[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
become infatuated with sensuality, taking it to be
something excellent and essential for human beings,
something which every man ought to get his share of
before he dies, and making the excuse that we are
doing it for the sake of some quite different ideal. The
hope for rebirth in heaven is founded on sensuality.
Attachment to anything whatsoever, particularly
sensuality, comes about because ignorance has
enveloped the mind cutting off all means of escape. At
several places in the Texts, ignorance is compared to a
thick shell covering the whole world and preventing
people from seeing the real light.
The Buddha placed ignorance last in the list of the ten
fetters. When a person becomes an Arahant, the high-
est grade of Ariyan, he completely eliminates the five
remaining fetters or defilements. He eliminates desire
for forms, desire for objects other than forms, status
consciousness, agitation and ignorance. The four kinds
of Ariyan, Stream-enterer, Once-returner, Never-
returner and Arahant, dwell in the Supra mundane
plane. The Supramundane can be recognized as having
nine aspects. The condition of the Stream-enterer
131
while he is in the process of cutting out the defile-
ments is called the Path of Stream entry, and that when
he has succeeded in cutting them out is called the Fruit
of Stream entry. Likewise there are the following
pairs: Path and Fruit of Once returning, Path and Fruit
of Never returning and Path and Fruit of Arahantship,
in all four pairs. These together with Nirvna make up
the nine aspects of the Supramundane. For an
individual in the supramundane plane, suffering is
diminished in accordance with his status until
ultimately he is completely free of it. When a person
once succeeds in attaining unobscured and perfect
insight into the true nature of things so that he is able
to stop desiring anything whatsoever, he has attained
the supramundane plane, his mind has transcended the
worldly condition. And when he has completely and
utterly relinquished all the mental defilements, his
mind is rendered permanently free of all those worldly
things which formerly it liked and disliked.
Nirvna is a condition not in any way comparable to
any other. It is unlike any worldly condition. In fact, it
is the very negation of the worldly condition. Given all
the characteristics of the worldly condition, of
phenomenal existence, the result of completely
canceling out all those characteristics is Nirvna. That
is to say, Nirvna is that which is in every respect
precisely the opposite of the worldly condition.
Nirvna neither creates nor is created, being the
cessation of all creating. Speaking in terms of benefits,
Nirvna is complete freedom from hellfire, scourging,
132
torture, bondage, subjection and thralldom, because
the attainment of Nirvna presupposes the complete
elimination of the defilements, which are the cause of
all unsatisfactory mental states. Nirvna lies beyond
the limitations of space and time. It is unique, unlike
anything in the world. Rather it is the extinction of the
worldly condition. Speaking metaphorically, the
Buddha called it the realm where all conditional things
cease to be (Sa khra-samatho). Hence it is the
condition of freedom, of freedom from fetters. It is the
end of torment and buffeting, stabbing and chafing,
from any source whatsoever. This is the nature of the
Supramundane, the ultimate. It is the Buddhist goal
and destination. It is the final fruit of Buddhist
practice. In the foregoing pages we have explained
systematically the principles of Buddhism. We have
presented it as an organized practical system designed
to bring knowledge of the true nature of things. In
reality things are impermanent, unsatisfactory and not
selves; but all creatures are attracted by things and
become attached to them simply through misunder-
standing. The Buddhist practice, based on Morality
(S%2Å‚la), Concentration (Samdhi), and Insight (Pañña),
is a tool to be used for completely cutting out grasping
and clinging. The objects of our clinging are the five
aggregates: body, feeling, perception, active thinking
and consciousness. When we have come to know the
true nature of the five aggregates, we understand all
things so well that desire gives way to disenchantment,
and we no longer cling to any of them.
133
What we have to do is lead the kind of life described
as Right Living (Samm Vihareyyum), and be full day
and night with the joy that arises out of conduct that is
consistently good, beautiful and right. This limits
aimless wandering of the thoughts and makes it
possible to concentrate and to have clear insight at all
times. Then if conditions are right, the result is
disenchantment, struggle to break loose, slipping free,
or even complete Nirvna. If we wish to hurry and
gain quick results, then there is the line of practice
called Vipassan, which begins with moral purity and
mental purity and carries right through to perfect and
unobscured intuitive insight. By this means we can
completely cut through the fetters that bind us fast to
this world, and attain the final Fruit of the Path. This is
a brief account of the whole of Buddha Dhamma from
beginning to end, including both theoretical and
practical principles, and covering the entire subject
right from the first steps to the final Fruit. The whole
story ends with Nirvna. As the Buddha said: All
Buddhas recognize Nirvna as the highest good . So it
behoves us to practice in order to realize and attain
that which should be realized and attained. Doing this,
we shall deserve to be called Buddhists; we shall gain
insight and penetrate to the real essence of Buddha
Dhamma. If we don t practice Buddha Dhamma, we
shall only know about it and shall lack any true
insight. It rests with each of us to practice intro-
spection, observe and understand his own imperfect-
ions, and then try to root them out completely. Even if
one is only half successful, some clear understanding
134
will result. As the defilements are progressively
eliminated, their place is taken by purity, insight and
peace. So I advise and beseech you to approach the
subject in this fashion. You may then succeed in
penetrating to the real Buddha Dhamma. Don t waste
the advantages of having been born a human being and
having encountered the Buddha s teaching. Don t miss
this chance to be a perfect human being.
135
Handbook for Mankind
by Buddhadsa Bhikkhu
translated from the Thai by Ariyananda Bhikkhu (Roderick S. Bucknell)
For more information: Dhammadana Foundation c/o Suan Mokh Chaiya Surat
Thani 84110 Thailand
First electronic edition: December 1996
Scanning & Proofreading: John Gebhardt:
Email: gebhardt@well.com
This electronic edition is offered
FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION ONLY
by arrangement with the Dhammadana Foundation. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
become infatuated with sensuality, taking it to be
something excellent and essential for human beings,
something which every man ought to get his share of
before he dies, and making the excuse that we are
doing it for the sake of some quite different ideal. The
hope for rebirth in heaven is founded on sensuality.
Attachment to anything whatsoever, particularly
sensuality, comes about because ignorance has
enveloped the mind cutting off all means of escape. At
several places in the Texts, ignorance is compared to a
thick shell covering the whole world and preventing
people from seeing the real light.
The Buddha placed ignorance last in the list of the ten
fetters. When a person becomes an Arahant, the high-
est grade of Ariyan, he completely eliminates the five
remaining fetters or defilements. He eliminates desire
for forms, desire for objects other than forms, status
consciousness, agitation and ignorance. The four kinds
of Ariyan, Stream-enterer, Once-returner, Never-
returner and Arahant, dwell in the Supra mundane
plane. The Supramundane can be recognized as having
nine aspects. The condition of the Stream-enterer
131
while he is in the process of cutting out the defile-
ments is called the Path of Stream entry, and that when
he has succeeded in cutting them out is called the Fruit
of Stream entry. Likewise there are the following
pairs: Path and Fruit of Once returning, Path and Fruit
of Never returning and Path and Fruit of Arahantship,
in all four pairs. These together with Nirvna make up
the nine aspects of the Supramundane. For an
individual in the supramundane plane, suffering is
diminished in accordance with his status until
ultimately he is completely free of it. When a person
once succeeds in attaining unobscured and perfect
insight into the true nature of things so that he is able
to stop desiring anything whatsoever, he has attained
the supramundane plane, his mind has transcended the
worldly condition. And when he has completely and
utterly relinquished all the mental defilements, his
mind is rendered permanently free of all those worldly
things which formerly it liked and disliked.
Nirvna is a condition not in any way comparable to
any other. It is unlike any worldly condition. In fact, it
is the very negation of the worldly condition. Given all
the characteristics of the worldly condition, of
phenomenal existence, the result of completely
canceling out all those characteristics is Nirvna. That
is to say, Nirvna is that which is in every respect
precisely the opposite of the worldly condition.
Nirvna neither creates nor is created, being the
cessation of all creating. Speaking in terms of benefits,
Nirvna is complete freedom from hellfire, scourging,
132
torture, bondage, subjection and thralldom, because
the attainment of Nirvna presupposes the complete
elimination of the defilements, which are the cause of
all unsatisfactory mental states. Nirvna lies beyond
the limitations of space and time. It is unique, unlike
anything in the world. Rather it is the extinction of the
worldly condition. Speaking metaphorically, the
Buddha called it the realm where all conditional things
cease to be (Sa khra-samatho). Hence it is the
condition of freedom, of freedom from fetters. It is the
end of torment and buffeting, stabbing and chafing,
from any source whatsoever. This is the nature of the
Supramundane, the ultimate. It is the Buddhist goal
and destination. It is the final fruit of Buddhist
practice. In the foregoing pages we have explained
systematically the principles of Buddhism. We have
presented it as an organized practical system designed
to bring knowledge of the true nature of things. In
reality things are impermanent, unsatisfactory and not
selves; but all creatures are attracted by things and
become attached to them simply through misunder-
standing. The Buddhist practice, based on Morality
(S%2Å‚la), Concentration (Samdhi), and Insight (Pañña),
is a tool to be used for completely cutting out grasping
and clinging. The objects of our clinging are the five
aggregates: body, feeling, perception, active thinking
and consciousness. When we have come to know the
true nature of the five aggregates, we understand all
things so well that desire gives way to disenchantment,
and we no longer cling to any of them.
133
What we have to do is lead the kind of life described
as Right Living (Samm Vihareyyum), and be full day
and night with the joy that arises out of conduct that is
consistently good, beautiful and right. This limits
aimless wandering of the thoughts and makes it
possible to concentrate and to have clear insight at all
times. Then if conditions are right, the result is
disenchantment, struggle to break loose, slipping free,
or even complete Nirvna. If we wish to hurry and
gain quick results, then there is the line of practice
called Vipassan, which begins with moral purity and
mental purity and carries right through to perfect and
unobscured intuitive insight. By this means we can
completely cut through the fetters that bind us fast to
this world, and attain the final Fruit of the Path. This is
a brief account of the whole of Buddha Dhamma from
beginning to end, including both theoretical and
practical principles, and covering the entire subject
right from the first steps to the final Fruit. The whole
story ends with Nirvna. As the Buddha said: All
Buddhas recognize Nirvna as the highest good . So it
behoves us to practice in order to realize and attain
that which should be realized and attained. Doing this,
we shall deserve to be called Buddhists; we shall gain
insight and penetrate to the real essence of Buddha
Dhamma. If we don t practice Buddha Dhamma, we
shall only know about it and shall lack any true
insight. It rests with each of us to practice intro-
spection, observe and understand his own imperfect-
ions, and then try to root them out completely. Even if
one is only half successful, some clear understanding
134
will result. As the defilements are progressively
eliminated, their place is taken by purity, insight and
peace. So I advise and beseech you to approach the
subject in this fashion. You may then succeed in
penetrating to the real Buddha Dhamma. Don t waste
the advantages of having been born a human being and
having encountered the Buddha s teaching. Don t miss
this chance to be a perfect human being.
135
Handbook for Mankind
by Buddhadsa Bhikkhu
translated from the Thai by Ariyananda Bhikkhu (Roderick S. Bucknell)
For more information: Dhammadana Foundation c/o Suan Mokh Chaiya Surat
Thani 84110 Thailand
First electronic edition: December 1996
Scanning & Proofreading: John Gebhardt:
Email: gebhardt@well.com
This electronic edition is offered
FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION ONLY
by arrangement with the Dhammadana Foundation. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]