EVALUATING TEACHER AND TEACHING

Evaluating Teacher and Teaching

There was an occasion when the Buddha was residing in the Bamboo Grove in the Squirrel’s Sanctuary, at Rajagaha, for what turned out to be a notable rainy season sojourn (MN77). It was morning and too early to go for alms, so the Buddha decided to visit the Peacocks’ sanctuary. There was quite a gathering there of renowned sectarians, and a noisy discussion taking place. Sakuludāyin saw the Buddha approaching and, knowing that he liked decorum and quietude, hushed the group. The Buddha enquired as to what they were discussing but Sakuludāyin directed the conversation elsewhere, saying how it was considered a great gain of the people of Anga and Magadha to have so many renowned teachers come to spend the rains at Rajagaha. There are respected leaders, Brahmins and recluses, heads of orders, groups and sects, well known and famous, and some even respected as saintly. But, some leaders were openly criticised. Purāṇa Kassapa was said to have disciples who did not honour, respect, revere him and live in dependence on him (6) (for guidance and inspiration (nissaya)). And, some said the same of Makkhala Gosalā , Ajita Kesakambalin, Pakudha Kaccāyana, Sañjaya Belatthiputta, and even the Nigaṇṭha Natapūtta. But those that spoke of the recluse Gotama said that his disciples did honour, respect and revere, and live in dependence on him. Someone then recounted the story of an occasion when the Buddha was teaching several hundred followers. Such was the keenness of the audience that when someone merely cleared his throat he was nudged and admonished to be quiet. The audience was likened to a group of people who had stopped at a crossroad to watch a man extract honey from honeycomb. The Buddha then took up the debate. He asked wanderer Sakuludāyin why he thought the Buddha’s disciples honoured, respected, revered him and lived in dependence on him. Sakuludāyin gave five reasons.

1. The blessed one eats little and commends eating little.
2. The blessed one is content with any kind of robe, and commends contentment with any kind of robe.
3. The blessed one is content with alms food, and commends contentment with any kind of alms food.
4. The blessed one is content with any kind of resting place, and commends contentment with any kind of resting place.
5. The blessed one is secluded, and commends seclusion (8).

Having addressed Sakuludāyin’s five reasons, the Buddha gives five other qualities for which the disciples of his teaching honour, respect, revere and venerate, and live in dependence on him. It amounts to an extensive list, with subdivisions:

1. For supreme mastery of virtue (11).
2. For excellent knowledge and vision … taught in a sound ... and convincing … manner (12).
3. For supreme wisdom … and understanding the consequence of differing doctrines (13).
4. For satisfying their curiosity with insight into the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the path leading away from suffering (14).
5. For ways to develop wholesome states:
   • The Four Satipaṭṭhāna (15)
   • The four right kinds of striving (16):
     • Zeal
     • Effort
     • Energy
     • Exertion of mind
   • The four bases of spiritual power (17).
     • Concentration due to determined striving
     • Concentration due to determined energy and determine striving
     • Concentration due to purity of mind
     • Concentration due to investigation and determined striving
   • The Five powers (19)
     • Faith
     • Energy
     • Mindfulness
     • Concentration
     • Wisdom
   • The Severn Factors of enlightenment
     • Mindfulness
     • Investigation of states
     • Energy
     • Rapture
     • Tranquillity
     • Concentration
     • Equanimity – all seven are supported by seclusion, dispassion, cessation resulting in relinquishment (20)
   • The Noble Eight-Fold Path (21)
   • The Eight Liberations (22)
   • Eight Bases For Transcendence (23)
   • The Ten Kasina (24)
   • The Four Jhāna (25)
   • Insight Knowledge (into impermanence and the Four Great Elements) (28)).
   • The Mind Made Body (30)
   • Kinds of Super Normal Power (31)
   • Divine ear Element (32)
   • Understanding the Minds Of Others (33)
   • Recollection of Past Lives (34)
   • The Divine Eye (35)
   • The destruction of taints (36)

How the Truth Is Preserved

There was an occasion when the Buddha was staying in the Sala-tree Grove in the North of Opasāda, in the area where offerings were made to gods (MN95 Cankī Sutta). Opasāda was a lush crown property ruled over by Brahmin Cankī . One day he noticed a throng of people heading towards the ascetic Gotama, and decided to go himself. His aids however argued it was not fitting for such a wellborn to go to a recluse, but the recluse should come to him. They reminded Cankī he was rich and virtuous, a master of the Veda scriptures, and a teacher and ruler. But Brahmin Cankī retorted that similarly Gotama the ascetic was well born, and additionally possessed the thirty-two marks of a great man (8). As far as he was concerned, Gotama was a guest of Opasāda, and should be treated as such. Cankī set out with a retinue of Brahmins to visit the Buddha. He found the Buddha in discussion with Brahmin student Bhāradvāja, who was presenting a mindlessly dogmatic argument. He claimed the Vedas are, scripturally speaking, the exclusive truth and nothing but the truth. The Buddha pointed out that there was not a single Brahmin, or teacher even going back seven generations who would support that view. Even the ancient composers of the scriptures didn’t even say such a thing. He likened the generations of teachers to seven blind men, each touching each other, but none able to see (13). Bhāradvāja maintained that Brahmins still accepted the Vedas as the exclusive truth, and nothing but the truth. They accepted this not only on faith, but also because it is a long standing oral tradition. The Buddha then reminded Bhāradvāja that first he defended his position by appealing to faith, and now he has changed his argument to one based on longevity of oral tradition. The Buddha moved the discussion on to a more edifying basis. He identified five reasons for accepting a teaching. These are faith, approval, oral tradition, reasoned cogitation and reflective acceptance of views. These can turn out in several ways.

• A teaching is fully accepted on faith but is false and empty of value.
• A teaching is not fully accepted on faith but is true and of value.
• A teaching is well reflected upon and fully approved, but is false and empty of value.
• A teaching is not well reflected upon and yet is factual, true and of value (14).

In respect of the above scenarios, the Buddha points out ‘it is not proper for a wise man who preserves truth to come to the definite conclusion: ‘Only this is true, anything else is wrong.’ Bhāradvāja asks how the truth is preserved. The Buddha responds:

If a person has faith, Bhāradvāja, he preserves truth when he says: ‘My faith is thus’; but he does not yet come to the definite conclusion: ‘Only this is true, anything else is wrong.’ In this way, Bhāradvāja, there is the preservation of truth… But yet there is no discovery of truth. MN95:15

This teaching is telling us not to be dogmatic, or exclusive with our beliefs. Bhāradvāja then asks, “But in what way, Master Gotama, is there discovery of truth? (16).” The Buddha confines his answer to the Dhamma. He gives an example of how to assess a Bhikkhu ‘living in dependence on some village or town (17)’. The Buddha teaches Bhāradvāja that a householder, or his son, should assess such a bhikkhu’s mental state, by investigating him for any signs of greed, hatred and delusion. The householder is to ask himself whether a condition of greed, or hate or delusion, is causing the monk to err in his teaching of the dhamma, or does he ‘urge others to act in such a way that would lead to their harm and suffering for a long time’. He advises the householder to carry out this threefold investigation in respect of the bhikkhu’s mind, bodily actions, and speech.

Discussion

The above is a serious, and unabashed, analysis to which laity should submit a bhikkhu endeavouring to follow the Buddha’s prescription . This analysis is not, by the way, optional. It is my view that today, any bhikkhu living in medium to long-term residence should be viewed as ‘living in dependence on some village or town’. It should be understood that not all Saṅgha are safe to listen to (see chapter 21).²⁸³

Those Who Don’t Know Can’t Teach

And the dhamma that this venerable one teaches is profound, hard to see and hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, unattainable by mere reasoning, subtle, to be experienced by the wise. This dhamma cannot easily be taught by one affected by greed/hatred/delusion (Cankī Sutta MN95:17-19).

Should a bhikkhu dependent on some village or town (is in medium to long-term residence) satisfy the layman that the bhikkhu is purified of greed hatred and delusion, he can allow himself to have faith in the bhikkhu, and visit him, and pay respects to him and give ear. The Buddha then expounds the steps that constitute paying respect, and giving ear. He teaches the enquirer hears the Dhamma, memorises the Dhamma, examines its meaning; develops a reflective acceptance of those teachings; zeal arises; he applies his will; he scrutinises; he strives and by resolved application of penetrating wisdom, he purifies himself of the three unwholesome states, and realises some truth about the mind and body. Even so, he has not yet arrived at the final truth (20). Bhāradvāja then asks, ‘But in what way, Master Gotama, is there the final arrival at the truth?’

The final arrival at truth, Bhāradvāja, lies in the repetition, development, and cultivation of those same things. In this way, Bhāradvāja, there is the final arrival at truth; in this way one finally arrives at truth; in this way we describe the final arrival at truth (21).

Bhāradvāja then asks, ‘But what master Gotama is most helpful for the final arrival at truth?’ There then follows a series of questions and answers in which the Buddha reveals the same string of interdependent qualities stated above, but this time in reverse order.

Striving is most important for the final realisation of truth Bhāradvāja. If one does not strive, one will not arrive at truth; but because one strives, one does finally arrive at truth. That is why striving is the most helpful for the arrival at truth. And for striving … scrutiny is most important … And for scrutiny … the application of will is most important ... And for the application of will … zeal is most important ... And for zeal ... reflective acceptance is most important … And for reflective acceptance … examining the meaning is most important … And for examining the meaning … memorising the teaching is most important … And for memorising the teaching … hearing the Dhamma, is most important … And for hearing the Dhamma ... listening well, is most important … And for listening well … paying respects, is most important … And for paying respects ... visiting monks is most important … And for visiting monks … faith is most important (22-33).

That those recluses and brahmins who do not understand as it actually is the gratification as gratification, the danger as danger, and the escape as escape in the case of material form, can either themselves fully understand material form or instruct another, so that he can understand material form – that is impossible … MN13:31

This is saying that teaching the Dhamma is not a case of a bhikkhu carefully repeating the discourses. This is even sterner stuff than the Cankī discourse, which states the Dhamma is not easily taught by one affected by greed, hatred or delusion. This is saying it is impossible! So which is it: ‘not easily taught’ or ‘impossible’? We have in fact met apparent ambivalences before. What we are reading of is a highly unlikely possibility of a teacher teaching a level of Dhamma he has not realised himself.

Discussion

One thing the above discourses do not make clear is what a layman is to do when he encounters a bhikkhu who is not worthy of alms. However, we can take a precedent from the Buddha. He did not to hesitate to dismiss 500 newly ordained bhikkhus for not coming up to scratch (MN67:5). After all, a bhikkhu must not go forth driven by thieves, driven by debt, driven by fear, driven for want of a livelihood (MN68:5). On completing this book, the reader should reflect on whether it also meets the Buddha’s criteria. The reader should ask himself whether this author has fully understood and revealed that which is difficult to understand?

Poor Teachings and Teachers

In the Cūḷasīthanāda Suttaṃ (MN11) the Buddha says there are four kinds of clinging born of craving, all of which teachers of the true Dhamma should teach. These are: clinging to sensual pleasure, clinging to views, clinging to rules and observations, clinging to the doctrine of self. But there were recluses and Brahmins who did not teach all four kinds of clinging (9). The Buddha warns, when this happens there are four losses. These are: a resulting loss in confidence in the teacher, a loss of confidence in the teaching, an inadequate realisation of the precepts, and affection amongst companions is not rightly directed (13). Table 27 below tabulates this teaching.

Table 30 Losses From Badly Taught Buddha-Dhamma

When not taught Leads to a loss of Resultant loss

• Clinging to sensual pleasure.
• Clinging to views.
• Clinging to rules and observations.
• Clinging to the doctrine of self. • Confidence in the teacher.
• Confidence in the teaching.
• Less than full realisation of the precepts.
• Affection amongst companions is not rightly directed.

A rightly enlightened teacher, on the other hand, teaches all four types of clinging because he fully understands, and therefore his disciples’ energies are rightly directed. Of note is that these teachings are essential for stream entry and once returning.

Eight Teachings to Avoid

In the Sandaka suttam (MN76) Ānanda teaches Sandaka there are four views that preclude ‘the living of the holy life’, and there are four kinds of holy life that bring no ‘consolation’ (6).

Four Negations of True-Dhamma

View 1

This teaches there is no cause and effect due to generosity and compassion and we all succumb to the same basic elements upon death, regardless of our wholesome and unwholesome actions. This negates the Buddha’s prescription. Ānanda calls this the doctrine of fools and recommends leaving this teaching. It is nihilistic, which makes it a pernicious view.

View 2

This is another negation of cause and effect at the moral level, but with regards to taking life and physical cruelty. It is a nihilistic view and therefore pernicious. Ānanda recommends rejection of the above teaching.

View 3

This teaching is saying there is no such thing as self-determination and purification. It is nihilistic and pernicious. Again, Ānanda recommends rejection of the above teaching.

View 4

This credo teaches all phenomena are made from seven non-perishable origins, which are used to explain why there is no cause or effect. It is eternalistic and nihilistic. The discourse goes on to list and enumerate kinds of generation, kinds of actions, kinds of aeons, planes of men, serpents, hells, elements of dust, breeds of entities, gods, men, demons, lakes, knots, chasms, dreams and great aeons, none of which makes any difference because all is pre-determined. It teaches our pleasure and pain, the number of lives we live are fated, and out of our control. Like a ball of string, which unwinds as it rolls, so to our existences are fated to end. Whether a man is foolish or wise, everyone will see an end to suffering. This teaching is saying we are all destined to become liberated (Moksha for Brahamins). But Ānanda recommends leaving this teaching and warns all the above four beliefs are ruinous of the holy life (19).

Four Views That Cannot Console (Comfortless Brahma Farings)

Ānanda teaches Sandaka four more views, from which a wise man would derive no satisfaction.

View 1

This teacher uses fatalism to excuse his lack of wisdom. Despite this teacher claiming omniscience, it did not help him acquire alms food, or avoid encounters with dangerous animals, or know the way without directions. Ānanda explains, ‘About this a wise man considers … This holy life is without consolation, he turns away from it and leaves it (22).’

View 2

This is a warning against relying on the oral tradition alone, as Bhāradvāja did. Ānanda says, ‘About this a wise man considers … This holy life is without consolation, he turns away from it and leave it (23-25).’

View 3

This teacher is a rationalist. Ānanda says, ‘About this a wise man considers … This holy life is without consolation, he turns away from it and leaves it (26-28).’ The Buddha also warned about using ‘knowledge and insight about one thing’ to produce ‘knowledge and insight about something else’ to predict the future (DN29:27). This is a warning to mind the shortcomings of using logic alone.

View 4

This teacher is an obscurantist. Ānanda says, ‘About this a wise man considers … This holy life is without consolation, he turns away from it and leaves it (29-32).’

Wrong Grasp Of The Dhamma

The Alagaddupanna Sutta (MN22) warns us about misunderstanding and even using the Dhamma abusively.

Here, bhikkhus, some misguided men learn the dhamma … but having learned they do not examine the meaning of those teachings with wisdom … Instead they learn the Dhamma, they do not examine the meanings of those teachings with wisdom, they do not gain reflective acceptance of them. Instead they learn the Dhamma only for the sake of criticising others and for winning debates, and they do not experience the good for the sake of which they learned the dhamma. Those teachings are wrongly grasped by them, conduce to their harm and suffering for a long time. Why is that? Because of the wrong grasp of those teaching. MN22:10

The Buddha gives us a simile of a man seeking a snake, as a poignant warning. Such a man who is unmindful may try to grasp the snake by the tail, only for it to turn around and bite him with grave, and even deadly, consequences. A skilled man on the other hand, would use a clef stick.

Therefore bhikkhus, when you understand the meaning of my statements, remember it accordingly; and when you do not understand the meaning of my statements, then ask either me about it or those bhikkhus who are wise. MN22:12

Discussion

Let’s quickly review what we have studied in this chapter. We have learned that the Buddha laid down very exacting standards for the bhikkhus, who relied on a single source of alms, which today reasonably includes those living in medium to long-term residence. He recommended the laity expect edifying and difficult teachings to be made clear by such bhikkhus. He recommended the laity inspect the bhikkhu’s integrity. Ordinarily, it is considered rude to study someone at the personal level so intensely. But the bhikkhu is a rare entity. He is in a privileged position. He has renounced the world to live off the generosity of others. Expecting a bhikkhu to deliver is in fact a crucial check-and-balance mechanism that keeps both bhikkhu and laity purposeful. Unfortunately, the mechanism has been tampered with. Today, not only do laity often not follow the Buddha’s prescription here, but it is common to see laity giving alms while at the same time bowing in reverence to a group of bhikkhus. Yet anciently, the Buddha instructed bhikkhus not to look at the alms giver but to lower their heads, and look at their begging bowl, while receiving alms (Vinaya Pitika, Sutta Vibhanga Mahāvibhangha, Sekhiya 28) . Having the laity give and bow at the same time is tantamount to worship. We also learn from the above that anciently, teachers and teachings were aplenty. There still is. Some are better avoided, such as those with nihilistic views which negate there is cause and effect at the moral level, and the negation of self-mastery and purification, and the belief that all is illusory. We are warned to be mindful of fatalism, traditionalism, rationalism, and obscurantism. We are advised to put our questions to the wise amongst the Saṅgha. We are also advised that any teaching passed off as Dhamma should be “compared with the suttas and reviewed in the light of the discipline (DN16:4.8).” However, neither Canon nor Saṅgha can be totally trusted and so today’s renunciant must rely on his own empirical review of the discipline; that is, personal realisation is today first and foremost. He should be clear about the what and the why he believes, or does not believe, a faith teaching (see Bhāradvāja). We are warned that even True Dhamma can be harmful if not properly understood. The purpose of this book is to fast-track the reader to an accurate and fulsome exposition of the Buddha’s wisdom. I say, anything less is cruel and reckless.²⁸⁴