Bhante G explains the Cetokhila Sutta, number 16 in the Majjhima Nikaya.

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Good evening everybody.  This evening I am going to give a very short sutta presentation.  I selected a very short and simple discourse from Majjhima Nikāya called Cetokhila Sutta, sutta number 16.  It has been translated into English as “Wilderness in the Heart.” When you hear the name “wilderness in the heart,” you might wonder how there can be a wilderness in the mind.  It is, in fact, the mind becoming very wild.  That is what it means.  So how can the mind become wild?  And, why did the Buddha call this “the mind becomes wild?” Because when the mind is wild, or if there is a wilderness in the mind, then of course, we cannot see things very clearly, and we get bewildered and stumble over every tree in the forest.  Sometimes it is compared as vane andha gajo viya, just like a blind elephant stumbling over every tree in the forest.  So the mind, when it is not properly set and not directed properly, can be very much like a wild, blind elephant.

There are fifteen points Buddha brought out in this discourse.  On the one hand they are very simple to remember, and on the other hand, very difficult to uphold and maintain.  When you hear the words you might think it is not that difficult to practice because they are so simple.  For somebody who wants to make the mind inclined to devotion, and practice perseverance and striving for the deliverance, these are the stumbling blocks. 

One is doubt in the Tathāgata, doubt in the Buddha.  Of course, if somebody has doubt in the Buddha his upward progress will stop right away, right then and there.  Because if one wants to liberate oneself, then one has to have a tremendous trust and confidence in the Buddha, the one who gave us a very clear, direct, unambiguous path to follow and the one who has mapped out our attainment or liberation by following the steps (what sometimes Buddha called gradual teaching.)

I think Buddha is the one who has given us the perfect plan and taught us Dhamma in a very gradual, progressive way, which is called anupubba paṭipadā (preliminary preparatory method), anupubba sikkhā (preliminary training rules), and anupubba kiriyā (preliminary activities for liberation).  These have been given step by step very clearly.  And if somebody has doubt in such a Buddha then that person will encounter difficulties and problems on the way and may not even follow the Buddha.  And therefore at the very outset in this particular discourse, Buddha said doubt in the Buddha is very harmful and detrimental to one who wants to make oneself inclined towards liberation, devotion and perseverance and striving for attainment.

Second is the doubt in the Dhamma.  The words Buddha used here are very important:  kankhati, vicikicchati, nādhimuccati, sampasīdati.

• Kankhati means doubtful.
  
• Vicikicchati means uncertain, the word vicikicchā is very important; cikitsa in the ayurvedic system is treatment, cikitsa. Vicikiccha means untreatable – the sickness is so grave, it is beyond treatment.  Similarly, in the spiritual path, if there is such an incurable, skeptical doubt then it will not be possible to treat that person.  And therefore this word (vicikiccha) is very important.
  
• Nādhimuccati – mutta means freedom, liberating; adhimutta means special way of liberating; na-adhimuccati means does not have that liberating venue, that liberating possibility, that liberating ability. 
  
• Sampasīdati – pasīdana means clarity, making the mind clear; na-sampasīdati means the mind does not become clear.  And I think, this is the word the Buddha perhaps used for the title for this discourse using another name, cetokhila, where the mind becomes confused, unclear, not pasīdana.  So when somebody’s mind is influenced by these qualities, conditioned by these qualities, or when these qualities dominate the mind that person will have a difficult problem.  So the person will have this kind of state, doubt in the Dhamma.
  

And similarly, doubt in the Sangha.  Of course this refers to particularly to monastic bhikkhus and bhikkhunis who have doubt in the Sangha.  Sangha means not only the monastic community but the community of ārya Sangha, those who have attained stream entry, once returner, never returner and arahanthhood. 

Of course among the lay community it is very unlikely that you’ll find too many arahats.  But in the lay community we find individuals who even have attained anāgāmi state, a non-returner.  Even after attaining anāgāmi state one may not have very much inclination or desire to live a household life because two important factors for household life are totally eliminated from his mind.  What are the two important factors for household life?  Greed is very important for household life, and hatred is very important for household life.  We have to hate somebody, we have to kill somebody, we have to compete with each other, we have to have jealousy, and we have to have tension to live a household life.  Without these things it is difficult to live a household life.  With these things it is difficult to live a monastic life. 

So when these two qualities are totally eliminated from the mind of somebody, that person does not have any inclination to live a household life.  Within a few days, maybe a week or so, that individual will seek a monastic life.  Therefore, there may be very few, and it is rare that anāgāmis are among the lay community, but individuals who have attained the other two stages can be found in the lay community. 

Anyway, the Sangha includes these two types of individuals who have attained stream entry and once returner stage; in the monastic community, perhaps we can find all the four individuals.  Somebody who wants to lead a spiritual life, noble life and a pure life and with an inclination towards the attainment of liberation must have trust in them, must have trust that there are individuals in the world among the Sangha, ārya sangha, who have attained stages of enlightenment.  One has to have this much trust. So if there is any doubt, then he is in trouble.

Then, the next thing is, if the monastic community member is angry with the monastic members—this is not a requirement for lay people but for monastic members, monks and nuns—are angry with their own fellow members living the holy life, if they are angry with them it is very difficult for them to follow the path.  Why?  Because they have to live together.  And Buddha said when somebody leaves home, they leave all their friends and relatives and members of the lay community behind and come to a monastery where they meet people who have come various states of the society, whom they have never seen, never heard, that they found in the community.  They don’t know each other’s background, education, parents and so forth.  They are all totally strangers.  If somebody comes to live in a community like that and if that person is angry with them, then it is very difficult for that person to live the monastic life and strive to attain liberation and therefore that is also another wild state of the mind.

These are the five—Ah, I forgot to mention one more.  Sikkhāya is doubt, doubt one has in the training, discipline, rules, and regulations; the doubt in the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, and the training rules that one has to follow.  If one were to think “Why should I follow these rules?  What have they got to do with my spiritual growth?  I can do anything I want, and still I meditate and attain liberation and have not any trust in the training rules.  These rules are there in order to control me.  These monastic members have introduced these rules and regulations.  I don’t have to observe them.  I don’t have to follow them.  I don’t have to trust them”.  So the person may not observe rules and regulations and will have doubt about them and will question every rule.  And that also is another problem this person will encounter.  Then the person will be angry, displeased with his companions in the holy life, resentful and rejecting them.

These are the five of these fifteen qualities that are negative and detrimental to spiritual growth. There are another five qualities that Buddha has mentioned.  These five qualities are also equally harmful.  They are craving for sensual pleasures, not being free from lust, desire affection, thirst and fever.  Now, in the discourse, although the title itself does not refer to monastic members, but in the description or explanation Buddha talked about the monastic members.  If they are engaged in sensual pleasures, they are no more different from lay people.

You remember in another discourse, the Alagaddupama Sutta, Venerable Ariṭṭha challenged one of the Buddha’s four intrepidities.  One of the four intrepidities is that if certain things that Buddha declared to be harmful for spiritual growth, harmful for attaining liberation, that if somebody follows them, then that individual may find it difficult to attain liberation.  That means there are certain things the Buddha said are harmful, dangerous. If somebody follows them, that individual will not be able to attain liberation.

So, Ariṭṭha challenged this, Ariṭṭha said, whatever the Buddha said is harmful, dangerous for the spiritual growth actually is not dangerous. By following them it will not block one’s spiritual growth. 

And what Buddha said, he said it in several places, even in Mahāsīhanāda Sutta, he said Sunakkhatta went out and declared to the world that Buddha said certain things are detrimental, harmful to spiritual growth and if somebody follows them, that person cannot attain liberation.  Sunakkhatta also challenged it.  And here Ariṭṭha challenged the Buddha. 

What they meant was that if somebody follows sensual pleasures still one can attain liberation.  So for his argument he found some support among lay people who lived lay life following sensual pleasures and have attained liberation, some stages of liberation.  Therefore, following those things that Buddha said are dangerous and detrimental do not actually impede or block their attainment.  So Ariṭṭha and Sunakkhatta both have evidence for that. 

This is a very important point, and to understand it we must discuss it in great detail.  But for now, I simply want to mention that this kind of thinking, (that enjoying sensual pleasures is not harmful for spiritual practice and growth, and for liberating oneself from suffering), is harmful.  If somebody were to think it is not harmful, then that person is in danger as a monastic member.  So if a monastic member is engaged in sensual pleasure, not free from lust, desire, affection, thirst, fever and craving for sensual pleasure.  Kāme avigata rāgo hoti, avigata cando, avigata pemo, avigata pipāso, avigatā parilāho, avigata tanho. 

Actually these are very important words. Avigata rāgo - rāga means sticking to something like glue; avigata chando - chanda means willingness.  We named the house chanda house because the person who owned the house was named Will [Chanda House refers to the nun’s dwelling on the Bhavana Society property].  Avigata pemo – pema is kind of desire but it sounds mild like in pitu pema, (father’s love for children); mātu pema (mother’s love for children) children’s love for the mother and father is called pema.  It is not rāga, as in other places, but it is filial love.  It’s called pema and even that in the Buddha’s teaching is detrimental to our growth and liberation. Then avigata pipāso - pipāsa means thirst and avigata pipāso means not quenched thirst.  Then avigata parilāho - parilāha means fever; avigata tanhā - tanhā again, means thirst.  So, if the monastic members have these things, then that is the bewilderment in that person’s mind.

Then comes craving for one’s own body.  That is a very important thing and Buddha used similar or the same series of words to describe this.  With regard to one’s own body, one has the same thing, Kāma, rāga, chanda, pema, pipāsa, parilāha and tanhā towards one’s own body.

And the third is craving for another’s body.  If a monastic member has any craving for another’s body, then that is also is detrimental.

Then number four, and I think you will like this, number four is overindulgence in food and sleep.  He eats as much as he likes until his belly is full and indulges in the pleasures of sleeping and drowsing.  In another place Buddha said, “middhī yadā hoti mahagghaso ca niddāyitā samparivattasāyī mahā varāho va nivāpa puṭṭho punappunam gabba mupeti mando.” It is more tasty and more clear and drives the point home very strongly.  That is, middhī yadā hoti mahagghaso ca - middha means very drowsy; middhī yadā hoti mahāggasoca - one feels very sleepy, having eaten a great deal of food; niddāyitā samparivattasāyī - sleeping, tossing in bed, turning in the bed, back and forth; mahā varāho va nivāpa puṭṭho - like a very big pig in the mud; punappunaṃ gabbha mupeti vando - a fool will go back and forth in life; gabbhaṃ upeti - comes to life, comes to birth, again and again. 

So, one who eats a lot until his belly is full, of course, after that feels very sleepy, and keeps sleeping, tossing, turning back and forth in the bed, twisting because his belly is so full, and falls asleep, and loves to sleep.  And that is another mental bewilderment called wilderness in the mind.

Then number five is aspiring to become a god, to be born as a divine being rather than liberating from saṃsara, because the divine life is very tempting and attractive.  Divine beings do not have very many things to do like we do here as human beings.  Divine beings don’t have to worry about paying taxes, driving, doing a job, living under a boss and controlling people and so forth.  They are carefree and they are independent and they do whatever they want, go wherever they like.  It’s a very light life.  So somebody might wish to be born like a divine being.  So that is another sort of impediment, wilderness in the mind.

Then Buddha gave five ways of overcoming and liberating oneself from this wilderness in the mind.  Four of them are called iddhipāda. The word iddhipāda we have heard many many many times.  Iddhipāda means base of spiritual power.  They are called four bases for spiritual power.  A very long sentence is used to describe each of them, one long Pāli sentence:  Chanda-samādhi-padhāna-sankhāra-samannāgataṃ-iddhipādaṃ bhāveti. One sentence, one long word; and at the end bhāveti is the verb. Until then it is one long connected, compound word.  Chanda-samādhi-padhāna-sankhāra-samannāgataṃ-iddhipādaṃ bhāveti.  Chanda means one has to have a will; samādhi - concentration; sankhāra - the concentrated state itself becomes a sankhāra, a wholesome sankhāra; samannāgatam – accomplished; iddhipādaṃ bhāveti - one practices these to gain spiritual powers.  That means there has to be will to gain concentration and use that concentration as a pre-requisite to attain liberation and to gain iddhipāda, super normal powers.

So the same thing is applied to: viriya-samādhi-padhāna-sankhāra-samannāgataṃ-iddhipādaṃ bhāveti; citta-samādhi-padhāna-sankhāra-samannāgataṃ-iddhipādaṃ bhāveti and vīmaṃsā-samādhi-padhāna-sankhāra-samannāgataṃ-iddhipādaṃ bhāveti. 

That means in order to gain concentration; to use concentration as the basis to gain spiritual power, one must apply chanda - inclination; viriya - effort; citta - will power; then vīmaṃsā - investigation.  These are the four steps one has to follow, and then the last is ussūlhi which means enthusiasm.  That means one must build up momentum from practicing these things little by little, build up the momentum, to liberate oneself from suffering, to attain mental purity.  And they must be looking forward to attaining liberation by using these means.

But at the end of the discourse, Buddha gave a very unusual simile.  When one practices these things one should not become very anxious and one should not be looking forward to gaining these stages, but one has to follow the steps one by one for the sake of practicing Dhamma, as a duty, as a responsibility, as something one has to do.  One must practice without expecting anything as a result.  Results will happen naturally.  The simile illustrates this point.  It is a very beautiful simile.

The Buddha said, “Suppose there was a hen with eight, ten, or twelve eggs which she had covered, incubated and nurtured properly.  Even though she did not wish: ‘Oh, that my chicks might pierce their shells with the points of their claws and beaks and hatch out safely.’ Yet the chicks are capable of piercing their shells with the points of their claws and beaks and hatching out safely.  So too, a bhikkhu who thus possesses the fifteen factors including enthusiasm is capable of breaking out, capable of enlightenment, capable of attaining the supreme security from bondage.” (MN 16.27)[1]

So the simile illustrates and explains the whole thrust of this practice--each of these fifteen factors.  The first ten one should not keep in mind; but the opposite of those ten should be practiced; the opposite of these ten mental impediments should be practiced.  In addition to that one also should practice the four iddhipāda plus enthusiasm or momentum.  When the momentum is taken off, when the mind is ready, then one will definitely attain liberation, just like these chicks will break the shell with their claws and beaks and hatch out of the eggs even if the hen does not wish so.  All she does is sit on the eggs.

So that is the sutta report for today.  Let us share this merit.  This discourse is very short but the message is very deep, very profound.  So, let us share the merit with the deities.

[1] Ñānamoli, Bhikkhu, and Bhikkhu Bodhi. The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikāya. Massachusetts: Wisdom Publications.