a different Dharma Vinaya. So if their dhamma is different or their vinaya is different, we are not allowed to associate with them. For example, if they follow a different dhamma, instead of following the original Buddha's suttas, they follow Mahayana suttas. We are not allowed to associate with them because they have different views as far as the dhamma is concerned. practice a different Vinaya, for example, they don't keep the precepts, also not allowed to associate with them. So, for instance, the 11th to the 4th of the 3 months, every week, the monks are ready for 1 to 50 to the month of the 11th. So, in other words, for example, in the 8th year, we know that even though the monks are not ready, they are comfortable with it. You can be friendly, huh? to a certain extent. For example, we find in the suttas, sometimes the Buddha and his disciples, sometimes in the morning they want to go on alms round and they see that it's too early to go on alms round. Then they go to the wondrous park and they talk to these wondrous. Even though they have different dhamma vinaya, just maintain some friendliness. But don't want to spend too much time with them. Even animals, we want to be friendly to them, right? So with human beings also, we can just be friendly without looking down on them. The Buddha says that if we practice the Dhamma Vinaya correctly, we don't look down on anybody, even if they don't hold the precept or they don't follow the Dhamma. We just pity them. We know they are going to not a good destination of rebirth. Some people you just can't help. They won't listen to you. So you don't need to make effort if you know they are not going to listen to you. So we just maintain some friendliness. There's a whole industry, and it's, there is a demand for, for information about Trump dot, and you can go to the, the, the Trump dot interview, and you can go to Trump dot, and talk about, you know, Trump dot, all day. There is, after all, there is a, there is a, there is a, there is a, there is a, there is a, there is a, So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, um, right. So, There are some characteristics of some people which are quite difficult to change. This ill will or anger is one of them. And to overcome this, there are two ways. One is to learn the Dhamma more. When we learn the Dhamma more, then we learn to be humble, to be more humble, not to be so arrogant, not to be so domineering. You remember some of the suttas. We heard the Buddha says that there are certain unwholesome states that we should get rid of. Domineering character, and arrogance, being very strong in your views and all that. So learning the Dhamma is one way when we study more of the Buddha's words, we learn these things are not good for us. So if they are not good for us, why do we keep doing it? Because we're going to pay for it. And sometimes the result is much worse than you can imagine. I always like to quote this example. One of our devotees told me that he had an auntie, and this auntie has a very nasty temper, very prone to anger and hatred. So two days before she passed away, The two Dracula teeth came out very long, long Dracula teeth came out, fangs. And the children were surprised and they tried to cover the mouth, they could not cover it. And then two days later when she died, the two teeth disappeared. That shows that she was going to be reborn as a ghost with that long teeth. So when we, you know, our character is such, if you, as we say, ngau ching gu ke, your character is like an animal, you will be reborn in the animal realm. And if you are like this, this ghost type of character, selfish and bad character, angry and all this, you'll be born as a fierce ghost. So it's not worth it. You don't know how much you have to pay for it. This round of rebirth, our karma makes us suffer for a long time. The other way is sometimes people find it very hard to change because we don't have the strength of mind. A lot of weaknesses, for example, like being a drug addict, being an alcoholic, all these things, and also having a lot of anger. It's very hard to change because we don't have the strength of mind to change. So meditation is one way. When we meditate, we become calmer and calmer. And if you can attain to this, assess Concentration, Upacara Samadhi, which is very near to Jhana. As I mentioned, the Sutta says, brightness wells up from within you, and then you feel so peaceful. After that, even if you have reason to get angry, you don't want to get angry. Because you know, when you get angry, it upsets your system. A lot of people who have a lot of temper, they get headache, they get migraine, because their temper is too bad. So, it's not worth it. So, two ways. One is to be strong in the mind. The other one is to know the dhamma. When you know the dhamma, then you know the consequences. As some suttas say, if somebody offers you a drink, it's the most delicious drink in the world. Not only the flavor, even the The aroma is so good, but it is mixed with a bit of cyanide, arsenic, a bit of poison. You know if you drink it, you're either going to die or you're going to be half dead with the suffering. Do you want to drink it? It might be the most delicious drink in the world, but it's not worth it. Somebody tempts you or so, you don't want it, because you know it's not good for you. So the Buddha used this simile to see a lot of these things in the world are like that. Seems very delicious, seems very attractive. But actually, as they say, how do you say in Cantonese? Xin, Xin Fu, Xin, Xin Tin, Xin Tin, Hao Fu. A lot of things in the world are like that. Xin Tin, Hao Fu. So, just like the poisonous drink, it's so delicious, but after you take it, you have to pay for it. So, a lot of things in this world are like that. Ma Ra's bed, the Buddha always says Ma Ra's bed tempt us. So you're foolish, you're covered with delusion. There's some sutta I think we read, somebody who's very thirsty and he's blur-blur. Somebody offers him this most delicious drink in the world, like cappuccino coffee. It smells also so good. Blur-blur, you quickly drink it. But if you're not blur-blur, you think carefully. Buddha says whenever we want to do anything, before we do, we reflect. Reflect well. Then when we are doing it also, we must reflect what we are doing. Is it correct or not? And after doing also, we must reflect again. That's how to purify our three kammas. The Buddha always says, before doing, think carefully while doing and after doing. So it's only somebody who doesn't know the Dhamma and also because his mind is very blurred, that he doesn't think carefully like this. And this you see quite often in the newspaper. Somebody at a moment of weakness, he rapes the daughter or rapes the granddaughter. Then later he regrets. Too late already. So a lot of other things. Sometimes you find the paper, father and son quarrel. Suddenly the son takes the parang and hack the father to death. After that he regrets. So when we are not in control of our mind, we are blur blur, at that moment we are insane. At that moment we are overcome by our emotions. Temporarily we are insane. We do things, later we regret. That's why it's so important to learn the Dhamma and to meditate, clear our mind so that we don't be blur blur. That's a problem with a lot of people. They don't take the Dharma seriously enough. They don't see the value of the Dhamma, that it is going to benefit you for many, many lifetimes. So a lot of people don't take it seriously enough. So we learn a bit of Dhamma, but after that we don't want to devote too much time. But it's worth the trouble to devote as much time as you can to learn the Buddha's words, to listen to the CDs on the Nikayas. and then after that to spend your time to meditate. Because if you think about it, life is very short. How much time do we have? We don't have much time, especially if we are old, we even have less time. So, whatever time we have now, if you don't use it wisely, at the end of life, you see a lot of people, they regret. I didn't live my life properly. A few years ago, one of my monk friends, he died of cancer. When he had cancer, he didn't believe also. He didn't believe the doctor told him he had cancer. He refused to believe. And when I went to see him the last time, he told me that he realized he didn't lead a very good monk's life. Of things probably he thought he should have done, he didn't do. You see, even if you wear the robe already, you can still waste your time. So, you have to be very careful. A lot of people are like that. At the end of life, they regret this, they regret that. That's why I always tell people, in life, many things, the chance only comes once. We walk through life only once. If you don't use it properly, at the end you regret. And you regret not just that moment, you regret for many lifetimes. You have to pay for it, you have to suffer. So the Dhamma teaches us to be skillful in life. That's the purpose of the Dhamma, to lead a skillful life, not to lead a careless life. A lot of people lead a careless life. Then they have to pay for it with tears. Okay.

15-MN-116-Isigili-(2010-09-05).txt

Today is the 5th of September, 2010 and this is the 47th time we are speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Today we come to Sutta 116, 116, Isi Gili Sutta, The Gullet of the Seers. I think in Sanskrit it would be rishi, seers or ascetics. And the gullet, basically it's the throat or that part between the throat and the stomach. That's called the esophagus. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the blessed one was living at Rajagaha at Isigili, the gullet of the seers. There he addressed the monks thus. Member Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said, You see monks, do you not that mountain Weybara? Yes, Member Sir. There used to be another name, another designation for that mountain Weybara. You see monks, do you not that mountain Pandava? Yes, Member Sir. There used to be another name, another designation for that mountain Pandava. You see, monks, do you know that mountain Vepula? Yes, Venerable Sir. There used to be another name, another designation for that mountain Vepula. You see, monks, do you know that mountain Gijakutta, Valchepi? Yes, Venerable Sir. There used to be another name, another designation for that mountain Gijakutta, Valchepi. You see, monks, do you not see that mountain, Isigili, in the gullet of the sea is? Yes, Venerable Sir. There used to be this same name, this same designation for this mountain, Isigili, the Gullet of the Seers. In former times, 500 Pacheka Buddhas dwelt long on this mountain, the Gullet of the Seers. They were seen entering into this hill. Once gone in, they were no longer seen. People who saw this said, this mountain swallows up these seers. And so it was that this came to be named the Gullet of the Seers. I'll stop here for a moment. So you can see from this sutta that Rajagaha is surrounded by a few mountains. And out of these mountains, there is one, this Isigili, where the Buddha said the name has remained the same. And because at one time, 500 Pacceka Buddhas used to live on this mountain, and they would come down for their alms round. and after their arms drowned, they go up the hill to meditate. And they are not seen again. They probably go into caves, go into ravines and secluded places, and people cannot see them. So you see here, at any one time, like on this hill, you can find even 500 Pacheka Buddhas But to find a Sammasambuddha is extremely hard, because most of the Buddhas, after they become enlightened, they don't want to teach. That's the difference between a Pacheka Buddha and a Sammasambuddha. And the Buddha said, one night, he said, looking into the past, probably the whole night he didn't sleep, and he said he looked into the past for 91 world cycles. The Buddha says one world cycle is so long, it's hard to imagine how long it is. So 91 world cycles is such a long time. He must have spent the whole night looking into the past. And the Buddha said he only saw six Sammasambuddhas. Only six Buddhas are willing to teach the Dhamma in 91 world cycles. But in 91 world cycles, you can expect many thousands of Buddhas. In other words, 99.99% of Buddhas are Pacheka Buddhas. It's very, very rare to find a Sammasambuddha. I shall tell you monks the names of the Pacheka Buddhas. I shall relate to you the names of the Pacheka Buddhas. I shall teach you the names of the Pacheka Buddhas. Just in passing, I'd just like to remark that in the Mahayana tradition, in the later books, They say they are all practicing the bodhisattva path that ends up in buddhahood. They say they want to become buddhas and teach living beings. So you can see from here, by the time they actually become a buddha, they refuse to teach. They become pacceka buddhas. Pacceka buddhas can also be said to be solitary buddhas. So the Buddha said, listen, attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, my humble sir, the monks replied. The blessed one said, monks, the Pacheka Buddha Arita dwelt long on this mountain, Isigili. The Pacheka Buddha Uparita dwelt long on this mountain, Isigili. The Pacheka Buddha Tagarasikin Yasasin Sudassana Piyadasin Gandharapindola. Upasaba, Nitta, Tata, Sutava, Bhavitata dwell long on this mountain, Isigili. These saintly beings, desireless, rid of suffering, who each achieve awakening by himself. Hear me relate the names of these, the greatest of men, who have plucked out the dart of pain. I stop here for a moment so you see. the second line, decently being desireless, rid of suffering, who each achieve awakening by himself. That's the difference between a Buddha and an Arahant disciple. A Buddha is most likely a past life Sakadagamin, a person who has attained the second fruition in a previous life, so that when he comes back, The last time he has to become enlightened, so he will struggle very hard by himself until he becomes enlightened. So Buddhas are enlightened by themselves in their last life. Hear me relate the names of these, the greatest of men who have plucked out the dart of pain. Arita, Uparita, Tagarasikin, Yasasin, Sudasana, and Piyadasin, the Enlightened. Gandara, Pindola, Upasaba as well, Nita, Tata, Sutava, Bhavitata, Sumbha, Subha, Methula, and Atama. Then Assumegha, Anigga, Sudatta, and Hingu and Hinga, the greatly powerful. Pacheka Buddhas, no more led to being. Two sages named Jali and Ataka. Then Kosala, the enlightened. Then Subahu, Upanemi and Nemi, and Santacitta, right and true, immaculate and wise. Kala, Upakala, Vijita and Jita, Anga and Panga, Kutijita too, Pasin conquered attachment, the root of suffering. Aparajita conquered Mara's power. Satapavata, Salabanga, Lomahansa, Uchangamaya, Asita, Anasawa, Manomaya, and Banduman, the free from pride. Tadadimuta, stainless and resplendent. Ketumbaraga, Matanga and Arya, Ten Achuta, Achutagama, Byamaka, Sumangala, Dabila, Supatitita, Aseha, Kema, Virata and Surata, Duran, Maya, Sangha and then Ujjaya. Another sage, Seha of noble endeavour and twelve between Anandas, Nandas and Upanandas and Bharadvaja bearing his last body, then Bodhi, Mahanama the Supreme, Bharadvaja the fair-crested man, Tisa and Upatisa not bound to being, Upa Siddharin and Siddharin, free from craving. Enlightened was Mangala, free from lust. Usaba cut the net, the root of suffering. Upanitta attained the state of peace, purified, excellent, truly named. Jeta, Jayanta, Paduma and Upala. Padumuttara, Rakita and Pabhata. Manat, Tadha, glorious, Vitaraga and Kanha enlightened with mind released. These and also other great and mighty Pachikka Buddhas no more led to being. Honor these sages who, transcending craving, have attained final Nibbana, past all measure. That's the end of the sutta. This last one mentioned is Kanha. Kanha means black. It's probably termed as Kanha means black. In the Vinaya books there is a mention about a rishi called Kanha. So the other day we read about the black sea and I mentioned Kanha. Actually later I found his name is actually Asita. Asita also means black and this Kanha also means black. So this sutta is interesting because it shows that at one time you can find so many Pacheka Buddhas, even 500 on one mountain. But to find a Pacheka Buddha, it takes so many world cycles before you can meet a Sammasambuddha who is willing to teach the Dhamma. From here you find these Mahayanis making the vow to become a Buddha to teach beings. It's useless. In the end when they become enlightened, they just don't want to teach.

16-MN-117-Mahacattarisaka-(2010-09-05).txt

Okay, now we come to Sutta 117, Mahācātrapiśākā Sutta, the Grade 40. This is a very important sutta. When I say important sutta, I mean it has a lot of good dhamma in it. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. There He addressed the monks thus, Monks, Meble Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said this, Monks, I shall teach you Noble Rite Concentration or Aryan Rite Concentration, with its supports and its requisites. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Meble Sir, the monks replied. The Blessed One said, what mounts is noble right concentration with its supports and its requisites. That is, right view, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, and right mindfulness or recollection. Unification of mind equipped with these seven factors is called noble right concentration with its supports and its requisites. I'll stop here for a moment now. We know from the Noble Eightfold Path, the last factor is Right Concentration. And Right Concentration is defined as the four jhanas, the four rupa jhanas. So these four rupa jhanas are found in Buddhism and also found in external ascetics who practice meditation. But the Buddha says, Aryan Right Concentration must be supported by the other seven factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. So the Eighth Factor, Right Concentration, supported by seven factors, the other seven factors of the Noble Eightfold Path, will bring you to liberation. That's why Noble or Aryan Right Concentration is the Four Jhanas supported by all the other factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. Unification of mind here, sometimes it's called one-pointedness of mind. You can see it's the four jhanas. Jhana number one, number two, number three, number four. There is one sutta in the Sahyutthanikaya, I think, where the Buddha talked about one-pointedness of mind, just like here. And then he defines the one-pointedness of mind as the four jhanas. So Noble Right Concentration or Aryan Right Concentration is the four jhanas that are supported by the other factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. Therein, monks, right view comes first. And how does right view come first? One understands wrong view as wrong view and right view as right view. This is one's right view. And what, monks, is wrong view? There is nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed, no fruit or result of good and bad actions, no this world, no other world, no mother, no father, no beings who are reborn spontaneously, no good and virtuous recluses and Brahmins in the world who have realized for themselves by direct knowledge and declare this world and the other world. This is wrong view. And what mounts is right view. Right view, I say, is twofold. There is right view that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening on the site of attachment. And there is right view that is noble, taintless, supramundane, effector of the path. And what monks is right view that is affected by the teens, partaking of merit, ripening on the side of attachment. There is what is given and what is offered and what is sacrificed. There is fruit and result of good and bad actions. There is this world and the other world. There is mother and father. There are beings who are reborn spontaneously. There are in the world good and virtuous recluses and Brahmins who have realized for themselves by direct knowledge and declare this world and the other world. This is right view affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening on the side of attachment. At what mounts is right view that is noble, aryan, taintless, supramundane, effector of the path. the wisdom, the faculty of wisdom, the power of wisdom, the investigation of Dhamma, enlightenment factor, the power factor of right view in one whose mind is noble, whose mind is taintless, who possesses the noble path and is developing the noble path. This is right view that is noble, taintless, supramundane, a factor of the path. One makes an effort to abandon wrong view and to enter upon right view. This is one's right effort. Mindfully, one abandons wrong view. Mindfully, one enters upon and abides in right view. This is one's right mindfulness. Does these three states run and circle around right view? That is right view, right effort, and right mindfulness. I'll stop here for a moment. So you see, wrong view. refers to basically three things. Not believing in kamavipaka, believing that there is a result of good and bad actions, and not believing that there is other planes of rebirth, no other world. And thirdly, not believing that there are holy men who have attained enlightenment, understood this world. So this is wrong view. And right view, there are two types of right view. One is worldly right view, and one is Aryan right view. Worldly right view basically is the opposite of wrong view. Worldly right view. Lokia Samaditi. Samaditi is right view. Lokia is worldly. So worldly right view is basically understanding that there is a result of good and bad deeds or actions, that there are other worlds of rebirth, and that there are holy men who have understood this world. And then Aryan right view is a factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, is the wisdom the investigation of Dhamma, enlightenment factor. You see, before you can investigate the Dhamma, you must have heard the Dhamma, you must know the Dhamma. Know the Dhamma, then only you can investigate. So one who has right view knows the Dhamma, who possesses the Noble Path, one who has right view has entered on the Noble Path, the first factor of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Majjhima Nikaya Sutta number 43, it is mentioned that the purpose of wisdom is three things that I mentioned before. One is seeing clearly things as they really are. Number two is understanding as a result of that. And the third, as a result, understanding, letting go of our attachments. When you understand that your craving, your attachments give you suffering, then you start to let go. So a person who has wisdom, who has attained right view, he begins to let go of his craving, he changes his character, investigates the Dhamma, and he's entered the Noble Eightfold Path. So, here it says, mindfully one abandons wrong view, mindfully one enters upon and abides in right view. One makes an effort to abandon wrong view. Therein, monks, right view comes first. And how does right view come first? One understands wrong thoughts as wrong thoughts and right thoughts as right thoughts. This is one's right view. And what, monks, is wrong thoughts? The thought of sensual desire, the thought of ill-will, and the thought of cruelty, this is wrong thought. And what mounts is right thoughts. Right thought, I say, is twofold. There is right thought that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening on the side of attachment. And there is right thought that is noble, taintless, supramundane, affector of the path. And what mounts is right thought that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening on the site of attachment. The thought of renunciation, the thought of non-ill-will, and the thought of non-cruelty, this is right thought that is affected by taints, ripening on the site of attachment. And what monks is right thought that is noble, taintless, supramundane, effector of the path. The thinking, the thought, the intention, the mental absorption, the mental fixity, directing of mind, verbal volition in one whose mind is noble, whose mind is taintless, who possesses the noble path and is developing the noble path. This is right thought that is noble. One makes an effort to abandon wrong thought and to enter upon right thought. This is one's right effort. Mindfully, one abandons wrong thought. Mindfully, one enters upon and abides in right thought. This is one's right mindfulness. Thus, these three states run and circle around right thought, that is, right view, right effort, and right mindfulness. So, Right thought is the thought of renunciation, letting go of sensual desire, and the thought of non-ill will, letting go of ill will, and the thought of non-cruelty. So this is right thought. But you have worldly right thought, which means the right thought of an ordinary person, a puttujana, a worldly, and you have noble right thought, that is the right thought of an Aryan. You see here in the description, the thinking, thought, intention, mental absorption, mental fixity, directing of mind, verbal volition in one whose mind is noble. This verbal volition refers to... Volition is the, you can say, intention. So when you have verbal volition, you have the intention to speak. So this refers to vittaka and vichara, thought directed and sustained. Before you can break out into speech, you must have thought directed and sustained. You direct your thought to what you want to say and then you sustain your thought. Then only you can break out into speech. So this verbal volition refers to vittaka and vichara, thought directed and sustained. Telling monks, right view comes first. And how does right view come first? One understands wrong speech as wrong speech, and right speech as right speech. This is one's right view. And what monks is wrong speech? False speech, malicious speech, harsh speech and gossip. This is wrong speech. Stop it for a moment. This wrong speech, we already saw the description of it in the previous Sutta, number 114. The details are given there. And what mounts is right speech. Right speech, I say, is twofold. There is right speech that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening on the side of attachment. And there is right speech that is noble, taintless, supramundane, effector of the path. And what mounts is right speech that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening on the side of attachment, abstinence from false speech, abstinence from malicious speech, abstinence from harsh speech, abstinence from gossip. This is right speech that is affected by the taints, ripening on the side of attachment. And what monks is right speech that is noble, taintless, supramundane, effector of the path, the desisting from the four kinds of verbal misconduct, the abstaining, refraining, abstinence from them in one whose mind is noble, whose mind is Arjuna, whose mind is taintless, who possesses the noble path and is developing the noble path. This is right speech that is noble. factor of the path. One makes an effort to abandon wrong speech and to enter upon right speech. This is one's right effort. Mindfully, one abandons wrong speech. Mindfully, one enters upon and abides in right speech. This is one's right mindfulness. Thus, these three states run and circle around right speech, that is, right view, right effort and right mindfulness. So, before you can have right speech, you must have right view first. Only when you have right view, then it's followed by right thoughts and right speech. So here, as before, the right speech, there are two types. One is worldly right speech, that means right speech of ordinary worldling, butujana, and Aryan right speech, which is right speech of an Aryan, a noble disciple. Therein mounts right view comes first. And how does right view come first? One understands wrong action as wrong action, and right action as right action. This is one's right view. And what mounts is wrong action. Killing living beings, taking what is not given, and misconduct in sensual pleasures, this is wrong action. I'll stop here for a moment. These three types of wrong action are also described in detail in the previous Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya 114. And what mounts is right action. Right action, I say, is twofold. There is right action that is affected by pains, partaking of merit, ripening on the side of attachment. And there is right effort, sorry, there is right action that is noble, taintless, supramundane, effector of the path. And what mounts is right action that is affected by pains, partaking of merit, frightening on the side of attachment, abstinence from killing living beings, abstinence from taking what is not given, abstinence from misconduct with sensual pleasures. This is right action that is affected by things. and reckoning on the side of attachment. And what mounts is right action that is noble, taintless, supramundane, effector of the path, the desisting from the three kinds of bodily misconduct, the abstaining, refraining, abstinence from them in one whose mind is noble, whose mind is taintless, who possesses the noble path and is developing the noble path. This is right action that is noble, effector of the path. One makes an effort to abandon wrong action and to enter upon right action. This is one's right effort. Mindfully, one abandons wrong action. Mindfully, one enters upon right action. This is one's right mindfulness. Thus, these three states run and circle around right action, that is, right view, right effort, and right mindfulness. Similarly, right action, there are two types. One is the right action of an ordinary worldling, and the other is the right action of an Aryan. Therein, monks, right view comes first. And how does right view come first? One understands wrong livelihood as wrong livelihood, and right livelihood as right livelihood. This is one's right view. And what, monks, is wrong livelihood? Scheming, talking, hinting, belittling, pursuing gain with gain. This is wrong livelihood. I'll stop here for a moment. This description is more for monks, referring to monks. Scheming. Scheming refers to like a monk scheming to get more offerings, to get more worldly gains and to get more fame, to become more famous and all that. And talking is like talking about your achievements, talking about your the achievements of your companions in the holy life. Even talking about the achievements of your brother monks also is not allowed in the Vinaya or your teacher and all that. Because indirectly, when you say that your companions and all that are Aryans and all that, you also imply that you are in the same category. Hinting of your attainments and belittling other monks, putting down other monks. Pursuing gain with gain is like giving things to lay people, hoping that they'll give you more in return. So this is just the gist of it, but there is a longer list in the, for example, the Digha Nikaya. The Digha Nikaya, as mentioned, wrong livelihood for a monk would be like fortune-telling, Jomancy, acting like a shaman, acting like a doctor for lay people and all these things. There is a long list in the Digha Nikaya, if you are interested you can refer to it. For lay people, basically wrong livelihood means not to get your livelihood. in the wrong way. So for lay people, it's like earning a livelihood and in the process you harm others. When you harm others, you also harm yourself. So in the Buddha's teachings, there are five traits, five business that lay people should not engage in, should not trade in. The first one is not to trade in humans, slavery, which is still being done illegally. And another one is not to trade in buy and sell weapons, guns and all that, that kill. Not to trade in poisons, for example insecticide, herbicides that kill And then another one, not to trade in intoxicants, drugs and liquor and all that. And then the fifth is not to rear animals for slaughter. For example, rearing chickens or pigs and all that, you sell to the market for slaughter. So these are the five types of trade a lay person is not allowed to, not allowed by the Dhamma Vinaya in the Buddha's teachings. And what mounts is right livelihood. Right livelihood, I say, is twofold. There is right livelihood that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening on the side of attachment. And there is right livelihood that is noble, taintless, supramundane, effector of the path. And what mounts is right livelihood that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening on the side of attachment. Here mounts A noble disciple abandons wrong livelihood and gains his living by right livelihood. This is right livelihood that is affected by taints happening on the site of attachment. And what mounts this right livelihood that is noble, taintless, supramundane, a factor of the path? The desisting from wrong livelihood, the abstaining, defraining, abstinence from it, in one whose mind is noble, whose mind is taintless, who possesses the noble path and is developing the noble path. This is right livelihood that is noble, a factor of the path. One makes an effort to abandon wrong livelihood and to enter upon right livelihood. This is one's right effort. Mindfully one abandons wrong livelihood. Mindfully one enters upon right livelihood. This is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three states run and circle around right livelihood, that is, right view, right effort and right mindfulness. Therein, monks, right view comes first. And how does right view come first? In one of right view, right thoughts comes into being. In one of right thoughts, right speech comes into being. In one of right speech, right action comes into being. In one of right action, right livelihood comes into being. In one of right livelihood, right effort comes into being. In one of right effort, right mindfulness or right recollection comes into being. In one of right mindfulness or right recollection. Right concentration comes into being. In one of right concentration, right knowledge comes into being. In one of right knowledge, right liberation comes into being. Thus monks, the path of the disciple in higher training possesses eight factors. The arahant possesses ten factors. I'll stop here for a moment. So here you see, in the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path, this is a very important paragraph. The Buddha says, to practice the Noble Eightfold Path, you must start with Right View. You see the preceding paragraphs, the Buddha said several times, Right View comes first. If you don't attain Right View, you have not entered upon the Noble Eightfold Path. So however long you practice, it's no point. You're wasting your time. You're practicing the wrong way. You don't have your priorities right. So it's very important. Anybody who wants to go into the Noble Eightfold Path, you must get Right View first. Only when you get Right View, you have entered the stream. If you have not entered the stream, you have not learned enough Dhamma. You meditate until doomsday, also no use. So that's why I say this Uttara is very important. Only when you get right view, then only you can get right thoughts. And then you can get right speech. Because right speech depends on right thoughts. Before you can speak, you must think first. And then from there you get right action. Because if you have right view, then only you know how to to act in the right way. So right view brings along also right action. And because of right speech and right action you have right livelihood. To understand the Dhamma you have right view. Then only you know how to earn your livelihood in the right way. Then after that you have right effort. My effort basically is to get rid of unwholesome states and to develop wholesome states of mind. And then right effort will bring you to right mindfulness. Here this right mindfulness is not general mindfulness. You have to be very careful. This word mindfulness is a translation of sati. Sati, the better translation is recollection. Why recollection? Because you are supposed to recollect four things. In other words, it is not general mindfulness, but a very specific mindfulness. Only mindful of four things. Your body, your feelings, your mind, and the Buddha's Dhamma, the Buddha's teachings. So only mindful of four things. A lot of people, when they see this word, mindfulness, they think it's general mindfulness. Oh, I walk, I must be careful. My leg goes up. stretch my leg, go down. This is not sati. Sati is only mindful of these four things. The general mindfulness is sampajjhānya, a different word. Sampajjhānya is important, but not as important as sati. Sampajjhānya is not a factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, but sati is a factor of the Noble Eightfold Path. Out of these four objects of sati, the most important is the last one. the Buddha's Dhamma. Without a good understanding of the Dhamma, you can never attain the various stages of Ariya-hood. So this is right mindfulness versus specific mindfulness. Then if you practice Right, mindfulness is samma sati. But to attain samma samadhi, you have to not instead of just practicing samma sati, you have to practice satipatthana. Satipatthana is an intense state of recollection. You recollect one object without your attention diverted elsewhere. Just mindful of one object all the time, then it turns into samma samadhi, right? concentration, unification of mind, one-pointedness of mind. So these are the eight factors of an Aryan in higher training, what is known as a Sekha. Sekha is a disciple who still has work to do, an Aryan disciple who still has work to do. Sekha refers to the Arahant. So the Sekha refers to the first path, first fruit, second path, second fruit, third path, third fruit, and fourth path. The aseka, the one who has no more to learn, no more to train, is the arahant, the fourth path, the fourth fruit attainer. And the fourth fruit attainer, the liberated person, possesses two more factors. Here it says right knowledge and right liberation. Right knowledge and right liberation. So the Arahant possesses 10 factors whereas the Aryan disciple in training possesses 8 factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. So this paragraph is extremely important. The 8 factors of the Noble Eightfold Path have to be acquired in this order starting with right view. Therein, monks, right view comes first. And how does right view come first? In one of right view, wrong view is abolished, and the many evil unwholesome states that originate with wrong view as condition are also abolished. And the many wholesome states that originate with right view as condition come to fulfilment by development. In one of right thoughts, right thought is In the run of right thoughts, wrong thought is abolished, and the many evil unwholesome states that originate with wrong thought as condition are also abolished. And the many wholesome states that originate with right thought as condition come to fulfilment by development. In one of right speech, wrong speech is abolished. Similarly, in one of right action, wrong action is abolished. In one of right livelihood, wrong livelihood is abolished. In one of right effort, wrong effort is abolished. In one of right mindfulness, wrong mindfulness is abolished. In one of right concentration, wrong concentration is abolished. In one of right knowledge, wrong knowledge is abolished. In one of right liberation, wrong liberation is abolished. And the many evil and wholesome states that originate with wrong liberation as condition are also abolished and the many wholesome states that originate with right liberation as condition come to fulfilment by development. Thus monks, there are 20 factors on the side of the wholesome and 20 factors on the side of the unwholesome. This Dhamma discourse on the grade 40 has been set rolling and cannot be stopped by any recluse or Brahmin or God or Mara or Brahma or anyone in the world. Let's stop here for a moment. So the wholesome, in one of right, for example, right speech, wrong speech is abolished. In one of right action, 20 factors on the side. So how do you get 20 factors? Yeah, 10. Oh. Yeah. 20 factors on the side of the wholesome. Wholesome is the right one. And 20 factors on the side of the unwholesome. One is Nokia, one is Loku Tara. Wholesome, you have the wholesome worldly, wholesome and the Aryan wholesome factor. And similarly with the unwholesome. But the unwholesome, how can you have 20? No, it's just the opposite of the wholesome. But when you talk about Arya, the Arya has no unwholesome? Let me see, 113. The twenty factors on the wholesome side are the ten right factors and the wholesome states that originate from each. The twenty factors on the unwholesome side are the ten wrong factors and the unwholesome states that originate from each. Hence the name, the Great Forty. That's on note 1113. Okay, monks, if any recluse of Brahmin thinks that this Dharma discourse on the grade 40 should be censured and rejected, then there are ten legitimate deductions from his assertions that would provide grounds for censuring him here and now. If that worthy one censures right view, then he would honour and praise those recluses and Brahmins who are of wrong view. If that worthy one senses right thoughts, then he would honour and praise those recluses and Brahmins who are of wrong thoughts. If that worthy one senses right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration, right knowledge, right deliverance, then he would honour and praise those recluses and Brahmins who are of wronged liberation. If any recluse of Brahmin thinks that this Dhamma discourse on the Grade 40 should be censured and rejected, then these are ten legitimate deductions from his assertions that would provide grounds for censuring him here and now. Monks, even those teachers from Pokhara, Vassa and Baniya, who held the doctrine of non-causality, the doctrine of non-doing, and the doctrine of nihilism would not think that this Dharma discourse on the grade 40 should be censured and rejected. Why is that? For fear of blame, attack and confutation. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words." That's the end of the Sutta. So this Sutta is very important in the sense that it tells us how to practice the Noble Eightfold Path. better after another, in the right order. Okay. The next sutra is quite a tough one, and also quite long, so maybe we delay it for the next night, tomorrow. Anything to discuss here? But one of the things I just want to detail is something that Paul and I both believe in, and we're all in this now, and I would encourage you to look at it with patience. It seems that we need to develop each part. It's not just a building block development. Can you, which paragraph is that? Oh, it's all of them. I think it's page 9, page 9, and number 35. But he's saying he's got a large file. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a lot of these which have become simplified and developed. Yeah, yeah. Yes. Right, right. That's why we have to be very patient. Don't be impatient for results. You have to develop it long enough. Finally, we spoke to our co-workers, while I was listening to their comments, I said, we felt prepared, and we all felt the same way. We felt that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, and that we were going to get along, or the power that is surrounding me. So, what I am going to do is I am going to have a lot of, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, Yes. We are only able to make some small changes. But anyway, we can say to you that there are rules, that there are laws, that we are not able to arm the people, to arm the people, and to think that we can go no further than we can. But we don't care about those things. Those countries don't have that kind of authority. Say that again, please. But in the Vinaya, if a layperson gives a pavarana, an invitation to any monk, then he is allowed to ask, but not if he does not give an invitation. But there's not much of it. No, there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little of it. There's very little of it, but there's very little It depends whether what they say is offensive to that person. There are some people, they want to know, so if they are told, they appreciate it, but not If they don't appreciate it, then they should not say such things. So we have to look at that person. There are some people they want to know, then you can tell them. But if they don't give any indication that they want to know, then it's not proper to speak. Some of them have been praised by some of the greatest powerful, some have sworn to come to me, to not only sit right in my feet, but to give it in their arms. Another one, they would say about a father, he said, who came to our house. No, but even among Buddhas and Arahants, there are some outstanding in certain qualities. So that's why the Buddha mentioned, for example, of the six Sammasambuddhas that our Sakyamuni Buddha saw in the past. He talked about one Kakusanda who was disturbed by Mara. And this Mara, when the Buddha Kakusanda went on an alms round with his disciple, this Mara possessed somebody and came with a big rock and hit the disciple on the head until it was bloody all over. So the Buddha could not stand it. Turned around and stared at Mara, and Mara died there and there. So he's, how do you say, he's well-known because of that incident. So that Buddha, Kakusanda, is famous for that incident. So when they mention Kakusanda, the Buddha mentions that he's in relation to Mara. Yes. Yes, yes. They have this similarity. That's why in my Dharma talks, I always like to stress on right view. Because I've seen some people after practicing meditation seriously, some lay woman, 20 over years, and she changed her religion, gave up Buddhism. And then even some monks, wearing the robe 40 years as a monk, and teaching meditation. And some of his disciples thought that he had already attained Arahanthood. After 40 years of wearing the robe, he disrobed out of some weakness. And after disrobing, he regretted. So right view is so important. OK, shall we stop here?

17-MN-118-Anapanasati-Part-A-(2010-09-06).txt

Okay, today is the 6th of September, 2010, and this is the 48th time we are speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. And tonight, I think we are going to go through two very important suttas. First one is Sutta number 118, Anapanasati Sutta, Mindfulness of Breathing. Thus have I heard, on one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savatthi, in the eastern part, in the palace of Migara's mother, together with many very well-known elder disciples, the Venerable Sariputta, the Venerable Mahamoggalana, the Venerable Mahakassapa, the Venerable Mahakacana, the Venerable Mahakottita, the Venerable Mahakappina, the Venerable Mahajunda, the Venerable Anuruddha, the Venerable Revata, the Venerable Ananda, and other very well-known elder disciples. On that occasion, elder monks had been teaching and instructing new monks. Some elder monks had been teaching and instructing 10 new monks. Some elder monks had been teaching and instructing 20, 30, 40 new monks. And the new monks, taught and instructed by the elder monks, had achieved successive stages of high distinction. On that occasion, the Uposatha Day of the 15th On the full moon night of the Pavarana ceremony, the Blessed One was seated in the open, surrounded by the Sangha of monks. Then surveying the silent Sangha of monks, He addressed them thus, Monks, I am content with this progress, and mine is content with this progress. So arouse still more energy to attain the unattained, to achieve the unachieved, to realize the unrealized. I shall wait here at Savatthi for the Komudi full moon of the fourth month. Stop here for a moment. This Bhavarana ceremony is the full moon day at the end of the three months rains retreat. In India, the rain season is four months. The first three months, the monks have to stay in one place, one fixed place for the three months retreat. So at the end of it, they do a Bhavarana ceremony, an invitation ceremony for other monks to criticize them. Each monk will invite other monks to criticize them. in case they have done anything wrong. So, after this Pavarana ceremony, which signifies the end of the rains retreat, the monks normally can go anywhere they want. But then, here the Buddha says, because he's very happy with the monks' progress, he wants to stay for another month, until the Kamudi full moon of the fourth month. The fourth month of the rain season is called the Katika month. And so this Kamudi full moon, the name of that full moon day, this Kamudi full moon day is the last day of the rain season. In Thailand they celebrate this, they call it Loy Krathong. They lay people, they put out small paper boats into the river, into the lakes and all that, and the sea, and make a wish. The monks of the countryside heard, the Blessed One will wait there at Savatthi for the Kamudi full moon of the fourth month. And the monks of the countryside left in due course for Savatthi to see the Blessed One. I'll stop here for a moment. Why they left to see the Blessed One because for them, they have finished the rains retreat, they can travel anywhere. But since they heard that the Buddha will be still staying on for one more month, that is a chance to go and see the Buddha. Because if the Buddha starts going off, it's difficult to meet the Buddha. So they quickly came to see the Buddha. And elder monks, still more intensively taught and instructed new monks. Some elder monks taught and instructed 10 new monks, some elder monks taught and instructed 20, 30, 40 new monks, and the new monks taught and instructed by the elder monks achieved successive stages of high distinction. On that occasion, the Uposatha day of the 15th, the full moon night of the Kamudi, full moon of the fourth month, the Blessed One was seated in the open, surrounded by the Sangha of monks. Then surveying the silent Sangha of monks, He addressed them thus, monks, this assembly is free from rattle, this assembly is free from chatter. It consists purely of hardwood, such is this Sangha of monks, such is this assembly, such an assembly as is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, an incomparable field of merit for the world, such is this Sangha of monks, such is this assembly, such an assembly that a small gift given to it becomes great, and a great gift greater. Such is this Sangha of monks. Such is this assembly. Such an assembly as is rare for the world to see. Such is this Sangha of monks. Such is this assembly. Such an assembly as would be worth journeying many leagues with a travel bag to see. Such is this Sangha of monks. Such is this assembly. In this Sangha of monks, there are monks who are arahants, who attained, destroyed, who have lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached the true goal, destroyed the fetters of being, and are completely liberated through final knowledge. Such monks are there in this Sangha of monks. In this Sangha of monks, there are monks too. There are monks who, with the destruction of the five lower fetters, are due to reappear spontaneously in the pure boats and there attain final Nibbana without ever returning from that world. Such monks are there in this Sangha of monks. In this Sangha of monks, there are monks who, with the destruction of three fetters and with the attenuation of lust, hate and delusion, are once-returners, returning once to this world to make an end of suffering. Such monks are there in this Sangha of monks. In this Sangha of monks, there are monks who, with the destruction of the three factors, are stream-enterers, no longer subject to perdition, bound for liberation, aided for enlightenment. Such monks are there in this Sangha of monks. In this Sangha of monks, there are monks who abide devoted to the development of the four intense states of recollection or mindfulness. Such monks are there in this Sangha of monks. In this Sangha of monks, there are monks who abide devoted to the development of the four right kinds of striving. of the Four Bases for Psychic Power, of the Five Faculties, of the Five Powers, of the Seven Enlightenment Factors, of the Noble Eightfold Path. Such monks are there in this Sangha of monks. In this Sangha of monks, there are monks who abide devoted to the development of loving-kindness, metta, of compassion, karuna, of joy, mudita, of equanimity, upekka, of the meditation on foulness, of the perception of impermanence. Such monks are there in this Sangha of monks. In this Sangha of monks, there are monks who abide devoted to the development of mindfulness of breathing. I'll stop here for a moment. Here in paragraph 6, the Buddha said the elder monks are intensively instructing new monks. What are they instructing? First they have to instruct the Vinaya rules, monastic discipline, to the new monks. And then they have to instruct them the suttas, the words of the Buddha. And then thirdly, I teach them meditation to achieve the jhanas. To achieve the jhanas. So when they say, when the sutta says, they achieve successive stages of high distinction, This refers to the, high distinction normally refers to the uttari manusa dhamma, higher than normal human achievements, which refers to the jhanas, the four rupa jhanas, the four arupa jhanas, association of perception and feeling. It also refers to the paths and fruits, the paths and fruits, the first path. second, first path, first fruit, second path, second fruit, third path, third fruit, and fourth path, and fourth fruit, and also the various abhinyas, various psychic powers. So all this is the stages of high distinction, Then the Buddha said there are arahants here and then there are monks who have destroyed the five lower fetters. This refers to the anagamins. Then those monks who have destroyed three fetters and attenuated lust, hate and delusion are one's returners. The Pali word is Sakadagamin, once returners. Once returners means they come back one more time as a human being to have a human rebirth after which they will enter Nibbana. So just like the Sakyamuni Buddha in his last life, Siddhartha Gautama, probably came back as Sakadagamin and strove until he attained enlightenment. And then the three mentors refers to the Sotapanna. And then below the Sotapanna, the Buddha talks about monks who abide devoted to the development of the various, these few things, the 37 Bodhipakya Dhammas. These Bodhipakya Dhammas, these requisites of enlightenment, Sometimes they are referred to as the Abhidhamma, the higher Dhamma in the Suttas. When the Buddha talks about the higher Dhamma, he refers to these 37 Bodhipakkha Dhammas usually. So you can see here, there are monks who specialize in the four Satipatthana, and there are some who specialize in the four Samappadana, for the right kinds of striving. There are some who specialize in the four Idipada, the four bases for psychic power. The five faculties, in sum, the five faculties, the five indriya, five powers, bala, seven enlightenment factors, the seven bodhjangas, Noble Eightfold Path. So you can see from here, not all monks specialize in the four satipatthana. Sometimes the translation in some people, they translate this The Sutta, the Satipatthana Sutta, they say that Satipatthana is the only way. That's wrong. Satipatthana is not the only way. You can see here very clearly that the monks, besides Satipatthana, they cultivate the other types. of practices which are part of the 37 Bodhipakya Dhammas. The translation should be that Satipatthana is the one-way path, meaning it goes one way only to the end of suffering, leads one to the end of suffering. And then besides that, there are monks who specialize in the four Brahma-vihara, metta, karuna, mudita, and upekka. And some on the meditation on foulness, the 32 parts of the body, which was the first meditation the Buddha taught. And then some on the perception of impermanence, for example, contemplating the corpse, how our own body will turn into the corpse, the various types of corpse. And then the last thing the Buddha mentioned is the mindfulness of breathing, Anapanasati. What is not mentioned here is the Cassina. Cassina is something that was already in existence long before the Buddha. I guess the Buddha thinks it is so common that he didn't mention it. Monks, when mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated, it is of great fruit and great benefit. When mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated, it fulfills the four satipatthana, four intense states of mindfulness or recollection. When the four satipatthanas are developed and cultivated, they fulfill the seven bojjhangas, the seven enlightenment factors. When the seven bojjhangas are developed and cultivated, they fulfill true knowledge and liberation. I'll stop here for a moment. Here this sutta is talking more of the anapanasati, mindfulness of breathing, which happens to be the very meditation the Buddha practiced himself. In the Samyutta Nikaya the Buddha said before enlightenment he practiced anapanasati and even after enlightenment also he practices anapanasati. But nowadays there are some monks They say the Buddha's method of meditation is vipassana. Vipassana meditation is not found in the suttas. It was invented later, using the commentaries and the later books like Visuddhimagga. So in the suttas, the original teachings of the Buddha, the Buddha's own method of meditation is mindfulness of breathing. In fact, all the Meditation is taught by the Buddha, always Samatha meditation. So here the Buddha says, mindfulness of breathing, if developed and cultivated, fulfills the four Satipatthana. And the four Satipatthana are developed and cultivated, they fulfill the seven enlightenment factors. In other words, which also leads to true knowledge and liberation. In other words, mindfulness of breathing, if developed and cultivated, fulfills the four Satipatthana, and they fulfill the seven Bhojangas, seven enlightenment factors, and they fulfill true knowledge and liberation. And how, monks, is mindfulness of breathing developed and cultivated so that it is of great fruit and great benefit? Here a monk, gone to the forest or to the root of a tree or to an empty hut, sits down, having folded his legs crosswise, has his body erect, can establish mindfulness in front of him. Ever mindful, he breathes in. Mindful, he breathes out. Breathing in long, he understands, I breathe in long. Breathing out long, he understands, I breathe out long. Breathing in short, he understands, I breathe in short. Breathing out short, he understands, I breathe out short. He trains us as to breathe in experiencing the whole body of breath. He trains thus, I shall breathe out, experiencing the whole body of breath. He trains thus, I shall breathe in, tranquilizing the bodily volition. He trains thus, I shall breathe out, tranquilizing the bodily volition. The Pali word is Sankara, which I translate as volition here. This is formation. So here this paragraph says, that when you practice Anapanasati, you notice the breath, whether it's long or short, and you experience the whole body of the breath. So this is important. You experience the whole body of the breath. So this meditation is about the breath body. It's not about a point. Nowadays, a lot of meditation teachers, they use the Visuddhi Magga, He says that when you practice Anapanasati, you notice the breath at only one point, the upper lip or the tip of the nose. But this is not what the Buddha says, evidently. Buddha says you should experience the whole body of the breath. So when you practice Anapanasati, you are observing the breath body and observing a point. And then he says, I shall breathe in, tranquilizing the bodily volition. This bodily volition, As we have seen earlier, refers to the breath. You have Kaya Sankara, Citta Sankara, you have Vajji Sankara. So the Kaya Sankara here, bodily volition, that means the volition of the body, the intention of the body to function is the breath. So as you practice your Anapanasati, slowly you tranquilize the breath. It becomes more and more refined, more and more gentle. This is natural as you sit longer. Initially when you sit down, the breath, maybe you're a bit tired or you're a bit excited or whatnot. So the breath is a bit rough and a bit long. As you sit longer, your body calms down and your breath also calms down. So naturally, the bodily volition, the breath, becomes more tranquil. He trains thus, I shall breathe in, experiencing delight. He trains thus, I shall breathe out, experiencing delight. He trains thus, I shall breathe in, experiencing pleasure. He trains thus, I shall breathe out, experiencing pleasure. He trains thus, I shall breathe in, experiencing the mental volition. He trains thus, I shall breathe out, experiencing the mental volition. He trains thus, I shall breathe in, tranquilizing the mental volition. He trains thus, I shall breathe out, tranquilizing the mental volition. So here it says as you breathe in, experiencing delight. You cannot force yourself to experience delight. When the breath becomes more and more tranquil, and then your mind becomes one-pointed, then the delight will arise. So that's what it means. It doesn't mean that you keep on breathing and waiting for the delight to come. So your attention is not on the delight. Your attention should be on the breath. And if you put enough attention on the breath and your attention becomes one-pointed, then that delight and the pleasure, piti and sukha, will arise by itself. Experiencing the mental volition. The mental volition refers to this citta-sankara, which is the perception and feeling, or feeling and perception. So this delight and pleasure is the feeling. So when you experience the delight and the pleasure, you are experiencing the mental volition, the feeling itself and the perception of that delight and the pleasure. So as the mind calms down, feeling and the perception also tranquilizes. So it is natural as you practice longer. He trains thus, I shall breathe in, experiencing the mind. He trains thus, I shall breathe out, experiencing the mind. He trains thus, I shall breathe in, gladdening the mind. He trains thus, I shall breathe out, gladdening the mind. He trains thus, I shall breathe in, concentrating the mind. He trains thus, I shall breathe out, concentrating the mind. He trains thus, I shall breathe in, liberating the mind. He trains thus, I shall breathe out, liberating the mind. These are also states which are higher states. As the mind becomes absorbed in the jhana, then you experience the mind and the mind, that pleasure and delight gladdens the mind. And in the third jhana, the mind becomes concentrated. Earlier we read about the description of the jhanas. It says in the third jhana that the mind is more concentrated. So this liberating the mind, maybe when the mind is in the state of one-pointedness, then there's no thinking, there's just awareness. In that sense, you experience the mind and you liberate the mind from all these defilements, these thoughts. He trains us as to breathe in contemplating impermanence. He trains us as to breathe out contemplating impermanence. He trains us as to breathe in contemplating fading away. He trains us as to breathe out contemplating fading away. He trains us as to breathe in contemplating cessation. He trains us as to breathe out contemplating cessation. He trains us as to breathe in contemplating relinquishment. He trains us as to breathe out contemplating relinquishment. This is how mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated so that it is of great fruit and great benefit. This last part is contemplating what the Buddha has told us about impermanence, impermanence of everything. So when you contemplate the Dhamma, here he is contemplating the Dhamma at the same time as breathing. Of course, when you are contemplating the Dhamma, you don't think of your breathing. You just think of the Dhamma. And how, monks, does mindfulness of breathing develop and cultivate it, fulfill the four satipatthana, the four intense states of mindfulness? Monks, on whatever occasion, a monk breathing in long, understands, I breathe in long. Or breathing out long, he understands, I breathe out long. Breathing in short, understands, I breathe in short. Or breathing out short, he understands, I breathe out short. Thus, I shall breathe in, experiencing the whole body of breath. Thus, I shall breathe out, experiencing the whole body of breath. Thus, I shall breathe in, tranquilizing the bodily volition. Thus, I shall breathe out, tranquilizing the bodily volition. On that occasion, a monk abides contemplating the body in the body, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. I say that this is a certain body among the bodies, namely in-breathing and out-breathing. That is why on that occasion a monk abides contemplating the body in the body, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. So here you can see when you are contemplating the breath, the Buddha says even though the breath doesn't look like a body, but the Buddha considers it a body in the sense that it is a breath body. in breathing and out breathing. So later in the next sutta, we come on the Kayagata Sati Sutta, Mindfulness of the Body. This is one of the bodies. So in the practice of the Satipatthana, there are four objects we have to pay attention to. The first one is body. So here when you contemplate your breath itself, the Buddha says that is practicing Satipatthana, the first object of Satipatthana. So it doesn't have to be a human body. This breath body is also counted. Monks, on whatever occasion a monk trains thus, I shall breathe in experiencing delight, trains thus, I shall breathe out experiencing delight, trains thus, I shall breathe in experiencing pleasure, trains thus, I shall breathe out experiencing pleasure, trains thus, I shall breathe in experiencing the mental volition, trains thus, I shall breathe out experiencing the mental volition, trains us as a breather in tranquillising the mental volition, trains us as a breather out, tranquillising the mental volition. On that occasion, a monk abides contemplating feelings in feelings, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. I say that this is a certain feeling among the feelings, namely giving close attention to in-breathing and out-breathing. That is why on that occasion, a monk abides contemplating feelings in feelings, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. At this part, the Buddha says, when you experience delight, when you experience pleasure, you are experiencing feelings. So in that sense, this Mindfulness of the breath is a contemplation of feelings and feelings is the second object of Satipatthana. The other thing that you can say, because here it says, I say that this is a certain feeling among the feelings, namely giving close attention to in-breathing and out-breathing. When we give attention to our breath going in and going out, sometimes it's very hard to see the breath. So you know that the breath goes in and out. Why? Because of that feeling. Some people feel the breath rather than to see the breath. Just like when the wind blows on your body, you have the feeling of contact. and the feeling that the wind is blowing against your body, you can feel the wind. So in the same way, when the breath goes inside us, into our lungs and goes out, you can feel the breath. So for some people, this contemplation of the breathing in and breathing out is like a feeling of the breath. Because of sloth and pauper, we cannot see the breath properly. Our mind is not clear. So you know the breath. For some people, you feel the breath going in and out. That's why when you pay attention to the breath, then you are paying attention to feeling. That's another interpretation that you can give here. Monks, on whatever occasion a monk trains thus, I shall breathe in, experiencing the mind. Trains thus, I shall breathe out, experiencing the mind. Trains thus, I shall breathe in, gladdening the mind. Trains thus, I shall breathe out, gladdening the mind. Trains thus, I shall breathe in, concentrating the mind. Trains thus, I shall breathe out, concentrating the mind. Trains thus, I shall breathe in, liberating the mind. Trains thus, I shall breathe out, liberating the mind. On that occasion, a monk abides contemplating mind in mind, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. I do not say that there is development of mindfulness of breathing for one who is forgetful, who is not fully aware. That is why on that occasion, a monk abides contemplating mind in mind, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. So here in the same way, you can see here, when the Buddha refers to the third object of satipatthana, mindfulness of the mind, you can consider in two ways. One is when you reach the stage where you are experiencing the mind, or the mind is gladdened. or the mind is concentrated. So because you are aware of the states of the mind, so the Buddha says this is practicing satipatthana, contemplating mind in mind. Another way of looking at it is that when you are paying full attention to your breath, your mind is not running away. Your mind, you are not forgetful. You are very mindful of the breath. So for that reason, because we are practicing mindfulness, so the Buddha says, you are contemplating the mind as the third object of satipatthana, because the Buddha says here, there is no development of mindfulness of breathing for one who is forgetful. If you are practicing mindfulness of your breath and your mind runs away, then you are not practicing mindfulness of the breath. We are practicing forgetfulness of the breath. But if you are mindful of the breath, then the Buddha says you are contemplating the mind, because you are in your mind, you are not elsewhere. So in this sense, you can read two meanings into this paragraph. One is you are experiencing the mind, and the other one is that you are paying You are being very mindful, that's why you are practising contemplating the mind.

18-MN-118-Anapanasati-Part-B-(2010-09-06).txt

Monks, on whatever occasion a monk prays thus, I shall breathe in contemplating impermanence, prays thus, I shall breathe out contemplating impermanence, prays thus, I shall breathe in contemplating fading away, prays thus, I shall breathe out contemplating fading away, prays thus, I shall breathe in contemplating cessation, prays thus, I shall breathe out contemplating cessation, prays thus, I shall breathe in contemplating relinquishment, prays thus, I shall breathe out contemplating relinquishment. On that occasion, A monk abides contemplating Dhamma in Dhamma, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. Having seen with wisdom the abandoning of covetousness and grief, he closely looks on with equanimity. That is why on that occasion, a monk abides contemplating Dhamma in Dhamma, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. Monks, that is how mindfulness of breathing, developed and cultivated, fulfills the four Satipatthana's intense states of mindfulness. So this last part, when you are contemplating the Dhamma, the Buddha's teachings, at the same time, of course, you are breathing, but your attention is more on the Dhamma. Your attention is not so much on the breathing. So at that time, you are practicing the fourth object of Satipatthana, contemplating the mind. So you can see here, just practicing Anapanasati, you are practicing the four Satipatthana. So unlike what nowadays some Vipassana monks say, they say that the Vipassana meditation is this Satipatthana, synonymous with Satipatthana meditation, but it is not. Because later you see in the next section, If you are actually practicing the four satipatthana, it is equivalent to practicing the seven bhojanga, seven enlightenment factors. And you can see later that the seven enlightenment factors consist of certain factors which have to do with jhana. So if you cannot attain jhana, you are not practicing Satipatthana or the Bhojanga which is what the Satipatthana Sutta says in the Samyutta Nikaya. So from this section it is very clear Anapanasati, the practice of Anapanasati is equivalent to the practice of the four Satipatthana. And how monks do the four satipatthanas, intense states of mindfulness, develop and cultivate it, fulfill the seven enlightenment factors. Monks, on whatever occasion a monk abides contemplating the body in the body, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. On that occasion, unremitting mindfulness is established in him. On whatever occasion, unremitting mindfulness is established in a monk. On that occasion, the mindfulness enlightenment factor is aroused in him and he develops it. and by development it comes to fulfilment in him. Abiding thus mindful, he investigates and examines that Dhamma with wisdom, and embarks upon a full enquiry into it. On whatever occasion, abiding thus mindful, a monk investigates and examines that Dhamma with wisdom, and embarks upon a full enquiry into it. On that occasion, the investigation of Dhamma, enlightenment factor, is aroused in him and he develops it and by development it comes to fulfilment in him. Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says, when a monk abides contemplating the body in the body, on that occasion, unremitting mindfulness is established in him. If you all remember the Samyutta Nikaya in the Satipatthana Satipatthana Samyutta, the Buddha gave a simile to make us understand how to practice Satipatthana. In this simile, the Buddha said that the most beautiful girl of the land came out. And then the men clapped their hands and shouted, most beautiful girl of the land. And then they asked her to sing and dance. And when she sang and danced, more people came out and clapped their hands. So an ordinary person guy came along and he was caught by some people and forced to carry a bowl of oil filled to the brim. And they told him, we have somebody walking behind you with an uplifted sword. Now you walk among all the crowd of people, all the people, and if you spill even one drop of oil, you will chop off your head. So this guy has to carry the bowl of oil among the great crowd of people. Does he dare to look left and right? He dare not, because if he spills one drop of oil, he will lose his head. He pays unremitting mindfulness to that bowl of oil. He walks without looking at anything else. He puts 100% attention on that bowl of oil for fear that it will spill. So that simile was given by the Buddha to make us understand how to practice Satipatthana, namely unremitting mindfulness on one object. Not many objects, like what is taught now in Vipassana meditation, they say one object after another. That is not the Buddha's method. The Buddha's method is unremitting mindfulness on one object only, because in the Satipatthana Samyutta also, the Buddha stated in one sutta, using the simile of the cook, the Buddha said a skillful monk who practices the Satipatthana will attain concentration, that means the jhana, whereas an unskillful monk, meaning one who practices it the wrong way, will not culminate in jhāna, will not attain jhāna. So if you practice satipatthana correctly, skillfully, it must end up with the jhānas. So here So when this person, this year, when he is practising mindfulness on the breath, practising unremitting mindfulness, the Buddha says on that occasion, the mindfulness enlightenment factor is aroused in him. In other words, the mindfulness enlightenment factor in the Bhojanga is also unremitting mindfulness, one-pointed mindfulness that does not run away. Abiding thus mindful, he examines the Dhamma with wisdom. Here the translation is state, it's not state. It's the Buddha's teachings. He examines the Buddha's teachings with wisdom. When you investigate the Buddha's teachings, that is the Dhamma vichaya, investigation of Dhamma, enlightenment factor. So that's how when you are practising this Satipatthana, you are also practising this Pujanga. They are equivalent. One who investigates and examines that Dhamma with wisdom and embarks upon a full enquiry into it, tireless energy is aroused. On whatever occasion, tireless energies arouse in a monk who investigates and examines that Dhamma with wisdom, and embarks upon a full enquiry into it. On that occasion, the energy-enlightenment factor is aroused in him, and he develops it, and by development it comes to fulfilment in him. In one who has aroused energy, unworldly delight arises. On whatever occasion unworldly delight arises in a monk who has aroused energy, on that occasion the delight enlightenment factor is aroused in him and he develops it and by development it comes to fulfilment in him. In one who is delighted, the body and the mind become tranquil. On whatever occasion, the body and mind become tranquil in a monk who is delighted. On that occasion, the tranquility enlightenment factor is aroused in him and he develops it. And by development, it comes to fulfilment in him. Stop here for a moment. So we look at paragraph 32, it's talking about this monk now uses energy like virya. So when he uses energy in his practice, that is the energy enlightenment factor. And then when he uses energy in the correct way, unworldly delight arises. Unworldly delight, last year when we went through the Samyutta Nikaya, we found one sutta, namely Samyutta Nikaya 36.31, under the Vedana Samyutta, where it talks about worldly delight and unworldly delight. Worldly delight refers to the delight that you get when you enjoy worldly pleasure, when you enjoy the five courts of sensual pleasure, worldly delight arises. But unworldly delight, it is stated, arises in the first jhāna and is also found in the second jhāna. So here, because unworldly delight only is found in the first and the second jhāna, so here we are talking about the jhāna state. The enlightenment factor, piti, refers to the first jhana because only in the first jhana or second jhana you can attain it. So here we are stepping into jhana already after effort is aroused. using unremitting mindfulness among meditators, using energy and unremitting mindfulness, he attains unworldly delight, piti. So this is the piti enlightenment factor. And then after that, the mind becomes tranquil. The mind becomes tranquil. So this mind becoming tranquil, You can say it can be the first jhāna or the second jhāna. The second jhāna also. Because in the second jhāna you also have piti, delight and tranquility. Then in one whose body is tranquil and who feels pleasure, the mind becomes concentrated. On whatever occasion the mind becomes concentrated in a monk whose body is tranquil and who feels pleasure. On that occasion, The concentration enlightenment factor is aroused in him, and he develops it, and by development it comes to fulfilment in him. He closely looks on with equanimity at the mind thus concentrated. On whatever occasion a monk closely looks on with equanimity at the mind thus concentrated, on that occasion the equanimity enlightenment factor is aroused in him, and he develops it, and by development it comes to fulfilment in him." Stop here for a moment. So here, if you look at page 900, there's a description of the jhanas. That's the Anupada Sutta, page 900. In one whose body is tranquil and who feels pleasure, the mind becomes concentrated. So here, we are talking about Just now, we were talking about the second jhāna. Mind is tranquil and he feels pleasure. Now, he says the mind becomes concentrated. We look into the description of the third jhāna. Let me see. This is paragraph 7 on page 900. Begin monks with a fading away as well of delights. Help Buddha abide in equanimity, mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure. I think this description is not so complete. Let me see. There must be another sutra. There are some translations where they show that in the third jhana the mind becomes one-pointed, becomes concentrated. I don't know why it's not here, but never mind. So here, this paragraph 35, this mind becomes concentrated and is tranquil and also you have pleasure. On that occasion, the concentration enlightenment factor is aroused in him. This should refer to the third jhana when the mind becomes concentrated, concentration enlightenment factor. And then paragraph 36, He looks on with equanimity at the mind that's concentrated. This one, the mind is concentrated and he possesses equanimity. This refers to either the third or the fourth jhāna. In the description of the third jhāna, if you look at page 900, With the fading away as well of daylight, a monk abides in equanimity and mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure with the body, enters upon and abides in the third jhāna, on account of which Nobel once announced, he has a pleasant abiding who has equanimity and is mindful. So in the third jhāna, you have equanimity. But in the fourth jhāna, you have utter purity of equanimity. in the description of the fourth jhāna. In the state of the fourth jhāna there is utter purity or perfect purity of equanimity and mindfulness, sati and upekal. So here we are referring either to the third or the fourth jhāna. So these bhojangas, these enlightenment factors, the last few factors all have to do with the jhānas. So similarly, the Buddha continues on paragraph 37, monks on whatever occasion, a monk abides contemplating feelings as in feelings, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. And then the description is the same as previously, paragraph 30 to 36. And then, 38, on monks on whatever occasion, a monk abides contemplating mind in mind, hardened, fully aware and mindful. When you put away covetousness and grief of the world, it's the same thing. Also 39, on whatever occasion, a monk abides contemplating dhamma in dhamma, hardened, fully aware. So all these seven bojangas are developed. Monks, that is how the four intense states of mindfulness developed and cultivated fulfill the seven enlightenment factors. So whether you practice contemplating the body, or feelings, or mind, or dhamma, the Buddha says it ends up that you are developing also the Seven Enlightenment Factors. And how monks do the Seven Enlightenment Factors develop and cultivate and fulfill true knowledge and liberation? Here monks, a monk develops the Mindfulness Enlightenment Factor, which is supported by seclusion, dispassion and cessation, and ripens in relinquishment. Similarly, he develops the investigation of Dhamma Enlightenment Factor, Energy Enlightenment Factor, Delight Enlightenment Factor, Tranquility Enlightenment Factor, Concentration Enlightenment Factor, Equanimity Enlightenment Factor. which are supported by seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, and ripens in relinquishment. Monks, that is how the seven enlightenment factors developed and cultivated, fulfilled true knowledge and liberation. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words." That's the end of the sutra. So you can see from here that this Anapanasati, when you practice Anapanasati, you are According to the Buddha, you are practicing the 4 Satipatthana and you develop the 4 Satipatthana, it is equivalent to the 7 Bhojangas, which ends in true knowledge and liberation. So unfortunately nowadays there are some monks who belittle Anapanasati, but this is the Buddha's own method of meditation, which the Buddha praises. So this is a very important sutra. Later, when you have time, you go through it slowly and you understand more. Say again? 251. Yeah, but it's the same description. Well, we have done 51 minutes, so maybe we should stop here, because the next sutta is also a very important sutta, so we don't want to go too fast. So let's just recap this Anapanasati Sutta. Buddha said, monks, when mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated, it is of great fruit and great benefit. When mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated, it fulfills the four Satipatthana. When the four Satipatthanas are developed and cultivated, they fulfill the seven enlightenment factors. When the seven enlightenment factors are developed and cultivated, they fulfill true knowledge and liberation. In other words, if you develop fully Anapanasati, it leads to true knowledge and liberation, which is what the Buddha achieved. Because the Buddha's method was just Anapanasati. And he used that to remember his past lives. And when he remembered his past lives, all the Dhamma he learned from the Buddha Kasapa came back to him. And when he reflected on the Four Noble Truths, then he attained enlightenment. And then you have this description of the Anapanasati. This description of the Anapanasati into what they call 16 steps. You don't have to worry about practicing it one by one. It's just important to practice Anapanasati. And these things will fall into place. They should fall into place. And then after that, the Buddha described how he says that mindfulness of breathing is equivalent to the four satipatthana. Firstly, the Buddha says mindfulness of the breath is mindful of a body, the breath body. And secondly, when you perceive certain feelings, delight, pleasure, and all that, you are practicing meditation on feelings. Also because when you give close attention to breathing, the breath is a certain kind of feeling. The breath itself coming in and out of the body is a certain kind of feeling. That's why mindfulness of breathing is also considered a contemplation of feeling. Thirdly, When you practice mindfulness of breathing, you are mindful. Your mind has not run away. So because you are mindful, then the Buddha says, you are practicing contemplation of the mind. And also, when you attain certain high states of meditation, then you're experiencing the mind itself. And lastly, when you contemplate the Dhamma, and you are breathing in and out, then you are practicing the fourth object of Satipatthana. And then later the Buddha described how the practice of these four Satipatthanas, using the breath, is equivalent to fulfilling the seven bojanga, seven enlightenment factors. Okay, we stop here for tonight. Anything to discuss? Contemplating the Dhamma from the first step itself can go together with the meditation. You see, when we sit in meditation, we should always practice Samatha. try to achieve one-pointedness of mind. But when we are not sitting in meditation, then we can contemplate feelings, we can contemplate the state of our mind, we can contemplate the Dhamma, when you are not sitting. But when you are sitting, you always try to achieve one-pointedness of mind, try to sharpen your mind. When your mind calms down, you must pursue it until you can attain the various jhanas. What is taught nowadays by a lot of meditation teachers is that when you are sitting, you contemplate the other objects of satipatthana. I don't think so, because this samatha to attain the jhanas, you can only attain the jhanas in sitting meditation. So because of that when you are sitting in meditation, you only try to attain the jhanas. Then when you are not sitting, for example you are sitting in a bus, or you are driving a car, then you can contemplate the other objects of satipatthana. Finally, on the list of 22 statements, we are very confident that we can track this down. Sometimes, as the poor tell us, we are slow, sometimes we are quick, and then sometimes we count on what we might be able to do. When you are practicing sitting meditation, it is stated here, you should have unremitting mindfulness on one object. For example, on your breath. But if it so happens that you find it hard to pay attention to your object of meditation and some sutta comes to your mind, if you feel that you may benefit from recollecting that sutta, then you go ahead. But if you're sure you're going to get some benefit out of it, otherwise don't just think of any dhamma. You are supposed to pay attention, undivided attention, on just your meditation object. You are supposed to pay unremitting mindfulness, one thing. The other thing that you notice when the description of the Satipatthana, practice of Satipatthana, you are supposed to contemplate the body in the body. When you are contemplating the body, the breath body, and then your nimitta, whatever thoughts or something come into your mind, and you pay attention, you are contemplating your object of meditation, which is your breath body, among your thoughts, among your nimitta and all these things. You are not practicing contemplation of the body in the body. So when you practice Satipatthana, you are supposed to contemplate the body in the body, not among thoughts, among this and that. As Venerable Thanissaro translates, contemplating the body in and of itself, in and of itself, not among thoughts and among other objects. You can do that. A lot of people, when their minds are straying, they are paying attention to the breath. At the same time, they think of their office. At the same time, they think of their children. All these things. That is not contemplating the body, in the body. Only one object. No two or three or four objects. Just because you're not paying enough attention, you must realize that sometimes because the nimitta is quite interesting, for example light, color or something, so some people are attracted by that. So they're going to pay attention. Also because of greed, they think, This nimitta. So, they think it's something good. But you must understand that nimitta arises because you have been paying attention to your breath. You keep paying attention to your breath, that nimitta may become brighter. But if you go and pay attention to that light nimitta or colour nimitta or whatever, due to greed, then that will disappear. If it doesn't disappear, then you are imagining Some people like to imagine. They imagine hard enough. Whatever you want to imagine, our mind is very powerful. Whatever you want to imagine, you can imagine. That's why, like in the Zen meditation schools of early China, Chan Chung, they say, 摩來摩禪,佛來佛禪. When Mara comes, you cut him off. When the Buddha comes, also you cut him off. In other words, whatever you see, whatever you hear, just ignore it. It's trying to distract you. When the Buddha comes, also you cut him off. In other words, whatever you see, whatever you hear, just ignore it. It's trying to distract you. When the Buddha comes, also you cut him off. In other words, whatever you see, whatever you hear, just ignore it. It's trying to distract you. When the Buddha comes, also you cut him off. In other words, whatever you see, whatever you hear, just ignore it. It's trying to distract you. When the Buddha comes, also you cut him off. In other words, whatever you see, whatever you hear, just ignore it. It's trying to distract you. When the Buddha comes, also you cut him off. In other words, whatever you see, whatever you hear, just ignore it. It's trying to distract you. When the Buddha comes, also you cut him off. In other words, whatever you see, whatever More importantly, it's better to think it and talk behind it than what it is. So, I'm not going to talk to you too much, because I don't think that the state that I'm in right now is going to let me talk. So, I'm going to talk to you today, and I'm going to talk to you in a minute. So, I'm going to talk to you today, and I'm going to talk to you in a minute. So, I'm going to talk to you today, and I'm going to talk to you in a minute. So, I'm going to talk to you today, and I'm going to talk to you in a minute. So, I'm going to talk to you today, and I'm going to talk to you in a minute. I think yesterday we went through that sutra where the Buddha says that to practice the Eightfold Path, you must start with right view. So the foundation in the Dhamma is extremely important. If you don't have a good foundation in the Dhamma, you might be practicing the wrong way and you are not aware of it. The Dhamma is our teacher. The Buddha says, after you enter Nibbana, take the Suttas as your teacher. So you must have a very good foundation in the Suttas. A lot of people go straight into meditation. That's not advisable if you don't have a solid foundation in the Dhamma. You must know the Suttas very well. Then you start to practice. Don't be greedy. A lot of people are greedy. They want to achieve something that they can see, just like worldly people. They chase after money because they can see money here and now. They talk about blessings in the future life. A lot of people don't want, because they cannot see the future life. Blessings, rebirth in heaven and all that, they cannot see. But you can see now, people want. So in the same way, a lot of people come into the holy practice and they want to sit in meditation, want to achieve jhāna, want to achieve jhāna, want to achieve psychic power and all these things, because of greed. So must follow the Buddha's instructions, get right view first, have a good foundation in the Dhamma. Of course, if you want to practice meditation to sharpen your mind, you can. Remember, it must be combined with the suttas, knowledge of the suttas. This... Last night, Giorgio mentioned about practicing something and developing it. So, like right view, we have to develop that right view also. And there are different levels. A person who has attained the first path, he has achieved right view. His right view is the right view of stream enterer, first path attainer. which is different from the right view of an arahant. Just as a person who has attained stream entry, by achieving right view, he has attained wisdom. But that wisdom compared to the arahant is shallow wisdom. Just like the concentration of a stream enterer. If he has attained the first jhāna, he has some concentration. But that also is low compared to the concentration of an arahant. So, when we attain Right View, as a first path attainer, we still have to develop it. It takes time. to develop before it becomes equivalent to the right view of an arahant. So when a person attains stream entry, that right view means he has eliminated some avijja, some ignorance, but not 100%. If he has eliminated ignorance 100%, he would have become an arahant. Because there is one sutta in the Samyutta Nikaya where the Buddha says, all unwholesome states arise from ignorance. And when ignorance is totally eliminated, all unwholesome states are eliminated. A person, when he has attained stream entry, even though he has a certain amount of right view, a certain degree of right view, has he eliminated all the unwholesome states? He has not. He has not eliminated all the defilements. Only the Arahant has eliminated all the defilements. So that's why only the Arahant has completely eliminated 100% ignorance. Whereas even the fourth path attainer has not. Anagamin has not eliminated 100% ignorance. So this elimination of ignorance is at different stages for different levels of Aryahood. And therefore, we are now to stand up and confront this wrong that we are facing. We are there to stop the violence that is being perpetrated in the United States. We are there to stop the violence that is being perpetrated in the United States. We are there to stop the violence that is being perpetrated in the United States. We are there to stop the violence that is being perpetrated in the United States. We are there to stop the violence that is being perpetrated in the United States. We are there to stop the violence that is being perpetrated in the United States. Just now I did mention that study of the Dhamma can begin from the beginning. Anyone who comes into the Buddha's teachings can start learning the Dhamma. And at the same time, you can start meditation also, just to sharpen your mind, to make your mind more focused. But I also mentioned that the priority is the Dhamma. Then I also mentioned that when we sit down in meditation, we should only contemplate one object to attain one-pointedness of mind. And we saw I don't know whether we have come across that. There's one sutta where the Buddha says that when his disciples, he encouraged them to attain the jhanas. So when he says when the disciple has attained the first jhana, the Buddha said, that is not sufficient, the Buddha says, to surmount that, to go higher than that. Then after that, the disciple attains the second jhāna. Then the Buddha says, even that is also not enough. Third jhāna, even that is also not enough. Fourth jhāna. And then the Buddha says, fourth jhāna is also not enough. The beast of boundless peace, even that is also not enough. Beast of boundless consciousness, that is also not enough. Try to get the base of nothingness. That's also not enough. Try to get the base of neither perception nor non-perception. And even that, the Buddha says, is not enough. If you can attain the cessation of perception and feeling, and when you come out of that, you automatically become an Arahant. So the Buddha's teaching in the sutras is that even the first path, this assessed concentration or first jhana is not enough to achieve higher. In the Buddha's teachings, the concentration, the minimum which you achieve is the four jhanas because it is stated in some sutra that when you attain the four jhanas, everything becomes very clear to you. You can see things very, very clearly. So, it's not a matter of attaining assessed concentration, then come out of it and then contemplate. Because you can contemplate any time. Once you have achieved the assessed concentration or the first jhana, you have eliminated the five hindrances. And when you have eliminated the five hindrances, you don't have to come out immediately after that. state of concentration and contemplate. Anytime after that, you are already rid of the five hindrances. Anytime you contemplate, you can see things more clearly than someone who has not achieved assessed concentration, who has not achieved the first jhana. So it's not necessary to come out of it immediately and contemplate. Anytime you can contemplate. Okay, shall we end here?

19-MN-119-Kayagatasati-(2010-09-07).txt

Today is the 7th of September, 2010, and this is the 49th time we are speaking of the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Tonight we come to another very important sutta, number 119, Kaya Gata Sati Sutta, Mindfulness of the Body, or Recollection of the Body. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's spa. A number of monks were sitting in the assembly hall, where they had met together on returning from their alms round. after their meal, and this discussion arose among them. It is wonderful, friends, it is marvellous how it has been said by the blessed one who knows and sees, Arahant Sammasambuddha, that mindfulness of the body when developed and cultivated is of great fruit and great benefit However, that discussion was interrupted. For the Blessed One rose from meditation when it was evening, went to the Assembly Hall and sat down on a seat made ready. Then He addressed the monks thus, Monks, for what discussion are you sitting together here now? And what was your discussion that was interrupted? Dear Venerable Sir, we were sitting in the Assembly Hall. where we had met together on returning from our alms round after our meal, and this discussion arose among us. This wonderful friend said it is marvellous how it has been said by the Blessed One who knows and sees, Arahant Sammasambuddha, that mindfulness of the body, when developed and cultivated, is of great fruit and great benefit. This was our discussion, Venerable Sir, that was interrupted when the Blessed One arrived. and how monks' mindfulness of the body developed and cultivated so that it is of great fruit and great benefit. Here a monk, gone to the forest, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, sits down, having folded his legs crosswise. set his body erect, and establish mindfulness in front of him. Ever mindful, he breathes in. Mindful, he breathes out. Breathing in long, he understands, I breathe in long. Or breathing out long, he understands, I breathe out long. Breathing in short, he understands, I breathe in short. Or breathing out short, he understands, I breathe out short. He trains thus, I shall breathe in experiencing the whole body of breath. He trains thus, I shall breathe out experiencing the whole body of breath. He trains thus, I shall breathe in tranquilizing the bodily volition. He trains thus, I shall breathe out tranquilizing the bodily volition. As he abides thus diligent, ardent and resolute, his memories and intentions based on the household life are abandoned. With their abandoning, his mind becomes steadied internally, quieted, brought to singleness and concentrated. That is how a monk develops mindfulness of the body. So for a moment, so here the Buddha says, talks about this mindfulness of the body and the first our body, the first object of meditation. It discusses here is Anapanasati, mindfulness of the breath, which we went through last night. And the Buddha likes to talk about this because this is his own object of meditation, his particular method of meditation. This last part is quite interesting. He says, as he bides thus diligent, ardent and resolute, his memories and intentions based on the household life are abandoned. And with their abandoning, his mind becomes steadied internally, quieted, brought to singleness and concentrated. This one, when a monk first goes forth, there is a lot of memories based on the household life that comes to disturb him. And if he is not able to control this, bring this under control, very often a monk cannot stay long in robes. He will disrobe if he cannot fix this problem of being agitated by all these memories and all this, as the Buddha says, that family ties are extremely strong. So especially in the beginning, when a person first goes forth, I can say from my own experience, for one year, these memories kept haunting me, all these ties. And so it was only after one year that slowly, slowly, I got used to it and wasn't so much agitated by it. So here the Buddha says that if we concentrate on meditation, that's the way to quiet our mind, make our mind more tranquil, then we don't think so much. All this agitation in the mind is because of the habit of thinking. The Buddha says a normal person has this tendency for the mind to proliferate, which he calls papanca, proliferation of the mind. One thought becomes ten, ten thoughts become a hundred, hundred thoughts become a thousand, multiply very fast. There's nothing faster than the mind. So if you have a lot of attachments based on the home life, then all these memories Again, monks, when walking, a monk understands, I am walking. When standing, he understands, I am standing. When sitting, he understands, I am sitting. When lying down, he understands, I am lying down. Or he understands accordingly, however his body is disposed. As he abides thus diligent, ardent, and resolute, his memories and intentions based on the household life are abandoned. That too is how a monk develops mindfulness of the body. Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha is talking about this mindfulness of the four postures. So the point is to not allow the mind to stray. Whenever the mind strays, we become agitated. disturbed, so we have to keep our mindfulness always on the object of meditation. The Buddha always says that we should put our attention only on four things, either it's the body, or on our feelings, or on our mind, or on the Dhamma that we have learned. Again monks, a monk is one who acts in full awareness when going forward and returning, who acts in full awareness when looking ahead and looking away, who acts in full awareness when flexing and extending his limbs, who acts in full awareness when wearing his robes and carrying his outer robe and bowl. who acts in full awareness when eating, drinking, consuming food and tasting, who acts in full awareness when defecating and urinating, who acts in full awareness when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking and keeping silent. As he abides thus diligent, ardent and resolute, his memories and intentions based on the household life are abandoned. That too is how a monk develops mindfulness of the body. So this is also about mindfulness, mindfulness of whatever you do. So as I mentioned just now, it's to be either putting your attention on these four objects of sati, recollection, or you're mindful of whatever you do. Again monks, a monk reveals this same body up from the soles of the feet and down from the top of the hair, bounded by skin, as full of many kinds of impurity thus. In this body there are head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinew, bone, bone, marrow, kidney, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lung, large intestine, small intestine, contents of the stomach, feces, There's one, and this sutta is not here. After he sees his brain, bowel, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tear, grease, bitter, snot, oil of the joint, urine, just as though there were a bag with an opening at both ends full of many sorts of grain, such as hill rice, red rice, beans, peas, millet and white rice. And a man with good eyes were to open it and review it thus, this is hill rice, this is red rice, these are beans, these are peas, this is millet, this is white rice. So too a monk reviews this same body as full of many kinds of impurity thus. In this body there are head hairs, body hairs, etc. As he abides thus diligent, ardent and resolute, his memories and intentions based on the household life are abandoned. That too is how a monk develops mindfulness of the body." Stop here for a moment. This meditation on the 32 parts of the body is also known as the meditation on foulness or unattractiveness of the body. Normally, we are so used to seeing the outside of a body. When we look at any body, we either say it's handsome or beautiful or ugly, just based on the outside. As they say, beauty is skin deep. So we don't see the inside. When we recite these parts of the body, frequently, then we remember all these parts of the body. So then when we look at the body, these parts of the body come up and the body doesn't become so attractive anymore. So this meditation There are two purposes. One is to reduce our sensual lusts, and another one is to build up our concentration. So this chanting of these 32 parts of the body, either we do slow or we do fast. If we do slow, then we contemplate one by one these parts of the body. And that is more of an inside meditation. And if we do fast, then we don't think about the parts of the body. We just chant quickly. Dead hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinew, bone, bone, marrow, kidney, heart, like that. So that is a concentration exercise to keep our mind from running. And if you want to chant slowly and understand the parts, And you can do like what I did, ask somebody to go and buy the pig organs, because a lot of the pig organs are very similar to human organs, like the heart, the lung, the spleen, and all these things. You take those organs, you look at it, you know what it looks like, then you touch it, you know it's hard or soft. So that when you chant one by one, slowly, you can picture it, you can understand it better, so it's easier to picture it. So, this meditation, In fact, this meditation on the 32 parts of the body is the first meditation that the Buddha taught after enlightenment. When the Buddha taught his disciples meditation, this was the first meditation he taught them. So I was thinking, how come the Buddha himself practiced Anapanasati, mindfulness of the breath? How come he taught the 32 parts of the body, which he did not practice? So I thought, probably some Buddha, if he wants to teach he will probably look into the past how the previous Sammasambuddhas taught. And maybe all the Sammasambuddhas teach this meditation because we are so attached to the body, attached to lust, sensual desire and all this. So it's very important to cut this. Also to see the body besides being not so attractive, to see there's no self in the body, just composed of parts. So that's why, because it's a very important meditation, probably all Sammasambuddhas teach this as the first meditation. Only later, when Reverend Ananda requested that he taught Anapanasati. So this is a very important meditation. Again monks, a monk reviews this same body, however it is placed, however disposed, as consisting of elements does. In this body there are the earth element, water element, fire element, and air element. Just as though a skilled butcher or his apprentice had killed a cow and was seated at the crossroads with it cut up into pieces, so too a monk reviews this same body, however it is placed, however disposed, as consisting of elements does. In this body, there are the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the air element. As he abides thus, diligent, ardent, and resolute, his memories and intentions connected with the household life are abandoned. That too is how a monk develops mindfulness of the body. Stop here for a moment. So here, another meditation method is to consider the body as made up of the four great elements, earth, water, fire, wind. As I mentioned before, these four elements refer to the perception of our body. The earth element refers to the perception of hardness. Whatever is hard is considered the earth element. So inside the body, like the bones are hard. the first half of the 32 parts of the body deals with the earth element, the organs like head hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinew, bone, bone marrow, maybe not so hard, kidney, liver, spleen, lung and all these things. So the earth element refers to the the elements which are hard or relatively hard. The water element refers to the blood, the tears, spittle, snot, all of the joint, urine and all that. Fire element refers to the heat in us. The heat helps to digest our food and make things mellow, age and all that. The air element is the wind element in us that makes the gases move in our bowels, intestines, that makes the blood flow, et cetera. So this is another type of meditation on the body, looking into the elements of the body. Again, monks, as though he were to see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground, one, two, or three days dead, bloated, livid, and oozing matter, A monk compares this same body with it does. This body too is of the same nature. It will be like that. It is not exempt from that fate. As he abides thus diligently, the memories and intentions based on the household life are abandoned. That too is how a monk develops mindfulness of the body. Again, as though he were to see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground, being devoured by crows, hawks, vultures, dogs, jackals, or various kinds of worms, a monk compares this same body with it thus, this body too is of the same nature, it will be like that, it is not exempt from that fate. as he abides thus diligent, etc. That too is how a monk develops mindfulness of the body, again as though he were to see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground, a skeleton with flesh and blood held together with sinews. And then later, a fleshless skeleton smeared with blood, held together with sinews. And later, a skeleton without flesh and blood, held together with sinews. And later, a disconnected bone scattered in all directions. Here a hand bone, there a foot bone. Here a shin bone, there a thigh bone. Here, a hip bone. There, a back bone. Here, a rib bone. There, a breast bone. Here, an arm bone. There, a shoulder bone. Here, a neck bone. There, a jaw bone. Here, a tooth. There, the skull. A monk compares this same body with a dust. This body, too, is of the same nature. It will be like that. It is not exempt from that fate. As in, a vice does diligence, etc. That, too, is how a monk develops mindfulness of the body. Again, as though he were to see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground, bones bleached white, the colour of shells, bones heaped up more than a year old, bones rotted and crumbled to dust. A monk compares this same body with it thus, this body too is of the same nature, it will be like that, it is not exempt from that fate, as he abides thus diligently, etc., etc. That too is how a monk develops mindfulness of the body. So this part is about the different stages of corpse decay, starting with the fresh corpse, about three days dead. If you consider, I think some of you have seen some people who have died. If you have gone for funerals, you would have seen the body in a coffin, just like here, bloated, livid, oozing matter, so smelly. But of course nowadays they don't make, they put all the dry ice and all that. It's not smelly and all that, not bloated and all that. But we consider like sometimes a dog died by the roadside. Then you see slowly it becomes bloated. Then after a few days the skin will will break and then you see all the metal oozing out and slowly you can see all the maggots, full of maggots. So the human corpse is also like that. So here is described all the various stages of decay of a corpse. And the Buddha advises to consider that our body is one day is going to face the same fate. We cannot run away. of this faith. It's because the body is going to die one day. So the Buddha is telling us, don't be attached to it. If you are attached to it, either your own body or the body of someone else, and when it dies, you are going to suffer because of attachment. This meditation, very few people want to to practice this meditation. But it's a very good meditation to see non-self, to see that this body is so impermanent. One day it's here, one day it's no more, no more around. So it's a very, very, very good meditation to understand anatta, not self. Again, monks, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a monk enters upon and abides in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with delight and pleasure born of seclusion. He makes the delight and pleasure born of seclusion drench, steep, fill and pervade this body so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by the delight and pleasure born of seclusion. Just as a skilled bath man or a bath man's apprentice heaps bath powder in a metal basin and sprinkling it gradually with water, kneads it till the moisture wets his ball of bath powder, soaks it and pervades it inside and out, yet the ball itself does not ooze. So too, a monk makes the delight and pleasure born of seclusion, drench, deep fill and pervade this body, so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by the delight and pleasure born of seclusion. As he abides thus diligent, et cetera. That too is how a monk develops mindfulness of the body. Stop here for a moment. There are not many suttas which gives this very detailed description of how to practice the first jhana. After getting the first jhāna, the Buddha says you have to make the piti and sukha drench, steep, fill and pervade the whole body. So it shows when a person is in the first jhāna, he can incline his attention to the body and make the piti and sukha drench and steep and fill the body. So it's not that when you enter the jhana you are not aware of the body. Initially you might not pay attention to the body, but as the Buddha says here, you can incline your attention to the body and make the piti and sukha drench and steep and fill the body. This is a very important instruction that nowadays you find is not taught by meditation teachers. That's why I always say that Buddha is the best teacher. All his instructions in the suttas are complete and perfect. Again, monks, with the stilling of applied and sustained thought, a monk enters upon and abides in the second jhāna, which has self-confidence and singleness of mind without applied and sustained thought, with delight and pleasure born of concentration." Stop here for a moment. Last night I was trying to find this part, actually. Actually, it says here, in the second jhana, there is self-confidence and singleness of mind. In other words, this unification of mind in the second jhana is much more pronounced than in the first jhana. In the first jhana, you still have this vittaka and vichara, applied and sustained thought. But in the second jhana, vittaka and vichara, is eliminated. There is no thought at all. There is unification of mind, although there is awareness. He makes the delight and pleasure born of concentration. You see this delight and rapture and pleasure is born of concentration. drench, steep, fill and pervade this body so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by the delight and pleasure born of concentration, just as though there were a lake whose waters welled up from below, and it had no inflow from east, west, north or south, and would not be replenished from time to time by showers of rain. Then the cool fount of water welling up in the lake would make the cool water drench, steep, fill, and pervade the lake, so that there would be no part of the whole lake unpervaded by cool water. So, too, a monk makes a delight and pleasure born of concentration, drench, steep, fill and pervade his body so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by the delight and pleasure born of concentration. As he abides thus diligent etc. That too is how a monk develops mindfulness of the body. Again monks, with the steep fading away as well of delight, a monk abides in equanimity and mindful and fully aware. Still feeling pleasure with the body, he enters upon and abides in the third jhana on account of which Noble once announced. He has a pleasant abiding who has equanimity and is mindful. He makes the pleasure divested of delight, drench, steep, fill, and pervade this body. so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by the pleasure divested of delight. Just as in a pond of blue or white or red lotuses, some lotuses that are born and grow in the water thrive immersed in the water without rising out of it. and cool water drenches, steeps, fills, and pervades them to their tips and their roots, so that there is no part of all those lotuses unpervaded by cool water. So too, a monk makes the pleasure divested of delight, drench, steep, fill, and pervade this body, so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by the pleasure divested of delight, as he abides thus diligently, etc. That too is how a monk develops mindfulness of the body. Again, monks, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, a monk enters upon and abides in the fourth jhāna, which has neither pain nor pleasure, and utter purity of mindfulness and equanimity. He sits pervading this body with a pure, bright mind, so that there is no part of his whole body unpervaded by the pure, bright mind. Just as though a man were sitting covered from head down with a white cloth, so that there would be no part of his whole body not covered by the white cloth, so too a monk sits pervading this body with a pure bright mind, so that there is no part of his body unpervaded by the pure bright mind. As he abides thus diligent, ardent and resolute, his memories and intentions based on the household life are abandoned. With their abandoning, his mind becomes steadied internally, quieted, brought to singleness and concentrated. That too is how a monk develops mindfulness of the body. I'll stop here for a moment. So here you see the difference of the fourth jhāna from the others. In this state of the fourth jhāna, this brightness pervades the whole body and mind. And there is a sutta in the Anguttara Nikaya, I think, where the Buddha said, The most ideal condition for insight to arise is a mind cultivated until it is bright. When a mind like in this fourth jhana is cultivated until it is bright, all the kilesas, all the hindrances are totally eliminated at that point. So that's why in another sutra the Buddha says that a person who attains the fourth jhana, he understands everything that he needs to understand so clearly. His mind is so bright and so he can see very clearly things as they really are. Amongst anyone who has developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body has included within himself whatever wholesome states there are that partake of true knowledge. Just as anyone who has extended his mind over the great ocean has included it has included within it whatever streams there are that flow into the ocean. So too, anyone who has developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body has included within himself whatever wholesome states there are that partake of true knowledge. Monks, when anyone has not developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body, Mara finds an opportunity and a support in him. Suppose a man were to throw a heavy stone ball upon a mound of wet clay. What do you think, monks? Would that heavy ball find entry into that mound of wet clay? Yes, Venerable Sir. So too, monks, when anyone has not developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body, Mara finds an opportunity and a support in him. Suppose there were a dry, sapless piece of wood, and a man came with an upper fire stick, thinking, I shall light the fire, I shall produce heat. What do you think, monks? Could the man light the fire and produce heat by rubbing the dry, sapless piece of wood with an upper fire stick? Yes, Vimbal Sir. So too, monks, when anyone has not developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body, Mara finds an opportunity and a support in him. Suppose there were a hollow, empty water jug set out on a stand, and a man came with a supply of water. What do you think, monks? Could the man pour the water into the jug? Yes, Venerable Sir. So too, monks, when anyone has not developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body, Mara finds an opportunity and a support in him." Stop it for a moment. So here the Buddha says, if someone has not developed mindfulness of the body to the extent of attaining the jhanas, then his mind is very weak and Mara can find an opportunity to overcome him. Mara is always looking for an opportunity and always tempting us with the five courts of sensual pleasure that is Mara's bed. Beautiful forms to see, sounds to hear, etc. Monks, when anyone has developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body, Mara cannot find an opportunity or a support in him. Suppose a man were to throw a light ball of string at a door panel made entirely of hardwood. What do you think, monks, would that light ball or string find entry to the door panel made entirely of hard wood, nowhere will serve. So to monks, when anyone has developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body, Mara cannot find an opportunity or a support in him. Suppose there were a wet, sappy piece of wood, And the man came with an upper fire stick, thinking, I shall light the fire, I shall produce heat. What do you think, monks? Could that man light the fire and produce heat by taking the upper fire stick and rubbing it against the wet, sappy piece of wood? No, Venerable Sir. So too, monks, when anyone has developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body, Mara cannot find an opportunity or a support in him. Suppose Suppose, set up on a stand, there were a water jug full of water right up to the brim so that crows could drink from it, and a man came with a supply of water. What do you think, monks? Could the man pour the water into the jug? No, Vimal Sir. So, to monks, when anyone has developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body, Mara cannot find an opportunity or a support in him. So here the Buddha is saying that when we develop mindfulness of the body, to the extent mentioned here, having attained the jhanas, then Mara cannot overcome you with all the pain. Monks, when anyone has developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body, then when he inclines his mind towards realizing any state that may be realized by direct knowledge, he attains the ability to witness any aspect therein, there being a suitable basis. Suppose, set out on a stand, there were a water jug full of water right up to the brim so that crows could drink from it. Whenever a strong man tips it, would water come out? Yes, fellow sir. So to monks, when anyone has developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body, then when he inclines his mind towards realizing any state that may be realized by direct knowledge, he attains the ability to witness any aspect therein, there being a suitable basis. Suppose there were a square pond on a level ground, surrounded by an embankment, full of water right up to the brim, so that crows could drink from it. Whenever a strong man loosens the embankment, would water come out? Yes, my humble sir. So to monks, when anyone has developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body, he attains the ability to witness any aspect therein, there being a suitable basis. Suppose there were a chariot on even ground at the crossroads, harnessed to thoroughbreds, waiting with goat lying ready, so that a skilled trainer, a charioteer of horses to be tamed, might mount it. And taking the reins in his left hand and the goat in his right hand, might drive out and back by any road whenever he likes. So to monks, when anyone has developed and cultivated mindfulness of the body, etc., he attains the ability to witness any aspect therein, there being a suitable basis. So here the Buddha says, if a person has developed mindfulness of the body, then he can attain whatever knowledge he wants to attain, provided there is a suitable basis. And this suitable basis must be the four jhanas. Because in the suttas, the Buddha always says, when a person has attained the four jhanas, the four rupa jhanas, then if he wants to attain the various abhinyans, the higher knowledges, or the psychic powers, he can attain them up to destruction of the asavas, which means liberation. Monks, when mindfulness of the body has been repeatedly practiced, developed, cultivated, used as a vehicle, used as a basis, established, consolidated and well undertaken, these ten benefits may be expected. What ten? One becomes a conqueror of discontent and discontent does not conquer oneself. One abides overcoming discontent whenever it arises. I'll stop here for a moment. This discontent, you can see it like when a person first renounces. then all the memories and intentions based on the home life surface, then he is very agitated, very discontented. But if he practices very hard mindfulness of the body, then he overcomes this discontent. Number two, one becomes a conqueror of fear and dread. Fear and dread do not conquer oneself. One abides overcoming fear and dread whenever they arise. Just earlier we read one sutta, how the fool, fear arises in the fool, not in the wise man. And I mentioned that this fear, because the fear is inside of him, that it surfaces whenever the outside conditions are right. So that is partly because the mind is not strong. The mind has fear. The mind is agitated. But if a person practices this mindfulness of the body and the mind becomes one-pointed, then the mind calms down. And fear and dread can be overcome because a mind that is one-pointed is a very strong mind. It's a very solid mind. It's not easily moved by outside conditions. Number three, one bears cold and heat, hunger and thirst, and contact with gadflies, mosquitoes, wind and sun, and creeping things. One endures ill-spoken, unwelcome words and arisen bodily feelings that are painful, wracking, sharp, piercing, disagreeable, distressing, and menacing to life. stop here for a moment. So here, as I mentioned just now, when the mind has attained one-pointedness, then it is stable, it is not easily shaken by outside conditions, all these hunger, thirst, unpleasant words, etc., pain, all this, it can expand much better. That's why I usually tell lay people, if I tell everybody, if they can, early in the morning when they wake up to practice some meditation. If they practice some meditation, they get a bit of concentration, especially lay people when they go and work, they get a lot of pressure, they get a lot of stress, they get a lot of scolding and all that. And they can take it much better. Their mind is Number four, one obtains at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhanas that constitute the higher mind and provide a pleasant abiding here and now. So this number four refers to the four jhanas. And after this, the Buddha talks about the six abhinya, higher knowledges. One wields the number five. One wields the various kinds of psychic power. One body becoming many bodies, et cetera. One can fly like a bird, et cetera. 6. With the divine or heavenly ear element, which is purified and surpasses the human, one hears both kinds of sounds, the divine and the human, those that are far as well as near. 7. One understands the minds of other beings, of other persons, having encompassed them with one's own mind. One understands a mind affected by lust as affected by lust, etc. Number eight, one recollects one's manifold past lives, that is, one birth, two births, three, 10, 100, 1,000 cycles of world system, et cetera. Thus, with the aspects and particulars, one recollects one's manifold past lives. With the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, one sees beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and one understands how beings pass on according to their actions. 10. By realizing for oneself with direct knowledge, one here and now enters upon and abides in the liberation by mind and liberation by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints. 11. When mindfulness of the body has been repeatedly practiced, developed, cultivated, used as a vehicle, used as a basis, established, consolidated, and well undertaken, these ten benefits may be expected. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. That's the end of the sutta. So just to recap, when the Buddha says mindfulness of the body, here the Buddha gives a few examples. Breathing is one, because the Buddha says the breath is a type of body. And if a person practices this meditation on the breath, diligently when the mind becomes one-pointed and concentrated. And the memories and intentions based on the household life fade away. And then the next one is the posture, to be aware of the four postures, whether you are walking or standing or sitting or lying down. Always be mindful of your posture without allowing the mind to stray and think. The third one is mindfulness of whatever we do, whether we are eating, or drinking, or stretching our hand, or wearing our clothes, et cetera. And the next one is the 32 parts of the body, to recite the parts of the body and to consider one by one. That's one way to recite fast and use it as a concentration exercise. Next one is to consider the body as made out of the four great elements, earth, water, fire, wind. And after that is contemplation of the corpse, to consider how one day, not too far, not too distant future, our body will become a corpse, become bloated, blue-black. oozing matter and all that are stinking. So after that it will decay and the flesh will slowly disappear, slowly the sinews also will break up and then the bones start to go in different directions. And after a few years even the bones also will crumble to dust. And then after that attaining the the jhānas by practicing unremitting mindfulness on one object all the time, that will bring you to the jhānas. Then, if a person can attain four jhānas, then the Buddha says, then you want to incline your mind to realize whatever knowledge you want, you can. And lastly, the Buddha talks about the ten benefits of constantly practicing mindfulness of the body.

20-MN-120-Sankharupapatti-(2010-09-07).txt

So okay, we have time to move to the next sutta. Majjhima Nikaya 120, Sankaruppapatti Sutta. Sankaruppapatti Sutta. Here it says, reappearance by aspiration. This Sankaruppapatti consists of two words, Sankara and Uppapatti. Sankara means volition or intention. And Uppapatti means rebirth. So another translation is rebirth by volition, taking rebirth where you want to be reborn according to your volition or intention. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jeta's Grove at Nathapindika's Park. There he addressed the monks as monks. Remember, sir, they replied. The Blessed One said, monks, I shall teach you Reappearance or rebirth in accordance with one's aspiration. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, my brother, the monk's reply. The blessed one said, Dear monks, a monk possesses faith, virtue, learning, generosity, and wisdom. He thinks, oh, that on the dissolution of the body after death, I might reappear in the company of well-to-do nobles. He fixes his mind on that, establishes it, develops it. These aspirations and this abiding of this thus developed and cultivated, lead to his re-appearance or rebirth there. This monk is the path, the way that leads to re-appearance there." Again, the monk possesses faith, etc. He thinks, oh, that on the dissolution of the body after death might reappear in the company of well-to-do Brahmins or in the company of well-to-do householders. He fixes his mind on that. This monk is the path, the way that leads to re-appearance there. Here the Buddha is talking about if someone wants to be reborn as a high caste human being, in India there are four castes. The first three are considered quite high caste. One is the noble warrior caste. Second is the Brahmin caste. The third is the merchant class, here it says householders. So if you want to be reborn in this high caste human birth, the Buddha says these few things are necessary, faith, virtue, learning, generosity and wisdom. Out of these five things mentioned here, when we refer to the previous suttas we have read, the Buddha has said that if two persons want to be reborn in the same place, four things must be the same. Faith is one, virtue is another, virtue or lack of virtue, and then generosity and wisdom. So here, the Buddha has added one more. It's learning. Learning is knowledge of the Dhamma. Much learning. So, these five qualities. Also, in some other suttas, the Buddha said that we want to repay our parents' kindness. We should teach them four things. One, to bring them to have faith in the Triple Gem, Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. The second one is to teach them to cultivate virtue or moral conduct. The third is to teach them to be generous and like to be generous. teach them to have wisdom by exposing them to the Dhamma. So the Buddha says, if we teach our parents these four things, then we repay our parents' kindness, which is very hard to repay. In fact, the Buddha says, if you teach them these four things, then you more than repay your parents' kindness. So those are the four things, but here the Buddha adds one more, much learning of the Dhamma. So we have these five qualities, then we want to have a good human rebirth, we can have in the next life. Again, a monk possesses faith, virtue, learning, generosity, and wisdom. He hears that the gods of the heaven of the four great kings, stop here for a moment. There is a sutta, I forgot to mention, I think in the Anguttara Nikaya, where the Buddha says that two things are basic for rebirth back as a human being. One is charity or generosity, the other one is moral conduct or virtue. And the Buddha mentioned in that sutta that if a person develops these two things, generosity and moral conduct to a very low degree. It's very likely that he comes back as a human being in the next birth, but with very little luck. not under good circumstances. And if he develops these two things, generosity and moral conduct, to a medium degree, very likely he will come back as a human being with much luck, under very favourable circumstances. He'll be born, for example, born with a healthy body, looking good, and in a rich family, and he can make his fortune very easily. And then these two things, if he develops it to a high degree, generosity and moral conduct, then it's very likely that he will be reborn in heaven, the Buddha says. In other words, if a person does not develop generosity and this moral conduct like a lot of humans don't do, then they have no chance of coming back as a human being or going to heaven. They'll be born in the woeful planes of rebirth. Okay, coming back to this paragraph six. Again, the monk possesses faith, virtue, learning, generosity, and wisdom. He hears that the gods of the heaven of the four great kings are long-lived, beautiful, and enjoy great happiness. He thinks, oh, that on the dissolution of the body after death, I might reappear in the company of the gods of the heaven of the four great kings. He fixes his mind on that. This monk is the path, the way that leads to reappearance there. Again, a monk possesses faith, etc., he hears that the gods of the heaven of the Thirty-Three, or the Yama gods, or the gods of the Tushita heaven, or the gods who delight in creating, The gods who wield power over others' creations are long-lived, beautiful, and enjoy great happiness. He thinks, oh, that on the dissolution of the body after death, I might reappear in the company of those gods. He fixes his mind on that. This month is the path, the way that leads to reappearance there." So here, the Buddha is talking about taking rebirth in the sixth sensual desire realm. Every world system, there are three realms. The sensual desire realm, and then above that is the form realm, and above that is the formless realm. So in the sensual desire realm, all beings are dominated by sensual lust. So you have male and female beings. So there are six heavens there and the Buddha says if a person has these five qualities and he aspires to be reborn in those heavens, he can. Referring back to the last sutra, I mentioned that the person who wants to be reborn as a human or heavenly being needs to develop this generosity and moral conduct. So if that chained person wants to be reborn in the heavens, then he has to practice these two to a high degree, generosity and moral conduct. Again, a monk possesses faith, etc. He hears that the Brahma of a thousand is long-lived, beautiful, and enjoys great happiness. Now the Brahma of a thousand abides intent on pervading a world system of a thousand worlds, and he abides intent on pervading the beings that have reappeared there. Just as a man with good sight might take a gall nut in his hand and review it, so the Brahma of a thousand abides intent on pervading a world system of a thousand worlds, and he abides intent on pervading the beings that have reappeared there. The monk thinks, oh, that on the dissolution of the body after death, I might reappear in the company of the Brahma of a thousand. He fixes his mind on that. This, monks, is the path, the way that leads to reappearance there. Again, the monk possesses faith, etc. He hears that the Brahma of 2000, the Brahma of 3000, the Brahma of 4000, the Brahma of 5000 is long-lived, beautiful and enjoys great happiness. Now the Brahma of 5000 abides intent on pervading a world system of 5000 worlds. and he abides intent on pervading the beings that have reappeared there. Just as a man with good sight might take five walnuts in his hand and review them, so the Brahma of five thousand abides intent on pervading a world system of five thousand worlds, and he abides intent on pervading the beings that have reappeared there. The monk thinks, oh that on the dissolution of the body after death, I might reappear in the company of the Brahma of 5,000. He fixes his mind on that. This monk is the path, the way that leads to reappearance there. Again the monk possesses faith, etc. He hears that the Brahma of 10,000 is long-lived, beautiful and enjoys great happiness. Now the Brahma of 10,000 abides intent on pervading a world system of 10,000 worlds, and he abides intent on pervading the beings that have reappeared there. This has a fine pearl gem of purest water, eight-faceted, well-cut, lying on red brocade, glows, radiates, and shines. So the Brahma of 10,000 abides intent on pervading a world-system of 10,000 worlds, and he abides intent on pervading the beings that have reappeared there. The monk thinks, oh, that on the dissolution of the body after death might reappear in the company of the Brahma of 10,000. He fixes his mind on that. This month is the part the way that leads to reappearance there. Again, a monk possesses faith, etc. He hears that the Brahma of a hundred thousand is long-lived, beautiful, and enjoys great happiness. Now the Brahma of a hundred thousand abides intent on pervading a world system of a hundred thousand worlds, and he abides intent on pervading the beings that have reappeared there, just as an ornament of finest gold, very skillfully wrought in the furnace by a clever goldsmith, lying on red brocade. glows, radiates, and shines. So the Brahma of a hundred thousand abides intent on pervading a world system of a hundred thousand worlds, and he abides intent on pervading the beings that have reappeared there. The monk thinks, oh that on the dissolution of the body after death, I might reappear in the company of the Brahma of a hundred thousand. He fixes his mind on that. This, monks, is the path, the way that leads to reappearance there. Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha is talking about the Brahma, the Brahma Heaven. These Brahmas, they are beings in the lowest form realm. Just now I mentioned that the form realm is higher than the sensual desire realm. And generally, for a being to be reborn in the form realm, you have to attain the form or rupa jhana. You have to attain the rupa jhāna, form jhāna. And there are four stages, four levels of this jhāna. First jhāna, second jhāna, third jhāna and fourth jhāna. So Brahma is in the lowest, the first jhāna. So one of the necessary conditions to be reborn as Brahma, I would assume that a person must have attained the first jhana, besides having the faith and generosity and wisdom and all that. So the other thing is, as mentioned here, these Brahmas are beings of light, just like a ball of light, like the sun. But surprisingly, the brightness is much brighter than our sun. So here it talks about world system. The Buddha says every sun is one world system. Every sun. So every sun, every star that we see in the sky, there's a possibility that there are humans there. So the thing is so far away, we still haven't found that out. So the lowest Brahma, his light is so powerful, it can shine to a thousand stars, can pervade, can go as far as a thousand stars, a thousand world systems are lighted up by this Brahma of a thousand. And the most powerful is the Brahma of 100,000. This Brahma of 100,000, his light is so powerful it can reach 100,000 world systems, 100,000 stars. So those who have brighter light, I guess when they were human beings, they developed the first jhana to a higher degree. One thing, there's one sutra the Buddha says that these heavenly beings, their psychic powers were not obtained in heaven. The psychic powers were all obtained on the human realm. So if you want to be a deva with a lot of powerful psychic power, then you have to work very hard now as a human being. This here is where we do the work. and then you are reborn in that heaven, having all that kind of psychic power, that bright light and all that. One thing about this, here you find the Buddha talks about the Brahma, and later books they talk about the Maha Brahma, and then they talk about the ministers of Brahma, Puruhita Brahma, and then they also talk about Brahma's retinue, Parisaja Brahma. But here the Buddha does not mention about these Brahmas being divided into three levels. The only difference is the brightness. Again, a monk possesses faith, etc., virtue, etc. He hears that the gods of radiance, the gods of limited radiance, the gods of immeasurable radiance, the gods of streaming radiance, the gods of glory, the gods of limited glory, the gods of immeasurable glory, the gods of effulgent glory, the gods of great fruit, the Avihar gods, the Atapa gods, the Sudasa gods, the Sudasi gods, the Akanita gods are long-lived, beautiful and enjoy great happiness. He thinks, oh, that on the dissolution of the body after death, I might reappear in the company of the gods. He fixes his mind on that. This monk is the path, the way that leads to reappearance there. I'll stop here for a moment. So here, the Buddha is talking about the second jhāna heaven, the third jhāna heaven, and the fourth jhāna heaven. The second jhāna heaven is called the Abhāsara, the gods of radiance. Radiance here is a translation for Abhāsara. And here it is mentioned that these gods of radiance are three levels. You have the limited radiance, the immeasurable radiance, and the streaming radiance. So this second jhāna heaven, there are three levels. And the third jhāna heaven is the gods of glory. There are three levels, limited glory, immeasurable glory, and refulgent glory. So the third jhāna heaven, there are three levels. And then the fourth jhāna heaven begins with these gods of great fruit. It's called the vihāpāla heavens, vihāpāla, gods of great fruit. Then after that, there are five, the avihā, attapa, suddhāsa, suddhāsi, and akhanita. These five belong to what is called the suddhavāsa, pure abodes. This Suddhavasa, only anagamins are reborn there. If you are not an anagamin, you cannot be reborn in these five heavens. That means there are not many gods there. It's hard to be reborn there. And if you are reborn there, after that, when you pass away, There are five. Why are there five levels there? Because some of them are born in the lower level of these five. After they pass away, they go to a higher level. After they pass away, they go to a higher level. So some of them, they pass through five heavens before they enter Nibbana. Some, they pass through four heavens and then enter Nibbana. Some, three heavens. Some, two. Some, one. And then they enter Nibbana. the pure boats that only anagamins are reborn. And also, I'd like to mention here, later books, like commentaries and all that, they added this asanya satta, the beings without perception, that means they only have a body but no perception and no consciousness. The commentaries and other books, they put them in this fourth jhāna, heaven. These beings, sannyāsatta, are mentioned by the Buddha in certain suttas. But the Buddha did not mention which level of heaven they are in. But it is possible that they might be in the fourth jhāna, heaven. Again, the monk possesses faith, virtue, etc. He hears that the gods of the base of infinite space, the gods of the base of infinite consciousness, the gods of the base of nothingness, the gods of the base of neither perception nor non-perception are long-lived, long-enduring, and enjoy great happiness. He thinks, oh, that on the dissolution of the body after death might reappear in the company of the gods of the base of whatever. He fixes his mind on that, establishes it, and develops it. These aspirations and this abiding of his, thus developed and cultivated, lead to his reappearance there. This monk is the path, the way that leads to reappearance there. Stopping for a moment. So this is talking about four levels of the formless realm. The formless realm, you can only be reborn there if you have attained the formless jhanas, arupas. In the suttas, they are called arupas. In the Visuddhimala, they call them arupajhanas. So this, you have to attain these meditations, these arupas, where the mind opens up. opens up and becomes a boundless space or boundless consciousness or nothingness or neither perception or non-perception, then only you can be reborn there. Again the monk possesses faith, virtue, learning, generosity and wisdom. He thinks, O that by realizing for myself with direct knowledge, am I here and now enter upon and abide in the liberation by mind and liberation by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints. And by realizing for himself with direct knowledge, he here and now enters upon and abides in the liberation by mind and liberation by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints. This monk does not reappear anywhere at all. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So this last part is the monk who aspires to attain Ibana and then he attains liberation by mind or liberation by wisdom. So he attains Nibbana. But here the Buddha says he does not reappear anywhere at all. Because Nibbana is the state where the six consciousnesses stop. A normal living being would have these six consciousnesses. The eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose, tongue, body, mind consciousness. But in the state of Parinibbana, after the arahant passes away, the sixth consciousness stops. Because the arahant has finished his work. Unlike what the Mahayana books say. The Mahayana books say the arahant has not finished his work. This is completely contradictory to the early suttas. So this sutta, the Buddha only mentions that if you are faith learning, virtue, generosity and wisdom, you can aspire and make the wish to be reborn in all these good states. But the Buddha didn't say that there are other conditions that you must attain all these jhanas and rupa jhanas and all that, besides having these five conditions. Okay, I think we stop here for tonight. It depends. If you want to chant the 32 parts of the body, you can rearrange them anywhere, any order you want. But they have been put in this order because the first half of it, roughly, are the the earth element, the harder parts of the body. And the second half are all the liquids. You see like bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tear, grease, betel, snot, all of the joint, oil of the joint, urine. This refers to the liquid part. Can we end here? There's no more questions?

21-MN-121-Culasunnata-(2010-09-08).txt

Today is the 8th of September and this is the 50th time we are talking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Today we come to Sutta 121, Chulla Sunyata Sutta, the shorter discourse on voidness. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in the Eastern Park, in the palace of Migara's mother. Then when it was evening, the Venerable Ananda rose from meditation, went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to Him, he sat down at one side and said to the Blessed One, Venerable Sir, on one occasion the Blessed One was living in the Sakyan country at a town of the Sakyans named Nagaraka. There, Venerable Sir, I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. Now, Ananda, I often abide in voidness. Did I hear that correctly, Venerable Sir? Did I learn that correctly, attend to that correctly, remember that correctly? Certainly, Ananda, you heard that correctly, learned that correctly, attended to that correctly, remembered that correctly. As formerly Ananda, so now too I often abide in voidness. Ananda, just as this palace of Migara's mother is void of elephants, cattle, horses and mares, void of gold and silver, void of the assembly of men and women, and there is present only this non-voidness, namely the singleness dependent on the Sangha of monks, So too, a monk, not attending to the perception of village, not attending to the perception of people, attends to the singleness dependent on the perception of forest. His mind enters into that perception of forest and acquires confidence, steadiness and decision. He understands thus, whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the perception of village, those are not present here. whatever disturbances that might be dependent on the perception of people, these are not present here. There is present only this amount of disturbance, namely the singleness dependent on the perception of forests. He understands this field of perception is void of the perception of village. This field of perception is void of the perception of people. There is present only this non-voidness, namely the singleness dependent on the perception of forest. Thus he regards it as void of what is not there, but as to what remains there he understands That which is present thus, this is present, thus Ananda. This is his genuine, undistorted, pure descent into voidness. Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says that when a monk is in the forest monastery, here this place is called the Eastern Park, and that monastery is devoid of a lot of people, a lot of devoid of elephants, cattle, horses, money, etc. There is only the Sangha of monks and the perception of the forest. This is called kaya viveka, body seclusion. Viveka means seclusion. Bodily seclusion is to be secluded from people generally. So the Buddha encourages a monk to practice Kaya Viveka by living in secluded places. Secluded places are called Aranya. It might be a forest, it might be up a hill, it might be in a cave, etc. Again Ananda, a monk, not attending to the perception of people, not attending to the perception of forests, attends to the singleness dependent on the perception of earth. His mind enters into that perception of earth and acquires confidence, steadiness and decision, just as a bull's hide becomes free from foes when fully stretched with a hundred pegs. So too a monk, not attending to any of the ridges and hollows of this earth, to the rivers and ravines, the tracks of stumps and thorns, the mountains and uneven places, attends to the singleness dependent on the perception of earth. His mind enters into that perception of earth and acquires confidence, steadiness and decision. He understands thus, whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the perception of people, these are not present here. Whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the perception of forests, these are not present here. There is present only this amount of disturbance, namely the singleness dependent on the perception of earth. He understands this field of perception is void of the perception of people. This field of perception is void of the perception of others. There is present only this non-voidness. namely the singleness dependent on the perception of earth. Thus he regards it as void of what is not there, but as to what remains there, he understands that which is present thus, this is present. Thus Ananda, this too, is his genuine, undistorted, pure descent into voidness." Stop here for a moment. So here, I think the Buddha is talking about meditation on the earth. meditation on the object of the earth. This is one of the Kassina meditations which existed even before the Buddha's time. What the Visuddhimagga says is that they take this earth, which is a bit like clay, they make it into a round disk and it has to be of the right color, slightly orange like that. And then at least, I think, one foot in diameter. Then they look at it, and then they close their eyes. And then they look at it and close their eyes. Keep looking and closing their eyes until the sight of Earth stays in their mind. So when he can see only Earth, then his mind goes into that earth object, and he does not perceive other things. And this meditation can bring them to the jhanas, the four jhanas. And so this can be considered the citta viveka. He's only looking into his mind, not aware of his surroundings. Citta viveka is mental seclusion. metal seclusion is a higher state of seclusion than just now the bodily seclusion, kaya, viveka. Both of these are encouraged by the Buddha. Again Ananda, a monk not attending to the perception of forests, not attending to the perception of earth, attends to the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of infinite space. His mind enters into that perception of the base of infinite space and acquires confidence, steadiness and decision. He understands thus, Whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the perception of forests, those are not present here. Whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the perception of earth, those are not present here. There is present only this amount of disturbance, namely the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of infinite space. He understands This field of perception is void of the perception of forests. This field of perception is void of the perception of earth. There is present only this non-voidness, namely the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of infinite space. Thus he regards it as void of what is not there. But as to what remains there, he understands that which is present thus. This is present. Thus Ananda. This too is his genuine, undistorted, pure descent into voidness. stop here for a moment. So here this monk, he attains the arupa, the first arupa, which is the base of infinite space. So he is only aware, he only perceives the base of infinite space and nothing else. Again Ananda, a monk not attending to the perception of earth, not attending to the perception of the base of infinite space, attends to the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of infinite consciousness. His mind enters into that perception of the base of infinite consciousness and acquires confidence, steadiness and decision. He understands thus, whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the perception of Earth, those are not present here. Whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the perception of the base of infinite space, Those are not present here. There is present only this amount of disturbance, namely, the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of infinite consciousness. He understands, this field of perception is void of the perception of earth. This field of perception is void of the perception of the base of infinite space. There is present only this non-voidness, namely the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of infinite consciousness. Thus he regards it as void of what is not there. But as to what remains there, he understands that that which is present thus, this is present, thus ananda, this too is his genuine, undistorted, pure descent into voidness. So in the same way, his meditation goes to a higher level and he attains the base of infinite consciousness and he is only aware of that. He does not perceive any other thing. Again, Ananda, a monk, not attending to the perception of the base of infinite space, not attending to the perception of the base of infinite consciousness, attends to the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of nothingness, His mind enters into that perception of the base of nothingness and acquires confidence, steadiness and decision. He understands thus, whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the perception of the base of infinite space, those are not present here. Whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the perception of the base of infinite consciousness, those are not present here. There is present only this amount of disturbance, namely the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of nothingness. He understands this field of perception is void of the perception of the base of infinite space. This field of perception is void of the perception of the base of infinite consciousness. There is present only this non-voidness, namely the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of nothingness. Thus he regards it as void of what is not there. But as to what remains there, he understands that which is present thus. This is present, thus Ananda. This too is his genuine, undistorted, pure descent into voidness. So similarly, he goes to the next higher level of meditation, which is the base of nothingness. Again, Ananda, a monk not attending to the perception of the base of infinite consciousness, not attending to the perception of the base of nothingness, attends to the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of neither perception nor non-perception. His mind enters into that perception of the base of neither perception nor non-perception, and acquires confidence, steadiness, and decision. He understands thus, whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the perception of the base of infinite consciousness, those are not present here. Whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the perception of the base of nothingness, those are not present here. There is present only this amount of disturbance, namely the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of neither perception nor non-perception. He understands, this field of perception is void of the perception of the base of infinite consciousness. This field of perception is void of the perception of the base of nothingness. There is present only this non-voidness, namely, the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of neither perception nor non-perception. Thus he regards it as void of what is not there. But as to what remains there, he understands that which is present thus. This is present, thus ananda. This too is his genuine, undistorted, pure descent into voidness. Stop here for a moment. So here he comes to the base of neither perception nor non-perception. This is the highest arupa or arupajana he can attain, where the mind is slipping into. Sometimes it perceives, sometimes it does not perceive. Again, Ananda, among not attending to the perception of the base of nothingness, not attending to the perception of the base of neither perception nor non-perception, attends to the singleness dependent on the signless concentration of mind. His mind enters into that signless concentration of mind and acquires confidence, steadiness, and decision. He understands thus, whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the perception of the base of nothingness, Those are not present here. Whatever disturbances there might be, dependent on the perception of the base of neither perception nor non-perception, those are not present here. There is present only this amount of disturbance, namely that connected with the six bases that are dependent on this body and conditioned by light. He understands this field of perception is void of the perception of the base of nothingness. This field of perception is void of the perception of the base of neither perception nor non-perception. There is present only this non-voidness, namely that connected with the six bases that are dependent on this body and conditioned by life. Thus he regards it as void of what is not there, but as to what remains there, he understands that which is present thus. This is present, thus ananda. This too is his genuine, undistorted, pure descent into voidness. Stop here for a moment. This signless concentration of mind is evident that it is a very high state. The Pali is Animitta, Ceto, Samadhi. This Nimitta is translated as the sign. So Animitta is signless, signless concentration of mind. The highest Arupa is the base of neither perception nor non-perception, where the mind sometimes perceives, sometimes does not perceive. And this one is supposed to be higher. But in the suttas we find generally the next highest stage than this is the cessation of perception and feeling. That state of cessation of perception and feeling, there is no perception, there is no feeling, there is no consciousness. So when that monk enters that state, he has no awareness because the sixth sense consciousness has stopped. But even then, it seems, because this state is similar to the state of Parinibbana, it seems there is an awareness, there is a consciousness which is not normal consciousness. That consciousness is luminous. It's stated in the Kevada Sutta and the Digha Nikaya. It's also boundless. The state of Parinibbana, the consciousness is boundless, it's bright and luminous. So when the monk is in that state, he's not aware because he does not perceive. But when he comes out of it, then he's aware that he was in that state. So here it might be referring to that state because normal consciousness must have an object, the normal six consciousness must have an object which is a sign, must have a sign or object. But in this signless concentration there is no sign, no object, so it is not a normal six consciousness. Again, Ananda, a monk, not attending to the perception of the base of nothingness, not attending to the perception of the base of neither perception nor non-perception, attends to the singleness dependent on the signless concentration of mind. His mind enters into that signless concentration of mind and acquires confidence, steadiness and decision. He understands thus, this signless concentration of mind is conditioned and volitionally produced, but whatever is conditioned and volitionally produced is impermanent, subject to cessation. When he knows and sees thus, his mind is liberated from the taint of sensual desire, from the taint of being, and from the taint of ignorance. When it is liberated, there comes the knowledge it is liberated. He understands, birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done. There is no more coming to any state of being. Stop here for a moment. This is what happens. It is mentioned in other suttas. When a monk attains the cessation of perception and feeling, and when he comes out of it, he realizes that the whole world is conditioned, produced by the mind. When he comes out of that state, he attains destruction of the taints. He becomes liberated. So here it says that state, that state of cessation of perception and feeling can last a maximum of seven days. Like when the Buddha, after the Buddha was liberated, sat under the tree and attained that state for seven days and seven nights. Then after that, he came out of that state. Then he walked to another tree, sat down another tree, and also went into that cessation of perception and feeling for seven days and seven nights. So that state is conditioned. After seven days, you must come out of it. It's not a permanent state. Okay, come to paragraph 12. He understands thus, whatever disturbances there might be, dependent on the taint of sensual desire, those are not present here. Whatever disturbances there might be, dependent on the taint of being, those are not present here. Whatever disturbances there might be, dependent on the taint of ignorance, those are not present here. There is present only this amount of disturbance, namely that connected with the six bases that are dependent on this body and conditioned by life. He understands this field of perception is void of the taint of sensual desire. This field of perception is void of the taint of being. This field of perception is void of the taint of ignorance. There is present only this non-voidness, namely that connected with the six bases that are dependent on this body and conditioned by life. Thus he regards it as void of what is not there. But as to what remains there, he understands that which is present thus. This is present, thus ananda. This is his genuine, undistorted, pure descent into voidness, supreme and unsurpassed. Ananda, whatever recluses and brahmins in the past entered upon and abided in pure, supreme, unsurpassed voidness, all entered upon and abided in this same pure, supreme, unsurpassed voidness. Whatever recluses and brahmins in the future will enter upon and abide in pure, supreme, unsurpassed voidness, all will enter upon and abide in this pure, supreme, unsurpassed voidness. Whatever recluses and Brahmins in the present enter upon and abide in pure, supreme, unsurpassed voidness, all enter upon and abide in this same pure, supreme, unsurpassed voidness. Therefore, Ananda, if you train thus, you will enter upon and abide in pure, supreme, unsurpassed voidness. That is what the Blessed One said. The Venerable Ananda was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So in this last part, the Buddha talks about that state, that's the scientist's concentration of mind after liberation. After liberation, the attainment of sensual desire, the ignorance, and what's the other one here? Sensual desire. Being and ignorance are not present because it has become liberated. Through the taints, the asavas have been destroyed. So when he enters this state, this scientist concentration, which I presume is the cessation of perception and feeling, then the difference is this, that the asavas have been destroyed in the last part. So this is the highest state, the pure supreme unsurpassed voidness. So this sutta is about voidness. It's a bit deep. So I think nowadays I can hardly find any monk or any ascetic who can attain this state of the signless concentration. So without an Arahant around to explain this, you can only make a guess.

22-MN-122-Mahasunnata-Part-A-(2010-09-08).txt

Okay, now we come to the next sutta, 122 Maha Sunyata Sutta, The Greater Discourse on Voidness. This one is a very important sutta. That's very important from the Dhamma point of view. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living in the Sakyan country at Kapilavatthu near Kuroda Spa. Then when it was morning, the Blessed One dressed, and taking His bowl and outer robe, went into Kapilavatthu for alms. When He had wandered for alms in Kapilavatthu and had returned from His alms round, after His meal, He went for His daytime abiding to the dwelling of Kala Kemaka, the Sakyan. Now on that occasion, there were many resting places prepared in Kala Kemaka, the Sakyan's dwelling. When the Blessed One saw this, He thought, there are many resting places prepared in Kala Kemaka, the Sakin's dwelling. Do many monks live here? Now on that occasion, the Venerable Ananda along with many monks, was busy making robes at Gata, the Sakyan's dwelling. Then when it was evening, the Blessed One rose from retreat and went to Gata, the Sakyan's dwelling. There he sat down on a seat made ready and asked the Venerable Ananda, Ananda, there are many resting places prepared in Kala Kemaka, the Sakyan's dwelling. Do many monks live there? Venerable Sir, many resting places have been prepared in Kala Kemaka, the Sakyan's dwelling. Many monks are living there. This is our time for making robes. Venerable Sir, stop here for a moment. This time for making robes is the last month of the rain season. I mentioned last night that in India, the rain season is four months. So the first three months, the monks have to stay in one place for the rain retreat. And after the three months, the last month, they are allowed to make robes because the Buddha allowed them only once a year to make robes because the Buddha didn't want them to spend too much time looking for cloth to make robes and all that. So that one month they are busy making robes. This is the time. And the Buddha said, Ananda, a monk does not shine by delighting in company, by taking delight in company, by devoting himself to delight in company, by delighting in society, by taking delight in society, by rejoicing in society. Indeed, Ananda, it is not possible that a monk who delights in company takes delight in company and devotes himself to delight in company. who delights in society, takes delight in society and rejoices in society, will ever obtain at will, without trouble or difficulty, the bliss of renunciation, the bliss of seclusion, the bliss of peace, the bliss of enlightenment. But it can be expected that when a monk lives alone, withdrawn from society, he will obtain at will, without trouble or difficulty, the bliss of enunciation, the bliss of seclusion, the bliss of peace, the bliss of enlightenment. Indeed, Ananda, it is not possible that a monk who delights in company, takes delight in company, and devotes himself to delight in company, who delights in society, takes delight in society, and rejoices in society, will ever enter upon and abide in either the liberation by mind in either the liberation of mind that is temporary and delectable, or in the liberation of mind that is perpetual and unshakable. But it can be expected that when a monk lives alone, withdrawn from society, he will enter upon and abide in the liberation of mind that is temporary and delectable, or in the liberation of mind that is perpetual and unshakable. I'll stop here for a moment. So here you can see when the Buddha found out that there were many monks staying in one dwelling. This Kala Kemaka dwelling must be a very big kuti, very big building where many monks can stay. So the Buddha was not happy. The Buddha says if monks delight in company, delight in society, It is not possible to obtain the bliss of renunciation, the bliss of seclusion, the bliss of peace, the bliss of enlightenment. This refers to the jhanas, states of meditative absorption, which are absolutely necessary for enlightenment, the steps to enlightenment. So, also in the paragraph 4, the Buddha says, if a monk delights in company and rejoices in society, he also cannot obtain the liberation of mind that is temporary and delectable. The liberation of mind that is temporary and delectable probably refers to the jhanas. And then, or the liberation of mind that is perpetual and unshakable. This probably refers to the parts and fruits, the Aryan stages. Aryan stages of parts and fruits. Because the Aryan stages are perpetual and you cannot, once you have attained it, you cannot fall out of those states. So they are perpetual, unshakable. So the liberation of mind that is temporary are the jhanas, and the liberation of mind that is perpetual are the paths and fruits, the Aryan stages. So you see here the Buddha stresses very much on solitary living for a monk. Because the Buddha says here, it's obvious, that only by living alone a monk can attain the various stages. Although there are exceptions, but generally if a monk wants to attain liberation, then it is important to stay alone. This is very different from the Mahayana teachings. In the Mahayana Bodhisattva precepts, it is not allowed for a monk to live alone, especially in the forest. He has to associate with society. And then you have sutras like the Vimalakirti Sutra, where they say the Bodhisattva Vimalakirti has attained such a high state that he has surpassed the Arahant Sariputta. And he likes to always mix with high society and take delight in company and society. So here you can see from the Buddha Sutta that it is not possible for such a person to even attain any jhana, not to talk about the Aryan stages. Now we come to paragraph five. I do not see even a single kind of form, Ananda, from the change and alteration of which there would not arise sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair in one who lusts for it and takes delight in it. However, Ananda, there is this abiding discovered by the Tathagata to enter and abide in voidness internally by giving no attention to all signs. If while the Tathagata is abiding thus, he is visited by monks or nuns, by men or women lay followers, by kings or kings' ministers, by other sectarians or their disciples, then with the mind leaning to seclusion, tending and inclining to seclusion, withdrawn, delighting in renunciation, and altogether done with things that are the basis for kains, he invariably talks to them in a way concerned with dismissing them." I'll stop here for a moment. So the Buddha says there is no single form that if we lust for it and take delight in it, that it will not cause sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair to arise in us when any change occurs in that form. In other words, if we love any any person, we are attached to any person. And when something happens to that person, it is inevitable that sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair will arise in us. So that's why the Buddha says, be very careful. If you don't want to suffer, don't be too attached. Then the Buddha says that the Buddha, he enters into this signless concentration of mind, this presumably the state of the cessation of perception and feeling which the Buddha can easily enter into. So when he enters that state, the mind inclines to seclusion, the mind tends to withdraw, it goes into that state. of utter serenity and great bliss. So when somebody comes to talk to him, he will talk in such a way so that they know that he wants to dismiss them. So they have to make the talk as short as possible. Some people, when they come to talk with a monk, they like to Spend a lot of time talking. But if the monk is interested in meditation, he doesn't want to talk a lot. So he wants to dismiss that person. So whatever monks can attain high states of tranquility, they like to spend a lot of time in those states. And they don't like to associate with people a lot. They tend to be aloof from society. Therefore, Ananda, if a monk should wish, may I enter upon and abide in voidness internally, he should steady his mind internally, quiet it, bring it to singleness and concentrate it. And how does he steady his mind internally, quiet it, bring it to singleness and concentrate it? Here, Ananda, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a monk enters upon and abides in the first jhāna, And similarly, second jhāna, third jhāna and fourth jhāna. That is how a monk steadies his mind internally, quiets it, brings it to singleness and concentrates it. Then he gives attention to voidness internally. While he is giving attention to voidness internally, his mind does not enter into voidness internally or acquire confidence, steadiness and decision. When that is so, he understands thus, while I am giving attention to voidness internally, My mind does not enter into voidness internally or acquire confidence, steadiness and decision. In this way, he has full awareness of that. He gives attention to voidness internally and externally. He gives attention to imperturbability. While he is giving attention to imperturbability, his mind does not enter into imperturbability or acquire confidence, steadiness and decision. When that is so, he understands thus, while I am giving attention to imperturbability, my mind does not enter into imperturbability or acquire confidence, steadiness and decision. In this way, he has full awareness of that. Then that monk should steady his mind internally, quiet it, bring it to singleness and concentrate it on that same sign of concentration as before. Then he gives attention to voidness internally. While he is giving attention to voidness internally, his mind enters into voidness internally and acquires confidence, steadiness and decision. When that is so, he understands thus, While I am giving attention to voidness internally, my mind enters into voidness internally and acquires confidence, steadiness and decision. In this way, he has full awareness of that. He gives attention to voidness externally. He gives attention to voidness internally and externally. He gives attention to imperturbability. While he's giving attention to imperturbability, his mind enters into imperturbability and acquires confidence, steadiness, and decision. When that is so, he understands thus, while I'm giving attention to imperturbability, my mind enters into imperturbability and acquires confidence, steadiness, and decision. In this way, he has full awareness of that. I'll stop it for a moment. So here, the Buddha says, for a monk to enter, for a monk to steady his mind internally, quiet it and bring it to singleness and concentrate it, he has to attain the four jhanas. And to attain the four jhanas, different monks will have different objects of meditation. What the Buddha uses is anapanasati, mindfulness of the breath. The Buddha says if a monk tries to give attention to voidness internally, but his mind does not enter into that voidness internally, Then he should try to contemplate on voidness externally. If that is not successful, then he should try both internally and externally. Then after that, try imperturbability. Imperturbability refers to the fourth jhana and above, the state of tranquility, which is such a high state. Then the Buddha says if he cannot do that, then he must go back to entering the the four jhānas and attain up to the fourth jhāna. Then after he has attained the fourth jhāna, the mind becomes very tranquil. At that point, having come out of the fourth jhāna, then he should give attention to voidness internally. Then he should be able to enter into it. and also all the others, externally, internally and externally, and the sign of imperturbability. This giving attention to voidness internally is mentioned in paragraph 6. That means by giving no attention to all signs, not giving attention to any sign, just to enter into his mind. Okay, now we come to paragraph 11. When a monk abides thus, if his mind inclines to walking, he walks, thinking, while I am walking thus, no evil, unwholesome states of covetousness and grief will beset me. In this way, he has full awareness of that. And when a monk abides thus, if his mind inclines to standing, he stands. If his mind inclines to sitting, he sits. If his mind inclines to lying down, he lies down, thinking, while I am lying down, Thus, no evil and wholesome states will beset me." In this way, he has full awareness of that. When a monk abides thus, if his mind inclines to talking, I'll stop here for a moment. So here, if this monk can give attention after attaining the four jhanas, if he can give attention to the voidness internally, externally, and imperturbability, and enter into it, then when he comes out of it, if he's walking or standing or sitting or lying down, then Buddha says, no evil unwholesome states of covetousness and grief will beset me. This covetousness and grief arises from craving for sensual objects. Craving for sensual objects, then you have covetousness arising. If you are still caught up with sensual desire, then you have covetousness. But if you cannot get what you want, then grief will arise. So covetousness and grief comes from sensual desire, desire for sense objects, sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, thoughts. So he has attained those states, those high states, where he can enter into voidness or impermeability, then this covetousness and grief will not beset him. He is no more interested in sense objects. When a monk abides thus, if his mind inclines to talking, he resolves, such talk as is low, vulgar, coarse, ignoble, unbeneficial, and which does not lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, peace, direct knowledge, enlightenment and nibbana, that is, talk of kings, robbers, ministers, armies, dangers, battles, food, drink, clothing, beds, garlands, perfumes, relatives, vehicles, villages, towns, cities, countries, women, heroes, streets, wells, the dead. trivialities, the origin of the world, the origin of the sea. Whether things are so or are not so, such talk I shall not utter. In this way he has full awareness of that. But he resolves, such talk as deals with effacement, as favours the mind's release, and which leads to complete disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, peace, direct knowledge, enlightenment and nibbana, that is, talk on wanting little, on contentment. Wanting little is also translated as few wants, on contentment, seclusion, aloofness from society, arousing energy, virtue or moral conduct, concentration, wisdom, deliverance or liberation, knowledge and vision of deliverance. Such talk I shall utter. In this way he has full awareness of that. I'll stop you for a moment. So here, the Buddha says, if the monk abides in these deep states of tranquility, then he will not engage in base talk. This talk, as it's known, is tiracana katha, literally translated as animal talk, worldly talk. But he will only talk When a monk abides thus, if his mind inclines to thinking, he resolves such thoughts as are low, vulgar, coarse, ignoble, unbeneficial, and which do not lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, peace, direct knowledge, enlightenment, and nibbana. That is, thoughts of sensual desire, thoughts of ill-will and thoughts of cruelty, such thoughts I shall not think. In this way he has full awareness of that. But he resolves, such thoughts as are noble and emancipating, and lead the one who practices in accordance with them to the complete destruction of suffering. That is, thoughts of renunciation, thoughts of non-ill-will and thoughts of non-cruelty, such thoughts I shall think. In this way he has full awareness of that. I'll stop you for a moment. So here also, the Buddha says that this monk, he will be aware of his thoughts. He only thinks right thoughts, not wrong thoughts. Ananda, there are these five courts of sensual pleasure. What five? Forms cognizable by the eye that are wished for, desired, agreeable, and likable, connected with sensual desire and provocative of lust. Sounds cognizable by the ear, odors cognizable by the nose, flavors cognizable by the tongue, tangibles cognizable by the body, that are wished for, desired, agreeable, and likable, connected with sensual desire and provocative of lust. These are the five cause of sensual pleasure. Even a monk should constantly review his own mind thus, does any mental excitement concerning these five cause of sensual pleasure ever arise in me on any occasion? If, on reviewing his mind, the monk understands, mental excitement concerning these five cause of sensual pleasure does arise in me on certain occasions, then he understands, desire and lust for the five cause of sensual pleasure are unabandoned in me. In this way, he has full awareness of that. But if, on reviewing his mind, the monk understands, no mental excitement concerning these five cords of sensual pleasure arises in me on any occasion, then he understands, desire and lust for the five cords of sensual pleasure are abandoned in me. In this way, he has full awareness of that. I'll stop here for a moment. So here, the Buddha says a monk should examine his own mind and see whether he has any desire and lust for sights, sounds, smells, taste and touch. Unless a monk ascertain jhana and constantly abides in jhana, otherwise he would still have this desire and lust for the five cause of sensual pleasure. So not simply any monk can get rid of desire and lust for the five cause of sensual pleasure. Only the monk who constantly abides in jhana, in which case he will not be interested to see, to hear and all that. He is not interested. He won't direct his senses to the sense objects. He will abide internally most of the time. Ananda, there are these five aggregates affected by clinging in regard to which a monk should abide contemplating rise and fall thus, such as material form or body, such as arising, such as disappearance, such as feeling, such as arising, such as disappearance, such as perception, such as arising, such as disappearance, such as volition, such as arising, such as disappearance, such as consciousness, such as arising, such as disappearance. When he abides contemplating rise and fall in these five aggregates of attachment, the conceit I am based on these five aggregates of attachment are abandoned in him. When that is so, the monk understands the conceit I am based on these five aggregates of attachment is abandoned in me. In that way, he has full awareness of that These states have an entirely wholesome basis. They are noble, supramundane and inaccessible to the evil one. So here the Buddha says to get rid of the conceit, I am, which is very difficult to do. Only the Arahant can get rid of the conceit, I am. The Buddha says we should constantly contemplate the five aggregates of attachment, which we take to be I or mine, or I am in the five aggregates, or the five aggregates are in me. So, constantly we should see the impermanence of the body, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness, or body and mind.

23-MN-122-Mahasunnata-Part-B-(2010-09-08).txt

What do you think, Ananda, what good does a disciple see that he should seek the teacher's company, even if he is told to go away? Our teachings are rooted in the Blessed One, guided by the Blessed One. Have the Blessed One as their resort. It would be good if the Blessed One would explain the meaning of these words. Having heard it from the Blessed One, the monks will remember it. Ananda, a disciple, should not seek the teacher's company for the sake of discourses, stanzas, and expositions. Why is that? For a long time, Ananda, you have learned the teachings, remembered them, recited them verbally, examined them with the mind, and penetrated them well by view. But such talk as deals with effacement, as favors the mind's release, and which leads to complete disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, peace, direct knowledge, and Enlightenment and Nibbana, that is, talk on wanting little, on contentment, seclusion, aloofness from society, arousing energy, virtue, concentration, wisdom, liberation, knowledge and vision of liberation. For the sake of such talk, a disciple should seek the teacher's company even if he is told to go away. I'll stop here for a moment. So at this point of time, I think the Buddha had already taught a lot of suttas to the monks. And the Buddha says they are already very familiar with the teachings, that is, the suttas. They have recited them verbally, examined them, and understood them. But the Buddha says that Talk which is concerning few, having few ones, on contentment, seclusion, aloofness from society, arousing energetic effort, moral conduct, concentration, wisdom, liberation, knowledge and vision of liberation. For such talk, a disciple should seek advice from the teacher, even if he is told to go away. These topics of talk are very important. Since this is so ununder, a teacher's undoing may come about, a pupil's undoing may come about, and the undoing of one who lives the holy life may come about. And how does a teacher's undoing come about? Here, some teacher resorts to a secluded resting place, a forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, a ravine, a hillside cave, a charnel ground, a jungle ticket, an open space, a heap of straw. While he lives thus withdrawn, Brahmins and householders from town and country visit him, and as a result he goes astray, becomes filled with desire, succumbs to craving, and reverts to luxury. This teacher is said to be undone by the teacher's undoing. He has been struck down by evil unwholesome states that defile, bring renewal of being, give trouble, ripen in suffering, and lead to future birth, aging, and death. That is how the teacher's undoing comes about. And how does a pupil's undoing come about? A pupil of that teacher, emulating the teacher's seclusion, resorts to a secluded resting place, the forest, the root of a tree, a mountain ravine, hillside cave, etc. While he lives thus withdrawn, Brahmins and householders from town and country visit him. And as a result, he goes astray, becomes filled with desire, succumbs to craving, and reverts to luxury. This pupil is said to be undone by the pupil's undoing. He has been struck down by evil and wholesome states that defile, bring renewal of being, give trouble, ripen in suffering, and lead to future birth, aging, and death. This is how the pupil's undoing comes about. Stopping for a moment. Here the Buddha is talking about a teacher and the pupil who goes to a secluded place to practice. But maybe because they become famous, and a lot of people come to visit them and bring offerings and all that. So they get a lot of offerings, they become famous. And then they go astray. It's very easy to go astray, especially when a monk becomes famous. This is said to be the teacher's undoing and the pupil's undoing. These two refer to external ascetics, not to the Buddha's disciples. As a result of this, they will continue on the round of samsara, the round of rebirth, and also they will suffer having been overcome by name and fame and offerings and all that. And how does the undoing of one who lives the holy life come about? Here, Tathagata appears in the world. Arahant, Samasambuddha, perfect in true knowledge and conduct, sublime, knower of worlds, incomparable leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of gods and humans, enlightened, blessed. He resorts to a secluded resting place, the forest, etc. While he lives thus withdrawn, Brahmins and householders from town and country visit him. Yet he does not go astray or become filled with desire, succumb to craving and revert to luxury. But a disciple of this teacher, emulating his teacher's inclusion, resorts to a secluded resting place, the forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, etc. While he lives thus withdrawn, Brahmins and householders from town and country visit him, and as a result he goes astray, becomes filled with desire, succumbs to craving, and reverts to luxury. This one who lives the holy life is said to be undone by the undoing of one who lives the holy life. He has been struck down by evil and wholesome states that bring renewal of being, give trouble, ripen in suffering, and lead to future birth, aging, and death. Thus there comes to be the undoing of one who leads the holy life. And here in Ananda, the undoing of one who leads the holy life has a more painful result, a more bitter result than the teacher's undoing, or the pupil's undoing. And it even leads to perdition. I'll stop here for a moment. So here, the Buddha is talking about a Buddhist monk, a disciple of the Buddha, the Tathagata. And here he is said to be the one who leads the holy life. Whereas earlier, when the Buddha talked about the teacher and the pupil, he does not say that they lead the holy life, because the real holy life is the path taught by the Buddha, the path that leads out of the realm of rebirth. That's why the real holy life is to be found in the Noble Eightfold Path. And the Buddha says, one who has already come to the Noble Eightfold Path, if you go astray, then the result is much more bitter than an external ascetic. It can even lead to hell. Because the teaching is so good, our teacher is so good, the Buddha. And so when we inherit something that is so good, and we go the wrong way, then We have to pay much more than somebody who follows an external teacher. Therefore, Ananda, behave towards me with friendliness, not with hostility. That will lead, sorry, I'll stop you for a moment. So this one set me at thinking, it's not only for monks, even for lay people. Lay people have come to the Buddha's teachings, which is so perfect, utterly pure. We don't want to make use of it. When you pass away, you're going to regret very much. You're going to realize such a valuable thing has come into your hands, and you just threw it away. And you will have much more remorse than if you, for example, if you follow an external teaching, and the teaching is not worth much, if you throw it away, you don't regret very much. But if you have come into such a perfect teaching as the Buddha's Dharma, and you don't make use of it, that amounts to throwing it away. So at the end of your life, you will regret extremely. terribly, not only for a monk, also for lay people. Therefore, Ananda, behave towards me with friendliness, not with hostility. That will lead to your welfare and happiness for a long time. And how do disciples behave towards the teacher with hostility, not with friendliness? Here, Ananda, compassionate and seeking their welfare. The teacher teaches the Dhamma to the disciples out of compassion. This is for your welfare. This is for your happiness. His disciples do not want to hear or give ear or exert their minds to understand. They err and turn aside from the teacher's dispensation or teaching. Thus, Do disciples behave towards the teacher with hostility, not with friendliness? And how do disciples behave towards the teacher with friendliness, not with hostility? Here Ananda, compassionate and seeking their welfare, the teacher, that means the Buddha, teaches the Dhamma to the disciples out of compassion. This is for your welfare. This is for your happiness. His disciples want to hear and give ear and exert their minds to understand. They do not err and turn aside from the teacher's dispensation. Thus do disciples behave towards the teacher with friendliness, not with hostility. Therefore, Ananda, behave towards me with friendliness, not with hostility. That will lead to your welfare and happiness for a long time. I shall not treat you as the potter treats the raw, damp clay. Repeatedly restraining you, I shall speak to you, Ananda. Repeatedly admonishing you, I shall speak to you, Ananda. The sound call will stand the test. That is what the Blessed One said. Remember Ananda was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. Now this part, last part, I'd like to elaborate a bit. Here the Buddha says that we should behave with friendliness towards the Buddha. That is by hearing what the Buddha says in his discourses and give ear and exert the mind to understand what the Buddha is trying to teach us. If we don't pay attention to the Buddha's teachings and try to understand, then we are behaving with hostility towards the Buddha. towards the Buddha. Actually, many people have come to the Dhamma and they don't study the Buddha's words well enough. They don't know that there are certain suttas, like in the Niga Nikaya, Sutta 29, where the Buddha says that his teachings, his suttas, are complete and perfect and utterly pure. There is no Other teachings are so perfect, so pure as the Buddha's teachings. And the Buddha says, if you want to add to his teachings, you don't understand his Dhamma. If you want to subtract from his teachings also, you don't understand his Dhamma. In other words, we should stay only to the original discourses of the Buddha found in the four Nikayas and six books of the Kudaka Nikaya, the fifth Nikaya, the original teachings of the Buddha. Unfortunately, nowadays, there are additional teachings to be found, which are not the Buddha's words. We know, for example, the Abhidhamma, the commentaries, later books like the Visuddhimagga, later sutras like the Mahayana sutras and all this. And the Buddha has warned in the Samyutta Nikaya 20.7 that in time to come, the disciples, that means the Buddhist monks, will not want to listen to the Buddha's words. Instead, they want to listen to the words of disciples. The word of the disciples refers to later monks, later monks who wrote the Abhidhamma, later monks who wrote the commentaries, later monks who wrote the Visuddhimagga, who wrote the Mahayana Sutras and all that. So the Buddha has already warned us not to listen to those teachings, but to only keep to his original suttas. So if we don't want to investigate the Buddha's original suttas and understand them, then we are behaving with hostility towards the Buddha. So it's very important to study suttas like this and to He behaved towards the Buddha with friendliness by investigating his original suttas and trying to understand his original suttas and not later writings of other monks. So this is a very important sutta, Maha Sunyata Sutta, Greater Discourse on Voidness. To recap, the first part the Buddha says, a monk does not shine by delighting in company. by delighting in society. So the Buddha obviously encourages monks to live alone because the Buddha says only by living alone a monk can attain the bliss of renunciation, the bliss of seclusion, the bliss of peace, the bliss of enlightenment, namely the jhanas. And also one who takes delight in company and in society will never be able to obtain liberation of mind that is temporary, that is the jhanas, or liberation of mind that is perpetual and unshakable, the various Aryan stages, the paths and the fruits. So it is obvious from here that solitary living for a monk is is very important. If he wants to get out of samsara, then the Buddha says that if he inclines his mind towards the signless concentration of mind-voidness, then if people come to talk with him, he invariably talks in such a way as to dismiss them. It doesn't encourage too much talking. And then the Buddha says monks should engage in talk that only deals with affasement. Talk on wanting little, uncontentment, seclusion, aloofness from society, rousing energy, virtue, concentration, wisdom, liberation, knowledge, and vision of liberation. And not to engage in worldly talk. And then the Buddha also said to constantly review the mind, whether the mind is excited by the five courts of sensual pleasure. And if the mind is excited by the five courts of sensual pleasure, then we should make more effort to attain the bliss of seclusion, the bliss of renunciation, so that it goes into his mind rather than outwards into the worldly pleasures. And also the Buddha says to abandon the conceit, I am. It's very important to see impermanence in the five aggregates, which are also the body and the mind. Constantly to see impermanence in the body and the mind. And slowly we will cut the conceit, I am. And then the Buddha also warns that once a monk has come into the Dhamma, And if he goes astray, it's very dangerous for a monk who wears the robe to go astray. It can even lead him to hell. And then lastly, the Buddha says that we should behave with friendliness to the Buddha by trying to understand his words in the original teachings. Then the Buddha says that, Ananda, I shall not treat you as the potter treats a raw, damp clay. In other words, I won't treat you as something very delicate. The Buddha says he constantly admonishes his disciples. His sound core will stand. So actually a lot of people don't know the Dhamma. They think showing compassion means to be to speak kind words to the disciples all the time. We find this is not what happens with the Buddha. Sometimes when the disciples do something wrong, he will scold them, call them foolish men. And so that's the way that the Buddha says that actually that is compassion, that's a real compassion. and a disciple needs to be scolded. The teacher should scold the disciple so that he'll wake up, otherwise he won't wake up. Okay, anything to discuss? No, no, no. What he means is those genuine disciples will withstand all that scolding. Those genuine monks, because sometimes the Buddha talks about genuine monks and fraud monks. Yes. because there are a lot of monks who like to be popular, so sometimes they know what is the real Dhamma, what is not the real Dhamma, but they dare not speak out because they want to have a lot of disciples, they want to have a lot of supporters, they want to be popular, they want to be famous, so they dare not speak out. They tend to speak words which people like to listen. Sometimes they even say that their disciples have attained various stages of attainment and all these things. But that is not the Buddha's way. In the suttas you find the Buddha says, if it is white, we should say it is white. If it is black, we should say it is black. We should speak the truth. No fear or favor. I have done a lot of things. So now, when we look back, we look back to the past. So that many years of darkness, and I just wanted to tell you that so many years, so many years, that I've been trying to, I've been trying to stop it, stop it from happening. The decision at this stage, the outcome of which depends on what is going on. But how can he say that the liberation by wisdom is four jhanas? What is his basis for saying that? Because we find, for example, the verbal Sariputta is supposed to be liberated by wisdom. That is what the commentaries say. And in the Anupada Sutta, we found that the verbal Sariputta attained all the four rupajanas, all the four arupas, and plus cessation of perception and feeling. So he's still liberated by wisdom. So what he says, there's no basis. In case anyone of you is interested, I have written about this liberation by mind and liberation by wisdom in my book Samatha and Vipassana. But that opinion, I think, even a lot of the Mahayanists won't support that. Okay, shall we end here?

24-MN-123-Acchariya-abbhuta-124-Bakkula-(2010-09-09).txt

Today is the 9th of September, 2010, and this is the 51st time we're speaking on the Samyutta, sorry, in the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Now we come to Sutta number 123, Acharya Abhuta Sutta, wonderful and marvellous. I consider this as one of the least important suttas in the Majjhima Nikaya, so hopefully we can go through it fast. Just as I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savarthi in Jathesburg, Natapindika's park. A number of monks were sitting in the assembly hall where they had met together on returning from their alms round after their meal, when this discussion arose among them. These wonderful friends, it is marvelous how mighty and powerful is the Tathagata, who is able to know about the Buddhas of the past, who attained to final Nirvana, cut the tangle of proliferation, broke the cycle, ended the rounds, and surmounted all suffering, that for those blessed ones, their birth was thus. Their names were thus, their clans were thus, their virtue was thus, their state of concentration was thus, their wisdom was thus, their abiding in attainment was thus, their liberation was thus. When this was said, the Venerable Ananda told the monks, Friends, the Tathagatas are wonderful and have wonderful qualities. Tathagatas are marvelous and have marvelous qualities. However, their discussion was interrupted, for the Blessed One rose from meditation when it was evening, went to the assembly hall and sat down on a seat made ready. Then He addressed the monks thus, monks, for what discussion are you sitting together here now? And what was your discussion that was interrupted? Here, Venerable Sir, we were sitting in the Assembly Hall where we had met together on returning from our alms round after our meal, and this discussion arose among us. It is wonderful, friends. It is marvellous. How mighty and powerful is the Tathagata, etc. When this was said, Venerable Sir, the Venerable Ananda said to us, Friends, the Tathagatas are wonderful and have wonderful qualities. Tathagatas are marvellous and have marvellous qualities. This was our discussion, Venerable Sir, that was interrupted when the Blessed One arrived. Then the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Ananda. That being so, Ananda, explain more fully the Tathagata's wonderful and marvellous qualities. Stop here for a moment. So, because Member Ananda said that all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, are wonderful and have wonderful qualities, are marvellous and have marvellous qualities, so the Buddha asked him to explain more. And he said, I have heard and learned this, Member Sir, from the Blessed One's own lips. Mindful and aware, Ananda, the Bodhisatta appeared in the Tusita Heaven. That mindful and fully aware, the Bodhisatta appeared in the Tusita Heaven. This I remember as a wonderful and marvellous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. Mindful and fully aware, the Bodhisatta remained in the Tusita Heaven. This too I remember as a wonderful and marvellous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. For the whole of His lifespan, the Bodhisatta remained in the Tusita Heaven. This, too, I remember as a wonderful and marvellous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. Mindful and fully aware, the Bodhisatta passed away from the Tusita Heaven and descended into his mother's womb. This too I remember as a wonderful and marvellous quality of the Blessed One." Stop here for a moment. This paragraph, number three, the Bodhisatta appeared in the Tusita Heaven. According to the commentaries, This was after his life as Vesantara. In the Vesantara Jataka, there's a story about the Bodhisatta who gave away his wife, gave away his two children to a heartless beggar who beat them because he wanted to perfect the parami of giving. But this I find hard to accept because that Jataka story contradicts the Dhamma that the Buddha taught. The Buddha says a good or wise man's charity must not harm himself and must not harm others. So this story about the Vesantara Jataka I think was cooked up by some later monks. It cannot be that the Buddha cultivated this parami of giving in that Jataka. All the Jataka stories you find are a bit far-fetched, like animals being able to talk and all that, which is not possible. So all these Jataka stories were, how do you say, folk tales, Indian folk tales that they incorporated into Buddhism. What we know from the Sutta is that the Buddha in the past life was born as a Brahmin, Jotipala, at the time of the Buddha Kassapa. And in that lifetime, his good friend, Gatikara, brought him to meet the Buddha Kassapa. And after hearing the Dhamma, he renounced, became a monk, which indicates that he most likely had attained Shreem Entry after hearing the Dhamma. And then after that, he practiced as a monk and attained at least the first jhana, because when he came back in his last life as Siddhartha Gautama, as a small boy, he could enter the first jhana under the jambu tree. So from that time of Buddha Kassapa, he was reborn in the Tusita heaven. And after a long stay in the Tusita heaven, he came back as Siddhartha Gautama. So that is more likely what happened. not anything to do with the Vesantarajataka. Then paragraph number six, mindful and fully aware, the Bodhisatta passed away from the Tusita heaven and descended into his mother's womb. This we can accept because there is a sutta where the Buddha in the Anguttara Nikaya says there are four types of beings. One enters the womb unknowing, stays in the womb unknowing, and comes out unknowing. Another one enters the womb knowing, stays there unknowing, and comes out unknowing. The third one enters the womb knowing, stays there knowing, but comes out unknowing. The fourth one, the best, enters the womb knowing, stays there knowing, and comes out of the womb knowing. That means mindful all the time. The Buddha said he belongs to the last category. So this is one thing. The other thing you must notice from the paragraph 6 is that there is something that descends into the mother's womb. This we can call the soul. Of course, in the Buddha's teachings, the soul is different from the Christian soul. In the Buddha's teachings, the soul is just a bundle of energy, just like a human being is a bundle of energy. So the soul is also a bundle of energy. In the suttas, it's called a gandabha, that being that enters the womb. In other books, it's called the intermediate being. intermediate state of existence. In Chinese, we call it ling hun, ling fun. Okay, we come to paragraph 7. Here onwards, some of the things mentioned in this sutra, I find it's a bit far-fetched, a bit hard to accept. 7. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips when the Bodhisatta passed away from the Tusita Heaven and descended into his mother's womb. Then a great, immeasurable light, surpassing the splendor of the gods, appeared in the world with its gods, its Maharas, and its Brahmas. in this generation with its recluses and Brahmins, with its princes and its people, and even in those abysmal world interspaces of vacancy, gloom and utter darkness, where the moon and sun, mighty and powerful as they are, cannot make their light prevail. There, too, a great immeasurable light surpassing the splendour of the gods appeared, and the beings born there perceive each other by that light. So other beings indeed have appeared here. And this ten-thousand-fold world-system shook and quaked and trembled. And there, too, a great immeasurable light, surpassing the splendour of the gods, appeared. These, too, I remember as a wonderful and marvellous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. When the Bodhisatta had descended into his mother's womb, four young deities came to guard him at the four quarters. so that no humans or non-humans or anyone at all could harm the Bodhisatta or his mother. These two are remembered as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. When the Bodhisattva had descended into His mother's womb, she became intrinsically virtuous, refraining from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from misconduct in sensual pleasures, from false speech, and from wines, liquors, and intoxicants, which are the basis of negligence. These, too, I remember as the wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. When the Bodhisatta had descended into his mother's womb, no sensual thought arose in her concerning men, and she was inaccessible to any man having a lustful mind. This too I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. When the Bodhisatta had descended into his mother's womb, She obtained the five courts of sensual pleasure and furnished and endowed with them. She enjoyed herself with them. These two are remembered as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. When the Bodhisatta had descended into his mother's womb, no kind of affliction arose in her. She was blissful and free from bodily fatigue. She saw the Bodhisatta within a womb with all his limbs, lacking no faculty. Suppose a blue, yellow, red, white, or brown thread was strung through a fine barrel-gem of purest water, eight-faceted, well cut, and a man with good sight were to take it in his hand and review it thus. This is a fine barrel-gem of purest water, eight-faceted, well cut, and through it is strung a blue, yellow, red, white, or brown thread. So too, when the Bodhisatta had descended into his mother's womb, No kind of affliction arose in her. She was blissful and free from bodily fatigue. He saw the Bodhisatta within her womb with all his limbs lacking no faculty, etc. These two I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One. Stop here for a moment. This one I have just read. There are a few things here I find it hard to accept. Paragraph 7. When the Bodhisatta passed away from the Tusita heaven and descended into his mother's womb, a great immeasurable light surpassing the splendor of the gods appeared in the world. You must remember that the Bodhisatta, before enlightenment, was like many other beings, even including Aryans. When Aryans are reborn, there is no great immeasurable light appearing in the world. It's not logical to think that before the Buddha was enlightened, he was already very special. So, that's one thing. The other one is in paragraph 8. When the Bodhisatta descended into his mother's womb, four young deities came to guard him at the four quarters, so that no humans or non-humans or anyone could harm the Bodhisatta or his mother. In the Buddha's Dhamma, we don't need anyone to protect us. What protects us is our kamma. We have the blessing, the Buddha says, kamma sakumhi, kamma dayado, kamma yoni, kamma bandhu, kamma patisarana. Remember the chant? So, it's another thing. And then in number 12, paragraph 12, she saw the Bodhisatta within her womb with all his limbs lacking no faculty. How can she see the baby in the womb? She doesn't have x-ray eyes. Now I come to paragraph 13. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. Seven days after the birth of the Bodhisatta, his mother died and reappeared in the Tusita heaven. These two I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. Other women give birth after carrying the child in the womb for nine or ten months, but not so the Bodhisattva's mother. The Bodhisattva's mother gave birth after carrying him in her womb for exactly ten months. These two I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. Other women give birth seated or lying down, but not so the Bodhisattva's mother. The Bodhisatta's mother gave birth to him standing up. These two I remember as a wonderful and marvellous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. When the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother's womb, first gods received him, then human beings. These two I remember as a wonderful and marvellous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. When the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother's womb, he did not touch the earth. Four young gods received him and sat him before his mother, saying, Rejoice, O Queen! A son of great power has been born to you. These two I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One. Stop here for a moment. Of these qualities I just read, these few are a bit doubtful. Number 15. Other women give birth seated or lying down, but not so the Bodhisatta's mother. The Bodhisatta's mother gave birth to him standing up. This is a bit hard to believe. And then 16, when the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother's womb, first gods received him, then human beings. This also is a bit far-fetched. Number 17, when the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother's womb, he did not touch the earth. Four young gods received him and set him before his mother, saying, Rejoice, O Queen, the son of great power has been born to you. So you see here, they say the Bodhisatta's mother was called the Queen. This shows it's a later writing in the suttas. We know that the Buddha's father was not a king, although he was called Rajasudodana. You are just one of many Rajas. Not all Rajas are kings. From the Dhammacaktya Sutta, we know that the Buddha was a citizen of Kosala and the king of Kosala was Pasenadi. 18. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. When the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother's womb, he came forth unsullied, unsmeared by water or humus or blood or any kind of impurity, clean and unsullied. Suppose there were a gem placed on khasi cloth, then the gem would not smear the cloth or the cloth the gem. Why is that? Because of the purity of both. So too, when the Bodhisatta came forth from the mother's womb. He came forth unsullied, unsmeared by water or humus or blood or any kind of impurity. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. When the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother's womb, two jets of water appeared to pour from the sky, one cool and one warm, for bathing the Bodhisatta and his mother. These two are remembered as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips. As soon as the Bodhisatta was born, he stood firmly with his feet on the ground. Then he took seven steps north, and with a white parasol held over him, he surveyed each quarter and uttered the words of the leader of the herd, I am the highest in the world. I am the best in the world. I am the foremost in the world. This is my last birth. Now there is no renewal of being for me. These two I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One. I heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips, when the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother's womb. Then a great, immeasurable light surpassing the splendor of the gods appeared in the world with its gods, its Marathas, and its Brahmas. in this generation with its recluses and Brahmins, with its princes and its people. And even in those abysmal worlds, interspaces of vacancy, gloom and utter darkness, where the moon and the sun, mighty and powerful as they are, cannot make their light prevail, there too a great immeasurable light surpassing the splendor of the gods appeared, and the beings born there perceive each other by that light. So other beings indeed have appeared here. And this 10,000 world system shook and quaked and trembled, and there too a great immeasurable light surpassing the splendor of the gods appeared. That when the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother's womb, then a great immeasurable light surpassing the splendor of the gods appeared. These two I remember as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One. I'll stop here for a moment. Going back, I look at paragraph 18. When the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother's womb, he was unsullied, unsmeared by water or humus or blood or any kind of impurity. This was very hard to believe. You find in all religions that they tend to glorify the founder of the religion. So you find in the Christian religion, they say that Jesus was born from the virgin mother. In the early Mahayana books, they also say the same thing. They say that the Buddha's mother was a virgin and gave birth to him. So this is one of those things. In 19, when the Bodhisatta came forth from his mother's womb, two jets of water appeared to fall from the sky to bathe the Bodhisatta and his mother. This is a bit far-fetched. Number 20, as soon as he was born, he stood firmly with his feet on the ground, took seven steps, and said, I am the highest in the world, et cetera. This is also hard to believe. Then 21, when the Bodhisatta came forth from the mother's womb, a great, immeasurable light surpassing the splendor of God appeared in the world. And not only that, and the 10,000 world systems shook and quaked and trembled. So this is also very hard to believe. Okay, now 22. That being so, Ananda, remember this too as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Tathagata. Here, Ananda, for the Tathagata, feelings are known as they arise, as they are present, as they disappear. Perceptions are known as they arise, as they are present, as they disappear. Thoughts are known as they arise, as they are present, as they disappear. Remember this too, Ananda, as a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Tathagata. For example, Sir, since for the Blessed One, feelings are known as they arise, as they are present, as they disappear. Perceptions are known as they arise, as they are present, as they disappear. Thoughts are known as they arise, as they are present, as they disappear. These two I remember. It's a wonderful and marvelous quality of the Blessed One. That is what the Venerable Ananda said. The teacher approved. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Venerable Ananda's words. This last part is Dhamma. For the Tathagata, feelings are known as they arise, as they are present, as they disappear. Similarly for perceptions and thoughts. So it appears like originally the sutta was not so long, probably they added some of these things, just like people adding sugar and salt and spice and everything nice. Okay, since it's not an important sutta, we'll go to the next sutta. Number 124, Bakula Sutta. This one also some of the things here maybe a bit. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Venerable Bakula was living at Rajagaha in the bamboo grove, a squirrel sanctuary. Then Achela Kasapa, a former companion of the Venerable Bakula in his lay life, went to the Venerable Bakula and exchanged greetings with him. When this courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down at one side and asked the Venerable Bakula, friend Bakula, how long is it since you went forth? It is 80 years since I went forth, friend. Friend Bakula, in these 80 years, how many times have you engaged in sexual intercourse? Friend Kasapa, you should not ask me such a question as that. You should ask me such a question as this. Friend Bakula, in these 80 years, how many times have perceptions of sensual desire arisen in you? Friend Bakula, in these 80 years, how many times have perceptions of sensual desire arisen in you? Friend Kasapa, in the 80 years since I went forth, I do not recall any perception of sensual desire to have ever arisen in me. Let's stop here for a moment. So what follows in the brackets was added later by later monks, so we won't read that. According to the commentaries to the Majjhima Nikaya, they say that Venerable Bakula renounced at the age of 80 years old. So since he has gone forth 80 years, he's supposed to be 160 years old. This is a bit hard to believe because the Buddha himself passed away at the age of 80 years at that time, and the Buddha is supposed to have a long life. So it's hard to believe that he was 160 years old. Friend, in the eight years since I went forth, I do not recall any perception of ill will, any perception of cruelty to have ever arisen in me. This is maybe possible for some people because they might have been in a past life area. They may not have a perception or thoughts of sensual desire, ill will, and perception of cruelty. Friend, in the 80 years since I went forth, I do not recall any thought of sensual desire to have ever arisen in me. Friend, in the 80 years since I went forth, I do not recall any thought of ill will, any thought of cruelty to have ever arisen in me. Friend, in the 80 years since I went forth, I do not recall ever having accepted a robe from a householder, ever having worn a robe given by a householder, ever having cut a robe with a cutter, ever having sewn a robe with a needle, ever having colored a robe with dye, ever having sewn a robe at the katina time, ever having worked on making robes for my companions in the holy light. I'll stop here for a moment. So this sutta is trying to say that Reverend Bakula was a very ascetic monk. He has this wonderful and marvelous quality that he doesn't have thoughts of sensual desire, ill will and cruelty. And then he practices these ascetic practices. So he does not accept a robe from a householder. That means he collects this pangsukula cloth from corpses and all that, and he sews it into a robe. But then if he doesn't sew, he doesn't say, He doesn't sew a robe also, so how to wear a robe? Without ever having sewn a robe with a needle, that's a bit far-fetched, because a monk, every now and then, when his robe gives way, he has to repair his robes, especially during the Buddha's time. Maybe he's very ascetic, this monk, so they stretch it a bit. Friend, in the 80 years since I went forth, I do not recall ever having accepted an invitation to a meal. This is possible for some monks. Ever having given rise to the thought, oh, may someone invite me to a meal. Ever having sat down inside a house. Ever having eaten inside a house. Now, this is possible for certain ascetic monks. They only want to beg for their food. This is available Kasapa. It doesn't go to house Dana. Friend, in the 80 years since I went forth, I do not recall ever having grasped at the signs and features of a woman, ever having taught the Dhamma to a woman, even as much as a four-line stanza, ever having gone to the nun's quarters, ever having taught the Dhamma to a bhikkhuni, ever having taught the Dhamma to a female probationer, ever having taught the Dhamma to a female novice." This seems a bit far-fetched. It seems like he never talks to a woman or so. Friend, in the 80 years since I went forth, I do not recall ever having given the going forth, ever having given the full ordination, ever having given dependence, ever having had a novice wait on me. Sorry for a moment. That shows he does not accept disciples. He lives alone. Friend, in the 80 years since I went forth, I do not recall ever having bathed in a bathhouse, ever having bathed with bath powder, ever having undertaken the work of massaging the limbs of my companions in the holy light, ever having had an affliction arise in me even for as long as it takes to milk a cow, ever having taken medicine even as much as a piece of walnut, ever having used a bolster, ever having made up a bed, ever having entered upon residence for the rains in a resting place inside a village, I'll stop here for a moment. So here it shows that he's very ascetic. He doesn't mix with other monks, so he doesn't do things like what they call in Thailand, upatak, like massaging senior monks or serving other monks and all that. But here he doesn't talk about serving other monks. But you see, he never gets sick at all. Apparently, he's a very, very fit monk. But one thing about ascetic monks, because they are very ascetic, they live in the forest. They have a very pure lifestyle. They are extremely fit. I've seen some forest monks in Thailand, even though they are older than me. But at that time when I went to Thailand, at that time I was, when I first went to Thailand I was 38 years old. And I went on Tudung, this how do you say, going on, how do you say, to the long path, how do you say, going to the forest. This 45-year-old monk at that time, I was surprised, he was much better than me, being older than me. Of course, not that much difference. But like when we walk up the hill, On the level ground, he walks so fast. When he goes up the hill, he doesn't slow down. Just the same speed when he goes up the hill. At that time, I was very surprised. Then later, I found that actually the lifestyle of a forest monk makes you very, very fit. Sometimes you get caught in the rain and all that. You're sleeping in the forest. You get wet and all that. You don't get sick. Because the mind is strong. When the mind is strong, the body is very strong. Like nowadays, doctors say a lot of people's sickness is mind made. Friend, for seven days after going forth, I ate the country's alms food as a debtor. On the eighth day, final knowledge arose. Stop here for a moment. So he went forth. On the eighth day, he attained Arahanthood. This shows he's somebody with great what they call paramisla, these perfections of character from past life, very probably past life ariya. Then Achela Kasapa said, I will receive the going forth in this Dhamma Vinaya. I will receive the full ordination. And Achela Kasapa received the going forth in this Dhamma Vinaya. He received the full ordination. Stop here for a moment. So even though this friend, Achela Kasapa, asked Venerable Bhakula, to be ordained, but Venerable Bakula, as we read earlier, he does not ordain anybody, so probably he brought him to other monks to ordain. And soon, not long after his full ordination, dwelling alone, withdrawn, diligent, ardent, and resolute, the Venerable Kassapa, by realizing for himself with direct knowledge, here and now entered upon and abided in the supreme goal of the holy life, for the sake of which clansmen rightly go forth from the home life into homelessness. He knew directly, birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived. What had to be done has been done. There's no more coming to any state of being. And the Venerable Kassapa became one of the arahants. Stop here for a moment. So this Achela Kassapa was very impressed by his friend's description of his various wonderful and marvelous qualities. So impressed that he asked to ordain. And he ordained, and a few years later, probably, he became an arahant. Then on a later occasion, the Venerable Bhakula took a key and went from cell to cell. Here, cell to cell means room to room, the kutis, saying, come forth, Venerable Sirs, come forth, Venerable Sirs. Today I shall attain final nibbana. Then seated in the midst of the Sangha of monks, the Venerable Bhakula attained final nibbana. So being Arahant was well-cultivated. When his time came to enter Nibbana, he knew when he was going to enter Nibbana, so he informed the monks. So they came to see him, and he attained final Nibbana. According to the commentaries, he's a type of monk who does not want to trouble other monks, so he entered When he was about to pass away, he entered into the fire casino, meditated on fire, and used that fire to light his body, cremate his body, so all that remained was ashes. It's possible for some Arahants who have this, this is one of the psychic powers.

25-MN-125-Dantabhumi-Part-A-(2010-09-09).txt

Now we come to an important sutta. Those two suttas are not important. 125 dhantabhumi suttas, the great of the team. One of the suttas I like very much. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Radhakaha in the bamboo grove, the squirrel sanctuary. Now on that occasion, the novice Achiravata was living in a forest hut, a kuti. Then Prince Jayasena, while wandering and walking for exercise, went to the novice Achiravata and exchanged greetings with him. When this courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down at one side and said to the novice Achiravata, Master Aggivesana, I have heard that a monk who abides here diligent, ardent, and resolute can achieve unification of mind." One-pointedness. And the novice said, that is so, Prince, that is so. A monk who abides here diligent, ardent, and resolute can achieve unification of mind. It would be good if Master Aggivesana would teach me the Dhamma as he has heard it and mastered it. And the novice said, I cannot teach you the Dhamma, Prince, as I have heard it and mastered it. For if I were to teach you the Dhamma as I have heard it and mastered it, you would not understand the meaning of my words, and that would be wearying and troublesome for me. And he said, let Master Aggivessana teach me the Dhamma as he has heard it and mastered it. Perhaps I can understand the meaning of his words. I shall teach you the Dhamma Prince as I have heard it and mastered it. If you can understand the meaning of my words, that will be good. But if you cannot understand the meaning, then leave it at that, and do not question me about it further. Let Master Aggivessana teach me the Dhamma as he has heard it and mastered it. If I can understand the meaning of his words, that will be good. If I cannot understand the meaning, then I will leave it at that, and I will not question him. about it further. Stop it for a moment. So here this novice, he's not very confident of teaching the Dhamma. So he told this, at first he didn't want to teach, but this prince persisted, asked him a second time. So he said, okay, I'll teach you, but don't ask me more than what I say. Then the novice Aciravata taught Prince Jayasena the Dhamma as he had heard it and mastered it. After he had spoken, Prince Jayasena remarked, It is impossible, Master Aggivesana. It cannot happen that a monk who abides diligent, ardent and resolute can achieve unification of mind. Then having declared to the novice Aciravata that this was impossible and could not happen, Prince Jayasena rose from his seat and departed. Soon after Prince Jayasena had left, the novice Achiravatta went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to the Blessed One, he sat down at one side and reported to the Blessed One his entire conversation with Prince Jayasena. When he had finished, the Blessed One said to him, Aggivesana, how is it possible that Prince Jayasena, living in the midst of sensual pleasures, enjoying sensual pleasures, being devoured by thoughts of sensual pleasures, being consumed by the fever of sensual pleasures, bent on the search for sensual pleasures, could know, see, or realize that which must be known through renunciation, seen through renunciation, attained through renunciation, realized through renunciation. That is impossible. I'll stop here for a moment. So the Buddha says, there's no point talking to somebody like Prince Jai Sinha, who enjoys sensual pleasures, is devoured by sensual pleasures. consumed by the fever of sensual pleasures. Such a person, he cannot realize, cannot understand what must be realized or understood through renunciation. So you can see here, it's very clear what the Buddha says, is that unless we renounce sensual pleasures, give up the things of the world, it's not possible to practice the holy life. This contradicts the later Mahayana and Tibetan teachings which cropped up later. They say it's possible to be a worldly person and attain, achieve higher states in the Arahant, as I mentioned in the Malakirti Sutra and all that. Suppose, Aggivessana, there were two tameable elephants, horses or oxen that were well-tamed and well-disciplined, and two tameable elephants, horses or oxen that were untamed and undisciplined. What do you think, Aggivessana? Would the two tameable elephants, horses or oxen that were well-tamed and well-disciplined, being tamed, acquire the behaviour of the tamed? Would they arrive at the grade of the tamed? Yes, Venerable Sir. But would the two tameable elephant's horses or oxen that were untamed and undisciplined, being untamed, acquire the behaviour of the tamed? Would they arrive at the grade of the tamed, like the two tameable elephant's horses or oxen that were well-tamed and well-disciplined? No, Venerable Sir. So to Aggivessana, it is impossible that Prince Jayasena, living in the midst of sensual pleasures, enjoying sensual pleasures, being devoured by thoughts of sensual pleasures, being consumed by the fever of sensual pleasures, bent on the search for sensual pleasures, could know, see, or realize that which must be known through renunciation, seen through renunciation, attained through renunciation, realized through renunciation. Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha is saying, before a person can behave like a tamed and disciplined person, he must undergo this process of training and taming, just like monks undergo. So a person who is very worldly, he cannot realize what renunciant can realise. Suppose, Aggivesena, there were a high mountain not far from a village or town, and two friends would leave the village or town and approach the mountain hand in hand. Having reached it, one friend would remain below at the foot of the mountain, while the other would climb to the top. Then the friend who remained below at the foot of the mountain would say to the friend who stood at the top, Well, friend, what do you see standing on top of the mountain? And the other replied, standing on top of the mountain, friend, I see lovely parks, lovely groves, lovely meadows, and lovely ponds. Then the first friend would say, it is impossible, friend. It cannot happen that while standing on top of the mountain, you should see lovely parks, lovely groves, lovely meadows, and lovely ponds. Then the other friend would come down to the foot of the mountain, take his friend by the arm, and make him climb to the top of the mountain. After giving him a few moments to catch his breath, he would ask, Well, friend, standing on top of the mountain, what do you see? And his friend would reply, Standing on top of the mountain, friend, I see lovely parks, lovely groves, lovely meadows, and lovely ponds. Then the other would say, Friend, Just a little earlier, we heard you say, it is impossible, friend. It cannot happen that while standing on top of the mountain, you should see lovely parks, lovely groves, lovely ponds. But just now we heard you say, standing on top of the mountain, I see lovely parks, lovely groves, lovely ponds. Then the first friend would reply, because I was obstructed by this high mountain, friend, I did not see what was there to be seen. So to Aggivessana, Prince Jāsena is obstructed, hindered, blocked and enveloped by a still greater mass than this, the mass of ignorance. Thus it is impossible that Prince Jāsena, living in the midst of sensual pleasures, enjoying sensual pleasures, being devoured by thoughts of sensual pleasures, being consumed by the fever of sensual pleasures, when on the search of sensual pleasures, could know, see or realize That which must be known through renunciation, seen through renunciation, attained through renunciation, realized through renunciation. I'll stop here for a moment. So this second example the Buddha gave similarly, that the person at the bottom of the mountain, he cannot see so clearly like the person on top of the mountain. This reminds me, just like some people, They have not attained the Jhanas. They practice Vipassana meditation and they belittle the Jhanas. They say there's no more mindfulness in the Jhanas. They say in the state of Jhana you cannot have wisdom because it's like in the trance state. You cannot use your mind at all. It's just like this Himalaya. You have to go up to the top of the hill before you can know. So it's the same. until that person attains the jhanas. He doesn't know that the mind at that point after that person has attained the jhanas is rid of the hindrances. So you see much clearer than a person with the hindrances. So the person with the hindrances practicing vipassana meditation is like somebody. He looks all around and he says he can see a clear view of everything. But the view that he sees is not as clear as a person up the mountain. It's a different view at all. So here the Buddha says, Prince Jasena is obstructed, hindered, and blocked by the mass of ignorance. He doesn't know the Dhamma. He hasn't practiced the Dhamma. He hasn't trained in the Dhamma. So he's an untamed person, untrained and untamed. How can he attain what has to be attained through renunciation. Aggivation, if these two similes had occurred to you, in reference to Prince Jai Sena, he would have spontaneously acquired confidence in you, and being confident would have shown his confidence to you. And the novice said, Sir, how could these two similes have occurred to me, in reference to Prince Jai Sena, as they occurred to the Blessed One? since they are spontaneous and have never been heard before. And now the Buddha is going to give a simile of a forest elephant, which is a very beautiful simile. Suppose, Aggivessana, a head-anointed noble king addresses his elephant woodsman thus, Good elephant woodsman, mount the king's elephant, enter the elephant wood, and when you see a forest elephant, bind him by the neck to the king's elephant. Having replied, yes, sire, the elephant woodsman mounts the king's elephant, enters the elephant wood, and when he sees a forest elephant, binds him by the neck to the king's elephant. The king's elephant leads him out into the open. It is in this way that a forest elephant comes out into the open, for the forest elephant clings to the elephant wood. Then the elephant woodsman informs the head-anointed noble king, sire, the forest elephant has come out into the open. The king addresses his elephant tamer thus, come, good elephant tamer, tame the forest elephant, subdue his forest habits, subdue his forest memories and intentions, subdue his distress, fatigue, and fever over leaving the forest. Get him to take delight in the town, inculcate in him habits congenial to human beings. Having replied, yes, sire, The elephant tamer plants a large post in the earth and binds the forest elephant to it by the neck in order to subdue his forest habits, subdue his forest memories and intentions, subdue his distress, fatigue and fever over leaving the forest, and get him to take delight in the town, inculcate in him habits congenial to human beings. Then the elephant tamer addresses the elephant with words that are gentle, pleasing to the ear and lovable, as gold to the heart, are courteous, desired by many, and agreeable to many. When the forest elephant is addressed by such words, he listens, gives ear, and exerts his mind to understand. The elephant tamer next rewards him with grass fodder and water. When the forest elephant accepts the grass fodder and water from him, elephant tamer knows, now the king's elephant will live. Then the elephant tamer trains him further thus, take up, put down. Then when the king's elephant obeys his tamer's orders to take up and put down, and carries out his instructions, the elephant tamer trains him further thus, go forward, go back. When the king's elephant obeys his tamer's orders to go forward and go back, and carries out his instructions, The elephant tamer trains him further thus, get up, sit down. When the king's elephant obeys his tamer's orders to get up and sit down, and carries out his instructions, the elephant tamer trains him further in the task called imperturbability. He ties a giant plank to his trunk. A man with a lance in his hand sits on his neck. Men with lances in their hands surround him on all sides. And the elephant tamer himself stands in front of him, holding a long lance pole. But the elephant is being trained in the task of imperturbability. He does not move his fore legs or his hind legs. He does not move his fore quarters or his hind quarters. He does not move his head, ears, tusks, tail, or trunk. The king's elephant is able to endure blows from spears, blows from swords, blows from arrows, blows from other beings, and the thundering sound of drums, kettledrums, trumpets and tom-toms. Being rid of all faults and defects, purge of laws, he is worthy of the king. In the king's service, considered one of the factors of a king." I'll stop here for a moment. So you see how they train the elephant until he can stand blows and sounds and all these things. And mentioned in some other suttas, he'll be even willing to give up his life for his trainer. This is a well-trained, well-tamed king's elephant. So to Ragi Vesana, Tathagata appears in the world, Arhant, Sammasambuddha, et cetera, and teaches the Dhamma. And somebody hears the Dhamma and decides to renounce the home life. shave off his hair and beard, put on the yellow robe, and goes forth from the home life into homelessness. It is in this way that a noble disciple comes out into the open. For gods and humans cling to the five cause of sensual pleasure. I'll stop here for a moment. So you see this simile. It's so spot on. Just like the forest elephant, he doesn't want to come out of the forest at all. He's so used to the forest. He needs another bigger elephant to force him out of the forest, pull him out forcefully. Then only he will come out. In the same way, a normal human being, so used to the home life, is extremely reluctant to renounce and become a monk. A lot of people, it's impossible that they will give up the home life. So I like this simile very much. Then the Tathagata disciplines him further. Come, monk, be virtuous. Restrain with the restraint of the patimokkha. Be perfect in conduct and resort. Seeing fear in the slightest thought, train by undertaking the training precepts. When Akibesana, the noble disciple, is virtuous, restrained with the restraint of the patimokkha, etc., then the Tathagata disciplines him further, Come, monk, guard the doors of your sense faculties. On seeing a form with the eye, do not grasp at its signs and features. Since if you were to leave the eye faculty unguarded, evil and wholesome states of covetousness and grief might invade you. Practice the way of its restraint. Guard the eye faculty. Undertake the restraint of the eye faculty. Similarly, on hearing a sound with the ears, smelling an odor with the nose, tasting a flavor with the tongue, touching a tangible with the body, cognizing a mind object with the mind, do not grasp at its features and signs, features and signs and features. Since if you were to leave the faculties unguarded, evil, unwholesome states of covetousness and grief might invade you. Practice the way of their restraint. Guard the faculties. Undertake the restraint of the faculties. When Akibesana, the noble disciple, guards the doors of his sense faculties, then the Tathagata disciplines him further. Come, monk, be moderate in eating, reflecting wisely. You should take food neither for amusement, nor for intoxication, nor for the sake of physical beauty and attractiveness, but only for the endurance and continuance of this body, for ending discomfort, and for assisting the holy life. Considering thus, I shall terminate old feelings without arousing new feelings, and I shall be healthy and blameless, and shall live in comfort. When Aggivesana, the noble disciple, is moderate in eating, then the Tathagata disciplines him further. Come, monk, be devoted to wakefulness during the day while walking back and forth and sitting. Purify your mind of obstructive states. In the first watch of the night, while walking back and forth and sitting, purify your mind of obstructive states. In the middle watch of the night, you should lie down on the right side in the lion's pose with one foot overlapping the other, mindful and fully aware, after noting in your mind the time for rising. After rising in the last watch of the night, while walking back and forth and sitting, purify your mind of obstructive states. When Aggivessana, the noble disciple, is devoted to wakefulness, then the Tathagata disciplines him further. Come, monk, be possessed of mindfulness and full awareness, or mindfulness and recollection. Act in full awareness when going forward and returning, when looking ahead and looking away, when flexing and extending your limbs, when wearing your robes and carrying your outer robe and bowl, when eating, drinking, consuming food and tasting, when defecating and urinating, when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking and keeping silent. When Aggivessana, the noble disciple, possesses mindfulness and full awareness, then the Tathagata disciplines him further. Come, monk, we sought to a secluded resting place, the forest, the root of a tree, a mountain, a ravine, a hillside cave, a charnel ground, a jungle thicket, an open space, or a heap of straw. I'll stop here for a moment. So here, you see, just like the elephant, he trains one step at a time. So here, the Buddha says, disciplines his disciples in the same way. First, they have to keep the precepts. After they renounce, they keep the precepts. Be careful to train to be perfect in conduct and resort. Conduct is how they conduct themselves. Resort is where they go to. And then after that, to guard the doors of the sense faculties. the six senses, not to pay too much attention to sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and thoughts. Then after that, to be moderate in eating, eating only in the morning, not in the afternoon and night, although there are allowances. And then devoted to wakefulness, not to sleep too much. And then to practice mindfulness, and recollection, recollecting the four objects of sati, the body, feelings, the mind, and the dhamma. Then after he has trained for five years under a senior monk, then he is allowed to resort to a seated resting place to live alone.

26-MN-125-Dantabhumi-Part-B-(2010-09-09).txt

He resorts to a secluded resting place, the forest or the root of a tree, a mountain, etc. On returning from his alms round, after his meal he sits down, folding his legs crosswise, setting his body erect and establishing mindfulness in front of him or before him. Abandoning covetousness for the world, he abides with the mind free from covetousness. He purifies his mind from covetousness. Abandoning ill-will and hatred, he abides with the mind free from ill-will, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings. He purifies his mind from ill-will and hatred. Abandoning sloth and topper, he abides free from sloth and topper. percipient of light, mindful and fully aware. He purifies his mind from sloth and torpor. Abandoning restlessness and remorse, he abides unagitated with the mind inwardly peaceful. He purifies his mind from restlessness and remorse. Abandoning doubt, he abides having gone beyond doubt, unperplexed about wholesome states. He purifies his mind from doubt. Having abandoned These five hindrances, imperfections of the mind that weaken wisdom, hereby is contemplating the body in the body, ādhan, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. Hereby is contemplating feelings in feelings, mind in mind, dhamma in dhamma, ādhan, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. Just as Aggivessana The elephant tamer plants a large post in the earth and binds the forest elephant to it by the neck in order to subdue his forest habits, etc., and to inculcate in him habits congenial to human beings. So these four intense states of recollection are the bindings for the mind of the noble disciple in order to subdue his habits based on the household life, to subdue his memories and intentions based on the household life, to subdue his distress, fatigue and fever based on the household life, and in order that he may attain the true way and realize Nibbana. I'll stop here for a moment. So just like the forest elephant, after you bring him out of the forest, he is very agitated. He's very distressed. So you have to treat him in the right way. And then only he can get rid of this distress and fatigue and all that. So in the same way, as we read in some earlier sutta, when among practices, Mindfulness of the body, mindfulness of breathing, or any one of these meditations, basically is practicing the four intense states of recollection, the four satipatthana, which are useful to subdue the habits based on the household life, to subdue the memories and intentions based on the household life, to subdue the distress, fatigue, and fever based on the household life. and in order to attain the true way and realize Nibbana. So here you see, after he gets rid of the five hindrances, then he practices this Satipatthana. Then the Tathagata disciplines him further. Come, monk, abide contemplating the body in the body, but do not think thoughts connected with the body. Abide contemplating feelings in feelings, but do not think thoughts connected with feelings. Abide contemplating mind in mind, but do not think thoughts connected with the mind. Abide contemplating Dhamma in Dhamma, but do not think thoughts connected with Dhamma. With the stilling of applied and sustained thought, he enters upon and abides in the second jhāna, the third jhāna, the fourth jhāna, and when his concentrated mind is thus purified, then he practices the abhinās, the three abhinās, namely the recollection of his past lives, then seeing beings passing away and being reborn according to kamavipaka, And the third one is contemplating the Dhamma so that he attains destruction of the asavas, destruction of the tains. And he understands, birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done. There is no more coming to any state of being. Now, this last part, I'd like you to know, is a very important part. Normally, when the Buddha talks about a monk, After he gets rid of the five hindrances, he will attain the first jhāna, followed by the second jhāna, followed by the third jhāna, followed by the fourth jhāna. So here, you find the description of the first jhāna is not here. Instead, you have the second jhāna, the third jhāna, and the fourth jhāna. This means that the practice of Satipatthana, which is mentioned here, is equivalent to the first jhāna. As mentioned in the Satipatthana Samyutta, there it is said that if a monk, if a skillful monk practices Satipatthana, his mind must become concentrated. In other words, if a monk practices Satipatthana skillfully, in the right way, he must end up with the first jhana. Only a person practicing Satipatthana in an unskillful way, in a wrong way, he cannot attain the first jhāna. So here it's very obvious. Practicing Satipatthana brings one into the first jhāna. And from the first jhāna, continues into the second jhāna, third jhāna and fourth jhāna. So it's very clear, Satipatthana has everything to do with jhāna. Not like some monks, Vipassana monks say that Satipatthana has nothing to do with the jhāna. So you see the standard footprints of the Buddha, as is mentioned before, is the four jhanas, followed by the three abhinyas. That is the Bodhisattva path. That monk is able to endure cold and heat, hunger and thirst, and contact with dead flies, mosquitoes, wind. sun, and creeping things. He is able to endure ill-spoken, unwelcome words, and arisen bodily feelings that are painful, wracking, sharp, piercing, disagreeable, distressing, and menacing to life. Being rid of all lust, hate, and delusion, purge of flaws, He is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutations, and unsurpassed field of merit for the world. Now I'll stop here for a moment. So here you see, after the monk has attained arahanthood, liberation, destruction of the things, then the Buddha says he has got rid of all the flaws, purge of all the flaws. So he's just like the king's elephant, the well-trained and tamed king's elephant. He can deal blows from the spears and loud sounds and being stabbed with a knife and all these things, blows from spears, blows from swords, blows from arrows, blows from other beings, and the thundering sound of drums, kettledrums, trumpets, and tom-toms. Being rid of all faults and defects, purge of loss, is worthy of the king. In the king's service, considered one of the factors of the king. So in the same way, The Buddha says, when a monk has attained Arahanthood, has completed his full training, then he's able to endure all these hardships, cold and heat, hunger and thirst, contact with dead flies, mosquitoes, ill-spoken words, feelings that are painful, disagreeable, menacing to life. So, just like the king's elephant, well, well-trained and well-tamed. There's nothing he cannot withstand. If Aggivessana, the king's elephant, dies in old age, untamed and undisciplined, then he is considered an old elephant that has died an untamed death. If the king's elephant dies when middle-aged, untamed and undisciplined, then he is considered a middle-aged elephant that has died an untamed death. If the king's elephant dies when young, untamed and undisciplined, then it is considered a young elephant that has died an untamed death. So too, Aggivésana. If an elder monk this is a Thera, dies with his stains undestroyed, then he is considered an elder monk who has died an untamed death. If a monk of middle status, Majjhima Bhikkhu, dies with his stains undestroyed, then he is considered a monk of middle status who has died an untamed death. If a newly ordained monk, Navakka Bhikkhu, dies with his stains undestroyed, then he is considered a newly ordained monk who has died an untamed death. If Aggivésana, the king's elephant dies in old age, well-tamed and well-disciplined, then he is considered an old elephant that has died a tamed death. If the king's elephant dies when middle-aged, well-tamed and well-disciplined, then he is considered a middle-aged elephant that has died a tamed death. If the king's elephant dies when young, well-tamed and well-disciplined, then he is considered a young elephant that has died a tamed death. So to Aggivésana, If an elder monk dies with his stains destroyed, then he is considered an elder monk who has died a tame death. If a monk of middle status dies with his stains destroyed, then he is considered a monk of middle status who has died a tame death. If a newly ordained monk dies with his stains destroyed, then he is considered a newly ordained monk who has died a tame death. That is what the Blessed One said. The novice Achiravata was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So you see why I like this Uttara so much. The simile is so nice about the elephant, the taming of an elephant, the training of an elephant, just like a monk. And also the conduct or the taming of the monk is listed out here, although it is not complete as I mentioned before. But most of the training are shown here. The first one shown here is this contentment. Moral conduct is there. Contentment is not there. Guarding the door, the sense faculties is there. Moderation in eating. Devoted to wakefulness. Mindfulness and full awareness. What is not here is the seven good qualities, the seven sattva dhamma. Okay, we can stop here for now and invite comments or questions. One thing, since we have nothing to ask yet, we can mention something. We find a monk who takes the trouble to train in the way the Buddha has taught, especially a monk who goes to live in the forest in a secluded area and begs for his food and undergoes some hardships, especially physical hardships. Then you find as the years go by that he's more and more disciplined, more and more well-trained, more and more well-tamed. Whereas you find those that don't go through this process of training or taming, you find Their minds are very agitated. Just like we had this Samanera who disrobed. He was so agitated. Small things, he could not stand. To him, it was a big thing. But to somebody else, it's just a small thing. So the fault is not outside. The fault is inside. The problem is inside. As the Buddha says, all fears arise in the fool, not in the wise man. So a lot of problems arise in the fool, because it's inside. So the training is inside, basically. So if we take the trouble to train slowly, slowly, we go through the grind. We polish ourself inside. In what sense are they well-practiced? It depends whether they really practice or not. Firstly, if a monk wants to practice, the city life is not conducive. The Buddha has said in the earlier sutta we read, a monk who associates with others, who delights in company, who delights in society, not possible for him to attain anything. It's only a monk who either who lives alone or who is aloof. I've heard like in Thailand, there are certain monasteries, they might be town monasteries, but not city, town monasteries, sometimes small towns. You might have maybe a dozen monks. Out of the dozen monks, you might find one who keeps to himself. who's aloof from others. That is a practicing monk. Restlessness is one of the factors and really restlessness is only destroyed by the Arahant. So restlessness comes about because we still feel we want to do something. I don't know whether you noticed the other day I mentioned that this word Sankara, volition, I say, in a way can be considered the creator in the world. Because from volition, because we want to do something that makes the chain of events start. So somebody who is especially attached to the world, there are many things you want to do, many ambitions. That's why in the suttas the Buddha said there are some beings, in fact most beings, we die with a lot of ambitions unfulfilled. There are still a lot of things we want to do. So this volition, This restlessness comes from this volition. We still want to do something. So this restlessness and remorse has a hindrance when we meditate and go into our mind. Then we find the calm and peace is so blissful, so delightful that we want to go more into our mind. When we can attain the abandonment of the hindrances. So we still have restlessness, but it's no more a hindrance. It is still a factor. We still have the factor of restlessness. It's not a hindrance in the sense that it does not obstruct us so much as to cause us not to see things clearly. Only when we achieve the Jhanas and we find the peace and happiness within, that we slowly let go of the world, we want to meditate more, if we can. Sometimes out of obligations, out of sense of duty or something, people sometimes want to do this and do that. But otherwise, that person will want to spend his time inside, in which case that restlessness is even further weakened. So it has to do with volition, this restlessness. have to do with wanting to do this, do that. That's why sometimes a monk wants to do too much, it's a hindrance. But sometimes, like the Buddha says, it's also a duty for a monk who knows the Dhamma and the Vinaya to teach. If a monk who knows the Dhamma and Vinaya were to just bliss out every day and refuse to teach, then the Sassana, the Buddhist religion, would not last. In the Vinaya books, somebody asked the Buddha, are all the Buddhas the same? Then the Buddha said, no, not all. Some Buddhas are the same. Even though they teach the Dhamma Vinaya, some teach more Dhamma and more Vinaya. Then the Sāsana lasts longer. Some teach less Dhamma and less Vinaya. The Sāsana does not last so long. Also, the Buddha said, after he has entered Nibbāna, then he depends on later monks to continue the Dhamma Vinaya. So if later monks don't want to do the work of teaching, then the Buddhist religion will be shortened. So now that the Buddha is no more with us, it is the duty of monks who know the Dhamma Vinaya to teach. Of course, if they really understand the Dhamma, they also want to practice. So you have to sometimes compromise. Yes, yes. The restlessness can also be due to Sila doing what should not have been done. what is unwholesome, doing what is unwholesome also contributes to this restlessness as hindrance. Or not doing your duty, neglecting to do what should be done, that also. Just like in one sutta, somebody asked the Buddha, Some people are born in the woeful plains or something like that. And the Buddha says, due to commission and omission. Commission, doing something and not doing something. Those people who go to the woeful plains, they do evil deeds. And they neglect to do wholesome deeds, like duties to the family and all that. And people go to heaven also because of commission and omission. People go to heaven because of having done good deeds, skillful deeds, like keeping the precepts, and omitting to do unskillful deeds, unwholesome karma. So that contributes also to restlessness. We, the earthlings, for our humiliation and our misery, we think that those things will end, but we don't know about them. We think that those things have control over us. We don't think that we can have control over them. We think that they can't stop us. We avoid them. We try to protect them all in the grass for a long, long time. This is a small consideration of human beings. Or the more dangerous one is to keep the grudge. There's a very beautiful sutra by the Buddha in the Anguttara Nikaya, where the Buddha talked about the snake that is fierce and venomous. Then there's another snake that is fierce but not venomous, not poisonous. Fierce but not poisonous. And there's another type of snake which is not fierce but poisonous, venomous. And then the fourth type is not fierce and not venomous. So similarly, human beings are also just like these four types of snakes. The first one that is fierce and venomous are those that flare up easily, the temper flares up easily. But if it's venomous, that means the hatred, the anger keeps inside them long. That's very bad. Fierce and blows up easily and also full of hatred inside for a long time. Then the second one, Fierce, but not venomous. That means he blows up easily, loses his temper easily, but does not keep in sight. It's a more harmless person. And then the third type is not fierce, but venomous. This type of person is dangerous in the sense that they don't blow up, but they keep in sight. So they get angry, so you don't know. They got a grudge against you, you don't know. They keep in sight. And the last one, he's not fierce and not venomous. He doesn't blow his top easily, and he does not keep a grudge inside him. That's the best. So I think the best is a person who has no anger and does not keep inside his heart. The second best, I think, is a person who blows up easily, but does not keep the grudge inside of him. The worst is the one who gets angry, goes up very fast, as well as keep the grudge. This keeping the grudge inside is not so much harmful to others as to harm that person himself. The person he keeps the grudge inside, the anger and the hatred inside is a poison. It's a poison. So it can make him become deranged. I don't know whether you all noticed, all these people in the mental asylum, Tanjong Ramutan, all have bad temper. All have bad temper. Okay, shall we end here?

27-MN-126-Bhumija-(2010-09-10).txt

Today is the 10th of September and this is the 52nd time we're speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Now we come to Sutta 126, Bhumija Sutta. This is an important Sutta concerning Kamavipaka. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Rajagaha in the bamboo grove, the squirrel sanctuary. Then when it was morning, the webbled Bhumija dressed and taking his bowl and outer robe, went to the house of Prince Jayasena and sat down on a seat made ready. Then Prince Jayasena went to the Venerable Bhumija and exchanged greetings with him. When this courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down at one side and said to the Venerable Bhumija, Master Bhumija, there are some recluses and Brahmins who make such assertions and hold such views as this. If one makes an aspiration and one leads the holy life, one is unable to procure any fruit If one makes no aspiration and one leads the holy life, one is still unable to procure any fruit. If one both makes an aspiration and makes no aspiration, and one leads the holy life, one is still unable to procure any fruit. If one neither makes an aspiration nor makes no aspiration, and one leads the holy life, one is still unable to procure any fruit. What does the Venerable Bhumija's teacher say here? What does he declare? Stop it for a moment. So here apparently this Venerable Bhumija He goes regularly to the house of Prince Daya Sena for his meal. There are some monks who only go, stand outside the house, receive the food and walk away. During the Buddha's time, there were some who entered the house and ate the meal there. So this prince is asking, He heard that there are some ascetics say that you lead the holy life, you cannot obtain any fruit, any result, whether you make an aspiration or not. Evidently this must be from external ascetics who are unable to obtain any fruit in their practice. And Venerable Bhumi just said, I have not heard and learned that from the Blessed One's own lip sprints. But it is possible that the Blessed One might say this. If one makes an aspiration and one leads the holy life unwisely, one is unable to procure any fruit. If one makes no aspiration and one leads the holy life unwisely, one is still unable to procure any fruit. If one both makes an aspiration and makes no aspiration, and one leads the holy life unwisely, one is still unable to procure any fruit. If one neither makes an aspiration nor makes no aspiration, and one leads the holy life unwisely, one is still unable to procure any fruit. However, if one makes an aspiration and leads the holy life wisely, one is able to procure fruit. If one makes no aspiration and one leads the holy life wisely, one is still able to procure fruit. If one both makes an aspiration and makes no aspiration and one leads the holy life wisely, one is still able to procure fruit. If one neither makes an aspiration nor makes no aspiration and one leads the holy life wisely, one is still able to procure fruit. I have not heard and learned this from the Blessed One's own lips, Prince, but it is possible that the Blessed One would answer, as I have stated." And the Prince said, if Master Bhumija's teacher speaks thus, if he declares thus, then it certainly seems that the Venerable Bhumija's teacher stands ahead of all the ordinary recluses and Brahmins. Then Prince Jaya Sena served the Venerable Bhumija from his own dish of milk rice. Stop here for a moment. So here, what this Venerable Bhumija is telling this prince is that he did not hear what the Buddha said about this, about making an aspiration and not making an aspiration. But he says, Most likely, the Buddha would say, it doesn't matter whether you make an aspiration or you don't make an aspiration. If you lead the holy life unwisely, in other words, in the wrong way, then it is not possible to get any fruit out of it. But if you lead the holy life wisely, in the right way, it doesn't matter whether you make an aspiration or not, you still will be able to get some fruit out of it, you get some results. There is a sutra in the Anguttara Nikaya 5.43 where the Buddha said, there are several things in the world that everybody wants, for example, to be born beautiful, to be healthy, to be happy, to have long life, and after passing away to have a good rebirth. So the Buddha said that these things are hard to get. And the Buddha said you cannot get these things by making a vow or by praying for them or thinking about it frequently. The Buddha said that you must walk the path to get you what you want. In other words, you have to do the right kamma. For example, what the Buddha meant is, if you want long life, you don't kill. If you don't kill, you will naturally get long life. You don't have to make an aspiration for it. You don't have to pray for it. You don't have to make vows for it. You will come naturally. This kamma is the result of This is the law of kamavipaka, action and its result, action and its fruit. Intentional action and its fruit. So if we understand how things go according to this kamavipaka, then we will do the correct action. If you don't do the right action, you won't get what you want. Then when the Venerable Bhumijja had returned from his alms round after his meal, he went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to Him, he sat down at one side and told the Blessed One what had occurred. Adding, Venerable Sir, I hope that when I was asked such a question and answered thus, I said what has been said by the Blessed One. and did not misrepresent him with what is contrary to fact. I hope I explained in accordance with the Dhamma in such a way that nothing which provides a ground for censure can be legitimately deduced from my assertion." And the Buddha said, Surely, Bhumija, when you were asked such a question and answered thus, you said what has been said by me. I did not misrepresent me with what is contrary to fact. you explain in accordance with the Dhamma in such a way that nothing which provides a ground for censure can be legitimately deduced from your assertion. Whatever recluses and Brahmins have wrong view, wrong thoughts, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong recollection and wrong concentration, if they make an aspiration and they lead the holy life, they are unable to procure any fruit. If they make no aspiration and they lead the holy life, they are still unable to procure any fruit. If they both make an aspiration and make no aspiration, and they lead the holy life, they are still unable to procure any fruit. If they neither make an aspiration nor make no aspiration, and they lead the holy life, they are still unable to procure any fruit. Why is that? Because that wrong path is not a proper method for procuring fruit. Suppose a man needing oil. seeking oil, wandering in search of oil, were to heap up gravel in a tub, sprinkle it all over with water and press it. Then if he made an aspiration and acted thus, he would be unable to procure any oil. If he made no aspiration and acted thus, he would still be unable to procure any oil. If he both made an aspiration and made no aspiration and acted thus, he would still be unable to procure any oil. If he neither made an aspiration, nor made no aspiration, and acted thus, he would still be unable to procure any oil. Why is that? Because that way of acting is not a proper method for procuring oil. So too, whatever recluses and brahmins have wrong view, they are still unable to procure any fruit. Why is that? Because that wrong path is not a proper method for procuring fruit. Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says that if recluses and Brahmins, they don't practice the correct holy path, the spiritual path, the holy life, then they are unable to procure any fruit out of their efforts. Just like a man, he wants to get oil and he were to to take gravel stone, stone or sand, and press it, crush it. It's not possible to get any oil from stone or gravel. It doesn't matter whether he makes an aspiration or no aspiration. Suppose a man needing milk, seeking milk, wandering in search of milk, were to pull a recently carved cow by her horn. Then if he made an aspiration, if he made no aspiration, if he both made an aspiration and made no aspiration, if he neither made an aspiration nor made no aspiration and acted thus, he would still be unable to procure any milk. Why is that? Because that way of acting is not a proper method for procuring milk. So too, whatever recluses and brahmins have wrong view, they are still unable to procure any fruit. Why is that? Because that wrong path is not a proper method for procuring fruit. Suppose a man needing butter, seeking butter, wandering in search of butter, were to pour water into a churn and churn it with a churning stick. Then if he made an aspiration, if he made no aspiration, if he both made an aspiration and made no aspiration, If he neither made an aspiration nor made no aspiration and acted thus, he would still be unable to procure any butter. Why is that? Because that way of acting is not a proper method for procuring butter. So too, whatever recluses and Brahmins have wrong view, etc., they are still unable to procure any fruit. Why is that? Because that wrong path is not a proper method for procuring fruit. Suppose a man seeking fire, needing fire, wandering in search of fire, were to take an upper fire stick and rub a wet, sappy piece of wood with it, then if he made an aspiration, if he made no aspiration, if he both made an aspiration and made no aspiration, if he neither made an aspiration nor made no aspiration and acted thus, he would still be unable to procure any fire. Why is that? Because that way of acting is not a proper method for procuring fire. So too, whatever recluses and brahmins have wrong view, etc., they are still unable to procure any fruit. Why is that? Because that wrong path is not a proper method for procuring fruit. So here the Buddha gives three other examples. This man, he wants to get milk from the cow. Instead of pulling the udder, he pulls the horn. So there's no milk in the horn. So he's unable to get any milk. Similarly, this man wants butter. Instead of churning milk, he churns water. How to get milk from water? And then the third one, a man wants to make In those days, they used to use an upper fire stick and rub it against a dry piece of wood, which would heat up and produce fire. But this man, he uses a wet, sappy piece of wood, so it's impossible to make a fire. So in all these cases, because of the wrong method, it doesn't matter whether he makes an aspiration or no aspiration. Aspiration, you can also consider as a vow. These Mahayanis like to make vows. So here the Buddha says, the method is wrong. And aspiration or no aspiration is not going to get what he wants. Whatever recluses and Brahmins have right view, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right recollection and right concentration, if they make an aspiration and they lead the holy life, they are able to procure fruit. If they make no aspiration and they lead the holy life, they are still able to procure fruit. If they both make an aspiration and make no aspiration and they lead the holy life, they are still able to procure fruit. If they neither make an aspiration nor make no aspiration and they lead the holy life, they are still able to procure fruit. Why is that? Because that right path is a proper method for procuring fruit. I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says, This recluse of Brahmin, he practices the right Noble Eightfold Path, so he is sure to get fruit from his effort. And it doesn't matter whether he makes an aspiration or no aspiration. So here, you see, what is important is not the aspiration but the right method. Even without any aspiration, without any determination, without any vow, without any prayer, he can still get what he wants because of the right method. Suppose a man needing oil, seeking oil, wandering in search of oil, were to heap up sesame flour in a tub, sprinkle it all over with water and press it. Then if he made an aspiration and acted thus, he would be able to procure oil. If he made no aspiration and acted thus, he would still be able to procure oil. If he both made an aspiration and made no aspiration and acted thus, he would still be able to procure oil. If he neither made an aspiration nor made no aspiration and acted thus, he would still be able to procure oil. Why is that? Because that way of acting is a proper method for procuring oil. So too, whatever recluses and Brahmins have right view, etc., they are still able to procure fruit. Why is that? Because that right path is the proper method for procuring fruit. Suppose a man needing milk, seeking milk, wandering in search of milk, were to pull a recently calved cow by her udder, then if he made an aspiration, if he made no aspiration, if he both made an aspiration and made no aspiration, If he neither made an aspiration nor made no aspiration and acted thus, he would still be able to procure milk. Why is that? Because that way of acting is a proper method for procuring milk. So too, whatever recluses and brahmins have right view, etc., they are still able to procure fruit. Why is that? Because that right path is a proper method for procuring fruit. Suppose a man needing butter, seeking butter, wandering in search of butter, were to pour curd into a churn and churn it with a churning stick. Then if he made an aspiration, if he made no aspiration, if he both made an aspiration and made no aspiration, if he neither made an aspiration nor made no aspiration and acted thus, he would still be able to procure butter. Why is that? Because that way of acting is a proper method for procuring butter. So too, whatever recluses and brahmins have right view, etc., they are still able to procure fruit. Why is that? Because that right path is the proper method for procuring fruit. Suppose a man needing fire, seeking fire, wandering in search of fire, were to take an upper fire stick and rub a dry, sapless piece of wood with it. Then, if he made an aspiration, or if he made no aspiration, if he both made an aspiration and made no aspiration, If he neither made an aspiration nor made no aspiration and acted thus, he would still be able to procure fire. Why is that? Because that way of acting is a proper method for procuring fire. So too, whatever recluses and brahmins have right view, etc., they are still able to procure fruit. Why is that? Because that right path is a proper method for procuring fruit. Wumi Jang, if these four similes had occurred to you with reference to Prince Jayasena, he would have spontaneously acquired confidence in you, and being confident would have shown his confidence to you. And he said, Venerable Sir, how could these four similes have occurred to me with reference to Prince Jayasena as they occur to the Blessed One, since they are spontaneous and have never been heard before? That is what the Blessed One said, the rebel Bumija was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So this sutta is very clear that this aspiration or making a vow is of no use. What's important is to do the correct kamma, do the right thing, work for it, and then only we can get what we want.

28-MN-127-Anuruddha-(2010-09-10).txt

Now we come to Sutta 127, Anuruddha Sutta. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. Then the carpenter, Panchakanga, addressed a certain man thus, Come, good man, go to the Venerable Anuruddha. Pay homage in my name with your head at his feet and say, Venerable Sir, the Carpenter Panchakanga pays homage with his head at the Venerable Anuruddha's feet and say, Venerable Sir, let the Venerable Anuruddha and three others consent to accept tomorrow's meal from the Carpenter Panchakanga and let the Venerable Anuruddha arrive punctually, as the Carpenter Panchakanga is very busy and has much work to do for the King. Yes, sir," that man replied, and he went to the Venerable Anuruddha. After paying homage to the Venerable Anuruddha, he sat down at one side and delivered his message. The Venerable Anuruddha consented in silence. Then when the night had ended, it being morning, the Venerable Anuruddha addressed, and taking his bowl and outer robe, he went to the carpenter Panchakanga's house and sat down on a seat made ready. Then with his own hands, the carpenter Pancakanga served and satisfied the rebel Anuruddha with the various kinds of good food. Then when the rebel Anuruddha had eaten and had withdrawn his hand from his bowl, the carpenter Pancakanga took a low seat, sat down at one side, and said to the rebel Anuruddha, Stop here for a moment. So here you see this carpenter Pancakanga is not an ordinary carpenter. He is a carpenter to the king. So because he's an important man, has a lot of work to do. So you see, he told this Venerable Aniruddha to arrive punctually. This is not normal to invite Arahant and tell him, you come on time. The other thing is, you see, after the Venerable Aniruddha had eaten, and withdraw his hand from his bowl. In the early days, when the monks ate, they would put the bowl on their lap and they'd eat with their hands. Then later, there was a monk who was sick, very weak. He could not hold the bowl properly. Then the Buddha allowed the monks to have a bowl stand. And also the bowl stand, maybe it's a bit higher. So it looks like when the monks have finished their meal, normally they still keep the bowl on their lap and they look when the other monks have finished eating. then they'll take the bowl and put it aside. So it's normal with them. Then the host will know that they have finished their meal. And normally during the Buddha's time, after the monks finish their meal, as a sort of blessing, the monks will give a short teaching on the Dhamma. Not necessarily a long teaching, sometimes just a few sentences. So here this carpenter Pancaganga, he wanted to learn some Dhamma. So he came near, sat on a low seat. Then he said to Venerable Aniruddha, here Venerable Sir, elder monks have come to me and said, householder, develop the immeasurable liberation of mind. And some elders have said, householder, develop the exalted liberation of mind. Venerable Sir, the immeasurable liberation of mind and the exalted liberation of mind, are these states different in meaning and different in name? Or are they one in meaning and different only in name? Venerable Anuruddha said, Explain it as you see it, householder. Afterwards, it will be cleared up for you. Venerable Sir, I think that's the immeasurable liberation of mind and the exalted liberation of mind. These states are one in meaning and different only in name. Stop here for a moment. This Carpenter Pancakanga, we have seen in some other sutta that he's one of the strong supporters of the Buddha and being one of those had a lot of faith in the Buddha and his disciples. He already knows some Dhamma. So here, Venerable Aniruddha asked him to explain. And he said, if it's not correct, he will clear it up, clear up the meaning. There are certain disciples of the Buddha, lay disciples, who are very knowledgeable in the Dhamma. One of them is Citta. Normally, Citta, when he invites monks to his house after the meal. If they don't give a teaching on the Dhamma, he will ask them questions on the Dhamma. If they cannot answer, he will teach them the Dhamma. He's so good. He's an anagamin, anagamin disciple. And then the Venerable Anuruddha said, householder, the immeasurable liberation of mind and the exalted liberation of mind, these states are different in meaning and different in name. And it should be understood as follows, how these states are different in meaning and different in name. What householder is the immeasurable liberation of mind? I'll tell you for a moment, this immeasurable liberation of mind, the Pali word is appamana ceto vimutti. Appamana is immeasurable. Ceto vimutti is liberation of mind or liberation by mind sometimes. Here a monk abides pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with loving-kindness, likewise the second, likewise the third quarter, likewise the fourth quarter. So above, below, around, and everywhere, and to all as to himself, he abides pervading the all-encompassing world with a mind imbued with loving-kindness, metta, abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility and without ill-will. He abides pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with compassion. Similarly, he abides pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with joy. He abides pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with equanimity, abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility and without ill will. This is called the immeasurable liberation of mind. So here the Buddha, this venerable Anuruddha is describing the four Brahma-viharas, the four divine abidings. Metta, which is loving-kindness, Kruna, which is compassion, Mudita, which is joy, and Upekka, which is equanimity. So here, the Venerable Aniruddha says, this monk, he radiates these four things to the four quarters. and without limit, that's why it's called immeasurable. And what householder is the exalted liberation of mind? This exalted liberation of mind is maha gata ceto vimuti. Here a monk abides resolved upon an area the size of the root of one tree, pervading it as exalted. This is called the exalted liberation of mind. Here a monk abides resolved upon an area the size of the roots of two or three trees, pervading it as exalted. This too is called the exalted liberation of mind. Here a monk abides resolved upon an area the size of one village, pervading it as exalted, or an area the size of two or three villages, or an area the size of one major kingdom, or an area the size of two or three major kingdoms. or an area the size of the earth bounded by the ocean, pervading it as exalted. This too is called the exalted liberation of mind. It is in this way, householder, that it can be understood how these states are different in meaning and different in name. I'll stop here for a moment. So the first one was pervading these Brahmaviharas without a limit. That's why it's called immeasurable. The other one, the exalted one, is to a certain limit. It's when Maha Gata, exalted, comes from Maha in Gata. Gata is gone, like the Tathagata, thus gone one. So Maha Gata is gone a great distance or a great way. That's why it's called exalted. So the second one, there's a limit to it. The first one, there's no limit. There are householder. These four kinds of, here's this reappearance. Upapatti should be rebirth, also can. These four kinds of reappearance in the future state of being. But four, here someone abides resolved upon and pervading limited radiance. On the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in the company of the gods of limited radiance. Here someone abides resolved upon and pervading immeasurable radiance. On the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in the company of the gods of immeasurable radiance. Here someone abides resolved upon and pervading defiled radiance. On the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in the company of the gods of defiled radiance. Here someone abides resolved upon and pervading pure radiance. On the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in the company of the gods of pure radiance. These are the four kinds of reappearance in a future state of being. Stop here for a moment. This one is referring to the, this radiance is Basara, the second jhana heaven. In the second jhana heaven, the gods of radiance, there are three types, three levels. The gods of limited radiance, the gods of immeasurable radiance, the gods of streaming radiance. So here it's only talking about the gods of limited radiance, and immeasurable radiance. Then the other two that he talks about, the far radiance and pure radiance, are supposed to be subdivisions, subdivisions inside each one of these. Later you can see the meaning. There is an occasion, householder, when those deities assemble in one place, When they have assembled in one place, a difference in their colour can be discerned, but no difference in their radiance. Just as if a man were to bring several oil lamps into a house, a difference in the flames of the lamps might be discerned, but no difference in their radiance. So too, there is an occasion when those deities assemble in one place, a difference in their colour can be discerned, but no difference in their radiance. There is an occasion, householder, when those deities disperse from there. When they have dispersed, a difference in their colours can be discerned, and also a difference in their radiance. Just as, if the man were to remove those several oil lamps from that house, a difference might be discerned in the flames of the lamps, and also a difference in their radiance. So too, there is an occasion when those deities disperse from there. A difference in their colors can be discerned and also a difference in their radiance. it does not occur to those deities. This life of ours is permanent, everlasting, and eternal. Yet wherever those deities settle down, there they find delight. Just as when flies are being carried along a carrying pole or on a basket, it does not occur to them. This life of ours is permanent, everlasting, or eternal. Yet wherever those flies settle down, there they find delight. So too, it does not occur to those deities. This life of ours is permanent, everlasting, and eternal. Yet wherever those deities settle down, there they find delight. Stop it for a moment. This last part, like most beings in the world, we don't think about our life, how long it is, how short it is. We just enjoy. If we can enjoy, we just enjoy. So same with these deities. When this was said, the verbal Abhya Kaccana said to the verbal Anuruddha, good verbal Anuruddha, did I have something further to ask? Are all those radiant ones deities of limited radiance, or are some of them deities of immeasurable radiance? By reason of the factor responsible for rebirth, friend Kachana, some are deities of limited radiance, some deities of immeasurable radiance. Venerable Aniruddha, what is the cause and reason why among those deities there have reappeared in a single order of gods, some are deities of limited radiance, some deities of immeasurable radiance? As to that, friend Kachana, I shall ask you a question in return. Answer it as you choose. What do you think, friend Kachana, when one monk abides resolved upon an area the size of the root of one tree, pervading it as exalted, and another monk abides resolved upon the area the size of the roots of two or three trees, pervading it as exalted, which of these types of mental development is more exalted? 2. What do you think, Friend Pachana, when one monk abides resolved upon an area the size of the roots of two or three trees, pervading it as exalted, and another monk abides resolved upon an area the size of one village, pervading it as exalted, or an area the size of one village and an area the size of two or three villages, or an area the size of two or three villages, and an area the size of one major kingdom, or an area the size of one major kingdom, and an area the size of two or three major kingdoms, or an area the size of two or three major kingdoms, and an area the size of the earth bounded by the ocean, pervading it as exalted. Which of these two types of mental development is more exalted? The second, venerable sir, This is the cause and reason, friend Kachana, why among those deities that have reappeared in a single order of gods, some are deities of limited radiance, some deities of immeasurable radiance. Stop here for a moment. So here, remember Aniruddha is saying, those monks, when they develop this radiance, some, they radiate to a certain limit. That's why they are born in the heaven of gods of limited radiance, whereas there are some whose concentration is stronger, so they can radiate immeasurably, so they are reborn as gods of immeasurable radiance. Good Venerable Aniruddha, yet I have something further to ask. Are all those radiant ones deities of defiled radiance, or are some of them deities of pure radiance? In other words, each one of these, for example, inside the limited radiance or inside the immeasurable radiance, you have both these classes, defiled radiance and pure radiance. I remember Anuruddha said, by reason of the factor responsible for rebirth, friend Kachana, some are deities of defiled radiance, some deities of pure radiance. Venerable Aniruddha, what is the cause and reason why among those deities that have reappeared in a single order of gods, some are deities of defiled radiance, some deities of pure radiance? As to that, friend Kachana, I shall give a simile, for some wise men here understand the meaning of a statement by means of a simile. Suppose an oil lamp is burning with impure oil and an impure wick. Because of the impurity of its oil and its wick, it burns dimly. So too, here among the bites resolved upon at pervading an area with a defiled radiance, his bodily inertia has not fully subsided, his sloth and topper have not been fully eliminated, his restlessness and remorse have not been fully removed. Because of this, he meditates as it were dimly. On the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in the company of the gods of defiled radiance. Suppose an oil lamp is burning with pure oil and a pure wick. Because of the purity of its oil and its wick, it does not burn dimly. So too, here a monk abides resolved upon and pervading an area with a pure radiance. His bodily inertia has fully subsided. His sloth and torpor have been fully eliminated. His restlessness and remorse have been fully removed. Because of this, he meditates, as it were, brightly. On the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in the company of the gods of pure radiance. This is the cause and reason, friend Kachana, why among those deities that have reappeared in the same order of gods, some are deities of defiled radiance, some deities of pure radiance." Stop it for a moment. So here, Anuruddha explains that For example, when someone is practicing this limited radiance, there are two types. One is practicing, but his hindrances are not totally removed. There are still some. Bodily inertia refers to the sluggishness, the dullness, the inactivity of the mind. And then sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse, So because of this, he meditates dimly. His mind is not so bright. Whereas the other one, he has removed all these hindrances, so his mind is strong and bright. So one is reborn among the gods of defiled radiance, the other one is reborn among the gods of pure radiance. When this was said, the Venerable Abhyakacana said to the Venerable Aniruddha, good Venerable Aniruddha, the Venerable Aniruddha does not say, thus have I heard, or it should be thus. Rather, the Venerable Aniruddha says, these gods are thus and these gods are such. It occurs to me, Venerable Sir, that the Venerable Aniruddha certainly has associated with those deities and talked with them and held conversations with them. Certainly, Friend Kachana, your words are offensive and discourteous, but still I will answer you. Over a long time I have associated with those deities and talked with them and held conversations with them. When this was said, the Venerable Abhiya Kachana said to the Carpenter Panchakanga, It is a gain for you, householder. It is a great gain for you that you have abandoned your state of doubt. And I have had the opportunity to hear this discourse on the Dhamma. That's the end of the sutta. So here, this last part, why it says your words are offensive and discourteous? Because some of these monks' attainments, a monk is only supposed to discuss them with other monks, not with lay people. Because if he discloses his attainments to lay people, it's like showing off. It's not allowed in the Vinaya. So here this Carpenter Panchakanga is in front of them. So this Venerable Abhiya Kachana is telling Venerable Aniruddha, it seems like you have talked, directly talked with this So, Venerable Aniruddha has to acknowledge that he personally talks with these gods. So, that's why he said, words are offensive and discourteous. So, this Sutta is about this immeasurable liberation of mind, exalted liberation of mind. by Venerable Aniruddha because Venerable Aniruddha is Arahan with the greatest heavenly eye. His mind has opened up so much that he can see a thousand worlds like in the palm of his hand. His mind has opened up so wide that ten thousand world systems are just like in the palm of his hand.

29-MN-128-Upakkilesa-(2010-09-10).txt

I think we have time to do another sutta. 128 Upakilesa Sutta, Imperfections. Kilesa, this word Kilesa can be translated as defilements also. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Kosambi in Gosita Spa. On that occasion, the monks at Kosambi had taken to quarrelling and brawling, and were deep in disputes, stabbing each other with verbal daggers. Then a certain monk went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to Him, he stood at one side and said, Sir, the monks here at Kosambi have taken to quarrelling and brawling, and are deep in disputes, stabbing each other with verbal daggers. It would be good, Venerable Sir, if the Blessed One would go to those monks out of compassion. The Blessed One consented in silence. Then the Blessed One went to those monks and said to them, Enough monks, let there be no quarrelling, brawling, wrangling or dispute. When this was said, a certain monk said to the Blessed One, Wait, Venerable Sir, let the Blessed One, the Lord of the Dhamma, live at ease, devoted to a pleasant abiding here and now. We are the ones who will be responsible for this quarrelling, brawling, wrangling and dispute." For a second time and for a third time, the Blessed One said, enough monks, let there be no quarrelling, brawling, wrangling or dispute. And for a third time, the monk said to the Blessed One, Wait, Venerable Sir, Let the Blessed One, the Lord of the Dhamma, live at ease, devoted to a pleasant abiding here and now. We are the ones who will be responsible for this quarrelling, brawling, wrangling and dispute. I'll stop here for a moment. These Kosambi monks in the Vinaya books, as mentioned, they had a big quarrel, a big dispute which lasted a long time. So this probably refers to that one. Then when it was morning, the Blessed One dressed, and taking His bowl and outer robe, entered Kosambi for alms. When He had wandered for alms in Kosambi and had returned from His alms round, after His meal, He set His resting place in order, took His bowl and outer robe, and while still standing, uttered these stanzas, When many voices shout at once, none considers himself a fool. Though the Sangha is being split, none thinks himself to be at fault. They have forgotten thoughtful speech. They talk obsessed by words alone, uncurbed their mouths. They bawl at will. None knows what leads him so to act. He abused me, he struck me, he defeated me, he robbed me. In those who harbour thoughts like these, hatred will never be allayed. For in this world, hatred is never allayed by further acts of hate. It is allayed by non-hatred. That is the fixed and ageless law. Those others do not recognize that here we should restrain ourselves. But those wise ones who realize this at once end all their enmity." Stop here for a moment. So the Buddha, after trying to tell the monks not to quarrel. Many times they refused to listen to him. He had enough of them and decided to leave. So these few words the Buddha uttered is found in the Dhammapada. These words are very important because all through the history of mankind, even up to today, there's a lot of wars, a lot of fighting, a lot of hatred. And because people don't know the Dhamma, they practice like this teaching, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. So this wars and hatred and fighting never ends. So the Buddha says, you cannot put out fire with fire. If there's a fire, you must use water. It's the opposite. you can fight fire with water. So in the same way, when there's a lot of hatred, only metta, loving kindness, compassion, can help. Breakers of bones and murderers, those who steal cattle, horses, wealth, those who pillage the entire realm, when even these can act together, why can you not do so too? If one can find a worthy friend, a virtuous, steadfast companion, then overcome all threats of danger and walk with him content and mindful. But if one finds no worthy friend, no virtuous, steadfast companion, then as a king leaves his conquered realm, walk like a tusker in the woods alone. Better it is to walk alone. There is no companionship with fools. Walk alone and do no evil. At ease like a tusker in the woods." This last part is interesting because in this world, most people are fools. Most people who live a normal life, they don't practice the Dhamma, they're not interested in the holy life, in the holy spiritual path. So they enjoy life. And at the end of life, they find they have to take rebirth in the woeful plains of rebirth. So the Buddha says, if that is so, if you can't find a good spiritual friend, then walk alone. Don't mix with fools. Because if you mix with fools, you have to join them and do what they do. Then having uttered these stanzas while standing, the Blessed One went to the village of Balakalonakara. On that occasion, the Venerable Bagu was living in the village of Balakalonakara. Then the Venerable Bagu saw the Blessed One coming in the distance. He prepared a seat and set out water for washing the feet. The Blessed One sat down on the seat made ready and washed His feet. The Venerable Bagu paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down at one side. And the Blessed One said to him, I hope you are keeping well, monk. I hope you are comfortable. I hope you are not having any trouble getting alms food. Stop here for a moment. This Venerable Bagu appears to be one of those solitary monks who love to live alone, away from the quarreling monks. So the Buddha came to this place and met him. I am keeping well, Blessed One, I am comfortable, and I am not having any trouble getting alms food." Then the Blessed One instructed, urged, roused, and encouraged the Venerable Bagu to talk on the Dhamma, after which he rose from his seat and went to the eastern bamboo path. On that occasion, the Venerable Aniruddha, the Venerable Nandiya and the Venerable Kimbila were living at the Eastern Bamboo Park. The park keeper saw the Blessed One coming in the distance and told him, Do not enter this park, recluse. There are three clansmen here seeking their own good. Do not disturb them. The Venerable Aniruddha heard the Park Keeper speaking to the Blessed One and told him, Friend Park Keeper, do not keep the Blessed One out. It is our teacher, the Blessed One, who has come. Then the Venerable Aniruddha went to the Venerable Nandiya and the Venerable Kimbila and said, Come out, Venerable Sirs, come out. Our teacher, the Blessed One, has come. I'll stop here for a moment. This part is a bit similar to the Majjhima Nikaya Sutta 31. where these three monks were living together and the Buddha went to them. But in that Sutta Madhyamanikaya 31, they had already attained Arahanthood. Whereas here, they had not yet attained Arahanthood, as you can see later. But this Venerable Aniruddha is one monk, even before he attained Arahanthood, his psychic power already developed. So probably because of that, when the Buddha was told by the park keeper not to enter with his divine ear. He heard probably, so he told the park keeper to allow the Buddha to come in. Then all three went to meet the Blessed One. One took his bowl and outer robe. One prepared a seat. One set out water for washing the feet. The Blessed One sat down on the seat made ready and washed his feet. Then those three venerable ones paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down at one side. And the Blessed One said to them, I hope you are all keeping well, Anuruddha. I hope you are comfortable. I hope you are not having any trouble getting alms food. We are keeping well, Blessed One. We are comfortable and we are not having any trouble getting alms food. I hope, Aniruddha, that we are all living in concord, with mutual appreciation, without disputing, blending like milk and water, viewing each other with kindly eyes. Surely, Venerable Sir, we are living in concord, with mutual appreciation, without disputing, blending like milk and water, viewing each other with kindly eyes. Stop here for a moment. In the Vinaya books, the Buddha encouraged monks to live together, maximum three months together. It's only in the big monasteries, many monks live together because a lot of them were new monks that needed to be trained. But those that completed five years of training under teacher, the Buddha encouraged them to go off and live alone, or two or three together, not more than three. Because for various reasons, when you have too many monks staying together, sometimes they talk, they hinder each other from their practice, and sometimes they can't get along. And also, when too many monks go on Pindapatta, arms round, It's a burden to lay people. So like outside Vassa here, generally only two monks will go in the Padkala. Only during the Vassa, because we have many people, three monks go just to let the lay people know we have more people here. Then he asked, but Anuruddha, how do you live thus? Venerable Sir, as to that, I think thus. It is a gain for me, it is a great gain for me that I am living with such companions in the holy life. I maintain bodily acts of loving kindness towards these venerable ones, both openly and privately. I maintain verbal acts of loving-kindness towards them both openly and privately. I maintain mental acts of loving-kindness towards them both openly and privately. I consider, why should I not set aside what I wish to do, and do what these verbal ones wish to do? Then I set aside what I wish to do, and do what these verbal ones wish to do. We are different in body, verbal sir, but one in mind. The Venerable Nandia and the Venerable Kimbila each spoke likewise, adding, that is how, Venerable Sir, we are living in concord, with mutual appreciation, without disputing, blending like milk and water, viewing each other with kindly eyes. Stop here for a moment. So this is how people, when they live together, especially in a monastery, they should act, they should have metta towards each other, openly and privately. and also not think that people should do according to what you think should be the way it should be done, but set aside your own opinion and do what the majority wish to do. Sometimes a lot of dispute and friction arises because people are strong-minded, want everybody to follow what they think should be the way things should be done. Here, these three monks, because they appreciate each other's company, they set aside what they wish to do and follow what others want to do. Good, good Aniruddha. I hope you all abide diligent, ardent and resolute. Surely, Venerable Sir, we abide diligent, ardent and resolute. But Aniruddha, how do you abide thus? Venerable Sir, as to that, whichever Avas returns first from the village with alms food, prepares the seeds, sets out the water for drinking and for washing, and puts the refuse bucket in its place. Whichever of us returns last, eats any food left over, if he wishes. Otherwise, he throws it away where there is no greenery, or drops it into water where there is no light. He puts away the seeds and the water for drinking and for washing. He puts away the refuse bucket after washing it, and he sweeps out the refectory or dining place. Whoever notices that the pots of water for drinking, washing, or the latrine are low or empty, takes care of them. If they are too heavy for him, he calls someone else by a signal of the hand, and they move it by joining hands. But because of this, we do not break out into speech. But every five days, we sit together all night discussing the Dhamma. That is how we abide diligent, ardent, and resolute." Stop here for a moment. So here you see how they are very cooperative. knows what to do. When anything needs to be done, they just do it. And they don't talk to each other. But when they talk, they only discuss the Dhamma. This is once in five days. Good, good, Aniruddha. But while you abide thus diligent, ardent and resolute, have you attained any superhuman states, a distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the Aryans, a comfortable abiding? Remember Sir, as we abide here diligently in Arden and Resolute, we perceive both Light and a vision of Forms. Soon afterwards, the Light and the vision of Forms disappear, but we have not discovered the cause for that. We should discover the cause for that, Aniruddha. Before my enlightenment, while I was still only an unenlightened bodhisattva, I too perceived both light and a vision of forms. Soon afterwards, the light and the vision of forms disappeared. I thought, what is the cause and condition why the light and the vision of forms have disappeared? Then I considered thus. Doubt arose in me, and because of the doubt my concentration fell away. When my concentration fell away, the light and the vision of forms disappeared. I shall so act that doubt does not arise in me again. As Anuruddha, I was abiding, diligent, ardent and resolute. I perceived both light and a vision of forms. Soon afterwards, the light and the vision of forms disappeared. I thought, what is the cause and condition why the light and the vision of forms have disappeared? Then I considered thus, inattention arose in me. And because of inattention, my concentration fell away. When my concentration fell away, the light and the vision of forms disappeared. I shall so act that neither doubt nor inattention will arise in me again. As Aniruddha, I was abiding, diligent, ardent and resolute. etc. I considered thus, sloth and torpor arose in me, and because of sloth and torpor my concentration fell away. When my concentration fell away, the light and the vision of form disappeared. I shall so act that neither doubt nor inattention nor sloth and torpor will arise in me again. As Aniruddha, As Aniruddha, I was abiding diligent, ardent and resolute, etc. I considered thus, fear arose in me, and because of fear, my concentration fell away. When my concentration fell away, the light and the vision of forms disappeared. Suppose a man set out on a journey, and murderers leaped out on both sides of him, then fear would arise in him because of that. So too, fear arose in me. And so the light and the vision of forms disappeared. I considered thus, I shall so act that neither doubt nor inattention nor sloth and torpor nor fear will arise in me again. As Aniruddha was abiding, diligent, ardent and resolute, etc., I considered thus, elation arose in me, and because of elation my concentration fell away. When my concentration fell away, the light and the vision of alms disappeared. Suppose a man seeking one entrance to a hidden treasure came all at once upon five entrances to a hidden treasure, then elation would arise in him because of that. So too, an elation arose in me, etc. And so the life and the vision of forms disappeared. I considered thus, I shall so act that neither doubt nor inattention, etc., nor fear nor elation will arise in me again. I stop here for a moment. So here, the Buddha said, before he was enlightened, as he meditated and the concentration arose, When the concentration rises up, comes up, then this light appears and vision of forms. But because the concentration is not strong enough, the concentration still wobbles. So when these hindrances come up, then this light and the vision of forms disappear. So these various hindrances are doubt, inattention, sloth and topper, fear, elation, Just like some people, when they meditate, light appears, they are very happy. And because of that, they are distracted. So the concentration goes down, so the light disappears. As Aniruddha, I was abiding, diligent, ardent, resolute, etc. I considered that inertia arose in me. And because of inertia, my concentration fell away. When my concentration fell away, the light and the vision of forms disappeared. I shall so act that neither doubt nor inattention, etc., will arise in me again. As Aniruddha, I was abiding, diligent, ardent, resolute, etc. I considered thus excess of energy arose in me. And because of excess of energy, my concentration fell away. When my concentration fell away, the light and the vision of forms disappeared. Suppose a man were to grip a quail tightly with both hands, he would die then and there. So too, an excess of energy arose in me, and the light and the vision of forms disappeared. I considered that I shall so act that neither doubt nor inattention, etc., nor inertia nor excess of energy will arise in me again. As Sanaruddha, I was abiding, diligent, ardent, resolute, etc. Then I considered thus, deficiency of energy arose in me, and because of deficiency of energy, my concentration fell away. When my concentration fell away, the light and vision of forms disappeared. Suppose a man were to grip a quail loosely, it would fly out of his hand. So too, a deficiency of energy arose in me, and so the light and vision of forms disappeared. I consider thus, I shall so act that neither doubt nor inattention, etc., nor excess of energy nor deficiency of energy will arise in me again. As Aniruddha, I was abiding, diligent, ardent, resolute, etc. Then I considered thus, longing arose in me, and because of that longing, my concentration fell away. When my concentration fell away, the light and the vision of forms disappeared. I shall so act that neither doubt, nor inattention, etc., nor deficiency of energy, nor longing, will arise in me again." Stop here for a moment. This longing is the longing to see the light and to see the forms, etc. Just like some people, they meditate, they want results, so because of their longing for results, they cannot progress. As Anuruddha, I was abiding diligent, ardent, resolute, etc. Then I considered thus, perception of diversity arose in me, and because of perception of diversity, my concentration fell away. When my concentration fell away, the light and vision of forms disappeared. I shall so act that neither doubt nor inattention, etc., nor longing nor perception of diversity will arise in me again. As Aniruddha, I was abiding diligent, ardent, resilient, etc. Then I considered thus. Excessive meditation upon forms arose in me. And because of excessive meditation upon forms, my concentration fell away. When my concentration fell away, the light and the vision of forms disappeared. I shall so act that neither doubt nor inattention, etc., nor perception of diversity, nor excessive meditation upon forms, will arise in me again. Stop here for a moment. This perception of diversity, I guess it refers to the diversity of the forms, different types of forms, and the diversity of light, different types of lights. So because of seeing different things, perceiving different things, so his mind got scattered. When Aniruddha understood that doubt is an imperfection of the mind, I abandoned doubt, an imperfection of the mind. When I understood that inattention, sloth and topper, fear, elation, inertia, excess of energy, deficiency of energy, longing, perception of diversity, excessive meditation upon forms is an imperfection of the mind, I abandoned them. imperfections of the mind. As Aniruddha, I was abiding, diligent, ardent, and resolute. I perceived light, but I did not see forms. I saw forms, but I did not perceive light, even for a whole night, or a whole day, or a whole day and night. I thought, what is the cause and condition for this? Then I considered thus. On the occasion when I do not attend to the sign of forms, but attend to the sign of light. I then perceive light, but do not see forms. On the occasion when I do not attend to the sign of light, but attend to the sign of forms, I then see forms, but do not perceive light, even for a whole night, or a whole day, or a whole day and night. As Aniruddha, I was abiding diligent, ardent, and resolute. I perceived limited light, and saw limited forms. I perceived immeasurable light, and saw immeasurable forms, even for a whole night, or a whole day, or a whole day and night. I thought, what is the cause and condition for this? Then I considered thus, on the occasion when concentration is limited, my vision is limited, and with limited vision I perceive limited light and limited forms. On the occasion when concentration is immeasurable, my vision is immeasurable, and with immeasurable vision I perceive immeasurable light and see immeasurable forms, even for a whole night all the whole day, all the whole day and night. I'll stop here for a moment. So here, you see, concentration is important. When the concentration is limited, then his vision is limited. When the concentration is immeasurable, then his vision is immeasurable. When Aniruddha, I understood that doubt is an imperfection of the mind, and had abandoned doubt, an imperfection of the mind. When I understood that inattention is an imperfection of the mind, and had abandoned inattention, abandoned sloth and topper, fear, elation, inertia, excess of energy, deficiency of energy, longing, perception of diversity, abandoned excessive meditation upon forms. Then I thought, I have abandoned those imperfections of the mind. Let me now develop concentration in three ways. Thereupon Aniruddha, I developed concentration with applied thought and sustained thought. I develop concentration without applied thought, but with sustained thought only. I develop concentration without applied thought and without sustained thought. I develop concentration with delight. I develop concentration without delight. I develop concentration accompanied by enjoyment. I develop concentration accompanied by equanimity. When Anuruddha, I had developed concentration with applied thought and sustained thought, etc. When I had developed concentration accompanied by equanimity, the knowledge and vision arose in me. My liberation is unshakable. This is my last birth. Now there is no renewal of being. That is what the Blessed One said. Remember Anuruddha was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So this last part, Concentration with applied thought and sustained thought. This refers to vittaka and vichara. Sometimes translated as thought directed and thought sustained. That is only found in the first jhana. And this with sustained thought, this also refers to the first jhana. Then without applied thought and without sustained thought, this is the second jhāna. With delight, this is the second jhāna. And then without delight is the third jhāna already. Accompanied by enjoyment, still the third jhāna. And then accompanied by equanimity, it is the It can be considered as the third jhāna or the fourth jhāna. The fourth jhāna is the utter purity of equanimity. So he refers to developing the four jhānas. So when the Buddha said he had developed the four jhānas, then only he attained liberation. So that's the end of the sutta. So this is another sutta talking about the different concentrations So you can see from the sutta that concentration is the criterion for being able to see light and to see forms. And when the concentration is immeasurable, then the vision is immeasurable. When the concentration is limited, then the vision is limited. Okay, we stop for the suttas here. Anything to discuss? So what you're saying is when somebody has an aspiration he will do the right thing. Not necessary. If a person doesn't know the Dhamma, then it's not likely that he will always do the right thing. For example, just to give you a simple example, if a man is rich and he goes hunting, he likes to go hunting, shoot wild boars and all that. So because of shooting wild boars and killing, his life is going to be short. But if he doesn't understand the Dhamma, he thinks he does a lot of charity because he's a rich man. He does a lot of charity. He's sure to get long life. Because doing charity means next time when he comes back, he can become wealthy, he can be provided with what he needs, food, all the requisites of life. But because of his killing karma, he must have short life. That's why nowadays we can see some children are born in a rich family, but one year old, or two years old, or three years old, they have cancer, leukemia, and they have to pass away. So if you don't understand the Dhamma, you don't know the Buddha's explanation of Kamavipaka, you do the wrong thing. Very often people have the right intention, but the wrong action. For example, there are some people, they want to be blessed. They want to have a lot of blessings and a lot of good luck. So they pray to God in heaven and they kill the kill the lamb or they sacrifice the pig or they kill the chicken and offer to heaven. By doing all these things, you are creating bad karma, evil karma. So instead of getting blessings, which he wants, he is getting the opposite of blessings, getting curses. For example, if people don't get embodied, Yeah, it's okay not to have relationship with somebody who harms you. It's alright. So you avoid. If you are not able to radiate loving kindness to him, the sight of him himself will make you boil. So you go away from him. Just like somebody says some nasty words to you and you can't stand it. So you better walk away. If you don't walk away, you boil like you burst. Is it necessary to attain the Jhanas before you practice the Brahma Vihara? Well, you can practice the Brahma Vihara or try to practice before you attain the Jhanas. But it is easier to practice it with the jhanas. In the suttas, the Buddha recommends that disciples attain the jhanas first. Then only you can radiate this Brahma-vihara. Without the jhanas, we cannot really radiate the Brahma-vihara. But we can practice it through our body, speech, and our mind. So like to our body language, to our verbal language, we practice loving kindness towards others, through speech and through body action. Oh yes, if a person can radiate metta, it's a sort of psychic power, you know. If you really can radiate metta, then even the birds will come and sit on your shoulder, the animals, even wild animals will come to you and all these things. It's not something very ordinary. Very few people can actually radiate. The last time I saw him was in 2002, when he was in the district. I have a friend who has terrible phobias. Very, very bad phobias. And I have a friend who is going through a mental health crisis, and he's gone through a mental health crisis in two years. It really hurts me to see that in a way. So you want to know why? Now, I mean, it's going to be the same as the video, but I'm going to be doing it in a way that I'm going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to be doing it in a way that I'm not going to The time I spent in that building was a fantastic time to be a child. I had a lot of time to be with my family, to be with the kids, to be with the friends, to be with the neighbors. I had a lot of time to be with my family. I had a lot of time to be with the kids. I had a lot of time to be with my family. I had a lot of time to be with the kids. I had a lot of time to be with my family. I had a lot of time to be with my family. I had a lot of time to be with my family. I had a lot of time to be with my family. I had a lot of time to be with my family. I had a lot of time to be with my family. I had a lot of time to be with my family. I had a lot of time to be with my family. I had a lot of time to be with my family. I had a lot of time to be with my family. I had a lot of time to be with my These hindrances here are more than the normal, than the five hindrances, the standard five hindrances. But these are also common hindrances faced by people who meditate. So after the Buddha noticed, the Buddha says after he noticed what is the obstacle, He abandons the obstacle and then after that, before he can attain the jhanas, develop the concentration, he must abandon the five hindrances, the standard five hindrances, sensual desire, ill will, sloth and topper, restlessness and worry and doubt. we know from the suttas, is when he attains the threshold concentration. So he must go through the threshold concentration, abandon the five hindrances, then only get into the jhanas. So I think that, I think that the, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it This perception of light, and perception of forms is not the nimittas referred to in the Visuddhi Magga. This is actually the light emanating out from him so that he can see. It's like the opening of the third eye, the heavenly eye. So this the Buddha encourages. Psychic powers are things that the Buddha encouraged. Yes, yes. It's not the nimittas referred to in the Visuddhimagga. That one is about like if you are mindful of the breath, then they say the breath becomes bright. But this is not. This is the, I believe it's the light welling up so that this third eye opens up, the heavenly eye. Oh, no, no, no. OK, you can stop here.

30-MN-129-Balapandita-Part-A-(2010-09-11).txt

Today is the 11th of September, 2010. This is the 53rd time we are speaking on the Madhimanikaya Sutta. Tonight we come to Sutta number 129, Bala Bandita Sutta. Fools and Wise Men. This is quite a good sutta about Kamalipaka. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's farm. There He addressed the monks thus, ''Monks, Venerable Sir,'' they replied. The Blessed One said, ''Monks, there are these three characteristics of a fool, signs of a fool, attributes of a fool, What three? Here a fool is one who thinks bad thoughts, speaks bad words, and does bad deeds. If a fool were not so, how could the wise know him thus? This person is a fool and untrue man. But because a fool is one who thinks bad thoughts, speaks bad words, and does bad deeds, the wise know him thus. This person is a fool and untrue man. Stop here for a moment. So in the Buddha's teachings, a fool is one who creates unwholesome kamma through thoughts, words, and action, deeds. And because of that, it is expected that you will be reborn in a woeful plane of rebirth. So it is not like some people think, a fool in the worldly sense. In the world, a fool is one who doesn't know this, doesn't know that, who doesn't make big money, who doesn't go to the university. That is the worldly standard of a fool. But in the Buddha's teachings, a fool is one who does unwholesome karma or action to the body, speech and mind. A fool feels pain and grief here and now in three ways. If a fool is seated in an assembly, or along a street, or in a square, and people there are discussing certain pertinent and relevant matters, then If the fool is one who kills living beings, takes what is not given, misconducts himself in sensual pleasures, speaks falsehood, and indulges in wine, liquor, and intoxicants, which are the basis of negligence, he thinks, these people are discussing certain pertinent and relevant matters. These things are found in me, and I am seen engaging in those things. This is the first kind of pain and grief that a fool feels here and now. Again, when a robber culprit is caught, a fool sees kings having many kinds of torture inflicted on him, having him flogged with whips, beaten with canes, beaten with clubs, having his hands cut off, his feet cut off, his hands and feet cut off, his ears cut off, his nose cut off, his ears and nose cut off, having him subjected to the porridge pot, to the polished shell shape, to the Rahu's mouth, to the fiery wreath, to the flaming hand, to the blades of grass, to the bark dress, to the antelope, to the meat hooks, to the coins, to the lye pickling, to the pivoting pin, to the rolled-up lace, and having him splashed with boiling oil, and having him thrown to be devoured by dogs, and having him impaled alive on stakes, and having his head cut off with a sword. Then the fool thinks thus, because of such evil actions as those. When a robber culprit is caught, kings have many kinds of tortures inflicted on him. They have him flogged with whips, etc., and have his head cut off with a sword. Those things are found in me, and I am seen engaging in those things. This is the second kind of pain and grief that a fool feels here and now. Again, When a fool is on his chair, or on his bed, or resting on the ground, then the evil actions that he did in the past, his bodily, verbal, and mental misconduct, cover him, overspread him, and envelop him, just as the shadow of a great mountain peak in the evening covers, overspreads, and envelops the earth. So too, when a fool is on his chair, or on his bed, or resting on the ground, then the evil actions that he did in the past, His bodily, verbal, and mental misconduct cover him, overspread him, and envelop him. Then the fool thinks, I have not done what is good. I have not done what is wholesome. I have not made myself a shelter from anguish. I have done what is evil. I have done what is cruel. I have done what is wicked. When I pass away, I shall go to the destination of those who have not done what is good, et cetera, who have done what is wicked. He sorrows, grieves, and laments. He weeps, beating his breasts, and becomes distraught. This is the third kind of pain and grief that a fool feels here and now. A fool who has given himself over to misconduct of body, speech, and mind, on the dissolution of the body after death, he appears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, even in hell. Sorry for a moment. So here the Buddha says, a fool who misconducts himself through body, speech and mind, he has a guilty conscience. So whenever a group of people sit together and discuss anything, he has this guilty feeling that they might be discussing about him and all that, because he misconducts himself, so he feels pain and grief because of his conscience. Secondly, when somebody does some criminal act, like a robber, he's caught. During those days, the kings had great power, so all kinds of tortures can be inflicted on a criminal. His hands and feet can be cut off, ears and nose, subjected to the porridge pot, probably boiled in the porridge pot. to the meat hooks, just like they roast the chicken or the duck and then they hang on the meat hooks. So probably this man also gets hanged up by the neck. And splash with boiling oil, thrown alive to hungry dogs to devour him. and then maybe thrown down a hole with stakes, sharp stakes, so he's impaled alive on the stakes, or his head cut off with a sword. So when he sees all these tortures inflicted on the criminal, he has guilty thoughts, and he feels pain and grief. Thirdly, even when he's not doing anything, he's resting, these guilty thoughts, his conscience breaks him. So he is disturbed. So these are the three occasions when a person does unwholesome deeds, he feels his conscience break. Were it rightly speaking to be said of anything that is utterly unwishful, utterly undesired, utterly disagreeable, it is of hell that rightly speaking this should be said, so much so that it is hard to find a simile for the suffering in hell. Then this was said among us, the Blessed One. My Venerable Sir, can a simile be given? It can, monk, the Blessed One said. Monks, suppose a man caught a robber culprit and presented him to the king, saying, Sire, here is a robber culprit. Order what punishment you will for him. Then the king said, Go and strike this man in the morning with a hundred spears. And they struck him in the morning with a hundred spears. Then at noon the king asked, How is that man? Sire, he is still alive. Then the king said, Go and strike that man at noon with a hundred spears. And they struck him at noon with a hundred spears. Then in the evening the king asked, How is that man? Sire, he is still alive. Then the king said, Go and strike that man in the evening with a hundred spears. And they struck him in the evening with a hundred spears. What do you think, monks? Would that man experience pain and grief because of being struck with three hundred spears? Noble Sir, that man would experience pain and grief because of being struck with even one spear, let alone three hundred. Then taking a small stone the size of his hand, the Blessed One addressed the monks thus, What do you think, monks, which is greater, this small stone that I have taken, the size of my hand, or Himalaya, the king of mountains? Remember, Sir, the small stone that the Blessed One has taken, the size of His hand, does not count beside Himalaya, the King of Mountains. It is not even a fraction. There is no comparison. So to monks, the pain and grief that the man would experience because of being struck with 300 spears does not count beside the suffering of hell. It's not even a fraction. There is no comparison. Stop here for a moment. So here, because the monk asked for a simile, the Buddha said that, imagine a man, a criminal, he's stabbed by 300 spears. in a day. How do you think his pain and grief is? His pain, his body pain is very terrible. Then even the mental grief is also very great. But the Buddha said that is nothing at all compared to the suffering in hell. Just like a small stone compared to the Himalaya cannot compare at all. In the same way, when we think that this man being Struck with 300 spears, the suffering is so much, yet the Buddha says it's nothing at all compared to the suffering in hell. So we always have to remember this. As long as we don't take the trouble to get right view and get stream entry, that means the first part of Ariya-hood, hell is still waiting for us. The round of samsara is still very long. We have to go to hell many, many times. Now the wardens of hell torture him with a five-fold transfixing. They drive a red-hot iron stick through... Here is his one hand. There are some other suttas. This is through one arm. They drive a red-hot iron stick through one arm. They drive a red-hot iron stick through the other arm. They drive a red-hot iron stick through one leg. They drive a red-hot iron stick through the other leg. They drive a red-hot iron stick through his chest. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Next, the wardens of hell throw him down and pair him with axes. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Next, the wardens of hell set him with his feet up and his head down and bare him with axes. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. I'll stop here for a moment. So, once he goes down to hell, Actually, the Buddha did not describe. Firstly, he has to go in front of King Yama. King Yama will question him. I think in the next sutra, that is described. So, the first kind of suffering he undergoes is the five-fold transfixing. They dry these five sticks, iron sticks, red-hot. through each of his limbs, the two hands, the two legs. Then the fifth one, they drive through his chest. So he's pinned to the ground and he cannot move. Maybe for a thousand years, he cannot move. This is the description of Devadatta. Devadatta has done a lot of mischief to the Buddha. So he has gone to hell and he's said to be pinned down in that way. He cannot move. The other thing interesting here is that yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. You see in the human plane or even in the animal plane, when we get excessive pain and we cannot stand it, we just let go and we die. It's a blessing to die. But here, this guy is in great pain. He wants to die, but he cannot die. If you study the Mahayana books, sometimes they say differently. They say in the Mahayana books that he dies, and then a cold wind will come and revive him, and then he wakes up again, and they torture him again, and then he dies, and then a cold wind will wake him up again. But here, it's worse, this description in the original suttas. He wants to die, but he cannot die, so long as his evil kamma has not been exhausted. Then they throw him down and pair him with axes. That means they cut off his outer layer of skin. Use the axe to shave off his outer skin. And then he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings. And after that, they put him upside down and pair him with axes. Axes is this instrument where you, how do you say, When we were young, we see them, the carpenter, working, planing the wood. So this one is using this edge to shave off his flesh, bit by bit, shave off his flesh. It's a terrible feeling. He wants to die, but he cannot die. Next, the wardens of hell harness him to a chariot and drive him back and forth across burning ground, blazing and glowing. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Next, the wardens of hell make him climb up and down a great mountain of burning coals, blazing and glowing. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Next the wardens of hell take him feet up and head down and plunge him into a red-hot metal cauldron, burning, blazing, and glowing. There he is cooked in a swirl of froth, and as he is being cooked there in a swirl of froth, he is swept now up, now down, and now across. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings. Yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Next, the wardens of hell throw him into the great hell. Now, as to that great hell, monks, it has four corners and is built with four doors, one set in each side, walled up with iron and all around, and shut in with an iron roof. Its floor as well is made of iron and heated till it glows with fire. The range is a full hundred leagues, which it covers all evasively. I could tell you in many ways about hell, so much so that it is hard to find a simile for the suffering in hell." So here, in paragraph 13, this guy is harnessed to a chariot, tied to a chariot, and the horse, seems in hell also got horse. So the horse pulls the chariot, and this guy is pulled on the floor, and the ground is rough, and it's hot, it's burning. And so as he's scraped on the floor, you can imagine his flesh is being scraped off, and he's feeling great pain. I don't know how long they do this, maybe for a few years. Next, the wardens of hell, make him climb up and down a great mound of burning coals. I see this charcoal burning and blazing. He has to climb up and down, clap up and down, getting burned all over. Then he's thrown into a red-hot metal cauldron. Just like when we cook rice, you can see the rice floating up sometimes and floating down, the grain of rice. Sometimes it flows to the side, sometimes it flows to the other side. So in the same way, this guy is floating up and down in the red-hot metal cauldron being cooked. And after maybe many years, he's thrown into the great hell. This great hell is all made of metal, cube. Each side is 100 leagues. 100 leagues is 1,000 kilometers. The length is 1,000 kilometers. The breadth is 1,000 kilometers. The height is 1,000 kilometers. All the walls are iron. The floor is iron. The roof is iron. In the Nexuta, you find the description in more detail. Fire is very great there. Okay, so this is just telling you a bit about hell, not much of this compared to the next sutta, there's more description. Now we come to the animal kingdom. Mums, they are animals that feed on grass. They eat by cropping fresh or dried grass with their teeth. And what animals feed on grass? Elephants, horses, cattle, donkeys, goats and deer, and any other such animals. A fool who formerly delighted in taste here and did evil actions here, on the dissolution of the body after death, reappears in the company of animals that feed on grass. There are animals that feed on dung. They smell dung from a distance and run to it thinking, we can eat, we can eat. Just as Brahmins run to the smell of a sacrifice thinking, we can eat, we can eat. So too these animals that feed on dung, smell dung from a distance and run to it thinking, we can eat, we can eat. And what animals feed on dung? Fowls, pigs, dogs, and jackals, and any other such animals. A fool who formerly delighted in taste here and did evil actions here, on the dissolution of the body after death, reappears in the company of animals that feed on dung. So these, I'll stop you for a moment, these two classes of animals that feed on grass and feed on dung, Their characteristic formally is that they're delighted in taste, greedy for taste, and then they did evil actions. They harm others. Because of that, they are born in the animal realm. You notice that, for example, dogs. You bring meat, good food, in front of the dog, the saliva will start to fall down. Shows the great greed. There are animals that are born, age, and die in darkness. And what animals are born, age, and die in darkness? Moths, maggots, and earthworms, and any other such animals. A fool who formerly delighted in taste here, and did evil actions here, on the dissolution of the body after death, reappears in the company of animals that are born, age, and die in darkness. There are animals that are born, age, and die in water. And what animals are born, age, and die in water? Fish, turtles, and crocodiles, and any other such animals. A fool who formerly delighted in taste here, and did evil actions here, on the dissolution of the body after death, he appears in the company of animals that are born, age, and die in water. There are animals that are born, age, and die in filth. And what animals are born, age, and die in filth? Those animals that are born, age and die in a rotten fish, or in a rotten corpse, or in rotten dough, or in a cesspit, shithole, or in a sewer. A fool who formerly delighted in taste here, and did evil actions here, on the dissolution of the body after death, reappears in the company of animals that are born, age and die in filth. Monks, I could tell you in many ways about the animal kingdom, so much so that it is hard to find a simile for the suffering in the animal kingdom. Suppose a man threw into the sea a yoke with one hole in it, and the east wind carried it to the west, and the west wind carried it to the east, and the north wind carried it to the south, and the south wind carried it to the north. Suppose there were a blind turtle that came up once at the end of each century. What do you think, monks? Would that blind turtle put his neck into that yoke with one hole in it? He might, remember, sir, sometime or other at the end of a long period. Monks, the blind turtle would take less time to put his neck into that yoke with a single hole in it than a fool once gone to perdition. would take to regain the human state, I say. Why is that? Because there is no practicing of the Dhamma there, no practicing of what is righteous, no doing of what is wholesome, no performance of merit. There mutual devouring prevails, and the slaughter of the weak. If some time or other at the end of a long period, that food comes back to the human state, it is into a low family that he is reborn, into a family of outcasts, or hunters, or bamboo workers, or cartwrights, or scavengers, one that is poor with little to eat and drink, surviving with difficulty, where he scarcely finds food and clothing, and he is ugly, unsightly, and misshapen, sickly, blind, cripple-handed, lame, or paralyzed. He gets no food, drink, clothes, vehicles, garlands, scents, and anguans, bed, lodging, and life. He misconducts himself in body, speech, and mind, and having done that, on the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell. Monks, Suppose a gambler, at the very first unlucky throw, loses his child and his wife, and all his property and furthermore goes into bondage himself. Yet an unlucky throw such as that is negligible. It is a far more unlucky throw when a fool who misconducts himself in body, speech and mind, on the dissolution of the body after death, reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell. This is the complete perfection of the fool's grave." Stop it for a moment. So here, just now the Buddha talked about the other type of animals. There are some born in darkness, there are some born in water, there are some born in filth or shit. And then the Buddha says, once a person has been born either into the animal realm or in hell that is described as perdition. Perdition is damnation, is damned into the animal realm or hell. He would be there for a very, very, very long time. It's very hard to come out from there. So to make you understand how long he would be there, the Buddha said, imagine a yoke. A yoke is this wooden frame with this block which has to pull the cart. The two of them, they have this wooden thing with two holes in it. So their head is put inside the hole and they are locked inside the thing. So this wooden piece with the hole in it, imagine it is in the wide ocean. The ocean is so big and the wind is blowing it in different directions. And this blind turtle is trying to come up and take a breath. But only once in a hundred years it can come up, take a breath, and then it goes down again. So once in a hundred years it comes up to take a breath, what's the chance of it putting the head through that hole in that yoke? Almost impossible, right? You can't even see the yoke. How can he come up and put his head through the thing? And the thing is moving all the time. The monk says it will be a very, very long time before he can manage to put his head through that hole. And then the Buddha says that is shorter than for a person once gone to hell or to the animal realm to come out from it. That's why in certain religions, they say once you go to hell, it's eternal damnation. Never come out from there. It appears like eternal because when you suffer, one day or one night to go through is so long when you're suffering. When you're enjoying, The years go by, it's too short, not enough. But when you're suffering, even, for example, somebody slams the door of the car, you happen to put your finger there, and your finger is slammed, you want to move out your finger, even for a few seconds, it's so painful, it seems like so long. So that's why hell is like eternity. So similarly with the animal realm. So even when he comes out of that realm, animal or hell realm, he's a person with very bad karma. So he's born into a low family, hard to find a living. And on top of that, he's ugly, unsightly, misshapen, crippled or paralyzed or lame, et cetera. So the Buddha at the end says something very interesting. Suppose a gambler at the very first unlucky throw. This gambler, first time he's gambling. Imagine he goes to a place, a casino. First time he throws the dice, and he loses his child, his wife, and all his property. And furthermore, he goes into such a great debt that he has to become a slave. But the Buddha says, even that unlucky throw is negligible. It is a far more unlucky throw when a fool misconducts himself in body, speech and mind and goes down to the animal or to the hell realm. And the Buddha calls it the complete perfection of the fool's grave. So a lot of people, they don't know this. So they gamble away their life and end up in hell. Monks, there are these three characteristics of a wise man, signs of a wise man, attributes of a wise man. What three? Here, a wise man is one who thinks good thoughts, speaks good words, and does good deeds. If a wise man were not so, how would the wise know him thus? This person is a wise man, a true man. But because a wise man is one who thinks good thoughts, speaks good words and does good deeds. The wise know him thus. This person is a wise man, a true man." I'll stop here for a moment. So, a wise man in the Buddha's teachings is one who does wholesome kamma through the body, speech and mind. A wise man in the Buddha's teachings is different from a wise man in the worldly sense. In the worldly sense, if you've got a PhD degree, you're a wise man. If you are a professor, you are a wise man, but not. Or even more worldly, if you make a billion dollars, you are a wise man, according to worldly people. But here, it's different.

31-MN-129-Balapandita-Part-B-(2010-09-11).txt

A wise man feels pleasure and joy here and now in three ways. If a wise man is seated in an assembly, or along a street, or in a square, and people there are discussing certain pertinent and relevant matters, then if the wise man is one who abstains from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from misconduct in sensual pleasures, from false speech, from wine, liquor, and intoxicants, which are the basis of negligence, he thinks These people are discussing certain pertinent and relevant matters. Those things are not found in me, and I am not seen engaging in them. This is the first kind of pleasure and joy that a wise man feels here and now. Again, when a robber culprit is caught, a wise man sees kings having many kinds of torture inflicted on him, as before. Then the wise man thinks thus, because of such evil actions as those, When a robber culprit is caught, kings have many kinds of tortures inflicted on him. Those things are not found in me, and I am not seen engaging in those things. This is the second kind of pleasure and joy that a wise man feels here and now. When a wise man is on his chair, or on his bed, or resting on the ground, then the good actions that he did in the past, his good bodily, verbal, and mental conduct, cover him, overspread him, and envelop him, just as the shadow of a great mountain peak in the evening covers, overspreads, and envelops the earth. So too, when a wise man is on his chair or on his bed or resting on the ground, then the good actions that he did in the past, his good bodily, verbal and mental conduct, cover him, overspread him and envelop him. Then the wise man thinks, I have not done what is evil. I have not done what is cruel. I have not done what is wicked. I have done what is good. I have done what is wholesome. I have made myself a shelter from anguish. When I pass away, I shall go to the destination of those who have not done what is evil, etc., who have made themselves a shelter from anguish. He does not sorrow, grieve and lament. He does not weep, beating his breast and become distraught. This is the third kind of pleasure and joy that a wise man feels here and now. A wise man who has given himself over to good conduct of body, speech and mind, on the dissolution of the body after death, reappears in a happy destination, even in heaven. Stop it for a moment. So here the Buddha says, in three instances, a wise man, which is pleasure and joy, one when a lot of people are seated together and discussing, then he thinks, These people are discussing about people who did wrong things. I have not done wrong things. So he is happy. Second one, when he sees a robber caught and tortured, then he is happy. He has not done anything that would make the king want to torture him. Thirdly, when he is resting, then all the good actions that he did give him joy, happiness. So a wise man can, because of his good deeds, take rebirth in Heaven. With rightly speaking to be said of anything that is utterly wishful, utterly desired, utterly agreeable, it is of Heaven that rightly speaking this should be said, so much so that it is hard to find a simile for the happiness of Heaven. When this was said, a monk asked the Blessed One, Venerable Sir, can a simile be given It can, monk. The Blessed One said, monks, suppose that a wheel-turning monarch possess the seven treasures and the four kinds of success. And because of that experience, pleasure and joy, stop here for a moment. This wheel-turning monarch is also called a universal monarch. A king who is so good that the whole world, the whole earth wants him to be king. So he rules over the whole earth using Dhamma and he is supposed to possess the seven treasures and the four kinds of success. What are the seven treasures? Here, when the head-anointed noble king has bathed his head on the Uposatha day of the 15th, and has ascended to the upper palace chamber for the Uposatha, there appears to him the divine real treasure with its thousand scopes, its tyre and its nape, complete in every aspect. On seeing it, the head-anointed noble king thinks thus, Now it has been heard by me that when a head-anointed noble king has bathed his head on the Uposatha day of the 15th and has ascended to the upper palace chamber for the Uposatha, and there appears to him the divine wheel-treasure with its thousand spokes, its tyre and its nave, complete in every aspect, then that king becomes a wheel-turning monarch. Am I then a wheel-turning monarch? Then the head-anointed noble king rises from his seat, and taking a water vessel in his left hand, he sprinkles the wheel-treasure with his right hand, saying, Turn forward, good wheel-treasure. Prime, good wheel-treasure. Then the wheel-treasure turns forward, rolling in the eastern direction, and the wheel-turning monarch follows it with his four constituent armies. Now in whatever region the wheel-treasure pauses, there the wheel-turning monarch takes up his abode with his four constituent armies, and opposing kings in the eastern direction come to the wheel-turning monarch and speak thus, Come, Great King! Welcome, Great King! Command, Great King! Advise, Great King! The Wheel-Turning Monarch speaks thus, You should not kill living beings. You should not take what is not given. You should not misconduct yourselves in sensual pleasures. You should not speak falsehood. You should not drink intoxicants. You should eat what you are accustomed to eat. And the opposing kings in the eastern direction submit to the Wheel-Turning Monarch. Then the wheel treasure plunges into the eastern ocean and emerges again. And then it turns forward, rolling in the southern direction. And the opposing kings in the southern direction submit to the wheel-turning monarch. Then the wheel treasure plunges into the southern ocean and emerges again. And then it turns forward, rolling in the western direction. And the opposing kings in the western direction submit to the wheel-turning monarch. Then the wheel treasure plunges into the western ocean and emerges again, and then it turns forward, rolling in the northern direction, and the opposing kings in the northern direction submit to the wheel-turning monarch. Now when the wheeled treasure has climbed over the earth to the ocean's edge, it returns to the royal capital and remains as if fixed on its axle, at the gate of the wheel-turning monarch's inner palace, as an adornment to the gate of his inner palace. Such is the wheeled treasure that appears to a wheel-turning monarch. Again the elephant treasure appears to the wheel-turning monarch, all white, with seven-fold stands, with supernormal power, flying through the air, the king of elephants named Uposatha. On seeing him, the wheel-turning monarch's mind has confidence in him thus, it would be wonderful to ride the elephant, if he would undergo taming. Then the elephant treasure undergoes taming, just like a fine, thoroughbred elephant, well-tamed for a long time. And it so happens that the wheel-turning monarch, when testing the elephant treasure, mounts him in the morning, and after traversing the whole earth to the edge of the ocean, he returns to the royal capital to take his morning meal. Such is the elephant treasure that appears to a wheel-turning monarch. Again the horse treasure appears to the wheel-turning monarch. All white, with raven black head, with mane like munja grass or manja grass, with supernormal power, flying through the air, the king of horses named Valahaka. On seeing him, the wheel-turning monarch's mind has confidence in him thus. It would be wonderful to ride the horse if he would undergo taming. Then the horse treasure undergoes taming just like a fine thoroughbred horse well tamed for a long time. And it so happens that the wheel-turning monarch when testing the horse treasure mounts him in the morning. And after traversing the whole earth to the edge of the ocean, he returns to the royal capital to take his morning meal. Such is the horse treasure that appears to the wheel-turning monarch. Again the jewel treasure appears to the wheel-turning monarch. The jewel is a fine barrel of purest water, eight-faceted and well-cut. Now the radiance of the jewel treasure spreads around for a whole leap. A whole league is a thousand kilometres. And it so happens that when the wheel is turning, a whole league is ten kilometres. 10 kilometers. And it so happens that when the wheel-turning Monarch is testing the jewel treasure, he draws up his four constituent army in array and mounting the jewel on top of his banner, he sets forth in the darkness and gloom of the night. Then all the inhabitants of the villages nearby begin their work by its light, thinking that it is day. Such is the jewel treasure that appears to a wheel-turning Monarch. Again the woman treasure appears to the wheel-turning monarch, beautiful, comely and graceful, possessing the supreme beauty of complexion, neither too tall nor too short, neither too slim nor too stout, neither too dark nor too fair, surpassing human beauty without reaching divine beauty. The touch of the woman treasure is such that it is like a tuft of kapok or a tuft of cotton wool. When it is cool, her limbs are warm. When it is warm, her limbs are cool. From her body, the scent of sandalwood comes forth, and from her mouth, the scent of lotuses. She rises before the wheel-turning monarch and retires after him. She is eager to serve, agreeable in conduct and sweet in speech. Since she is never unfaithful to the wheel-turning monarch even in thought, how could she be so in body? Such is the woman treasure that appears to a wheel-turning monarch. Again, the Steward Treasure appears to the Wheel-Turning Monarch. The divine eye born of past action is manifested in him, whereby he sees hidden stores of treasure, both with owners and ownerless. He approaches the Wheel-Turning Monarch and says, Sire, you remain at ease. I shall take care of your monetary affairs. And it so happens that when the Wheel-Turning Monarch is testing the Steward Treasure, he boards a boat and putting out into the river Ganges. In midstream, he tells the steward treasure, I need gold and bullion, steward. Then sire, let the boat be steered towards one bank. Steward, it is actually here that I need gold and bullion. Then the steward treasure plunges both hands into the water and draws up a pot full of gold and bullion. And he tells the wheel-turning monarch, is this enough, sire? Is enough done, enough offered? This is enough, steward. Enough is done. Enough offered. Such is the steward treasure that appears to a wheel-turning monarch. The Counsellor Treasure appears to the Wheel-Turning Monarch, wise, shrewd and sagacious, capable of getting the Wheel-Turning Monarch to promote that which is worthy of being promoted, to dismiss that which should be dismissed, and to establish that which should be established. He approaches the Wheel-Turning Monarch and says, Sire, you remain at ease, I shall govern. Such is the Counsellor Treasure that appears to a Wheel-Turning Monarch. These are the seven treasures that a wheel-turning monarch possesses. So the seven treasures are, one is the wheel treasure, the second is the elephant treasure, then the horse treasure, then the jewel treasure, the woman treasure, the steward treasure, and the last is the counsellor treasure. What are the four kinds of success Here, a wheel-turning monarch is handsome, comely and graceful, possessing the supreme beauty of complexion, and he surpasses other human beings in that respect. This is the first kind of success that a wheel-turning monarch possesses. Again, a wheel-turning monarch lives long and endures long, and he surpasses other human beings in that respect. This is the second kind of success that a wheel-turning monarch possesses. Again, a Wheel-Turning Monk is free from illness and affliction, possessing a good digestion that is neither too cool nor too warm, and he surpasses other human beings in that respect. This is the third kind of success that a Wheel-Turning Monk possesses. Again, a Wheel-Turning Monk is dear and agreeable to Brahmins and householders, just as a father is dear and agreeable to his children. So too, a wheel-turning monarch is dear and agreeable to Brahmins and householders. Brahmins and householders too are dear and agreeable to a wheel-turning monarch, just as children are dear and agreeable to a father. So too, Brahmins and householders are dear and agreeable to a wheel-turning monarch. Once a wheel-turning monarch was driving in a pleasure park with his four constituent armies. Then Brahmins and householders went to him and spoke thus, Sire, drive slowly that we may see you longer. And he told his charioteer, Charioteer, drive slowly that I may see the Brahmins and householders longer. This is the fourth kind of success that a wheel-turning monarch possesses. These are the four kinds of success that a wheel-turning monarch possesses. What do you think, monks? Would a wheel-turning monarch experience pleasure and joy because of possessing these seven treasures and these four kinds of success? For example, sir, a wheel-turning monk would experience pleasure and joy because of possessing even one treasure, let alone seven treasures and four kinds of success. Then taking a small stone the size of his hand, the Blessed One addressed the monks thus, What do you think, monks, which is greater, this small stone that I have taken, the size of my hand, or Himalaya, the king of mountains? Remember, Sir, the small stone that the Blessed One has taken, the size of His hand, does not count beside Himalaya, the King of Mountains. It is not even a fraction. There is no comparison. So, two monks, the pleasure and joy that a wheel-turning monk would experience because of possessing the seven treasures and the four kinds of success, does not count beside the happiness of Heaven. It is not even a fraction. There is no comparison. Stop here for a moment. Wheel-turning monarch is the ideal of human existence. As a human being, the greatest human being in the worldly sense, if you want to enjoy life, is to be a wheel-turning monarch, where you govern the whole earth. And you're so popular. among the citizens. The citizens want to see you as much as they can, and the wheel-turning monarch wants to see them as much as he can. So even then, the Buddha says, the happiness of a wheel-turning monarch is negligible compared to the happiness of heaven. Why? Because even if you are very happy as a wheel-turning monarch, how long is your lifespan? In Earth, the Buddha says the longest lifespan for a human being is about 80,000 years. Because there's a wheel turning Monarch, it might be a bit longer. 80,000 years is a short time compared to heavenly existence. Heavenly existence, I think the lowest is something like 9 million years. 9 million is a lot of psychic power. And we go to the second level of heaven, Chakadevaraja, I think it's 36 million years. So in heaven also it's different because in heaven you don't have the sickness as a human being. And your body also is different. Your body is very fine. And the body is always fragrant. And you don't age. After a million years or so you look like sweet 16. As in the human world, after some time, you can see yourself aging. So that's why the Buddha says human existence cannot count beside heaven. If some time or other, at the end of a long period, the wise man comes back to the human state, it is into a high family that he is reborn, into a family of well-to-do nobles, or well-to-do Brahmins, or well-to-do householders, one that is rich of great wealth of great possessions, with abundant gold and silver, with abundant assets and means, and with abundant money and grain. He is handsome, comely, and graceful, possessing the supreme beauty of complexion. He obtains food and drink, clothes, vehicles, garlands, scents, and anguans, bed, lodging, and light. He conducts himself well in body, speech, and mind, and having done so, on the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. Monks suppose a gambler at the very first lucky throw will won a great fortune, Yet a lucky throw such as that is negligible. It is a far more lucky throw when a wise man who conducts himself well in body, speech, and mind, on the dissolution of the body after death, he appears in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. This is the complete perfection of the wise man's grave. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words." That's the end of the sutta. It is the complete perfection of the wise man's grade to conduct ourselves according to the Dhamma, create wholesome kamma through the body, speech, and mind. And after that, we are reborn in heaven. Just now you heard the Buddha say, it is utterly desirable to be born in heaven. Not like nowadays what some people say, don't get reborn in heaven. And I always say there's sour grapes. Not that easy to be reborn in heaven. And the other thing you must know that you see that some people we practice the holy path and we strive and sometimes it is very painful. Sometimes it's a lot of suffering. But even if it's a lot of suffering, it's worth it. How long do you have to strive? Now our lifespan is about 70 something years. So even if you strive, say you renounce at the age of 30, even if you strive for 40 years, even if you suffer every day, your tears come down, it's worth it because at the end of 40 years, you enjoy maybe 40 million years in heaven. How much? The odds. That's why the Buddha's teaching is so good. If you didn't know, you're ignorant of the Dhamma, you want to enjoy now. Good, you enjoy now, but you pay for it with tears later, like a lot of people. The next sutta is almost as long as what we went through, so maybe we leave it for tomorrow. It's already about 51 minutes. Anything to discuss? Now for one thing. If a person did evil action, depending on the degree of his evil action, if the evil action of his is quite severe, then he will go to hell. But if it is not so severe, then you'll be reborn in the animal kingdom. Animal kingdom also, I guess there's a range of animals. There's one sutta where the Buddha said that the animal world is very, very complex. There's such a wide range of beings. What you can imagine, anything that you can imagine is there. And why the Buddha says like that? Because our existence is mind made. As we think we are reborn, So because our mind is so complicated, that's why when we get reborn to the animal realm, the Buddha says there's such a complicated vast range of beings in the animal realm. So I guess there might be some which are not so greedy in the animal realm. So if a person is not so greedy, he won't be reborn as that greedy type of animal. Say again? So, when we arrived in Australia, from Jordan, could we do things about our own power and rules? We don't have to do that yet. So, we kind of are going down to Yes, but the most important is doing of evil action, because if a person does good deeds, then he can enjoy a taste in this life, and then he will be able to enjoy also in the next life. The Buddha says that a wise man, in Samsutta, the Buddha says, His good karma makes him enjoy life now. And if he knows how to conduct himself properly, then after this lifetime, he still can have a very enjoyable life in heaven. So although when we enjoy life, we do use up our blessings, but it's important that we but we do more good deeds to cultivate more blessings and merit. In the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, when the Buddha was about to enter Nibbana, he brought the monks with him and walked quite a distance. And he walked to a place where he finally lay down to enter Nibbana. And Venerable Ananda asked him, Why do you want to pass away in this, what's the word they use? There's an expression, wattle and daub or something, place. It's like a Ulu place, such a, like in Australia, you see in the bush land. Shantytown, it's not a town, it's in the bush land like that, no houses. So another asked him, why do you want to pass away here? Why don't you pass away in a big city, in a big town, where people can pay veneration to you just before you enter nirvana? Then you know what the Buddha said? The Buddha said, don't put down this place. Don't say it's a Ulu place or it's a bushland or what. The Buddha said, a long time ago, this used to be the capital of a wheel-turning monarch. universal king. And the Buddha said, I was the wheel-turning monarch at that time. So he still had a lot of sentimental memories of that place. It was because he was so happy in that place that he wanted to go there and pass away just before he entered Nibbana. So he's here. The memories of our past are always there. But maybe also it so happened that that place is near where he was about to pass away. So he purposely went there to pass away. I'm going to start by saying that there is a phenomenon in the real system, that we have a certain quantity of people, but it's not a quantity that we have to deal with. I don't want to be too long on this, but we have got to deal with it and deal with it as well. But when the quantity of people that we have is a quantity of people, Oh yes, I think so. Because of greed. Actually, all of us, we have this conscience telling us how to act. But because of greed, hatred and delusion, we refuse to listen to this conscience. But it is there, nevertheless. So, there will be a time that we will surface. Either sooner or later, because it surfaces Sooner, then you know what to do. For some people, they refuse to listen to this conscience. And then when they are dying, this conscience will really prick them. It is said in the next sutra that when a person goes down to hell, he will meet King Yama. King Yama is the king in the hell realm. And the King Yama will make him remember all his past actions. The King Yama will tell him, ah, today you have come here because of your evil actions. And probably King Yama will replay the DVD. He cannot run away. He cannot refuse to admit. All this will come back very clearly. And King Yama will say, all this action was done by you and you alone. It's not done by your mother, not done by your father, not done by your brothers or sisters, your relatives or your friends or anybody. You alone did it and you alone have to pay for it. So, you see, at that time, even though you fool yourself in the human realm, you know, we have a lawyer bureau inside here, you know. We have a great lawyer inside here, always giving us excuses. When we don't want to act in a certain way, this lawyer will give us very good excuses. He's an excellent lawyer up here. So we listen to this, but when the time comes for judgment, this lawyer is no more there to protect you. You have to face the music. You see, if you remember certain suttas we read, where the Buddha said that, for example, about this Kakusanda Buddha, this Mara was trying to sort of affect the minds of the monks. Don't want them to practice so hard. Don't want them to enter Nibbana. So the Buddha Kakusanda knew. And so each time, whatever Mara did, he would counter Mara. For example, sometimes Mara would influence the people, the lay people, not to give food to the monks. So the lay people, being influenced by Mara on that occasion, they refused to give food to the monks, so the monks had to go hungry. But it is mentioned that because of that action, when they died, these lay people went to hell. So you see, even though you might be influenced by somebody like Mara, but you made the decision Just like sometimes you have an evil friend, he will ask you to go and do, to go and jolly jolly, go to the casino, go to Ajai or whatever. You listen to him. And then later when you get AIDS or HIV or something like that, you cannot say blame him. You have to blame yourself. Even though that person influenced you, even Mara influenced you, but you made the decision. So ultimately, you have to pay for it. So when the time comes, we cannot excuse ourselves and say, oh, this Mara, blame Mara. I'll be very clear, whatever we do, we are responsible. Hey, one by one, one by one. You ask too many questions, I forget. So your question is whether this Siddhartha Gautama, before he came down from Tushita Heaven, he chose his parents. According to that sutta we read the other day, Sankaruppapatti Sutta, remember? Rebirth by aspiration. Where the Buddha said, if you have certain qualities, What are the qualities? Generosity or charity, moral conduct, faith, much learning and wisdom. These five things, if you have these five basic qualities, then you can choose to be reborn into a family of nobles or a good family or in a wealthy family. of Brahmins or wealthy family of merchants and all that. So I guess to a certain extent, if you have the good karma and there is this karmic affinity, you can be reborn into that family, especially as a deva or devi. Why do they say, can I show you the other health? This is not mentioned in the Suttas. In the Suttas, in the next Sutta you will find a more detailed description of hell. And then there are other suttas where, for example, I think in the Samyutta Nikaya, the Buddha was talking about Kukalika, one of the disciples of Devadatta. He was always talking bad about Sariputta and Moggallana. And the Buddha warned him not to say bad things about these two arahants, but he kept doing it. And then after that he got sick. And after he got sick, he started to have how do you say, like chicken pox, like that. Pustules on his body. And this grew bigger and bigger and bigger until very big, like an orange or something. And then they burst and he died. And the Buddha said he went to a very, very deep hell. And he'd be there for a very, very long time. And the monks asked the Buddha, how long? The Buddha said, it's hard to imagine how long. Then they asked the Buddha to give a simile. Buddha said something like, you imagine, you have one cartload, in the Buddha's days, like a bullock cart, cartload of sesame seeds. You know, sesame seeds are very small. One full cartload of sesame seeds. And then, Once in a hundred years, you take out one sesame seed. Once in another hundred years, you take out another sesame seed. How long before you can exhaust that sesame, the seeds in that one cart? It's a very long time. Then the Buddha says, that is how long it takes for a person to come out of a certain hell. And after that, the Buddha said, The next hell, deeper, is so many more times longer, and then the next hell is so many times longer, and then finally it comes to this hell, where this Gokalika is reborn. And those type of hells, it's only mentioned that it's a very long time there, and the Buddha did not describe the hells. Maybe they refer to that, just because the Buddha did not describe. But then the Buddha says, what I know is like the leaves in the forest. What I tell you is like the leaves in my hand. Too many things to tell us. So we have no time to listen. If we listen to everything the Buddha can know, then our life will be finished before the Buddha can describe. What is the relationship come up between the parents and the children? Because of that way, sometimes last year, we see a very young, very successful, and some skilled in a construction site, and how is that balanced out? And the best? Now, in what way? So when that happens, obviously, the parent is the best choice. So in what way is the parent between the parents and the children? There is no simple answer to that because there are so many possibilities of this relationship between parents and their children. Some might be a good relationship, some might be a bad relationship. So there is no single answer for that. There are some, they come back to take revenge on their parents. There are some that come back to repay the debt owed to their parents. So, wide range of possibilities. There is no direct... But definitely there must be some karmic link because the Buddha says in one sutta that every living being we meet, generally we have been related to them in the past. It's very difficult. to find any living being you meet who has not been your mother or your father or your brother or your sister or some relative in the past. So even the dogs that we meet are all related to us in the past. So whether the relation is good or bad, what relation you had in the past is not important. What is important is now. It creates a good relationship so that you have a good relationship after this. What happened in the past is not important. What you are doing now is important. You don't know what? Of course, that's true to a certain extent because the Buddha said that a person's life is governed by the kamma. So each person has his kamma. So there's no point for you to worry. No point for you to cry. Their life is fixed by their kamma. What you can do to help them now, you do your duty. But other than that, there's nothing else you can do because their life is governed by their kamma. Okay, can we end now?

32-MN-130-Devaduta-(2010-09-12).txt

Okay, tonight is the 12th of September, and this is the 54th time I'm speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Sutta. Tonight we come to Sutta 130, Deva Dutta Sutta, the Divine Messengers. This sutta is a bit similar to the previous sutta we read, the Bala Pandita Sutta, where there's a description of hell. Also this Sutta talks about 5 Deva Messengers. There is a slightly similar Sutta in the Anguttara Nikaya 3.35. There they talk about 3 Deva Messengers. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jeta's Grove, another Pindika's Park. There he addressed the monks thus, Monks, Honorable Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said, Monks, suppose there were two houses with doors and a man with good sight standing there between them, saw people going in and coming out and passing through and through. So too with the divine eye or heavenly eye, which is purified and surpasses the human. I see beings passing away and reappearing. inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate. I understand how beings pass on according to their actions thus. These worthy beings who were well conducted in body, speech and mind, not revilers of noble ones, write in their views, giving effect to right views in their actions on the dissolution of the body after death. have reappeared in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. For these worthy beings who were well conducted in body, speech and mind, not revilers of noble ones, right in their views, giving effect to right views in their actions, on the dissolution of the body after death, have reappeared among human beings. But these worthy beings who were ill-conducted in body, speech and mind, revilers of noble ones, wrong in their views, giving effect to wrong views in their actions, on the dissolution of the body after death, have reappeared in the realm of ghosts. Or these worthy beings who were ill-conducted, etc. On the dissolution of the body after death, have we appeared in the animal world? Or these worthy beings who were ill-conducted, etc. On the dissolution of the body after death, have we appeared in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell? Stop here for a moment. So, you can see from here, when the Buddha talks about Destinations of Rebirth in the early sutras, the Buddha always talks about five destinations. The Pali word is Gati, G-A-T-I. Later books like the Mahayana Sutras and the Abhidhamma, they talk about six destinations of rebirth. They've added one more, the Asura realm in the woeful plains. But we have seen in the Digha Nikaya, It is mentioned that all Asuras are heavenly beings. They are not in the woeful planes of existence. So here you can see among these five destinations of rebirth, two are happy destinations, the heavenly world and human world, and three woeful destinations of rebirth, the ghost realm, animal realm, and hell realm. Now the wardens of hell sees such a being by the arms and present him to King Yama, saying, Sire, this man has ill-treated his mother, ill-treated his father, ill-treated recluses, ill-treated Brahmins. He has had no respect for the elders of his clan. Let the king order his punishment." I'll stop you for a moment. This is about a man who has fallen into hell, taken rebirth in hell. Then King Yama presses and questions and cross-questions him about the first divine messenger. Good man, did you not see the first divine messenger or deva messenger to appear in the world? He says, I did not, Vamble Sir. Then King Yama says, Good man, have you never seen in the world a young, tender infant, lying prone, fouled in his own excrement and urine? He says, I have, Vamble Sir. Then King Yama says, Good man, did it never occur to you, an intelligent and mature man, I too am subject to birth. I am not exempt from birth. Surely I had better do good by body, speech, and mind. He says, I was unable, Vamble Sir. I was negligent. Then King Yama says, Good man, through negligence you have failed to do good by body, speech and mind. Certainly they will deal with you according to your negligence. But this evil action of yours was not done by your mother or your father. or by your brother or your sister, or by your friends and companions, or by your kinsmen and relatives, or by recluses and Brahmins, or by gods. This evil action was done by you yourself, and you yourself will experience its result. Stop here for a moment. So here, when a person goes down to hell, King Yama probably first tells him all the evil deeds he has done, or reminds him of all the evil deeds he has done that caused him to fall into hell, and then told him, why didn't you heed the warning that we gave you? And here the sutra talks about five deva messengers, heavenly messengers. The first one is a baby, And so when we see a baby, we should know this rebirth, that we are subject to rebirth, unless you have become an Arahant. So this evil action is due to negligence. A lot of people, because we don't know the Dhamma, or we don't bother much about the Dhamma, then we are careless. Careless to do good. Careless. and do evil deeds. So because of that now we have to suffer. Then after pressing and questioning and cross-questioning him about the first divine messenger, King Yama presses and questions and cross-questions him about the second divine messenger. Good man, did you not see the second divine messenger to appear in the world? He says, I did not, Venerable Sir. And King Yama says, Good man, Have you never seen in the world a man or a woman at 80, 90 or 100 years aged, as crooked as a roof bracket, doubled up, supported by a walking stick, tottering, frail, youth gone, teeth broken, grey hair, scanty hair, bald, wrinkled, with limbs all blotchy? He says, I have, humble sir. Then King Yama says, good man, did it never occur to you, an intelligent and mature man, I too am subject to aging. I am not exempt from aging. Surely I had better do good by body, speech and mind. He says, I was unable, venerable sir, I was negligent. Then King Yama says, good man, Through negligence, you have failed to do good by body, speech and mind. Certainly, they will deal with you according to your negligence. But this evil action of yours was not done by your mother or your father, etc. This evil action was done by you yourself, and you yourself will experience its result. Then, after pressing and questioning and cross-questioning him about the second divine messenger, King Yama presses and questions and cross-questions him about the third divine messenger. Good man, did you not see the third divine messenger to appear in the world? He says, I did not, Venerable Sir. Then King Yama says, Good man, have you never seen in the world a man or a woman afflicted, suffering, and gravely ill? lying foul in his own excrement and urine, lifted up by some and sat down by others. He says, I have, and will serve. And King Yama says, Good man, did it never occur to you, an intelligent and mature man, I too am subject to sickness. I am not exempt from sickness. Surely I had better do good by body, speech and mind. He says, I was unable, Venerable Sir, I was negligent. And King Yama says, Good man, through negligence you have failed to do good by body, speech and mind. Certainly they will deal with you according to your negligence. But this evil action of yours was not done by your mother or your father, etc. This evil action was done by you yourself, and you yourself will experience its result. Then after pressing and questioning and cross-questioning him about the third divine messenger, King Yama presses and questions and cross-questions him about the fourth divine messenger. Good man, did you not see the fourth divine messenger to appear in the world? He says, I did not, Venerable Sir. Then King Yama says, Good man, have you never seen in the world when a robber culprit is caught, kings have many kinds of tortures inflicted on him, having him flogged with whips, etc. as all the kinds of punishment as mentioned previously in the previous sutta. And having his head cut off with a sword, he says, I have, Venerable Sir. Then King Yama says, Good man, did it never occur to you, an intelligent and mature man, those who do evil actions have such tortures of various kinds inflicted on them here and now. So what in the hereafter? Surely I had better do good by body, speech, and mind. He says, I was unable when I was negligent. Then King Yama says, Good man, through negligence you have failed to do good by body, speech, and mind. Certainly they will deal with you according to your negligence. But this evil action of yours was not done by your mother or your father, your relatives, etc. This evil action was done by you yourself, and you yourself will experience its result. Then after pressing and questioning and cross-questioning him about the fourth divine messenger, King Yama presses and questions and cross-questions him about the fifth divine messenger. Good man, did you not see the fifth divine messenger to appear in the world? He says, I did not, Venerable Sir. Then King Yama says, Good man, have you never seen in the world a man or a woman, one day dead, two days dead, three days dead, bloated, livid, and oozing with matter. He says, I have, Wemble Sir. And King Yama says, Good man, did it never occur to you, an intelligent and mature man, I too am subject to death. I am not exempt from death. Surely I had better do good by body, speech, and mind. He says, I was unable, Wemble Sir. I was negligent. And King Yama says, good man, through negligence you have failed to do good by body, speech and mind. Certainly they will deal with you according to your negligence. But this evil action of yours was not done by your mother or your father or your relatives or your friends etc. This evil action was done by you yourself and you yourself will experience its result. Stop here for a moment. So here King Yama tells him that five divine messengers They have already sent to him to give him warning, but he did not take heed. The first one is a baby. Just seeing a baby, King Yama says, you should know that you will be reborn like everybody else. And then the second one is an old man or old woman, tottering, frail, teeth broken or no teeth, scanty head or bald. wrinkle, limbs all blotchy. So when you see an old person, we should also know that one day all of us have to be old like that. And the third one is somebody sick, like somebody with cancer and lying in the bed cannot get up. lying found in their own excrement and urine. People have to lift you up, set you down, give you food, wipe you clean, etc. And we see this, we also should know one day, without fail, every one of us will one day have to be like that when we are old enough. Then the fourth divine messenger is when somebody does wrong, he's caught by the King and tortured, all kinds of torture. So King Yama says, if you can see beings tortured here and now, you should expect that in the next world also, beings who do wrong will be tortured. So you should have been careful. And the fifth one is a corpse. If you see a corpse, dead, bloated, bleeding, oozing with matter, You should know, every single one of us, one day the body will become a corpse. And also sooner than you realise. So we should be prepared for it. Then after pressing and questioning and cross-questioning him about the fifth divine messenger, King Yama is silent. Now the wardens of hell torture him with a five-hole transfixing. They drive a red-hot iron stick through one arm. They drive a red-hot iron stick through the other arm. They drive a red-hot iron stick through one leg. They drive a red-hot iron stick through the other leg. They drive a red-hot iron stick through his chest. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Next the wardens of hell throw him down and pair him with axes. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Next, the wardens of hell set him with his feet up and his head down and pair him with edges. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Next, the wardens of hell harness him to a chariot and drive him back and forth across burning ground, blazing and glowing. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Next, the wardens of hell make him climb up and down a great mountain of burning coals, blazing and glowing. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings. Yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Next the wardens of hell take him feet up and head down and plunge him into a red hot metal cauldron. burning, blazing, and glowing. He is cooked there in a swirl of froth. As he is being cooked there in a swirl of froth, he is swept now up, now down, and now across. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings. Yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Next, the wardens of hell throw him into the great hell. Now as to that great hell monks, It has four corners and is built with four doors, one set in each side, walled up with iron all around and shut in with an iron roof. Its floor as well is made of iron and heated till it glows with fire. The range is a full hundred leagues or a thousand kilometers, which it covers all pervasively. Stop here for a moment. So the description up to here is just like the previous sutra. But here on, there's a more detailed description, which is quite frightening. Now the flames that surge from the great hell's eastern wall, dash against its western wall. The flames that surge out from its western wall, dash against its eastern wall. The flames that surge out from its northern wall, dash against its southern wall. The flames that surge out from its southern wall, dash against its northern wall. The flames that dash out from the bottom dash up against the top, and the flames that surge out from the top dash against the bottom. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die, as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Stop here for a moment. So this great hell, which is a thousand kilometers in length, in breadth, and in height, And all the walls are iron. The flames are so strong, it can go from one wall to the opposite wall, 1,000 kilometers away. So you imagine, the flame is so great, how hot it is. So this being, once you fall into the great hell, you'll be wandering around, trying to get out of this great hell, and you're being burned all the time. Sometime or other amongst, at the end of a long period, there comes an occasion when the great hell's eastern door is opened. He runs towards it, treading quickly. As he does so, his outer skin burns, his inner skin burns, his flesh burns, his sinews burn, his bones turn to smoke, and it is the same when his foot is uplifted. When at long last he reaches the door, then it is shut. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Some time or other, at the end of a long period, there comes an occasion when the great hell's western door is open. The same thing happens when its northern door is open, when its southern door is open. He runs towards it, treading quickly. The description is as before. When at long last he reaches the door, then it is shut. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings. Yet he does not die, so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Sometime or other amongst, at the end of a long period, there comes an occasion when the great hell's eastern door is opened. He runs towards it, treading quickly. As he does so, his outer skin burns, his inner skin burns, his flesh burns, his sinews burn, his bones turn to smoke. And it is the same when his foot is uplifted. He comes out by that door. I'll stop here for a moment. So I don't know how long he's in this great hell, but maybe like once a year, the door of the hell, there are four doors in the north, south, east and west. So maybe once in a year, the door opens. So when he sees the door open, he has great hopes of getting out of that hell. So he rushes towards the open door. And then because the length of each length of breath is a thousand kilometres, so he might be maybe a few hundred kilometres from the door, then he runs. As he runs, he is burned. And even the bones turn to smoke. And in spite of the pain, he keeps running. He hopes to get out. By the time he reaches, maybe after a few hours, and he's close to the door, the door closes. So imagine the pain that he feels, the physical pain and the mental torture that he feels, so near to escape and yet could not get out. Then he has to wait for a long time, maybe another year or two years before another door opens again. And the same thing happens. So this happens for I don't know how many years. Finally one day he managed to get out of that hell. Immediately next to the great hell is the vast hell of excrement. He falls into that. In that hell of excrement, needle mouth creatures bore through his outer skin and bore through his inner skin and bore through his flesh and bore through his sinews. and bore through his bones, and devoured his marrow. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Immediately next to the hell of excrement is the vast hell of hot embers. He falls into that. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Immediately next to the hell of hot embers is the vast wood of cymbally trees, a league high, that means 10 kilometres high, bristling with thorns, 16-finger-breadths long, burning, blazing and glowing. They make him climb up and down those trees. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings. Yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Immediately next to the wood of cimbali trees is a vast wood of sword-leaf trees. He goes into that. The leaves stirred by the wind cut off his hands and cut off his feet and cut off his hands and feet. They cut off his ears and cut off his nose and cut off his ears and nose. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings. Yet he does not die. So long as the evil action has not exhausted its result. I'll stop here for a moment. So just now, this guy was in the great hell. And after many years, he managed to run out of the great hell. As soon as he gets out of the great hell, he falls into another hell. It's the hell of excrement. Where it's like a shit pot. He's falling into a big shit pot. And he's swimming about there, in the shit. And there's these creatures, a bit similar to our leeches, but this is much worse. It's like a worm swimming in the shit. And then he has this needle-like thing that pokes through the skin, and pokes through the flesh, and can even bore through the bones, and then it sucks the bone marrow. Then you can imagine, so painful and probably itchy at the same time. He cannot get rid of them. He's swimming about in the shit and they all attack him. After many years, he managed to swim out of it. He falls into this hell of hot embers. He's burned by all these burning embers. Even though he's burned by all these burning embers, he has to get up and try to struggle to get out of it. I don't know how long, how many years he's in that hell of hot embers, running here and there trying to find a path out or a door out of the hell. Finally, after many years, he gets out of the hell and then he falls in the wood of cymbal trees. It's a forest with these trees that are 10 kilometers high. These trees are 10 kilometers high and they have thorns 16 inches long, more than one foot long and he's made to climb up and down those trees. For many years he's made to climb up and down the trees. He spoke all the time and the hell is also blazing and glowing so hot and the thorns are also blazing and glowing. Then one day when the hell guardians are a bit careless, he managed to run out of that wood. Then he goes into another hell called the Wood of Sword Leaf Trees. Slightly different, another type of forest. And the trees there have leaves which are extremely sharp. So as he tries to run out of that forest. He goes here, he goes there, looking for a way out of this forest, and the leaves will cut him, cut his hands, cut his feet, cut his ears and nose, and he's bleeding all the time. He's in great pain, yet he has to keep rushing, afraid of being caught by other beings, hell beings. So he keeps, he's like a fugitive, running here and there, trying to get out of the hell. Immediately next to the wood of salt-leaf trees is a great river, a caustic river of water. He falls into that. There he is swept upstream, and he is swept downstream, and he is swept upstream and downstream. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings. Yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Next, the Wardens of Hell pull him out with a hook, setting him on the ground. They ask him, Good man, what do you want? He says, I'm hungry, Venerable Sirs. Then the Wardens of Hell pries open his mouth with red-hot iron tongs, burning, blazing, and glowing, and they throw into his mouth a red-hot metal ball, burning, blazing, and glowing. It burns his lips, it burns his mouth, it burns his throat, it burns his stomach, and it passes out below, carrying with it his large and small intestines. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Next, the wardens of hell ask him, good man, what do you want? He says, I am thirsty, venerable sirs. Then the wardens of hell price open his mouth with red-hot iron tongs, burning, blazing, and glowing. And they pour into his mouth molten copper, burning, blazing, and glowing. It burns his lips, it burns his mouth, it burns his throat, it burns his stomach, and it passes out below, carrying with it his large and small intestines. There he feels painful, wracking, piercing feelings. Yet he does not die so long as that evil action has not exhausted its result. Then the wardens of hell throw him back again into the great hell. Stop here for a moment. So now after the hell called the wood of short-lived trees, he managed to get out of it and he fell into a river. a big river of caustic water. This caustic water is like acid. So he has to swim here and there. Imagine even if you fall in there and you don't know how to swim, you have to learn to swim. So he swam upstream and swam downstream and he's burned all the time. So if he's not a good swimmer, then he will swallow some of that acid into his mouth and it will burn him also. Then he tries to get out of the river, but it's a huge river. It takes him some time before he can swim out of it. But the river is always sweeping him up and down the river, so it might take even a few years before he manages to get out of the river and onto the dry bank. But then he's caught by these wardens of hell, and they ask him, what do you want? And he says he's hungry. That time, you can imagine, he's exhausted. He is in great pain, mentally exhausted, so blur, blur. And they ask him, what do you want? He doesn't think they might torture him. He just says what he feels. And he's feeling hungry. One thing, there's a sutra where the Buddha says, all beings need food, whether you're heavenly beings, or human beings, or ghosts, or animals, or hell beings, every being needs food to survive. So this fellow is hungry and exhausted and so in great pain. mentally exhausted, so blur, blur. So he just says he's hungry. Then they pry open his mouth and throw a red hot metal ball into it, which burns his intestines and comes out carrying the intestines with it. And he's in great pain. Then the wardens of hell ask him again, what do you want? And then again, blur, blur. He just says what he feels, namely he's thirsty. Then they pry open his mouth again and pour this molten copper which is burning into him and the same thing happens. Then they catch him and throw him back into the great hell. So you see he's gone one round. He's hoping to get out of one hell and he goes into another hell. Once he gets out of that hell, he goes into another hell. Goes one cycle, finally he goes back to the great hell again. So you imagine, He has so much physical suffering and mental suffering. It has happened that King Yama thought, those in the world who do evil unwholesome actions, indeed all have these many kinds of tortures inflicted on them. Oh, that I might attain the human state, that a Tathagata, Arahant, Samasambuddha might appear in the world, that I might wait on that blessed one, That blessed one might teach me the Dhamma and then I might come to understand that blessed one's Dhamma. Monks, I tell you this not as something I heard from another recluse or Brahmin. I tell you this as something that I've actually known, seen and discovered by myself. That is what the blessed one said. When the sublime one has said that, the teacher said further, Though warned by the divine messengers, full many are the negligent, and people may sorrow long indeed, once gone down to the lower world. But when by the divine messengers good people here in this life are warned, they do not dwell in ignorance, but practice well the noble Dhamma, clinging they look upon with fear, for it produces birth and death. By not clinging or attachment, they are free in the destruction of birth and death. They dwell in bliss, for they are safe and reach Nibbāna here and now. They are beyond all fear and hate. They have escaped all suffering." So this last part, the Buddha says, even this King Yama, he having seen so much torture in the hell, he knows about other realms of rebirth. So he also hope that one day he will get a human body because in the human realm, human realm is one of the few realms where you can learn the Dhamma and the human realm is the only realm where you can strive to get out of samsara. The other one where you can hear the Dhamma is the heavenly realm. But usually they have to come down to the human realm to hear the Dhamma. Or there might be some devas or devis who can teach the Dhamma. But then in heaven, they have no inclination to strive, because they don't see suffering. So only the human realm, we see our lifespan is so short, so we see impermanence, so there's an urgency to strive. So you see, King Yama also hopes that one day he can get the human body, learn the Dhamma, understand the Dhamma, and become an Ariya, so that he's on his way out of samsara. So the Buddha says, every one of us, we have been in samsara for so long that we have practically been reborn in every realm of existence, except the Suddhavasa heavens, which only the anagamin, the third fruit, ariya, is reborn. So because we have been reborn in so many realms so many times, I'm sure In the past probably, when we were suffering either in hell or suffering as a ghost, we probably had this wish that one day we might get the human body. get the chance to hear the Dhamma so that we can get out of the round of rebirth. Today we have this wish come true and we have the chance to hear the real original teachings of a Buddha, a Sammasambuddha and we have a human body and this is the best thing that we can, the best chance that we can get in existence. And if we don't make use of it and become an ariya in this life, the Buddha said there is the perfection of the fool. We come across so hard to come across the dhamma and we don't take this opportunity, we take it lightly. A lot of people are like that because their mind is blur blur. They don't see the consequences. They take things lightly. Then, sooner than they realize death will come, the cold finger of death will come and touch them on their shoulder, then they regret when they had the chance to practice. I always like to remind you, a few years ago, we had one man, he came here, he did a retreat of two weeks, after that he left, didn't come back. And it was only four years later he came back. And when he came back four years later, his face was dark. And I asked him what happened. He said he has cancer. He has terminal cancer. Then he came all the way to tell me that he regretted very, very much. Extremely regretted that he did not come back again to practice here because he already had terminal cancer. So after that, he left here. Two weeks later, he passed away. So you see, a lot of people are like that. When you have the chance to practice the Dhamma, you take it lightly. Sooner than you realize, death will come and touch you.

33-MN-131-Bhaddekaratta-132-Anandabhaddekaratta-(2010-09-12).txt

Okay, now we come to Sutta 131, Bhadekarata Sutta. This is one of the chants we do in our Pali chanting. Here it's translated as one fortunate attachment. This Bhadekarata consists of three words, Bhada. Bhada, here it says Bhade also, Bhada. Bhada means auspicious, happy, fortunate, even can be used as venerable. for somebody who is fortunate, somebody who is auspicious can be called venerable. Eka is one. Rata or rati means red or infatuated or attached. So here it translates as one fortunate attachment. But there's another famous monk, for example, Nyanananda, and he translates this Bhadekarata as the ideal lover of solitude. Bhada, he translates as ideal. Ekarata, he translates as attached to Eka. Eka is one, solitude. So somebody who is attached to solitude, lover of solitude, we call it the ideal lover of solitude. It's quite a good translation also. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. There He addressed the monks thus. Monks, Venerable Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said this. Monks, I shall teach you the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Venerable Sir, the monks replied. The Blessed One said, let not a person revive the past or on the future build his hopes. These two sentences literally can be said to be, let not a person run back to the past or live in expectation of the future. For the past has been left behind and the future has not been reached. Instead, with insight, let him see each presently arisen state Let him know that and be sure of it, invincibly, unshakably. Today, the effort must be made. Tomorrow, death may come. Who knows? No bargain with mortality can keep him and his horse away. But one who dwells thus ardently, relentlessly, by day, by night, it is he, the peaceful sage has said, who has one fortunate attachment, or It is he, the peaceful sage has said, who is the ideal lover of solitude. So stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says we should not run back to the past. And we should not live in expectation of the future. Many people, we tend to be the worrying type. So we tend to worry about the future, what has not happened. We keep planning for the future. And then some people always run back to the past. Sometimes they regret certain things that happened in the past, or a broken love affair or something. They keep thinking, thinking, thinking. And they are not in the present. But the Buddha says, the past has been left behind. The future has not been reached. Let him see each presently arisen state. see the present, know and be sure of it, and the effort must be made today because tomorrow death may come. So, one who dwells diligently, relentlessly, day and night, seeing the present, is called one who has one fortunate attachment or the ideal lover of solitude. So this fortunate attachment, this attachment, what does it mean? It means attachment to cultivating the holy life. He has a lucky attachment. It's not a bad attachment. It's a good attachment. The attachment to practice day and night, to practice diligently. It's also an attachment, but it's a good attachment. How amongst does one revive the past? Thinking I had such material form or body in the past, one finds delight in that. Thinking I had such feeling in the past, or I had such perception in the past, or I had such volition in the past, or I had such consciousness in the past, one finds delight in that. That is how one revives the past. And how, monks, does one not revive the past? Thinking I had such material form in the past, one does not find delight in that. Thinking I had such feeling in the past, or I had such perception in the past, or I had such volition in the past, or I had such consciousness in the past, one does not find delight in that. That is how one does not revive the past. And how, monks, does one build up hope upon the future? Thinking, I may have such material form in the future, one finds delight in that. Thinking, I may have such feeling in the future, I may have such perceptions, I may have such volition, I may have such consciousness in the future, one finds delight in that. That is how one builds up hope upon the future. And how, monks, does one not build up hope upon the future? Thinking I may have such material form in the future, one does not find delight in that. Thinking I may have such feeling, may have such perception, volition, consciousness in the future, one does not find delight in that. That is how one does not build up hope upon the future. So here the Buddha says that not to revive the past is not to think about your past five aggregates. five aggregates that we take to be I or Mind, Body and Mind. It's also Body, Feeling, Perception, Volition and Consciousness. So if you don't take delight in that, then you don't keep thinking about it. Also, similarly with the future, don't think Don't build up hopes. There are some people hoping that they'll be reborn in heaven with a beautiful body and with psychic powers and all these things. So there's building up hope for the future. So if you don't take delight in the past or the future, then you tend not to think so much of it. And how amongst is one vanquished or overcome in regard to presently arisen states? Here monks, an untaught ordinary person who has no regard for noble ones, and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma, who has no regard for true men, and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma, regards material form as self, or self as possessed of material form, or material form as in self, or self as in material form. Similarly, he regards feeling, perception, volition, consciousness as self, or belonging to self, or the self as in the aggregates, or the aggregates as in the self. That is how one is vanquished in regard to presently arisen states. I'll tell you for a moment. So presently arisen states refers here to the five aggregates. Just now that saying by the Buddha, instead with insight let him see each presently arisen state. Let him know that and be sure of it invincibly, unshakably. So this here, the Buddha explains that the presently arisen states refers to the five aggregates. So when you are vanquished or overcome by the presently arisen states, means that you take the five aggregates as the self or as belonging to the self. or the self as in the five aggregates, or the five aggregates as in the self. So you have this identity view, you take the five aggregates, you identify yourself with the five aggregates. So that is being vanquished in regard to presently arisen states. And how amongst is one invincible in regard to presently arisen states? Here monks, a well-taught, noble disciple, who has regard for noble ones, and is skilled and disciplined in their Dhamma, who has regard for true men, and is skilled and disciplined in their Dhamma, does not regard material form as self, or self as possessed of material form, or material form as in the self, or self as in material form. Similarly, he does not regard feeling, perception, volition, consciousness as self, or self as possessed of the aggregates, or the aggregates as in the self, or self as in the aggregates. That is how one is invincible in regard to presently arisen states. Let not a person revive the past, or on the future build his hopes. For the past has been left behind, and the future has not been reached. Instead, with insight, let him see each presently arisen state. Let him know that and be sure of it, invincibly, unshakably. Today, the effort must be made. Tomorrow, death may come. Who knows? No bargain with mortality can keep him and his thoughts away. But one who dwells thus ardently, relentlessly, by day, by night, is he, the peaceful sage has said, who has one fortunate attachment. So it was with reference to this that it was said, monks I shall teach you the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment. That is what the blessed one said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the blessed one's words. So basically what the Buddha explains here is that we should not think about the five, the past, our past, in regard to ourselves, which is the five aggregates, and we should not build up hopes for the future, and we should not identify ourselves with the five aggregates. If you don't identify yourself five aggregates, then you are invincible in regard to presently arisen states. Also in other suttas, the Buddha says, not only that, we have to examine the five aggregates and see how they are impermanent, how they are dependent on so many conditions. And those conditions itself are impermanent. So that's why our five aggregates are even more impermanent. So don't attach to it, be attached to it. we are going to suffer. The next sutta is quite short because it's basically the same as this one. So I'll go through it. 132. Ananda Bhadekarata Sutta. Ananda and One Fortunate Attachment. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jata's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. On that occasion, the Venerable Ananda was instructing, urging, rousing and encouraging the monks with talk on the Dhamma in the Assembly Hall. He was reciting the summary and exposition of One Who Has One Fortunate Attachment. Then in the evening, the Blessed One rose from meditation and went to the Assembly Hall. He sat down on a seat made ready and asked the monks, monks, who has been instructing, urging, rousing and encouraging the monks with talk on the Dhamma in the Assembly Hall? Who has been reciting the summary in exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment? It was the Venerable Ananda, Venerable Sir. Then the Blessed One asked the Venerable Ananda, Ananda, how were you instructing, urging, rousing and encouraging the monks with talk on the Dhamma and reciting the summary and exposition of One Who Has One Fortunate Attachment? I was doing so thus, Venerable Sir. Let not a person revive the past, etc. And he repeated the whole of the last Sutta up to One Who Has One Fortunate Attachment. I was instructing, urging, rousing, encouraging the monks with talk on the Dhamma thus, and reciting the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment thus. Good, good Ananda, it is good that you were instructing, urging, rousing, and encouraging the monks with talk on the Dhamma thus, and reciting the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment thus." Then the Buddha repeated the whole Sutta as before. That is what the Blessed One said. The Venerable Ananda was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So this Sutta is basically the same as the previous Sutta, just that it's spoken by Ananda. I think we can stop here. The next Sutta is also quite similar. The next two Suttas also is the Dekaratha Sutta. We'll do that tomorrow. Anything to discuss? I'm going to talk a little bit about what I do for a living, and how that's done, and how I make a living for it. I'm going to talk a little bit about what I do for a living, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and how that's done, and I have a question. I have a question. I have a question. A person who does a lot of evil will fall into hell. A person who does evil not to such a a great degree will be born in the animal realm. Animal realm is also a lot of suffering because they eat each other, tear each other up alive. When you are alive, people, some other creature eating your flesh. That's why you look into the animal world, all the creatures are all very nervous, very nervous, always frightened, always looking here and there. So these two are very undesirable places of rebirth. It is stated somewhere in the suttas that when a person is in hell, he will remember what he did that made him come to hell today. He does remember. So if you look into the world, in the newspapers and all that, you see a lot of people doing evil actions, but they don't really know, they don't realize that it is evil. For example, there are some people, they kill these wild exotic animals, either they smuggle them or they kill them, because some people like to eat their flesh. and all these things, and they think that God made these creatures for you to eat, so there's nothing wrong in killing them. Unfortunately, when they go to hell one day, then they realize. Last time I read somewhere in the papers that somebody, I don't know whether in Hong Kong or in China, they keep this bear, this big bear, and they tap the bile or something from this bear. And this bear every day is in pain and crying out. This fellow is stepping. When he feels he wants some bile, he takes the bile from this animal. And there are some people, they want to eat the brains of the monkey. They just cut off the top of the monkey's head and scoop up the brain when the monkey is still alive. Imagine, he will get that now when he goes to hell. Same thing will happen to him. How long he has to experience that in hell. My personal view is that it's very, it's just below our conscious our normal consciousness. In other words, it's in our subconsciousness, but not far away. So that's why there are some people, you ask them to do certain things, they dare not do. For example, to kill a chicken, they dare not do because probably in the past they have suffered for it. Or some people, there's ample opportunity to commit adultery and all that, they dare not do. So all these things are probably, it's something from the past that makes them react like that. There is no standard when a person comes out of hell. It depends on his past karma. There are some, after coming out from hell, they might be reborn in the animal realm because they lack the good karma. On the other hand, somebody like Mahamoggalana, He was Mara in his previous life and because he did a lot of evil karma towards the past Buddha and the Arahants, he fell into hell. But after suffering for something like 100,000 years in hell, he came out and took a human rebirth and then from there became an Arahant. So there is no fixed, each person is different, completely different, there is no standard. Because our kamma is all different. But in the previous sutta we read last night, the Buddha says, generally, if a person can go to hell, he is a perfect fool, the Buddha says. So being a perfect fool, when he comes out from hell, even if he takes a human rebirth, he will be a very unlucky person. He will be born misshapen, ugly, difficult to earn his living and all these things. No luck, a person with no luck. Because if a person can be such a fool, has to create so evil karma, and a little good he has done. President George W. Bush quickly resigned. Instead, his people did. And a lot of people were killed. A lot of Americans and North Koreans were killed. In that sort of situation, who bears the worst kind of risk? The soldiers who were sent into the battleground, where they were told to shoot? Or is it the commander-in-chief who said, that's what I want you to do. You're going to go in there. And all those people were killed. I think possibly the heaviest karma is the people who decided that there should be war. Definitely, because once you know the Dhamma, then you change your character. It is very important to change your character. Once you change your character, then The Buddha says not all karma will ripen. If you do a lot of good deeds, then it kind of covers the evil karma. It's only the heaviest karma that will ripen first. So generally, if you have not come across the Dhamma, most of us in our younger days, we did a lot of bad karma, but it's not really serious. For example, when we're young, we may go fishing and other things. But because it was done out of ignorance and also, I mean, the intention is very important. If your intention is to make somebody suffer, then the karma is very heavy. But your intention is not to make somebody suffer and then it's not so heavy. So don't worry about the past karma. What is important is now, whatever good we can do, we do. And the greatest good we can do is in the spiritual path. You see, I always say that when we come across the Dhamma, I tell laypeople, there are a few things you can do. One is practice generosity. Then after that, practice Sila, moral pandan. And after that, listen to the Dhamma. And after that, meditate. And after that, change your character. These five things, the easiest to do is charity, dana. But because it is the easiest to do, the merit is the least. Harder to do is keeping your precepts. Because it's harder to do, it's more meritorious. And then the third one, listening to the Dhamma gives you wisdom. So it's more meritorious. And meditation is also very difficult to do, also very meritorious. And then the hardest to do is to change your character for the better. That is the highest, most meritorious. So the last three, listening to the Dhamma, meditating and improving your character, this is what in Chinese we call kong tek. Kong tek is spiritual merit that brings you out of samsara. It's a spiritual merit that helps you on the on the path out of samsara and to nibbana. Whereas the first two, generosity or charity, and sila, moral conduct, is worldly merit. When you come back, you get a better rebirth, you get a happier life, you get a good life, lucky, fortunate life. So these five things, remember. Okay, so the point is that, sometimes it seems to be, one learns to live in a way that the heart wants to live. I'm just speaking from my own personal experience. Many years back, when I was in the Philippines, a couple of times, my parents were happy. So, for me, at that time, I mean, I didn't think it was good. I mean, we don't have a lot of money. I mean, it's possible. But that day, You know, when you talk to someone, and you talk about something that whole person, and you shout, and you melt down, or whatever, you put some sort of a problem. So he was in fear from the beginning. And there's no way that person is going to survive. He's not going to survive. And then he started to think of a way. My heart doesn't melt. Why does it take something from me? you know that this is something that you shouldn't do. Isn't there any way that you, as a person, know some of these things before you do it? Until today, you don't know. You're lucky that you woke up. A lot of people don't wake up. As you heard about one man, he used to go hunting. And he shot the monkey. The monkey fell. And it was a female monkey with a baby. And because of the baby, I think, the monkey, like, bowed to him, bowed to him because of the baby. And he saw that. After that, he hung up his gun. Maybe, but There are two types of persons who go up to heaven. The Buddha says there's a Putujana, an ordinary person who does not know the Dhamma. He goes up to heaven, and after that, when he passes away, he may come down to the whole plains of rebirth. But the Buddha says, an Aryan disciple of the Buddha who has learned the Dhamma, One who has obtained right view, if you go up to heaven, you come down, the lowest you can get is the human realm. You will never be born into woeful planes. So you just shuttle between heaven and the human realm until you enter nirvana. So you are not wasting your time in heaven. It's a rest period, just like, you know, All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. So you see, our Buddha, before he can become enlightened, he met the previous Buddha, Kassapa, and then he probably attained Sakadagamin. From there, he went to Tushita Heaven, had a good rest, came back and strove until he attained enlightenment. He cannot be striving all the time. The only people who are reborn in the Sutta of Asa heavens, the pure abodes, are Anagamins. Anagamins, third fruit, Arya. And in the Sutta, the Buddha said that to become an Anagamin, you have to get rid of the five lower factors. And also you have got to have four jhanas, at least four jhanas. Because the Suddhavasa heaven is in the fourth jhana plane. So because it is in the fourth jhana plane, unless you have obtained four jhanas, you cannot be reborn in the Suddhavasa heaven. And normally to become an ariya, you need two basic things. One is a high concentration, samadhi. The other one, is Vipassana, meaning contemplation of the Dhamma, understanding the Dhamma. If you don't understand the Dhamma, you cannot be an Ariya. When you understand the Dhamma, then with a clear mind, that clear mind determines what level of Ariyahood you attain. If a person without Jhana, or without fourth Jhana, when he listens to the Dhamma, he might become Sotapanna or he might become a Sakadagami. But he cannot become an Anagami or Arahant. But a person who has the four Jhanas or higher Rupas, when he listens to the same Dhamma, he will either become an Anagami or an Arahant. When we sit down to meditate, we should always practice Samatha, which is one-pointedness of mind. And this practice of Samatha, if you look into the Suttas, is synonymous with Satipatthana, not like what nowadays some monks say. Remember that day we read the Anapanasati Sutta? The Buddha says if you practice Anapanasati, if you develop fully Anapanasati, you are practicing Satipatthana. It fulfills the four Satipatthana. So in liberation, the Buddha says that you have to practice all the eight factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. In some other suttas, the Buddha also says that to become liberated, samatha and vipassana are necessary. And samatha will lead you to the four jhanas. Vipassana means contemplation. And this vipassana is the seventh factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, samasati. Samasati is contemplation of body, feelings, mind and dhamma. And in the suttas, the Buddha mentioned, out of these four objects of sati, the most important is dhamma. Why? Because there are five occasions of liberation, five occasions when a person becomes an arahant. And out of the five, four have to do with the dhamma. Listening to the dhamma, one becomes liberated. Teaching the dhamma, also one can become liberated. Repeating the dhamma, one can also become liberated. Reflecting on the dhamma, one also can become liberated. So that's why contemplation of Dhamma is the most important of these four objects. So when you want to practice Samatha, it is only sitting posture you can practice Samatha. Because to attain the Jhanas, you must sit down with your eyes closed. Don't pay attention to sight, sound, taste, the five senses, seeing, hearing, smelling, taste and touch. Then only you can attain Dajjana. Whereas contemplation, you can do in any posture. You sit also you can contemplate, you stand also you can contemplate, you walk also you can contemplate, you lie down also you can contemplate. So why should you practice Vipassana, contemplation, when you are sitting down? Sitting down is the only occasion you can practice Samatha. So when you are sitting down, you should practice Samatha and Samatha only. But when you are not sitting down, any other posture, you can practice Vipassana. Generally, you find in the Suttas, how the Arahants attain Enlightenment. They strive very hard to attain Jhana. At the same time, they are listening to the Dhamma. At the same time they are listening to the discourses of the Buddha. And when they have perfected four jhanas, they listen to the same sutta and they become enlightened. Just like Sariputta, after coming to be a disciple of the Buddha, he strove and after two weeks he attained all the jhanas. And then one day he was fanning the Buddha, and the Buddha was talking with an external ascetic. So he was fanning the Buddha and listening to the Buddha talking, and he understood what the Dhamma that the Buddha was teaching, and he became an Arahant. So that is Vipassana, listening to the Dhamma, contemplating the Dhamma. When you listen, you automatically contemplate. When you are teaching also, you automatically contemplate. When you are repeating, also you contemplate. When you reflect, also you contemplate. So all this is vipassana. So always remember, since sitting is the only occasion that you can practice samatha, and samatha is essential. We read earlier one sutta where the Buddha said, to become a sotapanna, your mind must also be rid of the five hindrances. If your mind is rid of the five hindrances, then you can attain Sotapanna much easier. So this jhanas helps us to attain the various stages of Ariya-hood, speeds up the process of attaining the stages of Ariya-hood much faster. So in the spiritual practice, two things I always say is very important. One, you sharpen your mind by practicing Samatha every day. The other one, either you listen to the CDs on the Nikayas, the Suttas, or you can study the books on the Suttas. So as you are sharpening your mind and you are studying the Suttas, these two, once you understand the Suttas, you become an Ariya. The suttas are the fastest way for you to understand the Dhamma. That is why the Buddha took so much effort to talk on 5,000 suttas. If just by contemplation by yourself, you can achieve, then the Buddha would not have spoken so many suttas. The Buddha's words are so direct. When we listen to his words and we just contemplate on his words, we can understand much faster than you were to contemplate on yourself, on your own. This paramisa, if we look into the suttas, the earliest discourses of the Buddha, is never mentioned. This paramisa developed later because they, instead of talking about the arahant path, later books, especially the Mahayana books, they talk about the bodhisattva path. And then they discourage people from practicing the spiritual path. They say if you practice the spiritual path, you are a selfish fellow. You should help all beings in the world. Have a big heart, be a bodhisattva, help all beings. And then the one way to discourage you from practicing the spiritual path, they say to become enlightened, it takes four Asankeya Kapas and 100 Maha Kapas. And then they use the Jataka stories to say that the Buddha developed the Paramis over a long time. So long, they say four Asankhya Kappas and one hundred Maha Kappas, which basically means eternity. Because one Kappa is an uncountable length of time. One Kappa, one world cycle, basically. No, one asan kaya kappa is an uncountable number of world cycles. So they use the Jataka stories to say that the Buddha practiced the Paramis. But when we look into the Jataka stories, we find they are childish stories. They cannot be True. Why? Because they say the bodhisattva in the past life was a deer or a rabbit. And in these stories, you find the animals can talk. Animals cannot talk, but in these stories, animals can talk. And they behave smarter than many human beings. They talk about the rabbit or the hare sacrificing its body for the hunter to eat. Which is ridiculous. And then like Vesantara Jataka, they talk about the bodhisattva as a human being to cultivate the parami of giving or generosity. He gave away the wife and his two children to a heartless beggar. He knows this heartless beggar is going to torture his wife and his children. And yet, with tears in his eyes, he gave away the wife and children to be tortured. That is extremely selfish just because you want to cultivate the parami to make your wife and your children suffer for you. So this goes against the Dhamma. Because in the Dhamma, the Buddha says, a good man or a wise man's dana or offering must not harm himself, must not harm others. So that being the case, there is no possibility that the bodhisattva will practice like this Vesantara Jataka. It's logical if you give your wife and your children to a rich, very, very rich man so that they have a good life. When you give to a heartless beggar, you know they're going to suffer. Also, the other Jataka story about the Bodhisattva, he saw this tigress, hungry, no milk to give the cubs. So he committed suicide, jumped from the top of the hill. kill himself so that he can feed the tiger. This again contradicts the Dhamma. You're harming yourself. Doing charity by harming yourself is illogical. If you tell that to some people in other religions, they'll laugh at you. Buddhists are stupid. Can't believe such stories. Yeah, I think Buddhists are stupid if they believe such stories. So this paramita is just a device to get you not to practice the Noble Eightfold Path. That's why they say there are 84,000 Dharma doors. There are no 84,000 Dharma doors. There's only one Dharma door taught by the Buddha, which is the Noble Eightfold Path. When you practice the Paramis, all these Paramis are worldly qualities. Worldly qualities does not get you out of samsara, does it not? Six Paramis by the Mahayanis, 10 paramis by the Theravadans. If you listen to my talk on early Buddhism in India, you realize that Buddhism after 500 years developed into Mahayana and Hinayana. And a few hundred years later, Mahayana and Hinayana merged together. They began to accept each other's teaching. So these people, supposed to be Theravadans, they start to accept the Bodhisattva path. That's why instead of 6 paramis, they talk about 10 paramis. And then these Mahayanis start to accept what they call the Hinayana Sutras. But in the few hundred years that elapsed, they lost all their Pali suttas. So they started to look for the Pali suttas again. And they had to recover what they call the Agama Sutras from various schools. Dharmagupta school, and Savastivadin school, and one of the Nikayas, I think the Anguttara Nikaya, they don't even know where they got it from. And those, these Agama Sutras are incomplete. So it just shows they lost. So you have to study the history to understand what happened. You see, earlier in the early part of the seminar, all of those students were basically doing... Because, if all of the Buddhist students are doing at least a day's Buddhist study, this is the original discourse of the Buddhists. If they agree on that, and then now they have introduced new things, the current things, I think you didn't listen to my talk properly. Now, after so many years, now only people realize that the Pali suttas are the original suttas. years ago, a few hundred years ago, some of them said they don't want to accept the Buddha's sutras, so they create new sutras. This happened several hundred years ago, it's not now. Okay, shall we end here?

34-MN-133-Mahakaccanabhaddekaratta-134-Lomasakangiyabhaddekaratta-(2010-09-13).txt

Today is the 13th of September and this is the 55th time we are speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Tonight we come to Sutta 133, Mahakacana Padekarata Sutta, Mahakacana and One Fortunate Attachment. Thus have I heard on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Vajagaha. in the park of the hot springs. Then, when it was dawn, the Venerable Samyidi went to the hot springs to bathe his limbs. After bathing, he came up out of the water as so dressed in one robe, drying his limbs. Then, when the night was well advanced, a certain deity of beautiful appearance, who illuminated the whole of the hot springs, approached the Venerable Samyidi. Standing at one side, the deity said to him, Monk, do you remember the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment? And he replied, Friend, I do not remember the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment. But Friend, do you remember the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment? Monk, I too Do not remember the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment. But monk, do you remember the stanza of one who has one fortunate attachment? Friend, I do not remember the stanza of one who has one fortunate attachment. But friend, do you remember the stanza of one who has one fortunate attachment? Monk, I too do not remember the stanza of One Who Has One Fortunate Attachment. But monk, learn the summary and exposition of One Who Has One Fortunate Attachment. Monk, master the summary and exposition of One Who Has One Fortunate Attachment. Monk, remember the summary and exposition of One Who Has One Fortunate Attachment. The summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment is beneficial. It belongs to the fundamentals of the holy life. That is what was said by the deity, who thereupon vanished at once. I'll stop here for a moment. So this deity, it's not mentioned whether it's a Deva or Devi. one of those deities who is very keen on the Dhamma. And he knows that these stanzas in the karate are important, but he also has forgotten the exact words. So he asked the monk to learn it and remember it. Then when the night was over, the Venerable Samyidi went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to Him, he sat down at one side, told the Blessed One all that occurred, and said, it would be good, Venerable Sir, if the Blessed One would teach me the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment. Then, monk, listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Venerable Sir, the Venerable Samyidi replied. The Blessed One said, Let not a person revive the past, or on the future build his hopes. For the past has been left behind, and the future has not been reached. Instead, with insight, let him see each presently arisen state. Let him know that and be sure of it, Invincibly, unshakably. Today the effort must be made, Tomorrow death may come, who knows? No bargain with mortality Can keep him and his hordes away, But one who dwells thus ardently, Relentlessly, by day, by night, This he, the peaceful sage, has said, Who has one fortunate attachment. That is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Sublime One rose from His seat and went into His dwelling. And soon after the Blessed One had gone, the monks considered. Now friends, the Blessed One has risen from His seat and gone into His dwelling after giving a summary in brief, without expounding the detailed meaning. Now who will expound this in detail? Then they considered. The verbal Mahakacana is praised by the teacher and esteemed by his wise companions in the holy light. He is capable of expounding the detailed meaning. Suppose we went to him and asked him the meaning of this. Then the monks went to the Venerable Mahakacana and exchanged greetings with him. When this courteous and amiable talk was finished, they sat down at one side and told him what had taken place, adding, Let the Venerable Mahakacana expound it to us. The Venerable Mahakacana replied, Friends, it is as though a man needing hardwood, seeking hardwood, wandering in search of hardwood, thought that hardwood should be sought for among the branches and leaves of a great tree, standing possessed of hardwood, after he had passed over the root and the trunk. So it is with you, Venerable Sirs, that you think that I should be asked about the meaning of this after you pass the Blessed One by, when you are face to face with the Teacher. For knowing, the Blessed One knows. Seeing is Sees. He is Vision. He is Knowledge. He is the Dhamma. He is the Holy One. He is the Sayer, the Proclaimer, the Elucidator of Meaning, the Giver of the Deathless, the Lord of the Dhamma, the Tathagata, That was the time when you should have asked the Blessed One the meaning. As He told you, so you should have remembered it. Stop here for a moment. This is my Lord Maha Chakrachana. He is one of those monks who is very good at explaining the Dhamma. Yet you see, he is an arahant. Yet he told the monks that they should have referred to the Buddha. And you see, he praised the Buddha in such terms. He is vision, He is knowledge, He is Dhamma, He is the Holy One, He is the Seer, the Proclaimer, Giver of the Deathless, Lord of the Dhamma. Actually, He is already an Arahant, so He already knows very well the Dhamma. Yet, He is very humble. In effect, He is saying, I cannot compare with the Buddha. I should have asked the Buddha. Then they said, Surely, friend Kachana, knowing the Blessed One knows, seeing He sees, He is Vision. He is Knowledge. He is the Dhamma. He is the Holy One. He is the Sayer, the Proclaimer, Elucidator of Meaning, the Giver of the Deathless, the Lord of the Dhamma, the Tathagata. That was the time when we should have asked the Blessed One the meaning. As He told us so, we should have remembered it. Yet the Verbal Maha Kacana is praised by the Teacher and esteemed by His wise companions in the Holy Light. The Verbal Maha Kacana is capable of expounding the detailed meaning of this summary, given in brief by the Blessed One without expounding the detailed meaning. Let the Venerable Mahakacana expound it without finding it troublesome. Then listen, friends, and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, friend, the monks replied. The Venerable Mahakacana said, Friends, when the Blessed One rose from His seat and went into His dwelling after giving a summary in brief, without expounding the detailed meaning, that is, let not a person revive the past, or on the future build his hopes, for the past has been left behind and the future has not been reached. Instead, with insight, let him see each presently arisen state, let him know that and be sure of it, invincibly, unshakably. Today the effort must be made Tomorrow death may come, who knows? No bargain with mortality can keep him and his hordes away. For one who dwells thus ardently, relentlessly, by day, by night, it is he, the peaceful sage has said, who has one fortunate attachment. I understand the detailed meaning of it to be as follows. How, friends, does one revive the past? Thinking, my I was thus in the past, and forms were thus, one's consciousness becomes bound up with desire and lust for that. Because one's consciousness is bound up with desire and lust, one delights in that. When one delights in that, one revives the past. Thinking, my ear was thus in the past and sounds were thus. Similarly, my nose and odours, my tongue and flavours, my body and tangibles, my mind was thus in the past and my objects were thus. One's consciousness becomes bound up with desire and lust for that. Because one's consciousness is bound up with desire and lust, one delights in that. When one delights in that, one revives the past. That is how one revives the past. How does one not revive the past? Thinking, my I was thus in the past and forms were thus. one's consciousness does not become bound up with desire and lust for that. Because one's consciousness is not bound up with desire and lust, one does not delight in that. When one does not delight in that, one does not revive the past. Similarly, thinking my ear was thus in the past and sounds were thus, my nose and odours, my tongue and flavours, my body and tangibles, my mind was thus in the past and mind objects were thus. One's consciousness does not become bound up with desire and lust for that. Because one's consciousness is not bound up with desire and lust. One does not delight in that. When one does not delight in that, one does not revive the past. That is how one does not revive the past. Stop here for a moment. So here, when we compare with the first Bhadekaratha Sutta, we find that in the first Sutta, the Buddha explained this reviving the past in terms of the five aggregates. Five Aggregates of Attachment, which basically is also body and mind. The Five Aggregates are material form of body, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness, which is basically body and mind. So here, this Arahant Mahakacana explains it. Instead of the Five Aggregates, he explains it in terms of the six bases, the six sense bases. The internal base is the eye, external base is the forms. And similarly, ear and sounds, nose and odors, tongue and flavors, body and tangibles, and mind and mind objects. And for each of these six senses, the consciousness is conjured. And so he talks in terms of the six sense bases. This shows that, as stated in some suttas, there are some arahants who become liberated through contemplating the five aggregates, and there are some become liberated through contemplating the six sense bases, and there are some become liberated through contemplating dependent origination. and some become liberated to contemplating, for example, the four great elements, etc. How, friends, does one build up hope upon the future, thinking, my I may be thus in the future, and forms may be thus? One sets one's heart on obtaining what has not yet been obtained. because one sets one's heart thus, one delights in that. When one delights in that, one builds up hope upon the future. Similarly, thinking my ear may be thus in the future, sounds may be thus, my nose and odours, my tongue and flavours, my body and tangibles, my mind may be thus in the future, and mine objects may be thus. One sets one's heart on obtaining what has not yet been obtained. Because one sets one's heart thus, one delights in that. When one delights in that, one builds up hope upon the future. That is how one builds up hope upon the future. How, friends, does one not build up hope upon the future, thinking, my I may be thus in the future, and forms may be thus? One does not set one's heart on obtaining what has not yet been obtained. Because one does not set one's heart thus, one does not delight in that, and one does not delight in that, one does not build up hope upon the future. Similarly, thinking my ear may be thus in the future, sounds may be thus, my nose and odours, my tongue and flavours, my body and tangibles. My mind may be thus in the future, and mine objects may be thus. One does not set one's heart on obtaining naught, but has not yet been obtained. Because one does not set one's heart thus, one does not delight in that. When one does not delight in that, one does not build up hope upon the future. That is how one does not build up hope upon the future. Sorry for a moment. So here, similarly, for the past and for the future, we should not delight in the eye and forms, ear and sounds, nose and odours, etc. How is one vanquished in regard to presently arisen states? In regard to the eye and forms that are presently arisen, one's consciousness is not bound up with desire and lust for that which is presently arisen. Because one's consciousness is bound up In regard to the eye and forms that are presently arisen, one's consciousness is bound up with desire and lust for that which is presently arisen. Because one's consciousness is bound up with desire and lust, one delights in that. When one delights in that, one is vanquished in regard to presently arisen states. Similarly, in regard to the ear and sounds, nose and odours, tongue and flavours, body and tangibles, mind and mind objects that are presently arisen. One's consciousness is bound up with desire and lust for that which is presently arisen. Because one's consciousness is bound up with desire and lust, one delights in that. When one delights in that, one is vanquished in regard to presently arisen states. That is how one is vanquished in regard to presently arisen states. How is one invincible in regard to presently arisen states? In regard to the I and forms that are presently arisen, one's consciousness is not bound up with desire and lust for that which is presently arisen. Because one's consciousness is not bound up with desire and lust, one does not delight in that. When one does not delight in that, one is invincible in regard to presently arisen states. Similarly, in regard to the ear and sounds, nose and odours, tongue and flavours, body intangibles, mind and mind objects that are presently arisen, one's consciousness is not bound up with desire and lust, but that which is presently arisen. Because one's consciousness is not bound up with desire and lust, one does not delight in that. When one does not delight in that, one is invincible in regard to presently arisen states. That is how one is invincible in regard to presently arisen states. Friends, when the Blessed One rose from His seat and went into His dwelling, after giving in summary, in brief, without expounding the detailed meaning, that is, not a person revived the past, etc., I understand the detailed meaning of this summary to be thus. Now, friends, if you wish, go to the Blessed One and ask Him about the detail, about the meaning of this. As the Blessed One explains it to you, so you should remember it. Then the monks, having delighted and rejoiced in the Venerable Mahakacana's words, rose from their seats and went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to Him, they sat down at one side and told the Blessed One all that had taken place after He had left, adding, Then, Venerable Sir, we went to the Venerable Mahakacana and asked him about the meaning. The Venerable Mahakacana expounded the meaning to us with these terms, statements and phrases. And the Buddha said, Mahākācāna is wise monks. Mahākācāna has great wisdom. If you had asked me the meaning of this, I would have explained it to you in the same way that Mahākācāna has explained it. Such is its meaning. remember it. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So here you see the Buddha is saying that if you ask me I could explain it in the same way as the Venerable Mahakacana. Meaning there is no difference explaining it in terms of the six sense bases as in this sutta or explaining it in terms of the five happy gates as in the previous sutta. So in these two instances, the meaning is that don't think about the past in terms of the five aggregates that you had in the past, a body, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness. And also don't run to the future hoping that you will have such a body, you will have such feelings, you will have such perception, etc. And then just look at the present, present aggregates, five aggregates, body and mind, and see that they are impermanent, that they are dependently arisen, that they depend on so many conditions, and all these conditions will change. So don't attach to any one of them. You attach to your body or to your mind. Very soon when it changes, you will suffer, and it changes. Because when you attach to it, then you don't want it to change, but it must change. who don't attach to it. So in the same way, in this sutta, it also says basically, don't think about the past and don't hope for the future. Just see the present. And when you see the present, you can see in terms of the six sense bases, namely your eye and forms, ear and sounds, nose and odours. tongue and flavors, and body and tangibles, and mind, and thoughts. So see that they are all dependently arisen and fleeting, impermanent. Don't cling to them. Whatever forms, whatever sounds you hear, smells, taste, touch, and thoughts, all are impermanent. Even whatever beautiful forms you see, if you attach to them, they are going to change. There is an extremely striking simile the Buddha gave about forms, I think in Majjhima Nikaya, number 13, or something like that, one of the earlier Majjhima Nikaya suttas, where the Buddha said about being attached to forms. When you appreciate forms, the most beautiful body you can see, like somebody of the opposite sex, and they're sweet 16, and they're sweet 16 in the prime of beauty. But the same beautiful girl is 80 or 90 or 100 years old, and it's completely different already. So hair white or gone, the teeth also gone, wrinkle, hunchback, doctoring, weak, frail, totally like a different person. But it's the same person just a few years later. Or that person might be sick, stricken with cancer, lying on her own shit and urine, have to help out by others, fed by others, washed by others, and all that. At that time, she's not so beautiful already. Or she turns into a corpse a few years later, bloated, stinking. and whatever attachment you have for her are all gone when you see the corpse. So Buddha is telling us to remember one day that beautiful girl, and we need to turn into all these things, so don't attach. So whether it's our own body or other person's bodies, don't attach. All is impermanent. So don't cling to the past, don't think of the future, and look at the present. Everything is moving so fast. If you look at our photo five years ago and look at our photo now, so much difference. So another five years' time, it will be very different again. In fact, in five years from now, I don't know how many of us won't be here already on this earth. Okay, now we come to Sutta 134. Lomasa Kangia, Bhadekarata Sutta. Lomasa Kangia and One Fortunate Attachment. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika Spa. Now on that occasion, the Verbal Lomasa Kangia was living in the Sakyan Country at Kapilavatthu in Ikrodha's Park. Then, when the night was well advanced, a young deity of Chandana, a young deity of beautiful appearance, who illuminated the whole of Nigrodha's path, approached the Venerable Lomasa Kangdya. Standing at one side, Chandana, the young deity, said to him, ''Monk, do you remember the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment?'' Friend, I do not remember the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment. But friend, do you remember the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment? Monk, I too do not remember the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment. But monk, do you remember the stanza of one who has one fortunate attachment? Friend, I do not remember the stanza of one who has one fortunate attachment. But friend, do you remember the stanza of one who has one fortunate attachment? Monk, I remember the stanza of one who has one fortunate attachment. But friend, in what way do you remember the stanza of one who has one fortunate attachment? Monk, once the Blessed One was living among the gods of the heaven of the Thirty-Three on the red marble stone at the root of the Parichataka tree. There, the Blessed One recited the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment to the gods of the heaven of the Thirty-Three. Let not a person revive the past, or on the future build his hopes. For the past has been left behind, and the future has not been reached. Instead, with insight, let him see each presently arisen state. Let him know that and be sure of it, invincibly, unshakably. Today, the effort must be made. Tomorrow, death may come. Who knows? No bargain with mortality can keep him and his thoughts away. But one who dwells thus ardently, relentlessly, by day, by night, it is he, the peaceful sage has said, who has one fortunate attachment. Remember this stanza of one who has one fortunate attachment thus. Monk, learn the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment. Monk, master the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment. Monk, remember the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment. Monk, the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment is beneficial. It belongs to the fundamentals of the holy life. That is what was said by Chandana, the young deity, who thereupon vanished at once. Stop here for a moment. So you see the previous sutta and this sutta, these two monks, they were practicing the forest and this deity comes to them to discuss the Dhamma. The fact that they can see the deity and talk to the deity, actually means that they have attained four jhanas. It's so very hard, they have attained four jhanas. And this heavenly eye open, they have this psychic power. That's why they can see and talk to the devas. Not all people have this ability, even monks, very few. So the fact that this Chandana, the deity, can remember these stanzas, shows that he is one who is very interested in the Dharma, very keen in the Dharma. It's possible he may have been a monk in a previous life. Then when the night was over, The Venerable Lomasa Kangea set his resting place in order, and taking his bowl and outer robe, set out to wander by stages to Savati. He, at length, arrived at Savati and went to the Blessed One in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. After paying homage to Him, he sat down at one side, told the Blessed One all that had occurred, and said, It would be good, Venerable Sir, if the Blessed One would teach me the summary and exposition of one who has one fortunate attachment. Monk, do you know that young deity? No, Vembul Sir. Monk, that young deity is named Chandana. He heeds the Dhamma, gives it attention, engages it with all his mind, hears it with eager ears. So, monk, listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Venerable Sir. The Venerable Lomasa Kangdia replied to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said this. Let not a person revive the past, etc. And he repeated the whole Sutta as in Sutta number 131. That is what the Blessed One said. The Venerable Lomasa Kangdia was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So here we won't repeat the Sutta. It's exactly what we heard before. You see the Buddha says that this Chandana, he heats the Dhamma, gives it attention, engages it with all his mind, hears it with eager ears. These are characteristics of a Sotapanna. If a person has this kind of interest in the Dhamma, that he hears the Dhamma every time the Dhamma is spoken, he pays attention, engages it with all his mind, I mean, he pays attention 100%. He hears it with eagerness, he is very happy to hear. This type of person only can attain stream entry. If a person, when he has the opportunity to hear the Dhamma, is not so interested, talk and all these things, then it is not possible to attain Srimantri. Only certain people, they have this, what is called is this, Sankhen Sankhen, have this affinity with the Dhamma, then such a person, when he hears the Dhamma, he will be extremely glad.

35-MN-135-Culakammavibhanga-(2010-09-13).txt

Okay now we come to Sutta 135, Chula Kamma Vibhanga Sutta, the shorter exposition of Kamma or action. This is a very important Sutta concerning Kamma Vipaka, a very very important Sutta. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jayaja's Grove, Anathapindika's spa. Then the Brahmin student Subha, today's son, went to the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him. When this courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down at one side and asked the Blessed One, Master Gautama, what is the cause and condition why human beings are seen to be inferior and superior? For people are seen to be short-lived and long-lived, sickly and healthy, ugly and beautiful, uninfluential and influential, poor and wealthy, low-born and high-born, stupid and wise. What is the cause and condition, Master Gautama? Why human beings are seen to be inferior and superior? And the Buddha said, Student, beings are owners of their actions, heirs of their actions. They originate from their actions. are bound to their actions, have their actions as their refuge. It is action that distinguishes beings as inferior and superior. Stop here for a moment. Here, action is a translation for kamma. Kamma is intentional action that can be done through the body, speech, and mind. So these few things the Buddha says, owners of their kamma, heirs to their kamma, etc., is what we chant every day. Khamma Sakomi, Khamma Dayado, Khamma Yoni, Khamma Bandhu, Khamma Patisarana. So this Brahmin student Subha is asking the Buddha why people in this world can be seen to be so different. Some have good qualities, some have bad qualities. So only an intelligent person will think, will question why people must be like that. Suppose you are born and you have a short life, maybe at a young age you have cancer, or all your life you are sick, or you're born ugly, or you're born into a poor family where it's so hard to find a living, or you're born stupid. Then you have reason to ask, why should I be born like that? then you might want to complain if you didn't know that it's your own fault, that you inherit what you did from the past. That's why the Buddha says that beings are owners of their actions, heirs to their actions. We inherit our actions, that's why we are born in these different ways. And he said, I do not understand in detail the meaning of Master Gautama's statement, which he spoke in brief without expounding the meaning in detail. It would be good if Master Gautama would teach me the Dhamma so that I might understand in detail the meaning of Master Gautama's statement. Then, student, listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, sir, the Brahmin student Subha replied. The blessed one said, Here, student, some man or woman kills living beings and is murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings. Because of performing and undertaking such action on the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination. in perdition, even in hell. But if on the dissolution of the body after death, he does not reappear in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell, but instead comes back to the human state. Then wherever he is reborn, he is short-lived. That is the way, student, that leads to short life. Namely, one kills living beings and is murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings. But here, student, some man or woman Abandoning the killing of living beings, abstains from killing living beings. With rod and weapon laid aside, gentle and kindly, he abides compassionate to all living beings. Because of performing and undertaking such action on the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in a happy destination even in the heavenly world. But if on the dissolution of the body after death, he does not reappear in a happy destination in the heavenly world, but instead comes back to the human state. Then wherever he is reborn, he is long-lived. This is the way, student, that leads to long life, namely abandoning the killing of living beings. One abstains from killing living beings. With rod and weapon laid aside, gentle and kindly, one abides compassionate to all living beings." Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says that if a person frequently kills, murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless. Such a person normally would go to hell. But sometimes, if for some reason, because of maybe some supporting karma, or maybe at the moment of dying, he thought of some good karma, and he happens to be born in the human realm, then he is short-lived, just like some children. They are born when they are one year old, or two years old, or three years old. They get cancer, leukemia, and then their life will end. But on the other hand, if a person is compassionate and does not kill living beings, then he will have long life. We can find some people with very long life. Here, student, some man or woman is given to injuring beings with a hand, with a cloth, with a stick, or with a knife. Because of performing and undertaking such action on the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, etc. But if instead he comes back to the human state, then wherever he is reborn, he is sickly. This is the way, student, that leads to sickliness or sickness. Namely, one is given to enduring beings with a hand, with a cloth, with a stick, or with a knife. But here, student, some man or woman is not given to enduring beings with a hand, with a cloth, with a stick, or with a knife. Because of performing and undertaking such action on the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in a happy destination. But if instead he comes back to the human state, then wherever he is reborn, he is healthy. This is the way, student, that leads to health. Namely, one is not given to injuring beings with a hand, with a cloth, with a stick, or with a knife. Stop here for a moment. So here, some people, they are violent in nature. What we call, ngau cheng, gu kek. Easily stirred up to violence. Such people, because they harm others, They beat others with a cloth, with a hand, with a knife, etc. Then injure others, make others sick. Then they also become very sickly when they come into the human rebirth. You can see that some people, their health is very bad from the day they are born until they die. On the other hand, those who don't injure others, you find Some people in the world are extremely fit. You see some of these footballers, these people who compete in the Olympics. It's strange. You think, how come they are so fit? Dear student, some man or woman is of an angry and irritable character. Even when criticized a little, he is offended, becomes angry, hostile and resentful, and displays anger, hate and bitterness. Because of performing and undertaking such action, he reappears in a state of deprivation. But if instead he comes back to the human state, then wherever he is reborn, he is ugly. This is the way, student, that leads to ugliness. Namely, one is of an angry and irritable character and displays anger, hate and bitterness. But here, student, some man or woman is not of an angry and irritable character. Even when criticized a little, he is not offended, does not become angry, hostile and resent. and does not display anger, hate, and bitterness. Because of performing and undertaking such action, he reappears in a happy destination. But if instead he comes back to the human state, then wherever he is reborn, he is beautiful. This is the way, student, that leads to being beautiful. Namely, one is not of an angry and irritable character, and does not display anger, hate, and bitterness. Stop here for a moment. There are some people, very bad, A temper easily blows up, becomes angry, hostile, resentful. Such people, when they are angry, they have a fierce face. And this fierce face is not a beautiful face, it's an ugly face. And they do that constantly every day. It sets this pattern of the face, so that next time they are born, they are ugly. On the other hand, there are some people, they have a very pleasant character. Even when you say something to annoy them, they just smile and laugh. Those people are very sweet, so they are born very sweet. That's why we say in Malay, muka manis, sweet face. Also like in English, you see, some people are called sugar, because they are so sweet like sugar. Dear student, some man or woman is envious, one who envies, resents, and begrudges the gains, honor, respect, reverence, salutations, and veneration received by others. Because of performing and undertaking such action, he reappears in a state of deprivation. But if instead he comes back to the human state, then wherever he is reborn, he is uninfluential. This is the way, student, that leads to being uninfluential. Namely, one is envious. One is envious, resentful, begrudges the gains, honor, respect, salutations, veneration received by others. But here, student, some man or woman is not envious, one who does not envy, resent, and begrudge the gains, honor, respect, reverence, salutations, and veneration received by others. Because of performing and undertaking such action, he reappears in a happy destination. But if, instead, he comes back to the human state, then wherever he is reborn, he is influential. is the way, student, that leads to being influential. Namely, one is not envious towards the gains, honor, respect, reverence, salutations and veneration received by others." Stop here for a moment. So some people, they have a very small heart. And because of that, when people get honor, respect, means like coming to a lot of money, property, etc., this person is resentful, is jealous. So such a person, because he is small-hearted, next time he comes back to the human realm, then he is uninfluential, born into a poor family, and even when he grows up, He's of no account. Nobody knows him. Nobody wants to know him. On the other hand, if a person has a big hearted, and he sees others becoming rich, or have a lot of property, or have a lot of respect, I guess some title, dato, or something, he's not jealous. He's not resentful. He's happy with others. Such a person, when he comes back, He is influential in life. Everybody likes him. He is an influential person. Dear students, a man or woman does not give food, drink, clothing, carriages, garlands, scents, anklets, beds, dwelling and lamps to recluses or Brahmins. Because of performing and undertaking such action, he reappears in a state of deprivation. But if instead he comes back to the human state, then wherever he is reborn, he is poor. This is the way, student, that leads to poverty. Namely, one does not give food, drinks, clothing, carriages, garlands, scents, anguns, beds, dwelling, and lambs to recluses or Brahmins. But here, student, some man or woman gives food, drinks, clothing, bedding, dwelling, etc., to recluses or Brahmins. Because of performing and undertaking such action, he reappears in a happy destination. But if instead he comes back to the human state, then wherever he is reborn, he is wealthy. This is the way, student, that leads to wealth. Namely, one gives food, drinks, clothing, beds, dwelling, etc., to recluses or Brahmins. Stop here for a moment. So, if a person is generous, gives to others what others need, then it's easy to come back to great wealth as a human being. If he's born in a wealthy family or even if he's not born into a wealthy family, when he works then he becomes very wealthy. And here it's mentioned he gives all these things to recluses of Brahmins, meaning monks or ascetics. Because when a person does charity, if the person he gives to is virtuous, then the gift is more meritorious. greater blessings. And also if the giver himself is virtuous is also very meritorious. Also the Buddha mentioned in Samsutta that when a person gives he should be very happy. Before giving he should be happy. While giving also he should be very happy. And after giving also he should be very happy. And because of this happiness when the wealth comes back to him He will be very happy and enjoy the wealth. Dear student, some man or woman is obstinate and arrogant. He does not pay homage to one who should receive homage, does not rise up for one in whose presence he should rise up, does not offer a seat to one who deserves a seat, does not make way for one for whom he should make way, and does not honor, respect, revere, and venerate one who should be honored, respected, revered, and venerated. Because of performing and undertaking such action, he reappears in a state of deprivation. But if instead he comes back to the human state, then wherever he is reborn, he is low-born. This is the way, student, that leads to low birth. Namely, one is obstinate and arrogant, and does not honour, respect, revere and venerate one who should be honoured, respected, revered and venerated. But here, student, some man or woman is not obstinate and arrogant. He pays homage to one who should receive homage, rises up for one in whose presence he should rise up, offers a seat to one who deserves a seat, makes way for one for whom he should make way, and honors, respects, reveres, and venerates one who should be honored, respected, revered, and venerated. Because of performing and undertaking such action, he reappears in a happy destination. But if, instead, he comes back to the human state, then wherever he is reborn, he is high-born. This is the way, student, that leads to high birth. Namely, one is not obstinate and arrogant, etc. Honours, respects, reveres and venerates one who should be honoured, respected, revered and venerated. Stop here for a moment. In this world, we can see different people born in different states. Some are born in the lowest level of society, where the family is poor and looked down by others. On the other hand, you can see some people, they are born maybe into a royal family, becomes a prince or a princess, and even have a chance to become the king or the queen. Why so much difference? This is the reason. It's strange to see, sometimes you can see people come from very low level of society, and you would expect them to be very humble, but strangely enough you see some of them still very arrogant, even they are born in a very low, because of this habit from the past life, being arrogant, not willing to respect others, even when they are born into a low, very low level of society, they still act very arrogant. I think it's still there. Dear student, some man or woman does not visit a recluse or a brahmin and ask, Verbal Sir, what is wholesome? What is unwholesome? What is blameable? What is blameless? What should be cultivated? What should not be cultivated? What kind of action will lead to my harm and suffering for a long time? What kind of action will lead to my welfare and happiness for a long time? Because of performing and undertaking such action, he reappears in a state of deprivation. But if instead he comes back to the human state, then wherever he is reborn, he is stupid. This is the way, student, that leads to stupidity. Namely, one does not visit a recluse of Brahmin and ask such questions. But here, student, some man or woman visits a recluse of Brahmin and asks, Prabhupada Sir, what is wholesome? What is unwholesome? What is blamable? What is blameless? What should be cultivated? What should not be cultivated? Etc. What kind of action will lead to my welfare and happiness for a long time? Because of performing and undertaking such action, he reappears in a happy destination. But if instead he comes back to the human state, then wherever he is reborn, he is wise. This is the way, student, that leads to wisdom. Namely, one visits a recluse or Brahmin and asks such questions. Stop here for a moment. You see here, the Buddha says the way to wisdom is to ask These type of questions, you know, what is wholesome, what is unwholesome, what is blamable, what is blameless, what should be cultivated, what should not, what kind of karma will lead to my harm, what kind of karma will lead to my welfare. In other words, all these questions are concerned with the Dhamma. So if a person is interested in the Dhamma, he learns things that are pertinent to your well-being, which are the most important as far as we are concerned. This is the way that leads to wisdom. And it's not asking, like for example, other questions like who's the most popular actor now, who's the most beautiful actress, who's the fastest man in the world, or questions about science, or general knowledge, but it is questions about the Dhamma. These are important things that we should know in the world, concerning Kamavipaka and all these things. So, if a person is not interested in the Dhamma, he will be born stupid. In other words, if he doesn't know the Dhamma, he will conduct himself not in accordance with Dhamma, so he might be reborn in the animal realm, or the hell realm, or the ghost realm. As a person, he knows the Dhamma, he knows what is wholesome, what is unwholesome, etc. Then he conducts himself according to Dhamma, and he will get a good rebirth. Such is a wise person. Thus, student, the way that leads to short life makes people short-lived. The way that leads to long life makes people long-lived. The way that leads to sickliness makes people sickly. The way that leads to health makes people healthy. The way that leads to ugliness makes people ugly. The way that leads to being beautiful makes people beautiful. The way that leads to being uninfluential makes people uninfluential. The way that leads to being influential makes people influential. The way that leads to poverty makes people poor. The way that leads to wealth makes people wealthy. The way that leads to low birth makes people low born. The way that leads to high birth makes people high born. The way that leads to stupidity makes people stupid. The way that leads to wisdom makes people wise. Beings are owners of their actions, student. Heirs of their actions. They originate from their actions. They are born from their actions now. abound from their actions, have their actions as their refuge. It is action that distinguishes beings as inferior and superior. When this was said, the Brahmin student Subha to Deya San said to the Blessed One, Magnificent Master Gautama, Magnificent Master Gautama, Master Gautama has made the Dhamma clear in many ways, as though he were turning upright what had been overturned. revealing what was hidden, showing the way to one who was lost, or holding up a lamp in the dark for those with eyesight to see for. I go to Master Gautama for refuge, and to the Dhamma, and to the Sangha of monks. Let Master Gautama remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for refuge for a life." That's the end of the sutra. So you see this last part, This Suba is the son of Thodaya. Thodaya is mentioned in the previous Sutta as one of the very prominent Brahmins, wealthy and very knowledgeable Brahmins. And this Suba, this Thodaya's son Suba, after learning the Dhamma from the Buddha, he took refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. That means he became a Buddhist. So the Buddha, during his time, led many people from different religions into Buddhism. So I'll stop here for tonight. If you have any things to ask or to discuss, you can discuss. I have a question for you. Even before the lecture, you've asked this in the book. You've replied, thanks a lot, to all the colleagues. If you say these natural disasters, I believe these natural disasters have occurred all the time in the world. If we go back into the past, we find, for example, like now we're comparing tsunami. We think tsunami is terrible. Years ago, you had these volcanoes erupting, like Krakatoa in Indonesia many years ago erupted. They also caused a tsunami, except that people have forgotten about it. And there were periods which were worse than what is happening now. For example, the dinosaurs were wiped out from the face of the earth. because of this calamity. So it has happened all the time now. For example, you look into the history of China, and so much suffering, much worse than now. So what we are experiencing now is very mild compared to before. So don't think it is due to karma. The world is such, the Buddha says, because of impermanence, the world is suffering. So that's the nature of the world. You cannot change the nature of the world. All you can change is your own self. When you change yourself and you progress in the Dhamma, you become a happy man. No matter what happens outside, you are happy. It's a combination sometimes. If you understand the working of karma, you'll know that even when disasters occur, if your karma is good, you won't suffer so much as somebody whose karma is worse. a particular place, they frequently suffer and suffer a lot. It could be that their karma is bad. So don't think about this. It's not so important. Okay, I'll end here.

36-MN-136-Mahakammavibhanga-(2010-09-14).txt

Today is the 14th of September, 2010, and we are on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Today is the 56th time we are talking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas, and we come to Sutta 136, Mahakamavibhanga Sutta, the greater exposition of kamma or action. This is a very important sutta on kammavibhaka. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Rajagaha in the bamboo grove, the squirrel sanctuary. On that occasion, the Venerable Samyedi was living in a forest hut. Then the wanderer, Potali Putta, while wandering and walking for exercise, went to the Venerable Samyedi and exchanged greetings with him. When this courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down at one side and said to the Venerable Samyedi, Friend Samyedi, I heard and learned this from the recluse Gotama's own lips. Bodily action is vain. Verbal action is vain. Only mental action is real. And there is that attainment on entering which one does not feel anything at all. And Rebel Samyidi said, do not say so, friend Potaliputta, do not say so. Do not misrepresent the Blessed One. It is not good to misrepresent the Blessed One. The Blessed One would not speak thus. Bodily action is vain. Verbal action is vain. Only mental action is real. But friend, there is that attainment on entering which one does not feel anything at all. And this Potaliputta asked, How long is it since you went forth, friend Samedi? Not long, friend, three years. There now, what shall we say to the elder monks when a young monk thinks the teacher is to be defended thus? Friend Samedi, having done an intentional action by way of body, speech, or mind, what does one feel? Having done an intentional action by way of body, speech, or mind, One feels suffering, friend Potaliputta. Then neither approving nor disapproving of the Mirabal Samhiti's words, the wanderer Potaliputta rose from his seat and departed. I'll stop here for a moment. So here, this Potaliputta, he heard wrongly, he said the Buddha, he heard the Buddha say, He personally heard the Buddha say, bodily karma is vain, verbal karma is vain, only mental karma is real. But this one, as far as the three karmas are concerned, it is mentioned in some sutta that mental, all three are real, but the only thing is mental karma is more serious. In the sense that It is more heavy, can be more heavy. And then the attainment of which one does not feel anything at all. It is a cessation of feeling and perception. Soon after the Wanderer Pothaliputta had left, the Venerable Samhiti went to the Venerable Ananda and exchanged greetings with him. When this courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down at one side and reported to the Venerable Ananda his entire conversation with the Wanderer Pothaliputta. After he had spoken, the Venerable Ananda told him, Friend Samhiti, this conversation should be told to the Blessed One. Come, let us approach the Blessed One and tell Him this. As the Blessed One explains to us, so we shall bear in mind." His friend, the Venerable Samedi, replied. Then the Venerable Ananda and the Venerable Samedi went together to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, they sat down at one side. The Venerable Ananda reported to the Blessed One the entire conversation between the Venerable Samedi and the wonderful Thaliputta. When he had finished, the Blessed One told the Venerable Ananda, Ananda, I do not even recall having seen the wonderful Thaliputta. So how could there have been this conversation? Though the wonderful Thaliputta's question should have been analysed before being answered, this misguided man answered it one-sidedly. When this was said, the Venerable Udayan said to the Blessed One, Venerable Sir, perhaps the Venerable Sammiti spoke thus, referring to the principle, whatever is felt is suffering. Then the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Ananda, See Ananda, how this misguided man, Udayan, interferes. I knew, Ananda, that this misguided man, Udayan, would unduly interfere right now. From the start, the Wanderer Pothaliputta had asked about the three kinds of feeling. This misguided man, Samhiti, would have answered the Wanderer Pothaliputta rightly, if when asked thus, He would have explained, Friend Putaliputta, having done an intentional action by way of body, speech, or mind, whose result is to be felt as pleasant, one feels pleasure. Having done an intentional action by way of body, speech, or mind, whose result is to be felt as painful, one feels pain. Having done an intentional action by way of body, speech, or mind, whose result is to be felt as neither pain nor pleasure, one feels neither pain nor pleasure. But who are these foolish, thoughtless wanderers of other sects that they could understand the Tathagata's great exposition of action or kamma? We should listen ananda to the Tathagata as he expounds the great exposition of action. This is the time, blessed one, this is the time, sublime one, for the blessed one to expound the great exposition of action. Having heard it from the blessed one, the monks will remember it. Stop here for a moment. So here just now, this Putali Puta, he said he heard from the recluse Gautama's own lips that bodily action is vain, verbal action is vain, only mental action is real. But the Buddha said, I do not even recall having seen the wondrous Putali Puta, so how could there have been this conversation? So this person must have lied. Buddha never met him. So this Udayana trying to explain why the rebel Samadhi said so. He said maybe what rebel Samadhi means is everything felt is suffering, which in a way is quite correct. I think Buddha has said somewhere that all these three types of feeling can be considered, all types of feeling can be considered as suffering. But the Buddha was trying to chastise this rebel Samadhi for giving an answer which is not satisfactory. So apparently here, Buddha got annoyed with this Udayana, saying he's interfering and he should not interfere. So Buddha says, If we do any action by way of body, speech or mind, if the result is to be felt as pleasant, then one feels pleasure. If the result of that action is to be felt as painful, then one feels painful. If it is to be felt as equanimous, neither pain nor pleasure, then one feels so. Then listened Ananda and attended closely to what I shall say. Yes, my noble sir, the noble Ananda replied. The Blessed One said, Ananda, there are four kinds of person to be found existing in the world. But four, here some person kills living beings, takes what is not given, misconducts himself in sensual pleasures, speaks falsehood, speaks maliciously, speaks harshly, gossips, plays covetous, has a mind of ill-will, and holds wrong view. On the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell. But here, some person kills living beings, etc., and holds wrong view. On the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. Here some person abstains from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from misconduct and sensual pleasures, from false speech, from malicious speech, from harsh speech, from gossip. He is not covetous, his mind is without ill will, and he holds right view. On the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. But here some person abstains from killing living beings, etc., and he holds right view. On the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell. So here the Buddha says there are four kinds of persons. The first kind, he generally commits the ten evil kammas or the ten unwholesome kammas. Three bodily unwholesome kammas, killing, taking what is not given and misconduct and sensual pleasures. Then four pertain to speech, lying, malicious speech, speaks harshly and gossips, and then three pertains to mental unwholesome kamma, covetous, then mind of ill will and have wrong view. So these are the ten unwholesome kammas. So this person, the first type of person, he generally commits these ten unwholesome kammas much more than wholesome kammas. And after death, he is reborn in hell. The second kind of person, he also generally commits unwholesome kamma. But after passing away, he reappears in heaven. The third type of person, he generally does wholesome kamma much more than unwholesome kamma. He keeps the precepts and after passing away he is reborn in heaven. And the fourth type of person generally also keeps the precepts and does the ten wholesome kammas much more than unwholesome kamma. But after death he reappears in hell. Here, Ananda, by means of ardour, endeavour, devotion, diligence and right attention, some recluse or brahmin attains such concentration of mind that when his mind is concentrated with the divine eye which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees that person here who kills living beings, takes what is not given, etc., and holds wrong view, and he sees that on the dissolution of the body after death, he has reappeared in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell. He says thus, indeed there are evil actions, there is a result of misconduct. For I saw a person here who killed living beings, took what is not given, etc., and held wrong view. And I see that on the dissolution of the body after death, he has reappeared in a state of deprivation, even in hell. He says thus, on the dissolution of the body after death, everyone who kills living beings takes what is not given, etc., and holds wrong view. reappears in a state of deprivation, even in hell. Those who know thus know rightly. Those who think otherwise are mistaken. Thus he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known, seen, and discovered, insisting, only this is true, anything else is wrong. but here and under are my means of ardour, endeavour, devotion, diligence, etc. Some recluse of Brahmin attains such a concentration of mind that when his mind is concentrated with the divine eye or heavenly eye which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees that person here who kills living beings, takes what is not given, etc., and holds wrong view. And he sees that on the dissolution of the body after death, he has reappeared in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. He says thus, Indeed, there are no evil actions. There is no result of misconduct. For I saw a person here who killed living beings, took what is not given, etc. and held wrong view. And I see that on the dissolution of the body after death, he has reappeared in a happy destination even in the heavenly world. He says thus, on the dissolution of the body after death, everyone who kills living beings, takes what is not given, etc., and holds wrong view, reappears in a happy destination. even in the heavenly world. Those who know thus know rightly. Those who think otherwise are mistaken. Thus he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known, seen and discovered, insisting only this is true, anything else is wrong. I'll stop here for a moment. So the Buddha here says there might be some ascetic. He meditates and attains a concentration of mind such that his heavenly eye opens and he can see beings dying and reappearing after that, reborn, where and all that. So he sees this person When this person is alive, this person does a lot of unwholesome kamma. And then he sees after this person has passed away, he is reborn in hell. So this ascetic says there is kamma vipakka. For I saw with my own eyes this person doing unwholesome kamma and is reborn in hell. Then he comes to the conclusion, everybody who does unwholesome kamma will be born in hell. And he sticks to this view, only this is true, anything else is wrong. On the other hand, there is another ascetic. He saw also another man who does all the unwholesome kammas. And after passing away, this second person reappeared in heaven. Then when he saw this, then he came to the conclusion that there cannot be any kamavipaka because the person has done evil and yet he is reborn in heaven. So he comes to the conclusion that everybody who kills, steals, etc., does unwholesome karma. After they pass away, they will take rebirth in heaven. And he sticks to this view. Now the problem with these two ascetics is that their psychic power is limited, not like the Buddha. So when they saw this person, they did not see the past lives of this man who broke the precepts, the first man and the second man. If they had seen many, many past lives, then they would have understood why one person does unwholesome karma and is reborn in hell, whereas the second person does unwholesome karma and is reborn in heaven. Here, Ananda, by means of ardha, endeavour, etc., some recluse or brahmin attains such a concentration of mind that when his mind is concentrated with the divine eye which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees that person here who abstains from killing living beings, who abstains from taking what is not given, etc., and holds right view. And he sees that on the dissolution of the body after death, He has reappeared in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. He says thus, Indeed, there are good actions, there is result of good conduct. For I saw a person here who abstained from killing living beings, who abstained from taking what is not given, etc., and held right view. And I see that on the dissolution of the body after death, he has reappeared in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. He says thus, on the dissolution of the body after death, everyone who abstains from killing living beings, who abstains from what is not given, etc., and all who does not take what is not given, etc. and holds right view, he appears in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. Those who know thus know rightly, those who think otherwise are mistaken. Thus he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known, seen and discovered, insisting, only this is true, anything else is wrong. But here, Ananda, by means of ardour, endeavour, etc., some recluse of Brahmin attains such concentration of mind that when his mind is concentrated with the divine eye which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees that person here who abstains from killing living beings. from taking what is not given, etc., and holds right view. And he sees that on the dissolution of the body after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell. He says thus, Indeed, there are no good actions, there is no result of good conduct. For I saw a person here who abstained from killing living beings, who abstained from taking what is not given, etc., and held right view. And I see that on the dissolution of the body after death, he has reappeared in a state of deprivation, even in hell. He says thus, on the dissolution of the body after death, everyone who abstains from killing living beings and holds right view reappears in a state of deprivation, even in hell. Those who know thus know rightly. Those who think otherwise are mistaken. Thus he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known, seen and discovered, insisting only this is true. Anything else is wrong. Let's stop here for a moment. So similarly here, you have two cases. First, there is one person who does all the wholesome kammas, he abstains from unwholesome kammas. And after passing away, he reappears in heaven. So an ascetic who has some psychic power, he sees this person does generally wholesome kamma, and after passing away, reappears in heaven. So he believes that there is such a law of kamma-vipaka. But then he comes to the conclusion everybody who acts like this will be reborn in heaven. On the other hand, another person, he also does all the wholesome karmas generally, and after passing away, he reappears in hell. So another ascetic sees this, and he says, there cannot be this law of kamavipaka, because he saw himself, this person, generally, being such a good person, abstaining from all the unwholesome karmas, but is reborn in hell. So he comes to the conclusion that everybody who abstains from unwholesome karma will be reborn in hell. Terin Ananda, when a recluse of Brahmin says, indeed there are evil actions, there is a result of misconduct, I grant him this, or I agree with him. When he says, I saw a person here who killed living beings, took what is not given, etc., and held wrong view. And I see that on the dissolution of the body after death, He has reappeared in a state of deprivation, even in hell. I also grant him this. But when he says, on the dissolution of the body after death, everyone who kills living beings, takes what is not given, etc., and holds wrong view, reappears in a state of deprivation, even in hell. I do not grant him this. And when he says, those who know thus know rightly, those who think otherwise are mistaken, I also do not grant him this. And when he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known, seen and discovered, insisting only this is true, anything else is wrong, I also do not grant him this. Why is that? Because Ananda, the Tathagata's knowledge of the great exposition of Kamma is otherwise. So here the Buddha says, this ascetic who saw a person do unwholesome kamma and was reborn in hell, he agrees with the first two conclusions. But when this ascetic says that everyone who does unwholesome kamma will be reborn in hell, the Buddha says he does not agree. There in Ananda, when a recluse or Brahmin says, indeed there are no evil actions, there is no result of misconduct, I do not grant him this. When he says, I saw a person here who killed living beings, took what is not given, etc., and held wrong view, and I see that on the dissolution of the body after death, he has reappeared in a happy destination even in the heavenly world, I grant him this. But when he sees But when he says, on the dissolution of the body after death, everyone who kills living beings takes what is not given, etc., and holds wrong view, reappears in a happy destination even in the heavenly world, I do not grant him this. And when he says, those who know thus know rightly, those who think otherwise are mistaken, I also do not grant him this. And when he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known, seen, and discovered, insisting, only this is true, anything else is wrong. I also do not grant him this. Why is that? Because Ananda, the Tathagata's knowledge of the great exposition of action or kamma is otherwise. Therein Ananda, when a recluse of Brahmin says, indeed there are good actions, there is result of good conduct, I grant him this. And when he says, I saw a person here who abstained from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, etc., and held right view, And I see that on the dissolution of the body after death, he has reappeared in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. I also grant him this. But when he says, on the dissolution of the body after death, everyone who abstains from killing living beings, who abstains from taking what is not given, etc., and holds right view, reappears in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. I do not grant him this. And when he says, those who know thus know rightly, those who think otherwise are mistaken, I also do not grant him this. And when he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known, seen, and discovered, insisting, only this is true, anything else is wrong, I also do not grant him this. Why is that? because, Ananda, the Tathagata's knowledge of the great exposition of action is otherwise. Therein, Ananda, when the recluse of Brahmin says, indeed there are no good actions, there is no result of good conduct, I do not grant him this. When he says, I saw a person here who abstained from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, etc., and held right view, and I see that on the dissolution of the body after death, he has reappeared in a state of deprivation, even in hell. I grant him this. But when he says, on the dissolution of the body after death, everyone who abstains from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, etc., and holds right view, reappears in a state of deprivation, even in hell. I do not grant him this. And when he says, those who know thus know rightly. Those who think otherwise are mistaken. I also do not grant him this. and when he obstinately adheres to what he himself has known, seen and discovered, insisting, only this is true, anything else is wrong, I also do not grant him this. Why is that? Because, Ananda, the Tathagata's knowledge of the great exposition of Kamma is otherwise. Therein, Ananda, as to the person here who kills living beings, takes what is not given, etc., and holds wrong view, and on the dissolution of the body after death, he appears in a state of deprivation, even in hell. Either earlier he did an evil action to be felt as painful, or later he did an evil action to be felt as painful, or at the time of death, he acquired and undertook wrong view. Because of that, on the dissolution of the body after death, he has reappeared in a state of deprivation, even in hell. And since he has here killed living beings, taken what is not given, etc., and held wrong view, he will experience the result of that either here and now, or in his next rebirth, or in some subsequent existence. Stop here for a moment. So here, Buddha is explaining why these four cases are like that. First, the Buddha says that this person who generally creates a lot of unwholesome kamma and is reborn in hell, there are a few reasons for this. Either in an earlier life, he did evil kamma, so that is why when he passed away, he went to hell, or at the time, sorry, or later he did an evil action. Later probably refers to later than the times that he did all this action, probably towards the end of life or something. Because here when he talks about this person generally kills, steals, commits sexual misconduct, etc. This is the main part of his life. He says later, maybe the later part of his life, the last part of his life. Because sometimes a person can behave in a general most of his life, he can behave in a certain way. Towards the end of life, that person can change. So maybe this person, towards the end of his life, he also did evil karma that brought him down to hell. Or at the moment of dying, he had wrong view. Wrong view meaning he does not believe in karma vipaka. He does not believe that there are planes of rebirth, that a person can be reborn. He does not believe that there are holy men. Wrong view generally refers to these three things. So these three conditions can explain why he ended up in hell. So this earlier, if you take earlier as an earlier life, later you can take also to be this life, anytime this life. And since here he killed living beings, etc., he will experience the result of that either here and now. That means in this lifetime, he will suffer. There are some people, because of conscience, they get into depression and all that because of doing unwholesome actions. So they suffer here and now, or in his next rebirth. This next rebirth, since the next rebirth means an either immediate next rebirth, which is already explained as going to hell, or the life after that, or in some future existence. He still has to pay for that evil karma. Now we come to paragraph 18. Dharinananda, as to the person here who kills living beings, takes what is not given, etc., and holds wrong view, and on the dissolution of the body after death, reappears in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. Either earlier he did a good action to be felt as pleasant, or later he did a good action to be felt as pleasant, or at the time of death he acquired and undertook right view. Because of that, on the dissolution of the body after death, he has reappeared in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. But since He has here killed living beings, etc., and held wrong view. He will experience the result of that either here and now, or in his next rebirth, or in some subsequent existence. Okay, now this one. This person did a lot of unwholesome kamma, but ended up after dying in heaven. So the Buddha said this can be due to good kamma in a previous life. good kamma in a previous life. He didn't mention which previous life, which, how do you say, bore fruit at the moment of dying. So the resultant bore fruit. So because of a good kamma in a past life, then he went to heaven, even though this life he did a lot of evil kamma. Later, he did a good action. That means later part of his life, the most major part of his life, he did a lot of evil karma. But the later part of his life, he did some good karma. So when he was dying, he thought of that good karma and that brought him to heaven. Or in spite of doing so much evil karma, at the last moment, he got right view. right view about kamma, maybe he heard some dhamma teaching and then at the last moment, meaning the last maybe few months or few weeks of his life, he listened to dhamma and attained right view, worldly right view. So because of that, thinking about right view, he was reborn in heaven. Because in this present life he did a lot of evil karma, so either in this lifetime itself he might feel remorse or depression or suffer for it, for example become sick or what. Either here he experiences the result of the evil karma or in the next rebirth. But here it already says that the next rebirth is going to heaven. So the rebirth after that or in some future existence he will have to pay for this evil karma. There in Ananda, as to the person here who abstains from killing living beings, who abstains from taking what is not given, etc., and holds right view, and on the dissolution of the body after death, reappears in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. Either earlier he did a good action to be felt as pleasant, or later he did a good action to be felt as pleasant, or at the time of death, he acquired and undertook right view. Because of that, on the dissolution of body after the death, he has reappeared in a happy destination. even in the heavenly world. And since he has here abstained from killing living beings, etc., and held right view, he will experience the result of that either here and now, or in his next rebirth, or in some subsequent existence. I'll stop here for a moment. So here this third type of person, he abstains from unwholesome kamma and He is reborn in heaven. So the Buddha said that can be due to good karma in a previous life, or good karma in this lifetime, or at the time of dying, he had this right view. He believed in kamavipaka and that there is rebirth, etc. These are the three reasons for his being reborn in heaven. Also, the Buddha says, because of doing good karma in this lifetime, either in this very lifetime he is happy, or in the next rebirth. But in the next rebirth, that means it would be the heavenly rebirth, or in some future rebirth. There in Ananda, as to the person here who abstains from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, etc., and holds right view, and on the dissolution of the body after death, he appears in a state of deprivation even in hell. Either earlier he did an evil action to be felt as painful, or later he did an evil action to be felt as painful, or at the time of death he acquired and undertook wrong view. Because of that, on the dissolution of the body after death, he has reappeared in a state of deprivation, even in hell. But since he has here abstained from killing living beings, etc., and held right view, he will experience the result of that either here and now, or in his next rebirth, or in some subsequent existence. I'll stop here for a moment. So this fourth type of person, he generally abstains from evil kamma, and after dying, He was reborn in hell. So the Buddha said there are three reasons for this. Either in a previous life he did a lot of evil karma, or later, later meaning the the last part of his life he did evil karma even though the major part of his life he did good karma but the last part of his life he did evil karma so that brought him to hell or at the time of dying he suddenly had wrong view and so that brought him to hell so these are the three reasons and the Buddha also said that because of his good karma, his wholesome karma in this very lifetime, either he will be happy in this lifetime, or in the next rebirth after that hell rebirth, or in some future rebirth, he will reap the result of that good karma. Thus Ananda, there is action that is incapable of good result and appears incapable. There is action that is incapable of good result and appears capable. There is action that is capable of good result and appears capable. And there is action that is capable of good result and appears incapable. That is what the Blessed One said. Remember Ananda was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So here The Buddha is trying to explain that kamma is not so straightforward. It doesn't mean that a person does evil wholesome actions here that he will immediately after that go to heaven. He might go to heaven, he might even go to hell. Because kamma vipaka is very complicated. This kamma vipaka, the result is from many, many lifetimes. And because we cannot see the past, sometimes we cannot explain many things. That's why in the suttas, the Buddha said, there are four things we should not think about too much. It can make us deranged. One is the result of kamavipaka, because kamavipaka is so complicated. It involves so many lifetimes. So the Buddha said, don't think about it too much. Second one is the future of the world. Some people like to speculate that the end of the world is coming to 2012. Two years time, the world will come to an end. So all this, the Buddha says, don't think about it so much. And then the third one is the powers of a Buddha. And the fourth one is the depth of Jhana. So these things, the Buddha said, don't think too much. But this sutta is interesting because it tells us that where we take rebirth can be due to present life kamma, can be due to past life kamma, and can be due at the moment of dying whether we have right view or wrong view. These three things.

37-MN-137-Salayatanavibhanga-(2010-09-14).txt

Okay, now we come to another quite important sutta, 137th Salayatana Vibhanga Sutta, the exposition of the sixfold base. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's path. There he addressed the monks as monks. Venerable Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said this, Monks, I shall teach you an exposition of the sixfold base. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Venerable Sir, the monks replied. The Blessed One said, the six internal bases should be understood. The six external bases should be understood. The six classes of consciousness should be understood. The six classes of contact should be understood. The 18 kinds of mental exploration should be understood. The 36 positions of beings should be understood. Therein, by depending on this abandoned depth, there are three foundations of mindfulness that the Noble One cultivates, cultivating which the Noble One is a teacher fit to instruct a group. Among the teachers of training, it is he that is called the incomparable leader of persons to be tamed. This is the summary of the exposition of the sixfold base. The six internal bases should be understood. These six internal bases can also be called the six sense bases. So it was said, and with reference to what was this said, there are the eye base, ear base, nose base, tongue base, body base, mind base, So it was with reference to this that it was said, the six internal bases should be understood. These six internal sense bases are the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The six external bases should be understood, so it was said. And with reference to what was this said, there are the form base, the sound base, the odor base, the flavor base, the tangible base, and the mind object base. So it was with reference to this that it was said the six external bases should be understood. Stop here for a moment. The six external bases can also be said to be the six external sense objects. That means objects that impinge on the six sense organs. Here, form impinges on the eye, sound impinges on the ear, odor impinges on the nose, flavor impinges on the tongue, tangible or touch impinges on the body, and mind object or thoughts impinge on the mind. The six classes of consciousness should be understood, so it was said. And with reference to what was this said? There are eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness and mind consciousness. So it was referenced to this that it was said the six classes of consciousness should be understood. These six consciousness, eye consciousness can also be said to be the seeing consciousness. Ear consciousness can also be said to be the hearing consciousness. Nose consciousness can be said to be the smelling consciousness and the tongue consciousness can be said to be the tasting consciousness. Body consciousness can be said to be the touch consciousness or tactile consciousness or tangible consciousness. The mind consciousness can be said to be the thinking consciousness. The six classes of contact should be understood, so it was said. And with reference to what was this said? There are eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, and mind-contact. So it was with reference to this that it was said the six classes of contact should be understood. This contact meaning the external sense bases contact the internal sense base. The 18 kinds of mental exploration should be understood. This mental exploration in the Pali is manopavichara. Vichara is sustained thought. So mental thought, here it says mental exploration. So it was said, and with reference to what was this said, on seeing a form with the eye, one explores a form productive of joy, one explores a form productive of grief, one explores a form productive of equanimity. Similarly, on hearing a sound, smelling an odor, tasting a flavor, touching a tangible, cognizing a mind object, one explores these external sense objects are productive of joy, or productive of grief, or productive of equanimity. Thus there are six kinds of exploration with joy, six kinds of exploration with grief, and six kinds of exploration with equanimity. So it was with reference to this that it was said the 18 kinds of mental exploration should be understood. The 36 positions of being should be understood. Stop here for a moment. These positions, the Pali word is pada, positions. So it was said, and with reference to what was this said? There are six kinds of joy based on the household life, and six kinds of joy based on renunciation. There are six kinds of grief based on the household life, and six kinds of grief based on renunciation. There are six kinds of equanimity based on the household life, and six kinds of equanimity based on renunciation. Herein, what are the six kinds of joy based on the household life? When one regards as an acquisition the acquisition of forms cognizable by the eye that are wished for, desired, agreeable, gratifying, and associated with worldliness, or when one recalls what was formerly acquired that had passed, ceased, and changed, joy arises. Such joy as this is called joy based on the household life. Stop here for a moment. So this joy in regard to forms, for example, a young man, he acquires a beautiful girlfriend. So the beautiful form of the girlfriend gives him that joy. This is worldly joy. Similarly, when one regards as an acquisition, the acquisition of sounds, the acquisition of odors, acquisition of flavors, acquisition of tangibles, acquisition of mind objects that are wished for, desired, agreeable, gratifying, and associated with worldliness. Or when one recalls what was formerly acquired that has passed, ceased, and changed, joy arises. Such joy as this is called joy based on the household life. These are the six kinds of joy based on the household life. Herein, what are the six kinds of joy based on renunciation? When, by knowing the impermanence, change, fading away, and cessation of forms, one sees as it actually is, with proper wisdom, that forms, both formerly and now, are all impermanent, suffering, and subject to change, joy arises. Such joy as this is called joy based on renunciation. Similarly, when by knowing the impermanence change, fading away and cessation of sounds, of odours, of flavours, of tangibles, of mind objects, one sees it as it actually is with proper wisdom, that external sense objects, both formerly and now, are all impermanent, suffering and subject to change. Joy arises. Such joy as this is called joy based on renunciation. These are the six kinds of joy based on renunciation. Stop here for a moment. So here, from the first one, the six kinds of joy, based on the household life, are the joy you get because of the six sense objects. You see beautiful form, you hear beautiful sounds, smells, taste, touch, and thoughts. These are also called the six beads of Mara. Mara is trying to fish and catch us. So it gives us beautiful forms to see, beautiful sounds to hear, et cetera. So if you enjoy these worldly joys, then you might be hooked by Mara. But a renunciant, he understands the Dhamma. So when he understands that these external sense objects, he sees clearly that they are impermanent, subject to change, fading away, and cessation. Then, because he understands that he can see clearly that these things are all impermanent and not worth clinging to, so he has that joy, the joy of Dhamma, Herein, what are the six kinds of grief based on the household life? When one regards as a non-acquisition, the non-acquisition of forms cognizable by the eye that are wished for, desired, agreeable, gratifying, and associated with worldliness, or when one recalls what was formerly not acquired, that has passed, ceased, and changed, grief arises. Such grief as this is called grief based on the household life. Similarly, when one regards as a non-acquisition, the non-acquisition of sounds, odors, tastes, or flavors, tangibles, mind objects that are wished for, desired, agreeable, gratifying, associated with worldliness, or when one recalls what was formerly not acquired that has passed, cease and change, grief arises. Such grief as this is called grief based on the household life. These are the six kinds of grief based on the household life. I'll stop here for a moment. Here, when you cannot get what you want, for example, A young man, he wants a beautiful girl to be his girlfriend but the girl is not interested in him. So because he cannot get it, so he grieves. Or somebody, one recalls what was formerly not acquired. For example, somebody, the son or the daughter passed away and then when you think of what you lost, The form that you lost, grief arises. This is called grief based on the household life. Similarly for the other sense objects. Herein what are the six kinds of grief based on renunciation? When by knowing the impermanence, change, fading away, and cessation of forms, one sees, as it actually is with proper wisdom, that forms, both formerly and now, are all impermanent, suffering, and subject to change, one generates a longing for the supreme liberation thus. When shall I enter upon and abide in that base that the noble ones now enter upon and abide in? In one who generates thus a longing for the supreme liberation, grief arises with that longing as condition. Such grief as this is called grief based on renunciation. Similarly, when by knowing the impermanence change fading away and cessation of sounds, of odours, of flavours, of tangibles, of mind objects, one sees, as it actually is with proper wisdom, that all these external sense objects, both formerly and now, are impermanent, suffering, and subject to change. One generates a longing for the supreme liberation, thus, when shall I enter upon and abide in that base that the noble ones now enter upon and abide in? In one who thus generates a longing for the supreme liberation, grief arises with that longing as condition. Such grief as this is called grief based on renunciation. These are the six kinds of greed based on renunciation. Stop here for a moment. So here, this renunciant, he understands that all these external sense objects are impermanent and a source of suffering. Forms of body, then sounds, smells, taste, touch, and thoughts. And because of seeing impermanence, then he wants to practice the holy path. And when he practices the holy path, he wants his longing for liberation to be liberated from suffering. So you see here, we come into the holy path. We come and practice the holy path when we grieve. So suffering, grief, is the best teacher in the world. If we don't have suffering, nobody wants to practice the holy path. Unless you are somebody with what we call Shinkan, Sankan. this person with very good karma from previous life. If you already practiced the holy path in a previous life, then even from very young, you want to practice the holy path. Otherwise, for most people, you only want to come into the holy path after you suffer, after you see suffering. So suffering actually is the best teacher in the world. For some people, the suffering they see, when they are young. That is the best. When you see suffering when you are young, then you will want to practice the holy path when you are young. But unfortunately, a lot of people only see suffering when they are old. After enjoying all the worldly things, then when their body is breaking up already, their health is no good, or they lost a lot of money, or they lost some relative and all that, then only they want to practice the holy life. But in old age, when you come to practice the holy life, it's very difficult to practice. You don't have the capacity, the blessing to support your practice. So it's better that we see dukkha when we are young. Even the worldly sense also you can see some people when they come from a poor family, because they come from a poor family when they are young, they suffer. So because they suffer when they are young, actually they benefit from that. They become very serious people in later life, become able to stand on their own two feet. Whereas nowadays you see some young people born into very wealthy homes and they are spoiled. They don't see suffering at all. Such kids, that day somebody said, a strawberry kid or something, somebody said. These people, just because they are not used to suffering, they cannot stand stress, they cannot stand heavy workload and all these things. So they're just not made for the world. The world is a cruel place. So it's good to see suffering. The earlier we see suffering, the better. Herein, what are the six kinds of equanimity based on the household life? On seeing a form with the eye, equanimity arises in a foolish, infatuated ordinary person, in an untaught ordinary person who has not conquered his limitations or conquered the results of action, and who is blind to danger. Such equanimity as this does not transcend the form. That is why it is called equanimity based on the household life. Similarly, on hearing a sound with the ear, on smelling an odour with the nose, on tasting a flavour, on touching a tangible or cognising a mind object. Equanimity arises in a foolish, infatuated ordinary person, in an untaught ordinary person who has not conquered his limitations or conquered the results of action and who is blind to danger. Such equanimity as this does not transcend the external sense objects. That is why it is called equanimity based on the household life. These are the six kinds of equanimity based on the household life. I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says that this worldly, this equanimity, or equanimity based on the household life, is somebody who does not see the danger in form, sounds, smells, taste, touch, and thoughts. So he's taking it He does not see that all these things will change and all these things will give him suffering. So this is equanimity based on the household life. Herein what are the six kinds of equanimity based on renunciation? When by knowing the impermanence, change, fading away, and cessation of forms, one sees, as it actually is with proper wisdom, that forms, both formerly and now, are all impermanent, suffering, and subject to change. Equanimity arises. Such equanimity as this transcends the form. That is why it is called equanimity based on renunciation. When, by knowing the impermanent change fading away and cessation of sounds, odours, flavours, tangibles and mind objects, one sees, as it actually is with proper wisdom, that external sense objects, both formerly and now, are all in permanent suffering and subject to change. Equanimity arises. Such equanimity as this transcends the sense objects. That is why it is called equanimity based on renunciation. These are the six kinds of equanimity based on renunciation. So it was with reference to this that it was said the 36 positions of being should be understood. So here equanimity based on renunciation means renunciant. He sees the impermanence nature of the sense objects to change, to fade away. So he is not enticed. by these sense objects, is equanimous to beautiful forms, is not excited by beautiful forms, is not excited by beautiful sounds, by nice smells, good taste, etc. So this is equanimity based on renunciation. Therein, by depending on this, abandon that. So it was said. And with reference to what was this said? Here monks, by depending and relying on the six kinds of joy based on renunciation, abandon and surmount the six kinds of joy based on the household life. It is thus they are abandoned. It is thus they are surmounted. By depending and relying on the six kinds of grief based on renunciation, abandon and surmount the six kinds of grief based on the household life. It is thus they are abandoned. It is thus they are surmounted. By depending and relying on the six kinds of equanimity based on renunciation, abandon and surmount the six kinds of equanimity based on the household life. It is thus they are abandoned. It is thus they are surmounted. By depending and relying on the six kinds of joy based on renunciation, abandon and surmount the six kinds of grief based on renunciation. It is thus they are abandoned. It is thus they are surmounted. By depending and relying on the six kinds of equanimity based on renunciation, abandon and surmount the six kinds of joy based on renunciation. It is thus they are abandoned. It is thus they are surmounted. I'll stop here for a moment. So here, the Buddha is saying that if we can get the six kinds of joy based on renunciation, then we will let go of the six kinds of joy based on the household life. Similarly, if we can understand and get the six kinds of grief based on renunciation, namely the longing for liberation, then we can abandon, let go of the six kinds of grief based on the household life. Similarly, for the equanimity, And then after you have the joy, the grief, and the equanimity of renunciation, then the Buddha says, use the six kinds of joy based on renunciation to abandon the six kinds of grief based on renunciation. After you have done that, then use the six kinds of equanimity based on renunciation to let go of the six kinds of joy based on renunciation. So the higher equanimity is higher than the joy and the grief. Monks, equanimity that is diversified based on diversity and there is equanimity that is unified based on unity. And what monks is equanimity that is diversified based on diversity? There is equanimity regarding forms, sounds, odours, flavours and tangibles. This monks is equanimity that is diversified based on diversity. and what monks is equanimity that is unified based on unity. There is equanimity regarding the base of infinite space, the base of infinite consciousness, the base of nothingness, and the base of neither perception nor non-perception. This, monks, is equanimity that is unified based on unity. Here, monks, by depending and relying on equanimity that is unified based on unity, abandon and surmount equanimity that is diversified based on diversity. It is thus, this is abandoned. It is thus, this is surmounted. Monks, by depending and relying on non-identification, abandon and surmount equanimity that is unified, based on unity. It is thus, this is abandoned. It is thus, this is surmounted. So it was with reference to this that it was said, therein by depending on this, abandon that. I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says there are two kinds of equanimity. One is equanimity that is diversified. That means equanimity towards forms, sounds, odours, flavours and tangibles based on worldly things. And then a higher type of equanimity is when you attain the arupas, arupajanas, the base of infinite space, base of infinite consciousness, etc. You can get this. This equanimity based on unity is higher. So when you can get it, then you surmount, you abandon, you let go of the lower equanimity based on diversity. And then even after you can attain the equanimity from attaining the Arupa Jhanas, then the Buddha said, then you have to practice non-identification. That means you don't identify yourself with the Arupa Jhana. You don't identify. The self means you don't say, especially if you, like this base of nothingness, when a person attains the base of nothingness, then he can see that there is nothing, all is mind made. Then if a person can attain non-identification, cut off the self from the state, the attainment, this is how you let go, you abandon the equanimity that is unified. There are three foundations of mindfulness that the Noble One cultivates. Cultivating which the Noble One is a teacher fit to instruct a group. Stop here for a moment. This Noble One I think refers to the Buddha. So it was said, and with reference to what was this said? Here monks, compassionate and seeking their welfare, the teacher teaches the Dhamma to the disciples out of compassion. This is for your welfare, this is for your happiness. His disciples do not want to hear or give ear or exert their minds to understand. They err and turn aside from the teacher's dispensation. With that the Tathagata is not satisfied and feels no satisfaction. Yet he dwells unmoved, mindful and fully aware. This monk is called the first foundation of mindfulness that the Noble One cultivates, cultivating which the Noble One is a teacher fit to instruct a group." Stop here for a moment. So here when the Buddha says Tathagata, It refers to himself, so he is the noble one. So he teaches his disciples and the Buddha says in the case where all the disciples do not listen to him, he remains unmoved, mindful and fully aware. The mind being unmoved and mindful, sometimes in the suttas, the Buddha says he always remains thus or he always remains such. In Chinese, they call what? Ru. Ru butong. Such, such, unmoving. This Pali word is Tata. That's why the Tata gata. Thus gone one. Thus gone one. So this Tata is thus. So the Buddha, whatever happens, because he has no more self, he always remains the same. Thus or such. Unmoved. Furthermore, monks, compassionate and seeking their welfare, the teacher teaches the Dhamma to the disciples out of compassion. This is for your welfare. This is for your happiness. Some of his disciples will not hear or give ear or exert their minds to understand. They err and turn aside from the teacher's dispensation. Some of his disciples will hear and give ear and exert their minds to understand. They do not err and turn aside from the teacher's dispensation. With that, the Tathāgata is not dissatisfied and feels no dissatisfaction. Remaining free from both satisfaction and dissatisfaction, he dwells in equanimity, mindful and fully aware. This mount is called the second foundation of mindfulness that the Noble One cultivates, cultivating which the Noble One is a teacher fit to instruct the group. Furthermore, monks, compassionate and seeking their welfare, the teacher teaches the Dhamma to the disciples out of compassion. This is for your welfare. This is for your happiness. His disciples will hear and give ear and exert their minds to understand. They do not err and turn aside from the teacher's dispensation. With that the Tathagata is satisfied and feels satisfaction, yet he dwells unmoved, mindful and fully aware. This monk is called the third foundation of mindfulness that the Noble One cultivates, cultivating which the Noble One is a teacher fit to instruct a group. So it was It was with reference to this that it was said, there are three foundations of mindfulness that the Noble One cultivates, cultivating which the Noble One is a teacher fit to instruct a group. So here the Buddha says that he is a teacher fit to instruct a group because whether the disciples listen to him, or some listen, some do not listen, or all of them listen to him, he may be satisfied or he may not be satisfied, but his mind always remains unmoved, equanimous. So, in the same way, we should be like the Buddha, unmoving of praise or blame. If we are unmoving of praise or blame, whether people praise the teacher or blame the teacher, he knows that he is doing his duty to teach the Dhamma. he remains unmoved. Such a person can only be unmoving if that person is not greedy, not greedy for fame, not greedy for offerings. Then only he will be unmoved. Among the teachers of training, it is he that is called the incomparable leader of persons to be tamed, so it was said. And with reference to what was this said? Guided by the elephant tamer monks, the elephant is to be The elephant to be tamed goes in one direction, East, West, North or South. Guided by the horse tamer monks, the horse to be tamed goes in one direction, East, West, North or South. Guided by the ox tamer monks, the ox to be tamed goes in one direction, East, West, North or South. Monks guided by the Tathagata, Arahant, Samasambuddha, the person to be tamed goes in eight directions. Possessed of material form, he sees forms. This is the first direction. Not perceiving forms internally, he sees forms externally. This is the second direction. He is resolved only upon the beautiful. This is the third direction. With the complete surmounting of perceptions of form, with the disappearance of perceptions of sensory impact, With non-attention to perceptions of diversity, aware that space is infinite, he enters upon and abides in the base of infinite space. This is the fourth direction. By completely surmounting the base of infinite space, aware that consciousness is infinite, he enters upon and abides in the base of infinite consciousness. This is the fifth direction. By completely surmounting the base of infinite consciousness, where there is nothing, he enters upon and abides in the base of nothingness. This is the 6th direction. By completely surmounting the base of nothingness, he enters upon and abides in the base of neither perception nor non-perception. This is the 7th direction. By completely surmounting the base of neither perception nor non-perception, he enters upon and abides in the cessation of perception and feeling. This is the 8th direction. Monks, guided by the Tathagata, Arahant, Sammasambuddha, the person to be tamed goes in these eight directions. So it was with reference to this that it was said, among the teachers of training, it is he that is called the incomparable leader of persons to be tamed. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. That's the end of the sutta. So this last part, Buddha is talking about the eight vimokkha, the eight liberations. And these eight liberations, four of them are the arupas or arupajanas, the base of infinite space, infinite consciousness, base of nothingness, and base of neither perception nor non-perception. And then you have the cessation of perception and feeling. And then the other three, being able to see forms. And then being able to see forms externally. then resolve on the beautiful. So these are all concerning meditation. Sometimes people use this, some monks, and they say that this includes the four jhanas, but the four jhanas are not mentioned here. So even an arahant does not need to have this eight vimukha. If Arahant possesses four jhanas, four rupa jhanas, he doesn't need these eight vimokkha. He can still be liberated. He can destroy the thanes. This is mentioned in the Anguttara Nikaya. But these eight liberations are not so important. In the Buddha's teachings, what is important is destruction of the thanes or atsavas, attaining liberation. And also the four jhanas and the abhinyas, the higher knowledges. So this Sutta, there's quite a lot of Dhamma here in this Sutta. You have to slowly re-read this Sutta or re-listen to this Dhamma talk to understand it better. So I'll stop here for now. Anything to discuss? And today, we are planning to announce it at a later date. We also want to honor President Trump, who was the President of the United States, by thanking him and his supporters. And for example, one of the ways we see that is by talking to people. And when you come and you talk to a young kid, and you talk about a little bit of Philadelphia, the extent to which that works out, you get to not have to make a whole lot of decisions, but you work with a young kid, and you work with him, the extent that you get to see them all happy, It's not that I don't like it, but I don't like it either. The other thing about it is that it's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not just a book. It's not The second one you said 60 years is from who? We should be responding to them, and continue to get together, and make a better country, and make a new decision, and do well. And by the end of next week, more police divisions will be in the news. We need to be confident, because hundreds of I have read this also, but if I'm not mistaken, the age is 48, not 60. 60 is a bit old already. Because you must remember, in India, when they renounce, they are ascetics. They have to live under the tree and live in the open generally. So if you are old, it is more difficult. Also you said about people having experience and more experience in life. Although they may have experience, not everybody learns from their experience. So it is this person's past life karma. If the person from past life has this affinity with the holy path, with the spiritual practice, even from young, he will have this interest to walk this path. Also in the suttas, the Buddha says that there are certain wrong occasions to practice the holy path. One is when there is famine. When there's famine in the country and then you want to become a monk, a renunciant, it's difficult to get your living because families don't even have enough to eat. Why would they want to feed you? Secondly, when there is war, also not a proper occasion. Another one is when you are sick. When your health is not good, it's not a good occasion to practice the holy life. Another one mentioned by the Buddha is in old age. The Buddha says clearly, old age is not a good time to practice the holy path. You see the Buddha, he strove on the spiritual path. He suffered so much, he could take it because he was young. If you are old, can you strive like the Buddha did, the Bodhisatta? Not possible. So you must remember, the Buddha says in the Vinaya books, when a person renounces, he should understand that as to the four requisites, he is supposed to beg for his food. Don't assume that you are going to be invited for lunch every day by people. Secondly, you have to assume that you have to sleep under a tree. Don't assume you have an air-conditioned kuti waiting for you. The Buddha says you should expect to live under a tree. Secondly, if you are sick, the Buddha says you should expect to use your own urine as your medicine. If you get more than that, that's a bonus. But the standard, the Buddha says, this is what you should expect. And then fourthly, what do you say about robes? I think robes, you're supposed to pick up cloth or something to sew in your robe. So nowadays, because a lot of monks are spoiled, so some people think, oh, wearing the robe is good fun. It's not bad, you get a good life, you get good food, you get respect, everything, but not really. You're supposed to live not comfortably, I suppose. A renunciant is supposed to be ascetic, supposed to be really practicing hard, live alone in the wild and all these things. Of course there are monks who live in towns and live in cities and all that. The Buddha does not encourage that. During the Buddha's days, no, they didn't have city monks. Generally, they have town monks. Monks only go into town or city when it's necessary. Generally, they live in the forest. So nowadays, people sometimes have a wrong concept of monkhood. Monkhood is not easy. When you come into monkhood in old age, it's very difficult to practice. You really practice according to the Buddha's teaching. OK, shall we end here? I'm so sorry.

38-MN-138-Uddesavibhanga-(2010-09-15).txt

Today is the 15th of September, and this is the 57th time we are speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. And tonight we come to Sutta 138, Udesa Vibhanga Sutta, the exposition of a summary. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. There the Blessed One addressed the monks thus, Mabuse, they replied. The Blessed One said, Monks, I shall teach you a summary and an exposition. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Mabuse, the monks replied. The Blessed One said, Monks, a monk should examine things in such a way that while he is examining them, his consciousness is not distracted and scattered externally, nor stuck internally. And by not clinging, he does not become agitated. If his consciousness is not distracted and scattered externally, nor stuck internally, and if by not clinging he does not become agitated, then for him there is no origination of suffering, of birth, aging, and death in the future. Sorry for a moment. So here basically the Buddha says to end the round of rebirths, The monk's consciousness must not be distracted and not stuck internally, and not clinging so that it does not become agitated. So basically three things. That is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Sublime One rose from His seat and went into His dwelling. Then soon after the Blessed One had gone, the monks considered. Now friends, the Blessed One has risen from His seat and gone into His dwelling after giving a summary in brief, without expounding the detailed meaning. Now who will expound this in detail? Then they considered, the verbal Mahakacana is praised by the teacher and esteemed by his wise companions in the holy light. He is capable of expounding the detailed meaning. Suppose we went to him and asked him the meaning of this. So as before in Sutta 133, they went to the verbal Mahakacana and asked him to explain. this saying of the Buddha. Then he said, you should have asked the Buddha. The Buddha is like the hardwood of the Bodhi tree. And he's humble. He cannot compare to the Buddha. But they still asked him to explain. Then he said, Then listen, friends, and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, friend, the monks replied. Venerable Maha Kacana said, How, friends, is consciousness called distracted and scattered externally? Here, when a monk has seen a form with the eye, if his consciousness follows after the sign of form, is tied and shackled by gratification in the sign of form, is fettered by the fetter of gratification in the sign of form, that his consciousness is called distracted and scattered externally. Similarly, when he has heard a sound with the ears, smelled an odor, tasted a flavor, touched a tangible, cognized a mind object, if his consciousness follows after the sign of the external sense objects, is tied and shackled by gratification in the sign of the external sense objects, is fettered by the fetter of gratification in the sign of the external sense objects, then his consciousness is called distracted and scattered externally. And how, friends, is consciousness not distracted and scattered externally? Here, when a monk has seen a form with the eye, if his consciousness does not follow after the sign of form, is not tied and shackled by gratification in the sign of form, is not fettered by the fetter of gratification in the sign of form, that his consciousness is called not distracted and scattered externally. When he has heard a sound with the ears, smelled an odor, tasted a flavor, touched a tangible, cognized a mind object, if his consciousness does not follow after the sign of the external sense object, is not tied and shackled by gratification in the sign of the external sense object, is not fettered by the fetter of gratification in the sign of the external sense object, that his consciousness is called not distracted and scattered externally. Stop here for a moment. So here, Channa says that if this monk, he sees either a form or hears a sound or smells an odor, and he follows after the object. is gratified by the object, then his consciousness is called distracted and scattered externally. For example, somebody, say this monk, he sees a beautiful girl and his attention is drawn by this beautiful object that he pays attention, so his mind is distracted instead of putting it The Buddha says that our mind should always be on the four objects of sati, four objects of recollection, the body, feeling, mind, and dhamma, and not on external sense objects. External sense objects are the bed of Mara. Mara is always trying to catch us at the six sense doors. So if he does not pay too much attention to forms, sounds, smells, taste, touch and thoughts, then his mind is collected, his mind is focused, so it is not distracted and scattered externally. And how, friends, is the mind called stuck internally, here quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states? A monk enters upon and abides in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with delight and pleasure born of seclusion. If his consciousness follows after the delight and pleasure born of seclusion, is tied and shackled by gratification, in the delight and pleasure born of seclusion, then his mind is called stuck internally. Again, with the stilling of applied and sustained thought, a monk enters upon and abides in the second jhāna, which has self-confidence and singleness of mind, without applied and sustained thought, with delight and pleasure born of concentration. If his consciousness follows after the delight and pleasure born of concentration, then his mind is called stuck internally. Again with the fading away as well of delight, a monk abides in equanimity and mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure with the body. He enters upon and abides in the third jhāna, on account of which Noble once announced, he has a pleasant abiding who has equanimity and is mindful. If his consciousness follows after the equanimity, then his mind is caught, stuck internally. Again with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, a monk enters upon and abides in the fourth jhāna, which has neither pain nor pleasure, and utter purity of mindfulness and equanimity. If his consciousness follows after the neither pain nor pleasure, is tied and shackled by gratification in the neither pain nor pleasure, is fettered by the fetter of gratification in the neither pain nor pleasure, then his mind is called stuck internally. That is how the mind is called stuck internally. I'll stop here for a moment. So here it is explained that when this monk attains the first jhāna and then if he clings to the light and pleasure, piti and sukha in the first jhāna, then his mind is called stuck internally. Similarly, in the second jhāna, if his mind clings to the delight and pleasure, so he cannot progress, he is also said to be stuck internally. And in the third jhāna, if he clings to equanimity, he is stuck internally. In the fourth jhāna it clings to neither pain nor pleasure. This neither pain nor pleasure is also equanimity. So you see in the third jhāna the equanimity is quite pronounced. In the fourth jhāna it is even more pronounced because in the definition of the fourth jhāna it is said that when one enters the fourth jhāna and abides in the fourth jhāna he has utter purity of mindfulness and equanimity. So if a monk attains the jhanas and he clings to it, then he cannot progress. So he is said to be stuck internally. So there are some monks who always talk a lot about this, saying that you can easily get attached to the jhanas. But this is not true. Because in the Majjhima Nikaya, Sutta number 44, it is said, if you have a look, it's on page 402. Page 402, the previous page 401, it says, the underlying tendency to lust underlies pleasant feeling. The underlying tendency to aversion underlies painful feeling. But then he also says, does the underlying tendency to lust underlie all pleasant feeling? And then this Dhammadina, this Arahant says, the underlying tendency to lust does not underlie all pleasant feeling. 28. Okay, the underlying tendency to lust does not have to be abandoned in regard to all pleasant feeling. And then here, friend Visakha, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a monk enters upon and abides in the first jhana, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with delight and pleasure born of seclusion. With that, he abandons lust, and the underlying tendency to lust does not underlie that. So you see here, in the first jhāna, even though it's a very pleasant state, you have this piti and sukha, which is delight and pleasure or happiness. But in some other sutta, the Buddha says even this piti and sukha, delight, and pleasure is a subtle perception. It's not as strong as later books say. Later books say this pity can be overwhelming. But in the suttas, the Buddha says pity and sukha is just a subtle perception. So also when a person enters the first jhana, the mind is focused, strong. So here it is very clearly. There is no underlying tendency to lust for it. Then why does a monk cling to the first jhana? You see, in one of the previous suttas we read, the Buddha says that he always tells his disciples to surmount whatever attainment they have and go to a higher level and keep going until they have finished their work. So in that sutta, the Buddha says that when a monk attains the first jhana, he should not stay at that stage. He should surmount it and go to the next stage, which is the second jhana. And then after the second jhāna, he should surmount the second jhāna again and go to the third jhāna. After attaining the third jhāna, he should surmount it again and go to the fourth jhāna. After he attains the fourth jhāna, there are two ways to go. One is to attain higher jhānas, which is the arūpa jhāna. So after that, the Buddha says he should surmount the fourth rūpa jhāna and attain the base of infinite space. And then after that, the Buddha said, surmount that and attain the base of infinite consciousness. Surmount that and attain the base of nothingness. Surmount that again and attain the base of neither perception nor non-perception. And even that high stage, the Buddha said, surmount it and attain the cessation of perception and feeling. Then when a monk attains cessation of perception and feeling, and when he comes out of it, he becomes liberated. The other way, in some other suttas, it is explained, after attaining the fourth jhāna, the Buddha says to attain the recollection of past lives is one of the abhijñas. It is considered as a psychic power. The ability to recollect many, many lifetimes, thousands of lifetimes, and even world cycles of lifetime. Then after that, attain, surmount that and attain the divine eye and see beings passing away and taking rebirth according to Karmavipaka and understand the working of Karmavipaka. Then after that, use the memory of the past Dhamma that he has learned that the monks should contemplate the Four Noble Truths and attain liberation. So whatever stage you attain, the Buddha says, keep on surmounting it until you have attained liberation, which is the destruction of the asavas, the thanes. This one, where a monk attains the first jhāna and is tied and shackled by gratification of the first jhāna, this normally happens to external non-sect ascetics. External non-sect ascetics, when they have attained these jhānas, they don't know how to progress after that. Because they don't know the Dhamma, they can't attain the various Aryan stages. So they get stuck there. So that is why they stay in that level. So that is called stuck internally. That means not progressing. Stuck at that stage. Similarly with the second jhāna, third jhāna and the fourth jhāna. And how, friends, is the mind called not stuck internally, here quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states? A monk enters upon an advice in the first jhana. If his consciousness does not follow after the delight and pleasure born of seclusion, is not tied and shackled by gratification in the delight and pleasure born of seclusion, is not fettered by the fetter of gratification in the delight and pleasure born of seclusion, then his mind is called not stuck internally. Again with the stilling of applied and sustained thought, a monk enters upon and abides in the second jhāna. If his consciousness does not follow after the delight and pleasure born of concentration, then his mind is called not stuck internally. Again with the fading away as well of delight, a monk enters upon and abides in the third jhāna. If his consciousness does not follow after the equanimity, then his mind is called not stuck internally. Again, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, a monk anticipates in the four jhanas. If his consciousness does not follow after the neither pain nor pleasure, is not tied and shackled by gratification in the neither pain nor pleasure, is not fettered by the fetter of gratification in the neither pain nor pleasure, then his mind is called not stuck internally. That is how the mind is called not stuck internally. So this follows from before. So here, if this monk is a Buddhist monk, a disciple of the Buddha, having attained the jhanas, he does not get stuck there because he does not stay at that level. He goes progressively higher and higher stages until he is liberated. So he does not cling to all these jhanas. How, friends, is that agitation due to clinging? Here an untaught ordinary person, who has no regard for noble ones, and is unskilled and undisciplined in their dhamma, who has no regard for true men, and is unskilled and undisciplined in their dhamma, regards material form as self, or self as possessed of material form, or material form as in self, or self as in material form. That material form of his changes and becomes otherwise. with the change and becoming otherwise of that material form. His consciousness is preoccupied with the change of material form. Agitated mental states born of preoccupation with the change of material form arise together and remain obsessing his mind. Because his mind is obsessed, he is anxious, distressed and concerned. And due to clinging, he becomes agitated. Similarly, he regards feeling, perception, volition, consciousness as self, or as belonging to self, or self as in the aggregates, or the aggregates as in the self. Those aggregates of his change and becomes otherwise. With the change and becoming otherwise of those aggregates, His consciousness is preoccupied with the change of the aggregates. Agitated states of mind born of preoccupation with the change of the aggregates arise together and remain obsessing his mind. Because his mind is obsessed, he is anxious, distressed, and concerned. And due to clinging, he becomes agitated. That is how there is agitation due to clinging. Stop here for a moment. Here, the Buddha says that untaught Ordinary person, putujana, who doesn't know the Dhamma, he tends to cling to the five aggregates. But the five aggregates, which is basically body and mind, here it says, where the five aggregates are material form or body, then feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. So this body and mind, these five aggregates are basically body and mind. So when this body and mind changes, Then he becomes agitated because he clings to the body and the mind. So he becomes distressed and agitated. That is how there is agitation due to clinging. And how, friends, is there non-agitation due to non-clinging? Here a well-taught noble disciple who has regard for noble ones, and is skilled and disciplined in their Dhamma, who has regard for true men, and is skilled and disciplined in their Dhamma, does not regard material form or body as self. or self as possessed of material form, or material form as in the self, or self as in material form, that material form of his changes and becomes otherwise. With the change and becoming otherwise of that material form, his consciousness is not preoccupied with the change of material form. Agitated mental states born of preoccupation with the change of material form do not arise together and remain obsessing his mind. Because his mind is not obsessed, he is not anxious, distressed and concerned. And due to non-clinging, he does not become agitated. Similarly, he does not regard feeling, perception, volition and consciousness as self, or self as possessed of these aggregates, or the aggregates as in the self, or the self as in these aggregates. those aggregates of his changes and becomes otherwise. With the change and becoming otherwise of those aggregates, his consciousness is not preoccupied with the change of the aggregates. Agitated mental states born of preoccupation with the change of the aggregates do not arise together and remain obsessing his mind. Because his mind is not obsessed, he is not anxious, distressed and concerned. And due to non-clinging, he does not become agitated. That is how there is non-agitation due to non-clinging. Stop here for a moment. So here an Aryan disciple, having understood the Dhamma, does not cling to the five aggregates. So when the five aggregates change, as they must change, then he does not become agitated. Friends, when the Blessed One rose from His seat and went into His dwelling, after giving a summary in brief without expounding the detailed meaning, that is monks. A monk should examine things in such a way that while he is examining them, his consciousness is not distracted and scattered externally, nor stuck internally, and by not clinging he does not become agitated. If his consciousness is not distracted and scattered externally, nor stuck internally, and if by not clinging he does not become agitated, then for him there is no origination of suffering, of birth, aging and death in the future. I understand the detailed meaning of this summary to be thus. Now, friends, if you wish, go to the Blessed One and ask Him about the meaning of this, as the Blessed One explains it to you, so you should remember it. Then the monks, having delighted and rejoiced in the Venerable Maha Kacana's words, rose from their seats and went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to Him, they sat down at one side and told the Blessed One all that had taken place after He had left. Adding, then Venerable Sir, we went to Venerable Mahakacana and asked him about the meaning. Venerable Mahakacana expounded the meaning to us with these terms, statements and phrases. And the Buddha said, Mahakacana is wise monks. Mahakacana has great wisdom. If you had asked me the meaning of this, I would have explained it to you in the same way that Mahakacana has explained it. Such is its meaning, and so you should remember it. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words." That's the end of the Sutta. So here, basically, the Sutta is talking about three steps to enlightenment. One is not to allow the mind to be scattered out to external sense objects and not to be stuck at various levels of meditation. If you cling to various stages of meditation, then you cannot progress. And then also Third thing is not to cling to the five aggregates, which are basically body and mind. So if you don't cling to the five aggregates, when they change as they will, then you will not become agitated. And that is the way to practice to end the cycle of birth, aging, and death.

39-MN-139-Aranavibhanga-(2010-09-15).txt

Now we come to the next sutta, 139th Arana Vibhanga Sutta, the exposition of non-conflict. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Spa. There the Blessed One addressed the monks thus, Venerable Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said, monks, I shall teach you an exposition of non-conflict. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Venerable Sir, the monks replied. The Blessed One said, one should not pursue sensual pleasure which is low, vulgar, coarse, ignoble and unbeneficial. And one should not pursue self-mortification, which is painful, ignoble, and unbeneficial. The middle way discovered by the Tathagata avoids both extremes, giving vision, giving knowledge. It leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. One should know what it is to extol and what it is to disparage. And knowing both, one should neither extol nor disparage, but should teach only the Dhamma. One should know how to define pleasure, and knowing that, one should pursue pleasure within oneself. One should not utter covert speech, and one should not utter overt sharp speech. One should speak unhurriedly, not hurriedly. One should not insist on local language, and one should not override normal usage. This is the summary of the exposition of non-conflict. I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says these few things amount to non-conflict. So here the Buddha says don't pursue sensual pleasure or the opposite, self-mortification. Instead, practice the Middle Way taught by the Buddha. And also the Buddha says that in teaching the Dhamma, one should not praise some people or disparage, talk bad about other people. And then one should know pleasure and one should pursue pleasure within oneself. You find there are two types of pleasure. One is Pleasure from external things. And the second type of pleasure is from internal. So the Buddha says that we should pursue the pleasure within oneself. One should not utter covert speech, secret speech, disguised speech. And one should not utter sharp speech openly, like in public. Criticise somebody, hurt somebody. And then also in speaking the Dhamma, one should speak unhurriedly, not hurriedly. And then lastly, concerning language, one should use normal language. One should not pursue sensual pleasure which is low, vulgar, coarse, ignoble and unbeneficial. and one should not pursue self-mortification, which is painful, ignoble, and unbeneficial. So it was said. With reference to what was this said? The pursuit of the enjoyment of one whose pleasure is linked to sensual desires, low, vulgar, coarse, ignoble, and unbeneficial, is a state beset by suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and it is the wrong way. Disengagement from the pursuit of the enjoyment of one whose pleasure is linked to sensual desires, low, vulgar, coarse, ignoble, and unbeneficial, is a state without suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and it is the right way. The pursuit of self-mortification, painful, ignoble, and unbeneficial, is a state beset by suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and it is the wrong way. This engagement from the pursuit of self-mortification, painful, ignoble and unbeneficial, is a state without suffering, vexation, despair and fever, and it is the right way. So it was with reference to this that it was said, one should not pursue sensual pleasure which is low, vulgar, coarse, ignoble and unbeneficial, and one should not pursue self-mortification which is painful, ignoble and unbeneficial. The Middle Way discovered by the Tathagata avoids both these extremes, giving vision, giving knowledge. It leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. So it was said, and with reference to what was this said, it is just this Noble Eightfold Path that is right view, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right recollection, and right concentration. So it was with reference to this that it was said, the middle way discovered by the Tathagata avoids both these extremes and leads to Nibbana. I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha said that in the spiritual path one should not pursue sensual pleasure. Sensual pleasure is pleasure regarding the five cause of sensual pleasure. Taking delight, enjoy, the gratification of forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch. This is the enjoyment of worldly people. Even some ascetics, they also indulge in sensual pleasure, like some of the external ascetics during the Buddha's time. The Buddha says this is low, vulgar, coarse, ignoble, and unbeneficial The opposite is self-mortification. Many ascetics during the Buddha's time, they practice self-mortification. They just torture their body and they think that is the path to enlightenment. For example, they go naked. Because they go naked all the time, at night they will shiver because of the cold. During the day, they are burned by the sun. Or some of them, they practice starving themselves, eating very little. Or some people, they put up their arm and never put down their arm. Year after year, they lift up their arm. All this is unbeneficial. So the Buddha says to practice the middle way or the middle path. And the middle path of the Buddha is the Noble Eightfold Path. It is not the middle path in the worldly sense in the Buddha's teachings. The middle way is the Noble Eightfold Path consisting of these eight factors I just mentioned. One should know what it is to extol and what it is to disparage, and knowing both, one should neither extol nor disparage, but should teach only the Dhamma, so it was said. And with reference to what was this said, here monks, But how amongst does there come to be extolling and disparaging and failure to teach only the Dhamma? When one says, all those engaged in the pursuit of the enjoyment of one whose pleasure is linked to sensual desires, low, vulgar, et cetera, and unbeneficial, are beset by suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and they have entered upon the wrong way. One thus disparages some. When one says, all those disengaged from the pursuit of the enjoyment of one whose pleasure is linked to sensual desires, though vulgar, etc., are without suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and they have entered upon the right way, one thus extols some. When one says, all those engaged in the pursuit of self-mortification, painful, ignoble, and unbeneficial, are beset by suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and they have entered upon the wrong way. One thus disparages some, when one says, all those disengaged from the pursuit of self-mortification, painful, ignoble, and unbeneficial, are without suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and they have entered upon the right way. One thus extols some, And one says, all those who have not abandoned the factor of being are beset by suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and they have entered upon the wrong way. One thus disparages some. And one says, all those who have abandoned the factor of being are without suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and they have entered upon the right way. One thus extols some. That is how there comes to be extolling and disparaging and failure to teach only the Dhamma. At how months does there come to be neither extolling nor disparaging, but teaching only the Dhamma? Then one does not say, all those engaged in the pursuit of the enjoyment of one whose pleasure is linked to sensual desires have entered upon the wrong way, but says instead, the pursuit is a state beset by suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and it is the wrong way. Then one teaches only the Dhamma. When one does not say, all those disengaged from the pursuit of the enjoyment of one whose pleasure is linked to sensual desires have entered upon the right way, but says instead that disengagement is a state without suffering, vexation, despair and fever, and it is the right way, then one teaches only the Dhamma. When one does not say, all those engaged in the pursuit of self-mortification have entered upon the wrong way, but says instead, the pursuit is a state beset by suffering, vexation, despair and fever, and it is the wrong way. then one teaches only the Dhamma. When one does not say, all those disengaged from the pursuit of self-motivation have entered upon the right way, but says instead, the disengagement is a state without suffering, vexation, despair and fever, and it is the right way, then one teaches only the Dhamma. When one does not say, all those who have not abandoned the factor of being have entered upon the wrong way, but says instead, as long as the factor of being is unabandoned, being too is unabandoned, then one teaches only the Dhamma. When one does not say, all those who have abandoned the factor of being have entered upon the right way, but says instead, when the factor of being is abandoned, being also is abandoned, then one teaches only the Dhamma. So it was with reference to this that it was said, one should know what it is to extol and what it is to disparage. And knowing both, one should neither extol nor disparage, but should teach only the Dhamma. Let's stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha is saying we should teach the Dhamma. So here the Buddha says we just teach the Dhamma without saying, if you do this then Those people who follow this wrong path, they are practicing wrongly and they will suffer for it and all that. The Buddha says, just to say that this is the wrong path. So this is quite clear from here, what the suttas say. But unfortunately, it is very difficult to do this. And if you look into the Buddha's suttas, sometimes the Buddha also says very bluntly that certain teacher is wrong. For example, there's one sutta where the Buddha scolds Makkhali Gosala Putta. He says, Makkhali Gosala Putta is a fool, just like a fish, a crab, leads all the fish into a net and they cannot come out from it. So in the same way, the Buddha said that Makkhali Gosala Putta is leading all beings Because this Makali Gosala Buddha says there is no such thing as kamavipaka. So the Buddha says he is leading all his followers into the realms of rebirth. So it's not easy to teach the Dhamma without being a bit personal. Sometimes, but then of course, it's best not to mention any names when the Dhamma is taught, not to be personal. You can say, this is right, this is wrong, or those who practice this is practicing the right path. Those who are practicing that is practicing the wrong path. Although that contradicts what is said here, but it's not so bad as to get personal and mention names. So teaching the Dhamma, we should never mention names. It's impossible. One should know how to define pleasure and knowing that one should pursue pleasure within oneself. So it was said. And with reference to what was this said? Monks, there are these five courts of sensual pleasure. What five? forms cognizable by the eye, sounds, odors, flavors, tangibles, cognizable by the body that are wished for, desired, agreeable, and likable, connected with sensual desire and provocative of lust. These are the five cause of sensual pleasure. Now the pleasure and joy that arise dependent on these five cause of sensual pleasure are called sensual pleasure, a filthy pleasure, a coarse pleasure, and ignoble pleasure. I say of this kind of pleasure that it should not be pursued, that it should not be developed, that it should not be cultivated, and that it should be feared. Here monks, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a monk enters upon and abides in the first jhāna, the second jhāna, third jhāna, fourth jhāna. This is called the bliss of enunciation, the bliss of seclusion, the bliss of peace, the bliss of enlightenment. I say of this kind of pleasure that it should be pursued, that it should be developed, that it should be cultivated, and that it should not be feared. So it was with reference to this that it was said, one should know how to define pleasure, and knowing that, one should pursue pleasure within oneself. I'll stop here for a moment. So in the previous sutta, we read that when you attain the jhanas, you should not cling to it. But here the Buddha says that this last part, one should pursue pleasure within oneself. This pleasure within oneself is this pleasure that is derived from the jhanas, which the Buddha calls the bliss of renunciation, the bliss of seclusion, the bliss of peace, the bliss of enlightenment. Why? Because in some other sutta, the Buddha says these four jhanas can bring you to help you to attain the four Aryan fruits. Sotapanna, the first fruit, Sakadagami, the second fruit, Anagami, the third fruit, and Arahambuddha, the fourth fruit. So the Buddha here is encouraging the monks to indulge in the bliss of jhana, but then also the Buddha has said in some other suttas, not to stay there, but having attained them, to surmount them one by one until you have attained the final goal of the holy life, which is the liberation or destruction of the asavas. Then we see from the suttas that even after the arahants have finished their work, that they constantly abide in the jhanas. It's blameless because they have finished their work. One should not utter covert speech and one should not utter overt, sharp speech. So it was said. And with reference to what was this said? Dear monks, when one knows covert speech to be untrue, incorrect and unbeneficial, one should on no account utter it. When one knows covert speech to be true, correct and unbeneficial, one should try not to utter it. But when one knows covert speech to be true, correct and beneficial, one may utter it, knowing the time to do so. Here mounts, when one knows overt, sharp speech to be untrue, incorrect and unbeneficial, one should on no account utter it. When one knows overt, sharp speech to be true, correct and unbeneficial, one should try not to utter it. But when one knows overt, sharp speech to be true, correct and beneficial, one may utter it, knowing the time to do so. So it was with reference to this that it was said, one should utter One should not utter covert speech, and one should not utter overt, sharp speech. This covert speech is, as I mentioned, is secret speech, disguised speech. And overt speech is to speak openly. So here the Buddha says, concerning this covert speech. If it is true and correct and beneficial, then you may utter it, but know the time to do so. Similarly for overt, sharp speech. For example, somebody is following the wrong dhamma, following the wrong teacher, following a teacher that is teaching wrong dhamma. If you want to help him, then you can speak to him secretly. This is covert speech, which is true, correct, and beneficial. So you don't, when you want to say something true about another teacher who is not teaching correctly, you don't say it in the open. You say it in the open. It becomes a big issue and antagonize a lot of people. But then, depending, because if you are not personal, then it's okay. But if it's something personal, then it's best not to speak in public. So the Buddha says, if it's beneficial for that person, as I mentioned, somebody is following the wrong teacher, he's wasting his time, and he's learning the wrong things. For example, he follows this Makkhali Gosala Putta, who is teaching that there is no kamavipaka. and you want to help him not land up in the woeful plane of rebirth, then you tell him secretly that this is not correct, and it's okay, it's beneficial. On the other hand, overt, sharp speech is true and beneficial. In public, if you say something is true and is beneficial for people, then it's all right to do so. For example, In the Anguttara Nikaya, the Buddha says, if a monk knows that somebody teaches Adhamma and says that is Dhamma, then the Buddha says, knowing it, we should speak out, even in public, against this Adhamma which is taught in the name of the Buddha's teachings. So the Buddha encourages us to to be fought right when it comes to helping people. It's true and it's beneficial. It's all right to speak openly, sharp speech, but also we only talk about Dhamma. We try not to get personal. One should speak unhurriedly, not hurriedly, so it was said, and with reference to what was they said? Here monks, when one speaks hurriedly, one's body grows tired, and one's mind becomes excited. one's voice is strained, one's throat becomes hoarse, and the speech of one who speaks hurriedly is indistinct and hard to understand. Dear monks, when one speaks unhurriedly, one's body does not grow tired, nor does one's mind become excited, one's voice is not strained, nor does one's throat become hoarse, and the speech of one who speaks unhurriedly is distinct and easy to understand. So it was with reference to this that it was said. One should speak unhurriedly, not hurriedly, probably for a moment. So here, especially when Dhamma is being taught, it's not easy to understand. So if one speaks too fast, people cannot follow. Then it's hard to understand. In fact, we see from the suttas, very often when the Buddha teaches, he repeats what he says sometimes, a few times, just to make to make it sing into the listener's mind. One should not insist on local language and one should not override normal usage, so it was said. And with reference to what was this said? How, monks, does there come to be insistence on local language and overriding of normal usage? Here, monks, in different localities, they call the same thing a dish. by pati, or a bowl, pata, or a vessel, vita, or a saucer, sirava, or a pan, daropa, or a pot, pona, or a mug, hana, or a basin, pisila. So whatever they call it in such and such a locality, one speaks accordingly, firmly adhering to that expression and insisting only this is correct, anything else is wrong. This is how there comes to be insistence on local language and overriding normal usage. And how, monks, does there come to be non-insistence on local language and non-overriding of normal usage? Here, monks, in different localities, they call the same thing a dish. or a bowl or a vessel, etc. So whatever they call it in such and such a locality, without adhering to that expression, one speaks accordingly, thinking, these venerable ones, it seems, are speaking with reference to this. This is how there comes to be non-insistence on local language and non-overriding of normal usage. So it was with reference to this that it was said, one should not insist on local language and one should not override normal usage. So basically what the Buddha is trying to say here, I think, is that we should use a language where people can understand, not to insist on certain expressions. If we expand this a bit, that is not only particular things, but the language itself. In the Dhammapada, verse 102, Buddha said, one sentence of the doctrine which brings happiness to a person who understands is better than 100 stanzas consisting of meaningless words. So whatever we say must be understood, otherwise it is meaningless words. For example, if we teach this sutra that we are reading now in Pali, people won't understand. If we insist on using Pali, and we just chant the whole sutra in Pali, you can listen to me, but you won't understand what I'm saying, right? So it is important to use the language where people can understand. If we chant, like we do chanting of parittas and all that, it is also important to know what you are chanting. If you are chanting the Pali chants and you don't know the meaning, then it is a waste of time. It is important to know the meaning. So in a way, that shows that if you chant the Pali chants in the language that you are familiar with, it's also okay. If you want to chant it in English, you want to chant it in whatever language you understand, it's okay. The important thing is to understand it. Dear monks, the pursuit of the enjoyment of one whose pleasure is linked to sensual desires, low, vulgar, etc., is a state beset by suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and it is the wrong way. Therefore, this is a state with conflict. Dear monks, disengagement from the pursuit of the enjoyment of one whose pleasure is linked to sensual desires, low, vulgar, unbeneficial, is a state without suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and it is the right way. Therefore, this is a state without conflict. Here, monks, the pursuit of self-portification, painful, ignoble, and unbeneficial, is a state beset by suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and it is the wrong way. Therefore, this is a state with conflict. Here, monks, disengagement from the pursuit of self-portification, painful, ignoble, and unbeneficial, is a state without suffering, vexation, despair, and fever, and it is the right way. Therefore, this is a state without conflict. Here, monks, the Middle Way discovered by the Tathagata avoids both these extremes, giving vision, giving knowledge. It leads to peace, direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. It is a state without suffering, and it is the right way. Therefore, this is a state without conflict. Dear monks, extolling and disparaging and failure to teach only the Dhamma is a state beset by suffering, and it is the wrong way. Therefore, this is a state with conflict. Dear monks, not extolling and not disparaging and teaching only the Dhamma is a state without suffering, and it is the right way. Therefore, this is a state without conflict. Here, monks, sensual pleasure, a filthy pleasure, a coarse pleasure, an ignoble pleasure, is a state beset by suffering, and it is the wrong way. Therefore, this is a state with conflict. Here, monks, the bliss of renunciation, the bliss of seclusion, the bliss of peace, the bliss of enlightenment, is a state without suffering, and it is the right way. Therefore, this is a state without conflict. Here, monks, Covert speech that is untrue, incorrect, and unbeneficial is a state beset by suffering. Therefore, this is a state with conflict. Dear monks, covert speech that is true, correct, and unbeneficial is a state beset by suffering. Therefore, this is a state with conflict. Dear monks, covert speech that is true, correct, and beneficial is a state without suffering. Therefore, this is a state without conflict. Dear monks, Overt, sharp speech that is untrue, incorrect and unbeneficial is a state beset by suffering. Therefore, this is a state with conflict. Overt, sharp speech that is true, correct and beneficial is a state beset by suffering. Therefore, this is a state with conflict. Overt, sharp speech that is true, correct and beneficial is a state without suffering. Therefore, this is a state without conflict. Dear monks, the speech of one who speaks hurriedly is a state beset by suffering, vexation, despair and fever, and it is the wrong way. Therefore, this is a state with conflict. Dear monks, the speech of one who speaks unhurriedly is a state without suffering. Therefore, this is a state without conflict. Dear monks, insistence on local language and overriding of normal usage is a state beset by suffering. Therefore, this is a state with conflict. Here, monks, non-insistence on local language and non-overriding of normal usage is a state without suffering, vexation, despair and fever, and it is the right way. Therefore, this is a state without conflict. Therefore, monks, you should train yourselves thus. You shall know the state with conflict, and we shall know the state without conflict, and knowing these, we shall enter upon the way without conflict. Now, monks, Subuti is a clansman who has entered upon the way without conflict. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. That's the end of the sutra. So this last part, the Buddha mentioned this Subuti. This name is often heard in Mahayana sutras. If you look at the note 1263, let me see. Subuti was the younger brother of Anathapindika and became a monk on the day Jeta's grove was offered to the Sangha. The Buddha appointed him the foremost disciple in two categories, those who live without conflict and those who are worthy of gifts. Now, so here at the last part, the Buddha says, those states Without conflict, there are a few. The first one is disengagement from the pursuit of sensual pleasures. This is a state without conflict. The second one is disengagement from the pursuit of self-mortification. The third one is the middle way taught by the Buddha. The fourth one is not extolling and not disparaging and teaching only the Dhamma. This is a state without conflict. And then another one is the bliss of renunciation, the bliss of seclusion, the bliss of peace, the bliss of enlightenment, which is basically the bliss of jhana. That is a state without conflict. And then covert speech that is true, correct and beneficial. That means speech in secret or disguise that is true and beneficial is a state without conflict. Overt, sharp speech, if it is true and beneficial, is also a state without conflict. Speaking unhurriedly, especially in teaching the Dhamma, is a state without conflict. And then the last one, non-insistence on local language and non-overriding of normal usage is a state without conflict. So we have gone through the explanation of all the various states of conflict mentioned in this sutta. Okay, anything to discuss? My friends and colleagues have been in the business for a long time. And you have been in the business for a long time. And you have worked with different kinds of companies, different kinds of businesses. And this is the best part of the business. But this is not what you should do. This is what you should do. This is what you should do. Sometimes you have to see whether the other party considers it beneficial or not. If the other party considers it beneficial and appreciates what you say, then it's okay to say it. If you say something which you think is beneficial, but the other party does not accept it as beneficial, there is no point to speak. Dhamma and Adhamma. Sadhamma is true Dhamma. True Dhamma. And true Dhamma refers to the original suttas of the Buddha. Because there is one sutta in the Anguttanikaya, the Buddha says, if any monk says that The Buddha taught such and such. Then the Buddha said you should not accept it and you should not reject it. You should compare it with the suttas, meaning the original suttas of the Buddha. If it agrees with the original suttas, then you can accept it to be the Buddha's words. So you can see from there that Saddhamma, true Dhamma, refers to the original suttas. Adhamma is what is contradictory to the original suttas. And you will find that later books, there is usually this contradiction. For example, the Mahayana Sutras, or the Abhidhamma, or the commentaries. Although they have some Dhamma inside all of them, but it is mixed with Adhamma. And unless you are very familiar with the suttas, the original Dhamma or the Saddhamma, then you will not know the contradiction. That's why you have to be very familiar with the Buddha's original words in the Suttas. Then only when you read other books, later books, then you can find, you can notice the contradiction. Okay, shall we end here?

40-MN-140-Dhatuvibhanga-Part-A-(2010-09-16).txt

Today is the 16th of September, 2010. Tonight is the 58th time we are speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya. We come to Sutta 140, Datu Vibhanga Sutta, the exposition of the elements. This Sutta to me is one of the most moving Suttas. And after this you will see why. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was wandering in the Magadan country and eventually arrived at Rajagaha. There he went to the potter, Bhagawa, and said to him, If it is not inconvenient for you, Bhagawa, I will stay here. I will stay one night in your workshop. It is not inconvenient for me, Venerable Sir, but there is a homeless one already staying there. If he agrees, then stay as long as you like, Venerable Sir. Now there was a clansman named Pukusati who had gone forth from the home life into homelessness out of faith in the Blessed One. And on that occasion, he was already staying in the potter's workshop. Then the Blessed One went to the rebel Pukusati and said to him, if it is not inconvenient for you, monk, I will stay one night in the workshop. And this rebel Pukusati said, The potter's workshop is large enough, friend. Let the wearable one stay as long as he likes. Stop here for a moment. According to the commentary, this Bukusati was a king, a king of Takasila. And he traded, his country traded with Magadha, King Bimbisara. So King Bimbisara, out of friendship, sent him a golden plate with the Dhamma inscribed on it. And he read the Dhamma and I guess he understood the Dhamma. So according to the commentary, he renounced his kingdom and went forth as a monk. And he heard that the Buddha was staying in Savatthi, so he wanted to go to the Buddha. But he, at this point of time, he arrived in Rajagaha. So the Buddha apparently went there to meet him. Then the Blessed One entered the potter's workshop. I forgot to mention, he had never seen the Buddha, so he didn't know who the Buddha was. He only knew that he wanted to be a disciple of the Buddha. Then the Blessed One entered the potter's workshop, prepared a spread of grass at one end, and sat down, folding his legs crosswise, setting his body erect, and establishing mindfulness in front of him. Then the Blessed One spent most of the night seated in meditation, and the Verbal Pukusati also spent most of the night seated in meditation. Then the Blessed One thought, this clansman conducts himself in a way that inspires confidence. Suppose I were to question him. So he asked the rebel Pukusati, Under whom have you gone forth, monk? Who is your teacher? Whose Dharma do you profess? And Pukusati said, Friend, there is the recluse Otama, the son of the Sakyans, who went forth from a Sakyan clan. Now a good report of that blessed Otama has been spread to this effect. That blessed one is Arahant Sammasambuddha, perfect in true knowledge and conduct, sublime knower of worlds, incomparable leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of gods and humans, enlightened, blessed. I have gone forth under that blessed one. That blessed one is my teacher. I profess the Dhamma of that blessed one." Then the Buddha asked him, but monk, where is that blessed one, Arahant Sammasambuddha, now living? And he said, there is, friend, a city in the northern country named Savatthi. The blessed one, Arahant, Sammasambuddha, is now living there. But monk, have you ever seen that blessed one before? Would you recognize him if you saw him? No, friend, I have never seen that blessed one before, nor would I recognize him if I saw him. So you can see from here, he Went forth, shaved off his hair, put on the robe, and went forth as a disciple of the Buddha. But he had never met the Buddha, so he was going to look for the Buddha. Then the Blessed One thought, this clansman has gone forth from the home life into homelessness under me. Suppose I were to teach him the Dhamma. So the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Phukasati thus, Monk, I will teach you the Dhamma. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, friend, the rebel Bukusati replied. The Blessed One said, Monk, this person consists of six elements, six bases of contact and 18 kinds of mental exploration. And he has four foundations. The tides of conceiving do not sweep over one who stands upon these foundations. And when the tides of conceiving no longer sweep over him, he is called a sage at peace. one should not neglect wisdom, should preserve truth, should cultivate relinquishment, and should train for peace. This is the summary of the exposition of the six elements. Monk, this person consists of six elements, so it was said. And with reference to what was this said? There are the earth element, water element, fire element, air element, space element, and consciousness element. So it was with reference to this that it was said, monk, this person consists of six elements. Stop here for a moment. Normally, the Buddha says a person consists of four elements. But in this case, the Buddha has added two more, the space element and the consciousness element. And all these elements will be explained later. So I have mentioned before, earth element is not really earth. Earth element refers to the hardness, the perception of hardness. Anything hard in our body is the earth element. Then the liquid suites are the water element. The heat is the fire element. And the air element is that which causes motion in the body, causes the blood to move, causes the gases to move, et cetera. Space element is the space inside us, the various empty spaces. And we have the consciousness element. Monk, this person consists of six bases of contact, so it was said. And with reference to what was this said? There are the base of eye contact, the base of ear contact, the base of nose contact, the base of tongue contact, the base of body contact, and the base of mind contact. So it was with reference to this that it was said. Monk, this person consists of six bases of contact. Monk, this person consists of 18 kinds of mental exploration, so it was said. And with reference to what was this said, on seeing a form with the eye, one explores a form productive of joy, one explores a form productive of grief, one explores a form productive of equanimity. Similarly, on hearing a sound, smelling an odor, tasting a flavor, touching a tangible, cognizing a mind object, one explores the sense objects productive of joy. One explores the mind-objects productive of grief. One explores the mind-objects productive of equanimity. So it was with reference to this that it was said, monk, this person consists of 18 kinds of mental exploration. Stop here for a moment. So here the six bases of contact refers to the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. These are the six sense organs. It can also be said to be the six internal sense bases. And then these 18 kinds of mental exploration, I think we already read about this in a previous sutta. This is Manopavichara. Vichara, as I mentioned, is sustained thought. So it refers to when the six external sense objects impinge on our sense bases, the internal sense bases, then When we think about it, either we get joy or we get grief or we get equanimity. But this feeling arises. This person has four foundations. So it was said, and with reference to what was this said, there are the foundation of wisdom, the foundation of truth, the foundation of relinquishment, and the foundation of peace. So it was with reference to this that it was said, monk, this person has four foundations. This foundation, the Pali word is Aditana. One should not neglect wisdom, should preserve truth, should cultivate relinquishment, and should train for peace. So it was said. And with reference to what was this said, how monk does one not neglect wisdom? There are these six elements, the earth element, water element, fire element, air element, space element, and consciousness element. What monk is the earth element? The earth element may be either internal or external. What is the internal earth element? Whatever internally belonging to oneself is solid, solidified, and clung to, that is, head hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinew, bone, bone, marrow, kidney, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lung, large intestine, small intestine, contents of the stomach, feces or whatever else internally belonging to oneself is solid, solidified and clung to. This is called the internal earth element. Now both the internal earth element and the external earth element are simply earth element and that should be seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus. This is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. When one sees it thus as it actually is with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the earth element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the earth element. What monk is the water element? The water element may be either internal or external. What is the internal water element? Whatever internally belonging to oneself is water, watery. and clung to, that is, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tear, grease, betel snot, oil of the joint, urine, or whatever else internally belonging to oneself is water, watery and clung to. This is called the internal water element. Now both the internal water element and the external water element are simply water element and that should be seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus. This is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. When one sees it thus as it actually is with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the water element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the water element. Let's stop here for a moment. In the meditation on the loathsomeness of the body or unattractiveness of the body, we have to chant 32 parts of the body, head, hair, body, hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, skin, bone, etc. And these 32 parts, the first half are the more solid parts of the body. And the solid parts of the body are referred to as the earth element. And then the second half consists of the watery parts of the body like bile, phlegm, blood, sweat, tear, grease, et cetera. So this is the two parts of the, 32 parts of the body. And what monk is the fire element? The fire element may be either internal or external. What is the internal fire element? Whatever internally belonging to oneself is fiery and clung to. That by which one is warmed ages and is consumed. And that by which what is eaten drunk, consumed and tasted, gets completely digested. Or whatever else internally belonging to oneself is fire, fiery and clung to. This is called the internal fire element. Now both the internal fire element and the external fire element are simply fire element. And that should be seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus. This is not mine. This I am not. This is not myself. When one sees it does as it actually is with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the fire element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the fire element. What monk is the air element? The air element may be either internal or external. What is the internal air element? Whatever internally belonging to oneself is air, airy and clung to, that is, up-going winds, down-going winds, winds in the belly, winds in the bowels, winds that cause to the limbs, in-breath and out-breath, or whatever else internally belonging to oneself is air, airy and clung to. This is called the internal air element. Now both the internal air element and the external air element are simply air element and that should be seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus. This is not mine. This I am not. This is not myself. When one sees it thus, as it actually is with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the air element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the air element. Stop here for a moment. So in all these, the Buddha says we should see that this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. And how to see this? We can only see this when we realize that all these elements that our body is made up of is impermanent, subject to change, subject to conditions, and ever changing, always changing. And the Buddha says whatever is changing cannot be I, cannot be mine. So if one takes it as I and mine, then one tends to cling to it, cling to the body as I or mine. Then when it changes, the Buddha says, all bodies will either grow old or sick or die. So if we cling to it, we will suffer. If we can see whether it is our body or some other body, always realize that this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself, then only we can become disenchanted and dispassionate towards these elements. And what mang is the space element? The space element may be either internal or external. What is the internal space element? Whatever internally belonging to oneself is space, spatial and gluantu, that is, the holes of the ears, the nostrils, the door of the mouth, and that aperture whereby what is eaten, drunk, consumed, and tasted gets swallowed, and where it collects, and whereby it is excreted from below, and whatever else internally belonging to oneself is space, spatial and clung to. This is called the internal space element. Now both the internal space element and the external space element are simply space element, and that should be seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus. This is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. When one sees it thus, as it actually is with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the space element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the space element. Then there remains only consciousness, purified and bright. And what does one cognize with that consciousness? One cognizes this is pleasant. One cognizes this is painful. One cognizes this is neither painful nor pleasant. In dependence on a contact to be felt as pleasant, there arises a pleasant feeling. When one feels a pleasant feeling, one understands, I feel a pleasant feeling. One understands, with the cessation of that same contact to be felt as pleasant, its corresponding feeling, the pleasant feeling that arose in dependence on that contact to be felt as pleasant, ceases and subsides. Independence on the contact to be felt as painful, there arises a painful feeling. When one feels a painful feeling, one understands. I feel a painful feeling, one understands. With the cessation of that same contact to be felt as painful, its corresponding feeling, the painful feeling that arose independence on that contact to be felt as painful, ceases and subsides. Independence on a contact to be felt as neither painful nor pleasant. There arises another painful nor pleasant feeling. When one feels a neither painful nor pleasant feeling, one understands. I feel a neither painful nor pleasant feeling. One understands. With the cessation of that same contact to be felt as neither painful nor pleasant, its corresponding feeling, the neither painful nor pleasant feeling, there arose independence on that contact. to be felt as neither painful nor pleasant, ceases and subsides. Monk, just as from the contact and friction of two fire sticks, heat is generated and fire is produced, and with the separation and disjunction of these two fire sticks, the corresponding heat ceases and subsides. So too, in dependence on the contact to be felt as pleasant, to be felt as painful, to be felt as neither painful nor pleasant, there arises a corresponding feeling, one understands that the cessation of that same contact to be felt as pleasant or painful or neither painful nor pleasant, its corresponding feeling ceases and subsides. I'll stop here for a moment. So, here is this last part, when the Buddha talks about consciousness, Buddha says, one cognizes this is pleasant, one cognizes this is painful, or this is neither painful nor pleasant. So consciousness tells you that you have a pleasant feeling, or a painful feeling, or a neutral feeling. So this feeling you know is just a type of consciousness. Sometimes Some people get confused. They think feeling, perception, volition, all very distinct from each other, very distinct from consciousness also. But they are all different types of consciousness. Feelings is a type of consciousness. Perception is also a type of consciousness. Volition also is a type of consciousness, et cetera. Even these five elements, earth, water, fire, wind and space, they are also perceptions. For example, the earth element. The earth element is the perception of hardness. This perception of whether it's hard or it's soft, it's just a perception, and perception is a type of consciousness. Similarly, hot or cold is also a perception. So although we think that the physical world consists of this solidity, liquidity, heat and all that, but actually all these are perceptions. So because they are all perceptions, they are all part of consciousness, just perception in the mind. That means even the physical world is mind made. It's not so different, the body and the mind. So that's why sometimes I like to give the example. For example, if a person has fallen into hell, and because of his karma, he is burned in hell. He feels the heat, he feels the pain, everything. And then You imagine an Arahant goes into hell to see what's happening in hell. This Arahant goes into hell, he doesn't feel the heat, he doesn't feel the pain. Why? Because his mind is different. Because the mind is different, the perception is different. So everything is mind made. Our world is made by our mind. then there remains only equanimity, purified and bright, malleable, wieldy and radiant. Suppose monk, a skilled goldsmith or his apprentice were to prepare a furnace, heat up the crucible, take some gold with tongs and put it into the crucible. From time to time he would blow on it, from time to time he would sprinkle water over it, and from time to time he would just look on. That gold would become refined, well refined, completely refined, faultless, rid of draughts, malleable, wieldy, and radiant, that whatever kind of ornament he wished to make from it, whether a golden chain or earrings or a necklace or a golden garland, it would serve his purpose. So too, monk, that there remains only equanimity, purified and bright, malleable, wieldy, and radiant. He understands thus, if I were to direct this equanimity, so purified and bright, to the base of infinite space and to develop my mind accordingly, then this equanimity of mind, supported by that base, clinging to it, would remain for a very long time. If I were to direct this equanimity, so purified and bright, to the base of infinite consciousness, to the base of nothingness, to the base of neither perception nor non-perception, and to develop my mind accordingly, then this equanimity of mine, supported by that base, clinging to it, would remain for a very long time. He understands thus, if I were to direct this equanimity, so purified and bright, to the base of infinite space, and to develop my mind accordingly, this would be conditioned. If I were to direct this equanimity, so purified and bright, to the base of infinite consciousness, or to the base of nothingness, or to the base of neither perception nor non-perception, and to develop my mind accordingly, this would be conditioned. It does not form any condition, or generate any volition, tending towards either being or non-being. Since he does not form any condition or generate any volition tending towards either being or non-being, he does not cling to anything in this world. When he does not cling, he is not agitated. When he is not agitated, he personally attains Nibbana. He understands thus, birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived. What had to be done has been done. There is no more coming to any state of being. Stop here for a moment. So this paragraph 20, the Buddha says, there remains only equanimity, purified and bright, malleable, wealthy and radiant. This description refers to the fourth jhāna. Normally when we read in the suttas that after a person has attained the fourth jhāna, the Buddha says that state of the fourth jhāna is utter purity of mindfulness and equanimity. And also the Buddha says then the mind is purified and bright, malleable, wealthy and radiant. So it becomes malleable, wieldy. You can do what you want with it. You can shape it into anything you want. So just like the goldsmith, he purifies the gold. So the monk, when he attains to the equanimity, he has purified his mind so that it is bright, malleable, wieldy and radiant. Then with the fourth jhana, he can I use that state to attain the arupas. The first is arupas or arupajanas. First is the base of infinite space. The second is the base of infinite consciousness. Then the base of nothingness. Then the base of neither perception nor non-perception. These are very high states of meditation where the mind opens up and becomes boundless. And it is said here that if he wants to, he can remain in that state for a very long time. In other words, if a person is reborn in those realms, the base of infinite space, or base of infinite consciousness, or base of nothingness, or the base of neither perception or non-perception, those devas there, their lifespan is very, very long in terms of world cycles. But then this monk, he knows that if he develops his mind to those bases, it is conditioned. Those states are conditioned. They are not permanent because nothing in the world is permanent. Everything in the world is conditioned and changing, impermanent. So because all these states are impermanent, Understanding the Dhamma, this monk does not generate any volition tending towards either being or non-being. This volition is the will, will intention. When we have an intention to do something or not to do something, we create the conditions for something to happen. But in this case, this person, he knows everything in the world is conditioned and impermanent. And because everything in the world is impermanent, you can never get everlasting happiness. Even if you are born in those realms, those high heavens, you might be there for a very, very long time. But subsequently, you will pass away from there. And then you might get rebirth in lower realms. That's why the Buddha says all states of existence are unsatisfactory. Dukkha you can translate as suffering or unsatisfactory. So understanding the Dhamma, he does not generate any volition. He does not want anything. He doesn't want being, he doesn't want non-being, etc. So because he does not cling to anything, he's not agitated. The mind becomes cool. Nibbana, a translation for Nibbana is cool. The mind is totally cool. Normally, our minds are all very agitated, agitated minds. And this agitated mind brings us on the round of rebirth. The round of rebirth is never ending. We always want to do something. In the suttas, the Buddha said that sometimes these devas with billions and billions of years lifespan, when they die, they think life is so short. They still haven't done this, they still haven't done that, they still want to do this and do that. Their unfulfilled ambitions. So this is the volition. You keep wanting this, keep wanting that. A round of samsara never ends. It's only when you are spiritually matured and you see dukkha, especially if somebody can see the past life. When we see our past life, then the memory of the past life will engender sorrow. There are some children, they remember their past lives. And they insist on going back to the village of their previous life. And sometimes the parents have no choice but to bring them back to that village. And then they can recognize this person and that person, and call them by their personal names. But it seems after that, they get into depression. And they think of the past. Those loved ones, no more with them, or no more so close to them, and all that. So they get into deep depression. So that's why when somebody understands all this, then he does not cling to anything. Not cling to anything, he doesn't want anything. When he doesn't want anything, the mind is totally cool. Then only he can be liberated.

41-MN-140-Dhatuvibhanga-Part-B-(2010-09-16).txt

If he feels a pleasant feeling, he understands it is impermanent. There is no holding to it. There is no delight in it. If he feels a painful feeling, he understands it is impermanent. There is no holding to it. There is no delight in it. If he feels a neither painful nor pleasant feeling, he understands it is impermanent. There is no holding to it. There is no delight in it. If he feels a pleasant feeling, he feels it detached. If he feels a painful feeling, he feels it detached. If he feels a neither painful nor pleasant feeling, he feels it detached. When he feels a feeling terminating with the body, he understands, I feel a feeling terminating with the body. When he feels a feeling terminating with life, he understands, I feel a feeling terminating with life. He understands, on the dissolution of the body with the ending of life, all that is felt, not being delighted in, will become cool right here. Monk, just as an oil lamp burns in dependence on oil and a wick, and when the oil and wick are used up, if it does not get any more fuel, it is extinguished from lack of fuel. So too, when he feels a feeling terminating with the body, or a feeling terminating with life, he understands, I feel a feeling terminating with body or life. He understands, on the dissolution of the body with the ending of life, all that is felt, not being delighted in, will become cool right here. Therefore, a monk possessing this wisdom possesses the supreme foundation of wisdom. For this monk is the supreme noble wisdom, namely the knowledge of the destruction of all suffering. I'll stop here for a moment now. So if a person has finished his work, he has become liberated, then whatever feeling he feels, he does not attach to it, does not even identify the feeling with himself. He just knows something impermanent has arisen and will cease. Then it says here, if he feels a feeling terminating with life, and he feels a feeling terminating with the body, Now in the commentaries, in the commentaries it says, a feeling terminating with the body means at the end of life. And the other one, a feeling terminating, let me see, let me see, there's a commentary That is, he continues to experience feeling only as long as the body with its life frequency continues, but not beyond that. Then 1282, this refers to his attainment of the Nibbana, an element with no residue left. But this too, according to the commentary, the feeling terminating with the body is when he dies. And the other one, feeling terminating with life, is when he attains parinibbana. Parinibbana, that means the arahant passing away. There is nothing left after he passes away. But basically these two are the same because this person is already an arahant. So I was thinking about it, maybe another interpretation is a feeling terminating with the body is when the arahant attains this state called the cessation of feeling and perception. When an arahant attains the cessation of feeling and perception, it is a temporary state. He can only abide in that state for a maximum of seven days, after which the body will automatically come out of that state. So when he is in that state, the body has no feeling. That's why it's called a feeling terminating with the body. And then the feeling terminating with life is when he is going to pass away. And Arahant has mindfulness 24 hours a day. His mindfulness is so sharp, it does not lapse. So even when he's dying at the last moment, also he knows. That's why when he's dying, he knows, he feels a feeling terminating with life. That's another interpretation that I offer. Okay, then the other thing I'd like to mention here. He understands, on the dissolution of the body with the ending of life, all that is felt, not being delighted in, will become cool right here. This might be for the Arahant, but even for an ordinary person, you find that before that person dies, he might be very agitated about this, about that, and all that. But actually, when he's really at the last moment, when he's dying, then he sees another world coming up, another plane of existence coming up. Then, whatever was important in this lifetime will grow cold. It's no more important. What is important is where is going for rebirth. A lot of people, problem is a lot of people, we don't prepare for that moment. So we are still attached to everything in this world. You're attached to your state, to your status, to your wealth, to your property, to your relatives and all that. But in the end, there's nothing at all that you can bring over. Not even your own body you can bring over. So all those things are no more important. At the last moment of dying, what is important is where you are going for rebirth. And for a lot of people, they are frightened because they are not going to a happy place of rebirth. Only when you have prepared yourself at the last moment, you are happy to leave this world and go to a better place. But very few people will get that. His deliverance being founded upon truth is unshakable. For that is false monk which has a deceptive nature, and that is true which has an undeceptive nature, Nibbana. Therefore, a monk possessing this truth possesses the supreme foundation of truth. For this monk is the supreme noble truth, namely Nibbana, which has an undeceptive nature. Formerly when he was ignorant, he acquired and developed attachments. Now he has abandoned them. cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, done away with them so that they are no longer subject to future arising. Therefore, a monk possessing this relinquishment possesses the supreme foundation of relinquishment. For this monk is the supreme noble relinquishment, namely the relinquishing of all attachments." Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says that That is false, which has a deceptive nature. And that is true, which has an undeceptive nature, Nibbana. So what is meant here, that Nibbana is true and undeceptive. The world is of a deceptive nature. And not only the world is of a deceptive nature, the Buddha says in the Magandiya Sutta, for a long time our mind has tricked us. For a long time our mind has tricked us. Our mind has made us believe that we exist, that there is this self, that this body is mine, this mind is mine, this feeling, perception, volition and consciousness is mine, etc. The Buddha says that for lifetime after lifetime, we have been deceived by this thinking mind. Only when you cultivate your mind to such a high degree of purity, then only you can see clearly through all this deceptive nature. Then the Buddha says, ordinary person has a lot of attachment, but this Arahant, he has a supreme noble relinquishment. Formerly when he was ignorant, he experienced covetousness, desire and lust. Now he has abandoned them, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, done away with them so that they are no longer subject to future arising. Formerly when he was ignorant, he experienced anger, ill will and hate. Now He has abandoned them, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, done away with them so that they are no longer subject to future arising. Formerly, when He was ignorant, He experienced ignorance and delusion. Now He has abandoned them, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, done away with them so that they are no longer subject to future arising. Therefore, a monk possessing this peace possesses the supreme foundation of peace. For this monk is the supreme noble peace, namely the pacification of lust, hate and delusion. So it was with reference to this that it was said, one should not neglect wisdom, one should preserve truth, should cultivate relinquishment and should train for peace. So this last part, the supreme noble peace is one who has pacified lust. hatred and delusion. There is no more lust, hatred and delusion in him. He is totally at peace. So here the Buddha talked about wisdom. Wisdom is being able to understand the elements and to understand there is no self and then to become liberated and that is possessing the supreme wisdom. And once he has attained liberation, then he has the supreme truth, and the supreme relinquishment, and the supreme noble peace. The tides of conceiving do not sweep over one who stands upon these foundations. And when the tides of conceiving no longer sweep over him, he is called a sage at peace. So it was said, with reference to what was this said? I am is a conceiving. I am this is a conceiving. I shall be is a conceiving. I shall not be is a conceiving. I shall be possessed of form is a conceiving. I shall be formless is a conceiving. I shall be percipient is a conceiving. I shall be non-percipient is a conceiving. I shall be neither percipient nor non-percipient is a conceiving. Conceiving is a disease. Conceiving is a tumour. Conceiving is a dart. By overcoming all conceivings, monk, one is called a sage at peace. And the sage at peace is not born, does not age, does not die. He is not shaken and is not agitated. For there is nothing present in him by which he might be born. Not being born, how could he age? Not aging, how could he die? not dying, how could he be shaken? Not being shaken, why should he be agitated? So it was in reference to this that it was said, tides of conceiving do not sweep over one who stands upon these four, these foundations. And when the tides of conceiving no longer sweep over him, he is called a sage at peace. Monk, bear in mind this brief exposition of the six elements. Stop here for a moment. So this conceiving is, you can say, thinking. Having ideas. The normal mind, the Buddha says, tends to proliferate. One thought becomes ten, ten becomes a hundred, a hundred becomes a thousand. So there are some people, they think too much. At night, they cannot switch off the mind. They cannot fall asleep. So the mind is a source of suffering. Buddha says we have physical suffering and we have mental suffering. But the Aryan, the noble person, he only has physical suffering. He does not have mental suffering. Mental suffering, you can see, is because of not accepting what comes. But an Arya, he knows that everything that happens in the world is due to causes and conditions. So whatever happens, he accepts it. When you accept it, then you don't suffer. Ordinary person will not accept this, will not accept that, and he thinks and he thinks and he thinks, and the mental suffering proliferates. So this arahant, he is at peace. He does not have any more conceiving. He does not think, I am this, or I shall be this, or I shall not be this. I shall have a certain form, or I shall have a formless deva's body, or I shall be percipient, non-percipient, etc. So the Buddha says conceiving is a disease, it's a tumour, it's a dart. That means it's a source of suffering. So when this person has become liberated, he has overcome all conceivings and he's at peace, so he's not agitated. Thereupon the Venerable Pukusati thought, indeed the Teacher has come to me, the Sublime One has come to me, the Fully Enlightened One has come to me. Then he rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, and prostrating himself with his head at the Blessed One's feet, he said, Venerable Sir, a transgression overcame me. In that, like a fool, confused and blundering, I presumed to address the Blessed One as a friend. Rebel Sir, may the Blessed One forgive my transgressions seen as such for the sake of restraint in the future. Surely, monk, a transgression overcame you in that like a fool, confused and blundering, you presumed to address me as friend. But since you see your transgression as such, and make amends in accordance with the Dhamma, we forgive you. For it is growth in the noble one's discipline when one sees one's transgression as such, makes amends in accordance with the Dhamma, and undertakes restraint in the future. Rebel Sir, I would receive the full ordination under the Blessed One. And the Buddha asked, but are your bowl and robes complete, monk? Rebel Sir, my bowl and robes are not complete. And the Buddha said, monk, the Tathagatas do not give the full ordination to anyone whose bowl and robes are not complete. Then the Venerable Phukasati, having delighted and rejoiced in the Blessed One's words, rose from his seat, and after paying homage to the Blessed One, keeping him on his right, he departed in order to search for a bowl and robes. Then while the Venerable Phukasati was searching for a bowl and robes, a stray cow killed him. Then a number of monks went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to Him, they sat down at one side and told Him, Reverend Sir, the clansman Phukasati, who was given brief instruction by the Blessed One, has died. What is his destination? What is his future cause? And the Buddha said, monks, the clansman Phukasati was wise. He practiced in accordance with the Dhamma and did not trouble me in the interpretation of the Dhamma. With the destruction of the five lower fetters, the clansman Phukasati has reappeared spontaneously in the pure boats and will attain final Nibbana there without ever returning from that world. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. That's the end of the sutta. So this Venerable Bhukhusati, he asked for ordination, full ordination. So the Buddha said, you have to have complete robes and bow before you can be ordained. So he went to look for the, maybe he didn't have a complete set of three robes. So he went to look for robes, and a cow got him to death. This happens every now and then with monks. Why? Because a monk wears the robe, which is this saffron colored, And these cows, if they happen to have a young calf by the side, and a monk comes near, they tend to attack the monk because this is like the tiger's color. I had the experience myself, walking through the paddy field, a row of us monks walking. We didn't notice the cow was tied there with a calf by the side. So about five of us were walking, and we came near the cow. The cow suddenly got up and so fierce, chased after us. They all bolted in different directions. So luckily, I think it was tight, so it didn't keep coming after us. So this happens when monks are not experienced. You go near any cow, and after the experience, you know whenever you see any cow, you look whether there's a calf or not. If there's a calf, you don't go near. So this Venerable Phukhusati, after he passed away, the Buddha said that he reappeared in the pure boats. In other words, he had attained anagamin, the third fruit, the fruition ariya. If that is the case, it means he had already attained the four jhanas. So this is a person who had a lot of blessings, is able to attain the four jhanas even before meeting the Buddha. Now the thing is, how come the Buddha came to this person, Pukusati. Pukusati was walking a long way to look for the Buddha. And the Buddha came to him when he was in Rajagaha, before he arrived in Savatthi. If you look in the Vinaya books, you find that the Buddha, generally, he would look for some person who is ripe for enlightenment. And generally, you look for those people who have attained the four jhanas, either in this lifetime or in a previous human lifetime, so that they still have the ability to attain the four jhanas. So the Buddha, he surveys the world at night. And when he finds such a person, he will go to that person, teach the dhamma, and that person can become an arahant. sometimes just by hearing the Dhamma, either Anagamin or Arahant. So he probably saw that this Bukkhusati was such a person. And maybe he might have seen that this Bukkhusati, his life was coming to an end. So out of compassion, the Buddha went to him and helped him to become Anagamin, so that he went for a good rebirth. He would never be reborn in the woeful place. Another person the Buddha went to, if you remember, we read in the earlier sutra was Angulimala. Angulimala is also a person the Buddha probably saw that he had the ability to become an Arahant one day. This Angulimala, this bandit, had already killed a few hundred people. So the king Pasenadi was going to catch him to kill him with his army. So the Buddha went to him before the king went to kill him. And then spoke Dhamma to him so that he became a monk. And after he became a monk, he strove very hard and attained Arahanthood. So you can see the Buddha will go to those people who have the ability to attain Arahanthood. And we know that the condition to become an anagamin or an arahant is four jhanas. So generally, the Buddha will look for people with four jhanas to help. I think that's enough for tonight. Anything to discuss? This Nibbana, technically a person who has become enlightened, he said to have attained Nibbana. And when a person has become liberated, his mind is said to be cool, no more agitated, no more self. When we have a self, then we want to do this, we want to do that. And Arahant has no more self. That's why a lot of Buddhas, they don't teach. 99.99% of Buddhas, they don't teach. They have no more self. They have no inclination to do anything. But like our Buddha, when the Brahma came to plead with him to teach the Dhamma, after pleading with him three times, then he saw that some people can understand. Then only he went to teach the Dhamma. The other word is parinibbana. This word parinibbana nowadays is used in the sense that when an arahant dies, passes away, then he enters parinibbana. That means he has no more body. The consciousness also has stopped. The body also has broken up, the five aggregates. I forgot I'm not a Pali scholar. I think from the word Pari Sudhi, Pari Sudhi is complete, utterly pure, something like that. That's how I mentioned. Just now I mentioned that technically when a person becomes enlightened he has attained Nibbana because he has cut off the greed, hatred and delusion. Shall we end now?

42-MN-141-Saccavibhanga-(2010-09-17).txt

Today is the 17th of September, and this is the 59th time we are speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Tonight we come to Sutta 141, Sacca Vibhanga Sutta, the exposition of the truths. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Benares in the Deer Park at Isipatana. There He addressed the monks thus, Venerable Sir," they replied, the Blessed One said, at Benares monks in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Tathagata Arahant Sammasambuddha said, rolling the matchless wheel of the Dhamma, which cannot be stopped by any recluse of Brahmin or God, or Mara or Brahma or anyone in the world that is the announcing, teaching, describing, establishing, revealing, expounding and exhibiting of the Four Noble Truths. Of what four? The announcing, teaching, describing, establishing, revealing, expounding and exhibiting of the Noble Truth of Suffering. the announcing, teaching, describing, establishing, revealing, expounding and exhibiting of the noble truth of the origin of suffering, similarly of the noble truth of the cessation of suffering, of the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering. At Benares Monks in the Deer Park at Isipatana, The Tathagata Arahant Sambuddha said, rolling the matchless wheel of the Dhamma, which cannot be stopped by any recluse or Brahmin, or God, or Mara, or Brahma, or anyone in the world, that is, the announcing, teaching, describing, establishing, revealing, expounding, and exhibiting of these four noble truths. Cultivate the friendship of Sariputta and Moggallana monks. Associate with Sariputta and Moggallana. They are wise and helpful to their companions in the holy life. Sariputta is like a mother. Moggallana is like a nurse. Sariputta trains others for the fruit of stream entry. Moggallana for the supreme goal. Sariputta monks is able to announce, teach, describe, establish, reveal, expound, and exhibit the Four Noble Truths. So the Blessed One said, having said this, the sublime one rose from his seat and went into his dwelling. Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha said, he first taught the Dhamma at Isipatthana. in the Deer Park. There he first taught the Dhamma to his five disciples. And over a period of a few days, they understood. And all five of them became Arahants. And the Buddha said, cultivate the friendship of Sariputta and Moggallana, the two chief disciples of the Buddha. And the Buddha said, Sariputta is like a mother. Moggallana is like a nurse. A mother gives birth to children. So Sariputta, he teaches the monks so that they become Aryans. they enter the stream and become Aryans. So in that sense it gives birth to Aryans. They are born into the Arya hood. And then Mughalana is like a nurse. A nurse brings them up to maturity, brings them up to Arahant hood. But don't be misled by this, that Sariputta can only teach the monks to become stream winners or stream enterers. There are several suttas where Sariputta taught the Dhamma and the monks attained to Arahanthood. But Sariputta being the most senior disciple, and the chief in wisdom. And the Buddha says that Sariputta turns the dharma wheel exactly like the Buddha. So he teaches a lot. So because he teaches a lot, many of the monks attain Sri N3 with his help. And then because, for example, Moggallana has psychic power, can read their minds, then he's able to help them further. and at the Arahant Hutna. Then soon after the Blessed One had gone, the Venerable Sariputta addressed the monks thus. Friends, monks, friends, the monks replied to the Venerable Sariputta. The Venerable Sariputta said, at Benares Friends in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Tathagata, Arahant Sammasambuddha, said, rolling the matchless wheel of the Dhamma and exhibiting of the Four Noble Truths. Of what four? the announcing, etc., and exhibiting of the noble truth of suffering, of the noble truth of the origin of suffering, of the noble truth of the cessation of suffering, and of the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering. And what, friends, is the noble truth of suffering? Birth is suffering. Aging is suffering. Dying or death is suffering. Sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering. Not to obtain what one wants is suffering. In short, the five aggregates of attachment are suffering. At what, friends, is birth? The birth of beings into the various orders of beings. They're coming to birth. Precipitation in a womb. Generation. The manifestation of the aggregates. Obtaining the basis for contact. This is called birth. At what, friends, is aging? The aging of beings and the various orders of beings. Their old age, brokenness of teeth, grayness of hair, wrinkling of skin, decline of life, weakness of faculties. This is called aging. And what friends is dying. The passing of beings out of the various orders of beings. Their passing away, dissolution, disappearance, death, completion of time, dissolution of aggregates, laying down of the body. This is called dying. And what, friends, is sorrow? The sorrow of sorrowing, sorrowfulness, inner sorrow, inner sorriness of one who has encountered some misfortune or is affected by some painful state. This is called sorrow. And what, friends, is lamentation? The wail and lament, wailing and lamenting, bewailing and lamentation of one who has encountered some misfortune or is affected by some painful state. This is called lamentation. Stop here for a moment. This Noble Truth of Suffering, the First Noble Truth, suffering is a translation for dukkha. Sometimes the translation, sometimes people like to use unsatisfactoriness. Life is unsatisfactory. But suffering would be probably a more better translation. A lot of people find it hard to accept that life is suffering because as a human being, our life is comparatively happy, comparatively good. But if you were to see the ghost realm, like the Buddha can see, or the animal realm, or the hell realm, then you realize that life is really suffering. So the Buddha says, what do you mean by suffering? Being born is suffering. Aging is suffering. Dying is suffering. Sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering. Not to obtain what you want is suffering. In short, the five aggregates of attachment are suffering. So, birth here is described. Coming to being, coming to birth. Aging, aging of beings. Brokenness of teeth, grayness of hair, wrinkling of skin, decline of life, weakness of faculties, dying, passing away, dissolution, sorrow, lamentation, etc. And what, friends, is pain? Bodily pain, bodily discomfort, painful, uncomfortable feeling born of bodily contact. This is called pain. And what, friends, is grief, mental pain, mental discomfort, painful, uncomfortable feeling born of mental contact? This is called grief. And what, friends, is despair, the trouble and despair, the tribulation and desperation of one who has encountered some misfortune or is affected by some painful state? This is called despair. And what, friends, is not to obtain what one wants is suffering? To being subject to birth, there comes the wish, O that we were not subject to birth, that birth would not come to us, but this is not to be obtained by wishing and not to obtain what one wants is suffering. To being subject to aging, subject to sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair, there comes the wish, O that we were not subject to this aging, sickness, dying, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair. But this is not to be obtained by wishing and not to obtain what one wants is suffering. And what, friends, are the five aggregates of attachment that, in short, are suffering? They are the material form aggregate or the body aggregate of attachment, the feeling aggregate of attachment, perception aggregate of attachment, volition aggregate of attachment, consciousness aggregate of attachment. These are the five aggregates of attachment that, in short, are suffering. This is called the noble truth of suffering. Stop here for a moment. It's quite clear what it means by pain. Pain is bodily pain. Grief is mental pain. Despair, not to get what you want. Here the Buddha specifically talks about birth, not to be reborn, not to be sick, not to age and all that. Anything in the world that we want and we cannot get is also suffering. And then in brief, or in short, the Buddha says that the five aggregates of attachment are suffering. These five aggregates are body, feeling, perception, volition, consciousness. The last four, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness, can be said to be mind. So the five aggregates are body and mind. And these five aggregates, we always identify with ourselves. For most people, we identify the body and the mind as I or mine, or I am in these five aggregates, or the five aggregates are inside me. So because we consider these five aggregates to be I and mine, we attach to it. We attach to it and when it changes, because all things in the world are impermanent, Then we suffer when it changes because we don't want the five aggregates to change. We don't want the five aggregates to become sick, to become old and to die. And what, friends, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering? It is craving which brings renewal of being. It's accompanied by delight and lust, and delights in this and that. That is, craving for sensual pleasures. craving for being and craving for non-being. This is called the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering. And what, friends, is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering? It is the remainderless fading away and ceasing, the giving up, relinquishing, letting go, and rejecting of that same craving. This is called the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering. Stop here a moment. So here the Buddha says, the origin of suffering is craving, which brings renewal of being. And this craving, there are three types of craving. Craving for sensual pleasures, that means craving for sights, sounds, smells, taste, touch, and you can also include thoughts. So this is worldly pleasure. Most people, because we don't know of any pleasure higher than this pleasure, worldly people will indulge in sensual pleasure. They feel they must indulge in sensual pleasure because the world is suffering. Even if they don't indulge in sensual pleasure, life is so boring. They want excitement, they want happiness, they want enjoyment. This enjoyment comes from enjoying beautiful sights, sounds, smells, taste and touch especially, the five courts of sensual pleasure. And then the second type of craving is craving for being, that means craving for existence. We want to continue to be, to be alive. So when most people die, the craving to to live is so strong, it brings them to rebirth again. Craving for non-being, there are two types. One is worldly craving for non-being. That means somebody is overwhelmed by suffering. For example, a person's financial empire collapses due to economic recession. Sometimes you see in the newspaper, I remember many years ago, there was one Japanese man clutching all his share certificates, he jumped down from a very high building and died. Because his share certificates became worthless. So, this is grieving for non-being. You want to stop existing because life is so much suffering for you, you can't bear it. This happens very often, you see, in the papers, some people commit suicide. For various reasons, young men might be broken-hearted because God jilted and they commit suicide, and similarly for young girls, etc. Then the other type of craving for non-being is a person on the holy path. A person on the holy path, if the desire to become liberated from existence is too strong, then he goes into all kinds of unbeneficial ascetic practices. Like the Buddha, for many years, six years, he went through all the various ascetic practices because the desire to be liberated was so strong that he tried everything. But the Buddha says, you cannot be liberated that way. Because when you crave for liberation, the mind is very agitated. An agitated mind cannot enter Nibbana. Nibbana is a cool state. The mind got to be completely cool, desireless. You don't want anything, then only you can be liberated. So these are the three cravings. And the cessation of suffering, is obtained by letting go of that craving, all the three types of craving. And what, friends, is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering? It is just this noble eightfold path that is right view, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right recollection, and right concentration. And what, friends, is right view? Knowledge of suffering, knowledge of the origin of suffering, knowledge of the cessation of suffering, and knowledge of the way leading to the cessation of suffering. This is called right view. And what, friends, is right thought? Thought of renunciation, thought of non-ill will, and thought of non-cruelty. This is called right thought. And what, friends, is right speech? Abstaining from false speech, abstaining from malicious speech, abstaining from harsh speech, abstaining from idle chatter. This is called right speech. And what, friends, is right action? Abstaining from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from misconduct and sensual pleasures. This is called right action. and what friends is right livelihood. Here a noble disciple having abandoned wrong livelihood earns his living by right livelihood. This is called right livelihood. Stop here for a moment. So here the Noble Eightfold Path consists of eight factors. The first and most important one is Right View. We read in earlier Sutta that to practice the Noble Eightfold Path, you must attain Right View first. If you don't attain Right View, you have not entered the Noble Eightfold Path. So the first factor to be practiced is Right View. You need to obtain Right View. Right view here is defined as knowledge of the four noble truths concerning suffering. Then right thoughts is the opposite of wrong thoughts. So the opposite of wrong thoughts is renunciation, non-ill will and non-cruelty. Right speech, there are four factors in right speech. Lying, abstaining from lying, abstaining from carrying tales. If you hear A talk about B, you should not report to B that A said such and such bad things about him. Then abstaining from harsh or coarse speech and abstaining from idle chatter or gossip. Idle chatter or gossip means unbeneficial talk, unbeneficial speech. And right action is not to kill, not to take what is not given, and not to engage in sexual misconduct. And right livelihood is to earn your livelihood in a way that does not harm other living beings and not harm yourself. And what trends is right effort. Here a monk awakens zeal for the non-arising of un-arisen evil unwholesome states. And he makes effort, arouses energy, exerts his mind and strives. He awakens zeal for the abandoning of arisen evil unwholesome states. And he makes effort, arouses energy, exerts his mind and strives. He awakens zeal for the arising of un-arisen wholesome states. And he makes effort, arouses energy, exerts his mind and strives. He awakens zeal for the continuance, non-disappearance, strengthening, increase and fulfilment by development of arisen wholesome states. When he makes effort, arouses energy, exerts his mind and strives. This is called right effort. And what trends is right recollection. Here a monk abides contemplating the body in the body, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating feelings and feelings, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating mind in mind, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. He abides contemplating Dhamma in Dhamma, ardent, fully aware and mindful, having put away covetousness and grief for the world. This is called Right Recollection. And what, friends, is Right Concentration? Here, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a monk enters upon and abides in the First Jhana, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with rapture and pleasure born of seclusion. With the stilling of applied and sustained thought, he enters upon and abides in the second jhāna, which is self-confidence and singleness of mind, without applied and sustained thought, with delight and pleasure born of concentration. With the fading away as well of delight, he abides in equanimity, mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure with the body. He enters upon and abides in the third jhāna, on account of which Noble once announced, he has a pleasant abiding who has equanimity and is mindful. With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and greed, he enters upon and abides in the fourth jhāna, which has neither pain nor pleasure. and utter purity of mindfulness and equanimity. This is called Right Concentration. This is called the Noble Truth of the Way leading to the cessation of suffering. At Benares, France, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Tathagata, Arahant Samasambuddha, said, rolling the matchless wheel of the Dhamma, which cannot be stopped by any recluse or Brahmin, or God, or Mara, or Brahma, or anyone in the world. That is the announcing, teaching, describing, establishing, revealing, expounding, and exhibiting of these four noble truths. That is what the Venerable Sariputta said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Venerable Sariputta's words. That's the end of the sutta. So here, the right effort is to always examine the mind and prevent un-arisen evil unwholesome states from arising. And if evil unwholesome states have already arisen, then to abandon it quickly. And then to make effort for the arising of un-arisen wholesome states of mind. And if wholesome states of mind has already arisen, then to develop it, to continue it. This is called right effort. This right effort is very important because a lot of people in the spiritual path, we forget that what is important in the spiritual path is to change our character, to get rid of unwholesome states and to develop wholesome states. Unwholesome states of mind are those states that give you suffering. For example, greed, hatred, jealousy, restlessness, sloth and torpor, doubt, worry, all these are unwholesome states. Wholesome states of mind are those that are the opposite, non-greed, non-hatred or non-anger, Tranquility, Concentration, etc. And then this Right Recollection, sometimes it's translated as Right Mindfulness. But then we have to remember this Sati, Samma Sati, Right Recollection, It is not general mindfulness. It can be translated as mindfulness provided we know that it is a specific mindfulness. Mindfulness only towards four things, four objects of sati, body, feelings, mind and dhamma. So because it is a specific type of mindfulness, basically it means remembering to contemplate these four things. That's why it is called recollection. And right concentration, as you can see here, in the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path, right concentration is always the four jhanas. Because the Buddha says, when a person attains the four jhanas, he gets rid of the five hindrances that prevent wisdom from arising, prevent you from seeing things as they really are. So that's why we need to attain the jhanas, to see things as they really are and attain wisdom. So this is a basic description of the Four Noble Truths. This description of the Four Noble Truths is also seen in several other suttas.

43-MN-142-Dakkhinavibhanga-(2010-09-17).txt

So now we come to the 142th Sutta, Dakkina Vibhanga Sutta, the exposition of offerings. This is a very important Sutta on offerings or charity, dana. Thus have I heard On one occasion, the Blessed One was living in the Sakyan country at Kapilavatthu in the Grodhas Park. Then Mahapajapati Gotami took a new pair of cloths and went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to Him, she sat down at one side and said to the Blessed One, Venerable Sir, this new pair of cloths has been spun by me, woven by me, especially for the Blessed One. Venerable Sir, let the Blessed One accept it from me out of compassion. When this was said, the Blessed One told her, give it to the Sangha, Gotami. When you give it to the Sangha, the offering will be made both to me and to the Sangha. A second time and a third time, she said to the Blessed One, Venerable Sir, this new pair of cloths has been spun by me, woven by me, especially for the Blessed One. Venerable Sir, let the Blessed One accept it from me out of compassion. The second time and the third time, the Blessed One told her, give it to the Sangha, Gotami. When you give it to the Sangha, the offering will be made both to me and to the Sangha. Stop here for a moment. This Mahapajapati Gotami is the foster mother of the Buddha. When the Buddha was born, it seems seven days after the Buddha was born, the mother passed away. This Maha Pajapati is a sister of the Buddha's mother and also another wife of the father. During the Buddha's time, a man could take as many wives as he could afford. So I'm not sure how many wives the father had, but these two sisters were the wives of the father. So when the Buddha's mother died, this Mahapajapati Gotami took care of him like his own son. So because of that, you can imagine, you can think that she has a lot of love and respect for the Buddha. And she wanted to offer this pair of cloths made by her. You have to remember during the Buddha's time, cloth was not common. Cloth was very difficult to come by. So before you can make a robe or make any clothes to wear, you first have to make the cloth first. So they have to weave the cloth from string, weave the cloth. Then after that only you think of making your whatever you want to do with it. So she had taken this trouble to weave this new pair of cloths for the Buddha. And the Buddha told her to give it to the Sangha, but she didn't want to give it to the Sangha. She wanted to give only to him. And she asked even up to the third time. And the Buddha told him even up to the third time to give it to the Sangha. Then the Venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One, Venerable Sir, let the Blessed One accept the new pair of clothes from Mahapajapati Gautami. Maha Bajapati Gautami has been very helpful to the Blessed One, Venerable Sir. As his mother's sister, she was his nurse, his foster mother, the one who gave him milk. She suckled the Blessed One when his own mother died. The Blessed One too has been very helpful to Maha Bajapati Gautami, Venerable Sir. It is owing to the Blessed One that Maha Bajapati Gautami has gone for refuge to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. It is owing to the Blessed One that Mahapajapati Gautami abstains from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from misconduct in sensual pleasures, from false speech, and from wine, liquor, and intoxicants, which are the basis of negligence. It is owing to the Blessed One that Maha Bajapati Gautami possesses perfect confidence in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and that she possesses the virtues loved by noble ones. It is owing to the Blessed One that Maha Bajapati Gautami is free from doubt about suffering, about the origin of suffering, about the cessation of suffering, and about the way leading to the cessation of suffering. The Blessed One has been very helpful to Mahapajapati Gautami." And the Buddha said, that is so Ananda, that is so. And one person owing to another has gone for refuge to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. I say that it is not easy for the former to repay the latter by paying homage to him, rising up for him. according in reverential salutation and polite services, and by providing robes, alms food, resting places, and medicinal requisites. When one person, owing to another, has come to abstain from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from misconduct in sensual pleasures, from false speech, and from wine, liquor, and intoxicants which are the basis of negligence, I say that it is not easy for the former to repay the latter by paying homage to him, etc. When one person owing to another has come to possess perfect confidence in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and to possess the virtues loved by noble ones or Aryans, I say that it is not easy for the former to repay the latter by paying homage to him, etc. When one person owing to another has become free from doubt about suffering, about the origin of suffering, about the cessation of suffering, and about the way leading to the cessation of suffering, I say that it is not easy for the former to repay the latter by paying homage to him, rising up for him, according him reverential salutation and polite services, and by providing robes, alms, food, resting places, and medicinal requisites." Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says that it's so that He agrees that the Buddha says he has been very helpful to Mahapajapati Gautami. And the Buddha says, when one person owing to another has gone for refuge with the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, that means the person who brings you into the Buddhist religion to take refuge with the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, the Buddha said, it is not easy to repay the person who brings you to take refuge with the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. Even you pay homage to him, rising up for him, revere him, provide polite services, provide robes, alms, food, resting places, medicine, etc. It's still hard to repay the kindness. Secondly, this one why hard to repay the kindness? Because if a person comes into the Buddhist religion, then it is very beneficial. If he takes refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, it's very beneficial to him. He creates this affinity with the triple gem, so that in the future lifetime, he will have this affinity with the triple gem, lifetime after lifetime. And the second one, when one person owing to another comes to keep the precepts, his five precepts, and it's not easy to repay the kindness. Because if a person learns to keep the precepts, then he does not create evil kamma. And keeping the precepts is very important. If you keep the precepts, that is one of the reasons why a person can take rebirth in the heaven. But a person who breaks the precepts will either go down to the animal realm or to the hell realm. So that's why it's very important to keep the precepts. So if someone teaches you to keep the precepts, it's hard to repay his kindness. Then the third one, if a person possesses a perfect confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha and has the Aryan virtues, Aryan moral conduct, then what happens? This is the characteristic of a Sotapanna. Sotapanna, a first fruit Arya, has these four characteristics. Perfect confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, and possess the Aryan Sila, moral conduct. The Aryan Sila, the Aryan moral conduct, consists of the three factors in the Noble Eightfold Path. Right speech, right action, and right livelihood, which basically consists of seven precepts. So if someone helps another to possess these characteristics of the Sotapanna, that means helps him to become an Ariya, then it's very, very difficult to repay the kindness. That means teach him the Dhamma, teach him the Dhamma so that he has the perfect confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, and he will be able to keep the Arinsila. And then lastly, when one person owing to another has become free from doubt about the Four Noble Truths. Free from doubt about the Four Noble Truths, that means he possesses right view. A person who possesses right view has entered the stream. Once you enter the stream, you have attained the first path. Then, before dying, that path will turn to fruit, so it becomes a Sotapanna. So these last two are possessing perfect confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, and Ahrinvajjus. And the other one, free from doubt about our own overtruths, are the characteristics of a Sotapanna. There are 14 kinds of personal offerings, Ananda. One gives a gift to the Tathagata, Arahant, Samasambuddha. This is the first kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to a Pacheka Buddha. This is the second type of personal offering. One gives a gift to an Arahant disciple of the Tathagata. This is the third kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to one who has entered upon the way to the realization of the fruit of Arahantship. This is the fourth kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to a non-returner. That means a Sakadagamin. This is the fifth kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to one who has entered upon the way to the realization of the fruit of non-return. This is the sixth kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to a once-returner Anagamin. Sorry, one gives a gift to a once-returner is a Sakadagamin. Just now was Anagamin. The non-returner is an Anagamin. One gives a gift to a once-returner, Sakadagamin. This is the seventh kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to one who has entered upon the way to the realization of the fruit of once-return. This is the eighth kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to a stream-enterer. Sotapanna, this is the ninth kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to one who has entered upon the way to the realization of the fruit of stream entry. This is the tenth kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to one outside the Sasana, the Buddhist religion, who is free from lust for sensual pleasures. This is the eleventh kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to a virtuous, ordinary person This is the 12th kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to an immoral, ordinary person. This is the 13th kind of personal offering. One gives a gift to an animal. This is the 14th kind of personal offering. Let's stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha talks about the 14 kinds of personal offerings and the Buddha arranges them in the order of merit. If you give to to a person, the highest is giving to a Sammasambuddha, Arahant Sammasambuddha. And then secondly, to a Pacheka Buddha. Thirdly, to an Arahant disciple of the Buddha. Fourthly, one who has entered upon the way to the realization of the fruit of Arahantship. This means a fourth path attainer. And then you give to a non-returner, that's anagamin, it's the fifth type. And the sixth one, you give to one who has entered upon the way to the realization of the fruit of non-return. That means it's a third path attainer. Then after that, followed by the second fruit attainer, that second path attainer. Then first fruit attainer, that first path attainer. Then external ascetic who has attained the jhanas. So he is said to be free from lust from sensual pleasures. Free from lust from sensual pleasures. Then after that, virtuous ordinary person. Ordinary person is a putu jhana, not an ariya. But this person is virtuous. Then after that, an immoral ordinary person. Then after that, an animal. So you see from here, if you give to the Aryans, the merit is higher. But even the Aryans, they have different levels. One thing you notice here, you can give to a path attainer. You can give to a fourth path attainer, a third path attainer, a second path attainer, and a first path attainer. This directly contradicts the Abhidhamma. Because in the Abhidhamma, it says once a person attains a path, he exists only for one shana or one khana, one moment. The next conscious moment, he becomes a fruit attainer. So in other words, say for example, the fourth path attainer, once he attains the fourth path, immediately he becomes an arahant. If that is so, then you have no chance of giving to a path attainer. You have no chance of doing dāna to a path attainer. So here, since you can do an offering to a path attainer, it means that it exists more than one kāna, one conscious moment. So that's why people don't study the sutta. They don't see the contradiction between the Abhidhamma. Later books like the Abhidhamma or Vishuddhimagga or commentaries or Mahayana sutras. There are contradictions with the original sutras. The other thing I'd like you to notice here is that giving a gift to an external ascetic who is free from lust, from sensual pleasures, meaning he has attained the jhanas, the merit or the blessings is higher than giving to a virtuous ordinary person. So once a person has attained jhāna, he is quite special because jhāna is considered to be one of the uttari manussa dhamma, supernormal attainments. Supernormal attainments, jhāna, psychic powers, Aryan stages of attainment. All these are considered supernormal attainments. Here in Ananda, by giving a gift to an animal, the offering may be expected to repay a hundredfold. By giving a gift to an immoral ordinary person, the offering may be expected to repay a thousandfold. By giving a gift to a virtuous ordinary person, The offering may be expected to repay a hundred thousand fold by giving a gift to one outside the Sasana, the Buddha's religion, who is free from lust for sensual pleasures. The offering may be expected to repay a hundred thousand times a hundred thousand fold. By giving a gift to one who has entered upon the way to the realization of the fruit of stream-entry, the offering may be expected to repay incalculably, immeasurably. What then should be said about giving a gift to a stream-enterer? What should be said about giving a gift to one who has entered upon the way to the realization of the fruit of once-returned, or to a once-returner, or to one who has entered upon the way to the realization of the fruit of non-return? or to a non-returner, or to one who has entered upon the way to the realization of the fruit of arahantship, or to an arahant, or to a Pacheka Buddha. What should be said about giving a gift to a Tathagata, arahant, samasambuddha? I'll stop here for a moment. So you see, if you give a gift to an animal, the offering may be expected to repay a hundredfold. That means, for example, you give a a plate of food to an animal, when your kamma, this vipaka, ripens, you get the result of the merit from the offering, you expect to get a hundred plates of food, a hundredfold. Then you give to an immoral, ordinary person, a person who does not keep the precept, then you should expect to get a thousand times more than what you gave him. And then you give to a virtuous ordinary person, you should expect to get a hundred thousand times what you gave to a virtuous ordinary person. And then you give to an external ascetic who has attained the Jhanas, you can expect to receive a hundred thousand times a hundred thousand. That means 10 to the power of 10 is 10 billion times what you give. And then if you give to any Aryan, the result is immeasurable, incalculable. So this is the fruit of giving to a personal offering, giving to a single person or even an animal. So you can see because the merit of giving to an Aryan is incalculable. So that's why people like to, in Buddhist countries, people like to give to monks and nuns because they think the chances of finding an Arya among the monks and nuns are higher than among lay people. There are seven kinds of offerings made to the Sangha, Ananda. One gives a gift to the Sangha of both monks and nuns, headed by the Buddha. This is the first kind of offering made to the Sangha. One gives a gift to a Sangha of both monks and nuns, after the Tathagata has attained final Nibbana. This is the second kind of offering made to the Sangha. One gives a gift to a Sangha of monks. This is the third kind of offering made to the Sangha. One gives a gift to a Sangha of nuns. This is the fourth kind of offering made to the Sangha. One gives a gift saying, appoint so many monks and nuns for me from the Sangha. This is the fifth kind of offering made to the Sangha. One gives a gift saying, appoint so many monks for me from the Sangha. This is the sixth kind of offering made to the Sangha. One gives a gift saying, appoint so many nuns for me from the Sangha. This is the seventh kind of offering made to the Sangha. In future times, Ananda, there will be members of the clan who are yellownecks, immoral, of evil character. people will give gifts to those immoral persons for the sake of the Sangha. Even then, I say, an offering made to the Sangha is incalculable, immeasurable. And I say that in no way does a gift to a person individually ever have greater fruit than an offering made to the Sangha." I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha describes the different levels of offering. the different levels of merit when you give to the Sangha. The most meritorious when you give to the Sangha of monks and nuns headed by the Buddha. Then the second one is after the Buddha has passed into Nibbana, then you give a gift to the Sangha of both monks and nuns, etc. So this is the declining merit of giving to a Sangha. One thing I must say that in the Vinaya books, it is mentioned that, for example, if you give to the monk Sangha and nun Sangha, for example, if a person offers 10 robes, and he says these 10 robes are both for the monk Sangha and nun Sangha, Even it happens that there are 20 monks and one nun. Because he has said that these robes are to be given to the monk and nun sangha, then it means the monk sangha has to get five robes and the nun sangha has to get five robes. So even you have one nun, you must give that one nun five robes. and you have to give the twenty monks five robes because it is an offering to the Sangha, not a personal offering. Because the Sangha in the Vinaya does not mean the existing monks. It means the monks present and in future for eternity. So for example, if somebody gives a gift to the Sangha of Vihara Buddha Gautama, It means the monks who presently reside here and all future monks who reside here for eternity. So even if you have one monk staying in this vihara and you give an offering with the thought you want to give to the Sangha, then the merit is the merit of giving to a Sangha, not to an individual. So the number of monks does not count. It's your intention whether you give to the person or to the Sangha. There are some people, they don't understand this and they are greedy for merit. They like to give to famous monks. It's not necessary to give to famous monks. You just give to the Sangha, that's more meritorious than giving to any famous monk. This last part, the Buddha says, in the future The Sangha may consist of immoral monks, of evil character. That means they don't keep the precepts, they don't practice the holy path. Even then, if you give a gift to the Sangha, even to those corrupt monks, your gift is higher than giving to any individual, which means the merit is higher than giving even to the Buddha himself. So you must remember, if you want a lot of merit, always give to the Sangha. That's why in the beginning of this sutta, when Maha Prajapati wanted to give the robe, the cloth, to the Buddha himself, the Buddha said, no, give it to the Sangha. Because the Buddha wants to teach people that they should give to the Sangha. Then let the Sangha decide who is worthy to receive the cloth or the robe. So remember, Offering to the Sangha is immeasurable. Don't be choosy which monk you give to. And also remember that even if the monks are corrupt, if your intention is to give to the Sangha, then the merit is incalculable, immeasurable. There are four kinds of purification of offering. What four? There is the offering that is purified by the giver, not by the receiver. There is the offering that is purified by the receiver, not by the giver. There is the offering that is purified neither by the giver nor by the receiver. There is the offering that is purified both by the giver and by the receiver. And what is the offering that is purified by the giver, not by the receiver? Here the giver is virtuous, of good character, and the receiver is immoral, of evil character. Thus the offering is purified by the giver, not by the receiver. And what is the offering that is purified by the receiver, not by the giver? Here the giver is immoral, of evil character, and the receiver is virtuous, of good character. Thus the offering is purified by the receiver, not by the giver. And what is the offering that is purified neither by the giver nor by the receiver? Here the giver is immoral, of evil character, and the receiver is immoral, of evil character. Thus the offering is purified neither by the giver nor by the receiver. And what is the offering that is purified both by the giver and by the receiver? Here the giver is virtuous of good character and the receiver is virtuous of good character. Thus the offering is purified both by the giver and by the receiver. These are the four kinds of purification of offering. Stop here for a moment. So you can see here the gift or the offering is purified and one of the parties is virtuous. The more virtuous, the greater the merit of that giving. So there is a case where the giver is virtuous. The second case is the receiver is virtuous. But I think the best case is the last one, where the giver and the receiver both are virtuous. Then the merit is the highest. That is what the Blessed One said. When the sublime One had said that, the teacher said further, When a virtuous person to an immoral person gives, with trusting heart, a gift righteously obtained, placing faith that the fruit of action is great, the giver's virtue purifies the offering. When an immoral person to a virtuous person gives with untrusting heart, a gift unrighteously obtained, nor places faith that the fruit of action is great, the receiver's virtue purifies the offering. When an immoral person to an immoral person gives, with untrusting heart, a gift unrighteously obtained, nor places faith that the fruit of action is great, neither's virtue purifies the offering. When a virtuous person to a virtuous person gives, with trusting heart, a gift righteously obtained, placing faith that the fruit of action is great, that gift, I say, will come to full fruition. When a passionless person to a passionless person gives, with trusting heart, a gift righteously obtained, placing faith that the fruit of action is great, that gift, I say, is the best of worldly gifts. This passionless person can be said to be one who has attained the Jhanas, is free from passion. Passion can be said to be sensual, desire plus anger. So one who has attained the jhanas, if you give to another person who has attained the jhanas, then the food is very great. But a passionless person can also mean arahant. If an arahant gives to another arahant, But then this is not very likely. But say like an Aryan disciple, for example, Sotapanna, he gives to an Aryan monk, then the gift is very, very meritorious. For example, we read in the last year, the Samyutta Nikaya, The Buddha had some Anagamin disciples, like Citta, and these lay disciples, like Citta, they like to offer to the Sangha. And these monks and nuns, they mention monks, but I'm not sure whether nuns come. They regularly come to his house and take the meal. So that type of person, he gives to the Sangha. and he gives to Aryan, then the virtue, the merit is very, very great. So this Dakina Vibhanga Sutta is very interesting. There are a few things here we learn. One is that you can give to path attainers, meaning that path attainers exist more than one khana, one moment, one conscious moment, which contradicts the Abhidhamma. And then secondly, the various levels of merit you get from giving to individuals. The highest merit is giving to a Sammasambuddha on the individual level. And after that the Buddha says that the merit of giving to a Sangha is much more than giving to any individual. giving to a Buddha, the merit is not as great as giving to a Sangha. And I mentioned from the Vinaya books, giving to a Sangha doesn't necessarily mean you have four monks or more. Even if you give to one monk, it can be meant a gift to the Sangha if your intention is to give to the Sangha, to support the Sangha. And it's stated here very clearly that even the monks are immoral, corrupt, but if your intention is to give to the Sangha, then the merit is immeasurable, incalculable, and surpasses even giving to the Buddha himself. And lastly, the purification of the gift is when the giver or the receiver is virtuous. So we stop here for tonight. Anything to discuss? Anyway, this is a piece, and I'm going to go over it now, but I'm going to go over it as well. It's a piece that is very close to what I'm going to be doing. It's very close to what I'm going to be doing. What is meant by a hundredfold or a thousandfold is that if you don't consider other conditions, you don't consider other conditions, then only this act of giving to an animal, for example, then the merit will be a hundred times what you gave. Kamavipaka, ripening, can be either this lifetime or can be a future lifetime or may not even ripen because there are so many factors involved. Generally, yes. There's more than that because not only you get a better life in the future, it also helps you when you want to practice the spiritual path. Because if you, for example, when we meditate, For the mind to calm down, for the mind to become one-pointed, it's very important that we have enough blessings because the blessings will make us happy. This happiness comes in two ways. One is from this charity. When you do charity, you do a lot of charity, then when you remember it or you think about it, you become very happy. Secondly, from keeping the precepts. If a person's precept is pure, then you have no remorse. Remorse is a condition for making us not happy. You need to be happy to be able to attain the jhanas. The merit of giving charity is helpful, not only in your future lifetime, but also in the spiritual path. For example, if a person has given, has done charity, has done much charity in the past, in the future lifetime, that person one day will probably become a monk. Because I believe that most of us in the future, one day, most people will become a monk or a nun to practice and get out of samsara. So if a person does a lot of charity, when you wear the robe and you beg for food, you get a lot of offerings. But if you don't do much charity, Next time when you wear the robe and you go and beg for your food, you're not going to get much offerings or much good offerings. It depends whether there are some temples If you give to the temple, the money may not be used to benefit the monks. It might be used by the committee in other ways. But if you give for the benefit of the Sangha, it goes to benefit the Sangha, then it's considered a gift to the Sangha. There are a lot of people who are craving for these talents. Isn't it better to give because you are happy in giving? Yes, of course, it is mentioned in the Sutta that if you do charity with a view to get this and to get that, then your merit is reduced because you have the selfish intention. It is better to give something without expecting anything. Also, you must know that it is a meritorious act. You see here in page 1106, when a virtuous person to an immoral person gives with trusting heart, a gift righteously obtained, placing faith that the fruit of action is great, the giver's virtue purifies the offering. So you see these passages here, whenever it mentions the virtuous person giving, he gives with a trusting heart, and he has the faith that the fruit of action is great, that he realizes that giving is not only good, that it's meritorious. But you see, when an immoral person to a virtuous person gives with untrusting heart, a gift unrighteously obtained, nor places faith that the fruit of action is great. This immoral person, he is immoral means he does not understand kamavipaka. That's why he does not keep the precepts, that's why he is immoral. So because he does not understand kamavipaka, so when he gives a gift also, he doesn't think that the that it is virtuous. Okay, no more questions. We can stop here.

44-MN-143-Anathapindikovada--144-Channovada-(2010-09-18).txt

This is the 18th of September and this is the 60th time we are speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Tonight we come to Sutta 143, Anathapindikovada Sutta, Advice to Anathapindika. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Sawati in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. On that occasion, the householder, Anathapindika, was afflicted, suffering and gravely ill. Then he addressed a certain man thus, Come, good man, go to the Blessed One. Pay homage in my name with your head at his feet and say, Humble Sir, the householder Anathapindika is afflicted, suffering and gravely ill. He pays homage with his head at the Blessed One's feet. Then go to the Venerable Sariputta, pay homage in my name with your head at his feet and say, Venerable Sir, the householder Anathapindika is afflicted, suffering and gravely ill. He pays homage with his head at the Venerable Sariputta's feet. Then say, it would be good, Venerable Sir, if the Venerable Sariputta would come to the residence of the householder Anathapindika out of compassion. Yes, sir, the man replied. And he went to the Blessed One. And after paying homage to the Blessed One, he sat down at one side and delivered his message. Then he went to the Vembul Sariputta. And after paying homage to the Vembul Sariputta, he delivered his message, saying, It would be good, Vembul Sir, if the Vembul Sariputta would come to the residence of the householder, Anathapindika, out of compassion. The Vembul Sariputta consented in silence. Up here for a moment, this Anathapindika is actually his nickname. And his real name, I think, is Sudatta. Something like that. And he offered this Jetavana, this grove, which he bought from Prince Jeta to make into a monastery. and it is probably one of the Buddha's favourite monasteries because he spent the most number of asas, grains retreat, in this monastery compared to other monasteries. Also you notice here, this Anathapindika is gravely ill and he asked a man to go and inform the Buddha and also to inform Venerable Sariputta. But he only asked Venerable Sariputta to come and visit him, come to his residence. It seems that of all the monks, he has the greatest respect for Venerable Sariputta. Then the Venerable Sariputta dressed, and taking his bowl and outer robe, went to the residence of the householder, Anathapindika, with the Venerable Ananda as his attendant. Having gone there, he sat down on a seat made ready, and said to the householder, Anathapindika, I hope you are getting well, householder. I hope you are comfortable. I hope your painful feelings are subsiding and not increasing. And they are subsiding, not their increase is apparent. And he said, Remember Sariputta, I'm not getting well. I'm not comfortable. My painful feelings are increasing, not subsiding. They increase and not their subsiding is apparent. Just as if a strong man was splitting my head open with a sharp sword, so too violent winds cut through my head. I am not getting well, I am not comfortable, etc. Just as if a strong man were tightening a tough leather strap around my head as a headband, so too there are violent pains in my head. I'm not getting well, I'm not comfortable, etc. Just as if a skilled butcher or his apprentice were to carve up an ox's belly with a sharp butcher's knife, so too violent winds are carving up my belly. I'm not getting well. Just as if two strong men were to seize a weaker man by both arms and roast him over a pit of hot coals, so too there is a violent burning in my body. I am not getting well. I am not comfortable. My painful feelings are increasing, not subsiding. Their increase and not their subsiding is apparent. Stop here for a moment. You see here in paragraph 3, Venerable Sariputta dressed, and taking his bowl and outer robe, went to the residence of the householder, Anathapindika, with the Venerable Ananda as his attendant. During the Buddha's time, this was the norm. If a monk goes somewhere to either to a family to visit, like in this case, or maybe to the nun's quarters to teach the Dhamma, is always accompanied by a more junior monk as the attendant. Nowadays, very few monasteries practice this, except those that keep a strict vinaya. And also you notice in paragraph four, this Natapindika, he said, his painful feelings are increasing. And as if a strong man was splitting my head open with a sharp sword. So violent winds cut through my head. As if a strong man were tightening a tough leather strap around my head. Violent pains, there are violent pains in my head. Just as if a butcher were to carve up an ox's belly, so too violent winds are carving up my belly. Just as if two strong men were to seize a weaker man and roast him over a pit of hot coals, so too there is a violent burning in my body. So you can see from his description, his pains are very severe. And these are the death pains when somebody is about to die. All these pains are like that. So in a few years' time, when our time comes, you can expect all this before you pass away. For a lot of people. Then, householder, you should train thus, I will not cling to the eye, and my consciousness will not be dependent on the eye. Thus, you should train. You should train thus, I will not cling to the ear, and my consciousness will not be dependent on the ear. Similarly, I will not cling to the nose, to the tongue, to the body, to the mind, and my consciousness will not be dependent on these sense bases. Householder, you should train thus, I will not cling to forms, I will not cling to sounds, to odours, to flavours, to tangibles, to mind objects, and my consciousness will not be dependent on these external sense objects, thus you should train. Householder, you should train thus, I will not cling to eye consciousness, to ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, mind consciousness, and my consciousness will not be dependent on the sense consciousness. Householder, if you train thus, I will not cling to eye contact, ear contact, nose contact, tongue contact, body contact, mind contact, and my consciousness will not be dependent on sense contact. Thus you should train. Householder, if you train thus, I will not cling to feeling born of eye contact, to feeling born of ear contact, to feeling born of nose contact, to feeling born of tongue contact, to feeling born of body contact, to feeling born of mind contact. And my consciousness will not be dependent on feeling born of sense contact. Thus you should train. Stop here for a moment. So here you see paragraph five. I will not cling to the eye, to the ear, nose, tongue, and all that. And my consciousness will not be dependent on these sense bases. And then, number six, I will not cling to the external sense objects, and my consciousness will not be dependent on the external sense objects. Number seven, I will not cling to eye, consciousness, ear, consciousness, et cetera, and my consciousness will not be dependent on these sense consciousnesses. So this one you see here, it's like implying that there is another type of consciousness. other than the six sense consciousnesses. In the Kevada Sutta of the Digha Nikaya, the Buddha said that the state of Nibbana or Parinibbana, in that state, after arahant has passed on, that there is a type of consciousness which is luminous and boundless. And yet, it is different from the normal consciousness in that it has no object. Normally, our six sense consciousness must have an object, eye consciousness. It must have a form for you to see before the eye consciousness can arise. Similarly, there must be sound before the ear consciousness can arise, etc., for the six sense basis. This state of Parinibbana after Arhant has passed on, that consciousness is boundless and has no object. Like the Buddha says, has no long and short, no big and small, etc. No discrimination. So this seems to imply that consciousness. Then number eight, I will not cling to the different types of contact, the sense contact. I will not cling to the feelings. My consciousness will not cling to feelings. Not dependent on feelings. How so? You should train thus. I will not cling to the earth element. I will not cling to the water element, fire element, air element, space element, consciousness element. And my consciousness will not be dependent on these elements. Thus you should train. Householder, if you train thus, I will not cling to material form, to feeling, perception, volition, consciousness, and my consciousness will not be dependent on these aggregates. Householder, if you train thus, I will not cling to the base of infinite space, to the base of infinite consciousness, to the base of nothingness, to the base of neither perception nor non-perception, and my consciousness will not be dependent on these arupas or arupajanas. Thus should you train. Householder, you should train thus. I will not cling to this world, and my consciousness will not be dependent on this world. I will not cling to the world beyond, and my consciousness will not be dependent on the world beyond. Thus you should train. Householder, you should train thus. I will not cling to what is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, encountered, sought after, and examined by the mind. And my consciousness will not be dependent on that. Thus you should train. I'll stop here for a moment. So we go back to paragraph 10. Here is advising him not to cling to the six elements in the body and the mind. And 11, not to cling to the five aggregates which we take to be I and mine. And then number 12, not to cling to the various arupas, arupajanas, and in other words, not to cling to the janas. I don't think our Anathapindika has attained the janas. Then number 13, I will not cling to this world, will not cling to the world beyond. I guess you can only do that via arahant. And then, I will not cling to what is seen, heard, sensed. What is seen are sights, what is heard are sounds. And then the last one, sought after and examined by the mind. What is examined by the mind are thoughts. So the middle one, sense, refers to smell, taste, and touch. In other words, I will not cling to sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and thoughts. These sense objects. When this was said, the householder, Anathapindika, wept and shed tears. Then the rebel Ananda asked him, are you foundering, householder? Are you sinking? And he said, I am not foundering, Vembul Ananda. I am not sinking. But although I have long waited upon the teacher and the monks worthy of esteem, never before have I heard such a talk on the Dhamma. And Venerable Sariputta said, such talk on the Dhamma, householder, is not given to lay people clothed in white. Such talk on the Dhamma is given to those who have gone forth. And he said, well then, Venerable Sariputta, let such talk on the Dhamma be given to lay people clothed in white. There are clansmen with little dust in their eyes who are wasting away to not hearing such talk on the Dhamma. It will be those who will understand the Dhamma. Then after giving the householder Anathapindika this advice, the Venerable Sariputta and the Venerable Ananda rose from their seats and departed. Soon after they had left, the householder Anathapindika died and reappeared in the Tusita heaven. I'll stop here for a moment. So you see earlier in the sutra when the way Anathapindika described his sickness as though You are saying that there is painful feelings are increasing, violent winds cut through the head, violent pains in the head, violent winds carving up the belly, violent roasting in the body, all this after Venerable Sariputta heard, Venerable Sariputta realized this man is going to pass away very soon. So gave him very serious talk on the Dhamma, which is normally only given to monks. And then he was quite touched by this Dhamma, which he had never heard before. That's why he wept. So, you see, after Venerable Sariputta and Venerable Ananda left, Ananda Apindika passed on and reappeared in the Tusita heaven. It's interesting, his rebirth in the Tushita heaven. Why? Because this Anathapindika is the man, you can say, who gave the most material offerings to the Buddha and the Sangha. The layman who gave the most. The laywoman who gave the most was Visakha. So, Anathapindika, You can see he has perfect dana. He has done perfect dana. He cannot do higher offering, material offering, than to the Buddha and the monk and nun sangha. And then I guess somebody like Anathapindika, having heard a lot of dhamma from the Buddha, staunch supporter of the Buddha, he must have been keeping very good sila also. But as a layman, I don't think he He really meditated and attained the jhanas. So you see, somebody who has perfect dana and sila is reborn in the Tusita heaven. So you can guess from here that if you just rely on dana and sila, generosity and moral conduct, the highest you can go, you can expect to go, is to be reborn in the Tusita heaven. So this is the fourth heaven. in the central desire realm. The lowest is the heaven of the four great heavenly kings. The second is the Tavatimsa heaven, the heaven of the 33 gods. And then the next is the Yama gods. And then the fourth is Tushita heaven. The fifth is Nimana Rati heaven. And the sixth is Paranimitta-Vassavati heaven. The fifth and the sixth have very high blessings, so much so that when they just think of anything they want, it appears. So it seems to me that only people who practice the spiritual path generally are reborn in the fifth and the sixth heaven, or higher than that, Brahma heaven. So you see somebody like Mara, he's born in the 6th heaven, 6th heaven of the central diadem. So I have a feeling somebody like Mara must have been a cultivator, possibly a monk in the previous life. But the ego, you cannot let go of the ego. So although he has a lot of blessings, because of the ego, he's reborn as Mara. Or somebody else might be born in Mara's retinue. So I have a lot of blessings, but this shows that this ego is very important. It's very important to cut, to eliminate, otherwise you'll be joining Mara up there. Then when the night was well advanced, Anathapindika, now a young god of beautiful appearance, went to the Blessed One, illuminating the whole of Jeta's Grove. After paying homage to the Blessed One, he stood at one side and addressed the Blessed One in stanzas. O blessed is this Jeta's Grove, dwelt in by the sagely Sangha, wherein resides the King of Dhamma, Dhammaraja. the fount or source of all my happiness, by action, knowledge and dhamma, by virtue and noble way of life. By these are mortals purified, not by lineage or wealth. Therefore, a wise person who sees what truly leads to his own good should investigate the dhamma and purify himself with it. Sariputta has reached the peak In virtue, peace, and wisdom's ways, any monk who has gone beyond, at best, can only equal him. That is what the young god Anathapindika said, and the teacher approved. Then the young god Anathapindika, thinking, the teacher has approved of me, paid homage to the Blessed One, and keeping him on his right, he vanished at once. When the night had ended, the Blessed One addressed the monks thus, Monks, last night when the night was well advanced, there came to me a young a certain young god of beautiful appearance who illuminated the whole of Jata's Grove. After paying homage to me, he stood at one side and addressed me in stanzas thus, O blessed is this Jata's Grove, dwelt in by the sagely Sangha, etc. That is what the young god said. Then the young god, thinking, the teacher has approved of me, paid homage to me, and keeping me on his right, he vanished at once. When this was said, the Venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One, Surely, Venerable Sir, that young god must have been Anathapindika, or the householder Anathapindika had perfect confidence in the Venerable Sariputta. Good, good, Ananda. You have deduced the right conclusion. That young God was Anathapindika, no one else. That is what the Blessed One said. The Venerable Ananda was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. Okay. Now we come to the next sutta, 144th, Canovada Sutta, Advice to Jhana. This sutra is also found in the Samyutta Nikaya. Under the 35th chapter, the sutra is the 87th sutra there. In other words, Samyutta Nikaya Sutra 35.87. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Raja Gaha in the bamboo grove, the squirrel sanctuary. On that occasion, the Venerable Sariputta, Venerable Mahajunda and Venerable Chana were living on the mountain, Voucher Peak Bijakuta. On that occasion, the Venerable Channa was afflicted, suffering and gravely ill. Then when it was evening, the Venerable Sariputta arose from meditation, went to the Venerable Maha Chunda and said to him, Friend Chunda, let us go to the Venerable Channa and ask about his illness. Yes, friend, Venerable Maha Chunda replied. Then the Venerable Sariputta and the Venerable Mahacunda went to the Venerable Jhana and exchanged greetings with him. And this courteous and amiable talk was finished. They sat down at one side. And the Venerable Sariputta said to the Venerable Jhana, I hope you are getting well, friend Jhana. I hope you are comfortable. I hope your painful feelings are subsiding and not increasing, and that their subsiding, not their increase, is apparent. And he replied, friend Sariputta, I'm not getting well. I'm not comfortable. My painful feelings are increasing, not subsiding. And then he described similarly as the previous sutta, 143, paragraph 4, these death pains that he's feeling. And he said, I shall use the knife, friend Sariputta. I have no desire to live. So this monk, he says he wants to commit suicide. His pains are extremely painful. He has no more desire to live. During the Buddha's time, it's not like nowadays, we have painkillers, we have a lot of very advanced medicine. In those days, monks, like these disciples of the Buddha, When they are sick, they rely mainly on urine as their medicine, stale urine. They are supposed to keep urine for seven days with some medicinal fruits. So when his pain is quite severe like this monk, he has no more desire to live. One thing you must understand, even an arahant experiences pain because there are two types of pain, bodily suffering and mental suffering. Aryans have no more mental suffering because Aryans understand kamavipaka, they understand the dhamma, they accept whatever comes, unlike an ordinary person, but even Aryans have bodily pain. due to growing old, sickness and dying. So he experiences the same bodily pain as any other person. And then Venerable Sakuta said, let the Venerable Jhana not use the knife. Let the Venerable Jhana live. We want the Venerable Jhana to live. If he lacks suitable food, I will go in search of suitable food for him. If he lacks suitable medicine, I will go in search of suitable medicine for him. If he lacks a proper attendant, I will attend on him. Let the Venerable Jhana not use the knife. Let the Venerable Jhana live. We want the Venerable Jhana to live. And he said, Friend Sariputta, it is not that I have no suitable food and medicine or no proper attendant, but rather, Friend Sariputta, the teacher has long been worshipped by me with love, not without love, for it is proper for the disciple to worship the teacher with love, not without love. Friend Sariputta, remember this, the monk Jhana will use the knife blamelessly. Stop here for a moment. So, you can see from here, he says, the teacher has long been worshipped by me. Normally, when a monk attains Arahanthood, when he comes to tell the Buddha, or he tells other monks, he will say that the teacher has been worshipped by me. That means he has given the highest veneration to the Buddha by attaining Arahanthood. So here he is implying that he has attained Arahanthood for a long time. And this is further strengthened by this last sentence here. He said, Friend Sariputta, remember this, the monk Jhana will use the knife blamelessly. The Buddha says in the suttas that if a monk dies, as an Arahant, then even if he commits suicide, he's blameless because he has finished his work. So it's quite clear from here that he's trying to tell Venerable Sariputta that he's already attained Arahanthood quite a long time. But in the commentary, The commentary to this Majjhima Nikaya, the commentaries which are written by later monks, they say that he overestimated himself, that he was still an ordinary person, which I think is not correct. Venerable Sariputta said, we would ask the Venerable Jhana certain questions if the Venerable Jhana finds it opportune to reply. Ask friend Sariputta, when I have heard, I shall know. Friend Jhana, do you regard the eye, eye consciousness and things cognizable by the mind through eye consciousness thus, this is mind, this I am, this is myself? Similarly, do you regard the ear, nose, tongue, body, mind? the corresponding consciousness and things cognizable through the consciousness. Thus, this is mine, this I am, this is myself. And he answered, Friend Sariputta, I regard the I, I consciousness and things cognizable by the mind through I consciousness. Thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. Similarly, I regard the ear, nose, tongue, body, mind. Mind consciousness and things cognizable by the mind, through mind consciousness, that this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. And Venerable Sariputta asks again, Friend Channa, what have you seen, what have you directly known in the eye, in eye consciousness and in things cognizable by the eye through eye consciousness that you regard them thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. What have you seen, what have you directly known in the ear, in the nose, in the tongue, in the body, in the mind, in mind consciousness and in things cognizable by the mind through mind consciousness Then you regard them thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. And he replied, Friend Sariputta, it is through seeing cessation, through directly knowing cessation in the eye, in eye consciousness, and in things cognizable by the mind through eye consciousness, that I regard them thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. It is through seeing cessation, through directly knowing cessation in the ear, in the nose, in the tongue, in the body, in the mind, in mind consciousness and in things cognizable by the mind through mind consciousness that I regard them thus. This is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. Stop here for a moment. So this Venerable Sariputta, because he does not have psychic power, is not able to read the mind of this Venerable Channa and determine whether he is already an arahant or not. That's why he asks him these dhamma questions to try to test him to see whether he is an arahant or not. But he replies, his replies are appropriate of an arahant. that he sees all these sense organs, sense consciousnesses and sense objects as not mine, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. And when Venerable Sariputta asks him, how do you know this? Then he says, he has seen cessation. He has directly known cessation in the eye and eye consciousness, etc. So this can mean two things. Either he has seen very clearly with wisdom, or he may have attained a cessation of feeling and perception, that state where consciousness ceases entirely. You can draw two conclusions from here. He has seen cessation, directly known cessation, in the sense objects, in the sense bases, etc. Either he has seen by wisdom or he has seen directly through cessation of feeling and perception. In either case also, you can see from here, he is very sure of himself. For example, Chana, very sure of himself. When this was said, the verbal Maha Chunda said to the verbal Chana, Therefore, friend Chana, this instruction of the Blessed Ones is to be constantly given attention. There is wavering in one who is dependent. There is no wavering in one who is independent. When there is no wavering, there is tranquility. When there is tranquility, there is no bias. When there is no bias, there is no coming and going. When there is no coming and going, there is no passing away and reappearing. When there is no passing away and reappearing, there is no here nor beyond nor in between. This is the end of suffering. So you can see from here also, Mahacunda also probably does not have the ability to determine whether this Abhocana is an arahant or not. So he gave him this advice. He said, we bring in one who is dependent. Dependent on what? Dependent on forms, on sounds, on the sense objects. on the sense basis, on the sense consciousness, et cetera. Just like earlier we read in the Anathapindika Vadasutta, where Venerable Sariputta spoke to this Anathapindika, I told him not to depend on all these sense basis, sense objects, sense consciousness, et cetera. Then when the mind is not dependent on these, then there's no wavering. And when there's no wavering, there is tranquility. And then there is tranquility. There's no bias. There's no coming and going. There's no passing away and reappearing. Nor here, nor beyond, nor in between. That means no no rebirth back here or in some other plane of existence or in between. In between can be like the intermediate state before entering the womb. Then when the Venerable Sariputta and the Venerable Maha Chunda had advised the Venerable Channa thus, they rose from their seats and went away. Then soon after they had gone, the Venerable Channa used the knife. Let me see, committed suicide. Then the Venerable Sariputta went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to Him, he sat down at one side and said to the Blessed One, Venerable Sir, the Venerable Cana has used the knife. What is his destination? What is his future cause? And the Buddha said, Sariputta, didn't the monk Cana declare to you his blamelessness? And then Venerable Sariputta said, Venerable Sir, there is a Vajan village called Pubajira. There the Venerable Cana had families that were his friends. families that were his intimates, families that were blameworthy. And the Buddha said, there are those families that were friends of the monk Jhana Sariputta, families that were his intimates, families that were blameworthy. But I do not say that to this extent he was blameworthy. Sariputta, when one lays down this body and clings to a new body, then I say one is blameworthy. There was none of that in the monk Jhana. The monk Jhana used the knife blamelessly. That is what the blessed one said. The rebel Sariputta was satisfied and delighted in the blessed one's words. So here you can see When Venerable Sariputta asked the Buddha where was this Venerable Jhana reborn, the Buddha said, didn't the monk Jhana declare to you his blamelessness? That means that he already attained Arahanthood. But even though the Buddha said that, this Venerable Sariputta was doubtful. He said there is this families that were friends of Venerable Jhana, families that were very intimate to him. Families that were blameworthy. Blameworthy in the sense that they were too intimate with the Venerable Channa. So the Buddha said that even to the extent that they were blameworthy, but he was, this Venerable Channa was not blameworthy, the Buddha says, because he was not reborn. He didn't cling to another body. And the Buddha says there was none of that in the monk jhāna. The monk jhāna used the knife blamelessly. That means the Buddha is also very definite that the monk jhāna was an arahant. But the commentaries say a bit different. The commentaries say that this rebel jhāna cut his throat. And at the moment he cut his throat, fear arose. meaning he was still an ordinary person, a puttujana. Then he immediately meditated and developed insight and became liberated. It's hard to believe. I think if he has fear at that stage, it's difficult to calm his mind and develop insight and attain arahanthood all in a matter of a few seconds. And also the commentary and the sub-commentary says, when this sutta mentions families that were his friends, families that were his intimates, families that were blameworthy, the commentaries and sub-commentaries says that they were both charna associated with families in improper ways. But I don't think as an Arahant he would behave improperly to these families. I think the most was he was very intimate to them, probably they were very, had strong affinity with him through many lifetimes. So he was very intimate with them, probably goes often to see them, to teach them the Dhamma, to accept their offerings and all that. But you can see, since the Buddha said, there was none of that in the monk Jhana. The monk Jhana used the knife blamelessly. So you can see from here, what the commentary says cannot be accepted, cannot be trusted. The monk Jhana, he said for a long time already, he had worshipped the Buddha for a long time already, had attained Arahanthood. So this is one of the suttas which shows that During the Buddha's time, there were some Arahants who committed suicide. But in the Buddha's Dhamma Vinaya, it is blameless so long as he has finished his work. If he has finished his work, does not take up another body, then he can commit suicide. It is not blameworthy at all.

45-MN-145-Punnovada-(2010-09-18).txt

Now we come to Sutta 145, Puno Vada Sutta, Advice to Puna. This Sutta is also found in the Samyutta Nikaya 35.88. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jeta's Grove and at Apindika's Park. Then when it was evening, the Venerable Puna rose from meditation and went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to the Blessed One, he sat down at one side and said to Him, Venerable Sir, it would be good if the Blessed One would give me brief advice. Having heard the Dhamma from the Blessed One, I will abide alone, withdrawn, diligent, ardent and resolute. Well then, Puna, listen and attend carefully to what I shall say. Yes, Venerable Sir, the Venerable Puna replied. I'll stop here for a moment. When a monk has ordained, has taken the higher ordination, he's supposed to stay with the teacher for five years. Either stay with the preceptor or stay with the teacher. The preceptor in Pali is called the Upajaya. The teacher in Pali is called the Acharya. This word Acharya in Thailand came to be called Achan. So it looks like this Venerable Buddha, he has gone through this probationary period of five years staying with a teacher. Now he wants to go and stay alone and practice hard. So he came to the Buddha for some brief instructions. The Blessed One said, Puna, there are forms cognizable by the eye that are wished for, desired, agreeable, and likable, connected with sensual desire, and provocative of lust. If a monk delights in them, welcomes them, and remains holding to them, delight arises in him. With the arising of delight, puna, there is the arising of suffering, I say. There are puna, sounds cognizable by the ear, odours cognizable by the nose, flavours cognizable by the tongue, tangibles cognizable by the body, mind objects cognizable by the mind that are wished for or desired, agreeable and likeable, connected with sensual desire and provocative of lust. If a monk delights in them, welcomes them, and remains holding to them, delight arises in him. With the arising of delight, puna, there is the arising of suffering, I say. Punna, there are forms cognizable by the eye, sounds cognizable by the ear, odors, flavors, tangibles, mind objects that are wished for, desired, agreeable and likable, connected with sensual desire and provocative of lust. If a monk does not delight in them, welcome them and remain holding to them, delight ceases in him. With the cessation of delight, punna, there is the cessation of suffering, I say." Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says, that we are usually attracted by the six sense objects. Forms, beautiful forms, nice music, nice perfume, good taste, touch and thoughts. So if we take delight in these sense objects, then craving will arise. That is a natural consequence. The Buddha says in sensual pleasures, whenever we enjoy anything, there is a tendency to crave for it, to want it again and again. And from there, attachment arises. But then in this world, the Buddha says everything must change. Everything is impermanent. So, for example, relationships change, people change, etc. And even property, wealth, and all that also can change. So because you're attached to it, when it changes, it gives you suffering. But if you don't attach to it, then when it changes, then you do not suffer. You don't suffer. Now that I have given you this brief advice, Poona, in which country will you dwell? Pampusa, now that the Blessed One has given me this brief advice, I am going to dwell in the Suna Paranta country. Poona, the people of Suna Paranta are fierce and rough. If they abuse you and threaten you, what will you think then? Remember, sir, if the people of Sunapuranta abuse and threaten me, then I shall think, these people of Sunapuranta are kind, truly kind, in that they did not give me a blow with the fist. Then I shall think thus, blessed one, then I shall think thus, sublime one. But Poona, if the people of Sunapuranta do give you a blow with the fist, what will you think then? For example, sir, if the people of Suna Paranthah do give me a blow with the fist, then I shall think, these people of Suna Paranthah are kind, truly kind, in that they did not give me a blow with a cloth. Then I shall think thus, blessed one, then I shall think thus, sublime one. But Purna, if the people of Suna Paranthah do give you a blow with a cloth, what will you think then? Venerable Sir, if the people of Sunnah Purantha do give me a blow with a cloth, then I shall think, these people of Sunnah Purantha are kind, truly kind, in that they did not give me a blow with a stick, then I shall think thus, blessed one, then I shall think thus, blind one. But Purna, if the people of Sunnah Purantha do give you a blow with a stick, what will you think then? For example, sir, if the people of Sunapuranta do give me a blow with a stick, then I shall think, these people of Sunapuranta are kind, truly kind, in that they did not give me a blow with a knife. Then I shall think thus, blessed one, then I shall think thus, sublime one. But Poona, if the people of Sunapuranta do give you a blow with a knife, what will you think then? I would say, if the people of Sunaparanta do give me a blow with a knife, then I shall think, these people of Sunaparanta are kind, truly kind, in that they have not taken my life with a sharp knife. Then I shall think thus, blessed one, then I shall think thus, sublime one. But Punna, if the people of Sunaparanta do take your life with a sharp knife, what will you think then? For example, sir, if the people of Suna Parantha do take my life with a sharp knife, then I shall think thus. They have been disciples of the Blessed One, who, being humiliated and disgusted by the body and by life, sought to have their lives deprived by the knife. But I have had my life deprived by the knife without seeking for it. Then I shall think thus, Blessed One. Then I shall think thus, Sublime One. And the Buddha said, good, good, Punna. Possessing such self-control and peacefulness, you will be able to dwell in the Sunapuranta country. Now, Punna, it is time to do as you think fit. I'll stop here for a moment. So you can see from here, this monk, he's He's a person with great forbearance. He says, even these people do all these things to me, I'll still be happy. Even if they take my life or so, I will think. They are disciples of the Buddha who ask to be killed, who commit suicide. But here I don't have to ask. They take my life. It shows that he has seen the Dhamma very clearly. He is Arya. Even if he dies, he doesn't mind. Also, he knows that these people of Sunapuranta are very fierce and rough, yet he still wants to go to such a place. So actually, a lot of the Buddha's disciples, these Arahant disciples and Aryan disciples, they are the ones who went all over India to teach the Dhamma to people. It is not the so-called Bodhisattvas. These Bodhisattvas, Manjusri and Avalokiteshvara and all these, all were appeared later in later books that suddenly surfaced. The actual people who did all this teaching of the Dhamma were all the Aryan disciples of the Buddha. That's why today we are so fortunate to have this teaching transmitted down to us after 2,500 years. that having delighted and rejoiced in the Blessed One's words, the Venerable Puna rose from his seat, and after paying homage to the Blessed One, departed, keeping him on his right. He then set his resting place in order, took his bowl and outer robe, and set out to wander towards the Sunnaparanta country. Wandering by stages, he eventually arrived in the Sunnaparanta country, and there he lived. Then during the rains, The Venerable Punna established 500 men lay followers and 500 women lay followers in the practice, and he himself realized the three true knowledges. On a later occasion, the Venerable Punna attained final Nibbana. Then a number of monks went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, they sat down at one side and told him, Venerable Sir, the Clansman Punna who was given brief advice by the Blessed One has died. What is his destination? What is his future cause? And the Buddha said, monks, the clansman Punna was wise. He practiced in accordance with the Dhamma. I did not trouble me in the interpretation of the Dhamma. The clansman Punna has attained final Nibbana. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So you see, this Venerable Punna went to this Sunaparanta and then he practiced and attained Arahanthood. That's why when he died, he attained final Nibbana. And you can see from here, he taught 500 men lay followers and 500 women lay followers in the practice. And then, probably not long after he died, because the monks asked the Buddha, remember sir, the clansman Puna who was given brief advice by the blessed one has died. That means the Buddha gave him brief advice not so long ago. They still remember the Buddha gave him brief advice. So probably within Within a year after he went to that place, he passed on. So although it's not mentioned here how he died, he could very well have been killed by these people because these people are very rough and fierce. So this is one of the monks who went to various parts of India to teach the Dhamma and benefited a lot of people. Even before going, he realized that he's willing to sacrifice his life just to go there and teach the people. Okay, we stop here. Anything to discuss? Maybe Venerable Sariputta gave him this talk. It's like a general talk that they normally give to monks. Because you must remember during the Buddha's time, there are thousands and thousands of monks. So when the monks died, probably Venerable Sariputta had to give this standard talk to them. So that's why he talked on these things. You find many of the things, I would imagine they are beyond the beyond the practice of this Anathapindika. But anyway, that's why you can see, however, this Anathapindika never heard this kind of talk before. He was so moved, he shed tears. Because it's beyond lay people. Unless you have practiced to that stage, if you are given that type of thought, it's no point because you have not reached that stage to realize what it is. I think When a person is dying, there is not much we can do to help that person. What he has done the last few years is kamma. will support him. If a person has practiced the Dhamma for several years, then when death comes, he's prepared. But if a person has not practiced the Dhamma, and last minute you want to teach him the Dhamma, it's quite impossible. Quite impossible. A lot of people, they have told me that their mother or their father has not been interested in the Dhamma. So now when the time for them to approach death is approaching, then they start to see relatives who have passed on, that means the ghosts of relatives who have passed on, appearing to them. Then they get scared. Like today, one man asked me to go for house dana, because the mother is not interested in the Dhamma, so at least to give her an opportunity to do house dana offering to monks, so at least she can benefit. So I think if such a person, even if we were to go there and speak the Dhamma to them, it's not easy for them to comprehend the Dhamma. Especially as so late in life, their mind is already weak, their mind is troubled, utterly confused. It's not easy to understand. It takes a lot of effort to prepare, actually to prepare for death. It takes many years. Many years. It's like a long distance run. It's not a short run, a hundred meters dash. In which case, even You bring a monk who is a very good Dharma preacher to this old lady or so, not much use. Not much difference whether in Buddha's time or now. Yes, yes. So at least if they are born in the Wofu place, at least they get food to eat. That's important. Born as an animal also, you get food to eat. A rich lady's dog or something. So, in 2011, I was speaking at a speech at the very beginning of this, and we really are in the middle of a new phase. And now, since then, I've been following, and started to develop a new hobby, a hobby in which I've been able to develop a new career path. But then the intention is good when the doctor gives morphine to the dying patient is to ease the pain. But of course, it's up to the family. If the family feels it's not good for that person, I can't stop the doctor. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think generally for most ordinary people, they need the morphine to help them ease the pain. But for some, the very few people who practice meditation, they want to keep their mind very clear. Then they might inform before the time comes that they don't want morphine, they don't want all these things to cloud their mind. Some of them might even not want any anesthetic and all these things, because their mind is strong, but very few people are up to that level. Sometimes also you don't know the situation, you just have to rely on the doctor, isn't it? Just trust the doctor, isn't it? For seven years, he wanted to change the world. The more he did, the better off he and his family would be. And he wanted to be able to see that the world didn't just grow up over him and his family. He saw that he was able to see that the world didn't just pop up out of thin air. So he wanted to live there. I think it depends on the level of the meditator. If the meditator thinks he's able to withstand the pain, then it's very good. He can request for it. There are some monks in Thailand, they inform in case I get a heart attack, or in case I get this sickness, that sickness. I don't want to prolong my life. I don't want this morphine or anesthesia or anything. But you've got to be quite sure. You can stand. I have a doctor friend in Sydney. And he's a specialist, one of a few specialists in this anesthesia. working with terminal cancer patients. And he says that at the last stage, this pain obsesses their mind. So you give them painkillers after some time or so, it's useless. They keep thinking. It's like a habit ingrained in their mind. They can't think of anything except pain. So he says now the approach is to distract them by three things. One is to teach them meditation. Another one is like Tai Chi. Another one is yoga or something. Help them to relax and not to think of the sickness and the pain. Shall we end here?

46-MN-146-Nandakovada-(2010-09-19).txt

Tonight is the 19th of September and this is the 61st time we are speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Tonight we come to Sutta 146, Nanda Kovada Sutta, Advice from Nandaka. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. Then Mahapajapati to Gotami, together with 500 nuns, went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to the Blessed One, she stood at one side and said to him, Venerable Sir, let the Blessed One advise the nuns. Let the Blessed One instruct the nuns. Let the Blessed One give the nuns a talk on the Dhamma. On that occasion, the elder monks were taking turns in advising the nuns. But the rebel Nandaka did not want to advise them when his turn came. Then the Blessed One addressed the rebel Ananda. Ananda, whose turn is it today to advise the nuns? Rebel Sir, it is the rebel Nandaka's turn to advise the nuns, but he does not want to advise them even though it is his turn. Then the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Nandaka, advised the nuns Nandaka, instructed the nuns Nandaka, give the nuns a talk on the Dhamma, Brahmana. Yes, Venerable Sir, the Venerable Nandaka replied. Stop here for a moment. The Buddha instructed that the nuns, once in two weeks, should be taught the Dhamma by senior monks. And generally, senior monks, means those with 20 vassa, 20 years, higher ordination or more, what later came to be called Maha Thera. But during the Buddha's time, any monk who was ordained 10 years and above was called Thera or Thero. And they did not have the word Maha Thera. They coined the word Maha Thera for monks with 20 years' ordination and more. And then this Venerable Nandaka here, he said that he did not want to teach the nuns. According to the commentary, the commentary says that in the past, Nandaka was a king and the nuns the nuns in the past were his concubines. So he was afraid that those monks with psychic power would know and then would think that he is attached to them, wants to associate with them. I don't think that's very reasonable because if he over associates with them then they might think so, but he's just like any other senior monk, just taking his turn. However, There are some Arahants who are not inclined to action, not inclined to do this or do that. They like to just meditate. So possibly he is one of those. You see at the end of the sentence, the Buddha said, give the nuns a talk on the Dhamma, Brahmana. Brahmana could mean Brahmin, either this Venerable Nandaka was of the Brahmin caste, Or the Buddha could mean Brahmana. The meaning is religious man. So it could be either one. Then in the morning, the Venerable Nandaka dressed and taking his bowl and outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When he had wandered for alms in Savatthi and had returned from his alms round, after his meal, he went with a companion to the Rajaka Park. The nun saw the Venerable Nandaka coming in the distance and prepared a seat and set up water for the feet. The Venerable Nandaka sat down on the seat made ready and washed his feet. The nuns paid homage to him and sat down at one side. When they were seated, the Venerable Nandaka told the nuns, Sisters, this talk will be in the form of questions. When you understand, you should say, we understand. When you do not understand, you should say, we do not understand. When you are doubtful or perplexed, you should ask me, how is this, what is the meaning of this? And they said, Venerable Sir, we are satisfied and pleased with Master Nandaka for inviting us in this way. Stop here for a moment. So it looks from here that the nuns were staying in this nunnery in Rajagapak. That's why this Venerable Nandaka went there. Then Venerable Nandaka commenced his talk. He said, sisters, what do you think? Is the I permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No, Venerable Sir. Sisters, what do you think? Is the ear permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No verbal self. Sisters, what do you think? Is the nose permanent or impermanent? Impermanent verbal self. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering verbal self. Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No verbal self. Sisters, what do you think? Is the tongue permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, when will serve. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering, when will serve. Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change, fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No, when will serve. Sisters, what do you think? Is the body permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, when will serve. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering, when will serve. Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change, fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No, I will serve. Sisters, what do you think? Is the mind permanent or impermanent? Impermanent verbal serve. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering verbal serve. Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change, fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No verbal serve. Why is that? Because verbal serve, we have already seen this well as it actually is, with proper wisdom thus. These six internal bases are impermanent. Good, good sisters. So it is with a noble disciple who sees this as it actually is, with proper wisdom. Sisters, what do you think? Are forms permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No, Venerable Sir. Sisters, what do you think? Are sounds permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, Wembley said. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering, Wembley said. Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change, fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No, Wembley said. Similarly, he asked concerning orders, flavours, tangibles, mind, objects. And they say, no, Venerable Sir. Why is that? Because, Venerable Sir, we have already seen this well, as it actually is with proper wisdom thus, these six external bases are impermanent. Good, good, sisters. So it is with a noble disciple who sees this as it actually is with proper wisdom. Sisters, what do you think? Is I, consciousness, permanent or impermanent? And they say, impermanent, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent, suffering or happiness? Suffering, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. Know, when will serve. Similarly, he asks concerning ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mind consciousness. Is mind consciousness permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, when will serve. Is what is impermanent, suffering or happiness? Suffering, when will serve. Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No, Venerable Sir. Why is that? Because, Venerable Sir, we have already seen this well as it actually is with proper wisdom thus. These six classes of consciousness are impermanent. Good, good sisters, so it is with the noble disciple who sees this as it actually is with proper wisdom. subject for a moment. So here, remember, Nandaka is trying to make them see that the six internal sense bases are impermanent, suffering, and not fit to be clung to as I and mine. And similarly, the six external bases. The six external bases, remember, are the beads of Mara, trying to hook us with beautiful forms, beautiful, nice sounds, nice odors, taste, touch, and thoughts. And then the third set is the six classes of consciousness. Eye, consciousness, ear, consciousness, nose, consciousness, etc. These six Consciousness, the six sense bases, make up the whole world. The first five, six senses, conjure up the external world. The sixth sense, the mind, conjures up the internal world. So everything in existence is in the six sense bases. Sisters, suppose an oil lamp is burning, its oil is impermanent and subject to change, its wick is impermanent and subject to change, its flame is impermanent and subject to change, and its radiance is impermanent and subject to change. Now would anyone be speaking rightly who spoke thus? While this oil lamp is burning, its oil, wick, and flame are impermanent and subject to change. But its radiance is permanent, everlasting, eternal, not subject to change. No, Venerable Sir. Why is that? Because, Venerable Sir, while that oil lamp is burning, its oil, wick, and flame are impermanent and subject to change. So its radiance must be impermanent and subject to change. So too, sisters, would anyone be speaking rightly who spoke thus? These six internal bases are impermanent and subject to change. But the pleasant, painful, or neither painful nor pleasant feeling that one experiences in dependence upon the six internal bases is permanent, everlasting, eternal, not subject to change. No, Venerable Sir. Why is that? Because each feeling arises in dependence upon its corresponding condition. And with the cessation of its corresponding condition, the feeling ceases. Good, good sisters. So it is with a noble disciple who sees this as it actually is with proper wisdom. Stop here for a moment. So here, remember Nandaka starts to give some similes to show more clearly the Dhamma. So this oil lamp is burning and the different components are the oil, the wick, the flame, the radiance, are all impermanent. So this radiance, which is the brightness, you cannot expect it to be permanent because the radiance depends on all these other factors. Depends on the oil, which is impermanent. Depends on the wind, which is impermanent. Depends on the flame, which is impermanent. So how can the radiance be permanent? When the conditions for it, namely the oil, the wick, the flame, are impermanent. So since it depends on certain conditions which are impermanent, so you can see it's even more impermanent. So similarly, the feeling arises through contact at the six internal bases. When the eye contacts form, then a feeling arises. And when ear contacts sound, then another type of feeling arises. So this feeling arises due to contact at the six internal sense bases. But the six internal sense bases are impermanent. So feeling cannot be permanent. Why we talk about feeling? Because people tend to cling to feeling. When you have a pleasant feeling, you want to experience it again and again. And this craving is the cause for rebirth. This craving for good feeling is the cause for the round of samsara. Sisters, suppose a great tree is standing possessed of hardwood. Its root is impermanent and subject to change. Its trunk is impermanent and subject to change. Its branches and foliage are impermanent and subject to change, and its shadow is impermanent and subject to change. Now would anyone be speaking rightly who spoke thus? The root, trunk, branches and foliage of this great tree, standing possessed of hardwood, are impermanent and subject to change, but its shadow is permanent, everlasting, eternal, not subject to change. No, Vembu Sir. Why is that? Because, Vembu Sir, the root, trunk, branches and foliage of this great tree, standing possessed of hardwood, are impermanent and subject to change. So its shadow must be impermanent and subject to change. So, two sisters, would anyone be speaking rightly who spoke thus? These six external bases are impermanent and subject to change, but the pleasant, painful, or neither painful nor pleasant feeling that one experiences in dependence upon the six external bases is permanent, everlasting, eternal, not subject to change. No available self. Why is that? Because each feeling arises in dependence upon its corresponding condition. And with the cessation of its corresponding condition, the feeling ceases. Good, good sisters. So it is with a noble disciple who sees this as it actually is with proper wisdom. So here, Reverend Nandaka is trying to show that feeling also arises dependent on the six external bases. That means forms contacting the eye, sounds contacting the ear, odours contacting the nose, taste contacting the tongue, tangibles contacting the body, and thoughts contacting the mind. So these six external bases are impermanent. feeling that arises dependent on these six external bases are impermanent or even more impermanent. Sisters, suppose a skilled butcher or his apprentice were to kill a cow and carve it up with a sharp butcher's knife. Without damaging the inner mass of flesh and without damaging the outer hide, he would cut, sever and carve away the inner tendons, sinews and ligaments with the sharp butcher's knife. Then having cut, severed and carved all this away, he would remove the outer hide and cover the cow again with that same hide? Would he be speaking rightly if he were to say, this cow is joined to this hide just as it was before? No, verbal sir. Why is that? Because if that skilled butcher or his apprentice were to kill the cow and cut several and carve away, all that away, even though he covers the cow again with that same height and says, this cow is joined to this height, just as it was before, that cow would still be disjoined from that height. Sisters, I have given this simile in order to convey a meaning. This is the meaning. The inner mass of flesh is a term for the six internal bases. The outer height is a term for the six external bases. The inner tendons, sinews, and ligaments is a term for delight and lust. The sharp butcher's knife is a term for noble wisdom. The noble wisdom that cuts, severs, and carves away the inner defilements, fetters, and bonds. Stop here for a moment. So here you can see this butcher, he cuts away the outer hide and then puts it back again, but it's no more joined to the inner flesh as before because the connecting inner tendons, sinews and ligaments have all been cut away. So these inner tendons, sinews and ligaments are represented by the inner developments, factors and bonds that cause the attachment of our inner bases to the external sense bases. So here he is saying that one who has severed, cut away the delight and lust for the six external sense bases is no more attached to them like before. Before, an ordinary person is attached to the six external bases, strongly attached because of the inner defilements, fetters and bonds. But the Arahant has cut away this attachment, these defilements, factors and bonds so that the external sales basis are no more attached to the internal sales basis like before. This is quite a striking simile. Sisters, there are these seven enlightenment factors through the development and cultivation of which a monk, by realizing for himself with direct knowledge, here and now enters upon and abides in the deliverance by mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints. What are the seven? Here, sisters, a monk develops the mindfulness enlightenment factor or recollection enlightenment factor which is supported by seclusion. dispassion at cessation and ripens in relinquishment. He develops the investigation of Dhamma Enlightenment Factor, the Energy Enlightenment Factor, the Delight Enlightenment Factor, the Tranquility Enlightenment Factor, the Concentration Enlightenment Factor, the Equanimity Enlightenment Factor, which are supported by seclusion, dispassion and cessation, and ripens in relinquishment. These are the seven Enlightenment Factors, through the development and cultivation of which among By realizing for himself with direct knowledge, here and now enters upon and abides in the deliverance by mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints. When the noble Nandaka had advised the nuns thus, he dismissed them, saying, Go, sisters, it is time. Then the nuns, having delighted and rejoiced in the Venerable Nandaka's words, rose from their seats, and after paying homage to the Venerable Nandaka, departed, keeping him on their right. They went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to Him, stood at one side. The Blessed One told them, Go, sisters, it is time. Then the nuns paid homage to the Blessed One and departed, keeping Him on their right. Stop here for a moment. So Venerable Nandaka at the end told them that they have to cultivate the seven bojangas, the seven enlightenment factors, which leads to liberation. Without the seven enlightenment factors, one cannot become liberated. So when he finished his talk, he said, oh sisters, it is time. They paid respect to him. Then they went to pay respect to the Buddha. You notice Buddha doesn't talk much with these nuns. He just says, go sisters, it is time. So they pay homage to him again and they depart. You notice in the suttas and the Vinaya, the Buddha has very little words to talk to anyone, except in connection with the Dhamma. He does not waste time talking, how are you, how's your health, and all these things. And he generally only talks to the non-Arahants. Those who have not attained Arahanthood, generally he does not talk much to them. And these Arahant nuns, they... come to him even in the middle of the night, those with psychic power. I remember Upalavana, the one with the greatest psychic power. Sometimes in the middle of the night, she flies in the air, stands in the air, wants to come and talk to the Buddha. Sometimes when she sees that the Buddha is occupied with devas or whatnot, she'll wait. If there's no devas keeping the Buddha busy, then she'll come down and talk to the Buddha. Soon after they had left, the Blessed One addressed the monks, just as on the Uposatha Day of the Fourteen, people are not doubtful or perplexed as to whether the moon is incomplete or full. Since then, the moon is clearly incomplete. So too, those nuns are satisfied with Nandaka's teaching of the Dhamma, but their intention has not yet been fulfilled. Then the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Nandaka, well then Nandaka, tomorrow too you should advise those nuns in exactly the same way. Yes Venerable Sir, Venerable Nandaka replied. Then the next morning the Venerable Nandaka dressed as before, after Pindapatta and all that, he went to teach the nuns in exactly the same way. Then the nuns paid homage to him. After that they went to pay homage to the Buddha. Then the nuns paid homage to the Blessed One and departed, keeping him on their right. Soon after they had left, the Blessed One addressed the monks. Monks, just as on the Uposatha Day of the Fifteen, people are not doubtful or perplexed as to whether the moon is incomplete or full. Since then, the moon is clearly full. So too, those nuns are satisfied with Nandaka's teaching of the Dhamma, and their intention has been fulfilled. Monks, even the least advanced of those 500 nuns, is a stream-enterer, no longer subject to perdition, bound for deliverance, aided for enlightenment. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words." That's the end of the Sutta. So here you see, Nibbanandaka, first he talks about the six internal sense bases that they are impermanent, suffering and not fit to be regarded as I and mine, then the six external sense bases and the consciousnesses that correspond to the six bases. And then after that, he gives these similes, which are very striking, to make them see that the feeling that we cling to is dependent on other conditions which are impermanent. That being so, the feeling itself is even more impermanent. And then we have to cut the delight and lust for the six external sense spaces. Once we cut off the delight and lust for the six external sense spaces, Then we are no more attached to them as before, and become liberated from them. So the first time they heard it, they kind of half understood. So the Buddha said to repeat the teaching, and repeated the same teaching, and it's sung in. So all of them attain Ariya-hood. different levels depending on their Samadhi. So this shows that listening to the Dhamma, especially the Suttas, is very important. And it also shows that the more times you listen, the more it sinks in. Like these nuns, when they heard it the second time, then they attain various levels of Ariya-hood. So listening to the Dhamma or studying the Suttas again and again is very important. Each time we listen to the Sutta or read the Nikayas, the Suttas, then we understand the implications more and more. Just listening to the Dhamma is vipassana. Vipassana means contemplation. When you listen, you immediately contemplate. And it's equivalent to samasati. Samasati, we are supposed to be mindful of or contemplate four objects of sati, the body, feelings, the mind, and Dhamma. I always say out of these four, the Dhamma is the most important because it leads to the various levels of Ariya-hood. When you understand the Dhamma, you will attain the wisdom that gives you the attainment of the various levels of Ariya-hood.

47-MN-147-Cularahulovada-(2010-09-19).txt

Now we come to the next sutta, 147th, Chula Rahulo Vadha Sutta, the Shorter Discourse of Advice to Rahula. This is also found in Samyutta Nikaya 35.121. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. Then while the Blessed One was alone in meditation, a thought arose in his mind thus, The states that ripen in deliverance or liberation have ripened in Rahula. Suppose I were to lead him on further to the destruction of the Thanes. Then when it was morning, the Blessed One dressed, and taking His bowl and outer robe, went into Savatthi for alms. When He had walked for alms in Savatthi, and had returned from His alms round, after His meal, He addressed the Venerable Rahula thus, Take your sitting cloth with you, Rahula. Let us go to the blind man's grove to pass the day. Yes, Venerable Sir, the Venerable Rahula replied. And taking His sitting cloth with Him, He followed close behind the Blessed One. Stop here for a moment. As you all know, this Venerable Rahula is the son of the Buddha and the Buddha thought it's time for him to attain destruction of the Thanes. Destruction of the Thanes or destruction of the Asavas means liberation or attainment of Arahant Ud. We find from the suttas generally the lifestyle of monks during the Buddha's time was once the sun comes up, once dawn comes, then they go and beg for their food. After they have come back from their alms round, they eat their food. After they eat, then they find a secluded place, a quiet place to pass the day in meditation. The Buddha asked Rahula to follow him to the blind man's grove. Now on that occasion, many thousands of deities followed the Blessed One, thinking, today the Blessed One will lead the memorable Rahula further to the destruction of the Thanes. So here for a moment, these deities, these devas and devis, they like to listen to the Dhamma. So whenever there's a chance to listen to the Dhamma, they will follow to listen. Then the Blessed One went into the blind man's grove and sat down at the root of a certain tree on a seat made ready. And the verbal Rahula paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down at one side. The Blessed One then said to the rebel Rahula, Rahula, what do you think? Is the I permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, rebel sir. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering, rebel sir. Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change, fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No, rebel sir. Ahula, what do you think? Are forms permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering a subject to change, fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No, Venerable Sir. Similarly, with eye consciousness, eye contact, And then, are any feeling, any perception, any volition, any consciousness that arise with eye contact as condition permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change, fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No, Venerable Sir. So you see, this form of questioning, is quite a standard form that the Buddha uses to make the disciple to see that all these things that we cling to, the eye, and then the forms, and then the eye consciousness that arises, the eye contact, the feeling, perception, volition, consciousness that arise from the eye contact, all these we cling to as eye and mind, to see them as impermanent suffering, and not fit to be regarded as I and mine. Similarly, Buddha asked Ahula, Ahula, what do you think? Is the ear permanent or impermanent? And he says, impermanent, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering, Venerable Sir. Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this myself. No, Venerable Sir. And then, Are sounds permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, when will serve? Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering, when will serve? Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change, fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No, when will serve? Similarly, is ear consciousness permanent or impermanent? Impermanent, when will serve? Similarly, the same line of questioning. and then also is ear contact permanent or impermanent? Is feeling, perception, volition, consciousness that arise with ear contact permanent or impermanent? Then similarly for the nose, is nose permanent or impermanent? Is sound permanent or impermanent? Is nose consciousness permanent or impermanent? Is nose contact permanent or impermanent? Feelings, perceptions, volition and consciousness that arise from nose contact, permanent or impermanent, etc. And similarly for tongue, in the same way. Is tongue permanent or impermanent? Are teeth permanent or impermanent? Is tongue consciousness permanent or impermanent? Is tongue contact permanent or impermanent? Any feeling, any perception, any volition, any consciousness that arises from tongue contact, permanent or impermanent? Is the body permanent or impermanent? Similarly, is touch permanent or impermanent? Is body consciousness permanent or impermanent? Is body contact permanent or impermanent? Are any feeling, any perception, any volition, any consciousness that arise from body contact permanent or impermanent? And lastly, is mind permanent or impermanent? And he says, impermanent, remember sir. Are mind objects permanent or impermanent? Is mind consciousness permanent or impermanent? Is mind contact permanent or impermanent? Are any feeling, any perception, any volition, any consciousness that arise with mind contact as condition, permanent or impermanent. Impermanent verbal self. Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Suffering verbal self. Is what is impermanent suffering a subject to change, fit to be regarded thus? This is mine, this I am, this is myself. No verbal self. Stop here for a moment. So you see here, the Buddha takes the trouble to repeat again and again this same line of questioning. Each sense base, you find, each sense base, there are five things that he asks. For example, you take the eye. The eye is an internal sense organ. Secondly, external sense organ forms. Thirdly, the consciousness that arises from that sense organ. Fourthly, the contact. Fifthly, any feeling, any perception, any volition, any consciousness that arises from contact. So each sense organ, there are five things. And each one of these five things, he asks three questions. Permanent or impermanent? Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness? Is what is impermanent suffering and subject to change, fit to be regarded as this is mine, this I am, this myself? So for each sense base, you have five objects multiplied by three questions. So you have 15 questions. And because there are six bases, so you have 15 questions times six bases, so you have 90 questions. So Buddha Rahula has to sit there and answer 90 questions just to make the point that all these are impermanent. And because they are impermanent, they are a source of suffering and not fit to be regarded as I and mine, or this is mine, this I am, this is myself. Seeing thus, Rahula, a well-taught, noble disciple, becomes disenchanted with the I, disenchanted with forms, disenchanted with I-consciousness, disenchanted with I-contact, and disenchanted with any feeling, any perception, any volition, any consciousness that arise with I-contact as condition. Similarly, he becomes disenchanted with the ear, disenchanted with sounds, disenchanted with ear consciousness, disenchanted with ear contact, disenchanted with any feeling, any perception, any volition, any consciousness that arise with ear contact as condition. He becomes disenchanted with the nose, disenchanted with odours, disenchanted with nose consciousness, disenchanted with nose contact, disenchanted with any feeling, any perception, any volition, any consciousness that arise from nose contact. He becomes disenchanted with the tongue, disenchanted with taste, disenchanted with tongue consciousness, disenchanted with tongue contact. disenchanted with any feeling, any perception, any volition, any consciousness that arise from tongue contact. He becomes disenchanted with the body, disenchanted with tangibles or touch, disenchanted with body consciousness, disenchanted with body contact, disenchanted with any feeling, any perception. any volition, any consciousness that arises from body contact. It becomes disenchanted with the mind, disenchanted with mind objects, disenchanted with mind consciousness, disenchanted with mind contact, disenchanted with any feeling, any perception, any volition, any consciousness. that arise with my contact as condition. Being disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate. Through dispassion, his mind is liberated. When it is liberated, there comes the knowledge. It is liberated. He understands birth is destroyed. The holy life has been lived. What had to be done has been done. There's no more coming to any state of being. Stop it for a moment. So here again, the Buddha You can see the repetition, each sense base, five objects. And then after that, to make him see, to make him disenchanted with all this, then he says, being disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate. This disenchanted, another word, another translation, you can see he's wearied, tired of it. and then become dispassionate. What's another word for dispassionate? Cool, in the sense no more passionate about these things, worldly things. And when he's cool, his mind is liberated. That is what the Blessed One said. The rebel Rahula was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. Now while this discourse was being spoken, Through not clinging, the Venerable Rahula's mind was liberated from the taints. And in those many thousands of deities, there arose the spotless, immaculate vision of the Dhamma. All that is subject to arising is subject to cessation." That's the end of the sutta. So you see, these devas and devis, they like to listen to the Dhamma because they have a clearer mind than us. and they can understand more easily. They have a lot of blessings. They're very happy beings, being in the heavenly realm. You need that happiness within for the mind to calm down. That's why the Buddha always stresses that one of the first things to practice in the spiritual path, in the holy path, is to be careful of our three kammas. our bodily actions, our speech, and our mental thoughts. When we are very careful with this, that means we have to have a sense, this satiri uttapa, sense of shame and fear of wrongdoing. So if you have this sense of shame and fear of wrongdoing, you're always looking inward and observing your kammas. The Buddha said, before you do anything, you must consider what I'm going to do. Is it going to harm anyone? Is it going to harm anyone or annoy anyone? I should not do that. Or it harms myself. And then while you are doing also, you should observe. And after you have done the kamma also, you should reconsider. Sometimes certain things, some people, they don't take the trouble to to guard their kammas in this way. So certain things they do, they think it's not important. And they annoy other people. They hurt other people. So it harms them back. Their conscience is not so clear. So their mind cannot calm down. Sometimes you can see small things that I mean, to some people, it's small things, but it's not good for the doer. Just like you see some people, when our car park is empty, sometimes people who are more sensitive, they come, they do not park in the car park. They just park their car under the tree or in the open. But those who are less sensitive, they see the car park is open. Without asking anybody, they go and park their car there. That shows they are not sensitive. This happened a few days ago, as all of you know. That's why some people are very likable, some people are not likable. It's a reaction. To some people, it's a small thing. I mean, it doesn't harm us, it's a small thing. But the person who does the careless action, it harms him. Here it says that in the many thousands of deities there arose a spotless immaculate vision of the Dhamma. All that is subject to arising is subject to cessation. This is another way of saying that they attain stream entry. So you can see quite clearly from here, stream entry is usually attained by listening to the Dhamma. They listen to the Dhamma and they attain stream entry. So this way of questioning is the I permanent or impermanent, is what is impermanent suffering or happiness etc. This is quite a popular way the Buddha teaches the Dhamma. Tonight I will stop at these two suttas because tomorrow is more detailed explanation of this, which I find is very good. So the next sutta is very, very important. I'm going to leave it for tomorrow. Probably tomorrow we can do two suttas. So here it only says, because these sense bases and sense objects, sense consciousness, contact, et cetera, feeling, et cetera, are all impermanent, so they are sources of suffering. And because they're a source of suffering, you should not regard them as this is mine, this I am, this is myself. But in the next sutra, it explains a bit more about this impermanent nature. Okay, anything to discuss? I have a question. When you talk about self, do you want to talk about And, uh, here I am. It's probably the greatest experience of my life, to be honest, to be in this place. To be in my own space, and to be in a small, small room in my own space, I'm sure. But you wouldn't be like that today, but it's probably one of the best experiences I've had in my life. Yes, devas generally are obsessed with sensual pleasure because life is so good there. However, many of them are spiritually mature. And because they are spiritually mature, their time is right. So when Sammasambuddha appears in the world, they know. So because of their good karma, their spiritual maturity, they want to listen to the Dhamma. The attainment of this stream entry, to me, generally, I think that's the most they can attain, generally, stream entry. Because they are not quite inclined to meditate. They just want to enjoy heavenly pleasures. So, listening to the Dhamma is the most they can do. Only those Anagamins, when they are reborn in the Suddhavasa heaven, some of them may practice. But even then, if they practice, they don't practice like the Bodhisattva. They don't strive very hard. In the Suttas, it is mentioned that devas don't attain Arahanthood. Arahants are only found in the human realm. So, like the Anagamins, after the Suddhavasa Heaven, when they pass away, they just enter Nibbana without going through the Arahant stage. So, it needs this spiritual maturity for them to want to listen to the Dhamma, just like human beings. Human beings, many people have the opportunity to to meet the Dhamma, but many of us after meeting the Dhamma, many humans, they don't make any further effort to investigate further or to renounce and to become a monk or nun. So only those who make the effort to investigate the Dhamma and practice according to the suttas, Only those who are spiritually mature are ready to leave the realm of rebirth. So I think it's the same whether in the heavenly realm or in the human realm. You need that spiritual maturity before you are interested in the Dharma. Depends on the level of heaven. It is stated in the sutras that when the world comes to an end, it's due to the contraction of the world system and the stars come closer and closer together until they all collapse into one huge star. So the earth will burn and then these humans who know that the world is coming to an end, they will meditate. and they are reborn in the second jhāna heaven and this fire will consume right up to the first jhāna heaven that means the Brahma heaven that is the place where Brahma resides, the first jhāna heaven. The second jhana heaven is so far away that the fire cannot reach there. And it is also mentioned in the sutra that the Buddha in the flesh body can fly as far up to the Brahma heaven only. So the others are too far away. So the sensual desire realms, heavens, the six heavens in the sensual desire realm, they are not too far away. But generally they don't come to the human world, unless they know there's somebody like an Arahant, some Buddha, then only they come. Those that are nearest to us are the The devas under the four great heavenly kings, Chatu Maharajika, the lowest heaven, those are nearest to us. Others are a bit further away. The purpose of the work we've done is to bring together all of our communities. The purpose of that is to bring together all of the best people in our community. So, we think that we can do that well, and we found out that we can do that really well. We are very, very fortunate to have you. Yes, because in the Suddhavasa heaven, all of them are anagamins. So that's why they are especially interested in the Dhamma. So among the other heavens, you can see there are less Aryans, so less people interested in the Dhamma, less Devas and Devis interested in the Dhamma. This one is making the effort to practice after understanding. You see when a These are all mentioned in the Samyutta Nikaya Suttas under the Bhojanga chapter. The Buddha says when you draw near a teacher, then you have to show respect and all these things. And then the teacher will teach the Dhamma. So when you listen to the Dhamma and you pay attention, that is the first factor, recollection of the Dhamma, the mindfulness factor, mindfulness of the Dhamma. Then after that you investigate the Dhamma, this is the second factor. And once you understand, you investigate and you understand the Dhamma, then you put forth energy to meditate. put forth energy to practice the Dharma and to meditate, then that will bring you the fourth factor, which is the delight. Delight, enlightenment factor. This delight you only get in the first jhana. that shows you have attained the first jhāna. And subsequently, you get this tranquility factor, which is, you can say, the second or the third jhāna. Then the concentration enlightenment factor. In the suttas, concentration generally refers to the fourth jhāna. So once you have the fourth jhāna, you have equanimity enlightenment factor. So all these seven factors. Okay, let's end here tonight.

48-MN-148-Chachakka-Part-A-(2010-09-20).txt

Tonight is the 20th of September, 2010 and this is the 62nd time we are speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Tonight we come to Sutta 148, Cacaka Sutta, the six sets of six. This Sutta to me is very important. might even be the most important sutta in the whole of the Majjhima Nikaya. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jhs. Grove, Anathapindika Spa. There he addressed the monks thus. Monks, Noble Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said, Monks, I shall teach you the Dhamma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end. With the right meaning and phrasing, I shall reveal a holy life that is utterly perfect and pure, that is, the six sets of six. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Noble Sir," the monk replied. The Blessed One said, the six internal bases should be understood. The six external bases should be understood. The six classes of consciousness should be understood. The six classes of contact should be understood. The six classes of feeling should be understood. The six classes of craving should be understood. Stop here for a moment. You can see The few suttas we have discussed earlier and the following few suttas are all connected with these six sense bases, salayat dhana. There is a sutta where it is mentioned that arahants become liberated through contemplating a few very important topics. One of them is the five aggregates of attachment. Another one is the Sixth sense basis. Another one is the dependent origination. Another one is the four elements of the body, four great elements. So this sixth sense basis is a very important topic. So that's why the last two suttas We have been discussing the six sense bases. The six internal bases should be understood, so it was said. And with reference to what was this said? There are the eye base, the ear base, the nose base, the tongue base, the body base and the mind base. So it was with reference to this that it was said. The six internal bases should be understood. This is the first set of six. The six external bases should be understood. So it was said, with reference to what was this said, there are the form base, the sound base, the odor base, the flavor base, the tangible base, and the mind object base. So it was with reference to this that it was said, the six external bases should be understood. This is the second set of six. The six classes of consciousness should be understood. So it was said. And with reference to what was this said? Dependent on the eye and forms, eye consciousness arises. Dependent on the ear and sounds, ear consciousness arises. Dependent on the nose and odours, nose consciousness arises. Dependent on the tongue and flavours, tongue consciousness arises. Dependent on the body and intangibles, body consciousness arises. Dependent on the mind and mind objects, mind consciousness arises. So it was with reference to this that it was said, the six classes of consciousness should be understood. This is the third set of six. The six classes of contact should be understood. So it was said. And with reference to what was this said? Dependent on the eye and forms, eye consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. Dependent on the ear and sounds, ear consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. Dependent on the nose and odours, nose consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. Dependent on the tongue and flavors, tongue consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. Dependent on the body and tangibles, body consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. Dependent on the mind and mind objects, mind consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. So it was referenced to this that it was said the six classes of contact should be understood. This is the fourth set of six. Stop here for a moment. In the Dependent Origination, the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, which analyses how suffering arises, it is said that because of Sankara, which is basically the will to live, consciousness arises, vinyana. And when consciousness arises, it must always come together with Nama Rupa. Nama Rupa is the mentality, materiality and basically it's a phenomena what consciousness is conscious of. So when consciousness arises and there is the object of consciousness Consciousness must arise from somewhere. Consciousness resides in the body. So it arises in the body. And because there are six types of consciousness, there are six sense bases. So like the eye consciousness or the seeing consciousness arises at the eye base. The hearing consciousness arises at the ear sense base. the smelling consciousness arises at the nose, base, etc. So when we look at the first set of six, the six internal bases refers to the six sense organs, eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. And the six external bases are the external sense objects corresponding to these six internal bases. The object of eye is form, the object of ear is sound, object of nose is odor, etc. And then the six classes of consciousness is mentioned here. They arise, actually one by one, you see. Then there is, depending on eye and forms, eye consciousness arises. So for eye consciousness to arise, a form must come before the eye. then only, and the eye is a good eye, then only this eye consciousness arises. What I mean by a good eye is a working eye, not a blind eye. And when there is a sound, then ear consciousness arises at the ear base. Similarly, when there is an odor, then Nose consciousness arises at the nose base, etc. So you can see for example here, there must be sound for the ear consciousness to arise. But the later books sometimes have contradictory teachings. Like in one Mahayana Sutra, It says that this Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, she listens to the sound of the world. In the absence of sound, she can listen. But in the absence of sound, there is no ear consciousness arising. So this is consciousness. Now once the consciousness arises, the three must contact. Dependent on I and forms, I consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. When there is contact, then there is seeing at the I. If there is no contact, then there is no seeing. For example, you are deep. you are deeply absorbed in reading a book and somebody passes you by, even though it's in front of you, you should be aware, yet you don't see because your attention is focused on the book. So there must be contact for the seeing to arise. Similarly, when there is ear and sound and ear consciousness, then there must be contact for hearing to arise, etc. The six classes of feelings should be understood, so it was said. And with reference to what was this said? Dependent on eye and forms, eye consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, there is feeling. Dependent on the ear and sounds, ear consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, there is feeling. Dependent on the nose and odours, nose consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, there is feeling. Dependent on the tongue and flavours, tongue consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, there is feeling. Dependent on the body and tangibles, body consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, there is feeling. Dependent on the mind and mind objects, mind consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, there is feeling. So it was with reference to this that it was said, the six classes of feeling should be understood. This is the fifth set of six. The six classes of craving should be understood. So it was said. with reference to what was said. Dependent on eye and forms, eye consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, there is feeling. With feeling as condition, there is craving. Similarly, dependent on the ear and sounds, ear consciousness arises, etc. With feeling as condition, there is craving. Dependent on the nose and odours, nose consciousness arises, etc. With feeling as condition, there is craving. Dependent on the tongue and flavours, tongue consciousness arises, etc. With feeling as condition, there is craving. Depending on the body and tangibles, body consciousness arises, etc. With feeling as condition, there is craving. Depending on the mind and mind objects, mind consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, there is feeling. With feeling as condition, there is craving. So it was with reference to this that it was said the six classes of craving should be understood. This is the sixth set of six. Stop here for a moment. So when there is contact between this eye and forms and eye consciousness, then seeing arises. Once there is seeing, the person pays attention to the form, sees the form, then a feeling arises. Whether it's a pleasant feeling or unpleasant feeling or a neutral feeling, either painful or Pleasant similarly for the ear base, nose base etc. Now when the feeling arises is a pleasant feeling, then craving arises. For example the eye base. this eye consciousness arises and there is contact, then there is seeing. And once there is seeing, there is feeling. If the feeling happens to be a pleasant feeling, then there is craving for it, craving for the object, the form. Similarly, when ear consciousness arises and there is contact, then a feeling arises. Then if it's a pleasant feeling, Then there is craving to hear more of the beautiful sound. Similarly, craving for smells, craving for taste, craving for touch and craving for thoughts. So there are six classes of craving. Now we come to this important part, demonstration of not-self. If anyone says the I is self, that is not tenable. The rise and fall of the I are discerned. And since its rise and fall are discerned, it would follow. Myself rises and falls. That is why it is not tenable for anyone to say the I is self. Thus the I is not self. If anyone says forms are self, in the same way, that is not tenable. The rise and fall of forms are discerned, are seen. Thus the I is not self, forms are not self. If anyone says I consciousness is self, that is not tenable. The rise and fall of I consciousness are discerned. And since That is why it is not attainable for anyone to see eye consciousness itself. Thus the eye is not self. Forms are not self. Eye consciousness is not self. If anyone sees eye contact itself, that is not attainable. The rise and fall of eye contact is are discerned, etc. That is why it is not tenable for anyone to say, eye contact is self. Thus the eye is not self, forms are not self, eye consciousness is not self, eye contact is not self. If anyone says feeling is self, that is not attainable. The rise and fall of feeling are discerned, etc. That is why it is not attainable for anyone to say feeling is self. Thus the I is not self. Forms are not self. I, consciousness, is not self. I, contact, is not self. Feeling is not self. If anyone says craving is self, that is not attainable. The rise and fall of craving are discerned, etc. That is why it is not attainable for anyone to say craving is self. Thus the I is not self. Forms are not self. I, consciousness, is not self. I, contact, is not self. Feeling is not self. Craving is not self. Stop here for a moment. So here you see, as far as the I base is concerned, all those six things mentioned, I said to be not self, because the rise and fall of each one is seen, namely eye, forms, eye consciousness, eye contact, feeling, craving, these six. Now for the second base, the same thing is repeated. If anyone says the ear is self, that is not attainable. The rise and fall of the ear are discerned. And since its rise and fall are discerned, it would follow. Myself rises and falls. That is why it is not attainable for anyone to say the ear is self. Thus the ear is not self. Similarly, if anyone says sounds are self, ear, consciousness is self, ear contact is self, feeling is self, craving is self, that is not attainable because the rise and fall of all these are discerned. That is why it is not attainable for anyone to say craving is self. As the ear is not self, sounds are not self, ear, consciousness is not self, ear contact is not self, feeling is not self, craving is not self. Then we come to the third base. If anyone says the nose is self, that is not attainable. The rise and fall of the nose are discerned. And since its rise and fall are discerned, it would follow myself rises and falls. That is why it is not attainable for anyone to say the nose is self. Thus the nose is not self. Similarly, if anyone says odours are self, nose, consciousness is self, nose, contact is self, feeling is self, breathing is self. is not attainable because the rise and fall of all these arts, discern or seen, that is why it is not attainable for anyone to say all these are self. Does the nose is not self? Odors are not self. Nose consciousness is not self. Nose contact is not self. Feeling is not self. Craving is not self. Now we come to the tongue. If anyone says the tongue is self, that is not attainable. The rise and fall of the tongue are discerned. And since its rise and fall are discerned, it would follow. Myself rises and falls. That is why it is not attainable for anyone to say the tongue is self. Thus the tongue is not self. If anyone says flavors are self, tongue consciousness is self, tongue contact is self, feeling is self, craving is self, that is not attainable. Because the rise and fall of all these are discern or seen. Thus the tongue is not self, flavors are not self, tongue consciousness is not self, tongue contact is not self, feeling is not self, craving is not self. Now we come to the body. If anyone says the body is self, that is not attainable. The rise and fall of the body are discerned. And since its rise and fall are discerned, it would follow. Myself rises and falls. That is why it is not attainable for anyone to say the body is self. Thus the body is not self. If anyone says tangibles are self, body consciousness is self. Body contact is self. Feeling is self. Craving is self. that is not attainable because the rise and fall of all these are discern or seen. Thus the body is not self tangible, body consciousness is not self. Body contact is not self feeling, is not self craving, is not self If anyone says the mind is self, that is not attainable. The rise and fall of the mind are discerned. And since its rise and fall are discerned, it would follow. Myself rises and falls. That is why it is not attainable for anyone to say the mind is self. Thus the mind is not self. If anyone says mind objects are self, mind consciousness is self, mind contact is self, feeling is self, breathing is self, That is not attainable. Because the rise and fall of all these are discerned. Thus the mind is not self. Mind objects are not self. Mind consciousness is not self. Mind contact is not self. Feeling is not self. Craving is not self. So here you see, the whole six sense bases, the Buddha says, All these are concerned with the six sense pieces are not self. The six sense pieces are not self. The six sense objects are not self. The six consciousness are not self. The context are not self. The feelings that arise are not self. The cravings that arise are not self. covers practically everything in the world because there is a sutra where the Buddha says that all are in the six sense bases. Everything in the world is in consciousness. And because everything in the world is in consciousness, so it is in the six sense bases. You consider, for example, The body is already covered here by the fifth sense base. The mind is also covered by the sixth sense base. Objects are also covered. Objects, sound, smell, taste, everything. So the mental as well as the physical aspect of everything in the world is covered here. And basically, the Buddha is saying that you cannot find any self in the world. So here, now you look carefully, I see the argument why he says there is no self. He says, the rise and fall of each one are discerned. And since the rise and fall are discerned, it would follow myself rises and falls. So, because he says, myself rises and falls, that is not acceptable. That is why he says, there is no self in all, in everything in the world. Here, the rise and fall is another way of saying, the I is impermanent. You see in other sutras, like the last night we read, the Buddha asked, is the I permanent or impermanent? The answer is the I is impermanent. What is impermanent? Suffering or happiness? Suffering. What is impermanent? Suffering. Subject to change. Fit to be regarded. This is mine. This is I am. This is myself. There is no verbal self. So in that sutta it is talking about the term impermanent. Here Instead of saying impermanent, it says the rise and fall, basically the same thing. So what is this rise and fall? Another way of saying rise and fall is origination and cessation. Something is born. You can also say birth and death. Something comes into being and ceases. But I find after thinking about it, the most appropriate word here is appearance and disappearance. Everything in the world appears and disappears. So because it appears and disappears, that's why it says, if you take anything in the world to be the self, then myself appears and disappears. How can myself appear suddenly and disappear suddenly? So it cannot be the self. So just like when we see a movie, it's so real. When you are absorbed in the movie, a lot of people, sentimental people, when the actress cries, you cry. When the actor is angry, you get angry. It's so real to you. But at the end of the show, then you realize, oh, it's only a show. And what is very similar to life, actually, is dream. When we are dreaming, It seems so real to us. And you can see yourself in the dream just like now. And then in the morning when you wake up, then you realize it was a dream. And you think all that excitement, all that worry, actually no point to have been frightened, no point to have worried so much. It was only a dream. Why do you say it was a dream? When you were in the dream, you didn't realize it was a dream. But when it ended only, then only you realize it's a dream, right? So right now, life is like a dream. When our life comes to an end, at the end of, say, now average 75 years, when it comes to an end, if you have seen how people die, A lot of people, their next place of rebirth, a few days before they pass away, will surface. They start to see another world. And depending on their reaction, you can tell whether they are going to a happy destination of rebirth or a woeful destination of rebirth. So it's like a new dream starting. Their mind changes channel, just like you change your TV channel. the consciousness is changing to another channel. And this channel, this life, is starting to fade away. So, only at that point, when this dream ends, then only you realize it's a dream. As long as it does not end, you don't realize it's a dream. Suppose your dream at night was prolonged. As long as the dream keeps going, you don't realize it's a dream, right? It's only when it ends, then you realize it's a dream. Why? Because the rise and fall, the origination and cessation, the birth and death, the appearance and disappearance of the dream is very apparent to you. When the dream ends, then all that remains is a memory of the dream. Nothing left whatsoever. Everything that seems so real in the dream suddenly disappears. Even a trace of it is left behind. The only thing left behind is the memory. So the fact that it stopped, so then you realize it appeared suddenly, and when the dream ended, maybe after one hour, and then it disappeared. Disappeared entirely. So you think it's like it never existed. It's only a trick of the mind, a play of the mind. So when we consider life is a longer dream, instead of 75 minutes, maybe 75 years. But you think of it like the previous life. The previous life, when we were living in the previous life, it must have been as real as now. But now that the previous life has ended, it's just like a dream. Nothing left of the previous life. It's worse than the dream. You don't even remember the previous life. Not only it totally faded away, even the memory of it also faded away. So that's why life is so much like a dream. Only when it ends, then we realize that it was just a play of the mind. That's why in Hinduism, they call it Maya, illusion, a play of the mind. In the Majjhima Nikaya Sutta 75, the Magandya Sutta, the Buddha said that we have long been tricked by the mind, long been deceived by the mind. We have been believing the mind all the time. And then in the Samyutta Nikaya, I think the 22nd chapter, the Buddha says, consciousness is a conjurer, like a magician. Conjures up a show for us. One lifetime is one show. One lifetime we see ourselves as a human being. Another lifetime we see ourselves as a Deva or Devi. Another lifetime we see ourselves as a ghost or something. So that's why consciousness creates this show of life. That's why the Buddha says that consciousness is a conjurer. For most people, we think that this dream of life lasts 75 years. If our life is 75 years, we think this dream lasts 75 years. But if you look carefully in the suttas, it is even shorter than the dream you have at night. The dream you have at night may last 75 minutes. But you look at this paragraph six, Dependent on the I in forms, I-consciousness arises. Dependent on the ear in sounds, ear-consciousness arises. Dependent on the nose and odors, nose-consciousness arises. Dependent on the tongue and flavors, tongue-consciousness arises. Dependent on the body and tangibles, body-consciousness arises. Dependent on the mind and mind-objects, mind-consciousness arises. So these six consciousness arise one by one, dependent on conditions. and they arise just a very short while, and they cease. And it has to have this condition for some object, external sense object, for example, a sound to come before your ear consciousness will arise again, and then it will cease. And then another consciousness arises and ceases, another consciousness arises and ceases. Every time the consciousness arises, There is the world, right? We are alive. When the consciousness ceases, the world has disappeared. Because the world is only in consciousness. So this dream is shorter than your 75 minutes dream at night. It only lasts, what the Buddha calls one khana, one conscious moment, arises and passes away. If you look into dependent origination, this vinyana arises, because of Sankara. Sankara I mentioned is the will to live. So when our consciousness arises due to conditions, it cannot sustain. It will cease. And when it ceases, because of our strong will to live, it arises again. We want to live long, but we cannot live long. One conscious moment, we die again. And then because of the will again, the consciousness projects. and it cannot last, it will die. That's why in the Suttas, the Buddha says, the Arahants say, there is no living being. It seems like there is a living being, but there is no living being because this consciousness cannot sustain. We are only trying to live moment to moment. We are trying to exist, but we cannot exist continually. For most people, we think that consciousness is an unending stream of consciousness. We are conscious all the time, but not according to the Buddha's words. In the Buddha's teachings, we are not conscious all the time. We are conscious for a short while, and this consciousness ceases. And then it takes a strong willpower, the will to live, for the consciousness to project up again. And then it cannot sustain. You will die again. So moment to moment, we are dying. That's why one Christian saint said that every moment I die. So, you can see here that this dream of life only lasts for one conscious moment. And these conscious moments, it seems, are so short that in one second, there are many, many conscious moments. I don't know how many. I don't know if it's thousands or millions or what. This conscious moment is extremely short time. So our dream of life is so short, short moment only it ends. And then it takes will to live and it comes into this conscious, consciousness comes into being for a short while and it passes away. So because this rise and fall, is there of consciousness. The Buddha says there is no self. If there is a self, it must exist all the time. Because the definition of self, atta, is something that exists permanently. Because if it exists permanently, you can identify this is me. But if it just arises for a short while and disappears, where did that self go? That's why this This sutra is so important. It makes us see everything in the world because it appears and disappears, appears and disappears. That actually nothing we can say is I or mine. This appearance and disappearance, because it is so fast, our mind is deluded into thinking that it is a continuous stream. Just like last time, the neon lights. One bulb, one bulb, one bulb, one bulb. This bulb lights up and stops. The other bulb lights up and stops. So you see, there is a continuous line. The light goes continuously, running continuously. But it's not running continuously. It just arises and passes away. There's no line. But our mind is, our vision is tricked into seeing that there's a running light. These lights are running, these lights are running. But they are not running. It's just a deception. So similarly, consciousness is playing tricks on us and thinking, making us think that life is real. But life is not real. It just exists for moment, momentary moment, kāna, conscious moment, and ends. That's why I think nothing in the world, nothing in the mind or outside the mind, nothing in the body or outside the body can be said to be the Self.

49-MN-148-Chachakka-Part-B-(2010-09-20).txt

Okay, now we come to paragraph 16. Now monks, this is the way leading to the origination of identity. This word translated here as personality. The Pali is akaya. And I think Rebel Thanissaro came up with this very apt translation, identity. This identity means we identify ourselves Here I am talking about I, forms and all that. So because we identify ourselves with something in the world, basically this body and this mind, so there is this identity view that I exist. This is the way leading to the origination of identity. One regards the I thus, this is mine, this I am, this is myself. Similarly, one regards form thus, this is mine, this I am, this is myself. One regards eye consciousness, eye contact, feeling, craving thus, this is mine, this I am, this is myself. Similarly, one regards the ear thus, this is mine, this I am, this is myself. One regards the nose thus, this is mine, this I am, this is myself, etc. One regards the tongue thus, this is mine, this I am, this is myself, etc. One regards the body thus, this is mine, this I am, this is myself, etc. One regards the mind thus, this is mine, this I am, this is myself. One regards mind objects thus, One regards mind consciousness does. One regards mind protect does. One regards feeling does. One regards craving does. This is mine. This I am. This is myself. I'll stop here for a moment. In some other suttas, when the Buddha talks about identity, Sakaya, the Buddha talks about the five aggregates. identify ourselves with the body, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness. The five aggregates which are basically body and mind. But here it is in terms of the six sense bases. It's a bit different. Now monks, this is the way leading to the cessation of identity. One regards the I thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. One regards forms thus, similarly, one regards I consciousness thus, one regards I contact thus, one regards feeling thus, one regards craving thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. Similarly, for the other sense bases, one regards the ear thus, this is not mine, this is not, this I am not, this is not myself, et cetera. One regards the nose thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself, etc. One regards the tongue thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself, etc. One regards the body thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself, etc. One regards the mind thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. One regards mind object, one regards mind consciousness, one regards mind contact, one regards feeling, one regards craving thus, this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. This identity means we identify ourselves with this here, the six sense spaces, and the objects, and the feeling, craving, et cetera. And this identity is one of the factors that prevent us from liberation. So when a person attains Sotapanna, he can see that the body and the mind is not self. Because they are impermanent, as just now mentioned, they appear and disappear. Normally, most of us, we are very attached to our feelings. We crave for pleasant feelings and we are very fearful of painful feelings. But feelings are one of the things that appears and disappears very fast. But then, we don't see it. That's why we identify ourselves also with feelings. Monks, dependent on the I in forms, I-consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact, with contact as condition there arises a feeling felt as pleasant or painful, or neither painful nor pleasant. When one is touched by a pleasant feeling, if one delights in it, welcomes it, and remains holding to it, then the underlying tendency to lust lies within one. If one is touched by a painful feeling, if one sorrows, grieves and laments, weeps, beating one's breast and becomes distraught, then the underlying tendency to aversion lies within one. If one is touched by a neither painful nor pleasant feeling, if one does not understand as it actually is the origination, disappearance, gratification, danger and escape in regard to that feeling, then the underlying tendency to ignorance lies within one. monks, that one shall here and now make an end of suffering without abandoning the underlying tendency to lust for pleasant feeling, without abolishing the underlying tendency to aversion towards painful feeling, without extirpating the underlying tendency to ignorance in regard to neither painful nor pleasant feeling, without abandoning ignorance and arousing true knowledge. This is impossible. Monks, dependent on the ear and sounds, ear, consciousness arises, etc. Dependent on the mind and mind objects, skips all the other bases. mind consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, there arises a feeling felt as pleasant or painful or neither painful nor pleasant, etc. Monks, that one should here and now make an end of suffering without abandoning the underlying tendency to lust for pleasant feeling, without abandoning ignorance and arousing true knowledge, this is impossible. Stop here for a moment. So here, it's very clear when this pleasant feeling arises, there is normally an underlying tendency to lust for it. And when painful feeling arises, as I mentioned just now, there is an underlying tendency to aversion, revulsion towards it. When neither painful nor pleasant feeling arises, because it's a neutral feeling, it doesn't stir our emotions, so there is the underlying tendency to ignorance, So the Buddha here says, without abandoning the underlying tendency to lust for pleasant feeling, without abolishing the underlying tendency to aversion towards painful feeling, without accepting the underlying tendency to ignorance in regard to neither painful nor pleasant feeling, and without abandoning ignorance and arousing true knowledge, this is impossible. But then, unless we have cultivated our mind to have a developed mind, it is not easy to abandon the tendency to lust for pleasant feeling or the tendency to aversion towards painful feeling. It's not easy. So we have to cultivate our mind. Then only we have a chance of abolishing those those tendencies. Monks, dependent on the I in forms, I consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, there arises a feeling felt as pleasant or painful, or neither painful nor pleasant. When one is touched by a pleasant feeling, if one does not delight in it, welcome it and remain holding to it, then the underlying tendency to lust does not lie within one. If one is touched by a painful feeling, if one does not sorrow, grieve and lament, does not weep beating one's breast and become distraught, then the underlying tendency to aversion does not lie within one. If one is touched by a neither painful nor pleasant feeling, if one understands as it actually is the origination, disappearance, gratification, danger and escape in regard to that feeling, then the underlying tendency to ignorance does not lie within one. Monks, that one shall here and now make an end of suffering by abandoning the underlying tendency to lust or pleasant feeling, by abolishing the underlying tendency to aversion towards painful feeling, by extirpating the underlying tendency to ignorance in regard to neither painful nor pleasant feeling, by abandoning ignorance and arousing true knowledge, this is possible. Monks, dependent on the ear and sounds, ear consciousness arises, etc. Dependent on the mind and mind objects, mind consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, there arises a feeling felt as pleasant or painful, or neither painful nor pleasant. etc. Monks, that one shall here and now make an end of suffering by abandoning the underlying tendency to lust for pleasant feeling etc. by abandoning ignorance and arousing true knowledge. This is possible. So here the Buddha is saying that only when one is unmoved by pleasant feeling or unpleasant feeling and One understands the neither painful nor pleasant feeling, the origination, disappearance, etc. And one can abandon ignorance and arouse true knowledge. Only this will enable us to attain liberation. As I mentioned before, we have to cultivate our mind before we can be unmoved by pleasant and unpleasant feelings, etc. Seeing thus, monks, a well-thought noble disciple becomes disenchanted with the eye, disenchanted with forms, disenchanted with eye consciousness, disenchanted with eye contact, disenchanted with feeling, disenchanted with craving. Similarly, he becomes disenchanted with the ear, with the nose, with the tongue, the body, with the mind, disenchanted with the external sense objects. disenchanted with the sense consciousness, disenchanted with the contact, disenchanted with the feeling that arises, disenchanted with the craving. Being disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate. Through dispassion, his mind is liberated. When it is liberated, there comes the knowledge. It is liberated. He understands birth is destroyed. The holy life has been lived. What had to be done has been done. There is no more coming to any state of being. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. Now while this discourse was being spoken, through not clinging, the minds of 60 monks were liberated from the thanes. That means they attained Arahanthood. That's the end of the Sutta. So here you see this last, this paragraph 40, well, Seeing thus, a well-taught noble disciple becomes disenchanted with the eye, with forms, etc. So if we can see that everything in the world appears and disappears, just like a dream, then we become disenchanted with everything in the world. If we really think about it, we think, for example, our childhood. Not so long ago, we were a small boy or a small girl. And then all that passed by, just like a dream, all that remains is just your memory of your past. And if it's too long, like the previous life, even the memory also is lost. So at the end of this life, everything that seems so important in this world, will all disappear entirely. That's why in some suttas, the Buddha says, at the moment of dying, everything will become cool. So don't take things too, don't be too attached to things in the world, because very soon, we are going to leave everything behind, sooner than we realize. And at the end of our life, we will see that everything in the world actually is not important at all, just like a dream that just passed away. Only when we are in the dream, it seems so important, just like at night when we dream. And inside the dream, everything is so important. When it ends, then we realize nothing is important. So what is important is only where we are going to take rebirth, where we are going for another dream. So if you understand the Dhamma, then we are not so attached. And if we are not so attached, we don't suffer so much. I think tonight I have no time to complete another sutta that I wanted. 49 minutes. I think this is a very interesting sutta, I think, to discuss. This is one of the profound suttas that to really understand, we have to have a clearer mind. When we have a clearer mind, we are rid of the five hindrances, then we can understand more You can see like the Buddha spoke this discourse. Those monks who had attained four jhanas and they listened to this, 60 of them became arahants. Discourses like this which are very important, not like some people say the Satipatthana Sutta is the most important discourse. I don't see any monk listen to the Satipatthana Sutta and became an arahant. But suttas like this where the Buddha explains know self so clearly. If your mind is clear enough, you listen to suttas like this, then you attain the various stages of Ariya-hood. If you were to think about this on your own, you can never understand it so well, like what the Buddha described here. That's why suttas are so helpful for us to attain wisdom and attain liberation. Because the Buddha's words are pure words of wisdom. We just need to understand it. Whether we understand it or not depends on our state of mind. Only when you have a clear mind, clear of the five hindrances, then only you can understand. from day to night, to Easter Sunday, Friday, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Eve, and It is dependent origination, but not the standard 12 links of dependent origination. Yeah, of course it's important to understand. yes yes yeah feeling that feeling I cut off the cream yeah yeah yeah So now I'm going to try to see if you can see that there are two different ways to knock a person down. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. The way he sees himself is not yet the next stage of his journey. But this is the way he sees it. This is the way he knows himself. He is aware of himself. He is aware of himself. Those people who became Arahant, it's not due to seeing this identity, Sakaya, but in seeing that paragraph 10, that no-self. Paragraph 10 to 15, when they see this, then they become liberated. Paragraph 16 to 21, when they see that, then they become stream actor only. So this type of sutta will be good if you read it again and again and again and try to understand. At the same time, of course, you have to meditate, clear the mind of all the sloth and torpor and doubt and restlessness, etc. Then only you can see more clearly. The five hindrances are dropped when you are about to attain the first jhāna. Just before entering the first jhāna, what is called the threshold concentration by later books, or excess concentration, then the five hindrances drop away. When you attain the first jhāna, then the five hindrances drop away quite permanently. If you have attained the first jhana, it is no more a hindrance. There are various degrees of this loft and topper. When it is strong, it is a hindrance. If it is not strong, it is not a hindrance. No doubt, you can see, it's doubt about the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. When you understand the Dhamma, then you have no more doubt about Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. It's not about doubt about worldly things. No, no. There are Last year when we did the Samyutta Nikaya, it was mentioned there about this neither painful nor pleasant feeling. There is a type that is worldly, there is a type that is spiritual, similarly with delight. There is a type that is worldly. When you enjoy worldly pleasures, there is a type of pity. There is a type of delight that is worldly. And then there is a type that is spiritual. The spiritual one refers to the first jhana. So I guess this one, this neutral feeling, is also in regard to when you indulge in worldly So your attention is directed towards worldly things. There is a type of neutral feeling. For example, you see a certain form. It's not especially beautiful. It's not especially ugly. So you just have a neutral, neutral feeling towards it. Or you hear a sound. It's not a beautiful classical music, and neither is it an unpleasant sound of somebody scolding you. So it's just a neutral feeling arises. But there's another type that is spiritual. I don't remember the definition, but you look into the Samyutta Nikaya, I think under feelings. Okay, can we end here? I'm sorry

50-MN-149-Mahasalayatanika-(2010-09-21).txt

This is 21st of September, 2010. And this is the 63rd time we're speaking on the Majjhima Nikaya Suttas. Tonight we come to Sutta 149. Maha Salayatanika Sutta, the Great Sixfold Base is another Sutta concerning the six sense bases. Thus have I heard On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Savati in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. There, He addressed the monks thus, Monks, Venerable Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said, Monks, I shall teach you a discourse on the Great Sixfold Base. Listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Venerable Sir, the monks replied. The Blessed One said, monks, when one does not know and see the I as it actually is, when one does not know and see forms as they actually are, when one does not know and see I-consciousness as it actually is, when one does not know and see I-contact as it actually is, When one does not know and see, as it actually is, the feeling felt as pleasant or painful, or neither painful nor pleasant, that arises with eye contact as condition. Then one is inflamed by lust for the eye, for forms, for eye consciousness, for eye contact, for the feeling felt as pleasant or painful, or neither painful nor pleasant, that arises with eye contact as condition. Then one abides in flame by lust, fettered, infatuated, contemplating, gratification. Then the five aggregates affected by clinging or the five aggregates of attachment are built up for oneself in the future. And one's craving brings renewal of being. is accompanied by delight and lust, and delights in this and that increases, one's bodily and mental troubles increase, one's bodily and mental torments increase, one's bodily and mental fevers increase, and one experiences bodily and mental suffering. Similarly, when one does not know and see the ear as it actually is, when one does not know and see the nose as it actually is, etc. When one does not know and see the tongue as it actually is, etc. When one does not know and see the body as it actually is, etc. When one does not know and see the mind as it actually is, etc. One experiences bodily and mental suffering. I'll stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha says, when one does not know and see the eye forms, eye consciousness, et cetera, as they actually are. Then one lusts after all these things, the eye forms, eye consciousness, eye contact, feeling. According to this commentary, to know and see, To know and see as they actually are, we need to know and see by insight knowledge and path knowledge. That is what the commentary says. The commentaries always like to talk about insight. But if you remember, we have seen previous suttas, especially in the Samyutta Nikaya, It is mentioned that the condition for seeing things as they really are. Jata, bhuta, jnana, dasana, knowing and seeing things as they really are. The condition mentioned is samadhi. There are a few suttas that says the same thing. The condition for knowing and seeing things as they really are is always samadhi. Samadhi refers to the jhanas. So why Why Samadhi? Because when a person attains Samadhi or the Jhanas, the Buddha says the five hindrances are eliminated. The five hindrances are the things that prevent us from seeing and knowing things clearly as they actually are. These five hindrances, as you know, are sensual desire, ill will, sloth and topper, restlessness and worry, or remorse and doubt. So according to the suttas, we have to attain Samadhi, to see things as they really are. And only when we see things as they really are, then we won't lust after these things. So here the Buddha says because this person does not see see things as they actually are, then he lusts after all the sense bases, lusts after the sense, external sense objects, lusts after the six consciousness that arise, the contact and the feeling. then when one lusts, then after these things, then the five aggregates affected, five aggregates of attachment are built up for oneself in the future. These five aggregates, body, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness, is basically body and mind. In other words, if you are inflamed by lust for these six sense bases and the objects of the six sense bases and arise from this success basis, then in the future there will be rebirth. And also it says that craving increases and one's bodily and mental troubles also increase. If you remember the Four Noble Truths, the The cause of dukkha is craving which brings about renewed existence. When one knows and sees the eye as it actually is, when one knows and sees forms as they actually are, when one knows and sees eye consciousness as it actually is, when one knows and sees eye contact as it actually is, when one knows and sees as it actually is the feeling of felt as pleasant or painful, or neither painful nor pleasant, that arises with eye contact as condition. The one is not inflamed by lust for the eye, for forms, for eye consciousness, for eye contact, for the feeling. felt as pleasant or painful, or neither painful nor pleasant, that arises with eye contact as condition. And one abides uninflamed by lust, unfettered, uninfatuated, contemplating danger. And the five aggregates affected by clinging are diminished for oneself in the future. And one's craving, which brings renewal of being, is a is accompanied by delight and lust, and delights in this or that is abandoned. One's bodily and mental troubles are abandoned. One's bodily and mental torments are abandoned. One's bodily and mental fevers are abandoned. And one experiences bodily and mental pleasure. I'll stop here for a moment. So this is the converse. When one sees things as they actually are, No one is not inflamed by lust or the sense bases, sense objects, et cetera. And so the five aggregates of attachment are diminished. That means the round of rebirth is limited. For example, the Suttapanna has maximum of seven more lifetimes. and once godly and material troubles are abandoned. The view of a person such as this is right view. His thought is right thought. His effort is right effort. His mindfulness or recollection is right mindfulness. His concentration is right concentration. But his bodily action, his verbal action, and his livelihood have already been well purified earlier. Thus, this Noble Eightfold Path comes to fulfilment in him by development. When he develops this Noble Eightfold Path, the four intense states of mindfulness or recollection also come to fulfilment in him by development. The four right kinds of striving also come to fulfilment in him by development. The four bases for psychic power also come to fulfilment in him by development. The five faculties also come to fulfilment in him by development. The five powers also come to fulfilment in him by development. The seven enlightenment factors also come to fulfilment in him by development. These two things, Samatha and Vipassana, occur in him yoked evenly together. He fully understands by direct knowledge those things that should be fully understood by direct knowledge. He abandons by direct knowledge those things that should be abandoned by direct knowledge. He develops by direct knowledge those things that should be developed by direct knowledge. He realizes by direct knowledge those things that should be realized by direct knowledge. Stop here for a moment. So here This person, the Buddha says, he has right view. And the other factors of the Noble Eightfold Path, he also possesses. And then here the Buddha says, but his bodily action, verbal action and livelihood have already been well purified earlier. Why? Because Earlier the Buddha says, when he knows and sees the eye as it actually is, an eye consciousness, etc., then he is not inflamed by lust for all these things and he contemplates danger. So if a person knows the danger of the external sense objects and is not inflamed by lust for them, then his bodily action, verbal action, and livelihood would be pure. If you remember the Charana, the conduct of a monk, when a monk renounces, then there's a set of practice. So one of the early things that he has to practice is to guard the six-sense doors. If he guards the six-sense doors, then he is not infatuated with the six-sense objects. Then his moral conduct will be pure. His moral conduct consists of bodily action, verbal action, livelihood and also he has the right thought, right view. So this person is Noble Eightfold Path comes to fulfillment in him. And when this Noble Eightfold Path comes to fulfillment, the 37 Bodhipakya Dharmas also come to fulfillment. Namely, the four intense states of mindfulness of recollection, Satipatthana, the four right kinds of striving, or four right efforts, Samapadana, the four bases of psychic power, iddhipada, the five faculties, indriya, the five powers, bhāla, the seven enlightenment factors, bhojanga, and the Noble Eightfold Path itself. These constitute the 37 Bodhipakya Dhammas. And then here it says, when he When the Noble Eightfold Path comes to fulfilment, that means fully developed, Samatha and Vipassana occur in him, yoke evenly together. That means he possesses automatically Samatha and Vipassana. What is this Samatha and Vipassana? Samatha, we know from the Vinaya books, there is a term called the Adhikarana Samatha. Adhikarana Samatha means the settlement of legal problems or the pacification of legal problems or the stilling of legal problems. What legal problems? Legal problems refers to the problems of the Sangha. Sometimes there are various problems. between monks and so these problems have to be settled by the Sangha and they do what is called the Kamavacca. The Sangha has to meet and there are certain procedures for settling these problems. So these procedures are called the Adhikarana Samatha. So this word Samatha, you can see from there, it means the settlement or the pacification or the stilling or the quieting or the calming. So here, concerning the Noble Eightfold Path, it refers to the persecution of the mind or stealing of the mind or the quieting of the mind or the calming of the mind. So this is Samatha. And Vipassana means contemplation. In the Anguttara Nikaya, we have a sutta 2.3.10, where the Buddha said that two things lead to knowledge. What are these two things? Samatha and Vipassana. Sometimes people translate Vipassana as insight. But Vipassana is what you do to get insight. So it cannot be insight. When you practice Vipassana, you get insight. So Vipassana means contemplation and the Chinese translation for these two terms Samatha and Vipassana are quite accurate. The Chinese translation is Chir Kuan. Chir means stilling the mind or calming the mind and Kuan means contemplation. So you can see from here that When one develops the Noble Path fully, then you must possess Samatha and Vipassana. Here it says, these two things, Samatha and Vipassana, occur in him yoked evenly together. He possesses these two things. So sometimes we see, for example, in the Vinaya books, certain people, they have already attained the Four Jhanas. So the Buddha goes to them to teach them the Suttas. For example, the earliest five arahants were the five monk disciples of the Buddha. So the Buddha just asked them to sit down. Buddha said, I will teach you the Dhamma. He started with the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. And then subsequent days, he taught various suttas. And finally, when he taught the Anattalakkhana Sutta, all five of them attained arahanthood. So, listening to the Dhamma in that, for those five monks, was the vipassana since they had already possessed the Samatha. Being disciples of the Buddha, they had already, the Buddha had already taught them the Jhanas. So when they sat down and listened to the Dhamma, When you listen to the Dhamma, you automatically digest it, you automatically contemplate. You don't have to make an effort. As soon as you hear the Dhamma, you start to automatically contemplate and digest it. So for them, they became enlightened just by listening to the Dhamma. So that listening to the Dhamma was the Vipassana. So this is This is one thing. The other thing I'd like to mention here is that, you see, when a person develops a Noble Eightfold Path, all these factors, the four Satipatthana, the four Samapadana, the four Idipada, the five Indriya, the five Bala, the seven Bhojanga, also come to be fully developed. So, this Satipatthana Sutta, the start of the Satipatthana Sutta, sometimes they translate, the translation says that Satipatthana is the only way, but Satipatthana, you can see from here, is not the only way. All these are the ways to enlightenment, but basically it's the Noble Eightfold Path, and you develop fully the Noble Eightfold Path. All these other things come to to be developed at the same time, the four satipatthana, the four samapadana, the four idipada, etc. So, in the Noble Eightfold Path, the eighth factor is samatha. Eighth factor is samatha. When you practice samatha, you attain samadhi, like concentration. And the seventh factor, samasati, is Vipassana. The seven factors of Sati is contemplating the four objects of Sati and that is the Vipassana contemplation. So you can see from the Noble Eightfold Path, all the eight factors are necessary. You cannot practice just one particular factor of the Noble Eightfold Path and expect to be enlightened. That's why some people say, how can jhāna be necessary? When the Buddha initially practiced the jhāna, he was not enlightened. But you don't become enlightened through just one factor. In the same way, Just because the Buddha practised Sila initially, he did not become enlightened. Then you cannot say, what's the use of Sila? When the Buddha practised Sila, he never attained enlightenment. You cannot say that. because these are all components. So all eight factors are necessary. So because of wrong view nowadays, people teach that you can have pure vipassana. You can become enlightened just by practicing pure vipassana. This comes from the commentaries. It's not what the Buddha says. It's what later monks say. So there's no such thing as a pure vipassana arahant. It's only found in the commentaries. But in the Suttas, all eight factors have to be developed, fully developed. So that's why here it says, Bod Samatha and Vipassana will be found in the person who develops the Noble Eightfold Path fully. Okay. And what things should be fully understood by direct knowledge? The answer to that is the five aggregates of attachment. That is the material form or body aggregate of attachment, the feeling aggregate of attachment, the perception aggregate of attachment, the volition aggregate of attachment, the consciousness aggregate of attachment. These are the things that should be fully understood by direct knowledge. And what things should be abandoned by direct knowledge? Ignorance and craving for being. These are the things that should be abandoned by direct knowledge. And what things should be developed by direct knowledge? Samatha and Vipassana. These are the things that should be developed by direct knowledge. And what things should be realized by direct knowledge? True knowledge and deliverance or liberation. These are the things that should be realized by direct knowledge. When one knows and sees the ear as it actually is, etc. etc. When one knows and sees the nose as it actually is, etc. When one knows and sees the tongue as it actually is, when one knows and sees the body as it actually is, etc. When one knows and sees the mind as it actually is, etc. That is what the Blessed One said. The monks were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So the last part is concerning the other sense bases. The Buddha started off with the eye base and in the end he mentioned the other bases. So this paragraph 11, what things should be understood by direct knowledge is the five aggregates of attachment. These five aggregates are a body or material form, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness is also the body and the mind. The mind consists of the four things, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness. So why we need to understand the five aggregates? Because we take the five aggregates to be I or mine, a normal ordinary person identifies himself with the five aggregates. So the five aggregates being impermanent has to change. So when it changes and you are attached to the five aggregates, then you will suffer. For example, if your son suddenly dies, then you will suffer a lot or your husband suddenly dies or wife etc. So we have to understand the five aggregates and this understanding the five aggregates is similar to understanding the six sense bases because the six sense bases, the I, the Ear, Nose, Tongue, Body and Mind. You can see, these six sense bases, the first five, Eye, Ear, Nose, Tongue, Body, are basically Body. And the last one, Mind, is Mind. So the six sense bases is also Body and Mind. Just like the five aggregates, the five aggregates is also Body and Mind. The six sense bases is also Body and Mind. So we have to understand the Five Aggregates. What things should be abandoned by direct knowledge? Ignorance and craving for being. What is ignorance? Ignorance here refers to ignorance of the Four Noble Truths. When you listen to the Dhamma, you have a little bit of understanding and you can get right view. But that means ignorance is eliminated. But then this ignorance and right view, there are different levels. So the right view of a Sotapanna is different from the right view of a Sakadagamin, which is different from the right view of an Anagamin, which is different from the right view of an Arahant. An Arahant has perfect right view. Whereas a Sotapanna, has a basic right view. Sotapanna has a basic understanding of the Four Noble Truths, not as deep as the Arahant. So the ignorance eliminated by the Sotapanna is not fully eliminated. The Arahant has fully eliminated ignorance. Whereas the Sotapanna may have eliminated For example, a quarter of the ignorance eliminated by an arahant. Because in the Sutta, it is stated in the Samyutta Nikaya, I believe, that's what Sutta, the Buddha says, ignorance is the cause for the arising of unwholesome states. And then the Buddha says, when ignorance is totally eliminated, then all unwholesome states are totally eliminated. So the Arahant has finished his work, so he has totally eliminated ignorance. So he has totally no unwholesome states. Whereas the Sotapanna has not, because he has not completely eliminated ignorance, he still has some unwholesome states. Now, what things should be developed by direct knowledge? Samatha and Vipassana. That means the seventh and the eighth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path. And what things should be realized by direct knowledge? True knowledge and liberation. True knowledge is, you can say, understanding of the Dhamma which gives you right view and liberation is liberation from the round of rebirths, eliminating greed, hatred and delusion and basically liberation or enlightenment is the destruction of the asavas, destruction of the teens or destruction of the uncontrolled mental outflows. These are the things that should be realized by direct knowledge. So that's the end of the sutta. Let's go to the next sutta. Just to recap just now that sutta, basically the Buddha says to be liberated, to stop the round of rebirth, stop the five aggregates of attachment, in the future, one has to cut craving. And craving refers to craving for the six sense bases and the six sense objects, and the consciousness and the contact and the feeling etc, mentioned here. So, to eliminate craving, one has to know and see things as they really are. And I mentioned that the condition for knowing and seeing things as they really are is Samadhi, concentration, which basically means attainment of the Jhanas. Attainment of the Jhanas is a practice of Samadha. But then you need Vipassana and Vipassana, as I mentioned, refers to contemplating four objects, four objects of sati, the seven factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, body, feelings, mind, and dhamma. And out of these four, I mentioned before, the most important is the dhamma. Because in the suttas, the Buddha says, when a person becomes liberated, he becomes liberated only on five occasions. One, when he's listening to the Dhamma. Secondly, when he's teaching the Dhamma. Thirdly, when he's repeating the Dhamma. In the days of the Buddha, there were no books, so they had to repeat. the Dhamma or the Sutta. The fourth is when he reflects on the Dhamma. The fifth is during meditation. So you see out of the five occasions a person becomes enlightened, four of them have to do in Vipassana. Listening to the Dhamma, teaching the Dhamma, repeating the Dhamma and reflecting on the Dhamma. So That's why both are necessary, samatha and vipassana, so that you can know and see things as they really are. As I mentioned, I quoted this sutra, Anguttara Nikaya 2.3.10. In that sutra, the Buddha says two conditions are necessary for knowing and seeing things, for knowledge and insight. That is samatha and vipassana.

51-MN-150-Nagaravindeyya-(2010-09-21).txt

Okay, now we come to Sutta 150, Nagaravindaya Sutta. To the Nagaravindans. This is a very good Sutta. It does not have so much Dhamma content, but it's a very good Sutta. Very soon you'll understand why. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was wandering in the Kosalan country with a large Sangha of monks, and eventually arrived at a Kosalan village named Nagaravinda. The Brahmin householders of Nagaravinda heard. The recluse Gautama, the son of the Sakyans, who went forth from the Sakyan clan, has been wandering in the porcelain country with a large Sangha of monks and has come to Nagaravinda. Now a good report of Master Gautama has been spread to this effect. That blessed one is Arahant, Samasambuddha, etc. He reveals a holy life that is utterly perfect and pure. Now it is good to see such Arahants. Then the Brahmin householders of Nagaravinda went to the Blessed One. Some paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down at one side. Some exchanged greetings with Him, and when this courteous and amiable talk was finished, sat down at one side. Some extended their hands in reverential salutation towards the Blessed One and sat down at one side. Some pronounced their name and clan in the Blessed One's presence and sat down at one side. Some kept silent and sat down at one side. When they were seated, the Blessed One said to them, Householders, if one person of other sex asks you thus, Householders, what kind of recluses and Brahmins should not be honored, respected, revered and venerated? You should answer them thus. Those recluses and Brahmins who are not rid of lust, hate and delusion regarding forms cognizable by the eye, whose minds are not inwardly peaceful and who conduct themselves now righteously, now unrighteously in body, speech and mind, Such recluses and Brahmins should not be honoured, respected, revered and venerated. Why is that? Because we ourselves are not rid of lust, hate and delusion regarding forms cognizable by the eye, our minds are not inwardly peaceful, and we conduct ourselves now righteously, now unrighteously in body, speech and mind. Since we do not see any higher righteous conduct on the part of those good recluses and Brahmins, they should not be honored, respected, revered and venerated. Those recluses and Brahmins who are not rid of lust, hate, and delusion, regarding sounds cognizable by the ear, regarding odors, regarding flavors, regarding tangibles, regarding mind objects, whose minds are not inwardly peaceful, and who conduct themselves now righteously, now unrighteously in body, speech, and mind, should not be honored. Since we do not see any higher righteous conduct on the part of those good precluses and Brahmins, they should not be honored, respected, revered, and venerated. Being thus asked, householders, you should answer those wondrous of other sects in this way." Stop here for a moment. So here, without being asked by the lay people, the Buddha is telling these lay people how to judge recluses and Brahmins or monks and ascetics. The Buddha said there are some that should be respected, revered, whereas some should not be respected and revered. And those who should not be respected and revered are those who have lust, hatred and delusion, just like laypeople. Just like laypeople sometimes conduct themselves righteously, sometimes unrighteously. So if these recluses and Brahmins, these monks and ascetics, they also behave like this, sometimes righteously, sometimes unrighteously to body, speech and mind, then why should you respect them? Because they are no better than you. So this is the standard the Buddha gives Thank you. But householders, if wanderers of other sects ask you thus, householders, what kind of recluses and brahmins should be honored, respected, revered, and venerated? You should answer them thus, those recluses and brahmins who are rid of lust, hate, and delusion, regarding forms cognizable by the eye, whose minds are inwardly peaceful, and who conduct themselves righteously in body, speech, and mind. Such recluses and brahmins should be honoured, respected, revered, and venerated. Why is that? Because we ourselves are not rid of lust, hate, and delusion regarding forms foundizable by the eye. Our minds are not inwardly peaceful, and we conduct ourselves now righteously, now unrighteously in body, speech, and mind. Since we see higher righteous conduct on the part of those good recluses and Brahmins, they should be honoured, respected, revered and venerated. Those recluses and Brahmins who are rid of lust, hate and delusion regarding sounds cognizable by the ear, regarding odours, flavours, tangibles, mind objects, whose minds are inwardly peaceful, and who conduct themselves righteously in body, speech, and mind, should be honored. Since we see higher righteous conduct on the part of those good recluses and Brahmins, they should be honored, respected, revered, and venerated. Being thus asked, householders, you should answer those wonders of other sects in this way." Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha is saying, If these monks or ascetics, they are better than lay people, they are rid of lust, hate and delusion, and you see the next paragraph, or if they are practicing to get rid of lust, hate and delusion, and their minds are inwardly peaceful, and who conduct themselves righteously in body, speech and mind, that means they have moral conduct, then they should be honoured, respected, revered and venerated. Why? Because they have a higher righteous conduct than ordinary lay people. How so? If hundreds of other sects ask you thus, for what are your reasons and what is your evidence regarding those venerable ones whereby you say about them, surely these venerable ones are either rid of lust or are practicing for the removal of lust. They are either rid of hate or are practicing for the removal of hate. They are either rid of delusion or are practicing for the removal of delusion. Being asked thus, you should answer those wonders of other sects thus. It is because those venerable ones resort to remote jungle-ticket-resting places in the forest, for there are no forms cognizable by the eye there, of a kind they could look at and delight in. There are no sounds cognizable by the ear there. of a kind that they could listen to and delight in. There are no odours cognisable by the nose there, of a kind that they could smell and delight in. There are no flavours cognisable by the tongue there, of a kind that they could taste and delight in. There are no tangibles cognisable by the body there, of a kind that they could touch and delight in. These are our reasons, friends. This is our evidence, whereby we say about those venerable ones. Surely, these venerable ones are either in of lust, hate and delusion, or are practicing for their removal. Being thus us, householders, we should answer those wonders of other sects in this way. When this was said, the Brahmin householders of Nagaravinda said to the Blessed One, Magnificent Master Gautama, Magnificent Master Gautama, Master Gautama has made the Dhamma clear in many ways, as though he were turning upright what had been overthrown. revealing what was hidden, showing the way to one who was lost, or holding up a lamp in the darkness for those with eyesight to see forms. We go to Master Gautama for refuge and to the Dhamma and to the Sangha of monks. From today, let Master Gautama accept us as lay followers who have gone to him for refuge for life." That's the end of the sutra. So here you see, the Buddha says that If a monk stays in the forest, the remote forest, then you should respect him because he does not enjoy or delight in the five ports of sensual pleasure, form, sound, smell, taste and touch. And if he is practicing there, then either he is already rid of lust or He's practicing for the removal of lust. He's either rid of hate or he's practicing for the removal of hate. He's either rid of delusion or practicing for the removal of delusion. So you can see from the Suttas and the Vinaya, during the Buddha's time, the monk's disciples, the Buddha and his disciples, always stayed in the forest. They always follow monks. They don't stay in the cities and the towns. The Buddha says that if a monk stays in the city and the towns, then it's very easy to break the precepts. Or even if not, then he will be he will be discouraged from practicing the holy life and will disrobe. So the Buddha always encourages monks to stay in the forest or forest monasteries. During the Buddha's time, practically all the monasteries were forest monasteries. But sometimes, when monks pass certain towns, we can see from the sutras and the Vinaya, sometimes they do stay in the towns, but only on a temporary basis, not long term. For example, our Samanera Hong has to go back to Singapore once in a while to do his visa, and he can stay in Wat Palelai. Otherwise, he comes to the Forest Monastery. So this is a very definite standard set by the Buddha. And very few monks mention this sutra. Very few monks. So the Buddha only praises forest monks, not city monks. I think I'll stop here for tonight, so that tomorrow we can do two sutas and wind up. Anything to discuss? So, you know, I hope that all of you here, who have been in this position for a long time, please be kind to each other, be kind to each other, so that we can continue to have a nice relationship. You know, I hope that all of you, who have been in this position for a long time, Even though the Buddha before enlightenment did not know the Dhamma, but he meditated, the Buddha meditated and attained the Four Jhanas. After attaining the Four Jhanas, the Buddha recollected the past lives. When he recollected his many past lives, he remembered that he was a disciple of the Buddha Kasapa. When he remembered the Buddha Kassapa, all the Dhamma that he learned came back to him. Without the knowledge of the Dhamma, you cannot become enlightened. So after that, he used the knowledge of the Four Noble Truths. He contemplated the Four Noble Truths and attained enlightenment. In all things, you have a right Depending on what level you want to attain. In the Sutta, it is mentioned to attain Sotapanna and Sakadagamin. First and second fruition You don't need perfect concentration. Perfect concentration consists of the four jhanas. So for Sotapanna and Sakadagamin, you don't need four jhanas. But if you have three jhanas or two jhanas or one jhana, you'll become a Sotapanna or a Sakadagamin very easily, provided you learn the Dhamma. But there are some people, because of maybe past life, when they listen to the Dhamma and they pay full attention, they concentrate their minds when they listen to the Dhamma, it is stated in the suttas that at the moment when he fully concentrates on hearing the Dhamma, At that moment, the five hindrances are eliminated. At that moment. And then he can understand the Dhamma. That is why you can see from the Suttas and the Vinaya, sometimes the Buddha will teach to many, many people, and they listen to the Dhamma the first time, many of them attain stream entry. That means they understand. Of course, they have to be quite intelligent people. So I'm going to do that. In the name of Jesus Christ, who is the God of peace and love? Who is the God of peace and love? Who is the God of peace and love? Thank you very much. That is what I assume. it's a bit noisy tonight so maybe we can end here

52-MN-151-Pindapataparisuddhi-(2010-09-22).txt

Tonight is the 22nd of September and this is the 64th time we are speaking on the Madhymanikaya Suttas. We are coming to the end of the Madhymanikaya. Tonight happens to be a very auspicious night. It's the full moon night of September. In fact, it's doubly auspicious. Firstly, tonight in the Chinese calendar, the full moon night of the 8th month. Today is the festival, Mooncake Festival, where Chinese all over the world celebrate by eating the mooncake. And at night, all the children go around with lanterns, paper lanterns. and with this candle inside it. So that's one reason why it's auspicious. The second reason is this is the last night of the Majjhima Nikaya talks. So for this pasar, next year, hopefully, we can do the last. of the series. Next year we hope to do the Vigranikaya and six books of the Kudapkanikaya. Okay, now we come to Sutta 151, Pindapakta Parishuddhi Sutta, the purification of alms food. Parishuddhi you can see is the utter purification Just like in the fourth jhana, you have the utter purification of equanimity and sati, recollection or mindfulness. Thus have I heard, on one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Rajagaha in the bamboo grove, the squirrel sanctuary. Then when it was evening, the Venerable Sariputta rose from meditation and went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to him, he sat down at one side. The Blessed One then said to him, Sariputta, your faculties are clear. The color of your skin is pure and bright. What abiding do you often abide in now, Sariputta? Now, Venerable Sir, I often abide in voidness. Good, good, Sariputta. Now indeed, you often abide in the abiding of a great man. For this is the abiding of a great man, namely voidness. Sorry for a moment. We can see in the previous sutra we read, Majjhima Nikaya 122, the paragraph six, that's on page 972. Go back to 972. Maha Sunyata Sutta, the greater discourse on voidness. In paragraph six, the Buddha says, however, Ananda, there is this abiding discovered by the Tathagata to enter and abide in voidness internally, by giving no attention to all signs. So, abiding in voidness means not giving attention to any sign at all. In other words, it's a signless concentration. It's mentioned in other suttas as a signless concentration, where the mind is void of any munita, any sign, any object. This, very few, I think very few, monks can abide in this. The concentration has to be very great and probably have to be an arahant. In the commentaries, the Majjhima Nikaya commentaries, he explains this abiding in voidness as the arahant's fruition of voidness. This is Just a comment by later monks. There is no basis for this in the suttas. In the suttas it's quite clear. It's the signless concentration because there's no attention to any sign at all. So Sariputta, if a monk should wish, may I now often abide in voidness, he should consider thus, on the path by which I went to the village for alms, or in the place where I wandered for alms, or on the path by which I returned from the alms round. Was there any desire, lust, hate, delusion, or aversion in my mind regarding forms cognizable by the eye? If by so reviewing he knows thus, on the path by which I went to the village for alms, or in the place where I wandered for alms, or on the path by which I returned from the alms round, there was desire, lust, hate, delusion, or aversion in my mind regarding forms cognizable by the eye, then he should make an effort to abandon those evil unwholesome states. If by reviewing he knows thus, on the path by which I went to the village for alms, and in the place where I wandered for alms, and on the path by which I returned from the alms round, was no desire, lust, hate, delusion, or aversion in my mind regarding forms cognizable by the eye. then he can abide happy and glad, training day and night in wholesome states. Again Sariputta, a monk should consider thus, on the path by which I went to the village for alms, or in the place where I wandered for alms, or on the path by which I returned from the alms round, Was there any desire, lust, hate, delusion or aversion in my mind regarding sounds cognizable by the ear, regarding odours cognizable by the nose, regarding flavours cognizable by the tongue, regarding tangibles cognizable by the body, regarding mind objects cognizable by the mind? If, by reviewing Inostas, on the path by which I went to the village for alms, there was desire, lust, hate, delusion, or aversion in my mind regarding these sensed objects cognizable by the senses, then it should make an effort to abandon those evil, unwholesome states. If, by reviewing Inostas, on the path by which I went to the village for alms, there was no desire, lust, hate, delusion, or aversion in my mind regarding sensed objects, recognizable by the senses, that he can abide happy and glad, training day and night in wholesome states." I'll stop here for a moment. So here, the Buddha says, if a monk wants to abide in voidness, then firstly, he has to notice whether when he goes for alms round or coming back, whether there was any desire or hatred or delusion in regard to the six sense objects. And if there is, then these are considered evil unwholesome states. In other words, the mind is moved by these sense objects. then he should train himself to abandon those evil unwholesome states until he knows that there is no such lust or aversion or delusion concerning these sense objects. And this is This sometimes you can notice, if a person has just started to wear the robes, then it's easily moved by the sense objects. It's not trained enough. For example, we know that men have the habit of looking at a beautiful girl, or women have the habit of looking at a beautiful boy or man. So if this monk goes on an alms round, or any man who notices a beautiful girl, their eye tends to follow. So it is a habit probably for many lifetimes. So it is not easy to change your habits. So it needs mindfulness and its understanding of the Dhamma and it needs a strong mind to even know that your mind is moved. Again Sariputta, a monk should consider thus, are the five courts of sensual pleasure abandoned in me? If by reviewing he knows thus, the five courts of sensual pleasure are not abandoned in me, then he should make an effort to abandon those five courts of sensual pleasure. But if by reviewing he knows thus, the five courts of sensual pleasure are abandoned in me, then he can abide happy and glad, training day and night in wholesome states. Sorry for a moment. So this is the second step. The first step is to guard his sense doors, to notice whether he's moved by sense objects. Now the second step is to abandon the five thoughts of pleasure. That means not to indulge in beautiful forms, beautiful sounds, smells, tastes, and touch. In other words, giving up worldly pleasure altogether. Unless a person is very serious about the Dhamma, a normal worldly person is not likely to give up the five cause of sensual pleasure. Because most people think, what is life without enjoyment, without pleasure, without happiness? So worldly people, they indulge in worldly happiness. But the Buddha says it's only because they don't know of a higher happiness. People on the holy path, on the spiritual path, they want to indulge in a higher kind of happiness, a more permanent type of happiness, a type of happiness that does not give you suffering. Worldly happiness, we indulge in it, the end result is suffering. Because once you indulge in worldly happiness, you tend to crave for it. You tend to attach to it. And then when it goes away or it changes, then you can't stand it and you suffer. So this giving up of the five cause of sensual pleasure is quite a drastic step for worldly people. Unless you are totally committed to the spiritual path, you are not likely to take this step of abandoning sensual pleasure. Again, Sariputta, a monk should consider thus, are the five hindrances abandoned in me? If by reviewing he knows thus, the five hindrances are not abandoned in me, then he should make an effort to abandon those five hindrances. But if by reviewing he knows thus, the five hindrances are abandoned in me, then he can abide happy and glad, training day and night in wholesome states. Stop here for a moment now. The five hindrances are abandoned when a person is just about to enter the first jhāna. So, you can say that the condition for abandoning the five hindrances is to attain at least the first jhāna. And this, a normal person will not attain, as just now we mentioned. Firstly, that person has to be totally committed to the holy path, the spiritual path, then only he abandons the five courts of pleasure. He does not want to indulge in any worldly pleasure. And then he practices meditation. And if the conditions are right, and he attains the first jhana, then only he can abandon the five influences. So You see here, abandoning the five hindrances and attaining the jhānas is pretty much a part of the spiritual path, the holy path of the Buddha. Not like what later monks say, that jhāna is not important, jhāna is not necessary and all that. Here, it's quite obvious that it is a necessary condition. Again Sariputta, a monk should consider thus, are the five aggregates of attachment fully understood by me? If by reviewing he knows thus, the five aggregates of attachment are fully understood by me, then he should make an effort to fully... If he knows thus, the five aggregates of attachment are not fully understood by me, then he should make an effort to fully understand those five aggregates of attachment. But if by reviewing he knows thus, the five aggregates of attachment are fully understood by me, then he can abide happy and glad, training day and night in wholesome states." Stop here for a moment. So you see, this fully understanding the five aggregates is after abandoning the five hindrances. only after you have abandoned the five hindrances, then the Buddha says, then you can see things as they really are, yatta, bhutta, jnana, dasana. Then when you can see things as they really are, then when you practice vipassana or contemplation of the five aggregates, then you can understand the five aggregates as impermanent, as a source of suffering. And it is not It is not fit to be regarded as this is mine, this I am, this is myself, as the Buddha says. So, if we know that the five aggregates are impermanent, as the other day the Sutta says, you can see the rise and fall of the five aggregates, the appearance and the disappearance of the five aggregates. Just about two weeks ago, we had one lady here come for retreat. And she started coming here only recently because the son passed away. She had two sons. One is about 23 years old. The youngest son is only nine years old and suddenly passed away. And she could not take it. So she came here for retreat. So imagine somebody you love so much, this young boy, This lady gave birth to her and suddenly she appeared in her life. After nine years, she just died and disappeared altogether from her life. No trace. So, life is like that. Twenty, about twenty-five years ago, when I was a new monk in Thailand, we were staying in this Wat, this forest monastery. And then, these religious, you know, these Thai religious, When somebody passes away, they will bring the corpse to the Wat, to the monastery, and burn it there, cremate it there. Because in the village in Thailand, they don't have these electric burners, gas burners and all that. It's old-fashioned way. So I saw them bring this old lady and just passed away, wrapped up in cloth. You can see her face. Then they put her on top of this pile of branches that they had collected. And then they brought more of this wood pile on top of her. And then the monks put, I'm not sure whether they put petrol or they put kerosene or what, and then they lighted it. And then there was a big fire, very big fire, and burned the corpse completely. But they had to wait many hours until the next morning before it was cool enough to go and collect the bones. So it's very striking. One moment you see this old lady there. A few hours later, completely disappeared, no trace of her. So it strikes you that life is so impermanent. One moment you see somebody, another moment that person passes away. And the four elements return to the four elements. Earth, water, fire, wind. And no trace at all. For a few years, there is the memory. After some time, even the memory is gone. So it's good to see this type of cremation. It strikes you how a person Suddenly it's there, suddenly it disappears altogether. And you can see the nature of the five aggregates. Due to conditions they arise and you need sustaining conditions to keep the body alive, the body and the mind. And when the conditions are not sufficient, then this being dies. The five aggregates just fall apart. So because of that, the Buddha says, the five aggregates are suffering. And what is impermanent is suffering. And something that is impermanent suffering, bound to change, it's not fit to cling to it as I and mine. If you cling to it as I and mine, you're only asking for pain and suffering. Whether you like it or not, you still have to let go. Just like this lady, the son died. If she doesn't stop crying, until all the tears are dry, they will never come back. We just have to accept, there's no other choice. Life is this way, life is painful. Again Sariputta, a monk should consider thus, are the four satipatthanas or the four intense states of mindfulness developed in me? If by reviewing he knows thus, the four intense states of mindfulness are not developed in me, then he should make an effort to develop those four intense states of mindfulness. But if by reviewing he knows thus, the four intense states of mindfulness are developed in me, then he can abide happy and glad, training day and night in awesome states. Again Sariputta, a monk should consider thus, are the four right kinds of striving or the four right efforts developed in me, Are the four bases for psychic power developed in me? Are the five faculties developed in me? Are the five powers developed in me? Are the seven enlightenment factors developed in me? Is the Noble Eightfold Path developed in me? Are Samatha and Vipassana, stilling of the mind and contemplation developed in me? If by reviewing he knows thus, Samatha and Vipassana are not developed in me, then he should make an effort to develop them. But if by reviewing he knows thus, Samatha and Vipassana, or tranquility and contemplation, are developed in me, then he can abide happy and glad, training day and night in wholesome states." Stop here for a moment. So here, this part is talking about the Noble Eightfold Path. So a monk should consider how much of the Noble Eightfold Path he has developed. And if it's not complete, then he has to make further effort to completely develop the Noble Eightfold Path. And when the Noble Eightfold Path is fully developed, then the Four Satipatthanas will have been fully developed, and the Four Samapadana will have been fully developed, and the Four Edhipada and the Five Indriya and the five Balas and the seven Bhojangas. All these would have been fully developed. And then Samatha and Vipassana will occur, as mentioned in the previous Sutta, will naturally occur in this person who has developed fully the Noble Eightfold Path. Again, Sariputta, monks should consider thus. I'll stop here for a moment. Going back to this one. So, I'd like you to see again, the Buddha says, all these have to be developed, the four Satipatthana, the four Sambhapadana, the four Idipada, etc. In other words, the 37 Bodhipakya Dhamma. As I mentioned the previous night, that you cannot just practice the four Satipatthana without practicing the others. I was just saying that you cannot just want to develop the four Satipatthana by itself without the others, the other Bodhipakya Dhamma. You have to develop all the four Satipatthana, the four Idipada, the four Samapadana, the five Indriya, five Bala, seven Bhojanga, and the Noble Eightfold Path. And when that occurs, when that happens, the Noble Path is fully developed, then Samatha and Vipassana, this monk will automatically possess both Samatha and Vipassana. Again Sariputta, a monk should consider thus, are true knowledge and liberation realized by me. If by reviewing he knows thus, true knowledge and liberation are not realized by me, then he should make an effort to realize true knowledge and liberation. But if by reviewing he knows thus, true knowledge and liberation are realized by me, then he can abide happy and glad training day and night in wholesome states. Sariputta, whatever recluses and brahmins in the past have purified their alms food, have all done so by repeatedly reviewing thus. Whatever recluses and brahmins in the future will purify their alms food, will all do so by repeatedly reviewing thus. Whatever recluses and brahmins in the present are purifying their alms food, are all doing so by repeatedly reviewing thus. Thus, therefore Sariputta used to train thus, we will purify our alms food by repeatedly reviewing thus. That is what the Blessed One said. The Venerable Sariputta was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So you can see from here that the Buddha says, to purify our alms food, that means to make your, for a monk, to make the livelihood very pure. then he has to practice the Noble Eightfold Path until he has attained liberation. Then he will have completely purified his own food. In other words, he will deserve every little bit of food that he gets. One of the names for the Arahant In Chinese is Ying Kong. Ying Kong is worthy of offerings. So if a monk has completely finished his work, completely developed the Noble Eightfold Path and become liberated, then he is worthy of all offerings. So you can see here, this Buddha says, that when a monk goes for alms round or coming back from alms round, not only on alms round, whenever he can remember, he should review his progress on the holy path. Firstly, he should check, as in paragraph 3, Buddha says he should check himself whether paragraph 3 to 8, whether he is guarding his six sense doors, whether he is moved by external sense objects. He should not be moved by external sense objects. And he should be careful to abandon evil, unwholesome states of mind. Then after that, he has to abandon the five causes of sensual pleasure, totally give up enjoyment, of forms, sounds, smells, taste and touch. And then by giving up, by cause of sensual pleasure, then his mind becomes more and more tranquil, because he does not look for pleasure. That is the way to attain the jhanas. So when he attains the jhanas, the five influences are abandoned. And after attaining the jhanas, then when he practices vipassana or contemplation of the five aggregates of attachment, then he can fully understand the five aggregates of attachment as being impermanent, as being a source of suffering, as being subject to conditions, subject to change, and not fit or not worthwhile to regard as this is mine, this I am, this is myself. In other words, I and mine. So, after that, he has to develop the Noble Eightfold Path fully. And when he develops the Noble Eightfold Path fully, then all the 37 Bodhipakya Dhammas are developed, consisting of the Four Satipatthana, the four Samapadana, the four Inipada, the five Indriya, the five Bala, seven Bojanga, and then over eightfold path. And when that happens, then he automatically possesses Samatha and Vipassana, tranquility and contemplation. And then that will lead, if he practices in the right way, that will lead to true knowledge and liberation. So This is the way the Buddha is saying that a monk should train to purify his livelihood, purify his alms food. In other words, to be worthy of the gifts of lay people.

53-MN-152-Indriyabhavana-(2010-09-22).txt

Now we come to Sutta 152, the last Sutta of Madhyamanikaya, Indriya Bhavana Sutta, the development of the faculties. Bhavana is development, Indriya is the faculties. Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Pajang Gala, in a grove of Mukhelu trees. Then the Brahmin student Uttara, a pupil of the Brahmin Parasariya, went to the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him. When this courteous and amiable talk was finished, he sat down at one side. The Blessed One then asked him, Uttara, does the Brahmin Parasariya teach his disciples the development of the faculties? And he answered, he does, Master Gautama. But Uttara, how does he teach his disciples the development of the faculties? Here, Master Gautama, one does not see form to the eye, one does not hear sound to the ear. That is how the Brahmin Parasariya teaches his disciples the development of the faculties. And the Buddha said, If that is so, Uttara, then a blind man and a deaf man will have developed faculties, according to what the Brahmin Parasariya says. For a blind man does not see form through the eye, and a deaf man does not hear sound through the ear. When this was said, the Brahmin student Uttara, Parasariya's pupil, sat silent, dismayed, his shoulders drooping, and head down, glum and without response. Stop here for a moment. You can see here, the Buddha's wisdom, how sharp and swift it is. In one of the suttas, the Buddha praised Sariputta as having very sharp and very swift wisdom. Asapanya and Javanapanya, I think the Pali terms. Sharp wisdom and swift wisdom. So you see, because this Brahmin Parasariya, he says, development of the faculties means not seeing forms, not hearing sounds. The Buddha immediately said, then the blind man and the deaf man will have developed faculties. Then he realized it's true. Then he could not answer the Buddha. He was totally ashamed, put his head down. Then knowing this, the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Ananda. Ananda, the Brahmin Parasaraya, teaches his disciples the development of the faculties in one way, but in the Noble One's discipline, the supreme development of the faculties is otherwise. And Venerable Ananda said, Now is the time, Blessed One. Now is the time, Sublime One. for the Blessed One to teach the supreme development of the faculties in the Noble One's discipline. Having heard it from the Blessed One, the monks will remember it. Then listen, Ananda, and tend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Venerable Sir," he replied. The Blessed One said, Now, Ananda, how is there the supreme development of the faculties in the Noble One's discipline? I'll stop here for a moment. The supreme development, I gather, must be the the supreme development of the Arahant. Dear Ananda, when a monk sees a form with the eye, there arises in him what is agreeable, there arises what is disagreeable, there arises what is both agreeable and disagreeable. He understands thus, there has arisen in me what is agreeable, there has arisen What is disagreeable, there has arisen what is both agreeable and disagreeable. A dead is conditioned, rose, dependently arisen. This is peaceful, this is sublime, that is equanimity. The agreeable that arose, the disagreeable that arose, and both agreeable and disagreeable that arose, cease in him, and equanimity is established. Just as a man with good sight, having opened his eyes, might shut them, or having shut his eyes, might open them, so too concerning anything at all, the agreeable that arose, the disagreeable that arose, and the both agreeable and disagreeable that arose, cease just as quickly, just as rapidly, just as easily, and equanimity is established. This is called in the Noble One's discipline, the supreme development of the faculties regarding forms cognizable by the eye. Stop here for a moment. So here, when a monk sees a form agreeable, there arises in him what is agreeable. In other words, if he sees an attractive object, attractive form or a beautiful form, a likeable form, then agreeable feelings arise, pleasant feelings arise. And if he sees an ugly form, then disagreeable or unpleasant feelings arise. And sometimes a form might be attractive in certain ways and unattractive in certain ways. Then you have both agreeable and disagreeable feelings arise. We must understand, arahant is not like a wood or a stone with no feelings. Arahant also has feelings. The only thing is, arahant's feelings are totally controlled. He is in total control of his feelings. So here the Buddha says, for this arahant, who has this supreme development of the faculties, When he sees something pleasant or unpleasant, or both pleasant and unpleasant, then the corresponding feelings, pleasant and unpleasant, or both pleasant and unpleasant, arise. But then he understands that This is all conditioned, and so he attains equanimity very fast. Just as a man with good sight, having opened his eyes might shut them, or having shut his eyes might open them so fast. So, too, the agreeable that arose, the disagreeable that arose, and both agreeable and disagreeable that arose, cease just as quickly, just as rapidly, just as easily, and equanimity is established. So, whatever feelings arise, because he does not cling to those feelings, they just cease. This is called the supreme development of the fact of lease. Again Ananda, when a monk hears a sound with the ear, there arises in him what is agreeable, there arises what is disagreeable, there arises what is both agreeable and disagreeable. He understands thus, and equanimity is established. Just as a strong man might easily snap his fingers, so too concerning anything at all, the agreeable that arose, disagreeable that arose, and both agreeable and disagreeable that arose, ceased just as quickly, just as rapidly, just as easily. and equanimity is established. This is called in the Noble One's discipline, the supreme development of the faculties regarding sounds cognizable by the ear. Again, Ananda, when a monk smells an odor with the nose, there arises in him what is agreeable, there arises what is disagreeable, there arises what is both agreeable and disagreeable. He understands thus, and equanimity is established. This as raindrops on a slightly sloping lotus leaf, roll off and do not remain there. So too, concerning anything at all, the agreeable that arose, the disagreeable that arose, and the both agreeable and disagreeable that arose, cease just as quickly, just as rapidly, just as easily, and equanimity is established. This is called in the Noble One's discipline, the supreme development of the faculties regarding orders cognizable by the nose. Again Ananda, when a monk tastes a flavor with the tongue, there arises in him what is agreeable, there arises what is disagreeable, there arises what is both agreeable and disagreeable. He understands thus, and equanimity is established. Just as a strong man might easily spit out a ball of spittle collected on the tip of his tongue, So too concerning anything at all, the agreeable that arose, the disagreeable that arose, and the both agreeable and disagreeable that arose, cease just as quickly, just as rapidly, just as easily, and equanimity is established. This is called in the Noble One's discipline, the supreme development of the faculties regarding flavors cognizable by the tongue. Again Ananda, when a monk touches a tangible with the body, there arises in him what is agreeable, there arises what is disagreeable, there arises what is both agreeable and disagreeable. He understands thus, and equanimity is established. Just as a strong man might extend his flexed arm, or flex his extended arm, so too concerning anything at all, the agreeable that arose, the disagreeable that arose. and the both agreeable and disagreeable that arose, cease just as quickly, just as rapidly, just as easily, and equanimity is established. This is called in the Noble One's discipline, the supreme development of the faculties regarding tangibles cognizable by the body. Again Ananda, when a monk cognizes a mind object with the mind, there arises in him what is agreeable, there arises what is disagreeable, there arises what is both agreeable and disagreeable. He understands thus, and equanimity is established. Just as if a man were to let two or three drops of water fall onto an iron plate heated for a whole day, the falling of the drops might be slow, but they would quickly vaporize and vanish. So too, concerning anything at all, the agreeable that arose, the disagreeable that arose, and the both agreeable and disagreeable that arose, ceased just as quickly, just as rapidly, just as easily, and equanimity is established. This is called in the Noble One's discipline, the supreme development of the faculties regarding ideas cognizable by the mind. That is how there is a supreme development of the faculties in the Noble One's discipline. Stop here for a moment. So here the Buddha is saying, whenever for an arahant who has a supreme development of the faculties, whenever any external sense objects, namely form, sound, smell, taste, touch and thoughts, impinge on the sense bases, there might arise pleasant feelings, that means agreeable feelings, or unpleasant feelings, disagreeable feelings, or a mixture. But then they quickly cease, just as rapidly, just as easily, and equanimity is established. So there are a few similes given here to make us understand. The first one, just as a man with good sight, having opened his eyes might shut them, or having shut his eyes might open them. Then the second one, just as a strong man might easily snap his fingers so the feelings that arise just calm down and turn to equanimity. The third one, just as rain drops on a slightly sloping lotus leaf roll off and do not remain there. Then another one, just as a strong man might easily spit out a ball of spittle collected on the tip of his tongue. Then another one, just as a strong man might extend his flexed arm, or flex his extended arm. Then the last one, just as if a man were to let two or three drops of water fall onto an iron plate heated for a whole day. The falling of the drops might be slow, but they would quickly vaporize and vanish. So out of these six similes, you can consider these two as most appropriate. In paragraph six, just as rain drops on a slightly sloping lotus leaf, roll off and do not remain there." So, you can see, in the same way, the feelings that arise in an arahant, just fall off and turn to equanimity. And paragraph nine, just as if a man were to let two or three drops of water fall onto an iron plate heated for a whole day. That means the iron plate is red-hot, red hot, and then you put two or three drops of water, they immediately vaporize and vanish. So in the same way, whatever feelings arise in an arahant, pleasant feelings, unpleasant feelings, they just vanish very quickly, just as quickly, just as rapidly, just as easily, as the Buddha says. That is the supreme development development of the faculties. It's very different from an ordinary person. An ordinary person, when feelings arise, we cling to it, especially pleasant feelings and unpleasant feelings. Unpleasant feelings, you cling to it in the sense that you have aversion for it and it sticks in your mind. It sticks in your mind, this aversion. Now we come to paragraph 10. And how Ananda is one of the disciples in higher training, one who has entered upon the way. Here Ananda, when a monk sees a form with the eye, or hears a sound with the ears, or smells an odor with the nose, or tastes a flavor with the tongue, or touches a tangible with the body, or cognizes a mind object with the mind, there arises in him what is agreeable, there arises what is disagreeable, there arises what is both agreeable and disagreeable, He is ashamed, humiliated, and disgusted by the agreeable that arose, by the disagreeable that arose, and by the both agreeable and disagreeable that arose. That is how one is a disciple in higher training. One who has entered upon the way. Here, The Buddha is talking about a Seka, an Aryan disciple who has not finished his work, who has not become an Arahant, but he's an Arya, still in training. So, because he understands the Dhamma, when he sees a form and certain feelings arise, pleasant or unpleasant, or he hears a sound and similarly, pleasant and unpleasant feelings arise, etc. Then he realizes that he is not in full control of himself. He is moved by these external sense objects. So he is ashamed of himself and is disgusted by the feelings that move him. For example, because an Arya has not finished his work, so he still moves. For example, you might see a beautiful girl, and then his heart goes boom-biddy-boom. Then he realizes he has not finished his work, and he's ashamed. He's not perfect yet. Especially if there's an arahant around who can read his mind. Like during the Buddha's time, there were many arahants who could read their minds. So one of these ariya who has not finished his work, then he has this type of thoughts and feelings and all that. He knows some other arahants can read his mind. Then he'd be even more ashamed. And how Ananda is one, a noble one, with developed faculties. Here, Ananda, when a monk sees a form with the eye, or hears a sound with the ear, or smells an odor with the nose, or tastes a flavor with the tongue, or touches a tangible with the body, or cognizes a mind object with the mind, there arises in him what is agreeable, there arises what is disagreeable, there arises what is both agreeable and disagreeable. If he should wish, may I abide perceiving the unrepulsive in the repulsive. He abides perceiving the unrepulsive in the repulsive. If he should wish, may I abide perceiving the repulsive in the unrepulsive, he abides perceiving the repulsive in the unrepulsive. If he should wish, may I abide perceiving the unrepulsive in the repulsive and the unrepulsive, he abides receiving the unrepulsive in that. If he should wish, may I abide perceiving the repulsive in the repulsive and the In the unrepulsive and the repulsive, he abides perceiving the repulsive in that. If he should wish, may I, avoiding both the repulsive and unrepulsive, abide in equanimity, mindful and fully aware. He abides in equanimity towards that, mindful and fully aware. That is how one is a noble one with developed faculties. So Ananda, the supreme development of the faculties in the Noble One's discipline has been taught by me. The disciple in higher training who has entered upon the way has been taught by me. And the Noble One with developed faculties has been taught by me. What should be done for His disciples out of compassion by a teacher who seeks their welfare, and as compassion for them, that I have done for you, Ananda. There are these roots of trees, these empty huts, Meditate Ananda, do not delay, or else you will regret it later. This is our instruction to you. That is what the Blessed One said. Remember Ananda was satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So here, this third one is the ariya with developed faculties. Now this ariya with developed faculties, When these six sense objects impinge on the six sense bases, then if he feels repulsive, he knows that he can, because he's in very good control of his mind, if he wants to perceive the opposite, he can do so. So if we, for example, when we see a corpse, a dead and smelly corpse, we feel revulsion, we are repulsed by it. But for the Arahant, if he wants to, sorry, for this area, we develop faculties, because his mind is so strong, if he wants to perceive the opposite, he can do so. Repulsive becomes unrepulsive. and unrepulsive can become repulsive. For example, if he sees a beautiful form, if he decides that he wants to perceive it as repulsive, then he can consider inside the body there is blood, there is pus, there is excrement, there is urine, all the dirty things, then he can perceive it as repulsive, even though it's a beautiful form. So for this Arya to do that, he must have a very strong mind. He must have the fourth jhāna, or higher jhāna, or maybe even psychic power, where he has very good control of his mind. So he knows when certain feelings arise, he knows, he's aware of it. And if he wants to turn it the other way around, he can do so. But it's different with the supreme development. Just now we read the Arahant with supreme development of the mind. Any feelings that arise immediately, very quickly, subside and become equanimous, like automatic. So this is quite an interesting sutta concerning this development of the faculties. So the ordinary person, when any feelings arise, is moved, very much moved by feelings. Whereas for the Sekha, the area in training, for example the Sotapanna or Sakadagamin, then He is also moved, but because he is mindful and he knows the Dhamma, he feels ashamed. He quickly tries to correct his perception. And then for a monk who has attained the Four Jhanas or higher, the mind is very strong. And when he perceives in a certain way, if he wants to, he can perceive the opposite. And lastly, the arahant, with the supreme development of the faculties, many feelings that arise, of course it's automatic, pleasant and unpleasant feelings arise, but very quickly they become equanimous, cease, because this arahant's mind is so, so, how do you say, so still, so calm, that he is not moved, he cannot be moved by feelings, solid rock, big solid rock. The wind tries to move the rock. The wind cannot move this big solid rock. So we have come to the end of the Majjhima Nikaya Sutta's 64 talks. It's longer than the Samyutta Nikaya that we did last year. But many of the suttas are very interesting. We find many of the suttas are very practical, very, very good for monks. So, if there's anything to discuss, we can discuss. There is a problem. I'm doing nothing. I can't do anything about it. We have to work with it. We have to learn more about it. We can't do it. We don't have the time. We don't have the money. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't We don't know it. But I understood another thing in my testimony, whatever the meaning of my testimony, it somehow has to do with this understanding that we believe what we believe. We believe what we believe. So, for a new person, there's an understanding that if we slowly accept what we believe, A layperson can attain the first jhana if he strives hard and he spends a lot of effort in meditating. And he has to let go a lot of commitments, a lot of things that give you worry, that give you anxiety. So, for example, a businessman, it's quite impossible for a businessman to practice the spiritual path. One, for example, a teacher or one in government service, it would be easier. He doesn't have to worry so much. Thank you, and I'm sorry for all that I have to say. Please have a good evening. May this, and may this, and may this, and may this be a joy to you. So let's say, as we usually do, we say our last goodbyes with these words, with these words, with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with these words, and with Yes, agreeable and disagreeable refers to mixture, pleasant and unpleasant feelings, right? Yeah, yeah. No, these two, pleasant and unpleasant, they are separate, but just that there is a combination Whether a Sutapana can become an Arahant? Possible, I think, if he strives. But it is mentioned in the suttas that arahants are only found in the human plane. So if this Suttapanna, when he comes back as a human being and he strives hard, it is possible probably for him to become an arahant. I have to say that this is something that I have to do. When you go off for a walk in the dark, I believe that you propose a very simple, a very simple activity to get to the nearest river stream. But it's not an activity in such a way that it can't be done. I would like to say that it is an activity, not an activity of any sort. Yes, actually, when we go on Pindapatta, as far as the monk is concerned, he is giving a chance for laypeople to get married, giving a chance for laypeople to practice generosity. We don't really beg for our food in the worldly sense, because A person begs for his food when he asks for it. We are not, monks are not allowed to ask. We don't open our mouth. We just stand there and give lay people a chance to do merit. So in that sense, we don't beg for our food. But a lot of lay people, they don't understand. They think that monks go and beg for their food. And sometimes when The monks get a lot of food. Some lay people are not happy. Why is this monk so greedy? Takes so much offerings from the lay people. The thing is we never ask. If your kamma is good, if the monk's kamma is good, then he gets a lot of offerings. If the monk's kamma is no good, even if he wants a lot of offerings also, he cannot get. So we just let things go according to kamma. But a lot of lay people, they don't understand. Some lay people, They see this monk get so much food and no need for me to give him alms food. So they stop giving alms food. There are some people like that we have experience here. They stop giving us alms food because they think we have more than enough. But they don't know that they need to give alms food. They need to practice generosity. Sometimes some monks They don't need to go on Pindapatta. If the monk's karma is good, even if the monk doesn't go on Pindapatta for alms round, lay people will come and bring food, bring offerings. Monks generally can survive without going on alms round. But we take the trouble to go on alms round to educate the people and to carry on our tradition. that has been handed down from the Buddha and also to give laypeople a chance to increase their blessings. So the laypeople who don't understand, they think we are begging for our food. I don't know if that's the way it's going to be, to get it out there. I think we might be able to get out of this, I think, to get it out. But look, what we've seen so far, we might be able to get it out. But I don't know how good we're going to do it. Eating for a monk, eating in a restaurant, eating in a home, we are governed by the monk's precepts. In the monk's precepts a monk is not allowed to share the same dish from a lay person or even sharing the same dish with another monk who belongs to a different Dhamma Vinaya, who follows a different Dhamma Vinaya, they are not allowed to share the food. with a monk, for example, we practice Theravada, we are not allowed to sit down on the same table and share food with a Mahayana monk, because they follow different Dhamma Vinaya, they follow different sutras, and their practice of the Vinaya also very different. So because of that, the Buddha has laid down in the Vinaya rules, that we are not allowed to share the food with monks of different Dhamma Vinaya. So if a lay person invites a monk to a restaurant, generally we try not to go because it doesn't look very nice. But sometimes when we are traveling long distance, then we have no choice. We have to go to a restaurant to eat. In which case, we make sure we don't share the same dish with the lay people. If possible, we sit on a different table. Sometimes it's not convenient, we can sit on the same table, but we make sure all the food is offered to the monk first. Then after that, we stop taking. We don't take anymore. And going to a house for house dhāna, it's alright. Even during the Buddha's time, monks went to lay people's houses to receive alms food. But in the same way, we cannot share the dish with a lay person. When we want to eat food, should we go to a place where all shops are open? So in one way or another, one of the qualities of a human being is that he is able to control yeah yeah because noble disciple means aria yeah yeah okay we shall end here on this auspicious night