Hi Folks - !
How are you doing?!
Today, I want to share something from my month - long Pali course.
Not the Grammar - !
:)
One of the most wonderful results of this course was that now we could understand the meaning of many familiar Suttas which we hear from 6 to 6.30 am during the Vipassana courses.
A Sutta (Sutra in Sanskrit and Hindi and many other Indian languages) is a thread ( of thought ), a discourse, a narration or an explanation.
We had special classes teaching us the meaning of the most important ones.
Today, I want to share one of the most powerful and truly enlightening one -
The Karaniya Metta Sutta.
Metta is loving kindness.
At the end of every Vipassana course, whatever its duration, having sharpened our mind with Anapana in the beginning and then cleansed it thoroughly with Vipassana, we come to the third and most beautiful part of the course.
Guruji explains that we need to check our mind - is it calm ? At peace ? That there is no ill will towards any one?
Only then is one ready to give good wishes to others.
This much, we knew from every course.
The Pali course allowed us a glimpse of the wisdom of the Buddha.
Now there is story behind every Sutta!
When did the Buddha give the Sutta ?
In what context?
Where, and so on -
So here goes -
One year, at the beginning of the rainy season, 500 of the Buddha's disciples went to a forest in the Himalayas.
Each had a meditation to practice and they settled for their hard work.
The Tree -Gods of the forest allowed them to stay for 3 days thinking they would go away in a day or two.
When they realized that these 500 people were there to stay for 4 whole months, they were upset and began to frighten them appearing in front of them as headless bodies or just the torsos jumping around.
The scared monks ran back to the Buddha and explained the fearful happenings.
The Buddha said, you went without your weapons, now go right back and start using it.
The monks went back using the weapon given, and soon the Tree -Gods calmed down and even welcomed them.
In fact they helped them to such an extent that at the end of the ' Vassavas ', the Rain - Retreat, all 500 had meditated with complete focus and attained the state of Arhant or a Non - Returner.
So what was the Buddha's weapon?
It was Metta.
Loving Kindness.
In the beginning of the Sutta, there are 3 verses describing how a giver of Metta should be.
He should have 15 qualities!
That, was quite a surprise to me.
' Whether one deserves it or not, I am giving Metta - may you be happy, peaceful, liberated ' was the habit, so far!
Here, I had to check whether I am good enough to even give positive thoughts to another!
The Sutta says, ' One who gives Metta should be capable, simple in body and mind, soft spoken, polite without an exaggerated sense of self, contented, who is not a burden on anyone and with few wants.
He should have light habits and inclinations (his senses are calm ), be alert in posture, ego less in every way and without familial attachments.
His own behaviour is full of wisdom and he does not give any chance to be blamed for any wrongdoing. Others can not point a finger at him.
The feeling while giving Metta should be - all beings, gross or subtle, seen or unseen, close or far, those taking rebirth or those out of the cycle, may all beings be happy.
Socially, no one should cheat any one nor disrespect, spread no anger nor wish ill - will on another.
Just as a mother guards her own child, have similar love and respect for all beings.
May this Metta be limitless, without any obstacle, hatred, or enmity and may it spread above, below, left, to the right, diagonally, horizontally and vertically.
This feeling should be maintained in every state until one falls into deep sleep.
This is the Brahma Vihar, a state of sublime being.
A monk who practices this, does not fall prey to any myth and develops the vision of wisdom, destructs all desires and does not take rebirth.'
So there you are !
I had no idea it was so serious !
Usually, by the 7 - 8th day of a 10 - day course or similar period of time in longer ones, I - and many, most others reach a state of beautiful lightness of being, happiness and joy.
Giving Metta is some thing I eagerly look forward to.
It is wonderful to share the strong positive vibrations to whoever flashes in front of your mind's eye.
Here, I learnt that the process of purification, at least awareness, goes much deeper and is very important.
The Buddha's work on Consciousness and its working is mind - boggling.
Modern Psychology has not come anywhere near the truth, so far, but it will, one day.
This Karaniya Metta Sutta is available on you-tube in many avatars ( pronunciations! - all sweet! ).
A translation is also available along with it.
I am off for a course to Igatpuri and will be back in a fortnight.
And I will give Metta to all of you with a new awareness!
Enjoy and take care -
How are you doing?!
Today, I want to share something from my month - long Pali course.
Not the Grammar - !
:)
One of the most wonderful results of this course was that now we could understand the meaning of many familiar Suttas which we hear from 6 to 6.30 am during the Vipassana courses.
A Sutta (Sutra in Sanskrit and Hindi and many other Indian languages) is a thread ( of thought ), a discourse, a narration or an explanation.
We had special classes teaching us the meaning of the most important ones.
Today, I want to share one of the most powerful and truly enlightening one -
The Karaniya Metta Sutta.
Metta is loving kindness.
At the end of every Vipassana course, whatever its duration, having sharpened our mind with Anapana in the beginning and then cleansed it thoroughly with Vipassana, we come to the third and most beautiful part of the course.
Guruji explains that we need to check our mind - is it calm ? At peace ? That there is no ill will towards any one?
Only then is one ready to give good wishes to others.
This much, we knew from every course.
The Pali course allowed us a glimpse of the wisdom of the Buddha.
Now there is story behind every Sutta!
When did the Buddha give the Sutta ?
In what context?
Where, and so on -
So here goes -
One year, at the beginning of the rainy season, 500 of the Buddha's disciples went to a forest in the Himalayas.
Each had a meditation to practice and they settled for their hard work.
The Tree -Gods of the forest allowed them to stay for 3 days thinking they would go away in a day or two.
When they realized that these 500 people were there to stay for 4 whole months, they were upset and began to frighten them appearing in front of them as headless bodies or just the torsos jumping around.
The scared monks ran back to the Buddha and explained the fearful happenings.
The Buddha said, you went without your weapons, now go right back and start using it.
The monks went back using the weapon given, and soon the Tree -Gods calmed down and even welcomed them.
In fact they helped them to such an extent that at the end of the ' Vassavas ', the Rain - Retreat, all 500 had meditated with complete focus and attained the state of Arhant or a Non - Returner.
So what was the Buddha's weapon?
It was Metta.
Loving Kindness.
In the beginning of the Sutta, there are 3 verses describing how a giver of Metta should be.
He should have 15 qualities!
That, was quite a surprise to me.
' Whether one deserves it or not, I am giving Metta - may you be happy, peaceful, liberated ' was the habit, so far!
Here, I had to check whether I am good enough to even give positive thoughts to another!
The Sutta says, ' One who gives Metta should be capable, simple in body and mind, soft spoken, polite without an exaggerated sense of self, contented, who is not a burden on anyone and with few wants.
He should have light habits and inclinations (his senses are calm ), be alert in posture, ego less in every way and without familial attachments.
His own behaviour is full of wisdom and he does not give any chance to be blamed for any wrongdoing. Others can not point a finger at him.
The feeling while giving Metta should be - all beings, gross or subtle, seen or unseen, close or far, those taking rebirth or those out of the cycle, may all beings be happy.
Socially, no one should cheat any one nor disrespect, spread no anger nor wish ill - will on another.
Just as a mother guards her own child, have similar love and respect for all beings.
May this Metta be limitless, without any obstacle, hatred, or enmity and may it spread above, below, left, to the right, diagonally, horizontally and vertically.
This feeling should be maintained in every state until one falls into deep sleep.
This is the Brahma Vihar, a state of sublime being.
A monk who practices this, does not fall prey to any myth and develops the vision of wisdom, destructs all desires and does not take rebirth.'
So there you are !
I had no idea it was so serious !
Usually, by the 7 - 8th day of a 10 - day course or similar period of time in longer ones, I - and many, most others reach a state of beautiful lightness of being, happiness and joy.
Giving Metta is some thing I eagerly look forward to.
It is wonderful to share the strong positive vibrations to whoever flashes in front of your mind's eye.
Here, I learnt that the process of purification, at least awareness, goes much deeper and is very important.
The Buddha's work on Consciousness and its working is mind - boggling.
Modern Psychology has not come anywhere near the truth, so far, but it will, one day.
This Karaniya Metta Sutta is available on you-tube in many avatars ( pronunciations! - all sweet! ).
A translation is also available along with it.
I am off for a course to Igatpuri and will be back in a fortnight.
And I will give Metta to all of you with a new awareness!
Enjoy and take care -
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