A Discourse on the CŪḶAVEDALLA SUTTA

A DISCOURSE ON THE CŪḶAVEDALLA SUTTA

by Venerable Mahāsī Sayādaw

 

This Gift of Dhamma is published for 

BUKIT MERTAJAM BUDDHIST 

MEDITATION CENTRE (BMBMC)

to celebrate their 30th Anniversary 

(1985 — 2015)

&

 

A Tribute to the Founder and 

Spiritual Advisor of BMBMC

 

The Late Bhante Ācāra Suvaṇṇo Thera

The CŪḶAVEDALLA SUTTA is stands out from others in the SUTTA PIṬAKA, which consists mainly of discourses delivered by the Buddha. It is so unlike any others that comparisons are barely relevant. It is highly profound, philosophical and comprehensive like those taught by the Blessed One. Elucidation of this Dhamma was made by no other person than the eminent Dhammadinnā, a female Arahant, who is well known for her rare wisdom and supernormal knowledge of the Arahant, being endowed with the four attainments peculiar to the Order of Arahants, called Paṭisambhidā, analytical knowledge. Pragmatic and superbly efficient, Dhammadinnā’s answers to the intellectual and searching questions raised by Visākha, a Non-returner (anāgāmi) on the intricacies of Buddha’s Dhamma, are clear, precise and significant. 

To all those who are Buddhists or who are inclined towards the Buddhist religion, this Sutta should prove to be an incentive and a guide to tread on the Noble Eightfold Path to Enlightenment instead of remaining content to merely take refuge in the Saṅgha from whom they occasionally learn the Dhamma.

The author of this book, the Venerable Mahāsī Sayādaw of Burma, whose fame has spread far and wide for his morality, concentration, and wisdom, needs no further introduction.

About the BMBMC

 

BMBMC was  set up in August 5,1985 by a group of Buddhist Dhammafarers interested in Theravāda Buddhism. Today BMBMC is one of major Theravāda Buddhist organization in Bukit Mertajam.

We are very fortunate to receive guidance and advices from our spiritual advisors namely the late Bhante Suvanno, Venerable Sayādaw U Kundala, Venerable Sayādaw U Sumana, Venerable Sayadaw U Vimalacarabhivamsa and Bhante Koṇḍañña.

As a Vipassanā Meditation Centre, our weekly Vipassanā Meditation sessions is held every Wednesday and Saturday night from 7 pm onwards under the guidance of our resident monks. There will ten-days Vipassanā Meditation retreats for experienced yogis. Besides these retreats, there will be a one-day retreat (8 am to 5 pm) every first and third Sundays of the month. Participants for this day-retreat must observe the Aṭṭha-sīla (Eight Precepts).

Lunch dāna is held daily and the bhikkhus partake their lunch before 12 noon. Offering of food and requisites will start at 11 am. Devotees are advised to bring their food and other offerings before 11 am. Breakfast dāna is also held daily at 6.30 am. Similarly, devotees are advised to bring their food before 6.30 am

Listening to Dhamma talk is one of the Highest Blessings mentioned in Mangala Sutta. Dhamma Talk sessions are usually held every Saturday at 9 pm (after the Meditation session) and every Sunday at 10:30 am (before the lunch dāna). There will be a Dhamma Discussion Session every last Sunday of the month after lunch.

Sunday School for children aged 7 to 15 is held from 9:00 am to 10:30 am. The children will be exposed to Dhamma knowledge and practices . No fees are charged for these classes.

TIMELESS WISDOM: Teachings on the Satipaṭṭhāna Vipassanā Meditation Practice

The Buddha recommended dhamma pūjā — to undertake the three sikkhā trainings: morality, concentration and wisdom.
The Buddha constructed the dhamma pagoda (dhamma ceti) by eradicating all defilements. Ceti is what people establish to pay respect and reflect upon the virtues of the Buddha. There are different types of ceti.
There are those that contain relics (dhātu ceti) and those that contain the Buddha’s belongings (pariboga ceti) as well as those that contain images of the Buddha (udesa ceti).
None of these are as important as the construction of a dhamma ceti through the practice of satipaṭṭhāna meditation. Practice the thirty seven requisites of enlightenment, become mindful of sensory consciousness and be aware of “seeing”, “hearing”, “smelling” and so on so that you can attain path and fruition knowledge (magga phala ñāṇa) and construct a dhamma ceti within your own heart. Constructing a dhamma ceti doesn’t involve brick, sand, water, or cement. It is constructed through the practice of satipaṭṭhāna meditation.
By practicing diligently, one realizes the four noble truths and can pay respect to the Buddha by offering the highest dhamma pūjā.
May you all be able to do dhamma pūjā by practicing satipaṭṭhāna mediation in the way that the Buddha really liked and appreciated!

~ Sayādaw U Paṇḍita

This book contains the essence of over 50 years of Sayādaw U Paṇḍita’s clarification of satipaṭṭhana vipassanā meditation practice. The message conveyed in this set of lectures is that one must be meticulous (with correct practice) if one wants to experience the incredible Buddha-Dhamma for oneself.

This gift of Dhamma Dāna is the collective effort of many. This book is taken from a series of dhamma talks that Saydawgyi gave in 2009 at TMC (Tathagata Meditation Center) in San Jose, California. We are grateful to TMC for making Sayadawgyi’s talks available online. We are indebted to Daw Caru for her clear translation of Venerable Sayadawgyi’s insightful wisdom. The work of the two editors, Mr. Kenneth Morris and Ms. Barbara Janus of the Saddhamma Foundation, USA; their suggestions, corrections, inspiration and criticism in reviewing a draft of this book has been invaluable. Without their ongoing support and dedication, this publication would not have been possible.

Finally, we wish to acknowledge the efforts of our anonymous transcriber, who steadfastly transcribed and completed the first round of editing, ensuring that the talks were recorded accurately while preserving the flow of Sayadawgyi’s teaching.

First digitally published by VIPASSANA FELLOWSHIP’s Digital Edition (v1.0 June 2011)

This first imprinted was published by INWARD PATH PUBLISHER for free distribution 

with kindly permission from SADDHAMMA FOUNDATION, USA