           *FOUR WAYS OF PRACTISING THE BUDDHA-DHAMMA*
                                                     Sayagyi U Chit Tin

        In several discourses, the Buddha speaks of four ways of practising
(patipada) his Teachings. Two groups of four are given. In the first
group, the ways of practising are defined according to whether they are
painful (dukkha) or pleasant (sukha) and to whether the meditator
attains knowledge slowly (dandhabhinna) or quickly (khippabhinna).[1]
The second group of four ways of practising is a list of four attitudes
in the minds of those who practise the Teachings: (1) without endurance
(akkhama), (2) with endurance (khama), (3) with taming (dama), (4) with
calmness (sama).[2]

        For the first group of four ways of practising, the Buddha gave the
reasons why a meditator s progress can be (1) painful with slow attain-
ment of knowledge, (2) painful with quick attainment of knowledge, (3)
pleasant with slow attainment of knowledge, or (4) pleasant with quick
attainment of knowledge. If a person is of the strongly passionate type
(tibba-raga-jatika), of the strongly angry type (tibba-dosa-jatika), or
of the strongly deluded type (tibba-moha-jatika), then that person will
constantly experience the pain and grief (domanassa) that come from
passion, anger, and delusion. A person without strong passion, strong
hatred, and strong delusion will find the practice pleasant. If the five
controlling faculties (pancindriya) of (1) faith (saddha), (2) energy
(viriya), (3) mindfulness (sati), (4) concentration (samadhi), and (5)
wisdom (panna) are weak, a person will be slow in attaining that which
gives immediate result through destroying the taints (asava).

        Ashin Buddhaghosa says in his commentary [3] that a bhikkhu who
lacks preparation will find the practice painful and will be slow in
acquiring knowledge. A bhikkhu who at one period is free from clinging
to the world but who later on grows weary of discerning (1) material
existence, (2) immaterial existence, and (3) conditions;[4]  (4) weary
of (discerning these in the) three divisions of time (past, present, and
future) (tisu addhasu); (5) weary of (discerning) what is and what is
not the path;[5] such a bhikkhu will lack preparation. He will grow
weary of (trying to) attain insight through (1) contemplating arising,
(2) contemplating dissolution, (3) the establishment of fear (concerning
all conditioned states),[6] (4) the contemplation of danger, (5) the
contemplation of dispassion, (6) the knowledge of the desire for
deliverance, (7) the knowledge of equanimity about formations, (8) the
knowledge of adaptation,[7] (9) and the knowledge of (being of) the
lineage.[8] Thus, he will only attain a mundane path. This mundane path
will mean that he will experience pain and a difficult existence for
himself; his practice will be painful and he will attain knowledge
slowly.

        A bhikkhu who was previously weary of (developing) these five types
of knowledge earlier on but who is not weary at a later time of
(developing) these nine types of insight knowledge will find his
practice painful, but he will attain knowledge quickly. The remaining
two types can be understood from the explanation of the first two: not
growing weary of the five types of knowledge at an early stage but
growing weary of the nine types of insight knowledge later on results
in pleasant practice and attaining knowledge slowly. Not growing weary
at any stage results in pleasant practice and attaining knowledge
quickly.[9]

        Ashin Buddhaghosa compares the four ways of practising to a man
searching for oxen. A man has four oxen who wander off into a large
forest. He looks for them in a forest that is full of thorns and
thickets. He goes along the path in the forest experiencing difficulty
and trouble. He has difficulty and trouble seeing the place in the
forest where the oxen are hidden. Or the forest is open and unobstructed
but he has difficulty and trouble seeing where the oxen are hidden. Or
the forest is open and unobstructed and he quickly sees the oxen.

        The four oxen are like the four Noble Paths. The man seeking the
oxen is like the meditator (yogavacara). The trouble experienced in
going into the forest is like the type of practice that is painful due
to the meditator s having previously tired of the (first) five types of
knowledge (nana). Having difficulty and trouble seeing the place in the
forest where the oxen are is like seeing the Noble Paths only later
because of becoming weary of (all) nine types of knowledge.[10]

        In //The Path of Purification//,[11]  Ashin Buddhaghosa says that
the practice will be painful if the preparatory tasks of cutting off the
impediments, etc., are not carried out. It will be pleasant if they are
carried out. The practice will be painful for one who is overwhelmed by
craving and for one who has not developed serenity. Attaining knowledge
will be slow for one overwhelmed by ignorance or for one who has not
developed insight (vipassana), but it will be fast if the opposite is
true. If the defilements are strong, the practice will be painful. If
they are weak it will be pleasant. If the faculties are weak, attaining
knowledge will be slow. If they are strong, it will be quick.

        In another discourse the Buddha says that the practice will be pain-
ful for a bhikkhu who dwells contemplating the foul aspect of the body,
conscious of the repulsiveness of material food, conscious of not
delighting in any world, contemplating the impermanence of all
formations, conscious of death--in other words, a bhikkhu who is
perfectly aware of all this within himself. On the other hand, the
bhikkhu who is able to develop the absorption states (jhana) will find
the practice pleasant. Attaining knowledge will be slow or fast depen-
ding on whether the five powers of the learner (sekha-bala) are weak or
strong in him. These five powers are: (1) faith, (2) a sense of shame
(hiri), (3) a fear of blame (ottappa), (4) energy, and (5) wisdom.

        For the second group of four ways of practising, the Buddha gives
analogies in two discourses for the first two ways. In the first dis-
course the Buddha says that a person who practises without endurance
will abuse in return when he is abused, he will make (others) angry in
return when he is made angry, and when someone quarrels with him he will
quarrel in return. In the second discourse the Buddha says that a person
who practises without endurance will not put up with cold, heat, hunger,
thirst, contact with flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and creeping animals.
He will not be able to bear harsh speech or unpleasant speech. He will
not be able to endure repugnant, sharp, rough, acute, painful bodily
sensations that arise and that are destructive to the life force. The
person with endurance will have the opposite attitude in both cases: he
will not abuse others when they abuse him, etc.; he will put up with
cold, heat, etc.

        In both discourses the last two ways of practising (taming and
calming) are described in the same way. By taming we mean that a
person [12] guards the six sense-doors. When a visible object is seen by
the eye, he does not grasp at its major signs or at its secondary
characteristics. Greed and sorrow, evil, unskilled states would over-
whelm him if his eye-faculty was unguarded, so he practises with the
eye-faculty guarded, protected, and restrained. Similarly, he guards the
ear-faculty with respect to sounds, the nose-faculty with respect to
odours, the tongue-faculty with regard to flavours, the body-faculty
with regard to tangible objects, and the mind-faculty with regard to
thoughts.

        By calmness we mean that once a sensuous thought, a cruel thought,
or an unwholesome, evil mental state has arisen, a bhikkhu does not
allow it to endure. He gives it up, rejects it, calms it down, removes
and eradicates it.

        We can find many lessons in these two sets of four ways of prac-
tising the Buddha s Teachings. The stronger the three roots of wrong
volitional actions are in us, the more pain and grief we will experience
as we strive to reach the goal of Nibbana. In the discourses we cite
here, the Buddha spoke of passion (raga) which is synonymous with greed
(lobha). We must do our best to drive out thoughts of greed and passion
by developing thoughts free of greed and passion (alobha). We must get
rid of thoughts of hatred by developing thoughts free of hatred (adosa).
We must strive to overcome delusion by developing our understanding of
the true nature of the world, by working to be free of delusion (amoha).
By being generous, giving up our attachment to material things, and by
turning away from indulging in sensual pleasures, we can overcome our
tendency to be greedy and full of passion. By developing loving kindness
towards all living beings, we can overcome our tendency to hate. All the
efforts we make to lead moral lives will go towards uprooting these
harmful tendencies. Through developing our concentration and insight, we
will be able to combat our tendency to be deluded.

        In the second set of four ways of practising, the Buddha gives many
details of how we can weaken and eventually eliminate these three roots
that lead to continued suffering. A person should not allow anger to
arise, or if it does arise, he should not allow it to remain. Even when
other people abuse us, say or do things to make us angry, or quarrel
with us, even when others use harsh or unpleasant speech, we should not
reply in kind. No matter how much we are provoked, if we give way to the
destructive force of hatred, we will be storing up much future suffering
for ourselves. We will find it harder in the future to practise the
Buddha s Teachings.

        We should also avoid feeling angry about being physically uncom-
fortable. The Buddha mentions both external and internal discomfort.
The external discomforts include being too cold or too hot, being hungry
or thirsty, being annoyed by flies or mosquitoes, by the wind, the sun,
or crawling creatures such a snakes. Internal discomfort includes any
physical sensation that can be described as uncomfortable or painful--
even those that threaten to kill us. As we make progress in our under-
standing of reality, we will see better that, in the ultimate sense, we
do not have control over the external world or over what goes on inside
our bodies. We will have to make a determined effort to endure the un-
pleasant things in this world. Enduring means being patient--both with
others and with ourselves.

        Working to tame and calm our minds, the last two ways in the second
set, will help us attain the patience we need. If we are careful in
restraining our senses, we will control as much as possible our contact
with the world around us. The more we avoid sights, sounds, smells,
tastes, physical objects, and thoughts that tend to arouse greed,
hatred, and confusion, the better we will be able to follow the Path
taught by the Buddha. We will not be able to live in a cocoon, however.
We are bound to encounter things that will put us to the test. The mind
is so fast that before we know it an unwholesome thought has arisen. Our
minds will be agitated, and as soon as we are aware of this, we must
make a determined effort to calm the mind down. We must get rid of the
disturbance. The best way to do this, of course, is to use mindfulness
of breathing, directing the mind to a neutral object and maintaining it
on that object until the disturbance is gone.

        The qualities mentioned in connection with the first set of four
ways of practising will also be helpful to us. The five controlling
faculties and the five powers of the learner have three things in
common: faith, energy, and wisdom. We must have confidence or faith in
the Buddha, the Doctrine he taught, and in those who live according to
that Doctrine. If we put forth energetic effort and work correctly, we
will gain wisdom, which will reinforce our confidence. The other
controlling faculties of mindfulness and concentration will be essential
if we are to gain any control over our thoughts, words, and deeds. And
the powers of the learner, known as a sense of shame and a fear of
blame, will be the two strong supports of our moral conduct. The learner
is a person who has attained at least the Path of Stream-Entry but not
the Fruition State of an Arahat. We may not be that advanced in our
practice, but we must constantly work on these two powers if we are ever
to attain our goal.

        It may well be that we will not attain any of the Paths or Fruitions
States in this lifetime. But these discourses given by the Buddha show
us how important it is to prepare now to attain them in the future. If
we make the right effort in this life but do not attain the goal, then
it is because we did not prepare adequately in the past, or, perhaps,
we made a vow to wait until a future Buddha s Dispensation. If we did
not work as we should have in the past, it is too late to do anything
about that now. It is now, in the present, that we must develop
patience, live moral lives, work on concentrating the mind, and attain
as much understanding as we are capable of. In that way, when all the
conditions are right and all the necessary preparations are complete, we
will reach our goal.

        Even the Buddha s two chief disciples did not attain the highest
goal automatically. When Ven. Sariputta asked Ven. Maha-Moggallana which
of the four ways of practising led to his gaining release from all the
taints, he answered that he reached the final goal through painful prac-
tice and through attaining knowledge quickly.  When Ven. Maha-Moggallana
asked Ven. Sariputta the same question, he answered that his practice
was pleasant and he attained knowledge quickly.[13] Ashin Buddhaghosa
gives added details in his commentary,[14] saying that for Ven. Maha-
Moggallana the first three Paths were pleasant and that he attained
knowledge slowly. For the Path of Arahatship, however, the practice was
painful and he attained knowledge quickly--thus his answer. For Ven.
Sariputta, the first three Paths were pleasant and he attained knowledge
slowly, but when it came to the Path of Arahatship it was pleasant and
quick--thus his answer.

        Some of the instructions given by the Buddha are more appropriate to
bhikkhus than to laypeople. Much as we may wish to prepare for attaining
knowledge quickly, it is very difficult for laypeople to develop the
//jhanas//. Students of Buddhist meditation as taught by Sayagyi U Ba
Khin have found over the years that as long as they have a certain
degree of concentration, it is possible to get on with the work of
developing understanding.

        Contemplating what is foul and unpleasant is another approach that
is more appropriate for bhikkhus. Here again, if laypeople can attain a
good appreciation of the ever-changing nature (anicca) of their own
bodies and minds, this will prepare them for attaining their goal.

        Every effort will pay dividends. No effort is wasted. It is difficult
work, however, and it demands constant vigilance. How quickly a little
bad weather can make us angry--to say nothing of trying to deal with an
unpleasant, aggressive person. But if we work with regularity, we will
make progress. It can be done.

                          Sayagyi U Chit Tin

                          Four Ways of Practising the Buddha-Dhamma

------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:

[1] A II 149-152, 154 (GS II 153-157, 159).

[2] A II 152f. (GS II 157-159).

[3] Mp III 138-140.

[4] For a detailed discussion, see //Path//, Chapter XIX //passim//).

[5] See //Path//, Chapter XX //passim//.

[6] Ashin Buddhaghosa says that this is seeing how fearful formations
    are in the past, present, and future because they are all headed for
    destruction, but the meditator does not experience fear as an
    emotion (//Path//, Chapter XXI paras 32f.).

[7] For a detailed discussion of these first eight stages in the know-
    ledge of insight, see //Path//, Chapter XXI //passim//.

[8] See //Path//, Chapter XXII paras. 1-14.

[9] In //Path// (Chapter III para 16) Ashin Buddhaghosa says that if a
    person cultivates what is unsuitable, the practice is painful and
    knowledge is attained slowly. If he cultivates what is suitable the
    practice is pleasant and knowledge is attained quickly. If the
    unsuitable is cultivated in the earlier stage and the suitable is
    cultivated in the later stage or vice versa, the results will be
    mixed.

[10] Ashin Buddhaghosa says that the other points in the analogy can be
     easily worked out. We can summarize the points as: (1) painful
     practice is like the forest full of thorn and thickets, (2) plea-
     sant practice is like the open, unobstructed forest, (3) attaining
     knowledge slowly is like having difficulty and trouble finding the
     oxen, (4) attaining knowledge quickly is like seeing the oxen
     quickly.

[11] Chapter III paras 16-18.

[12] In the first discourse the Buddha says "a bhikkhu," but in the
     second discourse he refers to "a person."

[13] A II 154f. (GS II 159f).

[14] Mp III 142.





               Worldwide  Contact Addresses
          in the Tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


*AUSTRIA*:      International Meditation Centre, A-9064 St. Michael/Gurk 6,
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