Introduction
Part II

Five goals

          For Buddhists, there are five goals They are as follows.

          1. Pakatisavaka

          2. Mahasavaka

          3. Aggasavaka

          4. Pacceka Buddha

          5. Buddha

          (1) Pakatisavaka

          Pakatisavaka means an ordinary disciple of the Buddha. He is an ordinary Arahat, who had annihilated all the mental defilements. The number of Arahats is great.

          (2) Mahasavaka

          Mahasavaka means a great disciple of the Buddha. He is an Arahat, who excels in intelligence, spiritual powers and many other things. The Buddha had eighty Mahasavaka.

          (3) Aggasavaka

          Aggasavaka means a most exalted disciple of the Buddha. The Buddha had two Aggasavaka. The one was next only to the Buddha in intellectual powers and the other was next only to the Buddha in spiritual powers.

          (4) Pacceka Buddha

          In the cases of Pakatisava, Mahasavaka and Aggasavakas, they can become Arahats only when they get the guidance of the Buddha. However, in the case of the Pacceka Buddha, it is different. He does not need the guidance of any body for annihilating mental defilements. He finds the way by himself. But, unlike the Buddha, he cannot teach others the way to the end of suffering. They can be found only after the teachings of the Buddha had disappeared. The word Pacceka means lesser.

          (5) Buddha

          There are four Noble Truths, namely, 1) Suffering 2) Causes of suffering 3) End of suffering and 4) Way to the end of suffering.

          The Buddha is one who knows, without guidance from anybody, everything about these Truths and who can teach these Truths to others.

          In some worlds, from the beginning to the end, there were no Buddhas at all. Sometimes, there was one. Sometimes, there were two. Five is the limit in the present world, there had been four Buddhas. One more will be coming after a very long, long time.

          According to Buddhist Texts, the number of Buddhas that had already come, is more numerous than all the grains of sand in the Ganges.

          Courses

          It appears as if there is no course set for those who wish to become Pakatisavaka. As for Mahasavaka, Aggasavaka, Pacceka Buddha and Buddha, definite courses are set for the aspirants. All of them must fulfil ten paramis, with varying intensity and length of time. Parami, in short, are assignments, which every aspirant must carry out to reach his destination or goal. A brief explanation of ten paramis will be given, when we come to the chapter on the Buddha.

          A Buddhist must choose for himself one of the five goals. Those who like to choose the 1st goal, must try his best to get at least the 1st Magga, during his present lifetime. Those, who aspire after the remaining 4 goals, must not go so far as to get any Magga. Even if they get the 1st Magga, they will have no chance to fulfil ten Paramis, since there will be no more rebirth after the Seventh.

          Those who aspire after the remaining four goals, should go as far as Sankha rupekkha-Nana, which is one stage before Magga.

          Sankharupekkha-Nana, is fully explained in one of the following chapters


Chapter I
Buddha

          While the Buddha was sojourning in Kapilavatthu, Sariputta requested the Buddha to tell how He acquired Buddhahood. The Buddha gave a long discourse on how He acquired Buddhahood. The following is the summary.

         Innumerable worlds ago, there lived a man by the name of Sumedha. One day he renounced all his possessions and became a hermit. Not long after, he met the Buddha named Dipankara. If he practised Vipassana Bhavana, under the guidance of the Buddha, he would become an Arahat. However, he did not want to be liberated from suffering alone. He wanted to show the fellow sufferers the way to the end of suffering. Therefore he prayed to the Buddha that he wanted to become a Buddha one day. The Buddha, by means of a spiritual power, called Anagatamsa-Nana knew the hermit would become a Buddha one day by the name of Gotama. So the Buddha said his prayers would be fulfilled. From that time, the hermit became the Bodhisatta (the future Buddha).

          A Bodhisatta has to fulfil Ten Paramis, up to the highest degree, for an immeasurable length of time, through innumerable worlds, in order to become a Buddha. Ten Paramis are as follows: -

          1) Dana 2) Sila 3) Nekkhamma 4) Panna 5) Viriya 6) Khanti 7) Sacca 8) Adhitthaana 9) Metta and 10) Upekkha.

          The great accumulation of Kusala, which a Bodhisatta earns as a result of repeatedly carrying out the above Ten assignments up to the highest degree, through innumerable worlds, is called Parami.

          (1) Dana: Charity

          (2) Sila: Control of the body and mouth, to refrain from doing and saying what is bad.

          (3) Nekkhamma: Renunciation of worldly things, with a view to devoting whole time to meritorious deeds, particularly Bhavana.

          (4) Panna Acquisition and imparting of knowledge for the welfare of others.

          (5) Viriya: Diligence or persistent effort for the welfare of others and also for his own upliftment.

          (6) Khanti: Extreme forbearance when confronted with adverse situations.

          (7) Sacca: Speaking truthful words

          (8) Adhitthana: Keeping a vow at any cost

          (9) Metta: Universal love

          (10) Upekkha: Complete indifference towards friends or foes; towards all vicissitudes of life.

          If a Bodhisatta can carry out the assignments, at the cost of his possessions, wife and children, the degree of parami is called "high." If he can do it, at the cost of his eyes, ears and limbs, the degree of his parami is called "higher." If he can do it, at the cost of his life, the degree of his parami is called "highest".

          When the Bodhisatta was Prince Vessantara, he gave away all his possessions. When he gave away the white elephant, which the people believed to have powers for peace and prosperity, there was an upheaval in the country. And as a result of the peoples demand, the King had to banish him. Not long after, an old man, being goaded to desperation by his young wife, went to the place where the prince and his family were taking refuge. At the request of the old man, the prince handed over his young son and daughter without hesitation. For these acts of charity, the degree of his parami was "high" only.

          In one of his existences, the Bodhisatta was a King. When the King saw a blind mendicant, he took his eyes out with the help of the royal physician and ordered them to be used to restore sight to the blind beggar. For this act, the degree of his parami became "higher."

          The Bodhisatta was, in one of his existences, a hermit called Khanti Vadi Hermit, for his constant practice of Khanti .While he was sojourning in the garden of the King, King Kalabu and his entourage visited the garden. While the King was taking a nap, his queens and lesser wives went to pay homage to the Khanti Vadi Hermit. As the King did not find them near him, when he woke up, he was very furious. Therefore he caused the hermit to be brought before him. When the King asked what he practised, he answered that he practised Khanti. So the King caused his hands and feet to be bound and ordered a henchman of his to beat him with a thorny cane, till the hermit bled profusely. Then the King asked him, if he still could practise Khanti. The hermit replied that he could and also that he had no ill-will against either the henchman who beat him or the King who ordered the henchman to beat him. The King then ordered the henchman to cut the limbs of the hermit and asked if he could still practice Khanti. The hermit replied as before. The King, becoming very furious, ordered the henchman to behead the hermit. Just before his head was cut off, the hermit could say very calmly, he had no ill-will against the henchman who would cut his head and the King who had ordered the henchman to cut off his head. The degree in this case became "highest."

          A Bodhisatta must have infinite number of similar fulfillments, up to the highest order, for Ten Paramis before he can become a Buddha.

          After the Bodhisatta had fulfilled all the Ten Paramis, up to the highest degree, he was, at long last, born as the son of King Suddhodana and Queen Maha Maya Devi. When he came of age, he married his cousin, Yasodhara. On the day that a son, called Rahula was born to them, the Prince made a great renunciation and became a monk.

          At that time, a creed was prevalent in India. According to that creed, too much indulgence to one's body gave rise to greed, anger, sexual and many other evil desires. Therefore those, who wanted to annihilate those mental defilements, must have their bodies severely afflicted. Those, who accepted this creed, stripped themselves naked and slept on the thorns . Sometimes, when it was extremely cold, they dipped in the rivers and creeks. When it was extremely hot, they basked near big flames. Their frugal food was just enough to keep themselves alive.

          The Bodhisatta, taking the creed to be one, that would enable him to annihilate the mental defilements, practised it very vigorously, for six years, till one day he fainted through sheer exhaustion and loss of strength. He then abandoned this false creed and set for himself a new course, which is known in Buddhism as Eightfold Noble Paths. These Eightfold Noble Path can be abbreviated into three, namely, Sila, Samadhi and Panna.

          Sometime after he had taken up the new course, the Bodhisatta acquired the Pubbenivasa-Abhinna. After this he acquired Dibbacakkhu Abhinna, which was followed by Dibbasota Abhinna. After the last Abhinna, he acquired the 4th Magga, called Arahatta Magga. Just after Arahatta Magga, as the culmination of his fulfillment of Ten Paramis, he acquired Sabbannuta-Nana, which may be translated as Omniscience. From that moment, He became the Buddha.


Chapter II
Sila

         According to Buddhism, there are 4 different Kusala, namely,

         1. Kusala for rebirths in abodes of human beings and Devas.

         2. Kusala for rebirths in abodes of Brahmas who have body and mind.

         3. Kusala for rebirths in abodes of Brahmas who have only mind and no body.

         4. Kusala for the end of rebirths.

         For all these 4 kusala, Sila is the fundamental requisite

What is Sila?

         Sila is the control of the body and mouth to refrain from doing and speaking what is sinful.

         1) Killing, 2) Stealing, 3) Taking sexual intercourse with persons other than one's wife or husband, 4) Taking alcohol and drugs are 4 bodily sins.

         (1) Lying, (2) Setting one against the other, (3) Using profane and rough words, (4) Prattling are 4 verbal sins

         A person, who can control his body and mouth to refrain from committing these sins, can be called a person with Sila.

How many kinds?

         There are mainly 2 kinds of Sila, namely, (1) Sila for the monks and (2) Sila for the laymen.

Sila for monks

         Sila for monks is popularly called Vinaya. This will not be mentioned in this book.

Sila for laymen

         There are roughly six kinds of Sila for laymen, namely,

1. Ajivatthamaka-Sila

2. Panca-Sila

3. Brahmacariya-Sila,

4. Atthanga-Sila

5. Navanga-Sila

6. Dasa-Sila

Steps to take

          1. A person who wants to observe Sila must as a first step, sit respectfully before the image or the picture of the Buddha. If there is a monk, do so before him. Then he must do obeisance three times, saying, 'I do obeisance to the Buddha, to the Dhamma and to the Sangha.' To do obeisance in the Buddhist tradition, one must touch the floor with his forehead, palms, elbows and knees.

          2. After the 1st step, with two palms touching each other on the forehead, he must say three times "Namo tassa, Bhagavato, Arahato, Sammasambuddhassa " (I worship the Buddha, who deserves the adoration of the highest among human beings, Devas and Brahmas and who knows the way to the end of suffering without guidance from anybody.)

          Then say the following 3 times -

Buddham Saranam Gacchami

Dhammam Saranam Gacchami

Sangham Saranam Gacchami

         (The above has been translated by many writers as follows - "I take refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha")

          While accepting it as true, the present writer wishes to give a new interpretation for the beginners. The new interpretation will be as follows: -

          I accept the guidance of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha for the end of suffering.

         These are the 2 steps which every one must take, if he or she wants to observe Sila. After these two steps, he or she takes the vows that are prescribed for each Sila.

Ajivatthamaka Sila

          For this Sila, a person must take the following vows

          1. I refrain from killing.

          2. I refrain from stealing.

          3. I refrain from wrongful intercourse.

          4. I refrain from lying.

          5. I refrain from setting one against the other.

          6. 1 refrain from using profane and rough words.

          7. I refrain from prattling.

          8. I refrain from indulging in wrongful livelihood

Panca Sila

         1. I refrain from killing.

          2. I refrain from stealing.

         3. I refrain from wrongful intercourse.

         4. I refrain from lying.

         5. I refrain from taking alcohol and drugs.

Atthanga Sila

          1. I refrain from killing.

          2. I refrain from stealing.

         3. refrain from sexual intercourse.

         4. 1 refrain from lying.

         5. I refrain from taking alcohol and drugs.

          6. I refrain from taking food at an improper time, (For this Sila, any time, from 12 noon till dawn next day, is a improper time.)

         7. I refrain from personally dancing, singing, playing music. I refrain from enjoying others dancing, singing and playing music. I refrain from using flowers, powder, perfume and anything that will be conducive to sexual excitement.

         8. I refrain from using any luxurious place.

         If a Buddhist observes either Ajivatthamaka or Panca Sila constantly, without fail, he can be called a man with Sila. However, it is good to observe Atthanga Sila whenever one can.


Chapter III
Samadhi

What is Samadhi?

          It is a well known fact that mind does not stand still. It is flitting about in all directions. If one can culture one's own mind in a proper way, it stands still, without flitting about even once, on an Arammannas, from a few hours to a few days. This kind of standing still or mental concentration on an Arammanas is called Samadhi.

What is it good for?

          It is an important question. So it should be answered as fully as possible.

          There are, according to Buddhism, five mental defilements which are called five Nivaranas. They are so called because they serve as obstacles to the perception of the true nature of Matter and Mind.

Five Nivaranas or Obstacles.

          1. Attachment to good sight, good sound, good smell, good taste good touch. This is called Kamachanda Nivarana.

          2. Evil desire to let others die; lose wealth, fame, position, beauty; land into all kinds of trouble. This is called Byapada Nivarana.

          3. Feeling of indolence, particularly for doing good and meritorious deeds. This is called Thinamiddha Nivarana.

          4. Flitting about of minds in all directions. This is called Uddhacca. Worrying over past commissions and omissions, such as these — "It was wrong, that I had done that or spoken that It was wrong that I had not done that or spoken that " This is called kukkucca-Nivarana.

          5. Is the Buddha really omniscient? Are His teachings good enough for putting an end to all mental defilements? Can there be persons who have really got one or some or all of the four Magga? Such doubts are called Vicikiccha Nivarana.

          Through introspection, one can discern that one's mind is continually filled with one Nivarana or the other.

          These are the obstacles -

          1) that have caused one untold miseries, while one is alive;

          2) that will make one's rebirth to take place in one of the abodes of Apaya bhumi beings, when one is dead,

          3) that put a blind between one and the true nature of Matter and Mind.

          Samadhi can keep these Nivaranas out. That is the reason why one has to culture ones mind to get Samadhi. The Buddha had clearly illustrated in the Sutta, called Samannaphala, how one would feel when one is free from these Nivaranas. The Sutta was delivered to King Ajatasattu.

          Extract from Sutta

          King ! Let us first of all take example of a man who borrows some money for his business. After some time, he gets profit. So he can not only return the money he has borrowed, but also he can give some to his family. Therefore the man is very happy.

          King! I will give you the second example. A man is very seriously ill. He has lost his appetite and his strength. After some time, he recovers. He regains his appetite as well as strength. Therefore that man is very happy.

          King! I will give you the third example. A man is imprisoned. After some time, he is released. No harm has been done to him and to his possessions. Therefore the man is very happy.

          King! This is the fourth example. There is a slave. He is not free. He is under the control of his masters. After some time, he is set free. He can go wherever he likes. Therefore the man, who has got freedom, is very happy.

          King! This is the fifth example. A man is going on a very perilous journey. He carries with him silver, gold and precious stones. After some time, he reaches his destination without harm. Therefore the man is very happy.

          King! Just as the debtor sees the debt and its attendant evil, just as the sick man sees his illness, just as the detenu sees the place of confinement; just as the slave sees his state of bondage, just as the traveller sees the perilous journey, the monk clearly sees these Nivaranas very clearly, when he has them.

          King! Just as the borrower sees the freedom from debt and its attendant advantages, when he is free of debts; just as the sick man sees the absence of sickness when he recovers, just as the detenu sees the absence of confinement, when he is released, just as the slave sees his freedom, when he is set free; just as the traveller sees the peaceful place, when he reaches his destination, the monk also sees the absence of Nivaranas, when he has entirely kept them out, (by means of Samadhi).

          King! The monk, who has thus kept the Nivaranas out, is very happy. He, who is very happy thus, will have Piti (which is a kind of ecstatic feeling. ) His body will become very much relaxed.

         Some more advantages

          If Nivaranas can be kept out by means of strong Samadhi, there will be some more advantages. The Buddha said as follows in Samadhi Sutta.

          Monks! Culture your mind to get Samadhi. A monk who has Samadhi, sees the truth. What kind of truth does he see? He sees the true nature of matter, Vedana, Sanna, Sankhara, Vinnana (He knows the true nature of Matter and Mind.)

          What are the advantages, if a person knows the true nature of Matter and Mind? The Buddha answered as follows.

          Monks! If a monk sees the true nature of matter and mind, he will realize that they can cause only suffering. When he has this realization, he will abhor them. When such an abhorrence occurs, his attachment for matter and mind will expire. This death of the attachment will liberate him from the ten mental defilements or the Ten Ropes that tie him to rebirths. As soon as he is liberated, the realization that he is liberated will dawn upon him spontaneously.

          After this, he has some more spontaneous realization -

          1. that he, who is thus liberated, will not have any more rebirth,

          2. that Jati (which is the synonym for rebirth) had been annihilated,

          3. that he has no longer any need for engaging himself in Dana, Sila and Bhavana,

          4. that he had acquired the 4th and final Magga, called Arahatta Magga,

          5. that this is his last existence,

          6. and that, after death, he will be completely liberated from all sufferings, such as old age, disease, death, separation from dear ones etc.

          We now know the advantages of Samadhi What should we do to acquire it?

          There are forty methods for acquiring Samadhi. They are known in Buddhism as Forty Bhavanas. Out of these forty Bhavanas, only three will be mentioned in this book. The three that will be mentioned are -

          1) Pathavi-Kasina,

          2) Anapanassati,

          3) Metta-Bhavana.

Pathavi-Kasina

          Pathavi also means earth. Therefore Pathavi-Kasina is a Kasina made with earth.

          Then, what is a Kasina? Kasina is a sight Arammanas for the minds to stand on.

          A Pathavi-Kasina is made in the following way

          1. Take some earth that has faintly reddish colour of dawn. Make it as pure as possible by taking away all impurities such as stones broken pieces of bottles etc. After that, it must be pounded for some time.

          2. Make a wooden frame which will be about one square foot.

          3. Get a piece of thick white cloth, to be placed on the frame.

          4. Paint a ball with the earth, in the centre of the piece of cloth. The diameter of the ball should be about 8 inches

          For making the surface of the earthen ball on the canvas smooth, use only that kind of instrument that will not spoil the colour of the earth.

          5. Put this canvas on the wooden frame. This is Pathavi-Kasina.

          It must be placed on a suitable table or fixed on a suitable post. A portable Kasina can also be made.

          The place where one is going to practise mental concentration must be clean. The person who practises Bhavana is called Yogi. The Yogi must be clean also. He should take a bath and put on clean clothes before the practice.

          The chair, on which the Yogi will sit, should be kept about a yard away from the Pathavi-Kasina. The Yogi can adjust the distance to his convenience. If the chair is too close, the flaws on the surface of the earthen ball may interfere with his concentration. If it is far away, the visibility of the Kasina may be poor.

          The chair must be neither too high nor too low. If too high or too low, the bending or raising of the head may easily cause a strain on the neck of the Yogi. The Yogi may squat on a dais, if he prefers.

          Before he begins, it will be helpful if he can meditate, for a little while, on the evils of attachment for good sight, good sound, good smell, good taste, good touch. For a few moments, he should remember the fact that Samadhi, which he is going to acquire, will eventually lead him to the liberation from these attachments and endless sufferings He should also think of the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. This will give him feelings of elation. He should also make himself aware of the fact that the practice which he is going to make is not an ordinary practice and that it is the practice made by all Buddhas, Pacceka Buddhas and Arahats for liberating themselves from endless sufferings.

         How to concentrate

.

          While gazing at the Kasina, if the Yogi opens his eyes too wide, his eyes will be strained. Because of the strain, the Yogi will find it hard to get a mental picture of the earthen ball. If he opens his eyes too close, he may not see the ball properly. Therefore he may fail to get a mental picture of the ball.

          The best way to look at the ball in the Kasina is to look as one looks at one's face in the mirror.

          While the Yogi is looking at the ball, he must not concentrate on the colour, nor on the hard nature of the earthen ball. He must concentrate on the earth of which the ball is made, saying mentally 'Pathavi, Pathavi.' If the Yogi prefers, he can say 'Earth, Earth' or in his own language.

          While concentrating on the ball, the Yogi will find that very frequently, his mind is flitting about in all directions. The fact that the Yogi is aware of his mental restlessness is a step forward, because most of the time in our life, we do not know the mind is flitting about.

          Sometimes, the Yogi should close his eyes to find out if he has got a mental picture of the ball. When he gets a mental picture of the ball and sees it as clearly as when he is looking at it. It is called Uggaha-Nimitta.

          Uggaha-Nimitta is the picture of a sight Arammana, that is seen mentally.

          Next Step

          When the Yogi gets Uggaha-Nimitta, it is not necessary for him to look at the Pathavi-Kasina He can go to any quiet place and concentrate on that mental picture of the ball or Uggaha-Nimitta, while, at the same time, saying mentally "Pathavi, Pathavi, or "Earth, Earth This saying is very helpful in arresting the mental flights

          While practicing, the Yogi may lose sight of Uggaha-Nimitta If so, he can go back to the Pathavi-Kasina for another mental picture and let him continue the practice, as he had done before

          As his Samadhi improves, Nivaranas will gradually fade out, and the Uggaha Nimitta will become clearer and brighter, step by step, till finally it looks like a full moon in the clear sky When this stage is reached, it is called Patibhaga-Nimitta.

          Patibhaga-Nimitta simply means an extra-ordinary Arammana

          Samadhi, at the time of Patibhaga-Nimitta, is called Upacara-samadhi. Upacara means forerunner Therefore Upacara-samadhi means Samadhi that precedes Jhana, which is called Appana-Samadhi

          However, it is not easy to jump from Upacara to Appana-Samadhi, from Patibhaga-Nimitta to Jhana. Some Yogi can do so at one sitting. some take several days to acquire Jhana Some faint hearted Yogis give up and go home.

          Seven Rules

          Seven rules are prescribed for Yogis who are trying to step from Patibhaga-nimitta to Jhana, They are as follow: -

          1. A Yogi must not live in a place, where his concentration can be disturbed. He must live in a place that will be congenial to his practice.

          2. A monk Yogi must not live in his old place. He must live near a place, where he can collect his food without difficulty.

          3. A Yogi must not talk about worldly affairs. He may sometimes discuss some methods that will be helpful to his practice.

          4. Live together with persons who are not interested in worldly affairs and with those who can give guidance regarding Bhavana.

          5. Take only that food that is suitable for Yogi's health.

          6. Live in a suitable climate

          7. Some Yogi concentrate well, while they are walking. Others can concentrate better, while they are sitting. A Yogi can choose any posture, that will help him in acquiring Samadhi.

          If these rules are faithfully observed, the Yogi will acquire Jhana in due course.

Anapanassati

          Anapana means inhaling and exhaling. Therefore Anapanassati means building up Samadhi by concentrating on inhaling and exhaling. This method has three stages The 1st stage is called Ganana. The second is called Anubandhana. The third is called Thapan.

          1st stage

          While inhaling and exhaling, the breath of some persons touch the nostrils, while the breath of others touch the tip of the upper lip. A Yogi must, first of all find out, which of the two places, his breath touches. Let us say, for example, that the breath touches the tip of the upper lip. After that, the Yogi must find out whether inhaling or exhaling touches the tip more forcefully. Let us say also, for example, that inhaling touches the tip more forcefully.

          Then concentrating on the tip, count "one," as soon as inhaling touches the tip. Go on counting up to "five," whenever inhaling touches the tip. If you get "five," you have completed the 1st vara.

          After the 1st vara, the Yogi goes on to the second vara. In the 2nd vara, he again starts from one, but goes up to "Six."

          In the 3rd vara, he counts up to "Seven".

          Thus he jumps from one vara to another, till he has finished the sixth vara and counted 'Ten" .

          After he has finished the sixth vara, start from the 1st vara again, as before. The repetition of counting his breath, by means of varas, in this way, must be made, till he has sufficiently built up his Samadhi.

          In the beginning, since Samadhi is not yet sufficiently strong, the breathing and counting should be slow. However, when Samadhi becomes strong enough, he can breathe a little more quickly.

          A Yogi, who starts counting the inhaling, should change to exhaling, when his Samadhi becomes strong enough, and vice versa.

          If the Yogi gets mastery over counting, without loss of concentration, he should pick up the second stage, called Anubandhana.

          2nd Stage

          When the Yogi picks up the second stage of concentration, it is not necessary to count. He must drop counting. He must concentrate on inhaling and exhaling. In the place of counting, he will be required to check the length of breath.

          If the inhaling is long, he must be aware that it is long. If it is short, he must be aware it is short. In the same way, the Yogi must be aware of the length of exhaling. He must never lose his awareness of the length of inhaling and exhaling.

          At this point, the writer wants to strike a note of warning. The writer has met several people, who had practised this method. When they inhale and exhale, their mind follows the movements of their breath, from the nostrils to the lungs and from the lungs to the nostrils. This is a very serious mistake.

          Let us take the example of a sawyer. While he is sawing, he concentrates on the spot which his saw is cutting. He never concentrates on the moving saw. If he concentrates on the moving saw, he will soon become giddy and make serious mistakes.

          If a Yogi concentrates on the moving breath, there is danger of his losing Samadhi which he had built up through the 1st method, called Ganana.

          Therefore, in this second stage, while he is checking the length of the breath, he must concentrate on the nostrils. While concentrating on the nostrils, he must be fully aware of the length of the breath - long if it is long and short if it is short. A long breath touches the nostrils for a long time. The short breath touches the nostrils only for a short time.

          When Samadhi becomes sufficiently strong, the Yogi will acquire Patibhaganimitta. This Patibhaganimitta is not like the one, which the Yogi acquires while he is concentrating on Pathavi-Kasina. The Patibhaganimitta in the case of Pathavi-Kasina is nothing but the bright ball, the bright replica of the earthen ball on the canvas. All the Yogis, who concentrate on Pathavi-Kasina, acquire one and the same Patibhaganimitta, i.e., the bright ball.

          However, in the case of this Bhavana, which is called Anapanassati, the Yogi will see a colour or a figure. Some Yogis see ruby colour, some diamond colour, some sun rays, some moon rays etc. Some Yogis do not see colours such as these. They see a straight line, a curve, a ball etc.

          When this Patibhaganimitta becomes more and more stabilized, the Yogi must abandon this second stage and go on to the 3rd stage, called Thapana.

          3rd Stage

          In the 3rd stage, it is not necessary for a Yogi to concentrate on his breath. He must concentrate on the Patibhaganimitta, which he has acquired, till he gets Jhana.

          In the case of the Pathavi-Kasina Bhavana, the Yogi has to say mentally, either 'Pathavi, Pathavi or 'Earth, Earth'. However, in the case of Anapanassati, the Yogis generally concentrate on the Patibhaganimitta. They do not say anything mentally. However, if the Yogi feels that there is the danger of his losing constant awareness, he may say something mentally, in order to help in arresting mental flights. For example, let us say his Patibhaganimitta is ruby colour. He may say Ruby, Ruby,' or 'Red, Red,' or anything which, in the opinion of the Yogi, has some bearing on the Patibhaganimitta.

         Another word of warning

          In the case of the Anapanassati, the inhaling and exhaling become more and more delicate, as the Yogi acquires more and more Samadhi. They become so extremely delicate that the Yogi may think his breath has stopped. There are some cases of Yogis, who, out of fright, have given up the practice. If a Yogi is confronted with this kind of delicate situation, he should not hastily give up the practice. He should at once seek guidance from the instructor.

          The virtue of this Bhavana is very great. It is very helpful in acquiring Magga.

          Up to the 4th Jhana

          A Yogi, who practises either Pathavi-Kasina or Anapanasati, can go up to the 4th Jhana.

          The method to be employed for any of the four Jhanas is the same. However, before a Yogi leaves the one for the other Jhana, he must observe two important points. They are as follows: -

          1. Do not leave the Jhana which he has acquired, hastily Practise it again and again, till he has complete mastery over it.

          2. Before he leaves one Jhana for the other, he must meditate, for a few moments on the demerits of the Jhana, he has acquired and the merits of the Jhana, which he wants to acquire.

          For example, the Yogi wants to leave the 1st for the second Jhana. He must think of the fact that the 1st Jhana is quite close to the five Nivaranas. Therefore it is not strong. The five Nivaranas, which are its enemies, can easily destroy it. The second Jhana is farther from the five Nivaranas. So it is stronger than the first. The Nivaranas, the five enemies, cannot destroy it as easily as they can destroy the First Jhana.

          The Yogi should not dwell at great length on this meditation. Stop it and start concentration, as soon as he can grasp the significance of the demerits and merits of the 1st and 2nd Jhanas respectively.


Brahma-Vihara

          What does Brahma Vihara mean? It simply means living together with Brahmas. It can also be interpreted as noble living. There are four Bhavanas which can bring about noble living. They are as follows: -

          1. Metta-Bhavana

          2. Karuna Bhavana

          3. Mudita Bhavana

          4. Upekkha Bhavana

          Metta Bhavana is one that takes, for an Arammana, a person for whom the Yogi has pure love, undiluted with sexual feelings. Karuna Bhavana is one that takes, for an Arammana, a person for whom the Yogi has compassion. Mudita Bhavana is one that takes, for an Arammana, a person for whose good fortune the Yogi' is feeling sincerely happy. Upekkha Bhavana is one that takes, for an Arammana, a person to whom the Yogi is indifferent, for whom the Yogi has neither love nor hatred.

          These are the four Bhavana that can bring about noble living. Then what kind of living is called noble living. The Buddha had given a definition of noble living as follows.

          "Monks! While you are standing or walking or sitting or lying, so long as you are free from sleepiness, you must culture your mind so that it is constantly replete with love. To live constantly like this with love is very much praise-worthy. It is called noble living."

          Taking it as a cue, it may also be said that to live constantly with Karuna or Mudita or Upekkha is also noble living.

          Out of these four Bhavanas, only Metta Bhavana will be mentioned in this book.

Metta-Bhavana

          Metta means love. There are two different kinds of love. The first is love, diluted with sexual feelings. The second is pure, undiluted, platonic love. Metta-Bhavana deals with the second. It is love which instills, in the Yogi, a benevolent wish for peace, happiness and prosperity for other beings.

          Three Metta

          There are 3 different forms of Metta. If the Yogi has only benevolent wish for peace, happiness and prosperity of other beings, this wish will be called Mano (mental) Metta. Because of this benevolent wish, if the Yogi prays for the peace, happiness and prosperity of other beings, this prayer will be called Vaci (verbal) Metta. If the Yogi does something for the peace, prosperity and happiness of other beings, this deed will be called Kaya (bodily) Metta.

          In the practice of Bhavana, there is no room for Kaya (bodily) Metta.

          Advantage

          What are the advantages of culturing your mind for Metta-Bhavana? In the Maha Govinda Sutta, the Buddha dwelt at great length on the merits of Metta-Bhavana. However these advantages will be summarised as follows.

          Observing Panca Sila is much more meritorious than offering food to the Buddha and Samghas (monks). Metta-Bhavana is much more meritorious than observing Panca Sila.

          In the Metta Sutta, the Buddha re-iterated the advantages of Metta-Bhavana as follows.

          A Yogi, who is practising Metta-Bhavana,

          1. Sleeps soundly.

          2. Has no worries when awake.

          3. Has no bad dreams.

          4. Receives love from the people.

          5. Receives love from the demons.

          6. Receives help from the devas.

          7. Will not meet with violent death.

          8. Can have mental concentration quickly.

          9. Has a peaceful and calm expression on his face.

          10. Will not have bad Arammanas, on the verge of death, will have peaceful death.

          11. Will have rebirth in one of the abodes of Brahmas, if he can retain Metta-Bhavana, up to his death.

         Fifteen important points

          A Yogi, who wants to practise Metta-Bhavana, must faithfully observe the following fifteen points.

          1. He must have tenacity of purpose. He must have thoroughly studied Metta-Bhavana, before he practises it.

          2. He must be a man who does as he says and says as he does.

          3. He must not hide his faults.

          4. He must be strictly obedient to the instructor.

          5. He must be courteous, when dealing with others.

          6. His pride must be fully bridled.

          7. He must have contentment - ability to eat what he gets and live where he is kept.

          8. He must not disturb others. He must, under no circumstances, become a burden to others. Do not accept whatever is given. Take as little as possible. Sometimes, it may be even necessary to refuse to accept what is given.

          9. Stay away from worldly affairs. Devote entirely to the Metta-Bhavana.

          10. Just as a bird has only two wings, wherever it goes, the Yogi must have with him only a few things that are absolutely necessary.

          11. The Yogi must exercise control over his eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind.

          12. He must be reasonable.

          13. He must not be rude.

          14. He must try his best to cut his attachment for the near and dear ones.

          15. He must not do anything for which good people will censure him.

         Bhavana begins

          Avoid them

          The Yogi, who wants to practise Metta-Bhavana, must not use the following four types of persons, as Arammanas, as soon as he practises the Bhavana.

          1. A person whom he does not like.

          2. A person whom he loves very dearly.

          3. A stranger to whom he is indifferent.

          4. His enemy.

          The first type of person will generate irritation instead of love.

          The second type may bring about worries.

          The third type will be very slow in promoting love.

          The fourth will breed anger.

          However, when the yogi reaches a certain stage, it will become imperative for him to use these for types as his Arammana, in order to improve the quality of his love. That stage will be explained later.

          Here the writer wants to give a word of warning to the Yogis. Never use as an Arammana a particular opposite sex. For example, a male yogi can concentrate on women in general he should never concentrate on a particular Miss A. Similarly, a female Yogi can concentrate on men in general. She should never concentrate on a particular Mr. A. If a Yogi concentrates on a particular opposite sex, it may give rise to sexual desires instead of pure, undiluted, platonic love.

          Never use a dead person as an Arammana. Instead of love, the Yogi may get worries.

          Persons to start with

          A Yogi must start with himself. "I want to be free from danger. I want to be free from worries. I want to be free from poverty. I want to have peace of mind. Like me, all the beings, will wish to be free from danger, worries and poverty. Like me, they will wish to have peace of mind."

          Therefore,

          1) May they be free from dangers.

          2) May they be free from worries.

          3) May they be free from poverty.

          4) May they have peace of mind.

          It will be very helpful, if the Yogi can contemplate on this for a few moments. It will gradually instill in him fellow feeling for other beings.

          When his restless mind becomes a little calm, he must try and get as his Arammana, a mental image of a teacher, or a friend or a person whom he loves and respects. The Yogi must, first of all, think of the integrity, erudition, public spirit or some other good qualities of the person, whom the Yogi has chosen as his Arammana.

          Concentrating on this Arammana, the Yogi must say mentally as follows.

          1. May he be free from danger.

          2. May he be free from worries.

          3. May he be free from poverty.

          4. May he have peace of mind.

          In fact, the above four lines are too long. They may interfere with the Yogi's concentration. Therefore, the Yogi may choose one of the above four. Let us say, the Yogi chooses the last one, i.e., May he have peace of mind.

          In that case, while concentrating on the Arammana, the yogi should mentally say, again and again, "May he have peace of mind." However, if he finds even this, a little too long, the yogi can shorten the wish, as much as he likes. So long as the abbreviation conveys to him the exact meaning of the wish, it is correct. He can say, for instance, "peace of mind," instead of saying "May he have peace of mind."

          In the beginning, since the yogi has not yet acquired concentration, the Arammanas will frequently disappear or fade out. As the Yogi acquires more and more concentration, the Arammanas will stay longer and longer.

          The method to be employed in this Bhavana is similar to the one used in Pathavi Kasina, i.e., while concentrating on the Arammana say mentally "peace of mind" again and again.

          When the Yogi acquires considerable mastery over Jhana, he must pick up the four types of persons, whom he has been advised to avoid, as soon as he starts the practice of the Bhavana. In order to refresh the reader's memory, these four types will be mentioned here again

          The four types are: -

          1. A person whom the yogi does not like.

          2. A person whom he loves very dearly.

          3. A stranger to whom he is indifferent.

          4. His enemy.

         Can one love enemy?

          When the yogi has got a considerable mastery over Jhana, it will not be difficult for him to concentrate on nos. 1, 2 and 3. The concentration will certainly bring love to him. However, he may find it difficult to concentrate on no. 4, which is his enemy. Concentration on enemy may breed in him anger, hatred, disgust rather than love. As a result of the concentration, his whole body will be shaking with anger. And there is also the danger of his Jhana getting spoilt or exploded.

          Then what should the yogi do in order to enable him to concentrate on his enemy, without any bad consequences?

          The Buddha had pointed out, in many of his teachings, the evils or enmity and the virtues of love. If the Yogi can study them seriously and follow them, he will be able to forgive his enemy and love him. The following are extracts from the teachings of the Buddha.

         Evils of Enmity

         Such thoughts as these have always been present in the minds of some people "This man has abused me. He has ill-treated me. He has defeated me. He has taken away my possessions." They have constantly nurtured these thoughts and on them they build up their enmity. For these people, there can be no peace.

          Some people do not nurture such thoughts. They do not build up their enmity. For these people, there can be peace.

          So long as there is enmity, there can be no peace. Only when there is no enmity, there can be peace.

          Stupid persons are never aware that they will die. Because of this absence of awareness, enmity never ends. Wise persons are aware that they will die. Because of this presence of awareness, enmity comes to an end.

         Evils of Anger

          A person returns anger with anger. This person is more evil than the other person. A person, who can overcome his anger when the other person gives full vent to his anger, is one who can said to have won a rare victory over an undefeatable mental defilement.

          For example, an enemy says,

          1. May this fellow be ugly.

          2. May this fellow be in trouble.

          3. May this fellow be devoid of wealth.

          4. May this fellow be extremely poor.

          5. May this fellow be devoid of fame.

          6. May this fellow be devoid of friends.

          7. May he go to hell, after death.

          These seven curses of the enemy cannot harm the person who is cursed. However, if the person. who is cursed becomes angry because of these curses, all of these seven evil wishes of the enemy can come true .Anger can make a man ugly, push him into trouble, make him poor, defame him, take friends away from him, cause his rebirth to take place in Hell, after death.

          Oh Monks! A person, who is constantly at the mercy of anger, commits bodily Akusala, verbal Akusala, mental Akusala. Because of these Akusala, his rebirth, after death, will take place in Hell.

          Oh Monks! A piece of log, which was burnt at both ends at a cremation and was smeared with excreta in the middle, cannot be used as fuel anywhere. Oh Monks! A person who cannot overcome his anger is like that log.

          Oh Monks! Let us say that thieves who are in the habit of committing cruel deeds, cut a person to pieces with a big saw. Because of this cruel deed, if the person, who is cut to pieces, is angry with the thieves, that person cannot be said to be a good disciple of mine.

          The yogi must study the above teachings of the Buddha and admonish himself as follows.

          1st Self Admonition

          "If, in spite of these teachings of the Buddha, you are angry with your enemy, it will amount to disrespecting the teachings. It will amount to disobeying the teachings. If you are angry with your enemy, you will not only become more wicked than the enemy, but also you will lose the rare victory over anger. Because of this anger, you will be classed with the smeared log of wood that had been used at a cremation.

          If the anger does not subside, as a result of this self admonition, the yogi should pick up another one like this.

          2nd Self Admonition

          Some enemies have some good points. So think of the good points, trying to forget the bad ones of your enemy. However, if the enemy has no good points at all, try to have compassion on that enemy because he will be reborn, after death, in Hell, on account of his Akusala.

          If, in spite of the second self admonition, anger still persists, try another one like this

          3rd Self Admonition

          1. Your enemy can harm your body only. He can not harm your mind. But because of this anger, your mind feels very much oppressed. Why do you want to give your enemy an opportunity to be happy?

          2. You have come to the meditation centre, after making great sacrifices in food, sleep, dress, accommodation, personal comforts, keeping away from near and dear ones. You are not wasting your time here. You are practising Metta-Bhavana, that will bring to you immediate mental happiness and a lot of Kusala. Why can't you get rid of this pernicious anger that can cause you untold miseries in this life and in the life hereafter? You must be able to get rid of this anger.

          3. Oh man of virtue! You are observing Sila. However, you harbour anger that can destroy all the virtues of Sila. Can there be any one who will be as stupid as you are?

          4. Oh wise man! You are angry with your enemy for having done a wicked deed. Why do you want to do the same wicked thing yourself?

          5. Oh wise man! You may or may not have power to harm your enemy. But before you can harm your enemy, you have harmed yourself by being angry.

          6. It your enemy wants to follow the path of anger, that will bring ruin to him, let him do so. You should not follow his example.

          7. Your enemy has done a wicked deed to you, because he is at the mercy of anger. So if you want to cut off, cut off only his overlord who goads your enemy into doing the wicked deed. You need not cut off the enemy who has to do that wicked deed at the bidding of his master. You are simply torturing yourself by being angry with the enemy.

          8. According to Buddhism, Matter and Mind are not permanent. They are fleeting. The Matter and Mind of your enemy, that were responsible for the wicked deed, are no more. They have gone by. With whom will you be angry presently?

          9. When a bad deed is done to you, it is not the fault of your enemy alone. Unless you have Akusala, your enemy can not do any harm to you. Therefore why do you blame the enemy alone for the wrong deed, he had done to you? You should also blame yourself for your Akusala.

          If, in spite of the third admonition, anger still subsists, try another one.

          4th Self Admonition

          Oh man of virtue! What good will come out of anger? According to Buddhism, all the good things and bad things which a being encounters till the 4th Magga has got rid of the rebirth, are nothing but the manifestations of Kusala and Akusala Kamma, which a being has earned as a result of his or her deeds, words and thoughts. Therefore if you have earned an Akusala Kamma, you yourself must inherit the bad consequences of your Akusala Kamma. No one else will. Anger is Mano (mental) Akusala kamma, the bad consequences of which will follow you, just as the shadow follows the person, who casts that shadow, and torment you, whenever they can. The Mano Akusala Kamma which you have earned as a result of your anger will not, in any way, be helpful in making you either an Arahat or a Pacceka Buddha, or a Buddha.

          It cannot make you a Brahma, or a King of the Devas.

          The Akusala Kamma, which you have earned as a result of anger, can make you a beggar, who has to live on the scrap, which others have thrown away. This Akusala Kamma can cause your rebirth in one of the four abodes of neither beings.

          A person, who wants to torture others with burning ambers and excreta, by holding them in his palms, tortures himself. Similarly, Akusala Kamma, which a person has earned as a result of anger, harms himself.

          If, in spite of the our self admonition, anger persists, please try another one.

          5th Self Admonition

          In the Anamatagga Sutta, the Buddha said that since all beings had infinite rebirths, throughout immeasurable ages, it would be difficult to find any body who had never been a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, a son, a daughter to each other. Each had been related to the other in one way or the other.

          Since that is the case, the enemy must have been a mother, or a father, or a brother, or a sister, or a son, or a daughter to me. While he was my father or mother, he must have looked after my well-being with tender care and love. He must have taken risks and faced hardships to earn a decent living for me. He must have defended me against dangers. Therefore it would be wrong to keep alive enmity against him.

          The reader will remember that, under the 5th point about mind in the 1st difference, it has been explained how important it is for a Buddhist to train himself, as much as possible, so that he can adopt a proper attitude, in any situation, under any circumstances. This adoption of proper attitude is called Yoniso-manasikara.

          In fact, the Yogi has been asked to employ the above self-admonitions in order to enable him to adopt a proper attitude towards the enemy.

          If one employs those self admonitions and contemplate on the virtues of Metta, it is very much hoped, the enmity will end and he will be able to love his enemy genuinely.

***************************

         Si masam bheda

          When enmity has subsided, the Yogi must pick up Metta-bhavana till his feelings of love are equally divided on (1) himself, (2) the person he loves, (3) the person he does not like and (4) his enemy. This equal division of love is called Simasam bheda.

          Through introspection, the Yogi can check if his love for his enemy is genuine or if something is still wrong with it, the Yogi can detect it however feeble the rankling may be.

          One popular test, which the Yogis employ, when their Jhana becomes very strong should be mentioned here. A Yogi, for instance, imagines that he is sitting with the person he loves, the person he does not like and his enemy. All of a sudden some bad persons appear. They tell him that they want to kill a man and ask him to give one of the three, who are sitting together with him. If he has a wish, however weak it may be, to give away one of the three who are sitting with him, his love cannot be called Simasam bheda. Even if he wishes to sacrifice himself, his love can not yet be called Simasam bheda. It is a love that still keeps some kind of distinction over beings.

          This is not a satisfactory test. However, since there is no barometer that can gauge love, introspection and such tests as the one mentioned above should be accepted as possible tests.

          Simasam bheda is very important as far as the Metta-Bhavana is concerned. So long as a yogi has not yet acquired Simasam bheda, the grade of his Metta or love must be classified as inferior. The yogi also will be classified as a person who has no mastery over Jhana. Only when he achieves Simasam bheda, the grade becomes superior. The Yogi also becomes a person who has mastery over Jhana.

          After the Yogi has achieved Simasam bheda, he can concentrate on one of the for types of persons individually, or he can concentrate on all of them collectively.

          If the Yogi practises metta-Bhavana he can go up to the 3rd Jhana. When he goes up to the 4th Jhana, it is no longer Metta-Bhavana. It is transformed into Upekkha-Bhavana.

          The practice employed for the Pathavi-Kasina must be employed for Metta-Bhavana i.e., while concentrating on the arammana say mentally 'peace of mind, peace of mind' again and again.

Love for all

          When the yogi has complete mastery over his Jhana, he must concentrate on all being in ten different directions.

          Ten different directions are as follows: -

          1. East

          2. West

          3. North

          4. South

          5. South East

          6. NorthWest

          7. North East

          8. South West

          9. Below

          10. Above

Twelve different beings

          According to Buddhism, the yogi must concentrate on the twelve different kinds of beings in each direction. However, for the beginners seven should be enough. They are as follow :

          1. All females

          2. All males

          3. All Ariyas (persons who have got one or all of the Magga)

          4. All Puthujjanas (persons who have not got any of the Maggas)

          5. All Devas and Brahmas

          6. All human beings

          7. All nether beings

          The Yogi must turn towards the directions, if he wants to concentrate on the beings in that direction. And then concentrating on the beings, group by group, he must mentally say, peace of mind, peace of mind. Let us say, for instance, that he wants to concentrate on the beings in the East.

          Let him, first of all, turn towards East. And then concentrating on the females, he must mentally say, 'All females-peace of mind, peace of mind'. From this first group of beings, he must move up to the seventh group, one after another and do as he has done for the beings in the first group. Likewise, he must practise Metta-Bhavana in ten different directions.


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