DEATH’S SNARE CAN BE BROKEN BY TAMED MIND ||Verse 3.5:37||The Story of the nephew of Buddhas’ dear Monk Sangharakkhita (Verse 37) Place: Jétavana Monastery

DEATH’S SNARE CAN BE BROKEN BY TAMED MIND ||Verse 3.5:37||

The Story of the nephew of Buddhas’ dear Monk Sangharakkhita (Verse 37) Place: Jétavana Monastery

There lived in Sàvatthi -a senior monk by the name of Sangharakkhita. When his sister gave birth to a son, she named the child Bhagineyya Sangharakkhita after her brother monk. When the nephew Sangharakkhita, grew older he also took admission into the Sangha. Once during the rainy season, while the young monk Bhagineyya was staying in a  village monastery, he was offered two sets of robes. He kept one for himself and kept the other for his uncle, monk Sangharakkhita. When the rainy season ended, he went to his uncle to pay respect and offered the robe.  But, the uncle declined to accept the robe, saying that he already have enough. Bhagineyya Sangharakkhita repeated his request, but his uncle would not accept his gift. The young monk Bhagineyya felt disheartened and thought that since his uncle was so unwilling to share the requisites with him, it would be better for him to leave the Sangha and go back to live the life of a layman. 

From that point, his mind began wandered and a train of thoughts followed. He thought that after leaving the Sangha he would sell the robe and buy a she-goat; that when the she-goat would breed, he would make enough money to enable him to marry; and then when his wife would give birth to a son. He would take his wife and child in a small cart to visit his uncle monk Sangharakkhita at the monastery. On the way, he would ask his wife to give the child for him to carry; sure, his wife would ask him to drive the cart and not to bother about the child. He would insist and grab the child from her; between them the child would fell on the cart- track and the wheel would pass over the child. He would get so furious with his wife that he would strike her with the goading-stick. 

At that time, while he was fanning the monk with a palmyra fan and with his absent-mindedness struck the head of uncle monk Sangharakkhita with the fan. The monk, knowing the thoughts of the young monk, said, “You were unable to beat your wife; why have you beaten your old monk uncle?” Young Sangharakkhita was very much surprised and embarrassed listening at the words of the old monk; he also became extremely frightened. So he fled. Young monks and novices of the monastery chased after him, caught him, and brought him to the presence of the Buddha. 

When told about the experience, the Buddha said that the mind has the ability to think of an object even though it might be far away, and that one should strive hard for liberation from the bondage of passion, ill-will and ignorance. After the Buddha recited the stanza near the end of the discourse, the young monk attained sotapatti fruition. 

Lesson from the Verse -37

The mind is capable of travelling vast distances — up or down, north or south, east or west — in any direction. It can travel to the past or to the future. It roams about all alone. It is without any perceptible forms. If an individual were to restrain the mind fully, he will achieve freedom from the bonds of death. 

Commentary 

Four attributes of the mind are mentioned in this verse. Travelling far means that it can stray far away from the starting subject of thought. Living alone means that mind can think only of one thing at a time. Without body means mind is not an entity that occupies space, because it is only an activity which may be seen as physical or mental. Lying hidden means that mind is intangible.