Turning the bowl upside down

Before we are sick and aged, we have to do good deeds.

picture taken from http://t1.gstatic.com

In tonight's talk, Sayadaw U Vimala shared the Pattanikkujjana Sutta (Patta litterally means alms bowl and nikkujjana means upside down therefore pattanikkujjana meant the boycott). A group of six monks who only want have easy lives and didn't practice well but they are closed to a King. Once there was a great Dana. These monks were assigned by a senior monk to go to a rich man' s house for food. 

However when the rich man knew who his guests were going to be, he left his house and command his maid to only offer inferior food. When the monks arrived after taking laxatives (in order to eat a lot) they were disappointed. 

When these monks went back to the monastery, the king can to see the monks. After paying respect to the monks the King speak to the monks but the monks refuses to speak to the King. After much persistence, the monks blamed the King for ignoring them and did not admonish the senior monk. The six monks asked the King to lie to the Buddha by saying the senior monk had seduced the King's wife. 

The King said this to the Buddha The Buddha then called the senior monk and the six monks for questioning. The senior monk at first replied evasively but when the Buddha requested him to answered directly this senior monk replied that he did not even had sexual activities with any ladies even in his dream. This is true as this senior monk is an Arahant. the Buddha then said that if the monks were to encounter any person be it devotee or monks who has the eight fetters then they should turned their bowls upside down or must not accept any thing from them 

What are these 8 fetters? 

1. He asks people not to offer anything to the Sangha 
2. He harms the monk physically 
3. He expels the monk from the monk' s dwelling 
4. He abuses the monk 
5. He causes schism among the monk 
6. He slanders about the Buddha 
7. He says bad things about the Dhamma 
8. He blames the Sangha 

The Buddha ruled that if a person has these 8 fetters, the Sangha must then boycotted him.

Water pouring ceremony

Amy performing water-pouring ceremony today after offering food to Sayadaw and Bhante.

Vipassana Meditation

Picture from http://farm5.static.flickr.com

"Can a person who is doing Vipassana meditation actually doing Samatha meditation?", I asked during a Dhamma-cum-Question & Answer Session tonight at BMBMC.

Insight meditation means training the mind to gain wisdom. That is to see the ultimate truth of things namely the characteristics of dukkha, anicca, and anatta.

"Most of the time, yogis practice concentration and if you are a beginner you has yet to achieve insight.
That is normally what it would be. Not many people can gain insight easily. It is difficult, but with the right effort and depending on one's paramis, we may achieve this goal of gaining insight," explained Sayadaw U Vimala

I appreciate what had been explained. I had always been wondering why Samma Samadhi comes after Samma Sati. Tonight I understand that one has to mindful on the object  of meditation and develop Right Concentration. This Right Concentration enable one to know the ultimate truth of dukkha, anicca and anatta leading to Right Understanding and Right Thought.

A very good and relevant article on this matter can be read from this link.


Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

Kumbhakāra-Jātaka

Continued from Paniya Jataka which Sayadaw U Vimala had shared with us last week, tonight talk is about Kumhakara Jataka.

In this story there was a king who had taken a bunch of mango from a mango tree. After eating some, the king who had left the rest of the mangos to his retinue. Here, Sayadaw said that this behavior should be followed by Buddhists. If we have leftovers, we should give it to other people or animals. When we see a hungry animal such as a cat, we should not hurt it by not giving it any food. Instead by giving food to the cat when it is hungry we are performing dana too.

Picture from http://www.kriyayoga.com

Back to the story, later in the evening as the king was going back to his palace, the mango tree that was beautiful in the morning is now looked ugly. This is because all its fruits had been taken and the tree had been abused. Compare to another tree nearby that is barren of fruit, the  barren tree was saved from calamities.

Reflecting on this the king thought of himself who has lots of things and therefore will face a lot of worries as everyone will want to take things from him.

Contemplating on the matter of the tree, he reflects on the three characteristics of anicca, dukkha and anatta. Then contemplating simila to himself internally as matter with anicca, dukkha and anatta, the king attain Pacceka Buddha

Faith

"Before we are old and sick, we must gain good merits," said Sayadaw U Vimala in tonight Dhamma talk at Bukit Mertajam Buddhist Meditation Centre.

Picture from http://1.bp.blogspot.com

Listening to real Dhamma is difficult and we must try to listen to real Dhamma. Only by listening to real Dhamma does one can improve oneself.

Faith or Sadha is one of the five Bala or power. Faith in the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, Kamma and Kamma-vipaka is important. It is by having Saddha doe one able to have sotapattinanna.

Every Buddhist should try to become an Ariya person be it a Sotapana, Sakadagami, Anagami or Arahat. No one can claim that one is an Ariya person. Only the Buddha can do it. However, if one wants to attain Sotapana, one had to go and find a good teacher. Here a good teacher means an Arahat or Anagami or Sakadagami or Sotapanna. If one cannot find such teachers then one has to find a person well-versed in the Tipitaka.

We should strive to gain good merits and attain a least the stage of Stream-winner in this life as human.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

The Signs of Dying Devas

"Devas must be respected by Buddhists," said Sayadaw U Vimalabhivamsa, in tonight's Dhamma talk titled Pancapubbhanimmitta Sutta at Bukit Mertajam Buddhist Meditation Centre.
Devas possesses many beautiful things or properties. Human properties are like dewdrops on the grasses. Such is the comparison of the amount of properties that the devas had.

Taken from http://www.dailymail.co.uk

To be born in the deva realms, one has to have good past Kamma. So, as devas, these beings do enjoy their life as devas not only have many beautiful things to see, hear, smell and touch, they also have healthy and long life.
Devas do not need to see doctors all their lives as they are always healthy. They live a very long life depending on the deva realms they are in but they do not aged like human. However, when time is ripe, devas do died.
When the devas are dying, there are signs or nimittas of dying. These signs are

1. the flowers that the devas wear on their garment or body will fade
2. sweat exude from their armpits
3. their clothes are soiled and no longer shines
4. their bodies too no longer shines and becomes dull
5. the devas no longer delights in his own deva-seat

When these signs appeared, the dying deva will not be happy. Usually their deva friends will noticed these signs and will encouraged their dying deva friend to do three things that are

1.  To be reborn at Sukkhati
2. To get labbha
   

Here, Sayadaw said that to be reborn at Sukkhati means to be reborn in the human realm where as a human, one can choose to be able to perform and perfect his Parami.

A beautiful picture of the Buddha taken from http://dharmaprabattan.blogspot.com/

To gain the greatest labbha is to have strong saddha. Saddha here means that to have strong believe in the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, Kamma and Kamma-Vipaka. Only when one had attained the Ariya states (Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahat) that one can be guarantee to have strong believe in the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, Kamma and Kamma-Vipaka.


Learning from this Sutta suggest that we as a human should not forget to practice doing good Kamma. As human, we had the chance and opportunity to perform good kamma. When we are born as a deva, we had so much pleasurable things that we forgot to perform good kamma. Rich people sometimes forgot this too as they are like the devas.


To have Labbha with strong saddha, one had to strive as much as one can to attain the very least the stage of Sotapanna. Only then can we be sure of not falling back into becoming people with michaditthi.


Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

Good Relations to the Society

Sayadaw preparing to give a talk

Sayadaw give a talk

"We have to know what is kusala? and what is akusala?" said Sayadaw U Vimala in tonight's Dhamma Talk after the group meditation session and also incidentally the Vassa Entry ceremony.
Sometimes we do kusala kamma either individually or in a group of same wishes. But when we are in a group there may arises problems and to avoid these problems from affecting the group members, we should remember what had been taught by the Buddha in Saraniya Sutta.




There are things that we should remember when we are in a society. And to remember them there are six ways.

1. Kayakama Metta or loving kindness in action  
• Actions like respecting the monks, bowing down to the monks, respecting your parents are considered as doing things in loving kindness. Even sweeping the floors of the temple shows that one has metta towards members of the society. Occasionally things may not be in right order due to the ignorance of some members of the society. One must then helps to clean up the mess and do it with no anger. This will create a harmony environment in the society
2. Vacikama metta or kind words or speech
• Greet one another whenever we meet some one is a form of vacikama metta
• Use sweet words and avoid harsh words as all people do not like to listen to harsh and rough words
• Otherwise we will quarrel or fight among each other
• Another form of vacikama metta is chanting of the Suttas such as Karaniya Metta Sutta or Ratana Sutta
3. Manokama metta or kind thoughts
• Radiating metta to all beings without saying any words is an example of manokama metta
4. Sharing things with other people or Pativipata bodhi 
• Doing dana or share things with others 
5. Have precepts or morality
6. Have right views and understanding 
• Having the views that
1. There are good and bad kamma
2. There are results of these Kamma
3. The present is due to the past Kamma and the future is the result of the previous kamma
4. There are devas and Brahmas
5. There are Arahats and Buddha and these Noble persons exist due to their practice

These six ways should be remembered so that we can avoid problems in the society and create harmonious condition for the practice of good kamma.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!