Chlahatthipadopama Sutta Summary
A Study of Chulahatthipadopama Sutta This sutta is an extract from the sutta No. 27 of Majjhimanikaya(MN), the middle discourse collection of the teaching of the Buddha. It was preached to a renown Brahmin, Janussoni, in Savatthi at Anathapindika monastery, in Jeta’s wood. The sutta particularly talks about the inferential knowledge one can make in judging the wisdom of the Blessed one . Hence it discusses about the validity of knowledge in Buddhism by metaphor and the spiritual attainment of the noble teaching. The following discussion based on the chulahatthipadopama-sutta will verify the afore mentioned points. The sutta occurred when the Brahmin, Janussoni, repeated the simile of great elephant's footprint given by a wanderer, Pilotika
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removing the five hindrances such as covetousness, hatred, slot and torpor, remorse and restlessness and doubtfulness. Then, he attains the stage of the first jhana, the second jhana, the third jhana and the forth jhana step by step progressively. As his mind is purified and pristine, he attains the knowledge of remembering his past existences, many existences, and gains the knowledge of reading other's mind, able to see how beings are being born and died. Subsequently, he attains the knowledge that lead to the end of asava (cankers). Even though he attains these stages, he still cannot come to the conclusion that "the Blessed One is fully enlightened, the Dhamma is well proclaimed by the Blessed One, the Sangha is practising the good way". The Buddha further advised that only when one is librated from four cankers (āsava), one discerns ''The birth was destroyed, the holy life was lived, what had to be done has been done, no more becoming for existence''; this is called the footprint of the Buddha. Then, one could come to the conclusion that ''The Blessed one is self-awakened, the Dhamma is well proclaimed and the Sangha practiced a good way. The spiritual path given in this sutta are comprehensive, starting from the foundation of sila (morality), continued to attain stages of Jhana and conclude with achieving the final goal of freeing from cankers, thus obtain
removing the five hindrances such as covetousness, hatred, slot and torpor, remorse and restlessness and doubtfulness. Then, he attains the stage of the first jhana, the second jhana, the third jhana and the forth jhana step by step progressively. As his mind is purified and pristine, he attains the knowledge of remembering his past existences, many existences, and gains the knowledge of reading other's mind, able to see how beings are being born and died. Subsequently, he attains the knowledge that lead to the end of asava (cankers). Even though he attains these stages, he still cannot come to the conclusion that "the Blessed One is fully enlightened, the Dhamma is well proclaimed by the Blessed One, the Sangha is practising the good way". The Buddha further advised that only when one is librated from four cankers (āsava), one discerns ''The birth was destroyed, the holy life was lived, what had to be done has been done, no more becoming for existence''; this is called the footprint of the Buddha. Then, one could come to the conclusion that ''The Blessed one is self-awakened, the Dhamma is well proclaimed and the Sangha practiced a good way. The spiritual path given in this sutta are comprehensive, starting from the foundation of sila (morality), continued to attain stages of Jhana and conclude with achieving the final goal of freeing from cankers, thus obtain