Chapter 3. The Mind; Cittavaggo (Dhp.33-43), Parallel Reading (paragraph granularity) of The Buddha's Path of Wisdom-- Dhammapada (Dhp.)

(Ven. Nārada 03-05) Guhāsayaṃ - i.e., the seat of consciousness. It is clear that the Buddha has not definitely assigned a specific basis for consciousness as He had done with the other senses. It was the cardiac theory (the theory that the heart is the seat of consciousness) that prevailed in His time, and this was evidently supported by the Upanishads. The Buddha could have adopted this popular theory, but He did not commit Himself. In the Paññhāna, the Book of Relations, the Buddha refers to the basis of consciousness in such indirect terms as yaṃ rūpaṃ nissāya, dependent on that material thing. What the material thing was the Buddha did not positively assert. According to the views of commentators like the Venerables Buddhaghosa and Anuruddha the seat of consciousness is the heart (hadayavatthu).

One wonders whether one is justified in presenting the cardiac theory as Buddhistic when the Buddha Himself neither rejected nor accepted this popular theory.

(DLMBS Commentary V033) Once the Buddha was staying on Cālika mountain. One of the monks, Meghiya Thera was attending upon him. This Thera saw a nice mango grove and asked the Buddha for permission to go there for meditation. But there were no other monks at that time and the Buddha needed an attendance. So he told Meghiya to wait for arrival of somebody else and then he could go.

But Meghiya wanted to go really badly, so he asked the Buddha again and again, until he got his permission. He went to the grove and started to meditate, only to find out that his mind was wandering. He stayed there the whole day, but made no progress.

In the evening he reported to the Buddha, how he was all the time assailed by thoughts associated with senses, ill will and cruelty. The Buddha told him the verses 33 and 34 and Meghiya attained Sotāpatti, the first stage on the way to awakenment.

(DLMBS Commentary V034) The story for this verse is the same as for the previous one (DhP 33). Our mind is indeed wavering, writhing and difficult to restrain, like a snake or a young branch. An arrow maker making an arrow has to straighten it first; otherwise it would be a worthless arrow. In the same way, we have to straighten the mind; otherwise we cannot hit the goal with it.

When we want to leave Mara's realm, the world, the mind trembles and flickers just like a fish thrown on a dry ground, suddenly without its familiar surroundings, unable to relate to this new situation.

(DLMBS Commentary V035) Sixty monks received their meditation subjects from the Buddha and they went to the village of Mātika. There the mother of the village headman, called Mātikamātā, built a monastery for them and gave them alms food regularly. So they decided to spend the Rain Retreat there. She asked them to teach her some Dharma and they taught her the 32 body parts and awareness of the body's decay. She practiced diligently and attained the third (last but one) stage of awakenment. She also attained some supernormal powers; she was able to read other people's minds. She used this power and saw that the sixty monks have not so far attained anything. She saw, that they all had potential for arahantship, but they needed proper food. So she gave them alms food and soon they all became arahants.

At the end of the retreat they went back to the Buddha and reported what happened. A certain monk decided to go to the same village. Mātikamātā personally came to the monastery and gave him alms food. He asked her about her supernormal powers, but she evaded this subject. He got scared that she will see his impure mind and left the village.

He told the Buddha about his fears, but the Buddha sent him back, telling him to control his mind under all circumstances. So the monk went back, thinking only about his meditation subject. Mātikamātā made sure that he had enough alms food and the monk too attained arahantship soon.

(DLMBS Commentary V036) Once in the city of Sāvatthi, there lived a son of a banker. He asked a monk who came to his house for alms food, how to be liberated from the ills of life. The monk instructed him to divide his property into three parts. One he was to do business with, one to support his family, one for charity. The man did so and then asked what to do next. He was instructed to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and to observe five precepts. But the man was still not satisfied. So the monk told him to renounce the world and to become a monk too.

As a monk he was taught Dharma by one teacher and Vinaya by another. Thus he felt that there was too much to learn, the rules were too strict and there was no freedom. He wanted to return to lay life. He began to have doubts, was discontent and unhappy, neglected his meditation. The Buddha told him that if he only could control his mind, he had nothing else to control. Then he told him this verse. The monk attained arahantship.

(DLMBS Commentary V037) Saṅgharakkhita Thera was from the city of Sāvatthi. His sister gave birth to a son. People called him "The nephew Saṅgharakkhita". He also became a monk.

Once he was offered two sets of robes. He wanted to give one set to his uncle. So at the end of the retreat he went to see him, but his uncle did not want a robe, saying he had enough. The young man felt bad, thinking the uncle does not want to share with him. So he decided to leave the Order.

His mind began to wander and a train of thoughts appeared. When he became a layman he would sell his robes and buy a goat. The goat would breed quickly and soon he would have enough money to marry. His wife would give birth to a son. He would take his wife and son in a cart to see the uncle. On the way he would say he could carry the child. She would tell him to drive that she could carry the baby. But he will insist and grab the child. The child would fall down and the wheel would pass over him. He would get furious and hit his wife with the goading stick.

At that time he was fanning the Thera and absentmindedly hit him with the fan. His uncle said: "You were unable to beat your wife, why hit an old monk?" The young man was embarrassed and frightened of his uncle, so he fled. The monks chased him and took him to see the Buddha. He told him the verse and said that the mind has ability to think of objects far away and that one should strive for liberation. The young monk attained the first stage of awakenment.

(DLMBS Commentary V038) A certain man from Sāvatthi was once looking for his ox lost in the forest. He got hungry so he went to a village monastery, where the monks gave him the remains of the morning meal. While eating, he realized that he was working hard every day, but did not even have enough food. What if he became a monk? So he asked the monks to grant him an ordination. As a monk he had plenty of food, soon he was quite fat.

After some time he grew tired of going for alms and so he decided to become a layman again. Later he again changed his mind, thinking the life too strenuous and became a monk. In this way he left the Order and came back six times.

While he was going back and forth, his wife became pregnant. Once he entered their bedroom when she was asleep. She was almost naked, snoring loudly, saliva trickling down the mouth. This and her bloated stomach made her look like a corpse. He was able to perceive impermanence and unpleasantness of the body. He was thinking that he was a monk for several times and only because of this woman he was not able to stay. So he left home for seventh time, repeating as he went the words "impermanence" and "suffering" and on the way to the monastery he attained the first stage of awakenment. But the monks did not want to permit him into the Order, joking: "You have been shaving your head so often, that it looks like a whetting stone." He asked once more and the monks granted him the ordination one last time. Within few days he attained arahantship.

The monks were surprised to see him staying so long, so they asked what happened. The man said he had no attachments any more, so why would he leave. But they did not believe him and asked the Buddha, who said it was the truth. The man was an arahant now, who discarded both the ideas of good and evil.

(DLMBS Commentary V039) The story for this verse is identical with the previous one (DhP 38).

If the mind is unsteady, the confidence in the Teaching wavering and one is not really resolved to do anything about it, the wisdom will not grow. But with a strong conscientiousness and watchfulness, the mind can get rid of the passions and unsteadiness. Then one is able to abandon all the ideas of good and evil and become free, just like the man from our story did.

(DLMBS Commentary V040) Our body is like a jar, very fragile. And our mind should be like a fortified city, guarded everywhere. The story for this verse says:

Five hundred monks from Sāvatthi received the meditation subjects and went far away to a large grove. The guardian spirits of the trees there saw that the monks came and decided that it would be impolite to stay in the trees. So they descended, thinking the monks will only stay one night. But they decided to spend the Rain retreat there. The spirits did not want to live on the ground so long, so they scared the monks by terrible sounds and ghostly images.

The monks ran away and told the Buddha what happened. He told them that they did not have any weapon, so they must be armed with loving kindness (Mettā). He then taught them the Mettā sutta. He further instructed them to recite the poem from the outskirts of the forest and enter the monastery still reciting. The monks did accordingly.

The spirits received their loving kindness, welcomed them and did them no harm. The monks meditated on the 32 parts of the body and realized its impermanence. The Buddha saw it from away, appeared in front of them, saying, yes, the body is like a jar. He also told them this verse (DhP 40). All five hundred monks became arahants.

(DLMBS Commentary V041) There was a monk called Thera Tissa. He diligently meditated and had many students, but then he was afflicted with a disease. Small boils appeared all over his body, and then big sores developed from them. Later sores burst, emitting pus and blood; his robes became dirty and stinky. The monks called him Pūtigatatissa, Tissa with stinking body. They kept away from him, even his pupils abandoned him, and nobody would go near him.

The Buddha saw his sorrowful state, saw that he would soon die, but that he could also attain arahantship very quickly. So the Buddha went to the fire-shed close to the place, where the Thera was living. He boiled some water, went to the monk's room and started to carry him out. Other monks also gathered and helped him to carry the sick Thera out. They brought him to the fire-shed, bathed him and washed his robes.

After taking the bath, the monk became fresh in body and mind, he developed one-pointedness and concentration. The Buddha then related this verse (DhP 41) and Thera Tissa became an arahant immediately. Soon after that he passed away.

(DLMBS Commentary V042) In the country of Kosala there once lived a herdsman named Nanda. He looked after the cows of the famous benefactor Anāthapiṇḍika. Sometimes he would go to Anāthapiṇḍika's house and listen to the Buddha's discourses. Once Nanda asked the Buddha to come to his house for alms food. The Buddha replied that he would come, but the time is not yet right and Nanda should wait.

After some time the Buddha was traveling and went off his usual route to see Nanda, because he knew that the time for him to do so was ripe. Nanda received him, served the Buddha and monks milk and milk products and all kinds of food. This lasted for seven days. On the last day after hearing the Buddha's discourse, Nanda attained the first stage of awakenment.

When the Buddha was leaving, Nanda carried his bowl for him some distance and then turned back home. Suddenly a hunter, his old enemy, shot him. The monks saw Nanda laying dead on the road. They told the Buddha that because of them, because they came to his house and he was accompanying them, Nanda died. But the Buddha said that there was no escape from death for him. And he told the monks this verse (DhP 42).

(DLMBS Commentary V043) In the city of Soreyya, there once lived a son of rich man. His name was also Soreyya. Once he was going with friend in a luxurious carriage to take a bath. They saw Mahākaccāyana Thera adjusting his robe before he entered Soreyya to get his alms food. Soreyya said: "I wish the monk was my wife, or my wife had a complexion like he has!" With that he changed to a woman. He was ashamed and ran away and began to travel to the city of Taxila. His friend was looking for him everywhere, but did not find any trace.

Soreyya (now woman) offered her ring to some people, going to Taxila, and they took her with them in a carriage. When they got there, the people told one young rich man about the beautiful girl who came with them to the city. The man married her. She gave birth to two sons, but also had two sons from the previous marriage as a man.

Once a merchant from Soreyya came to Taxila to do some business. She sent for him, because she recognized an old friend in him. But of course, he did not know who she was. She asked many questions about her old family and other friends. The man related to her the story about the disappeared man. She revealed her identity and told him all what happened. The man advised her to ask pardon from the Thera.

Mahākaccāyana was invited to her house and she offered him alms food. The lady explained what happened and asked for pardon. The Thera said: "Get up, I forgive you." With that she became a man again.

But he kept thinking how during a single life his body could undergo two changes of sex and have children both as a man and as a woman. He felt these things were very repulsive and decided to leave the lay life.

People often asked him if he loved more the two sons he had as a man or the two sons he had as a woman. He always answered that the sons whom he (as a woman) personally delivered were closer to him. People asked him this question so often that he became ashamed and annoyed. He stayed by himself, diligently meditating on the decay of the body. Soon he attained arahantship. When people again asked him the same question, he said he had no affection for any one in particular.

Others thought he does not speak the truth, so they asked the Buddha about it. But he told them that Soreyya does not lie. Now he is an arahant, his well directed mind brought him a well being which neither the father nor the mother could bestow on him.