MJ32 - 38 Blessings - Brahma-Faring Practice (33 Of 39)

41:39

41:39

MJ32 - 38 Blessings - Brahma-Faring Practice (33 Of 39)

by Phra Nicholas Thanissaro

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talks

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Meditation

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This is the thirty-third session of the Buddhist path of practice leading from the mundane to the transcendental based on the 38 Blessings of the Mangala Sutta. This thirty-second blessing concerns practice of the brahma-faring (including voluntary celibacy or sexual abstinence), as the groundwork to training the mind toward more esoteric states.

Buddhism Meditation Transcendence Psychology Celibacy Loving Kindness Ethics Transcendence Of Mind And Body Buddhist Psychology Meditation Benefits Buddhist Ethics Practices

Meet your Teacher

Phra Nicholas Thanissaro

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Meet your Teacher

Phra Nicholas Thanissaro

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Transcript

Last time you saw me, We looked at Blessing Number 31 on the practice of austerities. With it I'm going to talk today, We'll continue on our journey through the 38 Blessings, To the second blessing in the Practice for the Eradication of Defilements subsection, That is Number 32 on Practicing the Brahma Firing. This blessing concerns attaining high levels of mind and renouncing sensual sources of happiness. As far back as Blessing Number 6, We learned about distinct levels of aim in life. In fact, Earlier blessings served as well for mundane levels of ambition in life. But this blessing, As we reach towards more transcendental aims, Is one where we need to depthen our understanding of spiritual practice. At the time of studying the sixth blessing, Several complex facets of mental attainment were left unexplained. But now, As we near the end of the 38 Blessings, With striving towards liberation, It becomes necessary to give a more thorough explanation of concepts including the Buddhist psychology of transcendental states of mind. In Blessing 31, We studied about austerities as a way of burning up defilements in the mind. However, Once you have burned up your defilements, You cannot afford to rest on your laurels. It's like farmers who have weeded their fields. As soon as the weeds are gone, And all that's left is the fertile fields, If they are slow to sow their crops, The weeds will grow back worse than before, And all their efforts will have been in vain. With the removal of defilements from the mind, It's the same principle. Having practiced the austerities, As soon as you find that your mind starts to become detached from sensual indulgence and reluctance, Which are the opposites of sense restraint and striving that we saw in the previous blessing, You need to be quick to upgrade your mind towards transcendental attainments. If you delay, Your old bad habits may come back worse than before. Unfortunately, Even if our level of attainment were accidentally to reach the transcendental level, If our way of life were not sufficiently pure, The transcendental attainments would not be sustainable. Some people misunderstand that Buddhists are atheists and reject the existence of any form of supernatural beings. In fact, Although Buddhists believe that such beings did not have a role in creating the world nor any influence in our practitioner's salvation, They recognize the existence of divine beings on various levels that fill the realms of Buddhist cosmology. Such beings are understood to have all the qualities that exemplify high and subtle states of mind, Such as loving-kindness and compassion. These god-like beings in the Dharmic religion such as Buddhism are known as Brahma. They are more subtle still than the angel-like beings known as Devas or Devadaha. The Pali word used to refer to this blessing is Brahmacharya, A word that is sometimes translated as Brahmafaring or holy life, Or sometimes more narrowly as purity, Celibacy or sexual abstinence. In the sense of practice, It means elevating yourself to the level of the divine, A sort of mental apotheosis. And what sort of lofty thoughts might a divine being have? Unlike the Greek gods, Who are still caught up in desires, A divine being in the Buddhist sense has transcended gender distinctions and interest in sensual matters, To the point that no such defilements remain in their minds. The rationale of this blessing is therefore to elevate not just our state of mind, But also our comportment to the level of the Brahmafaring, In preparation for our ultimate liberation. Default level of mind for someone who never meditated before would be muddled by unending thoughts and distractions. However, As they start to focus inwardly through meditation, They will move their mind through the preparatory and neighbourhood levels of concentration until overcoming the five hindrances and entering upon the first of the absorptions. The quality of mind is dependent on the degree to which the mind is unified, Purified or made free of thought. If the meditator can overcome the five hindrances that we met in blessing 19, The mind can become unified at the level of the first absorption or jhāna, A mental state which is qualitatively different from anything previously experienced. The cultivation of the mind will lead to the second, Third and fourth absorptions. According to Buddhism, All the states of mind mentioned so far are considered no better than mundane. However, Anyone who cultivates their mind beyond the absorptions can elevate the mind to a condition so pure that it is transcendental. As for the differences between the absorptions and the terms mundane and transcendental, What we need to do before we go any further is to understand what we are talking about, At least in broad brush strokes, And we'll do this by breaking the sequence of levels of mind down into four subcategories that derive happiness from different sources. The three planes of mental states, Or as they are referred to in Pali language, Tripūmi, Include the sensual, Form and formless levels. To these three, I'm going to add a fourth that goes beyond the three planes, Known as the transcendental level. And while I'm at it, I'll warn you in advance that for each level I'm going to cross-reference with the inner bodies of the Dhammakaya tradition as we try to flesh out the descriptions of states of mind in terms of meditation experience. The first level is the sensual plane of mind, Or gammā-vajjāra-pūmi, Not to be confused with the 1976 movie by Nagisa Ōshima. This is the plane where the mind is still attached to the temptation of sensual pleasures. It's a frame of mind entrapping both those who never meditated before and those who are new to meditation. The mind at this stage is like a puppet dancing on the strings pulled by the five hindrances. States of mind typical of the sensual plane would be anything pertaining to the physical body. As a result of meditation, While still on the sensual plane, The mind will transition through the diamond-like sphere of the initial path, Or patamā-makkha, Which marks the beginning of the first absorption in its precursory form, Until it reaches the first absorption proper with all five scripturally endorsed jhāna factors. At this stage, The Dhammakaya tradition adds the detail of seeing the subtle human body or astral body, A transparent miniature of oneself in meditation posture, Sitting within one's centre. The defilements associated with the mental states at this level comprise covetousness, Vengefulness, And false view. Still within the sensual plane, When the mind is sufficiently pure to be released from the three defilements connected with the subtle human body, It will move through to the angelic body, Which is an inner body similar to the subtle human body but more refined. The defilements to be dealt with on this level are greed, Hatred, And delusion. This level is equivalent to the second absorption. When the mind is sufficiently pure to be released from the latest three defilements mentioned, The mind will escape the sensual plane and reach the form plane or rūpa-vajjāra-pūmi. This is the plane of those whose mind is released from the grasp of sensuality but who are still attached to the happiness of the absorptions on the form plane. The actual experience for a meditator on this level is that whether their eyes are open or closed, They will perceive a bright sphere at the centre of their body the whole of the time, As clearly seen as with the eye, And they will have no remaining interest in the sense pleasures. Temptation will hold no more attraction for them than kiddie games. The experience inside for the meditator as explained in the Dhammakaya tradition is the attainment of the form Brahma body, Which is similar to the angelic body but more subtle still. This is equivalent to the third absorption. The defilements associated with this plane of mind are grasping, Hatred, And delusion. Some of these defilements may sound the same as those on the lower levels, But they have specific qualities for each plane of mind. When the mind is sufficiently pure to be released from the latest three defilements, The mind escapes from the form plane and can attain the formless. The formless plane of mind, Which in the Pali language is known as the Arupa Vajrapumi, Is where the mind is released from attachment both to the sense pleasures and that of the formless absorptions. However, It is still attached to the absorptions at the formless level. The word formless doesn't mean without form, But refers to reality on this plane being of an order of magnitude more subtle than on the form plane. A meditator with such a level of attainment will have intense brightness inside them the whole of the time, And it would be no problem for them to sit for meditation uninterrupted for seven days and seven nights without a break. According to the Dhammakaya tradition, A meditator who reaches this level will be able to perceive the formless Brahma body inside them the whole of the time. The inner body is similar to the form Brahma body, But more subtle still. It is equivalent to the fourth absorption. The defilements associated with the formless Brahma body are the Anusaya, Comprising subtle desire, Irritation and subtle ignorance. At this point, There will be hardly any need for the meditator to sleep anymore. Only fifteen or twenty minutes per day will be sufficient. The brightness inside keeps the mind refreshed the whole of the time. All three levels I've mentioned so far are considered to be mundane states of mind, Or Lo-Khi-Apumi, Because they have not entirely broken free from the touch of worldly suffering. When the mind is sufficiently pure to be released from the three defilements connected with the formless plane, In effect from the whole of the three-plane system, It will attain a radically different level known as the Transcendental Plane of the Mind, Or Lo-Khutarapumi. In contrast to what has gone before, This is a plane of mind beyond the touch of the ups and downs of the worldly life that cause suffering. At this level, The mind is still at a standstill, Always resplendent in brightness, And able to see the world as it really is. According to the Dhammakaya tradition, Entry-level experience of the Transcendental level is marked by attainment of the transitional Dhamma body, Known as Dhammakaya Khotrapu. This is a crystal-clear body of enlightenment like a Buddha statue inside oneself. The first body of enlightenment stands at the cusp between the mundane, Or Lo-Khi-A, And the transcendental, Or Lo-Khutara, Worlds. Beyond the first body of enlightenment, There are successive levels of Dhamma body, Corresponding with the paths and fruits of Nirvana, And finishing up with the Arahant fruit, For a meditator who has come to a complete end of defilements. For all except the Arahant, There are still some residual, Subtle defilements in the mind, Known as fetters, Or Samyochana, Which are gradually uprooted according to the process that we will return to in the next blessing. Sometimes we think of enlightenment in terms of the personage of the Buddha, But actually it all comes down to the state of mind attained. From the time of his birth as Prince Siddhartha, To the time when he renounced the palace to start his ascetic practices, He was trapped in the sensual plane of mind, With his luxuries, Entourage of consorts, And different palaces for every season. At age seven, Prince Siddhartha had a glimpse of the first absorption when he meditated under the black plum tree, When he was able to elevate his mind, Temporarily, To the form plane. Later on, When he studied with Alara, Galama, And Udaka Ramaputta, He could further raise the level of his mind to the formless plane. The age of thirty-five, When he attained enlightenment, His mind entered upon the transcendental level. He attained all of these planes without once leaving the human realm or his human body. His mind was elevated, But not his body. Perhaps at this point I should recap that there is a symmetry in Buddhism between states of mind, Which are transitory within any given life, And realms of existence, Which we inhabit throughout any given life. In Buddhism, States of mind are called planes, Or pumi, And realms of existence are called spheres, Or pāva. To give an example of the equivalence, If a person were meditating and achieved a high state of mind, But suddenly passed away at that moment, Then since the mind is tuned in to a subtle wavelength, According to the principle of like attracts like, The spirit would leave the body and be attracted more permanently to that highly subtle realm of existence where that state of mind is the norm. It's like an exam performance becoming a qualification, A fleeting moment being captured as a photo, Or a prehistoric insect captured in amber. An important but temporary state becomes a person's destiny. We therefore find that states of mind and realms of existence are all paralleled. To cut a long story short, For our purposes today, The Brahma Faring refers not only to the plane of mind of a Brahma, But also their attitudes and comportment too, In the realm of existence. If you're interested in how we get imprisoned in the realms equivalent to the three planes of mind, I advise you to look back at the elaboration that we saw in my presentation on the 31 realms of existence of the three piggybacked spheres that you can see in this slide. But coming back to the planes of mind I mentioned earlier that they can be distinguished by the way happiness is sourced. On the higher planes, Happiness comes from a whole different place. Starting at the bottom, At the level of happiness of the sensual plane, The happiness sourced from having a family and indulging in sense pleasure has been compared to the happiness of a young child playing in the mud. The next step up, Which is the happiness of the form plane, Which is the happiness sourced from attaining the formless absorptions, Is compared to the satisfaction of someone who achieves some sort of success in their life. The next step up is the happiness of the formless plane, In other words, The happiness sourced from the attainment of the formless absorptions, Which is compared to the satisfaction of being glad for others. Lastly, We come to the happiness of the transcendental level, The happiness of breaking free from all defilements, Which is said to be happiness beyond comparison, Because it is beyond the touch of the worldly vicissitudes that we shall see in Blessing 35. The reason for this quantitative difference in the level of happiness is the radically reduced number of defilements in the mind. If we can permanently raise our mind to the highest level, Then it becomes possible to gain entry to a purer existence, Or better still, Not to be reborn anymore. To move from where we are now, In other words, The sensual realm and the mundane world, To where we want to be on the transcendental level, We have to cast off the temptations of sensuality and the temptations of satisfaction with the form and formless absorptions. You have to sever the attachments sequentially. This point is difficult to understand, Which is not surprising because it has been widely misunderstood even amongst the monks. You're not supposed to give up everything all at once. According to the Majjhima Nikāya's Rata-Vinita Sutta, The process is a relay. It's rather like opiate users swapping methadone on their way to recovery, Rather than going cold turkey. For the mind, It's the same. In order for the mind to escape a lower level, We need to build up a higher state of mind ready and waiting to receive the outgoing mind. If you plan to remove sensual interest from the mind, And you just try to sever the ties without anything by way of replacement, You will always relapse. The mind needs something qualitatively superior to replace the object of its attention. If you have no new, Better object of interest as a replacement, Then the mind will eventually fall back. This is why you have to train yourself in meditation to the degree that you attain the first absorptions of the mind, The brightness within, Before you can hope to sever the ties of sensual temptation. Your mind has to be completely absorbed in the happiness of meditation attainment before it will be able to give up the happiness derived from sensual indulgence. If you are dreaming of settling down with a cute husband or wife, And someone were to come along and claim it would be great for you to deny yourself all sensual pleasure, You would assume that you are speaking to a crazy person. If you really want to give up your sweet dreams of sensual fulfillment, You need to meditate until brightness arises within, Offering you an alternative form of fulfillment. Without such an alternative, You will never be able to force people to relinquish sensuality. Anyone who does try to give up sensual attachment without doing meditation is otherwise doomed to failure. Given the amount of time and effort we invest in the performing arts, Most people would balk at the idea that the senses are somehow insidious. Nonetheless, The Buddha was clear in blaming both sense pleasure and the objects of sense pleasure for ensnaring living beings in a world of suffering. He said that sense pleasure never satiates our appetite, Therefore he compared it to chewing on a dry bone. He claimed it gives diminishing returns as we age, So he compared it both to borrow jewelry and carrying a burning torch into the wind. He warned that with sensuality, If we get too close, We will get burned, Comparing it to a pool of burning oil and a razor's edge. As for the objects of our romantic interest, He claimed that they can never truly belong to us, Comparing them to meat fought over by vultures or a fruit tree in the forest. The pleasures anticipated from our romantic interest also come with conditions and responsibilities, So he compared them to a dream that would disappear as soon as we wake up. Lastly, He warned that our romantic interest is plagued with clinginess and suspicion, So he compared it to a steak hammer and a snake's head. In fact, These are merely a small selection of the many metaphors the Buddha gave for sensuality. There is time for a quick story, Which illustrates the way in which states of mind, Afterlife destination and liberation are continuations of each other. Many aeons ago, The teaching of a previous Buddha had almost disappeared from the world. There were seven monks who were still dedicated to practice. They realized society had degraded to a level where no one was interested to learn about Dhamma anymore, So all seven decided to withdraw to the forest to practice in earnest, Instead of wasting their time with society anymore. They found a mountain in the forest which was surrounded by cliffs on all sides, That would be an ideal place for their meditation. They agreed between themselves all to meditate on top of the mountain in a final bid for enlightenment. They climbed a ladder up the cliff face, And when all had reached the top, They kicked the ladder away, With the determination that if they couldn't attain enlightenment in their meditation, They would rather die trying. They meditated without eating and without moving for five days before the first of the monks was able to become an Arahant, And floating in the air, He was able to fly down the mountain to go for alms round. Returning from alms round, He brought enough food for all the other monks too. However, The other monks were so resolute, In their meditation they refused his food. On the seventh day, A second monk attained the mental state of non-returner. The two enlightened monks went for alms round, But the remaining five still refused to eat the food brought for them. Eventually, The remaining five died of physical exhaustion in their meditation. In terms of afterlife destinations, The Arahant, Of course, Was not reborn anymore. The non-returner was reborn in the form Brahma realm, And the rest of the monks were reborn in heaven. After spending the requisite length of time in heaven, One of the five monks was reborn in the human realm as a merchant called Bahia. While trading, He was shipwrecked, And he was the only survivor. He was kept afloat by a plank, And eventually made landfall at a port of Suparaka. Since he was naked, He tied a piece of bark around his body and sat in a place where passersby could give him food. Some thought he was a holy man and paid respect to him. Some donated clothes for him to wear, But he refused them, Fearing that he would command less respect if he gave up his bark clothing. Eventually, So many said that he was enlightened that he started to believe it himself. Consequently, He started to slip into wrong views. Because all he wore was bark clothing, The people gave him the epithet Darudjiriya, Which means clad in fibers. At about this time, His former friend, Who had been born in the Brahma realms, Noticed Bahia's views going astray, And he felt that it was his duty to put him on the right path. The Brahma appeared to him at night and instructed, Bahia, You are not an Arahant yet, And what's more you do not have the qualities that would lead you to Arahantship. Faced with the truth, Bahia admitted, Yes, It's true, I'm not an Arahant. I now realize that I've made a great mistake. But is there anyone in this world now who can teach me the knowledge I need? The Brahma advised him to go and seek help from the Buddha, Who was at that time staying in Savatthi. Bahia, Distressed by the enormity of his guilt, Traveled all the way to Savatthi to see the Buddha. He met up with the Buddha when the Buddha was on alms round with many other monks and respectfully followed him. He pleaded with the Buddha to teach him the Dharma, But the Buddha replied that since they were on alms round, It was not yet an appropriate time for a religious discourse. Again and again, Bahia pleaded, Venerable Sir, Who can know what danger lies in wait for my life or yours, So please teach me the Dharma right away. The Buddha knew that Bahia's mental faculties still lacked the potential to completely realize the Dharma, Because Bahia was still overexcited from the long journey he had taken to meet the Buddha. The Buddha needed to calm Bahia down so that he could absorb the Dharma properly. Still Bahia pleaded persistently. So instead of letting perfect be the enemy of the good, While standing at the roadside, The Buddha taught, Bahia, When you see an object, Just go through the motions of seeing it, In other words, Look at it without getting caught up in its appearance. When you hear a sound, Just go through the motions of hearing it. When you smell or taste or touch something, Just go through the motions of tasting or touching it. When you think of anything, Just go through the motions of cognizing it. Bahia did as he was told, And because of his deep concentration and the accumulated good karma of deeds in his past, He was able to attain full enlightenment on the spot. He asked permission from the Buddha to join the Sangha. The Buddha told him first to collect the robes and the bowl and the other monastic requisites that he was going to need. However, On his way to get them, He was gored to death by a mad cow. This is one of the only examples in the scriptures of a disciple attaining Arahantship before ordination. But according to the Buddhist tradition, An unordained person cannot support such a high mental state, And so, Circumstances, In this case a mad cow, Will conspire in one way or another to end that person's life within seven days of their enlightenment. So to return to our subject matter for today, We now examine the practicality of following the Brahma Firing in everyday life. In fact, At its most basic level, Many aspects of practicing the Brahma Firing are things that we have already covered in previous blessings. However, By this stage in the blessings, You could say that we are practicing them with a more ambitious objective. There are ten ways of practicing the Brahma Firing, Which I am dividing into low, Medium, And high levels. Ways to practice the Brahma Firing at the lowest level include generosity, Service, And upholding the five precepts. Once your mind is already purified by austerity, The first thing you must do is to practice generosity or dāna. Otherwise, Possessions surplus to our needs will be chinks in our armor via which sensuality influences us to hoard or collect material things. An excess of possessions will get us entangled with others for the wrong reasons. In a similar way, We can practice the Brahma Firing by giving time and effort to help others in need through service or via wāchā. The occasion might be helping behind the scenes at an ordination ceremony or chipping in to repair a communal road. It might be something as simple as binning litter that has fallen on the side of the road. It might be stopping to help push someone's broken down car. In a word, It's using our selfless strength to help others. Those following the Brahma Firing regard unused energy as dangerous because it can become essentially directed. So it's better to redirect our energies to more constructive ends. Finally, On the basic level of practicing the Brahma Firing, You should strictly keep the five precepts. Five precepts is the staple of almost every form of dharma study. Where other virtues are like steps on the stairway of Buddhist practice, The five precepts can be compared to the handrail, Which is always as long as the stairway itself, Unlike the steps which each only extend for part of the way. So for any virtue, You can safely assume that it comes packaged with the five precepts, Whether they are specifically mentioned or not. Particularly relevant to the Brahma Firing is the third of the five precepts about not stepping out on one's spouse. Supposing we want to practice the Brahma Firing but still have responsibilities to our family, Then proper attention to the five precepts is our best strategy for practice. Even if we are not in a relationship but are still hesitant about severing the ties of sensuality, If we take our five precepts seriously, It will save us from the long-term troubles of interfering with married men or women. Taking the Brahma Firing up a notch to the medium level includes spreading loving-kindness, Contentment with one's spouse, And complete abstention from sexual relations. Spreading loving-kindness limitlessly or apamanya is the spreading of good wishes and forgiveness to all without exception, Even if they are our enemies or have hurt us in the past. You might bring to mind the lyrics of Leonard McCartney that said, Life is very short, And there's no time for fussing and fighting, My friend. At the same time, We need to be careful to distinguish between spreading loving-kindness and indiscriminate promiscuity. Because in the right way, Loving-kindness will feel as if the whole of the world is like our own children, Because we feel invested in all of them to be able to enjoy full happiness. This is completely different from wishing everyone in the world had a crush on you. The next medium-level way of practicing the Brahma Firing is contentment with your own spouse or satara santosa. By this point in the blessings, Any thought of marital infidelity should be long gone, So whether you still find your spouse attractive or find them less attractive than their neighbours should no longer be a question arising in your mind. If it is, Then maybe you need to revise Blessing 13. Since you got married of your own free will, You can hardly blame anyone else. In the meantime, Cultivating limitless loving-kindness towards others without exception and contentment with your spouse will provide effective damage prevention for any wayward desires you may have. Step up from marital fidelity is abstention from sexual relations or metthuna virati. This item generally applies to singles or those who have some religious commitment to celibacy. The mindset of such a person should be, I am strong enough to be independent, I don't need to rely on a significant other to make me happy, I can be alone without being lonely. Reflecting on the ten objections to sensuality I mentioned earlier will help sensual restraint seem more and more convincing to us as a pathway to liberation. There have been times in history when it would be considered incredible for a young person ever to agree to practice anything to do with the Brahma Faring. However, All down history there have existed rare young people with a natural inclination towards practicing the Brahma Faring at medium level or above. These days, Though, It may be becoming more commonplace with identity categories like asexual or aromantic entering our vocabulary. In the words of a Gen Z, Student advisor, Cosima or Cosmi Pellis at the University of Mary Washington, Virginia, Abstinence is not just for people who are waiting for marriage. You can choose to be abstinent at any time, For any reason, And for any amount of time. It's all about what works for you and what you think is best for yourself. It can be a smart decision if you need some time to truly focus on yourself and school, Or if you feel like your mental health is suffering due to a toxic partner, Or if you need a break to clear your head and evaluate what you want from your life. So just as it is now, It used to be long ago in India, In fact, 2600 years ago. At that time, There was a young Brahmin from a wealthy family called Bipali. When he was young, He was very handsome, But was not interested in the married life. He was interested only in the study of the Dharma. His father worried that there would be no heir to the family fortune. According to the tradition of arranged marriage in those days, His father was so anxious to see his son marry that he went personally to look for eligible brides. Eventually, The father found a beautiful young lady called Patak Kapilani, Who was the daughter of a similarly wealthy family living in a distant town. It happened that Patak Kapilani, Like Bipali, Was repulsed by the whole subject of marriage. Nonetheless, This young debutante's parents were the same as Bipali's. They were afraid she would be left on the shelf. As soon as they heard that Bipali was in the market for marriage, They were quick to seal the betrothal. Little did the parents on both sides know that the bride and groom were already in correspondence with one another by letter. Both Bipali and Patak Kapilani had independently written to each other to plead that their parents cancel the marriage. Messengers bearing the letters met one another on the road between the two towns. Both were scared that if they brought unsavoury news to their respective parents, They would get fired. So, They both intercepted and rewrote the letters to say that both parties were looking forward to the marriage. So it came to pass that Bipali and Patak Kapilani could not avoid getting married. But because both had cultivated the Brahma Faring for many lifetimes, They had no interest in sensual pleasures. Both had the latent ability to be arahants, And even though they were forced to sleep in the same bed, Both of them felt completely indifferent. They would put a jasmine garland between them on the bed, And each of them would meditate in the sleeping position throughout the night, Careful not to touch each other. Even after ten years, When the parents on both sides of the family had passed away, They were still living their married life in the same way. Once the last of their parents had passed away, They gave away the family legacy to the poor. They both obtained the robes of an ascetic and renounced the home life. When they came to a fork in the road, Patak Kapilani said, Now we are ascetics. To go around as a couple is no longer appropriate. Therefore, She bade Bipali farewell and both asked each other's forgiveness for any past trespasses before Patak Kapilani took the left-hand fork and Bipali took the right. It is said that, Through the power of the decision by such young people to go their separate ways, At that time there was an earth tremor in the vicinity. It is said that what they were doing was something very difficult to do. The Buddha detected the earth tremor while he was meditating and looked for the reason. When he realized it was because of Bipali's renunciation, He went to meet him along the way and, In a single sermon, Could elevate Bipali to the level of an Arahant in seven days. Meanwhile, Patak Kapilani met with an enlightened nun who coached her to attain Arahantship again within seven days. Ultimately, Bipali, Under the ordained name of Mahakassar Pathera, Became a monk praised by the Buddha as unsurpassing the practice of austerities. After the Buddha passed away, Because he was one of the most senior monks in the community, He presided over the first council to collate the Buddhist scriptures. Meanwhile, Patak Kapilani was praised by the Buddha for being the foremost nun for recollecting previous lifetimes. The moral of the story is that you can make your life simpler by foregoing the drama of romantic attachment. However, You may only realize the truth of this if you train yourself in meditation to the point that you attain inner brightness and can touch upon superior happiness. For those who are already committed to a partner, I'm not encouraging divorce, But at the same time, Having a lot of children might still diminish your opportunities for spiritual practice. It might be better to practice contentment with what you already have. Nonetheless, The closer you can come to the higher levels of Brahma-faring, The brighter the spiritual future you can expect, Whatever your civil status. Taking the Brahma-faring to its highest level includes striving, Keeping the eight precepts, Following the Eightfold Path, And practicing all available teachings. The practice of persistence or striving, Which are the usual translations of the Pali word vīryā, Means the fortitude to practice meditation continuously throughout your life. This fortitude refers to the four components met in the previous blessing, Namely, Not succumbing to unwholesomeness that you have never done before, Giving up any unwholesomeness with which you are already involved, Increasing your repertoire of good behaviors, And continuing with the good habits you already have. As for upholding the eight precepts or Uposatha, For those who don't have a family to worry about, It might mean keeping the eight precepts the whole of the time. For those in a relationship or with their own family, It might start by keeping the eight precepts on the quarter moon days so that you will need to get a copy of the Thai lunar calendar to know the date of the new moon, Full moon, And the half moons. So it would be starting to keep the eight precepts approximately once a week. From there you can gradually add the day before the quarter moon day, And the day of the week on which your birthday falls, Say Monday or Tuesday, And perhaps your partner's birthday too. In this way, Assuming you and your partner weren't born on the same day of the week, You can gradually work up to keeping eight precepts for four days a week. Another approach might be to keep the eight precepts throughout the three months of the Buddhist Lent, Which normally takes place from July through October. As for following the Eightfold Path or Ariyamaka, I won't go into further detail today because it's something I will return to in more detail in the next blessing. Lastly, Practicing all available teachings or Sāsana Tammā means following all the Buddhist teachings available to you, Like the Finishing Touch, To all the practices I've already mentioned. At all levels of the Brahma Firing, The precepts are always present. At the low level it's the five precepts, The mid-level is the eight precepts, And at the highest level it will be the eight precepts or monastic precepts. To practice at this high level, You should warm up by practicing austerities, As mentioned in the previous blessing. Once you have mastered your austere practice, Rather than going back to bed, You need to further your practice with daily acts of generosity, Keeping the precepts at a level appropriate to your civil status, And training yourself in meditation as part of your daily routine. The effort to master every virtue you know about in this way is the true meaning of practicing the Brahma Firing. Sometimes a practitioner's plan for Brahma Firing at the highest level includes sampling the ordination experience. In this connection, There are various possibilities that may suit folks from different walks of life. In the Thai Buddhist tradition, It used to be the case that temporary or permanent ordination was like a rite of passage for young men. If they couldn't manage it in their youth, Then they would try to find time to ordain as a monk later in life. Usually at the age of 20, Young men would ordain for 1 to 3 months. Some liked the experience so much that they didn't return to their lay life. Unfortunately in contemporary Thailand, It has become a dying tradition, And in practice, Many hesitate to take the opportunity to ordain, Not only because they fail to see the importance, But often simply because they are unfamiliar with the requirements. In fact, The requirements are not that hard to understand. The age at which you should ordain should be 15 to 20 for a novice who keeps the 10 and 20 upwards for those wishing to take full ordination as a monk who keeps the 227 precepts. Ordination as a monk is more rigorous, But this should not put teenagers off ordaining earlier in life because novice ordination can be a helpful formative experience for those navigating the tumultuous years of adolescence. Furthermore, It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, And for those ordaining late in life it can be notoriously hard for them to adapt to unfamiliar aspects of monastic life. The ideal period of ordination would be the whole three months of a rainy season, Or to ordain in the university summer vacation for one or two months. Alternatively, If you cannot take leave, Any time when you can get time off work would be well spent at least once in one's life in pursuit of the monastic experience, Ideally for at least a month. The amount a person can learn while ordained depends entirely on the quality of the training given by the temple or institute. With this in mind, A person should choose a place of ordination which emphasizes strictness in dhamma education and monastic discipline. A good ordination provider will have a preceptor who takes direct responsibility for training the monks he ordains, Giving an abundance of teachings and feedback to his students. This in contrast to places which abandon new monks to their own devices after the ordination. In some places, From the day of ordination to the day of disrobing, The ordinant doesn't receive any advice from their preceptor, Which is a shame as monasticism is more like an apprenticeship than treating the wearing of the robes as a lucky charm. Once ordained, A new monk should prioritize studying the dhamma and meditating rather than chattering idly or looking for amusement. Even if there are opportunities to help with humanitarian or social work while ordained, A young monk should be careful not to become so involved with it that it takes time away from meditation and dhamma study. Seeing as it is hard to get full ordination and training in the United States for the interim, It's probably worth me recommending some alternatives for English-speaking males wishing to experience ordination. If Thailand is not too far away for you, You can find out more about the individualized programs of Phap Peh Temple, Chiang Mai, Via the Become a Monk tab on the website phappehmeditation. Org or alternatively take a look at the comparatively structured programs available in the international monastery from the websites monklifeproject. Com or imonestry. Com. In practice, The two temples are right next door to each other, So you can probably choose when you get there. If Europe is more convenient for you, There is a one-month ordination organized in local languages during July in Belgium each year, With details at eopdmc. Eu. If you are not able to take male ordination for whatever reason, There are still plenty of opportunities to practice the Brahma Firing. The best alternative for females is to ordain as a nun. Although it's possible to ordain as a female monastic in Mahayana traditions of Buddhism, And there are some initiatives to revive the tradition of female monasticism in the Theravada, More widely available in countries like Thailand is the possibility to ordain as a nun dressed in white, Who keeps the eight or ten precepts for a temporary period or permanently. Failing this, Even without renouncing the world, A person may look for the opportunity to practice voluntary celibacy in their everyday life. Keeping eight precepts generally wouldn't interfere with your day job. All you need to do is work around the items incompatible with the sixth, Seventh and eighth precepts. In a way, It gives extra energy to the mind, Which will supercharge your meditation. For those approaching retirement, Even within a marriage, Another possibility is to renounce sexual activity once your eldest child leaves home, Or for widows or widowers, To renounce sexual activities once your partner is gone. Instead of remarrying, You can remain faithful to your late spouse by keeping the eight precepts instead. So, To finish with today, We have time for a relevant story about levels of mental attainment and how it comes to those who practice in earnest, Irrespective of their monastic status. In the time of the Buddha, There was a group of sixty monks who, Having mastered Buddhist theory, Took leave of the Buddha before going into the deep forest to put their knowledge into practice. In the forest, They came across an old woman who was the mother of the village headman. The old woman was very pleased to see such a large number of monks come into practice in the neighborhood, So she undertook to provide all the monks' catering needs. One day, She asked the monks, Is it only possible to practice the Brahma Firing as a monk, Or can women and householders also practice? The monks answered that it is also possible for householders to practice the Brahma Firing, That it is accessible to anyone who wants to come to an end of defilements. The monk taught the lady all about meditation and keeping the eight precepts and all the other components of the Brahma Firing. The lady trained herself strictly in accordance with what she had been taught, And found she could make even quicker progress than the monks themselves. The reason she could make more progress was because she had built up such habits over the course of many lifetimes, And her hard life highlighted the value of such teachings. She was able to proceed through all four absorptions to reach the Dhammakaya, The level of the non-returner. Through the power of her meditation, She was able to read the minds of others. Consequently, She discovered that her own progress in meditation exceeded that of the sixty monks for whom she brought food. She did not hold this against the monks, However. She meditated further, And found that the reason that they weren't making the expected progress was because they were suffering from indigestion as a result of unfamiliar food. Instead of meditating unhindered, Their minds were always distracted by the thought of food they would have preferred. So from that day onwards, If the lady knew that there was a particular food that the monk was wishing for that day, She would provide the self-same food for the next meal. The monks were constantly surprised by the fact that whatever food they happened to be interested in, It would always be the next meal on their plates. Before long, The monks were meditating better because they were no longer worrying about food, And in seven days, Fifty-nine of the sixty could become arahants. The fifty-nine returned to the temple where the Buddha was residing. The remaining monk, Who had not been so successful, Had not only come up against an obstacle in his meditation, He had also worked out that the lady was able to read his mind, So he was scared of her. He knew that if he should happen to think of anything wicked, He should be ashamed to death of that lady. This last monk abandoned his meditation and ran back to the Buddha, Pleading for permission to continue his meditation somewhere else. The Buddha asked why, And the monk said, That supporter is a mind reader. Suppose I think of anything evil, What will she think of me? The Buddha reasoned, To practice restraint even of your thoughts might just be exactly what you need, And he sent the monk back to where he had come from. But now that monk took such good care even of his thoughts that he was able to become an arahant in a relatively short time. As an arahant, He looked back into his past lives and found out that the same woman had helped him in many previous lifetimes too. So this session I have introduced to you Blessing 32 on practicing the Brahma Firing. For my next session, We'll continue with the third blessing of the ninth subgroup, Number 33 on seeing the Four Noble Truths. Hopefully as a result of today's session, You will feel better informed about what the Brahma Firing entails, And perhaps be inspired to practice for yourself at the level appropriate to your circumstances. So for today, This is me, Prant Nicholas Thanissro, Signing off for now. So long folks, And stay safe.