2. Concentration of mind (Samādhi)
It is necessary to attain control over mind for purifying one’s actions of body and speech. When the mind is under control then only one can avoid committing misdeeds and tend to perform virtuous actions. For achieving concentration of mind observation of Śīla is a necessary condition. Most of the Indians of those days gave importance to the attainment of control over mind and for this they adopted several measures, some of which are still prevalent. For example-
Everyone has his own deity or god or goddess whom he reveres. He recites his or her name repeatedly so that he she is pleased and makes his mind concentrated. However, this way of attaining concentration is not universal but sectarian because his/her god or goddess is not universally accepted by all.
The Dhamma sons of the Buddha did not seem to have created any controversy by contradicting such beliefs of the people. But, gradually this truth was established in their minds that one’s liberation is in one’s own hands. Instead of concentrating the mind and purifying it by taking support of anyone else, they must have realized that an individual is one’s own master, who else can be his master?
Attā hi attano nātho, ko hi nātho paro siyā. They also must have realized that one’s attaining good state or bad state is in one’s own hands. -- Attā hi attano gati Therefore, for improving one’s condition, one has to make efforts at one’s own level.
For attaining control over mind, the Dhamma ambassadors showed them the universal way. ‘Keep on observing the flow of the normal breath coming in and going out naturally. As soon as the mind wanders away, bring it back to the awareness of the breath. No word should be repeated with the breath; no imaginary belief is to be combined with it. As the breath is coming in and going out naturally, just keep observing it as it is.’
Some people might have accepted this technique of self -reliance, while many might have given importance to the traditional way of achieving concentration. Those who took recourse to self reliance in place of the traditional way might have turned to wisdom (Paññā).
3. Wisdom (Paññā)
As one gets strengthened in the right concentration (sammā samādhi) on the basis of normal, natural breath, one starts experiencing some sensation near the entrance of the nostrils. Then it starts spreading in the whole body. The truth which one thus realizes is due to one’s own efforts. Therefore, it is not an indirect knowledge. It is a knowledge gained through one’s direct experience. Thus, it is called Paññā (wisdom – direct experiential knowledge).
As one worked more and more to develop concentration, one came to realize the three kinds of wisdom.
First is the ‘heard wisdom’ (Śutamayī Paññā) , which is the knowledge acquired by hearing from someone and accepting it with reverence.
Second is intellectual wisdom (Cintanamayī Paññā) which is gained by reflecting over what one has heard from others. When he finds it logical he accepts it. This is called intellectual knowledge gained at the intellectual level by reflection. But both of these are not wisdom in the right sense.
Third is ‘experiential wisdom’ (Bhāvanāmayī Paññā). This is right wisdom, which is the knowledge gained through one’s own experience. Accepting something as true after hearing from others is not real knowledge. Nor reflecting over something found in a book as logical also is wisdom. The right wisdom is that knowledge which arises through one’s own direct experience. It is not indirect knowledge, but it is one’s own direct knowledge. Therefore, this is wisdom in the right sense.
People meditating in the way taught by the first Dhamma ambassadors might have found great improvement and change in their minds. Someone, who was wicked, became a righteous person, and became a man of integrity.
Someone, who was a drunkard, got out of his addiction. A gambler got rid of the habit of gambling. An adulterer gave up committing adultery. In this way, people started getting benefited by this technique. Many people after getting rid of their bad actions started performing good actions. The people found the technique given by the Dhamma sons of the Buddha as instantaneously result producing. However, one has to work hard at one’s own level to attain the benefits from this. Someone may explain how to go on the path, but one has to walk on it on his own. One can not depend upon other’s support and help for none can proxy for others.
Still, some people because of their fascination for the old traditions might not have shown their inclination towards this technique. But when they saw others reaping benefits from it they must have been attracted towards it.
Thus, this technique of self reliance based on truth giving immediate results started attracting people. The first Dhamma ambassadors of the Buddha while moving in different directions began to teach this technique. People were attracted towards it as they were benefited by it. In this way, these sixty Dhamma ambassadors began to teach this technique of meditation. But, later on many meritorious people walking on this path derived benefit and began to teach this useful technique to others. Thus, this technique of the Buddha spread in cities and villages of the Northern India. People practicing it began to promote their welfare.
Among the first 60 Dhamma ambassadors, 5 were Brahmins and 55 belonged to the merchant class. Because of their contacts with the merchant community, Dhamma spread faster among merchants. As they undertook long journeys to far- off places for spreading their business they expounded the teachings of the Buddha wherever they went. Through them the teachings of the Buddha began to spread far and wide.
A group of such merchants reached Takshila-- the capital city of Gandhaar and met king Pukkusaati. When the king heard of the teachings of the Buddha and came to know that the Buddha was residing at Rajgir at that time he was extremely thrilled and became eager to meet him. Because of his past merits (pāramī), he abandoned his kingdom and set out on his journey to Rajgir to meet the Buddha and receive his teachings. As he was greatly fond of his people, so seeing him leave his palace and going away they were greatly shocked. They also started following him. He asked them not to follow him but they did not obey. At last he said firmly, ‘if you consider me your king then I draw this line. Do not cross it.’ The people were disappointed and returned reluctantly. He walked alone on foot. When he reached Rajgir after a long journey, it was evening. The doors of the city were closed. So he stayed in an inn belonging to a potter. By chance, the Buddha was also staying there. He received the teachings of pure Dhamma from the Buddha there and instantaneously attained the stage of Anāgāmī (Non-Returner). The Buddha then asked him to visit the town in the morning and bring robes from someone, so that he could be ordained as a monk. As he was going to the town, he met an accident. He was gored to death by a bull. Thus, he could not become a monk and was thus deprived of higher ordination (upsampadā).
This is only an example to show how the teachings of the Buddha reached far-off countries like Gandhār and Shāl (Queta). Wherever his teachings reached, people were attracted towards them. They accepted them and were benefited. Thus, the light emitted by the Dhammacakka (the wheel of Dhamma) spread far and wide in the Northern India. Let us also be inspired by this instance and make efforts for our welfare. In this lie happiness and welfare of all.
#Buddha #Buddhism #Zen #Life #Lifestyle #wisdomwinds
It is necessary to attain control over mind for purifying one’s actions of body and speech. When the mind is under control then only one can avoid committing misdeeds and tend to perform virtuous actions. For achieving concentration of mind observation of Śīla is a necessary condition. Most of the Indians of those days gave importance to the attainment of control over mind and for this they adopted several measures, some of which are still prevalent. For example-
Everyone has his own deity or god or goddess whom he reveres. He recites his or her name repeatedly so that he she is pleased and makes his mind concentrated. However, this way of attaining concentration is not universal but sectarian because his/her god or goddess is not universally accepted by all.
The Dhamma sons of the Buddha did not seem to have created any controversy by contradicting such beliefs of the people. But, gradually this truth was established in their minds that one’s liberation is in one’s own hands. Instead of concentrating the mind and purifying it by taking support of anyone else, they must have realized that an individual is one’s own master, who else can be his master?
Attā hi attano nātho, ko hi nātho paro siyā. They also must have realized that one’s attaining good state or bad state is in one’s own hands. -- Attā hi attano gati Therefore, for improving one’s condition, one has to make efforts at one’s own level.
For attaining control over mind, the Dhamma ambassadors showed them the universal way. ‘Keep on observing the flow of the normal breath coming in and going out naturally. As soon as the mind wanders away, bring it back to the awareness of the breath. No word should be repeated with the breath; no imaginary belief is to be combined with it. As the breath is coming in and going out naturally, just keep observing it as it is.’
Some people might have accepted this technique of self -reliance, while many might have given importance to the traditional way of achieving concentration. Those who took recourse to self reliance in place of the traditional way might have turned to wisdom (Paññā).
3. Wisdom (Paññā)
As one gets strengthened in the right concentration (sammā samādhi) on the basis of normal, natural breath, one starts experiencing some sensation near the entrance of the nostrils. Then it starts spreading in the whole body. The truth which one thus realizes is due to one’s own efforts. Therefore, it is not an indirect knowledge. It is a knowledge gained through one’s direct experience. Thus, it is called Paññā (wisdom – direct experiential knowledge).
As one worked more and more to develop concentration, one came to realize the three kinds of wisdom.
First is the ‘heard wisdom’ (Śutamayī Paññā) , which is the knowledge acquired by hearing from someone and accepting it with reverence.
Second is intellectual wisdom (Cintanamayī Paññā) which is gained by reflecting over what one has heard from others. When he finds it logical he accepts it. This is called intellectual knowledge gained at the intellectual level by reflection. But both of these are not wisdom in the right sense.
Third is ‘experiential wisdom’ (Bhāvanāmayī Paññā). This is right wisdom, which is the knowledge gained through one’s own experience. Accepting something as true after hearing from others is not real knowledge. Nor reflecting over something found in a book as logical also is wisdom. The right wisdom is that knowledge which arises through one’s own direct experience. It is not indirect knowledge, but it is one’s own direct knowledge. Therefore, this is wisdom in the right sense.
People meditating in the way taught by the first Dhamma ambassadors might have found great improvement and change in their minds. Someone, who was wicked, became a righteous person, and became a man of integrity.
Someone, who was a drunkard, got out of his addiction. A gambler got rid of the habit of gambling. An adulterer gave up committing adultery. In this way, people started getting benefited by this technique. Many people after getting rid of their bad actions started performing good actions. The people found the technique given by the Dhamma sons of the Buddha as instantaneously result producing. However, one has to work hard at one’s own level to attain the benefits from this. Someone may explain how to go on the path, but one has to walk on it on his own. One can not depend upon other’s support and help for none can proxy for others.
Still, some people because of their fascination for the old traditions might not have shown their inclination towards this technique. But when they saw others reaping benefits from it they must have been attracted towards it.
Thus, this technique of self reliance based on truth giving immediate results started attracting people. The first Dhamma ambassadors of the Buddha while moving in different directions began to teach this technique. People were attracted towards it as they were benefited by it. In this way, these sixty Dhamma ambassadors began to teach this technique of meditation. But, later on many meritorious people walking on this path derived benefit and began to teach this useful technique to others. Thus, this technique of the Buddha spread in cities and villages of the Northern India. People practicing it began to promote their welfare.
Among the first 60 Dhamma ambassadors, 5 were Brahmins and 55 belonged to the merchant class. Because of their contacts with the merchant community, Dhamma spread faster among merchants. As they undertook long journeys to far- off places for spreading their business they expounded the teachings of the Buddha wherever they went. Through them the teachings of the Buddha began to spread far and wide.
A group of such merchants reached Takshila-- the capital city of Gandhaar and met king Pukkusaati. When the king heard of the teachings of the Buddha and came to know that the Buddha was residing at Rajgir at that time he was extremely thrilled and became eager to meet him. Because of his past merits (pāramī), he abandoned his kingdom and set out on his journey to Rajgir to meet the Buddha and receive his teachings. As he was greatly fond of his people, so seeing him leave his palace and going away they were greatly shocked. They also started following him. He asked them not to follow him but they did not obey. At last he said firmly, ‘if you consider me your king then I draw this line. Do not cross it.’ The people were disappointed and returned reluctantly. He walked alone on foot. When he reached Rajgir after a long journey, it was evening. The doors of the city were closed. So he stayed in an inn belonging to a potter. By chance, the Buddha was also staying there. He received the teachings of pure Dhamma from the Buddha there and instantaneously attained the stage of Anāgāmī (Non-Returner). The Buddha then asked him to visit the town in the morning and bring robes from someone, so that he could be ordained as a monk. As he was going to the town, he met an accident. He was gored to death by a bull. Thus, he could not become a monk and was thus deprived of higher ordination (upsampadā).
This is only an example to show how the teachings of the Buddha reached far-off countries like Gandhār and Shāl (Queta). Wherever his teachings reached, people were attracted towards them. They accepted them and were benefited. Thus, the light emitted by the Dhammacakka (the wheel of Dhamma) spread far and wide in the Northern India. Let us also be inspired by this instance and make efforts for our welfare. In this lie happiness and welfare of all.
#Buddha #Buddhism #Zen #Life #Lifestyle #wisdomwinds
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