Saturday, February 11, 2017

The Benefits of Recollecting the Special Qualities of the Buddha


                            
As long as someone recollects the Buddha’s special qualities, his mind is not invaded either by greed, hate or delusion. His mind is quite upright with the Buddha as object. And by absence of the invasion of greed, etc., his mind faces the subject of meditation with rectitude; then his applied and sustained thoughts occur with a tendency towards the special qualities of the Buddha. When he continually practices the applied and sustained thoughts upon the Buddha’s special qualities, happiness arises in him. And then with his mind happy, his bodily disturbance and mental disturbance are tranquillized by tranquility which has happiness as proximate cause. When they have been tranquillized, bodily bliss and mental bliss arise in him. When he is blissful, his mind, with the Buddha’s special qualities as its object, becomes concentrated, thus the Jhana factors eventually arise in a single moment. But because of the profundity of the Buddha’s special qualities, or because of being occupied in recollecting special qualities of many kinds, the Jhana is only access and does not reach absorption (Appana). In addition, when a monk recollects the Buddha’s special qualities, he is respectful and deferential towards the Buddha. He attains an abundance of faith, of mindfulness, of understanding, and of merit. He has much happiness and gladness. He overcomes fear and dread. He is also able to bear pain. He comes to feel as if he were living in the Buddha’s presence. And his body, when the recollection of the Buddha’s special qualities dwells in it, becomes as worthy of veneration as a shrine room. His mind tends towards the stage of the Buddhas. When he encounters an opportunity for transgression, he has awareness of conscience and shame as vivid as though he were face to face with the Buddha. Besides, if he penetrates no higher, he will be at least destined to be born in a happy state.

(THE PATH OF PURIFICATION – VISUDDHIMAGGA, 229-230)

May all Beings be well and happy & attains the fruits of Nibbana.

Suranda Weediyage
BA, Tripitakachariya, Dip in Pali/ Buddhism (Pali & Buddhist University of Sri Lanka), HNDBF,
surandalk@gmail.com
http://www.thebuddhadhamma.wordpress.com

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