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To complete your comment, Christian. It is simply impossible to become sotāpanna alone. A puthujunas must associate with a person who is at least sotāpanna, to become one. Your suggestion of a master who follows our progress is perfect!
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Hi Saurabagh! My advice for you is to surround yourself with noble people and carefully listen to sermons on the Dhamma. After listening, meditate on the teachings and apply them in your daily life. It’s said that reaching the sotāpanna stage is impossible without the guidance of someone who has reached at least the first magga phala stage. Sotapanna has different meanings—it can refer to entering the flow of liberation or listening wisely. “Sota” refers to the ability to listen and “Panna” refers to wisdom. Becoming sotāpanna is achieved through attentive listening, not by sight(for example reading).
This website is designed for those who have already attained the sotāpanna stage and wish to continue progressing. For those who have not yet reached this stage, it is important to listen to teachings and associate with people who have at least attained sotāpanna. A sotāpanna is self-reliant and can progress independently. Regardless of their actions, they will reach the stage of arahant within 7 lifetimes. However, it’s important to note that they will not engage in extreme bad behaviour. See Ratanasutta. Additionally, a sotāpanna who associates with someone who has a higher level is likely to progress more quickly than if they were to progress alone. The Maha Sangha is available to support us, but ultimately, it’s up to each individual to choose their own path. However, it is impossible to become sotāpanna alone!
The best place to find noble individuals is within the Maha Sangha (monastic community). Becoming sotāpanna is not solely achieved through self-study and practice. If that were the case, one would only need to take refuge in the Buddha and the Dhamma, rendering the Sangha unnecessary. See Taking refuge in the Sangha involves listening to the sermons given by noble individuals and following their guidance. If any of the “jewels” (Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha) is missing, Nibbāna remains unattainable, which is why we take refuge in the Triple Gem. There are monks from the Jethavaranama Monastery in Sri Lanka who share sermons on their YouTube channels and hold private meetings with lay people. This monastery was founded by a disciple of Venerable Waharaka Thero. If you’re interested, I can refer you to them and they will do a personal online meeting!
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Arahant Sopāka: Enlightened at seven years of age
Early back ground of Arahant Sopāka
During the time of the Buddha, there was a seven-year-old boy named Sopāka. When his natural father died, his mother remarried another man. His stepfather was not a very good man who scolded and beat Sopāka regularly despite his mother’s pleas not to do so. After some time, another baby boy was born to his mother. Since the birth of his younger brother, step father’s attitude towards Sopāka became worse. One day the stepfather decided to get rid of Sopāka for good and while his mother was away from the house, the stepfather took Sopāka to a cemetery ground and tied him to a freshly brought dead body. Sopāka cried pleading with his stepfather not to leave him tied up, but the stepfather turned a deaf ear and went home.
During the night, Sopāka heard the cries of jackals, tigers, leopards and other animals who were coming to the cemetery to feed on the dead bodies. Hearing the cries of those animals, Sopāka became terrified. Shivering in the cold and terrified, Sopāka cried for help but as the cemetery ground was away from the city, no one could hear his cries.
Becoming a Stream Enterer (Sotāpanna)
As the Buddha was surveying the world through the Buddha’s super normal divine vision to see who could be spiritually helped on that day, Sopāka came into the Buddha’s vision. The Buddha saw that young Sopāka who was tied to a dead body in the cemetery was terrified and crying and that he also possessed matured spiritual faculties to gain enlightenment on that day. The Buddha appeared before Sopāka displaying a light of halo rays and said to Sopāka:
“Son, don’t cry. Don’t be afraid. I will help you escape”.
When Sopāka heard the Buddha’s ensuring voice and contemplated the Buddha’s kindness, he attained the first supra mundane stage of Stream Entry (Sotāpanna). The ropes that tied Sopāka to the dead body were broken through the Buddha’s will. The Buddha then consoled and comforted Sopāka and holding his hand, took him to the Jetavana monastery where the Buddha arranged for him to be cleaned and bathed.
Enlightenment and ordination as a novice monk
In the meantime, Sopāka’s mother who had gone out returned to the house and not been able to see her son, enquired from her husband as to where Sopāka was. When he said he did not where Sopāka was, she went out looking for Sopāka but could not find him anywhere. The mother could not sleep the whole night worrying about her son and in her desperation, early next morning she went to the Jetavana Monastery to seek the Buddha’s advice as she had heard that the Buddhas knew all, past, future and present. When she arrived at the monastery, the Buddha through supernormal power, made Sopāka invisible to his mother.
When Sopāka’s mother said to the Buddha: “Venerable Sir, I cannot find my son anywhere”, the Buddha gave the following brief sermon to her.
“Sons are no shelter nor father, nor any kinsfolk.
For one overtaken by death, blood bond is no refuge.”
When the mother heard the Buddha’s brief sermon, she became a Stream Enterer (Sotāpanna), while Sopāka having heard the same sermon given to his mother, gained enlightenment as an Arahant. Then the Buddha made Sopāka visible to his mother who was overjoyed to see her son. When the mother was told that Sopāka had gained enlightenment as an Arahant, she consented for him to go forth and ordain as a novice monk.
Higher ordination
Shortly afterwards, the Buddha wanted to consider offering higher ordination (upasampadā) to novice Sopāka and asked him ten questions which are recorded in the Khuddaka pātha of the Khuddaka Nikāya (collection of the Buddha’s minor discourses as the “Boy’s questions (Kumāra panha). The ten questions asked by the Buddha and the answers given by novice Sopāka are as follows:
What is one?
All beings subsist on food.
[The Buddha has described four types of food: Physical food (kabalinkāhāra), sense impression (phassāhāra), volitional thoughts (mano sancetanāhāra) and consciousness (viññānāhāra)]
What is two?
Name and form.
[All mental and physical phenomena (nāma rūpa)]
What is three?
The three types of feeling.
[Pleasant feeling (sukha vedanā), painful feeling (dukkha vedanā), neutral feeling (upekhā vedanā)]
What is four?
The four Noble Truths.
[Truth of suffering (dukkha sacca), the truth of the cause of suffering (samudaya sacca), the truth of the cessation of suffering (nirodha sacca) and the truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering (magga sacca).]
What is five?
The five aggregates of clinging.
[Form (rūpa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saññā), mental formation (sankhāra) and consciousness (viññāna).]
What is six?
The six internal sense doors.
[Eye (cakku), ear (sota), nose (ghāna), tongue (jivhā), body (kāya) and mind (mana).]
What is seven?
The seven factors of enlightenment.
[Mindfulness (sati), analysis of qualities (dhamma vicaya), effort (viriya), rapture (pīti), tranquillity (passaddhi), concentration (samādhi) and equanimity (upekhā).]
What is eight?
The Noble Eightfold Path.
[Right view (sammā-ditthi), right intention (sammā-sankappa), right speech (sammā-vācā), right action (sammā-kammanta), right livelihood (sammā-ājīva), right effort (sammā-vāyāma), right mindfulness (sammā-sati) and right concentration (sammā-samādhi)]
What is nine?
The nine abodes of beings.
[Beings with diversity of body and diversity of perception, beings with diversity of body and singularity of perception, beings with singularity of body and diversity of perception, beings with singularity of body and singularity of perception, dimension of the infinitude of space, dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, dimension of nothingness, dimension of non-percipient beings, dimension of neither perception nor non-perception.]
What is ten?
One endowed with ten qualities is called an Arahant.
[Right view (sammā-ditthi), right intention (sammā-sankappa), right speech (sammā-vācā), right action (sammā-kammanta), right livelihood (sammā-ājīva), right effort (sammā-vāyāma), right mindfulness (sammā-sati), right concentration (sammā-samādhi), right knowledge (sammā nāna) and right liberation (sammā vimutti).]
Novice Sopāka gave all the right answers to the ten questions asked by the Buddha, and making that the basis, the Buddha offered him the higher ordination. The following are the verses by Arahant Sopāka recorded in Theragāthā, one of the fifteen books of the Khuddaka Nikāya.
480. The shadow of the Buddha’s hut fell on his walking path. The best of men, the Buddha, was doing walking meditation there. I went up to him. I worshiped him, the best of men, the Buddha.
481. I arranged in my robe, putting it over one shoulder. Placing my hands together, I too started walking behind the Buddha, the one who is freed from defilements, the best of all beings.
482. The Buddha who is extremely skilled in answering questions asked me questions. At that time, I was not scared or terrified at all to answer. I answered all the questions.
483. The Tathāgata Buddha was pleased with the way I answered the questions. Looking at the community of monks, the Buddha said this about me:
484. “The people of Ānga and Magadha offer robes, food, resting places and medicine to this young monk Sopāka. This young Sopāka uses them. It’s a great gain for those people. Those people, having seen this young monk, get up from their seats and pay respect to him. It’s a great gain for those people. Those people have Dhamma discussions with this young monk. It’s a great gain for them.
485. Dear Sopāka, from today onwards you should come to see me. Dear Sopāka, just your answering of my questions is your higher ordination.”
486. I was just seven years old when I received a higher ordination. I too attained the Triple Knowledge. Ah! See the excellence of this Dhamma.
These verses by Arahant Sopāka state in his own words that he answered the questions from the Buddha and received higher ordination at the age of seven years. By stating that he attained the triple knowledge, he has also confirmed that he gained enlightenment as an Arahant at the age of seven years.
Significance of gratitude in Theravada Buddhism
The ability to experience a positive feeling of gratitude can vary from person to person. While it can spontaneously arise in some people more frequently than in others, others may need to put some effort to help it arise and others find it difficult to feel a sense of gratitude for things done to oneself by others. When one looks around, one is likely to find out that those who have a natural tendency to feel and express gratitude are rare while the vast majority of people do not have that natural tendency in themselves. The fact that gratitude is a rare human quality has been said by the Buddha himself in the Dullabha sutta of the Anguttara Nikāya (collection of the Buddha’s numerical discourses) as follows:
“Monks, the appearance of three people is rare in the world. What three? A Realised One, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha. A person who teaches the teaching and training proclaimed by a Realised One. A person who is grateful and thankful. The appearance of these three people is rare in the world.”
In the Pingiyānī sutta of the Anguttara Nikāya, addressing a group of five hundred Licchavi householders, the Buddha described a person who is grateful and thankful as one of the five rare treasures in the world. The Buddha said:
“Licchavis, the appearance of five treasures is rare in the world. What five?
1. A Realised One, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha.
2. A person who explains the teaching and training proclaimed by a Realised One.
3. A person who understands the teaching and training proclaimed by a Realised One.
4. A person who practises in line with the teaching.
5. A person who is grateful and thankful.”
It can be seen that disciples of the Buddha, both lay and monastic, make various offerings to the Buddha as a part of their religious practice. They are aware that they cannot expect to attain their liberation from suffering through these offerings because according to the Buddha’s teaching, one has to work towards one’s liberation and even the Buddha cannot liberate someone else. The main purpose of making such offerings to the Buddha is to pay homage and show gratitude to the great teacher who selflessly struggled to discover the path of liberation from suffering with no assistance from any teacher, and then taught it to the world so that others can also practise the same path and attain their liberation. Buddhist disciples are also encouraged to show gratitude to one’s teachers, monastics, spiritual friends and anyone else who has helped and supported them even in a very small manner. Another common religious practice among the Buddhist disciples is to perform various meritorious actions and transfer the merit earned from them to relatives, friends and others both living and dead. This practice can also be seen as a gesture of showing one’s appreciation and gratitude to them for whatever they may have done to help and support in one way or the other.
Excellent !!!🙏🏿
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Lagrade, I admit that the site uses advanced terms and concepts that are difficult for a beginner to understand. Even I didn’t understand certain concepts. This site is more suitable for those who are advanced. I suggest focusing on the monastery sermons because they are very suitable for beginners. They use terms that are easy for non-Buddhists and new Buddhists to grasp. If you want, I can put you in contact with monks who can give you private sermons adapted to your understanding. To begin on the path to the end of suffering, a person who has reached at least the first level of the path (Sotāpanna) must explain it to us. We cannot reach the first stage by reading, we must hear it with our ears. It is When one becomes Sotāpanna that one becomes independent and no longer needs to hear. An average human must hear with their ears, to reach the first stage. This is a personal recommendation, but I advise you to speak with the monks of the monastery to facilitate your understanding and assimilation of the Dhamma! You can contact me at my email [email protected] if you are interested!
Venerable Arahant Maha-Moggallana was able to see the potential for enlightenment in other beings. Venerable Sariputta was unable to see the level of magga phala of others. It was easier for Venerable Maha Moggallana to guide others to higher stages.
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Hello and welcome Lagarde. I was a former Protestant Christian and my father is a Protestant pastor. I became interested in Buddhism when I was 17. I was a Mahayanist for 1 year before starting to study Theravada. I chose Buddhism because it is the only religion that provides a permanent solution to suffering.
You know that as Christians we seek the eternal life promised by Jesus. Just accept Jesus as our savior and all our sins will be forgiven. If we refuse we will not have the right to eternal life, but to hell. When I saw that Lord Buddha said that even the pleasures of heaven and the sufferings of hell are not eternal it was a shock. I had also learned that we are our own saviours.
Lord Buddha is only a guide and not the one who will bear the burden of our bad deeds. It shows that the final solution to all this suffering is to stop desiring the things of this world and to understand the true nature of this world. Theravada is the Dhamma and it is the school which best represents the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha). Other schools have complicated things and added elements foreign to the Dhamma.
To develop confidence in the Dhamma, you need to hear explanations from a person who is at least sotapannā i.e. a person who has fully understood the basis. You can read the suttas on your own, but you need someone who has fully understood it to explain it to you and help you understand what you have read. We call that noble friend, in Buddhism. After this, you will become a sotāpanna yourself and your confidence in the teaching will be unshakeable.
You will know how to share it when your confidence is unshakeable. However, I suggest listening to sermons from monks who know how to talk to non-Buddhists. Jethavaranama Monastery is very skilled in this field.
See these sermons to get an Idea :
This website uses advanced Dhamma terms. I share these sermons because they are excellent for beginners. Of course, you can jump straight to this website and learn.
You have the option to have a Zoom call with the monks at the monastery. Let me know if you’re interested! :)
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One Who Commits Evil Acts Will Suffer In This Life And In Future Lives
The first chapter is named “Yamaka vagga” meaning the chapter of “The Twin Verses”, which contains 20 verses said by the Buddha. The background story of the verse 15, which is the 15th verse of the Yamaka vagga is about a cruel pig butcher during the time of the Buddha, who faced a painful death behaving like a pig and was reborn in hell.
The background story of verses 15
At one time, the Buddha was staying at the Veluvana monastery in Rajagaha donated by King Bimbisāra.
In a certain village outside Rajagaha, there lived a pig butcher named Cunda, who was a pig butcher for fifty-five years. He used to kill the pigs in an extremely cruel manner either to eat the flesh or to sell it to others. He had never performed any meritorious action during all his life. The Buddha was staying in the Veluvana monastery which was not far from him, but he never visited the Buddha to pay homage or to make any offering to the Buddha.
He was then affected by a certain serious illness, and for seven days before his death, he suffered from excruciating pain grunting like a pig and crawling on his hands and knees like a pig. His family members had to barricade him in the house to prevent him from leaving the house. Finally, on the eighth day, he died and was reborn in the hell called Avīci Niraya. During their alms rounds, some monks had heard the grunting noise of pigs coming from the house with its doors locked and had thought that pigs were being killed in the house during those seven days. They reported to the Buddha that the door of the house of Cunda the pig butcher, had been closed for seven days and that perhaps he had been killing pigs in his house. Then the Buddha said to them that Cunda had not been killing pigs in those seven days but had suffered torment as the result of his cruel acts of killing pigs for fifty-five years and that he had been grunting like a pig and crawling on his hands and knees like a pig until he died on that day to be reborn in the Avīci Niraya. The Buddha said to the monks that those who commit evil acts will suffer in this world and would be reborn in a suffering world thus having to face suffering in both worlds.
Then the Buddha recited the following verse which is recorded as the 15th verse of the Dhammapada.
“Idha socati pecca socati,
pāpakārī ubhayattha socati,
so socati so vihaññati,
disvā kamma kilitthamattano.”
“Here he grieves, hereafter he grieves,
the evil-doer grieves in both places,
he grieves and he suffers anguish,
seeing the impurity of his own deeds.”
- The text explains that sometimes when someone is destined to be reborn in an apaya, their mental state begins to align with that realm. Many people die troubled and afraid because they did not take refuge in the Triple Gem. There are several types of Nirayas. Some are ice and cold, some are thick darkness, some are acid, Some are hot and incandescent, some are sharp and many others. Avīci Maha Niraya is considered the worst of the hells, the scariest and most painful. This is why it is called Maha Niraya, the Great Hell, in the commentaries. Most of those who are reborn there have committed extremely immoral actions or an anantariya Kamma. Devadatta is currently in Avīci for many Kappas. However, even those who have not committed such actions can be reborn there if they have not reached the sotāpanna stage. In a sutta (I forget the name), Lord Buddha said that once someone falls into Avīci Niraya, it is extremely difficult to escape and they may be trapped there for Kappas. When they finally manage to come out, they are reborn in another niraya and so on. However, there are a few exceptions, like Queen Mallika, who was only in Avīci for 7 days before being reborn in the Tusita paradise.
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If one can endure abuse without anger, he is a real Brāhmana
The background story of the 399th verse, which is the seventeenth verse of the Brāhmana vagga is about four Brahmin brothers who came and abused the Buddha, but eventually became Buddha’s disciples due to Buddha’s patient endurance and attained enlightenment as Arahants.
The background story of verse 399
At one time, the Buddha was staying at the Veluvana monastery in Rajagaha, which was donated to the Buddha by King Bimbisāra.
At that time, there was a Brahmin named Bhāradvāja whose wife named Dhananjāni was a disciple of the Buddha. She had attained the first supra mundane stage of Stream Enterer (Sotāpañña), and whenever she happened to sneeze, cough or stumble, she would utter the solemn utterance: “Homage to the Exalted One, the Worthy One, the Supremely Enlightened One” (Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammā sambuddhassa). One day as she was serving the food to some invited brahmins in her house, she stumbled and as usual uttered the solemn utterance: “Homage to the Exalted One, the Worthy One, the Supremely Enlightened One” in a loud voice. When this was said by her, the Brahmin Bhāradvāja said to her:
“You, outcaste woman, while living in my house, are you making utterances praising that shaven-headed monk? I will go right now and argue against the teaching of your teacher.”
“Brahmin, I do not know of anyone in this world with its gods, Maras, Brahmas, recluses and humans, who can argue against the teaching of the Exalted One, the worthy One, the Supremely Enlightened One. But anyway, you can go and find out for yourself.”
Then the Brahmin Bhāradvāja, angry and upset, went to the Buddha. He exchanged friendly greetings with the Buddha and sat to one side. Having sat to one side, he said this to the Buddha in verse.
“Cutting up what, can one sleep well?
cutting up what, does one not feel sadness?
what is the one thing, whose destruction, you would approve?”
“Cutting up anger, one sleeps well,
cutting up anger, one does not feel sadness,
brahmin, anger has a poisonous root and a sweet top,
the noble ones praise the destruction of anger, for when anger is destroyed, there is no sadness.”
After hearing the Buddha’s response, the Brahmin Bhāradvāja was so impressed and satisfied that he asked the Buddha for permission to go forth and receive higher ordination as a monk. Having received the going forth and higher ordination in the presence of the Buddha, within a very short time he gained enlightenment as an Arahant.
His younger brother named Akkosa Bhāradvāja, became extremely angry when he heard that his brother had become a monk under the Buddha. He went to the Buddha and verbally abused the Buddha with foul and harsh words. The Buddha quietly asked the brahmin Akkosa Bhāradvāja:
“Well, brahmin, do friends, colleagues, blood relatives and other guests visit you?”
“Yes, sometimes friends, colleagues, blood relatives and other guests do visit me.”
“What do you think brahmin, do you offer them solid food, food snacks or delicacies?”
“Yes, sometimes, I do offer them solid food, food snacks or delicacies.”
“But, if brahmin, they do not accept them, who do those foods belong to?”
“If they do not accept them, those foods belong to me”
“In the same way, brahmin, you are abusing us who do not abuse, you are angry with us who do not get angry, you are insulting us who do not insult. All of this, we do not accept from you. You alone will get them back. All of this, brahmin, belongs to you.”
He instantly realized the Buddha’s message and requested permission to go forth and receive higher ordination as a monk. Within a very short time, he too gained enlightenment as an Arahant.
Akkosa Bhāradvāja’s two younger brothers named Sundarī Bhāradvāja and Bilangika Bhāradvāja also went and abused the Buddha, who subdued them both patiently. They also went forth and received higher ordination as monks and soon gained enlightenment as Arahants.
Following these incidents, one day the monks were discussing among themselves at their congregation: “How wonderful and how great are the virtues of the Blessed One! The four Brahmin brothers came here to abuse the Blessed One; and instead of arguing with them, the Blessed One made them see the light and became a refuge to them.” At that moment, the Buddha arrived there and asked what they were discussing about. The monks reported what they were discussing about and then the Buddha said:
“Monks, because I have patience and do no wrong to those who do me wrong, I have become a refuge to many.”
Then the Buddha recited the following verse which is recorded as the 399th verse of the Dhammapada.
“Akkosaṁ vadhabandhan ca,
aduttho yo titikkhati,
khantībalaṁ balānikaṁ,
tamahaṁ brūmi brāhmanaṁ.“
“When abused, beaten and being bound,
whoever endures it with no anger,
who has patience as his power and army,
that one I say is a true brahmana.”
Thanks for the detailed explanation.😁 As you mentioned, without strong discipline, it can be a waste of time. I attempted to practice Jhānas with a transparent Kasina but couldn’t see a Nimitta. I could only remain calm for about an hour before my bad temper and Kāma ragā resurfaced and disturbed my tranquillity. It’s truly inspiring and interesting to converse with someone who has this kind of practical experience, rather than just theoretical knowledge. Thank you once again for sharing. I hope this experience helps you reach Nibbāna as quickly as possible! 🙏🏿
