The Great Discourse on the Wheel of Dhamma

to the young buffalo, "Saya, Saya, please come," in the same way he used to address the old money lender. The young buffalo answered his call and came to him. Believing now that the old money lender had really become a buffalo in his house according to his oath, the farmer started to talk about this incident. Thereupon, the daughter of the departed money lender went to the court suing the poor farmr for defaming her father.

The judge who heard the case sent for the appellent, the defendent and the young buffalo together with witnesses for both sides. In the court, the farmer called out, "Saya, please come" to the buffalo in the same way he used to address the money lender. The buffalo responded to his call by coming to him. The money lender's daughtr used to address her father as "Shi, Shi." When she said in the court "Shi, Shi," the buffalo went to her. The judge came to the conclusion that’ the poor farmer was making an honest statement (without any intention of defamation) and accordingly discharged the case. From this story, it is not hard to believe that a human being may be rebom a buffalo. It is plain therefore that tanhd will cause rebirth. It should be observed also that swearing a false oath is liable to land one in dire calamity.

NGA NYO'S SMALL MEASURE OF RICE

There was a village of about 400 houses called Chaungyo, ten miles north-west of Taungdwingyt. Two young men of the village, Nga Nyo and Ba Saing who were frends eamed their living by going round villages selling betel leaves. Coming back one day from the rounds, Ba Saing went short of mce on the way. He borrowed a small measure of rice from Nga Nyo to cookhis dinner. After dinner, while they made their way back to the village leisurely in the moonlit night, poor Ba Saing was struck by a poisonous snake and met an instant death. It was sometime between 1270 and 1280 BE. when the two friends were about the ages of twenty or so.

Probably because he hung into the thought of the loan of the small measure of rice, at the time of his death, he was bom a

cockerel in ‘Nga Nyo's house. Nga Nyo trained It to become a fighting cock and entered it in fighting competition. The first three competitions were won by Nga Nyo's cock which unfortunately lost the fourth fight because its opponent happend to be older and stronger than itself, Nga Nyo expressed his disappointment and anger by holding his cock by its leg and thrashing it against the ground. Bringing the half-dead cock home, he threw it down near the water-pot where Nga Nyo's cow came and touched it with her hps (as if expresing her sympathy.)

The poor cock died afterwards and took conception in the womb of the cow. When the calf had grown up considerably, it was bought for four kyats by his friends for a feast, which Nga Nyo would also join. While they were butchering the calf and cutting up the meat in preparation for their feast,a couple from Taungdwingyi, a clerk and his wife, happened to arrive on the scene. Expressing her sympathy for the calf, the clerk's wife said, “If it were my calf, I would'nt have treated it so cruelly. Even if it had died a natural death, I would'nt have the heart to eat its flesh. I would just buriy

Sometimes afterwards, a son was bom to the clerk's wife. The child remained without speech till he was seven when, one day his father told him, "Son do utter some words and talk to us Today is pay day. I'll buy and bring back some nice clothes for you." Keeping his promise, the father came back in the evening with some pretty garments for his son. He said, "Son, here, these beautiful clothes are for you. Do speak to us now." The boy then uttered, "Nga Nyo's measure of rice."

The father said, “Son, just talk to us. Not only a measure. awhole bag of loan for you." Thereupon the boy said "If so. put the bag of rice on the cart. We will go now to settle my debt." Putting a bag of nice on the cart as requested, they set off on their joumey. The father asked the son, "Now where to ?" The child directed his father to drive towards the north of Taungdwingyi: eventually they came to Chaungyo village when the son said,

"That's it. That's the village," and kept on directing his father through the village lanes until they came to Nga Nyo's house. Upon enquiring whether it was indeed U Nyo's house. U Nyo himself confirmed it by coming down from the house. as he approached the cart, the child hailed him, "Hey, Nga Nyo, do you still remember me?" the elderly man was offended to be rudely addressed as Nga Nyo by a mere child, the age of his son, but became pacified when the clerk explained, saying, "Please do not be offended, U Nyo. This child is under some strange circnmstances."

When they got into the house, the boy began, "So, Nga Nyo, you don't remember me? We were once together selling betel leaves going round villages. I borrowed a small measure of rice from you. Then I was bitten by a snake and died before I could retum the loan. I then became a cockerel in your house. After winning three fights for you, I lost the fourth fight because my opponent was much stronger than I was. For losing that fight you beat me to death in anger. Half dead, you threw me down near the water pot and a cow came and kissed me. I took conception in her womb and was reborn a cow. When I became a heifer, you all killed me to eat. At that time the clerk and his wife who are my father and mother now, came nearby and had expressed sympathy for me. After my death as a cow, I was bom as a son to my present father and mother. I have now come to repay my debt of the measure of rice."

All that the child recounted was found to be true by U Nyo who wept, feeling repentent for all the ill-treatment he had meted out to his former friend.

With this story we want to stress again that unless tanhd has been rooted out, repeated re-births in new existences are unavoidable.

TERRIBLE LIFE NOW AS A DEMON, NOW AS A COW

About 1300 B.E. there was resident in the Payagyi monastery of Mandalay a student Bhikkhu called U Ar Seinna. He was of good build, clear complexion and full of faith in dhamma. He was

a good student too, devoting himself wholeheartedly to the study of Pitaka literature. While washing the alms-bowl, one day, he addressed his colleagues, "I urge you to take care. Revered sirs, to be of good behavior while you are living on the alms-food of the donors. I am living a heedful life, having had the personal experiences of three existences."

One of his colleagues, becoming curious, asked him about his previous lives and he recounted, "I passed away from human life to become a female demon. I suffered terribly in that life, having scarcely anything to eat, no decent place to live in, roaming here and there to look for a resting place. From a female demon, | became a draught cattle; I was herded in the same pen with a team mate, whose nostrils were running with putnd nasal fluid. Its nasal smell becoming unbearable, I goaded it to keep it away from me. The owner beat me up for it, thinking that I was bullying the other cattle, dominnering over it. When I passed away from that existence, I regained human life and becoming agitated with religious emotion, have now taken to the life of a Bhikkhu."

This story also serves to emphasise the fact that as long as tanha& persists, rebirth is inevitable. It also shows what a horrible life is that of a demon and how, handicapped by inability to communicate, a cattle is lable to be misunderstood by man and could be subjected to maltreatment m consequence. These accounts should serve to cause terror and incite religious emotions in us.

REGAINING HUMAN LIFE AFTER BEING A CATTLE AND A DOG

About 1310 B.E. the head Sayadaw of a village monastery in Monywa district was shot to death by a rebel leader who accused the Sayadaw of 'ill-treating’ his underling. The Sayadaw is now in human existence, a Bhikkhu again. We hear that he had even passed some of the scriptural examinations. This Bhikkhu recounted, "I became a cattle after being shot to death, then a dog and now a human being, again." To go down from the level of a Bhikkhu in human life to that of a cattle, a dog, seems very

degrading. But if tanhd remains uneradicated, it is possible to go down the ladder of existence lower still. There is the instance of Bhikkhu Tissa who became a body louse in the time of the Buddha. Thus realizing that any one, with tanhd remaining uneradicated, (ditthi and vicikiccha also still intact), is liable to be subjected to rebirths, it is essential to strive for complete eradication of tanhd or in the very least, to work for elimination of ditthi and vicikiccha.

EVEN REBIRTH AS A CROWING LIZARD IS POSSIBLE

In about 1323 B.E. there appearedd in Pha Aung We village near Daik-u, a strange young child, who said that he was previously the presiding monk of the Ywa Waing village about 2 miles away. The child was intelligent with a good retentive memory. When taken to the monastery which he said he was resident m, he appeared to know all the articles in the building and was able to identify each object recalling the name of its donor. What he said was found to be all true. He said he had become a crowing lizard in the monastery when he died as the presiding monk. As the crowing lizard, he met his death when he leapt across from the monastery to a palm tree nearby. He missed the tree and fell to the ground breaking his thigh. The injury caused him death. When he died, he rode along on the cart of a farmer from Pha Aung village who had his field near his monastery, and he stayed in the house of the farmer. What he said about riding on the cart was the appearance of gati nimitta, sign of destiny as death approached.

This story should also cause the realization that with tanha still lingering, fresh existence could arise and taking fnght from this realization, one should develop Ariya magga to rid oneself of tanhd. The reason why we bring out these evidential. stories of modem times is. because there are some people who maintain that there is no such thing as after-life. Some are undecided and perplexed, not being able to conclude whether there is or there is not after-hfe. In spite of clear accounts of renewed existences in the scriptural literature, many are sceptical of what was wmitten of ancient times.

Thus in order to provoke faith in kamma and its resultant effects and belief in after-life and to remain steady with such conviction, we have brought out these stories. Similar stories abound which we can produce but enough has been said to accomplish our aim.

Thus, as stated above, because tanhd can cause re-births, the Blessed One had taught, "This hunger, this thirst, the craving, gives rise to fresh rebirth and bound up with pleasure and lust, finds even fresh delight now here, now there." He also gave the enunciation of this sanhd. What is this craving ? Fisrtly, there is this thirsting desire for sensual pleasures. Secondly, there is attachment to the belief in etemality. And thirdly there is holding onto the view that there is nothing after life. These three types of craving are the truth of the origin of suffering.

KAMA TANHA

Of these three types, kdma tanhd is craving for pleasurable snese-objects, whether belonging to one's own person or to other persons. Craving which arises on seeing a beautiful object of sight is kdma tanhd. Here object of sight relates not only to appearance, colour etc, but to the whole form or body of man or woman which serves as the basis of the sight, the apparels wom and other objects pertaining to him or her. Likewise, pleasurable sound and sound objects, delightful smell and its source, delicious taste and food producing the taste,men and women who prepare and serve the delicious food, tactile sensations of rapture and objects producing such sensations — all of these constitute objects of pleasure, and craving for them is termed kdma tanhd. In short, desire or craving for any pleasurable sense object is kdma tanhd.

Wishing to become a human being, a celestial being, wishing to be bom a man or a woman; longing to enjoy the sensual pleasures as a human being, as a celestial bemg, as a man or as a woman- -all these cravings are also kdma tanhd. Therefore we say that taking delight in. any pleasurable thought or object is kama tanhd.

On seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching a sense object, if one considers it to be pleasant, a liking is at once developed for it. Thinking it to be pleasant amounts to avijjd, which covers up the true nature of the sense object and gives rise to false views about it. Avijj@ takes what is transitory to be permanent, what is suffering, because of incessant arising and vanishing, to be pleasant: takes mere physical and mental phenomena which are not soul nor living entity as soul or living entity, considers one's own physical body or other people's body which are repulsive and disgusting as beauteous and pleasing.

Thus thinking what is unpleasant to be pleasant, liking is developed for it; and liking it and desiring it leads to craving which drives one into activities for the fulfilment of that craving. Such volitional activities are the kammas and sankhdras which are responsible for formation of new aggregates of ndma and rupa of the new existence. Thus each instance of liking or desiring a sense object amounts to venturing on a new round of becoming.

Influenced by the tanhdé, abhisankhdra consciousness otherwise called marana sannd javana tenaciously holds onto the kamma, kamma_ nimitta or gati nimitta, the three signs which appear as death approaches. Because of this tenacious clinging to the objects seen at death's door, the moment after death consciousness vanishes pati sandhe consciousness, rebirth-linking consciousness, arises holding onto the last seen objects, to give rise to new birth. Hence this tanha is describesd as ‘ponobhavika'--lable to give nse to new birth.

BHAVA TANHA

According to the Commentary, bhava tanhd@ is the tanha that is accompanied by sassata ditthi, wrong view of eternalism. Here, bhava means becoming or being. Hence bhava tanhd@ is craving based on the belief in the permanence and stability of existence. Sassata ditthi is the wrong view of holding that the soul or the living-entity does not die nor dissove away, although the

Coarse physical body perishes, the soul, the living entity is not Subjected to dissolution. It enters into a new body and remains there. Even if the world crumbles and breaks up, it remains eternally permanent and never perishes.

Religious faiths outside of the teaching of the Buddha mostly hold this view of etemalism. Some of them believe that, after death, man remains permanently in heaven or suffers eternal damnation in hell according to God's wish. Others take the view that a being migrates from one existence to another according to kamma and exists permanently. And again, others believe that a being exists etemally changing from one life to another on a_ prescribed, set course.

In short, any belief that holds the view that "soul or living entity moves on without dissolution to new existences" is sassata ditthi, wrong belief of eternalism. For instance, .a bird on a tree flies away to another tree when the first tree falls down. When the second tree falls down again, it flies on to a third tree. Likewise, the soul or living entity, on the dissolution of a gross body or form on which it is dependent, moves on to another coarse body, itself remaining everlasting, undestroyed.

Tanha& accompanied by the wrong view of etemalism is termed bhava tanhd, craving for existence. This tanhd takes delight in the view that the soul or living entity is permanent, enduring. This I, which has been m permanent existence since eternity, feels the sensations and will continue on feeling them; believing thus, it takes delight in every object seen, heard, touched or known and also in the objects which one hopes to come to enjoy in the future; wishes to enjoy a prosperous happy life now and in future, tobe bom in good, happy existences; wants to enjoy, in the coming existences, the rich life of human or celestial beings. Some wish to be bom always a man, some a woman. All these are bhava tanhda.

Every time craving arises, for the sense objects which are presently available or for the existence one is in now, or in looking