• General
• Theravada Tipitaka
• Plant raw Vegan Broccoli, peppers, cucumbers, carrots

• January 2023
• December 2022
• November 2022
• October 2022
• September 2022
• August 2022
• July 2022
• June 2022
• May 2022
• April 2022
• March 2022
• February 2022
• January 2022
• December 2021
• November 2021
• October 2021
• September 2021
• August 2021
• July 2021
• June 2021
• May 2021
• April 2021
• March 2021
• February 2021
• January 2021
• December 2020
• November 2020
• October 2020
• September 2020
• August 2020
• July 2020
• June 2020
• May 2020
• April 2020
• March 2020
• February 2020
• January 2020
• December 2019
• November 2019
• October 2019
• September 2019
• August 2019
• July 2019
• June 2019
• May 2019
• April 2019
• March 2019
• February 2019
• January 2019
• December 2018
• November 2018
• October 2018
• September 2018
• August 2018
• July 2018
• June 2018
• May 2018
• April 2018
• March 2018
• February 2018
• January 2018
• December 2017
• November 2017
• October 2017
• September 2017
• August 2017
• July 2017
• June 2017
• May 2017
• April 2017
• March 2017
• February 2017
• January 2017
• December 2016
• November 2016
• October 2016
• September 2016
• August 2016
• July 2016
• June 2016
• May 2016
• April 2016
• March 2016
• February 2016
• January 2016
• December 2015
• November 2015
• October 2015
• September 2015
• August 2015
• July 2015
• June 2015
• May 2015
• April 2015
• March 2015
• February 2015
• January 2015
• December 2014
• November 2014
• October 2014
• September 2014
• August 2014
• July 2014
• June 2014
• May 2014
• April 2014
• March 2014
• February 2014
• January 2014
• December 2013
• November 2013
• October 2013
• September 2013
• August 2013
• July 2013
• June 2013
• May 2013
• April 2013
• March 2013
• February 2013
• January 2013
• December 2012
• November 2012
• October 2012
• September 2012
• August 2012
• July 2012
• June 2012
• May 2012
• April 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011
• August 2011
• July 2011
• June 2011
• May 2011
• April 2011
• March 2011
• February 2011
• January 2011
• December 2010
• November 2010
• October 2010
• September 2010
• August 2010
• July 2010
• June 2010
• May 2010
• April 2010
• March 2010
• February 2010
• January 2010
• December 2009
• November 2009
• October 2009
• September 2009
• August 2009
• July 2009
• June 2009
• May 2009
• April 2009
• March 2009
• February 2009
• January 2009
• December 2008
• November 2008
• October 2008
• September 2008
• August 2008
• July 2008
• June 2008
• May 2008
• April 2008
• March 2008
• January 2008
• December 2007
• November 2007
• October 2007
• September 2007
• August 2007
• July 2007

• Login
• Podcasts
• RSS
• Comments RSS

51) Classical Indonesian

For The Gain of The Many and For The Welfare of The Many

Tirathna Parayana (“taking the Triple Gem as the supreme resort

Wherever there’s the religion, it’s cool and peaceful. Wherever a person practicing the religion is lacking, it’s hot and troubled. If there’s no religion, the mind is as hot as fire. Whenever there’s the religion — mindfulness and discernment — investigating, looking after the mind, the mind is cool.

Tushar An expert in Dhamma isn’t an expert in eating

This is a tactic in teaching monks to practice the Dhamma ‘rukkhamula-senasanam’ — under the shade of trees, in the mountains, in the forest, in lonely places where it’s scary — ahara-sappaya, where the food is amenable. ‘Amenable’ here means that it doesn’t disrupt the body, that it isn’t harmful or toxic to the body; and that it doesn’t disrupt the mind as well. ‘Amenable food’ means nothing but rice sometimes, or just a little food, so that our meditation goes well. It’s amenable for those intent on the Dhamma.

But those of us who are intent on nourishing the stomach for the sake of the body can’t do this at all. Otherwise we’ll die — don’t say I didn’t warn you. Normally if we eat a lot, with nothing but good dishes to eat, then we sleep like pigs. How can this be amenable? It’s amenable for the defilements, not for winning the Dhamma. It’s amenable for the affairs of defilements and the affairs of pigs.

The Lord Buddha lived in a royal palace — for how long? — and then left it to take up the homeless life. Who ever suffered more than he? ‘Buddha’ — Awakening — tends to arise in situations like that. His disciples came from all sorts of families — the families of kings, financiers, landowners — listen to this — wealthy people. When they went out to become ’sons of the Sakyan, sons of the victorious Buddha,’ how did they live? ‘If we’re going to die, then we die. We’re not going to worry or be bothered with anything at all except for the Dhamma.’ There! They gained the Dhamma in difficult places, just like the Buddha.

So which way are we going to take? The Buddha has already shown us the way. The Dhamma arises in that sort of place — in tight spots where things are difficult. The Dhamma arises from a heap of suffering. If there’s no heap of suffering, then mindfulness and discernment don’t arise. If we don’t think, we don’t gain mindfulness and discernment. The Dhamma doesn’t appear. If there’s a lot of stress, it’s a whetstone for discernment, which probes for clear insight into the affairs of stress. This way we can live through it and come out superlative people.

So then. Evam.

From

bhikkhu0@gmail.com

Friends:

Those heavily blinded by Ignorance takes Animal Rebirth!

Because of greed one is reborn in eggs of geese, doves & other animals
obsessed by great passion like in the womb of a rhinoceros.. .
Because of ignorance one is reborn in the eggs of insects and worms.
Because of hate one is reborn as snake. Because of pride and obduracy,
one is reborn as lion. Because of arrogance & narcissism one is reborn in
the wombs of donkeys and dogs. If miserly & discontented one creates
rebirth as a monkey. If foulmouthed, faithless & shameless one is reborn
as crow. Those flogging, chaining & injuring elephants, horses, & buffalos
become spiders, scorpions, & stinging insects of cruel character. Those who
are flesh-eating, angry, & fiery are reborn after death as tigers, jackals,
cats, sharks, vultures, wolves & the like. Those who are generous givers,
but angry & cruel become Nāgas = snake-demons  of great iddhi-power…
Any deliberate wrongdoing in thought, speech &/or action can produce
rebirth as animal. Therefore should one shun all ever that is wrongdoing.. .

Source (edited extract):
PañcagatidÄ«panÄ«  by Ashvaghosa & Saddhammaghosa: 11-12th century AC.
Tr. by Ann A. Hazlewood. Journal of the Pāli Text Society. Vol. XI 1987:
http://www.pariyatt i.com/book. cgi?prod_ id=132714

From

lalitkhandare@yahoo.co.uk

http://atrocitynews .wordpress. com/

The congrgation mainly coming from Indian buddhist backgound then entered in Dr Ambedkar gardern located in the centre of the city where the demand charter was read out by the conveynors. The charter implores Indian government to intiate support the cause. Ambedkarie generally come from 25% of Indian population which iteslef is big pressure block in world political system. The peaceful protest couminated with monks giving guiding notice to the monb in front of Dr Ambedkar Statue.

Pic015: Marching ahead; restoring World order

And then was ultimate time for mob to pay tribute to monks people who died in the peaceful fight for democracy. This was the touching scene. 

Pic016: Monks right there

Pic018: We, the people! Govt of India hear this!

From

nirapirikai@yahoo.co.in

If you are a Original Inhabitant of The Great Prabuddha Bharath(SC/ST) it becomes very difficult now to prove it in Tamilnadu.

The state government has issued a new GO creating district level and state level committees to scrutinise the caste certificates issued to SC/ST people. If a Original Inhabitant of The Great Prabuddha Bharat wants to join in an educational institution or a job he has to apply for the verification of his caste certificate six months in advance.

Tamilnadu government has issued GO No 108 on 12.09.2007 constituting district and state level committees. District collector, district level SC welfare officer and an anthropologist will be nominated to the District level committee to look after the SC certificates.

Secretary for the SC/ST welfare department, Director/commission er and an Anthropologist will be part of the state level committee to scrutinise the ST certificates. If you find any discrepancies over the decision of the committee, you have to appeal before the High Court.

Already the Original Inhabitants of The Great Prabuddha Bharathare facing numerous hurdles to get admissions in educational institutions. In the age of privatisation finding a job is very difficult. By issuing this GO the Tamilnadu government has pushed the Original Inhabitant of The Great Prabuddha Bharath into inescapable situation.

Ravikumar
MLA,Viduthalai Chiruthaikal( DPI)
Tamilnadu

The easiest and surest way to over come such problem is to go the Uttar Pradesh way. Original Inhabitant of The Great Prabuddha Bharath must unite ’ For The Gain of The Many and For The Welfare of The Many’ through their own empowerment and by freeing themselves from the slavery of the Stooges of The Invaders’ cults.

From

nishikantwaghmare@gmail.com

Why not this way?

The Easiest and Surest way is that all the Original Inhabitants of the Great Prabuddha Bharath take Dhikshas. And the Invders’ Cults could also follow suit for the gain of the many and for the welfare of the many. For this to happen Empowerment is the master key.

A seven-day workshop is held for batches of 30s where young priests learn about the various cults of the Invaders, like Vaishnavism and Shaivaism, along with the methodology of conducting pujas and punaskaras, the meaning of prayers, various customs, traditions and the evolution of Invader’s cult. 

“The onus of keeping alive the age-old Invader’s Cult is on the priests,” executive officer of TTD K V Ramanachari said. 

After the navaratri brahmotsavams (dusshera), TTD would be sending out letters informing about the programme to endowment officers of all states. “We will bear the expenses of travel, accommodation and the workshop,” Bhuman said. 

TTD, considered to be the most popular pilgrimage centre in India, has been worried about the Dhiksha of the Original Inhabitants of The Great Prabuddha Bharath into Christianity and other religions, especially in the villages surrounding the temple. Many Invaders Cults have staged protests urging TTD to initiate measures to prevent Dhikshas.

In a historic move to prevent scheduled castes and tribes from Dhikshs into Buddhism, TTD has begun performing the wedding ceremony of Lord Balaji and goddess Padmavati in a Original Inhabitants of The Great Prabuddha Bharath village every month”Original Inhabitants of The Great Prabuddha Bharath have been discriminated against for years. This alienation has lead to religious Dhikshas. We have to make them feel that they are the Original Inhabitants of The Great Prabuddha Bharath,” said TTD chairman B Karunakara Reddy.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1125802&pageid=2DNA- Mumbai Saturday, October 6, 2007.

 To

The Editor DNA,Mumbai

 From:Nishikant Waghmare, Mumbai.

Dear Sir,

The DNA of October 6, 2007 has a DNA India page 13 article on Tirupathi  temple,India’s richest temple and now they wish to preserve and keep alive age old tradition and prevent Dhikshas of Original Inhabitants of The Great Prabuddha Bharath. I wish to send this open letter to  Mr. B. Karunakara Reddy, Chariman Tirumala Tirupati Devsthanam ,through your News paper and Millions of Readers world wide. Kindly publish this letter.Thank you.

Original Inhabitants of The Great Prabuddha Bharath or untouchables are still considered outcasts in India and remain impoverished, discriminated against and segregated. Although the practice of “Untouchability” was abolished in 1950, it remains and is very much alive in India. The caste system in India is over 2,000 years old and is tied with the religion of Invader’s Cult, so it is not going down easy. India has one of the world’s largest democracies but the Original Inhabitants of The Great Prabuddha Bharath or so called “untouchables” do not generally feel that they have been given fair treatment.

Roshan Kesare, Subash Rajamane and 3 others like MasterClass.

MasterClass

Sp
S
on
S
so
S
red
S
·
Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet teaches the art of writing for the stage and screen.

masterclass.com
Start Your Free Trial
Learn from the Pulitzer Prize winner.
Learn More
77

Like
CommentShare
More stories
Chat (60)
More stories loaded.
People who have reacted

All 134
88
34
12
Close

Vikram Satish
7 mutual friends

FriendFriends

Palani Velu
1 mutual friend

Tej Poonacha
1 mutual friend

Vimala Vimala
1 mutual friend

Charan Cherry
1 mutual friend

Vinod Kumar
1 mutual friend

Nisar Nisar
1 mutual friend

Rikshitha Singh
1 mutual friend

Sharanya Venkatesh
1 mutual friend

Bhagavath Bhagi
1 mutual friend

Shanmugam K Shanmugam K
1 mutual friend

Shiv Ranjini Shiv
1 mutual friend

Murali Dev
1 mutual friend

Suresh Babu Suresh
1 mutual friend

Tarun Agrawal
1 mutual friend

Jyo Pariyar
1 mutual friend

Philip Rio
1 mutual friend

Priyesh Nayak
1 mutual friend

Manu Prasad
1 mutual friend

Binodh Kumar
1 mutual friend

Meghana Naidu
1 mutual friend

Monica Dhanapal
1 mutual friend

Suresh K Soori
1 mutual friend

Grace Victor
1 mutual friend

Basavaraja Indhu
1 mutual friend

Prem Kumar
1 mutual friend

Suhail Shaik
1 mutual friend

Manjunath Reddy
1 mutual friend

Eshen Eshwaran Eshen Eshwaran
2 mutual friends

Hema Hemavathi
1 mutual friend

Aishwarya Aishu
1 mutual friend

Bhavani Vani
1 mutual friend

Surendran Srinivasan
1 mutual friend

Arushi Pandey
1 mutual friend

Dk Raju
1 mutual friend

Rajesh Rajes
5 mutual friends

Nissy Philip
1 mutual friend

Dr-Ashok Kumar Ljp
4 mutual friends

Swetha Bettu
1 mutual friend

Joyce D Costa
1 mutual friend

Mohan Maddy
1 mutual friend

Choreographer Dinesh
1 mutual friend

Rakesh Brishan
1 mutual friend

Tejas A Reddy
1 mutual friend

Vinod U Kumar
1 mutual friend

Jayapal Venkatswaye
1 mutual friend

Vedhansh Kolekar
1 mutual friend

Shanthakumar Pskumar
1 mutual friend

Vinod Kumar
2 mutual friends

Meghana Prakash
1 mutual friend

Anju Moni Borah
1 mutual friend

Santhosh Santhu Selvaraj
1 mutual friend

Vijay Ragavan
3 mutual friends

Lourd Vincent
2 mutual friends

Alexander A
1 mutual friend

Thyagaraj Pavallur
1 mutual friend

Satish Satish
1 mutual friend

Ashwini Ramesh
1 mutual friend

Praveen Jason
1 mutual friend

Rohini Nagaraj
1 mutual friend

Kumar Cr
1 mutual friend

Sneha Deekaram
1 mutual friend

Chandan Veraj
2 mutual friends

Sudha Kalyan
2 mutual friends

Haran Giri
1 mutual friend

SBalajiyoges Kumar
1 mutual friend

ದಚ್ಚು ಅಭಿಮಾನಿ ಅಭಿಷೇಕ
1 mutual friend

Dhanraj Dhanu
1 mutual friend

Somanath Kumar
1 mutual friend

Kavi Kavitha
1 mutual friend

Praveen Dancer
1 mutual friend

Charan Das
1 mutual friend

Nixon Nixon
1 mutual friend

Ragu Veer
1 mutual friend

Vaibhav Rock
1 mutual friend

Vinod Dasan
1 mutual friend

Swathi Nav
1 mutual friend

Santhosh Choreographer
1 mutual friend

Vignesh Bushu
1 mutual friend

Tamil Selvam
1 mutual friend

Shreemurali Reddy
2 mutual friends

Mohan Arvind
2 mutual friends

Rakshith Venkatesh
1 mutual friend

Sherel Jeniffer
1 mutual friend

Vinay Kumar DH
1 mutual friend

Raghavendra RM
1 mutual friend

Shanmugam Nair
1 mutual friend

Priya Mundadan
1 mutual friend

Bharathi Shekar
4 mutual friends

Akilesh Reddy
1 mutual friend

Ravi Doddiah
3 mutual friends

Variety Bala
1 mutual friend

Prabhu Jack Dancer
2 mutual friends

Leo Stephen Vincent
3 mutual friends

Florence Stephen
3 mutual friends

Parikshith V Agastya
1 mutual friend

Abhishek Agarwal
1 mutual friend

Suresh Babu
1 mutual friend

Vishruth Rohan Reddy
1 mutual friend

Tom Madathiparambil
1 mutual friend

Jolly Bastian
2 mutual friends

Fathima Shariff
1 mutual friend

Prabhu Parthiban
1 mutual friend

Aparna Sampath
2 mutual friends

Mysore Sanjeev Kumar
3 mutual friends

Chitra Jo
1 mutual friend

Reshma Jagadish
1 mutual friend

Manjesh Kuruba
1 mutual friend

Vikram Sangli
1 mutual friend

Vasudha Bhat
1 mutual friend

Balaji V P Kamath
1 mutual friend

Gnana Prakash
1 mutual friend

Chandra Kala
1 mutual friend

Dinesh Krishnaswami
1 mutual friend

Mithra Devi
1 mutual friend

Kaushik Shakthivel
1 mutual friend

Soma Shekar
1 mutual friend

Steve Roberts
2 mutual friends

Charu Lee
7 mutual friends

Srilesh S Reddy
1 mutual friend

Devin Chandra Shekar
1 mutual friend

Roopa Raju
1 mutual friend

Mohan Reddy
1 mutual friend

Krupa Anand
1 mutual friend

Rajesh Sati
1 mutual friend

Mahesh Kumar Mc
5 mutual friends

Latha Siva
1 mutual friend

Sathyavathy Prakash
1 mutual friend

Sophia Jessus
1 mutual friend

Akash Singh Rajput
1 mutual friend

Hemanth Hemu
2 mutual friends

Arun Kumar
1 mutual friend

Ajay Samson
1 mutual friend

Riddhi Ramesh
1 mutual friend

Kindada Sutta

A Giver of What
in

A Giver of What

A Giver of What

Buddha

Buddha
Buddha

Buddha

Buddha

Buddha

19) Classical Catalan-Català clàssic
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/164c6b8b88ecc6c0
Wisdom from World Religions New User Registration

Inbox
x

KRose Admin

Jul 23 (2 days ago)

to me

Don’t miss out on Wisdom from World Religions, a free online course

Dear buddhasaid2us ,

Thank you for signing up for the chance to take Wisdom from World
Religions. I’m excited to invite you on this adventure into the spirit,
and to get you started.

You can log into Wisdom from World Religions with the username and password below:

Portal Website Address: https://wisdomfromworldreligions.com/
Username: buddhasaid2us

I look forward to seeing you at the beginning of the course on June 4th or August 13th! Thank you again.

Warmly,

Professor Ken Rose

2691 & 2692 Tue & Wed 23 & 24 Jul LESSON (38) LESSON Tue Aug 2 2007

Kindada Sutta

A Giver of What
in

A Giver of What

A Giver of What

Buddha

Buddha
Buddha

Buddha

Buddha

Buddha

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/164c6b8b88ecc6c0
Wisdom from World Religions New User Registration

Inbox
x

KRose Admin

Jul 23 (2 days ago)

to me

Don’t miss out on Wisdom from World Religions, a free online course

Dear buddhasaid2us ,

Thank you for signing up for the chance to take Wisdom from World
Religions. I’m excited to invite you on this adventure into the spirit,
and to get you started.

You can log into Wisdom from World Religions with the username and password below:

Portal Website Address: https://wisdomfromworldreligions.com/
Username: buddhasaid2us

I look forward to seeing you at the beginning of the course on June 4th or August 13th! Thank you again.

Warmly,

Professor Ken Rose

com

The Awakened One

As she was standing to one side, a devata recited this verse to the Blessed One:

Having killed what
do you sleep in ease?
Having killed what
do you not grieve?
Of the slaying
of what one thing
does Gotama approve?

[The Buddha:]

Having killed anger
you sleep in ease.
Having killed anger
you do not grieve.
The noble ones praise
the slaying of anger
— with its honeyed crest
& poison root —
for having killed it
you do not grieve.

2690 Mon 23 Jul LESSON (37) LESSON Mon Aug 1 2007

True Practice o The Awakened One

At the End of One’s Rope

Wherever there’s the religion, it’s cool and peaceful. Wherever a person practicing the religion is lacking, it’s hot and troubled. If there’s no religion, the mind is as hot as fire. Whenever there’s the religion — mindfulness and discernment — investigating, looking after the mind, the mind is cool.

When we first begin suppressing the rebels in the mind, we suffer — because for the most part we’re defeated by them — but at least we still have the strength to fight with them. Even though we may lose out to them sometimes, it’s better than groveling before them in abject surrender with no way of putting up a fight at all.

The practice in the area of the mind falls into stages — and there are bound to be stages where it’s complicated and difficult. Especially at the beginning: It’s difficult in that we can’t see beginnings or ends, causes or effects. We don’t understand anything at all. When we take the rudiments of Dhamma we have gained from the texts or our teachers and put them into practice, sometimes right, sometimes wrong, this is when it’s very difficult. The desire to know and see is very strong, but the mind isn’t willing to comply.

This is one kind of anxiety I’ve been through myself. It overflowed the mind. To put it simply, it was as if the desire to see and know the Dhamma in the mind was ready to overflow its banks. But when practicing, the mind didn’t comply with the desire to know and see — and that had me upset and disappointed. Sometimes I’d be sitting and the tears would flow because of my self-recriminations: ‘You don’t have any potential to speak of. You’ve ordained simply to be a dead weight on the religion. Here you are sitting in meditation and can’t find a way in or a way out. You’re just sitting buried in a heap of suffering.’ The mind would think in all sorts of ways out of self-pity — that I was a hopeless case, that I didn’t have any potential to speak of, didn’t have the potential for the extraordinary levels of Dhamma, didn’t have any potential at all — total confusion!

Actually, my practice wasn’t yet right. I was aiming at the results — the income — without paying attention to whether I was doing the work right or wrong. The desire was strong, but when it wasn’t fulfilled, it caused suffering. Had I paid some attention to whether my practice was right or wrong, I might have come to my senses enough to have evaluated things, to have abandoned some of my bullheaded attachments, or to have cut back on my desires so that the suffering would have become lighter.

But whenever I’d meditate, whatever I’d focus on, all I wanted was to know and see the paths, the fruitions, and nibbana in line with what I imagined them to be — heaven was like this, the Brahma worlds were like that, nibbana was like this. I’d imagine. Speculate. The desire was fierce. I wanted to know, to see, to gain release from suffering, but my practice wasn’t making any headway. All there was, was simple desire: I would simply sit wanting, lie down wanting, walk wanting, stand wanting. I’d sit in meditation — wanting — but the mind wasn’t working at its meditation. It just wanted. I’d be doing walking meditation, but the mind simply wanted — so much so that I’d forget what I was doing. I wasn’t getting any results because there weren’t enough of the causes that would bring about the things I aimed for, so how could I have reached the goal I aimed for? This is something I’ve been through. The work of meditation struck me as being more difficult than any other work.

I’d be meditating, ‘buddho, buddho, buddho,’ but the desire would always be getting in the way — because I wanted to know, I wanted the mind to be like this or that, and so I’d get engrossed in my desires and forget my work of meditation until I didn’t know where ‘buddho’ had gone. As a result, I didn’t get anywhere at all. I was constantly feeling dreary and disappointed. This is the way things always were in the mind.

But even so, this wasn’t anything compared to the stage at which the mind regressed. When the mind regresses, it’s really upsetting because you used to see results. You used to gain a sense of ease, mental stillness, and peace appearing clearly as a solid foundation in the mind, but now it’s deteriorated. This makes the mind really agitated — so much so that there is nothing to hold it in check. Luckily, though, in spite of my agitation, I didn’t retreat. I was simply determined to see things through. I wasn’t willing to retreat or to slacken my efforts.

The reason why the mind regressed and couldn’t make a comeback was the same sort of thing: desire, nothing mysterious. The mind wanted to know and see as it had before, but its work wasn’t coordinated or continuous. All there was, was desire. No matter how much you desire, it doesn’t give any results, because that would go against the principle of causality. If you don’t make the causes as complete as they should be, how can you expect to know as you want? You can’t. Sitting, I’d be agitated. Lying down, I’d be agitated. I’d go into the forest, into the mountains, when the mind had regressed, and nothing was any good at all. I couldn’t figure it out.

Of the anxieties I’ve felt in my life as a monk, the anxiety I felt during that period was the worst. I was agitated because of my desire to attain. I was upset because the mind had regressed and nothing I could do would bring it back. At first it had regressed just a little bit and then it kept regressing, regressing until it was all gone. Nothing was left, not one red cent. It was as if I had never meditated at all.

When I’d sit in this state, I was as agitated as if I were on fire — because of the desire. The disappointment that my attainments had floated away and disappeared, plus the desire to get them back: These two things came thronging in at the same time and so were really strong. Wherever I stayed was unsatisfactory and no help at all. Even though I was suffering, I would simply keep suffering. I didn’t know any way out. Even though I wanted, I would simply keep wanting. I didn’t know how to get my concentration back. All there was, was desire — regret for the things that had once appeared to my surprise and amazement but now were gone. There was nothing but disappointment filling the mind, nothing but simple desire, and it couldn’t bring back the Dhamma that had disappeared. Finally I came to feel despair — for everything. This was when the mind gave up on its desire.

As for the results I had wanted, well, I had wanted them for a long time. As for the suffering, I had suffered immensely because of the desires, but hadn’t gained anything from them. So now I wouldn’t have anything to do with them. I’d throw them all out. If I was going to know, I’d know. If not, so be it. All I was after was ‘buddho.’ Whatever the mind was going to think, I wouldn’t be willing to let mindfulness lapse. ‘Get with it, then. Can it really be that I’m not going to know? Whatever’s going to happen, I’m ready for it.’

As soon as I gave up on my desires, they were no longer so fierce, and so the suffering gradually lessened. I set my mind on my work. Wherever I was, I’d keep repeating, ‘buddho, buddho, buddho.’ It had always been a trait with me to be earnest: Whatever I’d do, I would really do it and wouldn’t just play around. Now I got to see this trait in action. I didn’t let up in my repetition of ‘buddho.’ Whether walking or doing my chores, I wouldn’t be willing to let it lapse. I’d keep making the effort. While sweeping the monastery compound, I would try to keep up my guard — until the mind let its work lapse for a moment. I was alert to the fact, and the mind got right back to work. ‘There. Now that’s the way it should be.’

After giving up its desires, the mind was no longer involved with the past. It stayed in the circle of the present and would do nothing but repeat or meditate on ‘buddho.’ Whether or not it would get any results would depend on what ‘buddho’ would grant. Finally the mind became still, and ‘buddho’ was no longer necessary, so I could let go of the meditation word at that moment — and at that point the mind was willing to settle down. Before, it hadn’t been willing.

When the mind had settled down in stillness, there was no need to repeat the word ‘buddho.’ All that remained was simple awareness — clear and conspicuous — so the mind stayed with that simple awareness. As soon as it withdrew, I would start pumping ‘buddho’ back in. I had no hopes, because I had already hoped in the past. I had no hopes for what would happen, no hopes for what the results would be. I had already hoped in the past, and it hadn’t given me any decent results at all. I had seen the harm of hopes — the sort of hollow, unreasonable hopes that won’t do the work and look only for the results.

So, now I was going to do nothing but work, nothing but work: repeating ‘buddho’ without letting up even for a moment. Once the mind had received proper nourishment and care, it became still — gradually more and more still, more and more steady, until it reached the level it had been before it had visibly regressed.

What was strange was that when it reached its old level, I still abandoned my hopes. ‘If it’s going to regress, let it regress. I’ve had enough of trying to resist it by using desire, which hasn’t served any purpose, not the least little bit. So, however the mind is going to regress, let it regress, but I won’t abandon “buddho.” I’m always going to keep at it.’

When it reached the day when it would normally regress, it didn’t regress! That made me a lot more sure of the causes. So I stepped up the causes — the repetition of ‘buddho’ — even more, without stopping. I would stop only when the mind gathered in stillness. The mind became progressively more and more firm. Wherever I’d sit, it would be bright. Light. Completely clear. I was sure of myself: ‘Now it’s not going to regress.’ After one day, two days, one month, two months, it still didn’t regress.

Before, the mind would regress after two or three days. After two or three days it would come down with a crash, with nothing left to show for itself. I’d have to keep trying to care for it for 14 or 15 days before it would reach its old level, and once it got there it would stay just a day or two and then collapse in a flash, with nothing left at all. All that was left was dreariness and disappointment.

Now: ‘If it’s going to regress, let it regress. I’ve hoped in the past, and it hasn’t served any purpose. All I’m after is this, just this one thing: “buddho.”‘

(Speaking of the suffering when the mind regresses, you really feel a lot of anguish, so much so that you’re ready to surrender. But I was lucky in one way, that the mind didn’t retreat. It was determined to see things through, which was why I was able to bear with it, able to stay. Had the mind become discouraged — ‘It’d be better to stop’ — that would have been the end of me. There would have been nothing more to tell.)

From then on, the mind kept progressing. Month after month, it became more and more stable, more and more firm. As for my meditation word, I wasn’t willing to let up on it. This kept up until the mind was always prominent.

That was when I let the meditation word go. In other words, the awareness of the mind was pronounced, and that was enough for the mind to depend on, so there was no need to rely on any meditation word for further support. The mind fully knew itself and could sustain itself. At this point I didn’t have to repeat any meditation word because the mind was prominent at all times. I would focus right there. Wherever I went, I focused right there. I knew right there, just as I had focused on ‘buddho.’ It could form a fine foundation for the mind. I was sure of myself that:

(1) This foundation had become progressively more and more stable until it was more stable than it had been the first time it had progressed and then regressed.

(2) As for focusing on awareness, when awareness was fully pronounced, I should focus on that without let-up, in the same way I had focused on repeating ‘buddho’ until the mind became more and more refined. This was a foundation for the mind on which I could depend.

From that point on, I really stepped up my efforts. The time I started sitting in meditation all night until dawn came from this point. I started to sit one night, focusing on in, focusing on in, and at first the mind had settled down because it was used to settling down. It settled down easily because it ‘had a good foundation.’ I kept focusing on in, and as long as no enormous pains arose, the meditation went quietly. But when I withdrew, a number of hours had passed, and a huge pain arose, to the point where I almost couldn’t bear it. The mind that had been quiet was totally overturned. Its ‘good foundation’ had collapsed completely. All that was left was pain filling the body — but the mind wasn’t agitated. Strange!

The body was so pained that it was quivering all over. This was the beginning of the hand-to-hand combat in which I was to obtain an important approach — when really severe pain arose unexpectedly that night. I hadn’t yet made up my mind to sit until dawn, you know. I hadn’t made any resolutions or anything at all. I was simply sitting in meditation as usual, as usual, but when the pain arose in full force: ‘Eh? What’s going on here? I’ll have to tackle this feeling so as to see results tonight!’ So I made a resolution in that very moment: ‘Okay, if the time doesn’t come to get up, I won’t get up. I’ll fight until the dawn of the new day. Tonight for once I’m going to investigate pain so as to understand it clearly and distinctly. If I don’t understand it, then even if I die, let me die. Let me find out. So dig down!’ This is when discernment really began to work in earnest.

I had never known, never imagined, never dreamed that discernment would become so sharp when it was at the end of its rope, when it was really cornered with no way out. Discernment really started spinning away. It went out digging, exploring, fighting, determined not to withdraw its troops in retreat. When I was at the end of my rope, discernment arose. This made me realize, ‘We human beings aren’t fated to be stupid forever. When we’re at the end of our rope, we’re sure to manage to find a way to help ourselves.’ So it was then: When I was cornered, overwhelmed by severe pain, mindfulness and discernment probed into the pain.

When pain arises in full force like this, it fills the entire body. At first it started in hot flashes along the backs of my hands and feet, which wasn’t much to speak of, but then when it really flared up into something big, the entire body was ablaze. All the bones, as they were connected, were fuel feeding the fire in every part of the body. It was as if the body were going to fall apart right then and there. The neck bones were going to come apart. Every bone was going to come apart from its connections. My head was going to fall off and hit the floor. When it’s pained, everything is on a par throughout the body. You don’t know where to hold it back enough so that you can breathe, because everywhere there’s nothing but a mass of fire — pain in full force.

When I couldn’t find a safe spot in which to place the mind, mindfulness and discernment dug down into the pain, searching for the spot where the pain was greatest. Wherever the pain was greatest, mindfulness and discernment would investigate and explore right there by ferreting out the pain so as to see clearly, ‘Where does this feeling come from? Who is pained?’ When they asked each part of the body, each of them remained in keeping with its nature. The skin was skin, the flesh was flesh, the tendons were tendons, and so forth. They had been that way from the day of birth, but they hadn’t been painful all along from the day of birth in the same way that they had been flesh and skin from the day of birth. ‘The pain has been arising and vanishing at intervals. It hasn’t been lasting like these parts of the body.’

I focused on down. ‘Each part of the body that’s a physical form is a reality. Whatever is a reality stays that way. Right now where is the feeling arising? If we say that all these things are painful, why is there one point where it’s really severe?’ So I separated things out. At this point, mindfulness and discernment couldn’t slip away anywhere else. They had to run along the areas that hurt, whirling around themselves, separating the feeling from the body, observing the body, observing the feeling, and observing the mind: These three are the important principles.

The mind seemed comfortable. No matter how much pain was arising, the mind wasn’t writhing or suffering or anything. But the pain in the body was clearly very strong. The nature of pain and of whatever defilements we have is that they join together. Otherwise the mind won’t be troubled or affected by the physical pain that’s really severe at that moment. So discernment kept digging down until the body, the feeling, and the mind were all clear, each in line with its individual truth.

The mind was what labeled the feeling as being this or that: This I could see clearly. As soon as this was really clear in this way, the feeling disappeared in a flash. At that moment, the body was simply the body in line with its reality. The feeling was simply a feeling and it disappeared in a flash into the mind. It didn’t go anywhere else. As soon as the feeling disappeared into the mind, the mind knew that the pain had vanished. The pain had vanished as if it had been snapped off and thrown away.

In addition, the body disappeared from my sense of awareness. At that moment, the body didn’t exist in my awareness at all. All that was left was simple awareness, because there was only one thing — awareness — and it was simply aware. That’s all. The mind was so refined that you could hardly describe it. It simply knew, because it was extremely delicate and refined within itself. The body had completely disappeared. Feelings had disappeared. No physical feelings were left at all. The body sitting right there in meditation had disappeared from my awareness.

All that was left was ’simple knowingness,’ without any thoughts being fashioned about this or that. At that point, the mind wasn’t forming any thoughts at all. When it doesn’t form thoughts, we say that nothing at all makes the slightest move. The mind is fixed — firmly fixed in its own solitude. It’s a mind in its simple form, on the level of a mind centered in stillness — but mind you, this doesn’t mean that there was no unawareness.

Unawareness had infiltrated right there, because the mind hadn’t withdrawn from unawareness. The mind and unawareness were quiet together because unawareness didn’t get out to work. When discernment has it surrounded, unawareness shrinks in and hides out, quiet in the heart, like the sediment in the bottom of a water jar.

At that point, I began to feel amazed. There was no pain left. The body had disappeared. Only one thing hadn’t disappeared: an awareness so refined I couldn’t describe it. It simply appeared there. You couldn’t say anything else about it. The thing that simply appeared there: That was the great marvel at that moment. There was no motion in the mind, no rippling, nothing of anything at all. It stayed fixed and still like that until enough time had elapsed and then it moved. The mind began to withdraw and rippled — blip — and then was quiet.

This rippling happens on its own, you know. We can’t intend it. If we intend it, the mind withdraws. What happens is that the mind has had enough, of its own accord. When it ripples in a ‘blip’ like this, it’s aware of the fact. As soon as the ‘blip’ appears, it vanishes. After a moment it ripples — blip — again, and disappears in the same instant. Then

2689 Sun 22 Jul LESSON (36) LESSON Sun Jul 31 I 2007

Spiritual Community of The True Followers of The Path Shown by The Awakened One

IV. The Act of Going for Refuge

To enter the door to the teaching of the Buddha for practice it is not enough merely to know the reference of the refuge-objects. The door of entrance to the practice is the going for refuge to the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. To understand what the refuge-objects mean is one thing, to go to them for refuge is another, and it is the going for refuge alone that constitutes the actual entrance to the dispensation.

But what is the going for refuge? At first glance it would seem to be the formal commitment to the Triple Gem expressed by reciting the formula of refuge, for it is this act which marks the embracing of the Buddha’s practice. Such an understanding, however, would be superficial. The treatises make it clear that the true going for refuge involves much more than the reciting of a pre-established formula. They indicate that beneath the verbal profession of taking refuge there runs concurrently another process that is essentially inward and spiritual. This other process is the mental commitment to the taking of refuge.

The going for refuge, as defined by the commentaries, is in reality an occasion of consciousness: “It is an act of consciousness devoid of defilements, (motivated) by confidence in and reverence for (the Triple Gem), taking (the Triple Gem) as the supreme resort.”3 That the act is said to be “devoid of defilements” stresses the need for sincerity of aim. Refuge is not pure if undertaken with defiled motivation — out of desire for recognition, pride, or fear of blame. The only valid motivation for taking refuge is confidence and reverence directed towards the Triple Gem. The act of consciousness motivated by confidence and reverence occurs “taking the Triple Gem as the supreme resort,” (parayana). That the Triple Gem is taken as the “supreme resort” means that it is perceived as the sole source of deliverance. By turning to the threefold refuge as supreme resort, the going for refuge becomes an act of opening and self-surrender. We drop our defenses before the objects of refuge and open ourselves to their capacity to help. We surrender our ego, our claim to self-sufficiency, and reach out to the refuge-objects in the trust that they can guide us to release from our confusion, turmoil, and pain.

Like any other act of consciousness the going for refuge is a complex process made up of many factors. These factors can be classified by way of three basic faculties: intelligence, volition, and emotion. To bring the act of going for refuge into clearer focus we will take the mental process behind the outer act, divide it by way of these faculties, and see how each contributes to its total character. That is, we will examine the going for refuge as an act of intelligence, will, and emotion.

Before doing this, however, one word of caution is necessary. Any particular phenomenon represents far more than is immediately visible even to a deeply probing inspection. A seed, for example, has a much greater significance than the grain of organic matter that meets the eye. On one side it collects into itself the entire history of the trees that went into its making; on the other it points beyond to the many potential trees locked up in its hull. Similarly the act of consciousness involved in taking refuge represents the crystallization of a vast network of forces extending backwards, forwards, and outwards in all directions. It simultaneously stands for the many lines of experience converging upon its formation out of the dim recesses of the past, and the potential for future lines of development barely adumbrated in its own immediate content. This applies equally to the act of taking refuge as a whole and to each of its constituting factors: both the whole and its parts must be seen as momentary concretions with a vast history, past and future, hidden from our sight. Therefore what emerges out of an analytical scrutiny of the refuge-act should be understood to be only a fraction of what the act implies by way of background and future evolution.

Turning to the act of taking refuge itself, we find in the first place that it is an act of understanding. Though inspired by reverence and trust, it must be guided by vision, by an intelligent perceptivity which protects it from the dangers of blind emotion. The faculty of intelligence steers the act of refuge towards the actualization of its inner urge for liberation. It distinguishes the goal from the distractions, and prevents the aspirant from deviating from his quest for the goal to go in pursuit of futile ends. For this reason we find that in the formulation of the noble eightfold path right view is given first. To follow the path we must see where it leads from, where it goes, and the steps that must be taken to get from the one point to the other.

In its initial form the faculty of intelligence involved in taking refuge comprehends the basic unsatisfactoriness of existence which makes reliance on a refuge necessary. Suffering has to be seen as a pervasive feature infecting our existence at its root, which cannot be eliminated by superficial palliatives but only by a throughgoing treatment. We must come to see further that the causes of our dissatisfaction and unrest lie within ourselves, in our clinging, craving, and delusions, and that to get free from suffering we must follow a course which extinguishes its causes.

The mind also has to grasp the reliability of the refuge-objects. Absolute certainty as to the emancipating power of the teaching can only come later, with the attainment of the path, but already at the outset an intelligent conviction must be established that the refuge-objects are capable of providing help. To this end the Buddha has to be examined by investigating the records of his life and character; his teaching searched for contradictions and irrationalities; and the Sangha approached to see if it is worthy of trust and confidence. Only if they pass these tests can they be considered dependable supports for the achievement of our ultimate aim.

Intelligence comes into play not only with the initial decision to take refuge, but throughout the entire course of practice. The growth of understanding brings a deeper commitment to the refuges, and the deepening of the inner refuge facilitates the growth of understanding. The climax of this process of reciprocal development is the attainment of the supramundane path. When the path arises, penetrating the truth of the teaching, the refuge becomes irreversible, for it has been verified by direct experience.

The going for refuge is also an act of volition. It results from a voluntary decision free from coercion or outside pressures. It is a choice that must be aparappaccaya, “not compelled by others.” This freely chosen act brings about a far-reaching restructuring of volition. Whereas previously the will might have been scattered among a multitude of interests and concerns, when the taking of refuge gains ascendency the will becomes ordered in a unified way determined by the new commitment. The spiritual ideal comes to the center of the inner life, expelling the less crucial concerns and relegating the others to a position subordinate to its own direction. In this way the act of refuge brings to the mind a harmonization of values, which now ascend to and converge upon the fundamental aspiration for deliverance as the guiding purpose of all activity.

The act of taking refuge also effects a deep-seated reversal in the movement of the will. Before refuge is taken the will tends to move in an outward direction, pushing for the extension of its bounds of self-identity. It seeks to gain increasing territory for the self, to widen the range of ownership, control and domination. When refuge is sought in the teaching of the Buddha the ground is laid for this pattern to be undermined and turned around. The Buddha teaches that our drive for self-expansion is the root of our bondage. It is a mode of craving, of grasping and clinging, leading headlong into frustration and despair. When this is understood the danger in egocentric seeking comes to the surface and the will turns in the opposite direction, moving towards renunciation and detachment. The objects of clinging are gradually relinquished, the sense of “I” and “mine” withdrawn from the objects to which it has attached itself. Ultimate deliverance is now seen to lie, not in the extension of the ego to the limits of infinity, but in the utter abolition of the ego-delusion at its base.

The third aspect of going for refuge is the emotional. While going for refuge requires more than emotional fervor, it also cannot come to full fruition without the inspiring upward pull of the emotions. The emotions entering into the refuge act are principally three: confidence, reverence, and love. Confidence (pasada) is a feeling of serene trust in the protective power of the refuge-objects, based on a clear understanding of their qualities and functions. Confidence gives rise to reverence (gaurava), a sense of awe, esteem, and veneration born from a growing awareness of the sublime and lofty nature of the Triple Gem. Yet this reverence does not remain cool, formal, and aloof. As we experience the transforming effect of the Dhamma on our life, reverence awakens (pema). Love adds the element of warmth and vitality to the spiritual life. It kindles the flame of devotion, coming to expression in acts of dedicated service by which we seek to extend the protective and liberative capacity of the threefold refuge to others.