Today's Dhamma talk is entitled "The Bojjhangas - Medicine that Makes All Diseases Disappear." Virtuous Buddhist people are very familiar with the word bojjhahga. They often chant the Bojjhanga Sutta when they are sick or when somebody who is dear is sick. If they are not able to recite it themselves, they listen to it when it is chanted by monks or other virtuous persons. This is why we can say that the Bojjhanga Sutta is something that virtuous Buddhists are well acquainted with. However, they have often just heard the word bojjhahgas, neither understanding their nature and power, nor knowing how to develop them.
People may have heard the names of renowned Sayadaws or the names of famous actors and actresses, but they may never have actually met them. This Dhamma talk about the medicine of the bojjhangas is for virtuous people who are familiar with the word but do not yet understand it.
Before I start with the actual Dhamma talk, I want to use a metaphor and explain a few basic ideas, so that you will easily understand my meaning.
1 . The Buddha's sasana is like a hospital.
2. The Buddha is like a skilled physician.
3. The bojjhahgas or the factors of enlightenment are like medicine.
4. The meditators are like the patients.
5. The practice of vipassana meditation is similar to undergoing treatment.
6. When one engages in the practice of vipassana meditation and is taking the medicine of the bojjhangas, one becomes free from sorrow and worry and feels both physically and mentally happy. As a result of the practice, one is released from physical pain and lives in peace and happiness. One can experience the happiness of devas as well as the happiness resulting from the attainment of magga, phala, and Nibbana. Experiencing these benefits is like the disappearance of the disease that results from taking the medicine.
In this way, virtuous meditators who are engaged in the practice of meditation for the eradication of disease find themselves in the hospital of the Buddha's sasana. By applying the medicine they undergo the treatment of the Buddha, who is the great physician.
In the most ordinary sense, a patient is a person who is afflicted with a disease or pain. Usually, a sick person goes either to a doctor or a hospital and explains what is wrong. Then the doctor examines the patient, prescribes the appropriate medicine or treatment, and then the sick person undergoes the treatment outlined by the doctor. It is essential that the patient takes the medicine given by the doctor, so that the disease disappears. Therefore, the patient has to take the medicine whether she or he wants to swallow it or not, whether she or he is busy or not, or whether she or he is uninterested or enthusiastic about it. The patient has to swallow the medicine whether it is sweet or bitter. Obviously, the sick person has to take the medicine prescribed by the doctor every day on a regular basis. Only in this way will the disease disappear, and it is only with the disappearance of the disease that one will feel happy and peaceful mentally and physically.
Let me ask you, "Why does a sick person want the disease to disappear?" Isn't it because sickness makes one feel miserable and causes suffering? When a certain sickness arises, one feels pain, aching, or unpleasant feelings. One feels tortured to the extent that one wants to call out or cry. This is real suffering.
There are two different kinds of diseases:
- Physical disease: this refers to the ninety-six diseases that can afflict the body.
- Mental disease: this refers to the one thousand five hundred defilements (kilesas) that can afflict the mind.
Overcome by one of these ninety-six diseases, a person may be unable to eat food or drink any more; one may desperately call one's mother or father because one cannot sleep from rolling and tossing in one's bed. This is extremely difficult to bear because it is so painful and exhausting. When the body is overcome with suffering, the mind can no longer be happy or at ease. Likewise, the mind becomes agitated when it is afflicted by one of the one thousand five hundred defilements. The result is sorrow, worry, mental exhaustion, grief, or lamentation. "Pounding the mind, the body gets crushed," - this traditional Burmese saying points to how strong mental suffering also leads to physical suffering.
Due to diseases of the mind, uncountable living beings have lost their lives. Feeling unbearably tortured by disease, the sick person experiences a great deal of suffering and exhaustion. Wishing to make this dreadful sickness disappear and become free from it, the sick person willingly undergoes the treatment by either swallowing the medicine, getting injections, or undergoing surgery. Because the patient is afraid of immense suffering, he or she bears the lesser suffering caused by the treatment. In other words, because we are afraid of the suffering connected to the death process, we patiently bear the less severe suffering caused by the treatment.
Diseases of the Mind
When people are afflicted with a disease, they get it cured as fast as possible. Most people only go and see a doctor when their body gets sick. Then they take some ordinary medicine to cure it. However, most people do not realize that diseases of the mind, the defilements (kilesas), can actually be cured; they do not even consider these to be illnesses. As a matter of fact, the diseases of the mind should be feared much more than the diseases of the body.
You might wonder why this is so. If patients are thoroughly examined, people with a mental disease far outnumber those with a bodily illness. And if patients with physical diseases are examined, in almost eighty percent of the patients the physical affliction is caused by the mind. If a person dies from a physical disease, the effect is limited to a single lifetime when the patient dies from the illness. However, if death is caused by a mental disease, a preson will continue to die innumerable times in the round of rebirths (samsara). If one dies due to a physical sickness, one cannot fall into the four lower realms. However, if one dies due to a disease of the mind, one can fall into the four lower realms.
Therefore, diseases of the mind are to be feared much more than diseases of the body. We should try to prevent diseases of the mind from arising, and if they arise, then we should try to cure them as quickly as possible with the most effective and helpful methods available.
All of you are here as meditators trying to cure the disease of the mind, isn't that so? The practice of vipassana meditation is essentially a very effective cure for diseases of the mind. Now you might ask what kind of medicine cures mental diseases. The cure is the medicine of the bojjhangas. The bojjhangas are the best medicine for healing diseases of the mind.
Two Kinds of Medicine
In worldly usage, something is called 'medicine' when it has the power to prevent a disease from arising or to cure an illness. Therefore, we have these two kinds of medicine:
- Preventive medicine: in order to prevent a disease from arising one takes the medicine in advance.
- Curative medicine: when one is afflicted by a disease, one takes the medicine in order to make it disappear, to become free from it, or to uproot the causes.
When using the medicine of the bojjhangas, some virtuous people recite the Bojjhanga Sutta; others ask either monks, nuns, or virtuous persons to recite it as a cure. This is like treating an infection by applying a cream. There are virtuous people who practise samatha meditation in one form or another as a means of treatment. This is like treating a sickness by drinking some liquid medicine. Other wise people practise vipassana meditation as a cure, which is like treating an illness by getting injections or undergoing surgery.
The Medicine of the Bojjhangas
When we say that the factors of enlightenment, bojjhangas, are like medicine, we mean that by developing these factors the disease will disappear just as a sickness disappears by taking ordinary medicine. Just as we increase our bodily strength by taking some vitamins, in the same way we increase and replenish our mental as well as bodily strength by developing the factors of enlightenment. When we take something for a headache, the headache disappears; when we take something for fever, the fever disappears. Likewise, when we apply the medicine of the bojjhangas by practising meditation, all diseases will disappear.
In the scriptures, it is said, "Cittena riiyati loko. " 1. This means, "The world [i.e., a living being] is led around by consciousness." 2 My body as well as the body of all living beings consists of the combination of these four kinds of matter or materiality {rupa)'?
- kammaja rupa: kamma-produced materiality
- cittaja rupa: mind-produced materiality
- utuja rupa: temperature-produced materiality
- aharaja rupa: nutriment-produced materiality
Among these four kinds of materiality, our body consists mostly of materiality produced by the mind, cittaja rupa. When we take the medicine of the bojjhangas, powerful cittaja rupa arise, which are clear and radiant. Thus, we feel well and healthy. Then the other kinds of materiality which only form a small part of the body, will also become clear and radiant making us feel well and healthy. It is in this state that we can say that the disease has disappeared and we are cured.
The medicine of the bojjhangas is easy to take and is of extremely good quality. We do not need to spend any money, and we can fully trust it. It is medicine that can be taken by men and women alike as well as by any person from any ethnical or social group. Not only are people from this country using it, but also people from foreign countries are applying it with confidence.
Sasana-hospitals have been established and opened all over the world. In these hospitals,skillful Burmese physicians are invited to come and treat patients. In some hospitals, they have their own native doctors who give the treatments.
The Buddha once was asked by one of the monks, "Venerable sir, it is said, 'factors of enlightenment, factors of enlightenment.' In what sense are they called factors of enlightenment?" The Buddha answered, "They lead to enlightenment, therefore, they are called factors of enlightenment." 4
The factors leading to enlightenment, the bojjhahgas, need to be practised and developed repeatedly. Then we can attain insight knowledge, path knowledge, fruition knowledge, and Nibbana or full enlightenment as taught by the Buddha. With the attainment of Nibbana, we do not suffer from any sickness, and we are free from all kinds of diseases. Because the Buddha took the medicine of the bojjhangas he attained Buddhahood.
Other people who attained arahantship were able to do so only because they, too, took the medicine of the bojjhahgas. And those who became anagamls, sakadagarms, or soidpannas did so because they, too, took the medicine of the bojjhahgas.
By taking the medicine of the bojjhahgas defilements like greed (lobha), anger {dosa), etc. disappear. Worry, anxiety, and lamentation do not arise, and we are not threatened by any danger. As we do not experience any physical and mental suffering, our bodies are healthy, and our minds are happy and peaceful.
Benefits on the Mundane Level
Actually, the benefits just mentioned are not the only benefits of the factors of enlightenment. In the field of mundane matters such as education, business, trade, health, social obligations, politics, religion, or handicraft, they are also very useful and yield many benefits. All these different activities should be founded in the factors of enlightenment. By doing so, we are growing the fruits of success. However, the factors of enlightenment applied to these activities are not authentic but only shallow imitations of the real factors of enlightenment. These genuine factors of enlightenment only arise at the stage of the insight knowledge of the arising and passing away of phenomena (udayabbaya nana).
So, how can these factors of enlightenment be beneficial in matters related to mundane knowledge, business, politics, etc.? In order to be successful in all these mundane matters or activities, we have to do them thoughtfully and without being forgetful. Only then can we carry out the work which leads to progress, prosperity,v and wealth. If we are forgetful in carrying out our business or duty, what are the results? And if we are not doing anything, there will not be any success, progress, prosperity, or wealth. When we are not forgetful in carrying out our duties but remember them and remain attentive, this is called sati-sambojjhahga (the enlightenment factor of mindfulness). This attentiveness or mindfulness is needed in many different matters.
We need investigation and discernment to be successful and prosper. We should be able to discern whether or not our efforts are for prosperity and wealth when we are engaging in a certain kind of work, business, or studying a certain matter. Is it for our improvement or not? How much will our prosperity increase? How wealthy can we become? For this business to be successful and flourish, whom do we need to associate with, where and when should we establish it? If there is no investigation and discernment when undertaking something, failure and loss will follow. The ability to investigate and discern is called dhammavicaya-sambojjhahga (the enlightenment factor of investigation of states).
When we understand that this investigation as an enlightenment factor is the cause for prosperity, progress, and wealth to arise, then we should apply ourselves diligently to the task and carry it out in this way. We need to actually implement it. Please understand the causes of prosperity and improvement. Obviously, if we do not make an effort to implement our understanding, we cannot prosper. Therefore, when we find an effective method, we have to strive according to this method and actually implement it. This effort is called viriya-sambojjhanga (the enlightenment factor of effort).
When we are carrying out our business or our duties in the field of education, trade, or any other worldly matter, we should be fully immersed in that matter or task. When we are not absorbed in our work, we do not want to carry it out successfully to the very end. As a result, we will not prosper. This absorption in our work is called samadhi-sambojjhanga (the enlightenment factor of concentration).
Whenever we experience some benefit or profit from that work, we will experience joy and delight (piti) and feel calm and tranquil (passaddhi). As a result, we want to carry out this work or matter. If there is no joy and no calm, then we do not want to put effort into our work. When there is joy and delight, we sometimes even see workers singing while they are doing heavy tasks. This delight and calm are called piti-sambojjhahga and passaddhi-sambojjhanga (the enlightenment factor of rapture and the enlightenment factor of tranquillity).
Upekkha-sambojjhahga is the enlightenment factor of equanimity. Equanimity or composure does not imply sitting around or sleeping without doing anything. Rather, it means we are skilled and competent in our work, so that task can be carried out with composure. When we are very skilled in the work we do, then activity seems to happen by itself without a lot of exertion. Some workers can easily carry out their jobs while talking or singing. This is quite amazing! This quality of being skilled, competent, and equanimous while working is upekkha-sambojjhanga. Then there is no need for extra exertion. When we are proficient in our work, we naturally become more prosperous and wealthy.
Therefore, a person who wants to increase his or her material wealth, and who wants to prosper, needs to embrace the enlightenment factors and practise them accordingly. This is true for all worldly matters such as education, trade, social obligations, religion, local matters, or politics. Do not forget these enlightenment factors!
Disappearance of Bodily Diseases
Many people who are afflicted by one of the ninety-six diseases either recite these enlightenment factors themselves or they invite monks, nuns, or other virtuous persons to recite them. This medicine of the bojjhahgas actually has the ability to make diseases disappear. The Buddha used the ill-health of Venerable Mahakassapa andVenerable Moggallana as an opportunity to teach the Bojjhanga Sutta.
At a time when the Buddha was staying in the Veluvana monastery in Rajagaha, the Venerable Mahakassapa was staying in the Pipphali cave not far away from Rajagaha. When the Venerable Mahakassapa fell sick, the Buddha himself went to the Pipphali cave and recited the Bojjhahga Sutta, thereby treating him with the medicine of the bojjhahgas. The Venerable Mahakassapa applied the medicine by listening to the Buddha's recitation. After listening to the sutta, the sickness had disappeared. 5
How Sickness Disappears
The disappearance of sickness happens in the following way. When Venerable Mahakassapa was taking the medicine of the bojjhangas offered by the Buddha, he thought, "Seven days after I became a monk, I clearly understood the Four Noble Truths. At that time the enlightenment factors were present in me. As a matter of fact, the teaching of the Buddha is the teaching which overcomes suffering!" Reflecting in this way, he felt joyful and delighted (piti) as well as calm and tranquil {passaddhi). These thoughts also caused energy to arise in him. Mental processes distinguished by the factors of delight and calm have their base in the heart. Since delight and calm are present in the mind, the mind becomes clear and radiant, and the heart and the blood in the heart also become clear and radiant. As the heart contracts about seventy to eighty times per minute, this clear and radiant blood is pumped and spreads throughout the whole body, so the entire body becomes clear and radiant. Those physical parts of the body that caused the sickness - the old, decaying, and infected physical matter - disappear. In the places where old decaying physical matter previously existed, new physical matter based on these new mental states takes root. This physical matter is clear and
radiant because of the medicine of the bojjhahgas.
This means that when we apply the medicine of the bojjhahgas consistently, only new mental states and new physical matter arise all over the body, and the physical matter that is afflicted by a disease vanishes and disappears. This state correlates to the disappearance of the sickness, and this kind of cure is a cure by replacement.
Nowadays doctors also make use of this kind of cure by replacement. For example, they replace blood, skin, kidneys, or eyes by removing the old ones and replacing them with new ones.
What is amazing is that by taking the medicine of the bojjhahgas, every part of the body and mind is replaced through this treatment, not only the physical matter that is changed during ordinary treatment. This is the most assuring and most trustworthy treatment of all. We have to assume that the disappearance of Venerable Mahakassapa's and Venerable Moggallana's sicknesses happened in this very way.
When taking the medicine of the bojjhahgas, it is essential to take the medicine for a long time until the factors of delight and calm become very powerful and strong.
Sayadaw U Sobhitabhivamsa and the Medicine of the Bojjhahgas
Sayadaw U Sobhitabhivamsa belongs to the Kayin ethnic group. As the saying goes, "Little streams disappear, but ethnic groups never disappear." As is traditional to the Kayins, his perseverance and diligence are very strong. In addition, he is endowed with courage, and once he starts some work, he does not back away without completing it. As another saying goes, "Only the hull [of a sailing ship] remains - but no surrender."
With this perseverance and diligence he put a lot of effort into studying and learning the scriptures {pariyatti). As a result, he was successful in almost all his exams. In 1981, he passed the government exams due to his perseverance and diligence. After passing the government Dhammacariya exam, he strived to complete the Cetiyangana exam. At the same time, the Ganavacaga committee of his monastery gave him the duty of teaching the scriptures. During that time, he began to get sick, his legs and belly started to swell. Therefore, he had to go to the People's Hospital in Yangon and undergo treatment for kidney diseases because they assumed that his ailment was a kidney-related disease. However, they discovered that he was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver. Considering his condition, he had to stay in the hospital and undergo treatment for six months. The doctors checked him every day; x-rays were taken, injections were given, and tablets had to be swallowed. Although the doctors treated him using a variety of methods, nothing seemed to be working. His was not an easy case. After about six months, the doctors became really concerned about him and thought that he probably had only six more months to live. Nevertheless, Sayadaw U Sobhitabhivamsa felt well; he had a good appetite and slept very well. He never thought that he would die. He decided, "They are treating me with ordinary medicine. I will also treat myself by taking the Buddha's medicine."
So he started to recite the Bojjhahga Sutta and the Metta Sutta during all his waking hours. As he recited these suttas with unwavering confidence, unremitting perseverance, strong determination, and great effort, the disease disappeared in a way that was completely contrary to what the doctors had expected. Now at the age of fifty-five, Sayadaw is healthy and well. He resides at Chanmyay Yeiktha Meditation Centre in Yangon where he gives Dhamma talks and meditation instructions to both local and foreign meditators.
After leaving the hospital, he started to practise vipassana meditation. In 1983, he practised vipassana meditation for three months at the Mahasi Meditation Centre. In 1995, when he was staying in England, he had his health checked. The doctors were amazed to find that he was completely healthy and well.
Even now Sayadaw U Sobhitabhivamsa regularly develops the bojjhahgas and recites the Bojjhanga Satta and the Metta Sutta repeatedly. When he has to give a Dhamma talk, meditation instructions, or interviews for meditators, he carries out these duties. But when he is free, he recites the Bojjhanga Sutta and the Metta Sutta. One can also see him sweeping, washing his face or hands, brushing his teeth, or doing other chores while developing and reciting the bojjhahgas. Sayadaw's determination is very firm and consistent; his confidence is extremely strong and deep, and his perseverance and diligence are incredibly powerful.
Also for all the meditators who are here, it is essential that you take the medicine of the bojjhahgas and that you recite or listen to the protective suttas (parittas). Doing so, make sure that you do it consistently every day. "Only when getting hurt, one remembers the mother." If you only recite or listen to the suttas, when some large or small trouble arises, then the beneficial effects will be very small. However, if you recite or listen to them consistently like Sayadaw U Sobhitabhivamsa, then the beneficial results will be extremely far-reaching because even severe and chronic diseases can disappear.
Confidence
Another point that is important is to have strong and firm confidenceor faith (saddha). When one's faith or confidence is strong and firm, then the mind becomes clear. And when the mind is clear, the disease disappears.
In the same way as the diseases of Venerable Mahakassapa, Venerable Moggallana, and the Buddha disappeared by taking the medicine of the bojjhahgas, you should have confidence and trust and think to yourself, "This also applies to me. When I take the medicine of the bojjhahgas by reciting it, the recently arisen disease will definitely disappear." When there is confidence and trust, then the mind will become pure and radiant, and as a result the body, too, will become pure and radiant. When the body is pure and radiant, then the unhealthy, decaying physical tissues will vanish and disappear. This is what we call the disappearance of disease or healing.
This is like the water-purifying gem of the universal monarch that has the power to purify murky and muddy water. In the commentary, confidence or faith is compared to a water-purifying gem. 6 When the water-purifying gem of the universal monarch is put into the murky water, it becomes clear within a short time.
Likewise, with the arising of confidence, a person's mind becomes clear and radiant. When faith or confidence becomes strong and firm, the disease will definitely disappear. On the other hand, if one has no trust, the mind does not become clear, and the disease will not disappear. If one recites or listens to the bojjhangas with hope or expectations, the beneficial results will be minimal.
There is another point to be aware of. In order to increase the effectiveness of the practice, it is essential that you understand the meaning of the suttas you recite, and that you do not omit any of the words. If the recitation is not done in this way, then its potency will not be as strong as otherwise would be.
Having said this, whenever you take the medicine of the bojjhangas or whenever you recite the Bojjhanga Sutta, please do it with strong and firm faith and consistent perseverance. Do it while being fully aware of the meaning of the words, omitting none, and using the correct stress and intonation.
Nowadays Too, Diseases Disappear
In Chanmyay Sayadaw's book entitled "Dhamma Talks at the Yangon University" (only available in Burmese), we find reports of how certain diseases have disappeared by taking the medicine of the
bojjhangas. The passage says:
"In this present age, there are many people who by observing painful sensations due to a certain sickness have not only made progress in their meditation but also have completely overcome their pain and sickness. There are people whose urinary diseases or gastritis have disappeared by observing the pain caused through these sicknesses. One person had an open wound that had not healed for months; but once the person started to focus on this wound, it burst and then slowly dried up and finally healed completely. Another person had a cartilage in the heel that was very painful each time he took a step. The doctors told him that surgery was the only way to cure it. When he very patiently and without complaining observed it for about one month, the pain completely disappeared."
There is another thing that is important to understand: when pain is observed, you should not observe pain in order to make it go away but to know and understand its nature.
Dr. Khin Myint Yee's Gynaecological Illness
In a letter, Dr. Khin Myint Yee described how she cured her illness by practising vipassana meditation, which was actually the medicine of the bojjhangas. Here is her letter:
To
Chanmyay Ashin Indaka (Chanmyay Myaing Sayadaw)
Venerable Sayadaw
I am Khin Myint Yee, and I practised satipatthcma meditation under your guidance from November 19, 2002 until January 2, 2003. During this time at the meditation centre, 1 had daily interviews with you, except on uposatha days (observance days). When I returned home I continued for one or two months to be mindful of the changing phenomena in my body and mind, which were quite astounding. I was also wondering if 1 should write about these amazing changes. However, as I did not yet have sufficient evidence, I took my time to observe more.
From the age of about twenty-five until the present, for about twenty years, I have suffered from premenstrual dysmenorrhoea (psychotic depression). As this condition is connected with the monthly menstrual cycle, I have suffered every month for at least seven days and sometimes for up to fifteen days. Most women suffer during their period although the pain or discomfort varies greatly. Some experience only minor discomfort while others suffer greatly. When this happens, all of a sudden the mind is no longer clear, and one feels depressed and disheartened. The mind becomes so dazed that one can often not discern between right and wrong. The mind becomes irritable and short-tempered. Sometimes anger is so strong that one commits an illegal action. The original nature of the mind bursts and is lost. If this condition is not systematically treated, one can become extremely depressed; some women even think of committing suicide. In places where people are not educated, such a woman is considered bewitched or cursed. These women sometimes meet with a tragic fate from this relatively trivial cause.
I only suffer moderately from the physical pain but suffer very much from the mental anguish. I experience a clear mind that suddenly becomes overcast by a shadow of darkness and gloom. During this time, I have to be extremely careful that I don't do anything wrong at my work. This is a very heavy burden; it is like shouldering a heavy load.
There are several reasons why my life was not destroyed and why I could overcome this depression. I am a doctor myself; I am interested in Buddhist books and have read many of them. I also have practised meditation myself, and my parents and siblings were understanding and compassionate to me. These were the reasons why my life went on as usual between the periods of the most intense suffering. Although there was nothing to worry about in my life and I could make a living without struggling, my mind was not clear or peaceful. The dark and gloomy shadow hanging over my mind made it exhausting and uncomfortable to go through life.
Because of the imbalance in my body and the resulting discomfort, I often became short-tempered. With this mental confusion, I strove in an all-out effort to restrain myself. However, my body suffered a serious setback because the healthy and the unhealthy mind seemed to be fighting constantly, like warring sides on a battlefield. In 1966, I started to suffer from high blood pressure. Nobody in my family has ever suffered from high blood pressure, and I did not eat salty foods; however, it was the mental stress that caused this high blood pressure.
As a result, I became dependent on some prescription drugs that were not free from side effects; they made me sleepy and forgetful. Throughout my entire life, I have faced this depression without being able to completely cure it. It was only because of mindfulness practice that I managed to get through life, sometimes managing reasonably well and sometimes managing poorly.
Before I met you in 1999, 1 took a trip abroad. For two months, I was freed from all the duties and responsibilities of my job and my family. I was alone, and as I had plenty of time to rest, I started to practise meditation whenever I had the opportunity. At that time the high blood pressure completely disappeared, so that I no longer had to take the medicine for high blood pressure. However, the depression and sadness did not lessen or disappear but still continued to torture me. When the depression ceased and I had more strength and power, I practised meditation.
Even though I did not practise systematically or uninterruptedly for several days, I experienced many beneficial results. How much more beneficial would it be, if 1 were able to practise intensively for a longer period of time? With this in mind, I went to the meditation centre and practised meditation for seven days in the year 2000 and ten days in 2001. After that I had the strong desire to practise more effectively, and so in November of 2002, I came to you to practise for a long period of time.
On the tenth day of my retreat (November 28, 2002), I had the opportunity to listen to your Dhamma talk with the title "The Bojjhahgas - Medicine that Makes All Diseases Disappear." During this talk, you said, "Whatever arises in this body and mind has to be mindfully and diligently observed as it really is. When you observe these physical and mental phenomena, your mind will become focused on the presently arisen physical and mental objects. When the mind becomes concentrated, rapture and calm will arise. Then the true nature of the object observed will be understood. Without making a large effort, objects can be easily and comfortably observed as they arise moment by moment."
As you were giving these explanations I listened attentively and carefully without having any wandering thoughts. Because you were describing the ingredients of the medicine of the bojjhahgas, namely sati, dhammavicaya, viriya, pTti, passaddhi, samadhi, and upekkha (mindfulness, investigation, effort, rapture, tranquillity, concentration, and equanimity), I had the opportunity to drink this medicine one cup at a time. As a result, I came to clearly and fully understand their nature, and I felt encouraged. Being very interested I paid attention and noticed that after my mind had become extremely clear, calm, peaceful, and cheerful, my body also felt very light!
Even on days when I usually suffered from mental anguish and physical pain, I was free from all of these afflictions. I was greatly amazed to see that I was liberated from them!
For a period of over twenty years, I have constantly carried this heavy burden [the consequences of misdeeds] - now I can drop all this mental and physical suffering at your feet. From the time that I started practising in November until now, this suffering has not returned again, not even for a moment. In the same way as a drop of water does not stay on the leaf of a lotus flower, I have also been completely free from anguish.
During the forty-five days that I practised meditation, only an old pain in the hip arose because I was sitting for many hours. I also started to notice the first signs of diabetes. Because of these conditions, I asked you for permission to go home and get a medical check-up. Before actually leaving I listened to three tapes by Mahasi Sayadaw about the "Dhammadasa" which you encouraged me to listen to. In between the periods of pain, I sat down and listened to the talks while at the same time I gathered all my strength to observe the seven factors of enlightenment.
While attentively listening to the second side of the first tape, I observed how all the painful sensations vanished and disintegrated as if the impurities had been washed and cleansed with pure water. This was amazing! Within two or three minutes, I felt invigorated and calm, feeling incredibly light from head to toe. It was as if I had received a new body! From that time until now, I have not experienced any pain in my body, I have a new life and a new body that are free from painful sensations. I did not go home after forty-five days, but I stayed as you encouraged me to continue until the full moon in January, which means until I had completed two months. I could meditate with great ease both in body and mind.
I am very grateful to you, venerable sir. During the time I practised satipatthana meditation, I experienced your metta (loving-kindness) and karuna (compassion) as well as the generously offered bottle of the sati-sambojjhahga medicine. For this gift, I offer my deepest respect to you, venerable sir, not only in this present life but also in all the lives to come.
When I returned to my daily life, I constantly remembered your peaceful, clear, and calm voice whenever I was engaged in some work; it asked, "Eh, at this time, what are you observing?" Being mindful in this way and having sati-sambojjhahga present, the periods of losing mindfulness have decreased and the periods of mindful awareness have increased. Whenever I have time to practise sitting meditation, I have the opportunity to drink from the remaining six bottles of the bojjhahga medicine. In this way, I am practising these teachings almost all the time, and this makes me happy and peaceful.
Whenever painful sensations arise, without avoiding them, I remember Chanmyay Sayadaw's words in his instruction tape, he says, "When you have pain, you have the key to the door of Nibbana." Remembering these words, I would like to let you know that I will observe these sensations without any gaps when they will arise.
May you be healthy, happy and peaceful.
Respectfully
Your disciple, Khin Myint Yee (Monywa)
The Stomach Ache and Nausea of the Swiss Nun
At the Chanmyay Yeiktha Meditation Centre in Hmawbi, there was a Swiss nun by the name of Ma Ariya Nani. She had a degree from the conservatory in Zurich and was an expert at playing the piano, singing, and dancing. She had a natural bent for music and dancing. The piano was her friend, and her joys were song and dance. Music and dance were all she lived for, they were the essence of her world and had the most exquisite taste. She thought that it was through music and dance that she could experience happiness and joy. She was very successful in her career.
In December of 1991, Chanmyay Sayadaw was teaching a ten-day meditation retreat just outside of Sydney, Australia. Ma Ariya Nani participated in that meditation retreat. Although she had practised meditation before, this was her first vipassana meditation retreat. This ten-day retreat was her first taste of Dhamma, and through it she came to understand the nature of vipassana meditation. She realized that vipassana had an extremely fine and delicious taste. In January of 1992, she participated in another one-month meditation retreat with Chanmyay Sayadaw in Canberra, Australia. Again she experienced the exquisite and delicious taste of vipassana. However, as she could not get enough of this lovely exquisite taste, in September of that year she went to the Chanmyay Yeiktha Meditation Centre in Yangon (Myanmar). On the 3 rd of September, she ordained as a nun and started to practise meditation. At that time, she was thirty-one. Originally, she thought that she would stay and practise meditation as a nun for three months. After that, she planned to disrobe and go back to Switzerland to continue singing, dancing, and playing the piano. With this in mind, she followed the instructions respectfully and practised diligently. After three months, she realized that the time had passed very quickly; in fact, it did not feel as if three months had passed at all. Since the meditation was progressing very well, she continued to practise for another two years.
By that time it was as if she had embraced a new life because everything had changed. Although previously her closest friend had been the piano, her best friend was now the 'Dhamma.' In the past, her interest had been singing and dancing, now it was practising meditation. She could not imagine a life without meditation practice. All she wanted to do was meditate. In this way, her purpose changed too. Previously she thought that she had wanted to bring happiness and joy to people through the medium of music and dance, but now she decided that she wanted people to experience joy and happiness through the Dhamma.
In 1996, she moved from the Chanmyay Yeiktha Meditation Centre in Yangon to its branch centre in Hmawbi. The centre in Hmawbi has many big shady trees and bamboo groves. Without the hustle and bustle of the city, it is very quiet and still. The many flowers and numerous varieties of subtropical fruit bring delight to the heart and mind. In addition, the weather is more agreeable than in Yangon. For all of these reasons, she lived happily at the Chanmyay Yeiktha Meditation Centre in Hmawbi where she translated for foreign meditators and took care of all of their needs. When she was not engaged in these duties, she read and studied Dhamma books or practised meditation. When there were many foreigners at the centre, she helped Sayadaw by giving meditation instructions and interviews herself.
Since 2000, she has travelled abroad every year to teach meditation retreats in many countries, including Australia, Switzerland, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Ireland, USA, Thailand, Malaysia, and India.
On the 9 th of August in 2002, 1 gave a Dhamma talk to all the foreign meditators, it was the talk about 'The Bojjhahgas - Medicine that Makes All Diseases Disappear," and Ma Ariya Nan! translated the talk from Burmese into English. Because it accords with the nature of things all the foreign yogis understood and accepted the potency of the bojjhahgas. After the Dhamma talk, some of them recounted how their illnesses had disappeared.
Ma Ariya Nam also came to me after the talk and said, "Venerable sir, this is very true, the medicine of the bojjhahgas makes all diseases disappear! This morning 1 felt terribly sick; my stomach ached and I felt nauseous; I did not know if I had eaten some bad food or if it had been caused by something else. I was worried that I would not be able to translate the Dhamma talk. As the time for the talk approached, I got up and tried my best even though I still felt very sick. However, by listening to your Dhamma talk and translating it, my stomach ache and the nausea have completely disappeared. I am amazed; this is very potent and powerful medicine. It is like swallowing 'Digene' tablets to make a stomach ache disappear."
Inge's Tumour
Inge is a fifty-year old German woman with a noble and refined appearance. Her body looks well-proportioned, and her skin glows. She is a nurse, and her demeanour is serene. Inge has two sisters and one brother. Before her return to Germany, she came to pay her respects before leaving. She told me that after having listened to the Dhamma talk "The Bojjhangas - Medicine that Makes All Diseases Disappear," she wanted to tell me a true and inspiring story. And so she related her circumstances.
"This is my personal experience. At the age of thirteen, I got a tumour on my thigh right next to the hip-joint. My two younger sisters also have this kind of tumour. Sometimes this tumour was very painful. The doctors said that surgery was inevitable; they would have to remove that part of the bone and then replace it with an artificial joint. However, they also said they would have to replace the artificial joint every twelve years.
I was only thirteen years at that time, so I felt it was out of question to undergo surgery repeatedly every twelve years for the rest of my life. This filled me with great anxiety and enormous worries. As a result, I wanted to kill this body in order to die, so I very often had thoughts of committing suicide. I was depressed and miserable. There was no happiness whatsoever.
When I was a bit older, I started training to become a nurse. My aim was to help others as long as I was able to help. I realized that when I was no longer healthy, other people would have to take care of me. Therefore, before other people had to take care of me, I wanted to take care of them. After I finished the training course, I started to work as a nurse. I was twenty-six at that time.
Later I went to India where I taught children from very poor families at the 'Gandhi Ashram,' a Hindu temple and school in Bodhgaya. I also treated and took care of those children who were sick. The people were incredibly poor, and many of them were not healthy and had no opportunities to go to school.
One day while I was drinking a cup of tea in a teashop, I met a Buddhist monk. He turned to me and said, "The work you do here is very noble, but don't you want to practise meditation yourself?" I replied that I had considered doing something new and unusual. Then he said, "In Igatpuri, there is a meditation centre where they run ten-day courses with S.N. Goenka." Then he urged me to go there and do the course. So, I decided to attend my first meditation retreat.
For the first three days of the course, meditators have to do anapanasati, and then for the remaining seven days, bodily sensations from head to toe have to be observed. So, I had to observe many unpleasant sensations, which were difficult to bear. After some days of practice whenever I observed these sensations, I saw them disappearing one after another. That was amazing! When the retreat was over, I noticed that not only was my mind quite peaceful and happy, but the pain from the tumour was also much less intense. Then I returned to Germany and continued working as a nurse.
Many patients who came to the hospital were filled with worries and fear regarding their sickness, so I tried to uplift their minds and encourage them. I also pointed out 'a way to live peacefully and happily.' Many of the patients told me that they felt relieved. This 'way to live peacefully and happily' was nothing other than the practice of vipassana meditation. But I did not tell the patients to practise vipassana meditation. I simply said that they should not let the mind go to the painful sensations, but to keep their attention at the nostrils and attentively observe the sensations of the air going in and out. They should be fully aware of the air whenever it touched the nostrils while breathing in and breathing out. Later I instructed them to focus on the abdomen and be aware of the rising and falling movements.
Sometimes I touched a patient's body with my hands and softly massaged a certain part of the body, while telling the patient to focus on that spot and be aware of the sensations of touch. For many patients this led to feelings of great relief; this increased their confidence, and they became calmer.
One day I was at a party where I danced the whole evening. On the way back home, I went swimming in the nearby lake although the water was quite cold. While I was swimming a piece of the tumour became dislocated and got stuck in the joint. This was so incredibly painful that I could not go to work anymore. I had to stay home, and my partner who is a doctor had to take care of me. Whenever 1 lay on my bed or sat in a chair, the pain got worse. However, when I walked around, it was not so bad. Therefore, I decided to go hiking in the 'Tessin,' the southern part of Switzerland. For three weeks, I hiked in the mountains, and during that time the pain decreased a great deal. On my return to Germany, the pain became much more severe. I thought that something needed to be done, so I went to Thailand. On the plane, it was impossible to sit because of the pain, and so for twelve hours I walked up and down in the plane. In Thailand, I went to a monastery in the North-east to practise meditation. That day, I remember, was a full moon day. Outside a white marble temple, which shone in the full moon light, I started to practise walking meditation. The white cool marble floor below my feet and the white shining marble wall caused a feeling of joy and delight to arise. After some time my mind became calm and clear, and I wanted to sit down. To my surprise, when I sat down, there was no more pain at all! I sat there and meditated for the whole night. I just continued to note and observe my delight and joy. It was very bright inside my mind, so I could note it for a long time without getting tired. Then I came to realize that meditation was the best cure for my disease and that the Dhamma was the medicine. However, at that time I did not competely understand how to meditate.
Later in Sri Lanka, I met with the German monk Venerable Nyanaponika. During that time, I still had thoughts of committing suicide whenever I thought that I was going to have this pain for the rest of my life, so these thoughts had obviously not yet disappeared. When I asked the monk what would happen to a person who commits suicide, he said that he/she would fall into the lower realms. He advised me to take up intensive meditation. An English monk I met told me that I should strive to become a sotapanna (a person who has attained the first stage of enlightenment). He said that he had read in the scriptures that if a sotapanna commits suicide, it is not considered an unwholesome act. 7 On hearing this, I thought that I needed to become a sotapanna as quickly as possible.
Venerable Nyanaponika, the German monk, advised me to go to the Mahasi Meditation Centre in Myanmar, if I wanted to practise meditation and understand the Dhamma deeply. Two years later, I received an invitation from the Mahasi Meditation Centre in Yangon (Myanmar). When I arrived there, I told them that I wanted to become a sotapanna and also added that I wanted my pain to disappear. With a smile on his face, Sayadaw U Jatila told me that I should first practise meditation. For ten months, I practised meditation at the Mahasi Meditation Centre. When I left, I had no more thoughts of committing suicide and the pain had also decreased greatly; in fact, it had almost disappeared.
When I got back to Germany, I again worked as a nurse. During the winter when it is rather cold, I felt some tension where the tumour was located. Previously, I had been very afraid of the pain, but after having practised meditation for ten months, I did not fear the pain anymore. There was no more fear in my mind. Previously, when there was pain, I had to practise vedanamtpassana (mindfulness of feelings). Now I have to practise cittanupassana (mindfulness of the mind). When I observe the mind, there is no more pain in the body. I am very careful to establish a mind that is delighted and glad. Whenever there is a wholesome mental state like metta (loving- kindness), karuna (compassion), gladness, etc., there is absolutely no pain. Also during work, I am especially careful to cultivate wholesome mental states like metta and kanma. To deepen my knowledge, I studied Buddhism and a bit of Pali at a university. I also started to do a meditation retreat every year during the (Asian) rainy season. In addition, I studied the Buddhist scriptures.
From 1981 when I did my first meditation retreat with Mr. Goenka until now (2003), I have practised vipassana meditation for twenty- two years. However, during the past ten years, I have not done an intensive meditation retreat. However, 1 am always mindful and never waste my time. When I stand in a queue at the super market, I am mindful of my breath and immediately get very concentrated. All the chores at home are done with mindfulness. While staying at a monastery in Thailand, I practised meditation for the whole night every uposatha day (observance day). At one time, I practised meditation for three months completely by myself in a cave in Thailand. 1 lived on peanuts and chocolate drink that I bought in the village below. After that I ordained as a nun. 1 did not handle any money and so I went on alms round. But this did not work out very well. So after nine months, I disrobed and went back to Germany where I again worked as a nurse. Actually, I have worked as a nurse until now.
Now that I have practised meditation for one month with you, venerable sir, the pain has disappeared. In my life, I have nothing else to rely on other than the Dhamma. With the Dhamma always at my side, I can continue to live my life happily." After telling her story, she left Hmawbi and went to the airport to return to Germany.
The Satipatthana Hospital
About five miles south from the town of Mudon in Mon state, there is a small village called Toku. Not far from that village is a satipatthdna vipassana meditation centre that is commonly known as the Toku Meditation Centre.' The residing Sayadaw is endowed with strong and firm confidence as well as great perseverance and diligence.
When he was meditating, he was afflicted with herpes, testicular hydrocoele, sciatic nerve pain, dizziness, eczema, fever, and other serious diseases. The doctors said that Sayadaw's diseases had to be treated medically. The Sayadaw however, treated all these diseases with the medicine of the bojjhangas - and they all disappeared. After the Sayadaw had established his satipatthdna vipassana meditation centre, he gave meditation instructions to a great number of meditators, many of whom were afflicted with one disease or another. He gave all of the meditators the medicine of the bojjhangas, and all the diseases that the meditators suffered from completely disappeared.
As a result, the meditation centre eventually became known as 'The Satipatthdna Hospital.' By taking the medicine of the bojjhangas, not only a great number of illnesses and painful sensations disappear, but many meditators also gained some understanding of the Dhamma. One can read about these incredible stories in a booklet called "The Virtue of Vipassana" written by Dr. Min Tin Mon.
All the examples that 1 have talked about so far were incidents in which physical diseases disappeared by taking the medicine of the bojjhangas. Tomorrow I will mention examples in which mental diseases disappeared by taking the medicine of the bojjhangas.
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