Abstract:
This thesis has three objectives: 1) to study the Enlightenment in the Theravda Buddhism, 2) to study the Insight Meditation Practice for Enlightenment of the disciples, 3) to study the Enlightenment of the disabled-body disciple. This study was a qualitative documentation research. Clarified and analyzed data had been taken from the Theravada Buddhist scripture and other related documents, then composed, explained and verified by Buddhist scholars.
From the study it was found that the enlightenment in the Theravada Buddhism was to attain the nine supramandane; the four paths, the four fruits, and one Nibbāna. It was the clear knowledge of four noble truths leading to Nibbāna. The disciples who were able to get enlightenment must know supportive virtues and barriers and also follow insight practice until the insight knowledge occured respectively. He reached purification of mind and became a Noble One (Ariyapuggala) starting from the Sotapanna till the Arahanta who can overcome all defilements.
The insight practice for enlightenment depended on practicing principle of the four foundations of mindfulness. In the practice, there were three factors for supporting; atāpī (Effort), Sampajāno (Awareness) and Satimā (Mindfulness). Meditator must consider all formations as three common characteristics and the thirty-seven enlightenment factors as a tool for enlightenment for practical way which were the contemplation on body, the contemplation on feeling, the contemplation of mind, and the contemplation on mind-objects according to the four foundations of mindfulness then completed the noble eightfold path and reaching the perfect abandonment (Pahāna) at final.
Disciples with disabled-body, both of monks and laity can enlighten and become the Noble One if that person had completed insight practice with the thirty-seven enlightenment factors all the time. The disable body was not a barrier of enlightenment, but rather an instrument to support the practitioner to see suffering clearly. It helped seeing feelings in feeling until practitioners saw the impermanence of mental formations which were changing all the time due to its cause and effect, rather they practiced the four foundations of mindfulness and realized the suffering clearer than the normal person.
Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University. Center Library