Table Of Content

T B HE UDDHA AND H T IS EACHINGS Venerable Nárada Maháthera ABOUT THE AUTHOR The Ven. Maháthera Nárada was born in 1898 in a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and was educated in schools run by Christian missionaries. At the age of eighteen he was ordained as a novice under Ven. Pelene Vajirañáóa Mahánayaka Thera, and at twenty he received the higher ordination. During his sixty-five years in the Sangha, the Ven. Nárada distinguished himself by his piety, his disciplined conduct, and his work in propagating the Dhamma both in Sri Lanka and abroad. After a period of declining health, the Ven. Nárada passed away in Colombo in late 1983. T B HE UDDHA AND H T IS EACHINGS Venerable Nárada Maháthera Third Edition BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY KANDY • SRI LANKA Buddhist Publication Society P.O. Box 61 54, Sangaraja Mawatha Kandy, Sri Lanka  This BPS edition was obtained from an electronic edition published by http://www.buddhanet.net. The Buddhanet.net version was pre- pared, with slight revision, from the BPS edition, which was itself a lightly revised version of the second edition (1973), privately printed in Singapore for personal distribution by Dharma and Tishita Senan- ayaka, 1980. Used with permission.   First published by BPS: 1988 Reprinted: 1997, 2010 ISBN xxx-xx-xxxx-x  Fonts: Linux Libertine Open BPS and Wingdings. Printed in Sri Lanka by BPS Catalog number BP102S CONTENTS  EDITOR’S PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION VII INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION IX 1 THE BUDDHA FROM BIRTH TO RENUNCIATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 2 HIS STRUGGLE FOR ENLIGHTENMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 3 BUDDHAHOOD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 4 AFTER THE ENLIGHTENMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 5 THE INVITATION TO EXPOUND THE DHAMMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 6 DHAMMACAKKAPPAVATTANA SUTTA — The First Discourse . . 42 7 THE TEACHING OF THE DHAMMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 8 THE BUDDHA AND HIS RELATIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 9 THE BUDDHA AND HIS RELATIVES (CONTINUED). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 10 THE BUDDHA’S CHIEF OPPONENTS AND SUPPORTERS. . . . . . . . . . 87 11 THE BUDDHA’S ROYAL PATRONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 12 THE BUDDHA’S MINISTRY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 13 THE BUDDHA’S DAILY ROUTINE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 14 THE BUDDHA’S PARINIBBÁNA (DEATH). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 15 THE TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 16 SOME SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS OF BUDDHISM. . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 17 THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 18 KAMMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 19 WHAT IS KAMMA? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 20 THE WORKING OF KAMMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 21 NATURE OF KAMMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 22 WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF LIFE? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 23 THE BUDDHA ON THE SO-CALLED CREATOR-GOD . . . . . . . . . . . 227 24 REASONS TO BELIEVE IN REBIRTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 25 THE WHEEL OF LIFE (PAÞICCA SAMUPPÁDA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 26 MODES OF BIRTH AND DEATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 27 PLANES OF EXISTENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 28 HOW REBIRTH TAKES PLACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 29 WHAT IS IT THAT IS REBORN? (NO-SOUL). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 30 MORAL RESPONSIBILITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 31 KAMMIC DESCENT AND KAMMIC ASCENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273 32 THE DOCTRINE OF KAMMA AND REBIRTH IN THE WEST. . . . . . . 278 33 NIBBÁNA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 34 CHARACTERISTICS OF NIBBÁNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 v vi . 35 THE WAY TO NIBBÁNA (I). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298 36 THE WAY TO NIBBÁNA (II) MEDITATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302 37 THE FIVE HINDRANCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314 38 THE WAY TO NIBBÁNA (III) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317 39 THE STATE OF AN ARAHANT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325 40 THE BODHISATTA IDEAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331 41 PÁRAMÌ — PERFECTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337 42 BRAHMAVIHÁRA — THE SUBLIME STATES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358 43 EIGHT WORLDLY CONDITIONS (AÞÞHALOKADHAMMÁ). . . . . . . .375 44 THE PROBLEMS OF LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .387 APPENDIX 399 BIBLIOGRAPHY 429 SUBJECT INDEX 431 INDEX OF PERSONS 447 INDEX OF WESTERN WRITERS, PHILOSOPHERS, ETC. 450 INDEX OF SUTTAS 452 EDITOR’S PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION This edition of Maháthera Nárada’s book differs very little from the pre- ceding. Here and there a few words have been changed to make a locution more idiomatic, but the style of expression is entirely his. The abundant use of capital letters has been eliminated. A few repetitions have been removed, especially towards the end of the book, and several of the author’s longer footnotes have been moved up into the text. At other places footnotes have been added, usually to make some academic point, and these are all indicated as the work of the editor. The sources of all t he citations have been checked and corrected where necessary, though not every work was accessible. The citations from the Pali Canon have all been revised so that section numbers corre- sponding to the more recent edition from the Nava Nálandá Mahá Vihára are included, but page numbers still refer to the older Pali Text Society editions. It is hoped that this compromise will prove useful to readers who may seek the original words of Theravadin scripture. It is a matter of regret that some of the quotations have not been found, especially the one from the Abhisamayálaòkáráloka in Chapter 40. This work is readily available but is long, and I simply fail to locate anything like the passage translated by the Ven. Nárada. The reader is urged not to be intimidated by the author’s use of words in the original Pali language, many of which have been eliminated from the previous edition. They do become familiar through use and the avoid ambiguity thereafter. It is common for one first encountering Buddhism to experience confusion because of the different translations given by various authors. Only the original terms can eliminate this confusion completely. After their introduction in the text several words are incor- porated as English and used without italics. There is, however, one other potential source of confusion which is quickly removed: several terms are more familiar to English speakers in their Sanskrit forms. Thus Pali sutta may already be known in the Sanskrit form sútra and jhána as dhyána. Similarly, Pali dhamma, kamma, and nibbána are well-known in the forms dharma, karma, and nirvána. These equivalencies have generally been pointed out in the text. The pronunciation of the Pali and Sanskrit words should present no serious difficulty either. Two points are crucial to remember: the letter c in these words is pronounced as ch in “church”; and the letter h always vii viii . represents an aspiration: th is pronounced as in “boathook”, never a fric- ative as “this” or “thing”. The vowels all have the values familiar from Latin or derivative Romance languages, except that the unmarked “a” is obscure, as it usually is in the English indefinite article. The other consonants should present no difficult—ñ sounds like “ny” as it does in Spanish with the same diacritical mark; the dotted í represents a nasalization of the pre- ceding vowel and usually sounds like “ng” in English, though it may also be a nasalized stop which is assimilated to the following consonant, in which case it may be pronounced as m or n as is convenient. The Eng- lish speaker may well forget any attempt to give an authentic value to the series of underdotted consonants (þ, ð, ó) and simply say them the same way as the ones without the dot. The dotted series represents sounds that are variously described as cerebral, retroflex, or lingual, but some linguists have said that in fact the English consonants are closer to this series than they are to the pure dentals printed without the dot. It has been both a pleasure and a privilege to assist in preparing this new edition of the Venerable Nárada’s book. The inception of this edition is due entirely to Dharma Sena, a generous seþþhi of Singapore devoted to the Buddhadharma. This is the clearest and most detailed introduction available to the fundamental doctrines of Buddhism preserved by the indisputably oldest surviving sect. Other Buddhist sects, from Japan, China, or Tibet, have achieved some popularity in Europe and America in recent decades. they may dismiss the Theravadin teachings, the doctrines of the elders, as trivial or superficial, but this is the bedrock of all Buddhism and cannot be denied. Whatever practises or metaphysical theories other sects may have developed, the truths stated by the Sage of the Sákyas two and a half millennia ago and preserved by the Theravadin bhikkhus in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia remain fundamental to all.  Curtis F. Oliver Toronto, Vernal Equinox, 1980 INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION Many valuable books have been written by Eastern and Western schol- ars, Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, to present the life and teachings of the Buddha to those who are interested in Buddhism. Among them one of the most popular works is still The Light of Asia by Sir Edwin Arnold. Many Western truth-seekers were attracted to Buddhism by this world-famous poem. Congratulations of Eastern and Western Buddhists are due to the learned writers on their laudable efforts to enlighten the readers on the Buddha-Dhamma. The present treatise is another humble attempt made by a member of the Buddhist Sangha, based on the Páli texts, commentaries, and tradi- tions prevailing in Buddhist countries, especially in Sri Lanka. The first part of the book deals with the life of the Buddha, and the second with the Dhamma, the Páli term for his doctrine.  The Buddha-Dhamma is a moral and philosophical system which expounds a unique path of enlightenment, and is not a subject to be studied from a mere academic standpoint. The doctrine is certainly to be studied, more to be practised, and above all to be realized by oneself. Mere learning is of no avail without actual practise. The learned man who does not practise the Dhamma, the Buddha says, is like a colourful flower without scent. He who does not study the Dhamma is like a blind man. But, he who does not practise the Dhamma is comparable to a library. There are some hasty critics who denounce Buddhism as a passive and inactive religion. This unwarranted criticism is far from the truth.  The Buddha was the first most active missionary in the world. He wandered from place to place for forty-five years preaching his doctrine to the masses and the intelligentsia. Till his last moment, he served humanity both by example and by precept. His distinguished disciples ix