Once, the Blessed One was staying in the Koliyan town of Haliddavasana. Early one morning, a group of monks set out for alms but found it too early to gather food in the town. They decided to visit the park of the wanderers from other sects.
When they arrived at the park, the monks exchanged greetings with the wanderers and sat down. The wanderers then asked the monks, “Your teacher, Gotama the contemplative, teaches his disciples to abandon the five hindrances and pervade the entire cosmos with goodwill, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity. We teach our disciples the same practices. So, what is the difference between Gotama’s teachings and ours?”
The monks, unsure of how to answer, politely excused themselves and later returned to the Blessed One. After recounting their conversation with the wanderers, they asked him to explain the meaning behind the teachings.
The Blessed One said, “When wanderers speak like this, you should ask them how awareness-release through goodwill, compassion, empathetic joy, or equanimity is developed, and what its destination, excellence, fruit, and consummation are. They won’t be able to answer because it is beyond their understanding.”
The Blessed One then explained the deeper meaning: awareness-release through goodwill, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity involves cultivating mindfulness and mental qualities such as seclusion, dispassion, and letting go. As a monk progresses in practice, their mind becomes purified, allowing them to remain mindful and equanimous even in the presence of what is loathsome or unloathsome.
As they continue to develop these qualities, they can reach profound states of awareness, such as the sphere of infinite space or consciousness, eventually culminating in the highest state of liberation. The Blessed One emphasized that the excellence of these states lies in their depth and in the possibility of attaining full release.
Thus, the difference between the Blessed One’s teachings and those of the wanderers is not just in the surface-level practices but in the path to ultimate liberation that they offer.
Wisdom Tea 