The 38th Step: The Blissful Mind
From the moment we are born, we have to confront dangers in life which are ready to take our lives away in any second. It is as if we are swimming in the mist of a dark dangerous ocean at all times.
Dangers in this world can be divided into two main categories:
1) Built-in Dangers: Those that cannot be avoided.
To the front: the danger of death awaits.
To the back: the danger of birth awaits.
To the left: the danger of old age awaits.
To the right: the danger of illness awaits.
2) External Dangers: There are countless numbers of them. A few illustrative dangers might come from:
People: e.g., malevolent husbands, exploitative wives, bad children, unkind bosses, and false friends.
Natural disasters: e.g., flooding, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, and earthquakes.
Evil retribution: e.g., when the retribution of evil deeds we have done in our past eventually catches up with us, we feel as if it is destroying us in every way.
Until we can completely perform the 38 Steps of the Blessings of Life to extinguish all defilements, these two main categories of dangers are tackling us even after our passing. Only then can we truly be safe from all kinds of dangers in life and attain a deeper happiness with a blissful mind.
A blissful mind refers to safety, escaping from dangers, extinction of defilements, and Nirvana.
In other words, a blissful mind means a sense of relief and liberation, being free from the control of all dangers and fetters previously mentioned, so that the mind can attain a state of genuine bliss.
The reason why we do not acquire a blissful mind is because we are shackled by bonds of defilements, life after life, in the round of rebirth. The bonds which imprison us are known as "fetters."
These fetters are the binders which consist of the defilements that bind living beings to the cycle of existences and sufferings. In metaphor, the fetters are like the ropes that bind animals to a chariot.
There are ten fetters that are classified into two large groups. The first group is called the "lower fetters," which are divided into five kinds of gross defilements, namely:
1) Self-illusion (sakkāyaditthi): This refers to the false view of ("self") individuality where it is believed that our body belongs to us. This view is formed because we do not know about the inner bodies that reside inside us, especially, the Dhamma-Aggregates (the Dhammakāya) within. Ignorance of this natural fact leads to false view of self and delusion sticks strongly to our minds. We cannot see in accordance to the truth of life. What we see is the result of a combination of all components, all of which makes a person selfish, puts him in a roughened state, stirs up his feelings, makes him become forceful and agonized. All because of the wrong view of self.
2) Doubt (vicikicchā): This refers to questioning the truth of the Triple Gem that leads us to the path of Nirvana, and doubting the wheel of rebirth because of our ignorance in attaining Dhamma-Aggregates. Therefore, we lose confidence in following the Eightfold Path.
3) Adherence to mere superstitious, rules, and rituals (silabbataparāmāsa): Having the wrong view that one can extinguish all defilements by following other teachings outside of Buddhism such as through blind faith or by magic and mysticism.
4) Grasping for the Sensual Realms (kāmarāga): This is when you still have an attraction for the five sensual pleasures which are form, sound, scent, taste, and touch.
5) Irritability (patigha): The feeling of friction in one's mind when there is aversion present.
"Higher fetters" are the second group. There are five of them, namely:
6) Grasping for the Realms of Form (ruparāga): For example, when one meditates and attains a certain degree of happiness, he becomes attached to this state of happiness. Therefore, he does not try to make any further progress and is stuck at this attainment, and desires to remain in this absorption of the form sphere, the Fine-Material Sphere.
7) Grasping for the Formless Realms (aruparāga): This is greed for the Immaterial Sphere such as attachment to absorptions of the formless sphere. If one was attached to and satisfied with this stage of happiness, instead of training himself further to attain Dhamma-Aggregates, he remains stuck in this attainment, the formless sphere. It is because his mind cannot truly standstill at the center of his body.
8) Conceit (māna): This fetter refers to too much pride in oneself and causes disdain such as assuming oneself to be superior or inferior to others.
9) Absent-mindedness (uddhacca): The distraction of the mind with regards to this fetter is the incapacity to completely control one's thoughts because of the ignorance that remains in the mind. This distracted mind is affected very little in comparison to the five hindrances that affect the mind to a much greater extent.
10) Ignorance (avijja): This reflects an ignorance that is utter darkness, where one does not know the facts of the nature of life, does not see through conditions, and does not completely comprehend the cycle of rebirth. This fetter represents total ignorance to the Four Noble Truths.
The Lord Buddha did not explain all of these follow-ing questions:
Who had created the world?
Who was the first person in the world?
When was our first life as a human?
And who created the defilements?
The Lord Buddha said: "One who is shot by an arrow does not waste time to ask who shot the arrow? What direction was the arrow shot from? How far did it travel? Was it a man or a woman who shot it, etc? He must first treat his wound, and then he might discuss or contemplate on the details later."
Vice versa, all humans occupied by defilements are not safe. It is best to extinguish them first to be safe. After we have extinguished them, then all problems that arise will not be difficult to solve any more.
It is not only in this life but also the next that we must work at extinguishing all defilements. The easy way to achieve complete extinguishment is to earnestly practice the 37 Blessing Steps as aforementioned until becoming a noble person and attaining a blissful mind (the 38th Step). This will help us to then be liberated from the Round of Existence and Suffering.
The Enlightened Ones are classified by four stages:
1) Sotāpanna: or the Stream-Enterer. One who is determined in extinguishing the defilements in the mind and has attained the first stage of holiness and the Seven-Times-At-Most for exertion (referring to seven more lifetimes left before reaching enlightenment) and be an Arahant.
2) Sakādāgami: or the Once-Returner. One who is determined in eradicating the defilements and has attained the second stage of the Path will be reborn on the earth only once more before attaining the final emancipation and becomes an Arahant.
3) Anāgāmi: or the Non-Returner. One who is a Non-Returner will not be reborn but will have to continue extinguishing the defilements in the fine-material and immaterial worlds of the Pancasuddhāvasa level. The Anāgāmi will then experience a complete extinction of all passions. When being a part of the laity, he will not indulge in the pleasures of sensual objects such as lust and will always be observing the Eight Precepts.
4) Arahant: or the Worthy One. This refers to the one who is established in the Fruition of Arahant-ship. This person completed the extinction of all passions and sufferings and is free from the Round of Existence (Samsāra). After extinction of the Five Aggregates, Dhamma-Aggregates will appear in Nirvana, the same as the Lord Buddha's Nirvana, and are in a state of infinite happiness.
Being an Arahant is the same as attaining Vijjā 3, which can completely extinguish the lower and higherfetters that bind all living beings to the cycle of rebirth. This leads to having a blissful mind, and includes eternal safety due to the permanent absence of defilements.
The word "Vijjā" is not like any subject taught in school.
The expression "Vijjā 3" that represents the Threefold Knowledge is a technical term of religious origin. "Vijja 3" is in reference to Enlightenment. It is comprehensive wisdom, called "Nana" or "Insight," that arises through advanced meditation until attaining "Inner Dhammakaya" by the following:
1) Pubbenivāsānusati-nāna: Insight of the recollection of past lives.
2) Cutupapāta-nāna: Knowledge of the death and rebirth of beings, regarded as "Clairvoyance" of the cycle of existence.
3) Asavakkhaya-nāna: Knowledge of the destruction of the mental intoxication of defilements known as Enlightenment.
Hence, to completely extinguish all our passions, to be free of defilements, to have a blissful mind where we possess true happiness with life, and to be out of the Round of Existence in order to enter Nirvana, we need to apply exertion through meditation until we attain inner peace or true happiness with Vijjā 3, all of which are the highest blessings of life as an Arahant.
