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 Rhythm of Life
- How to Become a Stream Enterer -
by

Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

The Fully Awakened One

ISBN : 978-955-4680-94-4
Publisher:

Siri Sadaham Monastery

Bellantara, Dehiwala.
Sri Lanka.

Phone: (+94) 11 2 732 700, (+94) 773 686 686

Fax: (+94) 11 2 719 550
Skype : sirisadaham.ashramaya
E-Mail: info@ashramaya.org

Printer :
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

The Message of All Buddhas

Sabba papassa akaranam – Kusalassa upasampada

Sacittapariyodapanam – Etam buddhana sasanam
Refraining from all evil – cultivating the good,
Purifying the mind – by mental restrain,
This is the message of all Buddhas.

Khanti paramam tapo titikkha

Nibbanam paramam vadanti Buddha
Nahi pabbajito parupaghati
Samano hoti param vihetthayanto
Forbearance is the highest asceticism
Nibbana is the highest say the Buddhas
One who destroys others is not a monk
He who gives pain to others is not a monk

Anupavado anupaghato - Patimokkhe ca samvaro

mattannutaca bhattasmim - panthanca sayanasanam
adhicitte ca ayogo – etam buddhana sasanam
Not blaming not insulting others, not hurting others,
having moral restraints by the precepts observed,
eating food in moderation, living alone, in a far away territory,
practicing meditation, is the advice of all Buddhas.

-3-
Rhythm of life

"I have no teachers, parents, siblings, friends

to rely on…
Those that follow the path I show without
any expectation;
they are my real helpers; they are my parents,
my children and my friends."
- Siri Samanthabhadra Thero -

-4-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

It’s not difficult to become a

stream-entrant, yet it is a delicate task !
(Part 1 : The Sunday Island - July 15, 2017)

T he Pali Canon recognizes four levels of Awakening, the

first of which is called stream entry. This gains its name from
the fact that a person who has attained this level has entered the
"stream" flowing inevitably to achieve full awakening.
These articles explains the way to enter the stream. It is
also known as achieving the Sotapanna state of being. It is not
difficult to become a stream-entrant as most people believe.
Yet it is a delicate thing.
And it is only grasped by those who are wise. That’s where
the problem lies. When one reads this article, he can realize the
said stream-entrant state. But there is a chance that he may not
know he realized it.
This state I speak of is unique. It is a teaching that must
not be given to each person you meet. I will first prepare the
background by giving you preliminary information, before telling
you about how to become a stream-enterer. The one who obtains
the initial information can travel the path to stream entry.
If there is a person with great wisdom then he can learn
the path at once. No preliminary information is necessary for
him. He understands at once that there is something beyond the
limit that we perceive. I will teach you how to go there. When
you follow this path, you will meet the said state.

-5-
Rhythm of life

There are many people who believe that a stream

enterer must be able to travel in the air with his super
powers. Is it true?
This is not true.
They believe that those who arrive at noble states like
stream-enterer should be able to perform miracles. There is no
such thing.
There are three kinds of miracles as per Buddha's
teachings:
• Miracle of super human power
• Miracle of deliverance of the path to supreme bliss
• Miracle of reading others minds
Buddha told his monks, "Out of these three miracles, the
one you should perform is the miracle of deliverance of the
path to supreme bliss."
What does it mean to perform miracle of teaching?
Performing miracle of deliverance means teaching others
the Dhamma that you realized and confirmed.
Buddha said, "monks, the greatest miracle a monk can
perform is the miracle of teaching the path to supreme bliss."
There is a story about Budhha crossing a river.
One day Buddha was by a river with his assistant Ananda,
waiting for the ferry boat to arrive.
A hermit comes to where they were, laid out a scarf, got
on to the scarf and floated across the water. Then Ananda Thero
turns to the Buddha and asks;
"Why don’t you also get us across the river like that?"

-6-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

Buddha replies,
"Ananda, be patient and wait for the ferry boat."
So they wait. When the ferry arrives he pauses before
getting on and asks the ferry boatmen,
"How much do you charge to cross the river?"
boatmen replies,
"Twenty five cents your honour."
Buddha turns to Ananda and says,
"Ananda, the value of that miracle is twenty five cents!
That person dedicated thirty or forty years of his life trying to
get that power. But if he had used that time to travel the Noble
path then he would have already crossed Samsara."
People waste time trying to get magical powers. If those
people spent that time trying to cross Samsara by training the
mind, then they would have already escaped Samsara. Instead of
finding reasons to cross Samsara, people find reasons not to cross
Samsara. They collect things that are hindrances to liberation.
People try to achieve things that they can never
achieve. They try to hold on to things that they cannot
hold on to. They try to keep things that they cannot keep.
They try to enjoy things that cannot be enjoyed. Knowing
well they will not get them, they still go chasing after them.
I do not tell you to stop this behaviour. Keep doing what
you are doing the same way. Just know that you will never get
them. Keep running after them. While running think like this;
“regardless of however much I run, I will not be satisfied. I will
never get what I am trying to get.

-7-
Rhythm of life

What I will get is not what I think it will be. It will always
be something else."
What you think will not happen in life! You will not get
to enjoy what you hope for. Then my question is, are you going
to run seeking these things?
Yes, run! Run until you are completely out of breath. When
you run like this, at the right time your heart will tell you to stop
running. Don’t just stop because I tell you to stop. If you stop
because I tell you to stop, then that is not because you realized
Dhamma. It would be because I told you to stop. Then one day
when I am not there you will start running again. So do you run
after worldly goals, or not?
Run!
Run until you are out of breath. When you are out of
breath the heart will testify saying,
“Didn’t such and such a person tell that you will be out
of breath due to this running?
But you did not agree with that. And you did not believe it.
Now it has been proven to you. Do you still want to run, or not?”
You will never run again. You have become still for
eternity. That means you have entered the stream.
After that, due to the old habit you will get ready to run.
Then what happens is, your mind will tells you not to run. It
will say "there is nothing to gain by running."
Then what happens?
Then you have lost the need to run.
You should investigate your life in the past. All the running
that you did in the past.

-8-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

How you fell and got wounded while running. Think

about all this.
You have to do a self-analysis about yourself very
honestly. Self-analysis is the way to liberation.
Self-analysis means:
To search about yourself.
To think about yourself with an open mind.
Feel free to express what you feel. Say what comes to your
mind directly. If you want to scold someone, scold the person
to his face. That is the greatness. If you have something to say
then say it. That is a person’s genuineness. It is his greatness. It
is his honesty.
The one who comes to the way of the Dhamma shapes
himself in this way. If not that person cannot realize this
Dhamma. If one keeps one thing inside and says something
else, then that is a dual personality.
A dual personality can never enter the stream. The nature
of the stream-entrant noble follower is that he is truthful. If he
feels like saying what comes to his mind he will say it.
Now let’s say you have done something wrong and
someone feels like scolding you for it. Then what should
that person do?
He should tell you that you have done something wrong,
and he should scold you for it harshly. That should be the nature.
That is also his honesty. But, then do you hate him? Do you
scold him back?
You must honour a person’s honesty. Noble ones do not
look down on honesty.

-9-
Rhythm of life

What happened when Vimala the prostitute follows

Moggallana the great thero on the street?
Vimala was a famous prostitute that lived at the time of
the Buddha. Vimala saw the handsome figure of Moggallana
Thero and told him of her desire.
Did he scold her?
No, he did not scold her.
Did he reject her?
No, he did not reject her
Did he chase her away?
No, he did not chase her away.
He let her follow him. He took her with him.
Took her and did what?
He showed her the way to stream-entry.
I do things like that too. I trick people. Those in the
material world always hope for material gains. I show them as if
they are going to get material benefits, and I trick them and take
them to the spiritual path. That is the nature. Try to understand
what I say.

***

-10-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

'We must do a self-evaluation and

an exploration of our life’
(Part 2 : The Sunday Island - August 5, 2017)

Is 'traditional love' real or fake?

It's fake.
In reality love only exists depending on conditions. The
one who says he loves you this moment could be your enemy
a short time later. Try to understand what I am about to say.
Your lover or your enemy is decided by the situation and by the
mental state that exist between the two people at that specific
time. Did you understand?
Didn’t most people create dream worlds before they got
married? My question is did their dreams come true exactly as
they dreamed? That never happens.
When things happen differently, should we hate them?
No.
Should we reject them, push them away and remove them?
No.
We only remove the value we give to them. Then how
does the mind feel?
The mind begins to feel weightless.

-11-
Rhythm of life

There are people in the world that become joyous when

their aspirations in life come true. They become happy thinking
that the things they strived for and put effort towards have come
to fruition.
There are two ways to win in the material world:
1. Effort.
2. Luck.
Out of these two which one is more powerful?
Effort or luck?
I will tell you a story. Two young men got locked in a
dungeon. One of them believed that the world can be won with
effort. The other believed that the world can be won with luck.
So what did the one who believed in luck do?
The one who believed the world is won with luck sat in
a corner and waited for his luck to play its part. The one who
believed the world is won with effort went looking around
everywhere. He left nothing unturned, even tapped on walls and
searched. He found a hollow spot in the wall, broke through
that spot and found a container. Inside the container he found
sweets. After eating his fill of sweets he started to insult the one
who believed in luck and threw left over sweets at him.
The one who believed in luck started picking up the
sweets and eating them. Suddenly the one who believed in luck
bit into something hard. When he took it out of his mouth it
was a diamond!
So then, who won?
This world is not what it seems. Do not ever believe this
world. Don't ever believe anything.

-12-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

If someone believes this world and tries to depend on

that, that person is cursed by the ultimate truth that exists in this
world. Then all that he built comes crumbling down.
There are some hidden rules in this world. A person only
understand them after his enlightenment. In physical science
there are laws. For example Newton’s laws for motion, Ohm’s
law for electricity and Gauss's law for magnetism. In the same
way there are laws in spirituality. Our mind works according to
those laws. They are deep.
We became happy when our wishes came true. We
got sad when our wishes did not come true. Now the
happiness of wishes coming true and the sadness of wishes
not coming true have both gone to the past.
What are both of them to you now?
A dream.
This world is a dream. I always say this world is a dream.
It is an illusion. But however much I say this, the great majority
of people have not felt this. That is the problem with not being
a stream-enterer.
There is a teaching of the Buddha in the Anguttara Nikaya,
Sattaka Nipata called Sattasuriyoggamana Sutta. In that Sutta
Buddha explains how at one point this world will get destroyed
by heat. First the earth will get so hot that all plants will die.
Gradually the earth will begin to reach temperatures that will
cause it to explode with fire. From there Buddha goes on and
says:
"Monks, even this earth is without essence. You may live
here. You may dwell here. But never get attached.

-13-
Rhythm of life

Do not even get attached to this earth. Do not grasp this

earth. Do not crave this earth. Do not have hopes of this earth.
But, he says, "This teaching will only be accepted by
a stream-entrant." Why?
Because those who have not entered the stream think the
earth is self, and it is eternal. They think I die but this earth will
remain. Is he a stream-enterer?
He is not a stream-enterer.
A stream enterer never accepts that he or the world is
permanent or eternal. But the stream-winner knows when he
dies he would be buried in this earth. Even though he knows
he will be buried in this earth, he does not accept that the earth
is eternal. Then what does the stream-entrant noble follower
accept as eternal?
Nirvana.
There are two kinds of people in this world. There
are those who accept that Nirvana is the only eternal thing
that exists; and there those who accept that this earth and
all the other physical objects exist for eternity. Which group
do you belong to?
You still belong to the group that accepts physical objects
as eternal.
If we were to join the group that believes Nirvana
is eternal, then we go from one side to the other. For that,
something should happened in us.
What should happen in us is? We must do a self-
evaluation of our life. We must do an exploration about
life. Life is a dream, an illusion. We think that this illusion
is real.

-14-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

We have been taught how to be stuck inside this illusion

right from our childhood. We expect many things in life. When
we continue to contemplate life deeper and deeper, we will
understand the whole world. When we get that understanding
we will become still. That is stream-entry. That is enough to
enter the stream.
Until I live, many different tasks are given to me by karma.
That means you also have been given many different tasks by
karma. I’m telling you an easy way to break free from all this.
This way is not exactly easy. But it is not difficult either.
The most important thing is you must believe the words
I say. Otherwise you cannot get to that state. Why is that?
Let’s say I’m going on a trip with many of you across a
dessert. Everyone that’s going with me are thirsty. But there is
no water in the dessert. I leave everyone someplace, go looking
by myself, find an oasis and come back to tell you.
I say,
“I found an oasis. I know where there is water!”
Then the fools among you will say,
“We came so far without water. We did not find any water
anywhere in this dessert. So we do not believe you.”
Then I face a great difficulty. I know where there is water.
The oasis has a well. But you must travel a bit far along a path
to get to it. These people do not believe me. So how can I take
them to the oasis? That is why I tell you to believe.
Now you tested and you investigated. All the investigations
have been done. So now listen to what I say. After listening you
must do what I say. These people say there is no oasis.

-15-
Rhythm of life

But they are thirsty. I know these people do not believe

what I say. They need water. There is also an oasis with water.
Then what kid of feeling arises within me for them?
Compassion.
Look at the nature of compassion: when they refuse I
drag them to the oasis by force. That is the nature of great
compassion (Mahakaruna.) I drag them there and tell them to
drink water. The one who drag others must put forth great effort
and endure difficulty to make others drink. Why?
These ignorant people do not believe even though I say
there is water.
These fools do not trust my words. The problem is; they
have not heard words from a trustworthy person before. But
what I said is right. So it must be believed.
A similar incident took place between Buddha and Kasi-
bharadvaja as mentioned in Kasi-bharadvaja Sutta.
Kasi-bharadvaja was a unique character. One day Buddha
was traveling on foot when Kasi-bharadvaja was in his rice fields.
He had just finished a big ritual and got into the field to start
farming when Buddha comes to pass by.
Seeing the Buddha walk by, Kasi-bharadvaja calls out to
Lord Buddha in a harsh manner.
“Thratheva mundaka, thratheva mundaka thatteha”
Stop there monk. Stop there bald monk.

-16-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

Then in the same harsh tone Kasi-bharadvaja says,

“ahan boe samana kasami cha vapami cha kasithva cha vapithva
cha bunjami”
Monk, I get food after ploughing the fields, sowing
seed and reaping the harvest.
“Thampi samana kasassu cha vapassu cha kasithvacha vapithva
cha bunjassu thi”
Monk, you should also plough a field, sow seed, reap
harvest and get food. Going from place to place begging
for food is not a good thing.

And then Buddha replies,

“Ahampi ko brahmana kasami cha vapami cha kasithva cha
vapithva cha bunjami thi”
Brahmin, I too plough a field, sow, reap and eat.
Kasi-bharadvaja was confused by this statement.
So he inquired; “you claim to be a ploughman, but I
don't see your plough. Tell us about your ploughing so that
we too may know about your ploughing.”
Then the Buddha explains,
“ Brahmin, Conviction is my seed,
Austerity my rain,
Discernment my yoke & plow, Conscience my pole,
Mind my yoke-tie,
Mindfulness my ploughshare & goad.

-17-
Rhythm of life

Guarded in body, guarded in speech, restrained in

terms of belly & food, I make truth a weeding-hook, and
composure my unyoking.
Persistence, my beast of burden, bearing me toward
rest from the yoke, takes me, without turning back, to
where, having gone, one doesn't grieve.
That's how my ploughing is ploughed. It has as its
fruit the deathless. Having ploughed this ploughing one
is unyoked from all suffering & stress. "
Hearing this explanation of Lord Buddha, Kasi-bharadvaja
thought,
"How different!. What is this farming he is talking
about? "
Then the Buddha replied;
"Taking the seed called conviction, using the rain
called asceticism, he ploughs with the ploughs of wisdom.
Fear of doing evil is the pole. Mind is the rope used to tie
the yoke onto the cattle. Mindfulness is both the cutting
edge of the ploughs and the stick used for driving cattle.
I am controlled in my bodily action and speech and
I eat less."
Then Kasi-bharadvaja said, "So wonderful is your
farming. After doing all this work and reaping the harvest,
all I received was some grain. But those who do your kind
of farming are released from suffering forever."
And once Kasi-bharadvaja finished listening to the rest of
the teaching he offered the left-over rice cakes to the Buddha.

-18-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

The Buddha replied,

“Buddhas do not accept food offered in return for
teachings. Go and throw that food into water that has no
creatures or an empty field.”
Then Kasi-bharadvaja looked for a body of water and
threw the rice cakes into it. When he threw the rice cakes into
it the rice cakes began to smoke.
He returned to the Buddha and said,
"My lord, that was miraculous. As soon as I threw
the rice cakes into water they smoked and exploded. I
understood what you said."
Kasi-bharadvaja became a fully enlightened being. He
became an ordained monk in Buddha’s order.
Now I am asking you what is the first sentence in Kasi-
bharadvaja sutta?
"Shraddha bijang "
This means : "Believe with conviction."
But when you believe with conviction, you must be very
careful. Do not believe just because I say.
Why do I say, do not ilbelieve just because I tell you?
You have not yet come to a conclusion whether what I
say is true or false. So hear me well. And when you hear me well
you will realize "he knows something that I do not know. But the
problem he has is; he cannot say what he knows with words."
Then what should do? If you get faith after listening with
much convictions, after thinking, accept that path. But being idle
after accepting is not enough.

-19-
Rhythm of life

What must you do next?

You must travel the path. Sometimes you may even have
to force me to tell you the path.
Believe what I say. Accept with conviction. Otherwise we
cannot go on this journey.
You will go into the desert and get lost there. Those who
do not believe what I say about the oasis will not be able to reach
the oasis. Also those who believe what I say about the oasis but
are still lying in the desert due to thirst, they too will not be able
to reach the oasis. Why?
They believed me when they heard my words about the
oasis. But since they did not make an effort to get to the oasis
they will not be able to reach the oasis. So I give the sole decision-
making power of reaching the oasis to you.
Whom did I hand your sole decision-making power
to?
You!
Who is your all powerful god?
You!

***

-20-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

'The Dhamma is of no use to those who know it,

but it’s useful to those who practice it’
(Part 3 : The Sunday Island - September 2, 2017)

If you want to liberate yourself then you yourself must

find out the path and follow the path. I cannot liberate you.
I cannot be your liberator. However much I try, I cannot
be somebody else’s liberator. All I can be is a route adviser. I can
tell you the path. But this path I’m telling you is a unique path.
It is different from the path you learnt in the traditional world.
But it was also not learnt from a book. It is a path that was learnt
by training the mind. That is why I tell you with confidence to
travel this path.
I know all the potholes and the turns in this path.
But I do not tell you about the potholes and turns. Why?
If I tell you about potholes and turns in advance, you will
not travel the path. Instead, you will think that you travelled the
path. I will tell you a story.
Once there was a monk. He knew Dhamma well. He
thought he was an awaken one. But he was not. But his student
that was an awaken one. The student had practiced Dhamma.
This Dhamma is of no use to those who know it, but is useful
to those who practice it.
One day when the teacher and the student were having a
conversation the teacher told the student that he is an awaken
one. The teacher can perform miracles.

-21-
Rhythm of life

So as the conversation continued the student said to the

teacher,
"Since you are an awaken one please create an elephant."
While the student was watching the teacher created an
elephant. An elephant with silver tusks and big eyes that were
looking around. Then the student said,
"Now teacher, you must make the elephant charge in our
direction."
As soon as the teacher did this the elephant began to
charge, and the teacher got up and ran.
Now who created the elephant? He himself.
Who got scared and ran? He himself.
Then the student stopped the elephant and said,
“You are not an awaken one. An awaken one is not scared."
You must investigate and understand this. Dhamma
that is not practiced is useless. One who knows is only a
scholar. We do not need scholars. We need those who are
wise.
Think about what I said with an open and relaxed mind.
Only when you do that will you reach the great state that the
Buddha taught. It is not difficult to go on this path. I will tell
you the reason why you still cannot go. You still do not have a
strong conviction of the path I tell you.
You think, "I’m not sure if it is true. I’m not sure if it’s
false. Even if I do what he says, I’m not sure if I would reach
the destination he is talking about."
Then you think, "He has practiced many lifetimes for this.
But I am not like him."

-22-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

The question is, what would have happened if Angulimala

thought like that?
He would still be running around with that sword.
Do not think like that. You think like that because you
still have ego in you. You cannot go on this path with ego. You
must make effort to realize Dhamma. In a series of articles, we
will talk about the method to realize Dhamma. It is unique. It
is natural. It is easy.
To realize Dhamma, the first thing a follower should have
is conviction. Conviction is trust. You accept because you have
respect for the teacher. But before you accept, you yourself must
do an evaluation about the teacher and his wisdom.
What most people do is listen to lectures and remember
them. But nobody realizes Dhamma. To realize Dhamma you
must force yourself onto the path of training the mind if you
have to.
You cannot go inon this path comfortably. Why can
you not go in comfortably?
Your mind is already addicted to various habits.
It already has numberless habits.
This mind that is addicted to habits keep running behind
a myriad of pleasures. It runs after one pleasure and does not
find it there. Then it pauses to think about that for a brief
moment and then starts running after some other pleasure. It
continuously repeats this process. Whether it gets the pleasure
or not, it keeps running after different things.
So when does this torture of chasing come to an end?
This process is an endless search for pleasure.
In the end it is all a dream.

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Rhythm of life

If this is all a dream then why run so much?

Stop! Stop and think.
Do not run at full speed as possible chasing goals.
All throughout Samsara the mind has trained to seek
pleasures. You run to explore:
Hatred,
Jealousy,
Lust,
Anger.
Now each person has made a path for his mind to search
for pleasures. You have created a path for your mind to seek
lust. When one pleasure is not found, it seeks another. When it
loses that, it seeks yet another.
I will tell you how to become free of this search. Let’s stop
this crazy running. For that, you will have to accept my teaching.
You will have to accept it without any conditions.
We usually tell someone something softly at first. Then
what do we do?
Next we say it a bit sterner. Then we say it harshly. And if
they do not listen to that we do something even more. The great
Moggallana thero does this to Śakra, the ruler of the Trāyastrimśa
Heaven. You can read this in Maha Thanha Sankaya Sutta.
One day Śakra, Lord of the Devas comes to visit the
Buddha to find out about letting go. After hearing about letting
go, he goes back to Trāyastrimśa Heaven and builds a castle.
One day Moggallana thero wants to find out how Śakra’s
practice of letting go was coming along. So Moggallana thero

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

appears in front of Śakra. Then Śakra says to Moggallana thero,

"I built a beautiful castle. Let me take you on a tour to
see it."
As they are touring Śakra points out, "here are the flower
gardens, here are the halls" etc. After the tour Moggallana thero
pushes the castle with his foot. The whole castle crumbles
down and is destroyed. At that moment the Śakra realized the
Dhamma. Do you see the nature of realization?
If someone attempted to make you realize Dhamma in
this manner, what would you do? You will hate Moggallana
thero. But Śakra is wise.
Śakra thought, “What he did was a good thing. He
destroyed my castle. When the castle was destroyed I realized
that my world gets destroyed.” That means Śakra was given a
lesson about the stream-entry.
Now I will bring up a question. It is mentioned in the
Sutta that Moggallana thero destroyed Śakra’s castle with his
foot. What exactly did Moggallana thero destroy here?
He destroyed the world that Śakra had created with the six
senses - eye, ear, nose, body, tongue and mind. Here is another
question, where exactly did Śakra built his castle?
In his mind.
Then what exactly did Moggallana thero destroy?
Śakra's mind.
Where does the world exist?
Within eye, ear, nose, body, tongue and mind.
Then what exactly is the meaning of destroying the
world?

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Rhythm of life

Showing the meaninglessness of eye, ear, nose, body,

tongue and mind is destroying the world.
I too destroy your world and teach you an eternal state
beyond this world. I do it without mercy!
What is destroying the world? Making one realize the
meaninglessness of the world which he has created with the
eye, ear, nose, body, tongue and mind. Then a need, an interest,
a hope appears within one to search for something beyond this
meaningless world.
Let’s say we go to a restaurant to eat. We have heard from
someone that the food in this restaurant is tasty. So we have
painted a picture in our mind that the food in this restaurant is
very good. When the food is brought to the table and when we
try it, it is not tasty. Now what happened to the world?
It got destroyed. That itself is enough for stream-entry.
Understand what I say here. Think about this deep. During
our life how many pictures did we paint in our mind? Think
about the picture we painted about the food in the restaurant.
But when we got there and ate we realized the true nature.
Truth is, it did not have the great taste we had in mind.
Then all the dreams we had about the food being tasty got
destroyed. That means everything I created about the food,
before eating it, is delusional. But I did not realize that delusion
until I came to the restaurant and ate.
This is foolishness. Understand this well. Now you must
do a life analysis. Because of the greed for this food I came
after it.
What directed me here is the greed that was in my mind
and my sensual desire. Do you understand the inside workings?

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

When you do a self-analysis you understand whose

shortcoming this is. There was a shortcoming on my part. I
believed that the food here is good because someone else said
so. But there is no such thing.
Now I cannot eat the food in this restaurant. The food is
not as tasty as I thought. What do I do after that?
I go to another restaurant.
Look at your life - I am not saying a deep Dhamma. I’m
just talking about day to day life. If you think about a small
incident, a small loss in your daily life, that itself is enough
to achieve greatness.
I am saying food being distasteful at a restaurant is enough
for a man to become a stream-entrant, an awaken one or even
a Buddha (fully awaken one). But what quality should he have?
He should be extremely wise. He should be sensitive.
Do sensitive people love other people or not?
Yes they do. But they do not have expectations. And
question is why do they not have expectations?
The way I understood it, the scope of love of a person
who has not developed his mind is narrow. The scope of love
of a person who has developed his mind is wide. What happens
when one begins to develop his mind?
It begins to become wider. That person is called a
Bodhisatva. The angle of a normal person’s love is only one,
two or three degrees. A bodhisatva’s love is fifty or one hundred
and sixty degrees.
Then when a normal person loves a Bodhisatva, is that
love sufficient or insufficient?

-27-
Rhythm of life

It is insufficient.
So Bodhisatva’s learn to love, but they do not expect
love in return. They are noble. They love everybody, but do not
expect anything in return. But you love expecting love in return.
And there is a problem there. Suffering lies there. Why?
When you expect something, because of that expectation not
being met, suffering comes.
Be like the sun. Every day the sun gives light to the whole
solar system. It never takes anything in return from the solar
system. So the sun is never dependent on anyone. When you look
at the sun you see how glorious it is. You see how powerful it is.
Why? It gives out light without expecting anything in
return. That is why I say, do not expect anything in life.
Do not even expect love. When you live without
expectation, who would you be like?
You would be like the sun.
That means you would have great glory, great power,
great strength.
I say- if one trains in this way, he is a Bodhisatva. Then
the sun and him are both the same. They have both achieved
the same state. That is Bodhicharya. He is able to stare at the
sun. The sun does not do anything to him.
Do not expect anything, any day, from anyone in life.
Take this to mind. After taking to mind apply it to your
daily life. You will think, "there is more time, so I will do it later."
Then what happens?
You will not be able to do it later.
Aging, sickness and death comes speeding at you before

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

that. That is where the problem is. Then the sensible person
thinks about these things. Small things like this are enough for
a person to enter the stream.
Think well about life. Think really well.
Let’s say it starts to rain hard. When it rains hard
doesn't everyone complain about the rain? Or the hot sun
comes out. Then doesn't everyone complain about the sun?
That is a shortfall of yours. You expect that the sun
should behave the way you want. You expect that the rain should
behave the way you want. That means we have expectations
about the sun and the rain. Can you control these things? To
control these things you must gain great power. Without that you
cannot control them. You try to control things that cannot
be controlled.
Rain does not rain at the time you want. Rain comes
down at times you do not expect. Isn’t that Dhamma enough
to become an awaken one?
What is that Dhamma?
That Dhamma is sometimes it rains and sometimes the
sun shines brightly.
Before, you cursed the rain. But now how should you
think?
"Why do I think the rain should come down at the time
that I want?
What is the fair reason to think in that manner?
What is the logic for such thinking?
Is there an agreement between me and the rain?
There is no such agreement."

-29-
Rhythm of life

Do not keep any agreement, with anyone in life. This

path that I’m saying is completely free. Even those who are
married: keep an agreement without a binding. Live together,
eat together, practice spirituality together, have an agreement
without a binding.
Is that not a relief ? Can you live like that or not?
You can.
Then will there be suffering?
No.
One day the husband or the wife leaves the marriage.
Then what do you do?
You say, "That is good. I was also waiting to see when
this will happen."
If the same happened in the past what would you have
done?
You would have taken knives and clubs and started a huge
quarrel. The fight might have ended in a murder or hurt feelings.
But now what happens?
An effortless comfort. There is no expectation.
Do not underestimate the Dhamma I am saying. If you
understand this Dhamma that I’m saying, then that person who
understands it will never become a loser in life. He will win
every day in life.
That means there will be no situation for him to win. If
you think like this in life, how easy is it to live?
But to live in line with this Dhamma, you must be
fortunate.

-30-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

Have you heard about the great philosopher Sir Isaac

Newton? Sir Isaac Newton’s wife left him.
She said, “I cannot live with him. He is always doing
mathematics.” That was unfortunate for Isaac Newton. What
was unfortunate?
He did not find someone who is matching. But, do we
suffer thinking we did not find a partner who is matching? In
life if you get the husband, wife, partner or friend that is not
matching do you mentally suffer?
Do not suffer mentally. Think in the opposite direction.
I will tell you a story about Socrates. His wife was unkind
and violent. She used to yell at Socrates for one thing or the
other every day. The reason Socrates became a philosopher was
her behavior. So the husbands and wives reading this must yell
at the other person as much as you can. When you yell at the
other person, it drives that person to greatness.
Who helps a Bodhisattva to become a Buddha?
It is those who act against him.
Who makes a person an awaken one?
It is those who work against him.
Who makes a person great?
Those who stand against him.
If one is to reach greatness then he must have a lot of
enemies. Without enemies a person does not reach greatness.
One day his wife was yelling at Socrates. But Socrates
was not affected. Those who have developed their mind are not
affected when someone yells at them.

-31-
Rhythm of life

So seeing that Socrates was not responding the way she

wanted, she brought a big bucket of water and poured it over
his head. Then a student comes and asks him, teacher why are
you soaked?
Socrates answers "Son, after thunder it generally rains."
Now my question is, can you also see life incidents with
such lightness?
If the answer is no, then that means you have not tamed
your existence like that. You have not practiced the Dhamma.
You may say, “Nobody can do the things you say.
Things you say are difficult to do.” I am not saying
something difficult. If you do what I say, you will reach a state
where you will not give a value to anything. So I am telling you
to grasp this path that I am saying.

***

-32-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

'Those who are not aware that they are constantly

seeking alternatives are trapped in trickery’
(Part 4 : The Sunday Island - October 7,2017)

L earn to live free, without anything. That is when you

will realize the Dhamma I am saying. It is unique. Those who
realize this Dhamma definitely live their life alone.
What do I mean by living life alone?
There are no bindings. Who is next to him at the moment
when a Bodhisattva reaches Buddhahood? Nobody. Not even
an animal. Not even a dog or a cat. If he has a dog next to him
when he is about to reach Buddhahood what will happen?
He will have a thought, "I have a dog with me."
That thought is a disturbance to reaching Buddhahood.
Then he expects protection out of the dog. Is it clear what I
am saying?
One who attains Buddhahood does not expect
anything from anybody.
Anybody who attains Buddhahood reaches that state
alone. That is why mental aloneness is required when reaching
states like stream-entry. I am not talking about physical aloneness.
We live with our arms around each other’s shoulder.
But mentally each of us are alone.
Do each of us become hungry at the same time? Do
each of us get headaches at the same time?

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Rhythm of life

How can two people be the same like that?

There is no such thing.
Understand well. No two people are the same. Nature has
given each of us an independent life. Each of us have a time
that we are born and a time that we die.
No matter how good we are as friends, can we die at the
same time?
Can we be born again at the same time?
Learn from this. There is something deep in life. Something
which we do not know about. Something that is hidden. A very
wise thinker will understand this secret. When he understands
this secret he becomes a person who has realized the truth.
One problem you all have is, you get tired of
everything in life. That tiredness exists due to your habits
in Samsara. Think this through well. We have practiced different
habits in life. Let’s say we like to eat pasta. When we continuously
eat pasta over a period of time what happens?
We get tired of it.
Then instead of pasta we eat something else. I am asking
you, when are we going to escape this cycle? No matter what
we do in life, we feel that life is never complete.
There is always something missing somewhere.
However much we do, however much we eat, however
much we experience, however much we enjoy, whatever
we do, there is a pain inside of not being fulfilled.
Do you feel that or not?
If the answer is yes, then you are searching for stream-
entry.

-34-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

I was also searching for a way to break through this void.

Everyone feels this void. However many things you do, there
is no happiness. Happiness is only until you keep doing those
things.
When you stop doing them you are left with an exhaustion;
an unhappiness. When you contemplate this exhaustion you
develop a need to escape the exhaustion. A need to rise above
the exhaustion. Until now we temporarily rose from exhaustion.
How does one temporarily rise from exhaustion?
By becoming happy about physical things.
What is the meaning of becoming happy about physical
things?
When you are thirsty you drink water. When water
becomes unsatisfying, you think you must drink some tea. That
means we are seeking alternatives.
Don’t you feel even for a moment that you are fooling
your mind?
Do you understand? You are fooling your mind!
How do you fool your mind?
You constantly provide different stimulants to the eye, ear,
nose, tongue, body and mind. It is just like when a baby cries
you give him some toys and he stops crying. But a short while
later he cries again. Then the parents give some other things to
stop his crying.
You are also just like that. You still have that habit rooted
in you. You are searching for alternatives. Right now your mind
is tricked.

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Rhythm of life

All those who do not know that they are constantly

seeking alternatives are trapped in trickery. Those who do
not know they are seeking alternatives think that the world
is real. They think the world is permanent.
That is why each person is attempting to make him or
herself happy. But as soon as one cannot find alternatives the
mind feels exhausted. They feel the void again.
Think of the story of Yasa. He lived in his family's home
in ancient Varanasi and lived a life of luxury. His father was
a millionaire. Servants, musicians and dancers catered to the
family’s needs and entertainment around the clock. One day
he wanted sweets and his mother sent him two covered empty
plates. What happened when he opened them?
There were no sweets. The need is there. The alternative
is absent.
As soon as there is a need without the alternative present,
then there is a void. That itself is enough for a wise person.
Then this wise person thinks about the void. Even though I
seek alternatives I do not get those alternatives when I want
them. I do not get them the way I want them or in the amount
I want them.
So in this search for alternatives, there is an
exhaustion at the end. This exhaustion is the motivation
to escape Samsara.
A Stream-entrant never feels an exhaustion. But you still
feel a void when you do not receive what you want in life.
Life does not deliver your alternatives. And you do not get
what you like. And when you don’t get them you end up with
some suffering in your mind.

-36-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

But it is not the same for one who already reached Stream-
entry. Why is there no such thing for him?
Knowing that alternatives are an illusion, he looks for
alternatives.
How do you live without looking for alternatives?
When you have the need to drink tea you drink tea. But
there is no expectation that the tea should come at the time
you want or it should be the taste you expect. That’s the only
difference of a Stream-entrant.
You may ask, "can you live a normal life when you reach
the stream-enterer state?"
You can.
I am explaining a deep Dhamma in a simple way. A stream-
entrant seeks alternatives. A stream entrant;
Still has sensual desire. Still has anger. Still has delusion.
All those who still have sensual desire, anger and
delusion are those who still seek alternatives. The reason
one seeks alternatives is because he thinks something will
last. It is because he has not reached the state where he
fully realizes that nothing lasts. He realizes life is within
these two, and that is the reason for seeking alternatives.
Becoming still when he doesn't get the alternatives is his
stream-entrant nature. Despite that, searching for alternatives
is the worldly nature he has.
Is it clear what I am saying? He has hopes. But he has
no definitive feeling that they must come true. I will explain
Stream-entrant state accurately.

-37-
Rhythm of life

Earlier I said that we search for alternatives in life. Let’s say

there are two people with similar minds. These two people have
not reached stream-entry. One of them seeks five alternatives.
The other one seeks twenty alternatives. Out of these two people
which one can reach stream-entry faster?
The one who seeks twenty alternatives. Because there is
more exhaustion in seeking twenty alternatives than seeking
five alternatives.
Let’s say, I ask you to work with motivation and effort to
buy a motorcycle. So you do that and buy a motorcycle. Right
after you bought the motorcycle I tell you, "now you have bought
a motorcycle. Don't stop there. Make effort and buy a car." Then
you try hard and buy a car. Then again I tell you, "the car is not
enough, you must buy a helicopter." Then you buy a helicopter.
When you buy the helicopter I tell you to buy an airplane. If you
are someone who realizes the Dhamma what should you do?
You should scold me. You should say, "what a nuisance
is this? First you told me to buy a bicycle. Then you told me to
buy a car.
Then a helicopter. When I bought all that now you want
me to by a plane? "
When you seek in this manner what you arrive at is
exhaustion. I am telling you kindly; do not keep any hope
in life. Then you will be free. Do all your daily tasks. Do
everything. Allow it to happen what must happen.

***

-38-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

'It is those with no hopes that have become

great, successful and wealthy in this world.'
(Part 5 : The Sunday Island - November 5,2017)

Y ou have ego. Here is the biggest proof that you have

ego. Instead of allowing something to happen the way it’s meant
to happen, you try to make something else happen. The need
for something else to happen is arising because ego is
thriving within you.
The ego that says “I must defeat others” still exists.
This is deep Dhamma. It is the first time even I am hearing
this. It is the first time that you and I are both hearing this. The
notion I and mine has a strong presence inside. We don’t like
things happening the way they are meant to happen. We all like
them to happen the way we want them to happen. We see, hear
and observe various aspects of our life and then try to make
them the way we want them to be.
Have you ever been able to make something into what
you want in this life?
That will never happen. There is always some discrepancy.
Win everything that is worldly with effort and motivation.
If youwant to mine for diamonds, mine with effort. If you hit
a rock on the way, break it and reach the place in earth where
diamonds are deposited. Extract that earth and wash it. But have
no hope that you will find diamonds. Then I pronounce him as
a successful diamond miner. Why?

-39-
Rhythm of life

Even if he does not find diamonds he has no

disappointment. He has no exhaustion whatsoever. Why?
Because he has no hope of finding diamonds.
I ask you a question: Is it people with hopes or those
with no hopes that have become great, successful and
wealthy in this world?
It is those with no hopes that have become great,
successful and wealthy in this world.
Hopes are the limit of your success.
Regardless of whether it will happen or not; work hard.
Then there is no suffering. That is the noble path.
Let’s say I expect that after reading this you will come to
the noble path and become a stream entrant. What will happen
if I think like that?
I will run into a big problem. I will question you next year
to find out if you have reached stream-entry. Then at that time
if I find out you have not reached stream entry what will I get?
I will get suffering.
Then I will scold myself. I am a great fool. Why did I
think that somebody who does not belong to me will become a
stream-entrant? Then I will always think in the opposite manner.
And because I think in the opposite manner there is no reason
for me to have any suffering.
Let’s say someone scolds me and belittles me.
Now how will I think?
"Why did I think that they will say only good things
about me?"
Did you understand this way of thinking?

-40-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

Who are you talking with here?

You are talking with your own internal self. Then let’s say
someone speaks to you with love.
Then what do you think?
You think, "Be careful!"
Who is this person speaking to you now?
The realization within your own internal self is speaking
to you. That will be your stream-entrant nature. When there is
calamity or any problem that stream entrant nature arises and
thinks. It says, "Be careful. Now behave in this manner."
Then I ask you a question. Can you control yourself ?
No.
Stream-entrant nature has not taken over the ownership
of you. Why has stream-entrant nature not taken over the
ownership of you yet? Because you still have ego. Ego is also
called Sakkaya Dhitthi.
That is why you must break the ego.
Remove the idea “I must rise”, “I must do” and “I
must be.”
The ego is like the hard shell of a coconut.
If you were to get to the coconut fruit, then you have to
break the shell. When you break the shell you get to see the edible
fruit part of the coconut. Just like that every human being has
this hard shell called ego. When you break the hard shell of ego,
every human being joins with nature. They realize this Dhamma.
There is a hard shell around you keeping you from realizing
this Dhamma. That shell is the ego.

-41-
Rhythm of life

Inspect how the ego arises within you. Continue to

observe this. Let’s say, we want to win something. For example,
there is a running event and we want to take the first place.
Then there is an idea that arises within us that everyone else
must come second.
Now the question is, can a stream-entrant win first place
in a running event?
He can!
But what happens if one runs with the hope of becoming
first? While running with the hope of becoming first, what if
he slips and falls?
Jayan veiran pasavathi - Dhukkan sethi parajayo
Means; Victory creates enemies - Defeat creates
sorrow
Let us say a stream-entrant is running for a marathon. He
has no disappointment even if he loses. I will tell you a funny
story.
There was an athlete. One day a burglar broke into his
house. He saw the burglar escape and chased after him. He ran
past the burglar and asked,
“Did you think you were going to run with me and win?”
Don’t you see? He is a different kind of an athlete. I like
people of that sort. They run without a goal. Runs after the
burglar, but without the need to catch the burglar. A unique
man. He never intended to catch the burglar.
Look at life like that, in a unique way. But when you look
at life in such a unique way, what will people say about you?
"He is crazy!"

-42-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

That should be so.

“sabbe pruthagjana yeva unmaththaka”
Those who have not realized the Dhamma are crazy.
Those who have realized the Dhamma says those
who have not realized are crazy. And those who have not
realized the Dhamma says those who have realized the
Dhamma are crazy.
These two groups will always say that the other is crazy.
But who is really crazy?
Those who have not realized are actually crazy.
A person who has realized the Dhamma would never say
that another person who has realized the Dhamma is crazy. It
is because they have both realized. That is why those who have
realized say, those who have not realized the Dhamma are crazy.
Those who have not realized run after feelings,
expectations and wishes. After running when they do
not get them they suffer. After resting a little due to their
exhaustion, they run again. Look what is happening here.
Think about life.
I’m am telling you to save yourself from this running. To
escape from the running you must think about the exhaustion
you get as a result of the running. This exhaustion that you feel
is valuable. The problem is nobody pays any attention to it. I
tell you that this exhaustion that you feel is vital to realize the
Dhamma. When we think about this we feel a great desire to
escape this exhaustion. But you are not allowed to escape.
You are clamped down. Then you make a strong
determination that you will somehow break loose and escape.

-43-
Rhythm of life

"I will somehow cross this boundary that I am entrapped

within." Entrapped within whose boundary?
Within Mara’s boundary.
"I will somehow undo these ties." Having the intention
of undoing the ties you stay aware, waiting for an opportunity.
Who must break these bindings?
You yourself must break them. In order to break these
binds what must exist within you?
Awareness must exist within you.
Why do you need awareness?
You need awareness to do a self-analysis about your mind
and how defilements are subdued. (defilements are the mental states
that cloud the mind and manifest in unwholesome actions.)
Now who are we watching?
Our own mind.
What are we watching?
How the mind becomes defeated by Mara?
(Mara - The state of mind that acts against the realization)

***

-44-
 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

'A man is a collection of his samsaric habits.'

We are watching thoughts in the mind. We have a great

need to break the binds and rise up. But we are kept from
breaking them. Our samsaric habits do not allow us to do this.
You cannot break them due to various habits that you yourself
made.
A man is a collection of his samsaric habits.
His hands, trunk, neck and everything else is tied together
by those habits he collected. So he cannot break them and stand
up at once. These binds must be broken carefully, wisely and
with patience.
That’s why Buddha said to Alawaka the giant:
'Sang sachchan Dhammo dhithi chago.'
You must cultivate the “dhithi” quality.
“dhithi” is the wisdom gained through patience.
Now we have understood that we are bound to our own
practices. Those practices are our own addictions. Next what
we must do is we inspect to see what addictions we have and
we don’t have. It is until we have these addictions that we have
to run in this Samsara. "So how do I escape from here?" Keep
thinking like this for some time.
This is not a teaching I give after reading a book. This
teaching is from my practical experience in life.

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Rhythm of life

The nature of the mind is that if you put something

into it, the mind will run after it. Mind makes it a habit.
What we did until now was we kept making different habits.
Now we tell the mind to make the habit of "not making
habits."
The mind is violent. So you must talk to the mind lovingly
and tame it. Let’s say there is a violent person. How do you
subdue him? Or let’s say there is a thug. How do we discipline
this thug?
We talk to him sincerely, hold his hand, throw our arm
around his shoulder. Then he becomes subdued.
That is the meaning of “purisa dhamma sarathi.”
(Meaning: Trainer of the untamable ones.)
Do you understand the method?
We make Mara get caught in an illusion. But he does not
know that he is in an illusion. We can make him get caught
in an illusion, but first we must free ourselves. Those who
free themselves can trap others in illusions. After we free
ourselves, if Mara comes with force we strike back until he gets
knocked down.
Do you understand the way of taming? The methods are
unique. Then Mara accepts defeat: "he cannot be subdued by
anyone. I cannot tame him."
At one time, the Buddha was residing in a city called ‘Alaw’.
In the jungle near the city, there was a rock cave. That was the
giant Alawaka’s home. One day, the Buddha entered this rock
cave and sat on Alawaka’s seat.

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

The giant came to his cave after some time, and saw the
Buddha. Alawaka was so annoyed that a bhikkhu has come to
his cave without his permission. He then shouted so loudly that
the whole jungle trembled, and said;
“Recluse, get out of my house”
“Alright my friend”, replied the Buddha and calmly walked
out.
When the Buddha walked out Alawaka thought; he should
call this bhikkhu back in, and send him out again, then call again,
and send him out again and continue doing so until the bhikkhu
is so exhausted that he will never enter a place like this again.
Assuming this Alawaka raised his roaring voice and said;
“Recluse …. come back in”.
The ever compassionate Buddha, very calmly went back
in. The demon thought that this bhikkhu was now frightened by
his words. Alawaka once again grumbled and asked the Buddha
to go out of the cave. He called him back again. Alawaka was
allowed to do this only three times. And when he roared for the
fourth time, the Buddha said;
“Giant! I am not going out again. You may do
whatever you are capable of.”
The giant realized that this recluse is not an ordinary one.
Therefore, he decided to harass the Buddha by asking various
questions.
In this example my mind is Alawaka, the forceful one.
Mindfulness that I developed is the Buddha that is getting ready
to tame Alawaka. Now Buddha has gone into Alawaka’s territory
and he is taking Alawaka’s space.
Who gets angry when he sees this?

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Rhythm of life

Alawaka gets angry.

When you allow the message I gave to seep into your mind,
the Samsaric habit in your mind becomes enraged at you, and
also at me. Isn’t that true?
He is the one who messed up the system. He is the one
who entered the germ that would fight against my continuation
and would ultimately destroy me. The Mara that is in your head
is opposing me.
You must understand that Mara is cunning. He is
thinking, "I must not stand against him. Because if I stand
up, then my boundary will be broken."
What is the boundary?
His boundary is suppressing. When he stands up to
suppress what happens? The boundary limit extends. So to
suppress what must he do?
He must quietly remove himself from the equation.
So I know that none of the Mara’s that are within you will
come to challenge me. As soon as they step forward I will make
it a stepping stone and rise up.
Buddha here is Dhamma. Alawaka the giant here is your
mind. What does Alawaka do first in his attempt to defeat? He
threatens and tries to create fear. But Buddha remains still. This
is the way to tame.
While taming, do you go to struggle with him? No!
Do you go to show kindness? No!
I cannot tell anyone that I will tame you, or this is the way
to tame yourself. If I say that, then that is wrong.

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

The method is decided by what happens when he comes

close to you. Or it depends on the kind of thoughts that are in
your mind. What becomes tamed are thoughts.
Alawaka told Buddha to leave. Again he told Buddha to
return. Like this he told Buddha to leave and return several times.
Finally what did Buddha say to Alawaka?
“Nakwahang avuso nikkhamissami, yang tei karaniyang tang
karohi ti”
"I will not leave from here. If there is anything that
can do to me, then do it!"
Dhamma has now claimed ownership of your mind. Now
there are two people in your mind.
On one side there is Buddha. On the other side there is
Alawaka.
Finally this is the point we always end up in. There are
two people. Is that clear?
We live according to the one that wins. There are two
people within the person who reaches stream-entry also. But
within him the Buddha is more powerful.
Then does the stream-entrant embark on an endless
journey chasing sensual desire?
No!
Why not?
Because it is futile.
Does he not enjoy sensual pleasure?
He does. He enjoys sensual pleasure not because they are

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Rhythm of life

meaningful.
It is due to the worldliness that still exists within him. But
after enjoying he contemplates the meaninglessness of it. After
understanding the meaningless, he realizes.
The craving to enjoy still exists.
Anger and hatred still exists.
But he does not have the desire to run chasing after
enjoyment. I’m saying this because we all have experienced
enjoying and searching for enjoyment. I'm saying this because
of the exhaustion we felt in doing so.
How much have we run?
Despite how out of breath we were, didn't we still kept
running ?
Didn’t we run thinking we will gain something meaningful?
Yes we have.

***

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

'A man can never confirm whether he has realized

the truth from being in a positive situation.'

W hen we come to realize, and when we reach

stream-entry, do we still need to search, chase or seek
enjoyment?
No. We have previously experienced exhaustion from
running after pleasure. Then we stopped. When we become
like that we understand that we are different from how we were
before. That means now there is something inside of us. That
something is Dhamma.
When Dhamma takes root inside of us, in other words
when we enter the stream, we must investigate that nature.
I will tell you how to investigate stream-entrant state.
Let’s say you face a scary situation in life. About twenty or
thirty people surround you to beat you up. Then what do you do?
Do you fight or flight? Or do you become still?
You become still.
I say that a man can never confirm whether he has
realized the truth from being in a positive situation. A
negative and dangerous situation confirms to him that he
has realized the truth.
We always face different situations. What regular people
cannot do is to react positively to a negative situation.

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Rhythm of life

Then how does the Noble follower who has realized

Dhamma face negativity?
He faces negativity with positivity.
He compares this new nature with his former nature.
Before, if someone came to attack him, he would have beaten
them back down to the ground. Possibly until the attackers are
dead. But now he does not find the need to do that. It is not
because he cannot do that anymore or because his body is not
strong.
There is no longer a point in retaliating. There is
nothing to settle or protect. There is no need to defend the
ownership to anything. So he becomes still.
That means he has reached stream-entry. That means he
has realized Dhamma.
Understand what I say well. It is from the way we react to
such a negative situation that we can test our realization. When
such an event happens, you must decide if you have realized
Dhamma or not.
When suddenly there is an emergency, do we remember
these things or do we retaliate with whatever we can grab hold
of ?
If you still search for whatever that can be used as a
weapon then you have not realized the Dhamma yet. This is
a small lesson. But use it to test your realization with precision.
Let’s say after listening to me, someone thinks "Venerable
Samanthabhadra said that the one who realizes Dhamma stays
calm and still in the face of the most dangerous situation."
So he tries to act the way I say for a while.

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

But after five or six months he forgets what I said. After

that when he faces a situation like that he attacks with whatever
he can grab. That is the time do a self-evaluation. Then you will
understand.
If you attack with whatever you can grab, that means you
could not control the hatred that came to your mind. If you
truly had Dhamma inside of you, then when hatred entered the
Dhamma would have risen above it. When hatred or anger arise
within the stream-entrant, Dhamma also arises immediately. If
anger and hatred arise and then increase within you without
Dhamma arising, then that means you have not entered the
stream yet.
Anger and hatred do not continue to stay within
the stream-entrant. Hatred arises because there is ego. A
stream-entrant does not have lifelong-hatred.
What is lifelong-hatred?
"Lifelong-hatred" is holding onto a memory to take
revenge at a later time.
Stream-entrant only has the thought for a short while.
Only for an instance. When the incident is over. He forgets. It is
good to not remember after the incident. When you remember
you will have the need to take revenge. Then you will have to
go looking for those faces. When you go looking for those faces
what you get is mental weariness.
There are only two things that you have to inspect:
Sensual desire needs to be inspected.
Anger needs to be inspected.
It is a self-inspection.

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Rhythm of life

I was also given a good opportunity to do just that in

the recent past. Nature does that. It is not for the bad. Those
opportunities are given so that we have the chance to test
ourselves. Otherwise there will be doubts about our realization
of Dhamma. There will be doubts whether the state we reached
is a real one or a temporary one.
Sometimes people experience temporary stillness of
the mind. As time passes, that state changes and the stillness
disappears. He becomes like his old self. When one faces
situations like the one earlier mentioned, he realizes there
is no use in being shaken by anything. There is no use in
struggling or fighting. What must happen happens just
the way it should.
If what must happen is going to happen that way anyway,
then what is the use in putting up a struggle?
Why claim war to take ownership?
When asked for ownership you give it and leave. You do
this because there are no owners.
"Putta ma'tthi dhanam ma' tthi
iti balo vihannati
atta hi attano natthi
kuto putta kuto dhanam."
Means; "Sons I have; wealth I have. With this mindset
the fool is afflicted. When he himself is not his own, then what
sons? What wealth?"
People think they have. They are stuck in a huge
problem. But those who have realized Dhamma know that
none of this lasts. It is all a dream. So they do not become
captured by any of this. But they live alongside it all.

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

Even though you realize the truth, you will have to live in
the materialistic world with people who are still ignorant.
Is it clear? That is why you have to think from the
perspective of those who have not realized the truth and not
from where you stand. If we don’t think from their point of
view, it shows how unkind we are.
Imagine that I’m visiting a fishing village. What should I
really do in that situation if I’m hoping to become an awakened
one?
I should get down from the vehicle and sell fish along with
those fishermen. Am I really there just to sell fish with them?
What is my intention?
What is it that I’m going to tell these people while selling
fish?
“Even if we cut fish in this manner, it really doesn’t
exist”
What do I mean by this?
They think they exist. But in reality they do not exist.
Then I will ask them,
“What is the name of this particular fish?
This is called sardine and this one is called tuna.
Who named them?”
Then they will say, “ We were being told that way”
So, I will ask “ Is there a problem if I call the tuna as
mullet?”
They will say, “no”

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Rhythm of life

So who said that we must called this fish “tuna”?

It is only by convention.
Now, can those fishermen be able to sell fish without
pondering about what I said?
No !
That much is enough. That’s all the Dhamma I need to
teach them. Since my job is done, I will wash my clothes and
continue my journey.
Do you understand what I’m trying to say?
There is one story written in the Bible. One day when
Jesus was walking on the beach he saw a man called Simon was
fishing. Simon didn’t seem to be catching many fish. Jesus gets
closer to Simon and shows him another place to catch many fish
using his net. At the same time Jesus tells Simon, “Come with
me. I will show you how to catch humans”. Simon becomes a
follower of Jesus.
Did you understand how Jesus was fishing? I also went
fishing the same way.
I’m explaining how I teach Dhamma to people. I will go
to people who sell vegetables. While selling vegetables with those
vendors I will tell them about this Dhamma. After listening to
me their minds will be totally confused and bewildered. They
won’t be able to get rid of what I told them.
Throughout their lives they will keep selling vegetables
and fish but, they will not be able to forget what I said. They
will realize that I know something more than what they already
know about life. So they will keep investigating and seeking what
it is. What is it that they are seeking?
The truth.

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

Those who have realized the truth comes back to

this materialistic world and lives with the ignorant people.
There is no difference between me and the rest of the people
when I’m in this world. Do you understand?
I’m seated like a Lord in this manner only during these
discourses. Is it clear?
During discourses you can’t even get close to me. But at
the end of a discourse, when I get down from this chair, there
is no difference between you and me. There is no need for any
difference. If I think there should be a difference, then what is
that called?
It is my ego.
It means I think I should be respected and honoured. But
on my journey towards honour and respect I receive scorn and
mockery. So what will I tell myself ?
I will scold myself for expecting honour and respect. What
happens when I scold myself this way?
My mind becomes balanced. Do you understand this state
of realization?
It is inexplicable.
Does this mean you will become gullible?
No.
Does this mean you will expect anything from anybody?
No.
But, you will do everything you are supposed to do for
others without fail. Such people will go and sell vegetables among
vendors and sell fish among fishermen. It will not be something
strange for them.

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Rhythm of life

They will teach those ignorant people about truth. They

will go among labourers and collect garbage. While doing that
they will teach those people about Dhamma.
But will they recite sutras?
No, they will only use a simple example.
While cleaning the room I will say, “I never thought there
was so much dust and dirt. Now I see that it was almost filled
with dust and dirt only”. Then I will poke him and say, ”Even
your mind is like this room”. Isn’t that good enough to learn a
lesson?
He has been told about this message. Now, that person
will continue to ponder over it. He won’t be thinking about the
dust or the dirt. He will think about his mind. He will wonder
how his mind must be like. He will not start cleaning the room
but instead he will investigate about his mind. Only an intelligent
man will walk on this path.
A foolish man will not take this path and he will not care
about any of my words. Such a man will live a life full of sorrow
along with the same old ideals and perceptions. Because of this
he will never become a Stream Entrant. That’s why I’m asking
you to try and understand this Dhamma. If you don’t, I will
somehow force you to understand this. Even by hurting you I
will do it. This is the greatest compassion.
There is a Bodhisatva in China known as “Awalokitheshwara”.
He is known to be the most compassionate among Bodhisatvas.
They say that, He will become a Buddha after all beings in the
world become Buddhas. This means He will never become a
Buddha. Why is that?
He is waiting until everyone becomes Buddhas.

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

He is too sensitive. He is always crying. Why?

Because He sees that people are suffering. Every time He
tries to laugh, He could see that people are suffering. There is a
Chinese story about Him.
Once, He saw that people were suffering. So He started
crying. At the end His tears were so much that a lake was created
from his tears. Since He didn’t stop crying, the lake became an
ocean and still He continued to cry. At the end, He could not bear
the pain so His head exploded in to ten pieces while thousand
hands and thousand eyes were created. He still lives in that state
according to the story. Why did that happen?
Because of His great compassion.
Compassion is the need to make people realized the
truth so that they will go beyond this suffering.
Do not misunderstand what compassion is. Normally,
people think compassion is to give away some food or patting
the head to make someone feel good. That is the worldly
compassion.
What is so compassionate about giving food?
What is the need for food to someone who is not hungry?
If we give food to such a person will he think that we are
compassionate?
He might even get angry. He might think, why is someone
bringing food when his stomach is full.
All of those who have not realized truth have a need to
realize it and go beyond. So, real compassion is to teach the path
so that people can realize the truth. He who teaches the path
waits without going beyond. Why?

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Rhythm of life

Behavior of a Bodhisattva is very strange. He teaches the

path to the others to go beyond without himself going beyond.
Is it because He doesn’t know how to?
He knows very well.
Can’t He go beyond?
He can.
But He will not.
It is very difficult. Why?
It is like, cooking food and staring at it without eating it.
Why?
Because He is afraid that it will not be enough for others.
This is called the greatest compassion. A Bodhisattva has
to practice the following;
Greatest compassion
Greatest wisdom
Greatest wisdom is to realize the truth.
Greatest compassion is the need to teach it to others.
Only the above two are needed and this is their moral
conduct. There are hundreds and thousands of Bodhisattvas.
They are different than the rest. They know this teaching. They
come and teach this path to everyone but they don’t expect
anything in return. That is their Dhamma. Try to attain the state
of Stream entrant. It is unlike anything else. After realization
you can live without any sorrow.

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

'Questions and Answers'

Question:
Most venerable there, if someone comes and
ask questions when I’m observing my mind, it will be
disturbed. What should I do then?

Answer:
You need to check why your mind was disturbed. Either
anger or anxiety is there. Which means you don’t have enough
awareness of your mind. Is it clear what I’m saying?
You should understand that you don’t have enough
patience. Which means you should practice awareness more.
Understand that you get angry and upset whenever someone
questions against you.
You must understand that you have a superficial calmness
in your mind which gets disturbed. So, whenever that happens
keep checking yourself. If the inner calmness of your mind
doesn’t get disturbed even when thousands of people talk with
you, then you should know that you are greater than all of them.
Is it clear?
That’s the kind of calmness I seek. Otherwise, it is
pointless to have a superficial calmness in your mind while you
act like a saint. If you are losing your awareness, it means you
have not practiced enough. Try to be aware most of the time.

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Rhythm of life

This doesn’t mean you should not do anything just because

you need to stay aware of your mind.
You should do all kinds of work. While working be aware.
If you lose your awareness, know that you have not practiced
enough. Suddenly your mind will run here and there, which
means you need to calm your mind further more.

Question:
Most venerable thero, what does the ‘right view’
(Samma Dhitti) really means?

Answer:
The right view is nothing but showing the path to attain the
state of a stream entrant. The thoughts generated about this is
known as the ‘right thought’ ( Samma sankappa). The words which
come through such thought are known as ‘right words’(Samma
wacha). What is behind these words?
Awareness and wisdom.
The actions which comes through this are known as
‘right actions’(Samma kammantha). Now I have a question. Can
someone enter this path without the right view?
No. He must be having the right view. The state of a
stream entrant itself is the right view.

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

Question:
Most venerable thero, does a stream entrant have an
ego?

Answer:
Ego is there. But he is aware of it clearly. There is only a
small difference between a stream entrant and a once-returner.
The one who knows about his egoistic behavior will not be
gullible or deceivable. He can identify false flattery. If someone
genuinely praises him, he can identify that too. If someone
cannot differentiate between false and genuine praise, he is not
a stream entrant.

Question:
Most venerable thero, a stream enterer will not have
the urge the chase behind materialistic things right?

Answer:
The urge is less. He will not chase after such things
purposely. But what can we tell about his extent of being
mentally tired?
It is very less. It quickly appears and vanishes. Is it clear?
He does feel mentally tired. But since he is aware of it, soon the
Dhamma rises in his mind. The Dhamma will say, “You fool,
still you are sad about a dead past”. Then the mind becomes
balanced. That is his realization.

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Rhythm of life

Question:
Most Venerable Thero, even if someone becomes
a stream entrant, he will be indulging in pleasure right?

Answer:
They do indulge in pleasure but will not be attached to
it. They do have an ego but will be aware of it. They have the
feeling of indulging in pleasure and they will continue to be until
they get rid of their ego completely.
But they will not think that “only I should enjoy and
others should not”.
You should walk on this path and think over it in a relaxed
state. Then live without suffering. This teaching is not for anyone
to become an Arahath or a Buddha. It is taught so that anyone
can live without sorrow or misery. If you listen to this teaching
and establish it in your mind, you can live without suffering.
You will be able to observe whenever your mind gets
disturbed and whenever there is desire. When you are tempted
to chase after such things, you will realize that it is pointless
because you will not gain anything in the end. So you will be
able to become silent.

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

Question:
Most Venerable Thero, won't a realized person have
any doubt about the ultimate truth?
Answer:
No, a realized person will not have any doubt about his
path of liberation. This physical world is a dream. He realizes
about a state which is beyond this physical realm. He accepts
that state. It is known as the state of a Buddha.

Question:
Most Venerable Thero, why do I feel empty when
my mind leaves the two extremes and come to the middle?
Answer:
If you feel empty, it means your mind is not in the middle.
There is no emptiness or completeness there. Your thoughts
must slow down further. Is it clear?
Try to keep your mind in the middle without letting it
move to either of the extremes. I also understood this after
some time, bit by bit. Do not expect that you will understand it
all at once. Slowly walk on this path.

Question:
Most Venerable Thero, what is the real meaning of
celibacy?
Answer:
Celibacy is living alone mentally. A celibate life is about
completing dasa kusal (ten moral deeds).

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Rhythm of life

Let’s think of a man who is living alone without a woman.

If he doesn’t even look at a woman, will it make him a celibate?
I will not accept that he is a celibate. Because he has a fake
moral conduct. He doesn’t even look at a woman because it will
disturb his mind. So he will have to live his whole life without
even looking at a woman. Isn’t it absurd? Won’t that make him
exhausted?
We look at everything. But we do not get attached to any of
it. I’m talking about a mental aloneness, not a physical aloneness.
If you go live in a forest, it will not help you.
You should live in a balanced state of mind. This is a great
Dhamma. If someone has this balanced state of mind, will he
have any problems?
No.
You must test yourself. Let’s take an example. If someone
hits a person who has a balanced state of mind, will he get angry
the very next moment?
Yes.
Even if anger arises, he will start thinking that it’s pointless
to get angry because the incident is already over. I’m already
being hit. Is it clear to you now?
It is a very strange way of thinking.
Then a normal person will think, this man does not react
even after being hit. This man is a fool. But that is his wisdom.
The one who has entered this path is special. Such people are
unique.
They think differently. They say strange things. That’s
because they have become enlightened. They do not pretend.
They do not deceive people by pretending to be saints.

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 By Siri Samanthabhadra Thero

They live with their own personalities.If someone scolds

you directly facing you, accept that that he is honest. If he is
cunning, he will keep quiet and later even shoot you. The one
who scolds you, accuses you directly doesn’t have any grudges
against you. Because he will say everything in his mind to you
directly.
Be careful when you associate people. Some people can
deceive you by pretending to be saints. Such people will be
treated as saints and will be honoured. But they are two faced
people. The one who has realized this Dharma are very open,
they have nothing to hide. That itself is their celibacy.
A true saint will live a life full of freedom and he will have
nothing to hide.

Question:
Most Venerable Thero, we have seen certain people
in the society keeping quiet when they are being scolded.
Does this mean that such people are also realized beings?
Answer:
If someone keeps quiet in such situations, it can be due
to two reasons.
First can be because of the trust, faith or respect he has
for that person.
The other reason can be out of fear because the other is
superior.
So, we have to carefully inspect the reason behind a
person’s behavior in such situations. Otherwise you will be
deceived by people. How many times have you been deceived
by people in the society?

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Rhythm of life

It happened either because of your desire or your anger.

There are two natures. Likes and dislikes. Attachment and
rejection. Attachment is due to desire and rejection is due to
anger. Delusion helps to get those together. Because of delusion,
attachment or rejection is created. Without delusion there cannot
be any attachment or rejection created. Which one is it that really
disappears out of desire, anger and delusion?
It is delusion which disappears at the end.
Without delusion, desire cannot exist alone. They are
always together. Anger cannot exist without delusion either.
Because they exist together. Without delusion a person becomes
an enlightened being. Is it clear?
Get rid of your delusion. But you cannot do it by force.
You must do it carefully.
The person who has been deceived the most will be the
one to become most successful. Because he has been deceived
many times, he will have many experiences in life. Experience
is to face whatever that happens in your life.
If you need to realize this Dharma you must face
everything in your life. If you successfully face all the obstacles
life throws at you and become silent, then you will not be
attached to anything or rejecting anything either.
Without attachment and rejection, there will not be
any suffering or sorrow. If there is no sorrow, it means
you have become a realized being. You have become holy.
***

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