Today is the full moon day of the month of Tabodwe, 1338 M.E. As we are going to Mawlamyaing tomorrow, I will finish up with the discourse on “Sammæ Paribbæjaniya Sutta” today. The 17th and last gæthæ is the thanks giving of the Nimmita Buddha, the surrogate Buddha. Now we will deal with the 16th gæthæ. Aññæya
padaµ samecca dhammaµ, The bhikkhu has known the four Noble Truths one by one and knows them all at once when he has acquired the final ariya magga insight. One can never acquire all the four at once: One has to graduate to the final stage, and when one has reached the final, all the four Truths are revealed to him in his own insight. Five Pa¥ivedas. The person who is going into meditation can have attachment because of ta¼hæ, wrong belief because of attachment to sensorial aggregates which is taken as self. These aggregates are collectively called upædænakkhandhæ (factors of clinging to existence). These factors are constantly changing, and that unstable condition makes for dukkha. This is Dukkha Sacca, the Truth about misery. There is an attachment to these factors of misery, and that is Samudaya Sacca, the Truth about attachment. In this way, one must learn about the four Noble Truths from a teacher. The knowledge acquired from learning is called Uggaha-Pa¥iveda. Learning after further questions and inquiries is called Paripuccha Pativedæ. Learning by listening is called Savana Pa¥iveda. Learning to know the Truths about misery and attachment through meditation is called Sammasana Pa¥iveda. Before achieving the ariya magga insight, one must learn by applying the methods mentioned above. Even here, learning can be done for knowing only one Truth at a time. So also the other two Truths, Nirodha Saccæ and Magga Saccæ can be learnt only separately. And that knowledge is acquired only by the first four methods, and not by Sammasana Pa¥iveda or by the meditation method. The listen-and-learn method can be illustrated thus: “Nirodha is the cessation of all the physical and mental elements. and such a state spells peace of the most adorable kind. And Magga Sacca is the Path to that state, and is also the most desirable.” The listening learner then learns to appreciate this, and his or her mind is inclined toward that most adorable state attainable by the most desirable Path. Even by this method, one can know only one Truth at each time. KNOWING SIMULTANEOUSLY THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS The moment one has acquired the ariya-magga, one knows all the four Noble Truths simultaneously. That is to say that when one has seen the light of Nibbæna through the achievement of Nirodha Saccæ, one knows Dukkha Saccæ and Samudaya Saccæ. Knowing the truth about misery and abandoning attachment after knowing about the true nature of attachment, one achieves what is known as pahæna pa¥iveda (attainment of rejection). As Magga Saccæ is in oneself, that is, one is practising meditation, one is said to have achieved bhævanæpa¥iveda (attainment of meditation). It is clear now that by means of the ariya-magga insight, one knows all the four Noble Truths. In other words, after one has come to know the three saccæs, thas is, dukkha, samudaya and magga, and thus know, reject and develop where need be one comes to realise Nirodha Saccæ, the truth about the cessation. To reiterate, one does not know the four Noble Truths all at once when one is learning or doing meditation work. It is only after realisation of the fourth, Nirodhæ Saccæ that one knows of the four simultaneously. Of the four, dukkha and samudaya succæ are within the three vattas whereas magga and Nirodha are on the outside. The latter two do not need vipassanæ meditation. Only the former two need it. In the commentaries it is said clearly that in the case of Dukkha Saccæ and Samudaya Saccæ there is the need for vipassanæ meditation but in the case of Magga and Nirodha Saccæ, there is no such need. Therefore, one who wishes to attain Nibbæna, and has been constantly making a note of the phenomena as they occur and fade out knows Dukkha Saccä and Samudaya Saccæ separately, and in the meantime, as his mind is inclined toward attainment of magga insight and Nibbæna, he is knowing Magga Saccæ and Nirodha saccæ separately. When the vipassanæ insight develops and the stage of the sa³khærupekkhæ insight is reached, and as it develops further, one sees the light of Nibbæna when the cessation of all conditioned things happens. The moment one reaches this state, one knows all the four Noble Truths simultaneously. The bhikkhu knows the Truth separately before realising the last Truth, and then he sees all the four together. The second line of the gæthæ says that the bhikkhu is free of all the æsava and realises the stage of Nibbæna. Then all the four upædhi ceases in him and he is clear of all attachment. Upædhi means something that is inherent, or permanently attached. What are the four of them? They are misery occurring in the body and in the mind, the consequences of one’s action and the conditioned things. When there is the body, there are various kinds of misery attached to it. All the kilesæ, kæmagu¼a (sensual pleasure), and the actions, good or bad generate misery. There is a complete abandonment of these in the case of the bhikkhu who has already realised the ultimate Truth. Then the refrain, which says, as usual, that the bhikkhu who has abandoned all attachment lives properly in this world. Now the fifteen gæthæs, from the second to the sixteenth are the Buddha’s answer to the first gæthæ which is the question put to Him by Nimmita Buddha, the surrogate Buddha. After the sixteenth and final gæthæ, the Buddha’s answer was complete. Now, in the 17th, Nimmita Buddha praised the Buddha, and thanked Him. This thanks giving stanza is as follows: Addhæ
hi Bhagavæ tatheva etaµ, “Most illustrious Buddha, all your answers are correct. The bhikkhu who acts according to your answers contained in these gæthæs, will be free of the wild kilesæ and be gentle and serene. He will have overcome all saµyojana and yoga.” Saµyojanas are the fetters that bind one from escaping from the samsæra. Overcoming these saµyojanas means not letting them occur; to be free of them. There are ten kinds of saµyojanas. (1) Kämaræga saµyojana, revelling in sensual pleasure. The person who has this kind of saµyojana has to be back to kæma-bhava (the sphere dominated by pleasures) even after he has reached the higher regions of rþpa-brahmæ bhava or arþpa brahmæ bhava because kæma-ræga saµyojana pulls him down and fetters him there. (2) Bhava-ræga saµyojana, attachment to the state of existence. The person who has this saµyojana does not want cessation of existence. He enjoys being in existence. Such a person will not be able to realise Nibbæna which is the cessation of existences. (3) Pa¥iga saµyojana, anger and malice for persons or things not wanted by the person concerned. Such a person feels miserable whenever he come across unpleasant and undesirable things. (4) Mæna saµyojana, conceit. The person who has this saµyojana thinks highly of himself whether there are reasons or not for such self-esteem. (5) Di¥¥hi saµyojana, having a wrong belief by thinking that there is self. Such a person entertains wrong notions that there is no kamma action which has any effect. (6) Vicikicchæ saµyojana, being assailed by doubts. Such a person is always in doubt about the truth. (7) Sølabbata saµyojana, going in for wrong religious practices under the wrong impression that they will produce good results. The person who has di¥¥hi, vicikicchæ and sølabbata saµyojana is not safe from hell. Although he may be in good upper regions because of his deeds, he is likely to go down to hell. (8) Issæ saµyojana, envy. Such a person has no good wishes for people who are prosperous. (9) Macchariya saµyojana, jealousy. Such a person would like the possessions, rights and persons that are his own not to be connected in any way with others. (10) Avijjæ saµyojana, wrong belief. So long as a person is not free from this fetter he will never escape from samsæra. The bhikkhu is, of course, free of all these saµyojanas. Then there are four yogas, or bonds which the bhikkhu has already overcome. They are: (1) Kamæyoga; (2) Bhavayoga; (3) Di¥¥hi-yoga; and (4) Avijjæ-yoga. These bonds are the same as the fetters (saµyojana) described in the foregoing paragraphs. So the bhikkhu has been free of all the fetters and bonds. Summing up: The Buddha’s
answers are all correct. The last line of the gæthæ, the refrain, says: So he lives properly in this world. The 17th gæthæ has now been explained, and the discourse on Sammæ Paribbæjaniya Sutta has come to an end. BENEFIT FROM LISTENING TO THE SERMON The benefit accruing from attending this sermon session is described in Sutta-nipæta Commentary thus: “On conclusion of the sermon, one hundred thousand crores of devæs and brahmæs reached the state of arahatta phala. Those who reached the stages of sotæpatti-magga phala, sakadægæmi-magga-phala and anægami-magga-phala were in-numerable. One hundred thousand crores of arahantas. The devas and brahmæs who attended the sermon session of this Sammæ Paribbæjaniya Sutta attain various stages of enlightenment in such staggering numbers. That is amazing. The reason is that this sermon is difficult to comprehend. Even a long discourse on each of the gæthæ does not make it easy to understand. These devas and brahmæs who comprehended the sermon and received enlightenment were endowed with pærami. Pæramø (perfection) is none other than listening and learning and practising meditation. If the persons now in this practice have not acquired pæramø yet in this life-time, they will acquire it in their second, or third, or some subsequent lifetime by continuing the practice. If, one gets to the celestial region, one will be able to attend sermon sessions conducted by celestial religious lectures in the world of brahmæs. CHANCE OF IMMEDIATE ENLIGHTENMENT IN CELESIAL WORLD If One becomes a deva, one’s body will be clean and clear, and one’s intelligence will be equally clear and sharp. One can remember one’s religious practice in the previous existence, and would possibly gain an immediate enlightenment. So the Buddha said: “Dandho
bhikkhave satuppædo, athakho “Bhikkhus, memory of the religious practice during the past lifetime may be slow to come, but once it comes, it quickly makes for enlightenment of the person concerned.” When one gets to the world of devas, one may be conversing with other devas and making friends with them, and so one may not chance to recapitulate the past lifetime for quite some time. So there may be a delay, but once one gives time to recalling the past, one will remember one’s efforts in the religious practice during one’s lifetime of the previous existence. Then one will immediately gain enlightenment of the Dhamma and reach the ultimate goal of Nibbæna. Therefore, those who are now in the practice of Dhamma will gain enlightenment during this lifetime, if conditions are favourable. Otherwise, one will certainly achieve enlightenment in their second or third existence. It is for you all to work unhesitatingly according to the exposition in this Sutta. May the audience be able to work for the attainment of Nibbæna as expeditiously as possible. Sædhu! Sædhu! Sædhu! End of the discourse on SAMMÆ PARIBBÆJANIYA SUTTA
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