Is the Buddha Wise and Moral?The next series of Hemavata’s questions runs as follows: “Friend Sātāgiri, is your teacher, the Buddha, fully endowed with knowledge (vijjā) and moral
conduct (carana)? Has he completely eradicated the flood of defilements? Is he free from samsāra? Is there no future existence for him?”
In reply, Sātāgiri gave categorical answers to the effect that the Buddha was fully endowed with all the qualities referred to by Hemavata. As mentioned before, Kālī, the rich man’s daughter who overheard the exchange between the two
celestial beings, attained the stage of Stream-winner. She became a Stream-winner because she heard about the attributes of the Buddha. While joyously adoring him, she passed through all the stages of insight, perceiving the three characteristics of mind and matter. Her achievement was truly remarkable. Sātāgiri said that the Buddha was fully endowed with knowledge. Vijjāmeans ‘special knowledge’ or ‘wisdom.’ According to one classification there are three kinds and, according to another, eight kinds. The Buddha had fully developed all of these. “Besides, our teacher, the Buddha, has pure moral conduct, that is, all the virtues that pave the way
to nibbāna.” “Also, our teacher, the Buddha, has rid himself of the flood of defilements (kilesāsava), the flood of sensuality (kāmāsava), the flood of wrong views (ditthāsava), and the flood of ignorance (avijjāsava).” “Our teacher, the Buddha, will have no more new existences; he is free from rebirth.”
Sātāgiri gave definitive answers because he had heard the Buddha declare in the Dhammacakka Sutta that he had already completely developed the Fourth Noble Truth (magga sacca) or, in other words, had fully developed the eight factors of the path. Of them, Right View (sammā ditthi) and Right
Thought (sammā sankappa) are the factors relating to wisdom, or what is also called vijjā — special knowledge and mental powers. Right Speech, Right Action (sammā kammanta) and Right Livelihood (sammā ājīva) make up the path of morality, and Right Effort (sammā vāyāma), Right Mindfulness (sammā sati) and Right Concentration (sammā samādhi) make up the path of concentration (samādhi magga). These latter two paths of morality and concentration together make up carana or moral
conduct. In the Dhammacakka Sutta is a declaration by the Buddha that he was the Fully Self-Enlightened One (Sammāsambuddha), the genuine Buddha, who was fully endowed with the special virtues called vijjā and carana. That is why Sātāgiri gave his answers with the courage of conviction. He gave a definite
answer about the floods of the defilements because, in the Dhammacakka Sutta, the Buddha said that he had completely rid himself of the cause of suffering (samudaya sacca) or craving. This statement, with the declaration of himself as Sammāsambuddha, convinced Sātāgiri that his teacher, the Buddha, was the genuine Buddha. The answer to the question regarding the Buddha’s future existences was based on the Buddha’s
declaration in the Dhammacakka Sutta, “My deliverance from defilements is permanent.” By that, he meant his deliverance was complete and not just for a few moments or for a certain period; it was final and inviolable. The Buddha affirmed that his present existence was his last, and that no future new existence would result. Three Kinds of Special KnowledgeDepending upon the method of classification we can enumerate three kinds of special knowledge, or eight kinds. The three kinds are the knowledge of former existences (pubbenivāsa-ñāna), the divine eye (dibbacakkhu-ñāna) and the knowledge of destruction of the defilements (āsavakkhaya-ñāna). The knowledge of former existences was gained by the Buddha during the first watch of the full-moon night of May, the night on which he attained Buddhahood.
The divine eye is the ability to see as if with the eye of a deva. The metaphor of the eye of a
deva is used to explain the nature of this knowledge, but the range of this ability far exceeds that of a deva. Those who possess this knowledge can see various beings at vast distances, and they can see what the human eye cannot. They can see through walls, mountains, and other barriers. They can see beings suffering in the realms of misery — in hell, the animal kingdom, and the world of hungry ghosts. They can see the entire human world, and the celestial realms.
The human eye cannot see even the guardian angels of the forests, mountains, and trees. Some say that celestial beings do not exist, because they cannot see them. Nevertheless, they are afraid to remain under trees or in places reputed to be haunted by ghosts. They dare not behave in a way that offends the spirits. Guardian spirits and ghosts do sometimes reveal their forms and frighten people.
Many people report seeing them. Among the spirits that frighten people, some are celestial beings. The Metta Sutta refers to celestial spirits revealing various forms to the monks, who had come to reside in their forest, to frighten them. Such spirits were the guardian deities of trees. Hungry ghosts show themselves occasionally. Once, King Bimbisāra offered alms-food to the Buddha
and the Sangha and returned to his palace. That night, hungry ghosts haunted the royal chamber and frightened the king. These beings were told by Kassapa Buddha, a previous Buddha, that they would obtain sustenance if they said “sādhu” (well done) when the king shared his merits gained from the wholesome deed of offering alms-food. So they gathered around the Buddha’s monastery and waited to
say “sādhu.” Unfortunately, King Bimbisāra returned to his palace, forgetting to share his merit. So the hungry ghosts entered his chamber to frighten him. When the king told the Buddha about this, the Buddha told the king that these hungry ghosts had been the king’s relatives ninety-two aeons ago, and that they frightened him to remind him to share his
merit with them. So the king offered alms-food to the Buddha and the Sangha again on the following day, sharing his merit with all beings. The hungry ghosts said “sādhu” and thus obtained celestial food. These are just a few instances of haunting and frightening by spirits. The human eye cannot see these spirits but the divine eye can. Once, Venerable Moggallāna and Venerable Lakkhana were coming down from Vulture’s Peak for their
alms-round, when Venerable Moggallāna saw various kinds of ghosts. Some were only skeletons, some were only flesh, and others had bodies that were on fire. The former two kinds were being pecked at by crows, vultures, and kites, and were shrieking from pain and running about in the sky. Venerable Moggallāna smiled at the thought that he was free of the possibility of such an existence of suffering. Venerable Lakkhana asked him why he smiled. He said, “Ask me after the alms-round.”
Soon after having had their meal, Venerable Lakkhana asked Venerable Moggallāna in the presence of the Buddha, why he had smiled. Venerable Moggallāna replied simply that he had smiled because he saw the strange sight of hungry ghosts. Then the Buddha said, “My disciples have gained the eye of knowledge, and can therefore see what a human eye cannot, such as hungry ghosts. Now my disciples
can bear witness to the fact that there are such beings. I myself, had seen them on the night when I was to attain Buddhahood while sitting on the seat under the Bodhi tree. I have withheld a discourse on these beings because I was sympathetic with those who would have earned demerit by their scepticism in this matter. One strange ghost was a butcher in this city of Rājagiri. He had fallen into hell and suffered many
hundreds of thousands of years before he became this ghost to work off the residue of his unwholesome deeds. Moggallāna was not mistaken when he said he had seen strange ghosts.” The Buddha continued to describe more than twenty kinds of ghosts. Some beings had to suffer pain from swords, lances, arrows and spikes that fell upon their bodies and pierced them. Some had lumps of iron of various sizes piercing their bodies and were running about, screaming from the excruciating pain
they were suffering in the process. No other human being in that area could hear or see them, nor could Venerable Lakkhana, since he had not yet gained the divine eye. Such miserable beings were found not only on Vulture’s Peak, but elsewhere too, in places where they had done unwholesome deeds in their previous existences. Only the divine eye can see such beings, the ordinary human eye cannot. The divine eye can see not only ghosts, but all other beings too, including beings in hell, devas, and brahmās. Venerable Anuruddha could see one thousand universes at once with his divine eye, and the Buddha could see innumerable universes. He gained this knowledge on the night of the full-moon day of May, before attaining Buddhahood. The knowledge of destruction of the defilements is the ability to eradicate all lust, desire, and other defilements. It is synonymous with the knowledge of the four stages of the Noble Path: the path of stream-winning, the path of once-returning, the path of non-returning, and the path of arahantship.
Of these four knowledges, the path of stream-winning eradicates the defilements concerning wrong
view (ditthi). The path of once-returning eradicates the coarse defilements of sexual desire (kāma rāga) and ill-will (byāpāda). The path of non-returning eradicates the subtlest manifestations of lust and anger, and the path of arahantship eradicates all the remaining defilements. Collectively, these four paths are called the knowledge of destruction of the defilements. Since only arahantship can
destroy all the defilements, it alone is called āsavakkhaya-ñāna. The Buddha attained this knowledge on the night of the full-moon of May just before dawn. When he emerged from the absorption on mindfulness of breathing, the Buddha contemplated the Law of Dependent Origination (paticcasamuppāda) by observing the arising and passing away of the five
aggregates of grasping. Observing the arising and passing away of the aggregates means the observation of seeing, hearing, knowing, etc., which is practised by the meditators here. However, an important distinction regarding the Buddha’s practice is that he entered all the absorptions, simultaneously observing the arising and passing away of phenomena inside and outside the body. Nothing was left unobserved — that is the important distinction. The process of observation was, of
course, the same. The Buddha continued towards the attainment of the Noble Path following the process of insight knowledge. When he attained arahantship, he realised nibbāna and attained Buddhahood, gaining Omniscience, and all the other attributes of a Buddha. The Buddha declared this when he gave the first
discourse, stating that he was the Fully Self-Enlightened One. That is why Sātāgiri said that the Buddha had the three knowledges: knowledge of former existences (pubbenivāsa-ñāna), the divine eye (dibbacakkhu-ñāna), and the knowledge of destruction of the defilements (āsavakkhaya-ñāna). Eight Kinds of Special Knowledge The first three of the eight kinds of special knowledge have already been explained. The remaining five are: insight knowledge (vipassanā-ñāna), psychic powers (manomayiddhi-ñāna and iddhividha-ñāna), mind reading (cetopariya-ñāna), and the divine ear (dibbasota-ñāna). Insight KnowledgeInsight knowledge is obtained by observing the three characteristics of mind and matter. It cannot be attained by casual observation, but only by close observation of the processes as they occur, without missing any. Observation should be sustained on seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, etc., as they occur, without omitting anything. Initially one should observe one’s gross physical actions. The Buddha said in
the Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta, “Gacchantova gacchāmi’ ti, pajānāti — as one goes, one knows ‘I am going’.” That means that one should observe the propelling force, or the element of motion (vāyodhātu) as one walks. The Buddha continued, “As one sits, one knows ‘I am sitting’.” This means that as you are
concentrating on the posture of sitting, you observe the mental and physical feelings generated by sitting. In the same way, you observe bending, stretching, moving, etc., as these actions occur. I have instructed you in the simple practice of observing the rising and falling of the abdomen as you sit in meditation. The Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta gives full instructions for observing the changing state of
the body, so my instruction to observe the rising and falling of the abdomen while sitting accords with the discourse. If you think that there is a gap between the rising and the falling of the abdomen, you can insert a mental note of the sitting posture, e.g. “rising, falling, sitting,” “rising, falling, sitting,” to make the
observation continuous. This is observation of physical phenomena — kāyānupassanā. While sitting, if you feel tension, heat, or pain in the body, you should observe these feelings (vedanā), which is vedanānupassanā. If a thought occurs, you should note it, which is cittānupassanā. Observing the seeing, hearing, etc., as just a series of phenomena, is dhammānupassanā. Together, these four make up the practice of mindfulness meditation (satipatthāna). As you practise these four foundations of mindfulness, your mind will cease to wander, and will become fully concentrated on the actions as they occur, without any omission. In this way the mind becomes purified, and you obtain purification of mind (citta visuddhi). While in that state of purity, the object observed and the observing mind will become distinct
phenomena. When you observe the rising of the abdomen, the rising itself is distinct from the mind that knows the rising. The same principle applies to the falling of the abdomen, the bending and stretching of the limbs, and so forth. The action and the noting mind become separate, i.e. the physical action, which knows nothing, and the knowing mind are seen as separate phenomena. In other words, the
meditator can distinguish mentality from materiality. That stage of insight is called analytical knowledge of mind and matter (nāmarūpa-pariccheda-ñāna), which is the foundation of insight knowledge. Without attaining this knowledge, the other stages of insight cannot be reached. Going on with the practice, the meditator will come to discern the cause and effect of actions. For
example, that the motion occurs because of the desire to move, that knowing occurs because of the object to be known, that seeing occurs because of the object to be seen, etc. The meditator will realise that the causes and effects are inherent in mind and matter, and that there is no other cause. This realisation is knowledge by discerning conditionality (paccaya-pariggaha-ñāna). Later, the meditator notes the appearance and disappearance of actions and feelings. For example, if
pain arises, the meditator notes the pain as it occurs, e.g. “pain, pain, pain” until the pain disappears, noting the entire process from the beginning to the end. This noting of successive occurrences leads to the realisation of the three characteristics. These successive realisations are insight knowledge. The noting mind becomes sharper and quicker as the meditator continues the practice. This kind of
insight knowledge can be attained by an ordinary meditator, but for the Buddha, the attainment of insight knowledge was an easy matter since he had already attained jhāna and purification of mind. Psychic PowersManomayiddhiand iddhividha-ñāna are both powers for creating forms. Manomayiddhi-ñāna can create
multiple copies of one’s own body, and Iddhividha-ñāna can create a variety of objects — whatever one wants to create. The latter special knowledge has a wider scope. The sky can be made solid like the earth, so that one can walk on it. It can make one’s body as light as cotton wool so that one could be blown away by the wind. The earth can be made to become water or a tunnel so that one
can dive into it. One can make oneself invisible, or create any physical thing. Such creative powers are based on the fourth jhāna. Mind ReadingMind reading (cetopariya-ñāna) also arises from the fourth jhāna. One who possesses this higher
knowledge can read the thoughts of others, and know what has happened to them in the past week, or the thoughts that will come up in the forthcoming week. Current thoughts are like an open book to someone with this knowledge. To live with such a person might be difficult, but it would be a check on any vices that one might have. This is the story of Mātika Mātā, a woman who possessed this knowledge. The Story of Mātika MātāWhen the Buddha was residing at the Jetavana monastery in Sāvatthi, sixty monks came to take meditation instructions from him and then looked for a suitable place to settle down for meditation practice. They came to a village by the name of Mātika. Mātika Mātā, the mother of the village
headman, invited them to reside for the rainy season. Dwellings were built for them, and the sixty monks settled down. The monks assembled and agreed, “We should not be heedless and negligent, for the eight great hells are like an open pit. We have received meditation instructions from the Buddha, so we must follow
them. We should not reside two in one place, but in solitude.” So they each began their solitary meditation retreats. One day, Mātika Mātā sent some butter, oil, and molasses to the monastery, but when she went with her retinue in the evening no monks were to be seen. Those who knew told her that the monks would
come to the meeting place when a signal was given. They gave the signal and the monks assembled from their separate places of meditation, thinking that perhaps one of them had fallen sick, and needed help. Mātika Mātā misunderstood the situation, and asked, “Have you quarrelled?” The monks said they had
not, and when asked why they did not come together as they did when they came to her house for alms-food, they said that they were living separately to practise the ascetic’s duties. They said that practising the ascetic’s duties helped the attainment of concentration and insight. Mātika Mātā had never heard of the ascetic’s duties, and asked the monks what it was. The monks
explained that the anatomical parts of the body had to be contemplated to observe their decay and deterioration. She asked whether this Dhamma was exclusively for the monks or whether it could be practised by lay people. They said that it could be practised by anyone. Then Mātika Mātā asked the monks to give her instructions for meditation, and the instructions were given. Of course, that did not take more than an hour or two. Nowadays, some people say that meditation
practice can be undertaken only after one has completed a course of Abhidhamma. This amounts to discouraging people from taking up meditation practice. Mātika Mātā went home and began the practice. It is not known how many days she took to attain the path and fruition of non-returning, but she attained it before any of the monks. Simultaneously, she
gained the four analytical knowledges (patisambhidā-ñāna), and the special knowledge of mind-reading, referred to above. On reflection she discovered that the monks had not attained any jhāna or insight knowledge owing to lack of suitable food. So she had suitable food sent to the monks who, being properly nourished, practised meditation more vigorously and attained arahantship during the rainy
season. From this story we can see that suitable, nourishing food is an important factor for meditators. When the rainy season was over, the sixty monks went to pay their respects to the Buddha at Jetavana monastery. They praised Mātika Mātā in front of the Buddha, saying that she knew their
minds and fulfilled their wishes. They were inspired to apply themselves to the meditation practice, and soon achieved concentration and insight. Hearing this, a certain monk wanted to go to that village to practise meditation. So he requested meditation instructions from the Buddha and went there. When he reached the monastery, he thought to himself, “This woman is said to know others’ thoughts.
I am tired from the journey, and cannot sweep the monastery. It would be good if she sent someone to sweep the monastery.” Mātika Mātā knew the monk’s thoughts and so sent a man to sweep the monastery. Then the monk was thirsty and wanted to drink some sugar-cane juice. The drink was accordingly sent to him. On the following morning he wanted to eat meat salad and soft porridge, and his wishes were fulfilled. He then wanted to meet Mātika Mātā, and, knowing his wish, she went to see him at the monastery, bringing alms-food. After eating the food, the monk asked her whether she was Mātika Mātā. “Yes, reverend son,” she replied. When she asked him why he asked about her, the monk said that he did so because he had found that she knew his every wish. She replied modestly that many monks possessed
similar powers. The monk then asked her directly whether she knew others’ thoughts. Mātika Mātā replied that those who possessed such powers behaved in such and such a way. Her reply was an indirect admission. This is the case with Noble Ones, they have no pride, and do not want to reveal their capabilities. When confronted with a direct question, they usually give an indirect reply. When the monk confirmed that Mātika Mātā had the power to read others’ thoughts, he felt uneasy to
reside in the monastery built by her charity. He thought that, being an ordinary person, he might entertain some unwholesome thoughts and desires. This woman would know his thoughts, so he would be found out, reprimanded, and put to shame. So he said that he was leaving the monastery. She asked him where he would go, and the monk replied that he would go back to the Buddha. She
asked him to stay on, but the monk could not be persuaded. He was really afraid of her. When the Buddha asked him why he had returned, he said that he was afraid to reside in that monastery because Mātika Mātā knew his every thought, and would know if he entertained some unwholesome thoughts. The Buddha realised that Mātika Mātā’s monastery was the ideal place for such
a monk, who was in the habit of entertaining unwholesome thoughts and desires. With the presence of Mātika Mātā to curb his random thoughts, this monk would be constrained to achieve concentration. Some meditators need a meditation instructor who knows their thoughts. When they are asked to note
the actions of the mind and body systematically, they cannot help getting sidetracked by speculations and fantasies. Some meditators waste their time by chatting. When the meditation instructor questions them, their remissness usually becomes known. If a thorough investigation could be made, they would not dare to entertain stray thoughts and fantasies. For this monk, the place where the woman was present to watch his thoughts was ideal. So the
Buddha told him to go back to the monastery from which he had fled. He told the monk to control his mind, and said that if he could note mental activities, he had nothing to fear. The Buddha said: “The mind is hard to control,
it is flighty and lands wherever it pleases.
To tame the mind thoroughly is good,
for the well-tamed mind brings happiness.” (Dhp v.35)
The mind is difficult to control, and rebellious. If asked not to think about certain things, it thinks about those very things. It is unruly, but cannot be beaten and punished. The mind is exceedingly quick. At
the beginning of the meditation practice the noting of the wandering mind is a hard task. The flighty mind alights on multifarious thoughts and desires. Unlike the body, the mind cannot be chained up or imprisoned. Though the body stays in the meditation cell, the mind goes out, and roams about wherever it wants. To discipline the mind is good, because a disciplined mind brings happiness. Everyone wants to be happy; no one wants to be miserable. The best way to gain happiness is to
tame the wild mind and train it. The way to train the mind is by the application of wise attention (yoniso manasikāra), observing the mind however it happens to be. Happiness will develop according to one’s mental discipline. If one can keep one’s mind on devotion to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, and thus discipline it,
one can find bliss in human and celestial existences. Otherwise, one could not possibly obtain such rewards, and would be afflicted by suffering in the human world or the realms of misery. The mind will become more disciplined and civilised if one could successfully observe one or two of the five precepts besides having devotion to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. Of course, if all the five
precepts could be observed properly, it would be much better. Besides that, if one could practise the meritorious deeds of charity, morality, and mental culture, it would be better still. Of the two kinds of meditation, bliss could be obtained in the realms of form (rūpaloka) and the formless realms (arūpaloka) through the practice of samatha bhāvanā, while insight meditation could lead one to the attainment of nibbāna. Noting the rapidly changing phenomena is not so easy for beginners. They should persist in the noting until the arising and disappearing process is clearly perceived. As you know, the mind is difficult to train, it flits about incessantly, and is hard to catch and restrain. I would describe the waywardness of the mind as follows: “The mind is uncontrollable and flighty, flitting to wherever it wants. If this unruly mind could be caught by watching and noting its activities, and thus be disciplined, it would become tame and civilized, thus giving happiness.”
The unrestrained mind flits from one thought to another at random. Stray and idle thoughts occur to
those who do not bother to note the activities of the mind. If one’s imagination is given a free rein, fickle thoughts and desires multiply. These thoughts and desires are liable to drive people to acts of immorality or violence, which causes unlimited misery. Unrestrained thoughts and desires could easily lead one to hell, or to other realms of misery. The Pali saying “cittena nīyate loko” means “the world is lead by the mind.”1 In other words, the mind
leads one to various realms of existence, it can take one to the celestial realms if it is wholesome, and it can take one to the realms of misery if it is unwholesome. So it is our responsibility to discipline the mind so that it takes us to the higher realms. The meditation practice starting with the noting of the rising and falling of the abdomen is helpful for
grasping the fleeting mind and preventing it from dwelling on unwholesome desires. If persistent efforts are made to control the mind by repeatedly noting its activities, it will become docile. When a meditator reaches the stage of equanimity regarding formations (sankhārupekkhā-ñāna) the mind will become considerably tame and docile. Such a tame and docile mind could eventually lead one to the ultimate stage of insight — the path and fruition of arahantship. I will now return to the story of Mātika Mātā. She saw the return of the monk by her special knowledge of mind-reading, and prepared suitable food, which she offered to him when he arrived. The monk resumed his meditation, and in just a few days became an Arahant. Not only the Buddha, but some lay persons like Mātika Mātā possess the ability to read others’ thoughts. One could soon attain the
highest stage of insight if one could just get rid of fickle and unwholesome thoughts. No Mischief Near a Mind readerIt is true that while near a mind reader, one dare not entertain any unwholesome thoughts. In 1931
when I was in my eighth year as a monk, I had not done any meditation practice. I was then in search of a suitable meditation teacher and arrived at the monastery of Sayādaw U On Gaing, at Shweyaungpya Hill, near Donwun rail depot, in Thaton. This Sayādaw always practised austerity and did his meditation practice at a cemetery. He passed his nights there. He went from one cemetery to another near the villages where he went for his alms-food. When I arrived at the Sayādaw’s monastery, I went along with his disciples who were following him to a cemetery. Before long, the Sayādaw was approached by some villagers with a request that he go and keep watch on the grave of a freshly buried corpse. The corpse was that of a fifteen-year-old suicide. The villagers asked the Sayādaw to watch over the grave and guard it against possible
exhumation by black magicians who were usually out to cut the wrists off the corpses of suicides to use them in their black magic. The Sayādaw and his disciples, including myself, accepted the offer and went to that cemetery. All eight of us got to the cemetery just before sunset. Mats were spread around the grave, and pots of
drinking water were set out at convenient places. When we took our seats, I was nearest the grave, only about a yard away. Other monks were experienced, but I was not. It was my first time at a cemetery, so I felt uneasy. However, I could not change places with any other monk because I was the most senior of the Sayādaw’s disciples. The other monks recited the Metta Sutta and lay down to
sleep. I didn’t lie down; I didn’t dare. I remembered the words in the Visuddhimagga to the effect that ogres usually haunted a grave and sat near the corpse. I had to sit tight for four nights controlling my thoughts for fear that the guardian deities of the cemetery and the ogres, who were near the corpse, would probably know my thoughts and frighten me. So my thoughts were kept within limits. From this
experience I surmise that the monk near Mātika Mātā was obliged to control his mind and keep it pure, enabling him to attain arahantship quickly. The Divine EarThis is the last of the remaining five knowledges. Just as the divine eye can see objects regardless of
size or distance, the divine ear (dibbasota) can hear sounds regardless of volume or distance. It can hear not only the sounds from the human abode, but also the sounds from the abodes of devas or brahmās. The sounds from other universes can also be heard. So Sātāgiri told his friend Hemavata, that the Buddha was in full possession of the three knowledges
and the eight knowledges — the supreme mental abilities. “Besides,” said Sātāgiri, “our teacher, the Buddha, possesses pure and excellent moral conduct (carana).” Fifteen Kinds of Moral ConductSātāgiri replied, when Hemavata asked, that the Buddha was in full possession of the fifteen categories
of moral conduct. They are as follows: Restraint by fundamental precepts (pātimokkha samvara sīla). The meaning of this term is that the one who keeps this morality will be duly protected by it. This morality protects the one who keeps it from the misfortunes arising in the present and future existences in the cycle of rebirth.
For lay people, Pātimokkha samvara sīla means the five precepts, but for monks it is the 227 precepts (or ninety billion precepts in detail). If one keeps these precepts, one will be free from slander or contempt, and from punishment by the law. Moreover, one will be free from the realms of misery.
Restraint of the sense-faculties (indriya samvara sīla). This morality is guarding the senses as
one sees, hears, smells, or tastes so that the defilements of jealousy, greed, lust, ill-will, dejection, and anger cannot arise. This morality can be observed properly only when one is practising one kind of meditation or another. Otherwise, it can be observed with only partial success.
Moderation in Food (bhojane mattaññutā). This is the reflection when eating, or receiving
alms-food, or using medicinal requisites. For example, when taking food, one must reflect as the Buddha instructed, “When one has delicious food, one should not delight in it; when, however, one has poor food, one should not be disappointed. One should overcome all reactions, whether good or bad.”
Eating is not for pleasure, nor for intoxication, nor to become plump and good-looking. One eats merely
to sustain oneself, to be relieved of hunger — for lack of nourishment causes suffering and ill-health. One has to be healthy to practise as strenuously as the Buddha exhorted. So in eating one must know the right amount. Similarly, one wears the robes to ward off cold and heat, to protect oneself from attacks by mosquitoes, gadflies, snakes, and scorpions. Moderation in Sleep (jagariyānuyoga). Jagariya means ‘to be alert’ and anuyoga means ‘to make
an effort.’ It refers to moderation in sleep, and to keeping one’s mind and body alert. Of course, this means for practising meditation. If one is busy doing other things, the purpose will not be achieved. Once, a monk told me that when he was awake, his mind used to entertain so many unwholesome thoughts that he was obliged to sleep as long as possible. What he said makes some sense. If one harbours unwholesome thoughts while awake, one will be accumulating
demerit. So saying that one who is asleep has less chance of harbouring unwholesome thoughts seems reasonable. What this rule of conduct means is that, one must be active in meditation practice. The Buddha said that by exerting oneself in meditation by walking and sitting throughout the day, one could be free from the thoughts that preclude mindfulness and concentration, and thus one’s mind would be kept pure.
The instruction is that one should make one’s mind pure and free from greed, lust, and other detrimental traits by practising walking or sitting meditation. Of course, besides walking and sitting, standing should also be included. Only the one remaining of the four postures, i.e. lying down, is not recommended. One should keep alert by alternately walking, sitting, or sometimes standing throughout
the day until 10:00 pm. Then for four hours one may lie down to sleep to maintain one’s health. However, until one falls asleep, one should continue with the meditation. Then one should wake up at two in the morning and resume meditation. Of the six parts of one day, one should sleep only one part and keep awake for the remaining five, engaging in meditation. That is what is called jagariyānuyoga. 5 - 8. These are the four rūpa jhānas. It is possible to include arūpa jhāna as the fourth jhāna. 9 - 10. There is no need to elaborate on confidence and diligence. These two are included in the ten moral actions. 11-15. Then there are mindfulness (sati), wisdom (paññā), shame of unwholesome deeds (hirī),
fear of unwholesome deeds (ottappa), and being well-informed (bahusacca).
Being well-informed means, in this context, that one should have heard and remembered the Buddha’s teaching. Thus, getting information about the Dhamma is ‘hearing’ or āgama suta. Discerning and realising the truth after the actual practice of meditation is ‘seeing,’ or adhigama suta. These two
together are bahusacca. How much general knowledge should one have? For an ordinary devotee, understanding one verse (gātha), is sufficient. For those who will teach others, many of the Buddha’s teachings should have been mastered. Then the question arises: “How was the Buddha, who had no opportunity of learning the Dhamma from others, perfect in ‘hearing’ and ‘seeing’?” The answer is, the Buddha was fully equipped with ‘seeing’; he knew everything there was to know,
and had no need to learn from others. It is like a man who does not have to learn from others about the things that are in his house. As the Buddha knew all the Dhamma without exception, his knowledge was complete and sublime. Sātāgiri declared emphatically that his teacher, the Buddha, was fully endowed with the three knowledges, eight knowledges and fifteen kinds of moral conduct.
As I have said earlier, the young lady named Kālī who was in the family way, heard the conversation between the two celestial beings. As the voices floated down from the sky, she knew that they must be the voices of celestial beings, and listened attentively. Kālī was endowed with excellent perfections
so she could hear the celestial beings, though an ordinary human being could not. She could also understand their conversation, so she became devoted to the Buddha. Knowledge and Conduct Are NoblestIn India there was, and still is, a caste system, which divides people into different classes. The
Brāhmana and Khattiya classes were regarded as noble, and superior to the Vessa and Sudda classes, who were the commoners. There were also various clans. The Kosiya and Bhāradvāja clans were inferior to the Gotama and Moggallāna clans. You may have heard about the avoidance of contact with beggars, scavengers, etc., who are called ‘untouchables.’ These ‘untouchables’ had to live in a village
of their own outside the city. When they walked about in the city they had to tap the ground with a stick so that the higher castes could avoid physical contact with them. In the story of Mātanga the rich man’s daughter, Ditthamangalikā, happened to see the beggar Mātanga and, saying that it was inauspicious, she turned back from a picnic. So the rich man’s servants beat Mātanga. This distinction of caste was conspicuous in those days, and it remains in India today. This is the hearsay evidence. The late Venerable Veluvun Sayādaw of Bahan Township in Rangoon saw it for himself. During the British rule, when he was in India and Sri Lanka on a pilgrimage, he was received as a guest by a wealthy Indian man. The rich man told the Sayādaw, “You can reside at my house, but since we cannot occupy the place where you have stayed, we will make a special place for
you. We will also make a special bathroom because we cannot use one that you have used.” Even that was a special concession given only to those from Burma. In their country, a person of lower caste cannot enter a temple used by people of higher castes. According to their belief, one born into a
low caste family cannot improve his social position, and one born into a high caste family remains superior and ‘noble’ whatever mischief he may commit. Such beliefs are embodied in their scriptures and are mentioned in the Buddhist books as well. In Sri Lanka a caste division exists too, but it is not so strict. In Sri Lanka, a monk born of a high caste family does not pay respects to a monk born of a low
caste family, and a monk from a low caste may be diffident towards high caste laymen. No such distinction exists in Burma. Among laity, the Khattiya caste, or the ruler caste, is said to be of the highest status. The members of this caste would not marry outside their caste and they said that their caste was ‘pure.’ The members
of this caste were brave and loyal to their caste and their country too. They were the holders of power. So according to the caste system the Khattiyas were the noblest, and as such, they were said to be in possession of the attributes of knowledge and conduct. From a worldly point of view, the person of Khattiya caste is the noblest, but from the spiritual point of
view, the person who has the attributes of knowledge and conduct is the noblest. Such a declaration was made concerning the Buddha by Sahampati Brahmā, and the Buddha replied in support of it. A person of high caste was the noblest only as long as he lived, but when he died he had nothing upon which to fall back. However, the person who has knowledge and conduct, remains noble for all times. The better these attributes are, the nobler he becomes. People would have a high esteem for any person who could fly in the air and dive into the earth, read others’ minds, or tell the next existence of the dead. They would have a high regard for one endowed with the ‘hearing and seeing’ power. Such powers can be developed by some meditators whose concentration is at its keenest. A woman living on an island in the district of Pakokku, having practised meditation following our
instructions, is said to have gained the ‘hearing and seeing’ powers. One day, her younger sister lost her jewellery, so she asked her elder sister to find it. The woman entered meditation and saw in her mind’s eye that the maidservant of the house stole the jewellery and stowed it away in the loft in the kitchen of her house. The younger sister took a policeman to the maidservant’s house and searched,
and the stolen property was found at the place suggested. It is said that the policeman was surprised. Well, this is a present-day instance of such powers, and similar instances are none too few. If only the powers of higher knowledge (abhiññāna) could be displayed, people would have the highest esteem. Foremost among these knowledges are insight knowledge and knowledge of the destruction of the defilements. Having gained insight knowledge one becomes a Lesser Stream-winner (cūla sotāpanna), but if one has gained knowledge of destruction of the defilements, one becomes a fully-fledged Stream-winner and is free from the danger of falling into the realms of misery. For seven future
existences one would be assured of freedom from the realms of misery, and within that period one would attain arahantship and parinibbāna. If one has gained knowledge to a higher degree, one will attain a higher status than that of a Stream-winner. Those who have attained high status in the human, celestial, and brahmā worlds have a good
standard of conduct and morality. Those who attend religious discourses have the attributes of conduct like the Noble Ones who have achieved different stages of the path. However, if one possesses both knowledge and conduct, one becomes nobler. Meditators Have These AttributesThe meditators who have been practising vipassanā here have, in the first instance, the attribute of
insight knowledge. Of course, one who has attained the Noble Path has gained knowledge of destruction of the defilements. Among the fifteen kinds of conduct, the meditator who possesses morality has control over physical and mental actions, and is alert. So the meditators at this centre gain the attributes of knowledge and conduct, becoming noble according to the teachings of the Buddha. This is really gratifying. As for the Buddha, he was fully endowed with all the attributes of knowledge and conduct. The Buddha’s attribute of vijjā carana sampanno is now fully explained. The Story of SuppabuddhaIn this connection is the story of Suppabuddha, a poor man who lived during the time of the Buddha.
Abandoned by his parents when he was a child, he became a beggar. Being homeless, he had to sleep by the roadside. He also suffered from leprosy, which gave him pain during the night, so he groaned and disturbed others’ sleep. He therefore became known as “Suppabuddha — the waker of sleepers.” One day, on his begging-round, Suppabuddha saw a large gathering of people. Thinking that he would
get much charity from the crowd, he approached and found that it was a congregation listening to the Buddha’s discourse. He wanted to listen, so he meekly sat at the edge of the gathering. The Buddha saw with his divine eye that Suppabuddha would realise the Dhamma that very day. The Buddha continued with the discourse on charity and morality, exhorting the audience to refrain from killing, stealing, etc. Suppabuddha became determined to observe the precepts, so he gained the attribute of
morality. When the Buddha expounded the Four Noble Truths, Suppabuddha contemplated them and became a Stream-winner. After the meeting had ended, Suppabuddha went away as the crowd dispersed. Then a little later, he came back to the Buddha. The king of celestial beings, wanting to test Suppabuddha’s integrity said,
“Hey, Suppabuddha. You are very poor and stricken with leprosy. You have no one to rely on. If you obey me, I will give you great wealth and cure your disease.” Suppabuddha replied, “Who are you? What are your instructions?” The king of celestial beings said, “I am the king of celestial beings. Gotama, who has been giving
discourses, is not a true Buddha. His disciples are not true bhikkhus. You must say, ‘I don’t take refuge in the Buddha; I don’t take refuge in the Dhamma; I don’t take refuge in the Sangha.’” Suppabuddha retorted, “You are too rude to be the king of celestial beings. You shouldn’t be talking
with me. Why do you say that I am very poor and have no refuge? I am now a true son of the Buddha. I am not poor. I am now wealthy and noble because I am fully endowed with the seven treasures of the good and noble, namely, confidence (saddhā), morality (sīla), shame of unwholesome deeds (hirī), fear of unwholesome deeds (ottappa), being well-informed (bahusacca), liberality (cāga), and wisdom
(paññā), as enumerated by the Buddha. You are not fit to hold conversation with me.” Saying thus, he sent the king of celestial beings away. Suppabuddha went to the Buddha and reported his realisation of the Dhamma to him. It is the same with present-day meditators who are eager to report their meditation experiences to the instructor.
After Suppabuddha had made his report to the Buddha, he went away. As his past kamma dictated, Suppabuddha was gored to death by a cow on his return from the Buddha’s monastery. He became a deva in the celestial abode of Tāvatimsa, where he had powers superior to those of devas who had reached Tāvatimsa through merits done outside the Buddha’s dispensation. These devas were disgruntled. They said that although Suppabuddha was among the lowliest in his life
as a human being, he held a position higher than theirs. The king of devas explained why Suppabuddha had attained a higher position. He said that in his human existence Suppabuddha had fulfilled the seven duties of the good and noble, and so in this existence as a deva he was endowed with the benefits of his previous meritorious deeds. This story illustrates that a highly attained person is more noble than others, although he or she may
occupy a lowly position in secular society. Suppabuddha had fulfilled the seven duties for only a few hours before his death, but he possessed the attributes of knowledge and conduct. He had been a leper because in a previous existence he had called a Pacceka Buddha a leper. He was gored by a cow because in a previous existence he had robbed and killed a prostitute. The Buddha, referring to Suppabuddha’s fate, warned the audience to avoid unwholesome deeds just as one avoids obstacles
and pot-holes while walking. Meditators should take the moral of this story to heart and shun unwholesome deeds. Then Hemavata asked, “Is your teacher, the Buddha, free from lust and desires? Is he also free from future existence?” Sātāgiri replied: “Our teacher, the Buddha, is free from lust and desires. For him there is no future
existence.” If one is not free from lust and desires, one will have a new existence and suffer from birth, old age, disease, and other kinds of misery, although one may have the attributes of knowledge and conduct. Only when there is no more existence will one be rid of all miseries. These two points are very important. Kālī Was Honoured for Her FaithTo return to the story of Kālī — we find that this young woman overheard the two celestial beings and was overjoyed to hear about the attributes of the Buddha. As she was filled with joy, she practised
meditation spontaneously and soon reached the stage of a Stream-winner. In due course, she gave birth to a child who later became Venerable Sonakutikanna. Kālī was the first woman to become a Stream-winner. She achieved that distinction on overhearing the attributes of the Buddha and thus having firm confidence in him. Later she received the highest honour from the Buddha because of her firm confidence in the Buddha. Hemavata, too, became confident of the attributes of the Buddha and was eager in the adoration of the Buddha. He said to his friend, Sātāgiri, “The mind of the Buddha is perfectly pure. His physical and mental behaviour is also free of faults; the Buddha has all the attributes of knowledge and conduct. I adore him.” |
