Brahmavihāra Dhamma

The manner of exercising patience through mindfulness, etc

Campeyya, a Naga Chief, who were captured alive and ill-treated by a snake-charmer, while they were observing the noble precepts(si/a). The snake-charmer took these snake-dragons(Nagis) to towns and villages where he displayed an exhibition of these two noble creatures making them dance to the tune of music played by him. These Nagas possessed inherent supernatural powers and were so highly poisonous and potent that by just looking at the persons with spite and omitting fiery flames, people would be reduced to ashes or killed. However, the said two Nagas endured the misery brought about by their enemy, the snakecharmer. The manner in which they practised patience refraining themselves from anger, may be reflected, as explained in Visuddhimagga.

The manner of exercising patience through mindfulness by Ven. Ponna

At one time, Ven, Ponna, a native of Sunaparanta country, entreated the Exalted One to deliver a sermon to him in a concise way. The Buddha, therefore, preached him as stated below:

‘‘O, my son Ponna! There are pleasurable and agreeable sights and scenes, or sense-objects which can be perceived and known by the eyes. These pleasurable sense-objects are also concerned with own’s own desires. They are also prone to sensuous attachments. If the sense-objects or riipa that come into your view, are accepted with pleasure and looked upon as being agreeable with admiration, or are embraced and grasped or retained in your possession, it would cause rejoicings in you, called ‘‘Nandi”. O, my son Ponna! I say that misery will take place because of this delight and pleasure.’ (Similarly, preaching was done in respect of the sensations of sound, smell, taste, touch and thoughts.)

Brahmavihira Dhamma

““O, my son Ponna! The way to end misery, or rather, to make misery come to a cessation is not to accept or entertain the different sensations arising from different sense-objects which will cause to generate a feeling of delight and pleasure. If it is done so, there will be no opportunity for Nandi to occur, O, my son Ponna! Because of the cessation of pleasurable conditions and feelings, misery and suffering will entire cease.”

*“O, my son Ponna! I have already given due admonition to you in a brief manner. You, who have heard and received this admonition may now let me know the place where you are going to reside.’’ To this query, Ven. Ponna replied: ‘‘My Lord, I’m residing in Sunaparanta state in the westernmost part of the Continent of India, which is called Jambidipa.”’

*“O, my son Ponna! The citizens of Sundparanta are rude, rough and petulant. lif they scold you and utter abusive words at you, how would you feel ?”’ ~“My Lord, if they abuse and rail at me, I would bear in mind in this manner: O, these citizens of Sunaparanta are not at all bad. They only utter abusive words and rebuke, and have not yet made any physical assault on me.’’, answered Ven. Ponna.

Buddha further interrogated him as: “If they give you a beating and attack you physically, how would you feel? He then replied, “I would forbear it with a feeling of tolerance that Sunaparanta citizens are only doing harm to me with their hands. Since they have not caused injury to me by throwing stones at me, they will be considered as having conducted them. selves fairly well. Questions then followed as to how Ven. Ponna would react or respond if he were assaulted physically with stones, sticks, and Swords(dahs) not to the extent of causing him death. The reply given to every question put was that he would tolerate and

Extinguishing anger, et¢

consider them as not behaving badly. Then the question arose as to how he would bear in mind and feel if he were killed by being cut with a dah. ‘The response given was that having heard of an incident where some of the Bhikkhus from among the disciples of the Lord Buddha had even to find for a lethal weapon such as a dah to commit suicide for being disgusted with their own material body and life existence, he would refleet on the said incident and consider himself lucky enough to be killed by another person without the need to look for a lethal weapon -a deh —- which can cause death.

This Ven. Ponna later made his way to Sunaparanta country and carried on practising meditation. He was said to have become an Arahat even before the end of his first Vassa,

As such, there is every likelihood of a Yogi to be able to extinguish his anger by reflecting on the manner in which Ven, Ponna had borne in mind or his mental attitude, as cited in this Sutta.

If anger cannot as yet be extirminated by reflecting on the noble attributes and moral conduct of the Bodhisatta, Visuddhimagga has stated that the eleven advantages of mettad should be reflected as has been enumerated earlier. O, Yogi? If you who are developing metta cannot dispel this ‘anger’ by so doing, you should kill it by reflecting upon yourself that you would otherwise lose all the advantages of metta.

Extinguishing anger by reflecting on the elements after chemically analysing them

It is stated that if anger cannot be subdued as yet by employing the method cited above, it should be reflected after examining the elements analytically. The manner of reflection to be made is:

Brahmavihara Dhamma

O, Yogi, You who are developing metta through meditation! With what are you angry in resenting against the other man? Are you getting angry with his hairs on the head, or against his urine? Putting it in another way, since the hairs are made up of four main constituents viz: elements of earth, water, fire and air, are you angry with pathavidhatu, or dapodhat, or tejodhdtu, or vayodhdtu? In other words, who is your enemy in as much as he is dependent upon the five kKhandhas, twelve dyatanas (the six Organs of Sense and the six Objects of Sense—the internal and external senses or properties) and eighteen dhatus?

Are you angry with the rapa, matter, from among the khandhas, etc.? Or, with vedand, Or, sania? Or, sankharas? Or, mind-consciousness, the vififidya? Or, cakkhayana (the eye), Or, rapdyana(sight), Or, mandyatana (mind), Or, dhammdyatana, ideas or sensations?, Or, cakkhudhatu (the element of eye), Or, cakkhuvififidpadhatu (the element of eye-consciousness-vision), Or, manodhatu(mental reflection or the mind that accepts), Or, dhammadhatu (ideas or objects), Or, manoviitianadhatu (mental consciousness) ?

If analytical observation of the dhdtus is made, it will be convinciagly realized that anger has no abode in the human body, just as a tiny grain of mustard seed will have no place to be rested upon a very small pinpoint, or, just as there is no place in the sky for colouring-matter to be painted.

How anger is subdued by ‘give & take’ policy

If incapable of making an analytical observation of the dhdtus, charity or almsgiving should be made. One’s Own personal property or any other thing should be offered in donation to the person whom one resents or hates. Property or goods be also accepted in return from that hateful person. However, if the person whom you hate has no propriety of conduct in making his

How anger is subdued by ‘give & take’ policy

livelihood, you should only offer your property. If such a “Give and Take” policy is adopted, feeling of animosity or vengeance will surely be eradicated. Even resentment or hatred borne by an enemy in his past existence that has resuscitated in this present life existence, will, it is stated, be extinguished, An instance may be cited in this regard.

On a mountain known as Cittala where Pindapatika Thera resided, an old Thera who bore an inveterate hatred against the former, made three attempts to oust him from his place of residence. Ina Sanghika monastery, i.c. a monastery which has been. bestowed on the Sangha as a gift, the Bhikkhu who is younger in status is responsible to offer the place or make room for the senior Bhikkhu to reside. Contrary to this rule» of discipline, the attitude of the old Thera amounted to causing annoyance to Pindapitika Thera. With a view to expel the feeling of vengeance borne by the other, Pindapatika Thera offered the other a bowl stating: “Sir, this is the begging bowl worth eight kyats: which my mother had donated to me. You may please accept it and make use of it so that my mother, the donor, will derive merits.’’ Since the time of acceptance of the gift of the said bowl, feeling of animosity and/vengeance’had totally subsided in theold Thera, Hence; the Commentators have stated:

* Adantadamadnam ddnam, ddnam sabbatthasadhakam.,

Danena piyavacGya, unnamani namanti ca.”

Danam-—charity or act of almsgiving, adantadamanam= can make a rude person become civilized, Or in other words, can tame an unruly person. Danam-The act°of donating gifts, sabbattha-sddhakam-will accomplish ‘all the advantages, or rather, will carry with it full benefits. (In Silakkhanda Commentary, it is stated as’ “‘adanam dantadiisakam’’ which, in fact, conveys the meaning that if a person worthy of receiving the offer.

Brahmavihara Dhamma

of donation is not given a gift, it could bring about estrangement between him and a refined person who is friendly to him and has earned his respect.) It continues to say that by offering gifts with a feeling of generosity and by speaking sweetly in a gentle manMer, the person who makes offerings with a sweet tongue will be enhanced in his prestige. And also, the relationship between the receiver of gifts who hears the talk and the giver who speaks, will be cordial and in harmony.

How Simasambheda occurs

As stated in the foregoing, if anger which has atisen against an enemy, or rather, a hostile person, has’ subsided or been suppressed, feeling of mettd or loving-kindness will also constantly occur in such a hostile ‘person just as the feeling of mettd occurs in respect of (1) an affectionate person worthy of respect and love, (2) a beloved person or a person on whom deep love is bestowed, (3) a neutral person who is'neither dear: nor hateful. At the same time while’ developing mettd repeatedly, this loving-kindness shall be transmitted to all four kinds of persons, viz: his own self, the one whom he dearly loves, the neutral person, and the hostile person with his equally balanced mind put on each and every one of them by inculcating a spirit of goodwill, wishing them happiness. By so'doing, it would amount to avoiding discrimination between. different kinds of persons to whom, goodwill is to be imparted equally wishing them happiness. This is called ‘‘simdsambheda’’, In other words, the. line of demarcation drawn, or, the boundary marked out ,between different individuals should be erased.

The manner of cancelling out or nullifying the limit of differentiation between individuals is:

How Metta jhana is achieved

Let us say that a person who is developing metta together with the person who deserves love, i.e. one who is dear to him, the neutral person, and the enemy (a hostile person ), all four of them, are living in the same place, and let’s assume that while living together as stated, a number of villains and thieves came over and asked the person developing meftad with an ultimatum to hand over to them any one of the four so as to enable them to offer him as a sacrifice to propitiate a god in the performance of a ritual. When demanded as such, if a wavering thought arises imaginiag as to which of the four persons should be effered, it will not yet amount to achievement of the quality of simadsambheda. It is simply because it would be tantamount to dis>-:imination or denying the interests of the person (victin, who is chosen to be taken away.

In reality, only if a feeling of loving-kindness Occurs spreading out mettad equally on ali four persons including himself wishing each and every one to be happy without wishing to hand over anyone of the b four, then, it is said to have amounted to simasambheda. It means that no distinction has been made between himself and others. There will only be one sphere of activity which is confined solely to bringing about happiness and this means that there is no such distinguishing limit (known as Sima), which is, in fact, cancelled out. How Metta—-jhana is achieved

Even if a feeling of loving-kindness occurs wishinz others to gain happiness with his mind’ evenly balancel after the achievement of simiszmbheda, a Yogi, wile d2veloping me2tta through meditation, beholds nimittan, the first sign of mental illumiaation, “He also realizes the upzcdra jhina. Then after his realization of upicara-jhani-samidhi, if he continues practising by developing several times the sensation arising out of

Brahmayihara Dhamma

nimitta, appand-jhdna will soon be achieved. This is according to what has been stated in Visuddhimagga. This appand-jhdna is nothing but the three kinds of jhanes*as mentioned earlier.

After attainment of all these jhdnas, 528 kinds of metta can. be developed continuously in sequence through the mental faculty of mettd-jhdna. “° Presently, before winding up the second part of our preachings, we shall develop metta to gain kusala (merits) and pdramitad (perfections). We will therefore proceed to contemplate on the vanishing of voice-riipa in: the course of our recitation with a sincere and hearty feeling towards all beings for their welfare and happiness. “May all Bhikkhus, Yogis and people in this ' “Sasana-Yeiktha meditation centre be happy. (repeat

thrice). - May all Devas in this Yeiktha meditation - centre be happy. (repeat)

May all beings in this Sasana Yeiktha be

happy (repeat)

May all Bhikkhus and people in this town-

ship be happy. (repeat) fron My all Devas in this township be happy. (re-

peat)

May all beings in this township be happy,

(repeat)

May all citizens of the Union of Burma be

happy. (repeat)

ater May all Devas in the Union of Burma be . happy. (repeat)

Miy all beings wherever they are, be happy.

(repeat)

And may all those who are respectfully lis-

tening to this Dhamma cn Brahmavihara, by virtue

of having heard the preachings of this sermon,

speedily attain Nibbana.