October 10, 2546 B.E.
Mahapavarana
Today is the 89th day of this Rains-Retreat, and it is also the Mahapavarana Day. The Rains-Exit Day is tomorrow.The Mahapavarana Day is the day that every Buddhist monk pledges to each other that if anyone has seen, heard or suspected that one has transgressed the Dhamma-Discipline in any way, one should be told of one’s transgression so that one can correct one’s mistake and conduct one’s self in a righteous manner.During the Lord Buddha’s time, this pledging was taken very seriously rather than a mere customary practice as it is now. This pledging was regarded as an Ariya tradition and any transgression would be severely admonished because every monk entered the monkhood for one purpose only. And that was to make clear the Path and Fruit of Nibbana.In those days, the monks were former householders and they came from various family backgrounds and different social classes. Having heard the Lord Buddha’s Dhamma lectures, they were inspired to learn more. They realized that life in the round of rebirth was fraught with great dangers and that everyone was governed by the Law of Kamma. They realized that every action, every word, and every thought had their respective consequences whether or not one knew about or believed in the Law of Kamma.
While our Lord Buddha was pursuing Perfections as a Bodhisatta, in the existences where He accumulated merit, He was reborn in the States of Happiness. In some existences, He committed misdeeds and had to be reborn in the States of Unhappiness. Having attained the Dhammakaya and Buddhahood, He could recall His countless previous existences. Out of His boundless loving-kindness and compassion, He kindly taught every living being these things about the reality of life.Many heard the Lord Buddha’s Teachings, contemplated them, and were able to see the dangers of the round of rebirth. As a result, they wanted to be emancipated from the round of rebirth. To do so, they needed to extinguish all of their defilements. They realized how the householder’s life could afford them so little time to practice meditation to the extent that would allow all of their defilements to be extinguished. They realized how a monk’s life was free of concerns and worries. Therefore, it could afford them all the time in the world to practice meditation to the fullest extent.
Therefore, they decided to enter the monkhood for the specific purpose of making clear the Path and Fruit of Nibbana. It was not because they were too lazy to earn a living or lacked the wherewithal to earn a living.A monk’s life is governed by the Dhamma-Discipline which is the very track leading to the attainment of Nibbana sort of like a racetrack. For the newly ordained monks who were able to attain Ariyahood, being in the monkhood was not a problem. However, for the ordinary persons who were still laden with defilements, it was likely that they might transgress the Dhamma-Discipline from time to time. Therefore, the last day of the Rains-Retreat was designated as the day for Pavarana or pledging to each other that should any monk see, hear, or suspect that one had transgressed the Dhamma-Discipline, one should be told of one’s transgression.
It was the way for the monks to help each other to practice righteousness according to the Dhamma-Discipline.Having practiced Pavarana, all of the monks would go their separate ways to practice meditation in a mountain, along a canal, by a pond, under a tree, in an abandoned shelter, by a hay stack, in a graveyard, etc. Finding a place of solitude for practicing meditation could be fraught with danger from sickness, wrong viewed persons, natural disasters, wild animals, etc. Therefore, it was necessary for the monks to look out for each other. And then there may be a situation where a righteous monk suddenly feels the urge to disrobe and return to the householder’s life. Initially, he was happy being a monk. But after having practiced meditation until his body was all achy and he still did not have any inner experiences, he began to feel discouraged.
He saw the lay devotees riding in expensive cars to make merit at the temple. He saw parents with cute children looking so happy together, so on and so forth and he began to think how nice it would be to be a householder again.If a fellow monk notices these things about another fellow monk, he needs to perform the duty of a virtuous friend out of his goodwill and kindness. And he must be willing to do it whenever and wherever he is needed. He is to go to his fellow monk and remind him that marriage is an illusion where people on the outside want to go in but people on the inside want to get out. And that nothing can be compared to a monk’s life. That was what the monks did in the old days and the ones being given advice were not annoyed but were grateful. But if the advice given did not apply to one, one simply took the opportunity to make sure that one was conducting one’s self correctly. Such was the Ariya tradition, the tradition practiced by sublime persons who wished to attain Nibbana.
Today, this practice has become a mere tradition. And should anyone be given an advice, he more often than not becomes very annoyed. The real meaning of Mahapavarana appears to have been forgotten.Kru Mai Yai would like the Inner Dreams kindergarteners to try practicing Pavarana and allowing one’s fellow kindergarteners to give one advice when it is needed.But if one cannot stand being given advice by others, one should at least try to advice one’s self. One can begin by standing in front of the mirror and telling one’s self that one is getting older every day. Therefore, one needs to hasten to accumulate merit and pursue Perfections to the best of one’s ability. Pavarana practice is a very useful practice where the attainment of Nibbana is concerned.
