[Jittananto]

MUCH GOOD CAN BE DONE BY ONE SUBJECT TO BIRTH AND DEATH (SAMSĀRA)

The background story of verses 53

At one time, the Buddha was staying at the Pubbārāma monastery, the palace of Migāramātā in Sāvatti, which was donated to the Buddha by Lady Visākhā, the chief benefactress of the Buddha.

Visākha was the daughter of very wealthy parents living in the Magadha Kingdom of King Bimbisāra. At the age of seven years, she happened to listen to the Buddha’s teaching when the Buddha visited her grandfather’s house for a meal and attained the supra mundane stage of Stream Enterer (Sotapañña). When she grew up to be of marriageable age, she married a young man named Punnavaddhana and moved to live in Sāvatti. Her father-in-law Migāra was a disciple of the Niganthas, and hence, Visākhā was not allowed to make any offerings to the Buddha or the order of monks. However, she was able to convert him to be a disciple of the Buddha, after which he considered her to be a mother figure to him. Hence, she also became known as Migaramātā (mother of Migāra). Since Migāra also became a disciple of the Buddha, Lady Visākhā was allowed to invite the Buddha and the monks to her house to offer alms food.

It is said that Lady Visākhā gave birth to ten sons and ten daughters, each of whom also had ten sons and ten daughters. At the time of Lady Visākhā’s marriage, her father has given her an immensely valuable gem-studded cloak as a wedding present. One day, when she went to the Jetavana monastery to see the Buddha, she removed her gem-studded cloak and gave it to her maid to keep it safe. When they left the Jetavana monastery that evening, the maid forgot to take the cloak. Venerable Ānanda, the chief attendant of the Buddha, found the cloak at the monastery and sent a message to Lady Visākha to collect it. As Venerable Ānanda had already touched it, she refused to take the gem-studded cloak back and decided to donate it to Venerable Ānanda, who declined to accept her donation. Then, she decided to sell it and donate the proceeds. However, because no one in Sāvatti could afford to buy it, Lady Visākhā bought it herself and used the money to build a monastery on the eastern side of Sāvatti. The monastery was named Pubbārāma (monastery on the eastern side), and it also came to be known as the Palace of Migāramātā.

On the day the Pubbārāma was donated to the Buddha, Lady Visākhā gathered her family at the Pubbārāma and told them that all her wishes had been fulfilled and that she had nothing more to desire. Then she went around the monastery reciting five verses of exultation. When some monks noticed her going around the monastery singing, which they had not witnessed before, they wondered whether she had gone off her head and reported it to the Buddha. Then the Buddha said to the monks:

“Today, Visākhā had all her wishes of the past and the present existences fulfilled and on account of that sense of achievement, she was feeling elated and contended. She was just reciting some verses of exultation and she has certainly not gone off her head. Visākhā, throughout her previous births, had always been a generous donor and an ardent promoter of the doctrine of the previous Buddhas. She was most strongly inclined to do good deeds and had done much good in her previous births, just as an expert florist makes many garlands from a collection of flowers.”

Then the Buddha recited the following verse which is recorded as the 53rd verse of the Dhammapada.

“Yathā pi puppharāsimhā,

  kayirā mālāgune bahū,

  evaṁ jātena maccena,

  kattabbaṁ kusalaṁ bahuṁ.”

“Just as from a collection of flowers,

  an expert florist can make many garlands,

  so also, many good deeds can be done,

  by one subject to birth and death.”

• The story of Visākha shows us how the paramis of generosity brings enormous amounts of Kusalas. In the days of the Lord Buddhas of the past, she was just a simple devotee who performed acts of generosity(Dana) and promoted the Dhamma. It is because of these Kusulas that she was able to become a sotāpanna at the age of 7 which is extremely rare among lay people. There are several stories of samanera (novice monks) who were arahant or anagami at 7 years old but for lay people, it is extremely rare to expect magga phala at such a young age. By supporting the Sasana for example by offering the Bhikkhus the 4 necessities (Accommodation, Alms, clothing, and medicine), by participating in ceremonies like Kathina (offering a robe at the end of the rains retreat to the Bhikkhus) and Wesak, and by teaching the Dhamma to others, It is very possible to achieve results like lay Visākha.

[Jittananto]

Hello everybody.

• I am a member of the Whatsapp group for Canadian and American devotees of the Jethavaranama monastery. Although most group members are Sri Lankan, people from other countries are welcome to join. This year, the Jethavaranama monastery has allowed devotees from these countries to organize the Wesak ceremony, which is scheduled to take place on May 23, 2024. The organizers have created a separate WhatsApp group for those who wish to contribute to this ceremony in their way. Detailed information will be provided by one of the organizers at the end of March. I have spoken to one of the organizers who informed me that people from all countries are welcome to participate and join the group. If you’re interested, here is the WhatsApp link to join the group directly. https://chat.whatsapp.com/KJOqohkbDtI0zcxgVAVbdU
• If you have any questions regarding the ceremony contact Miss Ajitha Cristie David on +1 (313) 910 7148.

 

Please note that only the group administrators can send messages. It is a meritorious activity that brings many Kusulas. For those who don’t know Wesak is the day of Lord Buddha Gautama’s birth, his enlightenment, and his parinibbānna. By participating in this ceremony you contribute to the preservation of Sasana. The Kusulas will be even more powerful if you have a good understanding of Tilakkhana.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Yash RS

[Jittananto]

•  An excellent speech by the Venerable on the different types of Kamma. I won’t go into detail about it because my understanding of the subject is not developed enough. I’ll leave it to Mr. Lal to explain it in a future essay when he wants. However, here’s what I learned: When we do a positive action, it’s better not to regret it. We’ll receive the effects, but they’ll be destroyed by a Kamma associated with our regret. For example, if someone says, “I shouldn’t have given my wealth to charity, what a waste,” Kamma Vipāka could make them wealthy in a future life, but due to regret, they could become bankrupt. We can see extremely rich people going bankrupt in the news. Most people think that the homeless people we see on the streets have always been homeless. Yet many were socially good or even extremely wealthy people who lost their wealth – proof of Annica and Anatta’s nature. Tomorrow we could lose our possessions and be powerless against this Vipāka. 
• The same goes for bad actions. Suppose a person had a habit of physically hurting others. If they realize their bad actions and stop them, and also start donating blood, plasma, platelets, and donating to hospitals, etc., they not only realize but also start doing good deeds. The Vipāka of hurting others can take effect in a future life. The person may have a life full of illnesses, go blind, etc. However, they will suddenly be able to get well and lead a happy life because of the good deeds they did by donating. This is why there are cases of people who were diagnosed with incurable illnesses and who were able to recover.
• We must do actions contrary to our bad actions to at least lessen the impact. For example, if a person steals he must start giving to others. Theft is fueled by Lobha and generosity with positive intention is Alobha. Only by understanding Annica’s nature will we be able to do this very easily.

Example of destructive Bad Kamma.

Example of destructive good Kamma.

https://youtu.be/7KWGmtANlYw?si=p3nQv21MgZfY34rO

1 user thanked author for this post.

Yash RS

[Jittananto]

Yes, I read today’s post it was excellent. I’m going to re-read it a few more times to make sure I understand the key concepts. Thank you very much for the explanation 🙏🏿.

[Jittananto]

Sir Lal, can you please explain the meaning of this verse? I didn’t understand it very well. What does Lord Buddha mean by leaving the past, present, and future??

[Jittananto]

The Story of Uggasena

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (348) of this book, concerning Uggasena, a rich man’s son who fell in love with a dancer.

Once, a wandering theatrical troupe consisting of five hundred dancers and some acrobats came to Rajagaha and performed on the grounds of the palace of King Bimbisara for seven days. There, a young dancer who was the daughter of an acrobat sang and danced on top of a long bamboo pole. Uggasena, the young son of a rich man, fell desperately in love with this dancer and his parents could not stop him from marrying her. He married the young dancer and followed the troupe. As he was not a dancer nor an acrobat, he was not of much use to the party. So, as the party moved from place to place, he had to help carry boxes, drive the carts, etc.

Over time, a son was born to Uggasena and his wife, the dancer. To this child, the dancer would often sing a song that ran thus: “O you, son of the man who keeps watch over the carts; the man who carries boxes and bundles! O, you, son of the ignorant one who can do nothing!” Uggasena heard the song; he knew that his wife was referring to him and he was very much hurt and depressed. So he went to his father-in-law, the acrobat, and requested him to teach him acrobatics. After a year’s training, Uggasena became a skillful acrobat.

Then, Uggasena went back to Rajagaha, and it was proclaimed that Uggasena would publicly demonstrate his skill in seven days. On the seventh day, a long pole was put up and Uggasena stood on top of it. At a signal given from below, he somersaulted seven times on the pole. At about this time, the Buddha saw Uggasena in his vision and knew that the time was ripe for Uggasena to attain arahatship. So, he entered Rajagaha and willed that the audience should turn their attention to him instead of applauding Uggasena for his acrobatic feats. When Uggasena saw that he was being neglected and ignored, he just sat on top of the pole, feeling very discontented and depressed. The Buddha then addressed Uggasena, “Uggasena, a wise man should abandon all attachment to the khandha aggregates and strive to gain liberation from the round of rebirths.”

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:Verse 348

“Muñca pure muñca pacchato,

Majjhe muñca bhavassa pāragū;

Sabbattha vimuttamānaso,

Na punaṁ jātijaraṁ upehisi.”

“Let go of the present, having gone beyond rebirth.

With your heart freed in every respect,

Let go of the past, let go of the future,

You’ll not come again to rebirth and old age.”

At the end of the discourse, Uggasena, who was still on top of the pole, attained Arahatship. He came down and was soon admitted to the Order by the Buddha.

• I shared this story because Venerable Uggasena is one of the very few people who have become an arahant while being a layman. To my knowledge, there are only a few other people who have reached the arahant stage while being lays, such as Arahant Santati, Arahant Suddhodana (Father of Lord Gautama), Arahant Yasa, and Arahant Kema Theri. Out of these, Arahant Yasa, Uggasena, and Khema (the first among the Bhikkuni in wisdom) are the only ones who have joined the order of Bhikkhus or Bhikkunis. Arahant Suddhodana and Santati attained parinibbānna as laymen. I noticed that each of them became arahant following a speech or a short verse. This shows that they are either the first type of person or the second type and that their paramis were extremely developed. See 4 types of learners

1 user thanked author for this post.

Yash RS

[Jittananto]

[Jittananto]

Thank you for the explanations, Sir.

• Yes, you are right, sir, the Apayas are immeasurable sufferings. However, we can be born human and suffer as much as an animal. An animal can do as much merit as a human even if it is extremely rare cases. I think for example of the horse of our Bodhisatta Kanthaka “Deva Kanthaka removed self-centered view, doubt, and wrongful practices and became a Stream Entrant.” As we know the majority of humans waste their birth by making akusalas. When I talk about unpleasant rebirths I think for example of being reborn blind, deaf, mute, very poor, mental problems. We can be born human and have mental problems that prevent us from seeing the Dhamma or cause us great pain. However, yes usually we talk about the Apayas.

[Jittananto]

Please tell me if what I say is correct.

• It is only at the arahant stage that one is free from all desires towards the 4 types of food which are kabalinkāhāra, phassāhāra, mano sancetanāhāra and viññānāhara. This is why he will not be reborn anywhere after his death.
• An anagami has only eliminated the desire for physical food (Kabalinkāhāra). The other three will lead him to be reborn in a pure abode.
• The Sakadagamin and Sotāpanna have these desires intact or weakened. However, they will never commit any akusala acts to enjoy these 4 types of food.
• Puthujunas possess an extreme desire which leads them to commit akusala acts to enjoy one of the types of food. An example of a situation that applies to Puthujunas: “I will only be at peace after having tasted this cake, even if it means hitting this person to steal it.” He feeds his thoughts of greed and starts thinking of a plan to get it and enjoy the taste of this cake. A psychopath, for example, may feel extreme pleasure in his mind while torturing a being. He can say that his thoughts are stilled (mano sancetanāhāra), after committing a murder. He feeds his mind with the other three types of food in an immoral manner.
• All beings below the arahant stage nourish their mind in one way or another, whether moral (the Ariyas and certain Puthujunas) or immoral (the majority of puthujunas) which will lead them to pleasant or unpleasant rebirths.

[Jittananto]

PERCEPTION OF LOATHSOMENESS IN FOOD (ĀHĀRE PATIKŪLA SAÑÑĀ)

In the Āhāra sutta of the Samyutta Nikāya (collection of the Buddha’s connected discourses), the Buddha has described four types of nutriments for the maintenance of beings who have come into being or for the support of those in search of a place to be born. They are:

1. Physical nutriment (kabalinkāhāra)

2. Sense impression nutriment (phassāhāra)

3. Volitional thoughts nutriment (mano sancetanāhāra)

4. Consciousness nutriment (viññānāhāra) (2)

Atthirāgasutta

Āhārasutta

Puttamaṁsasutta

I want to know if the translations of the central sutta and transworld teachings on food are well explained.

[Jittananto]

OK, sir. I will provide the link next time while replacing the incorrect terms with the correct ones.

[Jittananto]

Sorry, everyone, I put the wrong links. It’s my mistake, I apologize.

Here is the correct link. The Story of an Ex-Bhikkhu

[Jittananto]

Sir Lal, I wanted to point out that the text I shared earlier is not my own. It is from the website Tipitaka.net and contains a poorly translated version of the concepts of Annica and Anatta. I agree with you that the translation is not accurate. If you would like to review the text, you can click on the link I provided.

• Unfortunately, it is beyond our control to address the distortion of Tilakkhana in Theravada texts. We can only do our best to seek out accurate translations and interpretations.

[Jittananto]

Dhammapada Verse 344 Vibbhantabhikkhu Vatthu

The Story of an Ex-Bhikkhu

While residing at the Veluvana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (344) of this book, concerning a bhikkhu who was a pupil of the Venerable Mahakassapa.

As a pupil of the Venerable Mahakassapa, this bhikkhu had achieved the four mental absorptions (jhanas). But one day, as he went for alms food at his uncle’s house, he saw a woman and felt a great desire to have her. Then he left the Order of the Bhikkhus. As a layman, he was a failure as he did not work hard. So, his uncle drove him out of the house, and subsequently, he became mixed up with some thieves. All of them were caught by the authorities and were taken to the cemetery to be executed. The Venerable Mahakassapa saw his pupil as he was being led out and said to him, “My pupil, keep your mind steadfastly on a subject of meditation.” As instructed, he concentrated and let himself be established in deep mental absorption. At the cemetery, while the executioners were making preparations to kill him, the ex-bhikkhu was very much composed and showed no signs of fear or anxiety. The executioners and the onlookers were awe-struck and very much impressed by the man’s courage and composure and they reported about him to the king and also to the Buddha. The king gave orders to release the man. The Buddha on hearing about the matter sent his radiance and appeared to the thief as if in person.

Then the Buddha spoke to him in verse as follows:

Verse 344: Having left the forest of desire (i.e., the life of a householder), he takes to the forest of the practice (i.e., the life of a bhikkhu); but when he is free from the forest of desire he rushes back to that very forest. Come, look at that man who having become free rushes back into that very bondage.

At the end of the discourse, the thief who was steadfastly keeping his mind on the arising and perishing of the aggregates discerned the impermanent, unsatisfactory, and non-self nature of all conditioned things and soon attained Sotapatti Fruition. Later, he went to the Buddha at the Jetavana monastery, where he was again admitted to the Order by the Buddha, and he instantly attained Arahatship.

This story highlights that our efforts, no matter how small, are never in vain. We might think that we are not capable of understanding the Dhamma and give up easily. However, it’s essential to persevere in our efforts towards the Dhamma. Our mental state can change rapidly from one state to another, even within a single lifetime. This thief had the potential to become an Ariya by becoming a Bhikkhu, and he had the gati of a Brahma (he developed the 4 Jhanas). However, he became a thief as he had not even reached the sotāpanna stage (Because of distorted Sanna and Kāma ragā). This is another example of the fragility of Anariya Jhanas. He acquired the gati of a being of the Apayas, and during his execution, he would have died with a high Dosa. But thanks to the intervention of the Venerable Arahant Mahakassapa, he regained mastery of his jhanas even though he was about to die. If he had been executed, he would have been reborn in a Brahma world. But with the help of Lord Buddha, he became a sotāpanna, which eliminated the possibility of him becoming a thief again. He finally became an arahant and eliminated all possibilities of future rebirth. He also acquired the Ariyas Jhanas, which were unbreakable until his parinibbãna.

[Jittananto]

Thank you for the response, Sir. I wanted to make sure I understood correctly. King Suddhodana enjoyed arahant phala for a few days and died right after.

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