05 02 2012 LESSON 515 Verse
60. Samsara Is Long To The Ignorant
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LESSON 514
Practice a Sutta a Day Keeps Dukkha
Away
Verse 60. Samsara Is Long To The
Ignorant
Long is the night for the sleepless,
long is the league for the weary one,
samsaraโs way is long for fools
who know not the Dhamma True.
Explanation: To a sleepless person the night is very long. To
the weary the league seems quite long. To the ignorant, bereft of an awareness
of the Dhamma, the cycle of existence is very long, as he is not aware of how
to shorten it.
Dhammapada Verse 60
Annatarapurisa Vatthu
Digha jagarato ratti1
digham santassa yojanam2
digho balana samsaro
saddhammam avijanatam.
Verse 60: Long is the night to one who is wakeful; long is (the
journey of) one yojana to the traveller who is tired; long is samsara (round of
rebirths) to the fool, who is ignorant of the true Dhamma (the Teaching of the
Buddha).
1. Balavagga: Chapter on the Fool. Bala is the opposita of pandita;
it means those who are ignorant, stupid and mentally dull. They cannot think or
act right.
2. yojanam/yojana: a measure of length, about twelve miles.
The Story of a Person
While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered
Verse (60) of this book, with reference to a certain young man and King
Pasenadi of Kosala.
One day King Pasenadi, while going out in the city, happened to
see a beautiful young woman standing at the window of her house and he
instantly fell in love with her. So the king tried to find ways and means of
getting her. Finding that she was a married woman, he sent for her husband and
made him serve at the palace. Later, the husband was sent on an impossible
errand by the king. The young man was to go to a place, a yojana (twelve miles)
away from Savatthi, bring back some Kumuda lotus flowers and some red earth
called ‘arunavati’ from the land of the dragons (nagas) and arrive back at
Savatthi the same evening, in time for the king’s bath. The king’s intention
was to kill the husband if he failed to arrive back in time, and to take the
wife for himself.
Hurriedly taking a food packet from his wife, the young man set
out on his errand. On the way, he shared his food with a traveller. He also
threw some rice into the water and said loudly, “O guardian spirits and
dragons inhabiting this river! King Pasenadi has commanded me to get some
Kumuda lotus flowers and arunavati red earth for him. I have today shared my
food with a traveller; I have also fed the fish in the river; I now share with
you the benefits of the good deeds I have done today. Please get the Kumuda
lotus and arunavati red earth for me.” The king of the dragons, hearing
him, took the appearance of an old man and brought the lotus and the red earth.
On that evening, King Pasenadi, fearing that the young husband
might arrive back in time, had the city-gates closed early. The young man,
finding the city-gates closed, placed the red earth on the city-wall and stuck
the flowers on the earth. Then he declared loudly, “O citizens! Be my
witnesses! I have today accomplished my errand in time as instructed by the
king. King Pasenadi, without any justification, plans to kill me.” After
that, the young man left for the Jetavana monastery to take shelter and find
solace in the peaceful atmosphere of the monastery.
Meanwhile, King Pasenadi, obsessed with sexual desire, could not
sleep, and kept thinking out how he would get rid of the husband in the morning
and take his wife. At about midnight, he heard some eerie sounds; actually,
these were the doleful voices of four persons suffering in Lohakumbhi Niraya
. Hearing those weird voices, the king was terrified. Early in the morning, he
went to the Buddha, as advised by Queen Mallika. When the Buddha was told about
the four voices the king heard in the night, he explained to the king that
those were the voices of four beings, who were the sons of rich men during the
time of Kassapa Buddha, and that now they were suffering in Lohakumbhi Niraya
because they had committed sexual misconduct with other people’s wives. Then,
the king came to realize the depravity of the deed and the severity of the
punishment. So, he decided then and there that he would no longer covet another
man’s wife. “After all, it was on account of my intense desire for another
man’s wife that I was tormented and could not sleep the whole of last
night,” he reflected. Then King Pasenadi said to the Buddha,
“Venerable Sir, now I know how long the night is for one who cannot sleep.”
The young man who was close at hand also said, “Venerable Sir, because I
had travelled the full distance of a yojana yesterday, I, too, know how long
the journey of a yojana is to one who is weary.”
Combining their two statements, the
Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
|
Verse 60: Long is the |
At the end of the discourse, the young man attained Sotapatti
Fruition.
Maya magic will work in Punjab
Magic of BSP supremo Mayawati would work in
Punjab after her four rallies which concluded in the state.
“the magic of
Bhenji (sister) will certainly work in Punjab as she had
addressed four big rallies in the state during the last couple
of days.”
He said that Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati’s
message was clear that the BSP would contest Punjab elections
without any alliance, and concentrate on consolidating its own
vote bank.
“We would make dent into the votes of Congress as well as
SAD,” he said.
“the talks with them never initiated and therefore we don’t
have any regret on it. I however wish him a good luck as it
will be benefitted to us if Sanja Morcha does well in the
state and we would certainly emerge in the scene of the
state,” he asserted.
“The BSP is not having alliance in any state as our party
is not only for political gains but for overall socio-economic
change, which we will attain on our own strength,”
After a decade and a half, the BSP has a target to
achieve increase its vote share that declined to 4.13 per cent
in 2007 assembly polls from 5.69 per cent in 2002 and
6.37 per cent in the 1997 assembly elections.
In 1992, the BSP won nine assembly seats with the SAD
boycotting the elections. But the party drew blank in the
previous three assembly polls in absence of any alliance.
Mayawati had addressed elections rallies at Kharar, Nawan
Shehar, Muktsar and Chappar covering whole of Punjab.
BSP may play key role
The BSP led by Ms Mayawati could play key
role in deciding who would come to power in the Punjab Assembly
elections.
Insiders view that the role of the BSP would be a decisive factor in this electoral battle.
โThe BSP candidates in the election could cut into our votes, a senior Congress leader from
Punjab said.
In the last Assembly election, the Dera Sacha Sauda had helped the Congress in the Malwa region.
The BJP, which has been sharing power with the SAD in Punjab, is in a
bad shape this time because the mood of the people is against it. But BSPโs strategy
because of the Congressโ campaign against it in Uttar Pradesh may change
the power game, Congress insiders viewed.
Mayawati asked the people of Uttarakhand should also bring BSP to power for their betterment.
04 02 2012 LESSON 514
Dhammapada Verses 58 and 58 Lotus Is Attractive
Though In A Garbage Heap and Arahats Shine Wherever
They Are Mayawati attacks Congress on corruption issue UP students best
in country-Mayawatiโs food tracking system for schools gets HRD-Ms
Mayawati’s Magic will certainly work and she will get 303 seats
FREE ONLINE eNฤlandฤ Research & Practice
UNIVERSITY &
BUDDHIST GOOD NEWS LETTER
Through http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org
THE
BUDDHIST ON LINE GOOD NEWS LETTER
COURSE PROGRAM
LESSON 514
Practice
a Sutta a Day Keeps Dukkha Away
Verse 58. Lotus Is
Attractive Though In A Garbage Heap
As
beside the highroad
where rubbish in a pit is flung
there flourishes the lotus bloom
fragrant and the mindโs delight.
Explanation:
Someone is likely to dump refuse on a high road. In that heap of refuse, a
sweet-smelling lotus is likely to grow.
Verse 59. Arahats Shine
Wherever They Are
So
among rubbish-beings,
common humans blind-become,
the Perfect Buddhaโs pupil
outshines with wisdom bright.
Explanation:
In the same way, in the heap of rubbish made up of various types of foolish
people, the disciple of the Buddha shines above all others.
Dhammapada Verses 58 and
59
Garahadinna Vatthu
Yatha
sankaradhanasmim
ujjhitasmim mahapathe
padumam tattha jayetha
sucigandham manoramam.
Evam sankarabhutesu1
andhabhute puthujjane2
atirocati pannaya
sammasambuddhasavako.
Verses
58 - 59: As a sweet-smelling and beautiful lotus flower may grow upon a heap of
rubbish thrown on the highway, so also, out of the rubbish heap of beings may
appear a disciple of the Buddha, who with his wisdom shines forth far above the
blind (ignorant) worldlings.
1. sankarabhutesu:
rubbish heap of beings.
2. andhabhute
puthujjane: blind worldlings. The worldlings are like the blind because
they are lacking in knowledge.
The
Story of Garahadinna
While
residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verses (58) and (59) of
this book, with reference to a rich man named Garahadinna and the miracle of
the lotus flowers.
There
were two friends named Sirigutta and Garahadinna in Savatthi. Sirigutta was a
follower of the Buddha and Garahadinna was a follower of the Niganthas, the
ascetics who were hostile to the Buddhists. At the instance of the Niganthas,
Garahadinna often said to Sirigutta, “What benefit do you get by following
the Buddha? Come, be a follower of my teachers.” Having been told thus
many times, Sirigutta said to Garahadinna, “Tell me, what do your teachers
know?” To this, Garahadinna replied that his teachers knew everything;
with their great power they knew the past, the present and the future and also
the thoughts of others. So, Sirigutta invited the Niganthas to his house for
alms-food.
Sirigutta
wanted to find out the truth about the Niganthas, whether they really possessed
the power of knowing other people’s thoughts, etc. So he made a long, deep
trench and filled it up with excreta and filth. Seats were then placed
precariously over the trench; and big empty pots were brought in and covered up
with cloth and banana leaves to make them appear as if they were full of rice
and curries. When the Niganthas arrived, they were requested to enter one by
one, to stand near their respective seats, and to sit down simultaneously. As
all of them sat down, the flimsy strings broke and the Niganthas fell into the
filthy trench. Then Sirigutta taunted them, “Why don’t you know the past,
the present and the future? Why don’t you know the thoughts of others?”
All the Niganthas then fled in terror.
Garahadinna
naturally was furious with Sirigutta and refused to talk to him for two weeks.
Then, he decided that he would have his revenge on Sirigutta. He pretended that
he was no longer angry, and one day asked Sirigutta to invite, on his behalf,
the Buddha and his five hundred disciples to partake of alms-food. So Sirigutta
went to the Buddha and invited him to the house of Garahadinna. At the same
time, he told the Buddha about what he had done to the Niganthas, the teachers
of Garahadinna. He also expressed his fear that this invitation might be a
reprisal and so the invitation should be accepted only after due consideration.
The
Buddha, with his supernormal power, knew that this would be the occasion for
the two friends to attain Sotapatti Fruition, and therefore accepted the
invitation. Garahadinna made a trench, filled it with live coals and covered it
with mats. He also kept some empty pots covered with cloth and banana leaves to
make them appear as if filled with rice and curries. The next day, the Buddha
came followed by five hundred bhikkhus in single file. When the Buddha stepped
on the mat over the trench, the mat and live coals miraculously disappeared,
and five hundred lotus flowers, each as large as a cart wheel, sprang up for
the Buddha and his disciples to sit upon.
Seeing
this miracle, Garahadinna was very much alarmed and he said rather incoherently
to Sirigutta, “Help me, dear friend. Out of my desire for revenge, I have
truly done a great wrong. My bad designs have had no effect at all on your
Teacher. The pots in my kitchen are all empty. Please help me.” Sirigutta
then told Garahadinna to go and look at the pots. When Garahadinna found all
the pots filled with food he was astounded and at the same time very much
relieved and very happy. So the food was offered to the Buddha and his
disciples. After the meal, the Buddha expressed his appreciation (anumodana) of
the meritorious act and then said, “Ignorant worldlings, lacking in
knowledge, do not know the unique qualities of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the
Samgha and so they are like the blind; but the wise, having knowledge, are like
people with sight.”
Then
the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
|
Verses 58 - 59: As a |
At the
end of the discourse, both Garahadinna and Sirigutta attained Sotapatti
Fruition.
End of
Chapter Four: Flowers (Pupphavagga)
Remembering Ambedkar
As a
leading Awakened country in the world, the Awakened Ones with awareness of this
country should seriously consider requesting the Government of Sri Lanka to
issue a commemorative postage stamp in honour of Dr B R Ambedkar, for the great
work he has done for his people and the cause of Awakeness with awareness in
Jambudvipa.
There
are nearly 250 Million aboriginal inhabitants of Jambudvipa (Scheduled
Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST)) which is virtually 1/4th of its Population.
|
||
|
Dr B R Ambedkar |
Sri
Lanka should befriend these people.
Awakened
ones with awareness can cement ties between Jambudvipa SC/STs and Sri Lanka.
Ms Mayawati,
the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, is an Awakened One with awareness. She
heads the Bahujan Samaj Party, which represents not only the Bahujans or
SC/STs, but the weakest strata and the poor of the upper castes of the Entire Jambudvipa society.
This is
her fourth term as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and is sure to continue for
a fifth term. She is an icon for millions of Jambudvipa’s SC/STs/OBCs/Minorities
and the poor upper castes. She is going to be the next Prime Minister of
Jambudvipa and would be called as Ms Maha Mayawati Ji.
With a
population of over 200 million people, Uttar Pradesh is Jambudvipaโs most
populous state, as well as the world’s most populous sub - national entity.
Uttar Pradesh (UP) is the second largest state-economy in Jambudvipa, with a
GDP of $103.5 billion in 2009.
The
annual per capita GDP of the state was $1586 in 2009. It contributed 8.34% to Jambudvip’s
total GDP in the financial year 2010.
UP also
has several sites important to Awakened Ones with Awareness: the Chaukhandi
Stupa marks the spot where the Awakened One met his first disciples, while the
Dhamek Stupa in Sarnath commemorates Awakened One ’s first sermon. Further, the
town of Kushinara is where the Awakened One with Awareness attained Maha
Parinibbana.
Sri
Lanka should invite Mayawati to visit Sri Lanka and in turn seek the
strengthening of economic and religio -cultural ties between Uttar Pradesh and
Sri Lanka, The Awakened World with awareness must give her recognition outside Jambudvipa.
The
example of Ambedkar reviving Awakeness with awareness should be given the
widest publicity in the North and East to motivate the so called untouchable and
backward poor in these areas and the Hill Country of Sri Lanka to pursue a
similar path.
Awakened
Ones with awareness teaches equality. This was Dr Ambedkar’s message to his
fellow SC/STs and the entire country. Jambudvipa SC/STs who are Awakened Ones with
awareness (in the absence of Dr. Ambedkar) are spreading that message among Untouchables,
Backward and forward poor in Sri Lanka
who feel persecuted and oppressed by members of the higher profile castes.
Dr
Ambedkar’s inspiring legacy along with Ms Mayawatiโs highly performing best and
meritorious governance will well play a bigger role in Sri Lanka’s efforts at
reconciliation between various communities. Not only in Sri Lanka but in the
entire world.