Chapter 4 Chapter Two Diligent Enlightenment

It is easy to do what has been damaged; Doing good deeds is actually the hardest thing to do. —— Dhamma Sutra Disappointed but not discouraged, the ascetic monk Gotama, in search of supreme happiness and ultimate truth, traveled through the country of Magadha and traveled all the way to the town of Uruvela in Janani.He found that the scenery here is beautiful, the environment is pleasant, quiet and charming groves, gurgling streams, comfortable beaches, and there is a village not far away, from which daily support can be obtained.he thinks: "The scenery here is really beautiful! Charming groves, gurgling streams, and sandy beaches with clear water. I can also get support in the nearby small villages. All of these are suitable for people who are diligently seeking spiritual cultivation." (1)

Someone here is good for him to practice meditation.The environment is quiet and pleasant, with beautiful scenery.He decided to settle down here alone to realize his dream. ─Chen Ruzeng was the youngest Brahmin who predicted Gautama's future.He and the other four Brahmin sons, Bada, Bati, and Daming, Ashi said, heard that Gautama had become a monk and had abandoned the worldly life, and came to practice with him together. In ancient India, religious ceremonies, austerities and sacrifices were considered extremely important.It is generally believed that in order to attain liberation, one must practice extreme austerities.Therefore, the ascetic monk Gotama practiced various severe austerities diligently for six years with superhuman perseverance.He was spoiled and spoiled since he was a child, and he was as thin as a skeleton.However, the worse his body was tortured, the farther his goal was from him.

In many sutras, the Buddha described how he adopted various methods and worked diligently to achieve ultimate success. In the Mahasattha Sutra (2), the Buddha described his beginnings in this way: "I think this way: If I clench my teeth, stick my tongue to the roof of my mouth, and use good thoughts to control, overcome, and finally eliminate evil thoughts, during this struggle, sweat will flow from the sockets of my limbs." "So, I gritted my teeth, pressed my tongue against the palate, and tried to control, overcome, and finally eliminate the evil thoughts with good thoughts. During this struggle, sweat kept flowing from the sockets of my limbs."

"Just as a strong man grabs a weak man by the head or shoulders and throws him down to make him obey himself, so I practice penance." "Energetic, unyielding, mindfulness here without being disturbed. However, my body was exhausted, and the pain was unbearable due to unremitting penance, and my body and mind were unstable. Although the pain was unbearable, but this It didn't affect my mind." "Then, I thought again: What if I practiced Anapana meditation?" "Therefore, I refrained from breathing through my mouth and nose. As I did so, the air poured in through my ears, making a loud noise, like a blacksmith's bellows pumping strong winds, and making a roar. Before I held my breath and the air rushing in through the ears made the same roar."

"I was energetic and diligent, and my mindfulness was established without interference. Due to my persistent perseverance, my body was weak and irritable. However, these painful feelings did not affect my thoughts." "Then I thought: What if I continue to practice something other than breathing?" "Therefore, I controlled my breathing through the nose, mouth, and ears. When I held my breath like this, the gas trapped in my body hit my head violently, like a strong man holding a sharp steel drill, A hole was drilled in a man's skull. Similarly, when I stopped breathing, the air hit my head, throbbing violently. But these physical pains had no effect on my mind. .”

"Then, I thought: What if I practice non-breathing meditation all over again?" "Therefore, I controlled my breathing from my mouth, nose and ears. When I held my breath like this, my head hurt like a split, which was unbearable. It was like being firmly bound by a strong man with a hard belt. .Also, my headache is unbearable." "However, I am energetic and diligent, and such unbearable pain does not affect my thoughts." "Then, I thought: What if I experience the bliss of non-breathing Zen again?" "Therefore, I stopped breathing from my mouth, nose and ears. When I held my breath in this way, a strong air current hit my belly, as if being cut open with a sharp butcher's knife by a skilled butcher, or a butcher's apprentice. Same."

"However, I was energetic and diligent, and such unbearable pain did not affect my thoughts." "Once again I thought: what if I experience Zen bliss again that is not breathing?" "Therefore, I controlled my breathing from my mouth, nose and ears. When I held my breath like this, a huge flame burned my whole body, like two strong men grabbing a weak man with their hands and putting him on a blazing fire. grilled in a blazing fire." "However, I was full of energy and effort, and such painful feelings did not affect my thoughts." "When the gods saw me like this, they said: 'The ascetic Gotama is dead.' But there were also gods who said: 'The ascetic Gotama is not dead, but he is dying.' Another god said: 'The ascetic Gotama is neither dead. He is not dying. He is already an arhat (3), and this is how an arhat lives.'”

"Then, I thought: What if I fasted completely without food?" "All the heavenly beings approached me and said: 'Good people, don't eat nothing. If you must, we will inject the essence of heaven through your pores, and you will survive.'" "However, I thought: I have made up my mind to practice fasting. If these days people inject the essence of heaven through the pores of my body, I will bear the bad name of deceiving the world. Therefore, I refused them." "Then, I thought this way: What if I cut down my food gradually, drank only a small amount of mung bean juice, and ate some fruits, lentils, etc.?"

"Therefore, I drank only a little thin soup, and ate some dry food, and I became very thin. From lack of food, many parts of the body were like rushes. The buttocks were like the back of a camel. From fasting, my My spine is uneven like a string of beads. My ribs look like the rafters of a dilapidated house because of lack of nutrition. My eyeballs are sunken deep in their sockets because of starvation, like sinking into deep water. Due to lack of nutrition, the skin on my head is shriveled and wrinkled, like a pumpkin cut raw, completely shriveled under the wind and sun.” "When I stroke my belly, I grab my spine; when I touch my spine, I touch my belly. In this way, due to the lack of sufficient food, my belly clings to my spine. Due to insufficient nutrition, when defecation , I would fall from my unsteadiness, and beat my limbs hard, trying to regain consciousness. But the bad thing is, due to lack of nutrition, the dirt on my body keeps falling off. See my People say this: 'The skin of the ascetic Gotama is black.' But others say: 'The skin of the ascetic Gotama is neither black nor blue, but tawny.' So damaged."

"Then, I thought this way: No matter how much pain and unbearable feelings the Brahmins or ascetics of the past have endured, they must have experienced what I have suffered, but not more. No matter how twisted the future Brahmins or ascetics will go through The suffering, unbearable suffering and unbearable experience did not bring me the wisdom beyond the world, and even attain the ultimate perfection. Maybe there is another way to enlightenment." The long austerities proved fruitless and only drained his energy.Although he has extraordinary endowments, his pampered body cannot bear such a huge loss.His majestic features had lost their former splendor and were so emaciated that they were beyond recognition.The golden luster became pale and dull, and the blood in his body was almost dried up.Muscles withered, eyes sunken and dull, the whole body looked like a skeleton.He is hovering on the brink of death.

He sits on the bank of the Nilian Chan River in meditation with one heart, diligently seeks to prove the supreme and perfect peace and happiness (Padhana), and hopes for the most beautiful.At this critical juncture, the demon king Namoga (4) came to his side and said sweetly (5): "You're so thin, death is by your side." "The vast majority of your life already belongs to the god of death, and only a little bit belongs to you. Kind sir, live on, it is better to live than to die, and you can do good deeds. You can get many merits by celibacy, and you are so diligent. What is it for? The path of refinement is difficult and tortuous, and it is really difficult to complete.” The Venerable said to the Demon King: "Devil King, lazy relatives and friends, you are here for your own benefit. You have no merit at all. Demon King, you should say so to those who need merit." "Faith (saddha), patience (tapo), diligence (viriya) and wisdom (panna) are mine. For me who have such thoughts, why do you still talk about existence?" "The stream will dry up under the blowing of the wind. With such diligent practice, why can't my blood dry up?" "When the blood dries up, other semen disappears. When the body no longer exists, the consciousness becomes more and more clear. Mindfulness, wisdom and meditation become more firm and solid." "After experiencing the most suffering, settle down, and stop thinking about desires, so as to see the purity of all beings." "Lust (kama) is your first army; hatred (arati) is second; craving (khuppipasa) is third; craving (tanha) is fourth; sloth (thinamiddha) is fifth; fear (bhiru) is the sixth; doubt (vicikiccha) is the seventh; destructive attachment (makkhathabha) is the eighth; acquisition (labha), flattery (siloka), honor (sakkara) and unrighteous reputation (yasa) are ninth; The higher self (attukkamsanaparavambhana) is the tenth." "Devil king, this is your demon crowd, believers of unkind people. Cowards can't do anything to you, but those who overcome you will be happy." "Showing the eternal flower crown (8), what is the benefit of growing in this world? It is equal to survival Death is worse than death in battle." "Many Brahmans and Brahmins did not see fierce battles on the battlefield. They did not know the virtues and were not honest." "I saw the demon king sitting on the elephant, and the demon army was everywhere. I rushed to fight, and the demon king could not shake me. I will easily fight with my wisdom. Eliminate your demonic army that cannot be defeated by the crowds. It is like smashing an unbaked clay pot with a stone. Concentrate on one place, establish righteous thoughts, act everywhere, and train disciples. Pursue diligently, practice orthodox teaching, Ignore you and others, and reach the state of bliss.” However, from his practice, the ascetic monk Gotama finally fully realized that the ascetic practice of self-torture has nothing to do with the Tao.Philosophers at the time believed that this was an essential method of liberation.In fact, such austerities only weaken the intellect and weary the spirit.He did not hesitate to renounce for ever extreme austerities, just as he had renounced material comforts that hindered moral cultivation.Therefore, he thought and summed up the law of the bright and righteous way.This method of righteousness later became one of the important features of his teaching. He recalled that when his father was farming, he had sat under a cool pippala tree and absorbed himself naturally into the meditation on anapana, which led him to the first jhana (jhana) ).So he thought, "Yes, this is the way to enlightenment." At the same time, he also realized that with such an exhausted body, it was impossible to achieve enlightenment.Physical fitness is an important condition for spiritual development.Therefore, he decided to regain his physical condition and began to eat some dry food and porridge. His five favorite disciples served him meticulously, because they believed that when the ascetic Gotama realized the truth, he would share it with them.However, now he unexpectedly changed his ways. They were disappointed by this, and resolutely left him and came to Luyangyuan.They say that the ascetic Gotama stopped practicing and lived a life of luxury and comfort. At this very moment when he needed help most, his companions left him, leaving him alone.But he wasn't discouraged.From another perspective, their voluntary departure is also beneficial to him.While it is certainly helpful to have someone by your side during these moments of effort, great men are often alone in the woods, realizing profound truths and solving complex problems. After eating some simple meals, he regained his energy and went on to realize the first jhana which he had acquired early in his childhood. Step by step, he realized the second jhana, the third jhana and even the fourth jhana. Through meditation, he controls the mind in one place.The heart is like a bright mirror, and all dharmas are reflected faithfully.Therefore, his heart is quiet, clean, free from greed, soft, vigilant, firm and unshakable, and his consciousness points directly to the wisdom of past lives (pubbenivasanussatinana), recalling all kinds of previous lives.First second…….Until the fiftieth birth, then thousands of births, ten thousand births, ten thousand births, the birth of many worlds, the demise and evolution of many worlds.In such a place, his name, caste, food, pain and joy experienced, and the end of a lifetime.After this life is over, another land, its name, caste, food, pain and happiness experienced, and the end of life are born.Finally born in this world.In this way, he recalled the way of life and the details of his previous life.This is the very perception that he recognizes for the first time in the night.Having removed his ignorance of past dharmas, he recalled the birth and death of all living beings (cutupapatanana) with a pure heart, and with his celestial eyes, he saw all living beings reborn from one world to another, and saw all beings equally and without hindrance.Whether humble or noble, beautiful or ugly, happy or painful, they reincarnate in the world according to their actions.Some virtuous people, due to evil deeds, evil words, malice, slandering the saints, evil beliefs, and after the physical body is separated, are born in evil realms; Saints, orthodox believers, those who strive to follow the orthodox faith, when the four elements are separated and their lives return to the Nine Springs, they will be reborn in the happy world. In this way, he observed the reincarnation of all living beings with the celestial eye power of a sage.This is exactly the second knowledge that he realized in the night, eliminating the ignorance of the future, with a pure heart, pointing directly to the realization of the cessation of afflictions (Asavakkhaya nana). He realizes as it really is: this is suffering, this is the arising of suffering, this is the end of suffering, and this is the way to the cessation of suffering; Termination, this is the way to eliminate afflictions.Knowing this way and being so enlightened, his consciousness is freed from troubles such as lust, desire for life, and ignorance. After liberation, he understood: "has been liberated." And realized: "Reincarnation has been broken, the holy body has been realized, everything can be done, and there will be no afterlife." This is the third perception that he realized at the third hour of the night.Ignorance is eliminated, wisdom is born, darkness disappears, and light arrives. [Note] (1) "Central".The first volume, the twenty-sixth sutra, the Rama Sutra.p. 267. (2) "Central".The first volume, the thirty-sixth classic.p. 242. (3) Arhat is a Buddhist term, probably similar to a saint, and is often translated as such.The original intention is to respond.Derived from a verb, it is used in the sense of should, or worthy. (4) Another title of the devil.According to some scriptures, there are five demon kings, namely: demon (devaputta), lust (kilesa), karma (abhisamkhara), aggregate body (khandha), and death (maccu). (5) "Jing Ji".The third part is the second sutra, the Sutra of Diligence.Page 77 onwards. (6) Because of willingness to be poor. (7) That is: there is no way to determine the goal of affirmation. (8) Kshatriyas wear Moga grass rings on their heads or decorated on flags, which means that they will never retreat on the battlefield. (9) Defilements, for the realms, up to the highest realm, and for the stream of consciousness, Gotrabhu.There are four afflictions, namely: greed (kama), existence (bhava), wrong view (ditthi), and ignorance (avijja).In this particular context, only three are mentioned.Here it refers to the desire to be reborn in the Form Realm and the Formless Realm.