MN 48 Kosambiya Metta Leading to Nibbana- Sunday Talk with Delson Armstrong

Today we're going to be doing Majjhima Nikaya 48, Kosambiya Sutta, the Kosambians. Thus have I heard on one occasion, the Blessed One was living at Kosambi in Gositas Park. Now on that occasion, I just realized when I read this that it gives me this image. It says here, had taken to quarreling and brawling.

It's almost like they've taken up boxing or something. Can you imagine monks like that? I don't know if that actually happened, but in any case this is the big Kosambian intrigue, right? This is what happened. There was a small disagreement on a certain rule of the Vinaya, which was so minuscule, and it became such a big thing, such a hullabaloo of something. And it just became where people, both sides, there was like... your calls, the Venerable Ones. Yes, friend, they replied, and they went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to him, they sat down at one side. The Blessed One then asked them, because is it true that you have taken to quarreling and brawling, deep in disputes, stabbing each other with verbal daggers, that you can neither convince each other nor be convinced by others, that you can neither persuade each other nor be persuaded by others?

And they basically say, leave us alone. We'll do it ourselves. That's basically what happens. And the Buddha is like, all right, that's fine. I'll just take my robe and bowl and go somewhere else. And the townspeople of Kosambia were very upset by that. And they refused to actually give the monks any alms. Because they essentially drove the Buddha away. by this particular situation where there are actually people listening to the Buddha in this case. In any case, he says, because when you take to quarreling and brawling and are deep in disputes, stabbing each other with verbal daggers, on that occasion, you do not maintain acts of loving kindness by body, speech, and mind in public and in private towards the companions of the holy life.

and to unity. So bodily acts of loving kindness. So what could those be? That could be sharing your food. That could be opening the door for someone. That could be anything. If you're among family members and close friends, giving them a pat on the back when they're doing something great, saying, hey, that's great. Giving them a hug when they need a hug, whatever it might be. These are all acts of loving kindness.

We should be aware of, can we be able to bring out loving kindness through our actions, through whatever it is? Among our friends we may decide, we know this particular friend enjoys this particular snack, so when we're out we think about that friend and we see the snack and we say, let me buy this for them. That's an act of loving kindness. That's an act of gratitude. That's an act of generosity, kind of thing like that. You think about how a mother thinks about her children, right? She goes out. I know for me, in case of my mom, even if I tell her no, don't bring anything, I'm not really hungry, I don't want anything, she'll still go out and get something, because she loves me, because she loves her children. So it's like you offer different things. You can embrace them if it's appropriate. You can pat them on the back. You can do all kinds of things to express your loving kindness, both in public and in private.

Verbal acts of loving kindness. Hey, I like what you said about that person over there, or I like what you said here, or this shirt looks great on you, or you have a great smile, or whatever it is. The things that are genuine, just an expression of gratitude towards someone, an expression of appreciation, an expression of seeing the good that they do, seeing the good that they are, is also a verbal act of loving kindness.

Again, a bhikkhu uses things in common with his virtuous companions in the holy life. Without making reservations, he shares with them any kind of gain that accords with the Dhamma and has been attained in a way that accords with the Dhamma, including even the mere contents of his bowl. This too is a principle of cordiality that creates love and respect and conduces to unity. You should see when I'm out with my friends, especially when I'm out with David and Kirsten. I'm no longer in Damasuka, as you can see, but when I'm out at lunch or dinner with them, we're constantly, hey, try this piece of food, try this, so we're always offering whatever we have from our plate to the other person's plate. We're always sharing food. So one shares any kind of gain that accords with the Dhamma, which means what was lawfully gained, that wasn't gained through any kind of ill-begotten ways, and that

is obtained in a way that accords with the Dhamma, same thing. So whatever it is, you're welcome to say to everybody, you're welcome to share it with me, whatever it is. You don't have a sense of ownership. This isn't about being in some kind of a commune. It's about the realization that the more you're generous with people, the more comes back to you. And it's the realization that you don't really own anything. You don't own the clothes that you wear. You don't own your home, no matter whatever you say about home ownership. You don't own anything.

These things are ultimately lent to you. Even this body made up of its five aggregates and four great elements. When this body is in disarray, when this body is in decay, it goes back into the earth. Your consciousness departs, goes somewhere else. So there is nothing that you own. There's nothing that we actually own. The sense of ownership of like, this is mine, is what creates boundaries and divisions that cause the mind to say, this is me versus them. Anybody who comes near this is threatening my sense of life. Because now, because this thing I own, it has become me. It's almost become a part of me. It's like another limb. And anybody who threatens that is threatening me.

But when you have an open heart and you share with everyone, then the entire world is yours. The entire universe is yours. There is this great degree of abundance where things come to you when you need them. Again, a bhikkhu dwells both in public and in private, possessing in common, with his companions in the holy life, those virtues that are unbroken, untorn, unblotched, unmodeled, liberating, commended by the wise, not misapprehended and conducive to collectedness.

This too is a principle of cordiality that creates love and respect and conduces to unity. This is talking about the precepts. They don't break the precepts. They are mindful of their fellow companions in the holy life. They make sure that they don't have any ill will. They make sure that they don't take what is not freely given. They make sure that there is no sensual misconduct, obviously no sexual misconduct. They make sure that they are fair and equitable with everyone in whatever capacity they can be. There's no deceit going on. And obviously nobody's taking intoxicants to the point where they become belligerent. and in private, possessing in common with his companions in the holy life, that view that is noble and emancipating and leads one who practices in accordance with it to the complete destruction of suffering.

This too is a principle of cordiality that creates love and respect and conduces to cohesion, to non-dispute, to concord and to unity. Noble and emancipated, that leads one who practices in accordance with it to the complete destruction of suffering. Right view. There is the mundane right view, which is essentially the realization and understanding of karma. The realization and understanding that there are these actions and consequences. There is a meaning in giving. There's a meaning in generosity. There's a meaning in what is offered and sacrificed.

That there is mother and fatherhood, an effect and conditionality to everything that arises, including our own lives, that there are those brahmins and teachers and ascetics who have practiced this and know a thing or two, and that we can learn from them. And then this view that is noble and emancipating, is the supermundane right view, and that is the view of the Four Noble Truths: the complete realization and understanding of suffering, the knowledge of abandoning that which causes and conditions suffering, and therefore the realization and experiencing of nirodha, dukkha nirodha, the cessation of suffering, through the cultivation and practice of the Eightfold Path, which is the Fourth Noble Truth. That create love and respect, and conduce to cohesion, to non-dispute, to concord, and to unity.

Of these six principles of cordiality, the chief, the most cohesive, the most unifying, is this view that is noble and emancipating, and which leads the one who practices and of suffering. Of these six principles of cordiality, the chief is this view that is noble and emancipating. Right? So the Buddha is saying we have loving kindness, acts of loving kindness in the mind, in speech, in the body. We share with everybody. But then of all of these, the most cohesive, the most unifying is this view. Because if everybody is following this view, then it takes care of the rest. It's through the realization of this view. It's through the cultivation of this view that loving kindness can be arisen.

That there can be generosity. That one keeps the precepts. And how does this view that is noble and emancipating lead one who practices in accordance with it to the complete destruction of suffering? To a tree, or to an empty hut, or to Damasuka, considers thus: is there any obsession unabandoned in myself that might so obsess my mind that I cannot know or see things as they actually are? So important. What is this? This is using the 6R's. This is realizing what is present in my mind. It is a utility of right effort and right mindfulness, right effort being the first step, recognizing.

Which leads to the cohesion of mindfulness. Obsessed, I'm sorry. If he is absorbed in speculation about this world, then his mind is obsessed. So the five hindrances: if your mind has that, then your mind is obsessed. Your mind has craving. If he's absorbed in the speculation about the other world, then his mind is obsessed. So speculation about what's going on in this world, what happens when we die, what happens in the next world, becoming more obsessed about that. If one takes to quarreling. Likewise, he understands thus, that there is no obsession unabandoned in myself that might so obsess my mind that I cannot know and see things as they actually are. What does that mean?

That I cannot see things as they actually are. Now we're talking about stream entry. His mind is well disposed towards the awakening of the truths, or awakening to the truths. Again, a noble disciple considers this. An ariya savaka, a noble disciple, is a stream enterer. Notice that he talks about a bhikkhu, and then it shifts to a noble disciple, meaning he has become a stream enterer. When I pursue, develop and cultivate this view, do I personally obtain quenching?

So when I cultivate and understand this view, and when I adopt this view, when I bring this view as my perspective in everything with relation to the Four Noble Truths, do I personally obtain serenity? Do I have samatha? Do I personally obtain quenching? Is my mind free of craving in that moment? Thus, when I pursue, develop, and cultivate this view, I personally obtain serenity. I personally obtain quenching. This is the second knowledge obtained by him that is noble, super mundane, not shared by ordinary people.

Again, a noble disciple considers thus: Is there any other recluse or brahmin outside the Buddha's dispensation possessed of a view such as I possess? This is a very interesting one. It says, he understands thus: recluse or brahmin outside the Buddha's dispensation, possessed of a view such as I possess. So in other words, he knows and sees what is it that differentiates the Dhamma from all other dhammas. What is it that differentiates this Dhamma, the Buddha Dhamma, from other dhammas? It is the realization of the emptiness of self, because in other dhammas there's ethics. In other dhammas there is meditation. In other dhammas there is even the jhanas, whatever way they do it.

There is the realization of certain truths, but not the Four Noble Truths. Not the realization of the emptiness of self. This is what separates the teachings of the Buddha from other philosophies. This is the third knowledge attained by him that is noble, super mundane, not shared by ordinary people. Again, a noble disciple considers thus: do I possess the character, the qualities of a person who possesses right view? What is the character of one who possesses right view? This is the character of one who possesses right view: although he may commit some kind of offense for which a means of rehabilitation has been laid down, still at once he confesses, reveals and discloses it to the teacher or to wise companions of the holy life.

And having done that, he enters upon restraint for the future. So in other words, this right here says a stream enterer still can break precepts. But they've got Jiminy Cricket on their shoulder telling them, you shouldn't be doing that. Are you sure you want to do that? And when they do that, they feel awful about it. Immediately they're like, I should not have done that.

Immediately they forgive themselves, and they might go and tell someone, confess, and say, and they say, okay, don't do it again. That's it. Just as a young, tender infant lying prone at once shrinks back when he puts his hand or his foot on a live coal, so too is that the character of a person who possesses right view.

What is this referring to? Yeah. Higher virtue. So what I was saying is, look, you may be busy with a bunch of things. You may still have admin work to do at Dhammasutra. You may have other things to do, but you give time to your practice. You give time to the cultivation of the path. So he still has a keen regard for training in the higher virtue, keeping the precepts, taking the precepts every day. Training in the higher mind, making sure you're in samadhi whenever you can, be training in jhana, going towards cessation. Cultivating and training the higher wisdom, studying and realizing for yourself dependent origination and the realization of the emptiness of self. Just as a cow with a new calf, while she grazes, is watching her calf, so too is that the character of a person who possesses right view, which means what stuff? But she's still mindful and aware of the new calf.

So you do your work, you do what needs to be done in terms of your practical work and everything, but your mind is still centered around the practice. Too many people, when they get off retreat, they don't do this. They think they just have to keep the precepts, the five precepts, while they're on retreat. Actually they keep eight, but they think, oh, the precepts are just the precepts. And then they go back and they drink and they do all kinds of nonsense, and I don't know what happened. Or they meditate great at the retreat, and then I had one person who told me that they hadn't meditated all year long. What are you doing on retreat then? The whole point is for you to keep this a lifelong practice. You need to. If you can't spend even 30 minutes to an hour in meditation, don't come on retreat. You don't deserve to be on retreat.

This is the strength of a person who possesses right view. When the Dhamma and discipline proclaimed by the Tathagata is being taught, he heeds it, he gives it attention, engages it with all his mind, with eager viewers. 98% of the people who come on retreat and are listening to a Dhamma talk do that. Same with these Sunday Sutta sessions. There's always a 2%. You think they're listening, but they're not actually listening. Their mind is wandering off somewhere else.

When a noble disciple is thus possessed of seven factors, he has well sought the character for realization of the fruit of stream entry. When a noble disciple is thus possessed of seven factors, he possesses the fruit of stream entry, not before then. That is what the Blessed One said. The bhikkhus were satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words.

I think that's it for today. I'm going to share some merit with you guys. May suffering ones be suffering free and the fierce stroke fearless be. 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 mind, mighty power, share this merit of ours. May they long protect the Buddha's dispensation. Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu.