Winning three battles

This whole situation gives me the strong advice of what kind of a disciple I should be! So, Dear Dhamma friends, I share all these because, so that you also can look into these situations and identify the deep noble qualities of true Buddhists and deep teaching hidden in them.  So, that you can use them to develop your path of liberation!  So, that you can feel how wonderful and how noble can be the Samma Sambuddha and his true disciples are.  Whether you’re a monk or a lay person if you fail to recognize the depth of these noble qualities and teachings you will not be able to benefited from the noble teachings of a Samma Sambuddha.

In that Verañjā rainy season, Verañjā city had a shortage of food because an epidemic.  As the Verañjā Brahmin has forgotten his invitation, it was difficult for the Samma Sambuddha and Sangha to find any food for their alms round.  Yet Samma Sambuddha doesn’t want to remind the Verañjā Brahmin.  At the same time some horse traders visited the Verañjā city and they have decided to provide the steamed brown grain for the Sangha which they have bought for their horses.  It wasn’t a tasty food to eat.  Venerable Ānanda crushed a portion on a stone and provided them to Samma Sambuddha.  All the bhikkhus were eating this horse food for the whole rainy season.

Imagine the one who is filled with defilements?  What they will do in such difficult situations?  They will surely complain Verañjā Brahmin… They will surely feel like remind him… they will surely feel like not visiting Verañjā ever again… But not our Samma Sambuddha nor his noble disciples done any of this.  Samma Sambuddha explained Ven. Ānanda how each of the bhikkhus who were there had won the three battles. What three battles? Battle of Drought, Battle of Greed and Battle of Covetousness.

Battle of Drought

The blessed one kept explaining how they won all of these 3 battles.  How they have won the battle of Drought?  Drought was only in area of Verañjā because of the epidemic.  The surrounding cities didn’t have any shortage of food.  Even the monks were fainted sometimes they never felt that “What is our Gauthama Buddha doing… he could visit these other cities… why he is making us suffer… at least he could order us to go for alms round in other cities…”  Ānanda, none of you get such offensive… angry… conflict stressful thoughts and felt against the drought or the situation.  You DID NOT drought to defeat you all.  You all won the battle of drought in that way!

Battle of Greed

How you all won the battle of Greed Ānanda?  There are so many tasty foods available in the other cities.  Any of you easily could have walk distance to such alms round.  None of you felt that you should shift and spend the rainy season in those cities.  You didn’t waste your time by thinking about the tasty, luxury food you could get for your alms round IF you visit those surrounding cities.  In that way Ānanda you DID NOT allow greed to defeat you, instead you all defeated the greed and won the battle of greed!

Battle of Covetousness

You also won the battle of Covetousness Ānanda.  Most of the bhikkhus here are with higher meditation powers and achievements.  They could easily attract anyone by showing off their abilities.  But none of the monk here Ānanda never felt like, “No one cares for us… they don’t know who are we…  how noble we are… we have many with meditation and magical powers here… we should show off or tell them how noble and higher we are how lucky they are to have such an opportunity to serve such monks for them… once they serve their food for us, we could confess and think about our precepts again…”  None felt like that Ānanda.  As you may have heard the covetousness is also related to the fourth training rule on expulsion also known as fourth Pārājika.   Because covetousness is such a cheap attitude to have within.  Imagine you are showing off your spiritual attainment to attract others and manipulate them for your personal benefits… Such a cheap attitude to have right?  That’s what Samma Sambuddha explained here that none of the bhikkhus felt or had that cheap attitude no matter how difficult the time for them.  In that way they all have won the battle of covetousness!

So, my dear dhamma friends, whether you are monk or nun or lay disciple… IF YOU CLAIM THAT YOU ARE A DISCIPLE OF SAMMA SAMBUDDHA… look deep in to yourself.  Are you wining these battles?  Do you identify these defilements?  No matter how hard is the situation… no matter how difficult is the time… no matter how others treat you… Do you behave compassionately and wisely like the blessed one and the noble ones?  Do you feel the quality of a true disciple?

After the rainy season the blessed one and disciples informed Verañjā Brahmin that they are now leaving the city and thanked for the invitation.  The brahmin seek forgiveness and invited again for a dana.  The blessed one accepted compassionately.  This is why they are call noble ones, without any defilements.  This was their true nature.  They didn’t act according to the situations… no matter what this is who they were.  So does a true disciple should be!   Feel the nobleness of the noble teacher and noble disciples and be a one!