“We are like children building a sand castle. We embellish it with beautiful shells, bits of driftwood, and pieces of colored glass. The castle is ours, off-limits to others. We’re willing to attack if others threaten to hurt it. Yet despite all our attachment, we know that the tide will inevitably come in and sweep the sand castle away. The trick is to enjoy it fully but without clinging, and when the time comes, let it dissolve back into the sea.”
If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.
I’m back - going to try to churn out at least a couple posts a week. I was in Korea for my research for the latter half of 2015… back stateside now, and hoping to start my days with a refreshing poem from MYS. I suppose this is not the most up-lifting poem(s) to start out with - but it spoke to me. Also, it’s a chōka/hanka combination, so there’s a lot of it, which somewhat? makes up for no posts for almost a year.
MYS 3:423-425
同石田王卒之時山前王哀傷作歌一首
As in the previous poems, upon the death of Ishida [Iwata] no Ōkimi, a poem composed by Yamasaki [Yamakuma] no Ōkimi as he grieved
tunosapapu/ipare no miti wo/asa sarazu/yukikemu pito no/omopitutu/kayopikemaku pa/pototogisu/naku satuki ni pa/ayamegusa/pana tatibana wo/tama ni nuki[nukimazipe]/kadura ni semu to/nagatuki no/sigure no toki pa/momitiba wo/worikazasamu to/papu kuzu no/iya toponagaku[kuzu no ne no iya toponaga ni]/yoroduyo ni/taezi to omopite[opobune no omopitanomite]/kayopikemu/kimi wo ba asu yu[kimi wo asu yu pa]/yoso ni kamo mimu
Horns creeping up/along the road to Iware [Craggy Land]/each morning, without fail/he had traveled/lost in his thoughts/as he went– In the fifth month, when the cuckoos cry out/the wild irises/and the flowering oranges/making them into beads on a string [stringing them both up]/shall I make a crown?/In the ninth month/at the time of early winter’s rains/the yellow and crimson leaves/shall I break them off to adorn my head?/Like winding kuzu vines/that stretch ever far and long [like the roots of the kuzu vines, stretching ever farther and longer]/for the myriad ages/this would not come to an end, he thought [like a great ship, he relied upon this belief]/as he traveled back and forth–As for my lord, from tomorrow [My Lord, from tomorrow]/will he be looking upon it from afar?
或本反歌二首
Two echo verses found in one text
隠口乃 泊瀬越女我 手二纒在 玉者乱而 有不言八方
komoriku no/patuse wotome ga/te ni makeru/tama pa midarete/ari to ipazu yamo
Surrounded by mountains/the maiden of Hatsuse/those beads she had wrapped about here wrist/have now scattered about/you might say…
河風 寒長谷乎 歎乍 公之阿流久尓 似人母逢耶
川風の寒き泊瀬を嘆きつつ君が歩くに似る人も逢へや
kapakaze no/samuki hatuse wo/nagekitutu/kimi ga aruku ni/niru pito mo ape ya
The river winds/are chilling in Hatsuse/sighing, sighing/as you walked along/will I ever meet another like you?
右二首者或云紀皇女薨後山前<王>代石田王作之也
As for the above two verses, in one text it says these were composed by Yamasaki no Ōkimi on behalf of Ishida no Ōkimi after Ki no hime miko passed away.
The main long verse hinges on the location of a road through Iware which connects Hatsuse and likely the Fujiwara capital, via which the subject of grief, Ishida[Iwata] no Ōkimi “commuted” [kayopikemu] (Scholars speculate the “Hatuse maiden” in the first hanka could be his wife, living out in the country, to whose home he commutes back and forth, from his post in the capital, along the Iware road). Interestingly, the poet is attempting to imagine the thoughts of Ishida as he traveled back and forth along the road–well particularly as he traveled up to the capital each morning–and they can’t get much more elegant (fūryū 風流) - Ishida was a man of true taste, it seems, or that’s how Yamasaki wants to present him, in any case. As he encounters irises and orange blossoms in the summer (fifth month=second month of summer by lunar calendar), he appreciates their beauty and his thoughts turn to fashioning them into a flower crown for his head; as he encounters autumn foliage, he again thinks the same thing. Recognizing the beauty of these things and seeking to adorn himself with it is perfectly fitting for a late-seventh century aesthetic - where you couldn’t get much more elegant (cf. Princess Nukata on spring/autumn, or any number of poems from this period about wanting to “kazasu”(adorn) oneself with something). There are quite a few makura kotoba here, which contribute interesting “stage-setting” that enables the poet to move through space, like Ishida is moving along the road: first, the scene of Iware is set by leading us into the word “Iwa” (boulder) via the epithet “horns creeping up”–thus we get an image of craggy, rocky cliffs, rising up into the sky–a mountain pass. Then comes the figure moving along the road each morning, and w are zoomed into his location, and finally his mind, and we see what he sees. The next makura kotoba comes following the two “thoughts” of Ishida (each ending with “to”), where a great length of time is translated into an image of ever stretching, ever inching forward kuzu vines. It is here where we get the sense of a sudden, unexpected death–or rather, one for which Ishida himself was unprepared. He had thought such journeys of his would continue indefinitely, stretching forward into the future far and long like kuzu vines, but such was not to be the case. There is no awareness of the ephemerality of life–just expectation that things will continue as they are indefinitely, until, of course, they don’t. That seems to be the real tragedy here–Ishida, a man of elegance, appreciated each aspect of his daily journey, but he didn’t appreciate that such journeys were limited, that they couldn’t go on forever. And so in the end, he who had traveled the road daily and knew it so well, can only look upon it from afar [yoso ni kamo mimu]. That’s a very powerful way to end the verse–he is no longer a part of the scenery, it goes on without him, and he is now only a distant observer (perhaps looking upon it from the underworld, which coincidentally, was located in the mountains). He didn’t expect, no one expected, for him to so abruptly vanish from the scene, but he was the one aspect of it that could not be renewed, could not be repeated. This is less a traditional banka, expressing grief over the loss of a loved one or a public figure, and more of a personal lament, that focuses on someone who was lost, but in doing so conveys a deep truth about human experience, and expands beyond the purview of a mere song of grief. Perhaps there is subtext here about impermanence, although perhaps not in a fully Buddhist sense, in the way the verse highlights the un-awareness of Ishida of the relatively fleeting nature of his existence, and the fact that it could not go on forever. Granted, the “yoroduyo ni taezi” type locution is common in banka which lament the fact that, particularly for rulers, no one thought they could die, everyone thought they would live and rule forever (well, not literally, but it’s a thing you say when a ruler dies), but here it’s not the cries of grieving loved ones who can’t believe the deceased is gone, but it’s actually a speculative thought of the deceased himself while he was alive (”yoroduyo ni taezi to omopite”) - he was the one who thought he’d be around forever. And now, of course, he is on the “outside” (”yoso”). Yamasaki doesn’t focus on his own grief. Rather, he enters Ishida’s head, to present an elegant, innocent man who can no longer travel the scenic road of which he had so been a part in life, and who in some way laments that fact in the end “from afar” (yoso). There are elements of Yamasaki’s voice that bring us out and remind us he is speculating, projecting for us what Ishida must have been thinking - but the overall effect is that we are more aware of the tragedy of Ishida’s unawareness of impermanence and his abrupt disappearance from the scene than we are of Yamasaki’s own grief over the loss of Ishida. Of course, Yamasaki is bereaved, but we also get the sense that Ishida’s passing has inspired an acute awareness in him of the speed at which the everyday can become precious, and even when each moment of the mundane is savored in a most elegant way–it can all end just like that, leaving one forever “on the outside.”
The hanka obviously inspire confusion, since there is a footnote suggesting they perhaps don’t even belong to this chōka but instead were written on a different occasion, grieving a different death. So people didn’t even know in the eighth century, how can we? Well, the footnote may be right, but I think the imagery and themes present in the hanka match the chōka pretty well, even if they were not composed together (but I kinda think they were). First, “komoriku no” has an echo of “tuno sapapu” from the chōka, and although Hatsuse is not mentioned in the chōka, geographically it can make sense that was where Ishida was coming from along the Iware road. The maiden is again, not mentioned in the chōka, but I think suddenly shifting to not only giving us an explanation for the “commuting” but also to the grief of one left behind, that is not in fact the poet himself, is fitting for a hanka. “Jewels/beads” (tama) wrapped around her wrist echoes the “tama ni nuki” of the chōka, and is a striking image for death - that the man she had kept “wrapped around her wrist” is now gone, scattered like beads from a string. The other obvious connection, is of course, that “tama” (bead) is cognate with “tama” (spirit), i.e. his spirit has left her, scattered away. The ending is a little strange, “might one say?/you might say..” is a little ambivalent, but perhaps is used to fill out the syllables, and further has an emphatic, grieving tone with the “yamo” at the end. One can feel almost a desperation in the ambivalent tone as well, as if the poet, and perhaps also the maiden, are struggling to find the words to describe what has happened, the describe what they are feeling. The second hanka is a bit more straightforward, a lament that one will never see the likes of Ishida walking along the road again. Everything in the entire verse modifies “pito” (person) in the final ku, which is again fitting - because it emphasizes there will never be another ‘person’ like him (”niru”). Hatsuse appears again here, this time as place of cold “river winds,” which accords another layer to the figure traveling back and forth along the road. Further, the “nagekitutu” suggests a feeling Ishida, one consumed with love for Hatsuse no otome, perhaps, but also moved by the nature around him, which echoes the content of the chōka, but from a distance, rather than from inside Ishida’s head.
Together I found these verses a tour de force - there’s no heavy-handed lamenting of impermanence here, no desperate shouting about how he wasn’t supposed to have gone, how can he have left the world behind, etc. Rather, this is a different sort of tribute, one I think you see emerging in the late seventh and early eighth centuries and definitely in Hitomaro’s work, where the deceased is the focus, rather than those left behind, necessarily, although there is of course both here. By speculating on Ishida’s mindset, Yamasaki is of course both avoiding talking about his own grief and conveying the sense of the second hanka, i.e. that he will never meet another like him, but this is done in a subtle way that is both appealing and refreshing when compared to earlier more ritualistic literal “coffin-pulling” poems (banka). There is in any event a lot of striking imagery, use of makura kotoba, and deep sentiments here.
Feels good to be reading MYS again. I was interested in maybe talking a little bit about the little “one text says” parts of this verse, because I think they are remarkably informative and striking “alternatives,” but for now I think I’ve gone on long enough about these verses.
The photo is from when I climbed Yongmunsan in Kyǒnggido back in October during the height of the foliage. I figured, mountain road, crimson leaves, it sort of works. One thing I do miss about being in Korea – mountain climbing on demand, any time, any where.
散ればこそいとど桜はめでたけれ憂世になにかひさしかるべき chireba koso/itodo sakura ha/medetakere/ukiyo ni nani ka/hisashikaru beki It is because they scatter that cherry blossoms are all the more precious; what is there in this wretched world that lingers for long?
世の中に絶えて桜のなかりせば春の心はのどけからまし Yo no naka ni/taete sakura no/nakariseba/haru no kokoro ha/nodokekaramasi If in all this world, there were no such thing as cherry blossoms, how tranquil would hearts be in spring! KKS 53/Ise 82, Ariwara no Narihira Composed on viewing the cherry blossoms at Nagisa no In.
Impermanent. It’s a theme that’s been on my mind a lot recently. I used to collect a lot of feathers after breeding season. I would go out on walks specifically with that goal in mind. It’s something I haven’t been able to do for a few years. I left these ones where they fell, fighting the urge to take them home and dry them out.
I often get questions on the Buddhist concept of enlightenment (nibānna). In particular there seems to be an idea that Enlightenment as it is seen across all the sects of Buddhism is the same and that it has remained unchanged in concept since the time of Guatama Buddha.
To suggest that Enlightenment is the same across all sects of Buddhism is a grave mistake. Zen Enlightenment is nowhere near the same concept as Theravada Enlightenment. Shingon Enlightenment is nowhere near the same concept as Tibetan Enlightenment. Each sect, branch, sub-sect of Buddhism has evolved its own interpretation on what constitutes Buddhist Enlightenment.
The concept of Enlightenment has evolved over time. Historical, cultural and temporal conditioning have affected the concept of Enlightenment so that it has different interpretations across all the various sects and sub-sects of Buddhism.
Individual associations with the term Enlightenment and the meaning of Enlightenment have been debated and discussed in thousands of sūtras over the past two thousand years.
The meaning of Enlightenment can be shown to have varied over time. The concept of Enlightenment has often been the primary reason for the founding of new branches and interpretations of Buddhism, schisms and break aways have formed in lineages due to an individuals newer interpretation of Enlightenment and how to achieve it.
So, it is no easy thing to explain the concept of Enlightenment. Not without explaining all the different interpretations that have evolved over time, and the different methods for achieving Enlightenment that are the very reason for the various sects of Buddhism. Not without first asking the questioner, “According to which sect? According to which teacher? and according to which point in time?”
The annihilationist view that maintains Enlightenment is nothing more than the cessation of dukkha - the cessation of conditioned existence and samsāra - the wheel of suffering and the realisation of anattā - no-self, this is what most people will say is Buddhist Enlightenment. The release from the wheel of dependent origination - samsāra.
Enlightenment then is little more than annihilation.
But then in Sōtō Zen, Enlightenment is seen as not merely an annihilation of conditioned existence, but rather a higher impersonal and non-subjective consciousness - a state of bliss.
Though this bliss is a state for no one - for no “I.” For there is no “I” to actually achieve Enlightenment in the first place.
On one occasion, the Buddha saw in his vision that five hundred young maidens from Pancasala village were due to attain Sotapatti Fruition on that day after listening to Dhamma from him. So the Buddha went to stay near that village. The five hundred maidens went to the riverside to have a bath; after the bath they returned to the village fully dressed up in ornaments as it was a festival day. About the same time, the Buddha entered Pancasila village for alms-food but none of the villagers offered him anything because they had been possessed by Mara.
On his return to the village gate, the Buddha met Mara, who promptly asked him whether he had received much alms-food.
The Buddha saw the hand of Mara in his failure to get any alms-food on that day and replied, “You wicked Mara! It was you who turned the villagers against me. Because they were possessed by you they did not offer any alms-food to me. Am I not right ?” Mara made no reply to that question, but he thought that it would be fun to entice the Buddha back to the village and get the villagers to insult the Buddha by making fun of him. So he suggested, “O Buddha, why don’t you go back to the village again? This time, you are sure to get some food.”
Just then, the five hundred village maidens arrived on the scene and paid obeisance to the Buddha. In their presence, Mara taunted the Buddha, “O Buddha, since you received no alms-food this morning, you must be feeling the pangs of hunger!” To him the Buddha replied, “O wicked Mara, even though we do not get any food, like the Abhassara brahmas who live only on the delightful satisfaction (piti) and bliss (sukha) of jhana, we shall live on the delightful satisfaction and bliss of the Dhamma.”
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
“Happily do we live, who have no properties to worry about. Feeding on joy we live like deities of the Abhassara Heaven of radiance”
At the end of the discourse, having a pleasant mindset about the Buddha and having understood the blessing of the Nibbana, the five hundred maidens attained Sotapatti Fruition.
The Buddha visited the Tavatimsa deva realm to expound the Abhidhamma to Deva Santusita, who had been his mother. During that time, there was a deva (a deity) named Indaka in the realm of Tavatimsa. Indaka, in his last existence as a man, had offered a little alms-food to Thera Anuruddha. As this good deed was made to a thera within the period of the Buddha’s Teaching he was amply rewarded for it. Thus, after his death he was reborn in the Tavatimsa realm and was lavishly bestowed with the luxuries of the deva world. Thera Anuruddha was an Arahant Bhikku with great qualities which made the offering far more beneficial for the poor man.
At that time, there was also another deva by the name of Ankura in Tavatimsa who had given much in charity; in fact, many times more than what Indaka had given. But his charity was made outside the period of the Teaching of any of the Buddhas. So, in spite of his lavish and grand charities, he was enjoying the benefits of the life of a deva on a much smaller scale than Indaka, who had offered very little. As the Buddha was then at Tavatimsa, Ankura asked him the reason for the discrepancy in gaining the benefits. To him the Buddha answered, “O deva! When giving charities and donations you should choose whom you give, for acts of charities are just like seeds. Seeds put into fertile soil will grow into strong, vigorous plants or trees and will bear much fruit; but you had sown your seed in poor soil, so you reap poorly.”
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 356. Weeds damage fields; lust spoils all beings. Therefore, giving to those free from lust yields great benefit.
Verse 357. Weeds damage fields; ill will spills all beings. Therefore, giving to those free from ill will yields great benefit.
Verse 358. Weeds damage fields; ignorance spoils all beings. Therefore, giving to those free from ignorance yields great benefit.
Verse 359. Weeds damage fields; covetousness spoils all beings. Therefore, giving to those free from covetousness yields great benefit.
Both of the deities attained sotapatti fruition along with a large retinue of devas.
“ Monks, there are these five kinds of loss. Which five? Loss of relatives, loss of wealth, loss through disease, loss in terms of virtue, loss in terms of views. It’s not by reason of loss of relatives, loss of wealth, or loss through disease that beings—with the break-up of the body, after death—reappear in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. It’s by reason of loss in terms of virtue and loss in terms of views that beings—with the break-up of the body, after death—reappear in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. These are the five kinds of loss.
“There are these five ways of being consummate. Which five? Being consummate in terms of relatives, being consummate in terms of wealth, being consummate in terms of freedom from disease, being consummate in terms of virtue, being consummate in terms of views. It’s not by reason of being consummate in terms of relatives, being consummate in terms of wealth, or being consummate in terms of freedom from disease that beings—with the break-up of the body, after death—reappear in the good destinations, in the heavenly world. It’s by reason of being consummate in virtue and being consummate in terms of views that beings—with the break-up of the body, after death—reappear in the good destinations, in the heavenly world. These are the five ways of being consummate.” ”
Since moving to the spiritual mecca of Crestone, Colorado in March of 2020, my wife and I have made pilgrimages to many of the areas sacred sites. At 7,923 feet in elevation and located next to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Crestone is both beautiful and isolated, subject to extremes of weather, wind, and temperature. It includes an astonishing array of spiritual sites – more than two dozen ashrams, monasteries, temples, retreat centers, stupas, shrines, labyrinths, and other sacred landmarks. Although pilgrimage may seem an antiquated religious ritual, it remains a vibrant activity in the modern world as pilgrims combine traditional motives – such as seeking a remedy for physical or spiritual problems – with contemporary searches for identity or interpersonal connection.
Our most recent pilgrimage was to the Tashi Gomang Stupa, located about two miles by trail from our home. Since the time of the Buddha’s (566-485 BCE) death, Buddhists have constructed stupas to contain the relics of enlightened teachers. Stupas have become places of veneration and pilgrimage in Buddhist cultures throughout the world. A stupa is an architectural rendering of the Buddhist path, the stages and aspects of enlightenment. When a great Buddhist teacher leaves his or her physical existence, the body that remains is considered to be permeated with the very essence of awakened mind, possessing tremendous intrinsic power and blessings. The appropriate vessel for containing these relics is a stupa. Through its design and contents, a stupa is regarded as having the power to transmit the essence of awakened mind, on the spot, to anyone ready to receive it.
Within the Tibetan tradition there are eight kinds of stupas representing eight major events in the life of the Buddha. The Tashi Gomang Stupa commemorates the Buddha’s first teachings in Benares (Varanasi) when he expounded the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Interdependence. These teachings reveal the truth of suffering, the cause of suffering and the skillful means to bring about the cessation of suffering (enlightenment).
The stupa itself is completely enclosed and contains many special objects inside. A depository of offerings was placed underneath it in tribute to the goddess of the earth and local deities. It was considered essential to ask their permission before construction could take place. The base, or throne of the stupa was filled with juniper which has special powers of purification. Treasure vases were placed in the juniper along with musical instruments, medicines, herbs, food, precious jewels, silks, brocades, perfumes, gold, and silver. Through the blessings of the stupa, these substances will work to bring good health, harmony, peace, and prosperity to its surroundings.
The stupa has been filled with 100,000 tsa-tsas (or miniature stupas) made by volunteers. Within each tsa-tsa is a roll of prayers, and mantras. The tsa-tsas were blessed and consecrated by visiting lamas before being placed inside the stupa. Also inside the stupa are earth, water, and stone from the eight great pilgrimage sites in India; wood from the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, water from a cave of Milarepa, and other sacred objects.
The tsok-shing or “life force” pole was placed in the center of the bell-shaped body of the stupa and reaches to the top of the spire. It was carved from a juniper tree into the shape of an obelisk, with a half dorje (vajra - thunderbolt) at the bottom and a small stupa at the top. Precious relics were placed in the life-force pole and then it was painted, inscribed in gold with the Buddha’s teachings, and wrapped in silks and brocades. It rests on two mandalas, also covered with offerings.
The statue of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, wearing his Black Crown, was placed at the front of the stupa. Artisans in Nepal made the statue and its encasing niche and frame, as well as the ornamentation on top of the spire. The gold leaf finish and additional ornamentation was done on site in Baca Grande. Inside the statue is another tsok-shing, rolls of mantras, and relics from all sixteen Karmapas and other saints.
The Tashi Gomang Stupa embodies His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. In the words of H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche: “Within the stupa the teacher remains unchanging. The Buddha said that whoever sees the stupa will be liberated by the sight of it. Feeling the breeze around the stupa liberates by its touch. Having thus seen or experienced the stupa, by thinking of one’s experience of it, one is liberated through recollection. As our world increasingly adopts a secular and atheistic perspective in many domains of experience, pilgrimage, for many like myself, remains a potent force.
This is the internal circle of the Wheel of Life(Bardo), which is separated into two highly contrasting sections.
In the White area, future people, gods, and demigods are portrayed while in the black section are the hell beings, animals, and the hungry ghosts who are being directed towards the lower domains.
CYCLE OF BIRTH AND DEATH (SAMSARA) IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM - 01
According to Buddhist scriptures, it is believed that through meditation, the Buddha gained first hand knowledge of rebirth and the cycle of birth and death (samsara), before declaring it to the world. During the process of attaining full enlightenment through deep meditation on that night, the Buddha is said to have developed three special types of supreme knowledge, two of which revealed the knowledge of rebirth. During the first watch of the night, the Buddha developed the supreme knowledge (pubbenivasanussati nana) through which it was possible to recollect the past lives that the Buddha Himself had gone through during the cycle of birth and death including the details of where He was born, name, occupation, etc. in each previous life. During the second watch of the night, the Buddha developed the divine eye (cutupapatha nana), which revealed how from an inconceivable beginning, other beings were reborn into happy or unhappy existences dependent on their previous skilful and unskillful actions, based on the natural law of cause and effect (kamma).
The literal meaning of the word “Samsara” both in the Pali and the Sanskrit language is “wandering on” and “continuing on”. According to the Buddha, we have been wandering on in this cycle of repeated birth and death (samsara) with no evident beginning for an inconceivable length of time. Samsara is not a place or a particular plane of existence, but a process fuelled by ignorance (avijja), craving (tanha) and the volitional actions we perform (kamma) through which we continue from one existence to another. All existences in the cycle of birth and death bear three universal characteristics of existence; impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha) and lack of substantiality (anatta).
The cycle of birth and death (samsara) can also be described as the process of re-becoming of the five aggregates of clinging (pancha-upadankkhandha) from one existence to another. The five aggregates of clinging are the constituent parts of the Psycho-physical unit of name and matter (nama-rupa) known as an individual, a being or a personality.
Buddhists do not deny the existence of various gods or deities.
Devas are more fortunate than human beings as far as sensual pleasures are concerned. They also possess certain powers which human beings usually lack. However, the powers of these deities are limited because they are also transitory beings. They exist in happy abodes and enjoy their life for a longer period than human beings do. When they have exhausted all the good kamma, that they have gathered during previous birth, these deities pass away and are reborn somewhere else according to their good and bad kamma. According to the Buddha, human beings have more opportunities to accrue merits to be born in a better condition, and the deities have less chances in this respect.
Buddhist do not attribute any specific importance to such gods. They do not regard the deities as a support for the moral development or as a support for the attainment of salvation of Nibbana. Whether they are great or small, both human beings and deities are perishable and subject to rebirth.
It is a common belief amongst the Buddhist public that such deities can be influenced to grant their favours by transferring merits to them whenever meritorious deeds are performed. This belief is based on the Buddha’s injunction to the deities to protect those human beings who lead a religious way of life. This is the reason why Buddhists transfer the merits to such deities or remember them whenever they do some meritorious deeds. However, making of offerings to and worshipping such deities are not encouraged, although some Buddhist customs center around such activities. When people are in great difficulties, they naturally turn to the deities to express their grievances in a place of worship. By doing this, they gain some relief and consolation; in their hearts, they feel much better. However, to an intellectual who has strong will power, sound education and understanding, such beliefs and actions need not be resorted to. There is definitely no Teaching in Buddhism to the effect that Buddhists can attain Nibbana by praying to any deity. Buddhists believe that ‘purity
Seated to one side, King Pasenadi said to the Buddha, “Just now, sir, as I was in private retreat this thought came to mind. ‘Who are those who protect themselves? And who are those who don’t protect themselves?’
Then it occurred to me: ‘Those who do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind don’t protect themselves. Even if they’re protected by a company of elephants, cavalry, chariots, or infantry, they still don’t protect themselves. Why is that? Because such protection is exterior, not interior. That’s why they don’t protect themselves.
Those who do good things by way of body, speech, and mind do protect themselves. Even if they’re not protected by a company of elephants, cavalry, chariots, or infantry, they still protect themselves. Why is that? Because such protection is interior, not exterior. That’s why they do protect themselves.’”
“That’s so true, great king! That’s so true!” said the Buddha. And he repeated the king’s statement, adding:
“ Mendicants, these five people are found in the world. What five? One gives then scorns, one lives together then scorns, one is gullible for gossip, one is impulsive, and one is dull and stupid.
And how does a person give then scorn? It’s when a person gives someone robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sick. They think: ‘I give; this one receives.’ They give to that person, then they scorn them. That’s how a person gives then scorns.
And how does a person live together then scorn? It’s when a person lives with someone else for two or three years. They live together with that person, then they scorn them. That’s how a person live together then scorns.
And how is a person gullible for gossip? It’s when they’re very quick to believe what a certain person says in praise or criticism of another. That’s how a person is gullible for gossip.
And how is a person impulsive? It’s when a certain person is fickle in faith, devotion, fondness, and confidence. That’s how a person is impulsive.
And how is a person dull and stupid? It’s when they don’t know the difference between qualities that are skillful and unskillful, blameworthy and blameless, inferior and superior, and those on the side of dark and bright. That’s how a person is dull and stupid.
These are the five people found in the world. ” ( Avajānātisutta - 5.141. Scorn )
“ Someone with three qualities is cast down to hell. What three? They themselves kill living creatures. They encourage others to kill living creatures. And they approve of killing living creatures.
Someone with these three qualities is cast down to hell.
Someone with three qualities is raised up to heaven. What three? They don’t themselves kill living creatures. They encourage others to not kill living creatures. And they approve of not killing living creatures. …
The thangka painting of life of Buddha narrates the most relevant episodes of the life of Siddhartha Known as the “Twelve Great Deeds of Buddha’s Life”. The twelve deeds carried out by the Buddha Shakyamuni are:
1. Transferring to the Southern Island- continent from a Pure land of Tushita, after having transferred his throne to the next Buddha for the eon, Maitreya Buddha.
2. Entering his moms womb.
3. Taking Bath
4. Becoming skilled and learned in the arts
5. Enjoying himself with his wife and his circle
6. Setting forth from family as a renunciation
7. Undergoing difficult ascetic practices
8. Proceeding to seat for enlightenment under a Bodhi tree.
9. Taming the demonic forces (Mara).
10. Manifesting full enlightenment
11. Setting flow rounds of transmission of the preventive measures of Dharma (Turning the wheel of Dharma)
12. Demonstrating a total release from all suffering (Nirvana) by passing away.
“ At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof.
Then the Buddha robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Vesālī for alms.
Now at that time around five hundred Licchavis were sitting together at the Sārandada shrine, and this discussion came up among them, “The appearance of five treasures is rare in the world. What five? The elephant-treasure, the horse-treasure, the jewel-treasure, the woman-treasure, and the householder-treasure. The appearance of these five treasures is rare in the world.”
Then those Licchavis sent a man out on to the road, saying, “Mister, please tell us when you see the Buddha.”
That man saw the Buddha coming off in the distance. He went to the Licchavis and said, “Sirs, the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha is coming. Please go at your convenience.”
Then those Licchavis went up to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side, and said to him, “Please go to the Sārandada shrine, out of compassion.” The Buddha consented in silence.
Then the Buddha went up to the Sārandada shrine, where he sat on the seat spread out, and said to the Licchavis, “Licchavis, what were you sitting talking about just now? What conversation was unfinished?”
“Well, Master Gotama, this discussion came up among us while we were sitting together: ‘The appearance of five treasures is rare in the world. …’”
“You Licchavis are so fixated on sensual pleasures, that’s the only discussion that came up! Licchavis, the appearance of five treasures is rare in the world. What five?
The appearance of a Realized One, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha.
A person who explains the teaching and training proclaimed by a Realized One.
A person who understands the teaching and training proclaimed by a Realized One.
A person who practices in line with the teaching.
A person who is grateful and thankful.
The appearance of these five treasures is rare in the world.” ”
DHAMMACAKKAPPAVATTANA SUTTA: FIRST DISCOURSE OF LORD GAUTAMA BUDDHA - 01
Introduction
Dhammacakkappavattana sutta is included in the Dhammacakkappavattana vagga, of the Sacca samyutta of the Mahā Vagga. Having attained enlightenment and become a Sammā Sambuddha under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, on the full moon day of the month of May, Lord Gautama Buddha spent the following seven weeks contemplating and enjoying the happiness of ultimate freedom and peace under the Bodhi tree as well as nearby places. The Buddha was initially hesitant to start preaching His discoveries to others as He thought that the people may not be wise enough to understand the deep teaching which is hard to see and hard to understand. It is said that following a request by a deity named Sahampathi Brahma, who was concerned that if the Buddha did not preach the path of liberation that He had discovered to the others it will be lost to the world, the Buddha decided to preach the teaching.
The Buddha first wanted to teach the path of liberation that He had discovered to His previous two meditation teachers Ālāra Kālāma and Uddaka Rāmaputta, but they had already passed away. The Buddha then decided to give the first sermon to the five ascetic companions who had supported Him during the previous six years. They were at that time staying at the Deer Park in Isipathana, now called Sārnath near Vārānasi in India. The Buddha walked from Bodh Gaya to Isipathana, a distance of around 150 miles, to deliver the first sermon to the five ascetics named Kondañña, Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahānāma and Assaji (panca vaggiya bhikkhu). The discourse delivered by the Buddha to the five ascetic companions is Dhammacakkappavattana sutta, meaning “Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in motion”. It is the very first discourse delivered by Lord Gautama Buddha following the attainment of full enlightenment.
“There are these five facts that one should reflect on often, whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained. Which five?
- I am subject to aging, have not gone beyond aging.’ This is the first fact that one should reflect on often.…
- I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness’.…
- I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death’.…
- I will grow different, separate from all that is dear & appealing to me’.…
- I am the owner of actions [karma], heir to actions, born of actions, related through actions, and have actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir’.…”
No matter who you are, these five facts, one should become deeply familiar with/reflect on. - Buddha, in the “Upajjhatthana Sutta”
Today is Chotrul Düchen — one of the four major Buddhist days of the year.
These first fifteen days of the new Lunar year commemorate the event when The Buddha performed a different miracle each day to instill devotion and increase merit among heretics.
Today (February 15th of the lunar calendar) is the day Shakyamuni Buddha entered Nirvana. Although he has passed away, the Dharma and Sangha are still there. Be diligent in your practice, find your own way of liberation based on the Dharma. Namo Buddhaya ❤️ .
“Not hoarding,
having comprehended food,
their pasture — emptiness
& freedom without sign:
their trail,
like that of birds through space,
can’t be traced.
Effluents ended,
independent of nutriment,
their pasture — emptiness
& freedom without sign: their trail,
like that of birds through space, can’t be traced.”
( Verse 92-93, Dhammapada - Path of Buddha’s Teaching )
If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.
