10. Subha Sutra

10. Subha Sutta

Some days after the Buddha’s Parinibbana, Ananda, the attendant Bhikkhu, was staying at the Monastery of Anathapindika in the Jeta Grone at Savatthi. At that time Subha, the son of Todeyya Brahmana, was also in Savatthi on certain business of his own.

Subha, the young Brahmana student, sent someone to Venerable Ananda, with an invitation to visit him at his home. Venerable Ananda, however, could not accept the invitation on that day and sent the messenger back with word that he might come there only on the following day.

The next day, accompanied by a Bhikkhu from the Cetiya country as his attendant he went to the house of Subha. The question Subha asked was this : “You, Venerable Ananda, were the attendant of the Blessed One for a long time. You accompanied Gotama, the Blessed One, and were always at his side. You must know which doctrine was much praised by Gotama, the Blessed one. Which doctrine was it that he believed people should adopt ? And which doctrine was it that he established ?”
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Ananda told Subha, the son of Todeyya, that the Dhamma established by him had three branches, Noble Sila (Morality), Noble Samadhi (Concentration in meditation) and Noble Pañña. These three branches of the Dhamma were fully praised and established before the people by the Buddha. Thereupon, Venerable Ananda began to expound the three branches in this way :

“As one listens to the Dhamma as preached by the Buddha, one gains faith in him and is further encouraged to follow it. On determines that the life of a household life is so full of hindrances and that of the renunciant open and free as the sky. It is not easy to follow that ascetic life which is pure as the conch, comprehensive, and entirely pure, while one resides in the household life. One renounces one's home, property, and circle of friends and relatives, great and small.”

“After having thus renounced the world and joined the order of Bhikkhus, he is ordained. He follows the rules laid down in the Patimokkha, (the monastic precepts). He is afraid of even the least offences, and does meritorious acts by means of body, speech, and mind. He cultures an attitude of detachment and develops fine obstacles concentration of mind, by which he tries to overcome contemplation, sense desires, enmity, sloth and torpor, worry and doubt.”

He obtains the five constituents of meditation (Jhana), that is, investigation (Vitakka), reasoning reflection (Vicara), joy born of deep tranquility (Piti), delight born of destruction of passion (Sukha), and purity or one-ponted ness of equaninity (Ekaggata). He continues the practice of meditation with zeal and gradually attains the higher stages of Jhana. He cultivates insight, in which he obtains the yogic experience of meditation connected with magical powers both mental and physical. He gradually attains the higher stages of meditation such as knowledge of insight, knowledge of psychic power, knowledge of practising psychic power, knowledge of supernatural power of nearing. He practises the supernormal power of hearing, that of knowing the mind of others, the knowledge of remembering past lives, the power of supernormal sight, and lastly is endowed with the knowledge of the eradication of all sorts of defilement. Ultimately, he knows that there is no more rebirths for him, he has completed the chastity of life, accomplished what has to be done, there is no. There is no cause remaining for him to return again. He becomes an arhat.