Dhammapada Verses 273, 274, 275 and 276
Pancasatabhikkhu Vatthu

Magganatthangiko1 settho
saccanam caturo pada2
virago settho dhammanam3
dvipadananca cakkhuma.

Eseva maggo natthanno
dassanassa visuddhiya
etanhi tumhe patipajjatha
marassetam pamohanam.

Etanhi tumhe patipanna
dukkhassantam karissatha
akkhato vo rnaya maggo
annaya sallakantanam.

Tumhehi kiccamatappam
akkhataro tathagata
patipanna pamokkhanti
jhayino marabandhana.

Verse 273: Of paths, the Path of Eight Constituents is the noblest; of truths, the Four Noble Truths are the noblest; of the dhammas, the absence of craving (i.e., Nibbana) is the noblest; of the two-legged beings, the All-Seeing Buddha is the noblest.

Verse 274: This is the only Path, and there is none other for the purity of vision. Follow this Path; it will bewilder Mara.

Verse 275: Following this Path, you will make an end of dukkha. Having myself known the Path which can lead to the removal of the thorns of moral defilements, I have shown you the Path.

Verse 276: You yourselves should make the effort; the Tathagatas (Buddhas) only can show the way. Those who practise the Tranquillity and Insight Meditation are freed from the bond of Mara.

1. atthangiko: Ariya Atthangika Magga, or the Noble Path of Eight Constituents. This is the Path pointed out by the Buddha for liberation from the round of existences. The Eight Constituents are: right view, right thinking, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.

2. caturo pada: Cattari Ariyasaccani, or the Four Noble Truths. These are the four Truths upon which the whole doctrine of the Buddha is based. They are: (a) the Noble Truth of Dukkha; (b) the Noble Truth of the Cause of Dukkha, i.e., craving; (c) the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Dukkha; and (d) the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Dukkha. (N.B. Dukkha, in this context, means the five aggregates of attachment or Pancupadanakkhandha).

3. dhamma: both conditioned and unconditioned things.

The Story of Five Hundred Bhikkhus

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verses (273) to (276) of this book, with reference to five hundred bhikkhus.

Five hundred bhikkhus, after accompanying the Buddha to a village, returned to the Jetavana monastery. In the evening they talked about the trip, especially the nature of the land, whether it was level or hilly, clayey or stony, etc. The Buddha came to them in the midst of their conversation and said to them, "Bhikkhus, the path you are talking about is external to you; a bhikkhu should only be concerned with the path of the Noble Ones (ariyas) and strive to do what should be done for the attainment of the Ariya Path (Magga) that leads to the realization of the Perfect Peace (Nibbana)."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:

Verse 273: Of paths, the Path of Eight Constituents is the noblest; of truths, the Four Noble Truths are the noblest; of the dhammas, the absence of craving (i.e., Nibbana) is the noblest; of the two-legged beings, the All-Seeing Buddha is the noblest.


Verse 274: This is the only Path, and there is none other for the purity of vision. Follow this Path; it will bewilder Mara.


Verse 275: Following this Path, you will make an end of dukkha. Having myself known the Path which can lead to the removal of the thorns of moral defilements, I have shown you the Path.


Verse 276: You yourselves should make the effort; the Tathagatas (Buddhas) only can show the way. Those who practise the Tranquillity and Insight Meditation are freed from the bond of Mara.

At the end of the discourse those five hundred bhikkhus attained arahatship.


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Free Buddha Dharma ebook

Starting Out Small: A Collection of Talks for Beginning Meditators, by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo. (revised Dec. 15, 2018)

In this collection of talks Ajaan Lee covers the sorts of questions that occur to people new to meditation—Why meditate? How should I meditate? And why in that particular way?—and in his own style he provided not only straightforward answers to these questions but also vivid analogies.

Free download available:

https://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/Ebooks/StartingOutSmall_181215.pdf
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Dhammapada Verses 277, 278 and 279
Aniccalakkhana Vatthu
Dukkhalakkhana Vatthu
Anattalakkhana Vatthu

"Sabbe sankhara anicca" ti
yada pannaya1 passati
atha nibbindati dukkhe
esa maggo visuddhiya.

"Sabbe sankhara dukkha" ti
yada pannaya passati
atha nibbindati dukkhe
esa maggo visuddhiya.

"Sabbe sankhara anatta" ti
yada pannaya passati
atha nibbindati dukkhe
esa maggo visuddhiya.

Verse 277: "All conditioned phenomena are impermanent"; when one sees this with Insight-wisdom, one becomes weary of dukkha (i.e., the khandhas). This is the Path to Purity.

Verse 278: "All conditioned phenomena are dukkha"; when one sees this with Insight-wisdom, one becomes weary of dukkha (i.e., the khandhas). This is the Path to Purity.

Verse 279: "All phenomena (dhammas) are without Self"; when one sees this with Insight-wisdom, one becomes weary of dukkha (i.e., the khandhas). This is the Path to Purity.

1. panna: Insight-wisdom (Vipassana panna).

Stories Relating to Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verses (277), (278) and (279) of this book, with reference to three groups of five hundred bhikkhus each.

On Impermanence (Anicca)

Five hundred bhikkhus, after receiving their subject of meditation from the Buddha, went into the forest to practise meditation, but they made little progress. So, they returned to the Buddha to ask for another subject of meditation which would suit them better. On reflection, the Buddha found that those bhikkhus had, during the time of Kassapa Buddha, meditated on impermanence. So, he said, "Bhikkhus, all conditioned phenomena are subject to change and decay and are therefore impermanent."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 277: "All conditioned phenomena are impermanent"; when one sees this with Insight-wisdom, one becomes weary of dukkha (i.e., the khandhas). This is the Path to Purity.

At the end of the discourse those five hundred bhikkhus attained arahatship.

On Dukkha

The story is the same as the story on Anicca. Here, the Buddha on reflection found that another group of five hundred bhikkhus had meditated on dukkha. So, he said, "Bhikkhus, all khandha aggregates are oppressive and unsatisfactory; thus all khandhas are dukkha."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 278: "All conditioned phenomena are dukkha"; when one sees this with Insight-wisdom, one becomes weary of dukkha (i.e., the khandhas). This is the Path to Purity.

At the end of the discourse those five hundred bhikkhus attained arahatship.

On Insubstantiality or Non-Self (Anatta)

The story is the same as the stories on Anicca and Dukkha. Here, the Buddha on reflection found that still another group of five hundred bhikkhus had meditated on insubstantiality or non-self (anatta). So, he said, "Bhikkhus, all khandha aggregates are insubstantial; they are not subject to one's control."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 279: "All phenomena (dhammas) are without Self"; when one sees this with Insight-wisdom, one becomes weary of dukkha (i.e., the khandhas). This is the Path to Purity.

At the end of the discourse all those five hundred bhikkhus attained arahatship.


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Dhammayazika Pagoda, ancient Bagan, Burma

Grande Buda de Ibiraçu, gigantic Buddha statue located in Morro da Vargem Zen Buddhism Monastery,
Ibiraçu, Espírito Santo, Brazil, the largest Buddha statue in America continent.

Free Buddha Dharma ebook

Food for the Heart
By Ajahn Chah

ONE OF THE MOST NOTABLE FEATURES of Venerable Ajahn Chah’s teaching was the emphasis he gave to the Sangha, the monastic order, and its use as a vehicle for Dhamma practice. This is not to deny his unique gift for teaching lay people, which enabled him to communicate brilliantly with people from all walks of life, be they simple farmers or University professors. But the results he obtained with teaching and creating solid Sangha communities are plainly visible in the many monasteries which grew up around him, both within Thailand and, later, in England, Australia, Europe and elsewhere. Ajahn Chah foresaw the necessity of establishing the Sangha in the West if long-term results were to be realized.
This book is a collection of talks he gave to both laypeople and monks. The talks he gave to monks are exhortations given to the communities of bhikkhus, or Buddhist monks, at his own monastery, Wat Nong Pah Pong, and some of its branches in both Thailand and the West. This fact should be borne in mind by the lay reader reading those talks. These talks to monks are not intended to, and indeed cannot, serve as an introduction to Buddhism and meditation practice. They are monastic teachings, addressed primarily to the lifestyle and problems particular to that situation. A knowledge of the basics of Buddhism on the part of the listener was assumed. Many of these talks will thus seem strange and even daunting to the lay reader, with their emphasis on conformity and renunciation.

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===

Dhammapada Verse 280
Padhanakammikatissatthera Vatthu

Utthana kalamhi anutthahano
yuva bali Alasiyam upeto
samsanna sankappamano kusito
pannaya maggam alaso na vindati.

Verse 280: The idler who does not strive when he should be striving, who though young and strong is given to idleness, whose thoughts are weak and wandering, will not attain Magga Insight which can only be perceived by wisdom.

The Story of Thera Tissa the Idle One

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (280) of this book, with reference to Tissa, a lazy bhikkhu.

Once, five hundred young men were admitted into the Order by the Buddha in Savatthi. After receiving a subject of meditation from the Buddha, all the new bhikkhus except one went to the forest to practise meditation. They practised zealously and vigilantly so that in due course all of them attained arahatship. When they returned to the monastery to pay homage to him, the Buddha was very pleased and satisfied with their achievement. Bhikkhu Tissa who stayed behind did not try hard and therefore achieved nothing.

When Tissa found that the relationship between the Buddha and those bhikkhus was very cordial and intimate, he felt rather neglected, and regretted that he had wasted all that time. So he resolved to practise meditation throughout the night. As he was walking in meditation on that night, he slipped and broke a thigh bone. Other bhikkhus hearing his cry went to help him. On hearing about the above incident the Buddha said, "Bhikkhus, one who does not strive when he should be striving but idle away his time will not attain mental absorption (jhana) and Magga Insight."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 280: The idler who does not strive when he should be striving, who though young and strong is given to idleness, whose thoughts are weak and wandering, will not attain Magga Insight which can only be perceived by wisdom.

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Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Cutting the Roots of Craving

Desire is beginningless. Yet through right mindfulness we can learn to abandon it.

By Bhante Henepola Gunaratana and Veronique Ziegler

Part 1 of 2


Craving sews one life to another. It is like moisture that exhibits the property of adhesion and keeps us glued to the cycle of samsara. Everything we do pivots around craving because it is deeply entrenched in our minds and lives. Like a magnet with a powerful attractive force, it brings about rebirth when combined with ignorance, kamma, and consciousness. Craving, along with ignorance, is the link from one life to the next. But due to ignorance we do not see the danger in craving, which is why it has such a dominating and self-generating power. Even though craving is impermanent it repeats itself, along with delight and attachment. Its insatiability is such that it yields more craving, and as a result it leads to renewed existence in samsara.

We constantly try to satisfy desire in this life. However, we are never fully satisfied, and thus we keep repeating the endless chase to fulfill our desires. This quest goes on day after day, month after month, and year after year. In fact, it consumes our entire lives. And whenever we ask ourselves the question “Am I satisfied?” we always get the same answer: “Not yet.” There is always another desire that is not yet satisfied. With these unfulfilled desires in the mind, our lives come to an end at some point, and we die hoping to satisfy them in our next life. But there we find ourselves in the same predicament, as desire arises from the same places.

Hence, there is seemingly no end to this. This is why the Buddha said that the beginning of desire is indiscernible. There is no point in time before which a state of desirelessness can be found. To make matters worse, the presence of ignorance in the mind blocks clear understanding. Therefore, when our mind is fettered by desires and our view is blocked by ignorance, the result is endless rounds of death and rebirth in samsara. This situation seems at first quite hopeless. However, the Buddha did find a way out, the method to end this cycle. That which can end samsara, this endless cycle of birth and death, is called the dhamma. And when the Buddha went to Benares to teach his first sermon, he started rolling the wheel of dhamma to end it.

Even though the dhamma cannot be seen with the eyes, it remains our escape hatch from suffering. In the same way, even though samsara is invisible to the eyes, the workings of the mind that trap us in it—jealousy, greed, craving, and suffering—can be directly experienced. All these factors are mental states that can be perceived not by the five physical senses but by the mind. So can we see the invisible dhamma with the invisible mind? At this very moment, while reading these words, you can see your invisible mind and the invisible dhamma. You can experience mental states arising from seeing the words on the page and from understanding or not understanding what you are reading. You are the only one who can see the dhamma cycle happening in your own mind.

In The Discourse on the Great Causation, the Buddha explains that in dependence upon feeling, there is craving. In dependence upon craving, there is pursuit. In dependence upon pursuit, there is gain. In dependence upon gain, there is decision-making. In dependence upon decision-making, there is desire and lust. In dependence upon desire and lust, there is attachment. In dependence upon attachment, there is possessiveness. In dependence upon possessiveness, there is stinginess. In dependence upon stinginess, there is safeguarding. Because of safeguarding, various evil, unwholesome phenomena originate. These unwholesome acts involve warfare, fighting, quarrels, slander, insulting speech, and lies.

Everything happens in your mind. When you talk, write, perform any deed whatsoever, watch your mind at all times in order to guard it against defilements and prevent craving from invading it. You should never put the blame on anyone else for your moods. You must not point a finger at others when things do not go according to your liking but rather at yourself. Look at your own mind to see the invisible greed, anger, jealousy, and all the other defilements that are the real cause of your suffering. Looking at the mind must be done objectively, without a sense of guilt or self-deprecation and without trying to uncover an external cause of depression or blaming others or your circumstances. Look at your mind. You created it. Thus, you are responsible for its moods. If you create a wholesome state of mind, you are responsible for this. Likewise, if you create an unwholesome state of mind, you are also responsible for the moods that such a mind brings.

Therefore, this invisible cycle is in you. And the way to end this cycle of birth and death is in your mind right now. If you end greed now, you attain liberation now. If you end greed one minute later, you attain liberation one minute later. If you end greed tomorrow, you attain liberation tomorrow. Henceforth, the end of this beginningless cycle of samsara is in sight. It is within our power, will, mindfulness, practice, determination, and commitment. When we make this kind of commitment, we can end this cycle whenever we choose to do so.

The way to end this cycle of birth and death is in your mind right now.

It is craving and ignorance that ensnare us in this cycle of repeated life and birth. This was the Buddha’s insight that led him to discover dependent origination, which lays out the causes and conditions resulting in repeated rebirths. Therefore, when the Buddha attained enlightenment he declared, “The eye arose in me.” This is the eye of wisdom that arose when he saw dependent origination, and with it he saw the beginning and end of craving and the cycle of samsara. Craving can be found in our very own mind. Understanding it is a personal exploration that must be undertaken individually, for the solution to abandon it is also in our own minds.
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Tiger Cave Temple, Wat Tham Suea, Krabi, Thailand.

Big Buddha of Wat Khao Wongphrachan temple, Lopburi, Thailand.