Friday, October 21, 2011
Disciples Of The Buddha: SIVALI MAHÃTHERA
Disciples Of The Buddha: SIVALI MAHÃTHERA: In the days of the Buddha padumuttara, Sivali was born as an ordinary man. One day when he was listening to the Dhamma he saw the Buddha app...
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Buddha Dhamma
The Dhamma of the Lord Buddha was revealed correctly and properly. It was neither hidden nor obscured but was clearly presented on every leve according to the Truth. For example, it states that virtue and wrongdoing, heaven and hell, Nibbãna, all really do exist. It continues unequivocally to maintain that the defilements are also things present and extant. These truths can't be denied. Yet why do such things pose a problem for us?
The Dhamma was openly and forthrightly presented. There was nothing esoteric and mysterious about it, for it was expounded entirely in accordance with truth - the reality that's present now. It was offered from every aspect and level of truth, and yet we still can't understand it. It's as if the Lord Buddha is saying to the blind and the deaf, "Look here! Look at this!" Apparently we must be like those blind people who can only grope around but can't actually see. Even though we know that the Lord has already explained all about it, we still always seem to bump into suffering. We've been told that suffering isn't something to welcome and yet we are constantly caught up by it. This is because our motives - the causes we put into effect - become aimed entirely at amassing the fire of suffering to heap on ourselves.
One quality of Dhamma that the lord has pointed out is that is visible here and now - sanditthiko. Happiness and suffering can both be seen and experienced within ourselves. Death is one example of this. The other qualities of ehipassiko and opanayiko are also very important principles.
Ehipassiko means 'calling one to come and see' the genuine Dhamma. This though does not mean that we should go out calling other people to come and see it. 'Ehi' refers to teaching the one listening to Dhamma and practising it, so turn your heart to look inwards to where the truth is found.
Using more worldly terms, we can say that the truth is constantly proclaiming itself, constantly inviting and challenging - because of its candour and honesty it challenges us to, "Look here!". This 'ehi!' invites you to look, rather than getting other people to come and see. How can others see, when they neither know the truth nor where to look for it. The truth is in themselves but if they don't search for it there then they are certainly not going to find the the truth inside us.
Ehipassiko - the Lord taught us to look at the truth, the truth about ourselves that is right here. Opanayiko means to 'bring within'. Whatever we see or hear or touch needs leading inside so that we can make good use of it. Anything coming into contact through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, or appearing in the heart, must always be opanayiko - brought howard. Whether it is concerned with goodness or wickedness, happiness or suffering, the internal or external, past or future, it must all - opanayiko - incline towards the heart. For this is the principle source of all internal affairs.
The heart is pre-eminent and nothing surpasses it in importance. The issue of the heart is therefore pressing and critical: "All dhammas originate from the heart". This statement alone is enough to shake up the entire physical world. One's slightest movement must originate in the mind, and in fact, all dhammap must knot to the heart as being foremost.
Only the heart is able to know about all the various things. What are there various kinds of dhamma? There are wholesome dhammas and unwholesome dhammas, and these are only found in the heart. Wholesome dhammas come from the resourcefulness and cleverness of the heart, which enables it to respond quickly and appropriately to the ongoing situation. In fact, the various issues and consequences of these ongoing events spring from our own heart. When unwholesome dhamma arises in the heart. When unwholesome dhamma arises in the heart, bring up the investigative wisdom of wholesome dhamma to examine and rectify our foolishness - which is that unwholesome dhamma - so that it can be disposed of.
Opanayiko is the inclining, drawing inward of any experience. Whether it be one of foolishness or cleverness, happiness or suffering, coming from anyone whatsoever, it all needs to be brought inside and made a lesson for the heart.
Ehipassiko is the viewing of the point source, the wellspring of all issues. And that is the heart, which is involved in never-ending activity, outperforming commonplace machinery that starts and stops according to its fixed schedule. The heart is never shut down but goes on and on until the last day of life.
It makes no difference how much we grumble and complain about suffering involved in this state of affairs. Only by correcting it at its root cause and the resultant suffering will diminish - in proportion to the proficiency of our circumspection and wise judgement. The lord Buddha never pointed away from these principles for that would be like teaching one to catch hole of distant shadows.
"May all beings be well and happy"
Sadhu..! Sadhu..! Sadhu..!
The Dhamma was openly and forthrightly presented. There was nothing esoteric and mysterious about it, for it was expounded entirely in accordance with truth - the reality that's present now. It was offered from every aspect and level of truth, and yet we still can't understand it. It's as if the Lord Buddha is saying to the blind and the deaf, "Look here! Look at this!" Apparently we must be like those blind people who can only grope around but can't actually see. Even though we know that the Lord has already explained all about it, we still always seem to bump into suffering. We've been told that suffering isn't something to welcome and yet we are constantly caught up by it. This is because our motives - the causes we put into effect - become aimed entirely at amassing the fire of suffering to heap on ourselves.
One quality of Dhamma that the lord has pointed out is that is visible here and now - sanditthiko. Happiness and suffering can both be seen and experienced within ourselves. Death is one example of this. The other qualities of ehipassiko and opanayiko are also very important principles.
Ehipassiko means 'calling one to come and see' the genuine Dhamma. This though does not mean that we should go out calling other people to come and see it. 'Ehi' refers to teaching the one listening to Dhamma and practising it, so turn your heart to look inwards to where the truth is found.
Using more worldly terms, we can say that the truth is constantly proclaiming itself, constantly inviting and challenging - because of its candour and honesty it challenges us to, "Look here!". This 'ehi!' invites you to look, rather than getting other people to come and see. How can others see, when they neither know the truth nor where to look for it. The truth is in themselves but if they don't search for it there then they are certainly not going to find the the truth inside us.
Ehipassiko - the Lord taught us to look at the truth, the truth about ourselves that is right here. Opanayiko means to 'bring within'. Whatever we see or hear or touch needs leading inside so that we can make good use of it. Anything coming into contact through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, or appearing in the heart, must always be opanayiko - brought howard. Whether it is concerned with goodness or wickedness, happiness or suffering, the internal or external, past or future, it must all - opanayiko - incline towards the heart. For this is the principle source of all internal affairs.
The heart is pre-eminent and nothing surpasses it in importance. The issue of the heart is therefore pressing and critical: "All dhammas originate from the heart". This statement alone is enough to shake up the entire physical world. One's slightest movement must originate in the mind, and in fact, all dhammap must knot to the heart as being foremost.
Only the heart is able to know about all the various things. What are there various kinds of dhamma? There are wholesome dhammas and unwholesome dhammas, and these are only found in the heart. Wholesome dhammas come from the resourcefulness and cleverness of the heart, which enables it to respond quickly and appropriately to the ongoing situation. In fact, the various issues and consequences of these ongoing events spring from our own heart. When unwholesome dhamma arises in the heart. When unwholesome dhamma arises in the heart, bring up the investigative wisdom of wholesome dhamma to examine and rectify our foolishness - which is that unwholesome dhamma - so that it can be disposed of.
Opanayiko is the inclining, drawing inward of any experience. Whether it be one of foolishness or cleverness, happiness or suffering, coming from anyone whatsoever, it all needs to be brought inside and made a lesson for the heart.
Ehipassiko is the viewing of the point source, the wellspring of all issues. And that is the heart, which is involved in never-ending activity, outperforming commonplace machinery that starts and stops according to its fixed schedule. The heart is never shut down but goes on and on until the last day of life.
It makes no difference how much we grumble and complain about suffering involved in this state of affairs. Only by correcting it at its root cause and the resultant suffering will diminish - in proportion to the proficiency of our circumspection and wise judgement. The lord Buddha never pointed away from these principles for that would be like teaching one to catch hole of distant shadows.
"May all beings be well and happy"
Sadhu..! Sadhu..! Sadhu..!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
