Additthana Parami - The Power Of Determination

So this is our Sunday talk on Aditana Parami,

The eighth of the 10 Parami.

Aditana is determination.

And of course a very important Parami.

I always say this Parami is very important,

But especially with Aditana it's really very important.

Because none of the 10 Parami's can be developed without determination.

So determination is always the base for the development of anything wholesome.

So for us meditators we could say that this determination or this Aditana should lead us to understand the Four Noble Truths.

To completely penetrate into the Four Noble Truths and understand them in deep and realize them.

So that would be the ultimate goal for a practitioner,

For a meditator.

So even if things get difficult or even if we see it's a very long path,

We have to practice very long to realize that.

We keep on going on that path and we have this determination to go through even if hindrances arise,

Which is always normal.

In our life there is always wholesome and unwholesome.

Kusala dhamma and akusala dhamma.

They arise,

That's naturally.

They come up in our lives.

And with determination,

With a plan that we have for something we want to reach,

We will always try to return to that path.

Try to come back to the path that leads to cessation of suffering.

To realize this Four Noble Truths.

So what we try is again the main teaching of the Buddha.

We try to do good.

We try to be wholesome.

Kusala.

And we try to avoid unwholesome akusala.

So what is unwholesome?

What tries to drag us away from going this wholesome path?

There is usually all kinds of distractions for us.

We like to see pleasant forms.

We like to hear pleasant sounds.

We like to taste nice food.

We like to have nice feelings of touch.

And we cling to all these kind of sense pleasures.

That's one thing we usually cling to.

And then there are these lokadhammas,

What we call lokadhamma,

These kind of attachment to people speaking nice about us,

People admire us.

Then feeling well,

All these kind of things they try to drag us away to,

Not stay on this path to wholesomeness.

Attachment,

It's usually attachment.

So it is very important for us to have this determination,

Adhitana.

That's the first thing,

Adhitana bharami,

To develop adhitana bharami.

And then other paramis are also moving in with that.

That is the parami of the kanti-parami,

Patience,

Endurance,

To stay on the path.

And then also the parami that gives us the push to go forward,

Which we call virya-parami,

The parami of energy.

So these paramis,

They work together to help us to move on that path that we have determined to walk.

And how can we avoid to go off that path too much?

We have to see cause and effect.

What kind of circumstances,

What kind of places and people are encouraging for us,

Help us to be wholesome,

To be positive?

Find that out.

And then when you know what helps you to be wholesome,

To be positive,

Which kind of people,

Teachers that you're with,

Or gala yana mitta,

Kind of spiritual friends that support you on your wholesome path.

You know that these kind of things are positive for me.

Or if I go to a temple,

If I go to a place that has a very good power,

It can be a church,

Whatever,

Or certain places where people are nice,

Where they are wholesome,

And they encourage me also to be like that.

Then do this,

Go to those places and kind of cultivate these positive things.

So you will be in this stream of kusaladhamma,

Going the right way.

On the other hand,

Also see what kind of stuff brings you down,

What kind of people,

What kind of places,

Circumstances drag you down and make you feel angry or kind of unwholesome.

Know that too,

And then try to avoid places and people like that,

At least in the beginning.

If your mind is very strong already on the wholesome,

On a good path,

Then of course it's easier also to stay wholesome and positive under such circumstances.

But as long as this is not and you see you are dragged down again and again,

Then try to avoid that.

So this is very important for us to see what conditions that wholesome arise and what conditions that unwholesome arise.

Then adhitāna,

What does it mean?

There are different kinds of ways to see that.

Like here in Thailand,

I see that very often people are very generous here in Thailand with monks.

They give them alms food almost every day and do other,

They support the temple,

Whatever.

And whenever they do wholesome,

Then usually they make an adhitāna.

They say,

Okay,

Now I make an adhitāna.

And then they wish,

One of the main wholesome adhitāns Thai people like to do is they wish,

May I be reborn in the time of Arya Maitreya,

So Maitreya Buddha,

The next Buddha.

And may I reach enlightenment then.

And that is because Maitreya Buddha,

Or the Bodhisattva right now,

He made endless time,

A really very,

Very long time,

Again and again,

Adhitāna,

Wishes that at the time when he will reach Buddhahood,

It will be that all human beings that are born in this time will reach enlightenment.

They should all reach enlightenment.

So Thai people know that and they say,

Okay,

In this life it's a bit difficult to meditate and do all of this.

So I make a wish I will be reborn as a human in Maitreya's time and then I will reach enlightenment.

So then it's easy.

Very clever.

And that is because they say human life at the time of Maitreya Buddha will be 100,

000 years,

The lifespan of 100,

000 years.

And Maitreya Buddha will be 80,

000 years when he enters Parinibbāna.

So you can imagine if you have 100,

000 years to meditate that is quite a long time.

So even the really very lazy meditator will be able to reach enlightenment within 100,

000 years.

This life you might have 10 years,

20 years,

Maybe 30 years,

And then maybe you die and you have to start over again,

Go through nappies and school and all of this and then until you get in contact again with the Dhamma,

With the teaching of the Buddha,

There can be a very long time and then you don't know how long time you have to meditate.

So,

Of course,

It is a very good time.

So that is one of the main wishes they make.

And then another even more often wished for wishes.

They give some rise to the monks and then make it adhita,

May I win in lottery next time.

So this is even more often wished for.

So this is not absolutely what we would see as adhita in Parami.

But yeah,

They wish for that.

And so,

Of course,

The thing behind it,

It is really like that when you do something wholesome,

You help someone,

You're kind to someone,

You're generous,

Any wholesome deed you do,

That brings a lot of power.

There is energy there.

And adhitana,

Parami,

Is the thing that pulls this energy in a certain direction.

So we have a chanting in Theravada Buddhism that we usually chant when someone is generous,

When someone supports us,

Helps us,

Then we give a blessing.

And one part of that blessing is saying,

Like all the rivers on earth are going finally coming together into the sea.

So may all this energy of my wholesome deeds come together into this direction,

Into one big river,

And that should lead to the fulfillment of a certain determination or wish.

So maybe the fulfillment of enlightenment,

So I want to reach enlightenment,

May it all go into this direction.

So there is one possibility,

How to guide it in a certain way.

Or if you are sickly,

Then may all the wholesome results from the good deed I have done help me to be less sick or be healthy or strong or whatever wishes you have.

That is really a very clever thing to do.

But make wholesome wishes.

That's why we do that every day also in the online meditation.

In the end I say,

Okay,

Make wishes for yourself,

Whatever you find is important for you,

Whatever you want to attain in that life,

Or in future life,

It doesn't matter.

Make these wishes now because you have done a lot of wholesome by doing the meditation,

So try to guide this in a certain direction.

So that is also a development of adhitana,

Bharami.

And it's really good to do that.

Of course,

The Buddha,

He made the biggest adhitana.

You all heard about that when he sat down under that Bodhi tree in Bihar in India,

In Bodh Gaya.

He sat down under the tree and he said,

Okay,

May my flesh and my skin get rotten,

May I dry out and die away,

I will not move anymore.

I will not stand up until I have fully understood and get an answer to all the questions I have.

Until I've seen the light,

Meaning until I've reached enlightenment,

I will not get up anymore.

So that was the ultimate adhitana someone can make.

And it was successful for him.

In that night he really reached Buddhahood,

Complete enlightenment.

But we have to use common sense when we do adhitana.

So if you sit down under the next apple tree now and make this determination,

Okay,

I'm not getting up until my flesh and skin is rotten and I dry out and I die away,

I will not get up until I've reached enlightenment now.

Probably,

It will not be successful.

So use your common sense.

If it's not yet the time,

Maybe this is not the right determination.

I can speak out of experience because I made a crazy determination myself in the first year as a man.

I sat down under the tree on my walking path in Saunter we sent at that time.

And I made this determination,

I'm not going to stand up until I've reached enlightenment.

As you see,

I stood up,

I didn't get rotten there.

But I sat there for eight hours,

Crazy as I was,

With immense pain in my back.

Because I found out after eight hours because the ants were already eating me up.

They were biting my back until I was bleeding.

But I wouldn't stand up because I thought,

No,

I'm going to reach enlightenment.

It didn't work.

I can tell you.

And I stood up after eight hours because I really needed to go to toilet.

So,

Time out.

And it wasn't the right thing but some people have to go through those kinds of things to get more wisdom.

I was one of them.

So I wouldn't do that anymore.

So use your common sense.

Another reason why is also because if we make a determination.

And we go through with it,

It will increase our Aditana bharami.

So this bharami will become stronger and the next time you make a determination.

It's much more likely that you will go through it,

Through it,

With it again.

On the other hand,

If you make a determination and you don't go through with it,

You give it up,

You don't do it,

Then it reduces your bharami.

So,

Next time you make a determination,

The opposite power,

The hindrance will be even stronger so it's more difficult to go through with it.

So that really happens.

So that's why I recommend do smaller determinations in the beginning,

Things where you can say okay it's very likely I can go through with it.

That's important.

So,

Maybe make a determination.

I want to meditate for 20 minutes.

Sit down and then you do your 20 minutes.

You used to do 20 minutes,

No problem.

And then,

Okay,

Do it.

You increase your bharami.

Do 30 minutes or make a determination for an hour if you can do that,

That's good.

If you go through with it,

It's wonderful.

It increases this power of determination.

I used to do things like lightening an incense stick,

And then I put it in the earth and I say okay until this incense is burnt down to the end then I want to sit here,

And I don't get up if this incense is not burnt down yet.

And what will happen most likely is when you make a determination,

A wholesome determination like that,

That hindrances also arise.

There's this wholesome power,

And then the opposite power usually also comes up.

So,

You make a determination you sit until the incense burns down normally it's no problem for you to sit the half an hour or an hour.

But after the determination you see after five minutes already,

You have pain,

Pain that you had never before.

Strangely,

This pain arises.

But then try to go to accept it is really something dangerous,

Like when you,

You have a certain point in your body as a certain part of the body that is already hurt or you had an operation then don't force anything,

Of course,

But otherwise,

Be aware that this kind of strange pains can come up just to avoid that you go through with this determination.

Maybe it's not a pain then you sit down and then someone knocks on your door.

Someone is calling and you think it's important,

And it tries to drag you away from your going through with this determination.

So,

Try to avoid to get distracted by these things,

And really count on that,

That these things can happen.

My second teacher,

Very,

Very nice master,

Achan Sangwan,

I stayed with him seven years in intense practice and he,

He often said that,

Start with small adhitana,

And then go through with it and do it again and again and your Parami will be strong,

Become stronger and stronger and it will be easier and easier to go through also with more difficult things to do.

One example I remember when young men would come to the temple and they,

They said they want to become a monk.

And they want to be a monk for the rest of their life.

Then usually,

Achan Sangwan always saying,

Easy,

Easy.

Make the determination you want to do your,

You want to become a monk and you do it as long as you can.

That's enough.

Because if you say for the rest of your life.

This is such a strong determination,

And it's very likely then that strong hindrances,

Strong temptations are coming up and try to avoid that you go through with this determination,

And then they are there for a few weeks or months and then they disrupt again,

Because they can't,

They can't deal with this determination,

With these obstacles that come up.

The same happened to the Buddha,

But he was,

Of course,

Very powerful,

His Parami.

But when he sat down under the tree and make this determination and you probably heard about them.

The first thing that arose was this obstacle of what they call the daughters of Mara.

Mara is the devil.

It's not there,

You don't have to imagine it like a personal devil now,

But hindrances.

And then these daughters were like beautiful daughters,

Young ladies half naked dancing in front of him trying to tempt.

That's a symbolic thing what it really means is,

Lust would come up,

Desire would come up.

Even in the Bodhisattva,

Almost to be the Buddha,

These things came up,

But the Bodhisattva stayed completely serene and calm in his practice and he didn't hold on to this,

Just saw this arising and he was completely serene and peaceful and did not act on it.

And then they disappeared.

And then the next thing that came up the next hindrance that came up after this adhitana was Mara himself came with a whole army of demons and frightening guys that try to kill the Buddha that shot,

Burning arrows at him.

But the Buddha stood serene,

Peaceful,

Equanimous and did not act on him.

He even gave metta,

Loving kindness and this metta turned all these burning arrows into lotus flowers that fell down to the ground.

And the whole army of Mara's and all the temptations they were finally swept away by water.

Again,

I have to go deeper there.

When people do these determinations adhitana in Thailand you see they pour water into the earth.

And then they say,

Okay,

Mother Earth is my witness I have done wholesome and may this water go into the earth and help me to have my wishes fulfilled.

As I said before,

All these rivers go to the ocean and will fulfill my determination.

And so,

Had the Bodhisattva,

He did the same.

Whenever he did wholesome,

He did good,

He developed these pyramids,

He made wishes,

He poured water into the earth and said,

Okay,

Mother Earth is my witness that I have done this wholesome deed to reach Buddhahood in future life.

And then when he reached in this night,

Buddhahood,

It said Mother Earth appeared and poured all this water that he had ever poured into the earth of all these wholesome deeds out of her ponytail.

And this water was like a huge stream,

A huge river and it swept away all the temptations and all the Mara's and all these entrances,

It just swept away.

And if you go to Thailand,

You see this in more paintings,

It's painted there,

You can see the situation that happened there.

So this is just a symbolic saying about this.

Aditana bharami.

So,

Make these determinations and they should really support you when you need it.

So,

That's why we do this,

Aditana bharami.

Then,

One more thing that is written about determination in the Machimani Kaya.

They say it's four kinds of determination that we should develop and that one is discernment,

Wisdom,

Learning to discern what is wholesome,

What is not wholesome,

What I spoke about before,

The kusala and akusala.

Then the second is satya,

Again a pārami,

Satya pārami,

Truthfulness,

Discernment,

This determination to be truthful.

Then the third would be the determination to practice nikama,

Again,

Pārami,

To let go.

The determination to be able to let go and not get attached,

Working against attachment.

And the fourth would be the determination to calmness,

To stay calm,

To develop calmness in your mind.

So these four determinations have to be developed.

That would be very good for us.

Just to keep that in mind too.

So,

To wrap it all up,

We need to focus on goals we have,

On values we have.

We need to have a plan in our lives.

And not just a plan for enlightenment but all these little things in our life that we try to attain or try to reach.

So you have a plan and determination is kind of this plan,

This adhitāna,

And it also needs the virya pārami,

This energy to go forward and do it,

Not just make a determination to be generous,

But be generous,

Do it to increase this pārami.

And we need the patience and endurance,

Kāntipārami,

That support us,

That we stay on that path,

That we do that again and again.

Make adhitāna,

Make determinations again and again,

Because it will be engraved in your mind.

And it will become more and more a habit that it immediately comes up when you do wholesome,

That this determination also comes up.

And it's just naturally guiding you in this direction.

And then you will see as soon as you get off your path to your goal,

You quickly see it,

You quickly understand,

Ah,

Ah,

That's not it now.

And you will gently with compassion towards yourself,

Come back to that path again.

So,

A very important pārami and try to do it,

Try to really develop it,

Do it again and again.

So that was my short speech today on adhitāna pārami.

I hope you got something out of that.

But also look at other things,

Other teachings and listen to other teachings because there is of course,

A whole range of teachings on this.

And I always just give a very basic teaching on this.

So,

I hope it was useful.

And I wish you all have a wonderful Sunday,

Stay healthy and happy and see you again soon.

May adhitāna for you.

Bye.