INTRODUCTION This is a new and enlarged translation of the Venerable Mahæsø Sayædaw's discourse on the Ariyævæsa sutta of A³guttara Nikæya. Therefore it differs considerably from the condensed English version which I wrote in 1980 for the Mahæsø Translation Committee. It is far more thorough and comprehensive and it is an indication of this distinctive feature that the book contains nearly five times the number of pages in the original translation. There is no doubt about the universal appeal of Mahæsø sermons in Buddhist Myanmar. This is no wonder for given the Ven. Sayædaw's saintly life and his extensive knowledge of Buddhist literature, he deservedly earned the deep faith and veneration of the people. He had a flair for effective delivery of his sermons that brought home to us the fundamental teachings of Buddha-dhamma. Moreover, in his talks he often referred to little-known but highly significant Buddhist teachings that give us much food for thought. For example, in his sermon on the Ariyævæsa sutta the Ven. Sayædaw described two kinds of bhikkhu, viz ... the vinaya bhikkhu or a member of the Sangha and the sutta-bhikkhu or the disciple ( upasaka) who lives up to the Buddha's teaching. In other words, the term bhikkhu is the general designation for any dedicated follower of the Buddha, be he a monk, a hermit or a lay man. This may be surprising to many Buddhists but it is quite in line with the Buddha's teaching. Says the Dhammapada, verse 142: "Whatever the garments a man may wear, he is a brahma¼a or a sama¼a or a bhikkhu if he has got rid of defilements, disciplined himself, avoids doing evil and cultivates loving-kindness". Again in his dialogue with an ascetic the Buddha said that there were hundreds of his lay disciples, both men and women, who had attained the first three stages on Ariyan holy path. ( Mahævacchagotta sutta, M.N) These are only a few of the Pæ¹i texts that give the lie to some Western writers on Buddhism who would have us believe that the higher teaching of Buddhism is meant exclusively for the monks and that there is no place for the lay followers in its scheme for salvation. The main topic of the Ven. Sayædaw's talk on Ariyævæsa sutta is the ten Ariya dhammas or the ten essential attributes of the Ariyas or the Noble Ones. In particular the talk focuses on the practice of right mindfulness based on Satipa¥¥hæna sutta. Of course right mindfulness is the corner-stone of Buddhist mental culture and here it is worthy of note that the Buddhist teaching has much in common with modern psychology. The practice of right mindfulness is generally of three kinds. In the first place, the beginner in the practice is told to make himself aware of everything, mental or physical, that occurs within the range of his sensory impressions. He has no difficulty in mentally noting pleasant feelings, desires, perceptions, etc. It is, however, otherwise in the case of unpleasant or unwholesome states of consciousness. For then his ego or deep-seated conceit stands in the way of his recognizing anything that hurts his self-esteem, - So he tends to ignore it unconsciously. Thus the unwholesome desires or emotions such as anger or envy disappear beyond the threshold of consciousness and become potential threats to mental health. The connection between mental disorders and the unconscious which modern psychology has conclusively established was well known to the Buddha more than 2500 years ago. Hence his emphasis on the need to recognize one's own moral weakness and avoid self-deception in Mahæsatipa¥¥hæna and other suttas. (See my translation of Mahæsø Sayædaw's talk on Sallekha sutta.) The second kind of mindfulness that we can hardly over-emphasize is what is known in Pæ¹i as ekaggatæ or one-pointedness of mind. It consists in focusing one's attention on a single idea or object for a long time to the exclusion of everything else. It forms the basis of the so-called will-power which is not, as many people believe, some mysterious mental force that some great men have acquired without any effort or practice. As the famous American psychologist William James says, "The essential achievement of the will is to attend to a difficult object and hold it fast before the mind .... Effort of attention is thus the essential phenomenon of the will" The vital role of one-pointed mindfulness in the making of great men is in no doubt. It is indomitable will or singleness of purpose (English words for ekaggatæ) that distinguishes great teachers like the Ven. Mahæsø Sayædaw or great national leaders like Bogyoke Aung San. But from the Buddhist point of view it is indispensable to our welfare since it helps us to cope with the moral problems of life. Equally essential to our moral well-being is the third kind of mindfulness or yonisomanasikæra which we may translate as right or proper thinking. Another appropriate English word for it is wise reflection whereby we seek to overcome intellectually the moral weaknesses that trouble us in everyday life. Let us consider, for example, envy which the Buddha described as one of the two sources of human suffering in the Sakkapañhæ sutta. (See my translation of the Ven. Sayædaw's talk on the sutta.) Most people do not like any one who surpasses them in wealth education, power and so forth. They are unmindful of the Buddha's repeated saying that we should not consider ourselves superior or equal or inferior to any other person. Then how are we to overcome envy? In the first place, probably we may have to admit frankly that the man we envy is getting his reward for his special qualifications. If on the other hand, he has employed morally wrong devices for the fulfillment of his wish, we have no reason to envy a man whose conduct outrages our sense of moral values. Again, let us remember that more often than not the life of a successful man is marred by ill-health, unhappy marriage, etc. that overshadow his achievements and make him someone to be pitied rather than envied. Thus the practice of yonisomanasikæra is based on right understanding, intelligence and knowledge. For we need to mobilize all intellectual forces in the struggle against our inner impurities. Certainly we all owe a deep debt of gratitude to the Ven. Mahæsø Sayædaw for his untiring, selfless effort to promote the knowledge of Buddhism and Buddhist meditation. But speeches and writings in praise of his life and work will not suffice to do full justice to the grandeur of a great holy teacher whose name is immortalized in the history of Theravæda Buddhism. What matters most for those who cherish the memory of the Ven. Sayædaw is to try to live up to his teaching. That is our sacred duty in keeping with the tradition of the Buddha-dhamma. For as pointed out in the Mahæparinibbæna sutta, just before he passed away the Buddha told Ænandæ that the only way for his disciples to adore and honour him was to follow his teaching strictly and diligently. Therefore it is up to all devotees of the Ven. Mahæsø Sayædaw to practise right mindfulness at all times and in every place. For at the very least it is the best insurance against preventable diseases and accidents that take a heavy toll of life worldwide. More important, for those who are disillusioned with saµsæric existence it is the most reliable passport to supreme liberation. U Aye Maung, 30 th April, 1993. Yangon.
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