Dhammapada Verse 253
Ujjhanasannitthera Vatthu

Paravajjanupassissa
niccam ujjhanasannino
asava tassa vaddhanti
ara so asavakkhaya.

Verse 253: In one who constantly sees the faults of others and is always disparaging them, moral intoxicants (asavas) increase; he is far from extinction of moral intoxicants (i.e., he is far from attainment of arahatship).

The Story of Thera Ujjhanasanni

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (253) of this book, with reference to Thera Ujjhanasanni.

Thera Ujjhanasanni was always finding fault with and speaking ill of others. Other bhikkhus reported about him to the Buddha. The Buddha replied to them, "Bhikkhus, if someone finds fault with another so as to teach him in good way; it is not an act of evil and is therefore not to be blamed. But, if someone is always finding fault with others and speaking ill of them just out of spite and malice, he will not attain concentration and mental absorption (jhana). He will not be able to understand the Dhamma, and moral (intoxicants asavas) will increase in him."
Verse 253: In one who constantly sees the faults of others and is always disparaging them, moral intoxicants (asavas) increase; he is far from extinction of moral intoxicants (i.e., he is far from attainment of arahatship).

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Facing the Future
By Bhikkhu Bodhi

In this collection of essays, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi uses the Buddha’s teaching as a lens through which to examine some of the confusions about social values that have engulfed us at the dawn of the new century.
The opening essay, “A Buddhist Social Ethic for the New Century,” sets the pace by drawing a contrast between the social system fostered by global capitalism and the type of social organization that might follow from a practical application of Buddhist principles.
“A Buddhist Model for Economic and Social Development” continues the argument by highlighting the economic, social, and ecological costs of industrial-growth society, sketching a more “people-friendly” alternative based on Buddhist values. “The Changing Face of Buddhism” opens with the question why, in traditional Buddhist countries, Buddhism today is losing its appeal to the young, on its way to becoming little more than a fossilized expression of ethnic culture; in attempting to answer this question be proposes some new lines of emphasis that might help to reverse this trend. In “Sangha at the Crossroads” he explores the problems that young monks face in finding a meaningful role in today’s rapidly changing world.

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Slow Down, Take Your Seat

A meditation practice for relaxing into your experience and being with things as they are
By Ayya Santacitta

Times are urgent, and we need to slow down in order to decide how to respond to the many challenges we face—from environmental degradation to widespread war and violence, to name just a few. We need to make space to be with our experience as it is, to allow what is and to relax into it.

Connecting with our experience teaches us a lot about ourselves and how we meet and interpret the world. We can begin to notice our attitude towards what we encounter in any given moment by asking ourselves, How do I deal with this? What do I do with it? How do I relate to my experience? This investigation is the hallmark of the Buddha’s teaching, while experience itself is actually secondary. By looking at our lives in this way, we begin to see with increasing clarity that all phenomena are constantly changing and are therefore unable to offer us lasting satisfaction. This insight is the master key to freedom and the reason why we meditate.

First, find a posture you can sustain for half an hour or so, and as you take your seat, do so with all the beings behind you who have brought you to this moment—all the human ancestors, animal ancestors, and plant and mineral ancestors. Be aware of all of them behind you and all the future generations in front of you, and in the midst of all this, take your seat. Take your seat in order to know the path in this moment, to see yourself and the world a bit more clearly. Really honor this very deep impulse, which is in all of us. It’s a deep calling that we’ve had the good fortune to connect with and now we’re able to respond to. Just take that in—the fact that you can do this.

Begin by connecting with your body—feel your weight on the cushion, on the chair. This piece of earth, this piece of planet that we call our body is in constant exchange with the biosphere. Feel the gravity of the earth element pulling you toward the ground, offering you stability and a place to be and practice.

As you spend time with your body, be aware of the heart area as well and the emotions that you feel there. Notice what is present for you right now. If you’re not quite clear, that’s OK. Just notice the confusion or the numbness, the resistance to connect with what you’re feeling. Whatever it is, that is what’s happening, at least for now. Practice is not about changing our experience. Rather, practice increases our ability to be with what is. To accept and allow, to make space by creating a bigger container for our thoughts and feelings, to cultivate qualities that will help us work with our experience.

Next, be aware of the mind. Is it open or contracted? Is there a sense of hurry or stress? Just notice what’s there, and as you do this, be aware of your breathing. Allow your awareness to rest on the body breathing. If you notice the mind wandering off into thinking, just come back to the simplicity of the body breathing in and breathing out. With the in-breath be aware of the body and what’s happening inside you. Then relax into boundless space and silence with the out-breath. Listen to the space, listen to the silence, and allow the mind to open. Whenever you notice that the mind wants to contract around a thought, gently let go of the impulse and come back to listening. Gently lean into spaciousness and silence while allowing movement and change—giving room to it all.

If you become conscious of a feeling or some sort of response to what’s happening, just gently hold it in your heart and allow it to spread through the body—the form of your being. Let it deeply in-form you, so that through that knowing you’ll be able to sense what you need to do next. By inviting that seeing to ripple out through your body and mind, you stretch and grow and integrate a little more world and life into your being.

How does that feel for you? Can you sense the raw energy that comes from releasing old feelings or tensions? Or do you need to honor that which still needs more time to release? Each decision is individual, and you’ll become more fluent as your practice unfolds.

Through repeated practice, we begin to see the futility of holding onto that which is constantly changing.

Now drop the perception of spaciousness and silence and just be aware of that which knows about the spaciousness and silence—what we call the knower, or conscious awareness. Be the knowing. Rest as knowing, like a mirror with the capacity to reflect without doing anything but simply knowing that something is happening. Just be the knowing without interfering with what is known.

Practicing in this way allows identification with our personality and our experiences to wash away, like removing a stain from a cloth. Through repeated practice, we begin to see the futility of holding onto that which is constantly changing. We see that all phenomena have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and then letting go occurs as a natural response of a mind that understands the way things really are.

Now come back to your body and the seat, becoming aware again of the gravity of the earth element pulling you toward the planet. We belong here and we have what it takes to respond to our situation. Starting with ourselves—by investigating our body, heart, and mind and what we bring to our experience—is the first step. From there we train to open and receive what is emerging so that we can respond more appropriately and skillfully.

Times are urgent, we need to slow down. We are vessels standing on the shoulders of all who came before us, and we also form part of the foundation for what comes next. Wisdom and compassion arise from physical and mental activities conjoined. Our daily lives and our meditation practice need to inform each other—that’s how we shed ballast and arrive at a greater perspective, enabling us to respond in a balanced manner and then let go. Being human is an experiment and always has been. The Buddha’s teachings show us how we might live that experiment in the clearest and most compassionate way.

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Ayya Santacitta trained as a nun in England and Asia from 1993 until 2009, primarily in the lineage of Ajahn Chah. Since 2002, she has also received teachings in the lineage of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. She cofounded Aloka Vihara in 2009 and received bhikkhuni ordination in 2011. She is currently developing Aloka Earth Room in San Rafael, California.

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Dhammapada, beloved and favorite teachings of the Buddha channel:

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Dhammapada Verses 254 and 255
Subhaddaparibbajaka Vatthu

Akaseva padam natthi
samano natthi bahire
papancabhirata paja
nippapanca tathagata.

Akaseva padam natthi
samano natthi bahire
sankhara sassatta natthi
natthi buddhanaminjitam.

Verse 254: In the sky there is no track; outside the Buddha's Teaching there is no ariya bhikkhu (samana). All beings take delight in fetters (i.e., craving, pride and wrong view) that prolong samsara; all the Buddhas are free from these fetters.

Verse 255: In the sky there is no track; outside the Buddha's Teaching there is no ariya bhikkhu (samana). There is no conditioned thing that is permanent; all the Buddhas are unperturbed (by craving, pride and wrong view).

The Story of Subhadda the Wandering Ascetic

Verses (254) and (255) of this book were uttered by the Buddha in the Sal Grove of the Malla princes near Kusinara, just before the parinibbana (passing away) of the Buddha, in reply to the questions raised by Subhadda, the wandering ascetic (paribbajaka).

Subhadda the wandering ascetic was staying at Kusinara when he heard that the parinibbana of Gotama Buddha would take place in the last watch of that night. Subhadda had three questions which had been troubling him for a long time. He had already put these questions to other religious leaders, namely, Purana Kassapa, Makkhali Gosala, Ajita Kesakambala, Pakudha Kaccayana, Sancaya Belatthaputta and Nigantha Nataputta, but their answers did not satisfy him. He had not yet asked Gotama Buddha, and he felt that only the Buddha could answer his questions. So, he hurried off to the Sal Grove, but the Venerable Ananda did not allow him to see the Buddha, because the Buddha was by that time very weak. The Buddha overheard their conversation and consented to see Subhadda. Subhadda asked three questions. They are: (1) Are there any tracks in the sky? (2) Are there any ariya bhikkhus (samanas) outside the Teaching of the Buddha? and (3) Is there any conditioned thing (sankhara) that is permanent? The Buddha's answer to all the above questions was negative.

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:

Verse 254: In the sky there is no track; outside the Buddha's Teaching there is no ariya bhikkhu (samana). All beings take delight in fetters (i.e., craving, pride and wrong view) that prolong samsara; all the Buddhas are free from these fetters.


Verse 255: In the sky there is no track; outside the Buddha's Teaching there is no ariya bhikkhu (samana). There is no conditioned thing that is permanent; all the Buddhas are unperturbed (by craving, pride and wrong view).

At the end of the discourse Subhadda attained Anagami Fruition and as requested by him the Buddha admitted him to the Order of the bhikkhus. Subhadda was the last one to become a bhikkhu in the life time of the Buddha. Eventually, Subhadda attained arahatship.

End of Chapter Eighteen: Impurities


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Ajahn Chah, Buddhist teacher of Thai forest meditation of Theravada Buddhism channel:


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No Ajahn Chah
Reflections


Once there was a layman who came to Ajahn Chah and asked him who Ajahn Chah was. Ajahn Chah, seeing that the spiritual development of the individual was not very advanced, pointed to himself and said, "This, this is Ajahn Chah."
On another occasion, someone else asked Ajahn Chah the same question. This time, however, seeing that the questioner’s capacity to understand the Dhamma was higher, Ajahn Chah answered by saying, "Ajahn Chah? There is no Ajahn Chah.

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Dhammapada Verses 256 and 257
Vinicchayamahamatta Vatthu

Na tena hoti dhammattho
yenattham sahasa naye
yo ca attham anatthanca
ubbo niccheyya pandito.

Asahasena dhammena
samena nayati pare
dhammassa gutto medhavi
"dhammattho" ti pavuccati.

Verse 256: He is not just if he decides a case arbitrarily; the wise man should decide after considering both what is right and what is wrong.

Verse 257: The wise man who decides not arbitrarily but in accordance with the law is one who safeguards the law; he is to be called 'one who abides by the law (dhammattho).'

The Story of the Judge

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verses (256) and (257) of this book with reference to some judges who were corrupt.

One day, some bhikkhus were returning from their round of alms-food when it rained and they went into a law court to take shelter. While they were there, they found out that some judges, having taken bribes, were deciding cases arbitrarily. They reported the matter to the Buddha and the Buddha replied, "Bhikkhus! In deciding cases, if one is influenced by affection or by monetary consideration, he cannot be called 'the just', or 'a judge who abides by the law.' If one weighs the evidence intelligently and decides a case impartially, then he is to be called, 'the just' or 'a judge who abides by the law.'"

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:

Verse 256: He is not just if he decides a case arbitrarily; the wise man should decide after considering both what is right and what is wrong.


Verse 257: The wise man who decides not arbitrarily but in accordance with the law is one who safeguards the law; he is to be called 'one who abides by the law (dhammattho)'.

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