SARANIYA DHAMMA THAT EXCITES MEMORY OF GOOD DEEDS (A sermon delivered by Mahæsø Sayædaw at Mayantabin) This sermon, delivered at Mayantabin Ward, on the 12th. and 13th. waning of Tagu, 1314 Myanmar Era, relates to the Særanøya and Mahæpaccavekkha¼a dhammas expounded in the Kosambiya Sutta of Mþlapa¼¼æsa. Særanøya alone is dealt with in the Sa³gøti Sutta in Døgha Nikæya as well as in the Sæmagama Sutta in Majjhima Nikæya. The Chakka Nipæta in A³guttara Nikæya also contains that Særanøya Sutta. “Særanøya” means that which excites one’s memory. One who practises it is always remembered. It is good for both monks and laymen. I shall introduce this Sutta to you in the words of the Enlightened One: O bhikkhus! There are six components in the særanøya dhamma which can perpetuate a person practising it in the memory of his companions. It also instills love in the minds of those living together, inspires respect and veneration for one another and generates a feeling of oneness. It therefore, eliminates all controversies and is conducive to the establishment of unity and solidarity in the community. If a person is accomplished in særanøya, he will be remembered with affection by his associates, companions and friends. Since he instils love in others in his company, he will be loved by them in turn, consequently earning respect. Is it not respect cherished by all? He, who is not treated with respect that is due him, will surely be offended. But here it must be borne in mind that, if he expects respect, he must himself be respectable. The entire responsibility of generating respect rests with him, for if he does not behave to be worthy of it, who will ever respect him? Absence of controversy lays the foundations for unanimity. Særanøya eliminates all tendencies to disagree. So it is conducive to the building up of a united whole. If we are of one mind, all divisive activities will cease. In a family there are at least two members, while there may be three or four in other cases. It is imperative that members of a family live in harmony. The way to achieve this is to practise særanøya . When families live in harmony, the entire village community containing these families will live in unity. Eventually the whole town, the whole country and the whole world will achieve unity and live in peace. So the virtues of særanøya are not confined to a section of humanity. They are universal and common to all, irrespective of differences in nationality or religion usually met with among mankind. Six components of sÆranøya that leads to unity I shall first enumerate the six components of særanøya that lead to unity. As you know, there are three aspects in mettæ, loving-kindness, namely mettæ in thought, mettæ in word and mettæ in deed. These three aspects constitute the first there components of særanøya. To them may be added the other three, namely, charitableness, morality and knowledge or wisdom. These six qualities of særanøya can bless mankind with unity. All actions are kamma which embraces all kusala (moral) and akusala (immoral) volitions. When we say prayers we implore that we may be condoned for what we have wrongfully done, either in thought, word or deed. This, of course, relates to absolution of our sins. But when we pray, we must not only pray for it. We should also pray for rewards of merit for wholesome and moral deeds that we perform. Volitional activities in thought, word or deed, free from greed and anger but promoting loving-kindness, are kammas devoid of all sins. They deserve merit. Acquire it by wishing your neighbour happiness, speaking of happiness for him and doing things that bring him happiness. All sentient beings desire happiness and not suffering. If you wish them well and happy, their desires will be fulfilled. Then they will feel that you have brought them under the cool shade of a tree. So, whatever you do, do it with loving-kindness, whatever you speak, speak with loving-kindness and whatever you think, think with loving-kindness all for the sake of happiness for others. When mankind becomes pervaded with that spirit of loving-kindness, the three kammas of mettæ will be accomplished. They are indeed the three components of særanøya dhamma. Besides these three, there are, as I have said, charitableness, morality and wisdom. I use the term, cæga, for charitableness although the Sutta does not explicitly employ this term. It merely says that one must share with others practising morality what one earns by licit means. I hold that this spirit of charity to encourage morality denotes cæga. Adding this to søla morality, and paññæ, wisdom, we have the three components which together with the three kammas above mentioned, total six. The last two of them relate to the practice of vipassanæ or meditation, one being classified as ariyasøla (morality practised by the Nobles Ones) and the other as ariyapaññæ wisdom belonging to the Noble Ones.) Of those two, the fundamental dhamma for the vipassanæ is ariyapaññæ, which being too subtle for ordinary people, I shall not elaborate at length; but I shall deal with others in detail as they are basic for the practice of særanøya. As regards putting mettæ into practice, Buddha makes this exhortation; O bhikkhus! Let your deeds testify to your spirit of loving-kindness with which your wish happiness for your fellow-disciples who live together with you in each other’s presence, or apart from you in each other’s absence. Here mention is made of fellow-disciples of monks practising dkamma together because this sermon was first preached to the monks. Among laymen living together, it can also be practised with advantage. If you, with a spirit of service, do good to those in your company, that will be putting loving-kindness into practice. You may start practising it in the first instance with your near and dear ones, such as your wife, your sons and daughters your parents, your relatives, your pupils and your friends. When you do so, make it a point to avoid anger which invariably causes disaffection that brings disharmony even among your own kith and kin. In all organizational work, it is this ill-will that usually sows the seed of discord. In practising mettæ, even the outward behaviour of the well-wisher should reveal his good intention for the happiness of others, whether they are near and dear to him, or just mere acquaintances living in places far away from him. He should help them all with a spirit of service before self. If he finds a person carrying a heavy load, he should lighten it with his help. Finding a sick man, he should nurse him back to health by massaging him (which is the Myanmar way of tending the sick and the aged). When he walks on the floor on which someone is sleeping, he should tread on which someone is sleeping, he should tread lightly on it so as not to disturb his sleep. These little things go a long way towards making others happy. Let me tell you how a person can practice mettæ towards people living far away from him and, therefore, out of his sight. Perhaps they might have left the place leaving their personal belongings with him. Or, they might have gone leaving their jobs unfinished. In that case, he should act as a custodian of their property and look after it. He should also try to bring their unfinished jobs to completion. If he helps them with this practical application of loving-kindness, he shall be always remembered even thought he may be out of their sight. He who helps others will be loved and respected. Where there is love there can be no cause for quarrels and disputes. So, whether they are living apart from him or not, they shall feel that they are at one with him. And, he, in turn, is at one with them. In this way unity is achieved among people knowing one another. They shall be united by the bonds of love and compassion. Love usually brings compassion, and so I have purposely added this quality to loving-kindness. Do people like to have their good name and reputation forgotten? I think not. Do they not like to be loved and respected? Of course, they do. Do the want to be quarrelling among themselves creating schisms and divisions? I don’t think so. People usually like to be sociable and live together in harmony. If a man wants to establish an undivided society, he must practise loving-kindness that makes unity a reality. At home, even in his relations with his wife, he should never say anything in anger, not even making a scowling face. His smiles mean joy for his wife who shall always love and respect him. She would be thinking of her husband as dutiful and magnanimous. Where love begets love, the entire household is happy. If loving-kindness begins at home among families there is but unity among their members. Regarding speech embedded with the spirit of mettæ, Buddha has this to say: Again, O bhikkhus, when you communicate with your fellow disciples, speak in the language of loving-kindness, whether they are with you together, or whether they live apart in far away places. Mettæ in speech means speaking with intent to serve for the welfare and happiness of others whether they are in one’s presence or absence. When a person has something to say, let him say it in sweet and gentle words, wishing for the welfare and happiness of the man spoken to. Even when he finds occasion to chastise his companions, let him not say it in anger. He should wait for his anger to subside and then say what he has to say persuasively. Among numerous people living together, it will not be easy to find everyone perfect. If he notices any defects in others, let him draw their attention to them, using sweet words that would remind them of their mistakes and faults, which they would correct at leisure voluntarily in their own way. Occasionally he would come across people finding fault with their fellow companions. In that event he should be able to speak in defence of the man criticised. At times critics would be maligning his friend behind his back. Here, too, he must be able to say something in his defence. I am bringing up this point because I think it important. There are people among us who pretend to wish well of other although actually they would be doing harm behind their backs. Sincere friends always speak in the interest of their fellow-men. They usually come to the aid of those who are unable to say or do things for themselves. Where there is discord they patch up the differences. They prevent their comrades from indulging in fruitless undertakings. Here it cannot be over emphasized that all words intended for the good of others should always be sweet and gentle to the ear. If a person practises mettæ in speech in the manner that I have described, he shall forever live in the memory of others who will have nothing but praises for his wholesome speech motivated by loving-kindness. Regarding thought that instils mettæ in the minds of all fellow-beings, Buddha has this to say: Again, O bhikkhus, when you think about your fellow disciples, think in terms of loving-kindness praying for their happiness whether they are with you together, or whether they live in distant lands. When we pray with mettæ for our fellow-disciples we used to say: “Averæ hontu! (May all be free from danger), Abyæpajjhæ hontu! (May all be free from suffering in mind), Anøghæ hontu! (May all be free from suffering in body), Sukhø attænam parithørantu! (May all be able to establish themselves in the happiness and well-being of mind and body).” This is thinking mettæ or loving-kindness. When we express this sentiment to others, we must be absolutely sincere. Saying “May all be happy!” but wishing ill of others cannot be held to be mettæ mano kamma (implementation of mettæ in thought). It should be well-developed in the mind. Whenever you have something to say or do, you should be mindful of happiness for others. You shall then be well-remembered. When people love one another there shall be no disagreement among them, and thus unity will be realised. I have laid down the following as a motto for all to remember: All human behaviour resulting from the practice, in deed, word and thought, of loving-kindness shall be rendered memorable thought one’s life. Where love, compassion and respect pervade human society, there shall one find everlasting unity. These three kammas, the practical application of loving-kindness in thought, word and deed, are essential in building unity and promoting welfare among people. They are not hard to practise, and every home should take up loving kindness as a way of life which then shall extend to every school or monastery and every village or town so that the whole world remains established in unity and happiness. I urge you to work for it with determination. Now I shall deal with the remaining særanøya dhamma, firstly with cæga or charitableness. Regarding charitableness Buddha has this to say: Again, O bhikkhus, there is another særanøya dhamma. Monks obtain their necessities, such as food, etc. To say the least, what is received in their necessities, such as food, etc. To say the least, what is received in their bowls is their legitimate belongings acquired through the means of right livelihood. Monks use what they rightfully get unreservedly for the common weal of the Order. In this way Buddha pointed out what cæga means. Acquiring money or property through the practice of soothsaying or medicine is called micchæjiva or wrong livelihood. It is not fit or proper for monks to eke out their living by such means. They must not appropriate for their own use such acquisitions of property. Neither must other monks, who strictly observe vinaya rules, when they are offered such kind of property. All necessities obtained in accordance with vinaya rules are deserving both for the monk who receives them and for his fellow monk with whom he shares what he gets. When he receives alms from laymen, i.e. should regard them as the collective property of the Order, and should share them with others. It will not be proper for him even to think that they are his own and that, therefore, he can dispense with them in whatever way he likes. A monk practising charitableness usually obtains food offered by laymen for doing his duties according to the vinayas, such as going round the village for alms, preaching the dhamma, observing dhuta³ga, a set of` 13 ascetic rules for the elimination of defilements of the mind, etc., and he, in turn, offers it, first and foremost, to monks practising søla. Next, he shares it with monks who are sick, or with guest-monks, or with newly ordained monks not yet fully conversant with the way of life of the monks. If, in spite of such giving away, any food remains, he shares it with the remaining monks in order of their seniority. If however, the food is consumed, and more of its is required, he makes another round for alms and distributes them in the same way. What food is left after this distribution, he consumes for himself. As the Pæ¹i Canon explicitly says that this practice should be applied to monks fulfilling søla, it is not imperative that food must be shared with those not fulfilling it. This særanøya may be difficult in implementation, for among the monks there are those who are not accommodating. The Commentaries, therefore, have this to say: This særanøya practice by which a monk consumes food only after having it offered to others, is difficult of implementation, unless it is done in an environment of well-experienced and accommodating monks. Then, how long will it take for this særanøya to be fulfilled? Usually twelve years. Even then, in one case, it has been recorded, a monk failed to fulfil its requirement on the last day before the completion of the twelve-years vow, because a willful monk ate up the share of food the donor had reserved for himself. So, a monks desiring to take the vow of cæga must keep it for twelve years without a break. During those years there must not be a single occasion when he feels sorry for his acts of charity for any reason whatsoever. If he can strictly keep his vow, he will gain merit. For instance, when he goes round for alms he will get the best of everything. Commentaries cite many instance of the fruition of cæga. Long ago, a monk who practised it unflinchingly was unaffected by famine. Devas or divine beings offered him food, and so his bowl was always full. However much he shared it with others it never got depleted. I, for myself, however, admit that I shall not be able to practise cæga to the extent that I have now explained, because it is so difficult. But I will tell you what ordinary men can do. You can practise charity among your own community by sharing with others what you earn by licit means. If you practise it at home or in monasteries or schools, it will be conducive to the cultivation of love and respect among those with whom you live together. A man who used to share what he has with others in his company will be remembered by his fellow-beings even though they may have gone out to live away from him. In a society where the spirit of charity is dominant, there will be no cause for quarrels and disputes, and consequently it will remain solid and united. Then happiness will become a reality. You might have come across generous and benevolent men donating money and materials, not only for religious and social purposes, but also for relief for the distressed. Such kindness are appreciated by humanity; and so the donors live in the thoughts of the rest of mankind. When love and respect prevail among donors and donees alike, discord will be eliminated and unity established. Where there is unity, there is happiness. So please remember this aphorism: Acts of charity live forever in human memory, generating love and respect among mankind, thus laying foundations for the unity of the whole world. 5. Practicing morality like airyÆ Regarding the practice of morality in the way of ariyæs or Noble Ones, Buddha’s advice is as follows: Again, O bhikkhus, there is another særanøya dhamma called søla or morality. Observance of søla should be whole and complete without any violation. Your søla shall be like unto a piece of cloth untorn at the edges. It shall not be like unto a piece of cloth with holes in the middle. Neither shall the cloth of vinaya be variegated in colours, or stained with dirt here and there. You should not be egoistical in the observance of søla, thinking that it is you alone who are moral, It must be observed with all the attentiveness of khanika, upacæra and appanæ samædhi, instantaneous, proximate and ecstatic concentration. If you practise søla in this way you will be on a par with your companions regarding accomplishment in moral behaviour, whether they are by you in your presence, or away from you in your absence. Now what is meant by such terms as “untorn at the edges, etc.”? When laymen take the precepts there shall be no violation of the undertaking to abide by the pa³casøla (the five precepts). For instance, the first undertaking not to kill should never be violated. So also the last undertaking not to take intoxicants should be implicitly observed. Monks must also observe the vinayas without breaking the first or the last of the rules. If, for any reason the first and the last vows were broken, one’s, søla would be like a sheet of cloth torn at the edges. If, likewise, the middle vow is broken, the cloth of søla would appear as rifled with holes. If violation occurs in two or three rules in a set of undertakings, the cloth of søla would appear to be in various colours. If one rule of søla is broken here and another there, the cloth would look stained. All moralities shall remain pure, untainted and unshattered. With ariyæs, be they laymen or monks, søla remains absolutely pure. this purity is maintained both in the presence of one another and in the absence of one another. It is not attained through wilful restraint. It comes naturally. The purity of søla is in the very nature of the ariyæs. It is not affected by the presence or absence of the compatriots. To equate oneself with those ariyæs, one must have attained sotæpanna stage. At sotæpann’s søla always remain pure without his making special efforts. It that sotæpanna happens to be a monks, even when he transgresses voluntarily, he will be absolved from guilt. His søla would be of the some kind and quality with that of his fellow-monks whether in their company or not. Such an individual whose søla approaches that of an ariyæ will not only be remembered by others, but also loved and respected. There will be no cause for him and his fellow men to be disagreeable with one another. He will be at one with them and be happy in the same way as his comrades are. So Buddha said: When the purity of one’s søla becomes the same as that of the ariyæs, whether one remains in their company or not, one will be well-remembered, loved and respected. Under these circumstances, there shall be developed sociableness, accord, unity and solidarity in the community. This særanøya dhamma is mentioned in the Kosambhiya Sutta preached by Buddha in connection with a dispute that arose among the monks of Kosambhi who disagreed over a question of morality. Buddha desired the monks realize the need for living together in harmony without creating divisions among them. Unity can be achieved only through the practice of this ariya søla which may prove difficult of application to laymen. Observance of the five precepts is also ariyakanta søla or morality approved by the ariyæs. If they are well-observed with all seriousness, they are also conducive to generation of love, respect, harmony and unity among peoples. In this discourse, the word “in their presence or in their absence”, have been used very often. The purport of these words is a reminder to the fact that sin has no place to hide. You may think that no one sees you as you are sinning. But there are devas or diving beings who can see you doing evil. Even if no one can see you, you yourself will be seeing you in the act. Such deeds that you have done will get into your consciousness as you are nearing death. That there is no hiding place for misdeeds has been shown in Sølavømamsana Jætaka. In one of his past existences Særiputtæ was a disæpæmokkha, or professor, with five hundred disciples. He had a beautiful and intelligent daughter. He wanted to marry her to a man of good morality. So he called in his pupils to his side and said: “I have a daughter who is beautiful, wise and accomplished. I want to give her away in marriage to any one of you who is deserving. My daughter needs jewellery to adorn herself with on the occasion of her marriage. If any one of you can bring it here without the knowledge of anyone, I shall marry her to him.” Vying with one another the disciples brought all kinds of jewellery and surrendered them to the Master. But one disciple, who was destined to be a Buddha later, did not bring anything. So the Master asked him why he did not steal. The disciple replied: “You told us to steal so that no one can know. Even though no one sees me stealing, I, who steal, is fully aware of myself actually stealing. Hence, I failed to find a place where crime can be committed without anyone’s knowledge or anyone seeing me. So I have not brought any stolen property.” At this, the disæpæmokkha realized that his pupil, the Buddha-to-be, was a man of morality and gave away his daughter to him. When you commit vice in secret, although no one sees you committing it, you know it that you have committed it. You may not admit it; but in your mind you would be saying, “I did it! I did it!”. When you approach death, the evil that you have done pricks your conscience. If you die with an attachment to the evil that you have done, you will certainly go down to the nether world. If you believe in kamma and its resultants, you should abstain from committing evil in thought, word and deed. If you practice morality seriously without violating it, you will again the confidence of those with whom you live. You will always be in their thoughts, loved and respected. This is how you establish harmony and unanimity in the company you keep. Regarding approach to knowledge or wisdom of the ariyæs, Buddha’s advice is as follows: Again, O bhikkhus, there is another særanøya dhamma relating to wisdom. If can accomplish its task of delivering one from evil. Hence it is noble One who possesses it and does things in the right way according to its dictates will be delivered from all suffering. If a monk establishes himself in this kind of wisdom while living in the company of his fellow-monks, he will be held to be equal in wisdom with others whether they are living together with him in his presence of not. In Buddhasæsanæ there is the noble and supramundane knowledge about the four maggas (paths) and phalas (fruition) which in essence mean one and the same thing, the only difference being that the former denote the cause while the latter the effect. The four ariyamagga paññæ eliminate all kilesæs or defilements of the mind and deliver one from the round of rebirths, samsæra. They are collectively known as niyyænika di¥¥hi, because they are able to accomplish deliverance from suffering. One who is endowed with this knowledge will be liberated from all kinds of suffering. But there are two ways of bringing about the cessation of suffering, the wrong way and the right way. Following the wrong way one gets only a temporary relief from suffering. If one adopts the right course, one can get rid of it once and for all. When you bend your arms or legs for a long time, you feel stiff. Then you straighten them out and relax, But after a long time, you again feel stiff and you try to get relief by bending them again. In the same way you feel stiff if you sit for a long time, and you get relaxed if you stand up. In all these physical activities you get a temporary relief as you correct your posture. You feel hot; so, you fan yourself or take a bath. You get a temporary relief; but later you again feel hot. So when you fight discomfort in this way, suffering will be relieved only temporarily. Consider hunger. It is usually appeased when food is taken. But after some time you will feel hungry again. So you have to take food twice or thrice a day. At times this will not be enough. So you eat four or five times daily. All sentient beings, men or animals, go round in search of food when they get hungry; but their hunger is never appeased. Then search for food throughout their lives. Therefore, Buddha had a name for hunger, namely, jighacchæparama, hunger is the most virulent kind. There is medicine for each of the diseases. Once the prescribed medicine is taken. the disease is cured. But not so with that disease called hunger. As soon as you were born, you had to be fed with your mother’s milk; and yet, your hunger was not appeased. So you go on feeding yourself daily with food, and yet you get hungry when the time comes. You suffer hunger during this existence. You shall do so in your next existence. So appeasement of hunger does not mean a permanent cessation of suffering. When the resultant consequences of your past deeds tend to be bad, you may be of low birth and in trouble during the present existence. You may even be famished, being stricken with poverty. You may be afflicted with all kinds of disease. If, becoming repentant, you do wholesome deeds that earn merit in the future, you shall be liberated from suffering that you are encountering in this life. If you are to be reborn in this human world, you will be of noble birth. Or, you may even be reborn in the abode of the devas or divine beings. But the force of your good actions cannot last forever. When it is spent, you may be reborn a poor man in a sea of troubles. So the attainment of human or divine happiness due to your meritorious deeds through the practice of morality is transitory and not permanent. Peace and happiness gained in this way is not real peace and happiness. Supposing you lead a moral life, practising meditation for the first, second third and fourth stages of jhæna in succession, you will be transported to the realm of rþpabræhmas, Form-Sphere, or of aræpabræhams, Formless Sphere. You will remain in the height of jhænic ecstasy for the duration of many worlds. If you happen to get to the Realm of Neither Perception nor Non-perception, you will remain there for the duration of 84,000 worlds wrap in ecstasy. But when your kamma forces come to an end, you will again be reborn in this world to enjoy life or to suffer its miseries. If you happen to commit evil deeds while leading the life of a human, your unwholesome and immoral acts would drag you down to the four nether worlds. Therefore, although charity and morality can lead one to the abode of the Brahmæs, such attainments to higher planes of existence do not give one eternal peace and happiness. What, then, is the true cessation of suffering or unsatisfactoriness? Suffering cease only when one finds nibbæna through treading the Path of Four Noble Truths. If one attains to the lowest stage of sotæpanna, one shall never go down to the four nether worlds where suffering is rife. A sotæpanna may be reborn seven times in the world of men or devas, and at the last existence, he will become an arahat ready to enter nibbæna. A sakadægæmi has only two existences, first as a man, and then as a divine being, intervening between him and nibbæna. An anægæmi never returns to this world. He may be either in the Form-Sphere or Formless-Sphere, from whence he departs as an arahat entering nibbæna. In such cases we use the term, “entering parinibbæna,” which means that, after entry to that stage, rþpas and næmas do not arise afresh, and that all unsatisfactoriness connected with them ceases altogether. There will be no næma-rþpa which becomes old, sick and subject to death. There is no cause for anxiety and fear for old age, sickness and death. One knows no pain or sadness. All unsatisfactoriness relating to the body or to the mind is eliminated. Nothing arises; and therefore, there is complete peace and calmness. Hence, according to Buddha, knowledge relating to the Noble Path transports one to the stage where all suffering or unsatisfactoriness ceases. But it must be always borne in mind that the Path offers salvation only to those who actually practise it. Salvation awaits him who puts knowledge Into practice In your travels a vehicle takes you to your destination while those who stand by it are left behind. Knowledge about the Noble Path is like that vehicle. If you ride in it, you will be conveyed to your destination; and if you merely stand by it, you will be left behind. Those who desire to be liberated from all suffering should use that vehicle. That is to say they should use knowledge they gained for practical purposes. The most important task for you while you are born into this Buddhasæsanæ is to practise dhamma so that you get to Nibbæna where all sufferings cease. The least that you should do is to try to attain to the stage of sotæpanna, the basic step in the liberation from sufferings attending the four nether worlds. To be worthy of this sæsanæ into which you are born, you should strive after liberation from suffering. Enjoyment of life in the mundane world of men, devas and Brahmæs is not the end in itself. This can be attained through the practice of dæna, charity, søla morality and bhævanæ, meditation. Merits can be gained by the practice of these three virtues either when you are under the wings of the sæsanæ or outside the realm of it. They are just ordinary meritorious deeds with which you should not feel complacent. If, although you are one of the disciples of Buddha, you are still destined, in one of your future existence, to descent to the four nether worlds, what will avail you? So we urge you to make efforts to reach beyond the stages of dæna, søla and bhævanæ and attain knowledge of salvation from suffering to avoid going down to the four nether worlds. Valuable jewels are incompatible with common man, This dhamma relating to the knowledge that I am speaking of is a veritable jewel not to be easily acquired by ordinary individuals. It is only for those endowed with pæramitas or aptitude acquired through the exercise of cardinal virtues. If you do not have the aptitude yet, try and acquire it by continual practice of those virtues. We are showing you the way. Here it may be asked whether to gain this knowledge one must at once begin with the implementation of the ariyamagga. No. One should not at once begin with it. There is what is called pubbabhægammaga which is precursory to the Path of the Noble Ones. This is to be practised from vipassanæ or insight-meditation stage. In exercising this kind of meditation, first, you will notice the arising of næma and rþpa at the six sense-doors. Observe and note such arising at every moment. When you see an object, note your “seeing”. When you hear, or smell, or taste, or touch, or think in relation to an object note those phenomena of “hearing, smelling, tasting, touching or thinking.” The beginner, however, may not be able to note and observe all such phenomena in detail on every occasion. So, begin noting what is most palpable. When one walks, one can feel the element of motion, væyo dhætu. Then one should take note of the state of “walking”. In the Satipa¥¥hæna Sutta it has been said, “When you go, know that you go, when you stand, know that you stand, when you sit, know that you sit, and when you lie down, know that you lie down.” You must note the working of væyo dhætu such as “going, standing, sitting and lying down. Majority of yogøs practising vipassanæ starts initially with the sitting posture. The meditator first takes note of his entire body in the act of sitting. But he also notices that as he sits, he is also breathing, and as he breathes in and out, his abdomen rises or fails in consonance with his activity of breathing. In whatever position a yogø assumes, he is conscious of the way his body behaves. So we direct him to note the rising and falling of his abdomen as he sits for vipassanæ. The Satipa¥¥hæna Sutta directs that such bodily actions may be noted. It does not mean, however, that a meditator should note only these two movements of rising and falling of the abdomen. While noting them, something might get into his mind. For instance, he might notice stiffness in his body. He might fell hot or painful. These are vedanæs or sensations which he might also note. When he stretches his arms or bends them just to relieve stiffness, he might have noted his stretching or bending. He is enjoined to note all his mental and physical behaviour as it occurs; and when nothing special happens to his mind and body, he will concentrate on noting only the rising and falling of his abdomen. As the yogø continues noting in this way, he will come to distinguish between næma and rþpa, the relation between them, and the causes and effects of their arising and passing away. The sense-object and the knowing mind appear as he is taking note of them and then disappear. That is to say, their activities arise and then cease. It then dawns upon the meditator that arising and passing away denote anicca, impermanence. What is impermanent is unsatisfactory, dukkha. Things just happen as is their wont. As he gain experience in this exercise, he will be able to take note of all phenomena as they arise. and finally he comes to realize not only the law of anicca and dukkha, but also of anatta unsubstantiality. In this way he gains knowledge of the Noble Path and sees nibbæna. At this stage the Three Marks that he realizes remain permanently impressed in his mind whether in the act of noting or of reflecting what has been noted. All ariyæs or Noble Ones possess this knowledge of the Path. A yogø who gains it can equate himself with an ariyæ. His convictions in the Three Marks remain firm whether he is living with them in their presence or apart from them in their absence. In this connection, Buddha’s saying goes: “When one attains ariyamagga ñæ¼a (knowledge of the Noble Path) one is said to be living as equals with ariyæs who have been endowed with it, whether one lives with them together in their presence or apart from them in their absence,” Such a yogø shall forever live in the memory of others and will also be loved and respected. In this way he builds up around him harmony and unanimity. Buddha taught these six særanøya dhammas in Sæmagæma Sutta of Uparipa¼¼æsa on the occasion when factions arose among the followers of Niga¼¥ha Næ¥aputta, one of the leaders of the heretics. It was Ænandæ who first expressed his anxiety to Buddha about the possibility of discord arising among the Sanghas in the same way as it arose among the Niga¼¥has as a result of their ideological differences. Buddha, therefore, discussed about the origin of such controversies, and then he taught the six components of the særanøya dhamma, which, in essence, are qualities that would bring the Sanghas together in unity and solidarity. The last of the six lays emphasis on the ariyamagga ñæ¼a. If the monks living together are unanimous in their views about the analytical knowledge of the arising and passing away of næma and rþpa and are firmly convinced in the law of anicca, dukkha and anatta, there can be no controversy regarding this paññæ. If, in spite of all this, controversy arises it may be due to the fact that one of the parties to it is not an ariyæ, or worse still, both parties are not ariyæs it all. True ariyæs shall be of one mind relating to their knowledge about næma, rþpa and the Three Marks, which shall remain unshaken. In the time of Buddha there was a man named Suramba¥¥ha who worshipped the heretics. Buddha saw that he would see the light of dhamma if he has the chance to preach him. So, one day he visited him for alms. The follower of the heretics had no adoration for Buddha; but since the Enlightened One happened to be a great personage, he could not help but offer him food. As a congratulatory to this meritorious deed, Buddha preached the donor a sermon, in the course of which the latter saw the light of dhamma and became a sotæpanna. At this Mæra thought: “Here is Suramba¥¥ha who belongs to our party. But to-day Buddha has gone to his house. Perhaps our man might have been converted. I shall investigate.” So thinking, he disguised himself as Buddha and went to Suramba¥¥ha. Mæra was known for his wiles. He practised his cunning on those whom he considered to be of low intellect. Usually he applied his art of deception on the weaker sex. For example, he would approach a bhikkhunø, female monk, when she was alone, and say, “There is no nibbæna which brings you salvation. What does it profit you to remain solitude? Even the great monks fail to realize dhamma. With a pittance of your intellect, how can you see the light?” In this way he tried to demoralize the womenfolk. But, unfortunately, the bhikkhunøs were all arahats and they could not be hoodwinked. Allow me here to make a digression. In these days there are some who try to demoralize others with their erroneous views. They used to assert that satipa¥¥hæna, the foundation of mindfulness, is an exercise not to be practised by puthujjanas, ordinary individuals, since it is meant only for the ariyæs. Others would say, “Sotæpanna stage cannot be realized by practice. Suffice it that one knows the dhamma by listening to it. One can become a sotæpanna by simply listening to the teaching. “Still others would say, “By merely noting that you are going, standing, sitting, bending, straightening, expanding, contracting, etc., you cannot realize the dhamma. Such people belong to the army of Mæra. Or, else, they are possessed by a Mæra personified in Kilesæ, or defilements of the mind, such as ignorance, wrong views, pride, etc. The worst are those who assert that one should not practise dhamma, since those who practise it will get far removed from nibbæna, as nibbæna can be attained only when the mind is kept at rest. Such people are catering to the wishes of malevolent Mæra. As I was saying, Mæra went to Surambattha disguised as Buddha with intent to deceive him. The man was bewildered because he thought that Buddha had come back again so soon as he left. So, he asked the impersonator why he had come back. Mæræ then told him; I would like to came back. I told you that the five aggregates of existence are impermanent, unsatisfactory of the aggregates are permanent, solid, constant and eternal.” Then Suramba¥¥ha thought to himself, Why, these words are highly irresponsible! It is not in the nature of the Buddhas to make glib statements without proper reflection. I have, heard people say that Mæra is antagonistic towards Buddha. “When he asked Mæra point-blank if he was not Mæra, who had to confess that he was. He rebuffed the evil one saying,” Let a hundred, nay, a thousand Mæra come forward and shake my faith in Gotama Buddha. It will remain unshaken. Buddha has said that all næmas, rþpas and volitional activities are subject to change, and that, therefore, they are impermanent. As I have realized the truth of this dhamma. I will have none of you. Out you go!” In this way he showed his implicit faith in the law of anicca, dukkha and anatta. To any whose knowledge of the Noble Path is weak, that Buddha wanted to make a correction to what he have stated before would be regarded as acceptable. In these days we have many among us who have returned from foreign countries. Some of them went there as Buddhist missionaries. Among them there are deviationists in outlook. It is because they are not solid and firm in their conviction in ariyamagga ñæ¼a. Without the realization of this knowledge, recognition of the Three Marks or anicca, dukkha and anatta cannot be held as fully established in the individual. At times it may fade out totally, in his future existences, even if not in the present existence. Myanmar people as they earn merit, may be reborn in foreign land. And then they will be conditioned by the ideologies of their parents and relatives native to those lands. In that case, their realization of the dhamma may not be as strong as when they had the benefit of the knowledge of the Path in their previous existence. So we must strive for wisdom which can be equated with that attained by the Noble Ones. As we take note of næma and rþpa as they arise, and as the Three Marks of anicca, dukkha and anatta become self-evident to us, we reach the stage of ariyamagga paññæ which paves the way to nibbæna. When this knowledge is realized we shall become endowed with ariyasøla, having practised loving-kindness in thought, word and deed. This is the reason why among the særanøya dhamma, ariyamagga paññæ or ariya paññæ, for short, is regarded as the noblest. May you all be able to strive after særanøya dhamma so that you shall always be remembered by your compatriots. May you all live in harmony unruffled by discord, and achieve unity. May you all be healthy in body and happy in mind. May you all realized wisdom relating to magga and phala in a short space of time and get to nibbæna.
|
