The Chariot to Nibbāna

Venerable Ānanda saw the brahmin Janussoni riding out of Sāvatthi in a magnificently ornamented white chariot. Later, reporting what he had seen to the Buddha, he asked what was the most divine vehicle according to the Dhamma-Vinaya. The Blessed One named the chariot to Nibbāna as unsurpassed among vehicles, likening its components to the qualities we need for spiritual awakening.

As a nun I am a passenger in this noble chariot. Ancient and well-proven, its chassis is the Vinaya, our monastic code of precepts which serve as guide and guardian of my life. I climb into this chariot trusting that I leave behind the metropolis of greed, hatred, and confusion as I head towards sanctity and peace.

Setting out on pilgrimage in such a vehicle requires special provisions including a map of the teaching as well as faith and wise insight, our sturdy white mares, to support our passage.

Through the most forbidding terrain, moral responsibility and mindfulness are compass and charioteer while remorse and conscience serve as brakes.

Ever mindful in daily life, we must repeatedly ask: “Have I caused harm? Am I causing harm? Will I cause harm to myself or anyone? If so, how?” And, more importantly, “How can I stop myself from going astray again?”

What stirs the spiritual traveller to contemplate in this way?

Knowing the hazards of addictive desire, malice, and all that cloud and confuse us, we practise virtue.

Just as we tug on the reins of our horses to control their pace and direction, we choose to speak and act with scrupulous care and attention.

This reflection by Ayyā Medhānandī Bhikkhunī is from the book Gone Forth, Going Beyond, (pdf) pp. 20-21.