In This Very Life

by Sayadaw U Pandita

  Once I was asked what was the most effective way to teach meditation. I replied, “First and foremost, one should practice until one is dexterous in one’s own practice. Then one must gain a sound theoretical knowledge of the scriptures. Finally, one must apply these two, based on a motivation of genuine loving-kindness and compassion. Teaching based on these three factors will doubtless be effective.”

  In this world many people enjoy fame, honor, and success due to uncanny strokes of fate or kamma. They may not really have fulfilled the accomplishment of cause, as the Buddha did. That is, they may not have worked hard, but simply became successful or wealthy by a fluke. Such people are likely to receive a lot of criticism. People might say, “It’s a wonder how he or she got into that position, considering how sloppy and lazy he/she is. He/she doesn’t deserve such luck.”

  Other people may work very hard. But perhaps because they are neither intelligent nor gifted, they attain their goal slowly, if at all. They are unable to fulfill the accomplishment of result. People like this are not free from blame either. “Poor old So-and-so. He/she works hard, but does not have much for brains.”

  Yet another group of people work very hard and become successful. Having fulfilled their ambition, they then rest upon their laurels, so to speak. Unlike the Buddha, who turned his own glorious achievements to the service of humanity, they do not take any further steps by helping society or other beings. Again, these people will be criticized. “Look how selfish he/she is. He/she’s got so much property, wealth, and talent, but no compassion or generosity.”

  In this world it is difficult to be free from blame or criticism. People will always talk behind one another’s backs. Some criticisms are merely gossip, and others are deserved, pointing to some real flaw or lack in a person. The Buddha was indeed an exceptional human being in having fulfilled the accomplishments of cause, of result, and of service.

  One could write an entire book describing the greatness and perfection of the Buddha, the discoverer and teacher of the path to freedom. Here, I only wish to open the doors for you to contemplate his virtues so that you can develop effort in your practice.

  Contemplating the Buddha’s greatness, you may be filled with awe and adoration. You may feel deep appreciation for the wonderful opportunity to walk the path that such a great individual discovered and taught. Perhaps you will understand that in order to walk on such a path, you cannot be sloppy, nor sluggish, nor lazy.

  May you be inspired. May you be brave, strong, and enduring, and may you walk this path to its end.

  7. Remembering the Greatness of Our Lineage

  The seventh reflection that arouses energy is on the greatness of the lineage. We are meditating in accordance with the Satipahāna Sutta, the Buddha’s discourse on the four foundations of mindfulness. Therefore we can all consider ourselves to belong to the noble lineage of buddhas. You can be proud to call yourself the Buddha’s daughter or son.

  As you practice vipassanā meditation, you are receiving a transfusion of Dhamma blood. It doesn’t matter how far away you are from the Buddha’s birthplace, nor how different you may be in terms of race, creed, or customs. These differences are quite immaterial. Insofar as we are committed to the threefold training of sīla, samādhi, and paññā, we are all members of the same Dhamma family. The Dhamma is our blood, the same that ran through the veins of those noble ones who underwent the same training during the Buddha’s time. Practicing diligently, with obedience and respect, we live up to the greatness of that lineage.

  The brothers and sisters during the Buddha’s time were men and women of great industry and courage. They did not know how to surrender. They only strove on until they were completely free from all suffering. Since we belong to this great lineage, we must never entertain thoughts of giving up.

  8. Remembering Our Comrades’ Greatness

  The eighth reflection to generate energy is to reflect on the greatness of our fellow Dhamma farers. The Pāli word is brahmacariya, those who lead the holy life.

  Formerly there were bhikkhus, or monks; bhikkhunīs, or nuns; sikkhamanas, or probation nuns; and sāmaerīs and sāmaeras, female and male novices. In the course of history, the order of Theravāda bhikkhunīs died out. Strictly speaking in our own time, the ordained Sangha consists of bhikkhus and male novices only, who practice in accordance with the Buddha’s rules of conduct. There are also male and female anagārikas, and sīlashin nuns, who, although they take lesser numbers of vows, are still considered to lead the holy life.

  No matter. All yogis, formally ordained or not, share virtues of purity, of morality, of concentration, and of wisdom. As a yogi you share these virtues with the great disciples of the Buddha’s time: the Venerable Sāriputta and the Venerable Mahā Moggallāna, who were the Buddha’s right and left hands, as well as the Venerable Mahākassapa. In the bhikkhunī Sangha was the Venerable Mahāpajāpati Gotami and her followers, as well as many other bhikkhunīs who were great and courageous women, strivers for the Dhamma. All these men and women of distinction are our comrades in the holy life. We can read about them and reflect on their greatness, their courage, their commitment. In that reflection we can ask ourselves whether we live up to the same high standard. We may also be inspired to think that we have the support of all these comrades as we make our daily efforts.

  Unwanted, Unloved: The Story of Sonā Therī. One distinguished elder in the bhikkhunī Sangha was named Sonā Therī. Before ordaining, she was married, and she had ten children—a big family by today’s standards. One by one they grew up, left the house, and settled down with mates of their own. When the last child was married, Sonā’s husband decided to become a bhikkhu, so he left for the homeless life. Shortly thereafter, Sonā collected all the property she and her husband had amassed through their marriage and distributed it amongst their children. She asked that each of them support her in turn.

  At first she was quite happy, visiting one child after another. She must have been quite old by then, sixty or seventy. But by and by her children began to tire of her presence. They were busy with their own families. “Oh, here comes mother-in-law,” they’d say. Sonā noticed their lack of enthusiasm and began to feel depressed. She saw that this was not a noble life for her, being treated as a nuisance, unwanted and unloved. There must be parents in our own time who are familiar with this feeling.

  Sonā considered her alternatives. Suicide was not right. She went to a nunnery and begged for ordination, which was granted to her. She was so old by now, alas, that she could not go for alms rounds, nor do the other tasks required of nuns. All she could do was boil water for her companions. However, Sonā was very intelligent. Reflecting on her situation, she said to herself: “Little time is left to me. I must take advantage of this opportunity and practice with diligence. I haven’t a moment to lose.”

  Sonā was so old and frail that the only way she could do her walking meditation was by holding on to the wall that surrounded her nunnery. So she went around in circles, hanging on to the wall. If she did walking meditation in the forest, she chose places where the trees were close together so that she could support herself on them. Through such diligent and persistent effort, through the deep resolution in her heart, she very quickly became an arahant.

  We can see that the ingratitude of Sonā’s children was a blessing in disguise. After her enlightenment, Sonā Therī used to sing, “Oh, look at this world, how people get caught up in family life and enjoy their worldly happiness. But for me, because I was mistreated by my children, I left my family to lead this life of a renunciate. Now I have reaped the truth of renunciation.”

  During Sonā Therī’s lifetime it was convenient and easy to go to a nunnery and ask to be ordained as a bhikkhunī. Nowadays, however, there is unfortunately no longer that chance for women to become fully ordained, for, as we said, the bhikkhunī order has died out. Do not despair, however. If a woman wants to renounce the world, it still is possible to enter a monastery. Though strictly speaking it is not
possible to become a bhikkhunī according to the original Vinaya rules of discipline for the Sangha, it is nonetheless still possible to become a bhikkhu or a bhikkhunī according to the suttas, the Buddha’s discourses. For this, the only requirement is a sincere practice to purify one’s mind according to the Noble Eightfold Path. There is no loss of privileges in this form of bikkhu-hood; in fact, it may be more appropriate for our times. If everyone simply becomes a bhikkhu, there will be no problems, no inequality.

  9. Avoiding Lazy People

  The ninth way to arouse effort is to avoid the company of lazy persons. There are people who are not interested in mental development, who never try to purify themselves. They just eat, sleep, and make merry as much as they want. They are like pythons, who swallow their prey and remain immobile for hours. How will you ever be inspired to put forth energy in the company of such people? You should try to avoid becoming a member of their gang. Avoiding their company is a positive step in developing energy.

  10. Seeking Energetic Friends

  Now you should take another step and choose to associate instead with yogis who are endowed with developed, enduring, and persevering energy. This is the tenth way of arousing effort. Most specifically it refers to a yogi in retreat, but in fact, you will be well off spending time with anyone who is totally committed to the Dhamma, enduring and resolute, trying to activate mindfulness from moment to moment, and maintaining a high standard of progressive or persistent energy. People who give top priority to mental health are your best companions. In a retreat you can learn from the people who seem to be model yogis. You can emulate their behavior and practice, and this will lead to your own development. You should allow others’ diligence to be contagious. Take in the good energy, and allow yourself to be influenced by it.

  11. Inclining the Mind toward Developing Energy

  The last and best way to arouse energy is persistently to incline the mind toward developing energy. The key to this practice is to adopt a resolute stand. “I will be as mindful as I can at each moment, sitting, standing, walking, going from place to place. I will not allow the mind to space out. I will not allow a moment of mindfulness to be missing.” If, on the contrary, you have a careless, self-defeating attitude, your practice will be doomed from the start.

  Every moment can be charged with this courageous effort, a very consistent and enduring energy. If a moment of laziness dares to tiptoe in, you will catch it right away and shoo it out! Kosajja, laziness, is one of the most undermining and subversive elements in meditation practice. You can eradicate it by effort: courageous, persistent, persevering, enduring effort.

  I hope you will arouse energy through any and all of these eleven ways, so that you will make swift progress in the path and eventually attain that consciousness that uproots defilements forever.

  RAPTURE: THE FOURTH FACTOR

  Pīti, or rapture, has the characteristic of happiness, delight, and satisfaction. It is in itself a mental state possessing these characteristics. But a further characteristic of rapture is that it can pervade associated mental states, making them delightful and happy and bringing a sense of deep satisfaction.

  Lightness and Agility

  Rapture fills the mind and body with lightness and agility. This, according to the classical analysis, is its function. The mind becomes light and energized. The body also feels agile, light, and workable. The manifestation of rapture is in actual sensations of lightness in the body. Rapture manifests very clearly through physical sensations.

  When rapture occurs, coarse and uncomfortable sensations are replaced with something very soft and gentle, velvet smooth and light. You may feel such a lightness of body that it seems as if you are floating in the air. At times the lightness may be active rather than still. You may feel as if you are being pushed or pulled, swayed and rocked, or as if you are traveling on rough water. You may feel off balance, but it is nonetheless very pleasant.

  The Five Types of Rapture

  There are five types of rapture. The first is called “lesser rapture.” At the beginning of practice, after the hindrances have been kept at bay for sufficient periods of time, yogis may begin feeling chills and thrills of pleasure, sometimes goose bumps. This is the beginning of rapturous feelings.

  The next type is called “momentary rapture.” It comes in flashes like lightning and is more intense than the first type. The third kind is “overwhelming rapture.” The classical simile is of someone sitting by the sea and suddenly seeing a huge wave that is coming to engulf her or him. Yogis experience a similar feeling of being swept off the ground. Their hearts thump; they are overwhelmed; they wonder what is happening.

  The fourth type of rapture is “uplifting or exhilarating rapture.” With this, you feel so light that you might think you are sitting a few feet off the ground. You feel as if you are floating about or flying, rather than walking on the earth.

  The fifth type of rapture, “pervasive rapture,” is the strongest of all. It fills the body, every pore. If you are sitting, you feel fantastically comfortable and you have no desire at all to get up. Instead, there is a great interest in continuing to sit without moving.

  The first three types of rapture are called pāmojja, or weak rapture. The last two deserve the rightful name of piti, strong rapture. The first three are causes of, or stepping stones toward, the stronger two.

  Wise Attention Causes Rapture

  As with effort, the Buddha said there is only one cause for rapture: wise attention. Specifically, this is wise attention to being effortful in bringing about wholesome rapturous feelings connected with the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha.

  Eleven More Ways to Develop Rapture

  The commentaries give eleven ways of arousing rapture:

  1. Remembering the Virtues of the Buddha

  The first way is buddhānussati, recollecting the virtues of the Buddha. He has quite a number of virtues, and it might not be necessary for you to go through all of the traditional lists of them before the first hints of rapture begin to appear. For example, the first traditionally listed virtue is the quality of araha. This means that the Buddha is worthy of respect by all humans, devas, and brahmās, due to the purity he attained by uprooting all kilesas. Think about the purity he achieved in this way, and perhaps some joy will come up in you. You might also recollect the Buddha’s three accomplishments as described in our discussion of courageous effort.

  However, reflections and recitation of formulas are not the only way to recollect the Buddha’s virtues. In fact, these are far less reliable than one’s own intuitive insights. When a yogi attains the insight into arising and passing away, rapture arises naturally, and so does an appreciation of the Buddha’s virtues. The Buddha himself said, “One who sees the Dhamma sees me.” A yogi who attains insight will truly be able to appreciate the greatness of the founder of our lineage. You might say to yourself, “If I am able to experience such purity of mind, how much greater the Buddha’s purity must have been!”

  2. Rejoicing in the Dhamma

  The second way of arousing rapture is to recollect the Dhamma and its virtues. The first traditional virtue is expressed in a phrase: “Well spoken is the Dhamma by the Buddha, indeed well proclaimed is the Dhamma by the Buddha.” The Buddha taught the Dhamma in the most effective way, and your present teachers have reliably transmitted it. This is indeed a cause for rejoicing.

  The Buddha spoke at length about the threefold training of sila, samādhi, and paññā. To follow the training, we first maintain purity of conduct by keeping the precepts. We try to develop a high level of moral integrity through taming our actions and speech. This will bring us many benefits. First, we will be free from self-judgment, self-blame, and remorse. We are free from censure by the wise, and from punishment by the law.

  Next, if we follow the Buddha’s instructions, we will develop concentration. If you are faithful, consistent, and patient, you can experience a mind that is happy and clear, bright and peaceful. This is samatha sukha, the h
appiness that comes from concentration and tranquility of mind. You can even attain the various levels of jhānas, or absorptions, states of consciousness in which the kilesas are temporarily suppressed and an extraordinary peace results.

  Then, practicing vipassanā, we have the chance to experience a third kind of happiness. As you penetrate deeper into the Dhamma, attaining the stage of insight into the rise and fall of phenomena, you will feel exhilarating rapture. This happiness could be called “thrilling happiness.” Later on comes the “happiness of clarity.” And eventually, when you reach the insight called sankhārupekkhāñāa, the insight into equanimity regarding all formations, you will experience the “happiness of equanimity.” It is a profound delight, not so agitated and thrilling, but very subtle and balanced.

  Thus, true to the promises and guarantees of the Buddha, those who follow the path of practice will be able to experience all these sorts of happiness. If you manage to experience all these kinds of happiness yourself, you can deeply appreciate the truth of the Buddha’s words. You too will say, “Well spoken is the Dhamma by the Buddha, indeed well proclaimed is the Dhamma by the Buddha.”

  Finally, transcending all these kinds of happiness is the ultimate “happiness of cessation.” Going beyond the happiness of equanimity, a yogi can experience a moment of insight into nibbāna that comes about with the attainment of noble path consciousness. After this, a yogi feels a depth of appreciation for the Buddha’s Dhamma that he or she may never have known before. Did the Buddha not say, “If you meditate in this way, you can arrive at the cessation of suffering?” This is true. Many people have experienced it, and when finally you know for yourself, your mind will sing with rapture and gratitude.