Understand the reality of life is important.

Someone asked a monk, what can he does to help her mother as she has passed away some days ago.

The monk replied: There is nothing you can do about it if your mother passed away. But you need to understand the reality of life. We are born into this world with the body, in this body, we have five senses, with the five senses, we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch, with that we experience three kinds of feelings, pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral. We desire the pleasant, we hate the unpleasant, and the neutral sensation only makes us feel existed, or something that is existing there, or you are existing.

What really happens is that in our whole life, we are trying to seek more and more pleasant and to avoid pains as much as possible, and to keep on existing. We can not have pleasant all the time, we can not avoid pains all the time, we can not keep on existing all the time. This is the problem we have. We want to exist... we want our parents, children and we want everyone keep on existing. But that doesn't happen, everyone who is born in this world has to die, we have to accept the reality of life, this is why the "Citta", is our emotional reactions, the "Citta" is not able to think, it  is only desiring and hating things, fearing things and worrying about things. It is this thinking part which calls "Mano", which is able to become aware of the reality of life, and we can do about the reality of life, the reality is that everything in this world is impermanent, it comes and goes, and what is impermanent is unpleasant, what is unpleasant is not making us happy, and what is unpleasant is not as we want, if it is not as we want that means it is not under my power, what is not under my power is not mine, that is the meaning of "Anatta", which means we don't own anything of this world, so we have to face the reality of the life. We can not do anything about it, it is the important thing to understand.

The Suttanipata

Happy to receive my order of Suttanipata this afternoon. The discourses are translated from the pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. From the dedication, I came to know Bhikkhu Sumedha (1932-2006) and I made a search on google to see his paintings. I also watched a video about the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. I shall read this new book whenever I have time. 

Pali word SUKHA

Pali word SUKHA means pleasant, happy, happiness, joy, pleasure, bliss. Sukha is one of three types of feelings that we have either bodily or mentally. SUKHA, happiness is one of the condition for attaining concentration. It is said that "The mind of the happy one has concentration as its fruit and reward".

Who were Buddha's early disciples?

After Buddha's enlightenment, Yasa was the Buddha's first disciple, he attained arahantship and received higher ordination directly from the Buddha and became a Bhikkhu. Yasa was a millionaire’s son living at Benares, he had abundant material wealth.

Yasa's father was the first layman in the world to have taken refuge in the Triple Gem.

Yasa’s mother and former wife were the Buddha’s first female lay followers.

Four of Yasa’s close friends; Vimala, Subahu, Punnaji and Gavampati also became monks and attained arahantship

Then later fifty of Yasa’s friends joined the order and attained arahantship.

Together with the five monks ( Kondanna, Vappa, Bhaddiya, Mahanama, Assaji)  there were 61 arahants ( 1 + 5 + 1 + 4 + 50 = 61) within 2 months of Buddha's enlightenment.

Maha Mangala SuttaBlessings
Translated from the Pali by Piyadassi Thera
For free distribution only 

Thus have I heard:

On one occasion the Blessed One was living near Savatthi at Jetavana at Anathapindika's monastery. Now when the night was far advanced, a certain deity, whose surpassing radiance illuminated the whole of Jetavana, approached the Blessed One, respectfully saluted him, and stood beside him. Standing thus, he addressed the Blessed One in verse:

1. "Many deities and men longing for happiness have pondered on (the question of) blessings. Pray tell me what the highest blessings are.
2. "Not to associate with the foolish, but to associate with the wise, and to honor those worthy of honor -- this is the highest blessing.
3. "To reside in a suitable locality, to have performed meritorious actions in the past, and to set oneself in the right direction -- this is the highest blessing.
4. "Vast learning, skill in handicrafts, well grounded in discipline, and pleasant speech -- this is the highest blessing.
5. "To support one's father and mother; to cherish one's wife and children, and to be engaged in peaceful occupations -- this is the highest blessing.
6. "Liberality, righteous conduct, rendering assistance to relatives, and performance of blameless deeds -- this is the highest blessing.
7. "To cease and abstain from evil, to abstain from intoxicating drinks, and diligent in performing righteous acts -- this is the highest blessing.
8. "Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude, and the timely hearing of the Dhamma, the teaching of the Buddha, -- this is the highest blessing.
9. "Patience, obedience, meeting the Samanas (holy men), and timely discussions on the Dhamma -- this is the highest blessing.
10. "Self-control, chastity, comprehension of the Noble Truths, and the realization of Nibbána -- this is the highest blessing.
11. "The mind that is not touched by the vicissitudes of life, the mind that is free from sorrow, stainless, and secure -- this is the highest blessing.
12. "Those who have fulfilled the conditions (for such blessings) are victorious everywhere, and attain happiness everywhere -- To them these are the highest blessings."

10 Things

Buddha said that there are these 10 things that are wished for, desired, agreeable, and rarely gained in the world. Wealth, beauty, health, virtuous behavior, celibacy, friends, learning, wisdom, good qualities and the heavens. He also said that there 10 nutriments for these 10 things that are wished for, desired, agreeable and rarely gained in the world. Diligence and initiative, adorning and beautifying oneself,doing what is beneficial, good friendship, restraint of the sense faculties, recitation, willingness to listen and asking questions, applying oneself and reflection, right practice...from Anguttara Nikaya, Sutta 73.

Teachings of the Buddha

Fortunate to have opportunity to access the discourses of the Buddha. The middle length discourses of the Buddha, the long discourses of the Buddha, the connected discourses and the numerical discourses of the Buddha.