Mettavalokanaya_Buddhist_Magazine_December_2018.

Restraint of Mind….
Most Venerable Dr Kotawila Sri
Pemaloka Thero
Founder and Chief Abbot of Aaloka
Buddhist Centre in Singapore
Sense Restraint - The Buddha
did not asked the followers to
close their eyes, ears, noses
and mouths, but whatever you
do, do with reflection. With
the conscious mind, to have
knowledge of the objects but not
to go further from the point of
knowledge.
It is the nature of our mind
that it has no satisfaction but to
go further, further and further
to ego - namely the nation of ”I”.
Sanjanati lead you to go ahead.
The Arahantas who had destroyed
defilements also will have the
knowledge on the object that is
not Sanjanati but Abhijanati then
it is not going further and further.
Do defects if we only have
knowledge of the environment.
It becomes a defect when one
thinks further and further on
the same object, then you would
produce papanca many kinds of
knowledge Sanjanati, Vijateti and
Pahati. The highest is “yata bhuta
nama dassana” - being able to
see and know things as they are.
Without restraint of the
senses your practice for liberation
cannot progress further in
the ways that the Buddha had
recommended. Here sense
restraint refers to mind process.
In the Digha Nikaya you find the
importance of the sense restraint.
The restraint of these senses very
crucial state for the path leading
to cessation of suffering. In this
sutta, after discussing the section
of sila. The Buddha came to the
point of restraint of senses, “Yata
bhuta nana dassana”.
According to this Sutta,
without restraint of the senses
you cannot have concentration
and from this point you could turn
to another way. Papanca patha
is the way we combine with the
world. Even at the beginnings Sila
is the directed to some purposes
cessation of suffering.
According to the Buddha, the
characteristic of Brahmacariya
is the excellent in the beginning
excellent in the middle, excellent
at the end. Adikalyane, Majjhe
Kalyane, Pariyosana Kalyane =
Pure continually throughout till
the end. The conduct of Sila is
a gradual way of development.
Following ways of development
could be achieved;
01 - Ariyena Silakkhandena -
by noble way of Sila 02 - Ariyena
Indriya Samvarena - by noble way
of control of senses. 03 - Ariyena
Sammasatisanjeti - by the noble
tranquility of mind 04 - Ariyena
Sammadhikkhandena - by the
noble final stage of experience 05
- Ariyena Pancakkhandena - by
the noble way of controlling the
body.
In the noble restraint you can
find the ingredients not only of
the sense restraints but also how
you protect the precepts with
the reflections and mindfulness.
You must have all the parts of the
Noble Eight Fold Path from the
very beginning.
The noble way is not only
the theoretical but practical and
conductive for all of us to arrange
our own way to be conscious
about our mind origination
creation. Day by day you are
bewildered, “Live in the world
but not to be affected”. The
Buddha said to Kalamas, “You
must not accept my word merely
out of respect for me”. The
Buddha concluded the advice
with explanation of Nibbana.
48 l Mettavalokanaya l December l 2018 l www.mettavalokanaya.com www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2018 l December l Mettavalokanaya l 49