A monk … who strives in the Buddha’s teachings is like the moon emerging from the clouds and lighting up the world. ~ The Buddha – Dhammapada
Novice Ananda at Kiryvongsa Bopharam temple.
Learn this from water: loud splashes the brook but the oceans depth are calm. ~Buddha
Novice Ananda – June, 2019.
Verse 96: An arahat is calm in his mind, calm in his speech, and also in his deed; truly knowing the Dhamma, such an arahat is free from moral defilements and is unpurturbed by the ups and downs of life.
The Story of a Samanera from Kosambi
While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (96) of this book, with reference to a samanera, a pupil of Thera Tissa from Kosambi.
Once, a seven year old boy was made a samanera at the request of his father. Before his head was shaved the boy was given a subject of meditation. While he was being shaved, the boy had his mind fixed steadfastly on the object of meditation; as a result, he attained arahatship as soon as they finished shaving his head.
After some time, Thera Tissa, accompanied by the samanera, set out for Savatthi to pay homage to the Buddha. On the way, they spent one night in a village monastery. The thera fell asleep, but the young samanera sat up the whole night beside the bed of the old thera. Early in the morning, the old thera thought it was time to wake up the young samanera. So he roused up the samanera with a palm-leaf fan, and accidentally hit the eye of the samanera with the handle of the fan and damaged the eye. The samanera covered that eye with one hand and went about doing his duties of getting water for the thera to wash his face and clean his mouth, sweeping the floor of the monastery, etc. When the young samanera offered water with one hand to the thera, the thera chided him, and said that he should offer things with both hands. Only then, did the thera learn how the samanera lost his eye. At that instant, he realized that he had wronged a truly noble person. Feeling very sorry and humiliated, he made an apology to the samanera. But the samanera said that it was not the fault of the thera, nor his own fault, but that it was only the result of kamma, and so the thera was not to feel sad about it. But the thera could not get over the unfortunate incident.
Then they continued their journey to Savatthi and arrived at the Jetavana monastery where the Buddha was in residence. The thera then told the Buddha that the young samanera who came along with him was the most noble person he had ever met, and related all that had happened on their way. The Buddha listened to him, and replied, “My son, an arahat does not get angry with anyone he is restrained in his senses and is perfectly calm and serene.”
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 96: An arahat is calm in his mind, calm in his speech, and also in his deed; truly knowing the Dhamma, such an arahat is free from moral defilements and is unpurturbed by the ups and downs of life.
Dhammapada Verse 96
Kosambivasitissattherasamanera Vatthu
Santam tassa manam hoti
santa vaca ca kamma ca
sammadanna vimuttassa
upasantassa tadino.
Source: Tipitaka
The external world is only a manifestation of the activities of the mind itself, and the mind grasps it as an external world simply because of its habit of discrimination and false-reasoning. The disciple must get into the habit of looking at things truthfully. ~Buddha
Offend in neither word nor deed. Eat with moderation. Live in your heart. Seek the highest consciousness. Master yourself according to the law. This is the simple teaching of the awakened. ~Buddha
It is important to recognize that love, concern, and affection are not optional. We do not need any reason to offer love and affection. It is possible to have love without prices and without conditions. We do not need any further compensation beyond just giving our love. And love is an indefinitely renewable resource. For the well-being of society and for our own personal growth as well, it is crucial that we learn to love without needing a reason or reward. ~ 17th Karmapa
If my heart can become pure and simple like that of a child, I think there probably can be no greater happiness than this. ~ Kitaro Nishida
The Third Patriarch of Zen
Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng-T’san
The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When love and hate are both absent
everything becomes clear and undisguised.
Make the smallest distinction, however,
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.
If you wish to see the truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything.
To set up what you like against what you dislike
is the disease of the mind.
When the deep meaning of things is not understood,
the mind’s essential peace is disturbed to no avail.
The Way is perfect like vast space
where nothing is lacking and nothing in excess.
Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject
that we do not see the true nature of things.
Live neither in the entanglements of outer things,
nor in inner feelings of emptiness.
Be serene in the oneness of things and such
erroneous views will disappear by themselves.
When you try to stop activity by passivity
your very effort fills you with activity.
As long as you remain in one extreme or the other
you will never know Oneness.
Those who do not live in the single Way
fail in both activity and passivity,
assertion and denial.
To deny the reality of things
is to miss their reality;
To assert the emptiness of things
is to miss their reality.
The more you talk and think about it,
the further astray you wander from the truth.
Stop talking and thinking,
and there is nothing you will not be able to know.
To return to the root is to find meaning,
but to pursue appearances is to miss the source.
At the moment of inner enlightenment
there is a going beyond appearance and emptiness.
The changes that appear to occur in the empty world
we call real only because of our ignorance.
Renunciation mind is very simple in a way: we have renunciation mind when we realise that all this is not a big deal. Somebody steps on your toe – what’s the big deal? The more we get used to this notion, the more we have renunciation mind. Renunciation somehow has this connotation of giving something up. But it is like the example of the mirage. You can’t give up the water because there is none; it is only a mirage. Moreover, you don’t have to give up a mirage, because what is the point of giving up a mirage? One need simply know that it is a mirage. Such understanding is a big renunciation. The moment you know that it is a mirage, most likely you will not even go there because you know it is fake. Or even if you do go, there is no disappointment because you already know what is there. At the very least you will only have a little disappointment. ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
TAKE HEART
But also
take comfort, healing, rest and love
Leave sorrow
amongst the rocks and woods who most of the time
are far stronger
better able to handle such loads
Take courage
But also,
take honesty, courtesy, empathy and patience
Leave doubt
amidst the deep ocean waters
watch it sink there
until you cannot cling to it any longer
Take faith
but leave with an open mind, an open hand, open arms
Take whatever you need to make it through
leave what keeps you from going on
Tears only go so far
Fear only holds so long
Though your feet may bleed and your hands, tremble
Take deep compassion for the suffering of another
and journey on
~by Jennifer Edwards
