Purport of Discourse on ‘Four Wonderful Things’ (AN.IV.128)
Satiman
Purport:
On the manifestation of a Tathāgata, four wonderful and marvelous events occur. The four wonderful and marvelous events which occur are enumerated as follows:-
- Dhamma of non-attachment is expounded by the Tathāgata
- Dhamma of non-conceit is expounded by the Tathāgata
- Dhamma of appeasement is expounded by the Tathāgata
- Dhamma of wisdom is expounded by the Tathāgata.
The uninstructed worldlings are attached to the pleasant or agreeable objects of senses. The reaction to the pleasurable objects evokes the emotion of greed if the illusive self or ego directs their six sense activities. Greed is harmful to oneself and others. Firstly, greed corrupts and impurifies the mind of a greedy man. Greed harms others as the greedy one takes what is not given transgressing the second moral injunction of Gotama Buddha (the second item of the Five Precepts;Pañcasīlas). Secondly, the breach of the Five Precepts is morally punishable and thus attributive. Thirdly, most importantly, it impedes the discernment of Truth or the experience of self-enlightenment or gnosis. Fourthly, one is fettered to an incessant saṃsāric journey.
The Tathāgata expounds the doctrine of non-attachment so that the worldlings perceive the worldly objects with detachment so that they do not grasp upon the five aggregates as this is I; this is Mine; this belongs to me. Thus, the wordlings gain the taintless liberation of the mind effected from the wisdom of non-attachment.
The uninstructed worldings are afflicted by the taints of conceit: I.m better; I’m equal; I’m worse i.e the underlying tendency to compare with others negatively. Negative comparison is always destructive in fostering harmonious human relations. Hence, conceit is an unwholesome trait. This emotion of conceit is directed by the illusive self or ago superimposed by the worldlings. Therefore, the Tathāgata expounds the Doctrine of Non-self or Insubstantiality in terms of this am I not; this does not belong to me; this is not mine in order to eliminate the notion of conceit.
The uninstructed worldlings are aroused by the external stimuli which corrupt their minds due to attachment and aversion. Attachment evokes greed; aversion evokes anger or hatred. Both emotions are undesirable. Therefore, the Tathāgata expounds the doctrine of equanimity (upekkhā) to pacify or appease their minds. In order to appease the mind, the Tathāgata teach the worldlings the four foundations of mindfulness (satipațțhāna) to appease the chatter of the human minds. Mindfulness and clear awareness obliterate the superimposed self or ego. The noisy mind is completely silenced when the wisdom of insight into the ultimate Truth of the Insubstantiality of the five aggregates is developed. The five aggregates are form, feelings, perceptions, volitions and consciousness which constitute the body and mind of the human personality. The five aggregates are parallel to the six sense faculties of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind which continually interact with the external sensual stimuli.
The uninstructed worldlings are afflicted with ignorance (avijjā).They are mentally deluded by the conventional truth (sammuti sacca) of multiplicity which deludes them. The multiplicity is cosmic illusion. Therefore, the Tathāgata expounds the right view of things as they really are so that the worldlings are able to develop wisdom to eradicate the ignorance of the insubstantiality of the empirical world. The right paradigm is that all phenomena are impermanent, and insubstantial. Whoever is deluded by the multiplicity or diversified signs of phenomena is vulnerable to suffering or anguish. The crucial function of wisdom of discerning the ultimate Truth of Insubstantiality or Mutualism is that intrinsically human beings are related as brothers and sisters. We are all so interconnected. Such wisdom helps us co-exist peacefully and harmoniously with our neighbours and enemies. Wisdom redeems human infallibilities and obliterates fallibilities conditioned by the environmental stimuli in continuous contact with the six senses. It is how we react with the external world that will determine one’s spiritual downfall or elevation. |
