Post # 62 – SAMSARA, the CYCLE OF BIRTH  AND  DEATH, IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM – Part 3

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You need to read Post # 60 and Post # 61, before reading this. We are now in the position to discuss the escape from the unsatisfactory samsaric cycle. That is to engage in activities that lead to the complete cessation of suffering, the realization of Nibbana.

The conventional death is just one phase of a continuous cycle of existence, linking our present life and the next, and is a direct result of our accumulated kamma. The past accumulated kamma acts in a subtle way to condition the new life. A person who has acquired wholesome kamma may well be born into happy circumstances, enjoying good health, wealth and family connections. Although the inherited genes from parents play an important part in determining physical and some mental characteristics, kamma may be considered as the driving force. It may well be argued that rebirth to particular parents was the appropriate result of past kamma.

On the other hand, 'Beings' born into higher planes than human are said to enjoy blissful existence and thoughts of release from the cycle of re-birth are furthest from their minds. The human plane provides a more balanced environment, where 'Beings' experience both happiness as well as unhappiness, and therefore are able to, if they wish, enter the path to liberation. The attainment is not overnight, but has to be obtained step by step in an incremental process.

Bhikku Bodhi the scholar monk from US, in a Dhamma talk stated that: “The cause for unhappiness, discontent and suffering is the tension between desire and the lack of what is desired. The two possible approaches to overcome this tension are to obtain what is desired or eliminate desire. Usually man goes for the first option by believing that happiness can be found by satisfying desire. Getting things from outside is vulnerable for failure. When they are not permanent, the loss is painful. The second option of eliminating desire is independent of external objects and therefore not vulnerable for failure. It is a happiness and inner satisfaction that can never be destroyed. Full freedom from suffering is elimination of craving and ending re-becoming.  It is the state of Nibbana, the ultimate goal of a Buddhist”.

It was seen from the previous posts on Punnya Kamma and Kusala Kamma that acquisition of these virtues were necessary for the well-being in our present life and future lives. Understanding that escape from Samsara advocated in Buddha-Dhamma is the main objective of dhamma practice, one knows that this escape can be difficult to realize in this life, although not impossible. Therefore it is essential to have an insurance to ensure ourselves with a birth in a happy realm in the next birth endowed with necessary means (paramithas) to continue the practice for reaching liberation at the earliest. This particular human life is a rare opportunity we have, to make some progress in the path. The clear steps described have to be learned in detail and the practical way to engage in them in a household life has to be worked out.

Upon reaching enlightenment the Buddha discovered the four Noble Truths, consisting of Dhukka or the unsatisfactory nature of existence, the cause, the liberation or Nibbana, and the path of practice to liberation. If one were to single out one truth out of above for the realization of liberation, it is the fourth. Not that it is more important than the others, but because one can engage in a practice to experience the truth when compared to the other three which are more focused on intellectual understanding of the truths. It is a path to spiritual development.  

 When a Buddha arises in this world he discovers this path which has up to then been shrouded in spiritual darkness. He then commits himself to teach this to the people to help them escape from entrapment in the samsara. In his teaching in the Pattica Samupadda (Dependent Origination) Buddha explains the process of re-becoming, pinpointing to the cause, as the clinging rooted in ignorance. By developing right view and other spiritual qualities in the ‘Path’, ignorance (and clinging) is eliminated giving rise to liberating wisdom.

In an article written by Dr. Ari Ubeysekara in 2018 on - Cycle of Birth and Death (samsara) in Theravada Buddhism, this author says that- “According to Buddhist scriptures, it is believed that through meditation, the Buddha gained firsthand knowledge of rebirth and the cycle of birth and death,  before declaring it to the world. During the process of attaining full enlightenment through deep meditation on that night, the Buddha is said to have developed three special types of supreme knowledge, two of which revealed the knowledge of rebirth. During the first watch of the night, the Buddha developed the supreme knowledge (pubbe-nivasanussati nana) through which it was possible to recollect the past lives that the Buddha himself had gone through during the cycle of birth and death. During the second watch of the night, the Buddha developed the divine eye (cutupapatha nana), which revealed how from an inconceivable beginning, other 'beings' were reborn into happy or unhappy existences dependent on their previous skillful and unskillful actions, based on the natural law of cause and effect (kamma)”.

During one’s life there is a recurring succession of streams of consciousness. Each incidence of consciousness goes through three stages. It originates (uppada), persists (tithi), and ceases (bhanga), all in a minuet duration of time only to be followed by the origin of another incidence of consciousness. The first consciousness transmits its kammic form and energy over to the next. The subsequent consciousness is completely new and not the same as its predecessor. However, it is not completely independent of the predecessor either, as the new consciousness is conditioned by the kammic form and energy of the previous one.

The recurring stream of consciousness is said to continue on between the end of one life process (death of one life as we know it) and the beginning of another life process (birth of one life as we know it). The newly born 'Being' in the next life is described as being neither the same person nor a different person. This process has sometimes been equated to what happens when one candle is lit from another candle where nothing substantial passes from the first candle to the second, but still the flame of the first candle is the cause of the flame in the second candle.

According to Buddhist teaching, one who cultivates the Noble Eight-fold Path with diligence, will sooner or later pass through four progressive stages of spiritual development, finally attaining full enlightenment or Nibbana. The four progressive stages of spiritual development are Stream Enterer (sotapanna); Once Returner (sakadagami); Non-Returner (anagami); Arahat (Noble Being). The way to attain these stages of development was described in Posts #s 16 to 20.

By following virtuous qualities of associating with noble friends; learning the Dhamma;  being always mindful and acting wisely with clear comprehension in accordance with Dhamma; and following  the Noble Eightfold Path and  also developing unwavering trust (Sradda) in the Buddha, Dhamma, the Sanga (the noble community) and the Seela - physical and verbal restraint from doing unwholesome deeds,  one enters Sothapatthi Margaya - stream entry, the  path. This path and the attainment of its fruition, the Sothapatthi - (stream enterer) state, is the first stage in realizing Nibbana.  Upon entering the path one develops Saddha (trust), Viriya (ardent effort), Sathi (mindfulness and clear comprehension), Samadhi (concentrated attention) and Panna (wisdom for understanding reality) as faculties and strengths progressively to higher levels. These progressive attainments of the different stages in the realization Nibbana, helps to eliminate various fetters or shackles (sanyojanas) that chain you down to the Samsaric process. Further, once you are established in the Sothapatthi Margaya, you will reach an important intermediate state before you attain its fruition. That is either becoming a Sadda-nu-sari (one driven by trust) or Dhamma-nu-sari (one driven by understanding of the Dhamma).  In the former, unwavering trust in the Noble Triple Gem is the driver which takes you forwards towards the Sothapatthi state. In the case of the latter, the driver is the inspiration gained from the understanding of the Dhamma. This inspiration carries you forward. Any one of these intermediate states is quite achievable in this life and can be the first target to aim at.

From the Sothapatthi state and continuing on with the above practice to a higher degree of qualitative progress, one reaches the Sakadagami (once returner) state, the Anagami (no returner) state and thereafter the final state of Arahanthood (an enlightened one), ending the Samsaric journey and attaining Nibbana.

I hope with these descriptions I have been able to create in your minds the inspiration to engage in the Dhamma Practice to escape from this dangerous Samsaric Cycle. In the following  Posts I will try to give some more details on Nibbana for your study.

May you get the necessary inspiration!.....

Post # 61 – SAMSARA, the CYCLE OF BIRTH   AND DEATH, IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM – Part 2

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. 

You need to read Post # 60 before reading this.

In Post # 60 you saw an outline of the references made by learned scholars on the topic of Samsara and the need to escape from its entrapment. In this post I will continue such descriptions with reference to the realms of re-birth etc… as described in Theravada Buddha-Dhamma

Realms of Rebirth - Buddhist cosmology, typically describe six realms in which re-becoming may occur. They are the realms of divine 'Beings', humans, animals, demi-gods, hungry ghosts and Hells. The six realms are typically divided into higher realms (good and fortunate) and lower realms (evil and unfortunate). The higher realms are the realms of the divine 'Beings' and humans; the lower realms are the realms of the animals, demi-gods, hungry ghosts and hell 'Beings'. The six realms are organized into thirty one levels. Buddhist texts describe these realms as follows:

Higher Realms (good and fortunate)

Divine realms - those of gods (devas) is the most pleasure-filled among six realms, and typically subdivided into twenty six sub-realms. A rebirth in this heavenly realm is believed to be due to very good kamma accumulation. A Deva does not need to work, and is able to enjoy in the heavenly realm all pleasures found on earth. However, the pleasures of this realm lead to attachment (Upādāna), lack of spiritual pursuits and therefore Samsara.  The vast majority of Buddhist lay people have historically pursued rituals and practices motivated with rebirth into Deva realm. The life period in these realms are quite long compared to the human life span.

Human realm:  Budda Dhamma asserts that one is reborn in this realm with vastly different physical endowments and moral natures because of a 'Being's past kamma. A rebirth in this realm is considered as fortunate because it offers an opportunity to attain Nibbana and end the Saṃsāra cycle.

Lower Realms (evil and unfortunate)

Animal realm: This is a state of existence of a 'Being' as an animal. This realm is traditionally thought to be similar to a hellish realm, because animals are believed in Buddhist texts to be driven by impulse and instinct.  They prey on each other and suffer. They accumulate kamma, and are reborn in Samsara.

Demi-god realm (Asura): This is the fourth realm of existence in Buddhism. Asura are notable for their anger and some supernormal powers. They fight with the Devas (divine 'Beings') or trouble the Manusya (humans) through illnesses and natural disasters. They accumulate kamma, and are reborn in Samsara. The life periods in these realms are quite long compared to human life

Hungry ghost realm: The hungry ghosts and other restless spirits (preta) are rebirths caused by kamma of excessive craving and attachments. They do not have a tangible body, are invisible and constitute only "subtle matter" of a 'Being'. Buddhist texts describe them as 'Beings' that are extremely thirsty and hungry.  Buddhist traditions in Asia attempt to care for them on ritual days every year, by leaving food and drinks in the open, to feed any hungry ghosts nearby. When their bad kamma runs out, these 'Beings' are reborn into another realm. The suffering of the 'Beings' born in the realm of the hungry ghosts is far more intense than those born in the animal realm. The life periods in these realms are quite long compared to human life

Hell realm: The 'Beings' in Hell (naraka) enter this realm for serious evil kamma such as killing, theft, lying, adultery and others. The texts vary in their details but typically describe numerous hellish regions each with different forms of intense suffering. These 'Beings' are reborn in another realm after their evil kamma has run its course.  They die, and they get another rebirth. The life periods in these realms are quite long compared to human life.

These descriptions may seem to some, as ancient mystic creations that have been passed down the generations for purposes of restraining people from engaging in bad ethical acts, due to fear of such consequences. While this moral objective is tenable and may appeal to a reasonable mind, the validity of these descriptions and their reality per se' has to be analyzed intellectually before any judgment is made.

We are prepared to accept that something is real if it can be established by the conventional scientific theories. Also, if something is perceptible and can be experienced through our sense faculties of eye, ear etc. we are prepared to accept them. While this is reasonable, we have to know that scientific postulations are ever changing with new discoveries and research. Therefore, relying entirely on what science says as presently established about the world outside of its domain is not very wise, given the serious nature of what we are trying to understand. We are all too aware that our sensory perceptions are limited to a regime determined by the strengths of our faculties and the supporting instrumentation and aids presently available. As worldly 'Beings', our domain of experiences is thus limited as aforesaid. However, a human-being with special intellectual capacity and wisdom and a trained mind can arguably see and understand many phenomena that are not perceptible to an ordinary human mind.

Thus, if we can have trust in Buddha’s special abilities as described, we may be well advised to look at what Buddha has experienced and taught in his search for the truth of the nature of life of all 'Beings'. This option therefore is the favored standpoint for our decision making in the present context in our pursuit of a specific Practice that we must follow.

Samsara is perpetuated by one's kamma, which is caused by craving and ignorance (avidya). Kamma or 'action' results from an intentional physical, verbal or mental act, which causes a future consequence. Thus, acts of body and speech are driven by an underlying intention or will (cetanā), and they are unwholesome or wholesome because they are motivated by unwholesome or wholesome intentions. Acts of body and speech are, then, the end products of particular kinds of mentality. At the same time kamma can exist as a simple 'act of will', a forceful mental intention or volition that does not lead to an act of body or speech.

In the Buddhist view, therefore, the type of birth one has in this life is determined by actions or kamma from the previous lives; and the circumstances of the future rebirth are determined by the actions in the current and previous lives.

Buddhist tradition considers ignorance (avidya) to be the root cause of samsara.  Avidya is misconception and ignorance about reality, leading to grasping and clinging, and repeated rebirth. It is the not-knowingness of things as they truly are. It can be overcome by insight into the true nature of phenomena or reality. The recognition and acceptance of non-self is called the anatta.  One who no longer sees any soul or self, concludes Ven. Walpola Rahula quoting the Buddha, is the one who has been liberated from the samsara cycles.

Buddhist texts suggest that rebirth occurs through the transfer of vinnana (consciousness) from one life to another. When this transfer of consciousness ceases, then liberation is attained. There is a connection between consciousness, kammic activities, and the cycle of rebirth. With the ceasing of vinnana transfer, there is cessation of "kammic activities", which are considered in Buddhism to be "the cause for the continued perpetuation of cyclic existence.

It is clear that the number of times a person may be reborn is almost infinite. This process of repeated rebirth in saṃsāra is an 'endless wandering'. All living creatures are part of this cyclic movement and will continue to be reborn until they attain Nibbana. While Buddhism considers the liberation from samsara as the ultimate spiritual goal, in traditional practice still Buddhists seek and accumulate merit through good deeds, offerings to monks and various other rituals in order to gain better rebirths. 

Due to the need to limit the contents of each post to facilitate easy reading, I will end these descriptions here. 

Please see the continuation in Post # 62, where reference is made to the escape from the Samsaric Cycle.   

Post # 60 – SAMSARA, the CYCLE OF BIRTH  AND DEATH, IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM – Part 1 

It would also be good if you could visit the 1st Post to know about this Blog before reading this Post. 

The discussions up to the Post # 13 were aimed at consolidating the knowledge we have on some salient features of Buddha Dhamma. We then attempted to agree upon a method to translate this Dhamma knowledge, into an effective practice. We also discussed the unsatisfactory nature of the Samsaric (re-becoming) cycle and the need to escape by engaging in activities that lead to the complete cessation of suffering. That is the realization of Nibbana.

As we said before, we are leading busy household lives and we need to know the activities that will yield the optimum benefits given the limited time that we can spare for Dhamma work. We said that the ethical practice of Buddha-Dhamma can be grouped for our purpose, into three parts. They are engaging in Punya Kamma (Meritorious Acts), engaging in the practice of Kusala Kamma (developing Ethical Skills) and following the Marga Prathi Padawa (the Path to Liberation).

It is always better to know why we are doing any Buddhist practices at all. Many devotees follow practices based on encouragement from others. We have heard that the Samsara cycle is very unsatisfactory and dangerous. Let us get our minds around this declaration in order to get the necessary inspiration to seek a release from the entrapment in this eternal cycle. ….

 I will first highlight some of the explanations given on this topic in the discourses by the learned scholars, who were mentioned in the Post # 12 & Post # 13.

There are three ideas about what happens after death. Materialism says that we cease to exist. The major theistic religions maintain that we go to either everlasting paradise or damnation according to our beliefs and/or our actions. Jainism, and some versions of Hinduism and several minor religions and spiritual movements that were practiced in the contemporary Indian society, say that at death we reincarnate, or are reborn. In Buddhist teaching, there is a reference to re-becoming ( punar-bhava).

We also discussed in Post # 6 that Buddha-Dhamma is the reality. Examining the meaning of Buddha-Dhamma in its etymological composition we see the following make up. The word ‘Dhamma’ here means the phenomena existing in the Cosmos or the abiding laws and principles that govern the dynamics of the Cosmos. This means that Dhamma exists today; it existed yesterday and did exist well into the past. It also means Dhamma will exist tomorrow, also well into the future and for eons of time beyond. Therefore it is the unchanging universal truth.

The other word ‘Buddha’, means a title given to a person with an extremely   developed mind through the ardent practice of virtuous living (seela), tranquility (samadhi) and wisdom (panna) . Therefore the one who is a Buddha, using this enlightened state of mind, sees the Dhamma. It is a discovery of what is already there.  It is not a new invention or a creation. Buddha-Dhamma, as a doctrine therefore includes the universal truths, how they apply and influence human 'beings', the impacts or consequences of such influences and the way of life to cope or mitigate these adverse influences.

Then one has to ask, what is then the reality that Buddha discovered? He explained the fundamental nature of all conditional formations characterized by impermanence (annicca), un-satisfactory-ness  (dukka), no-self (anantha)  and about the entrapment of all living 'beings' in an eternal cycle of Samsara (the eternal cycle of rebirth) due to ignorance (not knowing) of the fundamental four noble truths. They are respectively dukka (un-satisfactory-ness or suffering), its cause, its cessation and the path to its cessation.  He described the pattica smuppada or the process of cause and effect and the unique discovery about the true nature of the two domains of- mundane and supra mundane. The mundane domain is where all worldly 'beings' are entrapped in an unending cycle of Samsara and the supra-mundane domain is, as Buddha has taught, the escape from Samsara. These teachings came from what he himself experienced.

That is why Buddha-Dhamma which is unchanging with time is called the reality.

The challenge before us now is to decide what of these ideas or teachings would be the one to choose? At death would everything come to a final end? In which case there is nothing we need to do but await our destiny? Or at death do we go to either everlasting paradise or damnation? In which case how can we be sure that we are doing the right things to please those divine powers that make the determination? Or at death do we reincarnate? That is does a permanent soul leave an ending life and transmigrate to a new life ?  If so is our destiny already sealed from our past inheritances.  Or do we become subject to the re-becoming ( punar-bhava) process? If so, what must we be doing to escape from it? These choices are very personal and very individually specific. It is a very critical poker game we have to play where the choices we make are final with chance of turning back and restarting once the choice is made is very cumbersome.

My suggestion therefore is that if you have to make a choice and decide to do something, it is better to err on the safe side than not do anything and regret later for making a wrong choice. As Buddha’s teaching for the reasons stated above can be accepted as the reality we may choose this as the safe option to begin with.   Dhamma assures that realization as an experience will dawn as you advance in the practice, whereupon you have the comfort that you made the right choice.

The Saṃsāra doctrine of Buddhism asserts that while 'Beings' undergo endless cycles of rebecoming, there is no changeless soul that transmigrates from one lifetime to another - a view that distinguishes its doctrine from that in Hinduism and Jainism. This no-soul (no-self) doctrine is called the Anatta in Buddhist texts. A sentient 'Being' (this includes animals), according to Buddha, is an ever changing, interdependent process of mind and body (nama-rupa). Therefore, a permanent soul cannot exist in this ever-changing mind-matter continuum.

An extract from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on these subjects states that: Saṃsāra is a religious concept of reincarnation in Hinduism and other Indian religions. Saṃsāra in Buddhism is a different distinct concept. Saṃsāra in Jainism is also a cycle of births and deaths.

In Buddhism, Saṃsāra is the "suffering-laden, continuous cycle of life, death, and rebecoming, without a beginning.  In several suttas of the Samyutta Nikaya it’s said - "From an in-construable beginning comes transmigration. A beginning point is not evident, though 'Beings' hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving are transmigrating & wandering on.  It is the never-ending repetitive cycle of birth and death, in six realms of reality, wandering from one life to another life with no particular direction. Samsara is characterized by dukkha (unsatisfactory or painful nature). Every rebirth/rebecoming is temporary and impermanent. In each rebirth one is born and then dies, to be re-born elsewhere in accordance with one's own karma. It is perpetuated by one's avidya ("ignorance"), particularly about anicca and anatta, and from craving. Samsara continues until nirvana is attained by means of insight - the "blowing out" of the desires and the gaining of true insight into impermanence and non-self  reality”.

Please also see Post # 7, Post # 8, Post # 9, Post # 10 & Post # 11 in this blog on Kamma and Rebirth.

Rebirth across different realms – such as heavenly, human, animal, and hellish and others –has to be understood in the way one looks at what happens when a flame is transferred from one candle that is about to extinguish to another without any substantial transfer of an identifiable entity. It's only a transfer of those features that identifies the candle flame. The explanation of rebirth mechanism is with a "rebirth-linking consciousness" (patisandhi chitta).

I hope with this outline I have created enough interest in you to keep an open mind on this subject. I hope I have also aroused your curiosity to further look at what Samsara is, and then to have the motivation to seek an escape from it.

Due to the need to limit the contents of each post to facilitate easy reading, I will end these descriptions here.

Please see the continuation of descriptions on this subject in Post # 61, where more details are given on the Samsaric Cycle and the realms of rebirth and their unsatisfactory nature.

The Post # 59 - Five spiritual powers (pancha bala)  

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The Five Spiritual Powers (pañcabalā) in Buddhism are faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. They are one of the seven sets of "qualities conducive to enlightenment".  They are parallel facets of the five "spiritual faculties" already discussed in the earlier posts. The Five Faculties and Powers are two facets of the same thing. As these five attributes conducive for enlightenment were discussed in detail in the earlier posts I will be brief here in respect of the Five Spiritual Powers.  

We will now discuss each one of these factors in some detail based on the contents of the discourses by the learned monks mentioned in Post #  56 ,  Post # 57 and Post # 58.

When the five spiritual faculties are developed, refined and well founded, they become spiritual powers which are firm, strong and powerful enough to oppose and control the factors that oppose the five spiritual faculties. Thus faith/conviction (saddhā bala) - controls doubt; energy/effort/persistence (viriya bala) – controls laziness; mindfulness (sati bala) - controls heedlessness; concentration (samādhi bala) - controls distraction; wisdom/discernment (paññā bala) – controls ignorance. These were discussed in some detail in the three earlier posts.

When faith becomes a power, it manifests as the four brahma vihara -namely loving kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), sympathetic joy (muditha) and equanimity (upekkha). When effort and concentration become powers they lead to deep states of concentration (jhana) and when wisdom becomes a power it leads to the insight into the three universal characteristics of impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and  not self (anatta). When one is able to develop mindfulness by contemplating on the body, feelings, mind and the mind objects, mindfulness becomes a power.

The five powers exercise control in their respective domains.  Faith or saddhā is in control of the domain of adhimokkha (decision or resolve), viriya or exertion in paggaha , sati or awareness in upatthäna , samādhi or concentration in avikkhepa (non-distraction), and paññā ( wisdom) in  dassana view or vision . When they are powers, they become unshakable and oppose indecision, laziness, negligence, agitation, and delusion or ignorance.

The five indriya and five bala and are well balanced only in an Arahant. We can reap many benefits even before reaching that ultimate goal by cultivating them, making sure to try to keep them balanced.

Even for an Arahant, there are some leftover “imperfections” even though they are not defilements. Only a Sammā Sambuddha (like Buddha Gotama) is perfect in every respect. This is why he is called “thathagatha.  

. The Buddha's path is called the middle path, which means a path of balance. We have to balance all extremes, so that they become a useful basis for a harmonious person, whose practice will flourish. When the above powers develop they result in the meditative absorptions ( jannas). When wisdom becomes a power, it means insight into the three characteristics of impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and corelessness (anatta). When faith turns into a power, then it also manifests as the four skills giving rise to loving kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), sympathetic joy (mudita), equanimity (upekkha). Mindfulness is a power when all four foundations (i.e., mindfulness of body, feeling, volition and thought content) are habitually practiced.  

To become a master of all of these aspects is an ideal, but to practice them is a necessity. And since all of us have these faculties within, there is every reason to cultivate and develop them. Then one finds oneself to be a more harmonious and balanced person, with less difficulties, and capable of helping others. Therefore to develop these five powers should be a primary object in one's life. Balancing of them needs to be seen as connecting heart (emotion) with mind.

We saw from Post # 41 onward descriptions on the seven sets of the 37 factors that assist in attaining enlightenment. Towards the end of his life, Buddha has stated several times that as long as the teachings in these 37 factors were remembered and put into practice, his message would endure.

This concludes the descriptions on these seven sets. I trust that these accounts gave you some idea of the 37 factors that assist in attaining enlightenment and how they develop as you progress in developing the Noble Eight fold Path as discussed in earlier posts.  

I will attempt to gather some material on the Samsaric Process - why it is unsatisfactory and dangerous, in order to motivate us to seek liberation from it. I will share them with the visitors to this Blog in a future Post.

The Post # 58 - The Pancha Indriya Dhamma; the Five Spiritual Faculties – Part 3

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This is a continuation of the descriptions on the five spiritual faculties that develop when we strive to achieve release from this unsatisfactory cycle of Samsara. These descriptions have been extracted from the source material mentioned in the earlier posts. We saw that these faculties were saddhā: faith; viriya : energy; sati : awareness or mindfulness; samādhi : concentration ; and paññā : understanding or discernment. This Post should be read after visiting Post # 56 and Post # 57 where we discussed the nature of saddhā (faith), viriya (effort), sati (mindfulness/heedfulness) in some detail. In this post we will discuss the faculties of Samadhi (concentration) and Panna (wisdom /discernment) as follows.

Samadhi (concentration)

Concentration (samadhi) has been described in the Pali commentaries (visuddhi magga) as “the state, by virtue of which, consciousness and its concomitants remain evenly and rightly on a single object un-distracted and un-scattered”. It can also be described as calming the mind or wholesome one-pointedness of the mind, free from unwholesome states of greed (lobha), aversion (dosa) and delusion (moha). Concentration can be either mundane or supra-mundane. When concentration is developed in relation to the three worlds of existence namely, sensual world (kama loka), fine material world (rupa loka) and the formless immaterial world (arupa loka) it is mundane concentration. When it is developed in relation to the supra-mundane path of liberation from suffering and all existence, it is supra-mundane concentration.

Concentration is mentioned at least four times within the thirty seven requisites of enlightenment. They are Concentration as one of the five spiritual faculties (pancha indriya); Concentration as one of the five spiritual powers (pancha bala); Concentration as the sixth of the seven factors of enlightenment (samadhi sambojjhanga); Right concentration (samma samadhi) as the eighth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path.

In concentration meditation the aim is to develop and maintain a state of deep concentration or one-pointedness of mind by focusing one’s attention on a single meditation object. This state will be maintained as long as the attention of the meditator is completely absorbed into that particular object. With the establishment of deep concentration, five qualities or attributes called Jhanic factors develop and become strong. These five Jhanic factors are; Initial application (vitakka); Sustained application (vicara); Rapture or Joy (piti); Mental bliss or Happiness (sukha); One-pointedness with Equanimity (ekaggata with upekkha).

As the concentration of the mind becomes deeper and deeper, these Jhanic factors contribute to gradually suppress the five mental hindrances. The five mental hindrances are: sensual desire (kamacchanda) and expected to be suppressed by sustained application (vicara), ill-will (vyapada) is expected to be suppressed by rapture or joy (piti), sloth and topor (thina middha) is expected to be suppressed by initial application (vitakka); restlessness and remorse (uddacca kukkucca) is expected to be suppressed by mental bliss or happiness (sukha) and skeptical doubt (vicikicca) is expected to be suppressed by sustained application (vicara). The mind could then remain in deep concentration continuously and the meditator can experience tranquility, calmness and bliss. During meditation, as the concentration on a meditation object deepens from preliminary concentration through access concentration and fixed concentration, these deep absorption states (jhana) arise in the mind.  In the Indriya Vibhanga sutta of the Samyutta Nikaya, the Buddha has described the faculty of concentration as the attainment of the first, second, third and the fourth state of deep absorption (jhana) in concentration meditation.

The main differences among the four Jhana states are the depth of concentration and the number of Jhanic factors involved.

In addition to attaining the states of deep mental absorptions and tranquility, the deep state of concentration and the removal of the mental hindrances, could provide the necessary foundation for the development of insight or wisdom into the real nature of physical and mental phenomena.

Panna (Wisdom / Discernment)

In Buddha Dhamma wisdom does not refer to knowledge regarding mundane issues related to worldly affairs however deep or extensive it is, but it refers to intuitive and experiential insight into the true characteristics of physical and mental phenomena. They are impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha) and lack of a permanent entity called self (anatta).

According to Buddhist literature wisdom (panna) can occur at three levels: Wisdom gained by listening to others or reading scriptures (sutamaya panna); Wisdom gained by personal intellectual analysis (cintamaya panna); Wisdom gained by direct experience through meditation (bhavanamaya panna). Wisdom gained by personal experiential insight through meditation into the true characteristics of natural phenomena, is the true wisdom that needs to be developed in order to transcend all suffering and attain Nibbana.

In the Indriya Vibhanga sutta the Buddha has described wisdom as the discernment of the Four Noble Truths: The Truth of universal suffering-unsatisfactory state (dukkha sacca); The Truth of the cause of suffering (samudaya sacca); The Truth of the cessation of suffering (nirodha sacca); The Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering (magga sacca).

In addition to the obvious causes of suffering such as birth, old age, disease, death, association with the unpleasant, dissociation from the pleasant, and not receiving what  one desires, the Buddha summarized that the five aggregates of clinging (pancha–upadanaskhanda) are suffering. The five aggregates of clinging are form (rupa upadanaskhanda), feeling (vedana upadanaskhanda), perception (sanna upadanaskhanda), mental formation (sankhara upadanaskhanda) and consciousness (vinnana upadanaskhanda) which constitute the psycho-physical aggregation (nama rupa) that we call a person or a 'Being'. They are transitory and are in a constant state of flux with no substantial entity in them. But we cling to them and identify with one or more of them as “me”, “mine” and “myself” thus creating suffering for ourselves.

The Buddha stated that the origin of suffering is craving (tanha) which is of three types; Craving for sense pleasures (kama tanha); Craving for a becoming or existence (bhava tanha); Craving for non-becoming or non-existence (vibhava tanha).  Cessation of suffering by overcoming and totally abandoning craving is the state of Nibbana, the sublime state beyond all suffering, a state of complete peace with no possibility of rebirth in any of the thirty-one planes of existence. The path leading to the cessation of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path.

Among the five spiritual faculties, the faculties of faith (saddha) and wisdom (panna) are paired together while effort (viriya) and concentration (samadhi) are paired together in a reciprocal relationship. A balance needs to be found between faith and wisdom as well as between effort and concentration to facilitate spiritual progress. The faculty of mindfulness acts as the moderator to make sure that each pair maintains the correct balance without resorting to extremes which can adversely affect the spiritual development. For example, if faith dominates over wisdom the ability of analysis and investigation will weaken, whereas if wisdom dominates over faith then it will lead to doubt and uncertainty. Likewise, if effort or energy dominates over concentration then it will cause restlessness and agitation, whereas if concentration dominates over effort then it will cause sloth and topor (thina middha).

Because the five faculties are means to deathlessness-rather than ends in themselves- they must not only be developed skillfully but also used skillfully as they are developed. The texts emphasizing this point focus on two of the faculties: persistence and discernment.

As for discernment one's mastery of the faculties is not complete until one discerns the "escape" from them. Normally the texts make this comment only about deceptively attractive objects or unskillful qualities in the mind, but here they use it in connection with skillful qualities. What this means is that there comes a point in the practice where one must go beyond even such skillful qualities as concentration and discernment. An awakened person-through regarding views not in terms of their content, but in terms of the effect they have on the mind-comes to discern what lies beyond views, and yet does not hold even to that act of discernment. As a result of knowing but not holding, the mind experiences ‘unbinding’ in the here and now. This "knowing but not holding" is yet another reference to the perceptual mode of emptiness verging on non-fashioning.

I decided to give in some detail these attributes of the five spiritual faculties, because as we saw before, they become our guides, they direct us and exercise control over our thoughts and intent, enabling us to be on track in the path to liberation.

Please await the Post on the five spiritual powers (pancha bala), the last set to be described of the 37 factors, that assist in realizing the world transcending wisdom.  When the five spiritual faculties are developed, refined and well founded they become spiritual powers that drive us forward in our spiritual journey.

The Post # 57 - The Pancha Indriya Dhamma; the Five Spiritual Faculties – 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.  

This is a continuation of the descriptions on the five spiritual faculties that develop when we strive to achieve release from this unsatisfactory cycle of Samsara. We saw that these faculties were saddhā- faith; viriya - energy; sati - awareness or mindfulness; samādhi - concentration ; and paññā - understanding. This Post should be read after visiting Post #56 where we discussed the nature of saddha- faith in some detail.

In this post we will discuss the faculties of viriya –effort and sati - mindfulness   

Viriya –effort:  In the Buddhist literature, effort has also been mentioned as energy, persistence, exertion, diligence, perseverance and vigour. The Buddha considered effort (viriya) to be an important factor in one’s progress in the spiritual journey, that it has been mentioned at least nine times while describing the thirty seven requisites of enlightenment.

In Post # 54 we discussed the four types of right effort which are requisites of enlightenment. There we referred to the effort to prevent the development of unwholesome mental states that have not arisen; effort to abandon the unwholesome mental states that have arisen; effort to cultivate the un-arisen wholesome mental states; and effort to maintain the wholesome mental states that have arisen. The unwholesome mental states include the five mental hindrances of sensual desire (kamacchanda), ill-will (vyapada), sloth and topor (thina middha), restlessness and remorse (uddacca kukkucca) and sceptical doubt (vicikicca). Effort should be applied to abandon thoughts of sensual desire (kama sankappa), hatred (vyapada sankappa) and cruelty (vihimsa sankappa) that have already arisen. The wholesome mental states that need to be developed and maintained with right effort are the seven factors of enlightenment (satta bojjhanga). They are mindfulness (sati); investigation of dhammas (dhamma vicaya); energy or effort (viriya); rapture or joy (piti); tranquillity (passaddhi); concentration (samadhi) and equanimity (upekkha).

The degree of effort that the Buddha applied in search of the truth, on the night of enlightenment while sitting under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya in India, as shown in Buddhist literature is an example for us. In applying effort (viriya) to develop one’s spiritual advancement, it needs to be maintained from the beginning till the final liberation and depending on the stage of a particular task, there are three types of effort - effort required to begin a particular action (arambha dhatu viriya); effort required to sustain an action in spite of obstacles (nikkama dhatu viriya); effort required to continue till the completion of  an action (parakkama dhatu viriya). Also in order to succeed in one’s spiritual journey and attain enlightenment, one needs to apply the right level of effort. Too much effort or too little effort could both hinder the path to enlightenment. The Buddha has advised that in meditation, too much effort will lead to restlessness (uddacca) while too little effort will lead to sloth and topor (thina middha) both of which are mental hindrances affecting the meditation process

What therefore is the faculty of persistence? There is the case where a monk, a noble disciple, keeps his persistence aroused for abandoning unskillful mental qualities and taking on skillful mental qualities. He is steadfast, solid in his effort, not shirking his duties with regard to skillful mental qualities. He generates desire, endeavors, arouses persistence, upholds and exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen...for the sake of the abandoning of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen...for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen...(and) for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, and culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen. This is called the faculty of persistence in the texts.

Mindfulness (Sati) or heedfulness : Although the Pali word “Sati” has several meanings such as memory, mindfulness, recollection and wakefulness, as a spiritual faculty it is considered as the mindful-awareness to the content of one’s experience as it manifests from moment to moment in the immediate present. Mindful awareness is paying bare attention to whatever happens from moment to moment, whether it is a physical or a mental process, without any reaction or judgment in order to have an insight into their true nature. One is expected to keep full awareness on what is happening right now, not paying attention to the past which is already gone or to the future which is yet to come. Mindfulness has been mentioned several times within the thirty seven requisites of enlightenment. They are - Mindfulness as the four foundations of mindfulness (satipatthana); Mindfulness as one of the five spiritual faculties (pancha indriya); Mindfulness as one of the five spiritual powers (pancha bala); Mindfulness as the first of the seven factors of enlightenment (sati sambojjhanga); Right mindfulness (samma sati) as the seventh factor of the Noble Eightfold Path (ariya attanghika magga).

Through well developed mindfulness, one is able to maintain equanimity towards the sense experiences received through the six sense organs of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and the mind. By not reacting with craving to pleasant sense objects or with aversion to unpleasant sense objects, one is able to exert control over the process in which unwholesome mental roots of greed (raga), aversion (dosa) and delusion (moha) may lead to unskillful mental, verbal or physical actions.

As a spiritual faculty mindfulness (sati) has the key role of acting as the moderator for the other four faculties to ensure that a proper balance is maintained among them. A balance between the faculties of faith (saddha) and wisdom (panna) as well as between effort (viriya) and concentration (samadhi) is essential for the spiritual progress to continue smoothly.

The techniques of developing mindfulness in insight meditation are derived from one of the most important discourses by the Buddha named Satipatthana sutta. The Buddha has persistently emphasized the fact that in order to achieve the spiritual outcome as described by him, the meditator needs to develop the four foundations of mindfulness with diligence (atapi), clear comprehension (sampajanno) and mindfulness (satima) leading to the development of mindfulness as a factor of enlightenment and insight wisdom (panna).

Four factors have been described in the Buddhist literature which can strengthen the development of mindfulness as a factor of enlightenment. They are -Mindfulness with clear comprehension; avoiding association with confused and unmindful persons; association with persons who cultivate mindfulness; strong commitment towards developing mindfulness. In mindfulness with clear comprehension one maintains mindfulness during the performance of all daily activities. 

The underlying element throughout the spiritual development is the mental quality of heedfulness.  This is explained as a combination of right effort and relentless mindfulness. Heedfulness realizes the dangers inherent in the round of birth and death, and the fact that those dangers are inherent in each careless act of the mind. It thus fosters conviction in the possibility of a release from those dangers and a sense of urgency and precision in the practice. This combination of urgency and precision provides the impetus for the full and thorough development of the faculties as one seriously pursues the possibility of release through the skillful development of the mind. This pattern of heedfulness developing the five faculties in the quest of the security of release from the cycle of birth and death, mirrors Buddha’s own quest, which began with his conviction that there was no need to resign himself to the rule of aging, illness, and death, and ended with the discernment that brought about his actual escape from that status.

And what is the faculty of mindfulness? There is the case where a monk, a noble disciple, is mindful, highly meticulous, remembering and able to call to mind even things that were done and said long ago. He remains focused on the body in and of itself-ardent, alert, and mindful-putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings in and of themselves...the mind in and of itself...mental qualities in and of themselves-ardent, alert, and mindful-putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. This is called the faculty of mindfulness in the texts.

Please await Post # 58 for descriptions on Samadhi (concentration) and Panna ( discernment /wisdom)