Once, the Buddha lived in the Jetavana Grove in the southern suburbs of Savatthi, the capital of Kosala.
One day, Venerable Pandita rebuked his younger brother Suddhipanthaka, saying: "If you can't even remember the precepts, just return home!"
Suddhipanthaka was very sad after being rebuked, and stood outside the gate of the Jetavana Monastery in the Jetavana Grove and cried.
When the Buddha knew about it, he went outside the monastery to comfort him: "Bhikkhu! Why are you standing here crying?"
Suddhipanthaka said: "World Honored One! My brother kicked me out. He said that I couldn't even remember the precepts, and asked me to return to the secular world and not live here anymore."
The Buddha comforted him and said: "Bhikkhu! Don't be afraid, I will help you."
So, the Buddha took Suddhipanthaka's hand, brought him back to the monastery, and taught him personally.
The Buddha taught Suddhipanthaka to recognize the two words "removing dirt" and "removing dirt". As a result, Suddhipanthaka often remembered the word "removing" and then forgot the word "dirt", and remembered the word "dirt" and then forgot the word "removing".
Suddhipanthaka worked hard for many days before he remembered the two words "removing dirt". After remembering them, Suddhipanthaka began to think about what "removing" meant and what "dirt" meant. Then he knew that "dirt" was dirty things like "ash, soil, tiles and stones", and "removing" meant "clearing clean".
Then he thought again: "Why did the Buddha teach me these two words? I should think about it carefully."
Then he thought that he also had dirt. If "removing dirt" was used on himself, then the "bonds" of attachment to troubles would be "dirt", and "wisdom" would be "removing". He thought: I should use wisdom to remove attachment to troubles.
Then, Venerable Suddhipanthaka continued to contemplate: how the five aggregates gather and how they disintegrate, that is, contemplating form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness, and the "arising" and "extinction" of form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness.
In the contemplation of the five aggregates, Venerable Suddhipanthaka abandoned lust, ignorance, and afflictions, and attained liberation, knowing the truth that "my life and death have come to an end, the pure practice has been established, all that should be done has been completed, and I know that there will be no next life." Venerable Suddhipanthaka became an Arhat.
After becoming an Arhat, Venerable Suddhipanthaka came to see the Buddha and reported to the Buddha: "World Honored One! I now have the wisdom to understand the two words 'removing dirt'."
The Buddha asked: "Bhikkhu! How do you explain these two words?"
Venerable Suddhipanthaka replied: "World Honored One! 'Removing' is like wisdom, and 'dirt' is like the 'knot' of afflictions."
The Buddha praised: "Bhikkhu! Very good! Just as you said, 'removing' is like wisdom, and 'dirt' is like the 'knot' of afflictions."
Then, Venerable Suddhipanthaka said a verse to express his feelings: "Reciting these two words taught by the World Honored One is enough. Wisdom can remove all the knots of afflictions, and there is no need to use anything else."
The Buddha listened and confirmed him, saying: "Bhikkhu! It is indeed as you said, with wisdom, and there is no need to use anything else."
The story is taken from the "Anāgama 20th Chapter 12". The Venerable Suddhipanthaka, literally translated as "Little Roadside Born", is because his mother was originally the daughter of an elder in Rajgir. She eloped with a male slave and wandered to a foreign land. Later, she gave birth to two sons on the roadside, so they were both named Roadside Born (Pante). The elder brother was called Big Roadside Born (Mahapanta) or simply Roadside Born (Pante), and the younger brother was called Little Roadside Born (Suddhipanthaka). The elder brother was intelligent by nature, and was proficient in books, arithmetic, skills, chanting, and Brahman scriptures, while the younger brother was dull by nature and had a very poor memory, so he was also jokingly called "Foolish Road". The Venerable Suddhipanthaka, who was recognized by everyone as being dull by nature, achieved the Arhat fruit, which is really indicative and shows the diversity of the roots of Arhat saints. Master Yinshun said: "The attainment of the first and fourth fruits by the Śrāvakas is very inconsistent. The wisest one is like Sariputra, while the dumbest one is like Suddhipanthaka. The oldest one is like Subhuti, who is 120 years old; the youngest one is like the seven-year-old novice monk Khyentupa. Ananda has been a Buddhist for a long time, but he has not yet attained arhatship; while Sariputra and Kaundinya became arhats in just a few days. Moreover, after attaining the first fruit, some people can practice and attain arhatship immediately, while others can stop after attaining the first, second or third fruit. However, birth and death are limited, so ultimate liberation is not a problem. The different situations of attaining the fruit are mostly based on the sharpness of the root nature and the sincerity of believing in the Dharma and striving to achieve it."
Carefully observe the sentient beings around us, including ourselves, and we will find that our behavioral consciousness is basically based on the existence and satisfaction of the self, or the existence or satisfaction related to the self. Some people call it survival, livelihood or making a living. In terms of the meaning of their lives, they have not separated themselves from the self or the interests related to the self. Few people deliberately observe this state of existence, few people deliberately explore the problems of this state of existence, few people think about ways to get rid of this state, and even fewer people provide help for other individuals in this state to get rid of it. Churchill said that making a living is the state of most people, while making a life is rare. For sentient beings, suffering comes from the attachment to self and making a living. As we age, the feeling of life brought by impermanence will become stronger and stronger, and the confusion about the meaning of life may become a heavy mental pressure. This also verifies the origin of the name of the Saha world-the sentient beings in this world are content with the ten karma-patha, can endure all kinds of sufferings but are unwilling to leave. In comparison, the greatness of the Buddha lies in his ability to clearly observe the state of himself and the sentient beings around him, to think about the causes of impermanence and suffering, to explore the path to liberation, to have the courage to break away from the low-level existence, and to help other sentient beings recognize this difference, and to share with all sentient beings the thorough and perfect method of liberation that he has realized. Therefore, in terms of achievement, there is indeed no god, human, ghost, or any other sentient being who has surpassed the Buddha's achievement.
When the six sense organs such as eyes perceive the six realms such as colors and give rise to greed, anger and ignorance, one should be aware that greed, anger and ignorance exist in one’s heart. When greed, anger and ignorance do not arise, one should be aware that there is no greed, anger and ignorance in one’s heart. This kind of awareness can explain to people the proof of liberation: birth and death are over, pure practice has been established, everything that should be done has been completed, and there is no more greed or attachment for rebirth in the next life.
The wet nurse of the late Madam, Liao, said: There was a woman in Ma Luopo, Cangzhou, who made a living by selling flour and used the flour she earned to support her mother-in-law. Because her family was poor and could not afford a donkey, she always ground flour by herself, grinding until three o'clock in the morning of the next day.
After her mother-in-law died, the woman went to the grave. On the way back, she met two girls. The girls greeted her and said with a smile: "We have lived with you for more than 20 years. We are very familiar with each other, right?"
The woman was very surprised and didn't know how to answer.
The two girls said: "Please don't be surprised, sister. We are both fox girls. We were moved by your filial piety and helped you to push the mill every night. Unexpectedly, we were praised by the heavens, and because of this merit, we became the right result. Now that you have fulfilled your filial piety to your mother-in-law, we sisters will also enter the fairyland. We come here respectfully to say goodbye and thank you for your support." After that, like a gust of wind, they disappeared in the blink of an eye.
When the woman went back home and tried to grind the millstone, she found it much heavier and could hardly be pushed. It was no longer as smooth as before.
- Ji Xiaolan
When a farmer sows seeds, he does not think that the seeds will fall to the ground today, sprout tomorrow, and grow taller the day after tomorrow. After the seeds are sown, they naturally sprout and grow taller over time.
When a hen incubates eggs, she does not think that the chicks will be heated today, peck at the shells tomorrow, and hatch the day after tomorrow. After the chicks hatch, they naturally peck at the shells over time.
The same is true for practicing precepts, concentration, and wisdom. There is no need to think that you can practice today and be liberated tomorrow. As long as you persist in practicing, you will naturally be liberated as time goes by.
Buddhism believes that the doctrines of the secular world and other religions cannot free those who practice from the troubles of the three realms of life and death. They are all imperfect and mixed with pain and happiness. Although they seem to be beneficial at present, their essence is impermanent and changeable. As the cause and condition change, they will turn into troubles and show suffering, so these studies are called "leaky" studies. "Non-leaky" means that there are no imperfections in the three realms of life and death, and they can bring benefits to people and stop troubles in this life.
The three non-leakage studies include "observance of precepts, meditation, and wisdom", that is, "from precepts come concentration, from concentration comes wisdom, and from wisdom comes practice", which respectively treat the three poisons of "greed, anger, and ignorance".
Preventing evil and stopping evil is precepts, and precepts can suppress greed;
Calming down thoughts and calming down is concentration, and concentration can suppress anger;
Breaking evil and realizing the truth is called wisdom, and wisdom can suppress ignorance;
The so-called "controlling the mind is precepts, from precepts comes concentration, and from concentration comes wisdom", which can eventually enable learners to realize wisdom to free themselves from troubles and achieve ultimate nirvana. The three strengthen each other and complement each other, and none of them can be missing. Only by diligently practicing the correct three non-leakage studies can we achieve the ultimate path of liberation.
The three non-leakage studies are a summary of the Eightfold Path: the right speech, right action, and right livelihood in the Eightfold Path are precept studies, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration are concentration studies, and right view and right thinking are wisdom studies.