The greatest teacher of them all...

The greatest teacher of them all...
There is much to learn, and we are yet to begin...

Can the blind see better than those who can?

Inspired by the first verse of the Yammaka Vagga (The Twin Verses) of the Dhammapada - "Cakkhupalatthera Vatthu" - Suffering follows the evil-doer


Once upon a time, long long ago, in a place far far away, as all good stories say, at the confluence of two great rivers, below the tall mountains of the Himalayas, before the vast plains of the lands of irrigated crops, was the ashrama of Rangabhashya, the great muni. It was here that more than a thousand monks resided to study under the guidance of the great muni. This was the most sacred of all places when one traveled below the Himalayas, the Munisangama Ashrama. There were other smaller associated ashrams nearby, and these were also under the guidance of the senior monks of Rangabhashya, who had decided at different times, that these monks could go ahead and establish their own gurukuls and residential ashrams.

Most seekers of knowledge came from all over the great land of the Sindhu and the Ganges, from all the big and small kingdoms south of the Himalayas, and from the lands to the west of the great rivers of the Sindhu, and from the lands to the east of the great seas after the mighty Ganges met the Sea near Navadvipa. It was said that Rangabhashya taught from all the major schools of knowledge that was prevalent at that time, but would retreat by himself to be a student when the Most Enlightened One would teach at the nearby monasteries.

The Most Enlightened One would visit the nearby monasteries each year while he traveled to and from the Jetavana Monastery near Sravasti for his annual retreat from the great University along with more than two thousand monks and other students. He taught about the New Way, the aspect of the understanding that provided a new perspective and helped many to start again in their search for knowledge and understanding. Most munis and rishis from other schools of knowledge wondered about the new way, and were keen to know if it ascribed more powers to certain gods or to certain temples and if it denied any approach to their own way of life. This was not so with the great Rangabhashya, who had known about the Most Enlightened One from during his earlier quest to understand the mystery of life and death and the larger world around all humanity.

The Most Enlightened One had halted at a nearby Ashrama, more than thirty monsoons ago, and had sought out the great teachers, and had heard all that they could teach and yet, he had emerged all the more hungry for more knowledge. And then had come the news that there had emerged from nowhere, the same seeker of knowledge, with a new approach to life and living, humanity and approaches to godliness, spirituality and responsibilities that one and all had declared that he was the Most Enlightened One. And he had visited the various ashramas and monasteries nearby, and the great Rangabhashya, had on his own accord joined the other great teachers and welcomed the Most Enlightened One with the honours that would put a King or Emperor to shame. For it was indeed said, that, it was the seeker of knowledge who deserved more honour than a King or Emperor.

The great muni was eagerly awaiting the Most Enlightened One to visit the nearby monastery during the coming monsoon. The senior most munis at the ashrama were very curious at the extent of respect that the great Rangabhashya offered to the Most Enlightened One. They knew that the Most Enlightened One was teaching a different aspect and method to seek knowledge, and that it was almost the paradox of the aspects of knowledge that the great Rangabhashya had himself taught them. They decided to ask the great muni as to why did he accord so much respect to one who taught a different way of knowledge.

The eldest among them, the Muni Nagabhushana and the Muni Shantarama, asked this of the great Rangabhashya, “O great teacher, we bow to you, and offer our respects. We have a question that has been bothering us. With your permission, we would like to ask this from you and seek your guidance.” The great muni smiled, and said, “Of course. But is it only the two of you or is it that the others are afraid to ask the same question of me? Call everyone and let everyone hear.”

The various senior munis assembled in front of the gyaanasthala, the teaching area, of the great Rangabhashya and awaited his presence. The Muni Nagabhushana accompanied the great muni and escorted him to the gyaanasthala, and bade him with great respect to be seated. All the senior munis bowed low to offer their respects and recited the four compulsory prayers before they could request the great muni to speak. Soon it was time, and yet, before they could speak out, it was the great muni who spoke without anyone asking him.

He said, “O munis of this great land below the Himalayas, you who have come from many lands and have been living here for so many years, monsoons and winters alike, I know that you are curious about why I proceed eagerly to learn from the Most Enlightened One, when he visits the nearby monastery. I know that you wonder why I listen to him speak about his new way, when it was he who had visited many great teachers and ashramas before he had decided to continue to search for a new approach to knowledge.”

“He, the Most Enlightened One, has sought knowledge, and when it was given to him by other masters, he had the courage, ability and perseverance to question what he was given. He did not disrespect those who offered him the knowledge, and he did not avoid the strict adherence to the various methods of abstinence. And yet, he did not accept without enquiry, and thereby he remained in wait, for that pure knowledge that I continue to await, as a student, though one and all, you munis at this ashrama, prefer to think of knowledge as that I was able to teach you.”

“And yet, the Most Enlightened One, even upon being able to understand the purest of knowledge, the core of all humanity and its understanding of godliness, he is able to walk among us, with his followers, his sangha, and yet, he is able to convince others without spreading rancour, and is able to discuss with one and all masters of knowledge, without making them want to escape him,” continued the great Rangabhashya, “The Most Enlightened One is able to teach us without comment on what we understand to be knowledge, he is able to share with us without any fear of corruption of our knowledge, and is able to make us understand of what he means to be the most pure of knowledge.”

Not able to contain himself, the Muni Shantarama asked, “O great teacher of our ashrama, you are our only guru, and the only path for us in our life, and we are curious. What is this pure knowledge that you speak of? Are we not seekers too? Are we not in search of the same goal? Do we not try to search for the same aspect of humanity in relation to godliness? You are known as the greatest of all munis in this part of the world, and we know that there are none others, except a very few, who can be better than you in the aspect of knowledge and that of sharing it. And you tell us that the Most Enlightened One is able to teach that aspect of knowledge that you did not know of? What is that aspect that you were not able to learn earlier?”

The great Rangabhashya smiled, and said, “O Shantarama, you are one of my oldest students. I love you as much as I love Nagabhushana. You are my sons, rather than my students, and it is all the more satisfying that you ask questions of me. Is it not that my teaching has been incomplete then? That you question me so? It is the mind within you that questions the knowledge that you have received. The mind precedes all knowables, O Shantarama. The aspect of the mind being purer than the knowledge that you receive is not something that I learnt in my quest for knowledge of so many long years.”

“It was the Most Enlightened One who has taught that one should try and search for knowledge within one’s own mind. For it is said, within our own aspects of knowledge, that to assume that one knows something is to subscribe to bondage of that knowledge. For we accept that what we know, is true. All truth is not true. What we see is not that given to us due to our sight. What we do not see is not because we close our eyes. We may not see something, and yet we may assume it to be true because of knowledge that we have gained. We see something happening, but the knowledge that we have, prevents us from questioning it.”

The Muni Nagabhushana queried, “O great master, pray permit me to ask of you a question. How would one not be able to be responsible for what one sees, and how can one actually be responsible for what one does not see? Can one be held responsible for committing a wrong, if one was not aware of what the consequences would be, and can one be wrong, if by a corrupt action done to help someone, and being aware of the wrongful thought, one does it for achieving the correct result? How would one answer this from what has been taught by the Most Enlightened One, in all the talks at the various monasteries each year, on aspects that are very different from what you teach us?”

The great Rangabhashya replied, “It is not the aspect of assuming that you know an action to be correct or wrong. How can you know? Who are you to decide? What is correct for you now, can be wrong later. What is correct for someone else can be wrong for you, at the same moment of time. So who is correct? The Most Enlightened One spoke of this. They are among those who are the most privileged of those who could hear him speak of such a most difficult aspect of knowledge, in the utmost simplicity. He spoke of it, as one would teach a child. For it is easy to speak of such complex issues through the most complex lesson and expect the student to be smarter than the teacher. Thus, does the teacher escape responsibility of the task of making the student understand what it was that was taught.”

“The Most Enlightened One spoke of a blind monk, Cakkhupala, who had come to visit him when he was residing at the Jetavana Monastery at Sravasti, from a distant land. Knowing him to be blind, and yet to seek knowledge, and to travel across great distances, caused the Most Enlightened One to be affectionate to him and treat him with more obvious kindness. Others who were close to the Most Enlightened One did not appreciate this, and yet they stayed their speech. They were not happy that the Most Enlightened One was kinder and affectionate to the blind Cakkhupala without any obvious disclosure or explanation.”

“They followed the blind monk, Cakkhupala, wherever he went about in the Jetavana Monastery, and one night they saw that he was immersed in his meditation at a certain spot, and that he was pacing up and down at that location. In the morning, when they went to the very location, they found some dead insects on the ground and on the very path that the blind monk had been pacing up and down while immersed in his meditation. These monks immediately presumed that there was opportunity in this happening and that they could complain to the Most Enlightened One of the behaviour of the blind monk. They came to the Most Enlightened One and complained that it was not appropriate of a monk to not be aware that he could have been harmful to these innocent insects, while pacing up and down a garden lawn at night, even if deep in meditation.”

“The Most Enlightened One had explained to the monks who complained, for even I had wondered if the blind monk, Cakkhupala, was at fault. It was not so, he had explained, and said that it was a fact that the other monks had not seen the blind monk kill the insects. Similarly, the blind monk was not aware that he had killed the insects. And more so, the blind monk was not intent-bound on an action to cause the death of the insects, and he had had no intention to do so. It is the intention to be wrong, and it is the intention to be corrupt that causes sorrow due to action, and this is brought about in the mind, inspite of knowledge. And once the action is thought out, sown and further action is reaped, does sorrow – dukha – follow just as the wheels of an ox-cart follow the oxen with each step that it takes forward. It is essential that one is aware of one’s actions, and does not cause those actions to come out of wrongful thoughts or corrupt intentions. So, taught the Most Enlightened One.”

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