Who's happier, the Buddha or the King?

Buddha vs. King

(Guide to the Buddhist Path) Feb. 21, 2020: This is a story about the Buddha meeting a king. He met many. Who's happier? Fleeting worldly (mundane) happiness versus stable otherworldly (supermundane) happiness, which is better? Written and animated by Aryajit. It is based on a discussion the historical Buddha had with some Jain ascetics (Niganthas), which can be read at accesstoinsight.org. The part about "Who is happier?" appears at the end of the sutra. Thoughts, questions, feedback? Please comment.

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SUTRA: The Lesser Tangle of Suffering

Ven. Thanissaro (trans.), Cula-dukkhakkhandha Sutta, (MN 14 PTS: M i 91) edited and expanded by Dhr. Seven and Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was staying among the Scythians (Sakas, Sakyans, Shakyians) in Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Park.

Then the Sakyan Mahanama [Note 1] went to the Buddha, bowed, sat respectfully to one side, and said: "For a long time now, venerable sir, I have understood the Dhamma (Doctrine, Teaching, Dharma) taught by the Blessed One in this way:

"'Greed (attraction) is a defilement of the mind (heart); hatred (aversion) is a defilement of the mind; delusion (wrong view) is a defilement of the mind.'

"Yet, even though I understand the Teaching of the Blessed One that greed, hatred, and delusion are defilements of the mind, there are still times when greed, hatred, and delusion invade and remain.

He continued, "This thought occurs to me: What mental characteristic is as yet unabandoned within me so that there are times when greed or hatred/fear or delusion invade my mind and remain?"

"Mahanama, that very mental state (quality or characteristic) [2] is what is unabandoned in you so that there are times when greed, hatred, or delusion invade the mind and remain [3]. For if it were abandoned in you, you would not live the household life and would not partake of [and cling to] sensuality.

"It is because it is not yet abandoned in you that you live the household life and partake of sensuality.

"Even though a disciple of the noble ones has clearly seen as it actually is with right understanding that sensuality is of much disappointment, much despair, with dangerous drawbacks, still — if one has not attained a rapture and pleasure apart from sensuality, apart from unskillful mental states, or something more peaceful than that [4] — one can again be tempted by sensuality.

"But when one has clearly seen as it actually is with right understanding that sensuality is of much disappointment, much despair, with dangerous drawbacks, and one has attained a rapture and pleasure apart from sensuality, apart from unskillful mental states, or something more peaceful than that, one can no longer be tempted by sensuality.

Only when I was sure did I teach.

"I myself, before my awakening, when I was still an unawakened being in search of awakening (a bodhisattva), saw as it actually is with right understanding that sensuality is of much disappointment, much despair, and dangerous drawbacks.

"As long as I had not attained a rapture and pleasure apart from sensuality, apart from unskillful mental states, or something more peaceful than that, I did not claim that I could no longer be tempted by sensuality.

"But when I saw as it actually is with right understanding that sensuality is of much disappointment, much despair, with dangerous drawbacks and I had attained a rapture and pleasure apart from sensuality, apart from unskillful mental states, or something more peaceful than that, that was when I claimed that I could no longer be tempted by sensuality.

"What, Mahanama, is the allure of sensuality? There are five strands. What are these five? They are:

1. forms cognizable by the eye — agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering desire, enticing,
2. sounds cognizable by the ear...
3. fragrances cognizable by the nose...
4. flavors cognizable by the tongue...
5. tactile sensations cognizable by the body — agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering desire, enticing.

"Whatever pleasure or joy arises depending on these five strands of sensuality, that is the allure of sensuality.

"What is the drawback of sensuality? On account of the occupation (livelihood) by which one makes a living — whether checking or accounting or calculating or plowing or trading or cattle tending or archery or as a king's servant, or whatever the occupation may be — one faces cold, faces heat, is harassed by flies and mosquitoes, wind and sun, and creeping things, dying from thirst and hunger.

"Now dangerous drawbacks exist in the case of sensuality, a mass of disappointment visible here and now, with sensuality as its reason, sensuality as its source, sensuality as its cause, the reason simply being sensuality.

"If one gains no wealth while working and striving and making an effort, one sorrows, grieves, and laments, beats one's breast, becomes distraught: 'My work is in vain, my efforts are fruitless!'

"Now this dangerous drawback in the case of sensuality, this mass of disappointment visible here and now, has sensuality as its reason, sensuality as its source, sensuality as its cause, the reason simply being sensuality.

"If one gains wealth while working and striving and making effort, one experiences pain and distress in protecting it: 'How will neither rulers nor thieves make off with my property, nor fire burn it, nor water sweep it away, nor heirs make off with it [prematurely]?' And as one guards and watches over property, rulers or thieves make off with it, or fire burns it, or water sweeps it away, or heirs make off with it. And one sorrows, grieves, and laments, beats one's breast, becomes distraught: 'What was mine is no more!' Now this drawback in the case of sensuality, this mass of disappointment visible here and now, also has sensuality as its reason, sensuality as its source, sensuality as its cause, the reason simply being sensuality.

"It is with sensuality as the reason, sensuality as the source, sensuality as the cause, the reason simply being sensuality, that rulers quarrel with rulers, nobles with nobles, Brahmins with Brahmins, householders with householders, mother with child, child with mother, father with child, child with father, brother with brother, sister with sister, brother with sister, sister with brother, friend with friend...." More: MN 14 (accesstoinsight.org)

NOTES

1. Mahanama is a Shakyan cousin of the Buddha. The Commentary claims that he was already a once-returner when this discourse took place, but there is nothing in the Pali canon to indicate that this is so. 

2. That is, greed, hatred, or delusion.

3. This sentence is mistranslated in both MLS and MLDB. Its point is that the mental states that invade Mahanama's mind are precisely the ones he has not yet abandoned. In practical terms, this means that he does not have to look for another lurking behind them but instead can focus his attention on abandoning these directly as they arise. The remainder of the sutra gives a lesson in how greed, hatred, and delusion can be abandoned by understanding the object on which they most frequently focus: sensuality.

4. The rapture and pleasure apart from sensuality, apart from unskillful mental states, is a factor of the first and second meditative absorption (jhana). "Something more peaceful than that" would be any attainments higher than the second absorption.

5. See DN 2. 6. One of the great ironies in the history of Buddhism is the extent to which teachings that the Buddha clearly disapproved of, such as this one, have later been taught as quintessentially Buddhist. In some circles, a teaching similar to this one — that not reacting to pain burns away the impurity of past karma and creates no new karma for the future — is still taught as Buddhist to this day.