YMBA Senior 2000 ~ Dhamma
prepared by : Bro Lau Kai Kong. BISDS
typed by : Sis. S. T. Chang (apr'04).
"O house builder, thou art seen,
Thou shalt build no house again."
Who is the house builder and what is the house? Explain.
Ans: At dawn on the very day of His Enlightenment, The Buddha uttered this paean of joy which vividly describes His transcendental moral victory and His inner spiritual experience.
The Buddha admitted that He was compelled to wander and consequently to suffer because He could not discover the architect that built this house, the body. In His final birth, while engaged in solitary meditation, He discovered by His own intuitive wisdom the elusive architect that resided not outside but within His own heart. It was craving or attachment which was a self-creation, a mental element latent in all.
How and When this craving originated is incomprehensible. What is created by oneself can be destroyed by oneself. The discovery of this architect is the eradication of craving by attaining Arahantship, which is alluded to as "end of suffering" in this paean of joy.
The rafters of this self-created house are passions and the ridge-pole that supports the rafters represents ignorance, the root cause of all passions. The ridge-pole and rafters are the materials with which the architect builds this house. The shattering of the ridge-pole of ignorance by wisdom results in the complete destruction of the house. With their destruction, the architect is deprived of the materials to rebuild the house which is not wanted.
Senior 2000 ~ Dhamma.
Honouring a promise He made to King Bimbisara before His Enlightenment, the Buddha, accompanied by a large retinue of Arahant disciples, went from Gayâ to Râjagaha, the capital of Magadha, to visit King Bimbisara.
Hearing of His arrival, the King came with a large number of his subjects to welcome the Buddha. He approached the Buddha, respectfully saluted Him and sat at one side.
Some of the King�s subjects saluted Him respectfully, some exchanged friendly greetings with Him, some saluted Him with clasped hands, some introduced themselves, while others in perfect silence took their seats.
As both the Buddha and Ven Kassapa were held high in esteem by the people, they were not sure who among them was the leader. The Buddha read their thoughts and questioned Ven Kassapa as to why he had given up his fire sacrifice. Understanding the Buddha�s motive, he explained that he abandoned fire-sacrifice because he preferred the passionless and peaceful state of Nibbana to worthless sensual pleasures. After that, he fell at the feet of the Buddha and acknowledged the Buddha as his teacher.
The devout people were delighted to hear of the conversation. The Buddha thereupon preached th Maha Kassapa Jataka to show how in a previous birth He converted Kassapa when He was born as Nârada.
Hearing the Dhamma expounded by the Buddha, the "Eye of Truth" arose in them all. King Bimbisara attained Sotâpatti and sought refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. He invited the Buddha and His disciples to his palace for a meal on the following day.
On the following day, after the meal, the King wished to know where the Buddha would reside. The Buddha replied that a secluded place neither too far nor too close to the city, accessible to those who desired to visit Him, pleasant, not too crowded during the day, not too noisy at night, with as few sounds as possible, airy and fit for the privacy of mean, would be suitable.
The King tought that his Bamboo Groove would meet all such requirements. Thereupon, he offered to the Buddha and the Sangha the ideally secluded Bamboo Grovve, also kown as the "Sactuary of the Squirrels". This park had no building for the use of Bikkhus but was filled with many shady trees and secluded spots.
It was the first gift of a place of residence for the Buddha and His disciples. The Buddha spent three successive rainy seasons and three other rainy seasons in this quiet Bamboo Groove.
Senior 2000 ~ Dhamma.
Ans: The major obstacles to successful meditation and liberating insight are the 5 Hindrances. The whole practice leading to Enlightenment can be well be expressed as the effort to overcome the 5 Hindrances, at first suppressing them temporarily in order to experience Jhana and Insight, and then overcoming them permanently through the full development of the Noble Eightfold Path.
The 5 Hindrances are :-
Sensual desire refers to the desire for objects of the 5 senses i.e. sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.
In its extreme form, sensual desire is an obsession to find pleasure in such things as sexual intimacy, good food or music. But it also includes the desire to replace irritating or even painful experiences of the 5 senses with pleasant ones, i.e. the desire for sensual comfort.
The Buddha compares sensual desire to taking a loan. Any pleasure one experiences through the 5 senses must be repaid through the unpleasantness of separation, loss or hungry emptiness which follow relentlessly when the pleasure is used up. As with any loan, there is also the matter of interest and thus as the Buddha says, the pleasure is small compared with the suffering repaid.
In meditation, one transcends sensual desire by letting go of concern for this body and activity of its 5 senses. When sensual desire is transcended, the mind of the meditator has no interest in the promise of pleasure or even comfort with this body. The mind becomes calm and free to look within. The mind that is free from activity of the 5 senses can truly look within and see its real nature.
Senior 2000 ~ Dhamma.
Ans: The Buddha is our greatest authority on rebirth. On the very night of His Enlightenment, during the first watch, the Buddha developed retro-cognitive knowledge which enabled Him to read His past lives.
During the second watch, the Buddha, with clairvoyant vision, perceived beings disappearing from one state of existence and re-appearing in another. He beheld "the base and the noble, the beautiful and the ugly, the happy and the miserable, passing according to their deeds.
The Buddha did not borrow this stern truth of rebirth from any pre-existing source, but spoke from personal knowledge � a knowledge which was supernormal, developed by Himself, and which could be developed by others as well.
In several discourses, the Buddha clearly states that beings, having done evil, are born in woeful states after death, and beings having done good, are born in blissful states.
Such instances could easily be multiplied from the Tipitaka to show that the Buddha did expound the doctrine of rebirth as a verifiable truth.
Following the Buddha�s instructions, His disciples also developed this retro-cognitive knowledge and were able to read a limited number of their past lives.
Certain Indian ascetics too, prior to the advent of the Buddha, were distinguished for such supernormal faculties as clairaudience, clairvoyance and so forth.
Although science takes no cognizance of the supernormal faculties, yet, according to Buddhism, men with highly developed mental concentration cultivate these psychic powers and read their past lives just as one would recall a past incident of one�s present life.
Experiences of some dependable modern psychologists, ghostly phenomena, spirit communication, strange alternate and multiple personalities also shed some light upon this problem of rebirth.
In hypnotic states, some can relate experiences of their past lives, while a few others, like Edgar Cayce of America, were able not only to read the past lives of others but also to heal diseases.
Senior 2000 ~ Dhamma.
Ans: The compassionate Buddha has given many instructions for the welfare and happiness of the layman. These instructions are found in various Suttas. Among them are the Sigalovada, Parabhava and Vyagghapajja Suttas, which are well known to the Buddhists. These discourses prove that the Buddha was also concerned with the welfare of the laity in this world as well as the next.
In the above Suttas, the Buddha has emphasized that without some degree of economic well-being, spiritual progress is extremely difficult. He realizes that poverty leads to various crimes such as theft and murder. He therefore asks His lay disciples to earn money in a righteous way as much as possible without being lazy in order to lead a happy, peaceful and progressive household life.
In the Parabhava Sutta, the Buddha has listed down 12 causes of down-fall which must be avoided by a layman wishing to lead a happy, peaceful and progressive life. An analysis of the 12 causes of down-fall shows that one�s down-fall stems from one�s laziness to acquire wealth, inability to protect one�s wealth, associating with evil friends and one�s own immoral conduct.
Therefore, one must practice self-control, proper conduct, good manners and a sense of modesty as a preliminary step towards leading a happy, peaceful and progressive household life.
Some people criticize that the Buddha is not concerned with the social life, economic progress, worldly happiness & material welfare of His lay disciples in this world. The Suttas mentioned above are shining examples showing that such criticisms is entirely unwarranted.
Senior 2000 ~ Dhamma.
Sabbe tasanti dandassa
Sabbesam jîvitam piyam
Attãnam upaman katvã
na haneyya na ghãtaye (Dhammapada 130).
All are afraid of the stick,
All fear death.
Putting oneself in another�s place,
One should not beat or kill others.
Senior 2000 ~ Dhamma.
Q7. Write short notes on any 4 of the following.
1. Anatta
2. Samatha Bhavana
3. Angulimala
4. Pajapati Gotama
5. Doubt ( vicikiccha)
6. Ineffective Actions (Ahosi Kamma)
Ans :
Anatta is the Pali word for non-self or the absence of a self-entity. It is one of the 3 characteristics of existence expounded by the Buddha i.e. impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and non-self (anatta).
All things whatsoever have the property of changing incessantly, they are unstable. All things whatsoever have the characteristic of unsatisfactoriness; seeing them evokes disillusionsment and disenchantment in anyone having clear insight into their nature. Nothing whatsoever is such that we are justified in regarding it as "mine". To our normally imperfect vision, things appear as selves, but as soon as our vision becomes clear, unobscured and accurate, we realize that there is no self-entity present in any of them.
Impermanence and unsatisfactoriness had been taught before the time of the Buddha, but they had not been expounded as profoundly as they were by the Buddha. They had not been treated from the point of view of causation, and no direction had been given as to how they could be thoroughly and completely done away with. As far the doctrine of non-self in the ultimate sense, it was taught only by the Buddha who had thoroughly understood the true nature of existence.
"Bhavana " is generally translated as "meditation". This translation is rather vague. It is better translated as "mental development". It is a process of mental culture that produces so much good effect that is should be developed repeatedly in one�s mind.
There are 2 kinds of Bhavana :-
"Samatha" means "tranquility" or "calm" which is the concentrated, unshaken, undefiled and peaceful state of mind. It is called "calm" because it calms down the 5 Hindrances. "Samatha" is gained by developing the Jhanas. With the aid of Jhanas one could develop higher psychic powers Abhiñña).
Angulimala was the notorious murderer who was converted by the Buddha in the 20th year of His ministry.
Ahimsaka (Innocent) was his original name. His father was the Counsellor to the King of Kosala.
He received his education in Taxila and became the most illustrious and favourite pupil of his renowned teacher. Unfortunately, his colleagues grew jealous of him, concocted a false story, and succeeded in poisoning the teacher�s mind against him. The enraged teacher, without any investigation, planned to put an end to his life by ordering him to fetch him 1,000 right thumbs of human beings as a tribute due from a student to a teacher.
Obeying his teacher, though with great reluctance, he repaired to the forest and started killing people to collect fingers. He wore a garland of those fingers to ascertain the exact number. Hence he was known by the name Angulimala (garland of fingers).
When he had collected 999 fingers, his mother came into the forest to look for him. He decided to take his own mother�s life to make up the number of fingers. It was at this time that the Buddha came to the scene. Angulimala decided to kill the Buddha instead. He stalked the Buddha with his sword drawn. With His psychic powers, the Buddha created obstacles on the way so that Angulimala would not be able to get near Him although he walked at His own pace.
Panting and sweating, Angulimala stopped and cried: "Stop, ascetic." The Buddha calmly said: "Though I walk, yet I have stopped. You too, Angulimala, stop."
Angulimala�s good kamma rushed up to the surface. He knew the great ascetic was none other but the Buddha who had come to help him. Straightaway he threw away his sword and became a convert. Then, as requested by him, he was admitted into the Sangha by the Buddha.
As a result of his evil kamma, Angulimala would become a target of stray stones and sticks when he went on alms rounds on the streets. He would return to the monastery with broken head and flowing blood.
In due course, Angulimala attained Arahantship.
Pajapati Gotami was the youngest sister of Queen Maha Maya. Both were married to King Suddhodana. She had a daughter named Nandã and a son named Nanda.
When Queen Maha Maya died, she adopted her sister�s son, Prince Siddhattha Gotama, entrusting her own son to the charge of nurses.
When the Buddha visited the palace and preached the Dhammapãla Jãtaka to His father, she attained the first stage of Sainthood.
After the death of King Suddhodana, she decided to enter the Holy Order as both Prince Rahula and Nanda had renounced the world. When the Buddha visited Kapilavatthu to settle a dispute between the Sakyas and Koliyas over the Rohini River, she begged Him to allow her to enter the Holy Order. The Buddha refused. For the 2nd & 3rd times, Pajapati Gotami repeated her request and the Buddha gave the same reply. After that the Buddha left for Vesali.
Resolute Pajapati Gotami got her hair cut and donned yellow garments. Accompanied by a great number of Sakya ladies, she walked Kapilavatthu to Vesali. After experiencing much hardship, they finally arrived at Vesali and stood outside the porch of the Pinnacled Hall where the Buddha was residing. Ven. Ananda saw them and took pity on them. On their behalf. Ven. Ananda requested the Buddha to allow them to enter the Holy Order but the Buddha would not yield.
Finally, Ven. Ananda asked the Buddha if women were capable of realizing Sainthood if they had gone forth from home to the homeless state under the doctrine and discipline proclaimed by the Blessed One.
The Buddha gave an affirmative reply. Then Ven. Ananda made another appeal on behalf of Pajapati Gotami and the other women. Reminding the Buddha of the great service Pajapati Gotami had done to the Buddha.
Finally the Buddha allowed the women to join the Holy Order if they could accept 8 conditions imposed by Him. Pajapati Gotami and the other women immediately accepted the conditions and entered the Holy Order. Thus the Order of Bikkhunis were founded with their admission into the Holy Order.
Before long, Pajapati Gotami attained Arahantship, accompanied by intuitive and analytical knowledge. She was declared as foremost in seniority and experience among the female disciples by the Buddha.
Vicikiccha or sceptical doubt is an immoral mental state. It is sceptical doubt about the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, the training, about things in the past lives and future lives, about the Law of Dependent Origination and finally about the 4 Noble Truths.
Vicikicchã is one of the 5 Hindrances and is also included in the 10 Fetters. It disappears completely and forever at stream-entry.
Kamma means action. It is the law of moral causation or cause and effect. Kamma is the cause and vipaka is the fruit, the effect. The cause produces the fruit; the fruit explains the cause. Intentional action, either wholesome(kusala) or unwholesome(akusala) creates kammic effects.
Kamma is of 12 kinds. Four of them are classified according to time of fruition in this life-time or hereafter. They are:-
Ineffective kamma.
It is also known as lapsed kamma. When there is no occasion for the kamma to produce the fruit (effect), the kamma becomes inoperative. For instance, kamma which has the potential to produce its result in this life or in the next, becomes inoperative if it does not produce its result within the due period (i.e. within this life or the next).
prepared by : Bro Lau Kai Kong. BISDS
typed by : Sis. S. T. Chang (apr�04)