b Karuna: compassion for ourselves and others, which induces us to be helpful in various ways. Lay women (upasika) will become the color of crows (sika), i.e., dark and evil in their behavior. Refuge is common to all major schools of Buddhism. This is why we're taught that, as long as we still have life, we shouldn't rest complacent. Just as a boat going down the middle of a channel, or a car that doesn't run off the side of the road, can reach its destination without beaching or running into a tree; so too, people who practice in this way are bound to reach the qualities they aspire to, culminating in the paths and fruitions leading to nibbana, which is the main point of the Buddha's teachings. As for the essence of what it means to be an arahant, though, there is only one point — freedom from defilement: This is what it means to attain the Dhamma, the other virtues being simply adornment. Having experienced pleasure, we can see it disintegrate. Just as all of these are called jewels, and are all of differing value, so it is with the members of the Sangha. When we join the company of the Buddha's followers in this way, all people in general who practice and revere the teachings will benefit — just as when we meet the qualifications of a good citizen as set out by the government: If we are trained and educated to be good, we are bound to help the nation progress and prosper. There is much more to this topic, but if we were to discuss it here, it would draw things out even further. When this is the case, they will simply shell out money to hear the sound of conch trumpets, without any thought of the practices taught by the Buddha. Watch over your thoughts so that they deal only with the breath until the breath becomes comfortable. For this reason, the practice of moral virtue is one way of helping the religion and the world. These are qualities that all Buddhists should develop within themselves so as to gain Awakening, following the example of the Buddha, becoming Savaka Buddhas (Disciple Buddhas), an opportunity open — without exception and with no restrictions of time or place — to all who follow his teachings. The Buddha (the enlightened one) An example of the four Truths on the ordinary level, as experienced by ordinary people: Physical discomfort, such as illness or disease, can be called the truth of stress. (These are the sapwood. Most of us tend to side with ourselves, getting stuck on our own views and conceits because our study of the Dhamma hasn't reached the truth of the Dhamma, and so we take as our standard our own notions, composed of four forms of personal bias —, b Bhayagati: fearing certain forms of power or authority, and thus not daring to practice the Dhamma as we truly should. 2 Upakilika: those who become ordained without any respect for the training, looking simply for pastimes for their own enjoyment — collecting plants, playing chess, gambling, buying lottery tickets, betting on horses — looking for gain in ways forbidden by the Vinaya, disobeying the words of the Buddha, disregarding the virtues set out in the scriptures, undermining the religion. Buddham Saranam Gacchami Lyrics [Hindi & English]: This is a well-known chant in Buddhist traditions, and also it is a very important chant of Buddhism. And that is the Gacchami Prayer, an ancient Buddhist prayer which goes like this: ”Buddham Saranam Gacchami, Dhammam Saranam Gacchami, Sangham Saranam Gacchami”. If we were to be close-minded and nationalistic, we Thai's wouldn't have any religion to worship at all aside from the religion of spirits and ghosts. The people, thinking that they had heard the cry of the conch, ran over to tap on it to make it cry again, but it didn't make a sound. Once we know that these forms of behavior are not what the Buddha intended, we should abandon them completely. And even if we are no longer able to live in this world, then when our bodies die and we head for another world, we have a good bourn awaiting us, as in the verse from the Maha-samaya Sutta: 'Those who reach the refuge of the Buddha (in their own hearts, with purity) will close off all four of the lower realms (such as hell). Then we will belong to the company of the Buddha's followers. If a monk has these qualities (termed 'deva-dhamma,' the principles of heavenly beings), it's as if he were inhabited by a celestial being (uju-patipanno). We should see that when people present us with offerings of this sort, they have abandoned an enemy — their own stinginess and selfishness — and have gained in worth and wisdom through the power of their sacrifice. In the same way, those who are wise in Buddhism see stress as a noble treasure and so go digging down into stress; they see the cause of stress as a noble treasure and so dig down into it; they see the Path as a noble treasure; they see disbanding and liberation as noble treasures and so dig on down until they meet with the genuine ore. Only then can they be called noble sages. The thoughts on this level deal with the activity of discernment, which is something good, but they go out of bounds. In other words, they are destined never again to be born in hell, on the level of the angry demons, the level of the hungry ghosts, or the level of common animals. Some of them picked it up and tried shaking it, but still no sound, so they put it back down. If we let any bad factions go uncorrected, they will burden the hearts of their supporters, who will become like people who cook rice husks to eat. To speak in abstract terms, the qualities of transcendence, stable and sure, that appear in the hearts of those who practice — leading them solely to the higher realms and closing off the four states of destitution (apaya) — are, taken together, called the Noble Sangha. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. The act of giving life in this way is believed to extend the practitioner or benefactor’s lifespan and create positive circumstances. So they ran back to the mute person. 2 Patipatti: This refers to behaving sincerely in line with the Buddha's teachings: b Samadhi: keeping the mind firmly intent in the four levels of jhana, free from the mental Hindrances. “Patience is key. A good example of this is our Lord Buddha, whose actions gave rise to truth and who thus was able to establish the religion so as to benefit people at large. If we become ill, we search for medicine and treat our disease with moderation, in a way that doesn't create burdens for others. 4 Pañña, vijja, vimutti: gaining release from the mundane level, abandoning the three Fetters beginning with self-identification, reaching the Dhamma of the Buddha, attaining the state where we are guaranteed by the Buddha as being upright, dependable, honest, and sincere toward the Dhamma and Vinaya; gaining Awakening following his example, becoming a reliable member of the Sangha. 'Closing,' however, can be understood in another way, i.e., exercising restraint so that corruption doesn't arise in the three areas of our thoughts, words, and deeds. In the same way, if we don't behave in line with the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, how can we go around taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha? A person with knowledge and skill, though, can use the gold to make a living without having to search for any other occupations, but he'll have to follow the traces down into the earth until he meets with the real thing, i.e., the genuine ore. ', The text of this page ("What is the Triple Gem? No matter what we do or say, no matter what moods may strike the heart, the heart keeps its poise, firm and unflinching in the four levels of jhana. If we human beings had no moral virtue imbedded in our hearts, even the greatest power on earth would be able to keep us in line only temporarily, and even then it wouldn't be able to influence our minds the way the moral virtue that comes from religion can. One of the crows, though, had stayed with the carcasses; when he saw that his fellows were no longer coming to claim a share of the food, he became overjoyed, thinking that the food he had would last him a long time. Dhammam saranam gacchami -I go to the Dhamma (Righteousness) for refuge. Studying like a water viper means to study the words of the Buddha without then putting them into practice, having no sense of shame at doing evil, disobeying the monastic code, making oneself like a poisonous snake-head, full of the fires of greed, anger, and delusion. I'll go get it myself.' Evaluation: Focus exclusively on issues connected with the breath and acquaint yourself with how to let this comfortable breath-sensation spread and co-ordinate with the other breath-sensations in the body. This being the case, they lacked a wide-ranging knowledge of worldly conventions and traditions; and so, with an eye to the benefit of other Buddhists, they were willing to undergo a certain amount of further education. To see the drawbacks of anger in this way can give rise to good will in thought, word, and deed, extending without partiality to all people and living beings throughout the world. f Hiri: feeling shame at the thought of doing evil, not doing evil either in public or in private. 4 Upanissarana: those who desire merit and wisdom; who search for the true principles of the Dhamma and Vinaya; who set their hearts on studying with reverence and respect, and conduct themselves in line with what they have learned; who aim for the merit and wisdom offered by Buddhism, for the path leading to release from suffering; who rightly follow the Lord Buddha's teachings, i.e., —, c Patimokkhe ca samvaro: They stay well within the precepts of the Patimokkha and don't disobey the injunctions of the Vinaya — like good citizens, desired by the nation, who stay within the bounds of the government's laws. Furthermore, we as Thai people are known throughout the world as Buddhists, but my feeling is that there are very few of us who know the standards of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. This is what is meant by straightforward conduct. Even though the Dhamma lies within us, we can't get any use from it and thus will suffer for a long time to come, like the boys who ruined their father's fire-starter and so had to go without food. On the internal level, we should all as a group disperse shoddiness from our thoughts, words, and deeds. “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha Thus, delusion with regard to all three time periods is called avijja: counterfeit knowledge, falling short of the four genuine Truths. What a bunch of fools you are! As a result, the boys didn't get anything to eat the entire day. All four of these Noble Truths already exist in the world, but ordinarily are hard to perceive because they show us only their images or reflections. A person of little intelligence will use bark to build himself a home; a person of medium intelligence will use sapwood; while a person of sharp intelligence will build his home of heartwood. ARE YOU READY FOR TRANSFORMATION OF YOUR LIFE ? They get no benefit from the light of the sun and moon or the light of fire; and being blind, they then go about proclaiming to those who can see, that there is no sun, no moon, and no brightness to the world. There are three levels to the Dhamma, the teachings of the Buddha —. We'll become uncivilized savages, not knowing whether the Sangha is good or bad, and we'll end up like the villagers who didn't know where the sound of the conch came from. I go to the Buddha for refuge. Finally, the remains of the carcasses sank deep into the sea; and at that point, the crow decided that the time had come to fly back to shore. 3 Vimutti: purity and release from mental defilement: This is the essence of 'Buddha-ratanam,' the gem of the Buddha. On another level, being possessive of the dhamma can refer to holding on to the unskillful qualities (akusala-dhamma) within us; being unwilling to rid ourselves of such evils as greed, anger, delusion, pride, conceit, or any of the other fermentations of defilement; clinging to these things without searching for the techniques, called the Path, for relinquishing them, i.e. b. We'll then meet with what's truly good, like rice: If you cook good, clean, husked white rice, you'll eat with pleasure. This refers to following fifteen procedures (carana-dhamma) —. For Bodhisattvas to succeed in this direction, they have to devote themselves to perfecting ten virtues —. And furthermore, such a person will have to come back as an angry ghost, lolling its tongue and rolling its eyes, to frighten its children and grandchildren. n Tatiya-jhana: the third jhana, composed of two factors — pleasure and singleness of preoccupation. If, however, we suffer from a disease, such as a wound, but don't know how to treat it — simply wanting it to heal and using whatever medicine we can lay our hands on, without knowing whether it's right or wrong (this is termed craving and ignorance) — the wound will only worsen, for the medicine we take isn't right for the disease. So you are taught to focus the mind on a single preoccupation: This can be called 'holding in your hands' — i.e., holding the mind in the middle — or concentration. The aspects of the Buddha might be compared to these three sorts of jewels. (The moment in which the enemies of the body — impure properties — disband and disappear is termed 'sankhata-lakkhana-nirodha,' conditioned disbanding. Truth can be compared to salt: If we try to keep food, like vegetables or fish, without salting it, it soon turns rotten and wormy, making it unfit for human consumption. As for the monks and novices, they throw the responsibility on the lay people, and so we do nothing but keep throwing it back and forth like this. The word Sangha, if translated as a substantive, refers to those who have ordained and are wearing the yellow robe. The mind is completely at peace, with a brilliance streaming in all directions. To be intent on restraining ourselves in this way is called closing off evil words so that they don't have a chance to arise. Only things that have no bearing on us should we leave to others. Theories, views, and conceits disappear. The brilliance of the mind arises from the power of mindfulness focused on all four of the great frames of reference: body, feelings, mind, and mental qualities. Traditionally, the holy day of Saga Dawa Düchen is observed through practice, generosity, and the performance of meritorious deeds. Some people can even see other levels of being with their clairvoyant powers (one way of proving whether death is followed by rebirth or annihilation, and whether or not there really are other levels of being). I ask only that they respect their religion sincerely and rightly, for the sake of true purity. Thus I ask all Buddhists not to turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to these problems. Anyone who receives such an offering and clings to it as really being his own is like a person who collects coconut pulp or sugar cane pulp from which others have already squeezed and drunk the juice. Just move your mouse on the stars above and click as per your rating. The body is completely at peace, like a factory at rest. These images can either qualify or be disqualified as symbols of the Buddha, depending on the people who revere them, but the images in themselves are neutral. The breath gives rise to an energy that is pure white. But for the Buddha to know them, he had to start out with the reflections that appear, before he was able to trace them back to the real thing. This, briefly, is what avijja means. Sangham saranam gacchami The first line means to take refuge first and foremost in Amida Buddha who is the central Buddha in Jodo Shinshu. Guna-sampatti: the inner qualifications — virtue and truth — of those worthy meditators who are held to be the field of merit for the world. 3 Sima-sampatti: The place in which the ordination is held has had its boundaries properly defined. 3 Iddhividhi: the ability to display a variety of supra-normal powers. But in any case we're better off than people without a home. Here I would like to tell another story to illustrate what it means not to know the virtues of the Sangha. d. Right Action: being true to our duties, not acting in ways that would be corrupt or bring harm to ourselves or others. A person without the qualities that provide refuge and shelter is like a person without a home — a delinquent or a vagrant — who is bound to wander shiftlessly about. So if anything in this book is defective — in terms of the expression or the Pali — I hope that knowledgeable people will forgive me, for it's not the case that I'm expert in a wide range of matters. When these reach saturation point, if you then want to give rise to knowledge, shift your awareness so that it dilates slightly, and the important skills that arise from the power of the mind — such as the Eight Skills — will appear, i.e.,: 2 Manomayiddhi: the ability to achieve one's aims through the power of thought. The power of good will brings good to everyone — just as food that contains the nutrients needed by people brings health and contentment to all who eat it; or as fertilizer with the proper nutrients can cause plants and trees to grow, give fruit, and so be of use to people and other living beings. These qualities, briefly put, are —. The fourth son went over and, seeing the two halves lying there, shaved them down into thin strips to find the fire in them but didn't see any fire at all. Dhammam saranam gacchami I go to the Dhamma for refuge Sangham saranam gacchami I go to the Sangha for refuge. f Asavakkhaya-ñana: the awareness that does away with the fermentation of defilement. Stream-winners are not attached to any external practices dealing with actions or manners. They have attained the noble quality of having closed off completely the four states of deprivation. — Rukkhamulagato va: or living under the shade of a tree, in a cave, or under an overhanging cliff face, so as to aid the heart in attaining concentration. This is what it means to adhere to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha irrationally. This is what it means to close off all four states of deprivation. Another comparison: The sages of the past used the term 'Buddha-ratana,' comparing the Buddha to a jewel. Novices will become sham novices, careless, spattered, and filthy; and monks (phra) will become goats (phae), missing out on the flavor of the Dhamma, like the nanny goat who has to go hungry because her milk has been taken and drunk by people more intelligent than she. As soon as he runs out of money, he's in for trouble: His friends and companions are sure to act as if they don't recognize him; and he can't turn to his family and relatives because he doesn't know who they are. This is termed 'asesa-viraga-nirodha,' utter disbanding and dispassion. So he asked his sons about it, and they told him how they had looked for fire in the bamboo tube without finding any. i Uddhacca: restlessness and distraction, being carried away with one's thoughts. As for the duties enjoined by the religion, they are two: 2 Vipassana-dhura: the practice of tranquillity and insight meditation. But no matter what sort of jewels we use to dress up in, we're better off than savages who go around hanging bones from their necks, who look unkempt and — what's more — are bound to be haunted by the bones they wear. This can be illustrated with a story: Once in a village by the seaside, there came a time of unbalance in the natural elements, and large numbers of the livestock — the water buffaloes — died of the plague. And when this is the case, he is disqualified as a symbol of the Sangha. Once they have reached this goal, they are termed 'Buddhas,' Awakened Ones. g Ottappa: having a sense of dread at the thought of doing evil. To reach the quality of deathlessness is like dressing in diamonds from head to toe. Whatever is already good, we should maintain with respect. In this case, we can infer that we shouldn't make distinctions based on faction, nationality, color, or race, because the Buddha taught that a person's worth comes not from his or her birth, but from the goodness of his or her own actions; or, as we say, 'Those who do good will meet with good, those who do evil will meet with evil.' So the third son came over for a look and, since he didn't see any fire, he took a knife to cut the tube in half but still didn't see any fire. For example, when some angry demons take possession, they like to run around naked, harassing other people. For instance, his bones, which have become relics, are still with us even though he gained total liberation a long time ago. Here we will discuss how to give rise to the first jhana. 2 Buddha-guna: the qualities that form the inner symbol of the Buddha, i.e., the proper practice of his teachings. Actually, our body comes for the most part from the bodies of other animals — the food we've eaten — so how can we seriously take it to be our own? When the enemies of the mind — i.e., the five Hindrances — disappear completely, leaving the mind radiant and clear, that is termed 'bhujissaka-nirodha,' disbanding in a state of dependency.). The virtues of the Sangha are subtle, deep, and hard to perceive. For jhana to arise, these three factors have to be brought to bear on the same breath sensation. We should abandon this attachment so that we can enter the lineage of the Noble Ones. As he was about to reach the village, he stopped to rest under the shade of a tree and picked up his conch to practice for a moment. Members of the conventional Sangha, with regard to the way they conduct themselves, fall into four groups —. Whatever religion this may be is up to the individual adherents. b Cutupapata-ñana: knowledge of where living beings are reborn — on refined levels or base — after they die. So they had the first son go get some fire to start it up again. A. So when you begin, you should develop the three above-mentioned factors as much as possible, and the mind will then be able to go on to the second jhana. Otherwise, you won't have a refuge or shelter. (This can include the ability to know the languages of living beings in general.). In other words, this is a community and a state of worthiness open to all who put the following principles into practice —. With this in mind, he flew to the north, but didn't see land. Singleness of preoccupation: Let the mind become one, at rest with the breath, not straying away to other objects. All he saw were two bamboo chips but he didn't know what to do with them. If we don't disregard the things we see, we'll meet the four Truths mentioned above. ( Log Out / This is bahira-jhana, concentration outside of the Buddha's teachings, incapable of giving rise to liberating insight. Change ), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). d Mattaññuta ca bhattasmim: They have a sense of moderation in searching for and using the four necessities of life. The pure aspect of their heart will never again become defiled. Stuck where they are, such people are unwilling to change their ways so as to accord with the principles of the doctrine. Buddhists who revere the Buddha in the full sense of the word should have two sorts of symbols with them, to serve as reminders of their tradition —. Even people who use them as charms in committing robbery, casting spells, or performing black magic may get results because of the power of their conviction. If we were to classify their ways of practice, there would be three: To put the world first means to practice for the sake of such worldly rewards as prestige, material gains, praise, and sensual pleasures. Those of us who aren't acquainted with the brightness of the Dhamma — 'Dhammo padipo' — lying within us, who don't believe that the Dhamma has value for ourselves and others, are lacking in discernment, like the boys looking for fire in the bamboo tube.
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