Salaam.
Salaam.
Salaam.
Welcome to Buddha Sangha.
Today we will do Anguttara Nikaya's Sutta No.
3.
83 The Field.
It is from the Book of the Threes,
Section 4,
Aesthetics,
Sutta No.
83.
The Field.
Because there are these three preliminary tasks of a farmer.
What three?
Here the farmer first of all thoroughly ploughs and harrows the field.
Next he sows seeds at the proper time.
And then he occasionally irrigates and drains the field.
These are the three preliminary tasks of a farmer.
So too because there are these three preliminary tasks of a bhikkhu.
What three?
The undertaking of the training in the higher virtuous behaviour.
The undertaking of the training in the higher mind.
And the undertaking of the training in the higher wisdom.
These are the three preliminary tasks of a bhikkhu.
Virtuous behaviour is Sheela.
Higher mind is Samadhi.
And higher wisdom is Panniya.
These are the foundation pillars of Buddha's teachings.
One who trains himself in virtuous behaviour.
He develops a mind that does not get agitated by somebody else's words.
That does not get agitated by other people's actions.
That does not get afflicted even if there are not so happy things happening to this person's body or to the external environment.
Even if he is afflicted in the body by disease,
In the mind he does not get afflicted.
He protects his mind at any cost.
He reminds himself that only craving is the cause for his agitation.
There is a craving that this should not be so.
Or there is a craving that this should be so.
There is a craving that this should be permanent or there is a craving that this should not be impermanent.
Constant agitation of the mind is caused by not accepting reality as it is.
And all this boils down to one single factor.
Cleaving.
Cleaving is again of two kinds.
Where I want something is also a craving and I don't want something is also a craving.
Raga,
Wanting is a craving.
Dvesha,
Rejecting is a craving.
Both are craving.
Make a list of all those things that you crave for and reject in life.
Then experiment one by one and see do they bring peace in your life or do they bring more agitation in life?
More restlessness,
More feverishness,
More desire,
More running behind and after achieving is there peace?
Does it end?
Does the fulfilment of one craving bring peace?
Experiment with your own mind and arrive at your own truth.
When you arrive at your own truth,
Nobody can take it away from you.
If you fake believe another person,
Anybody can take it away from you because it is only an intellectual understanding.
Only logically you have arrived at it but you have not experimented with it and made it your truth.
Do you see what I am saying?
So experiment with yourself.
Experiment with your mind and arrive at your own truth.
After arriving at your own truth now become firm in your resolution that now I have seen this as my own truth and I am going to stick to this virtuous vow so that I don't fall into this trap of craving or aversion again.
Only by striving ceaselessly can one get there.
There is no other shortcut if you are looking for one.
If you think by sitting and closing your eyes and doing some pranayama technique,
Some breathing technique,
By doing some yoga that the mind will become quiet and you will suddenly become a very virtuous,
Compassionate,
Kind,
Loving human being.
It's not going to happen.
Unless you have a desire to become like that,
Unless you make an effort to ward away the negativity,
There is no magic pill that can make this happen automatically.
Wake up and realise the truth.
Just like when you were a little kid,
You were made to believe in Santa Claus and you believed in Santa Claus.
And maybe your friends told you there is no Santa Claus but you held on to your belief of Santa Claus being there.
And Santa Claus brings me goodies.
Just like that you are holding on to certain concepts,
Certain beliefs,
Certain views on the spiritual path.
Unless and until you don't see the truth,
These beliefs and these concepts will only take you for a ride and make you even more deluded.
Wake up,
Realise the truth by experimenting on your own self and drop that fake belief.
Santa Claus does not exist.
When you make an effort to inculcate virtuous behaviour,
Automatically the higher mind starts happening to you.
When she-law or morality is strong,
Automatically you start going into Samadhi.
Samadhi is mindfulness and collectedness of the mind.
Automatically from Samadhi and mindfulness,
Higher wisdom will start arising in you.
Higher wisdom arises only when inside the environment is conducive for wisdom.
Can an agitated environment be conducive to higher wisdom?
Only a silent,
Serene,
Tranquil environment can be conducive to higher wisdom.
If you are on the path of spirituality to attain higher wisdom,
To attain a higher,
Calmer,
Quieter,
More peaceful mind,
You have to start with the first step of virtuous behaviour.
So take up the vows that Buddha had given in the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
If you have forgotten them,
It's time for revisiting that belief.
Don't believe the Buddha.
Don't believe me.
You experiment on your own mind and you arrive at your own truth.
Therefore,
Because you should train yourselves thus,
We will have a keen desire to undertake the training in the higher virtuous behaviour.
We will have a keen desire to undertake the training in the higher mind.
We will have a keen desire to undertake the training in the higher wisdom.
It is in this way that you should train yourselves.
Homework for you.
Do you have a keen desire to train yourself?
Or are you here just for spiritual entertainment?
You had nothing else to do.
That's why you are watching this spiritual video.
Might as well get some good merit.
Good merit does not come by watching a spiritual video.
Good merit does not come by walking behind people who are collecting good merit by virtuous behaviour.
Good merit does not come by just sitting in the community of spiritual seekers who are walking the path.
But you are not doing that.
It comes only by a keen desire to train yourself.
Do you have a keen desire to train yourself?
You check.
Can you check without this keen desire to train yourself and without really training yourself,
Have you reached a calm or relaxed state of mind where higher wisdom struts?
Time for a self-examination.
Don't believe me.
Don't believe the Buddha.
You experiment with your own mind and arrive at your own truth.
Apo,
Vipo,
Dhaba.
Be your own light.
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