[Jittananto]

There is an excellent sermon by Venerable Bhante Nivanthapa Thero 🙏🏿 

 

• Listen from 1:01:42 until the end. He said something very important !
• See also the Avijjāsutta and Kalyāṇamittasutta to understand what Bhante means.
• The Sotānugatasutta highlights the hidden benefits of listening to the Dhamma with one’s ears. Of course, this Dhamma must come from an ariya (noble person). The term “sota” refers to the faculty of hearing, which is also reflected in the meaning of “sotāpanna.” “Sota” means hearing, and “panna” means wisdom. Thus, another interpretation of “sotāpanna” is hearing with wisdom. This implies listening to the Dhamma with discernment, as taught by an ariya, such as the Lord Buddha or one of his disciples (someone who is at least a sotāpanna). A sotāpanna has listened with wisdom and, therefore, understands Nibbāna. See also the Dutiyasāriputtasutta

 

[Jittananto]

I forgot to say one thing. A noble person is not necessarily a bhikkhu or a bhikkhuni. It is also a layman or a laywoman who has attained one of the 4 stages of Nibbāna. If we have this noble association at home, no need for a monastery. However, our best chance to have this noble association is in a monastery. We, as lay people, are constantly surrounded by ignoble people in place of work, public transportation, social media and even family. Also, look at billboards and commercials on TV. These are things that encourage wrong views. How can a puthujunas attain Nibbāna in such an environment? An ignoble person is a person who thinks that the world can give us true happiness. He is a person who has views contrary to the Dhamma. This is the main disadvantage of lay life. We are also constantly surrounded by sensual temptations. If we are at least sotāpanna, it does not matter, nothing can deviate us from the Dhamma. If we have doubts about our attainment of magga phala, it is better to go to a noble environment like a monastery. In this place, we will have the chance to take the right view and be in contact with ariyas. Otherwise, we will be constantly bombarded by wrong views and will never attain Nibbāna.

• Let us not make the mistake of Venerable Bahiya who was in a great illusion. He thought he was an ariya but, he was not. It took an anagami Brahma to tell him that he was not even on the path of the ariyas. Thanks to the noble association of Lord Buddha, he became an arahant in a few seconds. That is why it is important to always seek the noble association.

Bāhiyasutta

Then as he was in private retreat this thought came to his mind,

Atha kho bāhiyassa dārucīriyassa rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi:

“I am one of those in the world who are perfected or on the path to perfection.”

“ye kho keci loke arahanto vā arahattamaggaṁ vā samāpannā, ahaṁ tesaṁ aññataro”ti.

Then a deity who was a former relative of Bāhiya, having sympathy and wanting what’s best for him, approached him and said:

Atha kho bāhiyassa dārucīriyassa purāṇasālohitā devatā anukampikā atthakāmā bāhiyassa dārucīriyassa cetasā cetoparivitakkamaññāya yena bāhiyo dārucīriyo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bāhiyaṁ dārucīriyaṁ etadavoca:

“Bāhiya, you’re not a perfected one, nor on the path to perfection.

“neva kho tvaṁ, bāhiya, arahā, nāpi arahattamaggaṁ vā samāpanno.

You don’t have the practice by which you might become a perfected one or one on the path to perfection.”

Sāpi te paṭipadā natthi yāya tvaṁ arahā vā assa arahattamaggaṁ vā samāpanno”ti.

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