The Five Great Thieves

Monks, there are these five great thieves to be found in the world.

What are the five?

(1) Monks, here a certain one of the great thieves thought: To be sure, will I, surrounded by a hundred or by a thousand, wander about among villages, towns, and the possessions of Kings, slaying and causing to be slain, destroying and causing destruction, tormenting and causing torment. He, in the course of time, surrounded by a hundred or by a thousand, wanders about among villages, towns, and the possessions of Kings, slaying and causing to be slain, destroying and causing destruction, tormenting and causing torment.

Now indeed, Monks, a certain unwholesome Monk thought: To be sure, I, surrounded by a hundred or by a thousand, will make an alms-tour among villages, towns and the possessions of Kings, honored, respected, appreciated, worshipped, admired, supported by Householders, by those who have gone forth into homelessness, and by the requisites of robes, almsfood, bedding and medicine. He, in the course of time, surrounded by a hundred, by a thousand, made an alms-tour among villages, towns and the possessions of Kings, honored, respected, appreciated, worshipped, admired, supported by Householders and receiving the requisites of robes, almsfood, bedding and medicine for those who go forth into homelessness.

This, Monks, is the first great thief found existing in the world.

(2) Again, Monks, here a certain unwholesome Monk, having mastered thoroughly Teachings and the discipline made known by The Tathāgata, takes it for his own.

This, Monks, is the second great thief found existing in the world.

(3) Again, Monks, here a certain unwholesome Monk, blames a follower of the pure Brahma-life, one leading the absolutely pure Brahma-life, for an unfounded breach of the Brahma-life.

This, Monks, is the third great thief found existing in the world.

(4) Again, Monks, a certain unwholesome Monk favors and persuades a Householder on account of those things which are important possessions of The Community, on account of those things which are its important requisites, that is to say, a park, a site for a park, a vihāra (monastery), a site for a vihāra, a couch, a chair, a bolster, a pillow, a brass vessel, a brass jar, a brass pot, a brass receptacle, a razor, an axe, a hatchet, a hoe, a spade, a creeper, bamboo, muñja-grass, babbaja-grass, tina-grass, clay, wooden articles, earthen-ware articles.

This, Monks, is the fourth great thief found existing in the world.

(5) Monks, in the world with the heavenly beings and including Māra, including the Brahmā-world, including Ascetics and Brāhmins, including breathing things, including heavenly beings and men, this is the chief great thief: he who claims a non-existent state of further-men (Enlightenment), which has not been attained.

What is the reason for this?

Monks, you have eaten the country’s almsfood by theft.

(Reference: Pi Tv Bu Vb Pj 4)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how unwholesome Ordained Practitioners can be considered a thief and would be eating the country’s almsfood by theft.

It requires an extensive amount of time, effort, energy, and resources for Household Practitioners to support a Community of Ordained Practitioners. Household Practitioners apply time, effort, energy, and resources towards the sustaining of their own life and choose to generously share with Ordained Practitioners and Teachers to support them in further progress towards the attainment of Enlightenment.

Through the support provided by the Household Practitioners, Ordained Practitioners and Teachers should then provide Household Practitioners with Teachings to benefit and improve their life. In this way, there is a beneficial exchange through a practice of generosity by all.

For the benefit of the Ordained Practitioners and Teachers to have all the basic necessities provided by their Students, Ordained Practitioners and Teachers should have an enormous amount of gratitude, appreciation, and respectful for all Household Practitioners as they are providing the hard work and generosity to accumulate and share life sustaining necessities.

Therefore, all Ordained Practitioners and Teachers should ensure they are determinate, dedicated, and diligent in the development of the life practice so that they will then be able to offer Teachings back to the Household Practitioners. In this way, there is an exchange that allows a community of people to progress and grow within these Teachings.

But, if an Ordained Practitioner or Teacher is not taking the role they have chosen to seriously learn, reflect, and practice but instead, are continuing their unwholesome ways lacking diligence to develop their practice, they are “stealing” from the Household Practitioners.

The Buddha described five (5) types of thieves and how Ordained Practitioners are stealing.

1.) The Buddha describes unwholesome Ordained Practitioners who are actively working to cause death, destruction, and torment within The Community of Household Practitioners as a thief. While their actions are to cause destruction, they still collect donations from The Community. They are not actively working to build up The Community through sharing these wholesome Teachings, but instead, are actively working to conspire against The Community through attempting to bring destruction. An individual who functions in this way is being described as a thief by Gotama Buddha.

2.) The Buddha describes unwholesome Ordained Practitioners who deeply learn his Teachings and then steal them by claiming those Teachings originate with them, not The Buddha. Anyone who learns and practices these Teachings experiencing the results of any attainments to include Enlightenment would have deep gratitude, appreciation, and respect for Gotama Buddha while providing him all the credit for his hard work to bring these Teachings into the world. An individual who claims these Teachings are their own is being described as a thief by Gotama Buddha.

3.) The Buddha describes unwholesome Ordained Practitioners who blame people of other traditions that they have broken their practice of those Teachings without evidence or proof. In reality, it is not the role or responsibility of one person to point out the lack of wisdom or practice of another. This would only lead to difficulties in ones relationships. Instead, an individual should only share guidance on The Path to Enlightenment if someone has asked for guidance. Offering unsolicited guidance to another person would be to do so based on one’s own craving/desire/attachment including conceit. If there is arrogance or pride in the mind, one might attempt to provide unsolicited guidance to others. This will only lead to complications. A wise Practitioner should only share Teachings with others when guidance is requested. An individual who functions in this way is being described as a thief by Gotama Buddha.

4.) The Buddha describes unwholesome Ordained Practitioners who specifically ask Household Practitioners for specific offerings attempting to persuade someone to make certain offerings. Instead, a wholesome Ordained Practitioner would practice The Second Precept and await what is given, rather than, make specific requests of others. An individual who functions in this way is being described as a thief by Gotama Buddha.

5.) The Buddha describes an Ordained Practitioner who claims to be Enlightened as “the chief great thief”. There is no reason to declare to another person that one feels they are Enlightened. One of the best ways to know someone is not Enlightened is that they will tell you they are Enlightened.

An Enlightened being’s mind is so peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy, that they have no craving/desire to tell others they are Enlightened. There is no purpose to telling others that one feels they are Enlightened. Doing so would mean that one has arrogance and pride (i.e. conceit), therefore, they could not be Enlightened. An individual who functions in this way is being described as a thief by Gotama Buddha.

Boasting About One’s Attainments

You should not compare or profess to another person which Stage of Enlightenment you feel you have attained. Self declared attainment has no beneficial purpose and oftentimes comes from arrogance and pride, the ego, while being fraught and filled with errors.

One goal of these Teachings is to eliminate arrogance and pride, the ego, therefore, if a Practitioner is declaring their self determined Stage of Enlightenment, there is still arrogance and pride. A Practitioner sharing with others what they feel they have attained is an indication that the mind is not yet Enlightened.

An Enlightened being would have no need or desire to profess what they feel the mind has attained. An Enlightened mind is so peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy that an Enlightened being will just be enjoying life rather than attempting to convince others or boasting about what they feel they have attained.

Self determination of attainment of any Stage of Enlightenment is fraught and filled with errors.

While one should consistently apply effort towards learning, reflecting, and practicing The Teachings to include understanding The Four Stages of Enlightenment, these are used for personal development to guide a Practitioner’s journey assisting you on the path to higher and higher degrees of attainment not as a way to brag, show off or profess to others what you feel you have attained. Convincing the mind that it has attained any of these Stages of Enlightenment or that the mind is actually Enlightened is dangerous for the mind.

The ego is constantly going to be interested to convince the mind it is more Enlightened than it really is. The ego is equivalent to a “bad tenant” who never pays rent and doesn’t want to leave the residence. The bad tenant, the ego, needs to be evicted but every time things move in that direction it tries to convince the mind it is more Enlightened than it really is because the ego does not want to leave. The bad tenant keeps wanting to stay but yet provides no benefit whatsoever and continually attempts to convince the mind it is Enlightened so that the bad tenant, the ego, can stick around.

You need to evict the ego and as long as the mind is convinced that it is experiencing higher and higher degrees of attainment, then there is the risk or danger that arrogance and pride will arise, thus, halting any forward progress. With arrogance and pride (i.e. the ego), the mind will want to measure and compare what it feels it has attained to others creating unwholesome decisions that produce separation rather than harmony amongst friendly Practitioners and “all beings”. The mind could become judgmental looking down on others rather than practicing loving-kindness and compassion with an interest in seeing all beings attain Enlightenment.

You should never believe you have attained Enlightenment and continuously pursue this path your entire life. Should you ever feel you have attained Enlightenment and are “done”, the mind can become “sluggish or complacent” and halt your progress on this path.

Arrogance and pride can arise in the mind if one becomes absorbed, engrossed or fascinated with progressing through The Four Stages of Enlightenment. As soon as any arrogance, pride, or ego arises, the mind is not experiencing Enlightenment. If any of this is occurring in the mind, the mind is not Enlightened and is essentially sabotaging a Practitioner’s ability to experience more progress. Through never convincing the mind that it is truly Enlightened, even when all discontentedness has been eliminated, then, the mind can continue to reside protected from any potential arising of arrogance and pride (i.e. the ego), and continue to experience increased benefits as the mind becomes more and more Enlightened.

While we use the term Enlightenment, this mental state is not a destination that once one arrives, everything is complete. Instead, as the mind arrives to Enlightenment having eliminated all discontentedness, a Practitioner can experience increased benefits of the Enlightened mind as the brilliance and brightness of the Enlightened mind shine through more and more. If one convinces themselves they are Enlightened and are actually “done”, then they would not experience the continued and increasing benefits of the mind entering into an even higher degree of Enlightenment.

There will be glimpses of Enlightenment as you develop your practice. Whether it be in meditation, during the daily activities, or for multiple minutes, hours, weeks, months, etc. as one progresses. These glimpses are similar to a flickering lightbulb that is struggling to shine bright on a consistent and ongoing basis. These glimpses of Enlightenment help a Practitioner to observe the possibilities of what one is headed towards and that they are headed in the right direction. But the mind needs to remain unaffected by these momentary or elongated and impermanent experiences. The mind needs to remain unaffected by the improved condition of the mind to be able to experience more and more awakening of the mind.

The mind could experience multiple minutes, hours, weeks, months, etc. with the returning of discontentedness at any moment. A wise Practitioner needs to remain determined, dedicated, and diligent to apply effort watching over the mind with mindfulness or awareness of mind. If one proceeds without guarding the mind with mindfulness, then cravings/desires/attachments can emerge from the corners of the mind producing discontentedness.

Just like the mind will experience flickering and glimpses of Enlightenment as the mind is developed, the mind will also experience a flickering diminishing of cravings/desires/ attachments and discontentedness.

As discontentedness is gradually being extinguished, the qualities of the Enlightened mind are continuing to increase. All the while, the Practitioner is having experiences in the mind they never knew existed and the mind can become quite blissful and elated. It is important to reside unaffected by these experiences continuing to bring the mind back to the middle. If the mind takes great pleasure in what it is experiencing, this is dangerous and risky as the mind then continues to crave these pleasant feelings stalling progress.

This is yet another reason guidance with a Teacher is so important. As the mind moves and shifts through the preliminary phases of the Jhānas and into The Four Stages of Enlightenment, a Practitioner is going to need support from someone who has experienced what they are experiencing. This will allow a Practitioner to gain the insight and Teachings needed to continue forward development through seeking guidance of how to continue the mind’s cultivation.

An Enlightened being is not going to profess or boast that they are Enlightened. There are many reasons why an Enlightened being would not share they are Enlightened. Some of those reasons are shared in the following:

1.) To declare one is Enlightened is to do so with arrogance, pride, and ego. An Enlightened being does not have arrogance, pride, or ego. So if someone declares they are Enlightened, you can be sure they are not Enlightened.

2.) If an Enlightened being says they are Enlightened, an unEnlightened being has no way to determine if that is true or false. So it is unbeneficial for one to declare they are Enlightened as this would be unbeneficial speech and an Enlightened being does not speak in unbeneficial ways.

Enlightened beings or those close to Enlightenment can determine for themselves if one is or is not Enlightened so an Enlightened being has no need to share with an Enlightened being whether they are or are not Enlightened because they can determine it for themselves.

3.) An Enlightened being is not interested in declaring that they are Enlightened but instead, would be more interested in assisting others to attain Enlightenment. Declaring one is Enlightened is to seek admiration from others rather than helping others to attain Enlightenment. An individual who shares that they are Enlightened is seeking attention and admiration from others, rather than finding ways to share these Teachings in a way that invites people to learn, reflect, and practice to experience the results for themselves.

If an individual is seeking attention and admiration, there is still craving/desire in the mind, therefore, they are not yet Enlightened.

An Enlightened being does not need others to know they are Enlightened to help people towards the attainment of Enlightenment. They are wise enough to be able to help others without the requirement of others knowing they are Enlightened.

Discussion of one’s own Stage of Enlightenment serves no wholesome purpose, so there is no need to discuss it. The Buddha established a guideline to not declare, profess, boast, or discuss about one’s own attainments as described in this Teaching.