Gambhra Dpan

A Manual of Profound Meaning

Vrwrn.air Lrri S.vr.w
Fx1zu o zz Ds1vu1ox v+
Associ.riow ron Iwsicur Mrrir.riow
Ciirrow W.v Airrnrow Mirrirsrx HAo PQ
Wresixr: .imwrii.onc Emxii: rrs.i..imwrii.onc
Fx1zu o zz Ds1vu1ox v+
Associ.riow ron Iwsicur Mrrir.riow
Ciirrow W.v Airrnrow Mirrirsrx HAo PQ
Wresixr: .imwrii.onc Emxii: rrs.i..imwrii.onc
Gambhra Dpan
A Manual of Profound Meaning
Vrwrn.air Lrri S.vr.w
16 Explanation of the Four Stanzas
A Mxnuxi or Pnorounn Mrxninc
1. Due to the darkness without any light,
the deathless upper land is out of sight.
In time, you cant suuggle on in any way,
diihing in tle wliilool in tlis bay all day.
2. Now, its the most favourable chance,
ve iaie auainments to enlance.
Oh! Youre a man of international fame,
and youve len[ of aaiis all tle same.
They seem important and substantial,
but they are not useful nor essential.
Your viewpoint is neither clear nor right,
in charcoal-room at dark cloudy midnight.
You perform good actions occasionally,
accoiding to youi wlims, uaditionally.
Time is steadily passing without stopping,
as to death, the leveller, youre approaching;
as a gih oi fee foi tle executionei,
witl vaiious foods, to iesent oi to oei.
Resting in the aggregates of wealthy chamber,
you are waiting to die with satisfaction
enjoying the worldly assumed perfection.
3. Though theyre causes of grief and despair,
you fancy tlem to be a leasant aaii.
With unseen starting point of life,
in tle iocess of existences tlat suile.
Always youre in perpetual hunger,
without quenching the thirst of desire.
Youie seeling taste in objects as in ieali[,
12 Explanation of the Four Stanzas Second Stanza 5
cannot escae nom tle clutcles of Mia and tle ling
of lell because tley aie tigltly bound by tlose feueis.
Tlus tley aie dominated and conuolled by condi-
tioned things.
Wlen lnowledge of tlings as tley ieally aie is auained
by viituous woildlings and lessei sueam-winneis, tley
begin to escae nom tle conuol of conditioned tlings,
which they can contemplate as impermanent, unsatisfac-
tory, and not-self. They can realise that psychophysical
phenomena are not a person, a being, a man or a woman.
The defect, harm, and danger of psychophysical phenom-
ena can be lnown by seeing tlings as tley uuly aie. Tlis
is tle victoiy of viituous woildlings and lessei sueam-
winners over psychophysical phenomena. However,
Kinwun Mingyi las not found tle escae nom bondage
by gaining that knowledge.
When will you be able to extinguish the re? refers
to tle ie of deatl and tle otlei ten linds of ie tlat
are consuming all the planes of existences. When, and
in which Buddhas dispensation, will Kinwun Mingyi
gain nal libeiation nom sasia'
screens. The screen is to forget the good deeds.
Forgetful of doing good deeds, they do not dare to
tlinl of nal libeiation nom deatl. Tle duiation of
seeking screens for each portion of a day, month, year,
or life-span is total loss at last.
To mingle with common ash and earth means the
bodies of beings in the eleven sensual realms and
sixteen realms of form are like earth. The bodies of
devas and |rahns are composed of subtle earth
elements and the heat guarding them is very powerful.
The body of a deva or |rahn disappears totally at death
lile an extinguisled ame witl tle exiiation of tle
eaitl elements ioduced by consciousness and nuui-
tion. Tleie is no coise ahei deatl. Tle devas and
|rahns are beings of spontaneous birth and death.
Tleie is no clance of ueatment tley exiie suddenly
as if vaporised. However, the bodies of men and
animals iemain ahei deatl and tle disaeaiance of
earth elements generated by kamma. Their dead
bodies add to the earth and ash in the cemetery. Thus,
the living bodies of men are going to mingle with
common ash and earth.
Fou1n S1xz
The empire of I is very large means that there
is the wide sphere where the conceptual I wanders.
Tlat concet is tle bannei of ciaving, tle uue cause
Szcoxu S1xz
Five dicult aainments refers to:
i. The very rare appearance of a Buddha and his
teaching (|uJJhuppJa Ju||a|ha).
ii. The very rare and precious human rebirth
(nanussaa Ju||a|ha).
iii. Tle veiy iaie ooituni[ to be a Buddlist monl
or novice (pabbajjita dullabha).
iv. Tle veiy iaie auainment of faitl oi condence
in tle Buddla, Dlamma, and Sagla, and tle
law of kamma (saJJhsanpai Ju||a|ha).
v. Tle veiy iaie ooituni[ of leaiing tle Dlamma
leading to nibbna (saJJhannas.ana Ju||a|ha).
They arent worthy or essential refers to worldly
oi olitical aaiis, wlicl aie not conceined witl moiali[,
concenuation, and insiglt. It means tlat Kinwun Mingyi
was fully occuied witl tlose unimoitant aaiis until
his old age, so his life was in vain. He was preoccupied
witl futile anxie[, delusion, and iestlessness.
They seem to be important or real means that
Kinwun Mingyi was sinceiely uying lis best foi tlose
aaiis, but tley weie in vain.
Your view-point is neither clear nor right means
tlat you cannot see tle uue natuie of tle ve aggiegates
of mateiiali[ and mentali[. If you tlinl tlat tley aie
not your own, it is right view. If you regard them as yours,
Fourth Stanza 15
6 Explanation of the Four Stanzas Third Stanza 11
Death is the only monarch means that although
conditioned things and beings may be increasing, they
cannot overcome death. Hence death is the universal
monarch that cannot be conquered by any of them.
Those conditional things and beings are destined to
end in desuuction, and none can iemain foievei.
In cycles of world aer world means that at every
cycle of the world system, conditioned things are seen
to be only the fuel of death, which will consume them
all, not leaving a single atom.
You cant have the knowledge of reali. A king
thought that an ogress was the most beautiful princess,
and took her to the royal palace, appointing her as his
clief queen. Tle ling was uicled and dominated by
the pretentious princess until he got the power of
clairvoyance that helped him to see the ugly and
fearful appearance of the ogress. When he saw the
uutl, le executed lei and iegained lis owei.
Similaily, beings aie deceived and conuolled by
conditioned things as long as they cannot see things
as they really are. Psychophysical phenomena are not
a person, a being, a man, or a woman. They beguile
beings who regard them as persons, beings, men, or
women. Blind woildlings love and adoie ie,
beautiful, and landsome eisons because of auacl-
ment. Love and adoiation aie tle suong iion feueis
and clains of Mia and tle ling of lell. Woildlings
but tleyie just a ile of asl in nagili[.
Hoisting tle bannei of self-cenued I,
you live lile a villageis swine in a s[.
Tlat ig will become fauei and fauei
for food, its danger is nearer and nearer.
Youie laugl[ and ioud in socie[,
lo witl status and witlout anxie[.
Youre happy and pragmatic
just like that villagers pig.
Scieened by custom, iide, socie[, and gloiy,
fai nom seeing any uutl oi ieali[.
You have to face the total loss at last,
to mingle with common ash and earth.
4. The empire of I is very large,
in tliee eias nom sly to eaitl.
Fire of death is blazing down ever and anon,
that wont leave even a tiny atom.
Shaking the whole universe
death, the murderer, is at large.
The existences or lives are only fuel,
appearance and disappearance are perpetual.
Death is the only monarch
in cycles of woild ahei woild.
You cant lave tle lnowledge of ieali[,
on conditional mateiiali[ and mentali[.
Wlen will you be able to extinguisl tle ie
thats very dangerous, ferocious, and dire?

Previously published under the title, Fcur S|anzas cn Sa.ega,

but I believe that the current title was the original one.
that view is not right. Right view means seeing things
as they really are (yathabhta). Wiong view is eisonali[
view (sakkqa-Jihi) or belief in a soul (aa-Jihi).
You do not uy to follow tle iiglt way, so you aie
going asuay. Tlat is wly tleie is no clance foi youi
accumulated perfections (pran) to appear. They are
hidden like embers covered with wet mud. Therefore,
your viewpoint is neither clear nor right.
At dark cloudy midnight. In your younger days,
you lad few deuimental aaiis. Wlen you leaid of
tle Buddla, Dlamma, oi Sagla youi condence could
sline. Witl tle giowtl of wealtl and ioei[, youi
deuimental woils aie incieasing day by day. You aie
not a suangei to tle Buddla, Dlamma, and Sagla,
but youi condence is fading witl age. Desite tle
repeated echoes of the noble qualities of Buddha,
Dlamma, and Sagla, youi condence is no longei
iadiant. You eifoim good deeds in tle uaditional way
merely to gain the high regard of others. So you are at
dark cloudy midnight.
In charcoal-room iefeis to tle woildly aaiis to
support your family that darken your view.
You perform good actions occasionally, according
to your whims, aditionally. Now that you have
reached a mature age, you have fallen into the charcoal-
ioom of woildly aaiis foi tle welfaie of youi family,
and cannot get out of it. Then you put the blame on your
weapon aimed at you. Likewise, people fear to face the
weaon of deatl aimed at tlem, and tlinl it beuei to
die without noticing, so they cover their faces.
Giving no clance foi mindful ueidation (sa.ega)
to arise, they collect and enjoy sensual objects and
companions, concealing their fear with them. The
screen is so good that they are not alarmed by impend-
ing ieeated deatls. Tley aie not anaid of deatl in tle
present life. They meekly accept it as a natural solace.
Since tley aie not anaid of deatl, tleie is no clance
foi tlem to be nee nom sasia. If tle feai of deatl is
only slight due to the good screen they do not think of
nal libeiation. Tlis is tle meaning of screened.
The uth or reali is tle uue natuie of deatl
and desuuction. Socie is association with relatives,
niends, and socie[. Pride, socie, and glory are the
various forms of delusion that cover and conceal the
uutl. Custom means the polite manners and customs
in socie[, wlicl also conceal tle uutl oi ieali[.
A powerful deva can see ve signs of deatl a weel
in advance. Tlen, le is slalen and anaid, so tle otlei
devas take him to the Nandavana garden, which is so
leasant tlat tle nigltened deva forgets his fear and
anxie[. Tle scieens foi devas and|rahns are very good
and powerful.
The total loss means that in the endless round of
iebiitl, sentient beings uy tleii best to get tle best
2 Venera||e LeJi SaqJaw
14 Explanation of the Four Stanzas
3
10 Explanation of the Four Stanzas Second Stanza 7
Exrixnxxion or xnr Foun Sxxnzxs
Fs1 S1xz
The four kinds of ignorance (a.ijj) that conceal four
linds of uutl. Tlese foui linds of ignoiance aie called
darkness without any light. In otlei woids uutl
cannot be realised because the darkness of ignorance
conceals it.
Tle foui linds of uutl aie as follows:
1. Tle ve aggiegates of mateiiali[ and mentali[
aie tle uutl of sueiing.
2. Gieed oi ciaving is tle uutl of tle cause of
sueiing.
3. Tle eace of nibbna is tle uutl of tle end of
sueiing.
4. Tle Noble Eigltfold Patl staiting nom iiglt
view is tle uutl of tle way to tle end of sueiing.
There are four kinds of ignorance that hide the
afoiesaid foui linds of uutl. Tleie aie also foui linds
of wisdom or knowledge (.ijj) that reveal them.
The deathless is nibbna, wlicl is nee nom deatl.
Moieovei, nibbna is not associated witl condition
things (sakhr) so it is deatlless. Nibbna is also
called the upper land because it is auained by
suuggling against tle cuiient of sasia, tle eteinal
cycle of birth and death.
ies of gieed, laued, delusion, biitl, aging, deatl,
grief, lamentation, pain, sorrow, and despair.
The sentient aggregates are divided into the three
cycles of delements, volitional activities, and iesult-
ants. Ignoiance, ciaving, and auaclment aie included
in delements. Volitional activities includes mental
formations (sakhr), which are past activities, and
becoming (kammabhava), which are present volitional
activities oi becoming foi futuie existences. Tle ve
resultants are: rebirth-consciousness, psychophysical
phenomena, six senses, contact, and feeling.
Because of ignoiance, ciaving, and auaclment,
there are mental formations and becoming good and
bad actions that create resultants in the next existence
as a human being or deva, which again produces
delements. Tlouglts sucl as: It is me, It is mine,
I am, This is my soul, I am a king, I am a brahmin,
I am iicl, I am Salla, I am Bialm, I am a woman,
I am a man, etc., appear in the minds of blind
woildlings because of ciaving and auaclment. Dele-
ments cause kamma, which produces the resultant of
anotlei existence, wlicl leads to moie delements.
That vicious circle, called.aa, will continue eternally
until the realisation of things as they really are.
Appearance and disappearance. Beings and
things in all universes are always permeated by
appearance and disappearance.
agili means tle eleven linds of ie aie scoicling
the bodies of humans, devas, and |rahns. Their bodies
are only piles of ash. They have no hard core and are
nagile. Tley aie in nagili[ as tley lave no essence.
A lunatic clooses and icls u tlings le liles nom
a rubbish heap abandoned outside the village gate.
He nds many tlings tlat le tlinls aie good and
enjoyable, collecting them with pleasure. Similarly, the
luxury and wealth of men, devas, and |rahns are only
a pile of ash or rubbish forsaken by the Noble Ones.
A villagers swine in s. Tle fauei a ig becomes
due to abundant food, the more the villager thinks to
sell it for slaughter. The pig does not know that it will
be displayed on the butchers stall in the market
tomorrow, so it enjoys happiness for the moment as the
leader of a brood of pigs. Similarly, the achievements of
wealtl and social status aie ione to desuuction, but
you cannot see tle ieali[, tlougl you will denitely
be on the stall of the cemetery market for the dinner of
death before your hundredth birthday. That is why you
can enjoy ocial status and socie[ witlout any anxie[
until now. You are like General Bandoola, who could
not see tle weaon aimed at lim nom a uee. You do
not see tle desuuctive weaon of deatl aimed at you
because you aie scieened by niends and enjoyable
ioei[. Being tied to a ost, you tlinl it is beuei to
die with your face covered, so that you cannot see the
lacl of accumulated eifections. Witl weal condence
and wisdom, you occasionally accomlisl tle uaditional
meiitoiious deeds of claii[ and meditation. Howevei,
you take solace in meditation with weak expectations.
You sometimes contemplate impermanence, unsatis-
factoriness, and not-self, or the noble qualities of the
Buddla, Dlamma, and Sagla, but youi insiglt and
condence aie fai nom cleai. You only caiiy out tlese
noble deeds with the hope of cultivating a good habit.
Time is a beings life-span for meditation on death.
If a being is expected to live for a hundred years, the
life-span is a hundred years. According to the Burmese
way of calculation, it is six hundred seasons or 2,400
lunai foitniglts. Wlen a uain is moving, uees and
busles aie leh belind as if tley weie in a ciicle beside
the railway. In the course of a life-span, hours and days
aie leh belind in tle same way. Tleiefoie, time is
steadily passing by without stopping.
The executioner means death. Sentient beings are
wandeiing in tle innumeiable univeises of innite
sasia, tle staiting-oint of wlicl cannot be seen.
All these existences are only the various foods of
death. They are waiting for the time of death to collect
the fee. They are waiting with healthy bodies, houses,
land, furniture, and family. Therefore, you are
waiting to die with satisfaction enjoying the worldly
assumed perfection.
4 Explanation of the Four Stanzas Fourth Stanza 13
8 Explanation of the Four Stanzas Third Stanza 9
of sueiing. It is lile saying theres no smoke without
re. The aggregates of the eleven planes of desire are
created and governed by sensual craving. The aggre-
gates of the sixteen planes of form are made and
governed by craving for form. Similarly, the aggregates
of the four formless planes are created and governed
by the craving for formlessness.
If you tease or test someone the word I will
always arise. A king or government will not tolerate
any insult or invasion by another because of that
egocenuic iide. Tlii[-one existences, tle sensual
plane, the plane of form and the formless plane are
included in the empire of I.
That wont leave even a tiny atom. Billions of
univeises nom tle ast no longei exist. Not even a
tiny atom iemains nom tle insentient oceans, iiveis,
forests and mountains, or the sentient devas, human
beings, and animals. Contemplate each portion of a
year, month, day, or hour that is consumed. Nothing
remains forever. Contemplate the impermanent things
that you have met during your lifetime.
Perpetual means tlat if you oint youi ngei in
any direction there will be countless dying beings there.
Only fuel. Tliouglout tle tlii[-one lanes of
existence in the three eras of the past, present, and
future, sentient and insentient aggregates are only fuel
foi tle eleven linds of ie. Tlese eleven ies aie tle
In time, you cant suggle on in any way means
Kinwun Mingyi

is not able to practise the noble path

to auain nibbna.
This bay means tle ood of sasia.
Whirlpool means a vicious circle (.aa) spinning
aiound in sasia witlout being libeiated. Tleie aie
three kinds of vicious circles relating to good existences:
1. Desire for pleasant sights, sounds, smells, tastes,
sensations, and thoughts (ki|es-.aa).
2. Tle volitional activities of donation, moiali[,
mental development, etc., (kanna-.aa).
3. The resultant of life as a human, or celestial
being (.ipka-.aa).
The circulation of these three cycles is the whirlpool
of sasia. Kamma, tle volitional activities sucl as
donation aiises due to delements sucl as ignoiance.
Volitional activities like donation gives rise to result-
ants such as human existence, which again give rise to
delements including ignoiance. Due to delements,
lamma ioduces iesultants, wlicl gives iise to dele-
ments. So it is endless like the orbit of a spinning-wheel.
That is why .aa is called the whirlpool.

Oneofthekingsministers,forwhomtheVenerableLediSaydaw
wrote this poem in 1894. King Thibaw, the last king of Upper Burma,
was deposed by the British in November 1885 and exiled to India.
Lower Burma had already been under British Rule since 1850.
You are waiting to die with satisfaction means
tlat you aie uying to satis( tle delements until tle
aiiival of deatl. You aie ueating delements witl
various objects so that they never become weary. Thus,
you aie waiting foi deatl. Tle du[ foi deatl is to be
alive befoie its advent. Tle iesonsibili[ foi tle dele-
ments is endless. Tle delements must be seived witl
beuei and beuei objects. Blind woildlings aie assing
life ahei life, caiiying out tlese duties and iesonsibil-
ities, wlicl aie not foi tleii own benet. Ignoiing tle
iesonsibili[ foi delements and being dutiful to deatl,
tle good woildlings uy tleii best to be nee nom deatl.
Tnu S1xz
Causes of grief and despair. Not only woildly aaiis,
but also deeds of claii[ and moiali[ foi tle aclievement
of futuie good existences and wealtl aie causes of dele-
ments. So they are called causes of grief and despair.
Tley aie also causes of woiiy and sueiing. Vaiious
aclievements aie tle causes of failuie oi desuuction.
Tlose aaiis aie iolonging sasia. Tle cause of suei-
ing ciaving is tle cause of giief. Tle uutl of sueiing
is tle cause of desaii. Tlese two uutls aie tle imoitant
aits of sasia. Tleii aaiis seem to be imoitant.
Tle cycle of delements (ki|es-.aa), which
includes ignoiance, ciaving and auaclment, is tle
cause of grief. The cycle of volitional activities
(kanna-.aa), consisting of ten wholesome deeds and
ten unwholesome deeds, arises due to the cycle of
delements. Tley aie imoitant. Tle cycle of iesult-
ants (.ipka-.aa), existences obtained due to voli-
tional activities, is destined to desuuction and decay,
so it is the cause of despair.
Tle eye, tle facul[ of seeing, is tle slave of tle dele-
ments and cause of giief. Being tle fuel of tle ie of aging
and death, it is the cause of despair. It is just a part of the
building of the mundane imperialists craving, conceit,
and wrong view. Similarly, the ear, nose, tongue, body, and
mind aie also tle slaves of tle delements and causes of
giief. As tley aie tle fuels of aging-ie and deatl-ie tley
are causes of despair. They are the assets of craving, conceit,
and wrong view, the three mundane imperialists.
Unseen starting-point of life means the starting
point of existence cannot be seen or known. That is
called the beginningless round of rebirth. In perpetual
hunger means you always want to have, to be, to see,
to hear, etc. Without eradicating craving, you will
nevei be satised. Even if you become a univeisal
monaicl oi Salla, tle ling of gods, you will still suei
nom tle lungei of desiie. You will still be in eietual
hunger like a hungry ghost (peta).
Without quenching the thirst of desire is craving
foi leasant foims, sounds, nagiance, avouis,
touches, and thoughts. Theyre just a pile of ash in