Satipatthana sermon for overcoming Grief (1) |
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| What is Grief? | |||
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The following Satipatthana sermon on over coming grief is based on Mahasatipatthana sutta of Mahavagga, Dighanikaya and the commentary on it. We give the sermon according to the views of the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. "We pay respect to the all-Enlightened Buddha who is worthy of honour". On one occasion the Buddha gave the following discourse while he was residing at Kammasadhamma village in Kuru country. Monks! There are four applications of mindfulness (satipatthana).
Thus the Buddha proclaimed the seven kinds of benefits that accrue the practice of Satipatthana mindfulness. The present sermon concerns the second of the seven benefits. The answer to this question is to be found in the Buddha's teaching about grief in the section, 'The truth of suffering" or "Contemplation of the Mind in Mahasatipatthana Sutta." "Monks! What is grief? Grief arises when death occurs in a man's beloved family, when be loses his fortune or when he is afflicted with a disease, or when his moral character or religious faith goes to rack and ruin. Every-body who faces ruin in one way or the other is stricken with grief." Every man comes to grief when he is in imminent danger of being killed or imprisoned. The grief-stricken man is unhappy, depressed, anxious and agitated. His mind is in turmoil. He cannot sleep or eat anything. Desolate, distressed and brooding over his troubles, he suffers from the throes of grief. Such is the anguish of every grief-stricken man and Woman. Grief is another word for mental suffering. So the Buddha describes it as the truth of suffering. Grief afflicts every ordinary person who is not yet free from defilements. All ordinary People wandering in the cycle of life (samsara) are bound to be stricken with grief. Grief oppresses every ordinary living being irrespective of race, class or religion. As the Buddha says, grief originates in the contact between one of the five kinds of ruin and one of the sense-objects. Thousands of people come to grief because of the loss of parents,' husbands, wives, children or friends. Some are besides themselves with anguish over the loss of or separation from their beloved ones. Some suffer from sleeplessness or loss of appetite to the point of breakdown in their health and some eventually die of a broken-heart. In the life time of the Buddha there were many grief-stricken people such as, for example, Kisagotami who came to the Buddha in search of some one who could restore her dead child to life or King Munda who was so much overwhelmed with grief over the loss of his queen Upari that he kept her body mummified. Moreover there were many people like the Brahmin in the story in kamasutta who became much despondent when he saw his paddy fields lying in ruins. To day there are countless people who are depressed because of their sickness. It is also not hard to find people who have come to grief as a result of their loss of religious faith. Some people suffer from the dissolution of their moral character as exemplified by king Ajatasattus. As a result of his ill-fated companionship with Devadatta, Prince Ajatasattus killed his father King Bimbisara, thereby making himself guilty of the heinous crime of patricide. Being seized with remorse, he could not sleep despite the silvery moon-light and a cool breeze. Self-condemnation and condemnation by other people weighed heavily on his mind. The crime he had committed was so grave that although he heard the Buddha-dhamma and apologized for his misdeed, he landed in Lohakumbhi hell after his death. As a king he escaped punishment before he died but his stricken-conscience made his life miserable and unhappy. Murderers, thieves, adulterers, liars and drunkards, too, are plagued by anxiety and grief. Even though their moral degeneration is not known to other people, it hurts their conscience, keeps them ill at ease and makes their behaviour open to suspicion. They may pretend to be good people for some time but their pretension cannot save them in the long run. Nowadays people all over the world are ruined in one way or another: They are in despair because sensual objects bedevil them and bring about much suffering : Grief has driven to suicide some millionaire-families in capitalist countries that abound in luxuries. Some students take poison when they fail in examination. Some men or women hang themselves when they are separated from their lover. Some die by drowning when they cannot pay their debts. Some take their lives when they do not get the object of their desire or when they have to associate with what they dislike. All these tragedies are due to grief.. Various methods and various medicines are being sought and used to overcome grief. But we are not free from grief because most of these methods and medicines are not really effective. Some may apparently afford temporary relief but in the end we usually have to face grief that has become more intense. It's a pity that some people resort to drinking in order to get over their grief. For it is like trying to extract a thorn by means of another thorn so that the second thorn also gets stuck in the flesh. Drinking does not cure a man of grief. Instead through its evil effect alcohol makes his suffering go from bad to worse. In fact all ordinary people undergo suffering in every existence through their life cycle. Grief wreaks havoc on their minds and it afflicts them repeatedly. To sum up the origin of grief we repeat the Buddha's teaching in the section " Contemplation of the Mind" in Mahasatipatthana sutta. According to the Buddha, grief arises when a man is ruined in connection with one of his five physical, social or spiritual assets, viz., family, wealth, health, moral character or religious belief. In the face of one of these crises grief and anxiety plague him gnawing at his psyche and causing much anguish. The Dhamma for overcoming Grief Let every one who wishes to be free from grief, practise Mahasatipatthana method of mindfulness. Here we will repeat the Buddha's declaration that we have already mentioned before. "The path of Satipatthana mindfulness is the only path of the Buddhas, paccekabuddhas and the Ariyan disciples for successfully overcoming grief, anxiety and lamentation. This is the only path and there is no other path." Those who follow the Satipatthana path can certainly Overcome grief and attain Nibbana. Practice of Satipatthana mindfulness According to the Buddha, the yogi should note all physical and mental phenomena that arise at every moment of contact between the sense-organ and the sense-object : He should try to know them as they really are. When the yogi sees something at the moment of contact between the eye and the visual object, he should note mentally, " seeing," " seeing". When he hears at the moment of contact between the ear and the sound, he should note "hearing," "hearing ". When he smells,...contact between the nose and the odour, he should note "smelling". When he knows the process of eating.... contact between the tongue and the taste, he should note "know the...eating". When he knows the contact between the body and a tactile object, he should note, "know the contact". When thinking arises from the contact between the mind and the mind-object, he should note "thinking ", "thinking". This method is in accord with what the Buddha says in the ayatana section of the Contemplation of the Mind-object in Mahasatipatthana sutta, "The yogi should know the eye as well as the eye-object, etc ''. This noting of the physical and mental phenomena that occur at every moment of contact between the sense-organs and the sense-object is called vipassana or insight-meditation. Initially the yogi is not able to note "seeing ", " hearing ", etc., in respect of whatever he sees, hears, etc. Therefore he should follow the advice given in the commentary on the Visuddhi Magga " The Path of Purity " which says: " The beginner in insight meditation should first pay attention to what is conspicuous ". Of the two objects of insight meditation vis., mind and corporeality, the latter is more conspicuous. In the contemplation on corporeality, the yogi should focus his mind on the four basic and primary elements viz., the earth-element, the water-element the fire-element and the wind-element. Our Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw instructs us to begin with the contemplation of the wind-contact corporeality that is indicated by the motion of the belly. From such a beginning we should extend the contemplation to the exercise in noting all the psycho-physical phenomena, such as seeing, hearing etc., that arise and pass away at every moment of contact between the sense-organs and the sense-objects. For this purpose the yogi should retire to a quiet place, pay respect to the three jewels, sit cross legged, keep the body erect, close both eyes gently and with body and mind composed, focus his attention on his belly. In this position he should breathe in and breathe out normally. He should not deliberately control his breathing and make it either slow and imperceptible or fast and perceptible. He should keep his breathing at its normal, usual pace. While thus breathing in and out, he should focus on the physical phenomenon of motion that arises from the contact between mind-contact corporeality and the body-sensitivity of the belly. He should note "rising " when breathing out and note "falling" when breathing in. This noting is to be done mentally and not verbally. While noting the rise and fall of the belly, there may arise some kind of mental image in his closed eyes and then he should note " seeing '', " seeing " until it vanishes. After its disappearance he should resume noting " falling" and "rising''. The same may be said of his imagined hearing and smelling. He should note them until they pass away and then resume noting, "the rise and fall " of the belly. When the yogi is meditating there is no consciousness of eating. "If the mouth becomes full of saliva, he should note, " much saliva" " the desire to swallow it " " the act of swallowing ". If he wants to spit out, he should keep a spitoon handy and note, "desire to spit ... take the spitoon ... spit ... put back the spitoon ". Then he should again note, " rising" and " falling ". If the contact arises in the body he should note it. The whole body is continuously pervaded by the rising and vanishing mind produced element of motion in terms of the desire to walk, the desire to stand, the desire to sit or the desire to sleep. Because of the desire to breathe in and out there arises the mind-produced element of motion in terms of breathing. Because of breathing there is contact between the corporeality of motion and the body-sensitivity of the belly and hence the contact of the rising and falling corporeality of motion in the body. Noting this is in accord with the teaching in Mahasatipatthana sutta. Moreover tilting, inclining and other motions of the body while the yogi is sitting are also the result of the contact of the corporeality of motion in the body. These should also be noted. Again while noting the rising and falling, the yogi may feel itching, aching, tingling, and pains in the body. Then he should focus his mind on these pains resolutely until they pass away, bearing in mind the saying that perseverance will lead to Nibbana. There is no ailment that does not yield to real perseverance. In the end every thing passes away in accordance with the law of impermanence as pointed out be the Buddha. If many kinds of physical pain arise all at the same time, the yogi should choose the most painful of them as the object of contemplation. After its disappearance, he should deal with other pains in the same way and then resume noting the rise and fall of the belly. If owing to lack of practice the yogi cannot focus on a pain patiently for a long time, and there arises in him the desire to do something for its cessation, he should note his desire and act accordingly. This should of course be the last resort when the yogi can no longer bear the pain. Should he give way to his desire and try every now and then to remove the pain, his power of concentration would not develop quickly. The yogi who constantly notes the physical pains is acting in accord with the Buddha's teaching in the section " Contemplation on the feelings" in the Mahasatipatthana sutta. If he finds the pains unbearable in the mind, he should note "unbearable ", "depressing ", etc. This is what the sutta tells us about the contemplation on mental suffering. Then he should proceed to note the rising and falling. If while thus engaged, there arise various thoughts and intentions, he should, focus on them until they too pass away. Then he should go on with the arising and falling. This is contemplation on the mind according to Mahasatipatthana sutta. We have outlined the method of noting all psycho-physical phenomena beginning with the conspicuous corporeality of motion that arises in the sitting position. We have explained the method in accordance with the Buddha's teaching. The sequence of phenomena that we have mentioned as the object of contemplation is to be remembered only in connection with the sermon. In actual practice the yogi need not follow any hard and fast rule. Instead he should focus on any phenomenon that arises naturally while he is noting the rise and fall of the belly, no matter whether it be any thought or intention or any pain or hearing. If he contemplates otherwise he will have the illusion of ego-entity, permanence or pleasantness when he sees or hears anything ; and if despite such illusions he has to face ruin or suffering he will be stricken with grief and anxiety. The object of insight-meditation is to be free from such illusions and anxiety and to have inner peace. The yogi should note "walking", standing ", " sitting '', or " lying "in accordance with what he is doing at any moment: When his mind is concentrated on the object of his meditation he has purity of mind. When he distinguishes between the noted object and the noting consciousness he gains insight into the distinction between mind and corporeality. If he knows that his attentiveness is due to the presence of some object, he has insight into the causal relation between mind and corporeality. Then there arises another insight which makes him aware of the impermanence, suffering and non-existence of the ego. Again the yogi develops another insight that restricts his awareness to arising and passing away of everything. As this last insight-knowledge becomes sharp and acute, it rules out the arising of greed, hatred, delusion and other defilements, which beset an unmindful person. This means their momentary extinction at every moment of mindfulness. Thus the yogi who has well-developed insight knowledge can momentarily overcome hatred and grief which are rooted out only at the anagami stage on the Ariyan holy path. If a man focuses his mind on grief and anxiety that bedevils him in the face of any kind of ruin or a troublesome sense-object, he will find that his mental sufferings pass away one after another. As his contemplation gains momentum he should continue to note ceaselessly every psycho-physical phenomenon that arises. Then as a result he will develop the insight that makes him aware of ceaseless dissolution, the insight that makes him disillusioned, frightened, sick of life, and eager to be liberated, the insight that is linked with tranquillity and other insights that lean to the attainment of the four paths and their fruitions. Satipatthana remedy for insomnia Even though the yogi cannot yet eradicate anxiety once and forever through the insight-knowledge of the Ariyan path, he will gain much benefit if he can remove it through the practice of mindfulness for some minutes or hours. An insomniac need not take sedatives. Lying on his back in his bed he should fix his attention on the belly that rises and falls as he breathes in and out. If he keeps on mentally noting the rising and falling or the anxiety, etc. he will eventually fall sound asleep. I should like to advise you to take this Satipatthana medicine regularly if you wish to put an end to birth, death and other sufferings inherent in the cycle of life. The satipatthana medicine is also the best remedy for insomnia, anxiety, grief, high blood pressure and heart disease. Examples of those who overcome grief The commentary on Mahasatipatthana sutta states as follows in connection with the overcoming of grief. "The object of the Buddha's sermon is to help his disciples overcome grief, anxiety and lamentation. It is indeed true that the practice of the Buddha's Satipatthana meditation leads to the overcoming of grief and lamentation. Those who practise Satipatthana meditation can get over grief like the minister Santati and others and overcome grief and lamentation like Patacari and others. Therefore the Buddha himself declared that the path of Satipatthana is the only true path for over coming effectively anxiety, grief an lamentation". Thus the commentary on Satipatthana sutta supports the Buddha's declaration, citing as examples Santati and Patacari who overcame Grief and lamentation in the lifetime of the Buddha. Conclusion I will tell you the story of the Minister Santati in the second part of the sermon. May this good deed of mine contribute to my attainment of Nibbana! I share the merits of my good deed with all other living beings. May they get their share and enjoy their lives physically and mentally. |
Satipatthana sermon for overcoming Grief (2) |
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| Story of Santati's Past Life | |||
In the first part of the sermon I pointed out the seven benefits of Satipatthana practice, the arising of grief, its origin and the way to overcome it. In this second part I will show how grief is to be overcome, citing as example the story of minister Santati. There are many stories illustrative of people who overcame grief through the practice of satipatthana dhamma. Here I will tell you the substance of the story of minister Santati. |
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| Story of minister Santati. Once while he was residing at the Jetavana monastery in Savatthi city, the Buddha delivered a discourse in connection with the minister Santati. On one occasion in compliance with the order of his king, the minister subdued the rebels who had revolted in the border areas and then he returned to Savatthi city. Being much pleased with the victorious minister, king Kosala honoured and rewarded the latter by handing over the monarchy and 'letting him enjoy himself as a king with a beautiful girl for seven days. As a general appointed by the king, minister Santati had enjoyed a life of luxury and pleasure and now blessed with the highest office of kingship and the company of a lovely girl, his joy knew no bounds and on the morning of the seventh day he put the girl on an elephant and with pageantry left the palace much royal pomp and pageantry left the palace to engage in water sports on the river bank. Followed by his disciple the Buddha was then on the round for collecting food in Savatthi city. From his seat on the back of the elephant Santati saw the Buddha and casually nodded as a mark of respect and salutation. On seeing his behaviour the Buddha smiled and in response to the question of his chief disciple Ananda he said, " Ananda, look at the minister Santati. This very day he will come to see me, wearing royal costumes. After hearing a gatha (stanza) he will become an Arahat. By means of his psychic power he will sit cross-legged in the air at the a height of seven palm trees in a row and then he will attain Nibbana." Among those who heard the Buddha's prophecy there were some heretics who dared not challenge the Buddha. They hanged their heads and received only a fee offering from the laity. The Buddha's prediction was unacceptable to them. " Samana Gotama is talking nonsense," they said, " We will charge him with boasting and telling lies. We will declare him to be unworthy of our confidence. We will discredit him so as to make him less powerful and loss influence in the country." As for the lay Buddhists they rejoiced, looking forward to the moment when they would witness the glory of the Buddha and the wonderful power of the minister Santati. Death of the Lover The minister Santati then went to the beach where he engaged in water sport with the girl. After playing there he did not return to the palace but spent the time in the garden in pursuit of further pleasure in the company of the girl. The girl was also a dancer. Having been rewarded by king Kosala she tried her best to please the minister cum-general. But as she had revelled excessively for seven days without taking mush care of her health, her heart gave way and while dancing and singing she collapsed and died. The King was aghast and at first he could believe his eyes. On being informed by attendants that the girl was really dead, became overwhelmed with grief. The effects the week-long carousal having passed away, began to think of the Buddha. He realized that there was no one other than the Buddha who could help him overcome his grief, that he should seek refuge in the Buddha for recovery from his mental suffering. So accompanied by his attendants and body guards, he approached the Buddha in the evening and after paying his respects he laid bare his anguish as follows. "Oh! Blessed One ; I am overwhelmed with anguish and grief. I have come to you urgently, Sir, because I am confident of your ability to help me overcome my grief. I hope, Sir, that I can count on you in my present crisis" Then the Buddha consoled him, " Oh! Minister Santati ! Do not grieve. I will remove your grief over the loss of your beloved girl and it will certainly pass away forever." "In point of fact the amount of tears that you have shed over the sudden loss of this woman through countless lives in the life-cycle might exceed the waters of the ocean. Is it not enough for you to have wept so many times ? If you had to weep for the death of your wife your weeping would never come to an end. It is now time for you to stop weeping." The Buddha's words had a sobering, effect on the minister. He stopped weeping, his grief become less intense and the Buddha continued his discourse. "Oh Minister Santati. You have been afflicted with grief in the past. Be mindful of it and get rid of it. Let not grief afflict you in the future that has not yet occurred. Avert it through mindfulness. As for the present time which is occurring now if you only have no illusion about ego-entity or personal ownership, ("It is I or This is mine") you will be free from grief and attain peace and Nibbana here and now While following this discourse the minister understood its essence and he immediately practised mindfulness. Then there dawned on him the following truths about the origin of his grief. I am stricken with grief because I still remember the happy days that I have spent with her, because I still see the image of her lovely face that has accompanied me like my shadow, because I still apparently hear her coquettish, seductive and alluring voice and because I apparently have the fragrant scent of her perfumes, her delicious food, and her sweet, lovely manners still fresh in my memory". So in accordance with the Buddha's instruction Santati focused on his grief and removed it ; he focused on the grief that would bedevil him if he thought of his future without his beloved girl and he removed it. While thus absorbed in his mindfulness he realized the impermanence, painfulness, egolessness, unreliability, repulsiveness, and dreadfulness of the physical and mental phenomena such as seeing, hearing, smelling and so forth. He realized their nature as it really is. Then as he gained this insight knowledge, he attained the four paths, the four fruitions and the peace of Nibbana together with the four kinds of analytical knowledge and he became an Arahat. He became totally free from defilements that lead to grief and attained supreme peace. Story of Santati's Past Life The story of Santati illustrating the origin of grief and the Satipatthana way to overcome it may be concluded here. But let us follow the story to its end so that we may learn something about the fulfillment of the Buddha's prophecy and the benefits of the revivalist work. After having become a full-fledged lay Arahat in his royal costume, minister Santati considered his span of life on earth and knew that he had only a short time to live. Naturally a lay Arahat should either join the holy order as befits the status of Arahatship or pass away before dawn the next day, after becoming an Arahat. Therefore the Arahat Santati requested the Buddha to permit him to pass away. The Buddha was well aware of the good deeds that Santati had done in his former life. But he also wanted to refute the allegations of the heretics who were out to discredit him. Moreover the Buddha knew that by revealing the good deeds of Santati in his former life he could promote the spiritual welfare of the Buddhists who had assembled to witness the gracefulness of the Buddha and minister Santati. So the Buddha said, "Well, Santati, if you wish to pass away, you should first report to me about your good in a past existence. And While making the report you should not be on the ground. You should be up in the air at a height of seven palm trees in a row." Miracles performed by a lay Arahat. Minister Santati replied, "Yes, Venerable Sir" and he laid his head on both feet, rose in the air up to the height of a palm tree. After coming down he paid respect to the Buddha and soared again in the air. In this way he rose to the height of seven palm trees in a row, sat cross-legged and to the dismay of the heretics but to the delight of the lay Buddhists he gave an account of his gooda deeds in his previous life. "Oh! Venerable Sir !Ninety-one world periods ago in the life time of Vipassi Buddha I was a citizen of Badhumati. I thought of the way to peace, freedom from war and end of suffering. Then I found that that way was the way of the Nibbanic revivalist who made it his business to promote the hearing and practice of the Buddha-dhamma among all people. Therefore, Venerable Sir, from that time on I played the role of Nibbanic revivalist and Dhamma messenger in the cause of world peace and peace throughout the cycle of life. I exhorted the people to do good deeds, to keep sabbath, to observe the moral precepts, to give charity, to hear the Dhamma and to remember that there is nothing like the three jewels, viz., the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Samgha. "On hearing the news about me the King of Bandhumati summoned me and asked me what I was doing in the city. I reported that I was exhorting the people to do good deeds that would lead to peace and the end of conflicts to keep sabbath, to give charity, to hear the Dhamma and to worship the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Samgha. "Then the king became interested in my revivalist activities. On hearing that I went about on foot to do my work he presented me with a bedizened horse and a chariot drawn by four Sindho horses to be used in carrying on my work. He also offered me a bedizened elephant and many other valuable presents." Here the king's offering of awards was exemplary. He awarded the young man in recognition of his contribution to the welfare of the country. The Nibbanic revivalist work is indeed good and much commendable. As a result of such revivalist activity, People do good deeds, observe the moral precepts, give charity, hear and practise the Dhamma and seek refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Samgha. They cultivate love and rejoice on seeing prosperous men and women. They are kind and helpful to the poor and the needy. They rely on themselves for their welfare. They avoid killing, stealing, Sexual excesses, lying, drinking and saying or doing any thing that is harmful to others. The result is that the country is peaceful, and the incidence of crime becomes low, thereby saving much money in the maintenance of law and order. Since there are only a few robbers and burglars, the Government does not have to spend much money for the security of life and property. There is less bloodshed which means less drain on hospital budgets. As there is no war there is less expenditure for armament and less suffering among the people. Minister Santati added that being thus encouraged and supported by the King he became more enthusiastic and expanded his activities. Since the span of life was very long in that era the revivalist work lasted eighty thousand years. Because of the kammic effect of his good deeds, his mouth emitted the aroma of the lotus flower and his body was fragrant with the sweet scent of sandal wood. Having made this report the lay arahat Santati, fully attired with all the badges of royalty, passed away in the air at the height of seven palm trees in a row. According to the scriptures lay Arahat Santati first entered the fire jhana and then after coming out of that jhana he passed away with the karmically neutral or amoral (avyakata) subconsciousness (bhavanga citta) of the truth of suffering. Memorial for the lay Arahat Flames arose out of the body of the lay Arahat Santati consuming the flesh and blood. Then there came down prom the sky the relics of the arahat which were like Mu-le flowers. The Buddha himself received the relics with a clean piece of cloth, Then the Lord had relics enshrined and memorial stupas built at crossroads for the devotion and spiritual uplift of the People. The parinibbana of the Minister Santati became the subject for Dhamma discussion among the monks. They wondered whether the minister should be called a samana since he was adorned with all the badges of royalty when he become an Arahat and passed away seated in the sky. Then the Buddha came to the assembly of monks and when he heard what they were talking about the Lord said, "Monk! You may call the Arahat Santati a samana or a Brahmana" Then the Buddha uttered a verse which may be translated as follows: "If a man is free from defilements, calm, well-disciplined, firmly imbued with the insight knowledge of the four paths , committed to the practice of morality, concentration and wisdom and kind to all living beings, never bearing any weapon for ill-treating others, then he is a Brahmana or a samana or a Bhikkhu." The people who heard the Dhamma were enlightened at the end of the sermon. Now we have concluded our discourse concerning the Satipatthana path of mindfulness which the Buddha declared to be the only path for overcoming grief and lamentation. We have fully explained the origin of grief and the way to its extinction. We have recounted the story of the minister Santati who overcarne grief through the practice of mindfulness according to the Buddha's instruction in Satipatthana sutta We have also mentioned the story of his former life that was devoted to Nibbanic revivalist work in the cause of universal peace and welfare. May the good people speedily attain freedom from grief and the peace of Nibbana through goodwill and the practice of insight meditation! May they spread the Dhamma so that other people may also be free from grief and attain peace. |