02. THE FIRE SERMON

THE FIRE SERMON

The most important factor for your meditation shown in the introduction was the interesting fact that Buddha did not give the fire sermon until all had pledged themselves to Buddha Dharma, though the ideas you presented were all valid.

That is worth understanding. Why did he not give the sermon before? Was it possible that this sermon would have been a better impetus for their joining his expanding Sangha?

He clearly considered not. Why was that? The answer lies in the simple act of listening with free critical enquiry, which you too must learn if you wish to advance in a way which is more than with cognitive intellect.

Watch people in normal discussions. What is their tactic? When someone is speaking they are already preparing their reply. They are looking and searching for loopholes in the others' arguments without really listening in a profound way. That is why there are so many interruptions in discussions.

Many years ago I learned a valuable lesson. A famous politician at the time, called Winston Churchill, declared, “One must know the arguments of one’s opponents fully, better or as good as your own, before you can demolish them.” One can only know the arguments of others or their teachings by listening. You must allow them to complete fully their arguments without interruption and then ask questions without aggression or thoughts to destroy that idea presenting one of your own, so that they can really develop their ideas and present them fully. When they have finished you can then look at their presentation for internal consistency, use of emotional arguments that colour reason, uncompleted ideas etc. Then you must let them do all they can to remedy that foundation.

Then and only then can you justify entering your own ideas and thoughts, trying first to see where you may be incorrect. That is free critical enquiry.

The fire worshipers, convinced and firm in their own errors would not have listened or understood the importance of the fire sermon unless they first had decided, for whatever reason, to join Buddha's fold.

Then there is another thing that we can see. These fire worshipers were not ignorant people; most would have been educated to some degree and have rejected other philosophical positions, so the examination of ideas and concepts in a profound way was not foreign to them. In other words, they were prepared intellectually to look deeper into statements than the mere words.

Alright, that is what you are faced with when you read the fire sermon. If you are not dedicated to the Buddha Dharma Path it will not be easy to penetrate with patience without intellect. If you are used to intellectual examination it will also not be easy. Let’s see then what you can make of the Fire Sermon in another version

Examine it carefully.

THE FIRE-SERMON.

Translated from the Mahâ-Vagga (i.211).

And there in Gayâ, on Gayâ Head, The Blessed One addressed the priests:--

"All things, O priests, are on fire. And what, O priests, are all these things which are on fire?

"The eye, O priests, is on fire; forms are on fire; eye-consciousness is on fire; impressions received by the eye are on fire; and whatever sensation, pleasant, unpleasant, or indifferent, originates in dependence on impressions received by the eye, that also is on fire.

"And with what are these on fire?

"With the fire of passion, say I, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of infatuation; with birth, old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, misery, grief, and despair are they on fire.

1. "The ear is on fire; sounds are on fire; ear-consciousness is on fire; impressions received by the ear are on fire; and whatever sensation, pleasant, unpleasant, or indifferent, originates in dependence on impressions received by the ear, that also is on fire.

2. "The nose is on fire; odors are on fire; nose-consciousness is on fire; impressions received by the nose are on fire; and whatever sensation, pleasant, unpleasant, or indifferent, originates in dependence on impressions received by the nose, that also is on fire.

3. "The tongue is on fire; tastes are on fire; tonge-consciousness is on fire; impressions received by the tongue are on fire; and whatever sensation, pleasant, unpleasant, or indifferent, originates in dependence on impressions received by the eye, that also is on fire.

4. "The body is on fire; things tangible are on fire; tact-consciousness is on fire; impressions received by tact are on fire; and whatever sensation, pleasant, unpleasant, or indifferent, originates in dependence on impressions received by tact, that also is on fire.

5. The mind is on fire; ideas are on fire; thinking-consciousness is on fire; impressions received by thinking are on fire; and whatever sensation, pleasant, unpleasant, or indifferent, originates in dependence on impressions received by thinking, that also is on fire.

"And with what are these on fire?

"With the fire of passion, say I, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of infatuation; with birth, old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, misery, grief, and despair are they on fire.

"Perceiving this, O priests, the learned and noble disciple conceives an aversion for the eye, conceives an aversion for forms, conceives an aversion for eye-consciousness, conceives an aversion for the impressions received by the eye; and whatever sensation, pleasant, unpleasant, or indifferent, originates in dependence on impressions received by the eye, for that also he conceives an aversion.

"Perceiving this, O priests, the learned and noble disciple conceives an aversion for the ear, conceives an aversion for sounds, (and all that follows)

"Perceiving this, O priests, the learned and noble disciple conceives an aversion for the nose, conceives an aversion for odours, (and all that follows)

"Perceiving this, O priests, the learned and noble disciple conceives an aversion for the tongue, conceives an aversion for tastes, (and all that follows)

"Perceiving this, O priests, the learned and noble disciple conceives an aversion for the body, conceives an aversion for things tangible, (and all that follows)

"Perceiving this, O priests, the learned and noble disciple conceives an aversion for the mind, conceives an aversion for ideas, conceives an aversion for mind-consciousness, conceives an aversion for the impressions received by the mind; and whatever sensation, pleasant, unpleasant, or indifferent, originates in dependence on impressions received by the mind, for this also he conceives an aversion.

"And in conceiving this aversion, he becomes divested of passion, and by the absence of passion he becomes free, and when he is free he becomes aware that he is free; and he knows that rebirth is exhausted, that he, has lived the holy life, that he has done what it was natural for him to do, and that he is no more for this world."

Now while this exposition was being delivered, the minds of the thousand priests became free from attachment and delivered from the depravities.

THE FIRE SERMON (Adittapariyaya Sutta)

Now translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

This is the text of the Fire Sermon delivered by Buddha.

Look as carefully and profoundly also at this text, after which I will give the commentary.

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying in Gaya, at Gaya Head, with 1,000 monks. There he addressed the monks:

"Monks, the All is aflame.

What All is aflame?

The eye is aflame. Forms are aflame. Consciousness at the eye is aflame. Contact at the eye is aflame. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the eye -- experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain -- that too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I tell you, with birth, aging and death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, and despairs.

"The ear is aflame. Sounds are aflame. Consciousness at the ear is aflame. Contact at the ear is aflame. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the ear -- experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain -- that too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I tell you, with birth, aging and death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, and despairs.

"The nose is aflame. Aromas are aflame. Consciousness at the nose is aflame. Contact at the nose is aflame. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the nose -- experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain -- that too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I tell you, with birth, aging and death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, and despairs.

"The tongue is aflame. Flavors are aflame. Consciousness at the tongue is aflame. Contact at the tongue is aflame. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the tongue -- experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain -- that too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I tell you, with birth, aging and death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, and despairs.

"The body is aflame. Tactile sensations are aflame. Consciousness at the body is aflame. Contact at the body is aflame. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the body -- experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain -- that too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I tell you, with birth, aging and death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, and despairs.

"The intellect is aflame. Ideas are aflame. Consciousness at the intellect is aflame. Contact at the intellect is aflame. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the intellect -- experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain -- that too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I say, with birth, aging and death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, and despairs.

"Seeing thus, the instructed noble disciple grows disenchanted with the eye, disenchanted with forms, disenchanted with consciousness at the eye, disenchanted with contact at the eye. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the eye, experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain: With that, too, he grows disenchanted.

"He grows disenchanted with the ear, disenchanted with sounds, disenchanted with consciousness at the ear, disenchanted with contact at the ear. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the ear, experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain: With that, too, he grows disenchanted.

"He grows disenchanted with the nose, disenchanted with aromas, disenchanted with consciousness at the nose, disenchanted with contact at the nose. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the nose, experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain: With that, too, he grows disenchanted.

"He grows disenchanted with the tongue, disenchanted with flavors, disenchanted with consciousness at the tongue, disenchanted with contact at the tongue. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the tongue, experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain: With that, too, he grows disenchanted.

"He grows disenchanted with the body, disenchanted with tactile sensations, disenchanted with consciousness at the body, disenchanted with contact at the body. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the body, experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain: With that, too, he grows disenchanted.

"He grows disenchanted with the intellect, disenchanted with ideas, disenchanted with consciousness at the intellect, disenchanted with contact at the intellect. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the intellect, experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain: He grows disenchanted with that too.

"Disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate. Through dispassion, he is fully released. With full release, there is the knowledge, 'Fully released.' He discerns that 'Birth is depleted, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.' "

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted at his words. And while this explanation was being given, the hearts of the 1,000 monks, through no clinging (not being sustained), were fully released from fermentation/effluents.

BUDDHA’S INTERACTION WITH KASSAPA

Now I would like to bring up an important point with regard to the reason why Kassapa accepted Buddha so easily.

The more that the Tainted Mind advances upon an intellectual path, the more certain that person is that the path is correct. This can lead to pride, vanity and a variety of other poisonous mind states.

But with intellectual thought, the mind is dealing with something that Psychology calls the Level of Certainty. Only in the case of the type of person who is not confused, greedy or with aversion, but Icchantika (the state of paranoia) is there a certainty of 100 percent. There is always a doubt remaining in a normal person who has developed ideas and a following that one can be incorrect.

This stems from the Life Force, which knows as a homeostatic system that there is an error in the balance and harmony of the system. It is this “voice” which prevents an intellectual certainty, although on an external plane certainty may be presented in arguments.

When the pride and arrogance is great there is a certain tension that develops from the fear of such a mental investment in self being exposed. The consequence is jealousy or envy in the face of serious competition, which is thought to be also intellectual.

There is always a second phenomenon which occurs in such situations when the intellectual ideas are in philosophical or spiritual areas. It is called cognitive dissonance.

It works like this in those that are not, of course, outright frauds.

a: My intelligence is great and therefore I am correct.

b: But there is a doubt inherent in my subconscious that I am incorrect.

c: If a: is correct why do I feel insecure?

d: If b: is correct then I am not as intelligent as I thought.

The conflict between these two series of thoughts causes great tension that cannot be resolved by reason… The system then by itself presents a solution.

“You do not have to worry about the intelligence at all. You are Holy.”

End of tension. End of problem.

Now all is well until one encounters someone who is endowed with a DIRECT EXPERIENCE: Buddha or any Awakened person.

With the direct experience there is no concept of intelligence involved and not the least idea of the concept of Mundane Holiness.

Buddha was presented by Kassapa with a problem.

The presence of the serpent of fire, the burning mind.

If Buddha had not the Direct experience, he may have fallen to the almost hypnotic suggestion of the truth of the Serpent of Fire. But Buddha’s mind was clear and untainted and saw all as Illusion, including himself, Kassapa and of course the illusions of mind-induced ideas.

When Buddha’s direct experience conquered illusion, then Kassapa was faced with a second case of cognitive dissonance.

a: I have intelligence and Holliness

b: I have failed,

Thus my holiness and intelligence is minor.

Solution of the Dissonance: I am intelligent and Holy but Buddha is more intelligent and Holy.

Solution: Go with Buddha as a disciple and lose no face.

With Buddha’s guidance, eventually Kassapa could reach a reduction of Identity and see the Vacuity of the Idea of Holiness and intelligence. Thus he could become an endowed Arahat.

If he was able, he too may have become Awakened.

Alright. What is the lesson here?

Do not let intellectual thought enter into your spiritual search and develop a clear consciousness of the Life Force that is looking for a non-intellectual balance and harmony.

Those who have reached this point should continue with the other lessons.