Abstract

This thesis has three objectives: to study Enlightenment in the Theravāda Buddhist Scriptures, to study the biography and how venerable Bāhiyadārucīriya Thera accumulated his perfections and to study Bāhiyadārucīriya Thera’s path and deportment for the Enlightenment. Clarified and analyzed data are taken from the Theravāda Buddhist scriptures namely, the Tipitaka, Buddhist commentaries, Tīga, and other related scriptures then composed, explained in details, corrected and verified by Buddhist scholars.

The study found that Enlightenment, according to the Theravāda Buddhist Scriptures, means for one to develop oneself with Vipassanā (insight) meditation practice until he has the clear understanding of the Four Noble Truths, which consist of Dukkha: suffering; unsatisfactoriness, Dukkha-samudaya: the cause of suffering, Dukkha-nirodha: the cessation of suffering and Dukkha-nirodha-gāminī paṭipadā: the path leading to the cessation of suffering. This means one has to have achieved the Lokuttaradhamma: supermundane states, which consist of Magga: the Four Paths, Phala: the Four Fruitions and Nibbāana. In order for one to have achieved the dhamma, he has to practice according to the Four Foundations of Mindfulness’s insight meditation, which is to contemplate one’s body, feelings, mind and mind-objects until one can see the true nature of Nāma (mind) and Rūpa (material) as they truly are. Those who have attained the high levels of dhamma are called the noble persons, namely: Sotāpanna: Stream-Enterer, Sakadāgāmī: Once-Returner, Anāgāmī: Non-Returner and Arahanta: the Worthy One.

From the study, clear evidences have been found that . Bāhiyadārucīriya Thera’s had practiscd perfections in three Buddha’ eras namely: the Padhumūttara Buddha, the Gassapa Buddha and the Gotama Buddha. In the era of the Gotama Buddha, Bāhiyadārucīriya Thera was born in the Vaisya family and was conducting his life as a merchant sailing his trading vessel, but one day the ship sank. He lived his life further while practicing the dhamma along, however, misunderstood that he had attained the Arahantship. However, the perfections he had accumulated previously led him to a good chance to meet the Gotama Buddha. As soon as the Buddha finished his preaching Ven. Phra Bāhiyadārucīriya Thera attained his Arahantship. He was praised by the Buddha as being an expert in quickly enlightened. He also had attained Vijjā: the Threefold Knowledge, Paṭisambhidā: an analytic or penetrating insight, Vimokkha: liberations or the eight stages of release and Abhiññā: the superknowledge or ultra-conscious insight.

Bāhiyadārucīriya Thera had listened briefly the dhamma, but from the good person, that is, the Buddha himself. While listening, his mind had contemplated the preached dhamma, which is the practice of Dhammānupassanā (contemplation of mind-objects), which stated in the Āyatanabhappa or the sense-fields. Dhammānupassanā is one of the mindfulness-base practices. It leads practitioners to see that all things are under the law of the Three Characteristics. When Bāhiyadārucīriya Thera had reached the truths about this, his mind was liberated from all mental intoxications and all the attachments. His dhamma attainment is called Sukhā paṭipadā khippābhiññā: pleasant progress with quick insight. The path of his practice is called Vipassanāyānika: one whose vehicle is pure insight or the insight-vehicled.

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