#right view
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.
Buddha At the moment of his awakening at the foot of the bodhi tree, the Buddha declared, “How strange - all beings possess the capacity to be awakened, to understand, to love, to be free - yet they allow themselves to be carried away on the ocean of suffering."He saw that, day and night, we’re seeking what is already there within us. We can call it buddha nature, awakened nature, the true freedom that is the foundation for all peace and happiness.
The capacity to be enlightened isn’t something that someone else can offer to you. A teacher can only help you to remove the non-enlightened elements in you so that enlightenment can be revealed. If you have confidence that beauty, goodness, and the true teacher are in you, and if you take refuge in them, you will practice in a way that reveals these qualities more clearly each day.
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
“ At Sāvatthī.
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:
“Restraint of the body is good;
restraint of speech is good;
restraint of mind is good;
everywhere, restraint is good.
A sincere person, restrained everywhere,
is said to be ‘protected’.” ”
( Attarakkhitasutta - SN 3.5. Self-Protected )
“ 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. …
” ( Kammapathapeyyāla - AN 3.153 )
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 )
NIBBANA IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM - 02
What is Nibbana
Nibbana, the third Noble Truth relating to the complete cessation of suffering, is the final state of liberation from suffering and the repeated cycle of birth and death (samsara). Nibbana can be attained in this life itself, here and now, and hence is not a state that can be attained only upon one’s death. Nibbana is the ultimate goal of a practising Buddhist within Theravada Buddhism. Whenever Theravada Buddhists perform various forms of meritorious deeds they aspire to attain Nibbana by chanting:
“Idam me punnam, asavakkhaya vaham hotu”
“Idam me punnam, nibbanassa paccaya hotu”
“May I attain the extinction of the defiled outflows by this meritorious deed”
“May my meritorious deed be the cause of Nibbana”
However, it should be noted that Nibbana cannot be attained by merely wishing or praying for it but by cultivating the Noble Eight-fold Path as expounded by the Buddha in His first sermon.
In the Abhidhamma, Buddha’s higher teaching, the Buddha described two realities in the world, namely conventional reality (sammuti sacca) and the ultimate reality (paramattha sacca). Conventional reality includes things that are expressed in conventional modes of expression such as man, woman, person, being or other objects that do not exist in their own right as irreducible realities. Ultimate realities are the things that exist by reason of their own intrinsic nature and are irreducible into any components and the Buddha has described four such ultimate realities in the world, including Nibbana:
1. Consciousness (citta)
2. Mental factors (cetasika)
3. Materiality (rupa) and
4. Nibbana
The word Nibbana in the Pali language consists of two constituents – Ni and Vana meaning absence of craving. Ni is a negative particle indicating ‘absence’ while Vana means ‘craving’. In the Sanskrit language it is known as Nirvana, meaning to blow out or extinguish, with Va meaning ‘to blow’ and Nir meaning ‘out’. Hence, Nirvana means to blow out or extinguish the flame of craving since craving is the basic and fundamental cause of repeated birth in the cycle of birth and death (samsara).
NIBBANA IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM - 01
Introduction
Gautama Buddha is described as a Samma Sambuddha meaning the ‘Perfectly Enlightened One’, samma = perfectly; sam = by himself without a teacher; buddha = Enlightened or Awakened One, by realisation of the four Noble Truths. In his very first sermon titled “Dhamma cakkappavattana Sutta” or “Turning the Wheel of the Truth” delivered to the five ascetic companions at the deer park at Isipathana (now called Sarnath) near Varanasi in India, the Buddha expounded on the four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight-fold Path (ariya atthangika magga) also known as the Middle Way (majjhima patipada).
The four Noble Truths
1. Truth of universal suffering (dukkha sacca)
2. Truth of the origin of suffering (samudaya sacca)
3. Truth of the cessation of suffering (nirodha sacca)
4. Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering (magga sacca)
The first Noble Truth is the fact that all forms of existence are subject to unavoidable and inevitable suffering, both physical and mental, due mainly to the following:
Birth
Ageing
Illness
Death
Sorrow, lamentation, grief, pain and despair
Association with what one dislikes
Separation from what one likes
Not getting what one desires
The Buddha then summarised all suffering by stating concisely that it is our clinging to the five aggregates that constitutes suffering. The five aggregates of clinging are material form (rupa), feeling (vedana), perception (sanna), mental formation (sankhara) and consciousness (vinnana) which, according to the Buddha, are the constituent parts of the psycho-physical unit of name and matter (nama-rupa) that is known as an individual, a person or a personality.
The second Noble Truth is the cause of suffering which is craving or tanha. Gautama Buddha, during His first sermon, described three types of craving:
Craving for sense pleasures (kama tanha)
Craving for becoming or existence (bhava tanha)
Craving for non-becoming or non-existence (vibhava tanha)
The third Noble Truth is the cessation of suffering by attaining Nibbana through total abandonment and elimination of all forms of craving (tanha) - Attaining Nibbana.
There is no end, because
every end will be death.
And life knows no death; it goes on and on and on.
So this is simply a preparation
it is always a preparation for a new journey.
You can have a little rest, but remember
It is just an overnight stay in a caravanserai.
In the morning we have to go, so rest well, be ready.
As the sun rises, our journey starts again.
Life is from eternity to eternity"
“ These five are a person of integrity’s gifts. Which five? A person of integrity gives a gift with a sense of conviction. A person of integrity gives a gift attentively. A person of integrity gives a gift in season. A person of integrity gives a gift with an empathetic heart. A person of integrity gives a gift without adversely affecting himself or others.
"Having given a gift with a sense of conviction, he — wherever the result of that gift ripens — is rich, with much wealth, with many possessions. And he is well-built, handsome, extremely inspiring, endowed with a lotus-like complexion.
"Having given a gift attentively, he — wherever the result of that gift ripens — is rich, with much wealth, with many possessions. And his children, wives, slaves, servants, and workers listen carefully to him, lend him their ears, and serve him with understanding hearts.
"Having given a gift in season, he — wherever the result of that gift ripens — is rich, with much wealth, with many possessions. And his goals are fulfilled in season.
"Having given a gift with an empathetic heart, he — wherever the result of that gift ripens — is rich, with much wealth, with many possessions. And his mind inclines to the enjoyment of the five strings of lavish sensuality.
"Having given a gift without adversely affecting himself or others, he — wherever the result of that gift ripens — is rich, with much wealth, with many possessions. And not from anywhere does destruction come to his property — whether from fire, from water, from kings, from thieves, or from hateful heirs.
"These five are a person of integrity’s gifts.” “ ( AN 5.148, Sappurisadana Sutta: A Person of Integrity’s Gifts )
“Generosity brings happiness at every stage of its expression. We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous. We experience joy in the actual act of giving something. And we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given.” ☸
“ At Sāvatthī.
There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!”
“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:
“Once upon a time, mendicants, a battle was fought between the gods and the demons. Then Sakka, lord of gods, addressed the gods of the Thirty-Three:
‘Good sirs, when the gods are fighting, if you get scared or terrified, just look up at my banner’s crest. Then your fear and terror will go away.
If you can’t see my banner’s crest, then look up at the banner’s crest of Pajāpati, king of gods. Then your fear and terror will go away.
If you can’t see his banner’s crest, then look up at the banner’s crest of Varuṇa, king of gods. Then your fear and terror will go away.
If you can’t see his banner’s crest, then look up at the banner’s crest of Īsāna, king of gods. Then your fear and terror will go away.’
However, when they look up at those banner’s crests their fear and terror might go away or it might not.
Why is that? Because Sakka is not free of greed, hate, and delusion. He is fearful, scared, nervous, quick to flee.
But, mendicants, I say this: If you’ve gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut and you get scared or terrified, just recollect me: ‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those who wish to train, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’ Then your fear and terror will go away.
If you can’t recollect me, then recollect the teaching: ‘The teaching is well explained by the Buddha—visible in this very life, immediately effective, inviting inspection, relevant, so that sensible people can know it for themselves.’ Then your fear and terror will go away.
If you can’t recollect the teaching, then recollect the Sangha: ‘The Sangha of the Buddha’s disciples is practicing the way that’s good, direct, methodical, and proper. It consists of the four pairs, the eight individuals. This is the Sangha of the Buddha’s disciples that is worthy of offerings dedicated to the gods, worthy of hospitality, worthy of a religious donation, worthy of greeting with joined palms, and is the supreme field of merit for the world.’ Then your fear and terror will go away.
Why is that? Because the realized One brave, bold, and stands his ground.”
That is what the Buddha said. Then the Holy
One, the Teacher, went on to say:
“In the wilderness, at a tree’s root,
or an empty hut, O mendicants,
recollect the Buddha, and no fear will come to you. If you can’t recollect the Buddha
the eldest in the world, the bull of a man
then recollect the teaching, emancipating, well taught.
If you can’t recollect the teaching,
emancipating, well taught then recollect the Sangha, the supreme field of merit.
Thus recollecting the Buddha, the teaching, and the Sangha, mendicants, fear and terror
and goosebumps will be no more.”“
If we have the wish to liberate ourself from the sufferings of future lives, we will definitely use our present human life for the freedom and happiness of our countless future lives. There is no greater meaning than this.
