Tathālokā Therī

April 14, 2025

"Those who are truly wise are especially aware of the need for sanity. They take delight in sanity. They take pleasure in the pursuit of sanity because it is the resort of the noble ones."

- the Buddha

I've been keeping this verse on my desktop, reading it time by time over the past 24 hours and contemplating, as it was so striking and compelling to me, with a sense of timely meaning, as we emerge now from our three months winter retreat time.

It is a translation of a saying of the Buddha's preserved as the 23rd verse of the Dhammapāda Pāli:

Etaṃ visesato ñatvā appamādaṃ hi paṇḍitā;

Appamāde pamodanti ariyānaṃ gocare ratā.

Most interesting and compelling to me, the translation of the Pāli "appamāda" as "sanity," which is not unreasonable. As "pamāda" is intoxication, headlessness, a lack of clear cognizance and the ability to respond in a wise, clearly comprehending and headful way.

In fact, the Buddha's final words are recorded as having been:

"Appamādena sampadethā"

"Appamādena" meaning being, thinking and acting with appamāda as above. And "sampadethā" being a respectful imperative to do so consummately, with 'right effort', diligently.

The full quote starts with the Buddha, just before his passing into final nirvāna, saying:

"Vayadhammā saṅkhārā - "

or "Khaya vayadhammā saṅkhārā - "

All conditioned things are of the nature of 'rise and fall', of the nature to arise and to cease.

As a bhikkhunī, this is especially poignant and familiar, as if it is the full moon or new moon, and we invite a senior monk to teach, but there is no qualified senior monk available, the monks are to politely decline the invitation while also encouraging the inviting bhikkhunī/s by reciting these final words of the Buddha's:

Khaya vayadhammā saṅkhārā -

Appamādena sampadethā.

This is often translated as:

"Everything is impermanent: strive on with diligence."

Or, "the days and nights are relentlessly passing: do not waste time."

But it is more than "diligence" if we consider the key meaning of "appamāda" as above. And it is more than just striving or making effort this "sampadhana," this not wasting time.

..........

Returning to,

"Those who are truly wise are especially aware of the need for sanity. They take delight in sanity. They take pleasure in the pursuit of sanity because it is the resort of the noble ones."

The translated commentary which appeared on the same page below the English above explains:

"Appamāda: this is an expression found in numerous contexts in the Teachings of the Buddha. Even in his last words this occurs. The exact significance of appamāda is “sanity” absence of madness."

The PTS Pāli-English dictionary says:

"Appamāda {Appamada} [a + pamāda] thoughtfulness, carefulness, conscientiousness, watchfulness, vigilance, earnestness".

Pa+mada (being exceptional mad, drunk or heedless:

"Mada {Mada} [Vedic mada, mad (see majjati), Idg. *mad, as in Av. mata intoxication, drink, mad, to get intoxicated."

Looking at the Dhammapāda verse 23 teaching again:

Etaṃ visesato ñatvā appamādaṃ hi paṇḍitā;

Appamāde pamodanti ariyānaṃ gocare ratā.

Thus, the wise, distinctly and altogether know the need for such watchfulness, carefulness, conscientiousness, and vigilance in 'where we go' and what we resort to.

This very being consummate in vigilance and right effort, with such earnest and sincere mindfulness and clear awareness, with such conscientiousness -

Here the Buddha makes a play on words:

"Appamāde pamodanti" -

Non-pamādana is juxtoposed with pamodana -

with "pamodana" meaning not "exceptionally intoxicated" but "exceptionally joyful" -

- which means to take delight in, to find one's true gladness and joy in, being so mindful, so alert, to careful, conscientious and vigilant in completely and wholeheartedly making the effort, the right effort, with what needs to be done.

This was translated above as: "They take delight in sanity."

For here it is said: "Appamāde pamodanti ariyānaṃ gocare ratā".

"They take delight in sanity.

"They take pleasure in the pursuit of sanity because it is the resort of the noble ones."

"Ariyānaṃ gocare ratā" -

"Ariyā" are the noble ones, here not noble by birth, but noble in their views, noble in their thoughts, noble in their words, and noble in their efforts and in their conduct.

"Gocare" means what we resort to. It means where we go to find nutriment, as cows find their pasture. It means how we made our livelihood, where we take recourse, and it is our field of effort, and endeavor - which would be, if we were a cowherd - also where what we would choicefully lead our 'herd' or our 'flock' to resort to.

"Ratā" here means to delight. Where and in what the wise one's find delight.

> etaṃ: this; visesato [visesata]: especially; ñatvā: recognizing; appamādaṃ hi: established in mindfulness; paṇḍitā: the wise ones; appamāde: in mindfulness; pamodanti: take delight; ariyānaṃ [ariyāna]: of noble ones; gocare: fit way of behaviour; ratā: delighting in.

🌸🌼🌼🌼💐🏵 The noble ones resort of delight is not such madness; they take joy and delight and find their nutriment and take their nourishment from resorting to and in this awareness, and such diligence and vigilance in such wise and right effort - in giving their all to that effort wholeheartedly, in being consummate in personal integrity and effort in doing so. 🏵💐🌼🌼🌼🌸

..........

I offer these Dhamma thoughts to the memory of one of the greats among humanity whose birthday is today, the late Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar ji, who strove in his life for such clear thinking, such noble intentionality, such right effort, with thought for the welfare of humanity, within his own culture and society in his own time, and still very much remembered now. Perhaps his legacy is even still growing now after his death. As has been so for the Buddha, in whose teaching he took recourse, after deep investigation and consideration, leading many others to this wise pasture.

Photo: beneath the blessed gaze and gesture of the Buddha, at the Buddha Leni ancient caves monastery of Aurangabad, India, 2008, where we had gathered with the Fourfold Buddhist Community, invited for International Bhikkhuni Parisad. That day, our Bhikkhunīs from north, south, east and west - India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and America - shared thoughts on Sīlā Morality, Ethics, Ethical Integrity and Right Effort in the Buddha's Dhamma with the eight thousand people gathered. Today I dedicate these Dhamma thoughts and any and all good merits thereof to all who Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar ji worked so hard for and cared so much for - our dear humanity - on his birthday, #AmbedkarJayanti.

Likewise to all living beings.

✍️ Tathālokā Therī, 14 April 2025, at Dhammadharini

I thank all the supporters of Dhammadharini, and our Dhammadharini Bhikkhuni Sangha, for all of the resources and support that make it possible for me to contemplate and write about the Dhamma, and to contemplate the efforts and path of great beings in our world, and walking in their footsteps.

May these merits be dedicated to sanity!

🙏 Idaṁ me puññaṁ āsavakkhayāvahaṁ hotu.

May these merits of mine be dedicated to the cutting off and ending of all mental cankers and afflictions.

🙏 Idaṁ me silam magga-phala-ñānassa paccayo hotu.

May my moral conduct and ethic integrity be a supporting condition for the realization of the noble path and it's fruits.

🙏 Idaṁ me puññaṁ Nibbānassa paccayo hotu.

May these merits of mine be supporting condition for the complete realization of Nibbāna.

Mayaṁ puññabhāgaṁ sabbasattānaṁ demā.

May these blessings be shared with all living beings ~

Namo Buddhāya Namo Dhammāya Namo Sanghāya

🌸🌼🌼🌼💐🏵🌸🌼🌼🌼💐🏵💐🌼🌼🌼🌸🏵💐🌼🌼🌼🌸

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For those who might (reasonably) say: "that's nice, but what did he do for women?" -

Just after posting, i saw this from Ayya Yeshe, thanks to Priyanka Mendhe:

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...and then the next thing i saw: also so suitable and relevant (thanks to Mini Vishal Shah) from the Māra Sutta:

“But sir, what’s the purpose of seeing rightly?”

“Sammādassanaṁ pana, bhante, kimatthiyan”ti?

“Disillusionment is the purpose of seeing rightly.”

“Sammādassanaṁ kho, rādha, nibbidatthaṁ”.

“But what’s the purpose of disillusionment?”

“Nibbidā pana, bhante, kimatthiyā”ti?

“Dispassion is the purpose of disillusionment.”

“Nibbidā kho, rādha, virāgatthā”.

“But what’s the purpose of dispassion?”

“Virāgo pana, bhante, kimatthiyo”ti?

“Freedom is the purpose of dispassion.”

“Virāgo kho, rādha, vimuttattho”.

“But what’s the purpose of freedom?”

“Vimutti pana, bhante, kimatthiyā”ti?

“Nibbāna* is the purpose of freedom.”

“Vimutti kho, rādha, nibbānatthā”.

(*Nirvāna, the extinguishing/extinguishment of the fires of greed, hatred and delusion)

“But sir, what is the purpose of this extinguishment?”

“Nibbānaṁ pana, bhante, kimatthiyan”ti?

“Your question goes too far, Rādha. You couldn’t figure out the limit of questions.

“Accayāsi, rādha, pañhaṁ, nāsakkhi pañhassa pariyantaṁ gahetuṁ.

For this extinguishment, this Nibbāna/Nirvāna, is the culmination, destination, and end of the spiritual life.”

Nibbānogadhañhi, rādha, brahmacariyaṁ vussati, nibbānaparāyanaṁ nibbānapariyosānan”ti.

. . .

sourced and adapted from here.

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For anyone who may like to study the meaning of this Dhammapāda verse in depth, this is an excellent resource.