Super-normal Powers -Abhinnas

1. Supernormal Powers for producing miracles(Iddhividha)

2. The Divine Ear like that of the devas(Dibbasota)

3. Power to read the minds of others (Paracitta vijanana)

4. Knowledge of Former existences( Pubbenivasanussati)

5. The Divine Eye (Dibba-cakkhu)

6. Higher psychic power which can eradicate defilements (Asavakkhaya)


Buddha's Daily Routine(five parts)

Using his omniscient powers, the Buddha viewed the whole world for the welfare of all beings. The great compassion of the Buddha can be found in his daily routines.

  1. Performance of duty before meal, purebhatta kicca, (morning duty); consisting of the Morning Alms-round and preaching the Dhamma to the devotees.
  2. Performance of duty after the meal, pacchabhatta kicca, (afternoon duty); admononishing the Bhikkhus and expounding the Dhamma for the lay devotees.
  3. Performance of duty in thc first watch of the night,purimayama kicca, (first-watch-of-the-night from 6 to 10 p.m); answering the Dhamma questions and expounding the Dhamma for the Bhikkhu assembly.
  4. Performance of duty in the midnight watch, majjhimayama kicca, (midnight-watch-of-the-night from 10 p.m to 2 a.m); it is 'Question and Answer' session exclusively for the Devas and the Brahmas who are invisible to the physical eye, and expounding of some Suttas.
  5. Performance in the last watch of the night,pacchimayama kicca (last-watch-of-the-night from 2 to 6 a.m). It was divided into three parts. The Buddha walked up and down to relieve physical tiredness in the first part which serves as a mild physical exercise. The second part was for retiring to the Chamber sleeping on his right side. Finally, the Buddha woke up from sleep and radiates thoughts of loving-kindness towards all beings and surveyed persons who had performed meritorious deeds or those who need his help.


Buddha Image (Buddha patima)

The Buddha is one who should always be remembered, revered and paid homage to because he is the greatest benefactor and the most homage-worthy

To enable one to have him always in one's mind one should make an image of the Buddha and have it worshipped as the Uddissa Cetiya.

In performing the act of veneration, depending on the degree of one's sincerity and keenness, one can have as much benefit as one would gain by paying homage to the living Buddha.


Everlasting Charity (Tharavapunna)

Charity whose merit lasts forever.

(1) Setting up gardens and orchards for public use

(2) Planting shady trees and fruit trees for public use

(3) Building roads and bridges for public use

(4) Providing drinking water at the wayside

(5) Constructing wells, tanks and ditches as means of public water supply

(6) Donation of monastic dwellings, etc.


A Daily Routine of a Good Buddhist

  1. Paying homage to the Buddha(Reflecting on and reciting the virtues of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Samgha)
  2. Observing the moral precepts (Observing the five or eight precepts to lead a good moral life)
  3. Doing the act of charity (Offering alms-food, pure water, flowers, perfumes, and light to the Buddha and the monks)
  4. Cultivating loving-kindness (Developing loving-kindness, Mettatowards all living beings)
  5. Striving for perpetuation and propagation of Buddha's Teachings (Participating in religious associations, supporting the Buddhism Practice, donation and distribution of books on Buddhism, teaching and discussing Buddhism)
  6. Practising mindfulness on tranquillity and insight meditation (To overcome the real nature of personality-belief and to see mind and matter in oneself and to contemplate on their nature of impermanence, suffering and no-soul.)
  7. Sharing merit (To share the meritorious deeds of charity, morality and meditation by saying "May all living beings gain the benefit of merit equally with me)


Death (Marana)

(Demise, dissolution, expiration)

There are four kinds of death.

  1. Death through the expiry of life - span, ayukkhaya marana;
  2. Death through the expiry of the kammic force,kammakkhaya marana;
  3. Death through the simultaneous expiry of both life span and kammic force, ubhayakkhaya marana
  4. Death through the intervention of a destructive force, although the life-span and the kammic force have not ended, upacchedaka marana



Defilement ( Kilesa )

(Mind-defiling factor; impurity)

Ten kinds of mind-defiling factors

  1. Greed, lobha
  2. Hatred, dosa
  3. Bewilderment, moha
  4. Conceit, mana
  5. Wrong View, ditthi
  6. Doubt, vicikiccha
  7. Mental Torpor, thina
  8. Restlessness, uddhacca
  9. Shamelessness (to do evil), ahirika
  10. Not fearing (to do evil), anottappa.


Delightful Satisfaction ( Piti )

(Pleasurable interest; zest)

Five kinds of delightful satisfaction are identified

  1. The thrill of joy and delightful satisfaction of low intensity which makes the flesh tingle or creep:khuddaka piti;
  2. Instantaneous joy like a flash of lightning (of delightful satisfaction): khanika piti;
  3. A surge of delightful satisfaction or flood of joy like surf breaking on the shore; okkantika piti;
  4. Delightful satisfaction which transports and enables one to float in the air like a wisp of cotton, ubbega piti; and
  5. Intense delightful satisfaction which suffuses the whole body for a long time, or like a flood overflowing small tanks and ponds: pharana piti.


Dependent Origination: Paticcasamuppada

(Law of Dependent Origination; Law of Dependent Arising; Conditioned Genesis)

It is the doctrine which teaches that all physical and mental phenomena are conditioned and that the arising of a phenomenon is dependent on a specific cause which itself has arisen on its own specific cause. Action takes place through twelve factors: -

  1. dependent on ignorance, avijja
  2. there arises volitional activities, sankhara
  3. dependent on volitional activities there arises (birth-linking) consciousness, vinnana
  4. dependent on consciousness there arises mind- and-body, namarupa;
  5. dependent on mind-and-body there arise the six sense-bases, salayatana ;
  6. dependent on the six sense-bases there arises contact, phassa;
  7. dependent on contact there arises sensation, vedana;
  8. dependent on sensation there arises Craving, tanha;
  9. dependent on Craving there arises Clinging, Upadana ;
  10. dependent on Clinging there arises bhava (i.e., kamma bhava which gives rise to further existence);
  11. dependent on bhava there arises rebirth,jati
  12. dependent on rebirth there arises ageing and death, jaramarana

(Grief soka;lamentation, parideva;bodily pain, dukkha; distress of mind, domanassa; and agony, upayasa , are incidental consequences of rebirth and hence are not included in the twelve factors.)


Formula for Paying Homage to the Three Ratana

Okasa Okasa Okasa - So as to be free from all my offences, accumulated from evil deeds done physically, verbally and mentally, I pay homage to the Three Gems: the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha, once, twice, thrice with my joined-palms on my forehead very respectfully and humbly. Owing to my deeds of merit, may I always be free from thefour Apayas, the three kappas, the eight Atthakkhanas, the five Veras, the four Vipattis, the five Byasanas; and at the final existence may I attain Magga, Phala and Nibbana!


(Three Ratana=Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha; Okasa=asking for permission)

The Four Apayas (Nether Worlds)

  1. The Realm of intense continuous suffering/ Hell (Niraya);
  2. The Realm of animals (Tiracchana)
  3. The Realm of ever hungry beings (Peta)
  4. The Realm of miserable petas (Asurakaya).

The Three Kappas (Disasters)

  1. The disaster by famine
  2. The disaster by weapons
  3. The disaster by epidemic

The Eight Atthakkhanas (Inopportune Times)

  1. Being born in the Hell/ Niraya
  2. Being born as animals
  3. Being born as petas
  4. Being born as Asaannatta-brahamas and Arupa-brahamas.
  5. Being born as a human being in the remote part of a country which can not be reached by Buddha and his disciples.
  6. Being born as a human being having the wrong view during the time of the Buddha and his Teachings.
  7. Being born as a human being with no intellingence to understand the teachings of the Buddha.
  8. Being born as a human being with adequate intellingence to understand the teachings of the Buddha but not in the time of the Buddha.

The Five Veras (Enemies )

  1. Floods
  2. Fire(Conflagrations)
  3. Bad Ruler
  4. Thieves
  5. Bad sons and daughters who are unworthy heirs

Four Vipatti (Deficiencies)

(Impairment; destruction; misfortune)

  1. Living during the time of bad rulers (Kalavipatti)
  2. Being reborn in four miserable existences (Gativipatti)
  3. Having physical deformities and disfigurements (Upadhivipatti) and
  4. Being deficient in intelligence, knowledge, mindfulness, right effort and diligence (Payogavipatti)

Five Kinds of Losses (Byasana)

  1. Loss of relatives (Nati-byasana)
  2. Loss of wealth (Bhoga-byasana)
  3. Loss of health due to illness (Roga-byasana)
  4. Loss of right view (Ditthi-byasana)
  5. Loss of morality (Sila-byasana)

Magga (the Path leading to the Nibbana)

  1. The Path of Stream-winner ( Sotapatti-magga)
  2. The Path of Once-returner(Sakadagami-magga)
  3. The Path of Non-returner (Anagami-magga)
  4. The Path of Arahat (Arahatta-magga)

Phala (The fruition that immediately follows the path)

  1. The fruition of Stream-winner(Sotapatti-phala)
  2. The fruition of once-returner(Sakadagami-phala)
  3. The fruition of Non-returner(Anagami-phala)
  4. The fruition of Arahat (Arahatta-phala)

Nibbana (The Extinction of Lust, Hatred and Delusion)


Meritorious Deeds (Punnakiriya vatthu)

(1) Generosity or charity , dana

(2) Morality or good moral conduct, sila

(3) Meditation, bhavana

(4) Paying due respect to those who are worthy of it, apacayana

(5) Helping others perform good deeds, veyyavacca

(6) Sharing of merit after doing some good deed, pattidana

(7) Rejoicing at others merit - making, pattanumodana

(8) Listening well to the Doctrine, dhammassavana

(9) Teaching the Doctrine, dhammadesana

(10) Straightening one's views, ditthizukammma.


CONDITIONS IN VIOLATING PRECEPTS

Five conditions of panatipata (Killing)

1. The being must be alive.

2. There must be the knowledge that it is a live being.

3. There must be an intention to cause death.

4. An act must be done to cause death.

5. There must be death, as the result of the said act.

If all the said five conditions are fulfilled, the first precept is violated.

Five conditions of Adinnadana (Stealing)

1. The property must be in the possession of another person.

2. There must be the knowledge that the property is in the possession of another person.

3. There must be an intention to steal.

4. There must be an act done to steal.

5. By that act the property must have been taken.

If all the said five conditions are fulfilled, the second precept is violated.

Four conditions to kamesumicchacara (Sexual Misconduct)

1. It must be a man or a woman with whom it is improper to have sexual intercourse.

2. There must be an intention to have such sexual misconduct with such man or woman.

3. There must be an act done to have such intercourse.

4. There must be enjoyment of the contact of the organs.

If all the said four conditions are fulfilled, the third precept is violatd.

Four conditions of musavada (Telling lies)

1.The thing said must be untrue.

2. There must be an intention to deceive.

3.There must be an effort made as a result of the said intention.

4. The other must know the meaning of what is said.

If these conditions are fulfilled, the fourth precept is violated.


The Four Sacred Places

The Buddha spoke of four places which faithful followers should visit.

1. The birthplace of the Buddha (Lumbini on the Indian borders of Nepal).

2. The place where the Buddha attained enlightenment (Buddha Gaya, in India).

3. The place where the Buddha established the wheel of truth (Saranath), and

4. The place where the Buddha attained Parinibbana (Kusinara-modern Kasia in India)

"And they," added the Buddha, '"who shall die with a believing heart, in the course of their pilgrimage, will be reborn, on the dissolution of their body, after death, in a heaven!y state."



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