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Verse
123. Shun Evil As Poison
As merchant on a perilous path,
great wealth having little guard,
as life-loving man with poison
so with evil heedful be.
Explanation: A rich and wise trader carrying goods will
scrupulously avoid a risky road, especially if he does not have an adequate
escort to ensure safety. Again an individual fond of his life will very
carefully avoid poison. In the same way, one must totally avoid evil.
Dhammapada
Verse 123
Mahadhanavanija Vatthu
Vanijova bhayam maggam
appasattho mahaddhano
visam jivitukamova
papani parivajjaye.
Verse 123: Just as a wealthy merchant with few attendants avoids
a dangerous road, just as one who desires to go on living avoids poison, so
also, one should avoid evil.
The Story of Mahadhana
While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered
Verse (123) of this book, with reference to Mahadhana the merchant.
Mahadhana was a rich merchant from Savatthi. On one occasion,
five hundred robbers were planning to rob him, but thy did not get the chance
to rob him. In the meantime, they heard that the merchant would soon be going
out with five hundred carts loaded with valuable merchandise. The merchant
Mahadhana also invited the bhikkhus who would like to go on the same journey to
accompany him, and he promised to look to their needs on the way. So five
hundred bhikkhus accompanied him. The robbers got news of the trip and went
ahead to lie in wait for the caravan of the merchant. But the merchant stopped
at the outskirts of the forest where the robbers were waiting. The caravan was
to move on after camping there for a few days. The robbers got the news of the
impending departure and made ready to loot the caravan; the merchant, in his
turn, also got news of the movements of the bandits and he decided to return home.
The bandits now heard that the merchant would go home; so they waited on the
homeward way. Some villagers sent word to the merchant about the movements of
the bandits, and the merchant finally decided to remain in the village for some
time. When he told the bhikkhus about his decision, the bhikkhus returned to
Savatthi by themselves.
On arrival at the Jetavana monastery they went to the Buddha and
informed him about the cancellation of their trip. To then, the Buddha said,
“Bhikkhus, Mahadhana keeps away from the journey beset with bandits; one
who does not want to die keeps away from poison; so also, a wise bhikkhu,
realizing that the three levels of existence* are like a journey beset with,
danger, should strive to keep away from doing evil.”
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
|
Verse |
At the end of the discourse, those five hundred bhikkhus
attained Sotapatti Fruition.
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*The |
|
|
(a) |
Kamabhava, |
|
(b) |
Rupahbava, |
|
(c) |
Arupahbava, |
I. KAMMA REBIRTH AWAKEN-NESS BUDDHA
THUS COME ONE DHAMMA
DHAMMA
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/index.html
Dhamma
dhamma
Β© 2005β2012
A Gradual Training
The Dhamma, the truth
taught by the Buddha, is uncovered gradually through sustained practice. The
Buddha made clear many times that Awakening does not occur like a bolt out of
the blue to the untrained and unprepared mind. Rather, it culminates a long
journey of many stages:[1]
Just as the ocean has a
gradual shelf, a gradual slope, a gradual inclination, with a sudden drop-off
only after a long stretch, in the same way this Doctrine and Discipline
(dhamma-vinaya) has a gradual training, a gradual performance, a gradual
progression, with a penetration to gnosis only after a long stretch.
β Ud 5.5
Monks, I do not say that
the attainment of gnosis is all at once. Rather, the attainment of gnosis is
after gradual training, gradual action, gradual practice. And how is there the
attainment of gnosis after gradual training, gradual action, gradual practice?
There is the case where, when conviction has arisen, one visits [a teacher].
Having visited, one grows close. Having grown close, one lends ear. Having lent
ear, one hears the Dhamma. Having heard the Dhamma, one remembers it.
Remembering, one penetrates the meaning of the teachings. Penetrating the
meaning, one comes to an agreement through pondering the teachings. There being
an agreement through pondering the teachings, desire arises. When desire has
arisen, one is willing. When one is willing, one contemplates. Having
contemplated, one makes an exertion. Having made an exertion, one realizes with
the body the ultimate truth and, having penetrated it with discernment, sees
it.
β MN 70
The Buddha’s teachings are
infused with this notion of gradual development. His method of “gradual
instruction” (anupubbi-katha), which appears in various forms in countless
suttas, always follows the same arc: he guides newcomers from first principles
through progressively more advanced teachings, all the way to the fulfillment
of the Four Noble Truths and the full realization of nibbana:
Then the Blessed One,
having encompassed the awareness of the entire assembly with his awareness,
asked himself, “Now who here is capable of understanding the Dhamma?”
He saw Suppabuddha the leper sitting in the assembly, and on seeing him the
thought occurred to him, “This person here is capable of understanding the
Dhamma.” So, aiming at Suppabuddha the leper, he gave a step-by-step talk,
i.e., a talk on giving, a talk on virtue, a talk on heaven; he declared the
drawbacks, degradation, & corruption of sensual passions, and the rewards
of renunciation. Then when he saw that Suppabuddha the leper’s mind was ready,
malleable, free from hindrances, elated, & bright, he then gave the
Dhamma-talk peculiar to Awakened Ones, i.e., stress, origination, cessation,
& path. And just as a clean cloth, free of stains, would properly absorb a
dye, in the same way, as Suppabuddha the leper was sitting in that very seat,
the dustless, stainless Dhamma eye arose within him, “Whatever is subject
to origination is all subject to cessation.”
β Ud 5.3
At each stage of this
“gradual training” (anupubbi-sikkha), the practitioner discovers a
new and important dimension of the law of cause-and-effect β kamma, the
cornerstone of Right View. It is thus a very useful organizing framework with
which to view the entirety of the Buddha’s teachings.
The gradual training begins
with the practice of generosity, which helps begin the long process of weakening
the unawakened practitioner’s habitual tendencies to cling β to views, to
sensuality, and to unskillful modes of thought and behavior. This is followed
by the development of virtue, the basic level of sense-restraint that helps the
practitioner develop a healthy and trustworthy sense of self. The peace of mind
born from this level of self-respect provides the foundation for all further
progress along the path. The practitioner now understands that some kinds of
happiness are deeper and more dependable than anything that sense-gratification
can ever provide; the happiness born of generosity and virtue can even lead to
rebirth in heaven β either literal or metaphorical. But eventually the
practitioner begins to recognize the intrinsic drawbacks of even this kind of
happiness: as good as rebirth in wholesome states may be, the happiness it
brings is not a true and lasting one, for it relies on conditions over which he
or she ultimately has no control. This marks a crucial turning point in the
training, when the practitioner begins to grasp that true happiness will never
be found in the realm of the physical and sensual world. The only possible
route to an unconditioned happiness lies in renunciation, in turning away from
the sensual realm, by trading the familiar, lower forms of happiness for
something far more rewarding and noble. Now, at last, the practitioner is ripe
to receive the teachings on the Four Noble Truths, which spell out the course
of mental training required to realize the highest happiness: nibbana.
Many Westerners first
encounter the Buddha’s teachings on meditation retreats, which typically begin
with instructions in how to develop the skillful qualities of right mindfulness
and right concentration. It is worth noting that, as important as these
qualities are, the Buddha placed them towards the very end of his gradual
course of training. The meaning is clear: to reap the most benefit from
meditation practice, to bring to full maturity all the qualities needed for
Awakening, the fundamental groundwork must not be overlooked. There is no
short-cutting this process.
Here is the Buddha’s
six-stage gradual training in more detail:
Generosity (dana)
Virtue (sila)
The 5 Precepts
The 8 Precepts
The 10 Precepts
Uposatha observance days (including this
year’s calendar of Uposatha days)
Heaven (sagga)
The Thirty-one Planes of Existence
Drawbacks (adinava)
Renunciation (nekkhamma)
The Four Noble Truths (cattari ariya
saccani)
The Noble Truth of Dukkha (dukkha ariya
sacca)
Dukkha
The round of rebirth (samsara)
The Noble Truth of the Cause of Dukkha
(dukkha samudayo ariya sacca)
Craving (tanha)
Ignorance (avijja)
The Noble Truth of the Cessation of
Dukkha (dukkha nirodho ariya sacca)
Nibbana
The Noble Truth of the Path Leading to
the Cessation of Dukkha (dukkha nirodha gamini patipada ariya sacca) β The
Noble Eightfold Path. The Commentaries group the eight path factors into three
divisions:
Discernment (paΓ±Γ±a):
1. Right View (samma-ditthi)
Intentional action (kamma)
Admirable friendship
(kalyanamittata)
2. Right Resolve (samma-sankappo)
Virtue (sila):
3. Right Speech (samma-vaca)
4. Right Action
(samma-kammanto)
5. Right Livelihood
(samma-ajivo)
Concentration (samadhi):
6. Right Effort (samma-vayamo)
7. Right Mindfulness
(samma-sati)
8. Right Concentration
(samma-samadhi)
Jhana
Notes
1.
Countless students over the centuries have
invested their time and energy grappling with the question, “Is
Enlightentment ’sudden’ or is it ‘gradual’?” These and other passages from
the Canon make the Buddha’s own view on the matter quite clear: The mind
develops gradually, until it is ripe to make that sudden leap to Awakening.
See also: Refuge: An Introduction
to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
http://archive.org/details/dharmarecordsvideo
Welcome
to Dharma Records Video
http://archive.org/details/Ajahn-Suthep-Awareness-and-Mindfulness
Ajahn Suthep: Awareness and Mindfulness Make it
Possible (2009)
http://archive.org/details/Bhante-Mangala-Ratana-Sutta
Bhante Mangala chanting the Ratanasutta (2009)
http://www.dharmadrum.org/content/news/view.aspx?sn=490
The Buddha Scriptures through Animated Images
http://archive.org/browse.php?field=subject&mediatype=movies&collection=dharmarecordsvideo
http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=11007
Magic Moving Clay? (Clay Animation)