The Cause of Misery and its Eradication

　　- by S. N. Goenka

　　(The following is an extract from "Was The Buddha A Pessimist

　　" in which Goenkaji has sought to dispel misconceptions about the Buddha and his teaching.) sought to dispel misconceptions about the Buddha and his teaching.)

　　The Buddha wanted to create an inclination in the minds of the people to free themselves from misery. This was why he taught the truth about suffering, its cause and how to come out of it. In this light, how can the following statement stand

　　 "The Buddha”s view of life seems to be lacking in courage and confidence. Its emphasis on sorrow, if not false, is not true…." If anything, such a statement only proves the writer”s ignorance of the Buddha”s teaching. Who can deny the reality of suffering associated with birth, decay, disease and death, association with the unpleasant and disassociation from the pleasant; the suffering of wanted things not happening, and of unwanted things happening

　　 Are not these realities true

　　We get attached to the five aggregates thinking, "This is my mind," "This is my body," and we cling to them as "me" and "mine". This deep attachment to these five aggregates leads to the repeated cycle of birth and death. Who can deny the truth of this reality of suffering

　　 All the spiritual traditions of India accept the cycle of becoming as misery and aim at getting liberated from this cycle, to attain the deathless.

　　The Buddha said in this context:

　　Dukkhā jāti punappunaṃ.

　　(Before becoming liberated) I took repeated births in this misery.

　　Before attaining Buddhahood, a Bodhisatta thinks thus:

　　Kicchaṃ vatāyaṃ loko āpanno.

　　Oh, all people suffer so much!

　　Jāyati ca jīyati ca mīyati ca cavati ca upapajjati ca.

　　Getting born, decaying, dying, passing away and arising again.

　　Atha ca panimassa dukkhassa nissaraṇaṃ nappajānāti jarāmaraṇassa.

　　One does not know how to come out of the misery of repeated births and deaths.

　　A Bodhisatta searches for the answer and rediscovers the noble liberating path of sīla-samādhi-paññā (morality, concentration and experiential wisdom) using which he liberates himself and helps many others to get liberated.

　　Therefore it is said:

　　Punappunaṃ gabbhamupeti mando.

　　An ignorant person repeatedly falls in the womb (takes repeated births).

　　Punappunaṃ sivathikaṃ haranti.

　　Again and again, one is taken to the cemetery.

　　How foolish it is to go through the suffering of dukkhā jāti punappunaṃ repeatedly, out of ignorance!

　　Yet:

　　Maggaṃ ca laddhā apunabbhavāya

　　Finding out the way out of (the cycle of) becoming,

　　na punappunaṃ jāyati bhūripañño

　　Having great wisdom, (the Buddha) does not take birth again and again.

　　Many others, besides the Buddha, became liberated by taking up this very path. We have a treasury of the joyous utterances of hundreds of bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, wherein they declare their attainment of liberation.

　　Some examples:

　　Ekadhammassavaṇiya

　　Ekadhammassavaṇiya was the son of a businessman from Setabba. In the joyful mood of liberation, he declared:

　　Kilesā jhāpitā mayhaṃ

　　My passion has been extinguished.

　　Bhavā sabbe samūhatā

　　All becoming has been eradicated.

　　Vikkhīṇo jāti saṃsāro

　　The process of (repeated) births has been ended.

　　Natthi dāni punabbhavo

　　Now there is no more birth for me.

　　Bhikkhu Menḍhasira

　　Bhikkhu Menḍhasira had gone forth into homelessness from an affluent family of Saket. He proclaimed:

　　Anekajātisaṃsāraṃ, sandhāvissaṃ anibbisaṃ.

　　For countless lives I have kept running in this endless cycle of becoming.

　　Tassa me dukkhajātassa dukkhakkhandho uparaṭṭho.

　　From the suffering of (repeated) births, I have becom…

《The Cause of Misery and its Eradication》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…