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Nirodha:

What it means

The word Nirodha has been translated as “cessation” for so long that it has become standard practice, and any deviation from it leads to queries. For the most part this standard translation is for the sake of convenience as well as to avoid confusing it for other Pali terms (apart from lack of a better word). In fact, however, this rendering of the word “Nirodha” as “ceased” can in many instances be a mis-rendering of the text.

Generally speaking, the word “cease” means to do away with something which has already arisen, or the stopping of something which has already begun. However, Nirodha in the teaching of Dependent Origination (as also in Dukkhanirodha, the third of the Four Noble Truths) means the non-arising, or non-existence, of something because the cause of its arising is done away with. For example, the phrase “when Avijja is Nirodha, sankhara are also Nirodha,” which is usually taken to mean “with the cessation of ignorance, volitional impulses cease,” in fact means “when there is no ignorance, or no arising of ignorance, or when there is no longer any problem with ignorance, there are no volitional impulses, volitional impulses do not arise, or there is no longer any problem with volitional impulses.” It does not mean that ignorance already arisen must be done away with before the volitional impulses which have already arisen will also be done away with.

Where Nirodha should be rendered as cessation is when it is used in reference to the natural way of things, or the nature of compounded things. In this sense it is a synonym for the words bhanga, breaking up, anicca, transient, khaya, cessation or vaya, decay. For example, in the Pali it is given: imam kho bhikkhave tisso vedana anicca sankhata paticcasamuppanna khayadhamma vayadhamma viragadhamma nirodhadhamma: “Monks, these three kinds of feeling are naturally impermanent, compounded, dependently arisen, transient, subject to decay, dissolution, fading and cessation.”[S.IV.214] (All of the factors occurring in the Dependent Origination cycle have the same nature.) In this instance, the meaning is “all conditioned things (sankhara), having arisen, must inevitably decay and fade according to supporting factors.” There is no need to try to stop them, they cease of themselves. Here the intention is to describe a natural condition which, in terms of practice, simply means “that which arises can be done away with.”

As for Nirodha in the third Noble Truth (or the Dependent Origination cycle in cessation mode), although it also describes a natural process, its emphasis is on practical considerations. It is translated in two ways in the Visuddi Magga. One way traces the etymology to “ni” (without) + “rodha” (prison, confine, obstacle, wall, impediment), thus rendering the meaning as “without impediment,” “free of confinement.”

This is explained as “free of impediments, that is, the confinement of Samsara.” Another definition traces the origin to anuppada, meaning “not arising” and goes on to say “Nirodha here does not mean bhanga, breaking up and dissolution.”

Therefore, translating Nirodha as “cessation”, although not entirely wrong, is nevertheless not entirely accurate. On the other hand, there is no other word which comes so close to the essential meaning as “cessation.” However, we should understand what is meant by the term.

In this context, the Dependent Origination cycle in its cessation mode might be better rendered as “being free of ignorance, there is freedom from volitional impulses ...” or “when ignorance is gone, volitional impulses are gone ...” or “when ignorance ceases to give fruit, volitional impulses cease to give fruit ...” or “when ignorance is no longer a problem, volitional impulses are no longer a problem.”

Courtesy- Internet


Inspiration from the Buddha’s life

Continued from 12.12.08 (Link)

This is what distinguishes the Buddha’s teachings from the teachings of many other Indian schools, particularly the teachings of the tradition of yoga. It is also what distinguishes Buddhism from some of the contemplative traditions of other religions, because in Buddhism meditation by itself is not enough. Meditation is like sharpening a pencil sharpening the mind so to speak. Just as when we sharpen a pencil we sharpen it for purpose, so that we can write with it, so in sharpening the mind we have a purpose, and that purpose is wisdom. This relationship between meditation and wisdom is better understood by the example of a torch.

Suppose we want to see a picture in a darkened room with a torch. If there are many draughts in the room, we will find that the light of the torch will flicker. Similarly if your hand shakes, the light cast by the torch will be unsteady and we will.

In the same way, if we went to penetrate into the real nature of things, if your mind is unsteady, distracted, waves as a result of emotional disturbances, then we will not be able to penetrate into real nature of things. The Buddha applied this discovery on the night of His Enlightenment when we are told that with His mind concentrated, made one pointed and supple by meditation. He directed it to the understanding of the nature reality and penetrated the real nature of things. So the Buddha’s Enlightenment was the direct result of this combination of meditation and wisdom - concentration and insight.

Wisdom

We also find other aspects of wisdom expressed in the life of the Buddha, and one of course the middle way - the most basic significance of the middle way is the avoidance of the extreme of indulgence in pleasure of the senses and the extreme of tormenting the body.

The middle way is exemplified in the life of the Buddha by His own experience of a life of luxury as a Prince and by the six years of vigorous asceticism which He practised after He left His father’s place. After realising the futility of these extremes in His own experiences. He then hit upon the middle way which avoids these extremes.

There are many other important episodes in the life of the Buddha.

But if we can begin to see and understand the life of the Buddha as a lesson and not simply as a biography containing a number of names and place; if we can begin to appreciate the values and qualities that are exemplified in the life of the Buddha, then we can gaingreater insight into the real significance of the life of the Buddha.

දුරුතු පුර අටවක පෝය

දුරුතු පුර අටවක පෝය ජනවාරි 4 වන දා ඉරිදා පූර්ව භාග 5.39 ට ලබයි. 5 වනදා සඳුදා පූර්වභාග 5.3 දක්වා පෝය පවතී.
සිල් සමාදන්වීම ජනවාරි 4 වනදා ඉරිදාය

මීළඟ පෝය ජනවාරි 10 වන දා සෙනසුරාදා


පොහෝ දින දර්ශනය

First Quarterපුර අටවක

ජනවරි 04

Full Moonපසෙලාස්වක

ජනවරි 10

Second Quarterඅව අටවක

ජනවරි 18

New Moonඅමාවක

ජනවරි 25

පෝය ලබන ගෙවෙන වේලා සහ සිල් සමාදන් විය යුතු දවස


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