Most compassionate, Venerable! Thank you.
Most compassionate, Venerable! Thank you.
Just the mirror would do:
The nights swiftly pass
SN 2.27
Time flies by, the nights swiftly pass;
The stages of life successively desert us.
Seeing clearly this danger in death,
A seeker of peace should drop the worldās bait.
Very useful!
Knowing another person
SN 3.11
It is by living together with someone, great king, that their virtue is to be known, and that after a long time, not after a short time; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is wise, not by a dullard.
It is by dealing with someone, great king, that their honesty is to be known, and that after a long time, not after a short time; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is wise, not by a dullard.
It is in adversities, great king, that a personās fortitude is to be known, and that after a long time, not after a short time; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is wise, not by a dullard.
It is by discussion with someone, great king, that their wisdom is to be known, and that after a long time, not after a short time; by one who is attentive, not by one who is inattentive; by one who is wise, not by a dullard.
What a delightful evocation of the seasons bound together under the arching sky. Special thanks for the monastic equanimously buried in roof snow and being equanimously rescued!
Making excuses not to meditate
āBhikkhus, there are these eight grounds for laziness. What eight?
(1) āHere, a bhikkhu has to do some work. It occurs to them: āI have some work to do. While Iām working, my body will become tired. Let me lie down.ā They lie down. They do not arouse energy for the attainment of the as-yet-unattained, for the achievement of the as-yet-unachieved, for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. This is the first ground for laziness.
(2) āAgain, a bhikkhu has done some work. ā¦
(3) āAgain, a bhikkhu has to make a trip. It occurs to them: āI have to make a trip. While traveling, my body will become tired. Let me lie down.ā ā¦
(4) āAgain, a bhikkhu has made a trip. ā¦
(5) āAgain, a bhikkhu has walked for alms in a village or town but has not gotten as much food as they need, whether coarse or excellent. It occurs to them: āIāve walked for alms in the village or town but didnāt get as much food as I need, whether coarse or excellent. My body has become tired and unwieldy. Let me lie down.ā ā¦
(6) āAgain, a bhikkhu has walked for alms in a village or town and has gotten as much food as they need, whether coarse or excellent. It occurs to them: āIāve walked for alms in the village or town and gotten as much food as I need, whether coarse or excellent. My body has become as heavy and unwieldy as a heap of wet beans. Let me lie down.ā ā¦
(7) āAgain, a bhikkhu is a little ill. It occurs to them: āIām a little ill. I need to lie down. Let me lie down.ā ā¦
(8) āAgain, a bhikkhu has recovered from illness. Soon after recovering, it occurs to them: āIāve recovered from illnessĶ¾ Iāve just recovered from illness. My body is still weak and unwieldy. Let me lie down.ā They lie down. They do not arouse energy for the attainment of the as-yet-unattained, for the achievement of the as-yet-unachieved, for the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. This is the eighth ground for laziness.
Very nice doodles. I really enjoyed this thread.
Sanghamitta Bhikkhuni brings the Bodhi tree to Sri Lanka
(The other day, we went to Kelaniya University and I was hoping to see the famous painting of Sanghamitta and the Bodhi tree. But unfortunately, no luckā¦ So I made my own copy. )
And this is what I would have seen in Kelaniya:
Kelaniya temple or University!
Seven bhikkhus in Kassapa Buddhaās time
(Warning: The following is from the Dhammapada commentary, not an EBTā¦ But itās just such a dramatic story and features some of my favorite monks. And it has a happy endingā¦ )
During Kassapa Buddhaās dispensation, after he had attained parinibbana and his teaching was in decline, seven bhikkhus, who were very committed to practise, decided to climb a mountain, throw down the ladder, and either attain arahantship or starve up there. The first monk attained arahantship with the psychic powers and offered to fetch food for the others but they refused to take it. The second monk became an anagami, also offered to fetch food, and was also refused. The other five starved.
In Gotama Buddhaās dispensation, these five became eminent monks with high attainments and very unusual biographies: Pukkusati, Bahiya Daruciriya, Dabba Mallaputta, Kumara Kassapa, and Sabhiya. The anagami monk, who was reborn in the pure abodes, continued to help his former companions. He directed Bahiya to the Buddhaās teaching, and gave the riddle to Kumara Kassapa that facilitated his awakening.
Itās a great story! Strangely, two were killed by cows:
Pukkusati: SuttaCentral
Bahiya Daruciriya: SuttaCentral
[The leper Suppabuddha SuttaCentral and TambadÄį¹hika TambadÄį¹hika were also killed by the same cow, a yakkhinÄ«, according to the commentaries.]
Dabba Mallaputta self-immolated: SuttaCentral
Kumara Kassapa seems relatively normal by comparison: SuttaCentral
And also Sabhiya: SuttaCentral
Dear Yodha, i love your doodles, and the painting is awe-inspiring to see and be with if you are still nearby. It is at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara 3 kms away from the University (https://goo.gl/maps/BKZuB2xBZsEzQFEy5). If you go inside the main shrine building and walk through, itās almost impossible to miss.
Donāt know if youād be interested or not, but i spoke about this painting and different ways contemporary artists have depicted the same scene in Toronto last June (@ 32.20): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oDwOL7rr6E&t=181s.
Much metta
Oh, thanks for the directions! Iām still in Sri Lanka but not in Kelaniya. If I get the chance Iāll definitely go and see the painting.
Thanks very much for sharing your talk.
With respect
One who stands squarely before the door to the Deathless
SN 12.49
They are then called a noble disciple who is accomplished in view, accomplished in vision, who has arrived at this true Dhamma, who sees this true Dhamma, who possesses a traineeās knowledge, a traineeās true knowledge, who has entered the stream of the Dhamma, a noble one with penetrative wisdom, one who stands squarely before the door to the Deathless.
Awesome doodles. You should really make a book with all your doodles.
I have no skills and resources to do that. But if someone wants to volunteer they are welcome to.
Watch out for dengue mosquito !!