Exploring the Path - Pāli Course

Manopubbaṅgamā dhammā, manoseṭṭhā manomayā;
Manasā ce paduṭṭhena, bhāsati vā karoti vā;
Tato naṃ dukkhamanveti, cakkaṃva vahato padaṃ.¹

Manopubbaṅgamā dhammā, manoseṭṭhā manomayā;
Manasā ce pasannena, bhāsati vā karoti vā;
Tato naṃ sukhamanveti,² chāyāva anapāyinī.³

Mind precedes all phenomena, mind matters most, and everything is mind made,
If with an impure mind one performs any action of speech or body,
Then suffering will follow that person as the cartwheel follows the foot of the draught animal.

Mind precedes all phenomena, mind matters most, everything is mind made,
If with a pure mind one performs any action of speech or body,
Then happiness will follow that person as a shadow that never departs.

The previous chapters presented a collection of repetitive suttas with the intention of facilitating recitation from memory. In those chapters the Buddha highlighted the purpose of walking on the path and emphasised the objective of realizing the Dhamma through developing the Noble Eightfold Path within oneself: ‘Ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo bhāvetabbo!’ Exploring the path further, Chapter Three presents selected texts that depict the respective parts of the Ariyo Aṭṭhaṅgiko Maggo in more detail.

The yearning for a perspective in life, a manner of dwelling in peace and a way to attain happiness is a pursuit of all humankind. During the post-war period when the economy slowly recovered in Germany, ‘new’ tourists started to visit remote mountain valleys and villages in Bavaria to enliven their spirits in nature’s beauty. While some of the locals tried to benefit from the emerging tourism by offering a room with shared bathroom to tourists, others prepared handicrafts to likewise profit from the new boom. Those handicrafts — nicely carved in archaic letters on small wooden boards or prepared in wax — usually tried to invigorate hope and morality by quoting some ancient aphorism, mostly of Christian solace. One of the quoted maxims interestingly reverberated the essence of verses from the Dhammapada and were attributed, by the artisan, to the Talmud.⁴

Take care of your Thoughts because they become Words.

Take care of your Words because they will become Actions.

Take care of your Actions because they will become Habits.

Take care of your Habits because they will form your Character.

Take care of your Character because it will form your Destiny.⁵

However thoughtful, inspirational and rousing the advice may be, what it lacked was guidance on how to put it into practice. This is where the eternal law taught by the Buddha (Etaṃ buddhāna sāsanaṃ) sets itself apart as it provides help, offers a perspective, invites practical application and rouses one to live the meaning of the words. The renowned verses quoted from the Dhammapada for this lesson⁶ present the Buddha’s teaching ‘in a nutshell’ and subdivide the Ariyo Aṭṭhaṅgiko Maggo in its three segments.

The first line provides a comprehensive foundation for a moral and ethical lifestyle. It encourages maintaining morally-based ethics (sīla) with the respective links of sammāvāco, sammākammanto, and sammā-ājīvo. If one follows these, they lead to an existence in harmony with oneself and others by abstaining from unwholesome actions, physical or vocal, which hurt or harm other beings.

Tattha sabbapāpassāti sabbassa akusalakammassa.⁷

Thus: “All evil” is understood as any unwholesome action.

The second line emphasises the importance of performing wholesome actions that ensure everyone’s peace and harmony. Thus they emphasise that, once unwholesome actions are left behind and continually abandoned, the foundation for wholesome actions is provided.⁸

Upasampadāti abhinikkhamanato⁹ paṭṭhāya¹⁰ yāva arahattamaggā kusalassa uppādanañceva uppāditassa ca bhāvanā.

“Performing” is leaving the householder’s life towards the path of Arahantship by performing wholesome actions henceforth and cultivating wholesome states that have already arisen.

Such a well-founded productive base of wholesome thoughts, actions and words can only truly be maintained by developing the second fragment: concentration or samādhi. Beneficial actions need the base of the determined and strong resolve of a concentrated mind and thus become matured by sammāvāyāmo, sammāsati, sammāsamādhi.

The Ariyo Aṭṭhaṅgiko Maggo is completed through developing purifying insight through the wisdom of paññā, based on the remaining links of sammāsaṅkappo and sammādiṭṭhi.

Sacittapariyodapananti pañcahi nīvaraṇehi attano cittassa vodāpanaṃ.¹¹

Purifying one’s mind: the purification of one’s mind from the five hindrances.¹²

These verses were enunciated by the Buddha in response to a question by Ānanda, enquiring whether all the Buddhas before Siddhattha gave exactly the same admonition and performed the Uposatha ¹³ the same or differently. Ānanda had been dwelling on the thought that the Buddha had given detailed descriptions about the respective lives, enlightenment, disciples etc. of the previous Buddhas but said nothing about the performance of the Uposatha.

… uposatho pana akathito,¹⁴ kiṃ nu kho tesampi ayameva uposatho, añño’ti.

The Buddha replied that as to the teaching there was not a single difference but related that the previous Buddhas performed the Uposatha during varying periods of time and then concluded with the verses given here. He further emphasises the importance of cultivating tolerance and safeguarding the perspective of Nibbāna, again underscoring that without basic moral principles there would be no ‘spiritual’ growth.

Na hi pabbajito parūpaghātī,¹⁵
Na samaṇo hoti paraṃ viheṭhayanto.¹⁶

One who is hurting others, is not someone who has left the householder’s life,
Nor (can he be) a true samaṇa if he harms another.

The Buddha concluded with the following encouraging summary for everyone, but especially for a meditator.

Anūpavādo¹⁷ anūpaghāto,¹⁸ pāṭimokkhe ca saṃvaro;¹⁹
mattaññutā²⁰ ca bhattasmiṃ, pantañca²¹ sayanāsanaṃ;
adhicitte²² ca āyogo, etaṃ buddhāna sāsanaṃ.

Not to blame, not to harm, to live restrained in accordance with moral conduct,
Moderation with nourishment, dwelling in secluded places,
And to devote oneself to mental concentration,
This is the teaching of the Buddhas.

Etaṃ buddhāna sāsananti sabbabuddhānaṃ ayamanusiṭṭhi.²³

This is the teaching of the Buddhas: this is the instruction of all the Buddhas.