A Repository Of Dharma Material
21. Heedfulness is the path to the Deathless. Heedlessness is the path to death. The heedful die not. The heedless are as if dead already. [3]
22. Clearly understanding this excellence of heedfulness, the wise exult therein and enjoy the resort of the Noble Ones. [4]
23. The wise ones, ever meditative and steadfastly persevering, alone experience Nibbana, the incomparable freedom from bondage.
24. Ever grows the glory of him who is energetic, mindful and pure in conduct, discerning and self-controlled, righteous and heedful.
25. By effort and heedfulness, discipline and self-mastery, let the wise one make for himself an island which no flood can overwhelm.
26. The foolish and ignorant indulge in heedlessness, but the wise one keeps his heedfulness as his best treasure.
27. Do not give way to heedlessness. Do not indulge in sensual pleasures. Only the heedful and meditative attain great happiness.
28. Just as one upon the summit of a mountain beholds the groundlings, even so when the wise man casts away heedlessness by heedfulness and ascends the high tower of wisdom, this sorrowless sage beholds the sorrowing and foolish multitude.
29. Heedful among the heedless, wide-awake among the sleepy, the wise man advances like a swift horse leaving behind a weak jade.
30. By Heedfulness did Indra become the overlord of the gods. Heedfulness is ever praised, and heedlessness ever despised. [5]
31. The monk who delights in heedfulness and looks with fear at heedlessness advances like fire, burning all fetters, small and large.
32. The monk who delights in heedfulness and looks with fear at heedlessness will not fall. He is close to Nibbana.
Also added are Dhammapada verses 33 till 40 for sharing by all:
33. Just as a fletcher straightens an arrow shaft, even so the discerning man straightens his mind — so fickle and unsteady, so difficult to guard.
34. As a fish when pulled out of water and cast on land throbs and quivers, even so is this mind agitated. Hence should one abandon the realm of Mara.
35. Wonderful, indeed, it is to subdue the mind, so difficult to subdue, ever swift, and seizing whatever it desires. A tamed mind brings happiness.
36. Let the discerning man guard the mind, so difficult to detect and extremely subtle, seizing whatever it desires. A guarded mind brings happiness.
37. Dwelling in the cave (of the heart), the mind, without form, wanders far and alone. Those who subdue this mind are liberated from the bonds of Mara.
38. Wisdom never becomes perfect in one whose mind is not steadfast, who knows not the Good Teaching and whose faith wavers.
39. There is no fear for an awakened one, whose mind is not sodden (by lust) nor afflicted (by hate), and who has gone beyond both merit and demerit. [6]
40. Realizing that this body is as fragile as a clay pot, and fortifying this mind like a well-fortified city, fight out Mara with the sword of wisdom. Then, guarding the conquest, remain unattached.
With Metta always,
Bro Teoh
Re: Questions from Bro Fong Hong Wai (March 2024):
From: Fong Hong Wai <hwfong7@gmail.com>
Sent: 23 March 2024 16:04
To: Bro Teoh <teohkiankoon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Unique Dhamma Quote 110
Dear Bro Teoh, I’m grateful for your dhamma teachings which I’m able to follow in YouTube. I’ve benefited a lot through your teachings. I’ve also been following Ashin Tejaniya’s Awareness Meditation and the teachings on Awareness are similar to yours.
I have a question which bothers me. In your recent talk on Unique Dhamma Quote 110, you explain very clearly regarding the 4 Circles drawn on the board.
No.1 Circle – depicts the Source/ Nibbana
No 2 Circle – depicts the Pure Awareness Mind before thoughts
No.3 Circle – depicts the Mundane Mind
No.4 Circle – depicts the Phenomenal World of Consciousness.
In that talk, Bro Teoh mentioned that when thoughts appear in the Pure Mind, the Mundane Mind is created which in turn caused the creation of the Phenomenal World. My question is if the Pure Mind can return to the Mundane and the Phenomenal World then it doesn’t seem to make sense as the person becomes Puthujjana again. Similarly from the Source/Nibbana how come the Mind can return to the Mundane Mind and hence to Samsara again.
It has been taught that from Ignorance the world is created. However if the original Mind is Pure, how can Ignorance arise leading to Dependent Origination?
Thanks …. Fong (Bro)
On Sun, Mar 24, 2024, at 11:07 AM Teoh Kian Koon <teohkiankoon@hotmail.com> wrote:
Dear Bro Fong,
Sadhu! to u for your ability to benefit from my nature’s sharing of the dhamma. You seem to have quite good affinity and understanding, and your questions are good and legitimate because it can help u clear your doubt.
Regarding your question below:
‘My question is if the Pure Mind can return to the Mundane and the Phenomenal World then it doesn’t seem to make sense as the person becomes Puthujjana again. Similarly, from the Source/Nibbana how come the Mind can return to the Mundane Mind and hence to Samsara again’.
Reply: Your statement regarding ‘Pure Mind can return to the Mundane mind……’ is based on wrong understanding. The Pure awareness nature or the Pure Mind is a ‘nature’, and it does not fall or return to the Mundane and the Phenomenal world. The Mundane mind arising from it is dependent originating and it is a by-product of that nature arising via the karmic process. You must get this right then u will understand better, otherwise your doubt will continue. To understand what I shared u need to develop a very stable Pure Awareness nature and cultivate diligently to awaken.
Hope this helps.
Bro Teoh
From: Fong Hong Wai <hwfong7@gmail.com>
Sent: 24 March 2024 07:42
To: Teoh Kian Koon <teohkiankoon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Unique Dhamma Quote 110
Dear Bro Teoh,
Thank you for your reply. Sadhu! Your explanation makes things a bit clearer to me. In other words, when a person develops the Pure Mind/Awareness, he is already an Ariyan and permanently so. His Pure Mind would not return to the normal Mundane Mind. What Bro Teoh explained in the video was how the Mundane Mind originate as a by-product of that Pure nature when there are mental activities( sankhara).
What is most difficult to understand was the Original Mind or Source / Nibbana. Perhaps what is misleading is the word Original Mind. Perhaps we never had this Original Mind in the first place. Otherwise, it would be inconceivable to think that Ignorance can take place from the source.
Is this reasoning, right? This is the only logical explanation that I can think of. However, then another problem arose – why is it Ignorance from the start and not Wisdom?
Hope my questions are not too problematic. Thanks…… Bro Fong
On Sun, Mar 25, 2024, at 11:07 AM Teoh Kian Koon <teohkiankoon@hotmail.com> wrote:
Dear Bro Fong,
As advice earlier ‘To understand what I shared, u need to develop a very stable Pure Awareness nature and cultivate diligently to awaken’.
It seems u are more interested in using your thought to analyse and reason via logic to develop more thought based ‘understanding’ which is basically, knowledge and not wisdom .
My advice is – please diligently develop the awareness-based cultivation to awaken via the direct seeing awakening (which is beyond thought and beyond time) to understand the big difference between mundane seeing and supra mundane seeing.
Hope this helps.
Regards, Bro Teoh