Post # 48– Sathara Sathipattana- The Four Foundations of Mindfulness or the Four Frames of Reference for Mindfulness

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

I will now continue to elaborate on the respective sets in the seven sets that constitute the 37 factors that  support  awakening.  Accordingly this post will relate to the Four Frames of Reference for Mindfulness.

By deciding  to Post this topic in this Blog, I feel that I should also strive to climax our Buddhist practices by looking at how this important teaching by the Buddha can be included in our regular routine. The extracts from connected discourses presented here are aimed at creating the right motivation to engage in this practice. May you therefore get the right inspiration?

This topic was also referred to or discussed in Posts # 3, Post # 18, Post # 22, Post # 23, Post # 25, Post # 28, Post # 29 and Post # 30 as part of the effective Buddhist practices in daily life. When we discussed the practice of developing the Noble Eightfold Path in Posts # 18, we found that the factor right mindfulness is developed by engaging in the Sathra Sathipattana Meditation.

Buddha has said in the Aṅguttara Nikāya - “Monks, I know not of any other single thing of such power to cause the arising of good thoughts if not yet arisen, or to cause the waning of evil thoughts if already arisen, as heedfulness. In him who is heedful, good thoughts not yet arisen do arise, and evil thoughts, if arisen, do wane. The man who delights in mindfulness and regards heedlessness with dread is not liable to fall away. He is in the vicinity of Nibbāna.”

Ven. Piyadassi Thero, in the book titled ‘The Seven Factors of Enlightenment' describes Sati, or mindfulness, as the instrument most efficacious in self-mastery and whosoever practices it has found the path to deliverance. It is fourfold. They are mindfulness consisting in contemplation of the body (kāyā-nu-passanā); of feelings (vedanā-nu-passanā);  of mind (cittā-nu-passanā); and of mental objects or mind contents (dhammā-nu-passanā). The man lacking in this all-important quality of mindfulness cannot achieve anything worthwhile. The Buddha’s final admonition to his disciples on his death bed was this: “Transient are all component things. Work out your deliverance with heedfulness!”

Man cannot be heedful unless he is fully aware of his actions, whether they are mental, verbal or physical, at every moment of his waking life. Only when a man is fully awake to and mindful of his activities can he distinguish good from bad and right from wrong. It is in the light of mindfulness he will see the beauty or the ugliness of his deeds. The word appamāda throughout the Tipiṭaka is used to denote sati, mindfulness.  Pamāda is defined as absence of mindfulness.

Ven.Dhammajiva Thero in his talks at the meditation retreats says that -“if we recount how many thoughts our mind experiences with or without any intention, we will realize that more than 90% of thoughts are stray, unintended and unrelated to any substantial mind related process. These are unintentional or uninvited thoughts, yet they give us pain of mind and other emotional upheavals. The untrained mind suffers a great deal due to these. Therefore cultivating a balanced mind is essential so that we can face these and to know these formations as and when they appear".

We discussed the mind process in Post # 3, We saw that the external stimuli by way of sights, sounds, smells etc. when they reach our sense doors, the mind  perceives them as external stimuli. With that, contact (passa) arises in the particular sense door. With the contact, a feeling or emotion arises in the mind. Our past experiences (sankara) then comes forth to condition this emotion. This emotion is thus experienced as pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. Our natural tendency is to give vent to this emotion by an action through thought, word or deed. This action gets impressed in our mind as a new life experience. When this emotion is conditioned by  unwholesome roots ( akusala mulas), the action to fulfill this emotion gives rise to an unwholesome sankara (a formation that arose due to those causes and conditions). Such unwholesome sankaras go to fashion the Bawa (the determining cause that gives rise to re-becoming), which is inclined more towards defilements. Such a bawa results in a rebirth in the four unhappy realms. Understanding the mind process this way we are driven to prevent the rebirth in an unhappy realm by preventing the formation of unwholesome sankaras. We saw in an earlier post, that it is possible to intervene to control our reactions, which go to form our life experiences.  The skills developed by this meditation practice, will be used first to exercise Yoniso Manasikara (acting mindfully and wisely with clear comprehension according to Dhamma) to intervene as necessary in the present moment. Thus the mind is then able to control the bhawa forming sankaras. As our objective is to limit the samsaric process, we have to control the bhawa forming sankaras altogether eventually. This is Samma Sathi in practice.

Systematic reflection (yoniso manasikāra) comes naturally through right mindfulness, and it urges one to discriminate, to reason and investigate. Shallow thinking, unsystematic reflection (ayoniso manasikāra), makes men muddle-headed, and then they fail to investigate the nature of things. Such people cannot see cause and effect, seed and fruit, the rise and fall of compounded things.

Ven. Thalalle’ Chandrakeerthi Thero referring to the Sathi Pattanna Sutta says that, this form of meditation is only found in Buddha’s teaching and therefore is a domain found by the Buddhu Piya    (Buddha the spiritual father). He emphasizes the  great importance of following this teaching, by quoting a popular saying which goes as-   Piyagen gocharavu buhumiyehi  hasiremen-  dwelling in the domain found for you  by the father,  you will be  safe from the enemy kilesa mara. That is you will be safe from the detrimental influences arising from defilements.

Ven. Bhikku Bodhi in his talk on Sathipattana Sutta as given in the majjima nikaya - middle length discourses of the Buddha- says that there is also a counterpart to this Sutta, in the Diga Nikaya- the long discourses- called the Maha Sathipattana Sutta.  The difference is that the latter has an extended description on the Four Noble Truths.  Bhikku Bodhi’s explanation includes an opening statement by the Buddha in the Sutta, which can be understood, he says as –“this is the ‘one way’ path to the desired destination. That is for the purification of beings, to overcoming sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain, grief and dejection and for the attainment of super mundane path – the true way for the realization of Nibbana”.

He also explains that- “this is the faculty of mindfulness, the capacity for attending to the content of our experience as it becomes manifest in the immediate present”. What the Buddha shows in the Sutta is the tremendous, but generally hidden, power inherent in this simple mental function, a power that can unfold all the mind's potentials culminating in final deliverance from suffering?

Ven. Wariyapola Vissudhi Thero, in a Dhamma talk, introduces the Sathara Sathipattana, as the meditation that directs the mind and reflects on the five aggregates of clinging, that represent a living 'Being', in an insightful analysis enabling to see their impermanence, unsatisfactory nature and non-self   nature, for the realization of Nibbana. 

Joseph Goldstein co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society- Boston USA- says that in the Sathi Pattana Sutta- the quality of mind that is referred to has tremendous transforming power in our lives. Buddha opens the discourse by the words –“This is the direct path for the purification of beings, for the surmounting of sorrow, for the disappearance of pain and grief, for the attainment of the true way for the realization of Nibbana or awakening - namely the four foundations of mindfulness”. He says that “Given the magnitude and importance of this declaration, that this is the direct path for liberation, you can understand the value that Buddha placed on this meditation”.

Ven. Henepola Gunaratana Thero, in his book on ‘Mindfulness in Plain English’, says that –“Theravada Buddhism presents us with an effective system for exploring the deeper levels of the mind, down to the very root of consciousness itself. Vipassana is a form of mental training that will teach you to experience the world in an entirely new way. You will learn for the first time what is truly happening to you, around you and within you. It is a process of self discovery, a participatory investigation in which you observe your own experiences while participating in them, and as they occur. The practice must be approached with this attitude

I hope this attempt of mine, at collecting and presenting the above material has given you sufficient food for thought and motivation to further study the subject of Sathara Sathi Pattana as taught in Buddha Dhamma.

As I need to limit the content of each post to make them small enough for quick reading by the  busy householder, I will end these introductory  entries on Sathara Sattipattana  at this point. Please await the next Posts #s 49 and 50, for an analysis of the Sathara Sattipattana.

The Posts that follow will contain explanations by these learned scholars on how this meditation is practiced.

Post # 47–The seven stages of purification' (satta-visuddhi)–Part 2

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

In Post # 46, I provided an introductory reference to the seven stages of purification extracted from discourses by learned monks. In this Post I will continue to provide some detailed descriptions on the respective purifications given in the above source material.

In terms of practice, the seven purifications can be summarized as follows:

Purification of virtue (sīla-visuddhi) - “Total purity” of moral virtue, refers to keeping to the precepts.  In the case of a Monk fully keeping to the precepts and training rules require the  “four purifications of moral virtue” (catu parisuddhi, sīla) consisting of the 4-fold purity of restraint with regard to the disciplinary code (pātimokkhasamvara-sīla), sense-restraint (indriysamvara-sīla),  purity of livelihood (ājīvapārisuddhi-sīla) and  morality with regard to the four requisites (paccaya-sannissita-sīla)- that is a monk’s right mental attitude in the  use of the four requisites; robes, alms-food, dwelling, and medicines" .  In the case of a layman, sīla-visuddhi would entail the observance of whatever moral rules (5 or more- ahjiwa astamaka seela) he/she has taken upon himself/herself and practicing sense-restraint (indriysamvara-sīla)

Purification of the mind (citta-visuddhi) - This is gained by overcoming of the five hindrances (pañca nīvarana) through attaining access concentration and full concentration (ie jhana). The five hindrances are - sense-desire (kāma-chanda), ill will (vyāpāda), sloth and torpor (thīna-middha), restlessness and remorse (uddhacca-kukkucca), and doubt (vicikicchā). The total purification of mind is the attainment of the four jhanas. However, in the context of the Rathavinīta Sutta the level of mental purification required may not necessarily comprise all the four jhanas. Clearly, the mind needs to be purified of mental hindrances to be able to attain the jhanas. However for the full development of insight, we need not attain all four jhanas to be spiritually liberated.

Purification of views (ditthi-visuddhi) is achieved by understanding the characteristics, etc, of mental and physical phenomena, especially how the five aggregates constitutes a living being. “Purity of views” (diṭṭhi-pārisuddhi) refers to understanding the four noble truths as they really are. Several discourses use the same formulation in relation to the attainment of stream-winning, at which point there is penetrative insight into the four noble truths. Ven. Ududumbara Kassapa in his talks on Nivan Maga (Path to Nibbana) says that, when one experiences the first Jhana through Ana-Pana meditation (in and out breathing) as described in kayanu-passana (mindfulness of body as a body), all bodily perceptions in the Nama-Rupa (psycho-physical aggregation) are suppressed. The whole body of the breath is perceived only as a mind factor of recollecting the breathing experience. Here one sees the arise, stay and cease nature of the phenomena due to cause and effect, through a wisdom known as Udayavaya Nanna, which includes seeing their impermanent, unsatisfactory and non-self nature. This purification of view he describes as Ditti Vissudhi.  

Purification by overcoming doubt (kaṅkhā-vitaraṇa visuddhi) means the discernment of conditions for mental and physical phenomena (cause and effect).  I found the following reference in the web quoting Revata Sutta in connection with this topic. It goes on to describe how the monk Revata sits in meditation, “reviewing his own purification by overcoming doubt” (kaṅkhā-vitaraṇa.visuddhiṁ paccavekkhamāno). In the Sutta, doubt (kaṅkhā) is said to be about here and now, before and after, about oneself and others, as one meditates. Monk Revata is reviewing his purification of overcoming doubt achieved through full liberation and that through the wisdom of the supra-mundane path, he has gone beyond any doubt related to speculations about a self in the past, present or future, and regarding the Buddha, his Damma and the Saṅgha.  This closely relates the purification by overcoming doubt to the attainment of stream-winning, since to go beyond such speculations and to have firm confidence in the Buddha, his Damma and the Saṅgha, are qualities of a stream-winner- one who through the strength of his or her realization has completely removed doubt. Also, Ven.Kumara Kashapa Thero in a Dhamma talk on this subject also refers to overcoming doubt due to the mundane view held by people about the Buddha including related  eight aspects, through this kaṅkhā-vitaraṇa visuddhi. This is by an understanding of what is taught in the Dhamma about rupa (form) coming into being due to avidya (not knowing), thanna (craving), kamma, and ahara (food) as causes and effects. Similarly an understanding about such causes for arising of consciousness (vinnana) and other aggregates of nama. This teaching is also endorsed by Ven. Ududumbara Kashapa in his talk on this subject states that understanding the sequence taught in the Pattika Samuppada explained as 'due to ignorance arises desire leading to craving which in turn results in a re-becoming' and eliminating any doubt about it establishes this virtue. 

One also notes a significant difference between vicikicchā and kaṅkhā, although both can be rendered as “doubt.” The former has a more restricted sense, used usually in the context of meditation, and the latter is broader in the sense of spiritual progress as a whole. In simple terms, if we have vicikicchā, we would not attain samadhi or jhana; if we have kaṅkhā, we would not be able to attain stream-winning.

Purification by knowledge and vision of ‘What is Path and Not-Path’ (maggâmagga-ñanadassana-visuddhi) indicate that this purification should have something to do with clear discrimination of what is the proper path of practice. The Buddha’s “knowledge and vision of path and not-path” constitutes an aspect of his penetrative insight into the nature of deep levels of concentration attained through meditation.

The correct discrimination between the path and the not-path is characterized by discriminating ecstasy and euphoria experienced while attaining Jhanas, and the experiencing of true insight into impermanence, suffering and not-self during meditation.

Thus far the meditating disciple has determined three of the truths. Namely, while determining the ‘name and form’ phenomena he has, through purification of view (ditthi-visuddhi), determined the 'truth of suffering'. While grasping the conditions about him/her, through purification by overcoming doubt (kankhā-vitarana-visuddhi), has determined the 'truth of the origin of suffering'. While determining the right path, he/she has, through purification by knowledge and vision of what is path and not-path (maggāmagga-ñānadassana-visuddhi), determined the 'truth of the path' leading to the extinction of suffering.”

Purification by knowledge and vision of the Way (pathipada-ñanadassana-visuddhi), is the series of insight knowledges up to the supra-mundane paths or the way. The term paṭhipadā here is synonymous with magga, both referring to “path” or “way,” though the term paṭhipadā usually refers to the practice itself.  As such, paṭhipadā often occurs in relation to the fourth noble truth as the way of practice leading to the eradication of dukkha, which is moreover the middle “path.” This confirms that this stage of purification has to do with being in the midst of the practical undertaking of the path.

Purification by knowledge and vision (nana-dassana-visuddhi), is the development of knowledge of the four supra-mundane paths. The expression “knowledge and vision” features prominently in the Buddha’s insight into the four noble truths.  Similarly, full awakening speaks of “knowing” and “seeing” as leading up to the destruction of the influxes. The same expression, however, can also be understood as lesser realizations where it may refer to insight into the distinction between the physical body and mind (Nama-Rupa), to knowing the mind of others, to knowing the past and the future etc.  All this indicates that the expression “knowledge and vision” can refer to a variety of realizations, and do not necessarily imply the attainment of Nibbana. According to the chariot simile, just as when mounting the seventh chariot the destination is still to be reached, so too it is with the seventh stage of purification the final goal is still to be attained.

We shall now synthesize the seven stages of purification as follows. A synopsis.

The first three stages of purification—the purification of moral virtue (sīla visuddhi), the purification of the mind (citta visuddhi), and the purification of views (ditthi visuddhi) are interesting in that they also constitute the three trainings (tri- sikkhā; seela-samadhi-panna).  They are the training in moral virtue of restraint in body and speech (sīla sikkhā), the training in mental concentration and mental calm (samādhi sikkhā), and the training in wisdom and overcoming wrong views (paññā sikkhā). It can be said that the three trainings form the basis for spiritual growth leading to the four stages of supra-mundane paths and their fruition and finally Nibbana. These three trainings are easier for the beginner to understand and remember and include in their practice, rather than a longer list, such as the seven stages of purifications. In the case of the more advanced practitioners, with high moral virtue, deep mental concentration, and some level of wisdom, the third training then would be the starting stage for the rest of the purification stages.

I hope this outline gave you some breadth to the understanding of the seven stages of purification. May you have the right inspiration to pursue this Dhamma Practice?

I will attempt in the next few posts to outline the 'four foundations of mindfulness' the platform for insight meditation for attaining the world transcending wisdom.

Post # 46 – The seven  stages  of purification' (satta-visuddhi)- Part1 

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

We have been discussing effective Dhamma practice by busy householders. We discussed Punya Kamma (meritorious acts) and Kusala Kamma (ethically skillful acts) which were virtues that we develop to ensure our well being in this life and a well endowed birth in a happier realm after death.  We also focused on the path to liberation as that was the essence of what Buddha taught. That is attaining the world transcending wisdom to realize Nibbana.

In this Post we are looking at another attribute that develops as we engage in this Dhamma practice to attain the above goal. The Buddha has said that when we progressively gain the wisdom to attain enlightenment, the Seven Stages of Purification matures step by step.  In the Pali language these seven stages are termed as satta vissudhi.

In dealing with this in this Post, I believe I am touching upon another important aspect of the teaching. When we recognize the meaning behind these virtues we know that they develop within us while engaging in the daily Buddhist practices by a busy householder outlined in this Blog and that no extra 'dedicated' effort for their development is necessary. In this Post and the one to follow you will therefore find some elaborations on the Seven Stages of Purification.

I have come across many references to the Seven Stages of Purification made by learned scholars of the Dhamma in my search for effective Dhamma Practice by the busy householder. I will now try to bring some of these to your attention to create the necessary backdrop for our discussion.

Ven. Renukane Chandawimala Thero who has described the 37 factors to be developed for attaining Nibbana (sath tiss bodhipakkhiya-dhamma), says that the seven virtues (Seven Stages of Purification) are also developed through serenity and insight meditation”. These seven virtues support the 37 factors.

In a book titled “The Seven Stages of Purification and The Insight Knowledges- A Guide to the Progressive Stages of Buddhist Meditation”- the Ven. Matara Sri Nanarama Mahàthera gives the following account on this topic.

He says that direct canonical reference to the Seven Stages of Purification is found in the Rathavinãta Sutta (The Discourse on the Relay of Chariots - the twenty-fourth in the Majjhima Nikàya) and the Dasuttara Sutta (the Sutta No. 34 of the Digha Nikàya).  Citing the Rathavinãta  Sutta the Mahathera says - the path of practice leading to the attainment of Nibbàna unfolds in seven stages, known as the Seven Stages of Purification (satta visuddhi).

I also found another reference to these seven purifications in the web (Rathavinīta Sutta http://dharmafarer.googlepages.com). It states that this series of seven purifications serves as the most succinct outline of the entire path a meditator passes through in his inner journey from bondage to liberation.

In the Rathavinãta Sutta, the Seven Stages of Purification are presented through a dialogue in which the questions of the Ven. Sàriputta as to the purpose of living the holy life are met with striking replies from the Ven. Puṇṇa Mantāni-putta— all meant to highlight some salient features of this teaching.  This discussion between the two monks is actually their first meeting, at which Ven. Sāriputta does not reveal his identity, in order to elicit a detailed explanation of the Dhamma from Ven. Puṇṇa Mantāni-putta.

Puṇṇa Mantāniputta’s explanation is that the seven stages of purification, neither as single nor as a whole is Nibbana. It progresses through the various stages of purification that leads us to Nibbana. The seven stages of purification, in other words, are the spiritual means to a liberating end. This reply reveals that not even the seventh and last purification is to be regarded as the purpose of living the holy life. The purpose is nothing but the complete extinction of all defilements without any kind of grasping. In other words, it is the attainment of Nibbàna — the uncompounded element (asankhata dhàtu).

To clarify this point further, the Ven. Puṇṇa Mantāniputta gives the following parable of the Relay of Chariots: “Friend, it is as though while King Pasenadi of Kosala was staying in Sàvatthi, something to be done urgently should arise in Sàketa, and seven relays of chariots would be arranged for him between Sàvatthi and Sàketa. Then, friend, King Pasenadi of Kosala, having left Sàvatthi by the palace-gate, might mount the first chariot in the relay, and by means of the first chariot in the relay, he would reach the second chariot in the relay. He would dismiss the first chariot in the relay and would mount the second chariot in the relay, and by means of the second chariot in the relay, he would reach the third chariot in the relay. He would dismiss the second chariot in the relay and would mount the third chariot …. (and so on)… and by means of the sixth chariot in the relay, he would reach the seventh chariot in the relay. He would dismiss the sixth chariot in the relay and would mount the seventh chariot in the relay, and by means of the seventh chariot in the relay, he would reach the palace-gate in Sàketa.”

 The seven purifications are as follows:

i.                 the purification of moral virtue (sīla -visuddhi), implies the purity obtained through abstinence from bodily and verbal misconduct as well as from wrong livelihood.

ii.                the purification of the mind (citta-visuddhi) is the purity resulting from cleansing the mind of attachment, aversion, inertia, restlessness and conflict, and from securing it against their influx.

iii.             the purification of views (ditthi-visuddhi), is brought about by dispelling the distortions of wrong views

iv.             the purification by overcoming doubt (kankhavitara-visuddhi), is purity through the conquest of all doubts concerning the pattern of samsaric existence

v.               the purification by knowledge and vision of the path and the not-path (maggâmagga-ñanadassana-visuddhi) signifies the purity attained by passing beyond the alluring distractions which arise in the course of meditation.

vi.             the purification by knowledge and vision of the way (pathipada-ñanadassana-visuddhi), is the purity resulting from the temporary removal of defilements (fetters tying you down to the Samsaric process) which obstruct the path of practice.  

vii.           the purification of knowledge and vision (nana-dassana-visuddhi) is the complete purity gained by eradicating defilements together with their underlying tendencies by means of the supra-mundane paths. It consists of the knowledge of the four paths, which are - the path of Stream-entry, the path of Once-return, the path of Non-return and the path of Arahantship.

Ven. Matara Sri Nanarama Mahàthera says that in the attainment of Nibbàna itself, our minds are in direct relation to the seventh and last stage of this series.  This is the knowledge of the supra-mundane path. But this purification cannot be attained all at once, since the seven stages of purification form a causally related series in which one has to pass through the first six purifications in turn before one can arrive at the seventh.

The Mahathera also says that these seven purifications are counted among nine items collectively called factors of endeavor tending to purification (pàrisuddhi-padhàniyanga).  Each of the nine factors is called “a factor of striving for total purity” (pārisuddhi padhāni aṅgā), and are the nine states to be cultivated.  The eighth and ninth being the purification of wisdom (paññā visuddhi), and the purification of liberation (vimutti visuddhi)

These seven purifications are to be cultivated successively, as illustrated in the above parable of the Relay of Chariots, with each stage leading to and supporting the next, until liberation (that is, Nibbana) is attained. None of these seven stages therefore is liberation itself.

The above references indicate that Theravāda meditation primarily works with a system of “seven purifications” (satta-visuddhi). The purity implied is reckoned in terms of the elimination of the unwholesome factors that oppose each purification.

Please await Post # 47 for ‘The seven stages of purification' (satta-visuddhi)’ – Part 2 for more detailed explanations on each.

Post # 45 -The Seven Factors for Awakening (satta bojjhanga). Part 3

Are you visiting this Blog for the first time? It would be good if you could visit the 1^st Post to know about this Blog and read Post # 44 before reading on.

I will in this Post continue quoting the descriptions given by Ven Piyadassi on the Seven Factors for Awakening that were given in Post # 44.

 Passaddhi, calm or tranquility, is the fifth factor of enlightenment. Passaddhi is twofold. Kāya passaddhi is calm of body and Cittapassaddhi is the calm of the mind.  Kāya here means all the mental properties; in other words, calm of the aggregates of feeling (vedanākkhandha), perception (saññākkhandha) and volitional activities or conformations (saṅkhārakkhandha). Cittapassaddhi  or the calm of the mind- is calm of the aggregate of consciousness (viññāṇakkhandha). 
Passaddhi is compared to the happy experience of a weary walker who sits down under a tree in the shade, or the cooling of a hot place by rain. Hard it is to tranquillize the mind; it trembles and it is unsteady, difficult to guard and hold back; it quivers like a fish taken from its watery home. It wanders at will. Such is the nature of this ultra-subtle mind. It is systematic reflection (yoniso manasikāra) that helps the aspirant for enlightenment to quieten the fickle mind. Unless a man cultivates tranquility of mind, concentration cannot be successfully developed. A tranquilized mind keeps away all superficialities and futilities. In the teaching of the Buddha, the self must be subdued and tamed on right lines if it is to become truly well. The Buddha teaches the Dhamma for the purpose of taming the human heart (danto so Bhagavā damatāya dhammaṃ deseti). It is only when the mind is tranquillized and is kept to the right road of orderly progress, that it becomes useful for the individual possessor of it and for society. A disorderly mind is a liability both to the owner of it and to others. All the havoc wrought in the world is wrought by men who have not learned the way of mental calm, balance and poise. Calmness is not weakness. The calm attitude at all times shows a man of culture. It is not too hard a task for a man to be calm when all things around him are favourable. But to be composed in mind in the midst of unfavourable circumstances is hard indeed, and it is this difficult quality that is worth achieving; for by such control, one builds up strength of character. The man who cultivates calm of the mind does not get upset, confused or excited when confronted with the eight vicissitudes of the world (aṭṭha-lokadhamma). He endeavours to see the rise and fall of all things conditioned; how things come into being and pass away. Free from anxiety and restlessness he will see the fragility of the fragile

The sixth enlightenment factor is samādhi or concentration. It is only a tranquilized mind that can easily concentrate on a subject of meditation. The calm and concentrated mind sees things as they really are (samāhito yathābhutaṃ pajānāti). The unified mind brings the five hindrances (pañca nīvaraṇāni) under subjugation. Concentration is the intensified steadiness of the mind comparable to an unflickering flame of a lamp in a windless place. It is concentration that fixes the mind aright and causes it to be unmoved and undisturbed. Correct practice of samādhi maintains the mind and the mental properties in a state of balance like a steady hand holding a pair of scales. Right concentration dispels passions that disturb the mind and brings purity and placidity of mind. The concentrated mind is not distracted by sense-objects; concentration of the highest type cannot be disturbed under the most adverse conditions. One who is intent on samādhi should develop a love of virtue (sīla), for it is virtue that nourishes mental life, and makes it coherent and calm, equable and full of rich content. The unrestrained mind dissipates itself in frivolous activity. Many are the impediments that confront an aspirant for enlightenment, but there are five particular hindrances that hinder concentrative thought or samādhi, and obstruct the way to deliverance. In the teaching of the Buddha they are known as pañca nīvaraṇa, the five hindrances. The Pali term nīvaraṇa denotes - that which hinders or obstructs mental development (bhāvanā). They are called hindrances because they completely close in, cut off and obstruct. The five hindrances are: kāmacchanda—sensual desires, vyāpāda—ill will, thīnamiddha—obduracy of mind and mental factors, uddhaccakukkucca—restlessness and worry, vicikicchā—doubt. 

Kāmacchanda or sensual desires or intense thirst for either possessions or the satisfaction of base desires is the thirst that binds man to saṃsāra, repeated wandering, and closes the door to final deliverance. What is this sensuality? Where does this craving (taṇhā) arise and take root? According to the discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta) “where there is the delightful and the pleasurable, there this craving arises and takes root.” When forms, sounds, smells, tastes, bodily contacts and ideas are delightful and pleasurable; there this craving arises and takes root. Craving when obstructed by some cause is transformed to frustration and wrath. From craving arises grief, from craving arises fear. To one who is free from craving, there is no grief, no fear.

The next hindrance is vyāpāda—ill will, hatred or aversion. Man, naturally revolts against the unpleasant and the disagreeable, and also is depressed by them. To be separated from the loved is painful, and equally painful is the union with the loathed. Even a disagreeable dish, an unpleasant drink, an unlovely demeanour, or a hundred other trifles, may cause indignation. It is wrong thinking, unsystematic reflection, that brings about hatred. Hatred on the other hand breeds hatred and clouds the vision; it distorts the entire mind and its properties, and thus hinders awakening to truth, blocks the way to freedom. This lust and hatred based on ignorance, the crowning corruption of all our madness (avijjāparamaṃ malaṃ), are indeed the root causes of strife and dissension between man and man, nation and nation.

The third hindrance consists of a pair of evils; thīna and middha. Thīna is lassitude or morbid state of the mind, and middha is a morbid state of the mental properties. Thīnamiddha, as some are inclined to think, is certainly not sluggishness of the body; for even the arahats, the perfect ones, who are free from this pair of evils, also experience bodily fatigue. Thīna-middha retards mental development; under its influence the mind is inert.  Laxity is a dangerous enemy of mental development. Laxity leads to greater laxity until finally there arises a state of callous indifference. This flabbiness of character is a fatal block to righteousness and freedom. It is through viriya or mental effort that one overcomes this pair of evils.

The fourth hindrance also comprises twin drawbacks: uddhacca and kukkucca, restlessness and brooding, or flurry and worry. As a rule, anyone who commits evil is mentally excited and restless; the guilty and the impatient suffer from this hindrance. The minds of men who are restless and unstable are like flustered bees in a shaken hive. This mental agitation impedes meditation and blocks the upward path. Equally baneful is mental worry. Often people repent over the evil actions they have committed. This is not praised by the Buddha; for it is useless to cry over spilt milk. Instead of brooding over such shortcomings, one should endeavour not to repeat such unwholesome deeds. There are others who worry over the good deeds omitted and duties left undone. This, too, serves no purpose. It is as futile as to ask the farther bank of a river to come over that we may get to the other side. Instead of uselessly worrying over what good one has failed to do, one should endeavour to perform wholesome deeds. This mental unsteadiness (kukkucca) also hinders mental progress.

The fifth and last hindrance is vicikicchā, doubt. One who suffers from perplexity is really suffering from a dire disease, and until and unless one sheds one’s doubts, one will continue to suffer from it. So long as man is subject to this mental itching, so long will he continue to take a cynical view of things which is most detrimental to mental development. The commentators explain this hindrance as the inability to decide anything definitely; it also comprises doubt with regard to the possibility of attaining the jhānas, concentrative thought.

The meditator who attains the jhānas inhibits all five hindrances by five jhānaṅgas, characteristics or factors of jhāna. The attainment of jhānas, however, is not the end that is aimed at. Jhānas should be made to lead to vipassanā, intuitional insight. It is through insight that the meditator eradicates the latent corruptions (anusaya kilesa) and attains perfect purity. So long as impurities or taints (kilesas) exist latent in man’s mind, so long will the arising of pāpa (evil) in him continue. They who are in the practice of jhāna, whose purpose is to attain vipassanā, commits no ill acts because the hindrances are inhibited. But they have the latent impurities in their make-up and therefore, are not yet in a state of absolute security. But the Arahat, the perfect one, wipes out all the latent impurities with their rootlets and brings this repetitive wandering, saṃsāra, to a standstill. He is one whose saṃsāra is indubitably ended; for by him the noble life has been perfected and the task done. For him there is no more rebirths.

Then by the power of samādhi, concentrative thought, thus won, he turns his mind to the understanding of reality in the highest sense. It is at this stage that the meditator cultivates vipassanā, intuitional insight. It is through vipassanā that one understands the real nature of all component and conditioned things. Vipassanā aids one to see things as they truly are. One sees truth face to face and comprehends that all tones are just variations struck on the one chord that runs through all life—the chord, which is made up of anicca, dukkha and anattā—impermanence, sorrow and soul-lessness. The meditator gains insight into the true nature of the world he has clung to for so long. He breaks through the eggshell of ignorance to the hyper- cosmic. With that final catharsis he reaches the state where dawns for him the light of Nibbāna, the calm beyond words, the unshakable deliverance of the mind (akuppā cetovimutti); and the world holds nothing more for him.

The seventh and last factor of enlightenment is upekkhā, equanimity. In the Abhidhamma, upekkhā is indicated by the term tatramajjhattatā, neutrality. It is mental equipoise and not indifference. Equanimity is the result of a calm concentrative mind. It is hard, indeed, to be undisturbed when touched by the vicissitudes of life, but the man who cultivates this difficult quality of equanimity is not upset. Amidst the welter of experience (aṭṭha-lokadhammā), gain and loss, good repute and ill repute, praise and censure, pain and happiness, he never wavers. He is firm as a solid rock. Of course, this is the attitude of the arahat, the perfect one. Of them it is said: “Truly the good give up longing for everything. The good prattle not with thoughts of craving. Touched by happiness or by pain, the wise show neither elation nor depression.

I found that these elaborate descriptions by this very learned monk gives us an in depth understanding of Buddha’s teaching and the relevance of what is given in this Blog as a practice for attaining of full realization and perfect wisdom. I suggest therefore that you should read the Posts on the Seven Factors for Awakening posted in the Blog several times to realize the best benefit.

Please await a Post on the Seven Stages of Purification to complete this understanding.

Post # 44 -The Seven Factors for Awakening (satta bojjhanga). Part 2

Are you visiting this Blog for the first time? It would be good if you could visit the 1^st Post to know about this Blog and read Post # 43 before reading on.

In the book titled ‘The Seven Factors of Enlightenment Satta Bojjhaṅga’ published by the Buddhist Publication Society of Kandy, Sri Lanka, Ven. Piyadassi goes on to describe the seven factors in detail as follows:

The first is sati, mindfulness. It is the instrument most efficacious in self-mastery, and whosoever practices it has found the path to deliverance. It is fourfold: mindfulness consisting of contemplation of the body (kāyānupassanā); feeling (vedanānupassanā); mind (cittānupassanā); and mental objects or mind contents (dhammānupassanā).

The man lacking in this all-important quality of mindfulness cannot achieve anything worthwhile. The Buddha’s final admonition to his disciples on his death bed was this: “Transient are all component things. Work out your deliverance with heedfulness!” (vaya-dhammā saṅkhārā, appamādena sampādetha)”.

Man cannot be heedful unless he is fully aware of his actions, whether they are mental, verbal or physical, at every moment of his waking life. Only when a man is fully awake to and mindful of his activities can he distinguish good from bad and right from wrong. It is in the light of mindfulness he will see the beauty or the ugliness of his deeds. The word appamāda throughout the Tipiṭaka is used to denote sati, mindfulness; pamāda is defined as absence of mindfulness.

Says the Buddha in the Aṅguttara Nikāya: “Monks, I know not of any other single thing of such power to cause the arising of good thoughts if not yet arisen, or to cause the waning of evil thoughts if already arisen, as heedfulness. In him who is heedful, good thoughts not yet arisen do arise, and evil thoughts, if arisen, do wane.” “The man who delights in mindfulness and regards heedlessness with dread is not liable to fall away. He is in the vicinity of Nibbāna.”

The second enlightenment factor is dhammavicaya - keen investigation of the Dhamma. It is the sharp analytical knowledge of understanding the true nature of all constituent things, animate or inanimate, human or divine. It is seeing things as they really are; seeing things in their proper perspective. It is the analysis of all component things into their fundamental elements, right down to their ultimate. Through keen investigation one understands that all compounded things pass through the inconceivably rapid moments of uppāda, ṭhiti and bhaṅga; or of arising, reaching a peak, and ceasing, just as a river in flood sweeps to a climax and fades away. The whole universe is constantly changing, not remaining the same for two consecutive moments. All things in fact are subjected to causes, conditions, and effects (hetu, paccaya and phala). Systematic reflection (yoniso manasikāra) comes naturally through right mindfulness, and it urges one to discriminate, to reason and investigate. Shallow thinking, unsystematic reflection (ayoniso manasikāra), makes people muddleheaded, and then they fail to investigate the nature of things. Such people cannot see cause and effect, seed and fruit, the rise and fall of compounded things. Says the Buddha: “This doctrine is for the wise and not for the unwise.”“As the wise test the purity of gold by burning, cutting and examining it by means of a piece of touchstone, so should you accept my words after examining them and not merely out of regard and reverence for me.”

 Thus blind belief is condemned in the analytic teaching (vibhajjavāda) of the Buddha. The truth of the Dhamma can be grasped only through calm concentrative thought and insight (samatha and vipassanā) and never through blind faith. One who goes in quest of truth is not satisfied with surface knowledge. He wants to delve deep and see what is beneath. That is the sort of search encouraged in Buddha Dhamma. That type of search yields right understanding.

He that cultivates dhammavicaya -investigation of the Dhamma, focuses his mind on the five aggregates of grasping, the pañcupadānakkhandhā, and endeavours to realize the rise and fall or the arising and passing away (udaya-vaya) of this conglomeration of bare forces (suddha-saṅkhāra-puñja), this conflux of mind and matter (nāma-rūpa-santati). It is only when he fully realizes the evanescent nature of his own mind and body that he experiences happiness and joyous anticipation. Therefore, it is said: Whenever he reflects on the rise and fall of the aggregates, he experiences unalloyed joy and happiness. To the discerning one that (reflection) is deathless Nibbāna.

What is impermanent and not lasting he sees as sorrow-fraught. What is impermanent and sorrow-fraught, he understands as void of a permanent and everlasting soul, self, or ego entity. It is this grasping, this realization of the three characteristics or laws—transiency (anicca), sorrow (dukkha), and no-self or soullessness (anattā)—which is known to Buddhists as vipassanā-ñāṇa or penetrative insight, and which, like the razor-edged sword, entirely eradicates all the latent tendencies (anusaya). With it, all the varied ramifications of sorrow’s cause are finally destroyed. A man who ascends to this summit of vision is an arahat, a perfect one, whose clarity of vision, whose depth of insight, penetrates into the deepest recesses of life and cognizes the true nature that underlies all appearance.

The third enlightenment factor is viriya or energy. It is a mental property (cetasika) and the sixth limb of the Noble Eightfold Path, there called sammā vāyāma or Right Effort.

Buddha Dhamma is for the sincerely zealous, strong and firm in purpose, and not for the indolent (āraddhaviriyassāyaṃ dhammo, nāyaṃ dhammo kusītassa).

In the words of the Buddha, each individual has himself to put forth the necessary effort, and work out his own deliverance with diligence

A follower of the Buddha should not under any circumstances relinquish hope and effort; for the Buddha was one who never gave up courage and effort even as a Bodhisatta. As an aspirant for Buddha-hood, he had as his motto the following inspiring words: mā nivatta, abhikkama, “Falter not, advance”. The man who is mindful (satimā) and cultivates keen investigation should next put forth the necessary effort to fight his way out. The function of viriya or energy is fourfold. It is defined as: the effort to eradicate evils that have arisen in the mind; the effort to prevent the arising of unarisen evil; the effort to develop unarisen good; and the effort to promote the further growth of good already arisen.

Thus the path of purification is impossible for an indolent person. The aspirant for enlightenment (bodhi) should possess unflinching energy coupled with fixed determination. Enlightenment and deliverance lie absolutely and entirely in his own hands. “Man must himself by his own resolute efforts rise and make his way to the portals of liberty, and it is always, at every moment, in his power to do so

The fourth enlightenment factor is peeithi, rapture or happiness. This, too, is a mental property (cetasika) and is a quality which suffuses both the body and mind. The man lacking in this quality cannot proceed along the path to enlightenment. There will arise in him sullen indifference to the dhamma, an aversion to the practice of meditation, and morbid manifestations. It is, therefore, very necessary that a man striving to attain enlightenment and final deliverance from the fetters of saṃsāra should endeavour to cultivate the all-important factor of happiness. No one can bestow on another the gift of happiness; each one has to build it up by effort, reflection and concentrated activity. As happiness is a thing of the mind it should be sought not in external and material things, though they may in a small way be instrumental. Contentment is a characteristic of the really happy individual. The ordinary worldling seems to think that it is difficult to cultivate and develop contentment; but by dint of courage, determination, systematic attention and thought about the things that one meets within everyday life, by controlling one’s evil inclinations, and by curbing the impulses, the sudden tendencies to act without reflection, one can keep the mind from being soiled, and experience happiness through contentment. In man’s mind arise conflicts of diverse kinds, and if these conflicts are to be controlled, while still not eliminated, man must give less rein to inclinations and longings; in other words, he must cultivate contentment. Hard it is to give up what lures and holds us in thrall; and hard it is to exorcise the evil spirits that haunt the human heart in the shape of ugly and unwholesome thoughts.

When discussing happiness in the context of sambojjhaṅgas, we must bear in mind the vast difference between pleasure and happiness. Pleasure—pleasant feeling—is something very momentary and fleeting. Is it wrong to say that pleasant feelings are the prelude to pain? What people hug in great glee in this moment turns to be a source of pain in the next. “The desired is no more there when the outstretched hand would grasp it or being there and grasped, it vanishes like a flake of snow.”

Unlike the animal whose sole purpose is to derive a feeling of pleasure from any source, at any cost, man should endeavour to gain real peeīthi or happiness. Real happiness or rapture comes not through grasping or clinging to things animate or inanimate, but by giving up (nekkhamma). It is the detached attitude toward the world that brings about true happiness. The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, the discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness, speaks of pleasant worldly feeling (sāmisa sukha) and pleasant unworldly feeling (nirāmisa sukha). Nirāmisa sukha is far superior to sāmisa sukha.

Due to the need to limit the space per blog post I will stop the descriptions at this point. Please await the next post # 45 -The Seven Factors for Awakening (satta bojjhanga)- Part 3, for further descriptions on this teaching.

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 1^st 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 (peeithi-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 “concentration” 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.