| “All beings that will be born, All of them will depart leaving their bodies. The wise man comprehending the decay of all things, Should strive to lead a life of holiness.” – Buddha |
2020.05.05 Tuesday
| “As a man traversing the whole earth, Finds not anywhere an object more loveable than himself; Therefore, since the self is so universally loved by all, The man who loves himself so much, Should do no injury to others.” – Buddha |
2020.05.02 Saturday
10. Thus have I heard. On a certain occasion the Blessed One dwelt at Savatthi, in the Jetavana, the garden of Anâthapindika.
Now at that time the venerable Sariputta was sitting, not far from the Blessed One, in a cross-legged position, with body erect, contemplating his own state of tranquillity.
And the Blessed One beheld the venerable Sariputta sitting, not far off, in a cross-legged position, with body erect, contemplating his own state of tranquillity.
And the Blessed One, in this connection, on that occasion, breathed forth this solemn utterance:–
| “The Bhikkhu whose mind is wholly calm, Who has severed that which leads to a desire for existence, By him the succession of births has been ended, He is released from the bonds of the Wicked One.” |
2020.05.01 Friday
“He whom life torments not,
Who sorrows not at the approach of death,
If such a one is resolute and has seen Nirvana,
In the midst of grief, he is griefless.
The tranquil minded Bhikkhu, who has uprooted the thirst for existence,
By him the succession of births is ended,
He is reborn no more!” – Buddha
2020.04.28 Tuesday
| “The unrestrained pierce others with their words, As one elephant pierces another elephant in battle. When the Bhikkhu, of uncorrupted heart, Hears the utterance of harsh words, He bears them with resignation.” – Buddha |
2020.04.27 Monday
| “To speak no ill, to injure not, To be restrained according to the precepts, To be temperate in food, To sleep secluded, To dwell on lofty thoughts, This is the law of the Buddha.” “The silent monk who dwells on lofty thoughts, Who rejoices little, Who is trained in the ways of silence; To such a one, ever tranquil and mindful, Sorrow comes not.” |
2020.04.26 Sunday
“He whose heart, like a rock unshaken stands,
Who is passion free, not angry with the angry,
He whose heart is thus trained,
How shall pain come to such a one?” – Buddha
2020.04.24 Friday
“Whatever an enemy may do to an enemy
Or an angry man to an angry man,
A mind intent on what is wrong,
Works evil worse.” – Buddha
2020.04.22 Wednesday
Continued from yesterday’s post…
Moreover, Meghiya, the Bhikkhu who holds to these five conditions, must give special attention to four other conditions; in order to abandon lust he must dwell on the impurity (of the body), in order to forsake malice he must dwell on kindness, with a view to the excision of (evil) thoughts, he must practise meditation by (counting) inhalations and exhalations; for the removal of the pride which says ‘I am’, he must exercise himself in the consciousness of the impermanency of all things. By the consciousness of impermanence, the consciousness of non-egoity is established, and he who is conscious of non-egoity succeeds in the removal of the notion ‘I am’, and in this very existence attains to Nirvana.”
And the Blessed One, in this connection, on that occasion, breathed forth this solemn utterance:–
| “He who judges not aright these mean and subtle thoughts, Whereby the mind is puffed up and inflated, Such a one wanders in confusion from birth to birth. But the wise man, ardent and mindful who keeps such thoughts in subjection. He escapes from the thoughts which puff up and inflate the mind.” |
2020.04.20 Monday
And the venerable Meghiya arose from his solitary communings and went to where the Blessed One was and having saluted the Blessed One, he sat down respectfully apart and while thus sitting he said to the Blessed One: “while living in that Mango Grove, Sire, I was assailed by three evil and unlawful thoughts, namely lustful thoughts, malicious thoughts and cruel thoughts and I thought how strange, how marvellous is it, that I who through faith have abandoned my home for the homeless state, should be assailed by these three evil and unlawful thoughts.
“For the immaturely released heart, O Meghiya, five conditions conduce to maturity. What are these five?
1°. In this world, Meghiya, a Bhikkhu should have a virtuous friend, a virtuous companion. For the immaturely p. 49 released heart, Meghiya, this is the first condition which conduces to maturity.
2°. Further, Meghiya, a Bhikkhu shonld be pious, should live a life of restraint according to the precepts, and be endued with right conduct, perceiving danger in the least of the sins, and adopting the moral precepts, should exercise himself therein, For the immaturely released heart, Meghiya, this is the second condition which conduces to maturity.
3°. Further, Meghiya, there should be discourses such as tend to the eradication of evil, to a beneficial expansion of the heart, to an utter weariness of the world, to the cessation of all desire, to tranquillity, to the higher knowledge, to supreme enlightenment, to Nirvana, that is, discourses on frugality, on contentment, solitude, exclusiveness, effort and exertion, piety, self-concentration, wisdom and emancipation as resulting from insight acquired by knowledge–by means of such discourses satisfaction is obtained, and trouble and difficulties overcome.
For the immaturely released heart, Meghiya, this is the third condition which conduces to maturity.
4°. Further, Meghiya, the Bhikkhu should live a life of effort and exertion, abandoning unlawful practises, he should practise what is lawful, he should be resolute, put forth his strength, not throwing down the burden in the practise of those things that are lawful.
For the immaturely released heart, Meghiya, this is the fourth condition which conduces to maturity.
5°. Further, Meghiya, the Bhikkhu should have wisdom, should be endowed with a knowledge of the ‘rise and set’ of things, of sublime penetration, and of that which leads to the complete cessation of sorrow.