Date: 05/24/2025 05/25/2025
Location: Star River Meditation Center
Teacher: Yunquan Huang
Dharma Talk
Uttara the Skillful Preacher
Once, the Venerable Uttara was wandering in the country of Kosala. He arrived at a village called Kūpaṇḍa and took residence in a mango grove that belonged to the Brāhmaṇa clan of Viṇuka Jaṭāyana.
At that time, a group of youths who were disciples of a female Brāhmaṇa teacher of the Viṇuka Jaṭāyana lineage came to the mango grove to gather firewood. There they beheld the Venerable Uttara seated beneath a tree—his countenance most serene, radiating the deportment of one who is liberated. With reverence, they approached him, paid homage, and inquired after his well-being. They then requested him to expound the Dhamma.
The Venerable Uttara discoursed upon various aspects of the Dhamma, exhorting them earnestly. Hearing this, those youths were filled with rapture in the Dhamma. They swiftly returned to their teacher and reported:
“Teacher, in the mango grove resides a wandering ascetic named Uttara, one who speaks the Dhamma with great eloquence.”
The teacher replied, “Is that so? Then, I ask you, invite him to come to my house tomorrow to partake of a meal and to accept my offering.”
“Yes, teacher,” the youths replied.
They returned to the mango grove and extended the invitation to the Venerable Uttara, who consented.
On the following day, the Venerable Uttara went to the residence of the female Brāhmaṇa teacher. There, he received a variety of exquisite foods as offerings. After partaking of the meal, the teacher, adorned with fine sandals and a turban upon her head, seated herself upon a lofty seat. With an air of pride, she said to the Venerable:
“I have a few questions to ask you. Might you be willing to expound them to me?”
“Sister,” said the Venerable, “today is not the right time. Let it be on another day.”
The next day, the group of youths once again went to the mango grove to listen to the Dhamma. Their hearts again rejoiced in the teachings. The Venerable again accepted offerings from the female teacher, yet without saying a word, he departed.
On the third day, the same occurred. For three successive days, the Venerable Uttara, after receiving offerings, took his leave without responding to the woman’s questions nor delivering any discourse.
On the fourth day, when the students once again reported this to their teacher, she said, with growing impatience:
“You praise this ascetic Uttara so highly, but for three days now, whenever I request him to speak the Dhamma, he declines!”
“Teacher,” said the youths, “the Venerable Uttara deeply cherishes the Dhamma. Yet for three days, you sat in fine sandals, your head covered, seated upon a high seat. How could he possibly preach under such circumstances?”
“If that is so,” said the teacher, “then go and invite him once more.”
This time, the female Brāhmaṇa removed her sandals, uncovered her head, and sat upon a low seat. With humility, she addressed the Venerable Uttara:
“Venerable Sir, there are ascetics and Brāhmaṇas who declare that pain and pleasure arise from self-creation (attakara), others say they are created by another (parakara), and still others claim they arise from neither self nor other (ahetuka). Venerable Sir, what is your view?”
“Sister,” replied the Venerable, “the Arahants, those who have realized true liberation, do not assert thus. For pain and pleasure arise from specific causes and conditions.”
“How is that so?” she asked.
The Venerable said: “The Arahants declare: It is through causes and conditions that various forms of pain and pleasure arise.
Let me ask you, and please answer according to your understanding.
Do you have eyes?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Are there forms that are visible to the eye?”
“Yes.”
“Is there discernment of visual objects? And from that discernment, through causes and conditions, arise feelings of pain, pleasure, or neither?”
“Yes, Venerable Uttara, that is truly so.”
“Do feelings of pain, pleasure, and neutrality also arise through discernment via the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind?”
“Yes, Venerable Uttara.”
“This, sister, is what the Arahants speak of as the arising of pain and pleasure through causes and conditions.”
“Venerable Uttara, is this truly what the Arahants declare: that various forms of pain and pleasure arise through causes and conditions?” she asked again, with utmost sincerity.
“Indeed so, sister,” affirmed the Venerable.
“How then, Venerable, do the Arahants speak of the cessation of these conditioned feelings of pain, pleasure, and neutrality?”
“Let me ask you again: If the eye were to cease and not arise again, would there still be those feelings—of pain, pleasure, or neither—arising from visual discernment and its conditions?”
“No, Venerable Sir, there would not.”
“In the same way, if the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind were to cease and not arise again, would there still be those feelings arising from contact and recognition through them?”
“No, Venerable Sir.”
“Thus, sister, the Arahants speak of the cessation of pain, pleasure, and neutrality which arise from causes and conditions.”
At that moment, the female Brāhmaṇa became free from the dust and defilements, her Dhamma-eye was purified. She saw the Dhamma, realized the Dhamma, understood the Dhamma, and entered into the Dhamma. All doubt was dispelled; she needed no one else as her guide. In the true Dhamma, she stood fearless.
Then she rose from her seat, joined her palms in reverence before the Venerable Uttara and said:“From this day forth, I have realized the true Dhamma, unshakable and irreversible. I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dhamma, I take refuge in the Saṅgha. For the rest of my life, I shall take refuge in the Triple Gem.”
