 Youth Dhamma Discussion Notes 25/06/06 -
Posted by Rasika Wijayaratne
on Tuesday, 27 Jun 2006
Notes on youth discussions with Ven. Dhammavihari:
1. Every institution has a set of rules that govern it. This includes schools, universities, temples, churches and even in our own homes where the law-makers are usually the parents. Where there are no such rules and too many options are given, things can get out of hand.
2. In other religions a God gives life and can also take it away. God also punishes and rewards people according to their actions, that is in an ultimate sense accepts them into Heaven or damns them to hell for eternity. In Buddhism there is the concept or kamma-vipaka or cause and effect where everyone is responsible for their own actions.
3. We are either attracted to or repulsed by the things we see, hear, touch, smell, taste and cognise through our mind (our thoughts). The emphasis should be on being moderate, not being either attracted or repulsed by these things.
There is a youth article analysing this titled Pleasure & Pain from last year here : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thurunusaviya/message/539
4. In other religions there is the concept of preserving the body after death, the example given being that of the previous Pope which was apparently put in three coffins. This is in stark contrast to Buddhism, where the Lord Buddha's body was cremated short time after death. Other cultures too are beginning to follow this trend.
5. When we do wrong acts, it stains our character, these stains 'seep' into our character and become part of us. Some of our traits, both negative and positive, are from our previous lives.
6. The whole of Buddhism is about 'sikha' or restraining evil actions, as in 'panatipata veramani sikha...' and so from the five precepts.
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Youth Dhamma Discussion Notes 29/01/06 -
Posted by Rasika Wijayaratne
on Sunday, 29 Jan 2006
Qualities Require for Success (Studies, Work, Spritual Progress, Anything...)
1. Chanda - Desire for the subject matter, can't succeed if you don't enjoy or like what you do.
2. Viriya - Effort to succeed.
3. Citta - Determination to succeed. Not giving up when things go wrong. Being persistent and not like a soda bottle.
4. Vimansa - Investigation. Research, learning, analysis, data collection on the subject matter.
Sassusati Sutta (Mental Qualities Required for Grasping and Succeeding in the Dhamma)
From the sutta:
"Endowed with these six qualities, a person is capable of alighting on the lawfulness, the rightness of skillful mental qualities even while listening to the true Dhamma. Which six? "When the Doctrine & Discipline declared by the Tathagata is being taught, he listens well, gives ear, applies his mind to gnosis, rejects what is worthless, grabs hold of what is worthwhile, and is endowed with the patience to conform with the teaching."
1. Listen well and give ear.
2. Give full attention to what is being said.
3. Listen with a determination to understand. Causes us to question the teacher when things are unclear.
4. Retaining what is worthwhile.
5. Discarding what is not.
6. Applying what is learned within oneself without looking to others.
Alagaddupama Sutta (Simile of the Water Snake - How to Grasp the Dhamma Without Getting Hurt, i.e. Correctly)
From the sutta:
"I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying in Savatthi, at Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's park. Now on that occasion this pernicious viewpoint (ditthigata) had arisen in the monk Arittha Formerly-of-the-Vulture-Killers: "As I understand the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One, those acts the Blessed One says are obstructive, when indulged in, are not genuine obstructions."
1. Ven. Arittha misinterpreted the Lord Buddha and thought that what the Lord Buddha had said were obstructions to spiritual progress (things such as sensual pleasures) were actually not obstructions.
From the sutta:
"A large number of monks heard, "They say that this pernicious viewpoint has arisen in the monk Arittha Formerly-of-the- Vulture-Killers: 'As I understand the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One, those acts the Blessed One says are obstructive, when indulged in, are not genuine obstructions.'" So they went to the monk Arittha Formerly-of-the-Vulture-Killers and on arrival said to him, "Is it true, friend Arittha, that this pernicious viewpoint has arisen in you — 'As I understand the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One, those acts the Blessed One says are obstructive, when indulged in, are not genuine obstructions'?" "Yes, indeed, friends. I understand the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One, and those acts the Blessed One says are obstructive, when indulged in are not genuine obstructions."
2. Other Venerables were concerned and approached him and described the true nature of sensual pleasures[1] to try and convince him otherwise.
From the sutta:
"Then those monks, desiring to pry the monk Arittha Formerly-of-the-Vulture-Killers away from that pernicious viewpoint, quizzed him back and forth and rebuked him, saying, "Don't say that, friend Arittha. Don't misrepresent the Blessed One, for it is not good to misrepresent the Blessed One. The Blessed One would not say anything like that. In many ways, friend, the Blessed One has described obstructive acts, and when indulged in they are genuine obstructions. The Blessed One has said that sensual pleasures are of little satisfaction, much stress, much despair, & greater drawbacks. The Blessed One has compared sensual pleasures to a chain of bones: of much stress, much despair, & greater drawbacks. The Blessed One has compared sensual pleasures to a lump of flesh... a grass torch... a pit of glowing embers... a dream... borrowed goods... the fruits of a tree... a butcher's ax and chopping block... swords and spears... a snake's head: of much stress, much despair, & greater drawbacks."
3. They described sensual pleasures as a chain of bones that get thrown to a dog by a butcher, the dog licks it continuously with a hint of what the meat tasted like with little satisfaction; a piece of meat carried by a vulture that is being chased and attacked by other vultures, it cannot eat it while flying nor can it let it go; grass torch that while being carried burns the carrier with its embers; a pit of glowing embers that burns ones feet; a dream that is over too soon; burrowed goods that have to be returned; fruits of a tree that while one is eating on top of the tree someone is chopping it down; an animal that waits with its head on the butcher's block waiting for the axe to fall, it knows not when, but knows that it will happen; swords and spears that one is stabbed with a 100 times from time to time in the day; a snake's head that looks good to touch but can kill if it bites back.[2]
From the sutta:
"And yet even though he was quizzed back & forth and rebuked by those monks, the monk Arittha Formerly-of-the-Vulture-Killers, through stubbornness and attachment to that very same pernicious viewpoint, continued to insist, "Yes, indeed, friends. I understand the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One, and those acts the Blessed One says are obstructive, when indulged in are not genuine obstructions."
4. Despite being continuously quizzed back and fourth and rebuked by those Venerables Arittha continued to hold onto his view that what the Lord Buddha had said were obstructions to spirtual progress, were not actually obstructions.
We stopped here, to be continued...
Notes
[1] Sensual pleasures are things that please the 6 senses of eye (eg. TV), ear (eg. music), touch (eg. air conditioning), smell (eg. perfume), taste (eg. food) and mind (eg. memories). The sensations we feel can be pleasant (in which case they are pleasures), unpleasant or neutral. Sensual pleasures can be enjoyed, but with the knowledge of their true nature, they are impermanent, subject to change and beyond our control. So don't be attached to them.
[2] These all describe how we suffer a lot pain in our search for sensual satisfaction.
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