Beginning
The ''sutta'' starts with the Buddha travelling with his disciples between the cities of Rajagaha and Nalanda. At the same time, a Brahmin called Suppiya, with his young apprentice, Brahmadatta, were also travelling in the same direction, tailing the convoy of the sangha. Suppiya uttered some insulting words about the Buddha, his teachings, and his disciples. However, Brahmadatta praised and revered the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. The two continued debating until they arrived at the King's resting place in Ambalatthika. Hearing this conversation, some monks discussed the nature of conflicting students and teachers the next morning. They wondered how marvellous it was that the Buddha knew the various kinds of views to be found in people. The Buddha arrived and asked what they were discussing. As a monk finished telling him, the Buddha responded,Precepts
In the first part, the Buddha elaborates precepts that made people praise him or the Sangha as worthy of reverence. The list of the Buddha's higher precepts are categorized as follows:Cula Sila
* 1. Abstain from taking another creature's life, weapons, violence. * 2. Abstain from taking things which were not given. * 3. Live soberly, piously, and honestly. * 4. Abstain from sexual relationships. * 5. Abstain from lying. * 6. Speak only the truth, believable and reliable, and never contradict his own words. * 7. Abstain from slander. * 8. Promote, speak, and love union (harmony) and not division (conflict). * 9. Abstain from rough, insulting words. * 10. Speak polite, likeable, exact, well chosen words that will make people's hearts joyful, not wasting time in idle gossip. * 11. Discuss the Dhamma and the Vinaya at the right time. * 12. Discuss in clear, detailed, and understandable words.Majjhima Sila
* 13. Abstain from hurting seeds, plants, roots, branches, cheating, trading, slavery, forgery, bribery, and criminal conduct. * 14. Abstain from hoarding food, drink, clothes (robes), bedding, perfume, spices, and other tools. * 15. Take food once a day. * 16. Abstain from watching shows (dances, exhibitions, matches, music performances, parades, etc.). * 17. Abstain from playing games (card games, board games, dice games, games of chance, racing games, acrobatics, word games, etc.). * 18. Abstain from using luxurious furniture and bedding. * 19. Abstain from using cosmetics, make-up, and fancy or luxurious clothes (robes). * 20. Abstain from discussing people, politicians, criminals, terrors, food and beverages, clothing, places, families, cities, wars and battles, heroes, ghosts, street rumors, speculation on how the world is created, or about existence and non-existence. * 21. Abstain from accusing, denying, goading or challenging (e.g., 'I practised the Dhamma devoutly, but you don't!' or 'What you say is old rubbish!' or 'You are wrong!' or 'Free yourself if you can!'). * 22. Abstain from being the courier or messenger of politicians or higher administrations. * 23. Abstain from deceiving lay people by uttering spells to exorcise demons or make someone's fortune, acting like a holy person by reciting mantras.Maha Sila
* 24. Abstain from earning money from fortune-telling, divination, clairvoyance, exorcism, conjuring, magic tricks, spells, making false medicine and herbs, healing people through magic, leading/conducting ceremonies in order to gain something (wealth, fertility, etc.).Eighteen beliefs about the past
In the second part, the Buddha explains the major beliefs of ascetics in India. He begins by saying, "''Monks, there are other things which are very deep (profound), very hard to understand, very difficult to perceive, so holy and sacred, unreached by means of mind, so subtle, that they are only to be understood and experienced by the wise. These things were perceived clearly, seen clearly and were discarded by the Tathagata, and by this act based on the truth that people praise and revered Tathagatha. What are those things?''"Eternalistic belief
Eternalism is described in the sutta as the belief which is based upon the past, and holds that thePartial-eternalistic belief
The semi-eternalistic belief is described as belief that is based on the past, where the dualistic notion is asserted that there are things which are eternal and things which are not eternal. There are four ways these beliefs come to be faith, where one believer never acknowledged the other beliefs: The Buddha told a story about a time when the Earth was not yet formed. The sentient beings in this time normally lived in the realm of Abhassara, in radiant light and nourished by celestial joy. Then came a time when the Earth was in the process of forming yet still uninhabitable. One of these beings in the Abhassara realm died (due to the exhaustion of hisThe Universe (Doctrines of the Finitude and Infinity of the World)
The beliefs on the universe is based on the speculation about the infinite or the limited nature of the universe. There are four ways these beliefs were expressed: * 1. The universe is infinite. * 2. The universe is limited. * 3. The universe is vertically limited but horizontally infinite. * 4. The universe is neither limited nor infinite. The source of these beliefs came from two reasons: * 1. The frame of mind which formed these beliefs came from the object of focus of meditation taken by the ascetics who managed to reach a deep level of meditation and came to the conclusion that the world is infinite (if they used infinity as the object of meditation), or limited (if they imagined the object of their focus to be limited). * 2. The people who used logic and thought and concluded that the world must be neither infinite nor limited. All of the followers of these beliefs defended and clung to their faith and didn't believe in other faiths.Ambiguous Evasion
The concept of ambiguous evasion or eel-wriggling (Pali: ''Amaravikkhepa'') is introduced in the Brahmajala sutta. When hearing Buddhist teachings, the Buddha claims that people would react with four forms of ambiguous evasion: # Evasion out of fear or hatred of making false claims. # Evasion out of fear or hatred of attachment. # Evasion out of fear or hatred of debate. # Evasion out of fear or hatred of admitting ignorance. In other words, when a person would hear theNon-causality beliefs
The Non-causality beliefs stated that the Universe and the Souls happened coincidentally. The proponents of these beliefs claimed that there was/were no reason/s behind the creation of Universe and the Identity/Self. These beliefs were expressed because of two possibilities: * 1 There were gods called assannasatta, which had only body and no mental will. The absence of mental will in this state was due to the nature of repressed thoughts, not the ultimate absence of thoughts. As they died in the god realm, there was a possibility that they were reborn as ascetics who achieved the ability to recall just one past life. Here, they concluded upon their past life that, "Before this, there were no Atta and Loka. So, the Atta and Loka were created without a cause. They simply arise spontaneously. Why do I deem so? Because I didn't exist and now I do exist." * 2. The ascetics who based their thoughts on logic and thinkings, and concluded that the Soul and the Universe happened without a cause. All of the followers of these beliefs defended and clung on their faith and didn't believe in another faiths.Forty-four beliefs about the future
There are ascetics who based their beliefs on the future. The proponents of one of these beliefs, adhered that:Perception's existence after death
* A. the perception still exists after death. The difference of beliefs were described that after death, the Atta: ** 1. possessed physical shape (rupa) ** 2. possessed no shape/immaterial (arupa) ** 3. both had physical shape some had not (rupa and arupa) ** 4. neither possessed physical shape nor immaterial ** 5. Infinite ** 6. Limited ** 7. Both Infinite and limited ** 8. neither Infinite nor Limited ** 9. had a certain form of consciousness ** 10. had several form of consciousness ** 11.had infinite consciousness ** 12.had limited consciousness ** 13.always in joy/blissful state ** 14.always in suffering state ** 15.Both in joy and suffering ** 16.neither joyful nor suffering * B. the Perception vanished after death. The difference of beliefs were described that after death, the Atta was devoid of perception after dead but: ** 1. possessed physical shape (rupa) ** 2. possessed no physical shape (arupa) ** 3. Both had shape and no shape ** 4. Neither had shape nor had no shape ** 5. Limited ** 6. Unlimited ** 7. Both limited and unlimited ** 8. Neither limited nor infinite * C. Neither there was Perception or No Perception after death. The difference of these beliefs were describe that after death, the Atta was neither devoid of perception nor non-perception, but: ** 1. possessed physical shape (rupa) ** 2. possessed no physical shape (arupa) ** 3. Both had shape and no shape ** 4. Neither had shape nor had no shape ** 5. Limited ** 6. Unlimited ** 7. Both limited and unlimited ** 8. Neither limited nor infinite All of the followers of these beliefs defended and clung on their faith and didn't believe in another faiths.Annihilation (nihilism) beliefs
The proponent of these beliefs declared that after death, existence simply vanished (Atta vanished). These beliefs were described in seven type of authorities and basis: * 1. that the Atta was created from the union of father and mother's essence, composed of four elements (dhatu) and on the death, these elements ceased to exist. By this manner, Atta become non-existent. * 2. that not only the (1) but the physical-related desire of the celestial gods, who had physical shape and take nourishment, which also cease to exist after death. * 3. that not only the (2), but the atta of Brahma gods, which were shaped of Jhana mind, and faculties of senses which cease to exist after death. * 4. that not only the (3), but also the atta which had transcended the concept of Infinity, where the perception of shape had been surpassed, the perception of contact between mind and object had vanished, not paying attention to major kinds of Perception, which cease to exist after death. * 5. that not only the (4), but also the atta which had reached the Realm of Infinity of Consciousness. * 6. that not only the (5), but also the atta which had reached Realm of Nothingness. * 7. that not only the (6) but also the atta which had reached the realm of neither Perception nor Non-Perception. All of the followers of these beliefs defended and clung on their faith and didn't believe in another faiths.Five beliefs on attainable Nibbana
The proponents of these faiths proposed that Nibbana's state of bliss could be attained in the current life. They based their faith because: * 1. The joy coming from the five senses can be enjoyed and attained thoroughly. So, the Nibbana could also be attained. * 2. The joy from the five senses were vulnerable to change and mortal. But the joy from the attainment of the first Jhana (Dhyana) can be enjoyed and attained thoroughly. So, with the first Jhana, the Nibbana could also be attained. * 3. ..... (same with No.2) but with Second Jhana... * 4. ..... (same with No.3) but with Third Jhana... * 5. ..... (same with No.4) but with Fourth Jhana. So, the Nibbana could also be attained. All of the followers of these beliefs defended and clung on their faith and didn't believe in another faiths.The Buddha's conclusion
"''The Tathagata knows these sixty-two views. He also knows the dhamma which surpasses them. Knowing that dhamma, he does not view it in the wrong way. Since he does not view it in the wrong way, he realizes by himself the extinction of defilements (i.e., greed, anger, and ignorance of the Four Ariya Truths)''. Buddha finally concludes the exposition of these 'wrong' beliefs by stating that these (62) beliefs, if they are believed, will certainly cause agitations and cravings. It implies that the beliefs come to conclusion due to the inability to see the truth, as they are seized by craving (clinging), agitated by longing (feeling). The Buddha further explains that the beliefs are originated from Contact (Phassa) as the cause. The contact is a phenomenon when the perception recognised an object beyond our Self. Then, from this brief event (like lightning in the sky, in the comparison drawn by Nagasena in Milinda Panha), rise up feelings. Buddha states that there are no possibilities of feeling without contact. Thus, according to the law of Twelve Related Chain of Cause and Effects ( Pratitya-samutpada), the people who believe in one of many of these sixty-two beliefs, will end up in round cycle of sufferings; as they have not found the truth on the cease of sufferings. Due to their faith, they will experience feelings as a result of repeated contact through the six sense bases. In them feeling gives rise to craving; craving gives rise to clinging; clinging gives rise to current existence (upapatti bhava) and the kammic causal process (kamma bhava); the kammic causal process gives rise to rebirth; and rebirth gives rise to ageing, death, grief, lamentation, pain, distress and despair. The Buddha states that Monks who have realized and understood the origin of contact of the six senses, and escaped the round of sufferings, would see Dhamma (Truth) of Precepts (See also
* Aggañña Sutta *Notes
Bibliography
* Bhikkhu Bodhi (1978)External links
Translations