Buddha's Teaching : What is Dhamma ( Part- I )

I - To Maintain Purity of Life is Dhamma.

• "There are these three forms of purity... And of what sort is purity of  body ?
• "Herein a certain one abstains from taking life, from stealing, from sinful living. This is called ' purity of body.'
• " And of what sort is purity of speech ?
• "Herein a certain one abstains from falsehood...
• " And of what sort is purity of mind ?
• " Herein a monk, if he have some personal sensual desire, is aware: ' There  is in me sensual desire.' If there be none he is likewise aware of it. Also he is aware of how the arising of sensual desire not yet arisen comes about, and how it is abandoned when it has arisen, and how in the future there is no such arising.
• "If he have some personal malevolence, he is aware ; ' There is within me malevolence.' Also he is aware of the arising . . . and the abandoning thereof, and of how in future there is no recurrence thereof.
• " If he have some personal sloth-and-torpor . . . excitement and flurry . . . if he have some personal doubt-and-wavering, he is aware of the fact. Also of how (each of these) arises, is abandoned and recurs not again in future. This is called ' purity of mind.
• " He who is pure in body, speech, and mind, 
• " Sinless and clean and blessed with purity,—
• " *Sin-washer' is the name men give to him."

(ii)

• " There are three forms of purity . . . Purity of body, purity of speech, purity of mind."
• " And of what sort is purity of body ?"
• " Herein a certain one abstains from taking life, from stealing from wrong practice in sensual lusts. This is called ' purity of body'."
• " And of what sort is purity of speech ? "
• " Herein a certain one abstains from falsehood . . . from idle babble. This is called 'purity of speech.' "
• " And of what sort is purity of mind ? "
• "Herein a certain one is not covetous or malevolent of heart and has right view. This is called * purity of mind.' These are the three forms of purity."

(iii)

• There are these five weaknesses, which are a source of weakness to training. What five ?
• Taking life; taking what is not given; lustful, evil practices ; lying ; and indulging in spirituous liquors, which cause idleness.
• These are the five causes which lead to failure.
• When these five sources of weakness to training are put away, four arisings of mindfulness should be made to become.
• Herein a monk abides contemplating the body as body, strenuous, mindful and self-possessed, having overcome both the hankering and discontent common in the world.
• He abides contemplating the feelings as feelings ...
• He abides contemplating the mind as mind . . .
• He abides contemplating ideas as ideas, strenuous, mindful and selfpossessed, having overcome both the hankering and discontent common in the world.
• When these five sources of weakness to training are put away, these four arisings of mindfulness should be made to become.

(iv)

• There are these three failures. Failure in morals, failure in mind, failure in view.
• And of what sort is failure in morals? A certain one takes life, steals, is a wrong-doer in sensual desires, a liar, a slanderer, of bitter speech, an idle babbler. This is called " failure in morals."
• And of what sort is failure in mind ?
• A certain one is covetous and malevolent of heart. This is called " failure in mind."
• And of what sort is failure in view ?
• Herein a certain one holds the depraved, the perverse view that there is no (virtue in) alms giving, in sacrifice, in offerings : that there is no fruit, no result of good and evil deeds: that this world is not, that there is no world beyond: that there is no mother, no father, no beings of spontaneous birth : that in the world are no recluses and Brahmins who have won the summit, who have won perfection, who of themselves by their own in tuitional powers have realised the world beyond and can proclaim it. This, monks, is called " failure in view."
• Monks, it is due to failure in morals, failure in mind and in view that beings, when body breaks up after death, are reborn in the Waste, the Way of Woe, in the Downfall, in Purgatory. Such are the three failures.
• Monks, there are these three successes. What three ? Success in morals, success in mind, success in view.
• Now of what sort is success in morals ?
• A certain one abstains from taking life and the rest . . . from bitter speech and idle babbling. This is called " success in morals."
• And of what sort is success in mind ?
• Herein a certain one is not covetous or malevolent of heart. This is called " success in mind."
• And of what sort is success in view ?
• Herein a certain one has right view: he holds with certainty that there is (virtue in) almsgiving, in sacrifice, in offerings: that there is fruit and result of good and evil deeds: that this world is, that there is a world beyond: that mother, father and beings of spontaneous birth do exist: that in the world there are recluses and Brahmins who have realised the world beyond and can proclaim it. This, monks, is called " success in view." 
• It is owing to success in these three things that beings, when body breaks up after death, are reborn in the Happy Lot, in the Heaven World. Such, monks, are the three successes.