U PUN
By U Ba Than
Translated by Ba Thet Gyi
One
day a young monk asked U Pun to clarify this statement: “Lord
Buddha discoursed all about the truth and yet the truth was
not the result of Lord Buddha’s discourses.” U
Pun replied “what you say is true but incomplete. Lord
Buddha was enlightened to save all beings. After his enlightenment,
Lord Buddha taught us so that we would know the truth, isn’t
that so? You have to explain it this way, only then it is
complete”.
* * * * * * * *
U Hla Khin of Henzeda came to me one
day and asked if I was free for the day to accompany him
to a local monastery to offer some sweets. I accepted.
When we reached the monastery I found out that Zalun Sayadaw
had given a discourse the previous night and would be continuing
for the next two nights. U Hla Khin and Zalun Sayadaw were
discussing for about an hour. When U Hla Khin turned towards
me and suggested that if I wanted to ask anything please
do so. I said, “ Little
while ago Sayadaw instructed to meditate and concentrate
on the moment , wasn’t it?
Sayadaw said, “Yes.”
I requested “ Please honor me with the method how to
concentrate on the moment.”
Sayadaw said, “You have to concentrate on the nama-rupan”
I said.” You were directing to concentrate over the
present moment. There weren’t any instruction to concentrate
on the nama-rupan.”
Sayadaw looked vacantly and became very quite for sometime
and said “ The dhamma I discoursed, I couldn’t
explain itproperly myself.. If you know, why don’t
you clarify it and I will listen.”
U Pun :-“ Is
there any past in the present moment? Is there any future
in the present? moment?”
Sayadaw :- “No.”
U Pun :-“In that case you need not look for the present
moment. This is known as timeless.”
Sayadaw :-“ I am still confused. Please try and explain more.”
U Pun :-“ You
are sitting in between U Hla Khin and me. If we are asked
who is sitting in the middle? You have to use U Hla Khin and me in
relativity to show that you are in the middle. If you are
sitting all alone by yourself, no one can say that you are
sitting in the middle. Yes, we have to borrow the past and
future to show the present moment.”
Sayadaw “ I like it very much. I had learned the scriptures for
a long time. I have been going from town to town preaching for about
17 years. Only now I realized the principles. Please come to Zalun
give some discourses.” * * * * * * *
U Pun :- I
had never had any dhamma lessons. I will explain to you about what
you want to know short and precis. Don’t
you all have meals every day? Having meals is the dhamma.
I will explain. Why do you all have meals?”
The audiences :- “Because we are hungry”. U Pun :-“ What have you got to do
so that you will be hungry?”
Audiences :- “. We didn’t have to do anything.
Getting hungry is the act of nature.”
U Pun :- “ Is there a ‘ he ‘ involved
in it? Is there an ‘I’ involved in it?”
Audiences :-“ None what-so-ever.”
U Pun :-“ Is there any owner over
it?”
Audiences :-“ None”
U Pun :-“ This is what we called sabhava
sacca. (The truth of nature)
* * * * * *
Two years ago, U Pun went to Myanaung
to see his daughter. By coincidence he met Pegu Sayadaw
at the examination of the recitation of Buddhist scriptures
together with a disciple of Ledi Sayadaw, U Vilasa. Pegu
Sayadaw asked U Pun what Dhamma was he discoursing? When
he replied that the Dhamma he taught was ‘ not the same,yet no different ‘,
and Sayadaw invited him to teach.
U Pun :-“ Men and women aren’t the same. To look
for how they are the same, they are all human beings. Humans
and devas aren’t the same but the five aggregates are
the same. The five aggregates, in short, are just nama-rupa.
Nama and rupa aren’t the same but looking for their
similarities, we find them to be principles only. Please
correct me if I made a mistake.”
Ledi U Vilasa :- “ He needs no
correction. (Pointing at Pegu Sayadaw) This young dhamma
teachers should take some instructions from him.”
Pegu Sayadaw :- “I want to ask
you a question. I had already asked three elderly sayadaws
about it and their answers were that I shouldn’t
have asked. And I wanted to know it very badly. The question
I want to ask is between Lord Buddha and the dhamma,
which was there first? If the dhamma was there first,
who preach the first dhamma? If Lord Buddha was first
to know the dhamma,the Four Noble Truths, the paticcasamuppada,
and we learned from him later.” I
couldn’t decide these three points. Please enlighten
me.”
U Pun :- “I have to explain in
two parts. It is true that the dhamma was there first.
It is also true that the Lord Buddha was there first.
The paramathta dhamma was there first. After knowing
the paramat (absolute truth) then he became Buddha.
The reason Lord Buddha was there first because of him
that we came to know the Four Noble Truths and padisa
samupada. “
Pegu Sayadaw :- “ I
like the explanation very much.” |
