20a: Teaching Ven. Rāhula
[I have removed a fairly large section of text from here, as it was repeated in mostly the same words in chapter 31 below.]
When the Buddha was residing at Veḷuvana monastery in Rājagaha during the second Rains Retreat (Vassa), Rāhula, then a young novice, was residing in Ambalaṭṭhika meditation monastery and living a life of solitude (viveka). It was so-called because it was built near a mango sapling at the far edge of Veḷuvana monastery.
Just as a thorn naturally has a sharp point from the beginning of its growth, young Rāhula practiced physical solitude (kāya-viveka) and mental solitude (citta-viveka) since he was a youthful novice at the age of seven, without having been exhorted by anyone.
At that time, one cool evening, the Buddha, after rising from fruition attainment (phala-samāpatti), went to Ambalaṭṭhika meditation monastery and the novice Rāhula. When Rāhula saw him coming from a distance, he arranged the seating place for him and placed in readiness the water for washing his feet. The Buddha sat on the reserved seat after washing his feet, which was merely as a gracious acceptance of service rendered by a dutiful disciple, because his feet were always free from dust. Novice Rāhula seated himself at a spot free from the six kinds of fault, after making respectful homage to him.
1. The Buddha left a small amount of water in the basin after washing his feet and asked Rāhula: “My son Rāhula, do you see the small amount of water I have left in the basin?” – “Yes, my Lord,” replied Rāhula. Then he exhorted him: “Just as the water left in the basin is small, so the good and noble ascetic’s life, which should be practised to eradicate the defilements, is hopelessly small in the physical and mental continuum of persons who knowingly speak lies without any sense of shame.”
This was the first exhortation given by the Buddha.
2. The Buddha then poured away the little water he had left in the basin, and asked: “Son Rāhula, do you see I have thrown away the small amount of water?” – “Yes, my Lord,” replied Rāhula. Then he exhorted him: “Just as I have thrown away the little water in the basin, so persons, who knowingly speak lies without any sense of shame, throw away the good and noble ascetic’s life which eradicates defilements.”
Thus the Buddha gave the second exhortation.
3. The Buddha then overturned the basin placing it with its opening downwards, and asked Rāhula: “Do you see that I have overturned the basin?” – “Yes, my Lord,” replied Rāhula. Then he exhorted him: “Son Rāhula, just as the basin has been overturned, so persons who knowingly speak lies without any sense of shame have already repudiated the good and noble ascetic’s life which eradicates defilements.”
Thus the third
4. Then again the Buddha turned up the overturned basin, but by that time there was not a drop of water in the basin, and he said to Rāhula: “Son Rāhula, do you see this basin is without a single drop of water in it and it is altogether purposeless?” – “Yes, my Lord,” replied Rāhula. He then exhorted him: “Like this water basin without a drop of water in it which is altogether purposeless, so too within the shameless persons who knowingly tell lies, all is vain, and there is not a drop of the good and noble ascetic’s life which eradicates defilements.”
The Buddha, thereafter, proceeded to expound the discourse that follows: “My son Rāhula, take the worldly example of the performances of a warring elephant of a king. It worked with its fore legs as well as with its hind legs in a battlefield; it killed and destroyed all enemies coming within its reach by striking with its fore legs or by kicking with its hind legs. It worked with the fore as well as with the hind part of its body; as the opportunity arose, it smashed the enemy’s roofed wooden defence barricades with its fore or hind part of its body.
It also worked with its forehead, preparing to charge or stampede in any direction it gauged and took position moving backwards to muster strength and then stared intently. The very sight of the immense warrior elephant glaring thus struck terror into thousands of enemy troops and they fell into disarray. It also made use of its ears; it struck off the enemy arrows with its ears and made them fall to the ground. It also worked with the pair of its tusks; it gored the enemy elephants, horses, elephanteers, cavalry and infantry with its pair of tusks. It used its tail too; it cut and hacked the enemy with knives and maces tied to its tail with creeping vines. However, it still protected its trunk by coiling it into its mouth.
Reflecting on these performances of the king’s warring elephant, the thought occurred in the mind of its rider: “This warrior elephant of the king, on the battlefield, works with both its pair of fore legs and hind legs, and with the fore part of its body as well as with its hind part. It also works with its forehead, its pair of ears, pair of tusks and also with its tail. However it protects its trunk by thrusting it into its mouth. This warrior elephant has no mind yet to sacrifice its life.
Son Rāhula, at another time, the king’s great warrior elephant on the battlefield as stated above worked with its fore legs as well as with its hind legs … it fought also with its tail. With its trunk also it worked, holding aloft iron or wooden maces, and striking and demolishing targets eighteen cubits high.
On seeing this behaviour of the warrior elephant, it occurred to the mind of the rider: “The king’s great warrior elephant in battle has worked with its fore legs as well as with its hind legs … it has worked with its tail. It has also worked with its trunk. The king’s warrior elephant has given up its life. Now there is nothing the mighty warrior elephant would not do.” Son Rāhula, I say unto you, in like manner for the shameless person who knowingly tells lies, there is no act of demerit which he dares not do.
Therefore Rāhula, you should resolve: ‘I will not speak lies, even jokingly or even for fun,’ and strive to observe the three training rules (sikkhā).”
The Buddha had thus profoundly stressed the importance of refraining from telling lies. He went on: “Son Rāhula, what do you think of what I am about to ask you? Answer me as you please. What are the benefits of a mirror?” Rāhula replied: “One can benefit from it by improving one’s facial appearance when one sees black moles and pimples reflected in it.”
“In like manner, son Rāhula, one’s physical, verbal and mental activities should be performed after due observation and consideration with one’s eye of wisdom.” With this brief preface to serve as a table of contents, the Buddha taught the discourse dealing elaborately on how one should do bodily actions, how one should speak, and how one should exercise the mind with great care and only after careful consideration use one’s intellectual faculty.
The full elaboration of the discourse should be read in the text or its translation. But a
When an intention arises to perform a physical, verbal or mental act, before doing any of them, one should deliberate first: “Would my intended physical, verbal or mental action prove to be harmful to myself, to another person or to both? Would they become demeritorious deeds which would cause increased suffering?” If, after deliberation, the intended actions would prove harmful to oneself, to another or both; or would become demeritorious deeds which would cause increased suffering, one should strive to avoid performing such physical, verbal and mental deeds. On the other hand, after deliberation, if these intended actions prove not to be harmful to oneself, to another or to both; or would become meritorious deeds which would promote happiness (sukha), then such physical, verbal and mental deeds should be performed.
Likewise, while in the process of performing a physical, verbal or mental deed, one should deliberate thus: “Is what I am doing, saying or thinking harmful to myself, to another or to both? Are they demeritorious deeds causing increased suffering?” If, after deliberation, they are found to be so, one should, with moral aversion, cease performing any such deeds without proceeding any further. On the other hand if, after deliberation, they are found to be not harmful to oneself, to another or to both, but are meritorious deeds furthering the cause of happiness and well-being, they should be pursued with vigour, again and again.
When any physical, verbal or mental act has been performed, one should deliberate as in the foregoing manner thus: “Have my physical, verbal or mental actions been harmful to myself, to another or to both? Have they been demeritorious deeds that have caused increased suffering?” If they proved to be so, with regard to demeritorious physical and verbal deeds, admission must be made before the Buddha or a wise and knowledgeable fellow disciple, frankly, clearly and without reservation that such wrong physical and verbal acts have been committed. Then one must discipline oneself that such wrong deeds will not recur in future.
With regard to demeritorious mental activities that have been committed, one should be weary of such mental acts, be ashamed of them and loath them. One must also exercise restraint and discipline oneself so that such misdeeds will not recur in future.
If, after such retrospection and deliberation, one finds that one’s physical, verbal or mental deeds have not harmed oneself or another or both but have contributed to promote happiness and well-being, then night and day, one may dwell in the joy and satisfaction associated with such meritorious deeds and one must further strive in the observance of the three trainings (sikkhā).
All the Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas and noble disciples (ariya-sāvaka) of the past, the future and the present had lived, will live and are living in this manner, deliberating and retrospecting on their physical, verbal and mental deeds and they have purified, will purify and are purifying all their physical, verbal and mental actions.
The Buddha concluded the discourse with these words of exhortation: “Dear son Rāhula, you should bear in mind always to strive for the purity of your bodily actions, verbal actions, and mental actions by way of deliberation and reviewing them and develop the observance of the three trainings.”
Herein a question may arise as to when and where such physical, verbal and mental actions may occur and how they should be purified and absolved.
No time should be lost. The physical and verbal actions, which are done in the morning, should be purified and absolved immediately after the meal, as one sits down at the very place where one would spend the day.
A monastic is required to review any offensive physical and verbal act he has done against anyone from dawn to the time of his arrival at the place where he is sitting to spend the day. If he recollects that he has done anything wrong against someone, either by physical or verbal action, he should make a confession to fellow monastics, by way of informing them or making them clear
As regards mental activities, he should seek to be purified and absolved from them while still going on the alms round, by retrospecting thus: “While going on the alms round today, has there arisen in me, because of visual objects, etc., any mild or stronger form of greed, any offensive anger or any kind of delusion?” If he should find that some such thought has indeed arisen in him, he should resolve: “I will not allow such thoughts of greed, anger or delusion to arise again.” If no wrong thoughts have arisen in him he should feel joy and satisfaction for himself and he should continue to dwell in that serene state of mind.