CHAPTER 12

 

RIGHT EFFORT

(Samma-vayama)

 

 

Modern man is involved in much more rush and tension than in the past. His expression, speech and movements seldom show calm or relaxation. If you stand at the corner of a busy street and scan the faces of the people hurrying feverishly by, you will notice that many of them are restless. They carry with them an atmosphere of stress, are mentally disturbed and not calm. Is it wrong to say that this rush and tension are mainly due to modem civilization? When the external world is so busy, man's `world within' also tends to be restless so that his inner calm and peace are lost. He seems to seek happiness outside instead of inside himself, but happiness does not depend on the external world, on modern civilization. Yet history has proved again and again, and will continue to prove, that nothing in this world is lasting. Nations and civilizations rise, flourish and die away, and thus the scrolls of time record the passing pageant, the baseless vision and the fading flow that is human history. Man has brought the external world under his sway, while science and technology seem to promise that they can turn this world into a paradise. But man cannot yet control his mind, he is no better for all his scientific progress.

 

Man is born with impulses that make him swerve from the path of peace and rectitude, and modern civilization stimulates many of these impulses strongly. As the Buddha says:

 

`All is burning, all is in flames. And what is the "all" that is in flames, that is burning? The eye is burning. Visible objects are burning. Eye-consciousness is burning. Eye-contact is burning. Feeling whether pleasant or painful or neither pleasant nor painful that arises with eye-contact as its condition, that too is burning.

 

`With what are they burning? With the fire of craving, with the fire of hate, with the fire of delusion. They are burning with birth, ageing and death, with sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and woe. Similarly,

 

`The ear is burning ....

The nose is burning ....

The tongue is burning....

The body is burning....

 

`The mind is burning.... Mental objects are burning. Mind-con­sciousness is burning. Mind-contact is burning. Feeling .... is burning....

 

`Seeing thus the wise become dispassionate towards the eye, visible objects, eye-consciousness, eye-contact and feeling.... become dispassionate towards ear, nose, tongue, body and the mind; become dispassionate towards mental objects, mind-consciousness, mind-contact and feeling .... Through dispassion greed fades away. With the fading away of greed, his mind is liberated. When his mind is liberated, there comes the knowledge that it is liberated. . . .’ ¹

 

A fire keeps burning so long as there is fuel. The more fuel we add, the more it burns. It is the same with the fire of life. We keep on feeding our senses to satisfy their appetite. It is true that our senses need food, that they should not starve, but it is vital to give them the proper food and to lessen the greed of each sense faculty. Unless this is done there will be no control of conflicts, no harmony and peace of mind. If we want mental progress we must make the neces­sary effort to guard our thoughts; for evil thoughts are ever ready to creep in and overwhelm the lazy man. As the Dhammapada says: `The man who lives brooding over pleasures, unrestrained in the senses, immoderate in food, lazy and inert--him verily Mara ² overthrows as wind a weak tree.' ³

 

The control of thoughts and senses is not easy. It is hard to deprive the mind of unwholesome thoughts, to check evil inclinations and curb impulses, but we must do this difficult thing if we wish to ease the tension and the mental itch that is ever ready to sap the mind until man and mind are destroyed.

 

Like the tortoise that promptly draws in all its limbs on sensing danger, so should the sage try to guard and control his sense doors and sexual appetite.

 

But how does a person control his senses? Is it by shutting his eyes and ears, by not sensing the sense objects? Certainly not. The Buddha once talked with a certain brahmin youth, Uttara, a pupil of Parasariya:

 

- Uttara, does, Parisariya, brahmin, teach control of (lit. the development of) the senses ⁴ to his disciples?

 

- Good Gotama, the brahmin Parasariya does teach control of the senses to his disciples.

 

- But in what way does Parasariya, the brahmin, teach control of the senses to his disciples?

 

- As to this, good Gotama, one should not see material form with the eye, nor hear sounds with ear. It is thus, good Gotama, that the brahmin Parasariya teaches control of the senses, to his disciples.

 

- In that case, Uttara, the blind and the deaf must have controlled their senses. For a blind man, Uttara, does not see material form with his eyes, nor a deaf man hear a sound with his ears.

 

The brahmin youth was silent, and knowing this the Master said to the venerable Ananda:

 

'In one way, Ananda, does the brahmin Parasariya teach control of the senses. In the noble (ariya) discipline, however, Ananda, the incomparable control of the senses (is taught) differently.

 

'And what, Ananda, is the incomparable control of the senses? Herein, Ananda, to a monk seeing form with the eye, there arises liking and disliking, and both liking and disliking. He knows thus: "Arisen in me has liking and disliking, and both liking and disliking. That too is conditioned, gross and causally dependent.   But what­ever equanimity there is, that is peaceful and sublime." So the liking and disliking and both the liking and disliking that arose in him are extinguished and equanimity remains. As if a man who has opened his eyes should close, or having closed should open them, even so with the same speed and ease do the liking and disliking and both the liking and disliking vanish, so that equanimity remains.

 

‘Hearing a sound with the ear….

Smelling an odour with the nose....

Tasting a flavour with the tongue. . . .

Feeling some tangible thing with the body....

 

Cognizing a mental object with the mind there arise (in him) liking and disliking and both liking and disliking ... (as before) ... and equanimity remains.’ ⁵

 

The mental force that plays the greatest havoc today is tanha, the strong, excessive greed which is ever driven by ignorance. This lust, this thirst of blinded beings, has caused hatred and all other suffering. It is not nuclear weapons but lust, hatred and delusion. that are most destructive to man.  Bombs and weapons are created by his lust to conquer and possess, by his hatred that leads to killing, by his delusion both to conquer and destroy. The thirst for fame, power and domination has brought untold agony to mankind.      If man makes no effort to check the longings that are ever ready to sway his mind, he will become a slave to that mind. He is then no longer superior to the beast, for they both eat, sleep and satisfy their sexual appetite. The beast cannot, however, develop spiritually, but man is otherwise.  He possesses latent qualities which can be de­veloped, brought to the conscious level and used for his own and others' welfare. If a man lacks this quality of examining his own mind, of developing wholesome thoughts and discarding repulsive ones, his life lacks drive and inspiration.    Hence the Buddha's constant advice to his followers to be vigilant and alert in con­trolling evil thoughts and cultivating healthy ones.

 

'Arise! Sit up! Train yourself strenuously for peace of mind.' ⁶

 

‘This doctrine, monks, is for the energetic, strong and firm in purpose, and not for the indolent.’ ⁷

 

`Monks, what is there that the sincerely zealous cannot achieve?'

 

'Verily, let skin, sinews and bones remain; let flesh and blood in the body dry up; yet shall there be no decrease of energy till that which is to be won by manly strength, energy and effort is attained.’ ⁸

 

Thus did the Buddha rouse his disciples to action.

 

The verses of the Elder Abhibhu, later approved by the Buddha, give great encouragement and strength to strivers:

 

`Bestir yourselves and make an effort,

Work hard in the Dispensation;

(Then) sweep away the hosts of Mara (the passions),

As an elephant a reed-thatched shed.

 

'Whoso in this Doctrine and Discipline

Shall live in vigilance and heedfulness

Repeated rebirth renounces

And puts an end to suffering.’ ⁹

 

Effort (vayama) in Buddhism implies mental energy and not physical strength. The latter is dominant in animals whereas mental energy is so in man, who must stir up and develop this mental factor in order to check evil and cultivate healthy thoughts. A follower of the Buddha should never give up hope or cease to make an effort, for even as a Bodhisatta the Buddha never ceased to strive courageously. He was the very picture of energy (vira). As an aspirant for Buddhahood he was inspired by the words of his pre­decessors: 'Be ye full of zealous effort. Falter not! Advance!’ ¹⁰  And in his endeavour to gain final enlightenment, he spared no effort. With determined persistence he advanced towards his goal, his enlightenment, caring naught even for life.

 

'Fie on this life! It is better for me to die in this fight (with passions) than to live defeated.' ¹¹ The Master's right, effort reached its climax when he sat under the Bodhi Tree for the deep meditation which ended in Full Enlightenment. From that moment as his life clearly shows, he was never subject to moral or spiritual fatigue. From the hour of his enlightenment to his passing away, he strove tirelessly to elevate mankind, regardless of the bodily fatigue in­volved, and oblivious to the many obstacles and handicaps in his way. Though physically he was not always well, mentally he was ever watchful and vigorous.       By precept and example the Buddha taught a strenuous life.

 

The foregoing conveys the outstanding characteristic of the Buddha and his disciples. The Master has been very emphatic about this sixth factor of the Path, right effort, because it was not in his power to save people. He was no saviour, and gave no guaran­tee that he would save others from the shackles of samsara, repeated existence, but he was ever ready to guide them on the upward path, to encourage them and give them moral support. The idea that one man can raise another from lower to higher levels and ultimately rescue him tends to make man weak, supine and foolish. It degrades him and smothers every spark of his dignity.

 

This emphasis on right effort by the Buddha explains in unmis­takable language that Buddhism is not a doctrine of pessimism, a teaching for the feeble-minded who look at things from the most unfavourable point of view, but that it is a true warrior's religion.

 

The right effort spoken of by the Buddha is instrumental in eliminating evil and harmful thoughts, and in promoting and maintaining good and healthy thoughts.

 

As a market gardener pulls up weeds before he sows his seed, so the meditator tries to remove unwanted weeds from his mental field. If he fails in his weeding nothing worthwhile can be sown successfully. He then manures the field and protects it from animals and birds. So should the meditator watch over his mental field and nourish it appropriately.

 

The function of right effort is fourfold, to prevent, abandon, develop and maintain. ¹²

      

l. What is the effort to prevent?

 

`Herein a monk puts forth his will to prevent the arising of evil, of unwholesome thoughts that have not yet arisen. He strives, develops energy and strengthens his mind (to this end).

 

`Herein, a monk, seeing a form, hearing a sound, smelling an odour, tasting a flavour, feeling some tangible thing or cognizing a mental object, apprehends neither signs nor particulars (that is, he is not moved by their general features or by their details). Inasmuch as coveting and dejection, evil and unwholesome thoughts break in upon one who dwells with senses unrestrained, he applies him­self to such control, he guards over the senses, restrains the senses. This is called the effort to prevent.'

 

2. What is the effort to abandon?

 

'Herein a monk puts forth his will to abandon the evil, unwhole­some thoughts that have already arisen. He strives, develops energy and strengthens his mind (to this end).

 

'Herein a monk does not admit sense desires that have arisen, but abandons, discards and repels them, makes an end of them and causes them to disappear. So also with regard to thoughts of ill-will and of harm that have arisen. This is called the effort to abandon.'

 

3. What is the effort to develop?

 

`Herein a monk puts forth his will to produce and develop whole­some thoughts that have not yet arisen. He strives, develops energy and strengthens his mind (to this end).

 

`Herein a monk develops the Factors of Enlightenment based on seclusion, on dispassion, on cessation that ends in deliverance, namely: Mindfulness, Investigation of the Dhamma, Energy, Rap­turous Joy, Calm, Concentration and Equanimity. ¹³ This is called the effort to develop.'  

 

4. What is the effort to maintain?

 

`Herein, a monk maintains a favourable object of concentration (meditation).... This is called the effort to maintain.'

 

These then are the four efforts:

 

'To prevent, abandon, develop and maintain

These are the four efforts that he taught,

The Kinsman of the Sun. Herein a monk

With strenuous effort reaches suffering's end.’ ¹⁴

 

The unwholesome thoughts referred to here are the three root causes of all evil, namely: thoughts of lust (craving), hate and delusion. All other passions gather round these root causes, while wholesome thoughts are their opposites.

 

The sole purpose of this fourfold effort is success in meditation. The four    right efforts are the requisites for concentration. As we saw above ¹⁵ right effort is included in the group of samadhi or Con­centration. As such, right effort is interrelated and interdependent. It functions together and simultaneously with the other two factors of the group, namely right mindfulness and right concentration. Without right effort the hindrances ¹⁶ to mental progress cannot be overcome. Right effort removes the evil and unhealthy thoughts that act as a barrier to the calm of absorption, and promotes and maintains the healthy mental factors that aid the development of concentration.

 

When the meditator's mind slackens, it is time for him to summon courage, whip up effort and overpower indolence. Obduracy of mind and mental factors is a dangerous enemy of meditation; for when a man's mind is inert, slackness arises. This leads to greater slackness which produces sullen indifference.

 

The Buddha warns against this flabbiness of character:

 

`Who fails to strive when it's time to strive

Who though young and strong is full of sloth

Who is loose in thoughts ¹⁷ and inactive   

He does not by wisdom find the path.' ¹⁸

      

'Monks, I know not of any other single thing of such power to prevent the arising of sloth and torpor, if not already arisen: or, if arisen, to cause its abandonment, as effort. In whom there is strenuous effort, sloth and torpor arises not; or, if arisen, is it abandoned.’ ¹⁹

 

Mind culture through these four great efforts is not something that can be gained overnight. It needs time and the regular practice of mental exercises. An athlete or body-builder does not stop train­ing after a day or two, but goes on with his programme. Regular exercises without unnecessary strain are the key to physical fitness. If he only practises by fits and starts, he will never be a good athlete. When training the mind, the same golden rule should be applied--regular work and constant pressing on.

 

One need not struggle with evil thoughts when doing mental exercises. It should all be natural. If we try to fight our evil thoughts we shall not succeed. Instead we should note and watch our thoughts as they rise, analyse them, and try to ease the tension. The technique is like that of swimming. If you do not move your limbs you will sink; if you whirl about, you will not swim; or like the sleeper--if you struggle with the thought of sleep, you will never fall off; it will only be a mental torment to you. You must not make any effort to sleep. It must come naturally, and you should only relax any tense muscles.

 

Again, self-torment is one of the two extremes that the Buddha wants the meditator to avoid as profitless. It is useless to torture the body in order to stop the rise of evil thoughts, for such torment often ends in aversion and frustration. When the mind is frustrated, callous indifference to meditation follows. All our mental exercises should be natural and performed with awareness. 'Zeal without prudence is like running in the night.'

 

As the Buddha points out extremes should be avoided everywhere by those who wish to gain deliverance through enlightenment--­they should keep to the middle path. In the practice of right effort, too, one has to follow the same median way.

 

A horseman, for instance, watches the speed of his mount and whenever it goes faster than he wants, he reins it back. On the other hand whenever the horse shows signs of slowing down he spurs it on and thus keeps to an even speed. Even so should one cultivate right effort, not overdoing it lest one be flurried, and avoiding slackness lest one becomes slothful. Like the horseman one should always be balanced. The following illustrates this well.

 

 There is the story ²⁰ of a monk, the venerable Sona-kolivisa, who was making a violent but unsuccessful effort to exert himself physically and mentally. Then the following thought occurred to him while in solitude: 'The disciples of the Blessed One, live with zealous effort and I am one of them. Yet my mind is not free of taints. My family has wealth; I can enjoy my riches and do good; what if I were to give up the training and revert to the low life, enjoy the riches and do good?'

 

The Blessed One reading his thoughts approached him and asked:

 

- Sona, did you not think: 'The disciples of the Blessed One live with zealous effort ... (as before) ... and do good'?

 

- Yes, venerable sir.

 

- And what do you think, Sona, were you not skilful at the lute before, when you were a layman?

 

- Yes, venerable sir.

 

- And what do you think, Sona, when the strings of your lute were over strung was it then in tune and playable?

 

- No, indeed, venerable sir.

 

- And what do you think, Sona, when the strings of your lute were too slack was it then in tune and playable?

 

- No, indeed, venerable sir.

 

- But when, Sona, the strings of your lute were neither overstrung nor too slack, but keyed to the middle pitch, was it then in tune and playable?

 

- Surely, venerable sir.

 

- Even so, Sona, effort when too strenuous leads to flurry and when too slack to indolence. Wherefore, Sona, make a firm determina­tion thus: Understanding the equality of the faculties,²¹ I shall grasp at the aim by uniformity of effort.   

 

- Yes, venerable sir.

 

The venerable Sona followed the instructions of the Blessed One and in due course attained perfection and was numbered among the Arahats.' ²²

 

The twentieth discourse of the Majjhima Nikaya gives practical instructions on how to keep away distracting thoughts and is in­dispensable to a meditator. The gist of it is as follows. The Buddha addressing his disciples said:

 

'Monks, the monk who is intent on higher thought should reflect on five things from time to time. What five?

 

‘1. If through reflection on an object, evil, unwholesome thoughts associated with desire, hate and delusion arise in a monk, he should (in order to get rid of them) reflect on another object which is wholesome. Then the evil unwholesome thoughts are removed; they disappear. By their removal the mind stands firm and becomes calm, unified and concentrated within (his subject of meditation).

 

'As a skilled carpenter or his apprentice knocks out and removes a coarse peg with a fine one, so should the monk get rid of that evil object by reflecting on another object which is wholesome. Then the evil unwholesome thoughts associated with desire, hate and delusion are removed, they disappear. By their removal the mind stands firm ... within.

 

‘2. If the evil thoughts still arise in a monk who reflects on another object which is wholesome, he should consider the disadvantages of evil thoughts thus: "Indeed, these thoughts of mine are unwhole­some, blameworthy, and bring painful consequences." Then his evil thoughts are removed, they disappear. By their removal the mind stands firm ... within.

 

'3. If the evil thoughts still arise in a monk who thinks over their disadvantages he should pay no attention to, and not reflect on those evil thoughts. Then the evil thoughts are removed, they disappear. By their removal the mind stands firm . . . within.

 

'4. If the evil thoughts still arise in a monk who pays no atten­tion to and does not reflect on evil thoughts, he should reflect on removing the root of those thoughts. Then the evil unwholesome thoughts are removed, they disappear. By their removal the mind stands firm ... within.

 

'5. If evil thoughts still arise in a monk who reflects on the re­moval of their root, he should with clenched teeth, and tongue pressed against his palate, restrain, overcome, and control the (evil) mind with the (good) mind. Then the evil thoughts are removed, they disappear. By their removal the mind stands firm... within.

 

'If through a monk's reflection on a wholesome object; thinking over the disadvantages of evil thoughts; paying no attention and not reflecting on evil thoughts; reflecting on the removal of their root; restraining, overcoming, and controlling the (evil) mind with the (good) mind with clenched teeth and tongue pressed against his palate; evil thoughts are removed, and the mind stands firm and calm, becomes unified and concentrated within (its subject of meditation), that monk is called a master of the paths along which thoughts travel. He thinks the thought that he wants to think; he thinks not the thought that he does not want to think. He has cut off craving and removed the fetter fully; mastering pride he has made an end of suffering.' ²³

 

It is not only during an hour of serious meditation that we need this all-important quality of right effort. It should be cultivated always wherever possible. In all our speech, actions and behaviour, in our daily life, we need right effort to perform our duties wholeheartedly and successfully. If we lack this quality of zealous effort, and give in to sloth and indolence we cannot proceed with any degree of confidence in the work we have undertaken.

 

To refrain from greed, anger, jealousy and a host of other evil thoughts to which people are subject, we need strength of mind, strenuous effort and vigilance. When free from the rush of city life, from nagging preoccupation with the world, we are not tempted to lose control: it is only in society that it becomes an effort to check such lapses. Any meditation we may have done is immense help to enable us to face all this with calm.

 

When developing right effort we must be sincere about our thoughts. If we analyse them we find that they are not always good and wholesome. At times they are unwholesome and foolish, though we may not always express them in words and actions or both. Now if we allow such thoughts to rise repeatedly, it is a bad sign; for when an unhealthy thought is allowed to recur again and again, it tends to become an obsession. It is, therefore, essential to make a real effort to keep unwholesome thoughts at bay. When they occur they should be ignored. Not to notice them is far from easy, but until we succeed, unhealthy thoughts will always be taking possession of our minds.

 

There is, however, one thing to remember. A person bent on curbing harmful impulses avoids, as far as possible, people who are obsessed by those impulses, and all talk that leads to them. Try to avoid people and things that tend to colour your sane and sober thoughts. Modern society is in danger of being swamped by dis­tractions and temptations which can only be controlled if we under­take the difficult task of steadily training our minds.

 

Since worldly progress, gain and profit depend largely on our own efforts, surely we should strive even harder to train our minds and so develop the best that is in us. Since mental training requires the greatest effort, strive on now. `Do not let your days pass away like the shadow of a cloud which leaves behind it no trace for remem­brance.'

 

As Plotinus says:

 

`Withdraw into yourself and look. And if you do not find yourself beautiful as yet, do as does the creator of a statue that is to be made beautiful; he cuts away here, he smooths there, he makes this line lighter, this other purer, until he has shown a beautiful face upon the statue. 'So do you also; cut away all that is excessive; straighten all that is crooked, bring light to all that is shadowed, labour to make all glow with beauty, and do not cease chiselling your statue until there shall shine out on you the splendour of virtue, until you shall see the final goodness surely established in the stainless shrine.’ ²⁴

 

Man's mind influences his body profoundly.     If allowed to function viciously and entertain unwholesome thoughts, mind can cause disaster, can even kill a being; but it can also cure a sick body. When mind is concentrated on right thoughts with right effort and understanding the effect it can produce is immense.      A mind with pure and wholesome thoughts really does lead to healthy relaxed living.

 

`Recent research in medicine, in experimental psychology and what is still called parapsychology has thrown some light on the nature of mind and its position in the world. During the last forty years the conviction has streadily grown among medical men that very many causes of disease, organic as well as functional, are directly caused by mental states. The body becomes ill because the mind controlling it either secretly wants to make it ill, or else because it is in such a state of agitation that it cannot prevent the body from sickening. Whatever its physical nature, resistance to disease is unquestionably correlated with the psychological condition of the patient.' <sup>25</sup> That even so grossly `physical' a complaint as dental caries may be due to mental causes was maintained in a paper read before the American Dental Congress in 1937. The author pointed out that children living on a perfectly satisfactory diet may still suffer from dental decay. In such cases, investigation generally shows that the child's life at home or at school is in some way unsatisfactory. The teeth decay because their owner is under mental strain.

 

`Mind not only makes sick, it also cures. An optimistic patient has more chance of getting well than a patient who is worried and unhappy. The recorded instances of faith healing include cases in which even organic diseases were cured almost instantaneously.’ ²⁶

 

In this connection it is interesting to observe the prevalence, in Buddhist lands, of listening to the recital of the Dhamma for protec­tion and deliverance from evil, and for promoting welfare and well-­being. The selected discourses for recital are known as Paritta-­suttas. 'Paritta' in Pali and 'paritrana' in Sanskrit mean, principally protection. They are meant to describe certain suttas or discourses (spoken by the Buddha) that are regarded as affording protection and deliverance from evil. The practice of reciting and listening to the paritta-suttas began very early in the history of Buddhism. It is certain that their recital produces mental well-being in those who listen to them with intelligence and are confident in the truth of the Buddha's words. Such mental well-being can help those who are ill to recover, and it can also help to induce the mental attitude that brings happiness and to overcome its opposite. Originally in India those who listened to paritta sayings of the Buddha under­stood what was recited and the effect on them was correspondingly great.

 

According to the Dhamma the mind is so closely linked with the body that mental states affect the body's health and well-being. Some doctors even say that there is no such thing as a purely physical disease. Unless, therefore, these bad mental states are caused by previous evil acts (akusala kamma-vipaka), and are therefore unalterable, it is possible so to change them as to cause mental health and physical well-being to follow thereafter.

 

How can bad influences springing from evil beings be counter­acted by recital of paritta-suttas? Well, they are the result of evil thinking. They can, therefore, be destroyed by the good states of mind induced by listening with intelligence and confidence to paritta sayings, by reason of the power of concentration that comes into being through adverting whole-heartedly to the truth of these sayings. Paritta-sutta recital is a form of saccikiriya, of depending on truth for protection, justification or attainment. This means complete establishment in the power of truth to gain one's end. The saying: `The power of truth protects a follower of the truth' (Dhammo have rakkhati dhammacarim) is the principle behind these sutra recitals. If it is true that virtue protects the virtuous, then a person who listens to these sayings with complete confidence in the Buddha's words, which spring from complete enlightenment, will acquire so virtuous a state of mind that he will be able to conquer any evil influence.

 

The recital of paritta-sutta also brings material blessings through the mental states caused by concentration and confidence in listening intelligently to the recital. According to the Buddha right effort is a necessary factor in overcoming suffering. ²⁷ Listening to one of these recitals in the proper way can also generate energy for the purpose of doing good and following the path of worldly progress with diligence.

 

There is hardly any doubt that listening to these paritta-suttas can produce in the intelligent and confident listener only wholesome states which can cure and prevent illness. There is no better medicine than truth (Dhamma) for both mental and physical ills, which are the cause of all suffering and misfortune. So the recital of paritta-suttas may, when they are listened to rightly, bring into being mental con­ditions of health necessary for material progress, physical welfare and well-being.

 

 

l. Vinaya Mahavagga, khandaka.

 

2. The word Mara is used in the sense of passions (kilesa). Mara often implies the Buddhist personification of all that is evil; i.e. all that bind man to the round of existence.

 

3. Dhp. 7.

 

4. Indriya-bhavanam.

 

5. M. 152. 

 

6. Sn. 332.

 

7. A. iv. 234.     

 

8. M. 70. I. 481.

 

9. S. i. 157.         

 

10. Bv. Verse 107; Jat. Com.       

 

11. Sn. 440.

 

12. Samvara, pahana, bhavana, anurakkhana.

 

13. Sati, dhamma-vicaya, viriya, piti, passaddhi, samadhi, upekkha.

 

14. A. ii. 15 suttas 13, 14.  

 

15. P. 84.  

 

16. See chapter 14.

 

17. That is entertaining thoughts of lust, hate, harm, etc.

 

18. Dhp. 280.    

 

19. A. 1.4.

 

20. Vinaya Texts, ii. 1 ff; A. iii. 374-5 sutta 55.

 

21. The faculties are five in number: Faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom (saddha, viriya, sati, samadhi and panna) M. 70, 77 and passim. On these faculties see S. v. 377.

 

22. This episode occurs in the Commentary to the Thera-gatha: 'He received a subject of study from the Master, but was unable to concentrate, owing to his meeting people while he stayed in Cool Wood. And he thought: "My body is too delicately reared to arrive happily at happiness. A recluse's duties involve bodily fatigues." So he disregarded the painful sores on his feet got from pacing up and down, and strove his utmost but was unable to win. And he thought: "I am not able to create either path or fruit. Of what use is this religious life to me? I will go back to lower things and work merit." Then the Master discerned, and saved him by the lesson on the Parable of the Lute, showing him how to temper energy with calm.   Thus corrected, he went to Vulture's Peak, and in due course won arahatship.' Psalms of the Brethren by Mrs. Rhys Davids (P.T.S., London), p. 275.

 

23. For a detailed account see The Removal of Distracting Thoughts by Soma There (Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Ceylon). For brevity's sake I omitted all the similes but one.

 

24. Plotinus on the Beautiful, translated by Stephen MacKenna. Reproduced in Meditation for Beginners by J. I. Wedgwood.

 

25. For the physical basis of resistance, see The Nature of Disease by J. E. R. McDonagh, F.R.C.S.

 

26. Aldous Huxley, Ends and Means (London, 1946), pp. 258, 259.

 

27. See S. i. 214.