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Sorry, everyone, I forgot that the English version of the site (Dhammadana.org) does not give the history and reason for each of the 227 rules. It is the French version which gives the reason and the history. Please translate.
For example, here is the context of the 4th rules
One day a great famine came upon the kingdom of Vajjī. The bhikkhus who were performing the vassa retreat near the Vaggumhadā River had great difficulty in obtaining food during their daily rounds. They then agreed to find a way to obtain food more easily. Some claimed to the people about other bhikkhus: “So-and-so has attained such-and-such jhāna, So-and-so is a sotāpana, So-and-so is an arahant, etc.” The people, in the grip of excessive veneration, then deprived themselves of food and drink to offer some to the bhikkhus. As soon as Buddha became aware of the facts, by severely reprimanding these bhikkhus, he instituted that a bhikkhu who would boast or have others boast about unobtained realizations would commit a pārājika. He specified, however, that a bhikkhu with pure sīla who has good training in the practice of vipassanā or samatha and who falsely claims a realization that he sincerely believes he has obtained, does not commit a pārājika. Thus, Buddha established pārājika 4.
If to show off, a bhikkhu knowingly claims that he has eliminated kilesā or that he has obtained realizations (one of the four jhāna or arupavacara samapatti; one of the four psychic powers or one of the four stages of ariyā ) while knowing that it is false; whether asked or without being asked, he loses his status as a bhikkhu for life.
pārājika 4 in pāḷi
« yo pana bhikkhu anabhijānaṃ uttariranussadhammaṃ attupanāyikaṃ alamariyañāṇadassanaṃ samudācareyya “itti jānāmi, itti passāmī” ti, tato aparena samayena samanuggāhīyamāno vā asamanuggāhīyamāno vā āpanno visudd hā pekkho evaṃ vadeyya “ajānamevaṃ āvuso avacaṃ jānāmi apassaṃ passāmi, tucchaṃ musā vilapi” nti aññatra adhimānā, āyapi, pārājiko hoti asaṃvāso.
No problem Dossakhayo 🙏🏿
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You welcome 🙏🏿
I would like to know if you have Reddit. There is a thread called Theravada. I write essays on Dhamma topics in it. This thread lacks explanations about the abhidamma. If you don’t mind you can come and write your essays on the abhidamma. It would be very beneficial for many. Of course, you have to have a Reddit account and the desire to do it.
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Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu 🙏🏿🌸☸️
I’m glad to hear it Dossakhayo. You should try even if it’s temporary. I don’t know your personal situation. But, if you don’t have big responsibilities, a busy job, a married life, or health difficulties you can do it. In addition, I notice that you have great knowledge of abhidamma. By becoming a bhikkhu you will have plenty of time to study the abhidamma in more depth, and to meditate at the same time without being disturbed.
- We are still young why not put our energy into the Dhamma? I tried and saw that it would be better if I remained secular for the moment. I was too careless, impulsive and impatient. This kind of attitude risks leading me to tarnish the honour of the sangha and break many rules. You have to try it, some will be surprised that they are made to become a bhikkhu in the long term. There is also the option of 8 precepts for life. Sir Lal knows better since he lives this life.
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It was in this discussion, sir. Five Dullabha (Rare Things).
Sir, does this mean that a sotāpanna can follow an incorrect version?? Unless it’s before she becomes one.
When I was in Vipassana centers, it was mandatory to follow them. It was quite refreshing for the mind. However, following this for life requires a very good motivation.
VISĀKHUPOSATHA SUTTA: DISCOURSE TO VISĀKHĀ ON OBSERVING THE EIGHT PRECEPTS
It is a sutta about the 8 precepts. The Sutta centrale version: Uposathasutta
There are, Visākhā, these three sabbaths.
“Tayo khome, visākhe, uposathā.
What three?
Katame tayo?
The sabbath of the cowherds, the sabbath of the Jains, and the sabbath of the noble ones.
Gopālakuposatho, nigaṇṭhuposatho, ariyuposatho.
- I don’t know if the English translation expresses well what Lord Buddha meant. It would be better if Sir Lal or someone else checks this.
Thank you for the clarifications, Sir🙏🏿
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Thank you very much for the explanation, sir. Yes, I have tried to explain it many times, some agree, others no. I think this is because they believe that the 5 precepts necessarily lead to hell. I responded with this sutta: Loṇakapallasutta
Take the case of a person who does a trivial bad deed, but it lands them in hell.
Idha, bhikkhave, ekaccassa puggalassa appamattakampi pāpakammaṁ kataṁ tamenaṁ nirayaṁ upaneti.
Meanwhile, another person does the same trivial bad deed, but experiences it in the present life, without even a bit left over, let alone a lot.
Idha pana, bhikkhave, ekaccassa puggalassa tādisaṁyeva appamattakaṁ pāpakammaṁ kataṁ diṭṭhadhammavedanīyaṁ hoti, nāṇupi khāyati, kiṁ bahudeva.
What kind of person does the same trivial bad deed, but experiences it in the present life, without even a bit left over, let alone a lot?
Kathaṁrūpassa, bhikkhave, puggalassa tādisaṁyeva appamattakaṁ pāpakammaṁ kataṁ diṭṭhadhammavedanīyaṁ hoti, nāṇupi khāyati, kiṁ bahudeva?
A person who has developed their physical endurance, ethics, mind, and wisdom. They’re not small-minded, but are big-hearted, living without limits.
Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo bhāvitakāyo hoti bhāvitasīlo bhāvitacitto bhāvitapañño aparitto mahatto appamāṇavihārī
- Is this sutta relevant? If a sotāpanna does bad deeds, the Vipāka will be experienced in a human body and not in the apayas.The sutta is general, but I believe it can be applied in this case.
I have been in several debates recently about the sīla of a sotāpanna. Many people think that it is impossible to break the 5 precepts for a sotāpanna. They often take this sutta as proof and I admit it’s hard to argue with that. Gihisutta
It’s when a noble disciple doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, or use alcoholic drinks that cause negligence.
Idha, sāriputta, ariyasāvako pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti, adinnādānā paṭivirato hoti, kāmesumicchācārā paṭivirato hoti, musāvādā paṭivirato hoti, surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā paṭivirato hoti.
These are the five precepts in which their actions are restrained.
Imesu pañcasu sikkhāpadesu saṁvutakammanto hoti.
- Some claim that the Ratanasutta is a later addition and is not truly the words of Lord Buddha. Of course, I don’t agree but why do they claim this?
SIGNIFICANCE OF CONCEIT (MĀNA)
Conceit (māna)
The literal meaning of the Pali word “Māna” is measuring, but generally, it refers to conceit, self-pride or arrogance. It is one’s tendency to arrive at valued judgments about oneself by comparing with others. In the Buddha’s higher teaching (Abhidhamma), conceit has been described as one of the fourteen unwholesome mental factors (akusala cetasika) as they are associated with one or more of the three unwholesome roots of greed (lobha), hatred (dosa) and delusion (moha). The fourteen unwholesome mental factors (Kilesa) are:
1. Delusion (moha)
2. shamelessness of wrongdoing (ahirika)
3. fearlessness of wrongdoing (anotappa)
4. restlessness (uddacca)
5. greed (lobha)
6. wrong view (Micchādiṭṭhi)
7. conceit (mana)
8. ill-will (dosa)
9. envy (issa)
10. avarice (macchariya)
11. worry (kukkucca)
12. sloth (thīna)
13. torpor (middha)
14. doubt (vicikiccā)
In the Anusaya sutta of the Anguttara Nikāya (collection of the Buddha’s numerical discourses), the Buddha has described a group of mental defilements called the latent tendencies (anusaya) as they tend to remain dormant in the mind life after life until they are completely eradicated by attaining the state of Nibbāna. The Buddha named conceit as one of the seven latent tendencies:
1. Latent tendency of desire for sense pleasures (kāmarāganusaya)
2. Latent tendency of aversion (patighanusaya)
3. Latent tendency of conceit (mānanusaya)
4. Latent tendency of wrong view (ditthanusaya)
5. Latent tendency of doubt (vicikiccānusaya)
6. Latent tendency of desire for existence (bhava-rāganusaya)
7. Latent tendency of ignorance (avijjānusaya)
Conceit (māna), along with the two mental defilements of craving (tanhā) and wrong view (ditthi), is responsible for the development of a self-identification view in an unenlightened person.
Craving, conceit and wrong views lead us to develop that false identification as follows:
1 .“This is mine” is due to craving (tanhā)
2. “This I am” is due to conceit (māna)
3. “This is me” is due to the wrong view (Micchādiṭṭhi)
Identification with a self has been described as responsible for the development of mental defilements such as egoism, attachment, selfishness, ill-will, hatred etc. These mental defilements can lead one to engage in unwholesome and unskilful behaviour which can result in suffering to oneself as well as others. Unwholesome and immoral actions performed due to the self-identification view will lead one to inevitable rebirth in the four planes of suffering: the plane of immense suffering (niraya), the plane of animals (tiracchāna yoni), the plane of hungry ghosts (peta loka) and the plane of demons and titans (asura loka).
When one reflects on the word conceit in general, one may think that through conceit one is always likely to consider oneself superior or more important than others. However according to Buddhist teaching, the feeling of equality as well as inferiority in comparison to others can also be manifestations of the defilement of conceit.
In the Vattha sutta of the Majjhima Nikāya, the Buddha has described sixteen unwholesome qualities that can defile the mind. The Buddha described conceit (māna) and arrogance (athimāna) as two of those sixteen unwholesome qualities which can lead to a bad destiny.
There are so many factors based on which one is likely to develop conceit comparing oneself with others. One can develop conceit based on: one’s race, one’s country, one’s nationality, one’s religion, one’s birth, one’s family name, one’s good health, one’s youth, one’s age, one’s honour and respect, one’s politeness and respect for others, one’s followers, one’s wealth, one’s beauty, one’s physical build, one’s education, one’s earning ability, one’s effort, one’s mental cleverness, one’s seniority, one’s possessions, one’s blameless character, one’s good manners, one’s success, one’s popularity, one’s ethics, one’s ability to develop concentration (samadhi) during meditation and mental absorptions (Jhana) etc.
Three justified types of conceit (yathāva māna):
1. The conceit of I am superior to others when one is superior to others.
2. The conceit of I am equal to others when one is equal to others.
3. The conceit of I am inferior to others when one is inferior to others.
Six unjustified types of conceit (ayathāva māna):
1. The conceit of I am superior to others when one is equal to others.
2. The conceit of I am superior to others when one is inferior to others.
3. The conceit of I am equal to others when one is superior to others.
3. The conceit of I am equal to others when one is inferior to others.
5. The conceit of I am inferior to others when one is equal to others.
6. The conceit of I am inferior to others when one is superior to others.
- This subject is very interesting but often misunderstood by me and others. In the arahant stage, mana is eliminated. Even an anagami still possesses this taint. However, when an arahant describes their qualities and achievements, it is not considered pride. In the suttas, we see Lord Buddha and other venerable arahants talking about their abilities in various fields. Why would this not be considered pride in this case?
Welcome to the forum, Waisaka! 😁🙏🏿
If you have difficulty writing in English, I recommend an application called Grammarly. When I first started on the forum, I also had difficulty writing in English. Grammarly corrects the majority of your mistakes and can also make suggestions regarding the meaning of your text. I always use this application to write on the forum. I recommend using Google Translate, copying and pasting the text into Grammarly so that it corrects the mistakes and suggests a better text. It’s free and can be installed on phones and computers. The full name is Grammarly AI Writing Assistant. It can be found on the Google Store or other platforms.
May the triple Gem bless you and may you attain the Supreme bliss of Nibbāna. 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿☸️
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RESPECT THE TEACHER FROM WHOM ONE LEARNS THE DHAMMA
The Brāhmana”, which contains 41 verses said by the Buddha. The background story of the 392nd verse, which is the tenth verse of the Brāhmana vagga is about Arahant Sāriputta, who continued to pay homage daily to Arahant Assaji, from who he first learnt the Buddha’s teaching.
The background story of verse 392
Arahant Sāriputta was named Upatissa in his lay life as he was born into the chief family of a village named Upatissa. He had a very close friend named Kolita and both of them completed their education satisfactorily mastering the Vedic doctrines. They attended an annual festival called Hilltop Festival in the town of Rajagaha and enjoyed the entertainment. But they became disenchanted with the material world with a strong sense of the impermanence of things in their life and decided to leave the domestic life to become ascetics. They first went to a teacher named Sanjaya Bellatthiputta but were not happy with his teaching. Then they walked all around India looking for a teacher who could provide them with the correct teaching but could not find one. They decided to go their separate ways but promised each other that if one were to find the truth first he would immediately come and inform the other.
One day, Upatissa happened to see Arahant Assaji who was doing his alms round for food in the city of Rajagaha, and was quite impressed with the calm and serene appearance of Arahant Assaji. He thought to himself that this ascetic must be either an Arahant already or on his way to becoming one. He asked Arahant Assaji who his teacher was and what the teacher’s teaching was. Arahant Assaji informed Upatissa that he was a pupil of Gautama Buddha and that he could not describe the teaching in detail as he had not been a monk for long. But, when Upatissa requested that the teaching be mentioned in brief, Arahant Assaji recited the verse:
“Ye dhammā hetuppabhavā,
Tesaṁ hetuṁ tathāgato āha;
Tesanca yo nirodho,
Evaṃvādi mahāsamaṇo”
“Of things that proceed from a cause, their cause, the Tathagata has told, and also their cessation, thus teaches the great ascetic.”
On hearing the first two lines of the verse, Upatissa realized the Dhamma and became a Stream Enterer (Sotāpañña), the first noble stage of the Buddhist path of liberation. Having obtained the details of where the Buddha was residing, he went to Kolita to tell him of his discovery of the truth and when he repeated the same verse, Kolita too became a Stream Enterer. They went to the Buddha and were ordained as monks and soon both became Arahants and were appointed as the two chief disciples of the Buddha.
Arahant Sāriputta never failed to remember his very first teacher Arahant Assaji from whom he first heard the Buddha’s teaching in brief and became a Stream Enterer. If they both happened to be residing in the same monastery, Arahant Sāriputta would first visit the Buddha and then visit Arahant Assaji to pay homage to him. If Arahant Assaji was residing elsewhere, each day before going to sleep, he would find out where Arahant Assaji was and pay homage to that direction and would sleep with his head in the same direction.
At one time, the Buddha was staying at the Jetavana monastery in Sāvatti, and Arahant Sāriputta was also staying there at that time. When the other monks at the monastery witnessed Arahant Sāriputta paying homage in some direction or other, they mistook it as worshiping the various directions as Brahmins do. They reported to the Buddha that Arahant Sāriputta had not given up the old habit of worshiping the various directions. The Buddha sent for Arahant Sāriputta and when asked about it, he explained to the Buddha that he was only paying homage to his teacher Arahant Assaji and was not worshiping various directions. The Buddha was quite satisfied with that answer and said to the other monks:
“Monks, Sāriputta was not worshiping in various directions; he was only paying homage to his teacher Arahant Assaji, from whom he first learned about the Dhamma and it is quite proper for him to pay homage to such a teacher.”
Then the Buddha recited the following verse which is recorded as the 392nd verse of the Dhammapada.
“Yamhā Dhammaṁ vijāneyya,
Sammāsambuddhadesitaṁ,
Sakkaccaṁ taṁ namasseyya,
Aggihuttaṁ va brāhmano.”
“One from whom one learned the Dhamma, taught by the Sammā Sambuddha, should be revered like a Brahmin reveres the sacrificial fire.”
- Venerable Arahant Sariputta is considered the wisest disciple of Lord Buddha. His wisdom surpasses all other arahants except for Lord Gautama. Despite this, he continued to pay homage to his first master. It’s important to follow this example and show respect to those who introduced us to the Dhamma, regardless of whether they use mundane interpretations. Understanding mundane concepts is essential for comprehending deeper teachings. Even Lord Buddha would have wanted to pay homage to his anariya masters (Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta) by teaching them the Dhamma first. Unfortunately, they had already passed away and been reborn in the arupa loka(is impossible for an anariya Brahma to learn the Dhamma, in the Arupa loka). We must continue paying homage to our initial Dhamma teachers.
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Hmm, the Anagamis have eliminated Dosa forever, but they still have Moha (ignorance, mana, agitation) and Lobha (attachment to the Brahma worlds Rupa and Arupa). It is the complete elimination of Moha which eradicates the other two. The cause of our suffering is the total ignorance of the reality of this world. This is why it is at the arahant stage that all ignorance is eradicated.
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