Deep Commentary

These six verses were taught by the Buddha at Trúc Lâm Monastery and are connected to a young boy, a woodcutter’s son. The story tells that in the city of Vương Xá, there were two boys, one a Buddhist, the other from a non-Buddhist family. They often played ball together. By habit, whenever the Buddhist boy threw the ball, he would recite “Namo Buddha.” The non-Buddhist boy would often recite “Namo Arahant.” In the game, the Buddhist boy usually won, and the non-Buddhist boy, feeling frustrated, noticed that his friend often won because of reciting the Buddha’s name. So he decided to imitate this practice. One day, after chopping wood in the forest, the boy and his father stopped at a graveyard outside the city to eat. Later, their ox joined other cattle entering the city. The father ran after it, but as he returned, it was dark and the city gates were closed. That night, the boy had to sleep alone under the cart. While asleep, two spirits appeared: one malevolent and one benevolent. The malevolent spirit tried to harm the boy, but the benevolent one intervened. The malevolent spirit did not listen and grabbed the boy’s legs to tear him apart. The boy, following his habit, suddenly recited “Namo Buddha.” Hearing this, the malevolent spirit fled in fear. The benevolent spirit said they would be punished for their actions, so it guarded the boy all night. Meanwhile, the malevolent spirit sneaked into the palace, stole food, and brought it to the boy on a golden plate. The two spirits cared for the boy as parents. Before leaving, they wrote a note on the plate recounting the story and instructing that only the king could read it. The next day, the golden plate was missing in the palace. After searching, they found it with the boy and brought him to the palace for questioning. After reading the story, the king was astonished and asked for explanation. The boy and his father did not understand what had happened. Then the king took them to see the Buddha. The king asked, “O World-Honored One, does reciting the Buddha protect, or can reciting the Dharma and other objects also offer protection?” The Buddha replied, “O great king, reciting the Buddha is not the only means of protection. A true practitioner who deeply and consistently contemplates the six subjects does not require any external protection, incantation, or herb.” (End of summary). Based on this, the Buddha gave the above verses. Analyzing verse 296, the Buddha emphasized “always remain aware,” the essence of practice. Awareness is mindfulness. The earlier verses touched upon mindfulness briefly. One who follows the Buddhist path without mindfulness or awareness is not truly a practitioner. Happiness and liberation depend on mindfulness. Forgetfulness brings suffering, for it means losing oneself. Mindfulness means being fully present in body and mind in the present moment. The term 'knowing' captures this—perceiving reality clearly without judgment. If consciousness intervenes with its discriminations, countless concepts arise and we lose our self. Therefore, one seeking liberation must always be vigilant. This should be practiced continually, day and night. One must regularly examine oneself, not just during scheduled sessions. True practice entails constant reflection and mindfulness everywhere and at all times, leading to enlightenment and liberation. The Buddha further taught to “always contemplate the Buddha.” Here, contemplation has two meanings: remembering and knowing. The Buddha is the awakened one. Remembering has shallow and deep levels: shallow, recalling the external image of the Buddha; deep, knowing the nature of one’s own awakening. Constant recollection prevents afflictions from arising, bringing mental peace. Verse 297 instructs similar practice for the Dharma (Dharmma)—the Four Noble Truths and righteous teachings. The practitioner should learn and reflect on these teachings, cultivating wisdom, compassion, patience, and altruism, leading to inner peace. Verse 298 emphasizes mindfulness of the Sangha—the harmonious, respectful community living according to the Six Harmonies. Internally, recognizing and aligning with one’s own pure nature represents the true Sangha. In short, these three verses (296–298) urge devotees to place faith and mindfulness in the Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. Verse 299 teaches to “always contemplate the body.” This reminds us to reflect on the body’s impurity, reducing attachment and lust. The contemplation proceeds through five steps: contemplating seeds of impurity, dwelling-place impurity, individual form, essence, and overall nature. Sequential observation cultivates detachment, diminishes lust for sensual pleasures, and reduces suffering. This practice highlights the purity beyond the impurity, not to incite disgust or self-harm. The ultimate purpose is to counter excessive sensual craving, leading to a lighter, happier life. Through these teachings, the story illustrates the benefits of habitual recitation of the Buddha’s name. The non-Buddhist boy, once imitating the Buddhist boy’s recitation, even unconsciously recited it in a dream, protecting him from malevolent spirits. This shows that habitual mindfulness and recitation naturally prevent harm and bring practical benefits in life.