[Mahasi] [Ledi] [Other] [Pesala] [Suttas]

Venerable Mahāsi Sayādaw

A Discourse on the Hemavata Sutta

Who Can Gain Liberation?

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This is the last part of the discourse on the Hemavata Sutta. The main points of interest are the three questions that Hemavata put to the Buddha. Hemavata became a Stream-winner after hearing the Buddha’s reply to the second question, but in deference to the Dhamma, Hemavata put the third question as follows:

“Lord, in this world, who can swim out of the eddying currents of the defilements?”

In the endless cycle of existences, called samsāra, there is a swift current with eddies called defilements. Who can swim skilfully enough to swim out of this current? Hemavata repeated the question in another metaphor, saying, “Who can swim out of the vast stretch of deep water, called samsāra?”

Samsāra, which is an uninterrupted flow of existences, a successive arising and dissolution of aggregates, is likened to a swift, wide, and deep river, or to a vast stretch of water. However skilful one is at swimming, to swim out of it is difficult.

Hemavata continued, “Apparently bottomless, there is nothing above the surface of the water to hang on to, who can manage to escape from drowning in that vast stretch of water, O Lord?”

The Moral, Mindful, and Wise Can Escape

To this question the Buddha gave the following reply:

“Hemavata, one whose morality is pure and complete, whose concentration is firm, who notes the physical and mental phenomena without fail, and who is wise, can swim across the stream of samsāra, which is very difficult to cross.” This is the Buddha’s answer to the first part of Hemavata’s question.

The Current of Sensuality

Delightful objects invite desire and attachment, called kāma, which is likened to a current with eddies — kāmogha. Those who are involved in desire, lust, and attachment are said to be drifting in the current of desire. Those who like and want the objects of desire, such as sights, sounds, odours, tastes, touches, men or women, or property of all sorts, have to strive to obtain and possess them. Once they obtain them, they have to try to preserve and maintain their possessions. They may resort to unwholesome deeds such as theft, murder, robbery, cheating, or adultery. For committing such unwholesome deeds they will go down to hell and other realms of misery. That is what is called drifting in the sea of samsāra.

Other people do wholesome deeds and are accordingly able to gain existence in human or celestial worlds where they are endowed with wealth, which they enjoy immensely. That is also called being immersed in the sea of samsāra. Existence in human or celestial worlds presupposes old age and death, from which one will surely feel anguish and suffer from misery. That is, in fact, immersion in the sea of samsāra.

The Current of Existence

To be enamoured of existence or becoming (bhava) is called drifting in the eddying current of existence (bhavogha). Some want to attain higher realms of existence such as the realms of form or the formless realms, and accordingly work to gain rūpa jhāna and arūpa jhāna. When they reach these higher realms of existence their life-spans are very long, to be counted in aeons, but they are not everlasting. They have to die, and though some go to the celestial worlds, others go to the human world where misery abounds. They get only a temporary relief, not release from the cycle of existences.

The Current of Wrong Views

To be entangled in the various currents of wrong views (ditthogha) is very common. There are many kinds of belief, some belonging to particular racial groups and some to particular localities. The various beliefs can be broadly categorised into two: one embracing the view that a being is indestructible, called eternalism (sassata ditthi), and the other that a being is destroyed completely after its death, called annihilationism (uccheda ditthi). Those who embrace the latter belief do not care to avoid unwholesome deeds, nor do they feel the need to do wholesome deeds. They can do whatever they like if they avoid crimes punishable by law. They believe that they will not be obliged to pay for the deeds they have done during their lifetime or later because, in their view, there is no more new existence. Such people will probably go to hell and other realms of misery, because the deeds they have done during their lifetime will usually be far from wholesome. This is an example of getting into trouble by following a wrong path.

Some people today turn the Buddha’s teachings upside down and advise their followers not to do wholesome deeds, nor to practise meditation, or they would only get trouble. Their followers would most probably do only unwholesome deeds and are very likely to go to hell.

Those who believe in the indestructibility of beings do some deeds, which they take to be wholesome, but such deeds may include sacrifice of animals in rites. Such unwholesome deeds done under mistaken notions will surely send the evil-doers to hell. It is like taking the wrong medicine, which aggravates a disease. Other people believe that they can do anything with impunity if they have faith in their God.

There are worshippers of the sun, the moon, the mountains, the spirits or gods. Others believe they can be delivered from misery if they starve themselves, go naked, remain in the heat of the sun, or stay immersed in water. Some believe that they will be free of misery if they keep their minds idle. How can anyone gain morality, concentration, and wisdom without making the mind work properly and effectively? All beliefs in religious practices that cannot lead to liberation from samsāra belong to what is belief in rites and rituals (sīlabbata parāmāsa). The followers of such faiths will never get out of the great whirlpool of samsāra. They will go through a long series of existences as they drift along in the current of samsāra. This is really terrible.

The Current of Ignorance

Another current is the current of ignorance (avijjogha), which means ignorance of the Four Noble Truths. People mistake suffering for happiness, they do not know the truth of suffering (dukkha sacca). All actions arising from psychophysical phenomena are really elements of suffering. Yet most people believe that the sights, sounds, odours, tastes, touches, and thoughts that they like are good. Such a belief results from ignorance or delusion. Liking such things is craving, to be attached to them is attachment (upādāna), and to strive to gain the objects of desires is kamma, either wholesome (kusala) or unwholesome (akusala). Owing to kamma, whether wholesome or unwholesome, existence recurs repeatedly. The existences in the thirty-one realms of existence are due to this ignorance. This current of ignorance flows down to the lowest hell and up the topmost realm of existence, the highest region of Brahmā. In the Bhuridatta and Campeyya Jātakas,1 it is explained that the Bodhisatta became a great snake (nāga) because he longed to become a snake, thinking that such an existence would be good. This current of ignorance is very fearful indeed.

Getting beyond these currents is not easy. One must have great ability to swim out of them. That is why Hemavata asked the Buddha who could swim out of them. In answering that question, the Buddha described the qualifications of the successful swimmer.

Qualifications of A Successful Swimmer

The Buddha said that the first qualification of the successful swimmer is that he or she must always be fully equipped with pure morality. This is a really essential qualification, so the Buddha put it first. One with firm confidence in the Dhamma must believe that only if one is always keeps pure morality, can one overcome the four great currents, and thus attain nibbāna. Some doubters may refer to the story of Santati, a king’s minister, who attained nibbāna just before his death “... while the smell of liquor had not yet left his mouth,” and wonder whether perfect morality is essential. Well, such instances are very rare, I should say, one in a hundred thousand. Such individuals already had perfections of the highest order. They were rare even in the time of the Buddha. They were exceptions. The Buddha knew about them and their grade of perfections.

Among the first five disciples, only Venerable Kondañña attained to the stream-winning on the day of the Dhammacakka Sutta. The other four had to strive for four more days in succession to attain it, one after another. Not all of them had perfections of the same calibre. Such differences in grades and calibre of perfections should be noted. Some individuals realise the Dhamma while listening to a discourse, but they are very rare. Others have to work for some time, some for a few hours, others for days, months or years, according to their respective perfections.

Now, in the Buddha’s words about always keeping pure morality, the word ‘always’ means from the time of beginning meditation throughout the period of practice. Only then can one be happy because one has kept one’s morality pure. That joyful feeling of non-remorse will lead to concentration. Otherwise, doubt about one’s own morality will impede the attainment of steady concentration. Without concentration one cannot gain insight knowledge, and without insight knowledge, the path and fruition would be far beyond one’s reach. For a layperson, one must be fully equipped with the five precepts, for a monk, one must be equipped with the Pātimokkha sīla. Morality is a prerequisite, the first qualification for one who strives to swim out of the four great currents.

The second qualification relates to concentration. It means that after becoming established in pure morality, one must work hard to attain the states of concentration and absorption. It means that one must work for the attainment of all the eight kinds of jhāna or at least one or two of them. This is for disciples with distinguished abilities. If one cannot strive to attain absorption, one must work for attainment of access concentration (upacāra samādhi) or its equivalent — momentary concentration (khanika samādhi), that is vipassanā samādhi. This is the least requirement for one to become fully equipped with purity of mind (cittavisuddhi), and with this, one can attain nibbāna. Otherwise, the purpose would not be achieved.

The third qualification is wisdom. Wisdom can be attained only by being mindful of the occurrence of one’s mental and physical phenomena. One can rightly understand the incessant flux of activities and phenomena only when one notes them within oneself. How could one gain right understanding by noting another person’s mental and physical activities? You may think that a person is happy, but he may really be in a sad mood. In the same manner, you may think someone is doing a wholesome deed, but he might be doing something unwholesome. One can only truly know about oneself. If one notes what is going on within oneself, one can know what is really happening. To note the things in flux within oneself is not too difficult. One has only to note things as they occur or disappear in rapid succession.

Do Not Talk Rashly About Eko-dhammo

Those who have attained jhāna must note the jhāna and all phenomena arising from seeing, hearing, etc. Those who have not attained jhāna must note what they see, hear, etc. That is they must note the activities arising from mind and matter. Some say that noting activities as they occur will lead to a deterioration in concentration. They say that it contradicts the idea of single purpose (eko-dhammo). Such individuals do not understand the practical operation of vipassanā. Vipassanā is not concentration on a single object. One must note all mental and physical phenomena. If one does not note them, one will probably take them to be permanent, able to give happiness, and possessing self. Such thinking will lead to kamma, which in turn will lead to renewed existence. The purpose of vipassanā is to remove such consequences by noting phenomena, and realising the three characteristics. The Buddha said that all phenomena must be perceived with insight.

In the texts and commentaries, eko-dhammo is never mentioned in the sense of single purpose. In the Anguttaranikāya and Dasuttara Sutta it is mentioned, but the meaning there is not what some people rashly take it to be. It means that one should persevere with one method of meditation, though as many as ten different methods are mentioned in the texts. Talking rashly about eko-dhammo without knowing its proper meaning and intent should be discouraged.

By noting whatever is happening in one’s own body and mind, and thus gaining concentration, one gains insight by perceiving mind and matter separately, and by realising the deep significance of cause and effect. Insight is achieved by the profound realisation of the three characteristics. When insight knowledge has been gained and developed, one will advance to the Noble Path. One who has attained the Noble Path is the swimmer who can swim out of the swift and turbulent currents of samsāra. That is what the Buddha said in reply to Hemavata’s question.

The method of swimming out of these currents will now be explained for the benefit of those who still need further clarification. If one can discern nibbāna through the insight of the path of stream-winning, one is said to have crossed the current of wrong views (ditthi). That is why it is said that a Stream-winner is free of the obsession about self (atta), and the belief in annihilationism (uccheda ditthi). He or she is also rid of the wrong view called sīlabbata parāmāsa, which holds that one can gain deliverance from samsāra, not by working to gain morality, concentration, and wisdom, but by performing rites and rituals. A Stream-winner has firmly established confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, and knows that one must work to gain morality, concentration, and wisdom. Those who are not Stream-winners are indecisive in their beliefs and so go around looking for mentors. More often than not, they get caught in the nets of bogus teachers, and thus suffer incessantly in their long journey through samsāra.

As for Stream-winners, they never deviate from the right path. They will gain liberation from the suffering inherent in existence after seven more existences at most. So if one can swim across the current of wrong views, one would clearly make an immense gain.

By progressing to the next stage of once-returning, one can weaken the current of sensuality, but not yet completely eradicate it. One must continue with the meditation practice to progress further. It is only when one has attained the stage of non-returning that one has completely eradicated sensual desire. A Non-returner has no desire at all, and will not even think of wanting anything. They have no preferences, no craving, or longing. Thus, they are blissfully happy, free from the misery that results from desire. Yet they still have to swim across the current of existence.

The meditator who has achieved the stage of non-returning must continue meditation until attaining the most mature insight, arahatta magga-ñāna. Only then has the meditator successfully swum across all four currents, including the current of ignorance, and escaped from samsāra.

The Arahant Overcomes All Fetters

The Buddha continued, “Hemavata, the Arahant who has overcome all the fetters (samyojana), after freeing himself from desires, never drowns in the bottomless, refugeless sea of samsāra, but always remains afloat, in a state of bliss.”

According to the first part of the Buddha’s answer, one who has persisted in the practice of meditation attains the ultimate stage and becomes an Arahant. For the Arahant there is no new existence, as he or she has completely escaped from the current of samsāra. A Non-returner has crossed the currents and is on the way out of the stream. A Once-returner has no more than two existences to strive for deliverance, and a Stream-winner has at most seven more existences to go through. All of them have saved themselves from hell and the realms of misery. An ordinary person has no guarantee against falling into hell, though he or she may have done many wholesome deeds. To ordinary persons the cycle of existences is like a stormy sea in which there is nothing to grasp, or take refuge on to keep oneself afloat. Now is the time to work for deliverance from samsāra — the cycle of existences in the thirty-one realms.

The exposition of the dialogue in the Hemavata Sutta is now complete. Only Hemavata’s adulation of the Buddha remains.

Having heard the words of the Buddha, and having appreciated his great wisdom, Hemavata was full of adoration. He turned to the one thousand celestial beings who were his followers and urged them to worship the Buddha, “The Blessed One who is one endowed with profound and perfect wisdom, free of all kinds of desires, the Buddha has accomplished the path of an Arahant.” He said that, because, since they had worshipped the Buddha and heard his discourse, they had come upon the dawn of enlightenment. Then, turning to the Buddha, Hemavata said, “We, the thousand celestial beings, adore and take refuge in you, the noblest Lord and Master.”

The reason why these thousand celestial beings achieved the purpose of the Dhamma can be found in the story of their past.

Past History of Hemavata

Kassapa Buddha attained parinibbāna and his relics were enshrined in a great golden pagoda. At that time two men entered the Sangha in the Buddha’s dispensation out of their free will and noble volition. (Incidentally, there are two kinds of monks — those who enter the Sangha out of their free will and noble volition, called saddhā pabbajita, and those who enter it out of fear of punishment by the law for their crimes, called bhaya pabbajita. The former are the true servants of the Sangha, but the latter are detractors who weaken and disgrace it.) The duties of a monk are under two main categories. The first is to study and eventually teach the literature of the Dhamma, and the second is to practice meditation to achieve the purpose of the Dhamma.

During the time of Gotama Buddha many bhikkhus, beginning with the first five disciples, became Arahants. For instance, Yasa the son of a millionaire and his fifty-four friends, the thirty clansmen of Bhaddavaggi, the thousand ascetics led by Uruvela Kassapa, Upatissa and Kolita who were to become Venerables Sāriputta and Moggallāna and their two hundred and fifty followers. All of them practised the Dhamma and became Arahants. Of them, the son of Sona, a rich man, strove very hard in the practice of the Dhamma.

This person was very genteel and delicate. As a young boy he had never set foot on the earth, so the soles of his feet were covered with soft hairs. When this delicate man entered the Sangha, fully determined to work hard at the duties of a bhikkhu for deliverance from the misery of samsāra, a problem arose. He worked his hardest, practising meditation by walking up and down the walkway barefooted. Since his feet were so soft and tender, they soon blistered and started bleeding, until the walkway became stained with blood, yet he did not give up. However, he could not achieve the purpose of the Dhamma. Eventually, he despaired and thought of leaving the Sangha. He was under the impression that he did not have enough perfections to achieve the purpose of the Dhamma. Then the Buddha came to him and advised him not to strain too much nor to relax too much, that is, to follow the middle path. The bhikkhu followed the Buddha’s advice and soon became an Arahant.

In the days of the Buddha there were countless beings who attained arahantship, non-returning, once-returning, or stream-winning. All these Noble Ones fulfilled the exhortation of the Buddha by practising meditation and achieving the purpose of the Dhamma. The two new monks who entered the Sangha thought that those who practised the Dhamma were many, and that as they were young they should first study the Dhamma, and practise the Dhamma only when they grew old. Thus applying themselves diligently to the study of the literature of the Dhamma, the two monks became masters of the Tipitaka. They then taught the Dhamma to five hundred monks, and became famous teachers.

Let us now consider the decision made by the monks who were later to become Hemavata and his friend Sātāgiri. They decided to study the Dhamma when young and practise it when old. Who can guarantee that a person will not die young? If he dies young, then he will miss the opportunity of practising the Dhamma. The Buddha’s wish is for all to start the practice of the Dhamma when young.

The Buddha said in the Dhammapada:

 “The bhikkhu in the Buddha’s dispensation, who practises the Dhamma while young with a view to attaining the path and its fruition, enlightens the world [which is synonymous with his own five aggregates] just as the moon that is unobscured by clouds, illumines the world.”1

The person who practises vipassanā enlightens his or her own world in the same way that the moon illumines the world. Starting the practice with the regular noting of the rising and falling of the abdomen, thus coming to know the real nature of mind and matter. Then, as the meditator goes on noting, he or she comes to know the real nature of the mental aggregates, realising the profound truth of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and not-self. As practice progresses, insight matures and enlightens his or her world, or the five aggregates.

It may be asked whether the same kind of enlightenment will not occur in older meditators. Certainly it will, but realisation and enlightenment may be slow to come. Age slows down the mental and physical faculties. Someone of thirty may achieve his or her purpose within one month whereas someone of sixty or seventy may succeed only after two or three months. The difference lies in mental and physical health and vitality. An older person also usually has more responsibilities, and so more worries and anxieties. A young person’s intelligence is keen while an older person’s is deteriorating. The latter may have more distracting thoughts to contend with. So the Buddha especially praised those who practise meditation while still young.

For monks too, it is better if newly-ordained monks start the practice of meditation while they are young and enthusiastic. Their confidence is strong, and their morality is free from doubts and defects. Although it is admittedly important to pursue the study of the Dhamma, young monks should do meditation practice for at least the first three months. That is my opinion. Perhaps the monks who were to become Hemavata and Sātāgiri died before they became old. They seem to have had no opportunity to practise the Dhamma.

These two venerable monks received the high esteem of their disciples, both monks and laity, and the Buddha Kassapa’s dispensation was then flourishing. At that time, two young monks lived in a monastery, one was a strict follower of the rules and regulations of the Sangha and the other was a recalcitrant monk. When the scrupulous monk pointed out the errors of the corrupt monk, he would not tolerate any criticism. The former told him to wait until the time for invitation (pavāranā) came. All monks are obliged to attend the invitation ceremony at the end of the rainy season, when they invite one another to point out offences against the rules and regulations of the Sangha. This ceremony is held annually on the full-moon day of October at the end of the rainy season. One who is criticised for his offences or misbehaviour thanks those who point out his faults and undertakes to be more careful in future. This ceremony of criticism is intended to purify the Buddha’s dispensation. The Buddha Gotama also prescribed this ceremony, and attendance is compulsory.

One should be grateful to a critic who points out one’s faults, for such criticism gives one an opportunity to make amends. An offence in a monk is far more serious than a fault in a layman. If a monk dies without knowing that he has committed an offence, and so has had no opportunity to make amends, he can go to hell. If he knew his offence and made amends accordingly, his morality would become pure. If, after regaining purity, he practises the Dhamma, he can gain wisdom of a high order, but if he died, he would go to the celestial realms. So the Buddha said in the Dhammapada:

 “The wise man who points out others’ faults with wholesome intentions is loved and respected by good people, but hated by the corrupt and evil-minded.”1

The recalcitrant monk was opposed to the scrupulous monk. So the latter told the former that he would report the matter to the synod of senior monks. The recalcitrant monk was afraid that he might be punished, so he approached the members of the synod, and gave them robes and begging bowls, and paid them respects. He rendered small services to the senior monks and behaved meekly. The monks asked him what the matter was. He said that he had had a dispute with his companion over his behaviour, and asked them to reserve judgement when his case came up to the synod. The senior monks said that they could not overlook any case, but the recalcitrant monk insisted. The monks had already accepted his gifts and services and felt rather diffident to deal with his case. So they promised to overlook his case when it came up. This is, of course, partiality and corruption. Thus reassured, the recalcitrant monk went back to his monastery and treated his colleague arrogantly. The scrupulous monk had some suspicions and made discreet inquiries. He began to wonder at the delay in the disposal of the case he had put up to the synod. The disciples of the senior monks whom he approached were reticent.

The recalcitrant monk became more and more brazen-faced. He asked the scrupulous monk about the case and insolently challenged him. “Now you have lost your case. You should not come back to the monastery. Go elsewhere, do not live with me,” he said. The scrupulous monk asked the senior monks about the case and received an unsatisfactory answer. These old monks were otherwise very honest, but since they had accepted favours from the corrupt monk they deviated from the path of honesty.

The scrupulous young monk shouted, “Since the passing of the Kassapa Buddha you two monks, senior and learned, have been looked up to as another Buddha, but you have rendered yourselves unfit to pass judgements on cases relating to the rules and regulations of the Sangha. The Buddha’s dispensation has gone to decay, it is being destroyed.” Of course, such corrupt practices are to be deplored.

The two senior monks became repentant when they heard the accusation made by the young monk and this prick of their conscience persisted throughout their lives. They could not get rid of their doubts about their honesty even after long years of service to the Sangha by teaching their disciples the Dhamma and observing the rules up to the time of their death. So they became celestial ogres in the Himalayas though they should otherwise have reached higher regions of existence in the celestial world because of their great services. One came to be known as Hemavata and the other as Sātāgiri. They belonged to the higher echelon of the ogre (guardian angels) hierarchy, holding the rank of commandants of the ogre battalions. There were twenty-eight such high officials, including these two, under the charge of the chief, Duvera. Celestial ogres are far superior to the ordinary ogres though they are not handsome like devas.

Hemavata and Sātāgiri repented their misdeeds in their past lives and deplored their weakness when they succumbed to corruption by a wicked monk. They said that their long and meritorious services to the dispensation of Kassapa Buddha should have sent them to one of the higher regions of the celestial realms. They were remorseful when they found that some of their lay disciples had gained the upper regions, whereas they were obliged to take lower positions. They promised each other that if one of them had some good news he would immediately inform the other. In pursuance of this promise, Sātāgiri hurried to his friend, Hemavata, and broke the good news of the first discourse of Buddha Gotama.

 They had lived for aeons, but eventually the time came, 2,551 years ago,1 when Gotama Buddha gave his first discourse to the five ascetics, with millions of celestial beings in attendance. As I mentioned at the beginning of this discourse, Sātāgiri failed to find his friend, Hemavata, in the assembly, and so hurried to tell him the good news.

Hemavata was overjoyed at hearing about the Buddha’s discourse, and went round from village to village, from mountain to mountain, of the celestial kingdom to announce the appearance of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha.

This is the end of the Hemavata Sutta. May the audience be able to cross the four great currents of samsāra by their arduous practice of insight meditation and thus attain the blissful state of nibbāna.