Theravada Buddhism – Uposatha Observance Days
Theravada Study May 26th, 2010
2010′s calendar of Uposatha days
| last quarter | new moon | first quarter | full moon | last quarter | |
| January | 8 | 15 | 23 | 30 | - |
| February | 7 | 13 | 21 | 28 Māgha Pūjā |
- |
| March | 8 | 15 | 23 | 30 | - |
| April | 7 | 13 | 21 | 28 | - |
| May | 6 | 13 | 21 | 28 Visākha Pūjā |
- |
| June | 5 | 11 | 19 | 26 | - |
| July | 4 | 11 | 19 | 26 Āsaḷha Pūjā |
- |
| August | 3 | 10 | 18 | 25 | - |
| September | 2 | 8 | 16 | 23 | - |
| October | 1 | 8 | 16 | 23 Pavāraṇā Day |
31 |
| November | - | 6 | 14 | 21 Ānāpānasati Day |
29 |
| December | - | 6 | 14 | 21 | 29 |
Uposatha days are times of renewed dedication to Dhamma practice, observed by lay followers and monastics throughout the world of Theravada Buddhism.
For monastics, these are often days of more intensive reflection and meditation. In many monasteries physical labor (construction projects, repairs, etc.) is curtailed. On New Moon and Full Moon days the fortnightly confession and recitation of the Bhikkhu Patimokkha (monastic rules of conduct) takes place.
Lay people observe the Eight Precepts on Uposatha days, as a support for meditation practice and as a way to re-energize commitment to the Dhamma. Whenever possible, lay people use these days as an opportunity to visit the local monastery, in order to make special offerings to the Sangha, to listen to Dhamma, and to practice meditation with Dhamma companions late into the night. For those not closely affiliated with a local monastery, it can simply be an opportunity to step up one’s efforts in meditation, while drawing on the invisible support of millions of other practicing Buddhists around the world.
The calendar of Uposatha days is calculated using a complex traditional formula that is loosely based on the lunar calendar, with the result that the dates do not always coincide with the actual astronomical dates. To further complicate matters, each sect within Theravada Buddhism tends to follow a slightly different calendar.
Several full-moon Uposatha days hold special significance in the Buddhist calendar:
Adapted from:
- “Uposatha Observance Days”, by John T. Bullitt. Access to Insight, June 7, 2009, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sila/uposatha.html.
- “Calendar of Uposatha Days: 2010 CE”, by John T. Bullitt.Access to Insight, January 26, 2010, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sila/uposatha2010.html.
Visakha Puja – by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo
Theravada Study May 26th, 2010
Visakha Puja by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
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Translator’s note: Upasika Arun Abhivanna took notes during Ajaan Lee’s talk at Wat Asokaram on May 24, 1956, and later wrote out this synopsis of the talk. It was printed, with Ajaan Lee’s approval, as part of the book, Four Years’ Sermons.
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Visakha Puja
Puja ca pujaniyanam
EtammangalamuttamamHomage to those deserving homage:
This is the highest blessing.
I’m now going to give a Dhamma talk, discussing the teachings of the Buddha, as an adornment to the mindfulness and discernment of all those gathered here to listen, so that you will take the Dhamma and put it into practice as a way of achieving the benefits that are supposed to come from listening to the Dhamma.
Today, Visakha Puja, is an extremely important day in the Buddhist tradition, for it was on this day that the Buddha was born, and 35 years later awoke to the unexcelled right self-awakening, and another 45 years later passed away into total nibbana. In each case, these events took place on the full-moon day in May, when the moon is in the Visakha asterism, which is why the day is called Visakha Puja.
Every year when this important day comes around again, we Buddhists take the opportunity to pay homage to the Buddha as a way of expressing our gratitude for his goodness. We sacrifice our daily affairs to make merit in a skillful way by doing such things as practicing generosity, observing the precepts, and listening to the Dhamma. This is called paying homage to the virtues of the Triple Gem: the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. The Buddha is like our father, while the Dhamma is like our mother — in that it’s what gives birth to our knowledge of the Buddha’s teachings. At present our father has passed away, leaving only our mother still alive. Both of them have been protecting us, looking after us, so that we’ve been able to stay free and happy up to the present. We’re thus greatly in their debt and should find a way of showing our gratitude in keeping with the fact that we are their children.
Ordinarily, when people’s parents die, they have to cry and lament, wear black, etc., as a way of showing their mourning. On Visakha Puja — which is the anniversary of the day on which our father, the Buddha, passed away — we show our mourning too, but we do it in a different way. Instead of crying, we chant the passages reflecting on the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. Instead of dressing up in black, we take off our pretty jewels, go without perfume and cologne, and dress very simply. As for the comfortable beds and mattresses on which we normally lie, we abstain from them. Instead of eating three or four times a day, as we normally like to do, we cut back to only two times or one. We have to give up our habitual pleasures if we’re going to show our mourning for the Buddha — our father — in a sincere and genuine way.
In addition to this, we bring flowers, candles, and incense to offer in homage to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. This is called amisa-puja, or material homage. This is a form of practice on the external level — a matter of our words and deeds. It comes under the headings of generosity and virtue, but doesn’t count as the highest form of homage. There’s still another level of homage — patipatti-puja, or homage through the practice — which the Buddha said was supreme: i.e., meditation, or the development of the mind so that it can stand firmly in its own inner goodness, independent of any and all outside objects. This is the crucial point that the Buddha wanted us to focus on as much as possible, for this kind of practice was what enabled him to reach the highest attainment, becoming a Rightly Self-awakened Buddha, and enabled many of his noble disciples to become arahants as well. So we should all take an interest and set our minds on following their example, as a way of following the footsteps of our father and mother. In this way we can be called their grateful, loyal heirs, because we listen respectfully to our parents’ teachings and put them into practice.
The verse from the Mangala Sutta that I quoted at the beginning of the talk, Puja ca pujaniyanam etammangalamuttamam, means “Homage to those deserving homage: This is the highest blessing.” There are two kinds of homage, as we’ve already mentioned: material homage and homage through the practice. And along with these two kinds of homage, people aim their hopes at two kinds of happiness. Some of them practice for the sake of continuing in the cycle of death and rebirth, for the sake of worldly happiness. This kind of practice is called vattagamini-kusala, or skillfulness leading into the cycle. For instance, they observe the precepts so that they’ll be reborn as beautiful or handsome human beings, or as devas in the heavenly realms. They practice generosity so that they won’t have to be poor, so that they can be reborn wealthy, as bankers or kings. This kind of skillfulness goes only as far as the qualifications for human or heavenly rebirths. It keeps spinning around in the world without ever getting anywhere at all.
The other reason that people can have for paying homage is so that they will gain release from suffering. They don’t want to keep spinning through death and rebirth in the world. This is called vivattagamini-kusala, skillfulness leading out of the cycle.
In both kinds of practice, the aim is at happiness, but one kind of happiness is the pleasure found in the world, and the other is the happiness that lies above and beyond the world. When we pay homage to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, it’s not the case that we have to take the results of our practice and try to push the Triple Gem any higher. Actually, what we’re doing is to give rise to goodness that will benefit ourselves. So in searching for goodness for our own sakes, we have to keep yet another point in mind, as the Buddha taught us: Asevana ca balanam panditanañca sevana, which means, “Don’t associate with fools. Associate only with wise people.” Only then will we be safe and happy.
“Fools” here means people whose minds and actions are shoddy and evil. They behave shoddily in their actions — killing, stealing, having illicit sex — and shoddily in their words: telling lies, creating disharmony, deceiving other people. In other words, they act as enemies to the society of good people at large. That’s what we mean by fools. If you associate with people of this sort, it’s as if you’re letting them pull you into a cave where there’s nothing but darkness. The deeper you go, the darker it gets, to the point where you can’t see any light at all. There’s no way out. The more you associate with fools, the stupider you get, and you find yourself slipping into ways that lead to nothing but pain and suffering. But if you associate with wise people and sages, they’ll bring you back out into the light, so that you’ll be able to become more intelligent. You’ll have the eyes to see what’s good, what’s bad, what’s right, what’s wrong. You’ll be able to help yourself gain freedom from suffering and turmoil, and will meet with nothing but happiness, progress, and peace. This is why we’re taught to associate only with good people and to avoid associating with bad.
If we associate with bad people, we’ll meet up with trouble and pain. If we associate with good people, we’ll meet up with happiness. This is a way of giving a protective blessing to ourselves. This sort of protective blessing is something we can provide for ourselves at any time, at any place at all. We’ll gain protection wherever, whenever, we provide it. For this reason we should provide a protective blessing for ourselves at all times and all places for the sake of our own security and well-being.
As for things deserving homage: whether they’re the sorts of things that deserve material homage or homage through the practice, the act of homage provides a protective blessing in the same way. It provides happiness in the same way. The happiness that lies in the world, that depends on people and external things, has to suffer death and rebirth; but the happiness of the Dhamma is an internal happiness that depends entirely on the mind. It’s a release from suffering and stress that doesn’t require us to return to any more death and rebirth in the world ever again. These two forms of happiness come from material homage and homage through the practice, things that can either make us come back to be reborn or free us from having to be reborn. The difference lies in one little thing: whether we want to be reborn or not.
If we create long, drawn-out causes, the results will have to be long and drawn-out as well. If we create short causes, the results will have to be short, too. Long, drawn-out results are those that involve death and rebirth without end. This refers to the mind whose defilements haven’t been polished away, the mind that has cravings and attachments fastened on the good and bad actions of people and things in the world. If people die when their minds are like this, they have to come back and be reborn in the world. To create short causes, though, means to cut through and destroy the process of becoming and birth so as never to give rise to the process again. This refers to the mind whose inner defilements have been polished off and washed away. This comes from examining the faults and forms of darkness that arise in our own hearts, keeping in mind the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, or any of the 40 meditation topics that are set out in the texts, to the point where we can see through all mental fabrications in line with their nature as events. In other words, we see them as arising, remaining, and then disintegrating. We keep the range of our awareness short and close to home — our own body, from head to foot — without latching onto any of the good or bad actions of anyone or anything in the world. We look for a solid foundation for the mind, so that it can stay fixed and secure entirely within itself, with no attachment at all, even for the body. When we’ve reached this state, then when we die we won’t have to come swimming back to be reborn in the world ever again.
Whether we give material homage or homage through the practice, if we pull the focal point of the mind out and place it in our actions — i.e., if we get attached to our good actions, as in practicing virtue, generosity, etc. — then that’s called vattagamini-kusala,skillfulness leading into the cycle. The mind isn’t free. It has to become the slave of this or that thing, this or that action, this or that preoccupation. This is a long, drawn-out cause that will force us to come back and be reborn. But if we take the results of our good actions in terms of virtue, generosity, etc., and bring them into the mind’s inner foundation, so that they’re stashed away in the mind, without letting the mind run out after external causes, this is going to help cut down on our states of becoming and birth so that eventually we don’t have to come back and be reborn. This is vivattagamini-kusala,skillfulness leading out of the cycle. This is the difference between these two forms of skillfulness.
The human mind is like a bael fruit. When it’s fully ripe it can no longer stay on the tree. It has to fall off, hit the ground, and eventually decay into the soil. Then, when it’s been exposed to the right amount of air and water, the seed gradually sprouts again into a trunk with branches, flowers, and fruit containing all its ancestry in the seeds. Eventually the fruit falls to the ground and sprouts as yet another tree. It keeps going around and around in this way, without ever getting annihilated. If we don’t destroy the juices in the seeds that allow them to germinate, they’ll have to keep their genetic inheritance alive for an eon.
If we want to gain release from suffering and stress, we have to make our minds shoot out of the world, instead of letting them fall back into the world the way bael fruits do. When the mind shoots out of the world, it will find its landing spot in a place that won’t let it come back and be reborn. It will stay there aloft in total freedom, free from attachment of any sort.
Freedom here means sovereignty. The mind is sovereign within itself. In charge of itself. It doesn’t have to depend on anyone, and doesn’t have to fall slave to anything at all. Within ourselves we find the mind paired with the body. The body isn’t all that important, because it doesn’t last. When it dies, the various elements — earth, water, wind, and fire — fall apart and return to their original condition. The mind, though, is very important, because it lasts. It’s the truly elemental thing residing in the body. It’s what gives rise to states of becoming and birth. It’s what experiences pleasure and pain. It doesn’t disintegrate along with the body. It remains in existence, but as something amazing that can’t be seen. It’s like the flame of a lit candle: When the candle goes out, the fire element is still there, but it doesn’t give off any light. Only when we light a new candle will the fire appear and give light again.
When we take the body — composed of elements, aggregates, sense media, and its 32 parts — and the mind — or awareness itself — and simplify them to their most basic terms, we’re left with name and form (nama, rupa). Form is another term for the body made up of the four elements. Name is a term for the mind residing in the body, the element that creates the body. If we want to cut back on states of becoming and birth, we should take as our frame of reference just these two things — name and form — as they’re experienced in the present. How does form — the body — stay alive? It stays alive because of the breath. Thus the breath is the most important thing in life. As soon as the breath stops, the body has to die. If the breath comes in without going out, we have to die. If it goes out without coming back in, we have to die.
So think about the breath in this way with every moment, at all times, regardless of whether you’re sitting, standing, walking, or lying down. Don’t let the body breathe without your mind getting some good use out of it. A person who doesn’t know his or her own breath is said to be dead. Heedless. Lacking in mindfulness. As the Buddha said, heedlessness is the path to danger, to death. We can’t let our minds run out and get stuck on external preoccupations, i.e., thoughts of past or future, whether they’re good or bad. We have to keep our awareness right in the present, at the breath coming in and out. This is called singleness of preoccupation (ekaggatarammana). We can’t let the mind slip off into any other thoughts or preoccupations at all. Our mindfulness has to be firmly established in our awareness of the present. The mind will then be able to develop strength, able to withstand any preoccupations that come striking against it, giving rise to feelings of good, bad, liking, and disliking — the hindrances that would defile the mind.
We have to keep our awareness exclusively in the present, alert and quick to sense the arising and passing away of preoccupations, letting go of both good and bad preoccupations without getting attached to them. When the mind stays firmly focused in its one preoccupation — the breath — it will give rise to concentration, to the point where the eye of inner knowledge appears. For example, it might give rise to powers of clairvoyance or clairaudience, enabling us to see events past and future, near and far. Or it might give rise to knowledge of previous lives, so that we can know how we and other beings have been born, died, come, and gone, and how all these things have come about from good and bad actions. This will give rise to a sense of dismay and disenchantment with states of becoming and birth, and will dissuade us from ever wanting to create bad kamma ever again.
This kind of disenchantment is something useful and good, without any drawbacks. It’s not the same thing as its near cousin, weariness. Weariness is what happens when a person, say, eats today to the point of getting so full that the thought of eating any more makes him weary. But tomorrow, his weariness will wear off and he’ll feel like eating again. Disenchantment, though, doesn’t wear off. You’ll never again see any pleasure in the objects of your disenchantment. You see birth, aging, illness, and death as stress and suffering, and so you don’t ever want to give rise to the conditions that will force you to come back and undergo birth, aging, illness, and death ever again.
The important factors for anyone practicing to gain release from all stress and suffering are persistence and endurance, for every kind of goodness has to have obstacles blocking the way, always ready to destroy it. Even when the Buddha himself was putting his effort into the practice, the armies of Mara were right on his heels, pestering him all the time, trying to keep him from attaining his goal. Still, he never wavered, never got discouraged, never abandoned his efforts. He took his perfection of truthfulness and used it to drive away the forces of Mara until they were utterly defeated. He was willing to put his life on the line in order to do battle with the forces of Mara, his heart solid, unflinching, and brave. This was why he was eventually able to attain a glorious victory, realizing the unexcelled right self-awakening, becoming our Buddha. This is an important example that he as our “father” set for his descendants to see and to take to heart.
So when we’re intent on training our minds to be good, there are bound to be obstacles — the forces of Mara — just as in the case of the Buddha, but we simply have to slash our way through them, using our powers of endurance and the full extent of our abilities to fight them off. It’s only normal that when we have something good, there are going to be other people who want what we’ve got, in the same way that sweet fruit tends to have worms and insects trying to eat it. A person walking along the road empty-handed doesn’t attract anyone’s attention, but if we’re carrying something of value, there are sure to be others who will want what we’ve got, and will even try to steal it from us. If we’re carrying food in our hand, dogs or cats will try to snatch it. But if we don’t have any food in our hand, they won’t pounce on us.
It’s the same way when we practice. When we do good, we have to contend with obstacles if we want to succeed. We have to make our hearts hard and solid like diamond or rock, which don’t burn when you try to set them on fire. Even when they get smashed, the pieces maintain their hardness as diamond and rock. The Buddha made his heart so hard and solid that when his body was cremated, parts of it didn’t burn and still remain as relics for us to admire even today. This was through the power of his purity and truthfulness.
So we should set our minds on purifying our bodies and minds until they become so truly elemental that fire won’t burn them, just like the Buddha’s relics. Even if we can’t get them to be that hard, at least we should make them like tamarind seeds in their casing: even if insects bore through the casing and eat all the flesh of the tamarind fruit, they can’t do anything to the seeds, which maintain their hardness as always.
So, to summarize: Cutting down on states of becoming and birth means retracting our awareness inward. We have to take the mind’s foundation and plant it firmly in the body, without getting attached to any outside activity at all. We have to let go of every thing of every sort that follows the laws of events, arising and passing away in line with its nature. We do good, but don’t let the mind go running out after the good. We have to let the results of our goodness come running into the mind. We pull in every thing of every sort to stash it away in our mind, and don’t let the mind get scattered outside, getting happy or sad over the results of its actions or anything else external. We do this in the same way that the bael fruit keeps the trunk, branches, flowers, and leaves of the bael tree curled up inside the seed. If we can then prevent outside conditions of soil and water from combining with the inside potential of the seed, it won’t be able to unfurl into a new bael tree.
Whoever practices in the way I’ve discussed here is paying homage to our lord Buddha in the correct way. Such a person will be endowed with blessings providing happiness throughout time.
Here I’ve discussed some verses from the Mangala Sutta as a way of developing our discernment, so that we will take these lessons and put them into practice as a way of paying homage to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha on this Visakha Puja day.
That’s enough for now, so I’ll stop here.
Evam.
See also:
The Art of Living – Vipassana Meditation
Life, Theravada Study April 11th, 2010
Read this post to understand partly why I do not like drinking alcoholic things…, and why I pay attention to Vipassana meditation recently.
The Art of Living – Vipassana Meditation
Everyone seeks peace and harmony, because this is what we lack in our lives. From time to time we all experience agitation, irritation, dishar mony. And when we suffer from these miseries, we don’t keep them to ourselves; we often distribute them to others as well. Unhappiness permeates the atmosphere around someone who is miserable, and those who come in contact with such a person also become affected. Certainly this is not a skillful way to live.
We ought to live at peace with ourselves, and at peace with others. After all, human beings are social beings, having to live in society and deal with each other. But how are we to live peacefully? How are we to remain harmonious within, and maintain peace and harmony around us, so that others can also live peacefully and harmoniously?
In order to be relieved of our misery, we have to know the basic reason for it, the cause of the suffering. If we investigate the problem, it becomes clear that whenever we start generating any negativity or impurity in the mind, we are bound to become unhappy. A negativity in the mind, a mental defilement or impurity, cannot coexist with peace and harmony.
How do we start generating negativity? Again, by investigation, it becomes clear. We become unhappy when we find someone behaving in a way that we don’t like, or when we find something happening which we don’t like. Unwanted things happen and we create tension within. Wanted things do not happen, some obstacle comes in the way, and again we create tension within; we start tying knots within. And throughout life, unwanted things keep on happening, wanted things may or may not happen, and this process of reaction, of tying knots—Gordian knots—makes the entire mental and physical structure so tense, so full of negativity, that life becomes miserable.
Now, one way to solve this problem is to arrange that nothing unwanted happens in life, that everything keeps on happening exactly as we desire. Either we must develop the power, or somebody else who will come to our aid must have the power, to see that unwanted things do not happen and that everything we want happens. But this is impossible. There is no one in the world whose desires are always fulfilled, in whose life everything happens according to his or her wishes, without anything unwanted happening. Things constantly occur that are contrary to our desires and wishes. So the question arises: how can we stop reacting blindly when confronted with things that we don’t like? How can we stop creating tension and remain peaceful and harmonious?
In India, as well as in other countries, wise saintly persons of the past studied this problem—the problem of human suffering—and found a solution: if something unwanted happens and you start to react by generating anger, fear or any negativity, then, as soon as possible, you should divert your attention to something else. For example, get up, take a glass of water, start drinking—your anger won’t multiply; on the other hand, it’ll begin to subside. Or start counting: one, two, three, four. Or start repeating a word, or a phrase, or some mantra, perhaps the name of a god or saintly person towards whom you have devotion; the mind is diverted, and to some extent you’ll be free of the negativity, free of the anger.
This solution was helpful; it worked. It still works. Responding like this, the mind feels free from agitation. However, the solution works only at the conscious level. In fact, by diverting the attention you push the negativity deep into the unconscious, and there you continue to generate and multiply the same defilement. On the surface there is a layer of peace and harmony, but in the depths of the mind there is a sleeping volcano of suppressed negativity which sooner or later may erupt in a violent explosion.
Other explorers of inner truth went still further in their search and, by experiencing the reality of mind and matter within themselves, recognized that diverting the attention is only running away from the problem. Escape is no solution; you have to face the problem. Whenever negativity arises in the mind, just observe it, face it. As soon as you start to observe a mental impurity, it begins to lose its strength and slowly withers away.
A good solution; it avoids both extremes—suppression and expression. Burying the negativity in the unconscious will not eradicate it, and allowing it to manifest as unwholesome physical or vocal actions will only create more problems. But if you just observe, then the defilement passes away and you are free of it.
This sounds wonderful, but is it really practical? It’s not easy to face one’s own impurities. When anger arises, it so quickly overwhelms us that we don’t even notice. Then, overpowered by anger, we perform physical or vocal actions which harm ourselves and others. Later, when the anger has passed, we start crying and repenting, begging pardon from this or that person or from God: “Oh, I made a mistake, please excuse me!” But the next time we are in a similar situation, we again react in the same way. This continual repenting doesn’t help at all.
The difficulty is that we are not aware when negativity starts. It begins deep in the unconscious mind, and by the time it reaches the conscious level it has gained so much strength that it overwhelms us, and we cannot observe it.
Suppose that I employ a private secretary, so that whenever anger arises he says to me, “Look, anger is starting!” Since I cannot know when this anger will start, I’ll need to hire three private secretaries for three shifts, around the clock! Let’s say I can afford it, and anger begins to arise. At once my secretary tells me, “Oh look—anger has started!” The first thing I’ll do is rebuke him: “You fool! You think you’re paid to teach me?” I’m so overpowered by anger that good advice won’t help.
Suppose wisdom does prevail and I don’t scold him. Instead, I say, “Thank you very much. Now I must sit down and observe my anger.” Yet, is it possible? As soon as I close my eyes and try to observe anger, the object of the anger immediately comes into my mind—the person or incident which initiated the anger. Then I’m not observing the anger itself; I’m merely observing the external stimulus of that emotion. This will only serve to multiply the anger, and is therefore no solution. It is very difficult to observe any abstract negativity, abstract emotion, divorced from the external object which originally caused it to arise.
However, someone who reached the ultimate truth found a real solution. He discovered that whenever any impurity arises in the mind, physically two things start happening simultaneously. One is that the breath loses its normal rhythm. We start breathing harder whenever negativity comes into the mind. This is easy to observe. At a subtler level, a biochemical reaction starts in the body, resulting in some sensation. Every impurity will generate some sensation or the other within the body.
This presents a practical solution. An ordinary person cannot observe abstract defilements of the mind—abstract fear, anger or passion. But with proper training and practice it is very easy to observe respiration and body sensations, both of which are directly related to mental defilements.
Respiration and sensations will help in two ways. First, they will be like private secretaries. As soon as a negativity arises in the mind, the breath will lose its normality; it will start shouting, “Look, something has gone wrong!” And we cannot scold the breath; we have to accept the warning. Similarly, the sensations will tell us that something has gone wrong. Then, having been warned, we can start observing the respiration, start observing the sensations, and very quickly we find that the negativity passes away.
This mental-physical phenomenon is like a coin with two sides. On one side are the thoughts and emotions arising in the mind, on the other side are the respiration and sensations in the body. Any thoughts or emotions, any mental impurities that arise manifest themselves in the breath and the sensations of that moment. Thus, by observing the respiration or the sensations, we are in fact observing mental impurities. Instead of running away from the problem, we are facing reality as it is. As a result, we discover that these impurities lose their strength; they no longer overpower us as they did in the past. If we persist, they eventually disappear altogether and we begin to live a peaceful and happy life, a life increasingly free of negativities.
In this way the technique of self-observation shows us reality in its two aspects, inner and outer. Previously we only looked outward, missing the inner truth. We always looked outside for the cause of our unhappiness; we always blamed and tried to change the reality outside. Being ignorant of the inner reality, we never understood that the cause of suffering lies within, in our own blind reactions toward pleasant and unpleasant sensations.
Now, with training, we can see the other side of the coin. We can be aware of our breathing and also of what is happening inside. Whatever it is, breath or sensation, we learn just to observe it without losing our mental balance. We stop reacting and multiplying our misery. Instead, we allow the defilements to manifest and pass away.
The more one practices this technique, the more quickly negativities will dissolve. Gradually the mind becomes free of defilements, becomes pure. A pure mind is always full of love—selfless love for all others, full of compassion for the failings and sufferings of others, full of joy at their success and happiness, full of equanimity in the face of any situation.
When one reaches this stage, the entire pattern of one’s life changes. It is no longer possible to do anything vocally or physically which will disturb the peace and happiness of others. Instead, a balanced mind not only becomes peaceful, but the surrounding atmosphere also becomes permeated with peace and harmony, and this will start affecting others, helping others too.
By learning to remain balanced in the face of everything experienced inside, one develops detachment towards all that one encounters in external situations as well. However, this detachment is not escapism or indifference to the problems of the world. Those who regularly practice Vipassana become more sensitive to the sufferings of others, and do their utmost to relieve suffering in whatever way they can—not with any agitation, but with a mind full of love, compassion and equanimity. They learn holy indifference—how to be fully committed, fully involved in helping others, while at the same time maintaining balance of mind. In this way they remain peaceful and happy, while working for the peace and happiness of others.
This is what the Buddha taught: an art of living. He never established or taught any religion, any “ism”. He never instructed those who came to him to practice any rites or rituals, any empty formalities. Instead, he taught them just to observe nature as it is, by observing the reality inside. Out of ignorance we keep reacting in ways which harm ourselves and others. But when wisdom arises—the wisdom of observing reality as it is—this habit of reacting falls away. When we cease to react blindly, then we are capable of real action—action proceeding from a balanced mind, a mind which sees and understands the truth. Such action can only be positive, creative, helpful to ourselves and to others.
What is necessary, then, is to “know thyself”—advice which every wise person has given. We must know ourselves, not just intellectually in the realm of ideas and theories, and not just emotionally or devotionally, simply accepting blindly what we have heard or read. Such knowledge is not enough. Rather, we must know reality experientially. We must experience directly the reality of this mental-physical phenomenon. This alone is what will help us be free of our suffering.
This direct experience of our own inner reality, this technique of self-observation, is what is called Vipassana meditation. In the language of India in the time of the Buddha, passana meant seeing in the ordinary way, with one’s eyes open; but vipassana is observing things as they actually are, not just as they appear to be. Apparent truth has to be penetrated, until we reach the ultimate truth of the entire psycho-physical structure. When we experience this truth, then we learn to stop reacting blindly, to stop creating negativities—and naturally the old ones are gradually eradicated. We become liberated from misery and experience true happiness.
There are three steps to the training given in a meditation course. First, one must abstain from any action, physical or vocal, which disturbs the peace and harmony of others. One cannot work to liberate oneself from impurities of the mind while at the same time continuing to perform deeds of body and speech which only multiply them. Therefore, a code of morality is the essential first step of the practice. One undertakes not to kill, not to steal, not to commit sexual misconduct, not to tell lies, and not to use intoxicants. By abstaining from such actions, one allows the mind to quiet down sufficiently in order to proceed further.
The next step is to develop some mastery over this wild mind by training it to remain fixed on a single object, the breath. One tries to keep one’s attention on the respiration for as long as possible. This is not a breathing exercise; one does not regulate the breath. Instead, one observes natural respiration as it is, as it comes in, as it goes out. In this way one further calms the mind so that it is no longer overpowered by intense negativities. At the same time, one is concentrating the mind, making it sharp and penetrating, capable of the work of insight.
These first two steps, living a moral life, and controlling the mind, are very necessary and beneficial in themselves, but they will lead to suppression of negativities unless one takes the third step: purifying the mind of defilements by developing insight into one’s own nature. This is Vipassana: experiencing one’s own reality by the systematic and dispassionate observation within oneself of the ever-changing mind-matter phenomenon manifesting itself as sensations. This is the culmination of the teaching of the Buddha: self-purification by self-observation.
It can be practiced by one and all. Everyone faces the problem of suffering. It is a universal malady which requires a universal remedy, not a sectarian one. When one suffers from anger, it’s not Buddhist anger, Hindu anger, or Christian anger. Anger is anger. When one becomes agitated as a result of this anger, this agitation is not Christian, or Jewish, or Muslim. The malady is universal. The remedy must also be universal.
Vipassana is such a remedy. No one will object to a code of living which respects the peace and harmony of others. No one will object to developing control over the mind. No one will object to developing insight into one’s own nature, by which it is possible to free the mind of negativities. Vipassana is a universal path.
Observing reality as it is by observing the truth inside—this is knowing oneself directly and experientially. As one practices, one keeps freeing oneself from the misery of mental impurities. From the gross, external, apparent truth, one penetrates to the ultimate truth of mind and matter. Then one transcends that, and experiences a truth which is beyond mind and matter, beyond time and space, beyond the conditioned field of relativity: the truth of total liberation from all defilements, all impurities, all suffering. Whatever name one gives this ultimate truth is irrelevant; it is the final goal of everyone.
May you all experience this ultimate truth. May all people be free from misery. May they enjoy real peace, real harmony, real happiness.
MAY ALL BEINGS BE HAPPY
The above text is based upon a talk given by Mr. S.N. Goenka in Berne, Switzerland.
Tags: Goenka, meditation, Theravada, vipassana
A peaceful photo
Life, Theravada Study December 26th, 2009
From Hue Loc FB - I get a peacful feeling in my mind when I see this photo. Thnx for such a great photo!
Tags: meditation, Theravada
Namo Tassa
Theravada Study December 22nd, 2009
Tags: music, Namo Tassa, Theravada
Walking the path of the four foundations of mindfulness has seven benefits
Theravada Study September 28th, 2009
Source: http://dhammapala-paauk-tawya.blogspot.com/2009/09/seven-benefits.html
D.II.373 The Buddha explained that walking the path of the four foundations of mindfulness has seven benefits. Please listen again:
D.II.373
The only way(ek∙āyano), bhikkhus, is this path(maggo),
[1] for beings’ purification(sattānaṁ visuddhiyā),
[2] for sorrow and [3] lamentation’s overcoming(soka∙paridevānaṁ samatikkamāya),
[4] for pain and [5] displeasure’s disappearance(dukkha∙domanassānaṁ atthaṅgamāya),
[6] for the right way’s attainment(ñāyassa adhigamāya),
[7] for Nibbāna’s realization(Nibbānassa sacchikiriyāya) : that is, the four foundations of mindfulness(cattāro sati∙paṭṭhānā).
1: PURIFICATION
DA.II.373 The first benefit The Buddha gave for practising the four foundations of mindfulness(cattāro sati∙paṭṭhānā) was beings’ purification(sattānaṁ visuddhiyā). This means the purification of beings soiled by the stains of lust, hatred and delusion. All reach the highest purity after abandoning their mental taints. By way of removing physical impurities, however, there is no purification of mental impurities taught in the Dhamma:
DA.II.373
By the Great Seer it was not said that through bodily taints men become impure, or that by the washing of the body they become pure. By the Great Seer it was declared that through mental taints men become impure, and that through the purifying of the mind they become pure.
DA.II.373 Accordingly, The Buddha says in the second ‘Gaddula∙Baddha’ sutta of the ‘Khandha∙Saṁyutta’:
S.III.100
By mental defilement, bhikkhus, beings are defiled; by mental purification, beings are purified.
2&3: SORROW AND LAMENTATION‘S OVERCOMING
DA.II.373 The second and third benefits The Buddha gave for practising the four foundations of mindfulness are sorrow and lamentation’s overcoming(soka∙paridevānaṁ samatikkamāya). The minister Santati’s sorrow(soka) was overcome by practice of the four foundations of mindfulness, and the woman Paṭācārā’s lamentation(parideva) was overcome in the same way.
MINISTER’S SORROW
DhpA.141-2 Once, when the minister Santati had returned from successfully suppressing troubles on the frontier of King Pasenadi Kosala’s territory, the king rewarded him by giving him a nautch-girl, and turning the kingdom over to him for seven days. For those seven days Santati steeped himself in liquor, and on the seventh day, fully adorned, he mounted the state elephant, and set out for the bathing-place. As he passed out of the gateway, he saw The Buddha entering the city for alms. Sitting on the elephant, he saluted The Buddha with a nod, and passed on.
Then The Buddha smiled. When the Venerable Ānanda asked Him why He smiled, He said:
Just look, Ānanda, at the king’s minister Santati. This very day, adorned as he is, he will come into my presence, and after listening to a stanza of four lines, he will attain Arahantship. He will then sit cross-legged at the height of seven palm-trees, and pass into Nibbāna.,
People heard what The Buddha said. The faithless thought what the Buddha said was impossible, and that they would that day catch Him in telling a lie. But the faithful marvelled at The Buddha’s powers, and looked forward to seeing the prophesied event take place.
Santati enjoyed himself at the bathing place, and then went to his pleasure garden, and sat down in his drinking-hall. Immediately, his nautch-girl came and danced and sang. But, to display more perfect grace of body, she had fasted for seven days, with the result that as she was dancing and singing, such fierce cutting pains arose in her belly that she died.
Santati was overcome with sorrow; and all the liquor he had drunk that week vanished like a drop of water on a red-hot potsherd. And he thought: ‘Who, apart from The Buddha, can extinguish my sorrow?’
So in the evening, surrounded by his retinue, he went to The Buddha, did obeisance and said: ‘Venerable Sir, this terrible sorrow has come over me. Please extinguish my sorrow; please be my refuge.’ Then The Buddha said to him:
Numberless are the times that woman has died this way, and weeping over her, you have shed more tears than there is water in the four great oceans.
DA.II.373 And The Buddha uttered the following verse:
SuN.955
What is before(pubbe), that get rid of, let there not be anything afterwards(pacchā),
And if you do not grasp what is in the middle(majjhe), then shall you walk in peace.
SNA.955 Here, when The Buddha says before, He means the past, when He says afterwards, He means the future, and when He says the middle, He means the present. SA.III.85 And when He says do not grasp(gaṇhāti), He means do not grasp sensual objects: sights, sounds, odours, flavours, tangibles, and other objects (dhammas).
Grasping such objects is sensual clinging(kām∙upadāna), which is reinforced craving(taṇhā) for sensual objects. Beings grasp sensual objects in three ways:
MA.I.82
1). Beings grasp sensual objects as ‘This is mine’(etaṁ mama) : that is a manifestation of craving(taṇhā).
2). Beings grasp sensual objects as ‘This I am’(es∙oham∙asmi) : that is a manifestation of conceit(māna).
3). Beings grasp sensual objects as ‘This is my self.’(eso me attā) : that is a manifestation of wrong view(micchā∙diṭṭhi).
SNA.956 The Buddha’s verse to Santati says that if you want peace, you should not grasp anything of the past, future or present by way of conceit, craving, or wrong view. You need to get rid of those three types of grasping(gāha).
How do you get rid of such grasping(gāha) ? You practise meditation on the five aggregates of past, future and present: the material aggregate(rūpa∙kkhandha) and the four mental aggregates(nāma∙kkhandha). While Santati listened to The Buddha’s verse, He practised vipassanā meditation.
DhpA.142 At the end of the verse, Santati attained Arahantship, together with the four types of discrimination(paṭisambhidā), and psychic powers(abhiññā). Then he surveyed his own aggregate of life, and seeing that he had but a short time yet to live, he asked The Buddha for permission to pass into Nibbāna. But The Buddha asked him first to related the meritorious deed that he did in a previous life: the deed that had produced his present human rebirth, enabling him to attain Arahantship as he did. And He asked him to rise up into the sky, to the height of seven palm trees, to tell his tale from there.
At this, Santati did obeisance to The Buddha, rose up to the height of one palm-tree, and came down. Then he did obeisance to The Buddha again, and rose up to the height of two palm-trees, and this way rose gradually up to the height of seven palm-trees above the ground, after which he sat cross-legged in the air, and told his story.
Ninety-one aeons earlier, in Buddha Vipassi’s dispensation, he had been reborn in a household of a city called Bandhumati. And himself performing works of merit, he had encouraged others to perform works of merit. On the Uposathas, he had observed the eight precepts, which is morality(sīla) ; he had made offerings, which is(dāna) ; and he had listened to the Dhamma, which is a type of meditation(bhāvanā). And he went about praising The Buddha, the Dhamma and Sangha, encouraging people to venerate them.
The Buddha Vipassi’s father King Bandhumati heard him speak thus, and had him summoned. He told him it was unfitting for him to walk about doing what he was doing, and gave him a garland of flowers to wear, and a horse to ride. And Santati went about teaching the Dhamma riding on a horse. Later the king again heard him teaching the Dhamma, again summoned him, and gave him a chariot drawn by four Sindh horses: the best breed of horses. And a third time the king heard his voice, A third time the king heard him teach the Dhamma, and sent for him, this time giving him much wealth, magnificent set of jewels, and an elephant. Santati put on all the jewels, sat on the back of the elephant, and for eighty thousand years went about teaching the Dhamma. As he did so, his body emitted the fragrance of sandal wood, and his mouth emitted the fragrance of the lotus. In this way, over thousands of years, he accomplished innumerable wholesome kammas. One of those kammas produced his present rebirth as a human being.
After Santati had told of his meritorious deeds in a previous life, then cross-legged in the air, he entered the fire element(tejo∙dhātu), and immediately passed into Nibbāna. His body burned up, and his relics floated down. A pagoda was built for his relics, and people were encouraged to worship the pagoda.
PAṬĀCĀRĀ’S LAMENTATION
DhpA.112-113 Then there is the story of the woman Paṭācārā. At an early age, she ran away from home together with a servant. Shortly before the birth of their first child, she set out for her parents’ home but gave birth on the way. Later, on the occasion of their second child, the same thing happened, although this time, her husband was bitten by a snake and died. Spending the night alone in the forest with her baby and other child, Paṭācārā set out the next morning for her parents’ home. But the baby was taken by a hawk, and the other child drowned in a river. In great despair and grief, Paṭācārā continued on her journey alone. On the road, she met a man coming from Sāvatthi. He told her that in the previous night’s storm, her parent’s house had collapsed, killing her parents and brother, and he pointed to smoke in the distance, coming from the funeral pyre. At this, Paṭācārā went mad, and with her clothes fallen from her body, she walked about naked, weeping, wailing and lamenting:
Both my sons are dead; my husband lies dead on the road; my mother, father and brother burned on one funeral pyre.
People reviled her, threw things at her, and chased her away.
At this time The Buddha was staying at Jetavana monastery. And seeing Paṭācāra in the distance, He saw that she had for a hundred thousand aeons fulfilled the pāramī, and that a vow she had made was to be fulfilled.
In Buddha Padumuttara’s dispensation, she had seen The Buddha declare a certain nun chief in the Vinaya, and had made a vow: ‘May a Buddha declare also me chief in the Vinaya.’ Buddha Padumuttara looked into the future, and seeing that her vow would be fulfilled, prophesied: ‘In the dispensation of a Buddha to be known as Gotama, this woman will bear the name Paṭācārā, and will become chief in the Vinaya.’
Seeing this, The Buddha had Paṭācāra brought to him. And pervading her with lovingkindness, He said: Sister, return to your right mind. And because of The Buddha’s powerful lovingkindness, she returned to her right mind. Realizing she was naked, she crouched upon the ground.
A man threw her a cloth, she put it on, and did obeisance to The Buddha. Then she said, ‘Venerable Sir, be my refuge, be my support,’ and told The Buddha her story. The Buddha said:
Paṭācārā, be no more troubled. You have come to One who can be your shelter, your defence, and your refuge. What you said is true. But just as today, so also all through this round of rebirth you have wept over the loss of sons and others dear to you, shedding tears more abundant than the waters of the four oceans.
And he uttered the following stanza:
But little water do the oceans four contain, compared with all the tears that man has shed,
By sorrow smitten and by suffering distraught. Woman, why do you still remain heedless ?
In this way, The Buddha spoke of the round of rebirth that is without conceivable beginning. As He spoke, Paṭācārā’s displeasure became less intense. Perceiving that her displeasure had lessened, The Buddha continued:
Paṭācārā, to one that is on her way to the world beyond, nor sons nor other kith and kin can ever be a shelter or a refuge. Even if they were to be alive at the time of your death, still they would provide no refuge. A wise man should purify his conduct and so make the path clear that leads to Nibbāna.
DA.II.373 And then He uttered a verse:
Dhp.xx.16
There are not sons for protection, not fathers, not kinsfolk either.
Seized by the Ender, there is no relatives’ protection.
Dhp.xx.17
Because he the meaning of this has understood, let the wise man morality-restrained
Quickly clear the path that goes to Nibbāna.
At the end of the teaching, Paṭācārā obtained Stream-Entry(sotā∙patti). And then she asked The Buddha for ordination as a bhikkhunī.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NOBLE STATE
DA.II.373 How did Santati and Paṭācārā overcome their sorrow and lamentation? Through meditation(bhāvanā). But for there to be meditation, there needs to be a meditation subject(kamma∙ṭṭhāna), a foundation of mindfulness(sati∙paṭṭhāna) : either the body(kāya), or feelings(vedanā), consciousness (citta) or dhammas(dhammā) (dhammas are all other mental factors apart from feeling). Santati and Paṭācārā overcame sorrow and lamentation by understanding body, feelings, consciousness and dhammas.
THE DISPENSATION’S USAGE
Here we need to be aware of the Dispensation’s usage(Sāsana∙yutti). To overcome sorrow and lamentation there needs to be full understanding of the five aggregates. By practising the four foundations of mindfulness, Santati and Paṭācārā understood the five aggregates: the materiality aggregate(rūpa∙kkhandha), the feelings aggregate(vedanā∙kkhandha), the perception aggregate(saññā∙kkhandha), the formations aggregate(saṅkhārā∙kkhandha), and consciousness aggregate(viññāṇā∙kkhandha) : all of the past, future, present, internal and external, gross and subtle, inferior and superior, far and near.
Let us then relate the five aggregates to the four foundations of mindfulness:
1) To contemplate the materiality aggregate is the same as body contemplation(kāy∙ānupassanā).
2) To contemplate the feelings aggregate is the same as feeling contemplation(vedan∙ānupassanā).
3) To contemplate the consciousness aggregate is the same as consciousness contemplation(citt∙ānupassanā).
4) To contemplate the perception aggregate and formations aggregate is included in the five aggregates section of dhammas contemplation(dhamm∙ānupassanā).
Another way to say this is:
1) The material aggregate is materiality(rūpa).
2) The immaterial aggregates are mentality(nāma).
To contemplate the body is to contemplate materiality(rūpa) ; to contemplate feelings, consciousness and dhammas is to contemplate mentality(nāma). That way, we may understand that to contemplate the four foundations of mindfulness is to contemplate just mentality-materiality(nāma∙rūpa). To contemplate internal mentality-materiality is to contemplate one’s own mentality-materialty; to contemplate externally is to contemplate the body of others (sons and daughters, husband and wife, property, etc.).
By contemplating mentality-materiality, Santati and Paṭācāra knew with direct knowledge the impermanence(aniccā), suffering(dukkha) and non-self(an∙atta) of mentality-materiality: that is vipassanā meditation. Thereby, Santati and Paṭācāra realized Nibbāna and overcame their sorrow and lamentation.
Santati attained Arahantship with the four types of discrimination, and went into Parinibbāna, final cessation. Paṭācārā attained Stream-Entry(Sotāpatti), and was then ordained by The Buddha. As a bhikkhuni, she practised vipassanā meditation further, and like Santati attained Arahantship with the four types of discrimination.
VsM.Ṭ.429 Those who reach the Noble(Ariya) stage together with the four types of discrimination need to have fulfilled certain conditions to be able to do so: they need to have developed the required pāramī in the dispensation of previous Buddhas. The most important such past pārāmī is practice of vipassanā meditation up to the Arise&Perish Knowledge(Udaya∙Bbaya∙Ñāṇa), or the Formations-Equanimity Knowledge(Saṅkhār∙Upekkha∙Ñāṇa). It was owing to such past practice that Santati and Paṭācārā were in their last life able very quickly to contemplate mentality-materiality as impermanent, suffering and non-self, and thereby very quickly to realize Nibbāna. We may thus understand that having the required pāramī is crucial.
4&5: PAIN AND DISPLEASURE’S DISAPPEARANCE
The fourth and fifth benefits The Buddha gave for practising the four foundations of mindfulness were pain and displeasure’s disappearance(dukkha∙domanassānaṁ atthaṅgamāya). This means the cessation of bodily pain(dukkha) and dipleasure(domanassa), which is mental pain. By practice of the four foundations of mindfulness, the Venerable Tissa’s pain disappeared, and in the same way, the pain of Sakka, king of the devas, disappeared.
THE BHIKKHU TISSA
DA.II.373 Tissa was head of a family at Sāvatthī. Having renounced gold worth four hundred million, he became a bhikkhu and dwelt in the forest far from society. His sister-in-law, afraid that he might one day return and claim his inheritance, hired a gang of five hundred bandits to find and kill him.
The bandits found him, and told him they had come to kill him. Then he asked: ‘On a security, please grant me life for just this one night.’ The bandits said: ‘O ascetic, who will stand security for you in a place like this?’ Then, the Venerable Tissa took a big stone, and broke his legs, and asked: ‘Lay disciples, is this sufficient security?’ Knowing that the bhikkhu was now unable to escape, the bandits left him.
DA.II.373 Then what did he do? He meditated. DṬ.II.373 He suppressed the pain of his broken legs by not paying attention to the pain, but instead to his virtue. DA.II.373 Knowing that his virtue was pure, joy and bliss(pīti∙pāmojjaṁ) arose, by which his physical pain disappeared. And he was able to practise samatha meditation, which is to develop concentration. With concentration, he was then able to practise vipassanā meditation, and develop insight step by step. In the three watches of the night, he fulfilled the ascetic’s duties(samaṇa∙dhammā). At the end of the third watch, at the rise of dawn, he attained Arahantship. DA.II.373 Then he uttered a verse:
By breaking both my legs I gave you a security; I loathe and shrink from dying with a lustful mind.
Having thought thus, I saw things as they are, and with dawn’s rise, I attained Arahantship.
This is the story of the Bhikkhu Tissa whose physical pain disappeared by his not paying attention to it.
Now on this retreat, many yogis complain that they have pain here and there in the body. Is that pain greater than the pain of legs broken with a big stone? Just like the bhikkhu who did not pay attention to his physical pain, you too should not pay any attention to your physical pain: you should pay attention only to your basic meditation-subject(mūḷa∙kamma∙ṭṭhāna).
According to the Visuddhi∙Magga, your basic meditation-subject can be any of forty samatha meditation-subjects. You may choose the one you desire. Many yogis choose ān∙āpāna∙ssati; some choose four-elements Resolution meditation(catu∙dhātu vavatthāna kamma∙ṭṭhāna). When you concentrate on your meditation-subject, your concentration improves: when your concentration improves, you will be able to suppress the physical pain with ease. To succeed in meditation it is necessary to persevere.
If you are unwilling to bear the pain while meditating, it is very unlikely that you will escape rebirth in one of the four woeful states(apāya). Now, the physical pain that you may experience in meditation is nothing compared to the hellish pain of being reborn in one of the four woeful states. It is therefore essential that every one of you escapes from that suffering.
There is another story about a bhikkhu who suppressed his physical pain.
THE THIRTY BHIKKHUS
DA.II.373 Once, there were thirty bhikkhus who, having obtained a meditation-subject from the Buddha, went to a forest for the rains-retreat. They agreed among themselves to avoid each other’s company, and practise the ascetic’s duties during the three watches of the night.
THE ASCETIC’S DUTIES
M.I.416-433 What are an ascetic’s duties(samaṇa dhamma) ? They are ten things:
1). Conscience and shame(hir∙ottappa)
2). Purified bodily conduct(parisuddha kāya∙samācāra)
3). Purified verbal conduct(parisuddha vacī∙samācāra)
4). Purified mental conduct(parisuddha mano∙samācāra)
5). Purified livelihood(parisuddha ājīva)
6). Guarding the doors of the faculties(indriyesu gutta∙dvāra)
7). Moderation in food(bhojane∙mattaññu)
. Devotion to wakefulness(jāgariya anuyuttā)
1). Mindfulness and discernment(sati∙sampajañña)
2). Abandoning the five hindrances(pañca nīvaraṇa) and purification of consciousness (the four jhānas)(citta parisuddha) and the three sciences(te∙vijja) :
i) the Past-Lives Recollection Knowledge(Pubbe∙Nivās∙Ānussati∙Ñāṇa)
ii) the Beings’ Decease&Rebirth Knowledge(Sattānaṁ Cut∙Ūpapāta∙Ñāṇa)
iii) the Taints Destruction Knowledge (Āsavānaṁ Khaya∙Ñāṇa)
A.III.82 These ten things are equivalent to the three higher trainings:
| 1). the higher morality-training(adhi∙sīla∙sikkhā)
2). the higher mind-training(adhi∙citta∙sikkhā) |
3). the higher wisdom-training(adhi∙paññā) |
A.III.90 The higher morality-training is training in the bhikkhu’s rule(Vinaya), etc.; the higher mind-training is training in the eight insight-basis jhānas; the higher wisdom-training is training in vipassanā meditation up to Arahantship. As bhikkhus, we must carry out these three duties every day and night. That is what those thirty bhikkhus worked hard at doing.
IN A TIGER’S JAWS
DA.II.373 But in the early morning, towards the end of the third watch, some bhikkhus would doze. And they were taken by a tiger, but did not cry out. The tiger took fifteen bhikkhus. On the Uposatha (when bhikkhus meet to recite the monastic rule), they discovered that the others had been taken by a tiger. So they agreed that from then on, anyone taken by a tiger should cry out: ‘He’s got me!’
Then one night, again a tiger came, and took a young bhikkhu. He cried out: ‘Tiger, Venerable Sirs!’ And the other bhikkhus brought sticks and torches and went in pursuit of the tiger.
The tiger took the young bhikkhu up on top of a cliff that was inaccessible to the bhikkhus, and there began to devour him. The bhikkhus down below could do nothing for him. But even as the tiger was devouring him, that bhikkhu suppressed his pain, and developed insight knowledge. He attained the four Paths and Fruitions of Arahantship together with the four types of discrimination.
How could he become an Arahant so quickly? Because of powerful pāramī. VsM&T/Ṭ.429&VbhA.718 There are two types of pāramī : past pāramī (Pāḷi), and present pāramī (Pāḷi)
1) Past pāramī (Pāḷi) : Those who attain the four discriminations will always have developed the necessary pāramī in the dispensation of previous Buddhas. Those pāramī include:
i)… Scriptural knowledge(pariyatti) : learning The Buddha’s Word off by heart(Buddha∙Vacanassa pariyāpuṇanaṁ), reciting the Pali(Pāḷyā sajjhāyo).
ii).. Hearing(savana) : learning the Dhamma thoroughly, with care and respect.
iii). Inquiry(paripucchā) : discussing knotty passages in the Texts, Commentaries etc.
iv). Past practice(pubba∙yoga) : practising samatha and vipassanā up to the Formations-Equanimity Knowledge(Saṅkhār∙Upekkhā∙Ñāṇa). Even though none of these things can be left out, this prior practice of samatha and vipassanā is the most important factor: it is the same as practising the four foundations of mindfulness.
All this can have been done only in the dispensation of previous Buddhas: they do not exist otherwise.
2) Present pāramī (Pāḷi)
The bhikkhu devoured by the tiger had such past pāramī. Having received a meditation-subject from The Buddha, he worked hard at vipassanā meditation. He discerned the eleven categories of five aggregates as impermanent, suffering and non-self. Thus, his past pāramī together with his present practice, enabled him to attain the four Paths and Fruitions together with the four types of discrimination even as the tiger devoured him.
Also in this case, the bhikkhu did not pay attention to his physical pain: he paid attention to only his basic meditation-subject, and thus developed insight knowledge. We may thus understand that to develop insight knowledge based on access- or absorption concentration (jhāna) is very important.
HOW TO REGARD PHYSICAL PAIN
S.III.160 A good way to understand how we should regard physical pain (pain in our body), is to listen to The Buddha’s explanation of disease. Once, a bhikkhu called Rādha asked The Buddha about Māra. And The Buddha explained that the five aggregates are Māra. The Buddha explained that the five aggregates should be seen as the killer(māretu) and as the killed(mīya). He explained that the five aggregates should be seen as a disease(roga), as a boil(gaṇḍa), as a dart(salla), and as pain(agha).
If we analyse our body and consciousness, we find only five aggregates. They are always present. And as long as there are the five aggregates, there will be diseases. We cannot avoid it. Why not? When we have a fever, that is excessive heat or cold: the fire element. When we suffer, for example, from rheumatism, that is excessive wind: the wind-element. When we suffer from, for example, diarrhoea, that is excessive flowing: the water-element. And any bodily pain or dissatisfaction we may have (for example, headache, ear-ache, tooth-ache, pain in the neck, back-ache, knee-ache, etc.), it is always caused by an imbalance either in the earth-element, the fire-element, or wind-element. Bodily pain(kāyika dukkha) arises because of body contact(kāya∙samphassa). Bodily pain is a mental factor that arises together with body-consciousness(kāya∙viññāṇa). And body-consciousness arises always because of contact between the body-base and the earth-, fire-, or wind-element. Because our body is made of those elements, we cannot avoid such disorders. Since there is no way we can escape our body now, we cannot escape from the four elements. So we should not worry about them; we should not worry about bodily pain.
When you meditate, you need to have a strong desire for Arahantship. When you have such strong desire, your effort increases. When your effort increases, you can bear any bodily pain.
Please remember, we may die any time. So, we must work hard to attain Arahantship, before we die. After death, we cannot know whether we shall be able to meditate again. So to have strong desire for and to make great effort to practise right now is necessary. We must not allow ourselves to be disheartened by physical pain.
Please try to remember the two courageous bhikkhus, and learn from their example: the bhikkhu with broken legs, and the bhikkhu eaten alive by a tiger.
To help you remember even better, we should like to tell you another story about the bhikkhu Pītamalla: he attained Arahantship while in severe pain.
THE BHIKKHU PITAMALLA
DA.II.373 When the Venerable Pītamalla was still a layman, he was wrestling champion in three kingdoms. At one time, he came to Tambapaṇṇī Island (Sri Lanka), where he had an audience with the king, and was granted royal patronage. Then one day, he passed by a place where a bhikkhu was reciting the following passage from ‘The Snake Simile Sutta’. There, The Buddha says:
M.I.247
Rūpaṁ, bhikkhave, na tumhākaṁ, taṁ pajahatha!
Taṁ vo pahīnaṁ dīgha∙rattaṁ hitāya sukhāya bhavissati.
Materiality, bhikkhus, is not yours: abandon it!
When you have abandoned it, that will be to your welfare and happiness for a long time.
Hearing this, Pītamalla thought: ‘Indeed, neither materiality nor feeling is one’s own.’ With only that thought as motivation, he renounced the world. He received the going forth(pabbajja) and the higher ordination(upasampadā) at the Great Monastery (Mahā∙Vihāra) at Anurādhapura. After he had mastered the two the bhikkhu and bhikkhuni rules, he went to a place called Gavaravāliya-Aṅgana with thirty other bhikkhus. They carried out the ascetic’s duty(samaṇa dhamma). When the Venerable Pītamalla could no longer, he continued his walking meditation on his knees.
One night, a hunter mistook him for a deer, and struck him with a spear. The spear went deep into his body, and the bhikkhu removed it. He covered the wound with a wad of grass, and sat down on a flat stone. Seeing his misfortune as a reason to arouse energy, he aroused great energy, developed insight, and attained Arahantship with the four types of discrimination.
To let his fellow-bhikkhus know, Pītamalla Thera made a sign by clearing his throat, and uttered a stanza of joy:
DA.II.373
The Word of the Fully Awakened Man, the Chief, Proclaimer of Right Views in the whole world is this: ‘Materiality, bhikkhus, is not yours: abandon it!’
Impermanent, indeed, are all formations; subject to origination and perishing. What arises, ceases; the cessation of all formations is real happiness.
The wrestler had been inspired to become a bhikkhu because of The Buddha’s instruction:
M.I.247 Rūpaṁ, bhikkhave, na tumhākaṁ, taṁ pajahatha!
Materiality, bhikkhus, is not yours: abandon it!
What does that mean? It means we must abandon our attachment to materiality, as well as our attachment to feeling, perception, formations and consciousness: all five aggregates. And how do we do that? First, we need to know and see the five aggregates with direct knowledge. Once we know and see the five aggregates with direct knowledge, we need to contemplate them in three ways:
1) We need to contemplate the five aggregates to see that as soon as they arise they perish, meaning the five aggregates are impermanent.
2) We need to contemplate the five aggregates to see that they are always oppressed by the origination and perishing, meaning the five aggregates are suffering.
3) We need to contemplate the five aggregates to see that since they are impermanent and suffering, there can be no stable self in them, meaning the five aggregates are non-self.
If we contemplate the five aggregates in these three ways, we can abandon our attachment for them.
Materiality is not yours. Feeling is also not yours either. Neither physical painful feeling, nor mental painful feeling are yours. If painful feeling was yours, it would always be there, because whenever there is consciousness, there is also feeling. But painful feeling is not yours, because feeling arises only when the six bases(ayātana) come into contact with their six objects. Furthermore, if feeling was yours, you would be able to control your feelings. But painful feeling arises when one of the five senses comes into contact with its respective undesirable sense objects: you cannot control it. Feelings arise and perish for a reason(hetu) and cause(paccaya), and that means they are impermanent, suffering and non-self. If you contemplate feelings this way, you can give up your attachment for feelings. If you are practising samatha meditation, and are yet unable to see the five aggregates, you must suppress the painful feeling by paying attention to your meditation-subject, such as the in&out-breath or the four-elements.
That is how the way of mindfulness makes pain disappear: it did so in the Bhikkhu Tissa with the broken legs, the young bhikkhu in the tiger’s jaws, and the Bhikkhu Pītamalla with the spear-wound in his chest. Then we shall give an example of how to overcome mental pain.
SAKKA, KING OF THE DEVAS
DA/Ṭ.II.373 Once, Sakka, king of the devas, was struck with displeasure and fear of death, for he saw the five portents of impending death. For this reason, he went to see The Buddha, and asked The Buddha fourteen questions. When The Buddha had explained neutral feeling(upekkha vedanā), Sakka and eighty thousand other devas had attained Stream-Entry. And Sakka was reborn once more as king of the devas. By practising contemplation of formations led by feeling(vedan∙ānupassanā sati∙paṭṭhāna), Sakka dispelled his mental pain, displeasure. This example is very brief indeed: the reader who is not fully and well acquainted with the story does not know what The Buddha’s explanation of neutral feeling was about, he does not know how all the devas attained Stream-Entry, he does not know why Sakka was reborn as king of devas, and he does not know how Sakka contemplated his mental pain and overcame it. The inexpert reader does not learn very much from this example.
THE DEVA SUBRAHMĀ
DA.II.373 There is, in this connection, also the case of the deva Subrahmā. SA.I.98 Once, he was enjoying heavenly delights together with a thousand deva nymphs. Then five hundred of them died as they were picking flowers, and were reborn in hell. Seeing where they were reborn, Subrahmā became very much afraid. Then he looked into the future, and saw that seven days later, he and the remaining five hundred nymphs would also be reborn in that hell. Why? Because he and his female companions in the garden indulged themselves too much in sensual enjoyment. Such excessive sensual enjoyment is unwholesome kamma that leads to rebirth in hell.
Now feeling a sense of spiritual urgency, Subrahmā and the remaining five hundred nymphs, went to see The Buddha. He said to the Buddha:
S.I.98
Always afraid is this mind, always agitated is this mind, about unarisen difficulties, and arisen ones too.
If there exists fearlessness, [being] asked, please tell me.
The Buddha replied: Đức Phật trả lời rằng:
S.I.98
Not apart from the enlightenments(bojjhā) and austerities(tapasā), not apart from faculty-restraints(indriya∙saṁvarā), not apart from complete relinquishment(sabba∙nissagā), do I see welfare for beings.
DA.II.373 At the end of the instruction, Subrahmā and his five hundred nymphs became Stream-Enterers. With this invaluable attainment, Subrahmā returned happily to his deva world.
It should be understood that to develop the four foundations of mindfulness as explained by The Buddha dispels displeasure just as it did in Sakka and Subrahmā.
6: THE RIGHT WAY’S ATTAINMENT
DA.II.373 The sixth benefit The Buddha gave for practising the four foundations of mindfulness was the right way’s attainment(ñāyassa adhigamāya). The right way is the Noble Eightfold Path. When one cultivates the preliminary, mundane path of the foundations of mindfulness(lokiya satipaṭṭhāna∙magga), it leads to attainment of the Supramundane Path(Lokuttara∙Magga).
7: NIBBĀNA’S REALIZATION
The seventh benefit The Buddha gave for practising the four foundations of mindfulness was Nibbāna’s realization(Nibbānassa sacchikiriyāya,).
DA.II.373 That means the one’s attainment, one’s own direct experience of the Deathless, Nibbāna. Nibbāna is so called because of the absence of vāna: vāna is a synonym for craving(taṇha) : Nibbāna is the absence of craving. DA.II.64 Vāna means also a web or a weave. Craving sews(saṁsibbati) or weaves(vinati) existence with existence, result with kamma. But in Nibbāna there is no such web or weave.
If this path is gradually cultivated, it produces Nibbāna’s realization. And The Nibbāna that the Noble One(Ariya) sees more and more clearly as she or he progresses on the Noble Path is the Unformed Nibbāna(Asaṅkhata Nibbāna).
SUMMARY
DA.II.373 When beings are in this way purified (which was the first benefit given by the Buddha) all the other conditions are fulfilled: sorrow and lamentation are overcome, pain and displeasure are dispelled, the true path is attained and Nibbāna is realized. But to know this, one needs to be familiar with the usage, the paradigm, of the Dispensation(Sāsana∙yutti).
DA.II.373 The Buddha does not at first make people familiar with the Dispensation’s usage, and afterwards teach the Dhamma. Rather, He makes the meanings known by the suttas. Therefore, to explain the things that are brought into effect by the only way, He said: for sorrow and lamentation’s overcoming, etc.
DA.II.373 We may also say that The Buddha explained in this manner to show the causes for liberation by the only way:
1) Beings are purified by the only way, because sorrow and lamentation are overcome.
2) And sorrow and lamentation are overcome because pain and displeasure are destroyed.
3) And pain and displeasure are destroyed because the True Path is attained [the Noble Eightfold Path].
4) And the True Path is attained because Nibbāna is realized.
In this way The Buddha explained the procedure of liberation by the only way. The procedure has been fully completed only with the Arahant’s realization of the Unformed Nibbāna(Asaṅkhata Nibbāna).
DA.II.373 Furthermore, by the seven phrases for beings’ purification etc., The Buddha praised the only way in seven ways. Why did He praise it like this? To inspire interest in the bhikkhus. The Buddha knew:
Furthermore, by the seven phrases for beings’ purification etc., The Buddha praised the only way in seven ways. Why did He praise it like this? To inspire interest in the bhikkhus. The Buddha knew:
DA.II.373
On hearing these praises, these bhikkhus will believe that this way casts out the four troubles(upaddava) :
[1] the burning of the heart that is sorrow(soka);
[2] the wailing that is lamentation(parideva);
[3] the bodily distress that is pain(dukkha);
[4] the mental distress that is displeasure(domanassa).
And they will believe that it brings the three distinctions(visesa) : purity(visuddhi), the right way(ñāya), and Nibbāna. And they will be convinced that this instruction should be taken up, learned well, borne in mind and memorized, and that this way should be developed.
That concludes our discussion of the seven benefits to be gained from practising the four foundations of mindfulness. Let us then discuss the four foundations of mindfulness themselves.
Tags: Theravada, Ven.Dhammapala
Pali Text Reader
Theravada Study September 16th, 2009
The Pali Text Reader
PALI TEXT READER
Download
http://sourceforge.net/projects/palireader/
The Pali Text Reader software is a reading and studying tool for Buddhist Pali texts. It will provide an in-depth search, an expandable dictionary with already more than 20,000 entries and an automatic translation mechanism. The Pali Text Reader contains a library of all Tipitaka books based on the classic and acknowledged Chatta Sangayana Edition (plus some bonus texts).
Some key features...
· incremental search;
· tree-view based open book menu with all VRI and additional volumes;
· memory function: starts program with last open book(s);
· customizable font and page settings;
· translator function (based on machine trained corpus – not in beta version);
· dictionary with +20,000 entries (Pali-English, English-Pali)
· fast real-time in-depth search (using Boyer Moore);
· convenient word-lookup via context menu;
· even more convenient: mouse-over word by word translation
· word compound analyzer (very rudimentary);
· marking, highlighting text passages for easy retrieval later on;
· auto-conversion into Velthuis for non-unicode export,
· switch between atthakatha, mula and tika;
· features to come include: a bookmark manager for easy retrieval and sharing of texts and passages; export books and passages to RTF, UNICODE, PDF and BBEB;
Background story:
Pali is an ancient middle Indian language, either being Buddha’s own mother tongue or at least a language closely related to the Blessed Ones own language. For over 2500 years Buddhist tradition handed down a vast amount of scriptures all written in Pali, which contains the accumulated wisdom of the Buddhist teaching.
During the 90′s, in a joint effort, the Pali Canon literature (containing several thousand pages) was digitized and published by the VRI, a none profit organisation. Their CDROM, the “Chattha Sangayana CDROM” or CSCD has been since one of the foremost tools when studying the source of Buddhist teaching. However, the software which handled reading and studying the volumes quite well, is not open source. Quite contrary, the Pali Text Reader is based on a plugin framework inviting users to improve and customize the reader to their needs. Besides, being written in C# its developers hope to port it soon to Linux/Unix and Macintosh…
Tags: buddhismsoft, English-Pali, freeware, opensource, pali, Pali-English, Theravada
How is the Valuable Life
Life, Theravada Study September 14th, 2009
How is the Valuable Life
by Ven. U Dhammapala
Ven. Dhammapala Pa Auk Tawya
I’m thinking one thing that how to attain a valuable life. Can I ask you a question if you want it or not? What is the most valuable thing in your daily life? How do you make it worth? That’s the essence of life. Now, I would like to share some of my consideration to you. Firstly, how is the valuable life? There’re many aspects of our life that we’re making business within the environment from which our behavior or manner would come from our heart and our mind profoundly or not. Many relationships among each other are formularised in a range of ways. As for, the society of human world is featured with craving and competition on daily basis which complicate consequently all of our human mind. For the survival of human beings in a modernized world, we’re earning our lives such as worker, vendor ..etc…. Any time we wondered that we had ever opened our heart to them while contact with those people outside! What are the meaning of words “Open the heart toward someone”? It is a common way in the society that we used to be experienced. Our human contact with others is usually disguised by a diplomatic bodily appearance of an opposite hidden mind. Actually, we have a lack of truthfulness, lovingkindness as well as great mind in the human life. Isn’t it?
Whenever a profitable thing comes up, especially in two of people, the nature of mind could be excitedly manifested in full such as jealousy, envy… during the trade affairs. The acquaintances of any relation might be commonly based on the sides of benefits which lead to a life standard in this turbulent city. Otherwise, any irrelevant that is obviously unprofitable will remain forgetful. That is the nature of a modernized world? Everything must be behaved like this, isn’t it? Regarding this, you might know more than me. Is it true? For me, in our daily life, it is much better we strive to deal with each other by lovingkindness, by truthfulness, in having a proper relationship or behavior among others on a kindhearted basis, that not only for business environment but larger community of people in living areas. This will bring you a fruitful life of good relationship, good harmony, valuable deeds which is resulting in a wide range of nice human being society.
Stress on important thing that we could do much better and better for others. Thus, I expect we should have wise attention to help people be alleviated from their suffering, be overcome with many difficulties of the diseases, danger…. It is an ideal man when we know how to praise our good mind further, how to maintain a meaningful ways of living that is by keeping delivery of our eternal loving kindness, compassionate, congratulation, equanimity … to more and more people that are in needs of our help. Doing the things day by days, our mind become more mature and happy to enjoy life so far so good. For this, I would not be sure that you can be wealthy or not one day but it is assured that you can make your life empowered with a strong confidence to be gained from what you have done little by little of valuable thing in your daily life. You have many choices and you can choose whatever you want. What is the most valuable thing that you need to do.
If you want to be successful you should open your mind to treat others with lovingkindness, compassionate, congratulation, and equanimity as you expected to yourself. Indeeds, you will gain more benefits, instead of getting loss.
I’m thinking as well a word of “understanding” . What do you think about it? Every day by our tainted mind we are eager to know more about others so as to get more understanding outside but even we’ve never aware of knowing more about ourselves, instead. On the other hand, we expected to be appreciated by others on our things done. We’re so happy to get praise any time. It is easy to understand that we simply see unwisely ourselves by the view of others regardless wrong or right. That is not right way. We should seek the understanding of others by knowing ourselves first, instead, we must empathize ourselves of what doing good or bad by understanding clearly of who I am and how I am. Otherwise, you would see the world so hard as a stone without mind. So, what is more important? Yourself or others? If you do not have wisdom to understand yourself, your heart would become like a stone! You’re never satisfied yourself; never get happy in your life. As a result, your mind is never mature and understanding.
We will understand others properly in the second steps after we fully know ourselves first. Here, the meaning is if we are not so skillful to read our mind we could not be able to read other’s mind. In your daily life, when you deal with people, you should use wise attention. Your wise attention is an efficient tool of wisdom to help yourself and others in a proper way to gain more benefits in Dhamma ways. Thus, you will easily relieve many barriers of community and even more full understanding of others in your environment. That will produce you an ability of an easy adaptation in your life and handling efficiently most difficult situation with others in the society.
With clear understanding of your surroungdings, your mind is ready to open for receiving new things or accept others. From this, your heart will be able to distribute more lovingkindness, compassionate, congratulation and equanimity to others easily.
In facts, any giving of donation or doing things with the mind of lovingkindness, compassionate, congratulation and equanimity as above, that will bring you to many benefits in daily life as well as in developing your relevant parami.
The same as whenever you’re eager to help others in one way without any response back to you, by lovingkindness and compassionate, congratulation to other one’s success and have equanimity on bad things or difficult. If we understood clearly those, we can produce a valuable life to do a lot of wholesome kamma by our open heart. It is a basic fundamental of good deeds that we’re improving life by life to follow the great example of our Bodhisatta. He, the One had spent 4 Cynthia and 100,000 world cycle to have good deeds with a wish to carry out the valuable things in each life throughout His Samsara until He enlightened. It is so wonderful to learn that from Our Omniscient.
In order to improve our good thinking of what we can do in our life, every time we pay respect to the Buddha, please do not forget to admire The Buddha’s qualities and things He has done for valuable things during His samsaras. For that, it will inspire us to practice diligently.
That is my way of thinking. Finally, I wish you all could do most valuable things in your life in the Happy New Year 2009
The mind is hard to check,
swift, flits wherever it listeth:
to control it is good.
A controlled mind is conducive to happiness. [Dhmpd.– 35]
Source: http://dhammapala-paauk-tawya.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-is-valuable-life.html
Tags: Buddhism, Pa Auk, Theravada, Ven.Dhammapala
