Features | Online edition of Daily News

The year 2012 month of August is blessed with two Full Moon Poya Days. This occurs once in four years. Therefore it is called Adhi (Extra) and very special.

Buddha was a Philosophic Genius, rolled into single vigorous and radiant personality.

He was a lover of men, women children, animals and environment. He never cared for caste, colour or creed.

He was a great teacher, the greatest man – Sammasambuddha the Most Enlightened one ever lived on this world.

This “Mahapurisha”, emancipated the women folk of India, granting equal opportunities to them with men.

The establishment of Bhikkuni Order (Nuns) was a great event and a Religious Revolution that took place on a Binara Full Moon Poya Day. On the initiative of Maha Prajapati Gotami's many requests, Buddha granted permission to women to enter the order.

Gotami was the sister of Queen Mahamaya, mother of Prince Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. She was the Foster Mother of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha.

According to the history of Buddhism, Maha Prajapati Gotami was the first Bhikkuni or Nun in the Buddhist order. On three occasions, Buddha turned down her request.

In her attempts, Buddha's attendant “Dharmabandagarika” was the chief negotiator.

Considering her appeals, Buddha granted permission for the establishment of the Bhikkuni Sasanaya or Order, under Eight strict disciplinary code titled – Garudhamma. They are briefly as follows:

A Bhikkhuni or Nun, even she obtained Upasampada or Higher Order, even 100 years ago, she should honour and worship a “Buddhaputra” - Monk who entered the Higher Ordination on that particular day, without considering the seniority.

The nuns or Bhikkunis should not perform vas or Rain-Retreat in place, where there are no monks available.

The Nuns or Bhikkunis, should end the Rain Retreat or Vas, in front of an assembly of monks.

If a Bhikkuni performs a wrongful or sinful act, she should perform duties for six months by looking after the Bhikkunis and Bhikkhus.

A nun should train as a Novice for a period of one year and should obtain her Higher Ordination (Upasampada) only in front of a Bhikkhu assembly.

Bhikkuni (Nun), should not insult a Bhikkhu (Monk) at any instance or at any cost.

The nuns – Bhikkhunis should never advice the Bhikkhus, but, monks are allowed to advise Bhikkunis.

The above rules were laid down for the Bhikkunis to maintain discipline in the Sasana. It should be mentioned here that the exalted one, “Mahapurisha” was the Great Religious leader who liberated the women of the Indian Society.

We have never heard the Indian contemporary religious leaders such as Alakarama, Uddakarama or Ajita Kesakambala, Makkal, Goshela, Jaina Leader Mahavihara or Nigantanathaputra etc, speaking for the Rights and the liberation of the women in Jambudipa (Island of the Rose-Apple) India.

Therefore, establishment of Bhikkuni Sasanaya was a landmark in the history of womenfolk. Today, all Buddhist celebrate this great event, on Binara Full Moon Poya Day.

The Buddhist Temples are filled to the rafters. Many observe “Sil”, engage in Meditation, listen to Dhamma sermons, offer alms to monks and needy people, many free cattle and other animals who are to be brutally slaughtered awaiting the agonising, painful death. This is a great merit indeed.

Today, very silently, sans publicity the Sri Lankan Bhikkunis – Nuns propagate the Message of Buddha. Some learned Bhikkunis have written very valuable books on Buddhism.

Some of the Nuns, Bhikkhunis are seen in sacred Buddhist centres such as Anuradhapura, Somawathi, Polonnaruwa, Kirivehera and Kataragama etc.

They live a very peaceful, pious and a serene Buddhistic life, performing Buddhist Religious rituals, delivering Dhamma Sermons.

A full-fledged female member of the sangha, a female mendicants life is governed by 348 or 364 precepts depending on the school Theravada or Mahayana schools.

The Buddha Sasana Ministry and other Buddhist Organisations should provide these Great Humble Mothers – Bhikkunis more facilities for the great services they render to promote Buddhism in this country. Surely, they deserve much more !

In winding up my article, I quote a saying from the Great Samma Sambuddha – Siddhartha Gautama Buddha.

A virtuous lady, who possesses religious devotion, cultivates virtue endowed with wisdom and learning makes a success of her life in this existence.

The pristine and salient qualities of the Triple Gem

The Triple Gem or ratna-traya or the three jewels signifies the nucleus of Buddhist faith constituted by the Buddha, the Dharma (the teachings) and the Sangha (the Buddhist monastic community). The triple gem is often referred to in speech acts of Buddhists in greetings and blessings viz; ‘May the triple gem bless you’ (obata ratnatraye pihitai). The Sutta which describes the pristine and salient qualities of the triple gem is the Ratana Sutta (The Discourse on Jewels). This Sutta was preached by the Buddha at Visala Maha Nuwara, which was under the grip of an epidemic of famine, hunger and fear. After the preaching the pestilence subsided.

According to the Buddhist texts the Buddha possessed thirty two major body marks (detis mahapurasa lakkana) and eighty minor marks (astyanubyanjana) which identified Him from the other human beings. But according to Theravada Buddhism the Buddha is simply a human being who has undergone a profound spiritual transformation. (Keown, 2003). Each individual mark portrays a symbolic meaning of the Buddha's character. The fingers of equal length indicate the absence of grasping for unequal fingers form an uneasy grip; flat feet indicate the manner of walking, the footprints of a lustful person is divided in the middle – a person with a sluggish mind will walk dragging his feet.

The Buddha's freedom from the roots of all evil is symbolized by his flat feet (Wimalaratna 1981). But the more important features are his great wisdom (Maha Pragna) and great compassion (Maha Karuna). As He fully knew the true nature of the world and that of the beings He qualified to be called Lokavidu. The stories of Angulimala, Mattakundali, Sopaka and Rajju Mala are only a few to be mentioned as examples of His quality of Great Compassion (Maha Karuna).

The thirty two marks symbolized his ethical and spiritual uniqueness (Wimalaratana, 1981). Some marks like His golden body complexion, forty even teeth, intensely blue eyes and voice like that of the Brahma and is mellifluous like the Karavika bird's are very outstanding.

The wheel sign on the sole is an important object of veneration as well as that depicts the superhuman qualities of the Buddha. In Buddhist temple paintings this wheel mark of the Buddha's soles is prominently displayed for veneration purposes. In times of sickness, fear or danger the Buddhists either by themselves or through an elder or a Buddhist monk often chant a stanza; the iti piso gatha. It is believed that it is able to nullify such evils and offer protection. This stanza extols nine great qualities of the Buddha namely;

1. Araham – Accomplished, worthy of offering, does not commit evil even in secrecy, has shun all defilements (klesha) and has attained the fruits of Arahatship

2. Sammasambuddha – One who has discovered all things rightly by himself as clear as a nelli (myrobalan) fruit on ones palm.

3. Vijjasarana Sampanna – One endowed with eight kinds of clear vision (vijja) and fifteen kinds of carana qualities

4. Sugatha – One whose manner of going is good – One who has reached an excellent place (Nibbana) – gone rightly and enunciates the Dharma correctly.

5. Lo:kavidu – One who has understood and expounded the true nature of the three worlds (sankkhara, satta and avakassa) to the ignorant ones.

6. Anuttara Purasadhammasarathi – One who is unraveled in the world in wisdom and conduct to train and discipline any one in the three worlds.

7. Devamanussan Satta – The teacher of all beings in the three worlds (devas, yakkas and humans) for freeing them for suffering.

9. Bhagava – One who has the fortune to destroy all passions, associates the four sublime states, crosses the samsara and preaches the Doctrine.

“Swakkato Bhagavata: Dhammo Sandittiko Akaliko Ehi-passako Opanaiko Paccattam vidtabbo vinnuhiti” where Swakkakhato means well practised by the Buddha, Sandittiko means to be seen here and now and to be realized by oneself, Akalika means not delayed in producing results, Ehi-passiko means ability to be investigated, Opanaika means capable of entering Nibbana and Vinnhi paccattam veditabba means could be directly experienced by the wise.

The word Dhamma has three main meanings. First it refers to the natural order or universal law that underpins the operation of the universe in both the physical and moral spheres.

Secondly it denotes the totality of Buddhist teachings, in which sense it is looked upon as one of the jewels out of the three jewels. Thirdly it is used in the Abhidharma system taxonomy to refer to the individual elements that collectively constitute the empirical world (Keown, 2003).

The Buddha has declared that the Dhamma is the co-regent, the law of righteousness and the Wheel of the Dhamma that cannot be turned back by any ascetic or Brahmin, by any deva or Mara or Brahma or by anyone in the world (Nanaponika and Bodhi, 2007).

The third gem is the Sangha. The object of creating this Order or Brotherhood was to cause the most virtuous, intelligent, unselfish and spiritually minded persons to withdraw from the social surroundings where their sensual and other selfish desires were naturally strengthened, devote their lives to the acquisition of the highest wisdom, and fit themselves to teach and guide others out of the pleasant path leading to misery, into the harder path that leads to true happiness and final liberation (Olcott, 1903).

There are nine great qualities of the Order of Disciples of the Blessed One. They are good, upright wise and dutiful in conduct. They are of eight types of persons consisting of four pairs. They are worthy of offerings, hospitality, gifts, reverence and they are an incomparable field of merit for the humankind. The following Pali terms have been employed to describe the qualities of the Sangha;

1. Supitipanna - orderly and disciplined
2. Ujupattipanna – straightforward/upright
3. Nayapattipanna – wise conduct
4. Sa:mi:cipattipanna – dutiful conduct

5. Cattari purasa yuga:ni attaputisa puggala: - four pairs of persons (sotapanna or stream enterer, sakarda gami or the once returner, anagami or the non returner and arahat or the one who has attained the goal of Enlightement). These four pairs become eight persons when counted as winners of the path (magga) and the fruit/outcome (phala) at each stage.

6. A:hunneiya – worthy of offering
7. P:huneiya – worthy of hospitality
8. Dakkineiya – worthy of alms (gifts)
9. Anjalikarani:ya – worthy of homage
10. Lo:kassa Annuttaram Punnakkettam – unsurpassable field of merit for mankind.

Ariya Sangha (noble community) are the ariya puggala (noble persons) who have attained the super mundane path (ariya-magga)

It is said that after the preaching of the Ratana Sutra at Visala; MahaNuvera, a large number who listened to the Dhamma gained the fruits of the Noble Eight-Fold Path and the fears that prevailed at that part of the country vanished (Gunarathne 1986).

The Buddhists are expected to follow the Three Refuges (Tisarana). These are the Three Gems standing for the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. In essence when the Buddhists pray they chant Buddham saranam gachcami, Dammam saranam gacchami and Sangam saranan gacchami (I take refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge in the Dhamma/Doctrine and I take refuge in the Sangha).

References

1. Keown Damian (2003) Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press.
2. Gunaratna K Maha Nayaka Thera (1986) Golden Disciple, Sintai Press San Bhd, Penang
3. Mahanama Panduka (2005) Guide To The Study of Theravada Buddhism, Book I, second edition, The Colombo YMBA
4. Nanaponika Thera and Bhikku Bodhi (2007) Anguttara Nikaya Anthology, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka
5. Olcott Henry S (1903) The Buddhist Catechism, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 36th edition
6. Wimalaratana Bellanvila (1981) The Concept of Great Man – Mahapurisa (1981) Buddhist Research Society, Singapore

Archaeology of Buddhism

Prof. M. M. J. Marasinghe recently published ‘Budu Dahama saha Buddhagama’, very clearly explaining how the teaching of the Buddha had been turned into Buddhism as a religion. The history of what the Buddha taught, according to Prof. Marasinghe, could be traced from the Pali canon, specially the Tripitaka.

The origin and development of Buddhism can be traced by exploration, excavation and study of the places of veneration and historical importance. It is about this study of Buddhism, that the SAARC Cultural Center office in Colombo organized the first ever International Conference on ‘Archaeology of Buddhism: Recent discoveries in South Asia’, at the Buddhist Cultural Centre, Colombo 7, from August 22 to 24.

Buddhism as a religion, like all other religions, had to depend mostly on what was passed down orally, and then written down at some stage. When it was written down, there could be several different versions of the same teaching, specially on the life of the Buddha.

At first it was ‘Thus I have heard’, and today it is ‘Thus I have read'. There was an opportunity last week to ‘Come and see for oneself'. Ehipassiko. Here it was not traveling physically to see, but as armchair travelers, through the audio-visual presentations made by the archaeologists from all SAARC countries and several other countries around the world.

The Theme of Archaeology of Buddhism was not only the three day conference at the Buddhist Cultural Centre. It began with the screening of 12 films on ‘The Story of Buddhism: Its Birth and Development in India’, from August 15th to 20th, as a prelude to the exposition of the sacred Kapliavastu Relics.

The film show was followed by the photographic exhibition on Buddhist Sites and Art Heritage in South Asia. Next was a painting exhibition, The Lord Buddha through Contemporary Eyes. The artists ranged from reputed national and international artists to four year old children, making it really contemporary. Next was a visit to the film set of ‘Siddhartha Gauthama’ at the Light of Asia Foundation. The delegates had an opportunity for a full day Post-Conference tour to Anuradhapura.

In the words of the convenor, SAARC Deputy Director, Research, Dr. Sanjay Garg, the conference intended to “address the serious lacuna in sharing of information on the recent archaeological discoveries within the region”. The lacuna was filled to a certain extent, and the opportunity for further sharing of information among the SAARC countries opened up with the interaction of the delegates and participants during the conference.

A major event was the ‘Round Table: Mapping Buddhist Archaeological Sites'. Prof. T. Matthew Ciolek, presented a database of georeferenced Buddhist Monasteries, 200 - 1200 CE. It is a site created under Creative Commons license, http://monastic-asia.wikidot.com/ which could be a real boon not only to archaeologists, but to everyone interested in history, culture and religion in the Asia region.

The next presentation at the Round Table was by Mr. Pratapanand Jha, on Cultural Cartography - Prospects and Perils. He described the massive task taken on by him and his team to digitize all available literature, photographs and artefacts at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. The dissemination of this vast knowledge is of topmost importance, and we could look forward to more and more data at ignca.nic.in

To promote Prof. Ciolek's and Mr Jha's projects, and to gain the maximum benefits from such projects, we have to overcome the ‘Digital phobea’ as mentioned by Dr Sanjay Garg. We cannot dismiss Monastic-Asia casting doubts of the accuracy of the data, simply because it is available on-line, and not in printed form. We accept anything in the ancient inscriptions and today in printed books. Unlike in the inscriptions and printed matter, Prof. Ciolek's data can be corrected, improved, and we can continue to add more data. With apologies to Omar Khayyam, the moving finger can keep on tapping, and having writ can delete and rewrite all the lines, if the need arises.

The poster presentation by the astrophycist Dr. Kavan Ratnatunga conveyed the astronomical evidence of the first two visits of the Buddha to Sri Lanka mentioned in our chronicles. The visits coincided with the Solar eclipse on April 19, 481 BCE which passed over Nagadipa and again on August 23, 441 BCE over Mahiyangana. This provides much food for thought.

Prof. Anura Manatunge presented his identification of the much disputed Gal Vihara statues, where the standing statue is that of Buddha and not of a grieving Ananda thera, and the seated image in the rock-cut cave predates Parakramabahu.

Prof. S. Prathapachandran traced the antiquity of the stupa finding resemblances with the towers found in the Sultanate of Oman erected during the Umm-an Nar Chalcolithic phase. Among the other presentations from India were the recent archaeological studies in Nalanda, Varanasi, Rajasthan. The delegates from Pakistan presented the studies in Gandhara and post-partition studies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Peshawar. Nepalese delegates presented their findings in Kapilavastu and Lumbini of Buddhist relics and artefacts.

The presentations from the Maldives delegates were an eye-opener for most of us, because there had been very little information available about the ancient Buddhist sites in the Maldive islands. They traced the investigations and reports of H.C.P. Bell, Prof. Egil Mikkelsen, and even Thor Heyerdahl, while the Maldivian government has continued the exploration and conservation of these Buddhist archaeological sites.

Another interesting presentation was by Dr. Bhanumathy Govindaswamy on Buddhist sites and tourism, based on a survey done at Nagarjunakonda, where she found that most visitors went for the boat ride across Nagarjun Sagar and did not have much interest in the museum or the restored ancient buildings on the island.

Hardly anyone visits the other sites restored on the high ground east of the Sagar, where we can find the foundation of the ‘Sinhala Vihara'. This study sheds the light on the situation at most historical sights, where people visit out of curiosity or because of cultural interests or because of their genuine thirst for knowledge of their past and the world they live in. Many of them may not consider the sites as religious space, or would follow the rules of conduct without any feelings or with due respect for the sacred objects.

This is an area the archaeologists and tour operators should take into consideration, the relationship between a religious centre and the lay community, meaningful interpretation in a multi-religious and multi-ethnic landscape through archaeological means. Specially in countries where some sites had to be filled up and protected from further damage by people for various reasons.

As G. J. W. Samarasinghe, Director, SAARC Cultural Center anticipated, the conference was a “very good platform for scholars of South Asia and beyond for an effective dialogue on Archaeology of Buddhism”. May they have the confidence and the support of all to continue this as an annual event in Sri Lanka.

Another important proposal was to extend this dialogue beyond the SAARC countries, to all countries with a Buddhist heritage, which could be useful for everyone concerned and enable a wider sharing of knowledge and experience.

If I have a dream, it is that someday in the very near future, we could have all this information in the Public Domain, where we could share all our knowledge with everyone, so we could have this conference online, or that there may not be any need for such a conference when we have access to all we need to learn.

The three-factored Path

Three things are to be inevitably fulfilled in order to reach the acme of one’s purpose.

Suppose a boy reads a lesson and if he were to do some other things at the same time, could he properly learn it? I am sure he could not, because he has directed his mind to something else.

But were he attentive and would focus both his eyes and mind only to his lesson and try to understand it, he would surely be successful in his study.

Here bodily control, control or concentration of mind and the use of the reasoning power – these three things being fulfilled lead to his success in his studies.

Let me make it clearer by another illustration. Suppose a tradesman sells some goods to a customer and makes some profit on the things he sells.

If we examine how he has done it so successfully, we will find that three attributes have been fulfilled on his side, namely bodily and vocal control fitting his business, focusing his mind on it and using his reasoning power in a way suitable to the matter in hand.

Or suppose a man is about to shoot a bird with his gun. Were he to do some other thing with his hands or feet and be careless in aiming at the bird, he could not be successful and the bird would fly off unscathed. But were he watchful and attentive, with relevant control over his body and speech, and if he would properly aim at the bird, he would surely succeed. Thus in all activities good or bad, three attributes seem to have been fulfilled for success: PHYSICAL CONTROL, MIND CONTROL, and REASONING POWER.

Our Bodhisatta, after his long search of about six years, discovered this way to success hidden in nature, hidden in every successful routine, and employed it in achieving his aim, the discovery of life’s mystery, or in other words the attainment of Enlightenment. These three factors employed in the attainment of Enlightenment the Lord Buddha made known under three headings: Síla, Samâdhi, and Paññâ.

Síla means ethical discipline or morality, and refers to bodily restraint or refraining from wrong deeds, vocal restraint or refraining from wrong speech, and right livelihood or refraining from wrong means of earning one’s living. Samâdhi means one-pointedness of mind or concentration, which refers to fixing the mind on one chosen good object and keeping it from straying . Paññâ means insight or introspection, which refers to analysis and examination of the exact nature of life.

Defilements

These three factors being developed, the passions or defilements of mind will be suppressed at the first and second levels of the practice, and at last, when the factors are perfectly matured, the mind’s eye will fully open and all the passions will be rooted out, leaving no trace. Thus the religious life comes to its consummation.

Now I am going to explain, in little more detail, how these three factors of the path perform their functions in the eradication of passions. There are three levels or stage of passion – the dormant or latent level, the surging level and the transgression level. Till one attains to perfection or Aahantship, one is fallible or liable to be a prey or victim of some temptations. This fallibility lies dormant in every individual who has not attained to Arahantship. Avijjâ or nescience is the root- cause of this fallibility, which lies in the dormant stage (Anusaya - avatthâ ), together with some subsidiary unwholesome states. When they find an opportunity, they wake or rise and shoot their unwholesomeness in various forms up to the surface of the mind. Such defects shot up - or surged up into mind – are called the passions in their surging level (pariyutthâna- avatthâ ).

Passions

Sometimes such passions seethe and boil over through speech or through bodily action as wrong deeds. This stage of passions is called the level of transgression, (Vítikkamana-avatthâ).

At the dormant level the passions are not obvious and in fact are so cryptic and inconspicuous that they are not easily sensed or handled in the beginning. The passions on the surging level, too, are too subtle to be handled at the start. The passions started or roused to transgressing level are bared and exposed as they cause the body to commit some wrong deeds, thus making their nature evident. So it is at this stage of passions one has to start the practice.

How is it to be done?

First, one must determine to abstain from wrong deeds, wrong speech and wrong ways of earning one’s living. Following this way, the practitioner should proceed, guided by proper understanding and mindfulness in every walk of his life. He should use his reasoning power and understand the contemptibility and evil effects of wrong ways.

Morality

Thus he abstains from wrong deeds, wrong words and wrong means of earning his living, and does not transgress the law of morality. This is called keeping or observing the precepts, growing Síla - level. At this stage, the two other factors – concentration and insight (in other words the factors of the Eightfold path: Right Understanding etc.) – arise in him relevant to the Síla – level and help him to keep himself morally pure and to suppress the transgressing force of passions.

Though he is now a morally good person, if he is not mindful and allows his thoughts to stray, defilements may likely surge into his mind, because there is still the possibility for such a surge to happen. This is the surging level of passions. Now, what he has to do is to keep his mind from straying.

It is natural that dormant passions may find an opportunity to arise if mind is not well controlled. So, at this stage, he must give more importance to the practice of right concentration. In this practice, mind is to be caused to fix itself on a suitable object. There are 38 objects of concentration according to the Theravâda text; and to more, the subdivisions of two of them, being added, 40 objects of concentrations have been given in the commentaries. One of these objects suiting the temperament of the meditator should be chosen as the main object for his practice of concentration.

When he takes this step, thought he places more importance on the practice of concentration, the other two factors, Síla (morality) and Paññâ (reasoning faculty) too, naturally arise in mind in line with its level. In other words, all the factors of the path (Right Understanding etc.) arise in the mind, developing themselves relevant to the concentration (Jhanic) level, and all the passions are suppressed or inhibited, so as to lie dormant.

Concentration

But, if he neglects to enter the Jhanic stages or continues incessant practice of concentration and allows his senses and mind to stray and hanker after tempting objects, he will possibly fall down from Jhanic – level, and latent passions will find an opportunity to surge and overloud his mind. Therefore what the meditator should now do is to try to root out the dormant passions. For this purpose he has to investigate the root cause of dormant passions; or, in other words, the cause of the possibility for the unwholesome states to arise in mind. He has now come to the third level of his practice. At this stage he gives more importance to the development of vipassanâ (self- analysis and self investigation together). In this practice, he tries to find out what he himself really is. He sees from his own experience that there is body and mind, which he calls “I”, and he sees nothing beyond. Now he tries to analyze them. In the beginning, it is easier to handle the body, the gross part of his life, but the more he analyses and examines his body, he will have to attend to his bodily feeling. By handling bodily feelings, he will easily be aware of mental feeling and through them the mind or thoughts and mental formations. He will examine them part by part and mentally see how all of them rise and fall moment by moment.

Formations

In this search, he will see that his physical body is but a flow of volumes of ever – changing material states and there is nothing stable, permanent or substantial, nothing to be taken as an ego–entity. He sees the body as a mass of Dukkha: unsatisfactory flux.

When he examines his mind and mental formations with keen and closer scrutiny, he will see that his mind as well as its constituents are not separate entities but a process or stream of various types of consciousness associated with relevant mental characteristics, all of which rise and fall momentarily. He does not see in them any ego-entity either.

Thus he goes on analyzing and examining his mind and body and he continues to do it by turns: one moment mind and the next moment body, over and over again. He examines the bodies and minds of others by inference from the standard of his own mind and body, and finds there, too, no substance, no unchanging entity. At last, the veil of mind being removed, the mind’s eye will fully open and he will see and realize the exact nature of what he has so long taken as “I” or “self”.

Along with the removal of the nescience, in other words together with the eradication of nescience (Avijjâ) the root – cause of all passions, its co-operative craving (Thanhâ) and their upshots come to an end in him forever. At this instant, all the three factors – Síla, Samâdhi, and Paññâ – (or the eight factors of the path) arise simultaneously in his mind to the highest level, performing the fourfold function: realization of Dukkha, eradication of the root – cause of Dukkha, experience of Nibbâna (the opposite reality of Dukkha) and fulfillment of the path.

Levels

Thus the path of realization consists of three factors, namely Síla (morality), Samâdhi (concentration), and Paññâ (insight).

Some persons take a long time to develop these factors and do it by degrees, while other quick-witted ones fulfill all the three factors and their three levels within few minutes and immediately attain to Arahantship (Enlightenment).

Suppose, for example, a person aiming at realization practices virtues. He begins his practices at the lowest level by keeping the precepts. So he places a great deal of importance on keeping to precepts. But when he properly does it, the other two factors – the concentration of mind or mind-control, and reasoning power – naturally develop themselves to very same level of Síla.

After becoming perfect in Síla (morality), he starts to develop Samâdhi (concentration of mind) and attain after some practice to the Jhânas by degrees. At these stages he places more importance on concentration of mind. But at the same time, the other two factors, morality and insight (Paññâ), will naturally develop to the same Jhanic level.

Practice

Lastly, he practice Vipassanâ (self-analysis and self-investigation or insight). With this practice, though he places more importance on the development of insight, morality and concentration also rise in line with it and at the moment of their full development all three, Síla, Samâdhi and Paññâ, co-working in their functions, will eradicate all the passions and consummate in the attainment of Arahantship.

Provided a person starts to practice Vipassanâ without paying much heed to keeping the precepts or developing Jhanas, but listens to the teaching of the Buddha, which leads to realization, if the listener is quick-witted, he may, within a few minutes, pass all the three levels and fulfill all the three factors (or eight factors of the path) and attain to Arahantship. The case of Angulimâla is an illustration.

Angulimâla was a homicidal bandit who had spent some months killing men and women and wearing around his neck a string made of fingers he had cut off from them. The Lord Buddha went and advised him, to which the latter paid good heed and at last woke up from his slumber of nescience and attained to Arahantship , passing all the three levels and fulfilling all the factors of the path within few minutes.

Thus, anyhow, these three factors, Síla, Samâdhi and Paññâ, must be fulfilled for the attainment of Perfect Realization.

The division of Síla (morality) consists of Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood. Samâdhi (concentration) consists of Right Endeavour, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Paññâ (Insight) consists of Right Understanding and Right Thought or Aspiration.

The development of Síla (ethical morality) restrains the overflow or the transgressing stage of the passions; developed concentration of mind suppresses the surging stage of passions; and developed insight destroys the dormant passions by rooting out Avijjâ, the root-cause of all passions.

This tree-factored way, in other words the Noble Eightfold Path, is the only Way to Perfect Realization, the Acme of the Religious life.

“Going along this way, you will put an end to Suffering, the troublesome journey in Samsâra.” - (Dhammapada)

Nirmala Samarasinghe, Member of Dayake Sabha of Purvarama Maha Viharaya, Dias Place, Colombo presented the recently published books of the Ven. Dr. Pategama Gnanarama Anu-Nayake Thera, Principal, Buddhist and Pali College of Singapore to Mohan Panabokke, Basnayake Nilame of Srimath Upulvan devalaya, Kandy on the last day of the Esala pageant at Basnayake Nilame's office, Kandy.

Establishment of Bhikkuni Sasana