Monks, if five things do not slip away from a frail and sick Monk, it can be predicted of him: In no long time, with the destruction of the taints, he will realize for himself with direct knowledge (wisdom), in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, he will reside in it.
What five?
Here, a Monk resides contemplating the (1)unattractiveness of the body,
(2)perceiving the repulsiveness of food, (3)perceiving non-excitement in the entire
world,(4)contemplating impermanence in all conditioned mental objects; and (5)he has the perception of death well established internally.
If these five things do not slip away from a frail and sick Monk, it can be expected of him: In no long time, with the destruction of the taints, he will realize for himself with direct knowledge (wisdom), in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, he will reside in it.
Monks, if any male or female Ordained Practitioner develops and cultivates five things, one of two fruits is to be predicted: either final knowledge (wisdom) in this very life or, if there is a residue remaining, the Non-Returner Stage of Enlightenment.
Monks, these five things, when developed and cultivated, lead exclusively to liberation, to freedom from strong feelings, to elimination, to peace, to direct knowledge (wisdom), to Enlightenment, to Nibbāna, to Nirvana.
Monks, these five things, when developed and cultivated, lead to the destruction of the taints (the ten fetters).
Monks, these five things, when developed and cultivated, have liberation of mind as their fruit, liberation of mind as their fruit and benefit; they have liberation by wisdom as their fruit, liberation by wisdom as their fruit and benefit.
What are the five?
Here, a Monk resides contemplating the
1. unattractiveness of the body, (in sexual misconduct, in sexual cravings)
2. perceiving the repulsiveness of food, (eat in moderation, go vegan – and seeing the wrongs in killing and harm of sentient beings)
3. perceiving non-excitement in the entire world, (this is a world of desire, attachments, and mental afflictions of greed-anger-unknowing of true reality; its a rollercoaster, ups and downs, happy and sad, mostly broken – it’s best to exit the cycle of rebirth)
4. contemplating impermanence in all conditioned phenomena; (mental objects like excitement and ill will… all that rises will eventually cease to exist, including the present situation one finds itself in; the First Universal Truth teaches us impermanence. Everything in this world is impermanent, except for The Natural Laws of Existence and the mental state of Enlightenment.)
5. and has the perception of death well established internally. (Depth perception can be defined as the ability to perceive things and their spatial relationship in three dimensions. Death perception, on the other hand, can be defined as the ability to perceive things and their spiritual relationship in multiple dimensions. What are those dimensions (realms of samsara)? Heavenly beings, Hell beings, and the in-between i.e. Human, Animal, Afflicted Spirits. Someone who has death perception sees all the events of this life in terms of the next. Such a person is not concerned about the material advantages of a given situation, but about the eternal consequences of his potential actions in that situation. One who has just begun using his death perception skills fears going to hell, as he has recently abandoned a life of sin. He might weigh the material benefits of a potential course of action along with the eternal consequences. But as someone advances in the spiritual life, fear of punishment is gradually replaced by love of all things. Thoughts of hell change to thoughts of purgatory, and eventually thoughts of purgatory change to thoughts of heaven. If this mindset seems foreign to you, stop to think about your own death. No matter how healthy or wealthy you may be, there will come a day when you are not only not as healthy or wealthy, but completely lacking both of these goods. St. Augustine tells us that “Death alone is certain. All other goods or evils are uncertain.”)
[We should understand] these five things, when developed and cultivated, have liberation of mind as their fruit, liberation of mind as their fruit and benefit; they have liberation by wisdom as their fruit, liberation by wisdom as their fruit and benefit.
When a Monk is liberated in mind and liberated by wisdom, he is called a Monk who has removed the crossbar, filled in the moat, pulled out the pillar, a boltless one, a Noble One with banner lowered, with burden dropped, unaffected.
And how has a Monk removed the crossbar?
Here, a Monk has abandoned ignorance, cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, obliterated it so that it is no more subject to future arising. It is in this way that a Monk has removed the crossbar.
And how has a Monk filled in the moat?
Here, a Monk has abandoned the wandering on in birth that brings renewed existence; he has cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, obliterated it so that it is no more subject to future arising. It is in this way that a Monk has filled in the moat.
And how has a Monk pulled out the pillar?
Here, a Monk has abandoned craving, cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, obliterated it so that it is no more subject to future arising. It is in this way that a Monk has pulled out the pillar.
And how is a Monk a boltless one?
Here, a Monk has abandoned the five lower fetters, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, obliterated them so that they are no more subject to future arising. It is in this way that a Monk is a boltless one.
And how is a Monk a Noble One with banner lowered, with burden dropped,
unaffected?
Here, a Monk has abandoned the conceit ‘I am’, cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, obliterated it so that it is no more subject to future arising. It is in this way that a Monk is a Noble One with banner lowered, with burden dropped, unaffected.
— — — — —
As death approaches this is what to go over to obtain Enlightenment (Nirvana, Nibbana), at the last minute, with a loved one. It can be done this way. It is not recommended as their concept grasp might not cultivate. It is best to understand these now and enjoy the Enlightenment journey during this life while bearing witness to a peaceful, calm, serene and content mind full of joy.
Everlasting Peace is how the bible describes Heaven, you can have that here and now, that’s Enlightenment.
[Remember] if these five things do not slip away from a frail and sick Monk, it can be
expected of him: In no long time, with the destruction of the taints, he will realize for himself with direct knowledge (wisdom), in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, he will reside in it.
If any male or female Ordained Practitioner develops and cultivates these five things, one of two fruits is to be expected: either final knowledge (wisdom) in this very life or, if there is a residue remaining, the Non-Returner
Stage of Enlightenment.
These five things, when developed and cultivated, lead exclusively to liberation, to freedom from strong feelings, to elimination, to peace, to direct knowledge (wisdom), to Enlightenment, to Nibbāna.
These five things, when developed and cultivated, lead to the destruction of the taints (the ten fetters).
unattractiveness of the body,
perceiving the repulsiveness of food,
perceiving non-excitement in the entire world,
contemplating impermanence in all conditioned mental objects;
and he has the perception of death well established internally.
— — — — —
excerpts and personal notes from:
“Buddhawajana – An Anthology of Dhamma – Revealing The Hidden”. The printed book series can be acquired using this link (https://www.buddhadailywisdom.com/buddhawajana-book-series) or you can download the books at no cost using this link (https://www.facebook.com/groups/DailyWisdom999/files).
Nicholas Gerace 