Piyavaggo : Chapter 16. pleasant
“Piya” means “pleasant, liked“.
“Liking” sounds positive and good, but in the Buddha’s teaching, liking does not = good. Rather, he says that liking is dangerous.
There is no logical reason for like something. It is just liking. It is a subjective feeling of the person and has no objectivity or reason. Liking is simply self-centered attachment to what is personally pleasant. The Buddha’s teaching that is being dependent on something you like, the mind is weak and defiled.
DhP.16-209
Ayoge yuñjamattānaṃ, not-work connection-self yogasmiñca ayojayaṃ; work-or not-connection Atthaṃ hitvā piyaggāhī, purpose leave like-hold pihetattānuyoginaṃ. envy-applying-oneself-to
Doing what you should not do
and not doing what you should do.
One who only does what he likes
and abandons the purpose
will be envious of those
who are working hard.
explanation
Liking is an emotional judgement. Emotional judgements tend to be bad because they are driven by greed, anger or ignorance. People only want to do what they like. In other words, they like to do things they should not do.
DhP.16-210
Mā piyehi samāgañchi, Do-not like met-together appiyehi kudācanaṃ; not-like ever Piyānaṃ adassanaṃ dukkhaṃ, Do-not like met-together appiyānañca dassanaṃ. Do-not like met-together
Do not meet one you like.
Never meet one you do not like.
Not seeing liked ones is suffering.
Seeing disliked ones is suffering.
explanation
It is really unpleasant to meet people we don’t like. But what about someone we like? Liked one may not always show face at the exact moment we wish to see one. If we don’t see one, our desire to see one grows and we suffer. Not being able to see the person we like and seeing the person we dislike are the same in terms of sensation “suffering“.
Sensation is sensation, it makes no difference.
DhP.16-211
Tasmā piyaṃ na kayirātha, therefore likes not make piyāpāyo hi pāpako; likes-separation truly bad Ganthā tesaṃ na vijjanti, bond it not existing yesaṃ natthi piyāppiyaṃ. who not-be likes-dislikes
Separation from liked ones is bad enough,
so don’t make a liked one.
If there is no one to like or hate,
no one to bind you.
explanation
For us, our liked ones are important. Why are they important? It is for our own satisfaction. Even when we say we like, it is often for our own satisfaction rather than for their benefit or for their happiness.
When we say we like our lover or our children, we are probably depending on and bound to that person for our own satisfaction. Thus, when that person disappears or dies, that is the greatest suffering of all. In other words, the liked one (the target of attachment) is the source of suffering.
It is all self-serving love, which is why there are so many problems when it comes to liking. If there is no one to like and no one to hate, we can live in freedom and peace, without any worries (bondage).
DhP.16-212
Piyato jāyatī soko, from-like be-born grief piyato jāyatī bhayaṃ; from-like be-born fear Piyato vippamuttassa, from-like released-one natthi soko kuto bhayaṃ. not grief where-from? fear
Worry is born from liking.
Fear is born from liking.
Without like,
worry and fear are nowhere to be found.
explanation
Things or people we like, we want to keep close to us and are afraid of losing. Conversely, what we dislike, we don’t want to keep by our side and want it to go away. In reality, it may or may not happen.
And if it doesn’t go our way, we feel depressed. This is because we make ‘like or dislike‘. That’s why the mind becomes bitter. If we stop separating like and dislike, then there is no need to be depressed or afraid. We can let go of attachment and aversion and value both ‘for‘ and ‘against‘.
DhP.16-213
Pemato jāyatī soko, from-love be-born grief pemato jāyatī bhayaṃ; from-love be-born fear Pemato vippamuttassa, from-love released-one natthi soko kuto bhayaṃ. not grief where-from? fear
Worry is born from loving.
Fear is born from loving.
Without love,
worry and fear are nowhere to be found.
explanation
Pema means “love, affecting“. Maternal love.
This verse is from the Buddha to an elderly woman who had lost her beloved grandson. How many people die in the world every day? But it is not sad or fearful when someone you don’t know dies. Sadness and fear come from attachment.
DhP.16-214
Ratiyā jāyatī soko, from-lust be-born grief ratiyā jāyatī bhayaṃ; from-lust be-born fear Ratiyā vippamuttassa, from-lust released-one natthi soko kuto bhayaṃ. not grief where-from? fear
Worry is born from lusting.
Fear is born from lusting.
Without lust,
worry and fear are nowhere to be found.
explanation
“Rati” refers to love with sexual desire. Sexual desire is considered instinctive and essential, but it is only a subjective emotion. Procreation is not essential for survival. Sexual desire is only one of the strongest desires, and always makes for exclusivity. The Buddha said that sexual desire is source of misery that hinders the growth of the mind and makes people dependent on suffering.
DhP.16-215
Kāmato jāyatī soko, from-desire be-born grief kāmato jāyatī bhayaṃ; from-desire be-born fear Kāmato vippamuttassa, from-desire released-one natthi soko kuto bhayaṃ. not grief where-from? fear
Worry is born from wish.
Fear is born from wish.
Without wish,
worry and fear are nowhere to be found.
explanation
This verse was given by Buddha to a grieving bridegroom who had dreamt of a happy life, but whose bride died suddenly the day before their wedding. “Kāma” is enjoyment/pleasure with love in the general broad sense.
DhP.16-216
Taṇhāya jāyatī [jāyate (ka.)] soko, from-craving be-born grief taṇhāya jāyatī bhayaṃ; from-craving be-born fear Taṇhāya vippamuttassa, from-craving released-one natthi soko kuto bhayaṃ. not grief where-from? fear
Worry is born from craving.
Fear is born from craving.
Without craving,
worry and fear are nowhere to be found.
explanation
All things disappear before they are satisfying. So no matter what a person does, at the end of the day, there remains a craving in the mind, “Oh, I wanted to do more”. This is the stain on the mind that remains until the very end.
DhP.16-217
Sīladassanasampannaṃ, morality-insight-succeeded dhammaṭṭhaṃ saccavedinaṃ; truth-exsist truth-known Attano kamma kubbānaṃ, own deed made taṃ jano kurute piyaṃ. he people make like
One who is moral and insightful
and knows the truth
in accordance with the Dhamma.
People like a man who has done his duty.
explanation
The Buddha is just such a person. Buddha is not an absolute God. He is a grateful predecessor who cares about us. He is equal to everyone and the best friend for all life. That is why he is still liked.
People don’t like a person who does not do his duty and cares about what others think.
DhP.16-218
Chandajāto anakkhāte, will-arisen not-announced manasā ca phuṭo siyā; having-a-mind and opened will-be Kāmesu ca appaṭibaddhacitto, by-desire and not-bound-to-mind uddhaṃsototi vuccati. one-who-ascends the stream called
A person whose spirit has blossomed
by concentrating the mind without talking.
The mind is not attached to sense pleasures.
He is out of the stream of samsara.
episode
There was an old monk who had many disciples. One day, when his disciples asked the old monk which stage of enlightenment he had reached, the old monk said nothing, even though he had reached the third, anāgāmi. This was because he had decided not to speak until he himself had become an arahant. But the old monk passed away without becoming an arahant.
The disciples thought that the old monk had passed away without reaching any stage of enlightenment. The disciples asked the Buddha where the teacher had been reborn. Buddha replied. “He was an anāgāmi before he passed away, but now he is reborn in the Brahma world . He did not reveal that he was an anāgāmi because he was ashamed that he had achieved only that much and was working diligently to become an arahant. He was now free from the attachment of the world of desire (kāmaloka) and had ascended to the higher worlds“.
explanation
In Buddhism, the three worlds refer to the following destinations for rebirth:
- Kāmaloka the world of desire, typified by base desires, populated by hell beings, preta (hungry ghosts), animals, humans and lower demi-gods.
- Rūpaloka is the world of form, predominantly free of baser desires, populated by dhyāna-dwelling gods, possible rebirth destination for those well practiced in dhyāna.
- Arūpaloka is the world of formlessness, a noncorporeal realm populated with four heavens, possible rebirth destination for practitioners of the four formlessness stages.
The Brahma world is 2 and 3.
DhP.16-219
Cirappavāsiṃ purisaṃ, long-time-absent person dūrato sotthimāgataṃ; from-afar safety came-back Ñātimittā suhajjā ca, kinsman-friends friendship abhinandanti āgataṃ. very-joy came-back
When you return from a long absence,
your family and friends
will welcome you with joy.
explanation
coments
DhP.16-220
Tatheva katapuññampi, like-that done-merit-too asmā lokā paraṃ gataṃ; from-this world other gone Puññāni paṭigaṇhanti, merit welcome piyaṃ ñātīva āgataṃ. like kinsman-as came-back
Similarly, the merit that you have done
will welcome you just like a family
when you go from this world to the next.
explanation
Even if you have nothing to offer yourself now, simply by deciding not to sin, you are a noble person . Not to sin is a good deed in itself. As long as the mind is pure, all deeds are good deeds. This is the highest merit. The result of your good deeds will determine the next world.
Piyavaggo soḷasamo niṭṭhito. pleasant-chapter 16th finish
16. The pleasant chapter is ended.
Attachment to likes is one of the most serious obstacles to spiritual growth.
Pleasurable things and experiences themselves do not hinder spiritual growth. It is the selfish attachment to them that is the problem. This is because we unconsciously depend on having pleasant things and people around us, and when unpleasant things happen, we suffer and cannot cope.
People who see life as it is understand that pleasure contains discomfort. Pleasant and unpleasant things are not separate, they are two sides of the same coin.
There is an episode.
Two monks were trying to cross a river when a young woman had trouble crossing it. One of the monks quickly carried her across and laid her on the other bank. The other monk was so concerned about what his friend had done that he could not speak afterwards. Finally, he opened his mouth and asked, “A monk should not even be able to touch a woman. What did you do?” The friend said, “I left that woman on the bank. You are still carrying her”.