Friday, April 13, 2018


Post # 43 -The Seven Factors for Awakening (satta bojjhanga). Part 1

Are you visiting this Blog for the first time? It would be good if you could visit the 1st Post to know about this Blog and then read the others in sequence.  

We saw in  Post # 41 and Post # 42 that the Buddha has referred to 37 factors that assist in realizing the world transcending wisdom which in the Pali language are termed as sath tiss bodhipakkhiya-dhamma. It is the ultimate wisdom known as Awakening.

I will in this Post list out some details on the Seven Factors for Awakening (satta bojjhanga), which is one of the seven sets consisting of the 37 factors that assist in realizing the world transcending wisdom

Ven. Pitigala Gunerathane Thero explaining Sabbasawa Sutta - says that when one talks of Buddhist Meditation for realizing Nibbana you talk about insight meditation for the development of the Bojjanga Dhamma. That is one part of the 37 factors  that develops in the process of attaining Nibbana.  The Bojjanga Dhamma or the Seven Factors for Awakening (satta bojjhanga), develops while engaging in mindfulness meditation. They are:  mindfulness as a factor for Awakening (sati-sambojjhanga);  analysis of qualities as a factor for Awakening (dhamma-vicaya-sambojjhanga); persistence or effort as a factor for Awakening (viriya-sambojjhanga); rapture or joyful interest as a factor for Awakening (piti-sambojjhanga); tranquility or serenity as a factor for Awakening (passaddhi-sambojjhanga); concentration as a factor for Awakening (samadhi-sambojjhanga); and equanimity as a factor for Awakening (upekkha-sambojjhanga).   

Therefore you will see the context in which we will be discussing the Seven Factors for Awakening, the subject dedicated to this Post. What I realize is that developing these factors does not need a separate and dedicated effort but they develop while we engage in the other Buddhist practices that we have discussed in this blog.

Ven. Piyadassi Thera in his book titled ‘The Seven Factors of Enlightenment Satta Bojjhaṅga’ published by the Buddhist Publication Society of Kandy, Sri Lanka, gives the following descriptions related to these seven factors:
“The Tipiṭaka, the Buddhist canon, is replete with references to the factors of enlightenment— bojjhaṅga—expounded by the Enlightened One on different occasions. In the Book of the Kindred Sayings, (Saṃyutta Nikāya Mahā Vagga) we find a special section under the title Bojjhaṅga Saṃyutta, wherein the Buddha discourses on the bojjhaṅgas in diverse ways. The term bojjhaṅga is composed of bodhi + aṅga. Bodhi denotes enlightenment; to be exact, insight, concerned with the realization of the four Noble Truths, and Aṅga means factors or limbs. Bodhi + aṅga (bojjhaṅga), therefore, means the factors of enlightenment, or the factors for insight wisdom.
In one of the discourses on the bojjhaṅgas mentioned above, the Buddha visiting Venerable Mahā Kassapa, who was ill said- “Kassapa, the seven factors of enlightenment are well expounded by me, and when cultivated and much developed they conduce to full realization, perfect wisdom, to Nibbāna”.
“Verily, Blessed One, they are factors of enlightenment! uttered Mahā Kassapa. Mahā Kassapa rejoicing welcomed the utterances of the Worthy One. And the Venerable Mahā Kassapa rose from that illness.
Ven. Piyadassi Thera says man’s mind tremendously and profoundly influences and affects the body. If allowed to function viciously and entertain unwholesome and harmful thoughts, mind can cause disaster, even kill a being; but mind also can cure a sick body. When concentrated on right thoughts with right understanding, the effects mind can produce are immense.

In another reference to the Seven Factors of Enlightenment in the web a learned monk  says how one systematically cultivates the seven Bojjanga Dhamma. “It involves first establishing sati (moral mindfulness) based on anicca (impermanence), dukkha (un-satisfactoriness), anatta (non-self). It is important to clarify what sati is. Many people think sati is “concentr ation” or just “paying attention”. It is much more than that. It is “paying attention” with a frame of mind based on some understanding of anicca, dukkha, anatta: One has to contemplate on the “big picture” in the Buddha’s teaching, with 31 realms and a rebirth process that has led to much suffering in the long run. Even though one may be enjoying life right now, one knows that it will be of negligible duration compared to the sansaric time scale.
During the whole time of the Bojjanga bhavana, sati must be there; that frame of mind must be there. 'Dhammavicaya' is critical evaluation of a given dhamma concept. One can choose a topic or two for a given session and then contemplate on it. One could do this not only in a formal way, but also just while reading a web post or a book on the subject. Each individual is different, so one needs to figure out which is more suitable”.
I brought these references to The Seven Factors for Awakening (satta bojjhanga) by these learned monks, so as to give some background to the subject and to establish the source or references to these in the pali canon (Thripitaka).
I will in the next post  # 44, bring out more detailed descriptions of the seven factors extracted from these source material in order that we may get a better understanding of this teaching.


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