" /> " /> " /> " /> " /> " /> " /> " /> " />In order to understand this point, we have to go back to the day of Enlightenment of the Lird Buddha.3. The Importance of the Dhammacakkapavattana SuttaThe Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta is one of the most important teachings for Buddhists to know. It is so important because it acts like a master-plan for all the subsequent teachings on Buddhism given during the Buddha’s lifetime. Even if the Lord Buddha were to teach the Dhammacakka if the Lord Buddha were to teach the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta and never to teach another word of Dhamma for the srst of his life, His duty in proclaiming the Dhamma to the world would have been fulfilled. Just as each country of the world has a Constitution as the master-plan for the rest of the laws of the country to expand upon – similarly, the other teachings of the Buddha, the teachings of the arahants and the teachings of disting uished Buddhist teachers down to the present time are simply enlargements upon the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta. This is the importance of the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta as a master-plan. It is complete in itself and can lead the listener, who had no other knowledge of the Buddha’s teaching to attain enlightenment in the Lord Buddha’s footsteps. If Buddhists were to neglect the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta to the point it disappeared from living memory, then with it Buddhism would also disappear. Even if the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta has not yet become extinct from the world, but a Buddhist fails to understand fully the meaning of this teaching, then it is as good as that person’s Buddhist-ness has disappeared.The Importance of the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta4. Reacon for Teaching the Dhammacakkapavattana SuttaWhat was the reason behind the Lord Buddha’s preaching of the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta? In order to understand this point, we have to go back to the day of Enlightenment of the Lird Buddha. If you look at the history of that time, you will find that having attained Enlightenment, the Buddha did not get up from where he was sitting. He remained where he was in order to “ingest the bliss that had come from Enlightenment”. Traditionally speaking, the long period of time the Buddha spent sitting, after his Enlightenment, is supposed to be because the Buddha felt so proud or exalted by what he had managed to achieve – like a man who has finished a task of hard work and can sit back with a smug grin on his face! However, in the eyes of meditatiors, we understand that the Buddha couldn’t immediately arise from His seat of enlightenment because He must go further and further through the centre in order to consider the Dhamma in even greater sublety. The Buddha was later to preach in the Simsapa forest that there were more leaves in the forest thean he held in the palm of his hand. The 84,000 units of Dhamma which the Buddha was to reveal to us are but the leaves in the Buddha’s hand, but the leaves of the forest (the phenomena into which the Lord Buddha gained insight through his enlightenment) were still left for Him to came to consider the reason for his having renounced the world from the time of leaving the palace up to his Enlightenment. He rememberd that the realization of his own suffering had caused him to leave the palace. He saw the suffering of Yasodhara of his son Rahula, Herealized that to stay in the palace would be to suffer from the fetters of suffering without end. He had made a vow to himself that if he could find an end to suffering then he would lead the other beings of the world also to an end of suffering. He realized that this had been his vocation ever since the first lifetime when he had started to look for Buddhahood, floating in the endless watery oblivion of the ocean with his drowning mother upon his shoulders. He realized that it had come to time for him to proclaim Dhamma to the world – it. Was something he had aimed to do since the beginning twenty asankhaya kappas ago. On the day of his Enlightenment, he had fulfilled his vocation to the extent of achieving Enlightenment himself, but now it remained for him to fulfil the second part of his resolve and teach to the others of the world.He considered who would be able to appreciate the Dhamma he had uncovered. The Dhamma was so subtle that it would be a rare person who would appreciate it. Even the Buddha himself, with all the marks of a great man and so many lifetimes in his past of pursuing Perfections, still had to waste six years in the discovery of the Dhamma, staking his own life for the knowledge how much harder would it be for others to understand? He would have to consider his first disciples carefully, because if his first sermon gave no effect, his dispensation would immediately founder on the rocks. His decision about suitable disciples was also important because the way he chose his disciples would later be used as an example by others when choosing who to teach in places never exposed to Buddhism before. We see that he didn’t base his decision on himself, or the majority, but on Dhamma itself. If he were to make the decision based on himself (i.e. selfishly) then surely he would choose his own relations or those closest to him at the time before his renunciation as first priority to teach to Yasodhara or Rahula first. However, the Buddha use the quality of inner experi ence as the most important in his decision. He had to ask himself who was the most adept in the Eightfold Path. He asked himself “who, in this age, is the most free from defilements? Who, in this age, is the most free from defilements? Who has made the most progress in their meditation?” He could think of two such persons:Reacon for Teaching the Dhammacakkapavattana SuttaAlara Kalama Hermit: who had been the meditation teacher who had been able to impart to him the way to attain the akincannayatana (third) level of arupajhana. If in the words of luang Phaw Wat Paknam, we could say that Alara had made significant progress in his meditation because he had already attained the subtle human body the angelic body, He would be almost on the brink of attaining the Dhammakaya. The Buddha thought to teach this hermit first, but having checked with the Knowledge of the Dhammakaya he found that Alara had just passed away seven days ago and would now have to psend and excdingly long lifetime in the formless Brahma-world. He migh n ot even have the chance to hear the teachings of the next Buddha, let alone this one!Udaka Ramaputta Hermit: who had been the meditation teacher who had been able to impart meditation to him up to the level of the nevasannanasannayatana (fourth) level of arupajhana. Udaka was only one inner body away from attaining Dhammakaya. The Buddha thought to teach Udaka but on checking by meditation, thought to teach Udaka but on checking by meditation, found that Udaka had passed away only the day before. Found that Udaka had passed away only the day before.It appeared that the macchumara (demons of death) had done their job well –and had disposed of the two best potential disciples the Buddha could find. If the Buddha had managed to convert Alara or Udaka, he would have converted the disciples of these two teachers throughout the land. It was as if Mara had deprived the Buddha of countland. It was as if Mara had deprived the Buddha of countless potential disciples by disposing of these two teachers.The next person the Buddha was to think of was Kondanna the palace. He realized that in the present day and age, it would be hard to find his equal. He saw in his meditation that Kondanna was still alive and wellj and living in the Iaipatana Deer Park. This is why the Buddha made the journey to teach his first semon ther on the full moon day of the eighth lunat mont." /> " />
Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta for Pursuers of Perfection # 2
[ 21 ต.ค. 2554 ] - [ 18256 ]
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