The Dangers of Ignoble Dhamma

revised on 2021-03-16

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; no date noted

[There is no human being greater and nobler than the Buddha in human history. After his enlightenment, he was thinking that better to have a refuge than without. Therefore, he was looking for everywhere with his wisdom and power, and couldn’t find anyone to be his teacher and refuge. And he decided to take the Dhamma as true refuge.

The Buddha, out of compassion especially taught human beings for 45 years. He penetrated the human mind, characters, nature, the problems and dangers which came from immoral behaviors and actions due to greed, hatred and delusion. He described the causes and how to deal with them.

He also taught about moral wholesome dhamma, the causes and how to develop them. The most important of his teachings were to transcend all dukkha.

There were many suttas mentioned about the problems and dangers of human societies arose from immoral consequences. Human beings are part of nature. Therefore, human immoral behaviors and actions (even their mental states) are important causes for natural environments and its disasters.

Even nowadays modern science knows about some of their connections but still not in a very clear picture. There are also unseen nature, causes and things scientists will never find out. Because they are normal people and have a lot of defilements like you and me. With a defiled mind can’t penetrate thing thoroughly like the Buddha and noble disciples.

How the defiled mind, ignoble mind and the wholesome mind effect the physical world and nature was even had discovered by a Japanese scientist. He researched on water with the different mental states which changed the structures of the water crystals.

Even the Buddha mentioned some of the human immoral behaviors, unnatural or abnormal actions brought dangers and natural disasters in human societies and to the natural world. Some of them were unlawful lust (adhamma raga), wrong practices (micchā dhamma), corruptions and immorality of politicians, leaders and officials.

Now we see these unwholesome things happen more and more in today world. The only way to escape from these dangers and disasters are wholesome and moral educations which are the foundations of all goodness to arise. These wholesome dhammas are like the strong root of a tree, without it the whole tree will collapse.]

Heedlessness in good and noble dhammas is encountering with the dangers of ignoble dhammas. The heedlessness of impermanence is ignorant. It’s unwholesome and ignoble dhamma.

Sabbe saṅkhāra anicca and dukkha – All conditioned phenomena are impermanent and suffering. Sabbe dhamma anattā – All dhammas are not-self. Not discerning them is encountering with the dangers of ignoble dhammas.

Āsava samudaya avijjā samudayo, avijjā samudaya āsava samudayo – with the arising of taints and ignorance arises, with the arising of ignorance and taints arise. They are the same (they are like viññāṇa and nāma / rūpa). With the sinking and drifting the taints of dhamma will follow you. A heedless person will end up with sinking and drifting.

The dangers of starvation, diseases, etc. are not very frightening. You will only die in one life. If you are heedless in the stream of sa sāra and it’ll ṁ never end with the dangers of ageing, sickness and death. The fault of heedlessness let the four taints arise.

The dhammas shouldn’t be arisen are ignoble dhammas. It’s not referring to a person. You’re not afraid the dangers in hand, instead afraid of the dangers not encounter yet. Internal dangers are more fearful (i.e., defilements, immoral and unwholesome dhammas).

Not seeing the inner dangers that saṁsāra is long for you. These were the reasons of encountering with the dangers of ignoble dhammas before; i.e., not meeting the Buddha, not realizing Nibbāna and falling into the four woeful planes. These unwholesome dhammas came to you because you forgot the impermanence. You don’t see it even the impermanence is there. Foolish kammas arise as the companions of the existing ignorance.

Therefore, we’re encountering with the physical and mental sufferings. The permanent homes of heedless people are the four woeful planes. You will encounter dangers if you’re heedless. You will realize Nibbāna if not in heedlessness. It will not be in dangers with mindfulness (sati) and observing with paññā.

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revised on 2021-03-16; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4371&p=36339#p36339 (posted on 2019-04-16)

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• Content of Part 12 on "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

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• Content of "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

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• Content of Publications of Ven. Uttamo

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