AN 3.84 - Vajjiputta Sutta - The Young Vajji [Book Of The Threes]

Ektaji explains the 'AN 3.84 - Vajjiputta Sutta - The Young Vajji [Book Of The Threes]' from Anguttara Nikaya (The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Complete Translation of the Anguttara Nikaya by Bhikkhu Bodhi) Book of the Threes Sutta 84.
These suttas, originally in Pali language, are at the heart of Buddha's teachings. Ektaji uses some Pali words so that the meaning and importance of the sutta is not lost in translation and interpretation.

Visit her website for more information.

Transcript

Salaam. Salaam. Salaam. Welcome to Buddha Sangha. Today we will do Anguttara Nikaya's Suttana number 3. 84. It is from the book of the threes and it is Suttana number 84. The young Vadji. Thus have I heard, On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Vesali in the hall with the peaked roof in the great wood. Then a certain Bajjibhikkhu approached the Blessed One, Paid homage to him and said to him, Parnte, Every half month more than a hundred and fifty training rules come up for recitation. I cannot train in them. So here we have somebody who is finding it very difficult to train in hundred and fifty rules. Yes, Remember the monks had hundreds of rules come up. We householders do not have so many rules. We just have a few vows that we have taken when we studied the four noble truths and the eightfold path. But the bhikkhus have many more, Hundreds of them. So this is one of the bhikkhu vajjis who is finding it very difficult to follow hundreds of them. So he goes to Buddha and he says, I cannot train in so many. So let's see what the Buddha says. Can you train in the three trainings bhikkhu? The training in the higher virtuous behaviour. The training in the higher mind and the training in the higher wisdom. Higher virtuous behaviour is Shila. Higher mind is Samadhi and higher wisdom is Panniya. Only when I have Shila or morality like non-killing, Non-harsh speech, Non-maliciousness, Not stealing, Not taking what is not given to me, Not lying. Only when I follow Shila or morality can Samadhi happen to me. Samadhi is the higher mind and only in Samadhi can the true wisdom or Panniya blossom on its own. I cannot practice wisdom. I cannot practice the higher mind. These are automatic products of virtuousness. During the time of the Buddha, Many people were practicing many different types of Samadhis. Many, Many different types of meditation techniques. He was surrounded by spiritual people. But the moment these people got out of their meditation, Opened their eyes, They were back into their anger and hatred and jealousy, In competition and maliciousness and all kinds of negativity. So Buddha said there is something wrong in your practice. Your meditation or Samadhi is not long lasting or you are not being able to carry it into your open-eyed daily routine, Which means that there is something missing. And that which was missing was lack of virtuousness. People had taken the talks about virtuousness as entertainment, As something that somebody else should implement but not me. I am perfect. You check, Do you have this I am perfect kind of attitude? You check, If you have this attitude of I am perfect and somebody else should change. If you do, It's time for reversing it. It does not matter whether the other person changes or not. That is his problem, That is his karma. He can bother about his personal spiritual growth. I need to bother about myself. So turn the focus towards yourself. Are you interested in your spiritual growth or is this just spiritual time pass for you? You check. If you are interested, Start working on your virtuousness. When your virtuousness increases, Then you decide that I will not make my inner environment impure at any cost, Any cost, Even giving up of name, Fame, Titles, Relationships is all agreeable to me, But I will not give up my inner purity. If you are a sincere spiritual seeker, Then start focusing on your own virtuousness, On your own self. Because only your virtuousness can take you to a calmer and higher mind. And the taste of that higher mind, The nectar of the higher mind is incomparable to any material achievements in this world. Everything in this material world falls on its face in front of that highest nectar of that calm and serene mind. So strive for something higher if you have to strive. A higher mind. Because only a higher mind takes you through the higher wisdom. And higher wisdom is that which is my own wisdom which sprouts from within me and which nobody else can take away from me. So here Buddha advises Vajri, Can you do at least these three. Forget about those hundred and fifty rules. So he says, I can Bhante. Therefore Bhikkhu, Train in the three trainings. The training in the higher virtuous behaviour, The training in the higher mind and the training in the higher wisdom. As you train in them, You will abandon lust, Hatred and delusion. Abandoning of lust, Hatred and delusion happens automatically. All you have to do is, I will not do something that is not virtuous. I will not speak harshly, Even in the most troublesome situation. I will not utter malicious words. I will not indulge in gossip. Come what may, I will speak only when it is required. This is the purification of the verbal action. Then there is the purification of the physical action. Not killing, Not harming, Not even gesturing through the body to harm. Sometimes we gesture through the body that I will punch you. No physical action that is not virtuous. And finally the mental action. Even a thought of ill will in the mind is actually a done action. We think that it is in the mind. I didn't really go and put a gun on his head. But you did it in your mind. It is as good as done. It has already created agitation inside. It has created that whirlwind of anger, Hatred in you and created that delusion that by thinking about all this negativity in my mind, He is getting hurt. No, No. He is not getting hurt. You are deluded. You have fooled yourself. He or she is not even aware that you are thinking about him or her. You are hurting yourself by creating this agitation within. So you take up these vows of virtuousness to protect your own inner environment. It is not about the other person. Come what may, My inner environment shall always remain free of restlessness and agitation. Because restlessness is created by me only. When I hence train to just keep agitation and restlessness out of me, Automatically lust gets abandoned. Automatically hatred gets abandoned and automatically I am not deluded anymore. Yes, What is the delusion in me? Oh, If I keep punishing the person in my own head again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again, You know I am not letting him off the hook. But really, Who is stuck on the hook? I, Because I am continuously letting that person live in my head rent free. You see what I am saying? So who is on the hook? He or you? Now you decide what is more important to you. Your peace of mind is more important to you or keeping him on the hook which is a delusion which is not true, Which is not really happening is more important. As you train in them, You will abandon lust, Hatred and delusion. With the abandoning of lust, Hatred and delusion, You will do nothing unwholesome or resort to anything bad. Naturally, Unwholesomeness will drop off. Bad thoughts, Bad ideas, Bad concepts, Bad actions will drop off. You will learn to protect yourself such that bad people will run away from you. They will consider you as a very bad candidate to keep you in their company. Yeah, That's an achievement. Good job done there. Let all the unwholesomeness in life drop away naturally just by being wholesome. Then sometime later, That Bhikkhu trained in the higher virtuous behaviour, The higher mind and the higher wisdom. As he trained in them, He abandoned lust, Hatred and delusion. With the abandoning of lust, Hatred and delusion, He did nothing unwholesome and did not resort to anything bad. Homework for you. Do you want to be like Bajji or not? Do you want to reach a point where unwholesomeness does not touch you? I'm not saying that external people, Situations and things will become all rosy and good. No. On account of past karma, What must come my way will come my way. But my reactions towards those things has changed. Just because I have decided to protect my inner environment from agitation, I do not choose to either reject it or pray for it. I am just equanimous about it. I do not choose to get angry, Be harsh, Spread maliciousness, Indulge in gossip, Have ill will or hold on to any wrong will. I have abandoned all of these and I have chosen equanimity. So even if that situation is there around me, It does not shake me. I am centred. And how much ever Maya dances around the centred person, It cannot shake him. It cannot devour him. How much ever it tries to, It fails and fades away. You decide. Do you want to be strong and centred or do you want to be engulfed by Maya? Choice is yours. The only shortcut is virtuousness. Once you are virtuous and you protect your inner environment, Everything else falls into place. Samadhi as well as the highest wisdom. But don't believe me. Don't believe the Buddha. You experiment with your own mind and arrive at your own truth. Apu, Dhipu, Vavu. Be your own light. Vavu, Dhipu, Vavu.