DHAMMANULOMA - Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers

1. If the streams could bear away the evil you have done, they would bear away your merits too. Elucidate this statement according to Therī-upadāna.

          In ancient time, there exists many customary rites due to the belief that people they can gain merit from the fire-worship rite, sprinkling water as water-baptism …

          In the psalm Puṇṇika stated that if the streams, by water-baptism, could bear away the evil one's have done, streams could bear away one's merits too, one hence has nothing and becomes bare. Moreover if by water-baptism one can escape from all have-done-evils and be born in celestial world here after, Why that the fishes and the tortoises, the frogs, the water-snakes, the crocodiles and all that haunt the water straight to heaven?

          So one cannot gain merits and be free from the kamma and its result thereby.

2. Describe 5 rarities (pañcadullabha). Elaborate any two of them.

1.     Dullabho Buddhuppādolokasmiṃ - The arising of a Buddha is an extreme rarity,

2.     Dullabho manussattapaṭilābho      - Being born as a human being is an extreme rarity,

3.     Dullabho saddhāsampatti     - To have genuine faith in the Triple Gems is an extreme rarity,

4.     Dullabho pabbajjā      - To become a genuine Bhikkhu (Buddhist Monk) is an extreme rarity,

5.     Dullabhaṃ saddhammassavanaṃ  - To hear the Noble Truth of the Buddha’s doctrine is an extreme rarity;

-Uppāda (m) rising; coming into existence; birth.

-paṭilābha (m) attainment; acquisition; obtaining.

-paṭilabhati [paṭiÖlabh+ati] obtains; receives; gets.

-sampatti (f) fortune; happiness; success; attainment.

-sampatta [pp. of sampāpuṇāti] reached; arrived; come to; attained.

-pabbajjā (f) taking up of the ascetic life; becoming a monk.

@1/ Why is the arising of the Buddha an extreme rarity?

Because any one who is considered eligible for Buddhahood has to complete a performance of 300 perfections and it takes infinite number of world cycles. (say 4 or 8 or 16 Asankheyas and 100,000 Kappas). For instance, when our Buddha was in his last birth he was convinced that mortification of the body was not in keeping with his middle path. After 6 years of this experience, he found the middle way then he became enlightened as a Buddha.

@3/ Why is it an extreme rarity to have a genuine faith in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha?

There are so many faiths in the world, that it is very rare for one to have a right understanding in conformity with the laws of truth. Right understanding here means having the true knowledge of the law of Kamma; that is, there are good and bad results corresponding to their good and bad root causes.

Here, we have two categories of faiths, namely ordinary faith and genuine faith. The Buddhist devotees who have ordinary faith in the three gems do meritorious deeds, give alms, observe precepts, listen to the sermons, and preach the doctrine to others. As for those who have realized the true nature of the arising and passing away of the mind and body. Thus they are enlightened on the clear understanding of three characteristics of impermanence, suffering and non-permanence, suffering and non-personality and have attained the Path, Fruition and Nibbāna.

4/ Write short notes on any three of them:

a/ four kinks of treasure

(l) Thavaranidhi:   =The immovable treasure, namely, silver, gold, land property, a cultivated field, valuable jewellery and so on.

(2) Jangamanidhi: =The movable treasure, namely, elephant, horse, buffalo, cattle, male and female slaves one is possessed of.

(3) Aṅgasamanidhi:         =(Inseparable) limb-like treasure such as knowledge of art and science, education, etc.,

(4) Anugāmikanidhi:       =(Closely-following) shadow-like treasure that follows us from this life to the next as inheritance (Kamma).

b/ cārittasīla & vārittasīla

1. Cārittasīla (Keeping) ~        Fulfilling a training precept announced by the Blessed One thus “This should be done “. It is accomplished by faith and energy.

2. Vārittasīla (Avoiding)         ~        Not doing what is prohibited by Him thus "This should not be done" - It    is accomplished by faith and mindfulness.

e/ four kinds of treasure

1.     Atthisukhaṃ       the bliss of ownership/ happiness of ownership

2.     Bhogasukhaṃ     the bliss of wealth/ happiness of wealth

3.     Ānaṇyasukhaṃ   the bliss of debtlessness/ happiness of debtlessness

4.   Anavajjasukhaṃ the bliss of blamelessness/ happiness of blamlessness