Malaysian Buddhist Examination 2021 | Answers by Ajit Lim

Question 1:
The Buddha is often mentioned in the Pali Canon as the “Unique Being”. What are the 9
unique qualities of the Buddha that make Him excel above all other beings. Support your
answer with evidence from the Suttas.

The Buddha was Unique Being because as a "samma sambuddha", their appearance is rare
and far between. That is because it requires a being with supreme compassion,
determination and effort to perfect themselves over countless aeons and sustain that
motivation throughout. Considering this world cycle, it is said that we are in a fortunate to
have the appearance of 5 Buddhas in total including the predicted Maitreya Buddha in the
future. With the length of a world cycle described as "the duration one takes to completely
wipe away a solid stone mountain that is 7 yojanas in width, length, and width, and grazing
it with a smooth cloth once every hundred years", the probability of a samma sambuddha
appearing in this world demonstrates just how rare and unique this occurrence is. As a
samma-sambuddha, 9 unique qualities makes Him unique and excel above all other beings.

1. Araham
He is the Worthy One because He is spiritually pure. He has eradicated all kilesa and does
no evil whether in public or in private. As such, he worthy of our respect, honour,
veneration, and learning from.

2. Samma Sambuddho
Not only is He Enlightened, but He did so without the aid of a teacher, due to His own
supreme effort. It is just like the difference between a person who has to find a way
through the forest by cutting out a trail in the thick wilderness, and another person who
travels along the path that the first has discovered. Similarly, Gotama Buddha is like the
discoverer who shows the path to other travelers of Samsara.

3. Vijja-carana sampanno
He is endowed with knowledge and virtue. Vijja refers to knowledge of the Buddha in
regards to suffering, its cause, and how to end it. On top of that, he tirelessly made this
knowledge known over the course of His life. Those who know the Path can find release.
Freed by wisdom, there is no more rebirth for one.

Carana refers to virtue or practice. Not only does the Buddha knows the Path, he also
demonstrates it in his conduct and practice. We can see this demonstrated when the
Buddha exudes supreme patience when he encountered the fearsome demon Alavaka who
attempted to scare and irritate the Buddha.

4. Sugato
"Su" means 'good', and "gato" with the root word "gacchati" means 'gone'. Therefore, this
means that the Buddha has gone well to Nibbana. He has travelled the Path well. Over the
course of his many lifetimes, he experienced the full range of dukkha and is therefore able
to teach the Dhamma to many.

5. Lokavidu
He is the knower of all the worlds – sankhara, satta, okasa – due to His ability to see His past
lives, and see the arising and passing of beings. He is able to see what conditions the arising
of a being in a particular realm of existence. But to transcend suffering, it is only within our
body and mind that we can find the origin, cause and cessation of dukkha (Rohitassa Sutta).

6. Anuttaro purisa damma sarathi

This virtue literally means "the charioteer of those who can be trained". It refers to His
supreme ability to train people's mind to be inclined towards Nibbana and show them the
way. This can also be attributed to His supreme knowledge of knowing a person's parami
and whether they are ripe to be trained. An example of this can be seen in His surveying of
the world with His Divine Eye (dibba-cakkhu) and seeing that Angulimala was not only about
to commit a terrible sin, but also has the ripe conditions to see the Dhamma.

7. Sattha-devamanussanam
The Buddha was a teacher to both gods and men. In the Mangala Sutta and Maha-samaya
Sutta for example, we see instances of the Buddha preaching to Divine Beings. In fact, he is
known to dedicate the Second Watch of the Night preaching to the devas. On the other
hand, his main focus has been teaching humans, but in this instance, we can take
"manussanam" as 'humanity'. His teachings transcends time and is therefore relevant to all
of humanity whether in the past, present or future.

8. Buddho
He is one who is Awakened to the Four Noble Truths. He realised them as a human, and
that means we as humans too have the potential to be awakened as well.

9. Bhagava
Due to his great determination, he ahs perfected himself over countless lifetimes. The
merits that he has accrued over this time manifests itself in the blessedness of His final life.
The Maha Niddesa Pali describes 6 ways the Buddha is Blessed: in His supremacy of will,
knowledge of the Dhamma, fame, physique, accomplishment, and diligence.

These 9 qualities demonstrate the uniqueness of the Buddha due to his supreme
compassion and effort to become a self-realised being with the skills and capacity to
discover and teach the Dhamma to humanity.
Question 3:
Explain clearly what the Buddha had achieved in His 45 years of missionary work. Describe
how His effort had paved the way for the spread of the Dhamma after His
Mahaparinibbana to this present day.

In the Parajika Pali, Ven. Sariputta asks the Buddha under what conditions do the
Dispensation of Buddhas endure for long. The Buddha explained that those Dispensations
that endured for long in the past were due to two reasons: (1) when the Buddha explained
the teachings in detail, and (2) when the Buddha promulgated rules for the Sangha. These
two conditions encompass the achievements of Gotama Buddha during His 45 years of
missionary work, which has paved the way for the spread of Dhamma after His
Mahaparinibbana till this present day.

We also can extrapolate this achievement from how the Buddha spends His days. In the
morning, He maintains the practice of a Bhikkhu (homelessness) depending on the alms of
others for sustenance. After His meal, he gives instructions to the Sangha for practising, and
teaches the lay people. In the 1st watch of the night, he gives discourses to the Sangha and
the 2nd watch to the devas. In the 3rd watch of the night, he does walking meditation, then
rests for 2 hours before waking and surveying the world with his Divine Eye to see who He
can help. It is evident that His days are never wasted, and so little time is spent on Himself
to rest in order to preach as much as He can and train the Sangha to the best of His abilities.

(1) PREACHING THE DHAMMA IN DETAIL

The colossal volume of the Sutta Pitaka consisting of more than 84,000 teachings is
testament to the length and depth of teaching that the Buddha expended His time towards.
However, it is the preaching of the seminal first discourse, the Dhammacakkappavattana
Sutta, that provided the framework for all His future teachings over 45 years to build upon,
never once going outside this framework or contradicting it. Even till today, this framework
provides a guideline for us to attest modern interpretations and explanations as to whether
they are in line with the Buddha's teachings of dukkha and the ending of dukkha.

The depth and detail that the Buddha goes into explaining each core concept can be seen in
his explanations of the practice of generosity (dāna). In various suttas, he doesn't just talk
about its importance and its benefit, but even the right season to give (Kaladana Sutta),
which fruits are greater when one gives with different motivations (Dana Sutta), and in the
Dakkhina-vibhanga Sutta, he also explains about multiples types of dana and how a gift is
purified. All of these give us insight into the teachings even till today, so that there are
fewer doubts in how to practice accordingly.

His missionary work also brings him to teaching people of all levels of society. We see this in
the suttas where the Buddha preaches to His father (5th year), mother (7th year in
Tavatimsa Heaven), kings (Pasenadi and Bimbisara), ministers (Vassakara in the
Mahaparinibbana Sutta), businessmen (Anatthapindika), courtesans (Khema), followers of
other religions (Upali), householders both young and old (Ratthapala), and even beggars and
outcasts.

(2) PROMULGATING RULES TO THE SANGHA

In the first year of His Enlightenment, the Buddha established the first ever Sangha
(monastic order) consisting of the first Five Ascetics, Yasa and his 4 friends, together with 54
other followers. Sending out to be the first missionaries, they were ideal messengers of
Truth as all of them were Arahants – taintless, totally pure, lived in perfect harmony with
each other as they had upright conduct, kind speech and blameless thoughts.

However, as the Sangha expanded and came to incorporate other people who were not
fully-attained, their defilements had to be accounted for and rules had to be established to
ensure the purity of the Sangha. Over His 45 years of missionary work, the Buddha
established 227 precepts for monks found in the Vinaya Pitaka, usually starting with the
verse "on account of [an event] Bhikkhus, I shall make known the training rule founded
upon 10 reasons of welfare for the Sangha". The training rules are not restrictions, but were
in place to ensure the comfort, welfare and training of the Sangha for generations to come.
The training rules were so detailed they govern even how a monk should behave during a
Dhamma discourse, eating habits, and even protocol to urinate and defecate (Sekkhiya).

One of the hallmarks of the Buddha's missionary work was also the establishment of the
Bhikkhuni Sangha, or Order of Nuns. This achievement is augmented by the historical and
cultural backdrop of ancient India where women were akin to possessions of the male
family member. Not only that, the rough conditions made it extremely dangerous for
women to wander alone, as seen by the rape of the Arahant Upalavanna. Thus, the Buddha
promulgated 84 rules for nuns on top of the original 227 for monks, demonstrating his
concern and care for the welfare of the Bhikkhunis.

CONCLUSION

The 45 years that the Buddha spent after His Enlightenment has paved the way for the
spread of Dhamma even after His Passing. Due to His supreme efforts in establishing a clear
framework for the Dhamma (Four Noble Truths), explaining the teachings in detail, and
promulgating training rules for the Sangha, we are fortunate to still have the blessings to
come into contact with the Dhamma and have the conditions to free ourselves from
Samsara.
Question 4
Give a brief description of the nine virtues of the Sangha. Why is the Sangha considered a great
field of merit?

When we recollect the 9 virtues of the Sangha, we refer to the Ariya Sangha (Noble Ones) as
opposed to the Samutti Sangha (conventional Sangha). In the first year of the Buddha's
Enlightenment, He established a Sangha that was totally pure for the first and only time in our
history, consisting of the first 60 Arahants of the Five Ascetics, Yasa and his followers. Later on,
others who joined the Sangha attained to the different stages of Enlightenment namely Sotapatti,
Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahatta. Those who were of these four stages form the Ariya Sangha.
Today, while Enlightened Ones live among us, others who are not yet attained to this stages where
the robes and commit themselves to the Dhamma-Vinaya. They are representatives of the Ariya
Sangha and are known as the Samutti Sangha (conventional Sangha).

In relation to those who attain these 4 Stages of Enlightenment, these 9 virtues are described of
them:

1. Supatipanno
They are of 'good conduct', meaning their bodily, verbal and mental conduct are good (Sucarita
Sutta). Their actions are rooted in goodwill and purity, and do not lead to the affliction of
themselves or others.

2. Ujupatipanno
They are of 'upright conduct', with "uju" literally meaning 'straight' and 'upright'. This means that
they are endowed with integrity, truthfulness, and lead a non-deceitful and non-conflicting life. One
with integrity is labelled by the Buddha as a 'sappurisa' and in the Cula-punnama Sutta, a sappurisa is
one with deep confidence in the Buddha, and has moral shame and fear to guide him. He is also
learned, energetic, mindful and wise.

The Buddha gave a simile to this, where: "just as a firm post sunk into the earth is not shaken by the
4 winds, so too a righteous person who sees the Four Noble Truths is similar to that" (Ratana Sutta).
Therefore, they are incapable of hiding any evil they perform whether in private or public, for it is
said that such an act is impossible by one who has seen the Path. Due to this upright conduct, they
have no cause to feel regret or sorrow, and their stainlessness protect them from any blame by the
wise.

3. Ñayapatipanno
They are of 'wise conduct' as they walk on the path towards liberation. As stream-enterers as even
the lowest in this Ariya Sangha, this means that they practise according to the Noble Eightfold Path
and has Nibbana as their goal (Mahasatipatthana Sutta). This Noble Eightfold Path is the pinnacle of
Buddhist practice, as the Buddha discovered it and followed it that led to His own Enlightenment. As
such, anyone who practises too would lead one to purity, wisdom, insight and freedom from
Samsara.

4. Samicipatipanno
They are of 'proper conduct', in reference to being a samana (holy one). To understand what is
proper conduct, the Buddha explained this in the Cula-assapura Sutta where one of proper conduct
has abandoned 12 stains, including covetousness, hostility, hypocrisy, evil wishes and wrong view.
Abandoning these course stains makes a person's conduct kind, loving, and not fueled by impure
intentions.

As attainers of the Four Stages of Enlightenment, and endowed with these four praiseworthy
conducts, they are indeed worthy of the highest gifts and honour. They are described as:

5. Ahuneyyo
They are worthy of offerings, adoration, and sacrifice.

6. Pahuneyyo
They are worthy of hospitality as distinguished guests, with proper decorum to receive, host and
send off.

7. Dakkhineyyo
They are worthy of gifts, both material (food, robes, lodging, medicine) as well as immaterial (help,
warmth, friendship).

8. Anjalikaraniyo
They are worthy of honour, respect, and reverential salutation.

9. Anuttaram puññakkhettam lokassa

They are an incomparable field of merits to the world. There are many fields of merits such as our
parents, teachers and virtuous ones, but the Sangha is incomparable because they are consistently
pure. Giving to them is likened to planting a seed in a highly-fertile ground which bears abundant
fruits.

While the Buddha says "if you could see the benefits of giving as I do, you would not eat a single
grain of rice without giving it first", he gives a concept and scale of the abundance of giving to the
Sangha in the Dakkhina-vibhanga Sutta. He explained that giving to an animal brings 100-fold return;
giving to an unvirtuous person brings 1,000-fold return; giving to a virtuous one brings 100,000-fold
return; giving to a person free from passion outside of the Sasana brings a 100,000 x 100,000-fold
return; and giving to a Sotapanna brings unlimited and immeasurable return. What more giving to a
Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahant. On top of that, the Buddha furthers explains that "even if giving
to such individuals bring immeasurable result, even greater than that is to give to the Sangha".

CONCLUSION

it is therefore evident that the Ariya Sangha are not just great, but incomparable field of merits to
the world. By recollecting these 9 virtues of the Sangha, we gain great confidence in them, and even
in time of great terror and fear, the recollection of them can dispel this defilement that traps the
mind.
Question 6
Explain in detail the special qualities of Venerable Ananda that enabled him to serve the
Buddha as attendant monk (Upathayaka) until His Mahaparinibbana. What is his most
important contribution to the Dispensation?

Ven. Ananda is famed as (1) the attendant to the Buddha, and (2) for his incredible memory that
proved indispensable to the compilation of all the Buddha's teachings during the First Buddhist
Council held after the Buddha's Mahaparinibbana.

QUALITIES AS AN ATTENDANT

The Pali term for Ven. Ananda's role is "Upatthaka", not to be confused with E. Muller's rendition of
Upatthayaka which is actually the name of a person who served as the Buddha's attendant in a
previous life. The translation of the term "upatthaka" as 'attendant' however does not fully justify
the role that Ven. Ananda dedicated his life towards in the last 25 years of the Buddha's life. Hecker
H. (2006) described the role of Ven. Ananda as an amalgamation of a loving mother, companion,
secretary and guardian. His devotion towards the welfare of the Buddha was born out of deep love,
care and concern, thus lending him the qualities of being highly observant and careful. His love for
the Buddha is so great that he is willing to sacrifice his own life for the Buddha on several occasions,
such as throwing himself in front of the Buddha when the drunk Nalagiri charged towards them.

As a carer, Ven. Ananda dedicated his entire efforts to ensuring the comfort and convenience of the
Buddha so that He could focus on preaching the Dhamma and training the Sangha. He is known to
fetch water for the Buddha, clean his kuti, mend his robes, and even not sleeping at night so that he
could guard the Buddha's kuti to ensure no one disturbs his rest. His suitability as a carer can be
highlighted in the Dutiyaupatthaka Sutta where the Buddha described the qualities that are suitable
for a carer: they know how to obtain medicine, they know what is suitable and not suitable, they
care out of love and not material gain, they are not disgusted by cleaning the bodily impurities, and
they know how to inspire Dhamma in those they care for.

Concurrently, he plays the role of secretary in the passing messages of the Buddha and handling
matters of the Sangha. The hallmark examples of this was when he was sent together with Ven.
Sariputta to handle the schism initiated by Devadatta, as well as his role in convincing the Buddha to
establish the Bhikkhuni Sangha.

8 CONDITIONS SET OUT FROM THE START

The selflessness and carefulness of Ven. Ananda is demonstrated from the very beginning of his
"career" as the Buddha's attendant when he laid out 8 conditions for the Buddha to accept him as
his upatthaka, which are:
(1) not receiving robes offered to the Buddha,
(2) not receiving alms offered to the Buddha,
(3) not living in the same kuti as the Buddha,
(4) not including him in any personal dana invitations made to the Buddha,
(5) to go with him whenever he is invited,
(6) to allow him the opportunity to screen and introduce visitors,
(7) to allow him to approach the Buddha to clear his doubts at any time,
(8) and, to repeat any teachings to him made in his absence.

In the first four conditions, Ven. Ananda is careful to protect himself from any possible blame by
others who may be jealous of his special treatment by the Buddha. They may question the purity of
his intentions as an attendant that he takes up the role to gain material benefit. At the same time, it
spares the Buddha from the trouble of dealing with any of these potential repercussions.

The fifth and sixth conditions allows him to augment the reputation of the Buddha and not let his
own fame overtake his teacher, as others will always see his subservience to the Buddha. It also
allows him to properly prepare the Buddha to receive guests who are of various social backgrounds,
including kings, minsters and businessmen all the way to farmers, beggars and outcasts. The last
two conditions demonstrate his thirst for knowledge and prioritising his own spiritual growth.

CONTRIBUTION TO THE BUDDHA-SASANA

Besides his pivotal role in convincing the Buddha to establish the Bhikkhuni Sangha, Ven. Ananda
was also known by the epithet of "Guardian of the Dhamma". This is due to his most important
contribution to the Buddha-Sasana in remembering and reciting all the teachings of the Buddha for
the First Buddhist Council to collect and preserve. As such, most suttas we read starts with "Evam
me sutam", meaning "thus have I heard", as it is a rendition of Ven. Ananda's words during that
momentous occasion. Therefore, the very opportunity we have today to read and understand the
Buddha's teachings is due to Ven. Ananda.

His ability to recollect all of the Buddha's teachings in sequential order was due to the overcoming of
the five hindrances in his mind. Therefore, the clarity of his mind allowed him to retain all details in
the clearest possible manner. Besides that, his erudition and eagerness to learn prompted him to
ask the Buddha many questions which we now find very helpful in grasping the meaning of many of
the Buddha's teachings. At the same time, he exuded great effort in learning and memorising what
he had learnt from the Buddha.

CONCLUSION

It is therefore clear why the Buddha had such high praise for Ven. Ananda. In the Mahaparinibbana
Sutta, the Buddha described Ven. Ananda as foremost in eagerness to learn, retentive memory, good
behaviour, steadfastness and ability to administer care. Due to his role as Upatthaka, he also had
the opportunity to listen to all of the Buddha's teachings and repeat it during the First Buddhist
Council. As such, the compilation of the Sutta Pitaka, the voluminous collection of 84,000 teachings
that help us understand the path and fruition of Nibbana is due to the contribution of the great Ven.
Ananda.
Question 7
What is the Noble Eightfold Path? Describe how one may cultivate the eight factors of the
Path to realize Nibbana.

The Noble Eightfold Path underpins the essence of the Buddhist practice. It is the discovery and
exposition of this very path that the Buddha was able to attain Enlightenment and help others
achieve liberation from Samsara. By first preaching it in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, the
seminal teaching established the framework for all his future teachings over the 45 years of His
missionary work, as well as providing a guide for future generations to ensure modern
interpretations and explanations are in tandem with the Dhamma that leads to Enlightenment.

This Noble Eightfold Path can be categorised into the threefold training, that is Sila, Samadhi, Pañña.
It is in the Magga-vibhanga Sutta that the Buddha later explained in greater detail what this Noble
Eightfold Path entails and how we should cultivate them to realise Nibbana.

1. Samma-ditthi
While it is not necessarily practised in order, Right View underpins the rest of the practice as
foremost (Mahacattarisaka Sutta). Right View involves understanding the Four Noble Truths, that of
dukkha, the cause of dukkha, the ending of dukkha, and the path to ending dukkha. Explanations in
other suttas however also fuel our understanding of other factors that constitute the Right View
such as believing in kamma-vipaka, rebirth, that there is a mother and father to repay, and also that
there are no enlightened beings in the world.

2. Samma-sankappa
Right Thoughts consist of 3 parts: nekkhamma, avyapada, and avihimsa. Nekkhamma refers to
renouncing our attachments to sensual pleasures and our attachments. As "vyapada" means ill-will,
"a-vyapada" constitute the very opposite of that. It refers to non-illwill or more commonly the
practice of metta. Avihimsa is the cultivation of non-cruelty, thus including the practice of karuna
and without intention of harming others.

3. Samma-vaca
Right Speech entails avoiding the four unwholesome speeches, including lying, slandering, harsh
speech, and frivolous speech. Other suttas also promulgate other aspects of developing skillful
speech such as in the Abhaya Sutta where the Buddha advises to speak only what is true and
beneficial to the attainment ofe Nibbana.

4. Samma-kammanta
Right Actions usually refer to pakkati sila, that is abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct.
One can further determine from the Five Precepts that one should also abstain from consuming
intoxicants as they intoxicate the mind which allows one to break all the other precepts and perform
wrong speech and actions. These ensure we do not create kamma that may hinder our path to
Enlightenment.

5. Samma-ajiva
Right Livelihood are means of obtaining wealth through harmless ways. 5 trades are forbidden in
this aspect, that of trading in weapons, human beings, flesh, breeding animals for slaughter, and
poison. We can also extrapolate that we should conduct our business and earn a livelihood without
deceiving and cheating others, stains of which are unbecoming of a person who intends to purify
themselves (Cula-assapura Sutta).

6. Samma-vayama
Right Effort refers to the Four Right Efforts, that of (1) eliminating evil that has arisen, (2) preventing
evil that has not arisen, (3) developing good that has not yet arisen, (4) and maintaining good that
has arisen. This implies actively guarding the senses and observing the mind to root out all defiling
qualities, while cultivating the wholesome ones.

7. Samma-sati
Right Mindfulness can be referred to in the Satipatthana Sutta, that is mindfulness of the body,
feelings, thoughts and mind.

8. Samma-samadhi
Right Concentration is tied to the eradication of the five hindrances through sustained attention and
concentration, resulting in jhanas.

By following this path, the Buddha said "that is the path travelled by Samma-sambuddhas of the
past. That is the path I followed, to which I understood birth, ageing and death, their origin,
cessation, and the path that led to its cessation" (Nagara Sutta). As a human he walked the path and
realised the Nibbana, so too we as humans have the potential to walk this same path and realise
Nibbana.
Question 9
What are the Five Hindrances? Discuss how these Five Hindrances obstruct our Path to
Enlightenment.

The five hindrances obstruct the mind from clarity and concentration. Without clarity and
concentration as a base, pañña is unable to be fully developed and one is not able to fully penetrate
to the Four Noble Truths. Hence, they obstruct our Path to Enlightenment. These five hindrances
are:

1. Kamacchanda

Sensual desires entrench us in this round of samsara. The way out of this is to develop sense-
restraint and contemplate on the loathsomeness of these pleasing objects such as the body and
food. Ultimately, it is to see all of these as a process as inherently anicca and anatta, thus unreliable
as a refuge and therefore ultimately dukkha.

2. Vyapada

Illwill arises from aversion. In the Salattha Sutta, it is explained that when we experience an
unpleasant feeling, we develop aversion towards them, leading to sorrow, grief, lamentation and
becoming distraught. So on top of the physical discomfort or pain, we apply another layer of mental
discomfort. To eradicate ill-will, the Buddha prescribes the cultivation of mettā, loving kindness and
friendliness which is the antithesis to conditions for ill-will.

3. Thina-middha

Sloth and torpor refers to dullness and drowsiness of the mind. It is likened to being bogged down in
a muddy pit, keeping is stuck. With laziness and drowsiness, how can one develop the mind towards
Enlightenment? The opposite of this is viriya (energectic effort) that can be spurred on by samvegga
(sense of urgency). This can be cultivated by constant reflection on death and making strong
determinations.

4. Uddhacca-kukkucca

Restlessness and worry is another hindrance to developing the mind in calmness and serenity.
Uddhacca itself is a mind that is not restful and proliferates while kukkucca is a mind that is
constantly worrying and negative and can be due to poor sila, of which remorse then plagues the
mind. Both however are due to paying unwise attention (Ahara Sutta).

The Buddha prescribes 6 ways to eradicate restlessness and worry including active learning of the
Dhamma, asking questions, familiarising oneself with the Vinaya, associating with those who are
calm and restraint, noble friendship, and engaging in profitable conversations.

5. Vicikiccha

Doubt is due to the lack of wisdom; it renders one in a state of confusion that is hazy about the way
forward, whether one is on the right path, whether the path taken really leads to Enlightenment, as
well as doubt in one's own abilities. Just like the ways to eradicate uddhacca-kukkuca, one should
also cultivate firm confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha in order to overcome vicikiccha.

OVERCOME THE 5 HIDNRANCES TO ACHIEVE NIBBANA

The removal of these hindrances allows one to dwell in blissful states of the mind known as jhanas.
The way of the world however promotes these very hindrances, and that is why meditators and
those intent on developing the mind resort to quiet and serene environments such as monasteries,
meditation centres, forests, caves and cemeteries.

When the mind is calm, serene, and concentrated, the jhanas serve as a springboard for one to apply
themselves to yoniso manasikhara wise reflections or contemplations. The Paticca-samuppada helps
us understand this process much clearer: the Paticcasamuppada-vibhanga Sutta explains that as
humans with the 6 senses, we will come into contact with stimuli. Upon contact, 3 types of feelings
arise, namely the pleasant, unpleasant and neutral. From these feelings, we develop kamatanha,
bhavatanha or vibhavatanha towards them. When we experience a pleasant sensation, it makes us
crave, cling and want to join with it. Thus, we join with the process of birth, ageing, death and
rebirth (Sallattha Sutta).

The chain or link to break in this process of Dependent Origination is Tanha as that is the only
element we can control. Meditation masters like Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw and S.N. Goenka expound
the teachings of Vipassana practice by focussing on this very element. The Buddha taught to see all
these senses as burning with craving, aversion and delusion. By seeing the arising and passing of
these elements, we can see the true nature of anicca, dukkha and anatta in all that we crave and
cling upon, such as sensual desires, views, the body and the view of "I". Thereupon, when one
develops disenchantment and dispassion, one is fully released from this cycle of samsara, thus
attaining to Nibbana (Adittapariyaya Sutta).