Dhammapada Verse 323
Hatthacariyapubbaka Bhikkhu Vatthu

Na hi etehi yanehi
gaccheyya agatam disam
yatha' ttana sudantena
danto dantena gacchati.

Verse 323: Indeed, not by any means of transport (such as elephants and horses) can one go to the place one has never been before (i.e., Nibbana); but by thoroughly taming oneself, the tamed one1 can get to that place (i.e., Nibbana).

1. The tamed one: One, who having first controlled the senses, has later developed Magga Insight. (The Commentary)

The Story of the Bhikkhu Who Had Been a Trainer of Elephants

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (323) of this book, with reference to a bhikkhu who had previously been an elephant trainer.

On one occasion, some bhikkhus saw an elephant trainer and his elephant on the bank of the river Aciravati. As the trainer was finding it difficult to control the elephant, one of the bhikkhus, who was an ex-elephant trainer, told the other bhikkhus how it could be easily handled. The elephant trainer hearing him did as told by the bhikkhu, and the elephant was quickly subdued. Back at the monastery, the bhikkhus related the incident to the Buddha. The Buddha called the ex-elephant trainer bhikkhu to him and said, "O vain bhikkhu, who is yet far away from Magga and Phala ! You do not gain anything by taming elephants. There is no one who can get to a place where one has never been before (i.e.. Nibbana) by taming elephants; only one who has tamed himself can get there."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 323: Indeed, not by any means of transport (such as elephants and horses) can one go to the place one has never been before (i.e., Nibbana); but by thoroughly taming oneself, the tamed one can get to that place (i.e., Nibbana).
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For six years Gautama starved and deprived his soul in search for meaning, hoping that these extreme measures may hold the truth. But soon he found that this new extreme, a life of complete scarcity, nor his previous life of opulence held the answers he was so determined to find. Gautama then decided to take the middle way. He began to eat and nourish himself again but sought a new path to enrich his soul.

Then with the passing of those seven days, the Gracious One arose from that concentration. Then the Nāga King Mucalinda, having understood that the sky was now clear without a cloud, having unravelled his coils from the Gracious One’s body, and after withdrawing his own form, and creating the appearance of a young brāhmaṇa, stood in front of the Gracious One, revering the Gracious One with raised hands.

Then the Gracious One, having understood the significance of it, on that occasion uttered this exalted utterance:

“There is happiness and detachment for the one who is satisfied,
who has heard the Dhamma, and who sees,
There is happiness for him who is free from ill-will in the world,
who is restrained towards breathing beings.

“The state of dispassion in the world is happiness,
the complete transcending of sense desires,
But for he who has removed the conceit ‘I am’—
this is indeed the highest happiness.”


Udāna 2.1
Mucalindasuttaṁ 11

A Caution Against Superiority Conceit

An argument to abandon preconceived prejudices against different Buddhist traditions.
By Bhikkhu Analayo

Part 1 of 2

Probably all Buddhist traditions would agree in principle that superiority conceit is a detrimental mental condition and better overcome. Yet, the historical reality of various forms of Buddhism reflects recurrent manifestations of superiority conceit. These can take the form of gender discrimination or of dismissive attitudes toward other Buddhist traditions. When confronted with the forms of conceit, time and again I found that an understanding of the religious and historical conditions responsible for a particular situation was both sobering and liberating. Insight into the why and how of certain aspects of the Buddhist traditions can help to see these in the proper perspective and find ways to adjust. For this reason, I hope that the material presented here will be helpful to the reader, enabling a more informed perspective and consequently a letting go of ignorance and conceit.

Various forms of daily discrimination toward women who have renounced lay life exist in Theravada countries. The main problem remains their ambiguous position between the lay and the monastic world. This in-between status can find reflection, for example, in the type of dress worn. The nuns of Myanmar often wear pinkish colored robes, a color never worn by bhikkhus, and the nuns of Thailand wear only white, similar to lay people on observance days. Nuns in both countries usually do not officiate at public ceremonies or preach in public. Whereas nuns in Sri Lanka take ten precepts, in Thailand they usually only take eight, another similarity to the practice of lay people on an observance day. The Thai government denies the nuns the right to vote, in line with the custom that monastics do not vote, but at the same time does not concede them the benefit of free travel on public transport, a privilege accorded to bhikkhus.

The bhikkhuni ordination lineage was transmitted from India to Sri Lanka and from there to China, although the latter transmission appears to have happened in a way that does not fully satisfy strict Theravada legal requirements. Due to the subsequent decline of the order of bhikkhunis in India and Sri Lanka, since the time of the eleventh century, there appear to have been no more bhikkhunis ordained according to Theravada law who could have collaborated with a Theravada order of bhikkhus in granting ordination to a female candidate.

Depictions of the Buddha in the early texts do not present him as a paragon of masculinity, unlike later texts. According to a listing of impossibilities, a woman cannot be a Buddha. Although probably originating from leadership conceptions in the ancient Indian setting, where a female stood little chance of being recognized as an accomplished teacher, the idea of such an impossibility could easily have fostered a tendency to belittle women’s abilities. This had an impact in particular on conceptions of the path to Buddhahood, in that the accomplishment of an advanced bodhisattva came eventually to be seen as manifesting in the leaving behind of the female body in order to continue for the rest of his career as a male.

The various strands of negativity toward women that emerge in this way are not in conformity with the early teachings. After the Buddha’s passing away, it was perhaps natural for ensuing generations of Buddhist monastics to move more in line with general biases prevalent in the patriarchal setting of ancient India, in their attempt to ensure the survival of the fledgling tradition in the face of competition with other religious groups and under the threat of internal disintegration.

Thanks to the efforts of the Buddhist monastic institutions over many centuries the teachings and discipline have been transmitted until today.

Without in any way intending to turn a blind eye to this remarkable achievement of past generations, it nevertheless needs to be recognized that to insist on perpetuating outdated hierarchies based on male superiority conceit is not in keeping with the demands of current times and is detrimental to the welfare of the Buddhist traditions it seeks to protect.

AMahayana Buddhist superiority conceit finds expression in the belief that membership in the Great Vehicle, the Mahayana, automatically confers superiority over anyone else who does not aspire to Buddhahood.

The need for an authentication of Mahayana texts as teachings of the historical Buddha appears to be responsible for the emergence of Hinayana [the Lesser Vehicle] rhetoric. The distinction between those who follow the bodhisattva path and those who do not aspire to future Buddhahood is a vocational one and needs to be differentiated from monastic ordination taken in any of what are conventionally called the eighteen schools of Buddhism. The usage of the term “Hinayana” has its origin in polemics and lacks a grounding in the historical reality of Indian Buddhism. It cannot be used to refer to the Theravada traditions, as some Theravadins have been and still are practitioners of the bodhisattva path. Nor can it be applied to early Buddhism, as during that period the bodhisattva path had not yet come into existence. This leaves no basis for the application of a term that concerns the decision whether or not to pursue such a path.

The true seal of authentication for any Buddhist practitioner can be found by putting into practice the central discovery of the historical Buddha: emptiness, or not self.

The employment of the term “Hinayana” has a counterpart in claims to the superiority of bodhisattvas, actively encouraged in various texts through comparisons and illustrations expressive of contempt for those who are not in pursuit of Buddhahood. The same tendency to belittling can also find employment in the context of rivalry among different Mahayana traditions. Besides the need to set aside the term “Hinayana” in clear recognition of its polemical origins, historical unreality, and discriminatory nature, there is also a need to leave behind the underlying attempt to authenticate noscripture through untenable attributions to the historical Buddha.

In sum, the significant contributions made by Mahayana thought to Buddhism would shine forth more brightly if they could be divested of the blemish of superiority conceit.

The next manifestation of superiority conceit takes the form of assuming that membership in the Theravada tradition automatically implies being the true heir to the Buddha’s original teachings. As evidence that this notion lacks a foundation, there are several aspects of the Path of Purification, the Visuddhimagga, a key manual of the path compiled by Buddhaghosa in the fifth century, that involve some departure from early Buddhist thought. My point is not to imply a wholesale rejection but only that this work offers a distinctly Theravada perspective, which at times differs from the early Buddhist position.

One of which is the widespread belief among later generations of Buddhists that the Buddha was omniscient. The notion of the comprehensiveness of knowledge that underlies the idea of omniscience appears to have been a central undercurrent in the arising of Abhidharma, which the Theravadins—just as other Buddhist traditions—consider to have been taught by the historical Buddha himself. This attribution involves forms of textual authentication similar to those evident in Mahayana Buddhist traditions discussed previously.
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Dhammapada Verse 324
Parijinna Brahmanaputta Vatthu

Dhanapalo nama kunjaro
katukabhedano dunnivarayo
baddho kabalam na bhunjati
sumarati nagavanassa kunjaro.

Verse 324: The elephant called Dhanapala, in severe must and uncontrollable, being in captivity, eats not a morsel, yearning for his native forest (i.e., longing to look after his parents).

The Story of an Old Brahmin

While residing at the Veluvana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (324) of this book, with reference to an old brahmin.

Once, there lived in Savatthi an old brahmin who had eight lakhs in cash. He had four sons; when each one of the sons got married, he gave one lakh to him. Thus, he gave away four lakhs. Later, his wife died. His sons came to him and looked after him very well; in fact, they were very loving and affectionate to him. In course of time, somehow they coaxed him to give them the remaining four lakhs. Thus, he was left practically penniless.

First, he went to stay with his eldest son. After a few days, the daughter-in-law said to him, "Did you give any extra hundred or thousand to your eldest son? Don't you know the way to the houses of your other sons?" Hearing this, the old brahmin got very angry and he left the eldest son's house for the house of his second son. The same remarks were made by the wife of his second son and the old man went to the house of his third son and finally to the house of his fourth and youngest son. The same thing happened in the houses of all his sons. Thus, the old man became helpless; then, taking a staff and a bowl he went to the Buddha for protection and advice.

At the monastery, the brahmin told the Buddha how his sons had treated him and asked for his help. Then the Buddha gave him some verses to memorize and instructed him to recite them wherever there was a large gathering of people. The gist of the verses is this: "My four foolish sons are like ogres. They call me 'father, father', but the words come only out of their mouths and not from their hearts. They are deceitful and scheming. Taking the advice of their wives they have driven me out of their houses. So, now I have got to be begging. Those sons of mine are of less service to me than this staff of mine." When the old brahmin recited these verses, many people in the crowd, hearing him, went wild with rage at his sons and some even threatened to kill them.

At this, the sons became frightened and knelt down at the feet of their father and asked for pardon. They also promised that starting from that day they would look after their father properly and would respect, love and honour him. Then, they took their father to their houses; they also warned their wives to look after their father well or else they would be beaten to death. Each of the sons gave a length of cloth and sent every day a food-tray. The brahmin became healthier than before and soon put on some weight. He realized that he had been showered with these benefits on account of the Buddha. So, he went to the Buddha and humbly requested him to accept two food-trays out of the four he was receiving every day from his sons. Then he instructed his sons to send two food-trays to the Buddha.

One day, the eldest son invited the Buddha to his house for alms-food. After the meal, the Buddha gave a discourse on the benefits to be gained by looking after one's parents. Then he related to them the story of the elephant called Dhanapala, who looked after his parents. Dhanapala when captured pined for the parents who were left in the forest.

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 324: The elephant called Dhanapala, in severe must and uncontrollable, being in captivity, eats not a morsel, yearning for his native forest (i. e., longing to look after his parents).

At the end of the discourse, the old brahmin as well as his four sons and their wives attained Sotapatti Fruition.

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Free Buddha Dharma ebook

The Autobiography of Phra Ajaan Lee, translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

Phra Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo was one of the foremost teachers in the Thai forest ascetic tradition of meditation founded at the turn of the twentieth century by Phra Ajaan Sao Kantasilo and Phra Ajaan Mun Bhūridatto. His life was short but eventful. Known for his skill as a teacher and his mastery of supranatural powers, he was the first to bring the ascetic tradition out of the forests of the Mekhong basin and into the mainstream of Thai society in central Thailand.

Free download available:

https://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/Ebooks/a_lee_autobiography_v200728.pdf
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A Caution Against Superiority Conceit

An argument to abandon preconceived prejudices against different Buddhist traditions.
By Bhikkhu Analayo

Part 2 of 2

Shifts in perspective from early Buddhism to Theravada affect the understanding of mindfulness as well as its cultivation when observing the breath. Changing understandings are similarly evident in the meditative development of the divine abodes goodwill, compassion, rejoicing in others’ fortune, and equanimity. Differences in viewpoints can also be discerned in relation to key doctrines of early Buddhist thought, namely dependent arising, impermanence, dukkha [suffering], and not self.

Distinct Theravada viewpoints on meditation-related topics, found in the Visuddhimagga, have in turn influenced contemporary meditation teachings. They stand in the background of current vipassana meditation traditions that have provided the starting point for the global spread of secular applications of mindfulness. In this way, differing perspectives keep emerging from ancient to modern times, showing that Theravada doctrines and practices have evolved and continue to evolve in response to various causes and conditions. Although in itself only natural, this undermines the superiority conceit of assuming that the Theravada tradition is the sole true representative of what the Buddha originally taught.

My last area of exploration is Secular Buddhism, which at times comes with the conceit of superiority over other Buddhist traditions. Just as in the last section I focused on Buddhaghosa and his work at exemplifying trends in Theravada exegesis, in this section I focus on Stephen Batchelor as the foundational proponent of Secular Buddhism. In both cases the main thrust of my exploration is to try to ascertain to what extent certain ideas reflect early Buddhist thought, given that both Buddhaghosa and Stephen Batchelor operate from the implicit or explicit position of accurately representing the teachings of the historical Buddha.

Contrary to Secular Buddhist thought, the construction of the concept of “Buddhism” appears to have taken place on Asian soil at an early time, rather than being a nineteenth-century idea invented in the West. Already the early discourses reflect the sense of some degree of institutional Buddhist identity, sufficient for it to be considered an -ism. The monastic Sangha as the third refuge of a Buddhist is an early element, as is the notion that the Buddha, as the first refuge, had eradicated all defilements when realizing nirvana on the night of his awakening. The attainment of levels of awakening does not imply a transcendence of a concern with adhering to rules of moral conduct.

Although the doctrine of rebirth, a matter cast aside in Secular Buddhism, need not be accepted on blind faith, its implications need to be understood in order to be able to make sense of the early Buddhist teachings. This holds even for the key teaching of the four noble truths. The sequence of presentation of the four truths appears to reflect an ancient Indian model of medical diagnosis and hence is not in need of reordering. Moreover, current academic research on the formulation of the Buddha’s first teaching does not imply that the notion of truth as such is a later element.

Stephen Batchelor’s secular “Buddhism without beliefs” turns out to be rather his secular beliefs without Buddhism. Instead of being an innocent questioning of outdated religious dogmas, his writings inadvertently continue Christian missionary strategies originally developed to undermine Buddhism.

The appeal of this approach among those unaware of the misunderstandings involved appears to be in part related to a resonance with an iconoclastic attitude. Such an attitude is a natural result of the experience of cognitive dissonance from the encounter between two different cultures, in the present case the Western worldview encountering certain Asian Buddhist teachings.

The resultant rebelliousness against anything perceived as “religious” on the side of those influenced by Western materialist values combines with the relative newness of Buddhism in the West and hence the comparatively short period of exposure to its ideas. Yet, perhaps by now the time has come for Western Buddhists to enter into a more mature relationship with the teachings and with other Buddhist traditions, letting go of superiority conceit and finding a middle path aloof from the two extremes of blind acceptance and equally blind rejection.

tI is simply a form of bondage for men to look down on women as not fit to take monastic leadership roles or be advanced bodhisattvas, for those who intend to become future Buddhas to look down on those not aspiring for Buddhahood as inferior, for Theravadins to look down on others as deviant from the original true teaching, or for Secular Buddhists to look down on traditional Buddhists as stagnant dogmatists caught up in rituals who lack a proper understanding of the teachings of the historical Buddha.

Following the Buddha’s example and putting his vision into practice requires stepping out of all of these forms of superiority conceit. Women must be accorded the full right to embark on the monastic life and to be recognized as advanced bodhisattvas. The derogatory attitude implicit in “Hinayana” rhetoric is not compatible with genuine compassion and to some extent even runs counter to progress to Buddhahood, which after all is about giving up conceit. The claim by followers of the Pali tradition to be the sole true heirs of the Buddha is also not conducive to growth in the qualities required for awakening. Western Buddhism is just another branch growing from the bodhi tree, neither intrinsically better nor intrinsically worse than Asian Buddhist traditions.

Instead of appropriating the historical Buddha to authenticate one’s personal or group beliefs, the true seal of authentication for any Buddhist practitioner can be found by putting into practice the central discovery of the historical Buddha: emptiness, or not self. It is by diminishing ego, letting go of arrogance, and abandoning conceit that one becomes a better Buddhist, no matter what tradition one may follow.

This excerpt was adapted from Superiority Conceit in Buddhist Traditions: A Historical Perspective with permission from Wisdom Publications (2021). For more on this topic, Bhikkhu Anālayo responds to critical reviews in the Journal of Buddhist Studies (December 2023) article, “Superiority Conceit in Buddhist Traditions: A Survey of Reviews.”
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Bhikkhu Anālayo is a scholar-monk, meditation teacher, and the author of numerous books. He is the co-founder of the Āgama Research Group, resident scholar at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and a retired professor at the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies, University of Hamburg.
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Part 1 of 2:

https://news.1rj.ru/str/wordsofbuddha/2986


Part 2 of 2:

https://news.1rj.ru/str/dhammapadas/2047

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Sunset over a stupa, Borobudur temple, Java island, Indonesia.

Dhammapada Verse 325
Pasenadikosala Vatthu

Middhi yada hoti mahagghaso ca
niddayita samparivattasayi
mahavarahova nivapaputtho
punappunam gabbhamupeti mando.

Verse 325: The stupid one who is lazy, gluttonous, and drowsy, who just wallows like a well-fed pig, is subject to repeated rebirths.

The Story of King Pasenadi of Kosala

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (325) of this book, with reference to King Pasenadi of Kosala.

One day, King Pasenadi of Kosala went to the monastery to pay homage to the Buddha soon after having a heavy meal. The king was in the habit of taking one quarter basketful (half a bushel of) cooked rice and meat curry. While he was in the presence of the Buddha, the king felt so drowsy that he kept on nodding and could hardly keep himself awake. Then he said to the Buddha, "Venerable Sir! I have been in great discomfort since I have taken my meal." To him the Buddha replied, "Yes, O king! Gluttons do suffer in this manner."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 325: The stupid one who is lazy, gluttonous, and drowsy, who just wallows like a well-fed pig, is subject to repeated rebirths.

After hearing the discourse the king, having understood the message, gradually lessened the amount of food he took. As a result, he became much more active and alert and therefore also happy.

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Tiger and Dragon Pagodas, Sun and Moon lake, Formosa island.