Thursday, February 21, 2019

Three-fold is for the beginner and the eight-fold is for the end

The three-fold is used in Tipitaka when the listener asking for the step by step teaching, but the eight-fold is used when the listener already trained and asking "why I still not enlightened after trained the three-fold?", so it's called "the higher three-fold training", not only "the three-fold".
The three-fold is the training, Sikkhā. The sequence training is required for the begīnner practitioner to train something. No weight trainee can hold the 100 kg up at first. See Sutta. Ma. U. Gaṇakamoggallānasuttaṃ. Buddha also blames the skipper step as the blank attainer, Moghapurisa, in MN KīṭāgiriSutta and AN Sattakanipātā DhammaññūSutta as well.
The eight-fold is the noble training to enlighten the noble cessation, Nirodhāya AriyaMaggaSikkhā. It's the top of training and only the trained people can use at first, i.e. King AjātaSattu who has a good education person, or Aññākoṇḍañña. Most people can't enlighten even listened to the four noble truth thousands of times. So, after one practiced above three-fold, and he still not enlightened, he is going to asking for "what was wrong? Why I who training very hard still be an ordinary person?" then the Buddha will teach him the higher three-fold that starting with the right attitude, SammāDiṭṭhi in AriyaMagga, ie. Aññākoṇḍañña who ordained a long time ago before he was going to enlighten in SN DhammacakkappavattanaSutta which focusing only the noble eight-fold path.
The practitioner is training the three-fold for the perfect right attitude, so Buddha teaches the trained practitioner the right attitude especially if the trained practitioner still not enlighten after attained Jhāna.
This is why the noble truth, AriyaSacca, often appears at the end of Sutta, such as MN MahāsaṭipaṭṭhānaSutta, DN SāmaññaphalaSutta.
Therefore, the practitioner should practice following the sequence of threefold training then after attained Jhāna, but the practitioner still not enlighten the cessation, the practitioner should focus on practicing the right attitude in four noble truth.
However, the practitioner should practice following the qualified master to keep the time of training. Most of the alone readers died before enlighten because they lose most of the time in discussing Tipitaka. I just explain the thinking of the master. I do not advise you to practice or read Tipitaka without the support of the qualified master.

If one wants to understand this answer clearly, reciting and memorizing Suttas which I quoted above are required because the answer has already appeared in both Tipitaka's and Atthakatha's Pali context like Buddha ordered "He proclaims a Teaching that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with the right meaning and phrasing." The reader should use the same method to understand entire those beginning middle and the end "six further qualities he should not live independently: ... when the two pātimokkhas are not perfectly known to him in their entirety, with all their divisions and their whole course, and with the entire discussion according to the single rules and to the single parts of each rule."
It is extremely easy to understand and deconflict the misunderstood of the only reader when one study Tipitaka follow to the ancient Tipitaka study system with the Jhana-attainer who recited and memorized of what he is teaching. It is harder but it is very useful. I recommend Pa-Auk. I know one Thai Tipitaka memorizer and he chose Pa-Auk to graduate his study.

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