The Arahant Path

A Buddha's Arahant Path is always associated with omniscient knowledges (sabbaññuta ñaña), but the Arahant Path of disciples is not. The Arahant Path of disciples comprises the enlightenment (bodhi) of the three types of disciples:
1) Chief Disciple Enlightenment..... (aggasãvaka bodhi)
2) Great Disciple Enlightenment..... (mahãsavaka bodhi)
3) Ordinary Disciple Enlightenment..... (pakatisãvaka bodhi)

The Arahant Path of disciples is sometimes associated with the Four Analytical Knowledges (patisambhidã ñaña); sometimes with the six direct knowledges (abhiññã); sometimes with the three direct knowledges (tevijja); or is sometimes a sure Arahant Path: either both ways liberated (ubatobhaga vimutta), or Wisdom liberated (pannã vimutta). But it is never associated with omniscient knowledge (sabbaññuta ñaña). Thus, for example, the Venerables sariputta's and Mahãmoggallana's Arahant paths were not associated with omniscient knowledge. A Buddha's Arahant Path, on the other hand, is not only associated with Omniscient Knowledge, but also all the other knowledges, as well as all special qualities of a Buddha.
Another thing is that Buddha's have, because of their matured paramis, attained the path, Fruition, and omniscient knowledges by themselves, without a teacher. But a disciple can only attain the Path and fruition knowledges by listening to Dhamma related to the Four Noble truths from a buddha, or a Buddha's disciple. They cannot practise by themselves, without a teacher..

DESIRE . ( STORY OF GOSAKA )

{ FROM DESIRE SPRINGS GRIEF, FROM DESIRE SPRINGS FEAR. FOR HIM WHO IS WHOLLY FREE FROM DESIRE THERE IS NO GRIEF, WHENCE THEN FEAR? }. .

In the town of Kosambi a courtezan gave birth to a child. Knowing that it was a son, she ordered it to be thrown on a dunghill, upon which a crowd of dogs and crows surrounded the child. A neighbour being attracted by the right, came hither and carried the child home with great affection. A Sitana (a millionaire) of the town, on his way to the palace net the royal astrologer returning home, and equired from him as to the position of the planets on that day. "Any child born today" he said, "will become the chief Sitana of the town."

During the day, his wife was in labour, and he therefore, being anxious to get home hastened to the palace and returned. He then ordered a maid-servant named Kali to bring any male child born in the town on that day by giving for it one thousand pieces of money. She went about enquiring, and finding a child born on that day, paid one thousand pieces of money to the parents and brought it to the Sitana, who thought that if his wife should bring forth daughter she could be married to this child, but if a son, then this child should be destroyed. His wife gave birth to a son, so he resolved to destroy the other child, and various methods were adopted to carry out his design. This child was first left at the gate of a cattle-shed to be trampled on by the cattle, then it was placed on the high road, to be run over by carts or trampled on by oxen. Again it was left in a cemetery, to be eaten by the yakshas (forms of devils), but there it was thrown down a precipice over which condemned criminals were cast. Each time the Sitana spent one thousand pieces of money to get back the child from those who had rescued it on the several occasions. The child now began to grow steadily and was named Gosaka.

The Sitana had a friend, who was a potter by profession, to whom he said, "Friend, do me the favour of destroying my illegitimate son, by throuwing him into your oven, for doing which I now advance you one thousand pieces of money. Tomorrow I shall send the boy on to you", and to this the potter agreed. The following morning the Sitana summoned Gosaka and said to him, "Son, I entrusted some work to that potter yesterday, go and tell him to do that work today." My Gosaka started on this mission, and his brother, who was playing ball, observing him bound on a journey enquired where he was going to, and Gosaka duly informed him; whereupon the brother volunteered to undertake the work, and in turn told Gosaka to make up whatever he had lost in playing. At first Gosaka dislike the idea, but on his brother insisting, Gosaka remained playing and his brother went on the errand. When the brother met the potter, the latter took him up and threw him into the oven.

Sometime afterwards Gosaka went home and the Sitana asked him whether he had gone to the potter and being intormed of what had happened, immediately went running to the potter, only to be told that he had done as he had promised him. The Sitana was overwhelmed with grief and passed his days in great misery. The Sitana committee there crimes owing to the affection he bore towards his own son.
~DHAMMAPADA ATHTHA KATHA

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LYING IS BIG SIN (STORY OF A FISH) read the reflection of lying

During the time of kasyapa Buddha two brothers were admitted to the order by some of his disciples. The name of the eldest was Sodana and that of the younger, Kapila. Sodana was their mother, and their sister Tapana was a Bhikkhuni (female devotee who had renounced the world).

Sodana and kapila enquired how many Duras (different modes in which a Priest may live) there were, and Sodana decided to pass the Grantha Dura. Having remained with the Teachers for five years he went to the desert and through persistent endeavour became an Arahat. Kapila passed the Grantha Dura and became well versed in the teaching embodied in the three Pitakas. Owing to his deep learning, he had a large number of followers, through whom he began to gain much. He became proud of his erudition and began to contradict what others said; for instance if they said one thing was wrong, he would say it right, and so forth. The elder theras now advised him again and again not to pursue that sort of action, whereupon he derided them. They then induced his brother, the Arahat Sodana, to advise him. Sodana now advised his brother not to continue in expressing opinions which are untenable, and this advice was repeated again and still it was unheeded. He said to Kapila, "You will have to suffer for what you do now", and went his way. Kapila severed his connection with the other Theras and began to do whatever he wished, suppressing the truth in the Dhamma and presenting as truth what is not in the Dhamma. When the Bhikkhus assembled at the Confession Hall, Kapila sat on the dais and questioned them as to whatever they were abiding by the rules prescribed for them. None replied, and he said, "There are no such rules amongst us now," In the Arahat died, and after sometime, Kapila Thera also died, and was born in hell. Their mother and sister, having treated Bhikkhus contemptuously died and were also born in hell.

There were five hundred robbers who, when being chased, ran into the desert, and seeing a Bhikkhu in a cave, entreated him to protect them. He said to them, "Nothing can help you now, my friends, but take as your guide the Three Gems and the Pancha seela." They accordingly did so, but the villagers, who suffered at their haner came and killed them all. They were all born in the Kamavachara Deva Loka. During the time of Gotama Buddha, the chief robber was born as a son of a prominent fisherman in Savaththi, and the rest were also born in the same town. Those five hundred grew old, and they all became good friends.

Kapila, who was undergoing suffering in hell, was born in the river Achirawathi as a very fish, which was golden in colour, but had a most offensive smell in its mouth.

One day a band of young fisherman went out fishing in this river, and having spread their net, Kapila was caught in it. As these young fisherman at their very first attempt caught a huge fish, they took it to the King, who had the fish taken to Buddha, who then resided at the Jetawana monastery. When the fish opened its mouth, the whole monastery was perveded with a most offensive smell. The king enquired, "why, oh lord, does the mouth of this fish, whose colour is golden, have such a putrid smell?" "Mahã Raja", replied the Buddha, "this fish was born as a Bhikkhu during the time of Kasyapa Buddha. He was well versed in the Dhamma, but represented truth as untruth, userting elder priests with contempt and he corrupted the religion. As a result of such actions, he was born in hell and now he has been born as a fish. Owing to his having abided by the precepts for a time, whilst he was a Bhikkhu, he has now acquired this colour. He presented the truth as untruth, he reproached and abused well-conducted priests; on this account a putrid smell now emanates from his mouth. Mahã raja, shall I make this fish talk?" "very well" replied the raja. The Lord then called upon the fish to talk, whereupon it said,
"oh lord, i am kapila."
"from whence have you come?"
"from avici, hell lord."
"why were you born there?"
"for presenting untruth as truth, lord."
"where is your brother, sodana?"
he has attained nibbãna, lord."
"where is sodani, your sister?"
"born in hell lord."
"where is Tapana, your mother?
"born in great hell, lord."
"where will you be born hereafter?"
"in the great hell, lord."

After a while Kapila, striking its head in its struggles, died and was again born in hell. Then the Lord delivered to the assembly a discourse which was thereafter known as kapila sutta.

~Kapila Sutta Aththvannana.

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SEVEN BENEFITS of MINDFULNESS MEDITATION

Seven benefits of Mindfulness meditation as taught by the Buddha are recorded in the MAHÃ SATIPATTHÃNA SUTTA -- THE DISCOURSE ON THE FOUR FOUNDATIONS OF MINDFULNESS. But before I deal with them, I want to explain to you briefly the four aspects of Buddhism. They are:
1. The devotional aspect of Buddhism,
2. The ethical aspect of Buddhism,
3. The moral aspect of Buddhism,
4. The practical aspect of Buddhism (including the experiential aspect).


DEVOTIONAL ASPECT
The devotional aspect of Buddhism is 'rites and rituals', chanting of suttãs and parittas, the offering of flowers and and incense as well as the offering of food and robes. When we perform such good deeds, we do so with sraddha (in sanskrit) or saddhã (in pali). The word saddhã is difficult to translate into English. There is no English equivalent for the pali word 'saddhã'. If we translate saddhã as faith, this does not cover its real sense, nor does translating it as 'confidence' do it justice either. We cannot find a single word in English which can give the complete meaning of saddhã. For me, saddhã can be taken to mean "belief through right understanding of the Dhamma".

When we perform religious ceremonies we do it with a belief in the Tripal Gem (Tiratana). We believe in the Buddha, the Dhamma (his teachings) and the sangha (the Order of buddhist monks). We hold the view that the Buddha has eradicated all defilements through his supreme enlightenment, so he is worthy of respect (an Arahant). He was a Buddha because he had strived and became self-enlightened. He had not learn the Dhamma from any teacher. We believe in the Buddha in this way.

The Buddha taught us to live happily and peacefully. He taught us the way leading to the cessation of all kinds of sufferings. We believe that if we follow his teaching or his way, we are sure to live happily and peacefully, getting rid of suffering. For this reason, we also believe in the Dhamma.

In the same way, we believe in the sangha. When we say sangha, it mainly means the ariya-sangha, the Noble Sangha who have attained any one of the four stages of the path (magga). But in the general sense, it can also refer to the Puthujjana-sangha (those who are still striving to eradicate the defilements). Thus we pay homage to the Triple Gem (Tiratana)--the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.

We also believe that by chanting suttas and parittas as taught by the Buddha, we perform meritorious deeds which will be conducive to the cessation of suffering. Performing there meritorious deeds forms the devotional aspect of Buddhism and be free from all kinds of suffering. Therefore, we must proceed with practising the higher aspects.


ETHICAL ASPECT
The second aspect of Buddhism is the ethical aspect. This is in accordance with the Buddha's teaching regarding our actions, speech and mental purification. There are many doctrines concerned with the ethical aspect of Buddhism.
By following these doctrines, we can lead a happy life in this existence as well as the next but we cannot yet be rid of suffering totally. The ethical aspect of Buddhism are:
1. Refraining from all kinds of evil deeds,
2. Performing meritorious or good deeds,
3. Purifying the mind from all kinds of defilements.

These are the three parts of the ethical aspect of what the Omniscient Buddha has taught us. They are also the exhortations of all the Buddhas. If we follow these doctrines, we can lead a happy and peaceful life because Buddhism is founded on the Law of Cause and Effect. If we refrain from all kinds of evil deeds, we will not suffer any bad results.

For the purification of mind from defilements, we have to practise samatha meditation our mind can be purified only while it is engaged in the meditative practice, but when it is not, defilements will attack us again.

If we purify our minds through the realisation of the mind-body processes in their true nature, the defilements will not return. Realisation or insight in to mental and physical phenomena is known as Vipassana-ñaña (insight knowledge). It overcomes some aspects of defilements and reduces defilements such as greed, anger, delusion and so on. Certain defilements which have been destroyed by means of Vipassana-ñaña (penetrative insight) will not be able to attack us again.

In other words, when we have experienced insight knowledge, that experience will not disappear or go away from us. When we reflect on the experience we have had during meditation, the insight that we attained comes to us again, and with this insight, some aspects of defilements abandoned by insight will not arise again. Thus, we can purify our minds from some defilements.

However, if we have enough saddhã, we will put forth greater effort in our practice and attain the Fourth Path, Arahantship. We can then exterminate every defilement. When the defilements have been totally destroyed and the mind completely purified there will not arise any dukkha or suffering. Suffering ceases to exist.

SILENT AWARENESS

In a meditation retreat, you must not do any action movement quickly. YOU MUST SLOW DOWN ALL ACTIONS AND MOVEMENT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE so that you can apply mindfulness to every minute movement or action of the body.

At home, you need not slow down all these actions and movements, rather, they should be normal, but generally mindful of. All actions and movements must be generally aware of as they really are without mental note or labelling.

However, in a retreat, you must slow down all actions and movements because you have nothing else to do except to be mindful of all your mental and physical activities. YOU MUST NOT TALK, except for few words should also be spoken slowly and softly so that your words do not disturb the concentration of the other meditators.

You should do everything as noiselessly as possible. You must not thump around by walking sluggishly and heavily. If you are mindful of the movements of your foot, you won't make any sound at all when walking.

YOU MUST BE MINDFUL OF WHATEVER ARISES IN YOUR BODY AND MIND. You must be aware of any activity of your mind and body as it really is. As your are eating, you must be mindful of all the actions and movements involved in eating. When you are taking a bath, dressing or drinking water, you must slow down all your actions and observe the movements. When you sit down, you should do it very slowly, being aware me the whole movement of sitting. When you stand up, this must also be done very slowly being aware of every movement involved. This is because you need to realise every movement involved. This is because you need to realise every mental or physical processes in their true nature. All mental and physical processes are ever-changing__appearing and disappearing, arising and vanishin. You need to realise this as the true nature of mental and physical processes. Therefore, it is important to slow down all actions and movements as much as possible.

Mindfulness and concentration will pave the way for insight to unfold. When mindfulness becomes continues, the concentration naturally becomes deeper. When the concentration becomes deeper, insight will unfold by itself. We should, therefore, strive to have constant and continuous mindfulness.

WALKING MEDITATION

The Buddha said that mindfulness must be applied to the four postures of the body, i.e. walking, standing, sitting and lying down.
While you are walking, you must be mindful of it as it is__
while you are standing, you must be mindful of it as it is__
while you are sitting, you must be mindful of it as it is__
while you are lying down, you must be mindful of it as it is.
So, in every posture, there must be mindfulness.

We instruct meditators to practise walking and sitting meditation alternately so that they can concentrate more easily and hence attain insight in to the walking and sitting processes. Every session of sitting must be preceded by walking because in walking meditation, the movement of the foot it is more distinct than the abdominal movements when sitting.
When your meditation practice matures, you may then need sitting meditation for a longer period than walking. When you have reached the sixth stage of inside knowledge, you may practise sitting meditation longer than walking. When you have reached the sixth stage of insight knowledge, you may practise sitting meditation longer than walking; you may sit for two or three hours and walk one hour. At that stage, your concentration is good, deep and strong enough to realise the dissolution of nama and rupã (mental and physical phenomena). But in the beginning of the practice, you need walking meditatio to be longer than sitting because you are not wet able to sit for as long as you can walk. You can attain some degree of concentration more easily in walking than in sitting. So first of all, you should practise walking meditation by being aware of stepping. When you make a left step, note it as 'left'. When you make a right step, not it as 'right'. In this way note 'left' right, left, right, or just 'stepping, stepping'. Labelling or naming is not so important as the mind that observer the movement of the foot. You should lay stress on awareness, sharp awareness of the movement of the foot.

However, in the begining of the practice we have to use labelling or mental note such as: 'rising, falling' 'left, right' to help the mind to focus on the object attentively and precisely. When the meditative experience is in an advanced stage, labelling or mental noting may be dropped because the mindfulness has become sharp and powerfull.

When you practise walking meditation, you must not close your eyes. Instead, your eyes must be half-closed (which means, relax and keep your eyes normal). You should look at a place on the floor about six feet in front of your foot.

You must not bend your head too low. If you do this, you will soon feel tension in your neck or shoulders. Also, you may develop a headache or dizziness. You must not look at your foot. If you do, you cannot concentrate well on the movement. Nor must you look around here and there. Once you look around, the mind goes with the eyes, then your concentratio breaks. You may have a tendency or desire to look around when you feel that someone is coming towards you or passing in front of you. That tendency or desire to look around must be very attentively observed and noted as 'tendency' or 'wanting to look' until it has disappeared. When the tendency or desire has disappeared, you won't look around. Then you can maintain your concentration. So, please be careful not to look around so that you can both maintain your concentration and make progress in concentration and insight during walking meditation. Your games should be locked together in front or behind. If you feel you are not yet able to sit for as long as you can walk. You can attain some degree of concentration more easily in walking meditation by being aware of stepping. When you make a left step, note it as 'left'. When you make a right step, note it as 'right'. In this way, note 'left, right, or just stepping, stepping'. Labelling or naming is not so important as the mind that observer the movement of the foot. You should lay stress on awareness, sharp awareness of the movement of the foot.

However, in the beginning of the practice we have to use labelling or mental note such as: 'rising, falling' 'left, right' to help mind to focus on the object attentively and precisely. When the meditatiod experience is in an advanced stage, labelling or mental nothing may be dropped because the mindfulness has become sharp and powerful.
When you practise walking meditation, you must not close your eyes. Instead, your eyes must be half-closed which means, you should change the position of your hands, you may do so, but mindfully.

MINDFULNESS OF MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL STATES

When you feel happy or unhappy, or when you feel sorry and sad, these emotional states must be observed as they really are -- mentally nothing, 'happy, happy' or 'unhappy, unhappy' or 'sad, sad', and so on. After the emotional state has disappeared, the noting mind naturally returns to the abdominal movement, which should be observed as usual. When your mind goes out and thinks about your work, your family or your relatives, you must leave the abdominal movement alone and observe the wandering thoughts, making a mental note 'thinking, thinking'. You should be careful at this point. When you observe any mental state or emotional state, your noting mind must be energetic, attentive, precise and somewhat quick so that it becomes continuous, uninterrupted and constant. When the noting mind becomes powerful, the thought or idea, or the thinking mind 'stops' by itself. Then the noting mind no longer has the object to note. It naturally returns to the abdominal movement which should be noted us usual.

MINDFULNESS OF THE FOUR ELEMENTS (VIPASSANA)

During the practice, we must observe each and every mental and physical process which is arising at the moment. In the beginning of the practice, we must contemplate on the abdominal movements as instructed by the Most Venerable Mahãsi Sayãdaw. Contemplation of the abdominal movements is in accordance with the MAHÃ SATIPATTHÃNA SUTTA, the DISCOURSE ON THE FOUR FOUNDATIONS OF MINDFULNESS. In that discourse, there is a chapter concerning mindfulness of the four primary material elements. There the Buddha teaches us to be mindful of the four elements when they arise (pathavî-dhatu--earth element, apo-dhatu--water element, tejo-dhatu--fire element and vãyo-dãthu--wind element). Not only these four elements but all mental and physical phenomena must be observed.
We must understand that the earth element is not actually referring to the earth. Instead it refers to the true nature of this element, that is the individual characteristics of hardness and softness. The scriptures say, "Hardness and softness are the individual or specific characteristics of the earth element" -So by thoroughly realising hardness or softness in any part of your body, you gain insight into the true nature or individual characteristics' of the earth element (pathavî-dhatu).
Water element is not actually water either, but the term given to the individual characteristics of the element. Fluidity and cohesion are the specific or individual characteristics of the water element (apo-dhatu). When you realise the nature of fluidity or cohesion in any part of your body, you are realising the water element. Similarly, the element is not real fire, but the specific characteristics of the element. Heat and cold are the specific characteristics of the fire element (tejo-dhatu). Wind element (vãyo-dhatu) likewise is not wind but the term given to the specific characteristics of this element. These are, movement, motion, vibration or support in any part of your body. When you feel, realise or rightly understand movement, motion, vibration or supporting nature in any part of your body, you are realizing the wind element. This then, is what is meant by mindfulness of the four primary material elements.
The Omniscient Buddha said, "Any mental or physical process must be observed as it is". When we sit in any comfortable position and focus our mind on the mental and physical processes, we may not know which object must be observed first. So, to overcome this difficulty, the Most Venerable Mahãsi Sayãdaw instructed his meditators to begin with the abdominal movements. When we breathe in, te abdomen rises, when we breathe out, the abdomen falls. We should focus our mind on the abdominal movement. When the abdomen rises, we should note it as 'rising', and when it falls, as 'falling'. In this way: 'rising, falling, rising, falling'...
Thus we can feel the howard and outward movement of the abdomen. This specific characteristic of vãyo-dhatu must be thoroughly realised by meditators so that they can destroy the false view of a person, a being or a soul. They must observe the inward movement and outward movements of the abdomen or rising and falling movement of the abdomen, making a mental note of 'rising, falling, rising, falling'.
During the contemplation of your abdominal movement, when you hear a sound which is loud enough to be noted, then you should note, 'hearing, hearing, hearing'. At the beginning of the practice, you may not overcome it, so you should note, 'hearing, hearing' as much as possible. When you think it is enough for you to stop, then you should return to the primary object, the abdominal movement. Sometimes the sound may last for a second or two. Then, when the sound has disappeared, your mind will naturally go back to the primary object, 'rising' and 'falling' which you should note as usual.

What is VIPASSANA?

Vipassana is a Dhamma term which is a combination of two words. 'Vi' is one word, 'passana' is the other. Here 'vi' refers to the three characteristics of mentality and physicality, i.e. impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness or suffering (dukkha) and no-soul, no-self or non-ego (anattã). 'Passana' means realisation through deep concentration, or right understanding of the three characteristics of mentality (nama) and physicality (rupã). When we practise Vipassana meditation or mindfulness meditation, the purpose is to realise, anicca, dukkha and anattã-- the three characteristics of all phenomena.
By realising these three characteristics of mentality and physicality, we can exterminate all defilements (kilesas) such as lust, greed, desire, craving, hatred, ill-will, jealousy, conceit, sloth and torpor, sorrow and worry, restlessness and remorse. Having destroyed all these defilements, we then attain deliverance or the cessation of suffering. As long as we have any of these kilesas, we are sure to experience many kinds of dukkha (suffering). Defilements are the cause of suffering; when they have been destroyed, all kinds of suffering cease to exist.

Buddhism means buddha's teaching....

Everybody in the world wants peace and happiness. This is the reason why people are seeking the true path which leads them to the cessation of suffering. All kinds of religions in the world arise because of this search. One great religion in the world is Buddhism, which leads people to the cessation of suffering.