Attachment Andsdf Detachment

Attachment and Detachment
,UP!D!NA AND ANUP!D!NA,

A Study based on Larly Buddhist Discourses

by
Bhikkhu 1algaswewe Seel!nanda

2006

New York Buddhist Vih!ra
Spencer Avenue Parkside Hills NY JJ427 USA

abba D!vav Dbavva D!vav ]i v!t i !
Gi t o Dhamma excel s al l other gi ts!

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Dr Basil Abeysekera & Nand" Abeysekera
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Mr K.P. Kusal Appuh"my & Mrs Leel"wathi Atukorala
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1ABLL OI CON1LN1S

Preace ii-x
Note on the Lnglish equialents used xi
Abbreiations xii
CHAP1LR ONL 1-68
Introduction 01
i. listorical background 01
ii 1he philosophical approach o attachment and
detachment
0
What is Attachment? 10
a. Some inter-related terms to attachment 10
1. K"ma ,desire,pleasure, 11
2. R"ga ,lust, 12
3. Lobha ,greed, 13
b. Dierence between 1anh" and Up"d"na 15
c. Conditional link o attachment that leads to being 16
d. Pancakkhandh" and Pancaup"d"nakkhandh" 19
e. 1he our kinds o clinging 21
1. K"ma up"d"na 23
2. Ditthi up"d"na 26
3. Silabbata up"d"na 31
4. Atta"da up"d"na 33
. Upadi and upadhi 38

i
g. Up"d" and Anup"d" 45
h. Up"dinna and Anup"dinna 48
i. Sop"disesa and Anup"disesa 51
What is detachment? :1
i. K"ya ieka 56
ii. Citta ieka 56
iii. Upadi ieka 5
Lobha dosa moha and alobha adosa amoha 61
CHAP1LR 1WO 69-J06
Prince Siddh"rtha and his unaided intuitie \isdom 69
i. lis Birth and mindulness 69
ii. Mindul Prince who lied close to Nature 6
iii. Prince and his Lducational background 80
i. lour signs and Renunciation 81
. 1he Prince among the teachers 8
i. Re-discoery o the Ancient Path 96
CHAP1LR 1HRLL J07-J46
1he Middle path, Up"d"na and Anup"d"na 10
CHAP1LR IOUR J47-J69
Attachment and Reulsion 14
i. lourold contemplation or detachment 156
ii. 1he 16 stages o mindulness o breathing 158
iii. Seen stages o Puriication 162

CHAP1LR IIVL J7J-J98

Methodology o detachment in Buddhism 11
i. Similes 15
ii. Parables 182
iii. Dialogues 189
CHAP1LR SIX J99-22S
A Practical approach to detachment in daily lie 199
CHAP1LR SLVLN 227-262
1. Detachment, Lnlightened Ones, and their
Characteristics
22
2. Larly Buddhist teaching and the 1ath"gata
concept
244
i. Digha Nik"ya 24
ii. Majjhima Nik"ya 250
iii. Samyutta Nik"ya 253
i. Anguttara Nik"ya 255
CHAP1LR LIGH1 263-269
Conclusion 263
Bibliography 270-274
Lnglish Index 25
P"li Index 2

i

DLDICA1ION

!
!
!

1his Dhamma Book is dedicated to:

My Parents and 1eachers.

All those who are seeking the Dhamma, the real
teaching o the Buddha, Sakyamuni Gautama.

And to,
All those who hae helped me in so many ways,
By proiding me the our requisites to
successully lead this monastic lie.

!
!
!

PRLIACL

Attachment ,Up"d"na, is one end o lie, but Detachment
,Anup"d"na, is not necessarily the direct opposite. Detachment,
in accordance with the teaching o the Buddha, is not to be
ound at either extreme, but in the Middle. Detachment rom
worldly matters is equanimity ,Upekkh", whereas detachment
rom all deilements is supreme bliss ,Nibb"na,. Vieka and
Anup"d"na ,neither grasping nor repulsing,, are the terms used
in the Buddhist scriptures. 1here are three kinds o Vieka:
K"yaieka, Cittaieka, and Upadiieka, which respectiely
means, detachment rom body, detachment rom mind, and
detachment rom the ie grasping groups o existence. One
understands ,j"n"ti, and penetratiely sees reality as it is
,yath"bhutam passati,, only by being in the middle with a clear
awareness and eer-alert mindulness.
Logically, in order to be in the middle, there hae to be two
ends. So, what are the two ends Attachment is on the one end
and reulsion is on the other end. 1he middle is the \ay`,
which was re-discoered by the Buddha as the Middle Path`.
1he Buddha realized this Middle Path` as the path to
Puriication and the Liberation or all beings.
1he term Attachment ,up"d"na,, means grasping`, and
Detachment ,Anup"d"na,, coneys non-grasping`, it is letting
go. \hile both Attachment` and Reulsion` lead to Sams"ra,
Detachment` guides us to Nibb"na. As long as we are attached

iii
to the world or repelled by it, we are worldlings that
wander through Sams"ra, the cycle o births and deaths.
\e hae an endless liking or things in the world because o
craing or thirst ,tanh"-lobha,, which can be described in just
one word: Attachment`. On the contrary, i we are repelled by
things in the world because o a neer-ending aersion ,dosa,
which is Reulsion` or Repulsion`. Both o which are
extremes caused by ignorance ,moha,.
Attachment and reulsion both should be understood as
extremes and thus, as the Buddha said, should be aoided by the
wise to attain Lnlightenment ,Nibb"na,.
In order to understand ondness as attachment, repugnance
as reulsion, and caring without clinging as detachment, one
should always be mindul and wise. Mindfulness is the
harbinger of Lnlightenment.
I read the canonical texts with an inquiring mind, particularly,
studying well the Sutta Pitaka. \hile reading the discourses in
this area, something in them drew me to write on this subject o
Attachment (Up!d!na) and Detachment (Anup!d!na)`
or the better understanding o the Buddha's teachings or our
daily lie.
In my discussion on this subject, I hae attempted to examine
some terms such as Attachment, Clinging, Grasping,
Revulsion, Detachment, Mindfulness, and 1ath!gata, which
igure requently in the Buddhist Scriptures. At the end o the
work, I hae summarized my iews on such terms.
1his writing is the outcome o a critical and insightul reading
o the original discourses o the Buddha. By leaing through
them, I had the impression that the two terms, Up"d"na and
Anup"d"na`, are ery signiicant in their scope and meaning in
the 1eachings o the Buddha. lis entire 1eaching is an exercise
in disenchantment rom grasping o any kind.

ix
1hereore, I decided to make this eort to put things
together, in order to show the inquiring reader the path that was
re-discoered by the Buddha, as the Path to the Liberation or
Detachment o mind, which aoids both attachment and
reulsion.
1his book was originally written in 199, while I was still in
Sri Lanka. Now, ater liing here in the USA or seeral years,
and maturing in the Dhamma, as well as, experiencing the
American way o lie, I am taking this opportunity to re-edit this
book with a better understanding o the Lnglish language. Not
alone, but with the assistance o my riends, who hae made
both a sincere and earnest eort to help me achiee this new
reision o my work, which I could not hae done without them.
At this moment, while I am relecting upon the constructie
instructions, suggestions, and assistance rendered by my riends
in Sri Lanka, I would like to gie an honorable mention to some
o these riends. 1hey are:
Ven. Madap"tha Dhammas"ra,
Ven. \og"acara Amarasiri,
Dr. Kapila Abeywanse,
Dr. Douglas \alatara,
Mr. 1henuwara,
Mrs. Dhammi lawawasam,
Mrs. Chandr" Liyanage,
Mr. Anuruddha \anni"rachchi,
Mr. Bandu Jayasinghe, and
Mr. G"mini Priyantha.

My most sincere thoughts o appreciation still reerberate to
them or their best eort or this Dharmic work.
Now, in this year o 2006, I would like to irst extend my
sincere thanks to the Mah" Sangha o the New \ork Buddhist
Vih"ra, led by the Ven. Kurunegoda Piyatissa N"yake Mah"
1hera, the lead Monk, who inited me to the USA, and
proided me with the our requisites while staying with him at

x
the Vih"ra. 1hrough his kindness and compassion, I
hae been able to do my Dhamma serice among my
compatriots, as well as some American people in this state and in
numerous other states.
Secondly, I should thank my Dhamma riends, Mr. &. Mrs.
McCracken who compassionately deoted their time and energy
or the reining o my language, so as to present this work to the
New \orld System.
Last but not least, I am certainly thankul to Dr. Basil and
Nand" Abeysekera and other anonymous donors or their
generosity and kindness who made possible the publication o
this Dhamma work or ree distribution, and at the same time,
Mr. Sunil lerath and Mr. Chandana Lkanayaka or printing this
book. 1here is no monetary alue that may be placed upon this
because Dhamma is always priceless.
May all merit gained by engaging wholeheartedly in this
Dhamma work accrue to my parents, teachers, relaties, riends,
students, and all who assisted me in aried ways by oering the
our requisites rom the day that I receied my ordination at the
age o 11 on May 22, 192, the day o my country's new
beginning as a republic, changing its name rom Ceylon to Sri
Lanka.

Bhikkhu 1. Seel"nanda
New \ork Buddhist Vih"ra
214-22 Spencer Aenue
Parkside lills, N\ 1142
seelasamadhiyahoo.com
1el ,18, 468 4262 or ,646, 236 935.
January 3, 2006

xi

A NO1L ON 1HL LNGLISH
LQUIVALLN1S USLD
linding an Lnglish equialent or P"li words is not
easy because P"li words connote certain ideas and
eelings while the Lnglish word may signiy quite
dierent ideas and eelings. 1he denotation o the
word may be static but the connotations change
rom age to age and rom social group to social
group.
lor example, the word r"ga` has its cognate in
Lnglish, which is rage`. But Pali R"ga` has a
dierent connotation rom anger. In P"li it has, a
connotation o greed ,lobha,. loweer, rage` does
not hae this.
So we may hae to use a dierent equialent in a
dierent context according to the meaning in the
context in which the Pali word is used. lor example,
or the word Vy"p"da` we can use ill-will`,
reulsion`, aersion`, or repul-sion`, but the
Lnglish word hate` signiies too positie an
emotion. It is the opposite o loe`, which is also
positie. Ill-will' is not strong enough or my
purpose. Aersion` is a state o the mind but it
also has rather a passie connotation.
I am let with repulsion` and reulsion`.
Repulsion I ind has too many physical
connotations, whereas reulsion`, which I use in
this book, has a connotation o an intense and
extreme state o dislike.

xii

Abbreviations

D. N Digha Nik"ya
M.N Majjhima Nik"ya
S.N Samyutta Nik"ya
A.N Anguttara Nik"ya
Su.N Sutta Nip"ta
Dh. Dhammapada
P1S P"li 1ext Society
BJ1P Buddha Jayanthi 1ripitaka
Mu.Upa Mundaka Upanishad
Brha.Upn Brahad"ranyaka Upanishad
BPS Buddhist Publication Society
Vr,Vrs Verse,s
Khp Khuddakap"tha
ibid ibidem, same source
SLJBS Sri Lanka Journal or Buddhist
studies
DPPN Dictionary o Pali Proper Names

Attachment and Detachment

,A Study Based on the Larly Buddhist Discourses,

CHAP1LR ONL

IN1RODUC1ION
I) Historical Background
Irom the dawn o the history o thought, man has been
curious to know how he was born into this world, how he exists,
and what awaits him beyond. 1o answer these tricky and
complicated questions many remarkable probes, inestigatie
explorations and research eorts hae been resorted to
throughout the history o man. 1hanks to his constant and
consistent nosiness, many discoeries o momentous importance
hae been made in this ield.
1he incessant endeaors made by man throughout the history
o mankind to get a handle on the real nature o himsel, as well
as the Unierse can be broadly characterized as philosophy. In
such a context, one would be able to see that a being deliered
to this world, is mentally attached to it through his senses. 1his
attachment, clinging or grasping ,Up"d"na, itsel is called
Sams"ra, which denotes the cycle o births and deaths. Birth
against this backdrop means not only emergence rom the womb
o a mother ater one`s death, but also continuity within this
lietime
1
. 1his marks the birth o the concept o ego. 1o escape

1 Ven. Buddhad"sa, reerring to Paticcasamupp"da, says, Cycles are o short duration and hundreds or
thousands occurring each day`. lere he reers, to the birth o Lgo concept. - Read: John A. McConnell ,

2 At t achment and Det achment

rom this cycle o births one should be mindul and wise i.e.to
engage in the wise contemplation` prescribed in Buddhism.
1he Buddha has pointed to this on many occasions as the only
way to detachment ,Anup"d"na,
1
.

\hen we study these two eatures o attachment ,up"d"na,
and detachment ,anup"d"na, predominant in man, we come to
realize the real nature o the being and the exceedingly limited
possibilities he has or his emancipation. Attachment and
detachment are described iidly and categorically in the Vedic
and Upanishadic literature too. Since these two literatures are
pre-Buddhistic, we would like to discuss the current subject in
terms o Vedic and Upanishadic literature irst, in order to keep
a chronological sequence.
Veda is undamentally a record o experience in intuition and
reelation that illustrates the knowledge perading the pre-Vedic
tradition. 1he concepts o Brahman, Atman, M"y", Karma, and
Punarjanman are explicitly discussed in the Vedic and
Upanishadic literature ocusing greatly on the indissoluble
relationship that exists between man and the Unierse.

1he concept o Brahman is identical with that o the Atman,
or the Uniersal soul. Atman, Ji"tman and Param"tman are
three dimensions o the Brahman. According to the teaching o
the Bhagaad-Gita, there is neither birth nor death at any time
or the soul ,Atman,. It has not come into being, it does not
come into being, and it will not come into being. It does not die

"Mindul Mediation", P.1 Published by Buddhist Research Institute, Maha Cula Buddhist Uniersity and
SLM \ongsanit Ashram -1995
Ledi Sayadaw, Vipassan"dipani P.62. Published by the Buddhist Publication Society Kandy. 1here are
three births in the teaching o the Buddha, namely Kammaj"ti ,birth o Action,, Vip"kaj"ti ,birth o
eects,, and Kilesaj"ti ,birth o deilements,.
1

D.N. xxii Sutta P.32

Bhi kkhu Seel "nanda 3

when the body is slain. In short, it is unborn, eternal, eerlasting,
and primeal.

Brahman is the oremost concept in the history o Indian
Philosophy. le is the cause o the world.
1
In the Bhagaad-Gita
itsel, it is said that the whole cosmic order is under lim
,Brahman,. Under his will`, it is automatically maniest again
and again, and under his will, it is annihilated at the end.
Pra/rtiv .r!v ara.tabb,ari.rv;!vi vvab vvab, bbvtagr!vav ivav
/rvt.vav ara.av ra/rvter ra.!t`
2

But, beings are born again and again ,punah punarj"yam"n",
anew and anew ,Naonao j"yam"nah,. As described in the
Veda, Manu is the progenitor o the human race and the gier o
the religious laws - the ather o the race and its guide in all
matters, sacriicial and others. le is called Viasan or
Vaiasata, son o Vaiasata ,1he god,.
Manusya` denotes mankind, the human race. Loka denotes
world` in the Rigeda and in later records it is stated as three
worlds` and ayam lokah` ,this world, is diametrically opposed
to asau lokah` ,yonder world,, which is the heaen. Loka itsel
sometimes signiies the heaen while in other passages seeral
dierent kinds o worlds. But rom a Buddhist iewpoint, world
coneys not merely the discernible material phenomena but also
the athom long body o human beings including consciousness.
1he Buddha explained the world, its arising, its cessation, and
the path leading to its cessation within the body itsel.
In the history o Religion in India, the Veda had been
considered as a ast reseroir o literary knowledge, which
preailed in the pre-Buddhist era. In time sequence, Buddhism
emerged in the 6th century BC in India that is towards the end

1 Veda 1.1.11., see also Mu.Upa. 11.2.5.
2 Bhagaad Gita. chapter.9.8. - Bhaktiedanta Swami Prabhup"da

o the Upanishadic period. Around this time, in China we had
Lao 1ze and Conucius, in Greece Parmenides and Lmpedocles,
in Iran Zarathustra and in India Buddha and Mah" Vira, as
luminous stars in the irmament o human thought.
Almost all those philosophers had speculated making man the
nucleus o their teachings. In accordance with Satapatha
Br"hman, there are three births to man ,trir barai vrv.o ;!,ate,,
the irst being what he gets rom his parents, the second through
sacriicial ceremonies and the third ater death.
1

Natural Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, Anatomy, Physiology,
Psychology, and Sociology treat man as an object o their
inestigation. 1hey all show, man's relationship to other liing
beings and his relationship to the material existence. However,
Buddhism does more to emphasize and encourage man
himself to do his own investigation and to be introspective,
using his own freedom of choice and free will. 1hat is to
athom himsel by his own cultiated mental power thus
enabling him to ready himsel to the task o attaining
Lnlightenment.
2

Buddhism and Upanishad both hae no quarrel oer the act
that beings are attached to the world and can be detached rom
the world by sheer eradication o desires or deilements.
Upanishadic teachings hae it that man is attached to the world
with his seen hostile kinsmen, in other words, with the seen
organs o sense, which are the two eyes, the two ears, two

1 Ltan nu ea matus ca adhi pitus ca agre jayate asha yam yajnah upanamati sa yad yajate tad ditiyam jayate.
Asha yatha mriyate yatrainam agna abhyadadhati sa yat tatassam bhaati tat trtiyam jayate. ,xi.2.1.1. ,
2 In Setasatara Upanishad too this idea is illustrated beautiully, As a mirror coered with dust shines
brightly when it has been cleansed,een so the embodied sel when it has seen the true nature o the sel
become united, attains the end and is reed rom sorrow` S.Upn.11.14. & see. Bhagaad Gita 2.22.

nostrils and the mouth. 1hey are said to be hostile because they
delude the perception o man.
1

1his same teaching is elaborated in Buddhism but in a slightly
dierent manner. In Buddhism, ocus is on consciousness
,Vinn"na,. It is explained in many Suttas that mere possession o
these physical organs ,eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, do not
amount to attachment, which takes place only ater the
perception o the object. 1he process is as ollows: Contact
,phassa, eeling ,edan", noting ,sanna, olition ,cetan",
singleness o object ,ekaggat",, attention ,manasik"ra,, and
psychic lie ,jiitindriya,. 1hey are ound in eery one o the
eighty-nine types o consciousness.
2

Depending on the particular type o consciousness that is at
play, at the time o cognizance, it becomes eye-consciousness,
ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue consciousness,
body-consciousness or mind-consciousness. O these six bases
o consciousness, the irst ie are physical sense organs while
the last one is mental. I one can keep suicient mindulness and
wisdom at the time o contact i.e.when the sense bases and the
objects are co-ordinated by consciousness,
3
one can easily
distinguish both attachment and reulsion.
\hen one is attached to things or persons one intends to
grasp them as one's own, creating the concept o I` my` or
mine`. 1hat is how the concept o I` emerges within onesel
when one illusionally grasps it because o the inability to
understand what is right and what is wrong.

1 Brha.Upn.11.2.1.P.191.-1he Principal Upanisads. Radhakrishnan-1953
2 Jayasuriya \.l. 1he Psychology and Philosophy o Buddhism. P.68.
3 A.N. III.P.104. Contact is one end, the arising o contact is the second end. Cessation o contact is in the
middle. Craing is the seamstress. Craing weaes a person into being born in arious states o becoming
by understanding this a monk is reed rom sorrow`

lor better understanding o attachment, we can reer to a
passage rom the Dialogues o the Buddha ,Digba î/!,a, where
it is stated, in the .ggavva vtta o the Digba î/!,a:
A being with greedy disposition tasted the saory earth
with his inger and that made craing enter into him
whereupon other beings ollowed suit in typical ashion.
1asting the earth thus they also became suused with the
saor and into them too craing entered. 1hey then went
on at random easting on the saory earth, breaking o
lumps o it with their hands. Constant engagement in this
pastime made their sel-luminance ade away.
,Atha kho annataro satto lola j"tiko ambho kimea idam
bhaissatiti Rasa pathaim anguliy" s"yi. 1assa rasa
pathaim anguliy" s"yato acch"desi tanh" cassa okkami.
Annatarepi kho, V"settha satt" sattassa ditth"nugatin
"pajjham"n" rasa pathaim anguliy" s"yatam acch"desi
tanh" ca tesam okkami. Atha kho te V"settha satt" rasam
pathaim hatthehi "luppa k"rakam upakkaminsu
paribhunjitum. \atho kho te V"settha satt" rasam
pathaim hatthehi "luppakarakam upakkamimsu
paribhunjitum atha kho tesam V"settha satt"nam
sayampabh" antaradh"yi,
1
.
1his quotation demonstrates that ignorance, plunged beings
into craing and attachment ,Up"d"na,. 1he Buddha said
attachment comes to pass dependent on craing ,tanh" paccay"
up"d"nam,.
As already said, i one is able to maintain an adequate
measure o mindulness and wisdom at the time o contact, one
can remain uninoled with both attachment and reulsion

1 D.N. III. xxii. Sutta P.82
Bhi kkhu Seel "nanda

,abhijjh",domanassa,. Detachment in a Buddhist context is
Vieka or Nibb"na. 1he whole teaching of the Buddha has
been focused on this philosophical aspect of detachment,
which is defined as Nibb!na that could be realized in this
very lifetime itself, even within seven days if it is practiced.
So our prime intention in this study based on the early
Discourses is to analytically examine this profound
teaching of Detachment. Now, with this background o the
proceeding pages, we hope to surey the Philosophical approach
to Attachment ,Up"d"na, and Detachment ,Anup"d"na,
Nibb"na,.
II) 1he Philosophical Approach of Attachment
and Detachment
Attachment, clinging and grasping, are the closest Lnglish
equialents, to the P"li term Up"d"na`. Attachment arises
dependent on craing
1
and we are attached to Sams"ra as a
consequence o craing. 1his explains why the Buddha
emphasized the eradication o craing or emancipation and why
Nibb"na was deined as 1anhakkhaya`
2
,cessation o craing,.
Dependent on attachment arises becoming, and dependent
on becoming arises birth. Dependent on birth, arises ageing,
death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grie, and despair. 1hus comes
the arising o this whole mass o suering. 1he Dependent
Origination is central to the 1eachings o Buddhism. It is a

1 S.N.II.i. 1-2. Aijja paccay" sankh"r" 2-3. Sankh"ra paccay" inn"nam3-4.Vinn"na paccay" n"marupam 4-
5 N"marupa paccay" sal"yatanam 5-6.Sal"yatana paccay" phasso 6-. Phassa paccay" edan" -8. Vedan"
paccay" tanh" 8-9. 1anh" paccay" Up"d"nam 9-10 .Up"d"na paccay" bhao 10-11 Bhaa paccay" j"ti 11-
12 J"ti paccaya jar"maranam soka paridea dukkha domanassa up"y"s" sambhaanti
2 Dh. 354 rs. 1anhakkhayo sabbadukkham jin"ti ,le who has destroyed craing oercomes all sorrow,

recurring phenomenon. Nothing exists in this Unierse in
isolation or independently according to the Buddha.
According to the .tagaaavava vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
1

it is probable that the Buddhas are born in the world to teach
two things, namely:
1be vatvre of .vfferivg ;av//bav cera avvaevi)
1be Patb teaaivg to tbe ce..atiov of .vfferivg ;av//ba..a ca viroabav)
1his, in other words, is the teaching o the lour Noble
1ruths, which are the central concepts o the Dhamma realized
by the 1ath"gata. 1he Buddha, in the Mab! Parivibb!va vtta o
the Digba î/!,a, stated that it is owing to the ignorance o the
lour Noble 1ruths that we hae had to continue so long,
wandering on this weary path o Sams"ra
2
. \hen we examine
them urther, we ind that these lour Noble 1ruths are inter-
related and inseparable and yet can be distinguished rom one
another.
3

1hey are:
1. Suering ,dukkham,
2. 1he arising o suering ,dukkha samudayam,
3. 1he cessation o suering ,dukkha nirodham,
4. 1he path leading to the cessation o suering ,dukkha
nirodha g"mini patipadam,

1 M.N.22. Sutta
2 D.N. II.xi. Catunnam bhikkhae ariya saccc"nam ananubodh" appatied" eamidam dighamaddh"nam
sandh"itam samsaritam maman cea tumh"kam ca. See also. 1he last days o the Buddha by. Sister Vajir"
and lrancis Story P.21.Published BPS -1988
3 S.N. . \o bhikkhae dukkham passati dukkha samudayam pi so passati dukkha nirodhampi dukkha
nirodhag"minipatipadampi passati.

1hese our Noble 1ruths are indeed useul and essential or
a lie o purity that could lead to disenchantment, dispassion,
cessation, tranquillity, detachment, ull understanding,
enlightenment, and Nibb"na. In the Mab! attbiaaoava vtta
o the Ma;;biva î/!,a, it is stated that the ootprints o all
creatures walking the earth can be contained in an elephant's
ootprint, which is o signiicant size. In like manner, all
wholesome actiities can be included within the our truths, 1he
lour Noble 1ruths.
1

1hereore, we could see that the two prescribed phenomena,
attachment, and detachment are also included in the lour Noble
1ruths. Let us examine them now.
\hen one philosophically scrutinizes the aboe-cited analysis
o the our Noble truths, one can clearly comprehend that the
irst two lead to attachment while the latter two to detachment.
1o wit:
Dv//ba ava avvaa,a " .ttacbvevt to av.!ra
îroaba ava Magga " Detacbvevt frov av.!ra " îbb!va
Attachment to Sams"ra is what underlies all existence.
Detachment leads to Nibb"na. But we do not want to assert a
dualistic position. \e hae merely attempted here to bring to
light that the two terms attachment and detachment are ery
important and essential or Buddhists, in the Buddhist context.
It will really enable them to understand the philosophical
teaching o Buddhism.
We are in perfect agreement with the Buddhist view that
beings are born to the world to move around in sams!ra in

1 M.N. 28 Sutta - Seyyath" pi "uso y"ni k"nici jangal"nam p"n"nam padaj"tani sabb"ni t"ni hatthipade
samodh"nam gacchanti, hatthipadam tesam aggam akkh"yati, yadidam mahantatthena, eamea kho
"uso ye keci kusal"dhamm" sabbete catusu ariya saccesu sangaham gaccanti.

a never-ending circle of births and deaths, due to perpetual
ignorance (avijj!) and craving (tanh!). Aijj" means not
knowing the lour Noble 1ruths ,catusu ariya saccesu
ann"nam,.
1

1he world, as per teachings o the Buddha, is not conined
only to the world that we perceie, but also to that which
encompasses other worlds beyond our perception, such as the
Rupaloka ,associated with subtle material bodies in the heaenly
planes, and the Arupaloka ,planes without material bodies where
only the mind exists,. 1he Buddha talked about these three
worlds ,K"maloka, Rupaloka, and Arupaloka, and taught about
them. 1hat is why he is called 1iloguru ,1eacher o the three
worlds,.
All beings are born in these three worlds because o
attachment or up"d"na. 1he one who is detached rom the three
worlds ,planes,, is called the Lokuttara or Supramundane. 1he
Lokuttara or Supramundane One is physically here within
society, but mentally he is incomprehensible.
What is Attachment?
a). Some inter-related terms for attachment
(up!d!na)
Attachment is grasping ,up"d"na,, or taking up some thing as
I`, my`, or mine`. In this background, we intend discussing
three terms inter-related with up"d"na, they are K"ma, R"ga, and
Lobha.

1 Petakopadesa P.150 BJ1P, & also see Aijj"`P"li Dictionary by Rhys Daids ,Pali 1ext Society- London,

J. K!ma (desire) and attachment.
K"ma`, the word, could be translated into Lnglish as desire
or pleasure, which means conscious impulse to take something
up as his or her own. Being mundane people, we preer to
possess more and more because o the endless desire we hae.
Len the world we lie in is thereore called k"maloka ,sensual
world,. By k"ma here means the eleen dierent kinds o
sentient existence. 1hese are: the our states o misery, the
human realm, and the six celestial realms where desire reigns
supreme. \e all cling to this existence in the sensuous sphere.
1he Buddha said in the Potati,a vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a that
the pleasures o the senses are perilous and o much pain,
,bahudukkh" bah#p"y"s" "dinao ettha bhiyyo,.
1

In the same Sutta, pleasures hae been compared to a
skeleton ,atthikankal#pam"k"m", to a lump o lesh ,mansa
pes#pam" k"m",, to a grass torch made o straw ,tinukk#pam"
k"m",, to a pit o glowing embers ,ang"rak"s#pam"k"m",, to a
dream ,supinak#pam"k"m",, to what is borrowed
,yacitak#pam"k"m",, and to the ruits o a tree ,rukkha
phal#pam"k"m",.
2
Sense pleasures are normally o little
satisaction and o much pain. In the .tagaaavava vtta o the
Ma;;biva î/!,a the Buddha compared sensual pleasures, to a
skeleton, a lump o meat, a torch o dried grass, a pit o glowing
embers, a dream, something borrowed, the ruits o a tree, a
slaughterhouse, an impaling stake, and a snake's head.
3
1here are
ten comparisons. \e hae thus seen that pleasures o the senses
are through and through o little satisaction and cause much

1

M.N. II. 54. Sutta & M.N. I. 22 Sutta

2 M.N. II.54.25.
3 M.N.22 Sutta -

tribulation. \e shall now examine the relationship between r"ga
and attachment.
2. R!ga (lust) and attachment.
In the canonical teaching, we come across the word r"ga` in
arious contexts. Mostly, r"ga or lust is described in association
with aersion ,dosa, and ignorance ,moha, as the three
undamental unwholesome qualities. Since, they are integrated
with attachment, lust is inariably described in many Suttas as
attachment.
1
1he destruction o lust or attachment leads one to
become a Stream enterer ,Sot"panna,. By eradicating aersion
and ignorance one becomes a once-returner ,Sakad"g"mi,, then
one becomes a non- returner ,An"g"mi,. linally, one becomes
an Arahant attaining Nibb"na ollowing complete eradication o
all the deilements. Nibb"na is synonymous with r"gakkhaya,
dosakkhaya, and mohakkhaya. ,Detachment rom lust, aersion,
and ignorance,. \e, human beings hae lust and desire, so that
we crae and strie to amass more and more things.
1hat is our natural inclination but being wise, we can gie it
up. 1he aoidance o lust, or r"ga is one o the steps towards
attaining the goal o emancipation.
2
\ithout giing up lust, one
cannot reach the goal because it is a sort o a etter ,r"ga
bandhana,. It is only the wise, who strie to get rid o these
etters. 1hey adance along the path like ire that burns all etters
small and large alike.
3

1 M.N. II.54 Sutta ,Jiaka sutta,, M.N.ii.3Sutta ,Mah" Vaccagotta Sutta,, M.N.II 68 Sutta ,Nalakap"na
Sutta,,

M.N.1.5. Sutta ,AnanganaSutta,, M.N.1.6.Sutta ,Akankheyya Sutta,,M.N.1.34 Sutta ,Cula Gop"laka
Sutta,, M.N. 1.35 Sutta,,Cula saccaka Sutta,, and M.N. 1.43.,Mah" Vedalla sutta,
2 S.N. V. 8. &. Su.N. 1086 , Ud"na 85
3 Dh. 31 Vr.,Sanyojanam anum thulam daham aggi a gacchati ,

1he one who has knowledge prompted by instinct o other
beings ,para citta ij"nana, knows spontaneously a mind that is
ull o lust or attachment. le knows intuitiely a mind that is
ree o lust.
1
In the v/ba 1agga o the Dbavvaaaa, it says that
there is no ire like lust.
2
loweer, there are arious types o
pleasures in the world but in act, they are not pleasures ,k"ma,.
It is only if a man conceptually grasps them that they
become pleasures in effect.
3
1hereore, attachment to both
animate and inanimate things should cease in order that one be
perect. 1hose who hae no attachment o any kind, are non-
attached to or detached rom the world, are called Arahants.
3. Lobha (Greed) and attachment.
As greed ,lobha, is one o the three unwholesome roots and
is synonymous with lust, it has a relationship with attachment.
1he word lust` is, perhaps not the best Lnglish equialent or
r"ga`, which is sometimes used or lobha`. 1he equialent
would change with connotation. R"ga used as lobha could mean
in Lnglish greed` and wanting`. In the .vgvttara î/!,a, the
Book o the 1hrees`, according to Ven. Ny"naponika`s
1ranslation, lust` is said to be less reprehensible`
4
. Obiously,
it is not in the sense o carnal longing but in a general sense o
wanting`, as in lobha. At this point, I would like to say that,
Up"d"na similarly can hae other connotations than
attachment`. 1hey are attached` or adhering to something`,
clinging to something` or not letting go`, and embracing in

1 M.N.1. 12.Sutta ,Mah" Sihan"da Sutta,
2 Dh. 202 & 251 Vrs ,Natthi r"gasamo aggi ,
3 A.N. III.63 .Nibbedikapariy"ya Sutta ,Sankappar"go Purisassak"mo - Natek"m"y"ni cittr"ni loke,
4

Nyanaponika 1hera Anguttara Nik"ya, P.49.BPS -1981


toto, and not being able to do without as coneyed in the word
grasping`.
In this connection, I would like to quote rom Ajahn
Sumedho, the Abbot o the Amar"ati, lertordshire, Lngland.
1he senses and the sensual world go as the realm o birth
and death. 1ake sight or instance: it`s dependent on so many
actors irrespectie o day or night, or whether or not the eyes
are healthy, and so on. \et we become much attached to the
colors, shapes, and orms that we perceie with the eyes, and we
identiy with them. 1hen there are the ears and sound: when we
hear pleasant sounds, we seek to hold onto them, and when we
hear unpleasant sounds, we try to turn away rom them. \ith
smells, we welcome the pleasure o ragrances and pleasant
odors, and try to shy away rom unpleasant ones. Similarly, with
laor, we seek delicious tastes and try to aoid bad ones. Also
with touch, just how much o our lie is spent trying to escape
physical discomort and pain, and seek the delight o physical
sensation linally there is thought, the discriminatie
consciousness. It can gie us a lot o pleasure or a lot o
misery.`

In Abhidhamma, there are twele dierent types o immoral
consciousness. O them, the irst eight are based on attachment
or lobha.
1
1he three charactestics o demerit, namely lobha
,attachment or greed,, dosa ,anger,, and moha ,bewilderment,,
are similar as obstacles to Nibb"na. So only the wise understands
them as hindrances and stries to detach themseles rom them.
Greed prevents people from performing meritorious
deeds, such as giving, because the main characteristic of
greed is attachment (up!d!na). It compels us to grasp more

Ajahn Sumedho, Now is the Knowing,P.31, Amar"ati Publications 1989
1 Ven. N"rada Mah" 1hera, A Manual o Abhidhamma p.22.

and more. \hen we grasp more and more, unaware o it
ourseles, we are attached to the world. It is because o
ignorance o the act o impermanence that we go ater mirages
and deceptions, and are caught up in illusions o attachment with
pererted iews ,ipall"sa,.
In this modern society, people are awully attached to worldly
things such as electrical items and shiny ornaments. 1heir
indiidualism leads them to acquisitieness.
loweer, in the midst o this senseless, materially inclined
world, things oer no consolation. 1hereore, it is eident that
man cannot be satisied through acquisitieness. Buddhism
teaches us to be simple with ew desires, by not being greedily
attached to things at all, animate or inanimate. Lradication o
greed and attachment is the only way to be contented or
satisied.
b). Difference between 1anh! and Up!d!na
1anh" ,craing, is the eighth link in the ormulation o the
Dependent Origination ,Paticca samupp"da,, which is the
doctrine o the conditionality o all physical and psychical
phenomena. Dependant on eeling, craing arises ,edan"
paccay" tanh",. According to early Buddhism, tanh" is craing. It
is the chie root cause o suering and o the eer-continuing
cycle o rebirths. 1his certainly is a multiaceted term.
Up"d"na is, as mentioned here, a three-dimensional term
which represent attachment, clinging, and grasping. 1hese three
terms denote three phases o up"d"na. Dependant on tanh",
up"d"na arises ,tanh" paccay" up"d"nam,. Reerring to the two
terms, tanh" means craing, or haing strong desire or a certain
thing, which proides pleasant eeling ,Piyarupe s"rajjati,. \hen
one is touched by a pleasant eeling, i one delights in it,

welcomes it, and remains holding on to it, then the underlying
tendency to lust lies within one ,abhinandati, abhiadati,
ajjhos"ya titthati tassa r"g"nusayo anuseti,
1
.
1ouched by a pleasant eeling, i one gets attached to it,
clings to it, then stries to grasp it with the arising o this is
mine` ,eso mama, this I am` ,esohamasmi, and this is mysel`
,eso me att",-ego concept-that is up"d"na. I one sees things as
they actually are with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted
with them, is able to be dispassionate towards them. 1hen, he
sees them in this light: this is not mine` ,netam mama,, this I
am not` ,ne so aham asmi,, this is not my sel` ,ne so me att",.
According to the Mab! attbiaaoava vtta o the Ma;;biva
î/!,a,
2
this so-called man with the ie aggregates aected by
clinging, are dependently arising. 1he desire, indulgence,
inclination, and holding based on these ie aggregates aected
by clinging is the origin o suering ,chando "layo anunayo
ajjhos"nam, so dukkha samudayo,. 1he Buddha, in short, said
that the ie aggregates aected by clinging are suering
,sankhittena pancup"d"nakkhandh" dukkh",. I one does not
grasp things as one`s own and eradicates the I` concept
,up"d"na, completely one can achiee the Lnlightenment
,Anup"d"na,.
c). Conditaional Link of Attachment which Leads
to Being (Bhava)
Paticcasamupp"da is a basic teaching o Buddhism. 1he
doctrine itsel is deep and proound. Dependent origination`,
Dependent arising`, Casual conditioning`, Casual genesis`,
Conditioned co-production`, Casual dependencies`, are some

1 M.N. 148 Sutta
2 M.N.28 Sutta

Lnglish equialents. 1he Buddha expounded this teaching o
casual conditioning in the Mab! îa!va vtta o the Digba
î/!,a. It is a deep and complex doctrine. By not understanding,
and not penetrating this doctrine, beings hae become entangled
as in a knotted ball o thread or hae become like munja grass
and rushes, unable to pass beyond the woeul states o existence,
or Sams"ra, the cycle o existence.
1
,Gambhiroc"yam Ananda
paticcasamupp"do gambhir"abh"so ca, etassa Ananda
dhammassa ananubodh" appattiedh" eamayam paj"
tant"kulakaj"t" gul"gundikaj"t" munjababbaja bhut" ap"yam
duggatim inip"tam sams"ram n"tiattati.,
2

!bev tbi. i., tbat cove. to be,
!itb tbe ari.ivg of tbi., tbat ari.e.,
!bev tbi. i. vot, tbat aoe. vot cove to be,
!itb tbe ce..atiov of tbi. tbat cea.e..
1hat is the principle o causal conditioning.
1his conditionality goes on oreer whether Buddhas are
born or not in the world. ,Upp"d"" 1ath"gat"nam anupp"d""
1ath"gat"nam thit"a s" dh"tu dhammatthitat" dhamma
niy"mat" idappaccayat",.
3
1he explanation o this unique
doctrine o dependent origination is ound in the Kivarea a,ivg
,S.N.,, where a clear illustration and eriication in multiarious
aspects too are oered.
According to the |avi.! vtta o the av,vtta î/!,a, all
actiities are in causal relation to the sixold sense spheres, and
to name and orm ,n"ma rupa paccay" sal"yatanam,. So, again to

1 Piyadassi 1hera. 1he Spectrum o Buddhism. P.13.
2 D.N. 15 Sutta P.55
3 S.N. II. Nid"na Samyutta

grasping with craing ,tanh" paccay" up"d"nam,. 1he two links
o dependent origination are o the utmost signiicance or being
,bhaa,. Being` or becoming`, means not only being a human
being but also any kind o being ,animate things,. But we should
understand that there is no being without consciousness
,inn"na,.
1hereore, in accordance with Buddhism, one's
consciousness plays the ital role in the process o sams"ra or
cycle o existence. 1hat is why the Buddha always taught
Dhamma with the centralization o consciousness. le taught
that mind is the orerunner o all mental states ,mano
pubbangam"dhamm",. Lerything is mind made, whether it is
good or eil. Beings are born to this world because o being
greedily attached ,up"d"na, a mental condition. Buddhism, in
many Discourses, teaches the adantages o being detached rom
animate or inanimate things. lor instance, the Metta vtta or
Karavi,a Metta vtta o Mivor .vtbotogie. clearly requires that we
not be attached to amilies ,Kulesu ananugiddho,.
\hen one is greedily attached to amilies, one is always
placed in an extreme position o diiculty and as a result, one
cannot maintain one's mental indierence, or equanimity.
Lquanimity ,upekkh", is a main teaching o Buddhism.
Attachment, either personal or impersonal, paes the way to
ignorance ,aijj",, which preents one rom understanding what
is good or eil, what is merit and what is demerit, what is right
and what is wrong. 1hereore, we should be wise enough to be
detached rom the world and equanimous as ar as possible.
Neertheless, here, I should emphatically say that reulsion is
the other extreme. So attachment as well as reulsion should be
understood ery clearly and categorically. Understanding
detachment paes the way to the realization o Nibb"na through
upekkha or equanimity.
Becoming` in the K"m" world ,sense sphere,, becoming`
in the Rupa world ,sphere o orm,, and becoming` in the
Arupa world ,sphere o the ormless,, are the three worlds o

becoming` ,1ayo me bhikkhae bha" k"mabhao, rupabhao,
arupabhao ayam uccati bhikkhae bhao,.
1
Again, it is stated
that birth is the birth o dierent kinds o beings into the arious
realms o sentient existence, their being born, their origination,
their being conceied, and their coming into existence, the
maniestation o their aggregates o being, the acquisition o the
sense bases. 1his is birth ,y" tesam tesam satt"nam tamhi tamhi
sattanik"ye j"ti sanj"ti okkanti abhinibbanti khandh"nam
p"tubh"o "yatan"nam patil"bho ayam uccati bhikkha j"ti,.
2

1hrough these lines, we can understand that birth means the
appearance o the skhandhas or the ieold aggregates o
existence.
d). Pa"cakkhandha and Pa"caup!d!nakkhandha
(1he Iive Groups and Iive Grasping Groups)
1he ie groups are not suering. 1he Buddha neer taught
that the ie groups are suering ,pancakkhandh"dukkh",.
Neertheless, ie grasping groups are suering
,pancup"d"nakkhandh" dukkh",. 1hose ie are namely:

Rupup"d"nakkhandho -Grasping group o corporeality
Vedanup"d"nakkhandho -Grasping group o eeling
Sannup"d"nakkhandho -Grasping group o perception
Sankh"rup"d"nakkhandho -Grasping group o mental ormation
Vinn"nup"d"nakkhando- Grasping group o consciousness

1 S.N.II.2.2
2 M.N.141 Sutta

1hese are the ie aspects through which the Buddha has
summed up all the physical and mental phenomena o existence,
and which appears to the ignorant man as his Lgo or personality.
\hen we philosophically and psychologically analyze these ie
aspects, we can understand that the eeling or edan"` is the
aectie dimension. Perception and consciousness or sann"`
and inn"na` are the cognitie dimension and mental
ormation is the conatie dimension, to wit:
Vedan" " Aectie dimension
Sann" -Vinn"na " Cognitie dimension
Sankh"ra " Conatie dimension
As stated earlier, haing ie khandhas or groups is neither
harmul nor the cause o suering. Suering arises because o
attachment ,up"d"na,. A being` means the one who is attached
to the ie aggregates o existence ,"satto, isatto, laggita
m"naso,. In the Abhidhamma, both the mind and matter that
constitute this complex machinery o man are microscopically
analyzed. As the inest lower o Buddhist thought, the Special
Dhamma, Abhidhamma aoids both pluralism and monism
through the teaching o analysis and synthesis. 1hese ie groups
o existence are analyzed into 81 actors. 1here are only these 81
irreducible actors o dhamma existing in the world. Apart rom
these 81 actors, there is no permanent entity. 1hese irreducible
actors are in the orm o soul` but they are interdependent.
1hereore, it is clearly understood that there is no soul ,atta,.
1he 1eaching o Abhidhamma is o utmost importance because
it helps us to understand the concept o soullessness in
Buddhism.
Ior the realization of Nibb!na one should intuitively
penetrate the five grasping groups and should realize the
three main characteristics of existence, namely

impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), and
soullessness (anatta).
All beings are born and die. 1here is death because o birth.
Death is unaoidable to beings` born to this world. Ior the
cessation of death, birth should cease. 1he Buddha
comprehended the dhamma of the cessation of birth. He
realized that the way of cessation of birth is the only way to
detachment (anup!d!na). 1he Buddhas are born in society,
lie in society, but are detached rom worldly things. 1he simile
o the lotus is the best example gien to explain them in the
Canonical 1eaching. 1he adjectie used to show the main
characteristic o the Buddha is unattached`,anupalitta,. His
1eaching for the 4S years of his ministry is out and out not
to be attached to but be detached from the whole world,
which does not mean physically detached and isolated. One
should lie in society and moe in society but be mentally
detached, rom all sorts o deilement ,kilesa,.
e). 1he Iour Kinds of Clinging (Up!d!na)
1here are our kinds o clinging or attachment ,up"d"na, in
Buddhist Scriptures. 1hose our are classiied according to the
degree o craing. 1hey are:
Sensuous clinging ,k"mup"d"na,
Clinging to iews ,ditthup"d"na,
Clinging to mere rules and rituals ,silabbatup"d"na,
Clinging to the personality belie ,atta"dup"d"na,
1

\hen we consider the aboe our as described in the
canonical texts, it is clear that each one o these describes a type
o bondage o man. 1he 1eaching o the Buddha is not to be

1 Ny"natiloka 1hera, Buddhist Dictionary P 215, and see. S.N.II.2.2. and A.N. II.10.

bound to the sensuous orm or the ormless worlds, but to be
released rom all kinds o bondage o man. According to the
Covevaivv of Pbito.ob, by Shew Zan Aung, the term Up"d"na`
means irmly grasping`. In the same work, Zan Aung shows
the interpretation gien in the Commentary. It says that the term
is explained to mean that which is tenaciously or irmly grasped
as a snake does a rog ,bhusam "diyanti amuncit" ganhantiti
up"d"nam,
1
.
\e, human beings are born to this sensuous sphere and rom
birth to death we strie to acquire more and more things. It is
only a wise man who understands the danger o grasping or
attachment, stries to get rid o suering ,dukkha,. 1his is the
clear path or the cessation o suering.
O the our clingings, the irst is clinging to sensuous things.
1he world we lie in itsel, is called k"maloka`. \e all hae lust
or material and immaterial things, which is considered as sense-
desire by way o basic sense-desire or all the worldly
conditions.
2
1he indiidual or the personality perceies things
not as they really are, but through his persistent and unquenched
lust or sense-desire.
\hen one perceies something, one stries to irmly grasp it
because o one's desire is to possess it as one`s own. 1hat is the
starting point o the dierent orms o suering. 1he person,
who is attached to sense pleasures, is likened to a wet, sappy
stick`placed in water. It can no longer be used to light a ire, so
the one, who is addicted to sense pleasure, is unable to attain the
incomparable sel-awakening` ,anuttar"ya sambodh"ya,. In the
same manner, attachment to sense pleasures destroys the
mind's ability to think clearly and objectively. 1hereore,

1 Shew Zan Aung, Compendium o Philosophy -199
2 1he Path o Purity ,P1S, P.683

one should gie up one's boundless desire or the sake o the
realization o Nibb"na.
In this context, we must ery clearly understand that the
existence o Sense-bases and Sense data are not up"d"na
,attachment,. It is only when one grasps something through
one's consciousness by responding to sense bases and sense
data, that eeling, craing, and attachment arises respectiely.
Buddhism teaches us the way to puriy our consciousness. I
one's consciousness is pure, as pure as a lotus, such
consciousness is no doubt detached rom all types o sensuous
pleasure in the world ,K"mesu anupalitto,. So haing merely six
internal sense-bases and six-external sense bases does not push
one into the cycle o rebecoming ,rebirth,, and the mundane
world.
J. K!ma Up!d!na (sensuous clinging)
K"ma up"d"na or sensuous clinging is explained together
with ditthup"d"na, silabbatup"d"na and atta"dup"d"na in, 1he
Path o Puriication` ,1i.vaabivagga,, written by Ven.
Buddhaghosha and also, in the .bbiabavva Cbavari/a, it is
explained iidly and categorically in detail.
1

Grasping o sensuous things is k"mup"d"na. \hile we are
liing in this world, we are compelled to grasp things as i they
are permanent. But, Buddhism teaches us that eery thing is
impermanent ,anicca,.
Attachment to sense pleasure ,k"mup"d"na,, means the sense
object ,atthu k"ma,, as well as, the desires in it ,kilesa k"ma,.

1 1he Path o Purity, Chapter xii & 1he Abhidhamma Chandrika

1hereore, these are the subjectie and the objectie aspects o
attachment.
1

Attachment, greed, lust, desire, and coetousness are some o
the synonyms o k"ma. Once the Buddha said, lrom lust
springs grie and ear, but or those who are wholly ree rom
lust, there is no grie and ear`.
2

In modern society, some psychologists and sociologists hae
recognized that there are two major causes or conlict in
society. As analyzed, the two are fear and necessity, both o
which are predominantly lust embodied. lor the resolution o a
conlict, one should comprehend these two major causes.
\hat our modern educationists say is partly correct, but we
can deinitely say that their deinition is an incomplete one. 1his
is because they see the result and label it as necessity`, but the
cause is hidden. 1he cause or the necessity is lust` or
attachment to possession as one`s own`. So now, it maniests
that eery conlict arises because o one`s fear and lust.
People want more and more things to embrace as their own.
1hey can neer be satisied with what they earn working rom
dawn to dusk. 1hey are discontented, always suering rom
arious kinds o mental and physical ailments.
1he personality that could be microscopically classiied into
mind and matter proes that there is no permanent entity within
onesel. 1here is also nothing to be attached to in this body,
either mentally or physically.
Apart rom the ie aculties o existence, there are no
irreducible substances, which we sometimes think o as leading

1 Jayasuriya \.l., 1he Psychology and Philosophy o Buddhism
2 Dhammapada 215 Vrs

to a soul. In Buddhism the soul theory is completely denied and
the whole world is reduced into three main characteristics.
1hese are:
Impermanence ,anicca,
Unsatisactoriness ,dukkha,
Soullessness ,anatta,
People grasp things as their own because o their ignorance
and craing. 1hese two principal causes are the piots upon
which the wheel o the birth cycle turns.
Attachment and reulsion are two extremes, being an
extremist how can one be happy in this lie and the lie ater
death. Buddhism inariably emphasizes the need to be detached
rom both extremes.
Being detached ,ieka,, one can be tolerant and understand
what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad,
and what is wholesome and what is unwholesome, and see all
things in the world as they really are.
1he Buddha said, 1hose who can immediately understand
reality can see the bliss o Nibb"na as Nibb"na` ,Nibb"nam
nibb"nato abhij"n"ti,. 1he one who attains ull Lnlightenment is
no longer in the habit o practicing either attachment or
reulsion. le is certainly detached rom all kinds o sensuous
pleasures in the world. \e know that it is the consciousness,
which is coordinated and integrated, yet not the sense base either
internal or external corresponding with or reacting to each other.
1he mind experiences their range and sustenance ,mano nesam
gocara isayam paccanubhoti,, which means that the mind
gauges their nature.
Now, we are aware that one should not be detached rom the
whole o actiities in society or the realization o the Dhamma.
Buddhism teaches us to moe in society while comprehending
the Dhamma in society itsel. In spite o the belie o some

people, the world is not a bad place to lie in. Both good and
bad are in society. 1hereore, one should not be either optimistic
or pessimistic regarding this matter. 1he Buddha adises us to
gie up all sorts o isms` and iews` and een the Dhamma
or the attainment o Nibb"na. In the .tagaaavava vtta o the
Ma;;biva î/!,a the Buddha said, Kullupamam bhikkhae
dhammam desiss"mi nittharanatth"ya no gahanatth"ya`.
1o conclude rom this concept, we can state that when one is
steeped in attachment or reulsion one is bound to the world,
and when one is gradually detached rom the two extremes o
attachment and reulsion one can ery soon attain the bliss o
Nibb"na.
2. Ditthi Up!d!na.
Ditthi up"d"na means, speculatie iews`. It is stated in the
1ext, Dhammasangani` ,vaabi.t P.,cbotogicat tbic., as ollows:
1here is no such thing as alms or sacriices or oerings,
there is neither ruit o good or eil deeds. 1here are no such
things as this world` or the next`. 1here are no such things as
mother` or ather`, or beings springing into birth` without
them. 1here are in the world, no recluses or brahmins who hae
reached the highest point who hae attained the height, who,
haing understood and realized by themseles along both this
world and the next, make known the same`.
1

1hese heretical iews are ten in number as stated in many
discourses. 1he Dhammasangani itsel, explains that all kinds o
iews lead to opinions ,ditthigatam,, to a wilderness
,ditthigahanam,, to a puppet show ,ditthiisukam,, to sculing
,ditthi ipphanditam,, to etters ,ditthisamyojanam, and the grip
,gaho, and tenacity o it ,patiggaho, and the inclination towards

1 Buddhist Psychological Lthics p.1215

it ,abhinieso,, being inected by it ,par"m"so,. 1his by-path
,kummaggo, is a wrong path ,micch"patho, and an institution o
wrong iews ,micchattam titth"yatanam,.
According to the rabva;!ta vtta o the Digba î/!,a, there
were 62 wrong iews in the 6th century B.C in India, all o which
can be philosophically placed into the two ollowing groups:
1hey are annihilationism and eternalism - ,Ucchada"da and
Sassata"da,.
Buddhism denies these iews and encourages the attainment
o samm"ditthi or right iew. Samm"ditthi is the irst step o the
Lightold Path ,atthangikomaggo,.
\rong iew always proides an unwholesome and unpleasant
atmosphere. But, right iew is the opposite. 1he Buddha
preached the Dhamma 45 years or the purpose o establishing
right iew or right understanding, as a basis or lie. \hen we
read the Canon, we ind in many Suttas such as |!ti vtta o the
Ma;;biva î/!,a, telling us that man`s irst eort is to guide
himsel along the correct path, letting himsel or hersel realize
what is right and what is wrong.
\ith the arising o wrong iews, the unwholesome things not
yet arisen arise, and the unwholesome things already arisen are
brought to growth and ullness. As its repercussion, the
wholesome thoughts not yet arisen are hindered in their arising,
and the wholesome thoughts already arisen disappear, and at the
dissolution o the body, it passes into a way o suering.
1

People or beings are wandering in Sams"ra with a strong
personality-belie ,sakk"yaditthi,. It is the irst o the ten etters
,samyojana, through which beings are bound to the world. On
the other hand, ego-illusion ,atta-ditthi,, eternity belie ,sassata-
ditthi, and annihilation belie ,uccheda-ditthi,, are also

1 A.N. I. 23 Sutta

considered wrong iews. 1he Buddha, the Perect One, is
completely ree rom any theory or iew ,ditthi,. le has seen
what reality is, and also what is corporeality, and how it appears
and disappears. le has seen what eeling is and how it appears
and disappears. le has seen what perception is and how it
appears and disappears. le has seen what mental ormations are
and how they appear and disappear. le has seen what
consciousness is and how it appears and disappears. le has no
inclination to the ainglory o I` and mine`. Casting out all
imagination, he has won complete delierance through the
extinction o deilements or procliity to the same ,anusaya,.
In the .ttba/a 1agga o the vtta î!ta, a prominent place
has been gien to the rejection o speculatie iews. 1he so-
called wrong iews` are called ixed destiny`
,niyatamicch"ditthi,. 1hey are said to be the grae oenses,
resulting in the ten unwholesome courses o action ,dasa kamma
patha,.
\hen we urther examine clinging or attachment to iew
,ditthup"d"na,, we can understand that it is a ery dangerous
thing, and could be a turning point in one's religious and social
lie. Attachment to wrong iew is as harmul as intoxicants.
During the time o the Buddha, there were a multitude o
religious iews and against such a background, Buddha arose as
the moon in the sky o Indian society, where a galaxy o stars
,Sangha, also twinkled around the moon.
1he Buddha neer wanted to establish another iew or ditthi
or add more to the popular 62 iews elaborated in the rabva;!ta
vtta o the Digba î/!,a. 1he Buddha always stroe to establish
what is called truth`, which is eer present in society but
unortunately concealed by the dust o ignorance and craing.
Some senior contemporaries o the Buddha such as Ajitha
Kesakambala, asserted that any belie in good action and its
reward is a delusion. le neer belieed what is called good and
bad ,ethics,. At death, man would become disintegrated into
the elements`, he said.

But the Buddha through his sublime teaching, perpetually
awakened the people rom the deep slumber o wrong iews. le
adised people to see things as they really are. 1he Buddha neer
wished man to cling to any particular iew. le neither
appreciated clinging to right iews nor to wrong iews.
1he Buddha inestigated the human thought and taught the
way to the eradication o all sorts o iews. 1he great
philosopher, N"garjuna, who introduced M"dhyamaka
philosophy`, said, in his amous work Mvta M!ab,ava/a K!ri/a,
that he, in compassion, pays his obeisance to the Buddha since
he preached Dhamma or the elimination o all sorts o
erroneous iews.
,Sara drustiprah"n"ya - yah saddharmamadesayah
Anukampamup"d"ya - tam namasshy"mi Gautamam,
1

1he Buddha taught us to be igilant in the present and strie
to understand the Dhamma by analyzing and inestigating
careully. At this stage, we should be ery careul because
analysis leads to pluralism and synthesis leads to monism. I it is
so, we hae also unwittingly gone to an extreme and hae
embraced another iew. 1he Buddha rejected this wholly.
In society, there are two predominant iews: Right iew and
wrong iew. Right iew leads to the proper path while the latter
to a wrong road. According to the contemporaries o the
Buddha, such as Ajitha Kesakambala, there were ten wrong
iews. le pointed them out in his teaching as ollows:
Natthi dinnam - 1here is no use o giing
Natthi yittham -1here is no use o oering
Natthi hutam - 1here is no use o liberality

1 Mula M"dhyamaka K"rika, chapter 24. 30 Vrs

Natthi sukata dukkhat"nam kamm"nam phalam ip"ko -
1here is no ruit or result o good and bad actions
Natthi ayamloko -1here is no present world
Natthi paroloko - 1here is no world beyond
Natthi m"t" - 1here is no result o supporting mother
Natthi Pit" - 1here is no result o supporting ather
Natthi satt" opap"tik"-1here are no spontaneous beings
Natthi loke uddham samana br"hman"- In the world there
are no recluses and Brahmins who hae deeloped their
minds.
1

loweer, the Buddha opposed them and clearly pointed out
their contradictions. Ajitha's explanation was a negatie one,
while the Buddha's was a positie one. 1he Buddha himsel said
that the right iews explained by him led to the right path, which
is the Noble Light-old Path. ,Ariyo atthangiko maggo,. 1he
right iew is the irst link o the Light-old Path. In this context,
according to the accaribbavga vtta o the av,vtta î/a,a, right
iew means penetratiely understanding the lour Noble 1ruths
,dukkhe n"nam dukkha samadaye n"nam dukkhanirodhe n"nam
dukkha nirodha g"mini patipad"ya n"nam ayam uccati bhikkhae
samm"ditthi,.
2
Right iew is to be cultiated and deeloped,
which ends in the extinction o lust, hatred and illusion ,bh"it"
bahulikat" r"gainaya pariyos"n" hoti, dosa inaya pariyos"n"
hoti, moha inayapariyos"n" hoti,
3
and the realization o the
Dhamma.

1 D.N. S"mannaphala Sutta
2 S.N. xL.1.8. & M.N. 141 Sutta
3 S.N. xL. 1.4.

Once, the Buddha stated that those ten wrong iews ,micch"
ditthi, are een more serious oenses than the ie heinous sins
leading to immediate punishment. ,Panc"nantariya kamma,
namely, matricide, patricide, the murder o an Arahant, shedding
blood o a Buddha, and creation o a schism among the
brotherhood ,Sangha,.
People behae in society according to their iews. \hen they
are ull o wrong iews, we should not expect a righteous way o
lie rom them. 1hey might do anything toward the destruction
o society. On the other hand, when they hold right iews, we
neer expect anything wrong or any eil actiities rom them.
1hereore, right iews are ery signiicant or the betterment o
society.
3. Silabbata Up!d!na.
Attachment or clinging to mere rules and rituals is a popular
practice in many religions. In Buddhist scriptures, it is called
Silabbatup"d"na. 1he Dhammasangani, the book o vvveratiov
of Pbevoveva in .bbiabavva, explains it in Pali as ollows:
1attha Katamam Silabbatup"d"nam, itobahidd" samana
br"hman"nam silena suddhiatena suddhisilabbatena suddhitiya
eerup" ditthi ditthigatam ditthigahanam ditthikant"ro ditthi
ipphanditam ditthi samyojanam gaho, patiggaho abhinieso
par"m"so kummaggo micch"patho micchattam titth"yatanam
ipariyesagaho idam uccati silabbatup"d"nam`.
1he translation is gien as ollows: 1he theory held by
recluses and Brahmins, |who are| outside our doctrine, |thinking|
that, holiness is gotten by rules o moral conduct, that holiness is
gotten by rites, that holiness is gotten by rules o moral conduct
and rites, 1hat kind o iew, this walking in mere iew, this
jungle o iews, this wilderness o iews, this disorder o iews,
shuling o iews, etters o iews, the grip and tenacity o them,
the inclination towards them, the being inected by them. 1his
by-path, wrong road, wrongness, this sectarianism this inerted
grasp, this is called the clinging to rules and rituals`.

1his deinition appears to be airly clear rom the statements
in many Suttas too. In seeing reality, the Buddha rejected mere
rules and rituals and practiced a way o lie that relected wisdom
and restraint. \hen we think o our day-to-day actiities, we can
understand the consequences o taking things to extremes.
According to the teaching o the Buddha, he neer approed or
assented to the taking o any extreme. In his irst sermon itsel,
the Buddha categorically denied the two extremes, which lead to
sensual indulgence and sel-mortiication. I we examine the
history o philosophy, we can understand that the inest lower
o truth bloomed in between two extremes, i.e. in the middle.
1his dialectical teaching can be realized by studying the
philosophical teaching o the Buddha, Plato, and Marx, in detail.
1he Buddha introduced the middle path aoiding the two
extremes while Plato and Marx introduced the Ideal State and
socialism respectiely. 1aking extreme positions means that one
becomes biased. Mere ditthi or iews always lead us to the
wrong path. Mere grasping o Views is a ery unsae step in
one's lie. One o the seen stages o puriication ,isuddhi, is
puriication by knowledge o what is path and what is not path`
,magg"magga nanadassana isuddhi,. 1his knowledge o
puriication helps one to understand the right path. \e should
not also orget here that the third knowledge o puriication is
also the puriication o iews ,ditthiisuddhi,.
Silabbatup"d"na or clinging to mere rules and rituals is the
third actor o the ten etters ,dasasamyojana,. 1he people who
blindly ollow a religion may practice rules and rituals in order to
ulill their secular lie. loweer, they do not know what is right
and what is wrong in the real sense.
listory reeals to us that in eery early society there has been
some sort o rules and rituals or the purpose o placating the
deities. Len in pre-Buddhist Sri Lanka, there hae been many

cults.
1
In India, this type o rules and ritual were practiced rom
the Vedic period to the end o the Upanishad period. Most
people o that time practiced arious kinds o seere austerities.
Other people o this time were practicing almost animalistic
behaiors such as goatishness ,ajarta, and the laziness o the ox
,go-rta,. 1he Buddha neer adocated these seere austerities
or the realization o Nibb"na at all, and he neer wanted to
create more rules or monks to ollow. \hateer rules were
promulgated by the Buddha relect a gradual deelopment o
monastic rules. le did not want to enorce a seere code o law
as that o Manu.
2
1he Buddha always emphasized equanimity
,Upekkh", in his teaching.
4. Attav!dup!d!na
Now, let us exam the clinging to personality belie
,atta"dup"d"na,. Atta means sel, ego or personality in
Buddhism. But it is a mere conentional expression. 1his term
atta` is o course a controersial term in religions. Some
religions o the world irmly beliee that there is a permanent
entity within us and it transmigrates rom birth to birth. 1hat
eerlasting substance is called atta` in Pali, and "tman` in
Sanskrit.
In Vedic philosophy this doctrine o "tman` ,soul, is highly
emphasized and it aers that there are three types o "tman
namely,
a. Microcosmic soul - Ji"tman
b. Macrocosmic soul - Param"tman

1 Ven. \alpola Rahula 1hera, "listory o Buddhism in Ceylon " and Adhikaram L.\. "Larly listory o
Buddhism in Ceylon"
2 Don Peter \ l A .Buddhist and Benedictine Monastic Lducation Page

c. Cosmic soul - Vis"tman
lor the attainment o salation, one should comprehend
these three types o souls. According to this teaching, salation is
nothing but uniication with Brahma or the Creator God.
loweer, in Buddhism, the Buddha categorically described
the doctrine o soul as being a noxious concept, which preents
the realization o Nibb"na. On one occasion, Ven. S"ti suggested
that there was a permanent soul, which transmigrates rom birth
to birth. But, the Buddha rejected it and clearly said that there is
no soul or any substance |which is| unchanging. In the acca/a
vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a
1
the Buddha replying to Saccaka
said, 1he ie grasping groups are subjected to change,
thereore, there is no soul within the ie aggregates o
existence`. linally, Saccaka had to admit it. Later on, he became
a dedicated deotee o the Buddha.
1his concept o atta` or soul` is rejected een within the
three characteristics o existence in Buddhism, to wit:
Impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-soul.
Attachment to ego-belie is one o the our perersions,
,attasann",. In the Dhammasangani, attachment to the
personality belie is described as ollows, \hen in this world
the ignorant aerage man who perceies not the Noble Ones
and who comprehends them not, nor is trained according to the
doctrine o noble men, as regards:
1. 1he sel as bodily shape or
2. as haing bodily shape or regards
3. bodily shape as being in the sel, or
4. the sel as being in bodily shape or regards

1 M.N. 35 Sutta

5. the sel as eeling or
6. as haing eeling or regards
. eeling as being in the sel or
8. the sel as being in eeling, or regards
9. the sel as perception,
10. as haing perception or regards
11. perception as being in the sel or
12. the sel as being in perception or regards
13. the sel as synergies or
14. as haing synergies or regards
15. synergies as being in the sel or
16. the sel as being in synergies or regards
1. the sel as consciousness or
18. as haing consciousness or regards
19. consciousness as being in the sel or
20. the sel as being in consciousness.
1hen, this kind o opinion, this walking in opinion, this jungle
o opinion, wilderness o opinion, disorder o opinion, shuling
o opinion, this etter o opinion, the grip and tenacity o it, the
inclination towards it, the being inected by it, this by-path,
wrong road, wrongness, this sectarianism, this inerted group,
this is called the theory o the sel.
1

1hese twenty kinds o ego-iew with regard to the groups o
existence are called, the clinging to the personality belie`

1 Psychological Lthics, ,Pali 1ext Society London, 121. P.301

,sakk"yaditthi,. One cannot be a stream-enterer as long as
s/he is in possession of the personality belief. 1hereby, we
can now understand that atta"da is one o the greatest
attachments, which is in other words a major hindrance to the
realization o Nibb"na.
\hen we consider those our ,4, kinds o clinging urther, we
can understand how rigorous and igorous the sense o
perersion is. AS stated earlier according to the commentary,
attachment or up"d"na means irmly grasping`.
\e human beings are born to this world and grasp the world
as i it is our own. Seeing through the eyes, we hasten to grasp
things as i they are our own. learing through the ears, we
hasten to grasp sounds, likewise, by smelling, tasting, and
touching, we hasten to grasp things, as they are real and our
own. 1hrough all these, we practice either attachment or
reulsion. \hen we like a particular sort o thing, we want to
posses it and we strie to attach to it or grasp it. On the other
hand, i we do not like it, we strie to reject it. 1here we practice
reulsion. 1hese two are the extremes.
In many Suttas, the Buddha has clearly pointed out that both
extremes should be aoided by the wise. 1he best example is
gien in the Mah" atiattb!va vtta o the Digba î/!,a.
1
1he
Buddha said, 1his is the only way Bhikkhus, or the puriication
o beings` ,ek"yano ayam bhikkhae maggo satt"nam
isuddhiy",.
In this Sutta, emphasizing the our contemplations, namely,
contemplation on the body, eeling, consciousness, and
Dhamma, the Buddha instructed one to contemplate the body in
the body, eeling in the eeling, consciousness in consciousness,
and mental objects in mental objects. 1his is in being ardent,

1 D.N. 22 Sutta

clearly comprehending, mindul, and haing oercome
coetousness and grie in this world ,"t"pisampaj"no satim"
ineyyaloke abhijjh"domanassam,.
Here in this context, the term abhijjh!domanassam is
very important because abhijjh! is covetousness or
attachment, its counter part is domanassa or revulsion.
1hereore, the Buddha's adice here is to oercome both
attachment and reulsion. 1hat is the path prescribed by the
Buddhas or emancipation. It is the only way. \hen one is
neither attached nor repulsed, one can experience equanimity,
which is a uniersal characteristic, that is the complete cessation
o deilements. Buddhism teaches that lie is a grasping process
o phenomena ,dhamma,, which is also causally related and
interdependent. Dhamma has to be realized, experienced, and
comprehended by the indiidual. lor this realization, we hae to
turn inward and begin by understanding things as they really are.
1he Buddha adised us to be mindul in our daily actiities
or the realization o Nibb"na. I we contemplate the ourold
contemplation, which leads to the seen actors o
enlightenment, we can realize Nibb"na aoiding both attachment
and reulsion.
Atta"dup"d"na is, in other words, sakk"yaditthi. It is the
irst o the ten etters ,sanyojana,. 1he Buddha rejected a
permanent entity within ourseles and proed the theory o
soullessness. At the ery outset, he preached on soullessness in
the .vattata//bava vtta o the av,vtta î/!,a
1
or the ie
disciples. Len in the discourse o the snake simile
,.tagaaavava vtta,,
2
he explained the same doctrine o
soullessness.

1 S.N. xxii.59 & Vinaya 1.13.14
2 M.N. 22. Sutta. See also Anatta and and Nibbana by Nyanaponika.

f). Upadi and Upadhi
In early Buddhist Suttas, we come across the aboe two
terms, Upadi and Upadhi. 1he dierence between the two does
not clearly come out in the context and thereore a clear
exposition is needed or a better understanding o the Dhamma.
1he Buddha taught the dhamma or the well-being o both
gods and men. 1oday there is a tendency in human society to
seek the Dhamma through books and meditation. 1he central
teachings o the Buddha could be condensed into three
principles, the Dependent Origination, the 1hree Characteristics
o Lxistence, and the lour Noble 1ruths. 1hese central
1eachings could be discoered in the analysis o one's own ie
aggregates o existence ,pancakkhandha,. 1he aboe is meant
when the Buddha said, It is in this athom-long body with its
consciousness riend, that I declare lies the world and the cause
o the world, and the cessation o the world, and the course o
action that leads to the cessation o the world.`
1
So, according to
the teachings o the Buddha, one should understand dhamma
and een the nature o the world through these ie aculties, in
other words, within name and orm ,N"marupa,.
\hen we look into this matter, we can ery well understand
that the term upadi` means the aggregates i.e. ie khandhas. In
order to coney the real meaning o attachment ,up"d"na,, we
should irst realize the dierence between the two terms Upadi
and Upadhi. 1he Pali 1ext Society's dictionary makes it almost
synonymous. But, when we study the terms in many discourses,
speciically, in the vtta îata, and the Ma;;biva î/!,a, we can
see the dierence clearly.
Upadi is always used in conjunction with Sesa
beginning Sa or anu, which then becomes Sopadisesa

1 S.N. 1.ii.3.6. ,Rohitassa Sutta,

(Sa+upadisesa) or Anupadisesa (Anu+upadisesa).
Sometimes, we even come across the word Nirupadisesa
in some texts.
As said preiously, Upadi means khandha ,aggregates,. So the
term saupadisesa` or sopadisesa` relates to the meaning that
the khandhas or the aggregates are still remaining, and in the
same way the term anupadisesa`, proides the meaning that no
more aggregates are remaining. 1he term Upadi` could be
easily perceied in our canonical texts to depict the meaning o
the ie grasping groups. 1his connotation is ery clearly and
categorically described in the M!gavai,a vtta o the Ma;;biva
î/!,a
1
as ollows:
lor a long time, indeed, I hae been derauded, deceied,
and cheated by this mind or grasping. I grasped ater material
shape itsel... ater eeling itsel... ater perception itsel... ater
the habitual tendencies themseles always grasping. I grasped
ater consciousness itsel too. Conditioned by grasping ater
these, there was becoming or me, conditioned by becoming
,existence,, birth, conditioned by birth, old age, and dying, grie,
sorrow, suering, lamentation, and despair, come into being.
1his is the origin o this whole mass o anguish.` ,Digharatt"ni
ata bho aham imin" cittena nikato, ancito paladdha, aham hi
rupamyea up!diyam!no up!diyim. Vedanamyea
up!diyam!no up!diyim. sannanyea up!diyam!no up!diyim
sankh"reyea up!diyam!no up!diyim inn"nam yea
up!diyam!no up!diyim tassa me up"d"napaccay" bhao,
bhaapaccay" j"ti, j"ti paccay" jar" maranam sokaparidea
dukkha domanassa up"y"s" sambhaanti eametassa kealassa
dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti-M.N.p.52,.
According to the oregoing statement o the Buddha, one can
understand that the term Upadi` is used in order to explain the

1 M.N. 5 Sutta

ie aggregates or the grasping groups which make one a slae o
craing ,1anh" d"so,.
On another occasion, the Buddha said, Monks, i one clings
he is M"ra`s bondsman, i he clings not he is released rom the
Lil One` ,up!diyam!no kho bhikkhu baddho m"rassa
anup!diyam!no mutto p"pimatoti,.
1he said clinging or attachment, in this Sutta, is also
attachment to the ie grasping groups. It is in the |avi,ati vtta
o the av,vtta î/!,a
1
where the Buddha explained this sort o
attachment as lokamisa or the bait o all the worlds. le
expressed that we should reject the bait o all the worlds in order
to attain the inal peace ,Lok"misam pajahe santipekkho,.
1hose who are o the iew that all is pleasing to me` as well
as those who are o the iew that all is not pleasing to me` and
also een those who are o the iew that part is pleasing to me,
part is not pleasing to me` are equally wrong, because they are
obstinately holding to a sort o iew, they are adhering to it, were
to say 1his is indeed the truth, all else is alsehood` ,idamea
saccam moghamannam,. 1he Buddha says in this Sutta,
2

addressing Aggiessana, that there are three eelings, a pleasant
eeling, a painul eeling, and a eeling that is neither painul nor
pleasant. I one eels one o these three eelings, one can only at
that time eel that particular eeling. 1hereore, he is entirely
deoid o the other two. In the same way, the Buddha
expounded that an instructed disciple o the Ariyans turns away
rom all kinds o iews, both attachment and reulsion. 1urning
away rom these extremes is dispassion, being dispassionate, he
can be ree rom all kinds o bonds. le is reed and
comprehending. le has done what was to be done, does not

1 S.N. 1.1.1.3 Sutta
2 M.N. 4 Sutta ,Dighanaka Sutta,

concur with anyone, and does not dispute with anyone. le
makes use o the common phrases o the world without
adhering to them ,Na kenaci samadati na kenaci iadati yanca
loke uttam tena oharati apar"masan ti ,M. N. p.500,.
In the .v!tbaivai/or!aa vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
1
iidly
and categorically it is explained by Ven. S"riputta to
An"thapindika, the householder, while he was on his sickbed.
Ven. S"riputta says,
louseholder! \ou must train yoursel thus ,you must
think,, I will not grasp ater ision and so, will hae no
consciousness dependent on ision. 1his is how you must
train yoursel, householder, you must train yoursel thus: I
will not grasp ater hearing... smelling... tasting... body...
mind material shapes... sounds...smells... taste... touch...
mental objects, and so, will hae no consciousness
dependent on material objects. 1his is how you must train
yoursel householder.
,1asm"tiha te gahapati, eem sikkhitabbam: na cakkhum
upadiyiss"mi. Na ca me cakkhunissitam inn"nam
bhaissatiti. Lam hi te, gahapati sikkhitabbam. 1asm"tiha
te gahapati eam sikkhitabbam: Na sotam upadiyiss"mi.
Na ca me sotanissitam inn"nam bhaissatiti. Lam hi te
gahapati sikkhitabbam. 1asm"tiha te gahapati... gh"nam...
sikkhitabbam. 1asm"tiha jiham... sikkhitabbam.
1asm"tiha k"yam... sikkhitabbam. 1asm"tiha manam...
sikkhitabbam. 1asm"tiha... rupam sikkhitabbam.
1asm"tiha. saddam... 1asm"atiha... gandhan.
1asm"tiha. rasam... 1asm"tiha. photthabbam.
1asm"tiha... dhammam. naca me. Lam hi te gahapati
sikkhitabbam. -M.N.259 P,.

1 M.N. 143 Sutta

In this context too, we can proe that the term upadi has
been commonly and airly used to coney the meaning o
attachment to the ie aggregates o existence.
\e shall now come to the other orm o the term upadhi.
1his also can be coneniently ound in our Buddhist Canonical
1exts`. 1he term upadhi` is always used to bring out the
meaning o attachment to material property or material things.
According to the 1eaching o the Buddha, beings are born again
and again in the sams"ra because o attachment to both material
and immaterial things in the world. 1he term to denote this
meaning is conspicous in the ollowing erse rom the vtta
î!ta.
Upadhi hi narassa nandan"
Na hi so nandati yo nirupadhihi ,Vr. 33,
It means, Acquisitions are joyul or man, whoeer is without
acquisition does not rejoice. 1hen, again, the next erse o the
same context proides its counter part as ollows:
Upadhi hi narassa socan"
Na hi so socati yo nirupadhi hi ,Vr. 34,
1he meaning: Acquisition is grie or man. \hosoeer is
without acquisition does not griee`. 1hrough these erses, we
can understand that the term upadhi has been used in the
Canon to indicate material goods. \hen we urther examine the
term in the vtta î!ta itsel, we come across more instances
about the acquisition o material goods. \hereer the term is
used the meaning is the same i.e. attachment. 1here are many
contexts in the Canonical 1eaching where this latter term is used
to denote attachment to material things. In erse 364, o the
vtta î!ta, it is stated that one who dispels his passion and
desire or attachment does not ind anything o the essential` in
acquisitions. Na so upadhisu sarameti-Ad"nesu Vineyya
chandar"gam` But, he would wander properly |without
attachment| in the world ,avv! .o to/e aribba;e,,a,.

According to the Sabhiya Sutta o the Sutta Nip"ta the
Buddha preached to Sabhiya, and at the end, being so delighted,
Sabhiya the \anderer, expressing his pleasure said, \ou are the
Buddha, you are the 1eacher, you are the Sage who oercame
M"ra. laing cut o the latent tendencies, haing crossed oer,
you hae brought these people across. Acquisitions that lead to
rebecoming hae been by-passed by you and your !.ara.
,underlying tendencies,, hae been torn asunder. \ithout
grasping, you hae eliminated ear and dread like a lion`.
1
1his
statement also brings out the meaning o upadhi, as
acquisitions, which lead to rebecoming.
\hateer miseries are described by arious ways and means
in the worldby worldly people through their languages, they all
came into existence with acquisitions, which lead to rebecoming
as their cause. 1hereore, the Buddha instructs, One who
knows, should not make acquisitions, considering that there is
rebecoming and the arising o misery`.
2
1he Buddha in his many
discourses ery clearly has pointed out that misery arises because
o ignorance, and the remedy, he explained throughout 45 years,
is to be wise and igilant. le preached his doctrine to the wise
and showed them how to be wise, because his philosophy guides
one to wisdom. 1he ultimatum or the summum bonum o
Buddhism is the attainment o Perect \isdom.
On another occasion, Venerable Vamgisa was staying with his
tutor, the Venerable Nigrodhakappa. On one occasion, at this
time, disaection arose within him and lust harassed his heart. In
blaming himsel and contemplating within himsel, he uttered:

1 Sutta Nipata 545 & 546 Vrs
2 Sutta Nipata 28 Vr


People always cling to things they touch, perceie, see, and
hear, but the one who suppresses them with his \ill and is
unaected, not adhering to anything, anywhere, that wise person
is called a Seer.`
,Upadhisu jan" gadhit"se
Ditthe sute patighe ca mute
Lttha inodaya chandamanejo
\o ettha na limpati tam muni m"hu, ,S.N.1.iii.1.2. Sutta,.
In this context, things mean material things such as, wealth
and property. 1he Pali term Upadhi` here, reers to the
attachment to things`, what we touch, perceie, see, and hear
etc. 1hese six internal and external bases were discussed aboe
with the term Upadi`.
So, it is now clear that both Upadi and Upadhi gie the
same meaning to attachment but there is a clear distinction
between the two terms, through which the ormer elaborates
attachment to ie aggregates o existence, while the latter one
explains attachment to wealth and property ,material things,.
1hese two kinds o attachment are neer recommended by the
Buddha. Attachment, whether it is to material things or
immaterial things is rejected by the Lxalted One.
It is because o the detachment or the abandonment rom all
sorts o attachment or clinging, that one can be Lnlightened. As
I mentioned earlier, detachment or the abandonment o all sorts
o attachment has been elucidated as Upadhiviveka in some
discourses. In greater discourse to Malunkyaputta,
1
it is said in
Pali katamoca Ananda Maggo Katam" patipad" pancannam
orambh"giy"nam samyojan"nam pah"n"ya. Idha Ananda
bhikkhu upadhiieko akusal"nam dhamm"nam pah"n" sabbaso

1 M.N. 64 Sutta , Malunkyaputta Sutta,

k"ya dutthull"nam patippassaddhiya iiccea k"mehi iicca
akusalehi dhammehi saitakkham saic"ram iekajam
pitisukham pathamajjh"nam upasampajja iharati`, which
explains, that an uninstructed ordinary person who turning into
the path and getting rid o the ie lower etters ,orambh"giya,,
aloo rom clinging ,upadi,, by getting rid o the unskilled state
o mind by allaying bodily impropriety, aloo rom pleasures o
senses, enters and abides in the irst absorption, which is
accompanied by initial thought and discursie thought, is born
o alooness and rapture and is joyul.
\ith all this eidence, it is proed that the two terms are
harnessed in the canonical teachings to bring out the meaning o
attachment. 1he term Upadi, is mostly used in order to
explain attachment to the ie aggregates o existence. 1he six
senses and their respectie external data are explained as
attachment to the material things in the external world in term o
upadhi.
1hus, this explanation brings us to an end o our brie surey
o the two terms Upadi` and Upadhi`. Now, let us examine
the concept o attachment as it seres in the teaching o
Abhidhammic philosophy, a later deelopment o Buddhist
thought.
g). Up!d! and Anup!d!.
In Abhidhamma the concept o attachment is described in
the third chapter which is known as analysis o matter. In this
chapter, there are 28 elements or matters, which are classiied
mainly into two groups namely:
Mah"bhuta 4 ,the undamental material elements,
Up"d"ya 24 ,deriatie or secondary material properties,
\hen we obsere the latter classiication o the 24 types o
deriaties, we can come to a decision that the deriaties which
dependent on the our undamental elements, show a ery clear
background to the explanation o attachment.

In the course o discussion o attachment and detachment
,Up"d"na and Anup"d"na, it is undoubtedly necessary to clear
out the meaning o Up"d" and Anup"d" which come across in
Buddhist metaphysics i.e. .bbiabavva. In the chapter o analysis
o matter, the term Up"d" is dealt with clear distinction o
matter. Up"d" means deriaties as stated preiously.
Up"d" rupa or deriaties are again diided into two groups
as nippanna ,concretely produced, and anippanna ,non-
concretely produced,. 1here are 14 nippanna and 10 anippanna.
O the two groups, the ormer is ery important in the sense
o deriaties. 1hey are arranged into pairs as ollows: 1. up"d"
and anup"d", 2. up"dinna and anup"dinna, 3. up"dinnup"d"niya
and anup"dinnu-p"d"niya, 4. sanidassana and anidassana, 5.
sappatigha and appatigha, 6. indriya and naindriya, . mah"bhuta
and na mah"bhuta, 8. innatti and na innatti, 9. cittasamutth"na
and na cittasamutth"na, 10. cittasahabhu and na cittasahabhu,
11.cittanupariatti and na cittanupariatti, 12. ajjhattika and
b"hira, 13. ol"rika and sukhuma, and 14. dure and santike.
1

I we are aware o the 24 deriaties, we can then easily
understand their role in the sense o up"d"na or attachment. 1he
deriaties are classiied as, 1. 1he sensitie parts o the ie
organs ,pas"darupa, i.e. eye, ear, nose, tongue and body, 2. 1he
sense-ields, which sere as supports or the sense-cognition to
arise ,gocararupa,. 1hese sense ields are: color, sound, odor, and
taste, 3. Masculinity and emininity which are collectiely called
bh"arupa, 4. 1he seat o consciousness ,hadayaattu,, 5.
Psychic lie ,Jiitindriya,, 6. Nutritie essence, which sustains the
physical body ,"h"ra,, . Space ,"k"sa or pariccheda, 8.
Communicating and understanding o intention ,innatti,, 9.
Changeability o rupa ,ik"rarupa,, 10. Characteristics ,lakkhana,.

1 Karun"d"sa \. Buddhist Analysis o Matter P.102

\hen one considers all these orms o matter one by one,
one can clearly comprehend that any sort o matter is not in the
process o distorting one's mind, but because o one's
attachment, one becomes ignorant. I we study urther, it is
understood that the ie sensitie parts o the organs are not
craing. 1he composite eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body consist
o our essentials, which sere as bases or the concomitant
subjects or the senseields. Mere existence o the ie bases and
the respectie sense-data do not produce deilements nor are
they connected to each other. It is with the support o one's
consciousness ,inn"na, that one can see, hear, smell, taste, or
touch as a communicatie basis or grasping.
1he rest o the deriaties namely: Bh"a, ladaya, Jiita,
Ah"ra, Pariccheda, Vinnatti, Vik"ra, and Lakkhana are sered in
this connection as supportie elements or clear correspondence.
lrom what we hae obsered so ar, it should become clear
that the so-called being or satt"` is nothing more than the ie
aggregates ,groups, o existence or material and mental
phenomena.
All 24 deriaties gie help or better cognizance. 1he person
who is uninstructed, grasps with what he can cognize and as a
result, he becomes a slae o craing. Abhidhamma teaches us
that the up"d" or deriaties those that take hold, are dependent
upon the our primary elements`. 1ogether with these our
primary elements, so-called being comes into existence.
1he ie Nik"ys themseles hae alluded to the dangers o
Up"d" or Up"d"na, the clinging to the whole world. Apart rom
this, Abhidhamma through its teaching o elements reeals that
grasping or attachment to anything brings misery in the whole
circle o Sams"ra. 1hat is why the teaching o anup"d" or
detachment is to be practiced by onesel, with the idea o
eradicating deilements.
I one keeps away rom grasping one can be content, because
he can comprehend that he is ree rom bondage and iews.

1hat is what Buddhism teaches rom the beginning to the end in
its philosophy.
h). Up!dinna and Anup!dinna
According to the implication o the Abhidhammic
classiication o matter, these are two terms in the
Dbavva.avgivi. It is stated in P"li atthi rupam-up"dinnam, atthi
rupam-anup"dinnam` which means, that there is matter within
Up"dinna ,internal matter, and Anup"dinna ,sometimes internal
and sometimes external,. 1he term Up"dinna is in the positie
sense, while the latter is in the negatie.
It is explicitly explained in the Dhammasangini, that there are
two types o matter namely, interior and exterior. Matter, which
is interior, is Up"dinna. Lxterior is sometimes Up"dinna, then at
times is Anup"dinna. ,\am tam rupam ajjhattikam tam
up"dinnam. \am tam rupam b"hiram tam atthi up"dinnamatthi
anup"dinnam,.
Up"dinna produces the meaning o that which has been
appropriated or clung to because they hae been acquired as a
ruit o kamma motiated by craing and wrong iew. 1he
matter, rupa, which are clung to are the ie institutions namely,
eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body ,cakkh"yatanam, sot"yatanam,
gh"n"yatanam, jih"yatanam, k"y"yatanam, and then the matter
o external sense-data are gien as ollows, in the
Dhammasangani in P"li. Itthindriyam, purisindriyam,
jiitindriyam, yam a panannampi atthi rupam kammassa katatt"
rup"yatanam sadd"yatanam gandh"yatanam ras"yatanam,
potthabb"yatanam, "kasadhatu, "podhatu, rupassa upacayo,
rupassa santati, kabalink"ro "haro, idamtam b"hiram
up"dinnam`.
It consists o the eight indriya-rupas, namely, the ie sense-
organs, the two aculties o sex, and the aculty o lie.
It should be noted here, that according to the classiication o
matter in the Dhammasangani, what is called up"dinna rupa`

comes into being through the action o Kamma ,kammassa
katatt",.
1here is another group o Up"dinna, which is sometimes
Up"dinna, and sometimes anup"dinna. It consists o eleen
items namely, the our mah"bhuta, rupa, gandha, rasa, "hara,
"kasadh"tu, upacaya, and santati. 1hese items represent the type
o matter with which the indriya-rupa are also associated.
Lenthough the indriya-rupa are dierent rom this group, they
cannot exist independently or without being supported by the
our elements ,Mah"bhuta,. Again, the our elements cannot
exist independently rom the our up"d"rupa, namely: rupa,
gandha, rasa, and "hara.
1here is another group o matter in the Dbavva.avgavi that
which is inariably anup"dinna. It is the negation o up"dinna. It
also consists o eight items, namely, two innatti ,k"yainnatti
and aciinnatti,, the triad o lahut", mudut", and kammannat",
jarat", aniccat", and sadd" ,Sadd"yatanam, k"yainnatti, rupassa
lahut", rupassa mudut", rupassa kammannat", rupassa jarat",
rupassa aniccat"... idam tamrupam bahiram anup"dinnam,.
O this classiication, the irst ie are described elsewhere in
the Dhammasangani in the category o cittasamutthana.
1

loweer, the two terms Up"dinna and Anup"dinna, as I
comprehend, are widely expressible terms, and een the meaning
is perhaps, ungraspable within the context o .bbiabavva and
.bbiabarvaKo.ba.
Pro. \. Karun"d"sa, an erudite Abhidhammic scholar, abun-
dantly and analytically exposes the discrepancies o the two
terms as depicted both in the Abhidhamma and in the
.bbiabarvaKo.ba in his great work vaabi.t .vat,.i. of Matter.
2
In

1 Dhammasangani P.60-3
2 Karun"d"sa \. Buddhist Analysis o Matter Chapter 6

his inaluable work, he points out the opinion gien by Pro. De
la Valee Poussin regarding the two terms Up"dinna and
Anup"dinna. It is said, that the two terms are coneying the
same sense as Up"tta and Anup"tta in .bbiabarvaKo.ba 1his
analysis comes in Verse Number 10 o Chapter 1 ,Abhidharma
Kosha,.
According to the description gien, there are two types o
matter which may be classiied into two groups, 1. By color
,Varna, and 2. By orm ,samsth"na,, or into twenty groups such
as blue, red, etc., or long, round, etc. ,rupam didha
imshatidh"...,. 1he elaboration o Up"tta and Anup"tta could
be seen in the category o sound ,sadda, o which there are eight
kinds ,shabdastashtaidhah rasah,. 1hose eight are two kinds o
speech or communication artiicially produced by beings with
the aid o elements. ,Up"tta mah"bhuta hetuka, and two kinds o
speech produced naturally by the great elements without the aid
o beings such as that o trees, riers etc. ,anup"tta mah"bhuta
hetuka,.
Lach o these our can be pleasant or unpleasant ,manojna or
amanojna,. 1hus, it all becomes eight types. It must be
comprehended here, that the .bbiabarvaKo.ba implies the two
terms Up"tta and Anup"tta in order to represent attachment or
clinging to the inward and outward matter o the so-called`
beings. Now, I wish to suggest that the two terms gien in the
.bbiabarvaKo.ba ,up"tta and anup"tta, are, in this sense, more
similar to the terms Upadi and Upadhi respectiely, which
were examined in the preceding discussion.
\ith the idea o clear understanding these two terms, I
suppose, we are now in a better position to come to a surey o
its usage in the Suttas. \hen we look into this matter in clear
perception, we can easily and reasonably understand the
interpretation gien to Up"dinna and Anup"dinna in the context
o original Suttas.
1he discourse o the analysis o the elements ,Dbatvribbavga
vtta, in the Ma;;biva î/!,a, coneys the meaning o the term

Up"dinna as an element o extension ,pathai,, an element o
liquid ,"po,, an element o radiation ,tejo,, an element o motion
,"yo,, an element o space ,"kasa, and the element internal
,ajjhattika,, as well as external ,b"hira,.
1
1he same description is
also gien in the Mab! attbiaaoava vtta and Mab! Rabvtoraaa
vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a.
2

Ven. Ny"natiloka deines it ,Up"dinna, as karmically acquired
corporeality or matter clung to by Kamma, in his amous work,
vaabi.t Dictiovar,.
3

\ith concern as to the aboe mentioned explanations, we
can catch a glimpse o an idea about the two terms with regard
to attachment and detachment`. 1he term Up"dinna bends
more to attachment while the Anup"dinna is more to
detachment with reerence to our topic.
i). Sopadisesa and Anupadisesa.
In the oregoing study o attachment, ocusing speciically to
being ,satt",, we considered about ie groups o existence and
ie grasping groups o existence.
Len beore the emergence o Buddhism in India, the then
prealent religious currents such as Lternalism and Nihilism
taught some sort o delierance to their ollowers. \e know well
that there were six renowned teachers at the time, who were
contemporaries o the Buddha yet senior to him. 1hey, through
their teachings prescribed a way o emancipation and
delierance.

1 M.N. 140 Sutta
2 M.N. 1. 28 Sutta
3 Ny"natiloka, Buddhist Dictionary. See. Up"dinnarupa

Prince Siddh"rtha, as a seeker o truth, neer denied their
teachings but inestigated more and more, and as a consequence
o his unlimited obseration and experimentation he could,
through introersion, comprehend what is called Nibb"na or the
highest goal. Literally, Nibb"na means extinction o craing,
,nir-"na,, i. e. extinction o greed, extinction o hatred, and
extinction o delusion. In other words, it is the ultimate and
absolute delierance rom all uture rebecoming, old age, disease,
and death, rom all suering and misery.
1he particular two terms oaai.e.a and .vvaai.e.a are
always used in conjunction with Nibb"na, which then becomes
Sopadisesanibb"na or the negation Anupadisesanibb"na. 1hese
two terms are elaborated in many Suttas in the Canon.
Sopadisesanibb"na is the ull extinction o deilements i.e.
Nibb"na with the groups o existence ,ie aggregates, still
remaining. 1his takes place at the attainment o Arahantship or
perect loliness. Gotama the Buddha attained
Sopadisesanibb"na at the oot o the Bo tree at Buddhagaya in
India on a lull Moon Day o Vesak. Nibb"na without groups
remaining is called Anupadisesanibb"na. 1his is the termination
o the existence o the psycho-physical process. It takes place at
the death o the Arahant.1he Buddha passed into
Anupadisesanibb"na ,Parinibb"na, at Kusinagar, India at the age
o eighty ,80,.
Being an Lnlightened One, the Buddha spent 45 years
teaching and preaching what he comprehended through his
intuitie wisdom. 1he Buddha pronounced that it is an
achieement open to anyone who earnestly stries or perect
purity and wisdom. 1here hae been Buddhas in the dim past
and there will be Buddhas in the uture at the proper time, when
conditions are aorable. All past the Buddhas had attained this
state o Nibb"na and the Buddhas in the uture, too, will attain
the same state o Nibb"na. Now, it is appropriate to study the
discrepancy within the two states o Nibb"na. Delierance,
according to Buddhism, comes not rom belie in others or

through supposed supernatural agencies but through insight won
entirely by the indiidual's own eorts.
Ater realizing Nibb"na as Nibb"na, he or she remains in
communion with the aggregates. le or she then experiences that
happiness o Nibb"na known as Sopadisesanibb"na, which
produces the reedom or purity o a mind deeloped in ull
knowledge.
1
It should be emphatically stated here that the one
who attains ull Lnlightenment experiences the bliss o Nibb"na
during his lietime. It is not ater death.
Ater the elimination o all sorts o deilements, he lies in
society without Up"d"na or Attachment to any thing in the
world. le does not hae the ie grasping groups
,pancup"d"nakkhandh", but only the ie aggregates
,Pancakkhandh",, namely, rupa ,body,, edan" ,eeling,, sann"
,perception,, sankh"ra ,olitional ormation,, and inn"na
,consciousness,. le knows the ie aculties as ie aculties. le
does not cling to them. le does not acquire merit or demerit
,ormations,. As he is ully awakened, he is always on the alert
with ull wisdom and compassion.
Anup"disesanibb"na or Anupadisesaparinibb"na takes place
at the end o an Arahant's lie. \ith the inal dissolution o the
bodily elements, he attains the State o Nibb"na` without any
substratum o elements where there is no more cause or
rebecoming. Once the Buddha stated, 1ath"gatassa kho
br"hmana "yatim gabbhasseyy" punabbha"bhinibbatti pahin"
ucchinnamul" t"l"attukat" ana bh"akat" "yatim
anupp"dadhamm"`.
1his means that the Buddha is the one who is not destined to
another kind o rebecoming. Indeed brahmin, he is the one

1 Ven. Para"hera Vajiragn"na Mah" 1hera, Buddhist Meditation page .46-469 , Published by Gunasena &
co. Ltd colombo 1962

whose uture conception in a womb, whose rebecoming in a
uture becoming, are destroyed and cut o like a palm-tree at the
root, so utterly done away with that they can come to no uture
existence.
1

What is detachment?
1he word detachment simply denotes the absence o
attachment, but the Buddha categorically denied both
attachment and reulsion. 1hose who neither attach ,cling,
grasp, nor repel rom anything in the world, are called
detached`. 1hey are none other than the Arahants.
Detachment is synonymous with non-attachment the term
has existed in the Lnglish language rom at least the 19th
century. It was meant in usage, simply to detach rom
institutions such as colleges. loweer, we should not orget the
name o Aldous luxley who aced death as braely as he aced
lie according to his doctor, Dr Max Cutler. It was luxley
himsel, who coined the noun non-attachment` in 193 to
denote speciically an attitude o disinterestedness in material
things - and an attitude o detachment in the ace o material
loss, alongwith an attitude o interestedness in charitable actiity.
1he word is now in the Ofora vgti.b Dictiovar,, denoting
unconcern or uninolement with material things.
In regard to the teaching of the Buddha, the term
detachment denotes a deep and profound meaning which
includes the absence of both material things and mental
defilements such as, the underlying proclivities concern to
the defilements (anusaya).
1he terms detachment`, non-attachment`, and
unattachment` occur in the Canonical discourses. 1hey always

1 Vinaya Vol.1. P.6

reer to detachment rom deilements. 1he Pali equialent to
detachment is Anup"d"na`. \e come across expressions such
as, anup!d!parinibb!yi, anup!diyanto idhav!huramv!,
and anup!d!ya !savehi cittam vimucci etc.
\hen we surey the Buddhist scriptures, we can ind some
inter-related expressions gien within the same contexts. O
these, the term Vieka`, is ery signiicant. Only those who
are detached from all sorts of defilements have Absolute
Viveka or Detachment. 1he term Vieka`, in general, would
mean leisure` in Lnglish.
In Buddhist texts, the word has been genuinely used in the
sense o detachment.
1
1he classic example is gien in the
Dbavvaaaa erse 5 it reads thus:
Ann" hi l"bhupanis" - ann" nibb"na g"mini
Lametam abhinn"ya - bhikkhu Buddhassa s"ako
Sakk"ram n"bhinandeyya -iekamanubruhaye`
,One goal that is sought is the quest or worldly gain, and
quite another is the path to Nibb"na. Clearly understanding this,
let not the monk, the disciple o the Buddha, be carried away by
worldly acclaim, but deelop detachment,.
1he aboe example gies rise to understanding both ways,
one o which is the search or worldly gain, while the other is the
way to Nibb"na. It instructs us to be aloo rom the path o
worldly gain and to strie to practice detachment that leads to
Nibb"na. In this erse, the word Vieka` has been used, in the
sense o detachment.
According to the Mab! îaae.a, Vieka or detachment is o
three kinds:

1 Llizabeth J.larris. "Detachment and Compassion in Larly Buddhism". Pg.3. BodhiLeaes, 141

1. Bodily detachment ,k"ya ieka,
2. Mental detachment ,citta ieka,
3. Detachment rom the aggregates o existence ,upadi
ieka,
1

1he 1vrata/a vtta o îaae.a explains the three detachments
in Pali as ollows:
i. Katamo K!yaviveko?
Idha bhikkhu iittam sen"sanam bhajati, arannam
rukkhamulam pabbatam kandaram giriguham sus"nam
ana pattham abbok"sam pal"lapunjam. k"yena ca iitto
iharati, So ekogacchati. Lko titthati. Lko nisidati. Lko
seyyam kappati, Lko g"mam pind"ya paisati. Lko
patikkamati. Lko raho nisidati. Lko cankamam adhitth"ti.
Lko carati iharati iriyati attati paleti y"peti, ayam
k"yaieko.
ii. Katamo cittaviveko?
Pathamam jh"nam sam"pannassa niaranehi
cittamiittam hoti.Dutiyam jh"nam sam"pannassa itakka
ic"rehi cittam iittam hoti. 1atiyam jh"nam
sam"pannassa pitiy" cittam iittam hoti.Catuttham
jh"nam sam"pannassa sukhadukkhehi cittam iittam hoti.
Ak"s"nanc"yatana sam"pannassa rupa-sann"ya patigha
sann"ya n"nattasann"ya cittam iittam hoti.
Vinn"nanc"yatanam sam"pannassa "kasananc"yatana-
sann"ya cittam iittam hoti. Akincann"yatanam
sam"pannassa inn"nanc"yatanasann" cittam iittam hoti.
Neasann"-n"sann"yatanam sam"pannassa
"kincann"yatana sann"ya cittam iitam hoti. Sot"pannassa

1 Mah" Niddesa , 1uataka Sutta P.341

sakk"yaditthiy" icikicch"ya silabbata-par"m"sa
ditth"nusaya iittam hoti. Sakad"g"missa ol"rika
k"mar"gasamyojana patighasamyojana ol"rika
k"mar"ganusaya patigh"nusaya tadekatthehi ca kilesehi
cittam iittam hoti. Anag"missa anusahagata k"mar"ga
samyojana patighanusaya tadekatthehi ca kilesehi cittam
iittamhoti. Arahato rupar"ga arupar"ga m"na uddhacca
aijj" m"n"nusaya bhaar"g"nusaya aijj"nusaya
tadekatthehi ca kilesehi bahiddh" ca sabbanimittehi cittam
iittam hoti ayam cittaieko.
iii. Katamo upadi viveko?
Upadhi uccanti kiles" ca khandh" ca abhisamkh"r" ca
upadhiieko uccati amatam nibb"nam, yo so sabba
samkh"ra-samato sabbupadhi patinissaggo tanhakkhayo
ir"go nirodho nibb"nam. Ayam upadhi ieko ,pp 341-
342,.
1he aboe P"li passages describe the meaning o the three
Vieka respectiely. 1he irst one ,k"yaieka,, is abiding in
solitude ree rom alluring sensuous objects. laing gone orth
one may practice detachment being isolated in each and eery
constant actiity o lie, abiding on a heap o hay, in the open
space, in the orest, cemetery or on top o a hill or else under a
tree. 1hat is how he who practices bodily detachment dwells. In
many Suttas o the Buddhist scriptures, we see that there are
many ollowers o the Buddha, as well as, the ollowers o his
contemporaries, who hae spent most o their time in isolated
places such as orests, hills, and cemeteries.
It was then a well-accepted act that the best place or the
deelopment o one's mind is the orest, this is why people went
to the orest to search or the truth. \e should understand ery
well that truth does not preail only in the jungle. It is to be
ound in society, in the midst o people also. It is true, that when

we go to a orest to meditate we can be natural and concentrate
on particular objects within ourseles undisturbed.
I suppose, it would not be out o place here or me to present
some o my personal experiences in orest lie. lrom my early
days o lie as a monk, I was eager to practice meditation.
Although I had a desire to practice meditation in a orest
hermitage, since I was a noice, I had doubts and also was not
yet permitted to go to a orest hermitage. Ater the G.C.L. A,L
examination, I was determined to practice meditation by mysel.
Day by day and year by year, I stroe to abstain rom
whateer was harmul to my health and my aspiration. Always, I
firmly accepted that the purified life is the best life and also
that human-life is the best in the world system.
linally, I receied an opportunity to go to a orest or the
irst time in my lie in1992. It was at Kekanadura M"tara, where
I spent about 20 days in deep concentration. Aterwards, I went
to 1hailand to practice meditation urther. Ater returning to Sri
Lanka, rom time to time, I went to 1alagala meditatin center in
lorana, \atagala lorest lermitage in Matale, and the
Bambaragala lorest lermitage in Kurunegala.
I wish to disclose here that the most attractie and serene
places were Kakanadura, Bambaragala, and \atagala or
seclusion, because they are exclusiely orest hermitages. \hen I
was in these places, I spent days and nights engaged in
meditation. At times, een snakes, such as the cobra came close
to me and made a strange sound. 1hese days were some o the
more signiicant, unorgettable, and unique in my lie.
\hat I need to stress here is that the lie one leads in a orest
or jungle is completely natural, and there are no unnecessary
sensual burdens. loweer, as I clearly understood it, man is
man's own enemy even in the forest. \hateer natural
sounds made by beings such as birds, monkeys, squirrels, and
snakes, were not so disturbing to me, as much as, the mutterings

and chattering o those men who had come illegally to cut the
trees down.
1hereore, within my own experience in this context, I can
say with assurance that one should be aloo and separated rom
people, in order to comprehend the real nature o the Dhamma.
1his is the real and actual physical detachment, I hae noted
here. lurther, I re-airm that to be bodily detached ,k"ya ieka,
one must lie in the orest both physically and mentally.
Otherwise, though the body is in the orest, the mind may
remain in the city or at one's home.
Now, let us examine what is citta ieka or mental
detachment. It is the inner-detachment rom sensuous things.
1he oregoing passage regarding the mental detachment briely,
but clearly and accurately, shows the mental process, which
marks the path rom worldly lie to Nibb"na.
Citta or mind, as the Buddha stated in his 1eaching, precedes
all mental states. \e know ery well that eerything in the
unierse is in continuous motion een as we study this subject
right now.
1his including: plants, man, and other beings, who are also in
motion. 1his means, not only liing beings but also the earth as a
unit, the sun, the moon and all the stars are constantly keeping
to their respectie motions. Mind is the only organ that can
discern these motions. As each and eery motion is discernible
to the mind, the sense organs merely assist the mind to discern
them.
1

According to the teachings o the Buddha, heart is the seat o
mind.
2
loweer, mind is not merely conined to one's heart. It is

1 Ranasinghe C.P. 1he Buddha`s explanation o the Unierse P. 88
2 See.Dhammpada Vr.3

spread throughout one's body as the lie aculty. Mind is a
continuous process o on going consciousness through the sense
bases o objectie orms, respectiely. It is a part o perception
o any kind, be it eye, ear, nose, tongue or mind. lor example,
the mere existence o the physical-eye and the object do not
pae the way or perception o the object. It is only through the
projection o consciousness that one can see things or beings.
1his is the result o a conluence o the three ,eye, object, and
consciousness, etc.,.
Buddhism through many ways and means teaches how to
deelop one's mind in order to attain ull state o wisdom. 1he
Buddha haing realized the true nature o mind awakened his
disciples also to realize their own minds, especially by practicing
contemplation o consciousness ,citt"nupassan",. It is one o the
our oundations o mindulness. 1he other three are namely,
the contemplation o body ,k"y"nupassan",, contemplation o
eeling ,edan"nupassan",, and contemplation o mind objects
,Dhamm"nupassan",.
\hen one is ully alert one can lie in society by practicing
these lour loundations o Mindulness`. Addressing the
monks, the Buddha expounded in the Satipatth"na Sutta, as
ollows: 1his is the only way, bhikkhus, or the puriication o
beings, or the oercoming o sorrow and lamentation, or the
destruction o suering and grie, or reaching the right path, or
the attainment o Nibb"na, namely, the lour loundations o
Mindulness` ,ek"yano ayam bhikkhae maggo satt"nam
isudhiy" sokaparidda"nam samatikkam"ya dukkhado-
manass"nam atthangam"ya n"yassa adhigam"ya nibb"nassa
saccikiriy"ya yadidam catt"ro satipatth"n",.
1

lor the culmination o intuitie wisdom one should hae a
turning inward o the mind. \hen one continues mindul

1 D.N. 22. Mah" Satipatthana Sutta

inhaling and exhaling or a considerable time uninterrupted, one
can deelop the state o one- pointedness or sam"dhi. laing
dwelt within this serene concentration, one can then become
aware o the two extremes, attachment and reulsion. Len
then, one could realize detachment, grasping neither extreme but
dwell in the middle. 1hat is what is called citta ieka`.
Now let us understand what is called upadi ieka`. In this
context, we should irst remember that the term Upadi ,with
a short ending,
1
denotes ie grasping groups. Upadhi, ,with a
long ending, denotes attachment to material things. Preiously, I
described that any thing in the world, animate or inanimate, that
becomes an attachment is a bondage or hindrance to the
realization o Nibb"na. Lery one intends to clear away such
bondage and enter the city o Nibb"na, though it is not a city or
a place. It is a particular state o mind, which dawns within us, in
this ery lietime itsel. \hen one is completely released rom
the bondages o attachment o Upadi`, one can experience
what is called Detachment or Vieka`. 1hat is what is called,
|aai 1ire/a in this context, i.e. neither attachment nor
reulsion.
Lobha, Dosa, Moha, & Alobha, Adosa, Amoha.
1be Covevaivv of Pbito.ob, states, that there are six roots or
causes ,hetu, or the arising o a particular consciousness. 1hose
six are negatiely, greed, hatred, and delusion, and positiely,
generosity, loing kindness, and wisdom, respectiely.
According to the Abhidharmic classiication o citta, there are
18 classes o consciousness which are called Ahetuka because
they are deoid o the aboe six causes ,hetu,. 1he remaining 1
classes o consciousness are called Sahetuka because they are

1 \e came across in some places where the term Upadhi` also has been used to denote the ie aculties
o existence but in rare occasion

based on the six causes or roots as stated in the preious
paragraph. In this context, we should not orget that the aboe
18 classes o consciousness themseles are also not deoid o
productie causes ,Nibbattaka hetu,.
Greed, hatred, and delusion are the root causes o all sorts o
unwholesome actiities, thereore, they are known as Akusala
mula, in Abhidhamma. 1he remaining three, greedlessness
,generosity,, hatelessness ,loingkindness,, and non-delusion
,wisdom, are known as Kusala mula because they are the root
causes o wholesome actiities. 1hereore, each o the six is ery
important or the realization o the Dhamma.
1hese six roots are described ery well in the Sutta, the
Vinaya, as well as in the Abhidhamma. In keeping with the
discourses, we can say that one should eradicate all these six
roots or the realization o Nibb"na, as these are the basis or
Anup"d"na.
\hen we think o problems, that hae arisen indiidually, and
socially in the many orms o dukkha, we can understand that all
those problems are based on the aboe sixold roots. It is
because o the structures o selishness that we are attached to
the world. As long as we hae attachment ,up"d"na,, we cannot
get rid o dukkha or suering. \hen we analyze our personal
dukkha using the principle o dependent origination
,paticcasamupp"da,, we see that it is linked with our own sel-
centeredness or selishness. Similarly, when we examine social
problems we ind that they are rooted in social selishness. 1his
selishness is because o attachment. One does not concern
about others happiness or well being, but always about onesel,
one's amily, or one's group only. Such selishness comes rom
craing ,tanh", and attachment ,up"d"na,. Attachment in any
orm is to be aoided in order to realize what is 1ruth, Nibb"na.
a). Lobha (greed)
1his is the irst one o the three unwholesome roots
,akusalamula,, R"ga ,lust,, and tanh" ,craing,, being synonyms.

In this present system o lie, greed sprouts up day by day, in an
unprecedented manner, because o the lack o mindulness, and
wisdom. People more and more hoard wealth and property or
uture use. Unortunately, they donot get the maximum use o
these things as they might die unexpectedly, but on the other
hand, being greedy equates to being selish. \hen one is selish,
the indiiduals or the society can neer expect a beneit or
charity rom them. Selish or greedy people are ery anti-social
and could be compared to a well in a orest rom which people
cannot obtain water or their daily needs.
Greed makes many problems o a personal-kind as well as o
a social-kind een more intractable. Consequently, we can see
the amassing o wealth is spreading in the world while poerty is
increasing rapidly. 1oday most o our people are in a rat race to
earn more and more money by any means. 1hey are competing
with each other and as a consequence o this that human alues
and norms are not respected in society.
As discussed so ar, greediness is unwholesome. People
commit more and more unwholesome deeds ,akusala kamma,,
thereore, they deiate away rom the path o Nibb"na. 1his is
how greed keeps people away rom Nibb"na.
b). Dosa (hatred)
1his is the second unwholesome actor. It also keeps people
away rom the path o Nibb"na. Once the Buddha said, latred
is neer appeased by hatred`. In order to appease hatred one
should practice non-hatred or metta. People deelop hate when
they cannot get something they want or wish to attach to, but
they are not aware that hatred is an extreme. Aersion is a
synonym or hatred.
\hen we do not like some one or some thing, we then
become angry but it is not the Dhammic way o lie. One should
understand the real situation o things in the world. I we are
wise enough to see things as they really are in the world, there is
nothing to grasp or repulse. Dosa or anger is also a powerul

deilement to be completely eradicated by the wise or the
realization o Nibb"na. Synonymous terms or the word anger
are aersion, ill-will, and wrath. \hen one is angry, one might
wish to strike, harm, destroy, or kill. loweer, we should be ery
careul to understand that all these things are destructie and
unwholesome. \e always become inoled in unwholesome
actions ,akusala kamma, because o our delusion.
c). Moha (delusion)
1he best-known synonym or moha is aijj" ,ignorance,.
Beings are born again and again in Sams"ra and suer oer and
oer again, as human beings or other beings, because o the
existence o ignorance. As long as we hae ignorance, we cannot
realize the state o Anup"d"na, Detachment.
1he Buddha preached the Dhamma or the cessation o
ignorance. 1he direct opposite o ignorance is wisdom and
Buddhism is based on wisdom. Once, the Buddha said that
his Dhamma is not for fools but for the wise
,pann"antass"yam dhammo n"yam dhammo duppannassa,.
\hen one is led by delusion or ignorance, one cannot see
things as they are, but sees things as permanent and belonging to
onesel, but this is not the reality in the world. 1he wise can
understand that there is nothing permanent in the world.
Deluded people are always deiating rom the Lightold Path
while the wise ollow the Path` properly. It is because o
delusion or ignorance o the Dhamma that people become
aerse or attached. 1hereore, attachment, aersion, and
delusion are unwholesome and always make our minds impure.
1he teaching o the Buddha is to extirpate those three roots. le
adised us to cultiate mindulness in order to puriy our minds.
Puriication o mind is needed or our daily actiities and or the
realization o Detachment ,Anup"d"na,. lor this purpose, the
Buddha prescribed the deelopment o 1he lourold
Contemplation` and 1he 1hree Roots o \holesome Actions`

namely alobha ,greedlessness,, adosa ,hatelessness,, and amoha
,non-delusion or wisdom,.
1he cultiation o these three: non-greed instead o greed
,alobha,, non-hate instead o hate ,adosa,, and true
understanding instead o delusion ,amoha,, brings about
Detachment, Anup"d"na. \hen one practices alobha, he
deelops generosity, when one practices adosa, he promotes
loing kindness, and when one practices amoha, he deelops
wisdom. 1he aim o the Buddha's teaching is the deelopment
o wisdom and attainment o nibb"na. 1he one who has
deeloped wisdom in this manner is called bhuripanna`
,Arahant,
1
. 1his is Anup"d"na achieed.
\e can easily comprehend the way one becomes attached to
things or people or other beings. \hen one is meditatie and
mindul suiciently, one would be able to mark how the
consciousness is unctioning. \e hae ie senses and our mind
or consciousness is always ready to receie a message rom
anyone o these. As we perceie something through the senses,
our consciousness decides to respond to it either negatiely or
positiely. I the response is negatie, we do not want to take it
as our own so we reuse it instead, this is reulsion. On the other
hand, i the response is positie, we like it and strie to grasp it
as our own, that is attachment.
Both o these lead to tendencies, which make us unhappy and
repelled. As long as we are under the inluence o ignorance
,moha,, we are susceptible to attachment and reulsion. But i
we can practice critical awareness at eery moment, we can
understand it and make it better. 1his is why sel-awareness is so
important in the teaching o the Buddha. Ior one's daily life,
one should meditate even if only for a few minutes and

1 S.N. ii.2.2. & Su.N. 348

keep up constant awareness as far as possible. 1hose who
are wise, practice the Dhamma in their daily lie silently and are
well aware o their thoughts. 1hey spend a ery simple but noble
lie in the world amidst all the ormidable phenomena, such as
disease, decay, and death.
As said earlier, both attachment and reulsion are not
endowed with the Dhamma, because the Dhamma represents
the Miaate !a, or Miaate Patb. 1his \ay or Path is impartial and
suitable or all liing beings to ollow. Aoiding the two
extremes, one must wisely understand Anup"d"na or
detachment as detachment. I one takes detachment` to an
extreme, this would be a wrong iew or opinion, in turn, leading
to the incurable disease o clinging itsel. As mentioned the
noun, non-attachment, was coined by luxley ,193, to
denote detachment or non-clinging to things. loweer,
detachment has a deeper meaning. \hile in 1hailand, in 1995, I
had some discussion with 1hera"da monks on this topic. 1hey
also accepted that the term, detachment`, gies much deeper
meaning than non-attachment. One should not come to a hasty
conclusion by mere reading or hearsay, but should be igilant
and wise to understand and experience reality in the world.
According to Buddhist scriptures, this term has been used to
denote a certain state o mind, which characterizes calmness,
serenity, and equanimity. 1hereore, one should be keen to
understand it clearly according to the context: Detachment is
not only being detached from attachment but also being
detached from aversion or revulsion. Non-attachment` on
the other hand, does not bring out the meaning o being at rest,
seclusion ,ieka,.
1

1 Ven. Ny"natiloka, Buddhist Dictionary, Published by Singapore Buddhist Meditation centre. 198.

In the irst absorption, it reads in Pali, Viiccea k"mehi
iicca akusalehi dhammehi saitakkam saic"ram iikajam
pitisukham pathamajjh"nam upasampajja iharati.`
1

lere the word Viicca` means detachment. Viiccea
k"mehi` reers to bodily detachment. Viicca akusalehi
dhammehi` reers to detachment rom karmically unwholesome
things, which are mental detachment.
1he word iekajam` reers to the arising |o rapture|
rom detachment o the ie hindrances namely: Sensuous desire
,k"macchanda,, ill-will ,y"p"da,, sloth and torpor
,thinamiddha,, restlessness and scruples ,uddhaccakukkucca,,
and skeptical doubt ,icikicch",. As the word detachment` is
ery subtle in meaning, it should be understood by being
indierent. It is achieed not by one's emotions, but by
knowledge and wisdom.
1he word describes the type o state o mind, which is
neither attached to anything nor repulsed by anything, calmness,
coolness, and serenity o mind are apparent in this state.
In other words, this is the state o Nibb"na, which is
ineable. 1hese characteristics are beyond words, extra-erbal.
Language is not suicient to express such supreme qualities
within ourseles.
2

\e beliee that erbal knowledge cannot describe the inal
meaning o Anup"d"na. 1here are many instances in the canon,
which proe that some monks and lay people hae realized
impermanence through wisdom, and attained Nibb"na by seeing
or perceiing the slightest thing such as the alling o a lea or

1 D.N. 2 Sutta , S"mannaphala Sutta,
2 Asanga 1ilakaratne. Nir"na and Ineability ,A study o the Buddhist theory o reality and language,
P.103

drying up o water etc. 1hat is the realization. 1his experience is
quite inexpressible. \e do not need to go ar to understand this
act, stated aboe. lor instance, can we express erbally the taste
o a cup o tea, not really! 1hereore, by this example, we can
conclude that language is not powerful enough to express
our experience, especially what results from the
development of our mental faculty.
1he Buddha himsel said that he uses language without
getting inoled, only or the purpose o general conentions.
1

1hereore, we can clearly understand that moha` or delusion
is the root cause or attachment, as well as, reulsion. It is
because o these three, we are entangled in the web o
deilements by either the clinging or aersion in our daily lies.
Anup"d"na, ieka, or detachment is not an extreme like
clinging or aersion, it is a state o calm detachment` - a very
positive state.

##########

1 D.N. I. Page 202.

CHAP1LR 1WO

PRINCL SIDDH#R1HA AND HIS
UNAIDLD IN1UI1IVL WISDOM

i). His Birth and Mindfulness
In the preceding chapter, we deoted time to examine the
meaning o attachment ,Up"d"na, and detachment ,Anup"d"na,
in general. In this chapter, we hope to discuss Privce iaab"rtba
ava bi. .ecvtar tife, rbicb tea to bi. ivtvitire vvaiaea !i.aov.
Considering some later exaggerations in Buddhist Literature, our
attempt here is to oer some critical analysis, ocusing on the
1ripitaka. Special attention will be gien to the Sutta Pitaka.
It is a act, that there are exaggerations in literature. In
Buddhism, een in the 1ripitaka 1ext, embellishments can be
ound. Neertheless, the real teachings o the Master are eer
glistening like gems in the midst o pebbles. I we are mindul
and sel critical, we can perceie the truth. 1he Buddha, in his
discourses clearly pointed out the need to be critical een about
the Buddha`s own claim to be a Sel-Awakened One` or not,
,Vimamsakena bhikkhae bhikkhun" parassa cetopariy"yam

aj"nantena 1ath"gate samannesan" k"tabb", samm" sambuddho
" no " iti inn"n"y"ti,.
1

In the scriptures, we do not come across a continuous
account o the lie o the Buddha. In order to introduce tales o
the Buddha`s preious births, commentarial literature tells us o
incidents rom the Buddha`s lie that are releant to a particular
J"taka story only. 1he commentator o the Buddhaamsa
speciies the arious places, where the Buddha kept his Rainy
Retreat` during the rainy seasons in the irst twenty years o his
Ministry.
\e can collect data about the Buddha`s lie rom the Sanskrit
works also, as they gie a quite similar narration to the lie o
Siddh"rtha and the Buddha much like the P"li accounts. 1he
Mab!ra.tbv and the atitari.tara,a are two such Sanskrit works.
As in the Pali Scriptures we do not get a continuous account
o the Buddha`s lie, we will hae to examine ery careully some
Suttas o the Sutta Pitaka in a comparatie assessment. In many
Suttas, there are reerences to the Buddha's lay lie. In order to
understand this earlier potion o the Buddha's lie, we can
examine the .ri,aari,e.ava vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a irst.
According to this Sutta, the great renunciation is not as we
hae traditionally been told. ,1here is neither Channa nor
Kantaka etc,. It is said that the Buddha, in the time beore
gaining enlightenment, let home and went orth while ery
young as his unwilling parents were weeping and wailing. 1he
Buddha said, Being young, my hair coal-black, possessed o
radiant youth, in the prime o my lie, although my unwilling
parents wept and wailed, haing cut o my hair and beard,
haing put on yellow robes I went orth rom home into

1 M.N. I.4 Sutta

homelessness`.
1
,Daharoa sam"no susu k"lakeso bhadrena
yobbanena samann"gato pathamena ayas" ak"mak"nam
m"t"pitunnam assumukh"nam rudant"nam kesamassum
oh"ret" k"s"y"ni atth"ni acch"det" ag"rasm" anag"riyam
pabbajim,.
Chronologically, Prince Siddh"rtha was born in 623 B.C. to a
King in Northern India o the warrior race o Sakyans, bearing
the amily name o Gotama.
2
Accepting the date o his birth, he
then went orth in 594 BC, attained Lnlightenment in 588 BC,
and passed away into Parinibb"na in 543 BC. loweer, we
should not orget that scholars hae not yet reached the
conclusion o these acts because o the lack o archaeological
and historical eidence. It is most likely that he, prince
Siddhartha, was born in the 6
th
century BC in India, though there
is no conormity amongst scholars on this matter. 1here were six
teachers, who were senior contemporaries o the Buddha, by
names: Niganthan"tha putta, Makkhaligos"la, Pakudhakacc"na,
Ajithakesakambala, Sanjaya Bellatthi putta, and Purana Kassapa.
\hen considering the description o the birth o Prince
Siddh"rtha, there are apparent exaggerations within the literature,
howeer, we cannot draw a strict line between literary
embellishments and Canonical accounts.
3
Our aim here is to ind
some acts that are more reliable. Undoubtedly, in the Buddhist
literature, there are some interpretations and conceptions which
are supernatural and beyond empirical eriication, but we
should try to relate to the world in which we lie. Prince

1 M.N. I.26 Sutta
2 Jayasuriya \.l. 1he Psychology and Philosophy o Buddhism- P. xiii. Published by \MBA Colombo-
1963
3 Ldward J 1homas ,1he lie o Buddha. P.1

Siddh"rtha was born to this world as a human being. I we can
accept this act, we must discuss things on this basis.
In any religious teaching, there is, to a certain extent, a
growth o apocryphal additions as well as supernatural accounts
o the Masters. In the teaching o the Buddha, we come across
such things like miracles at birth and death. In this matter, I am
also reluctant to accept some o the exaggerated accounts about
his birth and death. 1he Buddha himsel did not like to perorm
miracles during his lietime. Once, he thoroughly rebuked a
certain monk or such actiities.
1

Although miraculous perormances are unpalatable to
modern society, some miracles at the eent o the Supreme
One`s birth and death may hae been possible. 1hese are not
things orced by gods or demons but certain natural changes in
the world. In some Suttas, we ind these miraculous things
occurring in the lie o the Buddha. In the Mab!aa!va vtta o
the Digba î/!,a,
2
the Buddha explained some natural laws
,dhammat", pertaining to the Bodhisatta Vipassi who arose in
the world ninety-one eons ago, and the same natural laws as they
apply to the Buddhas Sikhi, Vessabhu, Kakusanda, Konagamana,
Kassapa upto and including himsel, Buddha Gotama, extending
or a period o thirty-one eons.
In his explanation, the Buddha gae all the ollowing: 1he
eon in which each Buddha arose, the social rank, amily, lie-
span, the kind o tree under which each attained Lnlightenment.
In addition, the names o his two chie disciples, the number o
the Arahants present at assemblies, the name o the usual
attendant Bhikkhu, and the name o that Buddha`s mother and
ather, and birthplace. In accordance with this Sutta, such natural

1 Vin. II. P.110 and also see DhA. iii.P 201, DPPN Vol.II. P.203
2 D.N. II.1. Sutta

happenings and laws are ery common to all Bodhisattas.
loweer, the story related here is not about Siddhartha Gotama,
but about Vipassi ,how he was born, brought up, went orth
ater seeing our signs ,an aged man, sick man, corpse and
recluse,, and attained Lnlightenment.
lrom the knowledge we hae gleaned so ar, rom this Sutta,
we can surmise that the story o Prince Siddh"rtha has also been
compiled in its current orm, under the literary inluence rom
the story o the Buddha Vipassi. 1hus, a deout Buddhist may
say that the story o a Buddha is common to all Buddhas, but it
is unpalatable to intellectual people. I we accept this as a act,
we all would all into the lap o atalism where ate is highly
accepted. In light o the Buddha's teaching, we can understand
that the story o Gotama the Buddha should dier rom that o
the others. 1hereore, we may assume that the lie o Siddh"rtha
is rather an extraordinary one, and should not be some thing
supernatural nor necessarily be the same as the story o Vipassi
Buddha.
As we said earlier, Prince Siddh"rtha was born in the North
o India, in the 6
th
century BC.
le was not the creation o a

Creator nor did he suddenly appear rom the sky. \hile as a
being in Sams"ra, he chose an appropriate place to be conceied,
this was in the womb o M"y", the Queen o King Suddhodana
who was the then ruler o Kapilaatthu. Ater the completion o
ten months gestation, the baby was deliered in the Lumbini
Groe. 1he Mab! Paa!va vtta o the Digba î/!,a, as well as
.ccbari,abbbvtaabavva vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
1
gie
accounts o some speciic rules ,dhammat", which apply to
beings destined to be ully Lnlightened.

1here is no conormity among the Scholars on the date o birth o the Buddha
1 M.N.123 Sutta

O these rules, some are ery important or the better
understanding o the birth o the Buddha and are known as the
wonderul and marelous qualities o the Buddha.
According to the Sutta, when the Bodhisatta had descended
into his mother's womb, she became intrinsically pure reraining
by necessity rom killing breathing things, rom taking what is
not gien, rom unchastity, rom alse speech, and rom
indulgence in wine, liquor, and ermented brews. ,\ad"
Bodhisatto m"tu kucchim okkanto hoti, pakatiy" silaati
bodhisattassa m"t" hoti, irat"pan"tip"t", irat" adinn"d"n",
irat" k"mesumicch"c"r", irat"mus""d", irat" sur" meraya
majjha pam"datth"n",.
1

Venerable Ny"namoli explains these wonderul and
marelous qualities o the Buddha as ollows:
\hen the Bodhisatta had descended into mother`s
womb, no kind o aliction arose within her. She was
blissul in the absence o all bodily atigue. It was as
though a blue, yellow, red, white or brown thread had
been strung through a ine beryl gem o purest water, |her
womb|, eight-aceted and well cut, so that a man with
sound eyes taking the gem in his hand might reiew it
thus, 1his is ine beryl gem o purest water, eight-aceted
and well cut, and through it, is strung a blue, yellow, red,
white or brown thread`. So too, the Bodhisatta`s mother
saw him within her womb with all his limbs, lacking no
aculty.
Seen days ater the Bodhisatta was born, his mother
died and was reborn in the leaen o the Contented`.
Other women gie birth ater carrying the child in the

1 M.N.123 Sutta

womb or nine or ten months, ,according to the system o
the calendar,, but not so the Bodhisatta's Mother. She
gae birth to him ater carrying him in her womb or
exactly ten months. Other women gie birth seated or
lying down but not so the Bodhisatta's mother, she gae
birth to him standing up. \hen the Bodhisatta came orth
rom his mother's womb, irst the deities receied him,
then human beings.
1

Ater his birth, he was stainless and undeiled by watery
matter, undeiled by mucus, undeiled by blood, undeiled by any
other impurity. 1he Sutta states urther that ater his birth he
stood eenly on his eet and aced the North, then took seen
strides. \hile a white sunshade was being held oer him, he
scanned all the quarters and uttered as with the oice o a lion,
I am the chief in the world, I am the best in the world, I
am the eldest in the world. 1his is my last birth. 1here is
no more rebecoming for me.
Both these Suttas are quite similar and narrate the story o the
wonderul and marelous qualities o the Buddha. lor our study,
there is a ery signiicant passage in the .ccbari,abbbvta abavva
vtta. In this Sutta, it is said in Pali sato sammpaj!no
Bodhisatto tusita k!y! cavitv! m!tukucchim okkamiti
2
,
which means, 1he Bodhisatta passed rom the 1usita group
mindfully, and with clear consciousness entered his mother's
womb. 1his statement brings out the essence of the whole
teaching of the Buddha. 1he Buddha taught the
importance of being mindful. His whole teaching is based

1 Bhikkhu Ny"namoli- 1he lie o the Buddha- P.4. Published by Buddhist Publication Society kandy
-Sri Lanka1984
2 M.N.123 .Sutta

on mindfulness. 1hereore, we can see rom the ery beginning
o his career, that he had been mindul. \e can assume that the
doctrine o mindulness had been practiced throughout his lie.
He practiced what he preached, ,yath""di tath"k"ri,.
It makes abundantly clear that een in his lay lie he was
practicing constant mindulness. On the contrary, as a habit, he
contemplated on inhaling and exhaling. lor instance, it is a well-
known act that he practiced contemplation on breathing een in
the ery early days o his lie under the rose apple tree while his
ather was ploughing the ield.
ii). Mindful Prince Who Lived Close to Nature
Being restricted to legendary explanations o the lie o the
Buddha, we should not be narrow-minded. \e see the Prince as
a human being who was ery close to nature. Some o us hasten
to identiy him as a superhuman, a superman ,mah"purisa,. 1his
idea o a superhuman may hae come in later times rom
Mah"y"na 1radition with its numerous Bodhisattas.
Some
Suttas, like the a//bava vtta o the Digba î/!,a, illustrates the
32 Physical Marks o a Mah"purisa ,mah"purisa lakkhana,. Some
o these described marks are quite unnatural such as a ery large
tongue ,pahuta jiha,, webbed hands and eet, like a net
,j"lahatthap"do,.
1

\e cannot enisage a human being with such marks as those
described on the Buddha. 1he idea o a superhuman or a
Mah"purisa is that one has deeloped one`s mind to its greatest
limit. In Buddhism, we learn about people who do hae
extraordinary characteristics, that is true. Len the Buddha is
purported to hae had some highly unusual marks upon his

Mah"purisa according to the early Buddhism is an Lnlightened One.
1 D.N. Lakkhana Sutta, Sn.Sela Sutta, D.N. Ambattha Sutta
Bhi kkhu Seel "nanda

physical body at birth. 1he physical perection o a person or
lack there o, will depict the character o one's personality. \hen
one's characteristics are exaggerated one may become eil or a
person who has neer come to exist in the world. R"machandra
P"ndeya says, 1he idea o Superman or Mah"purisa with mental
and een physical perection is deinitely a later growth in
Buddhism. It is the result o a later thinking process o the
Buddhists. \hen the ideal o |an| Arahant ailed to appeal to
them, they wanted some higher substitute to replace the old
ideal`.
1

Against this background, we can now examine how Prince
Siddhartha spent his teenage years in the palace. According to
some literary sources, the prince spent most o his time inside
the palace ground and he knew nothing o sorrow, old age,
sickness, or death. loweer, i we are intuitie enough we can
come to the reasonable conclusion that the Prince was not so
conined to the palace as described in the later compilations.
In many Suttas, the Buddha has propounded that suering
maniests eerywhere in the world. 1he world itsel, according to
his teaching is not only the material world o phenomenal but
also the world within onesel.
2

\hoeer is born to this world has to undergo suering. 1hat
is the most intrinsic eature in the lie o a being. 1he Buddhas
are born to discoer the truth, which is coered with ignorance
,aijj",. Prince Siddh"rtha, according to our iew, had been
mindul rom the ery beginning o his lie. As a Prince, he was
proided with eerything or a luxurious lie, but since he was
mindul, he did not indulge in such useless things.

1 Ramachandra Pandeya, Buddhist Studies in India P.61. -195
2 S.N. Rohitassa Sutta

In his lie, he neer conined himsel to the palace. It is true
that he had not gone outside the walls or come down rom his
palace during the our months o the rains. loweer, one can
think that he must hae gone out in other months o the year.
According to the Deticatet, ^vrtvrea Di.covr.e o the .vgvttara
î/!,a, the Buddha said, Monks, I was delicately nurtured,
exceedingly-delicately nurtured, delicately nurtured beyond
measure... I had three palaces, one or winter, one or summer,
and one or the rainy season. In the our months o the rains, I
was waited on by minstrels, women all o them. I did not come
down rom my palace in those months`.
1
le did meet with his
riends Channa, Deadatta, Bhagu, Kimbila, and Kalud"yi. le
also isited many people belonging to many classes and creeds in
society. \e should consider that a country like India, een in
those days, might not hae been prosperous enough or all to
lie happily and peaceully. 1he society was complex with many
isms` such as Brahmanism, Shramanism, Jainism, Ajiikism,
Nihilism, Lternalism, Monism, and Pluralism so that people
were bewildered. 1he Prince was born and bred in this society,
mindully.
Just beore the emergence o Buddhism in India,
Brahmanism had preailed and inluenced the lies and thoughts
o the people in Central India. It is more meaningul to say, that
the period was rabvavoavi.baaic period, because in pre-
Buddhist society Brahmanic and Upanishadic inluence were at
their zenith.
It could be seen clearly, that according to Brahmanistic iews,
the structure o society was diinely ordered. In Rigeda, it is
said that a ourold society was created by the cosmic person or
the Brahman.
2
\e are able to ind out much about the

1 A.N. i.iii.4.38 Sutta
2 Rigeda X.ix.12

contemporary society rom Buddhist literature as well as other
contemporary religious literature. Prince Siddh"rtha wished to
see things as they really were since his childhood. le recognized
the etters o lay lie, howeer was not at once disgusted,
disenchanted. 1he people he associated with were not just rom
blue-blooded amilies, he must hae associated with poor people
also. In the 6th Century B. C., in Indian society, most people
were truth seekers. 1hey went rom place to place undergoing
many hardships. In the Canonical 1eaching, we come across
many such wanderers like, Vacchagotta, Dighanakha, M"gandiya,
Sandaka, Sakulud"yin, Uggham"na, and Vekhanassa. 1hey were
not just wanderers but seekers, searching or relie, truth.
1hey spent days and nights asting conscientiously, and in the
thick jungle een daringly. Sometimes, they conronted many
diiculties acing urious animals and snakes, howeer, deoted
their lies unsweringly or the achieement o emancipation. In
the orest, some o them practiced seere austerities such, as
boine ,goatika, asceticism and canine ,kukkuraatika,
asceticism.
1
1hese were not new practices in the history o India,
but rom the ery beginning o the indiidual's lie. Although
they practiced these austerities since the beginning o their lies,
they did not succeed in obtaining proitable results.
Many ollowed those teachers blindly and delusiely,
howeer, the teachers themseles were in the darkness o
ignorance. 1hey neer reached emancipation. Prince Siddhartha
examined the real disease in current society penetratiely and
started to seek a panacea. Since he was always in the habit o
practicing mindulness and constant awareness, he was able to
assess the nature o people as well as learn the arious concerns
o the day. As an extraordinary prince, he was eer alert. Once
the Buddha said, Beore my enlightenment, O monks, when

1 M.N. 5 Sutta

still a Bodhisatta, this thought occurred to me: \hat is
enjoyment in the world, what is misery in the world, and what is
the escape rom the world`.
1

In this manner, he himsel questioned, and being mindul and
wise, understood the real nature o the world. 1he abandoning
o desire and passion or the world is the avacea, the escape
rom the world.
iii). Prince and his Lducational Background
In our early Buddhist Scriptures, we do not ind a complete
explanation o his early educational period. loweer, according
to the customs o the time, especially or a Prince, he would
hae been gien the highest leel o teaching o the Veda, logic,
idioms, linguistics, dialectics, philosophy, and history.
2
At the
same time, the knowledge o etymology, phonology and the arts
o swordsmanship, archery, and horseback riding, etc. 1he
Buddhist scriptures are ull o illustrations used by the Buddha
rom such dierse ields as metalwork, carpentry, horse taming,
arming and trades in which the Buddha appears to hae had ar-
lung experiences in the lie o his society. le was also ery
skilul in the use o language with reerence to context. One may
say that the Buddha had such a ast knowledge because o his
Lnlightenment, this is true. le gained deep knowledge through
his wisdom ater the Lnlightenment. Nevertheless, even
before the Lnlightenment he was well versed, Master in
many areas of knowledge.
\e can ind in his teaching that most o his illustrations and
examples were taken rom contemporary society. \hen he talks
to a armer, he appears to know arming better than the armer

1 A. N. I. 35 Sutta. See \heel Publication NO. 155,158 page. 56
2 M.N.100 Sutta, Su. N.1020, D.N. iii sutta

does.
1
low could he hae secured that knowledge, was it ater
the Lnlightenment I do not think so. In my iew, as he was
mindul, he was aware o what was going on within the society
deeply and penetratiely. le had a ery good knowledge o
society and the nature o the world rom his ery early days.
iv). Iour Signs and Renunciation
1he our signs ,Catt"ri Pubbanimitt"ni, in accordance with
the Mab!aa!va vtta o the Digba î/!,a are:
1. An aged man ,jinno,,
2. A sick man ,by"dito,,
3. A corpse ,k"lakato,, and
4. A recluse ,pabbajito,, respectiely.
2

One should remember that these our eents as narrated,
took place during the time o the Bodhisatta Vipassi who was
born ninety-one eons ago, but does not speciically reer to
Prince Siddhartha. 1he story narrated in the Sutta has been
generalized to apply to all the Buddhas. loweer, it may sound
unconincing. As said preiously, the Buddha himsel once
stated how he renounced his secular lie while his unwilling
parents wept and wailed.
3

At this point, I consider it necessary to unrael the
philosophical and psychological aspects o the our signs
,catt"ripubbanimitt"ni, that led the Prince to the great
renunciation. lor this purpose, one must be alert and critical, on
the other hand, one must be tolerant. 1hough the

1 S.N. 1.4.Sutta ,Kasibharadaja ,
2 D.N.14 Sutta
3 M.N. 26 Sutta P.20

Commentators ,especially, J"taka Commentator, iidly and
iguratiely explain the early days o the Buddha`s lie, we should
be careul to cast away the dust and grasp only the original idea.
In keeping with the Commentary, the our signs were
creations o the gods, created to be seen only by the prince and
his charioteer Channa. Ater haing seen all the our signs, in
accordance with the account, he decided to renounce the lay lie.
loweer, since we do not hae satisactory eidence in the
Canon, we do not wish to accept it only on the explanation
ound in later literature.
1he point I wish to submit or consideration is, that the so-
called our signs` were not creations o the gods but creations o
the imagination o Prince Siddh"rtha himsel. 1hese four signs,
as I see it, stand for impermanence, unsatisfactoriness,
soullessness, and Nibb!na.
As I pointed out earlier, the Prince was keen and mindul
about understanding things as they are`. In the world,
eerything is in the process o being conditioned, nothing is
static but kinetic. Since eerything is changing, things`, or
names o things` are true only or grammar. I one is mindul,
one can understand the impermanence o these concepts. 1his
Prince Siddh"rtha deeloped his mind by scrutinizing many
objects in nature such as, the blooming o lowers and their
ading away. le saw the uninterrupted continuity o the lie
cycle in growing plants and blooming lowers. le might hae
spent hours and hours inspecting lora and auna in nature.
1hese our imaginings led him to fore.ee rbat rovta be reatiea iv
tbe fvtvre. O the our signs, three characteristics o existence
were to be seen through the irst three signs and Liberation
,Nibb"na,, through the last one. An aged man was the irst sign
,imagining, to be relected in the Prince's mind. So, what is
ageing According to the accaribbavga vtta o the Ma;;biva

î/!,a,
1
it is the decay o beings in the arious maniested orms
o being, their decrepitude, broken teeth, graying hair, wrinkling
skin, the dwindling o the lie-span, the collapse o the sense-
organs. ,katam"causo jar" y" tesam tesam satt"nam tamhi tamhi
sattanikaye jar"jiranat" khandiccam ph"liccam alittacat" "yuno
samh"ni indriy"nam parip"ko,.
1hus, it explains the nature o eer-changing organs and
other elements o the body, molecules een. 1hese are the main
characteristics o component things ,sankh"ra, in the world. In
the .vicca vtta o the av,vtta î/!,a,
2
the Buddha expounded,
Body, monks, is impermanent, eeling, perception, the
actiities, consciousness are impermanent`. 1he well-taught
mindul person, seeing the impermanence o all the ie
aggregates o existence, is dissatisied by the body, eeling,
perception, actiities, and consciousness. Being dissatisied he
neer lusts or anything in the inner or outer world.
\hen the isualization o an aged-man occurred in the
Prince`s mind, at once he saw the nature o lie, as it is to be
born in this world. le could perceie it comprehensiely
because o his critical eye and well-trained mindulness.
loweer, as seen in our literary works, the signiicance o the
aculties o critical apprehension and mindulness` is not
relected. In accordance with some accounts of the Life of
the Buddha, in this instance, Prince Siddh!rtha had
behaved in a childlike innocent way, but his age then was
twenty-nine. 1hereore, it is an unacceptable assumption that
he had not known or seen an aged man beore. I he were not
permitted to go out rom the palace by his ather Suddhodana
who was determined to enthrone his son as the monarch, how
could he hae not seen his ather, stepmother, wie, and the

1 M.N. 141 Sutta P 295
2 S.N. iii P.20

elderly courtiers themseles growing old in the palace I think it
is ery correct to assume that the Prince was, by that time,
earnestly practicing his mindulness and awareness. 1hat would
hae been the main dierence between the prince and the rest o
the society at that time. 1hus, the irst isualization o his mind
embodied the characteristics o impermanence.
lis second isualization was o a sick man. lrom the
Buddhist point o iew, birth, decay, sickness, and death are
suering. ,j"tipi dukkh" jar"pidukkh" y"dhipidukkho
maranampidukkham,.
1
1hose are the our signs symbolized by
the our animals in the moonstone in Sri Lanka.
2
Prince
Siddh"rtha, ater seeing a sick man while on his way to a park in
order to get closer to nature, was thinking about the arious
types o sicknesses. le must hae realized that as worldly
people, King Suddhodana and his amily may also hae been
alicted with diseases. loweer, on this particular day, while he
was relecting about this incident mindully, he understood the
nature o suering. Perhaps he might hae seen people suering
in society because as I mentioned earlier, he was not bred in the
remote orest but in an urban enironment.
laing seen the sick man on that day, he understood that
suering was the nature o all impermanent things in the world.
lurther, he understood that whatsoeer shares the essence o
impermanence, is suering. One may question how the prince
understood these things een prior to his Lnlightenment. It is

1 S.N. V. P.420, Mahaagga .I.10. 1
2 1he moonstone is a semi circle slab o hard granite that which is the irst o steps leading to a shrine-
room or a temple. At the edge o this stone is a base o cared lames, which is indicatie o suering, a
ine ollowing the cared edge o this stone inside the lames, depicts craing. Next, come our animals:
elephant, bull, horse, and lion, which are symbolic o birth, disease, decay, and death. Aboe the animals is
placed a line o swans, which are representatie o purity. linally, you will see a lotus which is heaen or
Liberation, Nibb"na.

true, that one may not understand such phenomena deeply or
entirely beore the attainment o one's Lnlightenment.
Neertheless, with our experience o meditating throughout
many years in the country, as well as abroad, we can say that we
are able to observe these three characteristics to a limited
extent through meditation.
\e all can accept that the prince was not just an aerage
prince but also a genius o ininite proportion, who had done
many meritorious deeds in his preious births ,J"taka stories
depict his preious births,. 1hereore, he would hae had an
unparalleled and unquestionable personality with the power to
understand those characteristics o existence better than a
normal person would, such as you or me.
Along the way, he relected upon the irst two signs and
concluded that whateer is liable to change and suering, that
cannot be grasped as one`s sel or soul. lurther, down the way,
he saw a corpse being brought to a cemetery. Since seeing these
three signs, the aged man, the sick man, and the corpse, prince
Siddhartha must hae relected upon these three signs repeatedly
both critically and mindully, as a result, right understanding
arose in him ,samm"ditthi,. lurther, he re-thought, How
sensual desire provides little gratification but much
suffering and despair, and how great is the danger in
them.
1
1he Buddha said, 1o me, monks, thus blest with much
prosperity and nurtured with exceeding delicacy, this thought
occurred, surely, one o the uneducated men-olk, though
himsel subject to old age, and decay, not haing passed beyond
old age and decay, when he sees another broken down with age
is troubled, ashamed, disgusted, being orgetul that he himsel,
is such a one`.

1 M.N. 14 Sutta

Now, I too am subject to old age and decay, not haing
passed beyond old age and decay. 1hough I were to see another
broken down with old age, I might be troubled, ashamed, and
disgusted. 1his would not be seemly in me. 1hus, monks, as I
considered the matter, all pride in my youth deserted me.
1
Again,
monks, I thought...subject to disease... now, I too am subject to
disease... thus, monks, as I considered the matter, and all pride in
my health deserted me. Again monks, I thought, subject to
death, now I too am subject to death... thus, monks, as I
considered the matter all pride in my lie deserted me.` Against
this background, he thought deeply and he was led to the ourth
sign, i.e. a recluse.
Prince Siddh"rtha, through his critical knowledge, discerned
that pleasures o the senses are o little satisaction and much
pain. le relected on the lie o a householder and that o a
recluse, who had gone orth rom home to homelessness. 1hen
it occurred to his mind that the lie o a recluse is more liberated,
unlimited, like space, and the lie and pleasures o the secular
world are coered with dust. 1hereupon, he perceied the
coolness in the lie o a recluse as the ourth sign.
1hese thoughts sank deeply into his consciousness and on
that day itsel, he decided to relinquish all the animate and
inanimate things that belonged to him. 1hen, with ery clear
understanding, he renounced the \orldly Lie` seeking ater
good ,kimkusala gaesi,. In the Mab! Parivibb!va vtta o the
Digba î/!,a,
2
the Buddha says: 1wenty-nine was I, when I
renounced the world, Subhadda, seeking ater good! Now oer
ity years and more hae passed, since the day I went orth, to
roam the realm o wisdom's law outside o which no ascetic can
be, |lirst, second, third or orth degree|. Other schools of such

1 A.N. I. P.129
2 D.N. 16 Sutta .P.16

are bare, but here, if monks live perfectly, the world won't
lack for Arahants.`
Lkunatimso ayas" Subhadda
\am Pabbajim kim kusalanuesi
Vass"ni pann"sa sam"dhik"ni
\ato aham pabbajito Subhadda...

lrom this statement o the Buddha, made a ew days beore
his Great Parinibb"na, we can clearly conclude that his
renunciation came to pass at the age o 29 and that he passed
into Parinibb"na at the age o eighty. 1hus, haing understood
the signiicance o being as solitary as a horned rhinoceros,
1
he
renounced the world.
v). 1he Prince among the 1eachers
Being well established in mindulness, the Prince understood
the danger in sensual pleasures and saety in going orth.
2

1hereater, he went orth as a recluse. According to the Pabba;;!
vtta o the vttavi!ta, haing gone orth, he isited R"jagaha
or alms. \hile the recluse was going around or his ood,
Bimbis"ra, the king o Magadha, saw him and sent some
messengers to ind out where he was going. laing concluded
his alms-round, the recluse, Siddh"rtha, reached mount
P"ndawa. Ater seeing him, the messengers went back to the
King and inormed him o what the recluse was doing.

1 Su.N. 1. 3- Khaggais"na Sutta-, leaing behind son and wie, and ather and mother, and wealth and gain
and relaties and sensual pleasures to the ull extent, one should wander as solitary as a Rhynoceros` horn,
2 Su.N. Pabbajja Sutta

1hey said, 1hat bhikkhu, Great king, is seated on the eastern
side o P"ndawa, like a tiger or bull, like a lion in a mountain
cae.`
1
,Lsa bhikkhu mah"r"ja p"ndawassa purakkhato nisinno
yaghrasabho a sihowa girigabbhare,. learing the report o the
messengers, the King went to Mount P"ndawa to see him in the
state ehicle.
Upon reaching the recluse, the king sat down and exchanged
the customary riendly greetings. 1hen spoke these words, \ou
are young and tender in your irst youth, a stripling endowed
with good complexion and stature, like a Khattiya o good birth.
I shall gie you all things o enjoyment, een my ery
kingdom...enjoy them, but tell me o your birth ,j"tim akkh"hi,
rom what clan are you`
1he Recluse reealed his birth and amily background to the
king saying, that he was Sakya by birth and Adicca by clan. le
also told the King that he did not desire any sensual pleasures.
,Adicca n"ma gottena S"kiy" n"ma j"tiy", tamh" kul"
pabbajitomhi r"ja na k"me abhi patthayam,.
2
1he Recluse urther
explained that he was striing orth to achiee happiness o
mind.
As a Recluse, he wandered in the jungle mindully and stroe
to see things in reality, priority was gien to intra-perception. le
was well aware o his enironment, being keen and igilant, this
eer-alert Recluse practiced many methods o meditation. le
went rom place to place seeking what is good ,kimkusala, and
what is truth ,kimsacca,.
On one occasion, according to the .ri,aari,e.ava vtta o the
Ma;;biva î/!,a,
3
in recollecting his early lie beore awakening,

1 Ibid 416
2 Su. N. 423
3 M.N.26 Sutta

the Buddha said that haing gone orth in quest o whateer is
good, searching or the incomparable, the matchless path to
peace, he approached Al"ra K"lama, and accepted and ollowed
his instructions, and mastered it ery quickly. ,so kho aham
bhikkhae nacirassea khippamea tam dhammam sayam
abhinn" sacchikat" upasampajja ih"sim,.
In this connection, we must recognize the quickness o his
grasp o any aailable knowledge. 1he Sutta says that he
mastered the teachings o Al"ra K"l"ma as quickly as he heard
him. ,ottha pahata mattena lapita l"pana mattena,. \hat is
behind such quick learning 1o my mind, it is nothing but his
well-established mindulness. le also possessed a critical mind,
through which he realized that this teaching o K"l"ma, is
certainly inappropriate or the realization o truth. le thought:
1his dhamma does not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion,
to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to
nibb"na ,n"yam dhammo nibbid"ya na ir"g"ya na nirod"ya na
upasam"ya na abhinn"ya na sambodh"ya na nibb"n"ya
samattati,.` 1hereupon the recluse Gotama contemplated that
it was not only Al"ra K"l"ma who had aith, energy, and
mindulness, but he himsel, had mindulness ,mayhampi atthi
sati,, thus, he endeaored to realize the dhamma in a dierent
\ay.
At this moment, Al"ra K"l"ma said, 1he dhamma that I
know, is the dhamma that you know, and the dhamma that you
know, is the dhamma that I know. As I am, so are you, as you
are, so am I. Come now \our reerence, just the two o us, let
us go and look ater this group.` loweer, the recluse Gotama
not being satisied with the dhamma taught by K"l"ma went
away rom him.
lor the second time, the recluse, Gotama, went in search o
another teacher, one who was most amous at the time. 1his was
Uddaka R"ma`s son ,Uddakar"ma putta,. Ater approaching him,
the Recluse had the opportunity o leading the holy lie
according to his dhamma. Under the guidance o

Uddakar"maputta, he practiced and realized the dhamma he
taught. le eentually, inormed Uddaka that he had reached the
state o neither perception-nor-nonperception. ,nea sann" n"
sann",. 1his, howeer, was not the goal expected by the recluse
Gotama and soon ater this realization, he let the place
searching ater truth.
lenceorth, the recluse Gotama had to under go many
hardships. le spent his whole lie in quest o the truth,
sometimes, without een taking enough ood and water. During
this period o austerity, though he was physically weak and ailing,
he practiced constant awareness and understood how dierent
natural things happened in the orest. According to the
ba,abberara vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
1
the Buddha, later on,
declared, that there were some recluses who preerred to say that
night was similar to day, and day to night. loweer, the iew o
the Buddha was that they were liing in bewilderment. 1he
Buddha stated, I declare day as day and night as night.
1his is a ery important act to be gleaned rom the teaching o
the Buddha. 1hroughout his lie, the Buddha endeaored to see
things as they were, and encouraged others to see things as they
really are. 1his is what is meant in the oregoing ew lines about
seeing day-as-day and night-as-night. 1hose who know the
essential as essential and unessential as unessential are
dwelling in right thoughts and do arrive at the Lssential.
2

1herefore, mindfulness is the basic principle of
Buddhism. No Buddhism can prevail in the hearts of
people who do not practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is to
be practiced and cultivated at every moment in one's life.

1 M.N. 4 Sutta
2 Dh.12 Vr

Since the recluse Gotama was alert in the orest, according to
the ba,abberara vtta, o the Ma;;biva î/!,a, he heard strange
noises, which would hae terriied normal people. Not
terrified am I, I am one of those Ariyans who do not get
terrified, he said. 1hese strange noises did, indeed eoke
unskilled ear and dread. Surmounting ear and dread, the recluse
Gotama dwelt in the remote orest, extending loing kindness to
all liing beings.
1hus, turning away rom the teacher, Uddakar"maputta, he
made strong eort by himsel and meditated through both day
and night. le was endowed with good conduct and knowledge.
laing oercome craing to the ie aggregates o existence, he
consumed ery little ood and dedicated himsel to deep
concentration o mind.
In the Mab! acca/a vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
1
the
Buddha explained how he stroe or the realization o Nibb"na.
In our common belie, the Buddha attained enlightenment ater
the great struggle with M"ra under the Bodhi tree. 1here is a
long story about his lie beore the enlightenment, it is about
how he practiced meditation. 1he aboe Sutta o the Ma;;biva
î/!,a narrates this story iidly. A very few people are aware
of this story because most do not have access to the
original Suttas or the Scriptures. 1hereore, I think it is not
inappropriate to stress this interesting and quite impressie
struggle o the Buddha.
It reads as ollows in the Sutta:
It occurred to me, Aggiesana, suppose that I now with
my teeth clenched and tongue pressed against the roo o
the mouth, by mind along should subdue, restrain, and
dominate the mind. So I, Aggiesana, with my teeth

1 M.N. 36 Sutta

clenched, with my tongue pressed against the palate, by
mind subdued, restrained and dominated the mind. \hile
I was subduing restraining and dominating my mind, with
teeth clenched, the tongue pressed against the palate,
sweat poured rom my armpits. It is as i Aggiesana, a
strong man haing taken hold o a weaker man by his
head or shoulders, would subdue, restrain, and dominate
him. Len so, while I, Aggiesana, was subduing,
restraining, and dominating my mind, with my teeth
clenched, and with my tongue pressed against the palate
sweat poured rom my armpits. Although, Aggiesana,
unsluggish energy came to be stirred up in me, unmuddled
mindulness set up, yet my body was turbulent, not
calmed, because I was harassed in striing, by striing
against that ery pain, yet Aggiesana, that painul eeling
arising in me persisted without impinging on my mind. It
occurred to me, Aggiesana: I suppose now, that I should
meditate the non-breathing` meditation.
1hereore, Aggiesana I stopped breathing in and
breathing out through the mouth and through the nose.
\hen I, Aggiesana, had stopped breathing in and
breathing out through the mouth and through the nose,
there came to be an exceedingly loud noise o winds
escaping by the auditory passages, as there comes to be an
exceedingly loud noise rom the roaring o the smith's
bellows. So when I, Aggiesana, stopped breathing in and
breathing out through the mouth and through the noise,
there came to be an exceedingly loud noise o wind
escaping by the auditory passages. Although, Aggiesana,
unsluggish energy came to be stirred up in me, unmuddled

mindulness
set up, yet my body was turbulent, not

calmed, because I was een in this wise, Aggiesana that a
painul eeling that had arisen in me, persisted without
impinging on my mind.
It occurred to me, Aggiesana: suppose now that I
should still meditate the non-breathing meditation So I,
Aggiesana, stopped breathing in and breathing out
through the mouth and through the nose and through the
ears. \hen I, Aggiesana, had stopped breathing in and
breathing out through the mouth and through the nose
and through the ears, exceedingly loud winds rent my
head. Aggiesana, this as a strong man might cleae one's
head with a sharp-edged sword, een so when I,
Aggiesana, stopped breathing in and breathing out
through the mouth, through the nose, and through the
ears, exceedingly loud winds rent my mind. Although
Aggiesana, unsluggish energy came to be stirred up in
me, unmuddled mindulness set up, yet my body was
turbulent, not calmed, because I was harassed in striing
by striing against that ery pain. \et Aggiesana, that
painul eeling, arising in me, persisted without impinging
on my mind.
1

According to this explanation, we can understand the
diiculties he had to conront in the establishment o
mindulness. le says urther, that when he stopped breathing he
experienced seere headaches, as though a strong man might
clamp a turban upon one's head with a tight leather strap.

Mindulness neer departs him een in the struggle or the attainment o enlightenment. Mindulness can
be compare to one`s shadow which neer departs one`s body during a lie time.
1 M.N. 36 Sutta p.29-298

loweer, he did not stir up his mind because o his unmuddled
mindulness and sometimes, when he stopped breathing, he had
the experience as i his stomach was being cut with a sharp knie.
,seyyath"pi Aggiesana dakkho gogh"tako" gogh"takante"si "
tinhena goikantanena kucchim parikanteyya, eamea kho me
Aggiesana adhimatt" "t" kucchim parikantanti,.
Sometimes, while he was abstaining rom breathing, he says,
there came to be a ierce heat in his body, as i two strong men
haing taken hold o a weaker man by his limbs, might set ire to
him, might make him sizzle oer a charcoal pit, een then, he
neer changed his mind. le stroe to keep up his unmuddled
mindulness ,upatthita sati asamutth",. le neer ailed to sustain
his strong eort ,iriyam hoti asallinam,. \hatsoeer the
suering that arose in him, he neer allowed his mind to be
disturbed and was neer disgusted ,uppann" dukkh" edan"
cittam na pariy"d"ya titthati, and with eer-alert mind, he
meditated deeply.
According to the Sutta, some deities haing seen him, said,
1he recluse Gotama has passed away,` and some others said,
1he recluse Gotama has not passed away but he is passing
away`. 1hough he stroe so hard or the attainment o
enlightenment it ended in ailure because it was an extreme, it
was sel-mortiication. laing learnt the lesson that one should
not practice either sensual indulgence ,k"masukhalli k"nuyogo,
or sel-mortiication ,attakilamath"nuyogo,, he came to the wise
conclusion, that he should ollow the middle path, i.e. aoiding
the two extremes and remaining in the middle.
Little by little and drop by drop, he took ood such as bean
soup, lentil soup or etch soup or pea soup ,muggayusam yadi
" kulatthayusam yadi " k"layayusam yadi ",. 1he Buddha
explained thus in the Sutta:
Because I ate so little, all my limbs became like the
joints o withered creepers, because I ate so little my
buttocks became like a bullock's hoo, because I ate so
little my protruding backbone became like a string o

beads, because I ate so little my gaunt ribs became like the
crazy raters o a tumble-down shed, because I ate so little
my eyes sank ar down in their sockets, looking like the
gleam o water that has sunk ar down in a deep well,
because I ate so little, my scalp shrieled and withered as a
green bitter gourd shriels and withers in the wind and
sun.
1

1hus, he practiced meditation.
loweer, by this seere austerity, he ailed to gain the
expected results. 1hereater, he had to adopt another method o
meditation. \hile relecting on his past, came to remember how
he had meditated on the mindulness o breathing, in the cool
shade o a rose-apple tree. le thought o how he had entered
the irst absorption. 1his is, aloo rom pleasures o the senses,
aloo rom unskilled states o mind, howeer, accompanied by
initial thought, discursie thought, rapture, and joy.
Ater relecting on those early days, he decided once again, to
take suicient ood and practice mindulness o breathing. \hen
he started to hae solid ood such as boiled rice and sour milk,
the ie ascetics who were attending upon him, seeing him take
solid ood again, turned away rom him in disgust. According to
the discourse in the Aryan Quest, while on a walking tour
through Magadha, he came, in due course, to the township o
Uruela. 1here, he saw a delightul stretch o land and a loely
wooded groe, with a clear lowing rier with an easy crossing
and a illage or gathering alms near by. Now, haing recognized
the suitability o the place or striing, he sat down just there and
started to meditate. ,so kho aham bhikkhae kimkusalagaesi
anuttaram santiarapadam pariyesam"no Magadhesu
anupubbena c"rikam caram"no yena Uruel" sen"nig"mo

1 M.N. 36 Sutta P 300

tadaasarim. 1attha addasam ramaniyam bhumibh"gam
p"s"dikam ca anasandam, nadin ca sandantim setakam
supatittham ramaniyam samant" ca gocarag"mam. 1assa
mayham bhikkhae etadahosi: Ramaniyo ata bho bhumibh"go
p"s"dik" ca anasando nadi ca sandati setak" supatitth" ramaniy"
samant" ca gocarag"mo alam ata idam Kulaputtassa
padh"natthikassa padh"n"yati. so kho aham bhikkhae tatthea
nisidim alam idam padh"n"y"ti,.
1

In this manner, he came to sit in present Bodhgay", on the
bank o the rier Neranjar", or the inal attempt to attain
Nibb"na.
vi). Re-discovery of the Ancient Path (Middle
Path)
According to the Mab! acca/a vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
haing gained his strength by taking solid ood, he entered on
and became a dweller in the irst jh"na, born o solitude, ull o
joy and happiness. loweer, this did not obsess him. Ater
suppressing attention and inestigation, he entered in and
became a dweller in the second jh"na, born o that interior
concentration o mind, when reasoning and inestigation cease,
and one is tranquil, uplited, ull o joy, and happiness. \et, this
eeling o joy that arose in him in this way did not obsess him.
By the ading o joy, he remained equanimous, mindul, and
attentie, producing in his body that happy state o insight o
which the Aryans say: Lquanimous and mindul, he dwells in
happiness. le thus entered and became a dweller in the third
jh"na. \et the eeling o happy ease, which in that way arose in
him, could not obsess his thought. Rejecting joy and sorrow,
rejecting ormer gladness and sadness, and entering, he dwelt in
the ourth jh"na, both joy and sorrow perishing, a state o pure

1 M.N. 26 Sutta P. 166-16

lucidity and equanimity arose. \et, the happy eelings, which in
that way arose in him, could not obsess his thought.
1

\ith the mind composed thus: pure, translucent,
straightorward, cleansed o dross, supple, ready or action, irm,
incorruptible, he directed his mind to the knowledge and
recollection o ormer habitations. le remembered a ariety o
ormer habitations thus: one birth, two births, three births,
our... ie... ten... twenty... thirty... orty... ity... one hundred...
one thousand... a hundred thousand births and many an eon o
integration, many an eon o disintegration, many an eon o
integration and disintegration, such a one was he by name,
haing such and such a clan, such and such a color, so was he
nourished, such and such pleasant and painul experiences were
his, and so did the span o lie end. 1hen passing rom this, he
came to be in another state where such a one was he by name,
haing such and such a clan, such and such color, so was he
nourished, such and such pleasant and painul experiences were
his, and so did the span o lie end... that was the irst knowledge
attained by him in the irst watch o the night: ignorance was
dispelled, knowledge arose, darkness was dispelled, light arose,
een as he abided diligent, ardent, and sel-resolute.
1hen, he directed his mind to the knowledge o the passing
hence and arising o beings |in other planets|, with the mind thus
composed, quite puriied, quite clariied without blemish,
without deilement, grown sot and workable, ixed, immoable,
he saw beings as they pass hence, as they arise. le saw beings as
they passed hence, as they arose. le comprehended that beings
were born, mean or excellent, air or oul, in good birth, or in a
bad birth, according to the consequences o their deeds.

1 Brewster L.l. 1he lie o the Buddha, P.3-38 Published in 195 and M.N. 36 Sutta, M.N. 4 Sutta & also
D.N. II Sutta

Ater that, he directed his puriied mind to the knowledge o
the destruction o the cankers ,"saakkhaya,. le then saw that
his mind was reed rom the cankers o becoming, and
ignorance. 1his was the third knowledge attained by him during
the third watch o the night, ignorance was dispelled, knowledge
arose, darkness was dispelled, light arose, een as he abided
diligent, ardent, and sel-resolute. ,ayam kho me Aggiesana
rattiy" pacchime y"me tatiy" ijj" adhigat", aijj" ihat" ijj"
uppann", tamo ihat" "loko uppann", tath" tam appamattassa
"t"pino pahitassa iharato,.
1

1hus, he attained the unsurpassable three types o knowledge
,1eijj", unaided. 1his term, 1eijj"` is ery common in Vedic
literature. loweer, here, we are using the word in the Buddhist
context. Destroying all the cankers`, the recluse Siddh"rtha
Gotama attained ull Lnlightenment.
In the irst sermon, he explained his Lnlightenment as
ollows: Vision and insight arose in me, thus unshakeable
is the deliverance of my heart. 1his is the last birth. Now
there is no more re-becoming. ,n"nanca pana me dassanam
udap"di akupp" me ceto imutti ayam antim"j"ti natthid"ni
punabbhao,.
2

1he knowledge that he gained intuitiely was to see things as
they really were. le was neither a sel-tormentor, nor a
tormentor o others.
3
le knew suering as it really was. le
knew the origination o suering, as it really was. le knew the
cessation o suering as it really was, and he knew the path
leading to the cessation o suering as it really was. 1he Buddha
said, I know them as they really are: 1hese are the cankers. I

1 M.N. 36 sutta
2 S.N. V. P.420, see 1he book o protection,Dhammacakkapaattana Sutta,
3 M.N. 51 Sutta

know as it really is: 1his is the cessation o the cankers. I know it
as really is: 1his is the path that leads to the cessation o the
cankers.`
According to his teaching, the path leading to the cessation o
suering is the ancient path trodden by the Buddhas. \hat is
this ancient path 1he Buddha declared in the âgara vtta o
the av,vtta î/!,a,
1
that it is an ancient path, an ancient road,
traersed by the rightly Lnlightened Ones o ormer times
,Lameakh"ham bhikkhae addasam pur"na maggam
pur"namanjasam pubbakehi samm" sambuddhehi anuy"tam,.
2

lurthermore, he airmed that it was the Aryan Lightold Path.
1he illustration is gien in the Sutta as ollows:
Just as i monks, a man aring through the orest,
through the great woods should see an ancient path, an
ancient road traersed by men o ormer days, were he to
go along it and in going along it, he should see an ancient
city, an ancient prince's domain wherein dwelt men o
ormer days haing gardens, groes, pools, oundations o
walls, a goodly spot. And should that man, monks, should
bring word to the Prince or to the Prince's minister saying:
Pardon lord, know this I hae seen as I ared through the
orest, through the great woods, on the ancient path, an
ancient road traersed by men o ormer days. I hae been
along it and in going along it I hae seen an ancient city,
an ancient Prince's domain, wherein dwelt men o ormer
days, haing gardens, groes, pools, oundations o walls, a
goodly spot. Lord, restore that city, and monks, the Prince
or his minister should restore that city. 1hat city should
thereater, become prosperous and lourishing, populous,
teeming with olk, grown and thrien.

1 S.N. ii.P.2
2 Ibid. 106

Len so hae I, monks, seen an ancient path, an ancient
road traersed by the rightly Lnlightened Ones o ormer
times. And what, monks, is that ancient path, that ancient
road traersed by the rightly enlightened ones o ormer
times Just this Aryan Lightold Path, to wit, Right iews,
Right aims, Right speech, Right action, Right lielihood,
Right eort, Right mindulness, Right concentration. 1his
monks, is that ancient path, that ancient road, traersed by
the Rightly Lnlightened Ones o ormer times.
Along that hae I gone and ingoing along it, I hae ully
come to know decay-and-death. I hae ully come to know
the uprising o decay and death, I hae ully come to know
the ceasing o decay-and-death, I hae ully come to know
the way going to the ceasing o decay-and death. Along
that hae I gone, and ingoing along it, I hae ully come to
know birth, and becoming, and grasping, and craing, and
eeling, and contact, and sense, name-and shape, and
consciousness. Along that hae I gone and ingoing along
it, I hae ully come to know actiities, I hae ully come
to know the arising o actiities, I hae ully come to know
the ceasing o actiities, I hae ully come to know the way
going to the ceasing o actiities.
1his, that I hae ully come to know I hae declared to
the monks, to the sisters, to laymen, een this diine lie,
monks, that is prosperous and lourishing, wide-spread to
be known by many, and multiplied so ar as it is well made
maniest by gods and men.
1

1 S.N. ii. P. 4 -5

lrom this clear description, we can understand the path that
the Buddha re-discoered through his intuitie wisdom at the
oot o the Bodhi-tree.
According to the Mab!ragga o the 1iva,a Pita/a,
1
ater his
Lnlightenment, the Buddha was sitting at the oot o the Bodhi-
tree cross-legged, in one posture or seen days, experiencing the
bliss o Nibb"na. 1hen, he paid attention to the causal arising o
phenomena ,paticcasamupp"da, in both direct and reerse order.
laing emerged rom that contemplation at the end o seen
days, he approached the Goat-herders ,Ajap"la, Banyan tree
where he explained how one becomes a Brahamin, to a certain
Brahmin. At the end o seen days rom there, he approached
the Mucalinda tree and while sitting at the oot o this tree, a
great storm arose out o season that lasted or seen days.
Mucalinda, the serpent king, haing come orth rom his own
haunt, encircled the Buddha's body seen times with his coils
and spread his hood oer the Buddha's head. 1hen, at the end o
those seen days, the Buddha haing emerged rom that
contemplation, approached the R"j"yatana ,Kingstead tree,
under which he was oered barley-gruel and honey by two
merchants, 1apassu and Bhallika. 1his is how the Buddha spent
his irst our weeks ater the Lnlightenment. Ater approaching
the Goat-herders Banyan tree, the Buddha came to the decision
to delier his lirst Sermon.
In his irst sermon, the Buddha deined the Path as the
Middle Path ,Majjhim" Patipad",. le realized the Middle Path
ater aoiding the extremes o sel-mortiication and sensual
indulgence. 1his Path is also known as, the Ancient Path`. By
adancing step-by-step along this path, one reaches the goal,
Nibb"na. One cannot attain Nibb!na in just one go. In the
same way as the sea deepens gradually, so too, in the doctrine

1 Mah" Vagga Vol. I

and discipline o the Buddha, there is gradual training, gradual
doing, and gradual practise ,anupubba sikkh", anupubba
kiriy", anupubba patipad",.
1
1he Buddhas are born to re-
discoer this ancient path. 1he exalted one is the one who is
the Discoverer of the undiscovered way, Revealer of the
unrevealed way, Declarer of the undeclared way,
Knower of the way, Wise in the way, Skilled in the
way.
All the practical guidance and instructions gien by the
Buddha or remoing mental conlicts caused by conditions o
unsatisactoriness in lie, and or gaining inal peace and
happiness are to be ound in the Lightold Path.
2
1his Ancient
Path is the Aryan Lightold Path. 1he Buddha, in the Mah"
Parinibb"na Sutta said, In whatsoever doctrine and
discipline, Subhadda, the Aryan Lightfold Path is not
found, neither in it is there found a man of true saintliness,
of the first, or of the second, or of the third, or of the fourth
degree.
3

1he implication is clear that there is no such Lightfold
Path in any other religion. 1his Path is called the Middle
Path because it teaches us the way to avoid extremes. 1he
Buddha never leaned to this side or that side. He avoided
all extremes, whether of self-indulgence or self-
mortification, in views of eternity (Sassata ditthi) or
annihilation (Ucchedaditthi), or an origination view of
complete Indeterminism (adhiccasamuppanna) or strict
determinism (niyati sangativ!da) or even fatalism or any
other ism that tends towards extremes.

1 A.N. i. P .200
2 Piyadassi 1hera, 1he Buddha`s Ancient Path P.88. Published by Karun"ratne-198
3 D.N.16 Sutta P.166

1he Buddha preached the Dhamma aoiding all these isms`.
1hereore, his doctrine is, on one hand, a Middle path
(Majjhim! Patipad!) and on the other hand, a Middle
1eaching (Majjhim! Desan!). \hen we look into the history
o religion in India, we can easily see that there were two main
isms`, namely, Lternalism and Nihilism. Almost all teachers
during the time o the Buddha had been practicing one or the
other o these. I think o the two, Nihilism is ery dangerous
because it does not pae the way to ethics. 1hose who practiced
nihilism did not consider the moral behaior o a person. lor
instance, take the cases o Ajita Kesakambala and Pakudha
Kacch"na. 1hey neer taught a moral code or their ollowers.
\hat they taught was to lead a joyul lie today because there is
no birth ater death.
loweer, the teaching o the Buddha was concerned with the
moral and ethical way o lie. 1his Path itsel, initiates a
particular way o lie. \hen we are mindul, we are on the path.
In our modern society, people are always, as busy as bees and
they do not hae the drie to practice the Dhamma in their daily
lie. Most o them say that they hae no time to sit cross-legged
in a corner and meditate to ollow the path. \hat they want to
do is earn more and more money. \ithin one's lietime, one
might earn a lot, at times earning what would be suicient or
seeral amilies! Neertheless, one must not be so greedy as to
become attached to what one earns. I we are concerned about
ourseles, we will strie to understand our own nature.
We are born to this world without even a piece of cloth
to cover this body. Upon being born, all we could do was
move our limbs and cry bitterly, but, in the process of
growing up, we try to grasp anything within our reach. In
our child-hood, we are all innocent and pure of mind, and
everyone is fond of us because of our pleasing ways. We
have no hatred, enmity, or jealousy towards others. Since
the heart is pure, the ace is also pleasant and attractie. It is

unortunate that when we grow up, we begin to engender all
sorts o eil and unwholesome thoughts.
Most of us do not have the habit of giving, instead, we
collect more and more material things. 1he material things
cannot provide us mental relief and contentment, by
collecting many senseless things, we begin to lead both a
purposeless and meaningless life. \hen the people are
without direction, society becomes a corrupt, worthless
organism. lurther, with the adance o modern science and
technology, the world has become an een more conusing
place. Man seems to be enmeshed in all sorts o harmul ideas,
iews, opinions, and ideologies. 1he law o nature ,dhamma,, is
ery ar rom man and or this society, the Lightold Path is
incomprehensible.
Lverywhere, all in general are entangled with wrong
views ,micch" ditthi,. \hat the whole enironment
communicates is conusing to man and turns him away rom any
path o righteousness and right understanding. 1hereore, the
Lightold way o lie is the ery essence o human lie. 1he
Buddha, once declared, Of all Paths the Lightfold Path is
the best, of all truths the Iour Noble 1ruths are the best, of
all things passionlessness is the best, of men the Seeing
One is the best.
J

\hen man is not mindul, ignorance leads the way and by
ollowing wrong ways, one reaches unproitable states.
Shamelessness and recklessness ollow such a condition. 1hen,
the whole system o alues goes wrong and man becomes a
tormentor, a sel-tormentor, and a tormentor o others
,attantapa, parantapa,. loweer, by being a sel-tormentor and a
tormentor o others, he produces a wrong outlook, a wrong
outlook then gies scope or wrong aims, wrong aims deelop

1 Dh. 23 Vr.

wrong speech, wrong speech leads to wrong action, wrong
action gies way to wrong liing, wrong liing makes or wrong
eort, wrong eort leads to wrong mindulness, and then,
wrong mindulness gies scope or a wrong kind o mental
satisaction and concentration.
1he Buddha prescribed the right way in the Magga av,vtta o
the av,vtta î/!,a.
1
\hen a man is mindul and wise enough,
knowledge leads the way, and by the attainment o proitable
states, a kind o shame at wrong doing arises and there is a sense
o sel-restraint. \heneer knowledge leads the way and there is
good sense, right iew has scope. Right iew gies scope or
right aim, right aim or right speech, right speech or right
action, right action or right lielihood, right lielihood or right
eort, right eort or right mindulness, and right mindulness
gies scope or right concentration.
I we can understand the reasoning o the preious passage,
we can comprehend the Lightold Path enunciated by the
Buddha. 1his is:
Right Understanding
Right 1hought
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Living
Right Lffort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

1 S.N. V.P.1-2

In the next Chapter, I would like to deelop understanding o
the Lightold Path and begin to look at how it guides one to
Detachment` ,Anup"d"na,.

##########

CHAP1LR 1HRLL

1HL MIDDLL PA1H, UP#D#NA,
AND ANUP#D#NA

1he path re-discoered by the Buddha is the Middle Path,
which elaborates the lourth 1ruth o the lour Noble 1ruths. It
answers the question, what must one do to become detached
,Anup"d"na,. 1his Magga or Path represents the way o
Buddhist lie through which one can reach the highest goal o
one's lie. 1he Path is named, 1he Noble Lightold Path`
,Ariyo atthangiko Maggo,. Ariya here does not mean a race or a
class o people, but stands or excellent or Noble`.
1he Middle Path is the aoiding o extremes in all its
dimensions. 1he Path leads to detachment away rom Up"d"na,
also haing three dimensions and which I intend to discuss in
this Chapter. It is the way to Anup"d"na ,Detachment,.
1he Lightold Path is termed as 1he best o Vehicles`
,Brahmay"nam,, Norm Vehicles` ,Dhammay"nam,, and
unsurpassed or its ictory in the battle` ,Sang"maijaya,.
1

Once, a certain monk came to the Buddha and said, 1he
holy lie, holy lie, is the saying, Venerable Sir, what is the holy
lie` Replying to him, the Buddha said, 1he holy lie, monk, is

1 S.N. V. P.4

just this Aryan Lightold Path`. 1he destruction o lust,
destruction o hatred, and destruction o delusion are the aim o
the lie o a Buddhist monk. lor the achieement o this, one
must irst be mindul and practice awareness, in other words,
deelop mental thought ,yonisomanasik"ra,. 1he Buddha once
said, Oh monks, just as the dawn is the orerunner, the
harbinger, o the arising o the Sun, een so, possession o
deeloping mental thought is the orerunner, the harbinger o
the arising o the Aryan Lightold Path`.
1

1he Magga av,vtta o the av,vtta î/!,a, repeats the
Lightold Path as being: Right iew, Right aim, Right speech,
Right action, Right liing, Right eort, Right mindulness, and
Right concentration. 1his Lightold Path can be diided into
three segments, namely, morality, ,sila,, concentration ,sam"dhi,,
and wisdom ,pann",. In some books we read, we can see the
three segments, wisdom, morality, and concentration. loweer,
i that is the case, there arises a contradiction with the early
teachings o the Buddha. It conlicts with the teaching o gradual
progress ,anupubba patipad", that the Buddha mentioned. In
accordance with the gradual teaching o the Buddha, morality
always precedes. It is the orerunner, the harbinger o the arising
o the Aryan Lightold Path.
2
Morality, concentration, and
wisdom are called 1he three trainings` ,tesikkh",. 1his
threeold training is reerred to in higher morality ,adhisila-
sikkh",, in higher mentality ,adhicitta sikkh",, and in higher
wisdom ,adhipann"-sikkh",, which hae to be undergone by the

1 S.N. V. P.4 P.28
2 S.N. V. P.2

disciples o the Buddha in accordance with the S"mannaphala
Sutta o the Digha Nik"ya.
1

1hereore, these three segments, morality, concentration, and
wisdom are the order in which the Middle Path has to be
trodden by each who is willing to attain Lnlightenment. 1he
term Path` is only a iguratie expression and we
conentionally speak o the Path or treading, but in the ultimate
sense, there is no path. 1he eight steps signiy eight mental
actors. 1hese eight actors are interdependent and interrelated
and at the highest leel, they unction simultaneously. 1hey
cannot be practiced and ollowed one ater the other in a linear
ashion. \hen one is practicing morality, there is also
concentration and wisdom, and ice- ersa. As mentioned
earlier, or the realization o the Lightold Path, one must
practice and deelop mental awareness ,yonisomanasik"ra, and
skillulness in analyzing the Dhamma ,dhammaicaya,.
According to the Cvtareaatta vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a
2
,
now this controersial question o, whether the morality or the
wisdom comes irst`, was put to Dhammadinn", the Nun who
had attained Lnlightenment. 1he question was put orth by a lay
ollower, Vish"kha`.
Are the three segments arranged in accordance with the
Aryan Lightold \ay, or is the Aryan Lightold way arranged in
accordance with the three segments` was the question.
Answering the question, the Nun Dhammadinna, said, lriend
Vish"kha, the three segments are not arranged in accordance
with the Aryan Lightold \ay, but the Aryan Lightold \ay is

1 D.N. 2 Sutta. , A.N. i. Nipata & D.N. xi Sutta. ,It is through not understanding, not penetrating noble
morality ..noble concentration.noble wisdom.noble delierance that I as well as you hae had or such
along time to pass through this round o rebirths,
2 M.N. 44 Sutta

arranged in accordance with the three segments.` Lxplaining
urther, she said, \hateer is Right speech, and whateer is
Right action, and whateer is Right way o liing, these things
belong to the class o moral habit` ,sila,. \hateer is Right
endeaor, whateer is Right mindulness and whateer is Right
concentration, these things belong to the class o
concentration` ,sam"dhi,. \hateer is Right iew and whateer
is Right thought, these belong to the class o intuitie wisdom`
,pann",.
1

One should not wait or years and years or the next birth to
experience this truth. 1his is to be practiced and experienced
daily, in this ery lietime itsel, today, now! \hether we work,
talk, or joke, i we can be mindul, we are always on the path.
Morality ,sila,, concentration ,sam"dhi,, and wisdom ,pann",,
emerge any time we apply attention to our actions. \e are ree
to apply this Lightold Path` to our actiities here and now.
1hose who can tread the Path can reduce or extinguish
suering. Suering` or unsatisactoriness`, is the main
characteristic o the world. 1he Buddhas know it well, and reeal
it to human and diine beings alike. 1he meaning o the eight
segments is ollows:
1. Right understanding: Understanding the lour Noble
1ruths
2. Right thought: laing thoughts ree rom desire, ill-will,
and cruelty
3. Right Speech: Abstaining rom alse speech, slander,
harsh speech, and idle chatter
4. Right action: Abstaining rom killing, stealing, or
indulging in irresponsible sex

1 M.N. 44 SuttaP. 363

5. Right livelihood: Not engaging in work or actiity that
brings harm to others, ,i.e. ishing, hunting, contributing
to military actiities, or trading in arms etc,
6. Right effort: 1he eort to oercome unwholesome
tendencies and promote wholesome ones
. Right mindfulness: Sel-awareness o both mental and
physical dimensions o our experiences ,i.e. Mindulness
o body, mindulness o eelings, mindulness o
consciousness, and mindulness o mental objects.,
8. Right concentration: 1he concentration used in
meditation and associated with the wholesome states o
consciousness ,i.e. cultiation o goodwill, deelopment
o renunciation o desires, and the obtaining o a clear
understanding,.
Mr. John A. McConell, a Buddhist peacemaker, in his
work, Mivafvt Meaiatiov, has applied the Lightold Path or the
resolution o conlict in society. le points out, that the teaching
o the Buddha is to be aware o the present moment. \e can all
apply the Dhamma to our daily actiities. le sees the
signiicance o applying the ourth truth as a path to establish
peace in society. le says, \e should recognize that the
Dhamma ,the Buddha's teaching, challenges us to let go o
habitual ways o coping with conlict, to get closer to experience,
and to experiment with peace. 1hus, we can apply the our
truths to conlict`.
1

1his truth o the Path has been compared to medicine by the
commentator, Buddhaghosha ,Vis.XVI,. 1he Path is to be
ollowed by the seeker o the truth. loweer, it does not mean
that it should adance incrementally in the chronological
sequence as stated aboe, so that ater successiely passing

1 John A McConnell. Mindul Mediation .P.22

through all o the eight stages, one gains the Lnlightenment or
Nibb"na. All o these eight actors should be deeloped
simultaneously, so as to culminate in Nibb"na. 1he Ariya Magga
is the Path or Magga, which is marked out by the Noble Ones.
1he Noble ones are those who hae realized one o the Light
Stages o loliness, i.e. the our vravvvaave Patb. ,Magga, and
the our attendant vravvvaave rvit. ,Phala, o these paths.
1hese eight stages are as ollows:
1. 1he path o Stream-\inning ,Sot"patti Magga,
2. 1he lruit o Stream-\inning ,Sot"patti - Phala,
3. 1he path o Once-Returning ,Sakad"g"mi Magga,
4. 1he lruit o Once-Returning ,Sakad"g"mi Phala,
5. 1he path o Non-Returning ,An"g"mi-Magga,
6. 1he ruit o Non-Returning ,An"g"mi Phala,
. 1he path o loliness ,Arahanta Magga,
8. 1he ruit o loliness ,Arahanta Phala,
1

Summarizing, there are lour Noble Indiiduals
,Ariyapuggala,: 1he Stream-\inner ,sot"panna,, the Once-
Returner ,Sakad"g"mi,, the Non-Returner ,An"g"mi,, and the
loly One ,Arahant,.
Ater the disappearance o the three etters, the practitioner
has won the stream ,to Nibb"na, and will be reborn only seen
,, times in the lower worlds. le is irmly established and
destined or Lnlightenment.
\ith the disappearance o the irst three etters and the
reduction o greed, hatred, and delusion, he will return only once

1 Nyanatiloka. Buddhist Dictionary P.20

more, and haing returned to this world once more, he will put
an end to suering.
Ater the eradication o the ie lower etters, he appears in a
higher world, the pure abodes, and rom there, he reaches
Nibb"na without eer returning rom that world. linally, with
the extinction o all cankers ,"saakkhaya,, he reaches in this
ery lie deliverance of mind and deliverance through
wisdom, which is ree rom all cankers and that he has
understood and realized Arahantship.
All problems in our life can ultimately be reduced to the
problem of suffering. 1hus, what we need is a way to stop the
problem o suering irreocably. \hen we begin to inestigate
and ealuate, to eliminate suering, we come across three criteria
as the standard or making ealuations. lirst, one should hae a
ull and accurate picture o the range o suering. I it gies us
an incomplete or deectie iew, then the whole inestigation
will be lawed. 1hereore, in this stage, one should be mindul to
recognize its arious qualities and dimensions, just as a good
doctor who is well aware makes a ull and correct diagnosis o
the illness. le sees symptoms, but he needs to understand more,
he then goes to root o the problem and examines the inner
workings o the illness, and then inally, treats the cause. Since
the doctor is keen and igilant, he is able to understand all the
symptoms and the root cause or causes. Likewise, the seeker o
truth should be mindul and igilant to understand what is
suering.
At the second stage, critical analysis is needed. lere, one
must use one's knowledge o how to analyze and synthesize, the
results or there inestigation, or realization o the causes o
suering. 1hen, he would be able to realize the unctioning o
the six roots o mental phenomena, iz. greed, hate, delusion
,Lobha, dosa, moha,, and non-greed, non-hatred, and non-
delusion ,alobha, adosa, amoha,.
1he third stage proides a method to cut o suering by
eradicating its causes ,the six roots o action-hetu-,. 1he Buddha

taught, that the psychological processes which produce suering,
could be transormed without remainder into wholesome
processes, which yield health and enlightenment. 1he ourth
stage is an arrial at the ulillment o the Path.
According to the Coa/avoggatt!va vtta o the Ma;;biva
î/!,a,
1
the Buddha was the arouser o the un-arisen path, the
producer o the unproduced path, the declarer o the undeclared
path, the knower o the path, the inder o the path, the one
skilled in the path. lis disciples now abide ollowing that
discoered path and hae become possessed o it aterwards. ,so
hi brahmana bhaga" anuppannassa maggassa upp"det",
asanjatassa maggassa sanj"net", anakkh"tassa maggassa akkh"t",
maggannu, maggaidu, maggakoido, magganug" ca pana etarahi
s"ak" iharanti pacch" samann"gatoti,.
1his path is called the Miaate Patb ,Majjhim" Patipad",,
because it aoids the two extremes, one is the extreme o
indulgence in sense pleasures, trying to extinguish dis-
satisaction by gratiying desire. 1he gratiication o desire gies
pleasure, but the enjoyment won is gross, transitory, and deoid
o deep contentment. 1hus, the Buddha describes the
indulgence in sense pleasures as low, common, worldly, ignoble,
and not leading to the goal ,hino gammo pothujjaniko anariyo
anattha sanhito,.
1he other extreme is the practice o sel-mortiication, the
attempt to gain liberation by tormenting the body. 1his
approach may stem rom a genuine aspiration or delierance,
but it works within the perimeter o erroneous thought that
renders the energy expended barren o results. 1he error is in
taking the body to be the cause o bondage when the real source
o trouble lies within the mind, the mind obsessed by greed,
aersion, and delusion.

1 M.N. 108 Sutta

1o rid the mind o these deilements, the mortiication o the
body is not only useless but also debilitating and impairing the
needed instrument. 1hus, the Buddha describes this second
extreme as painul ,dukkho,, ignoble ,anariyo,, not leading to the
goal ,anatthasanhito,.
1

According to the Dbavvaa!,!aa vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
the Lightold Path is called the Middle path or Middle Course
because the two ends o greed and ill will do not touch it, in
other words, it is ree rom them.
2
It is clear that the Path is the
Middle Path because it takes neither extreme in the world. 1he
Buddha inariably instructed his disciples to ollow this Path or
the realization o Nibb"na. In the Dreab!rita//a vtta, instructing
the disciples he compared the Lightold Path to what is secure,
sae, and leading to rapture. lurther, he said, 1hese, monks,
are the roots of trees, these are empty places, meditate
monks, do not be slothful, be not remorseful later, this is
our instruction to you.
3
As he knew the path, he reealed it to
the ollowers who sought the path to Lnlightenment.
1he teaching o the Buddha is both a Middle Path, as well as,
a Middle Doctrine. 1he Middle Path is the Lightold Path. 1he
Middle Doctrine has been proclaimed by the 1ath"gata in the
Kacc!vagotta vtta o the av,vtta î/!,a.
4

According to this Sutta, the Buddha pointed out the two
extremes o iews, which should be aoided by those who want
to see things as they really are. 1he two extremes are, as the
Buddha said, existence ,atthit", and non-existence ,natthit",. 1he

1 Bhikkhu Bodhi-1he Noble Lightold Path P.11. BP
2 M.N. 3 Sutta
3 M.N. 19 Sutta P.152
4 S.N. ii.15 Sutta

Buddha teaches the Dhamma while aoiding these two
extremes. 1he most important act o this Sutta is the Buddha`s
admonition relating to right iew ,samm"ditthi,. It is the irst
stage o the Lightold Path. Some might rush to say that the two
aspects, the Middle Path and the Middle Doctrine, are entirely
dierent and the teaching should be understood in keeping with
the context. loweer, there is a ine explanation in this Sutta on
Sammaditthi. 1hereore, it is useless to argue in that way because
the teaching o the Buddha gies one taste, i.e. the taste o
reedom ,imuttiraso,.
1

1he Buddha described that one with right insight, sees the
arising o the world as it really is, does not hold with the extreme
o non-existence o the world, the one with right insight sees the
passing away o the world as it really is, does not hold with the
existence o the world. ,loka samudayam ca kho Kacc"na
yath"bhutam sammappann"ya passato y" loke natthit" s" na hoti.
Loka nirodham kho Kacc"na yath"bhutam samappann"ya
passato y" loke atthit" s" na hoti,.
Lerything exists: this is one extreme. Nothing exists: this is
the other extreme. Approaching neither extreme, the 1ath"gata
teaches you the doctrine o the Middle \ay.` ,ete te ubho ante
anupagamma majjhena tath"gato dhammam deseti,. 1he
teaching o the Buddha is not to attach onesel, but to detach
onesel rom all kinds o iews and extremes.
Being ignorant, man attempts to grasp things as his own and
alls into wrong iew ,micch" ditthi,. loweer, i he does not go
ater things being mindul and wise, then he would neer want
to grasp them as his own or as a sel` ,atta,.
In eeryday lie, as aerage people we unconsciously attach
ourseles to many things in the world. \hen we see things, we

1 A.N. Pah"r"da Sutta

attach ourseles to them, as they are beautiul and attractie.
Sometimes, we suppose that they are ery useul and proitable.
At irst, we see an object in its entirety, then in its parts. 1his is
the nature o our mind. lor example, a young boy sees a
beautiul girl coming towards him. At a glance, he does not see
the indiidual beauty o her hair or skin, he sees her as a whole
entity. It is only aterwards, that he begins to think o her as
component parts o ace, teeth, smile, physique, and so orth. In
the common way, we say that he has seen the girl. loweer, it is
not really he, physical sel, which sees her but his consciousness,
which impresses the image o the girl in ront o him.
In the Maabvivai/a vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a, how we
grasp things is explained briely but clearly. According to the
explanation, isual consciousness arises because o eye and
material shapes, the meeting o the three is sensory
impingement, eelings are due to sensory impingement, what one
eels one perceies, what one perceies, one reasons about, what
one reasons about, possesses one, what possessess one is the
origin o the number o perceptions and obsessions, that assail a
man regarding the past, present, and uture.
1

1hus, sensory impingement that takes place eery moment is
ery important or understanding the teaching o the Buddha. As
we see the aboe account, the boy reacts to eery aspect o the
girl and regards them as beautiul or ugly. I he takes her as
beautiul, he wants to grasp` her, but i he decides she is ugly,
he rejects her. loweer, the teaching o the Buddha encourages
us to see a thing as it really is. So one must strie to see it as it is
really. low to do this is the question 1he Buddha`s answer is to
be mindul and wise. 1his mindulness and wisdom should be
practiced at the time o contact ,phassa, this is when sensory
impingement takes place ,tinnamsangati phasso,. I the person is

1 M.N. 18 Sutta P.145

not mindul and wise at the time o contact, it becomes a blind
contact` and blind contact` leads to blind eeling` which
produces a blind desire` or attachment ,up"d"na,.
At this point, I wish to make a fine distinction between
the three senses implicit in the word, up!d!na. We
render this, usually, with three different words in Lnglish.
One word is attachment, the second is grasping, and
the third is, clinging. We should see these three words as
rendering the three different aspects of up!d!na. 1here is
the element of adhering to which is attachment. 1hen
follows, a desperate wanting, which is grasping, and
finally, a not letting go which is clinging. 1his is how
attachment (up!d!na) arises in one's mind.
J

\e see, hear, smell, taste, and touch, through our
consciousness and i we are not mindul at the time,
instinctiely, we become attached to or reject things animate or
inanimate. Not being mindul means positiely that we are
ignorant. Venerable Buddhad"sa, a leading Buddhist monk o
1hailand, ery clearly points out this teaching o the Buddha on
attachment in his work 1be Meaitatire Deretovevt of Mivafvtve.. of
reatbivg. le says, I in the moment o contact, we hae
adequate mindulness and wisdom to goern the contact
correctly, then there is no way, no room, and no chance or
ignorance to arise. I the phassa is an ignorant one, we will call it
blind contact or ignorant contact`. Such a contact will gie
birth to blind eeling, eeling with ignorance. Such a eeling will
gie birth to ignorant want or blind want and desire ,tanh",.
Such a want will gie birth to attachment ,up"d"na,`.
1his attachment is nothing but grasping things as I`, myòr
mine`. All worries and unhappiness come rom one thing,
namely, up"d"na`. Big or small we grasp them all and undergo

1 S.N. 3. 53 Sutta

untold suering. 1he Buddha once said, in summarizing his
own teaching that his teaching was not to grasp at all, in
any way (sabbe dhamm! n!lam Abhinives!ya). Grasping
arises rom a misunderstanding about the things. It is like
someone who grasps a snake thinking that it is a ish and reuses
to let go. 1he snake turns and bites that person causing his
death. le comes to his death as a result o grasping the snake
thinking it to be a ish. 1hat is the way o all grasping.
1

\heneer a person grasps something wrongly, eerything goes
wrong. 1hat is miccha magga ,wrong path,. It is dangerous to
grasp a thing rom the wrong end.
According to the .tagaaavava vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
a monk who had ormerly been a Vulture killer
2
grasped the
Dhamma rom the wrong end and said that in so ar as he
understood the Dhamma taught by the Buddha, there was no
stumbling block at all. Seeral monks heard this and cautioned
him, but he was not ready to correct himsel. linally, it was
reported to the Buddha, and the monk was summoned by the
Buddha. Addressing him, the Buddha said, \ou oolish man,
you not only misrepresent me because o your own wrong grasp,

1 Phra Sona Kanti Barua. Buddhist 1hought & Meditation in the Nuclear age. P.Viii. Published by \at
Chulaprathan,Nantaburi,1hailand-1994
2 1he term gien in P1S translation is Vulture 1rainer` but in Pali it reads aritthassa n"ma bhikkhuno
gaddhab"dhi pubbassa earupam p"pakam ditthigatam uppannam hoti`. lere the term gaddhab"dhi`
stands or Vulture 1rainer`.But gaddha, gijjha or giddha denote Vulture and badhi` is to annoy,
obstruct, alict, or to oppress. , see. Dictionary o the Pali language by R.C. Childers,.1he translation
gien in the Majjhima Nik"ya , by Ven. Bodhi ,BPS, is as ollows: Now on that occasion a pernicious
iew had arisen in a Bhikkhu named Arittha a ormerly o the Vulture Killers`,P.224,. Reerring to both
translations I conclude that the term Vulture Killers` gien by Ven.Bodhi is more appropriate to the Pali
term gaddhab"dhi`.

but also injure yoursel and gie rise to much demerit which will
be or a long time to your woe and sorrow.`
1

Lxplaining the peril o attachment, the Buddha said, Monks,
it is like a man walking about seeking ater a water-snake,
searching or a water-snake, looking about or a water-snake. le
might see a large water-snake and he might take hold o it by its
coil or by its tail, the water-snake, haing wound round him,
might bite him on his hand or arm or on another part o his
body, rom this cause, he might come to dying or to pain like
unto dying. \hat is the reason or this Monks, it is because o
his wrong grasping o the water-snake. Len so, monks, do
some oolish men here master Dhamma`. 1hereore, it ollows
that the Buddha has neer taught his disciples to grasp any thing
in the world. le saw it as an end, an extreme, which clouds the
path to delierance. Disclosing the parable o the Rat`, the
Buddha pronounced that een the Dhamma taught by him was
only or crossing oer, but not or retaining.
2
1his then is not to
grasp, but only to understand lie as it really is.
1he crucial point, in the teaching o the Causal Law ,paticca
samupp"da,
3
as mentioned earlier, is contact ,phassa,. 1his is the
time that one should be mindul and wise. I one is mindul at
that moment, one can change the process o response. 1hen,
there is no blind contact, only wise contact and wise eeling
emerge instead. 1hat is the cessation o wrong iew and
ignorance. 1here is then, no attachment. 1hat is the starting
point o a new cycle o conditioning ,paticca samupp"da,, where
one can ery well understand the nature o impermanence,
unsatisactoriness, and soullessness.

1 M.N. 22 Sutta
2 Ibid P.13
3 S.N.2. 1.1.Sutta

So now, it is clear that the teaching o the Buddha is not to
end death, but to end birth. lrom the arising o birth, ollows
old age and death. lrom the ceasing o birth, comes about the
ceasing o old age and death`. 1he Buddha realized this truth as
the Path ,Magga, leading to the ceasing o old age and death.
1

Once, the Buddha reealing the cause o suering, declared:
1hen to me... came this thought...what now being
present, does decay and death come to be \hat
conditions, decay and death 1hen, to me came...
comprehension and insight: \ith birth, then there is decay
and death. Decay and death is conditioned by birth.
\hat conditions birth \hen there is becoming, then
birth comes to be... \hen there is grasping, then
becoming comes to be... \hen there is craing, then
grasping comes to be... \hen there is eeling, then craing
comes to be...\hen there is contact, then eeling comes to
be... \hen there are senses, then contact comes to be...
\hen there is name and orm, then senses come to
be...\hen there is consciousness, then name and orm
come to be...\hen there are olitional ormations, then
consciousness comes to be...\hen there is ignorance, then
olitional ormations come to be... olitional ormations
are conditioned by ignorance.
Verily, such are these olitional ormations conditioned
by ignorance, and so all the aboe-mentioned actors
come to be. Len so is the arising o this entire mass o
suering. Coming to be!`, Coming to be!` at the

1 S.N.2. 2 Sutta

thought, there arose in me regarding things not taught
beore, ision...knowledge, insight... and light...
1

lor this study o the Middle Path, we should urther examine
the two extremes, which were aoided by the Buddha in his irst
sermon as extremes. 1he extreme o sensual indulgence was
completely aoided by the Buddha. 1he terms used in this
explanation reeal his disconsolation oer this extreme. lino
,low,, gammo ,coarse,, pothujjaniko ,the way o the ordinary
people,, anariyo ,unworthy,, anatthasanhito ,unproitable,, are
the terms, which hae been coined by the 1ath"gata in this
context.
\hen we examine this extreme o sensual indulgence, we can
see that it alls into the category o eternalism ,sassata"da,.
laing taken on the illusie notion o the eerlasting, we indulge
in sensuous gratiication. \e grasp many objects as our own,
and see only the optimistic side o lie. 1aking things to be part
o ourseles, thinking that we are like this and like that, orming
images o ourseles in our mind leads to the I` concept or
grasping. It is because o this concept, we are attached to
eerything eerywhere. 1hus, our minds become heay and
burdensome with all o this. loweer, or the elimination o
this, one should come to the irst stage o Saint-hood. 1he
objectie o liing a holy lie in Buddhism is to enable the mind
to gie up unskillul grasping. \hen the mind is ree rom
attachment, there is nothing to keep it spinning on in the cycle
o birth and death, so the whole process comes to a stop, or
rather becomes world transcending`, this is ree rom the

1 S.N. 2. 10 Sutta

world. 1he giing up o unskillul clinging is then, the key to
Buddhist practice`, once said Bhikkhu Buddhad"sa.
1

Now, I think it is not improper to look into the societal
matters o today. Most people liing in cities do not een think
o their nearest neighbor. \hat they think o is to earn more and
more money and to possess more material goods and luxurious
items or their uture or temporary pleasure. 1hey do not think
o other people, the prime aim is to enjoy a luxurious lie by
pleasing and deceiing their ie senses. loweer, they do not
know that this is an extreme which leads to consumerism and to
incurable diseases that hae neer been heard o beore i.e.
AIDS and possible pandemic lu. 1his sort o behaior leaes
behind only disgust and disappointment. 1hose who are wise
enough to see things realistically in society, tend to lead a
righteous lie during the ew short years o their lietime.
1hough, this sensual indulgence is ulgar and unquenchable,
haing gratiied one`s senses by arious ways and means, one
becomes a slae to one`s senses, and on this account, one tends
to entertain onesel more and more. le then lies as an
eternalist, belieing in a permanent soul and a saior. Buddhism
does not agree with the concept o a permanent soul or a saior.
It states, ]v.t a. rbev tbe art. are rigbtt, .et, tbe terv cbariot i. v.ea,
.o rbev tbe aggregate. are re.evt, it i. tbe covrevtiov to .a, beivg. 1hat
is what is taught in modern science too. lence, we can make it
clear that as long as we are in the process o grasping, we are on
the wrong Path.
In the rabva;!ta vtta o the Digba î/!,a, the Buddha once
stated, that there were some recluses and Brahmins who were
eternalists, with regard to some things, and in regard to others
non-eternalists, who on our grounds maintain that the soul and

1 Buddhad"sa Bhikkhu. land book or Mankind. P.66. Published by 1he Buddhadasa loundation.
1hailand

the world were partly eternal and partly not eternal. ,santi
bhikkhae eke samanabr"hman" ekacca sassatik" ekacca
assassatik", ekaccam sassatam ekaccam assasatam, att"nam ca
lokanca pann"penti catuhi th"nehi,.
1
Also in the same discourse,
the Buddha described another sect o recluses and brahmins
who held the doctrine o happiness in this lie`. ,santi
bhikkhae eke samana-brahman" ditthadhamma nibb"nam
pann"penti,. 1hese were the direct eternalists who practiced
sensual gratiication i.e. attachment ,up"d"na,.
1hey belieed that wheneer the soul in ull enjoyment and
possession o the ie sense pleasures indulged in all its
unctions, then the soul attained the highest bliss o Nibb"na, in
this isible world. 1his, the Buddha rejected as a path to
Nibb"na. 1hus sensual indulgence leads to eternalism, which
neer paes the way to the realization o the 1ruth.
On the other hand, sel-mortiication is also an extreme. In
his irst sermon, the Buddha explained it as painul ,dukkho,,
unworthy ,anariyo,, and unproitable ,anatthasamhito,. As said
earlier, sensual indulgence leads to eternalism, while sel-
mortiication leads to nihilism. Nihilism ,uccedaditthi, is the
direct opposite o eternalism ,sassathaditthi,. 1he Buddha, in
many ways has aoided these two extremes. Sel-mortiication
was practiced by many recluses in the time o the Buddha such
as, Jainas and Ajiakas. In many discourses, the Buddha has
described the uselessness o practicing seere austerities or the
eradication o deilements.
In the history o religion in India, the records indicate that
asceticism was a regular religious mode o practice in almost all
sects, Brahmin, Jaina, and Ajiaka. It apparently existed in early
Vedic lie as a prerequisite o the religious lie. According to the
theory o the lour Varn"shramadharma`, the third and ourth

1 D.N. I. P.1

stages in the lies o the Brahmins, the need is indicated or
adopting the pursuit o the goal, renunciation.
A amous writer, laripada Chakraborti, says, 1he third stage
is that o a hermit who practiced qualiied asceticism by
obsering penance, sometimes with his wie, in a orest and in
the ourth stage he took to ull-ledged Sanny"sin and wandered
about quite alone as a mendicant entirely absorbed in bodily
mortiication and spiritual contemplation.`
1

In accordance with some scholars, asceticism and yoga were
practiced in the Indus Valley Culture along with the cult o Sia
as Pasupati and \ogin.
2
1hey, the non-Indu-Aryans`, saw the
dark and gloomy side o lie, austerities, as more congenial to
them. On the other hand, the Aryans saw the brightness and
optimism o lie, as relected in the lymns o the Rigeda.
1hough asceticism had been practiced by many mendicants, in
numerous religious sects throughout the history o religion and
philosophy in India, the Buddha neer permitted seere
austerities, een though these were once practiced by him.
1hrough these, he gained nothing except physical and mental
weakness.
1he Buddha recognized it as an extreme. le who ushered in
a new epoch in religious orders, repeatedly reealed what his lie
beore the Lnlightenment was, and how he practiced asceticism
ollowing many methods o seere austerities.
3
\hen we
inestigate asceticism in the scope o Buddhism, ocusing on the
lie o the Buddha, we see his complete dissatisaction with the

1 laripada Chakraborti., Asceticism in Ancient India
2 Sir John Marshall Shows a three-headed igure with a horned head-dress seated cross-legged on a throne
with penis-erects and surrounded by elephant, tiger, bualo, and rhinoceros while a deer appears under
the seat. P. 3
3 M.N. 26 Sutta & M.N. 5 Sutta

teaching o asceticism that brings harm to onesel, but in
practicing asceticism, he had to struggle hard. Once he said that
he sat with his teeth set, and his tongue pressed against the
palate o his mouth, sometimes een stopping breathing.
I became an ascetic, the oremost ascetic, I became
loathsome, the oremost loathsome one, I became a
detester, the oremost detester, I became aloo, the
oremost aloo one. In this, S"riputta, there was this
condition or me through asceticism. I was unclothed,
louting lie's decencies, licking my hands ater
meals...took ood only once a day, and once in two days,
and once in seen days... I was one who subsisted on
orest roots and ruits, eating the ruits that had allen...I
wore clothes o bark...I became one who stood upright,
reusing a seat. 1hus, in many a way did I lie intent on
the practice o mortiying and tormenting my body.
1

It is interesting and ruitul to read about the lie o the
Buddha beore his Lnlightenment. le had to undergo these
extremes because o ignorance and craing. Clearly explaining
the nature o his lie beore the enlightenment, as stated in the
Mab! ibav!aa vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a, the Buddha said:
I I saw a cattle-herd, or a gatherer o grass and sticks,
or anyone roaming about or bulbs, roots, and so on, I
led rom groe to groe, rom thicket to thicket, rom
low ground to low ground, rom high ground to high
ground. \hat was the reason or this I thought, Do not
let them see me, do not let me see them`! 1his then, was
or me, S"riputta, alooness.

1 M.N. 12 Sutta

1hen I, S"riputta, haing approached on all ours those
cow-pens that the cows had quitted, the cowherds haing
departed, there I subsisted on the droppings o the young
suckling cales. So long as my own dung and urine held
out, I subsisted on that. 1his then was or me, S"riputta,
the partaking o the great ilth o things. 1hen I, S"riputta,
haing plunged into a terriying orest thicket, stayed
there. It came to be said o a terriying orest thicket,
because it is so terriying that, whoeer not rid o
attachment enters that orest thicket, his hair stand upon
end. 1hen I, S"riputta, during the cold winter nights,
between the nights in a time o snowall spent such nights
as these in the open air, and the days in the orest thicket.
I spent the days o the last month o the hot weather in
the open air, the nights in the orest thicket. 1hen
S"riputta, this erse neer heard beore, occurred
spontaneously to me.
Now scorched, now cold, alone in terrifying forest,
naked and sitting fireless, the sage is intent on his
quest`. 1hen I, Sariputta, lay down to sleep in a cemetery,
leaning on a skeleton. 1he cowherd boys, haing come up
to me, spat on me, urinated upon me, and showered me
with dust, then, stuck twigs into my ears.
1he Buddha realized such seere austerities as pure austerities
and proclaimed in his ery irst sermon, that it was an extreme,
and the Way to Nibb!na lay only through the Middle Path.
Let us now dwell on how this sel-mortiication becomes
instrumental or the arising o reulsion, which is the direct
opposite o attachment. Sel-mortiication means oercoming
bodily desires. Due to being religious indiiduals, some people
stroe hard to torment their body in order to eradicate the soul.
loweer, it was unsuccessul, because by torturing onesel, one
cannot realize what truth is. Martyrdom, by any means, does not
bring about puriication o one`s mind. Mental and physical

torture, in all manner o means, was condemned by the Buddha.
It is true, as noted aboe that once he, himsel, had to practice
austerities. loweer, ater practicing them, he disclosed their
uselessness or the realization o truth.
\hen we gie consideration to eelings, whateer contact we
make, produces eeling. leelings are the second o the ie
groups o existence. According to its nature, it can be diided
into ie classes:
1. Bodily agreeable eeling ,k"yika sukha edan",, 2. Bodily
disagreeable eeling ,k"yika dukkha edan",, 3. Mentally
agreeable eeling ,cetasika sukha edan",, 4. Mentally
disagreeable eeling ,cetasika dukkha edan", and, 5. Indierent
or neutral eeling ,adukkha asukha edan",.
1
In many discourses,
eeling is explained as threeold, pleasant eeling, painul eeling,
eeling that is neither painul nor pleasant, respectiely.
2

leelings, which are pleasant, bring pleasure, while painul
eelings bring pain. 1hese two equally lead man to extremes, the
ormer, to sensual indulgence and the latter to sel-mortiication.
1hereore, with regard to the teaching o the Buddha, these two
do not pae the \ay to the truth that was taught by the Buddha.
In our daily lie, we experience these two extremes. 1he teaching
o the Buddha is to be practiced in the present, not in the world
ater death. 1hus, the Middle Path is to be practiced eery
moment o eeryday, in our lie.
Some, who are not amiliar with the Dhamma, try to push the
results o our wholesome and unwholesome actions into the
next lie, while continuing to do things or their temporary
pleasure. 1hey always keep aloo rom the Dhamma, probably,
as they respect Dhamma-keeping` only by seeing the Dhamma

1 Nyanatiloka. Buddhist Dictionary P.189
2 M.N. 59 Sutta , a classiication o eeling into 108,

books on a shel or in a beautiul cupboard. loweer, the
Dhamma taught by the Buddha, is not or keeping on the
sheles or in cupboards. It is to be practiced and set into motion
in our daily lies, here, now, in the present. 1here is no entrance
to the Path without right understanding o this.
It is regrettable to say, that many, both laypersons and monks
these days, do not use Dhamma books and do not practice
meditation with the idea o realizing the Dhamma. Many are
engaged in worldly actiities or their personal satisaction, or or
the satisaction o their deotees. 1hey are, at times attached in a
greedy ashion to temples or properties. 1hey need many
material things, such as, large 1V sets, radios, cassette recorders
etc. but this is totally, the wrong path. lor them, the Right Path
is illed with dust and obstacles. Since they do not put Dhamma
into practice, there is no Dhamma in their hearts. 1hereore,
they oten deiate rom the spiritual lie.
1he Buddha neer wished or his disciples to be restricted to
the orest, reusing all the coneniences, which are utilized by
the people. lis aim was only to keep monks mentally aloo rom
them. Monks can use the aboe-mentioned items, i they need
to, but they should rightly understand the use o them and
should not be deluded and attached to such things. Ove tivet,
iece of aarice frov tbe vaaba to tbe vov/. i., to abiae iv tbe Dbavva,
aetigbt iv tbe Dbavva, covtevtate tbe Dbavva, ava bear tbe Dbavva
iv viva rett. loweer, een the Dhamma should not be clung to,
but let go in the end. 1he Dhamma was taught by the Buddha
only or the purpose o, crossing the ocean o sams"ra`. In
relating, 1be Parabte of tbe Raft, the Buddha said, Dhamma is
taught by me for crossing over, not for clinging to it
Dhamma. Monks, by understanding the Parable of the

Raft, you should get rid of even right mental objects
Dhamma, all the more so wrong ones.
J

Always, the Buddha's kind and compassionate instruction or
monks was to put away what was not theirs. What monks, is
not yours? Material shape monks, is not yours. Put it away,
putting it away will be for a long time, for your welfare and
happiness, he said. \hat we all are attached to, certainly, is
not ours. 1hinking what we are, existing in the world to do our
duties and obligations, we all are in the process o grasping`,
one dimension o Up"d"na`. \e hae this concept because o
the prealent conception o soul or sel. lor the eradication o
this soul concept, one should deelop and cultiate one's insight.
By cultiating insight, one sees things as impermanent, this is
right understanding, which shows one the Middle Path. \hen
one is ollowing the Middle Path, one can see and cultiate
irtue, concentration, and wisdom. 1his Path is not in books but
in the hearts o men. 1he whole teaching o the Buddha could
be included in the Middle Path, that which leads to the cessation
o suering. Dhamma is to be realized within our athom-long
bodies, within the ie aggregates. It is only through insight
meditation that one can realize the Dhamma. \hen we are
attached to the body, eeling, perception, mental ormations, and
consciousness or material and immaterial things in the world, we
cannot see and practice insight meditation leading to
Detachment`.
1he Buddha realized the Dhamma only through the
achieement o a state o detachment, thereater, he reealed
what he penetratiely understood through his wisdom. 1he Path
showed to us is exactly the same Path he knew, i.e. 1he Ancient
Path` leading to Detachment.

1 M.N. 22 Sutta P.14-15

As we want to tread the path to the destination o Nibb"na,
we should be well aware o the Right Path, or else we too, will be
just ollowing the crowd and we may go astray and miss the true
goal. 1oday, in modern society, people o many countries hae
dedicated themseles to ind this path to delierance. 1hey
practice meditation through arious methods and strie to clear
the path by thoroughly inestigating. 1hen by means o all these
eorts, they all approach the Path little by little. \alking the
path is a long-term process.
Nonetheless, some exceptional indiiduals are capable o
achieing the inal ictory without much delay. In human
society, eery one thinks in terms o indiidual beneit, in terms
o I`, me` and mine`, and this kind o thinking conorms to
human nature, but it conlicts with the principles o the
Dhamma. \e think in this manner because o ignorance, which
preents us rom obtaining emancipation.
Material progress in the world has no limit. But there is a
clear end to the progress o spiritual achieement, the ultimate
goal. \hen we cultiate mindulness and deelop our minds,
which lead to insight, we can reach the seen stages o
puriication.
1
\hen one progress on this path, one can realize
the true nature o all compounded things, the characteristics o
which are: impermanence, unsatisactoriness, and soullessness.
1he Buddha said, \hen a man sees with insight, that all
compounded things are transient, he becomes ed up with them
as unsatisactory, that is the path to Nibb"na`.
2
\hen one is able
to comprehend things as impermanent, one can comprehend
that they are also unsatisactory and without substance. 1here is
no permanent entity to be called self or soul. 1hese three

1 M.N. 24 Sutta
2 Dh. 2,28,29 Vrs.

are the main characteristics o existence, which exhibit the
philosophy expounded by the Buddha.
1
Aj"hn Buddhad"sa, in
his work, avaboo/ for Mav/iva says that, 1he 1en Skillful
Actions (dasa kusala kammapatha), was preached by the
Buddha for the attainment of Nibb!na by lay people,
whereas the Lightfold Path was for people with more than
average degree of understanding. le points out that the
objectie o both is happiness.
In the Lightold Path, when one has a proper understanding
o the three characteristics o the existence o compounded
things, one naturally moes towards the control o bodily,
erbal, and mental behaior.
1his will be right behaior`. Since he has embraced right
iew, he can not possibly do wrong things bodily, erbally or
mentally. 1his power o understanding acts as a check in the
balancing o right and wrong.
I one can properly understand and perceie the three
characteristics o existence, one surely does not hae wrong
thoughts or wrong aspirations, een to where one is not likely to
become obsessed with wrong things. Actions then based on true
insight, are always right actions. 1hus, morality, concentration,
and wisdom deelop one's mind perectly.
\hen one practices the 1en \holesome Actions`
constantly, one can progress in insight because that is the right
way to walk the path. Ultimately, one can reach the peak to
attain insight into transience ,anicca,, unsatisactoriness
,dukkha,, and non-selhood ,anatta,. 1his process o deeloping
insight is based on eeryone's indiidual eort. Anyone can do it
little by little, step-by-step, in his daily lie. I we are mindul and
conscious enough, we can walk the path all the time, with eery

1 Buddhadasa Bhikkhu. land Book or Mankind P. 18

breath we take, eery second, eery minute. It is only through
practise o concentration and wisdom that one can attain success
in achieing the goal.
1he Middle Path is to be practised by onesel to eradicate
clinging ,up"d"na,. 1he method is, as we mentioned earlier,
based on three practical steps namely morality, concentration,
and wisdom. 1hese three are known collectiely as the
1hreeold 1raining` ,tisikkh",. 1he irst step is morality ,sila,,
in its simple meaning, suitable behaiour, which is coded in the
orm o the lie Precepts, eight, ten, 22 or 311 precepts.
1he second step in the 1hreeold 1raining is concentration
,sam"dhi,. 1here are two characteristics in being concentrated.
1hey are tranquillity and one-pointedness, through which one
can experience peaceulness and complete realization.
1he !vavvabata vtta o the Digba î/!,a explains the states
o a concentrated mind as ollows: \ith mind concentrated,
puriied, cleansed, unblemished, ree rom impurities, malleable,
workable, established, and haing gained imperturbability, he
directs and inclines his mind towards knowing and seeing his
preious lies`.
1
It should be emphasized here that in the aboe
quotation, the word, workable` ,kammaniya,, is one ital actor
or quality o mind, which simply means, suitable or work`.
1he second step o the Lightold Path deals with the mind,
which is suitable or work in a dharmic manner, namely, that
neither the doer nor others encounter any aderse eects. I
people in society can work with this kind o concentrated mind,
the whole o society will be righteous. 1his concept is not just
wishul thinking`, but can be put into practice in daily lie.
1he third aspect o the 1raining is wisdom ,pann",, the
training leads to complete right knowledge and understanding o

1 D.N. 2 sutta P. 88

the true nature o all phenomena. \hateer things we receie
through our senses are not truth. In our experience, most o us
cannot see things in their natural orm. No sooner, than we see
an object, we will hurry to come to a liking or a disliking o it
while at the same time either attachment or reulsion takes place.
1hose who become attached to objects do not see their real
beauty. 1hey are deceied, and so, suer by craing to be the
possessor o them instead. Moreoer, unortunately, none can
possess anything in the world oreer because eery thing
changes unceasingly.
Reulsion, on the other hand, repeatedly hurts one`s heart or
it is the rejecting o things and is the opposite to the course o
attachment. loweer, those who neither attach nor repel to
things are likely to stand aloo and be detached ,Vieka,. 1hey
practice equanimity (Upekkh!), avoiding both love and
hate towards any object in the world. 1hat is how one should
see the real nature o things like a bunch o lowers, a pretty girl,
a posh car, or een an ugly ace etc. 1here, one should not take
note o their dierences by discriminating one rom another. I
one is deeloping one`s wisdom, one can see the object and its
beauty as it is, without attachment or reulsion.
\ith regard to right understanding, in the Mab! 1eaatta vtta
o the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
1
the Ven. S"riputta, addressing the Ven.
Kotthitha, said that there are two conditions or bringing right
understanding into existence. 1hey are:
1. 1he wise speech o another person ,paratoghosha,
2. \ise attention ,\onisomanasik"ra,.
1hen again, the Ven. Kotthitha put this question to Ven.
S"riputta:

1 M.N. 43 Sutta

lriend, by how many actors is right iew assisted when it has
delierance o mind or its ruit, delierance o mind or its ruit
and beneit, when it has delierance by wisdom or its ruit,
delierance by wisdom or its ruit and beneit ,katihi pan"uso
angehi anuggahit" samm"ditthi imuttiphal" ca hoti ceto imutti
phal"nisans"ca pann"imuttiphal" ca hoti pann"imutti phal"ni
sans"c"ti,
Answering the question o the Ven. Kotthitha, the Ven.
S"riputta said:
lriend, right iew is assisted by ie actors when it has
delierance o mind or its ruit, delierance o mind or its ruit
and beneit, when it has delierance by wisdom or its ruit,
delierance by wisdom or its ruit and beneit. lere, riend,
right iew is assisted by irtue ,silanuggahit",, learning
,sut"nuggahit",, discussion ,sankhat"nuggahit",, serenity
,samath" nuggahit",, and insight ,ipassan" nuggahit",.
1

In another discourse, reerring to right understanding, Ven.
S"riputta, disclosed that when a disciple o Aryans comprehends
unskillulness and its root, yet, comprehends skillulness and its
root to a such an extend, this disciple o the Aryans comes to be
o right understanding`, one whose iew is upright, who is
possessed o unwaering conidence in the dhamma, one who
has come into this true dhamma. ,yato kho "uso ariyas"ako
akusalanca paj"n"ti akusala mulan ca paj"n"ti kusalan ca paj"n"ti
kusalamulan ca paj"n"ti ett"at"pi kho "uso ariyas"ako samm"
ditthi hoti. ujugatassa ditthea dhamme aeccappas"dena
samann"gato "gato imam saddhammanti,
2

As it is elaborated in the avv!aittbi vtta o the Ma;;biva
î/!,a, the Lightold Path is the Path leading to the stopping o

1 Ven. Bodhi. Majjhima Nikaya 1ranslation P. 390
2 M.N. 9 Sutta

sustenance. 1here are our kinds o sustenance or the stability
o beings who hae come to be or those who are seeking to be.
1hey are: Material ood, coarse or ine ,kabalink"ro"h"ro,,
impingement ,phasso"h"ro,, olition ,mano sancetan" h"ro,, and
consciousness ,inn"n"h"ro,. 1he uprising o craing causes the
uprising o these our kinds o sustenance, and with the stopping
o craing comes about the stopping o these orms o
sustenance.
Objects in the world, inite our consciousness to come and
see, then the consciousness impinges on the object where by
craing it tries to grasp` as i it is something permanent, but
nothing is permanent in the world. 1hereore, as long as we take
this sort o sustenance or nutriment our ie aculties o
existence remain seen as a being`. In the same way, when
taking o nutriments through the six senses is stopped, the
ceasing o sustenance takes place.
Consciousness is the lord o the kingdom o being`, here,
beings are born, exist, and die with the dynamic constant
concurrence o consciousness. 1his lord rules the whole world
o humankind. In the Kiv.v/oava vtta ,Judastree sutta, o the
av,vtta î/!,a, the Buddha explained ery beautiully and
comprehensiely how it |consciousness| rules and comes to
realize the Message o 1ruth ,Nibb"na,. According to the Sutta,
a certain monk went to see another monk and asked a question,
low ar is a monk`s insight ully puriied` Replying to the
monk who asked the question he said, \hen a monk
understands the arising and the destruction o the sixold sense-
sphere as it is, to that extent is his insight ully deeloped`. 1he
one who questioned was not satisied, went to a second monk,
and asked the same question. 1his monk replied, \hen a monk
understands the arising and destruction o the ie actors o
grasping as they really are, to that extent his insight is ully
puriied`. Still the monk was not satisied, and went to another, a
third monk and put the same question. Answering, the third
monk said that when a monk understands the arising and the

destruction o the our great essentials as they really are, to that
extent is his insight ully puriied. loweer, een then, he was
not satisied with the reply, and so, he went to yet another monk
and asked the same question. 1he ourth monk responding to
this question said that when a monk understands as it really is,
that whateer is o a nature o arising, all that is o a nature o
ceasing`, to that extent his insight is ully puriied.
1hereupon, the monk who was not satisied with the gien
answers went to see the Buddha and disclosed the whole story
about his question and the answers he had receied. At this time,
he put the same question to the Buddha himsel, who explained
this ery beautiully. Suppose a man who had neer seen a
Judas 1ree`, went to someone else who had seen the tree and
approached him asking, \hat sort o thing is a Judas 1ree`,
Master` 1hen suppose he replies, \ell my man, the Judas
1ree is blackish, something like a charred stump`. lor the time
being, the Judas 1ree` to him is, as the other man saw it.
1he man is not satisied, goes to another man and poses the
same question. 1his man replies, \hy my good man, a Judas
tree is stripped o its bark, its pods burst, something like an
acacia tree`. 1hereore, or the time being, the Judas 1ree` is to
him, again, as that other man saw it. 1he man is still not satisied
with the answer, and goes to yet another man, who had seen the
tree and puts to him the same question. 1he man answering says,
\ell my good man, the Judas tree is reddish, something like a
lump o lesh`, again, or the time being the Judas tree is to him
as that other man saw it.
\ell, the man is not yet satisied with the answer, and goes to
another man and puts the question. 1he other replies, \ell, my
man, the Judas 1ree` is ery thick-leaed, and gies a close
shade just like a banyan tree` So, or the time being a Judas tree
is to him, as that other saw it. 1he Buddha explained, just so
brother, accordingly as the insight o those good olk is ully
puriied, in accordance with that they gie their explanation o it.
In the same way brother, the insight o these worthies is ully

puriied according to their seeral bents, and they gie their
explanation accordingly.
Lxplaining the parable, the Buddha urther said, It is een as
some Rajah`s bordertown, brother, strongly built with walls and
towers and haing six gates to it. 1his town has a wise and
watchul warden o the gates, who keeps out enemies and
welcomes riends. lrom the Last, there comes a pair o swit
messengers and they say unto the warden o the gates, Good
ellow, where is the lord o this town` le replies, \onder he
sits in the midst where the our ways meet`. 1hen the twin
messengers deliered unto the lord o the town the message o
the 1ruth. Ater haing gien their message, they let upon the
same path by which they came.
Likewise, rom the \est and the North, there came a pair o
swit messengers, and they also said unto the warden o the
gates, Good ellow, where is the lord o the town` 1hen in like
manner, he replies, and they deliered unto the lord o that town
the message o the 1ruth and let by the same path along which
they had approached. 1hen, the Buddha reealing the
comparison expounded as ollows, 1he town is a name or the
body compounded o the our great essentials`, and Mother
and ather, rice and gruel ood, impermanent, o a nature to be
worn away, pounded away, broken and scattered. laing six
gates, is a name or the personal sixold sense-spheres. \arden
o the gates is a name or mindulness. A Pair o swit
messengers`, is a name or calm and insight. Lord o the town, is
a name or consciousness. In the midst, where our ways meet is
a simile or the our great essentials, the elements o earth, water,
ire, and air. 1he Message o the 1ruth is a name or Nibb"na.
By the way they came, is a name or the Aryan Light- old Path.
1

1 S.N. i.204 Sutta

1his Sutta is ery important or the realization o the
Buddhist teaching o emancipation. It teaches us Buddhist
Philosophy in a condensed orm. 1he Buddha, in his teaching,
has explained eery thing ery clearly and unreseredly. People
in the world should be mindul to understand this teaching o
Attachment and Detachment, taught in many ways using
many techniques according to the context. In our day-to-day
lies, we can practice lis teaching`. 1he Dhamma that was
taught by him is not to be grasped. One should practice his
teaching with neither grasping nor rejection, as both lead
to extremes. One must understand dhamma while doing
one's daily activities in society, in a comprehensive
manner, being mindful of what is going on in the present
moment. According to the teaching of the Buddha, this
moment is the best moment.
1he Ven. Mah" Ghosh"nanda, a leading Buddhist monk who
is thoroughly engaged in Peace actiities in Cambodia, says, with
pure knowledge o 1hera"da 1radition, \e must begin with
here...now, this |moment|. 1he present instant is the reality rom
which any change must begin. 1here is no need to worry about
the past or the uture. 1he secret o happiness is to be entirely
present with what is in ront o you, to lie ully at the present
moment. \ou cannot go back and reshape the past. It`s gone!
\ou cannot dictate the uture... this is the only moment we can
control. \e can loe this moment and use it well.`
1

Unortunately, attachment is created by dwelling in either the
past or the uture. Attachment can arise in the present too, but i
mindulness` as taught by the Buddha, is present, then
attachment will not arise in the present, hence, the stress is on
the here and now`.

1 Ven.Maha Ghoshananda .Step by Step P.32.-1992

1he whole teaching o the Buddha depends on mindulness.
\hen one is suiciently mindul and looks around at what
assails us, one can see things properly and without delusion, then
one will neither become attached nor deelop rejection
,reulsion,, one is steady and balanced instead. \here there is
adequate mindulness there is adequate wisdom to understand
things properly. 1his is balance. Seeing things with adequate
wisdom means, seeing things correctly, and directly. 1his is
Right Understanding`, which is again, balance, and the entrance
o the Middle Path.
Since most o us do not see things as they really are, we are
categorized as ignorant`. \hen we perceie certain things
unmindully, we come to a hasty conclusion either by taking the
side o attachment or reulsion. 1hen, as the result o these
hasty conclusions, we experience pain, sorrow, lamentation etc.
In society, we should understand what is right and what is
wrong. \hat is right Moreoer, why is something wrong Being
Buddhists, we should be intelligent enough to understand the
issues in society regarding political, social, and religious problems
and cultural backgrounds. I we can see such things mindully,
we can get a correct picture o them.
In accordance with the teaching o the Buddha, the endless
round o births is the result o unwise attention. loweer, a man
endowed with wise attention ollows the Lightold Path and
gains knowledge, wisdom, and insight by ceasing ignorance.
lrom the stopping o ignorance, he stops the olitional
ormations and the whole mass o suering. 1hat is why the
Lightold Path is said to be the way` that leads to the
puriication o beings, to the utter passing away o sorrow and
grie, to the destruction o woe and lamentation, the method o
winning the realization o Nibb"na.
1

1 S.N. V. P.119-120

In the Lightold Path, as the name suggests, there are eight
actors. 1he irst actor is Right Understanding`, without which
one cannot understand Dhamma, the teaching o the Buddha.
Right understanding, sometimes, translates as, Right iew`.
According to the Mab!.at!,atava vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
1

when one abides un-inlamed by lust, unettered, un-inatuated,
contemplating danger, then the ie aggregates aected by
clinging are diminished or onesel in the uture, and one's
craing which brings renewal o being, is accompanied by
delight, lust, and delight in this or that, is abandoned. 1hen the
iew o that person becomes right iew ,samm" ditthi,. 1hat is,
again, Right understanding`. 1hen his intension becomes
Right intention` ,samm" samkappa,. \hen one's intention is
clear and wholesome, one is established in morality ,Sila, with
the puriication o his erbal action ,samm" "ca,, bodily action
,samm" kammanta,, and his lielihood ,samm" "jia,. 1hen, the
eort made by him is right eort ,samm" "y"ma,, his
mindulness is right mindulness ,samm" sati,, and concentration
is right concentration ,samm" sam"dhi,. 1he Right
concentration` leads one to Right knowledge ,samm" n"na,,
and Right Lmancipation` ,samm" imukti,. As stated earlier,
the Path consists o three segments, namely: Morality,
Concentration, and \isdom ,sila, sam"dhi, and pann",. I would
like to dwell on the Sila or conduct segment irst, consisting o:
Right speech, Right Action, Right lielihood. \hen we speak o
Right speech, there is both a positie and negatie side to Right
Speech. \e oten think o it as abstention rom alse speech.
loweer, mere abstention is not suicient, it consists o
speaking at the proper time also, so, we can see that abstention is
only one side o the picture. Right Speech is essential and ery
important or righteous liing in society. 1his is the positie side.
In the ield o communication, mostly in industrialized countries,

1 M.N. Maha Salayatana Sutta ,No.149, P.1138. Bhikkhu Bodhi's 1r

mass media such as 1V, radio, and the press try to ool their
readers and listeners with alse and unreliable inormation. But
people should be mindul to understand things clearly and
eectiely.
loweer, people get to know what the truth is, nonetheless,
there are opportunities or carrying tales rom place to place.
Len more so, because people do not trust the news and iews
spread through the media, people will een start idle chatter.
1hereore, Right speech is ery important or the health o a
society.
As or Right speech in the ield o communication,
communicators should communicate openly, honestly, and in an
eectie manner. 1he beneit and timely utterances o Right
speech is always good. Useul inormation or the well-being and
enhancement o a wholesome lie should be broadcast or
telecast. Coneying inormation rom a Buddhist perspectie is
telling the truth without competing or sensation. Getting right
to the point and proiding clear inormation is what people
need. In the ield o communication, the proiding and receiing
o inormation takes place, thereore, all oices should be heard,
with no suppressing o the iews or opinions o any. Lach
indiidual must hae access to the arious channels o
communication and media. Right Speech is required not only in
the ield o communication, but also in all other ields as well. I
should say, especially in the ield o current politics, Right
Speech is indispensable.
Right Action is the next o the segment o Sila. Right Action
is three-old namely: Abstention rom killing, abstention rom
stealing, and abstention rom illicit sexual indulgence. 1his is
only the abstention side or negatie side. 1he practical
application inoles more with regard to abstaining rom killing,
stealing, and illicit sexual indulgence. I know ery well, there are
some people who say that they hae rerained rom misbehaior
and wrongdoing, and thereore, they need not go to temple or
church, need not obsere sila`, or need not gie alms etc.

Looking at it wrongly, one can argue in such a manner, but it is
not true. \hile abstaining rom wrong, one should be mindul
enough to practice positie Buddhism in ones day-to-day lie.
1hus, one will be able to reach the goal o human perection,
which is the puriication o mind, the attainment o Nibb"na.
On the practical side o the Path, one should be conscious
about abstaining rom killing. One should not olitionally kill
anything ,rom a tiny ant upto the ery largest animal, born or in
the state o being born to this world. 1he practice o abstinence
alone is not the path o puriication. 1here should be boundless
loingkindness ,metta,, suusing all liing beings in the ten
directions o the world. 1his is or the establishment o Right
Action. \ith the abstention o killing, there is no maniest Right
Action being practiced, howeer, the action o extending loing
kindness and compassion is the Right Action that one should
practice.
Len in the case o stealing, it is possible or one to abstain
rom stealing, but it is not abstention alone that the Buddha
inculcated. One must also protect the wealth and property o
others. \hen there is something let behind by a person, we
should be kind hearted and truthul to protect and return it.
loweer, in society, most people do not do this because they
are not ery conscientious. 1hereore, at the same time, we can
see that by abstaining rom stealing, we can protect the property
and wealth o others too. Protection sometimes leads to the
hoarding o wealth. 1hat too is not the Buddha`s instruction.
According to the Buddha, one should gie to others. 1his is
called Dana` or generosity. 1he main idea o abstention rom
stealing is, thereore, the practice o generosity. 1his is the irst
o the traditionally accepted 1en Perections` ,p"rami,, to be
completed by one to become a Buddha.
Another aspect within Sila is abstention rom illicit sexual
indulgence. Right and lawul sexual conduct is not condemned in
Buddhism. loweer, unlawul or illicit sexuality is entirely
repressed in Buddhism. According to Buddhism, only a lawully

married husband and wie can practice sexual intercourse. All
others in society hae to ollow a Noble lie ,brahmacariya,.
1hus, it is the only Right Action, to be accomplished or the
completion o the code o morality.
Next is Right Lielihood ,samm" "jia,. It is liing, aoiding
wrong lielihood while making ones liing by Right Lielihood.
lor this, one must not be engaged in work or actiity that brings
harm to others, such as, ishing, hunting, rearing animals or
meat, trading in or contributing arms to military actiities, selling
meat, selling intoxicating drinks, and selling poison. Right
Lielihood is necessary to establish peace and harmony among
the people and to keep the ecological balance. 1his inishes the
explanation on the segment o Sila.
lollowing is the segment o concentration or which eort is
needed. Right Lort`, it is called. \hat is Right Lort It is to
put orth will, to strie or stir up energy and strengthens one`s
mind to preent the arising o eil and unwholesome thoughts,
which hae not yet arisen. 1o banish the eil unwholesome
thoughts which hae already arisen. 1o deelop wholesome
thoughts which hae not yet arisen. 1hen to maintain, presere,
increase, and bring to maturity, the deelopment o these
wholesome thoughts. 1hus, one who is in the Path with Right
understanding and \isdom, obsering morality, must be
dedicated to make eort, which leads to Right mindulness.
Right Mindulness` ollows next. As the result o deeloping
mindulness, one arries at the ulillment o the lour
loundations o Mindulness`. 1hese our are practicing
mindulness or contemplation on the body as the body ,both
physical body and breath body,, contemplation on eelings as
eelings, contemplation on mind as mind, and contemplation on
the mental objects as mental objects. In the !vavvabata vtta
o the Digba î/!,a, regarding mindulness and clear
comprehension, the Buddha said:
And how great king, is the Bhikkhu endowed with
mindulness and clear comprehension lerein, great king,

in going orward and returning, the Bhikkhu acts with
clear comprehension. In looking ahead and looking aside,
he acts with clear comprehension. In bending and
stretching the limbs, he acts with clear comprehension. In
wearing his robes and cloak and using his almsbowl, he
acts with clear comprehension. In eating, drinking,
chewing, and tasting, he acts with clear comprehension. In
deecating and urinating, he acts with clear
comprehension. In going, standing, sitting, lying down,
waking up, speaking, and remaining silent, he acts with
clear comprehension. In this way, great king, the Bhikkhu
is endowed with mindulness and clear comprehension.
1

Right mindfulness, as I see it, is the most important
ingredient in the teaching of the Buddha because apart
from that, there is no way to Nibb!na.
Right mindulness, thereore, is the most signiicant actor
through which the lour loundations o Mindulness` are
realized. Reerring to the our establishments o mindulness, the
Buddha said, Monks, this is the only way or the puriication o
beings, or oer coming o sorrow and lamentation, or the
disappearance o pain and grie, or reaching the Path, or the
attainment o Lnlightenment, namely, the lour loundations o
Mindulness`.
Right Concentration deals with the our absorptions ,jh"na,.
Concentration is, indeed, ery essential in our daily lies too.
Right concentration moulds and sharpens the mind to act
properly while aoiding emotional reactions, so that we can
work better in society or the well-being o the many with
loingkindness and compassion. 1his is why concentration is so
important to the daily lies. More signiicantly, this same

1 Bhikkhu Bodhi - 1he discourse on the ruits o Recluseship P.39 Buddhist Publication Society- 1989

concentration leads to understanding things as they really are
with insight and wisdom, when it is ully comprehended and
come to the state o unblemished, rid o imperection, malleable,
wieldy, steady, workable, and imperturbability. I we hae right
understanding o the things in the world, we can comprehend
how things are composed and how they concurrently appear and
disappear. \e can also comprehend the real characteristics o
existence and their ceasing, as well as, the path to the ceasing o
all existence in the world. 1his is nothing but the deelopment
o insight and wisdom. 1hat is how one deelops the segment o
wisdom.
1hus, we can see the importance o the three-segments or the
group training o, Morality, Concentration, and \isdom or the
culmination o one's secular lie as well as the ultimate goal o
Nibb"na. 1his inter-mingling o Sila, Sam"dhi, and panna, helps
one to lead a righteous lie and eentually, to the deelopment o
insight and wisdom or reaching the attainment o
Lnlightenment which is called, in Pali, Anup"d"imutta`
,Release rom all kinds o attachment,. 1hat is the state o non-
attachment, non-clinging, and non-embracing or non-grasping. I
hae already mentioned the three dimensions o Up"d"na` or
attachment. 1he ollowing are the three maniestations o
Anup"d"na`: Non-attachment, Non-clinging, and Non-
grasping.

##########

CHAP1LR IOUR

A11ACHMLN1 AND RLVULSION

In the irst chapter, to make a clear distinction between the
two, attachment and detachment both were explicitly described.
Keeping that explanation in mind, we can now turn to
understanding the dierence between attachment and
reulsion`. \hen we discuss attachment, we are concerned with
one extreme. 1he direct opposite of the extreme of
attachment is not detachment, but revulsion. However,
some scholars prefer to use detachment as the direct
opposite of attachment.
1he Buddha has taught his Doctrine to be aloo rom both
attachment and reulsion. 1his is why it should be pointed out
that these two are as direct opposite extremes. Anyone who
wants to eradicate deilements should aoid these two extremes
with proper understanding and realization. Philosophically,
detachment is not biased or extreme. 1he meaning gien in the
Oxord dictionary is as ollows: Not joined to another, free
from bias or emotion.
1his gien meaning is ery correct in our iew. It is the
teaching o the Buddha. As said earlier, detachment is
Anup"d"na` in Pali. It is possible that those who do not attach
themseles to anything in the world will go to the other extreme

namely rejection or reulsion. ,In Pali, domanassa` may be
rendered as rejection`, which can be a condition o reulsion,.
In the discourse on Loing-Kindness ,Karavi,avetta vtta,,
1

domanassa is described as ill will ,patighasann",. 1hereore, both
satisaction and dissatisaction are extremes. 1he Buddha
proclaimed in his irst sermon that these two extremes ought not
to be practiced by one who has gone orth rom home to
homelessness.
Reulsion, resentment, or ill will ,patigha, is one o the
procliities ,anusaya,. Generally, it does not proide good results
in the ethical sense.
Attachment and reulsion both, should be ully
comprehended by the one who stries to lie a righteous lie,
and to be an Lnlightened One ,Arahant,, in the ultimate sense.
In our daily lie, without our knowledge, we sometimes all
into one extreme or the other, this may be either attachment or
reulsion. As a result, we strie to grasp or repulse things in the
world. Beore his enlightenment, the Buddha himsel questioned
what this satisaction was, and what was the misery o the eye,
what was the way o escape rom the eye Likewise, rom the
ear...nose..., tongue...,body and so on. According to the
vtigbtevvevt vtta o the av,vtta î/!,a, he said, Now
brethren, so long as, I did not thoroughly understand them as
they really are, the satisaction o this six-old external sphere o
sense, as such, the misery o it as such, the way o escape rom it
as such, so long brethren, was I doubtul whether I was
enlightened with that supreme enlightenment, unsurpassed in
the world, with its deas, its M"ras, its Brahmas, among the host
o recluses, and brahmins and o deas, and men`.
2

1 Khp.Su.N. 25, See. 1he book o Protection also
2 S.N.i.13 Sutta P.4

As mentioned in Maabvivai/a vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
Dependent on the eye and orms, eye-consciousness arises. 1he
meeting o the three, eye, orm, and arising o consciousness, is
contact. \ith contact as condition, there is eeling. \hat one
eels, that one perceies. \hat one perceies, that one thinks
about. \hat one thinks about, that one mentally prolierates.
\ith what one has mentally prolierated as the source,
perceptions, and notions tinged by mental prolieration beset a
man with respect to past, uture, and present orms, cognized
through the eye.`
1

It is essential to discuss the sensory impingement or a better
understanding o attachment and reulsion, or or repelling a
thing with dislike and emotion. 1o make this point clear, we can
consider the Buddhist teaching on meditation.
In the teaching of the Buddha, everything is to be
realized by oneself through meditation, because Buddhism
is more psychological, epistemological, and empirical, in
comparison with other religions. 1he important point to note
or this discussion is mindulness. According to the teaching o
the Dependent Origination, when one is mindful and wise
enough, one can change the process of suffering. 1hat is by
being mindful and wise at the point of contact (phassa),
this is at the sensory impingement of the eye, form, and eye
consciousness.
If we have adequate mindfulness and wisdom, we can
bring sufficient mindfulness and wisdom into the process
just at that moment of contact. Now, in this case of a man
who has adequate mindfulness and wisdom just at the time
of contact, he can use that mindfulness and wisdom to
govern the contact. 1hen it will be wise contact, such wise
contact will not give birth to blind feeling, but to wise

1 M.N. 18 Sutta. P.203.Ven. Bodhi`s 1ranslation

feeling, as the cause is wise contact it gives birth to wise
feeling. Wise feeling cannot give birth to blind want, but
gives rise to wise want with wisdom. 1hen wise contact or
awakened contact gives birth to wise feeling, whether the
feeling is pleasant or unpleasant. 1his is feeling with
wisdom through mindfulness. Such a feeling cannot give
rise to blind want or desire but will only give birth to wise
want, which cannot be called desire. 1hen we have wise
want. 1he wise want cannot give birth to attachment.
1hus, there is no attachment to an illusive concept of I',
my', or mine', explains Ven. Buddhad!sa.
J

I am in ull agreement with the aboe statement, because
when we examine the Buddha`s teaching on the Dependent
Origination, we can understand these actors well. 1he whole
teaching o the Buddha is not to attach but to detach |I repeat|.
In this teaching, there is nothing to grasp at by onesel.
Lerything, whether internal or external, is eer changing. So,
what can we grasp
\hatsoeer is o the nature o arising that is o the nature o
ceasing. 1he Buddha once isited a certain monk, who was sick,
alicted, stricken with a sore disease. 1he monk saw the Buddha
coming, and looking in upon him, he stirred himsel in his bed.
1hen the Buddha on coming to him said, Lnough brother, stir
not on your bed. 1here are seats made ready, I will sit there`.
Ater being seated, the Buddha inquired about the ailment o the
monk. \ell brother, I hope you are bearing up, I hope you are
enduring. Do your pains abate and not increase Are there signs
o their abating and not increasing`
No Lord`, the monk replied, I am not bearing up. I am not
enduring. Strong pains come upon me and do not abate. 1here is
no sign o their abating, but only o their increasing`.

1 Bhikkhu Buddhad"sa. A.B.C. o Buddhism P.9 Published in 1hailand

On hearing this, the Buddha asked whether the monk had
doubt or remorse. 1he monk said that there is not een a doubt
or slight remorse. Neertheless, the Buddha realized that the
monk must hae had some sort o doubt or reulsion. 1he
monk, reealing himsel then said, Lord I do not understand
the meaning o the purity o lie in the Norms` taught by the
Buddha`. 1he Buddha stated, \ell brother, i you do not
understand the meaning o the purity o lie in the Norms`
taught by me, in what sense do you understand it` linal
emancipation without grasping ,Anup"d" parinibb"na,, Lord, I
take to be the meaning o the Norms taught by the Buddha`, he
said. 1hen the Buddha stated, Well said, brother well said!
You do indeed, understand well the meaning of the Norms
taught by me! Indeed, it means final emancipation without
grasping. Now, what think you brother?

B. Is the eye permanent or impermanent
M. Impermanent Lord
B. Is the ear, nose, tongue, body, mind, permanent or
impermanent
M. Impermanent Lord
B. And what is impermanent, is that weal or woe
M. \oe Lord
B. Moreoer, what is impermanent, woeul by nature o
changeability is it proper to regard that as, 1his is
mine, this I am, this is mysel`
M. No Lord.
B. I he sees thus, the well taught Aryan disciple is
dismayed by the eye, the ear, the nose, the tongue,
and the rest. So that he realizes, lor lie in these
conditions there is no hereater.`

1hus spoke the Buddha, and the monk was released rom the
"saas ,taints, without grasping.
1
1his story o the monk proes
that, as long as one has the concept o I` or my` or mine`,
one cannot detach onesel rom cankers and no sooner then he
realizes the three characteristics o existence, he is able to detach
himsel rom all sort o attachment.
Getting away rom attachment and becoming completely
indierent to things, is a Noble task, which can be practiced by a
noble person. Not eeryone can see things as transient,
unsatisactory, and deoid o sel. Most people like to grasp
eerything that maniests itsel in their presence. It is only wise
persons, who try to detach themseles rom things, which are
impermanent. 1he ool, just like a creeper that strangles the tree
on which it grows, depraed, harms himsel exceedingly as only
an enemy might.
2

It seems to me, attachment is one dangerous extreme, while
reulsion is the other extreme being rightul and horriying. It
leads to aersion, conditioned by ignorance. So i one is mindul
and wise, one can see things properly and with that
understanding, one can abandon one`s desire. 1hat is the highest
beneit that one can gain by being mindul in the present
moment.
1he Buddha in his many discourses teaches detachment
through insight. In the Di.covr.e ov .bavaovivg in the av,vtta
î/!,a, the Buddha explained the abandoning o all. 1he eye,
brethren, must be abandoned, object must be abandoned, eye
consciousness must be abandoned, and eye contact must be
abandoned. 1hat weal, woe, or neutral state experienced which

1 S.N. i.5 Sutta P.25
2 Dh. 162 Vr

arises owing to that also must be abandoned. 1he ear... nose...
tongue... body... and mind must be abandoned...`
1
. 1he Buddha
said.
lurther, pronouncing the exhausting o all attachment, in the
Cbater ov gvoravce in the av,vtta î/!,a, the Buddha has
elaborated that dependent on the eye and object arises eye-
consciousness. 1he union o these three is contact. Dependent
on contact is eeling. 1he well taught Aryan disciple is repelled
by the eye, by objects, by eye-consciousness, by eye contact, and
by eeling. Being repelled by them, he lusts not or them. Not
lusting he is set ree. By reedom he realizes, attachment has
been comprehended by me. Dependent on ear... nose... tongue...
body... mind. 1hat is the teaching or the comprehension and
exhausting attachment, or uprooting all conceits.`
2
Once the
Buddha said, R!dha, you must abandon desire for what is
impermanent that is the advice of the Buddha`.
3

1he Lxalted One never taught the Dhamma for the
attachment either to anything or for the revulsion from
anything. His Noble task was to lead the way to realize the
present situation of a being or a thing. It is because o the
power o ignorance that attachment or reulsion arises in our
minds. As an eil consequence o that, man becomes sel-
centered and expects either to grasp things as his own or to hate
them.
Buddhist psychology reeals that both these are
unwholesome ,akusala,. Unwholesome roots are always self-
centered while wholesome roots are selfless. Attachment
arises from greed, and revulsion from hatred. 1o be

1 S.N. i.24-25 Suttas
2 S.N. i.60-62 Suttas
3 S.N. i.6 Radha Sutta

detached, one must convert the two unwholesome roots
into wholesome roots, which are namely greedlessness
(alobha), and hatelessness (adosa). 1hen there is no desire
to be attached to anything or repelled by anything. At this
leel o mind, one takes things with equanimity ,upekkh",. Now,
needs are easier to work with because they are less, not sel-
centered and deoid o greed and hatred.
It is, howeer, now clear that the two extremes are
unwholesome and do not help or the puriication o mind or
the attaining o Detachment`.
1he one who is detached rom all attachment is also to be
detached rom reulsion`. I one does not realize reulsion as
reulsion, then he may get conused and take a wrong path,
which leads to illusion ,m"y",. 1his is completely outside o the
bliss o detachment ,anup"d"na,. 1hereore, both extremes
should be ully comprehended by onesel or the complete end
o all suering. As long as we grasp or dislike things that
impinge on us through our six senses, we are subjected to
rebecoming. 1he Buddha once said, All, monks, are subject to
rebecoming: \hat all 1he eye monks is subject to rebecoming,
objects monks are subject to rebecoming, ear, sound, nose,
smells, tongue tastes, body tangibles, mind, mental states, monks
are subject to rebecoming. So seeing, the well-taught Aryan
disciple is repelled by eye, object, ear, sound, etc. and so that he
realizes, there is no hereater`.`
1

So long as we are in the process o rebecoming, we are
subject to suering. 1his is what the Buddha realized een
beore his enlightenment. le says, Len beore I was
enlightened... this thought occurred: Alas! 1his world has allen
upon trouble in that, it is born, grows old, dies, and is reborn.
\et, the world does not understand that escape is by way o

1 S.N. i.33.Sutta

aging and death. 1his escape rom suering through aging and
death is not known. 1his then, shall be an escape rom
suering.`
1

1hen he asks, what now being present does decay and death
come to be 1o him, came comprehension and insight that
decay and death is conditioned by birth. le then realized the
way to cease birth. Let there be no birth, then there is no decay
and death`, was the dhamma he discoered irst, in the orm o
Dependent Origination. In order to achiee detachment rom
all, one must be mindul, eenthough one keeps contact with the
world at the point where sensory impingement takes place.
Being mindful itself, is meditation. If one can be mindful
all the time while corresponding with the internal and
external world, this mindfulness leads one to Inner-
Peaceor Nibb!na. Mindulness paes the way to the ourold
contemplation and seen actors o enlightenment. In the
ollowing pages, we propose to explain the ourold
contemplation, illustrating their alue or the ceasing o
attachment and reulsion, and the emergence o detachment,
simultaneously.
In the teaching o the Buddha, methodology o complete
detachment is stressed in many Suttas in detail. 1he term,
Vieka` has been used to describe the state o detachment.
2

However, various Oriental and Occidental Scholars agree
that there is no proper Lnglish equivalent
3
to give the real
meaning of viveka that stands for the state of being
separated from all attachment and revulsion.

1 S.N.ii. 10 Sutta
2 D.N. I .2. Sutta P.84
3 Ibid .see. lootnote \e hae no word in Lnglish .`

According to the Mab! atiattbava vtta o the Digba î/!,a,
1

the Buddha has explained the our ways o practicing
mindulness and contemplation or detachment.
i). Iourfold Contemplation for Detachment
1his is the application o mindulness in our ways. It was
taught by the Buddha as the Only Way, Direct \ay, or the
puriication o beings, and the realization o Nibb"na. le
declared this truth in a township o the Kurus, called,
Kamm"ssadamma, while he was there with the order o monks.
Lxplaining the importance o mindulness, he pointed out that
there are our oundations o mindulness. 1hey are:
1. Contemplation on the body in the body, to control
coetousness ,attachment, and rejection ,reulsion, in the
world.
2. Contemplation on eeling in eelings, to control
world.
3. Contemplation on the mind in the mind, to control
world.
4. Contemplation on mental objects in mental objects, to
control coetousness ,attachment, and rejection
,reulsion, in the world.
1he main purpose o this ourold contemplation is
inestigation o the lie Aggregates o Lxistence or Mind and
Matter. Out o the our, contemplation o body has been
prescribed or the comprehension o attachment to orm ,k"ya,,
contemplation o eelings or comprehension o attachment to

1 D.N. xxii.Sutta & M.N. 10 Sutta

eelings ,edan",, contemplation o mind, or the
comprehension o attachment to consciousness ,inn"na,, and,
contemplation o mental objects, or the comprehension o
attachment to perception and olitional ormations ,sann"
sankh"ra,, respectiely.
1he 1hirty-Seen ,3, Requisites o Lnlightenment`
,Bodhipakkhiy" dhamm", comprise the entire Doctrine o the
Buddha and all o this dhamma pertaining to Lnlightenment
could be realized through contemplation on breath. In the Mab!
atiattb!va vtta, there are twenty-one ,21, methods o
meditation, or the realization o the ie grasping groups. O the
twenty-one methods, ourteen ,14, are prescribed or
contemplation on the body, both physical and breath, one or
eelings, one or mind, and, the last ie sections or
contemplation o mental objects. 1he contemplation o
breathing is the irst practice o contemplation on body. By
practicing contemplation on breathing, one has to be mindul on
in-breath and out-breath. \e breathe air and there are six kinds
o air in our body, namely:
1. Air discharging upwards ,Uddhangama"yodh"tu,
2. Air discharging downwards ,Adhogama"yodh"tu,
3. Air in the stomach ,Kucchisa"yodh"tu,
4. Air in the intestines ,Kotthasa"yodh"tu,
5. Air supporting the moement o the limbs ,Anga-mang"
nus"ri"yodh"tu,
6. Breath o inhalation and exhalation ,Ass"sa pass"sa
"yodh"tu,
\e are adised to be mindul, to contemplate on the last one
i.e. breathing-in and breathing-out. In the process o
mindulness o breathing, there are sixteen stages to be practiced

in order to reach complete puriication, oercoming both
attachment and reulsion. It is explained extensiely and
elaborately in the .v!!va.ati vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a.
1
1he
Buddha, addressing the order o monks, said, Mindfulness of
in-breathing and out-breathing monks, when developed
and made much of, is of great advantage. Mindfulness of
in-breathing and out-breathing, monks when developed
and made much of brings to fulfillment of the four
applications of mindfulness (catt!ro satipatth!n!). 1he four
applications of mindfulness when developed and made
much of bring to fulfillment of the seven links in
awakening (satta bojjhang!). 1he seven links in awakening
when developed and made much of, bring to fulfillment of
freedom through knowledge and deliverance
(vijj!vimutti).
lor the practicing o the aboe sixteen stages, one has to ind
a suitable place irst. 1his would be by going to a orest, to the
root o a tree or to an empty place, 1hen, haing gone to such a
place, one should sit cross-legged, holding one's back erect,
arousing mindulness in ront o him ,at the base o the nose,.
Mindully he breathes in, and mindully he breathes out. 1hus,
he deelops his mindulness o breathing.
ii). 1he J6 Stages of Mindfulness of Breathing
1. \hen breathing in a long breath, he comprehends,
breathing in long`, or when breathing out a long breath he
comprehends, breathing out long`.
2. \hen breathing in a short breath he comprehends,
breathing in short` or when breathing out a short breath he
comprehends, breathing out short`.

1 M.N. 118 Sutta

3. le trains himsel thinking, breathing in, experiencing the
whole breath body`. le trains himsel thinking, breathing
out, experiencing the whole breath body`.
4. le trains himsel thinking, breathing in, tranquillizing the
actiity o breath body` and he trains himsel thinking,
breathing out tranquillizing the actiity o breath body`.
5. le trains himsel thinking, breathing in, experiencing
rapture` and he trains himsel thinking, breathing out,
experiencing rapture`.
6. le trains himsel thinking, breathing in, experiencing joy`
and he trains himsel thinking, breathing out, experiencing
joy`.
. le trains himsel thinking, breathing in, experiencing the
actiity o thought` and he trains himsel thinking,
breathing out, experiencing the actiity o thought`.
8. le trains himsel thinking, breathing in, tranquillizing the
actiity o thought` and he trains himsel thinking,
breathing out, tranquillizing the actiity o thought`.
9. le trains himsel thinking, breathing in, experiencing
mind` and he trains himsel thinking, breathing out,
experiencing mind`.
10. le trains himsel thinking, breathing in, rejoicing in mind`
and he trains himsel thinking, breathing out, rejoicing in
mind`.
11. le trains himsel thinking, breathing in, concentrating
concentrating mind`.
12. le trains himsel thinking, breathing in, liberating the
liberating the mind`.

13. le trains himsel thinking, breathing in, beholding
impermanence` and he trains himsel thinking, breathing
out beholding impermanence`.
detachment` and he trains himsel thinking, breathing out,
beholding detachment`.
cessation` and he trains himsel thinking, breathing out,
beholding cessation`.
relinquishment` and he trains himsel thinking, breathing
out, beholding relinquishment`.
1hose are the sixteen stages o breathing, which should be
practiced, deeloped, and cultiated by onesel, so that it would
be o great ruit and beneit, or the complete puriication o
deilements.
Let us now examine, how when the our applications o
mindulness hae been deeloped and made much o, they bring
to ulillment the seen links in awakening. At the time, when a
monk is liing solitary, contemplating the body in the body,
ardent, clearly conscious o it, mindul o it, to control
coetousness and dejection in the world, at that time,
unmuddled mindulness is aroused in him. At that time, the link
in awakening that is mindulness is stirred up in him. 1his is how
he deelops the irst link in awakening, which is mindulness
,satisambojjhango,. le then, mindully examines, inquiries into,
and brings things orward, or inestigation by means o
wisdom. At that time, the link in awakening that is inestigation
into things is stirred up in him and he deelops the second link
in awakening. 1his is inestigation into things ,dhammaicaya
sambojjhango,.
\hile he is examining by means o wisdom, unsluggish
energy is stirred up in him. At that time, the link in awakening
that is energy ,iriyasambojjhango, comes to ulillment. \hen

he is making eort to puriy his mind intentionally an unsullied,
rapture arises in him, and at the time, the link in awakening that
is rapture is ulilled ,pitisambojjhango,. Right now, both the
body and mind are rapturous and tranquillized, so that all
thought is tranquillized, there, the link in awakening that is
tranquillity comes to ulillment o deelopment in him. 1hat is
passaddhisambojjhango`. 1hen, ones thought, as well as, body
is at ease and concentrated. At that time, he deelops the link in
awakening o concentration ,sam"dhisam bojjhango,. le looks
on with proper care at the thought concentrated thus. At the
time, the link in awakening that is equanimity is stirred up in him
that is Upekkhasambojjhango`. 1hus, the our applications o
mindulness, when deeloped, bring about ulillment o the
seen links in awakening.
1his is how, when they are deeloped and made much o, the
seen links bring to ulillment, reedom through knowledge.
1hat is, enunciated in the .v!!va.ati vtta as ollows:
lerein monks, a monk deelops the link in awakening
that is mindulness and is dependent on alooness,
dependent on detachment, dependent on cessation, ending
in abandoning, he deelops the link in awakening that is
inestigation into things...the link in awakening that is
energy...the link in awakening that is rapture...the link in
awakening that is tranquillity...the link in awakening that is
concentration...the link in awakening that is equanimity,
and is dependent on alooness, dependent on detachment,
dependent on cessation, ending in abandoning. Monks,
when the seen links in awakening are deeloped thus, are
made much o thus, they bring to ulillment reedom
through knowledge.
1

1 M.N.. 118 Sutta ,P1S, P.129

iii). Seven Stages of Purification
Reerring to puriication, there are seen stages known as the
seen stages o puriication ,satta isuddhi,. 1hose seen in
order are:
1. Puriication o irtue ,sila isuddhi,
2. Puriication o mind ,citta isuddhi,
3. Puriication o iew ,ditthi isuddhi,
4. Puriication by oercoming doubt ,kankh"itarana isuddhi,
5. Puriication by knowledge and ision o what is the Path and
not the Path ,magg" maggan"na dassana isuddhi,
6. Puriication by knowledge and ision o the \ay
,Patipad"n"nadassana isuddhi,
. Puriication by knowledge and ision ,N"nadassana
isuddhi,
According to this prescription, the real and ultimate goal does
not consist in Puriication o Morality or o Mind or o View or
o oercoming doubt etc. but in the total delierance and
extinction.
In the Ratbarivita vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
1
these seen
stages are classiied ery well, through the unolding o the
Parable o the Chariot`, by Venerable Punna Manth"ni's Son.
Once, when he met Venerable S"riputta, this is how their
conersation took place on puriication without attachment`.
S: \our Reerence, is the Brahmaih"ra lied under our
Lord
P: \es, Reerence.

1 M.N. 24 Sutta ,P1S, P. 189-190

S: \our Reerence, is the Brahmaihara lied under the Lord
or purity o moral habit
P: Not or this, Reerence.
S: 1hen, \our Reerence, is not the Brahmaih"ra lied
under the Lord or purity o mind
S: 1hen Reerence, is the Brahmaih"ra lied under the lord
or purity o iew
S: 1hen Reerence, is not the Brahmaih"ra lied under the
Lord or purity through crossing oer doubt
S: 1hen, Reerence, is the Brahmaih"ra lied under the Lord
or purity o knowledge and insight into the \ay, and what is
not the way
S: 1hen Reerence, is not the Brahmaih"ra lied under the
Lord or purity o knowledge and insight into the course or way
S: 1hen Reerence, is the Brahmaih"ra lied under the Lord
or purity arising rom knowledge and insight
S: So, what is the reason then Reerence, that the
Brahmaih"ra is lied under the Lord
P: 1he Brahmaih"ra under the Lord, Reerence, is lied or
utter Nibb!na without attachment ,Anup"d"p"rinibb"-
nattham kho "uso bhagaati Brahmacariyam Vussati,.
lrom this conersation between the Ven.S"riputta and Ven.
Punna Manth"ni's son, we can understand the importance o

liing as a monk and the aim o the monk. As Ven. Punna points
out, Brahmaih"ra is lied under the Lord or utter Nibb!na
without attachment. 1his is the final goal, which all
Buddhists expect to achieve. \hen this answer was gien,
Ven. S"riputta again inquired whether purity or moral habit is
utter Nibb"na without attachment`. It is not this Reerence`,
was the reply gien by Ven. Punna. 1hus, the conersation again
continued as ollows:
S: 1hen Reerence, is not purity o mind utter Nibb"na
without attachment`
P: It is not this, Reerence.
S: 1hen Reerence, is purity o iew utter Nibb"na without
attachment`
S: 1hen Reerence, is not purity through crossing oer doubt
utter Nibb"na without attachment`
S: 1hen, Reerence is purity o knowledge and insight into
the way and what is not the way utter Nibb"na without
attachment`
S: 1hen Reerence, is not purity o knowledge and insight
into the course utter Nibb"na without attachment`
S: 1hen Reerence is purity arising rom knowledge and
insight utter Nibb"na without attachment`
S: But Reerence, what is utter Nibb"na without
attachment` except these states

S: But Reerence, the meaning o what has been said, should
hae been shown as it was spoken.
P: I your Reerence, the Lord had laid down that purity o
moral habit... omind... o iew... through crossing oer doubt...
o knowledge, and insight into the way and what is not the
way..., o knowledge and insight into the course, that purity
arising rom knowledge and insight was utter Nibb"na without
attachment`, is the same as that with attachment, and \our
Reerence, i there were utter Nibb"na without attachment`
apart rom these states, the aerage person would be attained to
utter Nibb"na without attachment`.
1

So saying, Ven. Punna laid down the Parable o Chariots` in
explaining the iew o the seen stages o puriication.
\hen we speak o puriication in the deelopment o insight
meditation, there are traditionally accepted sixteen kinds o
knowledge o insight obtained in sequence.
1hey are:
1. Knowledge o delimitation o mind and matter`,N"marupa
paricchedan"na,
2. Knowledge o discerning cause and condition` ,Paccaya
pariggahan"na,
3. Knowledge by comprehension ,Sammamsanan"na,
4. Knowledge o contemplation o arising and passing away
,Udayabbay"nupassan"n"na,
5. Knowledge o contemplation o dissolution
,Bhang"nupassan"n"na,

1 M.N. 24 Sutta P 190-191

6. Knowledge o contemplation o appearance as terror
,Bhayatu patth"nan"na,
. Knowledge o contemplation as danger
,Adina"nupassan"n"na,
8. Knowledge o contemplation o disenchantment ,Nibbid"nu
passan"n"na,
9. Knowledge o desire or delierance ,Muncatu
kammyat"n"na,
10. Knowledge o contemplation o relection
,Patisankh"nupassan"n"na,
11. Knowledge o equanimity about ormations
,Sankh"rupekkh"n"na,
12. Knowledge in conormity with truth-conormity knowledge
,Saccanulomikan"na,
13. Knowledge o change-o -lineage ,Gotrabhun"na,
14. Knowledge o Path ,Maggan"na,
15. Knowledge o ruit ,Phalan"na,
16. Knowledge o reiewing ,Paccaekkhan"n"na,
1

O these sixteen, nine are called, 1he great nine stages o
knowledge o insight` ,Naamahaipassan"n"na,.
1hey are:
1. Knowledge o contemplation o arising and passing away
,Udayabbay"nupassan"n"na,

1 Ven. M"tara Nan"r"ma Mah" 1hera,1he Seen stages o Puriication and the insight Knowledges. P.21

2. Knowledge o contemplation o dissolution
,Bhang"nupassan"n"na,
3. Knowledge o Appearance as 1error ,Bhayatupatth"nan"na,
4. Knowledge o contemplation o danger
,Adina"nupassan"nana,
5. Knowledge o contemplation o disenchantment ,Nibbid"nu
passan"nana,
6. Knowledge o desire or delierance ,Muncitukamyat"n"na,
. Knowledge o contemplation o relection ,Patisankhanu
passan"n"na,
8. Knowledge o equanimity about ormations ,Sankh"ru
pekkh"n"na,
9. Knowledge in conormity with truth or conormity o
Knowledge ,Anuloman"na,
According to 1be Patb of Pvrificatiov, or the attainment o the
Supramundane Path, practitioner has to go through all the
preceding work o practice. 1he aim o his endeaor is complete
realization o Nibb"na. 1here is lour Supramundane Paths,
which must be passed through to reach ull Puriication and
Lmancipation.
1hey are:
1. 1he Path o Stream entry
2. 1he Path o Once returner
3. 1he path o Non-returner
4. 1he Path o Arahantship
1hese our hae to be attained in sequence. Attainment o all
the our can occur in a single lietime, or it can be spread out
oer seeral lietimes, but once the first path is reached the
practitioner is assured of never falling away and is bound to
reach the final path and fruit in, at most, seven lives.

1he Buddha ery clearly explaining the signiicance o the
lour Applications o Mindulness ensured in Mab! atiattb!va
vtta, Bhikkhus! \hosoeer shall thus practice these our
Applications o Mindulness or seen years, in him, one o the
two kinds o ruition ,An"gami or Arahant, may be looked or:
either o two in this present lie the knowledge or i there be yet
residuum or rebecoming, the state o him would be, returns no
more ,Anagami,. On the other hand, not to speak o seen years
bhikkhus, whosoeer shall thus practice these our or six years,
or ie years only, or our years only, or three years only, or
two only, or one only, in him, one o two kinds o ruition may
be looked or: either one, in this present lie. 1he Lnlightenment
or yet i there is residuum or rebecoming, the state Non-
Returner. 1o not een speak o one year, bhikkhus, whosoeer
shall thus practice these our, or six months or or ie months
or or our months only or or three months or two, or or one
month only, een just a hal-month only, in him one o two
kinds o ruition may be looked or: either in this lie the
Lnlightenment, or i there yet be residuum or rebecoming, the
state o Non-Returner. Len not to speak o hal a month,
bhikkhus, whosoever shall practice these Iour for seven
days, in him one of two kinds of fruition may be looked for:
either in this present life the Lnlightenment or if there be
yet residuum for rebecoming, the state of him who returns
no more`.
1

\hen we take this great, entrusted, and assured admonition
o the Buddha, surely, it encourages us to keep in line to practice
the lourold Mindulness or the realization o Nibb"na.
In this teaching, the Buddha has bridged the gap between
Sams"ra and Nibb"na or the good understanding o the people
in keeping with the real meaning o his Doctrine that which was

1 D.N. xxii Sutta P.346

taught to get immediate result within this lietime itsel. I one
does not let the germs o deilement into their mind, they can
experience the bliss o Nibb"na here, now, in the present
moment.
1hereore, with this background, we can now come to study
arious methods o detachment in the teaching o the Buddha,
in the next chapter.

##########


CHAP1LR IIVL

ML1HODOLOGY OI DL1ACHMLN1
IN BUDDHISM

In this chapter, our study is carried orward with more
reerences taken rom the irst ovr î/!,a. of tbe Cavov. 1he
sole aim of the teaching of the Buddha is nothing but
detachment. According to îvo//ba vtta o the av,vtta
î/!,a, a certain deity came into the presence o the Lxalted
One and said, Do you know, dear Sir, delierance, reedom,
and detachment or beings 1he Lxalted One replied, \es I
know riend, delierance, reedom, and detachment or beings.`
1hen, the Lxalted One described at the request o the deity:
\hen lie-lust, |is no more|, when becoming is no more,
when a mind that marks and works by the senses is dead,
when eeling's turmoil ceases |and| laid to rest, I know O
riend, that thus, to them delierance, reedom, and
detachment come.
1

Detachment is to detach from all sorts of bondage in the
world. Beings are born to this world and are bound by the

1 S.N. i.i.2. Sutta

perimeters or etters o complying, resisting, uncertainty, conceit,
worldly lust, ignorance, and iews.
1

\hen beings are bound by such bonds, they cannot
understand things in the world as they really are because the
mind is ettered. \e cling to many things through ignorance and
become enslaed by them. I we can practice and deelop our
mind, it conduces to straightorward or the disenchantment,
dispassion, cessation o deilement, ull comprehension, perect
Lnlightenment and Nibb"na.
2

\hen there is bondage, there should be a way o release rom
it also. In .vgvttara î/!,a, the Buddha says,
Bound by the bond o passion and becoming, bound by
the bond o iew, by ignorance, circled about to birth and
death returning, creatures go aring on Sams"ra's round.
But, they who passions ully comprehending, hae learned
becoming's bond and hae thrown o the bond o iew
and ignorance, abandoned |deilement|, reed rom all
bonds, hae surely bonds transcended.
3

In this context, bondage means attachment or Up"d"na.
Detachment ,Anup"d"na, is the methodology laid down in many
Suttas to get release rom bondage and to win the
Unsurpassable Peace.
4

1o explain detachment, the Buddha has employed many ways
and means in many discourses o the Canon. 1hose methods are
certainly aried and sometimes een complicated or the aerage

1 A.N. i.ii.8 Sutta
2 A.N. i.xi. 10 Sutta
3 A.N. ii.i. 10 & A.N. ii. i..49
4 A.N. V.xi.ii.1 Sutta

person. \e do not go into detail or list all the methods, which
the Buddha has utilized in his teaching, besides it is not an easy
task. In this connection, thereore, our intention is to bring out
some methods shown by the Buddha or the purpose o
detachment only.
\hen we consider the Noble way o his teaching on
detachment throughout his lie, we cannot condense such a ast
body o teachings into a ew lines. \heneer and whereer le
isited, le preached his doctrine or the beneit and happiness
o all beings. le adopted dierse methods to present his
teaching. Almost all his listeners praised him at the conclusion o
his teaching. \hat they normally said was, Abhikkantam bho
Gotama abhikkantam bho Gotama, seyyath"pi bho Gotama
nikkujjitam " ukkujjeyya, paticchannam " iareyya, mulhassa
" maggam "cikkheyya, andhak"re" telapajjotam dh"reyya
cakkhumanto rup"ni dakkhintiti, eameam bhot" Gotamena
aneka pariy!yena |in aried| dhammo pak"sito, es"ham
bhagaantam Gotamam saranam gacch"mi dhamman ca
bhikkhusanghan ca, up"sakam mam bhaam Gotamo dh"retu
ajjatagge p"nupetam saranam gatanti,` which means as ollows:
Lxcellent, good Gotama, excellent good Gotama. It is
as i one might set upright what had been oerturned or
might disclose what was closed or show the way to one
who had gone astray or bring an oil-lamp into darkness so
that those with ision might see material shapes. Len so
in many a way has dhamma been made clear by the
reered Gotama. 1hus, I am going to the reered Gotama
or reuge, to the Dhamma and to the order o monks.
May the reered Gotama accept me as a lay ollower going
or reuge rom today orth, or as long as lie lasts.
lrom this sort o expression, we can understand to what
extent his teaching was successul. le taught the Dhamma or
the cultiation o mind. lis analytical teaching o mind has not
been surpassed by any other teaching in the world today. In the

Citta 1agga ,the chapter on mind,, o the Dbavvaaaa it has
been penetratiely and inincibly described. It is ery diicult to
guard and control one's mind. Neertheless, the discerning man
straightens his mind, as a letcher straightens an arrow shat.
1

1he cultiation o mind is, indeed, a tractable thing. Once the
Buddha said, Monks, I know not o any other single thing, so
conducie to great proit as the cultiated mind`. Only by
cultiating one's mind one can detach rom worldly bondage.
1he Buddha has applied many methods in the Canon or the
purpose o explaining the Dhamma in a presentable manner. O
them, a ew can be quoted as ollows:
1. Method o similes
2. Method o parables
3. Method o dialogues
4. Method o analysis
5. Method o synthesis
6. Method o conersations
. Method o catechism
8. Method o sermons
9. Method o discussions
10. Method o exhortations, etc.
As time and space does not permit us to describe all the
methods o teaching o the Buddha in this study, I intend to
discuss only the irst three methods in order.
Let us study irst the simile method as it has been put into
practice in his teaching, eectiely. \e all know that in many

1 Dh.33 Vr

discourses, we come across this method o teaching or the
realization o detachment ,Anup"d" Parinibb"n"ya,.
i). Similes
Simile means comparison o one similar thing with another
or clarity sake. In Canonical discourses, this method can be
recognized easily. In the Ma;;biva î/a,a itsel, there are some
discourses on this method, such as the ivite of tebavt.
ootrivt ,M.N.2, 28,, the ivite of tbe Pitb ,M.N.29, 30,, the
ivite of tbe Qvait ,M.N.66,, the ivite of Ctotb ,M.N. ,, etc.
Besides these, there are many discourses where this method has
been used as a way o instruction and emphasis.
\hen we read the Discourses, we can ind similes on the sun,
the moon, the sky, the earth, the rice paddy ields, riers, oceans,
mountains, sand, ire, jewels, water, rain, ish, crocodile, snakes,
monkeys, cocks, birds, cows, horses, elephants, armers,
charioteers, horse-trainers, Brahmins, Kings, trees, plants,
grasses, ruits, clouds, pots, ships, and lamps.
1he latter three, which we mentioned here, pots, ships, and
the lamps respectiely are ery important and meaningul similes
to explain the nature o man, his journey, and the end o his
journey.
1he life of a being is uncertain, like a raw pot made by
the potter. It is impossible to make sure, whether the pot
can be utilized for long. Lven after firing, the pot is still
liable to break into pieces at any time. In the same manner,
our life is uncertain from the moment of conception
because death is a certainty. 1hat can happen at anytime or
any place. 1his is reality.
Man's actions result in an endless journey through Sams"ra.
Sams"ra has been compared to the ast ocean. Dhamma is the
ship with which to cross oer the ocean o Sam"sra. 1hose who
are engaged in practicing Dhamma are sailing upon the ocean, to

cross oer. 1he only way to cross the ocean of Sams!ra is by
sailing on the ship of the Dhamma.
1he lamp illustrates the characteristics o Nibb"na. 1his is the
best simile to explain Nibb"na. i.e. the extinction o being. 1he
lamp, whatever it is made of burns only so long as its fuel
and wick last. 1he lamp of man exists in the same manner,
only as long as his volitional formations exist as a
condition. In other words, beings are born repeatedly in
Sams!ra having mind and matter (n!marupa). However,
when mind (n!ma) or the four aggregates of existence,
namely: 1he aggregate of feelings, aggregate of perception,
aggregate of volitional formations, and the aggregate of
consciousness completely cease, the lamp of man is blown
out. \hat we called the existence o a being` is nothing but the
existence o the ollowing 24 dhamm"s, phenomena.

Lye Shape
Visual
consciousness
Visual contact
Lar Sound
Auditory
consciousness
Auditory contact
Nose Odors
Olactory
consciousness
Olactory contact
1ongue 1astes
Gustatory
consciousness
Gustatory contact
1ouch 1angible
1actile
consciousness
1actile contact
Mind
Mental
states
Representatie
cognition
Mental contact
1

1 A.N. i. ii 520 . P.100

1he so called being` ,man,, must be wise enough to direct
well his mind or the cessation o suering. I he does not direct
his mind well to the proper path, he cannot realize the 1ruth`.
In .vgvttara î/!,a, the Buddha enunciated a ery good simile
or the explanation o the ill-directed and well-directed mind. le
said, Suppose, Monks, the spike o bearded wheat or bearded
barley is ill-directed. \hen it is pressed by hand or by oot, it
cannot possibly pierce the hand or draw blood. \hy not It is
because the spike is ill directed. Just so, Monks, it cannot be that
a monk o ill-directed mind will pierce ignorance, draw
knowledge, and realize Nibb"na. \hy not It is because his mind
is ill directed. loweer, suppose monks, the spike o bearded
wheat or bearded barley is well directed when pressed by hand
or oot, it is certain that it will pierce hand or oot and draw
blood. \hy is this so It is monks, because the spike is well
directed. Just so, monks, it is certain that the monk with a mind
that is well directed will pierce ignorance, draw knowledge, and
realize Nibb"na. \hy is this so It is because monks, his mind is
well-directed.`
1

1he aboe simile points out the importance o the well
directness o one's mind or the detachment rom deilement.
People are attached to things in the world because they lack the
intelligence to understand unsatisactoriness. 1hey think that
there is satisaction to be ound in the world. In the same way,
there is misery also in the world. I there were no misery in the
world, beings would not be disgusted. 1here is also an escape
rom misery. Since there is an escape rom misery, beings are
able to liberate themseles through detachment.
2

1 A.N. 1.V.P. 5-6
2 A.N. i.iii,ii 20 P.238

According to the 1attbvava vtta in the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
1

the Buddha says that the cloth that is stained and dirty, cannot
be properly dyed because the cloth is not clean. Len so, when
the mind is stained or deiled, a bad destination is to be
expected. On the contrary, when the cloth is quite clean and
pure, it can be dyed in bright colors. Len so, when one's mind
is not stained with deilements, a happy destination may be
expected, a good born. 1his is the simile ,cloth, gien in this
Sutta to explain detachment.
\hen we consider the e..er Di.covr.e ov tbe ivite of tbe
tebavt. ootrivt." in the Ma;;biva î/!,a, we ind the
Dhamma explained in a ery pleasant manner. 1his is the
discourse deliered by Ven. Arahant Mah" Mahinda on the lull
Moon Day o Poson ,June,, on his irst isit to Sri Lanka, to
introduce Buddhism. 1his was in the 3
rd
century B.C.
1his discourse, describes one's reedom o thought and the
signiicance o inestigation o things urther and urther. It says
that an elephant tracker might enter an elephant orest seeking a
bull-elephant and might see a large ootprint, long and broad.
loweer, a skilled elephant tracker does not jump to the
immediate conclusion that this is a great bull-elephant as there
are in the orests, stunted emale elephants, which hae large
ootprints also. le would consider this a likely posssiblity. le
ollows them and sees that the ootprint is long and broad, and
he inds that it has grazed o the high branches, but he does not
conclude anything, because there are in the orest emale
elephants, which hae tusks and large ootprints. 1hus, he
ollows the ootprints and only when he sees the bull-elephant,
at the root o a tree or in the open, walking or standing or sitting
or lying down, then does he come to a conclusion: 1his is that
bull-elephant himsel`.

1 M.N. I. Sutta

1his teaches us to be igilant and to inestigate what is right.
1his simile o the Llephant's lootprint is clearly depicted in the
greater Discourse on the simile o the Llephant's lootprint
,Mab! attbiaaoava vtta,. 1his Sutta states, Among all
creatures that can walk, all pedal qualities are combined in an
elephant's oot as the elephant's oot is chie among these
qualities in point o size, so too, all skilled states o mind are
included among the Iour Aryan 1ruths. \hat are these
our in the Aryan truth o anguish, in the truth o the uprising
o anguish, in the truth o the stopping o anguish, and in the
truth o the course ,path, leading to stopping o anguish.`
1

According to this statement, the prescribed lour Aryan
1ruths are the \ay to Detachment`. 1hat is how the Buddha
pointed out the way to detachment in this Discourse.
Now we come to the ivite of tbe Pitb ,heartwood, in the
Ma;;biva î/!,a. According to this Sutta, a clansman goes orth
out o aith, rom the home lie into homelessness, considering,
I am a ictim o birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain,
grie, and despair. I am a ictim o suering, a prey to suering,
surely, an ending o this whole mass o suering can be known`.
\hen he has gone orth thus, he acquires once again, as he had
had at home, honour, and renown. le is pleased with that gain
o honour and renown and his intention is ulilled. On account
o this, he lauds himsel and disparages others thus, I hae
gained, honour, and renown, but these other bhikkhus are
unknown and o no account. le becomes intoxicated with that
gain, honour and renown, grows negligent, then he lies in
suering.
le is like a man, who would seek heartwood but passes oer
the heartwood, the sapwood, the inner bark, and the outer bark,
and would cut o the twigs and leaes` and take them away

1 M.N. i. 28 Sutta

thinking they were the heartwood. loweer, with this action, his
purpose was not sered. Like- wise, there are some, who go
orth without being pleased with gain, honour, and being
renowned etc. 1hey, rather than being diligent and achieing the
attainment o irtue, in seeking heartwood, ind the tree, but
ater inding it, cut o only the outer bark, neer reaching the
heartwood. 1here are still others, who going orth achiee the
attainment o concentration. 1hey are like those who seek
heartwood but grasp the inner bark thinking it is the heartwood.
In society, there are people going orth and grasp knowledge and
ision ,nanadassana, they are like those seeking heartwood but
grasping sapwood. However, those who seek and really
discern heartwood, cut off heartwood, are the people who
attain perpetual liberation. 1hey are unshakeable. 1hat is
the goal of this holy life.
J

According to this Simile o the Pith, pith is compared to
detachment. So, the simile gien in this Sutta is ery
appropriate to the expression o Detachment or Nibb"na.
In the .vgvttara î/!,a, there is a ery beautiul simile about
men in water. \ith this explanation in 1be !ater ivite vtta,
2
the
Buddhist \ay o Lie and Detachment is comprehensiely
explained in seen steps.
In accordance with the Sutta, we can list the seen steps or
persons as ollows:
1. A person who plunges once and drowns
2. A person who comes up and plunges again
3. A person who comes up and stays

1 M.N.1.29.Sutta Ven.Bodhi`s 1ranslation P.286-290
2 A.N. i.ii.ii.15

4. A person who comes up, looks about and sees
5. A person who comes up and crosses
6. A person who comes up won to a irm ground
. A person who comes up, crosses oer, gone to the
beyond, stands on the ground, a Brahmin ,Arahant,
In this simile, the irst person is the one whose way is wholly
black and eil. le plunges once and drowns in the water o
deilements. 1he second person has aith, shame and ear, eort
and wisdom, but he does not cultiate them, thereore though he
comes up rom the water o deilements he plunges again.
1he third person also has aith, shame and ear, eort and
wisdom, and he neither wanes nor waxes because he does not
cultiate them so as he comes up he stays on top o the lood.
1he ourth person comes up, looks around, and sees, he
cultiates the aboe actors and because o this, breaks the three
etters, and then becomes a Stream Lnterer, ,Sot"panna,. 1hen
he is not liable to all back. 1hus, he comes up, looks around,
and sees a suitable Island to crossoer.
1he ith person cultiates the aboe actors, breaks the three
etters, and lessens passion, hatred, and delusion, then becomes
a Once-Returner ,Sakad"g"mi, who comes to this world once
only. 1hus, he comes up and crosses the lood.
1he sixth person breaks the ie lower-etters ,orambh"giya,,
is born spontaneously in the state o the Pure Abodes`, Non-
returner ,an"g"mi,, and thus he comes up on to a irm ground.
1he seenth person comes up and crosses oer, haing gone
to the beyond, stands on the high ground. le is called a
Brahmin ,Arahant,. According to this Sutta, destroying the
cankers he enters and abides in the state o cankerlessness, with
the Delierance o mind` ,Cetoimutti, and Delierance
through \isdom` ,Pann"imutti, here and now. It signiies the
ruition o Arahantship.

1hese two terms Cetoimutti` and Pann"imutti` oten are
inter-related. 1hese are the last two stages o the ten stages` o
the path, which are conducie to disenchantment, dispassion,
cessation o deilements, comprehension, enlightenment, and to
Nibb"na. 1he ten are subsequently:
Right View, Right 1hought, Right Speech,
Right Action, Right Lielihood, Right Lort,
Right Mindulness, Right Concentration,
Right Knowledge and Right Delierance.
1

According to the Mab!reaatta vtta o Ma;;biva î/!,a,
reedom o mind is immeasurable, unshakeable, it is shown to be
Chie or that unshakeable reedom o mind. It is oid o
attachment, oid o hatred, oid o conusion. Attachment is
something obstructie, hatred is something destructie and
conusion is something obstructie. 1hereore, this aoidance o
attachment is nothing but detachment. 1hat is not another
extreme. Detachment is sheer avoidance of both attachment
and revulsion. In other words, it is Vieka` or Nibb"na.
1hereore, we can conclude, that the method o teaching the
similes, is ery successul in the Buddha`s way o teaching.
ii). Parables
\e can now come to the Parables in the Canon, through
which the teaching o detachment has been disclosed. A Parable
is a simple story designated to teach a moral lesson. 1he most
popular Parables o the Ma;;biva î/!,a are the discourse on the
parable o the !ater va/e ,.tagaaavava vtta,, and the
discourse on the parable o the ar ,Ka/acvava vtta,. 1hese
two are ery signiicant or the study o Buddhist Philosophy. In

1 A.N. V.x. P.165

the av,vtta î/!,a, there are many parables, but it is not
easible to consider all o them in this Chapter.
1he .tagaaavava vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a
1
narrates a
parable about the !ater va/e as the ollowing: Once, Ven.
Arittha who had ormerly been a Vulture-Killer, grasping the
Dhamma taught by the Buddha at the wrong end, said that there
is no stumbling block in the Path according to the Dhamma. On
hearing this pernicious iew, some monks adised him and ater
that inormed the Buddha. 1hen the Buddha uttered the Parable
o Snake. le said, lerein monks, some oolish men master the
Dhamma: the discourses in prose, in prose and erse, the
expositions, the erses, the upliting erses, the As it was Said`,
the Birth stories, the \ondrous 1hings, and the Miscellanies.
1hese oolish men, haing mastered that Dhamma, do not test
the meaning o these things by intuitie wisdom, and these
things, whose meaning is untested by intuitie wisdom does not
become clear. 1hey master this Dhamma simply or the
adantage o reproaching others, and or the adantage o
winning the debate, hence they do not arrie at that goal or the
sake o which they mastered the Dhamma. 1hese things, badly
grasped by them, conduce or a long time, to their woe and
sorrow. \hat is the reason or this Monks, it is because o a
wrong grasping o things. Monks, it is like a man walking about
aiming ater a water snake, searching or a water snake, looking
about or a water snake. le might see a large water snake, take
hold o it by a coil or by its tail, the water snake would then turn
back on him and bite his hand, arm or another part o his body,
rom this source he might come to seere suering or een
death. \hat is the reason or that Monks, it is because o his

1 M.N. 22 Sutta

wrong grasp o the water snake. Len here monks, do some
oolish men master the Dhamma.`
1

\hen we come to the parable o the Saw`, this is also ery
important in understanding the teaching o orbearance in
Buddhism. In this Sutta, the Buddha adocated ie ways o
speaking`.
1hese ie are namely:
1. Speaking at the right time ,K"lena bh"sitam,
2. Speaking according to act ,Sacc" ca bh"sitam,
3. Speaking gently ,sanh" ca bh"sitam,
4. Speaking about what is connected with the goal
,atthasanhitena bh"sitam,
5. Speaking with a commitment o riendliness ,mettacittena
bh"sitam,
2

At the end o the sutta, the Buddha declared the Parable o
the Saw` to be a method or extending loing kindness een
while one's limbs are being cut away by the Saw`. Addressing
the monks, he stated, Monks, as low-down thiees might hack
one limb rom the other with a double-handed saw, een then
whoeer sets his mind in enmity, he is not a ollower o my
teaching. lere in monks, you should train yourseles thus,
neither will our mind become pererted nor shall we utter an eil
speech, but kindly and compassionately will we dwell with a
mind o riendliness, oid o hatred, and beginning with onesel,
we will dwell haing suused the whole world with a mind o
riendliness that is ar-reaching, wide spread, immeasurable,

1 M.N. 22 Sutta P.11-12
2 M.N. 21 Sutta P.166

without enmity, without maleolence, this is how you must train
yourseles Monks`.
According to this sutta, loing kindness is to be practiced or
the realization o detachment. 1his method has been declared by
the Buddha in many suttas.
\hen we take into consideration the Samyutta Nik"ya, we
come across more parables related by the Buddha to make the
Suttas more comprehensible. 1here is a ery beautiul parable in
the Great Chapter o the Samyutta Nik"ya on monkeys. It is
said, in the Sutta,` In lim"laya, king o mountains, Monks,
where there is a tract o land that is rough and hard to cross,
where neither monkeys nor humans do resort. Likewise, there is
a track o land where monkeys do resort, but not humans. 1here
are tracts, Monks, in lim"laya, tracts o country, delightul
spots, where both monkeys and humans do resort. In these
spots, Monks, a hunter sets a trap o pitch in the monkeys' tracks
to catch the monkeys. Now some monkeys who are ree rom
olly and greed on seeing that pitch-trap, keep all away rom it.
loweer, a greedy oolish monkey comes up to the pitch and
handles it with one paw, and his paw sticks ast in it. 1hen
thinking, I will ree my paw` he seizes it with the other paw,
but that too sticks ast. 1o ree both paws, he seizes them with
one oot, and that too sticks ast. 1hen, to ree both paws and
the one-oot, he lays hold o it with the other oot, but that too
sticks ast. 1o ree both paws and both eet, he lays hold o them
with his muzzle, but that too sticks ast.`
So that monkey, thus trapped in ie ways, lies down and
how is thus allen on misortune, allen, ruin, a prey or the
hunter to work his will upon, so the hunter spits him and
prepares the monkey or eating then and there oer a charcoal
ire, and then goes o at his leisure. Just so it is monks, with one
who roams in wrong pastures that belong to others. \hereore,

do not you, so roam. lor to those who so roam, M"ra gets
access to them M"ra gets his opportunity`.
1

In the same Nik"ya, there is another ery signiicant discourse
on how to practice mindulness. 1his is also ery releant to our
topic, Detachment`, because there is no detachment without
mindfulness. In this sutta, addressing the monks, the Buddha
said, Suppose monks, the multitudes lock together, crying, the
airest lass in all the countryside, the airest lass in all the
countryside! 1hen, that girl displaying all her charms, dances or
them, sings or them, and a still greater multitude would lock
together crying, the airest lass in all the countryside is dancing,
she is singing`.
1hen a man comes, ond o his lie, not in loe with death,
ond o ease, aerse to pain, and they say to him, see here my
man`, here is a bowl brimul o oil. \ou must carry it round
between the crowd and the airest lass in all the countryside.
Behind you, in your tracks, comes a man with an uplited sword.
I you spill a drop, o goes your head!` Now, what think you
monks \ould that ellow, neglecting that bowl o oil, turn his
attention away to outside things and grow slack Surely not
Lord!` said the monks. \ell, monks, this is a parable I hae
made or your understanding. 1his is the meaning o it: 1he
bowl brimful of oil, monks, is a term for mindfulness
relating to the body whereore monks, thus, must ye train
yourseles. Mindulness relating to the body shall be cultiated
by us, shall be made much o, made a ehicle, established, and
made eectie. It shall be increased and well applied. 1hus
monks must you train yourseles`.
2

1 S.N. iii.i.Vii P.12
2 S.N. V. xi.ii.3.2.9. p.150

Again, I would like to tell you another parable that describes
the iron-ball. 1his parable is absolutely wonderul and
marellous. Once, Ven. Ananda went to the Buddha and asked
whether the Buddha knew how to reach the Brahma world
through psychic power. 1he Buddha answered, \es`. 1hen, he
inquired whether the Buddha knew how to reach the Brahma
world through psychic power in this physical body o the our
great elements` I do know, Ananda`, the Buddha replied.
1hen, Ven. Ananda asked whether the Buddha knows how to
reach the Brahma world both in this mind-made body, and in
this physical body o the our great elements` \es Ananda`,
the Buddha responded. 1he 1ath"gatas are possessed o
powers that are wonderul and marellous. At such a time,
Ananda, as the 1ath"gata concentrates body in mind, and
concentrates mind in body, at such a time, as he enters upon and
abides in the consciousness o bliss and buoyancy, then it is,
Ananda, that the 1ath!gata's body is more buoyant, softer,
more plastic, and more radiant. Just as, Ananda, an iron-
ball, if heated all day long, is lighter and softer, more
plastic, and more radiant, even so, at such a time, as the
1ath!gata concentrates body in mind, and concentrates
mind in body, at such a time, as the 1ath!gata enters upon
and abides in the consciousness of bliss and buoyancy,
then it is Ananda, that the 1ath!gata's body is more
buoyant, softer, more plastic, and more radiant.
1

Beore concluding this method o parables, we would like to
speciy another interesting parable rom av,vtta î/!,a itsel, to
bring to light the teaching o attachment, reulsion, and
detachment. 1he parable states Suppose, monks, a man catches
six animals o dierse range and dierse pasturage and tethers
them with a stout rope. le catches a snake and tethers it with a

1 S.N.V.i.ii.iii.ii.p.252-253

stout rope, a crocodile, a bird, a dog, a jackal, and a monkey, he
tethers them with a stout rope. laing done so, monks, he ties
them together with a knot in the middle and sets them going.
Now monks, these six animals o dierse range and dierse
pasturage would struggle to be o each one to his own range,
and pasture. 1he snake would struggle thinking, I will enter the
anthill`. 1he crocodile, I`ll enter the water`, the bird, I will
mount into the air`, the dog, I`ll enter the illage`, the jackal
would think, I`ll go to charnel-ield`, and the monkey would
think, I'll be o to the orest.`
1
,1he six animals are six sense
bases,.
1his parable portrays how to detach rom both extremes o
attachment and reulsion. One seeing an object with the eye is
attached i.e. attachment. \hen one is aerse to the object, one is
displeased and dwells in aersion that is reulsion. lis thought
then is in a primitie state and he does not understand things as
they really are. 1hereore, both delierance o mind, and the
delierance through wisdom cannot be experienced. Likewise,
hearing a sound with the ear... smelling a scent with the nose...
tasting a laor with the tongue... contacting what is tangible with
body... and cognizing a mind-state with the mind, he is attached
or aerse, and as a consequence, he loses the path to
detachment. loweer, i one is mindul and dwells with ull
attention gien to whateer is going on, one can understand
things in the enironment as they really are. 1hen, one would
neither be attached or aerse but detached. 1his detachment is
the delierance or emancipation o heart and wisdom. 1he same
parable is continued, to bring out the roles o the six senses with
reerence to the six animals. It says, that when those six hungry
animals grew weary while they are tethered, they would ollow
whicheer o them who was strongest, and would conorm to

1 S.N.i.xxx.i.5.206.p.130

that one, thus they would become subject to him, een as
happens with the six senses.
\hen one sense is stronger than the others, all the rest will
hae to ollow the stronger one. Generally, mind is the strongest
sense because it perceies things beore you, in the present and
een things not beore you now. 1hat is the same mind, which
roams in your past and in your uture too.
In the conclusion, we can say that the method o the
parable` has been harnessed by the Buddha in his teaching, or
the better explanation o detachment rom all kinds o extremes
in the world.
iii). Dialogues
Dialogues are another method that we come across in the
Canonical teaching. 1his was a ery prominent method used by
many religious teachers at the time o the Buddha. 1he Buddha
used to isit non-Buddhist monasteries to meet with religious
1eachers and hae meaningul dialogues with them. 1hough
there are innumerable dialogues in the Scriptures took place
between the Buddha and his disciples or the Buddha and other
religious 1eachers, we will only dele into some that are ery
releant to this present topic.
1hese dialogues are mainly between the Buddha and his
disciples or the disciples themseles.
What is a dialogue? It is a conersation or talk between two
or more people. In the teaching o the Buddha, this method is
isible eery now and then. 1he Buddha mostly had dialogues
with his disciples themseles, or with kings, Ministers,
louseholders, and his lay-ollowers.
Discussion, conersation, and dialogue are ery powerul
methods o teaching. 1hese methods hae been accepted today
also in our modern education system.

\hen one isits the Buddha, the Buddha neer disregards
him. Normally, the Buddha speaks irst ,pubbabh"si, and then
exchanges the customary greetings, he inquires about his isitor's
personal requirements and then enters into a riendly dialogue,
systematically.
1here are some classic examples o dialogues such as Up"li`s
meeting and Saccaka`s meeting with the Buddha ,M.^. |ati
vtta & M.^. acca/a vtta,. \hen we read the our groups o
Canonical discourses we come across many instances o this
method o teaching. Since the number o these discourses is too
large to list, let us look at a ew o them that are directly related
to our study.
lere is a dialogue between the Buddha and Venerable
Ananda. Once the Ven. Ananda isited the Buddha and said:
A. As to Becoming, becoming`, Lord pray, to what
extent is there becoming
B. I there were no worlds o sense-desires and action to
ripen therein, Ananda, would any sensuous becoming be
maniested
A. Surely not Lord.
B. In this way, Ananda, action is the ield, consciousness is
the seed, craing the moisture. lor beings that are hindered
by nescience, ettered by craing, consciousness is established
in lower worlds. 1hus in the uture there is repeated
rebecoming. In this way, there is becoming, Ananda. Again, i
there were no worlds o orm and no action to ripen therein,
would any ormal becoming be maniested
A. Surely not Lord.
B. In this way, action is the ield, consciousness the seed,
craing the moisture. lor beings that are hindered by
nescience, ettered by craing, consciousness is established in
the intermediate worlds. 1hus, in the uture, there is repeated
rebecoming. In this way, i there were no ormless worlds and
no action to ripen therein would any ormless becoming be
maniested

A. Surely not Lord.
1

1his dialogue shows how beings are born again and again
,rebecoming, in the 1hree Spheres o Lxistence` ,K"ma, Rupa,
and Arupa,.
\e now come to another dialogue between the Ven. Kacc"na
and a Brahmin. \hile Ven.Kacc"na the great, was staying at
Varana, on the bank o Muddy Pool, a certain Brahmin named
Amadanda, came to isit him and put this question.
Br. Master Kacc"na, what is the reason, what is the cause,
why do nobles quarrel with nobles, brahmins with brahmins,
and householders with householders
K. 1hey do so because o their bondage and seritude to
sensual lusts, because they are possessed by attachment to the
lusts o sensuality.
Br. Neertheless, Master Kacc"na, what is the reason,
what is the cause why do recluses quarrel with recluses
K. 1hey do so because o their bondage and seritude to
sensual lusts, their greed or sensual lusts, because they are
possessed by attachment to the lusts o opinions.
Br. But, Master Kacc"na, is there anyone in the world who
has passed beyond the bondage and seritude to sensual lusts,
their greed or sensual lusts, and to the lust o sensuality, and
to the lusts o opinion
K. \es, there are such Brahmin.
Br. Master Kacc"na who are they
K. 1here is a town called S"atthi, Brahmin, in the Lastern
district, where now dwells the he Lxalted One, that Arahant

1 A.N. I.iii.8.P 203-204

who is the lully Lnlightened One. 1he Lxalted one,
Brahmin, has passed beyond both o these lusts.
On hearing this, the Brahmin rose rom the seat, drew his
robe oer one shoulder and resting his right knee on the ground,
stretched out his joined palms in the direction o the Lxalted
One, and thrice uttered these solemn words. lonour to him,
the Lxalted One, in that he hath transcended the bondage o
seritude, o attachment to the lust o sensuality: in that he hath
transcended the bondage, attachment to the lust o opinion.`
1

lrom this dialogue, we can see the importance o
understanding the ariety o bondages. \hateer name you call
bondage` by, they bring attachment to the world.
On another occasion, Venerable Samiddhi isited the
Ven.S"riputta, where this dialogue took place between them.

S"riputta : \hat Samiddhi is the basis o purposie
thoughts
Samiddhi: Name and shape Sir.
S"riputta: \hat gies them their ariety
Samiddhi: 1he elements.
S"riputta: \hat gies rise to them
Samiddhi: Contact.
S"riputta: \herein hae they common ground
Samiddhi: In eeling.
S"riputta: \hen are they at their best

1 A.N.I.i..P.61

Samiddhi: In a state o concentration.
S"riputta: \hat is their master state
Samiddhi: \isdom.
S"riputta : \hat is their ery essence
Samiddhi: 1he giing up, liberation.
S"riputta: \here are they inally merged
Samiddhi: In the deathless.
S"riputta: \ell done, well done samiddhi
1

lor the realization o the three Characteristics o existence,
we come across the ollowing teaching o the Buddha in many
Suttas in the orm o dialogue.

Buddha: Now what think you brethren Is the eye
permanent or impermanent
Monks : Impermanent Lord.
Buddha : Now what is impermanent, is that weal or
woe
Monks : \oe Lord.
Buddha : But what is woeul, o a nature to change,
could one'spersonal weal and woe arise
without dependence on that
Monks : Surely not Lord.
Buddha : Is the ear... nose... tongue... body..., and mind
permanent or impermanent

1 A.N. i.1x. 15.P 256-25

Monks : Impermanent Lord.
Buddha : Now what is impermanent, o the nature o
charge, could one`s personal weal or woe arise
without dependence on that
Monks : Surely not Lord
Buddha : So seeing the well-taught Aryan disciple is
disenchated with the eye. with the mind
Being disenchanted with it he does not lust or it, not lusting,
he is set ree. By being ree, comes the knowledge that one is
ree. So that he realizes, Destroyed is a rebecoming, lied is the
noble lie, done is the task. lor lie in these conditions there is
no hereater`.
1

In like manner, we shall now come to another dialogue
between Ven. Ananda and the \anderer Channa. Once the
\anderer Channa met the Ven.Ananda and Put this question.

Channa : Reerend Ananda do you preach the
abandoning o passion o malice and delusion
Ananda : \e do indeed Reerend Sir,
2

Channa : Seeing what disadantages therein do you do so
sir
Ananda : \hy Sir, one who is oerwhelmed by passion,
losing control o mind plans things which
trouble himsel, which trouble others, which

1 S.N. i.105 P.51
2 According to Buddhism, the Buddha always adised or the abandonment. Once he said,Monks do ye
abandon eil. It can be done. I it were impossible to abandon eil, I would not bid you do so. But since it
can be done. 1hereore I say unto you, Abandon eil monks` A.N.ii.2.P.53

trouble both himsel and others, and so
experiences mental suering and dejection.
loweer, i passion be abandoned, he does not
so, and thus does not experience mental
suering and dejection. And again, Sir, one
who is oerwhelmed by passion practices
immorality in deed, word, and thought. But i
passion be abandoned he does not do so.
Besides, i he practices immorality, he
understands not as it really is, his own proit,
that o others, that o sel and others. Passion is
the cause o blindness, o not seeing, o not
knowing, o loss o insight, it is joined with
exation, it does not conduce to Nibb"na.
Likewise, the one who is malicious and the one
who is deluded. Seeing the disadantages in
passion, malice, and delusion, we preach the
abandoning o them.
1

Channa: But sir, is there any way, is there any practice
or the abandonment o passion, malice, and
delusion
Ananda : 1here is indeed Reerend Sir.
Channa : Pray, Sir, what is that way \hat is that
practice
Ananda : Sir, it is just the Aryan Lightold \ay to wit:
Right View, Right thought, Right Speech, Right
Action, Right Lielihood, Right eort, Right
mindulness, and right concentration.
2

1 \hen passion malice and delusion is abandoned, cut down at the root, made like a palm-tree stump, made
such as not to become o a nature not to spring up again in uture time one can realize Nibb"na.
2 A.N.i.iii.8.1 P.195-196

Beore concluding this chapter, we can examine another
dialogue between the Buddha and the Ven. Ananda. On one
occasion, the Ven. Ananda approached the Buddha and asked
thus:
Ananda : Lord, what is the object, what is the proit o
good conduct
Buddha : \hy, Ananda, reedom rom remorse is the
object, reedom rom remorse is the proit o
good conduct.
reedom rom remorse
Buddha : Joy, Ananda, is the object. Joy is the proit o
reedom rom remorse.
Ananda : But Sir, what is the object, what is the proit o
joy
Buddha : Rapture, Ananda is the object. Rapture is the
proit o joy.
Ananda : But Lord, what is the object, what is the proit
o rapture
Buddha : Calm, Ananda, is the object. Calm is the proit
o rapture.
Ananda : But Sir, what is the object, what is the proit o
calm
Buddha : lappiness, Ananda, is the object. lappiness is
the proit o calm.
happiness
Buddha : Concentration, Ananda, is the object.
Concentration is the proit o happiness.

Ananda : But, Lord, what is the object, what is the proit
o concentration
Buddha : Knowing and seeing things as they really are,
Ananda, is the object and proit o
concentration.
Ananda : \hat is the object, Lord, what is the proit o
knowing and seeing things as they really are
Buddha : Detachment and ading o interest, Ananda, is
the object o it.
Ananda : Lord, what is the object and proit o
detachment and ading o interest
Buddha : Release by knowing and seeing, Ananda, is the
object and proit o these. So you see Ananda,
good conduct has reedom rom remorse, as
object and proit, reedom rom remorse has
joy, joy has rapture, rapture has calm. Calm has
happiness, happiness has concentration,
concentration has seeing things as they really
are, seeing things as they really are, has
detachment and ading o interest, detachment
and ading o interest hae been realized by
knowing and seeing as their objects and proit.
So you see, Ananda, good conduct leads
gradually up to the summit, Nibb"na.
1

As we mentioned earlier, though there are many methods
prescribed by the Buddha or better elucidation o his teaching,
we are too limited in space to touch upon more o them at this
time. In this chapter, we attempted to look into some o these
methods, which hae been stressed by the Buddha in a number

1 A.N.V.X.ii.P.3

o suttas to explain the teaching o detachment. 1hereore, we
are compelled to conclude this chapter with a singular conclusie
statement. DL1ACHMLN1 IS 1O BL RLALIZLD BY
ONSLLI HLRL AND NOW. In the ollowing chapter, we
hope to surey a practical approach to detachment, more
releant to our day-to-day lies.

##########

CHAP1LR SIX

A PRAC1ICAL APPROACH 1O
DL1ACHMLN1 IN DAILY LIIL

Our aim in this chapter is to explain how to put detachment
into practice in daily lie. Generally, since all beings hae craing
and ignorance, attachment to people or things is ery easy to
achiee, but detachment is ery diicult to achiee. Both
attachment and detachment depend on our state o grasping or
non-grasping.
lence, since it is not beyond our capacity, we are responsible
or our condition o grasping or attachment, as well as, or
detachment. Neither a dea nor a Brahma can create grasping in
us in relation to things or persons. 1hey are our own creations.
It is ery easy to do things that are bad and harmul or onesel.
loweer, it is exceedingly diicult to do things that are good
and beneicial.
1
Beings ,except human,, born to the world in
arious orms cannot understand the nature o attachment or
detachment. 1hese two can only be understood by man.
1hereore, man himsel should understand the nature o both
attachment, and detachment, indiidually and intuitiely.

1 Dh.163 Vr.

\hateer merit and demerit we incur is associated with
olitional ormations. Volitional ormations are, in other words,
Volitional Actions`. As preiously mentioned, man is nothing
but mind and matter`,n"marupa,. \hat we hae called matter
is the body that we leae behind ater death, but mind or n"ma is
not so. It has the power to exist een ater one's death. It roams
rom place to place and rom birth to birth. Sometimes, when I
say thus, some may misunderstand and perhaps get conused
about the 1heory o Soullessness` in Buddhism. Soullessness is
solidly based in Buddhism. Neertheless, we hae to careully
understand the nature o mind ater one`s death.
It is a ery intricate matter to be explained because we cannot
perceie our mind ater death. \hateer we say about the
consciousness ater death is mostly based upon what we hae
gathered rom the Scriptures, as the \ords o the Buddha`.
Consciousness ,inn"na, is not a single item and cannot
moe by itsel rom place to place. 1here are other concomitant
parts such as, eelings ,edan",, perception ,sann",, and olitions
,sankh"ra,. So as long as one's mind roams in the cycle o births
and deaths, one has to undergo suering.
According to Buddhism, since one's consciousness is the
orerunner and also because o its clear maniestation, we preer
to say that one's consciousness roams rom place to place or
rom birth to birth. 1his is, like when we see a man or a car in
motion: \e do not see the indiidual parts unctioning, but the
entity as a whole. It is only ater that, that we analyze it into parts
and decide whether they are suitable either, to grasp as our own
or to reject.
\hat I want to emphasize here is that the mind, though it
roams rom birth to birth, is not a permanent entity, that itsel is
an eer-changing process. 1hereore, it too comes within the
nature o impermanence or changing. loweer, by this, one
cannot conclude that since the mind roams rom birth to birth,
there is a soul or permanent entity.

Buddhism teaches how to develop one's mind to
understand the real existence of the so-called soul. Apart
from our consciousness, there is no soul within us. On the
contrary, this consciousness itself cannot be perceived as a
soul because it is also ever changing process. If anyone
wants to grasp one's mind as the soul that will be a
complete mistake, because soul means a substance or a
permanent entity. However, according to the teachings of
the Buddha, one's mind is moving faster than matter.
One's mind beats at the speed of about
3,000,000,000,000, per the duration of a flash of lightning
and this rate of repetition is regular and constant. 1he
forces of the mind vary from being to being according to
the weight of the accumulations of defilement and purity
each carries
J
. 1he number of distinct motions of each unit
of element of matter, during the course of a period of the
duration of one flash of lighting is J76,470,000,000.
2

1herefore, if one is willing to make any sort of permanent
entity out of these five aggregates of human existence, it
would be more meaningful and successful to make a soul
out of matter rather than mind, because matter (body) is
more slow moving, therefore, considered steadier, more
stable, and lasting longer than mind which moves and
changes with rapidity.
Such is the dynamic orce o the mind that it can be
deeloped to the maximum. 1he Buddha said, Neither
mother, father nor any other relative can do one greater
good than one's own well-directed mind.
3
lence, our prime

1 Ranasinghe C.P. 1he Buddha`s explanation o the Unierse . P.36
2 Ibid
3 Dh. 43 Vr

aim should be directed towards the deelopment o mind. 1hat
is the purpose o meditation. Being mindul and wise is the only
way to deelop one's mind. 1he real purpose o Buddhist
meditation is to achiee uninterrupted mindulness, only
mindulness and wisdom deeloped through insight can produce
Lnlightenment.
Neertheless, how many o us in society think o this and
practice mindulness in our daily lies Only if we try to
practice mindfulness in our daily activities, can we call
ourselves, actively Buddhists not just Buddhists by
name, but by practice. Buddhism, basically, is not a
religion of worship or mere rites and rituals. It has a
profound and unmatched philosophy, which is based on
mind. 1hat is why when one practices mindulness one
practices Buddhism. Practicing mindulness in our daily lies is
quite diicult in the beginning. loweer, i we hae courage and
determination with unyielding organized eort, we can practice
mindulness in our eeryday lies. It is true that we cannot keep
up mindulness in all o our actiities as we perorm them, but
vo.t o our actiities can be done mindully. Being mindful is
the way to mindfulness. Once A. J. Muste, a leader o the
peace moement in America, who inspired millions o people,
said reerring to peace, 1here is no way to peace, peace is
the way. Similarly, we can say the same thing. 1here is no one
particular way to practice mindulness, being mindful is the
way to mindfulness.
In society, most o us are unknowingly practicing attachment
and reulsion. \heneer we are mindul, we do not practice
both o these, we practice detachment instead. As I see it, in this
so-called` modern society o science and technology, people
hae become more sophisticated and worldly. 1hereore, they
want many more material goods and things or their existence in
society. 1hey do not think o their our basic requisites alone.
1hey want everything to give immediate pleasure at the
flip of a switch or the click of a digital button. As the

consequence o this, they themseles hae become like senseless
machines. In brie, they cannot access the alue o the moral,
cultural, or spiritual adancement o lie.
People in our present-day society, do not deelop mutual
understanding, and achiee peaceul co-existence. 1hey quarrel
with each other oer land, race, color, and creed, but with such
oolish ighting, the Spiritual 1eachings`, taught by religious
leaders or man`s surial, dissipates. 1hese Spiritual
1eachings` can only establish and persist in a peaceul
atmosphere.
As previously mentioned, while aligning themselves with
the high technical advances in modern society, some
people have become like the senseless machines they
covet. 1hey are in a continuous state of imbalance,
attachment, or repulsion. 1hey breed jealousy, enmity, and
sensual desire all throughout their lives. In short, there is
no peace and tranquility in them.
Practicing mindulness means being ully aware o our
present action. loweer, in society, how many people are
mentally in the present \hile they are doing something in the
oice, they are relecting on something else. Suppose, or
instance, a girl or a boy is walking down the street in their town,
can he or she be mindul o himsel or hersel while looking in
the shop windows Certainly not, mainly because, there are
many items in the shop windows or them to cling to with eye
and mind. Unortunately, since they do not hae enough money
to purchase any goods, dejection arises in them. 1his is how
both attachment and reulsion arises in them.
It is not necessary to go to a city to experience
attachment and revulsion, even at home, one can
experience both easily. 1hen, what about practicing
detachment? Should one go to a forest? Should one go from
home to the state of homelessness or should one give up all
his worldly activities? No, not at all! 1he only requirement
is to be mindful of your present activity.

1he problem we hae today is we are doing one thing, while
relecting on something else and not being mindul. loweer,
we should try to be mindul all the time. 1hen, we will be able
to do that one particular thing even better. 1hat will be one
o the greatest successes in our lies. In order to being this
practice o mindulness, we can be mindul at the dining table
while we are haing our meal or while in the rest-room or while
we are working or talking. 1hereater, you can comprehend that
mindulness can be carried out in all areas o our lies.
I understand that many people are usually engaged in talking
while they are taking their meal. \hen they talk too much at the
dining table, they cannot enjoy the meal. 1hey gulp down their
meal ery quickly as i using a pipe to ill up as ast as they can.
1here is no relection on ood. laing your meal without
relecting, does not gie any beneit to you. In good relection,
one should take the time to think o how the ood came to the
plate, een i just or a second. 1hen you would see the people
and their labor that helped to make the plate o rice, which is in
ront o you. You can reflect on food before the meal, during
the meal or at the end of the meal. If you are mindful,
surely you can see how they sweated for your meal. 1hen
you can consider with gratitude the people who work in the
kitchens, in the fields, in the workshops, in the sky, the sea,
and on the land. 1hat is how you can realize and practice
one of the great teachings of the Buddha. 1his is the
Dependent Origination taught by the Buddha, in which you can
readily see how you depend on others.
Some people ery proudly say that they do not depend on
others, but they do not, een or a second, think o their own
body and how it is coered with a shirt made in India, trousers
made in China or a skirt made in Korea, or the blouse they are
now wearing made in Sri Lanka. Does this not show that they
depend on others \ho helped them to coer their bodies In
this society today, I can see, no indiidual can lie without the
help o others. Len monks cannot moe in society without

others help. 1here are times that I hae heard some o our
monks also say proudly, that they do not depend on others, that
might be true, because they might mean that they do not receie
the our requisites` rom the people. 1his is an entirely wrong
concept.
As I think o it, each and eery monk is dependent on many
people. 1hey normally take what is gien by the people.
loweer, some say they do not depend upon others, then how
do they get their robes, are they sel-woen, rom where comes
his umbrella, carryall bag, and his sandals
I we are mindul enough, we can think about these things,
meaningully and prooundly. Len most monks, today, hae
nothing to show as made by their own hand, such as robes,
bowls, or sandals, or wearing day today. \e can examine the
truth o this by looking at the ollowing: 1he robe is made in
1hailand, the umbrella in Japan, slippers come rom Singapore,
and the bag is rom Sri Lanka. Looking at this global eort, is he
not depending on others However, if we practice and
develop our mind, it is entirely ours.
\hat we possess should be a spiritual deelopment rather
than a material one. I we hae no spiritual adancement in our
lies, there is nothing to be called our own. When you die, you
will have to leave behind all. What you carry with you as
your own is only the result of your volitional actions. In this
search, we may conclude that we cannot lie without the help o
others in the world. 1his proes the reality o Dependent
Origination ,paticcasamupp"da, discoered and declared by the
Buddha. 1he Buddha taught his disciples to relect in a our-old
manner, by wisely consuming the our-requisites, namely: 1.
Robes 2. lood 3. Lodging, and 4. Medicine. 1hese our
requisites are not only or the monastics, but also or laypersons.
I we can relect een on just these our requisites, we can be
mindul in our daily actiities.
loweer, we hae to admit that in this ast moing society,
monks and nuns too are ery busy with serice to the layperson's

spiritual needs. 1hey, the monks and nuns o Sri Lanka, hae
been rendering their great serice to society since the arrial o
the Ven. Arahant Mah" Mahinda in Sri Lanka on the lull Moon
Day o June, in the year 24 B.C. \e must not orget about their
unparalleled serice to the people o this country and those
abroad as well. 1oday, the population is about 19 million in Sri
Lanka and o them more then 0 are Buddhists. loweer,
there are only about 35,000 monks in this country. \ith this
ratio o monks to laypersons, how can religious and social
serices be rendered to the people eectiely In this
connection, there has been limited success in restoring dissipated
Nun's Order in Sri Lanka, which is certainly a consoling
happiness or the right-thinking people o the country. 1he
nun's themseles are now engaging in aried religious and social
actiities. \hat I wish to emphasize here is that whether the
monks or nuns lie in society or in the orest, they all should be
mindul about their daily actiities.
1he more appliances we acquire, the more problems we
acquire. 1hereore, as Buddhist monks, nuns, and laypersons,
let us show more concerned about our rooms, temples, and
homes by restricting our needs. As I said earlier, let us be
mindul while we take our meals to begin with, then we would
be able to put into practice mindulness in our actiities o daily
lie, our aim being, to be mindul regarding our desires.
Nonetheless, it is ery diicult to curb our desires, which come
in waes. I we can be mindul, we can understand how desires
arise and perish, this is why this phenomenon o mindulness is
so ery important in this sense. \hen we are not mindul, we are
oolishly misguided by our own desires led by ignorance through
which brings orth unwholesome results throughout Sams"ra.
In the whole o our lies, there are two extremes to be
aoided, they are attachment and reulsion. 1hey both are
mental ormations, and simultaneously unwholesome in nature.
I we are suiciently mindul we can aoid both o them with
wisdom. 1hese two do not arise in us simultaneously, instead,

they repudiate each other. \hen we are not mindul, unwittingly,
we tend to all into one or the other.
It is common in our society that people get easily irritated and
blame others, neer wanting to accept their own aults. \hen
two people get together they seem reasonable and air to those
around them, but this is not necessarily true. Our society can be
corrupt and unjust in many ways though people seemingly
behae as saints outwardly. Inwardly, their actions pollute the
entire society. 1hereore, it is ery dangerous or a monk, a nun,
or a layperson to moe in such a social set-up in an unwise
manner.
\hen we are moing in society, we can obsere how people
behae. lor this purpose, we should be mindul and wise in our
day-to-day lies, with comprehension o day-to-day liing
achieed by careul attention and listening, which are essential.
In order to understand how people behae when especially
they are oercome by anger and reulsion, I would like to relate
an incident that I obsered as I was traeling by bus rom my
hometown to the city o Colombo, in Sri Lanka.
On that day, I set o or Colombo early in the morning.
1here was a C1B
1
bus rom Anamaduwa ,my hometown, to
Chilaw, passing through Andigama junction where my temple is
located. At the same time, there was a priate coach scheduled to
start rom Andigama to Chilaw daily at 4.30 in the morning. On
that day, the priate coach had let or Chilaw a little earlier than
usual. So, when the C1B bus reached Andigama, the priate
coach had already departed the place. I boarded the C1B bus
,near my temple, just beore it reached the Andigama Junction
and seated mysel keeping a keen awareness o what was going
on around me in the bus. 1hough it was my intention to

1 Central 1ransport Board

meditate, I was also a little bit anxious to obtain my ticket,
concerned that I would be oerlooked.
1
1hen ater a ew
minutes, the conductor came to me, but or so early in the
morning, already had such an unpleasant expression on his ace.
So I bought a ticket and settled into my seat. 1hen, the
conductor went to speak to the bus drier, when at the same
time, they both realized that the priate coach was not there at
the bus stop. It had let bit earlier than usual. Now, I was more
mindul o their acial expressions, which were not happy. 1he
conductor asked the bus drier to go aster in an eort to catch
up to the priate coach.
So, the drier started driing aster and aster encouraged by
the conductor who was moed by selish and hateul thoughts to
win at the usual competition that began with the priate coach
drier. 1he conductor then turned back and began to explain the
situation to the commuters behind him. le said, \ou see what
an unreasonable thing he has done 1hat coach drier could
hae gone a little later. \ou see, this is the same thing he did
yesterday. le is always trying to win a race`.
learing this explanation, I could well understand what was
going on between the conductor and bus drier and the priate
coach drier, and also how the situation came to be. 1houghts o
reenge had persisted or the past ew days. On hearing this
story, the commuters sided with the bus drier and the
conductor, started to blame the drier o the priate coach.
Listening to all their commentary, I became more and more
mindul trying to understand their eelings and actions on a
psychological basis.

1 In Sri Lanka monks and nuns hae the right to get into the bus rom the ront entry and take a seat
specially resered or clergy. 1he conductor usually stands at the rear entry o the bus or issuing tickets
but comes orward to hand oer the ticket to a monk or a nun.

I obsered that the drier, moed by anger, was driing ast.
lis intention was to oertake the priate coach by any means.
lere, his mind was completely oercome by anger and hatred so
early in the morning. le hated the drier o the priate coach,
which is an example o reulsion. loweer, the priate coach
was not een within his sight. 1hough the bus drier thought
that he was right, as he was oer whelmed with ignorance and
aersion, he could not see things as they were. le did not een
stop the bus at the usual bus stops or commuters. Since he was
irritated, and oerwhelmed by repulsion, he did not obsere the
rule imposed by C1B, which reads, .commuters should be
collected rom each bus stop`. le did not care about the people
at the bus stops or on the bus either. lis only aim was to
oertake the priate coach.
As I watched this incident, I could realize that the seeds o
repulsion, which had taken root in the conductor`s mind, were
implanted in the bus drier`s mind. 1hen, the drier became
angry and began to drie aster and aster. Ater that, I could see
that the conductor's explanation o the situation to the people,
had planted the same seeds o anger and repulsion in the
commuters' minds. Now, they too became angry. Since the bus
drier would not stop at the regular stops, in his eort to catch
the coach, the people waiting at the stops also became angry.
1hen, this anger and repulsion spread to the driers o ehicles
on the road and to pedestrians on the sidewalks as well.
1hus, many people on either side o the road had become
angry irst thing in the morning. As a result o all this anger,
hatred, and uncontrolled desire to win at any cost, aersion arose
in eery one's mind, polluting the whole enironment. I the
conductor had controlled his anger with mindulness and
wisdom, such an unwanted calamity could hae been easily
aoided.
Ater reaching our destination ,Chilaw,, in order to clariy
what really happened, I asked the conductor to explain the
situation to me in more detail. \hereupon, he said angrily, \ou

see, Ven. Sir, this man, the drier o the priate coach, had come
early today also. 1his is what he does eeryday in trying to win
this competition. I will teach him a lesson!` Ater this
inormatie conersation with the conductor, I walked oer to
the priate coach, which belonged to one o my riends. I saw
there was a riend o mine who had traelled in the priate
coach. I enquired as to whether the drier o the priate coach
had expressed any comment about the drier o the C1B bus.
My riend said, No, not a word, but he droe ery ast!` 1hat is
what happened. See how dangerous the mind can be, which is
not deeloped and cultiated 1his mind can change a man
and the whole society.
1his story was only one ery simple incident that occurred on
just one morning. 1here are thousands o such incidents, which
occur eery day in society because o undeeloped and
uncultiated minds. I we are mindul, all at once, we can hae
understanding o when reulsion, aersion, or attachment arises,
then we can aoid them mindully and wisely. 1hat is why
Buddhism teaches us to be always mindul and wise.
\hen we urther think o repulsion, we can understand how
dierent conlicts arise in society because o our uncontrolled
and untamed minds. lor instance, when seeing things in the
outside world, we normally compare them with the things we
hae in our homes. 1hen, i the other things are superior to what
we hae in our home, we hae an urge to possess them. 1hen we
strie to grasp them by hook or by crook. I alluring things
belong to another, then jealousy and dislike arise in us. As a
result, the real conlict arises between the two persons who
aroused it, and this is the main source or most o the conlicts
in society. As long as we hae desire and make comparisons, we
try to grasp` at things.
loweer, according to Buddhist teaching, all component
things are impermanent, eer changing. Mindulness helps us to
see this reality o things in the world. \hen one can see this
characteristic o impermanence, one can realize that whateer is

impermanent is necessarily in the nature o unsatisactoriness
and soullessness. 1hese three are the main characteristics o
material and immaterial existence in the world. 1hey can be
realized through any object in the world. Insight meditation or
wisdom meditation, taught by the Buddha is ocused on realizing
these three characteristics o existence o all phenomena in the
world.
At this point, I think I should say something on meditation
because there are some misconceptions preailing in society on
meditation. Some people think that meditation is to be practiced
by elderly people or monks who are especially dedicated and
restricted to a solitary lie in the orest. It is sad to say, that some
monks themseles hae this misconception. 1hey neer wish to
talk on meditation or practice meditation in their temples. 1hey
hae no intention to teach or practice this indispensable and
inaluable subject o Buddhism, either or themseles or or
their deotees. 1hey are, instead, ready to perorm some sort o
rituals or worldly satisaction o the people. loweer, this
certainly is a deiation rom the core teachings o the Buddha.
Monks should guide their deotees in the proper way, otherwise,
all will ollow in a wrongul way that leads one to Sams"ra. lor
this reason, an example has to be set at the highest leel o the
community o monks and nuns.
Meditation is the correct, direct, and still proper way to
develop and cultivate one's mind. \hen we talk o
meditation, some people become excited at times. Neertheless,
mental deelopment is the only way to realize perect reality in
the world. Some people do not like to meditate because they
think that one must go to a orest or temple or should gie up
one's daily actiities or meditation, howeer, this is incorrect
thinking. 1here are no such stern boundaries in Buddhist
teaching. Mental development or mindfulness can be
practiced anywhere, anytime, in any manner, in any
society. Some may think that when one is meditating, one
becomes lazy and slothul. No! It is just the opposite. \hen one

is meditating correctly, s,he deelops the essential aculties,
namely: aith ,saddh",, eort ,iriya,, mindulness ,sati,,
concentration ,sam"dhi,, and wisdom ,pann",. More
signiicantly, s,he can work braely and walk earlessly on the
Buddha's Path. 1heir behaior is peaceul to themseles and
society as well. 1hey always strie to maintain mindulness and
wisdom by liing in the present moment. 1hey do not do
anything meaninglessly or commit useless acts that beneit no
one. 1he success o all their actiities depends on detachment
,ieka,.
Meditation or mental deelopment should be engaged in by
eeryone liing within a society. Buddhism was introduced,
not to a chosen group of people, but to all in the world (for
both humans and gods). 1here are many methods o
meditation, all o which lead to serenity and insight ,samatha and
ipassan",. An"p"na or the inhaling and exhaling meditation is
proound and ery eectie. It is by practicing this method o
meditation, that all the supremely Lnlightened Ones attained
their Buddhahood. 1his method is ery conenient, as you do
not need to bring anything to the meditation place with you, as
long as you are alie, there is breath within you, this is your
meditation object. 1hereore, as long as you lie you can practice
this meditation. 1he only thing needed to do is maintain
mindulness o your inbreath and outbreath. loweer, though
we breathe in and breathe out rom the time that we are born
into this world, many o us hae neer been aware o how it
comes in and goes out, let us look at it now. Breathe in and
breathe out mindfully and non judgementally to practice
your meditation each day during a quiet time. 1here is no
restriction o time or you to meditate, so choose what time is
conenient or you.


Now. stop your reading or a ew moments,
close your eyes, and obsere your respiration
ocusing your attention on your in-breath and
out-breath, either at the base o the let or right
nostril where the upper lip ends and the nose
begins, or giing attention to your naal ,belly
moement, i it is more suitable to you. Just be
mindul o the nature o the breath or a ew
minutes that is all... Now, again start your
reading, and wheneer you want to practice
again, stop reading or working and practice
breathing or a while. 1he more you do this, the
more experience will be gained. 1he highest
experience that you can achiee is the bliss o
Nibb"na.

Leryone can meditate while engaged in daily actiities. A
journey o a thousand miles starts with the irst step. I we try to
tame our mind now, at this moment, we will certainly be able to
tame it, and a tamed mind will deinitely bring happiness.
1
Our
mind is ery subtle, and it will seize whateer it desires. Only
those who make constant energetic eort can apply mindulness
to their meditation-object ,breath, and daily actiities. loweer,
we should not orget that mind cannot be deeloped and
cultiated by deities, arious kinds o deils, those in the
purgatory realms, animal realms, or any other non-human
beings, but only by people like you and me.
How can you be mindful in your daily life? We all start
our day in the morning with an undisturbed mind. Irom
the time you get up in the morning, do not be lazy and

1 Dh.35 Vr.

sluggish. Awaken with a refreshed and purified mind as
soon as your mind gives the signal, then open your eyes
mindfully with a smile, then moving slowly, try to keep
mindful attention to each and every movement of your
limbs. Be aware of your mind how it roams far with
considering the day's activities. Keep your attention
focused on your mind and see how it works. When you turn
onto your side in the bed, be aware of the way you turn
your body, and when you want to move your hands, head or
legs, be mindful and try to keep a constant awareness.
Suppose you want to raise your body, do it mindully. \hen
you wish to alight rom the bed, do it mindully stretching out
your legs and be mindul as soon as your eet are touching the
loor. 1ake a cup o water and rinse your mouth mindully, and
drink water as much as you can, ater that do things mindully
and naturally. Now, sit in a quiet place and do some light
exercises or physical itness. \hateer exercise you do, do it
mindully so as to let wisdom grow.
I you would like to read now, do so mindully, when you
want to go out, step out mindully starting with your right leg, be
mindul and note well that you put your right leg irst. \ou may
walk mindully but naturally, right oot... let oot... right... let,
right, let... will be the way that you walk. \hile you are walking,
i you need to do some thing else, do it mindully. Now do
things as any normal aerage person would do them but
naturally and mindully.
Suppose you want to brush your teeth, take the brush
mindully and place some toothpaste upon it mindully, then
brush your teeth in a mindul manner being aware o each tooth
and brush it well. In another instance, you are brushing your
teeth while walking, now what should be done You cannot do
the two activities mindfully, simultaneously. 1herefore, you
should decide on the activity that is the more important at
the moment and keep your attention on that one.

Sometimes, people are doing two or more activities at
the same time, multi-tasking. Unfortunately, their attention
is not properly kept to any one of them. Since the attention
has not been ocused well, there is no room or wisdom to arise
and grow. Now i you want to wash your ace, do it mindully.
\hen you wipe your ace, do it mindully. I you want to talk
with others, try to do so mindully. 1ry to do all your activities
of the day mindfully. If you can do most of your work
during the day mindfully, you are truly successful in
practicing the Dhamma.
As long as you are mindul, you are deeloping your mind.
1his mindulness leads you to insight and wisdom, and besides
this, i you are mindul, you can do your actiities with a
concentrated mind. Concentration o mind paes the way to
peace o mind. 1his means that you can do things peaceully and
properly. \hen you go to bed at night, be mindul enough to
understand how you prepare yoursel and get into the bed.
While you are lying on the bed, do not think about your
past or future, just keep your attention on your belly or at
the base of your nose (edge of nostril) and note carefully
how you breathe in and breathe out. I you can spend at least
one hour in the morning and one hour in the eening, sit cross-
legged obsering your breath. 1his obseration o breathing
helps you to lead a successul lie here and now, and hereater.
1his sitting meditation is a great help in keeping up our
mindulness while carrying out our daily actiities. 1his is the
same thing as when a doctor gies an injection, not only does the
arm beneit, but also the whole body receies the beneit. In the
same way, when we practice or a hal-hour or an hour in our
sitting, it gies us beneits through out the whole day.
I you can practice mindulness in your daily lie, you will not
be attached to anything because there is nothing worthy o
attachment in the world. On the other hand, you can reduce
your anger and hatred. I can tell you this, as it is rom my own
experience gained throughout this monastic lie. If anyone can

be satisfied with his life, as it has been spent so far, then it
is a successful life according to the sublime teaching of the
Buddha. I am ully satisied with my lie so ar, because I hae
not done anything to regret.
Some people in society cannot be satisied een with a
shower o gold coins,
1
because o their greedy attachments. On
the other hand, there are some in our society who are hot-
tempered. Neither o these two can be detached. Buddhism
teaches the path to detachment. People truly want to lie in
society. \hateer they do in their daily lies is to sustain
themseles. loweer, i they want to hoard more and more as
their own, this will only lead to craing and attachment. 1he life
of a monk is the best example given by the Buddha to learn
detachment. 1hey do not possess wealth and property as
their own. 1hey hae gien up all o their possessions or going
orth rom home to homelessness. Len in ulilling their our
requisites, they do not hae attachment. 1hey depend on what
they are oered by laypersons. 1hey take ood not or the
pleasure o it, not or pride, not or adornment, not or
beautiying the body, but merely to maintain the body, to still the
hunger, and to enable the practice o the holy lie. 1hus, they
maintain their lies ree rom wrongdoing and discomort.
In the same way, they wear the robe only in order to protect
themseles rom cold, heat, gadlies, mosquitoes, wind, sun,
rom snakes, also as a constant coering or their modesty. 1hey
make use o lodgings wisely, only in order to protect themseles
rom cold and heat, rom gadlies, and mosquitoes, rom wind,
sun, rom snakes, and as a constant protection against a rigorous
climate, in order to realize that ardent desire or seclusion, which
begets mental concentration. 1hey make use o medicine only as
an aid to eliminate bodily pains that hae arisen, and to maintain

1 Dh. 186 .Vr.

that important condition, which is reedom rom disease. 1hat is
the best lesson taught by the Buddha to lie in society,
unattached.
1he Buddha adised us, Iollow not the vulgar way, live
not in heedlessness, hold not false views, linger not long in
worldly existence.
J
,linam dhammam na seeyya, pam"dena
na samase, micch" ditthim na seeyya, na siy" lokaaddhano,.
On another occasion, the Buddha said, Come! Behold this
world, which is like a decorated royal chariot. lere ools
lounder, but the wise hae no attachment to it ,natthi sango
ij"natam,.
2
Riches ruin the oolish, but not those in quest o the
Beyond ,Nibb"na,. 1hrough craing or riches, the ignorant man
ruins himsel, as well as others`.
3

1he fool does everything harmful to both himself and
others. 1he wise, behaves for the benefit of both himself
and others. \hen one is wise, one can be mindul and
comprehend what is right and what is wrong. Right mindulness
and clear comprehension should go hand-in-hand. In the Maba
atiattbava vtta o the Digba î/!,a, how a practitioner can be
endowed with mindulness and clear comprehension is explained
as ollows:
In going orward and returning, the practitioner acts
with clear comprehension. In looking ahead and looking
aside, he acts with clear comprehension. In bending and
stretching the limbs, he acts with clear comprehension. In
wearing his robes and cloak and using his alms bowl, he
acts with clear comprehension. In eating, drinking,

1 Dh. 16. Vr.
2 Dh. 11 Vr
3 Dh. 355.Vr

chewing, and tasting, he acts with clear comprehension. In
deecating and urinating, he acts with clear
comprehension. In going, standing, sitting, lying down,
waking up, speaking, and remaining silent, he acts with
clear comprehension.
1

\hen monks, nuns, or laypeople practice mindulness and
clear comprehension, they can experience contentment without
discrimination. Contentment is explained in the !vavvabata
vtta as, Noble Contentment` ,ariy"ya santutthiy",. A monk is
content with his robes to protect his body and alms ood to
sustain his lie ,/",aarib"ri,eva cirareva /vccbiarib"ri,eva
ivaa"teva). \heneer a monk goes out, he takes only his
needed requisites. Just as a bird, whereer it lies carries only its
eathers as requisite unburdened with worm or twig, a bhikkhu is
content with robes to protect his body and alms ood only to
satisy his belly.
2

\hen we hae too many objects in our icinity, we ind it
diicult to keep mindulness ocus on the moements o the
body, eelings, and mind at the same time. In our day- to-day
lie, when we become busy with many things, we orget to be
mindul. \hen the mind starts relecting on a certain object, it
traels ar away. loweer, we are not always aware o it. It is
only ater our thoughts hae returned rom a ar distance do we
become aware o it. By the time it returns, you can realize the
mind has roamed oer a ast area o time and space
,daydreaming,. Neertheless, we hae to understand that as long
as the mind roams without mindulness, there is no deelopment
o wisdom. On the other hand, as long as we are conscious
enough to be mindul, we deelop wisdom. In this way, we

1 D.N. 22 Sutta
2 D.N. 1.2 .S"mannaphala Sutta

deelop both mindulness and wisdom, which are the essential
requirements or the attainment o Lnlightenment. I we practice
mindulness throughout our lie, we can surely experience
happiness, serenity, insight, and emancipation.
1o be mindul in our daily lie, we can now examine some
instructions gien by an internationally renowned Buddhist
leader, Venerable 1hich Nhat lanh. le is a Vietnamese
Buddhist monk, poet, and a peace adocate, who was nominated
or the Nobel peace prize in 196, by Martin Luther King Jr.
Ater winning this aluable prize or peace, he now lies in
Southwestern lrance. le teaches the art o mindul liing`. In
his many works, he emphasizes this teaching o the Buddha and
he has practiced it throughout his lie. As a prominent engaged
Buddhist monk, who lies in modern society, he always stries
to teach the practical side o Buddhism. le teaches one how to
see things in the world and the importance o conscious
breathing. According to his instructions, the present moment is
the most wonderul and signiicant moment. 1his Venerable
monk says: We can practice conscious breathing not only
while sitting in a meditation room, but also while working
at the office or at home or while driving our car, or sitting
on a bus, wherever we are, at any time throughout the
day.
J

le has written many books on Buddhism, speciically, on
mindul liing in the midst o this ast moing society. In his
books, he states that we know how to sacriice or years and
years to obtain degrees and diplomas, and we are willing to work
ery hard to get a good job, a car, a house, and so on. loweer,
we hae diiculty remembering that we are alie in the present
moment, the only moment there is or us to be alie. le says

1 1hich Nhat lanh. "Peace is eery step-1he Path o mindulness in Leryday lie".


urther, eery breath we take, eery step we make can be illed
with peace, joy, and serenity. \e need only to be awake, alie, in
the present moment.
\e know, sometimes our mind is thinking o one thing while
the body is doing something else. It shows that our mind and
body are not uniied, incongruent. \hen the mind is straying, we
are not well aware o the things we are perorming. loweer,
when we are mindul we can see how our body and mind act
congruently in the present moment. 1hen, with clear
comprehension, we can aoid unwholesome actiities while
perorming wholesome ones. Being mindul, one can breathe-in
and breathe-out, which is a ery interesting and useul
experience that can be gained in one's lietime.
\hether one is breathing-in a long breath or a short breath, i
one is mindul, one can recognize it well and can practice
urther. Ior detachment from things in the world, one
should practice mindful breathing as a habit.
Ven. 1hich Nhat lanh introduces new methods o
meditation such as, telephone meditation, driing meditation,
hugging meditation, tangerine meditation, and een meditation
on loe. Many people in our society do not hae the habit o
meditation. I think these new concepts should be introduced by
monks and nuns to the general population. \hateer the name
gien does not matter i the basic idea o meditation is ulilled
by practicing it.
le says, ev;o, breatbivg erer,aa,. vt vav, eote areciate tbe
;o, of breatbivg ovt, rbev tbe, bare a.tbva or a .tvffeav vo.e. !e ao vot
veea to rait vvtit re bare a.tbva to ev;o, ovr breatbivg. .rareve.. of tbe
reciov. etevevt of baive.. i. it.etf, tbe ractice of rigbt vivafvtve...
1hough there are many ways and means to practice
meditation in this ast moing society o the 21st century,
meditation practices should be kept up to date. 1o this end, such
modern names, as telephone meditation, tangerine meditation,
etc. are essential and more eectiely it into our lies. 1he way

o being mindul is aried and can be decided by onesel alone,
because people are engaged in arious types o actiities in
society and their characters dier. I one knows the principle o
mindulness, one can practice it in accordance with his or her
own employment. lor example, a typist can be mindul as to
how she moes her ingers, where an oicial would be mindul
by being aware o how he speaks to others.
Society today is ull o crime and corruption because o
unmindul behaior o people. 1hey are guided by their
emotions and desires. 1hey do not care about mindulness or
wisdom. 1heir only expectation is temporary pleasure through
any means. loweer, this is not the dharmic way o lie. In the
Dhamma, greed ,lobha,, anger ,kodha,, hatred ,dosa,, lust ,r"ga,,
delusion ,moha,, and ear ,bhaya,, bring about all the disasters
within society, which are called perasie deilements`. In
order to get rid of these defilements, one should always be
mindful, vigilant, and wise. 1hen one can understand the
ourold dimensions o a problem`. 1he ourold dimensions`
are:
1. \hat is the problem
2. \here does it come rom
3. \hat is its end
4. low do we achiee this end

As the path to a conlict ree Dharmic way o lie, a
renowned Buddhist monk, Ven. Santikaro rom Sauan
Mokkhabal"r"ma 1hailand, points out a tweleold path to be
ollowed. 1he 12 are as ollows:
1. Right Religion
2. Right Lducation
3. Right Leadership
4. Right Organization & Goernment
5. Right Communication
6. Right Culture
. Right lamily & Sexuality

8. Right Lconomy
9. Right Lcology
10. Right Play
11. Right Monitoring
12. Right Sangha & Solidarity.
1

All religions teach us to lead a righteous lie. Lie can be a
righteous one only by practicing Dhamma in society. 1o practice
the Dhamma in society, both mindulness and wisdom are
indispensable actors. 1his is why we can say that Buddhism is
based on mindulness and wisdom.
I cite all these examples to show that Detachment ,Anup"-
d"na, or non-grasping and non-reulsion, is not something to be
ound in deiating rom society, but by being in society,
practicing mindulness and wisdom in our daily actiities.
1he Buddha realized suering as suering and happiness as
happiness, and reealed it in his 1eaching. \e also should be
mindul and wise enough to understand these two as they are, in
our daily lies. Since it is quite beyond the unenlightened mind,
generally, most people dislike acing the true acts o lie. 1hey
lull themseles into a alse sense o security by daydreaming and
imaginings, taking shadow to be substance. Many neer see or
know, or een care to ind out the acts o lie, preerring to lie
a humdrum an unenlightened existence in the world to which
they were born.
2
lor the better understanding o our lie, we can
quote a poem rom a 1ibetan Buddhist Yogi Milarepa. lis
poem is a simple but comprehensie picture o our lies.

1 "Some Possibilities o a Dharmic Socialism", an article based on Ven. Buddhadasa`s 1eaching, presented
to the INLB Symposium.
2 Ven. K.Sri. Dhammananda 1hera.low to lie without ear and worry P. 31

\outh is like a summer lower
Suddenly it ades away
Old age is like a ire spreading
1hrough the ields - suddenly, it`s at your heels
1he Buddha once said Birth and death
Are like sunrise and sunset
Now come, now go.
Sickness is like a little bird
\ounded by a sling.
Know you not, health and strength
\ill in time desert you
Death is like a dry oil lamp
,Ater its last licker,
1his world is impermanent,
Nothing, I assure you
Can remain unchanging.
Lil karma is like a waterall
\hich hae neer seen low upward,
A sinul man is like a poisonous tree.
I you lean on it, you will injured be.
1ransgressors are like rost-bitten peas -
Like spoilt ar, they ruin eerything.
Dharma practitoners are like peasants cultiating in the ields
1he law o Karma is like Sams"ra`s wheel
\hoeer breaks it will suer a great loss.
Sams"ra is like a poisonous thorn
In the lesh-I not pulled out,
1he poison will increase and spread.
1he coming o death is like the shadow
O a tree at sunset-
It runs ast and none can halt it
\hen that time comes,
\hat else can help but the loly Dharma
1hough Dharma is the ount o ictory,
1hose who aspire to it are rare.
Scores o men are tangled in

1he miseries o Sams"ra
Into this misortune born,
1hey strie by plunder and thet or gain.
\hen you are strong and healthy
\ou ne'er think o sickness coming
But it descends with sudden orce
Like a stroke o lightning.
\hen inoled in worldly things
\ou ne'er think o death's approach
Quick it comes like thunder
Crashing round your head.
Sickness, old age, and death
Ler meet each other
As do hands and mouth
Do you not ear the miseries
\ou experienced in the past
Surely, you will eel much pain
I misortunes attack you
1he woes o lie succeed one another
Like the sea`s incessant waes-
One has barely passed beore
1he next one takes its place
Until you are liberated, pain
And pleasure come and go at random
Like passers-by encountered in the street.
Pleasures are precarious,
Like bathing in the sun,
1ransient, too, as the snow storms
\hich come without warning.
Remembering these things,
\hy not practice the Dhamma
-Songs o Milarepa-
1

1 K.Sri Dhammananda 1hera.low to lie without ear and worry.P.38-40.

1his beautiul, simple, and comprehensie poem by Milarepa
depicts a clear picture o human lie. I we are not mindul
enough to understand this reality o our lie, there is no use, in
being a human being. In our iew, each and eery indiidual
should think o this matter, and should be mindul to understand
the Dhamma or reality in the world. It is neither Buddhists'
nor non-Buddhists' Dhamma, but the reality of the world.
When we practice mindfulness in our daily lives, we can
detach from both attachment and revulsion. Detachment
itself is reality in the world. Detachment is the main
characteristic o Arahants, Lnlightened Ones, which we will deal
with in the next chapter.

##########

CHAP1LR SLVLN

DL1ACHMLN1, LNLIGH1LNLD
ONLS, AND 1HLIR
CHARAC1LRIS1ICS

1he Buddha is the ully Lnlightened One. le was the
peerless and unparalleled One in the world. In the Coa/a
Moggatt!va vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a, it is ery clearly said by
Ven. Ananda to the Brahmin Gopaka Moggall"na that there is
not een one monk, who is possessed in eery way, and in eery
part o all those things, o which the Buddha was possessed.
In this Sutta Brahmin Gopaka Moggallana asked:
Is there een one monk, Ven. Ananda, who is possessed in
eery- way and in eery part, o all those things o which the
good Gotama, the Perected One, lully Awakened One was
possessed`
Answering, Ven. Ananda said:
1here is not een one monk, Brahmin, who is possessed
in eery way and in eery part o all those things o which

the Lord was possessed, the Perected One, lully sel-
Awakened One.
1

An Arahant has completely detached rom all sorts o
attachments to the world. 1hereore, Arahants are detached ones
,sabbesu dhammesu anupalitto,. 1he prime aim o the path o
the Buddha is attaining Lnlightenment. 1hose who hae attained
Lnlightenment are liberated or Lnlightened Ones. 1hey hae no
urther attachment to any thing in the unierse, and they are
explicitly detached rom worldly things.
1hey hae some exclusie characteristics in their lies
apparently, not physically but mentally. lence, in order to
illustrate some o those characteristics o the Liberated Ones, we
shall now make a brie surey in this chapter.
\hen we take a searching look into the early discourses in
the Sutta Pitaka, we come across many accounts regarding the
main characteristics o the Lnlightened Ones.
Beore we come to examine these accounts rom the early
discourses, I would like to oer a linguistic comment on the
term Arahant.
1he term Arahat` is deried rom the root arh` to be
worthy o` ,eg. Sae k"s"am - arahati,
2
which means he is
worthy o the yellow robe, or to desere`.
1

1 M.N. iii.108 Sutta,
Q. Atthinukho bho Ananda eka bhikkhumpi tehi dhamme sabbena sabbam sbbath" sabbam
samann"gatoyehi dhamme hi samann"gato so bhaam Gotamo ahosi araham Samm" Sambudddho
A.Natthi kho brahmana ekabhikkhupi tehi dhammehi sabbena sabbam sabbath" sabbam samann"gato yehi
dhammehi samann"gato so bhaga" ahosi araham Samm" Sambuddho.
2 Dh.10 .Vr

Arahants are enerable persons, holy men or saints who hae
attained inal sanctiication. 1his term is used een in the non-
Buddhist literature, or instance, to describe Acelakas, the naked
ascetics.
Araham` is an adjectie. It is used in the well-known
ormula, Itipiso bhagaa arabav Samm" Sambuddho. etc`.
lere, the term has been used adjectially, but Arahant` or
Arahat` is a noun to denote the person who has completely
eradicated all deilements.
1he term 1ath"gata` has also been used as a synonym in our
texts to denote persons who hae destroyed all cankers.
loweer, this is a controersial term in the canon, in the
common iew. 1hough the term reers to the ully Awakened
One, the Buddha, some scholars state that the term reers not
only to the Buddha but also to Arahants, and in general, to all
beings ,Satt",.
\e shall consider this at the end o this chapter, reerring to
some instances rom the Canonical 1exts.
Arahants, as detached ones`, hae realized things as they are
entirely and are released rom all sams"ric bonds. lappiness,
contentment, and peace are eerlasting in their hearts. 1hey hae
blown out the ires o greed, hatred, and delusion ,r"ga, dosa,
moha,.
2

\hen these ires are blown out, peace is attained and the
person emerges completely cool ,sitibhuto,,
3
as a beautiul lotus
lower that does not cling to the water but rises aboe it.

1 Rhys Daids and \illiam Stede,

Pali -Lnglish Dictionary ,P1S,
2 S.N. i.i. I.Sutta ,Nibb"na Sutta,
3 Su.N. 542.,Sitibhuto damappatto dhitim" saccanikkamo,

Arahant does not cling to either merit or demerit.
1

le has by-
passed all acquisitions, which lead to rebecoming. By him, all
taints ,"saa, hae been torn asunder and without grasping, like a
lion, he has eliminated ear and dread.
2

1here is a splendid description about Arahants in the ova
vtta o the .vgvttara î/!,a. According to this Sutta, haing
won Arahantship, Venerable Sona isited the Buddha and said,
Lord, the Arahant monk who has destroyed the cankers, lied
the lie, done what was to be done, set down the burden, won
sel-weal, shattered lie`s etters, and is reed by perect gnosis
has applied himsel to six things, to wit: dispassion, detachment,
harmlessness, destroying craing, destroying grasping, and non-
delusion.
3

1hese qualities hae been poetically translated by L.M. lare,
in Craavat a,ivg. as ollows:
Dispassion, minds detachment, harmlessness
Grasping`s and craing`s end mind undeluded
\ho hath applied himsel to these, hath seen
Sensations rise his mind is wholly reed
And in that monk, calmed, wholly reed naught need.
Be added to what`s done, naught due is ound
As massie crag by wind is neer moed
So sight, tastes, sounds, smell, touches, yea the things
Longed or and loathed, stir not a man like that,
lis mind stands irm, released, he marks their set
4

1 Su.N. 54.,Pundarikam yath" aggu toyena upalimpati,
2 Su.N. 546. ,Lam punne ca p"pe ca ubhaye tam nalimpasi ,
3 A.N. iii. i. 55 Sutta P. 268
4 A.N. iii. i. 55 Sutta P.269-20

,Nekkhammamadhimuttassa paiekanca cetaso
Abby"pajjh"dhimuttassa up"d"nakkhayassa ca
1anhakkhay"dhimuttassa asammohan ca cetaso
Dis" "yatanupp"dam samm" cittam imuccati
1assa samm" imuttassa santacittassa bhikkhuno
Katassa paticayo natthi karaniyam na ijjati
Seloyath" ekaghano "tena na samirati
Lam rup" ras" saddh" gandh" phass" ca keal"
Itth" dhamm" anitth" ca nappaedhenti t"dino
1hitam cittam ippamuttam ayam cassanupassati,

Since the Arahant is reed rom all cankers, his heart dwells
peaceul. 1here is nothing to be added to what has been done,
and nothing more remains or him to do. Just like a rock, o one
solid mass, he remains unshaken by the wind. le has gained
delierance.
1
le experiences the bliss o Nibb"na, which can be
characterized by our special attainments, namely: lappiness,
moral perection, realization, and reedom.
2
1hose who are wise,
meditatie, strenuous, and adancing eer steadily, attain the
supreme happiness or Nibb"na, the reedom rom bondage.
3

1here mental health is perect. 1hey do not repent the past, nor
do they brood oer the uture. 1hey lie ully in the present.
1hey appreciate and enjoy things in the purest sense without
sel-projections. 1hey gain nothing, accumulate nothing, not

1 Ven. Nyanatiloka. 1he \ord o the Budddha- ,BPS,
2 Pro.Lily de Sila. Nibb"na as experience. Sri Lanka Journal o Buddhist Studies, Buddhist and Pali
Uniersity Vol. I. P.29 .- 198
3 Dh. 23 Vr. ,1e jhayino satatika, -niccam dalha parakkama Phusanti dhira nibbanam - yogakkhemam
anuttaram,

een anything spiritual, because they are completely ree rom
the illusion o sel, and the craing or becoming.
1

1he state o Nibb"na that the Lnlightened Ones are
experiencing is generally deined in negatie terms, but there are
positie aspects too. I mean, Nibb"na is not mere absence but
also achieements that accrue through the destruction o the eil
qualities o man. All those are speciically, qualities or
characteristics o the Lnlightened Ones and some o them can
be listed as ollows:
1. Delierance rom pain and sorrow ,mokkha,
2. Liberation rom imprisonment ,nirodha,
3. Peace ,santi,
4. Unchanging 1ruth ,sacca,
5. 1he State o Bliss ,sia,
6. 1he deathless state` ,amata,
. 1he state o permanence` ,dhua,
8. 1he reuge rom Suering` ,sarana,
9. 1he linal destiny` ,par"yana,
10. 1he state that has no end` ,ananta,
11. 1he state ree rom ear` ,khema,
12. 1he absolute, the summum bonum` ,keala,
13. 1he state o support` ,pada,
14. 1he supreme state` ,panita,
15. 1he state ree rom delay` ,accuta,

1 \hat the Buddha taught by \alpola Rahula P. 43

16. 1he Release or Liberation ,mutti,
1. 1he Lmancipation ,imutti,
18. 1ranquillity ,santi,
19. Purity ,isuddhi,
20. 1he state o coolness` ,nibbuti,
1

Arahant has eliminated all types o conceit, the superiority
complex, the ineriority complex, and the equality complex
,seyyam"na, hinam"na, sadisam"na,. lis mind is released
,imutta,, cooled ,nibbuta,, and ater death, the concept o being
is no more, it is blown out like the lame o a lamp,
2
no longer
grasping at any orm o existence ,anup"da parinibb"ti,.
le has ull control oer his thoughts ,cetoasippatto,.
3
He is
able to withstand all the painful sensations with
mindfulness and clear comprehension without being
fatigued by them. lor instance, once a \akkha, a maleolent
non-human being, dealt a blow on Ven. S"riputta`s head, with
the seerity o the blow described as being capable o tearing a
mountain peak asunder or making a seen and a hal cubit high
elephant go down on its knees. Ven. Moggall"na who saw this
incident with his diine eye inquired as to how Ven. S"riputta
was. le then replied that he was all right but there was a slight
pain in the head.
1his story shows us that the blow had only a minimal impact
on the Arahant. Arahants are said to experience only physical
sensation, or instance, the Buddha elt acute pain when he was
wounded by a stone splinter.

1 Ven. Parawahera ajiragnana, Buddhist Meditation, P. 43 .Published by Gunasena & Co Ltd. Colombo
2 Su.N 235 Vr. P. 38
3 A.N. II. 6. 36

1hey ,Arahants, see things as they really are. 1hey know ery
well that all suering is due to sel-identiication, which
maniests itsel in three ways: 1his is mine (etam mama),
this I am (eso aham asmi), and this is my self (eso me att!),
in relation to the five aggregates of existence. 1he Buddha
said, the eye... the ear. the nose. the tongue. the body.
the mind. is impermanent. What is impermanent that is ill,
what is ill that is void of the self, what is void of the self that
is not mine (netam mama), I am not it (ne so hamasmi), it
is not myself (ne so me att!). 1his is how it is to be regarded
with perect insight, what really is.
1

By their perfect intuitive wisdom, they see things as they
are. 1hey comprehend things as stated aboe, i.e. as sel-
negation. 1he attainment o Nibb"na itsel is the cessation o
this three-old process o sel- identiication.
2
1hey hae no
seere mental eelings ,edan",. Since they hae eliminated all
tensions ,daratha,, erment ,sant"pa,, and eers ,paril"ha, or
good, they experience both physical and mental bliss
,k"yasukhampi cetosukhampi patisamedenti,.
3
1hey hae no
more egoistic iew, thereore, they do not care about gender
dierences een. \ith regard to this, Pro. Lily de Sila ery
clearly explains the story o the nun Som". Illustratiely Pro.
Sila says: \hen Som", a emale Arahant, was rebuked by M"ra,
the Lil One who said that womankind with ery little
intelligence, cannot attain that state which is to be attained with
great eort by seers and sages. Som" replied that womanhood
is no impediment for the realization of truth to one who is
endowed with intelligence and concentration. lurther she
,Som", said, M!ra, you must address these words to one

1 S.N. I. I.I. P.2
2 Pro. \.Karunadassa. Nibbana Lxperience. SLJBS.Vol. IV.P.5. Buddhist and Pali Uniersity Sri Lanka
3 M.N. III.149 Sutta

who thinks, I am a man or I am a woman and not to
one like me. 1his answer seems to imply that one loses een
gender identity on the attainment o Arahantship.
1

Lnlightened Ones always lie in the present. 1hey are
mindul and clearly conscious o the moment. 1he lour Sublime
Modes: loing kindness ,mett",, compassion ,karun",,
sympathetic joy ,mudit",, and equanimity ,upekkh",,
respectiely, hae been ully deeloped by them.
It is impossible or them to commit immoral acts. 1he
reedom they hae achieed is called release of mind`
,cetoimutti, and release through wisdom` ,pann"imutti,,
this is the highest bliss one can gain as a human being born to an
existence in this sensuous sphere. In the P"li Canon, we can ind
many instances o Arahantship. According to some accounts,
some Arahants are endowed with the Iourfold Analytical
Knowledge`, these are:
1. Meaning o goal ,attha,
2. Proound truth ,dhamma,
3. Language or the medium o communication ,nirutti,
4. 1he originality o expression ,patibh"na,
1he 1herag!th! and 1herig!th! in the Canonical
1exts are the best lyrics in Indian literature that describe
Arahants, their past and present lives.
Arahants are healthy in both mind and body. 1hey hae put
an end to all psychosomatic diseases, but they hae Physical
ailments. 1hey are immeasurable, just as it is impossible to
calculate the drops o water in the ocean, it is impossible to
conceptualize the deeloped state o their mind.

1 SLJBS . Buddhist and Pali Uniersity. Vol. I.P.33

Regarding the ie aggregates, they are detached rom all
grasping groups and ater death they become completely
untraceable ,gati tesam durannay",.
1

According to the .rabavta 1agga o the Dbavvaaaa, we can
relect such supreme personalities o the Lnlightened Ones.
1hey are not attached to any home, like swans that abandon the
lake, they leae home ater home behind. 1hey hae completed
their journey ,gataddhino,. 1hey are sorrowless and wholly sel-
ree and hae broken all bondage ,sabba ganttappahinassa
paril"ho na ijjati,. Like the earth, they resent nothing, they are
as irm as a high pillar and as pure as a deep pool ree rom mud
,rahadoa apetakaddamo,.
1hey hae calm thoughts, speech, and deeds. 1hey are
perectly tranquil and wise. Compared to human beings, they are
the most excellent o men ,uttama poriso,. Be it a illage or a
orest, a ale or a hill, inspiring, indeed, that place where the
Arahants are dwelling.
2
1hey abide in the dhamma, delight in the
dhamma, meditate on the dhamma, and bear the dhamma well in
mind, and they do not all away rom the sublime dhamma.
3

Once the Buddha said, I do not call him a holy man because
o his lineage or highborn mother. I he is ull o impeding
attachments, he is just a supericial man: But, who is ree rom
impediments and clinging, him, do I call a holy man`.
4

As water on a lotus lea or a mustard seed on the point o a
needle, the Lnlightened Ones do not cling to sensual pleasures.
1hey hae laid aside the burden and hae become Lmancipated

1 Dh.Vrs .92 &93
2 Dh.Vr. 9
3 Dh Vr. 364.
4 Dh.Vr. 396

Ones. 1heir knowledge is unsurpassable. 1hey are wise and
skilled in discerning the right and wrong path. 1hey hae totally
renounced iolence toward all liing beings weak or strong
,nidh"ya dandam bhutesu tasesu th"aresu ca,.
1

1hose Lnlightened ones indeed lie happily ree rom hatred.
1hey are riends amidst the hostiles, peaceul amidst the iolent,
unattached amidst the attached
2
. 1hey want nothing either rom
this world or the world ater this. 1hey are desire-ree, and they
hae transcended the ties o both merit and demerit. 1hey are
stainless, pure, and spotless like the moon. 1hey hae destroyed
both craing and continued existence ,tanh"bhaaparikkhinam,.
1he Lnlightened Ones know in eery way the death and
rebecoming o all beings. Since they do not cling to anything
past, present, or uture, they hae released all clinging. 1hey hae
all come to Detachment, Anup"d"na.
3

Attainment o Arahantship is the eradication o deilement.
1hat knowledge is known as "saakkhayan"na`, which is
unique to Buddhism. Among the Arahants themseles, there are
slight dierences according to the way that they hae
deeloped the ie aculties`, namely: Saddh" ,conidence,,
iriya ,energy,, sati ,mindulness,, sam"dhi ,concentration,, and
pann" ,wisdom,, or the realization o Nibb"na. 1hough they
hae practiced dierent techniques, they all hae come to the
same apex ,Nibb"na,. Certainly, there are many methods that
may be practiced or the attainment o Nibb"na. loweer, all
these are pointed to the three main characteristics o existence,
namely: Impermanence ,Anicca,, unsatisactoriness ,dukka,, and
soullessness ,anatta,.

1 Dh. Vr. 405
2 Dh.Vr. 406
3 Dh.Vr.423

According to .ttba/av!gara vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a,
there are eleen dierent ways to be practiced or the attainment
o Nibb"na. In this Sutta, when the householder Dasama o
Atthaka puts the question to Venerable Ananda, \hether the
ully Sel-Awakened One had pointed out any one particular
thing to go to, or the complete destruction or attainment o
matchless security rom the bonds o suering`. 1hen, Ven.
Ananda replying, explained out those eleen ways. At the end o
the Sutta, Dasama o Atthaka said, Reered Ananda, it is as
though a man who was seeking or one opening to some hidden
treasure were to come upon, all at the same time, eleen
openings to the treasure. Len so, do I, Reered Sir, in seeking
or one door to the deathless come to hear o, at one and the
same time, eleen doors to the deathless. In addition, Reered
Sir, it is like a man`s house that has eleen doors, i his house
were on ire, he could make himsel sae by any one o the
doors. Again Reered Sir, make mysel sae by one o these
eleen doors to the deathless`.
1

lrom this statement, we can understand that there are many
methods to achiee Detachment ,anup"d"na, or attain
Arahantship. Neertheless, we must not orget that all these
methods lead to the Lightold Path. Since these Lnlightened
Ones hae come along dierent paths, their personal
experiences are aried. lor instance, one might hae practiced
loing kindness ,metta, as the object or the attainment o
Arahantship, while another might hae practiced on the plane o
Ininite Consciousness ,inn"nanc"yatana,. 1heir experiences are
necessarily dierent rom each other. Although they hae
adopted dierent methods to reach Detachment, they all
experience the same bliss. Arahants hae a complete knowledge

1 M.N. II.52 Sutta

o the path they hae trodden but not all o the paths as the
Buddha had.
Now, with the knowledge o their diering paths, we can
examine some o their dierences. Speciically, in this study, we
hope to look into the dierences between the Buddha and the
Arahants.
According to P!.!ai/a vtta o the Digba î/!,a, the Buddha
ery clearly says that he is the Arahant, Supremely Lnlightened
One.
1
In the same Sutta, there is a magniicent explanation about
the characteristics o the Arahant, in which they hae destroyed
all mental intoxicants. 1hey hae lied the lie, hae done their
task, hae laid down their burdens, hae attained emancipation,
hae destroyed the etters o rebecoming, and are emancipated
by the true gnosis, attained the state o Detachment, and are
incapable o perpetrating nine things. 1hose nine are:
1. Incapable o deliberately depriing a liing creature o lie
,Abhabbo sancicca p"nam jiit" oropetum,
2. Incapable o taking what is not gien so that it constitutes
thet. ,Abhabbo adinnam theyya sankh"tam "diyitum,
3. Incapable o sexual impurity ,Abhabbo methunam
dhammam patiseitum,
4. Incapable o deliberately telling lies ,Abhabbo sampaj"na-
mus" bh"situm,
5. Incapable o storing up treasure or the indulgence in
worldly pleasures, as they used to do while in the
householder's lie preiously ,Abhabbo sannidhik"rakam
k"me paribhunjitum seyyath"pi pubbo ag"rikabhuto,

1 D. N. xxix Sutta P. 11

6. Incapable o taking a wrong course through partiality, by
aoring one thing or person oer another ,Abhabbo
chand"gatim gantum,
. Incapable o taking a wrong course through hate
,Abhabbo dos"gatim gautum,
8. Incapable o taking a wrong course through stupidity,
ignorance or dull-wittedness ,Abhabbo moh"gatim
gantum,
9. Incapable o taking a wrong course through ear
,Abhabbo bhay"gatim gantum,

In some Suttas, we can ind the ollowing passage at the end
o the Sutta Khin" j"ti, usitam brahmacariyam, katam
karaniyam, n"param itthatth"y"ti abbann"si. Annataro ca kho
pan"yasm"... arahatam ahosi`, which means: Destroyed is
rebecoming, brought to a close is the Brahma aring, done is
what was to be done, there is nothing urther to be done. So
theVenerable.|so and so| became one o the Perected Ones`.
1

1hat passage describes how one becomes an Arahant ater
achieing Detachment`.In the Mab! ...avra vtta o the
Ma;;biva î/!,a, there is another description o how one
becomes and Arahant. It says, Lil unskilled states that are
connected with the deilements, with again becoming, earul
whose results are anguish, leading to birth, ageing, and dying in
the uture are ar rom him. It is thus monks that a monk is a
perected one.` ,Katham ca bhikkhae bhikkhu araham hoti,
"rak"ssa honti p"pak" akusal"dhamma sankilesik" ponobhaik"

D.N. XXIX Sutta P. 125. ,P1S, Araham khin"sa" katakaraniyo ohitabharo anuppatta sadattho
parikkhina bhaa samyojano samma dann" imutto abhabbo so naa th"n"ni ajjh"caritum`
1 M.N. 1 . Sutta P.51

sadar" dukkhaip"k" "yatim j"ti jar"maraniy". Lam kho
bhikkhae bhikkhu araham hoti,.
1

1here is a close relation between wisdom and
philosophy. 1o be an Lnlightened One, one has to cultiate
one`s wisdom. \hen one has cultiated one`s wisdom, one
becomes a philosopher. In an Arahant, there is no resentment,
no distress, and no dissatisaction o mind, no joy, no gladness,
and no elation o mind.
2
1hey do not cling to body, do not cling
to eeling, do not cling to perception, do not cling to olitional
ormation, and do not cling to consciousness. 1hey are released
rom all these
3
and are liberated without grasping.
In the .rabavt vtta o Kba;;avi,a 1agga in av,vtta î/!,a,
4

there are many instances or how they became Detached Ones.
1hey hae become detached by penetrating the ie aggregates
o existence. \ith regard to body, eeling, perception, olitional
ormation, and consciousness, they eel disenchantment. leeling
disenchanted, are non-attached, by non-attachment, they are
released, and by that release, they are set ree. 1hen, knowledge
arises in them that they are reed and they can come to know,
destroyed is rebirth, lied is the righteous lie, and done is the
task, or lie in these conditions there is no hereater ,Nibbindam
irajjati ir"ga imuccati imuttasmin imutta miti n"nam hoti.
Khin"j"ti usitam brahmacariyam katam karaniyam n"param
itthatt"y"ti paj"n"ti,.
5

1 M.N. I.39Sutta P. 280
2 M.N. I.22 Sutta P.180
3 S.N. III.63 Sutta P. 64
4 S.N.III.P. 63
5 Ibid .P.84

1he Buddha said that Arahantship is the highest stage, that
which is een beyond the nine ,9, abodes, and is the best in the
entire world system ,\aat" bhikkhae satt""sa yaat"
bhaaggam ete agg" ete setth" lokasmin yadidam arahanto,.
1
In
the av,vtta î/!,a, the Buddha explains Arahantship in the
ollowing erses:
1. Sukhino ata arahanto tanh" tesam na ijjati
Asmim"no samucchinno mohaj"lam pad"litam
2. Anejanto anuppatt" cittam tesam an"ilam
Loke anupalitt" te brahmabhut" an"sa"
3. Pancakkhandhe parinn"ya satt" saddhamma gocar"
pasamsiya sappuris" putt" buddhassa oras"
4. Sattaratana sampann" tisu sikkh"su sikkhit"
Anuicaranti mah"ir" pahinabhaya bhera"
5. Dasahangehi sampann" mah"n"ga samahit"
ete kho setth" lokasmim tanh" tesam naijjati
6. Asekhananam uppannam antimo yam samussayo
yo saro brahmacariyassa tasmin aparapaccay"
. Vidhasu na ikampanti ippamuttapunabbha"
dantabhumim anuppatt" te loke ijit"ino
8. Uddham tiriyam apacinam nandi tesam na Vijjati
Nadanti te sihan"dam Buddh" loke anuttar"
,S.N.III 6 PP 83-84,
According to this description gien by the Buddha, they are
happy indeed. In them, there is no craing, they hae rooted out
the I concept` and burst out o the net o delusion`. 1hey
hae attained the bliss o Nibb"na. 1heir consciousness is

1 Ibid

translucent. 1hey are completely ree rom cankers. Being
detached, they lie as the highest holy beings in the world. 1hey
are praise-worthy and gentle-hearted, they are the sons o the
Buddha who ollow the seen dhammas ,aith, shame, ear,
truth, energy, mindulness, and wisdom,.
1
1hey hae ully
realized ie groups o existence as well as the ie grasping
groups o existence ,Pancakkhandh" and panca
up"d"nakkhandh",.
Deeloping the seen actors o Lnlightenment and the
threeold diision` o the Lightold Path ,sila sam"dhi pann",,
they lie peaceully in society eradicating ear and dread.
Arahants are called so, because they are endowed with ten
attributes ,dasa angehi samann"gato arah"ti uccati,. 1hese ten
are the tenold powers o a perect one. In the Mab! ibav!aa
vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a, it is stated by the Buddha,
S"riputta, a 1ath"gata has these ten powers o a 1ath"gata`,
endowed with these powers, a 1ath"gata claims the leader`s
place, roars his lion`s roar in assemblies, and sets rolling the
Brahma-wheel`. ,Dasa kho panaim"ni S"riputta 1ath"gatassa
1ath"gatabal"ni yehi balehi samann"gato 1ath"gato "sabhan
th"nam patij"n"ti, paris"su sihan"dam nadati brahmacakkam
paatteti,.
2

1hese irtues o the Lnlightened Ones are the highest in the
world. 1hey hae won the knowledge, which goes beyond
training ,Asekhan"na,. 1hey hae reached their last birth. 1hey
hae made the ultimate use o their lies. 1hey are unshaken by
all kinds o conceit and set ree rom rebecoming. 1hey hae
come to the tamed stage` ,dantabhumi,, and they are the
Victorious Ones` in the world. Considering them in all

1 S.N. III. P.69 ,see. oot note,
2 M.N. I. 12 Sutta .See also Dasa 1hath"gata bala - Buddhist Dictionary by Ny"natiloka

directions, there is no lure in them. 1hey make the lion`s roar.
1hey are the Detached Ones` ,Anup"d" Vimutta,.
Larly Buddhist teaching and the
1ath!gata concept
Irom the point o iew o the early Buddhist 1eaching, I
intend doing an analytical surey o the aboe topic. 1his is
obiously a deep and proound subject to deal with. In our early
discourses ,ovr î/!,a.,, the term 1ath"gata`, is ound
requently. As we mentioned in the ery out set o this chapter,
this term has been used by the Buddha to denote himsel on
many occasions. In the discourse o the Banner Protection
,Dba;agga,,
1
the Buddha introducing himsel to monks said, O
monks, the 1ath"gata who is Arahant, Supremely Lnlightened, is
ree rom lust, ree rom hate, is ree rom delusion, and is not
liable to ear, terror, right or light`.,1ath"gato bhikkhae
araham Samm" Sambuddho itar"go itadoso itamoho abhiru
acchambhi anutr"si apal"yiti,.
1here are numerous instances in the Suttas where the term
has been employed to designate the Buddha, the supreme
Lnlightened One. \e can irmly state that in all places where it
has been employed, it reers to the Buddha, the Supreme
Lnlightened one. 1o understand the dierent contexts and
meanings o the term, I intend to do this surey ocusing,
mainly, on the ovr î/!,a., because without any controersy,
each and eery scholar will accept those lour Nik"yas` as the
teaching o the Buddha.
\hen we come to the Digba î/!,a, within the ery irst
Sutta, the word 1ath"gata` appears more than a hundred times
,103,. 1he term has been used mostly with the epithet o

1 S.N. I. xi. I. 3. P 281

Samano Gotamo`.
1
In the short paragraphs about conduct
,Cvta.ita,, the longer paragraphs about conduct ,Ma;;biva .ita,,
and the longest paragraphs about conduct ,Mab! ita,, this same
epithet can be seen reerring to the Buddha. Len aterwards,
the term has been used as a synonym or the Buddha, the Sel
Awakened One.
2
As a Sel- Realized One, the 1ath"gata knows
things as they are. le has understood the arising and passing
away o things, their taste, and danger, without grasping ater
anything, le is quite set ree.
3

1owards the end o the sutta, it is mentioned that the
outward orm o the 1ath"gata, who has won the 1ruth, stands
beore us, gods and men alike to behold, but has cut re-
becoming and upon the dissolution o the body, neither gods
nor men shall see him.
4

\hen we come to the !vavvabata vtta o the Digba î/!,a,
the term 1ath"gata` has been mentioned seeral times in that
sutta too. In this sutta, the term appears, to be as a reerence to
the Buddha himsel. According to the Sutta, addressing to the
King Aj"tasattu, the Buddha said, O King, there appears in the
world One who has won the truth ,1ath"gata,, an Arahant, a
lully Awakened One, abounding in wisdom and goodness.
lappy, who knows all worlds, unsurpassed as a Guide to
mortals willing to be led a teacher or gods and men, the Blessed
one, the Buddha. le, by himsel, thoroughly knows and sees

1 Larup"ya tiracch"na ijj"ya micch"ji"patiirato Samano Gotamo ti P.10.
2 Ime kho te bhikkhae dhamm" gambhir" duddas" duranubodh" sant" panit" atakkh"acar" nipun"
pandita edaniy" ye 1ath"gato sayam abhinn" saccikat" paedeti P. 1
3 Samudayam ca atthagamam ca ass"dam ca "dinaam ca nissaranam ca yath" bhutam idit" anup"da
imutto bhikkhae 1ath"gato P. 28
4 Ucchinna bhaa nettiko tath"gatassa kayo titthati yaassa kayo thassati taa nam dakkhinti dea manussa
P. 46

ace to ace this unierse as it is, including the worlds aboe, o
the gods, the Brahm"s, the M"ras, and the world below with its
recluses and Brahmins, its princes and peoples and haing
known it, he makes his knowledge known to others`.
1

In this context, all epithets are gien to the Buddha together
with the term 1ath"gata`. In the same Sutta, there is another
occasion where the term has been employed by Sanjaya Belattha.
le says, loti 1ath"gato param maran" na hoti 1ath"gato
param maran" hoti ca na hoti ca 1ath"gato parammaran",
neahoti na na hoti ca tath"gato parammaran" Iti ce mam
pucchasi. Lam pi me no 1ath" ti pi me no. Annath" ti pi meno.
No tipi me no. No no tipi me no.` It means, i he were asked the
our questions`: \hether the One who has won the truth
,1ath"gata,, will continue ater death \ill not continue ater
death Neither continues ater death Neither continues nor, not
continues ater death I he were to think that the 1ath"gata
exists ater death he replies yes`. I he were to think that the
1ath"gata does not exist, he replies no`, and i he were to think
that the 1ath"gata neither exists nor not exists he replies the
same. lis answers are not clear to an aerage person but there is
a deep meaning in his philosophy. le practiced skeptical doubt
towards eerything in the world.
1his ourold method o questioning is to be ound mainly in
Asian philosophy. In the time o the Buddha, many people used
them or arguing matters pertaining to metaphysical questions.
\e come across this our-old question in some Suttas in the
Buddhist Canon too.

1 Idha Mah" R"ja 1ath"gato loke uppajjati araham samm" sambuddho ijj" carana sampanno sugato
lokaidu anuttaro purisa damma s"rathi satth" dea manuss"nam buddho bhaga". So imam lokam
sadeakam sam"rakam sabrahmakam sassamana br"hmanim pajam sadea manussam sayam abhinn"
sacchikat" paedeti P. 62.

lrom this account, we can conclude that the term,
1ath"gata` is peculiar to Buddhism and constantly occurs in the
ovr î/!,a..
\hen we urther examine the Digba î/!,a, this term can be
ound in many suttas. \e would now like to draw your attention
to the term 1ath"gata` in the discourses o the irst ovr
î/!,a..
DIGHA NIK#YA
1. Ambattha Sutta: 1ath!gatena y"a tatiyakam saha
dhammikam panham puttho na y"karoti ettheassa sattadh"
muddham phalissati` - D.N. III Sutta P.95
2. J"liya Sutta: 1ath!gato Loke uppajjati araham samm"
sambuddho` - D.N.VII Sutta. P. 159
3. Potthap"da Sutta: loti 1ath!gato param maran" na hoti
1ath"gato..`D.N.IX Sutta P. 188
4. Lohicca Sutta: 1ath!gatappaveditam Dhamma isesam
adhigacchanti` - D.N. XII Sutta P229
5. 1eijja Sutta: 1ath!gatassa Brahma loke a.. 1ath"gato
loke uppajjati`: - D.N. XIII Sutta P 249
6. Mah"Pad"na Sutta:- 1ath!gatassa Mahiddhikat"
mah"nubh"at"` - D.N. XIV Sutta P.8
. Mah" Nid"na Sutta: loti 1ath!gato param maran" no
hoti.`: - D.N. XV Sutta P.68
8. Mah" Parinibb"na Sutta: Natthi Ananda 1ath!gatassa
dhammesu "cariya mutthi` ,in this Sutta the term is
appearing or 143 times, - D.N. XVI P.100
9. Mah" Sudassana Sutta: 1ath!gate abhippasann" te
1ath"gatassa sarira pujam karissati` - D.N. XVII Sutta P.169
10. Jana Vasabha Sutta: 1ath!gatam namassantam
Dhammassa ca Sudhammatam` - D.N. XVIII Sutta. P. 211

11. Mah" Samaya Sutta: 1ath!gatam dassan"ya bhikkhu
sangahan ca` - D.N. XX Sutta P.255
12. P"tika Sutta: 1ath!gate arahante samm" sambuddho`
D.N. XXIV Sutta PP 25 - 26
13. Udumbarika Sih"n"da Sutta: 1ath!gatassa " 1ath"gata
s"akassa "` - D.N. XXV Sutta P.4
14. Agganna Sutta: 1ath!gatassa hetam adhiacanam
Dhamma k"yo itipi, Brahmak"yo itipi Dhamma bhuto itipi
Brahma bhuto itipi` - D.N. XXVII P.84
15. Sampas"da Sutta: 1ath!gatassa appicchat" santutthit"` -
D.N. XXVII Sutta P.115
16. Lakkhana Sutta: 1ath!gato purimam j"tim purimam
bhaam` -D.N. XXX Sutta P.145
1. Sangiti Sutta: Idh"uso 1ath!gato ca loke uppanno hoti
araham samm" sambuddho` - D.N. XXXIII Sutta. P.264
18. Dasuttara Sutta: Itime timsa dhamm" bhuta taccha tatha
aitatha anannatha samm" 1ath!gatena abhisambuddho` -
D.N. XXXIV Sutta. P.26
\hen we scrutinize the discourses o the Digba î/!,a,
P!.!ai/a vtta
1
is ery much signiicant or the elaboration o the
term 1ath"gata`. In this Sutta it is said why le is called
1ath"gata`. 1here are ie deinitions. 1hey are:
1. Concerning things Past, Present, and luture, the
1ath"gata is a prophet o the hour, a prophet o act, a
prophet o good, a prophet o the norm, a prophet o the
discipline and or this he is called, 1ath"gata. ,Atit"n"gata
paccuppannesu dhammesu 1ath"gato k"la "di,

1 D.N. xxix Sutta P.116

bhuta"di, attha"di, dhamma"di, inaya"di, tasm"
1ath"gato ti uccati,.
2. \hosoeer in this world together with its De"s, Mar"s,
and Brahm"s, by gods or men, recluses or brahmins, seen,
heard, elt discerned, accomplished, strien or, or
deised in mind, all is understood by the 1ath"gata. It is
or this, he is called 1ath"gata ,\o kho sadeakassa
lokassa sam"rakassa sabrahmakassa sassamanabr"hmaniy"
paj"ya sadea manuss"ya dittham sutam mutam inn"tam
pattam pariyesitam anuicaritam manasa sabbam
1ath"gatena abhisambuddham tasma 1ath"gato ti
uccati,.
3. In all that interal, between the nights wherein the
1ath"gata was enlightened in the Supreme
Lnlightenment, and the night wherein he passed away
without any condition o rebecoming remaining, all in this
interal, he speaks in discourses or conersations or
exposition, all this is so, and not otherwise. lor this he is
called, 1ath"gata ,\am ca rattim 1ath"gato anuttaram
samm" sambodhim abhisambujjh"ti, yanca rattim
anupadises"ya nibb"nadh"tuy" parinibb"yati yam etasmim
antare bh"sati, lapati, niddisati, sabbam tam tathea hoti,
na annath". 1asma 1ath"gatoti uccati,
4. As the 1ath!gata says, so he does, as he does, so he
says. In as much as he goes according to his word, his
word is according to his going, or this he is called,
1ath"gata ,\ath""di 1ath"gato tath" k"ri, yath"k"ri
tath"adi. Iti yath""di tath"k"ri, yath" k"ri tath" "di.
1asm" 1ath"gato ti uccati,
5. As to the world with its M"ras and its Brahmas, all its olk
diine or human, recluses or brahmins the 1ath"gata has
surpassed them, has not by them been surpassed and
sureys them with sure ision, the disposer o things. lor
this he is called, 1ath"gata. ,Sadeake loke sam"rake
sabrahmake sassamana br"hmaniya paj"ya sadea

manuss"ya 1ath"gato abhibhu anabhi bhuto annadatthu
daso asaatti. 1asm" 1ath"gato ti uccati,.
1

MAJJHIMA NIK#YA
1. Mulapariy"ya Sutta: 1ath!gato pi bhikkhae araham Samm"
Sambuddho pathaim pathaito abhij"n"ti..M.N. 1 - P.5-6
2. Cula Sihan"da Sutta: 1ath!gato ca kho bhikkhae araham
Samm" Sambuddho Sabbupad"na Parinn""do - M.N. 1I.
P.6
3. Mah" Sihan"da Sutta: Dasa kho panim"ni S"riputta
1ath!gatassa 1ath!gata bal!ni yehi balehi samann"gato
1ath"gato "sabh"th"nan patij"n"ti, paris"su sihan"dam nadati
.- M.N. 12 P.69
4. Madhaupindika Sutta: Cakkhubhuto n"nabhuto dhamma
bhuto brahma bhuto atta paatta atthassa inneta amatassa
d"t", dhammass!mi 1ath"gato - M.N. 18 P.111.
5. Alagaddupama Sutta: 1atra ca bhikkhae pare 1ath!gatam
akkosanti paribh"santi rosanti tatra bhikkhae 1ath"gatassa
na hoti agato na appaccayo na cetaso anabhiraddhi - M.N. 22
P. 140
6. Rathainitha Sutta: Br"hmano ti kho bhikkhu 1ath!gatassa
etam adhiacanam arahato Samm" Sambuddhassa - M.N. 24
P. 144
. Ariyapariyesana sutta: Na bhikkhae 1ath!gato bahuliko na
padhanaibbhanto naatto b"hull"ya. Araham bhikkhae
1ath"gato Samm" Sambuddho - M.N. 26 P.12

1 D.N. xxix. P.135

8. Culahatthipadopama Sutta: Idha pi uccati br"hmana
1ath!gata padam iti pi 1ath"gataniseitam iti pi 1ath"gata
ranjitam iti pi - M.N. 2 P.181-182
9. Mah" Gop"laka Sutta: Idha bhikkhae bhikkhu
1ath!gatappavedite dhamma inaya desiyam"ne na labhati
atthaedam na labhati dhammaedam na labhati
dhammupasamhitam p"mujjam - M.N. 33 P. 221
10. Cula Assapura Sutta: 1ath!gatappaveditam dhamma -
inayam "gamma eam mettam karunam muditam
upekkham bh"et" labhati ajjhattam upasamam. 40 P. 284
11. Vimansaka Sutta: Vimansakena bhikkhae bhikkhun"
parassa cetopariy"yam aj"nantena disu dhammesu
1ath!gato Samannesitabbo - M.N. 4. P. 318
12. Brahmanimantanika Sutta: 1ath!gatassa ye "sa"
sankilesik" ponobhaika sadara dukkhaip"k" "yatim j"tijar"
maraniy" te pahin".. M.N. 49 P 331
13. M"ratajjaniya Sutta: Nikkhama p"pim" m" 1ath!gatam
ihesesi m" 1ath"gata s"akam - M.N. 50 P. 332
14. Sekha Sutta: Idha Mah"n"ma ariya s"ako saddho hoti
saddhahati 1ath!gatassa bodhim - M.N. 55 P. 356
15. Jiaka Sutta: \o kho jiaka 1ath!gatam " 1ath"gata-
s"akam " uddissa p"nam "rabhati so pancahi thanehi
bahum apunnam pasaati - M.N. 56 P. 31
16. Cula M"lunkya sutta: loti 1ath!gato param maran" na hoti
1ath"gato param maran", hoti ca na hoti ca 1ath"gato param
maran" nea hoti na na hoti 1ath"gato param maran" - M.N.
63 P.428
1. Nalakap"na sutta: Na kho Anuruddha 1ath!gato janakuha-
nattham na janalapanattham na l"bhasakk"ra
silok"nisamsattham.. - M.N. 68 P. 465
18. Kit"giri Sutta: 1ath!gatappavedita cassa dhamma pann"ya
odittha honti ocarita - M.N. 0 P. 40

19. AggiacchagottaSutta: \enarupena1ath!gatam pann"
payam"no pann"peyya tam rupam tath"gatassa pahinam
M.N.2 P.48
20. M"gandiya sutta: 1ath"gatassa danto gutto rakkhito
samuto. - M.N. 5 P. 503
21. Makh"dea Sutta: Na ak"ranena 1ath"gat" sitam
p"tukaronti. - M.N. 83 P. 4
22. Lsuk"ri Sutta: 1ath"gatappaveditam dhamma inayam
"gamma p"n"tip"t" patiirato hoti. - M.N. 96 P. 181
23. Subha Sutta: Na tea 1ath"gatassa brahmalokam "
brahma lokag"minim " patipadam putthassa M.N. 99 P. 20
24. Deadaha sutta: Lam"di bhikkhae 1ath!gato,
eam"dim bhikkhae 1ath"gatam dasa sahadhammik".
M.N. 101 P. 22
25. Sunakkhatta Sutta: Bhisakko sallakatto ti kho sunakkhatta
1ath!gatassa etam adhiacanam arahato samm"
sambuddhassa. - M.N. 105 P.260
26. Ganakamoggall"na Sutta: 1ath!gato purisadammam
labhit" pathamam eam ineti - M.N. 10 P.2
2. Chabbisodhana Sutta: 1ath"gatena anuttaram
dhammacakkam paattitam sammadea anuppaatteti M.N.
112 P. 29
28. Bahudhatuka Sutta: 1h"nam ca kho etam ijjati yam
puttujjano duttho citto 1ath!gatassa lohitam upp"deyya -
M.N. 115 P.65
29. Mah"sunnata sutta: Ayam kho pana Ananda ih"ro
1ath!gatassa abhisambuddho yadidam.M.N. 122 P.111
30. Dantabhumi Sutta: 1ath"gato uttarim ineti. Lhitam
bhikkhu k"ye k"yanupassi iharahi. M.N. 125 P. 136
31. Dakkhin"ibhanga Sutta: 1ath!gate parinibbute ubhato
sanghe d"nam deti - M.N. 142. P.255

SAMYU11A NIK#YA
1. 1hath!gatassa buddhassa sabbabhut"nu kampino - S.N.
1.1.4.5. P.25
2. 1ath!gatam arahantam candim" saranamgato S.N. 1.11.1.9
P.50
3. 1ath!gatam arahantam suriyo saranamgato S.N. 1.11,1.10.
P.51
4. 1ath!gata balappatt" 1inn" loke isattikam S.N. 1.II. 1.10.
P.50
5. Apunnam pasaim"ro Asajjanam 1ath!gatam S.N. 1. IV
2.8 P.114
6. \atra hi n"ma 1ath!gatassa Arahato samm" sambuddhassa
appossukkat"ya cittam namati no dhammadesan"ya- S.N.
1.VI.1.1. P.13
. landad"ni bhikkhae "mantay"mi o appam"dena
samp"detha ayadhamm" sankh"ra ayam 1ath!gatassa
pacchim" "c" S.N. I.VI. 2.5 P.158
8. Annatra br"hmana 1ath!gatassa " 1ath"gata s"akkassa
" S.N. 1. VII. 1.9. P.168
9. So 1ath!gatappavedite dhamma vinaye saddham
sam"diyit" silam sam"diyit" sutam sam"diyit" S.N. 1. XI.
2.4. P.232
10. Lte te kassapa ubho ante anupagamma majjhena 1ath!gato
dhammam deseti S.N. 11, XII. 1 P.20
11. Upp"d" " 1ath"gat"nam anuppada " 1ath!gat!nam thit"
a s" dh"tu dhammatthitat" dhamma niy"mat" idappaccayat"
S.N. 11. XII. 20 P.25
12. Dasabala samann"gato bhikkhae 1ath!gato catuhi ca
es"rajjehi Samann"gato "sabhan th"nam Patij"n"ti - S.N. 11.
X11. 21. P.2

13. Rupa..edan".sann".sankh"ra..inn"nadh"tuy" kho
gahapati yo chando yo r"go y" nandi y" tanh" ye
up"yup"d"na cetaso adhitth"n"bhinies"nusay" te
1ath"gatassa pahin" ucchinnamul" t"l"atthukat"
anabh"akat" "yatim anupp"da dhamm" tasm" 1ath!gato
anokas"riti uccati- S.N. 111. XXII. 3.8 P.10
14. Ayam kho bhikkhae iseso ayam adhippayo so idham
n"nakaranam
15. 1ath!gatassa arahato Samm" Sambuddhassa
pann"imuttena
16. bhikkhun"ti - S.N. III.XXII. 58 P.66
1. 1ath!gatassa dhammadesanam sut" yebhuyyena bhayam
samegam sant"sam "pajjanti. S.N. III. 1athXXII. 8 P.85
18. 1am kim annasi "uso \amaka rupam 1ath!gato ti
samanupassasi edanam. sannam.. sankh"ra.. - S.N. III.
XXII. 85 P.6
19. \o so "uso 1ath"gato uttamapuriso Parama puriso parama
pattipatto tam 1ath"gato annatra imehi catuhi th"nehi
Pann"payamano pann"peti. loti 1ath"gato param
maran".III. XXII. 86 P.116
20. Sabbam atthiti kho kacc"na ayam eko anto sabbam natthiti
ayam dutiyo anto. Lte te kacc"na ubho ante anupagamma
majjhena 1ath"gato dhammam deseti - S.N. III. XXII. 90
P.135
21. 1hath!gato ca kho bhikkhae araham Samm"sambuddho
rup"nam samudayam ca atthagaman ca ass"dam ca "dinaan
ca nissaranam ca yath"bhutam idit" na rup"r"mo na
ruparato na rupasamudito S.N. IV. XXXV. 136 P.12
22. Lamea kho mah"r"ja yena rupena 1ath!gatam
pann"payam"no pann"peyya tam rupam tath"gatassa
pahinam ucchinnamulam t"laatthu katam anabh"akatam
ayatim anupp"da katam. S.N. IV. XLIV 1. P. 34

23. 1ath!gato ca kho Vaccha araham samm"sambuddho na
rupam. edanam. sannam.sankhare. inn"nam.
attato samanupassati. - S.N. IV XLIV. 8 P. 396
24. \"at" bhikkhae satt" ap"d" " dip"d" " catupp"d" "
bahupp"d" " rupino " arupino " sannino " asannino "
neasannin"sannino " 1ath!gato tesam aggam akkh"yati.
S.N. V. XLV. 139 P.41-42
25. 1ath!gatassa kho Ananda na eam hoti. Aham bhikkhu
sangham parihariss"mi ti " mamuddesiko bhikkhu sangho ti
". S.N. V. XLVII. 9 P. 153
26. S"dhu s"dhu S"riputta eso hi S"riputta anuttaro yogakkhemo
yam Sampassam"no khin"sao bhikkhu 1ath!gato "
1ath"gatassa ne a paramanipaccak"ram paattamano
paatteti S.N. V XLVIII. 58 P. 234
27. Ayam kho s" bhikkhae majjhim" patipad" 1ath!gatena
abhisambuddh" cakkhu karani n"na karani upasam"ya
abhinn"ya sambodh"ya nibb"n"ya samattati S.N. V. LVI.
12.1. P.420
ANGU11ARA NIK#YA
1. 1ath!gatena bh"sitam lapitam 1ath"gaten"ti dipenti 1.1.X.
P.18-19
2. 1ath!gatassa arahato Samm" Sambuddhassa 1.1. XIII P.22
3. Dem" bhikkhae 1ath!gatassa dhammadesan" katam"
de Sankhittena ca itth"rena ca A.N. 1. 11.11. P.53
4. De me bhikkhae 1ath!gatam abbh"cikkhanti katame
de Duttho " dosantaro saddho " duggahitena - A.N.
1.II. III P.59
5. Katam" ca bhikkhae ukkacita init" paris" no patipuccha -
Vinit" Idha bhikkhae yassam parisayam bhikkhu ye te
suttant" 1ath"gat" bhasit" gambhir" gambhiratth" lokuttar"
- A.N. 1.11.V. P.2

6. De me bhikkhae puggal" loke uppajjam"n" uppajjanti
bahujanahit"ya bahujana sukh"ya bahuno janassa atth"ya
hit"ya sukh"ya dea manuss"nam. Katame de. 1ath"gato
ca araham Samm" Sambuddho r"j" ca cakkaatti1.II.VI. P.6
. 1athagate ca 1ath"gatasaake ca A.N. 1.II.XII. P.91
8. Idha bhikkhae ekacco puggalo labhanto " 1ath"gatam
dassan"ya alabhanto " 1ath"gatam dassan"ya A.N. 1.III.22
P.121
9. Upp"d" " bhikkhae 1ath!gat"nam anupp"d" "
1ath"gat"nam. A.N. 1.III. 134 P. 286
10. Catt"rim"ni bhikkhae 1ath!gatassa es"rajjh"ni A.N.
11.IV 8 P.8
11. Loko bhikkhae 1ath!gatena abhisambuddho lokasm"
1ath"gato-isamyuttolokasamuday" bhikkhae
1ath"gatena. - A.N. 11. IV23 P.23
12. Lam mahiddhiko kho bhikkhae 1ath!gato sadeakassa
lokassa eam mahesakkho eam mah"nubh"o A.N. 11.IV
33 P.33
13. \aat" bhikkhae sangh" " gan" " 1ath!gatassa s"aka
sangho tesam aggam akkh"yati - A.N. 11.IV 34 P.34
14. V"dho heso kesi ariyassa inaye yam na 1ath!gato
attabbam anus"sitabbam - A.N. 11.IV.111. P.113
15. Idha 1ath!gato j"to ti bhikkhae saddhassa kulaputtassa
dassaniyam samejaniyam th"nam. idha samm"
sambodhim
abhisambuddho..idhadhammacakkampaattesiti.idha
anup"dises"yanibb"na dh"tuy" parinibbuto A.N. 11.IV.118
P.120
16. 1ath!gatassa bhikkhae arahato samm" sambuddhassa
p"tubh"" ime catt"ro acchariya abbhuta dhamm"
p"tubh"anti - A.N. 11.IV. 12 P.131

1. 1ath!gato araham samm"sambuddho atthannu
dhammannu mattannu parisannu .111.V.CXXXI. P. 148
18. 1ath!gato araham samma sambuddho dhammiko
dhammar"j" dhammam yea niss"ya - A.N.111.V.CXXXIII
P.150
19. 1ath!gatappavedite dhamma inaye desiyam"ne A.N.
111.V.CXL P.163
20. 1ath!gatassa arahato samm" sambuddhassa p"tubhao
dullabho lokasmin - A.N. 111.V.CXLIII. P.168
21. 1ath!gatassa bhikkhae arahato samm"sambuddhassa
pubbea sambodh" anabhisam buddhassa A.N 111.
V.CXCVI P.240
22. Idha Kimbila 1ath!gate parinibbute bhikkhu bhikkhuniyo
up"sak" up"sikayo satthari ag"rae iharanti A.N.
111.V.CCL P.24
23. \o ca kho bhikkhae 1ath!gatassa " 1ath"gatas"akassa
" dhammasaan"ya gacchati niittha saddho niittha pemo
ekantagato abhippasanno A.N. 111. VI. XXX. P. 326
24. Lam pi kho Ananda 1ath!gatassa "yatim dhamm"
samuppado cetas" ceto pariccaidito hoti - A.N. 111. VI.
LXII P.409
25. Cha yimani bhikkhae 1ath!gatassa 1athagatabal"ni. \ehi
balehi samann"gato tath"gato "sabhan..A.N. 111.VI.LXIV.
P.41
26. 1ath!gatappavedite dhamma inaye agarasm" anag"riyam
pabbajjam - A.N. IV.VIII.LI. P.26
2. Sihoti kho bhikkhae 1ath!gatassa etam adhiacanam
arahato samm" sambuddhassa - A.N.V.X.XXI. P.33
28. 1ath!gatena abh"sitam alapitam 1ath"gatena ti dipenti
A.N. V.X.XXXVI P.4

29. 1ath"gato loke uppajjati araham samm" Sammabuddho
tasm" 1ath"gatappaedito dhamma inayo loke dipenti
V.LXXVI P.144
30. \asmin Mah"n"ma samaye ariyas"ako 1ath"gatam
anussarati neassa tasmimsamaye r"gapariyutthitam cittam
hoti na dosapariyutthitam cittam hoti na mohapariyutthitam
cittam hoti. A.N. V.XII.XIII. P.333
1hus, we can see in many texts where the term 1ath!gata
has been mentioned in the irst our Nik"yas. 1ath"gata means
the Perect One. Literally, the one who has thus gone or
the one who has thus come. It is an epithet of the
Buddha used by him when speaking of himself. 1he term
has derived from tatha or tath! in P!li, which means
thus and truth or reality. So when the term taken
with the suffix gata (1ath! + gata) provides the meaning,
thusgone, and when the term is made by the suffix
!gata(1ath!+!gata) provides the meaning, thus come.
1his term is ound in the elaboration o the causal
conditioning o the Buddha too. In the Pacca,a vtta o the
îa!va 1agga in av,vtta î/!,a, explaining the causal
happening and things as haing causally happened, the Buddha
said, Iti kho bhikkhae y" tatra tathat", aitathat", anannathat",
idappaccayat", ayam uccati bhikkhae paticcasamupp"do`. lor
which, Mrs. Rhys Daids urnishes the meanings in Kivarea
a,ivg. as ollows, 1hus, brethren that which here is such wise,
not else wise, not otherwise the relatedness o this to that: this
brethren is called causal happening`.
1

In the aboe passage, the three words tathat"`, aitathat"`,
and anannathat"`, are ery important or our study. 1hese three
are the characteristics o the 1ruth. Reerring to within this

1 S.N.II.I.20 Sutta P.22

context, the Buddha has declared the real existence o the world
by explaining the Dependent Origination ,Paticcasamupp"da,.
Since the term is related to truth, 1athat! yields the meaning
thatness or suchness literally, reality. Aitathat" means
the truth that cannot be changed and proed in its negatie
aspect. Anannat" is that one which cannot proide alternaties
o suchness` or truth`. So, the three terms indicate some
characteristics of reality. 1herefore, in the term
1ath!gata, tatha means reality, or the 1ruth, that is
Nibb!na. Accordingly, all those who have come or gone to
the state of reality or Nibb!na are called 1ath!gatas.
As we mentioned earlier, this term 1ath"gata` is an
undeined term. In the P"li 1ext Society`s P!tivgti.b Dictiovar,,
it is explained that Buddhaghosa himsel was in doubt about the
deriation o the term. Neertheless, it is accepted that the term
has been used as an epithet o an Arahant. It says the term
(1ath!gata) has not yet been found in any pre-Buddhist
work.
1

In the Dictiovar, of Pati Proer âve., Pro. Gunap"la
Malalasekara states giing the meaning to 1ath"gata:
An epithet o the Buddha used by the Buddha in
reerring to himsel. 1he commentaries gie eight
,sometimes expanded to sixteen, explanations o the word,
which shows that there was probably no ixed tradition on
the point. 1he explanations indicate that the name can be
used or any arahant, and not necessarily only or a
Buddha. 1he term was eidently pre-Buddhistic, though it
was not yet been ound in any pre-buddhistic work.
2

1 Pali-Lnglish Dictionary- See 1ath"gata
2 DPPN Vol. I. P. 989. Published by 1he Pali 1ext Society London -194

On the other hand, R.C.Childers says, in his Dictionary, .
Dictiovar, of tbe Pati avgvage giing the meaning to 1ath"gata as:
A sentient being ,satto,, a Buddha. It is quite eident
that the term 1ath"gata was irst applied to a sentient
being generally and aterwards transerred to a Buddha. As
a name or a Buddha, it means the Being Par-Lxcellence,
the Great Being. Gautama Buddha, in the Suttas
requently speaks o himsel as the 1ath"gata.
1

lrom the expressions o the scholars o the old days, along
with present day scholars, we can understand that there is no
unanimity regarding this term.
Some say that it has been used to denote the being ,satto,,
while others preer to say that it has been used in the Canon to
denote the Arahants. loweer, all agree that the term has been
used in the Canonical 1exts by the Buddha, in reerring to
himsel.
In our surey, we could not ind any place where the term
1ath"gata` has been clearly used to denote the being ,satto, or
Arahant.
Certainly, there are some places where it is not clear that the
term reers either to the Buddha or to the Arahant, such as in
.ggiraccbagotta vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a ,2. Sutta,, Yava/a
vtta ,III.XXI. 85 P.6, and .vvraaba vtta ,III.86 P.116, o the
av,vtta î/!,a, where the term starts with simple t` instead o
capital 1` as it occurs in P.1.S. books.
\e may conclude that the term can be used or Arahants too.
loweer, I hae not been able to trace eidence to proe that
the term 1ath"gata has been used in the irst our Nik"yas to
denote a being` ,satto,. I any scholar can point out that, this

1 DPL. Published by Cosmo Publication New Delhi- 199

term has been mentioned in relation to a being ,satto, in the irst
our Nik"yas, I would humbly and grateully accept the
correction.
With that, I clearly say that the term 1ath!gata has
been used in the Iour Nik!yas, mostly in referring to the
Buddha himself. Lventhough some do not like to see a
distinction between the Buddha and the Arahants, other
than the precedence of the Buddha,
J
I can say, without any
hesitation that the Buddha and his characteristics are
completely different and exalted from Arahants.
1hus we can say as a conclusion, that Arahants are the
detached ones in the world, and they never immerse
themselves in the mud of defilements. 1hey are as pure as
drops of water on lotus leaves. 1hose Lnlightened Ones are
not super-human beings. 1hey lie in society but always as
unattached ones.
According to the !vavvabata vtta o the Digba î/!,a, they
are the men who stand on the bank o the pool o water,
explained thus:
O King, as i in a mountain astness, there was a pool o
water, clear, translucent, and serene. A man ,men,
standing on the bank haing eyes to see, would perceie
the oysters and shells, the grael and pebbles, and the
shoals o ish as they moe about or lie within it. le
would know: 1his pool is clear, transparent, and serene,
and there, within it, are the oysters and shells, the sand and
grael, the shoals o ish, which are moing about or lying
still.`
2

1 Buddhist Images o luman Perection. P. 98
2 D.N. 2 Sutta

1he pool is nothing but the world. 1he men who stand on
the bank o Sams"ra are Arahants. 1hey can see properly how
beings are moing in the world. 1hose Arahants hae completed
their journey, the inal emancipation o Nibb"na. 1hey lie in the
present moment. 1hey relect neither on their past nor on their
uture. Boundlessly they sere all beings in the world.

##########

CHAP1LR LIGH1
CONCLUSION

I was inspired to write on Attachment ,up"d"na, and
Detachment ,anup"d"na, because o the knowledge and
experience gained throughout many years in the ield o
Buddhist studies and monastic lie.
1he Buddha has reealed two aspects to lie. 1hese two are
the nature o the cycle o births and deaths or Sams"ra, and the
way to escape rom this cycle, i.e. Nibb"na. Beings are born and
die again and again. 1hroughout the span o lie, they are either
attached to things in the world or repelled rom things in the
world. Detachment is in the middle. 1hat is to be experienced
within this span o lie ollowing the Middle \ay. 1hereore, it is
not one`s birth or death that is so signiicant, how or where they
were born or die, but how one lies during this span o years
between these two eents.
1he Buddha taught more about attachment and reulsion
than about Detachment ,Nibb"na,. Attachment and reulsion
are the main actors o lie to be realized by onesel. In a broader
sense, these two could be considered as the undamental
teachings o the Buddha. In his ery irst sermon itsel,
attachment was explained as craing ,tanh",.
Up!d!na or attachment is a general inclination of man.
1he emancipation in Buddhism is Detachment from
craving. 1his craving is to be eradicated here and now, in
this very life as a human being by being detached from

both attachment and revulsion. We understand that in
almost all religions the Summum Bonum may be reached
only after death. However, Nibb!na or Detachment in
Buddhism, can be realized in this very life, therefore, it is
not necessary to wait until we die for this attainment.
In the Mab! atiattb!va vtta o the Digba î/!,a, these two
terms ,attachment and reulsion, are dealt with, abhijjh! and
domanassa. Vineyya loke abhijjh! domanassam the
Buddha said. 1hese two are to be aoided by the wise who
mindully and strenuously meditate to eradicate deilements.
\hen the extremes are aoided, Detachment or
Lmancipation takes place. Now we see clearly that this
avoidance itself is Nibb!na.
Both Up"d"na and Anup"d"na hae been described in the
P"li Canon in an explicit manner. I one wishes to paractice
Buddhism, one should understand attachment as an extreme, as
well as, its direct opposite extreme o reulsion. Only then, can
be realized Detachment, Nibb"na.
1he Buddha by his own wisdom realized both attachment
and detachment as the two paths that lead to Sams"ra and
Nibb"na. 1his is reealed through his central teaching`, the
lour Noble 1ruths.
Suering or Unsatisactoriness o lie is the result o
attachment, i.e. up"d"na. It takes place because o craing
,tanh",. Craing is the root cause o suering, in other words,
the arising o suering. 1hese two, suering and the arising o
suering, explain Sams"ra ,Up"d"na, while the cessation o
suering and the path leading to the cessation o suering,
explain Nibb"na ,Anup"d"na,.
One should realize the nature o attachment, which maniests
the real existence o beings` and the world`. 1his realization
itsel is detachment. D"na or generosity is one way to experience
detachment in our daily lie. D"na means giing away, this is the
harbinger o detachment ,Nibb"na,.

In general, beings are born to this world and are attached to
things, this is a continuous process. According to the
.ri,aari,e.ava vtta o the Ma;;biva î/!,a, the Buddha
explained attachment as an Un-Ariyan Quest ,Anariya
Pariyesan",, and haing understood the peril, seeking the utmost
reedom rom the bonds as the Ariyan Quest ,Ariya
Pariyesan",, that is Detachment ,Nibb"na,
People in society preer to go with the current ,anusotag"mi,,
by attaching to whateer transpires in society, just like the stream
that lows in one direction. Neertheless, Buddhism leads one
against the stream ,patisotag"mi,. 1he Buddha said:

Kicchena me adhigatam-haland"ni pak"situm
R"gadosa paretehi-n"yam dhammo susambudho
Patisotag"mim nipunam-gambhiram duddasam anum
R"garatt" na dakkhinti-tamokkhandhena "at"`

,1his, that through many toils Iè won enough!
\hy should I make it known
By olk with lust and hate consumed.
1his Dhamma with not be understood.
Leading on against the stream, deep, subtle,
Diicult to see, delicate, unseen,
It will be by passions slaes
Cloaked in the murk o ignorance,.
1

1he prime aim o the Buddha was to lead the people to
Detachment. Most people are passion`s slaes ,r"garatt",.

1 M.N. 26 Sutta

1hereore, it is diicult or them to ollow the teaching o
Detachment. 1he Buddha said that this Dhamma is or the wise,
not or the ool, hence, or teaching o the Dhamma the Buddha
used arious ways and means. I hae made an eort to point out
numerous occasions where the Buddha has taught the teaching
o detachment, mainly in the Sutta Pitaka.
1he Buddha did not spent hours teaching the
characteristics of Detachment or Nibb!na simply because
it must be experienced by the individual by means of
practicing insight and wisdom. Nibb!na is something
ineffable, beyond the experience of the six (6) senses. Na-
up"d"na` or Anup"d"na is a term used indicating detachment in
the Canon. According to the Mah" Niddesa, there are three
kinds o detachment, these are:
1. Bodily detachment ,k"ya ieka,,
2. Mental detachment ,citta ieka,, and
3. Detachment rom the substrata o existence ,upadhi
ieka, respectiely.
1he term ieka has been used in the Pali Canon to denote
detachment. loweer, the term detachment is not suicient to
explain the real meaning deried rom the term ieka` in Pali.
Upadhi ieka` or detachment rom the substrata o existence
is ery important in this context. It traces the characteristics o
Nibb"na. 1he three terms k!ya viveka, citta viveka, and
upadhi viveka, represent Sila (morality), Sam!dhi
(concentration), and Pa! (wisdom). Lradication o greed,
hatred, and delusion, is Nibb"na. I explained these three
unwholesome roots and their opposites or the better
understanding o the root causes o deilements. Lradication o
deilement means eradication o those causes o merit and
demerit.
Detachment is the highest mental state gained by
oneself being in the middle, avoiding both attachment and
revulsion. One should not think this to be an uncaring

state. It is an equanimous state of mind. When one is not
attached to anything, one may be repelled by things in the
world. I pointed out, in this manner that being mindful,
one can conquer this world as well as the world after death.
According to the teaching of the Buddha, the final
emancipation or Nibb!na itself is to be realized by being
mindful. While practicing mindfulness one can develop
one's wisdom. Wisdom and compassion are the two most
important factors in Buddhism. Buddhism whether
1herav!da or Mah!y!na is based on these two factors.
According to 1hera"da 1radition, both insight and wisdom
are to be deeloped by onesel to attain Lnlightenment. In each
and eery moment, we emphatically say that mindulness is ery
important or eeryone in daily lie. \hen one is practicing the
Dhamma, one is able to delight in heedulness and iew
heedlessness with ear. Certainly, he will not all but mindul and
wise, he does not cling to anything o the past, present, or uture
such a one is undoubtedly in the presence o Nibb"na.
In the last chapter o this book, we hae attempted to
describe some characteristics o the Lnlightened Ones. In order
to do this, we made a brie surey o the irst ovr î/!,a..
Lspecially, in this last chapter, we had to look into the term
1ath"gata, because o the prealent controersy regarding the
term.
Some o our scholars state that the term applies to Arahants
also while a ew suggest that it implies a being ,satto, too.
loweer, as I did this surey, I dare to say that except or in two
or three contexts, in the irst ovr î/!,a., the term 1ath"gata

has been employed in the sense o the Supreme Lnlightened
one.
1
I hae gien many reerences rom the ovr î/!,a..
1here are two or three places where the term starts with a
simple t`, but in most places it starts with the capital letter. I
did not consider whether it is capital or simple. \hat I
considered was whether it stands or the Buddha, an Arahant or
a being.
Reerring to the irst ovr î/!,a., I do not come to a
conclusion about the term in some places, especially, where the
ourold way o questioning as regards the 1ath"gata ,hoti
tath"gato parammaran", na hoti tath"gato param maran", hoti ca
na hoti ca tath"gato parammaran" ne a hoti na na hoti tath"gato
parammaran",.
In one instance, in the .v!!va.ati vtta o the Ma;;biva
î/!,a, I came across the word 1ath!sato instead
1ath!gato. I examined it reerring to Sinhala ersion o the
sutta also, but ound that there is no apparent relation between
the two terms, 1ath"sato` and 1ath"gato`. 1his may be a
printing mistake and I happened to ind the error. In the Sutta,
there is an adjectial phrase, which reads as 1ath" sato
iharanto`. loweer, or the compilation o the P"li 1ext, the
two words 1ath"` and Sato` hae been connected.
1ath"` here means thus`, sato`...mindul, and iharanta`
indicates, to lie`. 1hereore, the whole phrase gies the
meaning while thus he is living mindfully. Grammatically,
iharanto` is nominatie singular. Now we can understand
what happened and how the two words 1ath"` and Sato`
became one as 1ath"sato`.

1 Dr. \alpola Rahula, in his masterpiece, "\hat the Buddha 1aught" ,Page.1, says, '1athagata' lit. means,
'One who has come to 1ruth' i.e., 'One who has discoered 1ruth'.1his is the term ususally used by the
Buddha reerring to himsel and to the Buddhas in general.

Actually, I do not consider it a ery big error. Neertheless,
we should be mindul enough to understand the Dhamma as it
is, according to the Canonical 1ext.
lor those who wish to study the 1ath"gata Concept`
urther, I hae made a list o the places where it is mentioned in
the major ovr î/!,a. in the Sutta Pitaka, though I should say
that I did not mention the places where the term is repeated.
loweer, I eel that this collection o mine will be a great asset
or uture inestigations or any who care to pursue it.
In conclusion, I can summarize the actors o the Dhamma
that I wanted to express in this book under the ollowing ie
topics:
1. Mivafvtve.. i. tbe vo.t ivortavt factor iv racticivg
tbe teacbivg of tbe vaaba to attaiv Detacbvevt.
2. 1be terv 1atb!gata, iv tbe P!ti Cavov, ba. beev
evto,ea vaivt, to aevote tbe vreve vtigbtevea
Ove., tbe vaaba..
. .ttacbvevt i. a tbree aivev.iovat terv ;aaberivg,
gra.ivg, ava ctivgivg)
1. .ttacbvevt ;v!a!va) ava Detacbvevt ;avv!a!va)
covta be etaivea tbrovgb tbe vaabi.t covtet to
ittv.trate tbe vatvre of av.!ra ava îbb!va
:. .ttacbvevt ava rervt.iov botb .bovta be covrebevaea
ava aroiaea for tbe attaivvevt of Detacbvevt
;îbb!va) a. tbe Miaate !a,.

#####LND#####

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~. ,.. ,.....
.. .., ,.. .. , .. . ,
, .. . . .. , . , .. . ,,. ..
., .. . . . .. ...
:.,.

#########

Lnglish Index

Acquisition, 42
Aggregates, 156
Analysis, 46, 49
Asceticism, 125
Aersion, 63
Being,s, 11, 16, 18, 25, 52, 64,
0, 6, 83, 8, 116, 140, 153,
155, 11, 194, 199, 202, 220,
243, 260, 263
Cessation, 5
Chemistry, 4
Commentary, 22, 82
Communication, 221
Compassion, 55
Conucius, 4
Consciousness, 136, 200, 238
Contemplation, 64, 156
Cosmic, 34
Craing, 5, 264
Creator, 34, 3
Delierance, 52, 181, 182, 232
Lgo, 2, 20
Lmancipation, 141, 16, 233,
264
Lnlightenment, 4, 16, 25, 53,
1, 2, 80, 81, 84, 98, 101,
109, 112, 115, 125, 126, 145,
146, 148, 15, 168, 12, 202,
219, 228, 243, 249, 26
Lquanimity, 18
Lquanimous, 96
Lradication, 15, 266
Lssential, 90
Lternalism, 51, 8, 103
God, 34
Grasping, 19, 23, 119, 230
luxley, 54, 66
Ignorance, 153
Insight, 211
Marx, 32
Matter, 46, 48, 49, 156
Meditation, 53, 66, 119, 211,
212, 233
Mental, 56, 12, 16, 211, 266
Middle Path, 66, 96, 101, 102,
10, 109, 114, 115, 116, 122,
12, 128, 130, 133, 140
Mind, 59, 60, 156, 162, 16
Mindul, 2, 6, 111, 158
Monism, 8
Morality, 108, 110, 141, 146,
162
Nihilism, 51, 8, 103, 124
Norms, 151
Occidental, 155
Oriental, 155
Oxord, 54, 14
Peace, 139, 155, 12, 219, 232
Phenomena, 31
Philosophical,
Philosophy, 3, 5, 22, 24, 61, 1,
139, 182
Pluralism, 8
Psychological, 26, 35
Psychology, 4, 5, 24, 1
Recluse, 88, 89
Release, 146, 19, 233
Renunciation, 81
Requisites, 15
Reulsion, 134, 148
Scriptures, 21, 0, 80, 91, 189,
200
26 Attachment and Detachment

Shramanism, 8
Socialism, 222
Soullessness, 25, 200
Suering, 8, 20, 110, 232, 264
Supramundane, 10, 112, 16
1ruths, 8, 9, 10, 30, 38, 104,
10, 110, 19, 264
\anderer, 43, 194
\holesome, 64, 132
\isdom, 43, 69, 141, 144, 146,
181, 193, 26
\ondrous, 183

Pali Index

Abhabbo, 239, 240
Abhidhamma, 14, 20, 23, 31,
45, 46, 4, 49, 62, 22
Alagaddupama, 8, 11, 26, 3,
119, 182, 183, 250
An"gami, 16
Anicca, 83, 23
Anup"d", 45, 46, 151, 15, 244
Anup"d"imutta, 146
Anup"dinna, 48, 49, 50, 51
Anup"disesa, 53
Anup"tta, 50
Arahat, 228, 229
Asekhan"na, 243
Atman, 2
Aijj", 10
Bhaa, , 16
Brahman, 2, 3, 8
Cetoimutti, 181, 182
Citta, 59, 14
Dantabhumi, 252
Madhupindika, 11, 149
Magga, 9, 105, 10, 108, 112,
121
Mah"purisa, 6
Manu, 3, 33
Metta, 18
N"marupa, , 38, 165
Nirupadisesa, 39
Pann", 266
Param"tman, 2, 33
Pasupati, 125
Paticcasamupp"da, 2, 16, 259
Punarjanman, 2
Sam"dhi, 146, 266
Sams"ra, 1, , 8, 9, 1, 2, 4,
64, 3, 168, 12, 15, 16,
206, 211, 223, 224, 262, 263,
264, 269
Sangha, 28, 31, 222
Satipatthana, 60, 156, 21
Silabbata, 31
Sopadisesa, 38, 51, 52, 53
1iloguru, 10
Up"d", 45, 46, 4
Upadhi, 38, 42, 44, 45, 50, 5,
61, 266
Upadi, 38, 39, 44, 45, 50, 61
Up"dinna, 48, 49, 50, 51
Upanishad, 4, 33
Upanishadic, 2, 4, 5, 8
Up"tta, 50
Vedan", , 20
Vimansaka, 251
Vinn"na, 5, , 20
Vieka, , 55, 5, 61, 134, 155,
182
\onisomanasik"ra, 134

Jh"ya Bhikkhu! M" ca pam"do
M" te k"magune bhamassu cittam
M" lohagulam gili pamatto
M" kandi dukkhamidanti dayham"no

Meditate, O monks! Do not be heedless
Let not your mind whirl on sensual pleasures.
Do not be careless and swallow a red-hot iron ball.
As you burn, cry not O this is painul!`

1he Buddha ,Dh. 31,

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,UP!D!NA AND ANUP!D!NA,

CHAP1LR IIVL J7J-J98

le was not the creation o a

set up, yet my body was turbulent, not

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