(*) -- Denotes my own comments
M{Number} -- majjhima sUtta number
S{Number} -- saMyukta sUtta number
D{Number} -- dIgha sUtta number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 0
-- Nature of Buddha's enlightenment
-- ariyapariyEsana sUtta (M26), bhaya bhErava sUtta (M4), mahA sachchaka
sUtta (M36), mahA sIhanAda sUtta (M12), one from the saMyukta nikAya
(S12, S65), one from dIgha nikAya (D14)
-- Organization of the pALi canon -- tipITaka
-- vinaya pITaka -- Collection of rules for the monastic order
-- sUtta pITaka -- Collection of Buddha's and prominent disciples
-- 5 nikAyas (nikAya = collection)
-- dIgha, majjima, saMyutta, angUttara, khuddaka
-- khuddaka -- miscellaneous writings
-- dhammapAda, sutta nipAta, thEra gAtha, thEri gAtha, jAtaka
-- abhidhamma pITaka -- 7 treatises in technical, systematic form
-- Northern Buddhist equivalent of the pALi canon -- Agamas in saMskR^itaM
-- Chinese tipITaka
-- Ananda remembering 84000 discourses of the Buddha.
-- Initially, 9 types of teaching -- No pITakas, nikAyas.
-- After the Buddha's parinirvANa, 500 arahant disciples met at rAjagR^iha.
-- vinaya pITaka has a record of this council in its later chapters.
-- Two collections -- vinaya and sUtta.
-- bhANakas -- bhikkus who memorized, for example, dIgha -- dIgha bhANaka
-- Buddhism to Sri Lanka in 3rd century B.C.E.
-- Famine in Sri Lanka in 1st century B.C.E.
-- One text had only one reciter left.
-- Also, threat by a hostile king.
-- Third council at Sri Lanka.
-- Burmese monks keep up the tradition of memorizing the entire tipITaka.
-- Socio-economic-political conditions during the time of the Buddha.
-- 566 B.C.E. to 500 B.C.E. for the birth of the Buddha.
-- Republics giving way to monarchies
-- magadha (rAjagR^iha), kOshala (shrAvasti or sAvatti).
-- shAkyas at kapilavastu subordinate to kOshala.
-- Wars among magadha, kOshala with magadha winning after Buddha's time
-- Transition from cattle-rearing to agriculture
-- Probably invention of iron tools
-- Led to surplus (of food etc.) => Increased urbanization
=> Money-based economy => Trade increased
=> Market towns/Trade routes => Mercantile class (seTTi)
=> Lobbying with the kings by financing armies etc.
-- varNa system very volatile at this time.
-- vaishyas having a stronger say because of affluence
-- Due to surplus of food, society supported samaNas (shramaNas) and brAhmaNas
-- brAhmaNas led a household life, and upheld family life. Did not believe in
a continuous series of rebirths. Rebirth in heaven or in the company of
brahma (creator of the worlds, varNa system with brAhmaNas at the head)
-- samaNas were ascetics, renunciates on homeless life. Three months of rainy
season -- travel difficult, avoid injury to creatures. Strong belief in
rounds of rebirth and liberation therefrom. Liberation through ascetic
practices, esp. self-mortification. Body and its desires pin the soul
down in bondage (this is their belief). Bird in a cage analogy.
-- Charity to these ascetics meant merit and progress in round of rebirth. This
is the belief of the lay people of the time.
-- The Buddha came to be the greatest teacher of the samaNa community.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 1 -- ariyapariyEsana sUtta (M26, paras 1-18)
-- Evam mE sutaM. Thus have I heard.
-- First council under Ven. mahAkAshyapa, Ven. upAli for vinaya, Ven. Ananda
for sUtta.
-- After 20 years, the Buddha asked Ananda to be his attendant.
-- Ven. Ananda -- dhamma bhaNDagArika (Treasurer of the Dhamma)
-- shrAvasti (sAvatti), capital of kOshala. jETavana, anAthapinDika's park.
-- After enlightenment, as per the promise to sEnIya biMbisAra, the Buddha
returned to rAjagR^iha. biMbisAra donated the bElUvana (Bamboo grove)
to the Buddha.
-- A person (X) in rAjagR^iha built huts for the Buddha and his monks. His
brother-in-law sudatta (anAthapinDika) at sAvatti also became a
supporter of the Buddha.
-- anAthapinDika purchased the grove outside of the city from prince jETa.
Another supporter is vishAkha, migAra's mother. vishAkha donated the
Eastern park or the palace of migAra's mother to the Buddha. The Buddha
spent the last 20 years of rains retreat at sAvatti.
-- Two things to do when people gather -- Discuss dhamma or noble silence.
-- 32 types of useless talk -- sUtta 76.
-- Two types of pariyEsana (quest) -- ariya (noble) and ignoble.
-- Buddha presents the negative side first, and then the positive side later.
-- On Ignoble quest
-- Ignoble quest is pursuing things that are subject to:
-- Birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, defilements
-- We ourselves are subject to them.
-- What are these?
-- Wife, children, house, cattle, food, money etc.
-- upadhi (assets, acquisitions) -- Basically material possessions
-- Philosophically, could also refer to the paJNcha skandhas which we
cling to for defining ourself.
-- Are subject to birth etc.
-- On Noble quest
-- adInava (vidibba?) -- The basic unsatisfactoriness in all the above things.
-- anuttara yOga khEma -- unsurpassed security from bondage -- nibbAna.
-- (*) Why do we, being subject to birth etc., seek what is subject to the
same? What does this mean? Acquiring any of these things does not
prevent us from further birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow,
defilements (what is defilements?). Then, why are we hankering after
them? Should not we strive for something that will bring us relief
from the ills of birth etc. The first step then is to realize for
ourselves that birth etc. are an ill, a disease. We do not realize
that, and hence hanker after all these things like wife, children etc.
-- The Buddha goes to AlAra kALAma, learns their teaching theoretically. AlAra
tells the Buddha that he reached the base of nothingness. The
meditative attainments are as follows:
-- The four jhAnas
-- The four meditations to reach the formless/immaterial worlds:
-- The base of the infinity of space
-- The base of the infinity of consciousness
-- The base of nothingness (No object is present for awareness)
-- The base of neither perception nor non-perception
-- The Buddha, because of his paramis, quickly attains to the base of
nothingness. But the Buddha has a sense for the unsatisfactoriness of
attaining to the base of nothingness. It does not lead to
desirelessness, but rebirth in the sphere of the base of nothingness.
-- Spheres of consciousness are "material" manifestations of a particular
"vibrational frequency" (so to say) of consciousness.
-- The Buddha discerns that achieving the base of nothingness leads to rebirth
there. Life there lasts for 60000 kappas (kalpas). And then he would
fall again. Hence, this did not satisfy him.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 2 -- ariyapariyEsana sUtta (M26), bhaya bhErava sUtta (M4)
-- akiMchannAyatana = akiMchan + Ayatana (base of nothingness)
-- arUpa samapatti (formless/immaterial attainments)
-- arUpa dhAtu (these formless/immaterial worlds)
-- nibiDa (disenchantment), upapatti (reappearance/rebirth)
-- nEva saMGYAsaMGYAyatana (base of neither perception nor non-perception)
-- Awareness itself is half-manifest, half-unmanifest
-- The Buddha gains this attainment while with uddaka rAmaputta.
-- (*) How does the Buddha realize the existence of such worlds at this stage?
Inherent wisdom, is it?
-- Life in the nEvasaMGYAsaMGYAyatana spans 84000 kappas.
-- The Buddha again realized the unsatisfactoriness of this attainment, as he
will fall from it sometime.
-- The Buddha travels to the magadha country and comes to sEnAnigAma near
uruvEla.
-- bhaya bhErava sUtta
-- jAnussoNi brAhmaNa talks to the Buddha
-- 8, 14, 15 days of the fortnight (auspicious days)
-- Full-moon, New-moon, Quarter-moon
-- (*) Somehow 8, 14, 15 do not correspond to the phases above?
-- One of the practices the Buddha undertook was to visit haunted places on
these auspicious nights, so as to overcome fear and dread. If he was
moving to and fro (or standing, sitting, lying down), and the passing
of an animal etc. instilled fear in him, he would continue in that
posture till he conquered the fear and dread.
-- The setting then moves to the seat of enlightenment, when the Buddha
describes the three spiritual faculties -- vIrya (energy),
sati (mindfulness), samAdhi (concentration).
-- The Buddha sits under the bOdhi tree (mentioned only in later commentaries
and not in the sUttas themselves) resolved to attain enlightenment even
if it means his flesh and blood would dry up.
-- The Buddha is then tempted by mAra in the early evening. mAra is a powerful
deity in Buddhism who seeks to keep people in saMsAra (by enticing them
to do deeds of merit, and attain heavenly worlds etc.) mAra then
questions the Buddha's right to sit on the ground, and says that he has
no right (which mAra's supporters admit). The Buddha then places his
right hand on the earth to call her as a witness for his attainment of
the 10 paramis (paramitas) required for fulfilling the Buddhahood. The
earth then trembles (or in other accounts, a goddess appears), and
mAra's armies are scattered. In a verse of the sutta nipAta though,
when the Buddha was undertaking self-mortification, mAra was supposed
to have tempted the Buddha with the ten armies like sensual pleasures,
laziness, gluttony, despondency etc. This became the basis of later
stories for mAra being the head of a large army.
-- The Buddha then starts entering into deep levels of concentration, the
jhAnas. One concentrates on a kAmaTTAna (meditation subject) to achieve
these states. One has to overcome the five hindrances first:
-- sensual desires
-- ill-will
-- sloth, torpor, dullness, drowsiness
-- restlessness, remorse and worry
-- doubt, perplexity etc.
When one overcomes all these, one reaches the neighbourhood
concentration (or access concentration), and five faculties are
prominent at this time:
-- vitakka (applied thought, not ordinary thinking)
-- vichAra (sustained thought/examination of the object)
-- pIti (joy or rapture)
-- sukha (happiness, pleasure)
-- chittassa EkAgata (EkAgrata; one-pointed concentration)
vitakka is the thought required to focus on the kAmaTTAna.
First jhAna -- All five (vitakka etc.) are present.
Second jhAna -- vitakka and vichAra dropped. saMpasAdana (inner clarity
and tranquillity together), and singleness of mind
(chEtasO EkOdi bhAva) attained.
Third jhAna -- pIti becomes a coarse factor, a disturbing factor. pIti
dropped. sati and saMpajanya (full awareness) become prominent.
Then, there comes equanimity. sukha (pleasant feeling) present.
Fourth jhAna -- No sukha too. sati and saMpajanya and equanimity firmly
established.
-- brahma vihAras (the four formless/immaterial worlds)
-- Ayatana -- base or states of mind, realms corresponding to those states.
Used in both these senses. These meditative states generate a kArmic
force which direct the consciousness to these worlds.
-- jhAna (dhyAi, jhAi root forms) -- think very closely/intently upon something
-- sammAsamAdhi is defined as the four jhAnas in the eight-fold path.
-- prAkR^ita/pALi jhAna --> Chinese chAn --> Japanese Zen
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 3 -- bhaya bhErava sUtta (M4)
-- abhiGYA = abhi (superior, higher, direct) + GYA (know) -- spiritual powers
aroused in the fourth jhAna (pAdaka jhAna, foundation for spiritual
powers).
-- Three yAmas (watches of the night) -- 6PM-10PM, 10PM-2AM, 2AM-6AM
-- upakilEsa (minor defilements)
-- First watch of the night -- the Buddha somehow knew he should recollect his
previous lives (pubbenivAsa -- previous abodes). Normally,
forgetfulness is probably good for most people, but the
imperturbability achieved through the fourth jhAna renders reliving the
experiences sustainable. The Buddha recollected the time of his birth,
then the time of his conception, then the previous life, two lives,
three lives, 10, 20,..., 100, 1000, 10000, 100,000 lives, aeon of
contraction, aeon of expansion, many an aeon of expansion and
contraction (world systems in Buddhism contract and expand just like
the breathing of a human).
-- This is the first true knowledge (vijjA) gained by the Buddha. Note that
people with wrong views can attain this through samAdhi.
-- In the second watch of the night, the Buddha directs his mind to the death
and reappearance of beings (chutUpapAtaGYAna = chuti + upapAta + GYAna
= perishing + rebirth + knowledge). Also called yathAkamma upaga GYAna
(upaga = arise, yathAkamma = according to their kamma). This is known
through the dibbe chakku.
-- apAya (state of depravation), dugati (bad destination) for those of wrong
thoughts, words, acts, views etc. The bad realms are:
-- Hell realm (many such)
-- pEta realm -- tormented by hunger, thirst etc. always
-- animal realm
Those with right thoughts, words, acts, views, respectful towards the
noble etc. are born in the good realms:
-- Human realm
-- Heavenly realms (many such)
-- People's views/actions determine which realm they are born into (i.e., the
rule is not arbitrary).
-- The Buddha revolutionized the concept of kamma (karma). For the brAhmaNas,
kamma was correctly performed vEdic rituals/sacrifices. For the Jains,
kamma was almost a material substance (of various hues) deposited on
the soul which has to be liberated through self-mortification. For the
Buddha, kamma took an ethical aspect involving human volition.
-- This was the second vijja attained in the middle watch of the night.
-- In the final watch of the night, the Buddha directed his mind to the
destruction of the Asavas (Asavakhaya GYAna = Asava + khaya). su
(sabati -- to flow) is the root for Asava. Hence translated a + su =
influx or out-flow or influence or affluents or taints. For the Jains,
the term Asava was a force which corrupted the mind.
-- Buddha claimed that others at the time were not able to liberate themselves
from the Asavas, simply because they did not know what they were. The
Asavas are three in number (not the three poisons, greed, hatred,
delusion; hatred does not bind one in saMsAra (why not?)):
-- kAmAsava -- desire, greed
-- bhavAsava -- attachment to individual existence
-- avijjAsava -- fundamental ignorance
-- The Buddha explores the Truth of suffering (known through recollection of
previous lives), the Truth of the origin of suffering (chain of
causation through which suffering arises), until he reaches
the cessation of suffering through the penetration of the unconditioned
element, nibbAna.
-- The Buddha also realized what the Asavas were, the origin of Asavas
(basically avijja), cessation of Asavas, and the path thereof.
-- In the process of seeing these Truths, the Buddha became liberated of the
Asavas. The Buddha knew:
-- The process of rebirth is at an end.
-- The spiritual life has been fully lived.
-- What has to be done has been done.
-- There is no more coming to be into any state of being.
-- Are the four jhAnas necessary for liberation? According to the sUttas, first
jhAna seems to be necessary. According to some commentaries, the jhAnas
are not necessary when direct insight is achieved.
-- The difference between kAmachchanda and kAmattanhA (Not clear?).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 4 -- mahA sachchaka sUtta (M36)
-- khaya bAdhana -- According to shramaNas, mortification of the body.
-- Most shramaNas had no conception of development of mind.
-- Undeveloped in body when a pleasant feeling arises and possesses the mind.
-- Undeveloped in mind when an unpleasant feeling takes possession of it.
-- According to the commentaries, training of the body is vipassana because it
is only through insight that one understands the anitya, duHkha, anAtma
nature of the pleasant feelings that arise. Training of the mind is
samAdhi because it enables one to withstand unpleasant feelings.
-- The Buddha claims that no arisen pleasant feeling has taken possession of
his mind, and no arisen unpleasant feeling either. This sets up the
context for this sUtta.
-- The Buddha sits down at uruvEla, and three similes not heard before occur to
him. The first simile is about lighting a piece of wet and sappy wood
lying in the water. Fire here stands for enlightenment, lying in water
stands for the enjoyment of physical pleasures, and the wetness and the
sappiness of wood stands for the desire, lust, affection in the mind
for pleasures. For such a person, whether or not ascetic practices are
undertaken, enlightenment cannot happen.
-- The second simile is that of a wet and sappy wood lying on dry land. Here
the practitioner keeps himself away from physical pleasures, but his
mind which has not been stilled through samAdhi is still beset with
desire etc. And even in this case, the fire of enlightenment does not
arise, whether or not exertion is made.
-- The third simile is that of a dry and sapless wood lying on dry land, i.e.,
an ascetic keeps away from sensual pleasures, and trains his mind to
still his desires. Then, whether or not ascetic practices are
undertaken, enlightenment will happen. In other words, ascetic
practices ala self-mortification do not matter in any of these cases.
-- samuchchEda pahAna -- uprooting of sensual desires through insight
vikampana pahAna -- suppression of sensual desires.
-- After these similes, the Buddha undertakes ascetic practices (which goes
against the conclusion of the similes). This seems to be a discrepancy
in the oral transmission of the sUtta. The commentary explains this
discrepancy by saying that the Buddha wanted to show the world his own
exertions (and the (low) quality of joy that it gives), and because of
compassion, to set an example for further generations to strive hard.
-- The Buddha now embarks on self-mortification. He clenched his teeth, pressed
his tongue to the palate, stopped breathing through the mouth, nose,
ears. Then, he stopped eating altogether without accepting the food of
the dEvatas. Then he ate so little that he became really emaciated. And
he reflected that all this self-mortification was of no avail in
gaining him knowledge and vision. (This is the point where the similes
might have suited better.)
-- The Buddha now recollects his entry into the First jhAna during childhood.
The commentary describes the occasion as the "ploughing festival" when
shudhdOdana leads the cultivators with a golden plough, and the Buddha
is left under an apple tree. The Buddha impulsively crosses his legs,
and enters the first jhAna. The apple tree's shade does not move along
with the Sun, and this is deemed a miracle by the people at that time,
and shudhdOdana bows to him. In the Sanskrit mahAvastu, five R^iShis
moving through the air could not move further when they came upon the
Buddha, and descending to the earth discover the cause of the stalling
of their flight. The Buddha seems to have hesitated a bit in following
this path, as the first jhAna was joyful, and all joy was considered
wrong at that time (self-mortification). But the Buddha determines that
the joy was not caused by sensual pleasures, and is divorced from
unwholesome states of mind, and decides to pursue that path.
-- One question is why does the Buddha recollect the entry into jhAna from his
childhood rather than the jhAnas he would have entered under his
teachers, esp. when Buddhism usually places the jhAnas before the
arUpa jhAnas. A bunch of theories -- probably the jhAnas were not
mastered properly, or a route to the arUpa jhAnas without the Four
jhAnas, or the realization that not all joys are bad, or probably
because the Buddha didn't want to be influenced by other thoughts and
wanted to start afresh.
-- Note that not all joys are bad in Buddhism. Those joys that spring from
wrong states of consciousness based on greed, hatred, or ignorance are
bad. But those that are based on non-greed (generosity), non-hatred
(loving kindness), or non-ignorance (knowledge) are considered good.
For example, the joy that one gets out of charity is deemed good. The
hope is that this kind of joy leads to wholesomeness of the mind, which
can lead to the higher wholesome states of the mind like the jhAnas,
direct insight, enlightenment etc.
(*) But if one loses the money wherewith he had been doing charity, it
afflicts the mind, right? So, how can such a joy be deemed good?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 5 -- mahA sachchaka sUtta (M36), ariyapariyEsana sUtta (M26)
-- bhikku comes from bhikka (almsfood)
-- The Buddha, after undertaking ascetic practices, begins to take food from
the nearby village. The daughter of the headman, sujAta, vows to offer
pAyasaM to the tree deity if she gets married to a good person, and as
it comes to pass, she comes to the tree deity. Seeing the Buddha under
the tree and thinking him to be the tree deity, she offers him the
pAyasaM. When the Buddha goes to the river to wash the bowl, he says
that if he is to attain enlightenment that day, the bowl would float
upstream, which it does. Thus, the Buddha knows that he would be
attaining enlightenment that night.
-- The Buddha first recollects his past lives, then the passing away and
rebirth of beings according to their kamma, then applies his mind to
the knowledge of the destruction of the Asavas, and realizes the four
noble Truths. He then has full knowledge of his liberation.
-- THE PLEASANT FEELING THAT AROSE IN HIS MIND WHILE IN THE jhAnas AND AFTER
ATTAINING LIBERATION DID NOT INVADE HIS MIND. (This is training of the
body?)
-- ariyapariyEsana sUtta
-- deliverance (vimukti), no more becoming (punabbhava)
-- According to the vinaya pITaka, the Buddha spent 4 weeks in the vicinity of
the bOdhi tree after his enlightenment contemplating the ramifications
of the dhamma. According to some commentaries, the time spent is 7
weeks, i.e., 49 days. According to thEravAda, the Buddha drew up the
abhidhamma pITaka during this time.
-- The human kind delights in Alaya (clinging/adherence) with objects of the
senses. So, the Buddha contemplates whether he should teach the dhamma.
-- nibbAna -- the stilling of all formations, the cessation of all
becoming etc. are all synonyms.
-- Two main aspects of the Buddha's realization:
-- patichchasamutpAda (dependent co-origination), idampachchayata
(origination dependent on specific conditions). This covers
all conditioned phenomena.
-- nibbAna (that which is free from birth, old age, sickness, death
etc.)
-- Why does the Buddha who trained himself through aeons of practice for
teaching finally become reluctant to teach? The commentary says that
the Buddha, while he was a bOdhisatta, did not really appreciate the
depth of the dhamma and the thickness of the defilements in sentient
beings. Another reason is to allow the brahma to request the teaching
of Him, so that the devotees of brahma would automatically follow Him.
-- According to bhikku bOdhi, there is a way of ascent from being a bOdhisatta
to become a Buddha. And this path is usually dominated by paGYA. But
for karuNa to arise in the Buddha, the mundane world should let Him
know of their plight. This paves the way for the descent into the world
for teaching.
-- Thus, brahma sahaMpati comes to request the teaching from the Buddha. This
brahma had formerly been a monk who attained to the First jhAna under a
previous Buddha and was reborn into the brahma world. According to the
commentary and mahAvastu, the brahma came with a host of subordinate
dEvatas and paid homage to the Buddha.
-- The Buddha then surveys the minds of people with his dibbe chakku, and
gives the simile of lotuses under water (people immersed in
worldly pleasures), which are on the surface of water (people who
understand the basic teachings, but do not attain to profound
realization), and those which stand clear, unwetted by the water
(people who could attain arahatship). The Buddha then assures the
brahma that He would teach the world.
-- The Buddha remembers Alara kAlAma, but deities tell Him that Alara had died
7 days earlier, and the Buddha confirms it for Himself (through his
dibbe chakku?). So also with uddaka rAmaputta who died the night
before. Then, the Buddha remembers the five ascetics, and sees that
they are at ishipaTana at banAras.
-- While on the way, the Buddha meets upaka, an
ajIvaka. The ajIvakas believed that they had to go through a fixed
period of life in saMsAra, that their actions can have no effect in
this period, and after this period they would be liberated.
-- upaka asks what the paraMpara of the Buddha was, and the Buddha replies that
He was fully enlightened, and that He had no teacher. upaka does not
believe in the Buddha's claim. According to the commentary, upaka later
gave up his mode of life (ajIvaka), married the daughter of a hunter,
and had a child with her. His wife would taunt him that he was her
slave because of his lust. upaka later leaves home, comes under the
fold of the Buddha, and gains liberation.
-- On the full moon day of July, the Buddha reaches ishipaTana. The five
ascetics could not maintain their pact of not respecting the Buddha.
They address Him as AvusO gOtama (literally one who has light; a term
amongst recluses of roughly the same level), and the Buddha tells them
not to call a tathAgata (tathA + gata (Thus Gone (beyond the world)) or
tathA + Agata (Thus Come (to the Truth))) thus.
-- The five ascetics protest thrice, upon which the Buddha asks them if He had
spoken thus before. They accept it calling the Buddha as bhanTE
(indicating faith). (Just before the Buddha's mahAparinirvANa, the
Buddha tells the junior monks to address their seniors as bhanTE or
ayasma {senior monk}, and the senior monks to address their juniors as
AvusO.) The Buddha then taught the dhammachakkapavattana sUtta, setting
in motion the "Wheel of Dhamma". koNDaGYA becomes a stream-enterer
after the teaching of this sUtta. For the next 5-7 days, the remaining
four became stream-enterers. Then the Buddha taught them the
anatta lakkhana sUtta, and all five of them became arahats.
-- kula, kulaputta, kuladuhita (daughter of the family)
-- vicharati (wander), patisOtagAme (pati + sOta + gAme = against the movement
of the stream)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 6 -- kalAma sUtta (from the angUttara nikAya)
-- This sutta occurs in the angUttara nikAya/tikanipAtapALi/mahAvagga.
-- After enlightenment, the Buddha assumed an annual routine of
wandering/teaching for 8-9 months, and staying at a single place for
the rainy months (early July to early October).
-- The setting for this sUtta is kEshaputta (kEshamutta is a variant reading)
which is inhabited by the kAlAmas.
-- The nine epithets of the Buddha (a set formula in many of the sUttas).
-- According to the commentary, kEshaputta (was surrounded?) by a forest, and
hence many samaNas and brAhmaNas used to come there. And kAlAmas are
reputed to have high moral standards.
-- The kAlAmas mention that they were under perplexity because of the
contradictory teachings of many ascetics coming to their village. The
Buddha encourages them saying that perplexity was natural in such a
situation. He then proceeds to identify a solid core of spiritual
principles that should be followed irrespective of one's metaphysical
beliefs.
-- Ten sources of knowledge that need not be relied upon (three categories):
-- External authority:
-- anussava (oral tradition; e.g. folklore)
-- paraMpara (lineage; paraM -- other, from one to the other;
e.g. any of the current religions like vEdAnta, shia
Islam etc.)
-- itikira (rumour)
-- pITakasaMpada (scripture; e.g. vEdas)
-- Logical grounds:
-- takkahEtu (logical conjecture; most normal European
philosophy falls into this category)
-- nayahEtu (inference)
-- AkAraparivitakka (reflection on reason?)
-- diTThinijjhAnakhanti, bhabbarUpata (something that has
appeal and pleases our mind; e.g. assuming no life
after death).
-- Miscellaneous:
-- samaNa (spiritual teacher who is charismatic
((*) e.g. Prabhupada))
-- garu (guru in Sanskrit; one's own teacher)
-- Things which you know are blameworthy, which the wise call blameworthy,
which cause bad consequences; these should be avoided. Here again the
Buddha takes up the negative side first, and the positive side later.
-- The Buddha now begins his teaching with the three akushalamUla (greed,
hatred, and delusion). All unworthy states of mind originate from these
three underlying mental defilements, the fundamental root being
delusion. These 3 lead to 16 secondary defilements:
-- jealousy, selfishness, anger, pride
-- conceit, laziness, competitiveness, presumption
-- rivalry, negligence etc.
-- Greed for pleasant things, hatred for unpleasant things, with both these
(i.e., greed and hatred) arising due to ignorance.
-- These things cause harm to others, and to oneself too.
-- Greed and hatred lead to:
-- killing of beings
-- taking what is not given, i.e., stealing
-- sexual misconduct
-- false speech
Note that the fifth precept, avoiding intoxicants, is not mentioned, as
it is not a transgression in itself, but clouds the mind and motivates
transgressions.
-- alObha (non-greed; generosity, sacrifice, detachment, simplicity of life
etc.), adOsha (non-hatred; loving kindness, compassion, patience,
equanimity etc.), amOha (non-delusion; wisdom, insight, understanding).
-- Good for himself, and good for others, because he encourages others
in these qualities.
-- The Buddha till now discusses the basics of moral conduct -- what to do and
what not to do. The Buddha goes a step further, and explains how a
disciple can experience the spiritual progress here and now. The
disciple who takes up these four infinities or the four divine abodes:
-- loving kindness (metta) -- wishing welfare for others
-- compassion (karuNa) -- wishing freedom from suffering for others
-- altruistic joy (mudita) -- rejoicing in the happiness of others
-- equanimity (upEkkha) -- Not having any partiality
-- Such a disciple experiences the following four assurances:
-- If there is another world and there is law of kamma, I will arise in
a good state in the next birth.
-- If there is no such world or the law of kamma, still the mind is
pure, radiant, and there is happiness arising out of lack of
enmity and ill-will.
-- If there are consequences of evil actions, I can be sure there would
be no suffering as no evil deeds are done.
-- If there are no consequences of evil actions, I can be happy in this
very world as there will be no enemies, ill-will etc.
-- yOnisomanasikara -- close, careful consideration of one's own experience
(The type of reasoning based on logic, for example, Hegel).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 7 -- apaNNaka sUtta (M60)
-- The incontrovertible (apaNNaka) doctrine
-- apaNNaka (certain, sure, free from ambiguity)
-- The setting is sAla, a brAhmaNa village in kOshala. The Buddha asks the
brAhmaNas who visit Him if they have a teacher in whom they have faith.
When they reply in the negative, the Buddha instead of propounding His
own doctrine, presents the characteristics of an incontrovertible
doctrine (presumably to help them think through the confusion).
-- The Buddha uses 5 pairs of opposing doctrines to present this teaching.
-- natika (nAstika -- there is not) vAda and atika (Astika -- there is) vAda.
-- The nAstika vAda ((*) summarizes very well the current position of most
people):
-- No effects of good or bad deeds (for example, sacrifice etc.)
-- No existence of other realms
-- No duty towards Father and Mother
-- No existence of beings like dEvas who are born spontaneously
-- No samaNa or brAhmaNa has any higher direct knowledge (about this
or other realms etc.)
-- M76 has a more elaborate description of the nAstika vAda:
-- Man consists of the four great elements, and is nothing beyond
that (matter gives rise to mind, consciousness etc.)
-- No particular reason why a particular human arises (fortuitous
origin of humans).
-- Man disintegrates upon death, and mixes with the elements.
-- Astika vAda is the exact opposite of the above.
-- Those who are nAstikas can be expected to have wrong bodily, verbal, and
mental conduct, because they do not see the danger in these unwholesome
states, and have no experience of the bliss of renunciation.
-- Further consequences of holding the nAstika view (in Buddhist world-view):
-- The nAstika holds wrong views
-- Wrong views => wrong intention/motivation/volition
-- Wrong speech
-- Opposed to the arahants
-- Converts others to his doctrine and brings ill to them
-- Because of the above, he develops conceit and disparages others
(since there is no reason conceit is philosophically wrong).
-- How would an intelligent man (like Pascal :-)) approach this issue? With
the right views:
-- If there really is no other world:
-- Praised by the wise (at that time in the Indian context)
for holding right views. ((*) Doesn't hold in
our context and times).
-- If there really is another world:
-- Praised by the wise, of course.
-- Would be reborn in states of happiness.
-- (*) Right now, fortunately or unfortunately, the holder of the
"right" views could be censured here and now (not entirely
true, of course), though there is a
promise of happiness in the after-life. Hence, the gain is not
the best of both worlds, and this makes adopting the right view
a difficult choice for many.
-- This part of the argument is repeated for each of the 5 opposite pairs.
-- dussIla (of wrong conduct), michchA diTThikO (of wrong views), bhavAn purisO
(that person), sIlavAn (virtuous person), sammA diTThi (right view).
-- Discussion of Pascal's wager.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 8 -- apaNNaka sUtta (M60) contd.
-- akiriya vAda of pUraNa kassapa vs. its opposite.
-- kriya (action) does not have any intrinsic morality attached to it, i.e., it
is not good or bad in itself. Thus, a person stealing or killing etc.
has no merit attached to it, and consequently no fruit of merit.
((*) This is a form of strict moral relativism of our times.)
-- The subcommentator explains that these philosophers had the idea of a pure
self which is untainted by any action (but this subcommentary is
written a 1000 years after the Buddha).
-- pUraNa kassapa seems to be a fatalist or strict determinist, i.e., a person
did what he did because that was pre-determined for him.
-- The same argument as above for the nAstika and the intelligent person.
-- Wrong view sustains wrong intention and wrong speech. Wrong view is one of
the powerful forces which dictates the destiny of an individual (vide
a short sUtta in the angUttara nikAya). Note that the three opposites,
i.e., right view, right intention, right speech form part of the noble
eightfold path. With right view alone as condition do wholesome states
arise.
-- Doctrines of non-causality (ajIvakas) and causality.
-- ajIvakas survived even into the mediaeval ages.
-- ajIvakas believed in niyatti (destiny, fate). They believed that a person
had to live a pre-determined term in saMsAra and then he would be
automatically liberated. The simile of a ball of string which opens up
when thrown.
-- These are the views of the ajIvakas:
-- No cause for defilement of humans
-- No cause for purity of humans
-- No use of effort, i.e., NO CAUSALITY
-- Calvinism is the Christian counterpart of this fatalist theory.
-- ajIvakas recognized a six-fold classification of humans.
-- Many different kinds of determinism -- biological, social etc. (43:27.1)
-- Whatever happens is determined only by genes
-- What I am is determined only by what happened during some time
in life
-- Everything is determined by economics, politics etc.
-- The intelligent man would act as though there were causation, for example,
investing in stocks.
-- Existence of formless realms or not.
-- Three realms of existence (triple world):
-- Hell Realms --
-- Sensual Realms -- humans, animals
-- Heavenly Realms -- Very refined sensual pleasures
-- In the heavenly realms, there is no touching, tasting, smelling; only seeing
and hearing. But the beings here have a subtle attachment to the bliss
of samAdhi, which causes rebirth for them.
-- arUpa samapatti (formless attainment), i.e., meditation on an object which
does not have a concrete form -- sphere of infinte space (20000 aeons),
sphere of infinite consciousness (40000 aeons), sphere of nothingness
(60000 aeons), sphere of neither perception nor non-perception (80000
aeons). In these realms, there is simply consciousness without any body
attached to it. ((*) Note that pratItya samutpAda says that
consciousness and nAmarUpa exist with each other as condition. How does
the analysis apply to this case?)
-- The intelligent man considers that he does not know for sure that the other
realms do not exist, nor does he know for sure that they exist. If
there are no formless realms, then at least I would be born amongst the
gods of the heavenly realms, else I would be born in the formless
realms. Without any bodies and with only perception, there would be no
quarrels, malice etc.
-- Existence of nibbAna or not -- Whether there is a possibility of deliverance
from saMsAra?
-- bhava (a concrete individual state of existence)
-- Again, the intelligent person is agnostic given his own lack of knowledge
about this issue. While the view against nibbAna is characterized by a
desire for existence which is bondage, the view for nibbAna is free
from any clinging. Thus, the intelligent person would choose the view
that nibbAna exists.
(*) How is existence bondage? Because existence is defined by passion,
striving after things to obtain. If we believe in just this
life, the passion is to enjoy as much as you can. If we believe
in other worlds, the passion is to get a better next life. In
either way, there is passion for things. And this passion leads
to bondage.
(*) How is holding the idea of nibbAna free from any clinging? Either a
person is deluded thinking he would free himself from saMsAra,
or if the person has a keen understanding, it shows that he
must be free from all clinging.
-- The path of a disciple to arahantship is then delineated in brief.
-- Two sides of the dice -- kali (dark) and sukha (fair) side
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 9 -- vimaMsaka sUtta (M47)
-- vimaMsaka (investigator, enquirer)
-- parachitta paryAya GYAna (knowledge of others' minds) -- Can be attained by
mastering samAdhi.
-- The topic of the sUtta is a vimaMsaka who does not have this higher
knowledge, and wants to determine a Teacher of the Doctrine.
-- Criteria for knowledge -- pramANas. For the Buddha, direct perception
(either through the senses or yOgic insight) and reason (i.e.,
inference) are the only valid source of knowledge.
-- For a vimaMsaka without parachitta GYAna, he can observe the Buddha in His
actions, behaviour, statements etc. to see if there is any hint of
the primary defilements of greed, hatred, delusion, or the secondary
defilements of pride, arrogance, competitiveness, laziness etc.
(*) Arrogance is desire for a distinctive self.
-- Examples include if the Buddha swats a mosquito (even by mistake as it
indicates some kind of hatred), preference for a particular dish etc.
-- M91 brahmAya sUtta when a 120 year old brAhmaNa sends his pupil uttara to
test the Buddha. It turns out that the Buddha walks with even gait,
neither too fast nor too slow, ankles or knees not knocking together,
turning around like an elephant (with the whole body), not bending
forwards or backwards when indoors, not leaning on seats/chairs, not
fidgeting with arms or feet, receiving just the right amount of water
for the bowl, cleaning the bowl without making any noise, maintains
silence after eating, impart dharma to the host, sits cross-legged in
meditation, preaches dhamma to the monks, neither flatters nor
disparages the monks, modulates his voice appropriately for the
audience etc. In short, mindfulness in all His actions. These are some
things one can discern through sight.
-- M58 abhaya rAjakumAra sUtta regarding the speech of the tathAgata. Speech
could be truthful (or not), profitable (or not), pleasing (or not).
YYY -- Truthful, Profitable, Pleasing
NNN -- Untruthful, Unprofitable, Displeasing:
-- With the above convention, here's how the speech of a tathAgata is:
NNN -- The tathAgata does not utter.
YNN -- The tathAgata does not utter.
YYN -- The tathAgata knows the right time to speak
etc.
-- D1 brahmajAla sUtta also has a description of the behaviour of the Buddha.
-- The vimaMsaka who does not see the slightest trace of defilements could
have a qualified faith in the tathAgata. Note that in the sUtta, there
is a distinction between the corrupt state of mind, and the mixed state
of mind. While the commentary is not very clear, the subcommentary
states that mixed state refers to one who wants to be good or is mostly
good, but because of avijja which is not fully eradicated, he is prone
to the defilements every now and then.
(*) Is this an indication of the dichotomy between what goes on in the
mind vs. what one actually does?
-- The next question is whether the tathAgata has eradicated his defilements
before a long time or only recently. This is important because one
should be sure the eradication of his defilements is steady.
-- Whether the purported tathAgata has no defilements even after he has become
popular, famous etc. Should not become swollen by praises, nor become
miserable by criticism. The tathAgata survives the dangers of being
popular, famous etc.
-- (*) Also should not be envious of other teachers like saJNjaya
bElaTThaputta.
-- Whether the purported tathAgata does something out of bhaya (fear)
-- fear of consequences, fear of conscience, fear of others' criticism,
fear of bad rebirth etc. This is good for someone who is under
training, but the tathAgata ought to have natural dispassion.
(*) Need to see if there is a dichotomy of thought and deed.
-- The tathAgata has a sense of equipoise, equanimity whether he is in the
saMgha or not, whether talking to the rich or the poor, to the wise
or the unwise, to the greedy or the generous etc.
-- The vimaMsaka knows this not only through his observation, but also through
the Buddha's own words regarding this. The Buddha encourages people
to question Him regarding His own states of mind. In the angUttara
nikAya, the Buddha says that He does not have to safeguard four things:
-- His bodily behaviour
-- His speech
-- His thoughts
-- His mode of livelihood
Note that while only the pure states arise in the Buddha's mind, the
Buddha does not identify with them (ataM mayi = a + taM + mayi = that
is not mine).
-- The vimaMsaka who has checked the above can approach the Buddha for His
teaching. The Buddha has a systematic approach to teaching. He usually
builds up on the previous topic, for example, starting with generosity,
then training in higher morality (i.e., sense restraint), then
mindfulness (clear comprehension), development of the jhAnas,
development of insight wisdom, and finally nirvANa. The Buddha also
teaches in dark and bright counterparts, for example, the hindrances
and the delusion caused by them vs. the right principles discerned
through wisdom.
-- The vimaMsaka who practises under the Buddha becomes a sOTapaGYa (having a
glimpse of the Truth; the simile of a city hidden by mountains), and
acquires a faith in the Buddha unshakeable by anyone. His faith is
dassana mUlaka (rooted in vision). There is a story of a lay follower,
shUla (or shUra?) in the commentary. shUla becomes a sOTapaGYa while
listening to a discourse of the Buddha on the impermanence,
selflessness (and presumably the duHkha nature) of the five aggregates.
mAra saw this, took on the form of the Buddha, and went to shUla's
house, and said that only part of His teaching was true. shUla
recognized mAra (who cannot lie when asked a question), and asked him
if he was mAra. Thus, mAra stood defeated.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 10 -- chanki sUtta (M95)
-- The setting is a brAhmaNa village called OpasAda in the kOshala country, at
the Gods' grove of shAla trees on the north of OpasAda.
-- The distinguishing marks of a great brAhmaNa:
-- Pure on Father's and Mother's side for seven generations.
-- Rich and venerated by the kings because of his knowledge etc.
-- Versed in the vEdas with the angas.
-- Handsome, good speaker.
-- Virtuous, teacher of many teachers and pupils.
The Buddha has the above qualities (except that he has left his wealth
for renunciation), and the following in addition:
-- Freedom from lust
-- Belief in karma -- the moral efficacy of action
-- Has the 32 marks of a great man
-- The brAhmaNas visit the Buddha, and while He was conversing with the older
brAhmaNas, a young brAhmaNa named kApaThika was intruding on the
conversation, and was rebuked by the Buddha. chanki tells the Buddha
that the boy can hold his own, upon which the Buddha takes questions
from kApaThika.
-- kApaThika questions the Buddha if he accepted that the vEdas are the only
Truth and nothing else is Truth. The Buddha asks the boy if he, or
anyone he knows until the seventh generation before, or the composers
of the vEdas have seen and known the Truth in the vEdas. kApaThika
admits that they did not, and the Buddha compares them to a line of
blind men (Brueghel's painting, The line of blind men).
-- M100 gives the Buddha's opinions on the different spiritual teachers of the
time (in a talk with saMghArava, a brAhmaNa youth). The Buddha says
that amongst those who claim direct knowledge, there are
traditionalists (like the brAhmaNas depending on the vEda irrespective
of personal experience), rationalists/faith (like the atheists denying
dEvas etc. without any proof), and those who discover dhamma through
direct perception (like the Buddha Himself).
-- kApaThika then claims that they believe in the vEdas not just because of
faith, but because of oral tradition. The Buddha then lists five
sources of knowledge which could cut both ways (True/False):
-- shradhdA (faith; for example, followers of Christ)
-- Personal preference (for example, "I like this" kind)
-- Oral tradition (for example, the vEdas)
-- vitakka (Reasoning; for example, all Western philosophies)
-- Cogitation on a theory (for example, I like advaita vEdAnta)
The Buddha says that a wise man does not transgress the Truth on the
basis of the above five sources. For example, he would say "My faith is
thus", but he would not say that "The Truth is thus". There is not yet
the discovery of the Truth.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 11 -- chanki sUtta (M95) contd.
-- The Buddha says that there is preservation of Truth as long as people say,
"My faith => Truth of my theory", "My personal preference => Truth of
my theory" etc. But one cannot say that nothing else is True on this
basis. This is the preservation of Truth.
-- The Buddha then provokes kApaThika by mentioning "discovery of the Truth"
(sachcha anubOdhi; root bhujati -- awakening, understand, anu -- in
accordance with; understanding in accordance with Truth).
-- The Buddha then proceeds to elaborate the steps involved in getting to the
Truth. He asks the interested person to approach and investigate the
behaviour of a monk. When the person investigates the monk wrt to
the manifestation of greed, hatred and delusion (at least in the bodily
and verbal behaviour), the lay person can put faith in the monk. This
faith is not blind trust, but more an inspiration in following the
monk. ((*) What is the difference between a vEdAntin guru and a
Buddhist monk? Both seem free from greed, hatred, and delusion in their
bodily and verbal behaviour. Who then do you think knows the Truth?
Probably this is clarified further in the discourse?) In the above:
-- Hatred could manifest towards a particular community, sect etc.
-- Delusion could manifest in irrational arguments etc.
-- The lay person then pays a visit (sankamana) to the prospective Teacher.
-- Because of his respect for the teacher, he pays attention to what
the teacher says.
-- Because of his attention, he retains (dhArana) the teaching in
memory.
-- Because he retains it, he has a chance to ponder over it, and
discover the subtleties of the doctrine and its hidden
implications (nijhAna -- reflection, khanti -- acceptance (also
means patience)).
-- This "reflected acceptance" makes one chanda (desire) the
realization of the Truth.
-- Then, one undertakes the required effort (sahati) -- to contemplate
a subject of meditation, to eliminate unwholesome states, to
cultivate wholesome states, to develop higher levels of samAdhi
and finally to gain one-pointedness of mind.
-- With this focussed mind, one scrutinizes (tulEti, tula -- scales;
tulEti -- weighs the teaching with insight, vipassana, into the
three characteristics of existence, namely anichcha, duHkha,
anatta.) Without getting complacent with the calm attained (for
example, through the jhAnas), one strives (paddAhati) further.
-- Even with the body (and not just with the mind), one realizes the
Truth penetrating it through wisdom/insight (Contemplating
deeply into the three characteristics of existence, one comes
face to face with that unconditioned element, nibbAna. For the
early Buddhists, nibbAna is not a state of things, but a
reality which has to be seen.) But, the Buddha adds that all
this is not yet arrival at the Truth.
-- There are four levels of people (categorized into two basic
levels) who see this Truth for themselves (sOTapanna,
once-returner, non-returner, arahant):
-- sEkka (disciple in higher training who is permanently
equipped with everything to reach final nibbAna). sEkka
as opposed to puttUjana (common folk/worldling).
puttUjana are also of two kinds -- ordinary worldlings
(andha puttUjana) and noble-minded worldlings (kalyANa
puttUjana; as in kalyAnamitta,for example). dassana
(seeing) of the unconditioned element makes one a
sEkka. This dassana removes the coarsest layer of
ignorance. The sEkka has unshakeable faith in the
Buddha as the Supreme Teacher, the dhamma as the
highest doctrine, and the saMgha as the supreme field
of merit to the world. By the further eradication of
the subtler kileshAs (defilements), the sEkka becomes
an asEkka (non-learner, a perfected one, arahant).
-- What makes one transition from being a sEkka to an asEkka? This is meant by
kApaThika when he asks regarding the final arrival at the Truth. The
Buddha says that the factors of enlightenment have to be strengthened
(bhAvana -- development) further -- applying the will to discern the
characteristics of phenomena more deeply (and mentioned elsewhere
outside this sUtta are cultivating the four modes of mindfulness, five
spiritual practices, and the noble eightfold path).
-- kApaThika then asks the Buddha what is most helpful to the final arrival at
Truth. The Buddha replies that striving is most helpful.
-- Scrutinizing is most helpful for striving.
-- Application of will is most helpful for scrutinizing.
-- To arouse zeal or desire is most helpful for application of will.
-- Reflected acceptance is most helpful for arousing desire.
-- Examination of meaning is most helpful for reflected acceptance.
-- Retaining the teaching is most helpful for examination of meaning.
-- Hearing the teaching is most helpful for retaining the teaching.
-- Paying attention while listening is most helpful for hearing.
-- Paying respect is most helpful for paying attention.
-- Visiting the teacher is most helpful for paying respect.
-- Faith (shaddA) is most helpful to visiting the teacher.
-- kApaThika expresses his appreciation for the Buddha's elucidation on the
three topics, namely, preservation of the Truth, discovering the Truth,
and final arrival at the Truth. kApaThika confesses to the Buddha about
his misgiving regarding the "offspring of their Kinsman's (brahma)
heels" (shUdras born from the shins of brahma, while the shramaNas are
born from the feet of brahma).
-- Note that while people from other classes use the term "bhanTE gOtama" when
going for refuge, the brAhmaNas use the term "bhO gOtama". Seems like
there's still a trace of brAhmaNic conceit.
-- How do we ever know that our realization is the Truth, and not a product of
our faith in it? ((*) A good test for me seems like if it results in
total passionlessness (as the Buddha mentions in some of the sUttas
that practise under AlAra, though it gave him calm, did not result in
passionlessness).)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 12 -- mahAdhammasamAdAna sUtta (M46)
-- We now enter the Buddhist teaching proper. The suttas have an implicit
pattern with regard to the issues they address. The commentary brings
out the categorization of the suttas aimed at three distinct goals:
-- dikka dhammika atta -- The goal is the well-being and prosperity of
people here and now. Establish harmony between husband and
wife, father and son, within a family, within a community,
advice to kings on how to govern people, advice to lay
householders etc.
-- saMparAyika atta -- The goal is the well-being and prosperity in the
after-life. This includes recognition of and abidance to the
law of kamma, i.e., the nature of volitional action to bring
about fruit. Good actions => Good next life, bad actions => bad
next life.
-- paramatta -- The highest goal of the Buddhist teaching. For early
Buddhism, this meant nibbAna. This is liberation from the
rounds of rebirth.
-- mahAdhammasamAdAna -- The longer discourse on the ways of undertaking
things.
-- The setting for the sUtta is the jETavana at sAvatti.
-- The Buddha mentions the irony of existence, i.e., everyone wishes for what
is desirable, and avoidance of what is undesirable, and yet people
do not get what is desirable, and cannot avoid what is undesirable. The
disciples then ask the Buddha for the reasons. This sets the stage for
the sUtta.
-- The Buddha mentions the difference between an ordinary worldling and an
ariyasAvaka (noble disciple). As regards the ordinary worldling:
-- He has no respect for the ariyas (the Buddha, His great disciples,
and the arahants).
-- He is unskilled (lacks understanding) and undisciplined (lacks the
training and practice) in dhamma. Hence, given their lack of
knowledge, they do not know what to and what not to cultivate.
(M114 for detailed explanation of what to/not to cultivate.)
Given this ignorance, he cultivates what ought not to be, and
avoids cultivating what ought to be. This is the reason he
reaps bitter results.
-- The ariyasAvaka is the exact opposite to the above.
-- The Buddha now refines the principle set above by distinguishing four modes
of life/principles of conduct:
-- sukha (S), dukkha (D)
-- SD -- What is sukha (S) now, but ripens into future dukkha (D)
-- With the above notation:
-- DD
-- SD
-- DS
-- SS
-- DD should be easy to avoid because people usually seek immediate fruits of
action.
(*) How about terrorists in Afghanistan? They suffer now, and for the
sin of killing, they will have to suffer in the next life. The
same holds for ascetics undertaking self-mortification (though
in this case, I am not sure why there should be a bad next
life, for example, in the case of kOra khattiya. I understand
such people develop craving for the few things they like, and
that is their bane, but I am not sure why they should suffer in
hell for such apparently simple defects).
-- The acid test to distinguish a wise man from a foolish person are the two
modes in the middle, i.e., SD and DS. The wise man knowing the dhamma
thinks of long-term consequences, and hence does not mind undertaking
dukkha upon himself, for example, by undertaking the precepts.
-- Not killing insects, sweeping them out. Not swatting mosquitoes, but
blowing them off. Not going fishing, hunting etc.
-- Not stealing even with justifications (like from a rich person or a
mall).
-- Avoiding lustful tendencies.
-- Avoiding lying, telling tall tales to impress others.
-- Avoiding drinking in bars etc.
-- It is ignorance of two things -- the law of kamma, that every action brings
a fruit in accordance with the ethical nature of the action, and the
knowledge of wholesome and unwholesome actions -- that results in the
four modes of livelihood above.
-- What ways of action lead to unwholesome fruit, and what to wholesome fruit
are fairly exclusive to Buddhism (according to bhikku bOdhi).
-- The wise person knows the course of the four modes, and hence avoids DD, SD.
He will cultive DS even though it is painful now (for example,
meditation). He will also cultive SS. For this reason, undesirable
things diminish for him, and desirable things increase.
-- The Buddha then discourses on what the four modes of life are. This He does
according to a standard formula which occurs quite often in the
nikAyas. These are the dasa akusala kamma (ten unwholesome actions) and
dasa kusala kamma (ten wholesome actions).
-- There are three kamma dvAras (three doors) -- body, speech, and mind. The
root for all these kammas is chEtana (volition).
-- Body -- Killing, Stealing, Misconduct wrt sensual pleasures
-- Not only physical killing, but also through speech like
dictators ordering massacres. Similarly with stealing
where a mastermind makes the plan.
-- Speech -- Lying, Malicious speech, Harsh speech, Idle chatter
-- Not only through speech, but through body. For example,
false resumes.
-- Malicious speech to divide people.
-- Mental -- Covetousness, Ill-will, Wrong views
-- Covetousness is stronger than greed, because here you desire
the possessions of others. Note that while greed is
unwholesome, it's not necessarily an unwholesome course
of action.
-- Ill-will becomes a course of action only when you actively
desire harm to your enemy. While simple ill-will (anger
etc.) itself is an unwholesome state, it is milder than
ill-will as a course of action.
-- Wrong view is denying the efficacy of moral action to
generate consequences.
-- There are many actions which we do in our life which deposit a certain power
in the mind (saJNkhAras (saMskAras)?), but there are only a few which
have the capability to generate rebirth. These are called the
kammapatta.
-- There is another classification of the above ten unwholesome actions:
-- shIla (Ethics) -- First 7 actions
-- chitta (Mental purification) -- Covetousness, Ill-will
-- diTThi (View)
-- vipatti (corruption), saMpatti (successful development), for example, shIla
vipatti and shIla saMpatti (and so on for chitta and diTThi).
-- The simile of lumps of salt (unwholesome kamma) and water (wholesome kamma)
and as water increases, the taste of salt decreases. Thus, kamma could
be diluted.
-- saJNkhAra -- Anything formed from conditions (conditioned formations).
-- Also, the fourth aggregate, i.e., volitional formations.
-- Almost synonymous with chEtana (volition).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 13 -- mahAdhammasamAdAna sUtta (M46), kukkuravaTika sUtta (M57)
-- The Buddha has sapathagAminI GYAna, i.e., the knowledge of what acts lead
to which realms (lower, human, heavenly, or nibbAna). This special
faculty enables Him to help sentient beings which have different
dispositions.
-- kammadvAra -- Doors through which chEtana (volition) manifests on the outer
world. Note that mind is a dvAra which brings the deepest volitions
to the surface, but not yet to the outer world.
-- The above ten unwholesome courses of action are the "paths of kamma", i.e.,
amongst all the actions that we do, these are the actions that emerge
stronger at the time of death and determine the future rebirth.
-- There are those who undertake these ten unwholesome actions:
-- With dukkha (DD), almost against their will, for example, soldiers
who get drafted, an employee forced by a company to do
unethical actions etc.)
-- With sukha (SD), those who take pleasure in such things as hunting,
killing people etc.
-- apAya, dugati (bad destination), vinipAta (downfall; a state of downfall).
-- These ten unwholesome courses lead to the three lower realms, i.e., hell,
animal realm, pEta (hungry ghosts).
-- Making a resolution to abstain from the above ten unwholesome courses
itself is good kamma, as these good thoughts take hold of your mind.
In addition, you will actually abstain from these unwholesome actions,
thus preventing bad kamma from accruing to you.
-- Abstaining from unwholesome actions in two ways:
-- With dukkha (DS), for example, refraining from revenge, hobby of
hunting, lustful actions, getting angry etc.
-- With sukha (SS), for example, when one gets habituated to the above
discipline.
-- The ten wholesome actions give rise to sugati -- human and heavenly (many
different heavenly realms).
-- The similes:
-- (DD) Bitter gourd mixed with poison, and a man who wants to live and
not die.
-- (SD) Delicious taste mixed with poision, and a man as above.
-- (DS) Fermented (cow's) urine mixed with medicines (mailabAla,
Alalu haritaka; a bitter kind of fruit mixed with cow's urine),
and a man with an jaundice.
putimutta -- Fermented (cow's) urine.
-- (SS) Curd mixed with honey (kitopani -- treacle, syrup from palm
tree) and a man with dysentery.
-- SS dispels other doctrines of samaNabrAhmaNa like the Sun dispels the clouds
in Autumn.
-- One can weaken the force of unwholesome action through the performance of
many wholesome actions (see the simile above of salt lump and water).
-- Conscious regret with the determination not to repeat the unwholesome action
encouraged in Buddhism.
-- The story of mahAmoggallAna; how he killed his parents many lives back, and
how he could not use his powers when some brigands attacked him. Also,
how he became a follower of a previous Buddha, and gained the paramis
to become the chief disciple of the Buddha. Thus, unwholesome actions
can be mitigated to a large extent, but strong kamma might still need
to be experienced.
-- The story of aN^gulImAla; how he killed 999 people, and the Buddha realizing
his potential for arahantship, went to the forest. When aN^gulImAla
attacked the Buddha with a knife, through His iddis, the Buddha moved
faster than aN^gulImAla. Then, aN^gulImAla recognized the Buddha as an
enlightened one, and became His disciple. But when he went on
almsrounds, people recognized him and beat him black and blue. The
Buddha consoled him saying that this is the working off of kamma,
and that otherwise he would have to experience hell.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 14 -- kukkuravatika sUtta (M57)
-- bhikku bOdhi actually saw some ascetics emulating dogs in late 1975 while
on a pilgrimage to luMbini.
-- The setting is the kOliya village named haliddavasana. puNNa who emulates an
Ox and a naked ascetic, sEniya who emulates a dog visit the Buddha.
-- puNNa tells the Buddha that sEniya has been emulating a dog for many years,
and asks Him what his future state would be. Upon the Buddha refusing
to answer, puNNa persists thrice in asking. When asked thrice, a Buddha
has to answer provided the question deserves/admits of an answer.
-- The Buddha then replies that anyone who develops the habits of a dog, the
mind of a dog, the behaviour of a dog completely would be reborn as a
dog. But if he holds the wrong view that by behaving like a dog, he
would be born as a lower or a higher deity, he will be reborn either
in the purgatory or in the animal realm. bhikku bOdhi feels that this
is a strong statement for such a simple wrong view.
(*) What exactly is the potency of wrong view in generating rebirth?
-- sEniya then starts weeping, upon which the Buddha tells puNNa that He had
warned him not to press the question. Then, sEniya replies that he is
only weeping for all the lost time, and not out of distress for his
future state. sEniya then asks the Buddha thrice about the future state
of puNNa, and receives a similar answer. puNNa then starts weeping for
the same reason.
-- puNNa then tells the Buddha that he has confidence in Him, and requests Him
to teach the dhamma so he could stop emulating an Ox, and sEniya could
stop emulating a dog.
-- The Buddha then says that He teaches four types of kamma, and that He
realized it for Himself through higher knowledge (abhiGYA). The four
kinds of kamma are:
-- Dark kamma leading to dark results
-- Bright kamma leading to bright results
-- Both dark and bright kamma leading to dark and bright results
-- Neither dark nor bright kamma leading to neither dark nor bright
results.
-- The Buddha mentions that bodily, verbal, and mental formations deposit
certain saNkhAras in the consciousness, and under the force of these
saNkhAras, rebirth takes place. Note that from the patichchasamutpAda,
these saNkhAras arise due to avijja.
-- A small digression on how world systems evolve. The accumulated kamma of
conscious beings in a previous world system tends to solidify matter
into a form suitable for the birth of those beings in this world. It's
a case of mind shaping matter. This is as opposed to the philosophical
materialism that evolution suggests, viz. that consciousness develops
from complicated matter (like the brain).
-- The Buddha mentions that through this volitional kamma, one determines one's
own future state of rebirth. Note that "one" here does not refer to a
persisting self, but to a process of "conscious becoming" (that is
mistakenly identified as "I").
-- The Buddha mentions that following the ten unwholesome kammas, one is born
in the lower realms of hell or animals. Similarly, following the ten
wholesome kammas, one is born in the world of refulgent dEvas usually
attained through the third jhAna (M41 gives a detailed list of all
the realms).
-- The Buddha then deals with dark and bright kamma. The commentary notes that
any particular volition can only be dark or bright, and thus the
Buddha refers to beings who commit equal amounts of dark and bright
kamma. These will be born in the lower dEva realms in contact with the
earth, humans, animals etc.
-- The Buddha then describes kamma which is neither dark nor bright, kamma
which brings about the destruction of kamma, i.e., kamma which leads
to liberation. Two sUttas in the angUttara, 235 and 236, identify such
kamma with the noble eight-fold path. In M41, this is identified with
the seven factors of englightenmen: mindfulness, investigation of
phenomena, energy, joy, tranquillity, concentration, equanimity. For
practising this kind of kamma, bright kamma with bright results needs
to be practised as a basic foundation (of course, higher wisdom is
needed in addition).
-- puNNa expresses his appreciation and becomes a lay disciple of the Buddha.
sEniya too expresses his appreciation and wishes to receive the
pabbajja and upasaMpada under the Buddha. The Buddha then mentions the
rule of staying under probation for four months for people from other
sects, but that He recognized individual differences. Then, sEniya says
that he is willing to be under probation for four years, but the Buddha
ordains him immediately. Then, dwelling alone and practising ardently,
sEniya realized the highest goal of the holy life, nibbAna.
-- M48 When no descent of an embryo takes place:
-- Union of father and mother, mother is not in season, gandabba is not
present.
-- Union of father and mother, mother is in season, gandabba is not
present.
Descent takes place when Union of father and mother, mother is in
season, gandabba is present.
-- Gandabbas are celestial musicians, but they also inhabit orchards, groves
etc. But here refers to a being (i.e., a stream of consciousness) that
has passed away from a previous state and is awaiting a new birth.
-- A case study from Dr. Ian Stevenson was described; how a being died, could
see his body from above, tried to talk to a sister but could not, how
the family dog recognized him, how the funeral took place, how he went
over great distances rapidly, hid in the shopping bag of a woman with
whom he felt an affinity, waited until she was with her husband, and
then got drawn into the woman.
-- In Sri Lanka, a Singalese boy recited the sUttas from the age of three. His
father left home, so he was adopted by a childless couple at whose
home his mother worked. He started with the dhammachakkapavattanasUtta,
and by the time he was seven, he recited the mahAnidAnasUtta. The boy
would not go into a trance, but says he is remembering them, and his
adopted father would record the recitation. The recitation is of a
higher quality than contemporary monks, and the boy claims to be an
assistant of the AchAriya budhdaghOSha when he is in that state.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 15 -- chULakammavibhanga sUtta (M135)
-- Usually, there are pairs of sUttas, called the chULa (short) and the mahA
(long).
-- The Buddha said that chEtana (volition) determines the ethical significance
of any action. (*) Would one then not incur bad kamma for killing ants
while walking, say? Also, why do wrong views like emulating dogs leads
to deityhood bring about rebirth in hell? What is the volitional nature
involved in this process?
-- The setting is the jETavana in sAvatti. A young brAhmaNa subha tODeyyaputta
comes to visit the Buddha. subha's father tODeyya was a purOhita of
king pasEnaDi of kOshala, and was very stingy. He would refuse alms to
the Buddha and His disciples. After he died, he was so attached to his
mansion that he was reborn as a dog there. And even as a dog, he would
growl at the Buddha. And the Buddha once addresses the dog as tODeyya
and says how he used to refuse Him before, and now too as a dog. After
this, the dog would go and sit on a heap of ashes, and would not budge.
When subha asked his servants what happened, they reported the incident
to the Buddha. And subha becomes very indignant, and asks the Buddha
how He knows that the dog was his father (as he thinks that his father
would have attained to the brahma world). The Buddha tells subha to
feed pAyasaM to the dog, and when it is asleep, ask "Father, show me
where the hidden treasure is". When subha does so, the dog goes to a
spot under a tree, and digs a little. Then, subha discovers a treasure
there. subha starts reflecting on some questions, and asks these of the
Buddha. This forms the setting for this dialogue. The above story is
from the majjhima nikAya commentary.
-- subha asks the Buddha why there are differences amongst men, why there are
inferior and superior men? In particular, why are:
-- Some short-lived and some long-lived
-- Some sickly and some healthy
-- Some ugly and some beautiful
-- Some uninfluential and some influential
-- Some poor and some wealthy
-- Some low-born and some high-born
-- Some stupid and some wise
-- The Buddha responds to the general question by saying that beings are the
owners of their kamma (root ka -- do). The clothes are not ours, they
are discarded at some time. Wife and children and body -- none of these
are ours, as we have to leave them when death comes. What remains to us
are our good and bad actions. We really are owners of our kamma.
-- Not only are we the owners of our kamma, we are its heirs because we inherit
them birth after birth. kamma is our yOni because it gives rise to
rebirth. kamma is our kinsman because we are bound up with it. kamma is
our refuge, because it is only through kamma that we can move up the
ladder in the round of rebirth. kamma is that which distinguishes men
into inferior and superior beings.
-- The Buddha will examine 14 different kinds of kamma divided into 7 pairs.
The commentary also gives a four-fold distinction in kamma:
-- Oppressive kamma -- People, inspite of their efforts, suffer
misfortune. E.g. loss of wealth etc.
-- Terminating kamma (upachchEdaka kamma) -- People, though born
through good kamma destined for long life, could have their
life span cut short. E.g. accidents, soldiers, illness etc.
The commentary gives the example of an arrow shot well, but
brought down by another person hitting it with a stone.
-- Generative kamma (janaka kamma) -- This kamma is the one actually
responsible for producing rebirth. At the time of death, all
the kammas that one has generated compete (jassO -- jockey)
with each other, and one of them takes on the role of
generating rebirth (much like the multiple sperm and one egg
analogy). Thus, a "bad" person thinking good thoughts might
have a good rebirth, though he will have to
suffer for his bad deeds. This theory is present in a
preliminary form in the sUttas (mahAkammavibhanga M136), but is
developed in detail in the abhidhamma.
-- Supportive kamma -- People with little effort enjoy good fortune.
E.g. becoming wealthy with little effort etc.
-- Short-life and Long-life -- If a person is merciless and indulges in
killing, he would inherit bad kamma. If this kamma is of the
generative kind, he would be born in a state of deprivation (apAya),
i.e., in the three lowest realms -- hell, pEtas, animals. If he is born
as a human, his life-span will be shortened (terminating kamma).
-- Per Buddhism, mind is a continuous process, each state arising and passing.
Each state of the mind, called chitta, has a chEtana (volition)
component which determines the ethical significance of an action, and
the kind of kamma produced.
-- E.g. of killing are hunting, butchering etc.
-- If one refrains from taking life, is compassionate, permeates himself with
thoughts of loving kindness, he produces good kamma. If this kamma
takes on the generative role, it will lead to birth in heavenly realms.
If born in the human realm (because of other volitions taking on the
generative role), he would have a long lifespan, i.e., this good kamma
takes on a supportive kamma role. Note that this good kamma is produced
only through volition; a person who does not indulge in killing because
of his taste does not generate such powerful kamma.
-- Sickly vs. Healthy -- If a person takes pleasure in injuring people, and
this kamma takes on a generative role, he would be born in the lower
realms. If born as a human (through some good volition taking on the
generative role), the kamma takes on a oppressive role, and he would
suffer ailments. Similarly, if a person abstains from injuring
creatures, if the kamma takes on a generative role, he would be born in
heaven. If born as a human (through some other good volition), he would
enjoy good health.
-- Ugly vs. Beautiful:
-- If a person is perpetually irritable:
-- If kamma is generative, leads to lower realms.
-- If some other kamma is generative, this kamma becomes
oppressive and one gets ugly appearance.
-- If a person is pleasant etc.:
-- If kamma is generative, leads to higher realms.
-- If some other kamma is generative, this kamma becomes
supportive and one gets a beautiful appearance.
(*) Note that if one is ugly, you cannot jump to the conclusion that
he will currently be ill-mannered. And also, it
could be that there were other acts which resulted in his
current ugly appearance?
-- Uninfluential vs. Influential:
-- If a person is envious of others' influence:
-- If kamma is generative, leads to lower realms.
-- If some other kamma is generative, this kamma becomes
oppressive and leads to uninfluential state.
-- If a person rejoices in the good fortune of others:
-- If kamma is generative, leads to higher realms.
-- If some other kamma is generative, this kamma becomes
supportive and leads to influential state.
-- There is a reason a particular person is born to a particular set of
parents. This again is determined by the kamma of the set of people
involved.
-- Poor vs. Rich:
-- If a person is stingy, miserly, and does not give basic requisites
to ascetics:
-- If kamma is generative, leads to lower realms.
-- If some other kamma is generative, this kamma becomes
oppressive and leads to poverty.
-- If a person is generous, charitable:
-- If kamma is generative, leads to higher realms.
-- If some other kamma is generative, this kamma becomes
supportive and leads to wealth.
-- Low-born vs. High-born:
-- If a person does not show respect to those deserving of respect:
-- If kamma is generative, leads to lower realms.
-- If some other kamma is generative, this kamma becomes
oppressive and leads to a low birth.
-- If a person shows respect to those deserving of respect:
-- If kamma is generative, leads to higher realms.
-- If some other kamma is generative, this kamma becomes
supportive and leads to a noble birth.
-- Ignorant vs. Wise:
-- If a person does not enquire of the ascetics whom he vists:
-- If kamma is generative, leads to lower realms.
-- If some other kamma is generative, this kamma becomes
oppressive and leads to ignorance of spirituality (and
not necessarily intellectually stupid).
-- If a person does enquire of the ascetics whom he vists:
-- If kamma is generative, leads to higher realms.
-- If some other kamma is generative, this kamma becomes
supportive and leads to spiritual wisdom.
-- subha forgets his resentment against the Buddha, and becomes a lay follower
at the end of this discourse.
-- In the mahAkammavibhanga sUtta, the Buddha mentions that a person who does
wholesome kamma might be reborn in a lower realm (or vice-versa). But
the operation of kamma is not chaotic. There are a number of aspects
which determine rebirth, for example, the kamma which takes the
generative role etc.
-- In shrI laMka, vaTila is an aristocratic class, gOvigamma is an agricultural
class. siyaMnikAya is a center of the original sect of Buddhism which
denied the higher ordination to people belonging to the lower classes.
Some people went to upper Burma, took ordination there, and started the
amarapura nikAya. Some others went to lower Burma, and started the
ramaNya nikAya in shrI laMka.
-- In Thailand too, there is an aristocratic class, and one of the Buddhist
sects reserves higher ordination only to people of the upper classes.
-- In Burma, there is very little social stratification.
-- In China, because of the system of imperial examinations, people who were
diligent could work their way up the social ladder (relatively easily).
-- In the vEdic system, the varNa you are born into is supposed to be binding
in terms of what you choose to become in this life. And they considered
this to be divinely ordained for each individual. But the Buddha said
that while kamma is a determining factor in the present birth, there is
no reason it has to have a binding effect on this life.
-- Uma Chakravarthy -- "Social Dimensions of Early Buddhism".
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 16 -- sAleyyaka sUtta (M41), saJNkhAruppatti sUtta (M120)
-- The setting for the sUtta is sAla, a village in kOshala.
-- bhikku bOdhi says that the discussion of different realms should not be seen
as "Indian cultural baggage" as Buddhism without this becomes a mere
skillful analysis of psychology.
-- There are three benefits to the Buddhist mode of life, viz. benefit in this
life, benefit in the future lives, and the ultimate benefit of nibbAna.
-- The brAhmaNa gahapatis of the village visit the Buddha , and ask Him why a
person gets a bad rebirth vs. a good rebirth. Note that these people do
not have complete faith in the Buddha, and they seek only good rebirth
and not deliverance from the round of rebirths.
-- The Buddha replies that when people conduct themselves not in accordance
with dhamma, they have a bad rebirth, and that when they conduct
themselves in accordance with the dhamma, they have a good rebirth.
-- bhikku bOdhi says that some modern interpreters interpret hell as tormented
states of mind, birth as an animal as states of greed, birth as pEtAs
as states of impulsive desire, birth as human as ordinary thoughts,
birth as dEvas as lofty thoughts. But in most sUttas, the phrase
kAyasabhEdaparaMmaraNa(?) upon dissolution of the body after death,
clearly indicates a "real" rebirth.
-- The modes of conduct are 3 for body, 4 for speech, and 3 for thoughts.
-- The modes of misconduct:
-- Body:
-- Killing beings, being merciless, engaged in murder
-- Theft, stealing others' wealth and property
-- Sexual misconduct, having a relationship outside marriage,
engagement, minors etc.
-- Speech:
-- False speech, esp. lying when asked for testimony for one's
own gain, or others' gain.
-- pisUna vAcha (malicious speech), sowing discord amongst
people in harmony, taking pleasure in discord.
-- Harsh speech, rough, hurtful to others, provoking anger etc.
-- Idle chatter, speaking out of season, on useless issues, on
things against the dhamma, gossip etc.
-- Mind:
-- Covetousness, actively seeking the possession of others.
-- Ill-will, actively wishing that people around you be killed,
deprived of etc.
-- Wrong views, esp. denying the:
-- Moral distinction in kamma (sacrifice, alms etc.).
-- Moral efficacy of kamma.
-- There is no other world.
-- There are no parents or spontaneously born beings.
-- There are no wise samaNabrAhmaNas who saw the
reality for themselves, and told it to all.
-- There are two sides to any ethical rule that needs to be followed, vArita
and chArita. vArita (from varati -- to restrain) is abstaining from bad
kamma, while chArita (from charati -- to flow) is actively applying
oneself to a good kamma.
-- The modes of good conduct (actions in accordance with moral law, i.e., kamma
in accordance with dhamma, principles of righteous conduct):
-- Body:
-- Abstaining from killing (vArita), being compassionate to all
beings (chArita).
-- Abstaining from theft (vArita), being content with one's own
and being honest (chArita).
(*) How about charity to others?
-- Abstaining from sexual misconduct (vArita), being content
with one's own partner (chArita).
-- Speech:
-- Abstaining from false speech (vArita), speaking the Truth
(chArita), esp. when summoned to court etc.
-- Abstaining from malicious speech (vArita), promoting concord
amongst people, and delighting in concord (chArita).
-- Abstaining from harsh speech (vArita), speaking gently, in a
pleasing manner but not flattery which is unwholesome
(chArita).
-- Abstaining from idle chatter (vArita), speaking in season,
calculated to profit, on dhamma etc. (chArita).
-- Mind:
-- Abstaining from covetousness (vArita), wishing good fortune
for others (chArita).
-- Abstaining from ill-will (vArita), developing loving
kindness (metta) for others (chArita).
-- Avoiding the above wrong views (vArita), positively
accepting the above views (chArita).
-- The Buddha then says that if one so desires, one can use this wholesome
kamma to direct the stream of consciousness upon death into different
desirable realms.
-- The realms possible in increasing order:
-- khattiyas, brAhmaNas, gahapatis
-- Celestial planes in the sensual desire realm. These dEvas enjoy
immense sensual pleasures, and as we go to higher realms, the
pleasures become more and more refined, so beings in these
realms would be quite interested in dhamma:
-- Four great kings.
-- tAvatiMsa dEvas (33 gods, including sakka).
-- yAma dEvas (Nothing much is mentioned about them in the
texts).
-- tusita (contented) dEvas. This is where a bOdhisatta is
supposed to be before being born for the last time in
the human realm. mettEya is supposed to be currently in
the tusita heaven.
-- nimmAnaraTThi dEvas. These dEvas are interested in building
activity. Great artists, musicians, creators of
aesthetic works.
-- dEvas who control the emanations of others, wield power over
other's creations.
-- Form Realms or Realms of subtle matter. While the sensual celestial
realms can be obtained simply through wholesome kamma,
attaining these realms requires mastery of the jhAnas. The
objective counterpart of the meditative attainment, viz. these
realms, are called the rUpa dhAtus. Note that beings here do
not have sensual desires, and spend their time in deep
meditative absorption. One has to be absorbed in this jhAna at
the time of death.
-- First jhAna -- If the mastery of this jhAna is inferior, one
is born in the company of brahma. If mastery is of
middling level, one is born as a minister of brahma. If
the mastery is superior, one is born as a mahAbrahma.
-- Second jhAna -- If the mastery of this jhAna is inferior,
one reaches the realm of limited radiance, if middling
the realm of measureless radiance, if superior the
realm of streaming radiance.
-- Third jhAna -- If the mastery of this jhAna is inferior, one
reaches the realm of limited glory, if middling realm
of measureless glory, if superior the realm of
refulgent glory.
-- Fourth jhAna -- Reborn as dEvas of great fruit which is the
normal mode of rebirth. But in some of the Indian
schools (and which Buddhism does not recommend), people
could make a determination in the fourth jhAna for all
mental activity to cease. This is the realm of
non-percipient beings where there is no perception, no
mental activity etc.
-- anAgAmis (non-returners) who are disciples of the Buddha
alone are admitted into the five pure abodes. anAgAmis
stay here until they reach liberation.
-- Formless Realms corresponding to the immaterial attainments. These
states are not desirable in Buddhism because lives have a long
span without much spiritual progress. In these realms,
consciousness is present by itself unencumbered by any matter.
Some of the older Indian schools misunderstood these states to
be nibbAna, but they still represent bondage. The realms are:
-- Base of infinite space.
-- Base of infinite consciousness.
-- Base of nothingness.
-- Base of neither perception nor non-perception.
-- nibbAna (final liberation) here and now. One should develop sammA
samAdhi and paJNJNA (praGYA) to penetrate the true nature of
things, so that the taints could be destroyed.
-- Ten courses of wholesome kamma are the supporting ethical observances which
make meditation/nibbAna successful.
-- saJNkhAra upapatti sUtta
-- How do we steer our course towards a particular future state? Fixing the
mind on attaining this particular realm, and:
-- Faith
-- Virtue
-- Learning
-- tyAga (generosity/renunciation)
-- Wisdom
-- One who perfects the fourth jhAna emanates such light through his divine eye
(dibbe chakkhu) as to illumine other realms of existence. This faculty
of dibbe chakkhu when mastered, one can see all the realms within the
field of meditative vision.
-- dhamma-protecting dEvas usually receive merit as part of liturgy or through
prayers for transferring merit, and protect us in turn to the best of
their powers.
-- A Buddha arises only in the human realm. But beings from the other realms
(dEva, brahma realms) can enter the first stage of enlightenment, but
not from the non-percipient or the formless realms.
-- A Chinese Zen master was beaten by the communists in 1949 and when his pulse
stopped beating, they abandoned him, and the Zen master felt his
consciousness separate from the body, and go into the tusita realm
where the bOdhisatta mettEya was presiding, but discovered that he
could not find a seat there. And mettEya told him that his time had not
come, and he lived until 1959 till the age of 119.
-- This lecture seems to be having the full prayer for the transfer of merit.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 17 -- chUlarAhulOvada sUtta (M61), abhaya rAjakumAra sUtta (M58)
-- The name of the sUtta is ambalaTThika rAhulOvada sUtta.
-- uvAda -- admonition
-- The Buddha while he was a bOdhisatta was contemplating leaving the home when
a messenger came to him carrying news of the birth of his son.
According to the tradition, the Buddha was married to princess
yashOdhara at the age of 16 (both were 16?). But they had a child only
when they were 29. Since the bOdhisatta considered the newly born son
as an obstacle for his renunciation, he named him rAhula (after rAhu
which swallows up the Sun and the Moon. This is the mythological Indian
explanation for the eclipses.) It is said that while the Buddha was
about to leave home, he cast a last glance upon yashOdhara sleeping
with the baby, and had a poignant feeling, but he stuck to his
decision. The bOdhisatta then wandered for 6 years when he found
enlightenment. After an year, the Buddha became well-known as an
arahant. Hearing the news, His father, king shudhdOdana requested Him
to come to kapilavatthu. When the Buddha went there, young rAhula (who
was then seven years old) told his mother that even the shadow of this
ascetic was peaceful. Then his mother told him to ask the Buddha for
his inheritance. When the boy asked thus, the Buddha contemplated
whether He should give him things which are impermanent,
unsatisfactory, and unsubstantial, or whether He should give him what
is the proper legacy of a tathAgata, viz. the knowledge of nibbAna. The
Buddha then asked sAriputta to ordain the young boy. Thus, rAhula
became the first samanera.
-- The setting for this dialogue is the ambalaTThika grove (which is part of
the bElUvana). rAhula is supposed to be eleven years old at this time.
-- When the Buddha came, rAhula saw Him and per etiquette, he prepared a seat
for Him, and gave Him water. The Buddha then washed His feet and left a
little water. He then told rAhula that that was the value of a
spiritual life where there is deliberate lying. He then threw the
water away, and said that the spiritual life of a person is thus thrown
away who indulges in deliberate lying.
-- The Buddha then turned the bowl upside down, and said that a person who is
not ashamed to tell a deliberate lie, that person's spiritual life is
thus upset. The Buddha then turned the bowl aright, and said that such
a person's spiritual life is empty and void like the bowl.
-- The Buddha then gives a simile of a royal elephant who is ready to give up
his life in the service of the king when he is well-trained. Similarly,
a person who does not shrink from deliberate lying would not hesitate
from anything whatsoever. The Buddha then exhorts rAhula not to speak
a lie even in jest.
(*) The elephant seems very noble, while the person spoken of is vile.
How is the simile apt? bhikku bOdhi agrees on this issue.
-- bhikku bOdhi in this context mentions the Christians in France who
would hide Jews in their homes, cellars etc., and raises the
question of whether Truth should be spoken or not. He seems to
prefer falsehood in such cases. He points out that chEtana
(volition) is what brings bad kamma, and in this case, since
there is no intention to misrepresent the Truth for petty ends,
no bad kamma would accrue.
(*) Could not these Christians not host the Jews so as to avoid lying?
-- Reflection (pachavEkana?) as from a mirror.
-- The Buddha then gives criteria for whether to:
-- Undertake an action
-- Finish an action already undertaken
-- An action already finished
-- The three criteria are:
-- Whether the consequences of a deed (body, verbal, mental) on
oneself, on others, or on both oneself and others, are
afflictive or not.
-- Whether the actions are productive of bad kamma consequences or not.
-- Whether the particular actions are springing from wholesome or
unwholesome states of mind.
-- If the outcome of any of the criteria above is bad, one should:
-- Not undertake the action
-- Not finish an action already undertaken
-- Confess to a teacher, or a fellow companion in the holy life, and
undertake restraint.
-- In the case of harmful thoughts (the nature of which is to arise in an
untrained mind), one feels a sense of repugnance, regret and remorse,
and one should make a determination to work more diligently to change
one's pattern of thoughts.
-- One might not have full knowledge of the working of kamma, but with right
view of the working of kamma, one could avoid unwholesome actions, and
engage in wholesome actions.
-- If a monk breaks some of the rules of vinaya (which are amenable to
confession), he should confess it and practise self-restraint.
-- An active confesstion lightens the burden of guilt from transgression of
rules. One could also generate some wholesome kamma to counteract the
unwholesome actions.
-- The Buddha mentioned that all great ascetics of the past, present, and the
future all purified their bodily, verbal, and mental states through
this process of reflection.
-- abhaya rAjakumAra sUtta
-- The setting for this sUtta is the bElUvana at rAjagaha.
-- The root of this story is the episode of dEvadatta, the Buddha's ambitious
cousin. dEvadatta attained some idhdis and became very ambitious. He
even asked the Buddha to pass the authority of the saMgha to him. When
the Buddha refused, he became angry and left. Later, he won the favour
of ajAtashattu. He even sent many assassins to kill the Buddha, but
the Buddha radiated his loving kindness, and all the assassins
confessed and became Buddhist monks. So also did the Buddha subdue an
elephant with loving kindness when it was sent against Him. Then,
dEvadatta tried to kill the Buddha by rolling a boulder on Him, but
it veered from its course because of another stone accidentally hitting
it. But a splinter drew blood from the Buddha's foot. And the Buddha
told him that he now has a lot of bad kamma, and that he would have to
suffer for an aeon in hell, upon which dEvadatta became very angry and
upset. nigaNTha nAthaputta knew this, and wanted
prince abhaya to put the Buddha in a quandary by asking if a tathAgata
can utter displeasing speech. If He could, He would be no different
than an ordinary man. If He said He does not, the incident of dEvadatta
would prove Him to be a liar. nAthaputta gives the simile of an iron
spoke stuck in a man's throat which he cannot spit or swallow.
-- The prince goes to the Buddha to put this question, but he seems hesitant
from the text. So, he invites the Buddha to his home the next day, so
he could put the question. When the prince asks Him the question, the
Buddha responds that there is no one-sided answer. The prince then
exclaims that the nigaNThas are defeated, and the Buddha enquires about
that utterance, upon which the prince relates the conversation with
nigaNTha nAthaputta.
-- The Buddha then asks abhaya what he would do if a stick or a pebble got
stuck in his child's throat. The prince replies that he would try to
take it out even if it meant drawing blood from the child, and this he
did out of pity for the child.
-- The Buddha then responds to the question of the prince thus:
-- Speech could be truthful (or not), profitable (or not),
pleasing (or not).
YYY -- Truthful, Profitable, Pleasing
NNN -- Untruthful, Unprofitable, Displeasing:
-- With the above convention, here's how the speech of a tathAgata is:
NNN -- The tathAgata does not utter. Because not true.
YNN -- The tathAgata does not utter. Because not profitable.
YYN -- The tathAgata knows the right time to speak. Because profitable.
Remember the above case of child who has a pebble in his mouth.
There are many instances in the vinaya and the sUttas where the
Buddha deals very sternly with people for the benefit of all.
Esp. with the chabbaddiya monks, who would have polka dots on
their robes or umbrellas etc, and with those who are obstinate.
And also to ensure that the dispensation has a long life and
sets a good example.
NNY -- The tathAgata does not utter. Because not true or profitable.
Examples include jests, gossip, cheap talk etc.
YNY -- The tathAgata does not utter. Because not profitable.
(*) How about NY(N|Y)? How about speech which is untrue, but
profitable? bhikku bOdhi feels that the Buddha or the compilers
of the sUttas might have felt that any untruth is incapable of
being profitable (esp. in the long run). There seem to be no
instances of the Buddha speaking an untruth for promoting
something good. How about the example of yAsa when the Buddha
makes him invisible till his father can understand the
situation? The Buddha does not speak any untruth, but how
should an ordinary mortal cope with this, esp. like in the
case of French Christians harbouring Jews?
-- The prince then asks the Buddha if He prepares for the questions asked by
investigators or if it comes naturally to Him. The Buddha then
questions the prince who is known to be a skilled charioteer the same
question (as above) with regard to chariots. The prince says that he
replies off-hand. The Buddha then says that similarly, since He has
penetrated a dhamma dhAtu (that element of dhamma), through a Buddha's
omniscient knowledge, He replies off-hand to the questions of
investigators. The commentary talks about (sabhiGYata?) knowledge.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecture 18 -- kakachUpama sUtta (M21)
-- The setting for the sUtta is the jETavana at sAvatthI.
-- The sUttas are usually spoken by the Buddha:
-- All by Himself without any provocation.
-- When someone asks a question.
-- As a response to a particular incident.
-- This sUtta is spoken in response to a particular incident involving mOliya
phagguna. When the Buddha established the order of the bhikkunis, He
established their residence close enough to that of the monks, but
reasonably far enough, so there is minimal contact. But mOliya phagguna
associated too much (ativEla?) with the bhikkunis, that sometimes he
would stay at their residence even after the Sun set (the sUtta itself
doesn't mention this, but probably the commentary does). Inspite of
repeated warnings from the other monks, mOliya would persist in this.
And he would also sometimes bring adhikaraNas (legal cases within the
framework of vinaya) against such monks if they spoke against the
bhikkunis. And this would be the same case with bhikkunis when mOliya
was involved, i.e., they would get upset and angry and bring
adhikaraNas. So, a monk reported this to the Buddha.
-- The Buddha calls mOliya and asks him if the report was true, and mOliya
admits to it (Note the protocol here; the Buddha first asks before
arraigning).
-- The Buddha then admonishes him saying that it's not fit for someone who has
gone forth from home to the homeless life, i.e., one could have
affection towards bhikkunis as sisters in dhamma, but cannot have any
worldly affections such that if someone criticizes one whom you admire,
one should not get upset and angry.
-- The Buddha then advises mOliya on how to train himselfin maintaining
patience and equanimity in the face of provocation. When someone
criticizes one whom we love/admire, the mind becomes agitated, and then
we break forth in angry words, probably provoking further anger in the
other person, finally leading to even physical violence. The key then
is to control one's mind, and cut off the rest of the consequences
above. And the key to controlling one's mind is sati (mindfulness).
When one becomes angry, one should apply mindfulness, make a mental
note that anger has arisen, and further make a determination (adhiTAna)
that one would not utter angry words. Note that mindfulness already
checks the momentum of angry thoughts quite a bit. Also, one should
generate feelings of compassion and loving kindness (and not have
feelings of inner hate) towards the person who criticizes, recognizing
that he is sowing the seeds of suffering for himself.
-- The Buddha then tells mOliya that even if someone were to hit, clod, or
knife a bhikkuni, he should not be agitated. bhikku bOdhi says that he
is not sure if this means total passivism in such circumstances. He
says that most Buddhist teaches recommend active intervention, but use
such words/acts as are intended also for the welfare of the aggressor,
i.e., in other words, one should keep one's mind free of anger even in
such cases.
(*) There are the cases of the Buddha subduing the snakes at the homes
of the three kAshyapas. But I am not sure of any cases where
the Buddha actively intervenes in disputes (there is the case
of a monk accusing sAriputta, but the Buddha did not have to
utter "angry" words Himself).
-- The Buddha then changes the subject from criticism of a third party to
criticism of oneself. He advises that one should keep the same
mindfulness etc. even when someone criticizes or physically abuses
oneself, permeating the aggressor with loving kindness.
-- bhikku bOdhi says that he feels one can forcefully defend oneself
without inflicting permanent damage on the aggressor. He also
notes that he did not come across any explicit discussion of
such issues within the texts themselves.
-- The commentary says that instead of accepting the Buddha's advice, mOliya
remains obstinate. Perceiving this, the Buddha talks of a time when He
only had to raise mindfulness in his monks, and let them know His
intentions, and they would follow Him. For example, when He told them
eating once a day was very healthy, they would immediately abide by it.
Initially, monks could obtain alms any number of times in a day. Later,
the Buddha restricted the times of going on alms from daybreak to
midday (though bhikkus could go any number of times for alms during
that period). The Buddha then gives the simile of a chariot with
thoroughbred horses, with a goad at hand, and how a skillful driver
could go whereever he wished with them.
-- The Buddha sets the theme of patience in the context of the main purpose of
training in His doctrine and discipline. The main purpose is to give up
unwholesome states of mind (kileshas like greed, aversion, ignorance),
and cultivate wholesome states of mind (five spiritual faculties, seven
factors of enlightenment, the noble eight-fold path). This giving up
and cultivation resp. have to be carried to perfection, for fulfilment
in the doctrine (for reaching the summum bonum of dhamma). The Buddha
gives the simile of a person cultivating a sAl tree grove. He needs to
both remove weeds, and nourish the trees, so the sAl trees can send out
their branches, and bear their beautiful flowers.
-- The Buddha then emphasizes the importance of not just having a pleasant
exterior, but also to be free from subtle thoughts of anger. He gives
the example of vidEhika who was a noble lady reputed to be mild. But
her servant kALi, to test her, started waking up later and later every
day, until vidEhika once hit her with a rolling-pin so that kALi
started to bleed. From that time on, vidEhika's repute went out. The
Buddha mentioned that a bhikku should have no trace of anger in him.
-- The Buddha mentions five ways in which a person can speak:
-- At the right time or not. Right time is when the person is
available, preferably alone if one wants to criticize etc.
-- Truthful or not. Before criticizing someone, one should ascertain
the facts of the case, or ask the person if the report against
him is indeed correct.
-- Gentle or not. Even when criticizing, one should speak gently. Not
that the other person would take it well, but there is no
reason for uttering harsh speech.
-- Profitable or not. Before criticizing, one should think if that is
going to help the other person in any way.
-- Wholesome state of mind or not. Before criticizing, one should think
well of the other person until loving kindness for them arises.
One should not speak to a person in a wrong frame of mind.
-- The Buddha says that when another person speaks in any of the above 10 ways
(five proper + five improper), one should sustain a state of reflection
to maintain patience and equanimity.
-- The Buddha then advises the bhikkus that if someone were to do improper
things (harsh speech, physical violence etc.), one should radiate
loving kindness starting with that hostile person, and then extending
it to everything in the world. Usually, one practises loving kindness
in a systematic manner -- starting with oneself, people one loves,
people with whom one is neutral, and then people who are hostile. When
one practises this loving kindness with the hostile persons one has
encountered earlier, one can sustain this kindness in unexpected
situations too.
-- bhikku bOdhi also told the story of an Italian monk, lOkanAtha, who
travelled either from Europe to India (or in the reverse direction?) in
the 1940s with just an almsbowl. In the middle East, he was stopped by
some thugs who wanted to rob him, but since he did not have anything on
him, they wanted to kill him. Then, lOkanAtha asked them for 10 minutes
to say his last prayers, and then practised the meditation of loving
kindness starting with the thugs. The thugs' hearts so melted that they
could not kill him.
-- The Buddha then gives four similes to illustrate to what extent one should
practise loving kindness:
-- Just as one cannot dig away the entire Earth with a hoe or a shovel,
so should one's loving kindness be vast.
-- Just as a person can only vainly try to paint figures in space,
one's mind should be so calm so as not to manifest any trace of
anger. (annidassana -- does not have the property to manifest).
Just as empty space does not manifest figures, a bhikku's mind
should not manifest any trace of anger.
-- Just as a person cannot evaporate the Ganges with a blazing torch,
a hostile person should not be able to evaporate a bhikku's
loving kindness with his harshness.
-- Just as a cat-skin bag which has been properly pressed does not
produce any sound, so should a trained bhikku not produce any
trace of anger at a hostile person.
-- The final simile that gives the sUtta its name. When a bhikku is going
through a forest, and a group of bandits capture him and cut his limbs
one by one with a double-saw, the bhikku should not maintain ill-will
towards his persecutors, but should radiate loving kindness over them.
The Buddha then asks the bhikkus that if they kept this teaching in
mind, would there be any situation which they cannot endure. The
bhikkus reply that there would not be any such situation. Then, the
Buddha exhorts them to keep this teaching in mind, and that it would
lead to their good for a long time to come.
-- This sUtta is very well-known in the countries of South and South-East Asia.
The bhikkus in mediaeval times always kept this sUtta in mind and were
guided by it when they were attacked by missionaries from other
religions -- to be harmless, to be compassionate, and to radiate loving
kindness to those who were hostile to them.
-- In the vinaya, in the first pArAjika, the Buddha lays down that intercourse
with woman leads to expulsion from the saMgha. Then, when two young
bhikkus have intercourse, the Buddha lays down that any kind of
penetrative intercourse whether it be with woman, man, or animal is
an offence which leads to expulsion from the saMgha. Then, there is
also a saMghAdishESha rule which says that any other kind of sexual
activity is an offence (but does not lead to expulsion).
-- The Buddha says that a bhikku should not comply with the rules for the sake
of getting material benefits, but for the sake of venerating the dhamma
in which he has faith. Note that in the first case, a bhikku could
become rebellious if his expectations are not met, while in the second
case, it leads to the long term benefit of the bhikku.
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