[Samma-ditthi]

I remember Ven. Cūḷapanthaka be taught by Lord Buddha the single word ‘Rajoharaṇaṁ‘ before he attained arahanthood, and I got the meaning of that word as ‘clean the dirtiness’ from some Korean websites.

But I’m still wondering about the true meaning of the word Rajoharaṇaṁ(whether the meaning of ‘clean the dirtiness’ is right) and the background of why Buddha taught that word to Cūḷapanthaka Thero..

I hope my curiosity gets cleared.

 

[Lal]

“Raja” (not “rāja,” which means “king”) means “dirt.” Furthermore, “hara” means to “remove.” Thus, “rajoharaṇaṁ” means to “cleanse something of dirt/contamination.” 

• The Buddha compared defilements (kilesa) that arise in the mind (greed, anger, ignorance) to dirt that makes a cloth or anything else dirty.
• When the Buddha showed a dirty cloth to Ven. Cūḷapanthaka, he probably said something like this: “This dirty cloth can be cleaned. In the same way, a mind can be cleaned too.” The Buddha is also likely to have instructed Ven. Cūḷapanthaka on how to clean a mind with Anapanasati or Satipatthana.

I could not find that account in the Tipitaka. It is probably in the Vinaya Pitaka.

However, the following suttas indicate how “raja” is used for “dirt.” 

• “Sīhanāda Sutta (AN 9.11)“: “Seyyathāpi, bhante, rajoharaṇaṁ sucimpi puñchati asucimpi puñchati gūthagatampi … muttagatampi … kheḷagatampi … pubbagatampi … lohitagatampi puñchati, na ca tena rajoharaṇaṁ aṭṭīyati vā harāyati vā jigucchati vā.” 
• “Sāriputta Sutta (AN 10.52)“: “Seyyathāpi, āvuso, itthī vā puriso vā daharo yuvā maṇḍanakajātiko ādāse vā parisuddhe pariyodāte acche vā udapatte sakaṁ mukhanimittaṁ paccavekkhamāno sace tattha passati rajaṁ vā aṅgaṇaṁ vā, tasseva rajassa vā aṅgaṇassa vā pahānāya vāyamati.”
• English translations in the links are good enough to get the idea.

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Samma-ditthi

[Samma-ditthi]

I appreciate your help. Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu! (some error in the website occurred, so the reply was late)

[Author]

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