Translation of sila sutta sermon given by Ven Pitigala Gunarathana

(Total duration of the file 01 hour 02 minutes and 21 seconds)

The sila sutta english translation from metta.l the 10th Sutta is sila sutta
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Namo thassa bagawatho arahatho samma sambuddassa
 
Today we have selected sila sutta as the topic , which is a discussion between Ven Sariputta and Ven Kottitha both are two arahats. 

This sutta explains many things that will be helpful for us and that will be very important for us. And from this the practice that a person who is a seeker of the path has to follow is explained.

When Ven Sariputta and Ven Kottitha were staying at the isipathanarama in baranas city, on one day when Ven Sariputta came out of niroda, Ven Kottitha comes and question him as follows.

Ven Sariputta what does a bikku who is protecting the sila should wisely contemplate on to become a stream enterer?

And Ven Sariputta replies that the bikku who protect sila should wisely contemplate on the five grasping groups as to impermanent, as suffering, as decease, as a big defiled ball of flesh in his own body, as an arrow that has got stuck, as a painful thing or a trouble, as a non ease, as belonging to others, as something that break and vanishes, as empty, as non self. And if a such bikku who wisely ; contemplate as such then he will attain fruit of stream entry.

And when Ven Sariputta replied Ven Kottitha praised and again questioned as follows.
Ven Sariputta what should a stream enteror should wisely contemplate on if he is to achieve the fruit of once returner?

Then Ven Sariputta replies that the bikku who is a stream enterer should wisely contemplate on the five grasping groups as to impermanent, as suffering, as decease, as a  big defiled ball of flesh in his own body, as an arrow that has got stuck, as a painful thing or a trouble, as a non ease, as belonging to others, as something that break and vanishes, as empty, as non self. And if a such bikku who wisely contemplate as such then he will attain fruit of once returner.

And again Ven Kottitha praise Ven Sariputta and ask again what does once returner should contemplate wisely to attain the fruit of non returner?
And again Ven Sariputta replies as same that such bikku should wisely contemplate on five grasping groups as impermanent etc.
 
And again Ven Kottitha gives praise and asks what does a non returner should wisely contemplate to achieve the fruit of a arahat? And Ven Sariputta replies that such bikku should also wisely contemplate on the five grasping groups as to its impermanence etc.
 
And again Ven Kottitha gives praise and ask what does an arahat have wisely contemplate on. Then Ven Sariputta replies that he have nothing to be done and he had done everything that should have been done. But for the sake of happiness and joy of Nibbana in the cessation such arahat also will contemplate on the five grasping groups as impermanent etc.(10.08)

what we introduced above is the general meaning that is given by the sutta. The advice the ven Sariputta gives is that about the wise contemplation that should be practiced and developped by starting from a person who is protecting sila to an arahat.

The things that we are accustomed to which four bases of mindfulness,four types of efforts, four skills, five organs,five powers, seven things to fill to achieve nibbana and the eight fold path all these 37 bodipakshika damma or 37 elements of damma practice toward achieving nibbana is given by one word by ven Sariputta as Yonisomanasikara or wise contemplation.

This sila sutta is a sutta that gives the whole path to cessation in one word.

sometimes you may doubt whether is this is the same as what is taught by lord budda also.

to eliminate this doubt we have a sutta from majjima nikaya preached by lord budda himself,that is the 2nd sutta in majjima nikaya which is sabbasawa sutta.( 12.00)

In that sabbasawa sutta lord budda preached that the ending of defilements is preached only to persons who KNOWS AND SEES WISE CONTEMPLATION AND UNWISE CONTEMPLATION.And further lord budda explain that for those who don't know and don't see the wise contemplation AND UNWISE CONTEMPLATION he does not preach ending of defilements.

And further lord budda explains that if a person is unwisely contemplating then it will result in arising of new defilements that did not exist and development of defilements that currently exist.

And if a person contemplate wisely then it will result in non arising of defilements that had not arose and reduction of defilements that had arose.

Therefore lord budda also had explained how all defilements will cease from WISE CONTEMPLATION.

Hence there is no difference between the preaching of lord budda and the preaching of ven Sariputta. Its the same preaching by both.

Ok then what is wise contemplation? And what is unwise contemplation?

Contemplating or thinking wisely or intelligently  is wise contemplation. Thinking unwisely or unintelligently  is unwise contemplation.

When you intelligently contemplate it will develop kusal or skills. it will develop worldly skills  and skills that will lead to get out of worlds as well.

If engage in unwise contemplation it will develop akusala or unskillfulness and it will prolong the existence.

Therefore to be saved from unskillfulness or akusala you have to get rid of unwise contemplation.

If you want to develop skillfulnes then you should engage in wise contemplation.

What is unwise contemplation and how does unskillfulness develop from it?

Will take a small simple example and investigate it and see. We will try to understand this damma on how a normal person see this.

A person sees a flower. And he sees it as a beautiful flower. He thinks and contemplates as "this is a beautiful flower". The person who is thinking about the beautiful flower who is contemplating on the beauty of the flower thinks that "its not enough to see the flower from this distance and thinks he have to get closer and see it."
 
So he determines and with determined thoughts he relaxes his body and move his body and walks his body and goes towards the flower.

Now going near the flower is insufficient for him. Now he wants to touch the flower. Now he is employing or using his body by strengthening his thoughts.  And touches the flower. And touching also is not enough for him. Now he wants to kiss the flower. And he gets closer and kisses the flower. Oh this flower has a very good smell. Now he got the thoughts that the flower is beautiful and has a good smell. And as soon as he get those thoughts he thinks if i also can have this kind of flower or this kind of plant so that i also can get a flower. Now he gets thoughts of abijja or stronger and badly needless or greatest desire to have it. When such stronger desire arise and thinks that he also wants it then he thinks of getting it owned. Now he thinks if i ask the owner of this flower if he is also a stingy person then that person will think that he cannot give this was found by incurring many difficulties.

What happens when stronger desire comes to a person? Then aversion will arise. Cannot give this flower. If he cannot give I will take by hook or by crook. So the aversion or thoughts of going against or working against may arise. (17.49)

And at least at this moment if the knowledge of bad actions and their effects did not come to the mind, if the worldly right view did not arise in him which shows him the bad subsequent results of thoughts of attachment and thoughts of aversion, then instead wrong view will arise in him.