On 16 August 1995 I came to London and I had the opportunity to visit the ‘ Big Bell Tower ' where I had a rest and reflected on Lord Buddha teachings. I heard the sound of the Big Bell which was similar to the fruition of human beings' karma.
For example, Lord Buddha has found the way for all world beings to escape from sufferings. Lord Buddha has set an example for all Dharma seekers to follow. He proclaimed Buddhism 2539 years ago when it was echoing to almost every corner of the world including the World of Brahma, Naga, Deva, Human and Yommaraj ; and until today his religion and teachings are sti|l echoing worldwide. All recognised Lord Buddha as their Supreme Teacher who attained Enlightenment by himself.
Time has passed, but Buddhism is still in existence. In Dharma practice, one of the most important factor is knowledge. Where is knowledge? Knowledgeable about breathing which Prince Siddhartha was searching for six years. This was described in the Buddha Pali as ‘ Pananusati' and there are million types of breathings. Every part of our body is full of millions of tiny holes for breathing which cannot be described in brief.
All I am asking here is for all of you to keep practising Vipassana Samadhi in search of Pananusati as the foundation. It is a mistake to think that we only breath through our nostrils as we have not yet acquired wisdom.
We have to keep searching for the truth and if we are unable to find it we will find ourselves in an ocean of sufferings - suffer in Rupa, Sadda, Gandha, Rasa and Phodhabba. When our eyes see, our feeling (Araman) arises and this gives rise to desires. When we have desires, we suffer Dukkha which is the fruits of what our eyes had seen. Eyes is the source of all desires which is Kilesa.
It is a mistake to think that Kilesa is from our Citta, in actual fact, it is from our eyes and then followed by feeling (Arrom) and desires, which in turn, cause the body to Phodhabba (touch). When Phodhabba is made, a final feeling arises, and the Citta will make a decision for wisdom to examine causes and effects for final decision.
When a right action is carried out happiness, contentment, peace will follow. We will be satisfied and full of happiness which is called in Pali as ‘ Vimutti Sukkha', that is when the Citta is free from Dukkha and sufferings. The Citta is without any doubts, any sadness or discontent. This is why wisdom is very important in Dharma practice. If we lack wisdom, our Citta will decline. Why? Because of Avijja (ignorance) which is darkness.
If we do something wrong, it is called bad karma. Bad karma is Dukkha which is Akusala, and in turn, is sinful. As a result, we will suffer, we will be sad, we will be unhappy, we will be restless, we will be discontent and unsatisfied all of which are Vedhana. If we are unable to escape from Vedana the Citta will keep suffering until all the fruition of bad karma were served. Then we will see light.
If our wisdom is able to catch up with the Sati, undoubtedly we will never commit bad karma. There is a saying in Buddha Pali ‘ Sampanno Sukkhato' which means ‘To be happy or whether to be able get rid off sufferings for Vimutti to develop is not anywhere else, but inside oneself with one's breathing. If we can find that kind of breathing, it means that we will be the Awakened One. If we do not wake up, we will never know that we are hungry. Once waking up, we will know. When we know, we will keep on doing to enjoy the fruition of our right efforts.
Many people, when they sit down, close their eyes and meditate, they think they know the stars, the moon, hell and heaven and become Arahant. In actual fact, this is ignorant. They are lost in darkness, they are lost in an ocean of desires which include to be better than anyone else, or to attain Nibbana. Lord Buddha passed away more than 2539 years ago, who can witness that such a person has become an Arhant. Lord Buddha always said that ‘ Do not be negligent and claim to be the Realised One, but just keep practising Kammathana Vipassana then enjoy the fruition of happiness'.
There is no other happiness than the Boromma Sukkha - Happiness of all Happiness. However, human beings always mistake their own doings. They mistake that they are more knowledgeable than others. They mistake that they have found Lord Buddha. These days, what we have found are Lord Buddha's statues which are made of bronze, cement, stone or clay and so on. These statues are Lord Buddha's representatives.
Nobody knows where is Lord Buddha. According to my experiences and understanding. Lord Buddha is in the Goodness and Righteousness. Where is the Righteousness? It is in the Citta. Lord Buddha is not in the bronze, cement or clay statues. He is in the Goodness and the Righteousness ( Right Understanding, Right Thoughts, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration) .
Lord Teachings of Lord Buddha has 84,000 Phra Dharma Khana. It is the foundation which Lord Buddha has laid down for all of us to follow. They are the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Whichever way we want to follow, we can make a decision ourself. To decide, we have to use our wisdom.
Our wisdom can be found in our breathing which we can use to reduce our sufferings. Reducing sufferings does not simply means hanging Lord Buddha statues around your neck, or by sleeping on Lord Buddha teachings . This is not so. The way to eliminate or reduce our sufferings is to have faith. Faith in Dharma, Goodness and Righteousness. Listen to and Rely on Dharma, Goodness and Righteousness. Our Sankhara is temporary. It rises and falls. It is Anicca. It is Dukkha. Dukkha is just like passing time. In the morning, it is fresh and lively, in the afternoon, when the weather is bit hot, it is uneasy, in the evening, when the weather cools down, it is fresh and lively again.
This is similar to conditions of our Sankhara. After we were born and reached adulthood, let us say, by the age of 30, we are full of desires which is about 70% on the bad karma side and 30% on the good karma side. As we are getting older, let say, by the age of 40-50, our way of thinking starts to change. We tend to do more good karma by attending religious ceremony more often than before. We want to have peace and tranquillity. We tend to do more Kusala karma as we wish to attain Nibbana. I would say 70% on the good karma side and 30% on the bad karma side. As we are getting older again, let us say, to about 60-90. Our way of thinking changes again. The thought of doing bad karma is almost zero. Many would prepare to dress in white and attend Dharma talks and listen to the Sangha regularly. Our life is so short. Not many live to 100 years old. It will not be long before we pass away. Our life is not like a time or a clock or a watch. A watch, when the battery dies, we can replace it, but our youth, once it has gone we cannot replace it.
Similarly, our life, once it has gone, we cannot replace it. It is impossible to know when we are going to die. Our karma is the indication. This is similar to the three hands on the clock. The biggest hand will move very slow, the middle hand would move faster than the biggest hand while the smallest would move even faster than any of the two biggest hands. It does not matter whether these hands move fast or slow, they have a common destination, that is to make one turn around the clock from seconds to minutes, hours, days and so on.
This is similar to death. It is happening all the time. Some die at early age, others die when they get old. Some die before they have not even been born. Death is inescapable. This is just like the time, that is, 365 days to be one year. Nothing can change this fact. This is like one of the Lord Buddha sayings ‘ Sousutsang Latipanyang' which means ‘ To listen' . It means ‘Listen good, do good - eliminate sufferings'. On the other hand, ‘ Listen wrong, do wrong - accumulate sufferings'. In conclusion, it is ourselves that matters. Likewise, the three hands of the clock all depends on the axle in the middle. Without the central axle, they can not move.
This is similar to our life. If it does not have Citta, the body will be useless. Citta is the principal and without the breathing the body will be useless. Everything consists of Kusala Dharma. Kusala is to perform righteous karma, a noble person, a civilised person. AKusala Dharma is to perform unrighteous karma, an evil person or uncivilised person. Civilised (good) or uncivilised (bad) is in our body. It is very easy to do something bad. On the contrary, it is extremely difficult to do something good. For example, place a drop of black paint on the back of your hand is very easy, but to get it off completely, it takes hours.
Good and bad are in all of us. The question is that are we going to keep doing good and at the same time are we going to stop doing bad? At this point, we should remind ourself that no one is perfect. We all make mistake. Even Prince Siddhartha, before his Enlightenment made a mistake, when he was lost in the Rupa, Sadda, Gandha and Rasa and when he began to torture himself in order to attain Enlightenment.
This was a mistake which Prince Siddhartha realised before became Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha is the founder of ‘Pananusati' which Dharma practitioners are practising in their Kammathana Vipassana Samadhi. Breathing in say ‘BUD' when breathing out say ‘DHO'. Many of you when suffer Dukkha tend to go and see the Sangha for help thinking that they are the worshiped One or the sacred One.
I would like to let you know that all these depends on your faith whether something is most sacred or most worshiped. This is like in one of the Buddha sayings ‘ Pujaca Pujaniyanang Etammang Khalamoudhanang ' It means have faith in righteousness, practice righteousness and respect righteousness. All these are kusala karma. If one has faith in wrong doing, respects wrong doing and practises wrong doing one's life will lead to sufferings and Dukkha.
We must not believe anybody except Buddha Dharma. We must listen to Dharma, practise Dharma, know Dharma in order to eliminate or reduce our Dukkha. Dharma cannot be given to anybody or by anybody. Similarly, righteousness cannot be given by anybody or to anybody. We must practise ourselves in order to obtain and understand Dharma or righteousness. If Dharma can be given, Lord Buddha could have given Dharma to all of us by now. Like myself, I am a ‘Samati Bikkhu - authorised/ appointed Buddhist monk' observing 227 Dharma codes of conduct for monks and wearing yellow robe.
I am one of Lord Buddha's students searching for Dharma and happiness, and at the same time preaching Lord Buddha words to all beings. What you have heard is not from me, but from Lord Buddha Dharma. What you believe is not me, but Lord Buddha Dharma. What you practise is not my Dharma principles, but Lord Buddha Dharma principles.
All I am doing is showing you the way to reduce and eventually eliminate your Dukkha. What you gain from Dharma practice is for your own good and whether you practise it or not is up to you. All members of the Sangha are ordinary human beings like you and me. They feel hot, cold, warm, pain, sad, happy, content or discontent like all ordinary human beings. Therefore, you should smile with what you have been through in life.
When you smile, you will be happy. On the contrary, if you cry and feel sad, you will add more sufferings to your life. Therefore, keep smiling and keep doing good karma, but do not add more sufferings to your life.
We must always remember that whatever is happening to us now in this life is the fruition of our past life. Whatever debts we have incurred in our past life, once they catch up with us, we have to pay them back. The question is time. It could be sooner or later.
A good example is that when we borrow a sum of money from someone and that person has never asked back for a very long time. We feel happy thinking that the person who has lent us the money forgot all about it. In actual fact, this is a mistake to have a thought as such. When you have incurred a debt, you will pay it back one day. It could be any time that the lender will ask it back.
This is similar to our karma in our past life, we have no idea when we have to enjoy or suffer the fruition of our karma in this life or the next life. When you are suffering Dukkha, there is no need to complain about it because the more you complain about it the more sufferings you would have to go through. Just keep paying your debts until they are all paid off and then you will be happy. Remember that there is no debts that cannot be paid. Therefore, we must understand the nature of sufferings. Why do we suffer and what are the causes of our sufferings? Once you manage to understand this, you will at least reduce your Dukkha.
In conclusion, I would like to wish all of you who gather here today to listen to Lord Buddha Dharma to be happy and be successful in your life. Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu.
LuongTa Chanhphy Panyano Manivong
16 August 1995 . London , ENGLAND