The Buddhist Hour Radio
Broadcast for Sunday 3 March 2002
Broadcast Script
214
Today's broadcast is titled:
The Teachings in
Victoria, Australia, of
Most Venerable Phra Ajarn Plien
Panyapatipo--2002
Welcome to the Year of
the Horse--2002.
The Buddha Dhamma is independent of time
(akaliko). A few Noble persons can talk without fog in their language
to remind us of this fact.
This month (February 2002) most of
our Members met the erudite Most Venerable Phra Ajarn Plien
Panyapatipo, aged 69 years, born on 16 November 1932, who was
teaching in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Ajarn’s Australian
Teaching tour encouraged questions from the floor. The Most
Venerable, a Thai Monk, can explain the subtlety of Theravada
Teachings. In all cases, Ajarn’s replies were clear and
succinct. Speaking the Thai language, his words were translated to
the English language. Such is the power of the transmission of
Theravada Teachings. It is advisable his Teachings become more widely
known and practiced at a global level.
We apologize for errors
in understanding that may have arisen in what we speak today.
Some
of our Members have written about their understanding what was asked
and what the reply was and we are happy to broadcast this information
today. Since Buddha Dhyana Dana Review is our active online
publication at www.bddronline.net.au, we will report on these Dhamma
talks punctually in the next issue, Vol. 12, No. 1.
We have
placed the text of this radio script online at our website
www.bdcublessings.net.au.
Theravada is associated with a
reference for scholarship, wisdom and all-knowingness.
According
to Jack Maguire (2001), who has been a professional story teller,
specializing in Buddhist tales, Theravada has a long, solid tradition
of creating strong, tightly knit, well-functioning Monasteries. It's
practice therefore can include particularly vigorous education and
intellectual training.
Although the Theravada School was not
formally established until 244 BC, during King Ashoka's reign, it is
considered true to the official Sangha doctrine formed by the first
Council almost two centuries earlier just after Lord Buddha's death.
The Theravada School produced the Pali canon.
We will now
introduce the Buddha Dhamma Teaching by Phra Ajarn Plien Panyapatipo
as given on Monday 25 February 2002 at Buddhist Society of Victoria,
71-72 Darling Road, Malvern.
The Buddha taught that there are
six types of characters or personality types and that we may identify
with one type more strongly than the others.
By practicing
Buddha Dhamma we can reduce our suffering.
One type of
character is the lustful type.
All of us will be attached to
beautiful forms to some extent. If this attachment to beautiful forms
is strong then lust becomes strong.
The Buddha suggested that
persons who experience lust from the attachment to beautiful forms
use the remedy of focusing on the more unattractive aspects of
form.
The anger character type experiences a negative
view.
To remedy this the Buddha gave the practice of metta or
loving-kindness.
The deluded character finds it difficult to
grasp the concepts of practice.
It is important for them to
get close to a teacher who can guide them.
You can use Buddha,
Dhamma, Sangha objects of meditation to calm the mind.
There
are those who are interested in contemplating and analyzing, they
like to study a lot.
The Buddha taught that they need to do
develop the strength of concentrating on dukkha, anicca, anatta
(suffering, impermanence and absence of a permanent self).
Persons
who worry a lot, who are restless, like to try this and that and
rarely stick with a meditation object.
The Buddha recommended
that they choose one meditation object very carefully and stick with
it for a period of time, say, six months or a year, and pursue it
wholeheartedly and sincerely.
It is important to know oneself
and one's personality.
It is an important part of practice to
do this. Then you can use the remedies to counter these negative
characteristics.
A member of the audience asked, "The
Buddha says noise is thorny. Does noise get less thorny with
practice?"
Venerable replied that in the beginning of the
practice of purification of the mind sound is an enemy. When we are
sincere in our training of mindfulness and concentration the mind
loses interest in sound.
Sound becomes less and less of an
enemy.
Buddha Dhamma is like a light place, the more calm
insight the more the mind is purified.
A member of the
audience asked if a person who spoke Thai and could read minds could
also read minds of persons who did not speak Thai.
Venerable
responded that if we practice sincerely to a refined level and we
have enough good kammic accumulation then it is possible to know the
minds of anybody of any race or nationality.
If you are
practicing Buddha Dhamma then this is possible. If you haven't
developed then you won't be able to know these things.
To make
a comparison, if you have no money then you cannot buy a torch to see
in dark places whereas if you have money then you can buy a torch and
see in the dark.
Another audience member asked Venerable how
we can know the difference between good and bad.
To develop an
understanding of good we must use mindfulness and wisdom.
If
our thoughts, speech and actions are creating suffering then they are
bad. If we say unpleasant to the reaction in our mind and others’
minds, then we know these things are harmful.
When we see
this, then we can see the things that are conducive to our good. We
can develop metta--loving kindness. Then we will not create suffering
for other people.
A member of the audience asked what are
suitable times of the day for beginner’s meditation.
Ajarn
said that attitude is connected to the time of the day and to use our
time wisely. He said that a good time is three or four in the morning
when everything is still and our mind and body is lightest as our
food is digested.
In the early evening, we may be tired and
sleepy from eating a meal. However, if we have children the best time
may be when our children have gone to bed in the evening.
It
is most important to remember that the Buddha Dhamma is timeless and
you can practice any time.
Ajarn spoke about topics that
require a high level of understanding.
He explained that the
profound Teachings are not understood easily.
We can develop
understanding through practice and good strong concentration. This
refers to what is happening in the mind. To understand you need to do
the practice.
Ajarn said: "Whatever I say you may not
understand, you may understand intellectually but to understand in
the heart you must do the practice.
The teaching is profound
because it points to the way transcending the realm beyond birth and
death, cutting off defilements.”
He said, "Nevertheless,
I'll try to explain."
He spoke of sankhara and the twelve
stage cycle of the process of dependent origination.
Defilements
arise and cause suffering.
Suffering starts ignorance.
Ignorance brings delusion as a condition about external formations
and internal formations.
The internal formations of the mind
are wholesome, unwholesome or neither wholesome nor unwholesome.
The
formations condition consciousness. This is a conditioning process.
As long as delusion covers the mind we will not see clearly.
The
five skhandas are conditioning processes, nama rupa, materiality
conditions, sense objects gives rise to vedana, pleasant, unpleasant
and neutral feeling because of conditioning.
Eye consciousness
makes judgments to pleasant, unpleasant and neutral.
The sense
based objects, consciousness, the seeing consciousness from the eye,
then speaking consciousness from the ear and so on, may bring feeling
that is pleasant or unpleasant. If consciousness arouses feeling, if
we are not mindful, then we will have liking or disliking of events.
Under ignorance then craving arises to not have this and can lead to
dosa (hate) or raga (desire to have). If pleasant form brings feeling
and under delusion we have liking and want to have it then upadana
(attachment) may become strong in our consciousness and the same with
upadana if we dislike.
These are so powerful we get bound for
realms of existence and birth and death take place.
This is
the second noble truth -- the result in conditioned arising.
We
are all sitting here now as a result of this condition.
Old
age, sickness and death lead to suffering.
We are caught so we
practice to develop good qualities and perfections.
Develop
your actions, speech and thoughts.
The way to get beyond the
cycle of birth and death is to develop mindfulness which is the
direct opposite of ignorance. The mindfulness of insight can stop
formations that give rise to craving and attachment.
There is
happiness that comes with concentration (vipassana).
When
feelings arise they are impermanent.
The important thing is to
see what causes these feelings. Observe.
If you are not
mindful then attachment causes suffering because of the three
characteristics. Develop good samma ditthi, or your concentration
will not be able to hold.
First calm the mind.
You have
to understand your own characteristics first to develop good samadhi.
This is important. There are the six different types of
persons.
Which is your dominant characteristic as a person?
Another member of the audience asked how to overcome
laziness?
Ajarn replied, "Develop conviction in practice
then you will experience peace and happiness that will stimulate the
energy to practice.”
Another member of the audience asked
if chanting was beneficial.
The most Venerable replied that
chanting was very beneficial.
Not only is chanting beneficial
to the person chanting but to others who may be listening. Even if
the person chanting does not gain understanding it is possible for a
listener to hear and understand and gain stream-entry.
We will
now introduce the Buddha Dhamma Teaching by the Most Venerable Phra
Ajarn Plien Panyapatipo, on Wednesday February 27, 2002, at Wat
Dhammarangsee at 389 Springvale Road, Springvale.
One of our
Members asked the question: “How can I be sure to remember the
Dhamma when I am reborn again next life?”
In his
response, the Most Venerable Master used the hand-held tape recorder
at his side as an analogy and spoke in the following way.
Your
body is like this machine, and your mind is like this cassette.
When
you die, your body breaks up, but when you are born again, your mind,
which is like this cassette tape, goes into the new body, and you
continue from there. You pick up the pieces of where you left off,
and continue on.
On this tape is recorded all of your past
actions. If what you have recorded is ten minutes of good, and fifty
minutes of evil, then you cannot get any more than ten minutes of
good when you play the tape back.
So what you must do is to
fill the tape with good actions. The objective is to have sixty
minutes of good action. It doesn’t matter where you are born,
you still have the same tape.
The only problem is accessing
that tape.
When you accumulate meritorious actions, in your
next birth you will get a better and fancier machine, but you still
have the same tape.
By doing meritorious action, you erase the
negatives on the tape, and also dilute those negativities.
So
fill the tape with good actions. The reason for this is to be happy.
The only reason anyone practises is to be happy.
Do any of you
practise because you want suffering?
Ajarn spoke about
rebirth, saying that one is reborn at a location to which one has a
strong attachment.
For example, if you are very attached to
your wife, then you may be reborn again as an animal living in the
vicinity of that woman, or as her child.
It does not matter
how much you may crave to be reborn as her child, if you do not have
the merit you cannot, and may thus be reborn as an animal in her
physical location.
We are reborn wherever we have
attachment.
One man, while still alive, buried his wealth near
his home.
Next life, due to his attachment to that wealth, but
due to his lack of merit to be born human, he was born as a dog that
spent most of its time lying over the spot under which the wealth was
buried.
The wealth was of no use to him as a dog, but because
of his attachment to it, he had no choice but to be born there.
And
so we are reborn according to our attachments.
Ajarn explained
we all need blessings. They give us things like good health and long
life that help our practise.
Understand blessings.
Practise
the perfection of dana.
It is up to the individual what he or
she wants to offer.
You will get back what you give.
You
can offer your Buddha Dhamma practise. Perfection of dana maximises
your merit.
Know what is wholesome and what is
unwholesome.
Cultivate wholesome minds.
Record Buddha
Dhamma on your mind and practise until all unwholesome minds are
eradicated. The mind has no age and records everything.
Do
good things. You have to do it yourself.
The ultimate goal is
to be out of suffering.
Be happy.
In the evening after
sitting 20 minutes in meditation, Ajarn asked if we are now happier
and if we have experienced a quiet mind. We all seek happiness.
One
person asked: “Why do some of the people here today wear white
clothes?”
Ajarn answered: “If we wear white, we can
see easily when the clothes get dirty, so we know which parts to
clean.”
On another level, if we wear colours, it means we
still crave many things. White quietens the mind and helps your
practice.
Another question asked was: “Because the last
thought you have when you die is determines your rebirth, what can
you do so that you have the Buddha on your mind when you die rather
than any thought that would lead you away from Buddha Dhamma?”
Ajarn
answered that if you have done many good actions in your life and
developed wholesome states of mind, if you have practised the
goodness of Dhamma, if this is what you did, then Buddha Dhamma will
come to your mind when you die.
If you have done evil actions,
these will come to your mind when you die and you will not have a
good rebirth.
If you think of your dog when you die, you will
be born as a dog.
If you think of your wife when you die, you
might be born in your wife's womb.
It is practically
impossible to do much evil in life and then have a good thought at
death.
If a person with little good deeds manages to die with
a good thought, this person will be reborn in favourable conditions
but will not have the merit to live long. This is why some die
young.
It is important what you have done in your life. The
kamma of your actions comes.
To hold the precept of no killing
gives long life.
You should not kill any beings. If a person
is over 80 years old it means that this person has held the precept
of no killing. You should attain long life and do many good actions,
practise and develop wholesome minds. When you have done that, you
will die with a good thought as a result.
Purify your
mind.
Through practice, you can dilute your bad kamma because
you do good actions.
Know what is wholesome and what is
unwholesome.
The mind remembers everything. It does not die,
only your body dies, but the mind has no age. Prepare for death in
your lifetime by practising and creating good causes.
If you
practise you can see when the mind gets dirty, like white clothes,
and can work to clean the mind.
You have to do it
yourself.
If you attained the first state of enlightenment you
will know just as you know whether you have a masters degree or a
doctorate from a university.
You know because you have done
it.
When you have achieved the first state of enlightenment it
is impossible to break one of the Five Precepts.
If you had a
lot of anger on your mind, this is significantly reduced.
Ajarn
said the medicine he gives us is metta, loving kindness. We have to
develop metta.
If you practise the goodness of Buddha Dhamma
it will lead to the end of suffering.
Do good things. If what
I say has increased your wanting to practise then you have
understood.
Ajarn blessed all beings present.
He said: "May
you all attain what you wish for."
May the merit of
attending these Teachings and writing them down and making them
accessible to many beings help our Centre’s Members and Friends
become proficient in learning and practice of Buddha Dhamma.
This
script was written and edited by: John D. Hughes, Julian Bamford,
Leanne Eames, Evelin Halls and Pennie White.
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