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The Dhamma one should accomplish before death


by
The Venerable Mahisi Sayidaw
of
Burma
frenal.ted by U Min Swe (Min Kyaw Thu.
LIB
HIWAtA
MEET

Uuddha&asana Nuggaha Organization
Mahool Thathana Yeiktbd
Rangoon
PURABHEDA S UTTA DHAMMA
OR
THE DHAMMA
ONE SHOULD ACCOMPLISH BEFORE DEATH
BY
THE VEVERABLE AGGA.IfAH fp I
M .IH.i Sf SA Lf D.HI'
Translated by
U MIN SHWE MIN KYAW THU)
July 1983
F. A a
First Published 1983 July
Religious Publication PermissIOn No. 458
Cover Permi ssion No. 035
First Impression 1000
Cover by-Aung Thor
Dhammadh.1na
T h ~ coutents of thi s publicali m, ma,l' be reproduced or
,eprin/etl jlr porI or in whole af ter 'he pri or permissioll of the
pub/i1her.
Publi.,/Jed by - U Min Swe Permission No. 38)
Buddha Sasana Nuggaha Organization.
No. 16. Hermitage Road. Kokkine. Rangoon.
Burma.
Printed by - U Tin Maung (0256- Perm)
Sarpay- paungku Press. No. 90 (A. B)
Wayzayantar Street. (8 ) Yatkwet.
South Okkalapa. Rangoon.
PURABHEDA SUTTA DHAMMA
OR
The Dhamma one shoul" accomplish belore death
CONTENTS
PART I
Su/al Pagel
1. FOREWORD
2. Prelude to tho Sutta 1
3. Question raised by Nimmita- Created Image 2
of the Buddha
4. Listening to Sermon is to gain peace of mind 2
5. Repeatedly uttered to make them understand 4
6. Buddha's answer 0\
7 It is essential to realize the Dhamma
before death 5
8. Sandinhika dhamma 6
9. Noble attributes of Dhamma 6
10. The manner of deriving immediate
advantages personally 7
11. Method of practice for eradication of
taQh' before death 9
12. Manner of eliminating Vitikkama.tanha by Sila 11
13. Eliminating surging passionate desires - talJha.
by Samadhi 12
14. How Anusaya-tanhii is eradicated by Pan;;;; 12
15. Two kinds of Anusaya 14
16. Affirmation or guarantee given by
General Thiha 15
17. How calm and blissful is it? 18
18. Method of practising to get rid of taoM 20
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contfnls
Saia/
19. Beneficial result. accrued in tho present
existence before death
20. How devoid of tal.1ha while contomplating
21. Immediate personal realization
22. Carry out and put into practic(> so as to get
imbued with Dhanuna in your body and mind
23. Real ability becomes obvious only
when faced with danger
24 . One gets satiated only if one cats
25. No reliance should be made On the past
26. Reliance on tavhiid inhi
27. Do not expect the future
28. Do not allow to be enlisted also at the
intermediate stage
29. Advice given by Kevana, the Brahmin
30. Mahosadbli's depth of wisdom
31. Brahmin Kevana's imagination
32. Fled in fear of tbe danger consequent
upon defeat in battle
33. Deputed to bring about schism
34. Heritage of war
35. The gist of what is to be spoken
36. It is really alarming to be enlis t ed
37. How to avoid enlistment
38. Only on attainment of Arahatship one
becomes free from all entangl ements or
enlistment
PART II
39. Suppress the anger
40. Easier for anger to arise on hearing
41. Likely to become intolerable relating
to sense of touch
42. Resembles a toad
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coo tents
Serial
43. If mcdicln{, i9 not available. suffering
occurs; if available. relief can be
44. modes or causes of AghJta
45. Not getting angry where anger should
not arise
46. Should ha"e no worry and anxIety
by feehng dejected
47. Should also have no pride t
48. Kukkucca should be dispelled
49. Misb.haviour with the hands and feet
50. How Kandaraka reVeres
51. The manner of King Kosala's solicitation
52. Vinaya Kukkucca
53. Remors.ful Kukkucca
54. Kukkucca which is of paramount importance
55. The story of a young sick priest
56. The objective of tbe noble Buddha Sasana
57. To have reltance is important on
the verge of death
58. Weigh one's words befere speaking
59. Do not let the mind go astray
60. Should hesitate relating to occurrences
of kile,As
61. Do not pretend to evoke wonder
62. Making pretensions in the use of
property
63. Making pretensions relating to attainment
of Special Dhamma and of noble attributes
64. Making pretensions relating to deportment
65. Do not yearn through emulation
66. Noble yearning
67. Mind your own business
68. Vulgarism should be avoided
69. Reject all that are disgusting
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contenh
PART III
St'rial
10. The mannt..f of flowing into pkasurable
conditions
71. It flows right up to Bhavagga
72. Is hell. Naraka. still pleasurable'
73. The story of Mittavimdaka
74. A wrong notion of what is bad as being good
75. The abode of Petas is also pleasurable
76. Animals also enjoy pleasure in thrir
own existences
77. ArOpaloka is wrongly conceived as Nibbana
78. Alira and Udaka
79. It is likely to drift up to Gotrabho
80. Resembles a wealth-conscious person
81. Any kind of kusala. merit. needs be developed
82. Gotrabhli can also be found pleasurable
83. Pregnancy that takes seven years and
seven months
84. III-treating by pretending to be pleasant
85. Kamma and its resultant effects are known
ooly when becoming a Peta after death
86. It is important not to forget
87. It is Dukkha-Saccii. the truth of suffering.
from the viewpoint of Vipassana
88. Do not underestimate the other
89- Nine qualities of a good benefactor
worthy of estecm
90. Self conceit of the members of Cakya clan
91. Viiatilba was slighted
92. How Cakya rulers had to face disaster
for being self-conceited
93. Manner of becoming gentle both physically
aod verbally
94. Gentle character of the mind
95. Knowtedge which is easily comprehensible
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141
Sc>rial
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
101.
102.
103.
104.
105.
106.
107.
108.
109.
110.
111.
112.
113.
114.
115.
cootents
Becomes really learned only after
practising meditation 1.12
Thooretlcally ca.y but practically difficult H2
NJmarapa Pariccheda iial)a 1.\3
The Dhamma is realized though ill iterate
or unlearned 14,1
Can 'ariSing and dissolution be known by
merp- statement? 1.15
Not bl"li!:ving just others have said 147
Knowing is nobl!:r than 147
Citta. the rich. and Nataputta 154
Personal knowledge versus in
what others have said 155
Should be froe from attachment 156
In thp. process of getting free from
attachm"nt 157
Practice is madr- not to receive
gratification bribe 158
Becoming mindful at all times 161
Mind fulness means Satipanh.na 161
How Citt. visuddhi is achie"ed 164
How Ni1marupapariccheda-n"r,a, etc . occur 164
Contemplating with equanimity br
Sarikharupekkha 166
Chatthangupekkhii 167
Should be cleansed of tbe three kinds of M.ana 168
Conclusion of the Dbamma 176
LIB.
IIIISSAUI
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FOREWORD
This hook on PUTJbhr:da Sutta Dhamma i5 th"!
last of a serif::S of six delivHCd hy thn
Locri Buddh:t On tho occasion of the: hugh ... Congrega_
tion which took plac" in the
fon.st lying a<:ljacent to th(' Himalaya,,;
city of Kapilavatthu. at this
Congr".gation number of Dcvas and
Brahmas fr0m ten thousand who had como
OVP[ of their Own accord without b.ing to
pay to Lord Buddha and the fiviJ hundrp.d
full bloom Arahats. These Arahats gathered round
the Lord B'Jririha SOon after their att1.inment of
Aralutla plt'_ll,J tl) pay homage. The wide expanse of
pl easant l\lahi;l\'un forest and entire: Universe Were
overflowed with d multitude of and Brahrnas
eager to li>ten 10 what the Buddha would proach. The
illustrious gathering of Cr:lestial B/!ings was unparalleled
with the Lord Buddha Occupying a crntral pivoted
position emitting brilliant rays of Light in six
different colours. flanked by the highly noble Arahab
who had then just eliminated and cleansvl
of the impurities of all kilesiis passionate dcsirp,s.
The Lord Buddha. after his intuiti\"e observation
with His Eye On the idios.yncrasjps of the
respect ive Devas and Brahmas.repeached the six different
Discourses suited to present at th(' congreg:l.
lion according to their inherent nature of
character and mental disposition to them to
gain the awakE'ning consciousness -Enlightenmpnt.
Of th(! six discourses. this Puc;lbheda Sutta
Dhamma was for the extremely WIse o[
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ton with very keen intellect. Rp-alizing by his
eru 1 I "
. t ton that nO common person 10 the Universe would
tn Ul t ".
have the aptitude to raise QuestIOns to fulfIl th(>
curiosity of those Devas and Brahmas. the Exalted
One had created an Image of his Own Self, a (('Plica,
caned "'immlla. by his supernatural faculty Abhi,ilici.
This created Image of the Buddha after discending
from the firmament with radiance took his srat majcs.
tical1y before the real living Buddha. and commencl:d
coismg problematic questions relating to all the six
Discourses. Thf first of tho Discourses was the
Samm:i Paribb:!j.lniya Sutta. mcant for those Devas and
Brahmas who Were dominated by the habit of raga.
The last of th.s. was Purabheda Sutta as stated
I.!:lrlier. It is so profound that ordinary men of intellect
wvold finj it difficult to explain. It will even be far
more difficult to make it comprehensible with parti-
cular reference to the actual application and practice
of p.l(ipafti.
And yet. the Venerable Mah.si Sayiidaw with his
wisdom and great compassion had eluci-
dated this remarkable Sutta Dhamma outlining a variety
of methods with reference to Allhakatha and TlkJs.
The phraseology was brilliantly couched in commOn
usages of plain Burmese currently in use to make all
and sundry easily understand the deeper aspect of the
de!;al/u.
This Purilbheda Sutta Dhamma originally comprises
fourteen (14) Verses of which only One is a question,
while the rest thirteen are answers. The object of the
question is to find out what kind of morality attributes
should a person possess to be deserving of being regarded
,15 an U PJSJIlI,I, a noble personage of great learning
with serenity of mind. Buddha had purposely made
repp,ated utterrances in verses conveying the same senSe
to make his illustrious audience easily understandable.
foreword
Thr' fundamental pOint stressed therein is to strive
for pl:rsonal realization of the Dhamma during oor's
prestnt life tim" before death. Tb., answers relating
to the Noble attributes of the Dhamma lay emphaSis
on thl' need to eradicate in as much as clinging
attachment to all pleasurps of lif., can drag :it person
down to the nether world.
The noble qualities of an UpoJunta or Santd indi-
vidual are described fully with lucidity. It has also
been mad' obvious that a Santa individual is an Arahat
in whom all have been extinguished. The method
of severing bonds of kilt'sOl has been effectively
prescribed, and this of practice is nothing but
Vip.lIsanti. This would involve contemplation of th'.!
four foundations of called Satipallhiinal.
It has been clearly stated that this medltationa
exercise must be developed to ensure better
for one's future existence after dtmise. It is also
revealed that while living. an o"rdinary worldHng will
be beset with so many kinds of pitfalls in his life
time and with obsessions in the shape of anger. hatred,
envy, pridt>, worry and improPH behaviour. and that
if these evils cannot be rejected by contemplating and
noting in his pursuit of worldly affairs or spiritual
knowledge, he will remain unliberated from the crusb.
ing miseries and sufferings in the present existence
and in the life hereafter. If vices become predominant
by the fuelling up of his craving desires, it is most
likely that he will descend to the "aim of Apu)u. the
Nether World. The best remedy therefore lies in
practising VipaJsanii-bhavon.6 for one's own salvation so
as to attain otiya-magga-pha(a. Different stages of
achievement that can be reached up to SankltJffipekkha-
leading to Vibbiina has been elaborated by
Thanks-Worthy SaYiidawphayagYI. ths author of thIS
Sutta according to tbe desanii.
HlllSWI
MEETII

foreword
While making emphas is On th.. s ignificance of
Vip3$San,i meditation. the nwthod of fl'jrCling all kinds
of vulgari<;ms and kflkkun'''' verbally, mentally and
physically. has bet"o lucidly explaint'd. Clear exposi_
ti?" has bC'cn made t.h:1t b)' c-onte,,?pl?ting and noting
with goo1 conCf'ntrattOn aftt'f cqulppmg oor'self with
the purity of sf/a, morality. ontO can achieve' the
highest state in progressi\'e Insight. Furth,..r amplifi
cation has been mad,- in this SuUa Dhamma r elating
to the essential o,'ed to avoid all improper uehaviours.
to subdue :lnger and to eSl'hrw self l"OnCcit which can
feaet sharply to hinder thl: progre:lo!; in the reAlization
of t he nobl e Dhamma.
Fltrthermocr. this Sutta Dhamma ha ... be/1l clearly
explained by the author, bl'sprinkling it with r elevant
anecdotes. making it all the more effect ive and int erest.
ing. The Vencrable Mah.isi SaY,idawphayagyi with his
talented genius has made us fulJy understand without
c;kepticism the attributes of Vipassani.l meditation. This
is the only way t o gaIn insight knowt."ige stage by
stage brlOgmg arahattu-tntlggll_plwla within easy reach if
thl're is faith. devotion and diligence. Furthermore.
the nobl e attributes of an Arahat are amply described.
. The unprecedented nature and Scope of this highly
phIlosophIcal Sutta Dhamma. now expou nded by the
Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw in simple language. which
had Once made its impact on a deeply appreciative
to attain Arahatship in myriads On the spot,
will, I am sure. likewise bring beneficial results to
all Yogis. monks and laymen alike.
Tho Venarable SaYddawgyi had emphasized the
goal of Vihb.illJ as attainable in this very life existence.
The proper practice of Buddha's doctrine is clearly
to have invol ved a of living.
whIch. whIle not worrying about the past, or the
present or the iu ture, would place upon the indivi.
foreword
dual art of living in sanctity until he has attain(.d
in this liff> the goal. Nibbrina. This way of living is
essentially to practise Vipassana m"ditation by develo.
ping con"tant on thp. phpnomenal occur
rf.' nces of body and mind to the extent of gaining full
awaCt:neSIi or perception of their true characteristics
of impermanl"nce. suffering and non-sdf. which will
eventually lead to insight wisdom of varying degrees
up to th, attainment of arahatship. By this ultimate
attainment, kilesiiJ together with talJha and dillhi which
in fact bind a person from one to another.
will bo completty eradicated. One should therefor"
st ri ve to accomplish this Dhamma. It is quite obvious
that Buddha . nor anyone. prayer nor bribe.
can help and that man alone is architect of his future.
May you all be able to put froth spIritual stre'
nousness and to practise virtues unceasingly as a
Sunta individual does. and work out a way of life
that would. !' nd in the r ealization of the goal. here
and now.
MIN SWE
Min Kyaw Thu
SECRETARY
Buddha SitSaoJ Nuggaha Organization
Mahasi Sasana Yeikth.
September. 1982.
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8.1'10.1'::
PURABBEDll SUTTA DHAMMA
Nomo fas!tll 8haganto Arahato Samm; .smLuddbaf,'ia
PRELUDE
Thp Dhamm-l to to-day is the last
of a serj(!s of discourses all six in numb(;f, preached
by the Buddh" at th', hugh Congregation of a multi.
tudf of Devas and Brahmas, known as Mahrtsamaya.
Th(; of each different discourse or Sutta
Dhamma j<; rdatl;d to the natural tendr:ncy and idio.
syncrasy of thl n:Spr;ctiVl! Della or Orolnna. Purabheda
Sutta is thf' nam.: it bears.
expression "PuriihhedlJ' is a combination of
two words comprising 'hheda
J
, which means 'annihila.
tion' or 'destruction', while 'P."ij' conveys meaning
of 'b"fore' or. 'prior to', or, 'foremost'. Hr;ncc. "Purij.
bhedu" connotes 'before destruction'. or 'prior to
death', The Discourse has therefore been given the
name of I. Puriibheda" for having related to or ref'Hence
to the Dhammas that One sh.ould accomplish and
would surely come across before his final death or
utter destruction of his life.
The- essence of what is contained in the Sutta
will be clearly revealed in the course of my sermon
explaining the base facts of the Dhamma. In deliver.
ing th is Su tta, as in th(" CaSe of SammJ Paribbajaniya
Sutta, Nimmita, the replica of the Buddha created by
the Exalted On", raised the fOllowing question as
desired. for the benefit of the erudites who were very
learned with their high intellectual power having
natural aptitude and bent to acquire the sublime
knowledge.
Pur:i bfleda Sutt a Dhol1uno.
Question raised by NiOimita ( Creat ed image of the Uuddba
Q. A'lllltoll.,do.\"s; kUlhusilo. Up.I.Hllltoli \'IIccali.
Tall) me Gotama pabylihi, pllcchito lI(lummi! II orOlit.
Addressing the Lord Buddha who belonged to
the noble lineage of the Gotama Clan. t he question
t hat was asked is: HRcvcrond Sir, What ki nd of
wisdom or foresigh t nnd mor al conduct a per son
s hould posses to be worthy of honour in the name of
'Upas3ntn' individual having the intrinsic qual ities
of inner peace of mind or calmness? Oh. my Lord!
Would you please elucidate what is the kind of s uch
a noble personage?
This is the question put by Nimmita Buddha to
the real Buddha. These two Buddhas. the created
Image and the Buddha himself had had their dislogue
bdwecn the two. the One putting que ... tions while the
I)ther giving anc;wers. There was only one question
.. IS stated ilJ. the above P.-lii verse. whereas the answers
comprised thirteen verSes. I will amplify in full only
a few verses since an elaborated statement would
probably be cOllsidered as mere repetition by some of
the listening audience. In fact, there were only a
very few peculiar features in the verses . There are
many which have similarity in meaning. I would
therefore deal with only a few. comprehensively.
Listening to Sermon is t o gain Peace or Mind
The primary object of the question is to find
out what kind of conduct or morality and what sort
of knowledgeable experience should a person possess
to be regarded as a distinctive individual endowed
with the quality of serenity. In so far as this Dhamma
is concerned. 'serenity or 'peace of mind' refers to
fre ,dom and liberation from every aspect of suffer.
ing. hard toil and t iresomeness. Those who are pre-
sently listening to the Sermon and are meditating aim
2
Li 'itcning to sermon is to ga in peace of mind
at achh ving th;H kind of peace and calmnes<;. All
meditational in the realm of this S.15ana
seck for r'_'alization of real peace and happiness.
Other r digions outside domain of Buddha's Teach-
ing likr-wisf; to gain such kind of peaCf. I n
thPir Own way tht.;,y all have- striven wishing to achieve
t hat objectivE;:. The only differencf' two
categoril!s of concept lies in the kind of peace derived
as to whet hI. r it is really genuine or not.
Thpre is no reaSOn to doubt that in
Uni vers(> ('very individual desires to enjoy pe3Cf; and
At thr- present time thf' initiatives
advanced by countries all Over the world. are intend(;d
to bring about World Peace with the sole object of
fi nding a real way for the defenc( of peace in the
in terests of all mankind. The main intention, how.
ever. is to avoid conflicts between nations and cata-
strophic consequ(-nces. This aim and object not
embrace a wide sCOPC'. The 'Peacf':' t'ovisagcd in this
Dhamma is Re.TI Pe.lce. It would eradicate all
troubles, tribulations. anxieties. mi'it':rif!s and pain.
a nd would result in extinguishing all kinds of suffer-
ings and worries. thereby bringing "re31" prace and
happiness forever. One who finds such noble peace
a nd calmness is called U PLlSI.1I1lU person. U P.JStlllll1 means
a per son who has a tranquil state of mind. Such a
per son must be well learned, wise and noble and must
have adequate worldly experience and knowlf'dge.
T he cr eated image of Buddha. Nimmita. enquired the
Enl ightened One as to what kind of knowledge and
worldl y expeflence and good conduct such a peace
mi nded man should competently and su ffici.,ntly
possess. I will recite the following motto for you
to memorize easily.
""Vh.lt kn.I, .. lc.lgc and what pr3cticc. If :1cquirE'd.
would to be namr:d t.
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PllrJbhedn SUItR J)hnmmn
.. \s already <;tatcd ear lier thl n wcrl:'" thirteen
verses :IS explained by the Exalt,-II Onl' in
to the query made by till Nimmita Buddha. Thl'sf;
verses disclosed thE nobif' attributes of a 'Santa'
individual. Some of thL words cont::tinrd in th ...
answers convey almost thr. sanll s('nsf'. To makt the
prc:Ichings understood by diffl'{'I'nt kinds of Dt-vas
and Brahmas with different outlook Jnd idiosyncra
sil's to the kind of Cdcstial Abodo or hr.a
veil to which they respectively repr'ated
explana tion" had rendered in a varidy of ways.
Among such an audience who forml. :! thl'
tion 'Mahn, samaya', thfrc SOIl1I who could not
grasp the essence of the teachings If ordinarily rcn-
dered by the Lord Buddha. This was tho .-,ason why
diffC're-nt versions of prc:lchings conv"YloP' the same
SeOSE' or the underlying meanmg wort repeatedly done.
Repeatedly uttercd to make them understand
In th(. same manner. I have to repeat th("
chings in a variety of expressions although they carry
tht> sam'" sense to enable the audknce to gain fuller appr, _
elation. At the Congregation innulTIt'cab1c number of
Deva, and Brahmas irom different Celestial Abodes
were present. Even in the human world different
dialects in a variety of languages are involved.
Likewise. dialectic expressions of different shades could
be spoken or be in USe among different

Uuddha'\ answer
p:I"(Jhhl!r/(;. pllhh.JlntJlltu'
Vem I j Imp 15.I!;khey)'o, I.I.\:J I 1111111; parakkhahlliJ-"
The meaning of the above convey:;. "Uh, Ashin
R.lh Hn, tht: Nimmita! I would $ar that a 1-'<:r50n who
is not obsess('d or gripPl'd by or in other words,
4
It i3 C"3cnt lal to realize the JJhamma bdQre dl;'ath
who .IS t[l"; Irom thl cliul;ing dt:5lces or willi a
'Santa' 1I1dividual."
It i!t to rcalilc the OhBmma before death
HI (Ofl- anI' m"cts ""jth death. h( should hi'
of ta/J!w, hUlllclfi )J<Js!>ion5 or craving.... a ptfSOn
who gf'ts rid (If IS said to be 1 UpJS,ml.1 having
berm with pE:ac( of mind. It meanS that
should bl' abh; to f;'quip himsdf with the Dhamma
omanl.:lpatNl lrom the bow:1s of craving attachmf:nt,
i. frf!H leOTll th( taint of fll/fhii. It i'S of paramount
importctncf.! to remain unblemjshed by '"nll(,. ThoS4
who ar, highly intdlectual possessing moral
and sound intclhgtnce. naturally have thf! ability to
weigh thiugs and judgf> propf:riy. This Sutta has bt!(;n
pi"f"ached purpos(-ly for such learned pe'lplf. Thh
initial 3inglc exprr:ssion itsPlf stands prominent con-
veying as profound meaning for mcn of
wisdom. Th('re ar,.. different kind'S of reJigiQus doc
trines or Dharnma which earn rcVeft:ncc in thiS world.
In of thr;se Dhammas or rdigion. reference has
hi n mad,. to post-t'ontingencif"s or uncertain occur
fences after demise, such as the state of condition or
de::.tiny that will udall a man or a being after hl"
death. No on.-- can however verify or witnrss
to what would r-<>:ally happen to a prrson aft(r htli
expiry.
The fundamental point is to gain personal rpali
zatinn of the Dhamma b('for. death comps. One can
rest assured if he could achien Dhamma th::!t
ought to be practiSed. and also rcap thf of
bl"nrfit thlJreo{ whlI ... living in the pn-Stot eXlstt nc c.
From th,. viewpoint of all men of (.!.!!.dltionL they
would pr'lbably b( satis.fied nnd find contentmcnt
only if thty could charly realize the- Truth of tho
Dhamma betore dl,:)th taK{':; place. That wi.ll {'nly giv,
them positive aSSl1rance for thl futur!;;.
5
lifEr"
n.NO.r.:'
PurJbhed{l Sulfa OhaRlIIIB
SnndiH'lika Dh:Jn1Dlll
Th, Enlightened Gnt has th(;rdort' l'xprCssN\
npprob:1tion of his own Dhamlna as follows:
"S,mc!i!lhiko-the Dhamma or the Truth that can
be scpo and realized personally with immccJiatf' results
('vt"n during the life span of this cxi<;tencl'."
Some intdlectual laymen,
ascetics asktd tht Exalted One.
u t tcHallces b! ing made
/Jhammll: ,:md this Damma is said
Brahmins and wist.!
(lOh. Lord!
mpntioning Stllltiif(hika
to be Ont: which can
hI practically achieved right now. To what extent a
person should possess the noble qu ..ditics Lo bl" able to
say that he has per:ion;}.lIy gained immldiatc results.?"
Noble attributes or Ohnmma
The Buddha has extolled his Own Dhamma as:
HIt b tht Dhamma which can be cxppricnccd personal-
ly n(lW in tht present lifetime through practice so
as to lead to Pi rsonal insight SlI"dirthik". It brings
forth or upon a person a lot at" advantages
at any time without delay and pre-announcement or
prior intimation (Akiiliko ,0 It is deserving of solicitous
invitation as 'Come and See for yoursel t' \Ehipassiko).
It is worthy of practising and is conducive to perfect
r('alization by one to be kept and retained in one's
own personality I" Op(ln>)"yiko. It is a Dhamma that
can br- equally benefited and eonciously felt or expori.
('need by each nad every person Purcillm;1 Vedilahbo) . The>
question that was put relates to these noble qualities
or attrihutes. Buddha has answered to the wise
interrogators to their eotin" satisfaction. However,
thes(! qUl'stions and answers ar,. not from this Purii.
Sufa. [have given this clarification drawing
references [rom other Suttas to make the meaning
more clear and cnnvincing since the), haYl'
on the statemf'nt that clinging df'sires, IUII/UI, should
be dispelled or eradicated before death.
6
1 he manner or deriving immediate aduntage\ pen.onally
The mODner of deriving immediate aduotages pcl's()nally
answ(>r to the question on S11Icli{fMJ..d is
in th(: manner stated below:
"Oh. Brahmano ! Thou shall ponder thu .. 11 p,r
SOn who is oVHwhelml..d and crushr:d with "if! 't
or passionate may do anything that ,ktei
to himielf and othr:r;, as incited by evil pas
sian'., He is also capable of committing vic. '; or b:.d ac-
tions ahIlUf,J, by phYSical action, by words or <;p' ch,
and by maiiclou,; thought or ill-will. On thi: othH
hand. if hr is fref from riigJ. h" will abst:1in from
doing all such evils. Hence, b it not Lhat free
dom from riiga and abstention from doing unwho1e-
somr: acts [or having bl!en got rid of ruga, are tht!
Dharnmas actually realized in this present life time?"
It in [act, a count!"[ question put by the
Lord Buddha to let thf!lqucstioDP,rs refll'ct and con-
s idec t he iatc Of: tidal results 0 f tlll'- ir b(: jng
able to raga and avoid vices. This had made
the questioners clearly comprehensible. Of not
all of them w"re able to dispel rag" completely. Ther"
were some who just perceived the significance of the
answer given in the form of a counter question.
The gist of it is urging them to _practise .medi.
tation so as to get liberated from ruga,
desire. It is essent ial to get rd<7ase from lD
present life time. For so long as raga .has fum
grip on a person, he is liable to commtt eVil
detrimental to himself as well as to others. Such
malicious actions or vices might have been. don(' a.lso
out of mere spite or anger blinded by delUSIOn. Raga.
however forms one of the contributory factors
have st'irred up a to commit vices. It IS
because those who arc ridden with rtlg11. being intro-
verts with an obsession for their own good at the
7
LlBJ
IWA.UI
MEETII

Pu ....jbhcdu Surtfl J)hnnlllll'
f'xpl"nst of othtrs. grone-cally tend to do mischkr with
obstinacy and without sensibility. H('nc{'. thnre are
instanc/'s where murder or killing. til l ft. rObbery and
other harmful and impeuden t acts or Offl"OCCS have
been committl'd. Commission of such sinful deeds is
mainly attrihutabJ( to the presence of rtiga. There
act" vices committed also because of Imi"a. self pride.
Some have done mischiuf. committed blunder. and
uttered obscene or indecent words as impiused by
self-egoism, Dillhi is a (aIs(' belief which is crrone-
ous))' considered as truth. Depending on this falst
belief. wrongful deeds arc likely to be done. At
times. even harm may be caused to othrcs who hold
different faiths. Leaving asidf> this matter of wrong
faith. in the present world. hot controversies usually
takp.: place in opposition Over different policy matters
and in pol i tical concepts or ideologies among hig'Okd
pC'"rsons. Such incidents have happened due to lobhu.
greed. dOS,l. hatred or anger. moira ,delusion. lilt/fill.
selfpride. and dillhi. false Views. Such dogmatic a nd
irrational views have caused and are causing bad
feelings and harm which deny the interests of both
the wrongdoers and others.
These are the resultant effects which we have
comr across at the present day. I!Ieffects will even
become manifold in the next p.xistence. With the
extinction of riiga and with the complete eradicat ion
of delusion. selfpride. and false beliefs. such resul.
tant evil k'Jmmiis will have no opportunity to occur.
No harmful acts will then be done to others. To get
rid of these abominable feelings of "'ga. anger. ego.
etc . th"r is the method of practice. If this method
is adhered to and practised On the right lines. you
will realiz., the Truth personally. This Truth is
nothing but th" Salldi((hika Dlla",,,,,,. When c1arifica ..
tion was made as stated those who came Over and
inquired became fuHy convinced and enlightened.
8
Method of prect icc for eradication of ta-:-hii before death
NObody can say witb certainty what the futuH des
tiny will bl: of a bping after death. it is because of
Ihis contingency that Buddha had prcach<d this
Dhamma that could be pt:rsonally realized at thr:
prf'sent timp
P"'cibhetlu. priof to death. that is. before the des
truction of this khandJuI, ,afJhii. craving. is utterly
destroyed or f'.xtirpat('d. In other words. tali/IIi should
hr' compklcly cleansed beforo death. What Buddha
has is that a person who is totally libHatcd
from ItJ{IIItI as statt:d. f. hould b(: a pers.on en
dowed with thr spunity of mind-U pusanta.
Method of {.ractice for eradication of tal}ha before deatb
Thf> met hod to d rid of IcJl)hii b(fore death may
be sa id to be Eight maggJngas. the f':'ightfold path.
If spoken in tf.'rms of conduct and moral training.
'iekkh'l. thl"r e are three attributes, namely, silu. samiiJili
and paiiiia. It is ther efore essential to practise
morality or observance of precepts, somcidill. tcstatlc
concentration and paniia. insight wisdom.
Si/a, morality or good conduct according to pre
cepts. will dispel I'xtreme forms of kilesii, calkd
villkkcJIIHl-kile,ljci. violent passionate cravings bolll phy-
s ical and verbal. which have exceeded the bounds.
Samiidlli. concentration. rejects all kinds of wild
imaginations which have arisen in a person's miod-
complex.
Panna. wisdom. anusiJ)'a-kilesiis. thoughts and
mental inclinations or tcndencies, which may arise
under favourablt circumstances.
As '!'Iuch, the crude form of falliu,g Within
the scope of highest degree. should be r:Jected by
., MedioCH or ordinary form of lunhu must be
.iiI 11. d I' t form
rejected by somiidhi. and the subtle or e lea r.
of should be rejected by panna.
F. 2
9
Puriibhl'do SuUa DhallllllU
Fcaturec; of clinging desires, if distinguished
by the six Senses will havf six kinds. Thesr: are, in
short. craving for pleasurable sensation of sight or
beauty of the visual obj("ct, of pleasurablf' melodious
sound or sweet voice; of good srn("lI: of delicious
taste; of good touch and of fine imagination and
nature of thought that arises.
If elaborated, the kinds of would be nume-
rous. Just make a of many or
delightful scos3tions which may occur at the sight
of even one visual object. There is a multitude of
varying aspectS. The attachment of tart/III not only
takes place in connection with one's own looks and
personality but also has an inclination to find others,
such as, the members of his household family and
retinue, look beautiful and smart. You want to
poss('ss pretty and dainty clothe,,; of fin' texturf.: and
other luxurious household properties. You may even
dream of such nice things as you may wish to own.
If these have into your possession. you will
again continue to have pleasurable attachment to
them. You like to choose different colours and de
signs of garments pleasing to your Cyf; for your dress.
footwear, umbrellas, motorcars. etc.. Everything
that affords satisfaction will attract your cravings.
In regard to beautiful sights and scenes, pleasnt
tunes and sweet voices. good smell or odour, tasty
food. and tender touch, these would stImulate one's
delightful sensations. Such kinds of sensa:ions are
too many to be adequately enumeratod. In the case of
mere fanciful ideas and imaginations which may find
a place in your heart, enjoyable f',eling might arise
in you longing to have them. This is said to be "dh,u1I1JJa
All those which are likely to occur through the
apertures of the six-sense bases bringing pleasurable
sensa tions called IalJhii. mus t nec('ssar it y hr' ext ir Pa ted.
10
\-tanner of Eliminnting Vilikkamo tanhii by Si ll
Such "'I,ira" or craving d ir"s will b, got rid of if
you keep cono;tant vigilance by your full accomplish.
ment of Sila which will eliminate the extreme forms
of physical and verbal intrusions.
'\oIaoDer of Eliminating Vltikkama .taJ)hii by Sill
An (xample may be cited. A p,rson who does
not and observe the rules of conduct 'Sila)_
may probably or steal or even commit murd,..r
to get a thing or property which he feels like taking
being highly attracted to him. If such vice is com
it would amount to a breach of his morality.
Then it bccomr;s VitikkanllJ-la{lhii. and that means
cravings that arise in him will have gone beyond
bounds. He who respl!cts Sila and keeps his morality
in tact will not give way to tat;tltii. his craving desire.
to get the botter of him, and accordingly will abstain
from committing the: act of cheating or stealing or ktll
ing. By so doing. he is freed of J'it;kkama tat;tht1 which.
if presf"nt, could ha\lC' prompted him to resort to evil
action. This indicates how extreme forms of craving
desire could bE" eliminated.
As regards monks. there are a lot of things
which they ought not to do or speak or utter though
they may feel like doing or speaking. Such mental
perversity should be kept in check. Self-restraint or
avoidance of such peevish thoughts or perversion is
tantamount to keeping oneself free from "ltikklwma
tdt,ha. It is oot to speak or ask for a
thing from a person with a motive to make him offer.
Restraint should be ,xercised even though a monk
may be eager to obtain a thing or property. No
attempt should be made directly or indirectly to ask
for something by way of alms. Inducing others to
offer alms or donation is prohibited. If such induce-
ment or insin.Jation is made. irrespective of whttbt:r
f\ thing or prop,rty is received in the shape
11
LlBI
I!$SAW
MEETII
H ..
puriibhcda SUUR Dhammo.
DC donation or not. thl' sanctity or purity of SiJtI or
moral conduct shall be- def:mcd to hav( been destroYf?d
according to the Rules of Disciplinl._ If th,. Qu.ah.
ties of Sila are properly guarded and kept pnnflf:d.
it would amount to r e maining frel:' from
I(J1Jhii passionat e desires which go beyond bound by
Yirtue of Sila.
Putting it in a nutshell, ObSl'(VanCI: of these moral
principles by way of rdraining om-self from
committing f'vils eit her physically or verbally, must
be done in the leas t in this Buddha's SCI.Wlld so as to
eli minate the crude form of named Vittikkamd.
Eliminating surging Passionate DC(jircfI: TAl)hii by Samiidhi
However. the subjugation of by virtue of
Silo is not clear enough. It cbeomes more obvious
with tht. faculty of Sllmiidlti-blllilomi. ie. development
of concentration through meditation. Fixed concentra-
tion on the contemplated object such as ktlsina. a
process inducing mystic meditation with constant
mindfulness is HSamiidlJi_bIrQmnd." By being mindful
with fixed concentration. the mind is rivetted on one
stOgIe object. Sometimes. if th. mind flits. it should
be recalled and put back on the object of contempla.
tion. Ther efore. while Sanuldlri medtiation is being
carried on, pleasurable attachment to sensations on
sight. sound. etc . which may arise by wish ful imagina.
tion or thinking, will cease to occur. This is the
manner in which the upsurge of is wiped off
by the practice of Samiidhi, ie. by developing concen-
tration.
How Anusayo-taQhii is eradicated by panna
Seml ,ldh; can only dispel for a whil,-'
contemplation is on the sWing. Onc" contemplation
is halted or comes to a standstill, will creep in
or prevatl. Hence, if it is desired to totally root out
12
How \nu!:taya talJ bii b eradicated by panna
the PtJli,iu-b1IlIVlInel ffledttational df;\,clopmfllt of
wisdom must practised. Pailliii-bhimmii <;'imply ml':ans
Vipassan,\ (In.,ight knowledge.... Accordingly. cont(;m
plation with mind fulnes') must bl' made at every
mOffif'nt of h,aring. smelling. 'ating. walking.
lying. bf:nding, moving. and
imagining. Ip britt. all phenomena arising from thl.:
doors must bf.! contemplatf:d. If it is done
so, what is setn or heard or etc .. not bdng
considered as dp-lightful or plf'asurabl c. nO clinging
or passionate hav{' th(' chance to
occur.
An ordinary worldling who faib to
and note. will find pleasure in everything good and
agreeable which is seen. herd. or contacted. or known.
bringing forth the tOQhii. If disagreeabl- or bad things
are sepn or heard or found. craving ires,
will b( genE'rated wishing to seek for what is agree-
able and good. For a Yogi who is constantly contem
plating on cv-ry phenomenon arising at thl!
of seei ng. hearing. finding. or knowing. ht:" wll1 'if
concentrated mindfulness in the process of meditation
is dev, loped up to the stage of no longer
think of the phcomena aso being agreeable or disagree-
able. but w1l1 become aware of them as bring Imper
manent having truly realized the phenomenal arising
and dissolution of things. Moriover. of the
natural characteristtcs of their ho will
come to r ealize them as 'suffering' or misery. Ha\'ing
appreciated as such r elattng to all what is seeD or
heard etc., no pl('asurable sensation of will occur ..
And also in respect of eve ry sens'" object contem-
plated no feeling of talll", will and (ons'":Quen.tl
y
the mind r main .. calm.. This is how "nuw,a(llnha IS
liberated or r':111o\'''d.
13
MEETII
!."o.t:
puriibbedn SuttR Dhamma
Two kinds of AnUSa}B
ArommaniimlJaya and Sllnloneimwtyu arc the two kinds
of AnllsQYo.
.4 rammonantUa),a means the kcinumlga. passionate
or sensual desires etc., which can occur aftfr retro
spective reClection on the objects sense that have
escaped notice of the contemplation by means of
Vipassam1. A Yogi whose knowledge or wisdom has
become mature equivalent to Ohariga.iititUl gainC"d in the
process of progressivp insight. will not miss a single
phenomenon which occurs at every moment of seeing.
heari-ng. touching and knowing (awa reness). All "'pa
ntima that appear every time they are contemplated
will be found vanishing and dissolving immediately.
For this reason, the meditating Yogi will come to a
realization of all these phenomena as uimpermane nce"
"su ffering" , and "anolla", not self . Having realized
as such. the phenomenal nature of all such happenings
will be reflected and perceived by him in their true
light or characteristics thereby preventing tat!lui from
arising. This explai ns the eradication of the delicate
or subtle form of lattha called A rammattiinul'a.ro by means
of
Santfinonus(lya means kfimaraga, which Can occur
in the personality of pulhujjana or an ordinary sekkha
individual under favourable circumstances. but which
have not yet been dispelled by Ariyamagga. This
Santiiminusoya can only be r ejected by Ariyamagga, the
Sublime Path.
The manner of reject ion is that while in the
process of contemplating on the continual dissolution
of rfipa and llama. arising and passing away of their
phenomenal activities. sankharas. are r ealized through
the achievement of SO(iipa((imagga by which Nibbona
is reached where all are found to have been extermi.
nated by virtue of the knowledge of Vipassanil which
14
Affirmation 01' guataotce given b) general Tblhll
has become mature and fully accomplished. A p .rSOn
who achieves SOliip.lttimagga whp.reby Nibbana is found
and realized is totally free from Sakkiiyadi(llti, alta
belief. and viccikicc/,', sceptical doubt. two salifUlIQ.
mHal'JJ. Hence. in regard to a {ully.fledged SOlcip.JnIl-J
whe'ther he is contemplating Vipassan<1 or not. no
belief and doubt in his absolute faith in Dhamma
can possibly occur connected with any kind of sen
sation. Nevertheless. a Sotapanna is not yet free
from thr- kamaraga or sense desir("s. Be it as
it may. vehemr.nt kind of laoha, stron't' or unruly
passionate desires, which can drag down an ordinary
worldling to the realm of OpJYiI. nether worlds, will
not arise in a Sotapo,rna. There fore. a person who
has attained Sotapannaship will abstain from doing
wrongful acts. such as. killing. stealing. telling lios.
etc. which can relegat e him to the world.
An ordinary worldling would have donf} th/'se mis
deed.s r:ithf' r because of h is clinging attachm-::nt to
property or of loving attachment to his wife and
children. or to save his own skin.
In connection with this pOint of fact, are
many instances illustrat"d in the PHi Scriptures.
Among these. the most interesting example relate::. to
the personal guarantee or affirmation made by the
Commander-in-Chief of the Army - General Thiha who
was really a true Sotapanna.
Affirmation or guarantee givell by geoeral Tbiba
Na ca maYllri, jivitahewpi 5fl,jcjcca pUllam jil'ilCl
voropey)'oma.
The gist of the above Pali phrase is:
We having regard for what is called 'life', or
rather. 'in sdf-defence to prevent one's from
.. d f death will nen-r ilOtentlOnally
ImmlOcnt anger 0 oth"'r words. tak""
cause thr: death of a bt iog; or in "-
the lif" of another being.
15
Puribheda Sull. Dhamm.
This is not the statement written by someone on
his own fancy. It is a confirmatory word of gua-
rantee by General Thlha. a SoUpanna, of his Own
experience and mental setup. In that the
words "ji'rilahetup;" should be given particular atten-
tion. Some probably hold the opinion that a Sota
panna in whom greed anger acc unh.brratcd
and clinging. will commit the act of kllhng 111 sclf-
defence or in anger. if hf" has the lethal weapon
at hand wht:n he happens to face the PDemy who is
going to do harm to him to the l'xtent of causing
dpath. General Thiha's statement is that to
his own Hfe, he could not possibly kill anothf'r. This
statement is exactly on all fours as pel'ached by the
Buddha. It should therefore be borne in mind that
though a Sot,i.panna is not totally frf'e from
he is cleared of which can cause bim
to land in the Ilf"ther world for having committed
such acts of killing. stealing. etc.
An ordinary worldling for not having rejected
even a fraction of ta1Jhiiriiga. will not doubt commit
f'vils or vices as urged by that violent passion which
can caus!) him to descend to the n"ther world after
his death. Neither will be avoid doing Akllsala. un
wholesome acts such as, stealing other people's pro
perty. This evidently reveals the unabat ed strength
of There arc a few among pUllrujjfW who
dare not commit vices or evil deeds. They are those
who have the deep and sincere devotion of the mind
for having heard the sermon (Dhammaj with concen-
trated attention. However. this is not an assurance
or in other words. cannot be rest assured. After
falling into bad company and after repeatedly hearing
the words of evil or profane talks. he could become
an apostate or he might deviate from the right path
and thought either in this present Iifetime or future
existences.
16
A(fIrmall t .uarant .. gl ... hy ge_al Thih
A SoUpanna is not 50. passionate
desires, invoking attachment have lost its vigor or
become weak. and such being the case. he cannot
think of doing unwholesome actions that will banish
him to the Lower Worlds o! Apiiya. in both the present
or future existences. This is indicative of the libera.
tion or disengagement of lal)II6.
A SoUpanna on his attainment of Sagadtigumimugga
will again be free from the crude or bOisterous form
of ill.wiIl1byapiida). and anger (dasa).
When reaching the stage of antigiimimagga. the
entire k6nufrigll and byiiplida are totally extirpated.
As such. an Anagilmi becomes tranquil or unagitated
in so far as thp matter of ktimagunfJ is concerned.
Despite this achievement. as he still has hi! feeling
of delight and pleasure in respect of his Hfp. exis.
tence, he cannot bp as having been totally
free from sufferings and misery. This
clinging desire for life existence. will be eliminated
only after he has reached arohauflmagga. Then only.
all craving desires. lafJhii and all other defilements,
kilesas. such as ucJJa. moho. ma"a, etc., are completely an.
nihilated. Such a state of sanctity can be realized in
this very life existence. A noble peTson possessing
such attributes and devoid of is called Upasatua.
one who has attained calmness and tranquility of
mind according to the teaching of the Lord Buddha.
Such an Arahat who has been named as Upa.
santa. at the time of his demise or ParinibbJ.na. will
not be again since flipanama khandhl; have become
extinct. No new existence will come into being and
with the absolute extinction of being - the annihila-
tion of the individual eternal or everlasting peace and
bliss will be gained. Such a blissful stage is said
to be UpasaDta individual who is
cleansed of before his final destruction - death.
F. 3 17
Pur iibbcda SuUa Dhllmma
remains in a blissful state of what is known as
.,aupJclirt'JdnibbtiIlJ, which annihilation of en'ry
t hing except the five khallJlluJ.
How calm and bJi!t!irul is it ?
The mcanlOg of it is that an Arahat who is
totally devoid of tmJha. still holds or keeps in possession
kis klmndhiiJ. which continue to undergo th(" process
of arising and dissolution. For this reason, he still
and percei,res tht! Sens., ohjects of sight.
hearing. smelling etc. In particular. he subjected
to bodily or mental su ffeting C;lUSt',", by heat and
cold. Owing to the indi:;p\Hition an\\ tran')il'nt nature
of the bodily elements. dhiilUJ. for tho worSI, the
material bod}' has to suffer ailments, such .lSI stiff-
ness, pain and ache. may also rail sick. How.
ever, thgre is a complete abs{'nce of miser.lble iedings
CVf"n if an Arahat comeS to face With "unbearable
lJ
sensations. This is the peculpr mf;ntal characteristic
of an Arahat. In a way. he IS mentally unperturbed
and is at the mind being calm. unaffected, and
purified. It IS tho sobering and unflinching effect
feeling ("xtremely better and tranquil.
Those Sot5pannas and Sagadagamis Who have not
yet escaped from the grasping hands of will
have two kinds of misery. namely. suffering disagree.
able sensations when undergoing wh:lt is disagreeable,
and becoming unhappy being Intolerable by reflecting
On all sufferings and misery which he has gone through.
For example, it is something like :1 person in distress
for being hurt by two pricking thorns.
If by accident he is pricked by a thorn in ihe hand
or in the foot. then after taking out the thorn with
another aharp-pointed thorn. let's say. a part of the
thorn is left behind stuck in the flesh. Pain will
then be felt in two ways one, the pricking
caused by tht; piece of thorn that still remains in
18
HOlf calm and blis\(nl it i,?
the f1e::;h .lnd Ihr othf'r the- pain that hurt by
extraction or removal of the thorn. Likewisf'. an ordi.
nary worldling will suffer two kinds of misf:ry:
from bad $r-nsattons fclt and the othH mental dis.
tress caused by the sensitive mind.
As for an Arahat, hi! seldom meets dlsagreeabk
sensations. In case. wh'n bad sensation') hapPl!n to
occur there will no consequf'ntial unhappinp.!1.s.
The mind is serene and pure. It remains always calm.
Apart from that. all impurities of kileJii, such as.
anger. df!lusi()n. concdt or self.pride, etc . do not
abide in him. l"herf"fore. is mentally unmoved and
unagitatf"':d or uninspired by any form of plp.3sure no
matter how good .tod pleasant th" sposation may be.
That is the rf"asOn why an Arahat when passf'S into
purlnlbbiiTllJ. the rupa-niima-kh-:mdhu will no hap-
pen anr;w. It if> eternal peace. Such a is.
said to be an Upa.\lmro individual.
stated earlier. such a pF:tson is freed of taIJlrii
before death. He who holds no attachment to the
pres'nt "lnd not hope for the future or rely on
tht past. remains calm and serene free from
He is to be' regarded as l'p .... iJlIla indiVidual.
A person having cleansed of taIJiui before dp.ath
abandoning his longings for the future and not rely.
iog on the past but living only for thF! present with-
out clinging attachmr"'nt by avoidance of the two
extremes, is a .. SulJla" in name.
Let us recite this
fiR who is cleansed of taIJha before death
neither relying on the past nor longing for the
future 'l"oidint!'"the hyo extrem('s by practising
3t the. 1tec:1nt tim. is u Smta individ11'1 in
name."
19
WAUl
MEET"

Purlibbcda Sutta Dhnmma
If that is $0, the question may aflse as to why
preaching is done repeatedly as "pllhbamallla manl,l'JiIO,
etc. It may therefore be noted that what has been stated
earlier in brief. not being understood as yet by the
devas and brahmas. repeated utterance had to be
made in amplification with details. Referring to
It has been stated at the initial stagr of the
Dhamma. In the latter part also which follows.
repeated preachings made arc in the same manner.
Method of pracllofng to get rId of TaQhij
As to how practioe should he madt to eltminate
before death, is explained as pubballlflnta-munissiio.
etc. That means practice must be done so as to
escape (rom clinging to the past as also to abandon
hope for the future. In the intermedIary stage. 1. e.
in the present time, practice should be carried out to
avoid numerical enlistment. This statement is not
very easy tv comprehend either.
However. as mentioned at the beginning, this
Sutta was delivered and meant for those who pOssessed
the highe5t degree of intellect. These intellectual
giants Were able to understand the preachings though
ordinary persons of mediocre intellect might not com.
prehend. Since it is meant for the learned. it is
necessary to mention a few things that need reflec-
tion. As such. trom the very outset, it has been
preached 10 this Sutta that must be cleared off
before death takes place.
Beneficial results accrued in the preseot existence
before death
It is tndeed really very interesting for all learned
men. [0 pursuing the practice of religious Dhamma.
only if benefit is derived before death. One can rest
of himself. It is uncertain what will happen
3ft,""r the present life has ended. For instance, when
20
How devoid of Tal}ba wbile contemplatinR
su(fcnng from only if it is presrntly cured.
it will be worth taking treatment. If it could be
cured in the next hereafter, no onf! will bp- inclined
to take treatment. Quicker recovery, th(
bettcr. In tht sam{' way, if peace of mind can
acquired in the present life time. it will be extHmr:ty
satisfactory. Only if serious practice is to.
one can attain Arahatship in this life existence,
of tavhii. Such an attainment. if achif!ved. onc 9hall
be deemed to bp. called an Uposanta individual. Thi:Te.
fore. in the ninth Verse given in answer. it is stated
as"Todl byiimi UPUSOIIIQI;" which means. a person totally
liberated from is called a mao of serenity with
absolute peace and calmness. In the last Verse too.
it has been preached as; "sore JUntot; "1Jh'oli
ll
All
qualities mentioned in the previous verses s.hall be
ended with either one of the aforesaid two phrases.
Hence. a person who is devoid or entirely freed
of tanha is said to be an U pllsanlS or Santa iod ividual.
The of practice embracing Jila. samudhi, and
pilniiti to be indulged. has already been described quite
fully. However, a few pOints may be mentioned relat
ing to how calmness is taking place without thfl
slightest tinge of la!lhii at the moment of Vipassona
contemplation.
How de\'oid of Tal)ha while contemplating
Vipaisana means constant contemplation of all
phenomena arising out of the six sense-doors at e'ery
moment of seeing. hearing. contacting and knowing or
arising mind-consciousness. It is so contemplated to
get rid of In respect of every sens("-object con
templated. kili',6 or defilements. cease to occur moment
arily. Meanwhile, /a(lhii becomes also extinct. The
more contemplation becomes intense, th. more
can be mopped up. Whr'n cont,'mplation
is kilesiis will be very much rt:duced. Ruggro
MEETII

Sulfa nhamma
and harsh typ(>s (II kill's".f. will bt! minimized.
At timeS of mind wilJ al'hlP,vcd to the
that On., would probably think of the ,crude
form of ktlt'slIs which having t'eased to ocCur. will
rjst' again 35 bdore. This re[crrpd to. IS
the mom('ntary ilchkvcm{nt only contemplahon
is. going on. Some people hav" oJ wrong notion that
this peacpful statt:' of mind is indic'ltiw" of tht com.
pJctc cf:Ss.,1ion of kileJu. How vpr, untH and unless
ari)"ti.-1)r.1ggrJ is attCJint':'d, the ca imnrss achiev('d is not
a reality yet. After a cOllsidcr.1ble I;lP51' of time, say,
a numbt' r of aCh-r 1';pdumr.J practice has been
dropped off. crude form of will (Jrad ually
appear. Calmness lis r ealized while the process of
contemplation is being dont". The so realized
is. in fact, the gainud be forI"' one's Own death.
It is mor" obvious to those whose so.Jnuldhi con.
ccntration. is gr((atly Pl!;!asurable sen.
sations th:tt may arise will vaQish without recurre-nce
after contem"lating and noting them once or twice
only. T,lf}.hli wilt thpn bt found to have ceased altoge.
th":>r. When $,uniidhi-rid,:ra becomes vigorous, pl easurable
and delightful sensations will subside without being
able to display. Although the pleasurable sense.objeets
are noticed, since contemplating and noting being in
process, these will be found. to been vanishing
so fast that they will not eYeo be thought of as plea.
surable. Hence, calmness of mind prevails without
pleasurable attachment. This is the manner in which
II1(I"i; is CI"3ns.:!d while contemplahon is proceeding.
It IS nothing but th, beneficial r esult found and rea.
Iized bPfore death
A!o contp.mplating and noting cont inues to become
accelerated. nri.rLl-nJ1./Kga is re3c
1
'cd by virtue t f }'ipas.
which bpcomes mature with full accomplish.
ment. All craving attachment. tdnita, which can cause
22
Jmm:dlate ...otJal realir.ation
ont:! to land in thl' n .. thc r world. will then extin4
guishcn followf'ci hy p rCiJlizdtion of the
peace. Thb is Iso (vldent of how fret-dam from
i!:J prlor to d{; tructlon or d'<>ath.
All desirt;"s and plna&urablt'l uttacbm .nts
will hI"' found completely diminatt':d wilp.n arahOf/\lmggu
is reachf:d and Arahahhip attained. This is, 111 fact.
the clf'aring away oC hllJhii. human pa bdore
demise.
lmmedhlf{' personal realiZlltion
Ttlll/ui. 111 ,t or cravings. c"!aSr aitogf .h. r in the
person Jf .111 Arahat. Th"Il, all i<; calm ,ina I )ccful.
This re,ilization 1":0 fl.wdifl/tiku dh,llllnll which j, yer.
sonally achieved in thp. very life ;<htenCf'!. Akuliko
this Dhamma is realiz .1 immr.liatel)" with-
out delay. To Pilt it In an .. ther way, 'hi Dhammd
can achio.:ved 10 no tim as U: frlJits
of ben(!fit can be rl;!ap,-. d imm<;,jiatr:ly at the pr )1 nt
time. it is a Dhamml of '-1rtol:ing and invit
ing others to "comf' and se" " Ehip..JJtko. Yes,
Aft, r extending "In invitation to (,then. If n') bene
ficial resulls are df'flV""d all at once by th".m despite
their indulg('ncq in thl; practice of thp Dbarnma. it
would bli unsatL,i . .tctory. Satisfaction wIll obtained
only if the bl'nf'fits are m)[e or im.
mediately or wjl"hout undue delay. If :O;3t1"::.actlon l!\
thus felt. thanks will b, upon lhe person
who urges or <ncou rages others to do he practice. An
example as an analogy may be sho\"n thus. If a man
stricken with disease w.;'re advi<;p.1 by the other to
takp. medical treatment and yet he to gl!t better
or r elief from his sicknpss with Imml"'dlat'
confidence may be lo",t in the Only. If
the sick or better Q"If rni.;:ht after
medicin!"', he will havl' confidence both 10 the
cin" prcs..:-ribed (10(\ the and also to the
23
Puribbeda Suit. Dbaruma
person who has earnes tly tendered his advic(,. Simi
lady. Buddha's Dhamma is EhipasJiko. descrving of
inviting and encouraging others as: "Come and See"
and "Put yoursdf into practice". If practice is r eally
performed with diligencE.' as urged. one will be libt;ra
ted from la(l/ra in this pres(-nt life existence.
It is sure enough. If the Truth of Dhamma is rea
lized. onc who indulges in meditation is likely to
reciprocate his gratitude to the person who has invited
him to follow the Dhamma as prescribed by the
Enlightened One.
Carr) out and put into practice so as to eet imbued witb
Dbamma in lour body and mind
Then. OpJfleyy,ko-True indeed is tht Dhamma which
is worthy of practiSing contemplation or keeping it
up to get penetrated or inj ec t ed into your mind. Let
it p('rvlId! the wholt body and remain absorbed just
lik," orally taking medicine or an inj ect ion to cure a
or to rejuvenate the strength. It is a Dhamma-
EhipJHiko. deserving of practice so as to spread in
your own bodily self. If the Dhamma could be r eo
tained in the body by practising it, pl easant Or odious
sen'5.ations can be resisted or withstood. The disease
of defilement. can be perfectly cured or eradi
cab-d. How? When coming across a sensation which
may bring about kifesa, it should be reject ed by con-
t emplating and noting it, as ita rises. If it is so
contemplated and noted, the sensation whe ther good
or bad will be found vanishing. You will surely find
it as such. Then, no pleasant craving _ will
occur at all. Anger will also Cease. In case. plea.
sure and anger crop up, they will suddenly disappear
If cont, mplat ed and noted penetratingly with constant
mindfulnrss. Evrn more conspicuous will this act of
vanishing bccom,, when miserable feeling or unhappi.
ness Occurs. If a person who practises cannot as yet
24
Real abilit) become., obviou\ oot)' when faced with danger
dispel such fCPling of rlistr!,s hv cont'm.
plating ano noting it. then it may b(J cOflSHlt'ren as.
unsatisfactory. If that is case, it should be borne
in mind that hp. is not yet accomplished Ifl
the Dhamma.
Real abilit) becomes obvious only when faced with danger
Apada.", tluinw It means whrn faced with
dang('r. a person's stn>ngth of ability and tru" cou.
rage will be clearly known. or shall be determined.
Under ordinary circumstance when no unusual situa.
tion happpn'i, a person's rE"al courage and true calibcn
cannot be judged though he might have been extolled
as a brave pMson with great ability. Correct assess
mcnt of his innat f'! qualitks ca n only be made when
hf' could toll-rate against the onslaught of SE"rious
opposition under adverse conditions and in a pHiious
situation. which run counter to his own
Much as he may a<isume or strike an attitude as a
hero and make boa')t of himself. it is bard to decide
his true colours. Wh(n only one is confronted with
r eal danger and put to a tight corner which calls for
a decisive combat and a test of true valour. if he
found fighting against his foe valiantly at the risk
of his life, then it can be taken for granted that
he is a proven tough and courageous man. In the
same way, in matt ers concerning Dhamma, may
be said to be highly accomplisbed and noble. But
before he cOmes to face with any adverse condition.
he cannot be vouched for as bei ng really noblt! and
knowl edgeable. If only he cao tolerat e and exercise
self-restraint or control in subduing his passionate
which whfn occur, become or rather
less obvious, or in suppressing his rising anger to the.
point of vanishing or nea r obliteration; or, when
sorrowful sensations that may arise ha'"e not become
manifes t '!d. he deserves approbation.
F. 4 25
LIB.
UAU/
MEETH

--
putibbcda SuUO Dh.nllllo
According to the quality of th,' Dhamma h that is
. . a rson, or in oth,'c words. t c more
achI eved lPe
h
d wl'th the qualities of Dhamm
he is accomp 15 C I
tht: more he will become tol erant and be ab e to
dute no matter from which d)'tira or door of thp S IX
leasant and harmful sensations may appear .
s enses. unp t " w' th all
This Dhamma ther efore merits peac 1510g 1 .
might to ge t instiIIed into the whol e body and mmd-
OpJlley)'lko.
Then comes porcoIlO!;J \wlitabbo. This is D,ham.
rna that can be r ealized by one on hi s Own mdlvldual
(fort by prac tising it. It is sol ely dependent upon
own effort and cannot be indirectly achi eved.
The Dhamma that has been gained hy one through
his own personal persevering practice cannot be offe r ed
or trans ferred to another. The t eacher ca nnot bestow
tht Dhamma he bas in him upon his pupil or dis ci
pIe. Par ents too cannot hand it dow.. to hi s off
>prings , Ne ithor can the children sons and daught ers
give it OVe r to the ir parents nor ca n close intimates
shar e It among themselves.
One gets satiated onl)' if ODe eats
In this wor1dly exist ence , during one's life time ,
only by one 's own performance of the work which
needs be done , his objective will be achieved. Even
in taking meals . or food, only if one eats, he will
have compl ete s elf- satisfaction, Any other person
will not be satiated. Likewise, one should slee p for
his own good. Good sleep cannot be obtained on
hire. Any pattern of phe nomena that will only hap.
pen in one's own bodily self cannot be done through
an agency. Similarly. if one personally devot es him.
self to practice. no one but hims elf will gain accom-
plishment in the Dhamma. The refore, purCUlIa,;, ved;.
tabbo is said to be the Dhamma which can be fully
26
No reliance should be made on the past
appr eciated individually and severally by thosp. prac-
tising the Dhamma personally.
To make the meaning of this Sondillhika dhamma ,
etc ., mor e convinc ing or distinct, Buddha has prea-
ched thus:
Puriihheda - bpfor e the d es truction of thi s corporeal
body ( khandfl ) . or in other words . prior to death. vila.
lanho, i. e. lat:/hii or craving is got rid of. Preaching
was done beginning with this phrase. Phrases which
followed 10 s uccess ion after the first phrase wer e the
amplified s tat ements of explanation in detail as has
been mentioned Therefore. it is not worth-
whil e imagining that there is similarity in thf'ir mean-
ings, Le t us go on preaching the subse quE.- nt phrasf"s .
No reliance sbould be made OD the put
PubbariJ antam - no r eliance should be placed On the
former existences. if s pokes in turns of bhava. exis.
tence. However I rare indeed is a human who can know
his past existences. There are only a few persons
who are said to be r e-incarnated in the present life.
that is . those who r emember their former existences.
According to this phrase it would appear as if the
majority of human beings are unabl e to indulge in the
practice. For this r eason, the expression f past' or
'former' should be taken to mean ' Iearlier in time from
now" i. e. all preceding years, months, days, hours ,
minutes and seconds. Looking back from this time
of preaching. what has been seen or heard or found.
or known ar e all reminiscences of the past. Even the
words just spoken and heard w\ll belong to the past.
What is be ing spoken or heard. or in other words,
speaking or hearing right at the moment constitutes
the 'present', What is going to be said or heard may
be regarded as the ' future'. In the prtsent case.
what has been seen. or beard. or found, or known
27
Purabheda SuUn flhnmmn
rather just b, (on in arll meant to
It was state','l that thl'Sr' should not
previously or
be thil' "past".
bl'! relied upon.
Reliance on .a"bi.diUbl
"Rrlving or Leaning on "means nothing but IOf}lui
Ilnd dill"': I hav been delivering sermons about IO(llla
dillhi sO often repeatedly that tilt' subject. mattp-r has
become almost stale for our bendactors. Since oppor
tunity comes up again. I have to lest It should
a gap in the process of my In all
t"achings o( the Buddha whenr.ver the expression
I'rdianct: upon" is used. it indicates and (/jUhi.
Only with reference to these two kinds of Dhamma.
either ni.HUo and ani,uito Irelied upon' and 'not relied
upon' or niHoyo and ani.\.'II1.1'tI Itrelying on" and Iinot
intending to rely on" etc . has been preached. This
is true. When pleasurable sensation occurs in respect
of a sense-object. it amounts to relying on the sen-
sation. Because of false bclit;{ or wrong view, if
craving or grasping is taking place. it is in a way
sticking on to or relying on the sensation that aris(!s.
without letting it go.
lf therp is clinging attachment to the past events
in retrospect. it is said to bp. putting "reliance upon"
with 101)/10. For instance. if one is taking his seat
touching a wall. it may be said to be relying on the
wall. In fact. he is leaning against the wall which
lends support. If sitting close to a post. the post is
r elied upon as a support. If sitting posture is taken
on the ground earth) or on the floor. it amounts to
making reliance on the ground or on the floor, as
the cas!' may be. In the like mannrr, by r eo
fl ee ting r epea tedly on the past sensations that had
be" n perceived. goes to rp,)y upon tht!m with pl easure.
Various kinds of sensation which have been secn, or
or smelt, or tasted. or contacted in the past,
26
Reliance 00 ta.,bi-diUhi
as thf case may he, are rP.flech:d with plea ure.
Such rr flective mood or thoughts. constitute ach of
reliance accompanit:d with and stimulated by tatJhu.
Delightful and pleasant sensations which have arisen
in retrospf-'ct relating to events of thf! prl":vious exis.
tence should be as reliance made y.; ith IUfJhii_
Those who remf:mber the past l:xistences arc f'xcep
lionally few.
However, sinc/. this Sutta was deliverC'd at the
huge Congregation of Devas and Brahmas. called Mallii
,\'umayu, the Devas (deities) and Brahmas who pre-
sent on that occasion, might probably rpmrmber the
event s happened in their former existences. If plea.
surable sensations arc felt by reflecting as such on
the events that had occurred in the previous existences,
it must be interpreted as being relied upon with 10Q/lii.
As far as human beings are concerned. it is bard to
r emember the past events which had taken place ev('n
in the days of childhood. far less the past existences.
What is important is that events happened in the past
could also be reflected from the time of becoming grown
ups. These are those past events relating ta food taken
with r elish, or, joy and happiness found, or activities
done in the company of friends, etc. to which pleasura-
ble sensations have become attached_ Sometimes, such
events might come into one's head automatically wit
hout the need to put in special effort. This kind of
recoll ection of the past with pleasure means leaning
back on the 'past'. Such a state of mind should not
be allowed to occur. As preached in the foregoing.
if Ia,,}ui were eliminated, it can nO be r elied
upon. Therefore. the phrase stating that nO rdiance
should be made on the past appears to be redundant.
Nevertheless, the first phrase wherein mention has
been made as of ree from IOfJha". is the su mmar iSr,d
statement. Preaching was therefore done in clabora
29
IlEETI!
.
Puriibbed. SuUa Dbamma
rel,a"ce should be madl' on the past. and tion that no
it was meant for those people who could not be made
as }'et to understand with just a mcr(' brief state .
ment.
This is more important for proph who are presen-
tly practising contemplation. While meditating. if
reiJection is made on the past events with pleasurable
fcelings. it would amount to putting reliance on the
past. No such leaning back should be permitted or
allowed to occur. When feeling of reliance appears.
rejection should be made by contemplating and noting
it. If imagination Occurs by reflecting on what has been
see-D, or heard, or tasted with ("njoyment before, it
must be dispelled by contemplating and noting. All
such e,'ents of the past should be contemplated and
noted the moment they creep into one's mind. If it is
done so, "reliance" which is likely to attract pleasura.
ble attachment will fail to take place. One will then
be.: completely free from "reliance".
In this regard. there includes a number of recent
It may be thi.ngs relating to occurrences
takes place on the previous day or in the morning or
day time to-day, or the events that have just been
hoard. or mrt. or known. Such events being very
recent. are more conspicuous. Things which happened
Just a few seconds ago, or in the morning or day time
might even appear in the mind's eye without making
reflection. They come into one's Own imagination
automatica1Jy. Hence, more care should be exercised
in regard to recent events of the past. All such
sensations should be rejected by contemplating and
noting at every moment of their arising. This is the
manner in which rejection of "reliance with taohii",
is made.
IfRtdying on" with dillhi
What has bf'en seen, Or heard.
30
is of Similar nature.
or contacted. or known
Reliance on blJhi-dittbi
is worngly prf!sum(:d as. it is "I" who saw. or heard.
or knew; and also the sense- object concerned is rc(tec.
ted as to who is who. or as a human being or an
animal. etc. Since thp. mann,.,r oC this reflp.ction or
recollection being donI) as a "being", it may bf) 'Said
that reliance has been madt'! with dillhi. false view. This
is the imagination with Sokkiiya and Atta
di/{hi. If at all such thoughts arise, it mu;t b"
contemplated and noted and then rejected. Therefore,
the motto has "He who is cleansed of
beforp. death neithf:r relying on thf! past, ..I!tc."
The !'xpression tlneither relying on the past" refers
to the events that had happened in the past. Pica.
surable with ta1Jh6 should not be allowed
to occur by reflecting On the past eVents. If such
sensation or thought arises. it should be rejected by
contemplating and noting it. This method is extrcmdy
fine. [f noting is done through mindfulness on the
consciousness that arises. it will be found disappering.
This state of mind or mental activity was absp.nt before.
It occurs right at thp mOnent and vanishes at once.
and hence. it is clearly realized as "Impermanence".
Nor is there any living entity or a being. It is merely a
natural phenomenon arising and passing away. It will be
vividly known as such. Having realized the truth. IQl)ha
the pleasurable attachment canot Nor
view. dilllri. appar with a wrong notion that It IS a
living being or "r"-Self. Therefore. thiS. .of con.
templation and noting is very effective. 10 reJectmg the
lanM and dilfhi which take place relymg on the past.
All imaginations that may arise relating. to the P?st
eve nts should be dispelled by contemplatmg and notmg
in the same mannrr as stated.
If rejections is done by contemplating and noting
with mmd fulness. It will eventually lead to the attam-
ment of afJhtllto.m..JgglJ-pItJla. On reaching that stage.
31
Puroibbeda Sutto Dhsmmll
and Jillhi which arc pronf' to cdy upon the past
will bl;' up by the This is the reason
why practice should be made from tht: very beginning
as a common worldling to get rid of and tli((hi
absolutely. Without practising as such, and di((hi
could neVCf b(" rejected. If one begins to take up
practice from the status of an ordinary worldling.
he will reach the stage of .'iOtdpaltimaggo and become
a Sottip ..mlla after he has become accomplished with
l'ipaHallli liu(w in the course of his contemplation. When
he reaches this status, which can one to
land in the nether world will be removed. If a Solti
p.mlla continues to carryon contemplating. he will
be com, a Sugadiigiimi. Further continued practice will
bring him better progressive insight and make him
bf'COOlr. an AlUlgiimi. When reaching that stage, all
clinging desires connected with sl'nsual plea
SUH'S, will become extinct. If an -fllligumi precceds
with his contemplation, he will become an Ar,7hat,
whereby '111 dinging desires or kilesllfi will
be entirely extirpated. Of course. clinging to dillh;,
false Vi{;W5. have been wiped off since the time of
the achievement of SOliipallimagga. However, Sotiipanna,
SugJdcig(imi and Anagami still have ego or self pride
called mall.J. This /fllina though devoid of attachment
to the existence of alta, the way it happens is some
thing that resembles di{(hi. Pride may cause to think
of himself something like 0/10, self. It is because of
the presence of di!!h; working as an agent. it is called
asamimiina-dillhimtina. The three higher stages of magga
as SOltip.mna, Sagadtigtimi and Antigtimi attained by virtue
of J'ipiJSs.;mii, will reject the clinging dillhimiina. When
however. on reaching arah!lflo.magga.phalo and after
becoming an ArJhll, all these clinging or grasping
lafJhu, dil/hi and miina will be completely c rased. It is
with this intention of erad icating all leaning or
grasping sensations which may appp.ar in connection
32
00 not expect the future
with the 'rJast, it has been preached as _ If ""U ..
" h' h Y' f}uulll
alllam , w IC mr:3 ns the past which is One ext reme
s hall not be relied upon.
Do not ex.pect tbe future
Lpt's talk about how to om'sf"lf from
looking forward to the future after havinn mf'>ntlo .d
b t' I' J ,..
a ou non:r" lJnCe on the past. according to thf:
motto. ThiS was contained in the preachings as thp.
fourth stanza of the Versf', which runs as T,rua "alt
lt
;
pllrfYk kltalatil. "
It mcan'.i a person who does not hold any eXpf cta.
lions for thp, futur e. For example -he who intends
to travel by tra in will have to plan ahead as to how
he should to the railway station, and In<lnage
to a seat 10 the carriage for a good ride on
tr.am to be. able to reach a certain destination. etc.,
wlthout a hitch. This is "purekkltalalit" planning br'!fon::
hand and making arrangements in so far as travel-
ling is concerned, The same thing is found in tht:
Dhamma. All beings are mere journeying
without a pause in the rounds of samsurtJ. are
therefore looking forward to what would happen to
them in thrir n0:x t existences. expecti ng to find things
according to their desires. They yearn for a
life aspiring to r each greater heights of power and
prospr:- rity in th(' next existence in the world of human
beings. They wish to be born in an aristocratic
family or in a rich family of higher social status.
Moreover. they wish to be born with handsome looks,
fair complexion and hopf: for a luxurious life in the
company of followers and attendants. If they were
to be born in the Celestial World, tbey expect to
becom( powerful Devas. In the present exist ence too.
they want to fref> from all dangprs. and to becorne
opulent among a high class societv of friends and
frelatives. are longings for' the Future. It is
F. 5 33
Purabhcda Sulfn Dhnmmll
d h in the motto, it has
just lookmg forward. lank" :nclocrward to the future . ."
d
s' If nor 00 till\>
been state a. ". I k lorword to and yearn
. f 't' not to 00 CI
The gist 0 1 15 If au happen to be imagining as
for the conremPlate. note and then r eject it.
such, you S
It is mr:ant (or those who arc now med it?,
1"011 and not for those who are preoccupied with thc:r
I 'I : chores in their own homes. As peop e
have to perform thoir domestic dutl?:) and.
. d not having time to meditate, It IS
up the practice and to contemplate
ImpOSSll 0 ..
d ot Therefore. the method of practising can
on the right lines is only important . for
tho'Sc who are meditating. If and when practlcal
, ' , adr say for an hour or
in nled I ta hon IS m _ , ..
both do)' and night continuously, It wIll be
so, or ( d t 'th
thl! lnpditator's duty to ?o e Wt
diligencl"'. Hence, if any thought or occurs
rdating- to matters concerning the future. It must be
noh'd. are so many things to be
anJ noted. If what is going to happen In the future
h refh'cted upon. the thought or imagination that
mus t noted. In the prcsen t 1 ife time. one is
likdy to think and years for what one wishes to
acquirt-! or to be done according to his own will, or
dl'sire. Sometimes, one may be imagining and longmg
for happlO(-,ss in the world of human beings or Devas
br virtHe of his morality which he has practised and
These arising thoughts and imaginations
,hould b contemplated, noted and then rejected, Also,
One may planning to promot e patipalti siisanii. That
of is a virtuous thought. However. if one
ow.lls his mind On it for a pretty le ngth of time, it
will interfere with his practice of meditation. If it
so happ ,ns, knowledge through concentration will fail
to occur. Then, progress 01 insight- wisdom will be
34
Do not allow 10 be enlisted also al the internll"<iilltc "tage
dd(>rrcd. OVe n good and virtuou' thnughts
or imagination should be rejected by contemplating
and noting. Also, if one intends. or imaginf's to deve.
lop Jamiidhi liililn to the extreme, contemplation and
noting will be spoilt or hindered. such, typ.
of imagination must invariably be rejected by proPtr
contemplation and noting.
If all such thoughts, ideas and longIngs lor the
futures are rejected, progressive insight of l'ipassuna
11ciQa will be developed leading to the attainment of
ariya.maggu pha/a. On the achievement of Arahatship
such thoughtful imaginations will be totally p.xtirmi,
nated. For this reason an Arahat having got rid of
all cravings and clinging desires. will have no
new exis t ence-riipa.niima.khafldhii after his demise where.
by he will gain eternal peace and bliss, Ordinary
sekkha individuals, pUllhujjana. baving had craving
desires. will cling to One of the sensations appearing
as kamma. kommo nimilla and gali nimi1t;l vbualized on
the verge of death, Then the mind bemg rivet ted on
that particular sensation. the culi or death conscious
ness. sometimes called reli nking consciousness. hangs-
on to it leading to r ebi rth, That is how they will
be r eborn in another existence with a new formation
of khalJdhiis. This rebirth and new life existence opens
the way to sufferings and misery such as old age,
disease and death. Therefore, to be able to avoid
such sufferings. do not reflect on the past events
and also long for anything to take place in tho future.
These mental thoughts are to be rejected alter con.
templating and noting,
Do not allow to be eolisted also at tbe intermediate stage
No enlistment should be made at th interm{'diate
stage Or in the middle portion the two ex.
tremes. and that is. not to p"rinit oneself tf)
a situation whereby enlistment or rockoning could
35
Puribheda Suit. Dhlmm.
done at the intermediate stage. i. l'. in thl' present
existence. This means not to allow to be dubbed a
person with clinging attachment indulging in sensual
pleasures or debauchery. A \'oid being nam"d or called
as a person of ficry nature fuJI of anger and spite.
00 not give a chance to be named or regarded as an
under a delusion or as an
I ..:goistic :lnd arrogant person; or as a fals(,-bclievC'c
with sceptical doubts; or a miscreant or an out-
rageous and immoral person brimful with sensual
cravings or clinging attachments; nr, as a person
heading for or precipitating towards lowly
or the world of fiTflf:cJuina (animals " or the r ealm of
petm; or. as a person who will be reborn a human
being or a Deva. In eSse nce, meditation should be
practised to f'scape from enlistment as a person belong
ing to an>' one of the categories stated in the fore-
going.
The statement such as, "Do not rely on the past,
and long for the futurr" is the terminology used in
the anch!nt days. It is well-nigh impossibl e to be
by the present gencration. Then also. this
Dhamma preached in the ancient times is not meant
for ordinary people. It is meant for knowledgeable
p,-rsons of very high intellect. It could be easier for
them to understand. Moreover. the expression "nupa-
S<I'jklreY"o" - i. e. it should not be allowed to be named
or edListp.d," is even more profound. I will explain
it once again.
"Vel1lJjjhenuPllsailkheyyo": which means the person
must be one who should not be reckoned in the inter
modiate stage or the middle portion. "The Middle Por
tion" denotes the concept of Dhamma which is occurring
from six sense-doors at every moment of seeing
"nj k,oIVing. One should not allow himself to be named
or enlisted as a person who is dominated by passion or
36
Do nol ailow to be enlhted allO at tbe Inkrmedlale .. aae
who is raging in angtr relating to a variety of sensation8
which occur presently. If pleasurable sensation Occur&
with attachment at the 8ight of a visual object. ODe
should be called a penon of lust with great pat.
sionatc attachment to all kinds of sensations that ariae
at every momc:nt of hearing, smelling. eating. contact
ing. imagining and knowing. etc. A person who feel"
angry on a sense-object, may be called an an.
gry man. Then. a person can be called a man under
a delusion if he does not appreciate the truth of tbe
sensational phenomena that have arisen in him aod
attracted his notice.
Similarly, if feding elated and honoured in con
nection with the sensations ariSing from what have
been seen. heard. contacted, imagined and known.
a person deserves to be called a baughty man or a
man full of pride. If a person considers that it i8
his own "Sdf"a being. who sees or hears. etc . should
be called a false.believer or a heretic. If demerit.
occur relating to what has been seen or heard. etc .
or. if opportunity is allowed to prevail for demerit&
to occur. a person may be said to be making his way
to Apuy" , the nether world. On the other hand. if
merits are being achieved or. in other words, if the
way is kept open for a person to gain merits. be may
be called a man of virtue who will be reborn a humaD
being or a deva. Hence, it is essential to conduct
oneself so as to avoid being named or enlisted as
stated. Then, how should one behave, or, what course
should one take to achieve tbat objective. The method
is to contemplate and note. in true perspective. all
phenomena of fjipu and nama that arise from the silt
sense-doors at c:very moment of seeing, hearing. contact-
ing, and knowing. If so contemplated and noted. it
will be clearly known that the arising phenomena are
merely riip.l-ntlma which. in fact, appear and vanish imme-
37
Puriibhcdo SuU" Dhammn
diatdy and that therefon thry assuJnt the nature of
impermanpnc(., suffering and 'not-s(>slf'. If truly
realized, pleasurable feeling and Wllhl ceaSe
to occur. If not, all sensations wilt stick to t (' Sen-
sitive mind just like a film when taking a
Delightful pleasures ma.y rppea,tcdly occ.ur tn caSe
where thf; mind is impnnted With thr picture of a
pleasurable sensation on which mental reflection is
mad,., If it happens to be a grudging or spiteful Sen.
sation, anger may arise. I shall (('late a story where
anger becomes prominent. This is contained in Maho-
sadM J;taka.
Advice ghen by Kenna the Brahmin
In the jataka story of Mahosadhr.. Kevalla. the
Brahmin advised the King: nOh, Your Majesty! if you
fol1ow my advice and carry out everything exactly
in accordance with my directions. you will become a
Universal Monarch. Oh. my Lord! this is quite simple
and easy. You should mobilise your troops and raise
a big army, and subdue with great force at your com.
mand all neighbouring states which are weak in strength."
The King then remarked in affirmation _ "What has
been stated by Ke""na Brahmin is prefectly right. It
is an easy job for a powerfully strong nation to pounce
upon a young and weak nation and make a conquest of it.
This plan is acceptable and shall be adopted. Threaten
them by show of force and give them pressure urging
them Whether they will submit to our suzerainty as-
vassal states. The country which concedes to Our
demand be left unharmed and may be allowed to
remain in status quo. We shall tell them that they
should follow Our leadership and extend their full est
co-operation according to aUf directions. These smaller
nations will no doubt through fear. obty Our dictates.
With the enlistment of their support when our coun.
try gets mOre strengthened in its might. we s hall
36
Advice by KCl'RUa, the Urahmin
furthnr proceed to put thr bigger nations in tight
corner in thn like manner. These big nations too will
have no oth('r alterna bve bu t to to OUf will
and pleasure." ThfJ Brahmin Kevana gave
orders that all ndghbouring states should hI':'
to Our control in the said mannp.r.
Kcv3Ha, th,-, Brahmin. was not a dullard. Quite
intrlligent h ... waC). Of courSe, if one has tohe n'!CC$.
sary strt:ngth, plots can be hatchr.d. In the wor1rl of
today. impl'!rial colonists are assuming such 3n
sivp- Also. King CO!ani Brahmadatta had
founn it appropriat(. to adopt the policy of aggran-
dizement thl" strong oppressing the as advo.
cated by Kevatla. He mr;! with outstanding Success
in his venture On indicated by the: Brahmin
Kevana. If a sm311 nation i, threatf"ned with aggres-
sion by a big nation backed up by a hugh army with
overwhelming superiority of strength, the poor smJIl
nation has to give way and obey in the facC' of an
imminent danger to avcrt disaster. In this
all neighbouring states, big or small, had to how down
and come to humiliating negotiation as dictated by
King Brahmadatta. After thr: achievI"ment gainp.d in
its efforts to coalesce a good of states, and
on making further incursions with their military
strength, some of the big nations became
and could not endure anymore. Th mighty force was
then gradually advancing towards Videharit country.
It is not too big a state in the middle part of India.
lying to the north of the country of Magadha. In
those days. the so call:'-1 states were not very large
Not anyone of them would be comparable in size to
that of tho, Union of Burme. thougb much exaggerated
in the literature. The Brahmin Kevana purposely
delayed th,. execution of his plan to invade the COUDa
try of Vidphant Simply because of the pow.:rful pre.
senCe of lh,' Mahosadha. the rt'puted Sage.
39
Purubhcda Sulfa Dhnlllm8
In the s(riptufes. IOt'ntioa \Vas madl that the big
royal army besieged a fairly small state of Videharit
with eightet!n di\'isions of armed forces. 1t was terri
bly l.:uge and broadbased. In thos(' ::ancient times,
the military weaponry used in warfare wcrc mainly
swords, spears and bow and arrows. There were then
nO sophisticated weapons unlike in modern timr.s as
at present. As s\lch, it i' likely that the strength
of the fighting forces might havo been fairly large,
fl.1ithWi. the capital city of Videharit was surrounded
by cighte("n big army diviSions. The striking force
then srnt a massage to the bdeagurred city whether
they would make an unconditional surrender. The
king of V.deharit then sought the advice of Maho
sadh;1 asking "How would you rcsolvt or manage to
combat this dire situation which calls for an urgent
solu hon ?"
depth of wisdom
Mahos.dh, hadnvisaged beforehand that Kevan",
forces would one day march on to Vidcharit
m3ke a siegl"'. He had therefore made pre
parationc; to make thr city f--su fficient within its
own city limits in food and other essential materials.
Dams, lakes and canals were constructed within the
precincts of the city for adequate supply of water
both for consumption and for purposes of cultivating
crops and cer(;als. Spies and intelligencers had been
st:'nt to various other countries. Evrn among Kevana's
army ther' were fifth-columnists who had done the
work of propaganda to the effect that food supplies
were in abundance within the city, etc. They. of
course, made exaggerated statemrmts of the stock-piling
of all sorts of provisions and of the slate of prepared
in the of a siege. This information had
caused Kevana's troops to think of an alternative
strategy as against th, original plan, Their new
40
... depth of wi\dom
strategy was a proposal to stag"" a battl>"! of wit<'.
l)f"!tween iotellr.ctuals of party and mutually
agre!! to submission by the unsuccessful party to the
winner. Mahosadh.' acceptf!d this proposal. there
forf' <;(:01. word to the em'my camp that in the morn
ing on the next day at sunri",p., hf! would comf' out
from thl, westr:rn gatl'! of tho city with valuablr: gifts
to hold talks for negotiation, and that th, y should
wait (or him. Kf'vaua's party with a hugy array of
:um'!r\ forces awaitr:d in for thp. occassion.
Sine they had to wait from the westHn gatf.:, selected
as a place for rendevous, their (aces werr;
by thr- burning rays of thr.: rising sun. Tho climate
in India particularly at that time was unbearably hot.
They wpr,. facing .;;un as they look.ed up at
P,3stern horizon while waiting for Mahosadha's arrival.
Mahosadha did not arrive early. del3)' on thp.
part of Mahosadhj was intentional to the other
party in suspense and make them suffer with int(:nsc
hl'}at. It is a clevpr way of ill-treating othl'!rs. Kevana's
troops who were badly pHspiriog had had a lot of
trouble. Only about midday, Mahosadha and party
made their appr:arance-. Kevana then said, "Frif'nd
Mahosadh:i! As we- two are ffif;'n of Wisdom, courtt':sy
should have been shown between intellectuals. Depend
ing upon you alL Mohosadha. we have arrived hc-re
since thf past few days and yet. up till today you
have not made a friendly gesture by presenting us
with gifts. "This was an insinuation. Maho5adhJ.
then responded that be had not been able to offer
gifts 3S yet or rather earlier, and that the delay was
dup. to thp time taken in considering as to what ldod
of gifts would most proper and appropriatL "Now
that having bro:Jght with me a priceless gem to be
presented as a gift. please honour us by your acctp
tance," said Mahosadhj. So saying, he took a stance
as if ht; was abou t to offt:r and hand ov( r the gem.
F. 6
41
lItaaa" KO .. " ..... ia.tlon
Til. great BrahmiD then rqflected in this way.
".All "aholldhi had come to offer the gift, it amoun
.... to hi .. payiag homage aDd \0 submit to subjuga.
lfiI'n, .. He thought he was a victor in a way. With
.,eat dalight and eageroess, he extended his hands
and spread hi' palms ready to receive tho gift. Maho
.adbii then purposely put the gem on th, top of
Kevan. 's fingers so as \0 let it slide down. The gem
being J bit dropped through th lIPace of the
Brabmin's fillgers aod landed on th. surface of the
ground oat\\lo..;o MabosadJM's two feet standing apart.
Impulsed by his greed, the gC?at Dra'Hnin moved for.
ward a bit and triod to pick UP the gem stone. At
that moment, MahosadM catching bol,l 01 th" Brahmin's
ntck by the back. pCtsscd tho head dQ'" causiug the
lat. c's brow touch nod hrush .he sorfarr of tbe
earlb, and uturred loudly" Oh, Ashll' J.J dhmin I I'm
olniousJy young, You are ,)ider then me. Dun", wor.
ship me. please. It is highly improper and indecent."
As " motter of fJct, the Brahmin was by no
paying his respecL to MJhosadhJ. He merely
Moved .forward and attempted to pick up the gem
stont<:! With Ius two hands. However, it would appear
to otb B by the sight of his posture that h. Was
d?ing tbe worshipping. there!ore. placing
h,s one hend ?n the neck of the Brahlnin and holding
of toe garment at waist of the Brah.
mID WIth the other hand, pressed him down and
brushed the Brahmin's forehead aga,nst tho ground
a,od shouted out /'Oh, Teacher r Plcasv stand up,
I m too young to be deserving of revdrence in this
I'm only about the age oC your grandson
oo't worship me." So saYing, he swept the Brah:
mIn off the feet by pulling him hard.
42
Fled In I.ar of tile ....... c-.q_ ... defeat 1ft b.lIl.
Almost simultaneously, Maho.adM'" team of spl
among retinue SlIddenly proclaimed .. 0:
Teacher. the Brahmin is payini and
respect to Moho.adha for having railed in the battl
of wits," When the voice of Ihi. loud prOClamatio:
rang fortb, the :entire armed {orce. of Brahtnadalta
king slarled running helter-.keller, King Brahmadalta
himself fled having been unawares all of a
sudden. M lay a troop must have su ffeeed aasual.
ties in the midst of commotion. Fright u'ually spur.
men to takp to in a melr:e to saVe own
life. It is drea-iful. In the aneient times, it
must be ,II Ih- mo .. horrible.
Fled in fear or t110 danger CODSequl!nt upon dereat io battle
The victor uSld \0 plunder the property he.lpng.
ing to the vanqUished as theY pleased. Both lif. and
taagible property were usually d revaoed, or
seIZed. Town, and villages might be de;troyed, Some.
times, men wor captured anj might be to deatb.
of war Were generally taken and then
as slaves. ThQ'e wbo were defeated. iD or war
as well 39 the eO'lntey which was 10., would lose
tbeir freedom. Sovereignty and nation)1 prestige and
would also he cruelly suppressed. It ,must have been
this fear of impendiDg disaster that had made Brah
madatta king and his armed forces to take to fligbt.
The Brahmin Kevan" tried to overtake king
Brahmadatta and prevented him from running awa),.
He explained al length tbat tbey were not defeated
yet, and that he was not paying his reverence to
Mahosadhl. Even the battle of wits tbrougb conVer.
sat ion had not yet started and it was merely a trick
played upon him by Mabosadh; by offering bim a
piece of gem stone as a gift. King Brahmadatta then
realizing what had actually happened as explained by
Kevatta, rallied his scattered and disorganized troops,
43
Puriibbeda SuUu Ohnmma
C3 me back again and laid siegt to th,' city of MithilJ
wit h his armr:d forces firmly pitc hl'd for
Deputed t o briDg about schism
o,:'-SpitlC tht:' siege, Mahosadha. the wisl', deputed
a Bra hmin of his own choice. named Anukcval1a
under sham orders of cxtradictlon 10 prett-nct. Later.
Anukcvan
a
sought to attend on Brahmadatta a nd
worked up closely to create the king's suspicion on
the king's coun')eller, and other Heads of
the States together with the troops. Concisf.Jy. on
inVestigations being made by the king Brahmadatta,
h,' could no longer trllst anyone of his army g(,lll'rals
aDd other personal including his adviser Kevatta for
having found with them military weapons and pre
sents bp.aring the marks or insignia of Mahosadha.
Fear therefore siezed him thmking that all his fol
lowers had taken sides surreptitiously with Maho.
sadh}. On one night Anukevatta and king Brahma
datto together secretly ned t he plac. as prearrang"d
by Anul<evana, the spy. Immediately at the same
time, other spies working for Mahosadh. publicly
announced the secret and sudden departure of king
Brahmadatta. The royal army of great magnitUde
woke- up from sleep in surprise and dismay and iled
311 at once in confusion. From the pOint of view of
soml individuals in moder n times, such an incident
might probably be regar ded as a "believe it or not"
.. tory. However, considering Mahosadha's remarkable
ability, wisdom and glorious attributes, it could have
really happened in those con5ervative old days. Even
in History, such inciden ts were said to have
tak,'n plac,' when seized by extreme fear.
Herit age of \far
What was inber ite:l from this war, the big battle,
lh. disfigllration of t he face with a n ugl y scar
44
t he gl ... t of wbat is to be
on th.. lorch. i;ld of Kt"valta, th" Brahmin r
from th injury by hlm. It stell i
that (,very lw looked at t'b." mirror, the im;'g
of thr,:- Soc(tr which saw in reflection. had reminde<l
him of th ... past "venls. Reminiscences of past
epi",oc\c had infuriated KevaHa who swarr; Vf>ngf;anc
on for causing him suffering. sham. anli
ignominy. EVf:ry time he saw scar on
his forpheau , it made him reflect upon the pa!,t inCi
dent which "itirr(:d up his imagination as: Ay. Maho
sadh ..i had given !TIl" troubh' by deception. I failrrl
to &,-.t gem,stone and the only result I have had
thfl big scnr on my brow. He is really evHminded-thr
wickrd devil. indN:d. Wait, I'll take r""fnge On him
in onf' W(lY or the othpr, and make him suffer. II \Vith
this imaginative mood clinging to him, he was con
stantly plotting against Mahosadh.. The ruse em-
ployed by him was that Yideharit king was communi
catc(t and in\'ited to h". present at a ceremonious
occasion as a btidegroom to be given in to
the daughter of Brahmadatta. The intention behind
move was when the king Videharit together with
Mahosadha and their retinue came over without taking
dur' precautions for their security inadvertently in
response to the invitation. they were to be captured
and massacred. However. this plot was spuilt by
careful and cautious handling of thr: situatton by
Mahosadha who had taken preventive measures. bf 109
aware of the plot prior to the occasion .
Tbe gist of what is to be spoken
Herr. the !::oIgniflcant point that needs c-mphEsis
is tht manner in whlch anger arises Wht'D rcflcctirin
is made on tht: past events. Indeed rare is the case
in which <Ing.'r has arisen On seeing a In this
however. thl! reason for the upsurge of anger
at the of the scar was because Kevana th.,
45
PttribIJed. Sutta Dh.mm.
bl's I'ndclible impression of thl"! past
Brahmin. had dM
events. If he could forget and forgive Mahosawi;h
there is no reason why he should get angry..... sc
Maho.adhD. Just imagine. It had so happened b ,cau
nd of the
Presence of the wrong noti!')n of self. ,11((1 a
h
.
o ..' "i C 15 the scar on his ac; bemg minI;' '.' ..
own s If which is p,1fi/;nfli'l, just as Mnh.osadhlJ. W,IS
thou,'ht I (If eq n '''being'', an illusion til:-&t IS known or
manifested in n3Me only ..... p7;ftI.JUIl. If t W('cc tru,l y
known and realized, anger wll1 m .. t :lavc found Its
place.
If the- mind clinches on a sensation, and if (dlee.
tion is Tilade on it, il would bl" thl' basic or
caus for occurrenci'" Qr greed. anger. deluslOn
and ktlt"s/i, cravings or defilements. These Sens-
.Hione; have popped up from what is secn,
contacted or known. It is true. If no
an:1 nlltiag is done at the moment of seeing, hcarmg.
contleth'3 and knowing. greed (lobJ. anger "o,al.
delusion (moha). self-pride '''1<ina). etc. can take place.
It Is really al.rllliog to be eolisted
It resembles taking out a thing from a pOcket
'nd often looking at it. Repeated occurrences of
erc . ..:;j, roger. etc., are taking place by reflecting on
wha t h:l:; seen, heard and known. As such. a person
who to contemplate and note at every moment
of st'ting. etc., will be wrapped up in greed from the
time he sees. hears Or knows. Such a person shall be
named a man becoming 3Yaricious. HI! may also be said
to be a person in whom anger. delusion and pride have
arisen. Since he has been enlisted as a person accep.
tin and receiving akw,IlM k'",lIna or demerits, he is
included in the list of those who are destined to
relegate to the nether world or to the realm of lower
existences. such as animals or pelas. ghostly spirits.
46
How to old enlbl_1
If thlt L; the caSe, it is T('ally alarmjng or retber.
frightening.
Ho" to avoid enlistment
This is to that if ono fail. to contemplat and
note dt moment of seeing a scnse-obhct or
a sound. ("te.. and aoger can arise out of the
sensation which occurs from what l'i hea U.
toucbod or kn0'Nn. When greed, anger. etc . J
o\,pr\vhdrningly great, either foul or fair (L 1 i,
liable to be committed or dOlle. If so cornmitt-.-I, ani
if it yield> unm<rit.'J r";uIts, he will d" 'nl 10
opil),u. the nf.'t:lcr weold. pe ha, h n tn.
listed as one who wJlJ go dOwn to bplI. ltu
world or tho aniln,,-!
Aud IlI_Xt. MCflt!; ('''11 b ... iv"'u ill' 0 l.y
lllg upj'n or .. H';", doc:> It hJ r- )? L h
done hy way of givjn', av..1" in -',Luri)' or 1'1...1
d :matioll vishing to acqlli:r. and enJoy the 1 In
sen",;]tion that c be ,:1 f... i.l 'If h t
is sct'!n. heard. or kno Yn. in tb r. J t CAl.".
thOUg:l it nUt ".idliL. c . _ L ';1
in IJ!,;srnt hf..: time. HI..: ma.y k. _). 0.
moral prl'!clpb L) gain illl;riL ... It shu' ;;,
how moral merit, derived bas(;,:j j)uD cr
mentally UPOll gru!d (iob-4. . If ru.ritof,vUS
deeds arc done in a \il;;-Yi II) iuHiIL.IP onc"
OWIl desire. knsa/tl. merits - :UI".! [C.iUn n Cfil..Cl5 will
be gained l'dying upon anger. If merits are
in this manntr. these action', will lh ... or
bring good results to bt: in the orld of
human b, ingo; O( of Devas.. If exertion i.:. m'de to
achieve juJlla m tits. it LrirIa b lcfici ... l r":::;rll
even to the t:;{tent of lleCOl4.0ing Brahm.:.
of kallJl1ll action. or thought brioging f,)[,n =,ood
and bad effec ts or f"sults are heing eXpericn, d by
47
Purjbhcda Sutta DhRmmB
individual. so h?ppcn('d made
. ar"nCt at the lime of sr.Clng. h";Hlng, can
th."r appc" < I I" b
. d I'nowing and slncf' then t l ey la\f'
tactlng an f b
<. d Practice of mrditation should then' orr) c
cnlt",tf' .
d to
:tvoid being (nliskd as such.
ma e .
Thl' manner of practising is to an.t
not e constantly without a brf'ilK on tho phrno.
m"O', of rtip.l and ",1",11 (rom the six. sense-do
of
", at
l'Vf ry time of seeing. hrari"?, and know mg.
Whih- contemplation is bcwg c:ufJed on, the.
ch3radcristics of impermanence JlfIiaa),
dllkk/l(J' and 'not 5f'lf' (fl.'Ia/f(J ) should clearly
ccived. I Awareness takes place in the manner herein
after stated. It will be known as disappearing Or
vanishing if contemplation and noting i-; carried On
at moment of seeing. It is also r e;litzr.::d as
ami P l:.<;ing away instantaneously. Hence, it
obvion.;; t hat it is impermanent and not If
also wh:\t 1S heard is contemplated and not ed, it dis
all at once after hearing ha:; taken plaep-.
It i ... also found disappearing and dis solving. ...
neSo;; then comes of the truth of impermanence. In
the ."ame way, what has been cont:tcted and known
immediately disappears. It arises and dissoh'f's, and
thili phenomena will be realized as anicca dhamma. the
law of impermanence. If realization cOlOes in the
manner stated. nO enlistment is possible as a man of
gr,,,p,d, or of anger or a man under a delusion. Such
a person mUit not be called a man who has greed or
an individual who has desirable attachment. Neither
shall he be called a person who is in a mood (d anger
nor a man under a delusion nor a person whn j<; pu ffed
up with false pride ' nu]I1.J . nor, onp Poss(!ssing cl'(wing
... nor, a man deriving demerits or merits.
He will escape' from enlistment as a person who
will his rebirth either in the world or
48
Only on attAinment of \r-ahal'ihlp
in worlll 0.( ;tnd c. 1, stial bpings as a result
o[ hilS ... or mf!ritorious Mf,dtta,
tiona practicu .... hould therefore bo mad I
. . , l. I! 0
from bem.&' tnil'3tcd In 0[, or (rom b.>lOg
entan"l, I In. f"Vf" ry s("nsatlon that may ari':te.
Only on attainment of Arahat'ihip
one become., free rom 011 entanglements or cnli'itmcnt
b coming an AC<Jhat. all such spnsatiOl1:l
which catl'Je and pav th...., way (
l"nlhtment will bn en tirely cleared off or got rid oOfr.
Even un An "tg..uni will not yPt be (rom all kittds
or sensation'S. Such which are listE::d and
in a mo..,t complicated form remain to bl'!
flccounted. (or in thf.l case of ordinary worldlings.
Tholl:jr be rp",: komd, compris rebirth!.:ll
a humln or a D va or in thl fp.alm' of up<i,a. animals
and PI'l ;n. commo!} worldlinqs ha\'f'! all these
things to br rockol1p.d and liquidated. In this regard.
1 i-:. b,Uer off for not bping very much
entp.ng)p-d. Thpre is no cause for him to be relt-gated
to thp lower regions of existences and tb." ndher
world. Hf" has bl!tn ('nlisted to becomo a human
or a or a BrahmJ. As for Sagadjg.i.mi. hn l!o>
in boat with Sotapanna to bn accountf:'d for
ani In respp,ct of an Anagami hovuwer.
thect> is anything to b ... rendered and accounhd
for sine ... therp is eve n no enlistmp.nt to be rebOi n a
human or a 0 :va. He has been firmly listed to b .. comc
a Brahm], Eventually, when Arahatship is attained.
there is nothing left to bt' llsted or Every.
thing ha. been completely settled and fuHy liquidated.
That is why it is essential to practise to be able to
settle ani li'lui1ate all entanglements. Relating to
this pOint preaching been madr- in a very pro
founi mannr: r. intellectuals who th'l
right of mind with nobl e attributes C3n under
F. 7 49
Puriibheda Sutto DhamnUl
gtand appre<:iatt these profoundly difficult aspects
of Dhamma.
In the Motto. the statement conveyed is to avoid
bl'ing named in the 'Middle Portion' i.r. in the pre-
Sf'nt existC'nce by indulging in thl' practice of medita-
tion. Further elucidation will be done again. The
"Middle Portion" or the Intermediate stage means'
The arising phcnomE'na of nipn and minta at the mo-
ment of seeing, hearing, contacting and knowing. This
is the manner in which contt?mpl;ltion is bf'ing made
by the prescnt Yogis. They have to contemplate at
every moment of arising of the bodily phnnomena
according to the method of mindfulness. i.e. Sali-
P,llIluilld. They are to contemplate on every sensation
which occurs at the moment of seeing, hearing. ima-
gining. and on all other sensations of stiffness. hot.
neSs, pain. ache. etc. This is doni with a vi(' w to
prl'venting kilesiis from arising in tht.: intHmpdiary
stagl!. which means, at the prescnt time. and to avoid
being 3l::osailcd by riigll , passion" dosa "anger and moha
(dolusion , or, being enlisted as one destined to reach
sJ./g.Hi. heavenly abodes. and duggati. the world of suf-
fering:). or. drifting in the incessantly flowing cur
rent of On becoming an Arahat. these
things to be accounted for will be totally cleared away
or removed. A person becoming fully accomplished
3!' such. is a H Samil" individual who has ga ined real
peace and serenity.
The first verse utlered by the Lord Buddha in
answer to the question runs:
" Vitat.J{lho puriibher/(i. pubbamallla num;ssiro.
,'ema))ile nllpJSJrikheyo, {OJS(I !lauhi pllrekkhatam."
. . The. above Puli stanza may be explained as: An
Individual who is free of in his present Hfp time,
i.e. prior to death. Neither does he rely upon the
50
Only on attainment of Arabat'iblp
p:t ... t nor crav( for thf' pr('sent th{' intermediary stage.
noc: hopl' and long for thl' future with a passionate
an individual is really a person with
peaCE of mind -calm and serene. It is adaquat< h
_ . " enoug
even with this relating to One slngle
verse. However. at the of delivering this Sutta
Dhamma. only a few Devas and Brahmas WP!V abh: to
grasp the full meaning of this first Some
wp.re yet unable to appreciate. Hence. for th05f- who
still failed to comprehend, the Enlightened One proc.
to deltver the sermon in respect of the rtmain-
109 twelve Verses to make thf3m fully convinced of th(:
"1lUg, , pili/II clhllmma and become well accomplished.
51
I'ART II
In the text of Sutt:), theft' is only ODor and
Iy Qu('stion in thll form of a Verst whik tilt. answer
on 1'1' .
its/.If thirteen Verses in all. 1t'relO, It IS
stated that if fdlJilti has he-cn ){ot rid of h.' fore death,
one has become an '\rahat,
Then also, If n preson ic:; not rl,'s(,fving of being
named 3>; a man who relic's upon th(' Past or looks
forward to the Future, or has wrapped up in
or craving 1n the pl!fse-nt cxishnce. i. I', th" "Middle
Portion" t he is said to have b('com(' an Arahat.
After attaining Arahatship no further practice
needs be exercised. That is why tltt Dhamma is found
to bu adequate and compreltens even with expo
sition given in the first Verst. Howev .... r. to make
SOffif' of the Der,1\ and Br.Jhnllh clearly undrrstand the
Dhamma, which they had failed to grasp and appreciate,
the Blessed One continued to elucidate it in ddail.
"Akkodh,lnO aSilnlch'i, m'jka,,;'; alwkkuco.
1I
M.lnllbh.'ilji anuddltalo. so H' wl.fiUYOIO nlfllli.
The meaning of the above phrase is: "A prrson
who 1<0; not prone to anger." In other words. a per-
son sh,)ulrt be free from anger. that is. mild and gentle
without harbouring any grudge or Spitf', He is also free
from worry and anxiety. Neither is egoistic and
boastful. He is far above contempt in regard to his
physical and mental behaviour and assumes no loath-
and despicablp attitude both in and action.
H(" i5 not used to speak perfunctorilY i. (', ,vithout
considering and weighing things with his own wbdom.
Hp, is not rc,th:s5. and is endowed with the stability
52
.... 1 he Angu
of mind. :\ pfI .... t POBs('ssinF! <;,uch nobl, attribut l
on. who "rcise<;, restraint In sp"fch. Buddha bAS
pnach'Jd thllS. "Su<:h an individual is. 1 say. a per_
son who is at p,:aCt;, calm and "Upahuntu".
To b. abl[ ,(I memorize. let us recite a Motto. In
hllw(\'i"f. to ab1t to do the (Inly
aft"r :I)Jprn:l<tting Its meaning to a certain I
will ,xplaln CJ bit mono
"Tamf' the anger and avoid worry without
b('inJ.( arrogttnt and stay frpc from Iwkkucca."
Tho word "At,kkllC"U" cannot briefly b(: tran-
slattd Into Burmese. Hence. It is expressed in its
original Pith languagl'. Then also. when talking and
making J it should bt: weighed and cogitated
with on,"s own background knowledge.
are thf! six noble attributes of a "Santa"
indi\'idual. The motto having the: attributes
only, is difficult to be recited with a smooth flow.
l\C', it would be absurd to understand the expression
in P li language. it is composed in plain in
a ff "sible way as far as possible.
Suppress tbe
A pt'rson should not aU ow himsel f to become lOdlg-
nant. In othrr words. do not let the anger get the
bE'tter of AU individuals with the exception of
An'lgamis and Arahats. have angpr in varying degrc:c5.
When loathsornr; sensations arise. anger generally takes
plac(. Leaving asid; ordinary worldlings, en:n SOfii
pallWI .and Sukadilgtlmi 5till ha"e anger. Anger arist"s in
them whf'n or bad sensations a r c felt.
Fury or \'i('llence is the natural characteristic of
'anger'. It '" far from bdng meek and mild, It
r sen.bIt", a a poisonous snake. which rais 50
it) haml oncl hissc!3 fuming with angtr moment It
is t'llh .. 'h d. \ may become suddf'nly \'ch{"m( nt
53
runt' 1= ... __
u h
'rom I 11m
_ D,rion D
I ia I 00 nOlb r
4
Wllh
"on
ap r
Igbl
Lo
If
Ilbl lu b 0_ Inlol r.bl .. 1.11 .. 10
b nd
I h ~
Itl
fl.
of ang' r nl 110t () tar 0 tb
1f m 011 ~ nlD tu In uit him
Of lu him tlllt I Ib '\l8h udd pro n blton m
n t At, it nllQhl lilt cit \' lop mtn II ruraou ahl r
ttb r _it r f 1 d prv\,nUtt, n )r r Ire t I unlll
n II 0 I' Itn of n r lillY 10 II nil h UI hang
.n h. I ok ... hl h Ih n n II <'om ull n.
\\h<n Dnll r run blMh. hn, w rd m Word
II\lI r du IIv IIldk n b om IIr.1I I d
Inl an ull In a 1.1 01 aOI f. or may tI lop
In _ ta' f blind fill \0 Ih I 01 f Illtlmlltonc
55
UBI
..
IETJI
I'IO.t!
Purahhcda Sutta obllmnt ..,
'I Thi ... is lh('; in whirh nnw r
IDU rdM or su 1(' It ".' t I . h t
. 11 or soar up to a grea If'lg s
maY b come ::;wo '" -
stagl by stage.
Resemble .. 8 toad
b
, "'ched in Vammika Sutta that this
It has oen P '0 d 1'h'
. ' ' lar to IIddhuII"jl'lko, thl' toOl. ''''
I') ,'ery simt . " . .
kind of toad becomes puffet1. ,up or swol1f',n
,. h'd b hand or a stIck. In Sh,,,,bo (li strIc!.
It IS taue c Y . ,... .
such a kind of toad IS callc-i J ar 0111,'
called it "Phar.gon.huyin", In somt' place ... It 1<; ,naml!
as "Phu.b)roke". "Phar.byoke", of POI-
sonous. This toad. uddiruI/ui),ik.1 is not a ere;L
tun;. Evaybody will know if jt h dcc;crtbed .a
frog which becomes swollen in size eVHY It
It stays among dirty old dry or ,Jt
th.) fO"lt of a tree. Somdimcs. it may std)' in.,id, .1
hoi" in til earth. As it grows swollen (,VC'fY tim\..
it i ... t,Hlc'led. it eventually unabl t) ffil)Ve.
Once it i ... put up"idedown. it will not be lblc to
resum" its normal posture on its legs. Jt ('nnnat 'Vf'n
mO\'C about if crows or other birds may comr to pl'ick
or prer on it. It will then finally a victim
to crows and birds.
"Anger" is similar to that kind of toad. On
hea ring unpleasant or undes irable sounds, bad sen
sat ion<; are puffed up. If such sensational contacts
repeatedly take place. anger is grown in immf:'nO:;Q pro
portion. It may cause one to do things which ollght
not to b. done, It might even go to ext r en", lengths.
If medicine is not available, sufiering OCCUTS;
if available, relief can be obtained
S:Jch being th> the momnnt an"vr artsf's.
it should be in the bud. or disp,'lIed by con-
a nd noting. Those who are not lclluainten
with the method of contemplating and noting. will
56
Nine mode, or C8u \e., of .\ghat
havo no rr.mf- ly. Th"y will suffer mf'ntdlly whtnf:v"r
.ariH'!:; just as a sick pr:rson has to undergo
suffr:nng for lack of If mf!dicine is rc.ldily
available. r""lief can be obtained and th( patknt can
fully n'COVer from his eventually. In the
w::ty. without tho Dhamma bdng handy. nO help can be
r cnrler<:d to a pfHson if anWr has its grip On him. HI":
will then ",uffer from mental distress. Soml! are blinded
by ignorance inflamf;d by angf?r so much
so that they cannot r;vcn [f;strain themselves lrom
becoming highly impulsive- and furious. It f(:fiects the
natur e of angf"r. Howcvf:c, in the case of those who
acC' with Dhamma. angp.r when appears,
can be ea"Uy contcmplat'ld. and dispelh;d. It
should bl! rejcctt:d in that manner.
Nine modes or cau'.;es of Aebata
When rising anger unabated and Int"n51
fi ed. malice and f cling of vengeance can occur. Thf'
mann in which \,png"'ancp or ill will takes placp. in
connection with human of nin
p
categorif''S.
This is knl}wn as ninp. ,ighiilalartlru. caUSe:=, or occa!l>ions
of ill will or grudge,
On. person may become vindictivp' or bear grudg@
against another out of ml;'re or dlS:3.
tisfaction. Thpll. consciousness of grievance will t'lke
plac(. H, may r fleet on the past incidents rF'mem
bering ani feeling hurt that a particular pl"fson has
given him a lot of trouble many times detriment(ji to
his interests or well- -being. This is bparing grudge
or ill- will aganist that person to or return
the same sort of ill -t reatment that he has received.
Anoth'!r kind IS that he may think of taking revenge
on a p rson for doing harm to him at pre-sfnt
momr-nt an'1 by his Own assumption that in future
also thi3 person is likely to cause him harm to thp:
detriment of his own These arc the three
F, 8
57
PurJbhl..-da SuttB DhBmmlt
I t
' to three dlfil'rent incidents
kinds of vengeance rc a tng. .'
.. out of the prescnt sltuatton.
kind of vengeance may be generated not
o 0 dO d als but also against alh!'r senhent
;lgamst in IVI U .
0 R ( 1 thoughts can occur even agamst
betngs cvcnge u .' .
: 0 (I as ants and other dlsturbmg insects.
mosquitos, e . . I
ThesD tinY creatures may be considered as peop e
a lot of 'nuisance and trouble all the time, so,
feeling of disgust or h3trcd may occur. If no Virtuous
thoughts werc entertained, these C[catlIff'S would have
oil bepn killed or destroyed. Worse can happen by
making massacre of innocent pl:opic. may also
be taken by a pe-rson again'St a dog which had once
attac.ked and bitten him, or barked at him. These sorts
of grudge arc not uncommon.
The abo\"{ three forms of wreaking vengeance
"lIh embittered (eelings will happen usually after
ruminating over the incidrnts whrrt harm has been
don. in the past. and is being done at present, and
with.1n anxietr that harm may also be done in the
futurf'.
Furthermore. there are three other kinds of ven-
geanc( r lating to a person for whom one has deep
10\,( and respect. One may resent against somebody
who has done harm to his beloved in the past, or is
doing wrong nOW and is going to do harm in the
future. Then. relating to a person when one hates.
vengeance may be taken upon another person for giving
help to the man whom he hateS, or, (or landing out
assistancr to that person at the moment and also for
any possible assistance that may be rendered in future.
All in all, there are nine sorts of iigIJatavattl",. Apart
from one may unnecessarily become angry with
lifdcss or inanimate things, such a", sharp-pointed
stumps, pegs and thorns, or the burning rays o( the
sun. or sudden down pour and so on. This is called
to ollluj"akopJ".
58
Sot gett log angry "here anger should not a'l'i'ic
Not getting angry where: anger should Dot arise:
Inclusive of (ighiitavutthu called iillhdf)akOPd, it will
come to ten of ughiitavatthu in all. 1 wilt
amplify a little morp in explaining how aflluinaknpa
happens. The way it occurs is that anger may ariM,
if the weather becomf'!s hot when refreshing
is desirable, or, if there is heavy downpour when rain
is not longed for, or, if a strong brcezl:' flows in whf'n
it is not needed. Sometimes. one may R'(t angry with
the disease he is or with the sicknrss which
may bf' prolonged despitl:' his wish for a speedy reo
covery. When natural phenomena such as, wind, rain,
thunder, etc . break out, or if occurrences of bad or
ill.sensations in him according to circumc;tances,
one may become intolerable and feel angry. Th':5e
happenings are called a/fhiiMkopa. and are indicative of
wrath in where angry sensations should not
have arisen. Some people even bccom,.,. angry at a
lifeless stump against which they have accidentally
struck while walking. If so happened. they may even
purposely hit against it again and again through rage.
Also. some may even become so for having
inadvertently dropped something out o( their hands
that they would repeatedly throw it away and beat it
through uncontrollable temper. There are occasions
when anger presents itself without rhyme or reason.
To prevent such anger from arising. it should be con-
templated and noted and then rejected.
All undesirable sensations arising out of the six
sense-doors which invoke sudden impulsive mood of
anger should be dispelled by contemplating and noting.
If anger appears, it should be suppressed from the
very outset to bring it to the point of cessation so
as to prevent any possible occurrence of improper
physical b.haviour. If after rejection of such un-
desirable scnc;ation when bl!tom .... s o::,tron
59
1.181 puriibheda SuUa Dblmmn
can bt Jttlllnt'd. A SOLlpanna is
gert on rd"t,lggaIj(IIUl 'r bu t nO vehrrn!"nt
t"rely frct' from angt
not as yet en I.. b capilbl,' of killing anothf'(
'II 'se in blm to I) ,
anger WI an. nittcd would ha\c cau51'd
h'ch if It were comT' h
person. W I h . th r world A person _ \V 0
onl.1' to descend to t 0 ne
f
",_,p 'Wldn;lgga./liill,J, will be
h d tb'" stage 0 so,... ' .
has reac c . . fronl bl-coming boisterous
t 01 hiS tcmpl'(
able to con r h h still b.'camp angry with
d furious thoug t may. .
an. ,'ons that may arise. Howpver, no
undesirable 5cnsah h' to stf'at other PCOpif"S
anger which can causr 1m t II
bring financial ruin to otht-rs. or to e
or f b 'd to br rc
lies, will occur. He may thefe OCf' .c sal .
lieved of sinful acts. When r('achmg 5tag,e of
- - , I ala all kinds of anger WIll cntlfely
afltlganllm 199a-p, b 'd f a
The
re is therefore noting to e sat 0 n
cease. 'I t h
Arahat in whom all kilt's,] ... , moral defl s, 3;,e
t
t Hence it is stated as akkodhallo,
become eX tnC .' .
which means "not used to be angry". AnagamlS and
Arahats is whom'1l anger docs not reside. are
f 0 suffe
rinO' and misery in so far :\5 Josakdcsa IS
rrn" , _ "'d'
concern ... d. Such;] person is called an '1/PII.\Q"W In 1
vidual.
Should hale no worry and anxiety by feeling dejected
Moreover. it is stated as If aSillllcIs; ca". i. e. free from
fear and anxiety. In this universe. tht majority of
the people become anxious and worried and dejected
for not being able to fulfil their personal desires.
In the verse under reference. this feeling of anxiety
or worry is called Monks are likely to become
worried and dejected for fear of scarcity of bene-
factors or donors or helpers. Sometimrs they may
becom down-hearted for not haviog friends and ad-
hert'nts on whom relianc(' can be made.
In brief. out of eight worldly co.1ditions _ loka
,lIumnu, if any unpleasant or unhappy circumstances
or conriltions, such as, loss. dishonour. blame and
60
Should hove no "orr), and anxitty by fteling dejected
suffering. afl' md with, a pf-rSOn may
He may fed disappointed or discontf>nted for lack of
gifts or privileges which he has hOJV:d for. or for
having had no (ollow('rs or companionship, or {or want
of assistance when need anses. Of coursr;, it is natural
for people to wish for fame and honour and
criticism. Thpy hope to become fortunate and find
happiness and avoid miSery and sufferings. Hr:nce.
if thpy have come acros' conditions which
bring thtm no; happinf"'ss, they may e.ad and
greatly rf'fh'cting that misfortune has come
upon them as a resul t of bad kamma.
Thf' above instances reveal how dejection has taken
place because of unfulfilled desires brought about by
unfavourable circumstances, Hence. such mt:ntal de.
pressions must not be- allowed to happeD. or rather,.
should be discarded. If such depressive moods happen
to occur. these must be rejected by contemplating and
noting them. There is no reason why a person should
be morose and djsspirited. He needs encouragement
from others. Some people are optimistic while others
are pessimistic. There 3re SOme people who become
very much dishearh'ned and miserable when they feel
sick. It is absolutely necessary to be able to with
stand the onslaughts of lokadhamma. One should be
able to remain composed and unaffected whatever may
be the consequences of the ups and downs of life.
If at all he becomes dejected. feeling of dejection
should be contemplated. noted and rejected. ThHefore,
the motto goes to say "Avoid anger and worry". Do
not let the anger raise its head. If anger arises. it
should be contemplat.,d aod noted aod tben dispelled.
Then it says "Avoid worry". Do not allow yourself
to get dejected for not good and pleasant C;f"O-
sat ions, goods and propc'rties and companions, maids
and servants, ao; you may wish. If you fed unhappy
61


puriibhcda Suua Ohamrua
h I
cled f lina .hould be
and disappointed, sue ,.,
contemplated. noted and rt'Jecterl.
Should aiM) ha\-e no pride
Apart from getting rid of anger and worry, a
hould
also have no pride. It has bern stated
person S 'd b
as IfArikallh.," and that is, not to allow pn c ecorne
manifes ted.
This dl\wnii has been prt'3ched with particular refre-
nee to monks for ", .. hom it is intended; and the Commen_
tators ha\' c thert:fore expounded the nature of a variety
of circumstances which arc likely to happen in connec
tion with the monks. Particularly. Bhikkhus should
have absolutely nO pride. Pride must be avoided.
Some used to tell falsehood rdating Lo their 1 ineage
as if they have desc<'nded from a nobl e and distin
guished family line. Some make boast of having pos-
sessed the attributes of silei (morality) under false
pretens.ion and then. without having knowledgeable
expaience in pJri.ralti, they may pretend to be well-
accomplished in the knowledge of sc ripturesl Some
also f( ign to have been practising dhulatiga; etc" in the
field of patip.1IIi. without having donr so. In the like
manner, they even boast of having attained jlltina
SamiipJlti without real attainment. This Desanii does
not embrace Lokottara dhamma. Hence. without being
fully accomplished in Lokiya Dhamma. one should not
be proud of having gained accomplishments under a
fals e pretence.
As r egards ordinary common worldings, they
should not be proud of their success or 0 f social and
financial status in both worldly and business affairs.
Neith<c should they be proud of their r elatives. friends
and good company. Some have a natural inclination
to brags. while some are simple and hones t. In this
regard. eveD as a layman who is practiSing the noble
Dhamma. if the feeling of pride appears. it should be
62
,hould be dit;pclh.'d
and noted. and then discard"rJ. Efforts
should be made to g,-;t rid of this prid,. by co t
. ant
A SOIUPiJ."na will ha ve no such pride. That
IS the why It has be,.n that meriitation
should a.nd then this pride by
conh'mplattng and noting. Lr:t us the Motto:
II A ngfr lJP, su ppressed. and Worry
With Pride discardod;
A:,4kkucca b, free.
W('ighing things before t:lIking on ;\
With tho mind dHerrf;d from going astray,
Constituting the Six of hi,; glor .
ious array."
The six attributes arc F.numerated as bl'low:
1. Not to W t angry.
2. Not bl!ing anxious and worriof>rj IjPc 111SC of
unfulfilled desirablp si.nsations.
3. Not being boa'tful.
4. Being free from kukkllcca. i. e. d"ubt. r"stles.
snrss, etc.
5. To speak what is prop!;r wb!;"n occasion arises.
only after reflection.
6. To calm and serene with compi",tc con.
trol of the flitting mind after gaining COncen.
tration.
Kukkucca should be dispelled
It has nOw reached a turn to speak abou t kukkuCCQ
which if fr ecd is ont; of thl} attributes just mentio
ned. It n('eds to h, at elaborately.
It is really worthy of note. Simply put. kllkkuna com
prises three kinds, namely.
and pidil-kllkkucca
2. Vinl.l'a k!lkkucca
3. VipPJ{;$cira kukkul"Cll
63
l'ur.ibbcda Sutta Dhs01ma
"A"lIkklkt:a' , worngful deed or despicable act
or misb('haviour. It is so named because, in essence.
it is devoid o( benefit for having bad manners or
behaviour without propriety. Such behaviour be ing
comtcmptib)p, may be said to hi ' vicious or malevolent.
I\lbbehuiour' 'Witb tbe hands and fect
First and forcnwst. "alll/(l kllkkllfCfl and piida kukkucca
is nothing but misbehaviour with the h:lnds and feet.
Half"" kukkucca means improper conduct with hands
whereas pClda kllkkuao is bad conduct with the feet.
Persons who arc lacking in mind fulness and concen_
tration are res tl ess without bring able to keep their
hands and feet remain still. Neither can they remain
mute. They used to be gibbering and ar, at the same
time oiten changing their Sitting posture by moving
their hands and feet to relieve discomfort even while
delivery of sermon is being made. This restlessness
is a pointer to the flitting mind that wanders with
obvious lack of constant mindfulness. This is what
IS named as Irattlw kukkuccl1 and piida kuk kuccu. In PlaiD
Burmese. it may be translated as res tlessness of hands
and feel. Not only the hands and feet, but also the
head and the entire body not remaining quiet or still,
being in a state of disquietude, may be regarded as
k"kkucca. Only an Arahat will. of course, be totally
free from k"khucca. It is therefore advisable that all
other individuals should devote themselves to mind.
fulness contemplation to get rid of this kukkllCca. mis-
conduct. Care should be exercised to minimize this
feeling of restlessness. Those who possess mind ful.
ness will be more calm and tranquil than those who
do not contemplate and gain mInd fulness. Kandaraka
Sutta serVes as evidence to this fact.
64
How KaodllJ'aka
! (O'N KandRraka reveres
At onl) two pe-rsons, namdy, onf. callcd Pessa.
and t.he a (a wandering religious
menulcant. nay. a hfrmlt the domain of Silsan.t
by th n:tmr. .of Kandaraka called on the Exalted On/
On that parhcular occasion. other Buddhist pri-sts
or Bhikkhus wl're present paying ob"l,sancl' in close
proximIty of the Lorn Buddha. At that tim',. Kanda.
r:1ka, thn ParibbJjjako. when making a survey of thl! said
Bhikkhu-, ' Sangh:,s " witnessed a good number of them
rC!n1ining calm and tranquiL Nonr of them were found
even slightly moving their hands and feet or their
heads. No talking, no act of stirring. or eve n no
coughing out Were heard or Not one of
Sanghjs made a stir with his hands. foeets or h+::ad.
All of them were found ab501utely slili. calm, peace.
fuL and gentl,..
It hJ;; stated 10 Piili as lutd1d
bltulil';I." Despite the presence of a large numba of
Sangha" all of them WH' found in a stat. of tran
quility (rom whatever they wert viewed. The
rnvironm,:ntal effect o( the Quid and peaceful atmo-
sphere was such that even though a p.,UibbJjjllko him-
sel f. it had generated a feeling of profound respect
and aWfJ in Kandaraka, who thought it really surpri
sing of the noble teachings of the Lord Buddha. This
state of mind had brought faith in him, and he reS,
p.)Ctfully told Buddha, "Oh, Lord I it appears to me
that all supremely Enlightened Buddhas of Ihe past age.
mllst hav/" taught their disciples in the same mann.;-r
as is now done by your Lordship. The kind of audience
in those old days might also be similar to the presf:nt
Jssf"Ololage of noble persons. Presumably. future
Enlightened Buddhas might t tach their disciples just
th,;" way you are nOw doing. Moreover, the entire gather-
ing of noble personages is likely to be of the same
F. 9 65
l'uriihlu ..-dll Sutta DhRlUmlt
and gl'ntll', thf"Y art'
kind, and being calm. surcor
indeed worthy of r(,verence. .
o this statement expressmg approha.
In response t -d "Oh, Kandaraka! what
. th Eniightl'ncd ant.: sal.
hall. c ' . J I this prescnt assembly of presons.
you do I; tht' rf'3'Wn for their tranquil statp'
I will cxplalO 0 Y. A' this assembly. there
f 'od and seremty. mang .
o ml lb' I Ill' accomplished wIth the prac.
arc Arahats W 10 cmg u , d fl' it
. " I d of SlIlip.l/1lllilltl - Mtn u ness a er
. k.n.)w noble Dh:lmma, have ('xtirpated all
prachslng t -. " Of coursf', 110 commen.
moral defilemcnts. , .
dation'i ... catled for in ragard to noble
I bl qu
ality 01 mllldluln,58 rellects In
Arahats, t lc no e
them and makes a full display with rcfert.:ncc to all
. . . g from the six -sense bases. How
sensations anslO ' - . th ,
could ont,: rdrain from respecting and rcvcrtng _ em.
All have bcome ,dmirably noble, gentle and reflOed.
Buddh:l then wcnt on to say that amongst the cong.re.
gation. prf'scnt Were thoSG inclulging in th.c
01 meditation, called "Sekkha". Sikkha IOdlvlduals
comprise IlIlig.imis. Silgdrltigtimis, Solcipallll,JS and
Plllthllii""'" All of them are called "Sekkhas", havlOg
lofty moralIty, lolty thoughts and lofty wIsdom, and
they arc undergoing moral and spiritual training in
what is known at the Dhamma relating to r'Four Foun-
dation. 01 Mindfulness". Hence, it has been described
as II C(HliSlI Satip.I!!lIiillesu Sllpp.ltillhitcJcitta."
The meaning of the above Pali phrase is that
havinq the stability of mind with an carnest
drvotion to the Four Satipa//hiillas. they remain in a
tranquil state of mind meditating on these four kinds
01 mind fulness, viz: Mindfulness on tho impurity of
thl:' body. on the evils of sensations. on thl} evanescence
of thought, and on the conditions of existence.
Thf' meditating Yogis arc well awarE' of these fOllr
Srllip1fl",inlS. Nevertheless, full explanation will be
66
The m'lnn(>r of king Koo;;ala's soli cih.tion
given to rn:lk, th"m \lnd.-rstand mor.: clf:arl; 1nrl vivi.
dly. Somr _have implantt:d their mind basically on
kii)'iilluPJJJuna mind f ttl Sam,} On \'edanclnl,punullii som(:
on c/fttlnl'PH.LJlJii and !o;ome On dltummcillupuHonci. Vi'S,
indeed. If is focussed on salipollhanci dhommo.
they cal m and tranquil. No change or cor.
reetion in their physical br;:haviour is without
being mindful. As such, if at all any change in phy.
sical posturds to bp or arising thoughts are to
be notcd, sinc<" mindfulnr:ss is applied. are always
and composed. Nothing is haphazardly.
or in a di-:;ordl:rly manner. It is because contr:mplation
and nothing h donr: with acting as a fore.
runner. That i, why the Exalted One had saId that
this entire crowd forming an Assembly was (:xtrl!mr:ly
calm, unrullied and fully refined.
The manner of king solicitation
Once. King Pasenadi Kosala F;vt:rf:ntiaHy spoke to
the Lord Buddha expressing his opinion as.' "Revef(:nd
Sir. Wt- are the monarchs with powers. \\'e
have the powers to confiscate the property of the
people and impose' penalty on th'!m. \Ve can also
punish them with death sentence according to our
own wilL or banish them if we prefer. Yes. it is true.
Such despots wielded supreme so,'ereign powers unlike
the present day Rulers of the States in which the
Rule of L1W prevails. Hence. in modern times,
cases involving any of law arc put up to
the LawCourts for trial where the accused have
the right to be defended by lawyers and advocates.
Only in cases where there is sufficient e\'idence
against the accused for the offences committed. appro-
priate punishments are imposed. In cases where there
is no clear and conCT'te evidence against an accused
p.rson for thr lil('ged offent. he is pithe" disch:trflC'd
or acquitted by Court accorJing to Law. These
fi7
purabheda Sutto J)hnmma
f the ancient times had unlimited
despotic rulers 0 d s the Law Thf"rp was no
od their wor wa ' h
powers a . t the orders passl'd by t pm.
right of appeal agams
h
Ilad been instancl's Whr'fC
t' however t erc '
Some tmes, "d ons the King's ord/'rs Or
the Minist('rs of int ention, though
C In
f'nts Wit 1 e d'
pronoun c . . v bf'en lookp.d upon as IS-
their behavIour mIght ha C twas stakd that they
respec tful. On such occaSIOns, I .
had to be entreated or .sol,aced. _ d' .. ks of the
The aud ience conslstmg of the ISC1P h
I
tl The Budd a nev,r
Exalted One was ext reme Y gen c. . d I'
Ct' d to In UCI" 11S
resorted to force or influence or, ric - h'
disciples or threaten them. Hi' menly . IS
exhortation or due admonition by way of de!tv/ortng
a' Sf"cmon. Yet, His adherents who formed the congrega-
tion were remarkably re fined and delicate in manners .
While listening to the sermon with great
the whole congregation was perfec tly calm., ,Even If
anyone of the pries ts could not help reframml'{ 111m
stlf from coughing out, the other priest would
nudge him to remain in silence to avoid causmg mter-
ference to others, King Pasenad; Kosala extolled the
qualities of the members of the congregation in tho
manner described above stating that all of them were
perfectly pure in thoughts and faultless in manners,
and were therefore entirely free from kukkucclJ.
In the realm of Buddha's Sasana, if practical medi
tation is exercised with satisampdjii.'lQlil, active thoughts
and conse jousness. one would become gentle. However.
some people who are not able to exercise restraint in
action and thoughts would speak ill of others dis
paraging at the same time that they are acting under
pretension, Some of the monks also might go on
preaching without manners and yet some people would
Jppreciate that kind of misbehaviour. As a matter
of fact, different kinds of people ha ye differ<" out
lonk and mentality, Such improper attitude bears
68
Vinl\)ft kukkucca
to lh.! dbs.onct of the quality of mind
fulncss. improper acts and m sconduct should
have been discard(;d. If thts: cannot be comp1ctt'\y
eradicatpd, practic!! should mC!.dc in the to
avoid or b,;ar dnwn mi:;behaviour as far as possible.
It has therdor.; been statr:d that llalla kukkuccu and
piit/u kllkkun:a should iJ( disp(llfd.
Vinnya kukkncca
We now to subject of l'inara kukku(((I.
F"('ling of doubt may occur concerning certain matters
or things r('levant to the rults of Vinaya or disci-
pliOf, etc. Sceptical doubt arises as to whether it is
right or wrong, and proper or improper rdating to
any ltind of own performances. or the use of
goods for consumption. Whtn such kukkuccu. doubt.
occurs it will not yet reach the stage of committing
a sinful act. This kind of doubt is relevant to the
rule of disciplin(' - Vinaya. It is. therefore r egardf:d as
on(> of the attributes which all priests should possess.
Yn. some of them pay no heed to any such suspicion
or doubt thai might occur. In the absence of any
c;;uch doubt (or rather. reluctance. they may give v{-nt
to any kind of misdeed which would have amounted
to contravening the rule of discipline. These people
will have no purity of mind or morality. Without
reflecting on the propriety or impropriety of any such
acts. they may do or consume anything they like
r egardless of the rul es of discipline laid down for
the monks. If they mi sbehave in the said manner. it is
open to derision and is tantamount to dereliction of
their priestly duty. It is quite natural that this vinaloJ
kflkkucca will take place where it should and cannot
possibly b ... entir ely However. if one know-
ingly eats. drinks or makes use of a thing with a
feeling of douht, It would amount to committing 'guilt'
on his part. This sort of "kukkucca" should be
69
puriibhcda Suuo DlllUllnlO
by way of avoiding action. r.
lias his doubts about Its propnct}.
to which ont:
Remorseful Kukkucca
. . II.d "\,ippa/;sflra
The next type of kukku{'('11 IS Cd t .
. h k kk .. wlwr r there IS
kllkk"cw" and that IS. t e '/I PII (,I . kk
. This 11.11 - II(Ta
regret or feelllllg of unpleasantness. f
is of two kinds. One is that it may occur or h
ony
d
ond Ih, ot cr.
wrongful act or rather. wrong OIng. d
h
h' I '1Ioul,I hl\'(" been one.
for not doing anyt mg W Ie I '" .
Wrongful acts means acts of vice or aku.mla. e:'11
Feeling of repentance may then occur ImaglOlng
in retrospect as HOh! I've done ,;rong,
and how regretful and unfortunate it is". relatt ng t o
any improper act done physically, or verbally, or
t ally. One may become morose and wlth
bi tt" r regret for any wrongdoing. If thIS stat e of
mind pl'fvades. it is known as "ripPd(isiira kllkkucca
H

It should be discarded. Hence. it is well and good


if " t all t hi s kllkkucc" could b. d ispolled. Of course.
it wi ll be a lmost absurd to get rid of this feeling
cnt irdy. To f ind such a person who is totall y fr ee
from this kind of kllkku{... which could have taken
pl ace at one time or t he other from t he t ime of hi s
birth up till t he presen t momen t. wi ll be ext r emely
rare. The only difference may be t hat r emorse or
anxiety mayor may not occur t hough wr ong ful ac ts
would have been commi tted, more or l ess. Hence,
fee ling of femor se mayor may not take place. Never -
th(!les:s, if it occur s, reject ion s hould be made a ft er
contemplating a nd not ing it. T hi s wr ongd oing was
a t hing of the pas t . a nd therdore. II is not worth-
while recalling it and "regretting what had been done
previously. This kind of t hought may be di s pell ed
bearing in mind that such acts will in future be avoided.
It j, best to dispel any such ill though ts tha t may
70
KlJkkuccu whi ch" or paramount imporlancl!
Ac t s whi ch ought to h, don,.. ar e thr tnHit orious
T hp,s,' virtuous a re flu":J (c h:uit y,J, l Ull
j mor ali ty). ptc. may Occur fo r not hav ing
p .. rform(>d such m ... rits. Such II f"'e ling o f remor se
shoul be discardc'l too, Acts of charity and OhSH-
vancn of thl) principles Qf go01 conduct of morali t y
should b ... don'" a, far ;).& within oo.)'S own
anr:l capability, Oor: may worship thr- Bud'lha
whenever tim ... and pay f/;:5P cts to th'
chers a:; and wh!"" opportunity afford, him. If sIlch
good action; fJr m(!ritoriollS oep.fh arr p"rfn(rn thrrf.
is no tf) worry. That one should do '<I V ry
thing which ought to btl within onp '., nwn capa-
bility. If On(' faile; to do :;0. worry may creep 1n tit
times. When snch feelings of worry or r('morse app':ar,
sh ).llel bp. away by cQntcmplatin'.! and
noting thr:m with a firm that no such short -
comings will b \.0 hlPr>,'n ag,Hn an-. that
what should havt: b, '0 donr.-. would certainly b don'"
without lap').:.
Kukkucca which b 'If paramount importance
Among such kui-..kuccas. feeling of rep.;ntanc that
may arise for not being able to fully ::lccompli-.h onc:;f"l[
wi th morality (:iif., , is particularly imoortant. R.,mor se
may appp-ar for having so far failed to practise m"'dl'
t at ion to gain concentration .,amiidhi. wisdo:n pH/tid
a nd a ri yamagga Dhamma; and th"n for not b,'ing
accomplished in Dhamma to get rid of the SJritsJrll . I s
it not t r ue that you art.! now practising meditation t o
avoid or subdut such whQ are now
practising h3V this C?bjectiv", in mind a nd
if full accomplishm(>nt i:, achieved, no feeling of
r cpp- n ta nce or rcgrd will '1ccur. They "'ill 'Surely ga in
r eal happinr:ss frcC' from worry. What is more impor .
t a n t is one is on tho threshold of death. On
the vc r g' o f his rl .... lth. h, will no doubt reflect on
71
:1
U
'1
pur:ibhcdo Sutta Dhoruntn
t b
be
.n done all along tbrougbout his 111, to
wha as c .
h
'nls
elf
for the good of his future exts tenc." to
ensure I . I I
come. Wben SO reflected. he would have b Itter Dec lOgS
of regret if he has not yet accomplished In the hamma
bas been stated in the foregomg. Therefor e . \0 get
::d of such worries and anxieties. one should practis.
as early as possible. The earher the bdter.
Tbe story of a young sick priest
During the life time 01 Lord Buddha. there was a s ick
priest. Usually. 01 course. a number of pril'sts we r e on
the sick list. For easy remembrance. we s hall give
an account relating to only onc 01 such sick priests.
A member 01 tbe Sanghas was deputed to see the
Lord Buddha conveying inlormation about the serious
illnesS 01 a young priest. Buddha was to be appri.
sed 01 the fact that this young priest was a mere
nonentity and that he might be given a blessing by the
Buddha in person.
Having heard the neWS o[ this poor sick
belonging to an unknown low born family without any
helper to nurse.aid him. the Exalted One with lull
01 compassion decided to visit the young priest. On
his arrival at t he pl ace of wher e the young monk was
res iding. t he Buddha inquired 01 t he young patient
how he was lari ng and whether he was getting better
Of worse. Uuder ordinary ci rcumstances, the young
pr iest would have been greatl y encour aged a nd enrap
tured by t he presence of the Lor d Buddha in person
before him. However. his condit ion be ing serious, he
replied t hat t he condit ion of t he di sease was deterio
r ating. Altb ough the condition of the patient was
known to be bad. t be manner of verbal appr oach ini
ti all y made. should be done t hat wav. In any case.
Buddha had come over t o this pl ace t o bl ess him
with the sermon. The Exalted One t hen continued to
ask the young priest whether he had something else
72
the objeclhe of the nohl. Buddha S:isaDi
to b worri I ao
r
} f
1111 ot With kllkku";(',I. Thi' or b<!ca,use of ('mbra -
that hf' W<l-; full of . - young prw'>t stilh;d in reply
k
. k [f on or Sf': utt' h
11m IIkkllt 11;/ tW"np k . .', p.ftng t us. "un/JpftIL-
,. ., (' l'I PPiJ/lJiiro. " r-
BJ Idha thon nu <t' _ 'I I." lOnF'd h' [
was having a bitt. [ ,- 1m urthPf wh. th,.[ he
f,r P"\lOg of r t
accomplhhp.d with "/ epl n ane'" for not b"in"
h
!II rl, moral1ty Th . r..
was t at hI) hnt! notin" . P. answer given
ne ction With hi') A" to regret what5oC'ver in con
't I. s far as pro t
1 ,'> important th,lt thl""' les 5 aTI.: conC(;rnerL
rcmf)r<; e relltting t., on ' .y havp. a fetlin? of
b. feeling rlistrp1:. ',.d i, morality. They;nay
.. WI werr d
being fcpe from 'gu'\t' y an anxiety for IV)t
of their mOrll t clons upon the. impurity
. .' conr uct ,
Important for thr. monks i _ POlOt 1& rathr:r
laymen. Lf they have brt!ach' r t IS eas.ier for
they could by obs e I tho princIples 01 morality
. . . en'an(,e of thp. fh-
pUCIftcah)n in thr'r 1 ,_ .. c preccpb. rl!gatn
cult for c'Jnduct.. It is morl'diffi
e xpiated by uttrin guilts cannot u'
It ii pretty rigid requ'r' g th, lIstenmg to the de!""ii.
inthe ir possession and ... m to propertl
l
50
that is to unrl bserve p.Jrrru!!h ..uJlJn'J'taln, and
. HgO penance or . h
to the c omm' " pums. attachl.d
why th ,llsdslOn of a J wghiidiSt'j,J oHencf'. That is
wou usually becom- '
with thpir moral conduct _, 0.: 10
the qUf! r y mad! by the ThiS IS thf' reason for
was any l ee ling of r' . Buddha wh ther there
t
. emars\:; 10 the yaun" r I
109 to .'i f/a. b ..... e a
Tbe objective of tbe Doble Buddba SasaDi
Buddha lurther int<frogated the young priest a' "II
your moraltty 15 purifipd. what bas mad ,.
get worr d'" Th' e you to
Ie . . 15 question was put so as to cnabl('
young pnc5t to his problem. Thf: ,'oun
prtcst l ervently r eplied. "Your Reverend Sir. as
as my knowl edge goes. thE; Dhamma that has beEn prta
F. 9
73
,I
U
'I
Puriibbcdll Sutta DhDrumu.
.. t meant for practising only
ched hy Buddha 1; The Teachings of the Bud
for the punhcahon 0 5 1 d d to br pr ac tised only to
dha are not certainly iIlten .C
f
, d "Tllen furthe r Ques
I rality purt Ie . ' .
make one sown!:,O 1 If it is meant not Just
ti on followed: Dear 5.00. oraIi t. have you any
for the sake of purtty . 't is
Y
also intended?"
idea as t o the purpose or W It 1 ave his r eply
The young priest then r espectfully g
as foll ows.
F
th
ttanmcnt of Nibbuna
rf Rtig" "jrugtJlllwm- 1or c a I . . -
which is devoid of cra vings for human
, 'b" ,"lllhtllil. onc should follow the pract ice 1("3dmg
p,lnllf t
to the extinc tion of clinging att3chmc.nt to pass
1
? na e
desires sO as to extinguish all suffenngs and mlsery.
It is what the Buddha has taught and I have been
given to understand as such. Accordingly. I have
prac tis ing the Dhamma with a view to N,bbono,
a Blissful Sta t e wher e all kiles(is, cravlO.g
s
for human
a re annihilat ed and become extinct. However,
.VilJlJi IU,l not being within my r each as yet. I have become
very much worried with grave anxiety. u
To bave reliance is important on the verge of death
The manner of r eply given by the young priest was
quit e r ealis tic and natural. It is essential t o have
something to r ely upon to face any exigency t ha t may
arise when death approaches. To have such r eliance
on the eve of one' s deat h is mor e impor tant tha n other
matt ers. If ther e is nothing to be depe nded upon.
feeling of r emor se and anxi ety can occur. If one feels
sure of the purity of his morality. he will have full
confidence in himself of his rebirth in the Abod e of
Devas in the next existence after his dea th. As r egards
this young priest, his obj ective was not just to r each
the heavenly abode of devas after demise. T he ultimate
goal was to achieve Vibbiilla magga- Phala. However. his
objective not having been achieved as yet. he was gre
74
To have reliance I!I Im(M)rtant on the of deat ...
atly wore ir-d. This fcplin of .
nothing but "kl,kkuf"m" - AKs anxiety i.
to sh Id b -. sue. practIce of medita
kl,::c au I ,. madr to get libf'tersted from this kind of
b" ou
n
to th(; statr-ment of answer made
y y ng pncst, Buddha had preached as foHowa:
"Oh. thou shall pay careful attention to
preachmgs. Buddha commenced His prr:3chings
With the words' 'Cukkhum niccam va aniaal'n ,\,', which
means the eye is indestructible Or pumanent,
It IS, 10 fact. a question as to whC!ther the mat.
eClat form. the rYE>-rOpa is fverlasing or not. If the
answer. were to hI': givtn according to the Sensf' con-
veyed. 10 the Question. it could be quite easy. If such a
queshon were at a Congregation, the questioner's
answer being clearly known, the answer to
be given would be enough to meet thp.. wish of
the preacher. The question now put by the. Buddha
wa.s however to be. answered aftr::r the underlying me
anmg, the qU(.tlOn had been fully grasped. That is
why It IS rather difficult to give the right answer.
There.fore, the answer would be meaningful as
only If one has the knowledge of the characteristic
of "impermanencf''' in as mush as what has been aSCH
tained is whether the eye is everlastingly permanent
or not. Roughly speaking. when death takes place.
the material eye is destroyed. If it is so appreciated
and if the answer were that the eye is impHmanent,
it would be relevant. Then also. if the eye were
damaged by some kind of accident. it could have been
destroyed. The destruction of the eye may be cauoed
by serious 10jury or by affliction of the disease.
Hence, the answer can be considered as proper if it
is stated that the eye is not permanent. However.
such kind of anSWer being rough and ready without
r eal eSse nce or deeper melDing. nO knowkdg,'> of /lllii
vallli could be achieved.
75
puriibhed8 Sui til DhAnt
mR
. (' C through /lIltinlll ll , I. t. nwditation" can
dg b virtue of ,'jPOHd/ltl achieved
g:uned only.Y f ot,mpl\tion. WhilL cantem.
through of thf'ir oectlrrf'
plating on . doorL' ('vl'r," tilOf it is
t th 51'X sense-' .
nce throug 1 "f contemplated a<; IISl' l ing't,
c >i\'edbyth, .}f', I ,h ,' I
per : "I th th' tangible f')'t' "iP,,, l \ ,:;ua
"seetng)O t . .' \ d th
'. . s w('l1 as tht,; con':'oCIOllsn
l
'
Ss
of "tlf,{ll. an I
i. contemplated and nolld. will b.' found
h
I
', ppn"rod at cVI"fV moment of notlng. Only
to ave .,n I
f I
"t Ir"1 phenomena ;Hl' truly known all( rea
i t leS(' n., t .. . d
Uzed, it would be possiblt to. ,a propr:dr't <lt
n
Th
e young pncst bt"tng a me 1 a or
accurate an!'wer.
himself in .. mii ablf' to givt' a proper
H
the
reply ; "It is imptrmanent. lOy Lord, A
cnce. J h . t' .
question may. therefore, arise as to w 1 ,15 .. lmper.
manent. It is at every moment se'mg takes
place. it disapp'ars. or in other words.
it i s pcr cc i,cd. dissolution of the sensatlon arts,mg
fr om per c" ption foll ows suit. Wh.n asked If the thing
tha t is sec n is lJcrmanent. or impe rmanent. the answer
g iven by the young priest to the Buddha was; "It is
impermanen t . " In the same thr subs(quent
answer s given in r espect of consciousness of sight,
t!\var eness of the visual contact. and the pl easurable
or unpleasur able s ensa ti ons arising out of conta ct with
the eye and the vis ual object, wer e " impermanent and
not lasting."
The ch ar acte risti c of impI' rmanenc e is likewise
f ound when hearing takes place. The sound. the
knowing mind or consciousness. thE' sound that is
perceived wit h the ea r t hrough whi ch it flows. and
the pleasurable and unpleasant sensations aris ing from
contact with thr sound. d isappears all at once the
moment it is heard.
76
'To huve reliRnce is important on the ,erl!c of death
wht ' n .. .. .Jting. and louchinK or
contactlll g , .1\1 good and had which ari'5!
from contact. pa"s ;:\way or disapwar at CVfry mom ot
an cont emp\at (' d :lnd notf d.
I . B d' " d
, . 109 an s tr e tching" are tactile. Every
hme It 15 uhel1l)ing" or "strr:tching", thp. mind
tha.t of touch will be founn "arising'
1muv;dlatdy by The ",arne natur !.:
of will hr' rpali1.cd at evrry rnomf;nt ot
notlng th' ' tHfn. ," , t'hotnf::c;s", "pain", and
as t.hey o' cur. 511cll oceunf'nns aT(; personally found
tak1ng place by thf Yogis th ... msdvr:s.
Wh .. . . t' ..
"n Imagtna 1f)1l or mind consciousness takes
place, thf mind that imagines. that
appears and thf' knowing mind. and aU contacts and
of thoughts will bl! found vanishing.
Imagining . delightful or undelightful feelings or a
feeitng of lOdlffrrcncc may occur. All these sensa
tions ,,.'hethf"f good, bJd or impermanent
simply it so happens that arise and then
disappear. being transient by nature.
All those who arc meditating nOw should note
each and eVf"ry phenomenal occurrt:oce that arises
from any of thr six sense-doors and all of them will
be found appearing and vanishing. Nothing will b,'
found remaining constant. Their nature will
visualized personally through the mind's eye. Rl'ali
zation then comes of their transient nature incessantly
appearing and in a state of flux. Being
they are pain and suffering. There is,
therefore, no such thing as an individual or a Ii ..... ing
entity, All thpse arc the Dhammas or conditions
coming into bping Jod passing away in a whirlwind
motion c(>3selcssly. This is the natural phenomena
occurring in accordance with their own conditions
under difft(fnt circumstances, and are 3rising and
77
puriibbeda SuUR Dbamm
a
vanishing. Hence. they arc stated to have the cha-
rackristic of impermanence. Theso are "suffering",
or unsatisfactorin('ss-dukklta, and never oblig
p
onc with
what one wishes to happen. They arc unmanageable
and ungovcrnable. As such. they arl to bl' contem
plated with awareness as being uncontrollable, and as
an:Jtla, non-set f.
Then. although they are said to bf' su(ferings'.
it is not that arc uncndurabk. What is meant
by it is that they are the conditions or Dhamma which
cannot br rt'garded as something desirable and worthy
of reli anct:'. How eQuId one rely upon them si nce they
fade away in a split second after emergence. As a
matt er of fa ct . every time they vanish, death ean
take place. If new "jpa llama fail to appear, dcath is
sure to come. Such being the case. it is really fright.
ful. For t his reason, it is said to be fldukklw". pain,
mi sery and suffering. and as they appear and dis.
appea r on t hei r own because of their phenomenal nature.
they arc also ungovernabl e. Since this kind of con
di ti on being uncontroll abl e. how can it be "atta"?
Yes. it is trulyallalta. Buddha had ther e for e preached
t be young priest t o cont emplate on anicca. dukkllO and
all ,Hla.
When Oll; cca, dukkha and anorla are truely realized,
one becomes wear ied of the vanity of life, or in other
words. disgust ed with the life existence - nibbi"dnti.
When becoming so disgusted on this wearisome
Dbamma. one will be free from cravings and attach
ment, and that is nibbill dan", l'iraj jati,
. Then. one is full y r eleased or emancipated for
havtng got rid of his desire for attachment to human
passions. and t h is is called "Virago vi mll ccati."
When fully libe r at ed as such in accordance with
has been st ated as j oti Vll sitOl i , brahmacarj-
yam and so on. no new exist ence or r ebirth will take
78
W'
elgh one'" "ord!" b f
l' ore
place. The Supreme Buddh -
to thp. std f 1 gavi hiS I .
_, go 0 Aroll'llt,' III 'I} prc3C up
would al50 coml: to real' gg phalu. saytng that 0
, lZe with h' n'"
5lght knowledge that h h d IS own '
h
" r> a TP 3cb d h - 10
IS practice. . P- t r;! road erv:l. of
l.ist(>nang attentivel' to '
young invalid prh'st att d): thIS Dhamma, tho
d I ( alOP Ar.,hll,IIjp All
an unp 1'::3sant feeling call d' :.' worries
thereforc, f!radicatp-d, It . e VIPPJ{Hur,l were
'd IS of u tm t'
get fl of all kllkk", " as ' 0<; Hnportance to
I Id
' 'I m
p
;1tlOn
p
ri' th
wou to ('x.hort all Y . . In p ,6oing
t' t J O&)S who ar
109 nO to becamp dispiritpd th ,l(JW m 'Iita.
have fully accom "'I'I-h-d - -h ough they IDa\" nut
...... ; In t p pra t' >
as yet. You all can gain r . c ICI'> of lYl1mma.
Dhamma if you carry On of tho'! Sp cial
the eVe- of death like t\),l t.: on
Thi5 youn' ha..l ): ung Invahd prkst.
f
'.I achi .. wj th .1P'l) t
o ar,lh IItrl-m Jf.UfJ-ph ,I 1. h . (> stlgf"
b 5 I)uld (' V
an encouragement. H"ncr> 't' 1 I)n a<;
portant to practice earl'y ';:'1 1 IS fund:lm nhlly im-
. . ore one ld
SIck. and death seiz,..- h' I" 0 1 or
d' I - 1m so as. to bE." abl t
lspe \'.pp.l{i,'iir.,kukkll.Ctl.l\ukku'CIW-n b _ ('I l)
becomi ng an An:igiimi. There j\..<:"c th1ercf got rd ,Of on
be said of an Aruh.Jt. A p"'rson h t to
from kllkkucCil as statpd i; call 0 b "ntH ly free
dual. "". e a :i.antl" lndlvl
Weigh one's words before speaking
Next. one should judg- and w"iub he for . -
h ' . , saYing
somet mg. Only speak what is prop ,r and 3ppropriate
to the occasion. Hence, it has bo:!cn as'
speak wisely. "p,uiggJhila..,ii'-, aher c'.:tr..fui
re fl ection. ani "blhll,Jf '. mak" a ha-
bIt of talkmg 10 the said manner.
Avoid talking non-sen'" and
what is proper and suited to th
79
spP'ak with wisdom
occasit)n. It is not
BI
IAl
;11

- d 5 tin Ohnnll
1l8
putllbhc n u .
. k n will rome III to
. What is to he spa , tr S:ltiOn is going
lill1(consumlng. f call y whit
r
COO\ C 1 inaccurate
onc's head automa 1 improper _.
A
'dance of things bdore speak mg.
on. V().I to weighing ' t 5 cannot
statement nrnounts . h will br ing deme n
If don .. SQ, words whl e It wilt hav{' of
comf- out of OO( 's mout h" fa lschood or t vlhng
dctt.rring one (rom malicious
f
- - - Nor wi ll slandc 'I I harsh or abUSIV(;
" flrtlVllca. Neither W I '.,
"Pisu,,:IItlcci" be It 1';
language be spoken the tongu
r
s impl y If
to tamo and control. d nngf'f will appr llr all
d
cable IS hea r , . ltd
something I sagre . t thn usc of VlO en an
of a sudden possibly Icad.tng tonr. . It essential
d 'th an tn<.iU tog I
offensive war S WI b 'dl d uttt'rrcHlt.:eS must )t
t h1t sllch indecent and un fI C
restrained and controlled.
h
,'nhs and bldorc
T
il) a p"rsnn W Q welt); . fl ' d
1 n ., , '. a eschew frivolOUS. t n C 109 an
IS 11k Iy t I ',_,.. However. it will
k' 01 SImp ItlPPd apa .
futile tal >, . c. to abstain from talking rubbish
not bc' ea'y for those b n,lture foo l- har dy and
or fooli,hly . f they are . Y tl On t he other
habitually inclind to talk IOsolen y. d
hand Lthose not accustomed to talk in a r u e
very'sddom utter slander insult ingly in a n
r Avoid talki ng monsense. Onl y approprtate
mandne . 't d to th" occasion should be s pol,en ge ntly.
wor S SUI e '" k' d
These word of Dhamma are incl uded i n the tell In s
of Kathtivatthu li:numcrated below;
1 Words of encouragement rdating t o lack of
greed or covetousness.
12 Words of encouragement rel at ing to one's
readiness of conte nt ment.
(3
Words of encouragement to thn way of r emain-
ing in solitude and to t ho: pr actis ing of medi-
tation with a view to er adicate kilesii.
80
Uo not let tbe mind go atr.,.
-1 Worrls of f'nCOurdgemt.nt relating to the
mannI, r 01 (xamplary a'\loidmg COD
tact and famihr rity with malf and f mate
b,..nfd.lctors without attachm(:nt.
(51 of f'ncouragtmr::nt r, iahng to th practi-
slOg of tnrditation s(;fiously with rr h:ntl S5
exertion.
Furthrrmor(, numLer 6 to 10 compnSt thl'- ft .. e
attrihutps. namdy ila. pal!liii. lIf1utli. ImulII-
,;iiIJoc/a.Hlllu. rr:lating to which words an
SpOkf!n. Togethf r with th'-SA five. it to a total
of Ton A"arlullwlhll. It is statf'd that thtsf>: ,.ncountge
109 words of Dhanlma f5hould bt_ J ok"'n. Th, y ae
relevant to monk only.
In so far as laym n elr. rnp 1. communica-
tion needs unavoidably be mad by wurd 01 ('lu'h r la-
ting to bus lOess deailngs as 11d wh n c lled for.
When indulging in ta k'i or holdmg c .. nv rSdlll"lu. only
fruitful talks 5hould bl? made without causIng c'tdvprs
effect on other peopl 's intH(;5ts.
Do not let the mind go astray
Next. the mind should not bl i,e! ,nl.t to flit.
This would requir"" accomplishm, nt of omcJdlll. !'owrr
of concentration. To gain practir of
meditation must b,.. made with \-igour. Only who n
meditating. the mind will remain stabl Without ilil
ting. While rt"'maining a loaf from JUl1itation. .me
should continue to remain in a l!lood with
mindfulness. The mind shall be put r r !.traint
to prevent it from making short flight, hither and
thither. A tranquil mind abides in an I, .,. It do ..
not go astray. An Arahat with peace of n.ind r"mains
calm with constant concentration. Such a PI ro;on
who has deep sel f-concentration. samudhi, 1::. call d a
person with serenity of mind. \,"hat ha\'" just b"f'o
F. 11 81
III
II
11
.t
purIibbcdo Sutta Dhonultt\
to V p.mlll1a indio
stated arc
vidu ..lls.
attr
ibutes belonging
noble
Buddha proceeded t o. re peat
UpasatlU indi vidual 10 ano- Theel tIl{
the noble attributes
thee Verst as:
,. . "cigat
t
', a/ilOm tltimll ,\ucali. .
.\ IrtlSatfl a . / ' na IIi ,'all.
r;\'t/,;,1d(l,U; phasst.W, (1111 II .\U C(l .
. had almost the same,;
This V('cse havIng with th(> words
us convl'yrd in the verse tCoomn 'IS' noW made in brieL to
-hJ /- -' men 1
"UtMIl{111O Pllrtlldt'( U , .' . 'nst1dion to my
'. possibl p crttlClsm. as an 1
aVOid .HlY .' "h 't has been omitted.
fir:it preaching w rre 1 .'
. f'" that is conm' ctlOn wIth any
Th g1>t It IS h Id
I . future no conjectur
,
' 5 ou
h' th.t rnlY happen Ill' h t .
t In\! I ' desir .... ye'lrnin" for w a IS
boA m v' with 0 ongmg - . -> , h f t
d fh' kind oi thought forpcastmg t c u ure.
cfXP' t .. j be rejected by contemplating and
1 .lPP' . '
noting.
Wh,t ha> happened in the past relating to in,
cid 'obi, ';'l.lch as. the destruction of bodIly ltmbs or
f th ' material body. or any other exter,
sen::.of' organ, 0 I
nal property for p.;rsonal use. or death of any relatives
an,l fri l" nlls. tllcr c is likelihood of beconung worned
and This sort of worry, and
tation , hould b. avoided. and if at all such feclmgs
occur. these ,hould be dispelled by me ans of con tern,
plating and not ing them. All phenomenal occurrences
of wh:t t has bee n seen, heard. smelt or contacted.
imag ined. and found. should be realized by contempla,
ting and noti ng them that "they are governed by the
Law of l '11p" rmanenC( and that they immediatdy dis,
solve or pass away." "Having caus(: d fff; ring and
har assm.-:l:nt all thp: t ime without interval by continuous
arisi ng and d isa ppearing of the natural phenomena.
they are not depe ndable and are not affording any
82
Do not let tbe mind go astra),
pl eas ure. and .i uch belOg thf: ca5e, should be
known and realized as ImpHman(>nt" D d'
h . ' . .' fpcn mg on
t own condlllo,ns unrlr;r varying circumstancts as
they appea r, and dls appr:ar, it should also b.. known
tha t they ar,. ungove rnable and NOT all b
He t t it 11 d I a. a
on ac ca c p laH a not mingles or concern with
the nature of NI;i.thf:'[ 'It m' I
. . h tOg eS or
mlxes WIt the natUf(, of pleasufp. as an All b'
T
. ., a, a elDg.
hIS sh ould b. fully comprehended. Furthermore. what
has bern Sl"c n . heard. smelt, eaten or tasted, and can.
have not,hi,ng to do with the sensations
from such occurrences. It win
bung s a h.:;factlOn with the realization that what is
gOing to happen a ftl'H .ubs(quent contacts will b(! quite
s eparate fr om what is prese-ntly happeninr! or "'hat
has already occurred. This is clearly (vident because
of the fact that a meditator who is coo
templating and noting such transient "nal
occurrences will find them in a statl- of flux, appear-
ing and disappearing withou t a break.
Then also. one- should not be subjt::cted to pursu3sion
or inducement in respect of wrong views. This ml ans
that practice should be made to free oneself from all
kinds of micchiidillhi. h ... r r tical views or false doctrines.
Buddha has preached that a p"son endowed with
these attributes is an HUPJsdrlra"individua1. "'ith calm-
nesS and serenity.
One who is accomplished with the four attributes,
namely. having no anticipation for the future. no
remorse for and no looking-back to th past. havig
distinguishing knowledge of the acts of seeing and
knowing. contacting. etc., and not ha\-iog been subjec.
ted to inducem-nt relating to false bli-fs. dillhi. is
declared by the Burldha as an UpJSanlc indiVIdual.
This means to say that 3 pl!t"on is rCi"'og'l1z d 3'!:
by the Buddha hlm,c1 i.
83
purabhcdn Sultn Dhnnun.
1 ng thllS Verst', t he
h' g and eXP Jtnh' d answe red as
\ftcr preac In peeac a n
, One con 1 inu!':o to
Exalted
(ollowS:
"h i/ll ami C( Irmi.
PariUno o., kuhJko, 111')11 l. 'l'}'t' ca no )' tIl O.
nJ 'J'hf!!IICf ho, J'tJlm t.
10 Ii . d' "dual is inclined
h t
- ch a n 10 t VI "
TI
' ,'s to say t J sU d " hesit a t e IS
11'1 . d the wor . h
In thi S regar t ' ntlOus . Ne lt er
to 1",5 1 H ' is no t pr'} I;: k
d
in aood, ... ense . C I long fo r a nd ta c
use l'> t or rat lcr, 1
docs he nnttclpa c, . nor d isgus tr: d , nor s an-
I
. nor beCOffiP. e nVIOUS, d with s uch attri
p casU I. 0 " ' hI,) is endowe
A P
ers n .
derous, d' 'd al
b'Jtcs is an (fP.JNlltd 10 lVI U
I t
to of
Should hesitate rc a IHg .
. the noble qualities of an UpaseJ/lta mdt.
. The:o:. oar:> reluctant in mattt.!rs relating to per.
v,dual. T f oble and meritorious acts is bad, Such
formancf'S 0 "tancy is called ,IIincwllddllfJ. sloth and
'"Or est . f the word "hesitancy"
tor or Th(> pre!,pnt usage 0 , ' _
p -. t concerned with Ih.namiddha k,/esas.
or reluct.me" IS no . I , _
f CPo to heSitant to prevent raga,
It has re ren ... h r
h
','onate desif"'s. from ans Ing, In cases wee
urnan pa.!> d'
t J
re Hk,>iy to occur. As regards or mary
,,,goJec.. d I'd
common worldlings. they becom,; keen an. en Ivene
when ,,,gJ finds opportunity to arise display. To
individuals who are meditating with heart and
soul. the of th"" strength of raga bpcomes weak
in C;)mnlensurate with the different stages of progresi
In th
s
of the Dhamma. Though it is
"rag,J' . it doe3 not become strong and violent. It is
fdth"r la:king in strength. For if the parents
hav ... n glee ted t o givp. due and prnper advice to theIr
c'::lil,Jren. young children will have no control ove r
lhc1h .. a o1 may utter or or do anythnig
tl') t h il OiVn wishful thinking. They will. how-
ever. hav .. power of restraint from the time they
84
S hould hC<iltatc relating to Occurrences of
have lO"ltruction5 or par('ntal ad'nee lS to how
they should conduct thl"mselVf' s in their worldy hfp
Then thl' Y Will not bp vt: ry unruly and fud in thpir
manners as th(y had bee-n brdore. The samt: thing
appli es in th,.. matt pr of nohle Dhamrna.
ThoSf who a f(> lacking In thfir effort to
their morali ty and of the virtuou5 lJh;Jrnma
by way o f meditation. ruga. dUfrJ and molJa will play
havoc fr eely without restraint. P"ople who are following
a virtuous path will b" to the-sl pas-
sionate de" ircs, anger and ddusion. Fp.eling of shame
and to do what is impropf' r will abide in them.
Therefor e. what has b"'e n if> that they should
hesitat e to do anything that is connfct .... d with raga
dosa. and moha. Reluctance should bf' nursl d to avoid
doing unvcrtuous things to thl" of one's
Own ability. It is wise to r estrain to the extf'nt of
totally suppressing thp feclings of passionate df.'sin:s.
anger and delusion. How could it bl said to havt'
calmness of mind and serenity if raga. dosa and moha
are generated with all vigour and delight.
Among mankind. it is because of this ragiJ. dosa
and moha that heroes and such other out<;,tandiog per.
sons h ave appeared. In this mundane- world. those- who
are capable of performing and achieving gigantic tasks
and who thereby become famous and distinguished with
their inherent lust for power or passion. angn
and delusion. are to be as outstanding prr
sonalities. They arr said to ha\,(> found success in thf>ir
Ii(e. On the other hand. (rom the point o( view of
Dhamma, it is quite the contrary. Thl!yare not look d
upon as heroes. and only those who dart: not p reorm
things conncct0d with the contaminating influence of
riigal doso and moho, 3rp +0 bt" out
standing, If seen from a diHerent ang,o. th-y mIght be
r egarded as persons who are inferior in Will
85
purobheda SuUa Dh.nnn
a
. dare oust without 3n1bi
power and courage ,in h mcditational practice
tion. Those who have gone t rt
ug
. mundanl' affair s
hes itate to t hem
b
se
active. vigourOUs
h
h t hey might ave een . I
t oug ,'. . . r to the taking-up of mcrlitatlona
and enthus iastic PrIO aba ndon th, if worldly
. S m" fa them may ev('n
prac tlee .. 0 L 'f t hey ha\"(' become
acti vities It would appear as L h "
d' d indolent . Never t heless. a ft er r eae mg
enfeeble a n I I they ,.ill be devoid of worl dl y
arahal1tJ- magKo -p 10 n, . t T h
dr !;ires or cravings . kilesiis, whi ch become ext tnC.
\ViiI hI" entirely scrupulous being care ful to In
nothing and is always calm. Su ch . of ,hes i tatIOn
in matter s concerning worldly affaIrs IS also a na o f
the attribut es of a SOlita individual.
It is for those who ar t' meditating or li s t ening to
the so:-rmon to weigh things and sec for thcmsc1 veS how
they bave become hesitant in the ma tt er of raga, riosa
and' moho. The upsurge of evil desire, and dosa
angf'r. and the strength of delus ion will diminish to a
certain {' xtrnt. This is stated as "reluctance" or
Hh(;sitancy", Hence. the metto goes to say: "See mingly
he!;itant without making pret ence."
Do Rot pretend to c\'oke lmnder
Then. onr should not make pret ension to strike
wonder. In this regard, it has been elucidated for the
monks. Pretension is done to make ooesel f appear
worthy of reverence by falsely acting as a pretender
without justification. Then are three kinds of pretence
as stated below:
1. Making pn tensions in regard to the manner
of using property or goods.
2. ,Making pretensions r elating to attainment of
Spec ial Dhamma a nd of the nobl e attributes.
3. Being pret entions in connection with the way
01 deportment.
86
1.
Making prelen"ion In tbe use of
property
1. Making pretension In the u'c of property
Relating to the us(, 0 '
and whf' n mal . r consulnphon of property
donations. ' the offer
tors! wh y do you bother t !I' . my. bene!ac_
0 0 er m donation such
nI ce: and t hings Or pro fort ;. ,
contented wit h r obr-s that haP. are Simply
ot hers. As ff gards monas l,.ry V\ . el'!n by
remai n in Soli t ll dr or lodg( ' at' lIS gtOOI {'nough to
f f! 00 0 a trpc In
so a r as mp-a ls ar p concefnp. d it wi ' .
t o accept what is off pr "d w"h I ou d the best
. " (n go 109 out f \
r ega.rd ,t o med ic ine the di ;e- ase can b,. m:;
Jus t dr lllklOg cattl e's urine and that d . d
" _. d " . IS , PJ}f n 109 on
cow u no,. te tnp. II as hi s rp'ionsce in illnf"o ss -"Puti,
mlllta blresJ)),JnI. Ext ff- mf' l y t '
.. . proppr IPS arc not
r eqtllfed . After te lling the donors that such valuable
properltes ar c not des irabl p.. the propf! rties which arf!
donat ed a rc s tat ed to have bp,e n re fuo;; ed. Such ut.
terance a r e made under false pr'-lence although tbe
monk may be really fond of the things that ar offered.
15 10 .fact willing to accept thl?"m. Wh( n speaking
In the s a id manner under pret ence. thl
faith and generosity will be greatly enhanced thinking
that the monk is indeed a noble person with hardly
any greed. As such. the benefactors will all
the more generous and offer things mor\:: and more.
When things or property are donated profusely, the
monk acting under pretence is said to ha\,(' accepted
the offerings unavoidably saying with a grumble, "A)',
if I re fuse. the would not gain any mHits."
The offerings :u'" then accepted as an obligation as
if he has grclt compa<:'sion for the donors. This kind
of pretence concerns the monks only. Such preten
tious display should b, avoided and dispolled.
87
H
puriibheda Sutta Dhamm:\
2. Making pretensions relating to attainment of
special Dhamma and of noble attributes
Under this subheading. the manner of pretension
is by making a misleading in circumlo
cu

tion. or rather. practising deceptIOn to make others
think highly of him as an Arahat saying that a monk
who can find contentment with what has been pro-
vided. such as. the robes. a begging bowl, a monastery
or other reqUIsites. like him. is an Arahat or an Ariya.
and so on. Such ki nd of inducement or insinuation
should be avoided. Generally. it concerns the monks.
However. at the pres(;nt day. even among laymen.
some play the role of impostors assuming themselves
as An'lg(,mis or Arahats or even as Buddhas. Yet
some of tho se impostors or swindlers having led an
ignobl e life with wife and children are met with ridi-
cule from some quarters for not being liberated as
yet from the bonrls of kcllll.lJ!Wl.1. human passions and
sensuOUS pleasures. In refuti ng such derogatory r eo
marks. they merely exp lained that their mode of living
or conduct is permissibl provided that there is no
pl easnrable sensat ions. Th is is marvellous. What is
more surpnsing arc the peopl, who revere such
and pretenders as real Buddhas or Arahats.
Such inci'i nts arc mentioned for you to beware and
ponde r a..! t to b' on guard.
3. Making pretensions relating to deportment
The mann: r of prct(-nsinn relating to irip.lIil,). pos
ture behaviour: to I. t others think of him as
prac HHng meditatIOn without actually indulging him.
In. the practice. Alth()ugil lacking in salll(idhi, he
IS movmg ab')ut as if hp. has thl' attrihutes of I
and tranquility. fir would pretpnd taking
mg gently antI calmly to giv.- a good . .
.others who might haVE seen him
orlgmally taken a sitting posture as done by
88
Do not year. tliroaall ..... don
an ordinary layman. Or wh .
tend to be slowly taking h'is s:n be would ..--
fulness. In th ' eps with colllplete IIIIM-
h . IS way. whatever behaviour he
ave earned on, he will change his d --
make himself appear really noble in the eportm8Dt eo
who ,will consequently have a high esti:e: of odler.
seemlOgly good qualities. Such kind of ;Dt Of.:.
be and cleared away. These
? have been compreh8nsively mentioaed
m e scnptural texts.
Do not yearn through emulat ion
Next. do not long for or yearn. If one yearns
f?r any. decent dress. wearing apparels. ornaments and
he will himself strongly feel like posses
smg similar thmgs. This sort of yearning is of dif
ferent kinds. Having seen a thing. he may wish to
have the visual object of his seeing-sensation. He
wishes to fulfil his desires. This amounts to yearn
ing. Similarly. in the course of his
and noting what is heard. smelt. eaten. contacted.
imagined or thought of. he is will ing to be accom
plished like others. emulating their achievements ill
Dhamma. This is longing for the accomplishment.
and such yearnings should be dispelled.
Wishing to reach the abode of Devas and enjoy
the heavenly pleasures and angelic luxurious life of
the celestial beings eith"r through the knowledge of
books or as told by others. is also another kind of
yearning. One should not entertain such feelings
which. if appeared. should bp rejected by contelll'
plating and noting.
Noble yearning
Among such yearnings. there arc good
This is to yearn for ariYtl.11kJggtl.plwltl.dllammtl.
F. 12 99
thinga.
It is an
puriibheda Sutta Dhamma
excell ent form of yearning which one should hav.e.
Those who are practising meditation wish to gam
the noble attributes of vipassallii 11ii(lO. They ar e bent
upon attaining magga.pllOla.dIUlIIIIIIO. This kind of yearn
ing. if goes to the extreme. will not be As
such. if extreme form of yearning appears. it should
be rejected by contemplating and not ing. If not .
samiidhi I;(illtl will remain at a standst ill wi thout any
progress .. Hence. it is highl y impor tant t o r eject
such yearning by means of cont empl ati on and noting
it. In some cases. despite t he fact t hat t he samadhi
fiii(!a becomes good. no progressive insight is achieved
because of over- indul gence or over zeal. If yearning
is grown to great di mens ions. it is improper. Neither
will it do good if enti rely slackened. This seems
diffi cul t. It is impor tant t o keep the mind within
bounds.
It has been preached as: "AbbillatOl i1 cit/ali'! raga.
lIupa/italil. " It means that the mind which is very
much inclined towards riigu. always follows in pursuit
of it. If one becomes over-enthusiastic to achieve
mJgga- phala Dhamma, it amounts to raga trailing
behind. This might give a wrong impression of the
appearance of a desire to gain merits because he
would have in mind that what has been longed for is
a virtuous thought in connection with r ipassana magga-
phala Dhamma. As a matter of fact. riiga is following
after the mental activities. Moreover, extreme
form of yearning is a danger to Sallllidhi.
. says: "Tam sampiijano hitvii raga';1 pajahabhi"
IS to say that the cxtremr;ly yearning mind which
as "Yearning" is rejected. In essence.
relect It after contemplating and noting.
The presence of a mental thought with extremely
. .
_ yearnmg would deter the progress of samadhi-
flaC/a. It should therefore be rejected. The Kammat.
90
Mind your owm bulm.
Ihuna-ciriyas who arc the spiritual teacher. are .-
c.orrect such metnal behaviours or thoughts that
likely to occur. As concentration gains momentlllltt
such yearnings ar e bound to arise. The meditatGf
usually wishes to gain speedy accomplishment of the
Dha.mma. When becoming overzealous, yearning accom.
paOled by mental distr ess will become exuberant. That
is the r eason why the knowl edge of Jamiidhi is likely
to be hinder ed in its progress.
Mind your own business
For that r eason. one should suppress such thought.
from arising, and keep the mind under control, calmly
noting as: " Let sU/l1tidhi iiti(/Q take its own coune. It
is their intrinsic nature. Special knowledge may not
be gained even though utmost endeavour is put in by
me to bring about progress. No one can do that or
mould them. Only under favourable circumstances
which may take place on their own, knowledge will
come by itself. It is only one's own business to can
templat e and not e continuously whatever sensations
may arise from the sense- doors-'d,,iras'. I shall there
fore simply carryon comtemplating and noting these
sensations without a break." If carried out in the
said manner, pr ogress ive insight through
concentration will soon be realized. The slgDlhcant
point is, however, not to brush aside or dismiss year
nings all in all by getting disappointed.
If there is dearth of any feeling for
through some kind of disappointment, it would b.e
what is stated as: " Ap.lIIa'am ciClalil bytipada
This means thl' mind that shirks will lD
. . 1 f If it IS avoided
the person and Will remalD a 00 Dh
. t t 'gnoring the amma.
in that manner, it Will amoun 0 I d'
Then the mind would embrace disappointment or lB-
. 11 d" BI.i f',ida". All such thoughts should
contentment C.l C - J t' g As suc:il.
be rejected by contemplating an ,no ID
I
""S
8.1
Puriibheds Sutts Dhsmms
one should have at least a modicum of yearn.ing rela
. Dh If extreme forms of yearnings are
hng to amma. .'
d
11 d by contemplating and nottng. progressive
Ispe e ., b h ' d
1 d f the
Dhamma IS ltkely to e ae leve .
know e ge 0
The Motto therefore runs as:
"If no pretension is shown as being reluc
tanto envy is discarded."
One should be free from envy. or in other words,
one should not be envious . To feel bitter about ano
ther's good fortune ' is Macchariya. Becomin.
g

bl e and not wishing to befri end others. being avart
cious with unwillingness to share one's own property
and to be selfish and become envious with another's
better fortune is said to be " macchariya". The Com-
mentary says that this feeling of envy will be got
rid of on attainment of Sottipatti- magga. One should
therefore meditate diligently to reach that stage.
Vulgarism should be avoided
"Reject vulgarism which is disgusting. without
being envious," runs the Motto. One should not be
vulgar. Vulgarism comprises three kinds. namely,
physical misbehaviour. vulgar or coarse language or
speech. and vulgar mind.
It has been explained as to what is meant by
rude bodily behaviour or ill-manners in so far as
monks are concerned. Indiscreet;or rude behaviour
without giving the respect when or commu-
?icating with and monks is regarded as vulgar
In manners. Sometlmes.persons deserving of respect and
reverence, are hit against while moving along. without
regards. One may stand in front of an elderly monk
worthy of respect blocking the way, or remain sitting
or pass by after overtaking the other
walkmg, without decency. Such misbehaviours
imitate rudeQess and vulgarism. There are instancell
92
Vulgarisn ishoa1d lie .....
where seats ar" occupif'>d in places resef'f'ed for
Th",ras, and where some of them would acruee
In for space making the junior monks get conlee
and become uncomfortable. These are bad-matiil6
rude and rowdy. This. kind of personal attitude 0f<I
conduct is highly disrespectful. These are other bo'
dily behaviours which are ugly and disgusting. 50_
may spit out in a reckless manner and expel Dasal
secretions in the presence of others and cough out
heedless of human decency. People in Burma are.
of course. used to that kind of indiscreet mannerisms
which can however be excused as being habitual. For.
eigners wilt. nevertheless make a wry face at sucl
indecent mannerisms.
In regard to the manner of speech. vulgarism ia
rampant. Indecent or harsh words spoken. the vulgar
tongue. obviously run counter to culture. In an assem
bly of Sanghas. preaching must be done only when
permission is granted by the Maha Thera. To jam ia
delivering a speech voluntarily in a group discussion
is cons idered as ill-mannered or uncivilized. AlllUC4
misbehaviours should be avoided.
As regards vulgarism or corruption of the Mind.
the occurrence of wild and evil thoughts without propor
restraint is regarded as Yulgar. Making comparisons
or competing with other in personal status and social
standing of one's own self. and putting oneself on equal
footing with other persons of higher or arf!
considered to be vulgar in mental behaviour. ThiS. of
course concerns laymen or ordinary worldlings. flow.
ever. connection with the matter relating to.
a person may speak ill of others without
of sila. if thought or imagination arises
self on the same level with other persons a.ccom
h
P
\f
. . 0 h may conSider 1mB
with the pUfity of .,tlll. r. e t e
. .\. th rs who can prac IS
as being equal tn abl Ity to 0 e
93
HI
n
puriibheda Sutta DhBmmB
dhu /a/igcl , asce t ic pr ac t ices, wh il e he h imsel f is lack ing
in such a pract ice. Or he may think of himself. as
being accomplished in s criptural knowl edge pl acing
himself on equal footing wit h other more well- learned
peopl e, though he himself is unable to devote to the
study of t he Commentaries and Tikas.
may even t hink highl y of t hemselves as being equal In
positi on to those who are indulging in meditation
though they themsel ves are unabl e to meditat e and con
templ ate. All these are inst ances of ment al vulgarisms.
A meditat or shoul d reject such virul ent or foul
thoughts, if occurr ed, by cont empl at ing and noting
them. However , if sila, samiidhi and paiiiiii have been
methodicall y practised, no vulgar thoughts will
have the opportunity to arise. Those who are well-
accomplished with sila, etc. , will escape from the
vulgar t ype of thoughts. If by accident, they occur.
these det es tabl e thoughtful imaginations can easily be
dispell ed by contemplating and noting.
Reject all that are disgusting
All moral behaviours that ar e disgusting and rude
should be completely dispell ed. Here, what is disgust-
ing and rugged or rude refers to impurity of sila or
morality. Persons lacking in the virtues of morality
are disgusted and disrespected by those who are puri-
fied in thoughts and actions. A dirty man earns dis-
gust from others who will accordingly harbour a strong
feeling of dislike. People do not wish to mix with a
person dirty in the way of living or dress
III thoughts. A person whose morality is poll uted
will be detested by people who have a purified mind.
If a.man of pure morality mingles with a dirty-minded
or wicked person, others may think of him as being "a bird
of the same fcath(rs." They shun those' evil-minded
94
Rejeet all that are dlfllUltlng
persons. It. is thE; y are disgusted
persons of Immoral charactpr How v ' . with such
personal hatr pd. Such - dis er, l.t IS not out of
impurified sila must b" got o/.ng Immorality or
Sila means observance of prece ts b -
should himself refrain from whIch one
of both physically and ver
1
b:11 IInproper acts
eradIcate these immoral act s, one Hence, to
practise medita tion. earnestly
The realm of Buddha IS where holy per-
s.ons dwell . in _ It can be considered in that
hght. ThIS SasanJ IS the abode of nobl e
w'th ' t f ' - ptrsonages
1 Y 0 such as, Ashin S.iriputtra. Asbin
Ashln Mahii Kassapa and others. People
In such a abode should also sincerely prac.
lise to become purtfied in mind or thoughts like these
nobl e personages. If practice of morality is observed
a1\ disgusting factors will disappear. This obser:
vance, however, is not as yet the practice of bhavJnQ.
Those who have come to this mf ditation centre are
fulfilling the needs for acquiring not only sila but
also samiidhi and pol/ilia. Therefore , both their phYSical
and mental behaviours arc really courteous and are
worthy of r everence. If by practising to get accom-
plished in the noble qualities as stated, and if becom-
ing free from all loathsoml) misdemeanours, a person
is deemed to b,) rC' gardcd as a SlIm" individual. who
is calm and serene.
The Motto goe5 to say;
D iSgllS t and fll d.' ncss
Be wholly shatto red
Words devoid of love and fondness
Shall not be
95
purabheda Sutta DbamOlB
discord or
Backbiting is an utterrance vile words
disSI nsion between t he two par I \ 'or dissolution of
should be spoken to create a sp another who have
d h
b tween one person an . h '
frien s IP e . harmonious r el at IOns Ip.
been on good t erms or In. I der . it s hould
If such maliciOUS i:: ;ining as su ch.
be eit her discarded as Imprope .
. t d by contempl at ing and noting.
or . br relec e
" Reluct ance" means to lessen one' s vigou r in
ness relating to temporal affairs . .I n WI st
sensations l ikelY to occur concer nm? raga. one.
b reluctant so as to prevent such feehng of passion b
d:sires from ar ising. Silll ilarl y. reluctance If e
minimi zed in connection wit h anger. malla se -
pride . or any ot her form of kilesti. cravmgs. that
occu/ Pract ice shoul d be made to let all cravmgs
and veh -me nt des ires become submerged or dormant.
Next. " making no pret ence" means not to pret end
as hav ing possessed an attribu tes which one does not
reall y have. Pr et ension should neither be made . as
having possessed fincr attributes than those which
one reallv owns. This is relevant to monks as well
as others who earn reverence and respect. Hence.
monks should refrain themselves from claiming to
haw' seemmgly possessed the attributes of sila. samtidhi
and pJ,;ilii much more than those they are really endowed
with. or from making a boast of it. They should not
pretend to have better attributes to earn reverence
from their benefactors. That is the reason why monks
who are genuinely modest usually remain mute or keep
secret relating to the attributes which they have.
Though one may be an Arahat himself. he will remain
in secrecy of his real attainment of Dhamma and
may reveal his real achievement to his fellow monks
only on the eve of his death. parinibbiinu.
96
\
Reject all tbat are dl.guting
Next "No y ' ..
earnmg means not to yearn for
earthly pleasurabl", sensations of kuma una .
others accomplishments It do I
g
emulatlDg
h
. es a so convey tbe
sense t at the practising meditator should avo'd
. t th I yearn
mg. 0 e extreme to attain the SjYJcial Dh
It I S because if he is over-enthusiastically y
for it . it will hinder his progress of samiidlri
conc t t ' d' h anI/a,
en ra Ion an msig t wisdom. Of course th
matter concerning " fr ee from envy" has alread 'b e
I
d . Y een
exp ame qUite cl early.
"Disgust and rudeness be wholly shattered" means
to and re ject all forms of viol ent or rugged
of phYSical, verbal and mental activities or behaviours.
Disgusting or loathsome moral should also
be dispell ed. Then comes "Words devoid of love and
fondness shall not br uttered". It is also necessary
to avoid or abstain from backbiting and slanderous
talks to cause to lose confidence in. or respect for.
or create dissension among. any other group of persons
or individuals. These ar e the seven attribut es of an
upasanta individual, who remains tranquil.
F. 13
97
We have so far
in the fllllr verses.
numb..,r 5 :crse.
I>ART III
gone through the answer s given
We shall noW start wit h answer
"Soli)'Ol'SU (lllaSSolli; alillllillO ca /10 .1'l'IO.
SmilO'cJ PlIlibluillll':/, III 11.1 virajjafl ."
A person should not have any exuberant f eeling
or should not all ow himself to exudate and dr ift to-
wards thl) s<'nsations connect ed with the constituents
of s,n<;ual pleasure'>, the k(llllagu/I.I. This is one of the
attrib Iks. Another at t r ibute is not to be highl y con-
ceited or vainglorious and not t o look down upon
othprs . T he ot her att ribut e i<; to be ge ntl e, humbl e
;t ad devoid of coarseness in a1\ bodily , verbal and
montal u:haviours. Th, next at t ri bute is t o be wise,
anJ t hat is, t o be f ull y accompl ished with intelligence
anu knowledge that will enable him t o easil y compr e-
the probl ems relating to puri )'utti and palipatti.
no compl et.; r eliance should be made on
f>lh rs with full confidence. This is ,, 1<;0 one of the
attrilJute<,. fhis Sutta of disc0:.l rs( haYing been
d.-\iverr I for those who ar
p
of great intellect and
"oand wisdom, contains certain qu, l r usages and p x,
prtls.>ions which arp profound and difficult of easy
comprr:hension. Since it has heen stat,- ' I not to repose
<'ntire confidence in others, it would perhaps amount
t? or forbidding another's faith :1\1d gellero-
sity. fhls exprf,,;ion is sOI1lf'thing lik' .t riddle. I will
,xplain it latcr in amplificatilln. th, P,ili usage
of the words "nJ vim ;jJ/i" which m(,ans not to be dis
pleased or di<;gustcd or "not as yet frc. from clinging
98
PuriibhcJa Sottl Dblmma
attachment: " . Thi, <'xpr, ssion appears dec('ptive with
a doubl e trick In th"t the "not as y t f f
r . ,e ree rom
c may carry thl) meaning as "still
havlIlg cllIlglll g att ac hmpnt. " It is howevf'[, not intended
to convey that senSe . Thr f' xpression "not as yP.t fr
for' h ' ee
r . m. c lll glllg at tac ment ," in fact , m,ans "free from
clinglIlg or grasping Since totally devoid of
s uch cl inging attachment, it means to say that no
further practical religious exercise Il(;ed be made. This
als o is one of t he attr ibut, s. Buddha had preached
thus: " I say t hat such a person is an Upa\,Inla indio
vidual, who is in a t r a nquil state of
A person who 15 f ull y endowed with such attri
butes is an UP_Is,lII ia individual. Buddha had stated
that he gave due re.: ognition to such an individual.
This is reall y wor thy of note and reme'mbranc, _ The
prac tices of bh'il'WI</ are .llso in dud '\ in thie, Veni'.
To make t he above
abl e , the Motto th 1t IS
be r ec it ed as follows:
\TI cnt'> easily understand
,
('o\l che,1 ill plain \3urmeSe, may
, Flowincr not into the strealD of pleasurable
<>
s " 'ls1tion" With Prid. dispell ed and gentle-
nesS rn1int ained, Gaining wisdom and credu-
lity unentertained, Cravings detacJwd by clear-
ing a way, l,onstituting his Six nob\( ,attri-
b:Jtes ill ar ray."
r Flo'.':ing not il)t,) thf' stream of pleJsurablc
"n"t t(\ 1) m"nta\ly inclined plea
surable sensations , ith clinging attachment.
. t d
( With Pr hl. ' ,lIld gentleness mam .
is: "not to think highly 01 one's own cgdo
I
. s an mf.-rlor , an
or self-pI id .1,S'Illliu, tltP ot Jr-! a - I 0
11<\1,1
' 111',,1 Ilim in low cstiUl tl
on
; .mll as
consequClltly
99
poriibbeda SUltll Dbamma
If wl
'th gentleness and become
to acocmplish onese .
. hysical. verbal and mental behavIOurs
well polished m p "
by dispelling all rude and vile manners.
G
., wisdom and credulity unentertained;
\ ammg " ' 1
. s detached by clearing away) means : to easl y
cravmg . t'
d
tand with ready wit all probl ematic ques Ions
un ers d . .
relating to matters concerning p<Jriyatti pal/paltl;
to reali ze personally without solely placmg trust ?r
confidence in others; and to be cleansed or got fld
of cliging des ir es or cravings." These three
with the other three just mentioned totallmg SIX
attribut es are embraced in this Verse, and they con
stitute the Six nobl e attributes.
Tbe manner of flowing into pleasurable conditions
The expression "Flowing not into the stream of
pleasurabl e sensations" may be elaborated in this way.
The pleasurable conditions are things which give
delight to people who are presently craving for what
is good and pleasant. These pleasurable things are fine
visual objects, pleasant sounds, sweet and pleasing
smell. delicious and tasty food, nice and pleasurable
physical contacts and delightful feelings arising out
of imagination or fanciful ideas. Such delightful
and pleasant sensations are those which will attract
on
p
to ;gravitate towards them. As such, those who
cannot yet escape from the fetters of ki/cJii, find them
pleasurable with delight and fond attachment. Do not,
therefore, a\low your Mind to flow into this stream
of pleasurable sensations or sensuous desires. Every
mind is bent upon gliding towards them,
reject It by contemplating and noting.
. Regarding. those who have no control over their
mtnr!. the of kilbiis will be rushing in
to the sensations of sight or visual objects through
100
It flows rigbt up to Bb.,lggl
the merlium of '}ye. The "ar, the nOSe. the tongue
the and the mmd will likewise flow into all the
sensations of sound. odour, taste. contact
a.nd I.magination which will occur with great accelera.
tlOn 1U a big rush. It is something like raging waters
of a mountain stream on a higher level flowing down
to the surface below when raining cats and dogs.
The nature of flowing movemnet is stated as ".4sava
Dhamm{l" in the desanii, - Teachings. This asal'a or ki/esa.
human passion or depravity of the mind is of four
different kinds. They are kiimasava (sensual pleasure,
bhaviisava ( love 0 f ex is tence " di ttlrasal'a indu Igence in
heresy). and 'ovijjasava l def ilement of ignorance. In
so far as this Verse is concernp.d. out of the four
Asavas, it refers to kclmjsavJ and bhJ,iisJla which are
prone to flowing into the stream of pleasurable sensa
tion. Relating to Dhamma. in essence, they are loba.
greed. ca\l ed tanhii-raga. cl inging sensual desire.
It flows rigbt up to Bhlvagga
This Asava, the tQ(llra- ragtl. proceeds up to the high.
est of the Anip.l World if stated with referrnce to an
Aboder or Existence. From the point of view of the
nature of Dhamma, it flows right into Golrub/lli. a sta.ge
where by the mind inclines towards thl) Path, Its
Fruition and Nibballa.
Bh.ll'dgga is the culminating point of
is the highest and the noblest abode or eXlstence'r!' 't
be ;jble to understand this Highest and Noblest AbO
f
, I
. h . t diat", and lowest orms
is necessary to know t e tn erml' r Ab I
of cxist;nces. Of the thirty-one ,31 Planes 0 . O! e.
I
. H II I nafaka. ADlmals
the lowest in thA sea e IS C ' A .. I th,' world
I t/r an" Sllra, .
. ;tirJcc!u'illj\, Peltls \ Nethrr worlds. the
of fallen formtnR th". H II Of the hells,
f th .\\1 IS ". "
ApciY,l. The lowl'st 0 ,m. For this rca son
k
as Arid.
the lowlst Il'vel is nown.
101
pur'lbheda Sulln Dhnmmn
when m. dts ar e shared at
y s ta ted as B/Jal'dggd,
lowest.
a libation ceremony, it is
the highest, and Aviei. the
Higher in the scale of existences above the four
Id th
'PII I'u, is the Human world. Above
Netherwor s, e' ." .. ' .
th t
" heaven' or Del'll/aka comp1'ls1l1g SIX 111 order
a IS , T - . - y - -
f d nee
CclflllllCziltirajikll, aVallnlSa , ama,
o prece t' ,<.I ' .'"
TusH,i, Xifllmtlllllfllfi, PtlfullimmitClVtlSllI'alfl. In the SIX :r:>eva-
lokas, as in the case of the world of human be1l1gs.
males and fcmaks are present. There, all pl easures
of scnSl' are in abundance and full to the
brim.
Higher above that Cel estial world, there are three
Abodes of the First jhana. Though it is said to have
three stages in the world of Brahmas, they are on the
samr plane. They are called three Abodes depending
upon the three types of Brahm-'s residing in that world.
E tending above that. there are three Abodes of the
S.eond jhana. They too are on the same plane and
bec<luse of the preSence of three different kinds of
Brahmiis, it is stated to bp three Abodes. Beyond that
worll of heawns, come the three Abodes of the Third
jh -ina. These are also on the same plane inhabited by
thrre kinds of Brahmas.
Above the Abodes of Third jhiina, there exists the
world of Fourth jhc'na. The lowest stage in this Realm
is inhabited by two kinds of Brahm'is, nalrl\.dy, Vchupp/Jo
and As,liiliasaf'l. This is also to be called the two Abodes.
Out of two kinds of Brahmas, Vc/Jappho Brahma
like other Brahmas as well, has both nipu and lIoma.
Therefore. the Vehappha Brahlll</ and the nine other kinds
of Brahmas belonging to the iowcr three abodes or
heavens, altogether kinds of Brahrn:Is,can come down
to del'a/oka and the human world to listen to the prea.
chings of thO! Burldha. They ha\'o also th<: ability to
102
It flows right up to Bhavagga
preach. What is peculiar in them is that they have
no .masculine or feminine sex organs. Though their
faCial featurl.'s contain the sh3p, or f' f
h ,," 19uri 0 a nose.
t ey ha:e no sense of smpl!. They can however talk
for havlJ1g possessed th,' figur e of a tongue. but have
sense of taste. They have tho body but not tactile,
":'Ithout th,e sens,; of touch. Th!'), possess no parts or
limbs of tn') bod y which are vii,: to be able to enjoy
the depraved forms of pleasures, such as, the
sensations of smell, tast'" and touch. This is prdty
good. They have pye, and ears and are therefore capa.
ble of d('Veloping kuSl/'/, me r its. That is why they can
revere and worship thp Buddha, and list n to the
Dhamma prcachings. Apart from that. having
the Mind. they can practi3e the Dhamma. Such being
the case. the maj ori ty of thp;; BraiwLi6 had attained
the Special Dhamma when thev tl; sermon
delivered by the Buddha. It is indted \' ry fiof'.
In the of ASJ;;liu. al,' B"J/rmas. th.)' do not
have the knowing mind. i. e. th' II"IIIJ that brinf,s con-
sciousness. They haw only the form. RliN. It may
be similar to the carved images hewn Ollt of wood or
marble. Since th,=y aro depri\'ed of the "mind" and
"num"". they hay/" no Neither do they
move about. nor ha\-e tho power of mobility. They
cannot even shak(. ThEY aH like lifelr ,s images. They
are therefore not awarE of the appcar,mce of Buddhas,
Nor can they list en to tht Dhamma-prcachings. After
the life span of fiw hundred k.1ppJs is exhausted. th Y
die and reach back to their original abodes of the
human world Oi the c, lestial world of the Deyas. For
them there is absolutely no gain end no .. That
is the reason why a,willu.\.tlt' abode is included III the
eight faulty and forbidd"'l plans or abodes.
Above I't'/J"f'pho and "sanli,iwIQ heavens. come the
realm of SlIddluil'oSl' haying fiY0 diffrrent stages or
103
puriibbedn Suttn Dhnmmll
. I d only by Aniigamis and
levels in sen al order . heaven. Alapp,i. Sue/assa.
Ar ahat s. Thc names five abodes of the Rupa-
Sl4dassf and . by the nobl e Anag
amis
brahmaloka belfig Inhablt e d irom all forms of defi le-
and Arahats. are cldeansrcabl e attachment which can
k' /' - with no eSI
ments . ' I esos. I t to the l ower kamalaka. ar e
cause them to _ roe egah e re abodes . The inhabitant s
known as Suddhavasa. t e pu __ .
are call ed coll ect ively Suddhavas/ka .
On top of those Suddhavtisd abodes. ar e A.rliPa-
I k th abode of for mless Br ahmas. cons is t ed
bra/mil 0 h
a
e or stages namel y. Akasatl all cayalatl am.
of fou r eavens --- - ---
I'i liiieilllJlC,iYutoll ]lil, Aki licOliliaya I ull iI/i / and N el'OSanlla-ti aSO
lltia
. . In t hese for ml e or incorpor eal heavens ,
),,1/0111 .1111. ff 1-
the Brahm'iS have no bodlly for ms. but ar.e mere e u
gences endowed wit h int elligence and with mlOd and
lI aml. They have no mat er ial form. . BelOg forml ess
wit hou t t he assembl age of the mat eri al elements .
properties whi ch cons titut e the body. they are lOVI -
sibl e. Neither can t hey see, nor hear, nor appear
befor e the Buddha. nor ils t en t o the Dhamma- preachings.
Worldlings or PtHlitujj,J'IJS who have reached thi s abode
will rr vert to their original homes of the human world
or the world of Devas when their lif e-span expires.
They derive no benefits. Hence , these abodes of Ariipa
Brahmls ar e included in what is known as eight faulty.
defcctive and unfavourable exi st ences or conditions.
Propl" living in such places 01 under such conditions
will miss the opportunity of achieving magga-phala-
nibbtin3.
However. as far as Ariyas arc concernf>.d, they
can make progress in the path of achieving the Dhamma
while residing in these abodes. Sotapannas, Sagada -
gamis and Anagamis who are reborn in such abodes.
can reach up to aro1lwllo1.phlla through proper method
of contemplation and by practising mindfulness which
104
Is hell. !IIaraka. still pleasurable
they hav/") known beforr. and wh ' ! "
abodes they w' l! . I e hVlllg III these
Of the four 4'! pass away eventually into PJrimbbitna
, , ILIP, / worlds "" . . - - .
. th . . , '" IOsallna-lIaSJllll iirOlanl h
IS '" hi ghest and the Th' h caven
is known as bhavagga. - , IS eavl" nly abode
. The. cli.nging mind fl ooded wit h pi, asunhle Sen-
IS lIkely to flow int o the realm of ! 31 abodes
begInlllng fr om the lowes t tI"if;' hel\' to the hi h t
abode of Nevasaiil1tl -luisannti.1'atall a. B( ,ausc of its
g
t::-
dcncy to fl ow into the pool of or ' I
d
. " - ., c' Sen ua
eSlres . It IS called 1 .'asl1 in tprms of IdS'
. . - a)o e. IllCe .
It IS expressed as " (/II<1SS0";" according to th
' t b e
:, m_a
y
" e st a t ed as "a ... ti l'a" Hencr. r ag I called
which t ends t o dr ift along <i hould di : [Jcll ed.
I t IS ther efore essential t o n rti it aticn n<.' t to
let ones ... \f dr i f t towards any of the 31 abod, 5 . with
pleasurable attac hment.
Is bell . Niiraka. still pleasurable?
I n this regard . a question may arise in this man
ner. Could it be possible whether pkasurnhl, attach
ment t o or clinging des ire for worthl ess or despica
bl e exi st ences. will occur since hell is one of the
worst abodes among the 31 diff erent realms of exis
tence and since the worlds of pelas, asliras and animals
ar e obviously inft.' rior an,1 ignobl p? The anqwer i
quit e s impl e and easy. It is true that a il<' r 'on who
knows hel l as " hell ' and how bad it i -; . will sUT, Iy
have DO yea rning for it. Howl'\er . one who is not
awarr. of ho;o ll will think good of it and becom, atta
ched to it with wilful d, s ire. ThiS is t.;\id .. nt if con
in the light of what had happened in th, case
of Mittavimdaka,
The story of Mitta\imdaka
At one timl', a person hy th nJII1<' of Mittavimdnka
I f h f O
ffending hi s own mother vtrblllly
c this OJllO a teT
F. 14
105
pur:lbhcda SuUa Dbnmma
and disr espectfUlly. and was roving about something
like the present- day youngsters playing truant. While
thus roaming about aimlessly. he reached a wharf a t
a seaport town. and then went aboard a ship which
later left the port for a distant land. When the sh ip
got into troubl e on the high seas. the ship's crew had
their usual superstition in that. there must be among
them a vi cious person who had committed some k ind
of fault. They them devised a met hod of dr awing lots by
which th0 most unfortunate or vicious person could be
identified among persons on board t he sh ip. Mittavim.
daka having had the unlucky draw. was dor pped off the
shi p with a raft to be dri fted in t he vast ocean. The
he was made to leave the ship. i t began to
sail smoothly. While drift ing in t he sea. Mittavn-
dak:1. by virtue of his good kamma or merit s which
he had derived for hav ing observed t he mor al precepts
is his previous existence. happend to r each a palatial
mansion. or r ather. an abode of four femal e Petas . by
of Vcmanika. Though they wer e Petas.
their Abod0 being one whi ch was install ed by both
ma it s and demerit s. kll svlu and akll sal a mingl ed toge-
ther. they had th!' benefi t of enjoying all the pl easures
pertaining to de.'as for a period of seven days. and
for next seven days they had to pass through
varIOus kmds of sever e pain and suffering. similar to
r eceiving punishment in Hell, alternately. After
hiS arrival at this Abode. Mittavimdaka was very well
looked ?fter during the first seven days, Then after
peflod of warm r eception was over . he was asked
y the four femal e Pe/as to continue to stay is that
abode and wait for them for seven days t elling him
after of that duration. they would come
ck and that m the meantime. they had to leave the
place to undergo torment in Hell. Mittavimdaka how
to comply with the request and left the
oatmg away with the small raft. With his
106
A wrong notion of what is bad 8S being good
good for t une sti ll smilin on h '
kamma of the Pas t he a him for his virtuous
V
> ga m reac "d the abod f' h
emanika angeli c Petas Aft -, e 0 elg t
s ojourn in that abode ' ertha peflod of seven days'
b d
m e case of the f
a 0 e of Po/as he left th I . or mer
e p and m th .. lik
ner he passed t hrough other abodes - e
eventuall y he reached the abode of 3? Petas ufnhl
the ot her. He put up at that Abod -f one a ter
as pr ' I e or seven days
1 ,evlOus y. and t hen procceded from there on h'
.as t Journey. Later . he landed on an Island of
m sea for having done wrong. a demeritorious act
I S mother, While he was walking about on th;
Isl a nd. he person whose neck was chopped off
by. a, mac hme-dnven knife. He saw the red blood
s pilling out profusely from the neck which had been
the person was found shout ing at the top of
VOlce and crying bi t t erl y in great pain and suffe-
rmg.
A wrong notion of what is bad as being good
The above sub-heading in the origni al Burmese
version of the Sutta is a well - known proverb which
may be literall y tr ansla ted as "The hell of a fiery
flower is wrongly conceived as a heavenl y fine flower."
Finding the man being subjec ted to immense suffering
in hell, Mittavimdaka had a different opinion as to
why the s aid per son was scr eaming and yell ing des-
pite the fact that he was adorned with an extremely
beautiful flower on his head. He imagined that how
nice would it be if he were to have this big pretty
flower stuck on his head. Referring to this incident.
sages of the past had provided us with a proverb-
"The hell of a fiery {lower was wrongly conceived as a
heavenly fine flower. " He therefore told the man. " Please
give me that full - bloolTI flower on your neck. "There-
upon. the ITIan snff,>ring in hell t ntreat ed hun truthfully
107
puriibhedn Suttn Dhnmmn
'bl dod"l' the terribll' knife
h "1 could not POSSI y" I' 't
t us: f II .' 'ht on illY neck to s ICC I
when it is about to h
a
of my nf'ck is not a
f
f Tho thing on tea , d'
o . t a sharp weapon of mach me nven
golden flower bu h 'bl Please do not wish to
,. ' f It is really orn t . , ,
"U1 e. ain and misery." However, Mlttavlm-
suffer that the mnn's words. Hc therefore
dnka could not e Ifeve d I h'ave seen that big flower
d "Oh my nen, , ..
rC,torte , 'es Don't tell me lies. Perhaps the way
with my own ey .
h
' . st spoken to me was probably because you
YOll ,1\ e jU, h ' b' fl
" II ' to offer me that flower. T IS Ig ower
arc unwi lUg h d 10 g time
must have been worn by you on your ,ea an"
" Furthermore, Mittavimdaka persist ently soliCited
ago. d h d 0 r the
th- man to yield to his request an an ve
flower to him.
This repeated utt errance made that condemned man
in Hell to reflect thus. "H'm, this man is ridden
with an awfully bad k<Jmm.l just like me. It seems
that tim" has reached ior me to get release from the
the seVNe suffering in this Hell." After imagining
as such, he conceded saying. "Well, my friend, should
you wish to have that full-bloom flower. you may
have it now." So saying, he thiew alltoUlatic
kinfc to fall on to Mittavimdllka. The moment it
came to rest on the back of Mittavimdaka's neck, the
mechanical device started to function OR its own cut-
ting off his neck. Only then, Mittavimdaka came to
realize that it was not a golden flower at all as he
had gussea, but a terrible cutting machine with the
sharp edge of a knife. Now that he was helpless and
could not get away from it. As long as his bad
k'lmm I was not exhausted, he was cruelly cu t by the
automatic knife. Considering this tragic episode, it
is quite obvious that those who have akllsa/" k:lmma,
not knowing that hell is hell, would probably think
of it as pleasurable. Then also curiously enough,
108
The abode of Petas is also pleasllI'ftble
on" may know what hell really when he
himself as inmate of the abode of hell,
he, could fmd dElight and pleasure in his own life
eXistence. One may, on his own volition, be incli d
to '" d h ne
rIO appmrss though he might even conSider hell
as undesirabl e. Thi s amounts to becoming pleasura-
bl e in the hellish kh,Jlldii. It is therefore clear enough
that pleasurable to hell itself is caused
by ,this des ire and that the very clinging
deslfe IS dnftlOg towards thf'
The abode of Pet as is also pleasllI'able
Next, as regards Petas, some of them suffer misery
almos t as much as one suffers in hell. In the abode
of Petas too, When one himself is a Peta, he finds
his own life-existence pleasurable. Since they are
indulging in matrimonial affairs among their own kind,
there is hardly any doubt that they have their own
pleasurable attachment to one another who have the
same fate and are living in a similar life-existence.
Moreover, among Petas, there are some known as Vemil-
nika Petas who, because of the resultant effects of
their mixed kl(wllJ, merits, and akusala. demerits, are
suffering all day long but enjoying pleasures at night
time, or are undergoing suffering for the first seven
days, and then becoming enraptured with pleasurable
life during the next seven days, by turns. When_the
turn of meritorious kamma comes, they have a luxuriOus
and pleasurable life as De\asdo. Therefore. even an
ordinary person who has come across such pleasurab!c
conditions; would have a delightful attachment 111
such a lowly existence. Asiiriis are somewhat under
similar circumstances as Pdas.
. . tb ir own existences
Animals also enJoy pleasure 1R e
dragons of the Nfiga
Among animals, there are ' It was stated
world, which have supernatural powers.
109
puriibheda Sutta Dhamma
that during t he life time of our Lord Buddha, a daugh-
t f
the king of dragons, named Erakapatta cr eated
er 0 " ' d
h rsel f as a human and t hen danced s mg1l1g a f1 -
\ pIl/ieli song- It was mentioned that having
heard an announcement made by the king of
conveying t he news t hat anybody who could give a
sol uti on and answer to the puzzling song, would be
given hiS daught er 's hand in marri age, the num?er , of
people who had visit ed the pl ace of rendevous wishing
to ge t a dr agon prince!>s as a wife, was so large
that t here was hardl y a standing space,
In Bhuridata J,ltaka al so, mention was made
that childre n were born of the two parents, the father
being a human prince, and the mother, a dragon prin-
cess , and l'i re-l'ersa,
In the Campeya Jiitaka or story, it was stated
that Bodhisatta, the would-be Buddha in one of his
previous existences befor e his last ), having yearned
for the existence of a dragon, had indeed been reborn
as a dragon,
In th., \,idhCra Jataka, a Deva of an inferior type
belonging to the lowest Celestial Abode, by the name
of Ponnaka, was said to have fallen in love with a
femela dragon, No carried off a renowned Sage by
the name of Vidhiira to the realm of dragons as
prompted by his sweetheart, the female dragon, and
her parents_ Hence, it cannot be gain said that one
be attracted to the animal kingdom, the world of
, with pleasurable attachment as impulsed
b,y clIngIng desires. People nowadays are domes-
heatIng the dogs as their peta caressing them with
love a,nct attachment. In the same manner, other kinds
o,f are brought up with good Care and atten-
hon, fhese arc all the pleasurable attachments.
110
)
Animals also enjoy pleasure I'n
their own existences
I t '
n par Icular , a person b'
Own future destiny accord' ;mg a moulder of his
eff ect (kamma , if by forc:ngof 0 tht law of and
stances or akusala kamm.J, is cllrcum
h
-
as a dog 0 ' flIma , suc
, ,r a pig, or an ox, or a buffalo, or a horse
b
or
elephant, pl easurabl e attachment to '
od II y se If ' l' d -, own
I lfl any tin of exist t nce, is bound to take
he may be., Pl easurabl e attachment
, g a so occours lfl the company of thosl'
belonging t o the same worldl " "x'lst pnco Th's b
d f ' , I J . " . 1 can
e Ifllt e y kno",: n wit h reference to ],;taka:
etc. the Bodillsatta having seen th'? remarkably high
status and char ming of Campeya, the king
of, dragons , who had come in thp. gui se of a h'lman
With all pomp and splendour to pay r,, -,'erf'nce to his
father" the great Hermit, was greatly f'nchanted and
accordmgly, had a longing to th, king
of He was , thereforp, rrhorn ns Camp,:ya,
the king of dragons, aft er his death. Initi a
1
h-. aft"r
his r ebirth in the new exist encl' when he him-
self possessing the despicabl e body of a snake, he
was said to be greatly depressed and disappointed.
However, no sooner had he become a dragon amidst
the pleasant company of a retinue of young female
dragons in the guise of charming and sprightly human
dancers, singing and dancing in th" accompaniment
of music, his dejection and pensin' mood had dissolved
into thin air being dominated by plea-
surable sensations dcriycd from thc' prageantry and
rCjOlcmgs, Hence, thl.' pr esence of pleasurabl .. attach,
ment or clinging to one' s own exist ence is a common
thing for everybody,
No comm(' nt thMcinr. app' ,us rt lating
to the pleasurabl e anr! luxurious life in the abodes of
human beings and D,' vas. Even th{' I iws of BrahmJs
arc also affording thl'm p\t:;lsurc and df' light in their
ill
Puriibhedn SuUn Dhnmma
S
O
ther r eli gioni s t s des ire for
cull
'ar way, ome
own pe _ lse belie f that s u ch abodes
such Brahll"l/ok,ls under a d ' a divine
xcell ent heavenly cities or para Ise,
ar e C bl' ss fr ee from old age , s uffering
state of supreme I L d B ddha a
d d ath, During the life time of or u "
god by the name of Baka, that hiS
b d
" as a real heaven and et ernaL devoid of old
a 0 e \Yf 't" and death even invited the Enlight ened
age, su ermg ' ' d
One to hi s heavenly place , with great dehght an
satisfJction, Without even entertaining such
some have bee n enjoying their lives there for
found luppiness with longevity, One of the
having see n the hum:ln beings and Devas mto
being and passing away in so short a hme, a
brief span of life. was said to be preachmg With
e:Jgerness to practise mental deVelopment in order, to
reach th ir abode of Brahmj and to be able to hve
long. as : " One should earnestly endeavour to practise
for the attainment of jhiilll by which kiinllriig'1 can be
dispell'd similar to a person who whould have tried
in emergf'ncy to pull out the speqr which is pierced
through and stuck in the vital part of his body at
the mouth of the abdomen. or to extinguish the burn-
ing fire on his head,"
However. a question may arise if pleasurable sen-
sation; will occur in Suddhavasa abode which is inha-
bited only by noble persons whose minds are purified.
Even in thi, abode, Anig;lmis being not yet free from
bhilY.J-ruga. passionate attachment to life existence,
find pleasure in their own existences.
Ariipaloka is wrongly conceived as Nibbina
_ ordinary world ings, Sot;ipannas. Sagada-
?nrl Anagamis are also enjoying 'pleasu res with
delight III the Abode of Arupa Brahmas. ' In the abodes
of Ariipa, the Formless Planes where there is only mental
112
,\/ara and Udaka
CO?SClOusness without thl) material lod
fairly co i t bl ' ) y. nipa. being
. _ rn or a e. som ... P,:opl,) thought of it as
IVtbblllU, and ar,: craving for it.
Aliirs and Udaka
,When Bodhisa tt a . wouldb( GOUII/li.! Buddha
r epaired t o a f or l!s t r et r eat h'
r . t' "cr IS
enu?cla IOn, of worldly pkasures. he had accepted
the mstructlOns und cr the guidance of Aldra and
. the great hermits, relating to the method of
prachsmg Jhana. These great ascetics or hermits Were
personally practising to reach the heavens of
A kincaiiliiiyalalla and Nel'OsQ/I'i utl,is,l/lli'IYIJlflll(/ th inking that
these place s wer e Xibb,JII.l. They were also preaching
and teachmg others with this wrong conception. The
Bodhisatta however . was aware of th" fact that the
achievement of Jhallas b not the right way to attain
Nibbiilll. That was the reason why after abandoning
the AkincQ/ilia J"dna and NiVas<lii,I<l J"'ma. he sought for
the Truth of the Dhamma, and eventually gained
Enl igh tenment. ThE'n after becoming a Supreme Bud.
dha. the Omniscient. when decided to deliver his
First Sermon. he came to know through his vision
that the two hermits, "-lara and Udaka had unfortu-
nately passed away 3nd h3d re;.Jched th", Abodes of
the said Ariipabrahm3!okJ. which they thought as being
Nibbiina. These heav,'nly abodes being Formless, the
inhabitants residing therrin cannot listen to the Ser
mon to preached by him. Such abodes ha\e a very
leng span of life. Th,' iif,' -span in . is
thousand KapP:ls wher"as ill AerasllIlli.; It 15 elghty-
thousand Kappas. Then. aiter th, expiry of the respec
tiv!l life -SPJn wh.'11 thpy eli<'. they will be reverted
to the Human World. Hut thpn. hy the time they b?come
h b
. B Id-'III S-',sln'j would cease to eXist or
u rna n e 11lgs , \ " , .,,' , ,'_ .
have faded out. As such. '\/,l!:g,I-Ph.I!<I-i\,!>b,/II,J IS a
F. 15
113
Puriibhcda Sutta Dbamma
remote thing. too far away from t hem. T he Enligh-
t ened One had t herefore uttered with a grumbl e.
" M h - '1 - 'J'" i e it was a tremendous loss for
a OJ ralll o. . . . .
them. In view of t he facts stated m t he foregomg.
if psolen in terms of an abode. ta(/ha wit h pleasurable
desires is likely to dri f t fr om t he lowest abode of
Avici up to the highest BlllIvaggo. Therefor e. to deter
the current of ta(lha pass ionate desires. from drifting
in t he sad manner . pr ac t ice of blravall ,t. med itation.
must be resor ted to.
II is likely to drift up to Gotrabhii
Thi, ta(l l rej. pass ionat e des ire. according to
t he nature of Dhamma t ends t o dr ift up to t he st ate
of mini or kn)wledge. known as Gotrabilli . Looking
at it from th... aspect of Dhamma. it cl ings with
del ight to all Dhammas within t he domain of k ama-
\'./(ar.l. sensual pleasures . It grasps at rri pavacara and
" ,.,ipJI'.7CO,." known as lofty and virtuous qualities of
J lreina. That is to say that it follows right up to
Gotr,lblrll which occurs close to the attainment of ariya-
magg.J . nobl e Path. with delight and attachment.
It .,!s') rends to bend towards and hold on to all plea-
surabl e sensations which are considered nice and which
will aris. at every moment of seeing. hearing contac-
ting_ and knowing, One who is practising to gain
I"lIp.iI'ocar" and. ,mipal'acara Jlrullas. has a longing desire
for achievement. Moreover. he continues to find
plcasurCl with clinging attachment in il/{ina. when
achieved.
a person who is practising Vipa.Hamt
eagerly expects to gain good concentration.
before hiS concentration becomes strong. And then.
when of the mind become stable. pleasurbale
of vipaslona-samadhi takes place. Again.
whlle the power of contemplation and noting is still
114
It is likely to drift up to Gotrabbii
weak. he desir"s to - b
. t b , gam etter strength Th
I ecomes strengthened. he is h . . en. when
attachment to what is ood appy JOY and
to distinguish between a IS not yet able
their distinctive featur e/ dist' . ls eager to know
distinguishingl y known h t :nguIS?mgl
y
. When so
in the knOWing-mind H e th a delight and pleasure
nature .and charac te ristics
e
of
appreciated as such. he is reaU .. n. w n
ins ight knowl d d' g y . satisfied with his
t emplat ' ge ,urmg the contmual process of con
_ _ mg an not mg. At the stage of Uda 'aba '
v.:hen brilliant light or radiance are fO> d ya-
vlsuahzed he' I"k 1 un or
. ... IS l ey to become extremely satisfied
with Pltl. Passaddlri. calnmess. Suklra. happiness.
Saddlra. faith. in r espect of his l'ipJssulla-lYtinu or
IOslght knowl edge. which occurs with great speed.
stated. when reaching the stage of Sankhci
rupekkha. all .sensations which need be cont empalted
noted will appear one after another automatical1.y
without even making special effort, Sensations that
may occur will be automatically reali zed with ease
and comfort without exertion. Thisfine reali zation with
awar eness will continue for on' or two hours or more
at a stretch without losing momentum. This progressive
insight gained by contemplation will also be looked upon
with pleasurable attachment. When this Sankharupekkhtl
IV tin,1 becomes fully strengthened. all noting and awareneSs
wiil take place in an accelerated motion. and will be
found pleasant in its own peculiar way, This is known
as "VII{{ir' I/lIg,illlill; I'lpJs.wnii" which also may be found
pleasurable. Noting will then becomeS fast. and while
insigh t knowledgE' is continusly occurring. conscious-
ness will appear with inclination towards il/ihbtlna where
all rtiPU- IIIim" ( body- mind I s.mklreir<l.<. the
processe5. will stop to opdate. and c r ;JSC. ThiS reali-
zation and hent of mind will bring about
115
Puriibbcda Suttn Dhllmmn
h' h will asce nd to or mOl'' towar ds t he sen,
Nall ,1 w Ifc V. bb - In this way, conSCIOusness of magga-
sahon 0 i I nll a, t t '
, N' bbiillil Onl y ther eaf t er, r e r ospec Ive
pha/a gltmpses I ' 'f of a ll wha t have
contempl ati on or self exa mma Ion
d
' ly call ed "pa<'ClIl'ekkhalllls" t ake place.
happene prevIous ,
Among what have so happene_d, na ture ?f the
. d that inclines towa r des Nlbballo I S con-
OlIO Aft r re fl ecti ng it wit h paccal'ekkhalla, con-
SCi ousness. e , - I
dition of pl easur abl e att achmen t to (Jor ,."bJ/Ii know edge
can also take place. Af ter that, N ibbiilla all
s,mk/ui'-,'.I cease to occur, and also ment a l or mmd con-
sc ious ness of maggu- pha/a wh ich r calt zes the s aid nature
of cessation, ar e not obvious as be ing pleasur abl e. Only
the nature of such a s t ate of cess ation is clearly
known. Hence, no pl easur abl e att achment to Magga-
Ph.l/a-,Vibbiiflu can poss ibl y arise. Pl eas ur abl e attach-
ment can onl y happen up t o t he earlier stage of Golra-
bh,i, That it the reason why a ccording to nature of
Dhamma, it has been sta t ed that TalJhii craving desires,
drift up to Gorrabhli.
Resembles a wealth-conscious person
people without being well-accomplished in
Dhamma by personally practis ing meditational exer-
cise, probably make a tall - talk wi th ego or self- conceit.
They would even tender ad vice to others not to let
oneself involl'ed in any kind of worldly sense -pleasures
and not to cral'f) for anything that is pleasurable.
This kind of talk may be consirierp.d a<; precious
if madr, by a worthy person at the right moment
when feasible. If, however, the man who talks in
that manner happens to be a perSOll without any depen-
dable knowledgp. of the Dhamma by which
he cal) aspire to be reborn in a happy condition, such
as, the world of human beings or of Devas, it wou ld
be highly improper. Furthermore, if he himself is
116
\ny kind of Kusala merit nreds be denloped
s till clinging to trivial .. s of lif., it will be
inappropriate for him to talk high in thf' like mannl'r.
Next, some Pt! opl l} may mak<: slanderous talks either
criticising or finding fault with othprs and also speak
disparag ingl y that cont emplation and noting of all
phenomenal occurrencl's arising out of the six
door s a r e mer el y Samatha .
Such vic ious utterranc es might ha\'e been made
t hr ough sheer ignor ance of the distingu ishing fl-3IU[I's
bet wee n Sama tha and It may also be spoken
presumably with impudence in the manner stated; not
knowing thoroughly that sllmarha,bJull'OlIIi is a funda-
mental exercise practised by th,. Buddhas and noble
personages . As a matter of fact , such pc'ople are
talking with vanity thinking highly of themselves
without any basic knowledge of the Dhamma. They
may be I ike ned to a person who assumes himscl f as
a man of substance , or in other words, one who has
become rich- minded without possessing any v.ealth or
property and also without the ability to conduct any
business enterprise considering the venture as one
below his dignity and financial standing.
Any kind of Kusala merit Deeds be developed
The fact of the matt er is that any kind of meri-
torious act or virtuous deed which will lead or
the way to Nibbjna, is the Dhamma that is
of pl'rformance , and is essential to be
None -of the scriptural texts hal'e indicated that t e
. d tOng el"ry phlno!l1
e
na
method of contcmplattng an no I , / bh _ '
, d rs is Sam"r 1.1- allll/ll.
arising [r,)In the SIX <; ons('- 00" assan\
It i'i m('ntiowd therein as :llllounllng, to \ IP ,
successful exP[Cisc of ... cstatt( medltalton. d
i. e., ' 'b I' an
Then 'Jlso to sal' not to ecom. . said
' 'I" . ye'lrn for it", I' eas\I'r , .
s('(k for p casure,,' . t f I'iew, \t IS
' . h cl ical pOIll (I
then done. F rOlll t I' pra
117
puriiblteda Sutta Dhamma
ifflcult to restrain ones elf from
ext remely d . b tisal'a dlwmma, call ed
I able It IS ecause bl
p easur 'bl t njoyment in pleasura e con-
which IS sus.ce
P
:
I
; e enerate passionate desires. is
dit ions and illchne g'th deli gh tf ul s ensations to
likely to dnft WI s of an 'abode'. and up
b/lavaggl1. if In ter m Dhamma. As s uch , in
t o gotral>!lIl. with r efe r ence to f d medit ation so
r ega rd to a person who has prac Ise t h t
. - t ' t fl ti cl inging at ac men
as t o ach ieve .Ih,ll1a-samapaf I . . . .
t o such an achievement. whi ch has an se n ill him even
r r before his attainment. can take pl ace.
I: tt ainment of j luilla. he aga in t akes m
what has bee n achieved. As r egards a mdul -
ging ill t he pr ac tice of Vi passana, t he IS at
res t or t r anquil at the initi al s tage. It IS all .mlxed
up wi t h 1I ;".mlllas . obstacl es to the of his con-
centrati on. The mind is then s hll polluted.
being the case. he is eager to have the of mmd
and t o gai n concentr ation. He also wishes to. make
good pr ogress in noting with cal.mness and :,Ithout
the mind gOing astr ay. Then agaill . when notmg can
be done vigorously and eff ectively with calmness of
mind . he finds pl easur e with delight in being abl e to
note thoroughly and s atisfactorily.
contemplating. the mind r emains calm and
fixed. continually dwelling on the sensation which
ought to b" not ed. without wandering and flitting.
The s"nsation that is to be noted may go on chang-
ing, bu t the mind which is noting r emains stable.
Th
n
mind is calm and stpady without deviating from
the point of sensation to which it directly procer:ds.
This is called vip,1SSantl-khJllik,l-so1mr/dlri. It is simil ar
to upaelira samadhi obtained through samatha hhtiv<1l1ii.
Hence. it is to be called "citta visuddhi". When the
mind becomes purified and strengthened in the procees
of noting, rlipJ and lliinlJ. and mind. are distin-
118
Any kind of Kusalamerit - needs be developed
guishingly known. It manifested that th
sense-obj ect which is not ed is one and th k . e
. d' e nowmg-
mm or conSCIOusness is another. etc. This means
that awareness or knowledge' which distinguishes
matt er and mind takes pl ace. and the two distinctive
ar e cl ear ly known in the act of noting. This
I S nothmg bu t insight knowledge call Ed /I, in" r,ip']-
pariccil edu. Then again. pl easur abk sensa t ion J rises
on t he awareness or knowlecige t hat is so ga in,,] .
Thence, as one pr oceeds to carr yon wIth his
cont empl ation and noti ng. becomes sharp
that it is merely the phenomenon . .J rbing and pa,sing
away in an instant being governed by th" IJW of cause
and eff ect . and t hat E'vc r ything i , imperm<!!lent . suf-
fer ing and misery. all of th('n unrel iable . In
the process of contempl at ing and noting. r" ali zation
comes with satis fac ti on th It all t hese are m r natural
phenomena without the so-call ed 'self" cr 'l iving
entity" (amlfta ). Brilliant light will also be H ;J3lized.
and both bod y and mind will be per vaded with
joy, happiness and rapturous f,?ellOg. The ' arp again
looked upon as belOg pl easurabl e and delightful. All
such feelings must also be cont emplated. not.,d and
them r e jected.
Aft er r ejecting as such. if c(lnte'11pl ation
noting is further carr ied on. l'ipuS"Jna /I ll!'" will
into strides leading to the- k n<lwledbe whi ch
d issolu tion of ever y objtc t of awar en: ss . <'nd
awareness itself at ever y moment of noting.. This is
what is known Bh,lII gd S 'Cj u el. Bridly put . If further
contemplation is marl e. I ip,ls.,mhi-.\\ilJu gradually
developed let's say. up to As to
how this ari ';!'s w ill be explalOeci at length
l atpr on.
1 S
ta"f' . of S.mkhifrllPl'kkhci. 'i' olJa.
On reaching t lis b
1'3
<)' , smnoth anci gent\<- Without
noting becomes very ,
119
Puriibheda Suttn DhnDlJrtll
making special effort, with awarnesS taking place
spontaneously and incessantly. Th.is aware
nesS is also appreciated by the med itator with delight
and
Gotrnbhii can also be found pleasurable
If the pleasurable sensations which have so arisen,
have been rejected, and if contemplating and noting
is continuously carried on, progress ive insight will
reach a stage whereby ari.l'a-1Il1gga-ii</!", can be achieved.
On reaching this stage, noting accompanied by aware
ness will automatically become accelerated. While beco
ming aware as such, the insight knowledge inclines to
wards the sensat ion of t he body-mind S,lIlkhiirdS, the
processes. This is the state of mind or
insight oiled "Golrdb!lll" . The Mind inclines in the
;); and flows into the nature of Cessa
tion of S the phenomenal processes. This
realization is M,lgg,,-Phala. At that moment, there is
no opportunity for pl easurabl e attachment or /t/!111l1 to
arise. The arising of knowledge of Maggcl-Phala
which have penetrat ed into the nature of Cessation
not also afford opportunity to think of any plea
surable condition. As such, there cannot be any
attachment to Dhammas, conditIOning Magga
P/"'/t1- Y ihl>],II. However, the mind which has become
very active and has arisen earlier with rip.lss,lIIii to
wards the ro!>sation known a5 may possibly
regarded as pleasurable. if and wh"n reflection is
made with retrosp';ct. There can also be expectations
before realiza.tion of knolVll::dge or insight - wis-
d?m. FM this reason. It has been stated that. accor.
d1l1g to Dh.am:na. this pkasurahle attachm,'nt or /aU:lli,
can flow right up to Go/rahllli.
ner
What has
in which
now been preached describes the man.
A SoJl'u-/CJ!lhii drifts in to the eu rrCll t of
120
Pregnancy tbat takes seven years &
seven months
pl easurabl e sensations 'th .
kilesiis or vicious era:' WI These bad AsllYO-
D \ lOgs are Indeed really wonderful
o not there fore per ' t thO .
and also to arise To pr ml, IS Ta!lha to drift along
. evr'nt It fro d of .
all sensations that rna ' m [J hng and arising,
contemplated and noted
Y
o.ctchur should br, continuously
. WI out an" brrak If . d
so, smce it will disa ,J ," It IS one
arising the moment vall\sh Immediatply after
come that l't . lect IS seen. realization will
IS Impprmanent I .
and non-sel f \ al/oJ/la i S' an,ltat (duk.
realized as such at th . Iml ar y. It WIll be truly
e moment of hear' I'
eating and tasting contact' k . I11g. semI 111g.
I11g. nowlOg adO "
Hence. nothing will be found pleasurable.
n

becdautse of one's own inability to contemplate ::t;
an 0 know the truth 0 ,
. . sensatIOns arlslOg out of the
sIx-sense bases are erroneously thol1ght of as plea.
su.rable .. If so considered as pleasurable. suffering and
mlsery Will follow in train with worry and anxiety
over all these sensations.
Pregnancy that takes seven ) ears & seven months
During the life tim\; of our Lord Buddha, a lady
by the name of Suppaviisa. belonging to a royal fami
ly became pregnant for a period of seven years and
seven months instead of the usual period of gesta
for nine or ten months. because of her
the result of an act of demerit of retribution in
present existence for the evil deeds done in the past.
Then again. during confinement. she had to endure
great pain and suffering for seVl'n days continuously
before giving birth to a son. The child was a prodigy
who was to become an eminent Thera. would-be
Ashin Sivali.
In one of their pr"vinus life-existences. these two
persons _ mother and son happened to be the .queen
son of the King of V.lf.inasi. At that tune. KIDg
F. 16
121
Puriibhedll Sutts Dbsmma
f V
-and after his
Kosala invaded the kingdom 0 i\ r ii naSI.
the coun
tr y. he put the King of
annexation of
_ _ d th The Queen however. was made
VaranasI to ea . . fl d
of his wives . Her son. the young. prtnce.. e
f his countr y. and l ater. after r all Ying a mIghty
a::d force. advanced towards Variinasi. in an at tempt
' t Taking advice from hIs mother . he
to reccupy I . h' I
I ' d siege t o the City of Varanasi and sent IS roya
al to KI' ng Kosala asking whether the l atter
message .
would surrender to him or conl es t a battl e against
h
. King Kosala. however. neither submit nor choose
1m. h t b'
to fight. The citizens having had a c ance 0 rtng
into the City. food and other supplies that wer e needed
through a small gat e or an opening in the Cit y-wall.
wert.; quite at ease. This state of affairs had lasted for
seven years and seven months. Thel) the prince on receipt
of furthC' r advice from his Queen- Mother. proceeded to
close or block all city gates. big or small. After
seven days' siege. the city- folks bpcoming intol erable
revolted against the King and kill ed him. Thereafter.
they proclaimed the young prince as their monarch.
For this evil act in laying siege to the City, the
embryo Ashin Sivali had to suffer in hell ( Avici ) for
innumerable number of years till the earth had come
up to a level of one Yojana in this Universe. In his
last existence. he had to remain in his mother's womb
for seven years and seven months. Moreover. for
having closed all the gaps in the city-wall without
leaving any loop-hole for seven days long. he had to
pay retribution. as a result of his past bad kamma.
with immense suffering for a duration of Seven day
at the time of his birth. The resultant effect of
alauala dhamma is indeed really terrible!
As a mark of honour for having given birth to
a bonny son. a ceremony (vijliyana mingolli) was held
by offering meals to the Lord Buddba and his disci-
122
III - treating by pretending to be plelSant
pie Sanghas. On that occasio .
Thera beckoned the infa t . n. Ashm Sariputtn
h' n prmce to com
1m. and spoke. Although thO h'l e neafer to
bab h IS C I d was a newl b
e. e was seven years old Th f Y orn
to understand what others had he was able
that . he could also Speak and walk Ashi' only
asked the young chl'ld "R . n Saflputtra
H ow you
ave you suffered pain and son?
t? stay long in your mother's womb"i Is bad
nbl e ?" The young child replied. '''Yes no\ter-
Reverend. It is indeed miserabl d'" Ir. our
t errible. " The mother having h e danh IS Immensely
. ear er son's reply
was ovefjoyed with great satisfaction Sh th I'
I . d "A . e en so 1-
h! My precious son is remarkably out-
standIng. Just imagine. he can answer ably and talk
on Dhamma even to an eminent Thera like Ashin S-r'-
p,uttra. " At this juncture. the Enlightened One
My dear daught:r Suppavasa. are you willing to
have another son like the young babe. if at all possi-
ble?" Suppaviis;'i then respectfully replied. "Yes in-
deed. My Lord! If I were to conceive such a precious
child. I wish I could have about seven off springs."
Having heard her reply. the Lord Buddha made a
solemn utterance the following hymn (udiina)
verse.
"As,itam s]tolnipl!na. piyanipclIo appi,ram.
Dukkh 1111 Silk!' ISS I nipelI.J. p.lmalta malival/(//i,"
Asiillln. anything that is neither good nor pleasant;
siitllnipellJ. being disguised as good and pleasant;
p.:lIn.ll/am. (makes ) a forgetful ro thoughtless person;
atival/uti. overwhelmingly su f fer.
Ill-treating by pretending to be pleasant
In this regard. the expression does
f
" t b 'ng conSCIOUS of any,
convey the sense 0 no eI
not
123
puriibheda Suttn Dhnmma
, th meaning of becoming careless
thing" It carries e " ' df I ..
, ' thout the quality of mm u ness
r thoughtl ess WI - h
o hich is usuall y acquired by the present YogIs ': 0
Wit' g and noting with awareness of mmd.
arc cont emp a tn ' 'd t b
S h a forgetful or thoughtl ess person IS sal, 0 e
uc 'dd "I' th minor and trivial matter s which are
over - f1 en \y "
seemingly pleasant or pleasurabl e. It, IS Just hke prac-
tising fraudul ent deception ,on, a simpl e and honest
person by an imposter who IS, m fact, a cheat. Do
you get at the point now stressed?
Now that SUppavflsu had undergone a great deal
of suffering and misery for seven years and seven
mon ths to get a son, and had to su fi er pa in a.n
d
trou-
ble for seven days at the time of her confmement;
and yet she was still desirous of having such a son
for whom she had to suffer very severely. This is
evident of the fact that she had found pleasure, or
rather found it pleasant in what was actually un-
pleasurable and unpleasant, because of her lack of
understanding or ignorance of the noble Dhamma.
This indicates what is "unpleasant" has been ill-
treating under disguise as "being good and pleasant."
To whom does it ill-treat? The answer being that
.
it tends to cause ill-treatment to a "thoughtless"
person, The question then arises as to how one should
properly reflect or bear in mind, Reflection should
be made with mindfulness bearing in mind that all
these dllkkha-dhurnm.l are, in reality, distressful, pain-
ful and suffering. The cause leading to slIch suffer-
ings should also be reflected upon and fully realized.
From thll point of view of worldly affairs (lokiYil),
a person who though slack and negligent in connec,
tion with one's own business matters and means of
livelihood, wishfully hopes to get on in life without
his energy or getting worried, is "forget-
ful , or rather a thoughtless person. He may be said
124
)
Kamma nnd its resultant effects
to be a person with no ima' ,
ing POWer as to what co glnat:on or think
might cns r S h
a person can be a victim to d '<;) u c. uc
ous swindlers If v' d f I 10nest or unscrupul-
h . lewe rom the angl" of S ,-
I is and unimaginative, ov ...
liS ve ement desir e to gain prosperit' "
life without thinking
and dem: flts fOf his future in the
of Sarnsara. Sensual pleasures k - . "
sho t \' d ' anlllguna, whIch IS
r - lve only for a duration of this life-time, will,
under the ?ret ence of having a great value, can cheat
or play a trick. A person will not be aware
of the d,ecePtlOn practised on him until such time
when he IS on the threshold of his death. To a few
others, real ization comes only in the next existence
after death.
Kamma and its resultant effects are known onh
when becoming a Peta after death
In the country of Thuratha during the time of
King Dhammasoka, thers Jived a gentleman by the
name of Nandaka. He believed in the false doctrine
that there was no kusala-kamma, or, akusa/a-kummJ, are
future existence, Hence, his personal endeavours were
only limited to the extent of deriving worldly benefits
during his present life-time. When he passed away.
he became a Pela within the confines of a forest,
named Weinca. Then only he came to realize per-
sonally that there really exists the law of karnrn.l with
its cause and effect. and future existence after the
diath of a person or a being, and that he had been
subjected to cheat by worthless things which, in
should not have been regarded as pleasurable. While
, h " and
he was thus recalling the past wit remlOlscence
was reflccting on his prescnt existence, it
to coincide with the when his daughter 'Uttara
was making a libation after her donation is giving
125
Purabheda Sutta Dbamma
.Herings of food and dri nks drinking-water) t o the
_ and was praying for hi m to enable him to
Sanghas . "s -dh "
share the merit s so perfor med. After tter mg a u
to the merits imparted t o him by his daughter . he
'mmediatelY received all food and other eatabl es as
be accessibl e to Devas to his. hear t's cont ent.
The benefits so derived had made him all t he more
convincing that aft er all he had wr ongl y .accepted a
fals e beli ef in his previous exis tence . Thi s was the
way in which reali za tion had come to that he
had been a victim of cheat in the pas t eXist ence.
It is important not to forget
Therefore . what is essenti al is not to forget about
matters concerning Samsclh/. It means to say that all
vices of akasala dhammll should be avoided to gain
"real" happiness with a minimum of misery and suf-
fering all throughout the rounds of future existences
and that meritorious deeds or kllsala dhamma should be
performed as far as possible. This is r eally the point.
If performances are done in the way as stated. just
now. a person may be said to be always on the alert
alld "unforgetful" relating to the rounds of continued
existences.
In particular, what is more significant is not to
forget to escape from the whirlpool of the deep ocean
of Sams,;r./. renewed existences. The way to escape
is to be always mindful of the continual arising and
dissolution of matter and mind-rapa lIlirna - that are
occurring in the personality of one's own 'self'. by
contemplating and noting. This is all. By being
unable to contemplate and notf' as already stated. the
continuous phenomenal arising of rlipa-llcima will be
thought of as being good and pleasurable. Pleasura-
ble sensations will occur from the acts of "seeing".
"hearing", "smel1ing", "eating", "contacting and know-
ing", and "imagining and arising consciousness ...

J26
It is Dukkhasacca from the viewpoint of Vipasuni
b Everything. or rather. all natural phenomena w'n
e found pl easurable. Then, by being pleasurable
such. will emanate from these pleasurable
sensatIOns III the prespnt existence If d
f . . . un er un-
avourabl e Circums tances, one goes down to Apaya,
the. world. misery and su ffering will ensue.
:r
hls
I S the cruel treatment given by things which are,
III fact . non- pl easurable. If mindfulness is achieved
by lllc.essantly contemplating and noting, these matter
and riipJ-nrima, be will be known in their true chao
ractenshcs as merely oni cca. dukklu and anal/a. If rea.
lized as there will be no "suffering" during the
present hfe-tune because of such sensations. Neither
will one relegate to the ApliYIl. hel\' in the rounds of
Samsiira. If circumstance permit. ariya-magga-plula. the
Special Dhamma. can be achieved in the course of
contemplating and noting. If such an achievement is
gained, one will be fully lib,;rated from the realm of
Apiiya. Therefor e, emphasis is made on the importance
of "non-forgetfulness", i. e. on the essential need to
exercise vigilance so that trivial matters. which do
not deserve to be r egarded as pleasurable, cannot
possible ill - treat you. Furthermore, it is stated
as "Pi),arapella appiyam'.
AppiYQm. any sense-object which is not lovable
or pleasurable, piyarapell<l. under the pretence of being
lovable. and pleasurable. p.lII1<ll/a/1l. , make or prevails
upon) a forgfltful or throughtlcss person. attil'attati,
su ffer immensely.
It is Dukkha-sacca, the truth of suffering.
from the viewpoint of
Though a sense is not lovable. it
to be charming. cuI tinting lov,' and cruel!y
to suffer. These are th,' things or objects which
people usually st'C. hear. snwl\' ('ontact, and
Plainly seen with th" nal-"d eye. It would appear a
127
Puriibheda Suttn Dhantnta
"h" or "nlale
lJ
. b' t is "a being", or C t' '
the visual 0 Jec . d with a misleading
. f male" which are perceive
or. e I bl and facinating. That is the reason
notion as ova Ie kering after these ostensibly lovable
why people are lan f' f
. L k' g at these from the point 0 view 0
thmg
s
. _ k
o
mi' dge they are simply found as mere
Vipassana now e, _ _ . d
t al php.nomena of rtipa-/l/JlIIlJ, matter and ,
- arising and disappearing, and as. bemg
. t suf fering and Non-Self. These will also
Impertnanen " fiT th
. d as detestable and horr ibl e. I t le ru
be perceive .
is re:11ized as such. these sensations wIll have no
strength or power to ill-treat you. It has also been
sta ted as "dukkham sukll<l.isa r Opella."
The gist of this dictum is that a\l dukkha-dhamma,
painiul and unpleasant phenomenal conditions.
in realit" are mpre sufferings, assume the role of JOY
anJ hap.llil .s in disguise. and cruelly pounce upon
and ill -treat a thoughtless and forgetful person.
As :1 matter of fact. all animat e or in:1nimate
things with which people at present have come into
contact. or found. give rise to or induce "pain and
suffering" called "f)lIkkh.I-SJcccl", the Truth of Suffer-
ing. fro,n the of an Ariya. the Noble One,
who perceives them in their true colour with the eye
of Vip USJII]-licl(IJ. At every moment of seeing with
the eye-base, all these are found to be ceaselessly ari-
sing and vanishing. and are therefore miserable. Simi-
lar perception takes place at every moment of hearing,
smelling, eating, contacting, imagining and knowing.
However. to those who are unable to contemplate and
note for being forgetful or unmindful without having
the insight knowledge of Vipassana, these miseries
would seemingly appear as being pleasurable and good.
Because of this worldlings are always crav-
ing for things, trivial or not, with pleasure and de
light hoping against hope that they would one day
128
It is Dukkba-sacca from the viewpoint of V'
IP"I ..
find real happin'!ss. This truly illustra t
that what is really "dllkkl " ff' es the fact
tr eating pretending to be are cruelly ill .
Therefore, it is of paramount
note these dukkha-dhamma;everytime they occur and
with diligence. If on attaining Arahatshi
one WII\ become always mindful without
w.hereby no. such dukkha-dhamma can possibly subject
him to Ill.t reatment. As a d'
ldl" - n or mary
,:,or lUg ,;,ho IS presently practising Vipassana medita-
tIOn, he Will better off to the ext ent he is capable
of contemplatlUg and noting with mindfulness.
The statement that a thing is not really plea.
surable as mentioned in Udal/a-dis,lIu;, conveys the
same sense as siitiyesli. pit asurabl e things, as stated in
this Pur abheda Sutta. Hence, car0 should be exer.
cised not to allow oneslf flow into asurable sensa
tions. If pleasurable attachmrnt or craving occurs to
those who cannot practise Vipassanj meditation. they
should take care not to permit themselves to get to
the extreme. A person who is meditating Vippasanli
must continuously contemplate and note all occurren-
ces arising out of the six sensedoors to prevent him-
self from drifting towards pl easurabl
to
conditions. If
pleasurable attachment takes place. it should be reje-
cted by contemplating and noting. Th'! process of
rejection should continue to carried on relentlessly
by contemp13ting and noting until it reaches Ariya-
magga-/ia11ii, since it has been stated that :he pleasura-
ble conditions. according to Dhamma. drtft alo,ng up
to the stage of Gorrabilli. If rcjec.tion is done 10 the
manner stated, ariya-magg., ';lIi11<l Will ultimately be rea
ched. The Motto has, therefore . been couched as:
"Flowing not into the stream of pleasurable
sensa tions.
d
II 1. and gentleness maintained;
With pride Ispe' l
F. 17
12Y
puriibbeda Sutta Dbanuna
Gaining wisdom and credulit y unenter t ained.
Cravings detached by away., "
Constituting his six noble attnbutes In array.
According to this Motto. an Upasanta individual
. whom kilesii have become extinct. is endowed with
10 'b "Fl
the six noble attribut es. The fir st attn ute: ow
ing not into the stream of pl easurable sensations",
has been alr eady explained t o make you understand.
The next attribut e is s tat ed as: "atimiine ca lIoyuto."
Do not uDder estimate tbe otber
The meaning of the above Pii li phrase is: "One
shculd not be arrogant and haugh t y with self-pride
or conceit by belittling the other and r egarding him
as a nonenit y. unwor thy of attent ion. "It is impor.
tant that one should not under es t imat e the other in
both the aspec ts of worl dly affai rs and Dhamma. Low
estimation of a person in respec t of worldly affairs.
may have refer ence to hi s lineage. or financial stand
ing. or education, Do not disparage a person in
any mannoI'. since it may evontua\ly be found to be
a blunder. If by holding a poor opinion of a person
who is really descrving of high E: stimation or regards.
one may get into troubl e. I will rdate to you a story
in thi3 connection.
During Buddha', life-time, king Pasenadi Kosala
daily invitf)d five- hundred Sangh:i5 and offered them
meals. The Sanghas led by A<;hin A'1anda availed them.
selves of the invitation and accepted the offering of
meab. The himself took the lead in serving
meals for a perIOd of Seven days in succession. For
the remaining days, however, the king was unable to
do so .. He did not delegate others to per-
the duttes. eIther. Without specific orders and
cument of duties. no on .. daud to carry out what
130
Nine qualities of a good benefactor worthy of esteem
was requi:ed be done. the place of the
to, Sanghas belOg the king's residential palace.
the case. even no seating arrangements or aCCOlDo.
dallon were made for the fitting reception to lie
to the Sanghas. A good number of the
Sa?ghas had therefore left the place. for Dot
provld.ed with seats. On the following day.
similar condItion prevailed and a good many of th
Sanghas to l eave the place. On the third
only, AshlO Ananda was left alone at the place of
offer 109, the r est of the Sanghas having departed from
the .place where feasting ceremony was to take place.
Ashm Ananda. of course, remained out of mere COD-
sideration. regard being had to the faith and genero-
sity of the benefactor. This unsatisfactory state of
affairs was switnessed by the king himself when he
came over to the place personally. Having found
Ashin Ananda alone, and all dishes of rice and curry
becoming redundant or rather, wasted. the king felt
very sorry and upset. He therefore. proceeded to the
Buddha to whom he respectfully put up as "Oh, DIY
Lord! I had extended my invitation to five-hundred
Sanghas to honour me with their presence at my re&i
dential palace for meals. However. only Ashin J.nawiil
had turned up." He further inquired as to why otaer
Sanghas had failed to recognize him and visit Ilis
place in response to his request.
Nine qualities of a good benefactor wortby of esteem
Having heard the king's statement. the Enlighteoed
One spoke: "Oh. king! My disciples. the
have probably failed to visit your place for not
familiar with you." Then the Buddha furthe.r pomted
out saying: "The Sanghas shall not them-
selves with or come into close contact bene
factor who doeS not possess the nine qualItIes.
Buddha then proceeded to preach that the Sans s
131
puriibheda Sutta Dhamma
benefactor and pay a visit to h is
would call ?n a benefactor was endowed wit h t he
house, only If t he . h considered as r equis it e.
nine qual ities, whlc were .
These nine qualities are as enumerated below.
G 1 ) To stand up and welcome courtesy.
2 ) To pay obeisance by worshlppmg.
3 ) To allocate a proper wit h rever ence.
e 4 ) Not t o hide things whi ch he has
e 5 ) To donat e as much as he can, If he
plent y.
e 6 To donate only what is good, if he has any.
e 7 ) To give t he donation in a respect ful mann.er.
( 8 ) To t ake a s itting pos ture close enough to
listen to the sermon a ttenti vely, and .
( 9 ) To list en to the preaching wit h
Furthermore, the Lord Buddha gave his preachmgs
recounting the story of Kaysava, a hermit, who
fully provided with delicious meals and good
by the king Viiranasi (of Benares) who was not fam1har
with him, had become det eriorated in his health to
the point of near death; and only later when meeting
with his disciples, both laymen and ascetics, who were
his close intimates, he was r estored to normal health
within a few days aft er having been provided with
fresh fruits and fl eshly roots for his consumption.
Self- conceit of the members of Cakya (Sakya) clan
It had thus occurred to the king that he should
try to get familiar or rather we\1-acquainted with
the monks and Sanghas. He thought of finding an
t)pportunity to make himsE-1f related by marriage t o
the militant race of Cakyiis. Hfl therefore sent out
his emissaries to ask for the hands of a daughter of
the Cakya royal family. The State of Cakka, which
was the place where Cakylis lived and ruled, happened
to be one of the semi-independent States in the country
132
Self- conceit of the memders of Cakya (Sak),a) clan
of Kosal a. It is something I ike on" of the . .
I ' . ' pnnclpa-
Itles of the Shan states within Burma, undH the
tutelage of thl' ancil' nt Burmese kings. There upon.
Cakya rul ers had imagined that refusal to compiv with
the express demand made by king Kosala would pro-
babl y l and them in trouble. Members of the Cakya
were ext remel y proud and arrogant. Being
conceited , they considered themselves as belonging to
the nobl est race. Egoism had driven them to hold
view that t heir women-folks should not , under any
CIrcums tances, marr y anyone other than their own race
or clan. They were indeed very cl annish and had a
dogmatic feeling of racial superiorit y. They. there-
for e, convened an emergency mee ting for consultation
among t hemsel ves.
When deliberations were made , king Mahanam told
that he had a daughter born of one of his Maids-{)f-
honour, a mistress, and suggested that this girl should
be offered to king Kosala. She was not a real maid-
servant though. Ancient absolute rulers regarded the
peoplE! as servants. She might belong to a class of
rich family but not a lineage of Cakya royal family.
This ad vice given, was unanimously accepted by all
those present at the mee ting, and hence, the king's
daughter, a common girl, was [prop-sed to be given
in marriage. This, of course, amounts to playmg a
trick on King Kosala who had asked for a Royal
Princess a pure descendant of the Cakya familY A
, . d
person not knowing that deception has practIse on
him, is usually pleased and satisfied: but when the
truth is known, he can become terribly angry.
Later, when King Mah'inam' s half -cast e daughtl'r
handed over to King Kosala' s they
was d h to th ' ir King. The 109
her away and prcsentc er l I bl od of the
belieVing that the girl was of purl' rop 0
133
puriibhcda Sutta Dhnmma
Cakya family. was reall y del ighted and made her his
, f Q H r was " Vasabakha tt iyii". Later.
Chle ueen, e ' h
h
b
' th to a son The name gIVen to t e young
s e gave rI , f d f
, " V'\a\uba" The King being ver y on 0
prince was I' , d h '
his young son s ince his infancy. , t e ponce
though still young. as Commander- in-Chief of the
Army,
When Vita\uba was about seven years old. he
asked his mother whether she had no r elatives on her
side. s ince he had never received gifts from his, mater.
nal grandma and aunts while others. a lot of his play
mates. had received gifts of toy-elephants . toy-horses
etc. He further inquired if the Queen Mother was
still living. The prince' s mother r ealizing that trou-
bl e would brew if the truth were r eveal ed . wilfully
told a lie that her parents and relatives were of the
royal blood of the famous Cakya Clan residing in
Kapilavastu. She mentioned that King Mahanam of
Kapilavastu was her royal father and that the said
King was therefore. the prince's grand-father, She
further comforted her son that no gifts could be
sent to him as all of them were residing in a far
distant land.
When the young prince reached the age of Sll(
teen. he sought his mother's permission to allow him
to visit his grandfather. King Mahanam. and his mater
aal kinsmen. His mother at first refused to give per,
JD,ission but that he insisted upon her to allow him to
proceed to Kapilavastu. The insistence was made so
frequently that she was unable to prevent her son from
abandoning his idea of visiting her relatives. Event
*"ally she had to give in. Vasabakhattiyii then sent
prior intimation to that there might
be any unpleasantness or hitch on her son's arri
val. Prior information was so furnished as she fearc4
134
Vitatiiba was slighted
of the Cakya family might
109 we come to her son Vi!alu"ba d not give a
coldl t an might even
y reat him with disrp.spect.
Vltn!iiba was sllgbted
Royal Family of Cakya Clan had earlier sent
P
lac b f prmces younger than Vitatiiba to a remote
e e ore the arrival dat f P " . ,
Vitat "b h d ' e 0 rmce When
war u a e their place, they accorded a very
I m re ception, He was even introduced to the elder.
,y member s of the royal family of Cakva point
out as ,to who was who. such as. King himself
h hiS, grandfather. uncles and so no. Vita tuba
then paid his respects to all elders who wer'e in-
to him. He then remarked that it was sur
pnsl?g to find no one who would have to pay respects
to him. In r eply. the Cakya rul ers stated that at the
moment. all younger princes had gone' t o a far off
place. Lat er. they held a ceremonious feast in his
honour.
When he returned home aft er his sojourn for
two or thr ee days at the Capital City. a servant of
the Royal Cakya family was said to haye washed and
cleaned up the places with cows' milk uttering at the
same time. "This is the plac e where the son of a
maid-servant. Viisabakhattiya, had sat." The time of
cleansing with the milk inridentally coincided with
the time when one of Vi(a(uba's army officials had
returned to the place to take back a small weapon
which was left behind inadvertently, He had seen how
cleansing was done and what sort of disparaging
remark was made while washing off the place. After.
wards. this official went on gossiping among his friends
that VitalOba's mother was not a genuine prin
cess of tile royal family but the daughter of a maid-
servant. This rumour. or rather. neWS had spread
135
P uriibheda Sutta Obam
mB
had ultimat el y reached the ears
all over the ar ea and '-b The st artling news
P
rince, VI !a!u a. d
of the young , vengeance, he ma e a
d
I ' and swearing , ' k
had enrage 11m, , ht carr y on with theIr wor
vow that t hese peopl e th pl ace with cows' milk
of sweeping and a king, the s ame place
but t hat when he h blood from the throats of
would be cleansed wIth t e
the Cakya Royal Famil y. .
How Cakya ruic.-s had to face disaster {or self- conceIted
, when Vl taluba succeeded
Therefor e. at one time t hrone the kingdom of
his father and ascended , the state of Kapil avas tu
Kosala. h,e with the intention of
along wIth hiS arme ' I of Cakya
killing all the members of t he royal fan; 1 Yffa ' r s t he
clan Seeing this unfortunate state 0 a I ,
Lord Buddha made his way to where the t r oops were
advancin t; towards Kapilavastu. and E no:
fight ani cause bloodshed. Three ti mes, t he xa t e
One had to prevent Vita!uba fr om declar m,g war uPo,n
his own kinsmen. Vitatliba, t her efore, withdrew hiS
armed forct's and retreat ed. But on the fourth occas-
sion Vitat uba or dered hi s troops to mar ch , on
to Kapil avas tu for an in vas ion. t he Buddha
indifferent without de t erri ng Vitatuba. for eseemg
in any akUSl l a dlllmlllJ of the pas t would certamly
befall on Cakya rulers . After entering the city
wall s with all hi, t roops , Vi\a\uba order ed that all
members of Cakya royal family be execut ed except
king Mahanam and who wer e found to be pr,e-
sent with his grand father. the king. All the dare-devils
of Vi\a\uba as sassina t ed all those peopl e who admitted
their lineage as being descended from the Cakya royal
family. They did not ,:ven spare the lives of babes
in their mother 'S arms. Only a few who wcr e found
ill close proximity with Mahanam king afld those
who inadvertently utt ered as " grass" whp. n asked who
136
How Cakya r ulers had to face disaster
for being self- conceited
they were. whil e eu ttlO
fright and sl ip of the t
i5
grass, and so 00, through
a d
ongue, not being 'd
s from Caleya f 'I Consl cred
ami y. wer e left unharmed
The reaSOn for meeting thi f' .
by the entire Cakya ' Royal F: and misery
of the ir own superior it y-com Y was Simply becausa
ting people other than th ' P ex and sci f conceit Irea-
, elr own race as b' I,
born, Ignobl e and infe rior t o th Wh clOg 0\\ -
egoistic, it is natural for I ekn d'lf becomes
th Th 00 Own upon
o er s . ey would also speak slighting oth I
the per sen t day also. there ar e a b ers. n
h If num er of ppople
w 0 ar e se - centred and self concel' ted - - b
. t bl ' . . , can e
In rou e If not as serious as suffered bv ti." Caky:!
Cla,n. They are li able to be deprivei of hela
ass istance when need arises. There wert also instan-
ces wher e people got into t rouble and d-st ' f
I
, h . I rfSS or
s Ig tlng an enemy.
What has now bee n s tated conc rns munuane
a ff airs, However . the fundamental point stressed in
the present desan( is to dispel the feeling of om's
own superiority- complex which makes a person look
down upon others. from the aspect of Dhanma. To
elucidate this point. it may be stated that a person
may r egard others as inferior to him thinking: "This
man does not come up to the required standard of
qualit y in SUa and is far behind ml' in purit)
of moral conduct . Bo' cannot upkeep th Dhamllla
just as I havt' done. He is unable to practise Kamma-
thana m"d ita tion. Neither is he pious or religious-
minded. He is uncivilised, worthless <lnd ignorant,
etc." If one considers another as inferior to himself.
hc beroll1t's au tomatically s. I. conceited. H, way t hen
fl:d pr oll (l of h imself as: "My Si/a. moral conduct .
is more pur if ied t han oth, rs. I'm full y ;Jccomplished
with the nobl e Dhamma. ;'vl y d for t s in practi sing
meditation bear fr uit .1Ot! .11'1 f t':llly fCl r r . lchillg.
F. 18
137
Puriibhcda Sutta Dbammn
an Ar l
'ya- '" and so on, If
Sot'ipanna. '.
I've become a " , d there is nO fau l t. In any
't t rue as Imagme ' I th
I were Id t have underestimated t 1e 0 er
case. one ht n:
avc
t hought very highl y of himself.
though he mb g, g that it might ult imately prove to
The r eason has imagined, Some time l ater . the
a hi gher stage in t he progr ess of
ot er mIg ,
insight t han he had achIeved,
Thinking highl y of one's own self is, mana.
' t This mall :! is not onl y present m t he mmd
concel . I ' A ' - or Noble
f
ord inary worldl ing. h11 t a so m 1'1yas ,
o an d ' d A -g-mls
Ones. such as Sotapannas. Saga agJ,mls . an na, a .
Nevertheless. the peculiar feature IS that , feelIng of
pride or m (jlll whi ch t akes p iau in the of the
Ariyas. onl y arises dependmg upon theIr own r,eal
attainment of the attributes, It is not that t hey,
highl y of themselves wit hout reason. Hence. ,thIS k1,nd
of malltl is call ed ),ellhii -mana. It means takmg pnde
with honour wher e it should.
Ordinary worldlings may think themselves great
taking pride in mere triflings , Such kind of false-
pride is called "X),aliIlIVam(lna",
On becoming a Sotapanna hy practising Vipassana
meditation. this false-pride c"lIed "Ayiiliulvamiina" is
freed. However. this kind of m'/lla which occurs in
connection with one's real attribute still lingers on.
lt will be eradicated completely when reaching the
stage of arahatta-magga by practising Vipassanii medi-
tation in serial order stage by stage. This desana or
teaching. therefore. has said that efforts should be
made to meditate seriously until one reaches the state
of arahalla-magga-phala and becomes an Arahat to get
rid of his mana entirely.
The Motto has therefore stated as: "Flowing not
iDto the stream of pleasurable sensations. with pride
138
Manncr of becoming gentle both phYSically and verbally
dispell ed gentleness maintained." After the 'pride'
has been comesJj'gentleness . It means "to
be gentl e III bodily action , verbally. and mentally."
Manner of becoming gentle both physically and verbally
To become ge ntle phYS icall y or rather in bodily
beh av iou r . one should avoid all act s detrimental or
harmfu l to other s and should do things as much ali
possible for the good of all, i. e" virtuous deeds.
Ther efor e, killing. s tealing other people's property, rob-
bing and committing adultery. which consti t ute indul.
gences in physi cal and immor al conduct. or vices,
should be avoided.
To be gentl e verbally - gentleness in speech - may
be explained as totall y abst aining fr om talking lies.
back- bitings or slander, or abusing or utt ering obscene
words. and talking fri volously. the four vu( iduccarilas
or sins of speech.
Of the said two stated above, to be gentle and
polite in words or speech is mor e important than to
be gentl e in physical actions or behaviours. It is
because. among those who have a religious bent of
mind, only a few will be found to be rude ,in their
physical behaviour. Concerning that
has sprung up in the mind will ordmanly fmd an outlet
or expression through the makes
utterrances. polite or vulgar , eitll('r mtentlOnally or
inad ver tently, Any per V['f se or ind iscreel u ttcrrances
should therefore be avoided.
Gentle character of the mind
f
the mind is that
The meaning of gentleness 0 ,
one should b0 free from
lawfully or unfairly wIshmg to ?O_'r ruly thoughts
property. And also. ill - wil1 should
wishing others to suffer d"at or c
139
puriibheda Sutta Dhnmma
i
.. fib ll'nfs such as:
be dispell ed. "Micehe/dillli, a 5c e L ,
k
"" no good or beneficial
" non-existence of '!llIIma, ."
r esult of kamlll{/," and "no future should
b
II d and
banished. In short, It means to say
e e . d d ' d
that one should have a good and virtuotlS mm eVOI
of malignant feelings towards others.
Good and virtuous thoughts comprise t he ge.ntle
Bodhipakkhiya Dhamma, such as, t he four
of mindfulness. Hence, meditation t hrough mmdful-
nesS the four Sat ipanhanas - should always be pr ac-
tised. Sammappadhanam, r ight exe rt ion, f our in num-
ber , should also be put in. If cont empl ation and
noting is cont inuall y done based upon t he four founda-
tions of mindf ulness, harsh forms of ment al thoughts
or acti vities will have no chance to occur. The mind
will then become v(, r y gentl e. If the four Satipallhiinas
ar e being practised, it would appropriat ely embrace
the four S'I/I/III .1 p;ulhiillam, t he f our iddhip(ldas, the five
illdriyas, the f ive bolas or forc es strength), the seven
bojjhaligl1s, and the eight magg(//igas otherwise known as
(/ri),11 allhatigiko maggo, call ed the bodhipakkhi.1'o dlwmma
(which is made up of thirty- seven constituents of trtle
knowl edge .
Therefore, if Satipanhana Dhamma is developed,
not only thll mind but also both physical and mental
become gentle. This is to say that a per-
son who is developing Vipassanii mindfulness. will
invariably weigh things doing anything. and
do things if only it is considered proper. He will not
perform any act casually or haphazardly. When he is
going to speak. he will think and ponder .upon what
is to be spoken sensibly and speaking
or talking too. he to contemplate and note.
By doing so, he will undoubtpdly restrain himself
from uttering harshly or rudely. Every time any
thoQght or imagination arises. it must be necessarily
140
Knowledge which is easily comprehensihle
cont emplat ed a nd noted A
viour will barely tak' . s such, coarse beha
it will not last long or eve n if It Occurs.
fo . f . J pass away There
all physical:
d
e aVlOurs WIll purified
an ge ntl e. Moreover, s ince Bodh 'lpaK' . h' Dh
b
I . Iya ammas
ar e em r aced, as may be relevant at
t. ' ever y momr' nt of
eo:platmg and noting whil e pr ac tistng and dewlo
mg mmdfulness meditation it has b .'
Niddesa P'T . "s . ' . een enuncIat ed III
h ' h ,\ I as. .allelll satlpalli/{jll c/li scJmmailntigato" ,
W . IC means accomphshment is achieved with gentle
mmdfulness.
The Motto goes to say:
" Flowing not into the s tream of pleasurable
sensations, With pride dispelled and gentleness
maintained. Gaining wisdom .... "
Knowledge which is easily comprebensible
After "gentleness" , cernes refl ective knowlcdgi or
wisdon with which a person should be equipped. Is
connection with Pari),atti. one should have pa!ibillina
knowledge, i. e. easy comperhension or wit. He should
also possess intelligence and be abl e to speedily grasp
the Dhamma connect ed with Pa/ipatti, practical eXercise
of Vipassana meditation. As regards any problematic
question that is advanced, he must be in readiness to
reply intelligently with presence of mind. Relating to
Pari),lltri. it would appear in the knowledgeable mind of
a person who has accumulated the knowledge of scri
ptures. stich as, PiilL Commentarie5 and Tikas. as to
What is to be spoken readily when refl ected in the
course of his delivering the sermon.
To a person who systematically practises Vipa.i.w-
nci Dllan/ma, with diligpnce, this Pl1lihillill<! know\ edgl'
likely to occur. even without taking How It
happens is that one who has had his practice ol me
141
puriibheda Sutts Dhamma
ditation may readily grasp the profound of
h
t of Dham
ma relating to nipa IIl1mu and also
t e conc('p .
Vipassalltl. He may even easilY and deL ply . apprecIate
though the preacher has made a mere mentIOn of the
gist of the Dhamma.
Becomes reall) learned only after practising meditation
Persons who have already indulged .in
the practical exercise of Jipassami wIll. eas Ily
understand the of what is contamed 10 the
scriptural texts by just reading through it. All which
have not been properly understood before, will perhaps
be clearly grasped. A great teacher had .once
that he had passed his examinat ions on scr Iptures WIth
credit and that he had also taught others. He then
consid. red himself as being r eally learned. However,
it was fOlmd to be wrong, simply because the philo
sophical aspect of the Dhamma which had not been
fully grasped before was vividly comprehended only
after he' had practised meditation.
It is true and correct. Th is comprehension of
the deeper meaning of the Dhammas and scriptural
writs is the knowledge or intellect called PatibhOlla-
iiuQ<J which is achieved through Vipassana meditation.
This knowledgf' more obvious to persons who
have m'.:\itat,'d after having learned thl' lessons in
Dhamma. is quite distinctive because it is not
the bookknowlr:dge. What hag now bepn stated is the
manner in which P"libluilla knowledge has happened
relating to Pari}alli.
Tbeoretieally easy but practically difficult
In connection with the practical exercise of Vi pas
sanii M"ditation, i. p. Pa(ipalli, the manner of gaining
Pa/ibhima knowlp.dge is that, it would easily arise in
the minos of those meditators what are feasible to be
practised and done if they would just reflect relating to
142
Namariipa pariccheda iial,la
the of Pafipalli. The abilitvt I) .
r elatlOg to pafipJlli' th : grasp the SCflptures
dge connectp.d w.th
lS
e. qualIty of pa/ibluj/la
D
, I Pill/palli As .
hamma which is in naturr. ." . T.egards practical
r ealized by a person h h' pa!lIeda, It wdl bp. clearly
. . w 0 as carr led 0 t .
exercIse 10 meditation. What . u. pr'lct lcal
the natural phenomena of /'Ii IS _ meant by It is that
without difficulty in a theor can t;xpla ined
However, it is not e Ica way. It b quite pasy
Dh
so easy as to 0
amma from the pract I 0 appreciate the
t f
Ica POlOt of view A
er 0 fact, it is extr"mely dOff I . <; a mat
ha 0 , I ICU t. A 0' 1'50 h
s serIOusly practised m"dt. t' 0 0' n W 0
know with his personal 0 ' .1 ,il Ion will dlstmguishingly
nature of Dham . IOSl
g
nt_ knowledge all the true
to perceive and
ma
relatlOg to ruPel/klllln, which are hard
. understand. At Hery lI10/Opnt of
and n?ting, it will b" known
e matenal mattrr or rup.l, which b th"
sense.obJe.ct no:ed and realized, is quit difierrnt
the knowlOg-mlOd , the 1I01/la.
Niimariipa pariccheda iia,!a
Analytically s t ated according to the scriptural
texts, the rtipa Dhanlilll consists of P.lIJuv', r.po Itja.
viiyo, etc., the elements of e:lfth, water II dt
fO h qUi I \ ,
Ir e or wind or air and so on, totalling twcnty-
elght (28) 10 number (comprising "el. mentarv matter'
and "accidental matter". Common or worldly mind named
"akusiti" consisting of eighty one 81 kinds, together
with fifty-two (52) "cetasik /", m.-nldl formations or
factors, is nam,I. All these con<;titute thf' form and
Iluma - body and mind, the IOdivldu;J1. forrn111g an
aggregat e of material elements and propertl's, the
so ca1\nd 'body', and mental khandhis, called nlima. It
had got to be 1l1fntiollu\ in figures Hithmetically to
cmphasis(' the fact that ther, IHf onh two of these,
namdy, rlil''' Jnd iii/lilli, maltN and mllld, iound in
the scriptural I.-xts or books of Vhanmll. Hnwe\,('r,
143
p uriibheda Sutta Dhllntn11l
that art' present in the
these arc not the "S U". Mer ely knowing
personality of a Inan ca e P 'c:heda Imowledg which
a
s such is not Nli/llaflipii- an : . the know
I' "10 and (lIpa, I. e,
distinguishing.ly . rea .Izhes tween mind and matter.
I d
that dlStlOg
UIS
es e J t thO k
e ge . I SaFlfll1 perception. us lO
This knowledge IS .od
n
2
Y
8 at;ers man has no feminine
Out of the sal m' . f'
over. , A has also no mascult ne IgUfl'.
from of figur e. woman son who
Th I
0 of the 81 mental elements, a per .. ,
en as, . h ntal acttvltles
has not attained jllii/la, will ave no me h the mind
called rtiplil'ac<lra-<lfliplil'aca(J. Only Arahats ave,
that caus,," to become, called Maltiikariya.
have no such mental faculty. . cou I e
the real personal knowledge that
the Dhamma or conditions which do nO.t abide 10 one.s
own personality? No, it cannot possibly be. It IS
merely Ih.- knowkdg{ of SmiM.
The DbanlJua is realicd tbougb ill iterat e or unlearned
PQoplo who are now meditating, although
ma y b.- illiterate and are unable t o read and Write,
reali ze or know dt;tin'(uishingly t he dist incti ve featu-
reS o[ matter and mi nd through his own per sonal in-
sight or wisdom. At c\'er y t ime it is contemplated
and noted. it will b' personall y reali zd t hat ther e are
onl y t wo kinds. bd ng ( Opa. matter , which is the
objec t to known. and the other- ntima. mind that
knows. Si mil ar realization will occur whenever seeing,
or . hearing. or sm<:l ling. and eating takes place. Act
of touching or t ac tility, has a very wide scope. All
acts of bending. st retching. walking. standing. sitting.
lying. moving and changing the postures, are included
in it. Hence. when bending and stretching, the Mind
that imagines or inclines to bend or stretch is One'
The actual act s of hending. stretching and moving is
another. whereas t he noting Mind is quite separate.
It can be differentiated an(1 clearly known. The same
144
Can .
arls mg and dissolution be k
nown by mere statement ?
prOCess and knOwledgl' tak" I
on. Imagining and kno ' "p ace wh',n walking and so
aw Wtng, or rather' .
areness as well as n t' ' Imagmation and
h' 0 109 and awa
W Ich has the faculty of k "rcn('ss are /ltill/f1,
stiffness are rupa '''h' h h nowlng. Motivation and
, . ' ., IC ave no 0 ' .
arlStng phenomena of' _ ,c nSCIOUSnf'Ss. The
h
/loma-rupa 10 pa'
get er are vividly known b Irs combined to-
y personal realiZation.
Can arising and dissolution be k
nown by mere statement?
Furthermore. some peo I" ...
contemplate on "arisin a
P
" are tdllng others to
having had g nd dissolutIOn" without
any personal experienc f th
of the transient natur f e 0 e realization
are Simply contem I _ e 0 matter and mind. They
and mentally
is quite unnatural A Y _ . p. rceptlOn. ThiS
t n I t
. ogJ who IS continuallv con-
e Ip a mg and t' 'I -
d
. no mg, WI I truly percrive these matter
an mtnd the -p ,
. . rll a-llama, at every moment of their
and will become aware of them both at the
begmnmg of their arising, and dissolution
foll ows when his pOwer of concentration
mat ure. For ins t ance, when painful sensation
whil e he is not ing as "painful". "painful", with fixed
concen t r at ion, t he painful sensations lVill be clearl y
found to be arising and disappearing falling away
part by part. Such occurrences wil\ be revealed and
perceived with his mind's eye as if they are known
and fe lt by the touch of his hands without the
to say or utter by word of mouth.
Thl' n also, pili. joy or rapture, and Ptl,H,/tIt1hi. calm-
nt)ss , a r e rarely appreCiated by mer" book- knowledge.
However. a Yogi who is llleditating, whrn reaching
the s t age of lld./y"bb.lVa-liiin/ . wi ll definitely realize pili
and s ince they occur More
OVer. cC' lcIsik,.1 " h,/llIm,l, call (, d c. /,/tI'(/l1If1i jhatralti" can hardly
be known by mere book- knowlr dgl', Thl's,' wil\' how-
F. 19
145
Puriibhcda SuUa Dhumm:l
ever. be noticed with mental awareness au tomatically
without making effort when the stages of ucloyubboyo
licilla and saliklu/rllpekkhci"iti(1IJ ar c r..: ached. On reaching
stages. these wiJI be clearly found equally
balanced. And on a tt a inmen t 0 f scuikll(/I'llpekkhtiiiii(ta.
all sensations which ar e to known. will be known
and realized without special effort as they occur spon
taneouslY.1nd that awar eness of noting bec omes obvious
on its own as it takes place automatiolly. At that
moment. thr sensation that i;; known and the knowing
mind. whil e in the proceSs of kno\ving and disappear.
ing. will be found incessantly ar ising and vanishing.
Hence, their inherent nature of impermanence. is
extremely obvious. Similarly. it will be cl early mani
fest ed that they arc by nature m'l re dllkklu. suffering.
and aI"llta. unsubstantiality without the living entity.
For having personally r eali zed with clarity and
without ambiguity in the courst' of contemplating and
noting. the natural characteristics of allie-ca. dukkha
and cIIl.lllll of the phenomenal occurrences will be clearly
perceived through knowledge reflected upon even
while taking '\ hrief respit e without meditating. Al so,
if contemplated and usual insight know
ledge will be gained. If he is a il'Hson who had once
reached the stage of the of sOlikhiil'os. he
would reach back to the state of such a cessation
while contemplating and noting. If again he reflects
with retrosp.ction on what bas r.lr"ady been achieved,
realization will again take place as before. This quick
and easy resuscitation of his <lpprehension of the
nature of Dhamma every he reflects with retro
spective effect, is the attrihute of the p{/{ibhiilla know.
ledge relating to PGfimlho.
The knOWledge of p,l{ibhiin,/ connected with the
questions on scriptures will readily come into the
head of a person who has taken a course of lessons
146
Knowing is nobler than beliet iog
to be ahle to tackle the .
In the like questIOns relating to pariyQlt1
, nnner. on" who is ac l' h .
knowledge of insight m 'd t. t ' . comp IS cd with the
dtehal with
e qualtttes of Pll!,bhalla.,iiil/Q in so far as 'q t' ,
are concerned a h I ues Ions
. . ne s ou d be accomplished with the
three klOds of pU{ibhtillcJ as stated . t
Therefore. the motto has to say ' as follows: JUS now.
not into the stream of pleasurable
sensatIOns.
With pride and gentleness maintained
Gaining wisdom ... "
Not believing just because others have said
It has been as: "No sac/dllo 110 rajjali!'
This means: No faith or firm belief has arisen because
others have stated with a mistaken view that it is
palibhtina knowledge. If that is so. it would have
amounted to saying that there IS no faith. In actual
it to say that onp should be accomplished
With Wisdom after his p('rsonal realization of the
Dhamma and not just by bl indly bel ieving the other
with full confidence and reliance. The expression
"no soddllo" if literally translated. convpys the meaning
of "not having faith". It has bem preached so. in
order to differentiate between "brlieving in what others
have said" and "personal realization or knowledge."
If one has no knowledge of his own. he will believe
what others would say. To put it in another way,
if it is known and realized personally. it will not be
necessary to believe what others have said. The term
"lIa slIdrlll,," has been expressed in the preaching of the
Buddha to make the ahove clearly known.
Knowing Is nobler than believing
To cite :tn cXlmpl,,; Even among p"oplc in Burma.
those who have not heen to thr Shwcolagon pagoda.
l47
puriibhella Sutta Dhamma
will have to note and keep in memory as
' true or rather , believing what others have said in
connect ion wit h the said shr ine. If they havo per
sonall y vis ited the Shwedagon pagoda and .have observed
it closely, it will be unnecessary to take It for granted
what others have told them is true. In the same
manner, a person who has no per sonal of
the vip.ISS.lI/.; dh.mlm.l concerning mllgg
tl
phala-Illbbana,
shoul d believe what others would preach accor d ing t o
the script ures. It is si mil ar t o the case of people
who bel ieve in t he existence of sput niks or ar t ificial
s:ltellites put into space by means of rocket pro-
puls ion, though they have not personall y seen them
wit h their own eyes. A person who has personally
found and r eali zed these Dhammas rela ting to vipas-
does not bel ieve them mer ely
because others have told him. It is his own personal
achievement and reali zation. This is not believing
others but " knowing the truth".
Th,' Enlight en"d One asked Ashin Sariputtra,
"Sliriput tra ! Do you believe that by developing saddhin-
d,iYllln. th, moral quality of faith, one will r each the
deathless Nibb'ma. the Ultimate? Ashin Sariputtra
answered, "My Lord, in this I don' t bdieve
the word of the Buddha." Puthujjana monks who
heard the answer had misjudgeri Sariputtril. They
imagme.d that Ashin Sariputtra being a Brahmin.
belonging to the Brahmana caste, had not yet believed
iQ the Enlightened One. It would appear justifiable
to thiak as such. Those who have a bias towards
tile doctrine of the Brahmins, do not believe or have
faith in the Dhamma as preached by the Buddha. It
was therefore likely to think so, for the simple reason
that Ashin Sariputtra belonged to the Brahmin caste.
'What is really meant to be said is that Ashin Siiri-
puttra himself had personally realized the fact that
148
Knowing is nobler than
be a tt ain\:,1 by devel oping fa ith. There-
fore , In thiS regard, it was not beliuved just b" cause
Buddha had said so, bu t because the fact as stated
by .the Buddha had per50nall y been r eali zed by Ashin
Sanpu ttni. Just i magine the previous of a
person who had personall y vis ited and HVe ringly
obser ved the Shwedagon pagoda. If he were asked
whether he believed that the main masonry s tructur e
of the Shwedagon pagoda was pl ast ered with golrl -
plates, he would have r eplied that h(' believed so not
because others had told him in as much as he him-
sel f had personall y found it. Yes, indeed. Likewise;
what Ashin Sariputtr a had said that he di d not
believe what was st a t ed , was because he himself had
per sonall y found and r eali zed the truth t hat de\' elop-
ing saddhindri yatil would lead t he way to Nibbana. In
connection with this r eply, Ashin Sar iputtra had been
extoll ed in the Dhammapada as stated below:
" Assaddho aka/wiiiO ca, SIlJldhi c(hedo Cll yo na),o.
Votiivakclso van/liso, sa I'e Ilt/amaporiso.
This is the Verse which has been mentioned and
r ecorded in Dhammapada. a t ext book of Dhamma, refer-
ring to Ashin Sariputta. It is not the verse contained
in this Pur abheda Su tta. However. as it contains
terminology or common usages similar in meaning to
the Verse in this Sutta. mention is made in my prea
chings to enable you to not e and kee p in memory.
}' a _ a certain person. asslIddo, has no faith. Sa - so,
this person ve - actually IIttlllllapoti so. is a noble and
eminent person. This is the direct translation given
without knowing the real int ention. As it is, it will be
entirely wrong and wide off the mark. In the Text of
Alilikd this kind of secret word is call ed PahC/i, a punling
statement. The real meaning in this instance is: Yo
a certain person, assatltlhb. who dos" not believe . the
other with credulity, is one who personally r"ahzes.
149
Pnriibhedn 5nttn Dhammn
th
' - p.rson I'e actually. uIIlImapotiso. is a
Sa- so, 1:; t. , . Th"" 1
remakablr. man of emment personaht
y
... IS IS C ear
enough. Then the word that follows IS.
d
not appnciate the
Akal(liilill a person who oes
indebted to anotht'r. Or in othe.r words. one
does not know how to reciprocatc hIS
the other who has done good to hIm., IS S
usual transliteration. According to thIs. It. convtc
h
y
h
. as ' "a man who does not apprecIate 0 er
t c meaIllng , h b a' d
person's indebt edness" and therefor e. e may e S I
to be a wicked person. Ht cannot be a nobleman. As
such. this carries an opposite meani ng cont rary to
what is e 'pt'cted. As a matter of fact. what it really
means is "a noble person who truly knows what is
III i bbtina ...
Next. the expression" SUlldhicchedo". if ordinarily
int erpreted. means. "a burglar or a thief who commits
house brEaking." This is an undesirable meaning. The
meaning which in essence is. "a person who has
bronght renewed existenceS. samsara.to an end. " In other
words. "onf) who has cut off all links with miseries of
S<lliISe;r<I." This would mean. according to Pa!icca.
samupp,-,da -
' 1
,
One link is what is stated as: "patisalldhi".
rebirth con<;ciousnf'ss. arises in the present
existencr, because of kamma-sllIikl,,;ra. good or
evil deeds of the past existence."
(2 Anoth r link i<; what is stated as: "Iat;lhti
arises becanse of I'edam; in the present
existf)nce."
( 3 The other link is what is stated as: "Future
rebirth takes place because of the present
kamma-hlwl'Cl. existence caused by virtue of
kamma.
150
Knowing is nobler tban believing
arc three links as stated. Among them.
since past and prespnt link!> have arisen. joining
or connect"d with one another. it cannot
possibl y sevpu d. It will not be:. also f(qu ired to
be severed. What is required to be done is to sever
the two links. namely. to prevent thl) linking of vat/alia
to la(lllIl . and to prevent rebirth in th", cxist'- ncc
caused by the arising of new kl/I/I/llu. 0 f th, sad two
links also. preventing Ved,lI1ii to gl!t linked wit h TtI!IItJ
is fundamental. or rather. essential point. What
the prees nt Yogis are contemplating and noting at
every moment of sl!e ing. he(lring. contacting. and
knowing. is to prevent veda",; from linking with
tal)hii. While continuous is carried
on. progressive strides of I ip.lssana insight knowledge
and IIIlgga-iiii!l1. knowledgp of the Path. will take plac!'"
in sequence. and on r"aching or attainlllg urall' lIlu-
magga-phal a. the links of continued rxistl nce.; will all
be severed. Hence. a person who has ;11[( "ld'l Cllt the
connecting link of salilsiira.")'andhiccllec!u' said to
be an eminent or noble person.
The next word is stated as: "halt;wkJ.;n'. 'li<ull'
means ' destroyed;' 'iil'<7/-clsa' means " npportunity" in an
ordinary sense. If it is Im'a nt to say th3t oppportu
nities for getting success in life ann prosperity arl" to
be destroyed. the meaning is uncalled for, The
esssence of the mpaning neod "-d in th is regard is.
"/wliil.ake;so". i. c, a person. who has destrClycd the
opportunity to be reborn or br ing aho\! t fresh !'xisll lice.
is a nobl ... or eminpnt pnson,lgr>,
Then comes another expression nf the words which
I
'S t t d ". t' " In this L,'l'OUP of worns. if it
5 a e as 1\)/1 asa . ','
is to be inturpret ed as "\')/1/ I" thl' d isch3rge that is
vomited. 'clS;)' - is l:atcn. " it would be highly improper
and unfeasible from th,> worldly point of view. The
relvev;lnt meaning rcqllirl in this connection. is that
151
Purlibbeda Sutta Dhnmma
'want ' or 'uesitf' is called 'As(/'. Hence, somr used
to < say that 'asu' pronounced as 'arthur') .can-
not bl' quenched, which, in fact. is meant to mdlcate
insatiabl e appetites or unfulfill ed desires". An
is totally free from all passionate or _ lustful desires ,
and has renounced all desires relating to
affairs and the fulfilment of _ thiS
objective. it has been preached . as Vall/os
o
., I. e"
One who has rejected all deslf "'s resemblIng the
discharg
p
that has been ejected or vomited, Therefore,
the Dhammapada has been transliterated as such,
to arrive at the meaning which is essentially appro-
priate, or rather, what is really intended.
Yo ,'/1m), a man or a certain pr.rson, ussaddllo ca-
wtihout believing the other with full reliance, becomes
realizell. .lk<llilil;Ii Cd - has also clearly seen Nibbiina;
the Unconriitionr:d. S:mdllicchedo C(l- has severed or
remOVe t ,Ill the links of the miseries of SC/lIIsiira.
"J/,lIiil,t1kciw" has also destroyed or eliminated the
opport lnity to be rborn in a fr esh exist pnce . "Valltaso
Cd". Holj has r'>Jected or discarded all kinds of
desires. SI/ so, s\lch a man, or rather , an individual.
Ve - is, ill tdCt. "<t/la/nlpori,o", a noble or an eminent
person.
The significant point stressed in this Verse is:
"not just be\i.wing or credulous by entirely relying
upon whit the other has said. but knowing or becom-
ing aware on his own personal realization or wisdom."
This is fundamentally important. The Dhamma which
one should know must be practised to
achieve personal realization. The phcnomC'nal arising
and dissolution of n;PI-n,jm I, matter and mind, which
are in anicc.l, dukklw, suffering,
and anl/Ia, non-sel f, are Dhammas which ought to be
personally known and realized. These should be
personally practised and developed to become fully
152
Knowing is nobler tban believing
Insight knowledge - Vipssallii-liii(la, the Path and
FruItion, are Dhammas which must be practised to be
clearly known and acquired. A person who has reali-
zed the said Dhammas, need not rely upon and believe
o.thers. Neither should he depend upon and believe in
literature r elating to the scriptural texts of Dhamma.
Nor he depend upon the Buddha. In reality,
he has gained personal realization with awareness on
his own.
The statement made to personally indulge in
meditation to know for himself without believing and
depending upon others, has reference only to mattu
which could be known and realized personally. In res
pect of other things which one cannot know on his own.
he should believe others who are knowledgeable or
learned. Even Ashin Sariputtra had to depend upon
the Lord Buddha in matters beyond his comprehen.
sian, and believed what the Buddha had preached.
Some might with meagre knowl edge refuse to believe
even trivial things on the ground that they have had
no personal experience in the matter concerned. This
is unrealistic. If an experienced traveller gives an
account of a place where he has personally visited,
tbe other who has not been there, should believe him.
Just leave aside people who ha\'e visited and seen
certain places personally. Even what is lerant from
newsprint or information bookl ets, though these may
be !lecond-hand information, will have to be regarded
as most probably true by those who have heard of or read
it. It will be ridiculous if one says that he cannot possibly
believe the information just because he has not perso.
nally seen what is mentioned in the news or informa-
tive material. In regard to Dhamma, it is the same.
If a person who has personally experienced and reali
zed the Dhamma tells another about it which the other
F. 20
153
puriibbeda SuUa Dbamma
has not yet known. it appears reasonabl" to believe
that person who has had his experience and personal
knowledge. Thereafter. believing what is ,stated. it
would be wise for him to personally prac tise so as to
achieve realization of the Dhamma. When personal
realization is gained through diligent practice. it could
fall in line with the desallii. preaching. called "assadd/ro".
Citta. the rich and nat_putta
There was a rich man. an Aniigiimi. by the name
of Citta. during the life time of the Lord Buddha.
One day. Citta, the rich. made hi<; way to one Niita-
putta, the leader of a sect of naked ascetics, called
NigWl/ha. This great teacher Na!aputta was looked
upon as lilla. the Buddha. with great reverence by
the members of the Jain Sect. He had gained popularity
well before our Lord Buddha b"came an Enlightened
One. On his arrival there. teacher Nataputta asked
Citta: "Do you believe that your teacher Shin Gotama
has attained Jhiilll -Samiidhi whereby he is cleansed of
vitakka and \'iea,.,1, and is able to free his mind from
reasoning (reflection. and investigation which have
thus become ceased." ' To this question, Citta replied.
"In regard to tile point relating to the cessation of
,ilakka and vicara, it is not that I have to recognize it
for my having believed the Lord Buddha." This
answer had given Nii\aputta a wrong impression that
Citta. the rich. did not believe Lord Buddha. He
the.refore went on to say' "Hey, my disciples! Look!
ThIS Citta. the rich. is very simple and honest. He
,ays truly and candidly what he has in his mind that
does Dot believe. It is. indeed. not worth believ-
Ing. It is impossible to make vitakka and viea,.a,
become extinct. It is really absurd iust as air cannot
be hold of by a net. or. as the running waters
of the Ganles rivet cannO't' be prevehted from flowing
by the palin \if a clenChed ha1l'd!'
154
Personal kno "ledge versus belieling in what others have said
Personal knowledge versus believing in what others have .ald
N- Such being the case. Citta inquired "Ash'
. which of the two - 'Knowing' and'
mg. IS more noble?" Nfi\aputta repll''''d "'n ' '
mo bl' ' "owIng IS
tellr e e than Beli evi ng'. Citta proceeded to
. , Oh. teacher! I can a t any time enter into the
First JhiIna by virtue of which vitakka and ,-
t ' "cara are
pr esen I . e . , the mind will reason upon and investi
gate subject chosen for contemplation. I can also
mto the Second Jhiina at which stage. the mind
!reed reasoning and investigation-"itakk,1 and
vlcara - while the ecstasy and serenity remain. Then.
I can also plunge myself into the Third Jhiilla where
ecstasy or rapture (Piti) is divested of. and also I
pass on to the Fourth Jhiilla and remain in it. by
which the mind. exalted and purified. is indifferent
to all emotions. alike of pleasure (sukha) and pain."
!Ie then r etorted saying. "Would you therefore think
It necessary for me to rely on and believe any other
monk or a noble personage in connection with the
point raised that there is Jhalla Samiidhi. concentrated
contemplation upon a single thought and getting into
a profound trance. despite the fact that I myself have
personally found. realized and attained the Jlrifna
which is entir ely free from this vitakka and viciira?"
Then Nii\aputta spoke in derision discrediting
Citta: "Look. my disiples! This rich man Citta is
a cunning cheat and a crook. Just a while ago. he has
stated that he disbelieved the Buddha. Now that he
again expressed his belief. He is an extremely dis-
honest man."
CHta. the rich. did not submit to this jibe. He
. retaliated. "Ashin teacher! You have just told your
disciples that Citta is a very honest man. Now that
you say he is dishunest. Your statement is highly
l55
puriibheda Sutta Dhamma
, ' t If what you have first stated is correct,
Inconsl
sten
't t made by you later must be wrong,
then the sta emen
and vice \'crsa,"
f C
'tta the rich just now narrated,
I n the s tor y 0 I. ' " ,
_ t t acher had openly expressed hiS opml
on
Na\aput a e 'th 'h -na frec.d
that he did not experience or e ) a
of I'i'/,lkka and I'iearn, and that he considered that
could be no Samiidhi, concentration caused by my:;t1c
d'tation by which one can divest himself of vilaklea
me
d
I 'ca-rl I' e reflection and investigation. by mea
an 1'1 I. " ", ' ti
suring himself up or comparing with hiS own on.
As regards Citta. the millionaire, s,in_ce he had achl8ved
and realized the attributes of he had,
courageously. guaranteeing the reftned ,qualtt,les of
jeina samiidhi, This honest of, hiS
of jhiina and of his personal reahzatlon was gl,ven
with hili firm conviction. It is not because he Just
believed it. It was his own personal acquisition of
knowledge through practice. It is therefore essential
that the Dhamma which ought to be known. should
be earnestly practised for one's own personal realiza-
tion and achievement as he had been done by Citta,
the rich. Referring to a person who has had his
personal realization, it has also been preached in
Purabheda Sutta as: "1111 saddho", which means, "not
lust believing what others say. but a personal reali-
zation jof the truth of the Dhamma). or rather, a
knowledge which is acquired personally by one's own
effort.
Should be free from attachment
The last word is: "na virajja/i". It means: "Not
as yet tree or cleared away from attachment," Accord-
ing to this meaning, it would appear reasonable to
hold the view that there is still an attachment. It is
1lot so. In fact, "not al yet free from attacltment,"
156
(n the process of getting free from attachment
does convey the sens"" as "entirely fref from attach,
and it refers to 'ukha' individual, and 'a"ekl/d'
The term "sekha" sometimes spf'\led sekkha"
to kalyiinapu/hujjalla, noble worldlings, who are
Itnvmg after their spiritual good and also those
AriYlls: Ones. who are under training or on
probatton In the practice of the Dhamma, AS(lka
individuals are Arahats who have fully completed the
training and have eradicated all human passions.
Balaputhujjana, unwise worldlings, who are those
not yet pursuing or practising the noble Dhamma.
have their attachment to all sensations flowing out
from the six dviiras or sense-doors, imagining them as
good and pleasurable. Then, if they think these sensa
tions as bad, they will crave for what is good. and
become attached to such sensations. Therefore, those
who fail to meditate will always be overwhelmed with
desirable attachments. They are rarely free from such
sensual attachmants.
In the process of gett inK free from attacb.mcnt
A kalyollapllthujjana individual, who realizes that
all phenomenal occurrences arising out of the six
sense-doors by contemplating and noting. are merely
rupa-llama and are by their transient nature, corning
into being and passing away in an accelerated motion,
will be fr ee from desirable attachment to thl sensa
tion which is noted every time contemplation is made.
with full awareness of their being mere anicca, dakkltll
and (llIalla, Hence, noble worldlings, who are prac-
tising Vipassana meditation and are contemplating and
noting. are deemed to be individuals on the, path t,o
eradicate attachment. While thus contemplatlllg, hiS
concentration will be developed gradually gaining
Vipassanii insight knowledge stage by stage in :l'rial
order up to so/(;pa/li'/llagga,phala. On reaclllng sO/ClI'<lIIJ
157
puriibbeda Sutta Dbamma
magga.plwl". he is free from desirable which
can drag him down to the net he: world -: lIpa.1'a. Then
also. passionate desires or cravmgs which are .eager
to arise for more than seven existences. will be
eradicated. However. for the duration of his seven
xistences in the abode of sagali. this pleasurable attach
101111ii. will not yet be extirpated. Hence, it cannot
be said that such a person is completely free from
attac)Jment as yet. It may be stated that he is "about
to be liberated from craving attachment ". Similarly
even when he reaches the stages of sagadiigiimi and
al/ligiinu m.1gga phalli step by step, he will still be in the
process of getting rid of cravings or clinging attach
ment. Only when he attains urahallamaggo, all these
clinging attachments will be dispelled, and yet, at
this juncture, it does not mean that attachment is
totall y ext .. rminated. In other words, feeling of attach
ment is still clinging on and is still in the process
of er ad ica tion.
Not in tbe process of getting free from attachment
Eventually however, only when arallallaphala (Frui.
tion of Arahatship, is attained and on becoming an
Arahilt, all such clinging attachments have been totally
extirpat ed. As an Arahat, he is no longer in the
proceS5 of eradicating the attachment. With tBis
objective. it has been preached as; "lIa I'irajjati" i. e.,
it is not that attachment is being eliminated, but
that it hilS bp.en completely eradicated or rooted out.
This has been stated in the motto as; " ... Craving
detached by clearing away."
The rendering of the meaning of this Verse, called
"siiliyE'su ali/SId,;" is now fairly adequate.
Practice it made Dot to recehe gratification or bribe
Ldbhakamya na sikluJli, alabhe ca na kappali.
Ayjtuddho ca ta(!haya, rasesu, lliinugijjhati.
Practice is made not to receive gratification or bribe
Literally, the above Piili phras E' may bn explained
thus:
Yo, a certain monk, liib/Jakamya -exppcting to
:ecei.ve grati.fication or bribe l1a - is not indulg.
Illg . m practice, that is , he dOeS not practise being
of recelvlllg gratification or gift, which is
III the form of a bribe.
. Some monks pursue the in scriptures, or
equIp with the knowledge of thl'! s' ript ur es,
or practise dlntlanga with a view to slleking for glory
and fame and receiving offerings of gifts. The monk
in is not that type. As a mattrr of fact,
he IS only practising expecting to get libHated from
Sad1sara and reach Nibba/la. This is on of th, attri-
bu tes of a Santa ind ividual.
Al iibhe en - for note achieving his obj.;ctiw, /la
kuppati - he does not feel angry. of monks
not having devotees and blo'nefactors, may get di" ppoin.
t ed and angry. They may also feel dei<, cted and angry
for not having adherents belonging to tho sect,
or for not receiving approbation or admi ration, or for
not receiving gifts of robes, et c. A Worthy One, as
men tioned earlier, is neither d isappoin ted nor angry
This is also one of the at tr ibu tes 0 f a Sallto ind i vidual' .
Aviraddho ea - some individuals may feel angry or
irritated for having seen, or heard, or found what is
undesirable. Those living together may bt. at logger-
heads, Some are inclined to bear grudglo' ia!?ainst or
quarrel with a stranger. A Wortny one or a holy
person does not contradict anyone or conw int !> conflict
with anybody. He is tolerant and gentle without
anger or hatred. This is a \'er? nobl e' attributf'.
Ta11iriiyu rase.II/, 1/0 Gllllgi "irati, i. e .. not likely to be
greedy or to have vehem.'nt desir', or craving for any
food which is tasty. Sonll' haw a gre;)t liking for
159
l'uriibheda SuUa Oham
mli
d
imagining to take
d
d ar planmng an f t
good foo an e Th will not us ually orge
what is good and fey d which they have onGe
and will long for delicIous t .oon ' s not as such. Whole
Th monk in ques 10 I .
relished. od that is taken is not for
some or nouflshtng fo. " t taken to have a fair
. Neither IS I d
ment or avari ce . nor to have goo
I
nor to become puray, . f
comp eXlon, 1ft nourishment IS or
and looks. n ac,
, own bodY, and to appease hunger
preser vatIOn of one s t' the nobl e ad )'a_magg
a
d
I to be able to prac ISC .
an a so . . h re flects with
dhamma. While eattng, e . 'th mi ndful ness. He
cont emplating and nottng h 1 h as not yet
dose not yearn for the taste w IC l e bl
tasted. and does not find delight or become t
e
in what has been tasted. Such a hol y lUon (. In atc
h
,
. d"d 1 who possesses e
is said to be a Sanla 10 IVI ua , .
attributes as stated in the foregOtng.
d
loke mali liale somanI,
(l p.?kkhakv sa ii solO. 11<1
.... <1 vi.lesf 111 nfreyo l asso no SJ ll ti tl Slad a .
Th,' abovp Pali phrase denot es or purports
a p., rson being in constant mindfulness, views things
with oquanimit y and with indiffer ence. It means to
say that on(' should always be mindful and be capable
of viewing things with indiffer ence and with a state
of mind which is equally balanced.
He does not think of himself as being equal to
others , nor does hI) consider himself as being extra
ordinar y. Neither do,;!> he think himself as beIng
inferior and lower ift status or dignity as compared
to others. (He should not have self - pride or conceit
that he is on the same level in status as others, or
that he is mor e nobl e. or that he is inferior. There
should be no maM, self- pride, three in number, by
rivalling other,.) He will be free from all kamma--
kttestJ which would briOi about the prolongation of
160
Mi ndfulness means Satipal! hii na
t hl' rou nds of lif(' "xistences, SOlilllira. He shc.,lld haW'
no. I'tiga, passions, anger , delusiOn anc ',e lf condit
which are cravings of kllsalrl and akllsa/'I dll'lll1l1l ' . rhis
ktnd of a nobl!' personage is s t atl' d by th Lord
Buddha, as one who has exttnguishl? rl th, ' f)[ :; (,f
ki lesa, and is Upasallla , by name.
The motto stated in Mahasamaya Discourse deli.
vered by me about t en y"ars ago , was composed,
carrying the sense as contained in the prcs'O.nt Verse.
T his motto runs:
"Contemplating and noting in
And refl ecting with indifference,
Three kinds of malU, s<:\f concc it,
If possible of rejec tion.
Makes a person a San! .! b y Ii s ignJtlOn."
Becoming mindful at all ti mes
"Contempl at ing and noting in sequen':
4
' a'> nn
tained in the above motto mf,ans: always) o.lling
mindful, day and night ThEr is no
break in bdween at al l. Therefore. If on '0( S intI.'
medit ation ret r eat for aboll! spven or lif te 1 d,v cr
a month, he should carryon his pract ic:11 mecliidlion
exercise a nd cont inuously develOp min,} [ulP-ess Wll\;'>Ut
a br eak, day in and day out, both day [l[1>}
with the cxception of th.. tllne set apart for f;\t pin (.
Mindfulness means Satipa!!hana
In thE' Nidd"sa P'llI. it has been expoumitd tiut
when cont empl ation of the body 15 l11a(l e. ('n. m \' h
said t o have gained mtndfulness. Similarh . mindwl
n(' ss will be achieved whilp chv.\oping 111 the
contempl a tion of feel ings I sensations, of mind and of
minrl - objec t s. Hence, on,' of th .. four fOlllldati>n, of
minrl s hould be chosen to DI ,I. \-( IO,)"d <'5;l
fundam(' ntal bas is . Gen,' r all y sp'. ,lkllllj. it WHI\d tIL
feasibk to start with the conlcmplatlllll of t he bnd\' i.e ..
F. 21
161
Puriibbcda SuttR Dbamnlu
Kii)'lIIlUp./ SSlIl<l. Therdore. what is obviOUS in the bodily
behaviours must be first contemplated and noted. In
practising Vipassana. everything which occurs from
the six sense -doors. should be contemplated. At the
initial stage however. not all such occurrences can be
contemplated. As such. contemplation should be made
commencing from the bodily behaviour which is most
conspicuoUS.
Contemplation and noting can be done continuously
while sitting. with concpntrated attention on the
sitting posture. noting as ' sitting". "sitting". While
inhaling and exhaling the breath. the touch that is
felt at the tip of the nostrile can be contemplated
and noted with constant attentiveness. as "touching".
"touching". Contemplation and noting can be done
continuously as "touching", "touching" with fixed
concentration- on point of touch at any place in
the body from th, head to toe. The best is to con-
templ ate b'Jinning from the move-ment of the wind
element. \{1.\',,,l/llll11. namely. "rising and falling move-
of the abiomcn'. as is nOw being contemplated
by at this meditation centre in a practical
way. Moreover. when con t cmpla tion and noting is
don .. on the rising and falling movements of the
abdom 'n. other imaginations or thoughts that arise
should also h' noted. Ther.,aftn, the mind should
be rcvlHted to the "rising and "falling". All vedalliis
or feel in,: ')i sensations, such as, bodily stiffness.
hotness, pain. and itching must also be noted. All
changes in th,' bodily post'lrf -, should likr'wise be
noted. anti then revr-rted to the original noting of
"rising" ancl 'falling". When walking too. every step
must be noted continually beginning from the
hmv of .!tftlng the foot to the time of dropping it.
When sitting after waiking. th,> bodily behaviour or
manoeuvre involved in taking a sitting posture must
162
Mindfulness means Satipa(!h5na
be noted. In t h" same manner. when lying down from
the sitting posture. the movement in the changt' that
taken place. must also be noted.
. In brief. .whether shaking. moving. or remammg
still. all physical behaviours involved must be noted.
Mental behaviours and thoughts that arise must also
be noted. All sensat ions - vedallii.l. must be noted.
Seeing. hearing. etc . must be noted as far as possible.
In the absence of anything s pecial which desp, rves to
be noted. " rising" and "falling" of the abdomen must
be continuously noted. This is the sali ent point which
serves as a basis in contemplating kiiJ'(llIupaSs(lIIci in the
process of developing the four kinds of mindfulness.
called Satipatthana. If so continuously contemplated
and noted. what would happen is:-
By being always mindful, a stage will be reached
whereby contemplation is made wit h a fr-:linb of
indifference to pain and pl easu re alike on any srnsa
tion. the mind being equally balanced. HoweHr, guar.m
tee cannot be given that one will reach that stage
by contemplating and noting only after about one or
two hours at a stretch. or within a day or two. If
a meditator whose insight knowl edge or wisdom is
exceedingly keen and strong. he might reach the stage
of upekkhii. equanimity. within a priod of about seven
days. It is rare to find such a person though. say.
even one in a hundred. Seldom do we find such a
person even from among those who have meditated
for a period of about fifteen days. Generally. of
course. there are quitt a number of peopl e who have
reached that stag", :lfkr seriOusly meditating for a
period ranging from twenty to thirty days, It takes
time becaus8 of \'arious stages in between which he
has to pass through one after another in th(' course
of progressive insight bdore the attainment of that
stage. tilt'S" insight knllwlf'dgl'S' the llrst is

puriibheda Sutta Dhamma
J
. f - - " Even before reaeh-
called ","im,l-rtiP,I-PtlII CC lClll-11WlIl. . wl'th great
d t
be practised
ing that stage, It nee 0
diligence to achieve punty of mind.
How Citta visuddhi is achieved
A novice who starts meditating, has to try
vi or and earnestness 1<) be able to note correctly t e
. gi g and falling movements of the abdomen.. is
f1S n .. h " ., "and "fallmg as
likelY to escape notlcmg t e OSlO? . r
hig mind flits away and wanders hither .and thlthe.
Be it ag it may, if he carries on with hiS contempla-
tion and noting with strong faith, will and presever-
h
'11 be to nete properly and correclty
('nee, e WI A
within one or two days, or, three to five days. . t
that juncture, the mind does not go astray: Notmg
will be in continuous process concentratmg u.pon
" . - g" and "falling", and also on other sensatIOns
I' Ism _ .
which ought to be noted. Sometimes when Imagma-
lion or thought arises, it can be noted at once. There-
aft, 1', noting can bl> proceeded as usual without any
interrupt ion in the process. When noting as such,
nil',lft1llaS, i, e., hindrances, such as klimacchallda, etc.,
arC' g'ot rid of. The mind that is noting becomes
purified. This is therefore called "Ci/ta fislIddhi".
How niimariipapariccheda-ilal)a. etc., occur
the mind is thus purified, rtipu and llama
distingui,hingly known even while noting, and at
mOl/if nt of noting, the s",nse-object - l'liPll - is
founrl difft>rent from thE' knowing mind, the
mirna. etc. In oth",r words, rtipu and flamu are found
to be c\parly distinct from onl' anoth!'r even while
noting. This is .. Vamarlipapariccheda-nalJa", the know
ledgrl that distinguishes mind and matter which
are merely conditioned states. From that stage, if
noting is carried on, cause and effect are found to
he taking place in conjunction. This is "Paccaya
164
How niimarilpapariccheda.ilana, etc., occur
P..Itigg,lhtl l1alla", the knowl,' dge tha t dis tmgu ishes
between cause and ef fect.
Thereafter, if continuous contemplation is made, it
will be perceived that the objects of sensation, or rather,
the sense-objects are occurring and \-anishing. The
manner of perception is that when noting as 'rising'
( of the abdomen ), the movements of the belly c;1used
by dist ension will be found r ecurring again and again
and then vanishing. The same phenomena will also
be noticed in noting the 'falling' movement of the
abdomen. It is more obvious when noting the mind
that is planning and imagining. Sensations, i.e., vetianas,
such as, pain, hotness, etc. when noted with concctra-
tion as "painfuL" "painful", and so on, will be found
dissolving or vanishing during the procesS of noting_
The Yogi will be satisfied to find these phenomenal
occurrences as being impermanent, since they an.'
incessantly arising and passing away. Then. realiza-
tion will come with satisfaction that thest" are undou-
btedly miseries and are uncontrollabl e and ungover-
nable in as much as rtipa and llama are appearing and
disappearing according to their real characteristics or
transient natur e. This knowledgf' of reflection
"SamnlliSUlla-t,iifJt.J" .
From then onwards, while contemplation is further
carried on, arising and dissolution of the phenomC'nal
occurr ences which are contemplated and noted, wiil
not only become accelerated, but also vivid. At this
stage, brilliant light may be visualized.
rapturous feeling may occur. and calmness of the
passadhi - may becom(> obvious. Both body
may be c\p.arly found to ha\'( becomt' buoyant lahllla ,
and g!'ntl!' ' IIlUdtl/li. Mind fuln"s5 with and
knowledge will be wry keen and pendrat mgly strong.
Ecstasy ami happiness tsuklttl will bccom,' <,xtreult'
with clearness of mind and faith. Olll may
165
purabheda Sutta Dbamma
then b,' filled with delight and in all these
unusual happenings. All these delightful and
able sensatiDns should be rejected by contemplati ng
and noting.
When rejection can be made successfUlly ?y so
contemplating and nDting, the sense object whIch is
nDted and the knDwing mind will. in the cou:
se
of
nDting, be clearly fDund vanishing in pairs and dlssolv
ing in Quick successiDn just as one would see the
pictures in mDvies without any or form. At
thi s mom,'nt. a\l arising sensations and the mental
processes of nDticing them having been found vani
shing ceaselessly. it becomes very DbviDUS that these
arc all ,!/licca, dukklw and ana/ta. This is called
"Bha!lga.N iif,la" _ Insight intD the d issolu tion of things).
Then. let us put it in a nutshell. When continuous
cDnt emplatiDn and nDting is carried on, " Baya-Nli!,o".
awart.ncss of the frightful Dr perilous condition,
"Adill.IV,,-Nclf,lLl". insight into unsat isfactory condition.
".vibbidll.\'tina", insight into wearisDme condition of
the mDnDtonDUS, disgustful and unpleasant suffering.
"Mrmd lu.k knowledge aris ing fr om des ire
tD cscap" or mDr e precisely, the knDwledge that
promDt es a high level Df urgency to get from s(IInsoric
entangl"m,'nts: and Dn prDce .. ding further with contem
plation. "Pali.'<lnkhii insight arising out of further
vigorous cDntpmplation or iurther detailed analysis of
ani(,(,<I, dukkhu and lIItaflJ, will a,ise serially.
Contemplating with equanimity by sailkhiirupekkha
Then again, if further persistent contemplation
and nDting is made. it will r,'ach a stage known as
.. SUf,lkiliirupekkIUJ-N iif,la", thf' knowledge acq\lired by
reflecting upon the formation of existence. At this
stage. the attribute Df the knowledge that can view
phycho-physical phenomena with equanimity is acompli
shed, All sensations arising from the six sense-doors
'166
,
Cba!! hangupekkhii
ar(> not considered a& ph asurabk. Ne ither thps.' are
o.f as detestablr nor dLspicablr. These c"an' be
vlc:wed with equanimity ann with a neutral feeling Df
love nor hatred. For having virwed as such
with mdlfferencc, one who is accomplish"d with th'
knowl edge is said to have been fully enrlowed
It has bee n in
Pal l Text concerining Cho!l/lrJllgllpckkhii as follows'
Cokkhllnii l'Iipom disal'd lIel'O SII/IIOIIO holi, 11<1
dUlnmollo, upekkllGko l'ih."ilIi siiln mli,l'o j<ino.
No joy or happinPcss occurs aftpr ha'ing se(.n the
body the sight of 'beauty' or thmgs with th" ,yes,
No feelmg of unhappiness alsD tak,s place I:l mg
conscious of or aware of the truth, one remains
indif ferent.
Cba!!bailgupekkba
The meaning of thp ahow ttrmin'llogY IS thJt
ther e is a n absence of happiness and pI, .ISUft Ill)
matt er hDW pleasurable the sense-Dbject mw b,. if
seen with the eyes. Ordinary worldlings 'will frc\
happy to come across tht ir bp. loved ones - 'Jan nts,
wives , husbands, children or friends and so on. ' A p .. r.
son who has r eached the stage of .lalikhlirul'ckkhcili,jIJa,
however, finds no enjoyment and pleasure. EYen if
the worst happens to him and even if he comes across
and has to undergo any unfa\'ourabk condi tions, he
will not be miserable. It is hE is viewi ng
things with equanimit y and is what
has been seen or nDticed as transknt in natur
r
, aris ing
and passing away all Df a surldun, It has become
possible fDr him to contemplate as such by ff a50n of
his having r L'alized th,) t1uth. Yes indped. A Yogi
who has attained that stagt' feP\,; thl' sam, .15 stat ed .
and realizes the true o( the ohjl)cts Df contfm
platiol1 without .'xrrtion a nd without ::ll1Y inclination
towards eith"r good or had sPtl',atilllls as m, nl inned
167
purabheda Sutt n Dham
mll
in the for egoing. Those who have rcached that stage
will certainly know that it is really so, and there-
for e, those who feel dissatisfied with this stat.ement,
should practise Vipassana. They will then r ealize the
truth oi thl' Dhamma.
The abilit y to view things with equanimity at
every moment of seeing, hearing. contacting
knowing, is the inherent attribute of an It
called " clI J{thmil(Upekkllli". Ordinary Sekha IOdlvldual IS
accomplished with that kind of attribut e onl y at t he
moment of acquisition of this knowledge in the
course of his contemplation. As such , he may be said
to hne been accomplished with t he attributes of an
Arahat only for a moment when he r eaches t hat stage.
This is r8ally most encouraging and wor t hy of r es pect
for him5rl f as w 11 'IS for otht" rs. Aft er atta ining
s t ag. of sall khiirup,kklrii iiii(IIl , t o reac h lIIagga. phal a.
liii(I,1 is ,lOt quite fa r of f. It is within easy r each,
say, (ven wi thin one da y. A person who has his past
perteet ions, purt/mi ll
us
. will advance t owards araha/la
pirll i a art d passing thr ough four progressive stages of
lIl.lgg,lp'uill , serially. It has there for e been pr eached to
practis e assiduously to geJt oneself accomplished as
such. Whr n thus bc'coming an Araha!. if every thing
is viewed with equanimity, nil/lilt or self- conceit will
totally (; rad ica Itd.
Should be cleansed of the three kinds of mana
an Arahat will never think of himself as
baing equal to others and will even nev.J[ mf!ntally or
ver bally challenge anyone as bt.:ing his equal in status.
He has, in fact, no sf.'! f pride, ego, or sel f.conceit.
. Neither will he con<;idp. r himself a!> bdonging to
a strata of than others, nor as being
pre will he regar,i himself with pride
as bemg supenor compared to
168
Should be c1eanse!1 of the kl' nds of , lana
Also, he will not think of himself alp' . .
t o others, or rather lower' t t S <.l ng mfenor
oth , . In s a us or s taOlling than
ers .
. MUII,/ or self- pride, has charact er istic of
I, e. , haughtiness, Miill ,' <;ds t oo high :'I V IUll nl1/"
oneself ad' . < a uc Oil
n gives onr an mspir ation or iJ a to b .
haugh ty. This is what it reall y means -"'h k (cdon' f'
_ h . . . i'" In 0
t .at IS stated just now may probably gi ' e an
that there is no inspired or mount in<1
f eelIng, slOce one has already humiliated h' If'
How t h O _ Imsc ,
ever, IS mana does not imbibe the nature of .
I r < /111',/ /1,
ow lOes.s or humility. It is one way of taking an
honour 10 .Iowl y or improper b"h av iour. Wnat is really
meant by It , may be put i n that light , c. g. One might
?abbl e: " I ' m more r eckl ess t han ot h(' ro; , a Jare ut' vi:
IOdeed! I dare kill other s, I have nothing to (arc
for anyone having p06sessed no whatsol ver.
I have enough of courage to cornmi t crime and can
do as I deem pl ease." This sort of self pride is lowl} .
Even among slaves themgel ves , soml' woullt fool ishl ),
utter " I ' m a low- bor n s lave or an intimdt l lab<Jc iol!,
to a mas t er , etc ." Taking pride in this W"} ,
r eally ignobl e a nd mean. That is the reaSll ll why
It IS stated that one who is compdi ng wit h otll(rs 1J}
considering himself as being inferior to oth, rs in r;l ni-
or status , is one way of b,. coming arrogant, insul nt
or presumptuous With a bad inspired ff. ' li ng. : .. n
Arahat is devoid of such kind of HliillJ.
Be for e attaining Arahatship, thr
p
(, for ms of
m<iM abid" in the mind of a persoll ns may b, appro
priate. As such, a p' who i<; pf1ct i
s
i
n
Z LUd ita
tion should reject. by coni ll1 plating a Ill! noti ng, any
one of th(' three kinds of /II,i /l ,1 whi ch ,He l ikdy Ie)
OCCUr. For onl' Inay heroal<' conc. itcd
being on till' same level in , t a tl1S wilh an<, ther p' rs on
for having achif' ved ins ight knowk dg. I1P \I ) a ( -rt a in
F. 22
169
puriibheda Suits Dbanl
nl8
. d by the other or that he has far
stage as acqu\f e f . . ht
, d the other in his attainment 0 Jnslg
A novice in meditational practice at the
. 'may however. have in mind. that being Just
mcep Ion. for him
a beginner himself. it will not be necessary .
. w'th care and attention in contemplatJng
to exerCIse 1
d noting just like others who have made progress
meditational exercises. He might even probabl,Y
think nonchalantly as: "I can be and
won't deter the progress in my concentratlOn.
This dispirited feeling with humility is also one kJnd
of I/Ieilla. pride. which can possibly occur. Whatever
it may be. motU that arises be by
contemplating and noting. This feehng of _
mOIU is very potent just like ta(tiul. Even an Anagaml
has his own l/Ie1111. MOlu is totally rooted out only on
attainmp.nt of ar"iI,1tIapil1/a. It is therefor e up to you
to get to that highest stage.
On reaching that stage of ,4rJhattll-M,/gg,,-PhAa
when becoming an Arall1l. all kilesas. cravings. a nd
kWlllJla callf' d "Ussil cla" will be absolutely ext inct. Such
a person who is capable of viewing all those three
types of with indifferenc' . will have no passio-
nate desires. angt' r, delusion. IIllill'] pride or conceit).
dill"j, false belief. and kilesa- ku/Il/lla. which will cause
t<) develop and perpetuate the continuance of existElnces
one aft er another in s';lIilSIII'II . TheSE are thf' seven
kinds of Dhamma. viz: rcig.l. /Ilolta.ltliitltl, diu
lti
the
remnants of kiles I. and meritorious and demerit orious
kilmma. i. e" kusala and akusala kamm". For so long as
these Dhammas r('main clingingon to you. rounds of
existences. one after will go on continuously
and endlessly. These Dhamma are therefor!: called
"Ussada". It has been stated that they are no longnr
in extant. This expression or word has been omitted
in the motto stated earlier lncau.;p. of its nature of
170
Should be cleansed of the three kinds of Mana
causative effect. The meani ng of the said motto and
the relevant Verse is. I think. clear and sufficient
enough .
YUSS(I t1issa),atlelllattil;, nllll'O dlwtlll1lQl;1 anissito.
Bizal'ii),a I'ibhal'lll'a VlI. lut;lhll yassa /la lij jali.
ThfJ gist of it is that lat;lhii and dillhi. which
may be relied upon by a person on exist. Realizing
the truth of rlipa lliima dhamma satikhiiras, no reliance
is made on anything by him. Ta(lha is one which is
dependent upon anyone of the Dhamma that occur
within and outside the physical body. Di II iii is another
one on which dependence is made assuming thr said
Dhamma as "It is ' I ' or 'He'. or 'a living entity' , or
a 'being' who is eternal without destruction" or " One
who will totall y be annihilated after death." A p,'rson
who has no la(lhii and diuili on which reliance can
be made as stated. is an Arahat. An Arahat is. thre-
fore. a venerable person who. having truly realized
the said rLipa-II(lma-dilalllmas and s(ltIklltira-dlwmmll as
merely allicca. dllkkha and all,lf(lI. will. it is stated.
never think of any kind of flip,j and llama as being
permanent. delightful. or. an atf<l being. or a living
substance. or 'self'. and Will have nO clinging attach-
ment to all what has now been stated.
Yasstl an Arahat will have no Illl,lhii, pleasurable
attachment to 's.ls.mlll di!!hi', i. e. the heretical doctrine
that mind and mattH are eternal for continued ('Xis
tences. or to l'ibl/1I',ldilflti Ilcclteciclliillili. the ht'r esy that
existence tf'rmiilates with death. On the other hand.
ordin:HY woridlings are likely to believe that what is
called " I" or " he' " "a living beiRg", or an 'all"". is
everlasting and eternal. and that although the
form of mat erial hody may be destroyed. the \J"mg
Soul or an .lUi/-B( ing is not subi"ctt-d to destruction.
Thoy hdi('V>' Ih<1t it i" tLIIlSmilted to plact'
or l' 'istencc to reside therein and that It can neVer
17l
Puriibbeda SnttB Dhamma
be dnnihil:ltcd. A heretical vi"w of this kind is called
Hh1l'<J-dil!hi. It is also called St/,ulI/lI-dillhi. It is a
belief accepting the view that one passeg into Nothing-
nesS after death. Such a heresy which holds a belief
in non-p.xistence after death is I Ibill'Cltl di//hi. otherwise
known as U,chcda-dif!hi. Pll/lllljjlllltl. common worldlings.
h:lVc a liking for one of these two VlCWS. An Arahat
who entertains no such beliefs. will not crave or long
for any kin.i 01 repeated existences the continuum
of life exist ences. Such an Arahat is called a Santa
intlividaul relating to which it has been stated in
another verse.
Tam bylimi IIpdsallloll. ktlmestl allapl'kkhillGlii.
Gall/llli tassa III l'ijjllll/i. alari so l'iSaffikam.
It has been preached by the Buddha as: "An Arahat
who has reached the final sanctification and who is
fully accomplished with the noble attributes as stated
before. without any clinging attachment to passionate
desires-kJmagu(I<I. is an U pasall/a. Such an ind ivi-
dual is said to havp extinguis hed all the burning fires
of kilesas."
Tllssa, this Arahat who is called an "Upasanta" is
not in Dhammas that can tie him up. It is
something like a string which, if tied up at its end
with other strings of rope. one after another, form-
ing into a knot at the joiots. will be linked to become
a lengthy and continuous chain of string without ends.
In the same way lalJha and di!!hi which create or serve
as ties that link one existence to another at the end
of rve ry lift , e:<istence. are known as Galllha Dhamma.
A5 these gClllllw-Dlwmmas are creating a bond which
'Serves as a connecting link. ord in'lry worldlings are
whirling or drifting along the current of Stllilsara.
A ';ot"panna will have 6even existence to
go through at the most. A has two more
life An will be reborn in any
172
10.1'30'
one of tht (WO tlxistencf:s. viz: IUP,/ and (,' "pa blll"a, fOTm
anel formltss of Brahm:;J. As fa. ",',n Ar..ihlt
is concerneel, he has completely SE'Vf red t1-te t,,, or
eradicated this GOIlI/N Dhamma which forminJ a'> <I
tie. brings about a continuity of life t '.Ist '!lC'C<; .
Such an Arahat has thi refore rene-vtll or pr
vailed over the of the pl' .I<;ut:lble
bonds of la(lho. or rather. ha,; utttriy destroyeel. tht
linking m(chanisrn of 1<l(lh,i, ('f;wings. This bf.
clear pfiough.
Na lass../ pllllil p.,s,no. khellu'il -.-IIIlilun", ri) }uli,
Alltl vapi /lirt/IIU I'll. na IIp,dllhb/lt./i. f<1
The gist of the above is that a pers"n. who
become an U pass, mIll will haH' ('nrirely n 1 pIE jsurable
attachment. and will not hold on C'f cling to his
chlidren. or any tangible propnty. such as bullocks,
elephants, horses. fowls, pigs. EtC . or any cu.tivated
field or landed property. commencing frem tim'
of his attainment of Arahatship, although h(' may
have his childeren and so on. before he becomes an
Arahat. He has also completely dispelled all hffEtic:J
belie fs. This has been expla ined in tht prt vious
verses. It has been rep' atcd to makE people und, (-
stand if spoken in one's own plain language.
Yeltl lIi.vil l'ujjwil pu(/mjjlma, :.! tll0
Twil lassa apllrekkhalaJiI. 11'>IILl 1"ldiSll lie } ,I i.
The above Piili phrase conveY5 the meaninG
the majority of the uneducated or unwise dn'a, ;tnd
human being as well as hermits. monks and
brahmins are alle>:ed to be persons who arc
with the sores or su fferings of passiona
tf
d_ sin'>', etc.
and who are infuri.lted with such affltctioI\s. An
Arahat. however. rl"mains without 'Ufntal distress
being undominated by such harmf1l1 Dna tautty p,-,;;SIO
nate desires. As f'gards comm '11 .vorldlllg
s
all,1
sekllfl individuals. they arc at the beck and call of. or
173
Puribbede sou. DullQllll
rather, slavrs to the dictates of rog
o
sensual desires.
etc. It amount s to electing raga, etC.. to take the
rol e of a gu ide or a noble teacher who will direct or
lead the way for them. And because of thp presence of
this loga, etc. i. e., the master who guides the way,
pUllllljjtllla and seklw indi vidual s may at time be ridden
by raga. That is why the ordinary worldlings and
seklta individuals have t heir clinging attachment.
Sometimes, though they may not be inful enced by rliga
and anger, when circumstances permit, they ar e in
readiness by their own inclinat ion t o be overrun by
r(lg" and anger. They are liable t o be accused by others as
being wrathful and so on. An Ar ahat r efus es,
to regard 'raga' as a leader. He is above board and
is therefore free from any such kind of all egat ion. He
is totally devoid of pleasurable attachement , or anger,
and is immuned from any kind of accusations . He
is unperturbed and tranquil. This is obvious.
Vitagedho amacchori, na ussesu !'adale mUlli.
Na S,lmesu na omesu, kappaliJ li e Ii akappi),o.
So mUlli, a monk who is a noble Ar aha t , vft agedho ,
is fr ee from greed or avarice. Amacchori. Neither is
he envious. Ussesu, in regard to a person who is mor e
noble, lIa vadale, he will not sayar ment ion as being
his equal in status or rank in compar ison. ( Either
because of the years (!'assa) or length of experience as
an ordained senior monk, or of t he att ributes of hi s
knowledge in p,uiyatti or scripitures, or of t he strength
of the company of his disciples and devotees, he will not
speak or mention as if he excels others , or is equal in
status, or is inferior to ot hers. The next two phr ases or
sentences carry the name meaning). Na. same.lU, he will
not also say about others as be ing infer ior to h im.Akappi
yo, having no intent ion or bent of mind to speak as
such with la!llta di/lhi , he will get r id of such evil
t houghts.
174
,

Yassa loke Jaka';l nal/hi, asatoea. no socati.
DhammelU ca na .ta ve santoti vuccali.
The above Pali phrase denotes that an Arahat
does not entertain any slightest feeling of attachment
to property or any other substantial things whether
it is his own material body or any part of his limbs
or organs, such as the eyes. What is by it is
that an Arahat has extirpat ed both ta!Jha and (Ii I! hi.
Having been fully released or liberat ed from such
feelings or sensations, he is fr cr; from worry and
grief. and will not mourn for or dei"ct ed by the loss
of even any limb or organ of his mat erial body or
any other personal property. He will neither be des-
tined for any improper place tlr exist,; nce because of
any incidence which may occur in relation to ""ipoJ-
lIoma- dlwmma s<1likhoras". This t erm has spveral shades
of meaning and is appli ed to all existing things or
substances including animat es or inanimate things .
such as, sentient beings, c1othings, food, paddy. gold.
silver, house, monastery. etc-o for human consumption
or use, if viewed from the angl c of hilJl',m' l knowledge.
Even then, these nip.l .lIilIII1-sllllkhor.J dhamnws are looked
upon and r egarded as " I ", " he" "self" or "my own"
and so on. These ar e all expressed by the usage of
the t erm "dhamllleslI." This Suttam dcsana having been
preached for the benefit of the outstanding int ellec-
tuals who have profound wisdom, it contains a lot of
usages and terminology which ar e hJ rd to be grasped
and properly understood. Ordinary worldlings are
doing things which ought not to be done regard being
had to his own 'sf'lf ' or to others. or to any gratifi-
cation or offerings recei ved, solely in th(' int erest
nip.l-lhllllJ dill/IIIIIIS physical :Jnd ment al aggregat es which
ar t! trans ient in their inherc' nt natur e. They may resort
to anything whi ch is evil by committing vicC', through
hatred , malice, envy, anger and delU5ion or ignorance.
175
Purabbeda Dhamma
As Arahat whom I have ju,t ment Ioned . has compl..tely
escaped from the four ag,/lls or evil st a tes . c/wm}'"
desire or lu'>t, tlosa. hat red . 1II 0h". ignora nce. blll/J'<1. fcar.
He will avoiJ all ot her acts of e1kll,,,I,,. i. e . demer ito
rious acts. which would include evil speech a nd evil
thou[;hts. An Arahat who is pre-eminent a nd is
accomplishccl with all noble attributes as sta t ed. is
called a Santa individual with peace and tranqui li ty
of mlOd. fully emancipated from tht. bur ning fi res of
kilesbs.
Conclusion of the llhamma
Puri,bh,da Sutta Dhamma
comes to an end wit h
this verse. This Sutta contains one verse
of a q,l.estion and thirteen verses in the
answer. totalling fourteen verses in all.
of catechizing.
Thr p c>tion that is put is:
in the for m
for m of an
It is a way
"What knowledge and what pr ac ti ce . if acqu ir ed.
would deserve to be na med "Santa" ?
The answer can be fully complete and compr e
h nsivE, with the first single ven;e onl y. ou t of the
thirteGn : 13) verses given in reply. However. cons ider
ing the varying degrees of the int ell ectual accomplish.
ment of th", respective Devas and Br ahmas who f ormed
the huge conJregation. t he Buddha had answer ed in
13 verses with appropriate common languages or di alect
currently in use at t hat t ime. By so r epeatedl y
deliv, ring the sermon. the Devas and Brahmas had
gained the awak.cning consc iousness of the Special
dh<1mm /-III!lgga. plll1la. batch by batch. a ft er havi ng heard
the one aft")r another as was su ited to oac h of
t he group of DevI; ilnd Brahmas accord ing t o their
respective degree )f intellectual attainment . On that
auspICIOUS occas ion. with t his one Sut t a or Discourse
alone. it has been stated that thous and a nd t h ousands
Bill ions (a l ac of of Devas a nd Br ahmas a ttained
176
Arahatship and tbat thoee who became SoU, ii
SakadAgamia and An ....... were countleee.
Judging the idiosyncrasiea of the audience at tbla
Meditation Centre on every Sabbath day. I imagiDecl
that if I were to deliver the five verses out of thirteen
as preached by the Buddha. my disciple Yogla would
probably grasp the essence of the Dhamm.. With
this end in view. I kave expounded the five veraes
elaborately and briefly inserted the rest eight veraes
as a supplement.
It is my earnest hope that those who have listened
to this Purabheda Sutta. and those who have read it.
will be in a position to achieve the Special Dhamma
even whil e listening to the discourse or after scruti-
nizing the Sutta. if they are endowed with their mature
paramitlas. If at a\l they failed so achieve at atated.
right now. it could serve as fresh seeds of prJWImirttu
for future successful germination.
By virtue of your goodwill and keen conscious.
neSs ( cetallli ) for having I is t('ned attentively and respect.
fully to this Purubheda Sutta Dhamma. may you all
be abl e to find happiness both in body and mind. and
to strive for achievement of the noble attributes of a
tranquil- minded Santa individual and attain the bUll
of Nibbana. as quickly as possible. by making good
strides along the path of Vipassana insigh . by
stage. through the coveted maggaphala. (! ofoefc::c.
S.ldhu Sildhu Sa
F. 23 177
c
. 18 _ .. . _ .,
by
U Mia Swe
(Mia Kyaw TIIu)
Please read al corrected below:-
PaKe Line .....
a t
a -u YIN SSWE
U YIN SWE
c Third line at the top-before
before
i 3rd. line from the top-hughe
hugh
i 14th. line from the top-Yabavun Yabavum
i last line from the top
lit. para-/clle!iil klle.ii
1 3rd. line 2nd. para-repeacbed preacbed
j 4th. line last para-Please insert the word "or"
between tbe words "mora-
lity" and "attributes"
J
7th. line last para-mind. mind.
k 8th. line 1st. para-5atipanhlnal SatipanhAna
k 9th. line 1st. para-meditationa meditational
k last 2nd. line 1st.para-ths the
- --
m 1st. line last para_frotb forth
1000
2 5th. line 1st. para-posses possess
- --
S.P.P.K.
15-7- 83
2 3rd. line 2nd. para-dislogue dialogue
5 14th. line 1st. para-as an
6 13th. line last para-nad and
10 1st. line last para-pleasnt pleasant
12 2nd. line 2nd. para-cbomes becomes
13 3rd. line 1st. para-herd heard
13 12th. line 1st. para_pheomena asn pbenomena as.
16 2nd. line Ilast para_not no
16 8th. line last para_puthujjna puthujjana
21 2nd. line 1st. para-Upasants Upasanta
22 1st. line 1st. para-Samadhi Samiidhi.
26 5th. line 1 st. par a-d )'ora dviira
27 2nd. line last para-spokes spoken
30 3rd. line 2nd. para_takes taken
31 8th. line
1st. para-disappering. d isappearinll_
31 15th. line 1st. para-canot cannot
31 16th. line 1st. para-appar appear
31 1st. line
last para_rejections rejection
33 last line last para-frelatives relatives
34 19th. line 1st. para-years yearn
35 4th. line
last para-rockoning reckoning
36 10th. line 1st. para-edlisted enlisted
38 2nd. line from the top-'not-seslf'
'not-self'
47 1st. line at t he top-rether
47 13th. line 2nd. para-kIlSJ/a
49 13th. line 1st. para-entengled
53 2nd. line 2nd. para-as cribed
56 2nd. line from the top-heights
58 6th. line last para-whon
58 8th. line last para-landing
60 . 15th.line from the top_noting
62 6th. line last para_brags
63 6th. line from the top-contempiat ing
65 1st. line 2nd. para_tanha
66 3rd.line 1st para-presons
66 10th. line 1st. para-ragard
66 23rd.line 1st. para-at
67 9th. line from the top-postureis
67 13th.line f rom the top-nothing
68 5th. line from the top-upons
73 4th. line 1st. para-noting
73 16th,line from the top-uttring
75 3rd. line from the top-libetersted
75 18th, line 1st, para-mush
79 2nd. line from the top-mgga-phal a
79 7th. line 1st. para-became
80 2nd. line 1st. para-triffling
80 9th. line 1st. para-monsense
80 11th. l ine 1st- para-word
81 3rd. line from the t op- famil ierity
8 1 6th. line l ast par a-a loof
82 2nd. line 2nd. para-ns
82 1st. line 3rd . para-is connect ion
83 6th. line f rom the top- mingles
83 4th. li ne 1s t . par a-doctrines .
83 3rd. line 2nd. par a-havig
84 3rd. line from bot tom-themselves
86 6th. line from t he t op-some fo
86 last 2nd. line -pretentions
87 13th.l ine from the top-r esonsce
87 17 f18th.li ne from
the top-u t t erance
91 1st. line at the top-thana-c ir iyas
91 2nd.line from the top-metnal
92 4th. line 1st. para-giving the
97 3rd. line 1st. para-others
rather
kllsa/a
entangled
ascribed
height
whom
lendi ng
nothing
brag
con templa ting
till/hi
per sons
r egard
as
posture is
noting
upon
nothing
uttering
libera ted
much
magga- phala
become
t rifling
nonsense
words
familiarity
aloof
is
in connection
mingle
doc trines.
having
themselves
some of
pre t entious
resource
utterances
thana-car iyas
mental
givi ng due
other s'
~
98
100
101
101
106
106
106
107
109
110
110
110
111
III
114
114
115
115
116
116
117
121
123
12 3
125
125
125
127
127
127
127
130
131
133
133
137
137
139
139
11 th.line from bottom-Sutta of Sutta or
7th. line 1st. para-cliging clinging
3rd.line lst. para-Aboder Abo4e
5th. line lst. para-where by whereby
12th.liM from the top--dorpped dropped
18th.line from the top-happend happened
7th. line from bottom-is in
5th. line from the top-palOs petal
17th. line 1st. para-Devasdo Devas do
4th. line last para-No He
7th. line last para-gain said gainsaid
11 tho line last para-peta pets
9th. line from the top-Occours occurs
12th.line from the top-the Bodhisatta The Bodhi-
.atta
5th. line from the top-psolen
4th. line last para-become
5th. line from
spoken
becomes
the bottom-continusly continuously
3rd. line from
the bottom-rupu-lIoma rupa-noma
2nd. line 1st. para-towardes towards
13th. line 1st.para-That it That is
6th. line 3rd. para-phenomena phenomenon
9th. line ]st. para-semlling. smelling
22nd.line from the top-off springs offsprings
3rd. line 1st. para-ro or
2nd.line from the top-ensure ensue
4th. line I st. para-are or
5th. line 1st. para-existence existence.
10th. line 1st. para-The word "be" appearing
before the word "will". may
be deleted
15th. line ]st. para- circumstance circumstances
23rd. line lst. para-possible possibly
4th. line 2nd. para- throughtlells thoughtless
10th. line 2nd. para-mannor manner
16th.line from the top- switnessed witnessed
3rd. line from the top-There upon Thereupon
10th. line 1 st. par a- prop-sed proposed
Ist.line 1st. para- fate! fatal
8th. line 1s t. para-persent present
2nd. line 2nd. para- lies. lies.
3rd. line 2nd. para-back-bitings back.biting
142
143
144
144
144
151
152
153
155
156
159
160
161
162
162
163
163
166
168
168
169
171
171
172
172
173
173
173
173
173
174
176
177
para-comper
sion sion
last line last para-refleet reflect
1st. line at the top-abilityto ability to
3rd, line from the top-knowledg knowledge
8th, line from the top-from of fi- form or fi-
gure gure
6th, line
6th, line
2nd, line
last para-realizd realized
1st. para-l'ad,lIIii \'edallli
1st, para-wtihout without
2nd, line
2nd, line
19th. line
last para-Ierant learnt
2nd, para-disiples ! disciples!
1st. para-Delete the word "he" appear-
ing after the word "as"_
1st, line 3rd. para-note not
7th. line from the top-puray pursy
3rd.line from
the bottom-mindfulnass mindfulness
5th. line 1st. para-nostrile
nostril
2nd.line from
the bottom-waiking walking
3rd.line from the top-taken takes
5th. line 1st. para-Seeing. Seeing,
9th. line 2nd. para-Between the words "get"
and "from", insert the word
" free'J
1st, line
at the top-Thosc
Those
2nd. line
1st. para-hearing.
hearing,
16th, line
2nd. para-deem
damn
2nd. line
1st. para-person on
person no
longer
6th, line
last para-woridlings
worldlings
5th. line from the top-Vibhvaa
Vibh<iva
11th,line from the top-individaul
individual
2nd, line
2nd. para-Upassanta
Upasanta
4th. line
2nd. para-chlidren
children
8th. line
2nd. para-childeren
children
3rd. line
3rd. para-being
beings
2nd,line from
the bottom-worldings
worldlings
13th,line from the top-refuses.
refuses
1st. line
at the top-As
An
7th. line
2nd. para-pavamittas
purami t tilS

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