By Venerable Acariya Thoon Khippapanyo

Let me explain a little bit about Buddhism, to serve as a foundation for you practitioners. We are lucky to have been born in time for Buddhism, as the religion only arises during certain eras and then disappears completely.  

The number of Buddhas to arise in each Buddha-era also varies, but never totals more than five. Our particular Buddha-era is comprised of five Buddhas. Four have already passed and one remains, namely, Buddha Matteyya (Pali) or Maitreya (Sanskrit). Within the history of the many Buddhas who have arisen in this world, some live long lives while some live shorter ones.

The first in this Buddha era, Buddha Kakusandha, lived during a time when the human life expectancy was 40,000 years. After blessing the people, a long period devoid of Buddhism came to pass. Then, during a period of human life expectancy of 20,000 years, Buddha Konagamana arose in our world. After he blessed the people, there was another period in which Buddhism did not exist in the world. Buddha Kassapa graced our world during a human life expectancy of 10,000 years.

After a time devoid of Buddhism, Buddha Gotama emerged in the world. He came at a time when the human life expectancy was 100 years, although he himself only lived to be 80. As Buddha Gotama was compassionate towards humans, he established a religion to last for 5,000 years. In some Buddha-ears, there is no Buddha dispensation and no religion remains following the Buddha’s passing. As of now, there are only about 2,000 years remaining before Buddhism once again vanishes from this world.  The life expectancy of humans rises and falls, with the floor and ceiling being 10 and 1,000,000 years, respectively. Right now, the life expectancy is at seventy five years. Every one hundred years, the human life expectancy decreases by one year.

In approximately 6,500 years from today, the human life expectancy will stand at ten years. People will marry at three years of age and gestation will require three months. In that time, Buddhism will not exist in the world. People during that era will live like animals, roaming and lawless. They will be aggressive and more extreme in their degree of greed, lust, and desire relative to our present era. During that time the life expectancy will have declined to its floor of ten years, and then it will rebound. How will that happen? A group of people who will be born in that era who adhere to the tenfold way of good action will marry and produce offspring.

After one hundred years, the human life expectancy will rise by one year. Every one hundred years, the human life expectancy will increment until it reaches fifty, one hundred, ten thousand years, and so on. Human stature will get larger as a direct correlation to the increase in human life expectancy. During that era, people will become bored and heedless. Consequently, the life expectancy will fall by one year per one hundred years.

When the human life expectancy declines to 80,000 years, Buddha Metteyya will emerge in the world. What a long period of time that is. Most people understand that once one Buddha arises, another one will take his place. This is not so. There is a lengthy period in between. In some Buddha-eras, there is only one Buddha, so the period in which the world is devoid of Buddhism is many times longer.

Our current Buddha was compassionate: he saw that people in the future would have the potential to understand the religion, so he left us a religion.

Once Buddha Gotama became a Buddha, he assessed the people of the world and determined the proper way to teach them to understand the religion. What did he use to teach them? He used people and issues related to people to teach people. He explained how virtue was formed and laid out the consequences of evil.

And what did he use as a foundation to teach people? He saw that people had wrong viewpoints and did not understand how to practice such that they could reach enlightenment. They held wrong views about how to practice. So how would he reach them so that they would understand the proper way to practice? How could he cure their wrong views? With the truth.

The truth was used to teach people about reality. We are born, age, and die. We must part from one another, and then there is anxiety and crying. Attachment and clinging lead to suffering. Even clinging to our five aggregates (tangible form, feeling, memory, volitional thought, consciousness) is painful.

(The above Dhamma Talk can be found in the book Tailored Heart by the Venerable Acariya Thoon Khippapanyo. Luang Por Thoon was the founder and abbot of Wat Pa Ban Kho in Udon Thani, Thailand and Wat San Fran.) 

The Perfectly Silence Magga Vehicle

A worldling who has not yet attained the state of stream entrant [1st Stage of Enlightenment] is likened to a traveler undertaking a perilous journey. Many dangers await one who wished to cross the desert, jungle, or forest...

Its Two Wheels Are Mental and Physical Effort:

Physical effort is the effort to maintain the body in its postures: to sit, to stand, to walk, to lie down. Mental effort is that without which meditation would not exist. It is the energy one puts forth to be mindful and to concentrate, making sure that the kilesas [mental defilements] are kept at a remote distance...

Moral Conscious is the Vehicle's Backrest:

Hiri, or "shame," is a feeling of disgust toward the kilesas. Ottappa, or "fear," is a fear of the consequences of unwholesome activities...

Mindfulness Is the Armor That Surround This Chariot:

To ensure that the Dhamma journey is carried out safely, the vehicle must have a body. Sati, or mindfulness, is a kind of armor that keeps the mind safe, comfortable, and cool: as long as mindfulness provides its protection, the kilesas cannot enter... 

Right View Is the Charioteer [Driver]:

No matter how marvelous the vehicle, without a driver it can go nowhere. Similarly, the Buddha explained, right view must provide the impetus as well as the direction for our spiritual journey. The scriptures list six types of right view, or samma-ditthi. In this discourse, the Buddha was specifically referring to the right view that arises at the moment of the noble path consciousness. Noble path consciousness is one of the culminating insights of this practice… Anyone, woman or man, possessing such a chariot [vehicle] and driving it well, shall have no doubt of reaching nibbana.

Benefits of Stream Entry: 

Drying Up the Ocean of Samsaric Existence. At this first stage of enlightenment, one is freed from the danger of falling into states of misery. The suttas say that three kilesas are uprooted: wrong view, doubt, and attachment to wrong practices. In the commentary, the kilesas of jealousy and miserliness are added to the list…

Another benefit of stream entry is realization of the sevenfold property of noble ones. Noble ones are persons who are purified, noble of character, who have attained one of the four levels of enlightenment. Their properties are faith, morality, hiri, otappa, learning, charity, and wisdom…

Another benefit of stream entry is that one becomes a true child of the Buddha. Many are devoted. They may have great faith and make daily offerings to the Triple Gem of Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, but due to changes in circumstances it is always possible for person to give up faith. He or she may be reborn without it. You may be very holy and goodhearted in this life, but next time you could turn out a rascal. There is no insurance for you until you attain the first stage of enlightenment and become a true daughter or son of the Lord Buddha…

A Vehicle for Everyone, a Vehicle That Never Breaks Down: 

The Buddha concluded by saying explicitly that meditative achievement is not differentiated on a basis of sex. Either a woman or a man, he said, could trust this chariot to carry him or her to nibbana. The chariot was, and is, available to all.

In the modern age we have a myriad vehicles available. Ever newer inventions appear in the field of transportation. Human beings can travel over land and sea or in the sky. An ordinary person can go around the world without much trouble. Men have walked on the moon. Spacecrafts have gone to other planets and even beyond. No matter how far vehicles go through space, however, it is unlikely they will be of any help bringing you to nibbana…

No matter how advanced scientific technology maybe, there is no guarantee that even the most sophisticated vehicle is accident free. Fatal accidents occur on land, on sea, in the air, and in space… However, there is no guarantee that performance will be faultless even if the car is your own. You have to fill up your car with gas, maintain it in various ways, repair it when it breaks down-- there are many chores involved. All the vehicles will be towed to the junkyard someday, and the more you use them, the closer they get to that final resting place…

In this world most vehicles are ready-made. They come from the factory. But this vehicle leading to nibbana has to be self-made. It is a do-it-yourself kit. You must have faith at the start that nibbana is in your reach, and faith in the path that will lead you to your destination. You must also have motivation, a sincere and committed desire to strive for that goal. But motivation alone will not get you far unless you act upon it. You must work, put in the effort to be mindful, persevering, and enduring moment after moment so that concentration builds and wisdom begins to blossom and mature…

You arm yourself with faith and strong desire to realize your goal. You intend to practice through thick and thin, undergoing difficulties, fatigue, and tiredness and the strain of struggling to assemble your vehicle. You come to put forth energy to keep its wheels rolling. You try to keep the body work of mindfulness intact. You fix firmly your backrest of hiri and ottappa so that you can rely upon it. You train your driver to go straight. Finally, after passing through various stages of insight, you gain possession of the sotapatti magga vehicle, stream entrant path consciousness. When this vehicle becomes your own possession, you will have very easy and convenient access to nibbana.

Once this stream entrant vehicle is completed, it will never depreciate in value or run down. It is quite unlike vehicles presently available on this planet. You never need to oil or lubricate it, repair it, or replace it. The more you use it, the stronger and more sophisticated it gets. It is totally accident free. When you travel on this vehicle, you have 100% guaranteed safety.

As long as we live on this earth, we will be subjected to ups and downs and vicissitudes of life. At times things go smoothly and well; at other times, disappointment and discouragement, suffering and sorrow are the rule. However, one who has gained possession of this stream entrant path vehicle glides smoothly through rough times, and does not fall over too sharply in good times. The gates to misery are closed, and he or she always has free access to the safe haven of nibbana.

It is impossible to sing all the praises of this great vehicle, but be assured that if you really complete it and own it, you will have access to the fulfillment of life.

Please do not entertain any thoughts of surrender, but rather put forth all the energy and effort you have. Strive to assemble this vehicle and have it safely in your possession.

(Excerpt from the Chapter, "Chariot to Nibbana" in the book,  In This Very Life by Sayadaw U Pandita)

There is a wonderful cartoon series known as Dasa Jata Jataka produced by Dhamma Media Channel in Thailand and it is available on Youtube in Thai language with English and Chinese subtitles. These ten series of the ten paramis or perfection is about Gotama Buddha's previous lives while he perfects these ten paramis. Clicking on the link below will take you to the first episode. Enjoy!

The 10 Paramis 十集本生故事 - 波羅蜜:

Perfection in Renunciation 出離波羅蜜  01-1   (In Thai only)

Perfection in Effort  精進波羅蜜  01-1

Perfection in Loving-kindness 慈波羅蜜  01-1

Perfection in Resolution 決意波羅蜜  01-1

Perfection in Wisdom 智慧波羅蜜  01-1

Perfection in Precept 戒波羅蜜 01-1

Perfection in Patience 忍辱波羅蜜  01-1

Perfection in Equanimity 捨波羅蜜  01-1

Perfection in Truthfulness 真實波羅蜜  01-1 

Perfection in Generosity 布施波羅蜜 01-1  (cannot locate working link)