The greatest teacher of them all...

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

the happiness from within a pure mind - that happiness is perpetual

Inspired by the second verse of the Yammaka Vagga (The Twin Verses) of the Dhammapada - "Matthakundali Vatthu" - Happiness follows the doer of good

Once upon a time, long long ago, in a place far far away, as all good stories say, was the Munisangama Ashrama of the great muni, Rangabhashya. At the confluence of the great rivers, below the tall Himalayas, the most sacred of all places before one came to the vast plains of irrigated lands, more than a thousand monks resided and conducted their spiritual studies and learnt their skills at sanctification of the mind. Seekers of knowledge came to the Munisangama Ashrama from many regions, from all over the great land of the mighty rivers of the Sindhu and the Ganges, from the rivers to the southern regions of Jambudvipa, from all over the Himalayas, from the east, across the sea at Navadvipa, and from the west beyond the known regions of the mighty river of Sindhu and her sisters. There were the people from the south, and white skinned people who came from across the seas, or along the great mountain passes to the north of the Sindhu, and there were also people who would come from above the Himalayas.


They were all welcome at the Munisangama Ashrama, and a true seeker of knowledge was never refused permission to enter and stay. There were also several families who were resident at the outer areas around the Ashrama for many generations, and the great muni, Rangabhashyama's father, Neelamegha, had declared that students of knowledge had to also undergo the bliss and pain of marriage, family and old age to sharpen their thoughts and thereby learn dispassion and minimalism. It was said that Neelamegha's great grandfather had come from a remote village in the heart of the mountains below the Zhangzhung region of the great plateau above the mighty Himalayas.


There was a regularly used mountain path from these hidden valleys and remote villages to the great Indian plains below the Himalayas. This pathway took a persistent and brave traveler to the great mountain of Kangri Rinpoche, or Kailasa, in the Gangdise mountains of the high plateau above the Himalayas. These remote villages had strong trade links with the great ashramas of the Himalayas and small traders and caravans regularly traveled to sell their harvests and other produce. It was therefore never a surprise to see all sorts of people at the Munisangama Ashrama of the great muni, Rangabhashya, at any season or on any day.


And thus it was that, on one day, during a season of very intense monsoon, a caravan of traders came down from the remote villages of the hidden valleys inside the mighty Himalayas. The great muni, Rangabhashya, had with great foresight, established a camping ground for visiting caravans in forested areas across the river. This arrangement ensured that the comings and goings of the caravans did not disturb the life of the ashrama, and the traders and their servants and their animals could rest and arrange their tents in peace and without any disturbance. The great muni's brother-in-law, Alavanderasena, had been given instructions and the control to establish a small settlement of families who provided supplies, food and other needs for the traveling caravans. 


The caravan that arrived on a day of intense stormy rain seemed very unlike the usual trading groups that traveled together. There seemed to be several different caravans traveling south of the Himalayas. As Alavanderasena found out on enquiry, many landslides in the upper mountains during intense rainfall had delayed the caravans, and as a result, more than ten caravans had strung out, one after the other, and moved carefully through the dangerous high passes, and the treacherous low valley floor pathways alongside torrential rivers. Some travelers had died, some had returned, some were left to recover from monsoon illnesses with native herbal medicine men in the villages above, and some had been left behind with goods and carts that could not travel due to bad damage and repairs.


These were usual happenings, and the families at the caravan settlement were familiar with such events. Alavanderasena had distributed the caravans to separate camping areas in the forests, with the oldest and the largest ones getting sites near the river, while others got camping locations alongside smaller river streams that flowed inside the forests. The caravan animals needed to rest, the carts needed to be repaired, and everyone were simply tired and exhausted. Alavanderasena assigned 2-3 families to each caravan to attend to their needs and to take care of providing cooked food for the first two days, and to provide ample fodder stacks to satiate the cattle, camels, horses, mules and buffaloes in the caravan. There were other animals too, for trade, such as donkeys and exotic birds. One caravan had two elephants for sale, while another caravan had brought two tigers as a gift to a local king.


There was another major travel route that went east-west along the mighty river, and then turned northwards to Sravasti and the Jetavana monastery, where the Most Enlightened One would go to, for his annual retreat from the great University to the south. The Most Enlightened One would visit the nearby monasteries nearby, while he traveled with more than two thousand monks, students and others who would merely want to travel with him, and listen to his teachings on each evening at the places that he would camp. The great muni, Rangabhashya, looked forward to these visits by the Most Enlightened One, with the eagerness of a child waiting for his return of his parent. On such occasions, the great muni became a student and would rush to join the group of learners and travel with the Most Enlightened One for about 7-8 days.


An ashrama nearby had made arrangements for the Most Enlightened One and his more than two thousand monks and nearly another thousand followers of all manner. The sangha would stop at the ashrama for two nights while on its route northwards to Jetavana and Sravasti and on its route southwards to Nalanda and Rajgir. The muni, Balapilavarendra, was an earlier student of the great muni, Rangabhashya, and had gone ahead to the nearby region to establish the new ashram at the instructions of the elders at the Munisangama Ashrama. There was ample water here, and the place was in a secluded valley, away from the other caravan roads, and had large groves of wild mango and domesticated varieties. At the example of the great muni, Rangabhashya, several hundred monks of different orders of faith would proceed to the ashrama of Balapilavarendra, and seek the blessings of the Most Enlightened One and listen to his teachings during his stay.


This was the reason why the great muni, Rangabhashya, had located separate camping areas for the caravans coming down from the Himalayas or from the west, from the Sindhu and beyond, or from the golden kingdoms to the east of Navadvipa, even as far as Mon and Mranma. There were traders, vagrants, warriors, migrants, small tribes, or families and mercenaries of all sorts, and Rangabhashya was careful that they should not get any opportunity to disturb the manner of life and daily duties of the residents in the ashramas or nearby villages. The caravans were welcome to say at the caravan grounds, and were free to travel on the trade routes. Local businessmen, farmers, landlords, warriors and the monks and local families, and representatives of some local kings would visit the caravan camping grounds and conduct their trade and purchase and sell. At times, there were performers, drama artistes and performing animals, folk singers and chanters of traditional songs, who would travel in the caravans, and these people and their animals would be invited to the ashramas or villages to perform, sing or tell stories of their lands.


To be continued...

The mind that is pure, that mind is indeed happy


Inspired by the second verse of the Yammaka Vagga (The Twin Verses) of the Dhammapada - "Matthakundali Vatthu" - Happiness follows the doer of good

Once upon a time, long long ago, in a place far far away, as all good stories say, in the old village of Satyagriha, very near the town of Sravasti of known fame due to the travels and stay of the Most Enlightened One in these regions, lived an old brahmin archaka, a priest, Perikasyapa, who was very devoted to his duties at the temple and beloved by his family. His son, Balakasyapa, would also help him at the temple alongside him, at the prayers, and on some days, was known to conduct the day long sanctification, all by himself. Perikasyapa was very proud of his son and loved him dearly, and would always speak of him with pride in his voice to his neighbour, the kind and benevolent neighbour, Dayaluprema. 

Perikasyapa had a large family. Two other sons, Raghavakasyapa and Harshakasyapa had been given the responsibility of managing the  temple's cropfields, wells and animals, including the dairy sheds, cattle, mules, horses and elephants. The temple was not as impressive as the other large temples in the region, and certainly not as large as the Jetavana monastery at Sravasti, where the Most Enlightened One led his sangha for the past several years.

Four daughters born before his sons had been married and were settled in the town of Sravasti and nearby villages to honest and god-fearing brahmins from very old families in the region. All four daughters, Deepakalavika, Neetikalavika, Preetikalavika and Jyotikalavika had loved their father dearly and were deeply attached to the temple and its annual religious ceremonies. They returned, year after year, to help Perikasyapa and Balakasyapa in organising the festivities and prayers, and they would come, each one of the four daughters, with their spouses, children and servants and other relatives.

Perikasyapa  was never tired of telling the mother of his chidlren, Kalavikamata, of the god's own blessings and the proper manner of all prayers, and denial of any wrong doing, had allowed them to be happy with their children, and their children's families, and their children's children, while also being happy with the manner of functioning of the temple and all their properties and their animals.

Perikasyapa’s neighbour, Dayaluprema, was a grocer but was also an expert at breeding select varieties of cattle and also had several businesses, including a grain shop and a dairy farm. Dayaluprema and the wonderful and wise Bhavanamata, the mother of his chidlren were very devout householders, and were always present at the small temple at Satyagriha, helping Perikasyapa, and also chatting with him about all worldly matters.

Perikasyapa and Dayaluprema were very busy people, and they would be at their work from before dawn, and would be working through the day, and moving about in the village and nearby areas and to Sravasti, at least once a day. They were well known in the area and loved by all and respected because of their good behaviour and generous nature. Their children were also good natured and devoted to their tasks and always generous to one and all. Their language was pure and their speech was clean.

There was many an occasion when the poor, the old, the sick and the needy in the region would come to them asking for some help or guidance and would never be turned away. Perikasyapa took care to ensure that he should never be considered as a charitable but foolish person. To each person who would come asking for help, the old priest would ask questions about the misfortune, and would offer support by way of food, clothing and shelter and money in exchange for a job and service at the temple, or his crop fields or dairy farms or in setting up a vending shop in Sravasti or nearby places.

There were always many opportunities, he felt, and these were not seen because one was in misery or in severe distress, or merely because people did not know how to recognise a way out of their problems. Perikasyapa felt that if one was devoted to their work, and to their god, and to their family, there would be strength of thought that would always flow like a river within their mind, and this would give that ability to help others always without any hesitation.

Similar to Perikasyapa, the actions of Kalavikamata, were always being praised by the villagers of Satyagriha. She had more courage and kindness in her mind, and usually, she never waited for someone to approach her for help. She had a way, an enormous ocean of kindness within her, and with a happy mind, she could locate those helpless people, who would hover nearby and not have the courage to come and ask for help. Her eyes saw their distress, and her mind recognised their anguish and her heart accepted, with all her love, that they did not wish to lose their dignity in asking for help and accepting charity.

Kalavikamata would wave to these helpless ones, calling them nearer, and unlike Perikasyapa, without any questions or without asking them to work in return, she would give each one a small fistfull of curd rice from a large pot carried on a small cart accompanying her. She was always with her small cart, pulled by a very faithful and beloved ox, Bhatta, who had been on the same task for many many years. At times, it seemed that even Bhatta knew where to stop, and as the grandchildren loved to claim, Bhatta also knew how to recognise those who needed help from Kalavikamata.

Several grandchildren accompanied Kalavikamata and her small cart and Bhatta, the most docile, friendly and good-natured ox. The children would help in giving the curd rice to people, and would keep the fistfulls ready in wrapped up banana leaves. They enjoyed this work, and one some days, they would also call their young friends from other houses to join them. To the villagers of Satyagriha and to the visitors from other places, and to all at Sravasti, it seemed like the pure mind of Perikasyapa was always at peace and always keen to help others. It seemed like this purity of thought and benevolence of action flowed like an endless never ceasing river from Perikasyapa to Kalavikamata and thereby to all their children and their spouses and their families and to their grandchildren.

Always kind and helpful within themselves, and in perpetual association with good and pure souls, it did seem that the good nature went out to accept the people who met them, and each one of them went away carrying their kindness and goodness in their hearts. The love that they spread among people also seemed to reach out to all the animals near them and this was seen clearly by all those who saw the manner of behaviour of the animals who were in service at the carts or the yokes at the crop fields or those that were in the dairy farms.

Most uniquely, this love and benevolence also spread to the wild birds and animals in Satyagriha. Near the temple, and among the fruit orchards and flower gardens of Perikasyapa, it was the task of a gardener, one who had come years ago, asking for help, and ended up working at the gardens, to place nesting pots and fill up the drinking pans for the wild birds, garden peafowl and the pigeons that swarmed the area. This gardener had lost one hand in a fight with a fellow thief, in his earlier occupation as a bandit. Jobless, and with no means to help his family, he had come to Perikasyapa asking for help, and had confessed all information about his wrongful actions.

Perikasyapa had employed the one-handed bandit, and named as Cheyyilena and asked him to tend to the temple’s flower gardens behind the southern walls, and reuse all the waters that drained from the temple to irrigate the fruit orchards and flower beds. Over many years, Cheyyilena had settled his family in a small hut below the southern walls of the temple, near an old disused well that still retained water. His own children had become young persons in these years and went to work on the crop fields of Perikasyapa in nearby areas.

In all these years, Cheyyilena, kept soaking up the kindness of Perikasyapa and the benevolence of Kalavikamata, and got totally captured by the purity of their minds, and the good nature of their thoughts, and in a short period had totally forgotten of who he had been in earlier years, and thus cleansing his own mind. His thoughts had become pure and sincere, and he ceased to have evil thoughts, and over some years, had come to accept, believe and act in such a manner that he would only conduct himself with a totally pure mind. Thereby, his actions though restricted mainly to trees, flowers, water and to the birds, and feral dogs and cats and the occasional wandering donkey from the nearby brick kilns, his day-long actions also resounded with the purity of his mind and thought.

At one of the flower gardens alongside the southern walls of the temple, Cheyyilena had placed a series of clay saucers with water for birds to quench their thirst. These saucers were kept on ledges above the ground, high enough, so that the village dogs could not jump up or dislodge them. Some cats would always attempt to reach the saucers for the birds, but Cheyyilena had thought about it and placed larger and deeper vessels at ground level for the dogs and cats to drink from.

Cheyyilena’s wife would always leave the leftover rice and lentils, small portions of leftovers, high enough so that the birds could eat peacefully without any threat from the dogs and cats. There was always enough food at the temple and market areas for the dogs and cats of Satyagriha and, in any case, Cheyyilena’s wife never had large portions of leftovers. The sparrows, mynas and bulbuls, and the occasional other birds that came by were the right number to completely consume the leftover food.

On one such day, when the Most Enlightened One was at Jetavana, in Sravasti, near the village of Satyagriha, it so happened that there was a big feast at the temple, and Cheyyilena and his wife had gone to help Perikasyapa and others with the activities and serving food to all those who attended. Having eaten at the temple, Cheyyilena’s wife had more food at her home as leftovers to give to the birds. This food was tasty and spicy and the odour was very welcoming and tempting to one hungry and starved-looking dog, perhaps a wandering mongrel from some other place. The dogs of Satyagriha were still busy feasting at the leftovers of the feast of the day before and were not present at the flower garden.

This had presented an opportunity to the stranger mongrel, who came up to the vessels containing water, drank from them, and began searching for the food that he could not see, but could certainly smell very strongly. He looked around and could not spot any food, but following his nose, he could guess that the wonderful smells were coming from the ledge, high above, and was probably being consumed by the many birds that he saw flocking around.

Hungry and desperate, not able to contain himself, the mongrel barked in request to the myna that was perched nearby. That myna, seemed to understand that the stranger dog was hungry and needed food, for, it flew up to the ledge, and having perched itself on some lumps of lentil-mixed rice balls, pushed them from the ledge, to fall on the ground. Immediately, the hungry dog pounced on the rice balls and consumed them, drank some water and ran away, satisfied and happy.

The monk, Jaiprakasa Muni, was seated nearby, under the shade of a mango tree. As I have informed you earlier, he could understand the language spoken by all wild and domestic creatures, and was also able to talk to them. He had been seated in the orchard for some time, resting, and waiting for the noon meals to be over at the temple and the market, so that he could go to the village to beg for his alms and food. He had seen the desperate hunger of the wandering stranger-mongrel, and had seen him bark in request to the myna, and had seen the kind bird, with purity in its mind, and clean in its thought, push away some food from the ledge to allow the dog to eat.

He knew of the kindness and purity of mind of Perikasyapa, his family and the benevolent nature of most of the villagers of Satyagriha. He knew of Cheyyilena, and of how without any attempt to preach, the bandit had been reformed with the assurance of honest employment, and of how he had gained perpetual purity in his mind and busied himself only in good deeds. The monk, Jaiprakasa Muni, called out to the myna, “O kind bird, please, slow yourself in your busy actions, and do come near and sit at this low branch, for I want to be able to see inside your mind, and seek the blessings of your pure mind.”

The kind myna, not realising the import and intent of the words of the wise monk, came down immediately and perched on a branch that swung low from the mango tree. Hearing the words of the monk, all the other birds also came to perch nearby. Sparrows, mynas, bulbuls, doves, parakeets and cuckoos, and many others, including two peafowl that had been sitting on their eggs, quietly and secretly, in some flower bushes nearby, also came to sit nearby. All these birds, possibly more than thirty, sat patiently awaiting the words of the wise monk who spoke to all the wild and domestic creatures.

He said to the birds, “O soul-driven birds of this splendid place, O flying birds, who can always seek places with purity in your minds, hear me out, for I am blessed that I can speak to all living creatures, those that are freely wild, and also to all domestic creatures, and I see all aspects of life, the good and the bad, the pure and the evil, the content and the misery, the peaceful and the troubled and this I see, that sadness (dukha) follows the impure mind, and happiness (sukha) follows the perpetually pure mind.”

“O kind bird, the unhesitating act of helping a stranger, by giving away something that you needed to survive, without question and without any second thought, this very action came from the purity in your mind, and thereby you have assured yourselves of the results of good actions by others and the certainty that you will forever be successful in being good, always.”

The monk, Jaiprakasa Muni, said thus to all the birds listening to him, “All living beings are unique, in that their actions emerge from their thoughts, and their thoughts lead to their experiences. Since your thoughts were to result in helpful action, and in good deeds, you will continue to convey good thoughts, and this purity in mind will thus become stronger. The results will always be in good deeds, thus always leading you to happiness. Such happiness, resulting from good thought, will never leave you, and will always be with you. Wherever you fly, and even if you perch within the darkest tree, your happiness will always follow you like a faithful shadow that will never leave you, even if you cannot see it. Thus, taught the Most Enlightened One.” 

The Dhammapada - Yammaka Vagga - Verse 2 - Matthakundali Vathu


The Dhammapada

Yammaka Vagga

 

Verse 2
Matthakundali Vathu

Manopubbangama dhamma
manosettha manomaya
manasa ce pasannena
bhasati va karoti va
tato nam sukha
manveti
chayava anapayini.





Verse 2: All mental phenomena have mind as their forerunner; they have mind as their chief; they are mind-made. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness (sukha) follows him like a shadow that never leaves him.


1. Sukham/sukha: in this context, happiness, satifactoriness, fortune, etc., and rebirth in the three upper planes of happy existence.


The Story of Matthakundali

While residing at the Jetavana monastery in Savatthi, the Buddha uttered Verse (2) of this book, with reference to Matthakundali, a young Brahmin. Matthakundali was a young brahmin, whose father, Adinnapubbaka, was very stingy and never gave anything in charity. Even the gold ornaments for his only son were made by himself to save payment for workmanship. When his son fell ill, no physician was consulted, until it was too late. When he realized that his son was dying, he had the youth carried outside on to the verandah, so that people coming to his house would not see his possessions.

On that morning, the Buddha arising early from his deep meditation of compassion saw, in his Net of Knowledge, Matthakundali lying on the verandah. So when entering Savatthi for alms-food with his disciples, the Buddha stood near the door of the brahmin Adinnapubbaka. The Buddha sent forth a ray of light to attract the attention of the youth, who was facing the interior of the house. The youth saw the Buddha; and as he was very weak he could only profess his faith mentally. But that was enough. When he passed away with his heart in devotion to the Buddha he was reborn in the Tavatimsa celestial world.

From his celestial abode the young Matthakundali, seeing his father mourning over him at the cemetery, appeared to the old man in the likeness of his old self. He told his father about his rebirth in the Tavatimsa world and also urged him to approach and invite the Buddha to a meal. At the house of Adinnapubbaka the question of whether one could or could not be reborn in a celestial world simply by mentally professing profound faith in the Buddha, without giving in charity or observing the moral precepts, was brought up. So the Buddha willed that Matthakundali should appear in person; Matthakundali soon appeared fully decked with celestial ornaments and told them about his rebirth in the Tavatimsa world. Then only, the audience became convinced that the son of the brahmin Adinnapubbaka by simply devoting his mind to the Buddha had attained much glory.

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:



Verse 2: All mental phenomena have mind as their forerunner; they have mind as their chief; they are mind-made. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness (sukha) follows him like a shadow that never leaves him.
At the end of the discourse Matthakundali and his father Adinnapubbaka attained Sotapatti Magga and Sotapatti Phala. Adinnapubbaka also donated almost all his wealth to the cause of the Buddha's Teaching.

The verse and the specific parable are sourced from the following references (13 April 2012) –

  1. http://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=002

  1. http://www.buddhanet.net/dhammapada/d_twin.htm
 Copyright is retained with original authors at these websites and pages. The verse is copied here for easy reference to the stories being presented.