The Buddha and his Teachings, according to Suttas in the Pali Canon

[zeebrugge]

Thanks for keeping this thread alive. It's lovely to study the Buddha's teachings.

 

[sheamus]

Thanks for keeping this thread alive. It's lovely to study the Buddha's teachings.

3. Defilements Given Up by Using​

And what are the defilements that should be given up by using? Take a mendicant who, reflecting rationally, makes use of robes: ‘Only for the sake of warding off cold and heat; for warding off the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles; and for covering up the private parts.’

Reflecting rationally, they make use of almsfood: ‘Not for fun, indulgence, adornment, or decoration, but only to sustain this body, to avoid harm, and to support spiritual practice. In this way, I shall put an end to old discomfort and not give rise to new discomfort, and I will have the means to keep going, blamelessness, and a comfortable abiding.’

Reflecting rationally, they make use of lodgings: ‘Only for the sake of warding off cold and heat; for warding off the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles; to shelter from harsh weather and to enjoy retreat.’

Reflecting rationally, they make use of medicines and supplies for the sick: ‘Only for the sake of warding off the pains of illness and to promote good health.’

For the distressing and feverish defilements that might arise in someone who lives without using these things do not arise when they are used. These are called the defilements that should be given up by using.

 

[sheamus]

Get Up!​

Get up and meditate! What’s the point in your sleeping? How can the afflicted slumber when injured by an arrow strike?
Get up and meditate! Train hard for peace! The King of Death has caught you heedless—don’t let him fool you under his sway.
Needy gods and humans are held back by clinging: get over it. Don’t let the moment pass you by. For if you miss your moment you’ll grieve when sent to hell.
Negligence is always dust; dust follows right behind negligence. Through diligence and knowledge, pluck out the dart from yourself.

 

[bigrooster]

Sharing an excerpt from my sutta study this morning.

To summarise, Raṭṭhapāla was a wealthy young man who went forth, much against the wishes of his parents. When he returned to visit his old hometown after attaining Arahantship, his parents even tried to persuade him to go back to lay life, enlisting the help of his previous wives, whom he now called 'sisters'. Following verses uttered by Ven. Raṭṭhapāla to a king was in response to the king's questions of losses and vicissitudes of life.

MN 82 - Raṭṭhapāla Sutta

“I see men wealthy in the world, who yet
From ignorance give not their gathered wealth.
Greedily they hoard away their riches
Longing still for further sensual pleasures.

A king who has conquered the earth by force
And rules over the land the ocean bounds
Is yet unsated with the sea’s near shore
And hungers for its further shore as well.

Most other people too, not just a king,
Encounter death with craving unabated;
With plans still incomplete they leave the corpse;
Desires remain unsated in the world.

His relatives lament and rend their hair,
Crying, ‘Ah me! Alas! Our love is dead!’
They bear away the body wrapped in shrouds
To place it on a pyre and burn it there.

Clad in a shroud, he leaves his wealth behind,
Prodded with stakes he burns upon the pyre.
And as he dies, no relatives or friends
Can offer him shelter and refuge here.

While his heirs take over his wealth, this being
Must pass on according to his actions;
And as he dies nothing can follow him;
Not child nor wife nor wealth nor royal estate.

Longevity is not acquired with wealth
Nor can prosperity banish old age;
Short is this life, as all the sages say,
Eternity it knows not, only change.

The rich and poor alike shall feel Death’s touch,
The fool and sage as well shall feel it too;
But while the fool lies stricken by his folly,
No sage will ever tremble at the touch.

Better is wisdom here than any wealth,
Since by wisdom one gains the final goal.
For people through ignorance do evil deeds
While failing to reach the goal from life to life.

As one goes to the womb and the next world,
Renewing the successive round of births,
Another of little wisdom, trusting him,
Goes also to the womb and the next world.

Just as a robber caught in burglary
Is made to suffer for his evil deed,
So people after death, in the next world,
Are made to suffer for their evil deeds.

Sensual pleasures, varied, sweet, delightful,
In many different ways disturb the mind:
Seeing the danger in these sensual ties
I chose to lead the homeless life, O King.

As fruits fall from the tree, so people too,
Both young and old, fall when this body breaks.
Seeing this too, O King, I have gone forth:
Better is the recluse’s life assured.”

Source:
MN 82 - Raṭṭhapāla Sutta, Bhikkhu Bodhi translation

 

[kyang69]

Thanks for sharing. Bookmarked for reference.

 

[nottibeans]

Clear my browser cookies & forgot what password I changed to, so cannot log in.
Create new account also tio banned as clone account..lol.. I sincerely want to use new username also cannot create new account.

 

[nottibeans]

Want to change username to Sovatthika.

Sovatthika = Su + atthi + ṇika

Su is good, like sukha, dukkha. Du is bad.
Atthi = there is, to be.
ṇika is suffix, here means bringing the state of..

Sovatthika means bringng goodness, auspiciousness 带来吉祥如意.

Suvatthi & sotthi (both su + atthi) without the suffix also same meaning 吉祥如意.


Thai greeting “Sawat dee ka” is from this Pāli word. V is actually pronounced as W but the angmo Pāli scholars use V to represent the sound. Probably they think it should be pronounced as V (upper teeth touching lower lip) because the Pāli grammar book says this sound is made by the lips touching the teeth.
Myanmar greeting uses another Pāli word “Maṅgala” = auspiciousness but they pronounce as “mingala bar” (bar is polite particle).

Sanskrit equilvalent of Sovatthika is the Swastika. Later the Chinese translate as 万. Maybe means 万岁！ Hail the king!

The famous Swastika sign 卐 comes from Hinduism, also representing auspiciousness, goodness.

 

[nottibeans]

唐朝前，万岁是一种普遍祝福语，各个阶层都能使用[1][2]。

自唐朝起，中国人开始使用“万岁”表达对皇帝的祝福，后来也衍生成为皇帝的代词。虽然在民间对此之前的三国时期的曹操有“魏王千岁”的提法，但无史料记载。

Oh last time before Tang dynasty, the people use 万岁 as greeting.

 

[peterchan75]

Please help point to the Buddhist scripture on Impermanence and Attachment. Thank you.

 

[bigrooster]

Please help point to the Buddhist scripture on Impermanence and Attachment. Thank you.

Within the scope of this thread, in the Suttas of the Pāli Canon, there are numerous discourses touching on the topics of impermanence (anicca) and attachment/clinging/grasping (upādāna). Many of the themes of the suttas are interlinked, as could be seen in the subject of Dependent Origination, for example.

Impermanence is one of the 3 characteristics/marks of existence (tilakkhaṇa). Its characteristics and features could be seen from Dependent Origination too, as we learn that things we experience around us are all conditioned, dependently arisen and will cease when the conditions themselves changed or ceased. Another way to view impermanence is through observing and understanding the 5 Aggregates (pañca khandha) or the six sense bases.

Attachment, alternatively translated as clinging or grasping, is the lead on from craving. Attachment is the grasping to sensual pleasures, to rites & rituals, to view, and to self-identity.

There are also several discourses with the same name but with different contents and grouped under different collections of the Sutta Pitaka.

Example:
SN 22.45 - Anicca Sutta (Discourse on Impermanence)
SN 12.52 - Upādāna Sutta (Discourse on Clinging)

Post #2 (under constant updating) has an index to the topics. Hopefully it is at least a bit useful.

If there is a particular area you are looking into, do let me/us know.

 

[bigrooster]

With Lunar New Year approaching, many of us will be sending greetings to others, probably wishing them prosperity and having an auspicious new year. Most, if not all of us would also secretly wish that we ourselves would have an auspicious new year, and would try to avoid/be averse to "inauspicious" stuff or signs.

What did the suttas said about "auspicious day"?

MN 131 - Bhaddekaratta Sutta (An Auspicious Day/One Fine Night)

Excerpt:
"The Blessed One said:

You shouldn’t chase after the past
or place expectations on the future.

What is past is left behind.
The future is as yet unreached.

Whatever quality is present
you clearly see right there,
right there.

Not taken in, unshaken,
that’s how you develop the heart.

Ardently doing
what should be done today,
for—who knows?— tomorrow death.

There is no bargaining
with Mortality & his mighty horde.

Whoever lives thus ardently, relentlessly
both day & night,
has truly had an auspicious day:

So says the Peaceful Sage."

Comment:

• There are different translations of the discourse title. Some translate as 'an auspicious day' (Ṭhānissaro), some as 'one fine night' (Sujato), or 'a single excellent night' (Bodhi).
• To me, this sutta is quite a deep sutta, even if it might appear simple by cursory reading. In short, the quoted text advised one not to relish the past (what we were and experienced) nor yearn for the future (what we might be or want to experience). Rather, one should discern the present experience (coming through our six sense bases, and observed/experienced via our form/feeling/perception/formations/consciousness) here and now with wisdom.
• To relish the past and long for the future are both cravings and would lead to attachments. Discerning the present experience with respect to impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and non-self (anattā) could pave the way for disenchantment, dispassion, cessation and liberation.

I would also like to share an excellent explanation of this sutta written by the late Ven. K. Ñāṇananda for your reading and contemplation, if you are keen. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nanananda/wheel188.html

Lastly, wishing all readers a Happy Lunar New Year. May we all progress further along the path and experience more 'auspicious day' and 'excellent nights'!

Source:
MN 131 - Bhaddekaratta Sutta, Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu translation

 

[peterchan75]

Within the scope of this thread, in the Suttas of the Pāli Canon, there are numerous discourses touching on the topics of impermanence (anicca) and attachment/clinging/grasping (upādāna). Many of the themes of the suttas are interlinked, as could be seen in the subject of Dependent Origination, for example.

Impermanence is one of the 3 characteristics/marks of existence (tilakkhaṇa). Its characteristics and features could be seen from Dependent Origination too, as we learn that things we experience around us are all conditioned, dependently arisen and will cease when the conditions themselves changed or ceased. Another way to view impermanence is through observing and understanding the 5 Aggregates (pañca khandha) or the six sense bases.

Attachment, alternatively translated as clinging or grasping, is the lead on from craving. Attachment is the grasping to sensual pleasures, to rites & rituals, to view, and to self-identity.

There are also several discourses with the same name but with different contents and grouped under different collections of the Sutta Pitaka.

Example:
SN 22.45 - Anicca Sutta (Discourse on Impermanence)
SN 12.52 - Upādāna Sutta (Discourse on Clinging)

Post #2 (under constant updating) has an index to the topics. Hopefully it is at least a bit useful.

If there is a particular area you are looking into, do let me/us know.

Thank you. This is sufficient. Since, it's a translation from Sanskrit, it's the meaning and not the words.

 

[nottibeans]

No lah. It is translated from Pāli not Sanskrit.

Buddha never taught in Sanskrit. He speaks day to day to people in the local dialect, vernacular everyday language, now become the canonical language of Theravāda Buddhism called Pāli.


I also asked AI..lol

Difference between pali & sanskrit

Here are the key differences between Pali and Sanskrit:

1. Historical Usage:
- Pali: Used for the earliest Buddhist canonical texts (Tipitaka), primarily in Theravada Buddhism
- Sanskrit: Adopted later in Mahayana Buddhism and used in Hindu texts

2. Linguistic Structure:
- Pali: Simpler, more straightforward grammar
- Sanskrit: More complex grammatical rules and phonetic system

3. Key Word Examples:
Pali | Sanskrit | English
-----|----------|--------
Dhamma | Dharma | Teaching/Truth
Kamma | Karma | Action
Nibbāna | Nirvāṇa | Liberation
Sutta | Sūtra | Discourse
Mettā | Maitrī | Loving-kindness

4. Phonetic Differences:
- Pali tends to simplify consonant clusters
- Sanskrit maintains more complex consonant combinations

5. Accessibility:
- Pali: Generally considered easier to learn
- Sanskrit: More complex, requires more extensive study

6. Historical Development:
- Pali: Closer to the spoken language of the Buddha's time
- Sanskrit: More refined and standardized literary language

The Buddha himself advocated teaching in local dialects rather than classical Sanskrit, as mentioned in the Araṇavibhaṅga Sutta (MN 139), emphasizing the importance of making the teachings accessible to all.

 

[nottibeans]

Pāli is a phonetic language, don’t have writing first. Later Buddha’s teachings spread to the southern Asia countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar & Thai. They used their own scripts to represent the sounds.

The angmos colonised Sri Lanka & Burma later & they studied the Pāli Canon & devise the Roman Pāli.

The following is the traditional homage to the Buddha by three of His qualities: Bhagavā, Arahaṃ, Sammā-sambuddho.


Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammāsambuddhassa

නමො තස්ස භගවතො අරහතො සම්මාසම්බුද්ධස්ස (Sinhalese script)

နမော တဿ ဘဂဝတော အရဟတော သမ္မာသမ္ဗုဒ္ဓဿ (Burma script)

นโม ตสฺส ภควโต อรหโต สมฺมาสมฺพุทฺธสฺส (Thai script)

នមោ តស្ស ភគវតោ អរហតោ សម្មាសម្ពុទ្ធស្ស (Khmer script)

नमो तस्स भगवतो अरहतो सम्मासम्बुद्धस्स (Devanagari script)


Since Pāli is a phonetic language, it can also be constructed in Devanagari script & other scripts too.

Chinese is not phonetic language, cannot represent the Pāli Canon. Only can use translation or transliteration..lol

礼敬那位世尊、阿罗汉、正自觉者。

It's important to note that historically, Pali texts were primarily preserved in:
- Sinhala script (Sri Lanka)
- Burmese script (Myanmar)
- Khmer script (Cambodia)
- Thai script (Thailand)
- Mon script (parts of Myanmar and Thailand)

The widespread use of Devanagari for Pali texts is relatively modern, largely dating from the revival of Buddhism in India in the 20th century. The traditional regions where Pali Buddhism flourished historically used their own scripts rather than Devanagari.

 

[bigrooster]

Snp 4.15 - Attadaṇḍa Sutta

Excerpt:
"Don’t relish the old, or welcome the new. Don’t grieve for what is running out, or get attached to things that pull you in.

Greed, I say, is the great flood, and longing is the current—the basis, the compulsion, the swamp of sensuality so hard to get past.

The sage never strays from the truth; the brahmin* stands firm on the shore. Having given up everything, they are said to be at peace.

They have truly known, they’re a knowledge master, understanding the teaching, they are independent**. They rightly proceed in the world, not coveting anything here.

One who has crossed over sensuality here, the snare in the world so hard to get past, grieves not, nor hopes; they’ve cut the strings, they’re no longer bound.

What came before, let wither away, and after, let there be nothing. If you don’t grasp at the middle, you will live at peace.

One who has no sense of ownership in the whole realm of name and form, does not grieve for that which is not, they suffer no loss in the world.

If you don’t think of anything as belonging to yourself or others, not finding anything to be ‘mine’, you won’t grieve, thinking ‘I don’t have it’.

Not bitter, not fawning, unstirred, everywhere even; when asked about one who is unshakable, I declare that that is the benefit.

For the unstirred who understand, there’s no performance of deeds. Desisting from instigation, they see sanctuary everywhere.

A sage doesn’t speak of themselves as being among superiors, inferiors, or equals. Peaceful, rid of stinginess, they neither take nor reject."

Note:
* In this context and in many others in the suttas, 'brahmin' as spoken by the Buddha refers to the Arahant.

** 'Dependent' (nissita) literally means 'resting on', and could be read as 'dependent on', 'attaching to', 'clinging onto'. Independent (anissita) in this context means not attaching/clinging; it was also explained in the Pāli commentaries to mean 'free from the rounds of death and (re)birth', i.e. Saṃsāra. Note that in other context in the sutta translations, the phrase 'independent of others' (aparappaccayā) usually refers to a noble disciple - stream-enterer (and above) - e.g. in SN 12.49 and many more.

Source:
Snp 4.15 - Attadaṇḍa Sutta, Bhikkhu Sujato

 

[nottibeans]

Please help point to the Buddhist scripture on Impermanence and Attachment. Thank you.

AI’s answer to your question.

The teachings on impermanence (anicca) and attachment are central to Buddhist doctrine. Here are some key scriptural references:

On Impermanence:

1. From the Dhammapada:
"All conditioned things are impermanent" (Dhp 277)

2. In SN 22.45, the Buddha teaches about the impermanence of the five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness).

3. AN 7.74 compares human life to morning dew, a water bubble, a line drawn on water, a mountain stream, a lump of spit, a piece of meat, and a river current - all emphasizing impermanence.

On Attachment:

1. MN 22 uses the famous simile of the raft, showing how even good things (like the Dhamma) should not be clung to.

2. SN 12.52 explains how clinging leads to suffering through the chain of dependent origination.

3. In Dhp 334, the Buddha states:
"The craving of one given to heedless living grows like a creeper. Like a monkey seeking fruits in the forest, he leaps from life to life."

Would you like me to elaborate on any of these teachings or provide additional references?


Can go to the websites like suttacentral that have the actual sutta scriptures & read the whole sutta discourse. SN is Saṃyutta Nikāya (Connected collection), AN is Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numerical collection), MN is Majjhima Nikāya (Middle collection).
Dhp is Dhammapada (Dhamma verses) in the Khuddaka Nikāya (Small collection).

Or get the ebooks. Bhikkhu Bodhi’s translations are very good. He also put in important notes from the commentaries to explain the suttas.
https://archive.org/details/anguttara-nikaya/mode/2up

There are sibei many suttas on impermanence & attachment. Just search the keywords in the ebook. There are other synonyms of attachment like greed (lobha), craving (taṅhā), clinging/grasping (upādāna), attachment (ālaya, nivesa). Different degree of greed & different contexts so using different words.

 

[Ironside]

I refer to SN 14:9(9). The starting of the chain, "elements". What exactly does element in this case means?

In AN book 6:111(5), the word, element is also used. What does it means in this case?

Are the meaning of the two cases the same?

 

[bigrooster]

I refer to SN 14:9(9). The starting of the chain, "elements". What exactly does element in this case means?

In AN book 6:111(5), the word, element is also used. What does it means in this case?

Are the meaning of the two cases the same?

Elements (dhātu) in these contexts refer to group of phenomena (or things), and were not only restricted to the primary elements of earth, water, fire, and air.

Hence, in the SN 14, we can see things like element of eye, element of forms; while in the specific AN, it talked about element of ill-will, etc.

Based on my understanding.

 

[Ironside]

Elements (dhātu) in these contexts refer to group of phenomena (or things), and were not only:111(5) restricted to the primary elements of earth, water, fire, and air.

Hence, in the SN 14, we can see things like element of eye, element of forms; while in the specific AN, it talked about element of ill-will, etc.

Based on my understanding.

Thank you.

 

[Ironside]

AN Book 10:61(1) Pg 1415
Associating with good persons > hear good dhamma > faith > careful attention > mindfulness and clear comprehension > restraint of sense facilities > three kinds of good conducts > four establishments of mindfulness > seven factors of enlightenment > True knowledge and liberation