MAHÆSØ ABROAD Second series (1) The Teaching of the Buddha ‘Buddho loke samuppanno hitæya sabbapæninaº’ (Sutta-Nipæta A¿¿²akathæ, II, 293) The Buddha appeared on Earth for the advancement of the welfare of all humans, devas (celestial beings or shining ones) and brahmæs (the pure or chaste ones). It is rare for a Buddha to appear on Earth. There are more kappas (world cycles) in which Buddhas do not appear than kappas in which they appear. Among the kappas in which Buddhas appear, there are those in which only one Buddha appears and those in which two, three or four Buddhas appear. The present kappa is one in which a maximum of five Buddhas appear. Of these five Buddhas, the Buddha Arimetteyya will appear only after the lapse of millions of years after the disappearance of the present (Gotama) Buddha’s sæsanæ (dispensation). The dispensations of the Buddhas, who had formerly appeared on Earth, also disappeared from the world after hundreds of thousands or tens of hundreds of thousands of years after their entry into Parinibbæna (final release from the round of birth and death). The periods of time in which the Buddhas’ dispensations lasted are few and far between. According to the commentaries the present sæsanæ of Gotama Buddha will last only for five thousand years before its disappearance from the world. It is now already 2524 years after the Buddha’s entry into Nibbæna. Even now the number of people in the world who respect and accept the true dispensation (teaching) of the Buddha has already dwindled. The disappearance of this sæssanæ in another 2,5000 years is already approaching. Gotama Buddha appeared on Earth 2,569 years ago. Previously to that, for many millions of years, nobody had a chance to listen to the true teaching of the Buddha, to know it and to practise it. People of those time were generally lacking in good kamma (meritorious deeds) and very few of them attained good, noble and happy abodes of existence. Listening to and Practising of the Dhamma With the appearance of the Buddha on Earth, the true Dhamma (Law or Teaching) was preached. Listening to this teaching, many people in the Buddha’s time practised it and performed meritorious deeds like dæna (charity) and søla (morality), prospered and were reborn in the deva-world. Millions also became Arahats and attained Nibbæna. Possibly most of those who prospered thus in good and noble realms of existence or attained Nibbæna were from countries like Nepal and India, the reason being the Bodhisatta prince Siddhattha himself was born in Nepal and practised the true Dhamma and attained Buddhahood in India. Living in Nepal and India for a long time, he preached the true Dhamma. The people in Nepal and India listened to the Buddha’s teaching and generally practised it. It was thus that the people in the Buddha’s time reached deva-world and prospered or attained Nibbæna and we released from all suffering. The Dhamma should also be practised now Even today those who are in a position to listen to the true teaching of the Buddha must consider themselves very fortunate. For that reason they should reverently follow and practise this true Dhamma. The people living in Nepal and India where the true dhamma originated should particularly reverence it. Now, what are these true teaching? The Buddha’s True Teaching ‘Sabba
pæpassa akaranaµ, kusalassa upasampadæ, (Døgha Nikæya, Mahævagga 42) (1) Abstain
from all evil (unwholesome deeds) These three admonitions are the essence of the teaching of the Buddhas. Bodily Acts (Kæya-kamma) Evil deeds mean (1) killing and ill-treating of others; (2) unlawfully taking others’ belongings by theft or robbery; (3) sexual misconduct. These three are the evil (unwholesome) deeds that should always be avoided. Verbal Acts (vacØ-kamma) Next, (1) speaking lies to the detriment of another, (2) sowing discord between friendly persons by means of tale-bearing, (3) using harsh and abusive language, (4) speaking of untruths as if they were truths (this concerns the teaching of heretical doctrines). These four kinds of speech are unwholesome verbal acts that should always be avoided. Unwholesome Livelihood (Micchæ-jØva) Acting or speaking with a view to unlawful gain (acquisition of property) constitutes unwholesome livelihood which should always be avoided. Respectful observance of the five moral precepts is tantamount to obeying the Buddha’s injunction to abstain from all evil deeds and to live the good (holy) life. Wholesome Acts (Kusala Kamma) Briefly, kusala (wholesome) acts consist of Dæna (Charity), Søla (Virtue or Morality) and Bhævanæ (Development of the mind by way of Concentration and Meditation). Of these, Dæna (Charity or Alms-giving) is appreciated by almost every Buddhist. Buddhists are dispensing charity as much as they can earn praise thereby as well as freedom from censure. The recipients of their charity come to respect and like them and to help them as best they can. They will be reborn in the good and noble abodes of existence and prosper there in every respect. Moral Wholesomeness (Søla Kusala) By Sila is meant taking refuge in the three gems of the Buddhist faith (the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha) and observance of such moral rules of conduct as the Five and the Eight Precepts. Buddhists declare their faith in and reliance on the Three Refuges and observe the five and other Precepts. As a result, they are safeguarded against future rebirth in the lower worlds of hell and as animals, hungry ghosts and asurakæyas (titans). Instead they are reborn in the noble human and deva realms where they go on prospering. Bhævanæ Kusala (Merit through Mind-Culture or Training) The Buddhist’s mind training or culture is of two kinds: Saµatha (Tranquility) Concentration and Vipassanæ (Insight) Meditation. There is also a third kind of Bhævanæ which is known as Ariya Magga Bhævanæ (Mind training leading to the supramundeane path). Saµatha Bhævanæ includes ten kinds of kasina (concentration device), ten kinds of asubha (impurity) and ten kinds of anussati (contemplation) and ten others, making a total of forty altogether. Buddhænussati Among these kinds of Bhævanæ, buddhænussati means contemplation and veneration of the Buddha’s virtues such as the virtue of arahan (worthiness of reverence by humans, devas and brahmæs). How is this bhævanæ practised? By contemplating that as the Buddha was imbued with the lofty and elevated virtues of Søla, Saµædhi and Paññæ, reverencing him would bring rebirth in the good and noble realms of existence and well being therein. Also by contemplating that the Buddha is worthy of such reverence and veneration by his possession of arahan virtue. Another virtue possessed by the Buddha (that of being a supremely Enlightened Buddha) is his unaided realization of the Four Noble Truths. This virtue also entitles the Buddha to special veneration. Because of his unaided omniscience and teaching what he knew to all beings with a view to their liberation from Saµsæric suffering, he was also endowed with the virtue of Buddhahood. This fact should also be contemplated. Buddhænussati bhævanæ may also be practised by thinking of the Buddha’s other virtues. For Buddhists, every time they respect and venerate the Buddha, they are practising Buddhænussati. Dhæmmænussati Next, the Buddha’s teachings are the result of his own practice and experience which he faithfully transmitted (to his disciples). If they are reverently and rightly practised, they can lead to extraordinary insights. Every time one reflects on the extraordinary virtues of the Buddha’s teaching and reposes one’s trust in them, one is cultivating wholesome act of kamma (deed, doing) in the form of Dhammænussati. Sanghænussati Next, respectfully contemplating the good and noble virtues well practise by the disciples of the Buddha is tantamount to cultivating Sanghæ-nussati bhævana. Cultivation of Metta (Loving kindness) Bhævanæ In the same way as one desire to be free from suffering and to be at ease, all others want to be the same. Cultivating mettæ bhævanæ is wishing from the heart happiness to particular individuals or the generality of individuals inclusive of humans and devas. Cultivating as much as possible such bhævanæs as Buddhænussati and Mettæ Bhævanæ amounts to acting in conformity with the Buddha’s exhortation to lay by merit. Vipassanæ Kusala (Gaining merit by Meditation) Vipassanæ Kusala means gaining of merit by constantly meditating on the impermanent, unsatisfactory and impersonal nature of the psycho-physical phenomena of one’s own person as well as of other people’s persons: This kind of meditation accords with the Buddha’s own practice directed toward realization of transient (arising and passing away) nature of the body-mind complex that is called upædænakkhandhæ (the aggregates that are the object of clinging). The development and maturing of this kusala (merit) will be explained in a later talk. When this merit ripens, there arises ariyaµ maggabhævanæ kusala (merit) which enables realization and experience of Nibbæna. This will also be explained later on. Purifying the Heart As for the exhortation ‘One should purify one’s mind; after the realization of Nibbæna through the four Ariya Maggas (the four stages of the Noble Paths), the Buddha enjoined the cultivation of the four Ariya Phalas (the four Noble fruitions). How the mind is purified after the arising of four Ariya Phala Cittas (Noble fruition Consciousness) will also be explained later. Practice leading to Happiness What I have said about is a summary of how the Buddha’s teaching should be reverently practised. By such practice, one can obtain the happiness that one seeks. This is how the noble planes of human and deva existence may be reached with attendant great happiness and Nibbæna attained with the ending of suffering and with lasting happiness. It will also conduce to the long endurance of the Buddha’s sæsanæ (dispensation) and to the happiness of those around one similar to one owns happiness. May you, therefore, be able to practise as stated above and attain the happiness that you seek and as often as fully as you desire, and speedily reach the bliss of Nibbæna. Practising vipassanæ for Three Minutes I have not spoken much of how vipassanæ should be practised. But beginning from today, I will briefly describe its method so that you may begin to practise it. Vipassanæ is the noticing of the arising and passing away of our psychophysical phenomena so that we may come to know them as they really are. Every time we see, hear, touch or know, these phenomena are constantly appearing and disappearing. It is important that we notice them and be aware of them every such time. But in the beginning, it will not be possible to notice all that we see, hear, touch or know. We should, therefore, begin with noticing the few that we can. Every time we breathe in and out, the rising and falling of our abdomen become apparent. This is (the manifestation of) the element of motion called væyo dhætu. We should being by noticing this. Let us do so for three minutes after assuming a proper sitting posture. As there is no need to see, the eyes should be closed. Fix your mind on the abdomen. When the abdomen rises, note as ‘sing’. When is falls, note as ‘falling’ It is not necessary to say ‘rising’ and ‘falling’ verbally. Only do the noticing mentally, with mental awareness. If the mind wanders elsewhere while doing so, notice the wandering of the mind. Then go back to noticing the rising and falling of the abdomen. If bodily fatigue or discomfort intervenes, notice it two or three times and then go back to noticing the rising and falling movements. If a sound is heard, note it about twice and then go back to noticing the rising and falling movements of the abdomen. Well, go on noticing thus for about three brief minutes. Conclusion The three minutes are now over. Within a minute, we get about 50 or 60 acts of noting. In three minutes, we can get no less than 150 acts of noting. All these acts of noting are cultivation of Vipassanæ Kusala in accordance with the Buddha’s teaching. As Samædhi (concentrative power) strengthens while going on noting thus, we can come to know mind and matter distinctly and the causal relationship between them. We come to see for ourselves their constant arising and passing away, that is, their anicca (impermanent) characteristic. In the process, we develop progressive vipassanæ insights, eventually experiencing Nibbæna with Magga and Phala Ñæ¼as (knowledge of the Path and its fruition). May you, therefore, practise vipassanæ meditation with as much vigour as you can and quickly attain Nibbæna. Sædhu! Sædhu! Sædhu! Mahæsø
Sayædaw
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