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Buddhist
Publication Society Newsletter Winter 1992 No. 22 |
The Five
Spiritual Faculties
The practice of the
Buddha's teaching is most commonly depicted by the image of a journey, the
eight factors of the Noble Eightfold Path constituting the royal roadway along
which the disciple must travel. The Buddhist scriptures, however, illustrate
the quest for liberation in a variety of other ways, each of which throws a
different spotlight on the nature of the practice. Although the alternative
formulations inevitably draw upon the same basic set of mental factors as those
that enter into the eightfold path, they structure these factors around a
different "root metaphor"—an image which evokes its own particular
range of associations and highlights different aspects of the endeavour to
reach the cessation of suffering. One of the groups of factors given special
prominence in the Suttas, included by the Buddha among the thirty-seven
requisites of enlightenment, is the five spiritual faculties: the faculties of
faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. The term indriya, faculties, applied to this
group as a whole is derived from the name of the ancient Vedic god Indra, ruler
of the devas, and the term accordingly suggests the divine-like quality of
control and domination. The five faculties are so designated because they
exercise control in their own specific compartments of the spiritual life. As
the god Indra vanquished the demons and attained supremacy among the gods, so
each of the five faculties is called upon to subdue a particular mental
disability and to marshall the corresponding potency of mind towards the
breakthrough to final enlightenment. The notion of faculty is partly akin to
the ancient Greek conception of the virtues. Like the virtues, the faculties
are active powers which coordinate and canalize our natural energies, directing
them towards the achievement of an inward harmony and balance essential to our
true happiness and peace. Since the faculties are to serve as agents of inward
control, this implies that apart from their restraining influence our nature
is not under our own control. Left to itself, without the guidance of a
superior source of instruction, the mind is a prey to forces that swell up from
within itself, dark forces which hold us in subjection and prevent us from
attaining our own highest welfare and genuine good. These forces are the
defilements (kilesa). As long as we live and act under their dominion, we are
not our own masters but passive pawns, driven by our blind desires into courses
of conduct that promise fulfilment but in the end lead only to misery and
bondage. True freedom necessarily involves the attainment of inner autonomy,
the strength to withstand the pushes and pulls of our appetites, and this is
accomplished precisely by the development of the five spiritual faculties. The qualities that
exercise the function of faculties are of humble origin, appearing initially in
mundane roles in the course of our everyday lives. In these humble guises they
manifest as trustful confidence in higher values, as vigorous effort towards
the good, as attentive awareness, as focused concentration, and as intelligent
understanding. The Buddha's teaching does not implant these dispositions into
the mind from scratch, but harnesses those pre-existent capacities of our
nature towards a supramundane goal—towards the realization of the
Unconditioned—thereby conferring upon them a transcendental significance. By
assigning them a task that reveals their immense potential, and by guiding them
along a track that can bring that potential to fulfilment, the Dhamma
transforms these commonplace mental factors into spiritual faculties, mighty
instruments in the quest for liberation that can fathom the profoundest laws of
existence and unlock the doors to the Deathless. In
the practice of the Dhamma each of these faculties has simultaneously to
perform its own specific function and to harmonize with the other faculties to
establish the balance needed for clear comprehension. The five come to fullest
maturity in the contemplative development of insight, the direct road to
awakening. In this process the faculty of faith provides the element of
inspiration and aspiration which steers the mind away from the quagmire of
doubt and settles it with serene trust in the Triple Gem as the supreme basis
of deliverance. The faculty of energy kindles the fire of sustained endeavour
that burns up obstructions and brings to maturity the factors that ripen in
awakening. The faculty of mindfulness contributes clear awareness, the antidote
to carelessness and the prerequisite of penetration. The faculty of
concentration holds the beam of attention steadily focused on the rise and fall
of bodily and mental events, calm and composed. And the faculty of wisdom,
which the Buddha calls the crowning virtue among all the requisites of
enlightenment, drives away the darkness of ignorance and lights up the true
characteristics of phenomena. Just
as much as the five faculties, considered individually, each perform their own
unique tasks in their respective domains, as a group they accomplish the
collective task of establishing inner balance and harmony. To achieve this
balanced striving, the faculties are divided into two pairs in each of which
each member must counter the undesirable tendency inherent in the other, thus
enabling it to actualize its fullest potential. The faculties of faith and
wisdom form one pair, aimed at balancing the capacities for devotion and
comprehension; the faculties of energy and concentration form a second pair,
aimed at balancing the capacities for active exertion and calm recollection.
Above the complementary pairs stands the faculty of mindfulness, which protects
the mind from extremes and ensures that the members of each pair hold one
another in a mutually restraining, mutually enriching tension. Born
of humble origins in everyday functions of the mind, through the Dhamma the
five faculties acquire a transcendent destiny. When they are developed and
regularly cultivated, says the Master, "they lead to the Deathless, are
bound for the Deathless, culminate in the Deathless." Bhikkhu
Bodhi Publications
Recent
Releases
Tranquility & Insight: An Introduction
to the Oldest Form of Buddhist Meditation. Amadeo Sole-Leris. This widely acclaimed
book explains the methods of Buddhist meditation in a concise yet complete
account according to the oldest Buddhist tradition, that based on the Pali
Canon. While providing all the information necessary to proper understanding,
the stress is on the need for practice and personal commitment. "An
excellent reference book ... Will appeal to beginners and non-beginners
alike." (Buddhist Studies Review) Softback:
176 pages 140 mm x 214 mm U.S.
$8.50; SL Rs. 180 Order No. BP S 10S The Heart of Buddhist Meditation. Nyanaponika Thera. A
modem Buddhist classic translated into seven languages, The Heart of Buddhist Meditation has been an important bridge in
the spiritual encounter of East and West. With the combined powers of deep personal
insight and clear exposition, the author conveys the essential principles
making up the Buddha's way of mindfulness. "A work of unique importance
... written with great depth, extraordinary knowledge, deep humanity."
(Erich Fromm) (Not
for sale in U.S.A. In the U.S.A. order from Samuel Weisers Inc., P.O. Box 612,
York Beach, ME 03910, or from bookshops stocking books on Asian religions.) Softback:
224 pages 140 mm x 214 mm U.S.
$9.50; SL Rs. 200 Order No. BP 509S Middle
Land. Middle Wav: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Buddha's In--dia. Ven. S.
Dhammika. This is the first comprehensive guidebook for the modern
Buddhist wishing to undertake a pilgrimage to the places in India made sacred
by the Buddha's presence. The author begins with an inspiring account of the
significance and history of pilgrimage in Buddhism. Then sixteen places are
covered, the Buddha's association with each place, their later history, and a
detailed description of the monuments found there. With maps and colour photos,
an essential companion for pilgrim and general traveller. Softback:
208 pages 140 mm x 214 mm U.S.
$10.00; SL Rs. 200 Order No. BP 609S In
This Very Life: The Liberation Teaching of the Buddha. Sayadaw U Pandita. This
book by one of the outstanding teachers in the tradition of Mahasi Sayadaw
contains teachings given during an intensive retreat. It starts with basic
instructions on sitting and walking meditation, and goes on to describe in
detail the stages of practice, including recognizing and dealing with problems
that arise as insight deepens. Drawing on 40 years of teaching experience, the
author's instructions are simple and concrete, ideal for the beginner and
advanced meditator alike. (For
sale in Asia only. Elsewhere order from Wisdom Publications, 361 Newbury
Street, Boston, MA 02115, U.S.A. or from bookshops stocking books on Asian
religions.) Softback:
298 pages 140 mm x 214 mm U.S.
$9.50; SL Rs. 300 Order No. BP 5085 The Discourse on Right View: The
Sammaditthi Sutta and Its Com-mentary. Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu
Ñaa.namoli; edited and revised by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Ven. Sariputta Thera explains
all the essential principles of the Dhamma. Softback
: 88 pages 124 mm x 182 mm U.S.
$3.95; SL Rs. 75 Order No. WH 377/379 Back in Print
The Life of the Buddha according to the
Pali Canon. Bhikkhu
Ñaa.namoli. Composed entirely from texts of the Pali Canon, this volume
portrays an image of the Buddha that is vivid, warm and moving. The ancient
texts are rendered with lucidity and dignity as befits the beauty of the
original. This handsome new BPS edition makes an excellent gift for friends and
family. Softback:
400 pages 140 mm x 214 mm U.S.
$16.00; SL Rs. 350 Order No. BP 101 S The Discourse on the Root of Existence: The
Muulapariyaaya Sutta and its Commentaries. Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Since ancient
times the "Discourse on the Root" has been considered one of the most
profound and important texts in the Pali Canon, distinguished by its concision
and penetrating depth. The present work contains an English translation of the
sutta together with its commentaries; a long introduction explores the
implications of the sutta for philosophy and psychology. Softback:
96 pages 140 mm x 214 mm U.S.
$6.50; SL Rs.150 Order No. BP 2105 Coming Soon
A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma. Bhikkhu Bodhi, General
Editor. The Abhidhamma is the Buddhist analysis of mind and mental processes, a
wide-ranging systemization of the Buddha's teaching that combines philosophy,
psychology and ethics into a unique and remarkable synthesis. For 800 years a
little treatise called the Abhidhammattha
Sangaha (Manual of Abhidhamma) has served as the key to open this
treasure-store of Buddhist wisdom. The present volume offers an exact
translation of the Manual along with the Pali text and a detailed,
section-by-section explanatory guide by the Burmese Abhidhamma authority U
Rewata Dhamma and Bhikkhu Bodhi, designed to lead the modern reader through the
complexities of this ancient philosophical psychology. A long introduction
explains the basic principles of the Abhidhamma, while the book specially
features 48 charts and tables which represent the subject in a visually
accessible format. Available by April 1993; all advance orders will be recorded
and filled as soon as possible. Hardback:
432 pages 140 mm x 214 mm U.S.
$20.00; SL Rs. 450 Order No. BP 304H Preview for
1993
During
the coming year three new and valuable works will be rolling their way into
the Wheel Series: The Edicts of Asoka, in
a rendition by Ven. S. Dhammika; Reading
the Mind, a selection of talks on meditation by the remarkable Thai woman
teacher Acharn Kor Khao-suan-luang; and The
Buddha's Examination of Sense Pleasures, a compilation of suttas translated
and introduced by Bhikkhu Bodhi. For release as independent book publications
we currently have in preparation The
Questions of King Milimta, an abridgement of a great Buddhist classic, and King Asoka and Buddhism, a collection
of studies by leading scholars of Indian and Buddhist history. Within the next
few months we also hope to complete the Pali-English
Glossary of Buddhist Technical Terms, long delayed owing to technical and
technological problems. We also expect soon reprints of Ven. Mahathera
Ñaa.naaraama's Seven Stages of Purification
& the Insight Knowledges and Bhikkhu Bodhi's Discourse on the All Embracing Net of Views. We
appreciate very much receiving your comments on our publications, so please
feel welcome to write to us. Book Reviews
The First Buddhist Women. Susan Murcott. Berkeley:
Parallax Press, 1991. 232 pp. PB $15.00. The First Buddhist Women merits due attention
because of the contemporary significance of the subject with which it deals.
The book offers a translation of the Theriigaathaa, the verses of the ancient
Buddhist nuns, together with the author's own commentary on them. Murcott has
included 61 of the 73 poems from the Pali text, rearranging them under topics
such as Wanderers and Disciples, Wise Women and Teachers, Mothers, Wives, Old
Women, etc. At a time when feminism waxes strong in the West and has begun to
stir up interest in the East as well, it is natural that an inquiry is
initiated into the nature of feminine spirituality, and in such a situation the
Theriigaathaa is bound to become a focal source of study and reflection. ° The
author's choice of title is prudent as it attracts the attention of those
interested in women's studies much better than the PTS's "Elders' Verses
II," which gives almost no indication of the contents. As a translation
the book has its merits but also serious limitations. The writer's intention
to bring out a translation in contemporary English for the general reader
rather than the scholar is commendable and her treatment of the verses is clear
and accessible. But there are a great number of places where her translation
is misleading, inaccurate or wrong. Only a few instances can be mentioned
here. The
expression sabbe kaamaa samacchinnaa ,ye
dibbd ye ca maanusaa is translated "I have ended the hunger of gods
and humans" (p. 53), though it means: the desire for all pleasures both divine
and human has been eradicated. Luunakesii
pankadharaa is translated "I cut my hair and wore the dust" (p.
46), though the rendering misses the point that what is referred to are two
austere Jain practices of plucking out the hair and keeping the teeth unclean.
She renders the term uddhamsotaa as "entered the stream" (p. 64),
which she explains as stream-entry, when the term actually means "gone
upstream" and refers in this context to a non-returner. There are many
such instances throughout the book where simple consultation of the Pali
Commentary, or the accurate prose translation by K.R. Norman with its extensive
annotations, would have prevented misunderstanding. Her commentary to the
verses is also of an uneven quality. While she provides us with many
interesting points of historical information on women in ancient India and on
the background to the verses, she is also prone to fall into factual error and
ill-considered judgements. Thus she assumes that the precepts which a sikkhamaanaa—a probationer to bhikkhuni
status—has to observe (pp. 43, 197) are identical with the five precepts of a
layperson (with the addition of the abstinence from food after midday), and
thus concludes that a sikkhamaanaa does
not have to reject the company of men (p. 43). In fact the third precept of a sikkhamana is changed from the layperson's
abstinence from unlawful sex to the rule of strict celibacy. A Western feminist
point of view has coloured the author's comments on Ven. Moggallaana's rebuff
to Vimala's overtures (pp. 12326). Moggallaana only spoke of the real nature
of the human body and such realistic understanding is absolutely essential for
the attainment of the ultimate goal of Nibbaana. Her accusation of cruelty and
defensiveness against the great disciple hardly makes sense in relation to a
man who had extinguished all defilements. Her speculation that Vimalaa may
have accepted Moggallaana's rejection because of her own self-hatred is hardly
plausible: it is clear she did so because the elder's comments made her realize
the repulsiveness of the body and the hollowness of sense pleasures. Referring
to the cultivation of universal love (mend), Murcott says that there is
"an ironical philosophical underpinning": "Through his
cultivated power and insight the monk will cut off future rebirths and thereby
transcend the woman's power to give birth" (p. 78). This is a meaningless
statement which makes no sense at all. As mettaa
is defined in terms of a mother's love for her only child, the writer is
confused as to how a renunciant who is expected to cultivate such love towards
all beings can cut off rebirth altogether. On the same page she says that under
the Buddhist system a woman was considered to belong to an intermediate plane
between animals and men. This is sheer imagination on Murcott's part and she
fails to identify a source for such a claim. The
book is replete with misconceptions and misinterpretations of such nature, but
they all cannot be discussed in a review. While the title will appeal to
readers interested in Buddhist women's studies, he or she is well advised to
exercise critical judgement against knowledge of Buddhism gained from more
reliable sources in arriving at conclusions through this writer's
interpretations. Lily de Silva Burma: The Next Killing
Fields? Alan
Clements. Foreword by the Dalai Lama. Odonian Press, P.O. Box 7776, Berkeley CA
94707. 96 pp. PB $5 (+ $2 shipping per order if ordered from the publisher) Burma
is one of the last great citadels of Theravada Buddhism, the seat from which
the current revival of insight meditation has spread across the world. However,
this nation of a gentle and devout Buddhist population has been ruled for
decades by an autocratic military regime which has brutally suppressed the
Burmese people's yearnings for the most basic human rights. Alan Clements, the
author of the above book, is an American who lived in Burma for seven years,
most as a Buddhist monk. Since the installation of the SLORC—the new military
junta—in 1988, Clements made three trips back to Burma, two secretly. He spoke
with hundreds of Burmese, from ordinary citizens to freedom fighters in the
jungle. In this simply written and emotionally gripping book, he tells the inside
story of the Burmese people's sufferings and aspirations, warning of the
dangers that lie ahead if the rest of the world watches with indifference. Bhikkhu
Bodhi Notes and News
Ven.
Nyanaponika Scholarship Fund. We are
happy to report that our earlier article on our plans to establish a "Ven.
Nyanaponika Scholarship Fund" in honour of our distinguished Patron (issue
No. 20) had the effect of attracting additional contributions which greatly
bolstered the fixed deposit from which the scholarship will be generated. The
amount collected totalled Rs. 247,421, which is more than sufficient to present
a qualified candidate with a full fellowship for the purpose of the award:
postgraduate research into the philosophy or literature of Theravada Buddhism.
At the time this issue goes to press, all proposals concerning the fellowship
have been discussed with the responsible officials at the University of
Peradeniya, through which the fellowship will be granted. We are only awaiting
formal approval by the University Senate, after which the fellowship will
become operative. A Dhamma Book in Braille. Earlier this year the
BPS sponsored the publication of a Braille edition of Ven. Piyadassi's Damsak
booklet Budurajmutn Wahanse Saha
Bududahama ("Lord Buddha and His Teaching") for the benefit of
blind readers in Sri Lanka. The book was prepared for the BPS as a two-part set
by the Ratmalana School for the Deaf and Blind; 100 sets were produced. On June
8th 1992 the BPS initiated the distribution of the book at a special function
held at the Senkadagala School for the Deaf and Blind in Dodanwala, Kandy. The
function was attended by government officials, teachers, parents and
schoolchildren. The books were accepted on behalf of the school by the
Government Agent, M.B. Warsakoon. Since then the BPS has distributed sets to
other schools for the blind throughout Sri Lanka. About twenty sets remain in
stock. These will be given on request as dhamntadaana,
on a firstcome first-serve basis, to any blind reader of Sinhala in
Braille within Sri Lanka. If you are interested in receiving a copy for a blind
person, write to us addressing your letter to the Honorary Secretary. Ven.
Piyadassi Returns to Sri Lanka. At
the end of September Ven. Piyadassi Nayaka Thera, Editor of our Sinhala series
Damsak, returned to Sri Lanka after completing his 13th global Dhammamission.
His tour, which took him nearly a year, brought him to some 15 countries. In
Seoul the Korean Sangha, in appreciation of the Ven. Piyadassi's services for
the Dhamma, conferred on him the coveted title "Tripitakacharya,"
Master of the Buddhist Scriptures. Ven. Piyadassi remarked on his return that
"thanks to the BPS almost everybody around the world seems to know
something about the Buddha's teachings." The thera's latest book, The Spectrum of Buddhism, was recently
acclaimed in the British Buddhist journal The
Middle Way. The reviewer commented: "This book is truly inspiring and
heart-warming in its combination of great learning with practice ... (It) is
highly recommended to all, for content as well as presentation." A Letter from Ukraine. Earlier this year we
sent a packet of books to a spiritual seeker from Ukraine, to share with a
group of her friends also interested in the Dhamma. We thought her reply was
itself deeply rewarding: "Words are totally inadequate to express our
pleasure and joy upon receiving a package of books that you sent us. Each of
the books you shared with us so generously is most, most precious for each of
us, but all together they are really an invaluable treasure indeed. Each of the
books is a real gem, most outstanding, we didn't even know about their
existence. We will be most happy to study these wonderful materials, which are
of enormous use for our spiritual development. We place our hands together
and bow to you in sincere reverence and gratitude." Guidelines to
Sutta Study
The
Fire Sermon, the AAditta-pariyaaya Sutta, is the third discourse of the Buddha
recorded in the Pali Canon's account of his early ministry. Originally spoken
to a group of a thousand monks who had newly embraced the Dhamma after having
been matted-hair fire ascetics, it delivers a message that rings down the
centuries and still speaks to us even in our proud but confused technological
society. To a world whose denizens lunge at each other's throats in a hot
chase for pleasure, power and the acquisition of wealth, the sombre cadences-of
this ancient discourse resound like a fire alarm. Shrill and disturbing to be
sure, they yet send us an urgent and benevolent warning intended to arouse us
from our trifling concerns and stir us to find a place of genuine safety. The
entire theme of the Fire Sermon is announced in the short but electrifying
sentence with which the Buddha opens his discourse: "All is burning."
The rest of the sutta, which occupies only two pages in English translation,
unfolds as an answer to three questions provoked by this startling
declaration: (1) What is the "all" that is burning? (2) In what sense
can all be said to be burning? (3) What are the consequences of seeing things
as the Buddha recommends, i.e. as burning? The
dictum that all is burning is not an easy one to swallow. The very words are
bound to arouse in us an immediate and instinctive resistance, if not outright
rejection; for if these words were accepted with the seriousness they seem to
demand, the entire scaffolding of values upon which our ordinary lives are
strung would be thrown into question. From our everyday point of view we are
inclined to think of life as a field of immense possibilities offering
countless opportunities for enjoyment and discovery, opportunities to be exploited
to the hilt. While friction, bumps and bruises abound, these, we think, are a
small price to pay for the prizes life has to confer upon the zealous
participants in its struggle. From such a perspective the idea that "all
is burning" is likely to strike us as the rueful grumbling of a surly
ascetic bemoaning his own incapacity for pleasure. As
a first approach to gaining some insight into the Buddha's words, let us
proceed at a relatively coarse and manifest level. We need only scratch some of
the surface glitter off our everyday world for his words to begin to ring true.
Pick up a newspaper on any given day and scan the headlines: "Fierce
fighting in Angolan capital," "Serbs step up offensive in
Bosnia," "Attack by Muslim rebels in Kashmir," "36 die in
Indian riots," "Monsoon kills 48 people," "Street battles
in Jerusalem," "Chinese planes for Pakistan," etc. etc. Flip the
page, and there's bank fraud, sex scandals, and heroin busts. When report upon
report spins the mind with tales of international tension, ethnic conflict,
environmental destruction, fatal diseases, crime and violence, can we deny
that the world is really aflame? Are these calamities—whether wrought by
individuals or by nations or by groups—anything but magnifications and
externalizations of a malady lodged in the human heart, of a fever that burns
in our veins? As
we sit at a comfortable distance from the scene of so much pointless misery,
we should not let ourselves get too comfortable thinking that we ourselves are
secure. For the Buddha traces the sparks from which such global conflagrations
flare up right down into the depths of our own hearts. He does not merely say
that fires erupt on random occasions and at scattered sites, or that only a few
of us get burnt. He declares quite boldly that "all is burning" and,
having done so, he sets out to back up his claim by showing that the
"all" of which he speaks comprises our very being, extending down to
the most elementary level of cognition. (to
be continued)
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