The Buddhist Path to Enlightenment (study)
by Dr Kala Acharya | 2016 | 118,883 words
This page relates 鈥榯hree Guptis (processes of controlling the inner nature of a Jiva)鈥� of the study on the Buddhist path to enlightenment. The Buddha was born in the Lumbini grove near the present-day border of India and Nepal in the 6th century B.C. He had achieved enlightenment at the age of thirty鈥揻ive under the 鈥楤odhi-tree鈥� at Buddha-Gaya. This study investigates the teachings after his Enlightenment which the Buddha decided to teach 鈥榦ut of compassion for beings鈥�.
The three Guptis (processes of controlling the inner nature of a J墨va)
[Full title: Three Stages (1): 厂补峁僾补谤补 (Self-restraint)鈥�(B): The three Guptis]
Having regulated the external movements of a 箩墨惫补 in such a way as would help him to arrest comparatively the influx of karma; the sages have deemed it wise to lay down further rules for controlling his inner nature. Of these guptis or the processes of controlling the inner nature of a 箩墨惫补 we have first:
(1) Manogupti
Manogupti which means the controlling of the mind. If mind is not controlled and regulated at will to work in a particular direction, nothing great can be achieved. So the first thing one should try to do is to control the mind which could be done in three ways: viz.
(a) 础蝉补迟办补濒辫补苍腻惫颈测辞驳墨 which means that one should not give himself up to excessive grief and the like at the demise of anyone dear to him or at the loss of anything. One should reflect within himself that all the pleasures of life and living are only temporal: they come and go like the fleeting clouds so there is nothing permanent to be gained thereof for the well-being of the soul which must strive and struggle on and on till the Highest Good is realized.
(b) 厂补尘补迟腻-产丑腻惫颈苍墨鈥攎eans continuous thinking along certain line that will bring on the equanimity (蝉补尘补迟腻) of the mind. He must try to realize that for a mumukshin 箩墨惫补, love and hate, pain and pleasure, have no value; for both are but chains, one of gold and the other of ore, which subject the 箩墨惫补 to go round and round the wheel of births and deaths. Moreover unless this equanimity of mind is attained, a 箩墨惫补 cannot expect to have a right vision into the metaphysics of ideas and ideals without which the veil of mithyatva cannot be torn asunder.
(c) 膧迟尘腻谤腻尘补迟腻鈥攎eans 'Introspection' or Self-reflection. By this the mumukshu 箩墨惫补 draws in the powers of his mind from the extramental world and concentrates the same upon the soul to study the different phases it passes through. Thus it gradually creates apathy to the things of temporal character by a comparative arrest of the influx and enhances the ardent desire for a speedy deliverance from the turmoil of the life of servitude.
(2) Vachana-gupti
Vachana-gupti means controlling the speech which can be accomplished in two ways, viz:
(a) By taking a vow of silence (尘补耻苍腻惫补濒补尘产颈) for a certain period during which the mumuksha 箩墨惫补 should never open his lips.
(b) 痴腻办苍颈测补尘颈鈥攔egulating his tongue only to move on imperative occasions.
(3) 碍腻测补-驳耻辫迟颈
碍腻测补-gupti means controlling the physical organism by the mumukshu 箩墨惫补 in accordance with the various rules and regulations as lay down in the scriptures. Now from the characteristic indications of all the three guptis, it is apparent that they are meant to help a 箩墨惫补 in the arrest of his karmic inflow; for all these acts as an antidote to the poisons of temptations which the world abounds with.