Lay Pleasure And Bhikkhu Pleasure
Lay pleasure and bhikkhu pleasure
Dvemāni bhikkhave, sukhāni. Katamāni dve? Gihīsukhañca pabbajjā sukhañca, imāni kho bhikkhave, dvesukhāni. Etadaggan bhikkhave, imesan dvinnan sukhānan yadidan pabbajjā sukhan.
The Buddha expressed that there are two kinds of pleasure namely; lay pleasure and bhikkhu pleasure, of these bhikkhu pleasure is the greatest.
The pleasure derived by living with large amounts of money, large extents of land, spacious and beautiful houses, good household furniture such as beds, tables, chairs; fast and comfortable motor vehicles, pleasant young wives, nice children, rich friends and relatives, good clothes and ornaments, high positions and good jobs is called lay pleasure. They are also called worldly pleasures. Even though one may not enjoy these at a high level, every one enjoys them at a particular level. Not only humans, even animals enjoy worldly pleasure. They too, along with humans satisfy themselves with worldly comforts. Feed the children, build houses, some how find enough food for living. Unwise people who do not know Dhamma consider these pleasures to be great, but it is not so. It is a weak pleasure. Worldly pleasures are full of suffering and dangers. A husband with a wife has to strive day and night to feed and please her. However much he earns it is not possible to fully satisfy her needs. Complaints regarding shortcomings are ever present for the husband. However much wealth is supplied it is difficult to satisfy wives. To begin with, the wife loves the husband very much. Talks of, even sacrificing her life for the sake of the husband. Most men are deceived by this. Love is not a permanent thing. Love wanes, as one gets older. Therefore, the care, wife had for the husband also reduces slowly. If she meets another man whom she considers suitable for her, love for the old husband quickly ends. Thereafter she begins to bother her husband in many ways. Sometimes even plots to kill the husband. Some husbands meet with their death due to such machinations of their wives. This is the suffering caused by the worldly possession called the wife. Every worldly possession is associated with such suffering. There is a big competition among people for such possessions. Thousands of people aspire to possess the same item. There are thousands waiting to grab the house, land, paddy fields, money and other items owned by an individual. Therefore, the person who acquired such cash and wealth has to make a great effort to protect them. Not only that, he also has to commit many unwholesome acts. It is very difficult to spend the lay life with worldly possessions without being immoral. Thus, the Tathagata has taught,
Gharānā nīhamānassa Gharānā Bhanato musā Gharānā dinnadaudassa paresan anikubbato
The above stanza shows that one who does not make effort to acquire new wealth and safeguard existing wealth, does not lie regarding the likes of money and property, does not punish thieves and adversaries and does not deceive others by cunning, cannot maintain lay life.
A person who lives a lay life has to commit various immoral acts such as lying. Even those who try to avoid unwholesome actions will suddenly bend towards them due to sudden anger, which is caused by others trying to grab their possessions. That is why even murders are committed over disputes regarding minor items like coconuts and jak fruits. Those who have acquired worldly materials have to suffer injury from fighting with people who come to grab their belongings. Go through many difficulties arising from litigation. After death, they will be born in lower worlds due to unwholesome action of beating others. Acquiring of worldly possessions is suffering. Protecting them thereafter is also suffering. It is a source of danger. After death, many end up in the lower worlds because of these. Therefore, the wise, who realise the dangers of sense desire relinquish them, leave lay life, and take pabbajja. Those who do not have the wisdom to realize the dangers of sensual desires are deceived by defilements, remain attached to sense objects, suffer in this world, and fall into lower worlds after death.
A bhikkhu who has overcome greed and lives detached from sense objects does not undergo the suffering caused by possessions such as wife and children, land and property, cash; greed and pressure resulting from them. Such restful pleasure is called bhikkhu pleasure.The peace of mind derived from cultivating mettā (loving kindness), Karucā (compassion) and samādhi (concentration) is also the bhikkhu pleasure.
This bhikkhu pleasure cannot be experienced by all, as would the worldly pleasure, which is also applicable to animals. It is pleasure enjoyed by those who are wise enough to realise the immaturity and suffering associated with sensual pleasures, have diminished or completely overcome defilements and have lofty ideals. The unwise bhikkhu who lives infatuated with defilements does not enjoy the bhikkhu pleasure even though he spends an ordained life. He even fails to understand what bhikkhu pleasure is. Both the unwise lay and bhikkhu individuals, infatuated with defilements feel that the bhikkhu pleasure is harmful and full of suffering. Pabbajja is enjoyable only to those who have diminished the defilements such as greed and conceit. If one has reduced defilements to a certain extent, pabbajja is enjoyable to the same extent. King Mahākappina after being ordained was uttering with joy “Aho sukham Aho sukham” wherever he went. Such joyful utterance was due to the greater pleasurable feelings experienced during pabbajja as compared with the time as a monarch.
Once upon a time, our bodhisatta who ruled Bārānasī as king Brahmadatta having learned the Dhamma from a pacceka Buddha, set aside desires for sensual pleasures sat in a room and meditated. He uttered the following due to the resultant pleasure.
Dhīrat thu subahu kāme duggandhe bahukauIhake Ye ahan patisevanto na labhin tādisan sukhan.
“Let the foul smelling plentiful sensual objects which have many enemies be insulted. I did not enjoy a pleasure such as this from those sense objects.” Is the meaning of the above Pali stanza. Kings have the highest sensual pleasures in the human world. Praise of the bhikkhu pleasures by kings who have enjoyed the highest worldly pleasures proves that bhikkhu pleasure is the highest.
There are bhikkhūs living in cities and stay in properly constructed, spacious, beautiful buildings with items such as beds, chairs and tables of high quality while consuming delicious food, being respected by people, traveling in high quality vehicles, occupying high positions and having employees who attend to all their needs. There are bhikkhūs who may not be, so respected but enjoy benefits of good lodging, land and paddy fields, vehicles and money. They also enjoy a certain type of pleasure. However, it must be said that, what they enjoy is not bhikkhu pleasure. Taking pabbajja after, having seen such bhikkhūs and hoping for such comforts, is taking a wrong path. Feeling sorry for not having such facilities and striving to gain them whilst a bhikkhu is also taking a wrong path. If you do receive good lodging and food by righteous means, accepting and using them is not wrong. Greed for them is wrong. Bhikkhu pleasure enhances with the reduction of material possessions. Increase in consumables reduces bhikkhu pleasure. One must learn to be satisfied with what is received in order to enjoy bhikkhu pleasure. It is a great bhikkhu quality. Temples, land and paddy fields, money and high positions are not the measure of greatness of a bhikkhu. A bhikkhu should be rated by the qualities such as the simplicity of needs. Bhikkhu with less means should not be considered poor. A bhikkhu becomes rich because of his good qualities. Arindama the king of Benaris who was infatuated with sensual pleasures, saw a pacceka Buddha devoid of sense desires, with a shaven head, wearing a robe made by sewing together pieces of cloth, having no parents and sitting under a tree in the king’s gardens; called him a poor person. Then the pacceka Buddha uttered.
Na rāja, kapauo hoti Dhamman kāyena phassan Yo Dhamman niran katvā adhammā anuvattatī. Sa raja, kapauo hoti pāpo pāpaparāyauo.
Oh! Great king, one who has acquired the supramundane Dhamma through the noble path is not poor, someone who rejects the Dhamma and lives as a sinner helping other sinners is poor. Thereafter, the king inquired from the pacceka Buddha how he was getting on. Pacceka Buddha described the bhikkhu pleasures as follows.
Sadā pi bhadramadhanassa anāgārassa bhikkhuno Na tesan koIIhē openti na kumbhin na kalopiyan, ParaniIIhita mesānā tēna yāpenti subbatā.
Oh! King, bhikkhūs who do not possess houses or wealth, do not collect wealth and grain in granaries, pots and baskets. Well-behaved bhikkhūs survive by begging for cooked food from other’s homes. Therefore, it is always good for the bhikkhūs. Always well.
Dutiyampi bhadramadhanassa anāgārassa bhikkhuno Anavajjapiudo bhottabbo na ca kocu parodhati.
A bhikkhu should not engage in the practice of medicine, astrology, the occult or use deception to obtain requisites but consume only the food obtained by means in keeping with the Dhamma. No harm due to defilements such as greed comes the way of the bhikkhu who consumes food received by proper means. Therefore, the bhikkhu who has no home or wealth is also secondly well and happy.
Tatiyampi bhadramadhanassa anāgārassa bhikkhuno Nibbhuto piudo bhottabbho na ca kocu parodhati
The bhikkhu should consume well- gotten food in a state of proper reflection, in order to avoid the arising of defilements. As it does not result in the arising of defilements, the bhikkhu who consumes cold food and does not have a home or wealth is also well and happy for the third time.
Catutthampi bhadramadhanassa anāgārassa bhikkhuno Muttassa raIIhe carato saugho yassa na vijjatī
The bhikkhu who goes about the country without any attachment to laymen as my relative, my benefactor, has no bondage. Therefore, the bhikkhu who has no home or wealth is well and happy fourthly as well.
Pañcamampi bhadramadhanassa anāgārassa bhikkhuno Nagaramhi daihamānamhi nāssa kiñci adaihatha.
Even if a city catches fire a bhikkhu without a home or wealth has nothing that would be burnt. Therefore, a bhikkhu who has no home or wealth is well and happy for the fifth time as well.
ChaIIhampi bhadramadhanassa anāgārassa bhikkhuno RaIIhe vilumpamānamhi nāssa kinci ahāratha.
Even when enemies begin to loot an entire country, they will not take anything away from a bhikkhu who has no home or wealth. Therefore, the homeless bhikkhu is well and happy for the sixth time as well.
Sattamampi bhadramadhanassa anāgārassa bhikkhuno Corehi rakkhitan maggan ye caññe paripattikhā
Pattacīvaramādāya sotthin gacchati subbato
Bhikkhu who is of no interest to burglars who lie in waiting to rob, tax collectors and highway robbers as he has nothing to be robbed of or collect taxes on, goes about comfortably carrying bowl and robes. Being able to go about in such a manner the bhikkhu is also well and happy for the seventh time.
AIIamampi bhadramadhanassa anāgārassa bhikkhuno Yan yan disan pakkamati anapekkhova gacchati.
The bhikkhu who has no wealth kept in safes and chests go somewhere carrying bowl and robe with no expectations about the place he stayed at before. Being able to go so, the bhikkhu is well and happy for the eighth time as well.
The pacceka Buddha taught the king Arindama only a small part of bhikkhu pleasure. The king Arindama realizing the truth after the discourse by the pacceka Buddha abdicated to get ordained and achieved absorptions and super normal knowledges and was born in the Brahma realm after death. As stated “Pabbajitabhavo dullabho”, bhikkhu pleasure is a rare pleasure. Lay pleasures, which are enjoyed even by animals, are found everywhere. The wise take the rare pabbajja, end this sansāra, which consists of births and deaths and enter the blissful state of nibbāna.
