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A few nights ago, I found myself reflecting on how remarkable—and unlikely—it was that I came to be introduced to the Waharaka Thero’s Dhamma sermons. Had this website not existed, I would probably never have encountered or learned about his teachings at all.
Eight years ago, when I was sixteen, I wanted to understand how karma works, so I searched for it on Google. Looking back at what felt like a small miracle, this website appeared among the top five results. I read the initial article on the nature of karma and was immediately drawn in by the clarity and style of the writing. From that point on, I began returning to the website periodically.
Eventually I go to know that these posts were the English translation of the dharma sermons of Waharaka Thero. And there were some links to his sermons and after that I began to dive deep into what Wharaka thero preached. His sermons were so fascinating. Even though I had a huge workload in college I could not stop listening to his dharma sermons and it gave me great peace of mind after listing to them.
During this time, I was also practicing yogic meditation techniques that I had learned from other monks, with the aim of attaining jhāna. However, I was not very successful. Any jhānic pleasure I experienced arose only after meditation had ended, not during the meditation itself, and it would come and go.
After about seven years though I started to light and oil lamp and started to honor the buddha with pooja. After about a week I started to feel intense bliss from this practice and was in a jhana like state(to my knowledge) for most of the time without any meditation and I was very happy.
Recently, I got the chance to donate pirikara to a temple that follows Waharaka Thero’s teachings, donate dry rations, serve dāna to the Saṅgha, offer ata-pirikara to the monks, and even be involved in the Kaṭina festival. I got to help carry the umbrellas to provide shade for the Kaṭina materials, participate in the perahera, carry the lamp to provide light to the Kaṭina casket, and provide gilampasa to the laypeople. I learned the ten-direction mettā karmasṭhāna and started practicing that as well.
Thanks to that fateful encounter with your website, I was able to accumulate all this merit. If your website did not exist, I have no idea where I would be today, and I would certainly never have had the chance to encounter the sermons of Waharaka Thero. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, sir.
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Much merits to you Santhush for your generosity and meritorious deeds done for the sangha and all living beings. Wish you and everyone of us all the best on the path and may we all attain the supreme bliss of Nibbana.
“Eight years ago I wanted to understand how karma works, so I searched for it on Google“
It was also a similar reason and around the same time frame when I first came across this website.
“Looking back at what felt like a small miracle“
It feels like big miracle to me when I look back how I came across this website since it was so unexpected. I was learning the conventional Theravada Buddhism before coming across this website and believed that was the truth I was seeking in this life time. Unexpectedly while on a vacation, a dhamma word or teaching came to mind. I don’t remember what word or teaching that initiated me to do google search on. Maybe it was too about “karma”, but I don’t remember exactly what and because of the google search was how I came across Puredhamma and eventually Venerable Waharaka Thero teachings.
If I didn’t come across this website or it didn’t exist, I also would have no idea where I would be today on the path. Maybe still trying to huff and puff my way to nibbana. No matter what I might learn from other teachers or about the dhamma, I know I can always come back to the teachings here as a resource or reference.
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Thank you, TGS!
- Yes. It was Waharaka Thero whom we should all be thankful to. He opened a door that had been closed for over a thousand years. We must make further progress for the next generation; many are still contributing to this advancement. It is still a ‘work in progress.’ Eventually, there will be many living Arahants before the end of the Buddha Gotama’s Buddha Sāsana.
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What you experienced is Buddhanusati, maybe Lal can do some proper translations about this topic.
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I will try to do that in detail at some point. But for the moment, the following could be helpful.
1. Let us consider the first sutta (both are the same in content), where it describes how a Noble Person (Sotapanna Anugami or above) lives attempting to follow Buddha’s qualities (‘ariyasāvako tathāgataṁ anussarati‘. itipi so bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā’ti.): “Mahānāma Sutta (AN 6.10). “
- Then, @3.1 and @4.1 say the same about following the qualities of Dhamma and Sangha.
- Then, @5.2: A noble disciple is thus able to live with ethical conduct with their mind devoid of greed, hate, and delusion: ‘Yasmiṁ, mahānāma, samaye ariyasāvako sīlaṁ anussarati nevassa tasmiṁ samaye rāgapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na dosapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti, na mohapariyuṭṭhitaṁ cittaṁ hoti‘
- Also note that tathāgataṁ anussarati‘ (@2.2) involves the qualities of the Buddha: ‘‘itipi so bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā’ti.’ Similarly, dhammaṁ anussarati (@3.1) involves the qualities of the Dhamma: ‘svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo sandiṭṭhiko akāliko ehipassiko opaneyyiko paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhī’ti.’ AND saṅghaṁ anussarati (@4.1) involves the qualities of the Saṅgha: ‘suppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, ujuppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, ñāyappaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, sāmīcippaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho, yadidaṁ cattāri purisayugāni aṭṭha purisapuggalā esa bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho āhuneyyo pāhuneyyo dakkhiṇeyyo añjalikaraṇīyo anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassā’ti.’ Those are the nine, six, and nine supreme qualities attributed to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha, respectively: see #2 of “Supreme Qualities of Buddha, Dhamma, Saṅgha.”
2. Now, those can be tied to the four qualities of a Sotapanna/Sotapanna Anugami, per “Veḷudvāreyya Sutta (SN 55.7)” and several other suttas: ‘So buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti—itipi so bhagavā …pe… satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavāti;dhamme …pe…saṅghe aveccappasādena samannāgato hoti suppaṭipanno bhagavato sāvakasaṅgho …pe… anuttaraṁ puññakkhettaṁ lokassāti. ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgato hoti akhaṇḍehi …pe… samādhisaṁvattanikehi.’
- These (@11. through 11.4) are the same nine, six, and nine supreme qualities attributed to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha, respectively, in “Supreme Qualities of Buddha, Dhamma, Saṅgha“
- So, that is the connection between the two suttas: Mahānāma Sutta (AN 6.10) and Veḷudvāreyya Sutta (SN 55.7).
- At the end of the “Veḷudvāreyya Sutta (SN 55.7)“, it is clearly stated that these Noble Persons are free of the apayas, i.e., at the Sotapanna stage.
3. Also see “Anussati and Anupassanā – Being Mindful and Removing Defilements” and “Sotapatti Aṅga – The Four Qualities of a Sotāpanna.”
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