Dr. Most Venerable
Mirisse Dhammika Nayaka Thera

There is a Jathaka story mentioned in the Jathaka story book, which highlights how detrimentally powerful are the proclivity. It is the ‘Madhulakkana Jathakaya’ which bears No. 63 in the Jathaka story book. Once Bosathananwahanse, being a hermit who has realized absorption was living in a forest. For a certain purpose, he came to a village and resided in a garden that belongs to the king. The king and the queen faithfully attended to him by offering aims. One day, after obtaining the meditative absorption, realizing that it was close to the mid day, he thought of going to the king’s palace. Instead of going to the palace on foot, he used the higher spiritual power: magical power to reach the palace. As the hermit’s appearance was not anticipated in such a way, being quite excited, the queen tried to get up to pay homage; however, her clothes became unfastened from her body, exposing her. Eventhough the hermit had obtained dhana, when his eyes caught the sight of the queen’s body, his mind was overwhelmed with sensual lust which ultimately diminished the higher spiritual power, he had earlier. The hermit, having a mind burning with lusty sensual desire, went back his dwelling with out even accepting alms and stayed there in hunger. Perceiving the reason for the hermit’s behavior, the king volunteered to offer the intelligent queen to the hermit. Yet, in a shot while, after contemplating on the tiredness and the state of suffering of the mundane life, the hermit handed back the queen to the king and went back to the wildness, in search of finding the way to eliminate suffering. Consequently, he could get back the higher spiritual power he had once realized. What should be understood from this Jathaka story Even if one realizes dhana or obtained the higher powers of supernormal knowledge , at a given moment, proclivities such as lust that lie in a submerged state, can erupt, destroying all the virtuous qualities. If this kind of calamities can happen to great monks who had obtained dhana and supernormal knowledge. What can we say about the state of a normal person who has an untrained mind?

It is necessary to have even a minimal knowledge and perception on proclivities. It is difficult to understand the proclivities that exist in your own mind, quite mildly as they remain extremely suppressed. That is why it is most essential to do insight meditation. It is specifically important to understand through dhamma with mindfulness and clarity of consciousness about all animate and inanimate entities formed, are based on root condition and also they are grounded on impermanency, suffering and non-self. It is quite significant to practice the perfections: Parami dhamma, such as Perfection in giving, observing morality, train in renunciation, purifying wisdom, exerl energy, forbearance, truthfulness, unshakable resolution, unshakable loving-kindness and equanimity, as they are whole some activities that are contrary to proclivities: inclinations. In that way, it would lessen the opportunity to erupt proclivities by getting connected with objects subsequently, the proclivities should be completely uprooted by engaging in Vipassana meditation. This state would eventually make the mind solaced.

It was mentioned earlier that, in order to obtain this state Brahmacharayawa, otherwise known as the eight-fold path should be followed Brahmacharayawa, according to one suggestion, can be referred to as sexual restraint. Yet, it is the eight-fold path that is mentioned here. It means that morality, concentration and right wisdom should be practiced the way the Buddha has preached. The right consentration is established in a person who perceives a fear fot the dangerous round of re-birth and fear for. the consequences of defilements, when even a minute sin is done. As an attainment of a trance, defilements created in sensuous desires, would exist in the mind in a deep submergence.

A person also holds rapture, pleasure and concentration and maintains a balanced state of mind engaging in Vipassana, would understand the particular objects that help reate proclivities and furthermore, he would permanently curtail all the possibilities and opportunities that help proclivities to rise-up in his mind consequently, he would he able to have a pure mind without any defilments. This path, which is without any defilment would lead to realize Nirvana by contemplating on the four noble truths.