Working Together

From Bhikkhu Bodhi’s translation of the Aṅguttara Nikāya 4.170, Yuganaddha Sutta

Friends, whatever bhikkhu or bhikkhuni has declared the attainment of arahantship in my presence has done so by these four paths… [Yo hi koci, āvuso, bhikkhu vā bhikkhunī vā mama santike arahattappattiṁ byākaroti, sabbo so catūhi maggehi, etesaṁ vā aññatarena.]

Here, a bhikkhu develops insight preceded by serenity… [Idha, āvuso, bhikkhu samathapubbaṅgamaṁ vipassanaṁ bhāveti.]

Again, a bhikkhu develops serenity preceded by insight… [Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu vipassanāpubbaṅgamaṁ samathaṁ bhāveti.]

Again, a bhikkhu develops serenity and insight in conjunction… [Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu samathavipassanaṁ yuganaddhaṁ bhāveti.]

Again, a bhikkhu’s mind is seized by restlessness about the Dhamma. But there comes an occasion when his mind becomes internally steady, composed, unified, and concentrated. Then the path is developed in him. [Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhuno dhammuddhaccaviggahitaṁ mānasaṁ hoti. Hoti so, āvuso, samayo yaṁ taṁ cittaṁ ajjhattameva santiṭṭhati sannisīdati ekodi hoti samādhiyati. Tassa maggo sañjāyati.]

[Update 8 Dec 12 9:15am: changed the title of the post. Meant buckets to me, but perhaps a bit too puzzling for others]

Marriage Equality

A brilliant essay by Ajarn Sujato, “Why Buddhists Should Support Marriage Equality“.

Freedom

Was speaking with a supporter of the monastery about opera today when I mentioned this one being my favorite choral piece. To see Tibetan and Cambodian children singing in Italian, especially about this dream of a free home, is really moving. For the lyrics and more info about this this piece, see Và Pensiero.

It goes without saying that my posting here has been scant of late, so if you are still visiting, thank you very much!

[re] Visiting the Kālāma Sutta

Bodhipaksa has a running series on his site entitled “Fake Buddha Quotes”. He’s not addressed this one yet, but it happens to be one of the ones that concerns me quite a bit:

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own commonsense”.

As usual, Jayarava does an excellent analysis of the Kālāma Sutta in Negative Criteria for Moral Decision Making in the Kālāma Sutta and Positive Criteria for Moral Decision Making in the Kālāma Sutta. The following paragraph from the latter essay stands out:

Many readers and commentators seem to have taken this sutta as suggesting that it’s up to each of us to decide for ourselves how to think or behave. They take it as a confirmation that the Buddha preached something like the Romantic view of natural virtue spontaneously emerging in the individual free of social constraints. [3] In fact the Buddha’s view was not like this at all. For the Buddha the way of virtue was one of restraint (saṃvara) and vigilance (appamāda); where remorse (hiri) and shame (ottappa) were uppermost in the mind; and one restricted sensory input by guarding the senses (indriyesu guttadvāra) and carefully avoiding contact with disturbing influences (yoniso manasikāra). Buddhist morality, as we find it in these early sources, is in fact about carefully and strictly conforming to a set of norms which provides the mental clarity and calm that enable effective meditation.

Also recommended are Bhikkhu Bodhi’s essay A Look at the Kālāma Sutta and Buddhadasa Bhikkhu’s Help! The Kalama Sutta, Help!.

My Dad 20 Sep 1941 – 2 Feb 2011

For a life well lived. Safe journeys ahead

“Aniccā vata saṅkhārā
Uppādavayadhammino
Uppajjitvā nirujjhanti
Tesaṁ vūpasamo sukho.

“Dukkhā vata saṅkhārā
Uppādavayadhammino
Uppajjitvā nirujjhanti
Tesaṁ vūpasamo sukho.

“Anattā vata saṅkhārā
Uppādavayadhammino
Uppajjitvā nirujjhanti
Tesaṁ vūpasamo sukho.”

Rethinking the Term “Rebirth”

From Dharmadasa Bhikkhu:

Recently I was trying to explain the difference between re-becoming and re-birth, as I understand the terms. The latter term, in my opinion, is from a misunderstanding of the Buddha’s teaching, but it has become generally accepted, without reflection. The Pali term in question is “punabbhava”. You will not find the Buddha talking about “puna-jaati” at all in the Pali Canon. Puna-jaati would be the Pali translation of “re-brith”. Punabbhava on the other hand, could be translated and I think would be best translated “re-becoming”.

Due to all conditioned things being impermanent, it is impossible that something could experience the same birth again. No, each birth is different, or the being born each time, is different. Therefore a being could not have a “re-birth”. Of course one could be born as a human, god, devil etc many times, but one would be (the birth would be) different each time.

But if we understand becoming as a process which leads to birth, each time a different birth, we could see that the process of becoming could be the same each time. Therefore we can undergo the process many times, again and again, thus “re-becoming” or “again-becoming” leading to a different birth each time.

This can be likened to the process of cooking a cake. The process has to be repeated each time one wants to cook a cake. The ingredients may change a little depending on the type of cake one wanted, but even if we wanted to cook a banana cake every time, the resulting cake would never be the same as the one before. Though of course there would be basic similarities, otherwise we couldn’t say a “banana” cake etc.

Thus we would have “re-becoming” leading to a different birth each time and many births [and deaths] in the cycling within Samsaara.

Please see also Mechanics of Kamma and Rebirth and Kamma as a Sack of Seeds

Service for Others

“Go your ways, oh monks, for the benefit and happiness of many, out of compassion for the world, for the good, benefit, and happiness of gods and men. Let no two go in the same direction. Teach, oh monks, the Dhamma, which is beneficial in the beginning, in the middle, and at the end— both the spirit and the letter of it. Make known the Noble Life, which is fully complete (requiring no addition) and pure (requiring no subtraction). There are beings with only a little dust in their eyes who will be lost unless they hear the Dhamma. Such persons will understand the truth.”

“Caratha bhikkhave cārikaṁ bahujana-hitāya bahujana-sukhāya, lokānukampāya, atthāya hitāya sukhāya devamanussānaṁ. Mā ekena dve āgamittha. Desetha bhikkhave Dhammaṁ ādikalyāṇaṁ, majjhekalyāṇaṁ, pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ. Kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāsetha. Santi sattā apparajakkhajātikā asavanatā Dhammassa parihāyanti. Bhavissanti Dhammassa aññātāro.”

Dutiyā Mārapāsa Sutta, Saṃyutta Nikāya, IV (I).5