4. The Struggle for the Realization of the Teaching

Now the two friends, at the head of the two hundred and fifty fellow ascetics, approached the Bamboo Grove. There the Buddha was just teaching Dhamma to his monks, and when he saw the two friends approaching, the Awakened One said: "Here, monks, they are coming, the two friends Kolita and Upatissa. They will be my Chief Disciples, a blessed pair!" Having arrived, all saluted respectfully the Buddha, raising their folded palms to the forehead and bowing at the feet of the Master. Then the two friends spoke: "May we be permitted, O Lord, to obtain under the Blessed One the Going-Forth and the Full Admission?" Then the Blessed One responded: "Come, monks, well proclaimed is the Teaching, Live now the Life of Purity, for making an end of suffering!" These brief words served to bestow ordination on the two friends and their following.

From now, Upatissa was called Sariputta, that means "the son of Sari," which was the name of his mother. Kolita was called Maha-Moggallana, "the Great One of the Moggallana clan," to distinguish him from other monks of that clan, such as Ganaka-Moggallana and Gopaka-Moggallana.

After all of them had obtained ordination, the Buddha addressed the two hundred and fifty disciples and explained to them the Teaching in such a way that before long they attained to the first stage of emancipation, stream-entry, and in due course became arahants. Sariputta and Moggallana, however, went into solitude, but this time separate from each other.

Sariputta remained in the vicinity of Rajagaha and went to meditate in a cave called "Bear's Den." From there he walked to the city for his alms, which afforded him the opportunity to listen often to the Buddha's discourses. What he had heard from the Master, he independently worked over in his own thoughts and he methodically penetrated to clear understanding of the mind and its laws. He needed fourteen days for reaching Sainthood (arahatta), the utter destruction of all Taints (asavakkhaya).

Moggallana, however, for reasons not known to us, chose as his abode the forests near the village of Kallavalaputta in Magadha. With great zeal, he meditated there while sitting or walking up and down. But in these efforts, he was often overcome by sleepiness. Though he did not wish to fall asleep, he was unable to keep his body erect and his head upright. There were times when he had to keep his eyes open even by force of will. If one thinks of the tropical heat, the strain of his long years of a wandering life and the inner tensions he had gone through, one can well understand that now, at the end of his quest, his body reacted by fatigue.

But the Awakened One, with a great teacher's solicitude for his disciples, did not lose sight of him. With his supernormal vision he perceived the difficulties of the new monk, and by magic power he appeared before him. When Moggallana saw the Master standing before him, a good part of his fatigue had already vanished. Now the Awakened One asked him:

    "Are you nodding, Moggallana, are you nodding?" — "Yes. Lord." —

    1. "Well then, Moggallana, at whatever thought drowsiness befalls you, to that thought you should not give attention and not dwell on that thought. Then, by doing so, it is possible that your drowsiness will vanish.

    2. "But if, by doing so, drowsiness does not vanish, then you should reflect upon the Teaching as you have heard and learned it, you should ponder over it and examine it closely in your mind. Then, by doing so, it is possible that your drowsiness will vanish.

    3. "But if, by doing so, drowsiness does not vanish, then you should repeat in full detail the Teaching as you have heard and learned it. Then, by doing so, it is possible that drowsiness will vanish.

    4. "But if, by doing so, drowsiness does not vanish, then you should pull both ear-lobes and rub your limbs with your hand. Then, by doing so, it is possible that drowsiness will vanish.

    5. "But if, by doing so, drowsiness does not vanish, you should get up from your seat and, after washing your eyes with water, you should look around in all directions and upwards to the stars and constellations. Then, by doing so, it is possible that your drowsiness will vanish.

    6. "But if, by doing so, drowsiness does not vanish, you should give attention to the perception of light, to the perception of day (-light): as by day so by night, as by night so by day. Thus, with your mind clear and unclouded, you should cultivate a mind that is full of brightness. Then, by doing so, it is possible that your drowsiness will vanish.

    7. "But if, by doing so, drowsiness does not vanish, then, with your senses turned inward and your mind not straying outward, you should take to walking up and down, being aware of going to and fro. Then, by doing so, it is possible that your drowsiness will vanish.

    8. "But if, by doing so, drowsiness does not vanish, you may, mindfully and clearly aware, lie down, lion-like, on your right side, placing foot on foot, keeping in mind the thought of rising; and on awakening, you should quickly get up, thinking 'I must not indulge in the comfort of resting and reclining, in the pleasure of sleeping.'

    "Thus, Moggallana, should you train yourself."

    — Anguttara Nikaya VII, 58

Here the Buddha gives Moggallana a graded sequence of advice how to overcome drowsiness. The first and best device is not to pay attention to the thought causing or preceding the state of drowsiness. This is, however, the most difficult method. If one does not succeed with it, one may summon some energizing thoughts or one may reflect upon the excellence of the Teaching, or recite parts of it by heart. If these mental remedies do not help, one should turn to bodily activity as, for instance, pulling one's ears, shaking the body, activating the circulation by rubbing one's limbs, refreshing one's eyes with cold water and, at night, looking at the grandeur of the starry sky, which may make one forget one's petty drowsiness, as it happened to the monk of old who spoke the following verse:

    "Nay, not for this that you may slumber long,
    Comes the night, in starry garlands wreathed.
    For vigils by the wise this night is here."

    — Theragatha v. 193, trans. by C.A.F. Rhys Davids

If all that, too, does not help, then he may recall the inner light of which many mystics speak and which arises in the meditations of a purified mind that has turned away from the world. Then, in his practice, he will be unconcerned about day or night, because an inner light is shining within him. Then, with his self-radiant mind, he will be able to leave behind, like a Brahma-deity, the whole realm of days and nights as perceived by the senses. This indicated that Moggallana had experienced such states before, so that the Buddha could refer to them as something known to Moggallana. This "Perception of (inner) Light" (aloka-sañña) is mentioned in the 33rd Discourse of the Digha Nikaya, as one of four ways of developing samadhi and as leading to "Knowledge and Vision" (ñanadassana).

If this method, too does not help, he should walk up and down mindfully and thus, by resorting to bodily movement, try to get rid of fatigue.

If, however, none of these seven devices proves helpful, he may just lie down and rest for a short while. But as soon as he feels refreshed, he should quickly get up, without allowing drowsiness to return.

The Buddha's instruction on that occasion did, however, not stop there, but continued as follows:

    "Further, Moggallana, should you train yourself in this way. You should think, 'When calling at families (on the alms-round), I shall not be given to pride.' Thus should you train yourself. For in families it may happen that people are busy with work and may not notice that a monk has come. Then a monk (if given to pride) may think, 'Who, I wonder, had estranged me from this family? These people seem to be displeased with me.' Thus, by not receiving an offering from them, he is perturbed; being perturbed he becomes excited; being excited he loses self-control; and if uncontrolled, his mind will be far from finding concentration.

    "Further, Moggallana, should you train yourself in this way: 'I shall not speak contentious talk.' Thus should you train yourself. If there is contentious talk, there is sure to be much wordiness; with much wordiness, there will be excitement; he who is excited, will lose self-control; and if uncontrolled, his mind will be far from finding concentration."

Here the Awakened One points out two ways of behavior which lead to excitement and restlessness, and both of them arise from too close a social contact of the monk with the laity. In one case, there is the desire for recognition on the part of the monk who is proud of his status and expects respect from the laity. But if lay people pay more attention to their own business than to him, he soon becomes unsure of himself, is perturbed and upset. In the other case, there is the intellectual delight in discussions, in the conceit of one who "knows better," or in the pleasure of defeating others in debate. By all this, one's mental energy is diverted into unprofitable channels and wasted in futile excitement. One is slack and careless in practicing the Way if one cannot keep the senses under control, or allows one's mind to get excited or easily diverted. Such a condition is far from the unification of mind and inner peace obtained in meditation.

After the Awakened One had instructed him on the overcoming of sleepiness and the avoidance of excitement, Moggallana asked the following question:

    "In what way, O Lord, can it be briefly explained how a monk becomes liberated by the elimination of craving; how he becomes one who has reached the final end, the final security from bondage, the final Holy Life, the final consummation, and is foremost among gods and men?"

    "Herein, Moggallana, a monk has learned this: 'No thing is fit to be clung to!' When a monk has learned that no thing is fit to be clung to, he fully knows every thing; by fully knowing every thing, he fully comprehends every thing; when fully comprehending everything, whatever feeling he experiences, be it pleasant, painful or indifferent, he, with regard to these feelings, abides contemplating impermanence, contemplating dispassion, contemplating cessation, contemplating relinquishment. When thus abiding, he is not attached to anything in the world; without attachment he does not hanker; and without hankering he reaches within himself complete extinction (of craving): 'Ceased has rebirth, lived is the holy life, done is the task, there is no more of this or that state,' thus he knows."

After Moggallana had received all these personal instructions of the Master (as recorded in Anguttara VII, 58), he devoted himself again to his training with great ardor. With still greater vigor he fought against the five inner hindrances. During his many years of ascetic life he already had, to a great extent, suppressed sensual desire and ill-will, which are the first and the second of these hindrances. Now with the help given by the Buddha, he conquered sloth and torpor, the third hindrance; then he overcame the fourth hindrance, restlessness and worry, by avoiding unprofitable social contacts. Finally he gave up doubt, the fifth hindrance, by following the concluding instruction of the Buddha, contemplating on the transiency of all phenomena and thus severing emotional attachment.

By overcoming the five hindrances, he was able to gain the experience of meditative states transcending the world of materiality; and by his penetrative knowledge of existential reality, he approached the gate to Nibbana.

He first attained and enjoyed the overwhelming bliss of the first meditation (jhana), that state of mystical absorption of mind. Yet, gradually, some worldly ideas intruded again, claiming his attention. When thus he fell back to the level of the mental hindrances, the Buddha came to his help again. This time, however, not with detailed instructions as before, but with a brief indication that helped him to get over the impasse. The Exalted One warned him he should not light-heartedly believe to be secure in the attainment of the first Jhana, but to gain more firmness in it, so that his mind becomes fully immersed in it and unified. When Moggallana followed that advice his state of concentration in the first Jhana was no longer disturbed by mundane thoughts.

Having thus found a firm footing on the first Jhana, he gained the second absorption, which he called "the noble silence" (Samy. 20,1), because all thoughts are silenced in it. Thus he advanced up to the fourth absorption (Samy. 40 2f). As he later told, he had practiced the absorptions in a twofold way, first by cultivating the "Ways of Power" (iddhi-pada; Samy. 51, 31),4 and then by the "Liberations" (vimokkha; Thag. 1172). On his path towards the final Deliverance by Wisdom (pañña-vimutti), the absorptions (jhana) served as stages to the "Ways of Powers," which led to various kinds of super-normal faculties and also opened up many gate-ways to wisdom. This twofold approach was his strong point when he became an arahant, a Saint. For attaining to the "Liberation of Mind" (ceto-vimutti) the absorption led him to the eight Liberations (vimokkha), culminating in the four formless (immaterial) absorptions (arupajjhana). On his way to become one "Liberated in Both Ways" (that is through both concentration and insight),5 he used the fourth absorption as basis for both. In doing so, he gained the "Signless Concentration of Mind,"6 which is free from all that marks (or signifies) conditioned existence and which affords a glimpse of the "Signless Element," Nibbana (Samy. 40,9). But this attainment, too, was not final as yet. For even here he lapsed into a subtle enjoyment of it. Such refined attachment is still a delusive "sign" or "mark" superimposed on a high spiritual attainment of greatest purity. But aided by the Master's instructions, he could free himself from these last fetters and attain to perfect "Deliverance of Mind" and "Deliverance by Wisdom," in all their fullness and depth. Thus the venerable Maha-Moggallana had become one of the Saints. He admitted that he could well say about himself that "Supported by the Master a disciple may obtain the great state of the super-knowledges."7

This entire development took place within one single week. These were, indeed, seven days of a tremendous impact, with a significance far beyond that of its individual relevance. One must try to imagine the intensity and depth of Moggallana's determination during this short period, because for a person with such a wide range of great natural gifts it was an especially heroic effort to undertake within his own active mind that hard struggle to cut through all those fetters binding him to this world of vast potentialities. It has been reported that the Buddha, in the four hours of the first watch of the night of his Enlightenment, remembered 91 world periods. The appearance of time-space may have dissolved by way of contraction, or something similar must have happened to Moggallana when an immensity of inner experience was condensed into one short week. Here notions of measurable duration of time fail entirely. Immured in the prison of the senses, one week is no more than seven days for an ordinary person who is unaware of the infinities that burst through the limits of the common time concepts.

Moggallana, as he later said, attained sainthood by quick penetration (khippabhiñña), that is, in one week but his progress was difficult (dukkha-patipada), requiring the helpful prompting (sa-sankhara) of the Master. Sariputta, too, attained sainthood by quick penetration (in two weeks), but his progress was smooth (sukha-patipada); see Anguttara IV, 167-168). Moggallana had advanced to sainthood more speedily than Sariputta because the Buddha directed and inspired him personally and intensively; but Sariputta was superior to him in regard to the independence of his progress.

Source

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