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TABLE 33.5: Stages of Inner Attainment at which fetters are uprooted 
attainmenepractice 
remaining fetters IsaOyojanal 
destroyed fetters Isamyojanal 
DhammakAya (iotrabhE Dotty using the Dhamma 
eye of this body to examme the Noble 'froths as they 
pertain to the physical hotly. the DharnmakAya 
SotApana Body can be attained 
self.view isakkayadikEhij doubt IvicikicchA) 
attachment to rites and ritualsisilsbbataparamAsal 
sensual grasping IkAniarAgal annoyance 
(pAtigliAl attachment to the form realms 
(rilparAga) attachment for the formless realms 
(arEparAgal stubbornness ImAnal 
absentmindedness luddhactall ignorance lavinAll 
none 
DhammakAya SotApana Body using the Mamma 
eye of this body to examme the Noble 'froths as they 
pertain to the angelic body. the DhammakAya 
SakidAgAmE Body can be attained 
sensual grasping DrAniarAgal annoyance 
(pAtigliAl attachment to the form realms 
(rilparAfrp) attachment for the formless realms 
larEparAgai stubbornness ImAnal 
absentmindedness luddhaccal ignorance (asiliAl 
sell ‘view Isakkayaditail doubt tyre tlicch, \ I 
attachment to rites and rituals fsbabbataparamAsaf 
DhammakAya SakidAgAmr. Body wing the 
Dhamma eye or this body to examine the Noble 
Truths as they pertain to the Form Brahma body, the 
l)ItammakAya AnAgAndl Body can be attained 
sensual grasping DoliniarAgal annoyance 
(pAtigliAl attachment to the form realms 
(rilparAga) attachment tin the formless realms 
(asEparAgal stubbornness ImAnal 
absentmindedness luddhaccal ignorance lasijjAl 
desire IrAgaHiminished) hatred (dose) 
(diminished) delusion (mohal(diminithed) 
self view Isakkayadif:Ehi) doubt IvicikiccliA i 
attachment to rites and rituals IstbbbataparainA%al 
DhammakAya AnaagAmf Body using the Dhamma 
eye of this body to examine the Noble Truths as they 
pertain to the Formless Brahma body. the 
DhammakAya Arahant Body can be attained 
attachment to the form realms IrEparAgal 
attachment for the formless realms (asEparAga] 
stubbornness ImAnal absentmindedness 
Cuddlier:a] ignorance (avijjA) 
self view Isakkayaditthil doubt (vicikicdull 
attachment to rites and rituals fsklabbatapararrika) 
desire (kAmarAgai annoyance (pAtighAJ. 
DhammakAya Arahant Body 
none 
self view Isakkayadi . 
ill doubt (vicikicdiAl 
attachment to rites and rituals (stlabbataparanaw) 
sensual grasping IkAmarAgai annoyance (pAtighA I 
attachment to the form realms IrtiparAgai 
attachment for the formless realms larf.rxuAgal 
stubbornness (flans) absentmindedness biddluccal 
ignorance lavijjAl 
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Buddha image (of the sort with a lotus bud on the 
topknot) — but crystal clear and sparkling like a mirror 
— but exquisitely beautiful and proportioned. The 
Dhamma Body is the most refined of all the inner 
bodies described so far — and itself exists at differing 
levels of refinement: 
Dhammakaya GotrabhE Body 
Dhammakaya SotApana Body 
Dhammakaya SakidAgAmE Body 
Dhammakaya AnAgAmE Body 
• Dhammakaya Arahant Body The DhammakAyas are all 
transcendental Vokut tarts] in nature — that is they are not made up 
of conventional aggregates [khanda] but are made up of 
transcendental aggregates [dhammakhandaj — the physical form, 
feeling, perception, memory and cognition still exist al the level of 
the Dhamma Body, but they are all purified to the point of 
perfection. By contrast the aggregates that make up the body at the 
level of the human, angel, form-brahmA and formless-brahmA am 
still on the mundane level [lokiyal and lead the owner of those 
bodies to be reborn further in the cycle of existence. Meditators 
who attain the Dhanutta Body to the degree that their mind 
becomes irreversibly unified with the Dhamma Body, thereby 
make themselves invulnerable to the action of defilements. The 
progression through the Dhamma bodies, eradicating the final ten 
subtle defilements, or fetters 
[saOyojana] from the mind is shown in Table 33.5. 
(opposite): 
C3 Three Cycles with Twelve Characteristics 
Seeing the Noble Truths in each one of the inner bodies 
has three stages or 'cycles of examination'. As them are 
four Noble Truths, multiplied together, seeing the 
Noble Truths the Buddha or the arahants are able to 
eradicate all the defilements from their minds is 
achieved by the same sequential method described 
below. These twelve stages of the Cycle of 
Examination are the product of multiplying the Four 
Noble Truths by the Three Cycles of Examination. The 
cyclical pathway of attainment is rather like the way a 
nut gradually makes progress along the screw-thread of 
a bolt by rotating (not like an 
electric fan which rotates without getting anywhere). 
For progress with enlightenment, progressing in the 
cycle eradicates the defilements as it rotates. It was 
because the Buddha and all the arahants had completed 
all three cycles with their twelve components in their 
entirety, that they can attain full enlightenment — with 
no further rebirth. 
Once you have seen the Noble Truths clearly, over and 
over again, it will gradually reduce the number of 
defilements in the mind. When the defilements become 
permanently less, you will be able to attain Buddhist 
sainthood at the level of stream-entry [sotApanal, 
once-returner [sakidAgAmi), non-returner (anAgAmE] or 
arahant. 
In conclusion, you need to practice sequentially if you 
are going to be successful in your practice and the 
sequence of progress ofihe mind towards `seeing' the 
Noble Truths. 
Importantly, it should be noticed that the noble truths 
can not be seen by those who have not yet attained the 
DhammakAya. However, those who have attained the 
DhammakAya from the level of DhammakAya 
Gotrabht upwards are able to do the final work of 
eradicating the Ten Fetters from the mind by seeing the 
Noble 
Truths 
and 
can 
eventually 
become 
fully-enlightened. 
D. ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES 
D.1 Milakkha-Tissa Thera (AA.i.21, SA.it 199ff) 
In the time of the Buddha there was a hunter called 
Milakkha. Every day of his life since his youth, he had 
been involved with killing animals in one way or 
another. He had done evil every day of his life until 
there was virtually nothing left in his heart in the way 
of virtue. One day, the miniscule amount of good deeds 
he had done in his past caught up with him. He started 
to think of his state of affairs. He had been setting his 
traps in the forest and was thirsty. He saw some monks 
practising meditation in the forest and walked straight 
into their encampment looking for something to drink. 
The monks were sifting in meditation or practising 
walking meditation, trying to maintain the quality of 
their minds. Even though some of the monks were al-
ready arahants, he didn't feel anything special when 
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he saw them, because his mind was still caught up with 
the usual concerns of trapping and killing. Thus he 
ignored the monks and walked straight into one of the 
monk's kutis looking for something to drink. He opened 
up the water jar in the monk's kuti, but even though the 
jar was full of water, it looked completely empty to 
him. Asa result of seeing the water jar all dried up with 
his unquenched thirst, he turned round and insulted the 
monks saying, "What do you do all day long? Sitting 
around, walking up and down but leaving your water 
jars empty when your neighbours are thirsty. You go 
preaching to everyone else to be generous and hos-
pitable, but when it comes to playing the host yourself, 
you don't show any interest". 
An arahant nearby knew that the hunter had been 
blinded by his own bad karma. He said, "Take a rest 
from your insulting in the shade and I will bring you 
some water." He brought more and more cups of water 
until the hunter had quenched his thirst and could start 
to talk some sense. The hunter started to notice the 
things around him. He saw how radiant the arahant was 
and what good manners he had. He thought,"Even after 
being insulted he has shown no anger but has even 
brought water for me to drink. If it had been me on the 
receiving end of some insults I would probably have 
killed the offending person by now. Even though I have 
still not gone to a new existence, I still cannot see the 
water that is filling a water jar. Supposing I were to die, 
I would surely go to hell. Even though good things are 
there before my eyes, I cannot see them. My life is 
indeed in a sony state." Therefore the hunter sat and 
discussed the Dhamma with the arahant. He received 
abundant food for thought from the arahant. He 
realized how much evil he had collected for himself. 
Only then did he realize that his whole life had been 
concerned with evil. If anyone had told him that killing 
was bad before he would say, "What do you think 
you're saying? Don't you eat meat then?" Today he 
listened to the teaching of the arahant, and as the result, 
for the first time in his life he started to fear evil. Thus 
he asked to ordain. The arahant looked at the potential 
of the man and allowed him only to ordain as a novice. 
He thought that as a monk he would never 
make it. 
The arahant taught the new novice meditation, but because of 
all the evil he had done in his past, his meditation was always 
disturbed and haunted by images. Everytime he closed his 
eyes for meditation he could never imagine the object of 
meditation. Ile always felt as if all the animals he had killed 
had come back to haunt him, twitching as if in their death 
throes on his lap. Ile couldn't close his eyes without being 
disturbed. In the end he went to the arahant and asked to 
disrobe because he felt his original inspiration for practice had 
burned out. lie asked permission to revert to his old 
livelihood of hunting. Ile thought to himself that if he was go-
ing to be born in hell anyway that there was not much harm in 
falling into hell a little bit deeper than before ... 
The arahant didn't try to persuade the novice otherwise, but 
he asked the novice to do one final chore before disrobing —
to bring some green wood to make a fire.The novice did as 
the arahant said, but as hard as he tried, he could not manage 
to light the fire. Once the novice had tired himself out, the 
arahant asked the novice to stand to one side and said that he 
would light it for him. The arahant meditated and split the 
earth deep down until both of them could see the deepest 
level of hell [avert]. The arahant took an piece of embers 
from Aveci hell, the size of a firefly and lit the green wood. It 
burned to a cinder in a fraction of a second as if it were noth-
ing more than tissue paper. 
The novice was frightened. Before he hadn't realized 
how hot the fires of hell were. His teacher said, this is 
how hot a cinder from hell is. Supposing the whole of 
you has to fall into hell, can you imagine how hot that 
will be? Milakkha no longer dared to disrobe — no 
matter how badly he was haunted when he meditated, 
he was not discouraged. He kept up his practice for 
several years with an earnest. The hauntings became 
less frequent and eventually disappeared altogether. His 
mind became more peaceful and radiance arose from 
within. The arahant allowed him to take full ordination 
as amonk. 
Milakkha practiced with earnest. Eventually he came to 
the day when he managed to maintain the 
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positivity of mind to the full. His old merits together 
with the new merits of his continuous practice came to 
fruition. His teacher saw his progress and saw that he 
was ready to hear his teaching. He said: 
"Honour will accrue to all who are earnest, who 
have mindfulness, right livelihood and acting only 
as the result of consideration in advance. When 
self-controlled and abiding in the Dhamma without 
recklessness." 
Milakkha examined himself: seeing that he had earnest 
(ever since seeing the fires of hell), mindfulness (no 
longer was he disturbed by haunting images), right 
livelihood (as a monk his maintenence of the monastic 
discipline was unblemished), thinking before speaking 
or acting and certainly not reckless. Milakkha saw that 
he had accomplished all that his teacher had set for him. 
He felt content and refreshed by his own conduct. The 
satisfaction of keeping the Precepts properly is 
considerably 
more 
powerful 
than 
any 
worldly 
achievement. For Milakkha, the contentment allowed 
his mind to become unified and stop. He attained 
DhammakAya, and used the DhammakAya to consider 
the Four Noble Truths until he became enlightened at 
the level of the non-returner [anAgAmE]. He couldn't 
attain arahatship because he had not trained himself 
sufficiently in previous lifetimes. When he passed 
away, he could not yet enter upon Nirvana but was born 
in the BrahmA world called the Pure Abodes 
[SuddhAvAsa]. There he continued to purify his mind 
until he could enter upon Nirvana. 
D.2 EX. KisAgotamE TherE (DhA.ii.270ff) 
KisA GotamE lived in SAvatthE. She was known as 
KisA GotamE because of her slim body. She married a 
rich young man and a son was born to them. The son 
died when he was just a toddler and KisA GotamE was 
stricken with grief. Carrying her dead son, she went 
everywhere asking for medicine that would restore her 
son to life. People thought she had gone mad. But a 
wise man seeing her pathetic condition, decided to send 
her to the Buddha. He advised her, `Sister, the Buddha 
is the person you should approach. He has the medicine 
you want. Go to him.' Thus she went to the Buddha and 
asked 
him to give her the medicine that would restore her 
dead son to life. 
The Buddha knowing her distracted mental condition told her to 
go looking for some mustard seeds from a home where there had 
been no death. Overjoyed at the prospect of having her son 
restored to life, KisA GotamE ran from house to house, begging 
for some mustard seeds. Everyone was willing to help her but she 
could not find a single home where no death had ever occurred. 
The people were only too willing to pan with their mustard seeds, 
but no-one could claim never to have lost a loved one in death. 
As the day dragged on. she realised that hen was not the only 
family that had faced death and that there war more people dead 
than living. As soon as she realised this, her attitude towards her 
dead son changed: she was no longer attached to the dead body of 
her son and she realised how simply the Buddha had taught her a 
most important lesson: that everything that is born must 
eventually die. 
She did a funeral for her dead son and told the Buddha that 
she could find no family where death had not occurred. 
Then the Buddha said,"Gotamt, you should not think that 
you are the only one who has lost a son. As you have now 
realised, death comes to all beings. Before their desires are 
satiated death takes them away." 
Perceiving the fleeting nature and impermanency of 
life, KisA GotamE decided to renounce the worldly life. 
She then requested the Enlightened One to admit her to 
the Order of Nuns. Accordingly, the Buddha sent her to 
the community of nuns and directed that she be 
admitted. 
She was a very hardworking nun and was always 
mindful and conscientious of her religious duties, and 
strove diligently for her spiritual development to purify 
her mind of all mental defilements. 
One night, she lit some oil lamps. Having lit them, she 
went and sat down a short distance away. As she 
observed the flames, her mind focussed and she noticed 
that while some flared up some others flickered out. 
With her mind concentrating on the flames as the object 
of meditation, she meditated as follows, 'Even as it is 
with these flames, so also is it 
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with living beings in this world: Some flare up, while 
others flicker out; only those who have attained Nir-
vana are no more seen.' 
Through his supernormal power, the Buddha saw that 
KisA GotamE was ripe for enlightenment. He sent forth 
his radiance and exhorted her to continue meditating on 
the impermanent nature of all condi 
honed things. The Buddha also commented, "Though 
one should live a hundred years without perceiving the 
Deathless State (Nirvana), yet better indeed, is a single 
day's life of one who perceives the Deathless State.' 
At the conclusion of the discourse, KisA GotamE 
attained Arahanthood. 
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Blessing Thirty-Four: 
The Attainment of 
Nirvana 
A. INTRODUCTION 
A.1 Place of Blessing Thirty-four in the order of 
things 
Nirvana is the ultimate state of existence and the 
highest state of mind a person can attain. It is some-
thing which makes Buddhism unique amongst the 
world religions. Not only to attain Nirvana, but even to 
understand the concept of Nirvana is a challenge 
because it requires a steadfast understanding of almost 
all of the preceding Blessings studied in groupings 
Eight and Nine: 
• 
Blessing Twenty-nine: The Sight of a true monk: 
Those with a mundane level of knowledge tend to form an 
understanding about the new things they encounter, in terms Modes of Merit-Making or avoiding the roads to 
of the experiences they already have. If a new thing has an 
ruin [apAyamukha]. We should give support and 
added dimension, it is hard for them to understand it in terms encouragement to anyone who is inspired to practise 
of their previous experience. It is like trying to describe the 
these skilful means rather than creating conflicts 
colours of a garden to someone who has been blind since 
over points of philosophy which might serve only to 
birth. This is why in Blessing Twenty-Nine we had to see a dissuade them from continuing with their practice. 
true monk to alert us to the existence of the transcendental — Even though different schools might differ in 
as with the tale of the turtle and the fish! (B1.29 5D.8) 
opinion concerning the higher philosophy by 
Understanding the qualitative differences between teachings referring to different parts of the scriptures, or have 
for practice and higher philosophy learned in Blessing 
differences of interpretation, surely we would be 
Twenty-nine is particularly important when studying Nirvanabetter to 'agree to disagree' on these subjects rather 
Blessing Thirty: Regular Discussion of the 
than to let these differences divide us? All spiritual 
Dhamma: Since the thirtieth blessing it has become harder 
cultivators are rather like long-distance travellers in 
and harder to explain the virtues 
the cycle of rebirth [vallasaOsAra]. Even though we 
might differ as to the expectations of what we expect 
our destination to be like, we can still share the same 
path of progress together 
under examination in material terms. Especially 
when enumerating guidelines for the discussion of 
Dhamma we discovered that we should not 
immediately reject items of Dhamma we don't 
immediately understand (see Bl. Thirty §C. I). The 
right attitude is to use the principle of 'live and let 
live' when confronted by differences in Buddhist 
doctrine. Being 'democratic' in Buddhism is to 
support any skilful means [kusala upAya] that 
encourages people to do wholesome deeds that 
conform to those propounded by Buddhism 
— whether it be practising the Noble Eightfold Path, 
the Three Trainings, the Six Directions, the Three 
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and help each other along the way! As long as we 
stay with the Middle Way of practice, we can 
continue to make progress, and one day when we 
reach our destination, we will each be able to see the 
nature of our destination for ourselves without any 
need to differ in our opinions any more. If on the 
contrary we fight amongst ourselves over differences 
of opinion on the way, or we walk the way 
separately, it does nothing but waste valuable 
journey time. Moreover, if we refuse to walk the 
path at all, or backslide on the path by refusing to 
keep the Precepts or meditate, spending all our time 
arguing about the characteristics of higher teachings, 
for sure, we will never arrive at our destination! 
The previous blessing was not the last, however, 
because simply to see the Four Noble Truths is not 
enough. You have to remove the defilements from all 
the bodies that are still defiled so that they are as pure 
as the DhammakAya — something which is not easily 
realized. To attain the DhammakAya is only like 
someone who has succeeded in their education up to the 
level of passing their entrance examinations to get into 
university. Managing to pass your entrance exam 
doesn't mean that you will go on to get your university 
degree. There are plenty of people who drop out at in 
their first year, their second year or even in their third 
year. It is the same for your practice of meditation. If 
you are able to attain the DhammakAya but don't 
continue to pursue your practice, you will slip back into 
• 
Blessing Thirty-two: Practising the Brahma-fariygur old ignorant ways. You have to practice further, 
The equivalence of states of mind [bhEmi] and realms of until you cannot only see the Four Noble Truths, but 
existence [Maya] discovered in Blessing Thirty-two holds become unified with them. This is why we must prac-
true also in the present blessing. We will find in the presentise further until Nirvana can be attained. 
blessing that just as angelic states of mind have their equiva-
lent realm of existence — liberated states of mind represented 
by the Arahant body of enlightenment [dhammalcAya] havel.2 Two levels of Buddhist teachings 
their own equivalent state of being which is called Nirvanarlefore embarking on academic study of things like 
• 
Blessing Thirty-three: Seeing the Four Noble 
'Nirvana', a few words of caution are necessary con-
Truths: the Noble Truths have to be seen with the eye of thterning the best approach to the studies of higher 
DhammakAya because they cannot be seen with the humatteachings. Buddhist teachings can be categorized into 
eye. If the Noble Truths could be seen with the naked eye, two levels: 
surely undertakers would come to and end of defilements 1. Teachings for practice: such as the Noble Eightfold 
before anyone else — because they see dead people every path [ariyamagga], the Threefold Trainings [sikkhA], 
day! On the contrary, we are surrounded by birth, old age, the Four Bases of Sympathy [sa[gahavatthu], the Six 
sickness and death every day of our lives, but we fail to secicaraathma [din], the Three Modes of Merit-making 
the Noble Truths! Indeed, not even the angels, Brahmas or [pufifiakiriyAvatthu], the Four Foundations of Success 
formless-Brahmas can see the Noble Truths, unless they [iddhipAda]; 
practice meditation to the degree they can attain the 
2. Teachings on Metaphysics [abhiprajfiA]: tran-
DhammakAya. The reason why DhammakAya can see the scendental phenomena which are above the direct 
Noble Truths while the mundane inner bodies can't, is 
_experience of mundane states of mind, such as heaven 
because the DhammakAya no longer has any admixture of 
and hell, the law of Karma, Nirvana, cosmology or the 
defilements in the mind — this is why its aggregates are 
called Dhamma-aggregates [dhamma-khandha]. Only withsuPernatural. 
such a pure body can one clearly see the Four Noble Truthklo special caution is required when discussing the 
'teachings for practice' (apart from applying the right 
practice to overcome the right problem). However, 
when treating subjects of higher philosophy (the 
so-called `unfathomable' [acinteyya] A.ii.80) (such as 
whether there will be an end of the world or not; or 
whether the TathAgatha still exists or 
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not after death) often the Buddha would intentionally 
avoid giving a direct or comprehensive answer 
- 
not because he didn't know the answer but because he 
knew if the enquirer had not practised to a sufficiently high 
level, they would misunderstand or fail to believe his answer 
— thus in balance, a comprehensive answer might do more 
damage than good. As students of Buddhism, it is therefore 
necessary for us to accept that the Buddha never gave detailed 
descriptions of subjects of metaphysics. lie would simply 
leave us with implications. It is our duty to fill in the details 
through the results of our own practice. 
The lack of detail is a double-edged sword because 
although it ensures a lack of dogmatism amongst those 
who have not yet reached direct experience of 
metaphysics in their own practice — it also leaves 
room for interpretation. Even though we try to avoid 
being dogmatic — it is also a mistake to give no 
guidelines. In the majority of the Buddhist textbooks, 
the higher stages of practice are generally not very 
clearly described, because all of these things are taken 
to be merely the results' of meditation. It is all very 
well leaving the student to discover things by them-
selves — but for some people doubts might lead to 
discouragement. They might worry, "Does Nirvana 
really exist or not?" or "Is Nirvana just a fairy story?" 
For such practitioners, some guidelines are useful, if 
only to inspire them with the confidence to practice 
until they can know Nirvana for themselves. Giving too 
many guidelines may be counterproductive for those 
who tend to think, "Now I know Nirvana is a reality, 
there is no point trying to prove it for myself any more 
— I'll go back to bed instead of meditating." 
When studying Nirvana, it is thus necessary to take as 
some form of guidance the little scriptural evidence the 
Buddha did give us. When speaking of Nirvana,the 
Buddha did assert that Nirvana exists, but his 
description of the characteristics of Nirvana consists of 
a series of negations (not confirmations) for the reasons 
already mentioned. As a result of this lack of detail we 
can make no firm conclusion about certain 
characteristics of Nirvana from the scriptures (see also 
§B.3 below). However, 
what we can say about Nirvana for sure is that it does 
exist. Thus whatever we believe about the detail of 
Nirvana, as Buddhists, should take confidence in, is that 
the Buddha asserted that Nirvana does exist and it is the 
end of all suffering. As such, it is the ultimate goal in 
the pursuit of goodness of all Buddhists. 
B. NIRVANA 
B.I Definition 
The word `Nirvana' (in the Pali language `nibbAna) 
has a variety of meanings. Nirvana can be translated as 
`extinguishing' or it can mean 'escape'. Where Nirvana 
means 'extinguishing' it means the extinguishing of 
defilements or of suffering. Where Nirvana means 
`escape' it means to escape from the three prisons of the 
Triple World. Looking at the translation of the word 
`Nirvana', it can have two shades of meaning 
• 
Nirvana as a state of mind of a person with no 
further defilements or; 
• 
Nirvana as a place where those who have freed their 
mind of all defilements can go to partake of eternal bliss. 
B.2 Terminologies concerning Nirvana 
Given that the word 'Nirvana' leaves room for in-
terpretation, usually in the study of Buddhism we make 
what we are talking about clearer through the addition 
of pre-fixes. Thus, at this point it is worth pausing in 
order to clarify their definitions: 
1. Nirvana as a state of mind [sa-upAdisesanibbAna]: 
Sa-upAdisesa Nirvana is our experience of Nirvana as a 
mental state — that is our living experience of Nirvana 
— that is, we don't have to die first and be reborn to 
attain it. We touch upon Nirvana in ow experience 
when we have purified our mind from all defilements 
but our five aggregates [khandha] have not yet broken 
up. DhammakAya will be manifest inside ourselves 
imparting the same happiness to us as if we were really 
inside Nirvana as a realm of existence — but we are 
still 'alive' in our human body. 
Z Nirvana as a realm of 'existence' [anupAdisesa-
nibbAna]: AnupAdisesa Nirvana is the Nirvana 
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that exists as a realm outside ow body and mind. 
Sometimes it is called 'posthumous' Nirvana 
because you can only go there after the breaking up 
of your five aggregates for the last time (you will not 
be reborn again). The DhammakAya which one has 
attained by becoming unified with Sa-upAdisesa 
Nirvana will be drawn through the centre of the body 
and enter upon AnupAdisesa Nirvana — the quest of 
all Noble Ones. Nirvana is an empty area outside the 
Triple World which is beyond the reach of suffering. 
This place is the abode of all the bodies of 
enlightenment of all the fully-enlightened Buddhas, 
paccekabuddhas and arahants who have attained 
enlightenment in the past. Nirvana is full of all of 
these 'DhammakAyas'. In that place there is only 
happiness, because no suffering can reach there. 
There is no rebirth, aging, sickness or death, because 
everything is made up of Dhamma-aggregates. This 
place cannot support people or angels or Brahmas 
because 
these things are not made up of 
Dhamma-aggregates. Only DhammakAyas can enter 
thereon. This is the type of Nirvana that you can only 
attain when you are an arahant, paccekabuddha or 
fully-enlightened Buddha who passes away from this 
world for the last time. When the five aggregates of 
his physical body break up at death, his Dhamma-
kAya will be attracted directly into Nirvana. 
3. Nirvana as the location of Nirvana [Ayatana-
nibbAna]:/yatana Nirvana is the location of Nirvana. 
/yatana Nirvana actually exists but it is not made up of 
normal elements like earth, water, wind and fire in the 
same way as things we can see with the naked eye. It is 
neither in this world or another world. It is not the sun, 
the moon or the stars because all of those things are still 
within the Three Spheres [bhava] and are hence 
mundane ['okayed. Nirvana is outside the Three Spheres 
and is trancendental [lokuttara]. In Nirvana there is no 
movement, no coming or going. Those who have 
attained/yatana Nirvana are able to see past Buddhas 
sitting deep in meditation [nirodha samApati] there, 
more numerous than all the grains of sand in the four 
(cosmic) oceans. All that remains of 
them are their Dhamma Bodies — but Dhamma 
Bodies more exquisite than any Dhamma Body you 
can perceive within yourself — Dhamma Bodies that 
are self-sufficient with boundless happiness 
independent of any outside influence 
— because the mind of those Buddhas has tran-
scended all suffering entirely, having attained the 
true fulfilment of life. In this respect, the scriptures 
explain (Pathama NibbAna Sutta [Ud.80]: 
0! Monks! There is the existence a sphere in 
which earth, water, fire, air, sphere of infinity of 
space, sphere of infinity of consciousness, 
sphere of nothingness, sphere of neither 
perception nor non-perception, this world, the 
next world, the moon, the sun have no part. 0! 
Monks! I do not say that that sphere has 
coming, going, existence, arising, falling away, 
in a place that has no abode, without feeling ... 
this, is the end of suffering. 
4 Nirvana as the final destination [parinibbAna]: A 
last term which it is necessary to know to make sense 
of Buddhist texts is the word 'parinibbAna' 
— which is usually used as a verb to indicate the 
action of entry into AnupAdisesa Nirvana for the 
final time by an arahant or by the Buddha. Some-
times it is used as a noun to indicate the occasion of 
the final entry of an arahant of Buddha into 
AnupAdisesa Nirvana at death. 
Although in the scriptures, a clear distinction is made 
between the terms `Sa-upAdisesa Nirvana' and 
'AnupAdisesa Nirvana' (It.38), most of our knowledge 
of the difference between these terms comes to only 
courtesy of the commentary by the Great Abbot of Wat 
Paknam Bhasicharoen (Phramonkolthepmuni). Without 
understanding this distinction, the more you read about 
Nirvana in the textbooks, the more confused you will 
become. The reason is that most of the textbooks have 
been based on interpretation of older texts rather than 
being based on experience. Some texts even go so far as 
to say that Nirvana doesn't exist. They 
EFTA00286844

say that it is just a metaphor for having come to an end 
of defilements. Some even say that animals can go to 
Nirvana. This is no surprise because even heaven and 
hell, let alone something as lofty as Nirvana, have 
become subject to interpretation. Some believe that the 
two realms are nothing more than states of mind —
they say that when you do good deeds, you feel relieved 
and fulfilled just as if you were in heaven; when you do 
bad deeds you feel guilty and anxious just as if you 
were in hell; and they would have us believe that there 
is nothing more to heaven and hell than states of mind 
— that the corresponding realms do not exist. At the 
same time there are others who believe that heaven 
really exists as a realm with its angels and heavenly 
mansions and that hell exists as a realm with its fire and 
cauldrons of molten metal to incinerate its denizens. It 
is therefore our good fortune to have clear guidance on 
Nirvana still available to us within living memory, so 
that our inspiration to cultivate ourselves until being 
able to attain Nirvana for ourselves is not misplaced. 
B.3 The Characteristics of Nirvana 
From the passage quoted from the PaEhama NibbAna 
Sutta above, we can see that there are three major 
characteristics of Nirvana 
in 
contrast 
to 
the 
characteristics of matter still within the grasp of the 
three Universal Characteristics [sAmaillia-lakkhaAtt]: 
Conditioned Dhammas 
such as the Five 
Aggregates (with Three 
Characteristics) 
Nirvana as a 
non-conditioned 
phenomenon (without 
Three Characteristics) 
impermanent suffering 
not/no-self 
permanent happy self..? 
asaOhErato asalkuppaO 
... it cannot be taken away or changed 
Nd.56 
. . and the Buddha taught that anything that is 
permanent is no longer subject to suffering or `notself . 
YadaniccaO taO dukkhaO yaO 
dulckha(5 tadanattA 
whatever thing is (of the nature of) imper-
manence is also (of the nature of) suffering; 
whatever thing is (of the nature of) suffering 
is also (of the nature of) no/not-self. 
S.iii.22 
Furthermore, the Buddha specifically said that Nirvana 
is of the nature of happiness [sukhaO] 
NibbAnaO paramaO sukhaO 
Nirvana is the highest happiness. 
Dh.57 
Thus Nirvana is specifically said to be of the nature of 
happiness and permanence. However, it is only by 
implication that Nirvana is said to be of the nature of 
`self or not of the nature of `not-self. The major debate 
concerning the characteristics of Nirvana concerns 
whether it is of the nature of 'self [atta] or 'non-self" 
[anattA] is an issue which they have been unable to 
agree upon since ancient times shortly after the time of 
the Lord Buddha's parinibbAna. This issue has been 
with us throughout the history of the development of 
Buddhism. Even in the present day, there are academic 
scholars of the West and the East who are still debating 
this issue. In fact, there are several separate issues 
concerning this issue which they are debating: 
I. The existence of the teaching of the existence of true 
self [nun] in Buddhist teachings: There are those who 
TABLE 34.1: Scriptural evidence for the Unit*ASe that there exists such a thing as `true self and 
Ni4alicticiePigiftted itt beCattatiO WEI inlikillfice 4iftintY dthhipaidwho believe that a 'true self doesn't exist. Pro-
TiRkeKottMtMeristics [ti-lakkhaAa] — specifically it is 
ponents of 'true self in Buddhism appear to be greater 
permanent rather than impermanent: 
in numbers than opponents. Amongst their numbers are 
established western scholars such as Mrs. Rhys Davidsl. 
I. The three Universal Characteristics [sAmainia-lakkhaAaj arc the 
same as the Three Characteristics Iti-lakkbaikal 
EFTA00286845

miss i,B. He
 eulticrecsneresduarg of incomparable 
dedication and expertise in the study of Buddhist 
scriptures. Both had an important role to play in the 
compilation of the Pali Text Society (PTS) edition of 
the Pali TipiEaka, which is recorded in Romanized 
script 
— the edition of the Pali TipiEaka accepted by 
scholars throughout the world as the most au-
thoritative. Among other scholars subscribing to the 
same view are Christmas Humphreys' and Edward 
Conze. Such scholars agree upon two major 
arguments: 
I. That the Buddha never clearly denied that the 
true self [atta] doesn't exist or that true self doesn't 
exist in any level of the truth. 
2. That the original teachings of the Buddha im-
plies that the true self exists in a state that is higher 
than the level of the Five Aggregates [khandha] or 
conditioned phenomena. 
They say that the Buddha never referred directly to 
the existence of a true self is because those who have 
not attempted to practice meditation for themselves 
might misunderstand that the `true self in Buddhism 
was the same as the one in Hinduism. References for 
these arguments are found in texts as diverse as the 
Pali . TipiEaka, the Sanskrit texts, the Chinese 
TipiEaka, the Tibetan TipiEaka and texts in other 
languages. Even so there are still scholars who assert 
that there is no such thing as 'true self in the teach-
ing of the Buddha and equally they have their own 
scriptural sources and arguments. 
2. The real meaning of the words `atta' and `anattA': A 
lot of confusion arises in academic circles as the result 
of scholars who encounter technical terms in the 
scriptures and assume that one word has the same 
meaning in every place it appears in the scriptures. Each 
time the Buddha preached he adapted his teaching to the 
character and needs of the listener. Thus the use of 
1. late president of the Pali Text Society (1922-42) in Steven Collins 
(1997)Selflen Person: Imagery and thought in TheravAda 
Buddhism, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p.7 
2. late president of the Pali Text Society (1959-81) in Peter Harvey 
(1995) The Selfless Mind, Curzon Press, p.17 
3. Buddhism (1959) Penguin Books. p.88 
4. Buddhist Thought in India, (1962) George. Allen and Unwin, p.39 
words in the scriptures, even the same ones, may have 
hundreds of different implications. In the case of the 
words 'atta' and 'anattA' are no exception. Some say 
that the word `atta' means 'self in the same way that 
'atman' means 'self in Hindu teachings. Hindus teach 
that there is a `self inside every one of us, which will 
ultimately be re-united with the Great Being 
[paramAtman]. They are afraid that if Buddhists 
accept 'self then they will be giving in to 
Brahminism. In fact, these fears are ill-founded 
because the word 'atta' has many possible meanings. It 
can mean `imagined self ('me', 'my) or the higher 
concept of 'me' and 'my' for an angel or a god, which 
must be qualitatively very different. The word `Ma' 
can also mean 'true self in an ultimate sense, of the 
sort that the Buddha advocated us to adopt as our 
'island' or `refuge'. 
AttadEpA viharathi, attasaraAA 
analitiasaraAA, dhammadEpA 
dhammasaraAAa, analitiasaraiiA 
May you all take your self as your island. May 
you take yourself as a refuge. Take no other 
thing as your refuge. May Dhamma be your 
island. May Dhamma be your refuge. Take no 
other thing as your refuge. 
MahAparinibbAna Sutta D.ii.72 
In this case `Mil obviously has a different meaning 
from the word 'atta' as used in the case of 'imagined 
self or the word `anal as used by the Hindus. Thus 
in the study of the TipiEaka, it is essential to 
distinguish the definition of the vocabulary we meet 
independently for each occurrence. For the word 
'anattA' we need to be no less careful. There are 
those who believe that the word 'anattA' means 
'no-self (i.e. self-lessness) and others who believe 
that it means `not-self 
(i.e. that which is not a self). It is the same as 
looking at the word 'manusso' which means 
'person'. The word `amanusso' also exists. Should it 
mean 'no-person' (i.e. person-lessness) or 
'not-person' (i.e that which is not a person)? This 
gives a different angle when we look at the usage of 
the word `self - for example, when 
EFTA00286846

the Buddha taught that the Five Aggregates 
[khandha] are not the 'self, the implication is that 
the real 'self is elsewhere, outside of the Five 
Aggregates. Thus the Buddha taught us that real 
'self is our refuge, and that you can attain true `self 
by the practice of the Four Foundations of 
Mindfulness [satipaEEhAna]: seeing the body in the 
body, feeling in the feeling, mind in the mind and 
dhamma in the dhamma. This issue attracts a great 
deal of controversy. 
3. In the words, `sabbe dhammA anattA' (all phe-
nomena are 'anattA'), what is the scope of the word 
'dhamma' (phenomena)? Some commentaries include 
Nirvana 
amongst 
the 
`phenomena' (NdA.8,219 
[Mahachula Royal Institute edition]), others not (ibid. 
part 7, p.62). In the latter the scope of `phenomena' 
extends to nothing more than the Five Aggregates but 
does not include Nirvana. 
For each of the arguments put fonvard, there are many 
supporting references from primary sources in various 
languages. There is analysis of each in comparison with 
the principle teachings of Buddhism. Them are 
conclusions of possible implications and conclusions 
from each side of the argument — for example, if there 
happened to be no 'self how can we explain the 
operation of the laws of karma between one lifetime 
and the next? There is no concensus of opinion to the 
contrary, but does nothing to quench the ferocity of the 
debate. 
all the ingredients to get the end product you require. 
level of practice 
Precept 
s 
Meditatio 
n 
Wisdo 
m 
Dhammakaya Ciotrabht 
Seeing the Four Noble 
Truths 
Arahantship 
perfect 
perfect 
perfect 
reasonable 
perfect 
perfect 
reasons 
ble 
reasons 
hie 
perfect 
In order to attain the DhammakAya at the initial level 
[cfrlairfikilagoabteratidytttainittg W Porticennnhlevels of 
Precepts perfectly, even if your meditation and your 
wisdom are not so well developed (see Table 34.2 
above). If you develop your meditation further you 
will soon be able to see the Noble Truths (Precepts 
perfect, meditation perfect, wisdom reasonable) and if 
all Precepts, meditation and wisdomare perfect then 
you have the chance to attain Nirvana. As your 
wisdom improves you will be able to attain the 
DhammakAya of an arahat.When an arahant passes 
away, his physical body will be buried or cremated. 
His DhammakAya will enter upon AnupAdisesa 
Nirvana. There will be no further rebirth for them. In 
conclusion, if you want to attain Nirvana, you have to 
attain Nirvana that is inside yourself. Only those who 
have practised the whole of The Manual of Peace from 
the first blessing onwards (emphasizing strict practice 
of the Noble Eightfold Path), have a chance of 
attaining). 
C. THE PRACTICALITY OF ATTAINING NIRVANA 
Cl Sequential practice for the attainment of Nirvana 
For sure, if you are to attain any of these forms of 
Nirvana, you have to practice the Noble Eightfold Path 
perfectly. You need possess all eight components at the 
same time: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, 
Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right 
Mindfulness, Right Concentration. Put another way, 
you need to practice the Precepts (Right Speech, Right 
Action, Right Livelihood), Meditation (Right Effort, 
Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration) and wisdom 
(Right View, Right Intention) perfectly. It is like when 
you are cooking, you need to add 
C.2 Nirvana: Accessible to all 
Buddhism is not an exclusive religion. Anyone who 
has cultivated as many good deeds as the Buddha or 
the arahants can, like them, enter upon Nirvana. 
Anyone who practises the Noble Eightfold Path 
properly will eventually attain it for themselves. Thus, 
once we know Nirvana exists, and know the method, 
we should make the requisite effort to attain it — in 
accordance with the guidelines laid out in this blessing 
— by practising good deeds incorporating the Noble 
Eightfold Path, keeping of the Precepts, practising 
meditation and accruing wisdom. 
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D. ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES 
al Ex. Valgisa Thera Vatthu (DhAdv.226ff) 
Once in RAjagaha there was a brahmin by the name of 
Valgisa who could tell the afterlife destination of a corpse 
simply by tapping its skull. The brahmins were very proud 
of Valgisa and took him to many villages where people 
flocked to him and paid handsomely to find out from him 
where their various dead relatives had been reborn. 
On one occasion, Vaigisa and his pasty came to a place not 
far from the Jetavana monastery. Seeing many people who 
were going to the Buddha, the brahmins invited them to come 
to Vaigisa who could tell where their relatives had been re-
born. But the people said to them, "What does Vaigisa know! 
Our Teacher is one without a rival, he alone is the 
Enlightened One." As a result there was a heated argument 
between the people and the brahmins. Finally one person said, 
"Come now! let us go and find out which of the two knows 
more, Vaigisa or the Buddha." So they all went to the 
Jetavana Monastery. 
The Buddha, knowing their intention, instructed a monk 
to gather together five skulls, one of a person reborn in 
hell, one of a person reborn in the animal world, one of 
a person reborn in the human world, one of a person 
reborn inthe devaworld and one of an arahant. Having 
found the five skulls the monk placed them in a row. 
When Valgisa was shown the skulls, he could tell 
where the owners of the first four skulls had been 
reborn; but when he came to the skull of the arahant, he 
was at a loss. The Buddha asked, "Vaigisa don't you 
know? I know where the owner of that skull is." 
Valgisa then urged the Buddha to teach him the skill by 
which he would have the ability to tell where that 
particular person was reborn. The Buddha told him that 
the condition of learning such and ability was to enter 
the Holy Order. 
Valgisa reluctantly agreed to join the monastic order. 
He told his brahmin friends to come back for him later 
when he had learned the skill. As a monk, he was 
instructed by the Buddha to contemplate the thirty-two 
parts of the body. He diligently practised meditation as 
instructed and 
within a short time attained Arahanthood. 
Later, when the other brahmins came back, one asked him 
whether he had acquired the skill. Vaigisa said, "You all had 
better go now. There is no need for me to learn the skill any 
more. I will no longer be going along with you." On overhear-
ing this, the other monks asked the Buddha, "Venerable Sir! 
Vaigisa claims to have attained Arahanthood. Is it true?" The 
Buddha replied, "Monks! Ile really knows the death and 
rebirth of beings. He is an arahant" 
Thus, as a result of this tale, we learn that Nirvana is 
not just a higher level of heaven — it is outside the 
Triple World system completely — if it were just 
another level of heaven Valgisa would have been able 
to find the afterlife destination of the arahant. 
D.2 EX. Kutumbiyaputta-Thsa Them (MA.L188,#) 
A young man called Tissa heired from a wealthy 
KuEumbiya family of SAvatthE. He renounced a 
legacy of forty crores and became a monk dwelling in 
the forest. His younger brother's wife who had inherited 
the wealth in his place was afraid that he might give up 
his vocation as a monk and come home asking for his 
fortune back. She could not sleep in peace and therefore 
decided to send five hundred ruffians to kill him.The 
ruffians went to where Tissa was meditating in the 
forest and surrounded him. Tissa asked them why they 
had come. The ruffians replied that they had come to 
kill him. He didn't resist, but begged them to spare his 
life for one further night (to give him enough time to 
strive for enlightenment). The ruffians asked who 
would guarantee that he would not run away in the 
night. Because there was no-one else who could be his 
witness, he picked up a stone and used it to break both 
his own thigh-bones as a token that he would not 
attempt to escape — asking them whether that would be 
sufficient guarantee. The ruffians, however, were not 
entirely satisfied and built a fire nearby on the place 
where the monk normally did his walking meditation 
and slept there. During the night he overcame his pain 
and, reflecting on the purity of his own self-discipline, 
meditated for the whole of the night to became an 
amhant at dawn. 
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The Tenth 
Group of Blessings 
"The Fruits of Having Practised until reaching an 
end of defilements" 
Having rid ourselves even of the subtlest defilements as a result of 
our practice in in Group IX culminating in the Attainment of Nir-
vana (Blessing Thirty-Five) — the only remaining work on the Bud-
dhist path of progress, is to receive the fruits of our labours. Group 
X is entitled 'the fruits of having practised until reaching an end of 
defilements'. In fact, there is no practice left to do in this grouping, 
and the remaining blessings are more a description of the fruits of 
one's practice. It is like having washed oneself thoroughly, all there 
is left is the feeling of cleanliness and refreshedness. This grouping 
contains four blessings: 
• Blessing Thirty-Five: A Mind Invulnerable to Worldly vicis-
situdes 
• Blessing Thirty-Six: The Sorrowless Mind 
• Blessing Thirty-Seven: Freedom from Subtle Defilement, 
• Blessing Thirty-Eight: The Blissful Mind 
The Group describes the qualities of a mind freed from the influ-
ence of defilements. The first of these we are to examine in this 
chapter is the state of invulnerability to worldly vicissitudes. 
EFTA00286849

Blessing Thirty-Five: A 
Mind Invulnerable to 
Worldly Vicissitudes 
A. INTRODUCTION 
A.I The Place of Blessing Thirty-Five in the order of 
things 
Cultivation of invulnerability has already largely been 
dealt with in Blessing Twenty-Four (5E.3) although 
some tips are given here for how to minimize your 
vulnerability to worldly vicissitudes for those whose 
mind is not yet at the transcendental level. Having 
practised all the forgoing blessings, you will have 
attained a body of enlightenment within yourself which 
has an appearance like a living Buddha of crystal at the 
centre of one's body. Your doubts about reality and 
world will be almost completely overcome, having used 
the DhammakAya to examine the nature of the world, 
especially the Four Noble Truths. You will be able to 
understand for yourself the answers to so many of those 
questions that are useless to have explained to you by 
anyone else. If you can attain the ability to see the Four 
Noble Truths, and see Nirvana for yourself, the next 
outcome of your practice is that your mind starts to 
become invulnerable to the temptations of the world. If 
you are an arahant, you will be completely invulnerable 
to the temptations of the world — however, if you have 
attained the DhammakAya at any other level, although 
you will still be vulnerable to the temptations of the 
world, you will only be partially vulnerable. 
A.2 The point of studying vulnerability for those who 
have not yet attained 
The subject matter of this blessing concerns invul-
nerability to the temptations of the world. Some might 
ask whether there is any point in studying this blessing 
for people who have not yet become arahants 
— but in fact, by studying the invulnerability to the 
temptations of the world as one of the possible results 
of persevering with meditation practice, it is hoped to 
be inspiration to readers to practice further until they 
can attain such invulnerability for themselves. The 
objective is not to 'be invulnerable' without having 
attained DhammakAya, the Four Noble Truths and 
Nirvana, 
because 
without 
these 
things, 
your 
invulnerability is not yet watertight. 
A.3 Definitions 
The title of this blessing in Pali `phuttassa-
lokadhammehi cittaO yassa na kampati is 'In-
vulnerability (lit. untouched) to the vicissitudes of the 
world'. To define each of the constituent terms in turn: 
• 
The Mind: When talking about the 
invulnerability of the mind, by 'mind' we mean our 
good quality of mind; 
• 
Invulnerable: Invulnerable means not being 
dulled by aversive consequences such as loss of fame, 
loss of possessions or loss of loved ones. It also means 
not being elated by desirable consequences. If your 
mind is affected in either of the two ways mentioned, 
then it is still vulnerable. 
EFTA00286850

• vicissitudes of the World [lokadhamma]: These arc 
features of life in the world which are fraught with 
uncertainty and which no-one can avoid for as long as 
they live in the world. The varieties of the vicissitudes 
are examined in more detail below. It is just like it is the 
nature of the ocean to have waves on it. If anyone goes 
to sea then they must meet with waves. If you go into 
the forest, then you cannot avoid trees because it is the 
nature of the forest to have trees. The nature of the 
world is to have vicissitudes which are always 
fluctuating for the better or the worse. If we allow these 
fluctuations to dictate our mood, our quality of mind 
will be like a roller-coaster! In fact, there is only one 
type of person who is not affected by the vicissitudes of 
the world and those are the arahants. Their mind has 
sufficient self-confidence and steadfastness to be 
equanimous or indifferent in the face of worldly vicissi-
tudes. Even though they too are subject to worldly 
vicissitudes, their mind is not upset by unpleasant 
vicissitudes and it is not elated by desirable vicissitudes. 
The mind of such a person sees all vicissitudes as things 
that will not last forever, and lends them no more 
importance than they deserve. 
AA Why make our minds invulnerable to worldly 
vicissitudes? 
The Buddha warned of the dangers of acquiring the 
desirable vicissitudes when one doesn't know how to 
prevent oneself from becoming attached to them. He 
compared acquired wealth in such a case as being like 
fish bait (BaOisa Sutta S.ii.226), a hunter's dart 
(Kumma Sutta S.ii.226), a thombush entrapping 
long-haired sheep (DEghalomi Sutta S.ii.228) and turns 
those previously of good conscience into those who 
would rather tell a lie than lose what they have acquired 
(MAtarE etc. Suttas S.ii.242ff.),It is for this reason that 
if we are not yet invulnerable to such vicissitudes, we 
have to train ourselves in contentment (as explained in 
Blessing Twenty-Four, §E.3). 
B. WORLDLY VICISSITUDES 
B.1 Varieties of Worldly Vicissitudes 
There are a total of eight types of vicissitudes in the 
world (A.iv.157). These eight are divided into two 
groups — the first group of desirable [iEEhAramaAa] 
vicissitudes which can make the mind elated: 
I. Wealth [lAbha]: this is anything which we gain or 
which comes to us as profit, such as possessions, a 
spouse, land, houses or jewelry; 
2. Honour [yasa]: This is receiving promotion to a 
better position or status or being accorded more 
powers; 
3. Praise [pasaOsA]: This is receiving compliments 
or flattery or a tribute; 
4 Happiness [sukha]: This is receiving comfort 
or convenience of body or mind. The second group of 
vicissitudes is the opposite to all of the above because 
they are all undesirable [aniEEhAramaAa]: 
I. Loss of Wealth [alAbha]: You lose what you used 
to own — whether it is your wealth, your house, 
your land, your spouse, your children or your 
jewelry; 
2. Loss of Honour [ayasa]: This means demotion or 
being fired or having your powers withdrawn; 
3. Malicious Gossip [nindA]: This means being 
criticized for your faults, or someone talking about 
your faults to your face or behind your back; 
4. Suffering [dukkha]: This is hurt or torture of 
the body or mind. For all of these desirable things, 
before we have them, we spend years worrying about 
how to gain them. Once we have got them,we are 
possessive and scared that we will lose them. If we lose 
them, we spend years lamenting their loss. When ordi-
nary people encounter the vicissitudes of the world, 
they cannot but help be elated or disappointed. For the 
enlightened ones however, encountering the same 
vicissitudes, they cause no disturbance to the mind. 
When the arahants are praised or insulted, their the 
suffering is different to that of a mundane person 
because the suffering of illness affects only their body. 
They have their 'bunker' inside the 
EFTA00286851

depths of mind which they can use to shelter from 
suffering the whole of the time. The happiness of the 
world is no temptation to the arahant who already 
knows the superior happiness of Nirvana. 
It is like a millionaire with assets of $100 million is 
offered a 'free gift' of $5. He will feel indifferent. It is 
like the ocean full of water feels indifferent if two or 
three drops more of rain should fall. An arahant is like 
a millionaire of happiness. If you offer him a little more 
insignificant piece of happiness, it is unlikely to interest 
him. If he hears the praise or condemnation of others he 
will feel indifferent because he knows what the truth is 
— there is no need for him to listen to the opinions of 
others about what the truth might be like. Praise and 
gossip is no more than the sound of a crow or a dog 
barking to someone who would prefer to discuss the 
Dhamma. If he were to obtain a new robe or some nice 
food or a new kuti to live in — all of these things are 
functional but the happiness they give is insignificant 
compared to the happiness of reaching an end of 
defilements.They 
are nothing compared to 
the 
requisites available in the heavenly world which they 
have already seen and had the chance to compare the 
things of the world with. 
R2 The Three Universal Characteristics 
Everything in the world has its own characteristics. 
Some characteristics are unique — some are shared 
with others. Gold, for example, has the characteristic 
that when it is pure, it will have a yellow colour and 
will sparkle. It is hard to alloy it with other elements. 
Iron has the characteristic that it is a hard metal but it 
rusts easily. Mercury is a fluid metal that is heavy. 
These are the specific qualities of certain materials. 
People have their own characteristics too. They are able 
to speak and move about and can be knowledgeable 
about things. However, for all their differences, there 
are three characteristics that are shared by all things in 
the world. It was these that the Lord Buddha called the 
Three Universal Characteristics [sAmaftfialaldchaAa] 
(S.iv. I, Dh.277-29): 
I. Impermanence [aniccatA]: The first Universal 
Characteristic is impermanence. Sometimes we think 
that material things are unchanging, but 
in fact this is not the case. If you don't believe it, try 
taking photos of yourself as a demonstration 
— you are born as a baby (take a first picture), take 
another picture after a month, after a year, at 
teenage, in middle-age, in old age. If on the last day 
of your life you were to compare all the pictures that 
have been taken throughout your life you will find 
that there are no two pictures alike. This is true, not 
just for people, but for all things in the world is this 
characteristic applicable. Everything is in flux. There 
is degradation and deterioration built into everything 
around us. Metal rusts. Paint blisters. Cloth frays. 
This is true, not only for material objects, but even 
abstract phenomenon in the world. Last year they 
said they loved you, but this year, that seems to have 
changed. Last year, they looked beautiful in your 
eyes, but this year, that seems to have changed. Even 
if you try weighing the most precious of materials 
like your gold ring, you will find that year by year, 
the weight will systematically decrease. The price of 
the gold sometimes goes up and sometimes goes 
down. Even if you were to sell the ring back to the 
shop tomorrow, there is nothing to guarantee the 
price that you will recover the amount of money for 
which you bought the ring. Even the state of our 
mind is impermanent. When you pass your entrance 
exams to go to university you make up your mind to 
work so hard for your degree that you will get a 
'first-class honours. However after seven-days of 
diligence, you change your mind in favour of the 
night life. At the end of the year you get thrown out 
of university...! So much for steadfastness of mind! 
Z Suffering [dukkhatA]: The second Universal 
Characteristic is suffering. Normally we understand 
suffering as pain, but the word 'dukkhatA' in the Pali 
has the wider meaning that it is the quality of things that 
they 'have decay as their nature' with all the shades of 
meaning (already discussed in Blessing Thirty-Three, 
Wen without self 
[anattatA]: The third Uni-
versal Characteristic is 'not-self. Nothing in the world 
has implicit identity. You look at a meditation mat and 
ask what about the meditation 
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mat makes it a mat. If you were to take it apart into 
all its components, you will just be left with a pile of 
components — there is no particular part which 
makes it a `mat'. If you look at it with a microscope 
all you can see is a collection of cells. You cannot 
even see the components any more. In the same way 
people look at their own bodies and they say "This is 
me", "This is what makes me who I am". However, 
if they were to look closely at their body and see that 
it is just a collection of organs, bones, tissues and 
nerves, it will make them wonder what about their 
body makes them who they really are. The word 
sanattatk has a second important meaning and that 
is the quality of something that is 'outside your 
control'. From the point of view of practice this is a 
very important definition. You might notice when 
you sit for meditation that you cannot stop yourself 
from feeling aches and pains. You cannot even keep 
your mind on the thing you want to concentrate on 
for your meditation. Even if you don't want to look 
old, you cannot stop the signs of aging from 
appearing on your body. Your hair turns grey 
without you being able to stop it. All you can do to 
stop it from changing colour is to dye it. Your hair 
falls out without you being able to stop it. All you 
can do to save yourself from baldness is to buy a 
wig. 
Whether the Buddha arises in the world or not, these 
Three Characteristics are the nature of things in the 
world. However, if it wasn't for the teaching of the 
Buddha, we might never realize. 
Don't take the teachings that way however — some 
people hear the teachings that everything in the world is 
impermanent and they think to themselves, "Why 
bother to invest one's time and effort in doing any good 
deeds?" If you don't understand this point correctly you 
will be like many Buddhists who use this teaching as an 
excuse for doing whatever they like — killing, stealing, 
corruption and lying — why? — because they believe 
that there is no lasting effect from any of their actions. 
They forget that the Buddha taught that if you do good 
you will receive good fruits from your actions. If you 
do evil deeds, you will receive evil results from your 
action and that DhammakAya and Nirvana are the 
ultimate result attainable through good deeds. 
The reason why such people are confused is that they 
don't realize that certain things exist that are not subject 
to the Three Characteristics — that are permanent, 
happy and true self — the characteristics of Nirvana 
(described in Blessing Thirty-Four, §B.3) 
C. BECOMING LESS VULNERABLE TO VICISSITUDES 
C.1 Some principles 
In general, the more uncontrollably people laugh when 
they are elated, the louder they will cry when they are 
disappointed. If people only smile slightly when they 
are 
pleased about 
something, 
when they 
are 
disappointed the trauma will be only minor. We must 
continually remind ourselves not to allow ourselves to 
be too elated or disappointed when we encounter the 
vicissitudes of the world, and before long, the resulting 
stability of mind will soon lead us to attain the 
DhammakAya for ourselves, attain the Four Noble 
Truths and attain Nirvana. 
C2 Some things to remind yourself 
Even the best of people, the Buddha himself, still had to 
encounter vicissitudes. Thus don't be too upset if you 
too encounter such vicissitudes — just minimize the 
damage they do to your mind. The people of old gave 
the general advice that if you are put under pressure by 
the vicissitudes of the world, you should soften the 
blow by reflecting that: 
• The darker it gets the later it must be. The later it 
gets, the closer it gets to dawn. Darkness in this world 
can last for twelve hours at the most In the thirteenth 
hour it must reach the dawn. 
Even if you are at breaking point as the result of the 
pressure you have been put under, know that before 
much longer you will be close to an end of suffering. 
The word for 'hindrances' or 'obstacles' in the Pali, 
'upasakka' actually means 'close to heaven'. Even 
the unpleasant things of the world are subject to the 
Universal Characteristics — just as they have come 
into being, before long they must decay; 
• the good things coming to you are not forever. 
Instead of becoming elated one should reflect that when 
the vicissitudes have worked in our favour, such good 
fortune cannot last for ever. 
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Even wealth, honour, praise and worldly happiness 
shining forth its light for the benefit of the manyfolk. 
has suffering and change as its nature. Because of 
Sakka, the king of heaven, felt a warming of his throne as 
the lack of such elation and disappointment, they 
the result of Visayha's generosity and thought Visayha's 
manage to escape the clutches of birth, old age, 
generosity was surely intended to outshine his own 
death, pain, feeling slighted and despair. 
goodness. He feared to lose his own position — so Sakka 
• 
everything that evolves must also decay: When thiecided to use his powers to reduce Visayha to poverty 
Three Universal Characteristics are the reality of the worldovemight 
so that he would no longer be able to give 
Buddhists have long had the tradition to remind themselve%ifts to others. Sakka saw to it that all of Visayha's wealth 
that it is the nature of everything in the world to evolve, to disappeared leaving nothing to give away. 
sustain and then to decay. No-one can stand in the way of this 
process. It is no use flying to create eternity in this world. ring 
up to find all his wealth gone, Visayha reflected to 
even Buddhist teachings with all their powers can last forexg.wik "If our life is without giving, it is an empty life 
Even alter 2,500 years there are already those who have thmeed. We cannot quit from our giving."Ile told his wife to 
doubts about whether Buddhism is genuine because people' o and search the entire house for anything that could 
memories are subject to the Three Universal Characteristicssibly be used as a gift. The wife scoured the house and 
• 
don't take the vicissitudes personally: The eight found only a scythe, a yoke-bar and a rope forgotten by a 
vicissitudes will happen to people no matter whether they servant by the gate. These she brought to her husband. 
attain the stages of Buddhist sainthood or not. Don't think tnat yha said,"Never in my life have I been reduced to cutting 
just because someone is a Buddhist saint, nothing unpleasaVnisa
will happen to you. For all of us who have not yet attained grass - but today I'm going to have to learn to become a 
DhammakAya, the Noble Truths and Nirvana, of course °if ass-cutter in order to have fodder to sell, so that we can 
mind is still not completely invulnerable to the vicissitudesildre something to give." 
the world — but if we know that we are not alone in being 
victim to such vicissitudes, and that even those who are mdkvin8 spent the day cutting grass he amassed enough fodder 
fortunate than us still suffer from them, somehow it will narked! and made the promise to himself that he would keep 
us feel better about them. 
half the earnings acquired to support himself and his wife, 
D. ILLUSTRATIVE TALES 
D. I Er. Visayha JAtaka (J.340) 
When the Buddha was still pursuing perfections as the 
bodhisattva, he was born in the family of bankers and 
had the name 'Visayha'. He was extremely wealthy but 
was of the habit always to give alms. He gave alms 
daily to 600,000 persons in six parts of the city. He 
would not only give alms in large amounts, but he 
would give only refined things and delicacies — of the 
same quality that he used himself. He would give away 
vast quantities of alms each day and was thus a refuge 
to paupers and those in suffering alike. He was like the 
moon 
while giving away the other half. That day, however, there 
was a particularly large number of paupers who came begging 
— so by force of habit he gave away everything he had —
that day he and his wife going without any food themselves. 
The same thing happened for six consecutive days. On the 
seventh day, Visayha was carrying a sheaf of grass in the 
fierce heat of the midday sun when his fatigue and hunger got 
the better of him and he fell to the ground in exhaustion. 
Sakka had been following the banker around unseen 
and at this point made himself visible to Visayha, 
floating in the air before him and calculated to give 
Visayha's generosity its final blow with the taunt, 
"Before you were wealthy — but you have squandered 
your wealth on the poor — and now look at you! If only 
you are to cling on to your wealth, before long you can 
return to your usual wealth! Promise me that from now 
on you will put an end to this foolish generosity!" 
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Hearing the voice, Visayha recovered consciousness 
and challenged Sakka, saying,"Who do you think you 
are?" 
"I am Sakka — king of heaven" 
"Normally Sakka is one for practising generosity, observing 
the precepts and the quarter moon days and practising the 
seven virtues that make one the king of heaven frattapada] 
(namely: I. cherishing one's parents; 2. respect for elders in 
one's family; 3. speaking politely; 4. speaking to engender 
harmony; 5. being generous to banish stinginess; 6. speaking 
the truth, and; 7. banishing anger) but Your Majesty is telling 
me to stop my generosity — which contradicts everythingthat 
brought your own greatness — if you are truly Sakka, Your 
Majesty is acting out of keeping with your own nature! May 
no wealth ever accrue to me which makes me possessive of it! 
Whatever practice is virtuous or supreme which I have done 
in the past, may I always continue — may I never stop. Even 
though I have to cut grass for a living, I will continue with my 
generosity until my dying day!" 
Sakka could not succeed in dissuading Visayha from his 
generosity — so he asked instead, the reason for Visayha's 
determination to cultivate giving. Visayha said that his 
generosity was in no way aimed to attaining the position of 
the king of heaven 
— but in order to accrue perfections with the view to 
attain enlightenment as Buddha — to lead all beings out 
of suffering. 
Hearing Visayha's answer, Sakka could not help but be 
happy — and he patted Visayha's back, so replenishing 
Visayha with superhuman power. Sakka restored all 
Visayha's wealth and more, so that there was always 
wealth in Visayha's house for endless giving to his 
dying day... 
D.2 a 
Buddha left hungry by Brahmin Veranja 
Having discussed the Dhamma witha certain Brahmin 
called Verafija (as related in Blessing Thirty §E.4) the 
brahmin was so impressed that he invited the Buddha 
and the whole monastic community to stay in his 
province for the duration of the Rainy Season. The 
Buddha accepted the invitation but a short time later in 
that province, the harvest failed and there was a famine 
in the area. There was hardly 
enough food to go round. Verafija, as one of the ad-
ministrators of the province, was so busy solving the 
problems of the starving people in the province that he 
completely forgot to look after the Buddha and the 
community of five-hundred monks who had 
accompanied him. The Ven. MoggallAna offered his 
services to the Buddha saying, "The Brahmin is too 
busy to be able to look after us. May I fly away to 
another continent (world) to look for alms there, to 
bring such alms back and feed our hungry 
community?" 
The Buddha said, "There is no need to go to so much 
trouble". 
"Then shall I penetrate down deep into the earth to find 
the `ambrosia' that is buried there and bring it back to 
feed our community?" 
The Buddha said, "No, don't do that. Show a little 
patience." 
"Why do we need to be patient?" 
The Buddha replied, "Even, if you were to access the 
ambrosia from under the ground and the word spread 
around, before long people would stop offering almsfood 
to the monks in order to see which monk is an arahant 
able to access such ambrosia. It would be a disaster for the 
monks who are not yet arahants. Be patient just for three 
months so that the monks to come in the future will not 
suffer as the result." 
Eventually the monks survived to the end of the rainy 
season on the 'red rice' usually used for feeding horses. 
The happiness for the Buddha didn't come from the 
food he ate but from the purity of the mind arising from 
enlightenment. 
D.3 Er. LakuAlaka Bhaddhiya Thera (DhA.ii.148ff) 
Bhaddiya was one of the bhikkhus staying at the 
Jetavana monastery. Because of his short and childlike 
stature he was known as LakuAlaka (the dwarf). 
LakuAlaka Bhaddiya was very good natured — even 
young hhikkhus would often tease him by pulling his 
nose or his ears or by patting him on the head. Very 
often they would jokingly say, 'Uncle, how are you? 
Are you happy, or are you bored with your life here as a 
bhikkhu?' Bhaddiya never retaliated in anger, or abused 
them. In fact he was al 
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