Tomorrow is Nikini Poya Day

Take the letters A and B in the English alphabet. It’s because of A that B exists. If A doesn’t exist, there’s no B. As A was born, B exists and when A disappears, B also disappears. We cannot talk of B without A. B exists until A exists. B vanishes when A vanishes. All these are relative to each other.

There is a Sutta called Nala Kalaapa in Sanyuktha Nikaya. Nala Kalaapa means a stack of firewood. If there are two stacks of firewood leaning upright together, if the right side stack is removed, the one on the left will fall. I reset the two stacks and remove the left one and the right stack falls. Now, do you understand that both are relative to each other? They exist only until they are together. If one is taken, the other falls.

That is the enlightenment. Now, realize that everything is interdependent. It is same even in the physical world. The fan is rotating due to the flow of electricity. When there is no electricity, the fan stops. Devotees listen to sermons because it is necessary to them. That means there is something behind each and everything, an interconnection. Everything functions in a circulatory system. Lord Buddha has explained in Nala Kalaapa Sutta about physical and mental recognition. These two are interdependent. They have a reversible reaction. Living beings exist due to this factor.

I preach on how to look into these two factors within yourself. Consider your own thoughts. Let’s assume one of you feeling hungry. Why am I feeling hungry? Because, I did not eat yet. What do I feel as hunger? There exists a memory in my mind about an occasion of having a full, half full and empty stomach. Compare them now. After the comparison, my mind says, the current situation differs from the previous situation of a full stomach. That is what you feel as hunger. The intention of the fullness is the cause for the emptiness. This is how you practice the cause and effect method.

I have a glass of water. Someone says the glass is full of water. I reduce the amount of water in the glass. Then the person says, “There is some water in the glass.” His reply is relative to two things. Make a response consciously. What are those two? The answer of that person is relative to the glass and the water. Now, I transfer the same amount of water to a smaller glass. Then, he says the glass is full. Here, he answered considering only the water. That is wrong. The answer should be given by considering both the water and the glass.

I talk about the activities of day-to-day life. Make responses by comparing both. My vision is clearer than yours. I see two when you all see one. That is the clearest vision or the reverse thinking pattern. One who perceives, see not only Dhamma but also the exterior more clearly. He is far-sighted. That means he sees everything in advance.

We go to a well around twelve noon and look inside. If the water is clear, then the bottom is seen clearly in the light. All of you have seen it. We stir water in the well by using a stick and look inside. Now, will the bottom be clearly seen? No, because the water is agitated. Think of yourself. You should understand that you cannot see yourself better because your mind is unclear. The reason is the ego.

You think that many things exist in the world should belong to you, they should behave as you wish etc. Such a person does not realize the reality of himself. Not only that, you form attachments to various things. As a result, your mind does not let you take independent, clear and accurate decisions as you have become a slave to the attachments. Think clearly and break all the gyves in your mind. Learn to think like a noble person without being confined to the traditional frames.

When searching for a set objective in life, keep the highest expectations, not the lowest. But, we don’t think that the maximum should be gained. We accept what we gain. Wish for the greatest. Work for the greatest. If it is not fulfilled, at least a lower level will be achieved. That is my idea.

The greatest gift you can give someone is the noble path, which emerges through the exploration of the meanings of Suttas preached by Lord Buddha. When you observe Suttas with wisdom, you will find the noble path in it. Go deep into the meanings of Suttas, only then you will be able to understand it. You cannot find them without a deep investigation. Walk through the path way. It is a different path. Everything exists in a reversible way.

– Ven. Sri Samanthabadra Thera