25 05 2012 FRIDAY LESSON 619 FREE ONLINE eNālāndā Research And Practice UNIVERSITY And THE BUDDHISTONLINE GOOD NEWS LETTER by ABHIDHAMMA RAKKHITA through http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org
Dhammapada: Verses and Stories
Dhammapada
Verse 177 Happiness Through Partaking In Good Deeds
Verse 177.
Happiness Through Partaking In Good Deeds
To
heavenly realms the mean don’t fare,
fools magnanimity ne’er acclaim,
but the one of wisdom rejoices at giving
and happy will be in future lives.
Explanation: The extreme misers do not reach the heavenly
worlds. The evil ignorant ones do not approve acts of charity. But those noble
ones approve and partake of charity. In consequence, they are happy in the next
birth.
Dhammapada Verse 177
Asadisadana Vatthu
Na
ve kadariya devalokam vajanti
bala have nappasamsanti danam
dhiro ca danam anumodamano
teneva so hoti sukhi parattha.
Verse
177: Indeed, misers do not go to the abode of the devas; fools do not praise
charity; but the wise rejoice in charity and so gain happiness in the life
hereafter.
The
Story of the Unrivalled Alms-Giving
While
residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (177) of this
book, with reference to the unrivalled alms-giving of King Pasenadi of Kosala.
Once,
the king offered alms to the Buddha and other bhikkhus on a grand scale. His
subjects, in competition with him, organized another alms-giving ceremony on a
grander scale than that of the king. Thus, the king and his subjects kept on
competing in giving alms. Finally, Queen Mallika thought of a plan; to
implement this plan, she asked the king to have a grand pavilion built. Next,
she asked for five hundred white umbrellas and five hundred tame elephants;
those five hundred elephants were to hold the five hundred white umbrellas over
the five hundred bhikkhus. In the middle of the pavilion, they kept ten boats
which were filled with perfumes and incense. There were also two hundred and
fifty princesses, who kept fanning the five hundred bhikkhus. Since the
subjects of the king had no princesses, nor white umbrellas, nor elephants,
they could no longer compete with the king. When all preparations were made,
alms-food was offered. After the meal, the king made an offering of all the things
in the pavilion, which were worth fourteen crores.
At
the time, two ministers of the king were present. Of those two, the minister
named Junha was very pleased and praised the king for having offered alms so
generously to the Buddha and his bhikkhus. He also reflected that such
offerings could only be made by a king. He was very glad because the king would
share the merit of his good deeds with all beings. In short, the minister Junha
rejoiced with the king in his unrivalled charity. The minister Kala, on the
other hand, thought that the king was only squandering, by giving away fourteen
crores in a single day, and that the bhikkhus would just go back to the
monastery and sleep.
After
the meal, the Buddha looked over at the audience and knew how Kala the minister
was feeling. Then, he thought that if he were to deliver a lengthy discourse of
appreciation, Kala would get more dissatisfied, and in consequence would have
to suffer more in his next existence. So, out of compassion for Kala, the
Buddha delivered only a short discourse and returned to the Jetavana monastery.
The king had expected a lengthy discourse of appreciation, and so he was very
sad because the Buddha had been so brief. The king wondered if he had failed to
do something which should have been done, and so he went to the monastery.
On
seeing the king, the Buddha said, “Great King! You should rejoice that
you have succeeded in making the offering of the unrivalled charity
(asadisadana). Such an opportunity comes very rarely; it comes only once during
the appearance of each Buddha. But your minister Kala had felt that it was a
waste, and was not at all appreciative. So, if I had given a lengthy discourse,
he would get more and more dissatisfied and uncomfortable, and in consequence,
he would suffer much more in the present existence as well as in the next. That
was why I preached so briefly.”
Then
the Buddha added, “Great King! Fools do not rejoice in the charities
given by others and go to the lower worlds. The wise rejoice in other people’s
charities and through appreciation, they share in the merit gained by others Aand
go to the abode of the devas”.
Then
the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
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Verse 177: |
24 05 2012 WEDNESDAY LESSON 618 FREE ONLINE eNālāndā Research And Practice UNIVERSITY
And THE BUDDHISTONLINE GOOD NEWS LETTER by ABHIDHAMMA
RAKKHITA through http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org
Dhammapada: Verses and Stories
Dhammapada Verse 176 A Liar Can Commit Any Crime
Verse
176. A Liar Can Commit Any Crime
For one who falsely speaks,
who disregards the Dhamma,
who other lives denies:
no evil this one will not do.
Explanation: The evil person who has given up the virtue of
truthfulness has abandoned all hope of the next world.
Dhammapada Verse 176
Cincamanavika Vatthu
Ekam dhammam
atitassa
musavadissa jantuno
vitinnaparalokassa
natthi papam akariyam.
Verse 176: For one who transgresses the Truth, and is given to
lying, and who is unconcerned with the life hereafter, there is no evil that he
dare not do.
The Story of Cincamanavika
While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse
(176) of this book, with reference to Cincamanavika.
As the Buddha went on teaching the Dhamma, more and more people
came flocking to him, and the ascetics of other faiths found their following to
be dwindling. So they made a plan that would harm the reputation of the Buddha.
They called the very beautiful Cincamanavika, a devoted pupil of theirs, to
them and said to her, “If you have our interests in your heart, please
help us and put Samana Gotama to shame.” Cincamanavika agreed to comply.
That same evening, she took some flowers and went in the direction
of the Jetavana monastery. When people asked her where she was going, she replied,
“What is the use of you knowing where I am going?” Then she would go
to the place of other ascetics near the Jetavana monastery and would come back
early in the morning to make it appear as if she had spent the night at the
Jetavana monastery. When asked, she would reply, “I spent the night with
Samana Gotama at the Perfumed Chamber of the Jetavana monastery.” After
three or four months had passed, she wrapped up her stomach with some cloth to
make her look pregnant. Then, after eight or nine months, she wrapped up her
stomach with a round piece of thin wooden plank; she also beat up her palms and
feet to make them swollen, and pretended to be feeling tired and worn out.
Thus, she assumed a perfect picture of a woman in an advanced stage of pregnancy.
Then, in the evening, she went to the Jetavana monastery to confront the
Buddha.
The Buddha was then expounding the Dhamma to a congregation of
bhikkhus and laymen. Seeing him teaching on the platform, she accused the
Buddha thus: “O you big Samana! You only preach to others. I am now
pregnant by you, yet you do nothing for my confinement. You only know how to
enjoy your self!” The Buddha stopped preaching for a while and said to
her, “Sister, only you and I know whether you are speaking the truth or
not,” and Cincamanavika replied, “Yes, you are right, how can
others know what only you and I know?”
At that instant, Sakka, king of the devas, became aware of the
trouble being brewed at the Jetavana monastery, so he sent four of his devas in
the form of young rats. The four rats got under the clothes of Cincamanavika
and bit off the strings that fastened the wooden plank round her stomach. As
the strings broke, the wooden plank dropped, cutting off the front part of her
feet. Thus, the deception of Cincamanavika was uncovered, and many from the
crowd cried out in anger, “Oh you wicked woman! A liar and a cheat! How
dare you accuse our noble Teacher!” Some of them spat on her and drove her
out. She ran as fast as she could, and when she had gone some distance the
earth cracked and fissured and she was swallowed up.
The next day, while the bhikkhus were talking about Cincamanavika,
the Buddha came to them and said. “Bhikkhu;, one who is not afraid to
tell lies, and who does not care what happens in the future existence, will not
hesitate to do any evil.”
Then the Buddha
spoke in verse as follows:
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Verse 176: For one who transgresses the Truth, and is |