<http://www.mahamevnawa.lk/2011/10/12/pleasure-and-happiness-are-present-where-enmity-is-absent/>
There are beings in various planes of existence even though we cannot see
most of them. The Supreme Buddha taught that there are nine such
different planes of existence. These are known as ‘Sattāvāsa’. Some of
these worlds belong to the type called ‘Ēkatta Kāyā’ ‘Ēkatta Sagnyā’. The
Ēkatta’ denotes a meaning of ‘single’. This means, all the beings in this
type of worlds are similar to each other with respect to their bodies and
minds. These worlds also belong to one world which is known as ‘Ābhassara
Bambha’. Beings in this world feed on a great deal of happiness. The main
reason for such happiness is the absence of variety in these worlds that
could induce hate.
On the other hand, the human world is completely different. Humans
belong to the type known as ‘Nānātta Kāyā’ ‘Nānātta Sagnyā’, which means
different bodies and minds. In human world, we have to face feelings mixed
with suffering and happiness. This difference leads them to divide into
different groups even due to a small incident and fight with each other.
One becomes violent when his believes or opinions are suspected and
criticized by others. Thus, they start harming each other. Their minds
become a house for enmity. This results in bad habits like pointing fingers
and maliciously defaming others’ good names. When none of these accusations
demote one’s wealth or good name, they do not mind even killing or
dangerously harming others by performing vicious rituals to fulfill their
evil intention. These are the foundations that help building an enmity which
can last for a long time within one’s life.
*Dhamma is the endurance. Dhamma is compassion. Dhamma is being abstained
from enmity. Dhamma is being abstained from hate. Dhamma is being abstained
from avenge. Dhamma is being abstained from retaliation. Dhamma is the
dissemination of loving-kindness. When these virtuous elements are absent in
a Dhamma sermon, there is only a set of useless words even if the sermons
are being carried out throughout the day.*
As an example, let us consider a story from one of our Buddha’s past
lives in which he was developing his skills as a “Bōdhisatta”. The life
story, which is known as “Sērivānija Jātaka”, shows us how two friends
became eternal enemies. One of them had a mind full of righteous thoughts.
The other one was evil with his undesirable desires. They went their own
ways to sell their goods because of these differences in their life styles.
The evil friend’s trade was unrighteous. He once met a family of an old
grandmother and a granddaughter while he was traveling to sale his goods.
This family had a gold plate that had been used by their ancestors. The
child wanted some bracelets, and her grandmother offered their gold plate a
source of money. The evil seller identified the high value of that gold
plate and thought to cheat that innocent family. He promised only one
bracelet to that plate.
After pretending that gold plate to be of no value, he went away
saying to come back for it later. The other righteous seller came to that
house without knowing what happened earlier. When that old grandmother
showed him the gold plate, he mentioned its value honestly. The grandmother
was thrilled and asked him some of his ornaments for that plate. He gave all
what he had with him to that family and took the gold plate with him.
The evil friend came back thinking to cheat that family and get the
gold plate, but it was gone by then. He ran towards the other seller with a
great hatred aroused from the desire to have that gold plate. However, he
was too late. His friend was crossing the bank of the river. Seeing that
gold plate slipping away from his finger tips, he could not bear the thought
of desire for it. He fell down on his keens on the ground and took some sand
to his hands. He promised himself to follow every life of that righteous
seller (the Bōdhisatta) and take his revenge for taking the gold plate from
him. Thus, he implanted a seed (a “Sanskāra”) of enmity inside his
consciousness at that point.
He did not aware of the initiation of a new enmity which leads him
to a dangerous journey of “Sansāra” (birth, age, sickness, and death). He
died on that day seeing the disappearing shadow of the Bōdhisatta (the
righteous seller). He murmured to himself with hatred and enmity “OK! You
may go… But, I will get my revenge for taking my gold plate from me. I will
follow you in many life times like these stone pebbles in the sand of my
hand.” In fact, it was not a lie. His wish came true in a countless number
of lives of our Bōdhisatta. When the Bōdhisatta was born as a music master
called “Guttila”, that evil friend was born as a student called “Mūsila” to
learn from the master. He gave the master a great deal of trouble not
because of any faults of the Bōdhisatta, but because the evil student was
born with the developed enmity towards him. Bōdhisatta endured everything
with a great patience. His endurance was limitless, but the Mūsila could not
see it.
He and his enmity lasted for a long time, and even followed the
Bōdhisatta in the life he attained the Buddha-hood. He was born as the
“Dēvadatta” in that last life of Buddha and destroyed his life and as well
as many others’ to a great extent. He made many people to lose their chance
to follow the path to Nibbanha by demolishing their faith towards Buddha.
Dēvadatta did this to take his revenge from Buddha. However, it ended
accumulating the great demerit known as “Ānantareeya” a number of times to
his consciousness. These demerits lead him to a definite rebirth in the
great hell for a countless period of time.
When someone cultivates merits to become the greatest person of the
world, another one follows him from life to life accumulating demerits by
bothering and harassing him. Is not the seed of enmity formed within himself
the misfortune and the sole reason for such danger? It is possible for
anyone to have enemies. Even Buddha had to face the consequences of another
person’s enmity. It is in fact the nature of this dangerous “Sansāra”.
However, a person will become tremendously joyful if he is capable of saving
himself from being victimized by the enmity. The advices given by the Buddha
will definitely help us to develop our minds with patience and free
ourselves from hatred or enmity without letting it exhaust us. Reading
discourses like “Kakachūpama Sutta” is very important in this regard.
In fact, an unusual type of Buddhism called “Mahāyana” was created
because of some people’s attempt to feed enmity within them. The second
great convocation was performed by a group of great Arahants (disciples of
Buddha who attained the Nibbanha) to support the prevalence of the Dhamma
and discipline in their pure forms. The reason for this convocation to take
place was a group of monks at that time. They made and agreed on ten items
disregarding the discipline part in Buddhism and by downgrading its true
value. However, these monks who could not take the discipline seriously
determined to revenge the great Arahants who performed the second
convocation. Then, they tried defaming the state of realization of the
Arahants. They made questions that could provoke one’s suspicion about
Dhamma. Also, they used these questions to propagate a view which said that
the path-fruition (Magaphala) is being downgraded.
Their only intention was to make a strong hold against the pure form
of Sangha (the great disciples of Buddha) but not to salute the untainted
ways of Buddhism. The wrong views of these groups of monks became vigorous
by the time of the third great convocation. One could clearly see how bad
these erroneous views had been propagated by that time when we read the
“Kathāvatthupakaranhaya”.
However, the third great convocation also purified the Order of
Gautama Buddha by clarifying how wrong those views were. When their views
were falsified, they created the “Mahayana” with the concept of “becoming or
perfecting Bōdhisatta”. In this new form, they rejected practicing the Noble
Eight-fold Path in the Order of the Gautama Buddha. They refused the truth
of deities taught by Buddha and created the concept of Bōdhisatta. As a
result of this creation, many people lost the Order of the Gautama Buddha.
In fact, this was also a bad effect of enmity cultivated in these monks’
minds.
Try to understand what Dhamma really means. Dhamma is the endurance.
It is the compassion. Being abstained from enmity is Dhamma. Abstaining from
hate is Dhamma. It is also being abstained from avenge. Dhamma is being
abstained from retaliation. The dissemination of loving-kindness is Dhamma.
When these virtuous elements, which hold the true meaning of Dhamma, are
absent in a Dhamma sermon, there is only a set of useless words in that
sermon, even if it is being performed throughout the day.
If one can forget the sign that causes the enmity and free the mind
from it, then it will be a great benefit. The happiness generates within a
heart (or mind) when it is full of loving-kindness and not when it is full
of hatred and enmity. Therefore, one who remembers Dhamma lets go of the ego
within him for the victory or defeat and spreads loving-kindness to the
entire world. Free of enmity is a pleasure!
*~ Venerable Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero ~*
Note by Nayana Nilmini
From:
http://www.mahamevnawa.lk/2011/10/12/pleasure-and-happiness-are-present-where-enmity-is-absent/
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*~~~ සබ්බදානං ධම්මදානං ජිනාති ~~~*
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