Wednesday, October 30, 2013

LIKE A GARLAND MAKER, A LEARNER ON THE PATH WILL COMPREHEND THE DHAMMA



Like a Garland-Maker, a Learner on the Path will Comprehend this Well-Taught Dhamma

Dhammapada (Verses 44, & 45)
“Who will comprehend this Earth (self), the world of Yama, and this World together with the Devas? Who will investigate the well-taught Path of Virtue, even as an expert (garland-maker) will pick flowers?”

“Ko imam pathvim vijessati yamalokanca imam sadevakam?
Ko dhammapadam sudesitam kusalo puppham iva pacessati?


An expert in making garlands will select, pluck and arrange flowers into garlands. In the same way, who will examine the nature of life penetratingly? Who will perceive the real nature of life in the world, along with the realms of the underworld and heavenly beings? Who will understand and penentratively perceive the well-articulated doctrine, like an expert maker of garlands, deftly plucking and arranging flowers?

The question was raised as to who will penetrate the well- articulated doctrine? The present stanza provides the answer:

The student, the learner, the seeker, the apprentice, the person who is being disciplined. He/she will perceive the doctrine, like the expert garland-maker who recognises and arranges the flowers.

It is the learner, the seeker, the student who will perceive the world of Yama, the realm of Heavenly beings and existence on Earth. He will discard and determine the various areas of the Doctrine, like a deft garland-maker who plucks and arranges the flowers into garlands.

Story;
Five hundred monks, after accompanying the Buddha to village, returned to the Jetavana Monastery. In the evening, while the monks were talking about the trip, especially the condition of the land, whether it was level or hilly, or whether the ground was of clay or sand, red or black, the Buddha came to them, “Monks, the earth you are talking about is external to the body; it is better, indeed, to examine your own body and make preparations for meditation practice..”

Sekho – A noble learner, a disciple in higher training, is one of those seven kinds of noble disciples who have reached one of the four supramundane paths or the three lower fruition, while the one possessed of the fourth fruition, or Arahatta-Phala, is called ‘one beyond training.’ The worldling is called ‘neither a noble learner, nor perfected in learning.

Aseka - It is an Aseka disciple who understands him-self and the whole world as they really are. There is no graceful English equivalent for this difficult Pali term.
“Adept” (= one who has attained) may be suggested as the closest rendering.


Loka – “world” denotes the three spheres of existence comprising the whole universe, ie.
(1) The sensual world ,or the world of the five senses
(2) The Form world (Fine material Sphere), corresponding to the four form absorptions.
(3) The Formless world(Immaterial Sphere), corresponding to the four formless absorptions

“Vijessati” = “ attana nanena vijanissati”= who will know by one’s own wisdom (commentary).
“Self” – That is one, who will understand oneself as one really is.

(“Sugathi”) - “Sadevakam
” – The world of the celestial beings. They are referred to as the radiant ones. Heavenly beings, deities; beings who live in happy worlds, and who as a rule, are invisible to the human eye. They are subject however, just as all human and other beings, to repeat rebirth, old age and death, and thus not freed from the cycle of existence, and not freed from misery. There are many classes of heavenly beings and six celestial planes. These seven are regarded as blissful states.

Devas - Literary, sporting or shining ones. They are also a class of beings who enjoy themselves, experiencing the effects of their past good actions.

The Six Heavens are;
Catummaharajika (realm of 4 kings)
Tavatimsa (realm of 33 gods)
Yamaya (realm of Yama gods)
Thusita (delightful realm)
Nimmanarati (realm of gods who rejoices in their own creations)
Paranimmitavasavatti (realm of gods who lord over the creations of others)

The sensual world/plains – Plains where beings enjoy through the 5 senses. 
The sensual world comprise of:
04 Apayas or Kama-dugati; – hells (niraya hells, animal plane, peta world (the ghost realm) and asurakayo (there are several types of them).
01 Human world
06 Deva planes or Heavens where deities live
11 Totals

Yamaloka:
The world of Yama, Yama is almost synonymous with Mara
Mara:
Mara is the Buddhist “Tempter” –figure. He is often called ‘Mara the Evil One’ or Namuci (“the non- liberator,” the opponent of liberation). He appears in the texts both as a real person (as deity) and as personification of evil and passions, of the worldly existence and of death. Pali literature often speaks of a “five-fold Mara”
1. Mara as a deity
2. The Mara of defilements
3. The Mara of the aggregates
4. The Mara of Karma-formations
5. Mara as Death.

Mara is equated with Death in most instances. ‘Death’ in ordinary usage, means the disappearance of the vital faculty confined to a single life-time, and herewith of the psycho-physical life process conventionally called “man, animal, Personality, Ego,” etc., Strictly speaking, Death is the momentary arising dissolution and vanishing of each physical-mental combination.
By the realm of Yama – are meant the four woeful states – Hell is not permanent according to Buddhism. It is a state of misery as are the other planes where beings suffer for their past evil actions.

Kusalo:
In this context this expression refers to expertise. But, in Buddhist literature, kusala is imbued with much significance. Kusala means -”karmically wholesome” or “profitable”, salutary, and morally good, (skillful). Connotations of the term, according to commentaries are: of good health, blameless, productive of favourable karma-result, skillful.

It should be noted that commentary excludes the meaning “skilful” when the term is applied to states of consciousness. In psychological terms: “krarmically wholesome” are all those karmic volitions and the consciousness and mental factors associated therewith, which are accompanied by two or three Wholesome Roots, i.e. By non- greed and non- hatred, and in some cases also by non- delusion. Such states of consciousness are regarded as “karmically wholesome” as they are causes of favourable karma results and contain the seeds of a happy destiny or rebirth.

From this explanation, two facts should be noted:
 
(1) It is volition that makes a state of consciousness, or an act, ‘good” or ‘bad’
(2) The moral criterion in Buddhism is the presence or absence of the three Wholesome or Moral Roots.

The above explanation refers to the mundane wholesome consciousness. Supra mundane wholesome states, i.e. The four paths of sanctity have as results only the corresponding four Fruitions; they do not constitute Karma, nor do they lead to rebirth, and this applies to the good actions of an Arahat and his meditative states which are all karmically inoperative.

Dhammapada –
The commentary states that this term is applied to the Thirty Seven Factors of Enlightenment. More information on this topic will be discussed in the future.




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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

THE BUDDHA SPENT HIS SEVENTH RAINS RETREAT AT THE THAVATIMSA HEAVEN


  1. THE BUDDHA SPENT HIS SEVENTH VASSANA (RAINS RETREAT) AT THE THVATIMSA HEAVEN AND RETURNED TO SANKASSA PURAYA ON THE VAP POYA DAY

    Photo: THE BUDDHA SPENT HIS SEVENTH VASSANA (RAINS RETREAT) AT THE THVATIMSA HEAVEN                 AND RETURNED TO SANKASSA PURAYA ON THE VAP POYA DAY 

The Buddha, just prior to the 7th annual rains retreat(vas), seven years after Enlightenment, ascended to the Tavatimsa Heaven, to deliver the sermon on Abhidhamma to thousands of Devas and Brahmas including His mother, who was then born as a Deva in Thusita Heaven as God Mathru, who assembled there, with ten thousand world systems.
There seated on the “Pandukambala” stone seat of God Sakra, He preached the Abhidhamma in detail, for a continuous period of 3 months. It was expounded to the heavenly beings, as it had to be explained to the same audience. No human being was able to listen for so long, in one stretch. The Gods who listened to the Buddha then, will be living even today, as their life span is much longer than that of human beings.
(In Tavatimsa heaven, the life span is 1000 Celestial years. 1 day in Tavatimsa heaven is equal to 100 years in the human plane.)
Buddha returned to this world, every day during that period, to the shore of Anottatta lake in North India, to take his meals and to attend to other necessary daily requirements. Ven. Arahat Sariputta went there to meet the Buddha daily, to attend on him. He was the most intelligent of all the Arahats and was called Dhamma Senadipati. At that time the Buddha, gave Ven. Sariputta, a gist of the Abhidhamma that he had preached to the Gods on the previous day.
Ven. Sariputta taught in detail, what he learned to his 500 odd pupils. Those pupils in turn taught the other monks, and ultimately most of the monks at that time learned Abhidhamma which is the Special and higher teaching of all Buddhas.
At the first council, the Dhamma and Vinaya were rehearsed. Dhamma included the Sutta and Abhidhamma. As writing was not prevalent at that time, the Dhamma was preserved orally and handed down from teacher to pupil. For the first time, the Tripitaka was written down at Aluvihara in Sri Lanka at the 4th Council during the reign of Vattagamini Abaya.
All the monks who participated at the 1st Council were Arahats, with Catupatisambida Knowledge). They rehearsed and preserved the Dhamma and Vinaya at the councils. Hence there is no doubt that the original Dhamma perched by the Buddha is available up to date, in the Theravada Tipitaka (Plai Cannon).
The 1st Council Sangayana was held 3 months after Parinibbana. The Buddha’s Teachings were divided into 3 sections called the Tipitaka, which consists of Vinaya, Sutta and Abhidhamma. The 3 Pitaka were compiled, examined and approved by Arahats who assembled there. All the senior monks, that assembled were Catu- Patisambidha Arahats. They knew the Abhidhamma. It was recited at the Council Sangithi) and approved.

Taken from-   “Guide to The Study of Theravada Buddhism” –Published by the Y.M.B.A, of Colombo, Sri Lanka




    The Buddha, just prior to the 7th annual rains retreat (vas), seven years after Enlightenment,
    ascended to the Tavatimsa Heaven, to deliver the sermon on Abhidhamma to thousands of Devas and Brahmas including His mother, who was then born as a Deva in Thusita Heaven
    as God Mathru, who assembled there, with ten thousand world systems.

    There seated on the “Pandukambala” stone seat of God Sakra, He preached the Abhidhamma in detail, for a continuous period of 3 months. It was expounded to the heavenly beings, as it had to be explained to the same audience. No human being was able to listen for so long, in one stretch. The Gods who listened to the Buddha then, will be living even today, as their life span is much longer than that of human beings.

    (In Tavatimsa heaven, the life span is 1000 Celestial years. 1 day in Tavatimsa heaven is equal to 100 years in the human plane.)



    Buddha returned to this world, every day during that period, to the shore of Anottatta lake in
    Photo: THE BUDDHA SPENT HIS SEVENTH VASSANA (RAINS RETREAT) AT THE THVATIMSA HEAVEN                 AND RETURNED TO SANKASSA PURAYA ON THE VAP POYA DAY 

The Buddha, just prior to the 7th annual rains retreat(vas), seven years after Enlightenment, ascended to the Tavatimsa Heaven, to deliver the sermon on Abhidhamma to thousands of Devas and Brahmas including His mother, who was then born as a Deva in Thusita Heaven as God Mathru, who assembled there, with ten thousand world systems.
There seated on the “Pandukambala” stone seat of God Sakra, He preached the Abhidhamma in detail, for a continuous period of 3 months. It was expounded to the heavenly beings, as it had to be explained to the same audience. No human being was able to listen for so long, in one stretch. The Gods who listened to the Buddha then, will be living even today, as their life span is much longer than that of human beings.
(In Tavatimsa heaven, the life span is 1000 Celestial years. 1 day in Tavatimsa heaven is equal to 100 years in the human plane.)
Buddha returned to this world, every day during that period, to the shore of Anottatta lake in North India, to take his meals and to attend to other necessary daily requirements. Ven. Arahat Sariputta went there to meet the Buddha daily, to attend on him. He was the most intelligent of all the Arahats and was called Dhamma Senadipati. At that time the Buddha, gave Ven. Sariputta, a gist of the Abhidhamma that he had preached to the Gods on the previous day.
Ven. Sariputta taught in detail, what he learned to his 500 odd pupils. Those pupils in turn taught the other monks, and ultimately most of the monks at that time learned Abhidhamma which is the Special and higher teaching of all Buddhas.
At the first council, the Dhamma and Vinaya were rehearsed. Dhamma included the Sutta and Abhidhamma. As writing was not prevalent at that time, the Dhamma was preserved orally and handed down from teacher to pupil. For the first time, the Tripitaka was written down at Aluvihara in Sri Lanka at the 4th Council during the reign of Vattagamini Abaya.
All the monks who participated at the 1st Council were Arahats, with Catupatisambida Knowledge). They rehearsed and preserved the Dhamma and Vinaya at the councils. Hence there is no doubt that the original Dhamma perched by the Buddha is available up to date, in the Theravada Tipitaka (Plai Cannon).
The 1st Council Sangayana was held 3 months after Parinibbana. The Buddha’s Teachings were divided into 3 sections called the Tipitaka, which consists of Vinaya, Sutta and Abhidhamma. The 3 Pitaka were compiled, examined and approved by Arahats who assembled there. All the senior monks, that assembled were Catu- Patisambidha Arahats. They knew the Abhidhamma. It was recited at the Council Sangithi) and approved.

Taken from-   “Guide to The Study of Theravada Buddhism” –Published by the Y.M.B.A, of Colombo, Sri LankaNorth India, to take his meals and to attend to other necessary daily requirements. Ven. Arahat Sariputta went there to meet the Buddha daily, to attend on him. He was the most intelligent of all the Arahats and was called Dhamma Senadipati. At that time the Buddha, gave Ven. Sariputta, a gist of the Abhidhamma that he had preached to the Gods on the previous day.

    Ven. Sariputta taught in detail, what he learned to his 500 odd pupils. Those pupils in turn taught the other monks, and ultimately most of the monks at that time learned Abhidhamma which is the Special and higher teaching of all Buddhas.
    At the first council, the Dhamma and Vinaya were rehearsed. Dhamma included the Sutta and Abhidhamma. As writing was not prevalent at that time, the Dhamma was preserved orally and handed down from teacher to pupil. For the first time, the Tripitaka was written down at Aluvihara in Sri Lanka at the 4th Council during the reign of Vattagamini Abaya.

    All the monks who participated at the 1st Council were Arahats, with Catupatisambida Knowledge). They rehearsed and preserved the Dhamma and Vinaya at the councils. Hence there is no doubt that the original Dhamma perched by the Buddha is available up to date, in the Theravada Tipitaka (Plai Cannon).
    The 1st Council Sangayana was held 3 months after Parinibbana. The Buddha’s Teachings were divided into 3 sections called the Tipitaka, which consists of Vinaya, Sutta and Abhidhamma. The 3 Pitaka were compiled, examined and approved by Arahats who assembled there. All the senior monks, that assembled were Catu- Patisambidha Arahats. They knew the Abhidhamma. It was recited at the Council Sangithi) and approved.

      Reference - “Guide to The Study of Theravada Buddhism” –Published by the Y.M.B.A, of Colombo, Sri Lanka

ETHICAL CONDUCT BASED ON LOVE AND COMPASSION

THE ETHICAL CONDUCT (SILA) BASED ON LOVE AND COMPASSION  
 

THE ETHICAL CONDUCT IS BASED ON LOVE AND COMPASSION

Ethical conduct based on love and compassion, are included three factors of the Noble Eightfold Path: namely Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood. (Nos 3, 4 &5 in the list)
Right Speech means abstention (1) from telling lies, (2) from backbiting and slander and talk that may bring about hatred, enmity, disunity and disharmony among individuals or groups of people, (3) from harsh, rude, impolite, malicious and abusive language, and (4) from idle, useless and foolish babble and gossip. When one abstains from these forms of wrong and harmful speech one naturally  has to speak the truth, has to use words that are friendly and benevolent, pleasant and gentle, meaningful and useful. One should not speak carelessly: speech should be at the right time and place. If one cannot say something useful, one should keep ‘noble silence.’

Right Action aims at promoting moral, honourable and peaceful conduct. It admonishes us that we should abstain from destroying life, from stealing; from dishonest dealings, from illegitimate sexual intercourse, and that we should also help others to lead a peaceful and honourable life in the right way.

Right Livelihood means that one should abstain from making one’s living through a profession that brings harm to others, such a trading in arms and lethal weapons, intoxicating drinks, poisons, killing animals, cheating, etc., and should live by a profession which is honourable, blameless and innocent of harm to others. One can clearly see here that Buddhism is strongly opposed to any kind of war, when it lays down that trade in arms and ethical weapons is an evil and unjust means of livelihood.

These three factors (Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood) of the Eightfold Path constitute Ethical conduct. It should be realised that the Buddhist ethical and moral conduct aims at promoting a happy and harmonious life both for the individual and society. This moral conduct is considered as the indispensable foundation for all higher spiritual attainments. No spiritual development is possible without this moral basis.  ……….


(Excerpt From, “What Buddha Taught” -  Ven. Walpola Rahula Thero)



ETHICAL CONDUCT IS BASED ON LOVE AND COMPASSION 



THE ETHICAL CONDUCT IS BASED ON LOVE AND COMPASSION

SORROW AND FEAR ARISE DUE TO LOVED ONES


SORROW AND FEAR ARISE DUE TO LOVED ONES -  Dhammapada (verse 213)




“From affection arises sorrow. From affection arises fear; to one free of affection there is no sorrow. Therefore, how can there be fear for such a person?” “Pemato jayati soko pemoto jayati bhayam. Pemato vippamuttassa natthi soko kuto bhayam.”

The greatest lay supporter of the Buddha, Visakha lost a beloved grand-daughter. As she was unable to control her grief, she visited the Buddha. She explained to the Buddha that her granddaughter was very dear to her and she shall not see the likes of her again.
The Buddha asked Visakha; “Visakha, how many inhabitants are there in Savatthi?” “I have heard you say, Venerable, that there are seventy million.” “But suppose all those persons were as dear to you as was Datta; would you like to have it so?” “Yes Venerable.”


 

“But how many persons die every day in Savatthi? “A great many, Venerable.” But In that case it is 
certain that you would lack time to satisfy your grief; you would go about both night and by day, doing nothing but wail.” Certainly, Venerable; I quite understand.” Then said the Buddha, “Very well, do not grieve. For whether it be grief or fear, it springs solely from affection.”

                                                



                

පින්වත් විශාඛා..
යමෙකුට ප‍්‍රිය දේවල් සියයක් ඇත්ද, ඔවුනට දුක් සියයකි, යමෙකුට ප‍්‍රිය දේවල් අනූවක් ඇත්ද, ඔවුනට දුක් අනූවකි................. යමෙකුට ප‍්‍රිය දේවල් දහයක් ඇත්ද ඔවුනට දුක් දහයකි...... යමෙකුට ප‍්‍රිය දේවල් දෙකක් ඇත්ද ඔවුනට දුක් දෙකකි. යමෙකුට ප‍්‍රිය දේවල් එකක් ඇත්ද ඔවුනට දුක් එකකි.
යමෙකුට ප‍්‍රිය දේවල් කිසිවක් නැද්ද, ඔවුනට දුක් නැත. ඔවුහු ශෝක රහිත කෙලෙස් දුහුවිලි රහිත, සිත් තැවුල් රහිතයෝ යැයි කියමි...
විශාඛා සූත්‍රය - උදාන පාළි..
                                         
 

HOW TO HAVE BETTER RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS


TO HAVE BETTER RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS



Treat others with a kind heart. There is a saying, ”A good heart bears good fruit.” However, sometimes people may not accept our kind heartedness. We should not lose faith because time is the best test: as long as we are sincere and consistent in treating others with kindness, the day will come when they will reciprocate. Therefore, a kind heart bears good fruit because the Law of Cause and Effect will not let us down.

 



Win over others with virtue. “Birds flock together to high mountains; 

 people are drawn to noble Virtues.” If we try to pressure with power, our efforts will fail. We may be very knowledgeable and learned, but others may still not need us. However if we have virtue, compassion, sincerity, and integrity, others will come to have trust in us. It is said, “In using power to cover others, troubles will not be far off in using morality to influence others, and a good reputation will last far and long.” When we use virtue to win over others, they will respond favorably. Therefore the wise cultivate morality and they petty power…