Jan 17 2021 - MN 3 - Heirs in Dhamma - The Noble Eightfold Path is the Inheritance

To give you the workplace there, we go. Good morning, good afternoon and good evening, everyone. I'm going to be reading from Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation of Majjhima Nikaya number three, and this is called the Dhamma Dayada Sutta, which also is Heirs in the Dhamma or Heirs in the Teaching. And while I read, I'm going to intersperse the reading with my comments on the text.

'Eat if you like. If you do not eat, then I shall throw it away where there is no greenery, or drop it into water where there is no life.' Then one bhikkhu thought: 'The Blessed One has eaten, had what he needed, but there is this alms food of the Blessed One left over to be thrown away. If we do not eat it, the Blessed One will throw it away. But this has been said by the Blessed One: "Be my heirs in Dhamma, not my heirs in material things." Now, this alms food is one of the material things. Suppose that instead of eating this alms food, I pass the night and day hungry.' And instead of eating that alms food, he passed that night and day, hungry and weak.

At the same time, the second bhikkhu, who did partake of that food, isn't necessarily less respectable. But the Buddha here is indicating that this first bhikkhu understands that the material requisites for the Sangha of monastics are intended essentially for their meditation practice, for their development and cultivation of the Eightfold Path, so that they can realize for themselves the insight of the Four Truths. And so one is content with what one is receiving, whether it is the four material requisites, whether it is food, clothing, shelter or medicines. And so this bhikkhu, as the Buddha says, is commended because that will conduce to his fewness of wishes. He is not attached to the food. Even though he is hungry, it's only for one night and a day that he will be hungry, and he will pass through the night and the day and he will be fine.

So he understands that his attachments should not lie in material things. One has to understand that what one receives should be accepted, but having had one's fill. And in the long term, or rather in the short term, if that desire or that hunger is not satiated, is not fulfilled, one should be mindful of this and not allow that hunger to then be identified with, which could cause a person with that hunger to start to crave, and to start to identify, and then start to have all sorts of thoughts and behavioural patterns, and so on. So for such a bhikkhu, the first bhikkhu, he has fewness of wishes, he is content with what he has, and he understands that there is a long-term goal here. The short term is just to satisfy the needs. But to what extent is one heir to the Buddha's material things, or is it the Dhamma itself, which is deep and immeasurable? In understanding the Dhamma, we become heirs to the Buddha. In having understood the Four Noble Truths, we become heirs to the Dhamma, which means that we have something

that is ever fulfilling, and so we are always content. By that effacement, easy support and arousal of energy, effacement in this regard means that one who is essentially not conceited, who does not take the sense of self seriously, who does not take one's identity seriously. Because in identifying with the need for food, you start to personalise and create an identity around it. And then one says, 'I am hungry.' And that 'I am' is that conceit.

And it is that conceit that needs to be let go of. It is the letting go of that sense of 'I am'. Easy support. In other words, he is easy to support. He is one who has, as mentioned before, fewness of wishes. And so that means that such a person, whatever they receive, will be grateful for what they receive and will be content and filled with what they receive. They won't be out looking for more of it, because that is really discontentment, which is another word for craving.

Instead of understanding what one receives is useful for one's purposes, and then rather looking for what one does not have and thus crave and create this sense of identity around it, one will experience suffering. But if you are easy to support, which is to say you are not picky about what you're eating, have a bad day if you don't have your cup of coffee in the morning. You, you know, realize that you didn't have enough rest. So you become actually more mindful rather than allowing that lack of cup of coffee, that lack of sleep or that lack of food or not getting what you wanted becoming a hindrance for you. You have to allow that to be there, acknowledge that there can be some tension related to that and then let it go.

And be more mindful. Use the four foundations of mindfulness to be able to see if craving is present throughout the moments of your day. And so before you interact with anyone, before you respond to anything, before you interact with the external world, always check in with the mind and how it is, and whether there is craving or aversion present.

And then if there is, you let it go and let it be, and relax, and then come back to a more balanced state of mind and arousal of energy. In this case, I would refer this to right effort, which I just talked about. You are using the 6R's in the process of every moment, whenever you see that there has been something that is missing in the way of what your body or mind requires for that day. And so instead of allowing that to become a hindrance, let it go. And what you are seeing when you do the 6R's process is seeing where your attachments lie, where your requirements and needs lie. And these attachments and these hindrances are wonderful teachers, so allow them to be there. Don't resist the moment. Whatever is arising in the present moment, whether it's restlessness, whether it's doubt, whether it's aversion

whether it's craving, whether it's mental lethargy, whatever it might be, acknowledge that it's there. Then release your awareness from it. Come back to the mind and body and relax the tension associated with those hindrances. Come back to a smile, or come back to a more wholesome state of mind. If you can't smile, pretend, but usually you can, and just have a little smile. Naturally, a clear state of mind, and you're experiencing in that letting go process that small version of Nibbana. So he says: 'Therefore, bhikkhus, be my heirs in Dhamma, not my heirs in material things. Out of compassion for you, I have thought: how shall my disciples be my heirs in the Dhamma, not my heirs in material things?' That is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the sublime one rose from his seat and went into his dwelling.

So being an heir in the Dhamma, what does that mean? It means that one continues to follow the practice in whatever situation one might find oneself in. So if you find yourself interacting with somebody who is non-cooperative, who is resisting your ideas, or generally is just pretty upset with you for whatever reason, instead of escalating the situation by identifying with it and going into this fight, freeze, flight mode, where the body literally tenses up on a very subtle level and then reacting from there, understand that there is present this resistance. Let go of your awareness of it, come back to the mind and body, relax it, come back to a wholesome state, and from there you respond with the right intention. Remember that the right intention is essentially the intention of letting go. It's the intention of non-ill will, of non-cruelty, in other words it's the intention of developing a harmonious state of mind, whether that is loving kindness or compassion, and an intention of ahimsa or non-violence, essentially. So when you have the right intention, having come to a more balanced state of mind

your speech and your action towards the person who might be instigating you or trying to provoke you will be more balanced and you will try to diffuse the situation rather than aggravated. Every time you make peace in such situations, every time you find yourself in a mode of craving or aversion and you let it go and come back to a more balanced state of mind, you are becoming more and more an heir in the Dhamma because you are actively making the right effort, actively cultivating the path towards awakening. Ultimately, when you do experience nibbana and become a sotapanna and so on and so forth, that is another way in which you become an heir to the Dhamma.

But every moment is an opportunity to be that by using the process of letting go whenever you see in your mind that there is greed or hatred or delusion present. Friend, they replied. The Venerable Sariputta said this: Friends, in what way do disciples of the teacher who lives secluded not train in seclusion, and in what way do disciples of the teacher who lives secluded train in seclusion? Indeed, friend, we would come from far away to learn from the Venerable Sariputta the meaning of the statement. It would be good if the Venerable Sariputta would explain the meaning of the statement.

Having heard it from him, the bhikkhus will remember it. Then, friends, listen and attend closely to what I shall say. Yes, friends, the bhikkhus replied. The Venerable Sariputta said this. Friends, in what way do disciples of the teacher who lives secluded not train in seclusion? Here, disciples of the teacher who lives secluded do not train in seclusion. They do not abandon what the teacher tells them to abandon.

Leaders in backsliding, neglectful of seclusion. They are to be blamed for this third reason. The new bhikkhus are to be blamed for these three reasons. So Sariputta is talking about three levels of bhikkhus: the elder bhikkhus, those who have been training for quite some time; the middle bhikkhus, who have been training a little less time; and then the new bhikkhus, who have just entered into the sangha, for example. And he talks about these three reasons. Number one, they do not seek seclusion.

And seclusion should be understood on two different levels. Number one, the physical seclusion, where one actually takes the time to find a quiet space, a space that they know they will not be disturbed in, and train the mind through the practice. So this is physical seclusion. And indeed, as we know, the first jhana is really all about the piti and the sukha, the bliss and the comfort and ease that is experienced through the seclusion of the senses, the physical senses.

You see, as soon as you close your eyes, you cut off most of the light in the space, so you cut off your connection to the visual world, and in that process you come back to your mind, come back to your body, relax it, come back to the smile, and then continue generating loving kindness by staying attentive to your object of meditation. So this is a type of seclusion. And then the mental seclusion is something that you carry with you throughout your day. This doesn't mean that you need to be in jhana all throughout your day, but at the very least you need to be able to be mindful of situations where there is opportunity to be mindful, rather than the opportunity to be heedless and then create for yourself a situation of suffering. So mental seclusion is actually much more important in that regard, because you need to carry it throughout your day. And this mental seclusion is essentially

being aware of the present situation without identifying with it, and then abandoning, as Sariputta talks about, telling the monks that they do not abandon what the Buddha tells them to abandon. That is essentially one's attachment, one's aversion, one's delusion, one's identification with the situations or with what is happening in terms of the sensory experiences and the stimuli of those sensory experiences.

And of course, the five aggregates, which is to say the form, the body and the senses, the feeling that arises from those senses, the perceptions that are dependent upon those feelings, the cognition of those sensory experiences. And finally, the formations, the deep rooted, deep seated patterns of thought that then actualize through one's thoughts, through one's actions, and through one's speech. So it's important that in this mental seclusion, you have the mindfulness to be able to also abandon when you see craving arise, to be able to use the 6R's process to let go of the craving, aversion and identification that might arise. And careless, so again, this is about, for the sake of the monastics, the idea of luxuriousness: they don't indulge the senses. But for lay people also it's important to understand that the indulgence of the senses can lead to misconduct, to misbehavior. If there is a sound that is aggravating you and you're doing something and it irritates you, you have already let that sound penetrate your mind and get craving in there.

But if you just see that that sound is aggravating you and let it go, and understand that that sound is impersonal, it has nothing to do with you and it is just your auditory nerves that are picking it up, then you just let that go, come back to whatever you're doing, and having let go of the tension, you are more relaxed.

So this can happen during meditation or it could happen while you're working or it could happen while you're talking to somebody it might be whatever seems to be bothersome through the senses if they are bothersome to you but you don't if they are unpleasant and but you don't allow it to create aversion in you then you have actually abandoned aversion and you have allowed that experience to just flow without identifying with it in the same way if there is food that you're tasting and it's really good and you want more of it really question are you having more of it because you're indulging your sense of taste or is it because you haven't had your fill so it's important to see and be mindful of everything that you're doing in the way of your senses this is how you prevent yourself from indulging to the point of carelessness and then he says leaders in backsliding neglectful of seclusion

Leaders in backsliding, which is to say, until you become an arahant, or until you become, let's say, a sotapanna, you still have, first and foremost, as a sotapanna, you still have certain fetters that are still present. Until you become a sakadagami, there are still the craving and aversion fetters that need to be weakened. And then when you become an anagami, you have let that go, but you still need to be able to let go of conceit and so on. So the work is finally done when you become an arahant. Leaders in backsliding is essentially one who thinks that the work is done, and therefore there's nothing else that needs to be done, and so you can slip off and then create for yourself suffering in that way. So the goal for anybody is first and foremost to experience stream entry. After that, the goal should be to experience the fruit of sakadagami, after that anagami, and then finally arahant.

It is in this way that disciples of the teacher who lives secluded do not train in seclusion. In what ways, friends, do disciples of the teacher who lives secluded train in seclusion? And so here he goes. Here, disciples of the teacher who lives secluded train in seclusion, both physical and mental. They abandon what the teacher tells them to abandon, that is, essentially the three poisons: greed, hatred and delusion. They are not careless, they are not luxurious and careless, they don't indulge in the senses, and they're very mindful of every moment. They are keen to avoid backsliding, so they know there's still work to be done, and continue to essentially pay attention to that, and are leaders in seclusion. In this, the elder bhikkhus are to be commended for three reasons. As disciples of the teacher who lives secluded, they train in seclusion.

They are to be commended for this third reason. The new bhikkhus are to be commended for these three reasons. It is in this way that disciples of the teacher who lives secluded train in seclusion. Friends, the evil herein is greed and hate. There is a middle way for the abandoning of greed and giving vision, giving knowledge, which leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to nirvana. And what is this middle way? It is just this noble eightfold path. That is right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right collectedness. This is the middle way, giving vision, giving knowledge, which leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to nirvana. And so he applies the same principle to other aspects of unwholesome states of mind. He talks about anger and resentment, contempt and insolence, envy and averse deceit and fraud, obstinacy and rivalry, conceit and arrogance, vanity and negligence. For all of these there is a middle way for the abandoning of vanity and negligence, giving vision, giving knowledge, which leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to nirvana.

Every time you are not able to follow the path, even though you applied it before, that's okay. You just let that go. You realize you made a mistake, move on and make an effort, an intention to cultivate the path next time a situation like this arises. So briefly, we'll just go over the path because it is of the utmost importance.

Right view, as we understand, is of two types. And within the first type, which is the mundane aspect, you have the understanding of generosity, of rebirth and karma, of gratitude to one's parents and to the world at large, and the understanding that there is this world and another world, and so on and so forth, and that there are teachers who understand this. That's the first type of right view. And the second is the fruit of the Eightfold Path, which culminates in the vision and wisdom and knowledge, understanding and experience of the Four Noble Truths. As I mentioned earlier, right intention is the intention to let go. It's the intention to not have ill will and not to be violent.

When you have the right intention, this translates into right speech, which is that you understand that every given moment when you have to speak is an opportunity for you to practice right speech, which means that you refrain from speech that is false, that is divisive, such as gossip, that is harsh, such as abusive language, and idle chatter, chatter about politics, chatter about sports and entertainment and the like, which doesn't really conduce to anything.

And along with that, then you have right action. So when you have the right intention, your actions will also be rooted in the Eightfold Path. And as we understand, the right action here is the refraining from intentionally harming or killing other beings, other sentient beings. It's the refraining from taking what is not given. And we had discussed this a little bit, which is that stealing or taking what is not given is not only about physical possessions but it can be anything from seeking credit where credit is not due or engaging in bribery or engaging in copyright infringement and all kinds of things, but essentially you are content with what you receive and you do not take away the resources of other people's needs. You don't take over the resources where people might require them.

And then also refraining from sexual and sensual misconduct. And that is essentially being attentive to the sensory experiences in the way of having correct mindfulness of what is happening in the way of the senses. but if there is still sexual desire to engage in sexual activity that is within the bounds of the karma. And that essentially means not to cheat, not to commit adultery, not to, you know, not to rape and so on and so forth. So that's part of right action. I would add to that, and this is really part of right mindfulness, add to that refraining from alcohol and other mind-altering substances because that is really what dulls the mind and refraining from all of these translates into the non-activation of the hindrances now you might experience the hindrances which are correlated indirectly inversely to these different actions and you might experience the

hindrances because you had committed an action before, but you can let go of it, and by not committing it again you weaken the formations that are related to those hindrances. And then the right livelihood is essentially livelihood that does not take another's life, that does not engage in the breaking of precepts for yourself or others, and so that means not engaging in the trade of weaponry, in the trade of human trafficking, in the trade of drugs and alcohol, and so on and so forth. And of course, in trading of meat.

And then we have right mindfulness, which is, or rather before that we have right effort, which is the 6R's process. So you prevent any arising of unwholesome states, which are the hindrances. When you recognize that they are present, prevent them from further flowing out of the mind. And then you abandon them by releasing your awareness and bringing it to the mind and body, relaxing the tension in the mind and body and abandoning those hindrances.

You come back to your smile, come back to a more wholesome state of mind, which is one or more of the enlightenment factors. And then continue on with that balanced state of mind. And so you maintain that. So you bring up enlightenment factors or the wholesome states of mind, and then you maintain the collectedness around that. And then mindfulness is referring to the four foundations of mindfulness, and there are different ways as we understand from the Satipatthana Sutta, which is to say that we understand the mindfulness of the body and the experiences of the body internally and externally. There can be the mindfulness of the breath. There can be the understanding of what this body is made up of in terms of its different muscles and skeleton and bones and tissue and organs and so on and so forth. We can understand the body in the way that it is made up of solid, liquid and gaseous molecules and atoms, or in a traditional sense the understanding of the four great elements. We can understand the body as a corpse, a walking corpse. If there is identification

with the body that leads to lust, that leads to craving and aversion, one can use the exercise of imagining a body that is a corpse. And then that body decays into a bloated corpse, into skeleton, and so on and so forth. And then you understand that that is the nature of this body here as well. It is of the nature to decay and finally cease. We have the awareness, mindfulness of sensations, so you understand the kind of feelings that are arising through sensory experiences. You understand that these are all just purely waves and molecules that are arising and being received through the sensory receptors, and so you don't identify with them. You understand there is a pleasant feeling, there is a painful feeling, or there is a neutral feeling.

And then you have the experience or mindfulness of what I call mindsets and moods. So a mindset really is a collection of similar thoughts. So a mindset can change and is obviously subject to cessation, along with moods. And so a mood is a collection of similar emotions. And you can be more aware of those mindsets and moods that you might have that might be unwholesome, and you can let them go and replace them with the wholesome. Then finally, of all phenomena, which includes mental phenomena, so in the way of hindrances and enlightenment factors, in the way of the five aggregates, in the way of understanding the four noble truths and sensory experiences. And so the whole point of mindfulness is to be able to understand how your mind is moving from one object to another, and understand how to let go if there is craving present in that mind, in that mental state.

So mindfulness is really a tool, a very refined tool for you to be able to identify if there is present in the mind any sort of craving or aversion identification, so that you can let it go by using right effort. And then all of this then culminates into right collectedness, which is the understanding of the jhanas and the experience within the jhanas. The whole purpose of the jhanas is to experience levels of understanding as you are able to see that you can actually experience happiness and joy without the use of these five physical senses, and then that translates into comfort and ease, and then finally equanimity. And mindfulness for you to be able to explore the different aspects of your mind, and more importantly come to the knowledge and vision of the four noble truths, which is translated through the other two factors of the tenfold path, which is to say right knowledge, which is the understanding that there is no longer present when one becomes an arahant, the taint of craving, of sensual craving, the taint of being, and the taint of you have come to the complete understanding

and the complete wisdom of the Four Noble Truths. And this translates into the experience of nirvana, the complete and total freedom of mind, which is right liberation. So let's open up for questions. Nelson, I have one question. At the beginning of the Sutta, it seems like the Buddha is actually inviting the two bhikkhus to partake in the ounce foods that has been left. And then the two bhikkhus take a different approach in terms of answering it.

I was wondering, well, maybe a little bit of a strange question, but then why is the Buddha actually inviting the two bhikkhus to join in taking the alms food? From what I understand in terms of the Vinaya, as little as I know it, is that when one finishes the food, one invites other bhikkhus to partake in whatever is remaining. So this is what the Buddha is doing, because he has had his fill. If there's nobody there who wants the alms food, then they will throw it where there is no greenery or in a pool of water where there is no life, and so on. So this is really just an exercise of the Vinaya, and it's just a way of showing that when one is in the Sangha and one has partaken of the alms food, and one has had their fill, they can invite others within the Sangha, if they are still hungry, to partake in the food.

Thank you. I think I should invoke Bhante Vimalaramsi's statement. Looks like you guys have understood everything that I've said word for word, so now you can tell me exactly what I said. If there's anything you want clarification about or any questions, now is the time. I think somebody is trying to ask a question, but we can't hear you.

Yes. So you mentioned about seclusion and living in a luxurious life. So are they both related to the senses? Yeah, so you have the physical seclusion, where you are secluded from the experience of the senses, and the luxuriousness that's referred to here is indulging in the experience of the senses. So when I say indulge, it means really identifying with the sensory experience. When you identify with the feeling of whatever is happening through the senses, there is the opportunity for craving to arise or aversion to arise through identifying with it. So seclusion here refers to physical seclusion, where you spend time in a quiet place to be able to meditate and let go of the sensory experiences through the jhana practice.

But secondly, to have mental seclusion, which means you are always mindful, and which means you pay heed and attention to the sensory experiences that are arising. So if there is mindfulness of the sensory experiences, there is an opportunity for you to see if there's craving about to arise or if craving has already arisen. And then you can let that go, rather than acting or responding or reacting from craving or aversion and causing yourself and potentially other people suffering. But as soon as you're mindful of the sensory experiences and let go of the craving, you come back to a more balanced state of mind. Any response you have will be through that mindfulness, will be rooted in wisdom, will be rooted in understanding, and your response will be adequate for whatever situation might be arising.

Thank you. Thank you. Hi, Delson. I'll ask the question. Hello. We talk about backsliding, and it would be really good to understand, hey, what are the things that we should be looking out for to really identify, hey, I might be backsliding a little bit in my practice? Maybe I need to come back onto the path or need to tighten up my practice. Are there things that we should be looking out for?

Yes. So, actually, a part of that answer is in a part of that question that you just asked, which is first and foremost, you want to pay attention and really reflect in the mind. Is there anywhere that the mind has gone into backsliding? Is there any time or any part where you have not necessarily actually kept the precepts? So you can always start from understanding: is what I'm about to do going to break a precept or maintain that precept? Number one. For example, if someone has had the experience of, let's say, becoming a sotapanna upon stream entry, and so on and so forth, you can be more aware of whether those fetters are present or whether there is a reaction from what could be those fetters.

So it's really, again, coming back to mindfulness and to awareness in the present, seeing if in whatever choice you're about to make, whether that choice is rooted in your understanding of the eightfold path and your following of the eightfold path, or you're going to backslide and start to react in a way that is not wholesome. So the moment you're able to really pay attention to the choices you're making, you can be careful and be more attentive to make sure that the mind is not going into a mode of backsliding.

That's helpful. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Delson. If I may, I have one additional question. You mentioned the morning coffee, which resonates with me, and I was just thinking in terms of the coffee or any other item that the body may be used to in terms of consuming the substance. Wouldn't that be more wholesome, to actually retrain the body, if you will, in terms of removing any dependencies on any substance, resulting in the situation where if one gets a coffee or doesn't get a coffee, there's actually no real difference? Yes, it would be a good practice to have, because as I mentioned, you want to really pay attention to where your attachments lie, because the source of suffering is really those attachments. So in a case or situation where somebody is used to drinking coffee first thing in the morning, or whenever it might be, and they miss it on one day, it can then snowball into an effect of suffering, because one has such an inclination for that coffee, one has such an identification with that coffee, or with the taste of coffee, or whatever it might be.

When it's not given, it can create those sensations of craving and aversion. So if at some point it feels like your attachment to coffee, or whatever it might be, even if it could be like your attachment to anybody's attachment to, reading the news, and the news can be a source of aggravation and all kinds of things. So you really have to come back to your lifestyle. So in a certain sense, when you go back to right livelihood, for example, you're looking back into throughout my day, throughout my routine, what is it that I'm doing?

That can cause me stress, that can cause me suffering? And what is it that I can let go of bit by bit, gradually, let go of my attachment to it? You see, it's not the coffee that is the source of stress, for example. It's your identification with that coffee, or the identification with the requirement that one needs to read the newspaper in the morning, or one needs to do anything. This need to, that I have to, is an indication that there is craving present there. But if one has let go of their identification with the need for coffee, and if the coffee is not there, yes, there will be, in a biological sense, some kind of withdrawal of not having caffeine, because the mind is the body, and the mind has become so used to it in a biological sense. But if you're using mindfulness to be able to understand, okay, there is this withdrawal, there is this effect of not having caffeine, let me be more mindful so that I don't act in a way that I identify with that withdrawal.

Because anything in this world, even that withdrawal symptom, will last for some time, but it won't be permanent. And then your mind or the brain will compensate for the lack of caffeine or whatever it might be. So again, it's really about right effort, right mindfulness, and having the right intention to let go of the attachment. If there are no more questions, we can share merit. Ruth, can I ask you to do the merit? May suffering ones be suffering free, and the fear-struck fearless being. May the grieving shed all grief, and may all beings find relief. May all beings share this merit that we have thus acquired for the acquisition of all kinds of happiness. May beings, inhabiting space and earth, devas and nagas of mighty power, of ours. May they long protect the Buddha's dispensation. Thank you.