Brahmavihāra Dhamma

The manner of getting rid of anarfow/stump

Putting it in a nutshell, if one proceeds to contemplate and note after his attainment of the status of Sotapanna(the first stage of progressive sanctification), he will become a Sakadagami, and then, an Anagimi- On attainment of Anagamiship, he will again be freed from the arrows of kamardga and byapdda-ill will and hatred. Thereafter, if contemplating and noting is further carried on, he will attain Arahatship after reaching Arahatta-magga-phala. When becoming an Arahat, the stinging arrows of ripa-raga, of aruparaéga, mdna and avijja (ignorance) with which he was wrapped up as an Andgami,will be totally liberated. It means that all arrows of akusala smeared with kilesds will be completely extparited. That is why the Noble Arahats after Parinibbina will be totally emancipated from all kinds of sufferings attached to rapa-ndmasankh@ra, for having been freed from all kinds of arrews. This would bring them to everlasting peace and happiness.

Before reaching the state of a worthy Arahat, even an Anigimi for being pierced by the arrows of riiparadga, aripirdg1, etc., he would still be subjected to conditioned miseries of existence (sarikhara-dukkha) after Teaching the abodes of Form and Formless Brahmas. As for Sotapannas and Sakadagimis, since the sharp atrows of kdmardga, etc,, are penetrating into their Ownselves, they will have their rebirths in existences of human beings and Devas whereby they are to go through miserable conditions of old age, death, etc, Finding the beings stuck with those arrows, Buddha’s heart was filled with pity and thus, with a feeling of deep compassion, He had preached the Dhamma despite the fact that he had to undergo a lot of hardships merely for the sake of the emancipation of all beings.

In particular, having observed and found the worldlings (Putthujjanas) suffering in misery for being

Brahmavihara Dhamma

struck with such arrows piercing through their ‘Material Khandhés, Buddha reflected and realized that there was no other person except him who could remove or extract those sharp-pointed arrows. The ‘Compassionate Buddha therefore went on preaching the Dhamma. _ “‘‘Afifiatara mayd-Except me, the Buddha, salldnam uddhata—capable of extracting the sharp-pointed arrows, afiito kici-any, other single person, natthiti-is not in existence. .. Passantdnar—Seeing, nay, having seen cr observed aa such, buddhdnan bhagavanténam—in the hearis of Buddhas, satresu-towards the beings, mahckarundgreat compassion, okkimati-has arisen.’’ It has been stated as such in the Patisambhidimagga Pali.

Buddha’s compassion towarde all beings is equally balanced without distinction irrespective of whether a person is intimate or unfamiliar. The degree of compassion bestowed upon Rahula, his own son born while he was a_prince, was on the same level as he had conierred upon Ashin Devadatta, who had done gtieyous wrong to him with animosity. At one time, Ashin Devadatta in collusion with King Ajatasattu conspired to assassinate the Buddha. ‘They incited the royal elephant by the name Nalagiri to make an assault on Buddha while on His rounds for alms, This elephant had a ferocious. propensity and trampled to death all parsons whom he met on hie way. As instructed by Ashin Devadatta, the mahouts fed this great Nalagiri elephant with liquor profusely and released the big animal along the road where Buddha was to come to seek for alms.

On that occasion, a good number of Samghas were in the company of the Enlightened One. The huge elephant being intoxicated rushed forward to the. Buddha to attack. Even human beings under the 4 influence of liquor used to do things and speak what

The manner of getting rid of anarfow /stump

ought not to be done or spoken. Being an animal, there is noting to be eaid of the elephant which came rushing violently towards the Buddha to bore the Lord Buddha to death with its tusks. Secing this terrible state of affairs, the. Bhikkhus, in great aaxiety, requested the Buddha to retreat and avoid the charge. The Lord Buddha, however, preached His disciples as follows:—

A gacchatha bhikkhave-Come! Come! ©, my Disciple Bhikkhus! Do not shun, mdbhayittha-Do not fear. Atthanametam bhikkhave anavakaéso, yam partipakkamene tathagatam Jivitd voropeyya+~O, Bhikkhus! no other person will have opportunity to plot and strive to cause death to. the Buddha. Anupakkamena bhikkhave tathdgatd parinibbayanti-O, Bhikkhus! It is usual for the Buddhas to enter into Parinibbana without being subjected to harmful death by anyone through conspiracy or attempt. His disciple-Samghas, mevertheless, pleaded three times repeatedly. However, Buddha remained adamant and gave his reply as stated above three times in succession,

Thereupon, Ashin Ananda becoming frightfully anxious of the impending disaster, took his standing posture in front of the Lord Buddha with the intention of'sacrificing hie own life first, in place of the Exalted | One. Buddha asked him three times to make way, or rather, quit. However, since Ashin Ananda failed to comply, the Buddha had to make him move from the place he had taken un by the exercise of Hie supernatural powers. © VLD ioB Dehba sete ects

After having removed the Venerable Ashin Ananda from the occupied place, Buddha radiated his metia (metiaya phari) toward Nalagiri, the elephant. This reveals the primary importance of the quality of metra. Feeling of pity that had arisen can also be regarded as developing as a supplement(appadhdna) just as radia-

Brahmavihira Dhamma

ting with mahdakarund-samdpatti, as has been earlier stated. As arecsult, the big elephant, Naligiri, which had been showered upon with loving-kindness and compassion by the Buddhe, had suddenly turned sober. Its mind became mild and gentle. Faith and reverence in Buddha had occurred in himtoo. The hugh creature then respectfully approached the Buddha dropping down its proboscis from its vertical position, and then squatted at the feet of the Exalted One. Thereupon, the Buddha after caressing the elephant Naligiri on the forehead touching with His right hand and admonished him as mentioned below:-

“Oh, Nalagiri! You should abstain from committing wrong to a Buddha such asme. If wrong or evil act were committed, serious trouble and suffering will come upon you. Don’t get drunk and intoxicaied, Neither should you be forgetful. If you are mot mindful, or rather, forgetful and fail to give thought to yourself, you cannot reach an existence to come where happy condition prevails, To reach a noble abode of life existence you should cuitivate noble practice in your ownself and do things on your own in a virtuous way.

From that time onwards, Nalagiri,the hugh elephant had transformed into a well-tamed moral creature fully accomplished with the five noble precepts (paiicasila)In the past, he used to trample down the people to death. Thenceforth, he abstained from killing others. Nor die he get drunk. This is the manner in which the Lord Buddha had given his admonition to the big unruly elephant which had once attempted to make a fatal attack on Him, by inculcating a benevolent spirit of loving-kindnese(mettd) and great compassion(karuna) with an equally balanced degree of jove, pity, and compassion as he had bestowed upon His own son Rahula.

Enmeshed in Tanha and drifting in the current of Tanha

Enmeshed in Tanhi and drifting in the current of Tanha

“‘Tanha jalena otthato lokasannivasoti. Tarha sotena

vuyhati lokasannivdsoti passantanarm buddhanam

bhagavantanam sattesu mahakaruna okkamati.”

Lakasannivaso - All beings, tanha jdlena otthajo—are covered and caught in the net of tanha, Tanha sotena viyhati—(and) are drifting along the mid-stream of tarha. 7ti-As auch, passantdnam—in the hearts of the Buddhas, satesu-towards beings, mahdkarund—Great Compassion with pity, okkamati-has arisen.

The term ‘‘tanha’’ conveys the meaning of thirst or lust. Being desirous of seeing and enjoying the pleasures of sight, and becoming pleasurable with attachment, without being contened, to all that have been seen and enjoyed, is merely thirst for a beauteous sight. No matter one may have seen good and pleasant sights of an unlimited scope, his thirst for it remains unquenched and discontented. In the same way, getting unsatisfied with what is heard in respect of any good and pleasant sound, as desired, is but a thirsty tazha. So also is thirsty ‘ayia in respect of goed smell and fragrance, good taste with great appetitie, of good touch or contact, and of imagina. tion. Tanha, in fact, occurs unceasingly in everything that is seen, heard and so on. It is arising all the time everywhere. The moment one gets up from sleep, what is desirable is invariably thought of or imagined. One has found pleasure in his own-self. He also finds pleasure in others as well as in all properties or goods, or commodities for his own consumption. Because of thie pleasurable attachment with the thirst of tanxha, one has his continuous rebirths in one existence after another. In every form of existence, one has to go through the process of-old age or decay, disease and death. Having had to seek for what is needed or desirable, suffering and misery take place. And then,

Brahmnavihére Dhamma

for having his bounden duty to manage and look after ail that have beea obtained or have come into his possession, one is to undergo misery, or rather, becomes miserable.

All these miseries are due to tanhd which is always in thirst that grows like acreeper. One is unable to Overcome this tanhad from which he cannot get away. Hence, this tsvha is similar to a big net that has spread over all beings. Animals which are caught in a net cannot escape. Death is hanging over their heads. Much in the same way, beings who are trapped in the net of tanha4 cannot take to flight elsewhere. Im every existence, sufferings take place by getting old, sick and meeting with death. Having perceived and ‘obaerved such miserable conditions in which beings are wallowiag, it had moved Buddha to pity and brought’ forth great compassion in Him, ‘

Moreover, a perscn who is drifting in a mid-stream of water will be carried by the current of water. It.is likely that he will soon be drowned to death... In the like manner, beings are compelled to oblige and follow as induced by tanhad. They are therefore landing in the four Apiyas for having done immorai acts. Sometimes, for having done good deeds or good kamma, they reach the worid of human beings and of Devas. Even in these existences of human beings and Devas, they have to suffer the miseries of old age,’ sickness and death. Buddha therefore had His.Great Compassion towards beings who have been so suffering and drifting with the tide of tanhda,

Caught in the net of Ditthi, and drifting in the current of Ditthi

“Ditthtjdlena otthifo .......; Ditthisotena vayhati loka-

saintivasoti passantanam buddhdnam bhagavantadnam

sattesu mahakarunad okkamati.’’

Caught ia the net of Ditthi and drifting in the current of Dig¢hi

Lokasannivéso —- All beings, _—ditthi jalena otthafo - covered or spread over by and caught in the net of ditthi, the wrong belief. Ditthisotena yuyhati-They are drifting in the current.of ditthie Iti-As such, passantanam—seeing, nay, for having. perceived, buddhanam bhagavantana’i-in the hearts of Buddhas, sattesu-towards beings, mahdkarunéd—-Great Compassion with pity, okkamati-has arisen,

Ditthi means the heretical view, erroneous belief and wrong conception. To think with loving attachment considering oneself as a living being, or an atia individual or ‘Self’, inspite of the fact) that in the personalities of their ownselves there exists only a continual phenomenal process of ripa and néma, is mere attaditthi. It is also called sakkdayaditthi: ‘“‘Sakkdaya’’ moans an aggregate of riijpas and namas which obviously exists ia the so-called body: To think of these aggregate of riipas and namis asa living being, or an atta-being, or “TI” or “Self”, is nothing but disthi. It is known as sakkayaditthi, ‘because of an erroneous conception or false belief in this aggregate of ripa-ndma. Aninstance may be cited as: for example, at thesmoment when Seeing takes place, the eye-rapa obviously exists. The eye and the sight (object that is seen) are also rapa. The knowing mind which sees is néma. Only these two-the ripa and néma—are obviously present, However, ordinary worldlings are under the >impression that what is seen and known, is ‘‘Self’, or “I”. The sight-ra@p1 in one’s own body which isa seen by the eye is also misconceived as ‘‘[”. If it is thought of as a reality, it is but, ‘sakkdyadijthi’. In respect of what is obviously seen and known at the moment of hearing, etc., if it is imagined or thought of as “I” or “Self’’, it amounts to holding the view of ‘sakkayaditthi’.

It becomes “‘sassataditthi’’, if it, is. misconceived that an atta-being or ‘Self’ is perpetually existing based

Grahmavibira Dhamma

upon the false view of sakkdyaditthi and also that, after death it has transmigrated to reside in another body. On the other hand, it is ‘‘uwcchedaditthi’’, if it is conceived or thought of as complete annihilation of existence after death and that there is no kusalakamma and akusalakamma. Again, if it is thought of as having no good or bad resultant effects of that kamma, it is duccarita micchaditthi. One who holds a false view of ‘ucchedaditthi’ is likely to entertain the false doctrine of duccharita micchdditthi’. This ‘duccharita micchaditthi’ is extremely faulty and highly culpable. If this micchd ditthi or false view is entertained, committing of vices and doing demeritorious acts will not be avoided. Nor will meritorious deeds or actions be performed. [In other words, those who have the false view of micchaditthi will not hositate to do all kinds of vices. Hence, a person who has accepted this false view will definitely land in hell after death. Furthermore, to believe in and revere a false Buddha, or a person impersonated as Buddha. is a kind of false belief— “‘micchdaditihi’’. Belfeving in false practices as being genuine, is also another type of micchdditthi. For example, to have a firm belief in the perfomance of rites involving the sacrifice of living beings, and by doing so, demerits would be eliminated, and that merits will also be gained, is a kind of micchdditrhi, i.e, believing in false practices and seeing things wrongly without understanding what they truly are.

Prior to the appearance of Euddhzs, or though Buddha has appeared, those who have not heard of the Truth of the Dhamma, and those who misunderstood the Truth of the Preachings (Dhamma), would readily accept and adhere to any one of the false doctrines mentioned in the foregoing. Ali over the world, the majority of the people have accepted and believed such false doctrines. All those who fail to fully appreciate the Buddha’s Dhamma, have atiadirthi, a false