Skillful means:-
Coping with
a Handful of Leaves
by Aggacitta Bhikkhu
Published for
free distribution by
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Produced
by Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary Publication Team
(English)
Editor-in-chief: Looi Sow
Fei
Sub-editors: Ven Kumara Bhikkhu, Ang Siew
Mun, Audrey Lim, Khor Siew Hun, Seow Siew
Hoon
Proofreaders: Lim Chin Meh, Lim Lay Hoon,
Lim Lay Poh, Maxine Cheong
Photo credits:
Layout and cover design: Jotika, Sukhi
Hotu
Copyright @ Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary July 2004
Permission to
reprint for free distribution and non-commercial usage may be
obtained in writing from the publisher. This printing: 3000 copies
Printed by Setiakawan, Selangor ISBN
983-41646-1-0
GUIDE TO
NON-ENGLISH TERMS
With the exception of proper
nouns, uncommon non -English words are italicized, with full
diacritical marks on their first occurrence in the main text,
followed by their English translations in round brackets. In
subsequent occurrences, they are in normal font. More common terms
will also be with full diacritical marks and italicized on their
first occurrence but will not be accompanied by
translations.
For
easy reference, a glossary of such non-English terms, including
some proper nouns, is provided on pg 18.
Certain
words in the main text are accompanied by their original Pali
equivalents, which are italicized and placed within round brackets,
These are not further explained in the glossary.
Abbr.
Text
Reference according
to
SN
Samyutta Nikaya
Samyutta
number:Sutta number
Dhp
Dhammapada
Verse
number
MN
Majjhima Nikaya
Sutta
number
All
references are based on Vipassana Research Institute's Chattha
Sangayana CD-ROM (V.3.0).
“What do you think, monks? Which are
more... the leaves in my hand or those above the
sisapa forest?" The Blessed One was staying near
Kosambi in the sisapa forest when he picked up a handful of sisapa
leaves and posed this question.
"Few are the leaves in
your hand, Bhante answered the monks, "compared to the abundant
leaves above the sisapa forest."
"It is so indeed,
monks," said the Blessed Or "In the same way, vast is the knowledge
that I have directly realised but not revealed. But why did not
reveal it?" The Buddha explained that it was because such knowledge
was not conducive to total liberation from the sufferings
pertaining to the endless round of births and deaths. (Sisapavana
Sutta, SN 56:31).
Centuries later, the
"handful of leave" bequeathed to us was subsequently inscribed in
three huge baskets of dried palm leaves, then printed in several
thousand pages, and now stored in several hundred megabytes of disc
space. How can we relate the method
of vipassana (insight) meditation that we are so
familiar with to the handful of sisapa leaves? Could it be a leaf,
perhaps just a cell? Or maybe even more minute than
that?
Not very long ago, I was
involved in an open discussion about various methods of vipassana
meditation. A long-time Mahasi yogi asked, "What
do you think of the Goenka method? They even claim that they are
doing vipassana meditation." I was quite startled by his remark
because it implied that only the Mahasi method was vipassana while
others were not.
There are, in fact, some
yogis who had difficulty making headway in the Mahasi method but
found the Pa Auk method more suitable for their meditative
progress. Some of them have made such great advancement that they
have become qualified teachers of that method.
Yet there are others who
assert that access or absorption concentration is an absolute prere
quisite before a yogi can even start to mentally
observe (vipassati) the grossest of ultimate
reality - material phenomena, not to mention mental phenomena
like thoughts, emotions and defilements.
One particular yogi had
been regularly practising the Mahasi method on his own for several
months when he was talked into accepting this view. He was advised
to stop noting predominant physical and mental phenomena
"interrupting" his meditation and to just concentrate on the breath
at his nostrils. For three months he diligently tried to
do so.
Later he told me that
although anapanassati (mindfulness of the
in-breath and out-breath) gave him some peace and calmness, he
found that his everyday mindfulness was becoming dull and blunt.
When he was practising general mindfulness, he could watch his
thoughts and emotions even when he was at work, and that helped him
in self-restraint. But since he changed to
pure samatha (tranquillity) meditation, he was
getting wilder in his behaviour.
Several years ago when I
was in Myanmar, I had a discussion with a brother forest monk, Hman
Taung Forest Sayadaw U Candobhasa. He is one of the more
exceptional yogis that I have met. Having practised various methods
of meditation, e.g. Mahasi, Sun Lun, Mogok, Than Un Ya, Kanni,
etc., he was still very enthusiastic when I told him about the Pa
Auk method.
"How can you cope with so many methods?" I asked.
"Whenever I start to learn a new method I make that I completely
let go of any other techniques I have learnt before," replied
Sayadaw. "One must be unbiased, objective and believing when
practising under a competent master. Only then can one reap the
most benefits," he stressed.
Such are the words of a true Truth Seeker. Faith gratitude and
loyalty to one's teacher are doubtless, cardinal virtues of a
devout student. But should a Dhamma sibling be accused of
unfaithfulness (or "spiritual adultery", to coin a new term) and
snubbed for having the guts to try another alternative that may
very well prove to be more suitable than the Dhamma family's usual
method of practice? There is a great deal of subjectivity involved
in walking the path to liberation. What is suitable for one may not
be so for another. "One man’s meat is another man's poison"
may be a mundane English saying, but its message reverberates
through the Tipitaka and its exegetical literature as well as among
yogis of all traditions and ages.
Most of us would be
quite familiar with the story of Ven Sariputta's newly ordained
student (found in the Commentary on the Dhammapada verse #285) who
struggled in vain with an unsuitable medi tation subject until the
Buddha came to the rescue. He was, it seems, a goldsmith's son.
Observing that he was still in his robust youth, Ven Sariputta, the
Buddha's foremost disciple in great wisdom, gave
him asubha (loathsomeness of the body)
meditation to subdue lustful thoughts that he could be prone to. It
was a disastrous diagnosis, which goes to prove that
even arahants (liberated person who has
eradicated all mental defilements) are human enough to err.
Throughout the vassa (rainy season retreat of
three months' duration), one-pointedness of mind eluded him. His
mind simply did not want to concentrate on the loathsome
subject.
After four months of
coaching and persistent striving, both teacher and student were
exhausted. Ven Sariputta, with all his intelligence and wisdom,
could not figure out what was wrong. Finally he took him to see the
Buddha. Through his psychic insight into others' inclinations and
proclivities, the Buddha perceived that this new monk had been born
in a goldsmith's family not only in this existence, but for the
last 500 lifetimes!
The poor novice was
absolutely repelled by such a gross subject because he had been
used to working with refined, beautiful objects of gold. It was
obvious why his mind could not concentrate on the asubha
meditation. Realising that a pleasant meditation subject would be
suitable for him, the Buddha created a huge golden lotus with drops
of water dripping from its petals and stalk. "Here, take this to
the fringe of the monastery, erect it on a heap of sand and
meditate on it," he said.
The monk's eyes lit up
with pleasure when he saw the beautiful golden lotus in the
Buddha's hand. He reached out for it and his mind was immediately
absorbed in the golden lotus. Following the Buddha’s instructions,
he progressively attained and mastered the four jhanas (states of
meditative concentration) in a single sitting. The Buddha then made
the lotus wilt and fade in front of him. At that moment, the new
monk realised impermanence and he attained enlightenment when he
heard the Buddha's words, projected through psychic power from
afar:
Pluck off one's
attachment
Like the autumnal lotus
with the hand
Just develop the Path to
Peace --
Nibbana, preached by the
Buddha.
DHAMMAPADA 285
Dogmatic Theravada
meditators should be asked, "Under which of the 40 objects of
meditation described in the Visuddhimagga can this golden lotus be
classified? Can it be ascertained that he went through the
classical 16 stages of insight knowledge? Did he directly perceive
the cause-and effect connection of his past lives before he
qualified to attain maggaphala (path and
fruition of enlightenment )? It can be argued that individuals
during the Buddha’s time had superior paramis (perfections of
spiritual virtues), so they could break all the rules and still
attain enlightenment; whereas lesser mortals like us shall have to
trudge every inch of the way just to get a glimpse of Nibbana. With
all humility, we may have to admit that we have inferior parami
credentials. But who on earth has the audacity to determine which
method is best for an individual when even Ven Sariputta, the
Buddha's wisest disciple, could prescribe a wrong
subject?
"I tell you, Ashin
Phayah (Burmese word roughly meaning 'Venerable'), all of
them lure [their students] according to their respective
inclinations. Consider for example, Ven Ananda's case. The
scriptures say that he
attained arahantship (total liberation from all
defilements) while he was
practising kiiyagatiisati (mindfulness
established in respect of the body). Teachers from the Mahasi
tradition would of course assert that he was noting the movements
of his body as he was lying down. Teachers who favour anapanassati
would, instead, suggest that he was observing his breath at that
time. 'He must have been contemplating one of the thirty-two parts
of the body,' asubha enthusiasts would insist. None of them can be
proven wrong because the term 'kayagatasati' can refer to any of
those meditations. This is only one example, mind you. The
scriptures are full of ambiguities like that," disclosed Hman Taung
Forest Sayadaw.
"They're all so eloquent
and convincing; we don't really know whom to believe or not to
believe. In the end, it's the actual practice -- the direct,
personal experience -- that matters most," he continued. "After
trying out so many different methods, what do I conclude? Each may
start differently, but eventually they all end up doing the same
thing - observing the arising and passing away of mental and
material phenomena. The clarity and subtlety of the perception, of
course, depends on the strength and intensity of one's
concentration. "
During the Buddha's
time, monks of different clans, castes, districts and countries
stayed and meditated together in one monastery, living in harmony
and in accordance with the Dhamma Vinaya. But not all of them
were meditating on the same type of meditation. One might be
practising mettabhavana (development of
loving-kindness), another anapanassati, and yet another contem
plating the four great elements. Others might be practising more
than just one type of meditation.
For instance, Ven
Rahula, the Buddha's son, at one time was given six different
subjects of meditation: thirty-two parts of the body, five
elements, four divine abodes, asubha, imper manence and
anapanassati. (Maharahulovada Sutta, MN 62).
As the Omniscient
One was still alive, monks were prescribed the meditation subjects
most suitable for each individual. Our story of Ven Sariputta's
student is just one of the many cases where monks who were given
inappropriate meditation subjects by their teachers struggled in
vain until the Buddha came to the rescue. The Visuddhimagga and
other commentaries also discuss at length the subject of
suitability, not only confined to meditation subjects, but covering
other areas such as food, posture, climate, lodging and Dhamma talk
as well.
All this points to the
fact that there is a great deal of subjectivity involved in the
practice for liberation. Starting off on the spiritual path on the
wrong foot could have far reaching consequences. Imagine what could
have happened to the ex- goldsmith monk if the Buddha had not
intervened. In my association with yogis and meditation teachers of
various traditions, I've met and heard of many yogis who got on the
right footing only after they had tried other methods without much
success.
If we know that a Dhamma
sibling has dis covered a new method of practice different from
ours that is conducive to clarity of mind, freedom from the
Hindrances (nivarana) and deepening of insight,
what should we do? Would it be to anyone's advantage to ostracize
him or her out of loyalty to the good old teacher or to the Dhamma
family's usual method of practice? Why can't we maintain the spirit
of liberality prevalent during the Buddha's time ? Even the
venerables Sariputta, Moggallana and Ananda would send their
students to one another for training. Why don’t we hear of students
exchange programmes, e.g. between the Mahasi, Goenka and Pa Auk
traditions? Why can't we live in harmony and with mutual
understanding, respect and support within our own organisation or
society even though we may be practising different methods of
meditation?
The handful of leaves
given to us by the Buddha may be insignificant compared to the
bountiful leaves of knowledge and information available to us
today. But the wonder of that little handful is that it can be so
varied, so versatile, so readily customised, and so effective -- if
only we allow ourselves the freedom to choose and experiment. If
only we are humble enough to admit the limitations of our knowledge
and experience. If only we are discreet enough when commenting on
other’s meditative experiences that are beyond our ken. If only we
are tolerant and understanding enough to encourage our Dhamma
siblings to try another path that is different from ours. If only
we have enough unconditional love to rejoice in the success
achieved through the Pa Auk method by a long-time Mahasi yogi. If
only we know how to cope with just a handful of variegated
leaves.
Mutual support,
understanding and respect, and unity in diversity are essential
virtues that will help to nurture our practice while we walk on the
spiritual path together. As a minority in a Muslim country, and
even among the Malaysian Buddhist community, we Theravadins can no
longer afford to be further decimated by our petty dogmatic
differences, opinionated assertions and partisan loyalties. To
react emotionally or behave judgmentally towards our Dhamma
siblings who have found their mecca in the "opposite camp" may well
cause an obstruction to their spiritual progress and well being. It
may also undermine our own precious fraternity, strength, unity,
and direction as the privileged heirs of our Master's handful of
leaves, given without a closed fist.
Source : Coping with a Handful of Leaves booklet
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