true liberation comes through wisdom and understanding of the fundamental Buddhist teachings
"We must believe in kamma and its results - isn't this taught? But we must rely on wisdom (ñāṇa).
Wisdom comprises:
- Right View and Right Thought (2 wisdom factors)
- Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration (3 concentration factors)
Together these form the 5 observing path factors. Aren't the five aggregates what's being observed?
When making offerings and doing meritorious deeds, don't we say "Idaṃ me puññaṃ āsavakkhayaṃ vahaṃ hotu" (May this merit of mine lead to the destruction of the taints)? Whether building pagodas, monasteries, or offering food - it's all "Idaṃ me puññaṃ."
Shouldn't we ask what these meritorious deeds are seeking? They seek happiness. But don't we need to distinguish between true and false happiness? Seeking human happiness is puññābhisaṅkhāra, divine happiness is also puññābhisaṅkhāra, and brahma happiness is āneñjābhisaṅkhāra.
When giving is led by wrong view, has the wrong view been eliminated? Think about it. Does human, divine, or brahma happiness free one from aging, sickness and death? Which truth is this? (The Truth of Suffering)
Compared to the four lower realms, isn't human life comfortable? Have you seen devas farming or trading? They consume divine nutriment. Aren't devas happier than humans? Aren't brahmas happier than devas?
But whoever has aggregates - which truth is it? (The Truth of Suffering)
For true happiness, "Idaṃ me puññaṃ āsavakkhayaṃ vahaṃ hotu" - all merit is done seeking true happiness. For true happiness, isn't it taught that we need destruction of the four āsavas (taints)? What are the four āsavas? Kāmāsava, bhavāsava, diṭṭhāsava, and avijjāsava.
Isn't it taught that happiness comes only with the destruction of these four āsavas? To destroy the āsavas, what must we understand? Shouldn't we investigate:
- Understanding the aggregates
- Understanding the sense bases
- Understanding the elements
- Understanding the Noble Truths
- Understanding Dependent Origination
"Idaṃ me puññaṃ āsavakkhayaṃ vahaṃ hotu" - To destroy the four āsavas, don't we need to understand the aggregates, the Noble Truths, and Dependent Origination? Think about it..."
Happy Myanmar New Year
17.4.2024 မြန်မာနှစ်ဆန်း (1) ရက်။
ယနေ့ မြန်မာနှစ်ဆန်း (1) ရက်နေ့မှစ၍ မိမိတို့၏ မိဘဆရာသမားဆွေမျိုးညီအကိုမောင်နှမ ဒကာဒကာမတို့မှအစပြု၍ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံသားအားလုံး ကျန်းကျန်းမာမာ ချမ်းချမ်းသာသာဖြင့် သူတော်ကောင်းတရားများ ပွားများအားထုတ်နိုင်ကြပါစေ။
မင်းကောင်းမင်းမြတ်များနှင့်သာ ကြုံတွေ့နိုင်ကြပါစေ။
မည့်သည့်ဒေသတွင်မှ စစ်ဘေးရှောင်ရသည်များ မရှိပဲ မိမိတို့၏နေရာဌာန အသီးသီး၌သာ အေးချမ်းသာယာစွာ လုပ်ကိုင်စားသောက်နိုင်ကြပါစေ။
ကလေးငယ်များအားလုံး မည်သည့်ဘေးရန်မှ မကြုံတွေ့ရပဲ မိသားစုနှင့်အတူတူ ချစ်ချစ်ခင်ခင်နေထိုင်ကာ စားစရာ ဝတ်စရာပြည့်စုံ လုံလောက်စွာဖြင့် အေးချမ်းစွာ ပညာသင်ကြားနိုင်ကြပါစေ။
လူငယ်လူရွယ်များ ဘေးရန်ကင်းစွာ စိတ်ချမ်းသာစွာဖြင့် မိမိတို့၏ဘဝ ကြီးပွားရာကြီးပွားကြောင်း ရည်ရွယ်ချက်ပန်းတိုင်များကို အကောင်အထည်ဖော်နိုင်ကြပါစေ။
မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်ကြီး ယနေ့နှစ်ဆန်း (1) ရက်နေ့မှစ၍ အမြဲတန်း အေးချမ်းသာယာပါစေကြောင်း ဆုတောင်းမေတ္တာပို့သလိုက်ရပါသည်။
King Kanishka the Great: The Colossus of Kushan India
A Monarch Without Equal
After Emperor Ashoka (3rd century BCE), India waited 600 years for a ruler of comparable grandeur—Kanishka I (c. 127–150 CE). His Kushan Empire stretched from Mathura to Afghanistan, with its capital at Purushapura (modern Peshawar, Pakistan).
The Mathura Statue: A Royal Puzzle Solved
In 1864 CE (2407 BE), archaeologist Alexander Cunningham unearthed a headless red sandstone statue at Katra Mound, Mathura. The figure’s legs faced opposite directions—a mystery until its Brahmi-inscribed base revealed:
"Mahārāja Rājadhirāja Devaputra Kāṇiṣka"
(“The Great King, King of Kings, Son of God, Kanishka”)
Significance:
Proves Kanishka’s patronage of Mathura’s art school, which blended Hellenistic and Indian styles.
Titles echo Ashoka’s Devanampiya (“Beloved-of-the-Gods”), but with Persian-inspired Rājadhirāja.
Current Location: Mathura Museum, Uttar Pradesh.
Kanishka’s Buddhist Legacy
Fourth Buddhist Council:
Convened at Kundalvana, Kashmir (c. 78 CE)—standardized Sarvāstivādin texts and birthed Mahayana Buddhism.
Attended by 500 monks, including the philosopher Vasumitra and poet Ashvaghosha.
Coinage Revolution:
Issued gold coins depicting Buddha, Shiva, and Iranian deities—a multicultural empire’s hallmark.
Gandharan Art:
His reign perfected the Greco-Buddhist style (e.g., Kanishka Reliquary from Shah-ji-Dheri).
Xuanzang’s Account (7th c. CE)
The Chinese pilgrim recorded:
Kanishka built a 400-foot stupa at Peshawar, housing Buddha’s alms bowl (later destroyed by Mughals).
His conquests matched Ashoka’s, but his religious tolerance included Zoroastrianism and Hinduism.
Why Kanishka Matters Today
Bridge Between Worlds: His empire linked Rome, China, and India via the Silk Road.
Buddhist Icon: The Kanishka casket (found in 1908) proves his role in spreading Buddhism to Central Asia.
Did You Know? The Kanishka era (started 78 CE) is still used in Nepal’s Bikram Sambat calendar!
(Note: Debate persists over Kanishka’s dates—some scholars place him in the 2nd c. CE.)
Acknowledgment to Sithagu Sayadaw
Samuccheda-sīla (Virtue of complete cutting off)
"Let's examine the aggregates. Isn't form (rūpa) taught to be like foam? Isn't feeling (vedanā) taught to be like a water bubble? Isn't perception (saññā) taught to be like a mirage? Isn't mental formations (saṅkhāra) taught to be like a banana trunk? Isn't consciousness (viññāṇa) taught to be like a magic show? Consider this.
All five have no essence. This essencelessness must be understood. Aren't all five taught to be like five enemies? We live with these enemies daily. If we know they're enemies, shouldn't we try to break free from them? Now we suffer because we don't recognize them as enemies. Try to understand this.
🌺Form (Rūpa)🌺
We need to understand the meaning of form. Countless deaths have occurred due to this form. Haven't you seen or heard of people dying from diarrhea? They call it dysentery. Medicine couldn't help. That's being killed by rūpakkhandha. Isn't this worth considering?
🌺Feeling (Vedanā)🌺
Haven't people been killed by feeling? Isn't feeling taught to be like a water bubble? Consider the story of Brahmin Cūḷaka - when the food suited his taste, he ate too much, drank water, and died when his intestines burst. Have you heard of him? That's being killed by vedanākkhandha. Isn't this worth considering?
🌺Perception (Saññā)🌺
There are deaths caused by perception too. Haven't there been cases of wrong injections due to misperception? Haven't people died from wrong injections? That's being killed by saññākkhandha. Countless have died this way.
🌺Mental Formations (Saṅkhāra)🌺
Isn't it taught "one wrong step on the path, one wrong spoonful of food"? That's being killed by saṅkhārakkhandha.
🌺Consciousness (Viññāṇa)🌺
There are deaths caused by consciousness too. Consider young couples in love after high school, promising to marry after graduate studies. Both study hard. After graduation, they plan to marry, but both sets of parents disapprove. When they can't be together, they say "If I can't have him/her, I'll take poison and die." Haven't you heard of people dying by taking poison? That's being killed by viññāṇakkhandha. Haven't people hung themselves? That's being killed by viññāṇakkhandha. Haven't people jumped into water? That's being killed by viññāṇakkhandha. Do you believe this?"
All five have no essence. This essencelessness must be understood. Aren't all five taught to be like five enemies? We live with these enemies daily. If we know they're enemies, shouldn't we try to break free from them? Now we suffer because we don't recognize them as enemies. Try to understand this.
🌺Form (Rūpa)🌺
We need to understand the meaning of form. Countless deaths have occurred due to this form. Haven't you seen or heard of people dying from diarrhea? They call it dysentery. Medicine couldn't help. That's being killed by rūpakkhandha. Isn't this worth considering?
🌺Feeling (Vedanā)🌺
Haven't people been killed by feeling? Isn't feeling taught to be like a water bubble? Consider the story of Brahmin Cūḷaka - when the food suited his taste, he ate too much, drank water, and died when his intestines burst. Have you heard of him? That's being killed by vedanākkhandha. Isn't this worth considering?
🌺Perception (Saññā)🌺
There are deaths caused by perception too. Haven't there been cases of wrong injections due to misperception? Haven't people died from wrong injections? That's being killed by saññākkhandha. Countless have died this way.
🌺Mental Formations (Saṅkhāra)🌺
Isn't it taught "one wrong step on the path, one wrong spoonful of food"? That's being killed by saṅkhārakkhandha.
🌺Consciousness (Viññāṇa)🌺
There are deaths caused by consciousness too. Consider young couples in love after high school, promising to marry after graduate studies. Both study hard. After graduation, they plan to marry, but both sets of parents disapprove. When they can't be together, they say "If I can't have him/her, I'll take poison and die." Haven't you heard of people dying by taking poison? That's being killed by viññāṇakkhandha. Haven't people hung themselves? That's being killed by viññāṇakkhandha. Haven't people jumped into water? That's being killed by viññāṇakkhandha. Do you believe this?"
"Form (Rūpakkhandha) changes like foam on water,
Contemplate its arising and passing like foam,
This leads to Path and Fruition.
Feeling (Vedanākkhandha) experiences like a water bubble,
Contemplate its arising and passing like a bubble,
This leads to Path and Fruition.
Perception (Saññākkhandha) marks like a mirage,
Contemplate its arising and passing like a mirage,
This leads to Path and Fruition.
Mental formations (Saṅkhārakkhandha) construct like a banana trunk,
Contemplate its arising and passing like a banana trunk,
This leads to Path and Fruition.
Consciousness (Viññāṇakkhandha) knows randomly like a magic show,
Contemplate its arising and passing like a magic show,
This leads to Path and Fruition.
Arising and passing - what truth is this? (It's the Truth of Suffering, Lord)
Is it happiness or suffering? When you truly know it's suffering, this is yathābhūta-ñāṇa (knowledge of things as they really are).
Try contemplating a second time - don't you see only arising and passing?
What truth is this? (It's the Truth of Suffering, Lord)
Now the knowledge matures. Don't you develop the desire to be free from the aggregates?
You become disenchanted with the world - isn't this called nibbindā-ñāṇa (knowledge of disenchantment)?
Try contemplating a third time - don't you see only arising and passing?
What truth is this? (It's the Truth of Suffering, Lord)
Search from head to toe, throughout the body.
Can you find even a needle-point of happiness?
If you can't find even that much happiness, isn't it all suffering?
When you determine this, don't you gain clear comprehension?
At this point, the three factors of the Noble Eightfold Path enter:
Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood - these three factors of virtue.
This virtue becomes samuccheda-sīla (virtue of complete cutting off).
It's full of essence, like an unmovable stone pillar.
Isn't it worth examining how it becomes so unshakeable?"
Contemplate its arising and passing like foam,
This leads to Path and Fruition.
Feeling (Vedanākkhandha) experiences like a water bubble,
Contemplate its arising and passing like a bubble,
This leads to Path and Fruition.
Perception (Saññākkhandha) marks like a mirage,
Contemplate its arising and passing like a mirage,
This leads to Path and Fruition.
Mental formations (Saṅkhārakkhandha) construct like a banana trunk,
Contemplate its arising and passing like a banana trunk,
This leads to Path and Fruition.
Consciousness (Viññāṇakkhandha) knows randomly like a magic show,
Contemplate its arising and passing like a magic show,
This leads to Path and Fruition.
Arising and passing - what truth is this? (It's the Truth of Suffering, Lord)
Is it happiness or suffering? When you truly know it's suffering, this is yathābhūta-ñāṇa (knowledge of things as they really are).
Try contemplating a second time - don't you see only arising and passing?
What truth is this? (It's the Truth of Suffering, Lord)
Now the knowledge matures. Don't you develop the desire to be free from the aggregates?
You become disenchanted with the world - isn't this called nibbindā-ñāṇa (knowledge of disenchantment)?
Try contemplating a third time - don't you see only arising and passing?
What truth is this? (It's the Truth of Suffering, Lord)
Search from head to toe, throughout the body.
Can you find even a needle-point of happiness?
If you can't find even that much happiness, isn't it all suffering?
When you determine this, don't you gain clear comprehension?
At this point, the three factors of the Noble Eightfold Path enter:
Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood - these three factors of virtue.
This virtue becomes samuccheda-sīla (virtue of complete cutting off).
It's full of essence, like an unmovable stone pillar.
Isn't it worth examining how it becomes so unshakeable?"
"If someone speaks harmful words that could cause shame and loss, do you still think of retaliation? Do you still act out with excessive speech? Do you still act out physically? This is how complete the sīla (virtue) becomes. Isn't this called samuccheda-sīla (virtue of complete cutting off)?
When these three factors combine with the five insights, don't they complete the eight? When eight are complete, as the ancient masters taught, 'Maggābhiññā sakiṃ matā' - like a thunderbolt. When lightning strikes a palm tree, does it grow again? Now too, attaining one Path and Fruition is crucial.
When the eight are complete, do you still see the five aggregates? Do you still see arising and passing away? Isn't this called lokuttara (supramundane)? Isn't it worth considering what Stream-enterers abandon? Don't they eliminate the latent defilements of wrong view (diṭṭhi) and doubt (vicikicchā)? When these latent defilements are eliminated, do mental actions still arise?
When mental actions don't arise, do physical and verbal actions still occur? If they don't occur, aren't the kamma leading to lower realms exhausted? Doesn't the cycle of suffering in lower realms end? Isn't this called pahāna-pariññā (knowledge of abandoning)?
Ñāta-pariññā, tīraṇa-pariññā, pahāna-pariññā - for one who gains these three kinds of knowledge, countless unwholesome kamma from beginningless saṃsāra: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, taking intoxicants - all these ancient unwholesome kamma and debts, as vast as the earth itself...
Do these unwholesome kamma still have the chance to give results? Don't they all become ahosi-kamma (ineffective kamma)? How inspiring is this! When these three kinds of knowledge are gained, true happiness is attained. Practice with conviction!
When contacted, aggregates arise and pass away
What truth is this? (The Truth of Suffering, Lord)
What knows this? (The Truth of the Path, Lord)
What is abandoned? (The Truth of Origin, Lord)
No more aggregates arising is (The Truth of Cessation, Lord)
How many sections in Dependent Origination? (Four sections, Lord)
How many factors in each section? (Five factors, Lord)
Five times four equals (Twenty)
These eight factors (Should be easily memorized as the way to liberation from saṃsāra)
Sādhu! Sādhu! Sādhu!"
When these three factors combine with the five insights, don't they complete the eight? When eight are complete, as the ancient masters taught, 'Maggābhiññā sakiṃ matā' - like a thunderbolt. When lightning strikes a palm tree, does it grow again? Now too, attaining one Path and Fruition is crucial.
When the eight are complete, do you still see the five aggregates? Do you still see arising and passing away? Isn't this called lokuttara (supramundane)? Isn't it worth considering what Stream-enterers abandon? Don't they eliminate the latent defilements of wrong view (diṭṭhi) and doubt (vicikicchā)? When these latent defilements are eliminated, do mental actions still arise?
When mental actions don't arise, do physical and verbal actions still occur? If they don't occur, aren't the kamma leading to lower realms exhausted? Doesn't the cycle of suffering in lower realms end? Isn't this called pahāna-pariññā (knowledge of abandoning)?
Ñāta-pariññā, tīraṇa-pariññā, pahāna-pariññā - for one who gains these three kinds of knowledge, countless unwholesome kamma from beginningless saṃsāra: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, taking intoxicants - all these ancient unwholesome kamma and debts, as vast as the earth itself...
Do these unwholesome kamma still have the chance to give results? Don't they all become ahosi-kamma (ineffective kamma)? How inspiring is this! When these three kinds of knowledge are gained, true happiness is attained. Practice with conviction!
When contacted, aggregates arise and pass away
What truth is this? (The Truth of Suffering, Lord)
What knows this? (The Truth of the Path, Lord)
What is abandoned? (The Truth of Origin, Lord)
No more aggregates arising is (The Truth of Cessation, Lord)
How many sections in Dependent Origination? (Four sections, Lord)
How many factors in each section? (Five factors, Lord)
Five times four equals (Twenty)
These eight factors (Should be easily memorized as the way to liberation from saṃsāra)
Sādhu! Sādhu! Sādhu!"
The Sacred Legacy of Lord Buddha's Plasma Stupa in Ancient India
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