Rattahpa~la Suthraya

When Arahath Rattahpa~la Thero returned to his native village for the first time after accomplishing ‘Nirwana’, his father prepared an almsgiving in his home as a ruse to entice his son back to him. Then, the father addressed his son’s married wives he had when he was in lay life and said, “Use any enticement to bring my son back to the lay life”. Therefore, those wives dressed beautifully and presented alms to Ven Rattahpa~la Maha Rahath, who came for alms and performed numerous tricks to seduce him. At that time, Rattapala Maharahat addressed them in the following manner.

When Ven Rattahpa~la had finished his meal, he addressed the ladies who had been his wives when he was a layman.

“Take a look at your body, which is filled with faeces that you praise and honour.
Although you recognise it as ‘Mine’ due to your defiled thoughts, it does not permanently exist”.

“Look at the bones that are wrapped by the skin of your image, which is covered with a garment and adorned with pearls and jewels”.

“You will not be able to find a way to transcend this ‘Sansara’ because of the stupidity of the fool who decorates their feet in red and their face in various colours on this rotting garbage body”.

You will not be able to find a way to transcend this ‘Sansara’ because of the stupidity of the fool who adorns with hair up to the feet and applies paint on the eyes of this rotting garbage body.

Because of the fool’s stupidity in adorning this decaying body with makeup sticks, he will be unable to find a way to transcend this ‘Sansara’.

“Like a deer who eats the grasses and flees without being caught in the noose while the deer-hunter who set the trap is waiting and crying, I, who am conscious, am leaving here after eating your food prepared to seduce me while you are crying”.

After preaching these stanzas, Rattapala Thero rose and went to the garden known as Migachira, which belonged to the King of the country named ‘Kuru’.
He arrived and spent the day relaxing under a tree.
The country’s king who came there became acquainted with Rattapala thero and sat beside him.
The king next to him inquired in this manner.

“Dear Venerable Rattahpa~la,
Because of the four degradations, some people shave their heads, wear robes, leave the lay life, and enter the celibate monastic life.

What are those four?

Deteriorating due to ageing,
Deteriorating due to illnesses and diseases
Loss of money and power,
Deaths of relatives and friends, etc.

But Venerable Rattahpa~la, none of those have happened to you.
So, what magnificence have you seen, heard, or known has influenced you to enter this celibate monastic life, leaving the lay life?”

“There are reasons for that, Your Majesty.
After I heard and knew about the Blessed One who is omniscient, I went to meet him, spoke to him, heard from him, wisely understood four points of Dharma, and entered this celibate monastic life, leaving the lay life”.
“What are those four?”

“All those grasped by the beings in the world as ‘I-mine’ are impermanent –
Wisely realising that there is no way to prevent oneself or one’s loved ones from getting old, getting sick, or dying.
After I heard and knew about the Blessed One who is omniscient, I went to meet him, spoke to him, heard from him, wisely understood this first point of Dharma, and entered this celibate monastic life, leaving the lay life”.

“In the face of any power, there is no refuge or help for the creatures of this world –
Wisely understanding that no matter how much ‘wealth-property-power-education- relatives- friends’ one possesses, no one of them can protect him from any illnesses, diseases, calamities, or death, and no one can share his physical and mental suffering.
After I heard and knew about the Blessed One who is omniscient, I went to meet him, spoke to him, heard from him, wisely understood this second point of Dharma, and entered this celibate monastic life, leaving the lay life”.

“Will have to give up everything that was delusively grasped as ‘I-Mine’ and die departing from them –
Wisely realising that no matter how much ‘wealth- power- Entourage of relatives and friends- people power- knowledge- education’ one possesses, all of this must be left behind at death.
After I heard and knew about the Blessed One who is omniscient, I went to meet him, spoke to him, heard from him, wisely understood this third point of Dharma, and entered this celibate monastic life, leaving the lay life”.

“Because of being enslaved to Craving, the world’s creatures cannot be contented and become dissatisfied –
Wisely realising that the creatures are engrossed in this worldly misery because they are enslaved to ‘Craving’, which causes enough unrest to conquer the overseas kingdoms by sacrificing tens of thousands of people for military tactics even after winning their own kingdom.
After I heard and knew about the Blessed One who is omniscient, I went to meet him, spoke to him, heard from him, wisely understood this fourth point of Dharma, and entered this celibate monastic life, leaving the lay life”.

While sitting, Venerable Rattahpa~la thero said this calmly.
After saying so, Rattahpa~la thero explained further to the king in this way, too.

“The wealthy in the world do not donate because they are deluded by ignorance.
They accumulate money miserly, wishing for riches and resources more and more greedily”.

“Even if a king enjoys all the comforts of conquering and subduing all the other kingdoms up to the sea border, he is not satisfied with that and wishes for the kingdoms beyond the sea”.

“All of these kings and many other people die in a very short period of time, leaving the body without eliminating the Craving, being unsatisfied in this world, and unable to carry anything they love with them”.

“The dead person’s relatives cry whilst dispersing their hair. Then they wrap the deceased person in a cloth and throw him out of the house, saying, ‘Oh, it would be great if this person of mine didn’t die’.
From then, the crematory takes over him and burns that body”.

“Leaving behind all the possessions and assets that have been accumulated with hard work throughout life, being with only one piece of cloth, the deceased is burned in the crematory by the strength of the wind, which they never thought would help them and which they never appreciated.
No matter how prosperous friends- relatives he had, they do not help the deceased person’s journey in the ‘Sansara’”.

“When the creature leaves all the relatives and possessions accumulated throughout the lifetime behind when they die according to karma, the next person who inherits that property and relatives starts hoarding them in the same way, saying ‘to me -Mine’, being deluded by greed.
But none of these people knows that neither wife nor husband nor children nor wealth nor country would accompany them when they die and leave this life”.

“No matter how much wealth you have, you cannot get a long lifespan.
And getting old and sick cannot be prevented by luxuries.
A wise person acts with the understanding of his short life, which is not eternal, by being aware of the nature of arising and ceasing”.

“The wealthy, perfected by luxuries, as well as the poor, who have nothing to eat, are both subject to the worldly doctrine of death.
Both the foolish and the wise embrace the death.
However, the ignorant who is blinded by delusion because of ignorance becomes unhappy, being unsatisfied with Craving.

Meanwhile, the wise person becomes appeased without being shaken by the Eight worldly doctrines by understanding the worldly doctrine”.

“Therefore, wisdom is more valuable than wealth because it provides the necessary understanding to achieve a beneficial death (without rebirth).
The one who lacks wisdom and is blinded by delusion inherits misery because of passing from existence to existence, accumulating sins without proper intention”.

“According to the consequences of previous actions, by forming another generation in the ‘Sansara’, having been conceived in another existing- realm, one acts attaching to ‘Craving- Obstinacy- Arrogance’ with the delusion that leads to another birth”.

“Just as the thief who breaks into houses and steals has to pay off evil consequences due to those sins, the creatures who are bound with ‘Craving- Obstinacy- Arrogance’ saying ‘I- Mine- My soul’ will have to pay off the repercussions of those sins in the future”.

“I have come to understand that my mind was shocked by the thoughts of ‘beneficial and detrimental- likes and dislikes- good and bad’ that arise at each moment from the grasping of the sensations as ‘beautiful-lovely-sweet’. And I wisely understood that even those thoughts of ‘beneficial and detrimental- like and dislikes- good and bad’ are not permanent and are subject to arise, exist and disappear”.

“Accordingly, I have understood the consequences of sensual pleasure by realising that I have inherited only misery at the end of all attachments.
Therefore, I became a monk, realising that the priesthood that brings the permanent pacification is excellent, Your Majesty”.

“Just as the fruits of the trees fall indiscriminately as ‘buds-young-mature-ripen’, each other leaves the life, leaving the body regardless of whether they are ‘infant- young- mature- old’.
Wisely seeing and wisely understanding, I became a monk, realising that the priesthood that brings permanent pacification is excellent, Your Majesty.

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