Today’s Dhamma talk is about “Four Types of People” as expounded by Lord Buddha to King Pasenadi Kosala of Savatthi, a province in India. Lord Buddha in his discourse explains that there are persons who go -
1) To darkness from darkness.
2) To brightness from darkness.
3) To darkness from brightness.
4) To brightness from brightness.
Lord Buddha further elaborated that :
Firstly a person is born in the lower strata of life, with an ugly appearance, poor health, bodily defects such as blindness, deafness, inarticulateness, deformation, etc., and has no food to eat, no clothes to wear, no house to dwell in and no medicine for health. Though born in such a miserable state, he has no repentance but indulges in unwholesome activities such as killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and taking intoxicants. He fails to observe moral purification. Committing such unwholesome deeds without repentance, he is no doubt, likely to be reborn in the nether worlds – as in hell, in the animal world or in the ghost worlds. Such type of a person is categorized as one who goes from darkness to darkness.
Secondly, a person is born poor with bodily defects as above. Though born miserable, he feels repentant and realizes that due to his unwholesome activities done in the past existence, he is consequently born in such a miserable state and mends his mental attitudes. He observes unbroken morality, does all wholesome activities to his utmost ability, giving meritorious danas (generosity), etc. Moreover, he practices wholesome thoughts, speech and actions and totally abstains from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and taking intoxicants. His status gradually rise or ascends higher and higher as one living on the ground to sitting on a chair, to riding on a horse, to riding on an ornamented elephant and then on to residing in a fully decorated house. Thus a person who mends his ways understandingly is sure to achieve a better kind of existence with healthy and wealthy circumstances and may even land in the deva worlds. Such type of a person is categorized as one who goes to brightness from darkness.
Thirdly, a person born high of rich parents, endowed with good appearance, health and wealth without having to worry about food, clothing, dwelling and medicine and leads a luxurious life. Though born fortunate, he lacks morality, does not understand the benefits of wholesome thoughts, speech and actions and enjoys doing mischievous deeds such as killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and taking intoxicants. Moreover, he is inconsiderate towards others and never cultivates sympathetic feelings. Committing such unwholesome activities throughout his life his status falls or descends gradually from the dwelling in the fully decorated house to riding on an ornamented elephant, to riding on a horse, to sitting on a chair and then falling onto the ground level. Such type of a person is categorized as one who goes to darkness from brightness. He is likely to be reborn in the nether world after death.
Fourthly, a person is born high of rich parents fully endowed with all the necessary requisites of life as above. Though he enjoys the higher standard of living, he is far-sighted, intelligent and realizes that his present status of richness and amenities of good life is due to his wholesome activities of his previous existence. So he carries on the meritorious way of giving charity to the needy, practicing wholesome thoughts, speech and actions, observing morality, etc. He abstains from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and taking intoxicants, is considerate to others and always cultivates sympathetic feelings towards others. Leading such a puritanical way of life, his status ascends or rises higher and higher as one living on the ground to sitting on a chair, to riding on a horse, to riding on an ornamented elephant and then on to residing in a fully decorated house and thus he is sure to be reborn in the higher deva worlds or at least in the human world at a higher influential position. Such type of a person is categorized as one who goes to brightness from brightness.
Now let me recall our present position. Here our meditators are well-to-do in the present life with normal health, wealth and intelligence as a result of the wholesome deeds of the previous existence. And also you are all endowed with a reasonably comfortable life and have a chance to be able to come to this Mahasi Meditation Centre where Satipatthana Bhavana insight meditation can be systematically studied and performed or practiced under the guidance of experienced meditation masters. Thus you can all be regarded as achieving the brightness of life. To be always in this brightness, you should all strictly adhere to wholesome activities throughout your life-span. If you do indulge in both wholesome and unwholesome activities, you are not sure of your future destination whether it will be in brightness or darkness. It is as if you are dropping a piece of paper from a high tree, the paper can land on the ground or on the surface of water or on a thorny bush or in the mud. A person who is not an ariya, that is, one who has not attained magga nana, is never secure about this future existence. Only an ariya who has attained magga nana can be certain to be reborn in brightness.
Lord Buddha, in the introduction of the Satipatthana Sutta, said that only meditators practicing the four divisions of Satipatthana Vipassana Bhavana or insight meditation namely,
1) Contemplation of the physical body (kayanupassana).
2) Contemplation of the feeling or sensation (vedananupassana).
3) Contemplation of the mind (cittanupassana).
4) Contemplation of the mind objects or conditions (dhammanupassana).
To the full extent with the utmost desire enthusiastically will be able to gain magga nana in this very existence. Thus our meditators should endeavor to the best of their abilities to achieve the noble full-fledged path knowledge magga nana.
Therefore, it is advisable that since our meditators are fortunately born during the Buddha Sasana (Buddha Teachings), they should endeavor their utmost effort to attain magga nana through vipassana meditation as vipassana is available only during the Buddha Sasana. After attaining magga nana, all unwholesome activities are being surmounted by themselves and you are sure to achieve brightness: human world or heavenly world and thence due to the accumulation of wholesome deeds in many forthcoming existences, you will achieve the most cherished goal of Nibbana, the cessation of all sufferings. Thus with firm conviction, all meditators will surmount all unwholesome thoughts, speech and actions and achieve progress of insight knowledge through the stages of purification and strive hard for deliverance.
May all meditators be able to practice Satipatthana Vipassana Bhavana meditation steadfastly and continuously with perseverance and attain the perpetual peace of Nibbana in the shortest and quickest way.
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
