There is an old voice that stands up against the current of «anything goes», «any road is right», «many roads, one goal». That voice is one whose name those who play in these popular currents do not tire of having in their mouths:
The Buddha
Buddhists who do not want to know anything about a Buddha who says annoying things that must be silenced on the basis of adoration, prayers, chants, ceremonies, books and a lot of incense. So, maybe, you will not be heard.
The Buddha is not a legislator, beyond the rules he wanted to give to his monks. However, it is that experimental physicist who has seen and experienced how Samsara and its rules work.
Maybe you do not like Maxwell, but electromagnetism exists. It exists and it concerns you. It goes with you, it’s a personal matter. As much as you scream not to hear, you electrocute yourself. Denying reality is the monumental portal of ignorance, the direct path to hell.
Your hell Yours.
Among these rules, the Buddha exposes the following regarding the figure of Arahant and that of Sammasambuddha, a perfectly enlightened arahant.
These are the following:
- A Sammasambuddha has access to immense knowledge, to which only he has access. No arahant can reach it.
- A Sammasambuddha teaches the essential that an Arahant needs, the path that leads to the end of suffering.
- An Arahant can not consider a conditioned phenomenon nor as permanent, nor as satisfactory, nor as substantial.
- An Arahant can not deprive his mother of life
- An Arahant can not deprive his father of life
- An Arahant can not deprive an arahant of life
- An Arahant can not, with hatred in mind, shed the blood of the Tathagata
- An Arahant can not create a schism in the Buddha’s Sangha
- An Arahant can not recognize someone else, apart from a Sammasambuddha, as a teacher
- Two Sammasambuddhas can not arise simultaneously in the world system
- It is possible that a Sammasambuddha arises in the world system.
- Two universal monarchs can not arise that set in motion the wheel of Dhamma simultaneously in the world system
- It is possible that a universal monarch that sets in motion the wheel of Dhamma arises in the world system.
- It is impossible for a woman to become Sammasambuddha
- It is impossible for a woman to become a universal monarch who sets in motion the wheel of Dhamma.
- It is impossible for a woman to occupy Sakka’s position
- It is impossible for a woman to occupy the position of Mara
- It is impossible for a woman to occupy the position of Brahma
- It is possible for a man to occupy the position of Brahma
If you really want to enlighten yourself, review these rules and record them. That’s how it is and how it works.
If you choose to be a Sammasambuddha, be completely enlightened by yourself, without counting on anything or anyone, without teachers, without sects, without doctrines. But you can not be a woman and ask first if the position is vacant.
If you opt for the consolation prize, the Arahantado, get yourself a Sammasambuddha that teaches you the crumbs of your wisdom, just what you need to escape Samsara.
Do anything else and the result will be anything else.
Another thing different than finishing well is ending badly.
There are no other options: either you leave the Samsara or you stay.
The Simsapa grove
On one occasion, the Blessed One was residing in Kosambi in a grove of Siṃsapa.Then the Blessed One took a few sheets of yesṃsapa in his hand and addressed the bhikkhus in this way: «What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more numerous: these few sheets of yesṃsapa that I have taken in my hand or those of the grove yesṃsapa?above? «
«Venerable sir, there are few sheets of the siṃsapa that the Blessed One has taken in his hand, but those that are in the grove siṃsapa are numerous».
«So also, bhikkhus, the things that I have known directly but that I have not taught you are numerous, while the things that I have taught you are few. And why, bhikkhus, have not I taught so many things? Because they are ineffective, irrelevant to the foundations of the holy life, and do not lead to disgust, dispassion, cessation, peace, direct knowledge, enlightenment, Nibbāna. Therefore, I have not taught you.
«And what, bhikkhus, have I taught? I have taught: ‘This is suffering’; I have taught: ‘This is the origin of suffering’; I have taught: ‘This is the cessation of suffering’; I have taught: ‘This is the path that leads to the cessation of suffering.’ And why, bhikkhus, have I taught this? Because this is beneficial, relevant to the foundations of the holy life, and leads to disgust, dispassion, cessation, peace, direct knowledge, enlightenment, Nibbāna. Therefore, I have taught this.
«Therefore, bhikkhus, an effort must be made to understand: ‘This is suffering’ … An effort must be made to understand: ‘This is the path that leads to the cessation of suffering'».
Saṃyutta Nikāya 56
Connected discourses on the truths
First Subchapter
«This is impossible and inconceivable, monks, that the person consummated in the vision, consider any conditional phenomenon as permanent; There is no such possibility. But this is possible, monks, for a mundane person to consider some conditional phenomenon as permanent; behold, there is such a possibility.
«This is impossible and inconceivable, monks, that the person consummated in the vision, consider any conditional phenomenon as pleasurable; There is no such possibility. But this is possible, monks, for a worldly person to consider some phenomenon conditional as pleasurable; behold, there is such a possibility.
«This is impossible and inconceivable, monks, that the person consummated in the vision, consider any conditional phenomenon as being; There is no such possibility.But this is possible, monks, for a mundane person to consider some conditional phenomenon as being; behold, there is such a possibility.
[271-276] {271-276} «This is impossible and inconceivable, monks, that the person consummated in the vision, deprive his mother of life … (272) … deprive his father of life … (273) … deprive himself to an arahant of life … (274) … with hatred in mind, spilling the blood of the Tathagata … (275) … creating a schism in the Sangha … (276) … recognizing someone else [apart from the Buddha] as a teacher;There is no such possibility. But this is possible, monks, for a worldly person to recognize someone else [apart from the Buddha] as a teacher; behold, there is such a possibility.
«This is impossible and inconceivable, monks, that two arahants who are perfectly enlightened buddhas, arise simultaneously in the world system; There is no such possibility. But this is possible, monks, that an arahant who is a perfectly enlightened Buddha emerges in the world system; behold, there is such a possibility. «
Collection of speeches grouped numerically
Book of the Unites
AN 1,268-277. First sub-chapter
Second Subchapter
«This is impossible and inconceivable, monks, that two universal kings who set the wheel in motion will simultaneously emerge in the world system; There is no such possibility. But this is possible, monks, that a universal king who sets the wheel in motion arises in the world system; behold, there is such a possibility.
[279-283] {279-283} «This is impossible and inconceivable, monks, for a woman to be an arahanta, a Buddha perfectly enlightened … (280) … for a woman to be the universal queen who sets the wheel in motion … (281 ) … that a woman occupies the position of the Sakka … (282) … that a woman occupies the position of the Mara … (283) … that a woman occupies the position of the Brahma; There is no such possibility. But this is possible, monks, for a man to occupy the position of Brahma;behold, there is such a possibility.
[284-286] {284-286} «This is impossible and inconceivable, monks, that something desired, longed for and pleasant to come from a bad body behavior … (285) … that something desired, desired and pleasant to occur starting from verbal misconduct … (286) … that something desired, desired and pleasant is produced from mental misconduct; … there is no such possibility. But this is possible, monks, that something unwanted, unwanted and unpleasant is produced from bad body behavior … verbal misbehavior … mental misconduct …; behold, there is such a possibility. «
Collection of speeches grouped numerically
Book of the Unites
AN 1.278-286. Second sub-chapter