Rude Awakenings - Forest Sangha Publications

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^0 B O R D E R 06a Buddha except through living life from every angle? And so the GreatBeing went through the life experience hundreds of times: for one lifetimehe was a hare, another time a monkey, on another occasion a minister,a farmer, a prince. Many were the occasions when the Buddhato-begave away his own life for the welfare of others, or practicedforgiveness toward those who hacked his body apart. In birth after birthhe renounced wealth and possessions. Having abandoned his own lifeso many times that it meant nothing to him, in his penultimate birthas Prince Vessantara he was presented with the test of giving up thatwhich he held even more dear—the sight and company of his wife andchildren.This was the last test—to give up the sweet taste of human warmth.When the Great Being passed the test and his family was subsequentlyrestored to him, the gods rejoiced. The next birth was to be the last, andit took place where the Ganges plain terminates in forest and marshes afew miles south of the Himalayas. And it took place in history aroundthe fifth century B.C.E., when Maha Maya, a queen of that region, dreamtthat a white elephant entered her womb. Nine months later, she wasmaking her way to her father’s house, it being the custom to bear thefirst child under the parental roof, when labour pains forced her to stopand give birth in a grove of sal trees. That’s where Nick and I wereheaded—Lumbini.The waiting afternoon dozed under the fans. Lucknow was darkeningby the time the stiffness and pain in my body finally held me awakeand we got moving again. We made our way over to the queues for theticket office, allowing four hours to get the tickets, retrieve the bags, andfind the train somewhere. Chaos as usual—but something unusual wasgoing on—rhythmic shouts beat through the random hubbub. In themain hall of the station a throng of men was agitating, stirred by roarsof “Jai Ram! Jai Ram!” I could glimpse unkempt black hair wrapped ingrubby headbands, red cloths thrown over shoulders; from the wildnessof their eyes you could tell it was something religious. Tamer folk2 9
^0 F I R S T M O O N 06moved around them; Nick and I kept a watchful distance, murmuringquietly about Ayodhya; police in khaki with riot sticks stood by measuringthe tension. Fear waited ready to burst out of the darkness like atiger: “Jai Ram! Jai Ram!!”The kar sevaks were performing their dharma: rallying to move onto Ayodhya to destroy the mosque defiling the holy birthplace of LordRam. Like the other great Hindu hero, Arjuna, Lord Ram’s dharmaencompassed exile and renunciation but is chiefly remembered as theduty of righteous war. Tough stuff, religious duty—and dangerouswhen interpreted outside of the context of the struggle of the spirit.What may represent fine points of conflict in the heart can get acted outin some horrendous forms on the manifest world. The gleaming eyes ofRama’s righteous volunteers made one grateful for the gentler archetypespresented by the Buddha’s dharma. Renunciation is painfulenough; but for the world in general, deluded renunciates are less dangerousthan deluded heroes.As we moved through the crowds to the ticket office, we could seethe mass of Lucknow, dark as a thundercloud. Curfew. A few lightsaround the station were glowing to indicate a place of security; aroundit ever-hopeful stalls selling charms and sweets—ragged beggars—rickshawdrivers hovering, a few army jeeps. Time ticking away chargedwith passion and history.I don’t remember how we got out; journeys on second-class Indianrail blur together in the mind. Arms and legs thrust through all the windowsand doors of the carriage as the train pulled up in the station. Bagsare definitely a liability in the press for a seat, but don’t put them downfor a moment in this press; this is the ideal time for thieves to strike. Onetide of passengers trying to leave swelled against the incoming torrent;it’s a matter of holding your bag tight and pushing and squirming. Noquarter is expected, but there are no hostile feelings whatsoever. This isjust the way that one gets on a train. Our relative height and team strategygave us an advantage on these trips: Nick would forge ahead through3 0
Page 4: RUDE AWAKENINGS
Page 8: The mindful exert themselves;they a
Page 13: ^0 F O R E W O R D 06mystically emb
Page 16 and 17: PrefaceWhat follows is the narrativ
Page 18: The First MoonT H E M I D D L E L A
Page 21 and 22: ^0 F I R S T M O O N 06chomping.
Page 23 and 24: ^0 F I R S T M O O N 06deities with
Page 26 and 27: ^0 P I L G R I M S 06things around
Page 31 and 32: ^0 F I R S T M O O N 06and pedestri
Page 33 and 34: ^0 F I R S T M O O N 06government w
Page 35 and 36: ^0 F I R S T M O O N 06too attracti
Page 37 and 38: A J A H N S U C I T T O^0 F I R S T
Page 40 and 41: 2Over the BorderA J A H N S U C I T
Page 42 and 43: ^0 B O R D E R 06managed to ignore
Page 44 and 45: ^0 B O R D E R 06Buddhist holy plac
Page 48 and 49: ^0 B O R D E R 06the maelstrom, som
Page 50 and 51: ^0 B O R D E R 06I read a sign in t
Page 52 and 53: ^0 B O R D E R 06to Bhairawa, the n
Page 54 and 55: ^0 B O R D E R 06of homage to the B
Page 56 and 57: ^0 B O R D E R 06the grass bank fac
Page 58 and 59: 3Leaving HomeA J A H N S U C I T T
Page 60 and 61: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06ascertain
Page 62 and 63: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06take arou
Page 64 and 65: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06region an
Page 66 and 67: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06wanted us
Page 68 and 69: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06mother: s
Page 70 and 71: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06We stoppe
Page 72 and 73: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06to allow
Page 74 and 75: ^0 L E AV I N G H O M E 06conversat
Page 76 and 77: The Second MoonL U M B I N I T O VA
Page 78 and 79: 4The ObserverA J A H N S U C I T T
Page 80 and 81: ^0 O B S E RV E R 06with a lot of t
Page 82 and 83: ^0 O B S E RV E R 06contemplative b
Page 84 and 85: ^0 O B S E RV E R 06After that we e
Page 86 and 87: ^0 O B S E RV E R 06forbidden. Reli
Page 88 and 89: ^0 O B S E RV E R 06told me about t
Page 90 and 91: ^0 O B S E RV E R 06to sit beside t
Page 92 and 93: ^0 O B S E RV E R 06With this move
Page 94: ^0 O B S E RV E R 06the back; the d
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06live in th
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06Eventually
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06to a prese
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06of his kne
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06found so d
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06of them sp
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06stupa, try
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06wanted to
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06and a dark
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06from the e
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River Gandak, Part 2
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06ebbing out
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06violent at
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06That topic
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06friendly f
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06The boat w
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^0 S E C O N D M O O N 06was time t
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7The Kingdom of the LawA J A H N S
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^0 T H E L AW 06A sub-lieutenant in
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^0 T H E L AW 06was built in the gr
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^0 T H E L AW 06to get over the wor
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^0 T H E L AW 06accept any fare at
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^0 T H E L AW 06and milk sweets I b
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^0 T H E L AW 06the surrounding tre
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^0 T H E L AW 06a small house near
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8CyclesA J A H N S U C I T T ONovem
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^0 C Y C L E S 06long while for the
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^0 C Y C L E S 06thosebirthsanddeat
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^0 C Y C L E S 06There was a tea st
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^0 C Y C L E S 06The land we were p
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^0 C Y C L E S 06the Indian “West
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^0 C Y C L E S 06parothas straight
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^0 C Y C L E S 06ignore thirty boys
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A J A H N S U C I T T O^0 C Y C L E
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9The Deathless DrumA J A H N S U C
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^0 T H E D R U M 06Once...when I wa
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^0 T H E D R U M 06was a way of enh
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^0 T H E D R U M 06Sangha at Amarav
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^0 T H E D R U M 06scriptures descr
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^0 T H E D R U M 06job, but had eno
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^0 T H E D R U M 06Vaishali’s gre
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^0 T H E D R U M 06less.” And the
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^0 T H E D R U M 06had been a notic
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^0 T H E D R U M 06Striding across
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Mid-Bihar
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06is losing it
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06I had learne
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06cycle—a va
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06the way acro
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06in Bettiah.
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06newspaper th
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06There is not
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06that India h
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A J A H N S U C I T T O^0 T H I R D
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06bigoted mons
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11Dark AngelA J A H N S U C I T T O
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06on. Then for
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06directly in h
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06something cos
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06a cycle ricks
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06is generously
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06body in order
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06majority of t
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06there are man
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06wound about w
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06It happens to
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06there. After
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^0 DA R K A N G E L 06I contemplate
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12Letting GoA J A H N S U C I T T O
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06enough for A
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06marketplace.
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06to be comple
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06there with n
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06main road, t
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06blue antelop
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06formlessness
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06even, about
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06been a stray
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06cool—I sta
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^0 L E T T I N G G O 06them, but my
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13Landing PlaceA J A H N S U C I T
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^0 L A N D I N G 06gone. And the di
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^0 L A N D I N G 06more assertive.
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^0 L A N D I N G 06manager facing e
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^0 L A N D I N G 06I was left alone
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A J A H N S U C I T T O^0 L A N D I
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^0 L A N D I N G 06Ajahn Sucitto in
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^0 L A N D I N G 06Ahlee, and the m
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^0 L A N D I N G 06moment we were b
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^0 L A N D I N G 06much either. I f
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06admit that a
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06regretfully
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06a ministerin
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06to think of
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06filter like
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06More than an
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06Gotama milk-
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06the sun, alw
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A J A H N S U C I T T O^0 T H I R D
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06many-headed
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^0 T H I R D M O O N 06abandoned Ed
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EpilogueSo many people helped us bo
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NotesP R E FA C E“The mindful exe
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^0 N O T E S 06C H A P T E R 6 : S
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^0 N O T E S 06C H A P T E R 1 0 :
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GlossaryAbhidhamma (Pali) one of th
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^0 G L O S S A RY 06chillum (Hindi)
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^0 G L O S S A RY 06Mahayana (Sansk
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^0 G L O S S A RY 06sabong (Hindi)
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Vinaya (Pali) the monastic discipli
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^0 B I B L I O G R A P H Y 06Conze,
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^0 B I B L I O G R A P H Y 06Raven-
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Recommended ReadingB U D D H I S T
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IndexAAbhidhamma, 213, 284, 295Adi
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^0 I N D E X 06HHajipur, 171-73, 18
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^0 I N D E X 06Nalanda and, 210-11,
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