Brahmavihāra Dhamma

Culakemmayibhanga Sutta

should be saved and accumulated, and it done 80, in course of time, great wealth can be amassed. Hence, it is stated that everything which comes into one’s hands, should be stored up without spending it.

And next, tiny drops of honey brought by the small bees Stored up in trickling are not much. But as these are carried by them and trickled out several times, a large amount of honey is collected in due course. Taking tessen from this illustration, though it may be a small sum of money, say, a penny or a pya. one should gradually save up the money s0 as to get rich.

What is meant by it is that the head of the household or a family, should abstain from giving away even a small sum of money without causing wastage, and carefuily save and guard the store of money and amass his fortune. At that time, Buddha was still living and was delivering his preaching in the City of Savatthi. The Samghas, Buddha’s disciples were all along present with the Exalted One. Those people who had faith in Dhamma took their refuge in the three Jewels of Guddhism and became adherents of Buddha’s Sasana. They were observing the practices of morality-either the Five Precepts or Eight Precepts and were accomplished with Sila. They also resorted to alms-giving to their utmost capacity by making offerings to Samghis under the patronage of the Lord Buddha. They listened earnestly to the sermons delivered by the Buddha daily, and carried on the practice of meditation. Some of them became Sotipannas, oc Sakadigamis, or Anagamis, while some entered Bhikkhuhood, and then by developing Vipassana meditation, had achieved Arahatta-magga-phala, eventually attaining Arahatship. It was an opportune time affording a very rare opportunity to achieve higher awakening consciousness of the Special Dhamma

Brahmavihira Dhamma

up to the highest stage of sanctification. This golden opportunity was hard to come by.

And yet, Todeyya, the Brahmin, had no faith in and reverence for the Buddha. He had then already embraced the doctrines and pretensions of the Brahmins. Hence, he had absolutely no faith in the Buddha who had no place in his high estimation, As a matter of fact, he had underestimated the noble qualities of the Lord Buddha, the Exalted One. Being a Brahmin holding a different religious concept which is of course a false view, he did not even care to listen to the Buddha’s sermon. Neither did he offer in charity anything, nay, even a spoonful of boiled rice, Not only that, he used te address the Buddha with dis. respect as: ‘‘ Bho! Bho!” the term which was used to inferiors and equals. This term ‘‘Bho” is used to be translated in Burmese as ‘‘Oh!” (Hi). However, nowadays, the usage of this expression is not in vogue. It is usual to address a person by name such as, ‘‘Maung Sein or Maung Mya, etc,’’, as the case may be. Therefore it would appear that he must have addressed the Buddha as ‘‘Maung Gautama’’. For having disrespectfully spoken to the Buddha, the Exalted One, and also for having pleasurable attach. ment to his properties with greed, when he died, he was conceived in the womb of a bitch at his own house.

Being a dog, it gave birth to an infant dog in about one and ahalf or two months time. The young man Subha was very fond of this little dog, which was in his previous existence, Todeyya, the Brahmin. Subha lavishly fed the young animal, his pet, with delicious food which he himself relished and let it sleep in acomfortable bed. It was not that he knew of the little dog as his father, reincarnated. However, those who happened to live together in their

Cilakammavibhaiiga Sutta

former existences are generally affectionate to one another. This fact of Dhamma had been preached in the form of a verse as described below.

“Pubbeva sanniydsena,

paccuppannahitena vd.

Evan tam jayate pemam,

Uppalamya yathodake.”’

Pubbe-In the previous existence, sannivdsena va—for having lived together, paccuppannehitena yai-and in the ensuring present existence for having caused to bring benefit, evam-—this kind of, tam: pemam — peculiar affection or love, jdyate-is likely tospring up. Kimiva-—How it happens is that, yathodake-as much as there is water, Uppalai—the lotus or the water-lily, jayate iva—will continue to grow and develop with vigour and freshness.

It resembles a lotus plant which spreuts with strength and vigour for so long as there is water. Also love is likely to spring up for having lived in assOciation in the former existence. If the duration As of living together is long, affection will become deeper. The longer the period of close association(living together), the greater the love, As such, there is nothing to be said in particular if joint performances have been made in the matter of kusala (meritorious acts). In the present existence also, a person may become more affectionate to another who has rendered assistance. This is clearly evident perhaps through o2r39nal experience. Inthe case of Todeyya who had become a dog in his noxt existence, as he and his son were father aad son living together in his former existence, there is mo wonder that Subha, the rich man’s son had his great loving attachment to the dog.

Ons day, Buddha spread out his penetratingly keen observation over the entire Universe with his omaiscience-Buddha’s Wisdom-which preceded hig

Brabmavihéra Dhamma

trance of Great Compassion (Mohak irundsamdpatti). On reflection being made as to who could listen to His Sermon with all earnestness, and as to who could attain the Special Dhamma, and who would be able to accept and entertain his faith in the Triple Gems ef Buddhism, found Subha, the young lad, appearing in His vision. Buddha therefore in the morning on the same day, in making His rounds for alms, purposely dropped in at the house of Todeyya, the rich. On entering the house compound, the dog, the reincarnated Todeyya, rushed forward towards the Buddha barking sharply. The Enlightened One then 2admenisked the animal ‘‘Hey; Todeyya! You have now become a dog for having spoken to me and addressed me with disrespect as: ‘Bho, Bho, (Mzung Gotama — Maung Gotama),, in your former exietence. If ycu now as a dog barked at me with a guilty mind, you will relegate to Avici Hell.’”” When the dog heard these words of Buddha’s admonition, it imagined as: ‘This monk Gotama knows what has hzppered to me.” Hence, feeling sorry for its own plight, the dog went off (towarde the back of the house} and lay down to sleep in the ashes on the floor of the fire-place. The people in the house tried to carry him up folding him in arms to be put on the fine couch he used to roll and sleep, but in vain.

On reaching back home from his visit to the other place, Subha, the lad, asked, “Whe has removed the dog from its usual bed ?’? Members of his household told him that no one had driven the dog from its bed, and then, related to him all what had happened. Being apprised of the incident which had taken place, Subha, the young man, thought to himself, ‘‘Todeyya is my father, If the monk Gotama had called the dog as Todeyya, it amounts to saying that my father has been reborn an animal as a dog. In fact, my father has reached the Abode of Brahmas. What Asbin Gotama

Cilakammavibhaiga Sutta

had said is non-sensical, etc.”? He felt he was insulted. Being greatly outraged, he immediately went out to sec the Buddha with his malicious intention of making an allegation against the Buddha for telling lies.

In this connection, the belief that the young man Subha had had about his father as having reached the Abode of Brahmas, was on the strength of his traditional concept according to the religicus doctrine of the Brahmana. Brahmins have a belief that by practising in conformity with the doctrines of their own religion, they would reach the World of Brahmas on their demise, At one time, a Commander-in-Chief of the army, by the name of General Mahadatta who had a firm belief in the Doctrine of Brahmana, had performed a ritual involving an act of sacrificing the life of a victim to propitiate a god, called ‘‘Brahmanabhatta”’ spending a colossal amount of money ia the performance of rites. It was stated that a vision of hell as an evil omen or sign(nimitta) had appeared to that man Mahadatta on the eve of his death. On being asked by his Brihmana teachers what he had seen or visuslized, he replied having seen a bright lamp of brilliant red colour (lohitaghara)» Brahmana teachers had said it was Brahmaloka. He then inquired where Brahmaloka was situated and whether it was in the region high above, or in the lower region below. His teachers thereupon answered that it was in the higher region above. He then said what he had seen was in the region below. The teachers insisted upon saying that though it might appear to be in the region down below, it was in fact in the region high above. As he passed away while concentrating his mind fixed on this sign(nimitta), he had gone down to hell, (Reference-Majjhimapannasa Atthakatha, page 303). If a wrong religious conception has crept in, it is really dangerous. In the present era, I have heard of those people who hold a firm belief that by slaughter-

Brahmavihira Dhamma

ing the animals sacrifing the victims to propitiate the gods, one’ would reach an abode of happy condition and that they reminded a sick patient on his death-bed to reflect on the past incidents recalling his acts of charity in slaughtering the beings. This is terrible.

When the lad Subha met the Buddha, he asked the Exalted One what waa said to the dog on the Occasion of the Lord’s visit to his house, wes true or not, with reference to the information he had heard. | Thereupon, Buddha replied that what Subha had heard was exactly true and correct, and then, in order to enable him to come to a right decision, put a question as ‘‘O, Subha, the young man! Is it true that there are still a number of properties which your father had failed to mention where these ere kept ?”’ Subha then responded, ‘‘Yes, indeed. There sre three im number—a gold necklace, a pair of gold slippers and a gold vase worth one lakheach, and also a lakh of cash, all totalling four lakhs in value. These are mentioned in the list of properties bequeathed to me but cannot be found or traced anywhere.” Then Buddha ordered, “If so, you better go back home now and on your arrival there, feed the dog with milked rice and other nice food, and then put the animal where these missing properties are. This dog will reveal every-

On hearing the words ef Buddha, the lad Subha reflected, “If what Ashin Gotama has said were true, the missing properties would be recovered. If hie words were found to be false, I will proceed to accuse him of telling falsehood.’? He then returned home and carried out what was to be done as directed by the Buddha. By the time the dog was dozing, Subha asked the animal as ‘‘O, father, these properties (detaile of which were given) are found in the list. Where are

Cilakammavibhanga Sutta

they? -Ashin Gotama has told me that you know where these are kept. Please show me where they arc.” The dog imagining; ‘“‘They have known all about me and [ could not possibly hide the matter,” uttered a cry howling, and then showed the place where the properties were hidden by scratching with its fore-feet the outer surface of the earth beneath which the propertios were concealed: When they excavated the earth, all those four kinds of missing property {were disicovered.

As a result of this discovery, faith in Buddha had arisen in the heart of Subha, the lad. He came to realize that his father had undoubtedly become a dog after death. The dog having revealed everything as stated by the Buddha, it had occurred to him that Ashin Gotama really knew of the states of existence and possessed the faculty of knowing all about the former, future, and present existences. One would é naturally have faith in what is stated if the statement so made is personally found to be true.

Those who have embreced various kinds of religious doctrines, do not generally believe in what has been testified by other different religious concepts contrary to their own. This is of course quite natural, Some religions hold a view that death of a human being is (in all cases) the annihilation of existence. What it means to say is that there is only One Existence which terminates with death. This concept, however, is not the product of one’s own personal knowledge. It is mere imagination emanated from one’s own belief or concept. In some other religions, it is stated that after passing away from the human existence, a person will either go down to hell ferever, or elevate to the heavenly abode. According to what they say, these are the only twokinds. There is probably no one who can vouch for it through his

Brahmayihira Dhamma

Gwn personal knowledge or realization. This is a belief which is traditionally handed down by their aacestors, Some religions go to say that after death, if favourable circumstances prevails, one may be reborn as a human being, or asa Deva (mat), or as an animal, etc. In this connection there are some extraordinary individuals who are said to have been endowed with 4 the faculty of seeing and hearing, etc., all that are taking place in the entire Universe, i.e. persons possessing super-natural vision, hearing, and so on.

According to the Buddha’s Dhamma, for so long as tanhad, human passionate desires, is still clinging and not yet freed, the process of rapa and nama will be going on continuously from one existence to another due to kamma. In common parlance currently in use, it may be stated that a human becomes a Deva, or a Deva becomes a human, or, a human is reborn as an animal, etc., or an animal, etc., is reborn as a human being and soon. In reality, it is merely the nature of phenomenal occurrence of the continuing process of ripa and ndma. If tanhd, desirable passionate attachment, is totally eliminated through the achievement of Arahatta-phala by contemplating Vipassani, the continuing process of ripa and ndma will cease to operate after the arising of cuti or death consciousness, called Parinibbina. It is commonly known as entering into Parinibbina —ultimate death, after which there is no more existence to come. It is what has been stated by Budda’s Dhamma. This statement has been fully vouched for by the Buddha Himself through his own perfect realization (Enlightenment) acquired through personal knowledge or Buddha’s Wisdom. Yogis who are presently meditating will surcly stand witness to the truth of this statement to the extent of their own achievement of the insight knowledge.

The manner of how existences have come into being is fully supported by the story of Todeyya,