MN 46 Mahadhammasamadana Sutta - The Way Of Undertaking Things [Majjhima Nikaya]

In this talk, Ektaji explains the 'MN 46 Mahadhammasamadana Sutta - The way of undertaking things' sutta (discourse) from Majjhima Nikaya (The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha by Bhikkhu Bodhi).

These suttas are at the heart of Buddha's teachings which were originally in Pali language. Ektaji uses some Pali words to make sure the meaning and importance of the sutta is not lost in translation and interpretation.

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Transcript

Salaam. Salaam. Salaam. Welcome to Buddha Sangha. Today we will do a sutta from the Madhyamanikaaya. The sutta number is 46. Mahadhama Samadana Sutta. The greater discourse on ways of undertaking things. Thus, Have I heard, On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savaththi in Jeta's Grove, Anath Pindika's Park. There he addressed the Vikus thus, Vikus, Venerable sir, They replied. The Blessed One said this, Vikus, For the most part beings have this wish, Desire and longing. If only unwished for, Undesired, Disagreeable things would diminish and wished for, Desired, Agreeable things would increase. Yet, Although beings have this wish, Desire and longing, Unwished for, Undesired, Disagreeable things increase for them and wished for, Desired, Agreeable things diminish. Now, Vikus, What do you think is the reason for that? Most of us have this question, Isn't it? When I desire only for particular things that I long for, Why is it that I get the undesirable in life? I don't want this undesirable, But it still comes to me. A very valid question that most of us have, But don't have an answer for. So, Here is your answer. Venerable sir, Our teachings are rooted in the Blessed One, Guided by the Blessed One. Have the Blessed One as their resort. It would be good if the Blessed One would explain the meaning of these words. Having heard it from the Blessed One, The Vikus will remember it. Then, Listen Vikus and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, Venerable sir, They replied. The Blessed One said this. Here Vikus, An untaught, Ordinary person who has no regard for noble ones and is unskilled and undisciplined in their dharma, Does not know what things should be cultivated and what things should not be cultivated. He does not know what things should be followed and what things should not be followed. Not knowing this, He cultivates things that should not be cultivated and does not cultivate things that should be cultivated. He follows things that should not be followed and does not follow things that should be followed. It is because he does this that unwished for, Undesired, Disagreeable things increase for him and wished for, Desired, Agreeable things diminish. Why is that? That is what happens to one who does not see. Basically, We do not cultivate the things that we need to cultivate. We do not follow the things that we must follow. And why is that? That is because we don't even know what things need to be cultivated and followed and we don't know what things should not be cultivated and not be followed. This is the main reason why undesired things happen to us. This is the reason why the desired things evade us. So, Let's read ahead and understand what are the things that we need to cultivate as well as follow. The well-taught noble disciple who has regard for noble ones and is skilled and disciplined in their dharma, Who has regard for true men and is skilled and disciplined in their dharma, Knows what things should be cultivated and what things should not be cultivated. He knows what things should be followed and what things should not be followed. Knowing this, He cultivates things that should be cultivated and does not cultivate things that should not be cultivated. He follows things that should be followed and does not follow things that should not be followed. It is because he does this, That, Unwished for, Undesired, Disagreeable things diminish for him and wished for, Desired, Agreeable things increase. Why is that? That is what happens to one who seems. So, Basically, When you see the truth as it is, When you know the truth as it is, You will cultivate the right things and that which you desire will happen. If you do not see the truth as it is, You do not know the truth as it is, Then you will not be able to cultivate the things that need to be cultivated or follow the things that need to be followed. As simple as that. It is only the difference of seeing it as it is. The one who sees is the one who knows. The one who does not see is the one who does not know. Because there are four ways of undertaking things. What are the four? One. There is a way of undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the future as pain. So, Painful now and painful in the future is number one. Number two. There is a way of undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pain. So, Pleasant now, But again, In the future it is pain. This is number two. Number three. There is a way of undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the future as pleasure. We know many examples like that. Good health habits. They are not so pleasurable now, But they ripen as pleasant in the future. And number four. There is a way of undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pleasure. So, Let's understand how the ignorant person misses the bus. While reading, You contemplate. Is he talking about you? And if it is so, Acknowledge it honestly and start working on yourself. The ignorant person. Now, Because one who is ignorant, Not knowing this way of undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the future as pain, Does not understand it as it actually is. Thus, This way of undertaking things is painful now and ripens in the future as pain. Not knowing it, Not understanding it as it actually is, The ignorant one cultivates it and does not avoid it. Because he does so, Unwished for, Undesired, Disagreeable things increase for him and wished for, Desired, Agreeable things diminish. Why is that? That is what happens to one who does not see. We all go through pain and in the process of going through pain, Sometimes you do wrong things like hurting another person. It is pain to begin with and it will be pain even in the future when the karma of that particular action comes back at you. Why has this happened? Only because of ignorance. Because one is unable to see the truth as it is now. Now, Because one who is ignorant, Not knowing this way of undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pain, Does not understand it as it actually is. Thus, This way of undertaking things is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pain. Not knowing it, Not understanding it as it actually is, The ignorant one cultivates it and does not avoid it. Because he does so, Unwished for, Turned back, The last but one paragraph, Unwished for, Undesired, Disagreeable things increase for him and wished for, Desired, Agreeable things diminish. Let's go back. Why is that? That is what happens to one who does not see. Most of us have encountered this situation where we know that extra bag of chips is going to go straight and sit on the hips. And we do not understand that right now it is pleasure but in the future it is going to bring us pain. And this ignorance is something that we pay for. Pay for by what? By inviting undesirable things in our life. We get what we had not desired for. Now, Because one who is ignorant, Not knowing this way of undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the future as pleasure, Does not understand it as it actually is does. This way of undertaking things is painful now and ripens in the future as pleasure. Not knowing it, Not understanding it as it actually is, The ignorant one does not cultivate it but avoids it because he does so, Unwished for, Turn the page back, Undesired, Disagreeable things increase for him and wished for, Desired, Agreeable things diminish. You can turn the page back. Why is that? That is what happens to one who does not see. Going to the gym, Doing a little bit of exercise is good for all of us. We all know it but we all avoid it because it right now seems to be painful. We know that in future this is good for us. It will keep me healthy but we don't really, Really see the reality as it is and therefore we invite undesired things like a little extra health on the hips into our lives. Now because one who is ignorant, Not knowing the way of undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pleasure, Does not understand it as it actually is does. This way of undertaking things is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pleasure. Not knowing it, Not understanding it as it actually is, The ignorant one does not cultivate it but avoids it. Because he does so, Unwished for, Undesired, Disagreeable things increase for him and wished for, Desired, Agreeable things diminish. Why is that? That is what happens to one who does not see. Very simply, You know that knowledge is good for you. Being in knowledge sessions is a good way to spend one hour in the evening rather than wasting that one hour in front of the TV or in bickering with your spouse. But we do not see the truth as it is. We do not see it is even pleasant to listen to the knowledge now and it is even more pleasant when it becomes your own nature in future. We tend to avoid it only because we do not see the truth as it is. So out of these four instances that Buddha described here, You check, Are you ignorant in Buddha's definition? And if you are, Acknowledge it, Accept it and figure out a way to transform yourself. I just gave you simple examples to bring forth the teaching. Now we go into more stronger examples that will actually help us in our spiritual progress. The wise person. Now because one who is wise, Knowing this way of undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the future as pain, Understands it as it actually is does. This way of undertaking things is painful now and ripens in the future as pain. Knowing it, Understanding it as it actually is, The wise one does not cultivate it but avoids it. Because he does so, Unwished for, Undesired, Disagreeable things diminish for him and wished for, Desired, Agreeable things increase. Why is that? That is what happens to one who sees. An example that I can give you here is when you are about to do something wrong, You are about to cheat or lie, The little niggling feeling comes up. I see it as pain. If you are about to cheat and you are going to get $1000 extra from that cheating, The illusion of that $1000 notes in front of your mind's eye might mask this little niggling feeling. But for a wise person, A person who is aware, He recognizes that I have this impure feeling when I think about cheating, I think about lying, I think about not being honest. When I think about doing that which is not right. So he sees it as pain to begin with and of course he knows that the end result of cheating is also going to be pain. Homework number one for you. Are you aware enough to recognize this little niggling impure feeling when it comes up even at just the thought of an impure action or impure speech? Now because one who is wise, Knowing this way of undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pain, Understands it as it actually is. This way of undertaking things is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pain. Knowing it, Understanding it as it actually is, The wise one does not cultivate it but avoids it. Because he does so, Unwished for, Undesired, Disagreeable things diminish for him. And wished for, Desired, Agreeable things increase for him. Why is that? That is what happens to one who sees. For some of you, Becoming a part of a social circle is so important that you are ready to do anything to be a part of that social circle. So if your social circle is indulging in gossip, You indulge in gossip because it feels pleasant to be one with him or her. So it feels very pleasant that you know, I am sitting with this person or this person likes me. This, You know somewhere that it may be pleasant to begin with because this person and that person is patting my back and we are a team and we are moving together. And you have a nice friendship because of the gossiping but somewhere inside you know the truth that this is going to lead to pain in the future. It's not about the pain that will be caused to the person you three, Four people are gossiping about. It is actually about the pain that will come back to me in future as karma. A few examples of the pain, You will go back home, You will keep thinking I should have not gossiped. There's this impure beginning feeling. All day when you lie down to sleep in the night, Again you remember the gossip. And something inside you tells you that you were dirty, You were wrong in gossiping. So really, Not too far in the future, The pain comes back. Your mind not having the ability to relax at kamal, To be quiet at kamal is pain. The wise one sees it, The ignorant one ignores it. Are you wise or ignorant? Check. Now because one who is wise, Knowing this way of undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the future as pleasure, Understands it as it actually is thus. This way of undertaking things is painful now and ripens in the future as pleasure. Knowing it, Understanding it as it actually is, The wise one does not avoid it but cultivates it. Because he does so, Unwished for things, Undesired, Disagreeable things diminish for him. Unwished for, Desired, Agreeable things increase. Why is that? That is what happens to one who sees. For example, Sitting and doing some yoga, Some meditation, Some pranayama or doing a study of the scriptures, For some people might be a lot of work. Putting aside TV is oh so painful. Putting aside other important things like laundry and make-up and going shopping is really really painful. But such a person who is wise sees that it might be a little painful to sit and do yoga right now but I know it is going to result in pleasure in future. So he cultivates it. Are you wise? You check. Do you give more importance to TV, Shopping or do you give more importance to yoga, Meditation? Though a little effort is required to do this right now but I know I will get benefit in the long run. Are you wise enough to see this benefit in the long run? Do you have that foresight? Check with him. Now because one who is wise, Knowing this way of undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pleasure, Understands it as it actually is thus. The way of undertaking things is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pleasure. Knowing it, Understanding it as it actually is, The wise one does not avoid it but cultivates it. Because he does so, Unwished for, Undesired, Disagreeable things diminish for him. Unwished for, Desired and agreeable things increase. Why is that? That is what happens to one who sees. When you tell the truth, You feel pleasant inside. Have you noticed that? You feel a sense of power. You feel so pure and good instantly. Instantly. That pleasantness you also know will lead to more pleasantness in the future. So you see the benefit of it now, The pleasantness now and the pleasantness that will come in the future. Are you wise enough to say this? Now we'll read the four ways. In the four ways Buddha gives a few examples. Listen closely. What Bhikkhus is the way of undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the future as pain. Here Bhikkhus, Someone in pain and grief kills living beings and he experiences pain and grief that have killing of living beings as condition. So if you are in pain and grief and you kill a living being, You will feel a little pinch inside that you killed a living being. Yes, And that pinch, The condition for that pinch to arise was the killing of the living being. Do you see what he's saying? The condition for that pain and grief to now arise has been the killing of living being. So really, Cause, Pain and grief effect you landed up killing. This effect again became the cause or the condition for more pain and grief, The pinch. Is this clear? He's talking about cause, Effect, Cause, Effect and that's how it continues. If you kill, Immediately there is a pinch you feel inside which does not let you rest, Which does not let you be at peace and pushes you into the mire of guilt and regret. This guilt and regret does not let you be at peace. In pain and grief, He takes what is not given to him. What happens when you take something that is not given to you? You experience guilt, You experience regret. That guilt and regret itself is the pain and grief and its condition to come up was you taking that which was not given to you, Basically stealing. Here Buddha goes ahead and describes stealing in one of the suttas where he says that even if you wish for something that does not belong to you, It's only a wish in the mind. It is still considered as stealing. In pain and grief, He misconducts himself in sensual pleasures and he experiences pain and grief that has sensual pleasures as condition. When you indulge in sensual pleasures, Maybe lusting for another body, Even if you just do it in your mind, Not in action, You experience regret, You experience guilt, You experience an impure feeling. That impure feeling itself is pain, Itself is grief. And what was the condition for this painful feeling to arise? That indulging in the sensual pleasures or misconducting yourself in sensual pleasures. Here because someone in pain and grief speaks falsehood and he experiences pain and grief that have falsehood as condition. When you lie, You obviously experience pain and grief. Maybe you lied because you yourself were in some kind of pain. You wanted to get out of that pain and that is why you lied. But really, After lying, There is more pain because of the guilt, Because of that regret that comes up. That little angel sitting inside knocks your door and tells you that you are a liar. That itself is pain and grief. Because someone in pain and grief speaks maliciously. And he experiences pain and grief that have maliciousness as condition. Similarly, When you speak maliciously about somebody, You feel the pain and grief of guilt, Of regret, Of doing something wrong, Of making this inner environment impure. It's not about the bad that I said about the other person but by me saying bad or me thinking bad, Whose environment has become dirty? My environment. And that itself is pain and grief. So what is the condition for this pain and grief? That malicious words that I spoke. Maybe I was already in pain and grief before this. That is what prepared me to say these malicious words. But these malicious words have in turn given me even more pain and grief of now of an impure internal environment. Because someone in pain and grief speaks harshly. And he experiences pain and grief that have speaking harshly as condition. You speak harshly to somebody and you start feeling, I should have not said that. This is pain and grief. Similarly, You gossip. Even in gossip, You feel that you have dirtied your inner environment. You feel that you have done something wrong unto yourself. So, Because someone in pain and grief gossips and he experiences pain and grief that have gossip as condition. We have all experienced this. You write down all those things that lead to an impure inner environment for you. It is not about the other person, About whom you gossip or to whom you speak harshly or about whom you have covetous thoughts. It is about your own inner environment. Is the inner environment calm and serene and still like a still lake? Or is the water ruffled because of unwholesomeness that I have only triggered? Unwholesome means doing something wrong that pinches my inner environment and causes a ripple in that inner serene lake. Because someone in pain and grief is covetous and he experiences pain and grief that has covetousness as condition. Covetous means to take that which belongs to someone else. When you covet somebody else's spouse in your mind, Thinking about somebody else's spouse in your mind, You feel dirty, Impure within. That itself is pain. That dirty environment, Creation, It is itself the cause for pain for you. Because someone in pain and grief has a mind of ill will. He experiences a pain and grief that has ill will as condition. You keep thinking bad about somebody in your own head. That person is probably enjoying in the Alps, In Switzerland. He is busy skiing. He is busy trekking. He is having the time of his life whereas you in your head are valuing in the pus of ill will for him or her. Who is experiencing pain and grief? The one who is in ill will. Do you get the point? Because someone who is in pain and grief holds wrong view and he experiences pain and grief that have wrong view as condition. Sometimes we have a wrong view. We see two people standing in the corner of the room looking at me and talking. You feel, Oh they are talking bad stuff about me. They must have just casually glanced in this direction because the white dress just attracted attention and then looked back at each other and continued with their conversation. Totally unaware that I am thinking about them. We are probably discussing current affairs and have got nothing to do, That have got nothing to do with me. But I am holding on to my wrong view. What happens? I carry this wrong view home. I am having my meals. I am thinking about my own wrong view. I am cleaning my house. I am thinking about my wrong view. I am valuing in the pus of my wrong view. Whereas the two of them are probably still enjoying at that party. Do you see what I am saying? Your wrong view leads to your own pain and grief. On the dissolution of the body, After death, He reappears in a state of deprivation, In an unhappy destination, In perdition, Even in hell. This is called the way of undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the future as pain. There is nothing more for me to say. You think if this is the destination that appeals to you. If it does, Please continue with covetousness, With gossiping, With ill will, Hatred, Killing, Being harsh, Misconducting, Etc. Etc. But if you think this is not a destination that appeals to you after death, Then it is the time to pull up your socks and get working on that self transformation. That should become your number one priority now. What bhikkhus is the way of undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pain? Here bhikkhus, Someone in pleasure and joy kills living beings and he experiences pleasure and joy that have killing of living beings as condition. So some devious minds can find joy even in killing. This might seem pleasant now to them but in future when it ripens, It ripens as the fruit of pain. In pleasure and joy, He takes what is not given and he experiences pleasure and joy that have taking what is not given as condition. This will definitely lead to pain in future. Some people enjoy, Some devious minds enjoy stealing. They experience pleasure in stealing. What happens to such people? It may seem pleasant now but it will definitely ripen in the future as pain. So in pleasure and joy, You jump up to the previous paragraph, He misconducts himself in sensual pleasures and he experiences pleasure and joy that have misconduct in sensual pleasures as condition. So there are lot of people whose devious mind delights in misconduct. What happens to such people in the present? They might find what they are doing as pleasant but it will definitely ripen into pain in the future. It becomes a habit in your mind that impression of misconduct in sensual pleasures. For example, Watching pornography becomes your habit pattern. Initially, You find it pleasant but with time as that addiction grows, You find it difficult to pull yourself out of it. And that addiction only causes more pain where you realize that you become a slave to that addiction. You want to get rid of it but you are unable to get rid of it. In these examples, We do not even speak about the other person where the misconduct is happening. It is about me. I only will experience that pain in future. It is not about pain that comes from an external agent but it is about that pain that I will experience internally of my own accord. In pleasure and joy, He speaks falsehood and he experiences pleasure and joy that have falsehood as condition. The devious mind could experience a lot of joy in saying something false but the guilt of that falsehood does not let him avoid any pain in future. It is bound to come up. It is bound to bother him. In pleasure and joy, He speaks maliciously and he experiences pleasure and joy that have maliciousness as condition. A lot of people get a lot of pleasure and joy by speaking malicious things but even they are humans. They will get pinched sooner or later and karma finds its own ways. It is very fair and square. Everybody will be served exactly what they deserve. In pleasure and joy, He speaks harshly and he experiences pleasure and joy that have speaking harshly as condition. Some people get a kick out of speaking harshly to a subordinate, Somebody lower than them. But again, Pain is bound to come to such a person in the end. In pleasure and joy, He gossips and he experiences pleasure and joy that have gossip as condition. So some people enjoy gossiping. They love to sit and gossip about other people. They feel so connected with the other gossip mongers. Oh, We are one family now. But sooner or later, Karma returns back to you what you send out to the universe. You get what you deserve. Not an ounce less, Not an ounce more. In fact, Many times the person who is gossiped about does not even hear about it, Does not even know about it and remains untouched. He does not experience pain and the gossip mongers experience that pinch, That pang of guilt, That remorse, That regret, That impure environment and that restless, Shaky, Rippled leak that cannot find that serene silence in meditation. Such people cannot have a good experience in meditation even after trying hard to meditate for years. Next homework for you. Are you having a tough time meditating? Are you having a tough time experiencing that serenity, That quietness, That tranquility within? Irrespective of the number of courses you take, Then it's time to reform something within. Check if one of these is your habits. I'm not talking just about gossiping, Falsehood, Being harsh, Covetousness, Ill will, Etc, Etc. If any of these are there, You will find it very difficult to meditate because the inner environment is impure. How much ever you fake the world sitting with your eyes closed and meditating every day, But you will not experience the silence of Samadhi. Whereas a person who does not indulge in all of these, He will just close his eyes and woof, He is into the void. Time for a reality check. Here because someone in pleasure and joy is covetous and he experiences pleasure and joy that have covetousness as condition. Obviously, A lot of people enjoy thinking about other people's spouses, Other people's things and just fancy owning them. This obviously leads to grief and pain because you know when you wake up from your dream world that it is not true. So you have created your own pain. You have given birth to your own misery. The more you are lost in your Alice in Wonderland stories, The more grief you give yourself when you wake up from your dream world. Here because someone in pleasure and joy has a mind of ill will and he experiences pleasure and joy that have ill will as condition. You remember those times when you used to go for an examination that you were not prepared for and you would have ill will for the principal, For the teacher, For someone to die so that your exam gets cancelled. As a child you are ignorant but as a wise person if you have continued to cultivate such habits of ill will just so that you want to avoid a difficult situation, Then you are inviting pain. This ill will will come back to you, Not in the form of ill will from somebody else but you will be restless and you will not be able to experience the calmness, The quietness of samadhi. You will not be able to have a relaxed mind and happiness will always evade you. Because someone in pleasure and joy holds wrong view and he experiences pleasure and joy that have wrong view as conditioning. If you hold on to a wrong view that this person is like this and you extract joy by thinking like this about that person, It is a totally wrong view but you enjoy in it. Because you have some personal animosity and thinking bad about somebody else gives you joy. In the long run, Who is going to suffer in meditation? The person about whom you had a wrong view or is it you? Check. On the dissolution of the body after death, He reappears in a state of deprivation in an unhappy destination, In perdition, Even in hell. This is called the way of undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pain. You decide what is the destination that works for you. If this kind of a destination works for you, Please continue with your pleasure and joy. Please enjoy that restlessness that you experience in meditation and please enjoy with never being able to attain samadhi state. Just for the little pleasure and joy that you get in your ill will, Hatred, Maliciousness and gossip. Time for a reality check. This next one is interesting. He is talking about the wise one now. How when the wise person undergoes difficult times thrown at him by nature, How he leads himself, How he conducts himself. What because is the way of undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the future as pleasure. Here because someone in pain and grief abstains from killing living beings and he experiences pain and grief that have abstention from killing living beings as condition. Somebody is in a difficult situation, Maybe with a spider in the house. It's causing a lot of pain and grief to him but he still does his best to not kill the spider yet put it in a yoghurt box and let it out in the backyard. He may have to go through a lot of gymnastics jumping around the couch, Around the TV, On the dining table just to catch that spider and put it in the box instead of killing him. So he goes through his own difficulty but he abstains from killing another living being. So you see he does experience some pain and grief and this pain and grief is because he has chosen not to kill it. In pain and grief he abstains from taking what is not given and he experiences pain and grief that have abstention from taking what is not given as condition. Somebody might be in a difficult situation and yet he might abstain from stealing even if he is experiencing financial troubles he decides no I will not steal. He goes through pain and grief for not stealing otherwise he would have got that money instantly and put an end to his grief but he chooses to do the right thing. Such a person obviously has pleasure stored for him in future just by this action. In pain and grief he abstains from misconduct in sensual pleasures and he experiences pain and grief that have abstention from sensual pleasures as condition. Someone who is addicted might be going through the withdrawal symptoms and that itself is a painful situation to be in and yet he decides that he would not misconduct himself. He would not give in to a sensual pleasure but go through the withdrawal symptoms. Such a person definitely has pleasure stored in future for him. Someone in pain and grief abstains from speaking falsehood. He experiences pain and grief that have abstention from speaking falsehood as condition means you are in a difficult situation and you could have got out of that difficult situation by choosing to lie. By choosing falsehood but you decided no it's okay if this difficult situation continues but I will not lie. Such a person for him the difficult situation might continue for a little while but he surely has pleasure stored for future just by choosing to not lie. Someone in pain and grief abstains from speaking maliciously and he experiences pain and grief that have abstention from speaking maliciously as condition. Again somebody could be in the middle of an argument with somebody else and could speak maliciously and get out of that argument. That would have been an end to his current pain but he decides that he will not speak maliciously come what may even if the pain continues. And such a person will definitely have pleasure stored in future for him just by this action because he choose not to do the wrong. When you choose not to do the wrong flowering of purity happens from within. You feel a sense of power that nobody can take away from you and that power of purity brings a lot of pleasantness in meditation in future. You have a very restful mind because you feel so pure inside you just close your eyes and you go into silence. The mind comes to a still lake like position. A person who does not abstain from all this negativity cannot experience this peaceful calmness. He will always be running from one course to another course looking for one technique or another technique where his mind becomes a little restful, A little calm where the thoughts and emotions don't bother him so much. Where he is at peace but he will not be able to find peace in those techniques because his own inner environment is in pure. A person who chooses to not do wrong even if the situation is painful. Such a person sleeps like a baby, Such a person rests like a yogi and such a person easily attains the highest truth. Reality check time again. Do you qualify to attain the highest truth easily? Someone in pain and grief abstains from speaking harshly and he experiences pain and grief that have abstention from speaking harshly as conditioned. Similar example, If you are in an argument and you choose not to speak harshly even though you know that just by raising the tone from softness to harshness will get you out of the situation. You choose to be in the situation, Let the pain be there but not to speak harshly then in future you have pleasure in store for you. Someone in pain and grief abstains from gossiping and he experiences pain and grief that have abstention from gossiping as conditioned. You are in a situation where if you talk about the other person that would clarify someone's doubt but you choose that gossiping will not really let you rest at peace. And you choose that let the cloud of doubt remain even if it is painful to me but I will not choose to gossip. Then you have taken the highway. Here we go someone in pain and grief abstains from covetousness. And he experiences pain and grief that have abstention from covetousness as conditioned. So you decide no I am not going to even in my mind covet something else that belongs to somebody else. You have a pure inner environment and meditation stored as fruit for you in future. Not just plain meditation but a very restful quiet mind. A happy mind stored for you in future. Someone in pain and grief abstains from a mind of ill will. He experiences pain and grief that have abstention from ill will as conditioned. So if one decides that come what may I will not indulge in ill will. Even if you think bad about me it doesn't matter. I will not think bad about you because it is not about you but it is about my inner environment. It is about maintaining the purity of my mind because only a pure mind can instantly go into meditation. Only a pure mind can be very quiet and restful and impure mind is constantly restless like a bubbling volcano. And such a person is always agitated, Always unhappy and there is always a lot of sorrow for him in stir. But a person who chooses that he will not indulge in ill will even if the other person is indulging in ill will for him. He always has a happy mind. You choose. You want a happy mind or a sorrowful mind. Choice is yours. Here because someone in pain and grief calls onto the right view and he experiences pain and grief that have right view as conditioned. This can also be a situation where you are holding onto the right view and others are giving you a hard time because you're holding onto the right view. You can see the truth, You know the truth, You know this is right and there is absolutely nothing wrong in this. But there are others who don't have the right view, They have the wrong view and they are giving you a hard time because you are holding onto your right view. So you will go through pain, You will go through grief because you have to deal with these people around you. And you will go through pain and grief even more because you are holding onto your right view. But you do not give in to them. You still hold onto your right view. What happens? In future you have stored pleasure for yourself. You will be the one who will be rewarded with a restful mind because you only held onto the right view and avoided the wrong view at any cost. At any cost. On the dissolution of the body after death, He reappears in a happy destination even in the heavenly world. This is called the way of undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the future as pleasure. You decide what destination appeals to you. If a happy destination appeals to you, It's okay to go through a little bit of pain and grief but stick to that which is right. Stick to the wholesome. This itself will reward you in the long run. What bhikkhus is the way of undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pleasure. Here bhikkhus, Someone in pleasure and joy abstains from killing living beings and he experiences pleasure and joy that have abstention from killing living beings as conditioned. Again, The wise one always feels very joyful when he maintains his inner pure environment. So when you abstain from doing anything wrong, You will feel a little blossoming as if a little petal opens up. Just a little petal opening up and that blossoming feeling inside and the feeling of peace and relaxation. This slow opening of the petals, Of the inner purity help your meditation become more and more stronger. And slowly you see yourself slipping away into samadhi very easily, Very naturally without even making an attempt to get there. In pleasure and joy, He abstains from taking what is not given and he experiences pleasure and joy that have abstention from when everything is fine. It's easier to make this decision that I will not steal, I will not take what is not given to me. And when anyway you are in a pleasant state of mind, It's very easy to experience that beautiful, Pure feeling expanding inside you. And that feeling of purity comes only because of your decision to abstain from taking what is not given to you. In pleasure and joy, He abstains from misconduct in sensual pleasures. And he experiences and joy that have abstention from misconduct in sensual pleasures as condition. So when you abstain from misconduct in sensual pleasures, When you are already in a state of a happy mind, You will very easily feel the power within. Oh, I could have slipped, I could have done wrong, But I decided not to and you feel a little more powerful inside. In pleasure and joy, He abstains from speaking falsehood and he experiences pleasure and joy that have abstention from speaking falsehood as condition. When you don't lie, Even when you have the opportunity to lie, You feel very good about yourself. That good feeling is that which increases your joy, Simply because it is increasing the purity in the inner environment. In pleasure and joy, He abstains from speaking maliciously and he experiences pleasure and joy that have abstention from speaking maliciously as condition. Many times people speak maliciously even when they are very happy. It's because when they are very happy, They are so overjoyed that they lack sensitivity. And when you lack sensitivity, You might condemn another person as a joke, Just for fun, Just casually. Yes? Even when you do certain things just for fun, It is speaking maliciously. You know what I'm talking about, Right? One who abstains from doing this in joy and pleasure, His joy and pleasure is even doubled. Even though he got an opportunity to say something, He abstained from speaking so. In pleasure and joy, He abstains from speaking harshly and he experiences pleasure and joy that have abstention from speaking harshly as condition. Again, Many people can land up speaking harshly, Even in a state of joy, Because they are so happy, They lose sensitivity again. When one chooses not to speak harshly or to be very vigilant about the words he chooses to use, There is an inner power and that power only leads to more pleasure in the future. In pleasure and joy, He abstains from gossiping and he experiences pleasure and joy that have abstention from gossiping as condition. Again, When you're very happy, You don't realise what you say and it's very easy to slip into gossip when you are sitting amongst very happy people. In that moment, The wise one chooses his words and speaks only when required. This itself gives him a sense of purity and that purity leads to pleasure in future. So, His abstention from gossip was the condition for his future pleasure. In pleasure and joy, He abstains from covetousness and he experiences pleasure and joy that have abstention from covetousness as condition. Choosing not to get lured by the senses, Wanting or wishing for something that is not mine. When one chooses wisely, One experiences joy. In pleasure and joy, He abstains from having a mind of ill will and he experiences pleasure and joy that have abstention from ill will as condition. Again, Given the opportunity of a happy group all sitting and talking with each other, It is very easy for some people to slip into talking bad about someone else. Or slipping into ill will. A person who not only restricts his lips from indulging into ill will but who restricts even his thoughts from abstaining from ill will. Such a person is a powerhouse. He is the powerhouse of silence. He knows how to use his words as tools and his words do not use him. In short, He is the master of his words and not a slave of his words. Next homework for you. Are you a master of your words or a slave? In pleasure and joy, He holds right view and he experiences pleasure and joy that have right view as condition. You just hold on to the right view. In pleasant company, In a lot of pleasure, In a lot of joy, It is very easy to lose the right view and slip into the wrong view. The one who is a powerhouse of silence also understands that he can maintain his power of silence only through the right view. The moment he slips into the wrong view, There is no more silence left and the powerhouse comes crumbling to the ground. Have you learnt the skill of maintaining the right view? Come what may? On the dissolution of the body, After death, He reappears in a happy destination even in a heavenly world. This is called the way of undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pleasure. It is but obvious that the powerhouse of silence can only meet a happy destination and the happy destination is of silence, Is of deep rest, Is of a state of no mind. You decide what is your goal in life. A restless agitated mind constantly looking for rest, Constantly worrying, Constantly thirsting for rest or a mind which is the powerhouse of silence, Which is restful in itself. You choose. The similes. Because suppose there were a bitter god mix with poison and a man came who wanted to live, Not to die, Who wanted pleasure and recoil from pain and they told him, Good man, This bitter god is mixed with poison. Drink from it if you want. As you drink from it, Its colour, Smell and taste will not agree with you and after drinking from it, You will come to death or deadly suffering. Then he drank from it without reflecting and did not relinquish it. As he drank from it, Its colour, Smell and taste did not agree with him and after drinking from it, He came to death or deadly suffering. Similar to that I say, Is the way of undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the future as pain. Now you understand the four ways. You check, Are you in this number one? Are you the one who undertakes things that are painful now and also result in pain in future? If you are such a person, This was a description for you. Suppose there were a bronze cup of beverage possessing a good colour, Smell and taste but it was mixed with poison and a man came who wanted to live, Not to die, Who wanted pleasure and recoil from pain and they told him, Good man, This bronze cup of beverage possesses a good colour, Smell and taste but it is mixed with poison. Drink from it if you want. As you drink from it, Its colour, Smell and taste will agree with you but after drinking from it, You will come to death or deadly suffering. Then he drank from it without reflecting and did not relinquish it. As he drank from it, Its colour, Smell and taste agreed with him but after drinking from it, He came to death or deadly suffering. Similar to that I say is the way of undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pain. Do you land up in the second category of people who do the things that are pleasant now knowing that this will result in pain in future? Suppose there were fermented urine mixed with various medicines and a man came sick with jaundice and they told him, Good man, This fermented urine is mixed with various medicines. Drink from it if you want. As you drink from it, Its colour, Smell and taste will not agree with you but after drinking from it, You will be well. Then he drank from it after reflecting and did not relinquish it. As he drank from it, Its colour, Taste and smell did not agree with him but after drinking from it, He became well. Similar to that I say is the way of undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the future as pleasure. Are you this third category of person who willingly, Voluntarily goes through pain but abstains from wrongdoing? Knowing this that in future, This will help me, This will be good for me, This will bring rewards and pleasure in future. Are you that kind of person? If you are, This was a description for you. Suppose there were curd, Honey, Ghee and molasses mixed together and a man with dysentery came and they told him, Good man, This is curd, Honey, Ghee and molasses mixed together. Drink from it if you want. As you drink from it, Its colour, Smell and taste will agree with you and after drinking from it, You will be well. Then he drank from it after reflecting and did not relinquish it. As he drank from it, Its colour, Smell and taste agreed with him and after drinking from it, He became well. Similar to that, I say is the way of undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pleasure. Doing the wholesome, Being wholesome, Holding on to the right view, Moment to moment to moment gives you that powerhouse of silence ability and you become happier and happier. So if you were this fourth kind of person, This was a description for you. Just as in autumn, In the last month of the rainy season, When the sky is clear and cloudless, The sun rises above the earth, Dispelling all darkness from space with its shining and beaming and radiance. So too, The way of undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pleasure dispels with its shining and beaming and radiance any other doctrines whatsoever of ordinary recluses and brahmins. This is very important because the person who reaches this understanding that my wholesomeness is above all. If I am wholesome, I will be able to meditate and go into samadhi very easily. So this wipes away all those previous understanding of doctrines of other recluses and brahmins or other sages, Other kinds of teachings which say that just meditate. You don't need to worry about wholesomeness. It will happen automatically. All this gets wiped away because you recognize that meditation technique or pranayama technique or yoga technique does not lead to wholesomeness. Wholesomeness automatically takes you to a quiet mind. Quiet mind automatically takes you to samadhi. This understanding is sufficient to wipe away all the wrong doctrines of the past. That is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words. So that was a beautiful sutta. Some food for contemplation for us all today. Keep contemplating, Keep walking the path of wholesomeness. Again, Do not believe me. Do not believe the Buddha. You experiment on your own inner environment and you arrive at your own truth. Apu bhipu bhava. Be your own light.