
                        WHAT IS THE TRIPLE GEM?
  
                                   by
                                          
                         Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo
                                          
                                          
                      Translated from the Thai by
                                          
                           Thanissaro Bhikkhu
                           (Geoffrey DeGraff)
                                          
  
      This work may be freely copied, printed, and redistributed
              provided it is offered free of any charge.
                                          
                                * * *
                                        
                       DharmaNet Edition 1994
                                        
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          via DharmaNet by arrangement with the translator.
                                        
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                              INTRODUCTION
  
  
  Parts of this analysis of the Triple Gem were originally used to teach 
  new monks here at the temple and have been printed twice in book form.  
  Now that a group of people who feel that the book would beneficial to 
  Buddhists at large have pooled their resources and asked permission to 
  print it a third time, I have decided to expand it into a handbook for 
  all Buddhist adherents -- i.e., for all who have declared the Buddha, 
  Dhamma, and Sangha to be their refuge.  Once we have made such a 
  declaration, we are duty-bound to learn exactly what the Buddha, 
  Dhamma, and Sangha are.  Otherwise, we will follow our religion 
  blindly, without realizing its aims or the benefits -- called 'punna,' 
  or merit -- that come from its practice, inasmuch as Buddhism is a 
  religion of self-help.
    
    Furthermore, we as Thai people are known throughout the world as 
  Buddhists, but my feeling is that there are very few of us who know 
  the standards of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha.  Although many of us 
  are 'Buddhist,' we are Buddhist mostly through custom, not through 
  informed awareness.
    
    Altogether, there are two ways of adhering to the religion:  
  rationally and irrationally.  To adhere to the religion irrationally 
  means to adhere to it blindly, following one's teachers or companions, 
  holding to whatever they say is good without showing any interest as 
  to whether it really is good or not.  This is like a person of no 
  discernment who uses whatever paper money comes his way:  If it turns 
  out to be counterfeit, he'll be punished and fined in a variety of 
  ways.  This is what it means to adhere to the Buddha, Dhamma, and 
  Sangha irrationally.
    
    To adhere to the religion rationally means not to follow one's own 
  prejudices or those of one's teachers or companions, but to follow the 
  principles of the texts; holding to the Dhamma-Vinaya as one's 
  standard, like a legal document affixed with the government seal, 
  carrying the force of law throughout the land, making exceptions for 
  no one.  Whoever then transgresses the law can't be regarded as a good 
  citizen.  So it is with the religion:  If we want to know if a 
  practice is good or bad, right or wrong, worthy of respect or not, we 
  should check it against the standards established by the Buddha, which 
  are eight in number:  Any behavior that -- 
  
       1.  leads to passion,
       2.  leads to the compounding of suffering,
       3.  leads to the accumulation of defilement,
       4.  leads to over-weaning ambition,
       5.  leads to discontent with what one has -- i.e., having this, 
         one wants that (greed that goes beyond moderation),
       6.  leads to socializing (of the wrong sort),
       7.  leads to laziness,
       8.  leads one to be burdensome to others: 
  
  None of these eight forms of behavior qualify as the doctrine or 
  discipline of Buddhism.  Once we know that these forms of behavior are 
  not what the Buddha intended, we should abandon them completely.
  
    Thus, all of us who respect the Buddha's teachings should -- instead 
  of working at cross-purposes -- join our hearts to cleanse and correct 
  the practice of the religion.  Monks, novices, lay men, and lay women 
  should make a point of helping each other in the area of reform.  
  Whatever is already good, we should maintain with respect.  Whatever 
  isn't, we should exert pressure to improve.  We'll then meet with 
  what's truly good, like rice:  If you cook good, clean, husked white 
  rice, you'll eat with pleasure.  If you cook unhusked rice, or a 
  potful of husks, they'll stick in your own throat.  If we let any bad 
  factions go uncorrected, they will burden the hearts of their 
  supporters, who will become like people who cook rice husks to eat.  
  Are we going to let one another be so stupid as to eat rice husks?
    
    By and large, though, most lay people don't see this as their duty.  
  As for the monks and novices, they throw the responsibility on the lay 
  people, and so we do nothing but keep throwing it back and forth like 
  this.  When things have a bearing on all of us, we should by all means 
  unite our hearts and accept joint responsibility.  Only things that 
  have no bearing on us should we leave to others.  Unless we act in 
  this way, what is good -- the religion -- will fall from our grasp.  
  And when the religion falls from our grasp, lay men (//upasaka//) will 
  become obstacles (//upasak//), i.e., they'll keep creating obstacles 
  in the way of finding merit.  Lay women (//upasika//) will become the 
  color of crows (//sika//), i.e., dark and evil in their behavior.  
  Novices will become sham novices, careless, spattered, and filthy; and 
  monks (//phra//) will become goats (//phae//), missing out on the 
  flavor of the Dhamma, like the nanny goat who has to go hungry because 
  her milk has been taken and drunk by people more intelligent than she.  
  In India, for instance, there are hardly any monks left to make merit 
  with.
    
    Monks are the important faction, because they are the front-line 
  troops or standard-bearers in the fight with the enemy -- evil.  
  Ordinarily, soldiers have to adhere to the code of their army and to 
  be sincere in performing their duties.  As for the duties enjoined by 
  the religion, they are two:
    
    1. //Gantha-dhura//:  studying the scriptures.  Once we know the 
  scriptures, though, we can't stop there.  We have to put them into 
  practice, because the level of study is simply knowledge on the level 
  of plans and blueprints.  If we don't follow the blueprints, we won't 
  receive the benefits to be gained from our knowledge.  And when we 
  don't gain the benefits, we're apt to discard the texts, like a doctor 
  who knows the formula for a medicine but doesn't use it to cure any 
  patients.  The medicine won't show any benefits, and this will cause 
  him to go looking for a living in other ways, discarding any interest 
  to pursue that formula further.  Thus, putting the scriptures into 
  practice is one way of preserving them, for once we have put them into 
  practice and see the results arising within us -- i.e., our own bad 
  qualities begin to wane -- we will appreciate the value of the 
  scriptures and try to keep them intact.  This is like a doctor who is 
  able to use a medicine to cure a fever and so will preserve the 
  formula because of its use in making a living.  Thus, the Lord Buddha 
  set out a further duty, in the area of practice, for those who are 
  ordained:
    
    2. //Vipassana-dhura//:  the practice of tranquillity and insight 
  meditation.  These two practices are our primary duties as monks and 
  novices.  If we don't devote ourselves to these two lines of practice, 
  we'll become a fifth column within the religion, enemies of the good 
  standards of the Dhamma and Vinaya.  Monks will become political 
  monks, war-making monks, loudspeaker monks -- loudspeaker monks are 
  those who can teach others but can't teach themselves.  They can speak 
  Dhamma, but their hearts have no Dhamma, and so they become the 
  enemies of those who practice the Dhamma and Vinaya rightly and well.
    
    Thus I ask all Buddhists not to turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to 
  these problems.  If we hold that it's none of our business, the 
  consequences could well flare up and spread to burn us.  For this 
  reason, I ask that we all help one another to look after the religion.
    
    Actually, all human beings born need a set of customs and traditions 
  -- called religion -- to which they give special respect.  Otherwise, 
  we will have no principles of good and evil or of moral virtue.  
  Whatever religion this may be is up to the individual adherents.  I 
  ask only that they respect their religion sincerely and rightly, for 
  the sake of true purity.  
    
    If we were to use only worldly knowledge to keep order, it would 
  work only in public places.  In private or secret places, order 
  wouldn't last.  But as for religion, once people have studied so that 
  they really know good and evil, they wouldn't dare do evil, either in 
  public or in private.  Religion is thus one of the important mainstays 
  of the world.  If we human beings had no moral virtue imbedded in our 
  hearts, even the greatest power on earth would be able to keep us in 
  line only temporarily, and even then it wouldn't be able to influence 
  our minds the way the moral virtue that comes from religion can.  For 
  this reason, the practice of moral virtue is one way of helping the 
  religion and the world.
    
    Now, I'm not claiming to be a heavenly being or anyone special.  I'm 
  simply a person who wishes the religion well.  So if anything in this 
  book is defective -- in terms of the expression or the Pali -- I hope 
  that knowledgeable people will forgive me, for it's not the case that 
  I'm expert in a wide range of matters.
  
                                             Phra Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo
  
  Wat Paa Khlawng Kung 
  (The Shrimp Canal Forest Monastery)
  Chanthaburi, Thailand
  1953
  
                                          
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                     I. Buddham saranam gacchami:
                                          
                     I go to the Buddha for refuge.
  
  
  Ordinarily, for the world to experience happiness and harmony, there 
  has to be a teaching or tradition generally respected as good.  This 
  being the case, Bodhisattvas arise -- people who develop goodness on 
  the grand scale for the sake of attaining right self-awakening.  Once 
  they have reached this goal, they are termed 'Buddhas,' Awakened Ones.  
  For Bodhisattvas to succeed in this direction, they have to devote 
  themselves to perfecting ten virtues -- 
  
       1.  //Dana-parami//:  charity.
       2.  //Sila-parami//:  morality.
       3.  //Nekkhamma-parami//:  renunciation of sensuality (and of the 
           household life).
       4.  //Panna-parami//:  the search for discernment.
       5.  //Viriya-parami//:  persistence.
       6.  //Khanti-parami//:  endurance, patience.
       7.  //Sacca-parami//:  truthfulness.
       8.  //Adhitthana-parami//:  determination.
       9.  //Metta-parami//:  benevolence.
       10.  //Upekkha-parami//:  equanimity (in proper cases, i.e.,  in 
         areas that are beyond one's control).
  
    These ten perfections are the factors that enable a Bodhisattva to 
  succeed in becoming an Arahant, a Pure One.  Once he attains this 
  state, three qualities -- called 'actualized virtues' -- arise in his 
  heart:
  
       //Visuddhi-guna//:  purity.
       //Panna-guna//:  sharp discernment.
       //Karunadhiguna//:  compassion for living beings throughout the 
         world.
  
    These qualities enable the Buddha to teach the Dhamma in a 
  beneficial way.  His conduct in this area is of three sorts:  Having 
  achieved his own purposes (//attattha-cariya//), he acts for the 
  benefit of living beings throughout the world (//lokattha-cariya//) 
  and teaches the Dhamma to his own circle of relatives 
  (//natattha-cariya//).
    
    There are three aspects to the Buddha:  1) The physical aspect -- 
  the body (elements, aggregates (//khandha//), and sense media), which 
  is the external aspect of the Buddha, called '//Buddha-nimitta//,' or 
  the symbol of the Buddha.  (This is like the bark of a tree.)  2) The 
  good practices he followed -- such as virtue, concentration, and 
  discernment, which are aspects of his activity.  These are called 
  '//dhamma-nimitta//' of the Buddha, symbols of his inner quality.  
  (These are the sapwood.)  3) //Vimutti// -- release from ignorance, 
  craving, attachment, and kamma; attaining nibbana, the supreme 
  quality, a quality that does not die (//amata-dhamma//).  (This is the 
  heartwood, or essence of the Buddha .)
    
    A person of little intelligence will use bark to build himself a 
  home; a person of medium intelligence will use sapwood; while a person 
  of sharp intelligence will build his home of heartwood.  So it is with 
  those of us who take refuge in the Buddha.  But in any case we're 
  better off than people without a home.  Like rats or lizards who have 
  to live in the hollows of trees and are in for trouble if people set 
  the trees on fire:  If we place our trust in our life, our bodies, or 
  our worldly possessions, we'll have no refuge when the fires of death 
  reach us.  Or as when a boat sinks in the middle of the ocean:  A 
  person without a life-vest is in serious danger.  For this reason, we 
  should educate ourselves so as to find a refuge that will benefit us 
  both in this life and in lives to come.
    
    Another comparison:  The sages of the past used the term 
  '//Buddha-ratana//,' comparing the Buddha to a jewel.  Now, there are 
  three sorts of jewels:  artificial gems; gemstones, such as rubies or 
  sapphires; and diamonds, which are held to be the highest.  The 
  aspects of the Buddha might be compared to these three sorts of 
  jewels.  To place confidence in the external aspect -- the body of the 
  Buddha or images made to represent him -- is like dressing up with 
  artificial gems.  To show respect for the practices followed by the 
  Buddha by giving rise to them within ourselves is like dressing up 
  with rubies and sapphires.  To reach the quality of deathlessness is 
  like dressing in diamonds from head to toe.  
    
    But no matter what sort of jewels we use to dress up in, we're 
  better off than savages who go around hanging bones from their necks, 
  who look unkempt and -- what's more -- are bound to be haunted by the 
  bones they wear.  The bones, here, stand for the body, i.e., our 
  attachment to the body as really being ours.  Actually, our body comes 
  for the most part from the bodies of other animals -- the food we've 
  eaten -- so how can we seriously take it to be our own?  Whoever 
  insists on regarding the body as his or her own is like a savage, or a 
  swindler -- and, as a swindler, is bound to receive punishment in 
  proportion to the crime.  Thus, we should regard the body as money 
  borrowed for the span of a lifetime, to be used as capital.  And we 
  should search for profits so as to release ourselves from our debts, 
  by searching for another, better form of goodness:  the qualities of 
  the Buddha that he left as teachings for all of his followers.  These 
  qualities, briefly put, are -- 
  
       1.  //Sati//:  the continual mindfulness (wakefulness) found in 
         the factors of jhana.
       2.  //Panna//:  the intuitive discernment that comes from 
         developing mental concentration.
       3.  //Vimutti//:  release from defilement
  
    These are qualities that all Buddhists should develop within 
  themselves, so as to gain Awakening, following the example of the 
  Buddha, becoming Savaka Buddhas (Disciple Buddhas), an opportunity 
  open -- without exception and with no restrictions of time or place -- 
  to all who follow his teachings.
    
    Buddhists who revere the Buddha in the full sense of the word should 
  have two sorts of symbols with them, to serve as reminders of their 
  tradition -- 
  
    1.  //Buddha-nimitta//:  representatives of the Buddha, such as 
  Buddha images or stupas in which relics of the Buddha are placed.  
  This sort of reminder is like a nation's flag.
    
    2.  //Buddha-guna//:  the qualities that form the inner symbol of 
  the Buddha, i.e., the proper practice of his teachings.  Whoever takes 
  a stand in this manner is bound to be victorious both within and 
  without, safe from such enemies as temptation and mortality.
    
    Our nation's flag and the people of our nation are two different 
  things.  Just as our flag will have value only if the people of our 
  nation are good and preserve the fullness of the nation's qualities; 
  so too, we Buddhists have to respect both our flag -- images of the 
  Buddha -- and the qualities of the Buddha if we are to be good 
  Buddhists.  Otherwise, we will suffer from not having fulfilled our 
  responsibilities.  
    
    To take an example, we Thai people, in order to be Thai in the full 
  sense, have to possess a number of qualifications:  the ability to 
  speak and to read Thai, acquaintance with Thai customs and traditions, 
  the ability to benefit ourselves (//attattha-cariya//) and to spread 
  those benefits to help care for the needs of our parents, spouses, and 
  children (//natatthacariya//).  And not only that:  If we have the 
  ability and the energy -- physical, mental, financial, or the energy 
  of our virtues -- we should expand those benefits to help our fellow 
  human beings in general throughout the nation (//lokatthacariya//).  
  This is what it means to be Thai in the full sense of the word.  In 
  the same way, we who revere the image of the Buddha and the Buddha's 
  good qualities should have them with us at all times if we are to 
  receive the full benefits that come from being Buddhist and to 
  maintain the peace and well-being of Buddhists at large.
  
  
                                 * * *
  
  
  
  
                     II. Dhammam saranam gacchami:
                                          
                     I go to the Dhamma for refuge.
  
  
  There are three levels to the Dhamma, the teachings of the Buddha -- 
  
       A.  //Pariyatti//:  studying the words of the Buddha as recorded 
         in the Canon -- the Discipline, the Discourses, and the 
         Abhidhamma.
       B.  //Patipatti//:  following the practice of moral virtue, 
         concentration, and discernment as derived from one's study of 
         the Canon.
       C.  //Pativedha//:  Liberation.
  
  
  
  A.  The study of the Dhamma can be done in any of three ways -- 
  
       1.  //Alagaddupama-pariyatti//:  studying like a water viper.
       2.  //Nissaranattha-pariyatti//:  studying for the sake of 
         emancipation.
       3.  //Bhandagarika-pariyatti//:  studying to be a storehouse 
         keeper.
  
    Studying like a water viper means to study the words of the Buddha 
  without then putting them into practice, having no sense of shame at 
  doing evil, disobeying the monastic code, making oneself like a 
  poisonous snake-head, full of the fires of greed, anger, and delusion.
    
    Studying for the sake of emancipation means to study the Buddha's 
  teachings out of a desire for merit and wisdom, with a sense of 
  conviction and high regard for their worth -- and then, once we have 
  reached an understanding, bringing our thoughts, words, and deeds into 
  line with those teachings with a high sense of reverence and respect.  
  To try to bring the Buddha's teachings in line with ourselves is the 
  wrong approach -- because, for the most part, we are full of 
  defilements, cravings, views, and conceits.  If we act in this way we 
  are bound to be more at fault than those who try to bring themselves 
  into line with the teachings:  Such people are very hard to find fault 
  with.
    
    Studying to be a storehouse keeper refers to the education of people 
  who no longer have to be trained, i.e., of Arahants, the highest level 
  of the Noble Ones.  Some Arahants, when they were still ordinary, 
  run-of-the-mill people, heard the Dhamma directly from the Buddha once 
  or twice and were able immediately to reach the highest attainment.  
  This being the case, they lacked a wide-ranging knowledge of worldly 
  conventions and traditions; and so, with an eye to the benefit of 
  other Buddhists, they were willing to undergo a certain amount of 
  further education.  This way of studying the Dhamma is called 
  '//sikkha-garavata//':  respect for the training.
  
  
  
  B.  The practice of the Dhamma means to conduct oneself in line with 
  the words of the Buddha as gathered under three headings:
  
       -- Virtue:  proper behavior, free from vice and harm, in terms of 
         one's words and deeds.
       -- Concentration:  intentness of mind, centered on one of the 
         themes of meditation, such as the breath.
       -- Discernment:  insight and circumspection with regard to all 
         fashioned things, i.e., physical properties, aggregates, and 
         sense media.
  
    To conduct oneself in this manner is termed practicing the Dhamma.  
  By and large, though, Buddhists tend to practice the Dhamma in a 
  variety of ways that aren't in line with the true path of practice.  
  If we were to classify their ways of practice, there would be three:
  
       1.  //Lokadhipateyya -- putting the world first.
       2.  //Attadhipateyya -- putting the self first.
       3.  //Dhammadhipateyya -- putting the Dhamma first.
  
    To put the world first means to practice for the sake of such 
  worldly rewards as  prestige, material gains, praise, and sensual 
  pleasures.  When we practice this way, we are actually torturing 
  ourselves, because undesirable things are bound to occur:  Having 
  attained prestige, we can lose it.  Having acquired material gains, we 
  can lose them.  Having received praise, we can receive censure.  
  Having experienced pleasure, we can see it disintegrate.  Far from the 
  paths, fruitions, and nibbana, we torture ourselves by clinging to 
  these things as our own.
    
    To put the self first means to practice in accordance with our own 
  opinions acting in line with whatever those opinions may be.  Most of 
  us tend to side with ourselves, geting stuck on our own views and 
  conceits because our study of the Dhamma hasn't reached the truth of 
  the Dhamma, and so we take as our standard our own notions, composed 
  of four forms of partiality -- 
  
       a.  //Chandagati//:  doing whatever we feel like doing.
       b.  //Bhayagati//:  fearing certain forms of power or authority, 
         and thus not daring to practice the Dhamma as we truly should.  
         (We put certain individuals first.)
       c.  //Dosagati//:  acting under the power of anger, defilement, 
         craving, conceits, and views.
       d.  //Mohagati//:  practicing misguidedly, not studying or 
         searching for what is truly good; assuming that we're already 
         smart enough, or else that we're too stupid to learn; staying 
         buried in our habits with no thought of extracting ourselves 
         from our sensual pleasures.
  
    All of these ways of practice are called 'putting the self first.'
    
    To put the Dhamma first means to follow the Noble Eightfold Path -- 
    
    a.  Right View:  seeing that there really is good, there really is 
  evil, there really is stress, that stress has a cause, that it 
  disbands, and that there is a cause for its disbanding.
    
    b.  Right Aspiration:  thinking of how to rid ourselves of whatever 
  qualities we know to be wrong and immoral, i.e.  seeing the harm in 
  sensual desires in that they bring on suffering and stress.
    
    c.  Right Speech:  speaking the truth; not saying anything divisive 
  or inciteful; not saying anything coarse or vulgar in situations where 
  such words would not be proper; not saying anything useless. Even 
  though what we say may be worthwhile, if our listener isn't interested 
  then our words would still count as useless.
    
    d.  Right Action:  being true to our duties, not acting in ways that 
  would be corrupt or would bring harm to ourselves or others.
    
    e.  Right Livelihood:  obtaining wealth in ways that are honest, 
  searching for it in a moral way and using it in a moral way.
    
    f.  Right Effort:  persisting in ridding ourselves of all that is 
  wrong and harmful in our thoughts, words, and deeds; persisting in 
  giving rise to what would be good and useful to ourselves and others 
  in our thoughts, words, and deeds, without a thought for the 
  difficulty or weariness involved; acting persistently so as to be a 
  mainstay to others (except in cases that are beyond our control).
    
    g.  Right Mindfulness:  being mindful and deliberate, making sure 
  not to act or speak through the power of inattention or forgetfulness, 
  making sure to be constantly mindful in our thoughts (being mindful of 
  the four frames of reference).
    
    h.  Right Concentration:  keeping the mind centered and resilient.  
  No matter what we do or say, no matter what moods may strike the 
  heart, the heart keeps its poise, firm and unflinching in the four 
  levels of //jhana//.
    
    These eight factors can be reduced to three -- virtue, 
  concentration, and discernment --  called the middle way, the heart of 
  the Buddha's teachings.  The 'middleness' of virtue means to be pure 
  in thought, word, and deed, acting out of compassion, seeing that the 
  life of others is like your own, that their possessions are like your 
  own, feeling benevolence, loving others as much as yourself.  When 
  'you' and 'they' are equal in this way, you are bound to be upright in 
  your behavior, like a well-balanced burden that, when placed on your 
  shoulders, doesn't cause you to tip to one side or the other.  But 
  even then you are still in a position of having to shoulder a burden.  
  So you are taught to focus the mind on a single preoccupation:  This 
  can be called 'holding in your hands' -- i.e., holding the mind in the 
  middle -- or concentration.  
    
    The middleness of concentration means focusing on the present, not 
  sending your thoughts into the past or future, holding fast to a 
  single preoccupation (//anapanaka-jhana//, absorption in the breath).
    
    As for the middleness of discernment:  No matter what preoccupations 
  may come passing by, you are able to rid yourself of all feelings of 
  liking or disliking, approval or rejection.  You don't cling, even to 
  the one preoccupation that has arisen as a result of your own actions.  
  You put down what you have been holding in your hands; you don't 
  fasten on to the past, present or future.  This is release.  
    
    When our virtue, concentration, and discernment are all in the 
  middle this way, we're safe.  Just as a boat going down the middle of 
  a channel, or a car that doesn't run off the side of the road, can 
  reach its destination without beaching or running into a tree; so 
  too,people who practice in this way are bound to reach the qualities 
  they aspire to, culminating in the paths and fruitions leading to 
  nibbana, which is the main point of the Buddha's teachings.
    
    So in short, putting the Dhamma first means to search solely for 
  purity of heart.
  
  
  
  C.  The attainment of the Dhamma refers to the attainment of the 
  highest quality, nibbana.  If we refer to the people who reach this 
  attainment, there are four sorts -- 
  
       1.  //Sukha-vipassako//:  those who develop just enough 
         tranquility and discernment to act as a basis for advancing to 
         liberating insight and who thus attain nibbana having mastered 
         only //asavakkhaya-nana//, the knowledge that does away with 
         the fermentation of defilement.
       2.  //Tevijjo//:  those who attain the three skills.
       3.  //Chalabhinno//:  those who attain the six intuitive powers.
       4.  //Catuppatisambhidappatto//:  those who attain the four forms 
         of acumen.
  
    To explain //sukha-vipassako// (those who develop insight more than 
  tranquility):  //Vipassana// (liberating insight) and 
  //asavakkhaya-nana// (the awareness that does away with the 
  fermentation of defilement) differ only in name.  In actuality they 
  refer to the same thing, the only difference being that //vipassana// 
  refers to the beginning stage of insight, and //asavakkhaya-nana// to 
  the final stage:  clear and true comprehension of the four Noble 
  Truths.
    
    To explain //tevijjo//:  The three skills are  -- 
  
       a.  //Pubbenivasanussati-nana//:  the ability to remember past 
         lives -- one, two, three, four, five, ten, one hundred, one 
         thousand, depending on one's powers of intuition.  (This is a 
         basis for proving whether death is followed by rebirth or 
         annihilation.)
       b.  //Cutupapata-nana//:  knowledge of where living beings are 
         reborn -- on refined levels or base -- after they die.
       c.  //Asavakkhaya-nana//:  the awareness that enables one to do 
         away with the fermentations in one's character (sensuality.  
         states of being, ignorance).
       
    To explain //chalabhinno//:  The six intuitive powers are  -- 
  
       a.  //Iddhividhi//:  the ability to display miracles -- becoming 
         invisible, walking on a dry path through a body of water, 
         levitating, going through rain without getting wet, going 
         through fire without getting hot, making a crowd of people 
         appear to be only a few, making a few to appear many, making 
         oneself appear young or old as one likes, being able to use 
         the power of the mind to influence events in various ways.
       b.  //Dibbasota//:  clairaudience; the ability to hear far 
         distant sounds, beyond ordinary human powers.
       c.  //Cetopariya-nana//:  the ability to know the thoughts of 
         others
       d.  //Pubbenivasanussati-nana//:  the ability to remember 
         previous lives.
       e.  //Dibba-cakkhu//:  clairvoyance; the ability to see far 
         distant objects, beyond ordinary human powers.  Some people 
         can even see other levels of being with their clairvoyant 
         powers (one way of proving whether death is followed by 
         rebirth or annihilation, and whether or not there really are 
         other levels of being).
       f.  //Asavakkhaya-nana//:  the awareness that does away with the 
         fermentation of defilement.
  
    To explain //catuppatisambhidappatto//: The four forms of acumen are 
  -- 
  
       a.  //Attha-patisambhida//:  acumen with regard to the sense of 
         the Doctrine and of matters in general, knowing how to explain 
         various points in line with their proper meaning.
       b.  //Dhamma-patisambhida//:  acumen with regard to all mental 
         qualities.
       c.  //Nirutti-patisambhida//:  acumen with regard to linguistic 
         conventions.  (This can include the ability to know the 
         languages of living beings in general.)
       d.  //Patibhana-patisambhida//:  acumen in speaking on the spur 
         of the moment, knowing how to answer any question so as to 
         clear up the doubts of the person asking (like the Venerable 
         Nagasena).
  
    This ends the discussion of the virtues of the four classes of 
  people -- called Arahants -- who have reached the ultimate quality, 
  nibbana.  As for the essence of what it means to be an Arahant, 
  though, there is only one point -- freedom from defilement:  This is 
  what it means to attain the Dhamma, the other virtues being simply 
  adornment.
  
  
  
    The three levels of Dhamma we have discussed are, like the Buddha, 
  compared to jewels:  There are many kinds of jewels to choose from, 
  depending on how much wealth -- discernment -- we have.
    
    All of the qualities we have mentioned so far, to put them briefly 
  so as to be of use, come down to this:  Practice so as to give rise to 
  virtue, concentration, and discernment within yourself.  Otherwise, 
  you won't have a refuge or shelter.  A person without the qualities 
  that provide refuge and shelter is like a person without a home -- a 
  delinquent or a vagrant -- who is bound to wander shiftlessly about.  
  Such people are hollow inside, like a clock without any workings:  
  Even though it has a face and hands, it can't tell anyone where it is, 
  what time it is, or whether it's morning, noon, or night (i.e., such 
  people forget that they are going to die). 
    
     People who aren't acquainted with the Dhamma within themselves are 
  like people blind from birth:  Even though they are born in the world 
  of human beings, they don't know the light of the sun and moon that 
  enables human beings to see.  They get no benefit from the light of 
  the sun and moon or the light of fire; and being blind, they then go 
  about proclaiming to those who can see, that there is no sun, no moon, 
  and no brightness to the world.  As a result, they mislead those whose 
  eyes are already a little bleary.  In other words, some groups say 
  that the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha don't exist, that they were 
  invented to fool the gullible.
    
    Now, the Dhamma is something subtle and fine, like the 
  fire-potential (//tejas//) that exists in the air or in various 
  elements and that, if we have enough common sense, can be drawn out 
  and put to use.  But if we're fools, we can sit staring at a bamboo 
  tube [a device for starting fire that works on the same principle as 
  the diesel engine] from dawn to dusk without ever seeing fire at all.  
  Anyone who believes that there is no Buddha, Dhamm,a or Sangha, no 
  series of paths or fruitions leading to nibbana, no consciousness that 
  experiences death and rebirth, is like the fool sitting and staring at 
  the bamboo tube.
    
    Here I would like to tell a story as an allegory of those who aren't 
  acquainted with the Dhamma.  There once was a man living in the woods 
  who, with his five sons, started growing crops in a clearing about a 
  mile from their home village.  He built a small shack at the clearing 
  and would often take his sons to stay there.  One morning, he started 
  a fire in the shack and told his sons to look after the fire, since he 
  was going out to hunt for food in the forest.  'If the fire goes out,' 
  he told them, 'get some fire from my bamboo tube and start it up 
  again.'  Then he set out to search for food for his sons.  
    
    After he had left, his sons got so wrapped up in their play that 
  when they finally took a look at the fire, they found that it was 
  completely out.  So they had the first son go get some fire to start 
  it up again.  The first son walked over and tried knocking on the 
  bamboo tube, but didn't see any fire.  So they had the second son get 
  some fire from the tube:  He opened it up, but didn't see any fire 
  inside.  All he saw were two bamboo chips, but he didn't know what to 
  do with them.  So the third son came over for a look and, since he 
  didn't see any fire, he took a knife to cut the tube in half, but 
  still didn't see any fire.  The fourth son went over and, seeing the 
  two halves lying there, shaved them down into thin strips to find the 
  fire in them, but didn't see any fire at all.  
    
    Finally the fifth son went over to look for fire, but before he went 
  he said to his brothers, 'What's the matter with you guys that you 
  can't get any fire from the bamboo tube?  What a bunch of fools you 
  are!  I'll go get it myself.'  With that, he went to look at the 
  bamboo tube and found it split into strips lying in pile.  Realizing 
  what his brothers had done, and thinking, 'What a bunch of 
  hare-brains,' he reached for a mortar and pestle and ground up the 
  bamboo strips to find the tire in them.  By the time he ran out of 
  strength, he had ground them into a powder, but he still hadn't found 
  any fire.  So he snuck off to play by himself.  
    
    Eventually, toward noon, the father returned from the forest and 
  found that the fire had gone out.  So he asked his sons about it, and 
  they told him how they had looked for fire in the bamboo tube without 
  finding any.  'Idiots,' he thought, 'they've taken my fire-starter and 
  pounded it to bits.  For that, I won't fix them any food.  Let 'em 
  starve!'  As a result, the boys didn't get anything to eat the entire 
  day.
    
    Those of us who aren't acquainted with the brightness of the Dhamma 
  -- '//Dhammo padipo//' -- that lies within us, who don't believe that 
  the Dhamma has value for ourselves and others, are lacking in 
  discernment, like the boys looking for fire in the bamboo tube, and so 
  we bring about our own ruin in various ways, wasting our lives:  born 
  in darkness, living in darkness, dying in darkness, and then reborn in 
  more darkness all over again.  Even though the Dhamma lies within us, 
  we can't get any use from it and thus will suffer for a long time to 
  come, like the boys who ruined their father's fire-starter and so had 
  to go without food.
    
    The Dhamma lies within us, but we don't look for it.  If we hope for 
  goodness, whether on a low or a high level, we'll have to look here, 
  inside, if we are to find what is truly good.  But before we can know 
  ourselves in this way, we first have to know -- through study and 
  practice -- the principles taught by the Buddha.
    
    Recorded Dhamma (//pariyatti dhamma//) is simply one of the symbols 
  of the Buddha's teachings.  The important point is to actualize the 
  Dhamma through the complete practice of virtue, concentration, and 
  discernment.  This is an essential part of the religion, the part that 
  forms the inner symbol of all those who practice rightly and well.  
  Whether the religion will be good or bad, whether it will prosper or 
  decline, depends on our practice, not on the recorded doctrine, 
  because the recorded doctrine is merely a symbol.  So if we aim at 
  goodness, we should focus on developing our inner quality through the 
  Dhamma of practice (//patipatti dhamma//).  As for the main point of 
  Buddhism, that is the dhamma of attainment (//pativedha dhamma//), the 
  transcendent quality:  nibbana.
  
  
                                 * * *
                                          
                                          
  
  
                    III. Sangham saranam gacchami:
                                          
                     I go to the Sangha for refuge.
  
  
  
  The word //Sangha//, if translated as a substantive, refers to those 
  who have ordained and are wearing the yellow robe.  Translated as a 
  quality, it refers to all people in general who have practiced 
  correctly in line with the Buddha's teachings.  Members of the 
  monastic order, however, are of all sorts, and so we have two groups  
  -- 
  
       A.  //Sammuti-sangha//:   the conventional Sangha.
       B.  //Ariya-sangha//:   the Noble Sangha.
  
    Membership in the conventional Sangha is attained through consent of 
  the Order, in a formal ceremony with witnesses, following the 
  procedures set out in the Vinaya.  Membership in the Noble Sangha is 
  attained when the quality of transcendence (//lokuttara dhamma//) 
  appears in one's heart as a result of one's own behavior and practice, 
  with no formalities of any sort whatsoever.  All Buddhists -- whether 
  formally ordained or not, no matter what their sex, color, or social 
  position -- can become members of this Sangha.  This is termed being 
  ordained by the Dhamma, or being self-ordained in a way that cannot be 
  faulted.
    
    To speak in abstract terms, the qualities of transcendence, stable 
  and sure, that appear in the hearts of those who practice -- leading 
  them solely to the higher realms and closing off the four states of 
  destitution (//apaya//) -- are, taken together, called the Noble 
  Sangha.
  
  
  
  A.  Members of the conventional Sangha, with regard to the way they 
  conduct themselves, fall into four groups  -- 
  
    1.  //Upajivika//:  those who are looking simply for ways to make a 
  living, without looking for any higher virtues to develop within 
  themselves.  They use the yellow robe as a means of livelihood, 
  without any thought of following the threefold training  of virtue, 
  concentration, and discernment.
    
    2.  //Upakilika//:  those who become ordained without any respect 
  for the training, looking simply for pastimes for their own enjoyment 
  -- collecting plants, playing chess, gambling, buying lottery tickets, 
  betting on horses -- looking for gain in ways forbidden by the Vinaya, 
  disobeying the words of the Buddha, disregarding the virtues set out 
  in the scriptures, undermining the religion.
    
    3.  //Upamuyuhika//:  those who are close-minded and misguided, 
  unwilling to train themselves in heightened virtue, concentration, or 
  discernment.  Even though they may have some education and knowledge, 
  they still keep themselves closed-minded, making excuses based on 
  their teachers, the time, the place, and their accustomed beliefs and 
  practices.  Stuck where they are, such people are unwilling to change 
  their ways so as to accord with the principles of the doctrine.
    
    4.  //Upanissarana//:  those who desire merit and wisdom; who search 
  for the true principles of the Dhamma and Vinaya; who set their hearts 
  on studying with reverence and respect, and conduct themselves in line 
  with what they have learned; who aim for the merit and wisdom offered 
  by Buddhism, for the path leading to release from suffering; who 
  rightly follow the Lord Buddha's teachings, i.e., -- 
  
    a.  //Anupavado//:  They don't berate others in inappropriate ways.
    
    b.  //Anupaghato//:  They aren't vindictive.
    
    c.  //Patimokkhe ca samvaro//:  They stay well within the precepts 
  of the Patimokkha, and don't disobey the injunctions of the Vinaya -- 
  like good citizens, desired by the nation,  who stay within the bounds 
  of the government's laws.  (If people don't keep within the laws of 
  the land, it will lead only to turmoil, because people who have no 
  bounds are like farmers who have no boundary markers and who will thus 
  infringe on one another's property, giving rise to needless disputes 
  and ill-feeling, serving no purpose whatsoever .)
    
    d.  //Mattannuta ca bhattasmim//:  They have a sense of moderation 
  in searching for and using the four necessities of life.  They 
  understand how to make the best use of things -- knowing what's 
  beneficial and what's harmful, what is and what isn't of use to the 
  body, considering things carefully before making use of them (in line 
  with the principles of morality and the Buddha's teachings).
    
    e.  //Pantanca sayanasanam//:  They favor quiet, secluded places to 
  stay.  To quote from the Canon, these include:
    
     -- //Arannagato va//:  going to a forest wilderness, far from human 
  society, free from social interaction
    
     -- //Sunnagaragato va//:  or to uninhabited dwellings, in places 
  far off the beaten track.
    
     -- //Rukkhamulagato va//:  or living under the shade of a tree, in 
  a cave, or under an overhanging cliff face, so as to aid the heart in 
  attaining concentration.
    
    f.  //Adhicitte ca ayogo//:  They make a persistent effort, through 
  the practice of concentration, to cleanse the heart, freeing it from 
  such Hindrances as sensual desire.
    
    //Etam buddhana sasanam//:  All of these factors are the teachings 
  of the Buddhas.
  
  
       //Na hi pabbajito parupaghati
       Samano hoti param vihethayanto//.
  
       How can a person who harms himself and others be a good monk?
  
  
    These, then are the attributes of the Sangha.  In broad terms, they 
  come down to two sorts:
  
       1.  //Sangha-nimitta//:  the symbol of having been ordained (the 
         mode of dress, etc.).
       2.  //Guna-sampatti//:  the inner qualifications -- virtue and 
         truth -- of those worthy meditators who are held to be the 
         field of merit for the world.
  
    Those with the necessary resources -- i.e., discernment -- will 
  obtain a good field.  Whatever seed they plant will give a yield well 
  worth the effort involved, just as an intelligent person who puts his 
  savings in a safe national bank will protect his capital from loss and 
  even earn a profit.  
    
    Just as a good rice field has four characteristics -- the ground is 
  level and even, the dike has a water gate that is easy to open and 
  close, the soil is rich in nutrients, the rainfall comes at the proper 
  season -- in the same way, members of the Sangha who are to be a field 
  of merit for the world have to be endowed with the four following 
  qualities:
  
    1.  The analogy of level, even ground refers to those monks who are 
  free from the four forms of partiality.  Whatever they do in thought, 
  word and deed, they are free from:
    
       a.  //Chandagati// -- i.e.,  they don't act solely under the 
         power of their own likes and inclinations;
       b.  //Dosagati// -- or under the power of ill will or anger 
         towards others;
       c.  //Mohagati// -- or under the power of delusion;
       d.  //Bhayagati// -- or under the power of fear or apprehension 
         of any sort whatsoever.  They aim at what is right and true as 
         their major concern, both in the presence of others and in 
         private, keeping themselves always on a par with their 
         principles.
    
    2.  As for the analogy of a water gate that is easy to open and 
  close, 'closing' refers to exercising restraint so that evil doesn't 
  arise within us.  Restraint has four aspects -- 
    
       a.  //Patimokkha-samvara-sila//:  staying within the bounds of 
         the Monastic Code.
       b.  //Indriya-samvara-sila//:  exercising restraint over our 
         senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, feeling, and ideation 
         so as to keep the mind quiet, unagitated, and in good order.
       c.  //Ajiva-parisuddhi-sila//:  searching for the necessities of 
         life -- food, clothing, shelter, and medicine -- only in ways 
         that are proper.
       d.  //Paccaya-paccavekkhana-parisuddhi-sila//:  considering the 
         necessities of life before using them so as not to use them 
         out of desire or craving.
    
    To exercise restraint in these ways is called 'closing.'  'Closing,' 
  however, can be understood in another way, i.e., exercising restraint 
  so that corruption doesn't arise in the three areas of our thoughts, 
  words, and deeds.
    
    a.  To close or control our deeds means, in broad terms, not to kill 
  living beings or to oppress or torment them in any way; not to steal 
  the belongings of others; and not to engage in sexual misconduct (or 
  in the sexual act) or to give rein to any sensual desires.  Even 
  though such desires may arise in the heart, we keep them under 
  control.  This is what it means to close our deeds.
    
    b.  To close our words means not to tell lies, either to others 
  people's faces or behind their backs; not to speak divisively, i.e., 
  in such a way that will lead to a needless falling-out between people; 
  not to speak coarsely or abusively, not cursing, swearing or being 
  vulgar; and not to engage in useless chatter, saying things that are 
  of no real use to ourselves or our listeners.  To be intent on 
  restraining ourselves in this way is called closing off evil words so 
  that they don't have a chance to arise.
    
    c.  To close off evil thoughts means:
    
     -- //Anabhijjha-visama-lobha//:  refraining from the greed that 
  goes above and beyond our sphere and powers to the point where 
  dissatisfaction defiles the mind.
    
     -- //Abyapada//:  not storing up feelings of ill will to the point 
  where anger takes over and we let jealousy and displeasure show,
    
     -- //Sammaditthi//:  keeping our views correct in line with right 
  principles, eliminating views that arise from the mind's being clouded 
  and untrained -- i.e., overpowered by ignorance and delusion -- to the 
  point of believing that there is no good or evil, and from there to 
  deeply ingrained unwise mental states.  If we take care to ward off 
  these unwise mental qualities so that they can't arise in our hearts, 
  they will give way to Right View:  seeing that there really is good, 
  there really is evil; that virtue, generosity, and meditation really 
  give results; that the paths and fruitions leading to nibbana really 
  exist.  When we see things in this way, we have in effect closed off 
  evil, preventing it from penetrating our hearts, just as rice farmers 
  close their dykes to prevent salt-water from flowing into their 
  fields.
    
    As for 'opening,' it refers to practicing the five forms of 
  unselfishness -- 
    
    a.  //Avasamacchariya//:  not being possessive of the place over 
  which we have control, such as our temple or monastery; not preventing 
  good people from coming to stay.  If people are pure in their 
  behavior, and able to impart what is good to us, we should make room 
  for them so that they can stay in comfort.  Evil people, however, 
  shouldn't be allowed to infiltrate our group; and bad people who are 
  already in the group should be expelled.  This is how to behave with 
  discernment in this area.
    
    b.  //Kulamacchariya//:  not being possessive of our families.  On 
  the external level, this refers to the families who support us.   We 
  don't prevent them from making offerings to other individuals and we 
  don't prevent capable individuals from teaching and advising them.  
  Some monks stand in the way of such interchanges, creating barriers 
  with their thoughts, words, and deeds. Sometimes if their supporters 
  make merit with other individuals, they even make reprisals, such as 
  refusing to allow that family to make merit with their own groups or 
  factions.  These worthless attitudes shouldn't be allowed to arise in 
  our hearts.
    
    On the internal level, being possessive of our 'family' refers to 
  the heart' s attachment to sensations and mental acts, which form the 
  family line of unawakened people.  We should abandon this attachment 
  so that we can enter the lineage of the Noble Ones.
    
    c.  //Labhamacchariya//:  not being possessive of the material gains 
  we have attained through proper means, not regarding them as being our 
  own.  Material gains, as classified by the Vinaya, are of four sorts:  
  food,clothing, shelter (lodgings and the items used in them, such as 
  furniture, matting, etc.), and medicine.  We should see that when 
  people present us with offerings of this sort, they have abandoned an 
  enemy -- their own stinginess and selfishness -- and have gained in 
  worth and wisdom through the power of their sacrifice.  Anyone who 
  receives such an offering and clings to it as really being his own is 
  like a person who collects coconut pulp or sugar cane pulp from which 
  others have already squeezed and drunk the juice.  For this reason, 
  people of wisdom and discernment aren't possessive of their 
  belongings.  They are always willing to relinquish and share their 
  gains -- in proportion to the amount they have received -- so that 
  others can make use of them.
    
    This is external relinquishment.  As for internal relinquishment:  
  Whereas we once ate as we liked, many times a day, we now eat less, 
  only one meal a day.  We use only one set of robes.  We relinquish our 
  comfortable lodgings and undertake the ascetic practice of living in 
  the forest or under the shade of a tree.  If we become ill, we search 
  for medicine and treat our disease with moderation, in a way that 
  doesn't create burdens for others.  In other words, we relinquish 
  ourselves as an offering to the religion by putting it into practice.  
  This is classed as the internal relinquishment of material gain 
  through the power of our practice and conduct.
    
    d.  //Vannamacchariya//:  not being possessive of our 'color' 
  (//vanna//).  'Vanna,' here, can be interpreted in two ways.  In one 
  sense, it refers to social caste or class.  For example, the ruling 
  class, the religious elite, property owners, and laborers are held to 
  be unequal in status, and the members of one group are unwilling to 
  let other groups mix with theirs.  If such mixing occurs, they regard 
  it as something base and disgraceful and so they continually put up 
  barriers to prevent it from happening.  In this case, we can infer 
  that we shouldn't make distinctions based on faction, nationality, 
  color, or race, because the Buddha taught that a person's worth comes 
  not from his or her birth, but from the goodness of his or her own 
  actions; or, as we say, 'Those who do good will meet with good, those 
  who do evil will meet with evil.'  For example, we worship and respect 
  the Buddha even though he wasn't Thai as we are.  We respect him 
  through the power of his goodness.  If we were to be close-minded and 
  nationalistic, we Thai's wouldn't have any religion to worship at all 
  aside from the religion of spirits and ghosts.
    
    The second sense of 'vanna' refers to the complexion of our skin.  
  This, too, we cling to, unwilling to sacrifice it for what is worthy 
  and good.  We hesitate to observe the precepts, to meditate, or to 
  undertake the ascetic practices for fear that we'll spoil our looks 
  and complexion.
    
    e. //Dhammamacchariya//:  not being possessive of the Buddha's 
  teachings we have learned.  Possessiveness in this case can mean not 
  wanting to teach unless we are reimbursed, not wanting to preach 
  unless there is an offering, or complaining if the offering is small.
    
    On another level, being possessive of the dhamma can refer to 
  holding on to the unskillful qualities (//akusala-dhamma//) within us; 
  being unwilling to rid ourselves of such evils as greed, anger, 
  delusion, pride, conceit, or any of the other fermentations of 
  defilement; clinging to these things, without searching for the 
  techniques, called the Path, for relinquishing them, i.e.:
    
        -- the precepts of the Monastic Code that, if we observe them 
         carefully, can eliminate the common defilements arising 
         through our words and deeds;
        -- the practice of concentration that, when it is developed in 
         our hearts, can eliminate intermediate defilements, i.e., such 
         Hindrances as sensual desire;
        -- the discernment that, when it arises within us, can eliminate 
         such subtle defilements from our hearts as //avijja// -- 
         mental murkiness; //tanha// -- craving; and //upadana// -- 
         attachment to false assumptions.
    
    When we develop these five forms of unselfishness, we can be classed 
  as open -- and our eyes will be open to perceiving the highest 
  quality, the transcendent.
    
    3.  The analogy of soil rich in nutrients refers to our putting four 
  qualities into practice  -- 
    
       a.  //Metta//:  good will, friendliness, hoping for our own 
         well-being and that of all other living beings.
       b.  //Karuna//:  compassion for ourselves and others, which 
         induces us to be helpful in various ways.
       c.  //Mudita//:  appreciation for ourselves for having cultivated 
         goodness; appreciation (not feeling jealousy) for the goodness 
         cultivated by others.
       d.  //Upekkha//:  equanimity in cases beyond our control.  For 
         instance, when death has come to a person we know, we see that 
         it is beyond our help and so we keep our hearts neutral, not 
         allowing feelings of sadness or gladness to arise.
    
    For these four qualities to arise in fully mature form, they have to 
  appear in our thoughts, words, and deeds.  Whatever we may do in 
  thought, word, or deed should not be done through the power of anger.  
  We should regard anger as an ogre -- and when anger takes over, our 
  body becomes an ogre's tool:  his bludgeon.  To see the drawbacks of 
  anger in this way can give rise to good will in thought, word, and 
  deed, extending without partiality to all people and living beings 
  throughout the world.  Even with our enemies we should try to develop 
  these same thoughts of good will, by looking for their good side, in 
  one way or another, instead of looking just at their bad side, which 
  can cause hatred to invade and consume our hearts.  Anger is a fire 
  that can't burn other people; it burns only ourselves.  This is why we 
  should develop good will within our hearts.  The power of good will 
  brings good to everyone -- just as food that contains the nutrients 
  needed by people brings health and contentment to all who eat it; or 
  as fertilizer with the proper nutrients can cause plants and trees to 
  grow, give fruit, and so be of use to people and other living beings.  
  Good will is thus a form of goodness that can be classed as 
  nourishment.  (Good will is what cools the fevers of the world.)
    
    4.  The analogy of seasonable rain refers to our establishing 
  ourselves in the four bases of success (//iddhipada//) -- 
    
       a.  //Chanda//:  feeling a love and an affinity for goodness and 
         virtue as much as for life, or more.
       b.  //Viriya//:  being persistent, audacious and persevering in 
         cultivating goodness within ourselves.
       c.  //Citta//:  being intent on whatever we set about to do.
       d.  //Vimansa//:  being deliberate and circumspect at all times 
         in whatever we set about to do.
    
    These four qualities can lead to two kinds of success:  
  //iddhiriddhi// -- success through the power of thought; and 
  //punnariddhi// -- success that comes on its own.  Both of these forms 
  of success, on the level of the world or the Dhamma, have to be based 
  on the four qualities mentioned above.  These four qualities are like 
  preservatives:  Whoever is saturated with them won't go sour or stale. 
  And when we're free from going stale, our work is bound not to 
  stagnate and so is sure to succeed.
    
    Another comparison:  These four qualities are '//sacca-kamma//' -- 
  actions that give rise to truth, achieving our purposes.  Those who 
  bring these qualities into themselves will become true people.  Truth 
  can be compared to salt:  If we try to keep food, like vegetables or 
  fish, without salting it, it soon turns rotten and wormy, making it 
  unfit for human consumption.  But if we salt it, it can keep for a 
  long time.  A good example of this is our Lord Buddha, whose actions 
  gave rise to truth and who thus was able to establish the religion so 
  as to benefit people at large.  Even the body he left behind still 
  serves a purpose for human and divine beings.   For instance, his 
  bones, which have become relics, are still with us even though he 
  gained total liberation a long time ago.  As for his teachings, they 
  have lasted for over 2,500 years.  And he himself is deathless, i.e., 
  he has entered total nibbana.  All of this was achieved by means of 
  truth, i.e., the four bases of success.
    
    Those of us who have no truth, though, are like unsalted fish or 
  meat, and are bound to go wormy.  The worms, here, refer to our 
  various defilements and are of three main species:  The first species 
  is composed of affection, anger, and delusion; these feed on us from 
  our feet to our waists.  The second species -- sensual desire, 
  ill-will, torpor, restlessness, and uncertainty -- latch on and bore 
  into us from our waists to our necks.  And the third species -- the 
  fermentation of sensuality, states of being, views, and ignorance 
  (cloudy, unclear knowledge) -- eats us up whole:  ears, eyes, nose, 
  mouth, body, and mind.  Whoever is all wormy like this is classed as a 
  person gone rotten and stale, who hasn't reached any qualities of 
  substance.  And for this reason, the bones of such a person, after 
  death, are no match for the bones of chickens and pigs, for no one 
  wants them.  If the bones and meat of such a person were put up for 
  sale, no one would buy.  And furthermore, such a person will have to 
  come back as an angry ghost, lolling its tongue and rolling its eyes, 
  to frighten its children and grandchildren.
    
    Thus, whoever develops the four qualities mentioned above will reach 
  deathlessness -- //amata dhamma// -- which is like a crystalline 
  shower that comes from distilling away all impurities, just as rain 
  water, which is distilled from the sea, rises into the air and returns 
  to the earth, nourishing the grasses, crops, and trees, giving 
  refreshment to people and other living beings.
    
    These, then, are some of the characteristics of those who form the 
  field of merit for the world both on the mundane and on the 
  transcendent levels, who conduct themselves in keeping with the phrase 
  in the chant of the virtues of the Sangha:
    
    //Punnakkhettam lokassati//
    
    'The field of merit for the world.'
    
    
    
    Now we will discuss the chant of the virtues of the Sangha further 
  as a path to practice, because the virtues of the Sangha are open to 
  all Buddhists in general, without excluding any individual, race, or 
  social class at all.  Whoever puts these principles into practice is 
  capable of becoming a member of the Noble Sangha without having to go 
  through the formalities of the Vinaya.  In other words, this is a 
  community and a state of worthiness open to all who put the following 
  principles into practice  -- 
    
    1.  //Supatipanno//:  being a person whose conduct is good.  'Good 
  conduct' refers to seven principles  -- 
    
       a.  We should gather frequently -- for the daily chanting 
         services, to hear the Dhamma explained, to seek out wise 
         people, and to join whole-heartedly in the work of the group.  
         This is external gathering.  What is really important, though, 
         is internal gathering, i.e.,collecting the mind in 
         concentration, which is the gathering point of all that is 
         good, and forms the basic skill for bringing the factors of 
         the Path together (//magga-samangi//).
       b.  When a meeting of the group disperses, we should all disperse 
         at the same time, and not act at variance with the group.  On 
         the internal level, we should all as a group disperse 
         shoddiness from our thoughts, words, and deeds.
       c.  We should not establish new rules that were not established 
         by the Buddha, or abandon those that were.  For example, don't 
         make a practice of doing things the Buddha declared to be 
         worthless, evil, or wrong; develop within yourself the things 
         he taught to be good, right, and worthwhile.
       d.  Be respectful of your elders, teachers, parents, etc.
       e.  Whatever you do in thought, word, or deed, don't act under 
         the influence of craving, anger, or delusion.
       f.  Make a point of searching out virtuous people.
       g.  Take pleasure in solitude.
       
    This is what is meant by good conduct.
    
    2.  //Uju-patipanno//:  being a person whose conduct is 
  straightforward, firmly established in the threefold training -- 
  virtue, concentration, and discernment -- which leads straight to 
  nibbana; being fair and just, unswayed by any of the four forms of 
  partiality.  This is what is meant by straightforward conduct.
    
    3.  //Naya-patipanno//:  being a person whose conduct leads to 
  higher knowledge.  This refers to following fifteen procedures 
  (//carana-dhamma//)  -- 
    
       a.  //Patimokkha-samvara//:  keeping within the precepts of the 
         Monastic Code, respecting the training rules of the Vinaya.  
         (For laypeople, this means observing the five or eight 
         precepts.)
       b.  //Indriya-samvara//:  keeping watch over your senses of 
         sight, hearing, smell, taste, feeling, and ideation so as to 
         keep the mind collected and at peace.
       c.  //Bhojane mattannuta//:  knowing moderation in the requisites 
         of life, i.e., eating only just enough food.
       d.  //Jagariyanuyoga//:  being persistent in cleansing the mind 
         so that it is pure and bright, not allowing lapses in 
         mindfulness or presence of mind to occur.
       e.  //Saddha//:  conviction, i.e., being convinced of the truth 
         of good and evil, of the paths and their fruitions; having 
         conviction in people who merit it.
       f.  //Hiri//:  feeling shame at the thought of doing evil, not 
         doing evil either in public or in private.
       g.  //Ottappa//:  having a sense of dread at the thought of doing 
         evil.
       h.  //Bahusacca//:  being well-educated and always willing to 
         learn.
       i.  //Viriya//:  being persistent, unflagging, and courageous in 
         performing your duties.
       j.  //Sati//:  being mindful before doing anything in thought, 
         word or deed.
       k.  //Panna//:  developing discernment as to what should and 
         should not be done, as to what is and isn't beneficial.
       l.  //Pathama-jhana//:  the first level of jhana, composed of 
         five factors -- directed thought, evaluation, rapture, 
         pleasure, and singleness of preoccupation.  (Jhana means to be 
         absorbed in or focused on a single object or preoccupation, as 
         when we deal with the breath.)
       m.  //Dutiya-jhana//:  the second level of jhana, composed of 
         three factors -- rapture, pleasure, and singleness of 
         preoccupation.
       n.  //Tatiya-jhana//:  the third level of jhana, composed of two 
         factors -- pleasure and singleness of preoccupation.
       o.  //Catuttha-jhana//:  the fourth level of jhana, composed of 
         two factors -- equanimity and pure mindfulness, which is the 
         single preoccupation of your concentration.
    
    This is what is meant by conduct leading to higher knowledge.
    
    
    
    Here we will discuss how to give rise to the first level  of jhana.  
    
    Directed thought:  Think of the breath until you can recognize it 
  both as it comes in and as it goes out.
    
    Singleness of preoccupation:  Let the mind become one, at rest with 
  the breath, not straying away to other objects.  Watch over your 
  thoughts so that they deal only with the breath until the breath 
  becomes comfortable.
    
    Evaluation:  Focus exclusively on issues connected with the breath 
  and acquaint yourself with how to let this comfortable 
  breath-sensation spread and co-ordinate with the other 
  breath-sensations in the body.  Let these breath-sensations spread 
  until they all merge.  Once the body has been soothed by the breath, 
  feelings of pain will grow calm.  The body will be filled with good 
  breath energy.
    
    For jhana to arise, these three factors have to be brought to bear 
  on the same breath sensation.  This breath sensation can lead all the 
  way to the fourth level of jhana, the level of refinement depending on 
  the act of focusing through the power of mindfulness:  Sometimes the 
  focus is broad, sometimes narrow, in accordance with the different 
  factors on the different levels.  But to be really beneficial, you 
  should let the breath spread as broadly as possible, being constantly 
  aware throughout the body of the various aspects of the breath.  You 
  will then get excellent results from your practice of jhana.  You 
  might even gain liberating insight on this level, because the first 
  level of jhana is what constitutes threshold concentration (//upacara 
  samadhi//).  
    
    If you want to go on to fixed penetration (//appana samadhi//), you 
  should keep practicing this level until you are skilled, i.e., skilled 
  at fixing the mind on a single object, at adjusting and expanding the 
  object, and at staying in place.  When you want your concentration to 
  have energy, make the breath light and refined -- but keep your 
  mindfulness broad.  Otherwise, the mind might go into //arupa jhana//, 
  where it has no sense of the form of the body; or you might sit 
  absolutely still, without any awareness of the body at all, while the 
  mind pays attention to another area, such as simple awareness, 
  completely disregarding the body or sitting unconscious, like a log.  
  This is //bahira-jhana//, concentration outside of the Buddha's 
  teachings, incapable of giving rise to liberating insight.
    
    So when you begin, you should develop the three above-mentioned 
  factors as much as possible, and the mind will then be able to go on 
  to the second level of jhana.  When you fix the mind on the breath 
  repeatedly using these three beginning factors, they give rise to two 
  more factors:
    
    Rapture:  a sense of fullness and refreshment of body and mind, 
  going straight to the heart, independent of all else.
    
    Pleasure:  a sense of ease arising from the body's being still and 
  undisturbed (//kaya-passaddhi//), and from the mind' s being at rest 
  on its own, placid and serene (//citta-passaddhi//).
    
    The factors of the first level of jhana, then, are of two sorts:  
  cause and result.  The causes are directed thought, evaluation, and 
  singleness of preoccupation; the results, rapture and pleasure, .
    
    As for the second level of jhana, with its three factors of rapture, 
  pleasure, and singleness of preoccupation:  This refers to the state 
  of mind that has tasted the results coming from the first level of 
  jhana.  The sense of fullness becomes more powerful, as does the sense 
  of pleasure, allowing the mind to abandon its thinking and evaluating, 
  so that the singleness of the preoccupation takes the lead from here 
  on in.  Make the mind still in the refined sense of the breath.  Body 
  and mind are full and at ease; the mind is more firmly implanted in 
  its object than before.  After a while, as you keep focusing in, the 
  sense of fullness and pleasure begins to pulsate.  Focus the mind down 
  to a more refined level and you will enter the third level of jhana.
    
    The third level of jhana has two factors -- pleasure and singleness 
  of preoccupation:  The mind is solitary; the body, solitary and still.  
  The breath is refined and broad, with a white glow like cotton-wool 
  throughout the body, stilling all painful feelings in body and mind.  
  Not a single Hindrance (//nivarana//) arises to interfere.  The four 
  properties -- earth, water, fire, and wind -- are at peace with one 
  another in every part:  You could almost say that they're pure 
  throughout the entire body.  The mind is completely still -- steady, 
  solid, and sure -- reaching oneness in a solitary sense of ease.  Body 
  and mind are in solitude.  Even if you're with a group of people, you 
  feel as if you were alone.  The mind is strong, ardent, and expansive.  
  Mindfulness is broad -- spreading throughout the body, focused 
  exclusively on the present, not affected by any allusions to past or 
  future.  The breath gives rise to an energy that is pure white.  The 
  mind has power. The focus is strong, and the light brilliant.  Energy 
  is unwavering, so that you are no longer concerned with your sense of 
  pleasure, which dilates somewhat.  This causes the mind to focus on 
  into the fourth level of jhana.
    
    The fourth level of jhana has two factors -- equanimity and 
  singleness of preoccupation (or mindfulness).  The breath energy is 
  still, with no ripples or gaps.  The properties of the body are 
  undisturbed.  As for the mind, it is undisturbed with regard to all 
  three time periods:  uninvolved with the past, uninvolved with the 
  future, undisturbed by the present.  When the mind stays with this 
  undisturbed sense of equanimity, this is the true meaning of  
  'singleness of object.'  The breath is at peace, the body at peace in 
  every part.  There is no need to use the in-and-out breath.  The 
  breath energy has reached saturation point.
    
    The four properties (//dhatu//) are equal, all with the same 
  characteristics.  The mind is completely at peace, with a brilliance 
  streaming in all directions.  The brilliance of the breath at peace 
  reaches full strength.  The brilliance of the mind arises from the 
  power of mindfulness focused on all four of the great frames of 
  reference:  body, feelings, mind, and mental qualities.  The question 
  of their being four doesn't arise, for in this mental moment they 
  coalesce in perfect unity.  The brilliance of the mind and of the 
  body, which arises from the power of their solitary stillness, shines 
  as //jagariyanuyoga//, the purifying inner fire (//tapas//) that can 
  dispel darkness thoroughly.  The bright light of the mind reaches full 
  strength.  The purity of the different parts of the breath energy 
  keeps the other properties in good order.  The body is completely at 
  peace, like a factory at rest.In other words, you don't have to use 
  the in-and-out breath.  The body develops potency; the mind, resilient 
  power.  When these reach saturation point, if you then want to give 
  rise to knowledge, shift your awareness so that it dilates slightly, 
  and the important skills that arise from the power of the mind -- such 
  as the Eight Skills -- will appear, i.e.,:
    
       1.  //Vipassana-nana//:  clear insight into the elements, 
         aggregates, and sense media.
       
       2.  //Manomayiddhi//:  the ability to achieve one's aims through 
         the power of thought.
       
       3.  //Iddhividhi//:  the ability to display a variety of 
         supra-normal powers.
       
       4.  //Dibba-sota//:  clairaudience, the ability to hear far 
         distant sounds.
       
       5.  //Cetopariya-nana//:  the ability to know the mental states 
         of other people.
       
       6.  //Pubbe-nivasanussati-nana//:  the ability to remember past 
         lives.  (This is a basis for proving whether death is followed 
         by annihilation or rebirth, and whether or not there really 
         are other levels of existence.)
       
       7.  //Dibba-cakkhu//:  clairvoyance, the inner eye that arises 
         from the power of the mind, relying to some extent on the 
         optic nerves.
       
       8.  //Asavakkhaya-nana//:  knowing how to eliminate the 
         fermentations of defilement as they relate to your various 
         forms of knowledge.
    
    If you want to give rise to supernormal powers, formulate an 
  intention at that point, and it will appear openly, so that ordinary 
  people will be able to see it.
    
    Both of these aspects, knowledge and power, can lead to mastery on 
  the level of the world and of the Dhamma.  The properties in the body 
  acquire potency; the mind becomes a potent center of consciousness.  
  This is the science of the mind on an advanced level, giving rise to 
  an advanced form of Buddhist learning:  //lokavidu//, wide-ranging 
  knowledge of the cosmos.
    
    To develop the factors discussed here is to warrant the name, 
  //naya-patipanno//, one whose conduct leads to higher knowledge.
    
    (The moment in which the enemies of the body -- impure properties -- 
  disband and disappear is termed '//sankhata-lakkhana-nirodha//,' 
  conditioned disbanding.'  When the enemies of the mind -- i.e., the 
  five Hindrances -- disappear completely, leaving the mind radiant and 
  clear, that is termed '//bhujissaka-nirodha//,' disbanding in a state 
  of dependency.)
    
    4.  //Samici-patipanno//:  being a person whose conduct is masterful 
  This refers to our conduct in developing two qualities:  tranquility 
  and insight.
    
    a.  The practice of tranquility means stilling the mind single 
  preoccupation, free from the five Hindrances, so as to attain the four 
  levels of //rupa-jhana//.
    
    b.  The practice of insight means being a person who sees clearly 
  and truly into the nature of all conditioned things (//sankhara//), 
  e.g., seeing that they are inconstant, stressful, and not-self; 
  gaining discernment that sees distinctly in terms of the four Noble 
  Truths; seeing conditioned things from both sides, i.e., the side that 
  is inconstant.  stressful, and not-self, and the side that is 
  constant, pleasant, and self; giving rise to the state of pure 
  knowledge and vision termed 'gotarabhu-nana,' escaping from the 
  assumption that things are either constant or inconstant; knowing both 
  the side that arises and disbands, as well as the side that doesn't 
  arise and doesn't disband, without making assumptions about or being 
  attached to either side.  Theories, views, and conceits disappear.  
  The mind doesn't fasten onto anything, past, present, or future.  This 
  is termed '//asesa-viraga-nirodha//,' utter disbanding and dispassion.  
  This is the way of insight.
    
    Insight, analyzed in detail in terms of the Doctrine, in line with 
  the conventions of the sages of the past, means knowledge of the four 
  Noble Truths:
    
        -- //Dukkha//:  mental and physical stress, the result of being 
         overcome by the power of birth, ageing, illness, death and 
         defilement.
       
        -- //Samudaya//:  the cause of stress -- i.e., //tanha//, 
         craving or thirst -- which includes //kama-tanha//, insatiable 
         craving for sensual pleasures; //bhava-tanha//, the desire to 
         be ore have certain states of being; and //vibhava-tanha//, 
         the desire not to be or have certain states of being.
       
        -- //Nirodha//:  the disbanding of stress; the extinguishing of 
         the fires of defilement.
       
        -- //Magga//:  the path of practice that puts an end to craving, 
         the cause of stress.
    
    All four of these Noble Truths already exist in the world, but 
  ordinarily are hard to perceive because they show us only their images 
  or reflections.  On this level, we can't yet see them for what they 
  really are.  But for the Buddha to know them, he had to start out with 
  the reflections that appear, before he was able to trace them back to 
  the real thing.  This is why they are termed Noble Truths:  They are 
  the possessions of noble people; only those who search and explore can 
  know them.  Thus, the Noble Truths have two aspects:  their first 
  aspect, which is the way they are found in the experience of ordinary 
  people in general; and their second aspect, which is more subtle and 
  can be known only by people of wisdom who explore in the area of the 
  heart and mind.  
    
    An example of the four Truths on the ordinary level, as experienced 
  by ordinary people:  Physical discomfort, such as illness or disease, 
  can be called the truth of stress.  Knowing enough to buy the right 
  medicine, or being a doctor who knows the medicine for curing that 
  particular kind of disease, is the truth of the path.  As the symptoms 
  of the disease disappear, that is termed conditional disbanding.  When 
  the disease is cured, that is the truth of disbanding.  If, however, 
  we suffer from a disease, such as a wound, but don't know how to treat 
  it -- simply wanting it to heal and using whatever medicine we can lay 
  our hands on, without knowing whether it's right or wrong (this is 
  termed craving and ignorance) -- the wound will only worsen, for the 
  medicine we take isn't right for the disease.  This is the truth of 
  the cause of stress.
    
    If we want to go deeper than the ordinary level, we have to practice 
  correctly in line with the way of the Path, developing our virtue, 
  concentration, and discernment, before we will be able to perceive the 
  four Truths on the noble level.
    
    The essence of the Dhamma, by its nature, lies mixed with its outer 
  accretions.  If we don't have the right knowledge and skill, we won't 
  get very much use from the Dhamma.  Whatever benefits we do get will 
  be only on the mundane level.  We can make a comparison with diamond 
  or gold ore buried in the ground:  If a person doesn't have enough 
  knowledge to extract the ore, he will get only the traces that come 
  flowing out in spring water or that adhere to rocks along the surface 
  of the ground.  These will earn him only a meager profit, which won't 
  be enough for a living.  A person with knowledge and skill, though, 
  can use the gold to make a living without having to search for any 
  other occupations, but he'll have to follow the traces down into the 
  earth until he meets with the real thing, i.e.  the genuine ore.  Even 
  just a single hunk -- if it's large and of high quality, weighing a 
  ton -- will enable him to rest secure for the rest of his life.  In 
  the same way, those who are wise in Buddhism see stress as a noble 
  treasure and so go digging down into stress; they see the cause of 
  stress as a noble treasure and so dig down into it; they see the Path 
  as a noble treasure; they see disbanding and liberation as noble 
  treasures and so dig on down until they meet with the genuine ore.  
  Only then can they be called noble sages.  
    
    Those of us who are dauntless enough to unearth our inner resources 
  in this way will be able to use those resources to protect ourselves 
  throughout time, gaining release from the cycle of rebirth, the jail 
  for imprisoning foolish and ignorant people.  We who like to explore 
  in general should be glad that we've come across a good mine with 
  genuine ore whose traces lie scattered about for us to see.  If we 
  don't disregard the things we see, we'll meet the four Truths 
  mentioned above.
    
    If we were to summarize the four Noble Truths briefly, we could do 
  so as follows:  The objects or preoccupations of the mind that arise 
  and disappear are the truth of stress.  The mental act that enters 
  into and takes possession of those objects is the truth of the cause 
  of stress.  The mental act that focuses in on those objects and 
  examines them as they arise and disappear is the truth of the Path; 
  and the mental act that lets go of those objects as they arise and 
  disappear is the truth of disbanding, or release -- i.e., that which 
  knows the reality that doesn't arise and doesn't disappear.
    
    These, then, are the four Noble Truths.  Those who see these four 
  Truths directly for themselves will give rise to the noble path and 
  fruition termed 'stream-entry.'  Such people are a field of merit for 
  the world: worthy of respect, worthy of welcome, worthy of offerings 
  and veneration.
    
    Whoever possesses the qualities mentioned here qualifies rightly as 
  a member of the Sangha in line with the Doctrine and Discipline taught 
  by the Buddha, and may be called, //samici-patipanno//, one whose 
  conduct is masterful, reaching the apex of the mundane level and 
  becoming transcendent.
    
    
    
    B.  Now we will discuss the second main heading, the Noble Sangha, 
  the family of the Noble Ones, which may be joined by virtue of having 
  developed one's inner qualities, with no need to go through the 
  formalities of the Vinaya.  The Noble Sangha, like the conventional 
  Sangha, is composed of four groups:
    
    1.  //Stream-enterers//:  those who have reached the beginning stage 
  of the flow to nibbana.  At most they will have to be reborn only 
  seven more times.  They have developed enough tranquility and insight 
  for the Path to converge in a single mental instant, enabling them to 
  gain true insight into all phenomena -- mundane and transcendent -- as 
  they really are.  When they see in this way, they have cut three of 
  the Fetters (//sanyojana//) that keep living beings under the spell of 
  the world.  The Fetters they have cut absolutely are  -- 
    
       a.  //Sakkaya-ditthi//:  the view that the body -- together with 
         its properties, aggregates, and sense media -- belongs to the 
         self.  Stream-enterers, unlike ordinary run-of-the-mill 
         people, don't hold that these things are the self or belong to 
         the self.  They see them simply as common property -- that we 
         didn't bring them when we came and won't take them when we go 
         -- and that they arise simply through kamma.
       
       b.  //Vicikiccha//:  doubt and uncertainty about the practices 
         one is following.  Stream-enterers have no such doubts, 
         because they have reached the quality attained by the Buddha.
       
       c.  //Silabbata-paramasa//:  attachment to customs or traditions 
         that are held to be good in this way or that.  Stream-enterers 
         are not attached to any external practices dealing with 
         actions or manners.
    
    These three Fetters, stream-enterers have cut absolutely, once and 
  for all.  They have attained the noble quality of having closed off 
  completely the four states of deprivation.  In other words, they are 
  destined never again to be born in hell, on the level of the angry 
  demons, the level of the hungry ghosts, or the level of common 
  animals.  This is what it means to close off all four states of 
  deprivation.
    
    2.  //Once-returners//:  those who have gained the second level of 
  Awakenment, who will attain nibbana after being born once more in the 
  world.  Once-returners have cut three Fetters, like stream-enterers, 
  but have also reduced the amount of desire, anger, and delusion in 
  their hearts.  (They know how to keep the mind within bounds.)
    
    3.  //Non-returners//:  those who have awakened to the third level 
  and who will never again return to the human world.  After they die, 
  they will be born in the Brahma worlds on the levels of the Pure 
  Abodes, there to attain nibbana.  They have absolutely abandoned five 
  of the Fetters -- 
       
       a.  //Sakkaya-ditthi//.
       
       b.  //Vicikiccha//.
       
       c.  //Silabbata-paramasa//.
       
       d.  //Kamaraga//:  passion and delight caused by the power of 
         sensual desires and sensual objects.
       
       e.  //Patigha//:  irritation and displeasure caused by the power 
         of anger.
    
    4.  //Arahants//:  those who have awakened to the ultimate level of 
  the four Noble Truths and have reached the quality of deathlessness, 
  free from all the fermentations of defilement; whose ignorance, 
  craving, attachments, and kamma have ended.  Arahants have abandoned 
  their Fetters by means of the factors of the highest of the noble 
  paths.  The Fetters they have abandoned are ten:
    
       a.  //Sakkaya-ditthi//.
       
       b.  //Vicikiccha//.
       
       c.  //Silabbata-paramasa//.
       
       d.  //Kamaraga//.
       
       e.  //Patigha//.
       
       f.  //Ruparaga//:  passion for the sense of form that can act as 
         the object of //rupa jhana//.
       
       g.  //Aruparaga//:  passion for formless phenomena, such as the 
         feeling of pleasure that comes from seclusion.
       
       h.  //Mana//:  conceiving or construing oneself to be like this 
         or that.
       
       i.  //Uddhacca//:  restlessness and distraction, being carried 
         away with one's thoughts.  The thoughts on this level deal 
         with the activity of discernment, which is something good, but 
         they go out of bounds.
       
       j.  //Avijja//:  ignorance, i.e., not recognizing stress, its 
         cause, its disbanding, and the path to its disbanding -- in 
         short, not being acquainted with the conditioned phenomena 
         (//sankhata dhamma//) that exist within each of us; not being 
         acquainted with the unconditioned (//asankhata dhamma//), 
         which is a genuine property, existing naturally.  This, 
         briefly, is what avijja means.  
    
    Another meaning for avijja is not being acquainted with the way we 
  are -- e.g., not recognizing our concepts of the past, and thus 
  becoming immersed in them; not recognizing our concepts of the future; 
  not recognizing the present, which is the important aspect of all 
  physical and mental phenomena.  Thus, delusion with regard to all 
  three time periods is called avijja:  counterfeit knowledge, falling 
  short of the four genuine Truths.
    
    These ten Fetters, Arahants -- both men and women -- have cut 
  absolutely, freeing themselves from every sort of bond or domination, 
  so that their hearts are brilliant and dazzling, like the full moon in 
  a cloudless sky.  This is //samici-patipanno// -- one whose conduct is 
  masterful -- on the transcendent level.
    
    The four groups mentioned here are termed the Ariya Sangha, the 
  Noble Community, which can be found only in Buddhism.  Therefore, all 
  Buddhists who daily pay homage to the Sangha should make themselves 
  aware of what the Sangha is, of how genuine or counterfeit the members 
  of the Sangha are.  Otherwise, our respect will be blind and 
  misguided, ignorant of the true nature of the Buddha, Dhamma, and 
  Sangha.  We should use our judgment and reason to be selective so that 
  we can help one another look after the state of the religion, bringing 
  it into proper line with the principles of the Buddha's teachings.
    
    The Sangha can be compared to a tree:  Some members are like the 
  heartwood, others are like the sapwood, others are like the outer 
  bark, and still others are like parasitic creepers.  Another popular 
  analogy is to compare the Sangha to a jewel.  Now, there are many 
  kinds of jewels, just as there are many parts to a tree:  artificial 
  gems, zircons, rubies, amethysts, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds.  
  Just as all of these are called jewels, and are all of differing 
  value, so it is with the members of the Sangha.  Whoever is rich in 
  discernment will obtain a valuable jewel as an adornment.  Whoever is 
  poor in discernment will end up with nothing but artificial gems or 
  bits of gravel:  Some people believe that all who wear the yellow robe 
  are alike.  They 'make donations to the yellow robe,' or 'pay respect 
  to the yellow robe,' or 'make donations to the virtuous'....  Thus I 
  ask that all Buddhists make a point of learning where the gems of the 
  religion that we as a nation revere may be found.
    
    A person who doesn't know what the Sangha is, is like a child who 
  doesn't know his family and relatives -- who doesn't know who his 
  father is, who his mother is, who his elder brothers and sisters are.  
  When this is the case, he has no one to rely on.  If he tries to rely 
  on others, he can do so only as long as he has money in his pockets.  
  As soon as he runs out of money, he's in for trouble:  His friends and 
  companions are sure to act as if they don't recognize him; and he 
  can't turn to his family and relatives because he doesn't know who 
  they are.  So in the end he'll meet with nothing but suffering.  
    
    This is why we're taught that, as long as we still have life, we 
  shouldn't rest complacent.  We should urgently make the virtues of the 
  Sangha our guardians -- because our friend, the body, can be relied on 
  only as long as it doesn't die.  And when the time comes, who will 
  care for us aside from our guardians, the virtues of the Sangha?  
    
    We shouldn't waste our time engrossed simply with the life of the 
  body for, as far as I can see, there's nothing to the life of the body 
  but eating and then sleeping, sleeping and then eating again.  If we 
  let ourselves get stuck simply on the level of sleeping and eating, 
  we're headed for trouble.  This can be illustrated with a story:
    
    Once in a village by the seaside, there came a time of unbalance in 
  the natural elements, and large numbers of the livestock -- the water 
  buffaloes -- died of the plague.  The men of the village, fearing that 
  the disease would spread, took the buffalo carcasses and threw them 
  into the sea.  As the carcasses floated away from shore, a flock of 
  crows came to feed on them for many days.  Each day, when the crows 
  had eaten their fill, they would fly back to spend the night in the 
  trees by the shore; and then would fly out the following dawn to 
  continue eating.  As days passed, and the carcasses floated further 
  and further out to sea, some of the crows -- seeing the hardships in 
  flying back to shore -- decided to spend the night floating on the 
  carcasses; others of the flock, though, didn't mind the hardships,and 
  continued flying back to shore every evening.  
    
    Finally, when the carcasses had floated so far out to sea that 
  flying back and forth was no longer possible, the flock decided to 
  abandon that source of food and to search for a new source of food on 
  land.  One of the crows, though, had stayed with the carcasses; when 
  he saw that his fellows were no longer coming to claim a share of the 
  food, he became overjoyed, thinking that the food he had would last 
  him a long time.  He became so engrossed in his eating that he never 
  thought of looking back to shore.  As the carcasses went floating 
  further and further out, swarms of fish came from below to devour them 
  until there was nothing left to eat.  Finally, the remains of the 
  carcasses sank deep into the sea; and at that point, the crow decided 
  that the time had come to fly back to shore.  With this in mind, he 
  flew to the north, but didn't see land.  He flew to the south, to the 
  east and west, but didn't see land.  Finally, he ran out of strength 
  and could fly no further, and so lowered his wings and dropped into 
  the sea, where he became food for the fishes.
    
    This is human life.  If we let ourselves become engrossed only with 
  eating and sleeping and physical pleasures, without searching for 
  virtue -- i.e., if we don't practice the virtues of the Sangha as we 
  have been taught to -- we're sure to reap the rewards -- suffering -- 
  just like the crow who fell to his death in the sea.  This story is 
  about us:  The sea stands for the world, the flood of rebirth; the 
  buffalo carcasses stand for the body; the trees on the shore stand for 
  the Dhamma, and the crows stand for the heart -- i.e., sometimes we 
  feel like practicing the Dhamma and sometimes we don't.
    
    The virtues of the Sangha are subtle, deep and hard to perceive.  If 
  we don't have knowledge of ourselves, we won't be able to see them, 
  just as a mute person doesn't know how to speak his native tongue.
    
    Here I would like to tell another story to illustrate what it means 
  not to know the virtues of the Sangha.  Once there was a mute person 
  who made his living by playing a conch shell trumpet.  Now, the way he 
  played the conch shell was to make it sound like human voices or 
  animal calls.  When he had perfected his skill, he wandered about the 
  cities and country towns, playing his conch.  One day he went to play 
  in a village deep in the countryside.  As he was about to reach the 
  village, he stopped to rest under the shade of a tree and picked up 
  his conch to practice for a moment.  Within minutes a swarm of people, 
  hearing the sound of the conch, came bursting from the village to see 
  what it was.  They came across the mute man sitting under the tree and 
  so asked him, 'What was that beautiful sound we heard a moment ago?'  
  The mute man pointed to the conch shell lying nearby.  The people, 
  thinking that they had heard the cry of the conch, ran over to tap on 
  it to make it cry again, but it didn't make a sound.  Some of them 
  picked it up and tried shaking it, but still no sound, so they put it 
  back down.  Others turned it over to see exactly where its cry came 
  from, but no matter what they did, the sound of the conch wouldn't 
  come out.  So they ran back to the mute person.  
    
    The mute person didn't know what to say, but he could tell from 
  their actions that they wanted to know what made the sound of the 
  conch come out in such a variety of calls, so he pointed to his mouth.  
  The villagers ran to take a look.  They had him open his mouth and 
  looked up and down inside, but didn't see how it could be made to 
  sound.  So the mute man flickered his tongue for them to see.  With 
  this, they realized that the sound came from the mute man's tongue; 
  and so they tried flickering their own tongues, but no beautiful 
  sounds came out.  So they ran back to the mute man, who blew air out 
  of his mouth, meaning that the sound came from the breath.  They tried 
  blowing air from their own mouths, but still no beautiful sounds.  
  Finally, the mute man reached for the conch, put it to his lips -- and 
  out came the beautiful sounds:  the sounds of people crying, people 
  laughing, people wailing and mourning, the sounds of birds, mice, and 
  forest beasts.
    
    So it is with us:  If we don't know how to train ourselves so as to 
  attain the virtues of the Sangha, we won't know how beneficial to us 
  the Sangha can be.  We'll become uncivilized savages, not knowing 
  whether the Sangha is good or bad, and we"ll end up like the villagers 
  who didn't know where the sound of the conch came from.
    
    This story doesn't refer to anything distant:  The mute man, 
  producing various sounds from his conch shell, stands for preaching 
  monks.  For example, sometimes they try to be correct, proper, and 
  principled in their preaching; sometimes they preach like animals, 
  i.e., using a song-like voice or cracking jokes that go beyond the 
  bounds of the Dhamma and Vinaya.  In this way, they are like the man 
  blowing the conch.  As for the villagers who came running wide-eyed to 
  hear the sound of the conch, they stand for Buddhist lay people who 
  don't understand the virtues of the Sangha and thus are destined not 
  to find the Sangha, just as the villagers couldn't find the sound of 
  the conch.  When this is the case, they will simply shell out money to 
  hear the sound of conch trumpets, without any thought of the practices 
  taught by the Buddha.  Monks will be deluded into blowing conch shells 
  for their living, without any thought of the qualities of the Sangha; 
  and so our religion will degenerate day by day, becoming ultimately a 
  theater or playhouse for the world.
    
    This has been an extended discussion of the Triple Gem.  If we were 
  to put it briefly, there wouldn't be a great deal to say.  We've kept 
  the discussion drawn-out in this way so as to show the general 
  usefulness of the Triple Gem for those who revere it.  If you want to 
  go for refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha in a way that will 
  reach their genuine benefits, then you should gather their main points 
  into yourself, //training yourself so as to give rise to the virtues 
  of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha in your heart//.  This is where the 
  value of the Triple Gem lies.
    
    
    
                                 * * *
                                          
                                Summary
    
    
  The gist of our discussion of the Triple Gem comes down simply to 
  this:
    
    A.  '//Buddha//' can be divided into a number of levels.  The 
  'Buddha' of his physical representatives refers to Buddha images, 
  stupas, and places worthy of veneration such as his birthplace, the 
  place of his Awakening, the place where he delivered his first sermon, 
  and the place where he entered total nibbana, which at present lie 
  within the boundaries of India and Nepal.  All of these things qualify 
  on the physical level as symbols of the Buddha for those who revere 
  them, but they may be disqualified if the people who revere them lack 
  the necessary inner qualifications.  Take Buddha images as an example:  
  You should understand Buddha images as having three characteristic 
  types  -- 
    
       1.  those inhabited by angry demons;
       
       2.  those inhabited by divinities;
       
       3.  those that people of virtue have invested with the potency of 
         the mind -- these can be termed, 'inhabited by the Dhamma
    
    In other words, Buddha images can be beneficial or harmful depending 
  on how they are used by those who revere them.  Even people who use 
  them as charms in committing robbery, casting spells, or performing 
  black magic may get results because of the power of their conviction.  
  But if we can be selective and use these images in ways that are 
  right, the potency they contain will benefit us, bringing us blessings 
  and protecting us from danger.  Thus, the symbols of the Buddha can 
  function in various ways.  There is much more to this topic, but if we 
  were to discuss it here, it would draw things out even further.  These 
  images can either qualify or be disqualified as symbols of the Buddha, 
  depending on the people who revere them, but the images in themselves 
  are neutral.
    
    The important point for people who hope for true welfare, though, is 
  to invest themselves with the qualities that serve on the inner level 
  as symbols of reverence for the Buddha.  These qualities are three -- 
    
       1.  //Sati//:  wakefulness.
       
       2.  //Panna//:  the intuitive discernment and cognitive skill 
         that come from concentrating the mind.
       
       3.  //Vimutti//:  purity and release from mental defilement:  
         This is the essence of '//Buddha-ratanam//,' the gem of the 
         Buddha.
    
    
    B.  //Dhamma//:  Good Dhamma is of three sorts  -- 
    
    1.  //Pariyatti//:  This refers to studying and memorizing passages 
  from the Canon, which qualifies on the physical level as a symbol of 
  the Dhamma taught by the Buddha.  But this, too, can either qualify or 
  be disqualified as a symbol.  Some people, for example, use passages 
  from the Dhamma in committing robbery or casting spells.  For 
  instance,  they repeat the chant of the virtues of the Dhamma or the 
  phrase, '//Namo buddhaya//,' three times or seven times, and then 
  commit thievery or highway robbery, believing that they have made 
  themselves invincible.  Or when casting spells, they repeat the 
  phrase, '//Na-metta, mo-karuna, da-love me, I won't go, you come, 
  omasavaha//' -- they say that this makes a woman really fall for a 
  man.  //This sort of thing disqualifies the phrase//, even though its 
  original meaning may have been something good.
    
    But if we revere the Dhamma, and make use of it through the power of 
  our conviction, memorizing passages of Pali for the sake of what is 
  good and pure, and then putting them into use, they will give rise to 
  merit.  For example, if we repeat the phrase, '//Dhammam saranam 
  gacchami// (I go to the Dhamma for refuge),' or '//Namo buddhaya// 
  (Homage to the Buddha),' with heartfelt conviction, giving rise to a 
  sense of joy, this mental state can then serve to protect us from 
  certain kinds of accidents and harm.  We may reap real benefits from 
  the phrase we repeat.  This is something that people who have respect 
  for the Dhamma should investigate carefully.
    
    These passages, then, can qualify as symbols of the Dhamma -- or be 
  disqualified, if we don't know their true aims.
    
    2.  //Patipatti//:  This refers to behaving sincerely in line with 
  the Buddha's teachings:
    
       a.  //Sila//:  putting our thoughts, words, and deeds in order.
       
       b.  //Samadhi//:  keeping the mind firmly intent in the four 
         levels of jhana, free from the mental Hindrances.
    
    3.  //Pativedha//:  This refers to extinguishing defilement 
  completely, releasing the mind from all suffering and stress.  This 
  qualifies as the essence of the Dhamma.
    
    All three of the levels mentioned here form the inner qualifications 
  of those who truly revere and follow the Dhamma.
    
    
    C.  //Sangha//:  If we translate this as a substantive, it refers to 
  those who shave their heads and wear the yellow robe as a sign of 
  having been ordained.  These people can qualify on the external level 
  as symbols of the Sangha or they may be disqualified.  To qualify, 
  they have to meet three criteria:
    
       1.  //Vatthu-sampatti//:  The individual to be ordained as a monk 
         has to possess the proper characteristics as stipulated in the 
         Vinaya.
       
       2.  //Sangha-sampatti//:  The monks who gather to witness the 
         ordination constitute a legitimate quorum.
       
       3.  //Sima-sampatti//:  The place in which the ordination is held 
         has had its boundaries properly defined.
    
    When an individual ordains in line with these criteria, he qualifies 
  as a symbol of the Sangha.  But viewed from another angle, if the 
  individual has met these criteria and becomes a monk, but doesn't 
  behave in line with the Dhamma and Vinaya -- disobeying the training 
  rules established by the Buddha, committing major and minor offenses 
  with no sense of shame -- he becomes disqualified on the personal 
  level, just as a Buddha image that has been properly consecrated but 
  is then put to improper uses by evil or lowminded people is bound to 
  lead to harm.  A monk with no sense of conscience or shame is like a 
  Buddha image inhabited by an angry demon.  Normally, when an angry 
  demon takes possession of a person, it reveals itself by its behavior.  
  For example, when some angry demons take possession, they like to run 
  around naked, harassing other people.  If a person has no sense of 
  conscience or shame, it's as if he were possessed by an angry demon. 
  In other words, if he doesn't have any moral restraint, it's as if he 
  lacked the clothing needed to hide his nakedness.  And when this is 
  the case, he is disqualified as a symbol of the Sangha.
    
    A person who meets the three external qualifications mentioned above 
  has to behave in line with the inner virtues of the Sangha  -- 
    
    1.a.  //Caga//:  relinquishing external and internal enemies 
  (worries and concerns).
    
    b.  //Sila//:  keeping one's words and deeds in proper order.
    
    To have these two qualities is to qualify as a human being 
  (//supatipanno).
    
    2.a.  //Hiri//:  having a sense of shame at the thought of doing 
  evil; not daring to do evil in public or private.
    
    b.  //Ottappa//:  having a sense of dread at the thought of the 
  results of doing evil.
    
    If a monk has these qualities (termed '//deva-dhamma//,' the 
  principles of heavenly beings), it's as if he were inhabited by a 
  celestial being (//uju-patipanno//).
    
    3.  //Samadhi//:  steadying the mind so as to reach the first level 
  of jhana and then developing it up to the fourth level, making it 
  radiant and free from the mental Hindrances.  If a monk does this, it 
  is as if he were inhabited by a Brahma, for he has the inner 
  qualifications of a Brahma (//naya-patipanno//).
    
    4.  //Panna, vijja, vimutti//:  gaining release from the mundane 
  level, abandoning the three Fetters beginning with 
  self-identification, reaching the Dhamma of the Buddha, attaining the 
  state where we are guaranteed by the Buddha as being upright, 
  dependable, honest, and sincere toward the Dhamma and Vinaya; gaining 
  Awakening following his example, becoming a reliable member of the 
  Sangha.  Such people are termed '//ariya sotapanna//' -- Noble Ones 
  who have reached the stream -- and deserve to be called 
  '//visuddhi-deva//,' divinities through purity, whose virtues are 
  higher than those of human beings, deities, Indra, or Brahma.  Even 
  though such people are still subject to death and rebirth, they are 
  not like other human beings.   The pure aspect of their heart will 
  never again become defiled.  Thus they deserve to be called, in a 
  partial sense, divinities through purity  (samici-patipanno).
    
    All four of these qualities form the inner qualifications of the 
  Sangha.
    
    Speaking in terms of these inner qualifications, every person can 
  become a member of the Sangha.  But if we don't develop these 
  qualities within ourselves and then take refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma 
  and Sangha only on the external level, how will we get the full 
  benefits?  We're taught that if we can't depend on ourselves, there is 
  no way we can hope to depend on others.  For example, if an evil 
  person breaks the law, commits robbery, and then asks the government 
  to give him help, you can rest assured that the only help the 
  government will give him will be to build a place for him to live in 
  discomfort -- a jail.  In the same way, if we don't behave in line 
  with the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, how can we go 
  around taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha?  The Buddha 
  taught:
    
            //Attahi attano natho, ko hi natho paro siya//.
                                          
      'The self is its own refuge, for who else could be refuge?' 
    
    
    Thus we should develop the inner qualifications of the Buddha, 
  Dhamma and Sangha within ourselves.  Then we will belong to the 
  company of the Buddha's followers.  If we belong to the religion as 
  lay women, we are called '//upasika//.'   If we belong as lay men, we 
  are called '//upasaka//.'  If we observe the ten precepts and are 
  endowed with the virtues of the Sangha, we are termed '//samanera//.'  
  If we take a vow to join the community of those who fully observe the 
  227 precepts, we are termed '//bhikkhu//.'  When we join the company 
  of the Buddha's followers in this way, all people in general who 
  practice and revere the teachings will benefit -- just as when we meet 
  the qualifications of a good citizen as set out by the government:   
  If we are trained and educated to be good, we are bound to help the 
  nation progress and prosper.   But if we don't view ourselves as part 
  of the nation and don't think of making a living to support ourselves, 
  and instead simply go around looking for pleasure or for help from 
  others, the results are bound to be bad.
    
    Therefore, we as Buddhists have to study and practice before we can 
  be Buddhists of virtue and value.  We will then reap rewards in the 
  visible present.  And even if we are no longer able to live in this 
  world, then when our bodies die and we head for another world, we have 
  a good bourn awaiting us, as in the verse from the Mahasamaya Sutta:
    
                    //Ye keci buddham saranam katase
                     Na te gamissanti apaya bhumim.
                          Pahaya manusam deham
                     Deva-kayam paripuressantiti//.
    
    'Those who reach the refuge of the Buddha (in their own hearts, with 
  purity) will close off all four of the lower realms (such as hell).  
  When they leave this life they are bound for a good bourn (heaven), 
  there to fill the ranks of the gods.'
    
  //Buddham dhammam sangham jivitam yava-nibbanam saranam gacchami//.
    
    'I go to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha as my life and refuge till 
  reaching nibbana.'
    
    
                            * * * * * * * *
                                          
                                          
                                          
                                          
                                GLOSSARY
    
    
    
  //Abhidhamma//:  The third of the three collections forming the Pali 
       Canon, composed of systematic treatises based on lists of 
       categories drawn from the Buddha's teachings.
  
  //Apaya//:  States of deprivation, i.e., the four lower realms of 
       existence:  rebirth in hell, as a hungry ghost, as an angry 
       demon, or as a common animal.  In Buddhism, none of these states 
       are regarded as eternal conditions.
  
  //Ayatana//:  Sense media -- the six senses (including the intellect 
       as the sixth) and their respective objects.
  
  //Brahma//:  An inhabitant of the highter heavens of form and 
       formlessness, a position earned -- but not forever -- through the 
       cultivation of virtue and meditative absorption, along with the 
       attitudes of limitless love, compassion, appreciation, and 
       equanimity.
  
  //Gotarabhu-nana//:  Change of lineage knowledge -- the glimpse of 
       nibbana that changes one from an ordinary, run-of-the-mill person 
       to a Noble One.
  
  //Jhana//:  Absorption in a single object or preoccupation.  
       Rupa-jhana refers to absorption in a physical sensation; 
       arupa-jhana, to absorption in a mental notion or state.
  
  //Kamma//:  Acts of intention that result in states of being and 
       birth.
  
  //Khandha//:  Aggregate.  The five aggregates ar the component parts 
       of sensory perception; physical and mental phenomena as they are 
       directly experienced:  form (sense data), feeling, perception, 
       thought-formations, and consciousness.
  
  //Nibbana//:  Liberation; the unbinding of the mind from greed, anger, 
       and delusion; from sensations and mental acts.  As this term is 
       also used to refer to the extinguishing of a fire, it carries the 
       connotations of stilling, cooling, and peace.  (According to the 
       physics taught at the time of the Buddha, the property of fire 
       exists in a latent state to a greater or lesser degree in all 
       objects.  When activated, it seizes and sticks to its fuel.  When 
       extinguished, it becomes unbound.)
  
  //Nivarana//:  Hindrance; one of five mental qualities that hinder the 
       mind from attaining concentration and discernment:  sensual 
       desire, ill will, sloth & torpor, restlessness & anxiety, and 
       uncertainty.
  
  //Pali//:  The name of the most ancient recension of the Buddhist 
       scriptures now extant; and -- by extension -- of the language in 
       which it was composed.
  
  //Vinaya//:  The first of the three collections forming the Pali 
       Canon. dealing with the disciplinary rules of the monastic order.  
       The Buddha's own name for the religion he founded was, 'this 
       Dhamma-Vinaya' -- this Doctrine and Discipline.
  
                            * * * * * * * *



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 TITLE OF WORK: What is the Triple Gem?
 FILENAME: TIRATANA.ZIP
 AUTHOR: Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo
 AUTHOR'S ADDRESS:   N/A (deceased 1961)
 PUBLISHER'S ADDRESS:   The Abbot
                        Metta Forest Monastery
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 DATE OF PUBLICATION: 1994
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