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 MEETII D. 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 Pages 20 21 23 24 25 26 27 28 33 35 38 40 42 43 44 44 45 46 47 49 53 54 55 56 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 e 1 56 57 59 60 62 63 64 65 67 69 70 71 72 73 74 79 81 84 84 87 88 88 89 89 91 92 94 LI 1llUJAU/ MEET"
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 Pagey 100 101 105 105 107 109 109 112 113 114 116 117 120 121 123 128 126 127 130 131 132 135 136 139 139 141 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 MEETII
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[ F. B LIB. HIUSAW MEETII o. '0.1" d 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. IIfET" 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. 3 LlBI IIIWUI IlEETIl
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