The Buddha's advice on the Path....

The Wise Are Not Easily Moved

Just as a mighty boulder

Stirs not with the wind,

So the wise are never moved

Either by praise or blame

Dhammapada 6(6): 81

Self-Examination

Not others’ opposition

Nor what they did or failed to do,

But in oneself should be sought

Things done, things left undone.

Dhammapada 4(6): 50

Straighten Your Mind

A mind agitated, wavering,

Hard to guard and hard to check,

One of wisdom renders straight

As an arrow-maker with a shaft.

Dhammapada 3(1): 33

Blessings

Blest to have friends when one is in need,

Blest contentment with whatever is,

Blest is merit when life is at an end,

Abandoning all dukkha is blessedness.

Dhammapada 23(12): 331

The Tathagata's Threefold True Knowledge

"Venerable Sir, I have heard this: 'The recluse Gotama claims to be omniscient and all seeing, to have complete knowledge and vision thus: "Whether I am walking or standing or sleeping or awake, knowledge and vision are continuously and uninterruptedly present to me."'

"Vaccha, those who say thus do not say what has been said by me but misrepresent me with what is untrue and contrary to fact."

"Vaccha, if you answer thus: 'The recluse Gotama has the threefold true knowledge,' you will be saying what has been said by me and will not misrepresent me with what is contrary to fact. You will explain in accordance with the Dhamma in such a way that nothing which provides a ground for censure can be legitimately deduced from your assertion.

"For in so far as I wish, I recollect my manifold past lives, that is, one birth, two births, three births, … a hundred births, … a hundred thousand births, … And in so far as I wish, with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the+ human, I see beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and I understand how beings pass on according to their actions thus: 'These worthy being as who are ill-conducted in body, speech, and mind, revilers of noble ones, wrong in their views, giving effect to wrong view in their actions, on the dissolution of the body, after death, have reappeared in a state of deprivation, in a bad destination, in perdition, even in hell; but these worthy being as who are well-conducted in body, speech, and mind, not revilers of noble ones, right in their views, giving effect to right view in their actions, on the dissolution of the body, after death, have reappeared in a good destination, even in the heavenly world.' And by realizing for myself with direct knowledge, I here and now enter upon and abide in the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints.

Majjhima Nikaya 71:5-10 (Tevijjavacchagotta Sutta – The Threefold True Knowledge)

Uniqueness of The Buddha's Attainment

"Master Ananda, is there any single bhikkhu who possesses in each and every way all those qualities that were possessed by Master Gotama, accomplished and fully enlightened?"

"There is no single bhikkhu, brahmin, who possesses in each and every way all those qualities that were possessed by the Blessed One, accomplished and fully enlightened. For the Blessed One was the arouser of the unarisen path, the producer of the unproduced path, the declarer of the undeclared path; he was the knower of the path, the finder of the path, the one skilled in the path. But his disciples now abide following that path and become possessed of it afterwards."

Majjhima Nikaya 108:5 (Gopaka Moggallana Sutta)

Right Attitude for Practice

"Bhikkhus, for a faithful disciple who is intent on fathoming the Teacher’s Dispensation, it is proper that he conducts himself thus: ‘The Blessed One is the Teacher, I am a disciple; the Blessed One knows, I do not know.’ For a faithful disciple who is intent on fathoming the Teacher’s Dispensation, the Teacher’s Dispensation is nourishing and refreshing. For a faithful disciple who is intent on fathoming the Teacher’s Dispensation, it is proper that he conduct himself thus: ‘Willingly, let only my skin, sinews and bones remain, and let the flesh and blood dry up on my body, but my energy shall not be relaxed so long as I have not attained what can be attained by manly strength, manly energy, and manly persistence.’ For a faithful disciple who is intent on fathoming the Teacher’s Dispensation, one of two fruits may be expected: either final knowledge here and now or, if there is a trace of clinging left, non-return."

Majjhima Nikaya 70:27 (Kitagiri Sutta)

Preserving Truth

"But Master Gotama, in what way is there the preservation of truth? How does one preserve truth? We ask Master Gotama about the preservation of truth.

"If a person has faith, Bharadvaja, he preserves truth when he says: 'My faith is thus'; but he does not yet come to the definite conclusion: 'Only this is true, anything else is wrong.' In this way, Bharadvaja, there is the preservation of truth; in this way he preserves truth; in this way we describe the preservation of truth. But as yet there is no discovery of truth.

Majjhima Nikaya 95:15 (Canki Sutta)

Discovering the Truth

"But what, Master Gotama, is most helpful for the final arrival at truth? We ask Master Gotama about the thing most helpful for the final arrival at truth."

"Striving is most helpful for the final arrival at truth, Bharadvaja. If one does not strive, one will not finally arrive at truth; but because one strives, one does finally arrive at truth. That is why striving is most helpful for the final arrival at truth."

"Scrutiny is most helpful for striving, …. Application of the will is most helpful for scrutiny, … Zeal is most helpful for application of will, … A reflective acceptance of the teachings is most helpful for zeal, … Examination of the meaning is most helpful for a reflective acceptance of the teachings, .… Memorizing the teachings is most helpful for examining the meaning, … Hearing the Dhamma is most helpful for memorizing the teachings, … Giving ear is most helpful for hearing the Dhamma, … Paying respect is most helpful for giving ear, … Visiting is most helpful for paying respect, … Faith is most helpful for visiting, Bharadvaja. If faith [in a teacher] does not arise, one will not visit him; but because faith [in a teacher] arises, one visits him. That is why faith is most helpful for visiting."

Majjhima Nikaya 95:22-33 (Canki Sutta)

Restraining the Six Senses

Just as if a person, catching six animals of different ranges, of different habitats, were to bind them with a strong rope … and tether them by a strong post or stake.

Then those six animals, of different ranges, of different habitats, would each pull towards its own range and habitat … And when these six animals became internally exhausted, they would stand, sit or lie down right there next to the post or stake. In the same way, when a monk whose mindfulness immersed in the body is developed and pursued, the eye does not pull toward pleasing forms, and unpleasing forms are not repellent. The ear does not pull towards pleasing sounds … the nose does not pull toward pleasing smells … the tongue does not pull toward pleasing tastes … the body does not pull toward pleasing tactile sensations … the intellect does not pull toward pleasing ideas, and unpleasing ideas are not repellent. This, monks, is restraint.

The strong post or stake is a term for mindfulness immersed in the body.

Thus you should train yourself: "We will develop mindfulness immersed in the body. We will pursue it, give it a means of transport, give it a grounding. We will steady it, consolidate it, and set about it properly." That’s how you should train yourselves.

Samyutta Nikaya XXXV.206

Diminishing The Effect of Bad Kamma

"Suppose that a man were to drop a salt crystal into a small amount of water in a cup. What do you think? Would the water in the cup become salty because of the salt crystal, and unfit to drink?"

"Yes, Lord…"

"Now suppose a man were to drop a salt crystal into the river Ganges. What do you think? Would the water in the river Ganges become salty because of the salt crystal, and unfit to drink?"

"No, Lord …

"In the same way, there is the case where a trifling evil act done by one individual (the first) takes him to hell; and there is the case … where the very same sort of trifling deed done by the other individual is experienced in the here and now, and for the most part barely appears for a moment."

Anguttara Nikaya III.99

Skillful and Unskillful Things

Now what is unskillful? Taking life is unskillful, taking what is not given … sexual misconduct … lying … abusive speech … divisive tale-bearing … idle chatter is unskillful. Covetousness … ill will … wrong views are unskillful. These things are termed unskillful.

And what are the roots of unskillful things? Greed is a root of unskillful things, aversion is a root of unskillful things, delusion is a root of unskillful things. These are termed the roots of unskillful things.

And what is skillful? Abstaining from taking life is skillful, abstaining from taking what is not given … from sexual misconduct … from lying … from abusive speech … from divisive tale-bearing … abstaining from idle chatter is skillful. Lack of covetousness … lack of ill will … right views are skillful. These things are termed skillful.

And what are the roots of skillful things? Lack of greed is a root of skillful things, lack of aversion is a root of skillful things, lack of delusion is a root of skillful things. These are termed the roots of skillful things.

Majjhima Nikaya 9:4-7 (Sammaditthi Sutta – Right View)

Abandoning Skillful and Developing Skillful Things

Abandon what is unskillful, monks. It is possible to abandon what is unskillful. If it were not possible to abandon what is unskillful, I would not say to you, ‘Abandon what is unskillful.’ But because it is possible to abandon what is unskillful, I say to you, ‘Abandon what is unskillful.’ If this abandoning of what is unskillful were conducive to harm and pain, I would not say to you, ‘Abandon what is unskillful.’ But because this abandoning of what is unskillful is conducive to benefit and pleasure, I say to you, ‘Abandon what is unskillful.’

Develop what is skillful, monks. It is possible to develop what is skillful. If it were not possible to develop what is skillful, I would not say to you, ‘Develop what is skillful.’ Because it is possible to develop what is skillful, I say to you, ‘Develop what is skillful.’ If this development of what is skillful were conducive to harm and pain, I would not say to you, ‘Develop what is skillful.’ But because this development of what is skillful is conducive to benefit and pleasure, I say to you, ‘Develop what is skillful.’

Anguttara Nikaya II.19

The Buddha's advice on the Path

Extracts from the Sutta Pitaka