7. The Middle Way

　　Listening to a Dhamma talk1 keep your attention in the present. Don”t send the mind outward but keep it focused within, you”ll then be able to experience the true taste of Dhamma right in your heart. It has been taught that one may gain five benefits while listening to a Dhamma talk. Then there are also those benefits that come to fruition in the future that are extra gains. This is the reason that so many followers became enlightened while listening to the Lord Buddha”s Dhamma. They had correctly stationed their heart in the present, without concern for past or future; being wholly receptive and ready to experience the taste of Dhamma that the Lord was presenting.

　　The Lord first went forth into homelessness greatly aroused by Dhamma. Even prior to this he had had a growing fascination and concern, originating with his successive encounters with the four deva-dutas — the sights of the old man, the sick man, the dead man, and the holy man. From the first day of his going forth he labored with great effort and determination through the austere practices, always committed to his task up to the day of his Enlightenment. He thought neither to abandon his undertaking nor to slacken in his pursuit. The laziness, discouragement and weakness prevailing over the hearts of all other sentient beings could not overcome him.

　　The noble disciples also went forth with conscientiousness and the intention to find freedom from suffering, following the example of the Lord. They attended to each word of the Lord”s Dhamma and put it into practice with devotion. Their staying, their coming or going, were always accompanied by mindfulness. Every facet of exertion went together with reflection and application of the principles of truth. The results and the rewards of their concern and dedication seem to contrast with those of our time. This is due to the immense difference in the appreciation of Dhamma and the intensity of practice. It”s then obvious that the results can”t possibly be the same.

　　The Lord Buddha didn”t relent or relax in his quest from the first day of his endeavor to the day of his Enlightenment. It was on finally reaching his goal that he became the Great Teacher2 of the world. He then brought the Dhamma out to the Buddhist Community — teaching and urging them to follow the path of Dhamma by which he himself had succeeded. Those who received what was revealed by the Lord, delighted in the essence of Dhamma. By taking it up and applying it in their practice, in due course they had all variously come to Dhamma attainments; acquiring the Dhamma Eye like the Lord had before them.

　　The Lord Buddha became the model and ideal for the Buddhist Community right from the beginning. This is made plain from the way he practiced, by always spending his time living away in the forest. When he renounced the home life, he went forth into the forest and no longer took any interest in people; including those in the realm he had once ruled over with peace and security. No longer being concerned with his princely status he courageously and unflinchingly stood up to the ordeal of his exertions. In this respect, no one can surpass the Lord, for every mode of his practice transcended the world. His renunciation and going forth into homelessness differed from the usual way of the world, so when the results appeared they also differed. They were now of two disparate ”worlds”, for his heart had been transformed into the purified heart of a Buddha. His accomplishments stood in distinct contrast to the rest of the world.

　　This was also true for the noble disciples who had gone forth following the Lord Buddha. They rejoiced and delighted on hearing the Lord present the basic, fundamental guidelines:

　　"Rukkhamuulasenaasana.m nissaaya pabbajjaa ta…

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