Chapter 43
monkhood and learned the meditation subject from the Buddha. Putting effort in VipassanÈ
practice, he attained arahatship.
Teachings centring around LakuÓÉaka Bhaddiya MahÈthera
(Herein, the worthy and inspiring discourses in connection with the MahÈthera will be
reproduced in brief.)
Discourses leading to The Venerable's Arahatship
After becoming a monk, he took the meditation subject from the Buddha and engaged
himself in VipassanÈ practice and attained
sotÈpatti
-
phala
first. At that time, monk-learners
(
sikkhÈs
), such as
sotÈpannas, sakadÈgÈmins
and
anÈgÈmins
, approached Venerable
SÈriputta to ask him for meditation subjects, or sermons or answers to their problems for
the sake of higher attainments. In complying with their requests, the Venerable explained to
them how to meditate; he gave them sermons and answered their questions. As the monks
continued to strive, some attained
sakadÈgÈmÊ
stage, some
anÈgÈmÊ
stage, some acquired
the threefold Knowledge, some the sixfold Psychic Power and some the four Analytical
Knowledge.
Seeing these monks and poising himself to seize an opportunity for his own uplift,
Venerable LakuÓÉaka Bhaddiya reflected on his stoutness of heart and his being almost
devoid of defilement; and reflecting thus, he approached the Venerable SÈriputta and
exchanged greetings with him and made a request for a sermon. The Venerable on his part,
gave a sermon that was in harmony with the young Venerable 's inclination.
In accordance with the Venerable's sermon, the Venerable LakuÓÉaka Bhaddiya
developed his VipassanÈ wisdom along the line set in the teaching. On account of the two
factors, namely, the might of the Venerable SÈriputta’s teaching and Venerable LakuÓÉaka
Bhaddiya’s possession of acts of merit done in the past, the latter’s VipassanÈ wisdom
improved, culminating in arahatship.
Fully aware of this, the Buddha, at that time uttered a solemn utterance as follows:
Uddh'aÑ adho sabbadhi vippamutto
ayaÑ hamasmÊ ti anÈnupassÊ.
EvaÑ vimutto udatÈri oghaÑ
atiÓÓapubbam apunabbhavÈya.
An
arahat,
who has destroyed his
Èsava
s is freed from above (
uddhaÑ
), i.e.
the material elements (
r|pa
-
dhatu
) and the immaterial elements (
ar|pa-
dhatu
) as well as from below (
adho
), i.e. the elements of sensual pleasure
(
kÈma-dhÈtu
) and also with regard to all kinds of formations (
sabbadhi
), is
freed in the manner of three kinds of deliverance, namely, deliverance by
elimination (
vikkhambhana-vimutti
), deliverance by cutting off (
samuccheda-
vimutti
) and deliverance by calming (
paÔipassaddhi-vimutti
). That
arahat,
who has destroyed his
Èsavas
, no longer wrongly sees through conceit and
false view (with regard to the five aggregates of
r|pa
,
vedanÈ
,
saÒÒÈ,
sa~khÈra
and
viÒÒÈÓa
), taking ‚This really am I!‛ The
arahat
, who has thus
been delivered in all manner from the ten fetters and all unwholesome things,
has crossed the fourfold whirlpool or the whirlpool of
saÑsÈra
which he had
never dreamed to do so before the attainment of the noble Path. He had
crossed over to the other shore through total extinction (
anupÈdisesa
-
nibbÈna
) and stands blissfully there for taking no new birth.
(This is an extract from the Pathama-LakuÓÉaka Bhaddiya Sutta, C|Äavagga, UdÈna PÈli.)
Further Sermons given by Venerable SÈriputta
As has been described in the first
Sutta
, while meditating based on the first advice
received (from Venerable SÈriputta), Venerable LakuÓÉaka Bhaddiya attained arahatship.
But the Venerable SÈriputta was unaware of this (for lack of reflection) and still thinking