The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Script 256
Sunday 22 December 2002


Today’s script is entitled: “The path of Bhavana”

Be careful you understand the meaning of words of translations – they may give the wrong view.

Here is a good example found in The MAUS guide to successful management, Getting Results page 11.

The name Coca-cola in China was first rendered as Ke-kou-ke-la. Unfortunately, the Coke company did not discover until after thousands of signs had been printed that the phrase means “bite the wax tadpole” or “ female horse stuffed with wax” depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40, 000 Chinese characters and found a close phonetic equivalent, “ko-kou-ko-le” which can be loosely translated as “happiness in the mouth”.

Ajahn Brahmavamso explains that although, in modern times, we make a distinction between Vipassana (Insight) and Samatha (Tranquility) the Buddha did not teach either Vipassana or Samatha; he taught Bhavana.

Bhavana means mind or mental development and Bhavana meditation was taught by the Buddha, it was taught by Ajahn Chah and is taught today by Ajahn Brahm.

Recently, one of our members attended two Theravadin meditation retreats, one of 4 days duration and one of 10 days duration. Retreats allow a person to practice Buddha Dhamma.

One ongoing practice is the perfection of morality (sila in the Pali language) at least one way to support weak practice. It is the first of the three kinds of training that form the 3-fold division of the Eightfold Path leading to the cessation of suffering. Concentration (samadhi) and Wisdom (panna) are the other two.

The keeping of precepts in up to fifty ways is sila.

Our Radio Script of 1 December 2002 explained the importance of keeping precepts.

Generally, in lay life, it is recommended a minimum of five precepts be kept. When on retreat however, the third precept is strengthened so that there is no kind of intentional sexual behaviour. As well, three additional precepts are kept and Noble Silence is observed. This gives much stronger protection against unwholesome actions of body, speech and mind.

The eight precepts observed in the Theravadin tradition while on retreat are:

(1) I undertake to observe the Precept of refraining from killing any living being.
(2) I undertake to observe the Precept of refraining from taking what is not given.
(3) I undertake to observe the Precept of refraining from any kind of intentional sexual behaviour.
(4) I undertake the Precept of refraining from false speech.
(5) I undertake the Precept of refraining from taking intoxicants causing heedlessness.
(6) I undertake the Precept of refraining from eating after midday.
(7) I undertake the Precept of refraining from entertainment, beautification and adornment.
(8) I undertake the Precept of refraining from sleeping on a high or luxurious bed.

The eight precepts in the Pali language are:

(1) Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(2) Adinnadana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(3) Abramacariya veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(4) Musavada veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(5) Sura-meraya-majja-pamadatthana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(6) Vikala-bhojana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(7) Nacca-gita-vadita-visuka dassana-mala-gandha-vilepana-dharana-mandana-vibhusanatthana-veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(8) Uchasayana-mahasayana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

When you are on bhavana retreat you plan to leave all your usual responsibilities of daily life behind for the duration of the Retreat. Preferably, you do not handle money or do business, and for the duration of the retreat you keep your mobile phone locked off.

Sati can be defined as memory, recognition, consciousness, intentness of mind, wakefulness of mind, mindfulness, alertness, lucidity of mind, self-possession, conscience, self-consciousness, attentiveness, focused, not moving away from.

Sati is the seventh link on the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the extinction of suffering and is one of the seven factors of Enlightenment.

When you have the correct sati, you are aware from second to second what forms are happening in the present. There is no ‘slipping away from’ of things.

Sati is also a guardian. Because with Sati we can be mindful to guard the six sense doors and so prevent defilements from entering the mind, Sati is compared to a gatekeeper who stops thieves and robbers from entering the city.
On retreat, householder duties we put down. There is no call to prepare food, to look after children or your spouse or to seek entertainments out of boredom.

The attainment of Samadhi in meditation is marked by entry into states of mental absorption known as Jhanas. Your ordinary mind is in a mundane or worldly state, but when it is in a Jhana state it is filled with Bliss and is in an unworldly or supermundane state as you have let go of all attachment to the world of the 5 senses.

The Jhana states are one tool of mental development. During the Jhana state, mind is focussed ‘one-pointedly’ that is, with focus and concentration, upon its object.

Jhanas are also known as states of moral consciousness because the mind is so absorbed in its object there is no room for unwholesomeness, hence no boredom.

For these reasons, you need to practice bhavana for yourself to understand.

Jhana practice has been taught at our December Five-Day Bhavana course for over 20 years.

There is no charge but we reserve the right to select who can attend and who cannot.

Our next Five-Day Bhavana course runs 27 to 31 December 2002 at our Centre.

The attainment of supernormal powers is not the goal of Buddha Dhamma practice, however, although they may be useful tools for some practice, they become hindrances if played with too much.

The correct practice is to use the penetrating power of the mind accompanied by upacara-samadhi (concentration just before entering Jhanas) or jhana-samadhi (the concentration in the Jhana state itself) is utilised to observe the arising and the falling of nama (mind and its concomitants) and rupa (ultimate matter) in the body.

The Buddha taught that: “Just as one calls ‘hut’ the circumscribed space which comes to be by means of wood and rushes, reeds and clay, even so we call ‘body’ the circumscribed space that comes to be by means of bones and sinews, flesh and skin.”

In order to reach these states of satisfactory practice and see into reality more as it is, five hindrances must first be removed.

They are almost certain to appear when you practice bhavana.

These are:

Kamacchanda : Sensory Desire
Vyapada : Ill Will
Thina-middha : Sloth and Torpor
Uddhacca-kukkucca : Restlessness and Remorse
Vicikiccha : Doubt

To be contented is to be happy simply to know what is happening in that moment, just labelling it as pleasant, unpleasant or neither unpleasant or pleasant; desirable, undesirable or neither undesirable or desirable.

Sensory desire may be towards persons or objects.

Ill-will (Vyapada) may be ill-will towards others (hatred or dosa in the Pali language), or ill-will towards oneself (where it is experienced as guilt) or even ill-will towards your meditation object or your meditation cushion!

Thina-middha is that state of heaviness of body and dullness of mind that leads to weak mindfulness and even to falling asleep during meditation.

Sloth and torpor is a way that the mind shows it is not content to be in the moment and seeks to escape into dullness and sleep.

To overcome sloth and torpor it is necessary to rouse energy by finding joy in the bhavana.

When you are enjoying something, you have no difficulty staying awake and concentrating. Just think of reading a good book, watching a favourite video or a child playing computer games. Hours can pass quite easily with no thought of escape and without drowsiness. He or she has no doubt about the worth of the trivial experiences of play.

So it is with bhavana, if the object of bhavana can be made interesting and the experience enjoyable, the mind will be happy and content to stay with the object of meditation for long periods of time with no difficulty.

This is the method of overcoming infinite boredom with the world.

The fourth hindrance is Uddhacca-kukkucca is the most troublesome for most persons. It can be translated as restlessness and remorse, or more simply, flurry and worry. Here the key to overcoming this hindrance is to practice loving kindness before you go into retreat, so it can be used as a tool in retreat.

If you have feelings of worry, of remorse, of an uneasy conscience these can be overcome by the practice of metta towards yourself.

Of course, the best protection against feelings of remorse is not to have done anything to be guilty about.

This is why morality, or sila, is so important in Buddha-Dhamma practice.

But, it is important if you are disturbed by kukkucca to be kinder to yourself. Accept that you are not pure, that you have bad qualities. They can be recalled by practice. Everyone has both good and bad qualities so see them both as they are – as conditioned, as the product of kamma.

Remember the first hindrance is vicikiccha or skeptical doubt. This refers to a very wide range of doubts that can be experienced and has the nature of wavering. It will appear as indecision. There can be doubt regarding the Buddha, the Dhamma or the Sangha. Refer to our Abhidhamma Class 1 October 2002 notes, Class No. 15 on our web site www.bddronline.net.au

May all beings be well and happy.

Consider spending some time at our next Five Day Bhavana course, at our Centre at 33 Brooking Street, Upwey, Victoria, 3158.

Please contact us on (03) 9754 3334 for information of what we require. Ask for John or Anita Hughes.

May you walk the path to perfect peace in this lifetime.

The authors and editors of this script are Jason Glasson, John D. Hughes Dip.App.Chem. T.T.T.C. GDAIE, Anita M. Hughes, Pennie White, B.A., Dip.Ed.


References:

Dr. Mehm Tin Mon, “The Essence of Buddha Abhidhamma”, published Mehm Tay Zar Mon, Yangon, 1995.

Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., Abhidhamma Class 3 September No. 11, 2002

Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., Radio script 253, Broadcast on 1 December 2002 “Affirming a resolution into practice” at www.bdcublessings.net.au

The MAUS Guide to Successful Management p11, MAUS Business Systems, www.maus.com


Readability Statistics

Counts
Words: 1598
Characters: 8166
Paragraphs: 55
Sentences: 83

Averages
Sentences per paragraph: 1.6
Words per Sentence: 18.1
Characters per word: 4.7

Readability Statistics
Passive Sentences: 21%
Flesch Reading Ease score: 52.8
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score: 10.2

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Accordingly, we accept no liability to any user or subsequent third party, either expressed or implied, whether or not caused by error or omission on either our part, or a member, employee or other person associated with the Chan Academy Australia (Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.)

This Radio Script is for Free Distribution. It contains Buddha Dhamma material and is provided for the purpose of research and study.

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