How to maintain one's livelihood in tune...

"And what does it mean to maintain one's livelihood in tune? There is the case where a lay person, knowing the income and outflow of his wealth, maintains a livelihood in tune, neither a spendthrift nor a penny-pincher, [thinking], 'Thus will my income exceed my outflow, and my outflow will not exceed my income.' Just as when a weigher or his apprentice, when holding the scales, knows, 'It has tipped down so much or has tipped up so much,' in the same way, the lay person, knowing the income and outflow of his wealth, maintains a livelihood in tune, neither a spendthrift nor a penny-pincher, [thinking], 'Thus will my income exceed my outflow, and my outflow will not exceed my income.' If a lay person has a small income but maintains a grand livelihood, it will be rumored of him, 'This clansman devours his wealth like a fruit-tree eater*.'If a lay person has a large income but maintains a miserable livelihood, it will be rumored of him, 'This clansman will die of starvation.' But when a lay person, knowing the income and outflow of his wealth, maintains a livelihood in tune, neither a spendthrift nor a penny-pincher, [thinking], 'Thus will my income exceed my outflow, and my outflow will not exceed my income,' this is call maintaining one's livelihood in tune.

AN 8.54

Dighajanu (Vyagghapajja) Sutta: To Dighajanu

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

* one who shakes more fruit off a tree than he can possibly eat.

Just like a horse trainer trains his horses....

Then Kesi the horsetrainer went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, the Blessed One said to him: "You, Kesi, are a trained man, a trainer of tamable horses. And how do you train a tamable horse?"

"Lord, I train a tamable horse [sometimes] with gentleness, [sometimes] with harshness,[sometimes] with both gentleness & harshness."

"And if a tamable horse does not submit either to a mild training or to a harsh training or to a mild & harsh training, Kesi, what do you do?"

"If a tamable horse does not submit either to a mild training or to a harsh training or to a mild and harsh training, lord, then I kill it.

Why is that? [I think:] 'Don't let this be a disgrace to my lineage of teachers.' But the Blessed One, lord, is the unexcelled trainer of tamable people. How do you train a tamable person?"

"Kesi, I train a tamable person [sometimes] with gentleness, [sometimes] with harshness, [sometimes] with both gentleness & harshness.

"In using gentleness, [I teach:] 'Such is good bodily conduct. Such is the result of good bodily conduct. Such is good verbal conduct. Such is the result of good verbal conduct. Such is good mental conduct. Such is the result of good mental conduct. Such are the devas. Such are human beings.'

"In using harshness, [I teach:] 'Such is bodily misconduct. Such is the result of bodily misconduct. Such is verbal misconduct. Such is the result of verbal misconduct. Such is mental misconduct. Such is the result of mental misconduct. Such is hell. Such is the animal womb. Such the realm of the hungry shades.'

"In using gentleness & harshness, [I teach:] 'Such is good bodily conduct. Such is the result of good bodily conduct. Such is bodily misconduct. Such is the result of bodily misconduct. Such is good verbal conduct. Such is the result of good verbal conduct. Such is verbal misconduct. Such is the result of verbal misconduct. Such is good mental conduct. Such is the result of good mental conduct. Such is mental miscondut. Such is the result of mental misconduct. Such are the devas. Such are human beings. Such is hell. Such is the animal womb. Such the realm of the hungry shades.'"

"And if a tamable person does not submit either to a mild training or to a harsh training or to a mild & harsh training, what do you do?"

"If a tamable person does not submit either to a mild training or to a harsh training or to a mild & harsh training, then I kill him*, Kesi."

"But it's not proper for our Blessed One to take life! And yet the Blessed One just said, 'I kill him, Kesi.'"

"It is true, Kesi, that it's not proper for a Tathagata to take life. But if a tamable person does not submit either to a mild training or to a harsh training or to a mild & harsh training, then the Tathagata does not regard him as being worth speaking to or admonishing. His knowledgeable fellows in the holy life do not regard him as being worth speaking to or admonishing*. This is what it means to be totally destroyed in the Doctrine & Discipline, when the Tathagata does not regard one as being worth speaking to or admonishing, and one's knowledgeable fellows in the holy life do not regard one as being worth speaking to or admonishing."

"Yes, lord, wouldn't one be totally destroyed if the Tathagata does not regard one as being worth speaking to or admonishing, and one's knowledgeable fellows in the holy life do not regard one as being worth speaking to or admonishing!

"Magnificent, lord! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has the Blessed One — through many lines of reasoning — made the Dhamma clear. I go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the community of monks. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for refuge, from this day forward, for life."

AN 4.111

Kesi Sutta: To Kesi the Horsetrainer

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

These are the four unconjecturables...

"There are these four unconjecturables that are not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about them.

Which four?

1. "The Buddha-range of the Buddhas1 is an unconjecturable that is not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about it.

2. "The jhana-range of a person in jhana...2

3. "The [precise working out of the] results of kamma...

4. "Conjecture about [the origin, etc., of] the world is an unconjecturable that is not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about it.

"These are the four unconjecturables that are not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about them."

Acintita Sutta: Unconjecturable

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.077.than.html

1. I.e., the range of powers a Buddha develops as a result of becoming a Buddha.

2. I.e., the range of powers that one may obtain while absorbed in jhana.

We suffer because...

We suffer because we don't like the change. But change is the reality of all conditioned things, animate or inanimate alike.

It's all about coming to our senses..

Suffering is a result of clinging, clinging is a result of craving, craving is a result of feeling, and this all goes back to our senses. If we "come to our senses," our ignorance will be gone. So will be our craving and suffering. We then will be free.

The footprint of the elephant

Ven. Sariputta said: "Friends, just as the footprints of all legged animals are encompassed by the footprint of the elephant, and the elephant's footprint is reckoned the foremost among them in terms of size; in the same way, all skillful qualities are gathered under the four noble truths. Under which four? Under the noble truth of stress, under the noble truth of the origination of stress, under the noble truth of the cessation of stress, and under the noble truth of the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.

"And what is the noble truth of stress? Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stressful; not getting what is wanted is stressful.1 In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful. And which are the five clinging-aggregates? The form clinging-aggregate, the feeling clinging-aggregate, the perception clinging-aggregate, the fabrication clinging-aggregate, & the consciousness clinging-aggregate.

Maha-hatthipadopama Sutta: The Great Elephant Footprint Simile

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

To read the full sutta:http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.028.than.html#inlaw

You can't gain wisdom by shutting the eyes...

You can't gain wisdom by shutting the eyes, closing the ears... and so on (same is true for all the six senses) but understanding (realizing) how they really work...

We have fallen into a "river rapid" called...

We have fallen into a "river rapid" called the dependent origination, a chain of reactions that causes this whole mass of suffering. Every moment we are accumulating kamma that will generate our future birth. However we are not aware of it because of our ignorance. Only the ones who realize this, can unchain this series of unfortunate events. The key link is getting rid of craving.... this is our fina goal... Nirvana.

One drop at a time....

Keep reflecting mindfully on the Dhamma you have learnt. Dhamma is everywhere around you. Then just apply it to your life, every moment, one drop at a time.

How to grow a tree of wisdom....

This is the method how you grow this tree to bear tasty fruits.

1. Before you plant the seed, you need to prepare the soil (fertile).

2. Then you need to water it well.

3. When the tree grows you have to clean the roots.

4. Then you have to remove the worms that may damage the tree.

5. Finally you have to remove the spider webs from the tree for it to grow to full potential and bear tasty fruits.


In the simile here: Preparing the soil is morality (Sila), watering is acquiring knowledge of Dhamma (Sutha), Cleaning the roots is discussing Dhamma and clearing doubts ( Dhamma sarkach-cha), Clearing the worms is breath meditation (Samatha) and suppressing the five hindrances, and finally removing spider webs is mindfulness meditation (vipassana).

This is taken from a sutta I have heard called, "Anngghita sutta.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.025.than.html
Note: I did not find the simile in the translation here...

Cutting the fetters that tie us down....

Dhamma teaches us the the path, that finally liberate us (Nirvana) from Samsara. This is our final goal! Fetters tie us down to the Samsara. Cutting the fetters off using the practice of Dhamma is the art of liberation.

Dhamma is like a "shap knife" for this purpose... But you need to grab it from the right end !

Like wind would leaves from a tree...

He has become calm and at rest, Wise in speech and not self-centered; He's shaken off unwholesome states — Like wind would leaves from a tree.

Sariputta Thera: Keeping the Wheel Rolling

translated from the Pali by

Andrew Olendzki

How to be FREE (from samsara)?

“When you see you only see, when you hear you only hear, when you taste you only taste, when you smell you only smell, when you feel (touch) you only feel, when mental objects arrive at the mind, they only arrive”…if you realize this as a direct knowledge, you are NOT HERE…if you are not here you are NOT THERE, if you are neither here or there, you are NOT IN-BETWEEN, you are then “FREE” (from this Samsara)- Buddha

The right technique will give results whether you wish or not ...

"Suppose a man in need of fire, looking for fire, wandering in search of fire, would take a fire stick and rub it into a wet, sappy piece of wood. If he were to take a fire stick and rub it into a wet, sappy piece of wood even when having made a wish [for results]... having made no wish... both having made a wish and having made no wish... neither having made a wish nor having made no wish, he would be incapable of obtaining results. Why is that? Because it is an inappropriate way of obtaining results.

"In the same way, any priests or contemplatives endowed with wrong view, wrong resolve, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, & wrong concentration: If they follow the holy life even when having made a wish [for results]... having made no wish... both having made a wish and having made no wish... neither having made a wish nor having made no wish, they are incapable of obtaining results. Why is that? Because it is an inappropriate way of obtaining results.

"Suppose a man in need of fire, looking for fire, wandering in search of fire, would take a fire stick and rub it into a dry, sapless piece of wood. If he were to take a fire stick and rub it into a dry, sapless piece of wood even when having made a wish [for results]... having made no wish... both having made a wish and having made no wish... neither having made a wish nor having made no wish, he would be capable of obtaining results. Why is that? Because it is an appropriate way of obtaining results.

"In the same way, any priests or contemplatives endowed with right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, & right concentration: If they follow the holy life even when having made a wish [for results], they are capable of obtaining results. If they follow the holy life even when having made no wish, they are capable of obtaining results. If they follow the holy life even when both having made a wish and having made no wish, they are capable of obtaining results. If they follow the holy life even when neither having made a wish nor having made no wish, they are capable of obtaining results. Why is that? Because it is an appropriate way of obtaining results.

Bhumija Sutta: To Bhumija

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.126.than.html#butter1

Just as a Lute....

"Suppose there were a king or king's minister who had never heard the sound of a lute before. He might hear the sound of a lute and say, 'What, my good men, is that sound — so delightful, so tantalizing, so intoxicating, so ravishing, so enthralling?' They would say, 'That, sire, is called a lute, whose sound is so delightful, so tantalizing, so intoxicating, so ravishing, so enthralling.' Then he would say, 'Go & fetch me that lute.' They would fetch the lute and say, 'Here, sire, is the lute whose sound is so delightful, so tantalizing, so intoxicating, so ravishing, so enthralling.' He would say, 'Enough of your lute. Fetch me just the sound.' Then they would say, 'This lute, sire, is made of numerous components, a great many components. It's through the activity of numerous components that it sounds: that is, in dependence on the body, the skin, the neck, the frame, the strings, the bridge, and the appropriate human effort. Thus it is that this lute — made of numerous components, a great many components — sounds through the activity of numerous components.'

"Then the king would split the lute into ten pieces, a hundred pieces. Having split the lute into ten pieces, a hundred pieces, he would shave it to splinters. Having shaved it to splinters, he would burn it in a fire. Having burned it in a fire, he would reduce it to ashes. Having reduced it to ashes, he would winnow it before a high wind or let it be washed away by a swift-flowing stream. He would then say, 'A sorry thing, this lute — whatever a lute may be — by which people have been so thoroughly tricked & deceived.'

"In the same way, a monk investigates form, however far form may go. He investigates feeling... perception... fabrications... consciousness*, however far consciousness may go. As he is investigating form... feeling... perception... fabrications... consciousness, however far consciousness may go, any thoughts of 'me' or 'mine' or 'I am' do not occur to him."

Vina Sutta: The Lute
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu

*Five aggregates (see labels)

Just like in a guest house....

"In a guest house, O monks, people from the east may take lodgings, or people from the west, north or south. People from the warrior caste may come and take lodgings there, and also Brahmans, middle class people and menials.

"Similarly, O monks, there arise in this body various kinds of feelings; there arise pleasant feelings, painful feelings and neutral feelings; worldly feelings that are pleasant, painful or neutral, and unworldly* feelings that are pleasant, painful and neutral.

Agara Sutta: The Guest House

translated from the Pali by

Nyanaponika Thera

* Spiritual

These are the four drains on one's store of wealth:

"These are the four drains on one's store of wealth:

1. debauchery in sex

2. debauchery in drink

2. debauchery in gambling

3. evil friendship, evil companionship, evil camaraderie

Just as if there were a great reservoir with four inlets and four drains, and a man were to close the inlets and open the drains, and the sky were not to pour down proper showers, the depletion of that great reservoir could be expected, not its increase. In the same way, these are the four drains on one's store of wealth: debauchery in sex; debauchery in drink; debauchery in gambling; and evil friendship, evil companionship, evil camaraderie.

These are the four inlets to one's store of wealth:

1. no debauchery in sex

2. no debauchery in drink

3. no debauchery in gambling

4. admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie

Just as if there were a great reservoir with four inlets and four drains, and a man were to open the inlets and close the drains, and the sky were to pour down proper showers, the increase of that great reservoir could be expected, not its depletion. In the same way, these are the four inlets to one's store of wealth: no debauchery in sex; no debauchery in drink; no debauchery in gambling; and admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie.

Dighajanu (Vyagghapajja) Sutta: To Dighajanu

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Leave that sound alone....

Leave that sound alone...it is not disturbing you but you are disturbing the sound! Leave that object alone...the object is not distracting but you are distracting the object! The same goes to our other senses too.

Muddy pool of water is like a....

"Suppose there were a pool of water — sullied, turbid, and muddy. A man with good eyesight standing there on the bank would not see shells, gravel, and pebbles, or shoals of fish swimming about and resting.

Why is that?

Because of the sullied nature of the water. In the same way, that a monk with a sullied mind would know his own benefit, the benefit of others, the benefit of both; that he would realize a superior human state, a truly noble distinction of knowledge & vision: Such a thing is impossible.

Why is that?

Because of the sullied nature of his mind."

Udakarahaka Suttas: A Pool of Water
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu