4👑☸ Cattāri Ariya-saccaṃ 四聖諦
also see:
Fortune favors the virtuous: True stories of karma, rebirth, illustrating karmic fruit ripening, often in dramatic and extraordinary fashion.
The Raft ☸🚣: Much better than standard parittas commonly used.
paritta
little, insignificant. Protection
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paritta
https://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/Texts-and-Translations/Safeguard/index.htm
https://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/Texts-and-Translations/Blessing-Chants/index.htm
1. Sarana-gama ("Going for Refuge")
KN Kp 1
2. Dasa-sikkhapada ("Ten Training Precepts")
KN Kp 2
3. Samanera-pañha ("Novice Questions")
KN Kp 4
4. Dvattimsakara ("32 Body Parts")
KN Kp 3
5. Paccavekkhana ("Reflections on Monastic Requisites")
MN 2 (excerpt), passim
6. Dasa-dhamma Sutta ("Ten Dhamma Discourse")
AN 10.48
7. Mahamangala Sutta ("Great Blessings Discourse")
KN Kp 5, KN Snp 2.4
8. Ratana Sutta ("Three Treasures Discourse")
KN Kp 6, KN Snp 2.1
9. Karaniya Metta Sutta ("Friendly-kindness Discourse")
KN Kp 9, Snp 1.8
10. Khandha-paritta ("Aggregates Protection")
AN 4.67
11. Metta-anisamsa ("Friendly-kindness Advantages Discourse")
AN 11.16
12. Mitta-anisamsa ("Friendship Advantages Discourse")
13. Mora-paritta ("The Peacock's Protection")
14. Canda-paritta ("The Moon's Protection")
SN 2.9
15. Suriya-paritta ("The Sun's Protection")
SN 2.10
16. Dhajagga-paritta ("Banner Protection")
SN 11.3
17. Mahakassapa Thera Bojjhanga ("Elder Maha Kassapa's Factors of Awakening")
SN 46.14 (Gilana Sutta I)
18. Mahamoggallana Thera Bojjhanga ("Elder Maha Moggalana's Factors of Awakening")
SN 46.15 (Gilana Sutta II)
19. Mahacunda Thera Bojjhanga ("Elder Maha Cunda's Factors of Awakening")
SN 46.16 (Gilana Sutta III)
20. Girimananda Sutta ("To Girimananda Discourse")
AN 10.60
21. Isigili Sutta ("About Isigili Discourse")
MN 116
22. Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta ("Setting in Motion the Dhamma Wheel Discourse")
SN 56.11
23. Maha-samaya Sutta ("The Great Assembly Discourse")
DN 20
24. Alavaka Sutta ("Concerning Alavaka Discourse")
SN 46.11
25. Kasi Bharadvaja Sutta ("Farmer Bharadvaja Discourse")
KN Snp 1.4
26. Parabhava Sutta ("On Ruin Discourse")
KN Snp 1.6
27. Vasala Sutta ("On Outcasts Discourse")
KN Snp 1.7
28. Sacca-vibhanga Sutta ("Analysis of the Truth Discourse")
MN 141
29. Atanatiya Sutta ("Atanatiya Discourse")
DN 32
Wei Tuo Bodhisattva's vow
On one image of Wei Tuo, there is an inscription that says:
(Rough paraphrase and translation)
To any practitioner who practices righteous Dharma,
with pure virtuous mind free of any evil,
I vow to protect the interests of genuine Dharma.
If any demon or obstructive force opposes,
I will pummel them into submission and force their surrender.
AN 10.60 Girimananda and the Raft 🚣, director’s cut
AN 4.191 and
AN 10.60
What
AN 4.191 talks about, is what happens to virtuous monastics when they die and are reborn in Deva realms. They get infatuated with the pleasures of the Deva realm, and forget about what they learned and practiced as a human monastic. But because of their good karma and association with virtuous spiritual companions, either powerful human monastics with psychic powers communicate with them, or other Devas in their community who remember the Dharma from their human life jog their memory and help them return to the Dharma path.
In
AN 10.60, Girimananda is gravely ill, on his deathbed. The Buddha sends Ananda to talk to him and encourage him with 10 Dharma topics. What happens next, is surely a corruption, brought to you by the same Hollywood executive producers who corrupted
SN 46.14,
SN 46.15, and
SN 46.16.
But if you study
AN 4.191 carefully, you can reconstruct
AN 10.60 to get a director's cut, what the original director had intended the sutta to say.
Clearly, if you connect the dots between
AN 4.191 and
AN 10.60, what the Buddha is actually doing is giving Girimananda a care package, instructions on what to do if he dies from his illness. He's saying, "look, obviously you haven't attained Arahantship in this life, so if you die, don't become infatuated with the Deva Nymphs and Deva pleasures. Memorize these 10 Dharma topics, and finish the job. The job is not finished until you attain Arahantship. Also, it's possible that hearing these 10 awesome Dharma teachings, the rapture and pleasure are so inspiring that it stimulates your immune system and it's possible you recover from the illness. But don't count on it! Assume you're going to die, memorize these 10 dharmas, and when you're reborn in the Deva realm, hit the ground running. Practice these 10 Dharmas and finish the job! (
a-p-pamāda 🐘🐾-ena sampādethā!"
That's the original Director's cut, before the Hollywood Executive producers stepped in. They said, "We gotta sell tickets! We can't fill seats in the theatre if the hero in the story dies. We have to have a happy ending! Girimanda must have a miraculous recovery and live happily ever after. And people don't want to work hard. They want a quick magic mantra they can chant and get an instant magical cure!"
And so, that is how you end up with corrupted paritta suttas as they are recorded in Theravada canon today. But don't believe the corruptions. Trust your common sense and
AN 4.191. There is no free lunch, no short cut, no magic mantra that cures fatal diseases. Every moment, give the Dharma everything you've got. Build your
The Raft ☸🚣 and ride it to the island of Nirvana. Finish the job! (
a-p-pamāda 🐘🐾-ena sampādethā).