Advanced Buddhism Class
Theme: “Unruly Mind”
Participants will study five short sutras that fit the theme. A handout will be provided for each class.
Taught by Bhante Dr. Upananda
Dates: 2024
Sep 12, 19, 26
Oct 3, 10
Thursdays at 7.30 - 9.00 pm
Delivery method:
Both face-to-face and via Zoom
Venue: London Buddhist Vihara
Medium of instruction: English
Zoom ID: 6837067147
Passcode: 129668
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Session1:12 September 2024
The Moha Sutta
(Khuddda Nikāya: Itivuttaka Pāli)
Etymology of moha:
Moha [fr. muh, (see muyhati below); Sanskrit. moha & Vedic mogha]
stupidity, dullness of mind, delusion, bewilderment,
infatuation
Muyhati [to get bewildered, to be infatuated, to become dull in one's senses, to be stupefied.)
This discourse was taught by the Blessed One, taught by the Arahant, the fully enlightened Supreme Buddha. This is as I heard:
(Vuttaṃ h'etaṃ Bhagavatā vuttam-arahatā ti me sutaṃ)
“Abandon one quality, monks, and I guarantee you non-returning. What is that one quality? Delusion is that one quality, monks. Abandon that, and I guarantee you non-returning.”
(Katamaṃ eka-dhammaṃ? Mohaṃ bhikkhave eka-dhammaṃ pajahatha ahaṃ vo pāṭibhogo Anāgāmitāyā' ti. Etam atthaṃ Bhagavā avoca.)
This is the meaning of what the Blessed One said. So, with regard to this, it was said: (Tatth'etaṃ iti vuccati.)
Beings whose minds are clouded by delusion will be reborn in the plane of misery. But having understood delusion with developed wisdom, those with insight abandon it. By abandoning it, they never return to this world.(Yena mohena mūḷhāse
sattā gacchānti duggatiṃ,
Taṃ mohaṃ sammadaññāya
pajahanti vipassino,
Pahāya na punāyanti
imaṃ lokaṃ kudācanan" ti.)
This, too, is the meaning of what was said by the Blessed One. This is exactly as I heard.
(Ayam pi attho vutto Bhagavatā iti me sutan ti.)
Audio Recording
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wddha78f2kr2u85j7ic90/2024-Advanced-Class-on-Buddhism.m4a?rlkey=3pjdnnf6qkv20k2dbz4468ot8&e=1&dl=0
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Session2:19 September 2024
The Attādhipateyya Sutta
(Anguttara Nikāya: Tika Nipāta)
This sutta is of prime importance in understanding the Buddha’s teaching on personality development.
Etymology of adhipatteya
From adhipati = [adhi + pati] ruler,
master, ruling over, governing, predominant, sovereign
adhipateyya = sovereignty, governing principle
Etymologies of atta, dhamma and loka are too long to be described here. They will be discussed during session.
Here’s a brief overview:
- Attādhipateyya (Self-awareness as a governing principle): Acting in a way where one makes the self a governing principle, giving primacy to one's own judgment and conscience over other considerations.
- Dhammādhipateyya (cause-and-effect approach as a governing principle): Acting with the Dhamma (teachings of the Buddha) as the governing principle, holding the Dhamma above oneself and others.
- Lokādhipateyya (social norms as a governing principle): Acting under the influence of the world or public opinion, prioritizing worldly concerns or social standing.
In this sutta, the Buddha teaches that an individual should establish the Dhamma as the foremost guiding principle, which leads to the highest benefit and happiness.
Such recommendation is due to the fact that the other two may be bias-oriented.
Audio Recording
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Session 3: 26 Sep 2024
The Kalahavivāda Sutta
(Khuddaka Nikāya: Sutta Nipāta)
This sutta is of utmost importance in understanding that a gang-up of unruly minds can easily cause the downfall of an organization or any social unit.
Etymology of kalaha and vivāda:
Kalaha [from kal] quarrel, dispute
Vivāda [from vi+vad] dispute, quarrel, contention
Summary of the Kalahavivāda Sutta
- Title Meaning: "Discourse on Quarrels and Disputes."
- Context: The Buddha addresses a group of ascetics and brahmins who are arguing over doctrinal differences.
- Key Themes:
- Arises from desires and lust (chanda-rāga).
- Leads to attachments and possessiveness.
- Results in conflict and arguments.
- Understanding the impermanent nature of phenomena reduces attachment.
- Realization of the selfless nature (anattā) leads to peace.
- Abandoning desires and ego help us dissolve the basis for disputes.
- Origin of Quarrels: Disputes arise from desires, opinions, and attachments.
- Root Cause: Attachment to ego, beliefs, and sensory pleasures lead to conflicts.
- Process of Conflict:
- Freedom from Conflict:
- Resolution: True peace comes from relinquishing attachment to views, desires, and self-identification.
- Moral Lesson: Peace and harmony arise from non-attachment, mindfulness, and wisdom.
The sutta emphasizes that by understanding the root causes of disputes and practicing detachment and mindfulness, individuals can avoid conflict and achieve inner peace.
Audio Recording
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Session 4: 3 Oct 2024
The Parilāha Suttas
- Tika Nipāta and 2. Pañcaka Nipāta of the Anguttara Nikāya
Etymology:
pariḷāha [from pari+dah > pari+ḍāha of ḍah > pariḍahati.
burning, fever, mental fever that affects both body and mind, fever of passion, consumption, distress,
There is a multitude of parilāha suttas. Here we only focus on two of them.
From the Tika Nipāta:
This Parilāha Sutta presents a teaching where the Buddha discusses three types of parilāha. These forms of affliction are related to the heat or burning caused by certain mental and physical conditions. The sutta uses "burning" as a metaphor for the distress caused by these conditions.
The three forms of suffering outlined in the sutta are:
- Kāyika parilāha (parilāha of the body):
- This refers to physical suffering or pain caused by bodily conditions. Illness, injury, or external physical discomfort is a key example of this form of suffering.
- Cetasika parilāha (parilāha of the mind):
- This type of suffering arises from mental discomfort, agitation, or emotional disturbance. Negative states like anger, anxiety, or depression would fall into this category.
- Saṅkhārika parilāha (parilāha caused by mental fabrications):
- This refers to suffering caused by the mental constructions or fabrications (saṅkhāra), which are habitual patterns or conditioning of the mind. It points to the existential burden and suffering that arises from the mind's tendency to cling to perceptions, thoughts, and emotions.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
From the Pañcaka Nipāta:
The Parilāha Sutta is a relatively short discourse in which the Buddha discusses five forms of “mental fever” or burning (parilāha) that torment sentient beings. The sutta uses the metaphor of burning to describe the suffering caused by various forms of attachment, particularly those tied to the five aggregates (khandhas), which represent the components of human experience.
Summary
In this Parilāha Sutta, the Buddha describes five types of burning that afflict beings:
- Burning due to desire for form (rūpa) – The attachment to physical forms, including the human body and external objects.
- Burning due to desire for feeling (vedanā) – Craving for pleasant feelings and the aversion to unpleasant ones.
- Burning due to desire for perception (saññā) – The attachment to our perceptions or the way we label and interpret the world.
- Burning due to desire for mental formations (sankhāra) – Clinging to habitual mental formations, including thoughts, emotions, and intentions.
- Burning due to desire for consciousness (viññāṇa) – The attachment to consciousness itself, the awareness of experience.
The Buddha explains that these forms of burning arise because of craving (tanhā) for each of these aggregates. When one is attached to the aggregates and the experiences they produce, suffering ensues. The way to cool down these fevers and find peace is through the development of dispassion and non-attachment from the aggregates, leading ultimately to liberation.
Review
The Parilāha Sutta provides an insightful reflection on the nature of human suffering, using a powerful and evocative metaphor of burning to convey the intensity of the experience. The image of mental “fevers” or “fires” effectively captures the restless and agitated state that craving and attachment create in the mind. The sutta links this suffering to the five aggregates, a central teaching in Buddhism that describes the components of human experience. This connection underscores the depth of attachment people have to both their physical and mental experiences.
Strengths
One of the key strengths of the Parilāha Sutta is its clear identification of the root causes of suffering, grounding the teaching in the framework of the five aggregates. The Buddha’s description of how craving manifests in relation to each aggregate encourages practitioners to investigate their own attachments at multiple levels, not just to external objects or physical pleasures but also to internal processes like thoughts and consciousness itself.
Another strength of the sutta is its practical focus. By highlighting the role of craving in each aggregate, it points directly to the need for mindfulness and wisdom as tools to observe how attachment arises. The teaching aligns with the broader Buddhist emphasis on detachment as the path to liberation, reminding practitioners to cultivate non-attachment to all aspects of experience, from the body to the subtlest mental formations.
The sutta lays emphasis on renunciation as the ultimate liberation from parilāha.
Audio Recording
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Session 5: 10 Oct 2024
The Āghāta Sutta
Etymology of āghāta
āghāta [From ā+ghāta > (ghāta, ghāteti – to kill, slay, slaughter)
General meaning: animosity, anger, resentment which is an emotional state
āghāta-paṭivinaya repression of anger, resentment (pati=against, vinaya=training, discipline)
The Pali prefix "ā-" generally implies a sense of "towards," "near," "in," "upon," or "intensity." It often adds the connotation of direction, focus, or emphasis to the word it modifies. Depending on the context, it can also mean "thoroughly" or "completely," indicating a more intensified or emphasized action.
The Āghāta Sutta appears in several locations within the Pali Canon, including the Anguttara Nikāya (AN 5.161, AN 5.162) and the Samyutta Nikāya (SN 36.6). The term āghāta means "resentment," "ill-will," or "anger," and the sutta offers practical guidance for understanding, confronting, and overcoming these negative mental states. The teachings in this sutta emphasize the importance of cultivating a mindset that is free from animosity, resentment, and anger.
Key Themes in the Āghāta Sutta
The Āghāta Sutta lays out various reflections and practices that help to counter feelings of anger and resentment. It emphasizes the value of developing positive attitudes like patience, forgiveness, and loving-kindness (mettā) to overcome these destructive emotions. Here, we explore some of the central Pali terms and concepts that are highlighted in the sutta.
Important Pali Terms and Concepts
- Āghāta (Anger or Resentment):
- Āghāta refers to the emotional state of anger, irritation, or ill-will that can arise when a person feels wronged or disrespected. It is seen as a mental defilement (kilesa) that clouds judgment and disturbs one's inner peace.
- In Buddhist thought, this emotion is considered harmful not only because it disrupts one's mental state but also because it leads to unwholesome actions (bodily, verbal, or mental) that generate negative kamma (karma).
- Paccavekkhana (Reflection):
- The sutta advises practitioners to engage in paccavekkhana, or reflection, as a way to deal with anger. This reflection involves understanding the nature of one’s own mind, recognizing the impermanent (anicca) and selfless (anattā) nature of all phenomena.
- Through reflection, one sees that anger arises from clinging and attachment, and that holding on to it only causes suffering (dukkha) for oneself.
- Mettā (Loving-kindness):
- A key practice recommended in the sutta to counteract anger is the cultivation of mettā. Mettā involves developing a mind that wishes happiness, well-being, and peace for oneself and others, even those who might have wronged or hurt us.
- By developing mettā, one weakens the tendency toward anger and ill-will, transforming these emotions into compassion and goodwill.
- Khanti (Patience or Forbearance):
- The sutta emphasizes khanti as an essential virtue in dealing with resentment. Khanti is the quality of patience or tolerance in the face of difficulties, provocations, or harm.
- This virtue helps practitioners maintain a calm and stable mind even when encountering situations that might otherwise provoke anger.
- Avihiṃsā (Non-violence or Harmlessness):
- Avihiṃsā is another significant concept mentioned in the context of the Āghāta Sutta, promoting a non-violent and harmless approach toward all beings.
- Cultivating avihiṃsā encourages practitioners to abstain from causing harm through thoughts, words, or actions, aligning one's behavior with the principles of compassion and non-violence.
Methods to Overcome āghāta-pativinaya:
The Āghāta Sutta outlines several practical methods of āghāta-pativinaya:
- Reflecting on Impermanence: Reflect on the impermanent nature of all things, understanding that both the causes of anger and the anger itself are transient. By seeing their temporary nature, one reduces attachment to these feelings.
- Considering the Consequences: Think about the negative consequences of acting out of anger. Anger leads to harmful speech and actions that bring suffering to oneself and others, creating unwholesome kamma that will bear painful results.
- Cultivating Opposites: Engage in practices that cultivate qualities opposite to anger, such as loving-kindness, compassion, and patience. Replacing negative thoughts with positive ones gradually diminishes the power of anger.
- Recognizing Common Humanity: Reflect on the shared humanity and frailties of all beings. Recognizing that everyone experiences suffering and makes mistakes can lead to greater compassion and understanding, reducing the impulse to harbor resentment.
Audio Recording
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