• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
#Perseverance in DhammaChapter 1.Respect to the BuddhaThe venerable Bhikkhu asked Acharn Sujin: ìWhere can I find a statue of the Buddha inthe Foundation building so that I can pay respect to the Buddha. I went around lookingeverywhere for a statue, but I could not find it. In every temple all over the world one cansee Buddha statues, and people attach great importance to them.î Acharn Sujin answered: îIt may happen that people who attach importance to a Buddhastatue are inclined to believe that the Buddha will protect them when they pay respect.They may be attached to ceremonies. But, the understanding of the teachings is what ismost important in our life. The Buddha gave us his teachings so that we can developunderstanding of all phenomena of our life and eradicate defilements completely. Weactually pay respect to the Buddha at any time we understand the teachings. In theFoundation there is no a statue, but relics of the Buddha are being kept here. An image ofthe Buddha or his relics can remind us of his excellent qualities, of his wisdom, his purityand his compassion.î The venerable Bhikkhu asked whether one can be sure about the relic being a genuine relicof the Buddha. Acharn Sujin answered that this does not matter. We may wonder about itand speculate about it, but what really matters is the kusala citta that pays respect to theBuddha. We can pay respect with understanding of his teachings and this will conditiongreat confidence in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. The venerable Bhikkhuremarked that in this world there is only a very small group of people who value thebenefit of developing right understanding of the Buddhaís teachings. Acharn Sujinanswered that people are inclined to follow tradition, but that it takes courage being a realbuddhist. The Buddha showed the Path leading to the realization of the arising and fallingaway of conditioned realities. We need perseverance to continue developing this Path.The venerable Bhikkhu showed us a book with texts he used for the performance ofceremonies that were requested by people who visited his temple. He said that people aregreatly attached to rituals and that they liked to hear recitations of the Pali texts, eventhough they did not understand the meaning of the texts. He recited for us the firstsentence of the ìMåtikåî, the Summary of the Dhammasangani, the first Book of theAbhidhamma:ìkusala dhamma, akusala dhamma, avyåkata dhammaî.Our whole life is contained in these words. Avyåkata, indeterminate, are all dhammas notincluded in kusala dhamma or akusala dhamma. It comprises: vipåkacitta (citta that isresult of kamma) and the accompanying cetasikas (mental factors), kiriyacitta (inoperativecitta) and the accompanying cetasikas, rúpa (physical phenomena) and nibbåna. Thesimplicity of this text isvery impressive, and it is so deep.When we are sick, all kinds of rúpas and vipåkacittas are arising and falling away andthese are included in avyåkata dhamma. Hardness or heat may impinge on the bodysenseand then painful feeling may arise. Then our reactions to what we experience are includedin kusala dhamma or akusala dhamma. We are worried about the sickness of others, we
 
have many problems in life regarding our work or our relationship with others. We areabsorbed in concepts and on account of these, moments of happiness and misery alternate.When it is time to depart from this life all these stories will be forgotten. Where is "ourimportant personality"? There are only dhammas just lasting for a moment and then gone.They are only kusala dhamma, akusala dhamma, avyåkata dhamma. This can comfort usin times of sickness and misery. As Acharn Sujin often says: ìMost important in life isunderstanding reality. Otherwise all phenomema of life are still ëIí, and the cycle of birthand death will continue.î The conversation between the venerable Bhikkhu and Acharn Sujin took place last time Ivisited Thailand. A group of Dhamma friends from different countries were together for afew days and we all met in the building of the ìFoundation for the Study and Preservationof Dhammaî. We had several sessions in English and after my friends had left I had moresessions in Thai.The weekend program in the Foundation is very balanced, it comprises: the study of Suttaswith commentaries, of Abhidhamma, of Vinaya and dialogues about satipaììhåna. Suttareading may seem to be easy when one only pays attention to the stories and theconventional terms such as birth, old age and death, by means of which the Buddhaexplained the four noble Truths and the Dependent Origination. However, without thestudy of the Abhidhamma which explains the details of realities, we cannot understand thedeep meaning of what is contained in the sutta. All the suttas actually containAbhidhamma and are pointing to vipassanå, the way to develop right understanding ofdhammas occurring in daily life.On Sundays, one hour is spent with the reading of the rules of the Vinaya and discussionsabout them. These rules pertain to the monkís behaviour and speech in his daily life andexplain the different degrees of defilements that occur and that should be discerned. Alsolaypeople can apply the Vinaya in their own situation. Many defilements are unnoticed,but understanding developed through satipaììhåna can investigate their true nature, and thiswill lead to their eradication. Several teachers are assisting Acharn Sujin and I wasimpressed by their thorough and detailed study of the texts and their dedication. After afull day of Dhamma discussion on Sunday with only one hour in between for luncheon,there is another session of two more hours of studying and discussing subtle points of theteachings and the consultation of the Pali texts. All those sessions were greatly inspiring tome and they helped me to have more confidence in the Dhamma.Khun Duangduen, with her abundant hospitality, gave a luncheon in her house as shealways does on Sundays. Even while taking the food at the buffet table we could exchangeobservations on the difficult nature of satipaììhåna, and remind each other that we shouldnot become discouraged. Also Mom Betty Bongkojpriya and Sukinderpal who areresidents of Bangkok gave a luncheon for the whole group of foreign friends. During mylast days in Bangkok, Acharn Sujin and her sister Khun Jid invited us for luncheon, therewas no limit to their hospitality and kindness.At the weekend people bring flowers to be placed in front of the relics of the Buddha.They were so kind to hand them to me, so that I had many times an opportunity to kneel infront of the relics and pay respect. When Acharn Sujin also knelt next to me to payrespect, I had an opportunity to pay respect to her at her feet. With this gesture I expressedrespect and gratefulness for learning through her to develop understanding of theDhamma.Once a month on Saturday Kunying Nopparath offers great hospitality at her house formany hours of Dhamma discussion and a luncheon. This time when Lodewijk and I
 
attended this session the subject was the ìDiscourse on the Manifold Elementsî (Middlelength Sayings, no 115, P.T.S.edition). When the Buddha was staying near Såvatthí in theJeta Grove, he said to the monks:ìWhatever fears arise, monks, all arise for the fool, not the wise man. Whatever troublesarise, all arise for the fool, not the wise man. Whatever misfortunes arise, all arise for thefool, not the wise man.î Further on we read:ìWherefore, monks, thinking, ëInvestigating, we will become wise,í this is how you musttrain yourselves, monks.î When this had been said, the venerable Ånanda spoke thus to the Lord: ìWhat is the stageat which it suffices to say, revered sir: ëInvestigating, the monk is wise?í î The Buddha then explained about the elements classified in different ways, about thesense-fields (åyatanas), the Dependent origination, the (causally) possible and impossible.When Ånanda asked him how the monk was skilled in the elements the Buddha first spokeabout the elements as eighteenfold. We read:ìThere are these eighteen elements, Ånanda: the element of eye, the element of materialshape, the element of visual consciousness; the element of ear, the element of sound, theelement of auditory consciousness; the element of nose, the element of smell, the elementof olfactory consciousness; the element of tongue, the element of taste, the element ofgustatory consciousness; the element of body, the element of touch, the element of bodilyconsciousness; the element of mind, the element of mental states, the element of mentalconsciousness. When, Ånanda, he knows and sees these eighteen elements, it is at thisstage that it suffices to say, ëThe monk is skilled in the elements.í î All that is real is included in these eighteen elements. In dependence on the sense objectsand sense bases arise the sense-cognitions. We then read about the element of mind (manodhåtu), which includes the five-sense-door adverting-consciousness (the first citta in asense-door process), the receiving-consciousness (vipåkacitta, arising in a process after thesense-cognition of seeing. etc) and the determining-consciousness (votthapana, arising in asense-door process just before the javana-cittas that are kusala or akusala).As to the element of ìmental statesî (dhamma dhåtu), these are the dhammas that areexperienced through the mind-door: all rúpas other than the sense objects, cittas, cetasikasand nibbåna. As to the element of mental consciousness (manoviññåùa dhåtu), thisincludes all cittas, except the five sense-cognitions and the three kinds of cittas classifiedas mind-element. It includes cittas experiencing an object through six doors as well asdoor-freed cittas, cittas not arising in processes, namely, rebirth-consciousness, bhavanga-cittas
1
 
and dying-consciousness.All these elements are realities of our daily life. They arise all the time but we do notrealize that they are elements, devoid of self.We read in the ìDispeller of Delusionî(I, Ch 3, 55): about the earth element:As regards paìhavídhåtu (earth element) and so on, the meaning of element has themeaning of ìnatureî (sabhåva); and the meaning of nature has the meaning of ìvoidnessî 
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...