Attatthacariya
Attatthacariya
Attatthacariya
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were myself – that is, just this very sentient-form, these properties,
aggregates and sense-faculties.
Afterwards, contemplating in accordance with his book saying that
they are not-self, more doubt arose and continued to grow. Although I
was bound to trust that sentient-form, the properties, aggregates and
sense-faculties were uncertain, oppressive, and not-self, along with the
Somdet, I was nevertheless stuck on (the problem of) ‘non-identity’ for
about 10 years.
When I reflected on the results (of the practise), that is, the stilling of
lust, anger and delusion, I definitely believed: “If you’re going to follow
the three-fold training but not fight (the defilements), what kind of
power are you going to have? Many practitioners have weaned their
hearts from the textbooks, taken up the three-fold training and have
successfully achieved path and fruit – hundreds of thousands, millions
of them. If I cling firmly to aniccaµ, dukkhaµ and anattæ, only just
that much, and take it to be ‘discernment’, where is it going to get me?
I’m wasting too much time.”
From then on, I was determined to cultivate sati – recollection – in
order to turn it into the factor of ‘right concentration’, but the methods
for taming the mind were extremely difficult because I had a lot of
communal responsibilities in the Sa³gha, laden with material gains and
prestige. But even then, I still had times when I was able to slip away
for some bodily seclusion.
The teaching in the ‘Discourse on the Necessity of Dhamma’ helped
me give rise to a lot of skill. The reason why the Buddha left it in the
state that he did gave rise to a lot of doubtful speculation – where he
taught “all fabrications are uncertain; all fabrications are oppressive; all
Dhammas are not-self”. Why then didn’t he teach ‘all fabrications are
not-self’? Doubt arose in me: “Fabrications and Dhammas here – how
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are they different? Fabrications are called ‘Dhammas’. As for that
Dhamma, how is it different from a fabrication?”
I was bound to get the answer from a suggestion in the ‘Discourse on
the Supreme Kinds of Inspiration’, where it says “sa³khatæ væ
asa³khatæ væ virægo tesaµ aggam-akkhæyati” – among fabricated
Dhammas or unfabricated Dhammas, someone who truly knows will
naturally explain that of all Dhammas, the Dhamma of dispassion is
supreme.
In this way I understood to my satisfaction. “Sa³khatæ væ” I
understood to be the ‘things of the world’, namely, mind, mental
characteristics and form. These three things are secondary, derived
phenomena. “Asa³khatæ væ” are the ‘things of Dhamma’, namely,
nibbæna, and all the Dhammas (that the Buddha) promulgated which
are not secondary, derived phenomena.
In those words “sabbe dhammæ anattæ”, the Buddha means that all
fabricated Dhammas and all unfabricated Dhammas are not one’s
identity, but they can still be distinguished from each other.
As for fabricated Dhammas, these may cease and disappear from
oneself, according to the suggestion in the words “tesaµ vþpasamo
sukho” – the entering into stillness of those fabrications is ease. That is,
they are things that are not originally present, thus they can be stilled
and cease.
As for those unfabricated Dhammas, as long as life persists they
cannot cease. Because they are things that are originally present, they
are merely not one’s identity – they are bound to be Dhammas following
their natural functions.
I was bound to understand that oneself is Dhamma, Dhamma is
oneself. Thus it was atta-døpæ, dhamma-døpæ, atta-sara¼æ, dhamma-
sara¼æ. In this way, it accords with the (Buddha’s) words in the
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‘Discourse to Vakkali’: “yo dhammaµ passati so maµ passati” –
whatever person sees Dhamma, that person sees me.
When I had practised until I saw that oneself was Dhamma, saw that
Dhamma was oneself, I could see the usefulness in every aspect of the
body and mind; the words “attæ hi attano nætho” – oneself is one’s
own mainstay – I understood much more clearly. What I saw before –
that this body and mind were uncertain, oppressive, not an identity,
impure and unattractive – all completely disappeared. Only Dhamma
still remained. Thus it was something special that gave me a mainstay,
enabling me to experience well-being, always.
The body and mind are almost like a wish-fulfilling gem for us in
every way. I’ll break things down for you to see: the words ‘body and
mind’ here are, namely, comprehensively every aspect of the body.
That is, the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, bowels, urinary tract, hands, feet
– every part of the body, big or small. They are all the supreme
endowments we have, each in their own way. They have successfully
come from volitional fabrications of goodness of every kind, thus they
have come to be replete in this way.
Even though we may be skilled and clever, an artist or a writer, we
are unable to embellish, add to, or improve (these endowments) –
however they have come, we have to depend on them, using them and
looking after them until the day we die. The only way we can embellish
them is just by making them engage in good or bad conduct. To
embellish them as high or low, black or white, to make them have a
long life-span or not know death: this is not possible.
Those words “the body and mind are a wish-fulfilling gem” should
be contemplated. We have eyes: if we wish to look at something, we can
look at it. We have ears: if we wish to listen to something, we can listen
to it. We have a nose: if we wish to know the smell of something, we
can know it. We have a mouth, a tongue: if we wish to know the flavour
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of something, we can know it; if we wish to say something, we can say
it; if we wish to eat something, we can eat it. We have hands: if we wish
to do something, we can do it. We have feet: if we wish to walk down
some path, we can go. We have a heart, a mind: if we wish to take
something in for reflection or investigation, we can do it however we
want.
When someone knows themselves – that they are something special
in this way – this will naturally become a cause for experiencing well-
being. That is, they will use those things according to their functions,
not making them into their own (worst) enemy.
The natural character of someone not skilled or clever naturally
makes their eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind into their own
internal property. This gives rise to resistance and displeasure –
personal interest – because it’s their property.
The natural character of someone skilled and clever naturally doesn’t
let these things become their own special property, or an enemy to
themselves. In the moods and objects of knowing that come and go,
they will choose only those things that are useful. As for those things
that are harmful, they just let them pass right by – they don’t accept
them or take them in. That is, they train themselves to cleanse these
internal things, at all times making them sparkling and clear in
accordance with the words ‘a wish-fulfilling gem’.
Relying on training oneself regularly, recollection will become more
mature, helping these internal things rise clear from harm – that is,
they won’t be one’s own (worst) enemy – and will give oneself well-
being in every posture. Thus it accords with the Buddha’s
encouragement, where he taught: “attæ hi attano nætho” – oneself is
one’s own mainstay.
If we speak in conventional terms, just this entire body is Dhamma.
The words ‘atta-sara¼a, dhamma-sara¼a’ – to have oneself as one’s
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place of recollection, to have Dhamma as one’s place of recollection –
mean we should see that oneself is Dhamma, Dhamma is oneself.
Knowing Dhamma is ‘Buddha’. The entire body replete with good
qualities is ‘Dhamma’. The practise that made the qualities of goodness
grow in oneself is ‘Sa³gha’. Someone who has Buddha, Dhamma and
Sa³gha within themselves in this way, confident as someone who has
arrived at the Triple Refuge in this life, will not have suffering
throughout their life. If there is still further being and birth, one will
continue to experience well-being (in future lives). If one has arrived at
the Triple Refuge at a high level, they are finished with being and birth
– the unequivocal attainment of nibbæna.
These days, as for myself, I have been successful in getting to just
only the Triple Refuge – but the nature of that Triple Refuge has low
levels and high levels. That is, the level of virtue, the level of
concentration, the level of discernment, the level of knowledge and
vision of liberation; it genuinely depends on someone’s aptitude.
Whatever level is reached, one will have to experience the results – just
the well-being that accords with one’s level and plane.
Describing (my) Dhamma-practise, letting my disciples hear, is for
the purpose of helping lead you into having a refuge. Don’t be someone
vacillating and wavering: seize the opportunity at any cost!
Don't be gullible, believing meditation teachers who teach outside the
box, outside the path – such as those who teach that giving,
safeguarding virtue, developing calm and insight, venerating the
Buddha and chanting, practising the holy life, abstaining from sex,
abstaining from dinner – things like this – are just craving and
defilement: non-doing itself is the end of craving and defilement. A
teaching like this is characteristic of akiriya-diṭṭhi – holding that non-
action is purity. It's wrong view. Don't be led into delusion, believing it.
If anyone deludedly believes that, it will lead them throughout this life
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and future lives to the nibbæna of ignorance. Don't be led into deludedly
sliding after them.
As for the nibbæna of the Buddha, it is the holy nibbæna of
affluence. What are called 'the endowments of nibbæna' are generosity,
virtue, renunciation, discernment, heroic effort, enduring patience,
integrity, determined resolve, loving kindness, equanimity and the 37
features of the 'wings to awakening' – starting with sati'paṭṭhæna and
culminating with the eight-fold path. These are the endowments of
nibbæna.
If you don't have these endowments, there is no way you will be able
to reach the nibbæna of the Buddha. The nibbæna of the Buddha is the
nibbæna of clear knowing. Investigate and look into the endowments of
nibbæna in the way presented here: are they full and complete within
you yet? If they are not full and complete, you are still a poor person.
You can't go to nibbæna. This compares with a poor person who is not
able to travel far by car or by boat because they're poor – they don't
have the funds to cover the cost or pay the price of hiring someone's
services.
If you investigate within yourself and see that the endowments of
nibbæna are full and complete within you, you can count yourself as an
affluent person – you may be able to arrive at nibbæna. This compares
with a person who's got the funds – when they want to travel any path,
they hire someone and go, succeeding in every way.
Nibbæna is not a state that individuals bereft of noble wealth are able
to get to. Those with wrong view are poor people; they can only go to
the nibbæna of poverty and destitution – that is, just the nibbæna of
anattæ, the nibbæna of ignorance.
We are disciples of the Buddha: we have to conduct ourselves in the
way that makes us affluent like the Buddha. The Buddha was replete
with gain, with honour, with praise and with well-being. The
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dispensation of the Buddha has been able to be firmly established
continuously now for more than two thousand years. It hasn't been
firmly and continuously established through being poor! It has been
able to be firmly and continuously established through genuine
affluence. Even myself – the one advising you – I have trained myself to
practise following the conduct of the Buddha and have thus become
replete with gain, with honour, with praise and well-being. I have been
someone who is affluent with external endowments and internal
endowments throughout (my life), until I am now 70 years of age.
When you have read this biography, you should look and focus on
the conduct that I have engaged myself in. As for that, I have
determined in my heart to learn, study and practise straightly in line
with Dhamma-Vinaya, and I have performed the tasks of
administration according to my responsibilities, not letting them go to
ruin, until I have advanced in royal titles and prestige. As for Dhamma-
Vinaya, I have determined in my heart to follow the way of calm and
insight until I have known the fabricated and the unfabricated – or,
clung-to phenomena and unclung-to phenomena – clearly in the heart.
I have reached the Triple Gem as my refuge. Count this as having a
refuge through the ending of doubt.
This has been my att'attha-cariyæ – conduct for my own benefit.
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