Shāsanāvataranaya

Homage to him the blessed one, the perfected one, the self enlightened one.

Sammāsambuddha the blessed one, the perfected one in his all encompassing compassion towards all beings of the entire world systems, in order to rid themselves of the suffering of repeated births, decay and death, whilst committing unwholesome deeds resulting in the births in the lower worlds and reaching the ultimate blissful state of nibbana did teach that intelligent humans should enter the greatest position of pabbajja.

Beings remain in sansāra unable to reach nibbana due to their collection of defilements such as greed. The means to iradicate such defilements and reach purity is the establishment of morality, concentration and wisdom within oneself and further development of the same. Many are the activities to be performed by lay people to protect one’s own life, feed the wife and children, satisfy them, satisfy friends and relatives and guard against enemy activities. It is not possible to carry on lay life without attending to such needs. It is very difficult for lay people to find time to practise morality and meditation while engaging in the above activities. It is very hard to maintain purity of the mind. Although observing some precepts, it is not possible for a layman to maintain it for a long time. It soon becomes impure. It is soon broken. Even if time is found with difficulty to meditate, achieving concentration is difficult for the busy layperson. Even if concentration is achieved, it is soon destroyed due to the arising of defilements. There are many opportunities for a bhikkhu to practice morality. Therefore, the intelligent go forth into homelessness leaving the parents, brothers and sisters, friends and relatives and their wealth, realizing the dangers of remaining in sansara and the greatness of nibbana and considering the lay life to be a difficult place for the practice of Dhamma, a place where defilements are born and pabbajja to be a state conducive to the practice; as preached in the following stanza, “Sambādho gharāvāso rajāpatho abbhokāso pabbajjā”.

 Pabbajja is a state even greater than the position of a monarch, which is considered the highest position by the general populace. Monarchy is a ground for the development of unwholesome deeds and defilements and not a state for the iradication of them. Very often those who become kings commit many unwholesome acts and end up in the lower worlds (hells). Let alone ordinary people, even the bodhisatta (future Buddha) who ruled a kingdom for twenty years, committed unwholesome acts which made him boil for eighty thousand years in the Osupath hell, as illustrated in the Temiya Jataka ( Stories of the past lives of the Buddha). Prince Temiya who could, recollect past lives was able to realize this at a very young age. Therefore, prince Temiya who was the heir to the throne acted as a mute cripple, due to his fear of having to accept the kingdom. His father the king being disappointed with the bodhisatta who was unable to speak or get up even to attend to his ablutions, ordered his driver Sunanda to take the prince to the jungle and bury him alive as the king thought that having such an unfortunate person would bring ill luck to the palace. Bodhisatta began to speak only after he was taken to the jungle by the driver. When he was questioned by the driver, as to why he did not speak at the palace, prince Temiya’s reply as found in the Jataka PaIi is given below.

“Pūriman Sarāmahan jātin yattha rajjamakārayin Kārayithvā tahin rajjan pāpatthan nirayan bhūsan Vīsatin ceva vassānī tahin rajjamakārayin

Asītin vassa sahassānī nirayamhi apaccisan Tassa rajjasshan bhīto mā man rajjābhisecayun Tasmā pitucca mātucca santike na bhauin tadā”.

 Following is the meaning of the stanza.

I had ruled the city of Bārānasi during a previous life, I recall such a life. During that life, I was the king and ended up in a terrible hell. I spent eighty thousand years there. I did not speak in the presence of my parents due to fear of being crowned again as I did not wish to become the ruler.

Prince Temiya was afraid of ruling, as the kingship is a position, which developed unwholesome actions resulting in birth in hell and extension of the existence in sansara. Pabbajja is not such a dangerous position; it is a state in which defilements are diminished, unwholesome actions are reduced and travel in sansāra is shortened. Whatever person leaves home and enters pabbajja, will become one who reduces unwholesome actions. Therefore, prince Temiya relinquished the kingdom to which he was heir and took pabbajja. The following statement of the king Mahājanaka, who gave up his kingdom to be ordained, indicates the high esteem in which pabbajja is held by the wise and great people.

“Hitvā satapalan kansan sovauuan satarājikan Aggahin mattikāpattan tan dutiyābhisecanan”

 “I was ordained and took the earthenware bowl relinquishing the gold plate with many lines and weighing a hundred palam (an ancient weight). Taking that earthenware bowl is my second coronation”. Is the meaning of the above stanza.

Once upon a time, our bodhisatta was born as the son of the advisor to the king of Baranāsi. The same day as the bodhisatta a son was born to the king of Baranāsi. The king brought up the son of the advisor also at the palace along with his own son. The two grew up together and returned after completing education at Takshila. The king bestowed the deputy kingship on his son. Bodhisatta also lived together in complete confidence with him. Later with the demise of the king, the prince was elevated to the position of monarch. Great were his possessions. The bodhsatta knew that as his friend became the king he would without fail, be appointed as the advisor. Yet he thought that lay life was not for him. He left the great wealth he had and lived as a recluse in the jungles of Himalaya. The king remmembered his friend and inquired as to his whereabouts. The ministers informed him that the bodhisatta has gone into homelessness. The king then dispatched the minister named Saiha to bring back the bodhisatta in order to offer him the position of advisor. The position of advisor to the king is as high as that of prime minister. One who gets in to the position of advisor to the king can live with great wealth comparable to a king. The minister Saiha approached the bodhisatta and informed him of the position. Then the bodhisatta uttered the following.

Sasamuddapariyāyan mahin sāgara kuudalan Na icche saha nindāya evan saiha vijānahi.

 Dhīratthu tan dhanalābhan yasalābhañca brahmaua Yā cuttivinipātena adhammacarauena vā

 Api ce pattamādaya anagāro paribbaje

Sā yēva jīvikā seiyyā yāva dhammēna phasanā.

 Api ce patta mādaya anagāro paribbaje

Aññan ahinsayan loke api rajjena tan varan.

 Saiha, I do not want to be insulted for leaving pabbajja for material benefits, even if I were to receive this entire land surrounded by the ocean. Oh! Brahamin let the benefits received by destroying one’s virtue and practice against Dhamma be insulted. It is greater to live by begging for food with an alms bowl than to live a life contrary to Dhamma. Living as a mendicant with a begging bowl, without hurting other people is greater than being a king. Bodhisatta thus rejecting the position of advisor to the king lived as a recluse while enjoying the pleasure of absorptions.

It is not only the bodhisatta, but also many other virtuous people who knew the greatness of pabbajja that gave up their kingdoms, posts of advisor to the king and minister, wealth, children and wives to live as recluses. King Mahākappina abdicated, to be ordained. Thousand of his ministers gave up their possessions to be ordained. The queen of Mahākappina as well as the wives of the ministers left their homes and went into homelessness. King Pukkusātiya left his kingdom to be ordained. Thousand of his ministers followed him into homelessness. Banker Jotiya, who was richer than a king, gave up everything to be ordained. Ratthapāla the son of a banker who had enough wealth to feed the entire population in the event of a disaster gave up everything and became a mendicant. Yasa the son of a banker who lived in three different castles during the three seasons enjoying worldly pleasures surrounded by young women as beautiful as goddeses also was ordained. Sona the son of a banker, who lived under such tender care that he had hair growing in his soles, left all his comforts and took pabbajja.

One day a recluse named Jambukhādaka inquired  from ven Sariputta as to the most difficult part of Dhamma vinaya (Discipline). Ven. Sariputta replied as follows “Pabbajjā kho  āvuso  imasmim  Dhammavinaye dhukkarā” pabbajja is the most difficult part of the Dhammavinaya.

Although there are many people in the world, only a few are able to become bhikkhūs. It is difficult for many people in the world to spend even a single night away from their parents, brothers and sisters, wives, children and other friends and relatives. In such a world if one leaves the parents, brothers, sisters, and others forever and takes pabbajja, he is performing a very difficult task. A person, other than one who possesses great mental strength and determination cannot give up lay life and take pabbajja. A person who gives up his great or meagre wealth and take pabbajja deserves to be venerated for that reason alone. There are many other virtuous qualities in a bhikkhu that deserves veneration by lay people.

In a world where innocent animals are killed unsympathetically for food, profit, to feed wife and children and sport, the bhikkhu lives without killing or hurting any animal and showing kindness and sympathy towards them.

In a world where other’s wealth is misappropriated by various means such as short measure, the bhikkhu avoids all stealing and lives on what is given willingly by others.

In the world where people strive day and night, commit various crimes and even commit suicide when unable to satisfy their lust, the bhikkhu leads a celebate life.

In a world filled with lies where people cheat each other by lying in many different ways the bhikkhu avoids uttering falsehoods and leads a straightforward life.

In a world where people consume intoxicating substances by spending, a large proportion of their earnings while even letting their children starve the bhikkhu always lives refraining from the use of intoxicating substances.

In a world where one considers it a great loss if he has to miss a meal one night, the bhikkhu always refrain from consuming food after noon.

Bhikkhu performs a great service to many people by explaining the wholesome and unwholesome actions while himself living a virtuous life in a world full of immoral people who are encouraging others to commit actions such as theft, gambling, sexual misconduct, lying and partaking in intoxicating substances, all of which lead to their downfall in this world and beyond. Thousands of people reap benefits in this life and later lives because of one bhikkhu who teaches the Buddha Dhamma to others.

The world benefits even from the virtuous bhikkhu who does not teach the Dhamma but attends only to his own needs. A person acquires merit by merely developing thoughts of loving kindness towards such a bhikkhu by realizing his virtue and morality.

Evan dassanamūlakenāpi hi puññena anekāni jātisahassāni cakkhumhi rogo va dāho vā ussadā vā piSikā  vā  na  hontī.  Vippasannāni  pañcavauuasassirikāni hontī. Cakkhuni ratana vimāne ugghaIitamaui kavāIa sadisāni. Satasahassa kappamattan devesu ca manussesu ca sabbasampattīnan lābhī hoti.

 The commentaries to the Mangala sutta states that the merit accrued by sighting a bhikkhu results in not being subjected to eye ailments for thousands of births and being blessed with gem like shining eyes of five different hues akin to gem windows of golden mansions and enjoyment of the pleasures of the world of humans and devas for hundred thousand aeons.

Yassa hi bhikkhuno kālakato pitā vā mātā vā amhakauñātako thero sīlavā kalyāua Dhammo ti pasannacitto hutvā tan bhikkhun anussaratī. Tassa so cittappasādo pi tan anussarauamattampi mahapphalan mahānisausa meva hoti. Anekāni kappasatasahassāni duggatito vāretun ante ca amatan pāpetun samatthameva hoti.

 It is shown in the commentaries to the Akankheyya sutta, that if the deceased father or mother of a bhikkhu recollected with a pleased mind that their relative is a pious person, such pleasant thought will result in great fruit and great merit. It will also cause to avoid births in lower worlds for hundreds of thousands of aeons(kappa) and finally help the attainment of nibbana. The same commentaries state that offering of one spoonful of rice or offering a seven and a half foot cadjan (Coconut leaves) shack to a virtuous bhikkhu will result in not being born in the lower worlds for hundreds of thousands of aeons and finally help in attaining nibbana. These are the benefits to the world from a bhikkhu who does not even teach the Dhamma. Given so far is only a small part of the virtues of a bhikkhu.

Due to many such virtues, a bhikkhu is suitable for veneration even by kings and devās. One day Sakka, prior to embarking on a journey to the pleasure gardens worshiped the four directions. Mātalī, the sakka’s driver said that Brahamins, Khastriyas, ground devas, four deva kings, inhabitants of Tavatimsa all worship you. He inquired as to whom the so venerated sakka worships. The sakka then stated 

Ahauca  sīlasampanne  cirarattasamāhite sammā pabbajite vande brahmacariya parāyane

 I too worship well-behaved bhikkhūs who are virtuous and have tranquil minds since a long time.