Software Vault: The Sapphire Collection/Software Vault (Sapphire Collection) (Digital Impact).ISO/cdr14/teachers.zip/TEACHERS.TXT

Text File | 1994-12-19 | 26KB | 493 lines

  =======================================================================
  This file is uploaded to CompuServe by the Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial
  Trust, UK, who also has the Copyright to this publication. This
  publication can be copied and distributed but not altered or changed
  =======================================================================




                         *PRACTISING WHAT WE PREACH*
                              Sayagyi U Chit Tin


                //Pamojjakaranam thanam etam hoti vijanatam
                Yadidam bhavitattanam dhammajivinam.
                Te jotayanti saddhammam bhasayanti pabhankara
                Alokakaranan dhira cakkhumanto rananjaha.
                Yesam ve sasanam sutva sammadanjaya pandita
                Jatikkhayam abhinnaya nagacchanti punabbhavam.//

     This is the state of those who cause delight, that is to say, those who
  discriminate, those with developed self, living according to the doctrine.

     They make it shine, they have the true Doctrine proclaimed. Bringers
  of light, producers of sight, they are firm, those who have vision, who
  abandon sense desires.

     Truly, all those who hear the teaching, (who become) wise men of
  perfect knowledge, knowing the destruction of birth, do not go to a new
  life.
                                                        Itivuttaka, 108f.


                             *The Right Teacher*

     These verses conclude a discourse by the Buddha to a group of bhikkhus
  (monks) in which he describes the qualities of good teachers and the
  advantages of following them.[1]  A good teacher is endowed with virtue,
  concentration, wisdom, deliverance, and the vision and knowledge of
  deliverance. A good teacher admonishes, makes others understand,
  instructs, incites, fills others with enthusiasm, gladdens, is competent
  as a teacher, and is able to see and experience the true doctrine. It is
  of great profit to see such a teacher, to hear him teach, to meet with
  him, to sit down and be instructed by him, to remember what he teaches,
  and to go forth with him. If we join him in practising the teachings, we
  will be able to grow in and fulfil virtue, concentration, wisdom, and the
  vision and knowledge of deliverance.

     There is a saying in English, "Do as I say, not as I do." This is the
  refuge of those who believe they know the right way to act, but who excuse
  themselves for not being able to put what they believe into action. It may
  be that what they teach is good. But how can you be sure? If what they say
  you should do is true, why do they not make the effort themselves?
  Obviously, their understanding is not complete. The Buddha said that a
  person who is sunk into the mud cannot pull out another person sunk in the
  mud, but a person who is not sunk into mud can do so.[2]

     The Buddha was not that kind of teacher. In speaking of himself, he
  said, "Bhikkhus, as he speaks, so he does; as he does, so he speaks. This
  is why he is called a Perfected One (Tathagata)."[3]In other words, he
  practised what he preached, and he preached what he practised. It is
  important that those who pass on his teachings do the same. The Buddha
  said that there are three types of teachers: [4]

     (1) There is the teacher who bases what he teaches on tradition,
     hearsay, report, on the authority of texts. Such a teacher may remember
     or understand certain parts of what he has learned correctly, but other
     parts he will not remember or understand correctly.

     (2) Other teachers put their faith in logic and investigating. They
     teach their own system which they have worked out through reasoning and
     testing. Part of what they teach will be correctly worked out through
     logic, but part will be incorrect.

     (3) The third type of teacher fully understands the truth, the Dhamma,
     on his own. He directly experiences the truth, which no one has taught
     him. The Buddha was this third type of teacher.

     The Buddha is the teacher in the full sense of the word for those who
  put his teachings into practice. All other teachers after him depend on
  him in the sense that the Buddha needed no one to teach him the path to
  the discovery of truth. Fortunately for others, he was able to teach the
  way to achieve the final goal of liberation from all suffering. Through
  following the Buddha's Teachings, others are able to experience the truth
  for themselves and not depend on tradition or logic. Those who do not
  realize the truth directly for themselves will, of course, depend on
  tradition and on logic. Buddhist teachers who have not reached the final
  goal can make mistakes. Thus, it is of the utmost importance that they
  practise what they are teaching. They will have to continually examine
  themselves and be open to correcting their mistakes. They must deepen
  their intellectual understanding and, more important, their personal
  understanding through experience.


                                *How to Teach*

     The Buddha pointed out that it is very difficult to teach the truth,
  and he gave five things which a teacher should summon up in his mind when
  giving a discourse on the doctrine to others:[5] (l) The teacher is intent
  on giving a gradual discourse -- one in which the listener will be
  introduced to the doctrine in a progressive way, with each step clearly
  following the other. (2) The teacher is intent on explaining well -- using
  appropriate illustrations, for example. (3) The teacher is intent on
  teaching with compassion. (4) The teacher is intent on not wishing for
  material gain. The teachings are freely given without any ulterior motive.
  (5) The teacher does not give a teaching that will be harmful to himself
  or to others.

     There are many teachers of all sorts of subjects in this world, but
  there are very few who will fulfil all five of these criteria. This is not
  necessarily a criticism, of course. People who earn their livelihood by
  teaching in schools will need to earn enough to live on, so they will be
  intent on material gain. The other four points, however, could help guide
  their approach to teaching. Teaching the Dhamma that the Buddha discovered
  and taught to others is different from ordinary teaching, however. It is
  very important that the Teachings not be distorted or changed. A teacher
  who is ever mindful of presenting the Dhamma in an intelligent manner and
  in a way that is easily understood by his listeners, who is full of
  compassion for others, who is not looking for riches or personal glory,
  and who desires that all beings -- including himself -- be free from harm,
  such a teacher will help to keep alive the Buddha's Teachings.

     In the world today, just as in the time of the Buddha, there are many
  different teachings, all claiming to lead to ultimate truth. A person who
  is in search of the truth will need to be very careful if the right path
  is to be chosen.


                         *Finding the Right Teacher*

     There was a young Brahman who asked the Buddha about how to recognize
  the right teacher.[6] Kapathika was only sixteen years old, but he had
  already learned the three Vedas of his own religion. He realized when he
  was listening to the Buddha in conversation with his elders that the
  Buddha would be able to teach him more. The Buddha pointed out to the
  young man that a person could have faith in some teaching, be inclined to
  it, accept it through report or through consideration of logic, or by
  reflecting on and approving of an opinion. The person may preserve the
  teaching he learns, but this is not enough for concluding that it alone is
  truth and all else is false. What is necessary, the Buddha said, is that
  the person awaken to the truth. For this, one will need a teacher who is
  free from greed, aversion, and ignorance.

     If we are to find the right kind of teacher, we must know what
  qualities to look for. The Buddha advised the young man to examine a
  prospective teacher. Thus he will see by the teacher's actions and speech
  if he is greedy, or full of aversion, or ignorant and confused. It will
  not always be easy for us to judge correctly, however, as the Buddha
  pointed out to one of his lay disciples, King Pasenadi of Kosala.[7] The
  king asked the Buddha if some passing ascetics were fully Awakened
  (Arahats) or on the path to full Awakening. The Buddha replied that it
  would be difficult for someone like the king to know this, because, as a
  layman, he was still surrounded by sensual pleasures and tied down by a
  family. He still used perfumes and garlands of flowers and handled money.
  Even so, the Buddha explained how to judge another person.

     To know about another person's virtue (sila), you must live together
  with that person over a long period of time. To know whether another
  person is pure of thought, you must have dealings with that person for a
  long time. To know another person's steadfastness, you must see that
  person in times of trouble over a long period of time. To know another
  person's wisdom, you must have conversation with that person over a long
  period of time. All this is possible only if you pay careful attention and
  if you are wise yourself.

     So we can see that it is not an easy matter to recognize a good
  teacher. You will note the emphasis the Buddha puts on being able to be
  attentive and understand what is right. In his advice to a group of lay-
  men, the Buddha gave instructions similar to the ones he gave to
  Kapathika.[8]  He told the Kalamas that they can know for themselves that
  greed, ill-will, and delusion will work against their own interests.
  Because of these three things, people do unwholesome acts such as killing,
  stealing, adultery, telling lies, and encouraging others to reach such
  states which cause loss and sorrow for a long time. And he tells them to
  reject such things through seeing for themselves that such states are
  wrong.

     Freedom from greed, ill-will, and delusion will lead to avoiding
  unwholesome acts and to encouraging others to reach such states which will
  work for their profit and happiness for a long time. The Buddha told them,
  "When you know for yourselves that these things are profitable, blameless,
  and lead to profit and happiness when put into practice and undertaken,
  then, Kalamas, you should undertake to observe them and live in that way."


                         *The Wrong Kind of Teacher*

     We can look for the right teacher through recognizing the right
  qualities. We can recognize the wrong teacher if he possesses the wrong
  qualities. One of the two chief disciples, Venerable Maha-Moggallana, gave
  a discourse in which he outlined ten qualities which show that a person
  has come to a halt halfway on his way to the goal.[9] If a person
  possesses these qualities, they will become evident over a period of time,
  for even if a person is imitating what he considers to be the conduct of a
  good person, there will be times that his true nature will show through.
  Thus, we should not follow a person who shows anger, who is grudging, who
  questions other people's virtues, who is spiteful, envious, stingy,
  crafty, a trickster, of wicked desires, or who is confused. One of the
  leading disciples, Venerable Maha-Cunda, gave another list of ten
  qualities which indicate that a person is not to be followed.[10] If a
  person is immoral, an unbeliever, of little learning, foulspoken, wicked,
  slothful, confused, a fraud, difficult to support, and weak in wisdom,
  then that person is regressing rather than progressing in the Teachings.

     Then Ven. Maha-Cunda gave an illustration. If a person says to us, "If
  you ever need money, my friend, ask me and I will give it to you." But
  when the time comes and you ask for the money, he says, "Dig here." You
  dig, but you do not find any money. When you reproach him, saying, "You
  told me a lie," he tells you to try elsewhere, then finally he pleads that
  he was out of his mind, distracted when he made his promise.


                          *Following the Teachings*

     Once we have found a teacher, the Buddha advised the young man
  Kapathika, we should then have confidence in him or her, approach the
  teacher, sit down near by, and listen attentively to the teaching. We
  should remember what we hear and put it to the test. By testing the
  teachings, we approve of them and this leads to a desire to make an
  effort. Then we consider our effort and strive further. Finally, through
  being self-resolute, we will eventually realize for ourselves the highest
  truth itself.

     There was a man who applied the sort of examination we have described
  to the Buddha.  The brahman Brahmayu, who was very learned in his own
  religion, heard of the reputation of the Buddha.[11] As he was a hundred
  and twenty years old, he sent his student Uttara to see if what he had
  heard was true. This young man followed the Buddha like a shadow for seven
  months and then reported back to Brahmayu. Uttara's report includes many
  details on the physical appearance and deportment of the Buddha. Let us
  simply quote a few remarks that tie in with the qualities of a good
  teacher. Uttara says that the Buddha "does not strive after hurt of self,
  he does not strive after hurt of others, he does not strive after hurt of
  both. The revered Gotama sits down striving only after his own good, the
  good of others, the good of both, the good of the whole world."[12]

     When the Buddha came to the district where Brahmayu lived, Brahmayu
  went to see him. The Buddha gave him a talk on generosity, morality, and
  how to attain rebirth in the higher realms. He explained the peril,
  vanity, and depravity of sensual pleasures and the advantage in renouncing
  them. Then the Buddha saw that Brahmayu's mind was receptive and he taught
  the Four Noble Truths that are discovered by all the Buddhas: the truth of
  suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of the
  cessation of suffering, and the truth of the way leading to the cessation
  of suffering.


                    *The Example Set by Sayagyi U Ba Khin*

     It is because the Buddha's Teachings have been practised and taught for
  over 2500 years that we can continue to do so today. The Community of
  Bhikkhus (monks) has been especially important in this continuation of the
  Teachings, and we today are very fortunate in being able to come into
  contact with them. But laymen, too, have been instrumental in keeping the
  Teachings alive.

     Sayagyi U Ba Khin was just such a layman.[13] When he learned of the
  possibility of practising the Dhamma, he risked his career to have a
  taste. He made rapid progress in his meditation under the guidance of
  another layman, Saya Thetgyi. His teacher had practised under one of the
  foremost scholars of his time, the monk Venerable Ledi Sayadaw. Ven. Ledi
  Sayadaw was well known not only in Myanmar but also in the West, where
  many of his texts were translated and published.

     Sayagyi U Ba Khin was also very successful in lay life, rising to the
  post of Accountant General of Myanmar. He was so effective, the government
  appointed him to four posts with the status of Head of Department at one
  time. At the same time, he taught meditation to others. At first, he
  taught in a room at his office. Then, he formed a Vipassana Research Group
  which founded the International Meditation Centre in Yangon.

     Those of us who were closely associated with Sayagyi over the years
  were able to appreciate how scrupulously he followed the Buddha's
  Teachings himself, and we benefited from the Teachings through his
  guidance. Sayagyi described himself as an experimentalist, a student of
  practical Buddhism. He was constantly verifying the results obtained
  through Buddhist meditation, aware that it is all too easy to deviate from
  the true path.

     The path taught by the Buddha can be summed up under three main
  headings, which are found in the good qualities a teacher must possess
  that we have already mentioned. The path includes: (1) virtue or moral
  action (sila), (2) concentration or purity of mind (samadhi), and (3)
  wisdom or understanding (panna). Sayagyi U Ba Khin was outstanding in all
  three of these.

     As a layman, Sayagyi always observed the five precepts of refraining
  from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, or taking intoxicants.
  In addition, he was often able to observe ten precepts for two weeks each
  month. The ten precepts are the hardest set of rules for laymen to keep as
  they include not eating after noon and not handling money. This last
  precept might sound impossible for an Accountant General, but Sayagyi was
  able to delegate such responsibilities to others.

     His honesty was well known in Burma, and it is thanks to the good
  example which he set that he was able to check corruption and inefficiency
  in the various departments under his charge. Indeed, a special law was
  passed, allowing him to continue work long after the mandatory retirement
  age.

     Virtue is the basis on which all other achievements are founded in
  Buddhist meditation. Without good morals, we cannot hope to attain good
  concentration -- the essential requirement if we are to understand
  reality. We were constantly reminded of this by Sayagyi, who knew this not
  only in theory but also through personal experience.

     We can best appreciate Sayagyi's command of concentration and wisdom
  through his teaching. Only a person who had a high level of achievement
  could teach others to make good progress in these domains.

     The Buddha taught many different methods for concentrating the mind.
  Sayagyi selected the one which is especially appropriate for laypeople.
  That is not to say that it is easy, but the success of so many of his
  students, both Burmese and foreigners, showed Sayagyi that this was an
  appropriate method for laymen. We do not say it is the only method, of
  course. As we saw, a good teacher does not waste his time disparaging
  others. At times, when Sayagyi saw that a person was already following a
  different method and was very committed to it, he would discourage them
  from mixing methods. Everyone, however, who approached this meditation
  with an open mind, ready to follow instructions, was welcome. Sayagyi was
  not interested in personal glory for himself. He was only concerned that
  the method he used be correct with regard to the Buddha's Teachings, and
  that those whom he taught would benefit by it.

     Some of the other methods which lead to concentration are more
  appropriate for those who have decided to go forth from lay life and
  become monks. These methods, if practised correctly, lead to very powerful
  states of mind -- so powerful, that a person who has not adequately cut
  off attachment to the temporary pleasures of this world will fall into
  very dangerous traps. In only extremely rare cases can these high states
  of concentration be attained and correctly maintained by a layman or
  laywoman.

     Sayagyi knew that laypeople could develop insight into the truth of
  reality if they attained a certain level of concentration -- one lower
  than the exalted states more appropriate for monks. What was needed was a
  level of concentration allied to a calm attitude, an equanimous attitude,
  which enables us to observe the true nature of the sensations in our own
  bodies objectively. Through observing their constantly changing nature
  (anicca), we are put into contact at the same time with their
  unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and the lack of a controlling, eternal self
  (anatta).

     Many people worked under his guidance and found that the practice was
  effective, and that it conformed to the Teachings of the Buddha. Even
  those who did not make significant progress in their meditation were able
  to experience the benefits that can be enjoyed here and now.

     Today, those of us who carry on the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin are
  very aware of what an important responsibility rests on our shoulders. We
  must constantly examine ourselves and correct any distortions we may have
  allowed to creep in, and strive with all our might to live up to the
  example set by Sayagyi.

     It is our fervent wish that others will continue to put these Teachings
  into practice, find true happiness for themselves, and come out of all
  their suffering.

  [1]  MA II 191f.

  [2]  MLS I 56.

  [3]  GS II 25; MA II 198. Also translated in Bhikkhu Nanamoli's //The
  Life of the Buddha//, p. 184.

  [4]  LS II 400 (cf. 199-201).

  [5]  GS III 136.

  [6]  MLS II 360.

  [7]  MA II 79, KS I 104.

  [8]  GS I 170-175.

  [9]  GS V 106.

  [10] GS V 107f.

  [11] MLS II 317-332.

  [12] MLS II 325.

  [13] For more information, see //The Anecdotes of Sayagyi U Ba Khin//
  and //Dhamma Texts//, both published by the Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial
  Trust, U.K.



                              Sayagyi U Chit Tin

                          Practising What We Preach




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


*AUSTRIA*:    International Meditation Centre, A-9064 St. Michael/Gurk 6,
            Austria;Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

*EASTERN AUSTRALIA*: International Meditation Centre, Lot 2
            Cessnock Road, Sunshine NSW 2264, Australia;
            Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

*UNITED KINGDOM*: International Meditation Centre, Splatts House,
            Heddington, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 OPE, England;
            Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone],
            Email: CIS, IMC-UK,100330,3304

*USA (East Coast)*: International Meditation Centre, 438 Bankard Road,
            Westminster MD 21158, USA;Tel: [phone],
            Fax: [phone];Email:  CIS, IMC-USA, 74163,2452


*WESTERN AUSTRALIA*: International Meditation Centre, Lot 78
            Jacoby Street, Mahogany Creek WA 6072, Australia;
            Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

*CANADA*:   IMC-Canada, 336 Sandowne Drive, Waterloo, Ontario, N2K 1V8,
            Canada; Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

*GERMANY*:  Sayagyi U Ba Khin Gesellschaft, Christaweg 16, 79114 Freiburg,
            Germany. Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

*JAPAN*:    Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Trust, Komatsuri-Cho 923,
            Kishiwada-Shi, Osaka-Fu, 596 Japan, Tel: [phone]

*THE NETHERLANDS*: Sayagyi U Ba Khin Stichting, Oudegracht 124,
            3511 AW Utrecht, The Netherlands,
            Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

*SINGAPORE*: Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Association,
            9 Penang Road #07-12, Park Mall, Singapore 0923
            Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

*SWITZERLAND*:    Sayagyi U Ba Khin Gesellschaft, Greyerzstrasse 35,
            3013 Bern, Switzerland;Tel: [phone],
            Fax: [phone];Email: CIS, 100256,3576

*USA (West Coast)*: IMC-USA, 77 Kensington Rd., San Anselmo, CA 94960, USA;
        Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

*BELGIUM*:  Address as for the Netherlands, Tel: [phone]

*DENMARK*:  Contact Address: Mr. Peter Drost-Nissen, Strandboulevarden 117,
            3th, 2100 Kopenhagen, Denmark. Tel: [phone]

*ITALY*:    Contact address: Mr. Renzo Fedele, Via Euganea 94, 35033 Bresseo
            PD, Italy.  Tel: [phone]

              --------------------------------------------------
      Published by the Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Trust, United Kingdom
               Address as above, registered charity no. 280134
              --------------------------------------------------

  =======================================================================
  This file is uploaded to CompuServe by the Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial
  Trust, UK, who also has the Copyright to this publication. This
  publication can be copied and distributed but not altered or changed
  =======================================================================


                         DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

TITLE OF WORK: Practising What We Preach
FILENAME: TEACHERS.ZIP
AUTHOR: Sayagyi U Chit Tin
AUTHOR'S ADDRESS: n/a
PUBLISHER'S ADDRESS: International Meditation Centre, Splatts House,
        Heddington, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 OPE, England
COPYRIGHT HOLDER: The Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Trust, U.K.
DATE OF PUBLICATION:
DATE OF DHARMANET DISTRIBUTION: 1994
ORIGIN SITE: BODY DHARMA * Berkeley CA 510/234-9431 DharmaNet (96:101/33.0)

 The copyright holder retains all rights to this work and hereby grants
 electronic distribution rights to DharmaNet International. This work may
 be freely copied and redistributed electronically, provided that the file
 contents (including this Agreement) are not altered in any way and that it
 is distributed at no cost to the recipient. You may make printed copies of
 this work for your personal use; further distribution of printed copies
 requires permission from the copyright holder. If this work is used by a
 teacher in a class, or is quoted in a review, the publisher shall be
 notified of such use. See the title page of this work for any additional
 rights or restrictions that may apply.

       DharmaNet International, P.O. Box 4951, Berkeley, CA 94704-4951