Taming the Mind and Heart (Part 1)

Amber Larson, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; Touristing (flickr); F.L. Woodward (trans.), PTS

Bathing the Buddha, backed by deva, at Saturday Station, Shwedagon Pagoda (Touristing)

 

The Book of the Ones

Numerical Discourses (Anguttara Nikaya)

Burmese bhikkhus on Shwedagon stupa

The Buddha made these declarations to meditative audiences of laypeople and monastics (monks and nuns). They were recorded by monks, who remembered them as being directed at them as bhikkhus. It is clear from the context as well as the meaning that they are addressed to all "hearers" (savakas), all Buddhists, and all people who would practice and strive for enlightenment no matter what other teachings they follow. So we translate the opening word, bhikkhave (lit. "O, bhikkhus!"), to reflect this.
 

Meditating sayadaw (Touristing)

31. "Meditators, I know not of any other single thing so intractable as the untamed mind [heart]. The untamed mind [heart] is indeed an untractable thing. 

 

32. "Meditators, I know not of any other thing so tractable as the tamed mind. The tamed mind is indeed a tractable thing.

 

33. "Meditators, I know not of any other single thing so conducive to great loss as the untamed mind. The untamed mind indeed conduces to great loss.

 

34. "Meditators, I know not of any other single thing so conducive to great profit as the tamed mind. The tamed mind indeed conduces to great profit.

 

39. "Meditators, I know not of any other single thing that brings such woe as the mind that is untamed, uncontrolled, unguarded, and unrestrained. Such a mind indeed brings great woe.

40. "Meditators, I know not of any other single thing that brings such bliss as the mind that is tamed, controlled, guarded, and restrained. Such a mind indeed brings great bliss."

— Gradual Sayings, "The Book of the Ones," Chp. IV translated by F. L. Woodward

Taming the Mind
PTS edited by BPS (further editing and Dhr. Seven), "Discourse to Ganaka-Moggallana" (MN 107)

The Enlightened One (Chngster/flickr.com)

Thus I have heard. At one time the [Buddha] was staying near Savatthi in the palace of Migara's mother in the Eastern Monastery.
 
Then the Brahmin Ganaka-Moggallana approached, exchanged greetings and, having conversed in a friendly and courteous way, sat down at a respectful distance.

Sitting there, the Brahmin Ganaka-Moggallana spoke thus to the venerable one: "Just as, good Gotama [Sanskrit Gautama], in this palace of Migara's mother there can be seen a gradual training, a gradual doing, a gradual practice, that is to say, as far as the last flight of stairs [in a seven-storied palace, explains the Commentary, which is not to be built in a day] so, too, good Gotama, for these Brahmins:

"There can be seen a gradual training, a gradual doing, a gradual practice, that is to say, in the study [of the three three Vedas, which cannot possibly be done in a day] so, too, good Gotama, for these archers there can be seen a gradual... practice, that is to say, in archery. 

"So, too, good Gotama, for us whose livelihood is calculation [ganana, which is this Brahmin's profession, giving him the name Ganaka-Moggallana, explains Editor of The Wheel], there can be seen a gradual training, a gradual practice, that is to say, in accountancy.

"For when we get a pupil, good Gotama, we first of all make him [it was only offered to males] calculate: 'One one, two twos, three threes, four fours, five fives, six sixes, seven sevens, eight eights, nine nines, ten tens,' and, good Gotama, we also make him calculate a hundred.

"Is it possible, good Gotama, to lay down a similar gradual training, gradual doing, gradual practice in respect of this Dharma and discipline?" Continued in Part 2: "The Gradual Training"

Motives for Gift Giving (sutra)

Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly translation based on Ven. Thanissaro, "Discourse on Generosity" (Dana Sutta, AN 7.49)

Giving has the added benefit of resulting in easier meditative absorption (adbusters)

 

Sariputra was wise to ask (TA)

CAMPA, Gaggara Lake, ancient India - Ven. Sariputra said to the Blessed One: 

"Does one person give a certain gift that does not bear great fruit and benefit, whereas another person gives the same gift and it bears great fruit and benefit?"

 

"Yes, Sariputra."

 

"Venerable sir, why, what is the cause, what is the reason?"

 

The Buddha answers (TA)

1. "Sariputra, in one case a person gives a gift seeking profit, with a mind/heart attached [to gaining some reward], seeking to store up [merit with the thought], 'I'll enjoy this after death.'
 

"One gives a gift -- whether food, drink, clothing, transportation, garland, sweet scent, balm, bedding, shelter, lamp -- to a wandering ascetic or Brahmin. What do you think, Sariputra? Might one give such a gift?"

 

"Yes, venerable sir."

 

"Having given such a gift seeking profit with heart/mind attached, seeking to store up [merit with the thought], 'I'll enjoy this after death' -- on the break up of the body, after death, one reappears in the company of the Four Great Space Kings. Then, having exhausted that karma, that power, that status, that sovereignty, one returns, falling back to this plane.

 

2. "There is a person who gives a gift but not seeking profit, mind/heart not attached, not seeking to store up [merit with the thought], 'I'll enjoy this after death.' Instead, one gives a gift with the thought, 'Giving is good.' ...What do you think, Sariputra? Might one give such a gift?"

 

"Yes, venerable sir."

 

"Having given this gift with the thought, 'Giving is good,' on the break up of the body, after death, one reappears in the company of the devas ["shining ones"] of the World of the Thirty-Three. Then, having exhausted that karma, that power, that status, that sovereignty, one returns, falling back to this plane.

Sariputra's sacred relics (Camerabhai/flickr)

3. "Or instead of thinking 'Giving is good,' one gives a gift with the thought, 'This was given in the past, done in the past, by my relatives. It would not be right for me to let this family tradition end'... on the break up of the body, after death, one reappears in the company of the [Yāma] devas of delight. Then, having exhausted that karma, that power, that status, that sovereignty, one returns, falling back to this plane.

 

4. "Or instead... one gives a gift with the thought, 'I am well off. They are not well off. It would not be right for me, being well off, not to give a gift to those who are not well off'... on the break up of the body, after death, one reappears in the company of the contented devas. Then, having exhausted that karma, that power, that status, that sovereignty, one returns, falling back to this plane.

 

5. "Or instead... one gives a gift with the thought, 'Sages of the past made great sacrifices -- Atthaka, Vamaka, Vamadeva, Vessamitta, Yamataggi, Angirasa, Bharadvaja, Vasettha, Kassapa, and Bhagu. Just so will this be my contribution'... on the break up of the body, after death, one reappears in the company of the devas who delight in creating. Then, having exhausted that action, that power, that status, that sovereignty, one returns, falling back to this plane.

The Buddha and his four chief monastic disciples, male and female, Wat Yai Chai Mongkol (Mongkhon) in Ayutthaya, Thailand (Rainer Lott/Steffi Esch/flickr.com)

 

6. "Or instead... one gives a gift with the thought, 'When this gift of mine is given, it makes the heart/mind serene; appeasement and joy arise'... on the break up of the body, after death, one reappears in the company of the devas who wield power over others' creations. Then, having exhausted that karma, that power, that status, that sovereignty, one returns, falling back to this plane.

 

7. "Or instead of thinking, 'When this gift of mine is given, it makes the mind/heart serene; appeasement and joy arise,' one gives a gift with the thought, 'This is an ornament for the heart/mind, a support for the mind/heart.' One gives a gift... What do you think, Sariputra? Might one give such a gift?"

 

"Yes, venerable sir."

 

"Having given this -- 

1. not seeking profit, not with a heart/mind attached, not seeking to store up [merit with the thought], 'I'll enjoy this after death,' 
2. nor with the thought, 'Giving is good,' 
3. nor with the thought, 'This was given in the past, done in the past, by my relatives, so it would not be right for me to let this family tradition end,' 
4. nor with the thought, 'I am well off...,' 
5. nor with the thought, 'Sages of the past made great sacrifices... in the same way this will be my contribution,' 
6. nor with the thought, 'When this gift of mine is given, it makes the mind serene; appeasement and joy arise,' 

The Buddha and arhats (Horus2004/flickr)

7. "but with the thought, 'This is an ornament for the heart/mind, a support for the mind/heart' -- on the break up of the body, after death, one reappears in the company of Brahma's Retinue. 

"Then, having exhausted that karma, that power, that status, that sovereignty, one is a non-returner. One does not come back to this plane.

"This, Sariputra, is why, this is the cause, this is the reason one person gives a certain gift and it does not bear great fruit or benefit, whereas another person gives that gift and it bears great fruit and benefit."

Guidance on "good" and "bad" (sutra)

Ven. Soma (accesstoinsight); Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly (AN 3.65)

Light bursts through, enlightenment, into a dark cave (Chatchai Laka-mankong/flickr)

Kalamas ask the Buddha for Guidance

...3. The Kalamas, inhabitants of Kesaputta, sitting to one side said to the [Buddha]: "There are some wandering ascetics and Brahmin priests, venerable sir, who visit Kesaputta. They expound and explain only their own doctrines. The doctrines (dharrmas) of others they despise, revile, and pull to pieces. Some other ascetics and Brahmins too, venerable sir, come to Kesaputta. They also expound and explain only their own doctrines. The doctrines of others they despise, revile, and pull to pieces.

"Venerable sir, there is doubt, there is uncertainty in us concerning them. Which of these revered ascetics and Brahmins spoke the truth and which falsehood?"

Criterion for rejection

4. "It is proper for you, Kalamas, to doubt, to be uncertain. Uncertainty has arisen in you about what is doubtful. Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing, nor upon tradition, nor upon rumor, nor upon what is in a scripture, nor upon surmise, nor axiomatic, nor upon (hammering out by mere) reasoning, nor upon preference toward an idea that has been pondered over, nor upon another's seeming ability, nor upon the consideration, 'The ascetic is our teacher.' 

"But, Kalamas, when you yourselves know: 'These things are bad; these things are blameworthy; these things are censured by the wise; when undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill,' abandon them. 

 

Greed, hate, and delusion

5. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does greed appear in a person for benefit or harm?" — "For one's harm, venerable sir." — "Kalamas, being given to greed, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by greed, this person takes life, steals, commits sexual misconduct, and tells lies. One also prompts another to do likewise. Will that be long for harm and ill?" — "Yes, venerable sir."

 

6. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does hate appear in a person for benefit or harm?" — "For one's harm, venerable sir." — "Kalamas, being given to hate, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by hate, this person takes life, steals, commits sexual misconduct, and tells lies. One also prompts another to do likewise. Will that be long for harm and ill?" — "Yes, venerable sir."

 

7. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does delusion appear in a person for benefit or harm?" — "For one's harm, venerable sir." — "Kalamas, being given to delusion, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by delusion, this person takes life, steals, commits sexual misconduct, and tells lies; one also prompts another to do likewise. Will that be long for harm and ill?" — "Yes, venerable sir."

 

8. "What do you think, Kalamas? Are these things good or bad [profitable or unprofitable, skillful or unskillful, wholesome or unwholesome]?" — "Bad, venerable sir" — "Blameworthy or not blameworthy?" — "Blameworthy, venerable sir." — "Censured or praised by the wise?" — "Censured, venerable sir." — "Undertaken and observed, do these things lead to harm and ill or not? Or how does it strike you?" — "Undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill. Thus it strikes us here."

 

9. "Therefore, did we say, Kalamas, what was said thus, 'Come Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing, nor upon tradition...nor upon the consideration, "The ascetic is our teacher." But, Kalamas, when you yourselves know: "These things are bad; these things are blameworthy; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill," abandon them.'

Criterion for acceptance

10. "Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing, nor upon tradition... nor upon the consideration, 'The ascetic is our teacher.' But, Kalamas, when you yourselves know: 'These things are good; these things are blameless; these things are praised by the wise; when undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness,' enter on and abide in them.

Absence of greed, hate, delusion

11. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does absence of greed appear in a person for benefit or harm?" — "For one's benefit, venerable sir." — "Kalamas, being not given to greed, and being not overwhelmed and not vanquished mentally by greed, this person does not take life, does not steal, does not commit sexual misconduct, and does not tell lies, neither does one prompts another to do likewise. Will that be long for one's benefit and happiness?" — "Yes, venerable sir." More

Sutra: Five Helpers to Right View

Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly based on translation by Ven. Nyanaponika and Bhikkhu Bodhi (Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, AN V, 25) UPDATED

The Buddha explained: Right view, O meditators, if it is helped by five things, has liberation of mind/heart as its fruit and is rewarded by the fruit of liberation of mind/heart. It has liberation by wisdom as its fruit and is rewarded by the fruit of liberation by wisdom. What are those five things? Here, meditators, right view is helped by:

1. virtue
2. wide learning (suta-mayā-paññā)
3. discussion (of what is learned)
4. tranquility
5. insight.

EXPLANATION

Knowing-and-seeing (Sharon Cummings)

“Liberation of mind” (ceto-vimutti) means the concentration present at the attainment of the noble paths and fruitions -- that is, at the time of the first three stages of enlightenment.

“Liberation by wisdom” (paññā-vimutti) is the liberating-insight (release) pertaining to the fourth fruition, namely, arhatship.

An arhat may be said to be an accomplished disciple or savaka-buddha ("enlightened hearer"), one who has gained full enlightenment (as distinguished from pacceka-buddhas and sammasambodhi-buddhas).

This fivefold help to right view is compared to the growing of a mango tree in the ancient Commentary (the Anguttara Atthakatha) to this text:

• Right view is like the mango seed.
• The other supporting factors are like measures taken to ensure the growth of the tree.
• And the two liberations are like the fruits.