Saturday 9 August 2014

MN78 Samanamandikaputta

Suppose someone has four qualities:

  1. he refrains from bodily evil actions
  2. he utters no evil speech
  3. he has no evil intentions
  4. he does not engage in evil livelihood
Does that make a man "accomplished"? According to the Buddha: no.He would simply be at the level of a tender infant, lying prone. That is to say, an infant would conform to all of the above strictures, but you wouldn't call him "perfected in what is wholesome".

The Buddha said that there are actually 10 qualities for a man to be "perfected in what is wholesome":
  1. right view of one beyond training
  2. right intention of ...
  3. right speech ...
  4. right action ...
  5. right livelihood ...
  6. right effort ...
  7. right mindfulness ...
  8. right concentration ...
  9. right knowledge ...
  10. right deliverance ...
. He must understand:
  1. the existence, origin, the cessation and practise leading to the cessation of unwholesome habits
  2. likewise for wholesome habits
  3. and unwholesome intentions
  4. and wholesome intentions
What are unwholesome habits? They are unwholesome bodily action, unwholesome verbal actions, and evil livelihood.

Where do they originate from? From the mind. What mind? A mind affected by lust, hate and delusion.

Where do these unwholesome habits "cease without remainder"? He abandons bodily misconduct and develops good verbal conduct. Likewise for verbal misconduct and wrong livelihood.

How does a bhikkhu practise the way to the cessation of unwholesome habits? He awakens zeal for the non-arising of evil unwholesome states, zeal for the abandonment of arisen evil unwholesome states, zeal for the arising of unarisen wholesome states, and zeal for the continuance of arisen wholesome states.

What are wholesome habits? They are wholesome, bodily actions, verbal actions, and purification of livelihood. They originate from a mind unaffected by lust, hate, or delusion.

Where do they cease without remainder? A bhikkhu is virtuous, but he does not identify with his virtue, and he understands it as such.

How does he practise the way to the cessation of wholesome habits? He awakens zeal for the non-arising of unarisen evil unwholesome states, for the continuance of arisen wholesome states.

What are unwholesome intentions? They are sensual desire, ill will, and cruelty. They originate from perception.

Where do they cease without remainder? By entering the first jhana

What are wholesome intentions? They are the intention of renunciation, non-ill will, and non-cruelty.

How do they originate? From perception.

Where do they cease without remainder? By entering the second jhana

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