{"id":266353,"date":"2024-07-15T12:00:59","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T11:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=266353"},"modified":"2024-07-09T05:32:38","modified_gmt":"2024-07-09T04:32:38","slug":"the-buddhas-last-teaching-be-your-own-island-your-own-refuge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2024\/07\/the-buddhas-last-teaching-be-your-own-island-your-own-refuge\/","title":{"rendered":"The Buddha\u2019s Last Teaching: Be Your Own Island, Your Own Refuge"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Be your own island, your own refuge, with no other refuge. Let the teaching be your island and your refuge, with no other refuge.”<\/em>
\n\u2013 Sakyamuni Buddha<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Mah\u0101parinibb\u0101nasutta is the sutra that recounts the very last days of the Buddha\u2019s life when he was 80 years old and became very sick in the small village of Beluva. This passage from the sutra contains one of the most famous conversations between the Buddha and his disciple Ananda in which Ananda asks his teacher whether he has any final words of advice for his community of students. The Buddha responds that he never taught with a \u2018closed hand\u2019, that his teachings were always available for everyone, and that finally, the spiritual wellbeing of each person is their own responsibility, and that the Dharma is their own island, their own place of refuge<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

*******************************<\/p>\n

Commencing the Rains at Beluva<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When the Buddha had stayed in Ambap\u0101l\u012b\u2019s grove as long as he wished, he addressed Venerable \u0100nanda,\u00a0\u201cCome, \u0100nanda, let\u2019s go to the little village of Beluva.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir,\u201d \u0100nanda replied.\u00a0Then the Buddha together with a large Sa\u1e45gha of mendicants arrived at the little village of Beluva,\u00a0and stayed there.<\/p>\n

There the Buddha addressed the mendicants:\u00a0\u201cMendicants, please enter the rainy season residence with whatever friends or acquaintances you have around Ves\u0101l\u012b.\u00a0I\u2019ll commence the rainy season residence right here in the little village of Beluva.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir,\u201d those mendicants replied. They did as the Buddha said,\u00a0while the Buddha commenced the rainy season residence right there in the little village of Beluva.<\/p>\n

After the Buddha had commenced the rainy season residence, he fell severely ill, struck by dreadful pains, close to death.\u00a0But he endured unperturbed, with mindfulness and situational awareness.\u00a0Then it occurred to the Buddha,\u00a0\u201cIt would not be appropriate for me to become fully extinguished before informing my attendants and taking leave of the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha.\u00a0Why don\u2019t I forcefully suppress this illness, stabilize the life force, and live on?\u201d<\/p>\n

So that is what he did.\u00a0Then the Buddha\u2019s illness died down.<\/p>\n

Soon after the Buddha had recovered from that sickness, he came out from his dwelling and sat in the shade of the porch on the seat spread out. Then Venerable \u0100nanda went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him, \u201cSir, it\u2019s fantastic that the Buddha is comfortable and well. Because when the Buddha was sick, my body felt like it was drugged. I was disorientated, and the teachings weren\u2019t clear to me. Still, at least I was consoled by the thought that the Buddha won\u2019t become fully extinguished without making some statement regarding the Sa\u1e45gha of mendicants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet the teaching be your island and your refuge, with no other refuge.\u00a0And how does a mendicant do this?\u00a0It\u2019s when a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body\u2014keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cBut what could the mendicant Sa\u1e45gha expect from me, \u0100nanda?\u00a0I\u2019ve taught the Dhamma without making any distinction between secret and public teachings.\u00a0The Realized One doesn\u2019t have the closed fist of a teacher when it comes to the teachings.\u00a0If there\u2019s anyone who thinks:\u00a0\u2018I\u2019ll take charge of the Sa\u1e45gha of mendicants,\u2019 or \u2018the Sa\u1e45gha of mendicants is meant for me,\u2019 let them make a statement regarding the Sa\u1e45gha.\u00a0But the Realized One doesn\u2019t think like this,\u00a0so why should he make some statement regarding the Sa\u1e45gha?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m now old, elderly and senior. I\u2019m advanced in years and have reached the final stage of life.\u00a0I\u2019m currently eighty years old.\u00a0Just as a decrepit cart keeps going by relying on straps,\u00a0in the same way, the Realized One\u2019s body keeps going by relying on straps, or so you\u2019d think.\u00a0Sometimes the Realized One, not focusing on any signs, and with the cessation of certain feelings, enters and remains in the signless immersion of the heart. Only then does the Realized One\u2019s body become more comfortable.<\/p>\n

So \u0100nanda, be your own island, your own refuge, with no other refuge. Let the teaching be your island and your refuge, with no other refuge.\u00a0And how does a mendicant do this?\u00a0It\u2019s when a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body\u2014keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world.\u00a0They meditate observing an aspect of feelings \u2026\u00a0mind \u2026\u00a0principles\u2014keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and aversion for the world.\u00a0That\u2019s how a mendicant is their own island, their own refuge, with no other refuge. That\u2019s how the teaching is their island and their refuge, with no other refuge.<\/p>\n

Whether now or after I have passed, any who shall live as their own island, their own refuge, with no other refuge; with the teaching as their island and their refuge, with no other refuge\u2014those mendicants of mine who want to train shall be among the best of the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

_____________________________________<\/p>\n

Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato from Chapter 12: <\/em>Mah\u0101parinibb\u0101nasutta<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Go to Original – thedewdrop.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Be your own island, your own refuge, with no other refuge. Let the teaching be your island and your refuge, with no other refuge.” \u2013 Sakyamuni Buddha<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":266354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[202],"tags":[1198,107,2062,805,2237],"class_list":["post-266353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spirituality","tag-buddhism","tag-religion","tag-shakyamuni-buddha","tag-spirituality","tag-wisdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266353"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":266356,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266353\/revisions\/266356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}