Lessons In Practical Buddhism - Sirimangalo.Org
Lessons In Practical Buddhism - Sirimangalo.Org
Lessons In Practical Buddhism - Sirimangalo.Org
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
their beauty. This is likely the reason he was born as a<br />
prince in heaven surrounded by nymphs in the first place; he<br />
must have been very much attracted to such a state.<br />
Eventually, the nymphs brought him to understand that he<br />
was no longer a monk and argued that therefore he<br />
shouldn’t act like a monk; he was reborn as an angel and so<br />
he should act like an angel. They brought out a large mirror<br />
so he could see himself decked out as an angel prince.<br />
Because of his dedication to the practice, he was shocked,<br />
and straight away went to find the Buddha. He was horrified<br />
at being born in the “grove of delight”, calling it the “grove<br />
of delusion”. He said, “This is where I have been born. I was<br />
looking for a gold medal, and all I got was a handful of<br />
turnips.” So he went to see the Buddha, and the Buddha<br />
encouraged him that nothing need be done besides what he<br />
had undertaken before his death; by continuing the same<br />
practice in heaven, he could still win the gold medal.<br />
So even heaven is not enough; we shouldn’t think that being<br />
reborn in heaven will necessarily make our practice easier.<br />
One shouldn’t think that, “I don’t have to work hard in this<br />
life; as long as I am born in heaven, then I’ll be happy and<br />
free and able to dedicate myself to the meditation practice.”<br />
We have to be careful to set our hearts on the goal, not<br />
getting sidetracked by any positive experience, either in this<br />
world or the next. If we don’t gain any special attainment in<br />
this life, we must make an ardent wish that in the next life<br />
we may continue to practice. Be clear in your mind what is<br />
important. Don’t get caught up by positive experiences.<br />
Don’t have this abhirata, this delight in any world, in any<br />
existence. Be clear that “if I’m born in heaven, I’m going to<br />
be like this monk and continue my meditation, even teach<br />
the nymphs how to meditate if necessary.”<br />
There are many Buddhists in heaven, and if you find them,<br />
you can practice with them, but there are many<br />
non-Buddhists in heaven, and if you hook up with them,<br />
there’s no telling where it will lead you, just like how rich<br />
people become negligent in their opulence, not thinking to<br />
do any good deeds, and are reborn in realms of suffering as<br />
a result. Even angels can be reborn in hell if they are<br />
obsessed with pleasure and afraid of loss. So this is<br />
93