ABHIDHAMMA IN DAILY LIFE - Abhidhamma.com

teaching. Our Buddha has expounded the absolute truths such as :
1. The law of Impermanence – “ Impermanence – anecca , Suffering – dukha , Non-self
anatta (non-self);
2. The Four Noble Truths, and
3. The law of dependent Origination - Paticcasamuppada,
Worldlings will find it hard to identify the latent delusion with their limited knowledge. Even
when one attains the holiness from the beginning stage of Stream-winner (Sotapanna), Oncereturner
(Sakadagami) or Non-returner (Anagami) this latent delusion would be erased
completely only when one attains the arahantship.
b. Reactive delusion - Pariyutthana Moha
Delusion that arises shortly with a delusion is a reactive delusion and is in most cases as the bad
mind, the unwholesome one. Therefore, even the learned and virtuous cannot see the evils of this
reactive delusion and will react wrongly.
Example:
There was once, a Buddha-to-be- Bodhisatta, Haritaca, having renounced the world, abandoning
his immense wealth of eighty crores of money, became a hermit and attained the great
supernatural powers,(jhanas and abhinnas). One day, he came to Baranasi and stayed in the
King's garden. The king of Baranasi was his old friend who was fulfilling the Perfections
(parami) to become the Venerable Ananda. Therefore, as soon as he saw the hermit, he revered
him so much that he asked him to stay in the royal garden and supported him with four
requisites; he himself offered the hermit morning meals at the palace.
Once, as a rebellion broke out in the country, the king himself had to go out to quell the
rebellion. Before setting out with his army, he requested the queen repeatedly not to forget to
look after the hermit. The queen did as told. One early morning, she took a bath with scented
water, put on fine clothes, and lay down on the couch waiting for the hermit.
The Bodhisatta came through space with his supernormal power (abhinna), and arrived at the
palace window. Hearing the flutter of the hermit's robe, the queen hastily rose from her couch
and her dress fell off her. Seeing the queen compromising position, naked, the latent delusion
(anusaya moha), which lay dormant in his mind-continuum, rose to the stage of reactive delusion
(pariyutthana moha), and filled with lust, he took the queen's hand and committed immoral
transgression like a monster ogre.
We should consider the stupidity arising through delusion (moha) in this story seriously. If such
delusion did not appear in him, he would not have committed such an evil deed even with the
king's consent. However, at that time, overwhelmed by the darkness of delusion, he was unable
to see the evil consequences of his deed in the present and the future existences throughout the
samsara, and consequently, committed that improper transgression. The supernatural power,
(jhanas and abhinnas), which he had acquired through practice for all his life, were also unable
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