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Deeds of Merit
By Sujin Boriharnwanaket.
Translated by Nina van Gorkom
(This book is not yet published
in print form)
Footnotes
1. Kusala citta: wholesome moment
of consciousness. Akusala citta: unwholesome moment of consciousness.
2. Intention or volition, in Paali:
cetanaa, is a mental factor, cetasika, arising with each citta. Kusala citta
is accompanied by kusala cetanaa and akusala citta is accompanied by akusala
cetanaa.
3. A good deed, kusala kamma, or
a bad deed, akusala kamma, produces its appropriate result. Birth is result
of kamma, and in the course of life, pleasant and unpleasant experiences
through the senses, such as seeing, hearing etc., are result of kamma.
4. The Paali text has manaapa,
lovely, pleasant. In the English text this has been translated as: good, which
I changed into pleasant.
5. Patti means: gain or merit,
and anumodana means: thanksgiving or appreciation.
6. Access concentration or upacaara
samaadhi arises when there is a high degree of calm but not yet the attainment
of jhaana, absorption.
7. See Visuddhimagga, Path of Purification,
Ch VII, 107-115.
8. Who has confidence in kamma
and its result.
9. Confidence, saddhaa, is a cetasika
arising with each kusala citta.
10. A banker of Saavatthii, famous
because of his generosity to the Buddha. He kept on giving his possessions,
until there was little left.
11. What is discarded.
12. Having no confidence in kamma
and its result.
13. One citta arises at a time
and it is accompanied by several cetasikas, mental factors. Some cetasikas
arise with each citta, others do not. Akusala cetasikas such as attachment,
anger or ignorance accompany only akusala citta, whereas beautiful (sobhana)
cetasikas, such as generosity, kindness or wisdom, pa~n~naa, accompany kusala
citta. Citta and cetasika are mental phenomena, naama. What we take for a
person is only citta, cetasika and riipa which do not last.
14. It is a Buddhist custom to
let water run in a dish as a sign that one transfers merit. When someone has
offered food to the monks he may pour water in a dish while the monks chant
words of blessing.
15. There can be birth in different
planes of existence depending on the kamma which produces rebirth. There
are unhappy planes of existence, such as the animal world or the hell planes,
and happy planes of existence, such as the human plane or heavenly planes.
16. When right understanding has
been developed to the degree that enlightenment can be attained the four
noble Truths are penetrated: the Truth of dukkha, of the arising of dukkha,
of the ceasing of dukkha, of the way leading to the ceasing of dukkha. There
are four stages of enlightenment and at these stages defilements are progressively
eradicated. At the fourth and last stage, the stage of the arahat, all defilements
are eradicated. Ariyan is the term used for someone who has attained one of
the stages of enlightenment.
17. Defilements are akusala cetasikas
which accompany akusala citta.
18. Lobha is one of the three unwholesome
roots, akusala hetus. The others are dosa, aversion and moha, ignorance.
19. We read that the Bodhisatta
was born as the son of a brahmin and became a famous teacher. A brahmin
had four daughters and four men asked their hand. He asked the Boddhisatta
who was most suitable as a husband for his daughters. We read : "One is good,
and one is noble; one has beauty, one has years. Answer me this question,
brahmin; of the four which best appear?" Hearing this, the teacher replied,
"Even though there be beauty and the like qualities, a man is to be despised
if he fail in virtue. Therefore the former is not the measure of a man;
those that I like are the virtuous." And in explanation of this matter, he
repeated the second couplet: "Good is beauty; to the aged show respect, for
this is right; Good is noble birth; but virtue- virtue, that is my delight."
When the brahmin heard this, he gave all his daughters to the virtuous wooer.
20. Kindred Sayings (IV, Saiiaayatana
vagga, Part VIII, 42, Kindred Sayings about Headmen 8, The Conch).
21. Here I am using the translation
by the Ven. Nyanaponika, Anguttara Nikaaya, An Anthology, Part III, 5, Outcomes
of Merit. Wheel Publication 238-240, B.P.S. Kandy.
22. These excellent qualities,
which are meditation subjects in samatha, tranquil meditation, should be developed
in daily life. The Great Brahma is the highest ruler of the divine beings
of the brahma worlds, higher planes of existence.
23. The Sangha, the third of the
Triple Gem, is actually the ariyan Sangha, it includes all those who have
attained one of the stages of enlightenment.
24. In Thailand and in some other
eastern countries this is the usual way of greeting. The incomparable leader
of men to be tamed.
25. "What I am" and that "I am".
26. The "Visuddhimagga" ( IX, 93,
94) explains in the chapter on the "Divine Abidings", that loving kindness
has the characteristic of promoting the aspect of welfare, and that compassion
has the characteristic of allaying suffering.
27. The worldling or ordinary person
is the non-ariyan, who has not attained any stage of enlightenment, who has
not eradicated any defilement. He will continue to be in the cycle of birth
and death.
28. Unbelieving: without confidence
in kusala.
29. Without siila.
30. Who do not develop pa~n~naa.
31. The Bodhisatta was an ascetic
and the favorite chaplain of an elephant trainer. He had divine vision and
knew that the elephant trainer would become king and this happened against
all expectations. In a battle with a neighbouring king the king himself was
in disguise to protect himself and he had ordered the elephant trainer to
dress in royal robes. However, the king was killed and in the end the elephant
trainer became king. Thus we see that circumstances change so quickly and
that the good fortune came to an elephant trainer.
32. Defilements can be classified
as coarse, medium and subtle. Coarse defilements condition evil deeds through
body and speech. Medium defilements condition akusala citta. Subtle defilements
are the latent tendencies of defilements which have been accumulated and
which can only be eradicated by pa~n~naa developed in vipassanaa at the subsequent
stages of enlightenment.
33. There are different degrees
of concentration. Preparatory concentration, parikamma samaadhi, is only
initial concentration. Access concentration, upacaara samaadhi, is more developed
concentration which approaches absorption. Appanaa samaadhi is the concentration
which has reached absorption.
34. As the "Visuddhimagga" (IX,
98) explains: attachment is the near enemy of mettaa.
35. The "Visuddhimagga" (Ch VI)
describes as meditation subject of foulness corpses in different states
of decay. The body of a living being is like a corpse. It describes under
"Mindfulness occupied with the Body" (Ch VIII, 42-144) the thirtytwo parts
of the body, such as hair of the head, hair of the body, nails, teeth, skin,
etc., of which the repulsive feature should be considered.
36. At each of the four stages
of enlightenment the four noble Truths are penetrated, but there are different
degrees of pa~n~naa which realizes them at these stages. Defilements are
eradicated stage by stage until they are all eradicated at the fourth and
last stage, the stage of arahatship.
37. Son of King Bimbisara of Magadha.
38. The plane of the devas of the
Thirty-three, or also alluded to as the devas of the Thrice-Ten, is the lowest
heavenly plane.
39. A heavenly plane of existence
where one experiences sense objects, different from some of the higher planes
where one is born as a result of jhaana.
40. In Paali: bahusutta. Someone
who has listened to the Dhamma, deeply considered it and who has right understanding
of it.
41. See Visuddhimagga Ch II. Dutaiiga
includes ascetical practices with regard to robes, almsfood and dwelling
place. The monk may eat, for example, only once; he may dwell at the root
of a tree, in the open air or in a charnel-ground.
42. These six excellent things
will be explained in the following chapter.
43. The P.T.S. translation uses
here sight instead of seeing.
44. Subhadda was ordained and attained
arahatship.
45. I am using the translation
of "The All-Embracing Net of Views" by Ven. Bodhi, B.P.S. Kandy, Sri Lanka,
1978.
46. The whole of the Tipiiiaka
is in the scriptures referred to as "the Dhamma and the Vinaya".
47. These three kinds of training
come to fulfilment through the development of the eightfold Path. Through
satipa.t.thaana the six doorways are guarded and one will refrain from evil.
As regards higher consciousness, this means right concentration of the eightfold
Path. When there is awareness of naama and ruupa there is right concentration
accompanying the citta.
48. The four requisites are basic
needs in life. In the scriptures these are referred to as the four requisites
the monks are allowed to acquire.
49. There are different interpretations
of the term Saddhamma. Some interprete it as a composition of the word sad+
dhamma. Sad is derived from "santa", meaning calm. Calm refers here to freedom
from defilements. According to another interpretation saddhamma is derived
from sant+ dhamma, "sant" meaning existing, good or true. The P.T.S. translation
uses for Saddhamma "true Dhamma" or "Dhamma of the good" (for example, Middle
Length Sayings II, 60, On the Sure). According to another interpretation "sad"
is connected with saddhaa, confidence. Saddhamma is the true object of confidence.
50. They are sensuous desire, ill-will,
sloth and torpor, restlessness and regret, and doubt.
51. Elder, in Paali Thera, is a
monk who is senior in the Order, who has been ordained for a longer time.
52. Non-human being.
53. The Deathless, amata dhamma,
that is, the dhamma leading to the end of birth and death.
54. Needing no external ingredients.
copyright (C) [Zolag] Revised
1/12/99, e-mail: contact@zolag.co.uk
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