Chapter 4. Flower; Pupphavaggo (Dhp.44-59), Parallel Reading (paragraph granularity) of The Buddha's Path of Wisdom-- Dhammapada (Dhp.)

(Ven. Nārada 04-06) Dhammapada. The Commentary states that this term is applied to the thirty-seven Factors of Enlightenment (Bodhipakkhiyadhamma). They are:-

I.The four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaññhāna) - namely: 1. contemplation of the body (kāyānupassanā), 2. contemplation of the feelings (vedanānupassanā), 3. contemplation of thoughts (cittānupassanā), and 4. contemplation of phenomena (dhammānupassanā).

II.The four Supreme Efforts (Sammappadāna) - namely: 1. the effort to prevent evil that has not arisen, 2. the effort to discard evil that has already arisen, 3. the effort to cultivate unarisen good, and 4. the effort to promote good that has already arisen.

III.The four Means of Accomplishment (iddhipāda) - namely: will (chanda), energy (viriya), thought (citta), and wisdom (vimaṃsā).

IV.The five faculties (Indriya) - namely: confidence (saddhā), energy (viriya), mindfulness (sati), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā).

V.The five Forces (Bala), having the same names as the Indriyas.

VI.The seven Constituents of Enlightenment (Bojjhaṅga) - namely: mindfulness (sati), investigation of the Truth (Dhammavicaya), energy (viriya), joy (pīti), serenity (passaddhi), concentration (samādhi), and equanimity (upekkhā).

VII.The Eightfold Path (Aññhaṅgikamagga) - namely: right views (sammā diññhi), right thoughts (sammā saṅkappa), right speech (sammā vācā), right actions (sammā kammanta), right livelihood (sammā ājīva), right endeavour (sammā vāyāma), right mindfulness (sammā sati) and right concentration (sammā samādhi).

(DLMBS Commentary V044) A group of monks accompanied the Buddha to a certain village and then they all returned to the monastery. The monks started to talk about the trip. They paid close attention to the condition of the land: whether it was level or hilly, whether the soil was clayey or sandy etc.

The Buddha visited them and when overheard the topic of their discussion, he told them to better concentrate on their own bodies. He said, that the earth is external and that they should strive to examine their own bodies and understand what they really are.

He then added that by understanding one's own body we are also able to understand the whole world. We will be able to realize the Dharma, just as a skilful garland-maker makes the garlands.

(DLMBS Commentary V045) The story for this verse is the same as for the previous one (DhP 44).

The disciple of the Buddha is able to investigate this world. By understanding and realizing the Dharma we can also fully understand the whole world with all its beings, because the Dharma is after all concerned just with this world, its conditions and our position in this world. So, just as a skilful garland-maker can pick flowers easily, we, as Buddha's followers, can investigate the Dharma and with it the whole world.

(DLMBS Commentary V046) A certain monk obtained his meditation subject from the Buddha. He went to the forest and practiced diligently. But for some reason he made very little progress and was not happy. He set out on a journey back to tell the Buddha about his difficulties and to obtain another meditation subject.

But on the way he saw a mirage. He realized, that a mirage is only an illusion of water and that also his body is an illusion as well. He fixed his mind on this understanding and continued with his meditation.

Later he went for a bath to a river and there he saw the foam, how it was insubstantial and breaking up quickly. Thus he further realized the impermanent nature of the body.

The Buddha then sent him his image and told him to keep up the meditation this way. The monk attained the arahantship and escaped the King of Death forever.

(DLMBS Commentary V047) By "flowers" are meant the pleasures of the senses here. One, who only keeps "gathering flowers", or in other words chase after the sense-pleasures, will be carried away by death, as the army of the king of Kosala in this story.

King Pasenadi of Kosala asked the clan of the Sākyans (Buddha's own relatives) to give him one of their daughters as a wife. But they sent him a daughter of a slave woman by king Mahānāma. Pasenadi did not know that and married her. She gave birth to a son, who was named Vidudabha.

Later Vidudabha found out, that his mother was a daughter of a slave and became very angry with the Sākyans. When he became the king, he declared war on them and killed almost all of the Sākyan clan. On the way back, he and his army encamped on the bank of a river. That night, heavy rain fell; the river swelled and carried Vidudabha and his army to the ocean.

When Buddha heard what happened, he uttered this verse.

(DLMBS Commentary V048) In the city of Sāvatthi there lived a woman named Pati Pujikā Kumāri. She was very generous and virtuous. She gave alms to everyone in need and generally helped everybody.

She also remembered her one previous life. She used to be one of the wives of the God

Mālabhāri in the Tāvatimsa heaven. So she would often pray that she might be born there again in her next life.

One day she fell ill and passed away. And she was really reborn in the Tāvatimsa heaven. The other gods did not even miss her, because one hundred years in the human world is just one day in Tāvatimsa. So they asked her, where had she been the whole morning. She then told them the whole story.

When the Buddha heard, that Pati Pujikā died, he explained that the life was very brief. Before the beings could be satisfied in the pleasures of the senses, they would be overpowered by death.

(DLMBS Commentary V049) This verse talks about the practice of alms-rounds. The monks are supposed to obtain alms food from the people, going house from house and taking something here, something there, especially from those, who have a lot. Just like a bee takes the juice from the flower but does no harm to it, so the monks should get the food from the villagers, making no harm to them by taking too much from one family or from the poor families.

The following story is associated with this verse.

In one village there lived a very rich but very miserly couple. One day they made some pancakes, but because they did not want to share them with others, they made them secretly.

The Buddha saw this and sent one of his chief disciples, Moggallāna to their house. He arrived there and stood by the door. They tried to make a very small pancake and give it to him. But no matter how they tried, a small amount of dough would fill in the whole pan. Then they tried to offer him one of their own pancakes, but they were unable to separate them. So they gave him the whole basket with all their pancakes.

Moggallāna invited them to the monastery to see the Buddha. They offered the pancakes to the Buddha and the monks. The Buddha delivered a discourse on charity and both the husband and wife attained the first stage of Awakenment.

(DLMBS Commentary V050) In Sāvatthi once lived a lady who was a disciple of the ascetic Pāthika. All her friends and neighbors were the disciples of the Buddha and she often wanted to go to the monastery herself, to hear the Buddha's teachings. But Pāthika always prevented her from going there.

So she invited the Buddha to her house for almsgiving instead. He came together with many monks and after the meal he delivered a teaching. She was very impressed and happy and exclaimed, "Well said!"

Pāthika heard this from the next room and became very angry. He left the house, cursing the woman and the Buddha.

The lady was very embarrassed by this. But the Buddha advised her not to be concerned about others' curses, but to be only mindful of her own good and bad deeds. At the end she attained the first stage of Awakenment.

(DLMBS Commentary V051) A certain Buddha's disciple named Chattapāni has attained the second stage of Awakenment. Once, while he was listening to the Buddha's discourse, the king Pasenadi came to the monastery. Chattapāni did not get up, because by paying homage to the king he would disrespect the Buddha. The king was very unhappy about that, thinking that Chattapāni offended him. But the Buddha explained to the king what Chattapāni meant. The king was impressed and asked Chattapāni to teach Dharma to his queens. But he refused, saying that monks should teach Dharma, not mere lay disciples.

The Buddha then assigned Ānanda to teach them. After some time the Buddha asked, how much progress did the queens make. Ānanda replied, that the queen Mallikā was learning very quickly and seriously, the queen Vāsabha Khattiyā was not paying attention and therefore made no progress.

The Buddha replied by this verse, saying that only those, who learn diligently and then practice what they learned, can benefit from the Dharma.

(DLMBS Commentary V052) The story for this verse is the same as for the previous one.

One who speaks well, who often admonishes others, but does not act according to one’s own speech speaks in vain. His words are just as a beautiful flower that does not smell. Only when one acts as well as one speak, one's speech can be considered well said, like a nice flower that also smells nicely.

(DLMBS Commentary V053) The traditional commentary for this verse contains the famous story of the chief Buddha's benefactress Visākhā.

She married Punnavaddhana, the son of Migāra, a rich man who lived in the city of Sāvatthi. Once, when her father-in-law was eating his lunch, a monk came to their house on his alms-round. Migāra ignored him completely. Visākhā told the monk: "Sorry, venerable sir, my father-in-law only eats stale food". Migāra became very angry with her. She explained, that he was only reaping rewards of his good deeds from previous lives, not creating any merit in this life. Therefore she spoke about "stale food".

Migāra understood and allowed her to invite the Buddha with the monks for the alms-food. Migāra listened to Buddha's discourse from behind a curtain (because he was a lay disciple of some ascetic teacher and he did not want Migāra to show himself in front of the Buddha). After hearing Buddha's speech, Migāra attained the first stage of Awakenment. He was very grateful to Visākhā and declared that she would be like a mother to him.

Once she went to the monastery and carried her gem-entrusted cloak with her. She gave it to her maid to carry and she forgot it in the monastery. Visākhā then wanted to donate the cloak to the monks but they would not accept. So Visākhā tried to sell the cloak and donate the money for the use of the Sangha. But the cloak was so expensive that nobody could afford to buy it. Visākhā then bought it back herself. With the money she built a monastery for the Sangha.

Visākhā was very happy - all her desires were fulfilled. The Buddha explained that she was strongly inclined to do good deeds, had done much good in the past and will do a lot of good deeds in the future - just as one can do many garlands from the heap of flowers.

(DLMBS Commentary V054) Venerable Ānanda was once sitting in meditation and he was pondering the problem of scent. All the known scents - perfumes, flowers, roots etc. go only with the wind. No scent can go against the wind. Is there any scent at all that can go against the wind?

He asked the Buddha about it. The Buddha said that there exists such thing. A person, who takes refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, observes the moral precepts and is generous, is really worthy of praise. The "scent", or the reputation, of such a person spreads far and wide, with the wind and against it. Such a person is famous everywhere and people praise him.

(DLMBS Commentary V055) tagaraṃ: tagara-, N.n: the incense obtained from a kind of shrub (in Latin: Tabernaemontana coronaria). Nom.Sg. = tagaraṃ.

The story for this verse is identical with that for the previous verse (DhP 54).

The "scent" or reputation of virtue is the highest. All the other natural scents cannot compete with it, because they can be smelt only for a short time and only in a short distance. But the smell of virtue can be felt for a long period of time and in all directions.

(DLMBS Commentary V056) One of the Buddha's chief disciples, Venerable Kassapa, went to the city of Rājagaha for alms food. He wanted to give some poor man opportunity to give him food and thus obtain merit.

Sakka, the king of the gods saw this, he assumed the form of an old poor weaver and together with his wife Sujātā came to Rājagaha. Venerable Kassapa stood at their door and Sakka filled his bowl with delicious rice and curry. Kassapa thought, that this cannot be a poor man - how could such a person afford so delicious food? Kassapa then realized that this man and his wife are actually Sakka and Sujātā.

They admitted this fact and told Kassapa that they were too very poor - they did not have enough opportunity to give alms and thus did not accumulate any merit.

Monks asked the Buddha how Sakka knew Kassapa was such a virtuous person that any alms given to him reap great meritorious reward. The Buddha answered by this verse, telling them that the fame of Kassapa's virtue reached even amongst the gods.

(DLMBS Commentary V057) A monk named Godhika was practicing meditation diligently. But whenever he made some progress in his meditation, he became seriously ill. It impaired effectiveness of his meditation, but he nevertheless continued to practice.

At the end he decided to strive for the arahantship even if he were to die. So he concentrated on physical pain as his meditation object and cut his throat (this can nor be considered a suicide, because he was very close to arahantship anyway and he already eradicated all cravings). Thus, concentrating on the pain, he attained his goal and then passed away.

Mara tried to find where Godhika was reborn but he could not find him anywhere. So he went and asked the Buddha about Godhika. The Buddha told him, that Godhika became an arahant and Mara could never be able to find him again.

(DLMBS Commentary V058) In the city of Sāvatthi, there lived two friends, Sirigutta and Garahadinna. Sirigutta was a student of the Buddha and Garahadinna followed Nigantha's teaching. Garahadinna always instigated his friend to become a Nigantha's follower too. He would boast that his teachers know all the past, present and future.

So Sirigutta once invited his friend's teachers to his house. He prepared a deep hole, filled it with dirt and put the seats on ropes on top of this trench. Niganthas came and when they sat down, the ropes broke and Niganthas fell into the pit. Sirigutta asked them how come they claim to know the future but they did not know what would happen to them. They did not know what to say and fled in terror.

Garahadinna wanted to take revenge on his friend's teacher too, so he invited the Buddha and some monks to his house for alms food. He dug a hole, filled it with burning coal, and covered with mats. But when the Buddha entered and sat down, the coal disappeared and instead of it big lotus flowers appeared.

Garahadinna was very alarmed. Then he realized that as he did not expect the Buddha to survive this test, he did not prepare any food. But when he entered the kitchen, he found out that a lot of food appeared there as if from nowhere. So he served the food to the Buddha and the monks.

After the lunch, the Buddha taught the two friends Dharma in a gradual manner. At the end they both attained the first stage of Awakenment.

(DLMBS Commentary V059) The story to this verse is identical to the previous one.

Just as a lotus can grow in a dirty place, but does not become stained by it, so a true disciple of the Buddha lives in this world, but is not dirtied by it in any way.