Four Defilements of Ascetics and Brāhmins

So too, Monks, there are four defilements of Ascetics and Brāhmins because of which some Ascetics and Brāhmins do not shine, blaze, and radiate.

What four?

(1) There are some Ascetics and Brāhmins who drink liquor and wine and do not refrain from drinking liquor and wine (ingest substances that cause heedlessness).

This is the first defilement of Ascetics and Brāhmins because of which some Ascetics and Brāhmins do not shine, blaze, and radiate.

(2) There are some Ascetics and Brāhmins who indulge in sexual intercourse and do not refrain from sexual intercourse.

This is the second defilement of Ascetics and Brāhmins because of which some Ascetics and Brāhmins do not shine, blaze, and radiate.

(3) There are some Ascetics and Brāhmins who accept gold and silver and do not refrain from receiving gold and silver.

This is the third defilement of Ascetics and Brāhmins because of which some Ascetics and Brāhmins do not shine, blaze, and radiate.

(4) There are some Ascetics and Brāhmins who earn their living by wrong livelihood and do not refrain from wrong livelihood.

This is the fourth defilement of Ascetics and Brāhmins because of which some Ascetics and Brāhmins do not shine, blaze, and radiate.

These are the four defilements of Ascetics and Brāhmins because of which some Ascetics and Brāhmins do not shine, blaze, and radiate.

(Reference: AN 4.50)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares four defilements or pollutions of mind that he observed in the population of Ascetics and Brāhmins.

During the lifetime of Gotama Buddha there were many other roaming Ascetics in communities claiming to have discovered The Teachings that lead to Enlightenment. There were also Brāhmin priests performing rites, rituals, ceremonies, and worship encouraging the “belief” in countless superstitious and unproven claims.

Brāhmins were part of the caste system who were born into families who were responsible for providing rites, rituals, ceremonies, and worship services. The common person would need to pay a set fee to the Brāhmins for their service. The community was taught for many generations to believe they were unable to pray or worship on their own for any beneficial outcome but instead would need to pay a fee to this special class of people, the Brāhmins, who would provide the service of praying on their behalf.

Gotama Buddha observing this system of payment for prayers and promised beneficial outcomes, understood this would not lead to Enlightenment of the mind. There are no rites, rituals, ceremonies, and worship that will produce wisdom in the mind that would lead to liberation of the mind. He also observed corruption as with an entire population of people believing they were unable to pray or worship on their own but instead would need the services of a special class of people. This special class of people, the Brāhmins, could demand any sort of payment they wished and if the people were interested in prayer and worship on their behalf, they would then be motivated to provide the payment.

Keep in mind that during the lifetime of The Buddha, there were many different groups claiming they had The Teachings that lead to Enlightenment when in reality it was The Buddha’s Teachings that lead to Enlightenment and he knew that, but not everyone else did. So there were still people who continued to learn and practice the teachings of other communities.

There were competing communities of Ascetics with a Master Teacher all claiming it was their teachings that would produce Enlightenment. Various members of these communities would listen to talks on the teachings and applied various amounts of effort to implementing the teachings into their daily life.

Due to the environment of competing views and opinions, along with there being no way to confirm for others that Gotama Buddha was indeed a Buddha, various Teachers shared their teachings throughout the community.

Gotama Buddha refers to these as “wrong harmful teachings”.

Detailed explanation of these wrong harmful teachings is available in this same book series found in Chapter 60 of the book “Realms of Existence” (Volume 11).

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares that he has observed four (4) defilements or pollutions of mind practiced by Ascetics and Brāhmins of other communities.

1.) Ascetics and Brāhmins of other communities “drink liquor and wine and do not refrain from drinking liquor and wine (ingest substances that cause heedlessness)”.

With a mind that is polluted with substances that cause heedlessness, it will never experience Enlightenment as long as those substances continue to be used. It would be impossible to cultivate Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration, along with all the other aspects of one’s life practice that would need to be developed to attain Enlightenment.

There is no substance that causes heedlessness that would improve the condition of the mind, it would only cause further complications and difficulties as one’s mind is diluted by their choice to ingest these substances.

The Path to Enlightenment is to purify the mind of all the fetters/taints/pollution of mind. If one is actively working to purify the mind and develop “awareness of mind” (i.e. Right Mindfulness), how could ingesting substances that cause heedlessness assist in this journey? It cannot and an Ascetic, Brāhmin, or even a Household Practitioner who aspires for the attainment of Enlightenment and is working in that direction, would need to eliminate substances that cause heedlessness from their life practice. If the mind is craving/desiring, or in other words, addicted to substances that cause heedlessness, even using them casually, the mind is not yet Enlightened.

It is best to view substances that cause heedlessness as “poison”. Through viewing substances that cause heedlessness in this way, one can actively work towards eliminating them from their life practice.

Detailed explanation of substances that cause heedlessness is available in this same book series found in Chapter 7 of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1).

2.) Ascetics and Brāhmins of other communities “indulge in sexual intercourse and do not refrain from sexual intercourse”.

The Third Precept of The Eight Precepts is guiding a Practitioner to “abandon sexual activity and observe celibacy, living apart, abstaining from sexual intercourse, the common person’s practice”.

This Precept will help a Practitioner to eliminate the fetter/taint of “sensual desire” from the mind. All of The Ten Fetters need to be eliminated from the mind for a Practitioner to attain Enlightenment. One of the fetters/taints/pollutions of the mind is “sensual desire”. One of the strongest sensual desires that many human beings experience is the sensual desire of sexual contact.

Through a Practitioner choosing to eliminate sexual contact by practicing this precept, they can actively work to train the mind to eliminate sensual desire bringing them closer to Enlightenment.

A Practitioner would need to first gradually eliminate the action of sexual contact then gradually eliminate the mind’s craving/desire/attachment to sexual contact to fully liberate the mind from this fetter/taint/pollution.

There is nothing wrong or immoral with having sexual intercourse but, a mind that has the fetter of sensual desire will still experience discontentedness. When or if a Practitioner chooses to eliminate sexual contact from their life practice, is a personal choice for each Practitioner. A Practitioner could attain the first and second Stage of Enlightenment while maintaining a healthy sexual life enjoying the benefits of training the mind to this point.

Then, when and if they choose, a Practitioner can work on eliminating the remaining fetters/taints bringing the mind into the third and fourth Stage of Enlightenment which would include eliminating sexual contact to eliminate the fetter/taint/pollution of sensual desire.

3.) Ascetics and Brāhmins of other communities “accept gold and silver and do not refrain from receiving gold and silver”.

During Gotama Buddha’s lifetime, he guided Ordained Practitioners to not accept gold and silver (i.e. money) as an offering. It was only food, water, clothing, shelter, and medical care that was offered to sustain his life and the life of those who were his closest Students - the Ordained Practitioners. This helped Ordained Practitioners to eliminate craving/desire/attachment to wealth.

Offerings to Teachers who are sharing these Teachings does not need to be exclusively monetary offerings. While financial support is needed to provide the freedom to produce resources for the continued sharing of these Teachings, a Student can also offer food, water, clothing, shelter, medical care, books, and other supplies along with your time, effort, and energy to support the continued sharing of these Teachings.

Many of us are interested in helping improve the world but lack the wisdom of how to accomplish that goal. It is the wisdom found in these Teachings that will help all of humanity to create a kinder and more peaceful society. Through supporting Teachers who are sharing these Teachings, you can ensure that you and others will continue to learn and progress through developing a solid foundation in these Teachings. You are only receiving these Teachings now due to the generosity and support provided by countless individuals over the past 2,500 years. Any offerings you make to support these Teachings will then ensure these Teachings are available for future generations just like they are being made available to you.

If regular and continued donations to Teachers that assist them in sustaining their life and to provide the needed resources to share these Teachings were not provided, all of humanity would be lost and unable to develop their life practice to experience Enlightenment. The world would continue to become a darker place to exist. It is only when Practitioners choose to provide regular and consistent ongoing support that a Teacher is then able to sustain their life with the basic necessities of life and then direct their effort and energy towards sharing the wisdom of these Teachings with you.

Please support those who are sharing these Teachings into the world who you observe are doing so through virtuous moral conduct. Using discernment (wise decision making) a Practitioner can practice generosity to share their wealth with those “who refrain from intoxication and heedlessness, who are settled in patience and gentleness, who tame the mind, calm the mind, and train the mind for Nibbāna (Enlightenment)”.

Through supporting these individuals with your donations of time, effort, energy, and resources you will be helping all of humanity.

4.) Ascetics and Brāhmins of other communities “earn their living by wrong livelihood and do not refrain from wrong livelihood”.

The Buddha provided detailed Teachings on “wrong livelihood” and “Right Livelihood” for both Ordained and Household Practitioners. The livelihoods he guided people to practice were unique to the lifestyle of whether someone is an Ordained or Household Practitioner.

Ordained Practitioners have been guided by The Buddha to practice Right Livelihood based on their choice to accept donations from Household Practitioners and that they should be focused on learning, reflecting, practicing, and sharing these Teachings for the benefit of others.

Through developing their own life practice, they will then have deep wisdom to be able to guide the Household Practitioners who support them. There is no blessings or other rites, rituals, ceremonies, or worship that should be practiced by Ordained Practitioners. Rites, rituals, ceremonies, and worship only promotes “wrong view” and would detract from cultivating and developing a Community of Practitioners towards the attainment of Enlightenment. Therefore, the only thing that Ordained Practitioners have to offer Household Practitioners, out of appreciation and gratitude for their support, is sharing the wisdom of these Teachings. That is how The Buddha intended it to be, so he provided an extensive list of “wrong livelihoods” for Ordained Practitioners.

Today, there are Ordained Practitioners who do not understand these Teachings as deeply as when they were first shared by The Buddha. Therefore, today we see some Ordained Practitioners who are practicing “wrong livelihood”. But, as they choose to more deeply learn, reflect, and practice these Teachings to understand The Words of The Buddha, they may choose to improve their life practice so that they are supporting the Household Practitioners in their journey to Enlightenment. The way to accomplish that goal is for Ordained Practitioners to learn, reflect, and practice these Teachings through determination, dedication, and diligence as described during the lifetime of The Buddha.

To not practice based on The Words of The Buddha is, to go astray and continue the roaming and wandering through The Cycle of Rebirth while not being equipped to attain Enlightenment or help the Household Practitioners who are helping Ordained Practitioners to sustain their life assisting them to more deeply develop their life practice. This book and others in this book series will provide a solid foundation and support Ordained Practitioners and Household Practitioners to develop their life practice to attain Enlightenment as described during the lifetime of The Buddha using only The Words of The Buddha. Ordained Practitioners will need to focus on developing their own life practice with support of the Household Practitioners so that they can then share these Teachings with others benefiting all of humanity.

Due to the Ascetics and Brāhmins of other communities practicing in this way described as part of the four defilements or pollutions of mind that The Buddha observed in the population of Ascetics and Brāhmins, they “do not shine, blaze, and radiate”. The mind is not Enlightened shining forth with brightness and the brilliance of the Enlightened mind.

This is not The Buddha judging others, talking down to them, nor having arrogance or pride related to his Teachings. Instead, he is sharing with his Students what they will observe in other communities so that they will understand why he shares The Teachings that he does and the results of these Teachings.

We now know, 2,500 years later, that it was Gotama Buddha’s Teachings that lead to Enlightenment - that’s why they are still in existence today. The Teachers and Teachings of other communities did not last or prosper. Those Teachings did not propagate throughout the world because they do not work to attain Enlightenment.

But, The Buddha’s Teachings do work. His Teachings lead exactly where he said they would - to Enlightenment. The Enlightened mind will experience peace, calm, serenity, and contentedness with joy that is permanent. The Practitioner can observe this for themselves as the condition of the mind gradually improves. Through that observation, people gradually grew to understand that, not only was Gotama Buddha a Buddha, but it was his Teachings that lead to Enlightenment. Therefore, people supported his Teachings to continue in the world through sharing them one person to another over the last 2,500 years until now. These Teachings are now reaching you based on many centuries of consistent, ongoing, and diligent effort to share these Teachings from generation to generation.

Once you learn the truth and observe the condition of the mind has drastically improved to no longer have any discontentedness whatsoever and life is so very peaceful, what would you do? Keep that wisdom for yourself or share it with others?

Every single aspect of The Buddha’s Teachings has a purpose. There is no part of a Buddha’s Teachings that is inserted by chance or mistake. A Buddha’s Teachings are very well thought out and intentionally shared in a specific way.

Just because others do not understand the purpose and meaning behind a Buddha’s Teachings, should not give cause to change a Buddha’s Teachings. Modifying a Buddha’s Teachings is the most dangerous thing anyone could ever do which would drastically affect all of humanity for countless generations. It is The Teachings of a Buddha that will guide countless individuals to Enlightenment during the lifetime of a Buddha and after their death, if they are unchanged. Once a Buddha has died, there is no way to consult with them about their Teachings to more deeply understand them, therefore, any changes would be highly unwise unless done so by a new Buddha.

It is only a true Buddha who can declare The Teachings that lead to Enlightenment. While a Practitioner can attain Enlightenment, they will not be equipped to declare the true Teachings that lead to Enlightenment. A Buddha can attain Enlightenment on their own and will have deep profound wisdom related to how to attain Enlightenment. While an average Practitioner can learn, reflect, and practice a Buddha’s Teachings to attain Enlightenment, their mind is liberated by the wisdom of a Buddha. But, they do not and cannot have the ability to declare The Path to Enlightenment as a Buddha would.

A Buddha sees The Path to Enlightenment through The Natural Laws of Existence so clearly because their mind is uninfluenced by any outside source. A Buddha is Fully Perfectly Enlightened. They can see The Natural Laws of Existence so clearly and vividly.

While an average Practitioner can gain the wisdom to see these natural laws and awaken to Enlightenment, there is no one other than a true Buddha that can clearly distinguish The Teachings that lead to Enlightenment in the same way as a Buddha.

Therefore, if anyone attempted to change or modify The Teachings of a Buddha, they would be doing so at their own detriment and for the harm of countless individuals. While today we have weaponry that could kill millions of people with one pull of a trigger, changing a Buddha’s Teachings is more detrimental to humanity than the largest most significant explosion that could ever be produced by technology.

A Buddha arising in the world is extremely rare. Therefore, once humanity has the clear and direct Teachings of a true Buddha, they should not be changed or modified in any way unless done so by a Buddha. To attempt to adjust, modify, or change a Buddha’s Teachings in the slightest degree would cause significant, irreversible, and devastating suffering for all of humanity.