Today, the new moon day of Pyatho, we are going to explain the 13th gæthæ of the Sutta. Sadho
sutavæ niyæmadassi, The bhikkhu having been full of faith and conviction and also full of knowledge, finds ariya magga as inviolable doctrine. MUST HAVE FAITH AND CONVICTION Faith is generally traditional, that is, one embraces faith in a particular religion because one’s parents have been doing so. That is quite good. Buddhist parents have taught their children since childhood to have faith in the true Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. They have taught them to worship the Buddha and Sangha and also to recite “Buddhaµ saranaµ gacchæmi” etc. That is why Buddhist children have learnt about the attributes of the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha quite early. These young people have also faith in the Three Gems, and thus they have taken refuge in them. So far so good. Because having faith and taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and Sangha can save them from hell. In the introduction to “Mahæ samaya Sutta” a Brahmæ said to the Buddha thus: Ye kesi
Buddhaµ saranaµ gatæse, The Brahmæ said: “Innumerable people who adore the Buddha do not go to hell. When they die as human beings, they become devas, thus increasing the deva population. If one adores the Buddha, it follows that he adores the Dhamma and Sangha, too. Those who have faith and take refuge in the three Gems are saved from hell. Now, Buddhist children will be saved from hell and will get to the celestial world because they have learnt to gain merit by having faith and taking refuge in the three Gems. They will be gaining merit for their reverence to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. So I say it is quite good to be traditionally taught to believe in Buddhism. As these children grow up, they will have many occasions to listen to sermons and discourses of good teachers and also to read dhamma books. They will then probably have greater faith. Ordinary faith is called pasæda saddhæ, and faith born of conviction is called Okappana saddhæ. Of course, the latter is more stable. But these two kinds of saddhæ are not enough. One must be full of avecca-pasæda saddhæ which means that one must know the Dhamma well enough to be thoroughly convinced. That kind of firm faith is entertained at least by the sotæpanna. The conviction must develop with the prictice of vipassanæ where in the yogøs must know matter and mind separately. He must say to himself, “The Buddha said that there are only matter and mind, there is no person or being. That is true indeed.” Then his faith will become really firm. When he comes to realise the anicca, dukkha and anatta nature by his own insight, his faith will become much firmer. When he gains insight into the rise and fall of the phenomena (udayabbaya ñæ¼a), the force of his faith becomes great. But he must go on acquiring greater insight through meditation until he reaches the final stage, ariya magga ñä¼a. Then only will his faith be full and firm. Then and then only will he find the Buddha who led him the way. “The one who sees the Dhamma, see me,” said the Buddha, in the gæthæ. As one thus sees the Buddhas, one’s faith in Him is profound. Then, the bhikkhu must be full of knowledge. The term suta relates to hearing; it is not followed directly by seeing. There are two kinds of suta namely ægama suta, this is knowledge gained from hearing the Buddha’s sermons, and adhigama suta, that is knowledge gained from one’s experience. The latter may be called seeing. So suta means knowledge gained from hearing and seeing. It is good to learn all the three Pø¥aka scriptures, but if one has learnt the instructions for working to gain søla, samædhi and paññæ, it is enough. The commentaries say it is enough to have learnt just one gæthæ. As regards ægama suta, knowledge gained from seeing, one has to acquire knowledge through meditational observation. One must aim to acquire the four insights of ariya magga ñæ¼a. One must thus be full of such spiritual knowledge. Once one has acquired spiritual adhigama suta, one has come to realise niyæma, or the ultimate truth; that is one has achieved ariya magga. Niyæma means fixed truth knowing the anicca, dukkha and anatta nature is knowing the fixed truth. It is certain that one will gain the benefit of ariya phala. That is why ariya magga the four of them, viz, sotæpatti magga, sakadægæmi magga, anægæmi magga and arahatta magga all together is called niyæma. The beliefs that are different from the true belief are, briefly, sassata di¥¥ihi and uccheca di¥¥hi. The belief that atta or soul is indestructible is of the first kind, and the belief that nothing is left after death is of the second. In this world, people are disunited because of their differing beliefs. The bhikkhu subscribes to none of the differing wrong beliefs. When one reaches the sotæpatti magga, one dispels all wrong beliefs. We have often talked about the rejection of lobha and dosa. Pa¥igaha is synonymous with dosa. The repetition in this line of the gæ thæ is mere reiteration. Pa¥igha is explained in Abhidhamma A¥¥hakathæ commentary as “a violent feeling.” Hence the mention here of pa¥igha alongside dosa. The last line of the gæthæ is the refrain about the unattached bhikkhu living properly in the world. May this audience work hard to be able to reject lobha, dosa and pa¥igha acquire magga-phala insight speedily. Sædhu! Sædhu! Sædhu! End of Part XII
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