During the time of the
Buddha, there was a monk named Ariṭṭha who was a hawk trainer before he became
a monk. He developed a seriously mistaken view: “Based on my understanding of
the Buddha’s teachings, even though the Buddha called certain dharmas
‘obstacles,’ indulging in them will absolutely not cause any hindrance.” Many
other well-learned monks heard about this and went to Ariṭṭha to confront him,
telling him, “Respectful Ariṭṭha, did you really say ‘Based on my understanding
of the Buddha’s teachings, even though the Buddha called certain dharmas
obstacles, indulging in them will absolutely not cause any hindrance’? Is that
truly your view?”
Ariṭṭha replied, “Yes,
respectful friends. That is indeed how I understand the Buddha’s teaching.”
The other monks wanted
Arittha to abandon his wrong view. They questioned him, discussed his reasons
for embracing that view, and then advised him strongly, “Respectful Ariṭṭha!
Don’t talk like that! Don’t slander the Buddha! It’s an unwholesome act to
misrepresent the Buddha’s words. The Buddha never taught this! The Buddha
taught us using many skillful methods that certain dharmas that He called
obstacles are indeed dharmas of obstacles, and that indulging in them will
certainly cause hindrances. The Buddha said that sensual pleasures are actually
sparse in happiness and rich in suffering and vexation, and hide many dangers. The
Buddha used various similes to illustrate the harm of indulgence: Sensual
pleasure is like a bare bone; it’s like a piece of meat; it’s like a dry-grass
torch; it’s like a pit of hot coals; it’s like a dream; it’s like a borrowed
thing; it’s like a tall tree’s fruit; it’s like a slaughterhouse; it’s like a
knife-edge ride; and it’s like a snake’s head. Sensual indulgence may seem pleasurable,
but in reality, it brings much danger, suffering, and vexation, with countless hidden
faults and risks.”
However, even after the
monks’ questioning, discussion, and persistent counsel, Ariṭṭha remained
stubbornly fixed in his erroneous view and insisted that his interpretation of
the Buddha’s teachings was correct.
Unable to change
Arittha’s mind, the monks went to the Buddha, paid their respects, sat down,
and reported the entire incident: “World-Honored One! Monk Ariṭṭha, who used
to be a hawk trainer, has developed a wrong view, saying, ‘Based on my
understanding of the Buddha’s teachings, even though the Buddha called certain dharmas
obstacles, indulging in them will absolutely not cause any hindrance.’ We monks
heard this, and hoping he would abandon this false view, we went to him and
said, ‘Respectful Ariṭṭha! Don’t say that! Don’t slander the Buddha! It’s an
unwholesome act! The Buddha did not teach this! The Buddha taught us that certain
dharmas He called dharmas of obstacles are indeed obstacles, and indulging in
them will cause hindrances. The Buddha said that sensual pleasures are sparse
in happiness and rich in suffering and vexation, and hide many dangers. The
Buddha used many similes to explain the harm of indulgence: ‘like a bare bone,’
‘like a piece of meat,’ ‘like a dry-grass torch,’ ‘like a pit of hot coals,’
‘like a dream,’ ‘like a borrowed thing,’ ‘like a tall tree’s fruit,’ ‘like a
slaughterhouse,’ and ‘like a knife-edge ride.’ He even said that it was ‘like a
snake’s head.’ Although enjoyment may seem pleasurable, it
brings much danger, suffering, and vexation, with countless hidden faults and
risks.’ World-Honored One! Even after our questioning, discussion, and counsel, the former hawk
trainer, Ariṭṭha, remains obstinate and firmly adheres to his wrong view,
maintaining, ‘Based on my understanding of the Buddha’s teachings, even though
the Buddha called certain dharmas obstacles, indulging in them will absolutely
not cause any hindrance.’”
After listening to the
monks’ report, the Buddha summoned a monk and instructed him, “Monk! Go tell
Ariṭṭha in my name, ‘Ariṭṭha! The World-Honored One, my Teacher, summons you.’”
The monk accepted the
command, went to Ariṭṭha, and delivered the message that the World-Honored One
wished to see him. Ariṭṭha agreed to the summons and came before the Buddha. He
bowed respectfully and sat beside Him.
The Buddha then
proceeded to question Ariṭṭha, “Did you really develop this idea: ‘Based on my
understanding of the teachings of the Buddha, even though the Buddha called
certain dharmas obstacles, indulging in them will absolutely not cause any
hindrance’? Is this what you truly believe?”
Ariṭṭha replied, “Yes,
World-Honored One!”
The Buddha said, “You
foolish man! Be careful! When did you ever hear me teach such a dharma? Did I
not explain in many different ways what the dharmas of obstacles are? How could
enjoying them not cause any hindrance? I have clearly stated that sensual
pleasures are sparse in happiness, rich in suffering and vexation, and carry
many dangers. I used similes―‘like a bare bone,’ ‘like a piece of meat,’ ‘like
a dry-grass torch,’ ‘like a pit of hot coals,’ ‘like a dream,’ ‘like a borrowed
thing,’ ‘like a tall tree’s fruit,’ ‘like a slaughterhouse,’ ‘like a knife-edge
ride,’ and ‘like a snake’s head’―to demonstrate the danger and harm of sensual
pleasures! You foolish man! Because you misinterpreted my teachings, you have
turned around and slandered us, destroying yourself and accumulating much bad
karma. Doing this will never bring you benefits; it will surely lead to
misfortune.”
The Buddha then
addressed the other monks: “Monks, what is your opinion on this matter? Does
this Ariṭṭha, a former hawk trainer, even qualify as someone who has just begun
to ‘warm up’ to the practice of this Buddha Dharma and Discipline?”
The monks replied, “How
could he, World-Honored One? In fact, he does not qualify as such at all!”
Ariṭṭha was silent and ashamed. Troubled and humiliated, he lowered his head, slumped his shoulders, and could not offer a defense. (To be continued....)
#Dharma #Buddha #Karma #Buddhiststory #Buddhateaching
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