REFLECTION OF THE BUDDHA QUALITIES

                               Buddhanussati Meditation

Celebrating the 2560th Vesak Sambuddha Jayanthi with UQ Buddhist Chaplaincy

 Reflection of The Buddha Qualities - Buddhanussati Meditation

 

What is Buddhanussati Meditation?

•      At that time the meditators physical and mental anxiety

      subsides.

•    With the subsidence of anxiety, physical and mental 

         happiness arise.

•   Mind becomes concentrated (stillness of the mind).

•   This is the development of the mind.

•   That mind is not subject to lust, ill will or delusion.One’s mind stands firm and upright.

•   As one has no attachments one’s defilements such as 

          lust is eliminated.

•   As the mind is firmly directed to the meditation subject, 

         vitakka and vichara are inclined to the Buddha qualities.

•  As the Buddha qualities are contemplated upon joy, 

        that enables attainment of neighborhood absorptions 

        to arise.

The only thing to do in order to know the Buddha 

qualities is be virtuous. The more virtuous and

generous one is, the more one can know the Buddha

qualities.

One stream enterer (sotapanna) has more knowledge 

of the Buddha qualities than that of a mundane people 

put together.

Calming of the mind which is dissipated on pleasant and unpleasant 

objects. 



Gains unlimited respect for the Buddha Becomes humble, acquires much faith , mindfulness and wisdom.



 
Always lives in happiness and joy.


Is able to tolerate big and small fears


Feels as one is living with the Buddha


One’s body , be filled and replaced with Buddha qualities, one receives reverence and hospitality


Mind inclines towards Buddhahood.


Mind does not bend towards unwholesome actions and moral shame and moral fear arise in one.


As a result unwholesome thoughts vanishes


Misfortunes and dangers from non human beings will subsidise


Difficulty to sleep and unpleasant frightful dreams will not occur



If you are subject to ridicule, humiliation, blame, repugnance, jealousy and intolerance of one of the


many, start practicing Buddha Qualities at once. Very


soon you will be at the receiving end of reverence,


gifts and hospitality. You will become agreeable to


everybody. You will be happy.

 Sariputta Maha Thero’s Recollection of the BuddhaQualities. 

 (D.N.Sampasadaniya Sutta & Sangini Sutta and its commentary)

 The Buddha was residing in the Pavarika Mango Grove in the city of Nalanda

Sariputta Maha Thero, fore most among the learned disciples, having 

attained to the attainment of fruition(palasamapatti) and emerging from 

there began to reflect his own qualities. 

Starting from his own virtuous qualities he recollected systematically:

Samadi (concentration – stillness)

Panna (Knowledge)

Vimukthi – (freedom)

Vimukthi gnanadarshana  - (wisdom of freedom)

Attainments of 1st absorption up to the 

Nevesannanasannayatanaya

Vipassana Nana (insight Knowledges)

Dibbachakku Nana (ability to see distant and very small 

objects)

The four Paths from Sotapatti Magga etc: The same four

Fruits and the Four Analytical Knowledge

The Savaka Parami Gana and multitude of his qualities 

tarting from the resolution made at the Anomadassi 

Buddha one assankheyya and one hundred thousand 

aeons before, up to the present time where he is 

seated. 

He reflected again and again, yet he was unable to

estimate definitely how many or how much his qualities 

were.

 
Buddha Qualities are Infinite

  Sariputta Maha Thero the most wisest of the desciple came to a conclution
 that:

 Just as the water in the ocean directly opposite a finger pointed at it is

 minute, while remaining water is wast,

 Just as the space opposite the finger directed at the sky is extremely little 

compared to the remaining vastness of space, So also Buddha qualities 

unseen even by the Sariputta Maha Thero is very vast indeed. 

Therefore the commentary says:

“ If the Buddha, from day of his 

enlightenment, without engaging in any other

 work, day and night were to describe without

 stopping through out his life span vast 

multitude of qualities, then his life span

 would be over, but yet the recitation of the 

Buddha qualities would not” 

(D.N: Sampasadaniya Sutta).

 Buddha Qualities in Brief

         In order enable the general public also to gain 

somenowledge of the infinite multitude of

Buddhaqualities, Buddha himself condensed all the 

Buddha qualities into an expression containing nine 

qualities and declared this:

"Itipi so Bhagava Araham, Samma-Sambuddho, Vijja-

Carana Sampano, Sugato, Lokavidu, Anuttaro Purisa 

Dhamma Sarathi, Sattha Deva- Manussanam, Buddho, 

Bhagavati.” 

There are altogether nine important qualities of the 

Buddha. In Pali, the nine qualities are:

1. Araham,

2. Samma-sambuddho,

3. Vijjacarana-sampanno, 

4. Sugato,

5. Lokavidu,

6. Anuttaro-purisa-dhammasarathi,

7. Sattha-deva- manussanam,

8. Buddho and

9. Bhargava.  

The qualities of the Buddha are infinite and all those infinite

qualities are included in these nine.

These qualities are also explained in Dadgagga Sutta and in 

many other places in the Pali cannon.

The Nine Great Qualities of the Buddha or The 

Nine fold Virtues of the Buddha

 

 1.The Supreme Buddha, was capable of doing supernatural things like 

 walking in the sky, pacing on water, penetrating through hard 

 materials like earth, move to any place invincibly, and more. He thus

 obtained the wisdom of supernatural powers (Irdhivida Gnanaya) 

with infinite powers.

 2. He also acquired ‘divine eye’ or the “Dibba Chakkhu Gnanaya” that 

enables Him to see things at any distance without any disturbance.

 He acquired ‘divine ears’ or the “Dibba Sota Gnanaya” that enables 

Him to listen to any sound at any distance without any disturbance

 3. He acquired an extraordinary wisdom or the “Cheeto Pareeya 

Gnananaya” that enables Him to see through minds of any human or 

deity.

 4. He acquired the wisdom or the Pubbe Niwasanussati Gnanaya” that

 enables Him to see the pathway taken by any being in Samara.

 5. He acquired the wisdom or “Chutupapata Gnanaya” that enables Him 

to see how beings die and leave their present lives according to their 

actions (Karma) and how they be born according to their actions 

(Karma).

6. The Supreme Buddha also obtained a tremendous wisdom that 

enables Him to identify the state of a mind acquired by eradicating all 

defilements. It is His wisdom of eradication of defilements or the 

“Asavakkhaya Gnanaya”.

7. Thus, He had superb and infinite virtue (Seela), contemplation 

(Samadi), wisdom (Panna), freedom (Vimukti), and wisdom of freedom 

(Vimukti Gnanadarshana).

 8. Because of these great qualities, my great teacher, the Supreme 

Buddha, is known as Vijjacharana Sampanna… Vijjacharana 

Sampanna… Vijjacharana Sampanna…

May the Buddhanussati meditation of the chief disciple be an example to 

all