A Gradual Training
The Dhamma, the truth taught by the Buddha, unfolds
gradually. The Buddha made clear many times that Awakening does
not occur like a bolt out of the blue to the untrained and
unprepared mind. Rather, it culminates a long journey of many
stages:1
Just as the ocean has a gradual shelf, a
gradual slope, a gradual inclination, with a sudden drop-off
only after a long stretch, in the same way this Doctrine and
Discipline (dhamma-vinaya) has a gradual training, a gradual
performance, a gradual progression, with a penetration to
gnosis only after a long stretch. — Ud V.5
Monks, I do not say that the attainment of
gnosis is all at once. Rather, the attainment of gnosis is
after gradual training, gradual action, gradual practice.
And how is there the attainment of gnosis after gradual
training, gradual action, gradual practice? There is the
case where, when conviction has arisen, one visits [a
teacher]. Having visited, one grows close. Having grown
close, one lends ear. Having lent ear, one hears the Dhamma.
Having heard the Dhamma, one remembers it. Remembering, one
penetrates the meaning of the teachings. Penetrating the
meaning, one comes to an agreement through pondering the
teachings. There being an agreement through pondering the
teachings, desire arises. When desire has arisen, one is
willing. When one is willing, one contemplates. Having
contemplated, one makes an exertion. Having made an
exertion, one realizes with the body the ultimate truth and,
having penetrated it with discernment, sees it. — MN 70
In more practical terms, the Buddha taught this "gradual
training" (anupubbi-katha) as a process that unfolds in six
stages, guiding newcomers from first principles through
progressively more advanced teachings, all the way to the
fulfillment of the Four Noble Truths and the full realization of
nibbana:
Then the Blessed One, having encompassed the
awareness of the entire assembly with his awareness, asked
himself, "Now who here is capable of understanding the
Dhamma?" He saw Suppabuddha the leper sitting in the
assembly, and on seeing him the thought occurred to him,
"This person here is capable of understanding the Dhamma."
So, aiming at Suppabuddha the leper, he gave a step-by-step
talk, i.e., a talk on giving, a talk on virtue, a talk on
heaven; he declared the drawbacks, degradation, & corruption
of sensual passions, and the rewards of renunciation. Then
when he saw that Suppabuddha the leper's mind was ready,
malleable, free from hindrances, elated, & bright, he then
gave the Dhamma-talk peculiar to Awakened Ones, i.e.,
stress, origination, cessation, & path. And just as a clean
cloth, free of stains, would properly absorb a dye, in the
same way, as Suppabuddha the leper was sitting in that very
seat, the dustless, stainless Dhamma eye arose within him,
"Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to
cessation." - Ud v.3
At each stage of the training the practitioner discovers a
new and important dimension of the law of cause-and-effect —
kamma, the cornerstone of Right View. It is thus a very useful
organizing framework with which to view the entirety of the
Buddha's teachings.
The gradual training begins with the practice of
generosity, which helps begin the long process of weakening the
unawakened practitioner's habitual tendencies to cling — to
views, to sensuality, and to unskillful modes of thought and
behavior. This is followed by the development of virtue, the
basic level of sense-restraint that helps the practitioner
develop a healthy and trustworthy sense of self. The peace of
mind born from this level of self-respect provides the
foundation for all further progress along the path. The
practitioner now understands that some kinds of happiness are
deeper and more dependable than anything that
sense-gratification can ever provide; the happiness born of
generosity and virtue can even lead to rebirth in heaven —
either literal or metaphorical. But eventually the practitioner
begins to recognize the intrinsic drawbacks of even this kind of
happiness: as good as rebirth in wholesome states may be, the
happiness it brings is not a true and lasting one, for it relies
on conditions over which he or she ultimately has no control.
This marks a crucial turning point in the training, when the
practitioner begins to grasp that true happiness will never be
found in the realm of the physical and sensual world. The only
possible route to an unconditioned happiness lies in
renunciation, in turning away from the sensual realm, by trading
the familiar, lower forms of happiness for something far more
rewarding and noble. Now, at last, the practitioner is ripe to
receive the teachings on the Four Noble Truths, which spell out
the course of mental training required to realize the highest
happiness: nibbana.
Many Westerners first encounter the Buddha's teachings on
meditation retreats, which typically begin with instructions in
how to develop the skillful qualities of right mindfulness and
right concentration. It is worth noting that, as important as
these qualities are, the Buddha placed them towards the very end
of his gradual course of training. The meaning is clear: to reap
the most benefit from meditation practice, to bring to full
maturity all the qualities needed for Awakening, the fundamental
groundwork must not be overlooked. There is no short-cutting
this process.
Here is the Buddha's six-stage gradual training in more
detail:
Suggested Further Reading
| Source: Reproduced
and reformatted from Access to Insight edition © 2005
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