Sona Kolivisa:Permission To Wear Shoes

[yawares]

Dear Members,

The Buddha praised Sona-Kolivisa Thera to be foremost(etadagga) of those who
strove energetically (aggam aaraddhaviriyaanan).
*************
Sona Kolivisa:Permission To Wear Shoes
[Presented by Dr.Han Tun@ SariputtaDhamma Group/JTN]

Sona-Kolivisa Thera, also called Sukhumala Sona. He was born in Campaa, his
father being Usabhasetthi. From the time of his conception his father's wealth
continued to increase, and, on the day of his birth, the whole town kept
festival. Because in a previous birth he had given a ring, worth one hundred
thousand, to a Pacceka Buddha, his body was like burnished gold; hence his name.

King Bimbisara, hearing of him, sent for him and Sona went with eighty thousand
fellow townsmen. In Rajagaha he heard the Buddha preach, and, winning faith,
entered the Order with his parents' consent. The Buddha gave him a subject for
meditation, and he went to Sitavana, but many people visited him and he was
unable to concentrate. He strove hard, and, through pacing up and down in
meditation, painful sores developed on his feet. But he won no attainment and
was filled with despair. The Buddha saw this and visited him, and by preaching
to him the Vinupamovada Sutta (see Sona Sutta), taught him how to temper
energy with calm. Thus corrected, he put forth fresh effort and attained
arahantship.

After ordination he walked about meditating, his feet bled, and his cankamana
was covered with blood "like a slaughter house for oxen." After Sona attained
arahantship, the Buddha gave him permission to wear shoes with one lining. Sona
said he had abandoned eighty cartloads of gold and a retinue of seven elephants.
He did not wish, as a monk, to have any luxuries which his colleagues did not
share, The Buddha then gave permission to all monks to wear shoes with one
lining.

****In the time of Padumuttara Buddha he was a setthi of Hamsavati named
Sirivaddha. It was then that he resolved to win eminence as foremost of those
who strove energetically (aggam aaraddhaviriyaanan), and in this he was
successful.

*************
Love Buddha's dhamma,
yawares/sirikanya

[gavesako]

Something related to the permission to wear sandals:

Today I walked on pindapata (almsround) to a nearby town. It is a good two-hour walk through the countryside with many big oak trees along the road. We got enough food from just three people. I went with Tan A. and his sandal broke on the way, so he walked barefoot on the way back until we reached the golf club. Then a car stopped and the man inside offered to give us a lift. (I almost thought: This is like a devata coming to rescue, a 'gift from above'.) The driver who was in his 60s asked how long we have been Buddhist monks, and then he inquired whether we have ever been evangelized before. We started talking about Christianity and he said that the Roman Catholic church is not really Christianity proper. Instead, he said, he belongs to Jesus Christ himself. Then he asked us about the Buddha statues and decorated temples in Buddhism, and I explained to him that some people are more faith-oriented and need such external symbols to focus on, but others have a more analytical character and like to question and examine things. He said that he believes that the Bible is the Word of God that was written down exactly as he wanted it, so we have the true guidelines in there. Then he talked about the creation of the world and how the will of God is behind it all, and how totally logical it all is, if only we can open up to God and accept him. He mentioned the words "good and evil" and also "sin" which is acting against God's will. So I explained to him how we understand these concepts in Buddhism: it all depends on our intention, for example to harm somebody, and then if we follow that intention and act on it, we create some bad actions in the world which will also bring bad results. We do not speculate about the origin of evil, who brought sin into the world, or anything else that lies beyond our direct experience. We also do not rely on second-hand knowledge, such as dogmas in religious books. He said that it was God who created the world but because something "went wrong" with one of his creations, or Satan, he then brought sin into the world and he is -- with his devils -- behind every sin that happens in the world. I said that this whole scenario seems a bit hard to believe to me. Why would God create an imperfect world and put us in it together with sin, so that he can later send his son Jesus to rescue us? And when they define "sin" or "evil" simply as acting against God's will, without any reference to the quality of our intention, we come up against ethical problems soon: For example, according to the Old Testament, God told Abraham to take his young son Isaac and kill him as a sacrifice, just as they normally kill sheep. So his intention at that moment was to commit an evil act, to kill his son, in order to obey God's will. But at the last moment, God told him to stop, because he was just testing his faith in him. Well, that seems a pretty dodgy way to define good and evil to me. But the driver said that in this case, there was no sin involved at all, it was just a test of faith. Then he expressed his belief that God appears as a "light" or reveals himself to every human being sometime in their life. And it would be sin to refuse to accept him. I asked him whether we can really choose to do it, because the Christians also believe that it is due to God's grace that people can have faith in him. So, logically, I don't have a free will to decide that I want to believe in God, it must be granted through his grace. But again the driver said that the Christian Bible is completely logical and superior to other religious texts. We ended the long discussion in the monastery car park and I said that it must surely be God's will that he saw us today and gave us a lift to the monastery. He obviously felt satisfied with his evangelical efforts, and I remembered the scene from the film "Buddha Comes to Sussex" where Ajahn Chah and the Western monks are having a "metaphysical discussion with the local vicar" at a nearby church.

[yawares]

Something related to the permission to wear sandals:

Today I walked on pindapata (almsround) to a nearby town. It is a good two-hour walk through the countryside with many big oak trees along the road. We got enough food from just three people. I went with Tan A. and his sandal broke on the way, so he walked barefoot on the way back until we reached the golf club. Then a car stopped and the man inside offered to give us a lift. (I almost thought: This is like a devata coming to rescue, a 'gift from above'.) The driver who was in his 60s asked how long we have been Buddhist monks, and then he inquired whether we have ever been evangelized before. We started talking about Christianity and he said that the Roman Catholic church is not really Christianity proper. Instead, he said, he belongs to Jesus Christ himself. Then he asked us about the Buddha statues and decorated temples in Buddhism, and I explained to him that some people are more faith-oriented and need such external symbols to focus on, but others have a more analytical character and like to question and examine things. He said that he believes that the Bible is the Word of God that was written down exactly as he wanted it, so we have the true guidelines in there. Then he talked about the creation of the world and how the will of God is behind it all, and how totally logical it all is, if only we can open up to God and accept him. He mentioned the words "good and evil" and also "sin" which is acting against God's will. So I explained to him how we understand these concepts in Buddhism: it all depends on our intention, for example to harm somebody, and then if we follow that intention and act on it, we create some bad actions in the world which will also bring bad results. We do not speculate about the origin of evil, who brought sin into the world, or anything else that lies beyond our direct experience. We also do not rely on second-hand knowledge, such as dogmas in religious books. He said that it was God who created the world but because something "went wrong" with one of his creations, or Satan, he then brought sin into the world and he is -- with his devils -- behind every sin that happens in the world. I said that this whole scenario seems a bit hard to believe to me. Why would God create an imperfect world and put us in it together with sin, so that he can later send his son Jesus to rescue us? And when they define "sin" or "evil" simply as acting against God's will, without any reference to the quality of our intention, we come up against ethical problems soon: For example, according to the Old Testament, God told Abraham to take his young son Isaac and kill him as a sacrifice, just as they normally kill sheep. So his intention at that moment was to commit an evil act, to kill his son, in order to obey God's will. But at the last moment, God told him to stop, because he was just testing his faith in him. Well, that seems a pretty dodgy way to define good and evil to me. But the driver said that in this case, there was no sin involved at all, it was just a test of faith. Then he expressed his belief that God appears as a "light" or reveals himself to every human being sometime in their life. And it would be sin to refuse to accept him. I asked him whether we can really choose to do it, because the Christians also believe that it is due to God's grace that people can have faith in him. So, logically, I don't have a free will to decide that I want to believe in God, it must be granted through his grace. But again the driver said that the Christian Bible is completely logical and superior to other religious texts. We ended the long discussion in the monastery car park and I said that it must surely be God's will that he saw us today and gave us a lift to the monastery. He obviously felt satisfied with his evangelical efforts, and I remembered the scene from the film "Buddha Comes to Sussex" where Ajahn Chah and the Western monks are having a "metaphysical discussion with the local vicar" at a nearby church.

Dear Bhikkhu Gavesako,
I love your story so very much....could you please post it @ Personal Experience....so all members can read it.
***
Christian people also have Jesus statues/Jesus paintings/Crosses at home too!!!!

I don't know how many American friends who try to convert me/Tep besides church people who knock on my door almost every week, telling me that I must take my daughter to their church so she'll be good/successful in life...THEY SEEMED SURPRISED after I told them that my only daughter is a surgeon working for The U.S. AirForce right now.

Please tell me where I can see the film"Buddha Comes To Sussex".....Youtube??

Truly love your story,
yawares

[gavesako]

I think the American Evangelists are much more forceful than the English ones...

You can find "Buddha Comes to Sussex" with that particular scene in this playlist of Ajahn Chah videos:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL ... e=view_all

[yawares]

I think the American Evangelists are much more forceful than the English ones...

You can find "Buddha Comes to Sussex" with that particular scene in this playlist of Ajahn Chah videos:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL ... e=view_all

Dear Bhikkhu Gavesako,

Thank you so very much for the link....AND I saw YOUR VIDEO CLIPS on the right of the screen....so I watched your video clips instead of the others....I must say that you look very serene/contented(Tep thinks the same)....were you in Thailand or some where tropical then??....I could see some tropical plants/hearing bird-chirping in the background, very impressive....make me flashback to Tep/I days of staying at WAT LUANG-TA BUA...so very peaceful.

Any British people give you alms-foods? Anyday that you never get alms-food at all?? What you do during cold cold winter??

Curious mind?
yawares

[gavesako]

Yes, that was in Thailand (see also Private message box).
Walking on tudong in the West can be more challenging because of the climate and non-Buddhist culture, but also more adventurous because of that. See http://www.blisteredfeet-blissfulmind.net/

[yawares]

Yes, that was in Thailand (see also Private message box).
Walking on tudong in the West can be more challenging because of the climate and non-Buddhist culture, but also more adventurous because of that. See http://www.blisteredfeet-blissfulmind.net/

Dear Bhikkhu Gavesako,

Thanks for theTUDONG book...European monks style...I'll definitely read it to the end.
I love Thera Mun/Thera Bua's TUDONG books(in Thai) very very much, I got them from Wat Luangta Bua years ago.

Truly appreciate,
yawares