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| Standing in the face of adversity |
"There is a warrior who, on seeing a cloud of dust [stirred up by an enemy army], falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot engage in battle. This is the first type of warrior found existing in the world.
"There is also the warrior who can handle the cloud of dust, but on seeing the top of the enemy's banner, falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot engage in battle. This is the second type of warrior found existing in the world.
"There is also the warrior who can handle the cloud of dust and the top of the enemy's banner, but on hearing the tumult [of approaching forces], falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot engage in battle. This is the third type of warrior found existing in the world.
"There is also the warrior who can handle the cloud of dust, the top of the enemy's banner, and the tumult, but in hand-to-hand combat is struck and falls wounded. This is the fourth type of warrior found existing in the world.
"There is also the warrior who can handle the cloud of dust, the top of the enemy's banner, the tumult, and hand-to-hand combat. Winning the battle, victorious, one comes out ahead. This is the fifth type of warrior found existing in the world.
"These are these five types of warriors found existing in the world.
The Buddha's "warriors"
"In the same way, meditators, there are five warrior individuals found existing among monastics. What are these five? [1]
"There is the monastic who, seeing a cloud of dust, falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot continue in the high [pure] life. Declaring such weakness in regard to fulfilling the training, one leaves and returns to the lower life.
"What is the cloud of dust for that person? There is the monastic who hears, 'In that place over there, there is a [person] who is shapely, goodlooking, charming, endowed with a lotus-like complexion.'
"What is the cloud of dust for that person? There is the monastic who hears, 'In that place over there, there is a [person] who is shapely, goodlooking, charming, endowed with a lotus-like complexion.'
"On hearing this, one falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot continue in the high life. Declaring such weakness in regard to the training, one leaves and returns to the lower life. That is the cloud of dust. This individual, I say, is like the warrior who, on seeing a cloud of dust, falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot engage in battle. This is the first type of warrior-like individual found existing among monastics [2].
"There is the monastic who can handle the cloud of dust, but on seeing the top of the enemy's banner, one falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot continue in the high life. Declaring such weakness in regard to the training, one leaves and returns to the lower life.
"What is the top of the banner? The monastic who not only hears that, 'In that place over there, there is a [person] who is shapely, goodlooking, charming, endowed with a lotus-like complexion,' one sees it for oneself. On seeing [that person], one falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot continue in the high life. Declaring such weakness in the training, one leaves and returns to the lower life. That is the top of the banner.
"This individual, I say, is like the warrior who can handle the cloud of dust, but on seeing the top of the enemy's banner, falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot engage in battle. This is the second type of individual found existing among the monastics [3].
"There is the monastic who can handle the cloud of dust and the top of the enemy's banner, but on hearing the tumult [of approaching forces], falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot continue in the high life. Declaring such weakness in the training, one leaves and returns to the lower life. What is the tumult?
"The monastic who has gone into the wilderness, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty building. A [beauty] approaches and giggles, calls out, laughs aloud, and teases [flirts]. On being giggled at, called out, laughed at, and teased by [a beauty], one falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot continue in the high life. Declaring such weakness in the training, one leaves and returns to the lower life. That is the tumult.
"This individual, I say, is like the warrior who can handle the cloud of dust and the top of the enemy's banner, but on hearing the tumult, falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot engage in battle. This is the third type of individual found existing among the monastics [4].
"There is the monastic who can handle the cloud of dust, the top of the enemy's banner, and the tumult, but when in hand-to-hand combat is struck and falls wounded. What is hand-to-hand combat? The monastic who has gone into the wilderness, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty building is approached by [a beauty] who sits nearby, lies down nearby, throws [him or herself] all over the person.
"When doing so, one — without renouncing the training, without declaring one's weakness — engages in sexual intercourse. This is hand-to-hand combat. This individual, I say, is like the warrior who can handle the cloud of dust, the top of the enemy's banner, and the tumult, but when in hand-to-hand combat is struck and falls wounded. This is the fourth type of individual found existing among the monastics [5].
"There is the monastic who can handle the cloud of dust, the top of the enemy's banner, the tumult, and hand-to-hand combat. Winning the battle, victorious, one comes out ahead. What is victory in the battle? The monastic who has gone into the wilderness, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty dwelling is approached by [a beauty] who sits nearby, lies down, throws [him or herself] all over the person.
"When doing so, one extricates oneself, frees oneself, and goes off. "One resorts to a secluded dwelling: the wilderness, the foot of a tree, a mountain, a glen, a hillside cave, a charnel ground, a forest grove, the open air, a haystack.
The warrior practice
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| Prayer flags: meditation ahead |
"Abandoning covetousness (greed, lust, craving) with regard to the world, one dwells free of covetousness. One cleanses the mind/heart of covetousness. Abandoning ill will and anger, one dwells free of ill will, with sympathy for the welfare of all living beings. One cleanses the heart/mind of ill will and anger.
"Abandoning sloth-and-torpor (listlessness-and-drowsiness), one dwells free of sloth-and-torpor, mindful, alert (vigilant), perceiving [inner] light. One cleanses the mind of sloth-and-torpor. Abandoning restlessness-and-worry, one dwells undisturbed, the mind/heart inwardly stilled. One cleanses the heart/mind of restlessness-and-worry.
"Abandoning skeptical doubt (uncertainty), one dwells having crossed over doubt, free of perplexity with regard to skillful mental states. One cleanses the mind of doubt.
"Having [temporarily] abandoned these Five Hindrances, corruptions of mind that weaken insight, then — quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful [mental] states — one enters and remains in the first meditative absorption (jhana) with rapture (piti) and pleasure (sukha, happiness) born of withdrawal [of the senses], accompanied by applied and sustained attention.
"With the stilling of applied and sustained attention, one enters and remains in the second meditative absorption with rapture and pleasure born of stillness (concentration), unification of mind free of applied and sustained attention — self-assured.
"With the fading of rapture (piti), one remains equanimous, mindful, vigilant, and experiences pleasure (sukha) in the body. One enters and remains in the third meditative absorption, of which the noble ones declare, 'Equanimous and mindful, one experiences a pleasant abiding.'
"With the transcending of both pleasure and pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation and distress — one enters and remains in the fourth meditative absorption with purity of equanimity and mindfulness, free of pleasure and pain.
"With heart/mind thus stilled (concentrated), purified, and bright, free of blemishes, free of defects, pliant, malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, one directs and inclines the mind to the knowledge of the ending of the mental defilements.
"One discerns just as it is that
- 'This is disappointment (dukkha)...
- This is the origin of disappointment...
- This is the cessation of disappointment...
- This is the way leading to the cessation of disappointment...
"One's heart/mind, directly knowing-and-seeing, is released from the snare of sensuality, the snare of becoming, the snare of ignorance.
"With release come knowledge of being released. One knows-and-sees that 'rebirth is ended, the high life has been fulfilled, the task is done. There is nothing more for this world.'
"This is victory in the battle. This individual, I say, is like the warrior who can handle the cloud of dust, the top of the enemy's banner, the tumult, and hand-to-hand combat. Winning the battle, victorious, one comes out ahead. This is the fifth type of individual found existing among the monastics.
"These are the five individuals found existing among the monastics."
- Dhr. Seven (ed.) based on original translation by Ven. Thanissaro, Yodhajiva Sutta: 'The Warrior' (1), Wisdom Quarterly
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