Hi Folks - !
I am back from my Satipattan course feeling calm and at peace with all my self - created issues.
They are not 'issues' now, 'things' that need to be cleansed and put away in neat, remote slots.
Surprise, disbelief, irritation, anguish, anger, a lurking indifference - many such shades crept out, losing forever their power over my peace of mind.
And to think I had no idea it was deep down inside !
The mind is clever, and I have no excuse to allow it to bully me to this extent.
I shall be careful now, by being more regular in my daily Vipassana.
Now, there is a stronger, deeper sense of letting go and the result is a lightness of being.
:)
Today, is the full moon of Vesakha.
The night of The Buddha's enlightenment.
He was born on a Vesakha full moon and 80 years later, left his body on another.
Today, I want to tell you about his Ratan Sutta, his discourse on the Three Precious Gems.
The Buddha, The Dhamma and The Sangha.
As I had mentioned before in the Metta Sutta, each Sutta has a story behind it, a context which is equally powerful.
So here goes -
Once, the city of Vesali (present day Vaishali in Bihar) was stricken by severe famine causing death in hundreds.
Corpses lay decaying and evil spirits began to haunt the city.
Then came a rash of diseases.
The afflicted people went to The Buddha who was living at Rajagiha and requested him to please visit the city.
He saw with his insight, that giving a discourse on The Three Precious Gems would not only cleanse the city of Vesali but its power of protection would cover hundreds of millions of solar systems.
The Buddha agreed and along with Bhikku Anand and hundreds of monks, came to the city.
Just as the people had hoped and prayed, with his arrival came torrential rains and the corpses were swept away.
The Buddha gave the Ratan Sutta and asked Anand and the monks to go around in the city reciting it.
With the recitation, the scourge disappeared and the evil spirits too were exorcised.
And to think I had no idea it was deep down inside !
The mind is clever, and I have no excuse to allow it to bully me to this extent.
I shall be careful now, by being more regular in my daily Vipassana.
Now, there is a stronger, deeper sense of letting go and the result is a lightness of being.
:)
Today, is the full moon of Vesakha.
The night of The Buddha's enlightenment.
He was born on a Vesakha full moon and 80 years later, left his body on another.
Today, I want to tell you about his Ratan Sutta, his discourse on the Three Precious Gems.
The Buddha, The Dhamma and The Sangha.
As I had mentioned before in the Metta Sutta, each Sutta has a story behind it, a context which is equally powerful.
So here goes -
Once, the city of Vesali (present day Vaishali in Bihar) was stricken by severe famine causing death in hundreds.
Corpses lay decaying and evil spirits began to haunt the city.
Then came a rash of diseases.
The afflicted people went to The Buddha who was living at Rajagiha and requested him to please visit the city.
He saw with his insight, that giving a discourse on The Three Precious Gems would not only cleanse the city of Vesali but its power of protection would cover hundreds of millions of solar systems.
The Buddha agreed and along with Bhikku Anand and hundreds of monks, came to the city.
Just as the people had hoped and prayed, with his arrival came torrential rains and the corpses were swept away.
The Buddha gave the Ratan Sutta and asked Anand and the monks to go around in the city reciting it.
With the recitation, the scourge disappeared and the evil spirits too were exorcised.
The Buddha then gave his discourse to all those who had assembled and explained it in his usual calm, concise way.
This Sutta is a 'Paritta', a very powerful protective discourse for the safety of oneself and of others.
He first asked the Gods and heavenly beings who were present, to take care and protect the humans who worked tirelessly to make offerings to them and please them.
Then he went on to describe the characteristics of a Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha.
A Buddha is one who has realized the supreme truth with his equanimity and truly, there is no wealth or jewel which equals the Buddha.
(Here, he referred not to himself but to the one who has realized the Truth).
A Buddha is one who is Supreme, has experienced the Supreme (Nibbana), and gives that which is Supreme (Dhamma).
A Sangha is that congregation of monks who follow the path shown by the Buddha and are steady in every situation.
Their stock of old karma has finished and they do not make new ones, they have no desire for a rebirth.
Such 'Arahants' who are free of craving, aversion and ignorance, go into Nibbana the way a lamp quietly extinguishes when the oil is over.
Many of these verses finish with the line -'eten sacchen suvatthi hontu' -
'By the virtue of the truth of this, let there be well - being'.
And there was truth in his words as the people then, and then on wards have discovered.
There were abundant rains, a cleansing and good health which followed the Buddha's visit to Vesali.
You can go to you-tube and type ' S.N.Goenka - Morning Chanting Day-2. Ratan Sutta and listen to it from the 13.07th minute. - (out of the 29.50 minutes of the whole).
Enjoy !
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