Wednesday, November 1, 2017

No.211 - The story which shows benefits of Saranagamana (2)

The Story Which Shows Benefits of "Saranagamana" (2)


The Story of Saranagamana Thera

In the time of Amonadhassi Buddha ,there lived a man who looked after his blind arents in the town of Candavati.He comten-plated that all beings were being burned by the three fires of lust,anger and delusion and that a man who wished to perform meritorious deeds, should be able to liberate himself form these fires. As he had to look after his blind parents,he could not become a monk. So, he undertook three refuges from Revered Nisabha who was the chief disciple of Anomadassi Buddha. He maintained the three refuges till the end of his life-span which lasted for 100 thousand years at that time.

He was then reborn in the Tavatimsa celestial abode.He was born as the King of devas for 80 times as the universal monarch for 75 times, as ordinary human-king and ordinary deva-king for innumerable times.He was never reborn in the four lower abodes. In every existence he was honored wherever he went;he had great intellingence and great retinue:he enjoyed great wealth: he possessed fair complexion and good appearance: he was loved by others: he had steady and good friends: his reputation spread in all directions. Finally, he was reborn as a rich-mas’s son in Savatthi. At the age of seven, he was playing with his companions when they happened to be in a monastery and met an arahat . That arahat admonished them kindly and let them undertake the three refuges. As soon as the rich man’s son heard the word “Tisarana” , he recalled the saranagamana which he had maintained in the time of Anomadassi Buddha. At that moment, he attained arahatship.


No.210 - The story which shows the benefits of Saranagamana.

The Story Which Shows Benefits of Saranagamana (The Story of a Wood-cutter and His Son)



The Story of a Wood-cutter and His Son


It was the time under the reign of King Bimbisarain Rajagaha. At that time there lived two boys, who were friends. One of them was the son of a holder of the right view while the other was the son of a holder of the wrong view.


They used to play a game of balls. The first boy always won the game, and the latter learnt that the former recited “Namobuddhassa” (I pay homage to the Buddha) whenever he threw the ball . So the second boy also recited “Namobuddhassa” most of the time.


One day, the second boy accompanied his father who went into the wood to cut some firewood. On their return home in the evening, they stopped near a cemetery to have their meal.They also took off the yoke from the two oxen to enable them to graze nearby. But the two oxen went away without being noticed. As soon as they knew that the two oxen were missing, the wood-cutter went to look for them. Leaving his son with the cart of fire-wood. The father entered the town, looking for his two oxen.

When he returned with the two oxen, it was too late for the city-gate was already closed. Therefore,the young boy had to spend the night alone under the cart. That night two ogres came by the cart as they looked for food. Of the two ogres, one was a right viewer while the other was a wrong viewer. The wrong-viewed ogre wanted to eat the boy as soon as he saw the boy. The right-viewed orge stopped him, but the latter went ahead pulling the leg of the boy. The boy was awakened and he suddenly cried out “Namobuddhassa” as he was used to saying it very often. The ogres got frightend and stepped back. The right-viewed ogre said that as they had done something wrong to the boy, they must look after the boy to undo their actions. As he looked after the boy, his friend went to the palace of Bimbisara and brought some food with the royal bowl.The two ogres then fed the boy as if they were his parents. Then they left a written message on the royal bowl, and they went away at dawn. In the morning the king’s men noticed that the royal bowl was missing and they went around looking for it When they found it on the cart of the wood-cutter ,they brought the bowl together with the boy to the king. The king saw the message on the bowl and realized that a strange event had happened. When the boy’s parents arrived at the palace, the King took them to the Buddha. He presented the facts as he knew to the Buddha and asked the Exalted One what had happened. The Buddha told the King the whole story. The King realized that the boy’s mindfulness of the Buddha had saved the boy from being eaten by the ogres. The Buddha explained the benefits of mindfulness on the virtues of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Samgha to them. At the end of the explanation the boy and his parents became Steamwinners.


No.209 - The difference in merits of the charities performed.

The Difference in Merits of the Charities Performed Inside and Outside the Buddha Sasana

With regard to my older post title-greatly beneficial charity and less beneficial charity, the offerings given inside and outside the Buddha Sasana should be considered “seriously”.

To be greatly beneficial charity, the role of donees plays an important role. We can get the donees who are endowed with morality and good conduct, who are striving to be free from raga, dosa and moha such as noble Samghas only inside the Buddha Sasana. In contrast, it is impossible or very hard to find even the one who is endowed with morality and good conduct outside the Buddha Sasana.

The best illustration, which describes the difference in benefits produced by charity inside and outside the Sasana, is provided by the two celestial beings, Ankura and Indaka.

The Story of the Two Celestial Beings, Ankura and Indaka

The Buddha went to Tavatimsa to preach Abhidhamma to devas and brahmas headed by Santusita deva, who used to be His mother. The deva Indaka arrived there and took his place on the right side of the Buddha. Then the deva Ankura arrived and sat on the left side of the Buddha. Whenever powerful devas and brahmas arrived there, the deva Ankura had to move back to make room for them. When the Buddha started delivering his discourse, Ankura had to sit at a place twelve leagues (twelve yojanas) away from the Buddha. (note: a yojana=about 13miles).

But the deva Indaka did not have to move; he remained at the place where he had initially set close to the Buddha. After delivering the discourse, the Buddha asked Ankura about this matter. Ankura recounted his own story, comparing the benefit of the charity performed inside the Sasana and the charity performed outside the Sasana.

At the time after the Sasana of Kassapa Buddha had disappeared, the future deva Ankura was the youngest son named Ankura among the eleven sons of King Mahasagara who ruled over the Kingdom of Uttaramadhurajika. When Ankura grew up, he earned his livelihood by trading. One day, the prince Ankura travelled across a desert with 500 carts loaded with commodities. They lost their way in the dessert, and encountered great trouble for they were short of food. At that time a certain deva who lived in a banyan-tree in the desert, appeared before him in person. This deva possessed the supernormal powers of creating whatever he wished and letting the created things flow out of his right first finger. He possessed this power, because he had pointed out to donees the place where alms were being given.

This devas who felt greatful to the prince Ankura for the latter had helped him in his previous life, created all the things which the prince wanted. The prince loaded five hundred carts with the things and treasures given by the deva, and returned to his native place.

Thenceforth, the prince performed for ten thousand years (note: the life-span of human-beings varies from time-to-time) a great act of charity by giving away foods and things to thousands of people. As a consequence of his charitable deed, on his death he was reborn in the celestial abode, Tavatamsa, as a deva named Ankura.

Although the prince Ankura had performed a great act of charity for a long time, he had the chance to donate only to people who were not endowed with good morality as it was the time outside the Sasana. It is like planting seeds in an infertile field; and therefore the yield of the crops is very poor. {See detailed facts about that in my older post title-charity is analogous to sowing seeds}.

As for deva Indaka, he had been a youth named Indaka at the time of Gotama Buddha. He offered only one spoonful of alms-food to the Venerable Anuruddha, who was an arahant. On his death, he was reborn in the celestial abode as deva Indaka. As the result of his meritorious action in the time when the Sasana was flourishing, he became a very powerful deva. The very noble donee in the person of Venerable Anuruddha, the arahant, resembles a very good fertile field. Planting a good seed of meritorious deed in this field produces wonderful results. The deva Indaka surpassed the deva Ankura. The former enjoyed a longer life, had more retinues, possessed better appearance, greater wealth and greater power, and enjoyed the pleasure of five senses better than the latter.

Thus the charity performed in the time when the Sasana is flourishing is the greatly beneficial charity. The charity performed outside the Sasana and the charity performed by non-Buddhists inside the Sasana belong to less beneficial charity.

Knowledge is power and may all members be able to gather greatly beneficial merits as much as possible by performing greatly beneficial charity in time while the Sasana is flourishing.


No.208 - Charity is analogous to sowing seeds

~Recipients are the fields,
~~Donors are the farmers,
~~~Offerings are the seeds sown,
~~~~Benefits in future are the fruits.

In the Peta Vatthu (Pali Text) it is said, "The receipient of the charity is like the land; the donor, the farmer; the offerings, the seeds sown. The benefits accrued later throughout samsara are the fruits that are borne from the plants". Let us elaborate:

(1) In agriculture, the type of soil whether good or bad, determines the yield. Similarly, the integrity and nobility of the receipient determine the nature of beneficial results.

(2) Just as the vitality of the seeds sown determines the growth and productivity of the plants, the purity of offerings, gifts, whether they are procured through right livelihood or not, and the quantity, determine the nature of beneficial results.

(3) Just as farmers will reap harvests in conformity with their skill in farming and efforts, so also donors will enjoy results depending on their level of intelligence, appreciative joy and their sincere effort in giving dana.

(4) Famers have to prepare to till and plough their fields properly, before sowing the seeds so as to ensure a good yield. Likewise donors must have pubba-cetana (pre-charity goodwill) before giving dana. Result will depend on the intensity of their pubba-cetana.

(5) Farmers need to weed and water their fields; only then the plants will flourish. In the same way, donors need to recall their charity and feel satisfaction for the meritorious deed. This apara-cetana (post-charity volition) of the donor determines the nature of beneficial results.

(6) In farmers, through folly, destroy their sprouts and seedlings they cannot enjoy the product of their labour. Similarly, if donors feel that they should not have done the alms-giving and regret for it afterwards, then they fail to enjoy good results due to their feeble apara-cetana.

(7) Even though the land and the seeds are all in good condition, the sowing should be done in the right season, the right time so as to get a healthy crop. In the same way, one should give alms to the needy, at suitable time and place. Such charity brings about the best results.

There are such valuable lessons and guidance regarding dana in the Petta Vatthu. Therefore, in giving charity, the correct choice of recipient, the appropriateness of the time and place are very important. The dana must be done with a blissful mind and cheerful volition. Moreover, one should not do dana with a view to getting worldly wealth because such a wish is associated with greed and craving. Your cetana (volition) should be as pure as possible!

The Recipient also Determines the Result___In the Petta Vatthu, it is mentioned that recipients of dana are like fields where the seeds are sown. Farmlands, in general, are of three grades: the very fertile, the mediocre and the poor. Likewise, recipients are also of different grades. Just as farms free of weeds and grass are highly productive, so also if recipients are void of greed, hatred and ignorance, the donors enjoy benefits all the more. Just as farms will yield a plentiful harvest when they are rich in manure and fertilizers, so also good results will accrue to donors when the recipients are persons of virtue and wisdom.


No.207 - Aims giving

One who gives to charity will attain the following benefits:

1. He is admired and adored by many people.
2. Virtuous doneess will approach him for alms.
3. His good fame will spread far and wide.
4. He can join the gathering of any class of people without fear and hesitation.
5. He will be reborn in a celestial abode on his death.

Moreover, he will be the first to be honoured by noble sanghas. The sanghas will approach him first for collecting alms. So he will have the chance to be the first to offer alms-food first and the first to listen to the discourses.

Furthermore, the doner will enjoy special benefits such as longevity, good looks, great strength, great wisdom, fame and followers, happiness and free from sorrow, free from miseries and danger, free from diseases. He will be honoured by devas and men; he will have a chance to live happily together with his loved ones.

Charity softens the hearts of both the donor and the done. It can make uncultured persons cultured. It can settle all matters successfully. It can make others listen to one’s words. It can directly or indirectly bring about the worldly riches of a Universal Monarch, King of all human-beings (cakkavatti), King of gods (Sakka) or Brahma and the supra-mundane benefits of gaining Savakaparami-nana (Ariya lay-devotees of Buddha), Pacceka-bodhinana (Lesser-Buddha who knows Ariya Truths Himself but can’t preach others to know), or Samma-sambodhinana (Buddha). It can help in attaining Jhana, Magga, Phala, and realizing Nibbana.

The benefits mentioned above are just a few and general. The benefits of alms-giving are so numerous that they cannot be mentioned in detail. No one except the Buddha can understand all the benefits of giving to charity


No.206- Remose

Kukkucca (Remorse)

When a bad deed has been done, it is usually followed by kukkucca (remorse). Remorse occurs as a result of bad deeds. It is repentance over wrong things done and right things neglected. So there are two kinds of remorse.

Don’t Leave Room For Remorse

Regret over past wrong deeds will not expel your worries. Regret or remorse will not deliver you from painful consequences. Such repentance will only serve to develop kukkucca, another form of unwholesome mental state. The correct way to overcome remorse is to avoid doing evil deeds again, to make a firm resolution to refrain from akusala, evil action. If the evil deeds are not too serious, you will escape their evil results by virtue of your restraint, as taught by the Buddha in the Mahavagga Samyutta.

Strive Hard While There Is Ample Time

Everyone has to acquire education, wealth and merit according to ability and skill. For such acquisition, opportunities and time are available only when one is young. If he has squandered away the good opportunities and time, he will come to wreck and ruin. There is a saying, “Strike while the iron is hot”. The country folk say, “Sow the seeds when there is rain”. If the rainy season is gone you cannot plough the fields and sow seeds and you fail to harvest the grains.

Even if you realize too late that you have not done meritorious deeds, you should not lament for it. It is never too late to mend. Belated mindfulness is better than total neglect.

There is the story of an executioner who carried out death penalties during the time of the Buddha. He served the king in this way until old age when he was unable to discharge his duty and resigned from his office. The Venerable Sariputta happened to meet him when he was close to death and preached the Noble Dhamma to him. But the old man could not concentrate on the Dhamma because there was too much a contrast between what unwholesome deeds he did and the Noble Dhamma he was hearing.

Knowing the true situation, the Venerable Sariputta asked, “Did you execute the condemned criminals on your own will or by the orders of the king?” He replied: “I had to carry out the commands of the king. I did not kill them on my own will”. Then the Venerable Sariputta said, “If so, is there offence?” and continued his preaching. The old man began to think that he seemed to be free from guilt and his mind became calm. While listening to the Dhamma, he reached the stage of Culasotapanna (A Junior Stream-winner) and he was reborn in the celestial plane (Deva-loka) after his death.

(According to the Dhamma, actually, both he and the king were guilty of these executions even if he was carrying out the orders of the king. But the Venerable Sariputta, in order to calm him and create a clear mind to attend to his teaching, used a good strategy to ask questions that seemed to make him innocent.) (Remark: View Note* for detailed understanding about Facts Concerning “Panatipata Precept”)

Note: The old executioner, admittedly, had taken many lives. But the Venerable Sariputta had asked helpful questions to extinguish kukkucca (remorse). When remorse disappeared the old man was able to concentrate his mind on the true Dhamma attentively and was reborn in the abode of celestial beings. Taking lessons from this story, people should not regret for the evil deeds they have done and the wholesome deeds they have not done, but try not to let fresh unwholesome kamma to arise, and make effort to perform good deeds from the time they come to know of this fact.

Special Advice For My Dhamma Friends

Everyone should prepare to be able to annihilate remorse especially while dying hence at dying moments, kukkucca (remorse) usually comes. Don’t let remorse be your death-approximate kamma otherwise it would serve as Asanna Kamma and it would defeat all Good Acinna Kammas. It would bear its bad results in prior to other good kammas and drown you to woeful abodes. So it is of vital importance to be aware of kukkucca (remorse) and to be able to annihilate especially at dying moments.  (Remark: View Note** for detailed understanding about Kammas According to the Priority of Bearing Results)



No.205 - Mangala Sutta

The Mangala Sutta (The 38 Factors of Auspiciousness)

The Mangala Sutta is one of the most widely known of the Buddha’s discourses. The term “Mangala” means something good or auspiciousness, or lucky, or a good sign or omen. The Mangala Sutta is included in the Khuddakapatha, the first book of the Khuddaka Nikaya. How this Sutta came to be delivered by the Buddha is mentioned in the Sutta itself. For twelve years, devas and men, wishing to have happiness and well-being, pondered over the question of what constituted a “Mangala” or auspiciousness. In those days, people were steeped in superstition and their actions were mostly guided by certain signs and omens which they considered to be auspiciousness. There were differences of opinion and they could not get a consensus among themselves in deciding what exactly was a“Mangala”.Subsequently the Buddha, greater than all devas and men, was approached and requested to resolve the problem. He has taught things auspicious which destroy all evils, which are for good of the whole world. The Mangala Sutta is also one of the first lessons every Buddhist child has to learn either at home or at the monastic school.


The Brief Meanings of the 38 Factors of Auspiciousness

1-Not to associate with the foolish.

2-To associate only with the wise.

3-To honour those who are worthy of the honour.

4-To dwell in a suitable locality. To live in a suitable place.

5-To have done meritorious/good deeds in the past.

6-To set oneself in the right course.

7-To have a wide, general knowledge in mundane and supra-mundane levels. To have vast learning.

8-Being skilful in the technology and handicrafts. To be skilful in arts and science.

9-Learning and abiding by the rules of conduct and disciplines laid down by the Buddha for lay devotees and monks. To be learned in the moral discipline.

10-Speaking what is true, pleasant and beneficial to others. To speak good words.

11-To attend closely to one’s parents. To support parents.

12-To take care of one’s wife and children. To provide for wife and children.

13-To perform a faultless work at a proper time. To be engaged in peaceful occupations.

14-Performing acts of charity. To be generous in alms-giving.

15-To live righteously performing the ten kinds of meritorious deeds. To be righteous in pure conduct.

16-To support one’s paternal and maternal relatives with food, money, encouraging words and good advice. To help one’s relatives.

17-To perform a blameless action. To be blameless in actions.

18-To resolve mentally to refrain from all evils. To abstain from bodily misdeed and evil speech.

19-To refrain from committing three bodily and four verbal evil deeds. To refrain from evil thoughts.

20-To abstain, refrain from any intoxicating drinks and drugs.

21-To be steadfast in moral virtue. Not to be negligent in doing good deeds. To keep the moral precepts. To practise meditation.

22-To pay respect to those who are worth of honour, reverence.

23-To be humble and modest without pride and conceit. To be humble.

24-To be contented with whatever one possesses presently.

25-To acknowledge others and repay one’s debt of gratitude.

26-To frequently listen to the Dhamma.

27-To forgive the insult caused by others and be patient without bearing a grudge.

28-To obey readily the advice given by elders and learned persons. To be obedient.

29-To see noble persons who have purified or are trying to purify their minds from all defilements. To see holy monks.

30-Discussion of the Dhamma with learned persons at the proper time can lead one to prosperity in the present as well as in the future. To holy religious discussions on the proper occasions.

31-To practise austerity by controlling one’s sense faculties in order to scorch all defilements. To possess self-restraint.

32-To undertake the noble practice such as observing the precepts and developing concentration and insight knowledge in order to realize the Four Noble Truths. To lead a holy and chaste life.

33-To have perception of the Four Noble Truths.

34-To realize Nibbana and enjoy the highest bliss.

35-To stand steadfastly with an unshaken mind when one is confronted with the ups and downs of life worldly conditions. To be unruffled by the weal and woe of life.

36-To be free from all worries. To be released from sorrow.

37-To have a mind free from the dust of all defilements such as greed, hatred, ignorance. To be cleaned from impurities.

38-To possess a peaceful mind free from all dangers of defilements. To attain absolute security.


No.204 - Fourteen Kinds of Puggalika Dana.

Fourteen Kinds 0f Puggalika Dana

The Buddha enumerated the benefits of the various types of Puggalika dana as follows.
There are altogether fourteen types of individuals as donee; namely,


1.    the Buddha,
2.    the Lesser Buddha (Pacceka Buddha),
3.    one who has attained Arahatta-phala (Arahat),
4.    one who has attained Arahatta-magga,
5.    one who has attained Anagami-phala (Anagami),
6.    one who has attained Anagami-magga,
7.    one who has attained Sakadagami-phala (Sakadagami),
8.    one who has attained Sakadagami-magga,
9.    one who has attained Sotapatti-phala (Sotapanna),
10.                       one who has attained Sotapatti-magga,
11.                       the recluse who has attained supernormal powers outside the Buddha’s Teaching (Sasana),
12.                       the worldling who keeps moral precepts,
13.                       the worldling with no morality, and
14.                       the animals.


The meritorious deed of offering a meal to an animal may bear benefits which enables one to enjoy longevity, good looks, happiness, great strength and great wisdom for one hundred existences.

Donating a meal to a person with no morality will bear the same results for one thousand existences whereas offering a meal to a person with morality will produce the same results for one lakh existences.

Again, offering a meal to a recluse with supernormal powers will bear similar benefits for ten-lakh million existences, and offering a meal to one who has attained Sotapattimagga will produce similar benefits for countless numbers of existences.

Offering a meal to Noble Ones (Ariyas), the Lesser Buddha and the Buddha can produce infinite benefits for infinite existances.

Note that the benefits significantly escalate from 14(the animals) to 1(the Buddha).

Only if one makes donation to an immoral person with a connivance towards that person’s misdeed, such donation is a blameworthy one. But if one donates something to such a person without discrimination the type of donee and without a connivance towards a donee’s misdeed, such donation is blameless.