Brahmavihāra Dhamma

How knowledge of Mahakarunasamipatti occurs

of Great Compassion induced by estatic meditation; (5) Subbaffiuta fdna-attainment of omniscience: All Knowing Wisdom; (6) Andvarana fidna—faculty which dispels all obstructions or hindrances in the way of 3 such knowledges. These knowledges being out of reach of or unconcerned with the Disciples, are also called Asddhirana fidnai.e., knowledge which is peculiar or unrivalled. The question raised was: ‘‘What is Mehakarund-samdapatti-Adna, from among the said six kinds? The answer given in continuation was as mentioned below:

‘*Bahukehi akarehi passantanam buddhaénam

bhagavanténam sattesu mahdkarund okkamati.”’

The above Pali phrase conveys the meaning that great compassion for mortals or beings enters the bearts of the Enlightened Buddhas who see various conditions under different circumstances to which 2 beings are subjected.

Feeling of Great Compassion occurs in the minds of Omniscient Buddhas seeing numerous kinds of sufferings prevailing among all beings. Most living beings do not perceive other being’s miserable conditions. They might see only creatures or living beings who are in great distress and sufferimg. When fairly happy persons see others who are in the same boat, they think of them or imagine them as being happy as they are. Relating to people who are found to be more happy than they are, they might look upon them as living in a state of extreme happiness without * any misery, and consider them as not deserving of pity. This indicates dearth of compassionate feeling for not actually knowing the state of misery. The Buddhas, however, clearly perceive the various kinds of circumstances under which beings are suffering. Seeing the sentient beings in such miserable con. “2

Brahmayihara Dhamma

ditions, Great Compassion has entered the hearts of the Buddhas, How karundoccurs will be stated in amplification as follows:

Constant worry is pitiable

“Uyyutto lokasannivasoti passantanam buddhanam

bhagavantanam sattesu mahakaruna okkamati.’’

All beings have to be always exerting themselves and constantly worrying. Seeing living beings in such a miserable state ficrcely struggling for their Own survival, Buddha’s hearts go for them with Great Compassion.

What is to be realized is that mankind are comstantly striving and worrying for their own livelihood or subsistence. Ordinary werldlings may not think it as being pitiable. They may consider this state of condition as being normal, They generally imagine that as a man, one will have to strive or sweat for his own living and that it is quite natural. Some may argue that there is no need to grumble. However, from the point of view of the Buddha, the Enlightened One, these beings are perceived as toiling, struggling and constantly worrying for one’s own burden of khandhd, and are therefore in misery, nay, they are found to be in great distress. In any kind of existence whereever they are born, they have to be worrying without any interval in their life-time carrying this heavy load of khandhG. In the life existence of a human beings, as a small child, one has to depend upon the parents and others. He canrgot stand on his own, From the age of about four, five or six years and onwards, he has to attend school for his education. Since about the age of eighteen or twenty or so, he has to perform various kinds of work and bear the workload under the given circumstances for his own subsistence or to satisfy his

Constant worry is pitiable

needs. If fortune fails to smile on him, he will face a lot of trouble to make ends meet with his income. Impairment of his health will bring misery and suffering. Sometimes, he may come across pitfalls in the path of his life and meet with dangere, and if so happens, misery will befall him. Throughout the life existence, he is living in anxiety and is struggling continuously. While thus indulging himself enmeshed in trouble and misery, time comes when he grows old, suffers sickness and eventually meets his death, Some even die while labouring and working with all their might, It implies the growth, change and decay of the physical man in the course of his human existence, in which he suffers constant misery.

In the life existence as animals, from the time of birth, the majority have to find food for their survival. Among animals living in places where food and water are scaree, they have to undergo great hardships in finding food and shelter, Animals in the forests have no protection at all. They have to be worrying for thsir preservation and for the upkeep of their khindhds in tact with constant fear of danger and death. Some of the animals have to search for food only at night being afraid of going out in the day time. In hell and in the world of Petas, apdya beings are in cynstant misery and suffering. They cannot, of course, be seen by human naked eyes. Even among‘nats’ Devas),there are demons,goblins or spirites called ‘Yakkha’ who are in a state of misery nearly as bad as Petas, Vinipita, i.e., those beings of lowly existence have a very hard life under worse conditions to the point of near starvation. They too are in great misery. Those Devas in the higher abodes—up in the heavea, are, of course, in a state of happiness. However, when theic life span expires, those whose kisala-kamma are lacking in strength, become miserable.

Brahmavihadra Dhamma

As such, all beings are living in misery and are striving with endless worry to keep their existing Khandha(bady) in good trim to gain happiness, and at the same time, to get a new set of khindhds with happiness in the future existences to come. Though people are said to be living under favourable circumstances and are in a state of happiness, they have to be always worrying in order to maintain themselves in good shape at present and also to achieve future benefite in their next existences. They want to enjoy life with happiness in future existences as well and hence, in the present life time, they are trying to accumulate merits. Of course, to achieve happiness in future existences, one has to struggle with constant worry and anxiety according to one’s own conviction in the feligious doctrine which he has accepted as true. Whether it is proper or not, one is trying hard for the welfare of his future, relying on his own faith and conviction. Those who do not believe in the doctrines of existences to come, i,e., the religious view of complete annihilation in this very life existence, are nonetheless striving with all heart and souls to be able to enjoy a most happy and pleasurable life in this present existence.

Great was Buddha’s Compassicn for all beings having himself seen and found them always suffering with worry in their persistent effort hoping to gain happinesa in every life existence, while at the same time they are burdened with their khandhads. Buddha realized that there was no other Saviour except Him to lead them to Nibbana at which stage all khandhas would cease to exist. Realizing as such, with his deep Compassion and good-will, Buddha had travelled far and wide during his life time and had imparted his noble preachings, He tackled all questions put to him by human and Devas on points relating to Dhamma. He had hardly any rest throughout day and night

Gonstant worry. is. pitiable

except a brief respite of 30r 4 hours. He had to deliver his preachings daily for about (20) hours to Devas, humin3 and Brahmas. This jends evidence to the fact that his own gteat compassion had prevented his happiness, as stated earlier. Great was his unbounded compassion that the benevolent Buddha had gone to the extent of imparting his Dhamma to Subhadda, a wandering ascetic({piribbajako), while lying On his death-bed a few hours before his Parinibbina. To that extent, he has bestowed his unstinted love with self-sacrificing pity on all beings seeing their miserable plight,

The gist of the foregoing account is to make it clear that Buddha had his great compassion on all beings who are struggling with worry in every life existence. This will perhaps enab’e you to grasp the fact that one can develop his karund towards pitiable beings who are going through a lot of difficulties and misery throughout their life-span. This will also place you in a nobler state of mind which would invoke a feeling of reverence to the Most Exalted One who had painstakingly preached proclaiming his message for forty odd ysaars with unfailing patience, sympathy and good-will for the welfare of all mankind. Hence, with a view to developing karund in the light of what has been now stated, please follow the recitation.

‘‘May all beings who have always been striving

with worry to gain happiness, be liberated

from misery.” (Repeat thrice)

Full liberation from this misery will be rewarded only when Nibbina is reached whereby all riipa-ndmakhindhis will cease to occur again. This means to say that ‘‘May all beings bs. emancipated after attainment of Nibbana.” Ra tear

Brabmavibara Dhamma

Let us repeat developing karwnd.

**May all beings who have always been striving

with worry to gain happiness, be liberated

from misery.’’

It is pitiable for being also carried away to old age, sickness and death \

“Upaniyati loko addadhuyoti passantanam buddhanam

bhagavantanim sattesu mahakarund okkamati”’

Loko-All beings, wpaniyati-are being conveyed to inevitable old age, sickness and death. Addhuyo-O, itis impermanent!. /ti passanta@nam—Secing as such, nay, endowed with this realization or perception, buddhanam bhagatantanam—Holy Buddha, sittesu-towards all living beings, mahdkarunad-Great compassion with sympathy, okkamati-arises in their hearts. In other words,a great compassion of mortals arises in the Holy Lord Buddha.

In every existence, all living beings are carried away to reach old age from the time of their birth, and from old age to sickness and then, from sickness to death, Buddha perceiving with his insight knowledge the nature of “impermanence’’, has great pity on ali beings. Of course, in so far as beings are concerned, if they reflect, they will have an inkling of the impermanent nature of their own khandhas. However, they may still think that they will have to live long apparently assuming that no detericration is taking place in their youthful appearance and in their health. While imagining as such, unexpectedly, sickness may prevail on them under unfavourable circumstances. Some died at an early age while still young. If death does not occur early, they gradually grow older and older day by day, month by month and year by year. Yet, inadvertently at first sight, they do not think of themselves as getting old with

Karuna that had once occurred at the time of Simayera

the passage of time. Only when their hairs turned gtey and their teeth decayed, etc., they would come to realize that they have become old and decrepit. Who are those carrying them away to inevitable old age, sickness and death? It is the rapa-ndma-khandhas in one’s own material body who are convying them, as stated already. From the time of conception, new rapas and ndmas are incessantly forming or arising and dissolving and then appearing afresh to be again dissolved undergoing a gradual process of continual change. A person slowly and perheps unnoticeable grows older in every split second and a+ fraction of a minute, etc.. until when becoming advanced in age, say about forty, the bodily appearance becomes obviously changed showing signs of deterioration or decay with the appearance of grey hairs, wrinkles, etc. Withering with age, one can easily be afflicted with a disease at one time or other, and after serious derangement of his health, he reaches his death-bed and ultimately passes away. It therefore becomes evident that hour by hour, as time goes on, one is carried closer to old age. sickness and death.

Karuna that had once occurred at the time of Simanera 3 An example may be illustrated, A group of ca slaughterers carried away an ox to be killed. Eve step taken by that ox brought him nearer to the threshold of death. lt seemed that the ox knew of the coming disaster-an imminent death, and the coming disaster-an imminent death, and as such, it was found struggling to escape from the hands of the butchers. The cattle-slaughterers were, however, seen pulling it hard and dragging the poor animal with force- The ox had no way out but to submit to this illtreatment against its own will. It was indeed a pitiable sight. As [ had personally seen this heartbreaking spectacle, I felt pain in my heart with pity, and since then, I had abstained from taking beef.

Brahmavihira Dhamma

This incident had happened when I was a Samanera, a novice in my priesthood before J received my higher ordination as a senior Bhikkhu. Just like that ox which was carried away by the slaughterers to the slaughter-house, human beings are being carried away by their ripis and nimis without any break even for a second to make them suffer from old age, sickness aaj death. Waviagz seen all baings drifting towards disaster, great pity had arisen in him.

What the Lord Buddha had perceived was that 92) i3 f13t arddcaaching old age, sickness and death at every moment of an arising though which occurs ince33saatly with great acceleration much faster than a split second, nay, a flash of lightning. This per ception brought forth a feeling of boundless com. passion in the Lord Buddha. Even Yogis who are now contemplating Vipassana can fully appreciate that they are gradually approaching towards old age, sickness and death at every moment, if they perceived the mind that constantly changes. Those Yogis who are contemplating and noting as instructed by ua on reaching the stage of bhanga-fidna, will find it very obvious that the object of sensation that is noted and the knowing mind dissolve part by part incessantly, It is something like each bead threaded with others on the string falling down one after the other in great speed. Every time dissolution takes place, it carries one mearer te old age, sickness and death, Yogis who have achieved bhang4-fidna may guess with their insight knowledge that it is so happening.

Ordinary persons can imagine this state of phenomena within a second, or a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a month, or a year. Roughly speaking, one will clearly perceive himself as coming abit closer to old age, sickness and death if he could reflect upon his own self yeartoyear. Signs of withering in age followed by sickness and death can be visualized.