Publication of the. Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society

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2 Publication of the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society Buddhist Maha Vihara, 123, Jalan Berhala, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: Fax: Website: Published for Free Distribution Permission to reprint for free distribution can be obtained upon request. 1 st Print April 2009 (2,500 copies) Printed by Uniprints Marketing Sdn. Bhd. ( K) (A member of Multimedia Printing & Graphics (M) Sdn Bhd) ISBN:

3 NIBBĀNA WITHIN THIS LIFE By Ven Pannasiri Namo Buddhāya Rare is the Buddha s appearance The birth of Enlightened Beings (Buddhas) in this world is indeed rare. According to the Mahāpadāna discourse of the Dīgha Nikāya, within a hundred aeons (kappas), only seven Buddhas have appeared in the world. One may tend to think that this is quite ordinary that seven Buddhas appearing in the world within a hundred aeons thinking that aeon is a short period of time. But, one may not think like that if one knows the real time frame of an aeon. Bhikkhus (monk) have inquired from the Buddha the time span of an aeon. The Buddha s explanation could be found in two discourses in Anguttara Nikāya, namely Sāsapa and Pabbattha discourses. In the Sāsapa discourse, the Buddha mentions that it is difficult to enumerate that an aeon is a hundred years, thousand years or ten thousand years. But he says that he can give a simile to describe the time span of an aeon. Suppose 1

4 there is a city which has walls on four sides. The height, length and breadth of this city are seven miles. Mustard seeds are then filled into this city. After a hundred years a man comes and takes one mustard seed from this city and puts it away and after a hundred years, another man comes and does the same thing and the process goes on till the entire gamut of mustard seeds are cleared. Yet, the aeon will not be over. In the Pabbatha, the Buddha gives another simile. Suppose there is a granite cliff which is one Yojana ( Yojana in Pāli is calculated as seven miles) in height, length and breadth. A person with a silk cloth rubs this cliff after a hundred years and continuously does so every hundred years till the entire granite cliff equals the surface level of the earth. Even then the aeon will not be over. So these two examples from canonical texts are quite adequate for you to understand the fact that an aeon is an unthinkable, unimaginable period of time span. On another occasion, a monk posed a question to the Buddha as to how many aeons have gone by hitherto. Then, Buddha explicated in the Nadī discourse of Anguttara Nikāya that one can count the entire gamut of sand of the river Ganges (in India) but one cannot count the aeons so far 2

5 gone by. This indicates how long we have been in Samsāra undergoing suffering in various planes of existence: mostly in the woeful states like hell, animal plane and petha world and rarely in human plane and heavenly planes. According to the Buddha, much of the time we spend, have spent and will spend is in the woeful states. To escape from this we have to put an end to this dangerous Samsaric life. Buddha shows the real path Of course Buddhas are born to this world in order to show us the way to end Samsaric life by comprehending the Four Noble Truths: Suffering or unsatisfactoriness, cause or origin of suffering, the cessation or end of suffering and the path leading to the cessation of suffering i.e. the Noble Eightfold Path. Rarely does one get an opportunity to be born as a human being and to encounter the Buddha Sāsana or Dispensation of the Buddha. We are all fortunate enough to have both. Therefore, we must strive to comprehend and practice the Dhamma or the Noble teachings of the Buddha. 3

6 Rare is human birth Many Buddhists do not know the above factors even though they think that they are good Buddhists. They think to be born as a human being is an easy thing. But according to the Dutiya chiggala discourse of Anguttara Nikāya, one gets a human birth in an unimaginable way. It explains that if one gets a birth in the lower planes it is very difficult for one to come up to the human plane just like thus: suppose the entire earth is an ocean into which a piece of wood, with two to four feet length, with one hole, is thrown; and there lives in the bottom of the ocean a turtle whose one eye is blind. The piece of wood (yoke) as mentioned earlier which is used to connect two buffaloes together in ploughing would float into various directions due to the blowing of the wind from the North to the South, East to the West. The turtle comes up every hundred years. This process will go on and finally one day the turtle (whose one eye is blind) will be able to put its head into the hole of the yoke which is floating in the sea. Yet, one who is reborn in a lower plane may still be unable to get a human birth in that time period. This emphatically emphasises how rare it is to get a human birth. In this lifetime, we have 4

7 gained this noble human birth which has only a few years to pass by. Therefore, as Buddhists, we must understand this golden opportunity which is in our hands and strive forth with diligence. Why Buddhas are born? The Buddhas appear in the world to show us the reality of the world: anicca (impermanence), dukkha (suffering) and anatta (soullessness) which can be understood very easily, and no miracles are necessary for us to understand this reality. These factors are brought to light only by the Fully Enlightened beings out of compassion for gods and humans. Nevertheless, the importance of getting rid of Samsaric life is not adequately emphasised today. There are so many schools of Buddhism emphasising various things, not directing to the real path of emancipation. Many Dhamma teachers can be witnessed explicating Dhamma with their own perspectives political, psychological, philosophical, sociological, transcendental and so on. Only a handful of Dhamma teachers explain the Dhamma in line with Buddha s direct perspective i.e. to show the danger in Samsāric life and the need to 5

8 strive to attain Nibbāna as early as possible by following the Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddha places urgency on striving for Nibbāna. At one occasion, he advised monks to strive to attain Nibbāna just like a man, whose hair on fire, trying to put it out. At another occassion, a monk stopped striving for the final goal (Arahantship) after gaining the non-returner level (Anāgāmi). Anāgāmis will be born after the dissolution of the body in the Brahma world called Suddhāvāsa (pure abode) and upon death attain the final goal, supreme Nibbāna. Even though the Buddha definitely knew this Bhikkhu was going to attain Nibbāna within the next life, Buddha did not want him to waste the opportunity to attain Nibbana within this very life. This shows us the Buddha s attitude of the samsāric life: That even a little excreta or a big amount of excreta gives the same stench, in the same way prolonging one s stay in Samsāra is dangerous. Therefore, it is quite explicit that the Buddha wanted us to practice the Dhamma and comprehend it within this life instead of postponing it to the next life. He did not want us to waste the golden opportunity in the current lifetime. 6

9 Is it possible to attain the goal now? One may wonder whether we are or we are not able to attain Nibbāna within this life. First we must know the six qualities of the Dhamma at least in a nutshell to get at the answer to this: Swākkātho Bhagavathā dhammo Well expounded is the Dhamma by the Blessed One, which is excellent in the beginning, excellent in the middle and excellent in the end. Sandittiko gives results within this life, one can attain Nibbāna within this life itself. Akāliko timeless. At anytime this sublime Dhamma can be practised and its results shown. Ehipassiko invitation to come and see and ascertain if this Dhamma is authentic. Opanaiko should compare with one s own life and accept it. When one compares the three signātā anicca (impermanence), dukkha (suffering), and anattha (soullessness) with one s own life, one will realise the fact that this Dhamma is true and authentic. 7

10 Paccattam veditabbo viññūhi the wise person needs to comprehend and realise the Dhamma himself/herself. THE FOUR ESSENTIAL FACTORS Now you are aware of the six qualities of the sublime Dhamma in which no explanation or rationale is given that one has to wait for the next Buddha or postpone our salvation. Clearly, one can attain Nibbāna within this life itself. Next important thing to know is the factors that should be completed in order to attain Nibbāna within this life. There are four factors which are essential for the attainment of Nibbāna within this life. 1. Association of kalyānamittas (Noble Friends) 2. Listening to sublime Dhamma (Saddhamma Savana) 3. Proper attention (yōnisōmanasikāra) 4. Practice of Dhamma (Dhammānudhamma patipadā) NOBLE FRIENDS (KALYĀNAMITTA) The first factor is the most important thing which 8

11 is very rare in the modern world; hence one has to be vigilant in order to find Noble friends in this society. One might think who is the Noble friend. According to the Supreme Enlightened One, Kalyānamitta or the Noble friend is one who directs you to end this suffering, comprehend the Four Noble Truths and attain Nibbāna. One might think that the Noble friend is one who gives you money, shelter, food, cloths, vehicles, etc. They are also friends, but not the Noble friends (kalyānamitta) as mentioned by the Buddha. In various discourses the Buddha has mentioned about this. According to the Mitta discourse of Samyutta Nikāya, the Buddha mentions that there is no other greater external factor than having a Noble friend which supports the attainment of Nibbāna. One day Venerable Ānanda, the chief attendant to the Buddha, came to the Buddha and told him that the half of the Path to Nibbāna is dependent on the Noble friends. The Buddha corrected him and proclaimed that the entire path to emancipation is dependent upon Noble friends. Buddha further said in the Upadda discourse of Samyutta Nikāya that we get the opportunity to listen to sublime Dhamma from Noble friends. 9

12 In Sāriputta discourse of Samyutta Nikāya, Buddha introduces himself as a Noble friend. He said to Sāriputta that the beings who are heirs of birth, death, mental and physical suffering and lamentation having come to Him become free from birth, death, mental and physical suffering and lamentation. Hence it is quite explicit that a Kalyānamitta or Noble friend is the one who helps one to be free from Samsāric life. So, if there is any Dhamma teacher or any person who encourages and directs you to be free from this dangerous Samsāric life, he/she can be considered a Noble friend. You must be very careful in selecting Noble friends in this modern world, and distinguish between those who may appear as Noble friends and those who are truly Noble Friends. LISTENING TO THE SUBLIME DHAMMA (SADDHAMMA SAVANA) The second factor is listening to the sublime Dhamma. This is very important because if you do not get the opportunity to listen to the real Dhamma expounded by the Buddha, you may 10

13 miss the opportunity to be free from defilements. Noble, sublime Dhamma (doctrine) means the discourses (suttas) and disciplinary code (vinaya) expounded by the Buddha within 45 years of His mission. There are approximately 18,000 discourses compiled in five sections namely, Dīgha Nikāya, Majhima Nikāya, Samyutta Nikāya, Anguttara Nikāya and Khuddaka Nikāya. It is quite important to depend upon the discourses in order to learn the sublime Dhamma of the Buddha. Specifically one should be very careful in depending on commentaries and Abhidhamma which can be considered later interpolations. Historically, Abhidhamma is considered to be expounded in the heaven Thāvathimsa to the god Māthru (formerly Queen Māyā) and other gods. This indicates Abhidhamma is relevant for the gods, not for humans. For us, the Buddha expounded the Suttas (discourses). One must also be very careful about the interpretation of the Dhamma teachers. Some could unfortunately misunderstand the Dhamma due to not having enough saddhā (rapture or faith towards the Enlightenment of the Buddha), or their limited knowledge of the sciences, education level and so on and so forth. Sometimes they 11

14 interpret Dhamma in the way that they want, depending on whatever comes to their mind as the explanation without checking the Buddha s explanation and contexts given in the discourses. Today, the followers of the Dhamma encounter this serious problem. YONISO MANASIKĀRA (PROPER ATTENTION) Third factor is proper attention or yōniso manasikāra i.e. you must have a proper understanding of the true nature of the world. What is the nature of the world: impermanent, suffering and Non-self. If one cannot understand these three signātā, it is not possible for one to attain Nibbāna. In order to have proper attention, one need not be erudite having university degrees etc. Even if one does not know how to write letters, one can have proper attention. Even the very poor and uneducated ones like Sunītha, Sōpāka and Sōna could attain Nibbāna during the Buddha s time. The small novice Cullapanthaka who could not remember even one stanza for the whole three months could attain Arahantship by having proper attention. Also yōniso manasikāra 12

15 means to know the root causes of existence like Paticca Samuppāda when we take yoni as womb and manasikāra as paying attention. PRACTICE OF DHAMMA (DHAMMĀNUDHAMMA PATIPADĀ) The fourth factor is dhammānudhamma patipadā or practising Dhamma. Here, one has to learn Dhamma with saddhā or rapture about the Enlightenment of the Buddha and then practise it accordingly as expounded by the Buddha. If the Buddha has asked us to do it in a certain way we have to do it accordingly without practising in the way we want or think is appropriate. Here, confidence in the Buddha s Enlightenment is very important. It is with conviction and confidence, one perseveres along the path towards Liberation. Therefore, if one follows the above mentioned way one can attain Nibbāna within this life. Who is the Buddha? To follow the path in Buddhism one should be rapturous towards the Enlightenment of the 13

16 Buddha first, which is called Saddhā. When you have Saddhā in you, you definitely know who the Buddha is, at least with His nine supreme qualities. Unfortunately more than ninety five percent of traditional Buddhists do not know the nine qualities of the Buddha. For the benefit of the reader the nine qualities of the Buddha can be put forward in a nutshell as follows: Arahaṃ The Buddha did not do evil, even in secrecy. Sammā Sambuddho The Buddha comprehended the Four Noble Truths on his own, without the help of any teacher. Vijjā Carana Sampanno The Buddha possessed many knowledges and lived accordingly. The Buddha possessed psychic powers (Iddivida), Divine ear (Dibbasota), Divine eye (Dibba cakku), reading the thoughts of the others (Paracitta Vijānana) and reading the past lives (Pubbe Nivāsānussati), etc. Sugatho He has attained the Supreme Bliss of Nibbāna. 14

17 Lokavidū He knew all the worlds and renounced all of them. Anuththaro Purisa Dhamma Sārathi He was the noble charioteer in taming all devas, humans and animals. Satthā deva Manussānam He is the teacher of gods and humans. Buddho He comprehended the Four Noble Truths, and showed the way to others. Bhagavā He is blessed with all these qualities. The person who knows the Buddha s qualities then get to know the qualities of the Dhamma and the qualities of the Sangha. Just as qualities of the Dhamma mentioned earlier, qualities of the Sangha are given as follows: Supatipanno Bhagavato Sāvaka Sangho The Noble disciples of the Buddha train 15

18 themselves for the eradication of greed, hatred and delusion. Ujupatipanno Bhagavato Sāvaka Sangho The Noble disciples of the Buddha practise the Noble Eightfold path. Nāyapatipanno Bhagavato Sāvaka Sangho The Noble disciples of the Buddha comprehend the Four Noble Truths. Sāmicipatipanno Bhagavato Sāvaka Sangho The Noble disciples of the Buddha speak what is relevant to the attainment of Nibbana. Yadidam Cattāri Purisa Yugāni Atta Purisa Puggalā There are four pairs of Noble persons, altogether Eight categories. Āhuneyyo The Noble disciples of the Buddha deserve to receive the four requisites (robes, alms, places of living and medicine) brought from distance. Pāhuneyyo The Noble disciples of the Buddha deserve to 16

19 receive the four requisites offered to them when they visit devotees. Dakkhineyyo The Noble disciples of the Buddha deserve to receive alms offered by devotees aspiring Nibbāna. Anjali Karaneyyo The Noble disciples of the Buddha deserve the veneration of devotees with utmost respect. Anuththaram Puññakkheththam Lokassāti The Noble disciples of the Buddha are the field of merits for the laity to engage in meritorious actions. Saddhānusāri and Dhammānusāri Noble Disciples When one is aware of the 24 qualities of the Triple Gem, one can take refuge in the Triple Gem wholeheartedly without blind faith. Then he/she becomes a noble disciple and is called Saddhānusārī Noble Disciple who is fully confident in the Triple Gem and then becomes Dhammānusārī Noble Disciple, who studies 17

20 Dhamma and put it into practice. According to Okkanthi samyuttha of Samyuththa Nikāya, if one becomes Saddhānusārī and Dhammānusārī one will definitely attain the first stage of sainthood before one s death. How one can attain Nibbāna In order to attain Nibbāna within this life, we have to follow the Noble Eightfold Path and this Path to Liberation which has been explicated by the Buddha in one of the discourses vividly. This is the Meghiya discourse of Angutthara Nikāya. According to this discourse, we have to complete five factors to attain Nibbāna within this life: 1. We have to associate with a noble companion, or a noble friend. 2. We must be virtuous. (As a monk one has to practise Pātimokkha and as a layman one has to practise 5,8,10 precepts, etc) 3. We must have the relevant discussion for austere life and mental clarity i.e. talk on fewness of wishes, on contentment, on solitude, on seclusion, on application of energy, on virtue, concentration, wisdom, liberation and 18

21 on the knowledge and vision of liberation. 4. We must have energy (Viriya) to abandon everything unwholesome and to acquire everything wholesome. 5. We must possess wisdom to see into the rise and fall of phenomena. This wisdom should be noble and penetrative, leading to the complete destruction of suffering. When one is firmly grounded in these five things, one should cultivate four other things: he/she should cultivate the meditation on the loathsomeness of the body for abandoning lust; he/she should cultivate loving-kindness for abandoning ill-will; he/she should cultivate mindfulness of breathing for cutting off initial thoughts and sustained thoughts (Vitakka and Vicāra); he/she should cultivate the perception of impermanence for eliminating the conceit I am. In he/she who perceives impermanence, the perception of non-self becomes firmly established. When one perceives non-self, one achieves the elimination of the conceit I am and attain Nibbāna in this very life. 19

22 Noble Striving It is discernible that when one follows the path taught by the Buddha, one can attain Nibbāna within this life. Therefore, the ones who postpone this noble goal are unwise people. This is not the Dhamma expounded by the Buddha. This noble, sublime Dhamma is delivered by the Enlightened One for the wise. Hence be a wise person and try to practise Dhamma now itself and try to attain at least the first stage of sainthood within this life or try to eradicate all the defilements by fully comprehending the Four Noble Truths within this life. May you all be able to achieve this goal as early as possible, within the reign of Gauthama Buddha s Sāsana (Dispensation). May the Blessings of the Noble Triple Gem be upon you! 20

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