This Dhamma can't easily be taught by a person who's greedy. And the Dhamma he teaches is deep, hard to see, hard to realize, tranquil, refined, beyond the scope of conjecture, subtle, to-be-experienced by the wise. His bodily behavior & verbal behavior are those of one not greedy. Then a householder or householder's son goes to him and observes him with regard to three mental qualities - qualities based on greed, qualities based on aversion, qualities based on delusion: 'Are there in this venerable one any such qualities based on greed that, with his mind overcome by these qualities, he might say, 'I know,' while not knowing, or say, 'I see,' while not seeing or that he might urge another to act in a way that was for his/her long-term harm & pain?' As he observes him, he comes to know, 'There are in this venerable one no such qualities based on greed. 'There is the case, Bharadvaja, where a monk lives in dependence on a certain village or town. 'To what extent is there an awakening to the truth? To what extent does one awaken to the truth? We ask Master Gotama about awakening to the truth.' The Buddha offers some preliminary guidance on developing these standards in his instructions to the brahman teenager, Kapadika Bharadvaja.

The Canon's treatment of these factors touches on questions of interest to all meditators, regardless of whether their practice aims all the way to Awakening: How can you recognize a trustworthy teacher? How can you tell the true Dhamma from counterfeit Dhamma? What are the rewards that come from listening to the Dhamma? Which questions should you ask yourself in the course of the practice? What kind of practice qualifies as being in accordance with the Dhamma? What kind of qualities do you need to develop to benefit most from your practice?įor your practice to lead to Awakening, you must develop reliable standards for answering these questions. These factors form the framework for the first part of this study guide. Practice in accordance with the Dhamma is a factor for stream-entry. Listening to the true Dhamma is a factor for stream-entry.Īppropriate attention is a factor for stream-entry. Association with people of integrity is a factor for stream-entry.

Breath of fire 4 walkthrough awakenings