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2. Training the Mind
It is
necessary to have many different methods and ways of training and
constraining the citta in order to be competent to deal with the deceptive
tricks of the many different kinds of kilesas which dwell in the citta and
which display themselves in all situations, in different ways according to
type. If one is observant one will see that the citta is the meeting place
of all affairs and this causes one much disturbance so that one can never
have any time to be quiet and relax even for a moment. In general, these
affairs are of a low, unworthy nature, which lay in wait to draw and divert
one’s activities in their direction and they hardly have anything of the
teaching of Dhamma within them which could bring one some calm and peace of
heart.
So one who intends to find out everything that is false and true must
be a person who observes the citta and who trains and disciplines the citta
in various different ways. The Lord Buddha and the Savakas are the most
excellent examples of this to all of us who practise the way, for they liked
to stay in the forest until they became used to it.
In truth, the feelings of all people are likely to be much the same,
for nobody by himself would normally like to go and live in the forests,
hills or lonely places that nobody in the world wants. But the Bhikkhu only
thinks about and does this because he has the purpose of becoming a good and
worthy person with faith and confidence in himself with thoughts and actions
that he sees will be of value to himself and others. Therefore he goes
against his inclinations of heart and does it in the same way that people
everywhere in the world do their work, for in truth, nobody likes to do
things that are difficult both physically and mentally. But they have to do
it because the necessity of it compels them — and so they have to run around
busily, everywhere in the world, instead of just eating, living, sleeping
and lying down which is their natural inclination.
But the difficulty of training the citta is much greater, and those
who have never done it should not try to compare it with the difficulties in
doing other tasks in the world. For if the time comes that one does the work
of training the citta, one may not be able to put up with the difficulty of
it and one may call it “torture” or an imposition. Then one may lose
interest in going on with this work without ever considering the results
which will come from it and how wonderful and miraculous they are.
At this point one may have seen enough of the strength and tenacity of
the kilesas which are the overlords ruling the heart to realise more and
more how much tenacity and resistance they have and how much they oppose and
torment beings in the world. Because training the citta is just the work of
eliminating or driving out the kilesas from the heart. But the one who
drives them out does not want to do so, for the one who has for ages been
the overlord, having power over the hearts of people and other beings, does
not want to go. Because to go and live elsewhere is not so easy as living
over the heart of a person where it gets such affectionate treatment and
lavish care all the time and where it is not likely to go wanting or be hard
up for anything.
If it wants to admire forms, sounds, smells, tastes, feelings and
mental perceptions (arammana) of any kind, the one who is acting as the
servant of the kilesas immediately runs about searching for these things to
gratify them without delay. However much the cost or the credit payment, the
pleasure of it satisfies the craving and the accounts can be left to be
thought about later.
Thinking out and paying the accounts is the work and the duty of the
one who underwrites everything, but the Chief who has the power makes no
complaint and is not the least troubled by this. In such a situation, who
can make his heart so hard and from where can he get the steel resolve to be
able to train the citta with the thought of driving out the kilesas — those
lords who are so eloquent — from the heart?
Therefore training the citta so as to know and see with true
mindfulness and wisdom, that the kilesas are the enemy of the heart is a
difficult training and the most difficult thing to see. In fact one should
call the work of training the citta to torment the kilesas “a life and death
struggle”. This work is not play, nor is it fun like sports on a playing
field, and all of those who are able to know what the kilesas look like,
destroy them so that they die from the heart. This means, such people as
the Lord Buddha and they are therefore special people. If with us ordinary
people there arises the ability to destroy the kilesas so that they die from
the heart, even if we do not become special people like the Lord, we must be
special in the field of all the kilesas. For if the wonder of the ability to
destroy the kilesas and the wonder of the citta which has gone beyond the
power of the kilesas is within any person, such a worthy person is beyond
the world.
Striving, in all its aspects for the purpose of capsizing the “Round
of Samsara” (vatta) which is imposed on the heart is therefore a task which
is full of difficulties and torments in every way. The Kammatthana Bhikkhu
who opposes his natural inclinations and goes to stay in places of hardship
to train himself, such as the wild forests and hills, is thus like someone
living in a prison. Before he can free himself from the shackles of each of
the kilesas he must go to the limit — “make or break”.
Training the citta for the real truth of Dhamma is as difficult as
this. Not only does he live under self-discipline but his mode of eating
food is also a discipline. Because it is also an aspect of the work that he
is doing and one who is anxious to pass through and get free from the jungle
of darkness and obscurity will strive to apply the discipline to develop
virtue in this direction also.
When eating food, even though he may be very hungry and feel like
eating a lot, after he has thought and taken Dhamma into consideration he
will be sure to restrain and resign himself to eating only a little — enough
to provide a balance between the needs of the body and of the citta — and he
will try to make it his constant practice to eat that small amount which
suits his needs.
If he should increase the amounts he takes on some occasions he must
be fully aware of it at the time, not forgetting himself. But by alternating
and taking more at times and less at others, the body and mind can be kept
in balance without becoming too exhausted or getting sick, which would spoil
the work. Thus the citta will at least be in balance and will develop
steadily in accordance with the amount of work which is being done
continually to promote it.
If his ability is enough and his characteristics of perfection (vasana–parami)
are well developed, he can go beyond to what his heart is intent upon.
Because each method of working in the direction of Dhamma aids his
development, so those who find that going on fast is to their liking and
accords with their nature, will try to alternate fasting, eating fully and
eating little for longer or shorter periods as they see fit.
The citta then stirs up effort every time it has an opportunity.
Meanwhile the physical body will be weakened so that his work may go ahead
with facility and so that the citta may steadily go on increasing in
evenness and clarity. Then the way of samadhi will strengthen when the time
is appropriate for it. And the way of wisdom will be active, and depending
on the situation it will alternate with samadhi.
Those Bhikkhus who stay in the forest, in the hills, under an
overhanging cliff or in various other places, and those who reduce their
intake of food, or who fast, all have Dhamma as the firm aim of the citta,
and in their various ways they are all working and striving in the direction
of samadhi bhavana in their various situations and activities. They are also
constantly watchful of the changes of heart that take place in association
with objects that cause emotional reactions (arammana).
When the heart is consistently brought up and looked after in the
right way, it will steadily develop. Then samadhi will develop and become
firm and wisdom will become more skilful and widespread every time it is
used. Things which were never known before become known, never seen before
are seen and never existed before then arise in the heart which is
continually searching for the truth wholeheartedly with complete commitment.
Then the laziness and weakness, the distraction and instability, the
confusion, restlessness, darkness and obscurity which are normally always
present in the ordinary citta gradually fade away day by day, until it can
be seen clearly how much they have disappeared. But in particular, for those
who discipline the heart by means of fear, for those who fast for many days,
depending on their suitability for this practice, and also for those who
discipline themselves by sitting for a long time and investigating the
resulting painful feelings (dukkha–vedana) as the object of attention (arammana),
the results which they get from each of these three methods are unusually
wonderful and far more so than come from other forms of discipline. But they
will be explained later on as the occasion demands.
Here, we will describe the general way in which the Bhikkhus practise.
The way in which they train and discipline their hearts by the foregoing
methods, depends on the technique which each individual thinks out for
himself to train himself and this is different for each person. Some of
them, as well as going to live in fearful forests and hills, also think up
special methods to suit the time, place and circumstances and increase their
effectiveness. Thus for example; in such a place at night, when fear arises
in the citta they may go and walk in another part of the forest, in order to
discipline the fear which was getting stronger, by going and sitting in
samadhi bhavana on a rock on top of a hill or in the open, or by walking
cankama in various places where large tigers pass by, and doing this for a
long time.
At the same time, the citta examines the nature of fear and death, and
it also looks into the nature of tigers, which the citta assumes to be so
frightening, and the nature of oneself by asking in what way the tiger is so
different that one should be so afraid? One must investigate this by
dividing up the different parts and comparing these things which the citta
thinks are so different Thus for example:
“What is it that the tiger has that is frightening? What about its
teeth? I also have teeth. What about its claws? I also have nails. Its hair?
I also have hair. Its head? … Its body? … Its eyes? … Its stripes? I also
have tattoos and birth marks. As for its tail, even the tiger itself is not
afraid of it, so why should I be?”
“As far as the heart of the tiger and my own heart are concerned, they
are both alike — indeed my heart is that of a man, a Bhikkhu, which has a
much higher value. Even though the various parts of the body are not
identically the same, yet the elements of which they are made are the same
and there is not enough difference between the tiger and myself to justify
this fear of each other.”
“The heart of the tiger is the heart of an animal whereas my heart is
the heart of a Bhikkhu with Dhamma in it, so it has value and power far
beyond that of a tiger. Why then should I turn round and lower my value and
status as a Bhikkhu by being afraid of a tiger which is only an animal? Is
this not degrading to one who is a complete Bhikkhu?”
“Furthermore the Sasana has such wonderful excellence throughout the
“three worlds”, but in it there is a Bhikkhu who is timid and frightened,
who is a blemish on it, who stains it and gives it a bad name and who also
degrades it. To degrade the Sasana, which is the priceless treasure of the
“three worlds” by being more concerned for one’s life than for Dhamma is not
right and proper, and if I am to die I would do so in bad spirits and
stupid, without any dignity in myself or in the circle of the Sasana at all.
The Kammatthana Bhikkhu who dies in this way is said to die in the manner of
one who “sells” himself and one who “sells” the Sasana and all those who
practise the way everywhere. This is not dying in the manner of a warrior in
battle who firmly believes in kamma and who courageously faces up to
whatever is about to happen. I am a Kammatthana Bhikkhu in all respects, and
I ought not to die in such a way, but rather in the manner of a warrior,
ending my life in battle with bravery and courage and this will be for the
honour of myself and the Sasana as a symbol for the world to uphold for a
long time.”
“I must think rightly and see clearly the nature of both the tiger and
myself; all the parts of its body and of my own, as well as the fear of
death which penetrates and possesses me inwardly. I must see this quite
clearly with wisdom, not letting this fear inundate me and play with me and
then pass by in vain for this would spoil my standing as a Son of the
Tathagata and as a full Kammatthana Bhikkhu. So whatever happens I must
fight to the end until I see either victory or defeat and life or death
today. Whichever way it goes, whether the side which brings power and honour
to me and credit to the Sasana, or the side which destroys both myself and
the Sasana because of this fear, I shall know tonight — and now I must
contemplate and investigate and go on working it out until it breaks apart.”
While the contemplation and analysis are going on, turning round and
about sorting out the elements, the khandhas, fearlessness and fear and
searching for the underlying principle of truth with meticulous care and a
resolute heart, the heart begins to know and understand from the wisdom
which is continually teaching it all the time without letting up. Until the
heart goes quiet and peaceful and all the previous anxiety disappears,
resulting in a state of calm and happiness. All the emotionally charged
images based on memory (sañña–arammana) which one had formerly believed in,
in various ways then disappear entirely, leaving only calm and happiness of
the citta which appears noble and dignified. The citta then gains faith in
the method of contemplation which is the cause of this state, and it sees
that it truly is the way to get rid of confusion and the tendency to run
about searching for excitement and trouble, and also fear. It also gains
faith in the results which arise at that time, that — “This is a state of
calm and happiness of a strange and unusual kind which I have never
experienced before and I did this contemplation by taking fear as the
motivating cause.”
This is a method which the Bhikkhus use to get rid of fear, until they
see the results of it for themselves. But in the beginning stages of
training in the way of kammatthana they use a preliminary meditation (parikamma–bhavana)
on some aspect of Dhamma such as “Buddho”, when a lot of fear arises, rather
than the method of contemplation. This can result in the attainment of
calm and the dispersal of fear in the same way, but it differs in that one
gains no skilful or clever methods such as one gets from the way of
contemplation.
Some Bhikkhus, when fear arises while they are sitting under the
mosquito net, lift it up and sit without any cover. They put up with the
bites of the gadflies and mosquitoes for nothing else matters but the
resolve to practise their meditation using various methods to defeat the
fear that is there at that time. Until they succeed. Then they stop and
rest.
The citta which gains calm by training and discipline based on fear
seems to gain a deeper more subtle state of calm which lasts much longer
than the calm attained by the usual methods of meditation. While the citta
is in the deepest state of calm, in the above example, it feels as if the
body has completely disappeared, and the contact (samphassa) between the
internal and external fields of sensation (ayatana) ceases until the citta
draws away from this state, after which they start to function again as
normal.
The state of the citta in which the functions of the fields of
sensation cease, closely resembles a state of sleep although it is not the
same thing, for when one sleeps nothing very strange and unusual happens.
But when the citta is completely calm something very strange and unusual
manifests and there is only “knowing” in that state of calm at that time.
The generally accepted results that come from normal sleep are different
from the subtle state of calm-of-the-citta which those who practise get from
their samadhi meditation. Those results always stick in mind and make them
long for this state which is never tasteless or insipid.
It is results such as these that make those who have experienced them
resolute and courageous in their methods of training and discipline which
they apply to themselves on future occasions by following the same pattern
of practice, and they will never give in to fear however strongly it arises.
In fact they will rather take fear as a reminder which prompts them to both
overcome that fear and to grasp victory in order to be the master with
honour and dignity, as they have done so before. This is the reason which
induces them to search for frightening places in which to develop
themselves, and the more frightening a place is, the more are they
determined to go and stay in such a place and do their practice there.
Because, even though the heart is displaying a bold, venturesome spirit,
training it by means of fear until a fearless courage arises quite clearly,
using the methods of mindfulness and wisdom which are competent to deal with
all the tricks within it, is something that is most desirable to them.
When I said that these places are frightening, I mean this in truth
because they are forests where tigers live and like to wander about
searching for food, coming and going all the time. In some places, they
wander about even in broad daylight, but much more so at night when these
areas are their natural hunting ground and they are not afraid of people —
which they are in the daytime. But in general they are just not very
interested in people, but rather in animals, which they look on as their
natural food. So even though they go back and forth round about where a
Bhikkhu is staying, he would hardly know they were there unless they roar or
growl. But it is a natural instinct of man to think of tigers as fierce wild
animals and in those circumstances who could avoid thinking and being afraid
of them. For as soon as he enters such a place a Bhikkhu knows very well
that: “I have entered the Tigers’ jungle!” Under such circumstances who
could be so fearless as to stay there relaxed and at ease as if he was in an
ordinary market place? He is bound to think of them with mistrust and fear
all the time.
The skilled Dhutanga Bhikkhu is very skilled indeed and is worthy of a
lot of respect and faith. When walking cankama and tigers roar in the area
where he is staying, he still keeps on walking as if nothing had happened,
and when later someone questions him about it he answers quite casually with
good reasoning. So that when asked a question such as: “Tigers are fierce
animals which can bite and eat both animals and men and I’ve often heard of
them taking and eating people. How then can you walk cankama in such an
unconcerned manner? Do you have a magic spell so that the tiger can’t open
its mouth to eat people? If so, please teach it to me so that when I go into
the forests and hills I need not fear the tigers and bears coming to eat me.
Then I will be able to do my meditation at ease without fear, for the main
difficulty in going to stay in forests and hills now is just because of
fear. If I don’t need to be afraid because I’ve got a magic spell to keep
the tiger’s mouth shut so it can’t eat people I’ll feel a lot more easy and
comfortable.”
He answers in an unassuming manner, “The tiger was roaring over there
whereas I was walking cankama here. It was several sen (1 sen = 40m) away or
maybe a kilometre and what is the use of being afraid? If it had come to me,
roaring and acting as if it were truly about to jump on me and take me away
to eat, there would be enough cause to be afraid. Wherever I’ve been I’ve
only heard the sound of them roaring in the languages of animals who have
mouths, but I’ve never seen them acting in any way towards me that would
warrant being afraid. As for magic spells, everybody has them if they would
only make use of them, but for people like you, even if you went to learn
such spells from Lady Vessuvana in heaven, as soon as you went into the
forest and just heard the roar of a tiger you would run for your life taking
the magic spells with you. However powerful those spells may be, they would
be carried away by a timid person afraid of death, running so hard that his
robes fall off, and the spells would all be lost and forgotten. Even if I
had any magic spells as a protection I would never think of giving them to
someone like you, for I am afraid that you would take them and ruin them
completely. However good a magic spell might be, if the person is
incompetent, the spell cannot help in any way. Like someone who has a gun
slung over his shoulder in case of danger. But when the time comes he
doesn’t know how to use it, so the gun is of no help to him.”
“Here, we are just talking about tigers and ghosts and you have
already started to get frightened and beginning to shiver. How then could
you have the presence of mind to recall a magic spell to protect yourself?
You would think only of running away which is so shameful that you would
never forget it. I don’t think in the same way as you, for if I did I would
also have to go about learning magic methods and spells to subjugate tigers
and various other animals without having any interest or concern for
overcoming the fear which is an internal danger, so that it may be cured by
various methods. Until finally I would just be an incompetent person without
any self-esteem for the rest of my life.”
When one thinks about it, it makes one ashamed that tigers should be
more powerful than man. For many people are frightened of their power when
they are just lying down or growling in their animal language, or having fun
and playing together. One feels that a good tiger has many times more power
than an incompetent person who wants to learn magic spells from such a
Bhikkhu. But the answer they get should be a valuable lessen to them for a
long time.
Previously the citta of such a Bhikkhu would have been accustomed to
jumping about and running everywhere with bold obstinacy and without any
bounds or limits, but when he has trained it with persistent effort until it
submits and becomes docile and responsive to reason and the ways of Dhamma,
he is not disturbed or frightened by the various things which happen to
people and which they are always liable to meet up with. He can live
anywhere or go anywhere whatever the conditions may be. In the forests and
hills where timid people dare not go, he can live comfortably, and look on
it as a place of refuge where he can relax, recover and develop the true
practices of a Bhikkhu (Samana–Dhamma) in a satisfactory way all the time.
Those who are concerned to become good and developed people should thus take
up the way of doing things of such a Bhikkhu as their own path, although it
is not essential to go and live in the forests or hills like him. But the
methods and means of training oneself in various activities and duties so
that one shall become a good person with firmly established basic principles
within, both in the present and the future, is something which can be taught
and received from others. Otherwise the Lord Buddha would have had no way to
proclaim Dhamma and teach the world, because nobody else has the ability to
practise in the same way as the Lord. But there are those who take up the
principles of Dhamma and then go and practise them as a follower of the Lord
until they become the best of men. They are good people who uphold the
traditions in the circle of Buddhist followers right up to the present day,
and it is generally accepted that there are a very large number of them who
have gained the results from doing the practices which come from the Lord in
the manner of a pupil following a teacher.
The various methods of training and asceticism which each individual
uses to develop his citta are chosen by each one depending on his need and
ability. However, the Dhutanga Bhikkhus in the lineage of Venerable Acharn
Mun have always followed his ways of practice without discarding any of
them, right up to the present time.
Concerning the aforementioned Bhikkhu who found it hard to believe
that the other Bhikkhu could walk cankama and be able to compete with the
sound of tigers roaring, and thus thought that he had a magic spell to lock
up the mouths of the tigers; in fact he genuinely thought like this, because
he was very afraid of the tigers when he heard them roar in the vicinity of
where he was staying, even though they did not come close to him. He
therefore had to ask such a question.
When several Dhutanga Bhikkhus meet and talk Dhamma together on a
suitable occasion, it is very interesting to listen to: for the Dhamma which
comes from the heart and arises from the way of practice; for the asceticism
and the types of ascetic training of the citta in various different ways;
for the courage and fear which arise at various different times, and for the
sufferings and difficulties at those times when the body is pushed to the
limit of endurance. But the most important thing is the Dhamma within. This
means the samadhi and wisdom which each one of them has experienced in his
own way in various places. When they talk together about their experiences,
each one from the ground level of his own citta and Dhamma, it is so
absorbing that one forgets the time and the aches and pains of sitting on
the floor for a long time.
In some cases, but not many, a Bhikkhu talks of his citta dropping
into a state of calm in three distinct stages to attain the full state of
samadhi. Thus in the first stage it becomes mildly calm such that there is a
relaxed well being. In the second stage the calm and well being increase in
a manner that is clearly evident. When it gets to the third and final stage
the body vanishes and it feels as if one has no body. The fields of
sensation (ayatana) also cease to function, and there remains only “knowing”
of a subtle and most wonderful kind which is beyond all description. This is
what they call the full ground of samadhi and it is the type which can form
a firm and stable foundation for the citta. The heart which goes down into a
complete state of calm at a ground level such as this will generally rest
there for several hours before rising out of it. Sometimes it may stay there
for as much as twelve hours. Some may wonder whether the body would not be
very painful and stiff when the citta withdraws from samadhi after sitting
in one posture without any change for many hours. What in fact happens to
the citta and the khandhas is as follows.
When the citta goes into a state of rest and calms down until it
reaches full samadhi as related above, the citta and the body do not react
to any disturbance from anything whatsoever. Then the integration of the
citta and of the physical elements (dhatu) as they exist at that time are
understood to be much more subtle than when one is in deep sleep. This is
so, because, sometimes after sleeping for a long time, when one wakes one
still feels aches and pains in those parts of the body upon which one was
lying. But when the citta withdraws from this type of samadhi, there are no
aches or pains of any sort at all, every part of the body being in its
normal, natural state. This gives one good reason to believe in the truth
about those Bhikkhus who are said to enter into “complete cessation” (Nirodha–samapatti)
for several days. For it is said that, firstly, they can in fact remain in
samadhi for such a long time and secondly, their health and body remain
normal without any weakness or harm from it whatsoever.
Dhamma talk amongst Dhutanga Bhikkhus generally revolves about the
results of the practice which they have done which derives from the level of
attainment that they have experienced, and also about the places where they
have done the practice in various locations. This is the way in which the
truth of their knowing and seeing by way of the heart is passed on to each
other and it gives them all food for thought for a long time.
Their talk never concerns the world of samsara, of business or
politics, of gain or loss, love or hate, of anger, loathing, envy,
vindictiveness, or jealousy, nor are they ever even suggested, for their
only concern is the practice of Dhamma. However long they go on talking,
which depends on what is necessary, it is a means of uplifting the citta of
the listener, so that he “drinks” it in deeply and is permeated with Dhamma
the whole way through.
This is a most excellent occasion which is well described in the
saying of Dhamma: “Kalena Dhammasakaccha etammangalamuttamam” (Talk on
Dhamma at the right time is the highest blessing). Because such talk is
between those who are all practising the way and their aim is knowing what
is true and seeing what is true and promoting truth, and not at all for
boasting about degrees and levels of attainment, nor about how much one
knows and how clever one is. Each one’s citta is poised all the time,
waiting and interested to hear the truth while each of the others is
presenting it. But if any one of them, when talking, is seen to be deficient
or mistaken in any point he is always ready to submit with genuine and
heartfelt respect and to accept correction from one of the others whose
ground of Dhamma is higher. Such talk is a way of checking the knowledge and
understanding and the state of the citta of each other in connection with
the attainment of samadhi and the Path, Fruition and Nibbana (Magga–Phala–Nibbana).
When such Bhikkhus have full confidence in the value and wealth of
practice of each other without feeling any doubts or reservations they can
talk together intimately and reveal to each other all the Dhamma that they
have within them without holding anything back or keeping anything secret.
In this way, those who practise can get to know quite clearly what ground of
Dhamma each of them has attained. This Bhikkhu has such and such a ground of
citta and a ground of Dhamma; that one has a subtle citta; that one has a
high level of wisdom; that one is close to going beyond becoming and birth
whereas this one here has already gone beyond it and is free from all
anxieties and can relax. As for this one here, he is lazy and weak in his
meditation and when he sits in samadhi he just nods his head and sleeps
inwardly. In fact wherever he sits he just sleeps inwardly, for this one is
most skilled at sleeping inwardly. Therefore, amongst those who are Dhutanga
Bhikkhus one should not assume that every one of them is entirely good. I
also once became skilled at sleeping inwardly — but I don’t like to boast
about it.
This Bhikkhu here, his citta is steadily becoming calm; this one is
beginning to develop into samadhi; this one has strange knowledge about
external things such as the Pretas, Ghosts and Devatas. This one likes
practising meditation while sitting down; that one likes practising while
lying down; that one prefers meditating while standing. This one likes to
discipline himself by not lying down; this one by reducing the amount of
food he takes; this one by fasting. This one likes to discipline himself by
going into the forests to look for tigers or bears as a means to help him
overcome fear, by examination and inquiry into it while using the tigers or
bears as the cause of the fear. This one likes to discipline himself by
walking about looking for tigers in the hills at night. This one likes to
receive mysterious guests such as those who have Deva bodies.
But this one here is afraid of ghosts and Pretas as if his parents had
brought him up in a house of such beings and dead bodies about the place to
scare and haunt him all the time, so that after he was ordained he was in
the habit of being afraid of Pretas. This one here has a nature which easily
accepts and believes anything which anyone says and he does not like to
think it over first to see if it is reasonable before accepting it. Whereas
this one here has a lot of opinions and does not readily agree with other
people.
This one has a nature to be clever and every time he likes to examine
and think well about things before accepting them and he does not believe
blindly. When the Acariya teaches them Dhamma, after he has finished his
talk, a Bhikkhu of this kind will probably have various questions in his
heart which he will ask the Acariya and a dialogue then takes place between
them based on reason. The others who were present would thus be enabled to
increase their own knowledge and ability in many ways by hearing this
dialogue; and this is a good method of assisting those who are practising
the way, to develop their mindfulness and wisdom. Such a person is an
ornament to those who accompany him, he gives dignity to the circle of those
who practise the way and he gives a feeling of confidence to the Acariya who
trains and teaches them. Wherever he goes and whatever Bhikkhu he stays
with, everyone feels confident and assured about such a person. When he goes
to stay on his own he endeavours to look after himself properly by using
reason and Dhamma, without doing anything that would lead to deterioration
or loss to his friends and associates who practise Dhamma. When contacting
lay people he acts in a proper and seemly way, never getting too involved
with them, for in the field of Dhutanga Bhikkhus this kind of thing is
always liable to creep in. Although, generally speaking this is not done
intentionally, yet a lack of skill and carefulness of one kind can also
cause loss of virtue of another kind.
Another thing which is always likely to occur in those who practise,
happens when the citta attains samadhi, for then it becomes calm, firm and
is not distracted or upset by the world. The heart then tends to become
unusually eloquent and witty, which can easily cause the one who practises
to forget himself. He may then think that he has become skilled although in
fact he is not. For he only begins to gain some skill if he first tries to
work at the practice without forgetting himself. But those who practise,
generally forget themselves in this way more than any other, because they
have never known such a thing to happen before. For this is the first step
of virtue, calm, happiness of heart and stability of heart which is attained
by those who practise and therefore it makes them excited so that they can
forget themselves.
If then, there is nobody to warn such a person he may become
self-confident in the manner of someone who knows Dhamma, and having the
conceit that: “Dhamma has arisen!” The eloquence can then develop into
giving clever Dhamma talks; and later he may think that he is skilful at
such talks and that Dhamma has developed in his heart. However much he
talks, the Dhamma flows out more and more, as though it were water in flood,
without limitation or restraint until finally he becomes engrossed in
talking and goes on incessantly. Before he realises it many hours have
passed by in talking or giving a discourse on Dhamma, and this happens every
time.
In making contact with people he has no idea of time, whether it is
appropriate to speak, or when to stop, and his discourses have no ending, no
“evam”. However much Dhamma he has in him he digs it out to speak and
discourse to whoever comes to see him until it is all out, without knowing
why they have come. He just shares out Dhamma without any restraint, regrets
or thrift, and even though there is not a lot of Dhamma in his heart he
still likes to spread it about to his hearts content. He keeps spreading it
about without developing it and protecting it by working at the practice,
which would act as a dam to prevent the Dhamma in the heart from flowing
out, but instead he does damage to it by not knowing when he has gone too
far. Even the level of the water in the ocean can drop; and the heart that
is neglected so that no work is done to develop Dhamma in it with little
time being given to it, is bound to go the way of deterioration and to drop
in level. So the citta which “shares itself out” much without also doing any
work on its own development is bound to deteriorate and go lower and lower
all the time until there is nothing left in it at all.
Finally all that remains is distracted thoughts and vexation
throughout his entire mind. If he tries to make it settle it will not
remain still and he cannot lead it into a state of calm as he once used to.
From having been calm and cool, his mind then changes and becomes conceited,
vain, flirtatious, disturbed and gloomy and whether standing, walking,
sitting, lying down, or in any other position it is as if his heart is on
fire and he cannot find any calm and peace. When he cannot find any way of
escape he thinks then of going with the fire, which is the way to make the
situation still worse although he does not realise this. Thus he thinks:
“When there is only vexation, disturbance and disquietude like this all the
time, why should I remain in robes and be a burden on the Sasana? It is
better to give up the robe, for I see no value in going on like this. I must
disrobe so as to get free from the anxiety which comes from emotional
troubles of this kind and thoughts which have not been auspicious all the
time since I became a monk.” But even after giving up the robe, such a
person will not become auspicious by this type of thinking and will still be
lacking in virtue as he was before and useless as he was at first. In saying
that he would lighten the burden on the Sasana when he gives up the robe,
this is not so, for the Sasana will be no lighter, and in fact it will just
be the Sasana upholding the truth as it always has.
Summarising this; the one who is not good is “self”, the one that is
no use is “self” and the heavy-heartedness due to wrong doing of the heart
is “self”. This should teach one that whatever kind of wealth one has, if
one only spends it and disburses it without saving and replenishment it will
diminish and finally vanish. The same is true if the heart is allowed to
drift and go according to its fate, the result will be trouble and vexation
which one must oneself receive everywhere and at all times. Because moral
actions — good and evil — are not the fortune of just anybody, but only of
the one who has done them and he alone is the only one that can receive the
results of them.
The Lord therefore taught that one should be very careful and well
guarded and not abandon oneself to one’s emotional impulses. For when the
bad results of one’s actions have come upon one they make for great
hardship, because these results are far more heavy than a range of a hundred
mountains. Wise men are therefore afraid of them and have always taught that
one should be afraid of evil and this they still teach right up to the
present day due to the fact that they know clearly that the results of kamma
both good and evil are not things which change and alter from age to age.
In the manner described above, the Dhutanga Bhikkhus from the most
senior to the most junior can know the ground of the citta of each other
without the need for insight knowledge (ñana) to find out by going deep down
inwardly. Because these Dhamma discussions that take place amongst
Kammatthana Bhikkhus are reckoned by them to be very important, and they
take place regularly all the time. For they look on them as a means of
exchanging knowledge and experience with each other and as a means of
“Sammodaniyagatha” — “arousing joy and inspiration” in the Dhamma which they
have variously practised and experienced.
When the occasion arises for them to talk together it is up to any of
those who are present to speak of something which he has come to know, which
may be more or less gross or subtle. Then, while they are talking one has an
opportunity to know about them. But when two of the Acariyas talk together,
the more exalted they are the more interesting it is. Their Dhamma is all at
a profound and high level and it leaves one with a sense of wonder. One
feels so inferior and ashamed at one’s own meagre ability (vasana) in
mindfulness and wisdom, that one wants to go and bury one’s head in the
ground, for one is quite incapable of experiencing the kind of thing that
they have experienced.
While listening to the Acariyas talking together it is fascinating and
wonderful and one feels so strongly that one wants to know and to see in the
way that they do. One feels almost as though one’s heart would break, but
where has the mindfulness and wisdom been buried which should enable one to
experience as they do? One doesn’t know! Even if one looks for it in one’s
thoughts, one searches for it in vain. For all is dark and obscure, as if
nothing good or special will ever happen which would satisfy and bring some
joy to one’s heart for the rest of one’s life, so that one will die with
this corpse full of stupidity, in vain.
Looking at the others who are also there listening, they seem to be so
dignified and calm. As if they were flying towards the complete destruction
of their kilesas, leaving one behind, oneself who is so incompetent that one
cannot find the mindfulness and wisdom to save oneself, and leaving one to
die alone submerged in the round of samsara (vatta). The more one thinks the
more one’s chest feels constricted and the heart apprehensive, as if it had
been thrown out into the jungle, desolate and lonely.
As soon as the Dhamma meeting is over one quietly goes and asks the
others who were present: “After listening to the talk on Dhamma how do you
feel about it? For I felt almost as if my heart would break and I would die
on the spot; the Dhamma which they talked was so amazing and wonderful that
when I reflected and looked at myself I seemed to be like a crow perched on
top of a golden mountain. When I thought about it I wanted to bury this
corpse in the ground to get rid of it, thinking that this would probably
lighten the load on the Sasana by relieving it of the dead weight of an
unfortunate member lacking in inherent ability, as I am at present. But how
was it with you and the others who were present, how did you feel about it?
Please tell me truly so that I can use it as a lesson in Dhamma which will
enable me to breathe more freely and to get rid of this feeling of
depression and hopelessness, as if my heart was about to break.”
Generally those who speak up have much the same sort of thing to say
because each of them feels a great satisfaction in the Dhamma of the
Acariyas. Then they turn and reflect on themselves, for they want to be like
that also, but when the essential conditions (hetu–paccaya) for this are not
there, disappointment arises. This then results in feelings of discontent
(dukkha) in various ways, but as soon as they hear the same story from the
others who are also learning and training in the way of Dhamma, they feel
relieved and breathe more freely. Then they become determined to go on
training themselves without being anxious and afraid that they will not be
able to do so or will not be able to attain this or that state, which is an
unnecessary way of hurting oneself.
Where we previously discussed how some Dhutanga Bhikkhus are daring
enough to put their lives at stake by going and sitting after dark in those
places where tigers roam about in search of food; and how some Bhikkhus also
do such things as wandering about at night on the hills searching for
tigers; this may make some people doubtful or make them disbelieve that it
is so. Because such things may make one question: “For what reason should
Bhikkhus sit in such places or go about looking for tigers? Even just
sitting in the vicinity of his dwelling place is enough to make someone who
is timid, so frightened that he can hardly breathe, so why should he use
such excessively daring methods? For the ordinary monk would never go to
such an extreme — unless he was a bit mad,” and in truth this is how it
should be. But the stories of some Bhikkhus contradict this, for they
overcome the fear that arises when sitting in the vicinity of their dwelling
place, in the same way as they do when sitting or walking on the hills where
tigers live.
However, the fear that arises when one is alone and close to one’s
dwelling place is of one kind and a suitable method may be used to overcome
it. But the fear which they are searching for in various ways such as going
to the mountains and sitting on a rock, or searching for tigers, is
incredibly strong, much more so than the fear that arises on one’s own near
one’s dwelling. If they had no effective method of overcoming the fear it is
quite likely that they would go mad when they actually met up with a tiger.
Therefore, they must use a very different method to quell this fear until it
can be completely vanquished by the skilful method which each individual
devises to train and discipline himself.
To train the citta when it is afflicted with fear up to the point
where it can get rid of its stubborn resistance by means of skilful methods
which are well suited to the circumstances, is a very important thing. The
results which become apparent as soon as the citta surrenders to mindfulness
and wisdom are wonderful beyond all expectations:
First, the heart turns round and becomes bold and daring as soon as
the fear has been dispelled by those skilful and effective methods, after
which the citta remains completely calm without any fear whatsoever. Second,
when the citta withdraws from this state, the bold fearlessness still
remains without going back to the previous state of fear. Third, this acts
as evident proof to one’s heart, showing very clearly how the citta can be
forced by disciplinary training to give up its stubborn resistance with the
support and aid of various conditions such as fear. Fourth, one feels
satisfaction in training oneself by that method or any other with
skilfulness of heart, and is not afraid of death.
Even in training themselves by other methods, it should be understood
that these Bhikkhus do so with the confidence of having seen results from
what they have already done. This makes them go on increasing their efforts
to progress in the development of the citta and Dhamma in the heart until
they reach the goal that the heart longs for.
In consequence, the training of the heart, or of oneself, which the
Dhutanga Bhikkhus undertake is of many different kinds, to suit their
different temperaments. But generally, the methods which each of them use
are those which have given them results in the past and they must therefore
go on working at those methods constantly, rather than any others.
People’s characters differ and there are some whose citta loses all
mindfulness, which is required for self-control, as soon as fear arises and
they become as if hypnotised and the same thing happens to them every time,
regardless of what it is they are afraid of. Such people are not suited to
the methods of training which use frightening situations for this could
cause them to go mad.
So the type of ascetic training which is used, must take into account
the character of each person and which methods suit them and enable them to
gain strength of heart. One should not just take up a method that one has
heard about as giving good results without taking into consideration the
nature of one’s own citta, for by doing this one is liable to get results
which are not what they should be.
This is said, not for the purpose of increasing the weakness or
feebleness in those who practise the way, but only to point out that what
one does should be suitable so that one will gain value from it in
accordance with one’s state or condition. For when they come across this
passage, some people might think that whatever they find to be tedious,
difficult and against the grain is not suitable. Thus: “It is not suited to
my character to be doing such things, because someone of my type is suited
to living comfortably and there is no need for me to have fear of various
kinds to hit me in the heart. I can live eating and sleeping comfortably
which is a much better way and suits my character which likes comfort.”
But one should recall how the Lord Buddha — the first Bhikkhu and
Arahant, who is the “refuge” of the world — was able to attain Enlightenment
and the fulfilment of Dhamma by strict training and discipline more than by
any of those other methods which lazy and feeble people call good. Nobody
has ever got to the fulfilment of Dhamma by the way of living, eating and
sleeping as the heart desires without ever opposing the citta and applying
disciplinary training to the heart.
These forceful methods of training have been described, based on the
understanding that the kilesas of people are only likely to be afraid of
being overpowered by vigorous training, rather than by letting the heart go
wherever it will. If one uses some force, it will submit a little, enough to
open one’s eyes and breathe freely. But if one gives way and goes along with
them a little, they gain encouragement and the situation deteriorates
greatly.
One must use many ways and means of discipline and training to
frighten the kilesas in order to gain some peace, and those who want to see
the submission of the kilesas for themselves must take up and use these
strong methods as the tools of training and discipline in ways that are
appropriate to their individual characters. This may be a way for them to
bypass the kilesas from time to time and to weaken and eliminate them bit by
bit. This will also reduce the discontent which torments the heart step by
step until they reach the place of safety which is the “territory” of
happiness and joy, by using these methods to help them.
Those Bhikkhus who have gained results from training by using these
strong and tough methods, truly make gains which are clearly visible and
apparent to the heart. Usually this is because the citta which needs to be
trained in this way is characteristically bold and likes to put everything
into whatever it does without vacillating. When fighting he fights truly;
when dying he dies truly; but he does not give up.
Thus, when he goes to train himself to overcome his fear, he looks for
a place where he can do so truly, like where he can take tigers for teachers
to help him in his training. The more frightening he understands a place to
be, the more he sets himself to go there and train himself in the manner of
a “life and death struggle”.
At such a time he is even prepared to die and asks only to see the
disappearance of fear brought about by the superior power of mindfulness and
wisdom which are the basis of the training. He submits himself entirely,
otherwise he would never be able to train his heart which is already
frightened in a frightening place. But in fact, he is able to withstand it
until he sees the awesome power of fear and how it cannot compete with the
awesome power of Dhamma, so that it then dissolves right before his eyes. In
place of the fear, a bold fearlessness arises quite clearly evident and this
gives testimony to the methods of training that he has used, that they are
not valueless, but in fact have the greatest value, beyond even what one can
imagine.
With some people the heart becomes calm as soon as they hear the
tigers roaring in the vicinity. With others, as soon as they hear the feet
of the tigers walking in their own natural way, unguarded and unconcerned as
to whether anyone is interested in being unafraid, or afraid of them, then
straight away the citta concentrates and goes down into a state of calm.
There are still others who if they work at their practice in the normal way,
their cittas will never be able to submit and drop into a state of calm, but
as soon as they use the method of going and sitting in meditation in a path
or place where tigers normally walk by, then although the tigers may not
actually be passing by at that time the citta can turn round and go down
into samadhi by depending on the thought and the fear that the tigers will
come looking for them.
There are two methods of practising meditation when fear arises. In
the first, one makes the citta concentrate and stay with that aspect of
Dhamma that one has been in the habit of practising without letting the
citta go away outside to think and imagine about any animals or tigers at
all. One’s meditation practice just remains with that aspect of Dhamma,
with mindfulness to supervise and control it. Then whether one will live or
die, one takes refuge entirely in that aspect of Dhamma which one is using
as the initial entry into the meditation (parikamma). As soon as the citta
gives way, goes down as one hopes and truly takes refuge in Dhamma without
grasping at this or that, it is bound to become calm, and once the citta
drops into a state of calm the fear vanishes immediately. This is the method
of practice of someone who is in the beginning stages of meditation
practice.
The second method is used by those whose cittas are able to attain
samadhi and have some basis of heart. When fear arises they will most
likely investigate the situation using the way of wisdom. In other words,
they analyse and examine the fear and they analyse and examine the whole of
the tiger part by part, which the citta assumes to be such a frightening
object. Thus they consider the teeth, the claws, skin, head, tail and the
middle of the body, going through every part, bringing it up and looking at
it to find out in what way it is frightening, until their nature is seen
quite clearly with wisdom and the fear disappears by itself. This is the
method for those who have been used to practising the development of insight
(vipassana) and they will probably be able to cure the fear by the use of
this method.
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3. The Story of
the White-Robed Upasaka
The foregoing methods have been used by those Bhikkhus who go to
live in the forest, to train themselves, and they have gained
satisfying results from them, and the tigers have never harmed any
of them.
Here, it is appropriate to relate a story so that the reader
may think about what happened in this incident. There was an Acariya
who was a senior follower of Venerable Acharn Mun, and at this time
he was practising the way of Dhutanga while wandering along the bank
of the Mekong River on the Laotian side and with him was an Upasaka
— a white robed lay follower. This Acariya was temporarily staying
under an overhanging cliff and the Upasaka who maintained the eight
moral precepts was staying under another such cliff about 120 meters
away. This Acariya who told the story, said that he had stayed there
for several months for he reckoned that it was good for the health
of both his body and heart, and the practice of the “Dhamma of a
recluse” (Samana–Dhamma) developed smoothly without any obstacles,
both for him and for the Upasaka. The obtaining of food on the alms
round (pindapata) was not difficult for they were no more than four
kilometres from the nearest village where there were about fifteen
houses and the villagers did not come out and bother them, making
difficulties and wasting a lot of time when they could be
developing the practice of Dhamma, for each of them went about
their own business accordingly.
One day in the afternoon the Acariya felt a bit unwell as if
he had a slight fever, now hot now cold and the body feeling not
quite normal. When the Upasaka came to where he was staying he told
him to go and boil some water to mix with some medicine that he
thought he would try, thinking that it may effect a cure. A doctor
had told him that this medicine could cure malaria and he was afraid
that this was the beginning of a bout of malaria. For there was a
lot of it about in that district and many people suffered from it as
the forest was very thick and people accustomed to living in open
country and farmland were not able to go and stay there. It was also
teeming with all sorts of wild animals, tigers and other members of
the cat family, and at night their cries and roars were very noisy.
It seems that there were also some man-eating tigers in the district
which was said to be due to the Vietnamese who make them ferocious
and not afraid of people.
As soon as the Upasaka understood what was required he took
the kettle to the place where he was staying, to boil the water.
After that the Acariya did not see him again and he did not bring
the hot water back to him. The Acariya waited until it got dark, but
still he did not come, so he thought that the Upasaka may have
forgotten about it because he was sitting in meditation and becoming
absorbed in the practice and neglecting his duties. Meanwhile the
symptoms of the Acariya’s fever became steadily milder until it went
away altogether.
As for the Upasaka, after getting the kettle he prepared
things to make a fire, but however he tried to light it, the fire
would not catch, until he started to get angry. Then, forgetting
that he was an Upasaka and a follower of an important Kammatthana
Bhikkhu, he stood up suddenly and thought with anger: “I have made a
fire here many times, but why won’t it catch this time? Maybe it
needs some water. If it needs water I will give it some.” Thereupon
he urinated all over the place where he set the fire until it was
all wet and then walked away without saying anything to the Acariya
who waited for some hot water until it was night time. Once the
night had fully set in some very strange and unusual things
occurred.
Previously, while he had been staying there, nothing much
unusual had occurred. But this night about 9 p.m., the white robed
Upasaka was sitting in meditation and contemplating the misdeeds
that he had done and his careless attitude towards the Acariya which
was due to his anger which made him stand and urinate over the
firewood. In addition he never went to ask the Acariya for
forgiveness so as to rectify his fault and negate his bad kamma.
While he was sitting and reflecting on his faults in a restless
anxious manner, there was suddenly a great loud noise from about two
yards behind him, the roar of a huge tiger which was crouching and
looking at him as if it was just about to leap on him and eat him
up. It was also continuously growling softly — enough to test how
much courage there was in the anger of a kammatthana disciple — and
loud enough so the Acariya could also hear it where he was staying.
While it was growling it also smacked its tail up and down,
hitting the ground with a thudding noise and shifting about back and
forward as if it was getting ready to spring on the Upasaka and make
fresh food of him right there and then. As soon as the Upasaka heard
this unusual sound which he had never heard so close to him before
he became frightened for the first time since he came there several
months previously and he quickly turned round to see what it was. It
was about the time of the full moon and he could see this huge tiger
crouching there, looking at him, quite distinctly. His blood turned
to water, he shook with fear and almost went unconscious. He could
think of nothing and his heart turned for refuge to the Buddha,
Dhamma and Sangha as a matter of life and death. “May the Buddha,
Dhamma and Sangha protect me and guard me,” he pleaded, “and don’t
let this tiger eat me up tonight for then I would not be able to ask
forgiveness for my misdeeds, from Venerable Acariya — which I did
wrong to him this afternoon. May the Buddha help and protect me for
the whole of this night and may the Dhamma and Venerable Acariya
have “metta” and make my “kamma” void for those things which I did
wrong. Don’t let it come to the point where I must be eaten by this
tiger in punishment for these offences.”
Thus he pleaded, he begged, he repeated “Buddho”, he quivered,
shivered, and he turned around and stared at the tiger, afraid it
would leap on him and eat him up immediately. But the tiger, as soon
as it saw a man turn round and stare at it, drew back a little while
still growling the whole time. Then in a short time it shifted its
position and came in from a new direction and then drew back again,
going back and forward all the time in this way.
Meanwhile the Upasaka felt like death, being forced to turn
this way and that, nervously following the restless movements of the
tiger going back and forth all round his mosquito net without let
up. When he took an attitude of staring intently at the tiger it
withdrew, and at times it went so far away that it seemed it may be
going for good. But as soon as he relaxed a bit and let his
attention wander it would come back right up close to him. He could
not let “Buddho” and his heart separate and he had to go on
repeating it until the heart became attached to it and he held on to
it all the time as his guarantee of life. But as soon as “Buddho”
started to slip away a bit the tiger started to move in closer every
time. When he saw that his position had got worse he quickly
recollected — “Buddho” and implored the Buddha to save his life.
Then once “Buddho” had become close to the heart, the tiger drew
back as though it was going away for good.
But the characteristics of people are such that they generally
need to be forced to do things, so as soon as the tiger drew away
some distance, “Buddho” started to drop away from the heart —
thinking that he would not die. Then the tiger began to move in
again and prepare itself, as if it were getting ready to jump on
him, but it never did anything but to keep on changing the direction
from which it approached.
There was no let up in the battle between the tiger and the
Upasaka which went on from 9 p.m. until dawn with neither of them
being ready to admit defeat and the tears of the Upasaka flowed the
whole time because of his fear of death or at least until there were
no more tears left to flow. But as soon as the light of dawn came,
the tiger slowly drew back to about eight yards and then slowly
walked away until it went out of sight.
Although the tiger had gone, the Upasaka stayed for a long
time under his mosquito net watchful and alert, not daring to go out
for fear that it was hiding close by. He was afraid that as soon as
he relaxed and came out from his mosquito net it would jump on him
and eat him up. So he felt compelled to sit and wait and watch the
situation from under his mosquito net for a long time until he saw
that all was quiet, that it had gone and was not returning. Then he
quickly left his net and ran to where the Acariya was staying,
confused, quivering, wild eyed and babbling incoherently so that
what he said made no sense.
Seeing the Upasaka’s unusual behaviour, the Acariya questioned
him and managed to find out that he was asking to be pardoned for
the offences which he did against the Acariya the previous
afternoon. He explained the reasons for his wrong actions and told
him everything including the coming of the tiger and the way it
stayed around all night.
But the Acariya, instead of pardoning him at once, turned and
spoke in a menacing manner, thereby increasing his concern, saying:
“What you like you get. If you like what is good you get what is
good. If you like what is bad you get what is bad. But in this case
you like tigers so you got a tiger. So what’s the use of asking me
for a pardon, I cannot pardon you yet. At least you should meet
those good things that you like for one more night. If then, you
don’t die from being eaten by the tiger you will at least have
learnt a long lasting lesson which you can reflect upon. The tiger
is better than the Acariya, so I shall let the tiger teach and
train you. What do you think about that, shall I hand you over to
the tiger tonight? If you don’t listen to its teaching I shall let
it take you away for food once and for all, for I’m tired of
teaching you. What do you say, is that what you want? Meeting the
tiger and listening to its teaching all last night was quite
appropriate to the circumstances, and tonight I will have it come
and teach you again. If after that you are still obstinate I will
let it take you and turn you into sustenance for its wanderings. Its
belly would be well filled for several days. Well, what’s it going
to be? Say quickly and don’t dawdle! Who is the better, the Acariya
or the tiger? Answer now, don’t hesitate or in a moment I shall call
the tiger to take you away and make use of you, which it will do in
a far more effective way than this Acariya.”
After saying this he acted as if he were calling the tiger,
saying: “Where has that tiger gone to now? Come back quickly and
take him away now, don’t wait about. I’ll turn him over to you to be
your follower, so come quickly and take him away.”
At this point the Upasaka cried out loudly and wept,
completely losing his composure and implored the Acariya, saying: “I
am very afraid and I implore Venerable Acariya not to call the tiger
here or I will die right now. Last night I thought I was about to
die at one time, but I recovered and came around enough to retain
consciousness, so I have come quickly to Venerable Acariya for help.
But you keep calling it back again, and where would I get enough
spirit to stand up to it. So Venerable Sir, I implore you to tell it
to go away and not come back again.”
After weeping and imploring Venerable Acariya not to call the
tiger again; after prostrating and pleading for his life, conceding
his fault in what he did and saying that he would be more
self-controlled and careful in the future; after promising that he
would never do such an act again while the dread of the lesson he
had learnt was still before him; and after coming to implore the
Acariya to forgive him; the Acariya seeing that the situation was
right granted him forgiveness and taught him and spoke to him mildly
and soothingly, saying: “It was nothing but your own evil kamma
which brought that tiger to you. If you still don’t accept the blame
for your evil deed, you will see it more clearly tonight! For as
soon as night falls that tiger will come and take you away and it
won’t come back again. It won’t speak nicely and act playfully as it
did last night.
When you have been hurt you remember it, for good and evil are
always there in the world and nobody can get rid of these two
aspects of nature. If it were possible for kamma to have been put
under the power of any being or principle anywhere, such an
authority would be sure to have eliminated both of those aspects of
nature long ago so that there would be none left to come down to us
now. But the fact is that good and evil kamma are still here and
this is because kamma does not depend on any special being or power,
but only upon each individual who makes his own kamma.
In this instance you made evil kamma yesterday afternoon and
you must see your own evil kamma. But if you are still not ready to
see your fault, it is quite certain that tonight the striped and
tawny lord of kamma will come to take you away for you to see the
results of kamma quite clearly for yourself.”
Having admonished him the Acariya told the Upasaka to return
to the place where he was staying, but he did not want to go, for
fear that the tiger was hiding in wait for him and would jump on him
and maul him and take him away and eat him. So the Acariya had to
coerce him by making him frightened once again. “Just now you said
that you accepted and saw the evil of your obstinacy and that you
would not do this again. But you have hardly finished saying this
and you are being obstinate once again. Why is this? If that’s the
case you can go on being obstinate if you can really stand up to
that tiger.” Then the Acariya called out to the tiger once again to
come, saying: “Tiger! You who are the Acariya of this Upasaka, where
are you? Come here quickly to take away this obstinate Upasaka and
teach him a bit will you. I’m tired of teaching him. Hurry! Come
quickly!”
As soon as he had finished speaking, the Upasaka began to weep
again and promised saying: “I will go back right away now but please
don’t let the tiger come at all, I am very afraid of it and last
night I almost died.” Then he hurried back to where he stayed
without thinking any more about being afraid or about death. It is
very strange and wonderful how from that day on there was no sign of
that tiger prowling about in the district, right up to the time when
they moved away from there, which was several months later. In the
normal way of thinking it would seem that there must have been
something which influenced that tiger to come out and torment the
Upasaka who was bold, stupid and evil enough to act in wrong and
improper ways, such as standing and urinating all over firewood.
Even an ordinary person who is not interested in practising the ways
of moral behaviour and Dhamma would not normally do such a thing.
For such a person there is not much that can keep him under
control — except for a large tiger which is his equal and can
torment and train him. From then on, the Upasaka was completely
subdued and the Acariya said that afterwards he never displayed any
obstinacy. It was very effective, for tigers are very able to
torment and teach people and to instil a fear into them which lasts
a long time.
Here, I should like to digress a bit, to insert a personal
comment. For, I would like to get a tiger to come and live in the
vicinity of Wat Pa Baan Taad to help me by taking over some of my
responsibility when the Bhikkhus, Samaneras, Theras, Nuns or any
others become lazy in their practice and spend their time sleeping.
It would help to rouse some effort in them, for even if they didn’t
actually see it, but it only helped by the sound of its roar, it
would probably be enough to open their eyes and ears and make them
get up and do some practice so that they did not indulge in sleeping
too much.
On the other hand, if a tiger came to stay here many of the
village dogs who live around the Wat would be so scared they would
all run away, which would be a loss of help as they also have been “Acariyas”,
teaching people who are too lazy to close doors and to look after
and put away items of food and edible things. The ideal situation
would be to retain both of these “Acariyas”, the tiger and the dogs,
to help both in stirring up effort and in putting away and looking
after various things. This monastery would then be complete, having
both people diligently doing meditation practice and diligently
looking after things.
If this were the case it would be very good. But I am afraid
that the Bhikkhus, Samaneras, Theras, Nuns and all other followers
who come from various places, who are scared of tigers and lazy and
careless about looking after things would cause trouble and get
angry with the Acariya, complaining: “Why get a tiger to torment us?
This is quite unnecessary and is just a big nuisance.” But truly
speaking there ought to be something standing by to help act as a
reminder to people because the Acariya alone cannot keep up with all
of them.
Generally it is in the “kitchen” area, where the women
visitors and upasikas who come from many places to stay, that they
lose out to the dogs from the village which come quietly and hide in
the Wat in large numbers all the time, to steal edible things which
they then take away and eat.
Although this is not very important, nor something to get
upset about, it is nevertheless a shortcoming which is undesirable.
For wherever we say that there is a shortcoming in anything it means
that the whole is deficient. Especially when this applies to people,
and when they are not even interested in correcting themselves it is
much worse.
I hope the reader will forgive this diversion but as it has a
relationship with the foregoing account it was put in here. But now
we will return to the story of the Acariya and Upasaka, which is
still not finished.
Afterwards, the Upasaka was very watchful for fear of the
tiger all the time, day and night, for he saw in his mind an image
of that large tiger quite vividly and he thought about it coming and
searching for him every time he breathed in and out until evening
came. He could not relax and take it easy, being obsessed with the
idea that the tiger would jump on him, tear him apart and eat him
up. But this had a good side to it, for whenever he recalled and saw
an image of the tiger, he immediately recalled “Buddho” and there
was no time for his mind to slip away. That night, as soon as it
began to get dark he started doing his meditation practice, sitting
and recollecting “Buddho” part of the time, and part of the time
thinking that the tiger would come, thus alternating between the
two. He could not sleep and do meditation practice as he had been
used to doing it, for while doing the practice his eyes were
expecting to see the tiger, so for the whole of that night right
through to the light of dawn he had no sleep. Because if he had
relaxed and slept, what then would he do if the tiger came? It would
be just like waiting for it to come and take him and eat him at its
leisure!
As soon as it was dawn he went in a hurry to his Acariya, who
asked him: “How was it; did your teacher, the tiger, come and visit
you again last night?” He replied that it had not come, and then the
Acariya spoke quietly and soothingly to him, saying: “What is the
use of being afraid of it, if you were afraid of your own evil in
the way that you are afraid of this tiger you would have gained
freedom from Dukkha long ago. You must hurry to get rid of the evil
which has accumulated in your heart by reducing it steadily and
finally eliminating it. Why be so concerned about the tiger, it will
not come and do anything. You can take my word for it that as long
as you don’t do anything evil again the tiger will not come. You
must do your meditation practice to make you feel at ease. Then the
tiger will be happy and not anxious about you so there won’t be any
need for it to come and see you often and lose time in searching for
its food. In fact it only came to help you and to drag you up out of
hell because of the evil you had done, otherwise you truly would
have fallen into hell. So if you don’t do any more evil things, the
tiger will not come with any intention of eating you. Take good care
of yourself, and if you try hard and work diligently at your
meditation practice you won’t see that tiger again, as you saw it
when it came to visit you, until we leave this place.”
From that day on, the tiger was never again seen wandering
around that district, just as the Acariya had predicted. After that,
even though there were still sounds of tigers roaring from time to
time, this was normal, the same as would be heard everywhere in the
forest and not something that was disturbing. The Upasaka worked
hard at his meditation practice and got rid of all his opinionated
conceit so that he was transformed into a good person both inwardly
and outwardly. From the time that the tiger came to help and train
him, even though it was only one night, there was nothing that one
could blame in the Upasaka. This was so strange and unusual a thing
to happen that it still has not been forgotten. As for the Acariya,
he never had any fear at all, and even when the Upasaka came to tell
him all about it he was quite unperturbed. He said that the tiger
which came was in fact a creation of the Devas.
This Acariya was a senior follower of Venerable Acharn Mun and
he liked to live on his own, deep in the forests and hills,
depending for his food on going pindapata to the local farmers.
During the time that he spent living under a cliff with the Upasaka
he was able to progress in the development of his citta far more
than in other places, so he stayed there for many months — until it
was near the beginning of the rainy season when he returned to the
Thai side of the river.
He said that while the tiger was growling softly at the
Upasaka, he heard it quite clearly but he took no notice of it
because they could be heard all the time so that it was normal and
he was used to it. But when the Upasaka came and told him about it,
weeping and wailing because he was afraid, the Acariya thought about
it and examined what had occurred. A Devata also came and told him
about it, so he knew that the Devata had made that tiger to
discipline the Upasaka and cure his overweening conceit. Otherwise
he would have become used to it and would have displayed his
obstinacy all the time, doing evil things more and more so that when
he died he would fall to hell. Therefore it was necessary to cure
this state in such a way that he would never dare to act in this
manner again.
The Acariya said: “What the Devata said was true because from
that day on the Upasaka’s character and behaviour changed entirely
and he became a different person. Previously he had been quite
obstinate and at times he had the characteristics of someone who was
a bit mad, but I never objected and I let him go on in his own way.
It was not until the tiger came and straightened him out and broke
his obstinacy by its rough and forceful ways that I saw clearly how
this Upasaka had some very bad characteristics indeed and he was not
at all mad. If he had been a bit mad, even the tiger coming to teach
him would have been of little value and the madness would probably
have come back again. But with this Upasaka, since that day none of
his evil characteristics has returned and he is always good and
right minded.”
This Acariya has a very high standing in Dhamma and he is
worthy of worship and devotion, but he died five or six years ago.
When he was close to the time of leaving the five khandhas he said
that he did not want anyone to be disturbed and bothered about him
for it would cause needless distraction and worry to them. He wanted
to die quietly in the way of the Kammatthana tradition, which means
that his death is fully in accordance with that of a Bhikkhu who
practises the way and is not broadcast with a lot of fuss. When they
cremated him, none of the senior Bhikkhus in the country knew about
it for it would just be a nuisance and cause a lot of disturbance.
“Concern about dead people, who are worthless, their assets having
all dried up, is not likely to be of much use when compared with
concern for the living.” He spoke simply in this way and nobody
dared to go against his words. For those were his parting
instructions to them which came from a “true heart”, and they were
afraid that it would be bad and evil to go against what he had said.
While he was still alive I once went to stay with him far away
in the hills, for about a fortnight. The place where he was staying
was hill forest and he depended on the local farmers for getting
food on pindapata, which was enough to live on day by day, and he
was said to have stayed in that place for many years (vassa). While
staying there I timed how long it took to go on pindapata, going out
and back. From the place where he was staying to the edge of the
forest took just three hours twenty minutes and to the village a
total of four hours.
His name was Venerable Acharn La and his original home was in
Vientiane (Vieng Chan), Laos. From the time of his ordination until
he died he lived most of the time on the Thai side of the Mekong
River, because most of his Dhamma friends and the Acariyas who
practised the way were in Thailand.
In his practice of the “Samana Dhamma” he was very courageous
and resolute and liked to live and go about on his own, or at most
he would have only one Upasaka with him. He had the faculty of
knowing many strange things including those beings who had Deva
bodies such as the Devatas who worshipped him. He said that wherever
he stayed such beings nearly always went there and protected him all
the time. His nature was to want little, to be fully content all the
time and to dislike going into society, even amongst his friends and
other Bhikkhus. He always liked to live in the forests and hills
with the local farmers, and the forest and hill people. His level of
Dhamma was very high and worthy of praise and worship. In the
direction of samadhi and pañña he was very skilful and proficient,
but most people, including Bhikkhus and Samaneras, did not realise
this because he never made any show or display of it. It was only
those who had lived close to him who knew well about it.
It was about 2493 BE (1950 CE) that I went to stay with this
Acariya and I had the opportunity of learning from him and asking
questions. I found that his Dhamma was very deep, penetrating and
absorbing. He could explain the “production of causes”
(Paccayakara), which is avijja, well and in a very profound way.
It would be difficult to find anyone who could explain it so well,
because the Paccayakara is a very subtle and profound Dhamma and it
can only be explained properly and in depth by someone who is well
experienced and adept in the practice of citta bhavana. For the
Paccayakara, or avijja, are very subtle kilesas and he must be
endowed with an equally subtle degree of insight-wisdom (pañña–vipassana)
to be able to find out about and to eradicate the basis of
Paccayakara which is the true nature of avijja; and also to be able
to explain it correctly. This Acariya was one of those who were able
to explain the Avijja–paccayakara with great subtlety, but it is
beyond the ability of the writer to explain it here, so we must
regretfully pass on to other things.
While this Acariya was staying with Venerable Acharn Mun and
Venerable Acharn Sao, he learnt the practices of eating only once a
day and wandering in the traditional way of kammatthana in the
forests and hills. He went on doing this from the day of his
ordination until he died, and he never slackened in the practice of
his religious observances and duties, nor in his work by way of the
heart.
This was an Acariya who was so unfailingly resolute in his
practice of Dhamma that it is hard to find anyone like him in this
present age and he should be taken as an example by all those who
are interested in doing the practice of Dhamma. This ends the story
about this Acariya.
Before writing about the above Acariya we were discussing the
methods of training and discipline of the hearts of Dhutanga
Bhikkhus with frightening things, such as tigers. As this was not
completed we shall return to this subject. |
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4.
More About Training &
Venerable Acharn Mun’s Talk
Some
Bhikkhus go and sit in meditation practice on the edge of a deep chasm,
which is enough to make them concerned in case they should fall. But
these Bhikkhus are not afraid and have to do this as their method of
training. If such a Bhikkhu should forget himself so that he loses
mindfulness, he accepts the fact that he may fall into the gorge and
die, but he does this because when he does his meditation practice in
the normal way he cannot control his citta and make it remain still. It
likes to become involved with things here and there and to be agitated
by them, creating a lot of Dukkha for himself without letting up for a
moment.
Both people and animals are afraid of death in the same way, so
when they are put into a truly tight situation, such as going and
sitting on the edge of a deep chasm, the citta has got to work and it
does not need anything else to force it, for death is what the citta
always instinctively fears most. At such a time, the citta fights
against death with determination and it calls up mindfulness to be
present the whole time, not allowing the citta to go elsewhere. He has
mindfulness to help and support him at every moment and when the citta
is well protected with mindfulness, it does not slip quietly away to
other things which are appealing to the emotions and which have been its
enemies in the past. Then before long the citta will be able to drop
into concentration and calm. Those Bhikkhus who have used this method
have attained results which are satisfying to the heart, in the same way
as with those other methods.
Methods in which something is used as a goad, to arouse the fear
of death, are very important and valuable. Therefore the work of looking
after one’s life by having mindfulness present and aware of oneself,
causes results in the direction of Dhamma to arise in one’s heart. In
other words, one comes to see clearly how the restless, boisterous citta
calms down and tends toward samadhi, and one does not have to wait a
long time for this.
Some Bhikkhus go and sit and do their meditation practice in a
cave. When they hear the roar of a tiger they notice that the citta does
not feel in the least afraid, nor does it give way and go into samadhi
as they want it to. Therefore they must look for a method of
intimidating the citta, such as going out and sitting in front of the
cave so that when the tiger comes there the citta will be afraid and
quickly concentrate, calm down and look for a safe place free from fear
where the tiger cannot touch it. So the citta then becomes calm and goes
down into samadhi.
Generally speaking, those Kammatthana Bhikkhus who have gained
strength of heart at such a time as the citta is afraid and go on
training themselves until the citta has dropped into a state of calm,
feel quite sure that nothing that is dangerous can do them any harm at
that time. But whatever the truth of this may be, they are not
concerned, for they only think of it as being for the important task of
gaining strength of heart then and in the future also. Even if they were
to die at that time, they are ready to accept it and make the sacrifice,
because their faith in Dhamma is greater than their fear of death.
This is why those who are truly intent on the essential meaning of
Dhamma like to search for places and methods to train themselves in
various ways without letting up. Because they have consistently seen
results by direct experience from such places and methods. It is like
making a small investment and getting a large profit from it which
causes one much pleasure and should induce one to go on doing the same
thing continually, without becoming either lazy or bored; as well as
undercutting any uncertainty and doubt that may remain, about doing such
things, as to whether they bring results or not. Because at every stage
of the work, these practices give rise to the most obvious results which
are self-evident.
One can sit in meditation practice in front of a cave, wander in
the hills and sit in practice on rocky outcrops, wander in the manner of
kammatthana at night so as to meet a tiger, sit in practice in a place
where tigers frequently pass by, or walk cankama and sit in practice
competing with the roars of tigers round about, but all of these have
just the purpose of helping the citta to concentrate and go down into a
state of calm much faster than it would normally do so. Or, to arouse
wisdom in contemplation of the nature of wild animals as aspects of
Dhamma, for the purpose of getting free from one’s “upadana” —
attachment — to life and death and steadily getting rid of the longing
— yearning for all sorts of things which are related to the citta.
That’s the way! But not in any way for the destruction of oneself.
Those who aspire to get free from all aspects of dukkha based on
birth and death, generally think and act in the above ways. Even the
Lord Buddha, the foremost in the “Three Worlds” used the methods of
abandoning his life by fasting, when he ate nothing for forty nine days,
which is similar to the foregoing methods. For it is a method which
needs strength and resolution in order to defeat the enemy within. But
when the Lord saw that it was the wrong way he stopped. Then he turned
and made an unshakeable resolve that he would sit and develop the
anapanasati kammatthana until he knew Dhamma (Enlightenment), which
was his original purpose. He further resolved that if he did not come to
know Dhamma in a way that would satisfy his purpose, then he would
sacrifice his life in sitting and doing this meditation practice until
he died, without moving from that place. This indicates that if he had
not truly known Dhamma while sitting in that place developing anapanasati under the shade of the great Bodhi tree, it would have been
the last move of the Lord’s life, for even while he was unsure of the
way, there was no other way for him to go.
When one thinks about those who are the best and highest examples
to the world whether it be the Lord Buddha and the Savakas through to
the teachers (Acariya) or those ordinary people everywhere who practise
Dhamma, they do things, whatever these things may be which are
remarkable and which are very different from the usual ways of people,
and they make an undying impression.
Thus, the Kammatthana Bhikkhus work and strive and train
themselves in various ways according to what suits each one’s nature
and ability. They do not do it for excitement, nor for what is bordering
on the conceit that they are more skilled, brave or able than their
teacher — or anybody else. Because they have the pure intention of
seeking the essential meaning and Dhamma to lead them on to freedom from
dukkha by using these methods. This is how they work and struggle
according to their strength and ability which is not even equal to the
dust off the feet of the Lord Buddha when he concentrated his effort by
his readiness to sacrifice his life. When it comes to this, how could
they think that their efforts were superior to the teacher’s and how
could they do the practice for the purpose of being able to show off to
the world when their efforts are not worth the dust from the feet of the
Lord Buddha?
If we think of the way of practice of the Lord Buddha and how he
did things and compare it with ourselves who are always falling and
failing and making only a little effort and afraid that we may go beyond
the teacher — the Lord Buddha. This is shameful and the most disgraceful
attitude.
I also am very clever at being afraid in this way, whereas in
other ways which are bad I am not clever and not afraid. This is the way
of ordinary people who go head first into those things which the wise
warn us about, things which we should not want to go into. But those
things which they advise us to do and to go into head first we avoid and
are afraid of diving into. When I think about it I become angry with
myself for being so clever at going in for the wrong things. The readers
should not think that I am a good example or many of them may become
people who go in for the wrong things also.
Those Dhutanga Bhikkhus who looked for various ways of training
themselves as already described, did these things from the beginning
when they first received the teaching from Venerable Acharn Mun when he
was still young, and they continued to practise what he taught right up
to the present. They did not slacken and give up for they saw it as an
inheritance which he had bestowed on them with “metta” and taught them
in a heart felt way. So each of them tried to hold to the teaching with
reverence and the faith that: “This is the practice which he has done
himself from which he has gained results that have become his heart’s
refuge. This is also the best which he has selected from his own
experience which was resolute, full of punch and vitality, which he has
chosen to show for those who are resolute in Dhamma to take hold of as a
method for continually teaching, training and disciplining themselves in
the future.”
They say that when Venerable Acharn Mun was young he practised
with great determination and his teaching was very vigorous and full of
punch, and he also had the faculty of knowing other people’s cittas (paracittavijja).
Even when he was almost seventy two years old, which was when I went to
train under him, his teaching was still full of punch. In fact, when I
first went to Venerable Acharn and heard his teaching, I was almost
unable to pay attention because I was so afraid. But at the same time I
had great reverence and faith in him and had to submit to the truths
that he showed me in everything that he said, each time, for it was
impossible to deny them. When Venerable Acharn gave a Dhamma talk about
the methods of using discipline to train the heart it was much more
frightening, both in the sound of his voice which was loud and rhetoric,
and also in the way in which he pointed with his finger while saying:
“Over there, are the forests! Over there, are the hills! They are
the right places for a citta which writhes and turns about and is
difficult to train. Don’t get involved in things, in friends or others
in this Wat or elsewhere. One who practises the way must know his own
character and he must know the way to train himself. If he does not know
his own character, even if he went on working at his practice until he
died he still would not get the results which he should. When his heart
is obstinate he must be resolute in making effort and heavy handed with
discipline. Whoever is afraid of tigers should go and stay in the
forests and hills with them. Whoever is afraid of ghosts should go and
stay in the cremation ground with various types of dead ghosts until the
heart has become one with the ghosts! Then one will be able to say that
the citta has submitted to the discipline.”
“If someone, who goes to stay in the forest is not yet unafraid in
the face of the tigers, he must not give way and leave the forest; and
if those who are afraid of ghosts have not lost their fear of them, they
should not leave the cremation ground. They must consider the forests
and hills as being places of death for those who are afraid of tigers,
and the graveyard as being the place of death for those who are afraid
of ghosts. But until they have got rid of fear in whatever it is they
are afraid of, they must not leave so that the fear could laugh and make
a mockery of them, for this would make them ashamed of themselves for
the rest of their lives without having any way to right themselves.”
“If one has respect for oneself and for the religion (Sasana) in a
true-hearted way, one must not let all sorts of fears arise and lie
there where they can excrete their filth down over the heart. One must
quickly grab them and pull them down and trample on them and destroy
them by work and effort which is replete with patient endurance.”
“One who is afraid of death will be accompanied by death through
various future lives without seeing an end of it; and one who is afraid
of tigers will always have images of tigers coming to deceive him and
frighten him. It is similar with one who is afraid of ghosts, for he
will have images of ghosts of various kinds coming to deceive him
wherever he goes, until he cannot live, eat, lie down or sleep in peace.
Even if he happens to see a leaf fall from a tree, his thoughts would
deceive him into thinking that it was a ghost coming to haunt him, and
this does happen. One is a false person and one’s timidity and fear
spoil oneself. Wherever one goes or stays one is bound to be timid and
mistrustful due to the fear which the citta thinks up and imagines to
deceive itself. Then one cannot find anything that is genuine and true
at all.”
“However frightened the heart may be, a person must learn to face
up to fear by the methods of testing and disciplining himself until he
gets to know the truth about fear. If he is afraid of tigers he must
learn and get to know this fear of tigers by experience, by means of
mindfulness and wisdom supported by patient endurance; until a bold
fearlessness arises and he can jump up and go looking for the tiger,
while the tiger is not bold enough to do anything about it!”
“If he is afraid of ghosts he must learn and get to know about his
own fear and about ghosts and what in fact ghosts really are. In truth
the ghost is nothing but his own heart which haunts him with his own
thoughts which make him afraid. Ghosts live with ghosts, people live
with people and they do not interfere with each other. If he examines
this thoroughly he should just live in peace. But he must not restlessly
agitate his heart — for what do you think — would it be happiness? Why
then do those who practise the way not know that the citta deceives
them, and if they don’t know this, how can they get to know the true
meaning of Dhamma?”
“I have been practising the way for a long time, for forty or
fifty years or more. Fear, I have been afraid; Boldness, I have been
bold; Love, I have loved; Hate, I have hated; Detestation, I have
detested; Anger, I have been angry — all this because I have a heart, I
am not a dead man, or monk. But I have tried with my utmost ability to
train myself without ever slipping back or giving way. Those things
which used to be in charge and overpowering crumbled away under the
power of the work and diligence of the one who is not afraid to die.
Nothing can get into my heart and hide there secretly and unnoticed, and
wherever I stay I live easy without any worry. Nothing comes now in the
way it used to, to stir up and cause the fallacies of fear, boldness,
love, hate, detestation and anger to arise, which are all involved in
the mass of fire of the kilesas which burn the heart.”
“What else could bring this result about but the training and
discipline of the heart to make it live in submission to reason, which
is the ‘meaning’ of ‘Dhamma’. All of you who have come here for teaching
with the desire of eliminating all kilesas of every kind, by what means
will you do this if not by training and disciplining yourselves with
work and effort as already mentioned. To bring about the ending of all
kilesas, such as fear for example, there is only this one way in which
you must train and discipline your hearts that are at present wantonly
playing and arrogantly running after emotionally exciting things (arammana)
which they arouse to think about and imagine, to deceive yourselves. The
Lord Buddha and all the Savakas were able to gain freedom from all
‘Dukkha’, only by this one way of training and disciplining the heart
and there is no other way that is adequate to enable us to escape.”
“As for waiting for fear, laziness and feebleness to clear the way
for getting free from ‘Dukkha’, this you should never expect. For in a
while you would die, empty and putrescent, a stain on the religion and a
bad smell also; and do not entertain doubt for a long time, it wastes a
lot of time uselessly. The Dhamma of the Lord Buddha is not a Dhamma
that pets you and treats you gently and softly and deceitfully. But if
anyone has faith in the reasoning which the Lord has given us and is
dedicated to the practice of it in such a way that he is ready to give
his life for it without the slightest fear that Dhamma will lead him to
loss and ruin, and if he sets himself to get rid of those things which
are his enemies and which are obstacles to his heart, such as fear, he
will soon reach the “shore of happiness”. For training and
disciplining himself with this Dhamma is the only way to get free
from ‘Dukkha’, there is no other.”
“How should one think about those places where timid Bhikkhus go
and stay and complain that they are frightening, even though the local
villagers think of them as being normal and they are not afraid? On the
other hand there are some places where I went to stay and practise, and
all the local villagers were afraid of these places and they did not
want to let me go and stay there, for fear that the tigers would take me
and eat me. But I was not concerned about the tigers, nor about the
villagers who told me that the tigers were very fierce. My lack of
concern was not boasting that I had no fear of tigers, which in the eyes
of the world are fearful animals. I was also afraid of them, but I was
not afraid of them in a submissive servile way in which a timid Bhikkhu
is afraid. On the contrary, my fear was the fear of a warrior, that :
“Here danger is everywhere and it is bound to be an important place for
developing myself. Whether I live or die I submit to my kamma which is
the way of nature. If a tiger has no meat to eat — or thinks that the
meat of a Bhikkhu is sweeter or more tasty than its normal food and it
wants some, then I submit to it. But I must hold to Dhamma — in other
words, to courage and renunciation for the sake of Dhamma — the whole
time, without letting go of it until my last breath. This will be
appropriate to the status of a Kammatthana Bhikkhu who is searching for
Dhamma with genuine faith in merit (puñña) and kamma and who upholds the
honour of the Sasana.” Having made this resolve and relinquished
everything to Dhamma I then turned to the work of the heart with
unwavering effort without giving up. The more I heard the tigers roaring
to each other in the immediate vicinity, the more I turned and made
intimate contact with Dhamma, going deeply into it as if the heart and
Dhamma were unified, together as one. The longer I went on fighting the
battle between the tigers, and Dhamma which was the goal I was aiming
for, the more I saw the wonder of the heart and Dhamma arise, displacing
any thoughts about the tigers coming to eat me which would only have
wasted a lot of time. But a timid person is like a young child who has
learnt little and takes hold of fire to play with so that he burns
himself. When a timid person is unable to find the way out he brings up
thoughts of tigers or ghosts and then brings up fear to burn his own
heart without knowing how to right the situation — like the child
playing with fire.”
“Sometimes the practice both internally and externally comes
across obstacles one after another. If then one’s heart is not truly
firm and courageous one is bound to fall down in an incompetent manner.
In other words, the heart is troubled and obsessed with its own problems
and while they remain unsolved, dukkha goes on piling up until they are
solved, each of them, one by one. So ease and contentment of heart comes
sporadically, and in the body there arises sickness and pain. For the
body is the concern of the heart which is responsible for protecting and
restoring it, and the heart must keep a watch on it and judge what is
necessary and look after it according to the circumstances. In some
places the atmosphere is very heavy making it hard to breathe, which is
bound to have an effect on the body and mind. But one has to put up with
it and stay there until one can look for more suitable conditions and
one may have to endure the discomfort of it for many days.”
“At the time when Venerable Acharn Sao and I first went out far
away to practise, people did not know anything about kammatthana. The
bare poverty and lack of everything focused on us two ‘warriors’. For
the hill people were not interested like they are nowadays, and how a
Bhikkhu lived, slept, ate and what requisites he used was of no interest
to the hill people. You must not think that I became the Acariya that is
here now by means of ease and plenty steadily building up results. In
fact we had to struggle and strive and practise with suffering and
hardship constantly while almost losing our lives.”
“Food! We only had bare rice to eat, see! It was like this much
more often than when we had chilli and fish that they normally ate. The
villagers had no lack of their normal foods, but they did not understand
the manner in which Kammatthana Bhikkhus ate. At the most they used to
put in one or two bananas as was customary in putting food in the bowl,
and once in a while they may include a packet of chilli and salt.
Sometimes they would give some chilli pounded up with salted raw fish,
but we only found this out after we got back to where we were staying
and opened the packet. We had to put it aside because we could not eat
it, as there was no lay person available to cook it for us.”
“Generally it was like this for Kammatthana Bhikkhus at that time
everywhere they went. It was only after living in a place for a long
time, until we came to know their characteristics and they came to know
ours, that they came to ask questions so that we got to know each other
better. After that we would leave and go wandering to practise the way
in another place where we thought it would be suitable. Then at the new
place where we went, the same thing would happen all over again.”
“For the place where we rested and slept we had to accept whatever
was available by force of necessity, as we had done in various other
places already. If it was the dry season it was more comfortable and
convenient for we could find dry grasses and leaves to lay down where we
slept, enough to make it soft to rest one’s head on so one could lie
down and sleep from time to time.”
“In some villages there were good people who, as soon as they saw
a Bhikkhu come and stay in the vicinity of the village would go out and
ask them whether everything was all right and what their intentions
were, whether they were going to stay or move on and how long they
intended to stay. We would then tell them something about what we were
doing so that they could get some understanding of it. Then they would
get together and make up a shelter where we could live, enough to ward
off sun and wind, and a rough platform on which we could rest and sleep
at times. Also a place for walking ‘cankama’ which would be enough to
make it convenient for doing the practice.”
“Wherever we went, generally if we stayed there long enough the
villagers would come and make up a place to live and other things, and
they would come to have a true faith in us. When the time came for us to
leave they wouldn’t want us to go and they would complain that they were
going to miss us very much. But we always had to do what was necessary
for ourselves, so we had to return constantly to the practice of
wandering. Because living all the time in one place is not very good and
our work would tend not to develop as it should. Staying for a while and
then moving on is a way to rouse oneself and keep oneself constantly
alert. I found this to be very good for my own character and my work
developed well.”
“Going wandering in the manner of ‘Dhutanga’ in a variety of
places without having any fixed destination nor any signposts to define
the place or the time, both of which tie one up, is for myself a way
that is unencumbered and full of ease of heart. As for others I cannot
say, but if it is done for the sake of not being cluttered up, messy and
disorderly, it should come to the same thing. Always moving on, then
staying in whatever place one sees to be suitable for practising the way
without any concern or worries. Responsible only for oneself; one’s
body, life and breath being part of oneself and the practice of the way
being also a part of oneself. Even the Path, Fruit and Nibbana, which
should be within one’s reach, depends on the practice which is done by
oneself — the one who causes it to arise. Going about and staying here
and there, and practising the way for the sake of Dhamma, in the manner
which is mentioned above, thus depends on oneself to search for what
suits the one who should be able to attain and reach Dhamma which is the
goal that it aims for and longs for with every breath.”
“When one is quite sure that in making conditions suitable
everything depends on oneself, then one must go to whatever place is
suitable and do whatever practice or training and discipline are suited
to one’s own state. Then even if one does not want to go there, one
must; if one does not want to stay there, one must; if one does not want
to do the practice because one finds it difficult, one must; and if one
does not want to do some ascetic discipline when one ought, one still
must do it. Even if one does not want to put up with poverty and lack of
everything including the four requisites, one must put up with it
because one wants to be a good person, one wants to know and see Dhamma
and one wants to gain freedom from Dukkha. But if one brings the kilesas
to the fore, letting them lead the way, it will be just like it has
always been!”
“A short while ago we talked about fear — such as not wanting to
stay in lonely places for fear of tigers. This is the way of the kilesas
which always hold one back, not wanting to let one go to those places
where it is right to go, where one can practise in the traditional
manner of the ‘Aryans’ who have led the way and destroyed these kilesas.
But they (kilesas) want to lead one to go and stay in those places which
are full of people and restless confusion, like those places where
people have fun and enjoyment, such as the music halls, the theatre and
other places where there is singing, music and entertainment of various
kinds. This is the way the kilesas lead one on! They can catch the
hearts of people and draw them away from morality (sila) and Dhamma so
easily, and they can catch the heart of a Kammatthana Bhikkhu and draw
him away from the forest which is the place where he does the practice.
Or, they may not let him go into the forest for fear of tigers, ghosts
and other things, and then pull him back into the trap — into the sphere
of the halls of entertainment just as they like. After which they finish
him off completely.”
“It should be quite obvious to us that if we let the kilesas lead
the way, the result will be that they stamp their imprint on the heart
in the way I’ve just described. I have therefore tried to oppose them
consistently and never to give way, but to resist those kilesas which
always lie in wait to tie up our hearts whenever they get a chance. Thus
it was that I went to places where people in the world do not want to go
and where the kilesas do not like to go. I did things which the world
does not like doing, nor did the kilesas, and I trained and disciplined
the heart — the heart that is liked by the world which cherishes the
kilesas, not wanting to let it be trained and disciplined all the time
by wandering in the way of Kammatthana to all sorts of places. Wandering
in accordance with that faculty which sees what is right by way of
Dhamma to bring one results of calm and peace of heart; and also to
bring one enough cleverness and wisdom to know what is the true basic
structure of the main army and the supporting units of the kilesas, and
exactly where they are located all the time. And furthermore to keep
going on in this way until mindfulness and wisdom have become strong
enough to be able to keep up with them and to sort and divide them out
in such a way that those which are good may remain and those which are
evil must be destroyed and no quarter is asked or given. The main thing
that helped in this task was the practice of wandering and the places
where this was done, which have already been described, and these have
an importance which must never be underestimated.”
“I always praise and think highly of those who practise the way in
the foregoing manner, because this is the straight and direct way to the
Path, the Fruition and Nibbana as it always has been and will be. But
those who can only think of tigers coming to eat them as food as soon as
they enter the forest make me feel weary and sorrowful and tired of
teaching them. I don’t want to teach them for it is a waste of time and
effort, and it is better to conserve my time and energy for teaching
those who are genuinely interested and who are earnest and resolute.
Then the Dhamma can be of use to the world, which is appropriate to
Dhamma as being that aspect of nature which is so valuable.”
“When I see anyone coming to me for teaching, whose character is
weak and flabby as if his bones were about to fall out of his body even
though he is physically strong and well, I feel sorry, like looking at
someone who is sick, who appears to be in a serious, critical condition
and beyond hope of a cure by medicine. Then the Dhamma in my heart with
which for a long time I have used for teaching people — in fact since I
first started — all runs away and hides but where it goes to I don’t
know. All that remains is mere knowing which one cannot make any use of.
I think maybe the Dhamma is afraid of the influence of such complete
weakness and flabbiness, which is more than it can stand, so it all runs
away and disappears. Then I have nothing left which I can bring out and
show him and I can only sit unable to think, looking at the heart and
unable to say anything. Why should this happen? If one compares this
with a doctor, he would probably have come to the end of his resources
to cure such a severe fever, and with such a person as this I also
probably come to the end of my resources to cure this disease of
weakness and flabbiness which is beyond the possibility of trying to
force him and drive him to a cure. So the Dhamma disappears into hiding
and I have nothing left which I can say to him.”
“All you who have come here for training, have you ever thought
how the sickness of being afraid of tigers and ghosts is also the kind
of sickness that Dhamma is afraid of? It does not dare to face up to
this sickness, so if you want to let Dhamma have a way in which it can
stay with you, instead of running away and disappearing into hiding, you
should make a complete change of heart into a new state. This change of
heart need not be very much, for it is enough merely to see something of
the virtues and faults of yourself, who is at present so timid. This can
be done by thinking how the Lord Buddha, the Savakas and all the
Acariyas were true warriors. So at least I must fight against that which
I am afraid of at the present time. If I should believe that this fear
is sacred, such that when I fight it and treat it badly and drive it out
of my heart I would die, I must consider why it is that none of those
who have trained themselves and ill treated fear, such as this fear that
I have in my heart at present, and who have driven it out of their
hearts ever seem to have died from it. Why then am I so afraid? And
right now won’t I reach the stage of being driven mad by this fear? But
if I don’t know this for myself, nobody else can know it. So how should
I act now and practise for the best — or do I resist and go completely
mad with this fear from now on?”
“In this, the evidence points quite clearly to the fact that the
Lord Buddha, the Savakas and all the Acariyas — and in particular the
one who is now teaching me to clean out my fear did not die from being
eaten by tigers; and those who have already attained Parinibbana did not
go there because the tigers eat them, but because of : “Anicca vata
sankhara…”. As for myself, why then should I think that the tigers are
the only ones who are waiting to act as undertakers with my corpse — as
if the world was full of tigers just waiting to act as undertakers to
human cadavers even though I have never seen even one tiger waiting to
take the body of someone who has died. I’ve only ever seen “people”
coming in various ways to carry out the funeral ceremonies, cremations
and such things and gathering up the bones and disposing of them
suitably.”
“After such contemplation I think that the fear will be prepared
to leave, complete with its family, relatives and descendants who have
long established their roots and dwellings securely in the heart. They
will move out and scatter, fearfully shivering in despair, because they
have no way to fight against a warrior who has the latest weapons, so
they will go until there are none left. After that, nothing will ever
again come trespassing, stirring up trouble and causing fear to arise.”
“In seizing each type of kilesa and removing it from the heart, if
one does not have the method of mindfulness and wisdom as tools to aid
one in suppressing them, but only anger to act in a threatening menacing
way so as to frighten them it is no use at all. One should know that the
kilesas are not like a stupid dog which runs away in confusion to the
pleasure of the person who frightens it, but instead they are the
cleverness and sharp wit of that base and vile nature that perches and
preys on the heart of a person. The more one threatens them without
having the tools of mindfulness and wisdom which truly frighten them,
the more it is as if one were just making them laugh a lot and have fun
biting into and eating the heart away; until it can no longer be called
the heart of a person and it becomes the heart of an animal, a ghost or
a demon entirely.”
“You must not think that the kilesas are afraid of such things as
the force of barbarity or ferocity, for such force only comes from the
kilesas themselves who provide it and they suggest that one should thus
intimidate them. So it is good fun for them and they laugh every time
one threatens them, because they see that one is stupid to the point
that one does not understand that such threats are the kilesas
themselves and this is just their kind of business.”
“If you really want to frighten the kilesas and to see them flee
away before your own eyes, then you must go ahead and practise those
methods which have been taught already. In other words, wherever there
is more fear and wherever it is strongest, the more should you go there
and stay there and the more should you examine and contemplate it
without letting up or slackening your efforts. What if you should die?
Then you should accept this and submit yourself to Dhamma absolutely
without any regrets or longings at all. If you do this sort of thing the
home of the kilesas is bound to be ruined and destroyed so that they all
have to flee in disorder, confusion and turmoil, worse than a
conflagration of the capital city. If you have never seen a capital city
all in flame you should try reforming the kilesas using the methods
which I have already outlined. Then you will see the kilesas running in
panic and complete confusion away from the heart, more so than people
when their house is on fire.”
“I have already done this and seen the results of it quite clearly
and nobody can come and tell me lies about it. Therefore I can talk
about it with full confidence without being afraid of whether anyone
will laugh at it, or agree with it, for the story of it is true as I
have told it. The Dhamma which I bring out to teach you, with whatever
ability I have, comes almost entirely from this kind of practice and if
anyone wants me to teach in some other way which I have never practised
and of which I have never seen the results, I cannot do it. For it would
be unfamiliar and strange and would be talk just for the sake of talking
and it could lead others into trouble, and this I will not do. But
teaching of the kind that I have taught here, wherever it goes, I can
reach it, because I have the complete confidence in myself that I also
have done it in this way and I have truly seen results of this kind
arise clearly in my heart.”
“Whoever wants to see the kilesas falling from the heart and
drifting away from it should try to act and practise in the manner which
I have taught here. But if anyone wants to see the kilesas moving in
over the heart with their children, relatives and various supplies for
their armies, and setting up their houses and work places, and places to
discharge their ordure of various sorts onto the heart, then he must go
the way of giving in and surrendering to them. So when any of the
kilesas stirs and comes out even just a little, he bows in submission
and pays homage to it. Such a person will be the owner of becoming and
birth — which means, continual birth and death throughout the cycle of
the ‘round’ (vattavana). He has no need to escape for he can’t get free
from it and go anywhere else even to the end of time, because the way of
the kilesas and of those who promote the kilesas is just that of birth
and death.”
“This is very different from the way of Dhamma and of those who
promote Dhamma in order to cut away the kilesas and the cycle of births
and deaths from the heart at every turn of their work, and in this work
they do not hesitate to press forward and fight them in the manner of
those who are not afraid of death. In such a person who is a fighter,
even if the heart has been weak and feeble, it can change and become
strong and resolute and it can go on until it changes and becomes a
heart that is ‘free from the round’ (vivatta). Once the heart has become
‘free from the round’, there is no need to ask about the various kinds
of kilesas for they will all have disappeared entirely.”
“Now which way do you want it to be? Are you going to be a fighter
for continuing birth and death, or a fighter for the destruction of
becoming and birth by getting rid of all the seeds of it which are
buried in all our hearts? You must make up your minds now — don’t put it
off. You must not think that your breath is very long — like an electric
power line — for its length is only as far as the breath going in and
out from the lungs to the nose. You must not delude yourselves into
thinking it’s so long that it will go on forever.”
The foregoing is the kind of teaching (ovada) with which Venerable
Acharn Mun taught the practising Bhikkhus from time to time. When he
taught for the purpose of stirring them up so as to arouse a determined
and cheerful attitude towards the practice of Dhamma the nature of what
he taught seemed to be much more intense and pointed than normal. With
anyone who had not heard him before, it was quite likely that they would
be afraid, to the point of shivering, instead of becoming calm while
listening, which is what should happen. For it would appear to them as
if he was telling them off and threatening them, whereas in truth it was
just his method of presenting Dhamma which was suited to the time, place
and the people who were listening and taking in what he taught, and
there was no hate or anger concealed in what he taught at all. But with
those who had heard him before, the more they heard him urging them on
in Dhamma, and however severe and strong he became, the more their
hearts became calm and peaceful. It was as if he helped them to chop up
the kilesas within them so that the kilesas were all cleared out of the
heart in order that they could see clearly with their eyes and hearts
while they were listening. This is the reason why the Bhikkhus who
practise the way have always been so interested in listening to the
Acariya whom they revere and have faith in, without ever becoming
satiated, and it has always been like this right up to the present day.
The revealing of Dhamma in its various parts, on suitable
occasions, to those who come for training and teaching is upheld as an
important tradition by those who go the way of Kammatthana following in
line from Venerable Acharn Mun, which is successively carried down both
by the Acariyas and by those who come all the time to practise the way
by depending on the teachers. Because the displaying of Dhamma as it
applies to the practice in its various levels from the initial stages of
samadhi up to the attainment of complete mastery and from the initial
stages of wisdom up to the most subtle, is the display of a map or plan
of the direct path of the progress of the cittas of the Acariyas. They
bring out the teaching from their own knowledge and understanding which
is genuinely derived from their own practical experience, so that those
who have come to them for training may follow in their footsteps and
check in what ways their own hearts do not conform to the teaching. When
they are not yet sure about anything they may ask so that the teacher
can explain, or amplify, or correct any points where their understanding
seems to be faulty, for they do not practise the way in the manner of
someone who guesses or assumes what is right and wrong, based only on
his own thoughts and views.
Generally, those who practise the way learn Dhamma directly from
the Acariya, from the initial stages of training in bhavana right up to
the highest levels, by listening and checking frequently with the
Acariya. Thus whenever their bhavana gives rise to knowledge and
experience of any sort, they go to tell the Acariya so that he can then
explain more about it to increase their mindfulness and wisdom each and
every time, and also to correct any faults bit by bit, both in their
samadhi at each level, and their wisdom in each ground of wisdom.
In the beginning stages of samadhi, the foregoing is not so
important, although there are some cases in which a person may get
strange knowledge of external things. If this happens the Acariya must
be available to explain the way to practise with this kind of samadhi in
order that a person of this kind may go on in the right way.
In general, the way to practise samadhi for each individual is to
take hold of that basic way which he has been used to practising. Thus,
those who have been able to attain calm with any Dhamma object such as
anapanasati for example should take up that Dhamma object and go on
practising it steadily without weakening or giving up. If then anything
strange or unusual happens as a result of this practice they should go
and tell the Acariya about it so that he can explain it for them to
understand and so that they can go on practising steadily without going
wrong. But where wisdom is concerned, its nature is such that it needs
to be continually checked between the one who practises the way and his
Acariya for it is most complex and intricate. But this will be explained
later at the right time.
The Dhutanga Bhikkhus who follow in line from Venerable Acharn Mun
have great faith and reverence for their Acariyas — beyond that which
they have for their own lives, because they learn Dhamma from the heart
of the Acariya so that it becomes their own Dhamma. Or, one could call
it a transmission from one heart to another, and this would not be
wrong, for in fact this is what happens.
When Bhikkhus who practise the way come together to stay with the
Acariya in the place where he is living there are bound to be meetings
for training as well as discussions and consultations going on all the
time. Anyone who has a personal problem can tell the Acariya and get his
guidance on this particular problem whenever there is a suitable
opportunity. When the Acariya has explained and cleared up the problem
so that the Bhikkhu fully understands, he will go and practise
accordingly and try to make his knowledge, his understanding and his
practical application accord with what the Acariya has recommended. If
he has further problems later on he can go again to clear them up when
they arise.
Others who are also doing the practice will go along and clear up
their problems when they arise, in a similar manner, but they must not
hold on to their doubts letting them pile up, for this would delay their
progress, or it might even be a danger to them. Because this path is a
way along which they have never gone before and it is quite possible for
them to make mistakes and go wrong without them realising it.
Those who practise the way all think and understand in this
manner, so that if any of them have any questions or problems they will
bring them out and ask the Acariya about them, or one of the other
Bhikkhus who they think will be able to clear up their problems. For in
the circle of those who practise the way they live together as a group,
with a genuine concern for and dependence on each other, and not merely
living in the same place. For in living together, the associations
between each other variously, make for many interrelationships both
internally and externally. This is so from the Acariya down, including
all those who are going the way of the “Brahma–faring” (Brahmacariya)
together. They have respect and love for one another and when there is
anything that they should discuss and talk over they are concerned
that the knowledge and understanding shall be clearly conveyed to each
other without any underlying opinionatedness or conceit. Because of
this, their living together is peaceful and harmonious and it is rare
that any trouble arises amongst those who practise the way. In fact, in
their harmony and cooperation, in their friendliness towards each other
by sharing out things given to the Sangha (Sanghavatthu), as well as
Dhamma and its meaning in various ways; and in the way that they are
ready to submit and give way to each other, it shows how well they can
practise the way and how they are worthy of respect. Both the seniors
and juniors respect each other in their various ways in accordance with
their age in Vassa and the level of their standing in Dhamma without
any taint of being haughty and puffed up. For they have nothing but
respect and a self-effacing humility and these graceful manners between
each other are their normal characteristic behaviour and they live
together in complete dependence on each other, as if they were all parts
of one body.
Behaviour and Practice in a Forest Monastery
The four requisites which accrue to the monastery in varying
quantities from time to time are shared out so that they go to every Bhikkhu and Samanera in the monastery. Excepting only when there are too
few things to go all round in which case they are given to those who are
in the most need. When more of such things are given on a later occasion
they are then distributed after considering who has the greater need and
who the lesser and then giving to the former first, but also attempting
to distribute some to each of them, according to how much of each
requisite each one has.
When someone gives things of various kinds, the Elder (Thera) who
is the head Bhikkhu must call the Bhikkhus to come and arrange the
things and distribute them to everyone including the Samaneras with a
heart of friendliness (metta), as if they were truly his own children.
For his love and compassion for the Bhikkhus and Samaneras as well as
his attitude and conduct towards them is the same as that of parents for
their children. Except in so far as he does not act in the “ways of the
world” as parents do who sometimes tease and play with them, but he
accords with the usual ways in which love and compassion take place in
the Buddhist religion.
The head Bhikkhu considers that he has an important responsibility
and duty which he should never neglect, this being to watch and take
note of the behaviour and the characters of the Bhikkhus and Samaneras
who he is looking after, and to advise, teach, admonish and scold them.
Although the Bhikkhus and Samaneras under the Acariya may be very afraid
of him, yet they also respect him greatly, love him much and have a lot
of faith in him. At the same time, the Acariya also has metta for them
and he loves and guards them well.
If any one does anything wrong he must be told so, reproved,
taught and well scolded without any fear or favour, because both sides
are very close to each other and they look on themselves as being
virtually one and the same — a unity, which cannot be separated. Because
of this, looking after such a group is easy, because both sides are
based on Dhamma.
But if anyone does anything wrong intentionally it is considered
by those who practise the way to be a serious matter. For even though
the fault may be small it makes the Acariya and the rest of his
followers lose confidence in that person, and it is only after he has
been sent away from them that they can regain calm and happiness. That
the Bhikkhus show such a dislike of one who does wrong things
deliberately is in accordance with Dhamma. Because it is the way of
people, that when they deliberately do wrong things of little importance
it is sure to be only the prelude to wrong doing of great importance in
the future. So when they “cut out the tree that has caught fire, while
the fire is still small” they are doing the right thing, (samici–kamma)
which we should agree with.
As was written in the “Biography of Venerable Acharn Mun”, they
generally had meetings to listen to and receive training once every
seven days in the Vassa period. But on other days, those who had any
doubts could go and ask Venerable Acharn about them when there was a
suitable opportunity and he was free. While staying at the Vihara, some
of the Bhikkhus would look for a suitable place in the forest, outside
the monastery, where they could walk cankama and sit in samadhi bhavana
as they felt like it, both in the day time and at night. After the end
of the Vassa period, many of them liked to go out far away from the
monastery and find a place where they could hang their umbrella tents
and where it was suitable for the work of self-development. But when it
was time for sweeping the paths and clearings in the monastery (each
afternoon) and for doing other routine functions of various kinds,
including going on the alms round (pindapata) and eating food, they
would normally come and join in with the others.
These Bhikkhus did not fix their times for walking cankama and
sitting in samadhi bhavana, for as soon as they were free they just
started doing it; and they never had any fixed routine of walking or
sitting nor did they determine for how long they would go on working.
Some of them sometimes walked from dusk to dawn whereas at other times
they may walk from between two to seven hours.
In doing the sitting practice, one who is new to it can sit for
about one hour and then gradually increase the time as he gains more
skill and ability of heart (citta). But those who have become used to
sitting can do so for a long time, and the more the citta has the ground
of samadhi, or wisdom, the longer can they sit. Each time they may sit
for between three and eight hours and sometimes all night; but walking
cankama or sitting in samadhi bhavana for three to five hours is
considered normal by those who are used to it and do it regularly. There
are no aches, pains, tiredness or stiffness, because their walking or
sitting is done entirely for the development of the citta and their
interest is in this task and not in being anxious about various aches
and pains in the body. Therefore bodily feeling does not bother them as
it would when sitting normally, not doing bhavana.
For those Bhikkhus in whom the ground of the citta is at a high
level as far as samadhi is concerned, as soon as they have entered into
the practice of meditation enough for the citta to drop down into a
concentrated state, they can rest there undisturbed for many hours
before rising out of it. When this happens, feeling (vedana) is not able
to disturb them, and as long as the citta does not rise up out of this
state, feeling does not arise. Therefore, the walking or sitting of
someone who has a ground or basis of citta is very different from that
of someone who still has no ground. Even in the same individual there is
a great contrast between his walking cankama and sitting in samadhi when
his citta still has no ground in Dhamma at all, and when his citta has
such a ground. Thus for example, when one is new to the training, to
walk or sit for as much as one hour is very hard, but as soon as the
citta has a ground in Dhamma, one is not troubled by painful feeling
even after walking or sitting for many hours. This shows us quite
clearly that what matters most is associated with the heart rather than
the body. And again, when the weather is pleasantly cool, or when a
light rain is falling and the body feels comfortable and the citta is
quite clear, as soon as one starts doing one’s meditation practice one
finds that the citta tends to be different from its usual state both as
regards samadhi and wisdom. For the citta can quickly go down and rest
there for a long time before rising out of it, and when the citta has
completely come out there are no aches or pains in the body at all.
Therefore the heart is the important one in the human being.
When these Bhikkhus strove for self-development they did so truly
with full commitment to the work of doing this one duty without getting
themselves involved in anything else. Their striving therefore went on
continuously with causes and results taking place consistently and
steadily. The way in which their hearts developed thus became more clear
for them to see every time. If this was in samadhi they would know
clearly that the citta was able to go deeply into a very subtle state.
If it was in the direction of wisdom (pañña), they knew clearly that
they had the skilfulness every time that they became involved in any of
these “things” (arammana) which are the means of developing
investigation (vicara). So the heart gradually emerges and rises out of
the “boiling swamp” composed of the various kilesas like the sun arising
from the ground (the horizon) to spread its light over the world.
These are the results which make all those who practise the way
engrossed in their striving so that they forget whether it is day or
night, what day month or year it is, and they forget time and how many
hours or minutes have passed because they are just not interested enough
to think about them. But the things which they pay close attention to
all the time are their strivings with mindfulness and wisdom which will
bring victory closer to them all the time they go on striving. For they
see freedom from dukkha becoming more and more apparent in the heart
which is being opened up. In other words, the various kilesas which
cover it up are being removed by mindfulness and wisdom unceasingly.
Whether sitting, walking, standing or lying down, all the time it is
being opened up, the only exception being while asleep. But as soon as
they wake up they start the process of opening up the heart by removing
the kilesas from it. This is the nature of their work which is truly as
important as their own lives.
All those Acariyas who have done the practice, both those of the
past and those who are still living, must have been strong and
persistent and they must have experienced a lot of suffering and
difficulty due to the training and the ascetic practices, in a similar
way, before they were able to become Acariyas teaching other people.
Therefore, those who intend and hope to reach Dhamma, in a manner like
those Acariyas who have experience and who reveal it for others to hear,
should not do the practice of “jumping the queue” and doing as they
please in the way that people in the world do things expediently to get
results. One ought to know that Dhamma is very different from the world,
and if those who practise do not follow the path and pattern of teaching
along which the Acariyas lead them, but just do what they think is
convenient and easy or quick and, as they say, “jumping the queue” and
taking up some modern, up to date, Dhamma which grows in their hearts,
there is no hope for them. Because Dhamma does not adapt to ancient or
modern times, for “Dhamma” is just “Dhamma”, and the “World” is just the
“World” and they have always been thus and they do not change and adapt.
The practice of Dhamma therefore, should go the way of enacting those
causes which are appropriate and suitable. The results which they should
rightly hope for will then be able to arise.
But distorting Dhamma to suit their desires or fancies without any
thought of looking to see whether it is appropriate or not is the same
as the practice of “jumping the queue”, and the results which they are
anxious to attain will be out of line, like a broken queue, or the wrong
way round, and useless. Then they will be sorry and assume that although
they did the practice until they almost died they did not get results as
they should and it would be better not to do any practice at all. The
word, “better”, and not doing the practice because of their false
understanding, will then become a poison which burns them for a long
time, thus becoming a doubly compounded fault. This is nothing but the
way to destroy themselves entirely, due to going the easy way and taking
short cuts as one likes and doing the practice in the manner of “jumping
the queue”.
Therefore I ask you please to take note of and to keep in mind
that Dhamma is of such a nature that it has definite laws in regard to
both its causes and results. If then, one is going to practise Dhamma in
the hope of gaining value and the highest blessings (siri–mangala) from
it, one should take good note of the methods of practice, without
thinking of acquiring or doing anything which is characterised by an
underlying distortion in the sphere of practice. This includes such
things as come from the conceit of being an up to date, modern man who
wants to spread his views loudly and wants to be the motive force in a
reform, all of which leads in the wrong direction.
Those of the greatest wisdom practised and gained experience to
begin with, and then chose what was suitable, rejecting what was
unsuitable with penetrating wisdom, before they revealed Dhamma to
others in the name of the “Svakkhata Dhamma” (The Rightly Taught
Dhamma), which is right and complete and always suitable in all ages. So
that in whatever place and age, the Dhamma is entirely acceptable and
complete in word and meaning. From this we can understand that the
Dhamma is already complete and entire, both in its causal aspect and the
ensuing results and it is fit to be followed and practised without any
doubt and uncertainty. The results that come from this practice are
always a steadily increasing happiness and all one hopes for, from the
level of the Dhamma of virtuous behaviour (Kalyana–Dhamma) upwards to
the levels of Ariya Dhamma. Or, if we speak in terms of the class of
people who get these results, it includes the virtuous person (kalyanajana)
and the noble person (ariyajana) going up through the various levels to
the Arahant (Arahatta–puggala) and there is nothing lacking on the path
of the virtue which arises from the “middle way” (majjhima) of practice.
Those who have practised the “middle way” in accordance with the
principles of Dhamma have always pointed out that it consists of sila,
samadhi and pañña. In other words, whenever one should have sila (moral
behaviour), one should pay attention to sila; whenever one should have
samadhi — calm of heart — one should pay attention to doing the samadhi
practice so as to arouse it; and whenever one should have pañña (wisdom)
one should develop pañña so that it arises. But one must neither promote
exclusively, nor reject any one of these three and thus spoiling it, for
this would be to reject and spoil oneself, because sila, samadhi and
pañña are Dhamma treasures which are interrelated with each other.
Those who practise the way should pay equal attention to sila,
samadhi and pañña and whenever it is appropriate to develop any of these
Dhammas they should do so. For they are not things which should be
rejected or chosen just as one feels inclined, which would be a wrong
interpretation of Dhamma. These three factors are not three piles of
treasure all having value in the same way, like silver, gold and the
finest diamonds, so that one may just choose this one and reject that
one. But because sila, samadhi and pañña are Dhamma qualities which are
linked to the practice of those who need these Dhamma qualities, they
should practise in such a way that they may be brought into action in a
harmonious manner as and when there is need for either sila, or samadhi
or pañña respectively. In other words, “sila” is the ground of someone
who maintains sila to look after himself all the time, whereas “samadhi”
and “pañña” should be practised in whatever way suits his ability so
that they may grow in strength, for they are a pair which help each
other so that neither of them may be deficient in any way. The way of
practice in connection with these two Dhammas is as follows: “If samadhi
has not yet been achieved at all, one should try to attain it by way of
a “preparatory meditation” (parikamma–bhavana), or by any other method
which both suits one’s temperament and is able to cause samadhi to
arise. But if one already has some ability with samadhi, one should also
develop insight wisdom (vipassana–pañña) when one has the chance to do
so after the citta rises out of samadhi and it has sufficient strength
for it.”
In doing that investigation with pañña, one should analyse the
elements (dhatu) and khandhas, such as the body (rupa–khandha),
breaking it apart and investigating its nature, going through it
forwards and backwards, in and out, again and again while keeping to the
way of seeing the loathsomeness of it all, or the way of seeing it all
as the “Ti–lakkhana” (anicca, dukkha, anatta), until one becomes skilled
and proficient at doing so. After this one rests the citta in samadhi in
the way that one has been accustomed to doing so. In this way, samadhi
and pañña may be practised in an evenly balanced way without doing too
little of that Dhamma and too much of this one. Because both samadhi and
pañña are Dhammas which help the citta to develop steadily without any
deterioration or slackening. Therefore one who practises the way should
pay attention to both of them in an even, balanced way, from the
beginning to the end of his training and practice for reaching the Path,
Fruition and Nibbana.
Neither sila, samadhi, nor pañña are Dhammas that are out of date
nor past their time, but in fact, they are Dhammas which are always
suitable and appropriate in every era, every age. They are always
unlimited by time (anantakala) and there is no time, place or person
that can ever force these Dhammas to change into some other form. They
are Dhammas which are suitable to counter every kind of kilesa that
exist in the hearts of beings and there is nothing else that is more
suitable to do this. Therefore, those who practise the way should act
properly with these Dhammas which will lead them to cure all the various
kinds of kilesas so that they fall away from the heart bit by bit.
Sila, samadhi and pañña are the sharpest, most penetrating Dhammas
in the teaching of Buddhism and they are used as the tools for curing
the kilesas of all kinds so that they are completely eliminated. There
is not a single one of the kilesas which can have more power than these
Dhammas, all three of which are interconnected and one cannot single out
any one of them which is able to cure all the kilesas on its own — they
must all function together.
In writing this book — “The Practice of the Dhutanga Bhikkhus” —
it seems as if it is becoming rather disorderly and confusing and may
cause the readers to feel a bit confused as well. But this comes from
the fact that the practice of these Bhikkhus has many aspects and all of
them are also included under the heading of “The Dhutanga Bhikkhu’s
Practice”. Therefore each of the different aspects of practice which
each Bhikkhu who takes up the training uses to discipline himself, must
be considered separately and explained. Even the ways in which Bhikkhus
train themselves by living in the forest has not yet been completed, but
it reached a point where it became necessary to turn to other aspects of
the training which are derived from living in the forest, which led on
to yet other things. So I hope the reader will forgive me for treating
some of the topics out of order, but I had to do it this way for the
reasons given above.
More About Training and Discipline
Now we will continue with the various ways of training and
discipline as used by these Bhikkhus.
When they use any particular method of applying discipline to
themselves and they feel that it gives them more strength of heart
than other methods, they pay attention to it from then on without
slackening or giving up until they are quite sure that the citta no
longer displays any resistance and opinionated obstinacy towards it.
Thus, when they go to stay in such places as have been described before
and they feel quite normal in such places, just as they would anywhere
else, they have reached the point where they can stop practising that
form of discipline and go on doing their practice in more normal ways.
If they have already managed to train and discipline the citta,
the result must be of the foregoing kind, such that wherever they live
it is satisfactory to them and they do not upset themselves in various
ways, such as by the fear of tigers or ghosts. But also, once they have
disciplined themselves, even though the citta does not display any fear
like it used to, if they find that they have contentment of heart when
staying in any particular place, they will generally prefer to stay in
such a place as their normal dwelling place the whole time.
This is not different from the way they acted in the time of the
Lord Buddha, for the Savakas preferred to live in whatever manner suited
their natural inclinations. Thus, some preferred to live in the forests
and hills, so they stayed in such places for the remainder of their
lives; for example, Venerable Aññakondañña who only came out of the
forests and hills when he was near to the time of his death (Nibbana)
and went to see the Lord Buddha to pay his last respects before finally
entering Nibbana. None of the younger Bhikkhus or Samaneras, in the
place where the Lord was staying, had ever seen him before, wearing his
robes dyed with red earth, there being no dark brown or yellow dye from
the jack fruit tree available in the deep forests and jungles. So they
were uncertain about him, thinking that he was an old wandering monk, —
“and where did he get those robes from?” — So they went to see the Lord
Buddha and in accordance with their thoughts they said: “Lord please
forgive us for troubling you, but we wish to know where this old
wandering monk has come from with robes of such a frightful colour. They
are red, as if they had been dyed in blood, or what else we don’t know?”
The Lord saw the wrong attitude of these young Bhikkhus and
Samaneras who had such doubts that they did not respect this Maha Thera
so he spoke to them immediately, saying: “This is Venerable Aññakondañña,
the elder brother of all of you and the first of the Savakas of the
Tathagata to reach Dhamma. You must remember your elder brother and keep
this in mind from now on, for Venerable Aññakondañña has been an Arahant
since the beginning of the Sasana of the Tathagata. He has always
behaved and practised in the right manner (samici–kamma), habitually
living in the forest and hills and having no liking for the involvement
and turbulence of crowds of people. But now his body is old and beyond
the point where it can be cured with medicines so he left the forest to
come and see the Tathagata and to pay his last respects, for before long
he will enter Nibbana. It is rare to find any of the ‘sons’ of the
Tathagata who have an inherent liking for living in the forests and
hills such as Venerable Aññakondañña has. So all of you should remember
well that the Bhikkhu who has just left the Tathagata is Venerable
Aññakondañña, the first and eldest of the sons of the Tathagata and the
most senior of all of you — and not the old wandering monk as all of you
thought.”
As soon as the Lord Buddha had explained the facts about Venerable
Aññakondañña to them, the young Bhikkhus and Samaneras felt sorry and
saw their fault in speaking improperly about him to the Great Teacher,
without having properly considered the matter beforehand. There also
arose great faith and respect in them for Venerable Aññakondañña, as
well as feelings of regret that he had gone away before they had learnt
about him from their Great Teacher.
In so far as the Bhikkhu’s liking for living in the forest and
hills is concerned, the above story is very like that of those who
practised following the way of Venerable Acharn Mun. The main difference
is that Venerable Aññakondañña was an Arahant who is known to all
Buddhists. But as for those who are followers of Venerable Acharn Mun,
right up to the present day, whatever kinds of Bhikkhus they may be,
whether in fact they are like Venerable Aññakondañña or only
puthujjanas, I cannot say, so I have just said what I can about it.
Those Bhikkhus who are determined to train and discipline
themselves by living in the forest and hills and by using the method of
reducing their food, take less than normal all the time. In saying that
they reduce their food, this means that they eat little, that they do
not eat what the body wants, nor under the dictation of craving (tanha)
which may infiltrate into them at times. Thus they may try eating 70% or
60%, maybe going down to 40% of normal until they find what suits them,
or in some circumstances they may increase and then reduce their food
intake. But they try all the time to maintain a reduced diet; or maybe
they look upon it as a practice which goes together as a partner with
all the other methods of practice which they do for long periods of time
— for one or two or many months, as it suits their practice of citta–bhavana
and the physical body without going too far so that they become sick and
too weak with hunger. Therefore they try to aid and promote their
striving until the body shows untoward reactions, or until the citta
improves to such an extent that they no longer need the aid of this
method of training and discipline. In which case they can go on smoothly
and steadily, and they may even be able to give up taking so little
food. But this depends on each individual case and it is not the
invariable rule.
As far as we know, all those Bhikkhus who have ever gained
strength of heart from any particular method will hold to that method
and they are never likely to let it go into degradation. For however
high their strength of heart may become, they will generally have
developed special skills and techniques on the path along which they
have been going all the time, and it is as if they see the value of it
and always think of that method with heartfelt appreciation. If one
thinks of that method as though it were a person, one would say that one
appreciates the value and virtue of that one who has been of such great
value to oneself. Or again, if one thinks of it in terms of Dhamma, one
would recollect the value of that Dhamma which has been of such value to
oneself, like the Lord Buddha who bowed in homage to the Dhamma for
example.
When reducing food intake, the eating of only a little makes all
parts of the body become light. Its strength decreases so that it does
not bother the citta, which makes the practice of bhavana more easy and
the attainment of calm to be quicker than it normally would be, when one
does not reduce food. (This applies only to those whose nature suits
this practice).
In doing the practice of bhavana while taking little food, the
heart does not usually have its ups and downs in connection with calm.
This differs from its normal state in the early stages of practice when
one does not reduce food and the citta is at such a level of development
that it still needs training. When one takes little food, walking
cankama is easy, sitting in samadhi one feels contented and both during
the day and at night one’s bhavana will generally give similar results.
Whereas normally, when walking cankama and sitting in samadhi, night is
the time when the bodily constitution is more subtle and it always tend
to go better than during the day. But for the person who likes eating
little, both times give similar results.
If one fasts for many days, feelings of hunger and weakness arise
often, but the citta tends to be much more subtle than when one only
reduces one’s food intake, and both in samadhi and pañña one has much
more skill and dexterity.
In fasting, the Bhikkhus generally start by fasting for a short
time and then gradually increase the time until they are fasting for
long periods. In other words, to begin with they fast between two and
five days to try it out. But as soon as they see that they get good
results in their bhavana, they increase the time steadily to eight or
nine days at a time, depending on circumstances.
In the period when they are fasting they continue with the work of
bhavana and they also keep a watch on the citta and the body. If they
see that they are altogether in a good state they continue alternately
fasting at times and eating food at times. As they steadily increase
their fasting they may go on for many days at a time, some reaching
fifteen or eighteen days, and there are some who continue fasting for a
month when the situation is favourable. While fasting like this, if the
body feels very weak, they may take a little milk on some days.
For those who find that fasting suits their nature, while fasting
there is great value to be gained of many different kinds, as follows.
After the first two nights of fasting one no longer gets tired or
sleepy, and after several nights have passed this becomes stronger so
that sleepiness is no longer a disturbance. Wherever one sits, the body
remains erect like a post without nodding or fidgeting at all.
Mindfulness (sati) is good and doesn’t slip away, there is little
absent-mindedness and the longer one goes on, the better mindfulness
becomes so that one almost never forgets oneself. When thoughts about
anything arise in the citta, one’s mindfulness immediately catches up
with them almost every time, without even having to set up the resolve
not to let one’s mindfulness slip away forgetfully, for it remains there
on its own quite naturally. This may be because the fasting which one
does is for the purpose of striving for one’s development and because
one has set up one’s mindfulness and continually maintained it from the
first day one went on fast. Therefore one’s mindfulness does not tend to
slip and be forgotten at the beginning of the fast, nor for the
remainder of it, however many days it may go on.
The work of bhavana then tends to go on smoothly and skilfully all
the time and in every way, both in samadhi and pañña. When one wants to
rest the citta down in samadhi one can do so, as one wants to. When one
wants to investigate by way of pañña after the citta has arisen out of
samadhi, pañña will be of the kind that becomes steadily more skilful as
one goes on, and it will not be sluggish and inert as it usually is when
one does the practice of investigation. In all the various attitudes and
postures of the body mindfulness will be present and one is not easily
distracted or led away by anything. When one investigates anything that
happens to arise, the heart catches up with it very quickly and can
understand it clearly and much faster than usual. Then the body has
hardly any of the normal aches and pains and it feels unusually light.
The citta will also be able to see dangers with ease and it does not
tend to oppose the truth and be very stubborn as it used to.
Those who are at the level of samadhi will then be calm in all
bodily situations and postures; and those who are at the level of pañña
will always be possessed of contemplation and thought, analysing causes
and results in those things of endless kinds which they encounter. The
citta is then engrossed in doing the investigation by looking into every
one of the dhamma, meanwhile all trace of tiredness and fatigue has
disappeared, as if they were eating food as normal.
If any feelings of tiredness, hunger or weakness arise, it will
only come when the citta withdraws from samadhi, or when the citta takes
a rest from doing the investigation, or again when one comes out of
samadhi to change the attitude or posture of the body, then one is
likely to feel it. The reason for there being no feelings of hunger or
weakness when the citta enters samadhi and when investigating all the
dhammas, is because the citta is completely engrossed in samadhi and
pañña and it has no interest in paying attention to the physical body.
Therefore in effect, there is no bodily feeling at that time.
When the day comes that one decides to eat food, a dispute arises
between the citta and the body-mind group (khandhas) and they cannot
agree together. The body-mind group say that they are weak and want food
and supporting nutritional aids to sustain life. On the other hand the
citta says that while fasting, the practice of bhavana is good and the
heart is calm, clear and not disturbed by all sorts of things, but as
soon as one has eaten bhavana deteriorates. For, once one is full of
food one thinks only of one’s pillow and sleeping instead of Dhamma and
its subtle meanings as happens when one is fasting. Therefore it does
not want to eat, because after eating, bhavana does not go properly,
whereas the body will be strong, which is good. Thus, between the citta
and the body-mind group there is a dispute of this kind.
The “owner” must decide which way to go. To fast at times and to
eat well at times is a good way. For the citta gains benefits while the
body knows how to put up with deprivation, without taking more and more
nourishment until it becomes excessive, which is the way of animals,
only eating and sleeping all the time. One cannot stand too much fasting
for the body is bound to start breaking up. On the other hand, to fill
up with food makes one lazy so that one goes looking for one’s pillow,
rather than for Dhamma and its meaning, as happens when one fasts. Thus
it is that fasting has many benefits as described above.
The time when one is fasting is the time for increasing one’s
effort to its maximum capacity in all positions and postures of the
body. One sleeps little; one sleeps just for a short time which is
enough for the needs of the body, but it gets rid of all nodding and
drowsiness. For those whose nature is suited to this method, it will
enable them to see both samadhi and pañña for themselves, right there,
in the present.
The feelings of hunger that arise strongly at times will only
persist for the first two or three days, after that it diminishes for
many days, but the feeling of weakness tends to increase. The citta then
becomes steadily more subtle and skilful from the first day of the fast
onwards. It is this which, when the time comes to eat food again, causes
the citta to be sorry and to want to go on fasting. But the physical
body feels that it can not stand it any longer, so one must give way to
it to some extent, otherwise it will cease to function properly, and the
body-mind group will fall apart before the kilesas are cured and got rid
of. So one must apply the remedy, for if one were to follow the desires
of one’s heart, the body would almost certainly not survive. But if one
were to give way entirely and let the body have just what it wants, the
heart would not be likely to “drink” Dhamma as it should be able to and
as one intends that it should.
Fasting gives results which are quite evident, both in samadhi and
pañña, which leads one to reflect upon the Lord Buddha when he practised
his most rigorous austerities and took no food, with the intention of
gaining Enlightenment just by fasting, without any striving by way of
the heart. While he was doing this, no results were to be seen, but when
he took the sweet rice-milk which Lady Sujata brought and gave him, even
though he had taken some food that evening, every part of his body still
remained bright, light and vibrant. Then that same night, as soon as the
Lord developed mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati), which is work
done by way of the heart, it enabled the Lord to gain Enlightenment that
night. It seems likely that the effect on the Lord’s body which came
from the fasting he had done was a help to his heart in that it
prevented the body from being too much of a burden on the heart at that
time. Even though the Lord censured fasting, saying that it was not the
way that he attained Enlightenment, it is probable that he did not
intend this to include fasting for the purpose of aiding the work of
development in the sphere of the heart. It is likely that he meant only,
fasting as the sole means of attaining Enlightenment — which is the
wrong way. Because the attainment of Enlightenment, or reaching Dhamma,
refers to the heart as being the important one and not the body at all,
due to the fact that the kilesas dwell only in the heart and not in the
body.
However, to the extent that the body is a supporting condition for
the kilesas, it can cause them to increase and become strong. This can
be the case when, for example, the constitution of the body is at full
strength and it displays this fact and is immediately obvious to the
well trained heart which knows that, “the khandhas are getting out of
hand”. But if there are also kilesas in the heart they are bound to be
drawn in so that they flare up. Then one way and another one will not be
able to keep up with them and they will lead one down until one is
completely submerged in the mud. When the time comes that one’s wits
return, one realises what has happened — if one looks. But if one does
not look, one will never have any means of knowing what happens, so one
gives way and allows the kilesas and the body-mind group (dhatu–khandha)
to lead one into whatever they will. This is how the kilesas and the
body become associated together. But on their own, the body-mind group
are no danger to the citta when the citta is pure.
From the above, one may see that fasting is very helpful for the
practice of citta bhavana in some characters. Therefore the Lord did not
completely forbid fasting when it was used in connection with bhavana.
This may be seen in some of the Vinaya rules concerning fasting, thus:
“A Bhikkhu who fasts for the purpose of showing off to the world commits
an offence every time he goes on fast, and also, every time he acts in
any way for the purpose of showing off his fasting. But if he fasts for
the purpose of striving by way of the heart, he may do so. This the
Tathagata allows.” This may have been because the Lord saw the value of
fasting as an aid to striving by way of the heart in those cases which
are characteristically suited to this method. Therefore the Lord gave
permission to use it and did not forbid it entirely.
In those whose characteristics are not suited to fasting, if they
were to do so it is probable that they would gain no value from it. This
is similar to the practice of those forms of kammatthana which do not
suit a person’s nature, and here, the saying that one man’s meat is
another man’s poison, is quite applicable.
From what I have actually seen, even nowadays there seem to be
many people whose nature is well suited to fasting, and this is the
reason that I have included this discussion here for the reader to think
about. In particular, at Wat Pa Baan Taad which is my own monastery,
there are many bhikkhus who like to go on fast often, in fact it is
almost as though the whole monastery takes turns to go on fast. This
happens all the time and has continued since the monastery was first
founded, and it goes on throughout the dry season, the wet season and
both in the vassa period and out of it. Nowadays, there are still those
who fast in the monastery in the same way, including the English and
other western born Bhikkhus who like fasting. For they say that when
they fast their bhavana goes better than when they do not, so they do it
frequently. This, they also do from their own volition, for there is no
compulsion or coercion to fast at all.
The Western Bhikkhus are able to fast quite as well as the Thai
Bhikkhus and they can do so for many days at a time, then they eat for
one or two days before continuing to fast. Some fast for up to fourteen
or fifteen days and they stand up to it well, whereas others go on for
nine or ten days. They are quite able to fast like this in the same way
as our Thai Bhikkhus do. When asked, they say that while fasting the
citta has much less tendency to be restless and uncontrollable. It can
then be governed more easily and it is both calm and peaceful and also
more stable, and it is not easily distracted or disturbed. Therefore it
makes them want to fast often so that the citta may advance as fast as
it ought to.
This makes us feel sympathy with them and glad that they have made
the effort to come so far across the ocean to become ordained in the
Buddha Sasana, to take up the moral precepts and bhavana with hardships
and deficiencies. They have to take food which is unfamiliar and to be
separated from their home, parents and relatives for many years and they
do not complain of being homesick or longing for their country, friends
and relatives with whom they had lived in close contact at all.
It would seem that these Western Bhikkhus became ordained with the
true purpose of searching for Dhamma and development which accords with
their having been born into a race which is intrinsically clever;
although they never show any signs of being haughty or conceited. In
fact, in all ways they have a humility and modesty which is worthy of
respect and in their relations with other Bhikkhus and Samaneras in the
monastery they behave well and act properly.
Nearly all the Western Bhikkhus who are in this monastery like to
fast, without any persuasion being used. They just see the other
Bhikkhus going on fast and ask about it, and when they understand the
reasons they try it for themselves, and after that they are regularly
seen to be on fast. When they are asked about it they say that their
bhavana is better than usual, so from then on they go on fast regularly.
In particular, in the vassa period which is a time that is free
from other things, and a time when the Bhikkhus increase their efforts
to practise the way in this monastery, there are some days when very few
Bhikkhus go out for pindapata and eat food together, for when they do
not eat, there is no need to go for pindapata.
Each Bhikkhu fasts for whatever length of time suits him; some go
on for four or five days, some go on for longer times up to 12 days or a
fortnight or more, until the end of the vassa period. This includes both
Thai and foreign Bhikkhus who fast in the same way and for many days
equally.
At this monastery, during the vassa period, every seven days there
is a Dhamma meeting to aid and promote the effort which is put into
developing the way of the heart so that it shall progress in accordance
with the favourableness of the prevailing conditions. After the vassa
period has ended work and duties become very troublesome in connection
with people coming and going for Dhamma, for sila and dana and various
good actions (kusala things), which are in the nature of Thai people who
are Buddhists. They have been used to doing these things for generations
for they have always been considered as the heart of those who are
Buddhists right from the beginning. Therefore it is most praiseworthy,
for such acts as this are not only good actions giving beneficial
results to those who do them, but they are also setting a good precedent
for the young people of the next generation to follow.
The self-training methods of the Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus who
follow after Venerable Acharn Mun are many and varied, for they differ
in each individual case. In writing about them it is therefore necessary
to divide them up into various categories, in accordance with those
cases in which the methods of training differed from each other. This is
so that you who read this with practical interest can take up and gain
value from any of the methods of the Acariyas which you consider to be
suitable to your character and your situation in life.
Some of the Acariyas who set out to practise kammatthana with
practical interest never experienced the citta dropping into a state of
calm and unity for years. But as soon as they learnt about some skilful
methods of training and discipline in various ways which were
recommended by the Acariyas, and their friends and contemporaries in
Dhamma, and took them up and tried them out selectively, to their
liking, the citta steadily became calm and peaceful and they were able
to establish firm and strong roots of the citta. This was because the
method of training was right for their characters; as for example, those
who managed to make the citta go down into a concentrated state when
fear arose at the sound of tigers roaring in the vicinity of the place
where they were staying — which would not otherwise have been possible.
Therefore, the character of the person and the means of Dhamma
which are used for training are both important and necessary for all who
practise the way in each and every case. Thus, for example, in those
whose citta is strong, active and venturesome, who do not easily submit
to the Acariya or anyone else, it is necessary for them to be their own
Acariya and to train and discipline themselves, using their own methods
which are inherently and especially rough and strong.
Some Bhikkhus like to go and live where they are hard pressed and
up against it, having to put up with a lack of the four requisites.
Sometimes doing without, sometimes having enough, but generally lacking
amenities and hard up. And also living in very frightening places to
force and drive themselves on. Because people of every class and age
have characteristic tendencies which react well to being forced, ever
since the day they were born. For there is no way in which we can
develop ourselves and prosper by letting go and relaxing. It requires
both ourselves and others to help drive us on towards all types of
virtue and benefit. This we can see from the way in which our parents
got angry at times, scolding and treating us harshly, and also the way
that the Acariyas practice towards us and how they normally use words of
rebuke and admonishment in close connection with all the Dhamma which
they teach and train those who live constantly under their care and
guidance. To use only pleasant and soft words in the teaching is not
likely to be suitable to all conditions and occasions, because some
cases respond well to a “hot and spicy flavour”. So the teaching must
have both the harsh and mild methods blended together.
Speaking of rebuke and admonishment makes me think with gratitude
of the excellence of Venerable Acharn Mun, for the way in which he used
to scold me and the other Bhikkhus at times when we had done something
wrong. When he was doing this his attitude and expression was most awe
inspiring while castigating and shaping up his followers who had been
stupid, so as to make them become true people by using rebuke and
admonishment. Looking at those who were being rebuked and admonished
made one feel very sorry for them, because they were so frightened that
they shivered — like baby birds in the rain — but the result of this was
that it remained fixed in the heart for a long time. This is the kind of
result that comes from others to help one in one’s training.
As for the results which come from training oneself, those
Venerable Ones who have trained themselves to the utmost of their
strength and ability will know clearly for themselves what they are. As
for instance, those who have gained a complete calm of heart from
walking cankama after being afraid, due to the sound of tigers roaring,
and then the citta turning round and becoming bold and fearless while
still walking, in such a manner as one would not have believed to be
possible. Because of this, training oneself is a very important way of
working, which those who wish to progress in their own development
cannot afford to overlook, both in the direction of the world and in
the direction of Dhamma. |
|
5. Stories of Bhikkhus Who
Practise
The
reader should please understand that in all the forms of practice which
are described herein and which are associated with the practice of
Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus, I have tried in all cases to write only
what is factually true, which I have seen or heard from the Acariyas who
have received training under Venerable Acharn Mun. This applies both to
the causal conditions; how, in one case, this Bhikkhu has such and such
characteristics so he liked to train himself in this way, whereas that
Bhikkhu liked to train himself in that way; and also to the results
which they attained from their training mixed together with their
causes, which we have been relating and will continue to go on doing so.
But the names of these Acariyas who have done these things and attained
the results will not be disclosed, so as to guard those things which
should be kept to oneself. There may however be exceptions to this when
it is necessary to disclose the identity of an Acariya.
When I use such expressions as “some Bhikkhus”, or, “in some case
the Bhikkhus like training themselves by this method”, for example, the
reader should please understand that this is an indirect way of naming a
Bhikkhu. Thus the words “some Bhikkhus” or “some cases” in fact stands
for the name of a particular Bhikkhu who trained and disciplined himself
by such and such a method — like fasting, or walking cankama while
competing with the sound of tigers roaring, for example.
In addition every offshoot of the methods of training and
discipline which these Bhikkhus used, is a method in itself from which
they have gained results that are distinct and certain. Therefore as
they have all been tested in practice I have included them herein. For
it must be stated that none of this writing has come from speculation or
guess work, for if it had, there would be no certainty whether the
results would be real and permanent, nor whether they would be
acceptable amongst those who practise the way. So the reader should
please understand that these writings, both those which I have completed
up to this point and those yet to come, are in accordance with the true
facts of what happened in the case of each Bhikkhu. But whether it is
right or wrong to write such things is my responsibility as being a
writer who has the tendency to put down everything without sufficient
consideration, which has always been my natural inclination. Therefore,
as always, I hope that you will forgive me for this.
The methods of self-training and discipline which these Bhikkhus
used, until they became Acariyas teaching Bhikkhus, Novices and other
people up to the present day, seem to be activities which nobody has
come across before, which have never been heard of before and which
never have been thought of as methods of training oneself. Nor would one
think, in this present day society, which wants to get results more than
doing the work that causes them, that there are those who are daring
enough to do these things which put their lives at risk. For life is the
thing which people want and preserve more than anything else in the
world. But in fact, there are those who do these things and who are
ready to take the risks involved until they are a “vital nature” which
survives death. If they also come to know Dhamma from the use of these
methods, they may be said to be the “death defying Dhamma” of each of
these Bhikkhus, because the cause goes beyond death, so the result
should equally go beyond death. But such causes and results as those are
unlikely to come to Bhikkhus whose interest is in thinking and firmly
believing that their lives are so very valuable. Even if they were to
think of going in for these methods, they would probably not be able to
get into the way of them fully and intimately, because of their
overpowering love of their lives which conceals the value of the Dhamma
which they have within themselves so that they cannot see it.
On the other hand, there are those Bhikkhus whose interest in the
principles of truth is equal to, or greater than their concern for
lives; for if they were to let go of these principles it would only
result in their lives being in continual disorder and turmoil without
any purpose or path. Such Bhikkhus will carefully think over and make
tests by comparing what happened to the Acariyas and what has happened
to themselves, and how their lives are now, in so far as going into the
principles of truth is concerned, and in what aspects they are superior
or inferior to the Acariyas. Thus for example: “I have done these things
in this way, but why did they do them in that way without any fear that
Maccu–raja — the Lord of Death — would laugh and mock at them? Is there
anything hidden and obstructing the truths of Dhamma which is different
between myself and them? How can they do these things and take the risks
and know that they have experienced various things both superficial and
deep, revealed and secret from those methods? Nor did they throw their
lives away uselessly in using these methods of training and discipline.
So the causes and the results which came from them are their own
valuable possessions, the signs of which are still there for us to read
about now, in the present. They also had physical bodies which are
things that they must have cherished much in the same way as I do, and
they were individual people who probably had feelings of the same sort
as people everywhere. But then, how were they brave enough to make such
a sacrifice — and for what? Those things which they did, I have not done
yet, and those things which they knew, I have never known. But why? We
are all people in the same way, and we all desire those things which are
so good and so valuable. So I should take up one of their methods which
is well suited to my citta and my ability and go and practise it myself
to try it out and see what the results will be like.”
If one is interested in using reasoned thought to round up the
mind, and lead it toward the principles of truth which accord with the
Dhamma that the Lord taught, then regardless of sex or age there is sure
to be a way that one can accept and take up and use and gain value from.
Because “truth” does not depend in any particular way on sex or age, but
upon reasoned thought and searching for the ground of truth which is in
every person.
Those Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus who practised and developed
themselves until they became very impressive people, to such an extent
that we have seen fit to include their stories here for you to read
about, all showed that they had a strong and firm intention and longing
for the results which they were aiming for. Therefore they did not
think, when they put all their strength and effort into attaining those
results, that they would find it difficult or easy, whether they would
live or die and gain or lose. They just had the single unshakeable
resolve that they could succeed, without a thought of the difficulties
and the possibility of whether they would live or die. Because, due to
the effort that they were making the results of their efforts, which
they hoped for, began to come steadily, and they were results of such a
nature as they had never experienced before, which made them forget all
their fears entirely. These things which seem so amazing to others who
have never come across them are to be found in plenty of cases amongst
the Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus, such as those you can read about in
the remainder of this book.
A First Encounter With a Tiger
Now we will turn to the story of one of the Acariyas who at this
time was walking cankama, back and forth in front of a cave in the hills
at night without any thought that anything unusual may happen. Because
while walking cankama he had hung up a candle lantern which gave
enough light to see where he was walking quite clearly, and normally
wild animals know that fire is an indication of the presence of human
beings. But as soon as this Acariya had become absorbed in walking
cankama he heard the sound of a tiger making a threatening roar at one
side and slightly above the path where he was walking, about four yards
away, after which it continued to roar on and off.
As soon as he heard it, the Acariya knew it was the sound of a
tiger and right then he was afraid in his citta and he stopped and
looked in the direction from which the sound came. But he did not see
the tiger and so continued to walk cankama. Almost immediately he heard
it roar again, so he stopped walking and once more tried to see it, but
he still could not get even a glimpse of it. Meanwhile his feelings of
fear continued to increase all the time, until he shivered and broke out
in a cold sweat which drenched him, and this despite the fact that it
was the cold season and the weather was very cold just then. But he
roused up his courage and resisted the temptation to flee away;
meanwhile the tiger kept on growling. So he looked for a way to shake
himself out of this state, to gain courage and take control of himself,
and he thought like this:
“I have taken up the practice of Dhamma in the same way as they
did it at the time of the Lord Buddha when they acted with great courage
and were willing to make all kinds of sacrifice, even including their
own lives, without any longing or regrets. In those days it is said that
there were many animals and tigers which could be dangerous to Bhikkhus,
but there do not seem to have been any cases in which those wild animals
ever took Bhikkhus to eat as food. Even if there were such cases, very
few of them have ever been recorded — maybe only one or two cases. Yet
those Bhikkhus attained Dhamma, brought their kilesas to an end and
taught the way to the world until people gained confidence and faith in
them and looked on them as their refuge. This has continued right up to
the present day and it doesn’t seem that the tigers ever took them to
eat as food.”
“As for myself, I am a monk in the Buddhist religion in the same
way as they were at the time of the Lord Buddha and I am practising the
way to attain the same Dhamma, leading to the one goal, which is the
Path, Fruition, and Nibbana (Magga–Phala–Nibbana). But why then, as soon
as I hear the sound of a tiger coming to visit me and ask me how I am
getting on, do I stand stiff and shiver like someone who is out of his
mind and jealously attached to his body, life and heart as if I am not
ready to die, in the same way as people in the world, even when their
time has come. Why then am I stubbornly resisting this fact of nature
which has ever been the way of the world, even to the point where I am
standing here shivering, jealously attached to life wanting only not to
die? And why am I standing here stiff and opposing the Dhamma of the
Lord Buddha in this way? Am I not ashamed in the face of this tiger
which is roaring at me — with laughter, right now? If I am not ashamed
before the tiger, why do I not think of turning inward so as to be
ashamed before myself, a Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhu who is standing
here shivering? This should be enough to make me mindful and wake me up
and remind me that I am a Bhikkhu, with a vocation and one who has
willingly given up everything. But here I am standing and shivering
because I have more concern for my life than for Dhamma, which is more
gross than the ways of animals. And that tiger is also an animal whereas
I am a man and a full Kammatthana Bhikkhu. Then why should I be so
afraid of this tiger; there is no sense in it; and supposing now, while
I am so afraid of this tiger and standing here shivering like a puppy in
cold water, that my teacher, my Acariya should send his citta to see
what is happening here. He would laugh at me just like the tiger is
laughing now, and where should I hide my face? This that I am doing is
quite disgraceful, and it is bringing disgrace upon Buddhism, on my
teacher, my Acariya, as well as all those who practise who are all
Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus, in a way that is really obnoxious. Just
now it is as if I am being a clown, for the tiger and all the Devatas
who live in the vicinity of this hill to laugh at, so that I have no
face left. What should I do in order to redeem Buddhism and those that
are Buddhists so that they will not be denigrated like rotten fish being
sold in the market, for at this moment I am in the role of the merchant
advertising them for sale.”
While he was calming down and scolding himself, he was in a state
of confusion and anxiety, and the tiger kept on showing its derision by
roaring — with laughter — while resting from time to time. As if it was
warning him that he must become mindful and control himself with those
methods of Dhamma which he was thinking and searching for in confusion,
and he must also act in a decisive and true way, right at that time. It
seems that he was still resisting the tendency to run away and gradually
his mindfulness returned to him, and with it a method or way came to
him, thus:
“Whatever beings there may be, whether tigers or people or myself;
within Dhamma, the Lord has taught that we are all companions, in that
we all have suffering (dukkha), birth, growing old, pain and death in
the same way without exception. Even this tiger which is growling at me,
and I who am so afraid of it that I have almost gone mad, when each of
us have birth, growing old, pain and death as our lot in the same way,
what is the use of being afraid? Whether I am afraid or not I am bound
to die when I have reached my time, for there is no being anywhere who
can avoid this. I came here to practise the way of the Samana Dhamma
without envy and without any intention to harm any beings. If then this
tiger wants my flesh and blood to increase its vitality so that it can
go on living from day to day, I should be happy to make this generous
gift to it. It would be much better to do this than to stand here in
this dull way, jealously clinging to this living corpse so strongly that
I am shivering all over, while still not being ready to move it away
elsewhere.”
“Those who have been ordained are those who make sacrifices and
not those who cling on jealously with so much concern for their lives
that it is shameful and a disgrace to themselves and to the religion.
Since I was born I have been eating the flesh, skin and meat of all
sorts of animals which the Dhamma teaches us to be our friends and
equals in both growing old, pain and death, and this has been the food
that has enabled me to grow up to my present size. Almost as if I should
not feel any pain if I were pinched or scratched because of the flesh
and skin of all these animals covering me. And now, when the time has
come that I should be ready to sacrifice my skin and flesh and make a
gift of it to this tiger, why am I so tight and stingy as a miser,
jealously holding on to it? In addition I am still tenaciously clinging
to this body so tight that it is shivering, and this attachment is so
strong that I have been unable to get rid of it. But what is worse is
that I have reasoned about it, yet the citta will not accept it nor will
it either believe or listen to Dhamma. Then in this case it must surely
mean that my ordination as a Bhikkhu is for the sake of pure
selfishness, because my fear of the demonic kilesas is so strong that I
have had no consideration for anything else in the world.”
“If I believe in the kilesas more than Dhamma, then I must remain
standing here shivering and looking after this body, this mass of
discontent which is here. But if I believe in the Dhamma of the Lord
Buddha, I must sacrifice this blood and flesh to the tiger for it to
take as food so as to maintain its life. It is no good waiting about, so
what is it going to be, the way of Dhamma or a jump into the awful
whirlpool of miserly attachment? Quick! Make a decision! Don’t waste the
time of the tiger who is waiting and listening for this monk, who comes
from the line of those who renounce things and make sacrifices, to
declare his courage based upon wisdom which has carefully considered the
situation, — and say: ‘Whether to give way or cling tightly’.”
This intense battle between the tiger and the Acariya probably
went on for about an hour, with neither side being prepared to give way
to the other. Finally the Acariya decided that he would give way,
because he could see the danger in being possessively attached to life.
His heart then turned about and became courageous and brim full of metta
and sympathy for that tiger by taking the teaching of a verse of the
Dhammapada as the basic principle in his heart, thus: “All beings are
companions in suffering, birth, growing old, pain and death, without
exception.” When he saw the image of the tiger in his imagination, which
had been his enemy, it was changed and became the image of a close
friend and he thought how he would like to stroke it and play with it
with love and sympathy and truly heart felt intimacy. So he left his
path for walking cankama, taking his lantern which was hung up at one
side of the path, and walked straight towards the tiger with kindness
and metta in his heart. But when he got to the place where he thought
the tiger would be, it was no longer there, so he went in search of it
going all over the forest in that region. Yet the whole time he was
walking about searching for the tiger, full of courage, kindness and
metta, he saw no sign of it at all and he never knew where it had
mysteriously disappeared to. After he had been searching for it for some
time without finding it, he became tired of it. Then something spoke up
within his heart, as if someone had come to warn him, saying: “Why are
you searching for it? Both knowing and delusion are just within oneself
and are not to be found in any other being, nor in this or any other
tiger. The fear of death which almost drove you mad a short while ago is
just your own delusion. And the knowledge of the Buddha Dhamma which
teaches that ‘all beings are companions in suffering, birth, growing
old, pain and death, without exception’, which enabled you to relinquish
your possessive attachment entirely, so that your citta became full of
metta and kindness and a friend to all the world, is also just your own
knowledge. Both of these states are the property of nobody except
yourself, so what else are you searching for? When there is knowing, the
one who knows should have mindfulness and energy and this is right and
proper. But to go on searching for anything from other beings, or from
this tiger is turning it back into wrong understanding again.” As soon
as this knowledge which spoke up within him, came to an end, his
mindfulness immediately returned to him.
The Acariya said that, while he was walking and searching for the
tiger, he was quite sure that the tiger was a close and intimate friend
of his and that he could pet it and stroke it and fondle it as much as
he wanted to, and he never thought that it would do any harm to him at
all. But whether this would have been the case or not he did not know.
After this he returned and went on walking cankama fully at ease,
without any anxiety or fear remaining at all. Meanwhile the intermittent
roars and growls, which he had previously heard, had ceased and never
reappeared either that night or for the remainder of the time that he
stayed in that area.
The Acariya said that it was quite wonderful how the citta which
was so frightened it could hardly keep the body standing upright and
almost went mad, was able to turn and become bold and courageous as soon
as it was mastered and disciplined in various ways; and how it was then
quite prepared to give up flesh, blood and life and sacrifice them to
the tiger without any fear and trembling or longing for life at all.
He said that since then whenever he walked cankama or sat in
meditation practice, if the citta would not calm down easily he would
think of the tiger wishing that it would search him out and often let
him hear its roars. Then his citta would be roused up and alert and at
least it would become calm. Beyond that his heart would change and
become full of metta and kindness and happy in sympathy with all animals
— and tigers. Because when the heart changes in this way due to the
sounds of all sorts of animals, as well as the tiger, the happiness
which arises is most subtle and beyond description.
There is a further short passage which the writer forgot to
include before, which arose in the heart of the Acariya while he was out
searching for the tiger. He said that it came to him as follows:
“Metta which is experienced as kindness and gentleness is a close
and harmonious intimacy with all beings. Both those who would be enemies
and all others, including all people, the Devatas, Indra, Brahma, Yama,
the Yakkhas and Demons, and all throughout the three realms (Ti–loka–dhatu),
and at such a time there are none that can be seen as enemies. The
hearts of all the Buddhas and Arahants are full of boundless metta for
all beings and those who have metta are always happy whether awake or
asleep.”
What was said then seemed to be a teaching directed to myself
alone, arising softly in the citta, to be heard and known just by myself
alone. I can remember much of it quite clearly but I cannot recall
everything that was said which I regret now.
Living in the forest and hills which are lonely, desolate places
is likely to be unusually beneficial, and particularly so for those
whose aim and intention is for Dhamma. As for example in the case of the
aforementioned Acariya who told us how his citta became kind and gentle
towards all beings, without exception, including the tiger which he
wanted to meet, to fondle and caress and play with in sympathy.
I believe the truth of this story without reservation, because I
once had a similar experience. At one time I also became very frightened
so that I could hardly control myself. So I tried using a method to
train and restrain myself, much in the same way as the foregoing Acariya.
Until the citta was cured of its stubborn resistance and became
courageous and gentle with metta and was able to go and search for its
enemies, of all types, without any apprehension at all. So as soon as I
heard the story of this Acariya I immediately felt deeply impressed by
his story which showed that there are still those who practise the way
of the forests and the wilds in the same way as I had done. Before this
I thought that I was the only one to have done this. Because it is not
easy to explain this sort of thing to people, due to its being outside
the normally accepted limits within which people everywhere think and
consider. |
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6. The Ascetic Practices
(Dhutangas)
Each
one of the thirteen Dhutanga practices are capable of subjugating the
kilesas of all kinds, and this they are able to do in the most wonderful
manner which is almost impossible to anticipate. But they have already
been elucidated in “The Biography of Venerable Acharn Mun”,
sufficiently well, so we will not give any lengthy explanation of them
here, although it must be kept in mind that all the Dhutanga Bhikkhus
who are followers of Venerable Acharn Mun, in their various ways
continue to maintain those practices which were in line with his
tradition.
Those of the thirteen Dhutangas which have been elucidated in “The
Biography of Venerable Acharn Mun” are as follows (unless the writer’s
memory is at fault):
1. Dwelling under the shade of a tree.
2. Going pindapata as a regular duty.
3. Eating from the bowl.
4. Eating only once a day.
5. Using only pamsukula robes
6. Not accepting any food given after the pindapata round.
Any further explanation of these will only be minor additions to
those that have already been given.
Having written the above, I went and talked about it with some of
my colleagues, saying that I was not going to repeat my explanation of
the Dhutangas because it was already in “The Biography”. But most of
them thought that the explanation of the Dhutangas should be repeated
here because one cannot be sure that all who read this will also have
read “The Biography”. Some may never have seen it and thus they may not
have a chance to know how important the Dhutanga observances are in the
practice of Dhamma. So finally I decided that it was necessary to
include some explanation of them. But I ask for the indulgence of those
who have already read about the Dhutangas in “The Biography of Venerable
Acharn Mun”, that they do not become irritated by the repetition, and
understand that this has been included to help those who have never
learnt anything about the thirteen Dhutanga observances.
The Dhutanga observance of dwelling under the shade of a tree (rukkhamula)
was the first of the Dhutangas to be practised by the Lord Buddha. On
the day when he penetrated Dhamma (Enlightenment) and the three
worlds shook, he was sitting under the shade of a tree — the great Bodhi
tree which Buddhists have looked upon as a sacred tree and synonymous
with Buddhism (Sasana) and the Great Teacher (Sasada), right up to the
present day. Also, when the Lord entered Parinibbana, it occurred under
the shade of trees — the twin Sala trees. This is what is meant by
“rukkhamula” in this Dhutanga observance.
Living in a hut, roofed and closed about gives security against
various dangers, which is very different from living under the shade of
a tree. This can be learnt from those who have stayed both indoors in a
hut or vihara and also “rukkhamula”, under the shade of a tree where it
is lonely. The heart feels how the first is warm and cosy while the
second is very lonely, and how different they are. This is even more so
when either the hut or the tree shade are in a lonely, desolate forest
full of wild animals including tigers. One who does this will see quite
clearly that there is a remarkable difference between the hut and the
shade of a tree. Living in a hut in desolate forest can be enjoyable,
for one can sit relaxed and lie down rather than finding enjoyment in
the meditation practice — which deteriorates. For, doing it in this way
is comfortable and free from all sorts of fears and uncertainties.
As for someone who stays under the shade of a tree in desolate
forest, without any protection, so that he has nowhere to escape to
where he could sit or lie down in comfort and relaxed, he must be on
guard against ever present dangers whatever he does. His mindfulness and
his citta have no time when they can part from each other, for fear that
he may be caught at a disadvantage whenever danger approaches, which may
come at any time, whatever he is doing.
In these two ways of staying in the forest, the differences as
regards the pleasurableness of the one and the uneasiness of the other,
is very great. One who stays under the shade of a tree will suffer a lot
in almost every way. But as far as his samadhi bhavana goes, if he is
someone who is intent on Dhamma, he will develop and gain more by the
practice of “rukkhamula”. Because in all postures and movements he will
act in the manner of one who is striving, excepting only when he sleeps.
The force of the fear of danger drives him to be watchful and
careful and to maintain mindfulness, which he dare not allow to depart
from the heart. This is undoubtedly of great value in helping him to
make that effort which can cause the citta to develop in samadhi and
wisdom. Therefore, for a “warrior” who is ready to face death, the
Dhutanga of living under the shade of a tree in a desolate forest is
like going into the front line of battle. Even though his citta has
never attained calm, never known what samadhi and pañña are like, nor
what the experience of the Path, Fruition and Nibbana means, when he
sets up mindfulness inwardly, in intimate contact with the heart, making
an effort to guard it and prevent it slipping away, then his meditation
practice will be correct, and complete with mindfulness, and regardless
of which aspect of Dhamma he is using as his preparatory meditation
technique (parikamma–bhavana) his meditation practice will be correct
and complete with mindfulness. Likewise, when examining and questioning
the true state of nature (sabhava–dhamma) to see it clearly with
wisdom, then true wisdom can arise when mindfulness is there to control
the mind. Mindfulness is therefore an essential component of mind
(dhamma) and is of the greatest importance in affairs, both internally
and out in the world.
Those who live in desolate, lonely places, under the shade of a
tree, or in similar ways, for the purpose of self-training, therefore
have a much better opportunity to promote their striving in this way
than have those who stay where they feel safe and secure and where they
feel no anxiety at all, such as in a hut. The value of staying under the
shade of a tree is to be found in the way it prevents one from relaxing
into complacency and self-satisfaction. Thus it makes one mindful of
oneself, which leads to the development of samadhi samapatti (ability in
samadhi) and Magga–Phala–Nibbana (the Path, Fruition and Nibbana) in a
steadily progressive manner with no wasting of time or delay, nor any
doubts or hesitation due to negligence and complacency. Those who have
been living “rukkhamula” in desolate forests until they have become used
to it are like experienced fighters in a war who have no fear of the
enemy, for they can live anywhere, which is very different from those
who have had little training.
Venerable Acharn Mun used to praise the practice of staying under
the shade of a tree, in a manner that left a deep impression on those
who heard him and it was a topic that he often brought to mind and
talked about, right up to the end of his life. He used to speak about it
in such a manner as to bring all his followers to their senses and make
them think about their own situation and to arouse interest in the
practice of living the way of “rukkhamula”. He used to say that:
“If my Bhikkhus want to know about themselves, both in regard to
what is gross and subtle, and to have confidence in their own abilities,
such that they know whether or not they are Bhikkhus who practise the
way in full measure, they ought to go and take up the practice of “rukkhamula”,
living under the shade of a tree in a desolate forest which is full of
tigers and other wild animals to keep them alert. In addition, this will
test and show to what extent they are skilled and fearless and also the
extent to which they are incompetent and timid, until they know fully,
in all ways, what is meant by ‘living rukkhamula’, which was established
by the Lord Buddha.”
“Once one knows the fears that are inherently in one’s nature, and
the courage that comes from the effort one makes, which can clean them
out, then Sila, Samadhi, Pañña and the higher Dhamma will increase stage
by stage. They are most likely to develop in association with each other
and one will know their progress in one’s heart as it occurs, step by
step. This is the way in which one can see the value of this Dhutanga
practice to one’s heart’s contentment.”
“The Lord Buddha and his Savakas all upheld the practice of this
Dhutanga as an inherent part of their life of striving, from beginning
to end, which was never given up. Because it is the dwelling place of
those people who are alert and zealous — not heedless and complacent —
and the striving which they did by way of the citta brought gains and
development until they reached the end of the road, and nothing in the
whole universe can compare with this. So the Lord established his
teaching of “rukkhamula”, to act as a signpost, pointing the way. It was
as if he was saying: “This is the way to go if you want to overcome all
fear, and danger and get free from dukkha. You are all so dim, dull and
sluggish and what are you going to do about it? This place, is not a
dull place, unsuited to mindfulness and wisdom, but a place that arouses
and revives mindfulness, wisdom and striving in all ways, so that they
become mature, strong and penetrating. Come now! We, the Tathagata, will
lead the way without hesitation. Don’t go on messing about in a
disorderly way, shouldering your heavy burden by thinking that you have
sufficient strength and ability to continue on your own. For when you
come to a critical situation with no escape you will have nothing in you
to turn to. You must be quick now and search for a suitable battle field
where you can gain victory, such as under the shade of a tree. There the
citta will reach that Dhamma which is proper to the heart and void of
all kilesas and Dukkha of all kinds. It was in such a place as this that
the Tathagata was able to gain ascendancy over all the kilesas so that
they gave in completely. Over there is the Sri–Maha–Bodhi Tree which is
the symbol of the great victory of the Tathagata, and if this is not “rukkhamula”,
what else can you call it? Prince Siddhattha was enlightened and became
the Lord Buddha at the foot of the Sri–Maha–Bodhi Tree. But if you are
still in doubt, where else will you go and search for Dhamma if not in
the same kind of place as the Tathagata used to search for and know it.
A place such as this is sacred to those who see danger.
“For where else should you go groping in delusion to search for
sacred places? That which is sacred within yourselves is the most longed
for holy refuge, more desirable than anything else. You must search for
it until you find it, and the place to search for it is in your own
hearts, while depending on and aided by a suitable place to act as the
field where you dig down searching in this way.”
Whatever aspect of Dhamma was revealed by Venerable Acharn Mun,
such as the foregoing example, made a deep impression, touching the
hearts of those who heard it. For it was teaching that came from the
true knowledge and understanding of one who was true in himself. There
was no room to doubt it nor think that the way of practice to attain the
Path, Fruit and Nibbana should be anywhere else except in the practice
of someone who does it entirely with “Samici–kamma” (actions that are
appropriate and right). This was even more so when one listened directly
to Venerable Acharn’s teaching, for it was as if he drew the Path,
Fruit, and Nibbana out of his heart, so that his followers who were
blind (mentally) could feel it, enough to make them long for it with
regret before returning it to its original place. In other words, when
Venerable Acharn Mun gave a Dhamma talk it seemed almost as though he
brought it out from within him for others to see. Then as soon as he
finished it was as if he put it back where it came from — in his own
heart. Listening to him made us feel as if we were flying high and
walking on the clouds. But once he finished we became like a lot of
blind men groping for the way and unable to find it. Uncertain about
this, uncertain about that; thinking that this is good and that is best.
Picking up both the rice husk and the kernel. Picking up all sorts of
unessential things, as well as the main essentials, which does not lead
to anything valuable. They could just as well accept their fate and
leave it at that. Living at the Foot of a Tree (rukkhamula).
Venerable Acharn Mun said, this had brought him remarkable results
all the time, so he liked staying in such places and never got tired of
it. When staying in a place without a roof and walls, or anything else,
to protect one from danger, the citta is bound to be afraid and
insecure. This is especially so at night, and for a timid person,
whatever he sees he will believe is a tiger. So in the case of one who
is very timid, he should in the daytime take note of where all the
bushes are located round about where he is staying so that at night he
can see them and know what they are. Otherwise the bushes in the
locality where he is staying will become tigers in his imagination and
they will deceive him all night so that he will hardly be able to lie
down and sleep or do any meditation practice.
One who lives the way of “rukkhamula” is much more careful and
cautious than someone who lives in a place that is closed about, both as
regards physical movements involved in his living routine and in lying
down and sleeping, and also in his samadhi meditation practice.
Consequently his citta is likely to go forward and progress more
rapidly, despite the fact that no compulsion has been used and nobody
has forced him to do this. On the contrary, it is freely undertaken by
each Bhikkhu who decides to look for a way to train and discipline
himself.
Sometimes, while a Bhikkhu is sitting practising samadhi under his
mosquito net and beneath the shade of a tree (rukkhamula), a tiger
creeps up very slowly to have a look at him and sniff him out. Some may
even come right in close to where he is staying, but once it knows that
it is a human being it quickly draws back and goes away and never comes
back again. It probably creeps up close in this way to have a look
because it does not know what is there, never having seen anything like
this before. But there are some tigers which seem to have unusual hidden
characteristics which makes them suspicious. This was shown by the
experience of a Bhikkhu who was walking cankama at night without having
lit a lamp. For a tiger crept up quietly until it came to within two
yards of the end of the path where he was walking, where it crouched
down and watched him without going away. Then this Bhikkhu heard a
slight sound which he could not account for so he shone a flashlight
towards it and saw this tiger which immediately leap away, but he never
saw it come back again after that. In this case the animal was a large
striped tiger about the size of a race horse. It was not a leopard which
likes to creep up and catch and eat dogs which often like to accompany
people who go into the forests.
The Dhutanga Bhikkhus who live in the manner of “rukkhamula”, go
through various experiences which are fearful and frightening, of which
a small number have been told here. If you can imagine yourself in the
position of one of these Bhikkhus, living in the manner of “rukkhamula”
and experiencing these various things which happen, how would you, who
are reading this, feel about it. If you could put up with it and take
the discipline until it became your story, a fine and beautiful
biography, it would be truly worth something — a story for future
generations to hold up as an example, as a guiding principle in the
heart. But for one who cannot put up with the difficulties nor accept
the ascetic training, there is reason to fear that his biography will be
of the type that brings discredit to himself, to his colleagues and to
the religion which is the heart of all Buddhists, staining it in a way
that nothing can erase for a long time. He also becomes a person who has
feelings of inferiority, so the sphere of kammatthana and the religion
become inferior. Because they depend on oneself, who is an incompetent
person, who drags all these things of incomparable value to ruin with
him.
Merely using one’s imagination to try it out for a moment is
enough to make one realise how difficult for the body and tormenting to
the mind is the way of those who strive and struggle using such methods,
right from the start of the life of Dhutanga–Kammatthana, until they are
able to plant their roots firmly in all the forms of Dhamma, due to
their determination to go this way however difficult it may be.
Wherever people live, it is hard to find anyone who has enough strength
of will to go this way and to make sacrifices such as this. For most
people are afraid of suffering and think only of themselves rather than
of Dhamma which is the way leading to freedom from suffering.
Living without any shelter or protection against all kinds of
things can be instrumental in causing someone to see that he is a person
who has made renunciations in all ways and is not dependent on anything.
If anything should happen to cause him to die, he is then ready to
submit and let it happen as it will, following the natural course of
events, without contending or opposing it with methods derived from an
attitude of self-importance. If he is short of food and lacking those
necessities which the world depends upon and considers to be essential,
he accepts this for the sake of Dhamma. He makes no display of being
oppressed and hard-done-by, nor of any vexation, in his heart — which is
the way to increase suffering, making it still more overwhelming. As for
the suffering and hardship which arises due to the hard work of
striving, he accepts it and puts up with it because he wants to gain
freedom from suffering by means of this striving. Even supposing a
hungry tiger should come and bite him and carry him away to eat, he
would submit and sacrifice his life to it with the attitude in his heart
that: “I am a Bhikkhu who has already renounced everything completely.”
He has no jealously guarded attachments to hold him back from
sacrificing everything for the sake of the Supreme Dhamma, and thus he
lives in contentment everywhere.
Although the life as led by those who practise the way of
“rukkhamula” under the shade of a tree in the spirit of renunciation may
have no meaning for people in general, yet it does have meaning in
Dhamma — which has the greatest value. Therefore, instead of their lives
and actions being meaningless as people in the world generally like to
suppose and believe, they become of priceless value, but it is rare to
find anyone who can make such sacrifices. The Lord Buddha saw with
insight how important were the qualities of this Dhutanga as an
effective method of subjugating the kilesas within the hearts of those
who live in the world. Therefore, he prescribed it as the path to go
along for those in this world who would follow him, to enable those who
have the heart of a warrior to attain the final goal of the life of
purity (Brahmacariya). The purpose of this teaching is to act as a
vehicle in which they can drive through the world of samsara and be
victorious in the fight so as to follow the Lord Buddha, and catch up
with him quickly, without having to wait about for a long time. For this
article of Dhamma acts as a spur to those who practise, so that they
become resolute and determined in their aim of reaching the realm of
freedom from discontent (dukkha). There is no doubt that this can be
done by depending on all those things in the surrounding environment to
act as a spur to foster and keep them striving in a steady and regular
manner until they manage to reach the goal without meeting any
obstacles.
The foregoing is enough to act as a brief explanation of the way
for those Bhikkhus who are interested and who may like to make a
comparison between themselves and these forest Bhikkhus, for both groups
are anxious to develop themselves in the way of Dhamma. It may also show
them enough of how they should practise so as to have a way that would
enable them to escape (from dukkha) safely and properly, without sitting
about just waiting for dukkha — much or little — to come from the
activities of the citta. For the citta is the leader, the one that has a
habitual liking for things which have frequently come within its orbit.
This Dhamma–truth is so important that it would not be out of
place to call it the heart or the first principle of Kammatthana,
because nearly all the Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus who truly aim for
the meaning and Dhamma like to practise this article of Dhamma. I who
write this do not know much and I am not at all clever, yet I have a
heart and I cannot help liking this article of Dhamma. It is just that,
in reaching for it I don’t get it, so I unashamedly admit my situation.
The Dhutanga Observance of Pindapata
Pindapata is an essential duty for those Bhikkhus who are
ordained as sons of the Sakya in the Buddha’s Sangha (Sakyaputta
Buddhajinarasa). This is evident in Buddhism as being one of its most
obvious features and it is generally considered by the Bhikkhus that
pindapata is an important part of their lives. This may be seen in the
instructions (anusasana) given to all Bhikkhus after the ordination
procedure, when they are taught both about dwelling under a tree (rukkhamula–senasana)
and about pindapata, and they are considered important enough to be
repeated again after every ordination. The Lord Buddha set his heart on
these two practices and always considered them to be important duties
which he kept up until the day of his Parinibbana. The only exceptions
to this were those occasions when it became impracticable for him to do
so, as for example, the time when he spent the vassa (rainy season) in
the Lelayika forest with the elephant Palileyyaka. Because there were no
people living in that area who could give him food if he went on
pindapata.
The regular routine of pindapata is a duty which gives peace and
happiness of heart to those who practise it. This means, firstly, that
when one is walking in those places where there are houses and where
people live together, and also when one is going to and coming from such
places, one is striving for one’s own development within oneself all the
time which is the same sort of thing as walking cankama at the place
where one is staying. Secondly, it is a change of bodily posture and
activity for the time while one is going pindapata. Thirdly, for those
who are in the process of developing wisdom all the time, while walking
on pindapata, they may at times see or hear various things that are
passing by and which enter and stimulate the doors of their senses.
These are things which can promote wisdom and which they can take hold
of and often gain value from. Fourthly, to overcome laziness — which is
an inherent characteristic of human beings who only like to get results
but are lazy about doing those causal actions without which the results
will not come. Fifthly, to overcome conceit — which makes one believe
that one is a high and important person whose family is long established
in the upper classes, wealthy and opulent in all ways. So one dislikes
the way of pindapata which virtually turns one into a beggar.
Whatever one gets from pindapata one may eat and it is enough to
keep one going, but not so much as would makes one’s body increase in
strength and vigour so that it acts as an enemy to one’s heart’s
striving for Dhamma, making it difficult to progress.
In eating once a day one should take sufficient, but not too much
so that one’s stomach is disturbed and one gets indigestion because one
has exceeded the natural capacity of one’s digestive system. But
generally speaking, fasting and hunger are considered to be normal for
all those who probe into Dhamma for the purpose of ending dukkha and
leaving none remaining. In addition to eating only once a day one should
also examine and consider which types of food are of value to one’s
body, not causing any stomach trouble, as well as being of value to the
citta, so that one’s meditation practice (bhavana) goes smoothly and the
citta is not tarnished due to the wrong type of food causing damage to
it. For instance, foods that are too hot and spicy or too salty which
cause heart-burn, making one feel anxious are no help to one’s striving
for Dhamma. For body and mind (heart) are closely interrelated and can
quickly react on each other. So it is taught that one should choose
those foods that are beneficial (sappaya) and of value to both body and
mind — if one is in a position to choose. But if one has no choice and
one knows that the food before one is not beneficial, then it is better
not to eat any of it at all. For if one were then to persist in eating,
it would only do harm to the body and cause dukkha and anxiety to the
mind. But those who eat only once a day are likely to be well aware of
themselves so that they are not carried away by the tastes of various
foods.
Whether the Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhu does the practice of
dwelling under the shade of a tree (rukkhamula), goes for pindapata as a
regular duty, or eats food only once a day as a regular practice, all of
these are just his methods of training and putting pressure on the
kilesas which cause the citta to be restless and unstable. Thereby their
strength is reduced so that they are not bold and spirited enough to go
wild like a stubborn horse which bolts away from the battle ground. So
the value which is derived from these Dhutangas lies in the way in which
they make the body and heart light and buoyant so that they are made
easier than usual to train. The body does not then have so much vitality
that it can be a heavy load on the citta, as when one lets it eat as
much as it wants, as well as taking snacks and nibbling a bit here, a
bit there all the time, which is being excessively self-indulgent. This
is very different from the ways of the Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus who
learn and train themselves to know what is reasonable and moderate in
everything which they associate with.
Eating Out of the Bowl
This is the Dhutanga of eating from a single vessel, which means
that one eats all the food out of the bowl, where it is all grouped
together in one place. Both savouries and sweets are all together in the
one bowl, and not divided up in separate containers outside the bowl.
For this would tend to promote greed and excess which contradicts the
essence of the Dhutanga Bhikkhu who has set himself to live and be
contented with little. This is right and appropriate for him, for he is
not then cluttered up with all the preparations for eating, for sitting,
for sleeping and so on.
The value which the Bhikkhus gain from eating out of the bowl can
be great, depending on the strength of each one’s mindfulness and wisdom
to probe and search and draw out this value for his own use. There are
also three levels of practising this Dhutanga, these being, the lowest,
the moderate and the most excellent levels. For the lowest level,
although all the food is put into the bowl, it is divided up and
arranged so that the different types are separated so that for example,
the rice and savouries are in one area and the sweets in another. Or,
they may be separated by a suitable item of food, such as a banana which
prevents them from mixing. For the moderate level, all the food is put
in the bowl in the same way, but it is only separated to the extent that
each item of food remains intact and is not actually mixed together. For
the most excellent level, all the food whether sweet or savoury is all
mixed together and none of it is kept separate at all.
Before putting his hand into the bowl to take the food to eat, the
Bhikkhu should reflect upon it (paccavekkhana) thus: Patisankha yoniso
pindapatam patisevami... etc., which is a skilful way to consider all
this food gathered together there in one bowl. He should do this with
whatever strength of wisdom he may have for at least one minute, because
the good which comes from this reflection when done properly is hidden
in the food all mixed together, in a recondite way. In addition, the day
will then come when one sees the craving (tanha) which has been hiding
behind one’s hunger in a manner which one would never have suspected.
For in the teaching of Buddhism, the hunger which arises from the body
and mind (dhatu–khandha) is not normally considered to be craving. But
that hunger which is in fact craving and which waits to creep into the
body and mind whenever they are hungry, is very secretive and evasive,
and it is difficult to see and lay hold of it. Because it keeps covering
its tracks and infuses into the hunger which is in fact there in the
body and mind. Then one has little interest in whether the hunger of
body and mind has invisible kilesas hidden within it or not.
The investigation, or recollection which one does before eating,
or continually while one is eating is thus a way of finding out about
those kilesas which are hidden in hunger. It also enables one to see the
value of the recollection — “Patisankha yoniso... etc.”, and how it is a
most efficient weapon for destroying these hidden kilesas. Then whatever
other duties or business one may have to do, externally or internally,
one will not forget this article of dhamma, so that eventually one
becomes a person who always has it in his heart in all situations.
I have not gone very far in exploring the various aspects of this
Dhutanga, both as regards the types of food and the methods of
recollection because it would become too involved.
The Dhutanga Observance of Using Only “Pamsukula” Cloth
The observance of using only “Pamsukula” cloth is the way to
diminish the kilesas concerned with worldly ambition and the desire for
beauty and attractiveness. These kilesas are looked upon as odious and
pretentious by those who are the wisest of men, whereas all the average
foolish people of the world look on them with pride and satisfaction,
and forget themselves in them. But the Dhutanga Bhikkhu who wants
internal beauty, which means a clean and clear heart, must oppose these
kilesas which want beauty and attractiveness to make them feel as if
they could fly up and walk on the clouds. So he must go about looking
for “pamsukula” cloth which has been discarded in the charnel ground, or
on the garbage heap and take them and wash them and sew them up piece by
piece to make a “sabong,” “civara” or “sanghati”, and use them as mere
coverage for his body so that he may develop the “Samana–Dhamma”. Then
he may follow the “Samana” traditions without any concerns or worries
and he does not think with emotional attachment which is anxiously bound
up with anybody or anything, excepting only that form of Dhamma which he
is presently working on and delving into.
In former times, the “pamsukula” cloth was truly valueless, such
as the shroud wrapping a corpse and bits of cloth thrown away on the
roadside. It was not just a length of cloth which is called “pamsukula”
cloth that the lay followers give with faith, as is done in our country
nowadays. Those who are able to go and find the true “pamsukula” cloth
must be Bhikkhus who have decided to renounce the popularly accepted way
of the world and have turned their hearts towards acquiring virtue as
their wealth, as well as establishing their aim and purpose in the
direction of Dhamma. This in effect, means that they have entirely
devoted and dedicated themselves and their lives and turned themselves
into slaves of the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha, completely devoted and
fully committed to them.
In throwing away all that which most people look on as valuable as
well as the popular approval of society, instead of becoming a worthless
person and a social outcast, as most people would think, their hearts
grow in value in a wonderful way, almost beyond belief. Thus it was in
the case of the Lord Buddha, for when he left home, renounced all the
wealth of royalty and ordained as an ascetic, he had become worthless in
the eyes of the world and society in those days. But the result which
came from this was far beyond what anyone could have guessed, for he
became the supreme teacher to the three worlds right up to the present
day. That this Dhutanga observance is a way of continually reminding and
teaching Bhikkhus to behave like discarded bits of cloth, has the same
purpose as the former Dhutangas in that it is also for the purpose of
promoting the value of the citta.
The Dhutanga Observance of Living in the Forest
The observance of living in the forest is a tradition of those
Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus who practise the way following in line
from Venerable Acharn Mun, who considered it to be the most important of
all the Dhutanga observances.
The Dhutanga practices which they practised much and regularly,
included: 1) Living in the forest, 2) Living under the shade of a tree (rukkhamula),
3) Going for pindapata regularly, 4) Eating food only once a day, 5)
Eating out of the bowl, 6) Wearing “pamsukula” robes. (But not refusing
the robes which lay followers give with faith. Although Venerable Acharn
Mun never wore any other robes which he was given, right up to the end
of his life. But there were very few of his followers who took up this
practice after him), 7) Living in a cemetery or charnel ground, 8)
Maintaining a sitting position (nesajja); in other words, not lying down
for as many nights as one has resolved to remain sitting; 9) Not
accepting any food which is offered after one has returned from
pindapata.
The Bhikkhus who follow in line from Venerable Acharn Mun have a
great liking for all these practices. As for the remainder of the
Dhutangas, some practise them at times also, but we shall not discuss
them here because they have already been explained to some extent in the
“Biography of Venerable Acharn Mun”. Any readers who want to know more
about them should consult the section dealing with the thirteen
Dhutangas in the “Dhamma Vibhaga Pariccheda”. But here, any further
explanations of the Dhutangas will only be in connection with the
practices of each of the Dhutanga Bhikkhus, which will shortly be
described. Although the Dhutangas which those who followed in line from
Venerable Acharn Mun, liked to practise all the time are the ones which
have been listed above. The fourteen “Khandha–vatta” will also not be
explained here, for they can be found easily in many books, such as the
second volume of the “Vinaya–mukha”. If the reader wishes to know
about them, he should have recourse to the available literature.
The Kammatthana Bhikkhus always practise in the general way of the
thirteen Dhutangas and the fourteen “Khandha–vatta”. Even if they
deviate from them in some details they still keep within the basic
principles of them as described above, without going off course to
practise other things. But the things that they practise and what
happens in their experiences do differ to some extent in unusual ways in
each case, depending on their individual differences of character.
Generally speaking, those Bhikkhus who habitually like to live
deep in the forest and hills are more likely to have strange experiences
than those who live in the more readily accessible forests. So it was
with Venerable Acharn Mun, who was the founder of this particular line
of Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus, for his inclination was always to like
living in the forests, caves and hills, and he used to like teaching the
Bhikkhus to make them more interested in living in the forests and hills
rather than the more usual places that people live in. So those Bhikkhus
who liked living in these desolate forests often had many unusual
experiences and things which happened, such as were associated with
ghosts, Devata, Indra, Brahma, Nagas, tigers and other animals. On
occasions they were also visited by the Savaka Arahants who came to give
some teaching. |
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7. The Story of
Venerable Acharn Chob
At
this point I shall relate the story of Acharn Chob, an elder disciple of
Venerable Acharn Mun who had many experiences of a similar nature to
those of Venerable Acharn. When you who read this and have thought about
his experiences and what the truth of them is, from your viewpoint,
which is that of a reader reading about the experiences of someone else
that are not your own experiences, you should consider how you will
think and feel about it when the time comes for you to experience such
things yourself — if you attain the ability to do so. This should be
kept in mind constantly while reading the following.
This Thera, who is still alive today, has a natural tendency to
like wandering in the forests and hills, but he dislikes any involvement
with other Bhikkhus and Samaneras. For he sees the value in living
alone, deep in the forests and hills, both for himself and for other
beings whose nature is subtle and mysterious, such as the Devaputta,
Devata, Indra, Brahma, ghosts, Nagas, Asurakaya and so on. The beings in
these realms of existence are hidden from the sight of human beings, so
it seems as if they have no meaning and no existence in the world of
people and in the “three worlds” of existence at all.
These unusual beings begged the Thera to consider them, saying
that they have belief in good and bad kamma, in merit and demerit, in
the hells, the heavens and Nibbana, in the same way as human beings who
also believe in these things. But they have no way to show themselves
and what they understand so as to let the world know about themselves in
an open, self-evident manner like others who live in the world. Only
rarely do they meet a person who is “long sighted” — meaning one who has
special means of knowing which is not prejudiced or biased in the
totality of what exists — who comes and acknowledges them once in a
while. They said that:
“None of these beings like becoming involved with human beings —
men and women — who are gross in body and mind and whose minds have
aggression hidden within them which gives no confidence and freedom from
fear to others living together with them in the world. Excepting only
those who have a moral nature (Sila–Dhamma) in their hearts, for even
though their bodies are gross, this is just the way of nature for those
who are subject to the laws of kamma to which all must submit. For
these, none of the Devatas hold any objection or dislike, but such
people are very rare and difficult to find and to meet, although they
are able to give peace to us because of their virtue which they also
impart to others in various ways. But they are not able to know about
and make contact with us directly and the only link between us is
virtue.”
“People of this kind bring widespread peace to the world, both
directly and indirectly, and in ways that are manifestly apparent or
hidden, and not restricted to place or time and are boundless. Even
amongst the ghosts, those whose kamma is sufficiently mild also get
peace from people of this kind who always give and share out their merit
and virtue, and those who have Deva bodies always rejoice (anumodana)
with them. May they have prosperity and long life, and long may they
continue to help the world before they give it up to go and enjoy their
own valuable and subtle wealth.”
“But in your own case Venerable Sir, you are a special person in
that you are complete with moral behaviour, replete with Dhamma and your
heart is bright with knowing and with the virtue of Dhamma, which is
worthy of the highest praise and faith. All of us ask and invite you to
stay here to bless us by your presence for a long time, and so as to
help with your compassion those beings in the world who are unfortunate,
in so far as their state of being and level of existence is concerned as
understood from the viewpoint of people in the world. Then we could all
come and listen to your teaching to increase our “pure merit” (puñña–parami)
greatly and also to act as a condition or cause leading to the “Path,
Fruition and Nibbana,” which is the highest Dhamma in this kind of
world.”
The Venerable Acharn said that while he was staying far away in
the mountains, those who generally made contact with him ranged from the
Devas living nearby or far away and in the higher or lower realms to
Nagas and ghosts of all kinds and there was hardly a single night that
they did not come. But he was also able to do his own practice for
Dhamma at suitable times and regularly. In finding time for resting the
body there was no difficulty and he was able to keep on receiving his
mysterious guests without ceasing. Both by day and night he hardly had
any spare time with nothing to do, yet everything went more smoothly
than usual. Much more so than would be the case in living with a lot of
people, Bhikkhus and Samaneras, when it is hardly possible to get any
peace while in contact with them. But having association with those
living in the realms of the Devas at all levels, regardless of however
many came the effect was as though nobody was there at all, and in
presenting Dhamma to them it came entirely from the heart without any
need to use any physical energy for communication. In fact, while
presenting Dhamma to them it seemed, in respect to what one feels, that
the body was not there at all, for there was just “knowing” and Dhamma
meeting together and coming out. Meanwhile, feelings of tiredness never
arose while presenting Dhamma for those beings to hear.
As soon as the Acharn finished his teaching it seemed that these
beings were all smiling, bright and cheerful and all of them
simultaneously said “Sadhu” three times, and the sound of it echoed
through all the realms (loka–dhatu). Venerable Acharn Mun used to tell
us of some of his experiences which were almost identically the same.
When there was a Dhamma discussion their aim was to gain true
knowledge and understanding. In the same way as someone going along a
road where they had never been before may fear that they were going the
wrong way and would ask with concerned interest whether they were on the
right road. Some of them would converse using the usual “language of the
heart”, but others would talk using the Pali language which was the
language of the Buddha. But the Acharn understood the meaning of the
Pali they used which had one and the same meaning as the “language of
the heart”.
The Venerable Acharn said that when he had withdrawn from samadhi
he tried to write notes of the many questions in Pali which the Devatas
often asked. While Venerable Acharn Mun was still alive, he would go and
ask him the meaning of those questions. But Venerable Acharn Mun said:
“Although Pali words as used everywhere in the world have specific
meanings, those which arise spontaneously within one and those which the
Devatas use in asking questions are words used in a special way, only
applicable to the people concerned at that time and place. It would
probably be quite unsuitable to relate what was said to the world in
general. For even though the meaning may make good sense and be quite
clear when translated from Pali as used in the world, the Pali which
arises spontaneously in a specific individual to express what he
intends, has a meaning which relates only to that individual and is not
generally applicable elsewhere. So even if I were to translate this to
you, it may not correspond to the meaning which you understand from
those same Pali words, and I do not want to translate them. Because
words which arise from the heart, whether Pali or the “language of the
heart”, and whether giving a warning or advise or whatever else, are
only likely to be understood and to give their meaning with certainty to
that person alone. Others could only analyse the words which were
intended for that person, and this would distort the meaning of the
Dhamma which was spoken just for that person.”
“I understand well enough about the Dhamma which is spoken and
arises spontaneously within one, both that which is for myself as well
as that which is for the Devaputtas, Devata and for all the others who
are capable of making contact. For these “Dhammas” have been arising
within me continually, and in fact, if I were to say that they
constantly arise as the complement of the practice of samadhi bhavana,
it would not be wrong. But “Dhammas” such as these can also arise at
other times. Sometimes they arise while walking cankama, while just
sitting down normally, while walking for pindapata, while eating food,
and while talking with friends and associates. When one stops they
arise, and also when pausing just for a moment while presenting Dhamma
they arise. They arise without any regard for time, place or situation,
but to say they come from my character does not seem right to me,
because when I first started to practise and was still floundering about
I never saw any of these Dhammas arise. They only began to arise when my
practice had developed to the point where I knew a little bit about it.
From then until my citta had developed samadhi and wisdom, right up to
the present, these Dhammas gradually became a constant companion as the
citta became stronger.”
“Nowadays these Dhammas keep arising all the time, endlessly,
without any special conditions, such as the need to be in a special
situation or place. For they arise in any situation, any place as they
will, and in general I consider them as private and personal Dhammas, to
be understood just by myself. I never think of asking anyone to
translate them to me, except when I want to know the meaning from
someone who is able to translate Dhamma sayings such as this, so as to
compare it with my own understanding. So I sometimes ask someone about
such things. Not because I haven’t understood the meaning of that saying
of Dhamma and want to know what it means, for I fully understand
everything that is Dhamma both within others and myself.”
“Therefore I do not want to translate this for you, for even
though I am your Acariya, the essential meaning which you should know
and understand from this Dhamma which spoke up within you is something
which has more value than any translation of mine.”
He never did translate it. But in fact I never really had any
doubts about it, and what Venerable Acharn said was absolutely true and
I had to agree with everything.
The Devatas Visit Him to Hear Dhamma
Venerable Acharn Chob said that the Devatas would come and listen
to his Dhamma. At times many came and at other times few, but in general
there were not so many as came to visit Venerable Acharn Mun. Sometimes
between fifty and sixty came, sometimes from one to six hundred and on
rare occasions there were thousands.
“The clothes which the Devatas wore, whether from the upper or the
lower realms, would all be the same, sometimes white sometimes red but
none of them would be obtrusive. None of them ever had on any jewels,
decorations or make-up, whatever group they were and however often they
came. For when they came to visit a Bhikkhu who was possessed of Virtue
and Dhamma which all of them venerated highly and had faith in, their
leader would let it be known that none of them should wear any
decorations or make-up while visiting the Bhikkhu, and their dress
should be appropriate and correct, in the manner of the Buddhist lay
devotees. Their manners and behaviour were beautifully graceful,
impressive to see and captivating to the heart, and having seen them one
never felt bored and uninterested. It is an example which we human
beings would do well to adopt when visiting a Bhikkhu or the Sangha in a
monastery or elsewhere so as to give an appearance of seemliness, which
does not cause offence or revulsion such that having seen it one feels a
disgust which one cannot easily shake off.”
“But who is capable of telling people about the Devaputtas and
Devatas, so that they would believe it enough to learn and to take them
as an example to be followed and practised? Who is bold enough to
undertake this task? For as soon as they hear anyone talking about
Devatas, Pretas and ghosts, whether in fun or seriously, they just laugh
at him. As for anyone suggesting that the world of human beings should
take up the standards of social behaviour of the Deva worlds, they would
say he was mad, deranged. Even a mental institution would hardly accept
him for treatment, so don’t you think he would just die worthlessly,
while still being infected by madness?”
After the Elder had finished, we both laughed and paused for a
short while. Then I could not resist the impulse to sound out the Elder,
half seriously, half in fun, saying: “I think the Venerable Acharn
should himself be the one to introduce people to the etiquette of the
Devatas, because you have actually seen them yourself so why should they
say that you are mad? People in the world, when they go abroad and see
things in various foreign countries, talk about them after they return
home, and they introduce some things from abroad to improve things and
solve problems in their homes and towns. Thus they introduce regulations
and customs for people in our country to follow. For instance, in
Thailand the styles of dress and clothing have almost completely changed
into those as used in other countries, both for men and women, young and
old. For our Thai people are easy to teach, not being stubborn and
inflexible like in some other countries. For the more styles of dress
and decoration they have, the more they like it, and they make copies of
other peoples styles as well as, or better than the originals. They also
have the most wonderful memories for anything which they see or hear
that is strange and fascinating. Now when we think of the dress styles
in the realms of the Devas which none of them have ever seen, not even
those who go flying about in space, there is no doubt that they would
grasp at them and admire these Deva styles as soon as they were
displayed to the world. If people were shown the way I think that there
would be many who should be interested, because this is the style of the
upper classes.”
After I had finished saying this we both had a good laugh. Then
the Venerable Elder replied saying: “What you say is, as usual, too
extravagant. If I was to do as you say I would not be able to live in
Thailand for certain. I would surely have to be exiled amongst the
Pretas and ghosts. Because people would accuse me of being one of them
and they would drive me out to live with the Pretas and ghosts for sure.
As for sending me to live amongst the Devas and Brahmas, there is no
hope of this because their status is very exalted and respectable. But
it is to the realms of the Pretas and ghosts that they would exile me,
because their status is low and inferior, which nobody wants to pay
respect to. If this were to happen, what would you say then?”
Again, we had a good laugh, and the Venerable Acharn went on
speaking: “Please don’t ever suggest that I should introduce the manners
and customs of the Devas and Brahmas to people in this world. For people
still respect the Sasana and the Lord Buddha and hold them in the
highest regard and the Dhamma which we have discussed is to be found
within them. So if anyone is interested enough to practise this way,
there is nothing lacking in all the teachings of Dhamma which are
available to people — unless, that is, one is too stupid. But that which
I told you about was for you alone and I did not think of it as being
for other people. Then as soon as I tell you of these things that
happened you immediately ask me to teach the ways and customs of the
Devatas to people in general. It would be the greatest misfortune for
anyone who starts to think of teaching these subtle ways and manners to
the world. I couldn’t do it, in fact I shouldn’t even think about it.”
“I merely suggested it on the spur of the moment,” I replied. “If
you don’t like it you should not force yourself to do it.” We talked
together in a relaxed intimate way as Bhikkhus who are alone and have
complete confidence in each other.
Many groups of Devatas who came to visit him on various occasions
had preferences for different aspects of Dhamma. Some liked to be given
the moral precepts (sila) before listening to Dhamma, some wanted to
listen to Dhamma straight away, some liked the higher and some the lower
Samyojana Dhammas, but most preferred the lower group. Some liked to
hear the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta, others the Karaniyametta Sutta,
and yet others preferred to listen to the Sangaha–Dhamma which is
concerned with helping each other.
He said that they variously had their own peculiar preferences,
each being different but they followed the wishes of the majority when
many of them came. They variously liked listening to Dhamma in
accordance with their tendencies of character, much as some people do.
Some liked to hear about metta and the Brahmaviharas, others liked to
hear some suttas which I had never heard of before and I could only tell
them that I didn’t know anything about these suttas. So they asked to
hear another sutta which they liked.
He said that the Devatas loved and respected him very much and did
not want him to go elsewhere. They wanted him to stay a long time with
them, for they told him that while he stayed there their hearts were
very peaceful. At night they would hear the sound of his chanting and
developing the Dhamma of metta, and they were deeply affected by the
Dhamma which he chanted a great deal, so that they did not want him to
stop. He said that in doing this chanting he only did it mentally and
did not do it out loud such that anyone could hear it. But when the
Devatas came to visit him they would ask him to chant various special
suttas which made them feel happy and which they enjoyed listening to
more than any other suttas. While he was chanting they listened intently
and completely absorbed. He asked them: “How do you know when I am
chanting these suttas?” They immediately answered saying that: “The
sound of your chanting reverberates through all the worlds and how could
we not hear it?” Dhamma is very subtle and refined, and when it is
brought out and proclaimed by chanting or recitation it is bound to
resonate throughout the worlds to let everyone hear it who is able to
hear it in the whole Loka–dhatu.
An Arahant Comes to Reveal Dhamma
The Acariya was staying in a cave and late at night while it was
very quiet and he was practising samadhi bhavana an Arahant whose name
was Venerable Bhakula who was tall, light complexioned, beautiful and
such as would inspire faith in those who saw him, used to come through
the air to visit him by the way of samadhi bhavana. One day the Acariya
had lost something and had been quite unable to find it. That evening,
as soon as he had sat to do his meditation practice the Arahant came
through the air to visit him. As soon as he had descended and sat down
he immediately said: “I believe you lost something of yours earlier in
the day, is this not so?” The Acariya said that it was so. The Arahant
then pointed and said, “It is over there, it’s not lost, you just forgot
where you put it.” The next morning he went and had a look and found the
article where the Arahant had indicated. The Acariya was quite surprised
at this, for he had not made a plea for help nor said anything about it
at all, “So how did the Arahant know about it, for I found it in the
exact spot that he had indicated, which is remarkable!”
While visiting the Acariya, the Arahant expressed his admiration
for the way in which he kept up the Dhutanga observances, and he praised
him highly for his behaviour and practice which were good and true and
it was this that inspired him to come and visit the Acariya.
Then the Arahant taught and revealed Dhamma to arouse joyfulness
in the Acariya, and he taught him to be firm and unrelenting in the
maintenance of the Dhutanga observances. He said: “You must always keep
up your practice of the Dhutangas so that they become firm and strong,
and you must never let them deteriorate. The deterioration of the
practice of the Dhutangas is equal to the deterioration of the religion
(Sasana). For even though all the books of Dhamma may still be
available, they are not likely to be of real value to people who are not
able to become interested in them in the way they should. The Dhutanga
duties are very high forms of Dhamma and anyone who is able to stick to
the practice of them is bound to have an exalted citta (heart).”
“You should know that: “all the noble Ariya of all classes
originated from these Dhutanga duties because all of them are methods of
Dhamma which can destroy all the various types of kilesas.” Thus it is
that the Dhutanga duties are the path to go along for the Ariya–Dhamma
and the Ariya–person (puggala). But those who keep no Dhutanga
observances, in fact keep no practical observances at all. They are like
an empty village, an empty town, which however fine it may be is not
attractive when it is empty. So you must keep up the Dhutangas, the
destroyers of the kilesas. You must always look after them and make them
good and strong. Don’t let the story of your life be vain and barren so
that it becomes a channel for the Path, Fruition and Nibbana to leak out
and trickle away. For the Path, Fruition and Nibbana are what you should
reach and attain.”
“All the Buddhas and Savakas and all others who have reached the
final excellence, maintained and upheld the Dhutanga observances. But
those who are careless and think that they are unimportant lose that
which is essential and important within them. So you must always guard
that which is important within you by means of the Dhutanga observances.
One who is possessed of the Dhutanga observances has a strange, subtle
power and authority, both outwardly and inwardly, of a kind which is
quite charming and hard to explain. Such a person stands out in all the
Deva realms throughout the universe and both people and Devatas of all
classes praise and respect one who is endowed with the Dhutanga
observances, and he never causes any harm either to himself or others
wherever he goes, for he is always peaceful and calm in himself.”
“The Dhutanga duties are subtle Dhammas and it is difficult to
appreciate their importance even though they have always been
important Dhammas in Buddhism right from the beginning. For the
Dhutanga observances are a major principle of Buddhism; and those who
have the Dhutangas as inherent characteristics within them, who know
what is important within them and who guard well that set of conditions
which is within themselves which is important, are worthy of our
heartfelt admiration and praise.”
“Those who are well possessed of the Dhutanga observances will
have hearts full of metta and kindness for all beings, and while there
are still people who practise and maintain the Dhutanga observances,
Buddhism will still be flourishing and giving results in that place.
Because the Dhutangas are the way of bringing the Path (Magga) and
Fruition (Phala) of all levels flowing towards them and there is no
place, time or anything else that can act as an obstacle barring the way
to the Path, Fruition and Nibbana as long as the Dhutanga observances
are kept up by all who practise the way.”
“You should take good note of all this concerning the Dhutanga
observances so that it gets into your heart, and think about it and
contemplate it so that it reaches Dhamma. Then wherever you stay,
wherever you go, peace and happiness will be with you in yourself, for
these Dhutanga observances are the source from which all Dhamma arises.”
As soon as he had finished this Arahant said farewell to the
Acariya and then flew into the air and disappeared. After the visitor
had gone, the Acariya thought over and thoroughly examined what the
Arahant had revealed and taught him. He became overwhelmed with wonder,
for he had never even dreamed that an exalted Arahant who had reached
Nibbana already should make a special effort and come with metta to
teach him about the Dhutanga observances and many other aspects of
Dhamma. He became very confident in all aspects of Dhamma and felt sure
that he had not wasted the opportunity of being born as a human being,
and he was full of praise for the supremely wise being who had come with
metta to teach him. For it was one of the “Khinasava” who came through
the air to him. “I have probably got some vasana parami (accumulated
tendencies of perfection) which enable me to see things which are
normally not visible, and to hear things which were completely
unexpected, things which I never even dreamed I would hear or see since
the day I was born. My practice of the way is probably not worthless in
the sphere of Buddhism, for otherwise why should an exalted Arahant
waste his time coming here through the air to favour me with metta?”
Later that night when he had come out of the place where he had
been doing his meditation practice to walk cankama, he felt as if his
body would float up into the sky until he could follow the way the
Arahant went. In striving to practise the way he did not feel tired nor
stiff and sore anywhere and it seemed as if the Path, Fruition and
Nibbana had come within arms reach, even though in fact there were still
kilesas in his heart. His citta was calm and peaceful, his body was
light, and wherever he looked everything appeared free from danger,
clear and open. It seemed that nowhere were there any things or
emotionally disturbing objects coming into association with the heart
and getting entangled with it, to disturb it and make trouble for it,
always acting as a demonic influence (Mara) as they had always done in
the past.
He went on walking cankama until the dawn came, without feeling in
the least tired or stiff. He told me that a Dhamma saying which he had
known before: “Dhammapiti sukham seti” — one who has joyful enthusiasm (piti)
in Dhamma lives and sleeps happily — occurred to him and became
absolutely clear and obvious to him that night.
On hearing this the writer felt as if his hair stood on end due to
joyful enthusiasm and being so glad in hearing of the experiences of the
Venerable Acharn who had the vasana parami to develop the way of Dhamma
until he saw the Path and the Fruition right there before him. For
outwardly a supreme Arahant flew down to favour him with metta and
inwardly he “drank” of the Dhamma, the taste of which seemed to spread
throughout the body and heart, the taste of a rare and indescribable
peacefulness. Such as this cannot be found anywhere in the world, in the
sky, far, near or anywhere else except only in the effort and striving
to practise and train oneself in the way of Dhamma. But those who really
try and strive in this way are likely to gain such experience one day,
because that which brings about such experiences are within Dhamma, and
Dhamma is in the heart and is never separated from it nor ever goes to
stay elsewhere.
It seems probable that this Acariya will have the strangest
biography of all Venerable Acharn Mun’s disciples, for he encountered so
many unusual things. Most of them involved hardship, difficulties and
lack of normal requisites, as well as encounters with wild animals and
tigers which meant putting his life at risk — life which the world
cherishes and looks after more than anything else! The results which
came from this were like jewels decorating and enriching the heart both
outwardly and inwardly. Outwardly, means that he saw and heard
mysterious, subtle things which were beyond the capacity of the ordinary
person to know, see and hear. For he continually saw such things which
went hand in hand with his practice of Dhamma right from the beginning.
Whereas inwardly, means that the “taste” of Dhamma was always present in
the heart.
Going on from here, the reader will be able to use his imagination
in following the stories of this Acariya which we will continue to
relate.
The Venerable Acharn was striving for the way of Dhamma while
living in a cave in a hillside, and it seems that he was staying much
farther from any village than he ever had in the past. It took him more
than two hours to walk on pindapata every day, and return, and by the
time he got back he was covered with sweat. But he was quite contented
to do this and he willingly accepted the conditions without any thought
of the difficulties and lack of amenities, for his meditation practice
was absorbing and never boring and insipid. Then one night, not long
after his citta became calm and went down, there appeared before him an
Arahant coming towards him through the air until he came right up in
front of him and then slowly came down, almost as if he had brakes. He
came right down until he reached the ground, ever so gently, and then
sat down in front of him in the most seemly manner. His name was
Venerable Kassapa Thera, he was smiling, while his whole countenance was
full of radiant brightness and his expression and bearing displayed the
mild gentleness of metta. It was as if he were a doctor who was full of
concern and thoughtfulness for a sick patient, asking how he was feeling
and anxious to help with various medicines and other methods to the best
of his ability. Such was the manner of this Arahant.
As soon as he had sat down, his whole bearing displayed metta and
a willingness to assist the Acariya in Dhamma, he asked quietly:
“How is it between the five khandhas and the heart which is the
owner of your round of birth and death (vatta), are they going alright?
Is your citta able to see well enough the banefulness of birth and
death, and is it wearied of them yet? I feel anxious for you and I am
afraid lest your citta which has been in the habit of lying asleep
without waking up for endless ages, will not be interested enough to
want to wake up sufficiently to see the way to go on to Nibbana. For
this is a mysterious realm for worldly beings who are not interested in
waking out of their sleep. This sleep which is their deluded engrossed
absorption in all things which deceive them, which are always there in
the realms of worldly beings who delight in their infatuations much more
than they delight in knowing and seeing the whole truth which is there
to be found in those same realms.”
“This is why I came, and now that I am here I would like to praise
(anumodana) you for the strength of your faith and the intensity of the
practices which you are doing at present.”
These were the first few words of greeting spoken by the Arahant
to the Acariya, out of concern and with metta for him. As for the
Acariya, it seemed to him in this meditation vision (bhavana–nimitta) as
if he actually got up and then prostrated to the Arahant and greeted him
with a full felt heart, even though his heart was still in samadhi.
In reply to the first question of the Arahant after he had come
down out of the sky, he said, in connection with his samadhi meditation
that: “I can put up with the khandhas alright in the way that people in
the world have to put up with them. But when it comes to the citta I am
still trying to strive and scramble up so as to see how bad and harmful
it is to be self-forgetful and to get involved in all sorts of things
which are inwardly troublesome and which lay in wait to deceive me,
always causing me to fall into delusion. And thus to get some peace and
see the banefulness of the round (vatta) — of samsara as far as my
mindfulness and wisdom are able.”
When the Acariya had finished speaking, the Arahant started to
reveal Dhamma to him with special emphasis on the Dhutanga observances,
in much the same way as the previous Arahant, finally ending with some
explanations of the Vinaya (discipline).
The gist of the Dhamma which this Arahant revealed to him was
based upon the Dhutanga observances which the Acariya was correctly
practising, thus:
“The practices which you are doing at present are the right way to
act (samici–kamma). The Lord Buddha and all the Savakas, who were the
most wonderful people, used to like living in the lonely forests, in
caves, under overhanging cliffs, under the shade of a tree, and in dense
jungle. Or in charnel grounds where there are always things to remind
one of death. For every day the local people come to dispose of their
dead bodies. Bodies of women and men, brothers and sisters, children and
old people — all the time. Now you are staying here searching with
mindfulness and wisdom into such things that happen, things which are
there all the time, so that mindfulness and wisdom shall have a way to
rouse yourself up to search for a way out. The Bhikkhus of old lived in
the way that you are living and acting now. So the way you are living is
right, as it should be, and not scattered and disturbed by things that
increase the suffering of the round of samsara (vatta–dukkha) so that it
accumulates in the heart until one cannot find anywhere to lay down the
load. But in fact beings in the world hardly ever think of laying down
the load. Rather do they think, each in their own way, of ‘accumulation
and development’, so that suffering and its causes increase until it
becomes immense suffering (mahanta–dukkha). Therefore, the birth and
death of beings in the world goes on taking place everywhere on earth,
and nowhere can one find anything more prevalent than the charnel
grounds of beings who are intent on birth and death. Even the whole of
this place where we are now sitting down, is the charnel ground of
various kinds of life. Nowhere is there a vacant space which we can say
is not a charnel ground of beings, and even your own body is a charnel
ground. So when there is nothing but the birth and death of beings in
this way everywhere, where can we find any peace and comfort?”
“Have you yet examined and seen how even your own body is a
charnel ground where various kinds of beings are born and die, in a
similar way to those which are external? If you have not yet examined
this, it means that your wisdom is still not circumspect enough to make
you frightened of samsara (vatta) so that you look for a way out, and so
that it will no longer come to trouble you and lead you on to be born
and to die time after time — endlessly — which is a most vexatious and
woeful thing in the eyes of all those who are the wisest of men.”
“Wisdom, means the skill and ability of the heart alone which must
penetrate into everything without excepting anything — even to pebbles
and grains of sand — which are nothing but relative conventional things
(sammuti) that can also cause one to become involved and caught up in
attachments. The wisest of men therefore examine them all and uproot
them until there are none left at all.”
“You are one of those in the circle of Dhutanga Bhikkhus whose
heart is firmly intent on attaining the realm which is free from
suffering, and you are practising in the well established way of the
highest of the Noble Ones (Ariya–puggala). So you should use mindfulness
and wisdom in the same manner that they used them. Then you will be
doing what is correct and in line with the original intention of the
Dhutanga observances. For these observances were originally established
for the purpose of promoting the mindfulness and wisdom of those who use
them; and also for the purpose of arousing their skilful ability to know
thoroughly every aspect of everything with which they come into contact
and for the purpose of being able to uproot and get rid of them one by
one.
This is to be done not merely by looking at these Dhutanga
observances in an idle, passive way without knowing what they are for,
but by knowing their purpose and seeing what kilesas and evil states of
mind each of the Dhutanga practices is aimed at curing; and also knowing
what benefits they bestow on those who practise them variously in the
proper way. For in truth, each of the Dhutangas has its purpose in
curing, or pulling out and getting rid of the kilesas within oneself
root and all. For whatever types of kilesas are to be found in the
hearts of those living in the world these Dhutangas are capable of
uprooting them completely, provided that the one who practises has the
ability to know the purpose of the Dhutangas thoroughly and correctly.
For these Dhutangas have been the means of purifying very large numbers
of ordinary people and turning them into wonderful and special people.”
“The way in which you are practising at present is praiseworthy,
but this additional explanation is given so as to act as a boost to your
mindfulness and wisdom to make them go on increasing and growing more
and more. For this is appropriate to the Dhutangas which are the means
of refining people to make them become steadily more and more clever and
sharp-witted — not merely being attached to the words and the idea of
‘upholding the Dhutangas’ by rote, which is just stupidity and
complacency and not thinking of going the way of wisdom to search for
skill and cleverness to imbue oneself with.”
“Each Dhutanga has a very subtle meaning which is difficult to
know in all its aspects. Therefore, you should use mindfulness and
wisdom to examine and reflect upon each of them, one by one, in fine and
subtle detail. By this you will gain immeasurable value from the
Dhutangas. Even the ultimate attainment of the freedom (vimutti) of
Nibbana is not beyond the scope of these same Dhutangas when acting as
the agents of one’s development in Dhamma.”
“All of the Supreme Ones cherish these forms of Dhamma very much
and they entrust their lives and hearts (citta) to them. They also
admire and commend those who are interested enough to practise the
Dhutangas and say that, such a person will gain what is valuable,
leading him to completion (Enlightenment) without running into
obstacles. He will also be able to maintain the tradition of the Ariyas,
because this is the tradition of the Ariyas, the tradition which they
have practised in every age and period. This is true, not only of the
religion of the Lord Buddha who attained Enlightenment in this age, for
in whatever age and place an enlightened Buddha arises, the Dhutanga
observances which are always a pair with the religion, are always bound
to be there.”
“You should not think that these Dhutanga observances are only
there in the religion of one of the Buddhas, for they have always been
there in the religion of every one of the Buddhas, right up to the
Buddhist religion of the present day. Each of the Buddhas, who became
enlightened in the essence of purity which is completely free from all
the kilesas, are bound to teach and introduce the Dhutanga observances
to the Bhikkhus who are his followers, in the same way in every sasana.
Because the Dhutanga observances are the most suitable form of practice
for those who are ordained; and those who have a heart felt anxiety that
they must attain freedom will be able to do so with the firm
determination to filter out and remove the kilesas from their hearts.
This happens immediately once the causes are produced, without delay and
without having to wait a long time for the results.”
The Arahant paused for a moment and the Acariya took the
opportunity to ask him a question:
“There are some who are doubtful and think that, since the
Parinibbana of the Lord Buddha, more than two thousand years have
passed. In such a long time the fruit of a tree and other things in
general would have withered in accordance with the law of impermanence (anicca)
and nothing would be left, not even the dead wood of the tree. In a
similar way, other things in the world like industries, businesses and
shops would have all fallen to the ground and decayed with nothing left
to show for them. Even the hills, so firmly established, can also change
and alter for there is nothing which escapes the law of impermanence. So
when we consider the “penetration of Dhamma” (Dhammabhisamaya) in which
the Lord Buddha and all the Savakas were enlightened and attained in
that age, by the time we reach the present day, not even a trace of the
skeleton of the path, fruit and Nibbana should remain for all good
people to taste by means of those practices which they used. It is
likely to have diminished gradually until it vanished in the same way as
all other things.”
“For myself, I do not have enough wisdom to be able to correct
such wrong ideas as this in a satisfactory way. But today I have the
most wonderful opportunity and the unexpected good fortune to be visited
by a most exalted Arahant who has come through the air and has favoured
me with metta and compassion. So by your leave, I will ask this question
which comes from my heart: Concerning the Path, Fruition and Nibbana in
the Sasana, which is a revolt against everything of the supposed,
relative world (sammuti), does this also go the way of nature together
with the changing (anicca) world? Or what otherwise happens? In other
words, when the world changes, does the Dhamma change, when the world
deteriorates does Dhamma deteriorate, when the world disappears does
Dhamma disappear, and when everything becomes meaningless, can Dhamma
also become meaningless? Do these disturbances effect the Path, Fruition
and Nibbana so that it is bound to come to an end, to be cut off and
disappear, taking the same course as the whole environment following the
Parinibbana of the Lord Buddha? Or how else should it be?”
“As far as my understanding goes, the Parinibbana of the Lord only
concerned the Lord and was not connected with the principles of Dhamma
and Vinaya which the Lord laid down and taught for the attainment of the
Path, Fruition and Nibbana in any way at all. But there are those who
have doubts about whether the time that has elapsed since the
Parinibbana of the Lord has effected the Path, Fruition and Nibbana.
They say, for instance, that the Lord entered Parinibbana more than two
thousand years ago and it is likely that the Sasana of the Lord will
have steadily deteriorated and that there will thus be no Path and no
Fruition of it by now. Also, that even though one may do the practice it
will only make for difficulties and be in vain, giving no results at
all. This is the sort of thing I have heard and I feel that it is quite
contrary to the words of the Buddha and likely to cause wavering and
instability in the Sasana and people who are Buddhists, leading to doubt
and uncertainty, as can be seen. Such forms of understanding bring no
benefit to anyone and only disturb the Sasana and the hearts of people,
causing them to be gloomy and confused.”
The Arahant replied:
“If Dhamma was of the same nature as fruit growing on trees,
industries, shops, houses and all sorts of other things in the realm of
the relative world (sammuti), which is subject to the law of
impermanence (anicca), Dhamma would have disappeared completely, long
ago. Then nobody could take it up and know the taste of it with the
heart, even just momentarily. Nor would any of the Buddhas and each of
their countless Savakas have any opportunity to come into being in this
world of impermanence (anicca). Even those countless number of people
who will attain Enlightenment in the future could not be, which would
mean that the Aryan birth, the Aryan characteristics (Ariya–vasana), and
the Aryan lineage would consequently all be void. But in fact all the
Buddhas and all the Savakas both of the past and future have been and
are still appearing, one following from another, steadily without any
loss or disappearance of their foundations, their roots (Dhamma). It
seems that virtue and good — special people — still appear, to whom
those in the world pay homage and worship with puja as their ideal right
up to the present day, and this is because Dhamma is not of the same
nature as buildings and houses and things which only wait their time to
fall on people and kill them, all being bound by the law of impermanence
to this end.”
“What else should the saying — ‘Dhamma is timeless (Akaliko)’ —
mean if it does not refer to the Dhamma state of absolute purity beyond
the bounds of the relative, conventional world? What is the meaning of
Dhammasara? The Dhammasara (Dhamma essence) which is timeless; ‘that’,
is the True Dhamma, not be found within the limiting conditions of the
‘good Dhamma’ (Kusala–Dhamma) and the ‘evil dhamma’ (akusala–dhamma),
which go the way of impermanence in the same way as all other things in
the world. Thus, we say that: ‘Dhamma develops’, or ‘Dhamma
deteriorates’ — which follows the same principles as the world in
general. But there is no room for this in the ‘Dhamma essence’ — such as
the Dhamma in the Heart of the Lord Buddha and in the hearts of all the
Enlightened Ones (Jinasava), where there is nothing but the ‘timeless
Dhamma’, where no laws or conditions can get in to influence or harm
it.”
“This kind of Dhamma is the true essence of Dhamma. Dhamma which
has no causes or conditions to combine together and cause all sorts of
things to arise — such as all things we find in the world. For however
much these things change and lose their meaning, deteriorate or
disappear, the Dhamma essence is still Dhamma which has meaning in
itself, regardless of whether anyone respects and has faith in it or
not. This Dhamma is still able to endure in all its fullness and
eternally remain the ‘Akalika Dhamma’. All the Buddhas and Savakas pay
homage to and revere this Dhamma, and the world also recollects this
Dhamma essence and reveres it. The Parinibbana of all the Buddhas, not
just for some of them such as the Venerable Samana Gotama but for all of
them, concerned only their physical bodies which followed the path of
the three characteristics (Ti–lakkhana) which are always there in all
beings and formed things (sankhara) everywhere — and so they just left
this world. But this can in no way influence the “Pure–Buddha–Nature”
which is this true Dhamma essence, nor cause it to change, to
deteriorate or to disappear at all.”
“Wherever and whenever any of the Buddhas enter Parinibbana the
event is not able to disturb the Path, Fruition and Nibbana, which those
who practise in the right way (samici–kamma) should still attain in the
future. In other words those who go the right way entirely in the same
manner as the Buddhas have taught should expect to see results arising
continually from their own practice in the same way as if the Buddha was
still living. Nothing has really changed, for even if the Parinibbana
took place one thousand or ten thousand years ago, they are just
relative times and conventions upheld by people in the world. As for
this ‘Dhamma’, it is independent of time or place — as these are
understood in the world — for ‘Dhamma’ depends on Dhamma and not upon
any other support or condition which is outside the characteristics of
the true Dhamma.”
“This ‘Dhamma Essence’ is the greatest wonder in the world,
whether anybody knows it or not. But as to what Dhamma is, and whether
it is to be found in the world or not, Dhamma remains just Dhamma,
existing in its own nature.”
“Therefore, in saying that: ‘The Lord Buddha entered Parinibbana
between two or three thousand years ago, that the Path, Fruition and
Nibbana has degenerated and faded beyond recovery, and that it is
completely lost in antiquity so that even if one were to practise the
way, however strictly or well, one would just make difficulties for
oneself in vain without getting any appropriate results from it at all’;
whoever says such things does not conform to the meaning and intention
of the Lord Buddha who proclaimed and taught the world by using the
Dhamma–truth (Sacca–Dhamma). Nor does this conform to the path or the
purpose of the Sasana which was bestowed on us by the Great Teacher, the
Buddha who had dispelled all his kilesas and reached the state of
highest excellence in the world. It is not a principle of the Dhamma
teaching in Buddhism which those who have faith in the Great Teacher,
the Dhamma and Vinaya ever take up, to think about, waste time upon and
make obstacles for themselves without bringing them any results at all.
In fact it is just such thinking and learning which blocks one’s path so
that one can find no way out. Therefore, those who have faith in the
Sasana which is the Dhamma that the Great Teacher, the pure one, gave
us, ought not to talk in such ways, which are like a bed of thorns that
stick into themselves. For to do this is like someone who has given up,
unable to find a way out to escape from his situation, even though there
still is a way out. So he becomes a pathetic, hopeless person, full of
self-pity, although he is still alive and capable and should take the
opportunity to do something useful while he can.”
The Arahant went on further to teach in his inspiring way, thus:
“Don’t you know that there are still people who are waiting for an
opportunity to make themselves into the leader of the Sasana so as to be
the great teacher to the world, even though their characters are full of
kilesas and stupidity? There are still plenty in this world who have
such obscene things within them. And how about you? Are you another of
those who are waiting for an opportunity to become a savaka of this
obscene teacher?”
The Acariya replied: “For myself, I have never been disturbed nor
wavered from the principles of Dhamma by such talk at all, not even for
a single moment of thought. Every moment the citta and the body in their
various situations are firmly resolved on the purpose of reaching the
Path, Fruition and Nibbana by means of the Svakkhata Dhamma with
absorbed interest and joy. The reason I respectfully asked about this
was that it seemed to me necessary, in that I am a person who tries to
do things to help the world as much as I can, but if I have to rely
entirely on my own resources I fear that I would not have sufficient
ability to point out the way and set right the doubts in the hearts of
those who have these ideas. Because this is something which deeply
affects both the sphere of the Sasana and the lay Buddhists who are
associated with it. Therefore when I saw such a good opportunity as this
I took my chance respectfully to ask you about it, so that this occasion
may be like a bright lamp lighting the way for myself and for those
people who have some brightness in their eyes and ears, because of the
metta which you are showering on me here. For you Venerable Sir, one of
the excellent, most precious ones, have favoured me with metta and you
know the whole Dhamma with certainty — which is a rare thing to find in
this world of people.”
The Arahant went on with his teaching:
“To ask such questions for the sake of other people is good and
right. But to be truly right you should look at those times when the
citta is a danger to yourself. Even if there is only a slight danger,
you should know that this is so and you should also know how to get rid
of it, because internal danger, such as those which we have already
talked about, have a capacity to cause harm which is very much greater
than that of external dangers. This is well known by all those who are
the wisest of men. But so as to make sure that you understand all this,
I shall go over the basic facts of these Dhamma truths once again.”
“There is no person, power, or thing in the whole universe that
can force Dhamma to be void of results for anyone who practises it in
the right way (samici–kamma). This applies not only to such times and
places as we talked of before but anywhere and any time. Whatever powers
there may be in all the three realms of the universe, if they were to
muster their people and their powers to prevent the Dhamma giving
results to those who practise it well, there is no need to fear that
they could ever succeed. Dhamma must always be Dhamma and always give
results in accordance with Dhamma, so that whenever the right and
appropriate practices are done there is nothing which has the power and
ability to prevent the attainment of the Path, Fruition and Nibbana,
regardless of who it is that practises, where or when. Don’t let your
thoughts be like thick wet mud so that you tread on thorns that you
cannot see, causing pain and suffering to yourself — the one that has
such great value — causing its downfall and ruin due to the over-ruling
power of stupidity and ignorance which compels and draws one in their
direction. For these are the ‘Dhamma truths’ (Sacca–Dhamma) which each
one of us has within ourselves. The first pair of Dhamma truths which
are concerned with involvement and attachment are Dukkha and the
Production of Dukkha (Samudaya). These two, by their psychic influence
are what drive on beings, who do not know the meaning of life and death,
to like accumulating them very much without ever being satisfied. In
other words, they are what truly block the Path, Fruition and Nibbana
and will not let it arise in the hearts of beings while they still have
some liking for them and go about accumulating them.”
“Whenever Dukkha arises within the hearts of beings it tends to
make them lose all their rational faculties (sati–pañña). Thoughts,
which they had previously been able to use in a rational and skilful
way, then become completely stupid, self-indulgent and obstructive,
leaving them with no way out. All they can do is sit or lie down looking
at their own suffering while acting in ways that display their suffering
outwardly — as people do who have no way out and no interest in
searching for a way that leads out in the right direction.”
“Samudaya, the Production of Dukkha, means thought which arises,
grows and develops in endless varieties, or imagination of various
kinds, which are derived from the three kinds of craving (tanha) — these
being the cravings, for sensation (kama–tanha), to remain the same
(bhava–tanha), and to change and become something else (vibhava–tanha).
These three are the leaders, leading one to think, to conceptualise and
to imagine endlessly, and they bring on discontent to burn in one’s
heart so that it becomes a fire, which turns into the same kind of fire
as that which one has already created and has at present, and cannot
extinguish. Or, which one has no interest in extinguishing and instead,
goes on to develop so that its flames go up and up, and it may go on to
set fire to the whole world without there being any way for it to end.
Samudaya — the production of dukkha consists of these three forms of
craving. It is these three which can ‘close the door’ against the Path,
Fruition and Nibbana, so obstructing it as to make it completely
unattainable. There is no special occasion or bright light that can get
rid of these three, for there is nothing that can do it except the
Dhamma Truths (Sacca–Dhamma). This is the only thing which is capable of
eradicating the production of Dukkha (Samudaya), this darkness, and
annihilating it with certainty.”
“The remaining two Dhamma Truths which are the cure, are the
cessation of Dukkha (Nirodha) and the Path (Magga), which are the tools
for doing the job. In the whole field of the Production of Dukkha (Samudaya),
there is nothing which is like these two, nor anything with such ability
as they have. Nirodha is what extinguishes Dukkha, getting rid of it
steadily bit by bit, in accordance with the strength and power of the
Path (Magga) — which consists of moral behaviour (sila), samadhi and
wisdom (pañña). When the ‘Path’ is strong enough the kilesas are not
likely to be able to find anywhere to hide. This then becomes the
complete cessation of Dukkha without any dependence on the time, place
or anything else which most people think to be necessary. Only Nirodha
and Magga perform this function of destroying the kilesas, nothing
else.”
“What difference in results should there be from holding a belief
in the Dhamma truths of the Lord Buddha, replete with the Truth of
Dhamma, as I have just explained compared with those empty beliefs which
are void of substance, showing themselves merely in talk, such as you
spoke of earlier? You should use your wisdom to examine this question
and gain value from the Dhamma in this. For having come to this point,
you should not just let it pass by uselessly. If you have any more
doubts left you should bring them up now, because the chance of having a
discussion on Dhamma (Dhammasakaccha) such as this, which is a true
blessing, is rare and hardly ever happens.”
Then the Arahant remained quiet for a short while, and when he saw
that the Acariya was not going to ask any more questions, he went on to
talk more about the Vinaya (rules of discipline and training).
“The Vinaya when practised is what decorates the Samana (recluse),
confirming on him a gracefulness in his behaviour and manner. For
whoever strictly observes the Vinaya will have graceful manners of body,
speech and mind. The gracefulness of a Samana is in his modes of
behaviour which are faultless and it shows up in everything he does, and
the Samana who holds intimately to the Vinaya in his life and ways of
living is one who is at peace. He is at peace when living alone, at
peace when living with his colleagues and with other people generally.
When he is in the forests and hills or when confronted with dangers of
various kinds, nothing dares to harm him for the Devatas protect him and
people are very fond of him. For the Vinaya acts both as a source of
nutrition and a protective wall preventing the Path and Fruition from
breaking out and seeping away.”
“The life of a Samana is the life of someone who has pure moral
behaviour, a life which is lively and cheerful. We are Samanas and ‘Sons
of the Sakya’ who have pure moral behaviour and for this we do not have
to be born just at the time of the Lord Buddha. In whatever age and
place we are born and whatever our race, colour or nationality may be,
we are still Samanas and sons of the Sakya, from the most senior to the
most junior — the most recently born. As parents who have many children
who were born in various places and times, but all of them are children
of the same parents.”
After he had come to the end of his talk on Dhamma, the Arahant
went on to give him his final instruction before leaving, out of his
concern for this Acariya and for the Buddha Sasana, in the most moving
way.
“I am going to leave you now — at least, in so far as the
conventional world understands this in terms of images and forms. You
must always have the Sasada in you, which means to have the Dhamma and
Vinaya present in your heart, your body and in your speech in every
situation. In gaining freedom there is nothing which you can be more
sure of and confident of than the Dhamma and Vinaya, which are the
“Dhamma of Salvation” (Niyyanika–Dhamma). You should not take up and
think about anything unless it is for the purposes of Dhamma and Vinaya
— which are the heart of the Great Teacher (Sasada). You should let them
enter you to help you, and then purity and freedom will be your
priceless treasure, for you alone.”
Just before the Arahant went, by rising up into the air and going
up into the sky, he looked at this Acariya with affection and metta for
a few moments. Then he gradually rose up, steadily and slowly, which was
a way of capturing the Acariya’s attention and making a deep and lasting
impression on him which would be fixed in his memory (atitarammana) from
then on.
As for the Acariya, he sat with faith, yearning and regret, and
with complete concentrated attention through his meditation practice
(citta–bhavana) as if he did not even blink his “inward” eyes at that
time. Then the vision of the Arahant disappeared in the sky without a
trace — except for the memory of this vision which was so deeply
impressed within him that it would never fade for the rest of his life.
It was a strange and wonderful experience such as he had rarely come
across before.
That night he practised his meditation until dawn, the same as he
did on the night the Arahant Bhakula came through the sky to visit him
and explain Dhamma. The Arahant Kassapa was with him for about three
hours while he explained Dhamma and talked generally. When the Arahant
had left, his citta then withdrew from samadhi, after which he steadily
recalled the Dhamma and Vinaya, which came from the metta of the
Arahant, and thought it over once again. Doing this he became completely
absorbed, and this state of bliss spread throughout his whole body and
mind so that he forgot all about sleeping that night. For the Dhamma
which he had received from that Nimitta which he told us about was
profound and it was hard to describe the truth of it correctly. Even at
other times when his citta was not in samadhi meditation, it made him
recall and think of the Arahant all the time, and it seems that this
gave his citta strength and encouragement for a long time. Meanwhile his
performance in practising the way became firm and resolute, and it seems
that the strength of his intention in Dhamma to reach and attain that
refuge which the Arahant had explained with such metta, became unusually
intense. As if he would reach and attain the “Dhamma territory” which is
free from dukkha at every moment that he returned to recollecting the
Arahant’s instructions. (In some places the Arahant stressed what he was
saying as being important for the Acariya personally. But the writer
feels that it would be inappropriate to relate these parts, for he fears
it may harm the Acariya and upset the reader also. The writer therefore
asks you to forgive him for these omissions which some readers may have
liked to read fully.)
An Encounter With a Poisonous Snake
This was a strange and unexpected event which occurred in a
remarkable manner as in the following account.
The Acariya was going to stay in a certain cave to practise the
way of Dhamma of a recluse (Samana–Dhamma). But before he went to the
cave, the villagers in that district warned him that a black poisonous
snake lived in that cave and had been there for many years. They said
that its body was no larger than a large flashlight battery in girth and
rather longer than one meter, but it was incredibly fierce. This snake
had already done harm to some people but everyone was afraid to do
anything to it for fear that there may be some hidden power behind it.
Finally the villagers gave it the name of “The Lord of the Cave”. Nobody
was likely to go and spend a night there, they said, for if anyone did
so, this snake was sure to come out either in the evening, during the
night or in the morning, spreading its hood and hissing threateningly.
If it was able to it would actually bite them as well and there were
many cases in which people had been its victims, so that now everybody
was afraid of it and nobody dared to spend a night in that cave.
The Venerable Acharn however, thought that he would like to go and
stay in that cave to go on doing his work on the way of Dhamma. Then he
asked the villagers to take him there even though they told him that
nobody would believe how fierce this snake was and what harm would come
to him due to it, nobody could tell. So they did not want him to go and
stay there, but he persuaded them, using reason, pointing out that if
one’s time has come one will die even if one is resting in one’s own
home, and nobody can do anything about it. “I have seen this often
enough to give me a confidence in kamma which is deeply rooted in my
heart, and I have lived in caves enough so that I am quite used to it —
so much in fact that if it were possible, my body and heart should have
turned into rocks and mountains already and would not put up with its
present human state. Even if I go to stay in that cave, if I have not
reached the end of my time, I am still likely to go on living the life
of a Bhikkhu, much as I have been doing up to the present and I am not
likely to change into something else. A snake is an animal, I am a human
being and also a Bhikkhu who constantly holds close to the way of moral
behaviour (sila) and Dhamma. I do not envy anyone, nor do I oppress and
harm them, so if the snake attacks me and I die, it should be because of
my bad kamma and the evil I have done in the past. This would be better
than turning back, afraid, the bad results of which would follow me and
come back on me in the future. The supremely wise would also praise me,
saying that I truly believed in kamma. For these reasons I want to go
there even if I should die because of it.” Having said this he set off
for the cave with some villagers to show him the way.
When he got there and stayed in this cave he felt physically well
and comfortable and staying there alone, his mind was contented and
easy. On the second day he was there, in the evening, he saw the black
snake sliding out of a crevice in the rocks, and gradually, slowly, it
came up right in front of him while he was sitting there on a small
bamboo platform, contemplating the teachings of Dhamma, and it came in
the manner of one that instinctively considers itself to be superior in
its power to harm others. When the Acariya saw this snake coming up to
him without fear, and as if it really meant to do something to him, he
immediately recalled what the villagers had told him and he knew that
this must be the “killer snake” that they talked about, otherwise it
would never have displayed itself in such a bold, fearless manner.
The Acariya thought: “I have come here to practise Dhamma without
any thoughts of doing harm to anyone. Even with small creatures I always
have metta for them and look on their lives as if it was my own life. I
never pride myself that I am a person and a Bhikkhu whose status is much
higher than that of other creatures who are companions in birth, growing
old, pain and death throughout the three realms of the universe. Even
this black snake is one of my companions in happiness and suffering,
birth and death also. But why then, when I am showing no signs of
contention, or any intent to hit it or harm it at all, why should this
snake be so determined to come and kill me who would be its friend in
life and death, for on this hill it will not find another friend who
would be more reliable. When I reflect on my moral behaviour, it is pure
in Dhamma, as for example the metta, of which my heart is full, that
comes about due to the power of my citta and Dhamma that I have
developed by training. If despite this, this creature is still bold and
callous enough to kill me, it must be because in a past life I have been
extremely cruel and ferocious so that there is not even an abyss in the
great hell which would be able to put up with me and give me the
deserved results of such bad kamma. Now I must accept the ferocity of
this snake to whom I have been ferocious in the past and there is no
escape from it, and I must not now try to escape from my evil kamma. For
if I was bold enough to do such things, I must now be bold enough to
accept the evil results. Then I will be worthy of the name of one who
truly believes in kamma.”
Having come to this decision he then spoke to the snake which had
stopped in front of him about two yards away and spread its hood out
waiting for an opportunity. He said:
“I have come here, without any evil intentions or any desire to
harm anyone, but for the purpose of developing Dhamma for the sake of
happiness for myself and for all fellow beings. Regardless of what form
they may have or who they are I spread metta for their happiness. You
who live here should also be able to partake of it. If you still long
for physical ease and peace of heart, in the way that all other beings
do everywhere, you should accept this metta Dhamma which is peaceful and
melts all hardness, and make it part of yourself. This is far better
than intimidating and killing others which will bring nothing of value;
and even if you hurt and kill others with your deadly poison, it will
not make you any better, virtuous or venerable, so that you get
happiness and develop towards a higher state. But rather it will lead
you down to be submerged in a sea of dukkha such as hell, for this is
the result which comes from tormenting and killing others. I do not
accept nor feel any gladness that what you do has any merit or virtue at
all, because it only increases your dukkha which torments and presses in
on yourself. I can only accept the ways of those who do not torment and
kill others, as being actions which do not bring fear and trouble to
them. So one has peace in oneself and one brings peace to others. Thus
looking on each other as if an intimate friendship has existed for aeons
and seeing that we are all friends and companions together in dukkha,
birth, growing old, pain and death, it is not right to cause dukkha and
anxiety to each other, for it only increases one’s own dukkha as well.”
“I have come here to make friends with you and all other
creatures, and you should be sympathetic to me for I am a loyal and
honest friend, so please accept my friendship and metta Dhamma and then
go and live in peace. Later on, if you want to come to me again from
time to time you can do so whenever you want to. I am happy to be your
friend always, and I do not have any feelings of revulsion that you are
an animal and I am a person and a Bhikkhu, for I just consider that we
are friends together in birth and in death and I do not think in terms
of who is superior and who is inferior. For, as always, those tendencies
of perfection (vasana–parami) which beings have within them are
different in each individual, depending on the effort they have put into
developing them. So it is possible that you may have tendencies of
perfection which are more mature and stronger than mine, there’s no way
of telling; and also, because all beings each have their individual
kamma, good and bad, intimately attached to them, it may be that when
you leave this life you will abandon the state of an animal and slip
into a higher level to be born as a human being. Then you may even
attain to the perfection of purity and freedom before I do. For I am
still struggling with the foul kilesas, so it is quite possible that
this can be so as long as you do not create more evil to weigh you down,
such as making bad kamma now in regard to myself.”
Having spoken to the snake, he then set a resolve in his heart to
produce the overpowering force of Metta–Dhamma, which has always upheld
the world, to make this snake change its attitude from that of being an
enemy into that of being a close friend in Dhamma. After this a
surprising and wonderful thing happened and it is hard to say what
brought it about. But something caused the snake, which in a few seconds
would have attacked the Acariya, to change its attitude away from that
of being an enemy to him quite suddenly. It immediately drew back its
head and lay flat on the ground in a submissive attitude and remained
there quite still for about ten minutes. Then it turned around slowly
and gradually moved away and disappeared from sight.
The next day, the snake came to the Acariya again, and it
continued to come to him almost every day from then on while he stayed
there, but it never again displayed a fierce and frightening attitude as
it had the first time. It just came out quietly and slowly to the same
place it had been before and lay there calmly and quite still for a
while and then turned and went away. The Acariya said that once again he
saw and realised the wonder of Metta–Dhamma while he was there, in a
manner that touched his heart.
From that day on, he and the snake lived there in harmony without
any mistrust or doubts about each other. Whenever the snake wanted to
come out and wander about in the vicinity of the mouth of the cave it
would do so in the manner of an animal which is quite accustomed to
living with people without any suspicion and watchfulness on either
side. It would also go out wandering about at any time it wanted to and
not only at particular times of the day as it used to before, as the
villagers had told him.
In regard to this kind of story, for a long time I have been quite
ready to believe in the truth of such things. If people say that I am a
fool I am ready to accept it, but I do so because I have also come
across such things, and so have all the other Acariyas such as Venerable
Acharn Mun for example. They have often told stories of how animals of
all kinds were never afraid of the Bhikkhus and how they liked to come
and live in their vicinity. They would come in groups and swarms, both
large animals such as wild boars, ordinary deer and barking deer; and
small animals like chipmunks, squirrels, civets and snakes. This is
because animals generally speaking know the mannerisms and modes of
behaviour of those who do not torment and kill them.
In whatever place Bhikkhus go to stay for a time, before long
there will generally be various animals coming to live there and to look
on that place as a sanctuary. And the Bhikkhus who have metta, like to
play with them and also to bring lots of food to give those animals
which like bananas, fruit and rice. Water is a necessity for most
animals and so, when the Bhikkhus see a lot of animals coming to live
round about, they look for vessels to put water in and they place them
wherever it is suitable for these animals to drink.
It is because the Bhikkhus have metta in the citta as a basic
underlying foundation that people and animals have a special, intimate
confidence in them, which is appropriate to their peaceful calling, for
they have never been any danger to others. Therefore the story which
this Acariya told is readily acceptable as being in conformity with
experiences which others have had since the origin of Buddhism.
Generally speaking, the Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhu who practises
with determination and courage will tend to come across dangerous
situations continually, but he manages to escape unharmed without
becoming a victim of these dangers. This encourages one to think and
feel confident that, those who have Dhamma in their hearts and who are
absolutely intent on the pursuit of Dhamma will always triumph by way of
Dhamma when they come across the various things that happen to them. It
is rare that anything harms them so that they lose out and come to
serious damage as so often happens to others. It seems almost as if they
have some mysterious supernatural protection within them which is
difficult to describe and cannot be explained to others. But this is the
truth, for the writer knows from his friends and colleagues who have
often told him of incidents of this kind that they have come across.
This Venerable Acharn has a very resolute, determined character
and likes to go off and live on his own, but he does not like mixing
with his friends and associates. The reasons he gives for this go to
one’s heart, for he said:
“When one goes off alone and lives alone it makes one have the
mindfulness to recollect and know oneself all the time. One is not
likely to forget oneself and to go out and become involved with all
sorts of things as happens when living with friends and colleagues who
are sometimes bound to talk together. Whereas, when one lives alone
one’s only concern is oneself and there are no distracting concerns in
connection with any companions. Whatever attitude one’s body is in one
continues to strive for Dhamma associated with mindfulness which is
there continually without any breaks. And anyone who has mindfulness
present with him is likely to have a way to know well about all sorts of
things which happen in himself. Even when he comes to a time of crisis,
he is not full of attachments and concerns in regard to other people,
for he is responsible for himself. And when the time has finally come
for him to submit his life to the way of nature, he does so in the
manner of Dhamma. No fuss, no concern, and no holding back, which would
be a worrisome burden. Thus he submits to death according to the
circumstances, relaxed, at ease with no concern or worry. As far as the
corpse and its disposal are concerned, once their owner has relinquished
all concern and anxiety, what remains is a worthless lump of matter from
then on, which becomes covered with earth and grass like all other
things and there is nothing left there which is special or unusual.”
What the Acariya said was worth hearing, it was pleasant and went
to one’s heart, but it was also well suited to the character of one who
had set himself to be a “Son of the Sakya, The Supreme Buddha (Sakyaputta
Buddhajinarasa)” following truly in the Lord’s footsteps, and it is rare
that one meets anyone like this. After hearing what he said, one stores
it in one’s memory to bring joy to one’s mind and to uplift one’s heart
by recollecting it often. Stories of his life will be good examples for
future generations, spreading out into the future, so that the Dhutanga
observances which have been passed down to us Bhikkhus shall not be
buried and wasted, which would be a sad loss and a cause for sorrow.
He has shown that there are still those who strive to follow the
way and to gain the fruits which come from their own practice, and the
line of continuity is not yet broken of those who attain more and more
calm and happiness as they reach successively higher levels of the citta
and Dhamma. They start from the levels of samadhi, reaching the levels
of wisdom (pañña) until it changes into the levels of attaining freedom
(vimutti) from the influence of the “Ti–lakkhana” — these being: Anicca
(transience), Dukkha (discontent — suffering), and Anatta (being
not-self), which all those who have kilesas are stuck with.
Those Bhikkhus who like to live in the forests, in the hills, in
caves and under overhanging cliffs seem to have stories which are much
more interesting and much more likely to set the reader thinking about
them than those Bhikkhus who live in more ordinary places. The Acariya
whose stories we are presently considering illustrates this point well.
If we were to give him a pseudonym and call him “The Adventurer”, it
would suit him without being in any way disrespectful, because his
adventurous encounters were for the purpose of clearing out the “weeds”
and searching for the true Dhamma. So this pseudonym accords with his
mode of practice which is very much that of being a warrior or an
adventurer who never gives in nor retreats.
One may laugh at this, for it hardly seems that the instances
related above are worthy of such praise. But the reader should first
consider the following stories before deciding whether he was a
“warrior” at the moment when he was actually face to face with a crisis.
I think the reader may therefore learn to admire the courage of this
Acariya in the following stories.
Encounters With Various Tigers
At one time the Acariya was staying in a cave. One night when the
moon was waxing, the sky was bright and starry and the weather was calm
and pleasant, the Acariya was walking cankama in front of the cave. At
that time there was a very large tiger with a huge round head, as big as
he had ever seen and, speaking colloquially, as large as one of our
earthenware water pots. To begin with he heard it growling in a
frightening and threatening manner about twenty yards away. Then it
started to roar, and it roared as loud as it could, until it seemed that
the whole mountain was vibrating. While it was growling the Acariya had
still not been able to see it. But before long he saw it emerge from the
background coming straight towards him and roaring full volume, until it
was about four yards away when it stopped, stood there and sat on it
haunches. It did not show any other sign that it would attack him but
just sat there, much in the way a dog would sit in front of one. He
could see it quite clearly now, its stripes and all, because he had a
candle lantern lit and hung up to give light for walking cankama.
When the Acariya saw this tiger come and sit in front of him, he
thought to himself: “Why has this large tiger come here? This district
covers a large area and there is plenty of room for it to wander about,
so why does it not go away? Instead, it comes here, apparently thinking
of having a bit of fun by showing its superiority over a human being who
is afraid of such things.” He stood there for a short while looking at
this tiger sitting in front of him and roaring to its hearts content.
The Acariya felt a bit of apprehension in his heart, but it was only
slight and he had no external symptoms or signs of fear at all. Then he
slowly walked towards it, speaking to it, saying: “This is not the place
for you to be wandering about, for this is where a Bhikkhu is working to
develop the Dhamma of a recluse (Samana–Dhamma), so what have you come
for? You should go and wander about over there where you can play with
others of your kind. So go! For Bhikkhus are not made of brick and
stone, and they are afraid of frightening things in the same way as all
other animals.”
Having finished speaking he then walked straight towards the
tiger. He said that he got to within about a yard of it when it leapt
away suddenly and disappeared, but where it went he did not know. In
fact it disappeared so quickly it was as if it had gone by magic. He
looked for it all around but could see no trace of it which surprised
him and he has wondered about it ever since, because it could not have
disappeared so quickly. The place where he was staying and the place
where this large tiger was sitting was clear and open and there was
nothing there which was enough to give cover or to obstruct his view or
prevent him seeing it the moment after it leapt away. So he was puzzled
and kept wondering about it all the time. Later on when he went to visit
Venerable Acharn Mun he took the opportunity to tell him what had
happened and to ask him about the tiger which jumped away and
disappeared so fast and how such a thing could happen.
Venerable Acharn Mun explained it to him saying:
“That was not a real tiger but one created by the Devas, for these
Devas have many magical powers which are beyond the scope of us people.
They are able to take on the form of a gross body or a subtle body, or
create a mental image (nimitta) of an animal, a tiger, a man or women
without any difficulty. Sometimes when they come to visit me they come
in various different forms and sometimes the same Deva will come in
different forms on different occasions. That tiger which came to visit
you, if it had been a real tiger, coming up in front of a person like
that one must assume that it had the intention to eat the person for
certain, even though it knew that man is held in awe by all animals
including tigers.”
“There are tigers which act under the control of Devas and there
are those which are the Deva himself taking on a created form (nimitta),
and the one which visited you was of this latter form. This is why when
it leapt away, it disappeared so abnormally fast that you could not see
and follow what happened to it and where it went.”
“I have become well accustomed to animals, tigers, Devaputta and
Devadhita coming to me. For when one goes to live in the hills and
forests alone one goes for the sake of Dhamma, and because the Dhamma is
very powerful, all animals have respect and love for it, and so the
heart which has Dhamma in it will also be powerful. But the power of
Dhamma is not like worldly power which always waits for a chance to
become aggressive, and those who are threatened by it are truly afraid
while it threatens them. But their hearts don’t want to submit to the
threat of this worldly power, and as soon as there is a chance they
begin to take revenge on it, and we can see this happening in the world
quite often. Therefore, where only worldly power is used, there is no
Dhamma in it to back it up and the world finds great difficulty in
maintaining peace and calm. So the Lord taught that the world should be
governed by Dhamma, and people should govern each other by the way of
Dhamma by relying upon what is right, good and appropriate as the
authority, and not by taking emotional preferences and conceited
opinions as the authority.”
“Dhamma has no form or substance which we can see with our
physical eyes, but Dhamma is that nature which is most subtle and
recondite and beyond all comparisons with any relative conventions.
However subtle the heart (citta) is, Dhamma is equally subtle, and the
heart is the abode of all Dhammas. Apart from the heart, there is
nowhere else that is a suitable abode for Dhamma and therefore, Dhamma
is not easy to talk about even though one knows it full well in one’s
heart. That is, with the exception of those who practise the way and
know Dhamma at various levels and stages; with them there can be
discussion and a good enough mutual understanding. But for those who
know Dhamma completely, and have realised the full range of the citta
and Dhamma, when they discuss Dhamma they understand each other with
complete certainty in all aspects and nuances. Questions such as: ‘What
is the meaning of Dhamma?’ or ‘Where is it to be found?’, they already
know without having to waste time in explanations. Those who must still
depend on asking questions and the answers they receive have not yet
attained the qualities of one who knows the field of Dhamma in full
measure — this is the nature of the true Dhamma. But if the heart is
false it will produce false Dhamma, and however long one goes on asking
questions and receiving answers one only gets a lot of views and
opinions and a heart full of the conceit of knowledge which can never
agree with others. These are only the names and symbols of Dhamma, and
in this way one gets only the names and symbols of Dhamma, and nothing
of the true Dhamma filters into one’s heart. Anybody can learn and
memorise the names and symbols of Dhamma because they are things which
anybody should be able to memorise. But the important thing is the true
Dhamma whose name and symbol one has naturally in oneself without having
to learn it by repetition and memorising — and this kind of Dhamma is
difficult to practise, difficult to see and difficult to know.”
“The reason why I said just now that the true Dhamma is difficult
to practise and to know, and that it does not arise by asking questions
and receiving answers, is because its whole nature is truth and this is
the end point of all questions and problems. In addition, this Dhamma is
always in the world, for it is eternal, neither developing nor
deteriorating under any circumstances. So when we talk about the power
of Dhamma, it is this Dhamma that is meant — what else could it be?”
“I am very uncertain whether you and the others who are listening
will be able to understand and follow every aspect of the Dhamma that I
have just told you, but this was the right time to speak so it was
necessary to do so — for it is said “Talk about Dhamma at the right time
is one of the greatest blessings (kalena dhammasakaccha etam
mangalamuttamam).”
This was the Dhamma which Venerable Acharn Mun gave in answer and
explanation to this Venerable Acharn and to others present who were his
colleagues and who were listening also. But I had to write this based on
what I heard from this Acariya. And although I may not have understood
every word of it I have tried to write down everything, because I am
sure that as different people have different abilities and cleverness,
there are bound to be some who are able to understand the words of
Venerable Acharn Mun quite clearly, even though I may not be able to do
so. So I have written it down for others to work out its meaning in the
hope that it will be of value to all of us in so far as this is
possible. Because the words of someone like of Venerable Acharn Mun,
even though amounting to only two or three sentences, are usually Dhamma
of a kind that one rarely hears. Even though one may not understand it,
one still feels satisfied to hear it and to write it down so that those
who read it in the future may be helped in their contemplation of
Dhamma, which may be a means of promoting their mindfulness and wisdom
to some extent.
There are still many more such sayings of Venerable Acharn Mun’s,
and I will include them from time to time as this account of the ways of
practice involve Venerable Acharn Mun, and according to their
suitability — up to the end of this book.
There was another cave in which this same Acariya stayed and he
stayed here longer than elsewhere. But it seems that there were no
tigers or other animals which came to bother him and cause any
difficulties. That is, until he had almost reached the time for him to
leave the cave and go wandering and seeking for Dhamma as was his
disposition.
Early one morning when it was almost time for him to go for
pindapata, he heard a big tiger growling and roaring and coming right up
to where he was staying. As soon as he saw it coming up to him and
roaring, his hair stood on end and he started to shake all over and he
was so frightened that his heart almost stopped. (On this occasion his
citta could not yet have become firm and strong enough. But in writing
about this Acariya, I do not know in what order the events occurred, for
I did not ask him when each one took place. I just took note of each
event as he told them, so I do not know in what order they should be to
conform to the Acariya’s development in the practice of Dhamma.
Therefore it would be best if the reader just takes in the gist of each
story by itself.)
He must have been very frightened, because the tiger walked
straight up to him in a genuinely determined manner even though it had
seen him since it emerged from the forest, and came towards him. For
normally it should have stopped for a few moments when it first saw him,
but it kept on walking and growling until it came within about four
yards of him. Then it stopped and sat down like a domesticated dog and
looked straight at the Acariya, staring without blinking, but it did not
crouch nor make any sign that it would attack him, in fact its manner
was very like the tiger in the story we wrote about previous to this
one. This tiger also showed no serious intention to do him any harm —
but a tiger is a fearsome animal and even though its actions may not
give cause for fear, one is still almost bound to be afraid of it.
When the Acariya saw the tiger looking at him, he looked straight
back at it with fear for a short while. Then he recollected himself and
as soon as he was able to set up his mindfulness, he raised his arm and
pointed his finger straight at it, saying: “This is not the place for
you to be wandering about, but a place for Bhikkhus to stay and practise
meditation. Now go away to where there is more forest and more hills
than there are here.” But it just sat there looking at him without any
sign of going away. So the Acariya picked up a stick and pointed it at
the tiger saying: “Go away! There are plenty of hills where you can go
wandering about, so don’t go on sitting there staring and making a
Bhikkhu frightened. I am not an animal, not meat; I am not tiger’s food
like they are; I am a Bhikkhu who is possessed of moral behaviour (sila)
and Dhamma. So don’t stay here making me afraid, for soon, when you die
you will fall into the fearful abyss of hell. Don’t say I haven’t warned
you!” Then he pointed the stick at the tiger again, saying: “You must go
now, for I am very afraid of you; your eyes are the eyes of a tiger,
more sharp and penetrating than anything else and if you go on looking
at me for a long time to make me very frightened so that I die, you are
sure to fall into hell.” After which he moved from where he had been
standing pointing the stick at the tiger and strode straight towards it.
Immediately it leapt away and disappeared. When it had gone his own
thoughts came up to frighten him some more. “What if it should follow me
while I go for pindapata?” For it was thick jungle all the way, but he
never saw the tiger as he thought he would.
That day his thoughts were all tainted with fear. He was afraid
that it may come again, and during the night he thought of nothing but
the tiger coming to get him within the next few moments, until he was
unable to develop any concentration at all. So he had to teach and
placate himself almost the whole night until eventually his heart
submitted to the teaching and he was able to go down into a calm state
of peace. From then on all his fear disappeared in a state of calm and
happiness.
After that he never saw the tiger again for the rest of the time
he was there. He said that this tiger was very big and long and truly
very frightening. It seems as though it was probably one of those
mysterious tigers for it was as big as the one that came to him in the
middle of the night in the previous story of this Acariya. It’s
behaviour and characteristics were similar and it leapt away very fast
in the same way, which makes one think that it was likely to have been a
tiger created by the Devas, as Venerable Acharn Mun explained, which
when seen is so frightening that one tends to lose all one’s reason and
all control of one’s senses. The Venerable Acharn explained the value of
living in the forest and the value of the citta which has faced up to
all sorts of happenings. His explanations were wonderfully impressive,
but I cannot remember much of it because I have a tendency to forget
easily. He said that when necessity arose, in difficult circumstances of
various kinds which put the heart under compulsive pressure, he got a
feeling as if there was something giving protection within him of a
strange and unusual kind which is impossible to describe. Under the
pressure of such critical circumstances, the growth and development of
the citta took place with ease and very fast which was very different
from the normal way of things. This is what made him like living in
places which are dangerous and full of uncertainty, even though normally
he tended to be timid, easily frightened and cautious. For when he was
confronted with these fearful experiences he felt his heart moving up to
a higher level every time they occurred. This happened in the most
strange and unexpected way which amazed him, and he actually wanted
these fearful experiences to occur frequently so that his heart may
strive to develop itself and grow up more and more by depending on these
experiences to assist it.
Living in the forests and hills is beneficial in subtle and
strange ways which is hard to convey to others; although the Acariya
never had any desire to talk with others about living in such places,
because the nature of this kind of living is only suited to people whose
characters have a tendency in this direction. As for the Acariya
himself, whenever he left the forest to live in more usual places or in
the ordinary forest, his heart tended to be lazy, careless and over
confident and he had little interest in helping himself, so that the
results which his heart should have been getting hardly ever appeared.
He ate more food than when he was living in more rigorous conditions,
and he also slept a lot and was more lazy. Then emotional concerns began
to arise gradually and to increase every day while mindfulness and
wisdom deteriorated and diminished.
Summing up all his characteristics he said:
“While living in places where people normally lived I could see no
development or improvement taking place in myself, and for me to live in
such places would be just waiting for the day when I shall die, without
gaining any value from it. So I thought that if I did not want to die in
the manner of a worthless person, I had better go away and search for
Dhamma for the sake of my own salvation. Having reached this conclusion
I made up my mind to go into the forests and hills again where I had
always been.”
“The heart that has experienced peace and calm and which has been
bright and scintillating with wisdom, derived from living in the forests
and hills, in caves and under overhanging cliffs, cannot be made to come
and live in conditions where it is cramped and difficult and where no
Dhamma touches it at all. It has got to get back to the forests and
hills in accordance with its nature; and as soon as it does so the heart
feels easy and relaxed in conformity with the pleasant environment,
without having to force or coerce it at all.”
“The effort made in practising the way and the various attitudes
and postures of the body then blend together in harmony; and the
mindfulness and wisdom which used to go hand in hand with the effort,
then arise by themselves without having to call them up or force them to
be there. The tendency to be lazy, to eat a lot and to sleep a lot, all
die away of themselves, and in place of them whatever arises is Dhamma.
Then those things which are not Dhamma — which were so difficult to
drive out while living in ordinary, more civilised places — all
gradually drop away and disappear without any need to use a lot of
effort to get rid of them, which one has to when living in ordinary
places.”
“Eating, sleeping, reducing emotional concerns and striving to
promote the way, all change and become harmonious, each being done in
the right order and for the right amount of time — which is very
different from the way it was when I was living in more ordinary places.
This made me think how the task of extracting and getting rid of the
kilesas is very much easier when living in the forests and hills than in
more usual places.”
The Acariya said that, going by his own experience of living in
ordinary places, instead of extracting and getting rid of the kilesas in
the way he had been led to believe, he found in fact, that he was
accumulating kilesas in every position and posture which he assumed.
This meant that he ate a lot because craving (tanha) came gently
whispering to him that he should eat plenty, for the food was of good
flavour, easily digested, good for the body’s health, well suited to his
nature, — and well suited to the nature and tendencies of the kilesas!
The kilesas liked it so much that they must be given plenty. He also
slept too much, because the kilesas came whispering to him that he
should rest a lot, otherwise he would be tired and weak and would not be
able to strive for Dhamma with his full strength. But when the time
actually came for him to strive for Dhamma with his full strength it in
fact turned out to be the time for resting. In other words, he just went
on lying there without having any fixed time when he should get up — for
the kilesas never made any decision as to when he should get up! And his
“striving with full strength” never showed up at all for him to see it,
so that he could say that he had worked hard for so many hours this day
and night. Instead, the kilesas lulled him to sleep from the time he
finished eating his meal until dusk. He never saw his striving for
Dhamma gain power over and penetrate into the laziness which arose from
eating too much food. His thinking and imagination then increased until
they went beyond all reasonable limits, and all the time in every case,
his thought and imagination was concerned with nothing but the story of
craving, the cause of dukkha (tanha–samudaya). They led the way, taking
him on a tour through all sorts of buildings, places and halls belonging
to the King and Queen of the three cravings (kama–tanha, bhava–tanha,
vibhava–tanha), all prepared and ready to entertain the tourist who had
eaten so much food his belly was over full, and to appease his emotional
problems.
Laziness was very much in evidence, for if his head touched his
pillow all his cares immediately vanished, and if anyone or anything
came to rouse him up it was quite useless. He said:
“Eating a lot, lying down sleeping a lot, and being very lazy have
always been companions that nobody can separate. Laziness is the most
important member of this group and it gets support from the other two
members. Wherever these three comrades go, they go together, never
separating in life or death. If I was unable to wash them out and get
rid of them, then I would have to go off into the forests and hills to
find a tiger to help me drive them out, as well as using the methods of
taking little food and having few amenities, to bring them under
control. For otherwise I would have gone on like this until I died in
their tight grip with no hope of escaping.”
“In order to overpower them so that their influence would weaken,
I opposed the desires of my heart and went to live in places where they
did not want to go — places where they were afraid. Then in all ways,
the effort I made in striving for Dhamma developed smoothly and
consistently, and whatever way it went, its way was the way of Dhamma
and not the way of the kilesas and craving as it had been when I was
living under ordinary conditions. For under such conditions the kilesas
could easily take charge of me whereas I never had a chance to take
charge of them at all.”
He said: “My character is of a type that is difficult to train and
discipline and it was essential for me to find a suitable place and
conditions to help in doing this by forcing it to accept training and
discipline in a different way. Then I would at least be able to breathe
more freely without being weighed down, clogged up and unable to think
all the time. Living in the forests, in the hills, in caves and under
overhanging cliffs in the way I have been accustomed to living is, I
feel, well suited to my character and temperament in that it enabled me
to have some calm and peace of heart. For my character is thick with
kilesas and dull in wisdom.”
The Acariya said how when he was still fairly young, he was very
zealous in self-discipline, which included fasting, eating little,
wandering about and living in the forests and hills. He never felt easy
in his heart about leaving them to go and stay in more ordinary places
as most other Bhikkhus do, and he only did so when he was compelled to.
Staying in ordinary places showed him quite clearly that if he was ever
to make the Path, Fruition and Nibbana become the wealth of his heart,
he must undergo training and discipline of the most rigorous kind. But
if he was to go the way of submission to the power of craving he would
live like an animal without a master and in a few days he would see the
results of its influence quite clearly. This was the reason why he could
not live in ordinary places.
When he tried to practise the way of living in a forest
environment such as those which we have already mentioned, his heart
turned and became peaceful, mindfulness and wisdom which had never been
there became apparent, and steadily, as he went on with his training and
discipline, he came to know and experience things which he had never
before encountered. This gave his heart the encouragement which enabled
him to fight those obstacles to his development as need arose from time
to time. Until finally, staying in such places brought a deeply felt
satisfaction, and he saw how they were the right places to correct those
bad characteristics of his, and how they are also places which become
the “Temple of Dhamma” (Vimana–Dhamma) in the most unexpected way.
The Acariya said: “Right up to the present day, my heart has
nothing but praises and gratitude for those places in the forests and
the hills where I lived with ease of heart. I would like to go and live
there, until they become the place of my grave when I come to the end of
my life, for I do not want to die in a place which is all distracted and
turbulent. To die in those forests and hills is to die in peace,
joyfully in Dhamma with nothing acting as a disturbance to pull and
influence one, for such things are nothing but a distracting nuisance.
The heart is then intent on Dhamma alone, with mindfulness and wisdom as
its two associates, joyfully searching and examining with thoroughness
and circumspection to get to the causes and the results of the Dhamma
truth which dwells within the citta.”
“The heart and Dhamma have the most intimate and close association
together, so when the time comes that the body and its parts lose their
strength and continue to deteriorate until they are abandoned and left
to go their own way in accordance with the truth of what they are, if
then one has circumspect mindfulness and wisdom in everything, both
inwardly and outwardly, one is oneself entire and complete. Then there
is no need to go and pick up and borrow what is called “oneself”, from
the conventional relative world, which one puts on and wears, to become
a “man of the world”, which is the “way of the world” everywhere. Then
one can let go of this burden — the khandhas — that one has struggled
with and carried about all the time, by relaxing and letting them go
their own way quite naturally. One lets the fundamental elements of the
khandhas revert to their own natural state — “analayo” — free from
attachment. This is the “wealth” for whoever can do it and he will guard
his “Analaya treasure”, and whatever his history has been, this will
just be the end of it. Why then should he go about searching for things
to get involved in any more, when they would only give rise to more
trouble and confusion? For the truth is that the kilesas are at an end,
for they have all been driven out of the heart, and since that moment
all concerns have ceased.”
This is how this Acariya praised the virtues of living in forests
and hills for one who has the same type of character and temperament as
himself. He always gained calm and happiness of heart from the forests
right up to the present time and he never became tired of them. This
conforms to the teaching that the Lord Buddha laid down for Bhikkhus who
have just been ordained, thus: “Go out and find a quiet and secluded
place in the forest under the shade of a tree for instance, where you
can strive to practise the way.”
This Acariya has the faculty of being able to know and see all
sorts of things in the realms of the gods which the human eye cannot
see, for example, the Pretas, Ghosts, Devaputta, Devadhita and the Naga–kings.
His way was very like that of Venerable Acharn Mun, and whenever the
opportunity arose they would talk Dhamma together about those beings who
have subtle, Deva, bodies. It was wonderful to listen to and quite
absorbing, so that one wanted them to keep on talking for a long time.
It was even more worth while to hear when they talked about the Devas
who came to listen to Dhamma talks and who asked questions, because both
Acariyas knew what the other was talking about without any danger of
misunderstandings arising. This is much the same as people who have
learnt a particular branch of knowledge who can talk together about the
subject without difficulty.
It seemed that this Acariya was quite an expert in his
understanding and knowledge of those who live in the realms of the Devas.
When I asked him questions about these realms, he gave detailed answers
which were wonderful to hear. Thus, for example, when asked about the
Naga–kings, he said that these Naga–kings have great supernatural
powers. When they came to see him they came in all sorts of different
bodily forms (kaya–nimitta), and one time the Acariya asked one of them
to demonstrate his ability for him to see. The Naga said that to produce
bodily forms of various sorts is not difficult for the Naga–kings and
they can make the body appear in any form they want. Then he proceeded
to display various different forms which the Acariya saw right there. He
told the Acariya to just keep watching and he disappeared for a short
while. Then the Acariya saw a white robed lay follower (upasaka) walk up
to him and when quite close this form suddenly disappeared, then he saw
a hunter complete with his weapons come up close to him and disappear.
After that a large elephant appeared coming towards him, and so on. The
Naga said that in whatever form he wanted to appear he could appear just
as he wanted, whether it was that of an elephant, a person or anything
else and he could do so almost instantaneously.
Concerning the Naga–kings ability to release poison, the Acariya
said that once when he was wandering with Venerable Acharn Mun near the
Mekong river, in some places where they stayed there were ponds of clear
clean water which should have been good for drinking and bathing. But
Venerable Acharn Mun would not let them use the water at all, for he was
afraid that the Naga–kings had ejected poison into the water and that if
they used it for washing or drinking they would get sick with fever,
making them generally unwell and increasing their difficulties. Acharn
Mun said: “This is because this group of Naga–kings do not yet have any
faith in or respect for us. They have been competing to gain superiority
over us for several nights already, but before long their conceited
views will die away, for they cannot stand against the Dhamma of the
Lord Buddha. This group of Naga–kings still have no faith either in
Buddhism or in us and they think that we have come here to contend with
them and to drive them away from this place. This is why they have
reacted by contending with us for several nights, but I am not
interested in the way they react, for I have complete certainty that
evil was never able to defeat virtue, and this Dhamma teaching, as with
all others which the Lord proclaimed from the day of his first teachings
to the time of his entering Parinibbana, has never changed or altered.
Because this is a ‘Dhamma Truth’, complete and perfect and cannot be
altered.”
This Acariya knew what it was that Venerable Acharn Mun was
warning them about because he knew a lot about this group of Nagas and
had also talked with Venerable Acharn Mun about them. But before long
these Nagas gave way and took the “Refuges” (Sarana) with Venerable
Acharn Mun, and they offered protection for the safety and convenience
of the Bhikkhus, just as he had predicted. After the Nagas had gained
faith, submitted to Venerable Acharn Mun and taken the refuges with him,
he asked them saying: “Why did you release poison into the water which
is of value to everyone, both people and animals? Were you not afraid of
the evil kamma you would make when the water poisoned those who take it?
For the Naga–kings themselves must bear the responsibility for this
evil, and there is absolutely no way to escape from it, this being the
law of kamma as it has always been. Because the results of kamma have
power beyond that of all the Naga–kings everywhere, and if the Naga–kings
are afraid of evil, afraid of kamma and afraid of falling to hell, they
should go and remove that poison from the water in those ponds and turn
it into pure water as it was before. Neither I, nor any of the Bhikkhus,
have touched that water so far, because I knew perfectly well that the
Naga–kings had deliberately put myself and all these Bhikkhus into the
danger of drinking and using that water.”
At this point the Naga–kings submitted completely, for this was
just what they had in fact done. They had not told Venerable Acharn Mun
anything about the poison but he knew of it from his own internal
intuitive knowing (ñana) and they admitted that what he said was true.
After this they hurried to draw the poison out of the water in the ponds
until there was none left, and then they came back quickly to tell
Venerable Acharn Mun. At the same time they invited him and all the
Bhikkhus to use the water freely without any fear of danger. This is how
the Naga–kings who were conceited and contended for superiority with
Venerable Acharn Mun, turned round and submitted themselves to him
completely. They also dedicated themselves as his followers, learning
the Truths of Dhamma from him with enthusiasm and strong faith from then
on. As soon as Venerable Acharn Mun knew that the Nagas had given way
and removed all the poison he told the Bhikkhus that they may use the
water to drink and to wash in from then on.
Venerable Acharn Mun considered this Acariya to be very precise
and thorough in his knowledge of subtle, mysterious things, such as the
Naga–kings, and it is hard to find any of his followers who could equal
him. Venerable Acharn Mun always taught the other Bhikkhus how they
should behave in relation to those of the Deva realms. For instance,
when they went to stay in some places, almost every day beings of the
Deva realms would come late at night to hear Dhamma from him, when it
was quiet and peaceful. He had to point out to the Bhikkhus that they
should be careful of their behaviour and he told them to lie down and
rest in the early part of the night. Once it had become late at night
they should get up and get on with their striving for Dhamma so that
when all the Devas come they will be able to salute and pay homage to us
and to admire the zeal of these Bhikkhus, all of whom would be
practising the way and doing their meditation practice when they come to
visit us. We should not let them find us in an attitude of sleep, for it
is lacking in mindfulness and is likely to give rise to unseemly
mannerisms. The Devas often used to complain to Venerable Acharn about
Bhikkhus who were asleep and had no manners. But although it may not be
possible for one who is asleep to have mindfulness to control his
behaviour, it is within the ability of the Bhikkhus to avoid this by not
lying down and sleeping at those times when the Devas usually come.
Therefore Venerable Acharn told them to rest and sleep before the time
when the Devas come. The Bhikkhus then made an effort to do what
Venerable Acharn had told them and there were no more complaints from
the Devas. As for any of the Bhikkhus who had the ability to receive the
Deva guests, they would do so in the same way as Venerable Acharn Mun
did. But those who did not have this ability would go on practising
their samadhi meditation when the Devas came.
The Way Devatas Liked Hearing Dhamma
Venerable Acharn Mun and the foregoing Acariya both said the same
thing about the Devatas in that they have characters which are quite
individual, in the same way that people do. Some of them liked to hear
the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta, some the Karaniyametta Sutta, some liked
to hear the Abhidhamma — in other words “Kusala dhamma, akusala
dhamma...,” which the Lord Buddha taught to his Mother in the Tavatimsa
Heaven. Some liked to hear the Aparihaniyadhamma Sutta and some the
Mettabrahmavihara Sutta, in fact more of them wanted to hear this sutta
than any other. The different groups, levels and realms variously liked
different suttas depending on their individual characteristics and there
were so many different ones which they asked to hear. However, I will
not attempt to make a list of them, for I have not come across nor
looked into all the Suttas which the Devatas wanted to hear, so I cannot
let the reader know about them, and I must ask you to forgive me for
this. But wherever this Acariya went to stay in the hills and forests
the Devatas always liked to go and associate with him in the same way as
they did with his Acariya — Venerable Acharn Mun.
Sometimes the Acariya stayed with the Rishi hermits who practised
their way in caves in various locations far away from the turbulence of
society, and generally four or five kilometres or more from the nearest
village, and deep in the hills where nobody goes. For these Rishis do
not have the tradition of going pindapata as the Bhikkhus do and they
cook and eat their meals themselves, alone. When the Acariya went to
stay there in a cave close by, he went to the Rishi for pindapata, and
that day the Rishi cooked curried beans and gave them to him with great
joy and gladness of heart. The manner in which this Acariya related this
story was very funny but we will not elaborate it here. The Acariya said
he was very hungry and tired having walked three days through wild
country and he had eaten very little while travelling. For in walking
through the forests and over hills he came across the occasional small
village composed of only three or four houses where some forest dwellers
lived who knew nothing about Buddhism, and he had to rely on those
people to give him enough food to keep him going. So both because he had
walked very far and also gone up and down many hills, his body was quite
exhausted and he wanted food much more than was normal for him. So as
soon as the Rishi had finished cooking the curried beans and given them
to him he ate the lot until his bowl was clean, both the curried beans
and the rice, for that day he left nothing, not even any bits sticking
to his bowl. But having eaten, instead of feeling strength returning to
his body, he felt increasingly weak and tired and he just wanted to lie
down and sleep, for the food that the Rishi had given him was quite
delicious. Meanwhile the Rishi was very pleased and happy to see him eat
all of it, for what he had done seemed to be absolutely suitable to the
occasion, without any thought of the situation and what might come of
it. As soon as the Acariya saw that his condition was not good he went
to a place where he could walk cankama and walked, until the afternoon
after which he rested in meditation practice.
While he was sitting practising samadhi, his citta dropped into a
state of calm and he heard the sound of gongs and drums of the Devatas
who were expressing their appreciation for the fruits of metta which
they had received from the Acariya. They were also glad about the gift
of food which the Rishi had made to him when he was very hungry, for the
merit and good which he had made was exceedingly great and beyond
calculation. So these Devatas were overflowing with delight and
thanksgiving (anumodana), for it is very rare that a “holy” man,
complete in moral behaviour and Dhamma who is worthy of respect and
veneration and makes one glad at heart, should come and favour them.
They were truly glad about the fruits which had come from him so they
all came to express their satisfaction and thanksgiving and asked that
they may share in this merit by their act of thanksgiving.
This was how the Devatas who lived round those hills all
expressed their gladness at the gift which the Rishi had made through
the Acariya who had been so hungry and had eaten a lot. They came so
that he should be a witness to their gladness and they also asked him to
tell the Rishi about this and to express their thanks (anumodana) to
him. So early that evening, he took the opportunity to talk Dhamma with
the Rishi, and speaking in an indirect manner he said: “This afternoon I
dreamed that a great company of Devatas came beating gongs and drums to
give thanks for the great merit which you made in giving food to me this
morning, and they also asked for their share of merit which comes from
the thanksgiving. You must have gained a lot of merit for all these
Devatas to come and give thanks and to ask for a share in it as well.”
Hearing this, the Rishi put his hands together and raised them
above his head in appreciation and agreement with the Devatas, and he
expressed his admiration of the Acariya, saying: “You must be very
skilled in the ways of intuitive knowledge (ñana); for if you were able
to hear the sounds of the Devatas showing their appreciation by this
thanksgiving while you were merely sleeping in the middle of the day,
how much more skilled you must be at other times when you are not
asleep. I have no doubt about this for I have had great reverence and
faith in Venerable Acariya since I first saw you, and for this reason I
have done whatever I can for you gladly and willingly, so when I saw you
eat a lot of that food my gladness and joy was boundless. Can you tell
me where these Devatas live so that they were able to know that I had
given food to you and then to make their thanksgiving, and also to ask
for a share in the merit from me? And why have I never seen them display
themselves all the time I have been living here?”
“These are the Rukkha Devas (Devas who dwell in trees) and they
live not very far from us. This morning when I was doing the
thanksgiving, “Yatha... Sabbitiyo...,” they also heard it and responded
with their “Sadhu”; but if we are not aware of them it seems as if there
are none of them anywhere around here at all.”
The Rishi was very interested in the story of the Devatas coming
to make thanksgiving for the “dana” which he had given and asked the
Acariya to tell him more about it. The Acariya then devised a way to get
this Rishi to practise meditation, and also, so that he himself may have
time for his own meditation practice without having external things
coming to bother him too much. So he said to the Rishi:
“In order to see the Pretas, Ghosts, Devaputtas or Devadhita you
must look with the internal eye, the eye of the heart; and in order to
be able to know all these other forms of existence with the internal eye
you must be diligent in practising meditation. Examine the thirty two
parts of the body in detail with wisdom. And when you do samadhi
meditation practice, keep your attention on your breath, or on the word
“Buddho”, just that, and don’t let it get caught up with anything else.
When your citta becomes calm by either of these methods of meditation,
you will be able to see the Devata for yourself without having to bother
other people by asking about them. But if you are lazy in doing your
meditation practice you will not see any Devatas, nor will your heart
become calm and peaceful.”
“To see the Devas, who have Deva–bodies, you must see with the
Deva heart — in other words, you must use samadhi meditation as the
means of doing this. If one does not have the means of doing this, there
is no way in which one can know or see the beings of these realms.”
After giving this explanation, the Rishi felt eager to practise
this way so that he may come to know and see the Devatas. Then this
Acariya took his leave and left him so that he could get on with his own
practice. Late that night the Devatas came to visit him to ask about the
Rishi and his desire to know where the Devatas lived, about his desire
to practise meditation so as to know about the Devatas and also how the
Acariya had taught him. So the Acariya then explained to them what he
had taught the Rishi.
The Acariya did not stay very long with the Rishi even though he
had such great faith in this Acariya and was also very attached to him
and did not want him to go. Once this Acariya was staying in a certain
place in the forest with two other Bhikkhus. Later on he heard from the
villagers that close to where the Bhikkhus were staying, they had buried
the body of a woman who had died in an abnormal way — the villagers
called it a “violent death”. This woman who lived in the forest was
pregnant and she was ignorant of the necessary care and attention
required in giving birth to a child and she was left to her own devices
and died in a sorry state. This is what they told the Acariya, but to
start with, none of the Bhikkhus knew about this woman.
When the Acariya practised his meditation, the ghost of this woman
came to bother him nearly every night. He explained that as he
understood it, ghosts and people have very similar characteristics in
regard to the sexual cravings that exist in the hearts of all beings in
the world. (The writer apologises for bringing in this subject matter,
but it is necessary for understanding the true basis of what happened.)
He said that he saw this quite clearly when he went to stay and practise
meditation in that forest with the two other Bhikkhus. As soon as night
had come, whenever he entered into meditation he would see the ghost of
this dead woman coming to him and displaying all the suggestive things
of her sex to him all the time. But his citta was too strong for her and
she could not do anything to overcome him. Sometimes this ghost appeared
to become much more active than normal, almost as if it was going to try
and rape him to satisfy her heart’s craving, but she had no way to get
at him. He developed metta in his citta toward her but she would not
accept it, for all she wanted was the satisfaction of this emotional
state of craving (arammana). When he questioned this ghost, she answered
quite truthfully without any deception, about how and why she had died,
which was later confirmed by the villagers.
It was after this that she tried unsuccessfully to do these things
to him that he asked her what had happened to her. She told him that
when she was alive as a human being her marriage had broken up and her
husband left her for someone else. This had upset her very badly and
when the time came to deliver her child there was nobody to look after
her and give her medical attention. It was then that she died with her
child still unborn. This was the same story that the villagers later
told him. In fact he asked the villagers about this ghost because of its
improper behaviour and because he would always see it when he entered
samadhi. He said that this ghost was quite vicious. When it could not
get its way with the Acariya it turned its attention to the two other
Bhikkhus by acting as if it would rape them while they were asleep. They
shouted out in their sleep, so loud that he could hear clearly what they
said. “You are a woman and I am a Bhikkhu, how can you expect me to act
like a lay person — I don’t want it — you must go away now quickly
before you make worse kamma than you already have and go down to hell.
Venerable Acharn! Help me! This ghost of a woman is trying to rape me!
Come quickly! Help!” This is the kind of thing they were saying, but
very loud, even though they were still asleep. Like someone shouting out
something to let us know. The Acariya who was just coming out of his
meditation practice after contending with the ghost, turned his
attention out beyond himself and heard these strange noises quite
clearly. So he quickly went to the Bhikkhu who had called for help and
woke him up. When he was asked what had happened, he said that in his
sleep he saw a pregnant woman coming towards him as though she would
rape him, and she would not listen whatever he said to her so he called
to Venerable Acharn for help and he was woken just in time. The Acariya
said that he had never come across anything like this before and the
whole incident was very strange. The two Bhikkhus both had the same kind
of dream, but not on the same night. And both of them called for help to
the Acariya when they became afraid that the ghost would make them lose
their chastity (Brahmacariya) as Bhikkhus, and they called out loud and
clearly. One night one of them called out, the next night the other one
did the same thing and it went on like this. The Acariya was also
disturbed in his meditation practice, but the two other Bhikkhus were
disturbed almost every night.
The Acariya said that the problem with this kind of madness is
that it will not let its obsessed victims give way and receive any of
their share of blessings and metta. They are so completely obsessed by
their desire that they know no shame, which makes their thoughts go into
strange and wrong ways, and this is the case quite regardless of their
realm, world or form of existence. If such a shameless obsession should
take possession of any being anywhere, that realm or world is bound to
be of a nature similar to that in which the ghost of this woman lived
and behaved in that way towards the Bhikkhus.
I asked, “When the ghost of that woman was acting in bad, improper
ways, what did it actually do?” The Acariya replied in a manner as if he
was still angry with the ghost: “Do you want me to display everything in
detail to you — like a boat on dry land? What I have already told you is
enough to make me want to bury my head in the ground and I cannot go and
reveal everything like someone taking off all his clothes. I am not
shameless like that ghost who can speak without any sense of what is
seemly and proper; and is it not enough simply to use the word “rape”?
What else should one say? Surely everyone should understand what that
means quite clearly, whether it concerns a ghost or a human being.”
I then asked another question. “Did the other two Bhikkhus not
know about the ghost from their samadhi meditation? If so, why should
this ghost go and bother them when it was time for sleep — when one
wants no pleasure more than a good sleep?” The Acariya replied: “They
did not say whether they knew about it or not; all they did was to shout
out in the middle of the night so that I could not stand it and had to
go quickly to help them. When they woke and I asked them about it, all
they said was that the ghost was trying to rape them.”
I again asked: “How long did you stay in that place?” He replied:
“We stayed there for several months and the reason why I decided to
leave the place was because the other two Bhikkhus did not want to stay
there. They said that they could not stand this ghost’s persistent
efforts to have its way with them, so we had to go elsewhere.”
I asked: “Does not the ghost which caused all this trouble belong
to the realm of Pretas, who should be capable of accepting shared merit
(puñña)? Why then was it not glad to accept its share of merit when the
merit of someone’s good actions are shared out to other beings?” The
Acariya replied: “I really do not know what group of beings it belongs
to, in fact all I know is that it acted only in its own mad way, having
no interest in anything else at all.” After this he smiled and said
further. “I was sorry for the other two Bhikkhus who were still very
young. They practised the way well and they were very intent on Dhamma,
but they could not relax and stay there with an easy heart because of
this thing which came to trouble them. At night they seemed to be very
uneasy with thoughts of “dukkha” and desire in both of them. When it was
time to sleep they both were afraid of the ghost and how it may harm
them in the same way as it had already done so. So they did not want to
go on staying there and we had to leave.”
I asked: “Does this sort of thing happen only to women, or can men
also become like this when they die?” The Acariya replied:
“Let us just think in terms of sexual craving (raga–tanha), which
not only afflicts women, or men, or Bhikkhus or Samaneras, or Pretas and
ghosts, or Devaputtas and Devadhitas; for it is the leader in bringing
harm to all of them. It never readily submits to being the servant of
anyone and so it does not accept that there is anybody over whom it
cannot be the boss and cannot order them about, for it is the one that
orders them about. Therefore both men and women are equally susceptible.
But in regard to this incident, I merely related what happened without
any thought of blaming or criticising women and saying that they alone
were bad. For if the situation was reversed and a man acts badly; or his
ghost should appear to any woman or to one who practises meditation
acting in a way comparable to the incident which I related, she would be
bound to talk about it in a similar manner. If anyone says that we, or
they, speak in a disparaging way about the spirits (viññana) of women or
men, it will be no more than his own ideas which we cannot stop.”
“As for sexual craving (raga–tanha), we should not take much
interest in how it effects the ghosts and Pretas and other such beings.
It would only waste a lot of time to know what they are all like and how
they react to it. We human beings are the clever ones, and clever enough
as women and men also, and even though we may not display anything
outwardly we are still clever internally. For instance, the difference
between the way things were when I was young as compared with the way
they are nowadays is enormous, as different as the sky and the earth.
Look for yourself, there is no need to go and talk about it both
outwardly and inwardly, for the change has taken place just due to this
— sexual craving — and it has almost reached the point where the whole
world is ablaze with it. Because when one person who is bold faced and
brazen makes a point of showing off his cleverness in this direction,
then other people pick up these ideas and they also show off their
cleverness, and this spreads more and more. So the world becomes more
disturbed every day, because there is nothing good or beneficial that
comes from this senseless display of vanity. Under normal conditions
sexual craving is volatile and rather like a dangerous object such as a
weapon or poison which can harm and kill. But when they think of it as
being fun and play with it and praise it as being artistic or
modernistic, saying how good it is, and then go and display it to the
world its powerful influence will spread, because all of them have
sexual craving in them, and it can cause the break-up and destruction of
the world. Take a look for yourself! But if you don’t believe it you can
try it out. You will soon see for yourself quite clearly just how
powerful its influence is. But there is no need to talk much or to look
far away, for it is there to some extent in the hearts of almost
everyone and it shows itself outwardly for us to see how malignant it
is, quite obviously. But why then should people go and promote it so
that it develops and becomes so powerful that it ruins themselves and
destroys the world? This is why the wisest of men have always taught
people to be very cautious of it and to restrain and overcome it. This
will at least bring some peace and calm in those groups who do this,
enough for them to relax and breathe freely.”
“You asked me about this so I have talked about it, but please do
not think that I am blaming or criticising anyone. For I also have been
afflicted by it and have sought for it and roused it up enough in the
past for me to know without doubt that if ‘I’ should search for
supreme happiness and satisfaction I must do so in quite another
direction. Otherwise it would have kept whispering to me and dragging me
down to hell all this time and every day for the rest of my life. Don’t
think that it will lead you to the peaceful Dhamma which is a state of
calm and tranquillity. If you look for the baneful side of sexual
craving you should be able to see it because in itself it is entirely
baneful, and it also dwells within the hearts of each one of us. If then
you are still unsure of it, what else can I say?”
The Acariya said that the ghosts and Devas have the pretentious
wiles and ways of sexual craving quite as much as human beings, but this
is not so in all cases. There are some who are bold to the point where
they display their sexual craving quite openly in the same way as people
who are given to this sort of thing. Sometimes a Deva would make a
display of enticing mannerisms and ways and even going as far as
grabbing hold of the Acariya saying that she loved him very much. Then
he had to point out and explain the situation until she understood,
after which she would not act in that way again. “But,” he said, “Going
to the extent of grabbing hold of someone — this makes one think some!
One should expect that beings in two different realms and states of
existence would not be able to love and care for each other in the
manner of emotional attachment (arammana). But this showed me how sexual
craving is no respecter of persons, for it can make attachments anywhere
that there is the opportunity and the appropriate situation. When this
sort of thing happens, my gross, physical body is not apparent and I
feel no awareness of it. It is probably a Deva body that is known, seen
and felt by the Devas and this is what arouses whatever it is in the
heart of the Devata. This reaches the point where she makes a display of
her love openly without any shame — which is worse than the way of good
people who have a proper sense of shame.”
This kind of experience is often found amongst those who practise
the way. But generally, they are not ready to talk about it to other
people, except to those who also practise the way; or to someone whose
character they know well and can trust; or to one who has come across
such things.
Some of the Bhikkhus who go far away into the hills are likely to
be protected by a Devata who keeps close by him, although nobody is able
to see this, although the Bhikkhu who the Devata has become associated
with can know about it. But they make no ostentatious show to spoil it,
like people in the world who have gross physical bodies. For they come
with good intentions, faith and respect, and with a genuine desire to do
what is meritorious and virtuous for the Bhikkhus. There are times when
such a Bhikkhu may fast for many days until his body becomes weak and
exhausted although his heart is still strong and bright. The Devata
seeing this feels sorry for him and may want to give him some physical
strength. So the Devata asks permission to help him by giving him some
Deva food. This Bhikkhu saw what he understood to be the Deva food in
the hand of the Devata, which she had brought with her. It looked like
an off-white chalky powder, and this, the Devata told him, was the food
of all classes of Devas. The Devata then asked if she could give him
this food by rubbing it very lightly over his body so that the nutritive
essence of this Deva food should permeate all parts of the body very
quickly and give it strength, like one gets from eating ordinary food,
or more so. The Bhikkhu felt that he should not give permission, for he
was afraid that he may be breaking some of the rules of the Vinaya.
Because it was already late in the afternoon and the Devata was female
and she had come on her own, and if anyone should chance to see them,
they would at least criticise him even though it may not be a fault
against the Vinaya. Even worse, they might think that she was a real
person and blame him in the way of the world, saying that a Bhikkhu and
a woman were living together in a cave in the desolate hills and there
was no other man anywhere about to act as a chaperone. The Devata who
has a Deva body would then be taken for a woman who was making advances
to a Bhikkhu. The whole thing may get blown up into a scandal which may
cause a lot of damage and trouble, even though in fact there would be
nothing between them which was not proper and pure.
With this reasoning he would not let the Devata touch his body,
not even to rub the Deva food over him. But the Devata was insistent,
saying that no harm would come from the association with a Devata at all
because the body of the Devata is a Deva body and the food which she had
brought to give him strength was Deva food and there is nothing in it
which would contravene the Vinaya and cause him any trouble. As for
seeing and hearing each other talking together, it is a case of the
heart at the level of the Devas seeing a Deva body and the Deva hearing
listening to Deva sounds, and it has no connection with the gross
physical body, physical seeing and ears made of skin in any way that
would be an obstacle to you and the Vinaya at all. The Devata said that
she had come to serve him and help him in the hope of making merit and
developing her virtue through this Bhikkhu who was so resolute and
intent on Dhamma, and that she had not come to harm him or Buddhism at
all. “You should please have metta and agree to let me have the share of
the merit which I ought to get through you, and please do not reject
this Devata who is anxious to make merit so as to be a condition for the
promotion of my future births and becoming; and to cause my development
and gain in the present and future to increase by this good action.”
The Bhikkhu replied by saying: “While you are here with me,
whether I shut my eyes or open them, I can still see you. Other people
have eyes and if they are not blind they can also see us sitting here.
What do you think, would this be proper and in character for a woman,
the two of us together like this? Please think well about it before
doing anything.”
“What you see here, you see with your heart and eyes which are
supported by Dhamma, in other words, you have samadhi and ñana which
enable you to see easily and clearly.” The Devata explained:
“Even though you may use your physical eyes to see me, the seeing
still comes from the internal ñana which helps them and enables you to
see as if your physical eyes were seeing. Because it is just your
internal eye which enables the physical eyes to see Deva forms and if
you did not have ñana within you to aid your seeing you would never be
able to see the Deva body of a Devata at all. In order to give you
confidence that you have no need to be afraid of anyone coming and
spying on this Devata who is sitting with you I can give you complete
assurance that apart from yourself alone, even if people came here in
thousands they would not be able to see me at all, not even one of them.
I have the power to prevent the ordinary person from seeing me and this
is not difficult for me to do. The only exceptions are those who have
Dhamma within them, and ñana which enables them to know, and for these
people I have respect and reverence and I have no ability to prevent
them knowing. But also, you should not think that this Devata is a
supernatural being who has come from some mysterious place, for I have
come from the realm of human beings who love the way of moral behaviour,
who love Dhamma and who are always glad to make merit and make gifts of
whatever is appropriate and who have these qualities as their habitual
nature. So whenever I come across anyone such as yourself who practises
the way properly, I feel great faith and reverence and want to increase
it, and however much or little I develop, it is all merit and virtue and
becomes part of my conditioned characteristics. You should therefore
agree and help me with metta to do whatever is proper and right. I would
not dare to do anything which is not allowable for a recluse, for good
and bad arise from kamma — the actions which one does oneself — which I
understand well and respect and I do not go against. But what I have
been pleading for you to accept is entirely within the realm of Dhamma;
it is not a matter of Vinaya and there is nothing of the way of the
world in it. Like when you give Dhamma talks to us Devatas, it makes no
difference as far as the Dhamma and Vinaya are concerned, whether there
is only one person listening or however many listen.”
The time when the Devata and the Bhikkhu were talking to each
other was the time when he was in samadhi practice and not at any other
time. But when he said to the Devata that when she came and sat there
with him, he could see her with his eyes closed or open, he was
referring to other times in general when he was doing other things and
he was still able to see and know such things by means of his own
special ability. Therefore, the reasoning which the Devata used in
asking him to accept the Deva food was within the bounds of what is
reasonable and proper, because it is limited entirely to the affairs of
the heart (mind) which is in samadhi meditation. Where the Bhikkhu
questioned the Devata and they talked back and forth, all of this took
place in samadhi and in accordance with Dhamma. But action done in the
attained state of samadhi (samadhi–samapatti) are not within the scope
of faults against the Vinaya rules.
It seems that while this Bhikkhu was in samadhi that afternoon,
the Devata in fact rubbed this Deva food over his body. But the body
which the Devata rubbed was his body in samadhi and not his ordinary
body. When the Devata rubbed this food over him he felt much lighter
than normal in samadhi, and when he came out of samadhi his body felt
light and buoyant and much stronger than usual — as if he had eaten food
that day.
This Bhikkhu said that some days he was able to see the Devata all
the time, without having to enter samadhi.
But the seeing of Devatas in samadhi or with one’s physical eyes
at other times is always likely to be self-deception and false in
someone who is just beginning to train themselves in the early stages of
meditation. Therefore, even those who are naturally endowed with such
abilities and may at times see various things must be cautioned by their
Acariya, who should insist that they do not let go and let the citta go
out and get to know things in the way they have been used to doing this.
They must wait until they have become sufficiently skilled at entering
and leaving samadhi, and they understand what to do and how to react to
the various things which are experienced, knowing well enough what is
genuine and what is false. Then, when the time is appropriate to let go,
they may do so to some extent, but not in the manner of letting go of
all self-control and having no consideration for what is right and
wrong, good and evil which may become involved with this type of
samadhi.
Amongst those who practise meditation, there are some who see
Devatas that come from their own delusions in this way, but if they are
intent on Dhamma, not proud and conceited in this ability, nor believing
it to be something special in them, and they do not deludedly go after
these things which they experience, then it is not difficult to cure.
But what is difficult is the type of person who tends to be haughty and
boastful. As soon as he comes across any of the above phenomena, one
fears that it will become a chronic disease and he will not be the least
interested in taking any “medicine” to effect a cure. Rather he would
try to spread the germs so that the disease becomes widespread, causing
harm and loss to others who do not know nor understand about these
things, nor about their tricky deceptions; and this disease is a type
which one should be very much on guard against. I am not a knower or
seer of the Devatas, Pretas, ghosts and other such things, but if
someone comes and talks about them in an effusive extravagant manner,
without any “steering wheel and brakes” to retain some control I feel
afraid and concerned. Because, generally speaking most people are
susceptible to this “disease” and as soon as the “germs” of it enter
their system, there is fear that it would spread and increase and get
out of hand.
In order to combat this kind of disease effectively one must ask
the help of someone who is an Acariya and who understands well about
this sort of thing, as well as the way of samadhi and wisdom and other
things also. If anyone goes to him and talks just a little about this
sort of thing, he will know immediately whether it is genuine or false,
and he can point this out clearly and cure the trouble straight away,
provided that this person is interested to listen for the sake of
learning the truth of Dhamma and its ways. Then he will be able to
practise the way rightly by following the Acariya without losing
anything at all. But what is frightening is the way that some people
grab hold of anything that comes and passes by them and then hold onto
it as their “valuable possession, absolutely genuine and true”, without
considering whether it is really true or false. This kind of “true
thing” is then capable of causing endless disturbance and loss both to
the person himself as well as to others, and because of this such “true
things” are most frightening to those who have experienced them and gone
beyond them. So those who practise the way should use mindfulness and
wisdom to be well guarded against such things, and they must not let
such “true things” as these be able to arise. This means that they will
know all aspects of the way of practice with circumspection and they
will be a blessing to themselves and to the whole field of Buddhism.
This Bhikkhu who had the Devata coming to look after him could tell the
most fascinating stories and I enjoyed listening to him. He talked of a
time when he had gone for a period of meditation practice to a place
where he was dependent on two or three families of farmers and every
four or five days he would go pindapata to them and would eat one meal
and that was all. But it seems that his meditation became progressively
deeper without any slackening. He did his meditation both in the day and
at night with equally good results, but it was rather hot during the day
and at night it was cool and pleasant and the citta was able to go down
into complete absorption in the realm of samadhi, and to remain there
for several hours at a time before rising out of it. If he thought with
sympathy of the Devatas, late at night he would withdraw from samadhi to
some extent and look around. If he saw that some of them had come he
would receive them for a while, then afterwards he would turn back
towards samadhi again, as was his way, until the time came for him to
withdraw from it. After that he would investigate and research with
wisdom until he finished whatever he was investigating. The total time
spent in samadhi at night was four to five hours each time whereas
during the day it was from two to four hours, and in addition he would
walk cankama after doing samadhi meditation. This was his regular
routine, but he was not much interested in the amount of time which he
spent, for the effort which he put into these various aspects of Dhamma
were his chief concern. He said that whether he ate food or not he did
not feel hungry, although there were some mild reactions from the body,
but not enough to bother him and cause trouble. When the Devata talked
about him being hungry it was just her assumption. For himself, he had
no concerns about being hungry because he was absorbed in the Dhamma
which was in touch with his heart all the time — which was a more subtle
nutrient than any other kind of food.
This Bhikkhu said that sometimes he could see the Devata in the
middle of the day sitting on a rock politely watching him about twenty
yards or more from him. Sometimes in the middle of the day the Devata
would come up to him quite silently, as she did on the day when she came
to ask permission to rub the Deva food over his body. At times he would
see the Devata who had come to sit only about four yards away from him.
He could see her quite clearly as if he were using his physical eyes,
but when he opened his eyes he could also see her just as clearly as
when they were closed. At that time his citta was only slightly calmed
down and he should not have been able to see her. Because the citta
which is going to receive guests from the Deva realms must normally be
in a deeper state of calm than he was in then. Sometimes he felt
strangely disorientated and he had to ask the Devata: “Have you produced
a gross bodily image (nimitta) now, like a human body for I can see you
clearly both with my “heart’s eye” and with my physical eyes, in the way
I see other things in the world?” The Devata replied: “I can create a
subtle body or a gross body without any difficulty at all.” “And this
image that I see, is it a gross body or a subtle body?” he asked. “This
image is a gross body,” she said. “Then what if someone else should come
here and see you?” he asked. She replied, “I have made myself visible to
you alone as I told you earlier, you need not be afraid.” But this
conversation took place via the heart and not at the level of ordinary
speech.
The Devatas are able to recall their actions in the past (lives) (pubbenivasa)
in the same way as those Bhikkhus who have the ability in this sort of
thing. In this case the Devata told this Bhikkhu all sorts of things
about her past and the things she had done. But regretfully we must pass
over this because I cannot remember all the things that happened.
The above account has been included here so that the reader may
think about how the citta which has been continually taking on this or
that form of body throughout endless past realms of existence and lives,
never has any time when it can stop and rest from this however it twists
and turns about.
But there are some people who deny this and say that death is the
end and one is then annihilated. In one who believes this, annihilation
and the truth which is that one is not annihilated, contradict each
other in one and the same person. But who is it that has to accept the
results of his past actions, and who is it that gets the truth which is
unalterable, coming back on him apart from the one who denied and the
one who accepted the truth. There is nobody else to take on the results
of each one’s past — which are those of birth and death — for this is
bound to be the destiny of beings in this world, each for itself. The
happiness and suffering which each one has within the span of each life
— between birth and death, is just the destiny of each one who is born
and dies and who must accept it themselves. The words, or the opinion
which says: “death is annihilation”, or “death leads to rebirth”, are
not what will bear the result in place of oneself so that one can take
heart and feel easy about making these assertions without any thought of
what in fact is the truth of the matter.
The practice of training and developing the citta (citta–bhavana)
is the way to get to know about oneself, and most especially to get to
know about birth and death which are inherent in oneself. This is far
better than any other methods for determining the truth of this matter,
for other methods only tend to waste time without getting to the truth
that convinces and makes one restrain one’s heart from indulging in all
sorts of wayward and playful thoughts which are pointless and cannot
lead to the truth. The one that has to accept being born again after
death is the heart; and conversely, the one that some say is annihilated
after death is also the heart.
This “heart” is the most recondite thing and quite different from
all other things, and this ought to be verified by the way of citta
bhavana, which is the best way to enable one to see with certainty what
in fact happens. In doing this, the important thing is to get the citta
to go down deeper and deeper steadily, until it reaches its original
ground. Then one will be bound to know about oneself for sure, both
about birth and about death and also about not being born and not dying,
all of which are to be found in the sphere of this same heart. As for
being annihilated when one dies, this is not to be found anywhere within
this heart which goes touring about. Nor in the Dhamma of the Lord is
there any mention of annihilation upon death to be found in the heart.
When one practises citta bhavana one never comes across anything about
the citta dying and being annihilated, for if one comes across anything
at all it is always and only about death being followed by birth. If the
citta gets to know all about itself it will come across “no-birth” and
“no-death” within the citta. But never death and annihilation.
Yet there is that within us which vigorously denies this and it is
not interested in searching for those causes which are there within each
of us and which are proclaiming themselves openly all the time. The
important thing here is that, if the heart, which is the leader, refuses
to investigate the ways of those basic causes which it should get to
know from itself, then even if thousands of people were to come and tell
him the truth which they have known from their own experience of having
seen it for themselves, they would still have no way to make him accept
what they say. Or at least, not so that he will accept that truth in a
way which leads him to improve and correct himself so that he becomes a
rational person who can take up and hold onto what will be of increasing
value to him. In the end he will probably become one who goes through
birth and death time after time, defying himself and not looking any
further than his present situation.
This is like a person who has a critical illness, who is not
interested in thinking about himself so much as about his room in the
hospital, the medicine which he must take, the doctors and the nurses
and how they are no good and do not respond to his wishes, and he
complains and moans and groans all the time disturbing other people as
well, even though none of what he does is any use at all.
The account of the Bhikkhu who was visited by a Devata and about
his recollection of past lives has been told. The writer has also
completed the discussion of life after death as against annihilation
after death, and what has been written should be sufficient as a means
of verification for those of us who still have doubts and uncertainty in
regard to these two views which we should verify ourselves. Now we will
go on to tell of various other things. |
|
8. Bhikkhus of the “Modern
Kind”
Generally, in the practice of the Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus who
follow in the line from Venerable Acharn Mun, they like to live in the
forests and hills, as we have already said before. They do this in order
to get away from disturbance so as to live at ease in doing the work of
a recluse (Samana–Dhamma) in their own time as they feel like it,
without wasting time with other duties which are not really necessary.
In particular, the Lord said that construction work and building
projects are an enemy and detrimental to the work of a recluse. This is
recorded in the Maha Khandhaka Vinaya, in connection with the way of
development for a Bhikkhu who is just at the beginning and who has not
yet gained any firm principle in his heart nor reached any level of
attainment. In this, the Lord teaches that such a Bhikkhu should turn
away from such works and go quickly to find a place to stay which is
quiet and secluded. Thus, for instance, he should not go and stay near a
boat landing place where there are often crowds of people, nor in a
monastery where they are doing building or repair work. One should
reflect on how, if one has a small wound it should heal quite quickly
with the right treatment, but when it is left open and comes into
contact with all sorts of things all the time, it will probably get
worse even if one tries to protect it. The heart is like such a wound
which needs to be looked after and which can get worse when it comes
into contact with all sorts of things all the time.
In fact, this is true, not only for the
citta which is just beginning the training, but also for one that has
trained for a long time but has still not attained enough controlling
principle so that
he can feel some confidence — or feel absolutely confident — for there
is still the possibility that he may get worse. This is like a fresh
wound, or an old wound, respectively, which he does not take care of. So
“taking care of”, and “looking after” are the ways of being heedful,
both for those who are just beginning the training and also for those
who have been training for a long time. One must not think that one is
well experienced in the ways of Kammatthana and that one is adept at it
just because one has done it for a long time and that one is able to go
anywhere and live anywhere. To think like this is to be imprudent and
careless. Or, as some would say, “imprudent to the point of being
shameless”, and they are probably right. Because whether one has been
training for a long time, or not, is not nearly so important as having a
firmly established controlling principle in one’s heart, which is the
aim of the Dhamma Teaching that has been handed down to us.
Therefore in this present age, Venerable Acharn Mun taught all his
followers most emphatically about the importance of a quiet place for
Dhutanga Bhikkhus of his lineage; and also how they should not become an
“Acariya” teaching others before they have become an “Acariya” to teach
themselves in the first place, so that the heart of each one shall have
gained a firm controlling principle which is able to look after and
protect himself. Then, wherever he goes he will be of no danger to
himself nor harmful to others. As for being of value to others, this
will follow on naturally when such a person who practises the way has a
ground or basis of Dhamma which is sufficient — or which is completely
fulfilled, accordingly.
To begin with one’s teaching must be to oneself — almost as if one
does not let oneself look at anyone else, but only at the right and
wrong, and good and evil of oneself, as well as teaching oneself to be
cautious of things which harm the citta in indirect ways. This means all
those things which make trouble and difficulties or which cause worry to
oneself because of having to organise this or build that, for this is
the kind of work that people in the world do everyday. This is not the
kind of work that should be important for Dhutanga Bhikkhus whose aim is
that of attaining freedom while they are still at the stage of “walking
on” and teaching themselves. For their interest should be in bhavana so
as to look at their own kilesas (defilements) and to see the conceit and
self-opinion that they have. Rather than going about increasing their
worldly ways by looking for gross burdensome pursuits to take up and get
involved in, until they become a “narcotic drug” in the heart. Then one
cannot live in peace but must always be arranging this or building that,
otherwise the kilesas cause one trouble. Which means that one has to
exercise them in doing this business or that job, sufficient to act as
an object of attention and interest which it can depend on for the time
being. Having finished they again cause trouble, until once again one
must exercise them and this goes on all the time without ever reaching
any satisfactory solution.
At first one thinks of doing such work to overcome one’s restless
irritability and that one cannot live without doing such works. But in
the end these works become increasingly burdensome until they actually
tend to make the irritability worse. They become things which disturb
both oneself and others, causing turbulence in all, like mud stirred up
in water. Because those who practise the way have taken up this path to
cure their kilesas and to attain calm and happiness both for themselves
and other people everywhere. Therefore, so that the kilesas can gain
heart they like to make their owners take them out and exercise them in
the foregoing way until there is no time to rest and relax and get into
a state of calm at all; and they like it even better if those who
practise the way come to have no routine practices left which are
regularly done as a basic discipline.
When Venerable Acharn Mun was emphatically teaching Dhamma in a
manner which went to the heart, he was very afraid that it would not
reach the hearts of we who were listening and who were inclined to go in
the opposite direction to him. This he pointed out in ways such as:
“If any of you who practise the way want to surpass the teaching of
this foolish old man, then go and do so. When you have attained the
highest Dhamma using your methods, then please come and help this old
man so that he can see the sky and the earth with you, for this old man
just dwells in the forest practising meditation by closing his ears and
eyes without looking at the moon, the stars and the world of samsara to
see how it is developing and deteriorating. Anyone who wants development
and progress in the modern way must use modern ways. But this old
Bhikkhu has not yet got the wisdom to find out how to use these modern
ways, and so he holds on to the methods of using the old Dhutanga
practices which the Lord Buddha gave us, to be used according to the
needs of each person. But others always want to come and be a nuisance,
disturbing him all the time and not allowing him to relax even for a
short time. And when they come, instead of using whatever mindfulness
and wisdom they have to keep a close watch on the routine methods of
practice and taking them up as their way to develop, they turn about and
become modern Bhikkhus taking a short cut to get rid of their kilesas by
indulging in business and works of various kinds so as to show off to
the world that: ‘I have ability and talents.’ But are they talents (vasana)?
In fact they seem to be nothing but kilesas which bind and tangle them
up until they cannot find any time to live in peace and happiness, not
even for brief periods. All they have is emotionally bound involvements
(arammana) which drag them this way and that until they cannot sit
still. Are these the talents of a practising Bhikkhu? I’m foolish and I
don’t know what kinds of talents these are, nor how those talents should
be promoted so that they may be the right way for a Bhikkhu who
practises. And how then does the work of a Bhikkhu who practises with
the highest aim and ideal of attaining salvation differ from other work
as done elsewhere in the world? And why do they like all the troublesome
involvement in the world, yet do not see what it’s all about. As for
myself, I am still alive and I can see the way it has gone already, and
how will it be when I am dead? Even though I am very foolish and
ignorant, I know what will happen and how it is going to be from the way
things are happening now in the field of those who practise.”
In addition, these Bhikkhus, once they go away from here, they
wander about boasting to the world that they are followers of Venerable
Acharn Mun — followers of Venerable Acharn Mun who never have time to
shut their mouths, until other people are tired of hearing them; and it
is significant that Venerable Acharn Mun is a forest Bhikkhu, whereas
most of his followers are Bhikkhus of the modern type. This is where it
will decay and decompose until it loses all form due to the boastfulness
and ‘sales talk’ of Acharn Mun’s followers. This is why I am concerned
about my Bhikkhus who act and behave in ways that are unusual and
abnormal, setting up their teacher like food for sale in front of a
shop. To begin with, this leads people to the false belief that these
Bhikkhus are the Acariya’s followers, without understanding that they
are the type of followers who are parasites and who, in an occult way,
‘suck his blood’, as well as that of other people in general. Secondly,
it makes people tired and fed up with hearing their self-advertisements,
boasting of all the things they have done, and fed up with the endless
trouble and nuisance which they become in all sorts of ways. All of this
is what leads to their own destruction, as well as to the destruction of
their Acariya, the circle of those who practise the way and Buddhism,
causing it to become lost with everything else. A vision (nimitta) which
I saw in my meditation practice, of Bhikkhus running about back and
forth in front of me and behind me, which is to be interpreted as
showing the shameless arrogance of those practising Bhikkhus who are
lacking in moral shame and moral fear (Hiri–Ottappa–Dhamma) in their
hearts, is now coming into being for me to see quite clearly all the
time — even while I am still alive. After I am dead, whoever has the
‘stripes of the tiger’ or the ‘spots of the leopard’ concealed within
them are then bound to display them as much as they can. For they have
already begun to sell themselves and their teacher to some extent, in
various ways which depend on the colour of their ‘stripes or spots’.
This is an indication which can be clearly seen in the present, of the
harm which they will do in the future.”
He further emphasised this theme, saying: “If there is anyone here
at present who wants to be clever and bold-faced in a shameless way even
while still staying with me, please say so! I will set you up as the
‘great teacher’ of the way of practice right now — even though you are
still full of stupidity. But I want to let the others admire you as a
thoroughly clever person to satisfy your desire, so you must speak out
now! A skilled and clever person is rarely found and I would like to
meet one, for I would be sorry to die without having this opportunity.
Therefore I want to meet you now, while I am still alive.”
This is how Venerable Acharn Mun could be truly forceful, strong
and acerbic when he wanted to be and those who heard it would sweat
profusely as they felt hotter than fire. But for those who listened with
interest in learning the way of Dhamma and who were truly intent on the
way of practice, the more forceful it was, the more their hearts
submitted to it, the more they accepted it and the more cool they felt.
This was very different from those times when he taught Dhamma in the
usual way.
The foregoing was written so that the reader may get an idea of
what Venerable Acharn Mun was like, both when he was benign, when he was
acerbic and in various other aspects of his character, as well as that
of his followers. Some people may think that his followers were all
good, like their teacher, but in truth they are mixed, some good and
some bad, like parents may have many children, some good and some bad
mixed together. The followers of Venerable Acharn Mun had kilesas, so
there may well be that which is good, unavoidably mixed up with that
which is blameworthy. To look and examine well in all situations both
externally and internally and to act accordingly is the right way of
being circumspect in Dhamma. It is also a boon and blessing to that
person in particular, and afterwards to others who accept what he says.
Some things which Venerable Acharn Mun taught exclusively to the
circle of those who practise, and special aspects of Dhamma which he
taught in a forceful, provocative manner, are not suitable for inclusion
in this book. But I have the bad and perverse tendency to like those
talks which are more forceful and provocative than usual, because they
go straight to the heart, which dwells deep down and does not like to
rise to the surface to show itself nor to accept the Dhamma teaching
easily. But when the heart does rise to the surface to accept Dhamma,
even though it may be forceful and provocative, it is prepared to put up
with it. Therefore, a sample of this kind of talk was included above for
those readers who have similar temperaments to the writer, and who may
be aroused by it to think in ways that will be of some value to them. If
however the reader feels that it was inappropriate then I ask for your
forgiveness. But normally, Dhamma has many facets and it may be profound
or simple, and gross or subtle. So the teaching of Dhamma should be of
various types to correspond with the different facets of Dhamma, so that
those who receive it and who have various different characters may
choose the type that fits them best. What is written in this book has
also been done with this same principle in mind so that the reader may
choose what he likes to bring him some benefit. As for me, I am doing
the best I can to assure that all who read this book shall gain
something of value from it. |
|
9. About Beings in the
Realm of Ghosts
We
must return once again to the story of Venerable Acharn Chob which is
not yet finished.
At one time he was staying in a cave in the province of Chiang Mai
and it seems that it was very favourable for his practice of Dhamma.
While there he experienced all sorts of things both internally and
externally, much more than before and much more extensively and quite
different from everywhere else he had been. He soon saw that this was a
good opportunity for him to progress, so he stayed on doing his practice
there for many months.
His investigation of Dhamma was good and clear both by day and by
night, the weather was good and the cave was open with a good flow of
air through it all the time, so he had no problems with external
conditions which were comfortably cool and constant. But in that place
there was something which he felt was unusual in connection with samadhi
bhavana. When he did some investigation within his heart it became calm
in a very subtle way, and when he came out of samadhi to go the way of
developing wisdom, it was nimble and skilful without any fumbling,
groping and sluggishness, which are signs that laziness has crept in. He
said that while he was there he was constantly visited by Devatas from
many different levels and places, both high and low, but he considered
that this was quite normal. What was unusual was the large number of
“ghosts” that were moving house with their families from various
districts in the Northeast of Thailand and going to settle in the hills
of the province of Chiang Mai. Some were riding on horses or cattle
holding their children and belongings, and moving their families,
passing by in front of the place where he was staying. As soon as they
came close to where he was staying, the leader of the group would bring
all his followers to pay respect to the Acariya. He asked them why these
ghosts were all moving like this. They replied that they were moving
their families and relatives from their village — they told him the name
of the village — and they were going to a hill, which they named, in the
province of Chiang Mai. They also told him that where they had come from
there was little food, conditions were very difficult and people had no
sense of morality (Sila–Dhamma). All the time they were robbing,
plundering and killing each other. As ghosts have characteristics that
are very like human beings, they become ghosts without any moral sense
by following the ways of people. They tormented and harmed each other in
the same way as people were doing, causing trouble and confusion so that
it was not peaceful like it used to be. Then they heard from relatives
who came to visit them, that here in Chiang Mai one can find happiness
for the moral behaviour of the people is better than elsewhere. They
also heard that there were other beings living in the district of Chiang
Mai who were similar to themselves and who were unknown and unrecognised
by human beings, and that they were also well imbued with moral
behaviour and had more peace and happiness than elsewhere. Therefore
they decided to move there following the advice of their relatives (one
must understand that their relatives were also ghosts).
The Acariya asked: “When you say that conditions are difficult and
there is little food, how is this since you do not depend on rice, fish
and other foods, nor on housing, clothing and other things connected
with living and eating, as people do. For these are what would make you
work with hardship to plant and build things, as well as providing the
conditions for those who make trouble by thieving and plundering from
each other, as happens in the world of people?”
He replied: “As long as one is a being who has the results of
kamma (vipaka) attached to oneself, wherever one is born and lives one
always has results of kamma to support and help one, and to bring one
trouble and suffering, in the same way as it does with all other beings.
Whether one is born with a material body or any other kind of body is
not so important, for what really matters is whether one is endowed with
good or evil kamma. One takes birth and goes to live in some form of
existence in a particular place and it is this one himself who lives
there just for the happiness and suffering which he is destined to
experience. Therefore, to be in want, and to have plenty, are both found
in beings who have good and evil kamma, but how strong or weak they are
depends on the background of each individual.”
The Acariya asked: “When you said that some ghosts have
Sila–Dhamma (a moral basis) and some do not, how is this? Do you mean
that ghosts know the meaning of Sila–Dhamma in the same way that people
do?”
He answered saying: “Sila–Dhamma is a universal thing, it is not
only found in human beings, but everywhere. The virtue and happiness in
this principle of nature, is known by beings everywhere in the world,
but they may or may not have a name for it, because the name is not so
important as the nature of it which all beings like and are bound to
depend on. That ‘virtue’ is in fact Sila–Dhamma, and the happiness that
arises from that virtue is also an aspect of Sila–Dhamma. But they are
different in that the former is causal and the latter is resultant. In
saying that ghosts have Sila–Dhamma, I mean of course, those ghosts who
have good characteristics and whose behaviour towards the other ghosts
is good. And also, in saying that ghosts do not have Sila–Dhamma, I mean
those ghosts who are not good and who have bad characteristics, and
whose behaviour towards the others is not good. This is much the same as
people who are good and bad, and it shows up in their different forms of
behaviour respectively. Therefore wherever Sila–Dhamma is found, it is
peaceful, and wherever it is lacking, there is trouble.”
The Acariya asked: “What does it mean when you talk about your
relatives, and since when have you been relatives to each other?”
He answered: “The relatives of ghosts and the relatives of people
are the same. In other words, previously when we were humans we were
related together as brothers and sisters and so on, and we were close
together and had a high regard for each other in the way people do.
Then, when we died we all came back to birth as ghosts, and we can
clearly remember each other so we have been inseparable blood relatives
ever since we were human beings and will remain so until kamma separates
us, causing us to be born elsewhere so that we have no way to remember
each other.”
The Acariya asked: “When you live here in Chiang Mai, won’t you be
thinking of your old home with longing, in the same way as people get
homesick when they move to another district?”
He answered: “There is nothing to long for, because ghosts do not
have farms and homes like people. All we have are a few subtle personal
possessions which we carry with us, so there is nothing to long for.”
The Acariya asked: “Why do you carry these baskets and things
along with you to clutter you up; and why do you bring these horses and
cows? Wouldn’t it be better to leave them behind?”
He answered: “Those things which are useful to ghosts and those
things which make up their wealth are bound to cause attachment in
ghosts. Or, to put it another way, there is no real difference between
the results of kamma in ghosts and in people, nor between that which
makes up the wealth of ghosts and of people when either of them have
kamma–results inherently with them.” The Acariya asked: “Where you lived
before, and where you are going to live in the Chiang Mai district, are
you all bound to have houses to live in and friends about the place, or
do some of you live differently?”
He replied: “We are bound to have houses, children, relatives and
friends in the same way as people and other beings do. Because we are
beings of one kind in the same way as all others, but our bodies are not
visible to human eyes and the eyes of some other beings. Although we are
quite visible to those who have Deva bodies, and we all have happiness
and suffering in the same way, because the hearts of the ghosts and the
hearts of all other beings have kamma and the results of kamma in the
same way. So that wherever one is born, whatever type of birth one has
and wherever one lives, one must experience the results of kamma in the
same way as all other beings.”
The Acariya said that when he saw these ghosts moving their
families, husbands, wives, children and relatives going by in large
numbers, they were in no way different from human beings when they move
their family to a new home. They gave the same kind of impression of
being loaded down with all sorts of things which they were carrying
along with them, outwardly showing their suffering, anxiety and
unhappiness. Just like people moving home and also like some other
creatures such as ants carrying their eggs from one home to another. It
made him think of the Dhamma aphorism, where it says: “Kamma disposes of
beings in many different ways so that they experience different things
in accordance with the results of the kamma which they have done. In
whatever state and wherever they are born they come under the overruling
influence of their good and evil kamma, as also does their sukha and
dukkha and there are no exceptions to the law of kamma at all. Those who
do good will be rewarded by the result of happiness, and those who do
evil will get the result of suffering (dukkha).” These two principles of
happiness and suffering are to be found in beings everywhere regardless
of their form of birth. The only difference is that they are more gross
or more subtle, depending on how gross or subtle the bodily form is. Or
to put it briefly, this is just the bodily home of our happiness and
suffering. Therefore one should not get so excited about birth, which
has an equal status with death. For one who does not want to die but
desires to take birth in various different forms, is in fact desiring
nothing but death.
The Acariya said, “I have thought about these ghosts and the
various Devas that I have met and seen, and compared their situation
with my own and with that of other beings generally, until I came to
understand quite clearly that all are enmeshed in this mass of Dukkha
together. Like a lot of animals of various kinds which have all been
confined together in one place. It made me very sorrowful about the
condition of birth and death under which we and all other beings live,
never knowing if or when we will be able to get free from them. And the
more I came across such things, the more it made me diligent in the
practice of citta bhavana for the demolition of the kilesas which lead
one on to ever more becoming and birth. For existence, or birth, is what
sets up the immediate conditions for suffering. Therefore, one who wants
to attain complete and perfect happiness should not at the same time
desire birth, which contradicts and opposes this aim. For in fact it is
the erasing of the seed of this tendency from the heart which is true,
complete and perfect happiness.”
He said further that he not only knew about the Pretas, ghosts,
Devaputta and Devata, but:
“Even Venerable Acharn Mun who has already reached Parinibbana,
came regularly with metta, to visit me and explain Dhamma. Generally the
teaching which Venerable Acharn Mun gave me laid great stress on not
being negligent, and doing this by rousing up mindfulness as the
assurance that one is being diligent. He said that one who has present
mindfulness in any position or situation, not only when practising
meditation for samadhi or walking cankama, is in fact being diligent,
because the presence of mindfulness means that he is being diligent.
Mindfulness is the acknowledging Dhamma, the Dhamma of withstanding or
putting up with hardships, the fighting Dhamma, the Dhamma of evading
the enemies attacks, as used in fighting, and the Dhamma of advancing,
fearless of death in the battle between the citta and the kilesas. But
if mindfulness is the only thing that is lacking one will lose.”
“This is what Venerable Acharn Mun taught so one who practises
must develop mindfulness, and it ought to be present with Dhamma at
every stage and level of the citta. Regardless of whether one is just
beginning the training, whether the citta has achieved samadhi, whether
one is just beginning the training for wisdom, one has developed wisdom
or one has reached a stage of skilfulness and penetration in the
use of wisdom, in all cases mindfulness is a necessity with Dhamma at
all levels. Mindfulness should never be confined to a limited field of
activity with the idea that one should have it present in those
circumstances as a necessary minimum — or that so much is the maximum
that is necessary. But one should promote mindfulness until it becomes
firmly entrenched and becomes “Maha–sati” — and this is the way it
should be — because mindfulness is a very important Dhamma in this work,
and one in which those who practise should take the greatest interest.
Regardless of what one is doing, whether internal or external, gross or
subtle, mindfulness is an essential Dhamma which should be present and
which should permeate everything that one does. In samadhi at every
stage and in wisdom at every level, mindfulness must be present as a
guardian continually. If mindfulness is lacking, more is lacking than
would be the case if one lacked in all other forms of work and did not
do them. So one may do work or not, but one should never let mindfulness
be absent from oneself, from one’s heart. Anyone who endeavours to
develop mindfulness relentlessly is bound to clear obstructions from his
path and to walk on until he gains success regardless of how thick the
kilesas are within his heart. This means that samadhi and wisdom at
every level will arise and be able to gain strength due to the
overpowering influence of mindfulness — that which gives them sustenance
— and this is absolutely certain. The way which leads progressively from
the beginning onward until it reaches the state of freedom (vimutti) of
Nibbana is the way of mindfulness and it is this that supports them. If
those who would develop calm (samatha) or insight (vipassana) at all
levels lack mindfulness, their calm and insight have no way that they
can develop at all. From the beginning of the practice, right up to the
end of the way, I have never seen any Dhamma which is so remarkable and
which goes so deeply into the heart as mindfulness. Mindfulness is a
guardian, a sustenance, and a prophylactic or preventive remedy which
protects samadhi and wisdom at all levels — and these two Dhammas
(samadhi and pañña) can only develop and reach their fulfilment if they
are associated with mindfulness to promote and look after them — which
can never take place if mindfulness is absent. You must listen well to
what I say, take it to heart, grasp hold of it and never let the
following be forgotten in a cloud of delusion, that: mindfulness is a
deep well of great strength in every aspect of striving in the way of
Dhamma. Before one can alter or change one’s thoughts or views in any
way, they must be subjected to mindfulness, and whether they are gross
or subtle and at whatever level of Dhamma one must have mindfulness
which is one of the most important things in the field of Dhamma
practice.”
“With regard to wisdom, when the time has come to use thought for
research, one must do so to the maximum of one’s ability without holding
back one’s strength for fear that wisdom will “overflow”. If one always
has mindfulness to control wisdom in every aspect of investigating or
research, wisdom will not be able to overflow and become trivial
nonsense. The reason why wisdom becomes like water overflowing until one
is unable to intervene and stop it, is because there is a lack of
mindfulness to control it. Then it turns into discursive thought based
on memory (sañña), until finally one can find no truth in it at all.
But wisdom which has mindfulness as a companion is sure to walk up
towards the stage of Maha–pañña (Great wisdom) in a way that one would
not expect.”
“Once the heart has Maha–sati and Maha–pañña as its companions,
then even though the kilesas may be thicker than a mountain, they will
not be able to withstand their own destruction being brought about by
the power of these two — “Maha–sati” and “Maha–pañña”. When one is
working to develop the way, one should not pay attention to time, place
or anything else more than one pays attention with mindfulness to the
citta or the events that arise and cease in the citta, while
investigating them with wisdom. This is the way to freedom from dukkha
of all kinds which is here within one and not dependent on place, age or
time.”
“But the search for a secluded peaceful place to act as a suitable
battlefield where one may gain victory is the right way of Dhamma.
Although one must not be so concerned about it that it becomes an
obsession and changes into a self-made obstacle due to one’s anxiety to
find a place. One should just go on searching until one has found a
suitable place that is satisfactory enough. Having found a place one
should set up mindfulness and think with wisdom at the same time without
wasting any more time.”
“The Four Satipatthanas and the Four Noble Truths (Sacca–Dhamma)
are the battleground, and in that battleground one must throw in the
utmost of one’s mindfulness, wisdom, faith and effort. Don’t doubt that
the Path, Fruition and Nibbana are to be found anywhere but within the
field of these Four Satipatthanas and the Four Noble Truths. These are
the unshakeable Dhammas which have guaranteed the Path and Fruition
through the ages since the beginningless past, and they are still the
Dhammas which give complete and perfect assurance of the Path and
Fruition at all levels without any shortcomings.”
“Any shortcomings and inability to reach the goal are to be found
within the mindfulness, wisdom, faith and effort of each individual and
not in the aforementioned Dhammas which are unshakeable and have always
been there to give assurance. So you must set your heart firmly on the
Path and Fruition by digging down and searching in the Four
Satipatthanas or the Four Noble Truths with the utmost of whatever
wisdom you have. Then one day in the future you will certainly be one of
those who bestow the Path and Fruition on yourself through your skill
and in the most unexpected way, a way that one could never have
foreseen.”
“This explanation that I have given is a summary of the Path and
Fruition which cannot be found elsewhere. You must try and follow it!
You must get rid of all doubt concerning “the essential nature” (anga)
of the Teacher (the Sasada: i.e., the Buddha), of the Dhamma and of the
Sangha, as well as that of your Teacher (Guru–Acariya) whom the world
claims has “entered Nibbana” already.”
“That which is called “Nibbana” is not where the “world” thinks or
believes it to be. Where it is actually located, the “world” is quite
unable to guess. But where it is, there you will see Nibbana, the Lord
Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha, the Teacher, and also yourself right
there; and then all doubts and uncertainties of all kinds will
disappear. And where is that place? That place is the Four Satipatthanas
and the Four Noble Truths together with the heart that has Maha–sati and
Maha–pañña digging and searching in detail all round, until everything
becomes Dhamma and absolutely true in every part, without any false
knowledge and understanding remaining in those Four Satipatthanas and
Four Noble Truths at all. Then each of them is true and real; in other
words, the Four Satipatthanas are true, the Four Noble Truths are true,
and the heart is true with wisdom. This is freedom (vimutti)! This is
Nibbana! This is the dwelling place of the Great Teachers (Buddhas), the
Dhamma, the Sangha, and those Acariyas who have attained the state of
Purity! But once again, where is this place? It is where all anxiety and
worry are at an end, where all becoming and birth are let go of, where
all dukkha is let go of. You let go of them, all of them, right there.
So you must endeavour to develop the way of practice for this “letting
go” in that place. You must not indulge in speculation and guesswork
which only wastes time and makes you tired in vain. Because that Dhamma
is not a Dhamma of speculation or guesswork but the true Dhamma of
whoever truly does the practices which the Lord laid down. That person
will reach and attain the true Dhamma without having to do any guesswork
at all.”
When Venerable Acharn Mun had finished his teaching out of metta,
this Acariya prostrated to him within his samadhi bhavana, then
Venerable Acharn Mun just moved a little bit and immediately
disappeared. This time he did not come by flying through the sky and
when he went it was immediate. This Acariya said that he could never
predict with any certainty what nimitta he would get for Venerable
Acharn Mun, for sometimes he would come and go as if flying through the
air, whereas at other times he would come walking like a normal person,
and go in the same way, but his appearance was the same as it had been
before he died without any noticeable differences. In fact, he said,
that every time he came to teach, his appearance was always the same and
he came quite regularly out of metta to teach him.
This Acariya is endowed with a rather strange destiny of which the
most outstanding features are his tendency to like living in the hills
and forests and to wander about on his own, and his liking for eventful
encounters of various kinds, such as with tigers. Even when he came out
of the forests and met up with other Bhikkhus and friends, it was only
for a short while before he returned to the forest again. But despite
these tendencies, he has lived his life in safety without anything doing
him any harm.
At one time, in the middle of the day he was resting in a small
hut while staying in a Wat. On that day it happened that his Mother came
unexpectedly to the Wat, and she went to his hut and called to him,
“Come quickly to the sala (meeting hall) because just now Lady Madri is
there. Please come quickly, right now!” What inspired her to do this is
not known, but she kept on calling him while waiting for him in front of
his hut, telling him to hurry up and come quickly until he became
startled, woke up completely and ran out of the hut. He did not think of
why, and whether all this about Lady Madri being in the sala was true or
not, for without thinking about it he just jumped up and immediately
left the hut. Then the most unexpected and unusual thing happened, for
hurrying out of the hut, he had only gone about nine yards away when a
huge tree in front of his hut broke and fell right on his hut,
demolishing it and smashing it into fragments. If his mother had not
come and roused him up so that he woke suddenly, he would have gone on
sleeping and would never have been able to wake. He said that this was
his kamma which was still going on, for it had not yet reached its end
on that day, otherwise that would have been his last moment for sure.
After this had happened, the Acariya asked his mother why she had
come and called him and woken him up in such a hurry that he had no time
to think, so that he got out of the hut so quickly. And after he had
woken up properly he was still puzzled, even despite the falling of the
tree. His mother said that it was as if something made her feel that she
must quickly go and wake him up to come and see Lady Madri, and just at
that moment she saw Lady Madri actually sitting in the sala, and she
said that she was Lady Madri. So she wanted the Acariya — her son — to
come and meet and to welcome Lady Madri. Up to that moment, she had only
heard of Lady Madri in the Vessantara Jataka story and she never ever
dreamed that she would see her or that she would come to sit in the sala
in the forest like this. So she was completely overwhelmed and went
quickly to wake up her son and bring him to the sala quickly to meet the
Lady Madri. This was his mother’s explanation, and the Acariya went on
to say that he was amazed and never thought that such a thing could
happen — “but if it had not, I would have died for sure right then.”
While listening to this story I felt as if my hair was standing on
end! The Acariya said further that this was a true case of an event
caused by kamma. As to seeing Lady Madri sitting in the sala, this was
probably a Devata nimitta in the form of Lady Madri which came to save
his life, otherwise he would almost certainly have died that day. His
mother told him that she really did see a woman sitting in the sala and
she was very beautiful, in fact she had never seen such a beautiful
woman as this one who said that she was Lady Madri. But when she went
back to look for her after the tree had fallen, there was nobody there —
only a picture of Lord Vessantara and Lady Madri which had been there
for a long time. Everyone who heard of this incident was amazed and
filled with wonder that such a thing could happen.
This Acariya seems to have come close to the end of his life many
times, for apart from the foregoing incident in which a tree fell on his
hut, he has also met wild tigers face to face on several occasions, but
the Devatas have been able to help him escape unharmed. We will relate
one further incident where this Acariya narrowly escaped death in the
following story.
One day, this Acariya had been on tour and had gone to stay near a
village in an extensive forest area after having come from the hills. He
arrived in the evening and stopped in the forest to spend the night.
After it was dark, about 9 o’clock it started to rain and a storm came
on with large hailstones coming down. He could not find anywhere to
shelter and had to stay close to a large tree. It was too dark for him
to see anything and the rain was pouring down mixed with hailstones like
pebbles falling from a mountain, as a huge storm developed. It seemed as
if the tree that he was by would be uprooted while he was standing there
soaked, with one hand holding his opened umbrella tent (klod) and his
bowl hanging from his shoulder in its carrier, cold and shivering like a
small bird caught in the rain at the foot of this tree. Then quite
unexpectedly and suddenly a large branch broke off the tree in the storm
and fell just by him, hitting his umbrella tent which he was holding,
breaking it in pieces and his bowl slipped off his shoulder and fell,
scattering its contents about the place. Now all he had left were his
body and his life to withstand the cold weather and wait for his last
moment to come. All his possessions had fallen and he had no way to find
out where they were because it was too dark in the middle of the night
with the rain falling heavily and the storm in full blast for him to
distinguish anything. All he could do was to stand there, close his eyes
and watch his breath to see when it would finally stop. All he had left
were his two robes which he was wearing and they were soaking wet. The
cold, numbness and pain seemed to spread quickly throughout the body. It
was quite indescribable and at one time he thought he had already died
due to the suffering and torment which covered him at that time.
Standing there, he reflected on the Lord Buddha who is the
original Teacher, and how he had experienced suffering and torment much
worse than this that he — the Acariya — was experiencing at this time.
The Lord was not overwhelmed by it and he was able to pass through all
the dangers he met unharmed, until he was enlightened and became the “Sasada”,
the world Teacher. “As for myself,” the Acariya reflected, “I have some
suffering, which will only last until the rain stops. If I cannot stand
this I should die and I should not regret the loss of my life at all.”
When the rain and the storm abated, after about two hours, he was
able to breathe more freely, for to begin with he had thought he would
die with all the rain, the storm and the hailstones. That night he never
lay down or slept at all, for he could only stand and squat down right
through until dawn. While it was raining, by chance a large snake — a
banded krait — came up to him and would not go away. It crawled right up
to his feet and he bent over to look closely at it and he was able to
make out that it was a banded krait. That he was able to see at all was
because the moon was up, although it was still very dark due to the
heavy rain clouds. He tried to drive the snake away, but it would not go
and just coiled itself up about half a meter from him. This made him
resign himself to the course of events, thinking: “At present here I am
full of suffering, but when the rain comes, this snake probably finds it
most agreeable, so it comes out to look around for something to eat. But
why, instead of looking for food, does it come and coil itself up and
lie there quietly so close to me — and I can’t even drive it away? Maybe
it has come to be my friend at this time of suffering and hardship.” As
soon as he had accepted the situation he stopped trying to drive it away
and just let it lie there peacefully. But the snake never displayed any
fearsome behaviour at all and it was probably just acting in its
accustomed manner, and as soon as the dawn came it went away quietly.
The Acariya could not leave that place while it was dark because
he could not see to find his things and he could not light a match
because they were in his bowl which had been knocked away by the branch
and he had no way to find out where it had gone. Nor could he find his
candles and “cloth” lantern which had also been in his bowl. All he
could do was to stand or squat down and watch the banded krait until
dawn. As soon as it got light enough to see, he looked for his things
which he had lost in the night. His umbrella tent which had been knocked
away by the branch that fell had been broken to pieces. His bowl had
been badly bent out of shape by the branch that hit it, but it was not
beyond repair and he beat out some of the dents in it so that he could
use it to get and eat his food out of.
In the morning some of the villagers came out to see him. They
expressed their sympathy and condolences for his plight, saying that he
must have a lot of merit to have survived this ordeal, and they felt
very sorry for him. But they could not help him at that time because
many of the houses in the village had their roofs damaged and blown off
in the storm. When an incident of this kind occurs, if one has not yet
reached one’s time, one can get through unharmed — but who would want to
go through such an experience as this?
Such is the way of life of a Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhu and the
kinds of experiences which each one has to put up with before he can
become a teacher (Acariya) who can show the way of Dhamma to his
followers. Their lives are eventful with much suffering and torment as
we have already seen from the above accounts. But even so they are not
prepared to relax their striving to take it easy. Thus, where we said
above, that, “all he could do was to stand or squat down... and put up
with the cold all night,” this was another way of fighting the enemy.
This method is known as the method of being in a tight corner with
no-way-out, for he was up against enemies, which were in this case, the
rain, the storm, the hailstones, and the branch which broke off and fell
and tore away all his possessions and broke them up and scattered them
about. These were enemies that surrounded him and came so close to him
that there was no way to escape, and this is what is meant by fighting
the enemy in the manner of one who is in a tight corner with his back to
the wall and close to death. Yet he was able to go through it and
survive, which suggests that his time was not up — and he was able to go
on until he became a teacher or Acariya, imparting Dhamma and its
meaning to others. But when his followers listen to the “Dhamma of
narrowly escaping death”, from him, they must think how if he had not
gone through such experiences, there would probably have been no Dhamma
concerning narrow escapes left to reach them and us. When one thinks
about it, his followers would seem to be in a more advantageous position
than their teachers in that they can hear of such experiences without
going through such difficulties and hardships as those who strive and
struggle.
The Acariya met with a lot of suffering and difficulty throughout,
from the time he first started practising the way. But the level of his
Dhamma is very high and worthy of respect and veneration as an ideal and
an example to all of us. Even nowadays, he still has not reduced or
relaxed his striving, because he always gained good results from making
strenuous efforts in the past and he tries to keep up the same thing all
the time. Never has he seen any useful results coming from laziness and
weakness, so he refuses to drift in that direction. As explained early
on in this book, those who have seen valuable results coming from any
path of practice are likely to strive along that path. This Acariya
should be a good example to us, although it is difficult to find anyone
who can do as he did. The level of his citta and his Dhamma are worthy
of respect and homage, for he has great ability at samadhi and he is
able to know the Pretas, ghosts, Devatas and the Naga–kings both
inwardly and outwardly, and it is rare to find anyone who can experience
these things like him. In the ways of wisdom he is skilled, but the
Dhutanga practices are his special love and he maintains them well all
the time. Amongst Venerable Acharn Mun’s follows he is one that is very
high in his Dhamma attainment (Dhamma–guna) and when Venerable Acharn
Mun was still alive he praised him highly saying: “He has a
characteristic tendency to help the Devatas and when he speaks about the
Devatas, Pretas, ghosts and the Naga–kings he knows what he is talking
about. He is content with little in the way of possessions and wants and
likes to live alone in the forests and hills. He is by nature both
resolute and courageous and he encourages his own striving, not becoming
excited by the world of samsara where people so easily get involved in
popular trends. He holds that the forests, hills, caves and overhanging
cliffs are the best place to live and practise all the time, following
the way that his teacher practised. He is not one of those who tend to
do an about face to curry favour with people, to fawn obsequiously on
those who are senior, nor to climb the ladder of special success by
‘running with the fox and hunting with the hounds’, but who are hardly
able to uphold anything that is essential and valuable. They just like
the words but nothing that is genuine and true. If one compares them
with money, all they have got is the balance sheet without any assets to
back it up... He has none of these tendencies, but is one whose level of
Dhamma is worthy of respect and admiration. He is also praiseworthy in
the way that he does not talk much. But when he does talk, what he says
is very penetrating. He does not chatter nor speak aimlessly in ways
that have little of the truth in them and are improper, but he likes
speaking what is true and acting in a true and genuine way and this is
habitual to him, which is appropriate for one who has been a practising
Bhikkhu from the day of his ordination up to the present. As to his
material wealth of possessions, he has very little. But the Bhikkhus and
his followers know very well that he has not accumulated a lot of things
because of his tendency to like wandering in the hills and forests,
rarely visiting villages and towns where there are many people. In
addition he rarely stays in one place long enough for others living
there to get to know him and to visit him regularly, and he likes to
keep his interest and his focus of attention on Dhamma rather than
becoming involved with and concerned about other people and their
offerings of dana. All this has formed his characteristics which are
those of one who likes the way of searching for Dhamma and staying in
places which he considers to be suitable and conducive to the way of
practice for the attainment of that Dhamma which is his goal.”
This Acariya usually likes eventful encounters of various kinds
connected with wild and fierce animals, and it is possible that he and
the animals were all frequent enemies in the past. So now that he is
living the life of a Bhikkhu he likes to walk in those places where he
will most frequently encounter danger from them. But when we look at the
various things that happened to him, it would seem that however fierce
some of the animals may have been, his citta increased in strength every
time he met up with them. Never did any of these encounters cause him
any misfortune, nor did they cause him to lose heart and become
dejected, nor yet were they in any way a danger to his life of purity (Brahmacariya).
But in fact the more he met with such experiences the more they
confirmed his faith in merit, in kamma, in moral behaviour (sila), in
Dhamma, and faith in the capability of his own citta, all of which
became stronger than they would have been normally if he had not
encountered such things.
This gives rise to the speculative thought which accords with the
intuitive feeling of those who practise the way of Kammatthana, that it
is the power of the metta–citta, the power of the one who practises the
way, and the power of Dhamma — the Dhamma which has always given
confidence and peace to the world — that enables them to emerge unharmed
and safe, and to gain strength of heart every time they encounter these
various incidents. This Acariya is likely to be among those who have
strong metta–citta, enough to cause uncertainty in the hearts of the
animals which he came across and to cause their vicious ruthlessness to
abate and die away, until they become as though intimate friends with
the Acariya, in their hearts. Otherwise they would probably have been a
mortal hazard to his life of purity long ago and he would never have
lived to have the story of his life told — whereas in fact he is still
alive now. Dhamma is therefore the most amazing and wonderful thing
beyond all expectations for those who have experienced and realised it
clearly in themselves. But it is a mystery for those who do not live
within that sphere where the way of being able to know lies.
Nevertheless, Dhamma is always Dhamma, standing as a pair with the world
and it does not depend for its existence on whether someone makes
contact with it and knows it and believes in it — or not. Because Dhamma
exists by its own rights as the one Dhamma (Eka–Dhamma) based on its own
natural principles throughout eternity and it does not depend on
anything else by which it could otherwise be influenced or led.
This Acariya must have a fine faith in the value of all the forms
of Dhamma which we have already discussed buried deep in his heart. So
that he likes to dive into the forest, willingly putting up with all the
obstacles and difficulties he finds there without ever backing out and
taking it more easily or weakening. In fact it seems that he is content
with his lot and goes this way more and more, with contentment and
happiness. He shows the truth of this by the way he leaves the Wat to go
on his Dhutanga wanderings in the forests and hills every year at the
end of the vassa period, when he goes away and nobody sees him or knows
where he has gone to. He has never been seen to hang about where there
are lots of people, nor to get involved with others, but always, he sets
off for the forests and hills to strive for the way of Dhamma in his
heart without letting up or giving up. He can talk easily about the
forests, hills, caves and overhanging cliffs in all sorts of places with
an evident satisfaction, and if one leads him on to describe these
places in more detail it arouses an enthusiasm for such places in those
who listen to him and they become engrossed and do not want him to stop.
One pictures oneself going the same way with a fully committed and
joyous heart, as if one were dropping all one’s burdens and restrictions
of every kind from one’s shoulders — in other words, dropping the
kilesas away from one’s heart in those places that he described. After
listening to him one gains heart and starts thinking how one would like
to go and stay in such suitable places. Places which this Acariya
described, where he had gone to practise the way and where the heart can
become calm and peaceful much more easily than in more ordinary places
where he stayed until he became wearied of them.
This Acariya said: “Sometimes while I was sitting in meditation,
or it may have been while I was asleep, I am not sure which, but during
the night a huge tiger came quietly up to the small bamboo platform
where I sat and slept, and I never knew anything about it at all. But
when I woke I saw its footprints, for everyday I swept the grounds round
where I stayed, clear of leaves and things and anything walking there
would leave clearly visible marks. So when I saw its footprints in the
morning near where I stayed I followed them to see how close it had been
and found that it had come right up to the platform where I slept. Not
just close to the platform four or five feet away, but so close that the
last footprint was less than about eighteen inches away. It probably
came to sniff me out and finding that I was still alive and a person it
quietly retreated, and when it went, it went back over the same tracks
that it had come by without wandering about over the area where I was
staying. When I saw its footprints, so bold and fearlessly coming right
up to me a little shiver of fear went through me, for its footprints
were so large, well above the average size. But it only came that one
night and it never came close again. I stayed there for several months
and if it had thought to come and make a meal of me it would probably
have returned. But it never came near, although I heard it roaring and
growling round about there as I had so often heard them everywhere in
the forest.”
I have a tendency to make fanciful suggestions, so having heard
what the Acariya said, I immediately said to him in an encouraging
manner: “I think that it came to pay respect to you and to admire your
virtues (parami), and that it did not come as an enemy. As it was an
animal it could not be ordained as a monk and practise the way of Dhamma
like a human being, so when it went wandering here and there and
happened to come across a Bhikkhu who had a kind heart it felt confident
with faith in you and came to pay homage and admire your virtue. But if
it had come at any other time, I think it would have been concerned lest
it frighten the Bhikkhu, so it came to sniff you while you were asleep
so that it could admire you to its heart’s content while you were not
conscious of its presence and it need not fear that you would be scared
stiff — for this would have been contrary to its purpose in coming to
pay respects to you. As soon as it had paid respect to you to its
satisfaction it then withdrew immediately, for fear that you may wake up
and be afraid, or that you may make a symbolic gesture or use some
magic saying or mantra to cast a spell over it which may spoil its
good-hearted feelings and respect for you. I think that this is the most
likely explanation, otherwise, how else would it be so bold as to go
right up to where you were resting?”
The Acariya laughed quietly and said: “How would it know enough
about me to have any faith or respect? But it may well have thought that
— “this is a nice snack for me” — or some such thought, for sure, and
that is the only reason why it crept up to me to have a look. Then as
soon as it realised that it was a person it went away quickly because
from the time they are born they have an instinctive fear of people.
From that day I never saw any sign of it coming to sniff me or look at
me again while I was there.”
He said further: “Animals of this kind are strange in that it
seems as though they are possessed of some tendency in their hearts
which makes them want to come and look at Kammatthana Bhikkhus who are
sitting in samadhi, walking cankama, striving to practise the way,
sitting in meditation practice under a mosquito net or sleeping.
Sometimes in the morning they would decide to come and look me up, and
they would sit there like a dog, looking at me complacently but not
acting in any way that would frighten me. Sometimes one would be
prowling about in the middle of the night roaring and growling and it
would then come up and see me in the cave where I was staying. As soon
as it got there it would just sit there and look at me, like a dog, and
when it had enough it would go without doing anything to frighten me at
all. But I could not help being rather apprehensive, because they are
always fearsome animals. What is rather strange is that, the tigers that
came to see me, regardless of where it was or when they came were always
very large striped tigers with long bodies and quite awesome. But they
never displayed any aggression to make me afraid at all. All they did
was to look at me, and when they had finished they went away and never
returned. Wherever I stayed, in whatever kind of place, when they came
to see me they always came in the same manner; not as an enemy coming to
bite or claw me for food, but in the manner of a domestic pet well
accustomed to people. So they never had the appearance of an enemy, but
their eyes looking at me always seemed to be very sharp and implacable
which was their nature even though they were not filled with the anger
and hunger to make them spring on me to eat me as food. Even so, the
nature of their eyes is very sharp and frightening.”
I then asked him: “When those tigers came to visit you, did you
talk to them at all?”
He said: “Sometimes I would say something, such as, ‘Why have you
come here? For this is not the place for you to find your food, but a
place for a Bhikkhu to stay and practise meditation. You should go away
to wander about elsewhere. Don’t come here, because this Bhikkhu may
become so frightened that your coming becomes evil, which may lead you
to hell.’ But in saying, ‘I may become frightened,’ in fact this was
just talk, because I had been frightened from the first moment I saw
it.”
I asked: “Did you ever walk towards any of these tigers when they
came and sat in front of you, staring at you?”
The Acariya said: “Sometimes I walked towards them. For after I
told them to go and they took no notice of what I said, but remained
there about six to eight yards away, just sitting and looking at me, I
would walk towards them pointing with a stick or my finger, saying, ‘The
place for you to be wandering about is way over there, where it is all
forests and hills and you can go where you like to your heart’s content.
It would be so much better than coming around here frightening this
Bhikkhu. Go! Now! Don’t come sitting here for fun, scaring a Bhikkhu who
is doing his meditation practice or you may soon end up in hell!’ When
they went they took one sudden leap away and then disappeared silently.”
“I think these tigers know something about what Bhikkhus have
within them, otherwise why should they come up and look for me in the
caves where I stayed. Because some of the caves were large and roomy and
not the sort of place where tigers like to stay or climb up to, for they
like to live in well concealed places, out of sight where they can keep
their meat and their kills in ways that conform to their nature. They
must know something about the ways of Bhikkhus for them to make the
effort to come quietly in the middle of the day to see me. Much in the
same way as children who think it would be fun to climb up to a cave and
visit a Bhikkhu staying there — which often happens. But tigers are
different from children in that they also like to visit a Bhikkhu during
the night or in the morning before going on pindapata.”
I asked: “Before these tigers came up to see you did you ever
think that you would like them to come up and visit you?”
“Why should I ever think of wanting them to visit me?” he replied.
“Even when they come for only a few moments I almost die of fear and I
break out into a sweat. If they came to stay for a long time and showed
no intention of leaving, I am afraid I would surely get an attack of
fever. Who would ever think, in a kind of perverse playfulness, of
actually wanting a tiger to look them up for no real purpose at all?” he
laughed gently.
“Seeing that you are obviously very courageous and are not afraid
to live alone without any companion to talk to, I merely thought that
you might like a tiger to come and keep you company and talk to. That is
why I asked you that question.”
He grinned and then said: “To look for trouble and danger is not
the right way to act at all. Who would be bold enough to think in such a
way as that, which is a careless inconsequential thing to do and out of
keeping with Dhamma? Supposing it suddenly appeared there showing every
intention of actually attacking and killing, in what world would this
bold daredevil who knows no fear end up?”
The practice as done by Kammatthana Bhikkhus must seem, when one
thinks about it from the viewpoint of most people, to be very risky and
dangerous. But when one thinks about it from the viewpoint of Dhamma,
one can see how it is normal and natural for people who have gained
value from any particular way to want to go on looking for more in the
same way. So those who have gained good results from such a way of
practice will probably continue to “scramble up” by that way, and even
though it is difficult and they must risk suffering and danger in
various ways, they have to put up with and accept it to some extent.
Most of those who have been able to establish a firm basis in their
cittas, until they have been able to act as teachers — Acariyas — to
other Bhikkhus, novices and people in general, have practised in the
foregoing way. Thus Venerable Acharn Mun used to say: “Dhamma is to be
found where death is close by, if one has not been faced with death one
has not seen Dhamma.” This is because to risk one’s life and sanity by
truly facing death with a heart that is unshakeably intent on the Dhamma
of Deliverance is the principle which is upheld by those Kammatthana
Bhikkhus who are determined to practise the way in a true and genuine
manner. Therefore they are likely to meet with insufficiency of food and
poverty of possessions all the time while they are striving for Dhamma.
But their hearts will be fully contented with Dhamma, for they have
peace and brightness where the heart abides, without any external
involvement and turbulence. |
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10. The Practice of the
Dhutangas
The
thirteen Dhutanga observances are necessary forms of Dhamma for the kind
of Bhikkhus as described in the last chapters and they are an essential
part of the way of life of those whose aim is to progress towards the
Path, Fruition and Nibbana. This is no different from the way in which
the Dhutanga observances were necessary forms of Dhamma for the Bhikkhus
at the time of the Lord Buddha.
Some Bhikkhus like to live under the shade of a tree in the dry
season, until their mosquito nets and klods all go mouldy and
discoloured after becoming wet by the dew every night in their exposed
unprotected position. For in the cold season the dew is very heavy and
the mosquito nets and klods become completely soaked every night. In the
morning they must lay everything out to dry in the sun every day, but
even so they still go mouldy. Wherever the mould grows in the cloth it
makes a small black spot which cannot be washed out and remains there
until the cloth is destroyed. But no way has been found to prevent
fungus moulds from becoming established in cloth which is out in the
open for a long time, becoming saturated with dew every night and drying
before it can be put in the sun to dry.
These Bhikkhus also do the practice of walking cankama in a true
and genuine manner so that they can attain calm and happiness from it.
Each time they do it they may go on for three to five hours, until they
feel genuinely tired. Then they stop walking cankama and go and sit in
meditation practice for several hours, after which they stop and rest.
Those who resolutely practise the Dhutanga Kammatthanas while
being completely committed to them, will see the value of each Dhutanga
practice and how much benefit they can attain from them. For each
Dhutanga is a means of assisting those who practise them to reach the
higher levels of Dhamma step by step. Not one of them is ever an
obstacle in the way of the Path, Fruition and Nibbana. They are all
forms of Dhamma as the means of training those who practise to become
courageous and full of cheer in Dhamma, and also to become “warriors”
who fight in every way that weakens and drives the kilesas from their
hearts.
Those who have only lived in houses or buildings and have never
gone out to the forest are not likely to have seen the kinds of things
that happen in the forest. They have probably seen only the things that
happen where people live in houses — which are ordinary kinds of things
which all of us have come across and which we are all quite familiar
with. But it is also likely that they never think in such a way as to
see what disadvantages come from these kinds of things, and how they may
extricate themselves and go free from them. Day by day they are bound to
run into the same things that they have met in the past, and they get
the dukkha that comes from them every hour of every day without
exception. But they have no interest in searching for the reason why,
even only to the extent of being able to avoid them.
To live in the forest in the right way, which accords with the
true purpose of the Dhutangas, a person must be a “warrior”, a fighter
in order to extricate himself truly from the various obstacles which are
in his own heart. He does not merely live there like an animal in the
forest, which has always lived there and is completely familiar with the
forest life. But he lives there for the purpose of examining things
which are within himself and which arise in various circumstances, with
Dhamma as his ultimate goal.
Of all the enemies to his life in the forest, the greatest is
likely to be fear. This type of kilesa is an obstacle which makes the
heart sink down so that it no longer wants to stay in the forest. When
he understands that this kilesa is an obstacle barring his way forward
towards the Path and Fruition, he must clear it away and drive it out
from his heart until it is entirely eradicated and there remains only
bravery and courage. Then he will be able to go anywhere, live anywhere
and lie down anywhere without fear of death — which is yet another type
of kilesa — and he will see clearly in his own experience just how
valuable and how important this Dhutanga is. This is why the Lord
Buddha prescribed the Dhutanga of living in the forest as a routine
practice. But apart from this, living in the forest is also valuable in
so far as one has no distractions and involvement with all those things
that one associates with. Things which generally speaking tend to
depress the heart and bury it so that it goes right down, giving it no
chance to recover and emerge for it to be able to be its own master even
for a few moments at a time. Admiring the natural scenery in various
places in the forest where one is staying is not the sort of thing that
disturbs and upsets the heart causing it to be agitated and confused —
as do those things which arouse one’s thoughts and imagination which are
just waiting to “put one to sleep” as soon as one is invaded by any one
of these many kinds of things. The more one is invaded by these things
by day and night, all the time, the more difficult it is to say how long
one would be able to stand up to it and how many times before becoming
unconscious and falling down, due the various poisons which one is
“inhaling” all the time from those things.
Those Bhikkhus who think about the Dhutangas and examine them to
see the purpose behind them, whatever understanding they gain, they will
see the value of the Dhutanga of living in the forest, to the extent of
their understanding. Because this Dhutanga Dhamma is a beautiful
adornment which has always decorated the Sasana in the most wonderful
way; and amongst those Buddhists who maintain it and do not give it up
nor let it degenerate there is no sadness or lack of cheerfulness. This
Dhutanga will also adorn the Bhikkhus who continue to uphold it, making
them into a Sobhana Sangha in the Dhamma and Vinaya, which gives no
cause for adverse criticism whether externally or internally.
The Forest University
Places such as forests, hills, caves, overhanging cliffs, charnel
grounds, jungle and remote hill forests where the natural environment
remains undisturbed far away from any villages, are the places which
bring mindfulness, wisdom, knowledge and skill to the Bhikkhu whose
interest is in Dhamma, with the aim of attaining freedom for himself.
Such a Bhikkhu does not like the distraction and turmoil associated with
anything which is an obstacle, an enemy, hindering his progress towards
freedom from Dukkha. In Buddhism, such places have always been favoured,
right from the beginning when the Lord Buddha was the courageous leader
undaunted in the face of death who practised for his own development in
such places, before he became fully enlightened in the highest Dhamma,
and then went out to teach those who were fit to receive the teaching.
All the Savakas who heard the Dhamma teaching and learnt from the Lord
about those places which were suitable for them, variously went off and
practised the way. They followed in the footsteps of the Buddha until
mindfulness, wisdom and skilfulness arose which were equal to the
internal tricks (of the kilesas) which had deceived them and led them
down to hell in past lives both short and long through countless ages.
Then they shook off and entirely got rid of all that was filthy and
loathsome in their hearts, and this they did in this forest, or on that
hill, or in a cave over there, or under an overhanging cliff in that
district, in a charnel ground, a deserted house, or under the shade of a
tree while living in a remote district in this forest or that hill.
These are the places where Dhamma was planted and cultivated in the
hearts of those who practised the way, giving them an unshakeable root
principle within them, and this has continued right up to the present
day. If one compares this with modern institutions, it is analogous to
those large and well known Universities where students may work for
their Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctor’s degrees, or whatever other
scholarly distinctions there are, so that those students who are
interested in learning all that they need to know to finish the course
may return home and be of value in developing their own country and
people.
All of the above places were considered important at the time of
the Lord Buddha and since then throughout the ages right up to the
present for the “students” practising Dhamma at various levels of
development. In these places they did everything to the utmost of their
mindfulness and strength in the various stages of skill which they
should aim for and attain in such a “forest university”. In other words
they attained their “degrees” at their various levels of development
until they reached the topmost level. The levels of Dhamma which they
learnt and practised in those places, which we have likened to a
university, are those of the Path and Fruition of Sotapanna, the Path
and Fruition of Sakadagami, the Path and Fruition of Anagami and the
Path and Fruition of Arahant with, at the same moment, the attainment of
the one Nibbana. At this final stage the student becomes a great Master
because whoever reaches this final level is a perfect “field of merit”,
both to himself and for others, and there is no grade of learning which
is higher than this throughout the threefold Universe.
So, as to accord with the world, which has always been a pair with
Dhamma, the forest hills, jungle and other such places may be called the
University of the Great Master, the Lord Buddha, the founder of the
religion. The Lord prescribed such places right from the beginning when
he first formulated our religion by his teaching, which he bestowed on
the Bhikkhus and others from that time on with such brief injunctions as
“Rukkhamula–senasana” (dwelling at the foot of a tree). Afterwards he
gradually increased the number of Dhutangas up to thirteen which also
includes the Rukkhamula–senasana Dhutanga.
These “universities”, are where the Bhikkhus at the time of the
Lord Buddha liked to stay, to learn and practise the way truly and to
their utmost with complete dedication until they attained the first,
second and third grades and finally the fourth which was their Master’s
degree. Then they brought the pure and true Dhamma to their associates
and taught it in place of the Lord, the Great Teacher, so as to lighten
his burden to some extent. So Buddhism developed and prospered and
spread out to countless numbers of people because it relied upon the
“university” of forests and hills and other such places which were so
favourable. For they proved to be of the greatest value both to the
Great Teacher and to all his “Savaka” followers who reached the final
stage of learning. They became “Masters” to whom the world bowed in
homage as their ideal, both in behaviour and in what concerns the heart.
This has continued through the ages right down to us who are here now
and who uphold them as the guiding line of our lives and hearts and
practise the way following their example, enough to know the
significance of being a person at a level of what is generally accepted
as that of a “genuine human being”.
When we think of the Dhutanga observances and make comparisons
with the places where universities should be established, what course of
study should be provided and what syllabus should these universities in
the world have? A good guide may be found in the thirteen Dhutanga
observances and the fourteen Khandha observances as taught in Buddhism.
These can give an indication of a suitable location to set up the
“university” and the basic principles of such a Buddhist University.
Thus, some of the Dhutanga observances give a good indication of the
kind of places that would be suitable for their practice, such as the
injunctions to “live in the forest”, to “stay under the shade of a
tree”, to “live in a charnel ground”, to “visit a charnel ground”, to
“accept whatever place to stay is arranged by other people”, to “live
out in the open without any shelter”, and to live in any other
appropriate and suitable place, such as, a cave, an overhanging cliff,
or an empty building where nobody is staying.
As for getting some indication of the principles of the curriculum
— which is the way of practice — in such a university, the Sangha is
able to give some help in this regard. Thus, the students should keep
the observances of using only cloth from the charnel ground, having only
the three robes as their clothing, relying only on pindapata food,
eating only out of the bowl, eating food only once a day, refusing food
given after pindapata and not lying down to sleep for any set number of
nights. In addition there are the Forty Kammatthanas which are the
basis of the way of meditation practice which also give assistance in
this curriculum in conjunction with the Dhutangas.
In summary, Buddhism is a religion that is complete with many
branches of knowledge and it has acted as a university ever since the
time that the Great Teacher started teaching Dhamma to the world. There
are many places where this university is established and there are many
forms of learning which are available which the students may choose to
take up and learn and practise. Those places which the Lord Buddha
recommended as being the foremost, the most important, and the highest
branch of the university are the forest, the shade of a tree, a charnel
ground, and living out in the open. In addition there are other special
places including, a cave, an overhanging cliff, the top or sides of a
hill, a valley, and the edge of the forest or hills, all of which are
also to be considered as special places which are recommended in the
same way by the Lord. The principles of training as used by this
“university” in the various courses that are offered, are based on the
practice of the various Dhutanga observances which are to be kept up all
the time in all situations — as we have already described herein. In
other words, the practices of using only discarded cloth obtained from
the charnel ground, using only the three robes, going on pindapata every
day as an observance, eating only from the bowl, eating only once a day,
and in addition the Forty Kammatthanas such as, for example, the
practice of Anapanasati (which will be discussed further on) are forms
of learning which will not lead to disappointment in those who variously
practise them for they lead to the attainment of the third, second,
first and the Master’s degrees. These are the titles given to the
performance of those students who have had the interest and the
commitment to follow the course through in all its parts at the level of
the degree that they worked to attain.
The place where this university is located is very extensive and
is not crowded and constricted as are the universities where the “world”
goes to get their learning. The number of students can be very large,
including both men and women, monks and lay people of all nationalities,
race and colour regardless of class, age or educational background. It
is open and accepts students in all seasons, every day of the week and
at all times of the day or night. In fact it is always open and has been
so ever since it was founded almost two thousand six hundred years ago
by the Lord Buddha, who was the first “professor” to teach in it. From
the beginning he accepted students and taught them from the most
elementary levels up to the level of the Master Citta — which is Dhamma
throughout.
The students of the Lord Buddha are of four types, these being:
Bhikkhus, Bhikkhunis, Upasakas and Upasikas, but as there are no
Bhikkhunis left now, we may put Samaneras in their place. The first
students to graduate from the university were the Pañcavaggiya — the
first five, of whom Venerable Aññakondañña was the first. The second
group included Venerable Yasa Kulaputta and sixty friends of his. The
third group was composed of the three Jatila brothers who were Teachers,
and all their followers, altogether making up one thousand and three
Bhikkhus. All the members of these three groups attained the completion
of their learning and training from the principles of the course of
training (vijja) in freedom (vimutti) in various places in this
“university”, and they all became Masters. These were the “assistant
professors” under the Lord Buddha, who were also called the Savaka
Arahants. They helped to teach other people, thereby taking on some of
the burden of teaching and reducing the load that the Lord was carrying.
Their reward was the result of their work which their followers gained
to a greater or lesser extent, and they looked on this as being
sufficient reward, taking into account the metta which they had for
them. If we consider the value that they got from this in terms of
worldly things, then each of them received thirty bowls of food per
month equally, from the Lord down to the smallest Samanera — which is a
very good example of equal treatment. It is not easy to find such
kindness to equal that of the Great Masters who always have metta for
the world, which never diminishes or dulls.
Therefore we who are Buddhists can confidently assert that the
“university” and its various “courses” of instruction which belong to
Buddhism, as founded and formed by the Lord Buddha, and where he himself
taught and directed all the Savaka Arahants so that they then went out
to teach in his place, is the foremost “university” and the foremost
teaching in the world, and there is no other teaching to equal it in the
universe. Even the Devaputtas, the Devatas, Indra, Brahma, Yama, the
Yakkhas, the Nagas and the Garudas, all still pay homage and reverence
to the Lord and accept him as the foremost Teacher and the greatest
Master in the universe — as in the often repeated verse in praise of the
Buddha: ... sattha devamanussanam ... etc.
Even with the Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, his
Enlightenment arose in the midst of this “university”, as well as all of
his knowledge of the way to attain freedom (vijja–vimutti), which has
already been mentioned above. This is why he praised and extolled the
virtues of those “forest institutes” in his religion. When a worthy man
was ordained as a Bhikkhu, the Lord taught him the Five Kammatthanas and
the Anusasana (instructions as to the mode of living), such as dwelling
under the shade of a tree, to act as a pointer to show the general way
of practice and some of the things which they should do. These are also
the means of cutting down the thick, tangled forest with persistence —
in other words, the various kinds of kilesas in the heart which enclose
it and prevent it from seeing the path leading to the Path, Fruition and
Nibbana — and clearing the place with the Dhamma weapons which the Lord
provided. But when Samaneras were ordained he only taught them the Five
Kammatthanas to fight against the various vicious Maras, to destroy them
and clear them from the heart. He did not teach them the anusasanas
concerned with living in the forests and hills — probably because they
were still too young for this. So he did not send them out into the
front line of battle, which was not yet necessary for them. In the time
of the Lord Buddha the number of people who became Savaka Arahants was
very great and nearly all of them attained Enlightenment from the forest
institutes which we have discussed.
The Lord Buddha and all the Savakas graduated in Dhamma from the
hills and forests where they gained their Master’s degrees. The courses
of training which they completed in this “university” were concerned
with liberation (vimutti), so when they went out to teach the world, it
was a subject which they could be absolutely sure about and in which
they had full confidence. There was nothing which was modified, false or
ambiguous in it, both in regard to those worthy ones who had fully
attained to it as well as the knowledge of it in which they were fully
proficient. This is very different from the knowledge and the students
which are found everywhere else in the world, but the “Sangha
University” which we have described has difficulty in finding students
who want to learn. This may be because this institute gives more
authority to each student to look after himself than it gives to anyone
else to look after him and direct him and govern him in the way that
they do in the world’s universities. In other words, to enter, to stay
and to train in any of this institute’s places or branches is for the
student to choose and decide as he likes. In a similar way, amongst the
various subjects and courses of training which are available in this
institute, each individual has the right to choose those which he finds
suitable to himself. Both the Acariya and the student are chosen by
himself, and if his Acariya — who is himself — is strict and resourceful
in training his follower — for both the Acariya and the pupil are in one
and the same person — driving himself on with skill, then both will
steadily progress towards a state of calm and happiness. Then even if he
should go into a forest which is full of all sorts of wild animals and
tigers, he has no fear and can stay there calmly relaxed, peaceful and
happily enjoying the noises made by all the animals which serenade the
forest with their “music”, each in its own characteristic way, to which
he can listen with absorbed attention. This does not cause one to lose
one’s wealth like man made music which penetrates deeply and catches the
heart. If one’s heart is still excitable, only waiting to emerge and
“put its head out” to get some fresh air, it may be blown away by the
storm of music and scattered about in an uncontrolled manner, which is
most unseemly. This can also spoil oneself and that which is of value to
one, leading to loss of restraint and loss in a very real way.
On the other hand, the music of the forest animals is a soothing
lullaby which they each sing at their own time and the sound makes one
become pleasantly absorbed in listening to it with a sympathy that
touches the heart. But wherever a Kammatthana Bhikkhu goes to stay, all
sorts of animals, two legged, four legged, winged and without wings tend
to gather round in his vicinity, and the longer he stays there the more
seem to come. At times the sound of them calling to their friends who
are all about the place, in their own animal languages resounds loudly
through the forest; and this is the same sort of thing as happens with
us human beings. For all beings who have hearts, naturally think of each
other, but they are not able to speak human languages to let us know
about themselves, although each species has its own inherent language
which derives from its birth and upbringing — as also do people. Their
calls and the noises they make to each other are what the Bhikkhus call
music, and it goes on all the time. In the morning one type of animal
will make its call; later in the morning another species will start up;
then in the afternoon yet others will call out to each other, and so it
goes on throughout the day and night. It is almost as if they work in
shifts, one taking over when the previous one finishes. Although in fact
they are probably like the chickens which people keep round their homes
which just crow at that time which is natural to them. But in the
forests there are many kinds of animals, each kind having a different
time for wandering about searching for food and making their
characteristic calls and cries and never are they all silent, even at
night, when many species search for food as others do by day. Therefore
their cries and calls never cease throughout the twenty four hours of
the day.
Living and training in the subject of Dhamma, in accordance with
the policy and way of Buddhism, in the institutions that we have
described above is far more difficult than the way of learning from text
books. But if one can put up with the difficulties of this way of
learning and practice and if one gets the results they will be great
results, one will have great merit and one will know clearly in one’s
own heart the value of striving persistently to the limit of one’s
endurance.
Anyone who is not as resolute and bold as a true warrior is not
likely to be able to stay there. Because it is rather like being in a
reformatory the whole time — even though there is nobody there to force
or intimidate one — apart, that is, from the volition due to anxiety
about what one will become in the future, which compels one from within
oneself to go on.
When one has oneself done the work of training in Buddhism in the
foregoing way until one has seen the awesome power of the hardships and
tormenting conditions in everything of all kinds, then one will be able
to realise fully how proficient and courageous the Buddha and his Noble
Disciples were, and one will see how their lineage was truly that of
skilled warriors.
The business of getting rid of all one’s doubts and uncertainties
entirely, in such a way that one knows and sees quite clearly for
oneself, means — that other people have fear, but if one has not yet
experienced fear of that kind one will not yet appreciate that there is
anything special about it that should make one think much of it; other
people have suffering (dukkha), but if one has not experienced suffering
such as that, one will not appreciate that there is anything special
about it which should make one think; others discipline themselves in
their various ways of striving to develop, which involves much dukkha
and difficulty, but if one has not experienced this kind of discipline
and dukkha, for oneself, one will not appreciate that there is anything
special about it which should make one think; there is suffering and
torment which comes from various causes and which arises out of the
strenuous training undertaken by other people, but if one has not yet
experienced these things for oneself, one will not appreciate that there
is anything special about it which should make one think; and this goes
right the way through to happiness, which is the result that arises to a
greater or lesser extent from all the training and discipline done by
other people, but if one has not yet experienced this in one’s own heart
one will not yet appreciate that there is anything special about it
which should make one think and wonder greatly. Even if one has the
belief that these things can truly be as others describe them, it still
doesn’t reach one’s heart. But when the time comes that one has actually
experienced these things oneself, both the causes — which means the
training and disciplining of oneself in various ways and the acceptance
of the ensuing sufferings and discomforts of many kinds; and also the
results — which means the happiness of heart which one derives from the
various forms of training, from the lowest to the highest levels, then
one will see for oneself that it is something special which makes one
think much of it. In fact one may say that it makes one appreciate it
from the full depth of one’s heart, as well as making one see in the
fullness of one’s heart just how baneful is the state of dukkha. Then
one will see full well the value which has come from those causes which
one has enacted, and all doubts of all kinds will disappear, without any
more need to go and ask anyone else. Because the answers have all become
obvious to oneself, both in connection with good, evil, happiness and
suffering, which all arise from oneself alone.
The Lord Buddha, whose metta brought the greatest blessings to the
world, intended that people and other beings should practise and realise
or experience things for themselves. He did not want them to accept his
words in the manner of someone who brings exciting news just for us to
listen to, even though it is true. So the practice of Dhamma at each and
every level as it becomes appropriate to each one, should be a matter of
knowing and seeing, and he wanted this to be experienced by each one for
himself in his own heart. This is far better than hearing and gaining
knowledge from other people which one has not actually met and attained
for oneself. For it was the aim of the Lord to get each one to do the
work for himself, to know for himself, and to see for himself so that it
may be truly his own possession and treasure. Then nobody, however bold
or daring will be able to take any part of it away from him, nor make
him lose any of it.
It was the intention of the Lord that one who practises should go
into the forest by himself. Even if he meets up with wild animals, like
tigers, he should do so himself; and when he meets a tiger he should
know for himself how much fear he has. In evading and curing it in
various ways, the methods he uses should be his own methods derived from
his own skill in mindfulness and wisdom. The heart which he trains and
disciplines to stand up to such incidents should be his own heart; and
the ease of body and peace of heart which he gets from the training and
discipline should be the value which is in his own heart. This is far
better than having the good news of the value of someone else. The heart
(citta) is what penetrates the Path and Fruition at all its levels,
because of this training and discipline; so let it be your own heart
that breaks through. In gaining freedom from dukkha of heart, let it be
your own heart that gains freedom, rather than hearing about someone
else attaining freedom due to their own efforts. It is also right that
our religion should be the special wealth of those who are interested to
promote and guard it. Normally this religion is the general wealth of
all those who have interest in practising and looking after it, but then
it turns into your own abundant wealth due to its development to
completion in your own heart. We may say that such a person is skilled
and clever, using his own mindfulness and wisdom to lead him to by-pass
the world and samsara and to reach Nibbana, thus conforming to the
intention of the Great Teacher, to whom the religion belongs, who taught
his followers with such insight and ability with the purpose that those
who come to stay in the shade of his supreme perfection should gain
skill and cleverness so that they may penetrate the Path and Fruition to
become Ariya Puggala of the highest level and safe, having got rid of
all the evil, vile things which had been their enemies for countless
lives.
When they have attained the level of the Master of great learning
and wisdom they will have reached the completion of their learning and
training in the Sangha University of Buddhism with full honours, and
there is no need for them to go elsewhere for them to learn anything for
the remainder of their lives. This is called the complete and perfect
learning of the “Brahmacariya’’, and it is nothing but this that the
Lord Buddha and all the Savakas learnt to completion in their hearts.
They did not learn anything elsewhere but in the heart, because it is
the heart alone that, being deluded, leads one into birth and death. So
when learning is completed in the heart, all affairs of all kinds come
to an end.
The Purpose and Places of Practice
The Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus in the line from Venerable
Acharn Mun endeavour to learn about and around the “body–city” and the
“citta–city” which are the great source of the threefold universe
(Ti–bhava). Even though they may go and live in the forests, the hills,
in caves, under overhanging cliffs or anywhere else, the most important
point to realise is that they are doing this so as to learn primarily
about the citta. Even nowadays (1970), it may be seen how there are many
Kammatthana Bhikkhus in the lineage of Venerable Acharn Mun who spend
the rains retreat (vassa) in the forests and hills, following his
example, and they do this primarily for the sake of the citta. The
training and discipline of various kinds which accord with their
characteristic tendencies, mindfulness, wisdom and ability, are done
primarily for the sake of knowing the end-point which is the heart —
this alone is the one that matters.
A Bhikkhu who is really determined to gain freedom is thus rather
like someone who dies without having anything arranged for his funeral,
so that others can cremate or keep the corpse. When his time comes
anywhere will do without being concerned about it — and that place
becomes the cemetery where he dies. While his khandhas are still
together and alive he will continue to stay in any such place that is
suitable for him to strive and develop himself in Dhamma, and there he
will strive all the time without let up or ceasing. When sitting he
strives, when standing, walking or lying down he strives, and the only
time he stops is when he sleeps. If he does not do it this way he will
never be able to catch up with the tracks left by the kilesas and tanha
which have the knack of leading beings to death and wandering round the
worlds of samsara, and much faster than the wind in the greatest storms.
Even in one moment they can drag him round the worlds in the three
realms of the universe without his being able to follow and keep up with
them, and they bring dukkha to their owner who is more stupid and
lacking in wisdom than they are. Thus he experiences dukkha which is
sharp, hot and troublesome as well as being painful and tormenting, for
there is no dukkha that can compare with the “taste” of that dukkha
which the various kilesas bring to burden the heart.
Therefore, someone who sees how baneful these kilesas are in a way
which goes to his heart, is bound to strive to get rid of them all the
time — every moment — and he has no time whether in the morning,
afternoon or evening to rest, relax and take it easy, letting the
kilesas and tanha walk all over him and do any more harm. One way or
another he will reach the “far bank of the river” where it is safe and
free from dukkha. However arduous and difficult this may be he will put
up with it, supported by the thought of all the various births and lives
through which he must otherwise whirl about because of the force of
avijja and tanha, which means dukkha, which is bound to infiltrate
everything in all these lives. He should hurry to cure himself, to get
free and to overcome them entirely in this life now, while he can, and
should, be curing himself. Because there is no doubt that in this life
he is a complete and normal human being who also has the status of being
ordained as a Bhikkhu who should indeed be able to dry out the kilesas
from his heart in whatever way is suitable. One can hardly think of any
possible future lives when conditions will be as suitable as those that
he has at present. Whatever work ought to be done to completion to reach
and attain that which man should reach and attain, that work is what he
is doing at present, and he should finish it off while still alive in
these khandhas. He must not be slow and sluggish, wasting time all the
time, for when the baneful one, which is death, and which has such
power, reaches him, he will be in difficulty and he will lose everything
which he should have attained and have when that time comes.
These are some of the ways in which such Bhikkhus rouse up and
encourage themselves to hurry and increase their striving in their
various places and situations, so that they do not become complacent and
self-satisfied. Those who are in the stages of samadhi development then
work at it with urgency so that it will become much stronger, and so
that when they turn to investigation in the way of wisdom, it will be
strong and fast — as they want it to be. On the other hand, those who
are starting out on the stages of wisdom development, or who are already
working at them, do their investigation with increasing urgency until
they know clearly and see truly into the elements (dhatu), khandha,
ayatana and the various types of kilesas which penetrate into things
which are closely associated with the activities of the body and citta.
This enables them to extract the kilesas one by one, steadily, all the
time while they are full of zeal and striving, by depending on the
forests, the hills and the jungles, which by acting as a strategic
battleground and a suitable environment, help them to gain victory in
their fight while struggling and striving to smash up all the kilesas.
Then depending on whatever strength of mindfulness, wisdom, faith and
effort they have, they destroy so much of the kilesas each day — these
kilesas which have established and concentrated their “armies” and
forces within.
Some of these Bhikkhus win these battles stage by stage and leave
the university of the jungles, the hills, the caves, the overhanging
cliffs or the charnel grounds. Sometimes when they have won the battle
and leave completely fulfilled, perfect, smiling and bright, with their
hearts pure throughout like the moon on the day of the full moon, they
meet up with their colleagues and discuss the results that they have had
from their practice of the way. They tell each other about the things
that happened, and it is the most wonderful thing that one can listen
to. Nowhere else can one hear anything to compare with it in any
gathering of people anywhere. For in such a group one will hear Dhamma
which is pure, fresh and direct — as if one were listening to a group of
Savaka Arahants at the time of the Lord Buddha, telling each other about
the Path, Fruition and Nibbana which they had attained. Nowadays it is
extremely rare for anyone to hear such a discussion, but there are still
some Bhikkhus who are able to talk and who are skilled enough in their
knowledge of these Dhammas to be able to have a discussion together and
they are the most revered amongst those Bhikkhus who practise the way in
the present era. The Dhamma of these Bhikkhus can be a great
encouragement to others who practise the way, making their faith both
firm and strong so that they have the power of body and heart to be
active and vigorous in destroying their own kilesas, without any
weakness of the kind that makes for slackening of effort and zeal. This
they do by taking up the ways of practice which Venerable Acharn Mun so
skilfully bestowed on us when he was alive. Places like the hills and
forests are therefore where the Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus who follow
in line from Venerable Acharn have always liked to go wandering to do
their practice ever since.
Nowadays there are many Kammatthana Bhikkhus who spend the vassa
period in the forests and hills in the same way as Venerable Acharn Mun
taught when he was still alive. Generally these Bhikkhus are followers
of those Teachers who were themselves direct followers of Venerable
Acharn Mun, living in various localities, and they point out the ways of
practice to these Bhikkhus. Some of the places where many Kammatthana
Bhikkhus in this line of teaching spend the vassa period are in Nong
Khai Province in the districts of Tha Bo, Si Chiang Mai, Phon Phisai,
Bung Kan which are mostly covered by forests and hills. These are the
kinds of places that Kammatthana Bhikkhus like to stay in to do their
practice, but they do not like going where there are no thick forests
and few hills. Generally they just pass through the latter places, or at
most, stay temporarily at the invitation of the villagers to help them
sometimes. Other places where they like to stay are in Nakhon Phanom
Province in the districts of Khamchai where it borders on the district
of Lerng Nokta in the province of Ubon where there are plenty of hills
and forests. In the district of Si Songkhram where there is good forest
and in the districts of Ban Phaeng and Mukdahan where there are both
hills and forests in plenty, the Bhikkhus like going to stay right up to
the present day. In Sakon Nakhon Province they like to stay in the
district of Sawang Daen Din and Panna Nikhom where there are hills and
forests in the southern part of the district. In Udorn Province, in the
districts of Ban Phu, Nong Bua Lam Phu, Na Klang, Nong Han and Muang,
there are hills and forests in plenty, as also in Loei Province in the
districts of Wang Saphung and Muang. The Kammatthana Bhikkhus like
staying in these provinces and districts more than any others in the
Northeast of Thailand.
There are still many who are interested in practising the way,
fully intent on attaining Dhamma and understanding. Sometimes when there
is some special function such as the funeral and cremation of an Acariya
in whom they have faith and respect, the Bhikkhus and Samaneras gather
together, as for instance, at the funeral and cremation of Venerable
Acharn Prom at Dong Yen village in the district of Nong Han, Udorn
Province. They like going to such functions because they expect to hear
talk on Dhamma from all the Acariyas whom they respect and revere and
who come to this function. Those who have problems in their hearts,
associated with their meditation practices have an opportunity at such a
time to go and talk and learn about it from the Acariyas. As soon as the
function is finished they disperse and variously return to the forests
and hills where they have been living and doing their practice.
When the Kammatthana Bhikkhus come together in large numbers they
are very impressive to see. One also feels sympathy for the small
Samaneras who have come with their Acariyas, and who are more loveable
than impressive. We can get some idea of how strong the cittas of some
of the Bhikkhus are when they go to such occasions as this and we have a
chance to talk together about citta bhavana. We can also do this when
they come specially to visit us at other times, and also when we meet
them on various other occasions. Because, generally speaking, when
Kammatthana Bhikkhus meet each other they rarely talk about anything but
Dhamma in the heart. Even when they talk for a long time it is only
about Dhamma in the heart and they do not bring in any other topic of
conversation. After seeing them one feels respect and confidence in
them, and great sympathy for each one of them in what they are trying to
attain. It makes us feel sure and satisfied that, if there are still
those who are interested to practise Dhamma by striving with effort like
these Bhikkhus that we have learnt about, they will get the results of
what they are doing, so that both they and other people will feel happy
and contented that the teaching can be handed on continually into the
future, and will surely not be lost and become devoid of fruit. As in
the saying of Dhamma: “We have seen, Ananda, how if there are still
those who practise Dhamma in ways that are appropriate to Dhamma this
world will not become void of Arahants.”
In the above saying of the Buddha, how does one “practise Dhamma
in ways that are appropriate to Dhamma?” When one has assessed the
essential meaning of this phrase, it means, “whatever is appropriate to
oneself”. “Appropriateness of Dhamma”, means being in accord with the
reasoning which is in the Teaching that the Lord Buddha himself taught,
which is called the “Svakkhata–Dhamma” — “The rightly taught Dhamma” —
which is not deficient anywhere in any way. If it is thought of as a
path or a way then it is a path that goes straight to its intended
destination without breaking into many tracks and branches to mislead
those who go along it. Or if it is likened to food, it is food which is
plentiful and perfect, straight from the most skilled cook and complete
with its full natural flavours, being not too spicy or salty and well
suited to the taste of whoever eats it without exception. Or again, it
may be likened to a suit of clothes which are tailor made to fit, being
neither too tight nor too loose, but just right in all cases. Not like
those clothes which they make up to fit tightly, which are most unseemly
for both men and women to wear. To look at them much is very disturbing
and offensive to one’s sensibility. So much so that if one were in
mourning for three months one would still not be able to forget them,
because they are so peculiar and far from the realms of human beings and
the gods as well. Thus the appropriateness of Dhamma in all its parts
and aspects, is to be assessed by whether it leads onward to the Path,
Fruition and Nibbana. This alone and no other is to be called “Dhamma
which is appropriate” — in other words, appropriate just for the Path
and its Fruition, that is all.
Where I wrote above: “... who practise Dhamma in ways that are
appropriate to Dhamma...,” it means doing practice which accords with
those ways of Dhamma which are called: Supatipatti, Ujupatipatti,
Ñayapatipatti and Samicipatipatti. These are what is meant by
“appropriateness”, not deviating from the way of Dhamma, not going
beyond nor falling short of Dhamma, and not modifying or obscuring
Dhamma according to one’s fancy, as if one was oneself the Great Teacher
of all Dhamma. These are what is meant by “practising Dhamma in ways
that are appropriate to Dhamma.” So if one practises in the manner of
Supatipatti, Ujupatipatti, Ñayapatipatti and Samicipatipatti, it means
that one is practising Dhamma in a manner that is truly appropriate to
Dhamma, and the results which come from it will be those which one has
been led to expect from it, and they are bound to come in this way. It
does not have to be within the lifetime of the Lord Buddha, nor during
any other particular time or era for these results to arise, for it
depends mainly on the practice that is done, and this is more important
than any other thing. It is like going along a smooth road, which is the
right road going straight to the intended destination. Whether one
travels by day or by night, in the dry season or the rainy season, when
one does not turn away from this right road one is sure to reach the
destination as all others have. Therefore it is important that one
should go along the right road, both in the world and in Dhamma. Because
the “Dhamma that is appropriate”, that we have been talking about, is
the akalika (timeless) Dhamma, which is always aimed directly towards
the Path, Fruition and Nibbana, without there being any time or place
which is more favourable than any other. What is favourable is the right
Dhamma practice, and this is more important than anything else.
If one does not practise the right
Dhamma, it makes no difference what age or time one is in, there is no
hope of attaining the results which one should attain, because it
contradicts the principle of “practising Dhamma in ways that are
appropriate to Dhamma”. These wrong ways of practice do not conform to
the principle which says, “... appropriate to Dhamma,” and they are
likely to be an enemy to oneself and to Dhamma as well. The Dhamma that
has been taught by the Lord is well suited to all states and situations
everywhere and it does not set up any opposition to anything in the
world and so it is called, “well
taught”. Therefore someone who is anxious to attain a satisfactory
refuge as a result of their actions, should consider what causes they
are currently making and whether or not they conform to the principle of
what is, “... appropriate to Dhamma”. If they do not so conform it means
that one has gone astray, that one is without doubt opposing Dhamma and
the Path, Fruition and Nibbana.
It is hoped that the reader will forgive me for getting diverted
from the main theme all the time. As soon as I leave the subject I am
dealing with I get carried far away before mindfulness returns, by which
time I have gone all over the place. So now I will return and say more
about the Dhutanga Bhikkhus.
There are many Kammatthana Bhikkhus in line from Venerable Acharn
Mun who are still alive, although they rarely come out of the forests
and hills. So people who live in towns, or in Bangkok hardly ever get a
chance to know how they live nor where and in which provinces, so we
have taken the opportunity to let people know some of the provinces and
places where they stay. They do not like to stay much in the populated
areas of these provinces but prefer to live far away where there are
forests and hills and where it is calm and quiet. Such places are far
from the places of administration in each province and its districts,
and some places cannot be reached by car, whereas others can, with
difficulty, for a car has to force its way into the forest through muddy
places which become impassable in the rainy season.
Normally, when the Kammatthana Bhikkhus go anywhere they like to
travel in the Dhutanga way, which means going about on foot all the
time. Walking up one hill, clambering up another, searching for a place
to stay and practise bhavana which suits their temperament. They have
little interest in leaving such a place to go to the villages and towns,
for they do their practice in a quiet way which other people do not know
about. But those who are Kammatthana Bhikkhus in the same way, all know
about each other both inwardly and outwardly. Thus they know the
whereabouts of the others, which districts of which province, and with
how many other Bhikkhus and novices they are staying. These things they
know well, because they keep in touch with others frequently. In
particular they have faith and respect for the senior Acariyas, and the
Kammatthana Bhikkhus have a great liking for visiting them, paying
respect to them and training in Dhamma and its meaning with them and
there are always some going and staying with them all the time. As soon
as one goes, another comes, changing about, going and coming all the
time, both during the dry season and the rainy season, excepting only
during the three vassa months when it is difficult for those living far
away, who have to stop visiting others for the time being. As for those
who live close enough to visit each other, they will probably go to see
the Acariyas and their friends quite frequently. They go to see the
Acariyas to learn about Dhamma with an attitude of faith and reverence
for those who are endowed with the quality of Dhamma. The need to visit,
to pay homage, and to listen to the various forms of teaching of the
Acariyas, whenever the time is appropriate, is looked on as a custom of
Kammatthana which goes back to its origins. Therefore each of them know
where the others are staying and what their movements are.
In regard to those whose levels of citta and Dhamma are very high,
there are still many of them who are living at present. But generally
speaking, they are not likely to bring out their “Dhamma wealth” and
spend it in an opulent manner, for they act rather like a rich man who
does not like to show off. Their possessions, they have and use in the
same way as other people and they do not show off nor make out that they
are important, causing a lot of fuss. This is the way that those
Bhikkhus who are truly intent on Dhamma behave, and each of them in
their own way lives quietly, which accords with the characteristics of
those who are intent on Dhamma, and they do not like talk which is vain
and boastful, which is the way of the world.
The Kammatthana Bhikkhus in this lineage (from Venerable Acharn
Mun) have quiet natures and they like quietness in the spheres of the
ear, the mouth and tongue, the eye, and the heart. If they are with
others who are not truly of their own kind they hardly ever speak about
the Dhamma which they have within themselves. So when they hear anyone
speaking in a rather boastful way without there being good reason for
it, in the manner of someone who likes to show off, they are likely to
get a bit dizzy and feel nauseated. This is the nature of the
Kammatthana Bhikkhus of this lineage, who like to be unassuming and
modest in speech and not boastful. For they are not well versed nor
familiar with those forms of society which are always given to being
pretentious and boastful. In this they generally tend to accept those
forms of behaviour which come from their Acariya who taught them to be
calm and modest. If anyone were to speak rather big and boastfully the
others would all immediately feel sick with stomach ache and want to get
away to find medicines to cure it. For amongst those who go the way of
Kammatthana nobody is normally boastful. But if by chance anyone is a
bit boastful, the others are likely to laugh to themselves and turn and
face the wall or go outside into the forest, for fear that they might
faint if they put up with it and listened for a long time.
Amongst Bhikkhus of the same group, if one of them is inclined to
be boastful, the others all dislike it, for they say he is worse than
cats or tigers who know how to hide their claws and fangs better than
this raving Bhikkhu. After all, they only spread their claws and fangs
in situations that warrant it. But we who are human and also Kammatthana
Bhikkhus should consider carefully in a refined and subtle way before
speaking out. If then we brag boastfully without shame or consideration
for the place, people or time, the others may misunderstand and think
that such a Bhikkhu is a Kammatthana monk who knows no shame. All those
who are experienced in Dhamma will probably be reluctant to associate
with such a monk, thinking of him as being worse than ordinary good lay
people. Because of this it is difficult for anyone outside the field of
those who equally do the practice, to know the level of citta and the
level of Dhamma of those who practise — except of course with those who
are boastful, and plenty of people will probably know their level
already. But they don’t ask because they are not interested.
Those Bhikkhus who practise the way properly do not like talking
much and tend to keep to themselves, quietly, so as to accumulate Dhamma
within themselves more and more all the time. This Dhamma they cherish
and guard and they do not like to let it out and spread it about without
good reason which would be like picking fruit before it is ripe, or
selling things before one has bought them, which is considered to be a
bad way of doing things in the world. Those who practise are all, from
the lowest right up to the Acariyas, very careful of this, for the
reason that speaking about one’s own inward Dhamma, which is just one’s
own “wealth”, and telling other people who are strangers about it,
people in whom one has no reason to feel especially confident, is not
knowing what is suitable and proper in oneself, in society and in all
forms of Dhamma. It is just “selling oneself” instead of doing what is
useful and what brings good results.
This not only concerns Dhamma which is by nature entirely subtle,
but also the world where decent people who are endowed with the wealth
of civilised behaviour know how to be modest and careful. They are not
boastful nor do they show off, which would display a vulgarity within
them which would be vexatious to other decent people and leave a “bad
taste in the mouth”. Far more valuable than this is Dhamma, which is the
wealth of those who are the wisest in this world, and one should be
careful and cautious with it. This is appropriate for one who has a
basis of Dhamma in his heart, not letting go of his restraint and
scattering it about all over the place as if Dhamma was a thing of
little value, which is a sorry sight in the eyes of those who practise
the way and all other Buddhists as well.
Those who practise the way therefore keep a proper reserve in
themselves and in Dhamma. Even though I who am writing this am not
imbued with knowledge as keen as the wisest of men, yet I know how to
respect and look up to them. For this is a way of maintaining quiet
modesty and humility in oneself so that one does not become haughty and
vain, like a monkey that has got hold of a crystal ball without knowing
how to use it properly. All he can do is carry it along with him while
he swings from branch to branch in the forest at the edge of a deep
chasm. After going a short distance, both of them fall into the chasm
and both he and the valuable crystal ball are smashed to pieces. This
example should make us think, both those who go the way of the world and
those who go the way of Dhamma, how we should not be like this monkey
with its crystal ball who makes a mess of the world and Dhamma. For this
can become a chronic disease spreading into an epidemic which destroys
both the world and Dhamma without any foreseeable end.
There are some Kammatthana Bhikkhus who have only been ordained a
few years, yet they practise well and resolutely by themselves, and they
are an example and an ornament to those who practise the way well. There
are still many of these Bhikkhus, all of whom are amongst the last
generation of Venerable Acharn Mun’s followers, and at present they are
working hard in themselves to hurry the development of their practice.
In the future we will have to rely on these Bhikkhus to be the strength
of the Sasana and to be the leaders when the present Acariyas who are
the Elder disciples of Venerable Acharn Mun have all gone, for this is
the natural course of events which we cannot help thinking about. Today,
this Bhikkhu or that person dies. In a few days another one dies and so
it goes on from day to day, month to month and year to year, and the
time comes when it is also this Acariya’s time to go. For all these
things are unstable and uncertain and each one of us is going about step
by step in this world of uncertainty in the same way the whole time.
None of us know when we ourselves or anyone else is going to make a
false step which may drop us into the pit of anicca — in other words
death. The Acariyas therefore teach that we ought not to be careless and
indifferent to our sankharas — which means ourselves. Those Bhikkhus who
are determined and resolute in their striving without letting up or
giving way may have had some deep insight into the “law of decay and
destruction”, which nobody can avoid. Because of this they swim on in
all sorts of different ways without giving up or backsliding in their
efforts. Sometimes they may have to conform to orders from the local
government authorities who ask them to leave the hills for a period
because the area is not safe for the Bhikkhus or for other people. This
is because of trouble in the local villages when different factions
arise which are antagonistic to each other, and amongst them there are
both ferocious bad people and also good people but it is not worth the
risk of staying there. As soon as the area has become peaceful again and
they can go there without fear of danger they will return to live and
practise the way as they choose. These Bhikkhus still feel uncomfortable
and restricted in having to follow the requests of the authorities by
leaving the forests and hills for a more ordinary environment, even
though the place where they go to stay is still forest which is fairly
quiet and isolated without much disturbance. The reason for this is
because of the ease with which they were able to do the practice which
always brought results to them in such places. In addition, such places
suit the disposition of those whose aim and hope is towards Dhamma and
this is strong within their hearts and always present in their
characters. So they don’t want to depart from those places where they
have found happiness and contentment in their hearts. For when they go
to another place they feel very uncertain about their practice and
whether it is going to be equally as good as they have been accustomed
to.
The Hardship of the Kammatthana Bhikkhu
The Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhu whose heart is intent on
attaining that state where there is no discontent (dukkha), willingly
accepts that he will probably come across nothing but lack and
insufficiency in all external things as part of his practice. In other
words he likes to go and live in places where things are insufficient
and hard to get. But apart from the natural lack of things in the
environment where he lives, there is also his own willing intention to
go without things and to live a life of poverty. The food which he gets
on pindapata may be plentiful, but he only eats a little of it, perhaps
only the rice, even though he was given other food as well. He may
decide to fast some days or for several days at a time, or perhaps to
alternate doing now one way now another. While doing bhavana, he must
look and see what results of calm and skilfulness his citta gets in the
direction of mindfulness and wisdom. He must watch and define what
methods give better results than others. Then he must strive to go that
way all the time.
Sometimes he may fast for several days and then eat less than
normal. Or else he may eat less than normal for a few days, followed by
a complete fast for four or five days and then eat normally or less than
normal as he sees fit. In observing the state of the body (dhatu–khandha)
and of the mind or heart it is necessary to keep a watch on both of them
at the same time. If the body feels too tired and weak he should
increase his food intake by a reasonable amount, but not as much as the
body calls for all at once, for this would depress the citta too much.
He may for instance increase his food by fifty or sixty percent above
the meagre diet that he has been taking. If however he feels that his
body is functioning abnormally due to malnutrition, he must stop fasting
and dieting entirely for the time being, until his body has had time to
recover. After which he may gradually start dieting or fasting again.
Those who are most likely to progress steadily by using these
methods are those who are characteristically suited to them. Even though
they ought to ease off for the sake of their health when their bodies
show signs of malnutrition and weakness, generally the heart does not
want to give way. They still want to go on dieting or fasting
continually, because they have already seen the resulting development
which takes place in the heart every time they do so. But if they have
to ease off, they should try to find a balance which is enough to
satisfy the needs of the body and the citta, so that their progress will
be smooth in accordance with their intended purpose.
When dieting or fasting for a long period of time it is quite
normal for the body to be somewhat hungry, tired and weak, but if they
let themselves get troubled and anxious about this hunger and weakness
they will not be able to keep on doing it. This is one of the ways in
which suffering comes in the practice of Kammatthana, therefore those
Kammatthana monks who are hoping for calm and happiness of heart will
generally have to make themselves accept hardship and poverty the whole
time even though they do not like doing it. But their characteristic
tendencies and their hope in Dhamma make it essential for them to do and
to put up with these things.
It should be understood that where we talked of alternatively
fasting and eating or dieting and eating, this did not mean just for one
or two months, but trying to keep it up all the time, for years; or
until they become quite certain in their own hearts that there is no
need to do so any more. Then the citta can go on from there comfortably
and smoothly without obstruction, they can stop using those methods and
revert to more usual ways of practice in regard to the body and mind.
But generally speaking, from what the writer has observed, those
things that are called “kilesas”, of whatever type and however much or
little, are always bound to manifest as our enemies with whatever power
they have remaining in our hearts, for never have the kilesas been any
respecter of persons anywhere at any time. Therefore, those who practise
the way and who believe deeply in their hearts that the kilesas have
been their enemies are not likely to be complacent and let the kilesas
flourish by being over confident and thinking: “The kilesas will become
our friends and no more will they create poison and harm causing us to
experience more suffering and trouble.” Rather do they see full well
that: “If we destroy them right now, so that none are left, this will
indeed be entirely satisfactory and by far better than letting them stay
there to bring more harm to us sometime in the future.” This is the
fundamental motive which drives them on without let up in striving to
follow and round up the kilesas in various ways such as by dieting or
fasting. For these are methods of helping and supporting their mental
striving which makes their practice of samadhi very much more easy than
normal, and they are not ready to relax or give up these methods which
have always given such good results. In fact it is generally true to say
that they are not likely to relax those methods of striving and
struggling to climb upwards by training and discipline which they have
seen to give good results, even after many years. For there are good and
compelling reasons which are bound to make them strive in these ways.
There are many Bhikkhus in this lineage who have used the ways of
dieting and fasting to aid their striving by way of the heart. It is
probably more effective than other methods such as, not lying down and
therefore they have always liked the way of fasting, right up to the
present day. If one has already used the methods of dieting or fasting
it is also probable that there will be no need to give up lying down,
for it will tend to happen of itself without any deliberate intention.
This is because dieting and fasting tend to overcome drowsiness and
sleepiness which disappear of themselves. They can then spend the whole
night without lying down and without feeling drowsy or sleepy as they
would when eating food normally. For them, lying down and resting for a
while is only for the purpose of gaining strength of body so as not to
let it get too weak and exhausted and not because drowsiness compels
them to lie down and sleep — not while they are dieting and fasting. For
the fact is that after they have been on a diet or have fasted for three
or four days, all drowsiness and sleepiness which would otherwise lead
them to lie down and sleep disappears. This makes it easy for them as
there is no longer any need to force themselves not to sleep. Then
concentrating attention and controlling the mind become easy. The citta
is not so wild and playful in its various accustomed obsessions (arammana)
and mindfulness is not so easily lost in forgetfulness. They are then
able to know those various situations and things which they come across
much more quickly than in normal times when they are not dieting or
fasting. When they practise for samadhi they are able to drop into a
state of calm easily, and in going the way of wisdom they are much more
skilful and quick than they normally would be.
These Bhikkhus see the value of dieting and fasting and how it
brings advantages and makes it much easier in many ways for those whose
dispositions are suited to it. So they endeavour to keep on doing it
even though it may bring them more hardships than they would normally
encounter, for their inherent tendencies of character bias them to go
that way and they must put up with these hardships. They cannot use the
method which is both easy and expedient like those who have gone the way
of “Sukhapatipada khippabhiñña” — easy practice and quick insight — for
their inherent tendencies are not suitable for this way. They are more
likely to be amongst those whose way is “Dukkhapatipada dandabhiñña” —
difficult practice and slow insight. Therefore they must go against
their inclinations, “swallow” the hardships and take up this way with
full commitment so as to “swallow” the calm and happiness — which is
samadhi, and also to “swallow” the skilfulness which is mindfulness and
wisdom down into the heart each time.
They have got to concentrate dukkha into the body and heart in a
very big way to start with, to the point where they can hardly stand it,
and there is also some danger that if their constitutional strength is
not enough, they may die before they gain results. When one thinks of
the struggling and striving of each one of those who practise the way
before they can experience the taste of Dhamma each time, one cannot
help but feel deep sympathy for them; for each time they must put up
with a lot of deprivation and hardship. It is good however, that there
are still some Bhikkhus who are prepared to oppose their natural
inclinations and put up with the deprivation and hardships which are
necessary all the time in their training and discipline without relaxing
or slackening in their striving. But once they have taken a drink of
“sunlight and moonlight” from the flow of Dhamma by the way of their
practice, they no longer have to put up with the deprivation and hunger
experienced in countless lives of all sorts of becoming and birth which
the citta has grabbed and held on to in its countless wanderings.
If they look into the truth of what the citta is bound to come
across in the various circumstances which they will surely meet up with
in future lives, it will make them feel wearied and sick of carrying
these burdens. For they are bound to be born again and again and to
experience these things endlessly, unless they hurriedly endeavour to
cut them short right now, so that all their heavy burdens may be made
lighter, or got rid of entirely — which means that they shed the burden
entirely. Seeing in a way that penetrates to the heart just how baneful
is this samsara which has become bound up with each individual who has
made his contract with it entirely by himself, is what makes them
resolve to put forward the whole of their strength every time they go
down inwardly for the purpose of striving on without giving way,
relaxing or weakening and saying that they cannot stand it any more. But
in fact they go on with outstanding and earnest determination, fighting
for their own salvation to become foremost amongst people. They are not
lacking in any aspect of striving, nor are they deficient in putting up
with the hardships in doing their work — their duty. Mindfulness and
wisdom, their skill which enables them to fight and destroy their
kilesas is generated and arises all the time, every minute. Even the
greatest dukkha is not likely to make them give up in their efforts to
be self-restrained, to put up with hardship and to hit back at the
kilesas until the dukkha breaks up and falls away from them and they can
emerge from it, no longer ready to accept their own inferiority. This is
appropriate for those who are the followers of the Lord of the “Ten
Supernormal Insights” (Dasabalañana) who was a bold and valiant warrior
and who never consented to ease off nor evade these hardships.
However thick and obtusely the body of the kilesas, which are
dukkha and its origin (Samudaya), are wrapped around obscuring the
sphere of the heart we must strive to undo them, to cut and tear them
away by attacking them with mindfulness, wisdom, faith and effort which
are our weapons, until the wonder of Dhamma becomes apparent, arising in
the sphere of the citta, such as one has never before experienced even
in the remote past. It is the heart itself which is wonderful beyond
what one could ever have imagined and after this nothing will ever again
be able to hold it in subjection. This is the Dhamma that reaches the
“shore of death” as Venerable Acharn Mun expressed it at the time when
he had reached the end point after the fight was over — which has been
described in the “Biography of Venerable Acharn Mun”.
It is this Dhamma which all those who practise the way struggle to
reach so as to pay homage to it all the time, without weakening in their
striving while trying out various methods which in most cases are
resolute, severe and ascetic, such as we have mentioned before, but none
of these methods give any scope for easing off or relaxation to cure
their weariness at all. If the Lord Buddha was still alive and should
meet them while they were energetically striving to fight the kilesas
and all their dukkha with patient acceptance of their difficulties, he
would surely praise their efforts and encourage them soothingly saying:
“All of you who are outstanding in your striving for the sake of
Nibbana, the Supreme Abode, are followers of the Tathagata. At present
you are displaying courage and resolve in fighting against the enemy
with all your strength so as to destroy all further becoming and birth
by rooting out this tendency from your hearts without giving up, and so
that your fame and honour should spread and be proclaimed loudly
throughout the three realms of existence. For are you not striving to
dig out the original root which is the chief enemy — in other words
avijja the all powerful one who leads beings into birth and death — and
doing this with mindfulness and wisdom that is sharp and penetrating? We
the Tathagata express our appreciation and approval of this and may you
strive to make Nibbana clearly apparent within your hearts quickly, with
urgency. The Supreme Dhamma is waiting to fall into your hands, for you
are at present strong and clever in the ways of mindfulness and wisdom.”
Thus he would lift them up and encourage them to increase their
resolve by speaking soothingly to them so as to arouse strong and
lasting faith and a fighting spirit by using gentle words. He would
gently and persuasively talk to them, increasing their strength of
resolve by expressing his appreciation of the striving of these “sons of
the Sakya” who are going to reach Vimutti Dhamma in their hearts in a
short while. For they will bring the wonder of Dhamma to the world to
cure the sorrow, grief and confusion of all people who are in a state of
trouble and turmoil with the kilesas and tanha which spread a coating of
poison everywhere. For there is no cure for this apart from the
cleansing power of the Dhamma remedy, which goes down to the heart as
given by those who have the wonder of Dhamma within themselves.
As for those Bhikkhus who should be able to gain victory over the
enemy because of their persistent striving, the Lord Buddha is not
likely to come to express his appreciation nowadays, for he has already
attained Parinibbana and there are no longer any bodily constituents
left. But the Lord’s pure heart is a constant presence which is
unshakeable, even beyond death, giving assurance that: “Whoever sees
Dhamma sees the Tathagata.”
What we have repeated in the foregoing passages is some further
explanation of the ways of striving associated with dieting or fasting
as done by those Bhikkhus who practise with resolve in this way. As for
the results which they should get from this, may the reader try it and
find out for himself by following the gist of what we have already
explained above. I who am writing this am quite certain about the
practices which are described herein, both in regards to those things
which are to be done — the causes — and also the results which come from
them, that they are in harmony with each other. Because those things
which have been described are things which I have done and practised and
gained results from. Therefore I have written about them so that those
who are interested may also take them up and practise them, and maybe
gain the same kind of results.
Sitting in Samadhi for Many Hours
Those Bhikkhus who like to train and discipline themselves in
other ways, such as sitting in samadhi practice for many hours on some
occasions, use this to train themselves according to circumstances. I
consider that sitting for long periods of time brings more dukkha and
torment than any other method, due to the unpleasant feelings which
bombard those who do this practice. If mindfulness and wisdom are not
able to keep up with the painful feelings which concentrate together to
attack them so strongly that they can hardly find anywhere in the body
and mind to relax they are not likely to be able to go on resisting them
and sitting there much longer. The “throne of samadhi” which is usually
well polished will break away within a few hours without any ceremony.
Because the painful feelings quickly spread to all parts of the body
both big and little. Even the backs of the hands and feet feel as if
they are on fire, all of which makes them anxious and restless both
physically and mentally. As for what goes on inside the body, it seems
as if every one of their bones where they are joined to each other, are
about to break apart and separate, for the pain is spread throughout the
body. Apart from this, their hearts become agitated with the fear that
the body is just about to die at any moment. So they are in trouble both
in the body and in their hearts, afraid that they will not be able to
stand up to it much longer.
The painful feeling which comes at that time will arise and die
away three times before reaching the most intense and painful period.
Each time it arises, it remains quite a long time before it calms down
and subsides on its own without anything being done to reduce it or make
it easier to put up with. After it has calmed down and eased off giving
a short respite it then begins once again, and this happens three times.
Each of these periods of painful feeling must arise and establish
themselves and penetrate throughout the body in all its parts both big
and small, then it remains there for some time until it gradually dies
away and becomes calm. But when they reach the fourth period which is
the period of the great “dukkha vedana” — or one may call it the period
in which the armed forces of the great dukkha reach right up to the
“throne” where one is sitting in samadhi at that time, one may reckon
that the army of the great dukkha has reached one’s self. Every part of
the body will then be as if it were burning in a mass of flames;
externally, as if it was being roasted over a fire and internally, as if
it was being beaten by hammers and stabbed with sharp steel daggers. It
seems that the whole body is in agony, as though about to break apart
and fall into bits until it becomes dust, dispersing and spreading apart
due to the power of the pain and torment which is burning and destroying
every part of it.
From the moment when this greatest dukkha vedana becomes
established in the body, one has no time to move about or fidget so as
to get some relief in one’s body at all, for there is nothing left but
pressing and squeezing and smashing and beating it to bits. Up to this
time the citta may have been contemplating other aspects of Dhamma, but
now it will have to withdraw from it so as to turn mindfulness, wisdom
and all its strength to enquire into the question of one’s life, and to
do this in real earnest. Otherwise the body and mind will become a sea
of flame, because these most excruciating painful feelings are
“trampling the body under foot” and destroying it, and at the same time
disturbing one’s heart, making it quiver and shake with the fear of
death. One fears that one will not be able to withstand it, for it seems
to oneself that this body is turning into a mass of fire and there is no
part of it where one can put one’s attention, and relax, that has not
been affected by this painful feeling.
From the start when they first sit down up to the time when the
period of the most painful feeling just begins it is probable that
anyone doing this who has not yet experienced this last stage, will not
know which is the lesser and which is the greater of these periods of
pain. It is quite likely that they will assume one of the lesser periods
to be the greatest possible, whereas in fact they are merely its
“offsprings” and the greatest one is still dormant, yet to wake into
activity. But those who have already been through it before know
straight away which period of feeling is which, for the most painful of
them will only appear after about five or six hours. Before this there
are only minor periods of painful feeling which are rather like children
coming to play and tease and make a nuisance of themselves. But those
who have never sat for long periods of time and who have never met such
feelings before should begin to meet up with the “children and
relatives” of painful feeling in the early stages — in other words, in
the first two or three hours. This brings dukkha and restlessness from
that time on and if mindfulness and wisdom are not able to catch up with
this situation and correct it one may not be able to withstand it and go
on sitting much longer. Then one may dismantle the “throne of samadhi”
within the first two or three hours and feel satisfied that one has
withstood the period of maximum painful feeling until one could stand it
no more — even though this period of maximum dukkha has in fact not yet
even started and one has not truly reached the stage when one can break
away from it.
But those who are used to sitting in samadhi meditation who have
experienced calm of the citta enough to know about it and who are also
used to sitting for fairly long periods of time — such as three or four
hours regularly will probably have known and experienced feelings of
dukkha of various kinds to some extent. If they have not experienced the
final period of the greatest dukkha, they will probably say that the
lesser forms of dukkha which arise two or three times and then die away
and become calm, are the greatest dukkha. But once they have truly met
and experienced the greatest period of dukkha, those lesser forms will
seem to be quite mild, because the differences between the two is very
great — like an elephant compared with a cat!
When the greatest period of pain has arisen, it seems as if every
part of the body hurts and aches with pain all over, as if it really is
just about to break up and fall to bits right then and there. The heat
on the backs of one’s hands and feet is very intense, as though someone
had built a fire on them to cook up some food, and the bones in the
various parts of the body are as if someone has taken a hammer and is
hitting them and pounding them until they all break up. Because the
painful feelings become so excruciatingly severe and all embracing until
in the end there is nowhere that one can put the body and the citta to
get any relief, for the whole of it seems to be a mass of fire. The only
things which can stand up to it at that time are mindfulness, wisdom,
faith and effort, aided by patient endurance which supports one’s
refusal to give up and withdraw one’s forces and lose the battle to the
enemy who is fighting with every bit of power that he has, as though he
is going to smash one to bits and grind one to powder right then without
giving one any chance of survival. When it is driven into a corner such
as this, the citta cannot find any way to escape and it is forced to dig
in and fight as a matter of life and death, using mindfulness and wisdom
to get at the truth of the body and citta which it may only come to know
and experience by means of striving.
Wishing that the painful feelings should stop and disconsolately
thinking that one will not be able to stand up to it are aspects of
“samudaya” — the cause of dukkha — which enhances dukkha, making it
stronger and more intense. At this time one must under no circumstance
allow thoughts of this kind if one does not want to lose out in a
graceless unseemly manner. All one has left is mindfulness and wisdom
which one must arouse by using various skilful means to cope with the
feelings which arise at that time, by discriminating between the body,
feelings and the citta, examining them and comparing them side by side —
until one knows the truth of each of them quite clearly by means of
wisdom.
In separating out the body from the others, one should go to the
focal point where dukkha seems to be stronger than elsewhere and single
it out for investigation. Thus for example, if a bone in the leg, or the
knee is the most painful, one fixes one’s attention on that place and
establishes mindfulness to investigate it with wisdom, by questioning:
“Is this bone really the pain, or is the pain this bone? If the bone is
really the pain, why does the bone not disappear when the pain goes? For
if the two are identically the same, both must go together in order to
conform to the truth of nature. Furthermore, after a person has died,
all painful feeling in the body is at an end, yet the bones are still
there, and when the body is taken away and cremated, do the bones give
rise to any pain or not? If they do not give rise to any dukkha in the
sense of painful bodily feeling at all, right up to the point when the
fire burns them down to ashes, to think as people usually think, that
the bone itself is the pain when this is evidently not the case should
make one ashamed in the face of the bones and all the other parts of the
body which have similar characteristics. For none of them are the
painful feeling itself in the way that people talk about them. And
again, if the pain and the bone were truly the same thing, this bone has
been there since the time one was born, so why does the pain only rise
at times, such as while sitting here in samadhi? Why is the pain not
continuous, much as the bones themselves are continuous, being joined
one to another as they have been since the beginning? This being the
case, to believe that this bone is dukkha or that dukkha is the same
thing as this bone is bound to be false — a belief which contradicts the
truth — which should make one feel quite ashamed in the face of the
truth which does not conform to one’s beliefs and assumptions at all.”
While one is disentangling the bones and feelings so as to find
out the truth about them, the citta, mindfulness and wisdom must be
fully attentive and truly committed to what they are doing. One cannot
afford to let the citta go elsewhere, for one must be fully involved
with what one is investigating, and one must go on investigating going
back and forward and all over it until one understands it clearly. It
does not matter how many times one goes over the problem, but only that
one goes on investigating until one understands, which is the main
purpose of what one is doing. When one has understood quite clearly in
regard to one part of the body, the citta will probably penetrate all
the other parts of the body which have the same characteristics,
automatically, on its own.
After doing that he will go straight on to separate feelings from
the citta without any break, to examine them and compare them together,
looking into them in detail, thoroughly, with mindfulness and wisdom.
This is done in the same kind of way as was used to separate the body
from feelings for investigation, by putting up questions to ask oneself,
such as: “The citta is the same as feeling, or feeling is the same as
the citta, is this true? If the citta is truly feeling, as I have
supposed, when painful feeling dies away and disappears, why does the
citta not also die away with it? And if feeling is identically the same
as the citta, then whatever way the citta goes, this painful feeling
must go along with it and it cannot die away and disappear. But in fact,
painful feelings both arise and cease while the citta goes on, knowing
and being the citta throughout time, for it does not die away together
with feeling? This being the case, does it not contradict the truth and
make one ashamed in the face of the truth to stick to the view that the
citta and feeling are one and the same? — or to think in a way that
“swallows the truth” so that it turns into falsehood, and goes the way
of crazy, wild forms of knowledge and understanding such as this?”
To analyse and distinguish between the body and feeling, or
between the citta and feeling, it is essential for mindfulness and
wisdom to move about quickly, with agility throughout the field of the
work that one is doing. One cannot let them go out to anything else at
that time for the more intense the painful feeling becomes, the more
must mindfulness and wisdom go on investigating it without stopping, in
order to come to know those things which one wants to know, to see and
to understand. Whether the feeling becomes more intense, or abates or
disappears, it is important that one should know it clearly in the
sphere of one’s investigation. It is also important that one must not be
anxious for the dukkha to disappear before one’s investigation has
brought understanding of the truth of the body, feeling and the citta
and how they are each different and separate from one another.
What in fact is the truth about oneself? To find out one must go
on investigating until one understands the body, feeling and the citta.
After having truly understood by means of mindfulness and wisdom, one
will have realised that: “The body is just the body and one no longer
accepts the usual view that it is dukkha and feeling. Feeling is just
feeling and again, one no longer accepts the view that it is the body
and citta. Even the citta is just the citta and one no longer accepts
the view that it is body and feeling in the way that one used to think,
based on the mere assumption and guesswork that one had before one did
this investigation and came to understand the situation.” As soon as
mindfulness and wisdom have thoroughly investigated all sides of the
problem, all painful feeling disappears immediately and it never gets
worse than that on any future occasion. The citta then goes down into an
absorbed, concentrated state which is fully integrated such that it
accepts no stimulus at all. Or it may happen that the citta does not
actually go down into absorbed concentration to the point where it is
fully integrated and quiescent, but it still does not get any
disturbance from feeling. In other words, the body is real, feeling is
real, the citta is real, each is real in itself and each of them exists
in its own way in accordance with its true nature. At this time when
each is real in its own way, one will see the wonder of the citta and
how valiant it is, in that it has been able to pull one away from all
feeling in the most wonderful, incredible way. In addition there also
arises an imperturbable courage in the face of any “life or death”
situation which one comes across, nor does any fear arise any more. This
is because at that moment one saw clearly for oneself what the nature of
feeling is and how it has deceived one and made one afraid of life and
death. After that, however intense feeling may become, the heart is able
to examine it in the same way as it has already done so and understood
its nature. To know and see in this way is to know and see the truths of
Dhamma (Sacca–Dhamma) with true mindfulness and wisdom. Even though one
may not know and see the level of unshakeable resolve which attacks the
kilesas causing them to fall and be utterly destroyed, yet it will
penetrate to the core of the kilesas without their being able to offer
any resistance. So one must depend on this method as the one to use for
one’s further development.
Those who have the courage to fight against painful feeling by
using this method of investigation are not likely to pull back their
army and give up the throne without being able to find a way out. They
are without doubt bound to grasp victory by using this method, as well
as coming to see the fresh and new footprints of the Great Master (Sasada
— the Buddha) and his disciples (Savakas), one by one on the path along
which they went. In this, they may also be inclined to forget that the
Lord attained Parinibbana more than 2500 long years ago, because the
“Truth” is the same thing as the “Great Teacher — the Sasada”. For the
real “Sasada” is not limited to time, place or people all of which have
changed and gone and which we look upon as being far away in the past,
separated from us by more than 2500 years. But we should realise that
wherever the “Truth” is, there also is the “Sasada”, because Dhamma
arises from the Truth which has been investigated and fully comprehended
— and by no other means.
Therefore, those who are able to investigate painful feeling until
they reach the truth of the body, feeling and the citta will steadily
come to see Dhamma quite clearly, and this Dhamma does not depend on the
time or the place to prove its validity. This is illustrated in the
recorded teachings of Dhamma where it says: “Behold Ananda, if the
practice of Dhamma is still being done in a way that is appropriate to
Dhamma, the world will not be void of Arahants” — and this is the
teaching which has just been taught and the sound of it has gone just a
moment ago. For the true Dhamma does not depend on the right time or the
right moment, because in truth it is always there, and nothing is
superior to the “Truth” throughout the Threefold Universe.
This explanation of the method of investigating painful feeling is
only a brief summary which should be enough to show the way to those who
have the characteristics of a warrior, a fighter whose aim is to salvage
himself and curtail further birth and death. Not one who gives up and
lets his future births be endless, haphazard and scattered about in the
various possible realms of birth. For his aim is that of vimutti —
freedom — freedom from all concern about the mass of dukkha, great or
small in the endless future. For this is what causes so much anxiety and
is such a burden to the heart. So in order to search for a way-out he
uses the method of investigation by taking up this mass of dukkha which
is there in the khandhas. Like an abrasive stone, for sharpening up his
mindfulness and wisdom so that they becomes very keen. Then depending on
skilful expedients, to change and cure himself by all sorts of methods,
of which there are so many kinds that it would be quite impracticable to
mention all the details of them here. Because the investigation into
every Dhamma requires a technique which each individual must devise and
use for his own liberation.
One who tends towards contemplation and reflective thought will
find the way of escape from the mass of dukkha in the prison of the
round (vatta) of samsara. Nibbana will be his dwelling place, with
eternal peace and happiness. But those who are afraid of dukkha may
refuse to do any investigation, which is like keeping a thorn that has
become buried in one’s foot and letting it stay there and get worse
until it suppurates and becomes infected, painful and throbbing, so that
one lies down groaning. It may even get worse than this until it causes
damage to the foot so that it becomes useless, disabled and lame. On the
other hand, those who see the danger hurry to pull out the thorn and get
rid of it, and however much it may hurt they put up with the pain while
pulling it out. Then they know that the pain won’t last long and it will
all heal up in a few days. By doing this, the pain does not go on
causing torment for long, and the day soon comes when it is all healed
and they become free from all dukkha and trouble. And this is because of
their courage in facing up to dukkha so as to bring happiness (sukha) to
themselves. We may reckon that people who act like this make blessings
and good fortune for themselves that is rightly directed and as it
should be.
Those who have the courage to fight and to investigate the painful
feelings within the khandhas, act in a similar way, for however much
dukkha they have, they are able to go on investigating it until they
know that they have reached the whole truth, and they don’t keep holding
on to this dukkha to start a fire to burn themselves for a long time to
come. That which we call Nibbana will be their treasure bringing
satisfaction to their hearts one day for sure and this is bound to be
so.
The Lord said that dukkha should be defined and known — defined
until it is truly self-evident to the heart — as we have already
explained above. This is called: “Defining, knowing and abandoning the
two Truths (sacca)” — these being dukkha and the cause of dukkha (Samudaya),
by means of the Path (Magga) — which means, mindfulness and wisdom, both
of which work together at the same time to extract the defilements.
The Lord said: “Dukkha should be defined and known and the cause
of dukkha should be abandoned.” But if one does not bring in mindfulness
and wisdom, both of which are factors of the Path, to define, know and
get rid of them, what else can one use to do this? “Nirodha” is the
quenching of the defilements and the whole mass of dukkha. But in order
that there may be a way for the quenching of dukkha, it is essential for
mindfulness and wisdom to be brought in and put to work. When this is
done, dukkha will at the same time be steadily reduced until finally it
is completely eliminated due to the power of the Path. So this can show
us a way of escape from dukkha.
The inter-relationship between all four of the Noble Truths is
therefore of such a nature that they cannot functionally be separated.
They must all work together simultaneously like a chain, from beginning
to end. Whatever strength the mindfulness and wisdom which are factors
of the path, may have, they will weaken the various kilesas accordingly.
So that they even come to the point of Nirodha — the cessation of all
the kilesas and dukkha — which gradually quenches them in accordance
with the strength of the Path, until finally there are no kilesas or
dukkha remaining within. Then a state of complete purity arises inside,
without there being any need to go and look for it anywhere else, for it
is right there in the heart which is completely free of all kilesas.
This is what is meant by the “Real Buddha”, the “Real Dhamma”, and also
the “Real Sangha” which is this state of Purity. What is “Dhamma”? It is
this state which is the “True Dhamma”, which the world has always paid
homage to and longed for through past ages.
Those whose aim and desire is to experience and see what is meant
by the “Real Dhamma”, in a way which goes deeply into the heart, should
not overlook or neglect the training of the heart which is always ready
to become Dhamma throughout at any time. But how can we interpret the
real meaning of the word “Dhamma”? We can go on finding meanings for it
until we “reach the seashore”, without ever being satisfied. We can try
to explain its meaning with as much imagination and skill as we like,
but our doubts will never be set to rest in this way. Like someone who
has never seen the “finest jewels of the first water”. He may look at
photographs of them and pictures of them piled as high as a mountain,
but they are still only pictures of them and not the real jewels
themselves, so they cannot get rid of his uncertainty or bring him any
satisfaction. For this can only be brought about by seeing the genuine
finest “jewels of the first water” as they actually are. So it is with
Dhamma, the nature of which remains deep and mysterious while we have
not yet found it, for it matters not how much we read or learn about
Dhamma, it will still be like the pictures of those precious jewels
being shown to someone who has never seen the real thing — it will never
bring us real satisfaction.
In order to get rid of our uncertainty as to the real nature of
Dhamma, we should learn all about the heart, which is the direct way to
learn about Dhamma. The more we learn and know of the heart, the more we
get to know about the real nature of Dhamma — until we come to the point
where we know Dhamma throughout, in our own hearts. When our hearts know
the complete story quite clearly, all our doubts and uncertainty will be
set to rest immediately and doubt will never arise again.
As to the question, “What is Dhamma?” It is that which we know and
see just here in our own hearts; what else could it be and where could
it come from? But although we know it full well in our own hearts, when
we come to try and explain this true Dhamma as it really is, there is no
way to do so at all, and all we can do is to use similes and talk a lot.
It is like getting an irritation in one’s throat, one does not know how
to scratch it or to get at the sore spot. However one scratches, one can
only do so externally and one can never reach the actual spot, even
though one knows in one’s mind where it is quite clearly.
Therefore it follows that, what we call Dhamma is of a very
recondite, subtle nature in the understanding of people everywhere, and
there have always been many who are confused and uncertain and who ask
bothersome questions about it. But there has never been anybody who can
explain it in a way that others can understand sufficiently well to make
them feel fully satisfied. There is also no likelihood that this
situation will change in the future. But those Bhikkhus who practise the
way and discipline themselves strictly and unremittingly, such as by
sitting and fighting painful feeling with unrelaxing mindfulness and
wisdom without giving up, are likely to find that Dhamma, which is so
difficult to interpret and explain, much more quickly than would
normally be possible.
Most of the Acariyas whose Dhamma is determined and resolute and
who come to teach the way to others, have attained it by methods such as
we have outlined above, far more than by the usual methods of developing
gradually little by little. When they come to teach others they are also
likely to do so in ways that are characteristic of the methods which
they used in their own training — teaching in forceful, provocative
ways, both as to their manner of speaking, the tone of their voices and
the Truth of Dhamma, all of which blend together — as they did with
Venerable Acharn Mun for example. But those who are determined to reach
the true Dhamma find that when they listen to such teaching, it reaches
their hearts and brings results, much more than with the more usual
forms of teaching.
I who am writing this am a forest monk with inherently rough
characteristics. So my temperament is such that I like the assertive,
determined way of teaching which is never insipid. The kilesas are still
very coarse, so I like what is hard and rough. The heart then submits
easily and is afraid to be high spirited, arrogant and provocative. Like
when I used to think that I was more bold, fearless and clever than my
teacher, while I had still not met anything hard and penetrating to cut
me down to size. Venerable Acharn Mun knew the nature of such smart
useless people and how they would only give way to strong corrective
methods frequently applied, rather than more mild and gentle methods.
After having taken this special, powerful and penetrating medicine, such
people only have to hear the sound of Venerable Acharn, or even just his
name, for the busy meddlesome ones to crouch in submission or run into
hiding faster than a monkey, which is the best thing that could happen
and entirely appropriate. Even now, this busy meddlesome one here, is
still afraid of Venerable Acharn and dare not “swing from branch to
branch” in a most daring and exciting way, for the moment he recalls
Venerable Acharn he submits and gives way immediately.
When one talks about the inner Dhamma with those Bhikkhus who like
to go wandering in search of wild places to practise the way; or those
who like to go and stay in lonely places which arouse fear; or those who
like to fast for the purpose of increasing their efforts as much as
possible; or those who like to practise samadhi for long periods of time
and to tackle painful feeling using mindfulness and wisdom; or those who
like to train and discipline themselves in various other ways, such talk
is truly wonderful to hear in a way that is impossible to describe. For
the Dhamma which they relate each time is Dhamma which has truly arisen
from the heart, and whether it is strange, peculiar or wonderful, it is
rare to hear such things. When relating these things, if one watches
their behaviour they will be seen to be solemn and well controlled,
which suggests that what is within them is awesome and in keeping with
the true Dhamma which flows out of them and which makes one have
profound confidence and faith in them. But when they are with other
people in general, they behave as if they are fools who know nothing
about the ways of Dhamma at all. They speak little and have no liking
for associating with others, preferring to live by themselves, alone.
They like to go about on their own and dislike giving talks on Dhamma or
talking with others in general — as if they truly know nothing at all.
When however these Bhikkhus are with their intimate friends and
they talk together, the listener can hardly keep up with what they say.
One can hardly imagine where the Dhamma comes from, for it comes out in
a torrent like water flowing free of all restriction, and without ever
repeating themselves. Each time one listens to them, they speak about
different aspects of the Dhamma which is entirely within them. When one
thinks about it, it would seem probable that the day and time will come
when they know Dhamma arising in their hearts continually, which is
fitting for those who strive diligently and have no fear of death and do
not look on the cemetery as being their final conclusion. For when they
reach the end of their lives, whatever sankharas are still there, they
will probably dispose of them without any longings or regrets. How
different this is from the average run of people — as different as the
earth and sky! In eating food, whatever they get is good enough. In
dwellings, wherev
er they rest and sleep, it is good enough. However things go with
them, it is good enough and they are not concerned or anxious about how
it is going to be in the future, or how it has been in the past. They
are light and unburdened, their ears are very keen, and their hearts are
firm and resolute — as if a diamond were buried in them. When they walk
“cankama” they go on for many hours, either by night or by day for they
resolutely strive as if it was all one night for them. When they sit in
samadhi bhavana, their bodies are like a post and they remain there for
many hours. For they act as if something unusual and wonderful had
arisen in them, or so it seems to us who see them and admire all their
ways and find nothing in them that we should blame. In fact, they are
good examples to all of us in all their ways and actions.
With such people as described above, even if they were full of
kilesas, they would all be destroyed by this kind of effort. If the
kilesas were physical beings, they would all be lying dead in great
heaps. Some would die where the Bhikkhus walk “cankama”, some where they
sit in samadhi, some near the trees which they shelter under, some on
rocky ground where they sit in the open, some at the mouth of a cave,
under overhanging cliffs, in jungle graveyards, in the places they sit,
stand and walk striving to practise the way, and some of the kilesas
would die where they lie down to sleep under the mosquito net; this is
how it would be all round the place where they do their work. In fact if
the kilesas were living beings with physical bodies like animals and
people, the forest, where the Bhikkhus work to get rid of them, would be
frightful graveyards full of all sorts of cadavers, ghosts and fearful
spirits, killed by the force of striving in various ways, until it would
become impossible to cremate and bury all of them. If any timid person,
afraid of ghosts, were to go to such a place they could hardly breathe
and must get out quick and go home because of the ghosts of the kilesas
that had been killed and destroyed by those who were not afraid of death
in the battle of the “round of samsara”. In fact there is a very large
number of them including those that died in the past and in recent
times, by being beaten out and forced out, all over the place making a
sorry sight such as we would never have seen before. But those who
destroyed all these various kinds of kilesas by means of their striving,
gained happiness and contentment and cured all their worries, concerns,
depression and melancholy states, and happily enjoyed their great inner
wealth which is so excellent and theirs alone. Nothing ever gets into it
to cause disturbance and trouble, which is so different from wealth in
the outside world, for all that one possesses is just waiting to slip
through one’s hands and disappear for all sorts of reasons. For one may
lose one’s wealth by frittering it away and destroying it oneself, by
thieves stealing it, or by countless predators of all sorts; so that in
sleeping, sitting down, or whatever else one does, one is anxious,
because one must watch and guard it all the time. Even then, wealth is
also a danger to its owner in another way, as in the Dhamma aphorism:
“Lobho dhammanam paripantho” — greed (lobha) is a danger to Dhamma — in
other words, to all forms of calm and peace. Those forms of Dhamma which
are what we call calm and happiness are not likely to be able to develop
and thrive as they should in one whose heart is infected by greed, which
is bound to destroy and wipe out all that he has without remainder.
Therefore those who are anxious to gain happiness and increase of
heart with Dhamma as their rest and support must think well about
themselves and look on greed with apprehension as being a great
destroyer. They must also be strict, unyielding and firm with that which
is always waiting for a chance to destroy the Dhamma which is within
their hearts, and they must never be easy and give way to it, letting it
take charge of them — for it can lead to their death, even while they
are still living. |
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11.
The Nature of Greed & Fighting Pain and Kilesas
The Baneful Nature of Greed
If
one is forgetful and careless of oneself and welcomes greed (lobha)
without inhibition, it will be like an animal which lays in wait to
destroy the world, for it has never done any good to anyone. Like a
disease which is much feared by the world, and is very difficult to
treat and cure if it has once got a hold of anyone. It is a type of
disease in which those people who have got it can give up all hope of
ever curing it while they are still alive. All they can do is to wait
for the day when they reach the end of this life — and die.
Whatever else the world wants, apart from wealth, there is no hope
of getting it from this disease. Therefore, those who hope to get what
is truly valuable as an insurance so that they may live in safety, free
from dangers, at ease and relaxed both now and in the future should
begin to think and consider this matter deeply so as to see how evil
greed is. For it is full of evil throughout — worse than a bomb which
explodes and spreads destruction all about. Because when a bomb goes off
it makes plenty of noise and disturbance and it displays its power so
that everyone knows about it and they are afraid and hurry and find
shelter as fast as they can to allay their fear and save themselves.
But greed does not display itself in this way. Rather it tends to
set up subtle traps deep in the hearts of people of all races, colours
and nationalities. It is even there in the Sangha, from the Samaneras up
to the Mahatheras, and the lay followers, for it is not in the least
ashamed of getting in where it can. For if their hearts are low and base
enough for it to take hold of them it is bound to force its way in and
immediately turn them into its means of satisfaction — its servants.
Then it sets up a production unit in their hearts, forcing those who are
strong willed and resolute to go into training until they are
experienced and skilful, after which they are made to go out to work, to
think and search out all sorts of ways to make money and become wealthy.
It matters not whether they get it by right — or wrong, crooked and
illegal ways. All that matters is that it satisfies the “boss” — greed —
who sets his expectations of reward so high that the heart which has a
normal awareness of good and evil, right and wrong, such as people have
everywhere, feels that it cannot go against it and reduce its
expectations. Then the boss passes on the responsibility for doing this
to its most favoured servant — the heart — which does the work of
thinking out how to do it and passing on instructions to the body and
speech faculties to go about acting and searching for profit. Each one
does this in his own way and direction, both near and far, inwardly and
outwardly, over water and land, by day and by night, whether standing,
walking, sitting or lying down, all the time, the only exception being
when they go to sleep. We can see them in various places where they
congregate together in large numbers, both “raking in” the wealth, as
well as bringing suffering down upon others without any concern for who
they might be. They are not afraid to think, speak and act both openly
and in secret, without feeling the least bit ashamed or afraid that
anyone may blame or criticise them. Nor are they afraid of other
people’s hatred, resentment and anger. All they want is to profit by
following the teaching of the great powerful one — which is “Lobho
dhammanam paripantho” — and this is the refuge which makes them feel
satisfied.
As far as safe-guarding what they have gained so that it does not
leak out and slip far away from their grasp, “Master Greed” must tell
them to store it securely, without thinking about how wide the world is
and whether there will be enough space to keep it all. But they store it
and accumulate it all until they forget to consider whether — “We are
upholders of the sky and earth, immortal gods who know not death” — or
whether — “We are people whose end is in the graveyard just like
everyone else — or what kind of people are we?” Because it casts a magic
spell over them which closes their ears, their eyes and their minds so
tightly that they never get a chance to even glance at the faces of
their “bosses” to see what kind of a secret this is that they have
together.
In addition, the nature of this greed leads them to display
external characteristics which are not good to see. It makes no
difference what the sex, nationality, race, colour or class of the
person is, nor how much power and influence he has, what he displays are
characteristics that nobody likes to see — for they fill people with
loathing and repulsion. For in fact this is likely to lead to nothing
but the downfall and ruin of the world, because the fire of greed
spreads to burn and engulf everything so that nobody will be able to
find shelter to withstand it.
For reasons, which we already know and
see — which are obvious in our sight and mind — reasons which are not at
all secret or obscure, the Dhamma of the Lord Buddha should be accepted,
affirmed and promoted as the “Svakkhata–Dhamma” which has been so well and truly taught. Thus
in the example of greed, the Dhamma of the Lord teaches that it is a
danger which disturbs the peace and happiness of people who live
together socially. In saying that greed is a danger, the Lord did not
mean that it should only apply at that time when he said it, for this
Dhamma has been known in the world for a long time, together with this
religion which has taught it to the world. The world should therefore
know, or at least be able to assess that greed has been a danger to the
world for ages, just as it has been taught in the Dhamma which has also
been with us for a long time. So people should be aware to some extent
of its evil nature even if only in brief flashes of inspiration, for
this is enough to bring them calm and happiness for a short time so that
they are not always in blind darkness. This hazard which is called
greed, has never brought blessings and benefit to anyone at all
anywhere, and even though the whole world may praise it and think that
it is good, all the results which in fact come from it are not what
people expect or imagine they will be. For those results are bound to
follow this same course as they have since the remote past in a fixed
manner without any variation. So the wisest of people destroy the evil
of greed and then live in happiness — which is so different from us
ordinary people who lead each other to develop greed and make it thrive
and increase its power until there is hardly any room left for it to
increase further in the whole world. If greed were a physical thing like
objects and things everywhere, the world would surely be inundated by
greed objects with nowhere left to put anything else. Because people are
making more of it in various ways all the time and using it openly until
they forget themselves and lose all sense of shame in the face of their
nature which is that of a human being and usually extolled as being a
high state, inherently clever and instilled with moral behaviour.
Even if they were to search for wealth and get it, piled as high
as a mountain under the influence of greed, which goes about leading
them on and directing them to go after it in evil ways, such people
would get no happiness for the rest of their lives. And they would die
in vain having wasted their lives looking after masses of suffering for
which their greed led them to be energetic in accumulating it in large
quantities — which is a sorry thing to happen. As for themselves they
feel no apprehension, but other people feel afraid for them, for this is
not a thing about which people can afford to be careless or indifferent.
For when the time comes for the fire to start burning and destroying, it
will do so truly without regard for status or rank. For every part of
the world both small and large seems to be boiling and getting hotter
and more disturbed everyday. In fact it seems to be accelerating because
of greed which is like an engine, a prime mover, that drives everything
else which has got to follow and cannot resist or stand on its own. What
else but greed has such regal power to make the world run around doing
its bidding until nobody is ever his own master. Nothing else but lobha
(greed) has been raised up so high and established as the great lord and
master over the hearts of people at the present time. What we have here
called “Lord Lobha” is the one that has greed for anything and
everything at random without selecting or choosing. All that is
necessary is that there should be a liking for something for it to
arise. Even the moon up in the sky has been laid claim to by people who
were forced by greed to go up there and “take it” and stick a flag in it
to indicate that they were the owners without feeling in the least
afraid or ashamed that someone might laugh at them. In fact it is
sensual craving (kilesa–kama) that is not afraid and does not turn away
from sensual things. Once it finds a liking for anything it becomes so
greedy for it that it cannot have enough of it and even if it means
facing death it will put up with it, right up to the end of life without
giving up. Even though it has things which support it, piled up until
the owner is inundated by them and the greed cannot be seen under them,
it is still not afraid of the burden. Even if it meant that it would
break its back carrying this load it is not afraid and it never
retracts.
The words “retract” or “enough” are words which this type never
utters, because its “stomach” is not made of skin and flesh such as
people and animals have, but it is made of insatiable greed for which
there is never “enough”. So the heart and greed can live together, go
about together and compete with others sufficiently well so that they
can both reach wherever they are going, together without being afraid of
a burst stomach, a broken back, that the body may die and that they may
end in disgrace without having any virtue at all.
Those necessities of life, whatever they may be, greed goes about
acquiring and raking them in to fill up the heart. If the heart were
like any other vessel it would have burst and been thrown away as
garbage long ago. But the heart is of an immaterial nature (nama–dhamma)
which is tough and durable for it has been able to stand up to birth and
life in all forms for a long time. So it can stand up to these
conditions well enough and is not likely to be destroyed by all these
baneful things which destroy everything else and which are associated
with the heart all the time. But even then we are still not roused up
enough to think more about the importance of the citta than about those
things which destroy everything. Therefore, even though the heart is
what brings us the greatest boons and benefits, it is generally
forgotten, like something thrown away and left to go the way of nature
and there are few who give it the attention that they ought to. But
those things which are enemies of the heart are generally exalted and
praised by people of all classes, so day by day they become more skilled
and penetrating, and they steadily drag the heart down and bruise it and
debase it all the time. Never can the heart be free even for a few
moments such that it could know that — “Now there is a chance for the
heart to get a bit of peace and happiness and freedom from all those
oppressive burdens,” which is the way it should be and is appropriate to
the heart which is the great one and the paramount essence within each
and every one of us throughout the world. But instead of being like
that, the heart always has to accept and experience the results of one’s
actions and put up with the suffering. This is true even though one may
have so much wealth that one can hardly find room to store it; wealth
which one has sought for the purpose of ensuring one’s physical and
mental happiness. But there is no way for it to act as a balm to bring
some happiness, in the way one thinks it should, without any suffering,
discontent and trouble. So in the end one never sees any hope of getting
any freedom from it.
The practices which the Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus strive to
develop in various ways are all for the sake of freedom and salvation,
and these practices are such as we have depicted in this book. Apart
from the purpose of overcoming the evil kilesas which makes it necessary
for them to put up with suffering, hardship and a strict discipline,
inherent in these practices, it is hard to see any other reason why they
should do all this.
What I have known and described here in this book, are just those
methods which are used by those Bhikkhus who hope to slip quietly out of
the snares of Mara which we have been discussing. They keep trying to
force themselves onward with whatever mindfulness, strength and ability
each one of them has, by using their own individual methods of making
progress, as we have already seen, and each of them tends to stress that
method of development which suits him most.
The Way to Fight Against Pain and the Kilesas
We have not yet come to the end of the story of those Bhikkhus who
liked to sit in samadhi for long periods of time — for many hours so as
to get to know the nature of the painful feelings which arise in the
body and heart quite clearly. But I got side-tracked and involved in the
topic of the kilesa of greed, so I delved into it and dealt with it
enough to allay my characteristic tendency to become excessively
profuse. So now I shall return to the story of these Bhikkhus, and I
hope that you will forgive me for this habit of going on and on beyond
what is reasonable.
It is well known amongst those who practise the way that many of
the Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus prefer to train and discipline
themselves by sitting for long periods of time. This is much the same as
with other methods such as eating little food or fasting.
They say that they sit for long periods, not with the purpose of
fighting against the painful feelings that arise in the manner of dull
and obstinate slogging which is lacking in thought and wisdom, but by
using their heads to think and fight — in other words, by using their
faculties of mindfulness, wisdom and the rest. They use their heads to
think with wisdom so as to know the nature of all forms of feeling quite
clearly, for they are a fundamental Dhamma Truth (Sacca–Dhamma) which is
to be found in the body and citta.
They say that the method of resolving the nature of painful
feeling by constantly changing one’s posture, is upon examination, shown
to be nothing but one’s own fear of pain, and not contending with it so
as to get to know pain. Because the changes of posture conceal the
painful feelings, so that one cannot see them clearly enough to be able
to have complete confidence in oneself when painful feeling arises at a
time of dire necessity.
In experiencing the truth in the Sacca–Dhamma such as the truth of
dukkha, and doing so by confronting it while sitting in bhavana one can
experience it in a way that reaches causes and results, and reaches the
heart (citta). This brings certainty and complete confidence in oneself
both in the present and for the future, that one will never be afraid or
overwhelmed by painful feeling again however strong it may be. This
includes the final period before one dies when it is instinctive to feel
afraid. But now one will have no fear because the fear of death and the
fear of dukkha arise from the same hidden place and are the same thing.
They are a contradiction of the truth which comes from investigating in
a manner which is not thorough and does not take all sides of the
problem into account based on the principles of truth.
But when one investigates thoroughly on all sides until one sees
the truth in dukkha and the truth in what we call “birth” and “death”
until one is fully satisfied, there remains no reason why one should be
afraid any more. Because the nature of the four elements — which are
earth, water, air and fire, all gather together within the body, as well
as the nature of the heart — each retain their fundamental natures as
elements and do not die. They just change their interrelationships all
the time in accordance with the causes and conditions which effect them.
In other words, when the four elements have broken apart and departed
from their association together in the body, they just revert to their
original elementary natures, but they are not annihilated.
As for the heart, it remains the heart as it always has been, even
though it dwells in dependence on human or animal bodies of various
kinds within those three realms of existence. But also, there are those
who do not dwell in any bodily form, such as the hearts of the Lord
Buddha, of the Pacceka Buddhas and all the other “Victorious Ones” (Jinasava)
all of whose hearts are completely pure. Therefore one should not be
afraid when one searches for the way it all works and fits together and
can find no reason or basis for it, for this can only create a lot of
fanciful and doleful ideas, all of which are caused by such thoughts.
For those searching thoughts are the cause of one’s experience of
the Dhamma Truths while one is sitting, investigating and fighting
against the pain by using mindfulness and wisdom. And this brings the
experience of tangible results to one very quickly — in fact much more
quickly than one would normally expect. This experience then becomes
deeply buried in the heart and always remain firmly fixed there within
oneself. Even though after this one may not always be able to
investigate and see the truth as one did the first time, that which one
has once experienced will never revert and change and alter and become
something else, for it must always be the truth within one’s heart.
After that there is nothing left but to develop it and become
skilled and far seeing in the truth, going deeper and more subtle all
the time. Until one understands all aspects of it and can let go of all
one’s attachments entirely. Therefore the investigation of painful
feeling which arises when one sits for a long time, or at other times
such as when one is sick and in pain, is a way to experience and reveal
the truth of Dhamma fully — and this method is no problem for those
Bhikkhus who are warriors and fight using true mindfulness and wisdom.
On the other hand, no kinds of painful feelings are likely to be
of any value to those who are weak and complaining and wanting all
painful feelings to disappear without doing any investigation to find
some way out. Painful feeling will continue to be a danger to such
people and its danger will steadily increase the more they think in ways
which oppose the truth. This is why, even though all people and animals
everywhere have painful feelings, hardly anyone seems to be able to
think of a way to gain some value from them. In fact, it is generally
true that people are more likely to grasp hold of that painful feeling —
a thing which they should not want — and to burn themselves with it by
means of thoughts which oppose Dhamma. Rather than by investigating and
examining it so as to remove dukkha and the cause of dukkha (Samudaya)
from their bodies and minds, to whatever extent they should be able to
do this in accordance with their level and ability — as it is taught in
Buddhism.
The Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus have knowledge and experience
which is very different from that of the average person. Such as the
ways of practice which we have delineated, including their stories and
the things which branched off from them in accordance with the way that
each of these Bhikkhus progressed. These are the things which we should
think about. But it would not be right to assume that the way they
practised was contrary to the regular way or path, because the
principles of the practices which they did were entirely in conformity
with the principles of truth, which are the truths of Dhamma (Sacca–Dhamma),
and there is no way in which one can find fault with them. To say that
they are conceited and that they practise so as to show off to others is
certainly not true, because they never have any intention of becoming
associated with external things in the world. Instead, their intention
is just that of training and disciplining themselves alone. Even the
results which they get from doing these practices are fully in
conformity with the aim of Dhamma — which is to know the Dhamma Truths,
that are the chief and fundamental principles of Buddhism.
Venerable Acharn Mun, who is the teacher to this line of
Kammatthana, also followed this same path, and he trained and taught his
followers to do so in the same way as he had done it. By for example,
teaching them to be fighters so as to know the various painful feelings
which arise within them. But I feel that I have not enough ability to
describe properly and assess many aspects of Venerable Acharn’s way of
practice. It is just that I think about it and how, if I had had enough
courage and ability to oppose the kilesas and withstand the dukkha in my
khandhas and citta as Venerable Acharn had, I should by now have gone
free from dukkha and attained something. I would then probably not be so
clumsy and so poor in my ability to think and to be quick and nimble in
wisdom as is presently the case, which is so vexatious to myself. In
speaking or writing about others, when I know their story well enough I
can probably do so reasonably well. But the important thing is my own
lack of wisdom and ability so that I cannot find any way to express
myself when speaking or writing so that others may understand. Therefore
the writer can only write about the story of other Bhikkhus so that you
who read this may gain some value from it, for each of us have our own
characteristic good tendencies deeply hidden within us which are quite
individual in their modes and directions, so that the Lord taught that
we should not be thoughtless about each other. All of you who read this,
both men and women probably have many good characteristic tendencies and
much meritorious endowment. Some may even have much more than the
Dhutanga Bhikkhus whose stories are told herein, as well as myself, in
fact some may have such tendencies and merits as are incomparably
greater — but none of us can know or see whether this is so or not. Like
the work of writing this book which puts us in mind of the ways of a
millionaire, loaded with wealth who is never likely to go anywhere
without his servants. He is bound to keep in touch with them and to use
them to do all sorts of business even though he is a millionaire. So I
keep thinking how I can get a story from this person and another from
that person and then I go and get them to tell me their stories so that
I can turn whatever is suitable in them, to good use — in the same way
as the millionaire puts his servants in his house to good use.
You who read this and reckon that you should get value from those
methods which the Bhikkhus put into practice to fight against their
kilesas, ought to get some value from them. Because the kilesas in all
their various forms which are there in the Bhikkhus are not likely to be
any different from those which are there in men and women everywhere. We
should therefore be able to think of a way to correct and cure those
kilesas, which are daring, wild and reckless, always wanting to disagree
with this and to fight that, so that we may dwell in a state of
sufficiency and contentment and that our behaviour may be more seemly
and peaceful. The kilesas will then no longer be stubborn and hard to
placate as they used to be. For generally speaking one tends to give way
to the kilesas and go along with them almost every time until they gain
heart and change into kilesas which “must” have their own way. Then they
lead one into all sorts of contrary behaviour without considering what
one’s loss will be as a result of it — and what loss one’s family will
also suffer, as well as the various aspects of one’s work and business
for which one is responsible. For they can lead to all these things
going wrong until they are ruined, with no way left to recover and put
them right.
But opposing the kilesas by going the right way of Dhamma, even if
only a little will never do any harm. In fact it will continue to bring
value to us, steadily, until it becomes of enormous value to ourselves
to our home and to our country. This is in stark contrast to the kilesas
which go against us and which we give way to and willingly go along
with. The more we give way to them when they oppose us, the more we make
ourselves subservient to them. If we are easy and let them go against us
in a big way, and we always give way to them, the time will come when we
are strongly under their influence, until finally we become people
without any value and with nothing left in us that is essential or
important, without even realising it. By the time we do come to realise
the situation it will have already gone too far for any hope of
recovery. It is a most sorry and deplorable thing that people who are
complete in all their faculties should willingly give way and lay
themselves down like a drawbridge, allowing the various kinds of kilesas
to crawl all over their heads and to trample over them going back and
forth, as if they were the carcass of a dead animal.
I sometimes think about the kilesas and how they serve their own
ends and take advantage of us in that way. It makes me angry, while also
forgetting that anger is one of the kilesas which are crawling over our
heads and trampling us down. But such thoughts of anger in the direction
of getting free, gaining the upper hand and defeating the kilesas, which
have had us in their power for a long time, do not seem to be the type
of kilesas which bring people to loss or ruin. If anger directed towards
the kilesas for the purpose of having revenge on one’s own kilesas were
to turn into something which increased the kilesas, causing them to grow
greater and stronger, it is hard to see how any of those who have in
fact gained freedom from dukkha could have done it, because they would
have been dull and unresponsive people who never get exasperated enough
to fight against the kilesas. For, the instinct of fighting is
widespread, so that both people and animals have tendencies of pride and
anger to uphold their position, which come from their past. Thus they
have strength of heart to keep working at whatever they do until they
can finish it. Even in sports, they have pride and anger to spur them on
until the contest is finished. But who wins or loses should not be
important because each one is concerned with his performance.
Some of the Dhutanga Bhikkhus tell us how the animosity between
the kilesas and themselves seem to be no different from the way that
people fight together in a war. The determination, resentment and anger
which were there, were quite obvious while fighting the most significant
kilesas at a crucial time with neither side ready to give way in the
least. One of them said how the kilesas were clever in the way that they
liked to get the upper hand while he was off guard. He also said “How he
himself was clever” in the way he liked being off guard, so allowing the
kilesas to be there all the time! For even though he had set himself to
be watchful and guarded, he would forget, which allowed the kilesas to
prevail. But the time came when he felt in himself that because he had
been off guard and unmindful, he had let the kilesas swallow practically
all that was valuable in him, then determination arose and anger arose.
The effort that he had been making to practise the way then got help and
support from determination and anger. So it became very strong, to the
point where he took no thought of whether he would live or die, or
whether it was pleasant or painful, but only of attacking and fighting
against the kilesas to the utmost of his mindfulness, wisdom, faith and
effort. This Acariya said: “On each occasion, by the time I managed to
defeat the kilesas I almost had to die first, when they would be the
ones to cremate me — which in fact sometimes happened — because of the
determined effort and hope of defeating the kilesas each time.”
He said: “For myself, if I had not had the determination and anger
to help me I am sure that I would never have done much good. Especially
in the fight with the kilesas of obscene tendencies within myself. I
could never do it in a playful way like someone who has no heart for it.
Even if I walked cankama practically all night I would never see any
results from it such as I would remember in the future. But when I acted
like a warrior, full of either determination or anger to support me, the
effort that arose stood out so clearly that I will never forget it.
Though the experience does not go on lasting for long and I had to rely
on this method to help me every time. For as soon as these two Dhammas
were not present for a short while the kilesas at once started to move
in. So I had to keep hold of these Dhammas close to me all the time
until the war between myself and the kilesas reached a decisive
conclusion with myself as the absolute winner. Only then could I relax
and ease off.”
As I have a tendency to be very outspoken, I asked him: “Have you
reached a decisive conclusion yet? And if so, who is the absolute
winner?”
He smiled and answered: “I can talk about fighting all the kilesas
using various methods, but as to that victory I must wait to hear about
it, that’s all. For I feel quite certain that having done the work, the
results of what one has done from the small beginnings right through to
the greatest and most decisive actions must steadily become apparent. I
have faith in the Lord Buddha and I do not believe that he ever taught
with duplicity or deceit. Whatever he taught is bound to be true for all
time, so I believe that the things I have done must come back to me as
results for sure. From the most gross to the most subtle, my actions are
bound to come back for me to experience the results one day — if I have
not already experienced them.”
“And now, have you already experienced some of the results?” I
asked. But he just smiled and gave no answer.
What we have understood so far should be enough for us to grasp
the underlying essential principle that, when obstinate determination,
and anger are set against the kilesas within oneself, leading one to
cure the kilesas or to take revenge on them in various ways by using the
methods of the Path (Magga) — which are mindfulness and wisdom — then
these two factors (obstinacy and anger) should be considered as Dhamma —
the way of the Path which goes in the direction of curing both obstinacy
and anger — in which case they are not kilesas. This is like using a
thorn to extract a thorn. For generally when one gets a thorn stuck in
one’s foot it hurts, but when uses another thorn to pull the first one
out it becomes a valuable ally. In a similar way, if obstinate
determination and anger are put to use in the wrong way they are kilesas
and bring one harm in accordance with how strong and persistent they
are. But when they are used in the right way they become Dhamma and
they are allies whose value also accords with their strength and
persistence. This is the way that some Dhutanga Bhikkhus use them all
the time as a Dhamma remedy to aid their efforts to cure the various
kinds of kilesas.”
I, who am writing this, am in full agreement with the foregoing
methods — in fact they can be seen in the methods of training and
discipline which the Lord Buddha used, by the way that he gave up
everything in order to defeat all the kilesas, and for this he was even
prepared to give up his life without any regrets. In addition, the
Savakas who followed the Lord, also used those methods of practice which
were given to them for training and disciplining themselves in various
ways. All of these methods were bound to involve strong and stubborn
determination to oppose those obstacles of many kinds which are the work
of various kilesas that suggest and intimidate, and which in one way or
another they may have become attached to and couldn’t get free from. But
they kept on trying to oppose them, until they succeeded by means of
stubborn determination — which at times may have been mixed with anger
directed towards themselves or their kilesas which penetrated into the
field of their striving. This is what helped and supported them and made
their striving firm and resolute in their aim of gaining fulfilment of
heart, and this has been the case with teachers and Acariyas throughout,
right from those times up to the present, including all those who
practise the way and who are interested in Dhamma. All of them must have
put these two factors into use, for without them they would have got no
results — because they are Dhammas which greatly increase their strength
of heart.
One’s training and discipline, which uses various techniques and
methods which are seen to be necessary for getting rid of all the
kilesas and evil dhammas, must have the above mentioned two Dhammas to
support and aid it every time. This is necessary in order that the heart
shall have a firm resolve and can stand up to those things which are its
internal enemies to the absolute maximum of its capacity, without
becoming weak and disheartened nor drawing back at those times when one
gets into a critical situation — which is likely to happen at any time
to those who strive for Dhamma. It is like walking in thick dense
jungle, one is bound to come across incidents and obstacles which are on
one’s path all the time. Until one has managed to pass free, beyond all
of them. Those who practise for the eradication of the kilesas within
their hearts are in the same kind of situation as this person walking
through a thick jungle, full of kilesas of all types — some frightening,
some obdurate, some overpowering, some lovely, some detestable or
repulsive, some of which make one angry, make one cry, or laugh, make
one fed up and tired, or make one feel satisfied and happy — on and on
until describing them becomes endless. As the Lord said there are
countless kilesas and cravings hanging about, ready to block the path of
practice and there is no time when those who go this way can relax and
take it easy for a while. All these kilesas, which we have rather
incompletely described, are to be found in all classes of beings in the
world and one cannot find any who do not have these tangled and
distorted things as part and parcel of themselves.
Anyone who would go this way must use mindfulness, wisdom, faith,
and effort as the means of opening up the way, enough so that he can go
along the path steadily, with such things as stubborn determination to
help him along. This is like the gearbox of a car which can give
increased force to drive it through muddy stretches of road until it
goes free and beyond them.
In regard to this “stubborn determination”, whether in the world
or in Dhamma, those who are anxious to live in safety and security may
have to bring it up and use it in some situations in order to gain the
results which they intend if they do not want to be driven into a corner
due to the suffering and troubles of various kinds which can arise from
being in need and at their wits end — or due to some kinds of kilesas
overshadowing the heart. And the more they have made a commitment to
reach a high goal, the more must they put their whole effort into the
struggle, without any thought of whether they will live or die. Their
only aim is to bring to completion that which they have set their hearts
on. Like those Dhutanga Bhikkhus which we have already discussed, who
trained and disciplined themselves in various ways. All of them had the
fundamental aim of reaching the great treasure — which is the Path,
Fruition and Nibbana, the goal, victorious and free from Dukkha and all
concerns or anxieties both great and small. This is why they are
prepared to risk their lives and face death and suffering without having
any regrets — like the Bhikkhu who walked towards the place where he
heard a tiger growling and roaring in a fearful way. If it had been one
of us we would probably have died even before the tiger could have
reached us — yet those Bhikkhus who are ready to face death for the sake
of the Supreme Dhamma can make themselves walk towards the tiger in a
way which deserves our admiration. For out of hundreds of people it
would be hard to find one who can do this if we think of ourselves in
that same situation. This is why they should be praised and admired and
held up as a true example of those who are warriors and sons of the
victorious Buddha (Sakyaputta Buddhajinorasa) who are fully prepared to
die in the battle in conformity with their declaration that they take
the Buddha as their refuge from the day when they were first ordained.
Few are prepared to give their lives as an offering to the Buddha,
the Dhamma and the Sangha with complete commitment. Such people and
Bhikkhus are a rarity — which conforms with the Dhamma as being a form
of nature that rarely arises — and this has always been the case. Those
who do cultivate Dhamma in order to make it grow within their own
character in such a way that it is clearly evident to them will probably
be quite prepared to sacrifice everything to it — even their own lives.
Like those Bhikkhus who walk about the hills at night when there is no
moonlight; those who walk cankama, in competition with the tigers
roaring in their vicinity in the middle of the night; those who sit and
practise samadhi bhavana at the edge of deep, precipitous cliffs; those
who go and sit in meditation in the middle of the night right next to
the path where tigers walk back and forth to the cave where they live;
those who go and sit in meditation on a rocky outcrop in the hills in
the middle of the night; those who walk cankama even while a big tiger
comes and sits down close by and watches them; those who practise
meditation under their mosquito net while a tiger creeps up quietly to
look at them, until it reaches the mosquito net; those who sit in
meditation practice from dusk until dawn; those who fast and do
meditation practice for many days without eating; those who walk cankama
from dusk to dawn; those who strive to develop their meditation by the
three postures of standing walking and sitting but not lying down for
many nights; in fact all the various forms of striving for development
which the Bhikkhus practise with determination and ascetic resolve,
without being afraid of suffering and death.
If they did not have a stubborn determination of the do-or-die
type how could they ever put up with the suffering and torment? In fact
they would surely be a dismal failure. But because their effort is of
the stubbornly determined kind, ready to do-or-die, these Bhikkhus do
not get more suffering and “go broke”. The kilesas are the ones that are
broken and their corpses vanish from the heart leaving none behind. The
heart then changes and becomes completely pure, beyond and above those
things which had previously been oppressing it.
Thus, both stubborn determination and anger, when turned against
one’s own kilesas give one a firm basis and strength, and they help one
to finish this work without hindrance. So the wisest of men all praise
whose who triumph over themselves, saying that this is supreme, and far
better than being triumphant over other people or things of any kind. As
the Dhamma saying goes: “Atta have jitam seyyo” — “To purify oneself is
the most excellent thing.” Therefore, stubborn determination and anger
directed against one’s own kilesas is the first stage for someone who
would reach the level of those who have triumphed over themselves with
complete fulfilment. |
|
12. A Short
Biography of Venerable Acharn Kow
While
writing about stubborn determination and anger, at some length, we
thought how it would be good to relate the story of one Dhutanga
Kammatthana Bhikkhu who was a follower of Venerable Acharn Mun in the
middle period of his teaching. For this is a story that illustrates the
Dhamma teaching about stubborn determination and anger when directed
against one’s own kilesas. This Bhikkhu was Venerable Acharn Kow, and he
was strongly imbued with both of these factors in his practice of Dhamma
and still has them up to the present time. But we should explain to the
reader that this Bhikkhu is someone of significance at present, and he
is also still alive. If we were to mention his name, practically
everyone would know it throughout Thailand. But his name will not be
revealed for the reason already given, and because it is generally the
practice of Dhutanga Bhikkhus not to want their names mentioned in such
circumstances.
Venerable Acharn Kow had a very resolute character and liked to
put his whole strength into whatever he did. He has been like this since
he was a lay person and when he was ordained he carried these
characteristics over with him, and the longer he was ordained in
Buddhism, which is a true religion and teaches people to act truly in
whatever they do, the more he felt impressed by the principles of
Dhamma. It seems that before he was ordained he had a wife and family,
but he became disillusioned and weary with the round of samsara and
resolved to train himself so as to attain Nibbana in this life, unless
he died in the meantime. Therefore as soon as he was ordained he went
searching for an Acariya who was fully conversant with the ways of
inward meditation (citta–bhavana).
Before he went the way of the practice of Kammatthana, it seems
that he had many things which disturbed him and acted as a
discouragement and an obstacle, things which came from practically
everybody he met, both from lay people and Bhikkhus. All of them said
that nowadays it was beyond all possibility to attain the Path, Fruition
and Nibbana and that it was long past the era when this could be done.
That however rightly and properly one were to practise the way of the
Dhamma and Vinaya one would not be able to attain the result of reaching
the goal as one may hope to. That the practice of meditation makes
people mad and whoever wants to go mad should go out and practise it.
That if one wants to be a good person like we villagers, one should not
drive oneself mad by going the way of Kammatthana. That in this age
there are no Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus apart from those who sold
magic yantras, mantras, methods of magic, lockets which have magic
properties, magic potions for influencing others, ways of making people
impervious to bullets and knives, knowledge of auspicious times and
astrology. But that as far as finding Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus who
actually practise the way of Dhutanga, there were none left nowadays.
That he must therefore not waste his time and tire himself to no
purpose, for to get to a state of ease and happiness in that way was
impossible.
These were some of the many obstacles which blocked the path of
those who wanted to practise the way of the Dhutangas in those days. But
Venerable Acharn Kow was not prepared to listen to any of them, although
he did not object or argue with them for it would not have been useful
to either side. But deep within himself he considered that —
“These people and these Acariyas are not the owners of the
Buddhist religion, they are not the owners of the Path, Fruition and
Nibbana, nor have they any power to make anyone else go mad, such that I
could believe what they say. I have faith only in the Lord Buddha, in
the Dhamma and in the Sangha of Savaka Arahants as being truly worthy
within the Triple World. Those who spoke, trying to persuade me and to
stop me, so that I would not go the way of Kammatthana and practise its
various methods are not amongst those who are truly worthy at all. Just
by looking at their behaviour and manners, which they display, one can
know whether they are truly wise or fools and generally what their
characteristics are like. Therefore, their objections and their wanting
to stop me are things which would be a waste of time for me even to
consider. So now I must go away to practise the way of Kammatthana as
soon as I can without considering anything else, and I must search for
true things, which accord with the basic principles of Dhamma which have
been handed down to us. This I must do until I reach the absolute limit
of my strength and ability, and if this Kammatthana Bhikkhu, which in
this case is myself, should chance to die, then I willingly give my life
and entrust myself to the supreme Dhamma.”
When he was ready to set out on his “Dhutanga” wanderings, there
were at the same time many lay people and all the other Bhikkhus
gathered together in the monastery, and just before he went he spoke in
truth from his heart to those who had tried to stop him so as to leave
no doubt as to his intentions, saying: “When I have gone from here,
unless I can teach myself to attain the ultimate level of citta and
Dhamma I shall not return to show my face amongst you again. I am ready
to die for the sake of knowing and seeing into Dhamma with clarity and
insight but not for anything else. Please remember this that I have
said, just in case I have the right characteristics to enable me to
return and meet you again and you will not have forgotten. So the only
likelihood of my meeting you again will be in such circumstances, as I
have already said.”
He said this at a time when there were many people, both highly
respected Acariyas and lay people from his village who had faith in them
as being very wise and learned, all of them trying to stop him going
away.
He said:
“At that time my heart seemed so strong it could crush a diamond
into powder in an instant, and it seemed as if I could leap into the sky
and walk about up there for all of them to see. This was probably due to
pride and high spirits in my heart — as if it was shining out brightly
for all those people to see and telling them: ‘See here, the diamond
radiance in this heart, can’t you see it? Are you all stupid enough to
disparage me, saying that I will go mad by delving into strange things?
My heart is not in the same sphere as all of yours, such that you can
gather it up into your clan to die worthlessly in the way a dog dies. I
am not prepared to die in the way that all of you would lead me to go
towards death right now, for I intend to die in the way that the Lord
Buddha taught us, by not leaving any ‘seed’ of becoming remaining
whatsoever. I have already died in your way countless times so that it
is impossible to tell in how many cemeteries I have ended my days. But
although I may not be able to know this with my own higher knowing
faculty (ñana), I have faith in the Lord Buddha and his teaching, for
his higher knowing faculty was supreme and unequalled’.”
As soon as he was ready he said farewell and took his leave of all
the Acariyas and learned people and walked away through a large crowd of
lay followers. He then set out for That Phanom on foot through forest
and thick jungle, following paths worn by people and buffalo carts, for
in those days there were no roads, not even the roughest dirt roads, but
only a foot path. There were also many wild animals of all sorts in
large numbers throughout the forest with plenty of elephants and tigers
everywhere, because there were no villages and not many people about as
there are nowadays, with people and villages everywhere. The forest was
also the original true forest and there was real danger that if one lost
one’s way one would have no food and may die in the forest, for often
one could walk all day without meeting anyone or seeing any sign of
habitation.
Venerable Acharn Kow walked through the forests and jungles until
he reached That Phanom and from there he walked on to Udorn Thani and
thence up to Nongkhai, searching for Venerable Acharn Mun whom he learnt
was spending the vassa (rains period) in the district of Tha Bo. “I was
only able to spend a short time training with him before he went away
from us to Chiang Mai and disappeared into silence,” he said. “Then I
felt a sense of hopelessness for a while because I had no teacher to
teach and lead me. But when I heard that Venerable Acharn Mun had gone
to stay and practise the way in the Chiang Mai district I set out to
follow him by wandering in the Dhutanga Kammatthana way, going along the
bank of the Mekong river until I reached the province of Chiang Mai.
Then I wandered about in the various districts of Chiang Mai with peace
and happiness.”
The places where Venerable Acharn Kow stayed and practised were
deep in the forests and hills and far away from any villages. At the
same time Venerable Acharn Mun was also wandering about in that area,
but it was not easy to find him because he always liked to take off on
his own away from his colleagues and he would not readily let anyone
meet him. However, Acharn Kow went on following him relentlessly, until
finally he managed to meet him and to receive genuine instruction and
training. But Venerable Acharn Mun would not let anybody stay with him
for he liked to live alone.
Venerable Acharn Kow said that he always tried to stay close by
Venerable Acharn Mun so that he could go and see him and learn from him
when it was necessary. Whenever he went to him to discuss and learn
about any aspect of Dhamma Venerable Acharn Mun had metta for him and
taught him to the utmost of his ability without holding or hiding
anything — but he would never let anybody stay with him. However, Acharn
Kow said that he was quite content that Venerable Acharn had metta for
him and taught him at those times when it was necessary for him to go
and ask questions of him. Then once he had cleared up his problems, he
paid his respects and left to go and practise what he had learnt on his
own — he was thus going back and forth quite often. When he had stayed
there for a long time, for some years, Venerable Acharn Mun very kindly
let him stay for the Vassa period with him. Acharn Kow was so glad and
so happy when Venerable Acharn Mun told him that he felt as if he could
float in the air, for after trying for so many years he had at last
succeeded. From then on he stayed regularly with Venerable Acharn during
the vassa.
The practice and development of his citta bhavana (meditation)
seems to have gained strength steadily after he went to stay in the
Chiang Mai district, and with a skilled teacher to guide and teach him
continually, his heart seemed as if it was about to leap up into the sky
so strong was his happiness and contentment in the Dhamma that arose in
his heart. No longer was there any unhappiness, lack of good cheer or
sadness due to instability of heart, sometimes up and sometimes down, as
happened when he was staying in other places. From day to day his heart
steadily progressed both in samadhi and in wisdom and he became
engrossed in striving day and night without ever becoming satiated.
A Large Elephant Pays Him a Visit
At one time Venerable Acharn Kow was spending the vassa period in
the same place with another Bhikkhu. Late one night it was very quiet
and he was sitting in meditation in a small hut. At the same time there
was a large elephant whose owner let it loose to wander in the forest
and find its own food in that area. He did not know where it had come
from but it slowly walked closer towards the back of his hut. Right
behind his hut there was a large boulder blocking the way, so the
elephant could not get close up to him. When it got to the boulder it
stretched out its trunk into the hut until it touched his klod and the
mosquito net above his head while he was sitting in meditation. The
sound of its breathing while it was sniffing him was loud and he felt it
cool on his head while his klod and mosquito net swung back and forth.
Meanwhile the Acharn sat repeating the parikamma “Buddho”, putting
everything he had got into it and entrusting his heart and life to the
genuine “Buddho”, not having anything else to rely upon. The large
elephant then stood there quietly for about two hours as if it were
waiting to catch him when he moved, ready to tear him to pieces. Once in
a while he heard its breath sniffing him from outside the mosquito net.
When it finally moved, it drew back and walked to the western end of his
hut and reached into a basket of sour tamarinds at the side of a tree
which lay people had brought him to clean the lid of his bowl and
started to eat them making a loud noise crunching them up like they were
delicious. Acharn Kow thought, “Those tamarinds for cleaning my bowl lid
are going to be cleaned out and there will be none left for sure. If the
owner of this big belly comes to the end of them and cannot find any
more, it is sure to come into my hut and find me and tear me to bits. So
I had better go out and speak to it and tell it some things that it
should know, because this animal knows the language of people quite well
since it has lived with people for a long time. When I go out to speak
to it, it will be more likely to listen to what I say than to be
stubborn and difficult. If it is stubborn and belligerent it will
probably kill me, but even if I don’t go out and talk to it, once it has
eaten all the tamarinds it is bound to come this way and find me. If it
is going to kill me there is also no escape because it is late at night
and it is too dark for me to see where I am going.”
Having come to this decision he left his small hut and stood
hiding behind a tree in front of it and started to speak to the elephant
saying: “Big brother, your small brother would like to say a few words
to you, please listen to what I have to say to you now.”
As soon as the elephant heard the sound of his voice it went
completely still and quiet without making a move. Then Acharn Kow spoke
to it in a mild, persuasive manner, saying:
“Big brother, you have been brought up by people who have looked
after you at their homes until now you have become fully domesticated.
You are thus fully aware of the ways of people, including their language
which they talk to each other and which they have used to teach you for
many years. You know all these things very well, in fact even better
than some people know them. Therefore you, big brother, should know the
customs and laws of people and you should not just do anything that you
feel like doing as it suits your fancy. Because in doing some things,
even though they suit your own inclinations, if they are also contrary
to the ways of people and you upset people, they may harm you, or
depending on what you do, they may even kill you. For people are far
more intelligent than all other animals in the world and all of them
fear people more than any other animal. You big brother are also in
subjection to people, so you should pay respect to people who are more
clever than yourself. If you are even a little bit stubborn or difficult
they beat you on the head with a hook which is painful, and if you are
very bad they will probably kill you.”
“Please don’t forget what your little brother has taught you with
sympathy for you — and now I will give you the five sila, for your
little brother is a Bhikkhu. You should keep them well, then when you
die you will go to a state of happiness, and at least you should be born
as a human being with merit and the virtue of Dhamma in your heart. But
if you are born higher than that you may go to the heaven realms or
Brahmaloka or higher still, all of which are far superior to being born
as an animal like an elephant or a horse which people use to draw carts
or to drag logs about while being beaten with whips, all of which is
nothing but torment and trouble throughout one’s life until one dies
without having any chance to get free from this burden, which is such as
you have to put up with at present.”
“Big brother, please listen carefully and make a true resolve to
accept the moral precepts. They are firstly, “Panatipata” — you must not
kill people or animals deliberately by using your strength and ability
to do so — and also, you must not maltreat or oppress others, whether
people or animals. For to do these things is evil. Secondly,
“Adinnadana” — you must not steal or take things for yourself which
belong to others and which others are keeping in reserve for their own
use — such as the tamarinds in that basket which big brother was eating
up just now. For they were given by people to me for cleaning the lid of
my bowl. But I do not take offence at this, for I don’t want you to make
any evil kamma at all. I just mentioned it to show how it was something
which had an owner. If things such as that are not given to you, you
should not eat them, nor should you walk over them and trample them down
and damage them. Thirdly, “Kamesu–miccacara” — you must not have sexual
intercourse with any animal which has a mate for this would be wrong
doing. If you have sexual intercourse, it should be only with one who
has no mate, no owner, for this is not wrong doing. Fourthly “Musavada”
— you must not lie or deceive. Let your actions and behaviour be true
and straight forward and not deceitful such that they give a wrong
impression and fool others, which would be wrong and evil. Fifthly
“Sura–meraya–majja–pamadatthana” — you must not take anything which
causes intoxication or drunkenness such as alcoholic liquors. To do so
is wrong and evil.”
“You must keep these precepts, for if you don’t you can fall into
hell when you die, and there you will have to put up with great
suffering for long periods of time, for aeons, before you reach the end
of the kamma that led you to hell and you can rise out of it. But even
after getting free from hell, there would still be the remainder of your
evil kamma which would lead you to life after life as a ghost, a demon
or an animal, suffering the results of the evil kamma you made, before
you could be born as a person which is very difficult to attain because
of the evil kamma which oppresses you and holds you down. Therefore big
brother, you must remember well what I have said and practise what I
have taught you. Then you will get free from life as an animal and will
be born as a human being or a Devata in your next life for sure. That is
all I have to teach you and I hope that big brother will be glad to do
these things. Now, you may go about to find a place to rest or something
to eat as you feel like it. Your younger brother will now go and
practise his meditation and he will share some of his virtue with you
and spread out metta to his big brother so that you will never be
lacking in happiness. Now elder brother it is time for you to go
elsewhere.”
It was most remarkable that for the whole of the time that he was
teaching this large elephant it stood absolutely still, as if it were
made of rock. It did not fidget or move at all but stood motionless
until he had finished speaking. Then as soon as he had given the sila
and his blessings and told it to go it began to move its huge body
making a noise like an earthquake while it drew back, turned around and
went off. It walked away in a deliberate, thoughtful manner, as if it
truly understood everything it had heard. Thinking about this incident I
cannot help feeling a lot of sympathy for one whose body was that of an
animal, but whose heart was that of a human being, able to appreciate
the teaching on good and evil which it had received without being
obstinate or arrogant, as one would expect with such a large and strong
animal. In fact it was very mild mannered and appreciative of the moral
teaching throughout — and as soon as Venerable Acharn told him it was
time to go he immediately turned around and went away. While listening
to his teaching it also listened attentively until it almost stopped
breathing, just like those who listen to a Dhamma talk given to Bhikkhus
— with full respect for Dhamma. For these two reasons it makes one think
and fills one with wonder, for it is not only that the elephant was an
animal and was interested in listening, for if any people had been there
listening they would have been enraptured and carried away by the talk
of Venerable Acariya Kow. For he used the most sweet and honied language
with such skill that it would be rare to find anyone else who could do
this, and equally rare to listen to it. So the elephant listened with
rapt attention, not fidgeting or even moving its ears until he had
finished giving his Dhamma talk and told it to go when it obeyed and
went to find something to eat in the manner of a rare and noble animal.
It makes one reflect even more deeply how, whether human or animal, if
something is experienced which brings satisfaction, it tends to make
their hearing clear and lucid and their sight bright as though the night
becomes day. Then the heart is in a state of absorption with “piti” —
satisfaction and joyful gladness — in the enchanting words, of the type
which are always desirable and of which one can never have enough,
because they are things which are greatly valued by the heart.
Venerable Acharn Kow went on flattering the big elephant for quite
a long time, until he was fascinated and mesmerised by the sweet, mild
words, the flavour of which were heard deep inside — for example: “Big
brother, you are very strong, whereas I am small and my strength cannot
compare with yours — so I feel afraid of you.” Such flattery is one of
the most powerful ways of enchantment, and he talked like this until the
great elephant went into a trance while standing there, oblivious of
everything else. It would even have been glad to disgorge the sour
tamarinds that it had swallowed, to put them back in the basket for its
charming little brother, without keeping even the taste of them. For
this act was a disgrace to the dignity of an intelligent and noble
elephant — a walking store of virtue. Once its belly was full of
Venerable Acharn’s teachings it went off to find food and never again
came to bother him throughout the rest of the vassa period, going to
other places to find food — and this was quite remarkable, that the
heart of an animal should have so much understanding. After the vassa,
Venerable Acharn also went away wandering wherever he felt it would be
good to go for the purpose of practising the way of Dhamma ever higher
and higher.
His Way of Practice
Venerable Acharn Kow was an earnest Kammatthana Bhikkhu who was
characteristically resolute and courageous and whatever he did, he did
truly. When he was staying in the hills, he got the lay supporters to
make up three places for walking cankama. The first one he used for
giving homage (puja) to the Lord Buddha, the second to the Dhamma and
the third to the Savaka Sangha of the Lord. He would walk cankama on
these three paths at different times of the day according to a fixed
schedule which he kept to quite strictly. As soon as he had finished his
meal in the morning he would go and walk cankama on the first path
paying homage to the Buddha and he would continue until about mid-day.
At two o’clock in the afternoon he would start walking on the path
paying homage to the Dhamma and continue until 4 p.m. when it was time
to sweep the grounds and bathe. When he had finished doing all his
normal and necessary duties he would start to walk cankama on the path
for paying homage to the Sangha and go on until 10 or 11 p.m., after
which he would rest, sitting in meditation practice for a while and then
lie down and sleep. As soon as he woke up he would start doing his
samadhi meditation practice again until dawn when he walked cankama
until it was time for him to go on pindapata.
Some nights he would sit in meditation practice the whole night
without getting up from his seat until dawn. Even normally when he sat
in samadhi meditation, it seems that his heart was very bright after he
had finished. But at those times when he sat all night in meditation the
material world disappeared entirely from his awareness, and even his
physical body seemed to have gone as well. It was altogether a most
remarkable and wonderful thing right from the time that he sat down to
examine painful feeling (dukkha–vedana) until it died away and ceased
due to his examination of the citta taking it deep into a subtle and
intimate state of calm. At this point the only thing that was apparent
to him was “knowing”, just this alone, which brought to him a most
subtle and gentle calm and happiness which was quite indescribable.
There were no supporting conditions (arammana) present in the citta
however subtle. This means the same thing as saying that the elements of
existence (loka–dhatu) disappeared simultaneously with the disappearance
of the supporting conditions. This state remained until the citta drew
up and out of it, after which the supporting conditions which were the
usual companions of the citta returned gradually, bit by bit. Afterwards
he would continue working at his practice in the normal way.
When the citta has integrated and gone down into a state of calm,
even though it remains in this state for several hours there is no
feeling of it being a long time such as it would normally appear to be.
This must surely be the state of “Eka citta, eka dhamma” just within
the heart itself alone without there being anything else to form a
duality. When it arises out of this state it is then possible to know
that the citta integrated into a state of calm and remained there for so
long, for so many hours. “On whatever night the citta went into
meditation practice without any difficulty and attained calm easily,
even if I sat the whole night through in meditation, it seemed as if I
had only been sitting for two or three hours. There was nothing to
oppress or obstruct it,” he said.
Venerable Acharn Kow tended to encounter dangerous situations in
connection with elephants more than anything else. He said, “Soon after
the previous encounter I again met another large elephant in the Mae
Pang district of Lampang Province, and this time I was almost unable to
save myself. This one was a true wild, forest elephant and not one that
had lived with and been looked after by people like the previous one.”
It was at night and Acharn Kow was walking cankama when he heard
the sound of it going through the jungle making a lot of noise breaking
branches and crashing about. It was coming towards him and getting
closer every minute and there was no time for him to run away from it.
Then he thought how, normally forest elephants are afraid of fire, so he
quickly left the cankama path and went to get all the remaining candles
that he had from the place where he was staying and stuck them into the
ground all along by the side of his cankama path and lit them as fast as
he could. To any person who saw it this would be a beautiful, peaceful
sight, but it is hardly possible to say how an elephant would react to
it. Then as soon as he had finished setting up the candles the elephant
had almost got there, giving him no possible way of escape. All he could
do was to set up a “true resolve” (sacca–adhitthana) that the
supernatural power of the Lord Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha may
come and help him and protect him, a servant of the Lord Buddha, against
this huge elephant. By that time the elephant had got there and it
stopped about two meters away from him at one side of his cankama path
and stood there without a move, its two ears spread out. It was clearly
visible in the candle light and he said that its huge body was as large
as a hill.
Meanwhile, Acharn Kow started walking cankama going back and forth
as if he was not concerned about the elephant at all — although in fact
he was very afraid of it, so that he could hardly breathe. When he first
saw it walking towards him, so strong and aggressive, all that he could
think of was to take hold of the “Buddho” symbol and to hold on to it
tenaciously, just thinking of this as the one who guarantees life, but
apart from this he did not think or see anything. He would not even let
his thoughts go out to this giant elephant as large as a hill which had
come and was standing by the side of his cankama path, for he was afraid
that his citta may slip away from “Buddho” which was his best refuge at
that time. “Buddho” and the citta then became one and the same thing
until the heart lost all fear and there remained just “knowing” and the
repetition of “Buddho” which were blended into one. Meanwhile the
elephant just stood there like a mountain, looking at him without
fidgeting or moving, its ears spread wide as if to indicate that it was
not ready to accept any friendly advances. This accorded with the manner
in which it walked towards Venerable Acharn when it first approached
him, for it came straight for him without hesitating, and it acted as if
it intended to crush him and kill him — but when it reached him it just
stood there like a lifeless dummy.
As soon as the citta and “Buddho” went inward and came together,
becoming one and the same thing, Acharn Kow lost all fear. In fact he
became positively bold and daring so that he could have walked right up
to the elephant without the least feeling of fear. But he thought about
it and realised that to walk right up to such a wild jungle animal would
be an act of carelessness based on conceit, which one should not do. So
he kept on walking cankama fearlessly with bold courage in competition
with the standing elephant, as if there was nothing that could happen
that would be any danger to him.
From when it first came, the elephant must have stood there for
about an hour, by which time the candles, which were long, and long
lasting, were almost finished. Some had already gone out and the rest
would not last much longer when the elephant backed away, turned round
and walked off by the way it had come. After which it went looking for
food in the forest around that area where it could be heard breaking
branches and treading on dead wood making a lot of noise.
This was the first time that Venerable Acharn Kow saw for himself
the extraordinary power of the citta and of “Buddho”. For he was in a
critical situation without any way to escape or hide and there was no
alternative but to face up to it and use these methods — but even if he
had died, he would have had to accept it, for he had no choice. It seems
that this experience made him fully confident that whatever happened, if
the citta and “Buddho”, or its equivalent, had become intimately blended
together in a natural way, nothing could possibly do any harm to him. He
said that he became absolutely convinced of this and has remained so
ever since.
It was also very strange how the elephant, instead of becoming
wild and violent when it reached him, just stood there, its ears spread
wide, apparently quite calm, watching him walking cankama going back and
forth without getting tired of it. Then once it had seen enough it drew
back, turned round and went its way searching for food, its manner
showing that its stomach had lost all its aggression. One cannot help
feeling sympathy for this elephant any less than for the previous one
which was a domesticated animal and knew the language of people quite
well. But this elephant had been a forest animal since it was born and
it must have been over a hundred years old. As it was most unlikely that
this one would know the language of people, Venerable Acharn did not
speak to it at all and he just went on walking cankama. Also, unlike the
first elephant, this one did not have a halter around its neck and the
villagers later on told him that it was a wild elephant and had been a
leader of the pack for a long time — but why it should have been
wandering about on its own at this time nobody could say; maybe it just
left the pack for a short time. Even after the elephant had gone, the
Acariya went on walking cankama with wonder in his heart while realising
the value of that elephant which had come and helped his citta to see
the wonderful nature of Dhamma in connection with fear and fearlessness.
For this time it enabled him to get to know about it with absolute
clarity, leaving no room for any doubt at all. Therefore it would not be
wrong to look on this elephant as being like a Deva elephant or like one
sent by the Devas. Because normally, forest elephants are not used to
people, nor do they act peacefully towards them, unless they are truly
overpowered and cannot attack, when they will quickly flee and try to
escape and save themselves. “But this one,” Venerable Acharn said, “Came
walking straight towards me with its eyes wide open of its own free will
without any one compelling it in any way at all, and it came right up
close, well within the light of the candles that I had set in place. But
it did not come up and squash me or tear me to pieces; nor was it
startled and frightened by the fire of the candles, for it did not run
away into the forest to save itself from the fire. Instead, after
walking up to me in a bold, imposing manner, like it was the ‘boss’, it
just stood there for over an hour, not aggressively, nor afraid, after
which it went away in a normal manner. This is what made me think about
this animal with amazement so that I have not forgotten it to this day.
From that time on, wherever I went wandering and wherever I stayed, I
was not afraid, because my heart had full faith in Dhamma from then on.
For as it says in the Dhammapada, ‘Dhamma guards those who practise the
way’, and it certainly does not discard them, letting them die buried in
mud or water like an old log of wood.”
Fighting the Kilesas
“Knowledge of the citta and of Dhamma which reaches the heart is
most likely to be found at those times when one is in a critical
situation. If the situation is not really critical the citta tends to
play-act as if it is so, causing one to become excited and agitated by
endless kinds of kilesas which one could hardly keep up with and cure.
In fact one is likely to let them inundate oneself while seeing them in
full view right there, as if one was quite unable to restrain them or to
follow and cure them so that they may fall away and disappear. But when
the situation is truly critical and one is genuinely driven into a
corner the citta and Dhamma become strong — though where the strength
comes from is hard to say. The heart then bows down and submits,
accepting oneself and Dhamma with faith and without any resistance. Then
if one decides to make it act in any way, or to take hold of any aspect
of Dhamma, it accepts and does just that without any opposition. This is
probably due to the fear of death, which could in fact take place if it
was uncooperative. So the citta becomes compliant and “easy to teach”,
without being stubborn at such a time.”
“This is probably the reason why Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus
like going into the forests and hills, even though they are afraid of
death and one part of the heart does not want to go to such places. My
citta was like this, but how it is with other people’s cittas I cannot
say — although if they are determined and fully committed to training
themselves so as to get to the causes and reach the results of this way
in truth, it should be much the same for them as well. Because the citta
is the dwelling place of both Dhamma and the kilesas, which make all
people feel full of courage or fear and good or evil respectively, in
the same way. Training in accordance with causes, the results of which
are the purpose and aim of Dhamma, is therefore able to make all the
various kinds of kilesas surrender and vanish until they have all gone
without leaving any trace or seed that could grow again.”
“For myself, I have rather coarse and rough characteristics, so I
tend to have confidence in strict discipline and rough methods to enable
me to counteract the kilesas which are those gross forms of nature which
I have within me. Like that time when the large elephant came walking up
to me while I was walking cankama. That was a time when I clearly saw
the kilesas as well as the Dhamma of the Lord Buddha within my heart.
Normally the citta which has kilesas that dominate and are in charge of
the heart is very difficult to discipline and train. Sometimes those who
set out to kill and destroy them end up dying before they succeed in
doing so because of the mean tenacity at the core of the asavas which
have been squatting there within us and feeding on us for long ages. But
as soon as I got to the point where there was no escape when that great
elephant came to help me, the most stubborn kilesas which had been so
clever in resisting my efforts all went into hiding, though where they
went I don’t know. Then it became easy to instruct the heart so that
when I ordered it to be like this or that, and when I wanted it to
remain fixed to an aspect of Dhamma it immediately agreed and did so. It
was as if oil had been put in the machinery so that there was virtually
no friction as there had been before.”
“As soon as the kilesas went away from the heart the Dhamma which
had already been developed and was just waiting there arose at the same
moment and shone forth brightly — and also, courage and fearlessness
towards everything immediately arose within the heart. All this that I
had longed for, for so long was there for me to see and admire to my
hearts content. Meanwhile the fear of death had gone — where to I don’t
know, but it enabled me to see quite clearly that fear is a type of
kilesa which has always appeared quite openly. As soon as the fear which
had been oppressing and deceiving my heart disappeared — or even though
it may not have entirely disappeared — it made me see quite clearly at
that moment how baneful a thing it is. After this, whenever fear should
arise, as it may at times, I knew that what I had experienced and seen
was enough to act as a reminder for me to know that: ‘This fear is not
my friend and benefactor, but an enemy who has come in the guise of a
friend.’ So it could no longer make my heart have confidence in it as it
used to and I should endeavour to drive it out every time it arises
throughout my life of striving for Dhamma, until the essential nature of
this enemy which comes as though it were a friend, is at an end and has
entirely disappeared from my heart. Only then can I relax and be happy
and free from all kinds of concerns and anxieties.”
“It seems to me that if only we can be anxious to take refuge in
Dhamma, to have interest in Dhamma, to love and attend closely to Dhamma
and practise Dhamma truly in the way that the Lord showed us with
complete certainty and true metta, the knowing and seeing of Dhamma at
its various levels, which the immediate followers of the Lord Buddha
during his lifetime knew and saw, will not be a puzzle that is beyond
our capability, which so many suppose it to be. We will then certainly
be able to experience Dhamma as a matter of course, in the same way as
they knew and saw it at the time of the Lord Buddha.”
“The reason why the time, place and people in this present age are
so contrary to those at the time of the Lord Buddha, in so far as the
ways of the path and fruition are concerned, is because we ourselves act
in ways that oppose our own development by wanting results without being
interested in causes. These causes are the ways in which we usually
behave and practise that may be right or wrong in various aspects.
Whereas what we ought to do, is to adjust and alter our actions of body,
speech and mind as necessary, to make them conform to Dhamma — which is
the way of action leading to the Path, Fruition and Nibbana. If we
constantly examine and test ourselves against the standard of Dhamma for
the purpose of attaining whatever we have set our hearts on, we will at
least succeed in attaining that purpose to our satisfaction at whatever
level it may be, depending on the strength of each one’s mindfulness and
wisdom. Because the age when the Lord Buddha taught and this present
age, are both ages in which the kilesas should be corrected and cured by
means of Dhamma — and also dispersed and got rid of by Dhamma. This is
like various kinds of disease that have always been prevalent in all
ages and which have always been curable by using the right remedy.”
“I have had faith in this for a long time and the longer I go on
practising, the stronger does it become buried in my heart where nothing
can remove it; and the more do I hear the words which Venerable Acharn
Mun used to teach me, which went deep into my heart at the time when I
stayed with him. This firm faith went deeper and deeper into my heart
until it became one with my heart — like he used to teach us:
‘In watching the kilesas and searching for Dhamma none of you
should overlook the heart which is the place where the kilesas and all
Dhamma dwells. Both the kilesas and Dhamma are to be found only in the
heart and not elsewhere in any time or place whatsoever, for they arise
in the heart, develop in the heart and die away in the heart — the only
one that knows this. Trying to cure the kilesas elsewhere and searching
for Dhamma in other places is useless, and even if you were to spend the
rest of your lives doing so, you would never come across them as they
truly are. Even after dying and being reborn many times you would only
come across kilesas that have arisen from the heart, which means that
you would experience the discontent and suffering that comes from them.
But if you search for Dhamma in the heart, the day will come when you
start to find it, and this will then increase steadily, depending on the
intensity with which you strive for it. But both place and time are also
conditions which can promote or suppress the kilesas and Dhamma,
respectively causing them to develop or deteriorate.’
‘Thus, for instance, forms and sounds are conditions which promote
the kilesas which are already in the heart, causing them to develop and
increase. On the other hand, going to practise the way in the hills and
forests is for the purpose of promoting the Dhamma which dwells in the
heart, causing it to increase greatly.’
‘The real kilesas and Dhamma are within the heart, whereas the
conditions which increase or suppress them are to be found everywhere
both internally and externally. This is why the Acariyas teach their
followers to avoid and to get away from things which are enticing and
disturbing to the heart, things that tend to make those kilesas which
are already within them become demanding and audacious — such as many
things which are experienced through the senses. In addition, they also
teach their followers to go wandering and staying in peaceful places
where there is solitude so that they can much more easily disperse their
various kilesas by means of their efforts to practise the way, thus
diminishing the round of birth and death (vatta) within their hearts by
using these methods.’
‘For this reason, to search for a suitable place for the purpose
of striving to practise the way, is the most appropriate and right way
for one who is ordained and hopes to attain freedom from Dukkha in his
heart. For this is the right way which follows the basic principles of
the Dhamma that the Lord Buddha formulated for his followers after
seeing clearly for himself what things were dangers to this purpose.
Because staying at times in ordinary places and at other times in
unusual and lonely places, the attitude or feeling about the place which
is in one’s heart, always changes with the place and it is quite
inconstant. But when one stays long enough in a place, the citta becomes
over familiar with that place. Those who are reflective and watchful of
themselves will know immediately once this happens and will quickly
change and move to another place so as to find the right conditions to
prevent themselves relaxing to the point of carelessness. For this would
give an opportunity for the kilesas to muster their strength so as to
bring about one’s ruin without one’s being aware of what is happening.
But when one corrects the situation right away, without being careless
or indifferent to it, the kilesas are not likely to have any chance to
build themselves up and gain enough strength to ruin the citta and the
Dhamma which is together with them in this one heart — and one is then
able to go on without deteriorating.’
‘Those who train themselves to see what is dangerous must be able
to have mindfulness (sati) continually present to reflect and know, as
an adjunct of the heart, without slipping away into forgetful indulgence
— and to be able to do this is indeed good. Not slipping away into
forgetful indulgence, is a barrier against many kinds of kilesas which
have not yet arisen and it gives them no opportunity to arise. As for
those that are still there, which have not yet been entirely cured, it
prevents them from becoming more arrogant, and it also makes one try to
get rid of them with unrelenting mindfulness, wisdom, faith and effort.’
‘Any place where the citta is afraid and where it has mindfulness
to watch and guard oneself well is a charnel ground for the cremation of
all the kilesas by means of the ascetic Dhamma — which is the making
of effort that has mindfulness and wisdom as the means of burning them
up to destruction. Whether by the jhanas, by samadhi, by pañña (wisdom),
by vimutti (liberation), by the kilesas losing their power, by the
kilesas dying away steadily without having regard to place or time or by
the kilesas dying away entirely and completely from one’s heart, it will
happen, and it will be absolutely clear to one’s heart in that place
where one practises in the right way, and where it is well suited to one
who strives with zeal in everything in all ways. There is nowhere else
where all the kilesas arise and cease, and one must keep it in mind and
take it to heart that: The place where Dhamma thrives, is where the
kilesas will deteriorate and die away entirely. What we call ‘That
place’, those who practise the way should always know, is in the ‘heart’
alone and nowhere else.’
‘Therefore we should struggle to cut the kilesas to pieces and
destroy them without fear or favour on the battlefield — which is the
heart — while depending on a suitable environment as a supporting
condition to enable us to be victorious, to gain salvation and to reach
the highest point of human attainment by the persistence of our own zeal
and striving. We must not go astray and be uncertain of the way,
thinking that the kilesas and the great mass of our own dukkha are to be
found anywhere else but within the sphere of the heart alone. In my own
practice, from the first beginnings, which were rather haphazard because
I had no teacher who was able to teach and train me properly, until I
became a teacher myself with my own followers, I have never seen this
mass of dukkha anywhere but in the heart. Nor have I ever seen any
strange and wonderful things surpassing the imagination, the likes of
which I had never known or seen before in any place whatsoever except in
the heart alone, which is the abode of all Dhamma and all the kilesas as
well. But it is dukkha and its cause (Samudaya) in the heart of each one
of us, that have such power over everything in the three worlds. For
they are able to block the way which leads to the Path, Fruition and
Nibbana completely. Even when we consider the means, or ‘tools’ for
digging out and clearing away dukkha and its cause so that the Path,
Fruition and Nibbana may be clearly revealed, there is nothing in the
three worlds which is able to do this better than ‘Nirodha’ and Magga
(the Path), which are within the same heart — just this is the whole
story. One must not long for other times, places or people, for this is
a hazard and thing which wastes a lot of time and slows one’s
development without being of any value at all. Thinking like this,
rather than thinking about the kilesas and Dhamma which are within one’s
heart contradicts the purpose and aim of the Great Teacher — the Lord
Buddha — who bestowed his Dhamma teaching on the world — a teaching
which is correct and suitable in all respects at all times.’
“This, in essence, is the teaching which Venerable Acharn Mun
taught in a fully reasoned way while I was living with him in Chiang Mai
Province. This I can remember quite clearly for it is buried in my heart
and I have no uncertainty, nor have I forgotten any of it right up to
the present day.”
Sometimes Venerable Acharn Kow had questions which he asked
Venerable Acharn Mun who answered by admonishing him saying, “Why do you
ask questions like this just as you feel like it without having first
considered the principles of Dhamma to see in what direction the truth
should be.” One such question he asked was: “At the time of the Lord
Buddha, according to his biography and other writings, there were a
large number who attained the Path, Fruition and Nibbana and quickly as
well. There were far more than attain to it nowadays, for few people
manage to get there now and far less than in those days. Also, those who
do attain nowadays, seem to do so much slower.” Venerable Acharn Mun
immediately asked him, “How do you know that there are hardly any who
attain the Path, Fruition and Nibbana nowadays, and that those who do,
only do so much more slowly as you say?” Acharn Kow replied, “Well, I
have never heard of people attaining Nibbana like they used to in those
days, in accordance with what is written in the old books, when many
attained Nibbana simultaneously each time the Lord Buddha gave them a
talk on Dhamma, and many others did so, going out to practise the way on
their own. It also seems that they attained very quickly and easily and
it is a joy to read about the results which they attained. But nowadays
people strive until they almost die without seeing the type of results
which one feels should come from such effort — which causes those who
practise to become discouraged and to become weak in striving?”
Venerable Acharn Mun then asked him: “In the old books, does it say
whether in those days all those who practised the way attained quickly
and easily, or were there those who practised the way with difficulty,
some gaining understanding slowly and some quickly, as well as those who
practised the way easily, some gaining understanding slowly and some
quickly — which would accord with their levels and characteristics,
which are very different in different types of people?”
Venerable Acharn Kow answered saying: “Yes, they did vary quite
considerably and they certainly did not all attain quickly and easily,
and there were those who practised with difficulty, some of whom
attained slowly and some quickly. But I still feel that it was very
different from the situation nowadays even though there were various
classes of people, as there still are nowadays.”
Venerable Acharn Mun then explained:
“This difference comes from the leaders and how correctly and
precisely they can lead the way; as well as from the power of the
virtuous characteristics (vasana) of the Lord Buddha and the Savakas who
followed the Buddha, which, when compared with us nowadays is so
different as to be almost beyond comparison. An additional thing is the
interest that people have in Dhamma nowadays, which is so different from
the time of the Lord Buddha. Even the characteristics of people which
are derived from their background in this life are very different
nowadays from what they were in those days. So when there are all these
differences, that the results should be the same is not really possible.
But there is no need for us to talk about other people and ages, which
would take a very long time and be tiresome. For in ourselves, we
display a coarseness which disturbs us all the time, even though we are
ordained monks who believe that we have zeal and are striving, sometimes
by walking cankama and sometimes by sitting in samadhi bhavana. But
these are just the bodily activities, whereas the heart is not striving
in any way that corresponds to these activities at all. All it is doing
is thinking in ways that accumulate the kilesas and disturb the heart
all the time, while we believe that we are striving by means of these
activities. When this is the case, the result is bound to disturb and
trouble the heart regardless of when or where we are. Thus we conclude
that we have been striving to our utmost and that we have not gained the
results which we should have. But in fact we have been walking cankama
and sitting in samadhi and at the same time gathering and accumulating
poison which does nothing but harm to us without our being in the least
aware of it. This is how we do not strive truly and properly as it
should be done.”
“Therefore there is really no comparison between the time of the
Lord Buddha when their striving was genuine and they were truly
concerned to gain freedom from dukkha, as against this present age where
we just play, like children with their toys. In fact, the more we try to
make comparisons, the more do we show off our kilesas and incompetence.
For myself, even though I live in this age of insincerity and deceit, I
do not agree with your criticising the Buddhist religion, as well as
yourself as you did just now. If you still see that you have some virtue
and truth left within you, you should try to act in accordance with the
plan of action that the Lord Buddha taught so rightly. But not in
accordance with the plan of action in which the kilesas lead you and
drag you along in their way in everything you do, all the time and every
day — even while you believe that you are actually striving in the way
of Dhamma. The Path, Fruition and Nibbana is a universal treasure and
the Lord Buddha taught that it may be acquired by anybody, a treasure
that will be for your satisfaction one day for sure, as long as you do
not keep thinking how difficult it is and how slow your attainment
comes, which is nothing but an obstruction in your way.”
“When we practise and strive in the manner of someone who feels
that his body will break up if he keeps on doing it, because he is so
weak, lazy and irresolute, it seems to me that we are like lazy
inconsequential fools who think they are going to bore a hole through a
mountain using a small auger, and they are very anxious to do this
within the time of a single day. It is so ludicrous that those who are
truly wise with sharp wisdom and who really do strive, just laugh at it.
We should think and look at the manner of striving of those who were
sons of the Sakya — the Savakas of the Buddha at the time of the Buddha,
and see how they acted, and then compare it with our own striving which
is like someone who goes to the shore and just smacks the sea with his
hand, which is enough to make us feel sorry and disheartened that his
longing for Nibbana is only to the extent of getting his hands wet!
Look, think and see how the kilesas are like an ocean and the efforts we
make are like the water on our hands — how far apart are they? People in
this age of just “wetting their hands in the ocean” make little in the
way of effort, yet their intention is to get free from the realm of
samsara. Then when this does not happen as they expect it to, they find
some excuse to blame the religion (Sasana), the time, the place and the
people of this or that period of time. They are not in the least ashamed
of the way in which they display their own incompetence and stupidity so
that those Acariyas who are truly wise and skilled feel disheartened and
laugh wryly, saying that there is no way in which they can do anything
about such people.”
“To invest only a small amount of capital in a manner that is
useless and then to expect the most enormous returns on one’s investment
is the way of an incompetent fool who builds his own charnel ground for
cremating himself and remains submerged in the mass of his own dukkha.
So the round of samsara never weakens its hold on him so that he could
feel that he may get free one day.”
“The question that you asked me which was in effect praising the
teaching of Buddhism (Sasana–Dhamma) and praising the age, the place and
the people at the time of the Lord Buddha, while at the same time
criticising the teaching, the age, the place and people nowadays were
the words of praise and blame of an incompetent fool who puts
obstructions in his own path until he cannot find a way to crawl out to
safety. It was the question of someone who was incompetent, the question
of someone who puts thorns in his own path to obstruct himself and not a
question which was designed to clear the way and make it free of
obstacles so that he can go ahead with confidence due to being
interested in freeing himself from the kilesas by means of the Svakkhata
Dhamma (Well Taught Dhamma) which is the ‘middle way’ that was given
impartially to all those beings in the world who have enough interest to
practise the way rightly ever since its origins.”
“If you will only have the mindfulness and wisdom to shed all
these things from yourself you would be worthy of some admiration. This
is like sickness and diseases which people get, both serious and mild.
When people want to cure themselves and they take the right remedy they
are likely to feel calm and easy and the cure is effective. But if they
are not interested in looking after themselves and overcoming the
disease, it will probably get worse and can become dangerous — except
for minor complaints such as the common cold or minor skin troubles
which cure themselves without special attention.”
“The ‘kilesa’ diseases, which are not in the class of self-healing
minor ailments, must be treated with medicine, and the medicine is the
Dhamma–way of striving following the pattern which the ‘Sons of the
Sakya, the Buddha Savakas’ practised. One may be fully confident that
this remedy will quell and get rid of all the kilesas whether strong or
mild or however else they may be. If you were only to think in this kind
of way I should feel more at ease about you and I could admire you for
being someone who has clever ways of thinking and one who can have some
confidence in his own ability to be able to pass beyond the realm of
samsara as well as having faith in the ability of the Lord Buddha and
his religious Teaching (Sasana–Dhamma) and faith that he penetrated
Dhamma with his intuitive ability, and spread it abroad as the Sasana
Dhamma in a proper manner. And that this was a ‘Dhamma of Salvation’ (Niyyanika–Dhamma),
truly able to lead beings to freedom. Not blaming and criticising
himself saying that his kilesas are very thick so that he can only learn
Dhamma slowly, while at the same time having no interest in curing them.
Not blaming the Lord Buddha, saying that he did not formulate and teach
Dhamma in a way that was equally suitable for his own time and for all
other ages as well. Nor blaming the Dhamma, saying that it is incapable,
or not penetrating enough, to cure the kilesas of beings in this modern
age in the way it did at the time of the Lord Buddha.”
Venerable Acharn Mun continued, saying: “
I am not denying the fact that the strength of people’s kilesas are
different from what they used to be, and I agree that people at the time
of the Lord Buddha had them far less than people do nowadays. The mode
of teaching was also very different from what it is nowadays, as also
were those who taught the way, and they were ‘seers’ in most cases, with
great understanding and true seeing. For the Great Teacher was the
Leader of the Savakas in formulating and teaching Dhamma to his
followers and others. The teaching was therefore never wrong and never
deviated from the truth, for it came straight from the heart of the Lord
and from the hearts of his followers which were completely purified.
From this purity of heart they drew out Dhamma and taught others in
language that was fresh and direct without there being anything hidden
or mixed in with it that was wrong or distorted.”
“Those who listened to this Dhamma were intent on the truth and
they had fully committed themselves to it. So the situation was entirely
suitable on both sides and the results came stage by stage, being
self-evident to them and fulfilling the expectations of these people who
were looking for truth. Therefore they had no problems and questions
which could interfere with their development. So it was that in those
days, many people attained Magga–phala each time the Great Teacher or
his Savaka Followers gave Dhamma teaching, whereas nowadays hardly
anybody can attain. It is as though saying that people are no longer
people and Dhamma is no longer Dhamma, so there are no results coming
from it. But in fact people are people and Dhamma is Dhamma as they
always were, but people are not interested in Dhamma now, so the Dhamma
that enters into them does not reach the heart. The result is that
people remain just people and Dhamma remains just Dhamma, which is not
likely to be of much use in bringing about the final attainment. Even if
a large number of people were taught and listened to an exposition of
the whole Ti–pitaka, it would be just like pouring water over the back
of a dog — it immediately shakes it all off until there is none left. In
this way the Dhamma has no meaning in the hearts of people, much as
water is of no consequence on the back of a dog.”
Venerable Acharn Mun then asked Venerable Acharn Kow:
“When you asked that question just now, was your heart like a dog’s
back? Or what was it like that you blindly put blame just on the Dhamma
alone, saying that it had not brought results to yourself for attaining
the Path, Fruition and Nibbana the easy way — like it did in the time of
the Lord Buddha without thinking about your own heart which was shaking
off the Dhamma from itself faster than a dog could shake water off its
back? If you will only reflect back and think about your own faults and
failings, I think that some Dhamma will find a place to seep into your
heart and remain there, not merely flowing through it like water flowing
down a channel without any reservoir or storage place — which is how you
are at present.”
“Whether the people at the time of the Lord Buddha had few or many
kilesas was just a matter of their own virtue or evil which does not
effect us or make any difficulties for us nowadays. People nowadays have
their own kilesas of various kinds which create trouble for themselves
until there is hardly anywhere in the world where they can live
normally. If people have not enough interest in curing themselves so
that the world has some freedom from this trouble and freedom from the
‘fire’ with which they ‘burn’ each other, merely blaming and praising
others, in whatever age they lived is not likely to be of any use at
all. This is also true if each one of them is not interested in
directing his blame and praise towards himself — towards this one who is
creating the ‘fire’ to ‘burn’ himself and others causing all sorts of
trouble now — in the present. For, turning one’s praise and blame
towards oneself is the way to break the ‘fires’ of lust (raga), hate and
delusion apart from each other whenever they are in consort together —
at least, to the extent of having a way to go towards some degree of
calm and happiness, so that one is not ‘roasted’ by these ‘fires’ beyond
one’s endurance. This is the way it should be in the world of human
beings who are far more clever than any other species in the world.”
Venerable Acharn Kow said,
“Venerable Acharn Mun used to scold and blame me very fiercely for
asking such questions which had no practical solution, although I did
not ask such questions very often. But when Venerable Acharn took up
these questions and analysed them, it was as if they were like thorns
and splinters obstructing the Sasana, himself and myself as well, for
which there is no available cure. It made me feel and see where I was at
fault and I would feel uneasy about it for many days, even though in
fact I had no doubt that people nowadays could practise Dhamma. But
Venerable Acharn would still scold me and ‘shred’ me with his fierce way
of talking which I reckon was right and suitable for someone like myself
who was always talking and could not be quiet and contented. On the
other hand, this was also good in that I used to hear Dhamma from him,
of a kind which went straight to my heart. In fact, what I have already
told you is not more than a fraction of the deep, spirited and fiery
Dhamma which he delivered, for it was deeper than the ocean and more
fiery than the fire of hell. He would also bring up the questions which
I had asked him in the past to stir me up time after time. Sometimes he
would do this right in the middle of a meeting when all the others were
gathered there to hear Dhamma and he would reveal my evil ways, talking
about my wrong views (miccha–ditthi) and likening me to Devadatta
destroying the Sasana. He would ‘tear me into pieces’, until there was
nothing left that was good, and he would go on like this for a long
time, not letting up easily, until some of the other Bhikkhus began to
wonder about it. Afterwards they would come and ask me whether it was
truly as Venerable Acharn said. I had to explain how the questions I
asked were not a true indication of my attitude, but that it was just a
method of getting him to talk Dhamma. For normally, if nobody asks him
some outlandish question he does not speak Dhamma to us. But I suppose I
was rather stupid in the questions that I used, for I jumped in with
both feet and gave him the hammer to hit me over the head with. Maybe I
should have asked a more normal and less inflammatory question so that I
could listen to Dhamma that was more sweet and soothing.”
Generally speaking it was in fact as Venerable Acharn Kow said,
for if Venerable Acharn Mun was asked questions that were not in any way
strange or outlandish, he would just answer in a normal way. Then even
though it was Dhamma, his way of speaking was smooth and normal and it
made no lasting impression on one’s heart. But when he was asked a
strange, outlandish question he became quite animated and the import of
the Dhamma which he brought forth was truly satisfying — as we have
already described in the “Biography of Venerable Acharn Mun”.
In truth, Venerable Acharn Mun had no doubts about Venerable
Acharn Kow’s views, although the way in which he scolded him made it
appear as though he was doubtful. But in fact it was just his way of
teaching Dhamma which was the way of a skilled Acariya. For he would
change his attitude and style of teaching in all sorts of ways to arouse
and wake up the rest of us who were listening so as to make us think
about and ponder his teachings which would act as a reminder to us for a
long time. Otherwise we would remain supine, clinging to our own
stupidity with no interest in thinking about anything at all — like a
frog sitting and looking at a lotus flower without any purpose. But as
soon as Venerable Acharn “rapped us on the head with his knuckles”, it
was as though our ears and eyes became brighter. It is in the nature of
those Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus who followed Venerable Acharn Mun
that they liked being stirred up and “rapped on the head” frequently to
hold their attention and make them think.
But if he talked in a smooth and even manner they would listen
quiescently, with nothing to arouse and catch the heart to make it
excited, concerned and a bit frightened. Their hearts then tended to go
to sleep inwardly when there was no method nor anything else which was
capable of making their minds active and thoughtful. Then various kinds
of kilesas which had been waiting to take over were likely to find an
opportunity to get out and go about causing trouble and disturbing their
attention, because the method of teaching was not equal to the ability
of the kilesas.
But when they got an unusual form of teaching from Venerable
Acharn Mun because he had been asked a question that warranted such a
way of teaching, their mindfulness and wisdom was stirred up and became
brighter and sharper. Therefore although in asking Venerable Acharn Mun
questions, Acharn Kow was partly right and partly wrong, they were
Dhamma questions from which he could expect to gain a lot of value in
the same way as he had often done so in the past.
Venerable Acharn Kow said that the first year that he spent the
rains period (vassa) with Venerable Acharn Mun in the Chiang Mai
district, an indescribable enthusiasm (piti) and joy arose. This was an
appropriate reward for the several years in which he had tried to follow
Venerable Acharn, for even though he had heard his teaching at times in
various places, he only stayed for brief periods which were not truly
satisfying. After staying for a short while he would be driven away by
Venerable Acharn who told him that they must stay in separate places.
But when an opportunity came and his meritorious tendencies (vasana)
were helpful he was allowed to stay for a rains period with Venerable
Acharn. This made him very happy and he increased his striving greatly
until he was hardly taking any sleep at all, sometimes spending the
whole night striving at his meditation practice. Then one day his citta
became fully integrated and went down into a state of calm where it had
a complete rest for some time before it withdrew and rose up out of it.
He was filled with wonder at this brightness of the heart which went
beyond what he had ever reached before and it made him completely
absorbed in Dhamma until the light of dawn appeared. That night he did
not sleep at all. In the morning he got up at the usual time and went
about his duties, helping to clean and arrange things at Venerable
Acharn’s hut and taking his bowl, robes and other things to his place
where he ate food in the sala.
When Venerable Acharn came from the place where he did his
meditation practice it seemed that he watched Acharn Kow unusually
closely. Acharn Kow himself noticed this and felt very self-conscious
and afraid that he may have done something or other wrong. After a short
while Venerable Acharn said to him: “How is your meditation practice
going now? Last night your citta was much brighter than it has been in
the past, ever since you have been staying with me. This is how you must
do it! This is the right way for one who searches for Dhamma. Now do you
know where Dhamma is? Last night where was that brightness?” He
answered, “The brightness was in my heart sir,” but he felt afraid and
ashamed until he almost started shivering, for he had never before been
praised and asked a question at the same time like this. “Where had the
Dhamma been before this that you could not see it?” asked Venerable
Acharn. “That which you have seen is Dhamma and you must always know it
in this way from now on. Dhamma is in the heart and in the future you
must guard the level of your citta and the level of your striving so
that they are kept well up and you must not let them deteriorate. For
this is the ground of the citta, the ground of the Dhamma, the ground
of your faith in Dhamma and the ground of the Path, Fruition and Nibbana
— all of them are just there. You must be confident and resolute in your
striving if you want to transcend dukkha; and in doing this, you have
got to do it just there, for it is absolutely certain that there is
nowhere else where you can get free from it but just this one place.”
“You must not indulge in wishful thinking, for you are no longer
blind and there is no need to do so. Last night I sent the flow of my
citta out to look at you and I saw your citta brightly illuminating
everything round you, and every time I sent my citta out to look it was
the same way throughout the night. Because I also took no sleep last
night at all; part of the time I spent in samadhi bhavana, part of the
time receiving Deva guests and part in sending my citta to see how you
were getting on, and it went on like this until dawn without having any
realisation of the time. As soon as I came out of bhavana I had to ask
you about it, because I have always wanted to know about my fellows in
Dhamma. Was it peaceful, was it blissful this time?” he asked.
Venerable Acharn Kow said that he remained silent, not daring to
answer Venerable Acharn — “For he had already looked right through me
until he could see my lungs and liver and everything else, so what would
be the use of telling him. From then on I was much more afraid of
Venerable Acharn and I was much more careful where he was concerned.
Even before this I was quite sure that he could know the minds and
hearts of people just as he wished. But that night I experienced it for
myself which made me that much more certain and I became very afraid of
him in a way that is hard to describe.”
From that day on he was able to fix the state of his heart firmly
and develop it steadily, more and more and bit by bit, without any
deterioration or backsliding at all. He said: “Venerable Acharn Mun used
to goad me quite frequently. Any self-indulgence and I would be told off
immediately and he would get fierce and scold me much more quickly than
before. In fact his frequent exhortation and reminders were methods of
helping me to look after my citta and Dhamma and to make me more afraid
of deteriorating and backsliding.”
“From that time on I continued to spend every vassa period with
Venerable Acharn. After the Vassa I would then go out wandering to
practise the way in various places, wherever I found it to be suitable
for striving. Venerable Acharn Mun would also go off, but in a different
direction so as to be on his own, for he did not like going out with any
of the Bhikkhus attached to him. So the Bhikkhus all went out in
different directions, each as he felt inclined. But whenever some
internal problem arose in their hearts, they would make for Venerable
Acharn to ask him about it so that he would unravel it and clear the
problem which he did every time.”
The Elimination of Avijja
In this way it seems that the striving by way of the heart of
Venerable Acharn Kow progressed steadily. His mindfulness and wisdom
gradually and steadily spread and branched out until it was infused into
the heart and they became one and the same thing. Whatever his bodily
posture or activity, he maintained his effort with mindfulness and
wisdom present in his striving for Dhamma, and it seems that his heart
was bold and courageous having lost all fear of those things which
arouse and maintain thoughts and emotional states (arammana), which used
to be his enemies. He was also certain of the path leading to freedom
from Dukkha and he had no doubts about it even though he had as yet not
actually attained freedom.
One evening after he had swept the ground he left the hut where he
was living to go for a wash. He saw the rice growing in the fields and
how it was golden yellow and almost ripe. This immediately made him
think and question:
“This rice has sprouted and grown because there is a seed which
caused it to grow. The heart that endlessly leads one to birth, and
death should also have something that acts as a seed within it in the
same way as the rice plants. If that seed in the heart is not destroyed
entirely, it is bound to lead to further births and deaths going on
endlessly. Now what is this seed in the heart? What could it be but the
kilesas, avijja, tanha and upadana?”
He went on thinking and searching into this problem, holding up
avijja as the target of his research, examining it, going towards the
future, then returning towards the past, going forward and then
backwards, with intense interest, wanting to know the true nature of
avijja. He went on searching and investigating in the field of avijja
and the heart, throughout the night without let up. At dawn, just as it
was beginning to get light his wisdom was able to break through to a
conclusion. Then avijja fell away from the heart without any remainder —
and the contemplation of the rice stopped at that point when the rice
was ripe never to sprout again. His investigation into the citta also
stopped as soon as avijja fell down, after which the citta became ripe
in the same way as the rice became ripe. At this point it was clearly
evident to him that the citta had stopped creating any more births into
the various realms of existence. What remained made him full of
admiration and satisfaction and this was the complete and utter purity
of the citta in his hut in the midst of the mountains where he was
supported and taken care of by the forest people.
As soon as the citta had managed to go beyond the tangled jungles
of the “round of kilesas” (kilesa–vatta) there arose the most wonderful
thing to him alone as the dawn came. Then the sun began to shine its
rays on the forest while the heart began to get brighter and brighter as
it left the realm of avijja and went towards the wonder of Dhamma where
it reached vimutti — freedom at the same time the sun rose. It truly was
a most auspicious and wonderful occasion.
After this supreme, auspicious and blessed moment had gone by, it
was time for him to go pindapata. While he was walking away from this
place of such great blessings he looked back at the little hut which had
provided him with such happiness and such wonders, and he looked all
around him and saw how everything appeared to have become superb and
blessed in sympathy with the heart which was entirely and completely
wonderful throughout — although in fact all these things were just there
in accordance with their own nature as usual.
While on pindapata his heart was filled with Dhamma and when he
looked at the local people of the forests and hills, who had looked
after him, it seemed almost as if all of them were beings who had come
down from the heavens. In his citta he reflected on how good, how
virtuous and valuable they had been to him, so much so that it would be
impossible to describe the extent of their virtue. Metta and compassion
arose in him for these “heavenly” forest people and he could not help
but spread out the metta in his citta as a dedication to them as he
passed by them all along the way until he reached the vicinity of the
place where he was staying which was a place of such happiness.
While he was arranging the Deva–like food which the hill people
had put into his bowl his heart was full of Dhamma. He did not turn his
thoughts to the food as he had always done in the past, letting it bring
him some pleasure, but he merely ate it as that which the body depended
upon for its maintenance. He said:
“Since the day I was born this was the first time that I had ever
experienced the body and mind (dhatu–khandha) in perfect harmony with
the citta–heart, but it is quite impossible to explain it. All I can say
is that it was the most wonderful and unique experience and it became
the most outstanding event of my life which left a deep and lasting
impression on my heart.”
“After this world shaking event when the sky and ground collapsed
and the ‘Wheel of Samsara’ (vatta–cakka) in the heart broke up and
disappeared, all the elements and khandhas as well as every part and
aspect of the citta were each and all free to conform to their own
natural state. They were no longer enslaved and forced into service by
anything, so the five Indriya and the six Ayatana would continue to
function and do their duties without any dispute or contention
disturbing them, which had previously been their normal state, until
such time as the elements and khandhas are no more.” (The dispute which
he refers to is the disharmony between internal and external things when
they come together, which gives rise to gladness or sorrow that then
turns into the arising of sukha and dukkha. All these are interconnected
like the links of an endless chain going on forever.) “The disputes
within the citta, which are far more numerous and disturbing than those
externally in the world, all stopped and were peacefully settled from
the moment the ‘court of justice’ was built and completed in the heart.”
“This endless tendency to create inappropriate disputes, which
used to seize the citta and use it as a floor on which to dance, to
quarrel and to argue, never giving it any time to be calm and quiet,
because avijja/tanha — the boss — directed and ordered it to work to
cause turmoil and confusion of countless different kinds, then all
dissolved into a joyful harmonious state of calm and peace. It turned
into a world that is free and empty within the citta, where the superb
and most excellent Truths of Dhamma (Vijja–Dhamma) are produced and
arise for the delectation of the realm of the ‘citta–king’ in place of
the former state of anti–Dhamma.”
“Affairs, both externally and internally then proceeded smoothly
in accordance with Dhamma without being harassed and disturbed by an
enemy. So the eyes saw, the ears heard, the nose smelt, the tongue
tasted, the body felt things cold or hot, soft or hard, and the heart
received and knew the various supporters of perceptions (arammana) in
the normal way without distorting and altering everything as it used to,
by making out that right is wrong, that being shackled is freedom, that
what is bad is good, that ghosts are people, that virtuous Bhikkhus are
evil ghosts (Preta) and conversely that evil ghosts are good people. For
this is what the Lord of anti–Dhamma, who had the power to dictate
actions used to do when he was in power. ‘Now I can sit down and rest
peacefully and whether I live or die I have complete happiness. This
one, here, is genuinely out of dukkha and out of danger without any
thread of attachment of any sort by which it is bound’.”
This was the aphorism that Venerable Acharn Kow exclaimed in his
heart at that time.
Venerable Acharn Kow was another of Venerable Acharn Mun’s
followers who stripped away all dukkha and got rid of all dangers from
his heart in Chiang Mai province. He said:
“The place where I practised the way until I reached freedom from
dukkha within me, the little hut which gave me shelter where I could
practise and strive and also rest my body, the place where I walked
cankama, the place where I sat in samadhi meditation by day and night,
and the village where I went out for pindapata to get food for
maintaining the body, while staying in that district, all made a great
impression on me which went deep into my heart in an inexplicable way
and far more so than any other place. This has remained buried in my
heart right up to the present day and my memory of it has never become
faded or indistinct nor has it become insipid or commonplace. From the
moment when the ‘Wheel of Samsara’ (vatta–cakka) was demolished and fell
away from my heart, destroyed by striving, that place changed and became
the abode of supreme happiness in all situations at all times. It is as
if I were in the presence of the Lord Buddha at the place of his
Enlightenment and everywhere where he practised striving for Dhamma, and
all uncertainty about the Lord Buddha was swept away. Even though he
entered Parinibbana a long time ago as reckoned by the usual
conventions of time, yet it is as if the impression of him is
permanently imprinted on my heart without fading after the time of his
Parinibbana. All uncertainty about Dhamma was swept away as to whether
it is much or little, profound or shallow, and gross or subtle, which
the Lord bestowed on all beings. He saw that all of those Dhammas are
permanently established in this one heart and that it is completely
filled with Dhamma, not being deficient in any part. All doubt and
uncertainty disappeared concerning the Savaka Sangha, who are
Supatipanno and who are pure. For these three ‘Jewels’ (Ratana) are
fused into one in the heart which lives with Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha,
each of which are pure and integrated together as one Dhamma.”
“From that one moment I became completely contented and had no
concerns or anxieties and there was nothing that could act as a burden
and deceive my heart. Whatever situation I am in, I am my own master in
that situation and nothing remains that orders me about or creeps in and
ask for its share to eat and to use — like a parasite — as it used to
when I was living with a beggar all the time, without realising it. Now
it wanted this! Then it wanted that! All the time this is how it was in
all situations.”
Where this Acariya talks of “wanting this” and “wanting that”, he
is talking about the kilesas which makes one (feel) deficient, in want
and never having enough — for this is the way their inherent nature
works. Once they have become powerful and established their position
over the heart of a person or animal they are bound to demand or beg
incessantly, for this is their natural way of acting. They do so by
inciting one to think like this, to speak like that or to act in various
ways according to their power, incessantly. If one doesn’t have the
Dhamma to block this “leakage” which comes from the stubborn demanding
and begging of this gang of kilesas, one is likely to be divided up or
spoiled so that they can “eat one up”, until there is nothing left.
It can even get to the point where one has not enough virtue left
to keep one going on in one’s present state of life to enable one to be
born again in the future as a good person with moral principles.
Whatever form of life and situation one is then born into, it is bound
to be the wrong place and the wrong situation. Where one will not be
able to get the contentment of heart in one’s state of birth that one
ought to get from a life in which one has made the effort throughout
one’s life to be born into such a state of contentment. Then one may be
said to have both lost one’s “capital” as well as getting no “interest”
from it. In other words, one who is heedless and complacent gives power
just to the kilesas to take charge of the house and look after the citta
without any protection or resistance to them at all. Then they grab and
take until he has nothing left, as we have already described above.
But one who has got rid of all his debts and put an end to the
untidy mess in his heart continues to live happily in all situations in
his khandhas, in which he lives. When their life is at an end he drops
the burden of the khandhas and there remains just the purity of “Buddho”
as his treasure, throughout. This is the ultimate and eternal end of all
dukkha — a wonderful ending and a moment which has ultimate value,
greater than anything in the three realms of existence in the universe.
It is quite different from existence in all relative worlds of
supposition (sammuti) where, in their various ways, beings want birth,
or at least, most of them do so — and with their eyes wide open, and
they are not in the least interested to consider the dukkha which is
bound to come as a consequence of that birth.
The truth is that birth and dukkha cannot be separated and dukkha
is still bound to be there even in those cases where it is minimal. The
wisest of men are therefore afraid of birth more than death. Which is in
contrast to most of us who fear death more than birth, while in fact
death is only a result of its basic cause which is birth. This fear of
death is a fear that is in complete opposition to the basic principles
of nature and it comes about because people have no interest in
searching and tracing out the truth about death, therefore they resist
it, and dukkha is with them all the time.
If the wisest of men had kilesas of the kind which would make them
ridicule and laugh at other’s foolishness, they would probably not be
able to contain themselves and may have to let it all out to their
heart’s content when they see almost everyone in the world setting
themselves against the truth with determination. And this they do
without ever looking around or searching for the basic principles of
truth. But in fact these men are truly wise and worthy to be so-called,
and they do not act in the usual way of the world. In fact they
generally have “metta” and compassion for the world and give help by
teaching the way. As for those who are beyond all hope, they let them go
their way as there is nothing that they can do to help them.
Venerable Acharn Kow was one who transcended all the fear and
danger that he used to have in samsara and he reached Nibbana while
still alive (Saupadisesa–Nibbana) when living in a place called “Roang
Cod” in the Phrao district of Chiang Mai Province, in his sixteenth or
seventeenth vassa. I cannot remember which, but I know that it was the
beginning of the harvest time just after the end of the vassa period. He
related all this in a manner which touched the heart one evening when we
talked Dhamma together from 8 p.m. until after midnight and nobody came
to disturb us for the whole of this time. Because of this we were able
to talk Dhamma freely on both sides, right through to the final
conclusion — which was the final result that arose from our practice of
Dhamma. We started from the basic A. B. C. of our respective practices,
which meant the basic training that we did which was rather mixed up, at
times slipping back and scrambling up again, at times falling into a bad
state, or a state that alternated between bad and good, and sometimes
getting into a state of satisfaction or dejection which resulted from
the ups and downs of the practices which we used in our initial
training. We then went on right through until we reached the ultimate
and final point of the citta and of Dhamma of each of us.
The result of our talk was very satisfactory and I have taken the
opportunity of including it in this book so that those who read it and
are interested in attaining Dhamma may use it as a field for
investigation and contemplation and then decide what is suitable in it
for them to use depending on their own characteristics. The result which
is one’s intended purpose and which comes from such a discriminating
choice is likely to be a smooth and steady development that is right and
appropriate, depending on how strongly one tries to do it. Because,
Venerable Acharn Kow is completely qualified to be a source from which
things of great value can arise for those in the world who frequently
associate with him. He is neither deficient in his behaviour which he
displays outwardly, nor in his inward knowing of the way of Dhamma which
is a “diamond of the first water” buried mysteriously within him. Such a
thing cannot be found easily and if one has not narrowly escaped death
one is not likely to be able to know it. I have secretly given him the
name of “Diamond of the First Water,” in the sphere of Kammatthana,
following the line from Venerable Acharn Mun for the last thirty years
without being afraid that people will call me mad — because this arose
from my own faith. Venerable Acharn Kow is still alive at present (BE
2520/CE 1977) and spreads out metta and warmth to many Bhikkhus and
Novices as well as to lay people in all parts of Thailand who never stop
going to pay homage and doing puja to him and to listen to his teaching.
In his monastery they realise the difficulties that he must put up with,
for he is already very old and they have had to arrange suitable times
when people may visit him, pay homage to him and listen to his teaching
so that he may have enough time to rest and recuperate and be of value
to the world for a long time. Otherwise he may “break up” before he
reaches his natural time.
The receiving of visitors and the interaction between those
Bhikkhus who are acknowledged teachers and the many lay people who come
from all over the place to visit them is in most cases very debilitating
and somewhat of an ordeal for these teachers for the whole time while
these visitors are with them. For these visitors come with all sorts of
preconceived views and attitudes and generally they are very anxious to
get confirmation of what they want in their own hearts. They never think
of the difficulties and the disturbance that they cause in the teacher’s
normal daily routine, which means that they are often more disturbed
than the water in a well or pond. If the teacher shows no sympathy for
them they feel resentful and think that he dislikes them, that he is
conceited and does not welcome guests as a Bhikkhu should do, for the
purpose of overcoming his conceit and his dislike of others. Moreover,
they then build up a dislike of him within their hearts and they spread
this about telling everybody, which leads to endless harm. Those
Bhikkhus who should be praised and respected and who are of great value
to the lay people, may then become Bhikkhus who are under accusation
without any court that can try the case and pass judgement.
The fact of the matter is that Bhikkhus are ordained for the
purpose of bringing benefit both to themselves and to the world and not
for remaining quiet, easy-going and unconcerned. In any one day they do
various different kinds of work at different times and they rarely have
any spare time. For they must find some time for helping the world in
various ways; they must find time for helping the Bhikkhus and Novices
who they are looking after as well as other Bhikkhus whom they chance to
meet; and they must find time for looking after their own bodies and
hearts so that they may last long and continue to be of value to the
world for a long time to come. Both by day and night body and heart go
round and round like a flywheel with hardly any time left to rest and
relax. When one thinks about it, even the machines which we use, such as
motor cars, have a rest at times, or they need time off for maintenance
and repair to keep them running properly, otherwise they break down and
deteriorate rapidly.
Bhikkhus are not like stones and cement which are mixed up
together and used in various places in the construction of buildings and
houses as the chief builder or architect sees fit for his purpose.
Therefore they are bound to get tired or exhausted and must have enough
time to rest and relax for the strain of continued work, so that they
can have some ease of body and heart.
Generally, when lay people visit a Bhikkhu, they are likely to
come complete with their tendencies of character, pretensions, conceits
and problems quite uninhibited. So they make trouble for the Bhikkhu by
unloading their complaints and criticisms, expecting him to agree with
them and to act accordingly, without ever considering whether it is
morally right or wrong. This is due to their fundamental trait of having
no interest in reason or morals — which are the first things that should
be considered. Whenever any desire or want arises which requires the
help of a Bhikkhu, they never think how the ways and customs of Bhikkhus
and lay people differ — for the Bhikkhus have the principles of Dhamma
and Vinaya to guide and direct their actions. So the ways and customs of
Bhikkhus are the Dhamma and Vinaya which shows them what they should do,
and they must always think of what is right or wrong, good or evil and
consider whether any proposed thing should or should not be done. But
lay people have no “Dhamma or Vinaya” within them to act as a guiding
principle to control their actions and so, generally speaking, they tend
to rely on what they like and want as their guide. Thus, when they try
to get a Bhikkhu involved in their affairs he is quite likely to be
troubled or harmed, even though they have no intention of doing this. Or
he may be harmed indirectly by frequent requests — such as asking him to
give them a number for the state lottery — which is an activity that
conflicts with the Bhikkhu’s Dhamma and Vinaya. Or by asking Bhikkhus to
make love potions which cause a man and woman to love each other; asking
Bhikkhus to tell them an auspicious time when they will have good luck
and become wealthy — or for any one of a thousand other purposes; asking
Bhikkhus to do their horoscope and to advise them about their affairs;
asking for magic spells and sayings to make them invulnerable to
bullets, knives, pointed weapons and clubs; asking for “holy water” to
be sprinkled on them to annul perils, danger from enemies and bad luck;
and all sorts of other things such as these. For all these things
conflict with the characteristics and customs (which means the Dhamma
and Vinaya) of any Bhikkhu who gives in to them, and the more he is an
Acariya, a Teacher whom people respect and have faith in, the more he is
troubled by all these things, which we have just described — and all
sorts of other things of the same kind which would take all day to
describe. In particular, a Dhutanga Bhikkhu who is intent on gaining
understanding, Dhamma and freedom, following the lineage of Venerable
Acharn Mun is not in the least interested in all these kinds of things.
In fact they look on them as being enemies to the right way of progress
and as things which increase the delusions of people. In the worst case
these things could lead to the destruction of the Bhikkhu and of the
religion (Sasana) for all to see, if, for example people started calling
them “lottery number Bhikkhus” and the “lottery number religion”, or
“love potion Bhikkhus and religion” — and the rest. This would make the
Bhikkhus and the religion seem disreputable and it would cause its value
to deteriorate steadily and inevitably. This is the kind of result that
can come from doing these things.
In all this that I have said above, I have no intention of blaming
those good and faithful devotees of Dhamma — nor those who go to visit
Bhikkhus to search for Dhamma. But it is necessary to let people know
what is the right form of behaviour between Bhikkhus and lay people who
have never been completely separate from each other — and how they
should act and relate together so that both may have contentment and
live without friction. This is how it should be and it accords with
their mutual good intentions and the interdependence that has always
existed between them — and also the way that both sides are concerned
about the promotion and well being of Buddhism.
It is important that we Buddhists should clearly understand that
the monastery is an important place in the sphere of Buddhism. It is
also an important place to all Buddhists who can hardly avoid having
good and exalted thoughts arising within their hearts whenever they go
into a monastery or go past one. This is because “the monastery” has
always been a sacred place since the remote past, regardless of whether
it is in the villages or forests. For the monastery is the place where
the citta and all things sacred come together, as well as arousing the
good and high aspirations of endless Buddhists, leaving nowhere for them
to leak away and deteriorate. The monastery may be run down and in a
state of disrepair or well appointed and beautiful, but in the hearts of
those everywhere who have faith in Buddhism there will be a constant
attitude of respect and homage for it.
For these reasons, whenever Buddhists go into a Buddhist monastery
and for whatever purpose, they should be self-controlled and make sure
that their behaviour is sufficiently modest and suitable. This also
includes the clothes that people wear and they should be very careful to
make sure that they conform to their status as “children of the Buddha”
who are going into a place which is high and sacred and which has been
glorified by the Lord Buddha, the Great Teacher of the “Three Worlds”.
This is especially important in the “forest monastery”, where Bhikkhus
are a bit like the monkeys and apes in the forest who have never had the
opportunity and fortune to have seen and learnt to admire the material
progress and the latest cultural developments that have taken place in
cities and towns. When they see people coming to the monastery wearing
some of the latest fashions they feel unusually disturbed and
apprehensive — almost dizzy and feverish. It may also give them a sudden
fright which they have not experienced before, because they are used to
living in the forest until they have become part of it and in such an
environment it is not easy to imagine such things. So when they suddenly
see such strange and unusual things, their eyes withdraw from Dhamma and
the citta displays an abnormal state which fluctuates unsteadily which —
tends to induce a melancholy depression.
Most forest Dhutanga Bhikkhus say that they have this same kind of
reaction and we should sympathise with them. Even if someone merely
explains to them how the towns and villages have developed in material
things and culture and how they are developing all the time nowadays
equally within the country as well as abroad, within the towns and in
the countryside, in the village monasteries and those in the forest, and
in normal places where people live, as well as in the forests and hills,
they would most likely not believe it. In fact they would probably just
have a feeling of repugnance and loathing for it all, and a feeling of
apprehension as well as dejection and sorrow — until the person who was
telling them would be unable to find any way to cure the fear and horror
that they feel. So it’s a pity that they are so primitive and so far
away from all this development and civilisation — isn’t it?
The monastery where Venerable Acharn Kow stays, is located in the
forests and hills. A place that is well suited to the complete
development of meditation and the practice of Dhamma, for it is full of
boulders, cliffs and forests with pleasant, shady trees. It seems that
Venerable Acharn Kow always tried to avoid and evade all the
accoutrements of civilisation which we have already mentioned. If one
were to call him uncivilised like most of the Dhutanga Bhikkhus it
should not be considered as criticism. Because his Dhamma quality is
very exalted — and I feel that he has gone beyond all that should be
deserving of criticism. But presumably he may still have the habits left
within him of being very watchful and afraid of the dangers in the
forest, for even though his Dhamma virtue is at the highest level he
will not have been able to let go of all his latent habitual tendencies.
This may be in accordance with the Dhamma saying of the Lord, that — the
original habitual tendencies cannot be entirely got rid of by the
Savakas and only the Lord Buddha was able to get rid of his latent
habitual tendencies (nissaya) completely, as well as his good
characteristics (vasana).
Whenever many people come causing a lot of disturbance with no
good purpose or value in it, Venerable Acharn Kow gets away quickly and
disappears into the forest or into a crevice between the rocks of a hill
in his monastery until all has quieted down in the evening or after
night has fallen, before returning to his residence. When he was asked
why he escaped and disappeared in this way, he answered, saying: “My
Dhamma is not much and it cannot withstand the strong flowing current of
the world and I have to run away and hide. If I did not do this, but
stayed and put up with it, my Dhamma would surely break up and
disintegrate, so I must go wherever I can look after myself. For even
though I do not have the ability to help these people, I should at least
think about helping myself.”
To the best of my knowledge, Venerable Acharn Kow has a lot of
metta and generally gives a great deal of help to other people. But on
those occasions when he escapes and goes into hiding it is probably
because it is beyond his ability to put up with them — as he himself has
said. Those who cause trouble and harm are the majority of people,
though whether they do it intentionally or not is hard to know, but they
do so continually. As for those who try to uphold and maintain
Sila–Dhamma and virtue, they are few and they are hardly able to
withstand the burden of doing so, and are normally bound to run into
many difficulties.
Generally speaking, lay people tend to watch the Bhikkhus much
more than themselves. When they go to a place where they should have
faith and pay respect, their manner and speech tends to be quite
offensive in the eyes and ears of an observer. It makes those Bhikkhus
who are observant realise how it is their habitual tendency to let
themselves go, without restraint and carelessly, while having no thought
for how they might appear to other people, or how it is with themselves
— this is what makes it difficult.
More About His Way of Practice
When Venerable Acharn Kow was living in the forests and hills and
he became unwell, he was never much concerned about finding medicaments
to cure himself. He tended to rely upon the “Dhamma remedy” much more
than any other way, for it was effective both in the body and the citta
at the same time. He could grasp the problem and fix his attention on it
and reflect upon it for a long time — much longer than usual. He managed
to overcome fevers many times by this method of medication, until he
became quite confident of this process of reflective investigation
whenever he felt ill. It started from the time when his citta attained
samadhi, or in other words, when he had a calm and cool heart. Whenever
he had any fever he would set up a determination to fight it
unwaveringly by meditating with a completely resolute heart which is the
method that brought him clearly visible results in the past. At first he
relied upon Venerable Acharn Mun to guide him continually in the method
of doing this when he had a fever, by recalling Venerable Acharn Mun’s
experience in which he said how that, when his heart gained unusually
great strength it nearly always came from severe sickness and pain. The
more painful and sick he was, the more easily would mindfulness and
wisdom go round and round the body, quickly going to each event and
change of characteristics as it arose during the illness. There was no
need for him to compel himself to look into the body and there was no
interest at all in whether he would be cured or die. For his concern was
to strive to know the truth of all the painful feelings that arose and
“swooped down” on him at that time, using the mindfulness and wisdom
which he had been developing by continuous training until he had become
expert at it.
Sometimes Venerable Acharn Mun would go to Venerable Acharn Kow
when he had a fever and talk to him to make him think by asking a
pointed question, saying:
“Have you ever thought how in your past lives you have experienced
pain and suffering much more acute than this, just prior to the time you
died? Even ordinary people in the world who have learnt nothing of
Dhamma can put up with the suffering of an ordinary fever. Some of them
even retain good mindfulness and seemly behaviour — better than many
Bhikkhus. For they do not groan and moan and restlessly move around,
flinging their arms about while twisting and writhing, like some
unworthy Bhikkhus who really speaking should not be Buddhists at all,
and they should not be in such a position that they taint and soil the
religion of the Buddha. For even though these worthy people may be in
great pain and suffering they still have enough mindfulness to control
their manners so that they are seemly and respectable, which is quite
admirable. I once saw a sick lay man whose children had come to ask me
to visit their father who was beyond hope of recovery. They said that
their father wanted to meet me and see me and pay his last respects to
me which would give him something to keep in mind and to raise up his
heart when he came to the time of his death. When I got to the house, as
soon as their father saw me walking up to the place where he was lying
down, he managed somehow to sit up by himself and quickly too, his face
beaming and happy. He did this despite his illness and despite the fact
that normally he could not sit up without assistance — in fact all
symptoms of his fever and illness had disappeared, but there were enough
indications left to show that he was in fact seriously ill. He bowed
down and paid homage with cheerfulness and joy in his heart and his
manners and general behaviour were seemly and beautiful — which startled
and perplexed everyone else in his home. They all wondered and talked
saying: ‘How did he get up by himself when normally to move a little bit
to a new position while lying prostrate we have to help him all the way
with great care, for fear that otherwise he may be hurt or faint or die
right then. But as soon as he saw you coming, Venerable Acharn, he got
up like a new person — no longer like one who is about to die any time.’
They were amazed, for they had never seen anything like it before. They
came and told me this and that he died shortly after I left him and that
he was fully conscious right up to the last moment and he seemed to die
peacefully as if he had got to some state of happiness.”
“But as for yourself, your fever is not severe like that man’s, so
why are you so careless and inattentive that you are not examining and
investigating your situation. Or is it your laziness that is weighing
your heart down and so making your body weak and flabby. If many
Kammatthana Bhikkhus went like this, people would criticise the way of
Buddhism, and the way of Kammatthana would fall apart. None of them
would be able to put up with difficulties because they would all be weak
and flabby. Their Kammatthana would also be weak and flabby, just
waiting on the block for the kilesas to come and chop them up and make
salad of them. The Lord Buddha did not give the teaching of mindfulness
and wisdom for lazy, weak and flabby people who merely look at their
sickness without thinking, searching and investigating in terms of
Dhamma in the way that has been taught to us. For whether such a weak
and lazy person gets better or dies from his illness is of no
consequence — in fact it’s no more worthy than the death of a rat. You
must not bring the beliefs and knowledge of a pig into the Sasana and
the circle of Kammatthana Bhikkhus. For a pig just waits for the
‘chopping block’ quite unconcerned. It makes me feel ashamed in the face
of those lay people who are more worthy than such Bhikkhus; and ashamed
in the face of the rats who die peacefully and better than such Bhikkhus
who have a fever and become weak and lazy, and die without any
mindfulness and wisdom to look after themselves. You should try doing
some investigation to see whether the Dhamma truths (Sacca–Dhamma) —
such as the truth of Dukkha — which the wise say are Dhamma of the
highest truth — are in fact true and how true and where the truth in
them is to be found. Or, does the truth dwell in carelessness, weakness
and laziness which you are promoting at present? For this is just
promoting the cause of dukkha (Samudaya) so that it accumulates in the
citta making it stupid and preventing you from rising out of it. It is
not the way of the Path (Magga) — which leads one to nothing but freedom
from dukkha.”
“I am prepared to claim that I have gained strength of heart when
I have been very sick by examining the dukkha that arose within me,
until I saw the place where it arose and established itself and also its
dying away and ceasing, by means of true mindfulness and wisdom, quite
clearly. The citta that knows the truth of dukkha and becomes calm and
peaceful does not go about looking for something to change its state,
but instead, remains firmly within the truth and is ‘one’ and single.
There is nothing in it to cause trouble or unseemly actions, nor can
anything strange or false get into it to cause any doubt or uncertainty.
Then painful feelings cease completely, or else, even if they don’t,
they are still quite unable to overcome the citta. Each of them would
then be true, each in its own sphere. This is when the Dhamma Truths
are the highest truths, and this is how they are true. In other words,
you live with that citta which has mindfulness and wisdom everywhere
about oneself due to having done the practice of investigation. Not due
to laziness and weakness, nor due to sitting or lying down on top of
mindfulness and wisdom, the tools which are capable of curing the kilesas.”
“Here is a simile to help you understand. If you take a stone and
throw it at someone’s head it can cause injury and maybe kill him. But
you can also make valuable use of that stone for sharpening knives, or
other purposes. Accordingly, someone who uses it to damage or kill
himself is a fool, whereas one who uses it for a good purpose to help
himself in desirable ways is clever. Mindfulness and wisdom are like
this, for they can be used wrongly to think and work out ways of doing
things that are morally not right. Such as being clever in the wrong
way, in one’s work and business. Clever in robbery and banditry. Being
slick and quicker than a monkey so that others cannot follow what one is
up to — which usually turns to evil because of using mindfulness and
wisdom in wrong ways.”
“But one can use mindfulness and wisdom in the right way, as in
one’s livelihood, by using it in such things as building work, in
carpentry, in writing or in repair work of various kinds in which one is
skilled. Or one may use it to cure one’s kilesas and tanha which are
sticky and stuck firmly to the hub of the wheel of the round of samsara
(vatta) which leads one round to birth and then on to death repeatedly
and unceasingly, until they have all gone from the heart. Then one
becomes purified and reaches the state of freedom (vimutti), Nibbana,
maybe today, or this month or year, or in this lifetime, for it is not
beyond the ability of human beings to do this, as we may see by the
example of those clever people who have done so from the Lord Buddha up
to the present day.”
“Wisdom brings endless benefits to anyone who has enough interest
and incentive to use contemplative thought without fixing any bounds or
limits to it. Because mindfulness and wisdom have never deceived and led
anyone into a state of despair with no way out, making them afraid that
they will have too much mindfulness and wisdom and that it will turn
them into someone who is good at breaking up and destroying whatever
Dhamma they had within them, as well as their chance of attaining
freedom, and that they would be swamped and overcome while they were
only half way there.”
“The wisest of people have always praised mindfulness and wisdom
ever since ancient times, saying that they are the most exalted things
and are never out of date. You should therefore think and search and dig
up mindfulness and wisdom and promote them as the means and method of
defending yourself and destroying the enemy within you completely and
finally. Then you will see the most excellent and precious sphere of
heart that has always been there within yourself since endless ages
past. This Dhamma that I am teaching to you comes entirely from the
Dhamma that I have looked into and experienced as a result. It is not
based on guesswork — like scratching without being able to locate where
the irritation is — for what I teach comes from what I have known and
seen and been, with no uncertainty.”
“Those who want to get free from dukkha, yet are afraid of the
dukkha that arises within them and refuse to investigate will never be
able to get free from dukkha. Because the way to Nibbana has to depend
on “Dukkha” and the “Origin of Dukkha” (Samudaya) to walk the Path (Magga),
the means of going onwards. The Lord Buddha and every one of the Savaka
Arahants attained the fulfilment of the Path, Fruition and Nibbana by
way of the Four Noble Truths (Ariya–Sacca–Dhamma). There was not one of
them that did not pass through these four Noble Truths completely — and
now, some of these Noble Truths are displaying their truths within your
body and heart quite openly and clearly. You must investigate those
truths, using mindfulness and wisdom to get to know them clearly and
genuinely. You must not sit or lie down merely gazing at them or you
will become an invalid in the field of the Dhamma Truths which have
always been true since the beginning of the world.”
“If we Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus cannot face the truth which
is displaying itself so clearly to us, who else will ever be able to
face it and know it? Because those in Kammatthana circles are closer and
more intimate with the Dhamma Truths than those in other circles
elsewhere and they should be able to know and realise them first, before
all others. In other circles elsewhere outside of Kammatthana, even
though they will also have the Dhamma Truths as an inherent part of the
body and mind, yet they differ in that they avoid doing any
investigation which would lead them to understanding them in a different
way. This is due to their disposition and opportunity which influences
them variously in different ways.”
“But the Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhu is in a special situation,
in that everything is complete for him to progress and to walk towards
the truth which is apparent within him all the time. If you have the
blood of a warrior who is worthy of the name given by the Great Teacher
which is: ‘the True Sakyaputta Buddhajinorasa (Son of the Sakya, the
Victorious Buddha)’, you must try to investigate so as to realise the
truth clearly. This truth of painful feeling, is announcing its presence
within you in a clear and unmistakable manner in your body and mind
right now. Don’t let the painful feeling and this opportunity pass by
uselessly. But instead, I want you to take out the truth from that
painful feeling and bring it up to mindfulness and wisdom. Then mark it
well, define it and let it be known and bury it in the heart firmly and
indelibly. From then on, it may act as an example to show that out of
these four aspects of Truth which the Lord Buddha proclaimed throughout
his teaching, I have now gained a clear understanding of this first
Truth, the Truth of Dukkha by means of my mindfulness and wisdom and
there is no longer any room left for doubt. But rather, I will endeavour
to promote and to make that Truth develop steadily and increasingly,
until every bit of doubt has disappeared.”
“If you strive to do what I have just taught you, even if that
fever that you have becomes increasingly strong in your body, it will be
as though you yourself are perfectly well and fit. In other words, your
heart is not disturbed, apprehensive and shivering, nor caught up
following the characteristics of pleasure and pain which arise in such
circumstances. But you will have a steady sense of pride and
satisfaction which will come from what you have known and seen in a
calm, steady manner. You will not display any outward behaviour,
restlessly moving and changing about as the fever gets worse or better.
This is what is meant by learning Dhamma for the Truth, and the wisest
people have all learnt it in this way. They do not wishfully imagine
other types of feelings as they would like it to be — thinking how they
would like this or that kind of feeling according to their desires — all
of which just accumulates the “cause of dukkha” so that it increases and
grows much stronger instead of going the way one should want it to go.
You must take this to heart and remember it well and go on investigating
to find the meaning of Dhamma which is the Truth that is within
yourself. This is the basic ground which each should be able to know by
himself, for I am just the one who teaches the way to do it. But as to
whether the pupils are fearless and valiant or weak and flabby depends
entirely on those who do the investigation and no one else has any say
in this at all. Well now! For yourself, you are a pupil and you have a
Teacher who teaches you, so you must act in a suitable way as befits
this situation. You must not lie down inert, like a rag for wiping
peoples feet, letting the kilesas rise up and walk all over you to beat
you out flat. This would be disastrous and bring nothing but trouble in
the future — now don’t say I haven’t warned you!”
Venerable Acharn Kow said:
“When Venerable Acharn Mun gave me this Dhamma talk, it was like a
violent storm that comes and then passes away and disappears. I felt as
if I would float up into the air with rapture (piti), joy and
‘heartfulness’ from this teaching which was so skilled and penetrating
and came entirely from his sympathy (metta), and nothing else could have
been so valuable to me at that time. As soon as he had gone I took up
the practice of the methods in which Venerable Acharn Mun had so kindly
instructed me, and I started to examine and unravel the problems of the
painful feeling which was presently apparent to the utmost of my
ability, without any tendency to want to give up doing so, or any other
forms of weakness at all.” “While I was doing this investigation of
painful feeling after Venerable Acharn had gone, it was if he were still
there sitting with me waiting to see and waiting to show me how to do it
and to help me the whole time. But more than that it gave me strength of
heart to increase my fight with painful feeling.”
“While doing the investigation I tried to separate dukkha out from
the khandhas. In other words, the body and all its parts I put into one
heap (khandha); memory (sañña) which stands by to define or determine,
thereby deceiving us, I divided into a second heap; sankhara, which is
thinking and imagining I put into a third heap; and the citta I put
separately into a special category. Then I investigated, I compared, I
looked for causes and results from the start to the end of the dukkha
which was making itself apparent in my body, milling around in
confusion. But I did not think about whether the dukkha would die away
and I would survive or whether it would get worse and I would die, for
what I was absolutely determined to get to know for my purpose at that
time was the truth of all these things. In particular I most wanted to
find out what in fact the ‘Truth of Dukkha’ (Dukkha–Sacca) was. Why
should it have such power as to be able to shake up and disturb the
hearts of all beings throughout the world without exception? This is the
case, both when dukkha arises in normal circumstances due to all sorts
of different causes, and also when they reach the end of their lives and
they are just about to leave this life and go to a new state. All
sentient beings of every kind feel very apprehensive at this time and
none are ever bold and fearless enough to face up to it and accept it —
except when they have to face it because there is no other alternative
and no way out. If there was anyway to avoid it they would be bound to
escape to the other end of the world to get away from it — just because
of the fear of death.”
“I am also one of these sentient beings in the world who are timid
and frightened of dukkha, so what should I do about this dukkha that I
am now experiencing in order that I may be bold and fearless, with the
truth as my witness. Well! I must contend with dukkha by using
mindfulness and wisdom following the teaching and method of the Great
Teacher and my own teacher as well. A short time ago, Venerable Acharn
Mun had the metta to teach me in a way that went to my heart and left me
no room for doubt. For he taught me that I should fight using
mindfulness and wisdom by separating and analysing these heaps (khandha)
and examining them to see them quite clearly. Right now, what Khandha is
this painful feeling (dukkha–vedana)? Is it ‘form’ (rupa)? Or memory (sañña)?
Or thought and imagination (sankhara)? Or is it consciousness (viññana)?
And can it be the citta? If it cannot be, then why do I make out that
the painful feeling is me? — That I am painful? — That it is truly me?
Am I really this painful feeling? — Or what else am I? I must find out
the truth of this today. So if the painful feeling does not stop and I
have not come to know this painful feeling quite clearly with true
mindfulness and wisdom I shall go on sitting here in meditation until I
die if necessary. But I will definitely not get up from this place just
to let the painful feeling laugh and mock and ridicule me.”
“From then on, mindfulness and wisdom went about chopping up and
analysing in what became a life or death struggle, and this battle
between the citta and painful feeling went on for five hours. After this
I knew the truth of the khandhas and I was able to know each one on its
own. But in particular I knew the feeling group (vedana–khandha) most
clearly by means of wisdom.” The painful feeling then died away
immediately, once the investigation had gone round everywhere about
himself completely and thoroughly. He said that from that time on an
unshakeable faith in the validity of the Noble Truths arose in him,
based upon the Truth of Dukkha. “From then on I knew the truth of it
without any doubt or uncertainty.”
He said: “From that time on, whenever I got a fever or any other
sickness my heart had a way to contend with it and to get on top of it
by the way of mindfulness and wisdom — not falling into a weak and
flabby state of illness. For generally, my heart gained strength in
times of pain and sickness, because these are times of serious concern
and maybe truly a matter of life and death as well. The Dhamma which I
used to believe in as if it were a plaything, without realising it,
which is the usual characteristic of an ordinary person (puthujjana) at
normal times when he is not in any special difficulties, then displayed
the truth for me to see clearly at that time while investigating the
painful feeling all round. The pain then ceased, and the heart became
concentrated and went down and reached the base of samadhi. All doubts
and problems with regard to the body and mind then ceased while they
were at rest, until the citta arose up out of it, which took several
hours. Whatever else needed to be investigated would be dealt with in
the future with ruthless regard for the Truth which had already been
seen.”
Venerable Acharn Kow said: “When the citta became concentrated,
went down and reached the basis of samadhi due to the powerful influence
of the investigation, the fever ceased immediately and did not return
again. It was quite extraordinary how this could happen.” In regard to
this, the writer believes what Acharn Kow said without question, because
he also has done such investigations in a similar manner and has
experienced the same kind of results. This makes me feel fully confident
that the “Dhamma remedy” is quite able to take care of sickness in
subtle and strange ways and to appreciate those who do the practice and
have tendencies of character in this direction.
Most of the Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus like to do such
investigations as a remedy for their own body and mind (dhatu–khandha)
when they become seriously ill with painful fevers. But they like doing
it quietly, on their own and they do not readily tell other people about
it — except amongst their friends who are also doing the practice in the
same way and who have similar characters. With them they can talk
intimately about these things.
It must be understood however, that in talking about curing
diseases by the method of meditation in the foregoing paragraphs, this
does not mean that all diseases can be cured by such methods. Even the
Bhikkhus are by no means sure which diseases can be cured in this way
and which cannot. But they are not inattentive or negligent in regard to
whatever happens and to whatever changes take place within themselves.
Even when it happens that the body is going to die due to a disease,
they must also make sure that some of the diseases of the citta die at
the same time by using the power of the Dhamma remedy, and this means
some of the “kilesas” and “asavas” which are the diseases of the citta.
Therefore they are relentless in their investigations into the various
diseases that arise, both in the body and in the citta. Because they are
confident that this is an important and necessary duty in connection
with their khandhas and citta — which they must investigate and accept
responsibility for, right up to the last moment.
Venerable Acharn Kow always liked to deal with his fevers by using
the Dhamma remedy. At one time he was staying in a hilly part of Sakon
Nakhon Province which at that time was infested with malaria. One day
after he had finished eating his food he immediately began to feel
feverish and shivery. He wrapped himself in several blankets to keep
warm, to no avail. He looked about for a warm place but it was useless,
so he gave up trying to get warm by external means. Then he decided to
overcome the external feelings of cold internally by the way of Dhamma
which he had already used with success in the past. He told the other
Bhikkhus who were with him, to go away and leave him alone and to wait
until they saw that he had opened the door of his little hut before
coming to see him again. After all the Bhikkhus had gone he began to get
down to the practice of investigation of painful feelings in the way
that he had done it before. It seems that he started about 9 o’clock in
the morning and went on until 3 o’clock in the afternoon when he
succeeded. The fever died away and he was cured right there; and then
the citta became concentrated and went down and reached its natural
level where it rested for about two hours. Finally at about 6 o’clock in
the evening he left the place where he had been practising samadhi
meditation, with a buoyancy of body and heart without anything left to
cause him trouble. The fever had completely gone and his citta had
become bright and skilled with wisdom, exalted and famous within
himself — and he has lived with the Vihara–Dhamma since then, right up
to the present.
Venerable Acharn Kow is resourceful and absolutely resolute in
striving and it would be hard to find anyone else to equal him. Now he
is old and frail, but when it comes to striving in the way of Dhamma
he is still very skilled and resolute without weakening, much as he
always was. When he walks cankama, each time he goes on for five or six
hours before taking a rest, and even the young Bhikkhus cannot equal
him. Such is the striving of the wisest men who are so very different
from the rest of us who tend more to look forward to the time when we
can rest our heads on our pillows. As if pillows are more exalted than
the Path, Fruition and Nibbana — which, when one looks at it and thinks
about it, should make one ashamed of how clever one is in those ways
which are completely lacking in essential value.
An unusual and remarkable thing about Acharn Kow is how whenever
he thinks about anything, that thing comes in accordance with his
thoughts almost every time. For example he may think about an elephant
which he had not seen for many years and how it had not been seen here
at all — or maybe it had been shot by a hunter. Then in the middle of
the night after such thoughts, this elephant would come straight up to
his hut and stand there playfully touching and stroking things round
about so as to let him know that he had come. After which it would turn
and go back to the forests and hills and he would see no more of it for
it would not normally return. When he thought about any of the tigers,
the same sort of thing would happen. If he thought of a tiger which used
to roam about the district and how he had not seen it for ages, and
perhaps it had been killed, when he thought of it in the day, that tiger
would come at night and wander about the Wat and about where he was
staying so as to leave marks to let him know that it was still alive.
Then it would go back to the forest and would not stay about there or
return again.
He said that it was very strange how whenever he thought of any
animals round about, the one he thought of would soon appear, and this
happened almost every time. It was as if something went and told those
animals to go to him. But a Bhikkhu who is so exalted inwardly as
Venerable Acharn Kow must surely have Devas to wait on him all the time,
to help him and make things convenient for him and to follow his
thoughts and wishes. Then whatever he thinks about, that thing will come
to him in answer to his thoughts whatever it may be. Otherwise, why
should things come to him right after he thought about them every time,
like this? For other people such as ourselves can think about
innumerable things and go on thinking over and over again about them
without seeing anything coming in answer to our thoughts and desires. At
least, nothing which should make us think that we may have some virtue
and that we are people who are worthy of reverence like Venerable Acharn
Kow. But then our thoughts are mostly so worthless or evil and
disturbing to the heart, which gets nothing but difficulty and torment
from them, without seeing anything good concealed within them at all. It
is really shameful that our thoughts create nothing but dukkha for us,
thousands of times per day until our minds are dull and worn out and
incapable of doing any more work.Venerable Acharn Kow has a very large
number of followers including Bhikkhus, Samaneras and lay people from
all parts of Thailand who regularly come for teaching and training in
Sila Dhamma from him. Although nowadays he tries to live quietly and to
be on his own much more than he used to, so as to preserve the khandhas
and extend their life as far as he can — and also to be of value to
those in the world who he should accept and help, and there are very
many of them.
After he has finished eating his meal he usually starts walking
cankama and working in the ways of Dhamma practice for one or two hours.
Then he leaves the path where he walks and goes back to his room where
he rests and does meditation practice until two o’clock in the
afternoon. If he has no other business to attend to he then walks
cankama again and works at his practice until it is time to sweep the
paths and clean up the Wat. After this duty he has a wash and then
returns to the cankama path and walks while doing his practice until ten
or eleven o’clock at night when he stops. From then on he does some
chanting and meditation practice until it is time for him to rest his
body until about 3 o’clock in the morning. In other words, 3 am is the
time when he gets up to do his meditation practice until it is time for
him to get ready to go pindapata. After returning from pindapata he
takes food to give his body strength to go on living for as long as his
vipaka (results of kamma) will let him. This is the daily routine which
he strictly adheres to, unless he has other necessary duties which he
has to do, such as being invited to go out to various functions which
necessitates a break in his routine.
Those who have such exalted Dhamma virtue as Venerable Acharn Kow
are not concerned to search for happiness and joy from anything so much
as from the Dhamma within their own hearts alone. Their way of living is
replete with Dhamma inwardly, and whatever the posture or situation of
the body, their hearts are in a constant state of happiness which
neither increases nor decreases. For increase and decrease are a pair of
opposites which is the way of our world of duality. The reason why they
are like this is because they each have a heart which is single and pure
throughout and imbued with the “one Dhamma” — alone (ekibhava). This
makes no relationship with anything else such that there would be a
duality, with one standing out better and more prominent than the other.
Therefore there is a peace and happiness in it which cannot be compared
with anything else. For the citta which has purity throughout its nature
is a citta which has a calm, peace and happiness which is entirely
satisfying and there is no desire for anything else to increase or
develop it, for it would only cause turbulence and concern in vain
without being of any value at all to that citta. So those who possess
such a citta like to dwell alone and they have no liking for
distractions and disturbances because they are things that trouble the
calm and happiness in this natural state which is complete in itself.
For such things cause the citta to stir and vibrate and to receive
knowledge via the various sense doors. This is why they like to slip
away and live in a way that suits them — which is the most appropriate
and right way for their characteristic tendencies. But others, who do
not truly understand their ways are likely to think that they do not
want to receive guests, or that they do not like people and they slip
away to save themselves alone, and they are not interested in teaching
and training other people. But in fact the truth is as we have described
it above.
As far as teaching goes it is hard to find those who teach with
complete purity of heart and filled with metta, without any interest in
worldly gain or any recompense at all, such as Venerable Acharn Kow.
Because in teaching people of every level every class and every age,
they teach with true knowing and true seeing that is completely genuine
and aimed at bringing benefit to whoever receives it and they do so with
metta in a manner that is unimpeachable. The only exceptions are in
those cases when some people go and trouble them with irrelevant and
unnecessary things like those we have described above. So they may not
receive and teach everyone who comes, because it is not possible for a
Bhikkhu to act in wrong ways just to comply with the unreasonable
requests of those who do not keep within the limits of what is
reasonable and proper. For the Bhikkhu himself would become involved, be
in trouble and come to loss together with the one he is sorry for.
For some years Venerable Acharn Kow spent the vassa period in the
hills on his own while relying on two or three families of farmers to
give him food when he went out on pindapata each day. He said that for
those who are ordained, this type of life provides the most happiness
and peace of heart for the practice of Dhamma. All one’s time is filled
with the effort to practise the way and there are no other burdens or
duties to trouble one. One’s time is one’s own, one’s effort is one’s
own in every situation and the citta with Dhamma is one’s own in all
that one does, and there is nothing to distract one and divide up one’s
attention causing it to diminish below what it had been before. One who
is ordained and who lives in the present as if tonight is the only night
left to him, is not concerned how much longer he is going to live, nor
with any of these disturbances, for this that he is doing is of
incomparably greater value than anything else.
Venerable Acharn Kow said that when he spent the vassa period by
himself in the hills along the borders of Sakon Nakhon and Kalasin
Provinces, he lived in a place three or four miles distant from the
nearest village. There were many wild animals in that district,
including tigers, elephants, wild oxen, red bulls, barking deer, wild
boar and deer of various kinds. At night he used to hear these animals
calls echoing through the forest, and they would wander in search of
food, often coming close to where he was staying almost every night.
Sometimes he could see them and they came so close to him he could
almost make out what kind of animal it was. Seeing these animals made
him feel joyful, with metta and compassion for them.
I cannot remember what year it was that Acharn Kow spent the vassa
period in these hills but I know it was soon after Venerable Acharn Mun
had died. He said how, in this vassa, when he practised meditation for
samadhi it seemed that Venerable Acharn Mun came to visit him constantly
throughout that vassa to talk Dhamma to him and give him “friendly
Dhamma advice” (Sammodaniya–Dhamma). In doing his routine duties in the
vicinity of the cave where he stayed, and in all other activities such
as arranging his few possessions, if he did anything improperly,
Venerable Acharn would point it out to him every time. Therefore it was
just as if he had lived with Venerable Acharn Mun for the whole of that
vassa period.
Venerable Acharn Mun came and told him about the customs and
traditions of the Dhutanga Bhikkhus who are intent on attaining freedom,
saying: “The various Dhutanga routines should be maintained and done
properly in the way that the Lord Buddha prescribed and they should not
be altered.” Then he talked about the Dhutanga practices that he taught
his followers to do while he was still alive and he repeated what he
said for emphasis, thus:
“In teaching my followers to practise the way throughout right up
to the end of my life, I taught those Dhutanga practices which I knew
about with certainty — without any doubt at all. Therefore you should
take them to heart and practise them with a full and complete commitment
— and you should never think that the Sasana is exclusively the treasure
of the Lord Buddha or any one of his Savaka followers. For in fact, the
Sasana is the treasure of whoever cherishes it and is interested enough
to practise the way and thus includes everyone who aims to gain value
from the Sasana. The Lord Buddha and all the Savakas retain no part of
the Sasana which they gave to the world fully and freely and you should
not think that the Lord and the Savakas would dispense both parts which
were good as well as parts which were bad or tainted. For when we
practise the way, whether we do so rightly or wrongly in any part of it
is up to each one of us and in no way does it depend on the Lord Buddha
and the Savakas.”
“You have come here to practise the way, and this is your own
particular purpose; whether you practise rightly or wrongly is also
entirely your own business. Therefore you must be very careful in what
you do so as to live contentedly in the Dhamma of one who has seen the
truth (Dittha–Dhamma). You will shortly become an Acariya with many
followers and you must set a good example to show what is right and
seemly so as to be an exalted symbol of righteousness and truth and a
blessing to all who follow after you — so that they who follow you will
not be disappointed. Being an Acariya is a very important position and
one should examine what it means carefully. For if just the Acariya
himself goes wrong he may also lead many others in the wrong direction.
But if he does what is right, he can equally lead countless others in
the right direction. You should therefore examine carefully, all aspects
of what it means to be an Acariya with many followers so that others may
have an unobstructed, smooth path which will not be false because of
taking you as their Acariya to teach them. The word ‘Acariya’ means one
who teaches or trains his behaviour which is displayed externally in his
actions and manners, in such a way that those who depend on him can hold
him up as an example to be followed. It should not be the kind of
behaviour which is an external display of what comes from falsehood due
to a lack of prior consideration and thought. The Lord Buddha who we
call the ‘Sasada’, the great teacher of the world, was not the ‘Sasada’
only at those times when he was giving a talk on Dhamma to those
Buddhists who came to listen to him. For he was the Sasada at all times,
in every situation and position and whether reclining on his right side
in the ‘Lion posture’, sitting, standing, or going about the place. Even
when he was within a Buddhist monastery, he would still be the ‘Sasada’
in all his behaviour in every action and every movement he made, and the
Lord never did anything that was uncharacteristic of the Sasada.
Therefore one who has mindfulness and wisdom and an inclination towards
assessment and contemplation could take every movement and every gesture
that the Lord made as a moral example that teaches people over and over
again.”
“You should not think that the Lord ever behaved in an abandoned
manner, like all people in the world, where they like to adjust and
change their manners and behaviour depending on the people and
circumstances that they come across. For they behave like this in one
place and act like that in another — which is the characteristic
behaviour of ghosts and Pretas, even though they are in fact people —
good or bad. They are to be found everywhere, and they have not got
enough of a presence in them which can be held on to as a firm, stable
principle, either for themselves or other people. But the Lord Buddha
was not like these people of the world, for he was the Great Teacher in
everything he did right up to the day of final Nibbana. Whatever action
or characteristic he displayed he was always the ‘Sasada’, never
deficient or incapable. So whoever holds to him as their ‘refuge’ —
which means a basic principle or example of how one should act and do
things — can do so at any time, in whatever they are doing, by following
his example, without any doubt as to whether the example of the Lord is
suited to this occasion or not. This is why the title of the ‘Great
Teacher’ — the ‘Sasada’ — of the Triple world system is well suited to
the Lord. Even when the Lord was about to enter Parinibbana, he did so
in the ‘Lion posture’. He did not lie down, as though he had thrown away
his limbs and body, careless of them, afraid of death and repeating
mantras and magical verses so that he would go to this or that place or
realm — which is the way of ordinary people everywhere in the world —
but he died and entered Parinibbana, composed, in the ‘Lion posture’.
Meanwhile, his heart went through the process of ‘entering Nibbana’ with
unwavering courage and discipline — as if he was about to go on living
in the world for aeons of time in the future. In fact, the Lord
proclaimed that he was the Great Teacher at these final moments by
entering Jhana and Nirodha Samapatti and then withdrawing from them
until the right moment came and he entered Parinibbana, fully supporting
his status as the Great Teacher without any remaining attachments to
anything in the Triple world. That was how the ‘Sasada’, the Great
Teacher showed an example which was a standard pattern for the world to
emulate, and he did this from the moment of his Enlightenment to the
time of his Parinibbana. Nor did he diminish or give up any of his
standards of behaviour below that required of the ‘Great Teacher’ by
behaving in the manner of the average, ordinary person, for he dutifully
maintained his position to perfection right to the end.”
“Therefore you should take up the example of the Sasada and put it
into practice. For even though you will not be able to match the
perfection of the Lord in all respects, it will still be in the category
of one who follows the word of the Teacher — not drifting uncontrolled
like a boat in a storm adrift in the middle of the ocean which has not
put out its anchor. The practice of someone who is ordained, but who has
no right and firmly founded basic principle within him is likely to be
without any real purpose that can enable him to determine whether he
will reach a shore of safety — or whether there will be various dangers
ahead. He is like a boat without a rudder and is not likely to be able
to sail where he wants to go — and he is likely to drift with the ocean
currents which can easily lead him into great danger.”
“The principles of Dhamma and Vinaya, such as the Dhutanga
observances, are the ‘rudder’ of the practice which lead it to a safe
goal. Therefore you should take hold of them and grasp them firmly,
without wavering or vacillating, which would lead those who follow you,
who will be many, to uphold this example and go wrong accordingly. The
Dhutanga observances are the practices which go straight and directly
towards the goal and there is no other practice that can equal them in
this. It requires only that those who practise them must also use
mindfulness, wisdom, faith and effort in striving to do so. That Dhamma
which they are hoping to attain should be within the scope of the
Dhutanga practices that have been handed down to us and it is quite
certain that they are capable of leading us to it without any doubts or
obstacles being able to prevent us. For the Dhutanga observances are the
only way which leads to the beyond of dukkha — there is no other way —
so you should not feel uncertain or have doubts. This way of Dhamma is
also the place where all the methods of practice and development gather
together and lead into the process of quenching all dukkha.”
“Those Bhikkhus who have a liking for the Dhutanga observances as
their mode of development are those who have love and faith in the Great
Teacher, who is the First Teacher. Whereas those Bhikkhus who have taken
up the Dhutanga observances as their way of progress are those who have
an established tradition and the Great Teacher as their refuge in every
situation. Wherever they go or stay they have Dhamma to help and protect
them in place of the Sasada. They are not lonely, aimless or unstable,
for their principle of heart is the principle of Dhamma and this
principle of Dhamma is the heart. Their breath going in and going out is
Dhamma and it is intimately blended into a single unity with the heart.
These people are the ones who are eternally living with Dhamma and they
never become disturbed nor off balance. For yourself, it is true that
you do not have anything to worry about, but there are many other people
who will associate with you and you should have concern for all those
who follow you, both fellows in Dhamma and lay people as well, so that
they may feel contented in the practices which they have picked up from
you that they are a means of making progress and that they are the right
way and correctly portrayed, without error.”
“This is how he taught me!”
He said further that if he slept over the time for him to wake,
even just a little, Venerable Acharn Mun would come and point it out to
him, saying:
“Don’t trust yourself more than Dhamma, for ‘yourself’ is the round
of samsara (vatta). The elements of the body and the khandhas are the
result that have come from the round of samsara, right from the
beginning. You should only give way to it to the extent that is
necessary — but you must not give way to the khandhas more than you have
to. For to do so is against the way of a Bhikkhu whose nature is not
inert or careless. Sleep and lying down for those who are truly wise, is
only for the purpose of giving a temporary relief to the elements of the
body and the khandhas and they do not look for pleasure or contentment
from easing off the tiredness and weakness of these elements and
khandhas. The Bhikkhu who lies down as a Bhikkhu should, must be careful
to remind himself of the time to get up — like the mother of a deer who
lies down to rest when out looking for food who must be more mindful and
careful of herself than normal. To ‘lie down properly’ means, to be
careful to set up mindfulness to make the intention to get up at the
time that one decides to get up before going to sleep — not lying down
in the manner of one who sells off worthless goods, letting the customer
give whatever he feels like giving for them. The Bhikkhu who lies down,
letting his body go however it will is not a Son of the Sakya, a
Buddhist who guards the religion, promoting it in himself and others,
but a Bhikkhu who ‘sells things having given up trying, letting the
buyer fix the price’. To lie down properly in the manner of a Bhikkhu
who is endowed with sila and Dhamma as religious duties, a Bhikkhu must
have a regular pattern of procedure to follow before going to sleep and
this habit makes him careful and self-possessed when he lies down
properly to sleep. As soon as he wakes up he must get up quickly, not
lingering, which is the way of a lazy person who tends to get up late —
and who dies immersed in careless indifference, never waking enough to
become aware of himself. Lying down in this way is the way of an animal
whose self has no meaning in its own life — and it is also the manner of
a lazy person who destroys whatever value he has and is unable to rise
up and improve himself. This is not the way of the Sasana and it should
not be allowed to develop, for it will become a ‘parasite creeper’
growing within the Sasana and within the whole company of Dhutanga
Bhikkhus which will be one’s own undoing, for a ‘parasite creeper’
destroys the tree on which it depends. You should think about and
compare the two concepts of ‘lying down properly’ as against ‘lying
down’ in the usual way which everyone understands. Compare them and
search out where they differ and how very different is the meaning in
the ‘lying down properly’ of a ‘Son of the Sakya’ as against the
ordinary ‘lying down’ of people and animals everywhere. Therefore, the
attitude of a ‘Son of the Sakya’ who sets his mind to ‘lie down
properly’ each and every time should be an important duty which cleaves
to him, then and at other times also. This is appropriate to one who is
said to wear the mantle of mindfulness and who has the wisdom to think
with understanding and to use thought and contemplation in everything
that happens. Not just thinking, just speaking, just acting, just lying
down, just waking up, just eating, just taking his fill, just standing,
just walking, just sitting down, all of which are just the behaviour of
carelessly relaxing and going beyond the status and basis of a ‘Son of
the Sakya’ who should never act in these ways.”
“It is generally understood by people that after the Lord Buddha
and each of the Savaka Arahants had entered final Nibbana, they went
into oblivion and no longer had any meaning or relationship to oneself
and other people. But this Dhamma, which is the basic causal condition
that teaches us to practise in the present, is this not the Dhamma of
the one who dug deep, searched and brought it up for the World to see
and to follow in practice? And the whole body of this Dhamma, how did it
remain, and why did it not go into oblivion also? The fact is that both
the ‘Buddha’ and ‘Sangha’ are the pure heart which has gone free, beyond
the limits of both death and oblivion by virtue of its nature. How could
it die, be consigned to oblivion or become meaningless when its very
nature does not accord with ‘relative convention’ (sammuti)? When its
nature no longer accords with relative convention, it is not subject to
the power of death, nor going into oblivion, nor becoming meaningless.
Thus, Buddha is ‘Buddha’ in its own right; Dhamma is ‘Dhamma’ in its own
right; and Sangha is ‘Sangha’ in its own right; and they are not shaken
or disturbed by any of the ideas, attitudes, concepts or thoughts of the
relative world of conventions which create and destroy themselves.
Therefore the practice of ‘Dhamma which accords with Dhamma’ is the
same thing as being face to face with the Lord Buddha, the Dhamma and
the Sangha, the whole time that one has ‘Dhamma which accords with
Dhamma’ within the heart. Because the knowing of ‘Buddha’, ‘Dhamma’ and
‘Sangha’ by natural principles, must arise in the heart which is the
most suitable dwelling place for Dhamma and no other vessel is more
appropriate to it.”
This was the teaching with which Venerable Acharn Mun admonished
Venerable Acharn Kow in his samadhi meditation practice when he saw that
he had erred in some way. As for example, in practising the Dhutanga
observances incorrectly or not strictly enough, and waking up from sleep
at the wrong time. He said: “In truth, Venerable Acharn Mun did not
admonish me just with the idea that I had done something wrong. But
rather with the understanding that: ‘This Acariya will be associated
with many people including Bhikkhus, Novices and a large number of lay
people in the future.’ Therefore, he advised and admonished me often, so
that: ‘This Acariya will become strict and fully conscious in ‘recalling
the duties’ so that he will pass them on to all the other Bhikkhus and
Novices who come to live in dependence on him for peace and help, and
they will be good and worthwhile things’; in the same way as Venerable
Acharn Mun led his followers to practise the way.”
Venerable Acharn also taught him that all one’s possessions, such
as the bowl, kettle, robes and other things which one uses in one’s
dwelling should be put down or put away properly and tidily — including
also, such things as rags for wiping one’s feet. If one sees that any of
them are not clean enough to be used one should take them and wash them
before putting them to further use. After using things one should put
them away, or fold them up and put them away tidily — not just leaving
them lying about all over the place. If on any one day this Acariya
became too absorbed in some other affairs that came and intruded into
his life which made him forgetful and careless, he would see Venerable
Acharn coming to him in the middle of the night while he was practising
samadhi meditation and he would admonish him and teach him and point out
the way of Dhamma to him.
He stayed alone in this cave for the whole of that vassa period,
and at night he was frequently visited by Venerable Acharn Mun who
appeared to him as a nimitta of his meditation practice. Even
sometimes in the middle of the day when it was very quiet and he was
sitting in meditation, he also saw Venerable Acharn Mun coming to visit
him in the same way as he did at night. He said that it was very
pleasurable for him to be able to ask Venerable Acharn all sorts of
questions to make his understanding quite clear. For he was most
proficient in answering questions with great skill and dexterity and he
made the answer so clear as to remove all doubt and uncertainty every
time. With some types of questions he only had to have a feeling of
uncertainty, although he did not think of asking about it. But at night
when he did his meditation practice, Venerable Acharn would come and
teach him, bringing up that question to explain, as though he had just
asked him about it. He said how strange and wonderful it was — but he
could not tell anyone else because they would probably pass him off as a
“mad kammatthana monk”. But generally speaking, the Dhamma which cures
the various kilesas only came from samadhi meditation and it arose from
nimittas, such as that of Venerable Acharn Mun coming frequently, to
admonish him, to show him the right way and to give him Dhamma teaching.
This promoted his mindfulness and wisdom, making him think and consider
carefully, leaving no room for carelessness.
He said how the vassa period which he spent in that cave in the
desolate jungle, enabled him to develop various skilful methods which
arose both internally and externally and very frequently at all times of
the day and night, and this was in marked contrast to all other places
he had been in. He is one who lives in the present with joy in Dhamma
in all postures and situations. Whether standing, walking, sitting or
lying down he is filled with the bliss of Dhamma (Dhamma–Piti) in the
midst of the Peaceful Dhamma (Santi–Dhamma) that is his basic, original
ground, which is completely pure amidst the various kinds of Dhamma
which come and go, making contact with the heart, and which then display
their meaning in their various ways, refreshing the body and mind and
making them joyful. Like a tree which is being cared for and supplied
with fertiliser and water, and grows in a suitable climate and
environment which always keeps it fresh and moist both in the trunk and
throughout all its branches, twigs, leaves and fruit.
Venerable Acharn Kow said how, when the citta has only the present
alone with the calm and peace of Dhamma, regardless of how much it gets
involved in turbulent, confusing and distracting things, we people still
have nothing but happiness while living in the world of involvement with
our own khandhas. There is no need to struggle to find happiness and
contentment in other places or realms — which would be creating images
to deceive ourselves, causing us to become ambitious and to develop
craving (tanha) and the “uprising of dukkha” (Samudaya) — the “seed” of
dukkha — that would come to “burn our own fingers” and so make for a lot
of dukkha and difficulty in vain. Because the happiness which we know,
see and live with dwells in “that heart”, and it is a happiness which is
already sufficient and complete. This entire world and all other worlds,
however many there may be in the universe of samsara then seem as if
they did not exist. But that which does exist and which is quite clear
and apparent is the citta with Dhamma which seems to cover the whole
universe (loka–dhatu) — though to explain this or to make any comparison
with it is impossible, because there are no characteristics or data by
which one can classify it. For the citta and the “Ultimate Dhamma” (Acchariya–Dhamma)
belong to each other and they are not within the realms of convention (sammuti),
so there is no basis for making any comparisons or suppositions.
After the end of that vassa period, those lay supporters who had
helped him and looked after him with faith in him, invited him to come
to where they lived and begged him to have metta for them and to be a
Teacher to them, their village and the whole district of Sawang Daen Din
in the province of Sakon Nakhon. So he had to leave the place where he
had been staying, even though he longed to go on staying there and he
had not thought of going elsewhere for a long time. When he had taught
the villagers for some time, he took his leave of them and went
wandering wherever he felt like going in the manner of the practice of
Dhutanga Kammatthana. Sometimes he crossed the Khong River (Mekong) into
Laos and stayed on the banks of the river and at other times he crossed
back into Thailand. After this he went wandering and practising the way
in an area that is mountainous and covered with thick forests called Mor
Tong jungle, which is in the districts of Bung Kan and Phon Phisai. In
this area there are many places which are good and suitable for
practising the way and there were some newly established villages made
up of only a few houses. The people there invited him to spend the vassa
in that place for their benefit, and as it was a place which suited his
temperament, he agreed to stay there for that vassa period.
While he was staying and practising Dhamma in the hills of the
Phon Phisai district, he said that he was fascinated and glad at heart
to see all the different kinds of animals there and he had much metta
for them. The animals he saw included: wild fowl, pheasant, all sorts of
birds like hornbill and peacock, as well as animals like the palm civet,
barking deer, wild boar, ordinary deer, monkeys of various kinds, gibbon
apes, wild dogs, tigers, leopards, elephants, wild oxen, and red bulls,
each of which were far more prolific than elsewhere. They wandered about
in packs by day and night and he could hear their cries echoing loudly
through the forest, each group coming regularly at the same time every
day. Some days when he went out walking for pindapata, he would see a
large tiger walking most gracefully in the forest ahead of him. It was
quite close to him, walking fearlessly, proud and dignified which is its
nature. He said that when it was walking in the forest ahead of him
where there was a clearing, it was beautiful to see the way it walked.
The first time he saw it, it glanced at him just momentarily and went on
walking without looking back at him again as though it was not in the
least afraid of him. But inwardly it was probably careful and watchful,
which is in character for an animal that has good mindfulness and is
inherently cautious and that does not easily let go and become
fascinated with anything. As for the Acariya, he had no thought of fear
of the tiger because he had seen them before on many occasions and he
had heard them growling and roaring so often while staying in the
forests in all sorts of places where it was quite normal for such
animals to live all the time, so he was quite accustomed to them and had
no fear of them.
One evening while he was sitting and teaching the way of
Kammatthana to the Bhikkhus who were staying with him, who were about
three or four in all. He said that they heard three large, playful and
reckless tigers roaring, each one in a different direction. After that
they heard them growling threateningly at each other with some fighting
and then they went completely quiet. After a while they heard them
growling and fighting close by. At first they heard them playing and
fighting beyond the area where the Bhikkhus were staying and then when
they became quiet it seemed as if they had gone elsewhere. But wherever
they may have gone when they were quiet, at about 9 p.m., they mutually
decided to move in under the floor of the small meeting hall (sala)
where the Bhikkhus were sitting in samadhi, listening to the Dhamma
teaching. The floor of the sala was just over one meter above the ground
and the sound of these tigers roaring and growling and fighting together
was such that the Acariya had to shout at them, saying: “Hey! My three
fiends! Don’t make such a noise; the Bhikkhus are listening to a talk on
Dhamma. This is bad and evil and you could end up in hell — don’t say I
didn’t tell you. For this is not the place for being boisterously noisy
and you should all go away and roar and growl elsewhere. This is a
monastery for Bhikkhus who like to develop calm, unlike yourselves — so
go and roar somewhere else to your hearts content, where nobody will
come to disturb you. In this place, the Bhikkhus practise the way of
Dhamma and they do not give you permission to make a lot of noise and
disturbance.”
As soon as they heard Venerable Acharn Kow shouting at them they
went quiet and still for a short while, but then they could still hear
them, as if they were whispering to each other quietly under the sala.
Saying: “We better not make much noise, the Bhikkhus are annoyed and
shouting at us, so we must talk quietly or it will be bad and evil and
we may soon end up with sores on our heads.” But after a while they
again started growling and playfully fighting each other and they did
not seem to want to go elsewhere, as Venerable Acharn had told them —
and they mutually decided that under the floor of the sala was the place
for them to play and have fun from dusk until midnight when they all
went away. Meanwhile the Bhikkhus remained sitting there doing their
samadhi practice after Venerable Acharn had finished his teaching while
the three large tigers were playing and fighting and growling and making
a lot of noise under the sala until they went into the forest at
midnight. After which, the Bhikkhus left and went, each one to the place
where he was staying.
This incident was most strange and unusual. For, as Venerable
Acharn Kow said, he had been wandering about in the way of Kammatthana
in the forests in all sorts of places and different districts for many
years and he had never before known or heard of tigers coming so close
in a friendly manner, as if they had been close friends of the Bhikkhus
for a long time. Normally, tigers are afraid of people by instinct, even
though they are so powerful that they make people more afraid of them
than almost any other animal. But generally, tigers are more afraid of
people than people are afraid of tigers, and they avoid and keep away
from people. Yet these three tigers seemed to be not only, not afraid of
people, but they even went to the extent of taking possession of the
space under the floor of the small sala to play and have fun together
while a lot of Bhikkhus were gathered right above them. It seems that
they were not in the least afraid of the Bhikkhus who were people, much
the same as other people everywhere. This was quite remarkable, for such
animals know nothing of Sila–Dhamma (morality), which all people know
about, yet their behaviour in coming into close proximity to the
Bhikkhus made it look almost as if these tigers had a good understanding
of Sila–Dhamma, which they put into practice in the way that people do.
They never once displayed any menacing behaviour towards the Bhikkhus,
although they probably did so towards each other in the knowledge that
they all understood what their intentions were. While listening to
Venerable Acharn Kow telling me about this incident I felt as if my hair
was standing on end with fear, even though it took place a long time ago
— which was silly. Foolish, silly people are like this, for even if the
Acariyas tell them stories of all sorts of things that have happened,
which have a moral of Dhamma buried in them, foolish and incompetent
people are not likely to listen for the purpose of extracting the moral
teaching from it. Instead, they stick just to the thread of the story
itself which shows their lack of skill. Like the writer who showed fear
shamelessly in front of Venerable Acharn Kow while listening to his
story. But in addition, the writer is also displaying his timidity in
this book for those who read to laugh at him — which is bad enough! But
having read this, please be careful and don’t let this kind of story
penetrate into your heart to haunt it, or many of you are likely to
become timid and silly people also!
Venerable Acharn Kow said how most of the Bhikkhus who listened to
his teaching on that night, and sat doing samadhi bhavana, were stirred
up and frightened both at that time and after they left the sala also.
Their eyes and ears were wide open when they heard the “three great
teachers” coming to give them training and to help Venerable Acharn by
staying under the sala. For their normal characteristic behaviour mixed
with playfulness made the Bhikkhus who were sitting in bhavana
frightened and rigid. They did not dare to let their cittas wander out
and away freely, for fear that these three teachers would decide to jump
up and give them “instructions” on the floor of the sala in various
ways. But it was most praiseworthy and good of these three animals that
they did nothing that was excessive or violent or beyond what was
reasonable such as getting onto the floor of the sala. They knew what
their basic situation in life was, and to some extent what that of the
Bhikkhus was, and they did not go beyond what was proper for them in
their situation for their activities were all gentle and harmonious —
then they left and went away. After that they never came back again,
although the district where the Bhikkhus were staying was a place where
tigers and all sorts of other animals wandered about. There was never a
night without some tigers wandering about the area, because it was a
most suitable environment for all sorts of forest animals to stay in.
For it was all hills and jungles and very extensive, so that if someone
were to walk right through it, it would take him several days. There
were all sorts of animals there, as we explained above, but there were
large numbers of each type. There were many herds of elephants and packs
of wild boars and each group was composed of many animals — and they
were not much afraid of people.
The year that Venerable Acharn Kow stayed there, all sorts of
skilful ways and methods arose in him and he often had to warn and
remind the other Bhikkhus who were with him not to be careless in
maintaining the Dhutanga observances. For they were living in the middle
of many things which made it necessary for them to be careful, by
depending on the Dhutanga observances as their life line, with the
Dhamma and Vinaya as that to which they fully entrusted themselves in
both life and death. In this way, they could live happily without being
scared and apprehensive of all sorts of things which might otherwise
make them jump with fright. They ate very little food — just enough to
act as a “medicine” which supported their bodies and minds (dhatu–khandha)
and kept them going from day to day. For there were few faithful lay
supporters, the village having been recently formed with only a few
houses and it had still not become firmly established. But it was the
intention of these Bhikkhus, who had pledged themselves in Dhamma, to
train themselves to put up with difficulties for the sake of the Dhamma
of living inwardly in a state of peace. So they were not much concerned
about their living conditions, nor whether they got a lot of food on
pindapata, for such things would otherwise become an obstacle in the way
of what they were trying to do. As for medicines and remedies for
sickness, they had confidence in putting up with the pain and fighting
the sickness by striving hard in samadhi bhavana. They also thought of
their friends — the animals who lived in the forest about them — and
took them as an example, for they never had any medicines available to
them; nor were they born in a hospital with doctors and midwives to aid
them. Yet here they were! Animals of all sorts, quite able to keep their
family lines going, and in large numbers too! And they never show any
grief or disheartenment at their lack of medical attention from doctors,
nurses and all sorts of medicines and medical devices and machines.
Whereas, the Bhikkhus are of human birth and are “Sons of the Sakya” —
the lineage of the Buddha. The Great Teacher, whose name resounds
throughout the “Triple Universe”, and who learnt everything in the
“books” of the three levels of existence by means of endurance (khanti),
effort (viriya), wisdom, skill and ability in all ways. Never was he
caught at a loss, unable to find a way out, nor was he ever weak and
lazy and inclined to give up. But if we Bhikkhus retreat, shedding tears
just because of the suffering and hardships of the aches and pains as in
fever of sickness, which is a natural condition for these khandhas, we
are bound to lose out and go “bankrupt”, and we will not be able to
guide ourselves or the religion properly. For unless we are courageous
and firm, putting up with conditions (sabhava) as we find them — having,
living and experiencing them all with mindfulness and wisdom to assess
and know each and every event which comes into association with us,
there is no way to save oneself and escape to a lasting and safe haven.
When the citta has been trained in the right way it will find joy
in Dhamma, gladly guiding oneself into the methods of the “Path and
Fruition” without changing course or creating obstacles to cause more
trouble to oneself. The practice of the way will then steadily progress
without slipping backwards and feeling disheartened, that one has no
refuge either outwardly or inwardly. For one will have the “heart with
Dhamma” to cleanse, to soothe and to protect and look after one, causing
one to feel affectionate warmth and peace of heart. Then wherever one
goes or stays one is inherently content (Sugato) in the manner of those
who are followers of the Tathagata, without any signs of being hard up
and impoverished in their hearts. This is how those Dhutanga Kammatthana
Bhikkhus who are intent on Dhamma, go about and live. So they can stay
anywhere and go anywhere, for they are prepared to put up with hardship
and hunger while remaining contented and free from anxiety about
anything, with Dhamma as the object of attachment (arammana) of their
hearts.
It may be difficult for the reader to accept some of the things
that happen in connection with the forest animals that like to come and
live close to Bhikkhus. Therefore, to begin with it may be better to
think about the domestic animals which people like to look after with
metta in their homes and in the monasteries where they go for sanctuary.
In the monasteries, the number of animals such as dogs and birds which
want to live in the monasteries increases every day, until there is
hardly any room left — or trees left for the birds — where they can all
stay.
Having thought about the domestic animals with which we are all
familiar, we may go on to consider the various kinds of forest animals
which tend to hang around and live about the places and monasteries
where Dhutanga Bhikkhus stay. The writer has already written much about
these animals in the “Biography of Venerable Acharn Mun,” and elsewhere
in this present book also, where many incidents are related of animals
coming to live near the Bhikkhus all the time and they all know by their
own experiences that these stories are true.
This is something we should think about from the viewpoint of
Dhamma, for it is the principle of nature of giving peace, and it is a
“Dhamma” that is inherently suited to all beings of all kinds in this
world. Nor is it necessary that any of these animals should understand
what this “Dhamma” is. But that which manifests in their experience
makes all beings glad and happy to accept it, everywhere throughout the
world, and none of them are ever averse to it. This thing is the natural
Dhamma which manifests as calm and happiness, as peace, as trust and
confidence, as good will, as metta, as affection and compassion, and as
tolerance in which others are free to come or go as they will, without
fear or danger. These are some of the things which flow from this
Dhamma, and animals of all kinds like it and readily accept it without
any need to go to any school to be taught about it. Because the citta
and the outflow of Dhamma are a pair which should be together, far more
than the possession of any external titles, rank or authority, which are
like ornaments added to oneself that can dissolve and disappear
depending on circumstances which are fickle and uncertain. Therefore,
even though the animals have never known what Dhamma is, they will
generally search on their own for those things which they naturally like
and tend to accept readily, like the way in which stray dogs go and stay
in a monastery, and forest animals go and live by Dhutanga Bhikkhus.
Because the animals understand that Dhamma — which means peace and
security — is to be found in that place, so they search for it in their
own way. Even those people who have never had any interest in Dhamma,
know those places which are secure and safe and they like to go
wandering having fun and playing in such places. This has been the case
right through from ancient times to the present, because it would not be
safe to act like this in other places.
This explanation should be enough for us to understand how Dhamma
and the place where people live and practise Dhamma is the place where
animals and people everywhere feel confidence and freedom from danger.
So they tend to relax and dispense with their usual caution, and there
are some who go so far as to forget themselves completely, without
thinking how other people feel about it and whether their behaviour is
appropriate to Bhikkhus who are the “treasure” of their country. For
those who practise Dhamma, generally know what is good and what is evil.
They know good people and bad people, good animals and bad, in the same
way as people do everywhere. So people should think of others and how
they also cherish their “treasure”, and they should not let go of all
restraint everywhere. For there are always limits and bounds within
which people and animals should remain, each in its own situation and
they should not mix up their relative modes of behaviour until one
cannot tell who is who, because they are all behaving in the same way.
Venerable Acharn Kow liked wandering about searching for secluded
places and he frequently moved from place to place. Normally he liked to
wander in the manner of Dhutanga practice in the forest and hills where
he was staying, and he also liked to change the place where he did his
practice very frequently. Thus for example, he would go to stay in a
certain place as his base, but in the morning he would go off somewhere
else to do his practice. Then in the afternoon or evening he would go to
another place, and at night he would wander off to yet another place —
all in the vicinity of his “base”. He used to change the direction he
went in, sometimes going far and sometimes close by. At times he would
change to another cave, moving from the cave which was his “base” and he
would go up to the top of the hill or to a rocky outcrop, returning to
his base dwelling late at night.
He said that the reason he acted like this was because when he was
in confusion and disturbed while curing his defilements (kilesas), he
found that by changing his situation in various ways, such as this,
wisdom would arise all the time. Then none of the defilements were able
to get a grip on him, because they were up against the skilful ways of
mindfulness and wisdom which beat them into a corner, trapping them in
various ways so that they were forced out and got rid of time after
time. If he had stayed in just one place he would have got used to that
place and settled down there, but the kilesas would not become used to
it nor settle down and they would keep increasing regardless of whether
he was used to anything or not. So he had to change about and alter his
methods and his environment very frequently in order to keep up with the
deceptive tricks of the kilesas which plant themselves and develop and
increase and fight against oneself incessantly without ever taking time
off for a rest. If there is any respite from them, it is only in deep
dreamless sleep; otherwise they are working all the time. Because of
this, in striving to develop oneself, if one relaxes, weakens one
efforts and puts off doing the practice, letting time slip by, it
encourages the kilesas which laugh and gain heart! By changing one’s
place and methods of practice very frequently, one can see one’s losses
and gains against the kilesas, which gives them no chance to feel
satisfied that they are the sole master in charge.
His reasoning was most intriguing and what he said was an
excellent example for those who do not let the kilesas rise up and walk
all over them due to an easy going over confidence ruining every move
that the citta makes.
Venerable Acharn Kow liked to wander in the districts of Phu
Singh, Phu Wua, Phu Lanka, Dong Mor Tong, in the districts of Ampere
Seka and Ampere Phon Phisai in Nong Khai Province; as well as Ampere Ban
Phaeng in Nakhon Phanom Province. In these places there are plenty of
hills such as Phu Singh, Phu Wua and Phu Lanka, which are all good
places and most suitable for the practice and development of Dhamma. But
they are far away from villages — too far to go pindapata, so it is
necessary to have some people who take turns to bring food. All these
places were full of wild animals of all sorts, including tigers,
elephants, wild oxen and red oxen, amongst many others. In the afternoon
and evening one could hear their calls and roars echoing throughout the
forest. Anyone who had not truly overcome death would find it difficult
to stay there, because there were many tigers in those places, far more
than in other parts of the forest, and they were not afraid of people.
Some nights while walking cankama and developing his practice, one of
the tigers would creep up and crouch down to watch Venerable Acharn
walking, without any fear of him at all. But it never did anything to
him and it may have just wondered what he was up to, so it crept close
to sniff and have a look. As soon as Venerable Acharn Kow heard an
unusual sound that he could not place he shone his flashlight there, to
see a great tiger leap away, sometimes right close in front of him. Even
after that he was able to go on walking cankama and doing his practice,
without any fear or thoughts that the tiger would come back and jump on
him, maul him and eat him. Because his faith in Dhamma was stronger than
fear of the tiger, so he was able to persist and keep on doing his
practice. Sometimes he would climb up the hillside in the evening from
where he could see large herds of elephants which were going for a walk
along a large area of rocky outcrop which stretched for miles. As it was
not covered by forest he could see the elephants quite clearly, both
large and small going out to search for food. He said that while
watching this herd of elephants who were having fun teasing each other
and playing together, he went on happily looking at them, quite absorbed
until the late evening and it got too dark to see. For they liked to
tease each other and play together in the same way as people do.
Venerable Acharn Kow had a streak of very strong determination in
his character, which may be seen from what we have written about him
already. He had no difficulty in sitting in meditation practice all
night and there was nothing that prevented him from doing so. For
sitting in meditation practice from dusk to dawn is no small thing, and
unless one is the kind of person who has a heart full of courageous
determination, so firm that it seems as if it could cut through a
diamond, one cannot do it. So we should give him our heartfelt praise
and admiration. It is in ways such as this that he is fully capable of
being a teacher, an Acariya, to his followers, enabling them to gain
peace, ever since he started teaching, up to the present day. He has
absolute certainty in himself that he has reached the end of becoming
and birth, and this is completely self-evident to him, even though he is
still “wearing” the five khandhas. When it reaches the time for him to
let go of the khandhas he will be in the state of ultimate happiness
(Paramam–Sukham) in all respects and he will be totally free of all
responsibilities and concerns.
This brief biography of one of the most important and outstanding
of Venerable Acharn Mun’s followers, is now completed. Those who read
this should think about it and try to reckon who this Acariya is. At
present he is still alive and he is revered by a large number of
Bhikkhus, Novices and lay people, but I shall not disclose his name for
fear that it may cause a lot of disturbance for him. For he has gone
beyond all forms of worldly concerns entirely and is endowed with
nothing but pure Dhamma — as well as his five khandhas which cause him
trouble and disturbance all the time — and I have no doubts about him
that he is anything other than what is portrayed here.
May good fortune and blessings come to all of you who read this
short biography of this most wonderful man. For as long as you do not
fall back or give up your striving in the practice which leads to
Dhamma, one day you will also praise the pure treasure of Dhamma — the
refuge of your heart — even as this Acariya does in his own heart. This
is bound to be the case, which is in conformity with the Dhamma as being
the treasure of everybody who practises in the “Right Way” (Samici–Kamma). |
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13.
Methods of Bhavana
The Method of Walking Cankama
The Venerable Acharn Mun who experienced Dhamma quite clearly in
his heart practised in a consistent, even and elegant manner which can
and should most certainly and wholeheartedly be called the “Middle Way
of Practice” (Majjhima Patipada) of a Bhikkhu in this present age. But I
did not describe the method of walking cankama which he used when I
wrote his Biography. For I forgot to explain how he did it, whether he
walked in any special direction or not, how long the path should be for
walking cankama, and before starting to walk cankama, were there any
preliminary practices which he used? Therefore we shall now make good
this omission and explain all these things in this book so that those
readers who are interested enough may take them as the basis of their
practice in the future.
Truly speaking, Dhamma and Vinaya are the basic pattern of the
“Middle Way of practice” for those who are interested enough to follow
and practise them rightly and fully, and these are already available.
Because of this, Venerable Acharn Mun used to set them up as the guiding
pattern for what he did in a faultless manner, both in his ordinary
activities and in the various forms of meditation practice which he
used. But we will explain his method of walking cankama before any
others. Firstly, the direction by the compass in which the cankama path
is made and its length are as follows. Venerable Acharn Mun determined
that the direction of the cankama path should be east–west, but it may
vary from this between Northeast–southwest to Southeast–northwest,
although it should be made within these limits and he always maintained
this practice. The length of the path will depend on what is suitable.
He did not give any fixed ruling on this and one must consider for
oneself what is reasonable. Normally it should be about twenty paces
long, although there is no fixed limit. He also said that it should not
be less than ten paces long for those occasions when one cannot find any
place longer and more suitable. Though generally speaking, a path of
between twenty and thirty paces is most suitable. He made a special
point of keeping to the limits of direction as mentioned above and
always maintained this without deviating from it unless he had no other
alternative, and he taught the Bhikkhus and Novices to practise in this
way also.
Occasionally he would see a Bhikkhu walking cankama in the wrong
direction and he would tell him off and teach him saying: “When I teach
my followers, whether in the way of Dhamma or Vinaya, I always teach
according to a regular pattern without deviating from it. Even in
walking cankama, which is an aspect of Dhamma, there is a regular
pattern of how it should be done which accords with Dhamma. When they
walked cankama in the time of the Lord Buddha, did they specify in what
direction they should walk, or not? I have found out that they specified
three directions as I have often explained to you, and nobody should
think that this is an insignificant thing, which you have no interest in
practising and accepting. For this would show that you are only
determined to train yourself in whatever interests you and everything
else you will see as being insignificant — which is how it has been with
you in the past — seeing nothing as significant! Being like this is a
clear indication of the insignificance of yourself. For you came here
originally with a full commitment to train yourself in the whole
teaching. But when you leave this place you will be bound to take this
view and habit of seeing everything as insignificant, along with you and
to put it into practice. This will lead you to believe that there is
nothing of any real significance within all those who practise the way
of Dhamma — for even having come to stay with a Teacher, an Acariya who
you respect with faith, you still don’t see any significance in his
teaching and admonishment. This means that at some time you will be
creating things that will lead on more and more to your own ruin.”
“It is just this thing, in those who come to follow my teaching,
which makes me lack confidence in them and feel doubtful whether they
will attain anything of ultimate truth (sara) to act as a firm
foundation for their further practice in the future. All I can see is
‘insignificance’ everywhere in them! For the truth of the matter is that
I have already investigated every aspect of the Dhamma which I give out
to teach my followers. I have examined it and checked it over and over
again until I am quite sure about it and I don’t teach things which
occur to me on the spur of the moment without having considered them
properly beforehand as though they just, so to speak, slip out of my
mouth. But everything I teach has been thoroughly investigated right
through from its gross and obvious, right up to its most subtle
aspects.”
“In determining the directions which are appropriate for walking
cankama, I have explained them many times to my followers until it has
become tiresome both to the teacher and to those who listen. But why
instead of accepting it as something to investigate and try out and
prove by training yourself, do you stubbornly oppose it and then develop
an attitude in which you are shameless in the face of your teacher and
of the others who are living together here.”
“In regard to doing research into the various compass directions
and their suitability for striving in Dhamma in various ways, I have
done this for a long time and have known about it for a long time, so I
feel competent to teach my followers with complete certainty. So, when I
see them going against what I have taught I can’t help feeling
disheartened and sorry and fearful that in the future I shall see
nothing but falsehood everywhere in the monasteries and the Sasana
throughout, including the Bhikkhus, Novices, Elders, Nuns and Buddhists
generally, because self-will and doing these things the easy way will
lead them into falsehood. It is not careful investigation and looking to
see the ways of cause and effect that lead people into falsehood — for
these things are what make the Sasana true and blameless. But those
people who practise in ways that turn the Sasana into a tool of the
kilesas which fill their hearts, is what brings blame on the Sasana. It
is just this that makes me afraid, because I can see it with my own eyes
— such as in this case here and in this sort of thing.”
I actually watched Venerable Acharn call this Bhikkhu to tell him
off and teach him in this forceful manner, and I can never forget it. So
when the situation is right I bring it out and tell others about it. It
is in this way that Venerable Acharn Mun had his own particular way of
walking cankama, a valid way based on his own researches as mentioned
above.
The Direction for Walking Cankama As Defined by Venerable
Acharn Mun
In deciding on the direction for setting the path for walking
cankama, Venerable Acharn Mun decided to look into the way of the Aryan
tradition at the time of the Lord Buddha. He found out that originally
there was a standard way in which they did it, so from that time on he
always followed that way. As to whether one should wear the civara
(outer robe), he said that in walking cankama one may wear it, or not,
depending on whatever is suitable and appropriate in the circumstances.
As for the direction in which one should site the path for walking
cankama; the method of walking; wearing the civara, or not; or what one
should do just before starting to walk while standing and pondering in
one’s heart at the end of the cankama path; in all these things,
Venerable Acharn Mun looked and found out how the Aryan tradition was
practised in all of its subtlety and he set himself to practise it in
the same way from then on. Thus, in walking cankama he taught that one
should walk parallel to the mean path which the sun takes throughout the
day, or between the two limits from Northeast–southwest through
east–west to Southeast–northwest. He said that the line of the mean path
of the sun is the best way, followed by the two deviations from this
line. But as far as going beyond these limits, or walking on a
north–south line, he was never seen to do this, and quite apart from
seeing what he himself did, I in fact heard him say that one should not
walk in these directions. But I have completely forgotten why this is
so.
The Method of Walking Cankama Bhavana.
The practice of walking back and forth which is called “walking
cankama bhavana,” should be done, neither too fast nor too slow, but in
a harmonious, seemly manner, which accords with the tradition of the
Bhikkhus who were striving to attain Dhamma by the way of walking at the
time of the Lord Buddha. This was one of the methods of making a change
from the sitting posture, called “sitting bhavana.” A further change may
be made by standing still, called “standing bhavana.” Finally, a still
further change may be made lying down, called “siha seyyasana bhavana,”
in which a resolve has been made to practise bhavana while lying down in
the posture called “Siha Seyyasana” (The Lion–Posture).
Whichever of these methods are used, in striving to practise the
way, the underlying purpose and intention is to clean out and wash away
the kilesas in the same way and using the same methods in each of them
without changing the “tools” — which means the Dhamma — that one has
been using to do this job, and which suit one’s temperament.
Before walking cankama one should decide on how long or short a
distance one will walk and from where to where. One may then have to get
the path cleared and prepared, making it as long as one wants, before
one can walk on it conveniently.
In walking cankama, one should, to start with, go to one end of
the place, or the prepared path where one will walk, put one’s hands
together and raise them to one’s forehead in puja. Then one should
recollect the virtue of the Ti–Ratana — the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha —
which one takes as the Sarana — the refuge which is firmly implanted in
one’s heart. Then one should recollect the virtue of one’s Father and
Mother, one’s Upajjhaya (Preceptor), one’s Teacher and all others who
have been of value to oneself. Then one should reflect on the purpose of
this practice which one is about to do, and how one should do it with
determination to reach that purpose. After this one should put one’s
hands down in front of one, the right hand over the left, just below the
level of the navel — as in the images of the Buddha which depict him in
contemplation — and then one should promote the Four Brahmaviharas.
Having done this, one puts one’s eyes down in a modest manner, sets up
mindfulness to be aware of the citta, and that Dhamma which one usually
uses as a preparatory method (parikamma) to control the heart; or else
one investigates the various Dhammas which one has been doing in other
situations (such as sitting).
Then one starts walking back and forth between the points which
one has decided as the end limits of the cankama path. Walking in a
controlled manner and being mindful of that Dhamma or that thing which
one is investigating, the whole time, and not letting one’s citta go
away from this work which one is presently doing. One should not walk
swinging one’s arms, nor with one’s arms behind one’s back, or folded
across one’s chest, and one should not be looking about all over the
place while walking — which is the way of someone who lacks
self-control. In standing still while fixing one’s attention upon and
pondering or investigating that Dhamma, there is no need to take up any
special position on the cankama path and one may stop and stand wherever
one wants to and for as long or short a time as one wishes. For it
depends only upon the circumstances as to whether one should stop, or go
on walking again. Because, pondering that Dhamma may be deep or shallow
and gross or subtle in various different ways and one must be free to
practise in whatever way is necessary until one has gained a clear
understanding of it, after which one should go on walking as before.
Sometimes it may be longer than one hour before one has become quite
clear about it and can go on walking again.
When walking and keeping one’s attention on a parikamma, or
investigating Dhamma, one should not count one’s steps — unless that is,
one has taken up one’s walking process as the basis (arammana) of one’s
practice, in which case one may count them if it helps.
Whatever form of practice one is doing, it is most important that
mindfulness (sati) should be present continually with that practice. If
mindfulness is lacking in whatever work one is doing, that work cannot
be considered as striving in the way of Dhamma. Anyone who does the
practice should have as much interest in being mindful as he does in the
Dhamma which he is using as a parikamma. If mindfulness drops away, even
though one may still be doing the parikamma bhavana which goes by habit,
the resulting calm of heart which (one) intends to get, will not arise
as one wants it to.
The length of time one spends in walking cankama one must
determine for oneself and striving in the way of Dhamma may be done in
any of the four postures — walking, standing, sitting or lying down —
and one may find that any one of them is the most suitable for one’s own
characteristics, for different people have different characteristics.
Using these four postures at different times is not only for quelling
the kilesas, but also to enable one to change one’s posture. Because,
for the body-mind complex (dhatu–khandha) to be a useful “tool”, one
must look after it. One way of doing this is to change its posture from
time to time, and this keeps it fit and suitable for use in doing this
work. For if one does not look after it in various ways, the body-mind
complex can become an enemy to its owner — in other words it changes and
alters in various ways until finally one cannot reach the intended
purpose for which one is working.
The Dhutanga Bhikkhu considers the practice of walking cankama as
being a duty which is truly a fundamental part of his life and generally
he will walk an hour or more each time. After he has finished his meal
in the morning he will start walking on his cankama path and finish
about eleven or twelve o’clock, after which he will have a short rest.
Between one and two o’clock in the afternoon he will again start walking
cankama and go on until it is time to sweep the ground around where he
is staying, and to have a wash. After this he will start walking again
until seven or eight o’clock in the evening in the winter, but at other
times he will go on until ten or eleven o’clock at night. Then he will
return to his dwelling to practise samadhi bhavana.
This is typical, but however it may be, they are bound to walk
cankama and sit in samadhi bhavana for long periods of time and to keep
up this routine continually. Regardless of where they are staying, in
whatever circumstances and in all seasons, they keep up their efforts to
practise the way continually without letting it lapse. For to let it
lapse would make them weak and let the kilesas rove about stirring up
trouble and causing a lot of disturbance and vexation for their hearts;
but instead, they keep on trying to chop up the kilesas in all
situations. By practising in this way they see some results coming from
their efforts; and as they go on, they continue to see results coming
steadily all the time.
In the early stages, when the influence of the kilesas is still
very strong, it is rather difficult and one is quite likely to be caught
by them and made to give way and lie down and go to sleep without
realising what is happening. By the time one has become conscious of
oneself, the kilesas will have eaten up that which one has inside
oneself until they are full. Then they are able to go on wandering all
over the world through every continent before one drowsily wakes up and
complains to oneself that one was carried away and dropped off to sleep
for a few moments. “From now on I resolve to increase my efforts as hard
as I can, but for today drowsiness and lethargy made me go wrong.” In
truth it was just his kilesas that made him go wrong, and the next time,
he will still not look and see what they are like, and he will be caught
again. But he is not afraid of them! It is unpleasant and hurts, but he
is not afraid of them! And this is how the kilesas beat him and whip
him.
Those who practise bhavana have all been chastened and reformed by
the kilesas many times, and then complained that the kilesas are still
too clever and that they were not yet able to catch up with them. This
is just as it should be, for they have been the teacher, the Acariya, of
people and animals throughout the world since ages past.
To begin with, when one first starts trying to do the practice the
kilesas become angry and try to force one to go this way and that. They
try to make one lazy, to make one feel pains here and aches there, to
make one feel sleepy and drowsy, and to make one go and look for all
sorts of things to do, which cause a lot of trouble, so that one has
little time for practising bhavana; or so that the citta is so restless
that one cannot practise bhavana. Then they make one think that one has
little merit and not much inherent ability, so that one is incapable of
practising much and one cannot sit in bhavana for any length of time.
They make one think and imagine how that: “If I spend too much time with
my eyes closed in bhavana, won’t it cause me a lot of trouble and
difficulty? I won’t be able to keep up with the world; I won’t be able
to make ends meet.” As if, before he even did any practice of bhavana he
had millions, and that if he were to start doing any bhavana, this alone
would swallow up all his wealth. If then he actually started to do some
bhavana, would not the kilesas with large bellies and wide open mouths
bigger than a giant, go and swallow the lot? Even when he is driven by
the kilesas to think just this much, he feels irritable, painful, sore
and stiff everywhere. Finally he gives way to them and they lead him to
loiter off in the direction where he thinks there are no fierce giants,
devils or Mara. But when he returns and checks to see how much he has
got in his pocket, it has all been cleaned out. What took it he does not
know. He makes no complaint for he does not yet know the thief who came
and stole it, because his pocket is attached to him and he was not
careless, nor did he leave it anywhere that a thief could get at it; it
was just that he was cleaned out in the way that has happened before,
which he is used to, without knowing anything about what happens and
why. Next time he will try again and he will be cleaned out again
without being able to catch the thief. This is the path that the kilesas
take; they like to do things in a high handed way such as this which
makes it difficult for anyone to catch them. Even the Dhutanga Bhikkhus
who have no valuable possessions can still be robbed by them — for they
can steal the samadhi citta until they are devoid of samadhi–vipassana
(samadhi–wisdom). They have already experienced this, so they are quick
to warn all their associates and followers who are Buddhists to be
watchful of themselves when they first start to take an interest in the
teaching and practice of Buddhism and are looking for sila, for Dhamma
and for samadhi bhavana. Afraid that the kilesas will come and steal or
drag them away right before their eyes so that (they) can then no longer
make contact with them and will never have another chance to get close
to them — as has happened to these Bhikkhus in the past. But if they
have been forewarned they may be able to watch themselves and be careful
and not lose everything of value in themselves uselessly without
anything to act as a signal and give them a warning that the kilesas are
gathering all their valuables together to set about using them up, so
that they lose everything altogether.
Those who are just beginning to train themselves should decide for
themselves what times they will walk cankama. But they should also
decide to keep walking longer when the hordes of deceptive kilesas creep
in to steal their possessions, so that they will still have some bhavana
left. When walking cankama one should set up mindfulness of the
parikamma word (or object) so that they blend together as one thing and
support one’s efforts with sati–sampajañña (mindfulness and awareness),
making the heart firmly fixed to that Dhamma which is the parikamma. The
parikamma may, for example, be “Buddho,” so that one makes the citta
know and remain firmly fixed to “Buddho” the whole time while walking
back and forth. When we talk about that kind of striving, it means doing
it without any breaks and pauses in between, which can happen even
though one still thinks that one is practising with striving; the result
will then be a state of calm and peace, as long as the citta does not
forget itself and get involved in some other emotionally bound situation
to which it is attached (arammana) before one gets there. One who does
the practice of bhavana can for certain expect to be engulfed in
happiness of heart at that time or at any other time when this happens.
But before doing any training you should understand and accept the
following. The Lord Buddha and all those Acariyas — Teachers — who teach
the true way with metta, to help people, do not teach untruth or
falsehood to waste people’s time which would certainly be useless.
Before they had attained Dhamma which they used to teach other people
they had to fall and scramble up with hardship and torment by themselves
before we who are now doing the training came along. Therefore we should
not be doubtful about them nor think that they were already “washed
clean” and were just waiting to come out and teach without having
previously made any investment of effort and hardship. The investment
made by the Lord Buddha was such that he lost consciousness and fell
over three times; and for his followers, the Savakas, there were some
who walked until their feet bled, or who went blind, and many other
forms of hardship. But as a result of this they gained a refuge for
their heart which is the highest, the ultimate, the most precious, the
most exalted, the most wonderful, and beyond everything in the world,
and this they gained as a reward and result of what they had lost. It
was due to their intense and valiant effort that they were able to pass
beyond the world, entirely free from all dangers and dukkha, and all of
this was because of their readiness to renounce and let go of all those
things that the world holds most dear. If they had remained deluded and
jealously hung onto their possessions with anxious concern for dukkha
and hardship, they would for sure still be immersed in dukkha and
struggling in the mud and mire of the round of samsara (vatta), like all
the rest of us. Then there would be nobody in the world who was in a
different state, and where could we find an example of striving that we
should follow, and what method should we use to gain freedom from all
those things that we ought not to desire, but which all of us have in
profusion within us? We should train ourselves to think about and
examine ourselves now, while we are still in this situation where we are
capable of doing this. When we reach a situation where we are up against
it with no way out and no way that we can wriggle free it is no longer
possible to start making merit, giving dana, guarding our moral
behaviour and practising samadhi bhavana amongst the fuel and firewood
of the funeral pyre — or in the maw of the crematorium. There is nothing
left but the fire which does its duty and the body is turned to ashes
and cinders. All of us have seen this sort of thing happening and it
should make us feel sorrowful and should make a lasting impression on
us.
Walking cankama and sitting in samadhi bhavana are ways of
analysing and searching for that which is real and essential (saraguna)
within oneself. This is very important work, with results that are
beyond all one’s expectations and far greater than any other work that
one can do. So one should not let the kilesas, tanha and avijja play
about and deceive one into seeing it as work which tricks one into loss
and ruin with no good results at all. For in truth it is the kilesas
themselves which do just this — and they are what always lead people and
other beings to destruction and ruin if they have been deceived by their
tricks and methods until they no longer think about themselves. The
analysis of the citta by means of samadhi bhavana means the analysis of
oneself into the various parts of which one is composed so as to find
out which is true and which is false, which leads one towards dukkha and
which towards sukha, which leads to hell and which to heaven, and which
leads one towards Nibbana — the final and complete end of all dukkha.
These important things which each and everyone of us will have to
face up to, are not the business of the Lord Buddha, or of any of the
Savakas, nor yet that of the Buddha Sasana that it should be advertising
them so as to get people to believe and have faith in them, so that they
should be anxious and concerned about the results that may come from
them. For these three Supreme Dhammas (i.e., Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha) are
complete and perfect as they always have been, and there is not the
least part of any of them which anybody or anything can diminish or
spoil. That task therefore comes down to the task before each one of us
who must face up to that which is important right there in front of one,
and each one of us should search for the way to avoid and evade and
escape from these kilesas with the utmost mindfulness, strength and
ability that each of us is capable, so that we may get free from them
bit by bit. We should not just sit or lie down idly waiting for all
these fearful things without any thought or consideration for them at
all — as if we were pigs just waiting for the day when we will be killed
and chopped up, meanwhile contentedly nosing about in the chaff and
bran-husk. Because they only think about their mouths and stomachs and
nothing else. But there are enormous differences between human beings
and animals who are incapable of rational and reflective thought. So we
should certainly never let go of ourselves so that our bodies and minds
become involved in behaviour that is the way of animals. For the minds
of animals know nothing of things that have lasting value — the only
things that suit them are garlic and onions!
In writing the foregoing, it is not my intention to blame and
criticise all those good and reasonable people, by means of the Dhamma
that I have expounded. But rather to help them to promote the
development of their citta (or heart), bodily action and speech, which
have been thrown down in the mud and mire by these loathsome filthy
things (kilesas) that have usurped them and turned them to their own use
— and have thus become the master butcher, chopping them up for food
which they find delicious in their various ways. Also, to arouse
mindfulness and wisdom in these people so that they may know what the
nature of their present state is. Then to try by using these ways and
methods, which should be enough to help them and to get them out of
danger from these things to some extent, so that they may rightly be
called Buddhists. A good way for them to come to understand their
present state is by training themselves in samadhi bhavana. For by this
method they should come to understand their state more easily than any
other way. Because this work takes place within themselves, it acts
within themselves, and their thoughts about the ways of the world, of
people and beings takes place directly within themselves. Right and
wrong, good and evil, happiness and discontent are all there within
themselves so that the more they ponder these things, the more they come
to know about themselves. When they know themselves, they must also know
about the discontent (dukkha) which is part and parcel of themselves.
Then day by day the citta, or heart will become clearer and more
apparent and its value will increase — much in the way that goods in the
world can become more expensive and valuable.
Anybody who often trains himself to think and to interpret what he
finds in himself will know how to evade and avoid dukkha. He will not
then go about gathering it and accumulating it all the time as he has
done in the past. As for seeing the danger in the dukkha which is within
himself, the day will come when he will see it continually and he will
have the way to evade and avoid this danger time after time, and he will
steadily become more and more free from it.
In seeing dukkha, he will see it within himself every time it
arises in him — and also, in overcoming dukkha he will know how he has
overcome it in himself by the power of his samadhi, sati and pañña. As
for the dukkha connected with life and death and what he will become in
future lives, however many they may be that he will have to face up to,
he is not concerned or anxious. Because the nature of all of them is
collected within his experience in the khandhas which are before him
right now and which have been taken in and known by this one heart which
is at present training and correcting itself. But while he lives he will
be peaceful and calm in heart, due to the value and virtue of Dhamma
which he has within him; and when he dies he will have a state of
happiness (sugato) to enjoy. This is the result which comes from doing
samadhi and walking cankama bhavana. It can cause those who practise it
to become cheerful and courageous, beyond what anyone would normally
ever expect, so it is something which we should do for our own sakes. We
should not be careless or indifferent to it which may turn out to be
more dangerous to us than we ever expected.
In fixing the citta and setting up mindfulness while walking
cankama, one should do so properly and well, which is the way it should
be for the intention and purpose of searching for virtue. For walking
cankama bhavana is the search for virtue which is a correct path, which
is not at all blameworthy, and throughout the world the wisest sages all
praise it. One should go on trying to make one’s citta become calm in
this way, until one succeeds, but one should not do it by merely going
through the motions. Then one will come to see the excellence and wonder
that belongs to oneself. This is the citta which has been covered and
wrapped up by such worthless rubbish that one has had no interest in the
citta, believing only that the one which is wrapped up in this rubbish
is no more important than the worthless rubbish which surrounds it. This
tends to lead us into delusion about these things until we forget to
think about ourselves.
But the “Truth” and the renown of the “Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha”
spread throughout the “Triple World”, and all of it came just from the
heart, which was both the cause of them and the wonderful result, as we
have mentioned before. In other words, the heart which has gone away
free from all this worthless rubbish is called the Buddha or the Sangha
depending on who it is that we are talking about. But when the “person”
has gone, there remains only “Dhamma” and nothing else. For there is
nothing that remains that we can distinguish as “The Citta” or “The Lord
Buddha”, both of which are suppositional or relative (sammuti)
conditions of the highest kind in these Three Worlds. There remains only
what we call “Dhamma”, and this word is also suppositional and of the
highest. But it is necessary to retain these words as the basic symbols
for those in the world who hope for Dhamma as their refuge, until they
have got there and no longer need to hope for anything at all. What we
call “Dhamma” and the “person” then know each other, and there is no
room left for him to doubt, even though he may have never known it in
the past. Because of this the word “citta” means the same thing for that
person as it does for ourselves and for everyone throughout the world.
But those things which make the cittas of people so different from one
another in ways that are so incredibly varied that one cannot imagine or
guess the whole of it in human society, are the kilesas. Because the
environments in which people live which are many, and varied beyond
description, enter into association and interact with them. Then the
citta which is subjected to these things is covered by them and so mixed
in with them that they are bound together as one. The citta then becomes
entirely different and unrecognisable so that it is almost impossible to
know what the true characteristics of the citta are apart from all these
things which obscure it and “wrap it up” entirely and make it
indistinguishable from them and this also makes it impossible to prove
what past births and lives the citta of any person has come from.
Those things which obscure it and “wrap it up” more than anything
else, are all what are called “kilesas”, or the refuse that has been
thrown away by all those who are the most excellent Acariyas. So those
who endeavour to wash out and cure those things which are mentioned
above and to get rid of them to some extent are sure to gain the reward
of increased happiness to an extent that depends on the causes they have
done in cleansing them away. If they have been “washed out” to the point
where purity has been attained, that person will have reached the end of
all dukkha of heart while he is still in the midst of his khandhas
which he is looking after. This refers to people such as the Lord Buddha
and the Arahants, who became enlightened and attained Dhamma of which
they partook and tasted, as they also did with the joy of freedom
(vimutti–sukha) at the same moment; without its having any reference to
the time or place at all. The only requirement was and still is, for the
kilesas, the fundamental enemy of the citta, to be brought to an end, to
be completely extinguished and got rid of — this is all that is
required! So it follows that it is only the kilesas and nothing else
that blocks the way to the Path, Fruition and Nibbana and prevents the
citta from reaching them, and there is no other thing, person or
whatever else that has any power to block them. It is therefore
necessary in teaching Dhamma to teach the way to get down to the citta,
which is where all the kilesas congregate, by the practical application
of Dhamma. This means the practice of sila, samadhi and pañña which are
the major factors in all forms of Dhamma concerned with curing and
eliminating them.
Walking cankama is one of the many ways to make the kilesas
disperse from the heart, as are the many other methods, such as sitting
in samadhi bhavana. One should therefore take an interest in training
oneself in these ways, and start doing it from now on. This is like work
which one does in the world for one’s livelihood, and which provides one
with stature in human society where it is respected. But the work of
doing what is good and virtuous, such as walking cankama, which we have
already explained, is the work of uplifting oneself both internally and
externally. This work also uplifts one’s fellow human beings in this
world as well as animals, in accordance with the strength of virtue of
the Bhikkhu or lay person to spread happiness about so that the world
can receive it, more or less as the case may be. For example, each and
every one of the Buddhas was able to spread the cool shade of peace
throughout the Three Worlds to an enormous extent and nobody else can
equal them in this. Each of the Arahants were also able to spread peace
to the world to a large extent in place of the Buddhas and their
abilities in this was much greater than that of ordinary people.
However, there are also good and gentle people who are in positions of
authority in the world and whose strength of virtuous characteristics
are quite great, and they do many things to help and be of value to
people in general. The people then esteem and respect them and exalt
them as the highest, like their own fathers and mothers — and they love
them in the same way as they do their own parents. The more there are of
such good people, the more does it indicate a state of progress and
development in that group or society.
The Sasana (the Way of Buddhism) and those who teach Dhamma to
help the world in various ways without thinking about or expecting any
material reward or remuneration, are people who make others glad at
heart. They are full of metta as a state of dwelling in Dhamma (Metta–Vihara–Dhamma)
and they are faithful to the people who look up to them and never get
tired of them or feel that they have had enough. At all times the people
also think of them and praise them with reverence as shining examples.
Wherever they go they never do any harm to the world, but instead, go
about helping others, making everybody so glad at heart at the same
time. The Sasana and those who give help to the world, the former by
means of Dhamma and the latter by material aid, are like a doctor and
nurse who have compassion and metta — always dispensing medicine and
looking after the diseases of their fellows whose lives depend on these
medicines and the doctors. Even when they have been cured of their
sicknesses their gratitude will never let them forget such kindness and
virtue. This is the power of virtue which is independent of race, class
or nationality and is something which all desire.
Virtue and the Sasana are not therefore things which are old
fashioned and out of date, as some people think nowadays despite the
fact that they also want to rely on others with a longing for the metta
and generous kindness of all those who are big-hearted. For the Sasana
is where good people are made, and the Sasana is the field of all that
is good and virtuous. If a person is not good and virtuous it is quite
impossible for him to teach the way of the Sasana to others in the
world. The basis of the Sasana is the hearts of good people as an
absolute minimum requirement. Beyond that it reaches up to the hearts of
those who have complete Dhamma purity and liberation throughout — such
as the Great Teacher (Sasada) of the Buddha Sasana. Where could we find
anyone else so considerate and capable? Who else would be prepared to
make a sacrifice for their fellows like the hearts of the founders of
the Sasana who brought forth Dhamma to teach the world? A complete
sacrifice such as was made by all the Buddhas and the Savaka Arahants
who followed each of the Buddhas who gave help to the people. If they
had been people whose hearts were not perfectly clean and pure and free
from all selfishness they would never have been able to sacrifice
everything for the sake of the world.
This is something that is not difficult for me to accept and to
have complete faith in, and even if nobody else accepted it I would
still be prepared to go on being a fool who has faith in it. Because,
each one of us has been born into this world and lived in it long enough
to know the meanness and generosity, the selfishness and magnanimity of
our fellow human beings, quite well enough — for all of us in our
different ways live in the same world. Our sorrows and happiness, the
ups and downs of life, are all linked together the whole time in a way
that is quite inseparable, and it is impossible for us to be unaware of
this fact that is there between each and all of us — we are bound to be
aware of it. Those who are tired of their situation and hate each other,
do so because of knowing about each other. Those who love each other,
who are glad to be together and trust each other implicitly, do so
because they know about each other.
The teaching of the Sasana which each of the Great Teachers — the
Buddhas — initiated, shook up the Universe. Because it roused up and
encouraged the hearts of all beings, waking them out of their sleep in
which they had been satisfied to live amongst the mass of kilesas. The
Wheel of Dhamma (Dhamma–Cakka) woke them up, turning out the Ariya Sacca,
the most noble and excellent truths. How then could the one who
proclaimed these Truths not be known for what he truly was, and with
what characteristics he was endowed when he proclaimed them? If he was
not endowed with metta of the highest quality flowing out to the world,
I don’t know how I could explain them to the satisfaction of the reader.
If the Lord Buddha and his followers had been like all of us who, if we
search and look into ourselves, into our hearts, see nothing but
meanness and selfishness so that we cannot get along with other people,
the Sasana and the Great Teacher (Sasada) would never have arisen. Nor
would there have been any cause for the world to pay homage and
reverence to them as the highest ideal. The fact is that the world is
still the world and there are both good and evil people mixed together
in it, and it is not devoid of wise people and sages arising from the
human race. This is because it has been under the influence of the pure
and clean hearts of those who are completely unselfish and who fear that
there are others more worthy than themselves to bring up and pacify
people with the Dhamma Teaching of the Sasana. So there are still some
good people in the world. One should not assume that it is easy to be
born as a human being, and not easy to die. But there may be forms of
birth in which birth is easy and death is also easy — and others in
which birth may be difficult and death easy, like animals everywhere.
This is because life exists by means of the elements (dhatu) and
khandhas in all cases. As soon as the breath stops, their continuity
ceases and this just means that a person or animal dies. What more can
one say? Where can we find enough permanence and stability so that we
can afford to be careless and self-forgetful, without thinking or
learning enough about ourselves to act as good tendencies of character (sugati–nissaya)
to lead us into the future?
The Method of Sitting in Samadhi Bhavana
We have discussed the method of walking cankama quite extensively,
so now we will go on to explain the method of sitting in samadhi bhavana
in enough detail to act as a basis for those who are beginning to train
themselves. For whatever type of work one takes up, it is bound to have
a set of rules and instructions as to how it should be done, and this is
also the case with the practice of samadhi bhavana. It is taught that in
doing the practice of samadhi bhavana, one should sit in the “samadhi”
posture with one’s legs crossed, as displayed in many Buddha images. The
right leg should be placed on top of the left, and the hands placed in
the lap, the right hand above the left — as in the samadhi posture. The
body should be upright in a natural manner, neither bending forward or
backwards too much — nor should one incline to the right or left beyond
what is normal and natural. No part of the body should be under abnormal
pressure or tense — which would be using force and creating difficulties
— for it should be relaxed in all its parts in a normal, natural manner.
But when you start to do the meditation practice, please keep your
interest and attention on the meditation practice alone. You should not
be anxious whether you are maintaining the correct samadhi posture that
you started off with or whether it has changed in the meantime, leaning
forwards or backwards, right or left too much. For all this would be
concern for the body rather than for the citta and the samadhi bhavana
will not go smoothly. Therefore, once one has started to do the citta
bhavana one should have no further concern for the body, and one should
set oneself to do the work of the citta from then on until one reaches
the time for leaving the samadhi bhavana.
When one first begins doing citta bhavana one should establish
awareness, which means the citta pays full attention to what one is
doing, and this is what they call “being in the present” (Paccupanna–Dhamma).
This is the way that one can come to know clearly whatever happens to
the citta and the mental objects of emotional attachment (Dhammarammana)
of various kinds whether good or bad when they change and alter just at
that time — rather than at other times. This means establishing the
citta with full attention to what one is doing with mindfulness (sati).
Mindfulness means that the heart has a state of fully conscious
knowing and this is what reminds and keeps one mindful that now is
the time when one is beginning to do this work. Please be careful not to
let the citta fly away towards emotional attachments (arammana) of
various kinds, either past or future, good or evil, which are far away
from the present work of doing the beginning or preparatory stages of
bhavana (parikamma–bhavana).
How to Set Up Mindfulness Right Here and Now
The nature of the citta is just to know. It has no ability in
itself to make decisions, to think or investigate. It just knows
thought, knows reasoned thinking, knows peace and it just knows trouble
and disturbances that comes from contact with various things — that is
all. But it has no ability to discriminate, nor does it know how to
consider and decide what is right and wrong or good and evil. In other
words, it does not by itself know what is right and wrong or good and
evil. Therefore it has to rely upon mindfulness and wisdom — that which
knows and that which assesses, considers, directs and looks after it.
For mindfulness and wisdom have power over the citta and they are able
to know about and see through the various emotional attachments (arammana)
which the citta is thinking about. Therefore one should set up and
establish mindfulness of the type which recollects and has power over
that citta right before one, here and now. It will then do the duty of
setting up knowledge and guarding the citta, not allowing it to slip
away from the objective support of the bhavana and go to other things.
If one can keep one’s mindfulness in the present, guarding the citta the
whole time in this way while doing the bhavana, one is sure to gain the
asset of mindfulness with clear knowing (sati–sampajañña), at that time
— or at some future time.
In doing bhavana with a preparatory method (parikamma) that is
some aspect of Dhamma, one should do whichever type suits one’s nature
and not something which goes against the grain. At that time, one should
take up whatever aspect of Dhamma feels right and harmonious to one’s
heart and go on doing it as one’s parikamma bhavana from then on in the
way that we have already explained.
How to Think the Parikamma Bhavana.
In making the preparatory meditation (parikamma–bhavana) as
one’s thinking, one may think of any aspect of Dhamma as it suits one,
as we have mentioned above. Such as, repeating “Buddho, Dhammo, Sangho”
three times and then continue by fixing in mind one of these Dhammas
with mindfulness. But if one takes any aspect of Dhamma apart from the
above three, one should repeat and recollect these three — “Buddho,
Dhamma, Sangho” which are the “Three Jewels,” three times before
starting with that aspect of Dhamma. From then on one should gently turn
to doing the preparatory aspect which one has decided upon — such as
anapanasati, or atthi (bones) or taco (skin) for example.
The various types of parikamma bhavana which have been given to us
to control the heart at that time — or at other times — act as a means
of holding one’s attention (arammana) for the heart to grasp hold of
when one wants to become calm. For the nature of the heart is subtle,
but it is not yet capable of depending on its own resources, which is
due to the citta still not belonging entirely to itself in a way that is
complete and immaculate, like the Lord Buddha and the Arahants. So it is
necessary to have a word which is an aspect of Dhamma, to act as a
parikamma to tie the heart down — or to act as an object of attachment
for the heart, at that time.
In doing the parikamma bhavana with any aspect of Dhamma, one
should not speculate or imagine what results should arise from it at
that time. One may for example imagine that calm having such and such
characteristics will arise at that time; or that various “nimittas”
will arise; or maybe that one will see heaven or hell in various grades
or depths at that time. All such thoughts are just speculation or
guesswork and they only cause agitation and disturbance, preventing the
heart from getting calm. There is no value at all in such imaginings,
and they may make the heart feel like giving up the practice, or make it
afraid to go on in various ways, all of which is contrary to the purpose
of the right way of bhavana as taught by the Lord.
The right way is to set up the citta with constant mindfulness
here and now in the present with the parikamma as the only object of
attachment of the heart. This is done by getting the heart to be
continually mindful of the parikamma word, such as “Buddho, Buddho....”
This must go on all the time while being mindful and making the effort
to feel or appreciate that parikamma. But do not let the citta wander
and become fascinated by other objects of attachment and go after them.
The more the citta, mindfulness and the parikamma word support
each other and become closely involved together, the more does it
approach the aim and purpose of the bhavana. The resulting calm and
peace, or other things of a strange and unusual character which one has
never met or seen before will then appear as they accord with one’s
inherent tendencies of character. This will make one truly amazed at
that time. They will arise on their own because of the power and
influence of guarding the citta continually with the parikamma word and
mindfulness. There is nothing else that can conjure them up.
Concerning the Need to Watch and be Careful While Doing Bhavana.
There is in general a tendency for people to think and talk of
bhavana as being that in which one sees the heavens and hells as well as
the kamma and fortune of oneself and others. Those of you who are truly
intent on Dhamma and its meaning for yourselves should consider this
point and look to see whether, during the time that you practise bhavana,
your citta does have any lingering desire to become involved in these
things, or not. If it does, you should be careful not to give them any
chance to arise — that is, if your intention in doing bhavana is to gain
calm and peace and to see results in terms of happiness of heart, which
is truly the right way. Because those things (the heavens, etc.) are not
good things, as is generally supposed, but they are thoughts that are
beginning to go in the wrong direction. For the citta is that which is
able to submit to thinking about acquiring various things which one
likes, even though they may be false and illusory. It may then happen
after a long time of submitting to such thoughts, that they arise and
appear to one as an image, seeming as if, they were true and real. This
state is difficult to correct and cure. For if a person has wanted to go
in that direction and does so until those things which he understands to
exist in that way appear to him, he believes that they are true, and he
feels glad about them. This then makes him more and more firmly attached
to what he has been doing until there is no way for him to get free —
and he is not likely to listen to any advice from anybody. I have
brought this to you, the reader’s notice, so that you who intend to do
the practice of bhavana may know about it, and so that you should be
aware and keep watch on your citta and not let it think about such
things or submit to going in that direction. Otherwise one may become a
meditation practitioner who is a revolting and pitiable caricature while
still arrogantly maintaining that one’s knowledge and experience is
right and true. And at the same time teaching others to go in that same
direction as one has oneself gone.
If the citta has thought about and accepted something, even though
that thing is quite wrong, it will believe that thing to be correct.
Therefore it is very difficult and disheartening and no small thing to
correct such a state. Because the citta is by nature very subtle and it
is hard to know, amongst all the objects and obsessions (arammana) which
the citta has gone in for and got hooked onto, which of them are good
and which evil. In fact it is only possible for those who are extremely
skilled in the ways of bhavana and who have gone through many and varied
experiences so that they have gained a very wide understanding of them —
such as Venerable Acharn Mun. Whenever anything went wrong with himself
and he had trouble in any way, whether externally or internally, he
would unravel and look into the problem in detail until no room was left
for any remaining doubt about it — which is why he was so rightly and
appropriately called an Acariya or teacher of the highest level in
teaching Kammatthana Dhamma to his followers.
Whenever anyone, who had some knowledge and experience in bhavana
both externally and internally, came to Venerable Acharn Mun and related
his own story to him, we would all, as soon as he had finished, hear the
Venerable Acharn explain and display his own knowledge and experience
as it was relevant, with concentrated intensity and certainty in a way
that went straight to one’s heart. What he said cleared up all doubts,
both in the one who was talking to him and all the rest of us who had
quietly gathered to listen. It also produced a great joy in the Dhamma
that Venerable Acharn taught, which was beyond description. If the
questioner still had any doubts in any direction, once Venerable Acharn
had finished, he would then turn to these problems and explain his own
knowledge, thought and experience for Venerable Acharn to consider once
again. Venerable Acharn would then point out immediately what were the
reasons for those problems with the complete certainty of one who has
already gone through them himself. He would often say to some of them
such things as: “Why do you wallow about in piss and shit? I used to
do this at one time long before you and I washed myself clean of them
with various cleansing agents for three days before I could get rid of
the stink. But you are still energetically indulging in those things,
wallowing in them from head to feet while believing that they are a
pleasant perfume — isn’t that so? All of it is just a pile of shit and
piss two or three days old, which is radiating a pervasive stink pungent
and penetrating, yet you are daring enough to make out that you can
inhale it for fun. All the water in the well will hardly be enough to
get rid of the stench from those things which you think smell so good.
Don’t say I haven’t warned you! I have smelt these same things in the
past, so I am afraid of them and make haste to warn you for fear that
you will be induced into it again. If you have no water to wash it away
it may be even worse for you than it was for me. But even though I had
water to wash with, it was still unpleasant and I’m still afraid of it
right up to the present day.”
When Venerable Acharn spoke in this way he used words which were
most spirited and pithy — or so it seemed to the writer who has a rather
rough character. For people with more refined characters they may seem
distasteful and unpleasant to listen to. But what he told us in that way
were words which have remained firmly entrenched and precise, concerning
what is the wrong way and the right way which he himself had gone by in
the past, and which he gave us who had come to learn from him to free
ourselves from doubt and uncertainty in those things which we still
thought of as right and good. It also made us try to follow him so that
we would be quite sure that we would not be “covered by a mass of piss
and shit” any more — which is far worse than the words which he used to
point it out to us and to make us listen, which some may think of as
being coarse and vulgar.
I have included a bit of Venerable Acharn’s Dhamma here, for all
those of you who are training yourselves, for you to think about how
this knowledge which comes by way of bhavana is not final and complete
in anyone who only insists on it being so without having investigated
for themselves and checked it out, or having asked those who already
know about it. The only exceptions are those who are already adept and
fully developed, and they are not to be classed amongst those who see
only the piss and shit and say how good it is, for the adepts have
already disapproved of it and they delight in their own knowledge and
understanding.
I also used to be proud of my insignificant cleverness and used to
argue with Venerable Acharn forcibly until my eyes were red, so often I
cannot remember how many times, for I was continually doing so.
Knowledge used to arise in my mind all the time and I always felt quite
sure that I was completely right. But in arguing with him, every
sentence which I thought was right and true became like a stick which I
handed to Venerable Acariya for him to beat me over the head with, until
I hardly had any hair left. But then I used to gain skill,
penetrating insights and great benefit from these bamboo sprig
questions (questions which kill “Self”) that I asked and thought were so
right and good wherever they came from. This is how Venerable Acharn
taught me. But sometimes, after he had beaten me with skill, he would
give some soothing balm for me to put on my wounds. How else could I
derive any benefit from my insignificant cleverness? In saying that:
“Venerable Acharn gave some balm for me to put on my own wounds” — this
means that he corrected my understanding and knowledge which had come
from my bhavana and which I had interpreted wrongly. I always accepted
Venerable Acharn’s teaching, but before doing so and agreeing with his
reasoning I had to be hit until it hurt and I became afraid, which is
what I call, being beaten!
I have included some of my own experiences here to show how those
who have gone through it all and know the way are very different from
other people who are still deluded and immersed in hordes of kilesas. If
someone who does not know, comes to cure those wrong views and
understandings and it is left up to just those who have some slick
cleverness to do this, the situation is bound to turn into a verbal
boxing ring in which nobody can reach any agreement and nobody else is
likely to buy a ticket to go and listen to them for fear that they may
tread in the spittle of the contestants in their verbal boxing match,
and slip up and slide into it themselves without getting any good
results or benefit from it at all.
The reason for this is because the internal knowledge derived from
bhavana is very changeable and complex and it is difficult to decide
what is right and what wrong. Those who do the practice without having a
true Teacher (Acariya) available to train and teach them are bound to
grope about in the dark grabbing at what is right or wrong quite
haphazardly. They grasp haphazardly at everything, and, using the simile
of a tree, they grasp the hardwood, the softwood, the branches, twigs
and leaves; and they build a house, a dwelling place for the citta in
the province of the heart, but without having first trimmed off the
leaves, the twigs and branches. Then they admire their work, thinking
how elegant it is, even though other people cannot bear to look at it.
The practice of bhavana which is other than insight wisdom with
investigation (vicarana–ñana) is just like this. For whatever happens
will be entirely accepted as completely right; and then they talk about
it, and it pours out of their mouths in a torrent for others to hear.
But with their own ears so close to their mouths they never listen to
what they are saying, nor consider whether what they say is right or
wrong. They just think that all of it is right and talk incessantly. The
harm that comes from this not only stains themselves — who have not
investigated, examined and realised what is appropriate and what should
not be said — but it also stains and distorts Buddhism, which is the
focal point of it. Therefore we should always be very watchful and
careful about this.
The Right Way to be “Thinking the Word” of the Parikamma
Bhavana.
Those who practise bhavana should keep their attention and
interest entirely on their parikamma word while sitting in the practice
of parikamma bhavana. They should not be concerned about the way they
are sitting after they have initially set their sitting posture
correctly. For while they are doing their meditation practice, defining
and paying close attention to whatever practice they are doing, the body
may lean forward or backwards, to the right or to the left to some
extent, because at that time they have lost all interest in the body and
their interest is entirely focused on the practice. So even if the body
does lean a bit this way or that, the citta should not lean away from
the support (arammana) of the bhavana — this is the way to succeed well.
Because the goal which they are truly aiming for is to be found in the
bhavana. But if the citta is anxious about the body all the time, afraid
that it is leaning this way or that, the attention of the citta will be
diverted from the parikamma bhavana word. Then it is not likely to
become as subtle as it should, in accordance with the ability of each
individual’s citta. They will then not be able to get the citta to do
its duty up to the maximum of which each individual is capable at that
time.
Therefore they should not be concerned with the body externally.
But they should instead be attending closely to the bhavana word alone,
until the citta becomes calm and is able to know all the causes and
results concerning oneself which are relevant to the main purpose of
what one is doing.
Furthermore, when the citta becomes calm, concentrates together
and goes down into “bhavanga” (where one reaches a state of complete
rest without any sense of anything external such as the body), and then
withdraws and rises out of it, and one sees that the body has leaned
over this way or that in various positions, one should not feel any
doubt or concern about the body not being straight and upright as one
has set it up before starting. For concern about the body and about the
heart will not only create disturbance for the citta which does not yet
know what its duty should be, but the results which one should get at
that time will not appear and all that one will be left with is trouble
between the body and heart when one does bhavana, without being aware of
it. Therefore one should keep this in mind from the time when one starts
to do bhavana.
Establishing the Location and the Level of the Arammana of the
Citta.
Some types of kammatthana which are objects (arammana) of the
citta have their own distinct location — such as, “hair of the head and
of the body, nails, teeth,” each has its own particular location. But
the “location” for “skin”, is just those parts of it which are taken as
the object and one will know where they are located. One should realise
that those objects which one defines do in fact exist and they are the
objects of kammatthana, each in its own place. These things whether high
up or low down in the body, each have their own invariable location;
thus, for example “teeth”, are located in the mouth, hair of the head is
located on top of the head — in a high location. Other parts such as
skin, hair of the body, sinews and bones are distributed throughout the
body and it is up to the one who practises to take up and decide upon
one of the parts and where it is located, as the object of kammatthana.
When one has decided on one of the parts as the object and its
location, which is high or low or however it may be, one should take
note of its location. But when one comes to define any one of the parts,
such as those we have mentioned above, as the object, while doing the
bhavana, one should just define that part alone and this is far more
important than whether it is high or low — in the same way as the
leaning of the body one way or another is not important when sitting in
samadhi bhavana. So the level of the part whether high or low which we
at first took note of is now left to whatever it maybe in its own
nature; and one should not keep on bringing up those aspects of
kammatthana which have already been clearly defined because one thinks
that they have altered from what they were originally. If one keeps
bringing them up to re-establish them as the heart thinks they should
be, it will just cause anxiety with regard to its location and it is not
a form of kammatthana which can be satisfactorily used to establish the
bhavana. For example, if one decides to consider the bones of the skull
and one focuses one’s attention on them as the object until one sees a
clear image of them — as if one were looking at them with one’s eyes.
But then a thought arises that the skull bones have moved from their
original high position and gone low down — which is not its true
position. So one sets it up correctly and starts again. This builds up
support for doubt and uncertainty in the heart all the time and one
never has enough time to examine that part of the body to become
acquainted with it.
The right way is to define that part of the body as feeling, or as
a visualisation of that part, with mindful awareness throughout. Even if
the image of that part should change its characteristics, growing
larger, or smaller, or breaking up and disappearing, one should define
it and know it however it may appear without any thought of it being
higher or lower — which one determined at the beginning. Doing it this
way will make the citta become intimately acquainted with that part of
the body and also cause a feeling of sorrow and disenchantment with this
part which one examined and which displayed its transient changing
nature which was so forcefully apparent.
Defining one’s breath and that location where one establishes
awareness of it is done in much the same way. When at first one fixes
one’s attention on the breath, one fixes it at a suitable location such
as the tip of the nose, and after a while one becomes engrossed in
watching the breath with interest and then a doubt may arise, for the
breath (or the place where it is being watched) may move away from the
tip of the nose and go to some other location. So one brings it back and
fixes it at the tip of the nose again — and this just creates a lot of
trouble for oneself with one’s own ideas, and it will never bring good
results. Because doubt gets hold of them and spoils everything.
To go the right way about it and to be free from all doubt and
anxiety about the location where one should watch the breath, one should
do the practice in much the same way as we have described above for the
other parts of the body. In other words, one should know the whole
breath, which passes by going in or out, quite clearly, with mindfulness
present the whole time until it reaches the end point of the breath.
Then if the place where the breath is being felt should appear to be
high or low, or different from the place which one thinks of as the
starting point, it will not spoil the work of fixing one’s attention on
the breath in any way at all. In fact it will make the citta and the
breath become intimately close together throughout until the end of the
bhavana — or the end of the breath.
The Breath Ceases As Far As One’s Feeling of It Goes.
This sometimes happens while doing the practice of anapanasati.
The limit of breathing is its cessation. The limit of the heart is that
it goes down into an intimately concentrated state, ending its
responsibility with the breath and setting itself up as the one citta (eka–citta),
in other words there is only one support (arammana) which is that of
“knowing” which does not associate with anything else at all. This is
known as the citta which has become intimately concentrated in samadhi bhavana.
But generally, those who practise anapanasati and who reach the
point where the breath becomes subtle and appears to cease become
apprehensive and think quite wrongly that: “If my breath stops I shall
die!” Just this is enough to bring the breath back again and it becomes
coarse breathing, as it was to begin with. Then the citta is also
coarse, and finally the bhavana does not get anywhere much. It is
probable that all they will get to is a fear of death and then the citta
and the breath draw back until they find a state where they believe that
they will not die — that’s all! There are many cases of people doing
bhavana like this amongst those who practise, so it is appropriate to
give this warning. For it may happen to some of you who read this and
who practise anapanasati bhavana who may have been or would otherwise
have been deceived by this trick.
In doing bhavana to see the truth of what happens with the breath
in anapanasati, you should define the breath with mindfulness, and go on
until you reach the limit of breathing and of the citta. You will then
see what is most wonderful, quite clearly, as soon as you pass by the
fear of dying with courage and resolve, when it seems that your
breathing has stopped. For when you are developing anapanasati and the
breath becomes very fine and apparently ceases, as far as you can tell
by feeling, you must understand that even if the breath in fact does
cease, while your awareness, which is the heart, is still alive in this
body, you most certainly will not die, however it may be.
If the breath stops, let it stop; and if anything else in the body
stops with the breath, let it stop also, as it will, naturally. As for
the heart, the one that does not cease nor die away when the other
things do, it will discriminately look at and know everything of all
kinds that comes within its fields of sense awareness at that time. But
it will not be anxious or concerned about any natural conditions (sabhava),
that are arising and ceasing all the time. Just this is all that is
necessary for the citta to cut off all fear, concern and anxiety of all
sorts which have been accumulated and stored up, and it does this in a
way that one would never have expected or imagined to be possible. In
addition this brings a state of calm which goes down and reaches the
level of samadhi without anything being able to obstruct it at all. When
the breath is about to cease, or when it actually ceases, the only thing
which is likely to obstruct it is the fear of death, that’s all. When
this obstacle has been overcome just once, by the methods we have
outlined above, this fear will disappear entirely and it will probably
never again return to deceive one. Then one will be able to see some of
the cunning tricks of the kilesas quite clearly. At that time one will
also see that one does not die, as one thought one would, and this makes
one see the nature of Mara so clearly and the way it creates endless
imaginary ideas to deceive us.
Therefore, those of you who practise the way of anapanasati should
remember what the “face” of Mara looks like when you meet it, and keep
it well in mind. So that when you meet it again you will know how to
evade and avoid it, how to correct and cure it and to go onwards
smoothly until you reach the “far shore of safety”, free from all
dukkha. Like our Great Teacher who walked before us using this practice
as the basis until he attained Enlightenment and Nibbana by this method.
Bhavanga Citta.
When they talk about the citta “dropping into bhavanga”, some of
you who read this may not understand what it means. Therefore it is
necessary for us to give some explanation of it to start with.
The word “bhavanga”, as understood by those who practise in the
forests is given a meaning which comes from their experience and skills
which I shall interpret as meaning: “The state of existence”. Or, one
may call it the “house where avijja dwells and rests”, as it has done
for countless ages past. When we say that the citta falls into bhavanga
it means that avijja gathers itself together and enters into this one
place where it does no work. Nor does it send its servant out wandering
and searching in its realm via the various pathways.
The pathways of avijja, by which it goes out and in, are: the eye,
the ear, the nose, the tongue and the body; and, the realm of avijja is
made up of the innumerable visible forms, sounds, smells, tastes and
things which contact the body. All these are what avijja likes and
enjoys. The servant of avijja is raga–tanha, which depends for its
activity on memory (sañña), thought forms (sankhara), and
consciousness (viññana). These are the tools which help it in various
ways to arrange things so that it gets what it wants.
When the citta drops into bhavanga, due to the power of samadhi,
avijja stops and rests from its activities for a short while. But as
soon as the citta rises up out of samadhi, it begins to do its work
again as accords with its nature — although not as strongly as it did
before its legs and arms were broken by the practice of samadhi bhavana.
Therefore, samadhi bhavana is an excellent tool for weakening avijja, so
that wisdom (pañña) can then gradually sweep it away, until finally
there is no more avijja left in the heart.
One will begin to know the meaning of “bhavanga citta” from one’s
practice of bhavana when the citta concentrates itself together and goes
down into a state of calm. Withdrawing from this state is known as “the
citta coming out of bhavanga”, and then it starts to get involved with
all sorts of things under the commands of avijja which are limitless and
endless. For there is no other kind of work which goes on and on for so
long, until it becomes quite impossible to unravel it and see the reason
for it or any end to it, such as the work of avijja which spreads and
grows out and out everywhere through every village, every district and
country, throughout the whole world and beyond into the whole of samsara.
Regardless of the cost of its work it is determined to go on with it.
Love and hate, discord and anger are its work which it never gets tired
of doing. It is satisfied to go on loving and hating, loathing and
getting angry however much pain and trouble it causes to the one who
acts as its servant. Avijja is never ready to withdraw. In fact it goads
its servant on to love, to hate and to promote discord and anger until
the servant who has to accept the results of all this is completely
ruined by it. But even then avijja is not likely to have any sympathy,
for it keeps driving its servant on, until he is completely destroyed by
it. This is the nature of avijja and it is always like this in the
hearts of all beings in the world — for the task which avijja sets them
to do is never finished or completed, unlike other kinds of work. In
fact it tends to keep on spreading out and increasing more and more,
without any limit in time or any boundary.
Those who have Dhamma in their hearts — such as those who have
some samadhi and wisdom — can see something of the baneful destructive
nature of avijja which leads them to do its endless work. For when the
citta becomes concentrated together and goes down to bhavanga where, as
they say, avijja stops its work for the time being, happiness and
contentment become manifest and all cares and anxieties also stop when
avijja stops. When the citta stops doing work in this way, it can see
something of the baneful destructiveness of the agitation and turbulence
which is within it and which has avijja behind it. For this agitation
and turbulence are in marked contrast to the state when the citta is
dwelling in bhavanga. Then after the citta has just withdrawn from
bhavanga, it remains calm and peaceful for some time due to the
protective and supportive influence of samadhi, and the more deeply it
has attained calm, due to samadhi, the more will it see the baneful
destructiveness of the agitation and turbulence caused by avijja.
Therefore, those who practise samadhi are likely to become
addicted to it and to lose all interest in curing and correcting it by
any means, because this state is so calm and peaceful that it is easy to
become addicted to it. In the end, although the citta gets to see the
baneful destructiveness of the agitation which is due to avijja, it also
becomes addicted to samadhi, which is nothing but the home of avijja,
where it has always rested and slept — but the citta cannot see any
better way out than this. It is just here that those who practise will
come to see the value of mindfulness and wisdom in a heartfelt way. For
they come to see that part of the practice which involves striving to
extract and destroy this avijja. Because apart from mindfulness and
wisdom there is nothing that can destroy avijja.
When Can the Bhavanga Citta Disappear?
Bhavanga citta will never disappear on its own, because it is the
builder of the world and birth and the builder of the kilesas and tanha
(craving), since ages past. It is also the path along which avijja goes,
which means the building or creating of the world and birth on the
hearts of all beings everywhere in the world without ever becoming tired
of it or satisfied with what it has done.
If one who practises, loves and cherishes bhavanga citta and loves
the basis of his samadhi without thinking of looking for a way to change
his position towards that of developing wisdom so as to look at and
examine avijja itself it will be as if a wanton woman is there within
the citta — or rather, in the bhavanga citta in samadhi, and it will be
as though he is the agent of becoming and birth all the time and will
never be able to get free.
If he wants to get free, he must build up mindfulness and wisdom
within his heart until they are skilful, resolute, and fully capable of
destroying bhavanga citta — the essence of birth and life in samsara.
After which bhavanga citta will dissolve and disappear on its own.
To be able to get to know Bhavanga citta, one must have firm and
strong samadhi, as well as mindfulness and wisdom which are so sharp and
penetrating that they come within the field of Maha Sati and Maha Pañña.
Otherwise one cannot come to know it even though one learns the whole
Ti–Pitaka — and then one cannot get free from having to carry about a
belly full of knowledge about avijja all the time. The very best things
to cure this are in fact Maha Sati and Maha Pañña. These are the weapons
with which to destroy bhavanga citta and bhavanga avijja.
We forest Bhikkhus write naturally according to our “forest
natures”. Please don’t be offended or take it too seriously, because
when we speak or write we don’t have any fixed plan or pattern to refer
to and to act as a guarantee of what we say. For when we practise, we
practise in the forest, and when we learn, we learn in the forest, so
our Dhamma is Forest Dhamma. In short, it is all the story of this
forest and there are no text books or scriptures hidden in it at all.
In describing the methods of walking cankama and sitting in
samadhi, we have not followed any progressive, step by step explanation.
This is due to the way in which the various branches of Dhamma are
linked together and it is necessary to explain how one thing leads on to
another. This has led us to go round and round and back and forth
wherever it was necessary to do so. But those readers who are newly
beginning to train themselves may have some questions, and they may have
been somewhat put out by this way of explaining, although it is also
likely to be of value to them in the future. Therefore we will summarise
these two methods of bhavana as follows.
If one finds that walking cankama suits one’s temperament and that
one gains calm or various skilful means (upaya) from it more than one
gains from sitting in samadhi, one should do the walking practice more
than sitting. Conversely, if one gains more results from sitting in
samadhi than from walking, one should do more of the sitting practice.
But one should not oppose the need to change one’s posture at times,
which is an important and necessary thing for the body — the tool which
we must use in doing this work.
Either of these two are suitable for destroying the “kilesas”, the
things which store up the whole potential for existence and birth and
all dukkha within the heart. So you ought to take an interest in the
citta which is such an important thing even in the world. Then the world
and oneself can live together in happiness, rather then living with
discontent and trouble. For when the citta has had enough training, one
has that which will protect and enable one to avoid trouble to some
extent which is far better than having nothing within oneself at all. In
addition, when the time comes for the khandhas to break up (death), one
will be able to depend on the refuge of the overshadowing virtue within
oneself, which one has steadily accumulated.
Beings in the world keep going on due to their kamma, some of
which is good and some bad, and they experience results of it, some as
happiness, some as discontent and suffering and this goes on all the
time. Never has there been anyone or any being of any kind that has been
able to evade and avoid experiencing those results which they do not
want. Here in this world of people it is quite easy for us to know and
see this at any time, both in ourselves and others, and also in animals
who have some happiness and some suffering which they meet with from
time to time, depending on circumstances in each case. Training in what
is right and good, which basically means sila, samadhi and pañña, is for
the purpose of developing them as a home and a sanctuary for the heart.
This is something which those who practise the way should come to
experience in the present, today or at least in this life for sure, in
the same way as they did in the time of the Lord Buddha.
As for the experiences of the citta which becomes concentrated and
goes down into samadhi, of which there are many different varieties
according to different people’s characteristics, we will say nothing
about this. For we are afraid that you who are just beginning to do the
practice will think and speculate about it in various ways that are
quite false and nothing like the real thing which comes of itself from
your own samadhi characteristics.
The explanations which we have given for the practices of walking
cankama and sitting in samadhi bhavana are generalised and suitable for
those who are ordained as well as lay people, to start doing them. As
for the results, which means the kind of citta that comes from doing
these forms of practice, mainly it will be calm. For when it has become
concentrated and gone down and attained samadhi, the citta will be
unified with its object of attention (arammana) and they are one and the
same. But in a few cases it may go in a different way, depending on
the individual’s characteristics. Therefore, those who practise, should
not be worried when they hear from their friends that their citta’s went
like this, came to know and see that and experienced various nimittas in
this way or that way. The thing you should keep in mind is the main
purpose of what you are doing — which is to attain calm when the citta
goes down into a concentrated state — and this is what matters. This is
the result which always guarantees the samadhi as being genuine.
You who have energy and who are striving to practise the way are
bound to see the wonder of the citta from samadhi bhavana one day for
sure, and this is regardless of whether you are ordained or a faithful
lay follower. That which you have read about the lives of the Ariya–Savakas
will then become your own story one day when you succeed in doing it.
Those things which are kilesas and evil kamma, as well as the
Dhamma which cures them, are all there in all of us, and they are
completely impartial — being no respecter of persons — nowadays, just as
they were in ancient times. Because of this, one who practises, doing it
in the proper way (samici–kamma), in the methods of samadhi will get
results which are truly satisfying, in the same way as the Ariya Savakas
did at the time of the Lord Buddha — and you should be able to attain
the same thing also. But it is important not to pay more attention to
speculating about the time and place that the Path, Fruition and Nibbana
will arise then in doing the practice on the Path (Magga), following the
right way of Dhamma. This is the way and the means of shedding all the
kilesas and the whole load of dukkha from one’s heart. And this path is
the Dhamma which has been continually overcoming kilesas directly and
continually, ever since the time of the Lord Buddha up to the present
without any change or alteration at all. Please take it and use it to
cure your citta, which is where all the kilesas arise and dwell. This
will lead you to see quite clearly in your heart how it has changed from
having been a vessel full of kilesas into a vessel of Dhamma, gradually
and steadily, until the whole heart becomes Dhamma.
Once the whole heart has become Dhamma one can live anywhere, and
the arising of dukkha in the heart will no longer come one’s way —
except within the elements (dhatu) and the khandhas which are the “house
of dukkha”, which is still standing. But the khandhas are just khandhas
and their dukkha just dukkha as they were before, and this will go on
until they reach the day of their dissolution. Then the end of the
repeated rounds of lives of khandhas and dukkha will have been resolved.
That which is called “avijja” which has been the prosperous chieftain
over the heart will have lost all his power and be rendered meaningless
as soon as the citta becomes entirely Dhamma throughout and it is at
this point that the work of Dhamma comes to a final conclusion and one
can go free. This is not like the work of avijja which spreads and
scatters out throughout the whole of the realm of samsara without limit
and never ending. This leads us to compare those two types of work and
their results, the one which grows without limit and is never ending
even so that if one goes on doing it for aeons of time, all one gets is
restless disturbance all the time. Whereas the other type of work has a
path with a definite conclusion and one does not have to go back and
forth, and round and round, shouldering the burden of dukkha for ever.
Of these two forms of work, those who have done both of them and have
gone far enough in both will know that the results of them are utterly
different and that they are poles apart. If then one were to choose in a
fair and rational way which kind of work should one choose? Even if one
has gone along just a little in this way one has a path that can lead
one out. One is then no longer caught up in admiration for that work of
turbulence, of going round and round in circles so that one forgets and
loses interest in thinking about gaining Dhamma wealth for oneself and
one’s future.
Withdrawing From Samadhi Bhavana.
When one is going to withdraw from meditation practice, one should
do so with mindfulness to support and look after the citta. If however,
the citta is still calm in bhavanga, the situation is such that one
should not force it to leave this position to withdraw from the practice
of meditation, even though it is time for one to go to work or to do
other things, or go pindapata. One should not disturb it but let it
remain concentrated and calm until it withdraws on its own. Whatever
external work needs to be done, it should be put aside at a time such as
this, even though the external work may be necessary and important,
because the work of the bhavanga citta is of the utmost importance and
incomparably more so than any external work.
If one forces the citta to withdraw even though the citta is still
not skilled at entering and leaving bhavanga it will spoil it for the
citta in the future. For the citta will no longer be able to concentrate
together and go down into a state of calm as it did before which will
make one become disheartened. This sort of thing has happened time after
time amongst those who practise the way, so one should be very careful
not to repeat this mistake.
In withdrawing from samadhi, if the citta has become concentrated
and calm one must only leave this state when the citta withdraws on its
own — or, when one feels tired — and then one should be fully mindful.
One should not withdraw from this state abruptly or hastily, without
being mindful and clearly aware (sati–sampajañña), which is the Dhamma
that should be an accompaniment to all one’s movements and changes of
state.
Before withdrawing one should think about those methods that one
has used, which have brought one results when practising samadhi — such
as: “How did I set up mindfulness to fix the citta? Which parikamma word
did I keep in mind? How fast or slowly was the heart able to become
concentrated and drop into a state of calm? Or, how did I investigate
and contemplate and what method did I use that my heart could be so
skilful as this?” Having defined these things and taken note of them,
both in terms of their causes and the results of what one did in the
past on each occasion, one should gradually withdraw from samadhi
bhavana. The reason why one should carefully take note of what happened,
in this way, is that, when one comes to do the same thing in the future
one will be able to do it correctly and easily by following the same
path.
Those Bhikkhus who have been doing the practice for some time
already, should take note in particular, that although they have
withdrawn from samadhi, the mindfulness which has been supporting and
upholding the citta should not be let go of or allowed to disperse. In
the four postures of standing, walking, sitting and lying down, in doing
one’s duties in life, and in fact, in doing all things one should have
mindfulness to accompany and watch over the parikamma word. Or else one
should have mindfulness and clear comprehension (sati–sampajañña)
present within one, not letting the heart go free to be pushed about
this way and that by one’s various emotional attachments (arammana). For
this is the tendency of the citta which has been used to having these
emotional attachments in mind all the time.
When mindfulness is present with the parikamma word and present in
oneself generally, the behaviour which one displays outwardly by way of
one’s bodily actions and speech will not be faulty in any way. It will
be appropriate and seemly and will not be offensive in the eyes or ears
of other people. It will also make no difference whether one’s actions
are slow and deliberate or quick and impulsive it will still be within
the bounds of what is proper, seemly and pleasant to see and hear. In
addition, when one practises samadhi bhavana the citta can drop into a
calm state quickly, because the mindfulness which controls and guards
the heart and the work that one is doing are both within oneself. It is
like looking after an animal which one can catch and put to work as one
wants without trouble and it never acts up or does anything dangerous,
as may happen if one let it go its own way (yatha–kamma).
When one tries to watch and control the citta the whole time, even
though one still cannot attain full concentration and calm as one may
wish, yet it will also not go wandering about looking for things to do
to create more kamma and difficulty for oneself, as it would if one had
let it go its own way. |
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14. The Importance of
Mindfulness
Guarding the citta most of the time or the whole time, is the way to
promote mindfulness and the citta so as to make it competent in the work
of samadhi bhavana and in other kinds of work also. For then, whatever
type of work is done, is done deliberately, with mindfulness to keep
one’s attention on that work, and it will tend to be elegant and free
from fault. As to oneself, one will not be a “playboy” wasting one’s
life in dissipation, but a person or Bhikkhu who keeps within his level
or status and does not act in ways that diminish his status and the
standard of his work so that it becomes despicable. Therefore the saying
that: “Mindfulness is desirable in all circumstances,” is correct and
most appropriate and cannot be disputed. The necessity of mindfulness
will come to be seen when one practises samadhi bhavana or one
investigates Dhamma in all its different aspects. In work of this kind
it is essential that mindfulness should go along with it at every moment
in order that one may be able to know what is happening to the citta and
Dhamma with enough precision for one’s purpose. This becomes
increasingly important for those whose “ground” of citta and “ground” of
Dhamma are above the normal level; and right up to the highest levels,
mindfulness is still an essential Dhamma every time and it cannot be
dispensed with. In fact, whatever acuteness, strength and capability of
wisdom one has, it depends on mindfulness to support it and promote it.
So even if wisdom is about to reach the ground of “Great Wisdom” (Maha–Pañña)
it gives an indication to mindfulness that it also must reach the ground
of “Great Mindfulness” (Maha–Sati), because mindfulness is that device
of Dhamma which leads the way in all kinds of work. Ordinary people like
ourselves who are at times unmindful, display characteristics at those
times which are unseemly and inelegant; and in those cases where they
let go of mindfulness in a big way, as if they have lost all interest,
it seems that the time has come for them to be taken off to an
“institution” — for certain!
It is for the above reasons that those who practise the way and
attain Dhamma, do so either slowly or quickly depending upon the
strength of their mindfulness and wisdom which are very important, and
this is true even allowing for differences in character. Therefore those
who urgently drive themselves to develop mindfulness will soon find that
samadhi appears and their thoughts and insights in the direction of
wisdom will come much more quickly than otherwise.
It makes me think about the task of writing a book such as this
one. For it becomes quite clear how, on a day when mindfulness slips and
drifts about due to a lot of confused thoughts, one’s writing is full of
mistakes, confusion and many corrections. But on a day when the heart is
not confused and one has mindfulness present one’s writing is mostly
correct and good with little need for any corrections.
Those who are well known and renowned for their abilities in the
citta and Dhamma are generally those who have mindfulness and who are
able to see the importance of it. So they try to establish mindfulness
the whole time without letting their minds slip into forgetfulness. In
particular, when they do samadhi bhavana as well as the investigation of
all forms of Dhamma, their mindfulness and wisdom must blend into one
another all the time, and they do not allow them to be present sometimes
and absent at others.
Whoever acts and lives like that will have “Jagara Dhamma” — the
Dhamma which wakes and arouses him to be vigilant — within himself
wherever he goes and in whatever he does. He has a means of protecting
himself which is strong and lasting, so it is difficult for an enemy to
reach him and there is no danger to his heart. This is entirely
different from those who are not mindful and who accumulate dukkha and
however much they have they go on accepting it to the end.
Venerable Acharn Mun taught the need for mindfulness very
frequently and most insistently, regardless of the type of practice
being used, the posture, or whether it concerned someone who was just
beginning or one who had done it for a long time. In all cases he was
certain to teach the need for mindfulness along with other things to
suit the level of citta and Dhamma of the person who came to learn from
him. He said how he had seen the bad effect of being without
mindfulness, as well as the virtue of having mindfulness present from
when one first starts to put forward the effort to do the practice right
through until one has reached the final goal. He also said how both of
these were very important factors which one cannot afford to neglect —
and to give confidence to those who practise the way, he said:
“Regardless of age or sex, if those who do the practice have interest in
and pay attention to mindfulness all the time in all postures and
situations, and not in fits and starts, they should have the hope and
expectation that the attainment of samadhi (samadhi–samapatti) as well
as the Path, Fruition and Nibbana will not be beyond their reach.”
From the time when one first starts the training one should set up
mindfulness as one’s constant companion and guardian. Then one’s sense
of oneself, of the right and wrong and the good and evil which arise in
oneself and others, whatever it may be, one will be able to know for
sure, and this will steadily increase while one remains mindful. At the
same time one will not let go into absent mindfulness, which would allow
the kilesas to drag out and steal the good that is in one, and swallow
the lot. If one can do this one should have firm hope and expectation
indeed.
Yet generally speaking, those who practise the way of Dhamma turn
and become those who blame Dhamma, saying: “It hasn’t given the results
which it should,” or “it gives me no results when I do the practice.”
Because those kilesas which led them into absent mindfulness, sneak in
to take over the duty of mindfulness by getting in before mindfulness
which should be the leader, and then stealthily take over the job of
looking after the citta. This happens both when one is trying to strive
at the practice and at all other times as well. This makes these people
feel disappointed that they did not achieve what they thought they
would. But instead of blaming themselves for losing out to the kilesas,
they turn and blame Dhamma for giving them bad results, so they lose in
all ways. This is the way of those Bhikkhus who practise without taking
any interest in watching the kilesas which lead them into absent
mindfulness, and this is the main danger, both to oneself and to one’s
efforts to do the practice. This great boss (kilesas) thus gets the
opportunity to remain with the one who does the practice quite openly,
without him ever becoming aware that he has been “taken for a ride.”
If one is an observant person one will be able to know what has
happened within a minute. For when one firsts starts to establish the
practice, in any of the various ways of doing it, by setting up
mindfulness in conjunction with the effort to do it, that is the time
when one will be able to see how the setting up of mindfulness and the
dispersing of mindfulness will fight each other, so that one can look at
it and see what happens. Then before long the forgetfulness which
disperses mindfulness — which is nothing but the kilesas intently
watching and waiting — will win and drag the citta away and disappear
with it. From that moment all that is left is the body of one who
practises without mindfulness and void of effort. If he is walking
cankama, all that is left is the mere activity of walking, if sitting in
samadhi then he is merely sitting; and if he is standing to ponder
Dhamma he is merely standing, just like a puppet or a doll. It is no
good searching in him for the kind of effort which is put forth by those
who practise the way truly, because mindfulness which is that factor in
striving to practise which gives rise to results has been entirely
consumed by the kilesa of carelessness. All that is left is the body
which is merely going through the motions of striving, and nothing else.
This is how the kilesas destroy people and destroy the efforts of those
who practise the way. Their destructiveness takes place right in front
of one’s eyes when one is fresh and conscious by lulling one into a deep
sleep of forgetfulness even while one is actually striving to practise
the way.
At any time it is quite possible to know how clever the various
kilesas are, if one really wants to. Even when one is just beginning to
work at the practice one can get to know this without much difficulty —
but generally speaking one does not want to know. Instead, all one wants
to know are the attainments of samadhi (samadhi–samapatti) and the Path,
Fruition and Nibbana. But what can give rise to these states of Dhamma
apart from mindfulness and wisdom which are the necessary tools for
clearing the way? Certainly not careless indifference, so that one has
no interest in being guarded against it, for this is what destroys all
forms of Dhamma, such as the above, which one wants and hopes to attain.
Sometimes when Venerable Acharn Mun gave a talk on Dhamma, what he
said was very funny and we who were listening could not help laughing
inwardly. I can remember how funny it was, but the Dhamma that he was
pointing out to us has almost gone now. He said: “If your heart was
truly in your efforts to practise the way, like someone who is full of
vitality and spirit, your heart would have a way in which it could
develop and grow. Not like people getting into their coffins all the
time as you are now. For whenever I look nowadays, all I see is scrap
Bhikkhus and scrap Samaneras, like scrap metal, moving about and walking
back and forth on the cankama path, sluggish and ungainly, without any
mindfulness or awareness within them. As for any wisdom (pañña) or
penetrating insight — if they are sitting in meditation, they merely sit
there like scrap-iron men thrown away in a shop or a factory. But even
scrap iron does not sway about nodding forward and backwards like a
person dying in the pose of striving at the practice — which is most
annoying to see. As for the Kammatthana Bhikkhu who sits nodding out of
control, whether he falls down and dies or not it is enough to trouble
others who have to recite the “Kusala–matika”. This is a sorry thing
to see! And sometimes at night when the crows and dogs are all asleep,
if anything happens, who will come and help to arrange things so that
the corpse is given a traditional human funeral? If this happens in day
time, the vultures and crows will be troubled also, for when they come
flying around thinking that some food is available, they see it is still
breathing and fidgeting and they are afraid to come too close, so they
fly away and perch on a tree to wait and watch. Sometimes they think:
“This is it,” and they fly down to have a look at the troublesome object
again feeling sure that they will be able to have a go at it this time.
But as soon as they get close its mindfulness returns and it looks
straight at them. So they are all afraid and fly away without much hope
left. But once they have flown about the place to try and find something
else to eat, they come back again. Because the appearance of this one
who is trying to meditate is like someone who is half dead — as if
telling the crows and vultures to come back again, saying, “It’s dead
now, you can come and eat it.” This is how it acts all the time. It’s
enough to make them irritated with this waste Bhikkhu who keeps changing
his position. This is the way of one who practises and causes irritation
to the vultures, crows and dogs, both domestic and wild. He not only
causes irritation to them, but he will break the heart of the one who
teaches him which is far worse than the trouble caused to the animals
who are waiting to eat the meat and bones of this Bhikkhu when he dies
because he has no mindfulness to support and lift him up at all. This is
a kind of practice which is an endless preparation never stopping and
never giving any results.”
At this point, Venerable Acharn stopped and rested for a short
while and it seemed as if he was looking to see what was the state of
mind of the Bhikkhus and Samaneras who were listening. When he saw that
they were all sitting quietly and undisturbed, some afraid and some
amused. Then he started speaking again, as if he was answering some of
their unasked questions, saying: “How would it be to arrange a funeral
service (Kusala–matika) for a Bhikkhu who is still alive? They have the
merit making ceremony (Kusala–pamsukula) for those who are dead — if
they don’t have the merit making ceremony to make merit for those
Bhikkhus who sit in meditation and sleep as if dead even when they are
still alive, won’t they all fall into hell? Even when they walk cankama
or sit in meditation they sway back and forth as if they are about to
jump down into hell while they are still alive. When the time comes for
them to truly pass away, where are they going to jump to if not to the
hellish abyss of perpetual sleep?” We who were listening had never heard
of the “hellish abyss of perpetual sleep” previously, but Venerable
Acharn revealed it to us at this time.
After the meeting, various groups would quietly gather together to
talk for a short while before breaking up and returning, each one to his
own place where he worked at his meditation practice — which Venerable
Acharn had called a mortuary of half dead Bhikkhus preparing themselves
for their funeral service. But, as I related earlier on in this book, it
was strange how none of the Bhikkhus or Samaneras displayed any signs of
irritation, of being upset, or of discontent with what Venerable Acharn
had said in his castigating talk. For each of them heard this unusual
and rather amusing talk on Dhamma with inward satisfaction and pleasure,
hoping that he would not finish too soon. This was probably because of
their complete faith in Venerable Acharn, that he was in a state of
complete purity and that the ground of his citta was overflowing with
metta. And for that reason none of them ever felt inclined to criticise
him in any way. In fact, instead of being repelled by the rather morbid
tone of his talk, it aroused their mindfulness to reflect and see how
baneful and harmful it was to be forgetful and without mindfulness
internally within each one of them.
While giving a talk of this kind, Venerable Acharn’s appearance
and tone of voice were quite intimidating, but once he had finished he
immediately returned to normal, as if he had never been like that at
all. Those Bhikkhus who had stayed with him for a long time, so that
they had learnt to know his characteristics quite well, would talk
normally with him after such a Dhamma talk, as if nothing unusual had
happened just a short while ago. But those who had recently come and had
just begun the training, never having been exposed to such methods of
Dhamma as Venerable Acharn used to correct and straighten their
characteristics, would react in various ways when suddenly coming up
against it in this way. Some would fidget and move about, others would
become conscious of aches and pains, or of getting hot, or cold, without
having enough mindfulness to be able to restrain themselves and be
self-controlled. Like what happened when a dog was picked up and thrown
onto the body of a dead tiger; it got so frightened, all it could do was
to make grunting sounds, jump away and run for its life. What was
unexpected was that it left part of itself spread all over the body of
that tiger. But what was it that it left behind spread all over the
tiger which had so frightened it? As for the dog, it had fled without
restraint.
Generally those Bhikkhus who went to receive training under
Venerable Acharn were, to begin with, rather like that dog, thrown onto
the dead tiger. They did not have enough mindfulness to control
themselves as they should, and standing, walking, sitting or lying down,
they were always afraid that he would only criticise and scold them. But
they did not think of the underlying reasons why he should do this,
which are far more frightening than that dead tiger was to that dog.
But those who had been under training with Venerable Acariya for a
long time, the more he scolded them the more it became like a remedy
which quickly cured their sickness. And no sick person is going to get
angry and resentful with the doctor who quickly gives him some medicine
to help him overcome that sickness which is bearing down on him so that
he cannot save himself. Instead, he is likely to be grateful and
thankful towards the doctor who can find a way to save his life, which
he, the doctor, does because he has the Metta to give help to others.
Those who practise the way and see the danger of being stupid —
which is due to their own kilesas bearing down on them and piling up
against them will be happy and smile with contentment at such strong yet
kindly teaching. This teaching which is given with the aim of curbing
and curing their own kilesas; and it comes from an Acariya whose citta
is full of metta and thoughts of helping others in all sorts of ways to
get free from, to avoid and evade the kilesas and a mass of suffering,
and not to give way, lie down submerged and defeated, completely subject
to the power of the kilesas which always bear down and force one towards
destruction and ruin.
Listening to Dhamma Talks From the Teacher
When one listened to the Dhamma teaching of Venerable Acharn, if
one listened for the sake of Dhamma and truth, opening one’s heart to
its deep knowledge and true reasoning, without holding oneself back to
let the kilesas of conceited opinions (ditthi–mana) obstruct and
influence the Dhamma which he revealed, then one would hear Dhamma that
went to one’s heart. This Dhamma could cure the kilesas one after
another like going straight up steps, in a manner which one realised
quite clearly in one’s heart while listening to him each time he gave a
talk to us. In particular, if something happened to surprise or stir him
such as a chance event, or something connected with one of the Bhikkhus,
he would seize this as an opportunity to set it up as an example to
reveal Dhamma then and there. At such times what he said was much more
valuable to the listener than those more normal occasions when he gave a
talk. Those who tended to be afraid of Venerable Acharn would become so
full of fear as to be almost out of their wits. But those who were more
intent on reason, truth and Dhamma got this in full measure depending on
their own ability in mindfulness and wisdom.
The Dhamma which came from Venerable Acharn at such a time was not
like anything that they had previously heard. But it was absolutely
appropriate to that occasion without repeating the pattern of anything
he had said in the past. Because it was a characteristic of Venerable
Acharn Mun’s way when revealing Dhamma that he would not normally repeat
lines of talk which he had already used in the past. Even those old
sayings and proverbs which he may have used before, when he brought them
up again he would interpret them anew without repeating his former
explanation. Although his meaning may be close to what he had previously
said it still acted as a skilful method which we who were listening to
him could use, and we could not help but admire his skill time and
again. It showed that the research which he had done within himself was
in accordance with what is called “True Patisambhidanusasata”.
Those who had stayed with him for some time grew more and more to
like that Dhamma of Venerable Acharn’s which was forceful, strong,
impressive and rousing, much more than they liked his normal, milder
approach, because its “flavour” was so unusually impressive. But those
who had never before heard such Dhamma would think that he was scolding
them and they would become frightened to the point where they would
forget to pay attention to the truth of his reasoning at that time. So
what they got out of listening to his Dhamma was entirely different,
almost as if there had been two separate Dhamma talks although in fact
both groups heard it at the same time.
When Venerable Acharn taught Dhamma to those Bhikkhus who
practised the way and were close to him, he would teach in a manner that
went directly to the truth of causes and their effects without mincing
his words or wrapping them up nicely. He would range through all the
levels of samadhi, all the grounds of wisdom and all three of the
Ti–Lakkhana. Whatever things he was dealing with, he would bring them
to life, clear the way and reveal them as they are for those who were
listening, in a manner which went right to the heart. This was most
appropriate to those Bhikkhus whose hearts were skilful in every stage
of citta bhavana — but the one who is writing cannot reveal everything
that he said, for this Dhamma was just between Venerable Acharn and the
one who was receiving it. All that can be said is that it was Dhamma of
the type that is “very hot and spicy” — which frightened the kilesas and
drove them away in large numbers because of the power of this “Austere (Tapa)
Dhamma” which scorched them and drove them out and away from his
remarkable or miraculous teaching (anusasaniya–patihariya) like water
being dried up by the sun. It was as if one could see all the clans,
families and relatives of all the different types of kilesas being
broken up and forced to disperse in disarray without retaining any
semblance of order, at that time.
It is said that when the Lord Buddha reached the end of a Dhamma
talk, some or many of his faithful followers penetrated the exalted Path
and Fruition Dhamma from the lowest level of the Ariya Dhamma up to the
highest level. In this present age, although the type of Dhamma talk of
the kind which reveals the elements of the worlds (loka–dhatu) which
Venerable Acharn Mun taught to the circle of Bhikkhus who were
practising the way may be only an insignificant shadow in comparison
with what the Buddha taught, yet when the writer compares them together
to assess the truth of the above assertion, he cannot help but have
complete faith that what is said to have happened after the Dhamma talks
of the Lord Buddha is completely true. Those who say he is gullible and
believes too easily may say so, but those who believe will continue to
believe what we have written. For the kilesas are a true and genuine
factor in the Noble Truths (Ariya–Sacca) and the Dhamma which cures and
overcomes these kilesas is also a true factor in the Ariya Sacca. When
the (second) truth reaches the (first) truth in full force, the citta is
bound to experience a manifest result every time and everywhere that it
happens, in everybody without exception.
The Lord Buddha taught the truth of Dhamma and Venerable Acharn
Mun also taught the truth of Dhamma, for the purpose of curing the
kilesas which truly exist and have always done so in every age and time
in the same way as they do now. Therefore, whoever may give such
teaching, the loss and dispersal of the kilesas which occurs due to the
Dhamma teaching which washes and cleanses them out is valid as far as
reason is concerned. One should not object to this, because both the
kilesas and the Path (Magga) do not depend on anything except only on
the acquisition and accumulation of the kilesas and the curing of the
kilesas — that’s all. It is like a thing or a place which is filthy, the
cleansing of it depends only on its being washed with clean water.
While listening to Venerable Acharn Mun giving a Dhamma talk,
those in particular whose cittas had reached the ground of wisdom should
have been in a fit state to be able to analyse and see the implications
of what he said while following the lead given by Venerable Acharn. This
means seeing clearly while wisdom is destroying the kilesas by relying
upon Venerable Acharn’s Dhamma to prepare the ground. Those who were
listening and analysing following Venerable Acharn’s lead would
therefore at the same time be curing the kilesas bit by bit accordingly.
By listening, analysing and curing some of one’s problems this time, and
then listening to another Dhamma talk in the future, doing further
analysis and making further inroads into the kilesas, and by going on in
this way many times they must surely be able to get through the thick
jungle of the kilesas and go free. Therefore those who do not want to
let others believe that listening to a Dhamma talk can lead to the
penetration of the Path and Fruition, would seem to be making an
exhibition of those kilesas which they have been fond of displaying in
the past. For normally, the kilesas do not like reason, but rather, they
like making a display of self and flattering their owners that they are
clever — even though they are not clever, and even though those who
truly are clever and wise and far more senior, keep on blaming them and
remonstrating with them all the time.
The hearts of those who were training in the basis of samadhi — a
state of calm, would, as soon as they heard Venerable Acharn’s Dhamma,
drop into a state of calm much more easily than when they were doing the
practice on their own, because his Dhamma would pacify and soothe them
while they were listening. So listening to Dhamma is a practice that is
an important branch in the whole field of striving to practise the way.
As for those who have never done any practice and never listened
enough for any results to become apparent, if they want to go their own
way and follow their own understanding, they are free to do so. But in
truth and in accordance with what is valuable and useful, this is not
the way to gain anything of any use at all. All that is likely to come
from it is defilements which stain the name of Buddhism, causing
disheartenment to those who have set themselves to practise the way and
making them fed up with this sort of thing, so that they laugh inwardly
while saying to themselves: “This clever genius thinks he’ll become
enlightened by his opinions and opposition to the true way!” For they
brush aside and dispense with the Path, Fruition and Nibbana saying: “We
should leave it alone as being only within the power of other people in
other ages and places.” But for themselves, they just swallow the
emotional attitudes of opposition and opinionatedness which becomes the
ground of their hearts.
When an Acariya, one who practises the way, asks his followers,
just after he has given them a Dhamma talk, saying: “While listening to
this talk did you get any sense of it, or not?”; he is asking them
whether they got a sense of calm and peace, or whether they got any
insight in the way of wisdom, respectively, depending on the ground of
their citta and Dhamma which is different in each one of those who were
listening to his Dhamma talk. He is not asking them whether they took
note of and remembered the meaning of the Dhamma which he revealed,
although some of it might have dropped into their memories, which they
could then easily recall. But it is not at all necessary to be able to
remember or recall whatever has slipped away, for the important thing is
to set one’s citta to attend with present awareness right there while
listening and not forgetfully slipping away to other seductive and
emotionally charged topics, but having mindfulness to accompany the
citta with the duty of maintaining inward self-knowing. The flow of
Dhamma which the Venerable Acariya is revealing will then enter and make
contact with this knowing which has already been properly established
and one will hear clearly and listen to every word, far more so than
sending the citta outwards to receive Dhamma. The citta and the flow of
Dhamma with which it makes contact and acknowledges, not in fits and
starts but steadily and continually can lull and soothe the citta
causing it to become calm and unwavering, and to drop into samadhi. Then
while listening, other emotionally charged sense stimuli do not intrude
and cause trouble, nor does the citta go out and become involved with
external things which arouse interest, which agitate the heart making it
dull and inert. So there is just the citta and Dhamma in contact with
each other and the citta will tend to become calm by itself.
Once it has become calm there will be no more enticing thoughts
and imaginings to cause disturbance and one tends automatically to
forget one’s tiredness, aches and stiffness as well as the passing of
time. In fact it seems at this time almost as if one did not have a
body, for all that remains is the resulting peace and calm, letting the
citta drink of the best nutritive essence rather than the other thoughts
and sensations to which it is attached (arammana).
While the citta and Dhamma are intimately associated together as
one entity there will be no weariness, irritation or boredom for however
long it may last. For, as long as the citta does not withdraw from this
state of calm, the body will not be troubled with any painful feelings
nor will the citta be bothered by emotionally biased objects and
situations (arammana). The heart and Dhamma will then be together with
each other, dwelling in a state of calm and peace for they have never
been antagonistic to each other since the beginning of time. But as soon
as any other, emotionally biased object or state arises and becomes
manifest it arouses antagonism. Then the body feels weary, the heart
becomes irritable, sleepiness grows strong and one’s flesh, sinews and
bones in various parts of the body start to give rise to aches and pains
which rapidly spread everywhere, as if its parts are going one after
another into a state of decay. Because those kilesas which are the basis
of laziness tend to go around the various parts of the body, disturbing
them and inducing them all to ache and pain and give trouble. Finally,
the effort to practise breaks up and becomes incoherent, diffuse and
half-hearted in an incompetent way, because this is in fact just what it
is.
This is the story of the kilesas and all kinds of them work in the
same way. They all lead people and other beings to harm and destruction
whatever type they may be. So they are called “Mara” — the Evil One. If
there are few of them they cause trouble and damage in a small way, but
if they are many they cause much trouble and much destruction. They are
in opposition to Dhamma, which is the one that helps, supports and
promotes us in all ways that are good. The more Dhamma a person has, the
more it will tend to make his heart calm and peaceful, and he can go on
gaining more and more Dhamma until his heart is entirely Dhamma. Then he
will have changed entirely and become Dhamma throughout. Such are the
ones who are entirely possessed of Dhamma and possessed of supreme and
eternal happiness.
When Venerable Acharn Mun used to ask whether we had got the
meaning of a talk on Dhamma that he had just given, the above
explanation is what he meant. Starting from a state of calm and
happiness while still listening, right up to a state of brightness and
clarity in wisdom that can enable one to get rid of some of the kilesas
each time, depending on one’s own ground or level. This is what he meant
by “getting the meaning” while listening to a Dhamma talk. It may happen
many times until one can finally reach the end of the kilesas and know
all Dhamma at that moment, and this is what he called “getting the whole
meaning”.
Generally speaking, the Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus listen to
Dhamma and “get the meaning”. They set up the intention to “get the
meaning” where the heart and Dhamma come together and the result of this
is a state of calm and clear seeing which arises in the heart. As for
remembering the gist of the Dhamma which was revealed in the talk, they
do not consider this to be so important as keeping their attention
firmly fixed where Dhamma and the heart come together. Because of this,
however many of them are sitting and listening to the Dhamma talk, they
are so still it seems almost as if nobody is there. For each of them has
fixed his attention to listen in his own heart, and each one is just
like a tree stump, motionless, without any sign of fidgeting to show
that he is tired or bored and has had enough. The only sound is that of
Venerable Acharn who is delivering a concentrated form of Dhamma which
puts one in mind of a heavy thunderstorm with hailstones and high winds
blowing and gusting about this way and that. At this time it also seems
as if all the kilesas and evil kamma would be blown away and destroyed
by the blast flowing from the Dhamma. Because while listening with fixed
and firm attention to the meaning, not one of the kilesas is going to
show its face and open its mouth to display its conceit and arrogance
while mindfulness and wisdom are cutting them down and chopping them to
pieces with all their strength. All that remains is Dhamma which
externally is the sound of Dhamma, and internally is the heart immersed
and infused together with Dhamma as one, with nothing but joy and
happiness accompanying the calm and peaceful Dhamma which is experienced
arising in the heart.
Each time, the Dhamma talk would last three or four hours, after
which, if any of us had any problems that were appropriate, we could
respectfully ask the Venerable Acharn to help and point out the solution
to the problem until it was well understood. After this we would
disperse, each one returning to the place where he was staying. Some
would then go to walk on their cankama paths to ease the stiffness from
sitting a long time and to remove the kilesas from their hearts, using
whatever method in which their mindfulness and wisdom is strong and
capable of practising. They would probably go on walking for several
hours before stopping and going to have a rest. But on those days when
there is a Dhamma talk, the time when they leave off to take a rest is
much later than usual, because they consider that they are special days
and special occasions. So some of them decide to maintain their striving
only in the three postures of standing, walking and sitting until dawn,
without lying down and sleeping.
There are two reasons why they do not lie down and sleep at night.
The first is because they want to struggle and make great efforts in
their striving, as a way of paying homage to the Dhamma which Venerable
Acharn revealed with great metta in the most heartfelt way right through
from beginning to end. For after listening, faith would arise and
increase, giving them the will to struggle, to try to do, and to follow
what he taught with such metta. The second reason why they take no sleep
is because they have absorbed the Dhamma of Venerable Acharn very deeply
and the flavour of Dhamma which remains in their hearts is what has
opened up their hearts.
The extent to which each of them absorbed Dhamma in their hearts,
varied in accordance with the ground or basis which each of them have in
their hearts. Some of them have a weak basis of samadhi, some have a
more subtle basis, and some of them have a very subtle and intimate
ground of samadhi. But each level brings enough of the bliss (piti) of
Dhamma to enable them to absorb it joyfully in accordance with the level
of each one’s ground. In addition, some of them would begin to train
themselves in wisdom (vipassana–pañña) in a weak way as accords with
their level of samadhi; some would be analysing with wisdom (vicara–vipassana)
more strongly; some would be developing wisdom higher and higher; and
some would be developing wisdom at that level where it has become
automatic. This is when mindfulness and wisdom, incessantly go around
and about everywhere with various kinds of Dhammas that come into
contact with the heart without letting up nor letting go of them. If one
likens it to the falling rain, it would be like a heavy downpour going
on all day and night incessantly. Or, if one likens it to water, it
would be like a spring which flows all the time in both the rainy season
and the dry season. But in the case of Vipassana–Dhamma, it is referred
to by its characteristics and called by the “forest” name of “Automatic
mindfulness and wisdom.” But if one wants to call it by its original
name which they used at the time of the Lord Buddha, then it was called
“Maha Sati and Maha Pañña,” so it should not be lacking in valuable
properties. For mindfulness and wisdom at this level perform their
functions at maximum capacity the whole time without stopping,
hesitation or being sluggish. Nor do they need any coercion or force,
unlike the more usual types of mindfulness and wisdom; for they know
their job and they know their duty in full measure. But to call it Maha
Sati and Maha Pañña as they did at the time of the Lord Buddha would be
against the nature of those Bhikkhus who live in the forest who are
afraid of making out that they are the equal of those at the time of the
Lord. So instead, they just call it “Automatic mindfulness and wisdom” —
which would seem to be quite appropriate to their level and
characteristics.
These are the Dhammas which lead the Dhutanga Bhikkhus to become
fascinated and absorbed in their striving so that they lay down and
sleep very little. Each one of them becomes absorbed in Dhamma in his
own way, depending on his ground or level, and when any doubts or
problems arise, some of them are not bold enough to go and ask Venerable
Acharn about them at normal times. But on a day when a meeting is called
they feel as if they could jump over the moon, because they are so glad
to hear a talk which will clear the way and show them how to develop
those points which they have been thinking about and analysing; and will
also clear those problems which they were doubtful about so that they
can go ahead step by step.
Each of them gets prepared and sets up a state of zeal, waiting
ready to receive the cleansing Dhamma from Venerable Acharn Mun as if
they had been waiting years for it. So when the time comes they gather
at the meeting place in a calm, modest and graceful manner which should
arouse much respect and faith in anyone who saw it — a thing such as is
rarely seen elsewhere. Each one of them goes to the meeting intent on
the purpose of Dhamma and with a determination to hear Dhamma which goes
to the heart and each of them pays obeisance by prostrating before
sitting down politely while waiting to hear Dhamma.
As soon as he is ready, the Acariya who is giving the talk begins
to reveal Dhamma. Quietly and gently it flows out, steadily, without
breaks, like rain when it starts to fall drop by drop. But, before he
begins to talk he calms down any turbulence of mind that may be present
for a short while. I think and believe that he was probably determining
what aspect of Dhamma he should deal with which would be suited to those
who were waiting ready to listen to him. It was after this that he would
begin to reveal that Dhamma which he taught only to the Dhutanga
Bhikkhus. Generally speaking he would start from the level of samadhi
and then go on to wisdom, finally leading to the highest level of Dhamma
— Vimutti, Freedom — and then finish. While he was revealing Dhamma
there were no disturbing sounds at all, but only the sound of Dhamma
that he was proclaiming which resonated around the place where they had
met together. Those who were listening, were doing so with interest,
waiting to know and wanting to see accordingly, in conformity with
Venerable Acharn’s teaching, fully committed and wholeheartedly. Not
slipping away into forgetfulness and distraction so that the citta ran
away elsewhere, but keeping their attention fixed firmly looking at the
heart alone, which is worthy of Dhamma at all levels.
In this way, the Dhamma which the Acariya reveals and the heart
which is set, ready to accept it properly, are both suitable and
appropriate for experiencing all sorts of things to enter, make contact
and get involved with the heart. Whether he talks of the Noble Truths,
Satipatthana, or the Ti–Lakkhana — Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta — they are
equally the truth and embrace the whole field of human beings and all
other beings throughout the whole universe (Ti–loka–dhatu), which he
reveals at that time. So it is like listening to the truth of the
Universe flowing in and filling the heart which having been prepared to
accept and know it in a fully committed way, makes them listen
wholeheartedly. Because the Dhamma which goes back and forth, making
contact with things both near and far, internally and externally while
Venerable Acariya brought them up and displayed them is the Dhamma which
helps in all ways in everything down in the body and the citta of those
who can listen to it, and there is no way left for doubt to arise.
After listening to the talk which Venerable Acharn gave, with
great metta and hearing about what is good and virtuous as well as what
is bad and faulty, the heart of the listener which has in the past
gathered, accumulated and guarded all the kilesas, thinking of them as
being fundamentally good things right from the first beginning should be
willing to let go of them and get rid of them, otherwise it means that
his heart must have been much too blind, dull and closed. But who would
deliberately set themselves to accumulate and shower more dukkha on
themselves at such a time? Especially after they had determined to
listen to the truth with full-hearted willingness, from their Acariya
who reveals Dhamma that is wholly true? Rather, they would just be
listening to his teaching which was true Dhamma, so as to see clearly
what was faulty and what virtuous in themselves, following his talk.
Then those things which were wrong and faulty should be willingly let go
of whereas those that were virtuous should be held to and developed in
accordance with the truth and their intention, this is the only way for
them.
Therefore, those who listen for the sake of the truth of Dhamma
which the Acariya is displaying in a true and valid way, have a means of
“knowing” and of “getting rid of”, and this is the result that comes,
and this result is their confirmation and guarantee. Diseases which are
cured by medicines, and kilesas which are got rid of by Dhamma are both
instances of natural processes which are used in the world and in Dhamma
respectively. The exceptions are of course the disease which does not
“listen” to the medicine and the type of kilesas which will not look at
Dhamma. Wherever such a situation exists and arises it is bound to lead
to ruin inescapably — so such people are said to be “beyond hope”. |
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15. Kammatthana
Bhikkhus’ Ways of Behaviour
Behaving in Economic Ways
The Dhutanga Bhikkhus and in particular Venerable Acharn Mun,
always tend to be fastidiously careful and economical with their
possessions and things which they use. Venerable Acharn was never
wasteful and this he maintained without exception throughout. However,
many of the requisites he had, and other things which were helpful in
his way of life, he never used them in an ostentatious way and he always
kept up these practices consistently. But when it came to giving help to
other Bhikkhus, whatever he had and however much, he was ready to give
all of it, and he was never seen to keep back and accumulate things. He
used to give things away to help the Bhikkhus, novices, the elder monks,
Upasakas, the poor lay followers and others who came to see him, and it
seemed to all of us who knew him that his citta was brimful with metta
and compassion for the whole world without limit.
As for the requisites and other things that he himself wore and
used, he acted in a different way, for he acted as if he was a destitute
Bhikkhu, as if he had nothing of any value on him at all. His three
robes and bathing cloth were all worn and torn and one could see that
they were made up of bits and pieces put together and patched and mended
all over. When one first saw them one could not help feeling a bit upset
and sorry, because it was so unusual to see such a thing in the Sangha
in Thailand. In fact Venerable Acharn was probably the first to do such
a thing nowadays, for he tried to keep on patching and mending his robes
until there was hardly anything but patches left. Until the substance of
the original cloth had become rotten and entirely disappeared and it
looked as if it was a robe made up entirely of patches of new cloth sewn
together. Thus the robe, being made of bits of cloth of different shades
of colour, appeared mottled like the stripes of a tiger or the spots of
a leopard. When the robe finally became unfit to wear, he still would
not throw it away, but used it first as a towel or as foot rags, and
afterwards for other things where it would still be of some value. Until
finally it was torn to bits and so broken up that there was nothing more
that one could do with it. Only then would he agree to throw it away.
Whatever cloth it was — whether his three principle robes which he
wore, or any other cloth that he used, if it was torn it had to be
patched up and mended until finally it became offensive in the sight of
most people. For people had never seen anyone act like this in Thailand
where there has always been plenty of the necessities of life. So people
forget themselves and naturally tend to be extravagant and opulent, even
amongst the poor. But Venerable Acharn was never concerned about other
people blaming and praising him for acting in this way. Even with the
various utensils and other things which were used in the monastery, such
as the bamboo buckets (for scooping up water), tin cans, water scoops
and all sorts of other things. For when any of them were damaged he
would take them and mend them or adapt them to some new purpose where
they would be of some use until they finally reached a state where they
were beyond recovery when he would consent to throw them away.
In looking after his possessions and other things which were used
either in the Wat or the hut where he stayed he was very strict. For
everything had to be put away properly or arranged in an orderly and
tidy manner, not just thrown down anywhere so that they may be lost or
get in the way and be a nuisance about the place. If in putting anything
away after using it, someone put it in the wrong place or improperly, he
would ask and find out who had done it and then immediately rebuke and
scold him and teach him not to do that again.
Once there was a Bhikkhu who had some doubts in his mind, or maybe
he just wanted to find out how Venerable Acharn would react, and he
asked him:
“As far as your possessions and the other things are concerned it
is not important, but when it comes to your outer robe (sanghati) your
inner robe (civara) and the skirt robe (sabong) which are a Bhikkhu’s
most important requisites, Venerable Acharn should use the new robes
which the lay supporters give, so as to respond to their gifts of faith.
For Venerable Acharn is not hard up nor without support and people often
come here with faith and give all the requisites. As for your old robes,
you should throw them out so that others who want them could take them
as objects of reverence, so please give them away. But you should not
keep using them until they are all torn and patched up everywhere so
that they give a mottled appearance like a leopard walking past a market
place which is how it is at present. For when your followers see you
like this they feel uncomfortable and ashamed in the face of the
villagers who come here all the time to pay homage and give dana to
Venerable Acharn. For they all give plenty of dana willingly, of all
kinds every time, and it is not as though we were so hard up that you
need to be very economical in the use of your robes, patching and
mending them as you do at present. This makes us feel too ashamed for
Venerable Acharn and we would rather that you did not do this. In fact
we would like Venerable Acharn to act in a way which is more appropriate
to your renown as an Acariya who teaches people from all over the
country.”
“I have made this request to Venerable Acharn with sincere
respect, faith and affection. But when I see Venerable Acharn wearing
robes and using things which are torn, worn out, all patched up and
mended the whole time without ever changing them for new ones, even when
we have got them, it makes me feel inferior and ashamed in the face of
the lay people. As if my Teacher has no value. Please forgive me if what
I have said is wrong or improper in any way, but I have done so with the
best of intentions and only because I have the greatest reverence and
respect for Venerable Acharn.”
After he had finished speaking and respectfully saluted, Venerable
Acharn sat quietly, almost as if he had not heard, and all the other
Bhikkhus kept quiet and still, waiting. Then Venerable Acharn began to
speak in a calm level voice, saying:
“The Lord Buddha was supremely clever and wise and the bliss which
he discovered and which comes from wisdom was superior to everything
known in the worlds. The Buddha was the first to discover it, and the
teaching which he gave to those companions who were also seeking the
way, was “beyond the clouds” — in other words, beyond all conventional
suppositions (sammuti). Nobody else could practise the way and teach as
the Lord did, for the Dhamma Teaching (Sasana–Dhamma) which came from
his mouth is a “middle way Dhamma” (Majjhima–Dhamma), which is always
appropriate and well suited to people in all ages and places. It did not
conflict with the truth which would have made it blameworthy to his
associates who were looking for a reasoned teaching to show them how to
go onwards for the purpose of salvation and safety by following this
teaching.”
“In his practice, the Lord did everything with carefulness and
circumspection. In his experience of Dhamma, he experienced it with the
carefulness and circumspection of Dhamma. So that the teaching which he
taught was also done with carefulness and circumspection in accordance
with the principles of the Sasada — the Great Teacher, who was the first
Teacher, and it has never been found to be deficient or defective in any
of its parts as the religious teaching (Sasana–Dhamma) of the Lord.
Therefore, if we who are just practising this teaching, compare what we
are doing with the energetic striving and the accompanying difficulties
and torments which the Lord endured for the sake of his followers, all
of us would appear weak and flabby, just waiting to eat our next meal,
for we do not have any great difficulties to contend with at all. Just
think about the Lord and how he led the Savakas to practise the way! Did
he lead them to be conceited, proud and playful, or to be content and
satisfied with what they have got and glad to have whatever happens to
come in the way of requisites and other things that are of use? Did he
lead them into ways of plentiful abundance of things as if turning them
into living corpses possessed by the kilesas and tanha, or into the way
of having few possessions and freedom from all worry? Did he lead them
by being thrifty and by curbing those desires which draw them on and
inundate their hearts so that they are never satisfied and never have
enough? Or by being extravagant and distracted because of carelessness
and lack of mindfulness?”
“This is enough for you to be able to see that those Bhikkhus who
turn themselves into such conceited and extravagant people are difficult
to look after, both for themselves and for other people. They have big
mouths and large stomachs, and even though the lay supporters are many
and generous, they cannot keep up with the kilesas in the hearts of such
Bhikkhus.”
“Keeping and looking after things which are of such a nature that
one can see potentials for further use and value in them, and being
economical and thrifty in all forms of wealth so that they will always
last a long time by not disturbing them and speculating with them and
opening a possibility of their all being lost, and this is the way that
people who are rational and clever act and do things. Such people are
not conceited, puffed up and vain, nor do they show off without having
any real substance in themselves. For to be like that would lead to
their wealth being all frittered and wasted away however much they
started out with. None of that which should have brought them enough
profit to form the root and basis of life and future virtue would remain
and they would not even have the pittance of a poor man who has an
economical nature and trains himself to be thrifty.”
“But those who laid down roots and a basis of behaviour which is
good and gracious and which gives the world a way to think and to set up
basic principles about wealth and the citta from that time on were not
wastefully extravagant. They were not spendthrifts, led on by ambition
without ever being able to restrain themselves all through their lives.
For whoever is foolish enough to promote such strange thoughts and to
act on them will become a dead person of the kind who has no graveyard
to go to and leading all his progeny to go the same way also.”
Venerable Acharn then asked that Bhikkhu: “Have you ever seen how
a monkey takes food which is given to it by a person, and how it eats
the food?”
He replied: “Yes, I have seen it, but I have never noticed how it
takes the food nor how it eats it.” To which Venerable Acharn replied:
“You haven’t even noticed how a monkey eats and you are not able
to answer me on this point. Then why is it that you are bringing into
question the way that I use my requisites, without putting forward any
good reasons which would be worth listening to? I am always ready to
listen to words of both praise and criticism, because the Dhamma of the
Lord Buddha is to be found everywhere and even words of praise and
criticism are Dhamma if one examines them impartially and lets them be
Dhamma. But if one does not examine them properly, they become the ‘way
of the world’ and a cause of delusion — both words of praise and of
blame.”
“You have not even noticed the way of living and eating of the
monkeys sufficiently to know something of their nature, so how can you
know anything about the way of living and utilising things of the Lord
Buddha and the Savakas and the way they practised in their capacity as
the Great Teacher (Sasada) and the Sons of the Sakya who can be a sure
refuge to the world.”
“Do you want to hear some of the ways in which the natures of
monkeys are different from those of people, or not? If you don’t want to
hear about the nature of monkeys to add to your mindfulness and wisdom,
but want to fly up into the sky to know about the Aryan ways and customs
of the Sasana, I am afraid it would be climbing up too high and I don’t
want to give any such explanation to you.”
“I have never heard anyone talk about the nature and
characteristics of monkeys,” the Bhikkhu replied. “But when Venerable
Acharn asked me about it I became curious and I would like to know how
they are different from human beings. Before now I have seen them often
in passing, but I got tired of them and did not like to look at them,
because they are animals which by nature are disorderly and they cannot
keep still and live quietly together. But I don’t know anything more
profound than this about them.”
After this Venerable Acharn Mun went on to explain to this Bhikkhu
about the nature of monkeys saying:
“Monkeys are like people who have disorderly habits and who don’t
like living quietly and peacefully in the manner and way of Dhamma as
gentle people do. They are animals who like to act playfully, and this
is true whether small or large and male or female, and this trait runs
through the whole of the monkey family. Their inconsequential
playfulness knows no bounds or limits — like people who have never been
trained in moral ways. Even when they become old and grey or
white-haired like wool, they never know the meaning of calm and peace,
what causes it and how, and one can never trust them even when they have
been brought up and lived with people the whole time until they become
adults. For their natures and characteristics remain unchanged and they
show no interest in taking up and assuming any human characteristics at
all. They were born as monkeys, they live as monkeys and they die as
monkeys and they never pick up any other traits.”
“People who take up and assume the characteristics of the monkeys
as their own are therefore much worse, evil and violent than monkeys,
and they cause a lot of trouble and do widespread harm in the world, far
beyond what monkeys are capable of doing. When I was staying in a cave
where lots of monkeys were milling about, I saw for myself what they
were like. This was when I first went out wandering and doing the
ascetic practices (Dhutanga) and I had not learnt enough about the
nature of these animals. When they came around searching for food in
front of the mouth of the cave where I was staying, they were, at first,
afraid. But after they had seen enough of me to realise that I was not
dangerous to them they came by looking for food almost every day.”
“Seeing these monkeys coming in large numbers, I felt sorry for
them as they swarmed about climbing up and down in the area in front of
the cave. There were both large and small ones and none of them were
interested in this person. After I had eaten my food in the morning, I
would give them what was left over, sharing it out between them. When it
was time for them to come, there were bananas, rice and fruit of various
kinds which I laid out on an outcrop of rock so that they could come and
take it themselves. As soon as I had finished putting it out and turned
my back, they all went for the food, scrambling and fighting each other
for it in complete confusion and turmoil without any thought or fear of
me at all. The next day they came earlier and waited for me to put out
food for them. After only two or three days of this they showed
themselves up for what they really were in no uncertain way without any
deference to me, or fear. They all came in, jumping all over the place
and searching for food where I was staying until all my possessions were
scattered all over the place. This happened while I was away getting
food on pindapata, but also, when I was there, some of them even came up
baring their teeth as if they were about to bite me while moving their
mouths and twisting their eyebrows into a menacing expression, trying to
frighten me. As if to say, “we monkeys are much quicker and more slick
than human beings, and people cannot compete with us. If you don’t want
to be hurt you better not cause any trouble or we are likely to jump on
you without warning.” I had to use various ways to scare them off until
they all decided to go away from that district. After that I learned not
to give food to any of the monkeys even though I felt sorry for them,
nor did I make any gesture indicating intimacy with them, in the way
that I had previously done. Therefore they never came and bothered me
any more.”
“These are animals that cannot be trusted at all. Even if one
feels sorry for them and looks after them well, they are still monkeys
who are restlessly playful and tricky, who know nothing of virtue nor
recognise that one is helping them. When I gave food out to them, they
all ran and crowded around me in a most obnoxious way. They were so
greedy for the food that some of them almost bit my hand, for they
quickly came in snatching and grabbing while jumping excitedly about. It
was really a loathsome spectacle to see the way they crowded around
while shouting “gork gack” and trying to intimidate me, even while I was
giving them food out of kindness. Monkeys are really the most dreadful
and irritating animals.”
“Have you ever noticed what those monkeys are like that people
look after at home and, when one stretches one’s hand out to give some
food to them, how they react, both to this food and to the person giving
it?”
The Bhikkhu replied, saying: “I don’t know, because all I did was
give them food and did not notice while doing so how they reacted or
what characteristics they displayed.”
Venerable Acharn continued with his explanation, saying: “It makes
little difference who gives food to this class of animal, for they are
mainly interested in what they are going to get right now. Their eyes
will be fixed firmly on the food while they jump up and down. But in a
level open place they run back and forth with their hands stretched out
to snatch the food from the hand of the person who is feeding them. Once
they have got hold of it they quickly peel it, tear it open and eat it
immediately while their eyes roll about looking here and there
restlessly as well as looking at the fruit in their hands while breaking
it apart, biting, chewing and swallowing it. If they see that there is
still some food left in that person’s hand and a chance that they may
get some more, they quickly chew up what they have got, stuffing it in
their checks while keeping their eyes on his hand and stretching out
their hands to ask for more. If he gives them some more food they
quickly eat and swallow some and stuff some in their checks again, and
any that is left over they just throw away. Then they stretch out their
hands again, asking for more! Their begging can never be satisfied
however much one gives them and they will go on and on until there is
none left. Only then do they stop and turn to chewing up the food stored
in their checks.”
“Monkeys are very extravagant and wasteful animals and they are
never satisfied with what a person gives them while they can get more
out of him. Even though their stomachs are quite small, like other
animals of the same body size, yet their greed, extravagance and
wastefulness are so great that it is hard to find any other animal to
equal them.”
“You will probably understand that I brought up the ways of the
monkeys as a kind of simile for comparison with your request for me to
dispose of my old possessions and change them for new ones, even though
the old ones are still usable. In other words you are asking me to act
like those monkeys, and to accept monkeys as the great teacher (Sasada),
to teach me in place of the Sasana of the Lord Buddha who knew what was
appropriate and sufficient in all things. Because the manner of acting
which you asked me to practise is the way that the monkeys act which
accords with their animal nature which knows nothing of what is meant by
Dhamma. But someone who knows something of what is meant by Dhamma
should think and consider his own position as well as the position of
Dhamma in regard to what is appropriate for him to do or not do.”
“To speak with the intention of promoting what is good is
praiseworthy, but the value in your intention is not compatible with the
loss of Dhamma which would be incurred. This means such forms of Dhamma
as, being content with little, for this Dhamma has always brought calm
and peace to the world since long ago. This is because it is a form of
Dhamma well suited to those in the world who are contented and glad to
keep within bounds, and who have limiting conditions in their hearts
which they should cherish and keep close to and strive to practise and
follow gladly, not letting the value, the essence, which comes from the
Dhamma slip away and be lost, to their regret.”
“You should think deeply and carefully about the Sasana, and about
the owner of the Sasana (the Buddha) as to what sort of person he was.
Did the Lord go along with the way of the world; or what way did he go?
In teaching the Sasana, how did he teach so that the world was ready and
willing to accept and pay homage to him and to follow him in practice
right down to the present day in people such as ourselves here. The
Sasana–Dhamma which he taught continually in all its details is the
complete and perfect ‘Svakkhata–Dhamma’ (Supremely Taught Dhamma). It is
also the ‘Niyyanika–Dhamma’ — the Dhamma which can reduce and eliminates
dukkha, and anxiety both great and small entirely in anyone who
practises properly, following his teaching in a full and complete
manner.”
“Moreover, you should think deeply and carefully in accordance
with the principles of the Sasana, whether someone who turns himself
into a wealthy, opulent and famous person who excites the envy of people
in the world in this age has more or less dukkha and worry both in his
heart and body than someone who lives a steady unassuming life, doing
what is necessary in accordance with his circumstances. I am not very
well educated, but it seems obvious to me that the one who becomes
opulent, puffing himself up bigger than the world, is going the right
way to kill himself without realising that he is his own executioner.”
“When people think of going beyond what is sufficient and
reasonable, they are bound to make ever increasing trouble and
disturbances for themselves until they cannot find any calm and peace of
body or mind. For they always feel uncertain about the future, so that
then the heart must think how to increase and inflate their businesses
more and more whatever kind of business it may be, until they have no
time to rest and take it easy. They are like water which is turbid and
muddy and cannot be used for washing or anything else. So their minds
and bodies must go round and round like a machine to achieve or get what
they set out for. If they cannot, they become anxious and perturbed,
because their efforts cannot keep up with their desires, like water
flowing over the river banks. When they cannot get what they want by
straight and honourable means, they will go in for crooked and
dishonourable ways. Whenever they can steal, they steal; whenever they
can snatch and grab, they snatch and grab; whenever they can hold up
anyone at gunpoint to rob them, they do so; whenever they can cheat,
blackmail, hold to ransom, or even kill people, they do so. They have no
shame or fear of the world’s opinion of them, nor are they afraid of
doing evil things and the Kamma they make, because they are driven by
their overpowering desires. Finally they are caught by the authorities
and put away in jail where they experience the results of their own
greedy desires. Or else they may be killed before they are caught by the
authorities, and thrown away into the jungle or into a swamp and nothing
more is heard of them, the body having disappeared for ever, which is
more degraded than an animal and is a sorry and inhuman way to end.”
“This is the evil of monkey ways; for they are animals which are
always in want and never satisfied with anything, even though their
mouths and stomachs are relatively no larger than those of other
animals. But monkeys will die for the desire in their hearts rather than
from hunger for food, and when anyone takes up those ways which lead to
self-destruction, such as those which the monkeys use, whether a Bhikkhu
or lay person, they must be abnormal and quite different from normal
people in the world who have a sense of what is enough.”
“If a Bhikkhu is like this, he will strive to find and get the
various requisites of a monk (including money) in all sorts of ways with
a restless intent instead of having a sense of shame or an interest in
the Dhamma and Vinaya which is the good and proper way for one who has
gone forth (Samana). This is what makes the lay followers and supporters
feel disillusioned and fed up, and wherever such a Bhikkhu goes the lay
people avoid him, even though they have plenty of faith in Dhamma in
their hearts. But they avoid him and keep away from him because they
cannot stand the tricky ways of begging and bothering them in asking for
money or other things, of this skilled and clever Bhikkhu.”
Venerable Acharn asked the Bhikkhu: “Do you know what that Bhikkhu
was skilled and clever at doing?”
“I don’t know,” he replied.
So Venerable Acharn told him: “He was skilled just in asking for
things all the time. For if any Bhikkhu becomes extravagantly minded,
with many wants and desires and he goes about searching for personal
wealth, he will be like this in everything, having no shame in what
he is doing. He just has the intention and the fixed aim of getting
money, saying: ‘Please give me that.’ In fact his meditation practice is
the repetition of ‘Please give me that,’ and nothing else. He has no
need of reciting the chants or meditating by holding in mind a word or a
long saying like all the others who practise meditation. He just has
this one saying — which has caused enough disturbance in the world
already. If he goes on doing this much more it will surely break up the
world!”
Venerable Acariya asked him: “Do you want that short saying? It
will bring you the Path and Fruition easily in a way that none of the
Savakas ever attained to it.” “No I don’t want it,” he replied, “because
it is a saying which destroys both the religion and people.”
“If you don’t want it,” said Venerable Acharn, “then why are you
asking me to behave like a monkey? For this saying is one that has come
from nowhere but the monkeys, having been adapted for us in this short
saying.”
“Please forgive me for putting forward my wrong ideas,” said the
Bhikkhu. “I did so because I thought that it would be more convenient
and comfortable for Venerable Acharn without it being harmful to you or
to the practice of Dhamma in the Sasana. If I had thought that it was in
line with the way of the monkeys which are such careless, conceited
animals as Venerable Acharn has explained, I should not have said
anything. Because I had no intention of doing any harm in making this
request of Venerable Acharn.”
Venerable Acharn replied: “Even though you did not think of going
in that direction, yet what you asked me to do pointed quite clearly in
that direction.”
“There is no need for us to go about asking or telling others to
follow suit in everything they do. It is enough for us to see and hear
the things which are happening all the time right in front of us, for
they are the things that teach us quite well enough for us to be able to
hold them in mind as examples. Those things which can make people good,
or bad, are to be found almost everywhere and there is no need to go to
college to learn how to pick them up. The good things turn those who
take them up and practise them into good people who can progress and
develop, whereas the bad things lead those who do them to deterioration
and ruin, and there is no need to broadcast and advertise this to make
people believe that this happens. For example, a person or family which
tends to be wasteful and thriftless will also tend to cause the same
characteristics in other members of the family until the whole family
becomes wasteful and thriftless. Then whatever income they get is never
enough to cover what they spend, because each member of the family has
become addicted to spending money in the same way and none of them have
any interest in being economical or saving. Even the water in a canal
can be dried up when it flows away without stopping.”
“Let us compare one family that practises economy and looks after
their wealth, spending with reason as their guiding principle against
another family who are wasteful and thriftless and have the tendency of
spending without restraint; and let us see which one of them has more
peace and contentment, and which has more trouble and worry. I can say
for sure that, a family which has principles has security. They will
have much more contentment and happiness in their own family circle and
in their relations with the rest of the world than the family which has
a disease for which there is no remedy and no doctor to cure it — in
other words, the disease of having no restraint in spending and no
ability to save. But quite apart from the happiness and contentment for
themselves and their family, there is the question of bringing up their
own children and the way they influence other children and people who
are associated with them; and how they should turn them into good people
who have a good name and restraint in their behaviour and in their use
of the requisites of living of all kinds including the care and
protection of their various forms of wealth so that it may act as a firm
foundation for them for a long time into the future. As for those people
and families who have no self-control or moderation in looking after
themselves, not only will they be anxious and troubled in the present,
but they are likely to influence their children and relatives in the
same way, causing disruption and disrepute in their family, relatives
and friends, for a long time to come.”
“I have never seen anyone who is without a guiding principle in
his heart yet who keeps his property and wealth intact and in good
order. But I have often seen how such a person goes to loss and ruin;
how his debts and mortgages load him down and ruin him until he has
nothing left that he can call his own. From where can such a person
establish anything to make a well based recovery which people could
admire?”
“If people have nothing to force their minds — as well as their
bodies and speech — to behave as they should, nor enough restraint to
weigh up the situation when their many emotional impulses (arammana)
arise in their minds, as is bound to happen with everyone, they will be
quite unable to control themselves and to avoid being submerged by them
even though they may be intelligent and highly educated. This is because
they have acted in those ways of self-destruction such as I have already
mentioned. They are neither good nor praiseworthy and those sages who
are truly wise are most careful to avoid them — more so than anything
else which may cause them harm, whether from the actions of other people
or things. At the same time, such wise people try to maintain themselves
in the ways of virtue the whole time, never yielding and letting
themselves go in whatever way their impulses and circumstances suggest,
unlike those cases which we can see for ourselves who are in a pitiful
miserable state, and there are many more of them than there are of
people who are worthy of respect and admiration. Even worse are those
who like to have various traits of character and then act out their
characteristics, making out that these are what they are; keeping up
with the latest trends and fashions without ever thinking whether they
are of any real value, or whether there is any penalty in doing such
things before they do them. Such people just happen to see or hear these
things by chance and they are all set ready to grasp them quickly and
take them up and act them out, and then to make out that they are big or
important or wealthy, whatever accords with their conceit — which is
just how the monkeys act. They can write out their own death warrant in
full, but there is no doubt that they will only be able to jump a few
steps before falling into the chasm followed by a swarm of flies.”
“In saying this, I am not doing so for the purpose of blaming the
world, or any particular person or group, but I am saying it because it
is the truth which may be seen and known clearly with one’s eyes and
heart within the affairs of us human beings. Nobody can rightly deny
that if anyone acts and behaves in the way I have described, they will
go to ruin and it’s a one way street; in other words, they have signed
their own receipt and their own death warrant, even while they still
talk big, bragging about how clever and well informed they are, what a
good background they come from with plenty of money, counted in millions
which they have made for themselves — although nobody knows where it
could have come from. But their destruction takes place so easily — like
someone who keeps untold wealth in his own house; it only needs his
house to catch fire for all of it to be destroyed within one or two
hours and all he has left is a lot of ashes.”
“I have endeavoured to learn and practise the Dhamma of the Lord
Buddha from the time I was ordained up to the present time — which is
many years now and the more I have learned and practised this way, the
more I have come to see my own stupidity. Instead of becoming clever and
gaining strange and unusual knowledge to contradict the Dhamma of the
Lord, saying that it is untrue, that it is not well taught Dhamma (Svakkhata–Dhamma)
and not the ‘Dhamma which leads to liberation’ (Niyyanika–Dhamma) as it
is claimed in some texts and by some people, whatever the level of
Dhamma and in whatever aspect, the more I have practised it the more
faith I have gained in it, causing me to accept it all completely. I
have no knowledge which makes me feel confident that I could boast and
say that I can contradict the Dhamma of the Lord. In every part of all
of the books of the Ti–Pitaka there is nothing but the Lord giving
teaching about the stupidity of people and other beings who make the
boast that they are so skilled and clever in what they know, yet they
cannot even compete with a frightened monkey which is looking for a way
to hide from people. If you say that people such as ourselves are more
clever than the monkeys, we must know what things are dangerous and
harmful to us and keep away from them and diminish their hold over us,
and we must not be reckless and over self-confident about these things.
Wherever I look I see only people bragging about how clever they are at
doing evil things which are harmful both to themselves and everyone
else. Nobody seems to be clever and wise enough to be able to avoid and
get away from these blameworthy things so as not to become intimate with
them and to turn them into close companions all the time by day and
night and in all activities. For this makes them become ever more firmly
embedded so that they will never be able to get away from them enough to
look into their hearts and see Dhamma there, which can then flow out
into bodily actions and speech to give them some peace.”
“Have you ever thought about how subtle and profound is the Dhamma
teaching (Sasana–Dhamma) of the Lord Buddha? As far as most of us are
concerned, we can only use our hearts which are full of dirty, filthy
kilesas to fathom out the Dhamma of the Lord and all we get is blaming
and criticism arising within us, saying: ‘Dhamma is difficult to
practise and those who practise Dhamma must go against the way of the
world if they are going to practise at all. The Lord Buddha taught
Dhamma but it seems to me that it does not accord with the true nature
of the world. For the teaching says that, if one does good one gets
good, if one does evil one gets evil — but I have done good until I have
almost died, yet I don’t see any good from it at all. But there are
plenty of other people who don’t seem to have done good in any way, yet
they are rich millionaires with vast wealth who have gone far beyond me
while I have been doing good all the time. So I don’t see how the Dhamma
can be true as it has been taught. And again, if there is any truth in
it about evil, why does it appear that those who do evil seem to get
away with it, whereas in times of necessity, those who have done good
don’t seem to be helped by the merit they have made. So there are
probably no such things as good and evil, nor hell, heaven and Nibbana,
for if there are, where are they? Those people who have died, both good
and evil, just disappear and never seem to come back to tell us about
it. Or, to let us know enough so that we may feel confident and desire
to make merit, to give dana, to guard our morality and to practise some
meditation, so that when we die we can all go to heaven and Nibbana’.”
“These are the kind of things which are attached to our hearts and
which arise when we try to penetrate the Dhamma of the Lord Buddha
because the ‘world’ likes this kind of thing. But, doing it in this way
there is no hope of acquiring and firmly establishing those good things
which are portrayed in Dhamma — because the kilesas don’t care for
Dhamma — they just care for the kilesas and nothing else. So all that is
acquired is more filthy kilesas.”
“The Dhamma was never taught for those people who are just
waiting ready to contradict and destroy Dhamma by using various kinds
of thoughts and views. But it was taught for those people who search for
the proof of the truth as derived from the true Dhamma. Therefore it is
not the Dhamma of complaining, of guesswork or speculation, like that of
most of us who look deeply into Dhamma with a heart that is unclean; and
then reach down and draw up a lot of filth which we sniff at and lay the
blame on Dhamma with a lack of sincerity. After which the heart, based
on that ground says: ‘I can think and speak quite freely.’ But it
doesn’t know that the odour which it smells is its own filth and there
isn’t any Dhamma which they can blame anywhere near it. However much
people blame and find fault with Dhamma causes no disturbance to Dhamma
at all. All that happens is that they will get back a lot of disturbance
in themselves which comes from their own thoughts and speech, even as
they think with self-satisfaction how: ‘We are privileged because we can
dispute and criticise Dhamma with a clear conscience.’ ”
“Dhamma is very precise and subtle and it is difficult for those
hearts which have kilesas such as ours and yours to penetrate and reach
it, as we have already explained above. Therefore although your
intention was good in making this request of me, it also brought up an
important aspect of Dhamma concealed within it. For thriftiness,
economy, contentment and satisfaction with little are all factors of
mind (dhamma) which mean the same thing as, being careful and not
forgetting oneself. And those who practise these Dhammas are sure to be
able to conduct and look after themselves in a way that is admirable,
regardless of whether they are ordained members of the Sangha or lay
people. A Bhikkhu, even though he has the greatest of good fortune with
large numbers of people who have faith in him and praise him — or
alternatively, a lay person who is more or less wealthy, if they are not
full of pride and vanity nor easily forget themselves in their good
fortune, they can still turn their external wealth to good use in a way
that depends on the basic nature of this wealth. Then it can promote the
happiness and contentment of the owner as well as bringing honours to
him. His wealth thus acts like a true friend who is always there, ready
to stand by him in times of suffering and great necessity. It does not
then become an enemy, an agent which harms him and spoils him, which is
so often the case amongst those who are careless and thoughtless and
never mend their ways enough to have some peace, calm and gracefulness.
Those who are under the influence of these Dhamma virtues and have them
as part of their natures are the kind of people who are looked upon as
being gracious and dignified by all normal people. They differ greatly
from those who like to put on contrived airs and display fashions and
fancies that excite the kilesas making normal people feel dizzy and off
balance when they see them. As for those people who do these things,
they think that they are beautiful and splendid like Devatas up in the
sky and undoubtedly superior to all others! But when normal people see
them they just get a headache and feel upset and off balance.”
“You should think about these two forms of behaviour by comparing
them so as to get to know them. In what ways do they differ from each
other? Compare these two opposing Dhammas with what I have already
talked about above, and to make it clear I shall give a brief
explanation of what is meant by ‘being provident’, ‘being economical’,
‘being contented (santosa)’ and ‘wanting of little’; please listen
carefully.”
“Providence, or being provident means that a person takes an
interest in and looks after all his valuable and useful possessions, not
letting them go to rack and ruin due to a careless lack of interest, and
not acting like a wasteful spendthrift. When he makes use of them he is
careful not to spoil them when there is no need for it, so that they are
not wasted; for each one of these things, whatever its nature, has come
to him by working for it, or by searching for it. It didn’t come on its
own such that he can afford to look on it as being of little value.”
“Being economical is what comes from the heart of a person who is
fond of and pays attention to the things he uses, and who looks after
those things which are of value to him by being careful with them. He
doesn’t use them and then throw them down anywhere in a careless manner,
but puts them away carefully and properly after having used them. He is
not extravagant in his living and spending, yet he does not make out
that he is hard up while he still has enough goods and wealth to live
reasonably well. Nor does he forget himself when he has plenty of
wealth, but he tries to turn that wealth to good advantage in whatever
way is suitable according to the nature of his wealth. He is not miserly
and tight-fisted but gives support and charity in the same way as others
do. Or, maybe he gives a lot more when there is a valid reason for it,
because the practice of being provident and economical are the ways of
behaviour (dhamma) of those wise ones who always act with reason in
regard to themselves and all those things which they become associated
with everywhere round about them. Therefore, such a person who is
provident and economical does not tend to go in any direction which
would make him open to blame or criticism, but instead, his way of doing
things brings him nothing but praise and admiration.”
“A person who is provident and economical is also one who looks
carefully at all aspects of social intercourse, business and whatever
else he deals with. He is not easily caught out by enticing things which
enter the doors of the senses and stir up the kilesas and he practises
self-restraint and patience with the changing, unstable underlying
falsehoods in the world of society, by means of shrewd judgement (vicarana–ñana).
He does not easily get excited about false, deceptive and scary things
which catch the attention, but he is well contented (santosa) and
satisfied with whatever wealth he has and does not like going about wild
with excitement, jumping into this and colliding with that, under the
influence of a heart that is brim full of raga tanha — but he acts
towards everything in an even handed, consistent way.”
“I will give you examples from lay life to illustrate the value of
those principles of Dhamma and how necessary they are to the hearts of
people in the world. Thus, people who are married have each other as a
constant and valuable possession, and they should be glad and contented
with it; not letting their minds go wild, jumping about all over the
place and wandering out to fall in love with other peoples husbands and
wives or other people down the street in disregard of the Dhamma of
contentment. In other words, being husband and wife to each other
respectively is a long standing and valuable possession that both of
them have. So even though they may be attracted to others to some extent
which is the characteristic way of ordinary people (puthujjana), who
like to pick on anything as it suits their fancy and are never
satisfied, the Dhamma of contentment must firmly force them to withstand
these parasitic emotional attractions (arammana) all the time. It must
not allow their minds and bodies to go out to such things, bringing them
“home” so that they get involved in their valuable and long standing
possessions. For these things will become enemies in their town, their
home or between husband and wife, causing the break up of their family
and the dissipation of their valuable possessions until all is lost.
Close friends will become strangers and the happiness which overshadowed
them due to the Dhamma of contentment which was protecting them will
break up and dissolve into nothing.”
“In order that the Dhamma of contentment shall be fundamental in
one’s life and heart, one must not be interested or concerned with
anything other than one’s own existing possessions which belong to one.
For even though there is greater wealth out there which does not belong
to one, one should not make it any concern of one’s own, for one has got
rid of most of the greed and covetousness that wants to get what belongs
to others. Then oneself and one’s family will be happy throughout and
there will be no break up in one’s family because they all gladly accept
the limiting bounds within which they live. Husband, wife and their
children will also have some peace and happiness and a feeling of
confidence in each other without having any doubts or suspicions to
cause trouble. They will feel quite confident that their possessions and
things of value are truly their own without any of them being like
parasites which go about twisting and altering everything. For there
will just be their whole family unit and their possessions will be
entirely their own, so that each and all of them will feel well disposed
and peaceful because the Dhamma of contentment protects and looks after
the stability of oneself and one’s family, so that they may have value
and worth in their hearts.”
“As for ‘wanting of little’, this is a form of Dhamma which is
much more subtle than ‘contentment’. But both of them are a pair of
Dhamma factors which should grace each family and young men and women in
particular who should keep their behaviour within the bounds of what is
proper. In other words, a young man and woman who love each other should
keep it that way without having any others hanging on in their hearts
which can cause their marriage partner to feel upset, slighted and
inferior, with thoughts such as: “Let him or her go to that other one, I
don’t see any point keeping this up, for it will only be a tiresome lot
of trouble to remain faithful any longer. For when two people love each
other, it must remain ‘each other’, without involving a third party,
whether man or woman, and they must remain faithful to each other from
when they first come together, right through to the end of their lives
without getting excited about anyone but their own partner. Each of them
only loves the one person and their hearts should be joined together in
harmony to the end of their lives. Any others who just wait to break up
their close relationship, they look upon as being parasites. If two
people truly live together as husband and wife to each other and that is
all, even though a Devata, an Angel, should come along, they would not
become intimate with it, because it is not theirs and not what they
truly value, for they only feel happy and confident with each other.
Anything more than this is not — ‘being satisfied with little’ — amongst
those who want peace and happiness in their family, which both husband
and wife can view with full confidence.”
“When we have considered the meaning of being provident, of
economy, of contentment, and wanting little, we should also consider
their opposites for comparison. Then we shall see the full significance
of both sides and how valuable and worthy or baneful and disreputable
they are, respectively. Then, anyone who values reason and truth may be
led to examine them, and choose, and practise whichever of them he finds
suitable.”
“Thus, conceit, pride and vanity in goods and emotional
attachments; being wasteful and extravagant; having one, then thinking
that one would like to have two, then three..., not being satisfied in
what one has already got; and wanting plenty in everything; all of this
is an enemy to oneself and others, and all of these things are enemies
of Dhamma. Going in opposition to Dhamma, such as being improvident, is
a way which leads only to deterioration and loss. Even if someone wants
peace, happiness and development, they are not likely to get it by
destroying Dhamma in this way, simply because it is the wrong way. With
either a Bhikkhu or a lay person, if they go the wrong way it is bound
to lead them to deterioration and distress. Because Dhamma is the
‘centre line’ of the road along which one must go for gain and increase.
This is true both for those who are ordained as well as lay people, and
even though there are some differences between the two, they are not
much and generally speaking these things, such as ‘being satisfied and
wanting little’, are the same for all. It is just that Bhikkhus go the
ways of Bhikkhus and lay people act in the ways of lay people. In both
cases the results should be those of peace and happiness which accord
with the causes, or actions, which people do.”
“The Savakas, in the time of the Lord Buddha, who are ‘Sangham
saranam gacchami’ — our Refuge — in most cases practised the way of
contentment with what they had got and satisfaction with little. Their
fear and concern about privations, difficulties and survival was much
less than their fear of not knowing and seeing Dhamma. Because they were
afraid that they may not come to know and see Dhamma, they tried hard to
make the greatest efforts and put everything they had got into their
striving to know and to see — and therefore they came to know and to see
Dhamma to their hearts content.”
“But as for ourselves, we are only afraid of poverty and
privations, afraid that it will be difficult and tormenting, and afraid
that we may die. If anything is lacking we cant stand it, we feel
depressed, deficient and sorry, and we can’t get down to making the
effort to practise the way. In our hearts there is nothing but kilesas
and the fear of death all the time and everywhere, and Dhamma cannot get
down into this state because the kilesas bar the way and there is no
path for it to penetrate and get in.”
“Wherever we go or stay, if there are lay people, relatives and
friends who come round with faith, followed up by large food carriers
and many dishes of food with plenty of sweet and savoury things, our
hearts are happy and contented because they are made fresh and cool by
food. We smile and applaud with contentment, saying: ‘The atmosphere is
very good here, it is fine and clear and has a good feel about it, so my
meditation practice goes well and comfortably without my having to force
it against the grain, and I am steadily becoming more and more calm.’
But what is the truth? Is his meditation really going well or is he
finding comfort in lying down and sleeping? It is not easy to be sure
for a Bhikkhu who likes this kind of ‘atmosphere’. Because being able to
eat a lot, lying down and sleeping well and much, all go together as
inseparable states. I once did this sort of thing so I know about it
well. If one then goes to a place which is really suitable for
meditation, due to its being free from disturbing things, but lacking in
‘atmosphere’ — meaning little food because there are no large food
carriers walking behind, then one’s ‘atmospheric’ mood finds it
difficult, one can’t put up with it, one complains to the lay people
saying: ‘Oh how difficult the ‘atmosphere’ in this place is, I cannot
stand it here, its too oppressive and I can’t breath freely, so I cant
get calm in meditation and my heart (citta) is difficult to control.
This is quite different from what I am used to and I cannot stand this
atmosphere which is so heavy and oppressive and I must say farewell to
you good lay people and leave today.’ So one gets out quickly to find a
place where the ‘atmosphere’ is good and suitable so that one can do
one’s meditation practice. There, what do you think of that! What do you
think of a Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhu whose meditation is influenced
by the ‘atmosphere’ and whose citta goes down into calm when the
‘atmosphere’ is good? But as soon as the food carriers are not
immediately evident, the ‘atmosphere’ becomes oppressive and his citta
will not become calm in meditation. Supposing that all sorts of things
become deficient or unavailable all together, what will the ‘atmosphere’
be like then? I think he would soon die because there wouldn’t be any
‘atmosphere’ left to breathe; but what do you think about this
‘kammatthana atmosphere’, do you like it? I think its remarkable!”
“If you want to see the real Tathagata and the real Arahants in a
way that is quite clear and obvious to your heart, without any
restriction and limitation due to time and place, you must look into and
examine these questions of deficiency and lack, as well as plenty, of
all those things you need and use, so as to see that such conditions are
normal. And to see that you should depend on these things only to the
extent that they are an aid in penetrating and reaching the intended
purpose. But you should not be emotionally involved (arammana) with any
of them more than you are with Dhamma — which is the intended purpose,
the goal of your endeavours. Contentment and the wanting of little is
the way that all the Noble followers of the Buddha went. Whereas
extravagance and wanting plenty is the way of the ‘Atmosphere
Kammatthana Bhikkhus’ which I have described above, and they will never
be able to get free from dukkha while their hearts are firmly attached
to those things.”
“Eliminating anxiety and worry for those things of various kinds
which we are associated with, is for the purpose of weakening the
emotional attachments (arammana) for them, which are kilesas, each of
its own kind. Anyone who has not yet seen the value of Dhamma in the
form of contentment and wanting little, and other such things, has still
not seen the value of Dhamma enough to want to scramble up with
determination, patience and forbearance. Instead he will be anxious
about his mouth and stomach, afraid of having to put up with
difficulties and afraid that these things will lead to his death.
Finally he will end up inundated with concern about his mouth and
stomach which have always been causing him anxiety. If in doing the
practice of Dhamma, we are not prepared to let go of our emotional
attachments (arammana) to these things, there is no way for us to get
free from all the kilesas. Because all these things which we have been
talking about are the means by which the kilesas tie us up. You should
realise that concern for such things is what inundates those who
practise the way, by means of attachment and longing, until they reach a
point where they cannot get themselves out of it. Or else, they may not
realise that the kilesas are strong enough within them so that they
should be concerned about getting rid of them, enough to make them go
out to a suitable place to enable them to get rid of some of these
kilesas which are bearing down on their hearts. But instead, they become
possessive of those kilesas, afraid that if they vanish from their
hearts it will leave nothing to bring them any fun, nothing to
‘scratch’. They are therefore bound to remain involved in a mess with
these things.”
“Thinking and speaking of these things makes me feel very sorry
and disheartened at the manner in which we who practise the way do not
see freedom from dukkha, which is Dhamma, as being more valuable than
the kilesas which have always been tormenting our hearts. For we think
anxiously about our mouths and stomachs as being more important than
letting go for the sake of freedom. But those who delight in Dhamma and
see how resolute and courageous the Acariya is in his practice, feel
ever more inclined to strive with determination in their own practice.
This is as it should be for those who have come to learn and train for
the purpose of Dhamma and its meaning, and for truly getting free from
and dispersing the kilesas and the load of dukkha from their hearts.
Such a Bhikkhu may think: ‘He (the Acariya) is a person; I am a person.
He has a heart; so have I. He can put up with these difficulties; so can
I. He has reached a high state; I shall endeavour to reach it also
without retreating and giving way to let the kilesas laugh and mock at
me. He has attained freedom; I shall also go on trying to gain freedom,
by following him, until I do so, for his kilesas were just in his heart
in the same way as mine are, and they are not a heap which is piling up
and increasing before and behind me like a mountain or a jungle.’ I am
quite certain that someone who has strong interest and intention to
follow the training and do the practice for himself and for true Dhamma
in the foregoing manner, is bound to be able to attain freedom one day
sooner or later, for sure.”
“The way I act in regard to my requisites and other things of
various sorts, such as patching and darning, or adapting things to make
use of them and repairing things as necessary, is because I have seen
the value of having these mental attitudes (dhamma) as habitual
characteristics. And because I am anxious for my friends in Dhamma and
followers, that they may otherwise not have any way of practice left in
the future. For in this age the tendency is to practise kammatthana in
lazy, easy, self-indulgent ways. They tend to do everything in such a
manner that — once the food is cooked they immediately eat the lot, and
spoil everything. In other words, as soon as the food is about cooked it
is all eaten up by their mouths, stomachs and the fire all together,
without leaving anything over for tomorrow. (The meaning here is that,
as soon as they leave the meditation practice there is no Dhamma value
left, such as calm and peace. It is all blown away completely, by
emotional attachments — arammana).”
“I believe quite firmly that those things which I do are in
accordance with the Noble (Ariya) actions and Noble customs which they
have always practised. Because they are actions which are done with an
awareness of danger, without forgetting oneself. They are not done in
the manner of the monkeys who eat something, then throw it away and look
around for something new with no thought for that which they had before
as to whether there is still some of it left which is good to eat as
food. People who are rather mad in their excitement with the latest
fads, fashions and fancies are like this. How can they ever have any
basic principles in their hearts to give them guidance to look after
their possessions and wealth. Their shirts, trousers and other clothing,
they wear once or twice and then throw them away saying: ‘These are too
old to wear, they are out of date and not in fashion now.’ After which
they go looking for new ones, as if money flowed into their pockets of
itself, like the water in the ocean.”
“They never think how even though they get the most expensive and
special things to wear, to decorate and display themselves, they still
remain a person — the same person as the one who is presently so full of
vanity. From where will they get anything of supreme and undying (sara)
value? As for putting on those decorative clothes, what matters is that
they remain the same person as they were before. Their characters,
whether good or bad remain virtually unchanged — unless, that is, they
change themselves with those practices which bring them virtue and value
by doing them. Because the virtue and value in people is dependent only
on their knowledge, skill and behaviour and there is nothing at all in
their dress and decoration to delude and hypnotise them so that they
forget themselves in their excitement. Unless that is, they do it to
deceive other people whose sight is dim and deluded, like rabbits that
are frightened by a loud noise and run away until their legs almost
break. But I cannot see that there is anything praiseworthy in it so
that one may say: ‘Their virtue and value has increased at all by
wearing those expensive clothes and opulent things which they keep
changing several times a day.’ ”
“What in fact such people inescapably get from doing this sort of
thing is damage to their own character, bad habits, as well as a
‘leaking heart’, a heart without principles or basis, and they can
never be themselves as they truly are with a good set of guiding
principles. This leads them to create their own destruction as well as
that of their society and future generations who pick up the same
deluded ways, perpetuating them into the future. This is the evil result
which is sure to come from doing such things; but those who act in this
way are bound to see it for themselves. There is no need to have a
committee to judge and to decide to make it difficult for them, as they
do when there is a conflict of interests, for they will know what things
are evil, and what are good. They will also know the meaning of dukkha
and sukha, and all this they will know in themselves, and there is no
need for anyone to tell them.”
“This is like the practice of Dhamma, for those who have already
done the practice and gained satisfactory results from it, and teach and
point out the right way for those who follow. But if their followers
look for trouble, saying that the way is difficult, too old fashioned
and out of date, and they have no confidence in following their teacher,
nor in doing the practice with full commitment of heart, then the way is
blocked — like a dead person who knows no good or evil, no happiness or
sorrow at all. In the next stage, when such people become teachers,
their pupils will behave like monkeys without any restraint or rules of
behaviour to give them some discipline. Whatever they want to do they
will be free to do and to follow the ways of animals, which know no
language. But we are people and Bhikkhus, and we cannot stay in the same
world if they act like this, so they will have to be driven out to live
in a charnel ground with the dead, or to live in the jungles with the
monkeys and apes. But they are not likely to consent to this because
they consider that they are people who are still alive and not yet dead,
that they are human and not monkeys and so cannot live in such places.
In the end they become people who are always contentious and discordant
both in the world and Dhamma, and they make themselves objectionable and
disliked by society as well as causing a lot of concern and trouble.”
“The manner of practising Dhamma in which they do a bit here and a
bit there without ever getting down to it properly is what obstructs and
hinders the field of practice. Then they become ‘kammatthana parasites’
in the field of practice, hidden amongst the others who are their
companions and who are fully committed and determined to do the practice
properly. These parasites do not want to go away from the others to let
them get free from their (parasites) dirty stinking mud, because there
are people who come to visit them, wanting to ask and learn about Dhamma
and these parasites can then talk to them, boastfully claiming that they
are Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus in the line of Venerable Acharn Mun
and Venerable Acharn Sao. Then they trade on the names of their teacher
and the Acariyas, making use of them continually. They stink worse than
rotting fish in the market.”
“In saying this, I am not blaming you, nor saying what kind of
Kammatthana Bhikkhu you are. But I must point out any cases of moral
teaching which are appropriate to my companions and those who have
accepted me as their Acariya, so that they may know the way to avoid and
evade such issues and how to choose ways of action which are entirely
good and appropriate. The result will then be for all of you to some
extent.”
“I am getting very old now and I am concerned as to how my
followers in Dhamma will keep up the tradition of doing things in the
way that I have taught them. As for that question which you asked me,
there was nothing wrong with it so far as the relationship of teacher
and pupil is concerned. Because our welfare is interrelated, and when
one sees one’s teacher do things which one is afraid may make
difficulties for him, out of respect, affection and complete trust in
him in all things, one wants to make it more easy and convenient for
him. So one talks about it with him with the intention and hope that it
will bring benefit to him. Therefore I don’t look on it as being wrong
in any way that you asked me to do those things. But, in order to uphold
the Aryan tradition so that it may remain harmonious, undisturbed and
fully satisfying in the future, both for ourselves and for those who
follow as in future generations, so that they may take up what we do as
a basis to be followed in practice, I respectfully ask my companions in
Dhamma to commit yourselves to the practices of being provident, being
economical, being contented and satisfied with little, and doing it with
sincerity in regard to all your requisites to maintain the tradition and
to be someone who goes the way of practice smoothly and consistently.
Then all the kilesas and their tricks will not create unreasonable
amounts of trouble for you, because you will have the Dhutanga practices
to counter them and weaken them constantly. These four articles of
Dhamma are very important in the field of practice and I ask you to
please realise this in your hearts.”
“As long as someone has these four Dhammas in his heart, he will
be calm and at peace both in his heart and in his outward activities,
and no stain or blemish will become attached to him while this is so.
Then wherever he goes or stays he will be happy, his body, speech and
heart being calm and peaceful and no danger to anyone. The external
activities and behaviour of a Bhikkhu who has these Dhammas in his heart
is pleasant to see, inducing peace in the hearts of his companions, and
other people of all classes as well as the Devatas, Indra, Brahma, the
Nagas and Garudas and all the rest. So all of you should please take
good note of these things in your hearts and endeavour to practise them
so that you will gain the results of them. But you must never weaken or
give up these Dhammas which are at the heart of all the Venerable Ariya
Bhikkhus, for they cherish them and constantly uphold them in their
lives and hearts. As for other, ordinary people, they may have different
ideas and understandings. Therefore, in order to be exactly right and
certain, you must take hold of the saying: Sangham saranam gacchami (I
take refuge in the Sangha), and make it firm and strong in your hearts,
for those four Dhammas, and the ‘Sangha refuge’, are of equal value and
importance.”
The question and request of that Bhikkhu for Venerable Acharn to
give way and take it more easily, turned into a long and fiery Dhamma
talk. His way of teaching Dhamma is very difficult for anyone else to
equal. For all his skilful ways of fiery criticism and mild, moderate
talk were all of essential importance to those who were listening
intently with open hearts. None of the Bhikkhus who were sitting
listening to him ever thought or said that Venerable Acharn spoke in a
fiery, angry manner by bringing up the kilesas as an emotional support (arammana),
or even that they were used as the means of producing such talk. In
fact, they all spoke in the same way, saying how: “This talk of
Venerable Acharn today went right to my heart in the most direct way.
This is how it ought to be! When he is calm and not roused up one can
never hear a talk like this. Only when someone makes a request of
Venerable Acharn as in this case, does he seem to give a talk which is
to me a joy to hear with the fine flavour of truth. If anyone has
anything to ask the teacher, he should not remain quiet, for he rarely
gives such a talk as this which was so good to hear.” After Venerable
Acharn’s desana the Bhikkhus gathered in small groups and talked
together like this, as they usually did after a talk on Dhamma.
In fact this was quite true, for if nobody said anything or asked
any questions which he could use, he would give a normal Dhamma talk,
but even though it concerned the higher aspects of Dhamma, it lacked the
fire and force of those occasions when he had a question or incident to
act as the focus of his talk. I used to like listening to this kind of
talk, which went right home to the heart. Because my nature was always
rather coarse and unsubtle, and if I was not “hit hard” by it, some of
the Dhamma would never reach my heart, and even though it was very high,
my heart rarely picked up much in the way of useful teachings as it
would in a talk such as the foregoing one.
The Size of the Almsbowl
Amongst the Bhikkhus in Thailand the bowl is considered to be an
important requisite which no Buddhist Monk should be without. In fact it
is always considered to be an essential requisite from the day of their
ordination right to the end of their life in the Sangha.
But there are many types of bowls and many sizes as well, within
the limitations specified in the Vinaya rules. In particular, amongst
those Bhikkhus who follow in the line of Venerable Acharn Mun it is
generally thought that the bowl should be of medium to large size. This
comes from the way in which they like to go wandering as ascetics in the
forests and mountains as it suits their inclination, for they do not
like staying fixed in any one place outside the rainy season (vassa).
When they go wandering, they walk barefoot, and go wherever they feel
inclined, and those requisites which are necessary they have to carry
along with them, but they do not take much. What they carry generally
consists of the bowl, the three robes (sanghati, civara and sabong), a
bathing cloth, an umbrella tent (klod), a mosquito net, a kettle of
water, a water filter, a razor, sandals, some small candles, and a
candle lantern which is made of a piece of white cloth, sewn up to form
a tube and two circular pieces made of metal, the top one being an open
ring. A candle is then mounted on the bottom end and when lit, it gives
light for walking cankama at night and for going anywhere round about
the place where they are staying. So it acts in place of the more usual
types of lantern.
When they are wandering about they keep many of the requisites in
the bowl, such as, the outer robe (sanghati), the mosquito net, the
razor, the candle lantern and candles. Therefore the bowls which the
Dhutanga Bhikkhus use tend to be much larger than those which are
normally used in order to accommodate these requisites and to carry them
along conveniently when they go from place to place. For once they have
filled up the bowl, nearly all their requisites are taken care of and
they can sling it over one shoulder and set off walking, with their
umbrella tent and a small handbag on the other shoulder. The bowl is
heavy, and for those who are not used to it, it may be very difficult or
even more than they can stand. But being a Kammatthana Bhikkhu is rather
like being a warrior in a war who must just put up with whatever
conditions he has to face.
A fairly big bowl is also more convenient to eat from because all
the food is put together in the bowl. The rice, savoury and sweet things
are all there in one bowl and they have no plates, dishes, spoons or
forks. Once they have finished eating, they wash and dry the bowl,
making it clean and free from smell. In washing the bowl it is necessary
to do it at least three times with fresh water each time. Then after it
has been wiped dry, if the sun is out, it is put out to dry completely
for a short while before being put away in a suitable place, depending
on circumstances; but if the weather is clear, the bowl may be left with
the lid off to get rid of any lingering smell that it may have.
The Kammatthana Bhikkhus look after their bowls very carefully. If
someone offers to wash and wipe out their bowl, they are reluctant to
let them do so if they have never done it before. Because they are
afraid of the bowl getting rusty, afraid that it may be put down in a
place where it is not safe, afraid that it may knock against hard
objects, or that it may drop and hit something hard which may damage or
dent it so that rust will start forming there before long. When this
happens and rust forms, the whole bowl has to be rubbed down with
abrasive stones and emery paper to remove all the black iron oxide both
inside and outside until the metal is clean. Then it must be re-oxidised
by heating it in a fire and the fire must be replenished five times to
accord with the Vinaya rules, after which it may be used. All this means
a lot of trouble and hard work, so the Bhikkhus look after their bowls
more carefully than any other requisites and they are reluctant to let
other people handle them.
When returning from pindapata, people sometimes go and ask the
Bhikkhus for their bowls, to carry them back for them. But if they feel
uncertain about the person who asks, whether he has ever had any
experience in looking after a bowl, they will probably refuse politely,
giving some reason or excuse for doing so. They will not readily hand
their bowl to anyone until they had taught them how and where to put the
bowl down, how to wash it clean and wipe it, and how to look after it
generally until that person understands. Then he would be allowed to
handle the bowl.
How “Modern Bhikkhus” Want to Change the Rules
Latter is the customary way of looking after the bowl for those
kammatthana monks who follow in line from Venerable Acharn Mun. But the
world goes the way of change (anicca), so nowadays it is uncertain
whether the Dhamma and Vinaya may be altered or changed and made to go
the way of anicca in some aspects, or not. From what we have already
seen, there is enough cause for concern in some of the external things
which are little by little, infiltrating into the sphere of those who
practise the way. They are gradually increasing all the time, until they
have almost reached the stage where those who practise the way properly
and whose hearts are intent on Dhamma will have to move elsewhere
because they will not be able to stand it any longer — due to those
things which are offensive in their sight and upsetting to their hearts
which they would otherwise have to put up with. The decorum of those who
practise has already begun to change in the direction of things such as
those which we have already mentioned — which is an indication of their
nature, their fascination and the peculiar excitement which they arouse
in those monks and ourselves. We should have no difficulty in guessing
what is the nature of these things! If we do not come to our senses and
get back to our original principles, which are the Dhamma, the Vinaya
and all the Dhutanga observances which act like protective armour that
the Teachers and Acariyas have brought to us, there is reason to fear
that we may become Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhus of the “space age” who
move so fast, nobody can keep up with them because their speed is so
much faster than those who have brought them up.
This is not meant to be a criticism of those Bhikkhus who practise
well and properly. But it is said with real concern for the Dhamma,
Vinaya, and Dhutanga observances which are done by those of us Bhikkhus
who like to change things to suit their fancy, for this sort of thing
will draw them down into the “market of self-indulgence”. For in this
age there are easy, facile, ways of learning, and we Dhutanga Bhikkhus
may want to go fast and we may learn and practise in ways that are quick
and expedient and which are far more expedient than the ways of the
Great Teacher, or our own Teachers who have brought us up in the ways of
practice. Such expediency is like expecting to get results from doing
little or nothing; in the end it just leads to hopelessness and
delusion. So this lesson in Dhamma is presented in the hope that it will
help all of us Dhutanga Bhikkhus to examine all those things in which
the heart is indulgent and which are at present creeping in and hiding
in the quiet corners of our “monasteries, huts and robes”; and in the
hope that by showing them up they will become separated from us, driven
out and kept at bay. Then they will never have an opportunity to get
together, gain strength and break up our circle of kammatthana, causing
its destruction much sooner than it would happen naturally.
However, if we who practise the way are engrossed in external
things, much more than inwardly (within ourselves) by making a
comparison between ourselves and the principles of Dhamma and Vinaya, it
is bound to lead to forgetfulness of “self” so that the way is opened
for all sorts of bad, evil and vicious things to creep in and establish
a much more disorderly sanctuary (Wat) than was there before. Thereby
setting up a “self” within us which is much more obstinate than the one
which was originally there, which used to have Dhamma in its heart. Then
this new sets about burying it completely until nothing at all can be
seen of what used to be there. What used to be Dhamma changes and
becomes the ways of the world; what used to be a clever person changes
into a stupid person; what used to be a person with mindfulness becomes
intoxicated. One who used to be in full control and command of himself
becomes a servant with an inferior status, and these changes take place
in one and the same person due to the influence of emotional feeling and
thought. The body and speech which used to be instruments for doing
good, change and become instruments of self-destruction leading to
complete and utter ruin, leaving no part — nothing — which could be
developed to bring him back and change him into a worthy and consistent
person again. This is what happens if the heart changes its state, for
then thought and understanding also become different.
Therefore, those who practise the way should prepare themselves to
receive their supreme inheritance, to the utmost of their ability in
their way of practice. Even if they face the loss of their lives, they
must not give up those ways in which they have been accustomed to
acting as a warrior. And when they actually reach the end of their
lives, because they have been fighting all kinds of kilesas with ascetic
practices that are forceful and patient in the face of difficulties,
their expectation is that they will reach their end in that last
minute still fighting in the midst of the battle. The bodies of those
who die in this war against the kilesas will not be stinking, rotten,
loathsome corpses which frighten people, but they will be fragrant with
a fragrance that diffuses abroad reaching all the directions, as well as
above and below. And they will become a centre of attraction drawing the
hearts of all people, Devatas, Indra and Brahma, making them feel a
satisfaction which causes them to smile joyfully with pleasure and
arouses a desire in them to want to meet, see and pay homage to them and
to worship their remains as the highest ideal to be constantly recalled
and never forgotten away. In the same way as the Lord Buddha and all the
Savakas and Acariyas who reached Nibbana, are the highest ideals which
we uphold and bring to mind with homage and veneration. Their relics,
bones and ashes are never looked upon as objects of loathing, disgust or
fear, but instead, people have the hope and strong faith that such
relics or bone remains may come into their possession, so that they may
pay homage to them and hold them in the highest veneration, and to bring
them to mind every morning and evening and at all other times whatever
they may be doing. They do this that they may receive well being and
blessings on themselves, their environment and their homes, and also for
security, to avoid all dangers that may threaten their lives and bodies.
For these are things of value which are held in the highest regard and
cherished in all three realms of the Universe.
Therefore, the life and self-nature of those who practise the way
should be full of courage and ability in fighting against and chopping
down all the various kinds of obstacles, which their kilesa–natures
build up as thick, strong barriers against them, until they manage to
break through them. I implore all of you to be like this, even as that
Bhikkhu who is our Great Acariya, who went along this path and gained
victory and came back to the world. He gained freedom; the Sasana then
followed, arising and becoming prominent; the world then followed and
flourished, because the hearts of the good people were imbued with
Dhamma and they waited for an opportunity to give reverence and pay
homage. There are still many people like this who become attached to and
dependent on those Bhikkhus who lead the way with courage and who act
rightly and properly as leaders with ease and elegant skilfulness. The
world still has a great hunger for virtue and for truly good people, a
hunger which is almost insatiable. But although they may not be able to
change their own ways to create an aura of virtue in their minds and
bodies, to be a refuge for their hearts, they still want to see those
who practise the way and who are worthy of respect and faith, worthy of
getting close to and intimate with their Dhamma. They want to pay
respect to them, to venerate them, to look up to them as their ideal
without getting satiated. For, in spite of the fact that the world is in
a state of confusion and turmoil, whirling about in the evil ways of
mankind as it has been for such a long time that people have almost
given up hope of being able to search for a way out, yet hope still
arises whenever they see anything that seems worth picking up, and they
want to pick it up. They see that it is worth grasping, so they want to
grasp it. They see that it is worth depending on, so they want to depend
on it without ever getting bored or satiated with it — because the
experience of happiness is the same everywhere throughout the world.
Therefore the practice which is for the sake of one’s own heart,
“leading in the right way” (supatipatti), is also right for the hearts
of all those in the world who follow in the future.
In this, the Lord Buddha went the way before us. At that time,
when the Lord trained and disciplined himself, he was never anxious or
concerned with thoughts in his heart as to who he was doing this for. He
even made the effort to let go of the Princess, his wife, who was like
his own heart to him, together with all such things at that time, and he
put all his strength and effort into correcting himself alone. After he
had got rid of all anxiety, worry, darkness and obscurity, he reflected
and thought back to those things which he had aspired to in the past,
and then he set out to do the duty of the Great Teacher, to spread and
teach Dhamma to the world. Then all the Savakas walked the same way
along the same path which the Great Teacher had prepared for them. In
other words, they were interested in applying the teaching to themselves
before giving it to others, until such time as they had attained the
goal properly, after which they gradually began teaching their
companions and others. In this way they followed the Lord, avoiding
pitfalls and dangers. Any Bhikkhu who walks the path, following the well
established examples of the Lord Buddha and the Savakas is bound to
become a living example of the Dhamma inheritance which was bestowed on
him — there is no doubt about this. Those who practise the way should
therefore take a pride in this joyful (sugato) way.
While discussing the changes in the ways of practice which are
tending to diverge from the traditional teachings and to go in the wrong
direction, it made me think of the forceful and fiery teaching delivered
by Venerable Acharn Mun due to something which shocked him while he was
staying at Wat Nong Peu in Sakon Nakhon. This took place one evening
after the Wat had been swept and cleaned up and after the Bhikkhus had
washed themselves. A number of Bhikkhus had gathered at Venerable
Acharn’s hut where he was talking to them about various aspects of
Dhamma. On that day his talk turned to the subject of Venerable Acharn
Sao and he said:
“Venerable Acharn Sao was a teacher who had great metta for the
world as a basic characteristic of his heart. It was far stronger in him
than in any of the other Acariyas, in fact he was quite outstanding in
this respect, and anyone who had close contact with him was bound to
admire and adore him straight away. But as for his teaching to the
Bhikkhus, novices and lay people, it was never outstanding or remarkable
and it did not have a wide scope and depth like some other Acariyas. He
would speak a few sentences and then stop, after which he would sit
straight upright, silent, imperturbable and unconcerned, like an image
of the Buddha (Buddha–Rupa), without moving a muscle. But what he taught
stuck in the hearts of people and those Bhikkhus of the kind who
listened and understood, without ever being satiated or bored by it.
Having left, they still felt that they wanted to see and hear him speak
and they never got tired of it.”
“Everybody spoke in the same way about Venerable Acharn Sao,
saying how they loved him and they had so much faith in him. But the
pity of it is that none of the Bhikkhus and Samaneras who were his
followers tended to be resolute. Nor did they have any firmly
established idea of the way to go, either internally or externally such
as should be appropriate to those who had an Acariya of such excellence
to teach and train them. This was probably because they tended to be too
self-forgetful, lackadaisical, proud and conceited in their
self-estimation, although they had nothing much to be conceited or
complacent about. For they saw that their Acharn was kind and tolerant
to them with metta, never scolding them nor pointing out their faults
immediately and harassing them like all the other Acariyas did. And this
was so, even when they did wrong and faulty things right in front of
him, things for which they should have been told off and corrected, at
least enough to make the wrong doers have some mindfulness to watch out
and to be careful of themselves in the future. Then they would not
forget themselves in such a gross way until they became accustomed to it
and they would be people whose hearts displayed some admirable
characteristics.”
Venerable Acharn Mun stopped for a moment and one of the Bhikkhus
took the opportunity to ask a rather impudent question which was
completely lacking in skill and appropriateness and the kind of thing
which could have come from myself, for I have such tendencies in me
right up to the present. He asked: “Is it true that Venerable Acharn Sao
had gained freedom from the kilesas and asavas as everyone says and
believes?”
Our Acariya, who had always been concerned to try and train his
Bhikkhus and Samaneras to be clever and sharp-witted, when he heard this
question which was of such a kind as none of them should have been bold
and forward enough to ask, just grinned and remained quiet for a while.
Then he stared straight at this silly Bhikkhu, whose intention had been
pure and good, and he had sympathy, compassion and understanding for him
in his silliness and stupidity which it was no use to blame or punish.
He started to speak quite gently in the same kind of foolish way as the
questioner so as to acknowledge the foolishness and silliness of that
Bhikkhu, in the same way as a trained horse responds to the old woman
who looks after it. So he said:
“He reached the goal of freedom (vimutti) and Nibbana long ago,
since before you were born. What other silly delusions and doubts are
you going to ask about? For the way you have learnt to ask questions is
most unskilful and lacking in any sort of tact which would indicate that
this is a person who has some mindfulness and wisdom in him with which
he can cure his kilesas and stupidity to some extent. In such a case as
this, the citta lies contented to be buried in stupidity all the time.
In doing meditation practice (bhavana), stupidity and drowsy nodding sit
like a weight pressing down on his head and never showing any signs of
improvement, but just swaying back and forth like a monkey swaying about
when watching a person. People who are stupid or clever display their
characteristics outwardly, quite clearly enough for others to discern,
and you in particular would seem to be so stupid as to be pathetic.
While listening to any teaching, the Dhamma is not likely to be able to
penetrate down to your heart, and those who teach you will soon get
tired of it if they have any wisdom in them. That is, apart from those
Acariyas who like to speak out because they have been ordained a long
time, and they may not even be able to know what their own situation
is.”
After this, Venerable Acharn went on teaching that Bhikkhu with
consideration and compassion for him. But it was almost as if that
Bhikkhu had asked him this stupid question with the clever underlying
purpose of inviting him to teach them Dhamma!
The gist of the Dhamma which he taught at that time was not fiery
and strong as it had been in the past, but full of consideration and
metta, and his mode of delivery was so tender, gentle, impressive and
“catching of heart”, in a way which cannot be explained. As parents may
teach their small child with love and compassion until they manage to
get their child to see its faults with a soft heart and tears. I can
only recall a little of the gist of the Dhamma which he then taught, so
I ask your forgiveness for any faults and failings which will be due to
my own delusions. What he said was something like this:
“Every day that passes by, it seems to me that my companions in
Dhamma, instead of getting more and more clever by following the methods
of Dhamma which I have taught, are in fact getting steadily more stupid.
But I am getting older every day, and the help I can give to you is
getting less and less, and as time goes on I am getting more and more
decrepit, weary and tired, the parts of this body are steadily
degenerating, and it seems that it just manages to keep on breathing
from day to day. Various kinds of food which always used to strengthen
the body, have now become enemies to the body, and I no longer have any
desire to eat anything, in fact it has turned and become a tiresome
habit — almost as if it was glad all the time to take just those things
which are medicines. The time when I shall die creeps nearer bit by bit
without ever stopping or resting to give some relief to the body and its
parts at all. My breath which used to flow in and out easily and
automatically, now gets rougher and more difficult all the time, as if
it is about to leave me altogether any time it can. But when I look at
the results of my teaching which should be apparent in accordance with
the intention I have had in training and teaching my companions, what do
I see but things that I never thought I should see. Some of them are so
lazy, weak and irresolute; some are so dull, torpid and lacking in any
brightness and enthusiasm in doing the practice of Dhamma. Some of them
turn and practise things which differ from the basic principles which I
have taught them. Some of them display nothing but stupidity and are
almost incapable of reasoned thought — such as asking that question
about Venerable Acharn Sao a short while ago — which is not the way of
those who come to learn and train to attain freedom from dukkha by
following the way along which the Great Teacher (Sasada) led us to go.
Because this was stupidity of a kind that was too obnoxious to hear and
put up with. So it made me very concerned for my companions and
followers, that when I die there may be nobody who has both the basic
principles in his heart and who puts into practice those methods which
will ensure their continuity in the future for posterity.”
“I’m afraid it will be as I have said above, so I make haste to
implore my companions who have come together here to learn and train, to
do so with urgency in your hearts, for this present situation is not one
that can remain stable and last long, in which we can afford to be
complacent. As time goes by the lives of each one of us is also going by
in the same way and those who are heedless and careless will have
nothing much of value to take away with them. As the time passes by in
this way, the thing which is bound to remain with oneself in an
inseparable way, is the state of unreliability and triviality which has
always been firmly rooted in one’s original traits of character. And the
result that comes from heedlessness is that of being trapped in the
endless and limitless accumulation of dukkha. Then wherever one goes or
stays, Mara will be waiting to harass one and cause disturbance leading
to dukkha and trouble in all sorts of ways so that nowhere and never can
one let go of it. All the time and everywhere, the careless, negligent
person has dukkha bound tightly to himself and more tenaciously than his
own shadow. This is because of his baneful fault of establishing himself
as his own Mara by his failure to realise that carelessness and
negligence is harmful, and that it is also Mara, just waiting to destroy
and ruin himself.”
“As for one who is not negligent and careless, he will tend to get
what is good and beneficial to adorn him and to raise him up. The result
of this will be, well-being in the world and contentment in his heart
all the time and everywhere; and freedom from dangers and misfortune,
accidents and ‘bad luck’ coming to disturb and torment him. In fact, all
the results that come to one from not being negligent will be blessings
and advantages without exception.”
“I have tried as far as I can to teach all of you in all sorts of
different ways and methods, to make yourselves become your own best
friends by not being negligent or careless in the work and duties of
those who have ‘gone forth’ and who practise the way. Because I know all
the time that before long this body of mine will depart from all of you;
as they normally understand it in the conventions of this world. But
while I am still alive I can still teach and try to select whatever
Dhamma is appropriate to the basic level and disposition of those who
have been ordained, to teach with the utmost of my ability without
hiding or holding back any part of it at all.”
“Therefore, when I see or hear of things which are bad amongst
those who have come here to practise the way, such as heedlessness and
carelessness, it goes against the aim which I have in mind for all my
followers, which is close to my heart. I don’t want to see or hear these
things, and I don’t want any of you to have any interest in doing them,
because you will get a name for being careless and heedless; and
wherever you are careless and heedless it spoils you every time. So you
should pay no attention to these bad things at all. I ask all of you
please to be considerate to the one who trains and teaches you, who has
set himself to do this task with everything he has got in the way of
ability, with willingness and metta.”
“Please try your best to train and discipline yourselves with the
principles of Dhamma as I have taught them to you repeatedly all the
time. Don’t be like the ladles or spoons in the stew pot that know
nothing of the taste of the stew at all. Instead, you should be like the
tongue that knows all the various tastes of the food which comes to it,
knowing what they are immediately. I am always anxious to find out how
much of the various kinds of Dhamma which I have been teaching you
frequently, have penetrated into your hearts each time I give a talk,
both in the sphere of practice, the various kinds of understanding which
arise from the sphere of practice, and the knowledge which arises and is
absorbed while listening to a Dhamma talk. This is a special kind of
practice in which the talk that one is listening to, arouses
understanding that accords with what is being said, and the insight that
one gains accords with whatever the Teacher is explaining — following in
step behind the Teacher the whole time. When this happens, nothing of
the talk is lost and one’s mind is free from any distraction which would
otherwise break it up and spoil the causes which bring about those
insights, making them very much more difficult to arouse — and the
reason for this is the creation of obstacles which also obstruct the
results. Therefore, in order to get results smoothly and steadily as one
wants them, please do those things which cause these results, with
complete commitment. The results will then arise of themselves without
any need to try and force them — as one must with the causes.”
Here, Venerable Acharn finished his Dhamma talk which was aimed at
helping that Bhikkhu whom he felt sorry for. At this point I feel that I
should go on to tell you about what happened after this talk, for the
reasonings and the principles of Dhamma which Venerable Acharn displayed
then may act as a moral that we Buddhists can ponder and keep in mind.
If I don’t put it down here the strength and weight of the Dhamma which
Venerable Acharn displayed then will be lost. For the subject of this
Dhamma concerns that which brings sorrow and regret to those who revere
the Sasana–Dhamma and the Acariyas.
How “Modern Bhikkhus” Sell Their Acariya
After Venerable Acharn finished the above talk, another Bhikkhu
paid respect to Venerable Acharn and told him about the cremated remains
of Venerable Acharn Sao, saying: “Some of the Bhikkhus who are his
followers have taken the bony remains and crushed them to a powder and
mixed them up with various other powders which they think have
supernatural properties. Then they mould them into small Buddha images
and sell them in large numbers — and they are asking a high price for
each one also! Many people who have reverence for him have bought them
without being concerned about whether the cost is low or high. When I
found out about this I couldn’t help feeling sorry and upset about it.
This is all I have to say.”
Venerable Acharn Mun immediately exclaimed: “Oh–ho! They’ve gone
that far have they? Those Bhikkhus who destroy the Sasana and their
Teachers and Acariyas have become dogs, biting and gnawing even his
bones — in fact worse than dogs. Such people are completely thoughtless
and they can’t find any other way to support themselves, so they have to
go and bite and gnaw at the bones of their own Acharn. Even dogs know
their own master and are not likely to go biting and gnawing at him, but
here, they are worse than dogs and don’t even know their own master, so
they bite and gnaw up the lot. People of this kind have lost all sense
of shame when they can bite and gnaw up the bones of their teacher,
their Acariya, and then go out and sell them!”
“Ho!” he exclaimed, pointing his finger at us and moving it from
side to side to include every one of us who was sitting there, then in a
fierce and fiery manner, he said: “All of you who have come to stay with
me here, have you come to stay as Bhikkhus, or to live like dogs? Answer
me quickly! If you have come here to be Bhikkhus then you must be
concerned with Dhamma and establishing the practice in your hearts. But
if you have come here to live like dogs as has been the case up to now,
then you will be waiting about to scramble for bones, to bite them and
gnaw them, and making a living by selling my bones like those
thoughtless people. For that’s the way of those who indulge in dogs’
practices and not the way of Bhikkhus. For they wait about to gnaw the
living and to gnaw the dead, never being satisfied and never being
ashamed of doing evil in any way at all. With base and mean hearts they
wait for the chance to destroy the Sasana and to destroy their own
Teacher, their Acariya, quite shamelessly! Who are the clever ones here?
Waiting to bite and gnaw my flesh and bones, and to go and sell them,
either while I am alive or when I am dead and gone? Quickly! Tell me so
that I can give you a title and make your name famous while I am still
alive by calling you: ‘The merchant who trades in his Acariya’s bones.’
”
“Not only do Bhikkhus of this kind act like dogs just waiting to
gnaw their Teachers bones, but they also have many other tricks for
selling their Acariya. Wherever they go, they like to boast that they
are a follower of this or that well known Acariya who is highly
respected by large numbers of people, and they do this as a way to gain
attention and curry favours. They are the type who chop at the flesh,
cut away the skin and gnaw the bones of their Acariyas, to sell and to
live on for the rest of their lives. They eat away at him until he dies
and go on selling him until there is none left. They eat and sell with
complete lack of shame and go on doing so all through the rest of their
lives, telling everyone and advertising their sales and they can never
stop talking to give their mouths some rest — because the maggots —
which are their ambitious cravings — have got into their hearts. Until
all the Bhikkhus, novices and lay people who are devoted to sila, Dhamma
and the ways of practice are all fed up and tired of them and have no
desire to meet them or have any association with them even though they
are all followers of the same Acariya. Are there any left here staying
with me now who are learning the skills of the dogs in gnawing bones?
Any who are doing the dogs’ practice, waiting to bite and gnaw my bones
alive or dead?”
Venerable Acharn went on speaking in this manner until we were all
benumbed. But even then he still went on, attacking and hitting without
ever being specific nor defining his targets, until his listeners were
out of their wits, feeling restless and anxious, hot and cold within,
and feeling as if they would like to crawl into a hole in the ground.
Because of their fear and shame which they could not shake off, as if
each of them was the “dog” who was so clever at eating and gnawing his
bones — even though this was not the case. After that he went on to
describe those Bhikkhus whose hearts were so base and vile and lacking
any brightness of Dhamma within them. They had lost all hope in Dhamma,
lost all incentive to strive and correct their hearts and lost all
interest in finding out about Dhamma, which could change their
understanding within themselves and then percolate outward into their
behaviour. He went on to say that:
“This is because their hearts have turned against Dhamma and gone
entirely towards the world. They depend only on the material things of
the world to be their support (arammana) and the dwelling place of their
minds (hearts), as well as the things which adorn them with honour and
dignity. By various methods of flattery and cajoling speech, they induce
those lay people, who have an inherent tendency, which comes from their
traditions and ancestry, to have faith in Bhikkhus, to accept and follow
them. Then they go around collecting such people as their followers to
increase their esteem and reputation for skilled oratory and clever
eloquence. They have the power of a strong charismatic character, with
many people who respect and have faith in them, and many followers and
disciples. One may be sure that the day will come when they forget
themselves and their conceit and vanity grows and piles up until they
completely lose all sense of proportion. Then day and night, they will
spend their whole time, disturbed and agitated by all sorts of things;
persuading this person to build this, and that person to construct that,
and how much merit will come from it. Even while they are preparing
themselves to jump into the hell of creating disturbance and turmoil,
the whole time.”
“Such people cannot even establish any stability in themselves by
being calm and contented for two moments together, because their hearts
and minds are spoilt, their virtue is spoilt, and also because their
minds and hearts are always full of those things which accumulate and
promote those kilesas typified by worldly, material desires. This makes
them persistently agitated and it also makes them go out touring around
involving others and begging from Buddhists who have faith, in all sorts
of ways to make some contributions for constructing and building this or
that sacred structure which is said to have supernatural significance —
‘and rather expensive!’ They do this over and over again in all sorts of
ways until we can’t keep up with the tricks and methods of such Bhikkhus
as this, who are quite extraordinary.”
“But when it comes to the ways of calm and happiness of heart,
both for themselves and others, they hardly have any interest at all.
Even when they go to stay with a teacher, an Acariya, they only do so as
a way to jump on the band-wagon, and as mere ceremony. So that they can
claim that they came and stayed and trained under this very prominent
and important Acariya, and so that when they leave they will be able to
announce this and advertise themselves as widely as is possible. This is
how those who practise the way of self-advertisement act with the
bloated conceit, thinking that: ‘Now I am clever enough so that my
brightness and clarity is sparkling and shining out because I have been
living as a close follower who has pleased this important Acariya.’ In a
short while he leaves the Acariyas monastery, bright and full of
himself, but he has still not tried his hand, his skill, his strength
and ability at all. Soon, the new personality he has made for himself
makes him want to talk and to say: ‘Whoever wants to try his hand, come
here quickly to be trained and become worthy of the knowledge (vijja)
which I have just succeeded in attaining. You will get the Path (Magga)
and the Fruition (Phala) quickly, which you have been wanting and
aspiring to for a long time. I am not just playing and trying to show
off how clever I am, for the knowledge I have is truly as I claim.’ So
when other people who have Buddhism deeply embedded in their character
do not believe what the Bhikkhus say, who can they believe and who can
they trust? There is nobody to have faith in but the Bhikkhus, but when
they believe in those Bhikkhus of the type who bite and gnaw the bones,
flesh and skin of their Teacher, their Acariya as well as the lay
people, the way is open for them all to go to ruin with him — which is a
sorry thing to happen.”
“This is what I am most afraid of — that this sort of thing which
I have described is sure to happen. Because of the base and low state of
the minds and hearts of those Bhikkhus who practise like parasites and
who just lay in wait to destroy the field of their companions, as well
as the hearts and minds of other Buddhists, causing endless destruction
and ruin. See how Venerable Acharn Sao died only a few years ago, yet so
soon his own followers have turned and become like grubs and worms
destroying everything by themselves in all sorts of ways. So I can’t
believe that, when the time comes, those followers of mine of the
parasitic kind who come to stay here with me temporarily from time to
time, will not do the same kind of thing — or worse. As for those
Bhikkhus of the kind who are genuine and follow the ways of their
Teacher, life will be difficult for them and they will be rejected in
the popular esteem of the world. In other words, they will be blamed and
criticised because they will all be associated together equally as
followers of the teacher.”
“Those who act with such base and evil motives in their hearts and
minds can never come to any self-knowledge and understanding at all,
right up to the day that they die. This makes me concerned for those who
practise the way well and properly, of whom there are a large number.
For they will have to put up with whatever disturbance comes from those
Bhikkhus who are made of ‘piss and shit’ and go about scattering it all
over their companions and causing them to stink as well. I have often
talked with concern and anxiety for the circle of those who come to stay
here, and what concerns me most are those members who are just waiting
to destroy themselves and their companions so that all of them
deteriorate and rot away together! Because this type of person is not
the type to listen patiently and accept the reasoning concerning good
and evil from the Teacher, with strong interest in Dhamma — nor from
anyone else for that matter. Even while they are living and staying with
the Acariya they tend to display the characteristics of those who tend
towards things which are base and evil and they have shown up themselves
for me to see quite clearly. So when they leave their Acariya, I am
quite sure that they will display their abilities as much as their skill
enables them to do so. Don’t think that I don’t know! Because there are
gross and obvious things which don’t need any subtle investigation for
one to be able to know and understand. In fact, without even trying I
can see them and know them; and I can know every part of them and how
they move and act both internally and externally; but I keep it to
myself. While they are staying with their Teacher, or while the Teacher
is still alive, they try to improve their claws and keep their teeth
under cover most of the time, enough to put on a seemly appearance to
the world, so that they don’t seem to be too reckless and independent.
But as soon as the Teacher is dead and gone, these parasitical Bhikkhus
get their chance to display their colours as much as they can in all
sorts of ways, without any restraint, because there is nothing left for
them to fear which could arouse any remorse or shame in them.”
“When people have completely lost all interest in Dhamma, they are
capable of doing all kinds of evil without having any sense of remorse
or shame at all. It is people of this kind who are capable of doing
great harm to their own companions and to Buddhism (Sasana), by
depending on the yellow robe and the requisites of a Dhutanga
Kammatthana Bhikkhu as their means of living and destroying themselves.
I am very concerned about them because they are inured to their ways and
resistant to the remedy. For they are clever with Dhamma theory and it
is hard to find anyone to equal those monks who have lost all sense of
shame and fear (Hiri–Ottappa–Dhamma) of what the future holds for them
within their hearts.”
“I don’t praise those Bhikkhus who act in ways that are not
praiseworthy, nor do I blame those who should not be blamed. But I do
praise those Bhikkhus who practise well and who should be held in
admiration, and I also blame those Bhikkhus who are worthy of blame. For
amongst all the Bhikkhus who have come to me and made a formal agreement
(patiñana) to be my followers both old and new, there are those who are
evil and worthy of blame as well as those who are good and worthy of
praise, all mixed together. It has always been like this through the
past ages, right up to the present time — some evil and many good. But
for those of you who still have hope in Dhamma as being that kind of
wealth which you should attain, I ask you please, to take to heart all
these aspects of Dhamma which I have displayed here. As for those who
are creating a situation of hopelessness for themselves in their own
futures and refuse to look at their own faults, they should not stay
here to be a burden on the Sasana, the Acariya and all their companions.
They should go out and create their own ruin to their hearts content,
for after they die there is no more creating and building, and they can
enjoy the results of the kamma which they like so much, all on their
own, and nobody else will disturb them by trying to grab some of it for
themselves! They will probably have lots of fun on their own, because
this kind of kamma result (vipaka) is loathed and greatly feared by the
world of good people and they can be sure that nobody will dare to steal
any of it, for sure.”
“I have trained and taught you all from when I first started, up
to the present day, but now I am old and before long I shall die. I
reckon that I have taught you everything, both in external things as
well as internal and there is nothing left over with which to make up
any more remedies. Any of you who still feel unsatisfied will have to
make it up for yourselves. But take care not to alter it and turn it
into poison that destroys yourself as well as your companions — as we
have seen and heard just now. Apart from this you may go ahead as you
will, and with my blessing also.”
When Venerable Acharn finished this talk which came like a
thunderbolt, none of the Bhikkhus who were there dared to move or fidget
about at all, for they were all rigidly holding themselves still and
silent. When he saw how afraid and pitiful they looked, he started to
talk Dhamma in a soothing, gentle manner, speaking quite softly, as if
it was coming from a completely different person.
“What I have just said was for the purpose of overcoming a
powerful and virulent disease which otherwise would spread throughout
those who practise the way — much in the same way as an epidemic spreads
out and about everywhere on the physical plane. If this happened, good
people would not be able to live in such conditions, for it would be
like a fire going round the whole world, burning everything.”
“Of course, I have sympathy for those whose intention in coming
here is interest and desire for Dhamma. But when Dhamma is revealed to
the relative, conventional world, there is no soundproof room available
and no way to divide out what ought to be heard by this person and what
by that person. So what is taught is bound to be heard by all who are
there, regardless of who is guilty, who is innocent, who is good and who
is evil in any aspect of the teaching. But you should check for yourself
while listening, to see whether you are free from fault or going in the
wrong way, or whether you are free of fault and well established in each
aspect of the teaching. In this way it is a means of indicating where
one is right and where wrong, for the Dhamma which one hears is a bright
light showing up and enabling one to see the wrong path and the right
path in the way of practice, both in the present and for the future,
quite clearly. This is in conformity with one’s intention in coming here
to train and learn so as to attain knowledge and skill for oneself.
Because amongst those who are truly interested in Dhamma, there are many
who still do not understand the methods of practice. If they do not hear
and learn something about them to act as a guide, they are quite likely
to see someone else doing wrong, faulty things, and then follow their
example without thinking, checking or investigating these things. This
way can lead to loss and ruin, even though they have no intention of
doing anything wrong. This is especially true if they chance to meet any
of those “big sharks” which I described a short while ago, for they will
easily be swallowed up, which is most unfortunate and springs from their
lack of training and their inability to see through these charlatans.”
From then on he continued speaking in a normal way as if nothing
unusual had taken place. This gave all the Bhikkhus a break so that they
could get their breath back. For his manner was completely different
from what it had been, when they were, as if in a confined closed pot,
doing penance to change their wrong views — unable to breath properly
while being scorched by the cathartic–Dhamma (Tapa–Dhamma).
When the talk came to an end, one by one they saluted Venerable
Acharn and left his hut. Some of them were relaxed and smiling, like
prisoners who have just been released, and they gathered in groups to
have their usual discussion. But some of the Bhikkhus appeared to be
rather angry and one of them blurted out saying: “Why did you have to go
and talk about that? Couldn’t you have chosen something more reasonable
and suitable to talk about? You see what happened and how it turned out!
I should think that there were some who almost fainted when they were
knocked about like that! Before you do that sort of thing, why don’t you
ask someone who knows Venerable Acharn’s character well? Then, when you
have something good and reasonable to ask him, go ahead. If this sort of
thing happens again, that you bring up something to tell Venerable
Acharn as bad as you told him today, then I won’t come to these talks.
I’ll leave it up to those who are good and clever to receive such a
beating on their own.”
The one who told Venerable Acharn said: “Actually, I never thought
that he would take it so strongly as he did, so I told him without
thinking anything of it.” He then went on to say quite reasonably:
“Whoever thinks that he has been scolded unreasonably has not seen his
own faults — isn’t that so? But for myself, I wanted him to be even
stronger and more heavy handed. Today my citta gave way and went so calm
— almost like I was dead. For Venerable Acharn’s talk just suited the
disposition of my citta which is so playful and had been going all over
the world today. If I try doing the meditation practice on my own, my
citta is so stubborn, it jumps all over the place and wont give way and
calm down at all, like a herd of monkeys in a cage. But today, as soon
as I was hit by Venerable Acharn’s strong Dhamma penetrating into it, my
citta had no way of escape, so it gave way and calmed down quite
easily.” Another Bhikkhu said with evident satisfaction. “Oh, it was
really good today, I would like to offer my thanks to you for having the
courage to tell him such a thing. After this I wonder if anyone will be
able to bring up anything so unusual, controversial and inflammatory to
tell him, so that my monkey citta will be able to get a bit of calm and
happiness while he beats it and scolds it so strongly. Since I came and
first heard Venerable Acharn’s talks I have never heard any which was so
important and significant for me as the one today.” Another of the
Bhikkhus then also spoke with satisfaction about this talk.
That day there were many Bhikkhus there who heard Venerable Acharn
speak, some were in his hut, but there were others at the side and
underneath his hut who had heard the noise and come to see what it was
about. They variously had different reactions to what he said. Many were
so afraid of him that they almost forgot to breathe. But there were also
many who liked to listen to strong and forceful talks, for when they
hear this kind of talk their cittas become very calm and unshakeable at
such a time.
A number of Bhikkhus, most of whom had recently come to the Wat to
stay with Venerable Acharn felt both afraid and ashamed and wanted to
crawl into a hole in the ground. Their cittas were hot and burning and
they found no joy at all while listening, even though they found nothing
to blame in themselves in the Dhamma that he was teaching. In particular
my own feelings were turbulent and rather mad — all within my own heart.
But the thing which went right home and stuck fast in my heart right up
to the present day, was when he said: “Are you learning and practising
in the manner of dogs, or in what manner?” Really, this was just because
I didn’t want to be a dog, even though I had virtually become one
already due to my lack of circumspect wisdom. But I didn’t realise that
I had already become a fully fledged dog from the first moment when
Venerable Acharn talked about: “dogs gnawing and eating bones”; while
priding myself with the thought in my heart that, “I didn’t come to
practise so as to become a dog, but to become a complete, fully fledged
Bhikkhu — and I didn’t come to practise so as to get hold of his bones
at all, but for Dhamma — which means the Path, Fruition and Nibbana.”
From that day when I became a “dog”, secretly — nobody else knew — I
didn’t even know myself — but from the moment when I heard what
Venerable Acharn said, it became firmly fixed in my heart that I didn’t
come to stay and practise with him in the manner of a dog.
I must apologise to the reader for disclosing my gross stupidity,
for it seems to me that there was not much virtue left in me, so I want
to let it be known how stupid I was. But I ask you please to go on
reading with sympathy, because what I have related is the truth.
After this, when Venerable Acharn died and his remains were
cremated and the time came to share out his bone relics and requisites
so that his followers could use them as reminders and as objects of
reverence and puja, I quickly ran off into the forests and hills where
nobody knew where I was, thinking how clever I was. How, if I had stayed
there until they shared out the remains I would have to accept my share
of his requisites and bone relics, then I could not be free from being a
dog, like he said. So finally the dog who was far too clever, went off
to the hills and forests, not wanting to wait and accept his share of
the remains of Venerable Acharn at all. This is an example of how stupid
one can become, while at the same time thinking how clever one is. It
had gone so far that I was virtually a dog because of that way of
thinking, while also understanding that I was a Bhikkhu with a peaceful
heart and afraid that I would become a dog. It really is a pitiful,
sorry thing that I should interpret those words of Venerable Acharn’s
Dhamma talk in this way, causing me to become a complete dog without any
thought or reflection at all. For I was still afraid that I could become
a dog while having the conceit that I was not one.
About a year after Venerable Acharn died I began to recognise my
foolishness and how I had so cleverly and completely misunderstood what
he said that it was more than one could expect him to pardon. What led
me to see how foolish I had been, before it was too late, so that the
Guardian of Hell had to take my name off his list which was like
“breaking up hell”, was thinking back and recalling the virtues of
Venerable Acharn on various occasions and doing so all the time
regardless of whatever else I was doing. This went on until it suddenly
struck me with a jolt:
“Oh–ho! Buddhists who pay homage to the Lord Buddha, the Dhamma and
the Sangha, do so to a Buddha image, to the requisites and the places of
significance in the life of the Lord. They also pay homage to the Dhamma
which is printed in books and written on palm leaf manuscripts and
elsewhere; and they pay homage to the Sangha who are the representatives
of the Lord and uphold his name and his ways of practice right through
to the elimination of the kilesas. The homage and respect which they pay
the Lord is most appropriate and excellent, and the form of their
traditions is an ideal example, for us Buddhists who follow after them,
to grasp and uphold as a good, flawless and blameless example. It is for
this reason that I should accept the requisites and bone relics of
Venerable Acharn Mun, and keep them and honour them and pay the highest
respect to them, in the same way that all his other followers have done.
For they stand in the place of Venerable Acharn, to whom I gave the
greatest respect and love, so that I would have willingly sacrificed
everything for him without regret.”
“Why have I been afraid of becoming a dog? Oh–ho! Haven’t I
already become a dog in the guise of a self-opinionated Bhikkhu, because
of the damage done by my own stupidity from the moment when I heard that
talk of Venerable Acharn’s? So I’m smart and clever, but I don’t know
what it is that makes one become a dog, a Bhikkhu or a human being.
Thinking I was so clever has turned me into a dog, except that I don’t
have a tail as most dogs do. This is a really sorry state that I am in,
and there is no way I can ask for forgiveness, for it is too late
already. Venerable Acharn Mun who had so much metta for me and who was
afraid I would become a dog has already gone into Parinibbana. For what
Venerable Acharn taught in that talk I refused to accept and instead I
got it all wrong and turned it into the ideas of a dog, and even though
he spoke so strongly against this, I still would not listen. What a
thing to happen! “Anicca vata sankhara”. How the sankharas can
deceive a Bhikkhu, turning him into a dog before his very eyes. “Upadavayadhammino”.
Right now I have been as a dog in the guise of a Bhikkhu. “Uppajjhitva
nirujjhanti”. Having been born as a dog, by what various means and
methods will I be able to get rid of the state of being a dog. Quickly!
Think, search, for a way to get rid of this state; don’t waste time or
dawdle about as if I was a Bhikkhu, when in fact at this moment I am a
dog! “Tesam Vupasamo Sukho”. By stopping and getting rid of all thoughts
which led me to become a dog, the dog within me will die away and my
heart will automatically become happy as it disappears.”
Having fully realised my faulty ways, I paid respects to Venerable
Acharn and asked for pardon with fullness of heart and then hurried
about to ask for some of his bone remains which they had set aside for
the general public to pay homage to for the time being. Once the
construction of the Uposatha hall in Wat Suddhavasa in Sakol Nakhon
Province was completed, they were to be placed under the Buddha–rupa.
Venerable Phra Kru Udom Dhammaguna (Acharn Maha Tong–suk, Sucitto), the
Abbot of Wat Suddhavasa was very kind and friendly to this foolish
Bhikkhu. But even after I had been given some of the relics of Venerable
Acharn and felt satisfied with them, they also acted as a reminder — as
if the results of the kamma (vipaka) of that dog were still clinging to
me and I couldn’t get rid of them. In particular, when I got the bone
relics, I was hoping from day to day that they would turn into Arahant
Dhatu. But at the same time there was something which made me realise
all the time that Venerable Acharn’s bone relics would never become
Dhatu while they were under the influence of that kamma of mine which
came from the time when I insulted him with my stupidity. If they no
longer remained in my possession, there is no doubt that they could
easily become Dhatu. It was most strange and wonderful how, when they
were shared out to other people to pay respect to with puja, his bone
relics very soon turned into Dhatu. This is so different from what
happens when they are in the possession of one who is infected with the
great evil of a lot of self-destroying wisdom so that he had no faith.
But this is what happened to me, and this kamma has still not gone, nor
does it disperse easily. Even those relics of Venerable Acharn which I
was keeping have gone gradually, despite my full-hearted respect and
devotion for him — until now I have reverted to my former state. In
other words, by myself, empty handed, as if this were the same old dog —
which in truth suits my level and status. Nowadays when I try to find
any bone relics or Dhatu, of Venerable Acharn it is quit hopeless and I
have no way to get any of them to pay respect and reverence to. In the
end this has enabled me to live free from concern, like someone who
lives contentedly without hope, even though my heart is still restlessly
wanting to get some relics. So I keep reminding myself, saying: “Now do
you believe? This is kamma which you can see clearly with your own eyes
and you don’t have to go and ask anyone else about it.” This is how I
have been teaching myself to be mindful, by the use of irony, so that in
the future, however I may think about all the things we do think about,
I shall not do so with conceit and pride in my skills and ability, while
seeing only one side of the thing in question without going over it many
times and seeing it from all sorts of angles and directions — which is
the way that those who are truly clever, have always used.
Since that time, even though I have seen and fully accepted my
fault, there is still some remaining disharmony in my heart in
connection with the bone relics of Venerable Acharn. It is not easy to
overcome and get rid of like ordinary forms of good and evil which are
experienced by people. This is what they call mano–kamma (kamma made by
mind) and before this happened I thought it gave rise to results in the
same way as other forms of kamma which we do in connection with the five
doors of sense. It never impressed me as being anything much, before
this incident, but once it became clear to me how it was between me and
the relics of Venerable Acharn, all doubts that I had in regard to kamma
disappeared entirely concerning the way that kamma gives rise to results
and what kind of results also. Anyone who makes kamma should be able to
know this for himself, provided that he does not forget all about it,
although he may not care to talk about it to other people.
The talk that Venerable Acharn Mun gave on that day was given with
the full intention and metta of rendering the utmost assistance to all
of us in a manner which is difficult to explain. He helped us by closing
off all those paths which led to such vile, despicable and evil ways,
for fear that they may overflow and stain and spoil that which is still
good and useful. He helped us to close those paths with the utmost
vigour and skill, because to take the bone relics of one’s Teacher and
sell them is a most loathsome and despicable thing to do for a
Kammatthana Bhikkhu who has been trained well. Once he knows what is
good and evil in this he is not likely to do such a thing. So Venerable
Acharn likened the doing of such a thing to the actions of a dog.
Because this was a case of biting and gnawing in the manner of animals
who know nothing of merit and evil, or the virtue and vice which is the
basis of human behaviour and ways of practical interrelationships. When
we don’t do such things as “biting” and “gnawing” like dogs, then we
cannot become dogs — that’s all!
But in the special case of one who was not quite all there and who
distorted what was said, twisting it completely into his own
characteristic thoughts by being afraid that, taking the bone relics of
Venerable Acharn as a basis for paying respect and puja would result in
his becoming a dog, it finally turned him into a dog, due to his own
stupidity. So I implore all of you who read this not to grasp hold of
one facet or aspect of your thoughts and understanding about anything
and then go and take this as a guide to your actions. For this will lead
you to become someone who is not circumspect, not seeing all sides of a
situation, and to have mistakes and faults which may be handed down to
many other people. But when one’s thoughts and understanding have been
tested and thoroughly examined in detail, they will probably be the kind
of thoughts which are suitable for putting into action in all things.
Such thoughts are not likely to be at fault either in the world or in
Dhamma. Even if it only concerns one’s own practice for one’s own
development one should promote such modes of thought so that one will
not make mistakes leading to sorrow in the future. So those who have
faith in Buddhism should have circumspection imbued with reason in their
practice of the Buddhist teachings. Then whatever they do in the world,
or in Dhamma, will not be wrong or mistaken, going in a direction at
variance with their intentions. Because the principles of Buddhism are
controlled by reason in every part and every sentence throughout the
whole of the Dhamma which is constantly proclaimed and taught in this
religion.
There are some people who have a belief in Buddhism, and although
this is the same Dhamma teaching of the Lord Buddha as it has always
been, yet they practise in different ways, that look different and are
characteristically different, while apparently keeping close to Buddhism
as the guarantor of the correctness of what they are doing — until some
others can no longer accept it and disagree with them. This is something
which should be thought about by those Buddhists who clearly understand
the reasoning behind the principles of Dhamma. So that the way they act
and do things shall not be erratic, unstable and unreliable, but in
harmony with the principles of the Sasana Dhamma — which is the teaching
that is truly derived from the Sasada — the Great Teacher — both in the
causes which it teaches us to perform, and the results that come from
them, which do not contradict each other — unlike what is always
happening amongst those who are Buddhists.
If one thinks and examines carefully about the major tenets and
the lesser teachings of Buddhism, even though there may be some
disagreements between the different branches of Dhamma and their
characteristic manner of doing things, it is probably not so much as to
cause great annoyance and disaffection, such as we can see happening
now. One can almost say that this, thinking about the principles of the
Sasana, is a “home remedy” in the war of words amongst Buddhists who are
like people throwing water at each other at the New Year festival of
Songkran, without any thought as to whether the time and place is
appropriate, even though both sides are full of the best intentions in
regard to the Sasana. From this we can see some of the faults and
deficiencies in us Buddhists who go about doing the practice following
our own understanding and inclinations rather than being firmly grounded
in the principles of Dhamma which point out the direction we should go
like a compass needle.
Ways and Manners of Eating
In what I have already written, I have mentioned the bowl and the
size of bowl which is used by Kammatthana Bhikkhus. The bowl is
considered to be a very important requisite both when living normally
and also when going out wandering in secluded places to practise the
Samana Dhamma (Dhamma of a recluse). Under normal conditions, if a
Kammatthana Bhikkhu is going to eat food, he must go for pindapata as
part of his daily routine, and these Bhikkhus always eat out of the
bowl. When they go out wandering in the kammatthana way, they use the
bowl to keep their various possessions in, much in the same way as lay
people take along a suitcase when they go travelling. If there are
several Kammatthana Bhikkhus staying together in a dwelling or monastery
they will normally eat together after returning from pindapata. In this
case, or when there are several Bhikkhus going out wandering together,
after returning to the place where they are staying, the normal practice
is to take the food out of their bowls and put it all together on trays,
after which it is shared out evenly to all of them. After this, if there
are any lay people present, the Bhikkhus give thanks (anumodana) by
chanting the “Yatha... Sabbi...,” after which they start eating from the
bowl by hand. But generally they tend to give anumodana in the village,
after they have received all the pindapata food, in a small shelter
which the villagers have constructed in a suitable place — or sometimes
two places for this purpose. The Bhikkhus sit down here and give the
anumodana, after which they return to where they are staying, in which
case the villagers do not follow them, they just put all the food of all
kinds into their bowls and leave them alone.
After the Bhikkhus have arranged the food in their bowls and
before they start eating, they make themselves calm. Then they
contemplate the food by recollection (paccavekkhana) of its purpose,
using the “Patisangkha yoniso...,” verse which points out the nature of
the various different kinds of food which are in one’s bowl, by way of
anicca, dukkha and anatta, by way of patikulasañña (loathsomeness), and
by way of the dhatu (elements of existence). Whichever one of these is
used will depend on the skill and ability of each individual to use as
he is able to. This is done for at least one minute, after which they
dip their hands into their bowls and start to eat in a controlled and
seemly manner while being mindful of the process of eating food.
While eating they do not chatter or talk except when it becomes
necessary, in which case they make themselves fully self-conscious
before speaking, they say what has to be said and then stop. Before
speaking they wait until they have had time to swallow any food that
they may have in the mouth and then speak clearly, not mumbling, which
would be an ill mannered way of speaking while eating. While speaking
they fix their attention on speaking until they have finished saying
what is necessary. Then they resume eating in a seemly and proper manner
as before, with mindfulness watching over the process of chewing and
eating the whole time, to make sure that they are not making loud and
unseemly noises of crunching and munching which would be bad manners and
characteristic of carelessness and greed.
They keep their eyes on the bowl and their thoughts mindfully
associated with what is in the bowl, not looking all about the place at
other things while eating — which is the way of those who forget
themselves and lack mindfulness. While they are eating, they contemplate
whatever aspect of Dhamma suits their ability, such as, by taking the
food as a supporting basis (arammana), or sometimes other forms of
Dhamma which they are used to investigating as the supporting basis of
their contemplation. But usually they contemplate the food that they are
eating rather than other forms of Dhamma.
Eating food in a careful, self-controlled manner with mindfulness
present, while contemplating with wisdom, will probably give rise to
some unusual experiences quite often while eating. Sometimes a feeling
of weariness and disaffection with eating can arise so that one has got
to stop eating for a short while — or stop entirely. This is because the
“taste” of Dhamma which arises at that time is so greatly superior to
the dull fascination that one has in the food one is eating.
The process of picking up the food and putting it in one’s mouth
should be done with mindfulness present the whole time, just the same as
in any other forms of practice. For eating food is one of the primary
routines in the Bhikkhu’s life and not inferior to any of the others as
a means of steadily getting rid of the kilesas within them. If they are
not careful and they become so fascinated by the taste of the food that
they forget themselves, their eating turns into the “way of the world”
and it cannot then be considered as one of the regular routines of a
Bhikkhu who aspires to see where danger lies in everything which is
within his ability to experience in his total environment and in all
situations. Therefore, all the true Acariyas, such as Venerable Acharn
Mun, have always looked upon the process of eating food as being a most
important routine. When they eat food the Bhikkhus all eat together, and
however many of them there may be, it seems to each one as if he is
alone with no other Bhikkhus present, because they do not talk together
and each one of them is concerned only with his own practice,
self-controlled and peaceful. This comes from their belief that eating
food is a routine in which they should take some interest, for it is an
aspect of Dhamma in the same way as all the other routines that they
follow. |
|
16. The Customs of
Kammatthana Bhikkhus
The
Tradition of Respect and Reverence for Their Teachers and for Each Other
It is a tradition amongst Kammatthana Bhikkhus to have great
respect and reverence for their leaders. When eating food, if the leader
has not started eating, the others wait until he has begun. Then they
begin from the next most senior, going down the line to the most junior.
If the teacher, the Acariya, or the Chief Bhikkhu is not present, they
then pay respect to the next most senior.
This is generally the way they have practised in most kammatthana
monasteries, right up to the present day and there does not appear to
have been any change in it. But how it will be in the future is rather
uncertain, because the world is changing rapidly and as they say,
“progressing”, day by day, and it may be that Kammatthana Bhikkhus will
also change and “progress” in the same direction as the rest of the
world. For everyone wants “progress” — and the Bhikkhus and Samaneras
are people with hearts and minds, the same as everyone else, and it
would be rather strange if they did not want “progress” in the same way
as all the others. As for the senior Bhikkhus, they are very old and
have enough long years of experience in the ways of the world, and of
Dhamma, and whatever “progress” or “regress” takes place, they are
probably not capable of knowing much about it. They are mostly old and
venerable, looking after their monasteries where they want to take their
last breath and reach the end of the life of the kilesas, and they are
passing away day by day. As for myself, writing this book, I am in a
different situation, for I just go on writing, which is like the old
Venerable ones, but without thinking whether any of the Bhikkhus will be
interested in it or not. I just keep on writing, as if my ears and eyes
are closed to anything else, so please don’t take offence at any of it.
While you are reading, please just skip over any sentences or paragraphs
which are not essential and could be left out. You can save time and put
it to use in doing other things which are more valuable and more
essential. Then you will be someone who knows the value of time!
In the case of Venerable Acharn Mun, before he started eating he
contemplated for a long time, as if he were doing a meditation practice.
Some days in the evening, or at night, when it was opportune, he would
with metta tell us about the contemplative investigation (vicarana–paccavekkhana)
which is used at the time of eating food. He said:
“Dhamma always tends to become apparent while eating. Sometimes it
brings various skilful ways which stick fast in one’s mind so that one
follows and thinks about them for many days. At other times it can give
rise to revulsion and weariness for the food in one’s bowl; which can
reach the point where the citta is so disenchanted with food that there
is no desire to eat.” Here, he is referring to the time when he was
practising the way very strictly and putting everything he had got into
it. He went on to say: “When any perceptions arise which conflict with
Dhamma, one must use an effective method to overcome and cure those
kilesas, which are tired of oneself (food), with one’s full strength, so
that the citta will be able to accept this method and go down into its
natural state of Truth — which is the middle way. Otherwise, the citta
would never agree to eat food at all, for it sees the food in the bowl
as being nothing but “s…”. At such a time, being compelled to eat is
rather like someone who is forced to go to the charnel ground to admire
the beauty of the dead bodies. I had to investigate with all my strength
to find a way to cure this kind of kilesa, which I had never truly met
before and which was obscuring my understanding. This I did in the same
way as contemplating the “beautiful” and seeing it as loathsome. The
citta was then able to return to its normal state and I could then eat
as usual. After that I had to use many different ways in association
with it, such as, to set up comprehension (knowing), to set up
circumspection, to set up fear and to set up strength and determination,
and to change them about as required.”
“But the fact that the citta displayed a state of knowing those
characteristics which arose was good in one way. For it made my sati–pa??a
skilful, adaptable, and fit for use in all sorts of different ways to
keep up with the endless tricks of the kilesas which deceive and lead
one astray. The more my citta gained bold, venturesome and energetic
tendencies, the less I was able to investigate (vicarana) in the more
usual ways. I had to go for those kilesas which are impostors until I
could get right at them. Therefore I am always able to speak with full
confidence and say that the best and most important weapons in one’s
investigations into all forms of Dhamma, both gross and subtle are sati
and pa??a. With these two superb instruments present I did not lose out
easily to the kilesas — as in the investigation into the food in my
bowl, to see it as loathsome for the purpose of cutting away at the
concern and delusion associated with taste; and so that the food is seen
as mere elementary materials, or as just those conditions (Dhamma) that
I had to depend on to live from day to day. But when this happened and I
saw it in this way in my citta while doing the investigation, it changed
and became wearied and averse — which increased until it became
revulsion, so strong that I could not fight against it and go on eating.
As if such foods had never been things that supported life and nourished
the material elements (dhatu) and the khandhas. This kind of aversion is
the way of the world and it is in this same way that people everywhere
have aversion. This aversion conceals Dhamma and it is not the ‘Middle
Way’ which the Lord taught us to follow.”
He went on to say: “It was this kind of aversion that, in the time
of the Buddha, made some of the Bhikkhus so averse towards themselves
that they themselves hired someone to come and kill them — which is the
wrong way of aversion. This is also the kind of aversion that causes a
cramped, clogged up state internally, in which the heart has no room to
move nor freedom. In this state the heart manages to produce a kilesa of
a subtle kind without realising it and it believes in it completely. But
I was able to catch and arrest the tricks of this kilesa which arose
when I became averse to food. For my sati and pa??a were already well up
to dealing with its tricks and the disguises which it displayed, as well
as its offspring’s and many relatives, spreading out into aversion for
parts of the body, for life and existence.”
“After I had investigated and found out what this aversion was all
about, my citta went calm and quieted down, and true seeing of a
particular kind arose in its place. Since then I have always upheld that
Dhamma as a basic principle and this aversion as a lesson to be learned.
For, regardless of however I investigated, inwardly or outwardly,
widespread or narrowly confined, grossly or subtly, and to whatever
extent, I had to have a strategy of both retreating and going forward to
attack. In other words, investigating and reviewing, going forwards and
backwards in order to get thoroughly and circumspectly into the
subtleties of whatever I was dealing with.”
“After that occasion, when I became averse to eating food, I never
again let myself go free of control to contemplate in the usual way of
people. The exceptional nature of what I came to know at that time
sharpened my sati and pa??a considerably — as a knife is sharpened on a
grindstone — making me lose all complacency in everything. Apart from
investigating and reviewing with sati and pa??a in this way, un?til I
was satisfied that I could not find anything within myself that
contra?dicted this knowledge, the result that came from such
investigations was an absolute and intimate certainty of heart in every
aspect of Dhamma. This is why I am able to speak with full confidence
and certainty and to be absolutely sure that whatever you go after you
will get. If you go after stupidity you will just get stupidity; if you
go after cleverness you will get cleverness; if you go after greed you
will just get greed; if you go after anger you will just get a heart
full of anger. Go after evil and you get evil, go after good and you get
good. Or, in more detail, look for demerit and you just get demerit;
look for merit and you just get merit; look for hell and you just get
hell, that which burns you up; look for heaven, and you get heaven. But
even if you look for Nibbana you still cannot get free from striving and
searching, which is no other than the fundamental causes — which are:
“searching and acting”. For there have been those who have sought and
got the results that come from these causes of “searching and acting”,
long ages before we were born — in fact we may reckon ever since the
earth gave rise to animals and people — as we conventionally suppose.
So, blindly and stupidly to deny evil, happiness and dukkha, is to
obstruct our own way forward, to make ourselves stupid and to waste our
time — to what purpose?”
“If it is true as we suppose that human beings are more clever
than animals, then that view must be seen as absolutely meaningless.
Being born and then dying uselessly because our own stupidity kills us,
as if we were our own executioners. There! That’s the truth, and those
who are ready to think about this should hurry up and do so. Don’t just
sit about in dull self-satisfaction, merely standing, walking, sitting
and lying about gathering more stupidity and living vainly. For when you
die you will have wasted all your time as well as all the food, the
cloth and all the other things which the lay people donate. For they are
anxious to make merit so as to help and support those who have been
ordained out of faith and hope for the final goal, and have also set
themselves to get rid of all the kilesas and to expel them entirely from
their hearts. But when the sati–pa??a in one’s heart is no greater than
a grain of sand it is no more able to kill off any of the kilesas than
the bite of a flea or a mosquito. For what reason should the kilesas die
when sati–pa??a and the effort one is putting forth are still so meagre?
What is going to kill them? This makes me feel at present that I have
about come to the end of my sati–pa??a in sympathy with all of you!”
At the end of his talk, Venerable Acharn probably felt vexed and
frustrated, so he “aimed a blow” at us, so that he would not spoil the
status of one who was supreme in the circle of the Sasana in this
present age.
Steadily and continually contemplating with sati–pa??a present,
even while taking food, is what makes it possible for the illuminating
flow of Dhamma to shine forth and arise whenever it will; for there is
no special time for it to arise. As Venerable Acharn Mun so graciously
instructed us, telling us about both what things are wrong and what are
right and it seemed to act as a method which developed sati–pa??a in
those who were interested.
In regard to the feeling of weariness of eating which arises from
the contemplation of food just before starting to eat, even some of the
white robed upasikas were rather like Venerable Acharn in this, but I
won’t go further into this just now. But there is one case which is
worth considering, at the time when Venerable Acharn was staying at Wat
Nong Peu in Sakol Nakhon. There was an upasika who came and told him how
she had been unable to take any food for two or three days, because of
her revulsion and weariness for food as well as for all parts of her
body, and of other people’s also. She had become wearied of food, of the
body and of life in all situations associated with the body. She was
unable to sleep, and when she looked at any food, which previously she
had always thought of as being sustenance for the body and mind, she saw
it instead, as being so repulsive that she could not bring herself to
take it and swallow it. When she looked at her own body and the bodies
of other people, they seemed utterly repulsive throughout, as if they
were living corpses in a charnel ground, decaying all the time — and
there was no part she could find that was not utterly repulsive and
corpse like. Apart from being wearied of food, she was also tired of
herself, of her clothes and everything she used in the place where she
slept. She was tired of living, tired of the whole world and she could
find nothing which she liked or loved and which could persuade her that
it was worth staying with it. In all postures of the body she was always
spitting, which was because of the “vision of loathsomeness” (patikula–sa??a)
that was waiting there to remind her the whole time.
Venerable Acharn then taught her with metta and explained her
situation to her, by talking directly and forcefully, which went
straight to her heart so that the upasika realised and accepted that her
understanding and ways of thought had been completely wrong and had
deceived her into going beyond the limits of what is reasonable in
Dhamma. She herself said: “From the time that I paid respect to
Venerable Acharn to receive his teaching and he asked me about what had
happened, I had faith in him and told him and I have practised what he
taught me, continually ever since. As for those experiences, they
disappeared and have never returned again.”
This story is worth thinking about for those who practise the way
and who tend to have strange experiences. For this happens with a few
people who frequently have such experiences, both those which are right
and true as well as those which are wrong and false. If they have no
Acariya who is readily available, to advise and guide them, they may
easily get wrong ideas and views, while at the same time believing that
they are right. This is why sati–pa??a is such an important aspect of
Dhamma for those who practise the way of Dhamma at all levels and one
should never let it be far away from oneself.
The way of practice in which people are too relaxed, easy and
comfortable, which lacks precision and does not go into the detail of
what is being done in the practice, may make them appear as sad and
miserable in the eyes of others and a spectacle that arouses pity. This
is because of their slick and facile knowledge and understanding, and
because of their tendency to spread it about to others without having
first thought about it and examined it with circumspection before
bringing it out and putting it to use. The practice and the results
which such people get will not become outstanding, but will deteriorate,
because their careless lack of circumspection gets into their practice
and breaks it up.
The foregoing paragraph is something which those who practise
Dhamma should take to heart and pay special attention to; and unless it
is truly beyond the scope of their sati–pa??a, they should not let it
happen. This is due to the fact that Dhamma is not the same as the
“world” for it is very much more subtle and profound. The standards
which the world upholds in thinking, speaking and acting are not wrong.
But if those who practise the way of Dhamma refuse to accord with Dhamma
and go about thinking, speaking and acting in the manner of the “world”,
they are at once grievously wrong. Because the standards of the “world”
and of Dhamma are quite different in regard to their gross vulgarity and
subtle sublimity. For example, in the “world” they learn and teach
things in various grades and levels in accordance with existing
regulations and traditions, and when they are tested and examined they
must receive a certificate or diploma to show and prove that they have
passed such and such levels of learning. This makes it easy and
convenient to find work which is associated with those subjects they
have learnt and it gives them status and a good name in accordance with
those conventions of the world which the world has decreed. But to
practise the way of Dhamma by thinking, speaking and acting in the
manner of people in the “world”, such as, in the above example, by
taking examinations, and by one’s marks to establish that one has passed
such and such a level — or that one has reached samadhi samapatti, or
Arahatta–magga and Arahatta–phala, would be to go contrary to the nature
and customs of those who practise Dhamma. Then Dhamma would be turned
into a thing of the world; in fact, even more coarse and vulgar than the
normal way of the world. Instead of attracting people and eliciting
their praises, due to the ways and actions of those who practise this
Dhamma, it makes them wearied of it and disheartened.
In order for them to maintain a state of harmony and virtue, those
who practise with the intention of attaining Dhamma which is a state of
peace and certainty in themselves, should get into the way of calm. Even
those who have attained the level of Arahatta–phala and know by way of:
sanditthiko, or paccattam veditabbo vi??uhi, in their purity of
heart, never make any outward display, like people in the world — which
only comes from craving and “hunger”. So in this way they uphold the honour, both of themselves and of Buddhism in the most subtle and gentle
way without becoming involved in any disturbance. For such disturbance
“creates waves that wash over the banks”, and this is nothing but the
“way of the world”, entirely, where there is none of the truth of
Dhamma, not even the “outer skin”, despite the claims of those who do
this sort of thing. This is also what is meant by the “wearisome
Dhamma”.
Is it possible for other people to know who has accomplished
Dhamma?
Yes it is possible, by the way of reasoning, when answers are
given to questions when two people who equally practise the way and who
are of equal attainment talk together. It is also possible to know by
the way that someone explains Dhamma in the field of practice concerning
citta–bhavana. And it is also possible to know by the Dhamma explanation
given to someone who has come to ask and learn about some point or
aspect in his practice of citta–bhavana where he is stuck and cannot see
his way through. This obstacle is at his own level of development and
the explanation will be given at the same level until he understands and
his doubts about that point are cleared away.
As an example of this, someone who practises the way may be stuck
at the point where he is dealing with avijja and he is truly in the
position where he can get free from avijja, but he does not know how the
citta should act toward it so that it can get free from it at that
moment. Someone who has already gone free from avijja will probably
answer him at once and with ease, and the one who is ready to walk free
from the realm of avijja will gradually understand the meaning of what
he is told — or he may understand and go right through to freedom at
that moment, due to the skilful way in which he is given the essential
data to clear the way. But if the citta of the Teacher has not yet
attained freedom he will not be able to explain rightly or truly
concerning this question about avijja; and this is so even if he has
learnt all about avijja. Because the avijja that he has learnt and
remembered is not the same as the true nature of avijja — they are not
one and the same thing at all. One who knows the true avijja has no
doubts about it even though he may not have studied and learnt about its
cunning deceptive tricks which are so widespread and many, nor would he
be fascinated by and attached to avijja. This is the same as someone who
knows the true Abhidhamma, for even though he may not have learnt it or
studied it widely, he has no doubts about it and he is not fascinated
by, nor attached to it. This is very different from someone who studies
avijja and studies the Abhidhamma but who does not know the true basis
of either of them. On the other hand, if he has both learnt and known
them truly, he will understand them even though nobody told him
anything. Because the one who does not understand and the one who
understands these forms of Dhamma are actors on the same stage. So he
has reached the end of that path which wants to know and to see what
those forms of Dhamma are like. This is like the owner of a cow who is
looking for it and wants to find it. Then he sees the footprints of the
cow and becomes fascinated and attached to following up its footprints.
He goes on without giving up until he reaches the cow. But as soon as he
has found the cow he immediately stops following its footprints.
When you, who read this come across some “forest eloquence”, I
hope you will excuse me, for I am strongly imbued with the “forest” and
its wild ways, and lack of any rules or principles. Because within the
forest Bhikkhus, there is nothing but the “wild Dhamma” that makes one’s
head spin and hardly any of the kind that makes one feel delighted. So
please practise it by yourselves until you realise it for yourselves.
You will then become convinced and feel a satisfaction that you have
accomplished something, far more than you ever will by reading and
listening to others. Because the understanding which comes from what
others say, or from the text books is all within the field of discursive
commentary. Before it is accepted and the heart can agree to believe it,
there must be an intense internal struggle and a testing criticism of
what has been heard or read. Sometimes one can even lose out to oneself,
believing that oneself has the upper hand, because deciding or weighing
up what one has heard or read is one’s own opinion. For, generally
speaking, we who follow the way (Sasana) tend to send our thoughts out
externally rather than going inwardly and the results which we get, tend
to be in the direction of loss to oneself all the time.
The method which Venerable Acharn used to cure his own citta and
that woman’s also, making it turn away from the seeing of loathsomeness
(patikula–sa??a) which made him wearied of food, of life, and living in
physical existence in his own body, which was the same as he taught that
woman also, is a thing of great interest to all those who are liable to
come across this problem which they may have to face up to one day.
Therefore I shall relate some of what Venerable Acharn said as far as I
can remember it.
Venerable Acharn said how that woman felt about food much in the
same way as he had done. For he did the contemplation of the
loathsomeness of food, both in regard to the fresh food mixed up in his
bowl, and the old food mixed up in his body, and he compared the two
together, taking the internal food as the basis of the comparison of
loathsomeness. After having done this contemplation and comparing them
together in full force and for long enough, the food in his bowl
gradually seemed to change its nature from that which is wholesome and
fit to eat until it became just as loathsome as the food inside the
body. This was seen with absolute clarity and gave rise to a feeling of
disenchantment and weariness which steadily increased. But fortunately
at that time he was living alone, which meant that he was able to get
down to examining this phenomena and to correct it with all his strength
of ability over quite a long period of time. His citta then steadily
gave way, accepted the truth, and he was able to eat normally. But the
way he did this will be described later when we come to the way he
taught that woman, for the basic Dhamma is the same in both cases. It
seems however that after this experience, Venerable Acharn was able to
see the extraordinary versatility of the citta and how it can adapt to
an endless variety of states and situations. This led him to improve the
carefulness and thoroughness with which he did his investigation or
research, beyond what he had been used to, with the aim of gaining
greater subtlety and precision. He did this by using the method of
changing about, using many tactics to attack the problem from different
angles and levels, until he was satisfied and certain about it and no
room was left for any mistakes to remain. His citta therefore must have
continued to become steadily more clever and skilled at investigating
without ever stopping.
When Venerable Acharn went to stay at Wat Nong Peu, the
above-mentioned woman came to him and told him of her experiences which
were very like those which he also had experienced, so he took the
opportunity to explain the situation to her. All the Bhikkhus and
Samaneras in the Wat left whatever they were doing and also came to
listen to this special Dhamma talk, which he gave by using his own
experiences as the basis of his explanation. He said:
“This kind of thing that this lady has experienced, I also have
experienced, and I have understood the tricky deceptiveness of the
kilesas of the kind which act as impostors, disguising and obscuring
their nature. To illustrate this: ‘they are like great thieves who act
as though they are good people in high society. Their clothes are good
and they dress elegantly and stylishly as if they were Lord Sakka, the
king of the gods, or Lady Sugata from heaven and walking amongst people
in society at all levels, without arousing any suspicions at all, that
they are in fact beings from hell in the guise of people. So they can
live and go about in comfort in a bold and stately manner, as though
they were people of great wisdom, purity and impeccability — and this
makes them difficult to catch out.’ Because the function or organisation
that produces such phenomena are beyond the ability of most people to
notice and to question. Only those who have keen discernment, skilled
wisdom, and who have been trained to know the tricks of these entities,
especially in this particular way, can see through them; even as a
police detective is fully up to the tricks of such a rogue and can catch
him and bring him to justice. But with other people they play on their
vanity until they have squeezed everything out of them.”
“Such is the character of this group of kilesas. They wait their
chance and penetrate into the Dhamma teaching of loathsomeness where
wisdom has not yet reached nor penetrated, wherever they can. As for the
intended purpose of the Dhamma practice, which investigates to see food
as loathsome, its purpose is to cut off the greed and delusion
associated with food which binds the citta to anxiety and melancholy
states. But the practice of seeing loathsomeness is not intended to make
people fast until they commit suicide, which is the way of these kilesas,
for they overshadow the place where Dhamma is located so that they can
go about doing what they want to do by going the way of the world, which
is dragged along to aid and support them.”
“But loathsomeness is also a factor of Dhamma, which means that
whatever is loathsome is to be known as loathsome. As for those things
that one has to depend on in this life, one just has to accept that one
has got to depend on them throughout the life of these khandhas. So on
the one hand, there is the body which is a loathsome thing, and on the
other hand there is food which is a loathsome thing also. As they are
both loathsome they can come together in harmony and there is no cause
for them to reject each other. One should not separate the two and
refuse to take food, which is a mistaken view that follows the lead of
those kilesas, of the kind which act as impostors, disguising and
obscuring their own nature. But the one who does the investigation is
the heart and it is quite separate and apart from those loathsome
things, and is not soiled or stained by them in any way that should give
rise to such disaffection and loathing that it cannot even consider
them.”
“Dhamma is always just sufficient and suitable in every aspect of
Dhamma, and all the techniques of investigation into any part or thing
is all for the purpose of getting Dhamma — which is a state of
sufficiency, satisfaction, and not going against the grain. But
investigating against the grain until food, the body and the heart
cannot agree together, is precisely the way of the kilesas, and there is
no doubt as to whether it is something that one should take up and go on
developing or not. In fact one must then go on investigating until the
external and the internal loathsomeness can be brought together while
the heart remains happily in the middle.”
“This is the right way and accords with the intended purpose of
Dhamma, without any one-sided bias such as you have at present. In this
way, loathsomeness is an instrument of Dhamma for curing that
self-forgetfulness which assumes that: ‘This thing is beautiful’ and
‘that thing is wonderfully tasty. How I love to eat it!’ But once the
investigation has been done until the citta has gone beyond this type of
self-forgetfulness, who would want to dig up and carry all this
loathsomeness into Nibbana? For all this is just the path leading to
Nibbana — which is Dhamma that has no attachment or relationship with
anything in the relative universe (sammuti). When the citta is attached
to beauty, then one should take up the Dhamma of loathsomeness to cure
it; when attached to hate one should take up the Dhamma of metta to cure
it; and when it is attached to greed, one should investigate one’s own
selfishness and self-opinionatedness until one sees it clearly, to cure
it. But when one is attached to delusion — well — what is called
delusion is very deep and profound and I can only give a brief
explanation here, enough to point out the direction, which is to take up
the Opanayika–Dhamma — that is, to investigate and look at one’s own
heart that is sunk in delusion concerning those things with which it is
involved. This is the way to know oneself and steadily to bring about a
cure. If one gets caught up in anger then one should examine this anger
which is an inward fire, burning oneself up first before spreading out
to burn up other people. One should do so until one can see how baneful,
wrong and harmful one’s anger is. When one examines such things to cure
them by going right to the spot where they are located, they gradually
weaken and die away on their own because there is nothing left to
support them, but only that which cools the passions. Where then can the kilesas get their food from to keep them well fed and fat so that they
may live long into the future. When also there is nobody there who is
ready to help them and develop them, they are surely bound to die like
an animal without an owner.”
“Have you ever seen in the story of the Lord Buddha and the
Savakas how they acted? Did they promote or destroy the kilesas? What
kind of result did they get from this; was it not something wonderful?
And where is it possible to find people in the world who are their
equal? But why then do we do nothing but promoting, supporting and
looking after the kilesas with such an excessive concern for their well
being while taking no interest nor giving a thought about ourselves,
even when we are about to die. We want to have houses, buildings,
department stores, halls, hundreds of storeys high, and all sorts of
clothing, decorations and adornments; we even want to take the stars in
the sky to decorate and beautify ourselves, to scintillate, catch the
eye and touch the heart of the kilesas — which are insatiable. We want
to amass money, silver and gold in a heap reaching to the sky so that
from all points of the compass we can see this mass of wealth, belonging
just to ‘oneself alone’. Even when the place where one stays is so full
of one’s wealth, that there is nowhere left for the owner to live, to
rest, to lie down and sleep, one accepts and puts up with the
difficulties and inconvenience. All one asks is to have and to get
whatever will satisfy the heart of the kilesas. As to having a wife or
husband, however many women or men there are in the world, one wants to
go about gathering them all up, so that they belong to oneself alone.
Nor does one want to let anyone else become involved and be a nuisance,
for that would upset the kilesas with their great greed, who are the
masters of the world sitting on top of the heart.”
“Well, what are you going to do? Are you going to go on fasting
until you die by doing these counterfeit practices of seeing
loathsomeness or are you ready to do what is reasonable, which is Dhamma
with sati and pa??a to watch and to make sure that all aspects of the
practice are done appropriately in the right proportions. I have also
gone through just these experiences until everything seemed offensive
and hateful. Therefore I can thus speak with full understanding without
any shame or fear of anyone saying I am mad or anything else. This is
the nature of the underlying or hidden knowledge of Dhamma and you must
understand it from now on. Amongst those who practise bhavana and who
get various kinds of knowledge and understanding arising in them, there
are some cases in which a foreign Dhamma arises in them and they have
nobody to warn and correct them until they become objects of pity in the
eyes of Buddhists and other people as well, just due to this kind of
knowledge.”
“You however, are fortunate in that you have someone to warn you
before you reach the point where you are ready to starve yourself to
death. Or, to go about yelling out that you are disgusted with food,
with your own body and with this world, which is full of things which
are loathsome covering the ground which you always have to depend on so
as to have a place to lie down, set up your pillow and your mosquito net
— and how all these things emanate a bad and pervasive stench. In fact
that stench does not exist. But it arises out of memory and thought
which deceives you until it becomes a firmly fixed belief buried deeply
and from which it is difficult to extricate yourself.”
This is an appropriate summary of the answer which he gave to that
woman who put her problem to him in the form of a question. Now, there
is a bit more to it before finishing this story.
As soon as Venerable Acharn finished speaking Dhamma to that woman
she smiled brightly as if she was no longer the same person who had come
to him burdened down with a load of suffering because of her aversion
and disgust. This is all I can remember of the incident but I am afraid
it is only a small part of it which is most unfortunate. For this Dhamma
talk which told me things that I had never heard before from any other
source, only came about by chance when Venerable Acharn talked to this
woman who brought her problems to him. Before this nobody had ever come
to put this problem to him in circumstances where I was able to listen
to such inspiring Dhamma. So I have called it, “Dhamma to Inspire the
Heart,” because it took hold of my heart, it was so indescribably
elegant and the truth that he was displaying went right home. From that
time on he never again brought up this subject to display to anyone
else.
The Routine of Chanting
The routine that is followed is close to the mode of practice as
done by Venerable Acharn Sao and Venerable Acharn Mun. This means that
under normal circumstances there is no formal meeting for the purpose of
paying respect and chanting. The only exception are those days when the
Patimokkha is chanted, and then the regular chants are recited before
the recitation of the Patimokkha, every time. But on other days, even if
there is a meeting for the Acariya to teach and train the Bhikkhus, when
the time comes the Bhikkhus assemble together and the Acariya goes
straight into his explanation of Dhamma in the traditional way of those
who practise.
Before and after the teaching by the Acariya, anyone who has an
unresolved question in his heart may ask him as he feels like it. As
soon as he has finished asking, the Acariya starts to explain and
resolve the problem until the questioner understands clearly. Then after
the Acariya has given his talk, if there are no other questions or
business to be discussed, they all pay their respects, the meeting ends
and then all return, each one to wherever he is staying.
As far as I know, the reason why Venerable Acharn did not
institute any of the regular morning or evening chants when he called a
meeting, was that he intended the Bhikkhus and Samaneras to practise
these chants and others on their own, as it suited them. He left it up
to them to chant much, little or extensively in the texts as they liked
and for as long as they liked, according to whatever each one found to
be helpful and convenient. Therefore the practice of chanting which they
did depended entirely on what each individual wanted to do, and it was a
form of bhavana which each one did in himself, because they did their
recollection of the chants internally and silently, without making a
loud noise as is the case when they all do it together. Some of them
were very good at it and could go on chanting for several hours. They
used to say that they became pleasantly engrossed in the various aspects
of Dhamma which they recited and it could take a long time before they
got through the suttas which they chanted. Of the many chants that they
knew they would choose whichever they felt like doing, whether the short
suttas or the long ones.
In the days of Venerable Acharn Sao and Venerable Acharn Mun they
very much liked chanting and each time they would go on for a long time.
While chanting, the citta is not involved in anything else and one is
happily absorbed in the aspects of Dhamma which one is chanting until
the citta becomes calm and peaceful. Venerable Acharn Sao and Venerable
Acharn Mun used to do a lot of chanting as they had always done since
they first learnt them and they went on doing so until the end of their
lives when they became very weak and sick and could no longer keep it
up. When Venerable Acharn started chanting, one could hear a gentle
murmuring noise going on continuously without any breaks or hesitation
until he reached the end of his chanting after a long time, and then he
would go on by sitting in samadhi bhavana until it was time for him to
rest. So one can say doing the regular chanting was truly part of his
routine.
But when we look at this present age — which is an age of “clever”
people, the Kammatthana Bhikkhus, both those in the past and ourselves
have all derived from the world of people, so we may also be “clever”
and have different ideas from those in the past. Such as changing things
and taking an easy way out — who knows? Therefore, paying homage and
chanting which is a blessing of great benefit and a most appropriate
virtue for oneself and others which the Teacher or Acariya has
recommended, may suffer a change in those who think that it is a waste
of time and out of date. They may be afraid that it is liable to reduce
and diminish the weakness and laziness which is steadily piling up on
top of their hearts and that this will cut off the pleasure which is
their nature and habit to derive all the time from such weakness and
laziness. But for those who endeavour to strive and scramble up by doing
the practice which has been taught to them, may they continue to uphold
and exalt it, which is the appropriate response to the metta and
compassion with which the Acariyas have always tried to train and teach
their followers. One can see how this is true at those times when one of
the Bhikkhus who had come under the umbrella of Venerable Acharn’s metta,
acted or behaved wrongly in some way either outwardly or inwardly. He
would tell him off soundly and teach him whatever was needed in relation
to what he had done; he would not leave him to “pickle” in that state
until he started to “stink”.
Various Customs and Ceremonies
I hope the reader will not mind me telling the whole truth in
regard to this subject. Because Kammatthana Bhikkhus of this lineage
tend to be rather old fashioned about the various ceremonies and customs
of society. So when they are invited to any functions or ceremonies,
they are usually seen to be rather awkward and to appear to be
embarrassed in ceremonial functions, such as, at funerals and the
chanting that is done when they are invited out to eat in people’s
homes. When a group of them are invited out, whether all Kammatthana
Bhikkhus, or mixed with other Bhikkhus who are experienced and skilled
in the ceremonies, the Kammatthana Bhikkhus are shown up by their
awkward and ungraceful ways. Sometimes the host cannot help feeling
ashamed in the face of all the guests who have come to honour him by
taking time off to come to the ceremony. But the Kammatthana Bhikkhus
are not used to the ways of society and all the formalities of these
functions. For they have never had much occasion to get involved in
society and their ceremonies, their time having been spent mostly in the
forests and hills, and amongst villagers and hill people, who never have
much in the way of ceremonies and formalities. So when they are invited
to various functions in the towns and cities they generally behave in
ways that are not right for the occasion in the way that the world
conventionally expects. They do not know what hand they should use to
hold the “holy thread”, or to sprinkle “holy water”, to hold the
ceremonial fan or to take the pamsukula cloth with, so as to conform to
the custom. Some have even been known to hold the ceremonial fan the
wrong way round — with the front side towards them and the back to the
audience. Then their own followers and the rest of the people who have
come cannot bear to see it and must look elsewhere for they feel
ashamed. But the Bhikkhu himself is relaxed and at ease as if nothing at
all is wrong while the lay people cannot stand it and are burying their
heads in shame.
Kammatthana Bhikkhus are like this, and I who am writing this am
particularly prone to this sort of thing. For I am invited out
frequently and I often let down my hosts and followers in this way.
Generally when I am in Bangkok I am invited to funerals and other
ceremonies and I plead with them not to invite me because I am almost
bound to let them down with some faux pas or slip ups. Even so they
won’t listen and still invite me along, and in the end that’s exactly
what happens. But they don’t learn, for they still go on eagerly
inviting me out, all the time. Although my followers may be ready to put
up with their Acariya putting them to shame, he himself cannot put up
with it, and so I don’t like going to such functions. One can think of
it as being like catching a wild monkey and letting it loose in society.
How could it ever act gracefully and graciously? It is bound to end up
causing embarrassment to all concerned including itself.
However much this happens, the Kammatthana Bhikkhus do not
remember how to do these things and they still keep on doing them all
wrong, right up to the present day at every function they have to go to.
When I think of my companions in Dhamma and all the Acariyas who may be
invited out to various functions in the towns and cities, I cannot help
feeling embarrassed in anticipation of what they may do. For whatever
happens I can say for sure that the Kammatthana Bhikkhus of this lineage
are bound to be like this when they are invited out, because I know very
well how old fashioned and backward they are which is due to their never
having learnt how to do all these things. So whenever they are invited
out to any of these functions they are always bound to be like fish out
of water practically every time and it makes no difference whether they
have been in the order for a few or many years. Sometimes after the
function has ended and the Bhikkhu is leaving the place, one of his lay
followers who feels upset by his behaviour may go up to him and ask him
very quietly, “Why did you do that? I felt really full of shame.” But he
does not even know what he has done wrong, so that the lay follower must
quietly whisper to him and tell him what he should have done and how he
must not do it in that way again because it is wrong and the others will
all laugh at him. They talk together, saying: “Today I also felt very
embarrassed when I saw him doing..., for the Bhikkhus here have never
acted in that way.” But the next time he goes out he makes some other
blunder; in fact they are worse than children in this respect for they
don’t know or remember the right way to do these things. This is the
manner of the Kammatthana Bhikkhus of this lineage when they are invited
out to perform in such functions and ceremonies.
But when it comes to the Vinaya which is the traditional manner of
behaviour and morality for Bhikkhus, they seem to be quite capable of
putting it into practice correctly and precisely without making any
mistakes like they do in ceremonial functions which are the traditional
ways of behaviour that people in the world accept as being right. In
fact it is praiseworthy that they do not become attached to these
worldly traditions nor take any fixed attitude towards them in their
hearts. Sometimes their companions ask them teasingly about some of
their faux pas, like the case of the Bhikkhu whom they saw holding the
ceremonial fan back to front, with the decorated side facing himself,
while he closed his eyes and gave the sila (moral precepts) to the lay
people, quite unconcerned and contented within himself. The other
Bhikkhus who saw this could not help seeing the funny side of it, but
they had no way of telling him what was wrong because he was too far
away from them. They just had to put up with their embarrassment and sit
quietly until the end of the ceremony. When they left the place they
said to him teasingly: “Ho! Today you gave a wonderful performance
didn’t you? Those who could bear to look at it almost died of shame.”
That Bhikkhu didn’t know what they were talking about and asked, “What
wonderful performance?” So they told him: “You were holding the fan the
wrong way round and you closed your eyes and gave the sila completely
unconcerned. If I didn’t think it was a wonderful performance I would be
really stupid, so I must commend you for upholding the honour of
Kammatthana.” The Bhikkhu looked a bit puzzled, smiled gently and said,
“Did I really do that? I’m afraid I didn’t think about which way round
the fan was facing. All I knew was that I should take up the fan and
hold it in front of me.”
This is the way of those who are Kammatthana monks, for they are
liable to make embarrassing mistakes wherever and whenever they go out
to ceremonial functions. If it is claimed that they show up deficiencies
in this manner, they can do nothing but accept it, because in fact it is
true; and I who am writing this here also made such mistakes many times
in the past. This is due to the main emphasis of training which for
Kammatthana monks is quite different from that of others. However, in
regard to the Vinaya discipline, the Kammatthana monks are quite strict
and they are not afraid or disturbed when they go amongst other people
in general. For they keep on training themselves and practising the way
in all situations. As for the various customs and ceremonial functions,
they rarely go to any, and they are not the kind of things which they
find interesting. Therefore in such functions they always tend to be out
of step and awkward. I, who am writing this have also done such things
which have been embarrassing and upsetting. But I still keep on doing
such things right up to the present day.
Having got to this point, I shall tell the story of how a
Kammatthana monk lost out once, to show how the ways of the forests and
towns are different. In about the year 2476/7 BE (1933/4 CE) there was a
Kammatthana Bhikkhu, and it seems that since he was ordained he had
never gone into the towns and cities. He liked staying in the forest all
the time and had never studied the books and taken examinations like
most other Bhikkhus do. He had only learnt the Five Kammatthanas and the
thirty two parts of the body from his teacher, after which he did the
practice in the forest in company with his teacher and some companions,
by using these methods to fix his attention firmly in samadhi bhavana.
He was already forty years old and afraid that his body and mind (sankhara)
would not remain in a condition to support his practice for much longer
and that he may die before he had attained. One day a friend who was
also practising the way came and talked to him saying how he had heard
that there were many Kammatthana Bhikkhus in Korat (the district of
Nakhon Ratchasima) in fact more than usual, and there were many places
that were suitable for doing the practice in the forests and hills south
and west of Korat such as Kao Brig and Kao Yai. These places were very
quiet and secluded, and very well suited to the development of samadhi
bhavana. As soon as he heard this from his friend he wanted to go there
and agreed to go along with him, considering that he was a guide who
would lead him there.
When they got to Korat, they went to stay in Wat Salawan which was
a new wat, having recently been built up and the Abbot was Venerable
Acharn Sing (Khantiagamo). In the morning this Bhikkhu and his friend
went out on the pindapata round in the town of Korat with the other
Bhikkhus. It happened that day that one of the lay followers giving food
put a wrapped up package of something in his bowl which he had never
come across before, because he was a countryman from the Northeast of
Thailand (Isan) and there was little likelihood of his having come
across anything like this. Soon after this package was put in his bowl
he began to have grave doubts about it, because whenever he took off the
lid of his bowl to receive food he was assailed by a strange and
powerful smell. He was not bold enough to actually say anything about it
to anyone, but it made him suspicious that the lay people who gave the
food may have played a trick on him. He thought: “Can they really do
this to me? I am a Bhikkhu who is free of malice and any desire to harm
others whether people or animals and I have dedicated myself to this
practice of striving for the Path, Fruition and Nibbana. It is not right
for them to do such despicable things to Bhikkhus like me. Maybe some
Bhikkhus did some bad things making themselves objects of loathing to
the lay people which made them do this.” He went on brooding over it all
the rest of the time he was on pindapata. Meanwhile the offensive smell
continued to assail his nose every time he took off the lid from his
bowl to receive gifts of food. He tried not to lose his composure so as
to avoid showing anything outwardly to the people because he was a
newcomer and when he came across anything like this he should put up
with it. But as soon as he left the residential area he couldn’t stand
it any longer, so he opened his bowl and took out the offending package
to have a look at what it was that had been troubling him all the time.
When he opened the package of durian fruit which they had wrapped up and
given to him with saddha, he couldn’t help exclaiming: “For heaven’s
sake, I thought it was..... which was giving out such a bad smell, that
they had wrapped up to teach the Bhikkhus a lesson. And there I was,
angry, disheartened and sorry all the way along, and all the time it was
just this rotten jackfruit, three years and four months old influencing
me until my heart turned away from the ways of a Bhikkhu and became such
that I hardly had any sati for quite some time.” At the same time he
threw the package of rotten jackfruit (which was in fact durian) into
the ditch at the side of the road and then walked on happily and
unconcerned and quite free of his previous doubts. He just made a mental
note of how the fruit here seemed to be different from what he was used
to, thinking: “This rotten jackfruit is not like those I have seen at
home, for however rotten the ones at home were, they never gave out such
a strong and unbearable smell like the ones here. Whoever put it in my
bowl, even though they had no bad intention towards the Bhikkhus, they
must have been very unperceptive and inattentive to be able to put such
a useless rotten jackfruit in the bowl of a Bhikkhu, making him put up
with the smell while walking along.”
He must have been thinking a lot about this incident, because he
told the Bhikkhu who came with him all about it that afternoon, starting
off by saying: “Why is it that this province and the one we have just
come from have such different climates even though they are both part of
Isan (the Northeastern region), so that even the same kinds of fruit
have quite a different smell?”
“What fruits are different and in what way?” the other Bhikkhu
asked him. “The jackfruit at home, even when they have become completely
rotten and inedible don’t give off a very bad smell, whereas although I
haven’t seen the ripe ones, those that they put in our bowls this
morning — you must have got some as well — they had such a bad smell, I
couldn’t stand it all the way back to the Wat and I threw it away in the
ditch. Didn’t they give you some of this jackfruit also? You must have
got some as you were in front of me.”
“What they put in our bowls this morning eh!? That wasn’t
jackfruit! Good grief! It seems that you have never seen a durian
before, and that was what you threw into the ditch, was it?”
“Yes, because I couldn’t stand it any longer, why should I go on
carrying it about?” The other Bhikkhu said: “For heaven’s sake! Don’t
you know what a durian is? What they put in your bowl this morning was
durian — the most expensive fruit in Thailand. People who are poor and
unfortunate can cry their eyes out for the taste of it, but you just
throw it away. And the people who gave it, went out of their way to get
it and put it in your bowl with true saddha. Why did you throw it away?
You should have at least asked someone else about it before throwing
away something valuable like that. Haven’t you ever seen durian before?”
“No, this is the first time I have come across it — this morning,
and I almost fainted with the smell. People may say it’s wonderful and
special as much as they like but I have a nose and it’s not going to let
anyone fool me about it. This morning I knew it with my own nose until I
couldn’t stand it any longer and threw it away, so how can you praise it
as being ripe and wonderful. You ought to know that the nose of a person
is not the same as that of a dog. For the nose of a dog would tell it
one thing, but people are more clever than dogs and that they should
take up a dog’s understanding in place of the understanding of a person,
I cannot agree with. This fruit is just like....., and regardless of how
expensive it may be I wouldn’t accept it even if it was given freely to
me. Otherwise why should I have thrown it away — only because I couldn’t
stand it and so I took this way out.” The other Bhikkhu smiled in an
amused way and said: “You can’t have been born complete. You see
something good and valuable and don’t know that it is good — in fact you
think it is false. I can’t think of any other way to explain it to you.”
The “rotten jackfruit” Bhikkhu just smiled, but the way he spoke
was quite adamant, and he took no notice of what the other Bhikkhu said
in praise of the durian which he was given.
From what has been said up to now, it is likely that the reader
will think that the true Kammatthana Bhikkhu is ready to listen to what
others have to say at any time. But in some cases they will not listen
to anyone, and then they are likely to argue forcefully while firmly
maintaining their standpoint — such as the above “rotten jackfruit”
Bhikkhu. So it seems that the forest people and Bhikkhus are very
different from the people and Bhikkhus who live in the villages and
towns, to the extent that in coming across a durian, he could think that
it was a rotten jackfruit and then throw it away in the ditch. If he had
been more observant and thoughtful, appropriate to the blame he levelled
at others, saying that they were unobservant and inattentive, he might
have tried carrying it in his bowl with the lid closed until he got back
to the Wat and could ask someone else about it before throwing it away.
For the way he did it was the way of one who has no wisdom.
But really, one cannot help feeling some sympathy for this Bhikkhu
who had never seen durian fruit, due to his having lived in the forest
when communications were so very different from what they are now, and
he had never had any opportunity to see unusual things, like we have
nowadays. This is how the forest Bhikkhus are bound to be when they are
invited out into the towns and cities, they still have the
characteristics of the forest Bhikkhu who came across a rotten
jackfruit. But the type of Kammatthana Bhikkhu who is so clever and up
to date that he sets one’s teeth on edge may also be mixed up in them in
the same way as are good and evil. Although whether it is too old
fashioned or too clever and modern, it is most likely to be
inappropriate and unseemly in both cases, because it does not accord
with the principles of the “Middle Way of Dhamma”, which is truly
sufficient and appropriate. But to be old fashioned like the above
Bhikkhu, makes one feel sorry for him.
Discussions of Dhamma
Up to the present time, the conversations that take place between
Kammatthana Bhikkhus has always been something that supports faith and
is a valuable opportunity for those who are listening to learn. As it
says in the Mangala Sutta, “Kalena dhammasakaccha etammangalamuttamam” —
(Discussing Dhamma at the right occasion is one of the greatest
blessings). Because the behaviour and attitude, which each one of them
displays and which is most admirable, comes from their aim of attaining
the truth and Dhamma and the value and help that they may get from what
they learn by asking questions of each other. It is also regardless of
the conventions of who is more senior in the number of vassa (years)
they have been in the order.
In regard to the above, I who am writing this would like to
express my admiration for the Dhamma conversations (Dhammasakaccha)
which they have, and which follow the ways of the truly wise and leads
one to have faith in them. This is completely different from the ?manner
of those — of whom merely to see them makes one feel dis?heartened — and
as time goes on, they are becoming more and more wide?spread to the
point where some Bhikkhus have called such conferences as they indulge
in: “Conferences of spittle in flood”.
If however there is a Dhamma conference which conforms to the ways
of “Dhamma conversation” (Dhammasakaccha), it should reach a reasoned
conclusion and full acceptance. This is said with full knowledge of the
fact that we Buddhists still variously have kilesas in us, but we are
also intent on the truth and Dhamma. So when I know of good or evil of
any kind, I have put down whatever comments and criticisms come from
other people. For when one only criticises oneself, it is not likely to
do much in the way of stirring up one’s kilesa of self-opinionatedness
and one has to depend on other people to help one do this. If one is
intent on truly cleaning out the bad things within oneself, one should
be able to get value from both praise and blame. Therefore I have
written about both what is right and good as well as what is wrong and
evil in Kammatthana Bhikkhus, because I hope that value will be gained
from both sides. But I am certainly not offering criticism for the
purpose of bringing discredit and harm to anyone at all.
What makes the Dhamma conversation of the Kammatthana Bhikkhus
really praiseworthy is their intended purpose, which is to pick up hints
and teachings from the True Dhamma which each of them gives forth
without any conceit or opinionatedness at all, even though they
variously still have kilesas within them. For they talk based on the
ground level (bhumi) of their cittas and of the Dhamma which arises out
of the citta bhavana, which they have been practising. So they may talk
about Khanika Samadhi, or Upacara Samadhi, or Appana Samadhi, depending
on what level their practice has reached. And if they have any doubts,
they ask about them one after another, while those who understand answer
them and clear each problem one by one until they fully understand.
It is much the same in the field of pa??a which has different
levels in the same way as samadhi. For if any of them has a problem
concerning pa??a at any particular level, in connection with whatever
they are currently investigating and they cannot get past this point,
one who understands or who has already gone past this point will explain
it point by point. He will explain it just where this Bhikkhu is unsure
of the way, until he understands it in the same way as the other levels
which he has already understood.
These Dhamma conversations amongst Kammatthana Bhikkhus which take
place in accordance with the various levels of Dhamma are quite
delightful, because the questions come out of the heart of the
questioner who has been doing the practice and has experienced various
things, and the answer also comes from the heart of one who has done the
practice and experienced the same sort of things. Both of them have seen
for themselves the true facts which have come from their practice, and
this is an opportunity for them to go on gaining more and more from it.
One day one Bhikkhu talks about one thing; another day or time another
Bhikkhu talks about another thing. So they keep changing about
continually passing on what they know to others. Because different
Bhikkhus practise differently and know about different aspects of the
practice, both inwardly and externally.
In these Dhamma conversations which arise from knowing within the
heart, even though the one who explains his situation and asks questions
may be very much junior to the other in years (vassa), he tells his
story and asks his questions with a sure confidence and a certainty in
what he knows and asks about. He has no fear, nervousness or anxiety,
apprehensive that the other Bhikkhu will question him or pick holes in
what he has said. He just speaks and asks in accordance with the way he
feels, and both sides are ready to accept whatever is reasonable. If at
any point the reasoning is still unacceptable, they go over that point,
hammering out the meaning until it is properly understood. Then they can
go beyond it, without either side gaining or losing any status or
virtue, which is what happens when the “way of the world” is hidden in
Dhamma, for then it departs from the hope of gaining understanding from
each other. But the correct way is, that whether right or wrong in any
way, the one who reveals himself or asks the questions does so in
whatever way he feels to be appropriate and which explains what he has
experienced, without being afraid of being wrong. Those who are
listening to him set themselves to listen to the point which that
Bhikkhu has brought up as a question and they are not interested in
anything more than the Dhamma question which is right before them.
Whoever is talking and listening, all of them are willing to listen
attentively to the Dhamma of each other from beginning to end in an even
manner, without showing any sign of boredom, contempt or dissatisfaction
with the level of citta and Dhamma of each other. All of them talk
together with a purity of heart, with a real hope that they may gain
knowledge and assistance from each other. When the one who has brought
up his story and asked his question gets some disagreement at any point
from those who are listening to him, this point must become a problem
for his homework, a problem which he must immediately start thinking
about so as to correct it and adjust his understanding until he feels
sure about it and until the problem has been resolved to his full
satisfaction and does not contradict the Acariya who showed him the way.
In addition, he must understand the question in the way the Acariya has
explained it, before he can let go of it and pass beyond it. Generally
speaking, any of them who meet with disagreement do not feel
disheartened about it, but rather tend to become even more interested
and concerned about such a question. In this way, the Dhamma
conversation amongst those who also practise in this same way is likely
to bring blessings to them, even as it says in the verse of Dhamma:
“Dhamma conversation at the right time is one of the greatest
blessings.” But conversation which is an enemy or which destroys what is
expressed in the foregoing Dhamma verse, which in Pali is: “Kalena
dhammasakaccha etammangalamuttamam,” is likely to be of the kind which
arouses the kilesas or the type which takes pride in the kilesas rather
than being directed towards anything useful in Dhamma. But this that I
have written just accords with the ways of the forest. So please don’t
take it too seriously because the word “forest” or “the wilderness”
proclaims its nature without needing to say any more.
Whatever will bring benefit to oneself by way of Dhamma, in any
way, is a way that one should try to scoop up with all one’s strength
and effort. For even though the way may be subject to the criticism and
blame of others who have kilesas of the kind which like to criticise so
as to raise up themselves, or to destroy others, rather than for the
sake of Dhamma, they will not be able to eradicate that way. If it was
possible for them to eradicate that way or method, the Lord Buddha who
practised the way in the midst of the exponents of all sorts of
different views and opinions, which should be called “the storehouse of
kilesas”, would most likely not have been able to slip through them and
become the Great Teacher of all us Buddhists. Only truth can triumph
over all falsehood, which means that because of truth one can triumph
over self and the world. One cannot get away from truth, and those who
are firmly connected to Buddhism should also be firmly committed to
truth — which is the heart of Buddhism.
Therefore Dhamma conversation and any of the ways of practising
Dhamma, when they are actually done, can make the kilesas afraid and
dispel them from the heart. So doing those things is a blessing to
oneself, although the kilesas will not see it as a blessing — though
this is not a problem. But generally we tend to make ourselves a
blessing to the kilesas rather than to ourselves and we should beware of
this kind of blessing if it arises frequently, because it may be
dragging us down even while we think we are progressing. This is the way
of those who are crooks, who cheat, rob or swindle to gain the wealth of
others and turn it into their own wealth and blessing, thinking that
they are clever and have a lot of merit and virtue. They pride
themselves that they must have powerful and good tendencies of kamma,
which has brought them a heap of money as big as a mountain and they
pore over their accounts of the money they have in the bank every day
without fail. But in truth, the whole of this is only a “blessing” which
lasts as long as they are still breathing, a “blessing of clay” stuck to
their heads which will lead them to ruin and disintegration. All those
who are wise and know the way, have no doubt whatsoever as to what kind
of “blessing” this is.
To judge what is a true blessing, the Acariyas have taught that
one should judge one’s motives for doing whatever actions one does, to
see in what way they tend at all times throughout the day, and day by
day. These actions will manifest in one’s body, speech and mind
variously on each occasion, and whether they give rise to blessings or
the opposite, which are the results that come from them, will depend on
and accord with these actions, which cannot be separated from those
results.
From what has been said above, the blessing of Dhamma talk which
accords with the characteristics of happiness (sukha–lakkhana) in the
heart, would seem to be a joyful thing in those who practise the Dhamma,
which they talk about in the manner of Dhammasakaccha. This is the
result which each of them gets and which accords with the above Dhamma
verse and it is a method which steadily brings relief and dispels the
kilesas within them.
There are times when it so happens that a number of the Bhikkhus
come from the hills and the forests which give them happiness and
contentment of heart and they all meet together at the same time. An
occasion such as this is a good opportunity for them to discuss various
aspects of Dhamma together, in addition to which they have a longing to
do so, for this is a rare occasion that only happens once in a long
time. To begin with there will generally be questions from the more
junior Bhikkhus, with the most senior Bhikkhus starting off the
proceedings with some preliminary talk and asking the first Bhikkhu to
start off with the way of practice — which means his citta bhavana as he
has experienced it. When he has finished giving an account of his
practice, the senior Bhikkhu may sometimes question him and make some
comments and add some Dhamma explanations to correct him in some places
and to emphasise the Dhamma which he had understood correctly, so as to
bring out its full scope and implications. The other Bhikkhus whose turn
had not yet come would be sitting quietly while listening with calm
hearts so as to pick up ways and means from the talk between the first
questioner and the one who is waiting to explain. This conversation
which takes place is most strange and wonderful, for one would never
have thought that the Dhamma could be practised by different people in
so many different ways with such a variety of different experiences in
all sorts of ways and directions. Yet, when they talk it turns out that
it can all be interpreted in terms of Dhamma, such as I have experienced
in some aspects. As if our hearts were all together as one, and the
Dhamma is also one and the same. For the Dhamma has many aspects, and
the heart has many spheres, and since each person has a heart one should
hardly expect there to be such unanimity and harmony as in fact there
is. But whether they speak of the Bhuta and ghosts, of the Devata, about
the Dhamma Truths in some of its aspects, about the methods of pa??a
(wisdom) in some of its aspects, or about various different kinds of
kilesas, they can all understand each other, as if they all saw it
together at the same moment. Therefore all those present, whether
sitting and listening, whether talking or asking questions, or those who
were listening to make a critical evaluation, all of them would probably
gain something useful and valuable from the question in the same way as
if the Bhikkhu who was making comments was pointing at each one of them
for them alone to hear individually. The only exceptions would depend on
the ability of each one of them who was listening, for depending on the
level of their ability, they may or may not be able to understand some
parts of it. But when they listen to the explanations which are directly
in answer to the questions and problems which are put forward, all of
them who are listening are able to gain value from them, because all of
them are in the same basic situation that should enable them to gain
value equally. This is like those instances which we can read about in
the texts when the Lord Buddha was setting right and elucidating a
question concerning Dhamma which someone had asked him. At the same time
there were others present who were able to benefit from what he taught,
even to the extent of attaining the Path, Fruition and Nibbana in some
cases, although it was someone else’s question and the answer was given
to that person. This can happen because Dhamma is neutral and quite
impartial to the world. So it can give value to anyone who is able to
receive it, regardless of the time or place of those people who are in
the right basic situation to be able to accept it.
A Dhamma conversation which takes place at a time when several
Bhikkhus are sitting together is likely to be of value to all who hear
it. However there are many types of question or problem which may be
about external or internal things of endless varieties, some of which
can be made public and others which should not, for they may be
difficult or inappropriate to discuss in public. But whatever type of
question it is, the questioner should know for himself whether it is the
type which may be revealed for others to hear, or whether it should be
reserved for an opportunity when he can discuss it privately with his
Teacher at a suitable time.
All these questions or problems are concerned only with citta
bhavana. For when one is practising the way all the time in all sorts of
situations, in the spheres of both samadhi and pa??a, questions and
problems are bound to arise all the time, regardless of one’s situation.
When problems or Dhamma of some kinds arise from the heart, the “owner”
will know the answer for himself right away. There are other kinds
which, when they arise, the “owner” will have to spend some time
investigating them before he understands and can pass them by, one by
one. But there are also other kinds of problems which arise and the
“owner” has no knowledge of how to cure and correct them, so he must
depend on someone else to help and advise him. Some of the problems that
arise concern things which are critical and dangerous and he must solve
them quickly. If he cannot deal with them himself, he must hurry off to
find a Teacher — an Acariya — who can help and correct him, otherwise if
he just leaves it alone it may lead him into false delusions and spoil
him entirely.
But whatever problem arises, mindfulness and wisdom are factors of
Dhamma that are essential in every case for curing or promoting the
problems which arise in oneself. One must bring mindfulness and wisdom
in to test and examine, so as to become quite certain that one
understands where one thinks one is right or wrong, by way of reason.
But not by understanding or mere fancy which is based on one’s own
emotional bias and which one then grasps and holds on to, believing it
to be true. Before one is ready to accept the answer to each problem, it
must be proved by wisdom using the ways of reason. This is why
Kammatthana Bhikkhus go in search of the Acariyas and respect them and
have faith in them and listen closely to what they say, which is quite
different from the way of study Bhikkhus. Because the questions and
problems which arise from citta–bhavana are specific and important and
they must be dealt with only by an Acariya who has gone through the same
things himself, for him to be able to resolve them. Someone who has
never practised bhavana cannot be expected to resolve them, even though
he may have studied the texts extensively, for the problems that arise
from citta bhavana are, generally speaking, not directly in line with
what is learnt by study. Supposing a problem is described in a concealed
and roundabout fashion, one cannot say that it is completely at variance
with what is learnt by study, but nor can one say that it is the same
thing. This is why there are great difficulties for those who have never
gone beyond the level of study to investigate and find the truth. For
talk of this kind, as I have described it, will probably not be
understood by those who have never come across it before and never
practised bhavana. In fact they are quite likely to laugh at it while
saying that this is just the uneducated way of those who live in the
wilds and that it lacks any basis. But the truth is as I have described
it amongst those who practise the way. As for those Bhikkhus who have
had some results from the principles of bhavana, they will immediately
understand as soon as the truth is revealed to them. |
|
17. How Questions Differ in Samadhi and
Pañña
The word “question” or “problem” is a general way of speaking and
it does not give any clear indication of what kinds of questions or
problems are involved; nor how they arose, or under what circumstances.
So I will give some words of explanation which should be enough to show
the way to those who do the practice of citta bhavana. For this can be
something to think about as a way to overcome their problems when they
arise, by grasping and relying upon the principles which have been laid
down, as a way to test and try to bring about a cure.
The problems that arise in the fields of samadhi generally arise
in those cases in which the citta has already become calm and then it
draws back from this state and comes to know all sorts of things of
endless varieties with which it gets involved. In order to overcome this
difficult problem, which is beyond one’s ability in the early stages
shortly after one has developed the practice, one should turn the citta
back and go inwards into the state of samadhi entirely, without getting
involved in probing and thinking about those things which become
manifest at all. Then whenever the citta goes down into a state of calm
one should have mindfulness to watch and take care of the citta, causing
it to remain in that calm state and preventing anything from putting
pressure on it to leave this state and go outside. Such as for example,
suggesting that it should fly up into the sky, or to go on a tour of the
hells, the heavens and paradise, or play about in samadhi by thinking of
doing things like wanting to look into the cittas of other people when
one’s own citta is calm. Things such as these disturb and excite the
citta, making it move about and go out towards external objects and
situations (arammana). Instead, one should let the citta remain calm and
happy with the objective situation which is there within the samadhi —
this being the state of calm present at that time. One can admire this
calm and happiness with a pure heart without anything disturbing and
inciting one and causing trouble and bringing up questions and problems
uselessly; because it is not yet the right time and one has not yet
reached the level of development to be able to know and gain value from
such questions. For instance, wanting to know whether good and evil are
true things, and whether hell, heaven and Nibbana are true facts, or
not. All such questions are nothing but self-indulgence — or, indulgence
in the world within one. So one should develop samadhi and pañña — which
is the way to know good and evil, to know heaven and hell, and to know
Nibbana — and to make it firm and strong. These things will not be
beyond the ability of the heart which does the training well. Or if the
training has already been done well, it can go ahead and is bound to
know them clearly for itself by experience rather than by guesswork and
mere thinking, which is a way of dealing with problems that damages the
heart. We should realise that those who have told us and pointed out
what is good and evil, heaven, hell and Nibbana make us, who hear about
these questions, speculate and use guesswork until we go wrong in the
head. Like a child who climbs onto the roof of his home and jumps off
holding on to an ordinary umbrella to break his fall, and ends up
breaking his legs and getting concussion. But the true Acariyas know
them by the fundamental principles in their hearts and in Dhamma, and
this is what enables them to know and to see. Therefore, they know
clearly, speak clearly and can point out the way clearly without making
mistakes or deviating from the truth. But even though the truth of those
things is available in the true knowing and seeing of the Acariyas, we
still use false guesswork.
One thing that is undeniably right about us is how silly and
nonsensical we are, how we lack any essence of truth (sara) and how we
deny that those things — such as good and evil, and the rest — have any
existence. So we act accordingly and make and accumulate kamma, piling
it up on ourselves until we can hardly bear the burden. But even then,
we are still foolhardy enough to make the same assumptions and to go on
disputing the existence of these things with the view, which we hold
tightly and intimately, that there is nothing beyond death and there is
therefore nothing which remains and goes on into the future to receive
the results of all this kamma. We never think how those who have been
born into this world all complain about the suffering and discontent
here. If all the complaints about the sufferings and discontent, which
weigh down on beings until they can not find a way out, were to give out
a loud noise like thunder and explosions, all people in the world would
probably have died of broken hearts long ago. Because the loud explosive
sounds of their complaints would have resonated around the material
world and there would be no corner of it, or time in which it would be
possible to breathe freely. But as it is, most people complain about the
discontent in their hearts without knowing about kamma and how kamma
brings back to them the results which come from their past to arise in
the present and in the endless future. But then if they cannot see the
ways of kamma here, in what realm of heaven or hell will they ever learn
to accept it?
I who am writing this, also live in this realm of dukkha in the
same way as everyone else, but I don’t have enough wisdom to show them
how to see kamma and its results as well as the place where those who
have kamma must experience the results of it. All I can say is that
wherever there is dukkha, there also is the manifestation of kamma, and
those who are free of dukkha are also free of kamma — like the Lord
Buddha and all the Savakas who have come to the end of dukkha. So kamma
has no power to follow them and force them to accept its results, as it
does with all those in the world who like to complain about it. Where I
have written about those questions concerning such things as thinking
about the heavens and hells in the foregoing discussion, these are the
basic kinds of problems which do harm to the mind. One should be very
cautious and one should not be overly concerned about such questions.
Rather, one should try to make one’s heart know clearly and see through
everything that is concealed and obscured. If one goes to see and know
for oneself, nothing remains covered and one is bound to know for sure.
For such things as these do not hide themselves, and they are not
concealed or obscured at all, apart from the way that the world conceals
and obscures them. People in the world have the eye to see — that is,
the inward eye — and if they open it, they will see for themselves.
The samadhi citta may give rise to questions in many ways. But
wisdom is the “embankment or dam” which holds them back, so that no
questions of any kind can get past it. If it is put into use one is
bound to see results from it straight away.
But in the early stages of practice, one should not promote
thoughts which give rise to tricky and complex questions and problems
before they even start to arise on their own, in the way mentioned
above. Generally and normally, if the citta has interest only in the
aspect of Dhamma contained in the preparatory meditation (parikamma) and
it integrates in calm, going down into a state where it dwells with calm
and happiness, none of these questions and problems are likely to arise
and bother the citta causing it disturbance and distraction. The
tendency to think in ways that are quite irrational is therefore always
likely to create a lot of anxiety in oneself. There are many problems
associated with the way of samadhi, but this is enough for the moment
and we must turn and consider the problems associated with wisdom (pañña).
Before explaining the problems that arise in the way of wisdom, I
should write about some of the results of the problems, associated with
samadhi which has been well developed, as examples for the reader to
think about. Because the basis of samadhi and the various problems,
which arise from samadhi in those who have venturesome cittas, will
probably be of great value, once they have been trained in the right way
— and then they will be able to put them to use in unusually deep,
profound and extensive ways. An example of this may be seen from the
“Biography of Venerable Acharn Mun,” for he was an Acariya whose citta
was bold and venturesome while he was in the stages of training and
discipline, and then became a master after he had completed his
training.
The Story of Khun Mair Kaew
But the following story refers to a woman, who was a follower
of Venerable Acharn, and who had received training from him, when she
first started to practise. She is still alive today and lives as a white
robed Upasika. Her citta tends to be venturesome and is similar to that
of Venerable Acharn Mun in many respects, so this is a suitable place to
reveal this story as food for thought for those who practise the way, to
think about and to extract the “essence” from it as it suits themselves
and as far as they are able to.
When this woman was a young girl, Venerable Acharn Mun stayed for
one rains retreat period (vassa) near her village with a large company
of Bhikkhus and Samaneras. It seems that this was the first time that
this village had as many as forty or fifty monks and novices staying
nearby for the vassa. There were a number of elderly Bhikkhus there, who
had been in the robe for many vassa already and who were followers of
Venerable Acharn, who spent the vassa there with him. There was also one
Bhikkhu who had skill in paracittavijja — knowing the cittas of other
people — and he had the duty of helping Venerable Acharn to catch out
those Bhikkhus who were skilful at “robbery” (i.e. those Bhikkhus whose
cittas liked to steal away to think of other things and to wander away
from the path). Sometimes, when Venerable Acharn was about to give a
Dhamma talk at night, so as to give teaching to the Bhikkhus, he would
tell that Bhikkhu, who was skilled at the paracittavijja, saying:
“Today I want you to help me a bit to put down the thieves! While
giving a Dhamma talk I don’t have much chance to trap and catch these
thieves. For even though I can do it, it is not as efficient as waiting
to catch them at the door (waiting prepared and ready to catch the
cittas of the others present, which slip away into wayward thoughts at a
time when there is no business intruding and calling for their
attention). Since I shall be active in giving a Dhamma talk, I will not
have much chance to think of anything else, for by the time I should
have turned my citta to examine and catch the thieves, they would have
stolen away a large hoard of things and returned to normal and I would
have no chance to catch them in the act. So I would like you to help me
a bit to catch them in the act, for these thieves are very skilled at
slipping out when I am occupied with other essential business. Try to
catch the really skilled ones which are most clever at it!”
After that, Venerable Acharn would start to give a Dhamma talk
without taking any notice of anything else. After a short while a thief
would slip out and wander about in his usual way. Then he would hear the
Bhikkhu, who was on ‘duty’ keeping the thieves down, speak to him
saying: “Venerable.., why are you thinking like that?” Venerable Acharn
would stop his Dhamma talk for a short while to help and give some
weight in quelling the thieves, saying: “That’s exactly the way to do it
so as to outwit these rogues who are so quick and slick.” Then he would
continue with his Dhamma talk.
After a short while another thief would come out somewhere else.
Again the “duty” Bhikkhu would catch it, saying: “Venerable So and So,
why are you thinking like that? Bring your citta back and fix it within
you. Don’t let it go out and think about all sorts of things for that’s
the wrong way to go.” The thief returned, afraid of that Bhikkhu, and
frightened by what had happened, did not dare to go out wandering about
everywhere in its accustomed way after that.
The duty Bhikkhu only had to warn a few of them for all the
“outlaws” to become quiet and the effect was obvious. But in some cases
they became very afraid of the duty Bhikkhu from that time on and from
then on they did not dare to let the citta go out wandering much, as
they had in the past. But just why Venerable Acharn chose to tell the
‘duty’ Bhikkhu to do this on some occasions and what the full meaning of
it was, we were never able to find out, because he never said anything
about it. As for the ‘duty’ Bhikkhu who helped Venerable Acharn on these
occasions, at other times when he was not told to do anything, he acted
as if he did not know or see anything; in fact, almost as if he knew
nothing. But all the Bhikkhus and Samaneras were more afraid of him than
anyone else except Venerable Acharn Mun.
What I have written above has led me away from the main theme —
almost worse than those Bhikkhu thieves. So now it is time to go back to
the story I started to write about.
Before that young girl started to do any meditation practice she
used to visit the Wat with the other villagers quite regularly. Then
when Venerable Acharn went to spend the vassa there, he taught her to do
meditation practice and explained how she should do it at home. Whenever
any results came from her practice she was to report them to him so that
he could tell her what to do next.
After she had been ordained as an Upasika, she told me how:
“After he had told me what to do and then told me many times that I
should do the meditation practice, I thought to myself with some
surprise that I may in fact have some inherent ability (vasana) in me
after all. For Venerable Acharn has been exceptionally kind to me all
the time. If there was nothing of value in me, why should he show any
interest in me, for I am just an ordinary village girl, rather like a
faithful old dog and no more? So from now on I should do the practice in
the way that he has so kindly taught me.”
She said that Venerable Acharn gave her the practice of using the
repetition of “Buddho”. One evening, after she had finished her evening
meal she got herself ready and went into her bedroom early. Her
intention was to get down to some bhavana and to do it truly and
properly as Venerable Acharn had taught. After she had paid homage to
the Ti–sarana, she started to do her practice in the way that Venerable
Acharn had taught her. She started repeating the preparatory meditation
(parikamma–bhavana), “Buddho, Buddho.....” and went on for about fifteen
minutes when her citta became calm and integrated and went down. But she
did not realise that her citta had integrated because she had never had
any experience of it in the past and this was the first time it had
happened. When her citta integrated and went down, it was if she fell
down to the bottom of a well in an instant and everything disappeared
into silence for a short time. Then it seemed to her that she had really
died, for she could see clearly an image of her own body, dead, right in
front of her. It was so real that she was quite sure she was seeing her
own dead body right there in front of her. But the thought that came to
her then was:
“Oh my! I’m dead! Who’ll cook the rice to put into the Bhikkhu’s
bowls tomorrow instead of me? When Venerable Acharn goes round on
pindapata and he doesn’t see me putting rice in the bowls he’ll ask
about me, and who’ll answer and tell him that I died while sitting in
bhavana tonight?” Then she made up her mind, thinking: “All right, if
I’m dead, I’m dead! Everybody in the world, and all other living things
in this world are bound to die in the same way as I have. Nobody is free
from death; even an Emperor ruling the whole world is also bound to die
in the same way.”
Having made up her mind in this way, she turned her attention back
to her own dead body which was apparently lying there in front of her
and which had not faded, altered or changed in any way, as if to make
her realise that her body was definitely dead. While she was pondering
the fact of her own death without having reached any conclusions, the
villagers came and picked up the body and carried it to the charnel
ground. As soon as they reached the charnel ground she saw Venerable
Acharn Mun with all the Bhikkhus there, walking towards the corpse which
was lying there. Then Venerable Acharn Mun turned to the Bhikkhus and
said: “Now this girl is dead, let us give her the rites (Matika).” But
it was only Venerable Acharn Mun who repeated the words of the Matika in
the midst of the Bhikkhus of the Sangha who were standing and watching.
“Anicca vata sankhara,..” When the sankharas which make up the body have
died, the body is no longer of any use. But the citta does not die and
can go on doing work endlessly. If the heart is used for going into evil
ways, it becomes dangerous and harmful to oneself. He repeated this
three times in succession, after which she saw him gently tapping the
body with a stick, while saying: “The body is not steadfast, having been
born it is bound to die. But the citta, the heart, is steadfast. It has
no birth, or death when the body dies. It only whirls around in
accordance with the causes and conditions which make it go round like
this.” He kept on repeating this, over and over, but whenever he tapped
the body with his stick, the skin, flesh and meat rotted and withered
away, until the whole body had rotted away. For he kept on tapping it
until he had covered the whole body. All that was left was the “kernel”
of the heart. This he picked up from the remains and said: “This, the
heart, cannot be destroyed. If it were destroyed one would be bound to
die without ever coming back again.”
She had been watching all this closely, from when it first
appeared to her. Then she thought: “If one dies and the whole body
decomposes, leaving only bones behind, what is there left to come back
again?” He answered her thought immediately without looking at her,
saying: “It’s bound to come back again! How could it not come back when
that which brings it back again is still there. When it starts to get
light at dawn tomorrow you will come back.”
She said that from the start of it in the evening when there was
all the activity concerning the dead body, until it finished and
Venerable Acharn went off with the Bhikkhus, took a very long time. She
related the story to me at length, but I cannot remember all of it. She
said how the citta started to display these things from the moment it
first dropped into a calm state and the experiences which she had went
on continuously until just before dawn when it arose out of it. As soon
as the citta withdrew and she became aware of herself and heard the
cocks crowing in the early morning, she saw herself still sitting there
as normal, and not dead as she still thought. Then she returned to a
normal waking state, glad that she had not died as appeared to happen in
her vision. But when she had become fully aware of herself and knew that
she had truly not died, she started blaming herself in her mind,
thinking: “Venerable Acharn told me to sit and do bhavana, but why then
did I fall asleep while sitting? And I went on sleeping until I started
dreaming that I was dead and I didn’t wake throughout the whole night.
Really, my bhavana was so bad last night!”
That morning when Venerable Acharn came on pindapata, he told her
to come and see him when the Bhikkhus had finished eating food, and this
was before she had said anything to him about what had happened. It was
also significant that this was the first time that he had ever told her
to go and see him and it was very strange how he must have known all
about what happened to her the previous night. When she went to
Venerable Acharn, he asked her immediately: “How was your bhavana last
night?”
“It was really no use at all,” she replied, “for after repeating
“Buddho” for about fifteen minutes, the citta fell into a deep well and
I slept and dreamt almost the whole night. When it had almost reached
the time for the dawn to break, I woke and felt so disappointed, I still
can’t get over it. I’m afraid that you will tell me off that my bhavana
is no use and that all I can do is sleep.”
After hearing this, Venerable Acharn laughed with joy and asked
her straight away: “How did you sleep? And what did you dream? Please
tell me about it.” So she told him the story of what had happened, which
I have related above. He roared with laughter and was delighted, saying:
“That was no sleep, no dream! It was the calm citta, the integrated
citta. You must remember this! That which you called a dream was not a
dream, but a “nimitta” which arose out of samadhi bhavana. This is
what they mean when they talk about doing bhavana and seeing all sorts
of “nimittas”. What they see is the kind of thing that you also have
seen.”
Venerable Acharn explained a lot more to her until she understood
well. Then he sent her home instructing her forcefully to keep on doing
bhavana. He also said: “If your citta has any further experiences, relax
and see them and let them come as they will and there is no need to be
afraid of anything. I don’t want you to be afraid of whatever
experiences come and go while doing bhavana, but you must be precisely
aware of them all. While I am here no harm will come to you and you need
not be afraid. But whenever any knowledge or vision comes to you in
bhavana, you should come and tell me about it.”
From then on she was satisfied with her bhavana and she had all
sorts of experiences which kept on arising continually, until Venerable
Acharn was about to leave the district. Then he sent word for her to
come and see him and he ordered her forcefully to stop doing bhavana for
the time being. He said that when the right time came she would
gradually develop on her own, but that once he had gone she must not go
on doing bhavana. He must have thought about her case and seen that she
had a citta with daring and venturesome tendencies, and if anything
untoward happened when he was not there, there would be nobody to help
her and lead her out of trouble and she may go the wrong way and be
ruined. So he did not let her go on doing bhavana after he left.
Although she did not understand the reason for this instruction,
she had faith in him and followed him and stopped doing bhavana from
then on, even though she wanted to do it so much she felt her heart
would break. But when she was about forty years old she left her home
and family life and was ordained as a nun (Upasika) and went on with her
training in bhavana. Her characteristic tendencies to know and see all
sorts of things then arose again and she had frequent experiences from
then on.
When I met her she told me about the things that had happened in
her bhavana. I also saw what her temperament was like, which explained
why Venerable Acharn had told her not to go on with bhavana — because of
her daring and venturesome temperament. If there was nobody available
who knew more and was more capable than herself, and who could control
her when she got out of hand she could have gone the wrong way and would
have been ruined, because she did not know the way to control herself.
So now I shall summarise her story, only taking into consideration those
things which are significant in connection with the problem of samadhi
and pañña and which are suited to our purpose.
The things which she had come to know in strange and unusual ways
were quite extensive. When Venerable Acharn Mun was very sick and close
to the time he died, she knew about it in her samadhi, even though they
were in separate provinces and long way from each other. At night when
she entered samadhi, she would have a vision of Venerable Acharn Mun
flying through the sky and hovering above her. Then she would seem to
hear him say: “Father is very sick. You must hurry to visit Father —
don’t wait about and waste time. Father will leave this world this time
for sure because of this illness.”
The way in which Venerable Acharn flew through the sky was
something which she knew through her samadhi bhavana. Almost every night
he came to warn her to hurry, for in a short while the chance of seeing
the body of Venerable Acharn would be gone and he would die before she
got there. As his end came closer, he would come more frequently, until
she saw him coming every night without fail. It had been her normal
practice since she was ordained to go once a year to pay respect to him
and to hear his training and teaching. But when she started to see him
coming to her quite frequently, she never managed to go and pay respect
to him. Whether this was due to kamma or whatever else is difficult to
say, but every time she saw him as a samadhi nimitta she would tell the
other nuns about it, saying: “Venerable Acharn is very sick and he has
almost reached the end. He comes flying to tell me almost every night
out of his great metta.” Then later on he came every night. “We haven’t
yet gone to visit and pay respect to him. We have still got all these
things that have to be done and it is hard to see the end of them.”
When they decided to go and see him and pay their respects to him
on any particular day something would obstruct it and the last day that
they decided to go was the day that Venerable Acharn died, so they never
saw him. Late at night on the previous night when everything was calm
and quiet he flew out of the sky and stood in mid-air and in a loud
voice saying: “You see! Father has told you many times to hurry up and
visit him. Now it is too late. If you let yourself lie down in
satisfaction with this mass of excrement here and if you are not
interested in listening to the words of your Father, there is no hope as
is the case today. You won’t see the body of Father any more for I have
already left the world completely. Have you heard the news? If not you
will hear it shortly. I told you the truth but you didn’t believe it.
Now all you will see there is a corpse which has nothing left with which
to acknowledge you, for I have already left the world. Do you believe
this? Or do you still not believe it? For it is just that kamma which
arises from negligence which leads the world into despair. Tonight,
Father has left this world and is gone for good.” After which he
disappeared into the sky.
When her citta had come out of samadhi it was almost dawn. She
could hardly stand it and burst into tears there by herself. For she had
seen Venerable Acharn’s metta for her every night since he had come
close to the time when he would leave the world and the khandhas. Once
the dawn had come she quickly went to tell the others, saying:
“Venerable Acharn Mun has died and gone to Nibbana last night. I know,
for I had a very clear and certain nimitta in bhavana like those I have
had before, coming to warn and rouse me up.” Then she burst into tears
in front of all the other nuns quite unashamedly while they were
confused and rather bewildered. It would not have been right for them to
question her sanity because her ability to know things by way of samadhi
was precise and accurate, and all of them had complete faith in it so
that they could hardly doubt her sanity. While they were talking
together about it, someone came running in excitedly, saying: “Venerable
Acharn Mun died last night — have you heard about it Mother? The
provincial radio station broadcast this morning at 8 o’clock saying:
“Bhuridatta Thera who is the most widely renowned amongst those who
practise the way of Dhamma in this present age, died at 2:23 a.m. in Wat
Suddhavasa in the province of Sakon Nakhon.” This is all I heard before
I ran out to let people know, and I ran straight here to let Khun Mair
(Mother) and the others here know, for I was afraid you may not have
heard it yet.” Having had a second confirmation of Venerable Acharn’s
death, all of them in the nunnery burst into tears once again after the
first time earlier on when Khun Mair Kaew told them of her nimitta.
Khun Mair had knowledge of all sorts of strange things in her
samadhi, things which were most unusual in all aspects, and it seems
that she had been engrossed in and attached to this kind of knowledge
for more than ten years. If on any day she did her bhavana and had no
experience of various things by way of samadhi nimittas, she would
consider that she had gained no value from her bhavana at all that day.
She had become attached to this way of practice until it was deeply
ingrained in her heart that seeing all sorts of nimittas was the true
path and fruit of bhavana.
Later on, a Bhikkhu who was a follower of Venerable Acharn Mun
went to stay there for the vassa season, and he trained and taught her
both about nimittas and about other things as well. Until she became
confident and knew how to deal with samadhi nimittas and how to go in
another direction — which is the direction of the Path and Fruition (Magga–Phala)
— until her way became smooth and elegant the whole time without going
to excess in some directions as had previously been the case. She was
therefore ready to accept the “cure” and to change her ways and she saw
the results of it to her own satisfaction, no longer being either elated
or depressed in accordance with whatever nimitta arose. For she stood
firm with sati and pañña as the way to go forward towards freedom from
danger and the destruction of Dukkha. In this way she continued to go on
with ease and convenience in her practice, right up to the present day,
and her reactions to her samadhi nimittas ceased to be a problem to her
from then on. In fact this kind of samadhi has become an important
factor in bringing value to herself and others round about. She has had
knowledge of many strange things which most people who practise the way
never come across. Knowledge of happenings in the past and future,
knowledge of Pretas, Bhutas (Ghosts), Devatas, and knowledge of various
kinds of beings in “heavenly” bodies — all of these she knew about well.
But in order to give an idea of what is meant by the eye in the “Deva
heart” of someone who practises the way and who has strong tendencies of
character in this direction, I will give some brief examples.
One night, Khun Mair was sitting in bhavana and there appeared
before her an animal which had come in the guise of a man, to visit her.
It was wailing and bemoaning its fate, saying how it had been an animal
which they looked after in this village, but it had never been treated
well and kindly by its master. He had put it to work at pulling his
plough and wagons very often, but instead of appreciating what it did he
used to torment it and beat it while it was working and at other times
as well. Finally it was led to a tree where it was tied up and
slaughtered and cut up for its meat which was a fierce, cruel and
inhuman act. Before it died it had to put up with unbearable torment and
pain, and it died, not wanting to die.
When it came to the Nun it seemed to be full of hate and vengeance
for its previous owner and so strong was it that it could not find any
resting place for its citta. It had wandered about all twisted up and
distorted until it came to Khun Mair for help in alleviating its dukkha,
and to ask for some share in her merit and virtue (parami) so that it
may be born as a human being next time. So that it may breathe freely
and shed some of its dukkha and not have to be forced and compelled to
accept such punishment as it has just recently had to put up with. It
said how being born as an animal was very hard with too much torment,
for it had to put up with being made to do various things and being
tortured in various ways both by people and animals as well. Being born
as a human being is far better than being born as an animal, even when
one is poor and hard up and can only get enough to eat about every third
day, for an animal gets only dukkha, difficulty and torment all the
time.
Khun Mair then questioned the “man”, saying:
“Why do you say that your master did not appreciate your value and
virtue, and that he has no humanity in his heart, that he was so cruel
to you in various ways and killed you, until now you are full of hate
and vengeance against him? Could it be that you were not so good, and
that you used to go about stealing things which people had planted in
their fields and near the fences of their plantations, and eating them?
Why normally, should anyone take you and beat you and torment you and
then go and kill you? People round about here mostly seem to be good
people with a fair humanity in them and one can feel reasonably
confident of their behaviour. Why then should they do such a thing to
you if you were blameless? It seems to me that you must have gone about
doing bad things, such as I have said, for them to have acted like that
and to have felt justified in doing what they did to you. Did you not
act in some of those ways as I said?”
He replied with a sorrowful heart.
“It was because I was so hungry and starving, just due to my mouth
and stomach which are so important to animals of this world. If I saw
anything that looked like food and sustenance, as soon as it reached my
mouth I would grab it or nibble away at it in the way that animals do. I
had no knowledge of what belonged to who or whether anyone was anxiously
looking after anything. If I had known some of the language which people
spoke I probably would not have done this, nor would I have been born as
an animal for them to beat and slaughter, as happened just a short while
ago. But then people are more intelligent than animals and they should
be more considerate and forgiving and not act in ways that are too
repressive — which are contrary to the moral status (Sila–Dhamma) and
behaviour of a human being. A good person would not act in this way
which is despicable and vulgar and undermines the status of his own
birth. Such a person is a good person with moral integrity who is not
likely to bring himself to do an act such as this. What Venerable Mother
said about people round here being good and with fair humanity in them
is true. But as for the person named....., who was my master, he is not
a good person with humane qualities in his heart and not worthy of the
human race. He is just the scum of the earth who happens to have been
born as a person and he has a fierce and cruel heart and he will act
like that with everything and I cannot forgive him. For even with other
people, he is quite capable of doing harm to them, not to mention
animals who are in a much more unfortunate situation.”
Khun Mair then gave it some teaching with metta and sympathy and
she shared her merit with this animal, with a heart full of kindness and
compassion while giving it the moral precepts and her blessing, saying:
“May the virtue and the result of the metta which I share with you guard
you, nourish you, promote you and lead you to the path which gives those
qualities to gain birth in a state of happiness where you may have the
food of the gods and golden mansions to live in and enjoy.” As soon as
it had received her boon by saying, “Sadhu”, it took leave of the Nun in
a spirit of brightness, joy and happiness, as though it was off to be
born in that state and place which it wished for right away.
After day break Khun Mair called her nephew from his home and
quietly told him what happened the previous night. She then asked him to
go and find out about this man, Mr... and what had happened. (Mr...
refers to the man who, the strange animal in her meditation had said,
was the one who killed him.) Then she said: “But you must not let anyone
know that I have asked you to find out about this. I’m afraid he would
be ashamed in the face of what I know, or he may entertain bad thoughts
about us which will increase his evil Kamma far beyond what it is now.”
After she had finished, her nephew immediately replied to her, for he
lived in the same village as that man, and he knew all about it, saying:
“Venerable Mother, there is no need for me to spend a lot of time
finding out about this, for last night about 8:00 p.m., he led his
buffalo out to..... and killed it. The cries of the buffalo in its
dukkha and torment could he heard everywhere. After he had finished he
took its meat and had a party with his friends, feasting on it and
making a lot of noise, yelling, shouting, laughing and carousing until
it had almost reached dawn. I doubt whether they have even woken up yet
in that household — but all this I know for a fact, so there is no need
to waste time making any investigations.”
This incident was one which Khun Mair told me about and it is
notable in that the appearance of the nimitta took place the same night
as the incident, although it appeared late at night when all was quiet
which was a little time after the incident itself. This whole incident
is one which we who are yet within the realm of vatta (samsara) should
think about, for it is something that could happen to any of us,
regardless of time, place or personal status.
The second story concerns an incident with a forest pig — a wild
boar. This story is strange and unusual in a special way — but we must
start at the beginning. This wild boar was wandering in search of food
around the edge of the mountain on its own without thinking that there
would be anybody lying in wait for it, because that district was very
far away from any villages. It is probable that the hunter was waiting
there to shoot any forest animals that came to drink water from a rock
pond at the foot of this hill, and that it was also the kamma of this
wild boar to go there. The wild boar would have laid down to wait for a
while before going down to drink in this pond, then as soon as it had
reached the water it was shot and killed.
In the early hours of the morning, shortly before dawn, the wild
boar came to Khun Mair who was sitting in samadhi bhavana. It came in
the form of a man — as did the buffalo in the previous incident. Khun
Mair asked: “What is the reason, or what trouble are you in that you
have come to see me?”
The man told her the story of why he had come, saying: “I was
killed by a hunter named …, when I went to drink some water, for I was
thirsty.” Khun Mair then asked: “When you went to take a drink, were you
not cautious and wary of the danger to you?”
“Yes,” he replied, “I have always been cautious and have never let
my guard drop for fear of danger. Life as an animal such as I was, is
very difficult and one has no freedom in oneself. Wherever one goes
there is nothing but danger and predators all round one and I always had
to be very watchful, but even so I was shot and killed. However, the
fact of my death does not concern me so much as being born again. I am
afraid of being born as an animal once again, which is a life full of
dukkha and torment. Because one must suffer hunger and privation, and
also be constantly on guard against danger — all of which causes much
dukkha. So one’s life becomes a life of mistrust and watchfulness
everywhere, with no place to eat, sleep and live peacefully relaxed. The
reason why I have made the effort to come here is because of the fear of
being born again in the wrong circumstances without being able to avoid
it. I don’t have the merit to help raise me up and support me. Therefore
I made a great effort to come here in the hope of taking refuge in the
merit and perfections of Venerable Mother who has practised the way of
Dhamma and has such merit as supports the world. I beg you to be kind
and benevolent and to bestow your blessings on this poor creature
lacking in meritorious characteristics. Then I may be able to take birth
in the state which I hope for. I have no wealth of virtue in me which
could give me any confidence and assurance of my future state. All I
have is the flesh and skin of my body which was killed tonight to offer
as a gift of Dhamma reverence to you, who uphold Dhamma and live the
holy life. So I came to pay respect to you, to tell you my reason for
coming and also to implore you to help me. For when the people bring the
parts of my body, both the valuable internal organs and the meat and
skin and external parts, to give to you, I implore you Venerable Mother
to partake and eat some of it with metta for me. Then the merit which
comes from this gift may act to help and support me so that I may be
born as a human being in my next life which is what I most desire. What
I would really like to offer you are the internal organs of the wild
boar which died and which was myself. But people are more greedy than
animals and I fear that the best parts they will rather keep for
themselves than use to make merit. That they will not bring them to you,
afraid that they won’t experience the flavour of them and being driven
to do this by their own kilesa of greed. So I am very afraid and anxious
that this, my final gift to you may not be as I would wish it to be.”
Khun Mair then kindly taught him, gave him the five precepts
(sila), gave him her blessing, shared out some of her merit with him
with the hope that he may be born in accordance with his aspiration.
After receiving the thanksgiving (anumodana) for his act of merit he
took leave of her and went his way.
After daybreak Khun Mair quietly told the others, saying: “I was
sitting in samadhi bhavana late at night when, at about 3 o’clock a
nimitta arose of a man who came to me in a manner that spoke of much
dukkha and torment in his heart. When asked about his visit he said that
he had been a wild boar living in the … hills for many years. But
tonight when he went to take a drink of water in a rocky pool on the
side of the hill he was shot and killed by Mr... who lives in … village
and who was sitting close by. From having been in the form of the wild
boar which he had died he came to me as a nimitta having taken the form
of a man. He said he had come because he wanted to offer his body and
its parts which had been killed as dana to us, so that we should take
his flesh and skin and eat it as food. As a result of doing this he
hoped that he would be born as a human being in his next life. I have
told you the main facts of this incident so that you shall know about it
beforehand, so that when the people bring flesh and meat and whatever
else to give to us, we should accept it and be kind enough to eat it as
well, so that the merit from it may help him to be born as a human being
in his next life. I don’t know why this took place. I have never come
across anything like this before, that an animal has wanted to make
merit by giving its own meat like this wild boar has done. That is, if
it is true, so we must wait and see whether it is true or not and we
should know very soon.” If we think of the order in which these events
occurred, it was really quite amazing and remarkable how, before long,
at about 8 o’clock in the morning, two or three woman came with the wife
of Mr... whom the wild boar had named as the hunter who killed him. One
of them brought some pig meat to give to the Nuns, and when they saw it
they thought that this must surely be the meat of that wild boar. When
they asked these people about this meat and where it came from, the
whole story was in accordance with what Khun Mair had told them right
through, even to the name of the hunter who had shot him. These are the
kinds of nimittas that arise in some people who practise samadhi, and
the problems that arise from samadhi are numerous, as we have already
said. This is enough about samadhi so we will finish here.
The Problems that Arise With Wisdom
As for the problems which arise from the levels of wisdom (pañña),
they are far more numerous than those of samadhi as well as being much
more profound and intricate. They can arise any day, any time without
forewarning and one must use wisdom to unravel them, to analyse them and
to solve them one by one. Otherwise there is no way to clear them and to
go beyond them — and if one is still unable to go beyond them, they will
go on making one perplexed and stupefied, sometimes for days at a time.
Since each problem differs in its nature and difficulty, those who
practise the way must be people who are naturally inclined to
contemplation and analysis within themselves, without needing anyone to
coerce or compel them. Each problem that arises acts as if it were a
stimulus to stir up mindfulness and wisdom, waking oneself up. The path
of mindfulness and wisdom may be considered to extend from the level of
the contemplation of loathsomeness (asubha), up to the levels of the
contemplation of the factors of mind (nama–dhamma) — which are the more
subtle levels. At this point, the one who practises the way is bound to
be rousing up problems and questions, as well as wisdom, far more than
at any stage he has passed through. But if he believes that he has a
basic ground of his citta and Dhamma which are already subtle and
skilful in the Dhamma of loathsomeness as well as the Nama–dhamma —
which are: feeling (vedana), memory (sañña), thought processes (sankhara)
and consciousness (viññana) — yet no problems arise to trouble the heart
at all, and he prides himself that he is in the group of those who go
the way of “Sukhapatipada” — easy practice, he will in fact be the group
of those who are complacent and negligent in doing the practices for
extracting the tap root and all the smaller roots, or, all the roots and
fundamental source of all the kilesas, without realising it. For the
process of curing the kilesas by means of the practice, from the
beginning of samadhi up to the various levels of pañña, going up step by
step will normally be accompanied by many problems and questions which
percolate into the practice all the way along. But they also arouse and
stir up mindfulness and wisdom, thereby making us wake up.
One who practises Dhamma and who never has any problems or
questions arising at all is sure to be practising in a way that is too
easy and relaxed. As if those questions were bits of meat of the type
which the chopping block is afraid to take on, and it is not courageous
enough to bring them out to be chopped up. One fears that this is just
his negligence and complacency — or delusion (moha) that makes him
afraid, so that he doesn’t have the courage to bring these questions to
be accounted for. He is afraid that it will destroy all the minions of
moha who are so numerous, breaking their enclosure and dispersing them
all into oblivion.
In particular, the levels of wisdom, for those who have reached
them, are bound to be a warehouse full of questions from all sorts of
viewpoints which should arise continually, all the time. When these
questions or problems arise, mindfulness and wisdom cannot remain quiet
and inactive, because they are stirred up by the incessant nagging of
the problems until they cannot put up with it anymore and must go to
work to examine, to investigate and to solve them and get rid of them
one by one. This means that every time one solves any problem, one also
takes a step forward and goes beyond that problem. Each time that a
problem is solved all sorts of skills and methods will come to one. They
arise continually from mindfulness and wisdom which have been put to
work to dig up, to search and to unravel them.
The way of practice which has no problems and questions arising at
all is indicative of complacency in the one who is doing the practice
and it shows that he is not looking for the way to get free with the
concern for it that he should have. This is because — generally speaking
— problems and questions arise from contemplation and thought searching
for causes. The citta is the one that always receives the results of
good and bad causes, and when one looks into them and thinks about them
one is almost bound to come across things which bring up questions and
problems. For someone who is interested in developing wisdom, the means
of cutting off the kilesas, these problems are the means of arousing
wisdom when he reaches that point in the future.
Therefore my own view of this, of which I feel quite convinced, is
that anyone who practises the way of Dhamma and who has no problems or
questions arising from his practice at all, from the levels of samadhi
onwards, is not practising for the purpose of gaining true wisdom and
clear understanding in the Noble Truths (Sacca–Dhamma) and he will not
be able to find the way to freedom. This is because the Noble Truth
which binds down the citta and which has “uprising” (samudaya) as its
most important characteristic is the source of all the problems and
confusions which arouse or disturb us. On the other hand, the “Path” (Magga)
has ‘Right View’ (Samma–Ditthi) and ‘Right Attitude of Mind’ (Samma–Sankappa)
as its most important characteristics, for these are the source of
wisdom (pañña) at all levels. And this is what solves the questions
which arise from Samudaya Sacca.
Both of these Dhamma principles are bound to perform their
respective functions to their utmost at their present level, before they
can go on further beyond the present level or basis of each one
respectively. The work that mindfulness and wisdom (sati–pañña) does in
connection with samudaya (uprising) — the root cause of all these
problems — is what is meant by the “arousing of problems and questions”.
It is also what is meant by the “curing of problems” — as it is called
amongst those who practise the way of bhavana.
Therefore, those who have already gone some way towards the
attainment of calm (samadhi) should steadily begin to use wisdom to
search out the ways of cause and effect from this stage on. Or one may
say that they should begin to search and research into the why and
wherefore of things so as to give rise to questions, so that their
wisdom shall have some work to do and not be out of work and idle —
which is the way of a lazy person who is used to being contented and
complacent. This is the meaning of moha — the delusion which lulls them
into a waking sleep the whole time out of which, from day to day, they
never wake at all. This is not the path of samadhi and pañña, not the
way to gain that freedom which is gained by those who follow the
principles of curing the kilesas by means of sati and pañña.
But it is not possible to give details of what perplexities and
problems should arise, what kind of characteristics they should have, or
what kind of wisdom should be used to cure what kind of problem and by
the use of what method. All such things must depend on the technique or
skill of each individual, who must think out and make up his own methods
to suit the circumstances and situation which he is faced with each time
and in each case. Because, in regard to such problems and perplexing
things as well as the wisdom itself, there are innumerable different
kinds and they hop and change about in accordance with the deceptive
tricks of the uprising (samudaya) kilesas and the skilfulness of sati
and pañña. Therefore, I have only put down what is essential without
making it too involved and long winded, which might discourage the
reader before he has started to do any of it in practice.
However, in the way of practice in the heart which is aimed at
getting at the truth of causes and their results, there is bound to be
perplexity as well as wisdom, and these two are always enemies to each
other and they remain so until the ultimate resolution of causes and
their results has been fully attained. In consequence, all problems and
perplexities then die away and disappear whether they are about the
“uprising” (samudaya) or about the “Path” (Magga) which is the one that
cures it.
All of you who practise the way should therefore be resolute and
constant in maintaining mindfulness and wisdom. For they are the factors
which will show up the reasons behind the various aspects of the
problems which arise and come to you in the way of samadhi and the way
of contemplative thought or wisdom. This will enable you to reveal the
full meaning of these problems with all the reasons for them, and this
is the way to progress in Dhamma. The kilesas with which each of those
problems are permeated will also drop away and dissolve as soon as each
problem is solved and dispersed.
I feel that this is enough explanation about the problems and
questions, that should arise from the way of samadhi and pañña, to act
as a guide to those who are interested. So I shall end here. |
|
18. More on
Behaviour & Dhamma Discussions
The
Dhamma conversations which occur amongst Kammatthana Bhikkhus are bound
to bring up various problems arising from both samadhi and pañña of a
kind that involves both inseparably. This is why I have brought in some
of the stories which should be thought about as examples of some of the
things which some people have come across and experienced from their
practice, such as the things that happened to the Nun Khun Mair Kaew. I
have only brought in those stories which are isolated cases, and not
those which are long and involved such as occurs amongst those who
themselves do the practice. For each case is individual and dependent on
the inherent characteristics of each person concerned, and they differ
considerably. So I have always found these Dhamma conversations to be
very varied and involved, in accordance with the basic level of those
concerned, who do the practice and have experienced various aspects of
it, each in their own way.
What is the nature of the problems which are associated with
samadhi that has “integrated” down, and which arise at that time?
Having “integrated down”, it stops at one of the levels of samadhi such
as khanika (momentary), upacara (close by) or appana (full attainment).
When it integrates, goes down and stops at the level of upacara, the
citta goes out, contacts and acknowledges various things, and this is
the type of samadhi which tends to bring up more problems than any other
type. Some of these problems are the source of questions which those who
practise may have come across in some cases, which they then bring up in
conversation with their companions, or with a teacher whom they respect
and have faith in, because they need the answer to them. Those others
who also have similar problems, or problems associated with various
different levels of pañña, then bring them out for discussion, so as to
check their own knowledge and understanding to make sure that it is
right on both sides. In other words, on the side of the one who has come
to learn and ask questions to make sure there is no danger of his being
at fault in all the problems and questions which have been discussed.
Secondly, on the side of the one who gives the teaching, he can feel
confident that the questions that the others ask him are leading in the
direction and are for the purpose of getting rid of the kilesas; and
also, that they are instrumental in promoting investigation into all
sorts of things that happen, wherever it is necessary.
Problems concerning the overcoming of obstacles obstructing
investigative thoughts which are for the purpose of progressing past
difficulties step by step, are very important. When someone does such an
investigation: what is the citta attached to? and, how should he
investigate to penetrate the problem and go beyond it? The one he talks
to or the Acariya must try to point out and make clear a method for
curing such a problem, until he has understood it sufficiently well so
that he can use that method to practise in the right way and steadily
get results from it.
Any of the problems which arise at the various levels of samadhi
and pañña are liable to cause a lot of worry and concern to the one who
has them, which can be quite noticeable. Not only must he try to work
out his problems for himself, but he must also depend on those Venerable
Ones who have already gone this way, to consult with from time to time,
so that he may be quite sure that the practice and problems which he has
worked out for himself and consulted others upon, are firmly embedded in
his heart with all the reasons for them. For this reason, Kammatthana
Bhikkhus are likely to get together for talks on Dhamma very frequently,
due to the fact that their practice is going on all the time.
When Bhikkhus talk about things which are personal and vital,
things which touch upon the true nature of Dhamma and its meanings, they
generally do so just two together. This kind of conversation is bound to
be a special occasion and rarely occurs. For when they meet each other,
each of them longs to hear about the fruits of the practice of Dhamma
which the other has in his heart. Their conversation will then probably
start at the beginning of their practice, or from where they left off in
their last conversation together. In the first case one of them tells
his own story from the beginning, right through to the present state of
his citta. Afterwards, if it is not yet suitable for the listener to ask
and hammer out the problems which he has in mind, he will start out to
relate his own story to the other person, from the beginning, until he
has covered everything which he knows and which has happened up to the
present. After that, if either of them has doubts about any aspect of
Dhamma, or about uncertainties which are hidden in the Dhamma which the
other has related, they will bring them up and test their understanding
further to make sure of it, until they both accept it and are in full
agreement with each other.
Furthermore, if the answer to any of the problems which were
brought up for discussion were found to be not entirely satisfactory to
the one who was most advanced in his practice, he would give an
authoritative explanation. If it is necessary to correct and alter the
way that the other party is going, he will also explain how he should go
about correcting his practice. If he should stop and not go on doing
whatever it is that is wrong any more because it will bring him harm,
the one who is explaining will point it out to him and give the reasons
why, until he understands.
Therefore, I feel that Dhamma conversations which are concerned
with the practice are a great boon and blessing to both of those
involved. Because each will listen to the other with close attention
from beginning to end while he is talking, and each gains by following
Dhamma (Dhammanusarana) from each other, which acts as something to be
thought about and practised and something to gain more value from than
one can say. Both of them are bound to remember each other with a great
and unfolding sense of gratitude for the rest of their lives — it could
not be otherwise.
While they are discussing Dhamma together, sometimes there may be
a bold and intrepid Bhikkhu, such as the present writer, who creeps up
secretly to listen to what they say although he has no business to do
so. To say that this is contrary to the Vinaya rule which makes it an
offence for a Bhikkhu to creep up secretly and listen to Bhikkhus who
are quarrelling together contentiously does not apply to the kind of
discussion we are considering here. It therefore leaves room for
Bhikkhus, of the kind who have no business to do so, to have a short cut
to find and learn Dhamma in this way. Such a time is a golden
opportunity to hear Dhamma which is pure gold for both of those who take
part in the discussion as well as for anyone who creeps up secretly to
listen; an opportunity which they would never get elsewhere. For this is
the time when both parties open up and bring out the Dhamma from their
hearts to reveal that which is their highest achievement to each other’s
ears and hearts. Those who creep up and listen to them also enjoy
stealing the Dhamma that overflows from them, so that it can become
their own highest achievement in the future. It seems that there have
been very few sages of the kind who “steal” Dhamma in the history of
Buddhism. But there must have been some in all ages from the time of the
Buddha up to the present day, and especially amongst those who practise
the way. Because what they hear is something which is very difficult and
rare to come across in the usual Buddhist meetings that take place in
many places. This type of Dhamma is truly not for such meetings — and
not the kind which should be brought out in public. For it is the
“personal Dhamma” which dwells just within each individual and which can
only be brought out when the right occasion for a discussion, at the
right place and time and with the right people who inspire confidence,
arises.
A Dhamma conversation between those whose cittas and Dhamma are at
a high level can take several hours before each one finishes talking.
Because it involves their methods of practice, their places for doing
the practice and the overcoming and curing each one of their important
problems, of which each of them has had many. And the Dhamma which they
understand at each level after they have managed to cure each important
problem is a long story and so involved and profound as to be beyond a
full explanation of what happened to the citta, even though it is so
important. It takes a long time for each of them has to put all the
essential facts of what happened to him into his explanation, which
makes it both lengthy and involved. This is necessary, because it is
essential for them to relate all the crucial points in full so that the
other party may understand and assess whether the reasons given are
sufficient and valid or contradictory in any way. This in turn comes
from the fact that the results of Dhamma at every level that arises from
the practice which is done, must display its causes; in other words, the
way in which one acts determines the way one goes. Therefore, a Dhamma
discussion must include the causes as an inseparable pair with the
results. Whichever of them knows and whichever tells his story, they are
bound to bring in the causes, which are the ways of behaviour and
practice as confirmation, and the results which arose must display a
conformity with those causes.
That which is most valuable to listen to and which goes to one’s
heart, never to be forgotten, is the story of the time when the citta of
the speaker turned itself around by the skilful means of sati–pañña,
which was fully equal to the deceptive tricks of every kind of kilesa,
and steadily progressed beyond them with that level of sati–pañña which
is up to all the tricks and devious ways of sexual craving (raga–tanha).
Then this kind of citta which is imbued with kilesas of this kind is cut
off and can no longer continue to arise from then on. Then finally, the
citta which has reached this level, full of strength and fully
developed, overturns avijja, which has been the “tap root” of the round
(vatta) of samsara, and disposes of it. These, which are the most
special and wonderful Dhammas, are rarely heard by anyone throughout
their life. For what generally happens both with ourselves and others,
is that we die empty handed, without ever having heard the sound of the
Venerable Ones who have done the practice and known this kind of Dhamma
entering our ears. All we hear is the sounds of empty talk and vanity
which weigh us down, destroying our health and well being both physical
and mental; sounds such as we and you hear all the time nowadays until
we are sick and tired of them. But even then we cannot refrain from
speaking and hearing them because they are like food left over at the
bottom of the pot — if we don’t eat it, what will we eat?
But in Dhamma talks between these Bhikkhus which we have been
discussing above, they talk in ways that come naturally to them in what
is associated with the citta in the sphere of practice. They do not talk
about having reached this stage or that level of Dhamma. In fact when
they talk together, none of them ever claims that he has reached this or
that stage, such as the attainment of Stream-entry (Sotapanna) up to
Arahatta. All of them seem naturally to follow the ways of the forest
rather than the ways of those who have advanced in society and become
clever in its conventions.
Amongst those who practise the way, if they hear any one of them
speaking like people in the world who have developed materially, saying
that they have attained this or that level, what should their companions
think? They are bound to feel uncomfortable and out of harmony with such
a Bhikkhu, who acts in such strange and peculiar ways. Because of this
kind of behaviour, they would immediately start to lose confidence in
him. For none of them would act like that even though they are also
aspiring for Dhammas at those levels with a full-hearted commitment and
may in fact be able to talk about them. They are like this because they
see that they are the highest Dhamma within the field of Dhamma as they
conceptualise it. Therefore they uphold it as the highest and would not
demean it by putting it into words and speech. But their aim is to make
contact with it in the heart by means of the various aspects of
practice, rather than displaying such offensive behaviour for the world
to see.
There are however, those who speak out in the belief that they
have attained some higher state, which comes from a lack of
circumspection, but their intention is still good. Although there are
also those who speak out, saying that they know the way to go wandering
about on the moon or Mars and other such things. This comes from motives
that are coarse and evil and lacking in any virtue and such people
should not be within the circle of those who practise the way. The
former kind may be forgiven and they should be helped in any way that is
possible, in fact the effort should be made to give them the greatest
assistance that is available. The other Bhikkhus do not look on this
type with distaste or loathing, but rather with compassion and they give
their advice with metta. Because it is quite possible for this kind of
thing to happen amongst those who practise the way. For when they have
never gone this way before they are liable to gain knowledge as well as
delusion, which happens with all of us. This sort of thing happened here
quite recently and the story of it was told by a Bhikkhu who practises
well and has very strong commitment to Dhamma. He said that he went to
practise Dhamma in the hills and late one night when everything was
quiet and peaceful he became very calm and quiet at about midnight. He
thought that he had attained the goal and become an Arahant. So he took
out his “snuff pipe” from his handbag and blew it as a whistle, “Piiid...”
to call his companions who had gone to stay in the same location. They
quickly came to him, concerned that something had happened and asked him
why he had called them. He answered straightforwardly: “I’ve attained
(Enlightenment), it happened just now and felt compassion for you, so I
blew my whistle to call you.”
Whether this was true or false they did not know at that time, but
they thought to themselves: “This whistle blowing attainment, what kind
of thing is this? It’s too bizarre and peculiar,” although neither of
them felt sure enough to say anything about it.
The following night at about midnight, they again heard the
whistle, loud and echoing about the hills. They thought to themselves:
“Blowing that whistle at this time, has he attained a state of madness —
or what else now. Last night he attained the state of Arahant, so what
else can he have attained this time? We don’t know, but this Arahant is
a real pest.” But they had to go and see because they had come as a
group and it would have been wrong just to take no notice. When they got
there they asked him: “What have you managed to attain this time?” The
whistling Arahant then said: “In fact I did not attain anything. It was
a mistake last night, for just now I realised that they are still there,
so I quickly blew my whistle to call you, so as to correct what I said
yesterday and to let you know that there has been no attainment yet. In
fact I was completely deceived by them and these kilesas are very
clever. From now on I am going to discipline them most severely. That I
could be so deceived by these kilesas makes me really angry.” One of the
others asked him saying: “What happened last night and tonight is one
thing, but why then do you have to talk about it so much? Is it that you
don’t have any mindfulness in your heart, or what? I think that before
long you will be a case of a Kammatthana madness.”
“I feel so ashamed about it now,” he replied. “But the kilesas had
vanished and were quite silent. I thought that they were dead and I had
to celebrate my victory with you, so I blew my whistle, see! But tonight
they reappeared once again and they are not dead as I had thought. So I
had to call you once again to let you know.”
When there is wrong understanding such as the foregoing, nobody
takes it very seriously. It is amusing and something that they can get a
good laugh out of. As for the latter type, they are loathsome and
fearful. But those who want to go to the moon will, generally speaking,
like this latter kind very much. This is why there always tends to be
some lunacy hidden within the circle of those who practise the way and
there is no way to cure it completely.
In particular, Venerable Acharn Mun was, as far as I know, never
heard to speak of himself in connection with the Path and Fruition,
saying that he had attained to such and such a stage or level — or even
to imply this. I felt that he had great reverence for these stages and
levels of Dhamma. Although he would talk and say things which accorded
with the truth of Dhamma which arose within him, and even though it is
written in the “Biography of Venerable Acharn Mun” that he had attained
these states, he never made any such claims. It was just that the writer
of the Biography who is rather foolish, wrote about him from his own
understanding that came from listening to the Dhamma in his nature. My
purpose in writing in this way in the Biography was to try and get the
reader, or those who hear it being read out, to take it in, in a heart
felt way. For even though readers have probably not reached that state,
they can at least read about it or hear it as the heart’s ideal and be
inspired and encouraged by it, and aroused out of their incessant pit of
complacency.
Speaking about the skilful methods of sati–pañña in their
adaptability to the kilesas and the course taken by the citta in
breaking through and cutting down all the kilesas by various methods,
which were the characteristics of behaviour of the greatest Teachers,
and as an example, we may look to Venerable Acharn Mun, who is the owner
of his own biography, in this present age. I cannot find any fault or
flaw in him, but he was never heard to say such things as, “I have gone
beyond this stage or that level of Dhamma....” Because the skill and
perspicacity of those who establish the patterns of behaviour in this
modern world do not display outwardly such things, as would be unseemly
and would tarnish the good reputation of the Dhamma and Vinaya, the two
things which represent the original Teacher (Sasada). This wise
discrimination taught him to know the basic ground of the original
Teacher and of himself, for he was a Savaka (one who listens and
follows), and in the suppositions of the world (sammuti), the two are
quite different. For a while he himself was still within sammuti, being
still associated with the elements and groups (dhatu–khandha) which make
up a person, even though his citta had already gone beyond and become
free, it was necessary for him to maintain this way of behaviour as an
example to other people in the future such as you and I, so that we may
at least have a sense of shame in ourselves and in our hearts to prevent
us from spreading such talk about in a way that has no good purpose.
Until others who practise Dhamma become disgusted and repelled by the
offensiveness of it against the ways of their society which still
respects those conventions which are decent and virtuous.
In truth, those who practise Dhamma, who have a high level of
Dhamma in their hearts and who are worthy of faith and respect just
display this fact in their external activities for others to be able to
know well enough to what extent they conform to the standards of the
world and Dhamma, and there is really no need to make an announcement of
any unseemly and repugnant claims. The world has always used discernment
to assess what is good and bad, for in the world of people who are
Buddhists, those who lead the way in upholding the religion are not just
made up of stupid people, such that those who are truly wise and who
have attained the Ariya lineage should blame them and make a broadcast
of the religion. For those methods, which are truly good, harmonious and
subtle, which are complete with all the techniques and Dhamma truths
which they have always used to bring harmony and a joyous heart to their
followers, have not yet been lost and have not yet vanished from the
religion and those who practise the way. There are still those methods
that perpetuate the “flowers and fruit” which are pleasing, a joy to see
and make for peace of heart in those who have seen them and admired them
in the past, and they still exist in this present age. A good example of
this is the story of Venerable Assaji who was one of the first Arahants
and who taught Dhamma to Venerable Sariputta. He was a most humble and
self-effacing follower (Savaka) of the Buddha, which was so right and
proper for one who was known to have “conquered the outflows” (Jinasava)
and in whose heart there remained no taint of worldly desires (lokamisa)
at all. The gist of what he taught Sariputta at that time was as
follows:
“This monk has only recently been ordained into the Dhamma and
Vinaya and he has not got any extensive experience or knowledge. So he
cannot reveal Dhamma to you that is very profound and wide in scope, but
will give you a brief summary of the central principle.” Then he taught,
saying: “All Dhammas arise from causes, and they cease because causes
bring about their cessation. The Venerable Samana Gotama who is our
prime Teacher (Sasada) revealed and taught us this.”
That is all he said, and the wise and perceptive Sariputta who was
then a wandering religious mendicant (Paribbajaka) and was at the cross
roads between his old faith and the way of the Buddha, knew the taste of
Dhamma immediately, at that moment. He also grasped at the path of
Buddhism which immediately went deeply into his heart. It was as though
he were to make an exclamation, saying that he had found a completely
reliable and trustworthy life-line to claim his attention, which came
from the great virtue of Venerable Assaji Thera quite unexpectedly. All
that was left of the original wandering mendicant after that, was his
external appearance. As for the initiation as a Samana, which he had
received from Venerable Assaji Thera, it was the first level of Ariya
Savaka, as accords with the way of nature. But even so, the Paribbajaka
Upatissa still did not know what the Samana status was of the Acariya
who had caused the Ariya ground to arise in him. This was because
Venerable Assaji had no interest in talking about himself — which would
be just a lot of hot air coming from his mouth and would soon evaporate
— unlike his talk of the truths of Dhamma which he gave to Upatissa,
resulting in his gaining a satisfying refuge right then and there.
This is the Aryan custom of those who have come to the end of
worldly ways and attachments (lokamisa), which are poison acting like
bait that is dangerous to all us fish. So the ways in which they act
towards the world are always quite wonderful and remarkable. The tone
and manner in which Venerable Assaji revealed Dhamma to the wanderer
Upatissa comes resounding and clear to the inner sense of hearing of us
Buddhists, and even though it occurred more than two thousand years ago,
it has not faded or lost its meaning with the passing of time. In
addition, even though Upatissa had gained a new vitality and life
leading to his becoming Venerable Sariputta the Savaka of the Buddha, he
never became proud and puffed up in the way that people usually do. Even
when he became the foremost of all the Savaka followers of the Lord, he
always paid homage and the deepest reverence to the virtuous qualities
of his Teacher. Moreover he was highly praised by the Lord, the Supreme
Teacher (Parama–Sasada) who said of him that he knows and never forgets
those who have helped him and been generous to him even in small ways.
Like the case of the Brahmana Radha who received ordination as a Bhikkhu
because Venerable Sariputta acknowledged that he remembered him once
having given a ladle full of food in his bowl. If we compare this with
the ways of ordinary people in the world, they would never have recalled
such a small incident in the same circumstances. Because the position of
being the foremost disciple, the Buddha’s right hand man, which was a
position, secondary only to the Lord Buddha himself would probably have
made them forget or not bother about such a small, trifling matter. But
Dhamma and the one who was the foremost disciple, who was a “gold mine”
of Dhamma, are not like the world, nor do they tend to incline in that
direction. For the more virtuous the more eminent he was, and anyone who
does good acts to or for such a person, however small their actions may
be, takes on some of this eminence — because their virtue induces this
eminence.
Furthermore, because virtue and wealth, which is external, is
different from virtue and wealth, that is internal, the behaviour and
modes of expression of those who have either of those two forms of
virtue and wealth are also characteristically different. Therefore, the
experience and manner of display of wealth differ accordingly in their
degree of grace, depth and subtlety. Like the way in which Venerable
Assaji acted towards Sariputta when he was still Upatissa the wanderer,
which was most impressive and captivating. For they were the actions of
one who had broken all attachments to material things (amisa) which
people in the world desire. So it was an external display which
intimated to the world that: “He is complete and fulfilled in all ways”
— that he is not deficient and wanting in anything any more, not even
wanting praise and adulation. Because such things are just parasites
hanging around, waiting their chance to get some food to build up their
own bodies and to thrive by the destruction of those things which they
depend on, causing them to collapse into ruins. He would therefore never
let such things get in and live off him, unlike people in the world who
allow themselves to act as vessels for holding them all the time and
they can never get enough of them.
On the other hand, when Sariputta, who was a “treasury” of the
highest mindfulness and wisdom (Maha–Sati — Maha–Pañña) and also
gratitude, talked about the virtue of the Brahmana who had given food to
him, instead of showing up the one who did this good act, it tended far
more to show up the one who was outstanding in these Dhamma virtues.
Because what he said was completely without any grasping and conceit,
such as that of having reached the position of being the foremost Savaka
who should not praise the virtues of others much, for fear that it would
diminish his own status. Instead, he took that most cherished status as
an object of contemplation, thinking: “All these wonderful things that
arise within me do so because of the help and kindness of others.” So he
spoke out about the generous treatment which he had received from the
Brahmana as being great and important without any ambivalence — which
would have been characteristic of those who think too much of
themselves. This is why all the Dhamma virtues of all kinds which were
within Venerable Sariputta Buddha Savaka were outstanding in the sphere
of Buddhism and still are right up to the present day.
The manner in which Venerable Assaji and Venerable Sariputta
behaved and practised has always been an inspiration to those who put
their hope and trust in someone else — a Teacher — with the expectation
that he will be a support to them all the time, while they still have to
rely upon others. They will also uphold and venerate that Dhamma virtue
which never deteriorates, changes or disappears to the end of time. So
the Religion will thrive and the heart of that person who cherishes
Dhamma and venerates this aspect of Dhamma will be calm and peaceful and
he will see happiness in the present right here. Venerable Acharn Mun
very clearly displayed this type of behaviour, which can be seen in the
way he always spoke about and upheld the virtue and value of Venerable
Acharn Sao. For he used to recall the time when he was first ordained
and began to practise the way, and how he depended on him constantly. It
was Venerable Acharn Sao who trained him in everything connected with
the manner of living, the forms of behaviour that are appropriate for a
Bhikkhu and the meditation practice (bhavana). Whatever understanding he
gained was dependent on Venerable Acharn Sao as the one who first
initiated him into the way to be a Bhikkhu and a Kammatthana monk and
taught him from then on. Afterwards he would talk about the virtue of
the ordinary people who had faith and of those forest and hill folk who
generously helped him when his practice was like a life and death
struggle. While he was in the district of Chiang Mai, in each place that
he stayed in he would always tend to praise the virtues of the people
who had faith. This seemed to be an important part of his character,
otherwise it is probable that it would not have stood out so clearly and
prominently to other people.
The foregoing section has been an explanation of the way that
Kammatthana Bhikkhus who have an essential understanding of Dhamma and
various associated questions which accord with each one’s level of
attainment and character, come together to discuss them and talk Dhamma.
This may be summarised as follows: Doubts and problems which arise in
one’s heart may be overcome by:
1. Introspective contemplation and analysis on one’s own.
2. Discussion with others, or privately with a Teacher, an Acariya.
3. Listening to a Dhamma talk given by the Acariya, in which he
talks about that problem.
Dhamma discussions which take place between those who practise the
way of Kammatthana take place very quietly. Just like a meeting of mice.
But not at all like a meeting of cats!
Those who practise the way look upon these discussions as being
very important and on a par with the practice itself. Therefore, the
Kammatthana Bhikkhus still come together for discussions quite
frequently, right up to the present day. |
|
19. The Story of
Venerable Acharn Brom
We
are near the end of this book of “Patipada” and it seems appropriate to
write about an important Acariya who was a direct follower of Venerable
Acharn Mun. This will be a memorial and a record to his excellence for
those who have not seen his biography.
He was known as Venerable Acharn Brom (Brahma) and he used to live
at Wat Barn Dong Yen, in the district of Nong Harn, Udorn Thani
province, where he died a short while ago.
I read the short biography that was printed and distributed at the
time of his cremation, but since then I have forgotten some of the
details of it, for his cremation took place on 6th March 2514 BE (1971
CE). However it is probable that many people have not read that
biography, so I shall repeat the story in brief to show what kind of
Bhikkhu he was. The following account will not cover the period of his
life when he was a lay person, but only those incidents which were
important as well as the practices which he did as a Bhikkhu.
Before he was ordained, it seems that he announced to the world at
large that he intended to renounce all his possessions and give
everything away, both those which were material and those which had
life, until there was nothing left. Then he and his wife would leave
home and become ordained and follow the way of the Lord Buddha and the
Savakas so as to reach their state in this life, for they no longer
wanted to go on living through endless births and deaths in this world
anymore. Those who wanted to help may come and receive these gifts and
take them away freely to use as their own property without any
recompense being expected in return. But they must come within a
specified time limit, which he announced, and it seems that he allowed
many days for giving away these things. Many poor and needy people came
to him and received gifts, and this went on until all his possessions of
all kinds had gone in a few days. He had many possessions, for he had
been a wealthy and well established merchant in that region, who dealt
in all sorts of goods. But for the whole of his married life he had no
children and he just had his wife and various relatives, all of whom
felt very happy with his renunciation of his possessions in order to
become ordained. When he had given away everything, he and his wife
separated and went their own ways. He went and became ordained as a
Dhutanga Kammatthana Bhikkhu, after which he set out to reach Venerable
Acharn Mun where he entrusted his life as a monk (Brahmacariya) to him.
His wife went in a different direction to be ordained as a Nun with the
intention of gaining freedom from samsara in accordance with her
resolution, and they both lived the Good Life (Brahmacariya) for the
remainder of their lives without becoming restless and concerned in the
material world. Both of them should be a good example to others.
When Venerable Acharn Brom became ordained he could not at first
do as he had intended. For he had to stay with Venerable Acharn Sara who
trained him for some time until it was appropriate for him to leave.
Then he went wandering in the district of Chiang Mai to find Venerable
Acharn Mun who, at that time, was also living there. It is said that
Venerable Acharn Brom wandered through all sorts of places until he
crossed over into Burma and stayed in many places there. He was
accompanied by Venerable Acharn Chob who had a very determined and
courageous character who stuck by him whatever happened. They were like
two flawless diamonds attached to the same ring as friends going the
same way. This story was related to me by Venerable Acharn Brom, but I
cannot remember all he said and I can only recall what I have written. I
also apologise for any errors which I may make.
Venerable Acharn Brom had many strange and wonderful experiences
associated with the practices which he did, both inwardly and
externally, while he was in Thailand and abroad as well; but I’m afraid
we must leave them and pass on. Hearing him tell his story made me feel
so sorry for his plight in some parts of it, spellbound with excitement
in other parts and full of admiration for his ability to fight against
hardship, and also for what he experienced in his self-development. In
addition, the way in which he walked right through thick jungle in
various places, where in those days there were no villages or people was
quite remarkable. At such times he had to put up with great hardships
and privations, for he was rarely in a place where he had enough to
provide sufficient for the body and ease of mind. He said that some days
they would come across a village and get enough food on pindapata to
keep them going. But on other days they had to go without and put up
with feelings of hunger and weakness and spend the nights in the hills
and forests when they had lost their way. He said that it was especially
difficult when they were wandering in Burma, because the way they went
there was nothing but hills and jungle full of animals and cats (tigers,
leopards, etc.) of all sorts. Sometimes they just had to trust their
lives to fate when the suffering and hardship was more than they could
bear to go on facing for another day. When he got to that point it
seemed as if everything within him came to the end of its tether all at
once. His breath seemed as if it would no longer go on due to all the
many and varied circumstances oppressing and tormenting his body and
mind. But afterwards he managed to put up with each event as it happened
as each hour and day passed by.
His citta had been developing steadily and he had confidence in
himself when he finally reached Venerable Acharn Mun where he was taught
and trained continuously from then on. Some years, Venerable Acharn Mun
kindly helped him by letting him spend the vassa period together with
him. At other times he used to come and go frequently — in other words,
he would go out wandering to develop himself in various places wherever
he felt like going. Then when any problem arose in his heart he would
return for further teaching and training from Venerable Acharn, which
took place from time to time. He spent many years training with
Venerable Acharn Mun while he was in Chiang Mai province, and when
Venerable Acharn returned to Sakon Nakhon province, he also went with
him.
This Acariya had a very earnest and serious character and he was
also very determined and resolute, as may be seen by the way he disposed
of all his wealth and valuables and then became ordained in a really
true way. But as to the results of the practice, which he gained in the
form of a refuge for his heart, we may say briefly that he gained
abundant “wealth” of the most wonderful and priceless kind on a remote
hill in the province of Chiang Mai where he was living with the hill
tribes. This is what he told me, unless my memory is faulty; but I
cannot remember the names of the village, the hill, or the district
where he gained freedom and finally got rid of the burden of the round
of birth and death from his heart. After Venerable Acharn Mun had
returned to stay in the province of Sakon Nakhon for several years,
Venerable Acharn Brom followed him and spent the vassa at Wat Suddhavasa
in Sakol Nakhon province. This was about the year 2486 of the Buddhist
era (CE 1943). After this he returned and built a Wat in his home
village, Ban Dong Keng, in the district of Nong Han in the province of
Udorn Thani. This was where he came from and this is where he was
cremated, as has been already related.
On the day of his cremation the place was full of Buddhists who
came to share in the merit of the occasion. They came from far and near
as well as many from Bangkok who had sacrificed their time to come. Many
also came from Chiang Mai despite the time and trouble it took to get
there. But in fact all of those who went to his funeral thought nothing
of the difficulty and what it cost them, for their aim was just to make
the occasion to be a fitting tribute to this Acariya. So it turned out
that the Wat where they held his funeral, which normally seemed so
spacious and open to everyone, was not big enough and became cramped and
congested because of the large number of people, both the lay people as
well as the Bhikkhus and Samaneras who came crowding in on that
occasion. But even so, they were not boisterous or turbulent, because
each of them had come with pure intentions and faithful hearts, free
from ulterior motives which may have been a danger both to the occasion
and to the people who had gone there.
On the night of this occasion, the organisers in the Wat had
arranged for the teaching of Kammatthana to be broadcast to the people
there for the whole night after the cremation. For this they had invited
several competent Kammatthana Acariyas to give a series of talks. Some
of them were general talks about Dhamma, some were about samadhi–Dhamma,
and some were about pañña–Dhamma. But the subjects changed about so that
some would be of value to those who were ordained and who followed the
Dhutanga Kammatthana tradition, for generally speaking they rarely had
any chance to hear such talks. Some would be of value for those white
robed followers (Upasaka and Upasika) who were interested in the
practice of Dhamma and some for the general run of lay people.
The actual cremation took place at about 10 p.m. on the night of
6th March 2514 BE (CE 1971). At the time of his cremation, the crowd of
Bhikkhus, Samaneras and lay people who had come to pay their respects
with sorrow, was very large. All of them were very calm and peaceful,
which was a delight to see, and it seemed almost as if they were all
recalling and contemplating the virtues and the refined excellence of
Venerable Acharn Brom who had done the practice with such resolute
courage and sacrificed everything without any regrets or longing. In
addition, he had bestowed his enlightening Dhamma on all his followers,
both those who were ordained and lay followers, and both men and women
in large numbers. Now he had gone from them, having submitted to the law
of impermanence (aniccam) which none of them could halt or resist even
for a moment however much they respected, revered and loved him. Some of
those who had never seen or met him may have tended to think more about
the law of aniccam, which is Dhamma that teaches the world and oneself,
rather than thinking of his Dhamma virtue.
When they had actually cremated his body, there were only the
official organisers in the vicinity of the crematorium, who attended to
his body. Nobody else was allowed to come in and interfere. This may
have been because the previous frequent announcements had warned off the
crowd — or may be it was due to the etiquette of those Bhikkhus who saw
danger and value at that time. But it is not easy to resolve this
speculation.
His Bones Turned into Relics in a Very Short Time
Many of those who came to Venerable Acharn Brom’s cremation were
given very small bits of his cremated bone as a reminder and as a form
of their Puja, so they went out to many places. Therefore it was not
possible to keep track of them to know if any of them had changed their
nature or not. But not long afterwards, a Bhikkhu who had been given
some of the bone, brought it and showed it to us here in this Wat. This
bone had already turned into two relics of Venerable Acharn Brom.
A bit later I saw in the “Sri Sapadah” magazine, that some of
their share of bone from his cremation had also turned into relics,
while other bits in the same container had not changed. One could not
help feeling full of wonder at his Dhamma virtue, for this was a sure
sign that he had fully attained the essence of Dhamma. This had been the
assumption of those who practise the way for a long time already, but
they had never said so openly in the way that people in the world do so.
Because this was a matter of Dhamma, in which those who practise Dhamma
should be self-controlled and careful, to keep within the bounds of what
is right and proper.
Gaining Freedom From Dukkha
Venerable Acharn Brom told me in 2486 BE (1943 CE), that he had
gained freedom entirely, from the thick jungle of kilesa and the great
mass of discontent and suffering (dukkha), and that he had done this
while staying in the province of Chiang Mai, but it is uncertain just
when this actually happened. Afterwards he returned to the province of
Sakon Nakhon, therefore in short, this means that from 2485 BE, when he
went to spend the vassa in Wat Suddhavasa in Sakon Nakhon until he died
in 2513 BE is 28 — 29 years. This is enough to show that from the day
that his citta gained freedom and ruled over the khandhas with a pure
heart, until the last day of his life was quite a long time. Therefore
it is reasonably to be expected that his bone remains should become
relics very quickly — in less than a year.
In the province of Chiang Mai, it is known that three monks became
Arahant there in the present age. They are, firstly Venerable Acharn Mun,
secondly Venerable Acharn Brom and thirdly Venerable Acharn … who is
still alive; the latter two being followers of Venerable Acharn Mun.
As for other provinces in Thailand, those in the Northeast (Isan), such
as Sakon Nakhon, have also had their share of remarkable Bhikkhus who
have become “pure in Dhamma”, no less than Chiang Mai. But they are not
well known, because they are not people who talk about these things nor
do they advertise themselves and they are only known amongst themselves
and those who practise the way.
The places referred to in the last paragraph refer to the forests
and hills of the respective districts, which is where those who practise
the way go to stay, to practise and to attain the path and fruition as
they had intended to. But they do so quietly, without anyone knowing
about it. So if some of their stories are not written down here as
evidence that it can be done now, the Dhamma of Buddhism will appear to
be mere talk — whereas its true nature is not visible and apparent.
Therefore I decided to jump into the middle of a bag of thorns and write
down some of these stories as objectively as possible, although I’m
afraid that I shall not be free of some sharp criticism that will come
from those who disagree and disbelieve some aspects of these stories, as
has already happened to some extent.
What has been written here is based: Firstly on a firm faith in
the skill and ability of those who practise the way and who have managed
to attain the basic ground of citta and Dhamma which is firm and
unshakeable; and who also have a full and unwavering confidence in
themselves. Secondly, in the way they speak out, proclaiming the
“Rightly Taught (Svakkhata) Dhamma” with complete confidence and
certainty in it. For this is what the Lord Buddha bequeathed to us,
saying that it will be this “Rightly Taught Dhamma” that lasts and
remains unaltered by any of the popularly accepted conventions which are
so artful and deceptive and become part and parcel of the person who
takes them up and relies upon them. But they give him no sense of
confidence that he will be able to go on breathing freely in the
future. Thirdly, in the way they speak about the field of practice (patipatti)
and the attainments (pativedha) that come from it. For this is how they
show up the results of their practice whether great or small — showing
how this way is not worthless, nor is it a waste of one’s time and
effort which gives no results in response to all the weariness and
difficulty involved in doing the practice.
All the Acariyas that have been mentioned up to this point are
fully possessed of the Path (Magga) of practice, which has sila, samadhi
and pañña, fully developed, and they are beyond all reasonable
criticism. They are the Acariyas who should attain the fruit of vimutti
— freedom — of the kind that accords with the causes and results which
come following the undisputed truth of the Dhamma teaching. As for those
who still have faith that Dhamma exists as Dhamma, they are the Acariyas
who should reach the Path and the Fruition, with their practice
following the policy of Dhamma and they can live in the field of
“Puññakkheta” — the field of merit and righteousness — without any
suspicions of doubt or uncertainty.
In writing about these Acariyas, I feel no doubts or reservations
— nor is it likely to vex the hearts of those who read about them. On
the other hand, we must accept that anybody who thinks in any different
way from the above, has the power and the right to do so without
consulting or getting permission from anyone else. For it is said in the
Dhamma that: “Beings are the owners of their own kamma, and the results
of their kamma belong to them alone.” Other people therefore should not
go and interfere, and try to take on a share of the responsibility,
which would be contrary to this aspect of the law of kamma that has been
proclaimed and taught with complete certainty since ages past.
Venerable Acharn Brom once told me about how timid and incomplete
he was, soon after he had been ordained, and also about a time when he
went to stay in the hills of Chiang Mai province. Not long after his
ordination and before he had even been one vassa period in the robe
(i.e., less than a year), he went out wandering in quiet and peaceful
places in the hills in the district of Na Kae of Nakhon Phanom Province.
On his return trip, he followed the track which went straight from Na
Kae District to Sakon Nakhon Province. In those days there was no road,
and even the cart track or footpath was heavily overgrown and was hardly
visible in places. Because along this track, about four kilometres from
the provincial town of Na Kae there was a large expanse of thick jungle,
its length running along by a range of mountains, full of all sorts of
animals like tigers and other cats. The type of place that timid people
would call very frightening and would never want to go to.
By chance, it happened that Venerable Acharn Brom reached this
forest in the evening, just as it was getting dark. He had no candles
left to use in his lantern and if he had decided to go on regardless, he
was afraid he would lose his way. For nobody lived there and there were
no houses or villages anywhere near, and even the path was overgrown and
blocked by trees and forest in places. It was quite different from the
same place nowadays where there are villages and people everywhere — and
even the thick forest has gone without a trace, to be replaced by
fields, houses and plantations.
So Acharn Brom decided that he would have to spend the night
there. He went off a little way to one side of the path and hung his
umbrella tent (klod) from the branch of a tree. Then groping about in
the twilight, he gathered up some dry leaves from around the place,
enough to act as bedding on the bare ground so that he could lie down.
From then on he rested and did his meditation practice. About 9 p.m.,
which was during the time he was sitting in samadhi practice with a
degree of apprehension and mistrust of his surroundings in various ways,
it happened that a deer came softly and quietly into the area where he
was staying, quite unaware of his presence. As soon as the deer which is
a timid and cautious animal, emerged from the surrounding forest and
came face to face with the Acharn’s umbrella tent and mosquito net
which hung from it, forming a complete enclosure around him, it let out
a single loud cry, “Kek!” just once, while it jumped back into the
forest, hitting its head against trees and branches, and crashing
through the undergrowth with a lot of noise. The Venerable Acariya also
was so startled and frightened so that without thinking he shouted out “Euk-aak,”
and the deer, hearing the sound of a person, was even more frightened
and ran as hard as it could go deep into the forest.
As soon as the Acharn regained his composure and mindfulness, he
thought with shame how incompetent he had been, and he could not help
laughing at himself. For as he said:
“There I was, a true Bhikkhu, having been ordained after renouncing
and disposing of all my possessions and I was prepared to accept death
wherever it may come to me with a ready heart absorbed in Dhamma, so how
was it that a deer, a most mild and ordinary forest animal should
frighten me so much? It was not like a tiger, a boar, a ghost or a demon
which may reasonably instil fear into people; and in fact it ran away in
blind panic, crying out in genuine fear of me, having been startled and
lost all self-control. But I am a man and a full Kammatthana Bhikkhu,
yet I was so startled and afraid of it that I could hardly breathe. This
is really a worthless state, having no mindfulness to restrain the heart
so that it gave in to a low and inferior state of the kind that makes an
unseemly display of self and our religion for that deer to hear quite
clearly so that it ran crashing into the forest without thought of any
other dangers. If that deer had been clever enough to realise that
Bhikkhus who truly believe in kamma and who have renounced everything
are not timid and easily frightened like this Kammatthana Bhikkhu who is
displaying such fear that he has lost all self-control, it would
probably see the funny side of it and go away roaring with laughter at
me for sure, and I would be so embarrassed, having no face left in my
standing as a Bhikkhu at all. But fortunately, it was just an animal
concerned for its life, which was passing by, and such a consideration
never arose, for it has no interest in whether this person was a madman
or a good normal person.”
Venerable Acharn Brom said that once when he was living in the
hills of Chiang Mai province an event took place of a more normal kind
which did not make a special impression on him. It was about 5 o’clock
in the afternoon and he had gone to bathe in a deep stream at the foot
of the hill. He never expected anything unusual to happen then, because
he had been going to this stream every afternoon. But this day, he was
walking along the stream which is in a narrow gorge with steep banks,
and when he had about reached the place he was making for after going
along a part of the stream where it was narrow and winding, he turned a
corner and suddenly reached that place at the very same time as a large
bear coming in the opposite direction. They both saw each other at the
same time and there was no easy escape route. The large bear was very
startled and frightened and leapt up the steep bank and slipped down.
Again it leapt up and slipped down and went on doing this four or five
times without success before it realised that it could not escape that
way, so it turned round and ran back the way it came.
As for the Venerable Acharn, one could not say that he was afraid,
nor that he was not afraid, because both of them were so startled and
bewildered by their encounter that neither had any mindfulness left to
give them any self-control. This gave a clear indication in this
incident of how both of them at that moment were overwhelmed by a fear
of death. For the bear jumped up and tried to climb the bank in a frenzy
of fear, while the Venerable Acharn just stood there stamping his feet,
so the ground round there became all disturbed and muddy, as if the clay
had been mixed up for making bricks or pottery. Meanwhile he had been
making noises, saying “Ow! Ow...,” continuously without being aware of
what he was doing. After this big and amicable bear which arouses one’s
sympathy, had gone away, Venerable Acharn said that he walked straight
back to where he was staying, while seeing the funny side of this
incident and feeling compassion for this bear which was so knowing and
so good. What he had not realised was that he was dripping with sweat as
though he was about to die during this incident. In fact he was soaked
and more wet than if he had bathed normally.
Venerable Acharn said that he had not continued with his original
purpose of having a bath and had left the place straight away because he
thought it was likely that after this bear had jumped about and ran
away, it would be exhausted and may return to lie down on a submerged
rock and soak in the water to relax. For, he was afraid that to meet up
with it once again might bring a response quite different from the first
time. The next day he again went to bathe in the same place, and when he
got to the point where he first saw the bear face to face, he took the
opportunity to examine the characteristics of the fear of death, which
is common to all beings in the world. Having looked at it well, he said
that he couldn’t help laughing out loud, because the marks made by the
bear in trying to climb that bank and his own footprints where he had
been stamping up and down looked more like the work of ten bears and ten
Kammatthana Bhikkhus playing at sports. The area was so messed about and
muddy and hardly any of the original ground was visible. Looking at it
made him feel horrified as well as compassion for the bear and this
happened every day, for the place acted as a reminder, when he went
there to have his daily bathe. He would see his own footprints as well
as those of the bear displaying the fear of death every day until he
left that district.
Normally when a bear comes across a person unexpectedly, it will
jump on him and claw and bite him and injure him to put him out of
action first, then it will run away. It is preferable to meet a tiger
rather than a bear, for the bear will attack first before escaping,
whereas the tiger will only attack if it has been shot and injured, and
then it is more fierce and dangerous than a bear. Therefore, the
Venerable Acharn could not help being appalled by this incident even
though it turned out to be harmless.
I feel that making the effort to write about the practice of
Kammatthana following the way of Venerable Acharn Mun is a heavy
responsibility. Although the burden is not so heavy as it was in writing
“The Biography of Venerable Acharn Mun”, and I have some room to breathe
here. But even though the burden of writing is heavy I have constantly
tried to put whatever ability I have into it. As to whether all of you
who have read and understood it up to this point will agree with it and
see it as right or wrong and good or bad in any way is uncertain. But I
must accept whatever criticism is made without recourse to making any
correction, because in both cases (the Biography and this book), I have
already put everything I can into them with whatever ability I have and
I cannot do any more.
The number of Bhikkhus who followed, and still follow the lineage
of Venerable Acharn Mun are many. They come from the early period, the
middle, and the final years of his Teaching. As well as those who
followed his disciples and who received the same teaching and practice
which was handed down to them, right down to the present day. But in
writing this book, their names have been withheld — as was said
previously — in those cases where their ways of practice have been
described. This is because it would make difficulties for myself and for
those whose stories have been disclosed. This has already happened in
the case of those whose names were disclosed in “The Biography of
Venerable Acharn Mun”, for there seemed to be some objections relating
to those whose names were mentioned in connection with the events that
happened to them. Some of them also said that the writer should do the
same with himself! So I must accept their viewpoint and I have not gone
against their wishes in writing this book. Their names have been
withheld and only their story told — which involves the way they did the
practice.
The way of practice of each Bhikkhu will be hard and acetic or
easy in the various aspects of Dhamma accordingly, such as the hardship
involved in not lying down, or taking little food. Those who work with
urgency and consistently at such practices until they see the results of
them quite clearly apparent, arising steadily, will not feebly give up
and slide backwards. In fact, the results that are attained from all
such methods are similar and consist of a state of calm and happiness in
the heart — the citta — as well as the arousing of mindfulness and
wisdom in successive stages, for these are the Dhammas which help and
support the citta to reach the final goal in all cases. Therefore it is
important in the practising of Dhamma that the aspect of Dhamma, which
means the preliminary repetition (parikamma word) that is used in
meditation practice to control and guide the citta, should be one which
suits the individual’s tendencies of character at each stage and level.
But it is not really correct for the Acariya who trains and
teaches his followers, to decide and determine this on his own, and then
to reveal this one aspect of Dhamma to all his many followers for them
to practise in their meditation, without having taken into account the
characters of his followers and their different temperaments. For this
one method will arouse obstacles in those whose characteristics are not
suited to this aspect of Dhamma, and they will not get the results which
they should get.
The Acariya just needs to be there to point out the way to go,
after having explained many aspects and paths of Dhamma, so that those
who have come to learn and train themselves may choose one of them and
then go and practise it until they get results, after which they should
go and tell the Acariya about it. Then if in what they tell the Acariya
there is anything that he sees which needs correcting or developing in
any way, he will point it out as it may be in each individual.
But it is not for the Acariya to determine on his own what methods
of Dhamma training his followers should do. The only exceptions to this
are those rare Acariyas who have the greatest skill in the practice of
Dhamma and the faculty of knowing “Paracittavijja” — which is the
ability to know the characteristic tendencies (upanissaya) and the
present state of the citta of other people, as well as being skilled in
methods of teaching them with quick wit and clever ways. This makes them
able to decide what is the right parikamma for others to use, by virtue
of what they have found in their own experience to be right. But
nowadays, where can one find anybody who is so able and skilled in
Dhamma as this? It is far more difficult to find such a person than to
find a perfect flawless diamond. It is even difficult enough to find
someone who has practised the way until he has come to know the causes
and results of each of the different kinds of kilesas which arise in his
heart. Until he has been able to remove them in a way that is clearly
evident to him, and then put what he has attained into teaching others
in the right way with assured certainty.
To find such a Teacher is so difficult that it has almost reached
the point where people say that the state of “wealth” in the Buddhist
Religion is worthless and that one can no longer find any essence of
truth (sara) in it, even though it is the system which has given a
guarantee of the Path, Fruition and Nibbana since the Enlightenment of
the Great and Original Teacher, and has upheld it right up to the
present. When this is the case amongst those who are Buddhists, is it
likely that any of them will have enough of the faculty of
Paracittavijja — to know the characteristic tendencies and the present
state of the citta of other people with confidence? Or with sufficient
confidence and certainty to teach just one aspect or method of Dhamma,
guaranteed by that within themselves, which gives these teachers
complete assurance? And to do this, while at the same time steadily
leading their many followers to gain those results which are a refuge
for the heart, and to continue until they are able to penetrate into and
reach the highest level of Dhamma without changing or altering that one
method of Dhamma to adapt it to their changing level of citta and level
of Dhamma (bhumi–citta — bhumi–Dhamma). And also without changing or
adapting it to the changes that take place in the kilesas and asavas,
which are more adaptable and changeable in the most intricate ways than
the footprints of a herd of cows in a farmyard. In fact it is probable,
that anyone teaching in this way does so to give himself power and
authority in the status of an “Acariya”, to which he has raised himself,
rather than because he has the quality of Dhamma in its practical
application in his heart. Therefore I feel the greatest misgivings and
doubts about teaching by the use of a single method of Dhamma. For I am
a Bhikkhu of the kind who has naturally and characteristically had to
struggle and strive. So when those who are absorbed and intent on Dhamma
ask me questions, I answer in the manner of — “one hand holding a snake
and the other hand holding a fish”, so that those who want to train
themselves can choose to take up whatever they feel is suitable
according to their own disposition, so that it will not then go against
their characteristic tendencies. If they grasp only one hand, so as to
get the hand which holds the fish, it will be of some value to
themselves and to others also. But if they grasp only the other so as to
get the hand that holds the snake, they will be very harmful and
dangerous to those who come to learn from them.
In other words, those who come to be trained by them are taught
only one random aspect or way of Dhamma and that’s all, as though the
Sasana only has that one way of teaching the world. Whereas, in fact,
the Great Teacher and all the Savakas did not complete the task with
only one aspect of Dhamma but with many different aspects. In addition,
the Lord Buddha taught them and taught the world enough aspects of
Dhamma to suit the ability of beings in the world. But this would seem
to have been a very small proportion of what was available to his
knowledge and skill in his basic capacity as the Lord Buddha — who was
the supreme Teacher (Sasada) of the world. |
|
20. Venerable Acharn Mun’s Practice & His Methods of Teaching
We
are getting near the end of this book, so it is appropriate that we
should discuss the methods of practising citta bhavana that Venerable
Acharn Mun used, as well as the methods which he used in teaching those
followers of his who went into training under him. This may act as sort
of a guide to the way, in the form of a brief summary. But in
particular, the way that he himself practised will first be considered,
after which, the way he taught his close followers will be described. In
this section, the names of the places where he practised and gained
results will not be given, because they have already been detailed in
his Biography. So the following account will only deal with his methods
of practising citta bhavana and all external phenomena such as contact
with Pretas, Ghosts, Devaputta, Devata, Nagas, Garudas etc., will be
omitted as they have already been described.
The nature of Venerable Acharn Mun’s citta was unusually dynamic,
venturesome, quick and sensitive to whatever events he came into contact
with. To begin with, in doing the practice of bhavana, he used the
preparatory repetition (parikamma) “Buddho....” As soon as his citta
dropped into a concentrated, calm state, he saw a “nimitta”, sometimes
of himself, dead in front of him, sometimes of a corpse in front of him
— as has already been described in his Biography. Then he took that
nimitta which had appeared before him as an indicator of the way his
meditation practice should go from then on by defining it as being
loathsome (patikula) in various ways, according to where his greatest
skill in sati and pañña lay. He would sometimes define it as breaking
down and decomposing until all that was left of it was a skeleton; then
he would define the bones as separate from each other, scattered about
right in front of him. Then sometimes he would also sweep them together
in a heap, and set them up to be burnt by fire until they became ashes
in front of him. Both the corpse and his own dead body were visual
nimittas right there before him and he defined them in the same way, but
at different times, just depending on whichever was suited to the
contemplation he was doing.
After he had induced the fire to burn the bones down to fine
ashes, his citta concentrated down to reach the basic level of samadhi
in complete absorption and rested there for a long time, lasting for
hours before withdrawing. As soon as his citta had withdrawn, he went on
doing the same forms of practice as before. He said that from the day
that his citta manifested these nimittas, and he could set them up to be
as he wanted them, right through to cremating the remains of the corpse,
he could go down and see them quite clearly in his heart at any time he
wanted, regardless of whether he was standing, walking, sitting or lying
down, for whatever his situation was, he would set up that corpse, which
he had turned into a skeleton and see it as being attached intimately to
his own body at all times. The only exception was at those special times
when he contemplated that corpse in various ways after which the citta
would then concentrate down into the state of samadhi and rest in itself
alone for a while. At such times he had no interest or concern for
anything.
He could see clearly how the strength of his citta began to
develop and how he attained the foundation of samadhi firmly because of
his having gained that nimitta, which acted like a grind-stone to
sharpen up his sati and pañña all the time. He went on in this way until
he was able to get the skeleton image of that nimitta to stay within his
own body, so that his body and the skeleton became identified as one,
and this went on until he had no doubt as to where this skeleton came
from and who became this skeleton.
After this he gave up the practice of defining those
characteristics. Because once the nimitta image had been entirely
identified with himself it became unnecessary for him to define any
external image. From then on he took up and defined his own body as the
basis of his contemplation, and depending on the dexterity, skill and
ability of his sati and pañña, he would contemplate the body, making it
have any characteristics that he determined, as he wanted to. At this
stage he said how he felt that his samadhi was very strong and stable,
because of having depended on the contemplation of the body with pañña
until the citta would relax and very easily concentrate down into
samadhi.
The word “Buddho” which he had used as his preparatory repetition
(parikamma) to control and direct the citta since he started to practise
was dispensed with from the day when that nimitta appeared clearly
before him. For he then aroused the nimitta with the parikamma “atthi”
(bones) which acted as the supporting condition for the citta instead of
“Buddho”. All the time he would define them and contemplate them by
making them arise, making them change and break up right there in the
body, and he would do this in all positions and situations, excepting
only those times when he slept. He went on doing this until his body,
although still there, turned into the space element (akasa–dhatu) in
conformity with his contemplation. His citta was emptied of all material
things such as the physical body, due to the coercive power of sati and
pañña which contemplated without ceasing or letting go. He was then
skilful in samadhi at all levels, and his vipassana (wisdom) at the
level of rupa–dhamma (mind forms or images) was both skilful and very
fast, to keep up with the mind. He said that vipassana of this level
makes the citta shine very brightly and it is quite wonderful. If one is
carelessly, looking only for pleasure and ease without one’s wisdom
being clearly aware of the situation, one will probably become addicted
and fascinated with this state of voidness thinking that it is Nibbana,
without knowing within oneself by means of understanding, whether it is
Nibbana for certain, or not. Because all of us have heard that Nibbana
is voidness, enough for it to have become embedded in our hearts, but
without knowing what characteristics Nibbana is void of. In particular,
the kind of voidness which appeared at this time had something hidden
within it. These were the subtle kilesas of his heart. How then could
this ever be the voidness of Nibbana?
Before we can pass beyond the rupa–dhamma, which means the body
both internally and externally, by means of various forms of
contemplation, sati and pañña must be whirling around the body nearly
the whole time. This excepts only those times when the citta of the one
who is digging and searching has become weak and tired due to having
done too much work; then he must take a rest by entering into the quiet
calm of samadhi for a while.
As soon as he withdraws from samadhi, having regained his
strength, he goes on with his contemplative investigation, disentangling
the story of the body more and more by using the principle of the three
characteristics (Ti–lakkhana) as the way to develop. Because the body is
a thing of the greatest importance amongst those who practise the way,
and with whatever subtlety and skill they are able to contemplate the
body, to the same extent they will tend to become fearless and
courageous in practising those methods which they use to progress. This
is due to the fact that the body is the dwelling place of the more gross
kinds of sexual craving (raga–tanha) and conceit (mana–ditthi), all of
which live in dependence on the body quite frankly and openly. In some
cases when people forget themselves and lose their restraint, displaying
these things outwardly in a gross and vulgar manner, other people, even
though they also have kilesas, cannot bear to see it and feel
disillusioned, disgusted and fed up with it.
For the above reason, those who practise the way with the aim and
full-hearted intention of destroying the kilesas, must keep their
attention on the parts of the body (kaya–vibhaga) until they become
skilled at it and can eliminate sexual craving bit by bit, in a way that
is clearly apparent to themselves. As to the kilesa of conceit or
opinionatedness, this is the kind of kilesa which is irritating and
harmful and penetrates to the heart, one’s own and other peoples, more
than any other kilesa. Generally, this kilesa lies, “just inside the
door”, waiting for a chance to run out and display itself which it does
very quickly, and it depends upon upadana — attachment — to the body as
its main support. It is therefore taught in the Four Satipatthana
(arousing of mindfulness) and the four Ariya Sacca (Noble Truths) which
are amongst the most important Dhammas in the teachings of Buddhism,
that one should contemplate kayagatasati (mindfulness of the body) much
and often, until one has overcome all doubt about the body. Then one may
pass beyond it, having got rid of all attachment to it.
Venerable Acharn Mun was accomplished and very skilled in the
practice of mindfully contemplating the body (kayanupassana–satipatthana).
He thus had a very wide and precise understanding of all aspects of
Dhamma both inwardly and outwardly, and far beyond all others who were
then practising the way. He said that when he went beyond body
contemplation (kayagata), sexual craving ceased to be a problem from
then on. This happened in such a way that it was quite unnecessary to
ask or discuss it with anyone else (such as an Acariya). To do so would
be a waste of time and would show up the stupidity of the one who asked,
making a laughing stock of him. Because these are things within oneself,
and things which disappear from oneself alone, due to the circumspection
of sati and pañña at this level. Just by attaining the level at which
sexual craving (raga–tanha) is destroyed and its “corpse” is expelled
from the heart, is enough to bring ease and comfortable living to
oneself, free from trouble and anxiety. Because sexual craving is a kind
of craving which, so to speak, “eats without ever becoming satisfied”,
and it disturbs and excites the heart, whispering and teasing
suggestively and spreading its influence and dominance over the heart.
This makes a person timid, scared, dispirited and feeble in making his
way forward for the sake of the Path, Fruition and Nibbana, which is to
be found in the sphere of the “Noble Truths” (Sacca–Dhamma) and the
“setting up of mindfulness” (Satipatthana) and which may be reached by
one who practises the way with effort and striving.
Venerable Acharn Mun also said that before the body was fully
understood and ceased to be a problem in his contemplation of it, the
body which he had contemplated in various ways concentrated together
and entered into the sphere of the heart. Then all those thoughts and
views (sankhara) associated with “uprising and promotion” (samudaya),
which think of the body as being beautiful, shapely, pleasing and
something which everyone has always been satisfied with, as well as all
those thoughts and views associated with the Path (Magga) which
conceptualised the body as being loathsome (patikula), undesirable and
as being aniccam, dukkham and anatta, all died away at the same time as
the image of the body which concentrated together and went into the
heart. “Subha”, the beautiful and desirable aspect, and “asubha”, the
ugly and undesirable aspect, were then both disposed of as paths for the
heart to go along, so that it then passes by between these two Dhammas
without any remaining attachment to them. No nimittas remained clinging
on to the heart to deceive it with beauty or ugliness, and every time he
did any contemplation of the body, he just saw the citta which displayed
the body’s characteristics as an internal image which then died away and
ceased.
From then on his citta was devoid of all material things including
both the body which remained with him and all other things which existed
externally. No more did he have any nimittas arising which were symbols
of beauty (subha) and ugliness (asubha) as he used to prior to this
stage. There was just brightness and a citta devoid of all things
throughout its field, and it turned about in contemplation with
mindfulness and wisdom acting as the driving force leading him onward.
The next thing that steadily became the focus of attention for
mindfulness and wisdom to work on were: vedana — feeling, sañña —
memory, sankhara — thought processes, and viññana — consciousness —
which are the Dhammas that arise with, and cease simultaneously with,
the heart; and also “avijja”, the origin and source of all the kilesas.
His Contemplation of the Paccayakara
Venerable Acharn Mun said:
“The Paccayakara may be divided into two aspects as described in
the text books. The first is the inter-related process of arising and
development of avijja; and the second is the process of the cessation of
avijja which takes place step by step until nothing is left of it. This
is analogous to the plan of a house which shows one how to built it from
the start until it is completed. But even though when demolishing a
house there is no plan of how to do it, such as that which shows the way
to demolish avijja, it must rely upon the person who carries out the
demolition to think out the way to do it before starting; and he must go
about it with mindfulness and wisdom which are the pair of Dhammas that
are needed to bring about the desired results.”
“In the old texts, the arising and ceasing of avijja is merely
listed, thus: avijja is the condition (paccaya) which gives rise to the
sankhara; sankhara is the condition which gives rise to viññana;... and
so on, to... coming to birth (sambhavanti), all of which is on the side
of ‘uprising’ (samudaya). On the other hand, the ceasing of avijja acts
in a similar way as being the condition for the ceasing of sankhara,
viññana, nama–rupa … and so on, the cessation of each one being the
condition for the following one to cease. Then there are no kilesas
remaining to act as the seed of further becoming and birth. This is the
side of ‘cessation’ (nirodha) — as the old texts describe the end of
avijja saying that it is ‘nirujjhanti’ (ceased or vanished).”
“But these two aspects of avijja, the first being the development
and uprising of avijja, causing the citta to become associated with
creating and branching out into the realms of existence and birth as
animals and people, until it reaches old age, decrepitude and finally
death; the second being the suppressing and removing of avijja so that
it is entirely dispelled from the heart, thus ending the process of
continual becoming and birth — as was done by all those, such as the
Lord Buddha, who revealed Nibbana by quenching avijja, were both
explained. Or rather the outline of the process that spreads out from
avijja, as well as that which spreads out from the cessation of avijja,
were explained. But it does not explain the method of increasing and
developing avijja and how it is done so that avijja shall grow strong
enough to lead beings endlessly through the round of birth and death.
Nor does it explain the method of diminishing and destroying avijja and
how it should be done, so that avijja shall be weakened steadily until
it can be dispelled from the heart entirely, with no possibility of
making that heart from which avijja has been dispelled fall back into
the round of birth and death. For paccayakara only explains the above
processes.”
“Someone, who practises to diminish and get rid of avijja, must
depend on the Four Noble Truths or the Four Satipatthana as the way to
do it. For these are the places in which avijja is concentrated.
Venerable Acharn said that once his citta had entered into a state
devoid of all rupa–dhamma, all that was left was to fasten onto the
sankharas, viññana, and the vedana citta (the sankharas being the
heart’s composers; viññana — consciousness — being that which contacts
and acknowledges all kinds of things; and the vedana–citta — the feeling
citta — being that which displays the results that become apparent,
coming from the ‘composing’ and ‘acknowledging’ by way of viññana) with
sati–pañña which also dwells in the same place as they do. Because the
composing of the sankharas goes out from the citta and the
acknowledging of viññana also goes out from the citta. All these
things then variously die away and drop to the citta when sati follows
and keeps up with them and pañña keeps on to them, finding out and
critically analysing the situation as it unfolds and it is impossible
for these things to develop and become strong.”
“Just following and knowing about what the sankharas and viññana
are composing and acknowledging is not enough to satisfy the heart which
has ‘automatic’ sati and pañña as its guardian the whole time without
ever failing. For they can go still further, searching and digging down
to the root, the origin where the sankharas and viññana arise, so as to
know where they come from and what it is that drives them relentlessly
and continually to arise, never letting up or stopping. In fact, the one
that drives them on is the real avijja, and it is here that the
contemplative investigation of avijja must take place in order truly to
pull it out by the roots. In other words, to dig and search in the
heart, which is where the house and home of avijja is deeply embedded,
and then to see the body of avijja break up, disintegrate and fall away
at the moment when Maha Sati and Maha Pañña reach it. This is the way to
contemplate avijja and the right way to extract avijja from the heart by
following the way of Magga (the Path) and Phala (the Fruition) which the
Great Teacher rightly taught. It is not a way which is merely to be read
about in the pages of the text books and then to be discussed and argued
about incessantly until one’s mind is in a whirl, letting avijja make
trouble and tease one and laugh in amusement. For not a single one of
the kilesas is disturbed or hurt in the least by such discussions.”
“We are Buddhists with the one and only Great Teacher as our
Teacher, and so we should use reason in following the Lord. We must not
have mere opinions and conceit (ditthi–mana) as the only guide to our
views and theories, as if the old text books were filled with kilesas
and evil ideas, and then to indulge in argument and disputation with
others — instead of curing the kilesas! All we get from doing this sort
of thing is a lot of windy talk without any substance which one could
hold to as being valuable. If we act in this manner, however much we
learn and know when we enter the (boxing) ring of disputation, the more
able we are the worse we become and there is no sign of the ‘man of
wisdom’ left, who follows the way of the Great Teacher (Sasada) and his
Teaching (Sasana–Dhamma).”
“The real avijja–tanha dwells in the heart. It has also built its
organisation in the hearts of people and other beings, and it is only
here in our hearts that we can weaken it and destroy it. The organisation of avijja–tanha never arises, nor is it built up, anywhere
else, nor can its demolition take place anywhere else. When avijja has
died and dropped away completely, then and then only can one see the
stupidity, the delusion, the infatuation of all people and other beings
who are subject to its compulsion and tyranny — and how this incredible
stupidity and torment are there in them the whole time. Even though they
do have some pleasure and happiness, it is short lived and fleeting like
lightening flashes. Yet beings in the world are satisfied in their
delusion and live together in a spell-bound manner, never thinking
whether they are in danger of harm coming to them and how serious and
extensive it may be.”
“But when such a person and his citta has been cleansed and well
polished throughout, even though he remains the same person, he is
entirely different from what he was, as different as the earth and sky.
The citta, which has become free from the power of avijja, no longer
remains within the limits of the restrictions that apply to all things
in the relative world (loka–sammuti). For this citta is utterly free in
a manner which is beyond the ability of anyone to guess or speculate
about its nature, and this is what they call the realm of ultimate
happiness. It is the ground of those who have power above and beyond the
state of relative conventions, to possess it and experience it.”
“If we want to know and see this, we must not be lazy, for this
laziness is a ploy of all the kilesas, tanha and avijja to lure us away.
All of us here are Bhikkhus, complete with all that is necessary. We
must rouse ourselves up! Don’t be dull and stupid and let the kilesas
come out to display their conceit by behaving in a manner against the
way of Dhamma, the Dhamma which leads us out of this mass of Dukkha. For
to do this would be a waste of this life in which one has been born and
become a vessel, well suited to the Sasana–Dhamma both in the
circumstances of one’s birth and social status at the present time.” At
this point Venerable Acharn finished his talk about avijja.
In this talk, Venerable Acharn, with metta, both showed us the
valuable result which arises from the extraction of avijja, this being:
“the knowing of freedom” (vijja–vimutti), as well as giving a sharp,
stimulating talk on Dhamma to his followers once again, to act as a
constant reminder to them which they would never forget. It made them
“sit up and take notice” of it, as the reader may learn for himself in
what we have written above.
Generally speaking, it was a characteristic of Venerable Acharn
Mun when he talked of the higher levels of Dhamma, that his manner of
speaking and behaviour displayed an intense concentration appropriate to
each level of Dhamma. The effect of this on those who were not used to
his behaviour was to make them apprehensive and afraid, thinking that he
was scolding them and chastising them with his words. But in fact it was
because the power of Dhamma is a force which was able to cause his
mannerisms and behaviour to display these characteristics outwardly.
Then as soon as he had finished his Dhamma talk, his manner returned to
normal immediately; almost as if nothing unusual had happened a short
time before. Sometimes he would even tell some amusing stories and
laughter would break through his awesome manner. So nobody was ever able
to penetrate and look into his character truly.
The explanation of avijja, which Venerable Acharn gave, has been
recorded in the foregoing paragraphs. As to his explanation of how one
gets free from avijja, which he also gave, it was extremely wide and
extensive in scope and went right to one’s heart. But I’m afraid it was
only practicable to give the gist of what he said, which is suitable for
all of us who are still at the stage of learning. If we were to go too
deeply into it, we probably would not understand and reading it would be
a waste of time and would not bring us the value we should get from it.
Venerable Acharn Mun had no fixed or formal way of teaching. He
had no preformed plan, no fixed formula, and no set courses of
instruction which were pre-arranged according to a schedule of orderly
and progressive teaching of texts, instructions or formal training of
body, speech and mind like those institutions in the world which are set
up for purposes of training. Instead, he upheld the Dhamma and Vinaya,
which are a set of well grounded and tested principles, as the pattern
for teaching and training his followers; and it depended on each
individual to take up and practise whatever aspect of Dhamma both suited
their disposition and their liking. If any of them came to Venerable
Acharn and asked him questions based on their own level (bhumi) of citta
and Dhamma, concerning things that had arisen and appeared out of their
citta–bhavana, he would explain it all to them step by step and case by
case. He never forced acceptance nor did he withhold anything in giving
help with the Dhamma truth in his heart. But if nobody came to ask any
questions he did not normally teach anything.
When the day came for a meeting to teach the Bhikkhus and
Samaneras, Venerable Acharn would teach Dhamma as it is found in
practice. He would teach it in a way that was generally applicable,
starting from the lower levels of Dhamma, such as the methods of
developing samadhi, steadily rising to the higher levels. He did this so
that those who were at various stages of development could all gain
benefit from his Teaching. As to the asking of questions, there were no
limits, and it was up to those who had come to train under Venerable
Acharn to ask about any aspect of Dhamma which they had doubts about in
their hearts. It did not matter whether their questions were about
external things such as the Pretas, Ghosts, Devaputta or Devata, or
about internal things connected with samadhi or pañña, at any level. He
would always clarify and explain what he was asked about in each and
every case in whatever way was appropriate to the occasion.
For this reason, I feel sorry that all of you who read this were
not able to get intimately close to him when he was alive. For then it
would have been possible to see him with your own eyes and to have heard
his Dhamma in a way that would have gone to your heart and dispelled all
doubts and there would have been no uncertainty or need to guess how he
looked and acted in various circumstances, such as those which we are
considering at present. For in general, people have similar modes of
knowing and feeling, as well as reasons why they listen and accept what
is said. After having heard Dhamma from Venerable Acharn, which both
externally and internally was replete with reason and so well expressed
that it was a delight to hear and easy to accept and believe. It is
unlikely that any of those who heard him would have dared to resist him
and cling to their own speculations which had no underlying basis in
reason, while speculating that what he said was true or not true as the
drift of their thoughts inclined them. Because Venerable Acharn Mun
always practised and acted with reason, and when he knew anything he
would know it by the appropriate reasons, which were derived from the
basis of practice by way of the heart. When what he knew flowed from
him, it therefore always came out from a basis of reason and I never
heard him talk in an inconsequential, aimless manner. Therefore, those
who went to learn and train under him found it easy to have a deep and
abiding faith in him and in all aspects of his Dhamma. This was also
true of those aspects of Dhamma which they had not yet experienced, for
what he said was so much in accordance with reason that it was easy to
believe.
As for myself, I don’t feel that I am in any position to make out
that I am particularly skilled or good in any special way at all —
except perhaps in finding fault and blaming myself fearlessly and often.
For there are so many blameworthy things in my heart that I could say it
is almost overflowing with them. These things come under the heading of
an opinionatedness (ditthi–mana) which does not readily give way to
others without having first argued and contended to the limit. Only when
I could see that my position was truly untenable would I give way,
because there was no way left for me to go on arguing.
When it came to Venerable Acharn Mun, for whom I now have the
greatest respect and reverence, before I was able to bow down and submit
myself to him like someone who is worthless and hopeless, I had to
observe him and listen to what he said and argue with him in the
characteristic way of one who is obviously very opinionated. Sometimes
when arguing with Venerable Acharn it seemed almost as if the Wat would
break up and all the Bhikkhus and novices would run away in fright when
they heard this cricket in debate against the great lion on the veranda
of his hut. I used to argue “tooth and nail” using reasons that I
thought were correct until finally I, who was like a cricket that has
come to the end of its tune, had to bow down and submit to “wiping his
feet” on me by letting him scold and upbraid me as he wished. If you who
read this could have seen Venerable Acharn and the way he acted in
various situations, as well as hearing the tone and manner in which he
taught and trained us in Dhamma, like the Great Lion whose voice
resounds with Dhamma Teaching of all kinds, you would probably have been
truly amazed in the same way as all those who actually heard him. Then
there would be little room left for uncertainty and doubt about how he
looked and acted, nor about his knowledge and understanding of all sorts
of aspects of Dhamma which one may otherwise feel uncertain about.
Those who would like a summary of the practice and manner of
self-development which were used by Venerable Acharn should read what
has been written about him in this book. Although what I have written
about him is not very extensive or detailed in terms of the levels of
Dhamma as high, medium or low, I think it will be enough to point out
the way of practice for those who are interested. For if I were to put
down things which are very unusual and detailed I’m afraid it would be
too complex for the reader to work out and put into practice. This is
due to Venerable Acharn’s knowledge of samadhi, pañña and vimutti
(gaining freedom), which was extraordinarily broad and far beyond the
level of all of us, to be able to follow and comprehend in all its
aspects and details. So now it seems appropriate to bring this book of
the practice of Venerable Acharn Mun to an end while it is still within
my ability. Whether right or wrong, may the reader forgive me for
whatever faults they find in it.
A Brief Summary of His Kammatthana Practice
In writing down the practice of Kammatthana of Venerable Acharn
Mun, I have also brought in stories about many other Acariyas as well
without revealing their names. Some of them are quite lengthy while
others are short, as I only wrote about what was necessary. But I did
not ask for their permission before doing so, and therefore I must apologise for this and ask forgiveness from all the Acariyas and all
those others who practise the way whom I have written about here. I have
done this for the help it can bring to people who are interested, both
now and in future generations, for they will be able to take up these
examples as guides for them to follow and practise. So the stories of
these Acariyas and others can be of value to many people far into the
future. In the same way as all of us who have depended on the many
Acariyas and other people who have maintained the tradition of practice
through past ages and up to the present day. Then they may be able to
open their eyes and ears, enough not to be always vainly gazing,
infatuated with the body of the human being, who should still be clever
enough to have the sati and pañña to save themselves, both in the way of
the world and Dhamma. This is why I have written down the manner of
practice of these Acariyas and others to act as an indicator of the way
to practise. So I hope in this way that it will be of value to some
Bhikkhus, Samaneras and other people in general.
For any of you who read this book of the practice of Dhamma, if
you find any part of it which suits your inclinations, please take it up
and practise it in order to weaken and diminish the disorder and mess
that is within each one of our hearts. This refers mostly to a reliance
on our own self-orientated opinions, views and ways of doing things,
which follow the policy of the kilesas and which generally lead us to be
lazy in doing what we should be doing.
This practice will also be of value in developing calm and
happiness, and the avoidance of restless disturbance both to oneself and
others. This is the kind of work which the kilesas react against and do
not like at all. But in anything that is worthless in so far as the
right way of Dhamma is concerned, and anything that is harmful to
oneself and others, they enjoy inciting us to do it all the time. The
more we do of such things, the more the kilesas like them and promote
them and think how good they are, even while oneself and the world get
nothing but disturbance, trouble and blame from them, because these
kinds of activities are neither right nor good.
When people have some Dhamma in their hearts they have a way to
know what is right and wrong for themselves and they tend to be careful
of what they do, not daring to risk doing anything that is bad and evil
or wrong and harmful. In this way people are virtuous because their
behaviour is controlled by Dhamma and they have value because of their
behaviour. Animals are valuable because of their flesh, skin and other
parts of their bodies, and also because of their strength and ability to
do work. When an animal dies, its flesh, skin and the rest of the parts
can be sold for money and this has always been a lucrative trade
throughout the world, which enables people and other animals to gain
benefit and strength. But when a person dies, the remains are of no
value, and in fact they are objects of fear and repulsion. Though even
when some of them are still alive they tend to amuse themselves in ways
that make them give off a pervading stench due to their behaviour which
cuts into their wealth and into the hearts of other people as well,
causing damage and destruction and making people loathe and fear them
greatly. When they die, nobody is sorry — in fact right the opposite,
for hundreds or thousands of people have wished that they would die
every day so that the earth may rise up a bit once it is relieved of the
excessive burdensome weight of such people.
But by making oneself into a good person with knowledge, behaviour,
duties and livelihood, all of which are clean and faultless, as a means
of promoting one’s value, status, authority and good name, one turns
oneself into a complete human being, one who will always be of priceless
value. Such a person will be revered and accepted in the world without
being disliked by anyone, and his honour and reputation will spread
abroad like a sweet scent going against the wind. People living all over
the place will admire his merit and perfection of character (parami);
and when he dies it will only be the body which disintegrates, whereas
all his value and virtue will still be abroad in the world, for it does
not disintegrate with the body.
It seems to me that this book of practice may therefore act as an
ornament to those who practise the way and also to the “Kammatthana
Circle”, enabling them to maintain their elevated status for a long time
into the future. For these are the practices which have brought results
to those who committed themselves wholeheartedly to whatever aspect of
these practices they did, in accordance with their tendencies of
character. It is for this reason that this book of practice deals with
many forms of practice, many choices and many conditions of life which
the readers may use as it suits their various different characteristics,
and from which they may get appropriate results. So all these things
have been brought together in this one book to make it convenient for
those who are interested enough to choose whatever suits their
temperament and to put it into practice for their own future benefit.
Conclusion
This book of practice will probably seem difficult to most people,
but it was also difficult for those whose stories are related here. They
had to put up with many hardships, both in doing the practice and
afterwards. For this is the kind of work, which once done is never
likely to be forgotten, for the reason that it comes truly from the
heart of each one who does it, and it involves a complete commitment of
every bit of strength and power that one has got, in every way without
any concern for whether one will survive or die while doing the work.
One’s only concern and intention is to achieve the results that one aims
for and therefore there is nothing else which can come in and overrule
this concern for Dhamma while one is doing it. There is just this one
aim, to attain the results which one hopes for and which one has set
one’s mind on, and that’s all. Therefore there is nothing else that can
overpower and take control away from this “hope in Dhamma”. When the
results come they are appropriate to the causes that have brought them
about. In other words they are most satisfying and give no cause for
complaint. This is true, regardless of who does it, for whoever is able
to get down to it and put the full strength of body and mind down into
it until they reach the causes, reach the results, and truly reach the
point of life and death will gain these results, and all who have done
so have been able to say with one voice that “It’s really worth it!”
However, we should keep in mind that all the difficulties that have been
faced by those who have done this, still do not compare with the
hardships and the striving of the Great Teacher (Sasada — the Buddha).
For at most, we may say that they practised in the manner of a pupil who
followed his Teacher. In particular I, who have written this book, have
got nothing in the way of causes or results which I should put down on
paper and display in public, which you who read might admire. So I just
ask that you should read the stories of those Acariyas and associates
who also practised the way which I have written about, for these stories
are enough to show up their good characteristic tendencies. Therefore I
implore all of you who read this to both read it and practise it until
you get results which are fully satisfying to your hearts. For this
would be a fulfilment of my intention and purpose in writing it, which
has been to bring value and happiness to everybody.
If anybody out of faith should wish to reprint this book for free
distribution as a gift of Dhamma (Dhamma–dana), they may do so provided
these conditions are complied with. In which case there is no need to
ask permission to do so. But printing this book for sale is not
permitted and to do so is an infringement of copyright. This accords
with what I have done with other books that I have written, because my
aim has been to bring what is of value to the world with purity of heart
without becoming involved in worldly entanglements. So I ask you to be
considerate and to conform to this request.
May blessings come to all you who read and listen to it, and to
all those who practise accordingly.
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