Knowing and Seeing, Pa Auk Sayadaw
Knowing and Seeing, Pa Auk Sayadaw
(Revised Edition)
Talks and Questions
-
and
-
Answers
at a Meditation Retreat in Taiwan
by
The Venerable
Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw
A G
I F T
~ N
O T
F
O R
S
A L E
(First Edition) W.K.Ng (Private), Kuala Lumpur, Malay
sia:
1999: Free Distribution
(First Reprint)
W
AVE Publications
, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:
1999: Free Distribution
(Second Reprint) Penang Buddhist Association, Penang, Malaysia:
2000: Free Distribution
(Revised Edition)
W
AVE Publications
, Kuala Lumpu
r, Mala
y
sia
:
2003: a gift in the public domain, the m
aterial can
not be cop
y
righted.
The material in this book may be reproduced without the author`s pe
r-
mission. It is strongly recommen
ded, however, that unauthorized changes
and other misrepresentatio
n of the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw`s
teachings be avoided.
A G
I F T
~ N
O T
F
O R
S
A L E
Contents
page
Contents in Detail
................................
................................
................................
....................
v
Index of Questions from Yogis
................................
................................
................................
...........
xi
Bibliographical Abbreviations
................................
................................
.............................
xvii
List of Charts
................................
................................
................................
.....................
xviii
Editorial Note
...............
(Revised Edition)
................................
................................
...........
xix
Foreword
.....................
(First Edition)
................................
................................
.............
xxiii
Editorial Note
...............
(First Edition)
................................
................................
...............
xxv
Introduction
.............
(Revised Edition)
................................
................................
......................
1
1
:
How You Develop Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to Absor
p
tion
............................
37
Questions and Answers
1
................................
................................
..................
59
2
:
How You Develop Absorption on Other Subjects
................................
...............
67
Questions and Answers
2
................................
................................
..................
85
3
:
How You Develop the Sublime Abidings and Protective meditations
............
97
Questions and Answers
3
................................
................................
................
115
4:
How You Discern Materiality
................................
................................
................
131
Questions and A
nswers
4
................................
................................
................
175
5:
How You Discern Mentality
................................
................................
...................
199
Questions and Answers
5
................................
................................
................
215
6:
How You See the Links of Dependent
-
Origination
................................
...........
227
Questions and Answ
ers
6
................................
................................
................
237
7:
How You Develop the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
...........................
255
Questions and Answers
7
................................
................................
................
279
8:
The Buddha`s Wishes for His Disciples and His Teac
h
ings
............................
297
9:
The Most Superior Type of Offering
................................
................................
....
317
Appendix 1
:
Glossary of Untranslated Pli Terms
................................
................................
...
341
Appendix 2.
Contact Addresses
................................
................................
.............................
345
v
Contents
(in Detail
)
page
Index of Questions from Yogis
................................
................................
................................
...........
xi
Meditation (Practical)
................................
........
xi
Meditation (Doctrinal)
................................
......
xii
Doctrine (Bodhisatta
1
Path etc.)
.....................
xiii
Sundry
................................
..............................
xiii
Introduction
................................
................................
................................
................................
.
1
The Buddha`
s Dispensation
................................
................................
...............
1
What Needs to be Fully Realized
................................
................................
......
2
The First and Second Noble Truth
................................
................................
.
4
Knowing and Seeing
the First Noble Truth
................................
.....................
11
How You Know and See the First and Second Noble Truth
.......................
14
You Develop Concentration
................................
.........................
14
"
D
evelop the Light of Wisdom
................................
..............
15
"
Protect Your Concentration
................................
..................
16
"
Penetrate to Ultimate Reality
................................
...............
17
Penetrating to Ultimate Materiality
................................
......
17
-" - Ultimate Mentality
................................
........
19
The Three Purifications
................................
................................
................
24
Knowing and Seeing the Second and Third Noble Truth
...............................
25
How You Know and See the Third Noble Truth
................................
.........
26
You Know and Se
e Dependent Origination
................................
29
"
Practise Vipassan
................................
................................
31
"
Know and See the Unformed
................................
...............
33
"
Fully Realize the Fou
r Noble Truths
................................
....
34
1
: How You Develop Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to Absor
p
tion
........................
37
Introduction
................................
................................
................................
......
37
Why Meditate?
................................
................................
......................
37
What is Meditation?
................................
................................
..............
38
The Noble Eightfold Path
................................
................................
.....
38
How You Develop Concentration
................................
................................
41
How You Develop Mindfu
lness
-
of
-
Breathing
................................
.....
42
The Nimitta
................................
................................
....................
47
How You Balance the Five Controlling Faculties
........................
50
-" - Seven Factors
of Enlightenment
...............
54
How You Attain Jhna
................................
................................
..
55
1
For untranslated Pli, please see Appendix 1, p.
341
Knowing
and Seeing
vi
Questions and Answers
1
1
................................
...............
59
2
: How You Develop Absorption on Other Subjects
................................
...............
67
How You Develop the Thirty
-
Two Parts of the Body
................................
....
67
The Three Entrances to Nibbna
................................
..........................
69
How You Develop Skeleton Meditation
................................
.........................
70
-" - the Ten Kasinas
................................
...............................
73
The Colour Kasinas
................................
................................
.........................
73
How You Develop the White Kasina
................................
...................
73
-" - Remaining Colour Kasinas
.............................
76
How You Develop the Earth Kasina
................................
....................
77
-"-
Water Kasina
................................
....................
77
-"
-
Fire Kasina
................................
.......................
78
-"-
Wind Kasina
................................
.....................
78
-"-
Light Kasina
................................
.....................
78
-"-
Space Kasina
................................
....................
79
The
Four Immaterial Jhnas
................................
................................
............
79
How You Develop the Base of Boundless Space
................................
.......
79
-"-
Base of Boundless Consciousness
.........................
81
-"-
Base of Nothingness
................................
...............
81
-"-
Base of Neither
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception
....
82
Questions and Answers
2
1
................................
...............
85
3
: How You Develop the Sublime Abidings and Protective meditations
............
97
Introduction
................................
................................
................................
......
97
How You Develop Lovingkindness
................................
................................
97
Introduction
................................
................................
................................
..
97
How You Develop Lovingkindness Person by
Person
................................
99
-" - Break Down the Barriers
................................
..........................
102
The Twenty
-
Two Categories
................................
................................
.....
103
How You Develop the Unspeci
fied and Specified
................................
....
104
-" - Ten Directional Categories
................................
..
105
How You Develop Compassion
................................
................................
....
106
-
" - Appreciative Joy
................................
............................
107
-" - Equanimity
................................
................................
.....
107
-" - The Four Protective Meditations
................................
...
108
How
You Develop Recollection
-
of
-
the
-
Buddha
................................
109
-" - Foulness Meditation
................................
...........
111
-" - Recollection of Death
................................
.........
111
Summary
................................
................................
................................
......
112
Questions and Answers
3
1
................................
.............
115
1
Please see index of questions from yogis, p.
xi
Contents
(In Detail)
vii
4
: How You Discern Materiality
................................
................................
................
131
Introduction
................................
................................
................................
....
131
Three Types of Rpa
-
Kalpa
................................
................................
.....
132
The Elements of the Three Types of Rpa
-
Kalpa
................................
....
132
Materiality`s Four Types of Origin
................................
............................
135
Kamma
-
Produced Mate
riality
................................
.............................
136
Temperature
-
-"-
................................
................................
............
139
Consciousness
-
-" -
................................
................................
.........
138
Nutriment
-
-" -
................................
................................
................
140
The Beginning of Vipassan
................................
................................
..........
142
How You Develop Four
-
Elements Meditation
................................
.............
142
How You See the Twelve Characteristics
................................
.................
144
The Ten Ways to Develop Your Concentration
................................
........
148
How You See Ultimate Materiality
................................
...............................
150
Seeing the Body Transparent
-
eleme
nt as One Block
................................
150
How You See the Rpa
-
kalpas
................................
................................
.
151
(Benefits of Concetration)
................................
................................
.............
151
Transparent and Opaque
Rpa
-
kalpas
................................
.....................
152
How You Analyse the Rpa
-
kalpas
................................
.........................
152
How You See the Four Elements
................................
........................
152
-" -
Colour
................................
................................
..........
155
-" - Odour
................................
................................
..........
155
-" - Flavour
................................
................................
........
156
-" - Nutritive Essence
................................
........................
157
-" - Li
fe
-
Faculty
-
and Sex
-
materiality
..............................
157
How You Analyse Transparent
-
elements Materia
l
ity
........................
159
All the Elements in a Sense
-
Organ
................................
............................
161
How You See Consciousness
-
Produced Materia
l
ity
..........................
163
-" - Temperature
-
-"-
................................
.................
164
-" - Nutriment
-
-" -
................................
.................
164
Summary
................................
................................
................................
......
167
Table 1: The Twenty
-
Eight Material Elements
................................
.............
169
-" -2:
The Basic Elements of the Eye
................................
.......................
171
-" -3: -"
- Body
................................
......................
172
-" -4: -" - Heart
................................
.....................
173
Questions and Answers
4
1
................................
.............
175
5
: How You Discern Mentality
................................
................................
...................
199
Introduction
................................
................................
................................
....
199
The Four Stages to Discerning Mentality
................................
......................
200
How You Discern Jhna Cognitive
-
processes
................................
..............
201
-" -
Sensual Realm Cognitive
-
processes
................................
204
Wise and Unwise Atte
n
tion
................................
................................
204
1
Please see index of questions from yogis, p.
xi
Knowing
and Seeing
viii
How You Discern Mind
-
Door Cognitive
-
processes
..........................
205
-" - Five
-
Door Cogn
i
tive
-
processes
............................
206
How You Discern External Mentality
................................
...........................
208
Table 5: The Five
-
Door Cognitive Process
................................
...................
211
Table 6: The Mind
-
Door Cognitive Process
................................
.................
213
Questions and Answers
5
1
................................
.............
215
6
: How You See the Links of Dependent
-
Origination
................................
...........
227
Introduction
................................
................................
................................
....
227
The Fifth Method
................................
................................
...........................
228
The Three Rounds of Dependent
-
Origination
................................
....
228
How You Discern Your Past Life
................................
................................
..
229
Examples
................................
................................
.............................
232
What a Female Yogi Discerned
................................
...................
232
-" -a Male Yogi Discerned
................................
.....................
232
How You Discern More Past Lives
................................
...............................
233
How You Discern Your Future
................................
................................
......
234
The First Method
................................
................................
............................
235
Questions and Answers
6
1
................................
.............
237
7
: How You Develop the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
...........................
255
Introduction
................................
................................
................................
....
255
How You Develop the Knowledge of Comprehension
................................
.
256
-" - Promote Your Insight Knowledge
................................
...............
258
The Forty Perceptions
................................
................................
.........
258
The Seven Ways for Material
i
ty
................................
.........................
260
The Seven Ways for Mentality
................................
...........................
262
How You Develop the Knowledge of Arising and Passing
-
Away
...............
264
Introduction
................................
................................
.........................
264
How You Develop the Knowledge of Arising and Pas
s
ing
-
Away
According to the Fifth Method of Dependent Origination
.................
265
The Observation of the Nature of Arisin
g
................................
...
265
-" - Passing
-
Away
................................
........
266
-" - Ari
s
ing And Passing
-
Away
...................
268
How You Develop the Knowl
edge of Arising and Passing
-
Away
According to the First Method of Dependent Origination
.................
269
How You Overcome the Ten Imperfections of Insight
................................
.
271
-" - Develop the Knowledge of Dissolution
................................
.......
272
You Know the First Eleven Knowledges
................................
......................
273
You Know and See Nibbna
................................
................................
..........
274
You Review Your Knowledge
................................
................................
.......
276
1
Please see index of questions from yogis, p.
xi
Contents
(In Detail)
ix
Questions and Answers
7
1
................................
.............
279
8
: The Buddha`s Wishes for His Disciples and His Teac
h
ings
............................
297
The Buddha Relinquishes the W
ill to Live
................................
...................
297
The Buddha Declares His Wishes
................................
................................
.
298
Our Duty as Buddhists
................................
................................
........
300
How We May Benefit the World
................................
........................
300
How We May Show Our Fait
h
................................
...........................
301
What We Must Learn and Practise
................................
.....................
302
The Basis for Practice
................................
................................
..
302
Samatha and Vipassan Meditation
................................
............
305
The Buddha`s Exhortations to the Sangha
................................
....................
310
The Buddha`s A
d
vice to Bhikkhus
................................
................................
312
9
: The Most Superior Kind of Offering
................................
................................
...........
317
Introduction
................................
................................
................................
....
317
The Disciple`s Debts to His Teacher
................................
.............................
318
Opportunities No
t to Be Missed
................................
................................
....
321
The Fourteen Types of Personal Offering
................................
.....................
323
" Seven Kinds of Offe
r
ing to the Sa ngha
................................
.................
326
" Four Kinds of Purification of Offering
................................
..................
327
" Six Qualities of an Immeasurable Offering
................................
...........
331
Offerings at Retreat
................................
................................
........................
333
The Giver`s Wishes
................................
................................
.............
334
The Most Superior of All Worldly Offerings
................................
................
335
How You Make a Most Superior Offering
................................
.........
338
Appendix 1
:
Glossary of Untranslated Pli
........................
341
Appendix 2
.
Contact Addresses
................................
........
345
Knowing
and Seeing
x
xi
Index of
Que
s
tions from Yogis
(Arranged sequentially according to subje
ct.)
The first number refers to the talk; the second number to the question.
e.g.
1.2
=
Questions
-
&
-
Answers
No. 1, Question No.2
2.1
=
Que
s
tions
-
&
-
Answers
No. 2, Question No.1
Meditation
(
Practical
)
page
1.1
: How do we, in the four stages of
npna
sati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing), decide
when to go from one stage to an
other?
................................
................................
...............
59
1.2
: Is it necessary, in meditation, to have a nimitta?
................................
........................
59
1.4
: Where does the (
npna)
nimitta come from? What makes it a
p
pear?
....................
62
2.1
: How should beginners balance the faculties
(
indriya
)
of concentration and wisdom?
How should they practise wisdom in
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing)?
..............
85
2.2
: Why don`t we, after attaining the fourt
h jhna, go straight to discern the five aggr
e-
gates, their nature of impermanence, su
f
fering, and non
-
self, and attain Nibbna? Why do
we before attaining Nibbna need to practise meditation on the thirty
-
two parts of body,
skeleton, white kasina, four ele
ments, materiality, mentality, d
e
pendent
-
origination, and
Vipassan?
................................
................................
................................
..........................
86
2.3
: Why, after having discerned materiality and mentality, must one practise the first and
fifth methods of dependent
-
origination
(pat iccasamuppda)
? What are th
e first and fifth
met
h
ods?
................................
................................
................................
.............................
92
3.5
: Under what conditions does a yogi drop, or regress from absorption to access conce
n-
tration? Under what conditions does a yogi in access concentration attain absorption
co
n
centr
a
tion?
................................
................................
................................
...................
121
3.7
: While meditating, images of events from more than thirty years back, which the yogi
had forgotten, appear. Is this due to lack of mindfulness, which lets the mind leave the o
b-
ject?
................................
................................
................................
................................
...
122
3.11
: Before we attain the fourth
jhna, and eradicate
ignorance
(avijj)
, many unwhol
e-
some thoughts still arise due to bad habits. For example, in our daily life (outside a
med
i
t
a
tion retreat) we know that greed or hatred arises. Can we use foulness meditation
(asubha)
, or lovingkindness
meditation
(mett bhvan)
to r
e
move them? Or should we
ignore them and just concentrate on our meditation subject, and let them disappear
aut
o
mat
i
cally?
................................
................................
................................
...................
126
4.2
: After finishing the meditation course, can a yogi attain Path and Frui
tion Know
l
edges
(magga !na
and
phala !na)
? If not, why not?
................................
.............................
177
4.4
: Can a yogi who has finished the course, but not yet attained Nibbna, attain the
Know
ledge Standing on Phenomena
(dhammatt hiti !na)
? If so, can it r
e
gress?
..........
184
4.5
: Can one attain supramundane states with only access co
n
centration?
.....................
186
4.6
: Can one with only momentary concentration
(khanika samdhi)
, practise mindfu
l
ness
of feeling
(v
e
dnanupassan satipatthna)
to atta
in supramundane states?
...................
186
4.9
: Are the methods for
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing) and four
-
elements
meditation the same? Why must we practise four
-
elements meditation only after
npn
a-
sati
?
................................
................................
................................
................................
...
194
4.10
:
Could the Sayadaw please explain the light experienced in meditation
scientif
i
cally?
................................
................................
................................
....................
194
Knowing
and Seeing
xii
5.2
: Which is easiest and quickest for the attainment of Nibbna: using theory to pe
r
ceive
impermanence, suffering, and non
-
self, or using conc
entration to discern ultimate ph
e-
nomena
(p
a
ramattha dhamma)
?
................................
................................
.......................
219
6.1
: How should a yogi who practises
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing), but who
cannot see a nimitta, check himself physically and mentally, so that he can i
m
prove
and
enter jhna? In other words, what are the conditions needed to have a nimitta?
.............
237
6.2
: Does the sitting posture affect the ability for beginners to concentrate, and enter
jhna? There are many yogis who sit on a small stool to me
ditate; can they e
n
ter
jhna?
................................
................................
................................
................................
237
6.3
: What is the object of the fourth npn jhna? If there is no breath in the fourth
jhna, how can there be a nimitta?
................................
................................
...................
238
6.4
: Can one enter an immaterial jhna attainment
(arpa jhna sampatti)
, or practise
lovingkindness meditation d
i
rectly from
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing)?
......
238
6.10
: Can one practise Vipassan while in the base of neither
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception attainment
(nev
a
sa!!
-
nsa!!yatana sampatti)
? In which sutta or other
source can the a
n
swer be found?
................................
................................
......................
249
7.4
: Does work for the Sangha affect one`s meditation? Does it depend on the indivi
d
ual,
or can one achieve a certain degree of concentration, af
ter which work has no e
f
fect?
..
280
7.9
: How does Vipassan purify view
(dit t hi visuddhi)
? What kinds of defilement
(
kilesa
)
are removed by V
i
passan?
................................
................................
..............................
285
7.11
: How should a yogi practise wise attention
(yo
n
iso man
asikra)
in his daily life, and
how in his Samatha
-
Vipassan practice?
................................
................................
.........
288
7.16
: How to overcome the uninterested and bored mind state that occurs during long p
e-
riods of meditation, or staying alone in the forest? Is this kind of min
d state an unwhol
e-
some dhamma?
................................
................................
................................
..................
292
Meditation
(
Doctrinal
)
1.5
: What are the seven stages of purification and sixteen i
n
sight
-
knowledges?
..............
62
3.1
: In
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing), there are the parikamm
a
-
nimitta, the u
g-
gaha
-
nimitta, and the pat ibhga
-
nimitta. What is the parikamma
-
nimitta? Is the parikam
-
ma
-
nimitta always grey? What is the difference b
e
tween the parikamma
-
nimitta and the
uggaha
-
nimitta?
................................
................................
................................
.................
115
3.2
: What is the differen
ce between access concentration and absorption
concentr
a
tion?
................................
................................
................................
...................
117
3.3
: Under what conditions, or in what state, can we say that a meditation experience is
access concentration or absorption conce
n
tration?
................................
..........................
120
3.
4
: Is there access concentration, as well as absorption concentration at each of the four
jhnas? What are their characteristics?
................................
................................
.............
120
3.9
: Is it necessary when discerning the twelve characteristics in four
-
elements medit
a
tion,
to star
t with hardness, roughness, and heaviness in that sequence? Can one choose to start
with any one of the characteristics?
................................
................................
..................
125
3.13
: What is the difference between mundane jhnas
(lokiya jhna)
and supramu
n
dane
jhnas
(lokuttara jhna)
?
................................
................................
................................
..
128
7.7
: When a yogi is able to di
s
cern rpa
-
kalpas or ultimate materiality, will his mind
(citta)
and view
(ditt hi)
change?
................................
................................
.......................
285
7.8
: How does concentration purify the mind
(citta visuddhi)
? What kinds of defi
l
e
ment
(
kilesa
)
are removed by concentration?
................................
................................
............
285
Index of
Questions from Yogis
xiii
7.12
: What is the difference between attention
(manasi
kra)
and practising the seven
enligh
t
enment factors
(bojjh
a
n
ga)
?
................................
................................
..................
289
7.13
: Could the Sayadaw please expl
ain the diagram? Is it necessary, in this system of
meditation, to practise the more than thirty types of medit
a
tion subject
(kammat t hna)
?
What are the benefits in doing so?
................................
................................
....................
289
7.15
: Is the discerning mind that discerns mentality
-
m
ateriality itself included in menta
l-
ity
-
materiality? Is it included in wisdom?
................................
................................
........
291
Doctrine
(Bodhisatta Path etc.)
4.1
: Is a bodhisatta, including Arimetteyya Bodhisatta, a worldling
(puthujjana)
? If
Arimetteyya Bodhisatta is a world
ling like us, then at the time for him to come down to
become Metteyya Buddha, what is the difference between the conditions for him to b
e-
come a Buddha and for us?
................................
................................
...............................
175
4.3
: A yogi who has finished the meditation course, but not yet at
tained the Path Know
l-
edge
(magga!na)
and Fruition Knowledge
(phala!na)
, if his concentr
a
tion drops, will
his insight
-
knowledge also drop? Can he be reborn in a woeful state
(apya)
?
..............
179
4.7
: The Buddha was a great arahant. What was
the difference between Him, and disc
i
ples
like the Venerables Sriputta and Mahmoggallna who were also ar
a
hants?
...............
192
5.4
:
(The following questions are all covered by the same a
n
swer.)
..............................
221
Was there a bodhisatta
during The Buddha`s time? If so, did he attain a path or was he just
a worldling
(puth
u
jjana)
?
Why can a noble one
(ariya)
not b
e
come a bodhisatta?
Can a disciple
(svaka)
change to become a bodhisatta? If not, why not?
When by following the Sayadaw`s te
aching one is able to attain the Path and Fruition
Knowledges of Stream
-
Entry
(sotpatti magga!na
and
s
o
tpatti phala!na)
, can one
choose to not do so, because of a desire and vow to pra
c
tise the bodhisatta path?
5.5
: Is it possible to practise the path
to liberation
(vimuttimagga)
and the path of bodh
i-
satta [path to Buddh
a
hood] at the same time? If so, what is the method?
.......................
223
5.6
: Is this method [of meditation] for liberation only, or is it also for the bodh
i
satta
path?
................................
................................
................................
................................
..
224
6.9
: An arahant can also give a definite prophecy; what is the definition of definite prop
h-
ecy here? In which sutta or other source can this information be found?
........................
249
Sundry
1.3
: Some say that while practising
npnasa
ti
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing) their soul
goes out of the body. Is that true, or are they on the wrong path?
................................
.....
60
3.6
: When a person dies, a kamma
-
nimitta may arise because of past wholesome or u
n-
wholesome kamma. Is this phenomenon simil
ar to that which occurs during meditation,
when images of past events, which the yogi had forgotten, a
p
pear?
...............................
122
3.8
: If, when dying, a person has strong mindfulness, can he prevent a kamma sign
(kamma nimitta)
of previous unwholesome
or wholesome kamma from ari
s
ing?
..........
123
3.10
: Practising four
-
elements meditation enables one to balance the four el
e
ments in the
body. One may at some time get sick because the four elements are out of balance. When
Knowing
and Seeing
xiv
one is sick, can on
e practise four
-
elements meditation with strong mindfu
l
ness to cure the
sickness?
................................
................................
................................
............................
126
3.12
: How does the bhavanga function in the sensual realms, fine
-
material realms, imm
a-
terial realms and supramundane realm? Would the Sayadaw pleas
e explain with exa
m-
ples?
................................
................................
................................
................................
..
127
4.8
: What is the 'intermediate life`
(antara bhava)
?
................................
........................
193
4.11
: Can those who have discerned the thirty
-
two parts of the body see them in som
e
one
else, with their eyes open?
................................
................................
................................
196
5.1
: The eight attainments
(sampatti)
make it possible to attain the Knowledge of Analy
s-
ing Mentality
-
Materiality
(nma
rpa pariccheda !na)
, and to see their subtle arising and
pass
ing
-
away, so as to become disgusted with them, and at
tain the Path Knowledge
(magga!na)
. Are there, apart from this, other benefits to the eight attainments?
.........
215
5.3
: The round of rebirths
(samsra)
is without beginning or end. Beings are also inf
i
nite
in number, so those who have been
our mother are infinite too. How can we develop lo
v-
ingkindness by contemplating that all beings have been our mother? Can we attain lovin
g-
kindness jhna
(mett jhna)
by contemplating that all b
e
ings have been our mother?
.
221
5.7
: Do
all the good and bad kammas of an arahant mature prior to his Parini
b
bna?
...
224
5.8
: After His enlightenment, did The Buddha say, 'Originally all beings have the Tath
-
gata`s wisdom and other qualities`?
................................
................................
.................
225
5.9
:
Is the arahant`s perception of voidness
(su!!ata)
in his own five aggregates the same
as his perception of voidness in outside inanimate things? Is Nibbna the same as entering
voi
d
ness?
................................
................................
................................
...........................
225
5.10
: Are all suttas taught by The Buddha
only?
................................
.............................
225
5.11
: Since we cannot see The Buddha while in concentration, can we see Him by ps
y
chic
powers to discuss Dhamma with Him?
................................
................................
............
226
6.5
: How can one decide when to die, that is, choose the time of one`s dea
th?
..............
239
6.6
: If one day we were to die in an accident, for example in an air crash, could our mind
at that time 'leave` so that we would not have any bodily pain? How? Can one, d
e
pending
on the power of one`s meditation, be without fe
ar at that time, and be liberated? What d
e-
gree of concentration is r
e
quired?
................................
................................
....................
240
6.7
: After attaining the path and fruition, a noble
(ariya)
does not regress to become a
worldling
(puthujjana)
, this is a law of nature
(sammatta niyma
)
. Sim
i
larly, one who has
received a definite prophecy cannot abandon his bodhisatta practice. This too is a natural
fixed law. But The Buddha declared that ever
y
thing is impermanent. Are these fixed laws
in accordance with the law of impe
r
manence?
................................
................................
.
242
6.8
: When an ordinary disciple has practised Samatha
-
Vipassan up to the Knowledge of
Discerning Cause and Cond
i
tion, the Knowledge of Arising and Passing
-
Away, or the
Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Formations, he will not be reborn on
any of the four
wo
e
ful realms. Even if he loses his Samatha
-
Vipassan due to negligence, the kamma of
having practised Samatha
-
Vipassan still exists. The
`Sotnugata Sutta'
says also that he
will attain Nibbna quickly. So, why did the Sayadaw, in the Que
stion
-
and
-
Answer se
s-
sion of June 2nd, say that a bodhisatta who has received a definite prophecy from a Bu
d-
dha can, even if he has practised meditation up to the Knowledge of Equanimity Towards
Formations, be reborn in a woeful state? In which sutta is thi
s me
n
tioned?
...................
247
6.11
: Can a person who is mentally abnormal, hears voices, has schizophrenia, a brain di
s-
ease, stroke or malfunction of the brain and nerves, pra
c
tise this type of meditation? If he
can, what kinds of pr
e
caution shoul
d he take?
................................
................................
.
250
Index of
Questions from Yogis
xv
6.12
: If a person, who does not have good human relations, succeeds in attaining the
fourth jhna, will this i
m
prove his skill in communicating with others? Can attaining jhna
correct such pro
b
lems?
................................
................................
................................
.....
252
7.1
: What is the difference between perception
(sa!!)
and the perception aggregate
(sa!!kkhandha)
, and between feeling
(vedna)
and the feeling aggregate
(v
e
dnak
-
khandha)
?
................................
................................
................................
..........................
279
7.2
: To which associated mental factors do mem
ory, inference and creativity belong? They
are part of the five aggregates, but how do they become suffering
(du
k
kha)
?
................
279
7.3
: Which associated mental factor does 'Taking an object` i
n
volve?
...........................
280
7.5
: Can a perso
n who develops the jhnas with evil intent benefit from attaining them?
And how about a person who has, for e
x
ample, spent the money of a Sangha for his per
-
sonal use, and does not think it is wrong. When he attains jhna up to the fourth jhna,
does his m
ind or view change?
................................
................................
.........................
281
7.6
: What is the difference between rpa
-
kalpas and ultimate materiality
(p
a
ramattha
rpa)
?
................................
................................
................................
................................
284
7.10
: What is the difference between
citta
and
ditt hi
?
................................
.....................
286
7.14
: Can
a hating mind produce many generations of temperature
-
produced octad
-
kalpas
(utuja ojatt hamaka
-
kalpa)
, and make the eyes flash?
................................
....................
291
7.17
: Could the Sayadaw please give an example of a wish that is not associated with i
g-
norance
(av
ijj)
, cra
v
ing
(tanh)
and clinging
(updna)
?
................................
.............
293
7.18
: If the five aggregates are non
-
self, then who, Saya
daw, is giving a Dhamma talk? In
other words, if the five aggre
gates are non
-
self, no Sayadaw is giving a Dhamma talk. So
i
s there a rel
a
tionship between the five aggregates and the self?
................................
.....
293
7.19
: The Buddha taught the Snake Mantra to bhikkhus. Is chanting the Snake Ma
n
tra the
same as loving
-
kindness? Is chan
t
ing a mantra a Brahmanic tradition brought
into Bu
d-
dhism?
................................
................................
................................
...............................
294
Knowing
and Seeing
xvi
xvii
Bibliographical Abbreviations etc.
(Used in Source References)
A
Anguttara Nikya
................................
.........................
(
Numerical Collection
)
AA.
-"-
Atthakath
......
(Comme
n
tary)
1
Dhs.
Dh
amma Sangan
................................
.......................
(Dhamma Compendium)
Dh.
Dhamma Pada
................................
................................
...
(Dhamma Path)
DhA.
Atthakath
........
(Comme
n
tary)
D.
Dgha Nikya
................................
................................
..
(
Long Collection
)
DA.
-"-
Atthakath
........
(Comme
n
tary)
M.
Majjhima Nikya
................................
..................
(
Middle
-
Length Collection
)
MA.
-"-
Atthakath
........
(Comme
n
tary)
Ps.
Patisam
bhid Magga
................................
........................
(Discrimination Path)
S.
Samyutta Nikya
................................
.........................
(
Connected Collection
)
SA.
-"-
Atthakath
........
(Comme
n
tary)
Sn.
Sutta Nipta
................................
................................
..........
(Sutta Book)
U.
Udna
................................
................................
..........
(Inspiration)
Vbh.
Vibhanga
................................
................................
..............
(Analysis)
VbhA.
-"-
Atthakath
........
(Comme
n
tary)
VbhTi.
-"-
Tk
...........
(Sub
-
comment
ary)
2
Vs.
Visuddhi Magga
..........................
(Comme
n
tary)
............
(
Purification Path
)
3
VsTi.
-"-
Tk
............
(Sub
-
commentary)
1
The Pli titles for the commentaries are: AA =
Manorathaprani
; DA =
Sumangalavilsin
; MA =
Papa!casdan
; SA =
Sratthappak
s
in
; VbhA =
Sa
mmohavinodan
2
The Pli titles for the sub
-
commentaries are: VbhTi =
Mla
-
Tk
; VsTi =
Paramattha Ma!js
3
Visuddhi Magga
(Purification Path)
is a commentary, and when the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya
Sayadaw refers to the '
Visuddhi Magga
Commentary`, he is re
ferring to the commentary to the
Visuddhimagga
= the sub
-
commentary.
Knowing
and Seeing
xviii
Source references are according to the standard divisions in the
Pl i: Collection x
Book x
Section x
Chapter x
Sutta.
For exa
m
ple:
1
M.I.ii.2
M
=
Maj
jhima Nikya
................................
..........
(Middle
-
Length Suttas)
I
=
Book 1
`Mla Pannsa Pli'
................................
......
('Root Fifty Texts`)
i
=
Chapter 1
`
Mlapariyya Vagga'
.............................
('Root Series Chapter`)
2
=
Sutta 2
`
Sabbsava Sutta'
................................
.....
('All the Taints Sutta`)
S.III.I.i.5
S
=
Samyutta Nikya
................................
...................
(Connected Suttas)
III
=
Book 3
`
Khandha Vagga'
................................
.........
('Aggregates Book`)
I
=
Section 1
`Khandha Samyutta'
................................
.
('Aggregates Section`)
i
=
Chapter 1
`Nakulapitu Vagga'
................................
...
('Nakulapita Chapter`)
5
=
Sutta 5
`Samdhi Sutta'
................................
........
('Concentration Sutta`)
Vs.viii
B223
/90
Vs
=
Visuddhi Magga
................................
....................
(Pu
rification Path)
viii
=
Chapter 8
`
npnasati Kath`
..
('Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing Explan
a
tion`)
B223
=
223
................................
........
(Venerable
B
-
uddhaghosa`s Pli Text)
90
=
90
.............................
(Venerable
-
namoli`s
Path of Purific
a
tion
)
Charts
page
Table 1
:
The Twenty
-
Eight Material
Elements
................................
...............................
169
Table 2
:
The Basic Elements of the Eye
................................
................................
.........
171
Table 3
:
The Basic Elements of the Body
................................
................................
.......
172
Table 4
:
The Basic Ele
ments of the Heart
................................
................................
.......
173
Table 5
:
The Five
-
Door Cognitive Process
................................
................................
.....
211
Table 5
:
The Mind
-
Door Cognitive Process
................................
................................
...
213
1
Please note also references to section numbers in
Visuddhi Magga
(third example).
xix
Editorial Note
(Revised Edition)
The first edition of
Knowing and Seeing
, a collection of talks
given in Taiwan by the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw
1
was,
in spite of the best intentions, published with regrettably very
many flaws and e
r
rors. They were almost only of language,
which could not unfortunately but have an adverse effect on the
contents. An a
t
tempt has been made, with this revised edition, not
only to put things right, but to give the entire text an overhaul, so
as to make it
less inaccess
i
ble to newcomers.
Endeavours have thus been
made to strea
m
line the language
(one thing referred to by only one term: as far as possible), and on
the one hand to remove unnecessary repetitions,
2
and other e
x-
cess text (incl. the many hyphens);
on the other hand to add i
n-
formation where deemed necessary (charts, footnotes, source re
f-
erences, a detailed table of contents, and an index of the questions
from meditators);
3
and in some cases even to re
-
arrange the text.
Furthermore, the Venerable Pa
-
A
uk Tawya Sayadaw added an i
n-
troduction to the entire course of meditation, with continual refe
r-
ence to pert
i
nent Pl i Texts.
4
The Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw has also made adjus
t-
ments in terminology, for example, 'cognitive
-
process` for
ci
t
ta
v thi
(ins
tead of 'thought
-
proc
ess`), and 'consciousness` as a
countable noun (one consciousness, two consciousness
es
) has
been adopted. Capitalization of 'the Bu
d
dha` to '
T
he Buddha` has
been adopted as an orth
o
graphical sign of respect, since the Asian
appellatio
ns (which can be translated as
Lord
or
His Ma
j
esty King
etc. Buddha) are in standard English too restricted in mea
n
ing. A
1
As there are several 'Pa
-
Auk` monasteries, the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Sayadaw has adopted
Tawya
(Forest) in
to his name, to specify which one he belongs to.
2
From an English point
-
of
-
view, Burmese (and Pli) are pleonastic languages.
3
This includes an introduction to Talk 4 'How You Discern Materiality`.
4
Written by a 'ghost
-
writer` under the Venerable Pa
-
Au
k Tawya Sayadaw`s close guidance and s
u-
pervision.
Knowing
and Seeing
xx
Burmese element of proper usage has also been added, namely,
the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw`s reference to himself in
the first pe
rson plural instead of the first person singular (
we
and
our
instead of
I
and
mine)
: in Burmese, it is considered i
m
modest
to refer to oneself in the first pe
r
son singular.
1
For this edition too the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw was
con
sulted, and again
he read through the material, adding co
m-
ments, further explanations, mak
ing corrections etc.
Given some of the responses to the first editions of this book,
and to the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw`s teachings as a
whole, the fol
lowing four points need
perhaps be made.
1.
Although
the Pa
-
Auk system
may be used as a conve
n
ient
term to refer to the teachings of the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya
Sayadaw, there is no such thing. The Venerable Pa
-
Auk
Tawya Sayadaw`s system of instruction is by no means 'his`.
It is
borne out by, drawn directly and unadulterated from, and
in strict a
c
cordance with, the authoritative texts of the Thera
-
vda tradition:
2
the an
cient Theravda Canon, Commentaries
and Sub
-
Com
men
tar
ies: most notably the ancient comme
n-
tary and med
i
tation
manual, the
Visuddhi Magga
.
3
2.
Yogis who have taken the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Saya
-
daw or one of his authorized teachers as teacher have and do
fully or partly put into practice the system of i
n
struction that
1
Modesty by way of the first person plural may be found in also the Commentaries to the Pli
Texts. Furthermore, as one of the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw`s disc
i
ples has pointed out,
since the Saya
daw
`s teaching is nothing other than what is stated in the Pli Texts, his voice is in
fact not his own: it is the voice of the tradition handed down through generations of bhikkhus, har
k-
ing back to the bhikkhus who received instruction from The Buddha Hi
m
sel
f.
2
Attention to this was drawn already in the first edition by quoting the Venerable Buddhaghosa`s
and the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw`s own words on the matter (now given on the left inside
cover). Please see also the source references
inserted throug
h
out the talks.
3
Visuddhi Magga (Purification Path)
: authoritative and extensive instruction manual on meditation,
compiled from ancient, orthodox Sinhalese translations of the even earlier Pli Commentaries (pr
e-
dominantly
'The Ancients`
(Porn)
, dating back to the time of The Buddha and the First Council),
as well as later Sinhalese Commentaries, translated back into Pli by Indian scholar monk Ve
n
erable
Buddhaghosa (approx. 500 A.C.)
Editorial Note
(Revised Edition)
xxi
is presented here. The Pl i Texts (Vinaya, Sut
tas and Abhi
d-
hamma) are, says the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Sayadaw, aimed e
n-
tirely at practice. As advised by The Buddha, learning
(par
i-
yatti)
goes hand
-
in
-
hand with practice
(patipatti)
, practical e
x-
perience of that knowledge, which leads eventually to realiz
a-
tio
n
(pativedha)
of it.
3.
The main talks are not descriptive so much as prescriptive.
Ne
v
ertheless, the book is not to be regarded as a manual but
as an overview.
4.
Yogis who take the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw or
one of his authorized teachers as their teach
er should know
that there are no hard and fast rules about how he guides the
individual yogi: in each case the yogi`s preferences, strengths
and weaknesses etc. are taken into account. The individual
yogi`s practice may therefore, in sequence and detail, v
ery
well di
f
fer from what is presented here.
Once again, the editors beg forgiveness from their readers and
from their teacher, the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw, for
whatever scratches that still remain after this final polish.
May absolutely all partie
s involved in the production of this m
a-
te
rial, from its very inception, reap much merit from their labours.
May all the merit of that work; the merit of reading these talks by
fu
ture readers; the merit of the meditation a
s
sisted and perhaps
engen
dered b
y these talks; and the merit of the attainments, mu
n-
dane and supramundane, attained thereby all go towards keeping
the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw healthy and happy for
long to come.
Editors
of Pa
-
Auk Forest Mona
s
tery
Knowing
and Seeing
xxii
xxiii
Foreword
(First Edition)
As m
ost of us know, the three trainings of morality, concentr
a-
tion, and wisdom, are the three stages of Buddhist practice.
Through the practice of the three trainings, an ordinary person
can attain s
u
preme Nibbna,
1
and become a noble one.
The
Visuddhi Magga
c
ompiled by the Vener
able Buddha
g
hosa
is an exposition of the three trainings. It is based on the Pl i texts
and commentaries, and explains the seven stages of purification,
and sixteen insight
-
knowledges. But how to a
t
tain them has been
a difficult questi
on for all Buddhists over many ge
n
era
tions. For
this, we are fortunate to have the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Saya
-
daw of Pa
-
Auk Forest Monastery. His teaching is the same as, i
n-
deed it is in much more detail than, what is described in the
Vi
-
sud
dhi Magga
. B
ased on the very same sources, the Pl i texts,
comme
n
taries and the
Visuddhi Magga
itself, the Sayadaw tea
-
ches yogis, step by step, how to attain those stages of purific
a
tion,
and insight
-
knowledges.
The goal of the teaching at Pa
-
Auk Forest Monastery is,
in a
c-
co
r
dance with the ancient texts, to realize Nibbna in this very
life. To achieve that end, yogis must comprehend all mentality
-
materiality, also known as the five aggregates, as impermanence,
suffering, and non
-
self. As for the objects of Vipassan
medit
a-
tion, they are not only the internal and external five aggregates,
but also the five aggregates of past, future and present, gross and
subtle, superior and inferior, far and near. Only after compr
e
hen
-
ding all of them penetratively as impermanence,
suffering, and
non
-
self, can yogis attain the noble paths and fruitions, and there
-
by gradually eradicate or reduce various defilements. After ha
v-
ing seen Ni
b
bana for the first time, yogis can see clearly that they
have attained the first path and fruit
ion; what defilements they
have abandoned; and what defilements they still need to aba
n-
1
For untranslated Pli, please see Ap
pendix 1, p.
341
Knowing
and Seeing
xxiv
don.
1
Then they continue to practise Vipassan to attain the
higher paths and fruitions up to Arahantship, whereby they are no
longer subject to rebirth, and will attain
f
i
nal Nibbna after death.
It is very fortunate that I still have the opportunity, in this age
wherein Buddhism is degenerating, to practise the original system
of Buddhist meditation. It makes me feel as if I were back in the
Bu
d
dha`s time. For this I am
very grateful to the Sayadaw, who
spent many years practising in the forest, and studying the P
l
i
texts and commentaries to rediscover this teaching. It is out of
compassion that he sacrifices much of his time to teach medit
a-
tion for the benefit of human
kind. His teaching is markedly clear
and detailed throughout the seven stages of purific
a
tion. This is a
rare teaching and hard to come by, not only in Taiwan, but in the
whole world.
From April to June, the Sayadaw conducted a two
-
month med
i-
tation retreat
for the first time in Taiwan, at Yi
-
Tung Temple.
Among many Taiwanese, his teaching will definitely arouse i
n-
terest in the original meditation. It is also a great help to fill in
some gaps in Mahyna meditation. Hopefully the reader will, a
f-
ter reading t
he profound talks, and a
n
swers to questions, given in
Taiwan by the Sayadaw, be able to have a deeper understanding
of the Buddha`s teachings.
May the true Dhamma endure long. May the publication of this
book help provide a refuge for those who wish to kno
w what the
rounds of birth
-
and
-
death are, and who wish to attain liber
a
tion.
May this book guide more people onto the right path to liberation,
so that they can realize for themselves: 'All formations are i
m-
permanent, all dhammas are non
-
self, and Nibbna
is utterly
peac
e
ful.` To see that is certainly not something impracticable,
but something a
b
solutely practical. Only one who sees it knows
it, and only one who experiences it can enjoy the bliss of the
Dhamma.
A Taiwanese Bhi
k
shuni
2
1
For details on how the yogi sees this, please see further p.
276
2
Yogi at said retreat, who then went to Pa
-
Auk Tawya Monastery to co
n
tinue.
xxv
Editorial Note
(First E
dition)
The talks in this book were given by the Venerable Pa
-
Auk
Tawya Sayadaw of Pa
-
Auk Forest Monastery, Pa
-
Auk, Mawl
a-
myine, Myanmar, while he conducted a two
-
month meditation r
e-
treat at Yi
-
Tung Temple, Sing Choo City, Taiwan. In the course
of those tw
o months, apart from giving daily meditation instru
c-
tions to indivi
d
ual yogis, the Sayadaw read seven main talks,
which had been pr
e
pared at Pa
-
Auk prior to the retreat. Those
talks were interspersed with seven Que
s
tion
-
and
-
Answer talks;
the questions havi
ng been given beforehand by the yogis at the
r
e
treat, and the answers then having been likewise prepared b
e-
forehand by the Sayadaw. The Sayadaw read a further two talks.
One was read to the ge
n
eral public on the occasion of Veskha
day (the anniversary of
the Buddha`s birth, enlightenment and f
i-
nal passing away). The other was read at the end of the retreat,
and was the traditional talk on offerings, for the chief donor, the
a
b
bess of Yi
-
Tung Temple, other donors, and the organizers and
helpers at the retre
at. All sixteen talks had been prepared in En
g-
lish, and then read in English by the Sayadaw. For the ben
e
fit of
the audience, who were all Chinese, the talks were also translated
beforehand into Chinese, and the Chinese read concurrently with
the Sa
y
adaw`s
reading.
The talks are concerned mainly with the Sayadaw`s principal
approach to insight meditation: to practise tranquillity meditation
first, after which to use it as a vehicle for insight medit
a
tion. The
Sayadaw teaches also pure
-
insight meditation, wh
ich is why he
provides an exposition of the orthodox instru
c
tions for both
methods.
The talks, as they appear here, are not word
-
perfect versions of
the talks as they were given in Taiwan. This is because the Saya
-
daw decided that the material should be ed
ited prior to public
a-
tion. To that end, the Sayadaw requested that the language and
contents be changed in any way deemed necessary, and himself
added further details etc. The Sayadaw was very frequently co
n-
Knowing
and Seeing
xxvi
sulted during the entire editing process, and his
approval s
e
cured
for changes other than those of only form.
The editing has been mostly of form and not content. Efforts
have been made to retain the Sayadaw`s particular way of spea
k-
ing English, when he discusses with and instructs yogis. Since the
Sayad
aw was addressing Taiwanese and Malaysian
-
Chinese M
a-
hyna Buddhists, there are considerably fewer of his usual cop
i-
ous references from the Theravda texts and commentaries. It
should here be mentioned that, when the Sayadaw tran
s
lates a
Pl i quotation, he
usually follows the Burmese custom of inclu
d-
ing a gloss from the commentaries.
Most of the Pl i terms used by the Sayadaw have been tran
s-
lated. The Pl i has initially been retained in brackets, after which
it has usually been omitted: for example, initia
lly, 'impermanence
(
anicca
)`, subsequently,
'
impermanence`. Conversely, some
terms, awkward in English, have been left untranslated, such as:
kasi
n
a (totality? device?), deva (god? deity?), Brahm (supreme
being in a very high realm of existence?). Appendi
x 1 is a glo
s-
sary, which defines rather than transl
a
tes those terms.
The editorial priorities have been to maintain the required d
e-
gree of accuracy, and to try to make the talks readable to ne
w-
comer, yogi, and scholar alike. Complete uniformity in editing
has, for those reasons, been somewhat compromised. In the gen
e-
sis of this book, diverse helping hands have been involved in the
translating, composing, and editing. For any errors or faults in the
material, the helping hands alone are responsible.
Edito
rs,
Even page
Pa
-
Auk Forest Mona
s
tery
xxvii
Namo Tassa
,
Homage to Him,
Bhagavato
,
the Blessed,
Arahato
,
the Worthy,
Samm
-
the Perfectly
Sambuddhassa
.
Self
-
Enlightened One.
Odd page
Knowing
and Seeing
xxviii
Even page
1
Introduction
1
The Buddha`s Dispensation
O
n one occasion, the Blessed One was dwelling among the Va
j
jians at Ko(igma.
There the Blessed One
addressed
the bhikkhus
2
thus:
3
Bhikkhus, it is because of not understanding
(ananubodh)
and not penetra
t
ing
(appativedh)
the Four Noble Truths
................................
......
(Catunnam A
riyasaccnam)
that you and I have for a long time wandered the round of r
e
birth.
What four?
[1]
It is, bhikkhus,
because of not understanding and not penetrating the N
o
ble Truth of
Suffering
................................
................................
........................
(Dukkhassa Ariyasaccassa)
that you and I have for a long time wand
ered the round of rebirth.
[2]
It is, bhikkhus,
because of not understanding and not penetrating the N
o
ble Truth of the
Origin of Suffering
................................
.......................
(Dukkhasamudayassa Ar
i
yasaccassa)
that you and I have for a long time wandered the round of rebirth.
[3]
It is, bhikkhus,
because of not understanding and not penetrating the N
o
ble Truth of the
Cessation of Suffering
................................
.....................
(Dukkhanirodhassa Ar
i
yasaccassa)
that you and I have for a long time wandered the round of rebirth.
[4]
It is, bhikkhus,
because of not understanding and not pene
trating the N
o
ble Truth of the
Path to the Cessation of Suffering
.....
(Dukkhanirodhagminiya Patipadya Ariyasa
c
cassa)
that you and I have for a long time wandered the round of rebirth.
The Four Noble Truths are thus the foundations of The Bu
d-
dha`s Teaching,
His Dispensation. He then explains:
1
This introductio
n is an addition to the revised edition of
Knowing and Seeing.
2
For untranslated Pli, please see Appendix 1 'Glossary of Untranslated Pli Terms`, p.
341
ff
3
S.V.XII.iii.1
`Pathamakotigma Sutta'
('First Kotigma Sutta`) F
or bibliographical abbrevi
a
tions
and source references, please see above 'Bibliographical Abbreviations etc.` p.
xvii
Knowing
and Seeing
2
[1]
The Noble Truth of Suffering, bhikkhus,
has been understood and penetrated.
[2]
The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering
has been understood and pen
e
trated.
[3]
The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering
has been un
derstood and pen
e
trated.
[4]
The Noble Truth of the Path to the Cessation of Suffering
has been understood and pen
e
trated.
Craving for existence has been cut off;
the tendency to existence has been d
e
stroyed;
now there is no more renewed existence.
What
Needs to Be Fully Realized
The Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths for us to realize the
Third N
o
ble Truth, Nibbna, which is to put a complete end to
rebirth and therefore suffering. But that is not possible without
the right conditions. In the
`Kt gra
Sutta'
('Pi
n
nacled House
Sutta`), The Buddha explains first the conditions that make it i
m-
possible to put a complete end to su
f
fering:
1
Indeed, bhikkhus, if anyone said:
'Without having built the room of a pinnacled house, I shall erect the roof`,
such
a thing is i
m
possible.
So too, if anyone said:
[1]
'Without having realized the Noble Truth of Suffering as it really is;
(dukkham ariyasaccam yathbhtam anabh
i
samecca)
[2]
'without ha
v
ing realized the Noble Truth of
the Origin of Suffering as it really is;
[3]
'without having realized the Noble Truth of
the Cessation of Su
f
fering as it really is;
1
S.V.XII.v.4. A pinnacled house is here a single
-
storied house with four ou
t
side pillars that are
surm
ounted with beams that support a high roof that tapers t
o
wards a pinnacle.
Introduction
3
[4]
'with
out having realized the Noble Truth of
the Path to the Cessation of Suffering as it really is,
'I shall put a co
m
plete end to suffering`, such a thing is im
possible.
This means that we cannot put a complete end to suffe
r
ing (we
cannot attain the Third Noble Truth, Nibbna) unless we have
first fully realized the First Noble Truth (su
f
fering
(dukkha)
), and
fully realized the Second Noble Truth (the origin of
suffering
(samudaya)
). Only then are we able to realize also the supramundane
Fourth Noble Truth, the Supramundane Noble Eightfold Path.
The only way to attain these realizations is to first practise the
mundane Fourth Noble Truth, the mundane Path Truth
(
lokiya ma
g-
gasacca)
, which is the mundane Noble Eightfold Path, the three
-
fold trai
n
ing:
1.
Morality
................................
................................
................................
...............
(sla)
2.
Concentr
a
tion
................................
................................
...........................
(samdhi)
3.
Wisdom
................................
................................
................................
..........
(pa!!)
1
For bhikkhus, morality is
Pt imokkha
restraint, and for la
y-
people, it is the eight or five precepts. When w
e are established in
mora
l
ity, we can develop access
-
con
centration
(upacra samdhi)
and
absorption concentration
(jhna)
, and can then proceed to develop
wisdom, which is Vipassan meditation. Vipassan meditation is
nothing except to realize the imperma
nent, suffering, and non
-
self
nature of the Noble Truth of Suffe
r
ing and Noble Truth of the
Origin of Suffering. Only when we practise Vipassan well and
thoroughly, and fully realize these two Noble Truths, are we able
to realize the s
u
pramundane Fourth N
oble Truth, the Noble
Eight
fold Path associated with supramundane Path Truth
(Lokuttar
Magga Sacca)
: the path
(magga
)
of stream
-
entry
(sotpatti)
, once
-
return
(sakadgmi)
, non
-
return
(angmi)
, and arahan
t
ship.
1
This is explained in the commentary to M.I.iv.3
`Mahgoplaka Sutta'
('Great Cowherd Sutta`),
where The Buddha explains the eleven qualities in a bhikkhu that make it impossible f
or him to pr
o-
gress in the Dhamma and V
i
naya.
Knowing
and Seeing
4
In summary: the aim of the Fourth Noble
Truth (the Eightfold
Noble Path) is to realize the Third Noble Truth (Nibbna), which
is achieved only by fully realizing the First and Second Noble
Truths (Suffe
r
ing and the Origin of Suffering).
The First and Second Noble Truth
But what is the First Nobl
e Truth, the Noble Truth of Suffering?
In the
`Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta'
, the Buddha explains:
1
Now this, bhikkhus, is the Noble Truth of Suffering:
birth is suffering; ageing is suffering; illness is suffering; death is suffe
r
ing;
being united with t
he unpleasant is suffering;
being sep
a
rated from the pleasant is suffering;
not to get what one wants is suffering: in brief,
the five aggregates of clinging
(pa!c
-
u
pdnak
-
khan
dh)
are suffe
r
ing.
When The Buddha teaches the Noble Truth of Suffe
r
i
ng, He
teaches the five aggregates; He teaches us to know and see the
five aggregates. Our human world is the existence of the five a
g-
gregates
(pa!ca vokra bhava)
,
2
and unless we know and see the five
aggregates, we cannot realize The Buddha`s Teaching. T
his He
e
x
plains in the
`Puppha Sutta'
:
3
And what is the ultimate reality of the world
(loke lokadhammo)
that the
Tathgata has rea
l
ized with perfect and complete knowledge?
[1]
Materiality
................................
................................
................................
.......
(rpa)
..
[2]
Feeling
................................
................................
................................
...........
(vedan)
..
[3]
Perception
................................
................................
................................
......
(sa!!)
..
[4]
Mental
formations
................................
................................
..................
(sankhr)
..
[5]
Consciousness
................................
................................
...........................
(vi!!
n
a),
bhikkhus, is the ultimate reality of the world
1
S.V.XII.ii.1 'Dhamma
-
Wheel Rolling Sutta`
2
pa!cavokra
is an synonym for
pa!ca khandha
(five aggregates)
3
S.III.II.v.2 'Flower Sutta`
Introduction
5
that the Tathgata has realized with pe
r
fect and complete knowledge.
Having done so, He
explains it, teaches it, proclaims it, establishes it,
discloses it and elucidates it.
When it is thus explained, taught, disclosed, analysed and elucidated by the
Tathgata, if there is someone who does not know and see, how can I do an
y-
thing with that f
oolish common person, blind and sightless, who does not
know and does not see?
The realities of the world that The Buddha is here explaining
are the five aggregates, which are the Noble Truth of Su
f
fering
and the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering. An
d in the
`M
a-
hsatipat t hna Sutta'
He explains:
1
And how, bhikkhus, in short, are the five aggregates of clinging
(pa!cupd
-
nak
khandh)
suffering? They are as follows:
[1]
the materiality aggregate of clinging;
.............................
(rpupdnakkhandho,)
[2]
the feeling aggregate o
f clinging;
................................
..
(vedanupdnakkhandho,)
[3]
the perception aggregate of clinging;
............................
(sa!!updnakkhandho,)
[4]
the mental formations aggregate of clinging;
........
(sankhrupdnakkhandho,)
[5]
the consciousness aggregate of clinging.
....................
(vi!!nupdnakkhandho.)
And in, for example,
the
`Khandha Sutta'
('Aggregates Sutta`),
He explains and analyses the five aggr
e
gates of clinging further
as of eleven types:
2
And what, bhikkhus,
are the five aggregates of clinging?
Whatever kind of materiality
(rpa)
there is, whether
[1
-
3]
past, f
uture, or pr
e
sent;
................................
........
(att ngata paccuppannam,)
[4
-
5]
internal or external;
................................
..................
(ajjhattam v bahiddh v,)
[6
-
7]
gross or subtle;
................................
..........................
(olrikam v sukhumam v,)
[8
-
9]
inf
e
rior or superior;
................................
..........................
(hnam v pantam v,)
[10
-
11]
far or near
................................
................................
...............
(yam dre santike v)
1
D.ii.9 'Great Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness` (Also M.I.i.10)
2
S.III.I.v.6
Knowing
and Seeing
6
that i
s tainted, that can be clung to, it is called the materiality aggregate of
clin
g
ing. Whatever kind of feeling.. perception.. mental formations..
Whatever kind of consciousness there is, whether past, future, or present; i
n-
ternal or external; gross or subtl
e; inferior or sup
e
rior; far or near that is
tainted
(ssava)
, that can be clung to
(updniya)
, it is called the consciousness
aggregate of clinging.
These, bhikkhus, are called the five aggregates of clin
g
ing.
These five aggregates of clinging are the
First Noble Truth, the
Noble Truth of Suffering, and, as The Buddha explains, they
com
prise each eleven types. This means that to know and see the
five aggregates is to know and see the eleven types of each a
g-
gregate.
The first of the five aggregates of c
linging (materiality) is also
called just materi
ality
(rpa)
, and the remaining four aggr
e
ga
tes of
clinging (feeling, perception, mental formations, and con
scious
-
ness) are together also called just mentality
(nma)
. Thus, the five
aggregates of clingin
g are also called just me
n
tality
-
mater
ial
ity
(nma
-
rpa)
.
1
To know and see mentality
-
materiality as they really are, we
need also to know and see how they are connected, that is, we
need to know and see that in the world of five aggr
e
gates
(pa!ca
-
vokra
bhava)
, mentality depends on materiality. The world of the
five aggr
e
gates is explained by The Buddha in the
`Loka Sutta'
('World Sutta`). Here, He explains mentality
-
materiality as eigh
t-
een elements
(dhtu)
: the six sense
-
doors, six sense
-
objects and six
t
ypes of consciousness. He says:
2
And what, bhikkhus, is the origin of the world?
1
From another point
-
of
-
view, mentality
-
materiality are by The Bu
d
dha referred to as the six bases
(
slyatana
: six internal and six external), which is a term He also uses when explaining depen
d
ent
-
origination. Throughout His Teaching, Th
e Buddha explains phenomena according to the incl
i
nation
and understanding of his listeners. Hence, He explains mentality
-
materiality in many different ways,
although they refer ultimately to the same things. Please see also A
n
swer 2.2, p.
86
, and footnote
1
,
p.
307
.
2
S.II.I.v.4
Introduction
7
Dependent on the eye and colour, eye
-
consciousness arises.
(Cakkhu!ca paticca rpe
1
ca uppajjati cakkhu
-
vi!!nam.)
With the meeting of the three there is contact.
................................
...........
(phasso
.)
With contact as condition, feeling
[comes to be]
;
................................
.......
(vedan,)
with feeling as condition, craving;
................................
................................
...
(tanh,)
with craving as condition, clinging;
................................
...........................
(updna,)
with clinging as condition, existence;
................................
..............................
(bhava,)
with existence as condition, birth;
................................
................................
.......
(jti,)
with bi
rth as condition, ageing and death,
................................
........
(jar, marana,)
sorrow, lamentation,
................................
................................
..............
(soka, parideva)
suffering, grief and despair
................................
............
(dukkha, domanassa,upysa)
come to be.
Dependent on the ear
and sounds, ear
-
consciousness arises..
(Sota!ca paticca sadde
ca uppajjati sota
-
vi!!nam.
.)
Dependent on the nose and odours, nose
-
consciousness arises..
(Ghna!ca paticca gandhe
ca uppajjati ghna
-
vi!!nam
..)
Dependent on the tongue and fl
a
vours, tongu
e
-
consciousness arises..
(Jivha!ca paticca rase
ca uppajjati jivh
-
vi!!nam.
.)
Dependent on the body and tangibles, body
-
consciousness arises..
(Kya!ca paticca photthabbe
ca uppajjati kya
-
vi!!nam.
.)
Dependent on the mind and dhammas,
2
mind
-
consciousne
ss arises..
(Mana!ca paticca dhamme
ca uppajjati mano
-
vi!!nam.
.)
To know and see mentality
-
materiality we need thus to know
and see:
1.
The sense
-
doors
2.
The objects that strike upon the sense
-
doors
3.
The thereby arisen consciousnesses and associated mental
fa
c-
tors.
1
Here,
rpa
refers to colour, without which the object cannot be seen.
2
Here, as He is speaking of the eighteen elements o
f the world,
dhammas
refers to the sixteen kinds
of subtle materiality, and all associated mental factors. When speaking of
dhammas
in other co
n-
texts, The Buddha means all objects, which include Nibbna and concepts
(pa!!atti)
. But as the latter
are not th
e world (are neither mentality nor materiality, and are therefore not the First and Second
Noble Truths) they are not i
n
cluded in the 'World Sutta`. Please see further footnote
1
, p.
307
.
Knowing
and Seeing
8
As explained by The Buddha, there are six sense
-
doors:
1.
Eye
-
door
................................
................................
..........................
(cakkhu
-
dvra)
2.
Ear
-
door
................................
................................
..............................
( sota
-
dvra)
3.
Nose
-
door
................................
................................
........................
(ghna
-
dvra)
4.
Tongue
-
door
................................
................................
.....................
(jivh
-
dvra)
5.
Body
-
door
................................
................................
...........................
(kya
-
dvra)
6.
Mind
-
door (bhava nga)
................................
..............................
(mano
-
dvra)
The first five sense
-
doors are mate
riality
(rpa)
, and are therefore
the same as the five sense
-
bases
(vatthu)
, but the sixth sense
-
door,
the mind
-
door (bhavanga), is mentality
(nma)
. It depends on the
sixth sense
-
base, which is the mat
e
riality that is the heart
-
base
(hadaya vatthu)
.
The
five material doors take only their respective material o
b-
ject, whereas the mental mind
-
door takes those five objects and
its own objects. This is explained by The Buddha in the
`Unn
b-
habrhmana Sutta'
, although the term He uses is faculty
(i
n
driya)
:
1
Bra
hmin, these five faculties
(indriya)
have each a different sphere
(visaya)
, a
different field
(gocara)
, and do not experience
(paccanubhontnam)
each other`s
sphere and field.
What
five?
[1]
The eye
-
faculty
................................
................................
.............
(cakkhundriyam)
,
[2]
The ear
-
faculty
................................
................................
...................
(sotindriyam)
,
[3]
The
nose
-
faculty
................................
................................
.............
(ghnindriyam)
,
[4]
The tongue
-
faculty
................................
................................
...........
(jivhindriyam)
,
[5]
The body faculty
................................
................................
................
(kyindriyam)
.
Now, Brahmin, these five faculties,
having separate spheres and separate fields,
not experiencing each other`s sphere and field,
1
Faculty
(indriya)
is here the same as 'base`, 'door`, 'element` etc. elsewhere. The Brahmin to
whom The Buddha is here speaking, used 'five faculties` in his introductory que
s
tion. (S.V.IV.v.2
'Unnbha Brahmin Sutta`)
Introduction
9
have the mind
(mano)
as t
heir refuge
(patisaranam)
,
and the mind experiences
(paccanubhoti)
their spheres and fields.
When the material objects strike upon their material sense
-
door,
they strike at the same time upon the mind
-
door:
1
all other o
b-
jects strike upon the mind
-
door
alone. The objects that strike
upon the mind
-
door alone include also those that are not menta
l-
ity
-
materi
ality, that are not the world. We have thus six types of
o
b
ject.
1.
Colour objects
................................
................................
.............
(rprammana)
2.
Sound objects
................................
................................
............
(saddrammana)
3.
Odour objects
................................
................................
.........
(gandhramman
a)
4.
Flavour objects
................................
................................
...........
(rasrammana)
5.
Touch objects
2
................................
................................
..
(photthabbrammana)
6.
Dhamma objects
................................
................................
..
(dhammrammana)
Dhamma objects are all objects apart from the previous five m
a-
terial types of object: all other objects in the world. They co
m-
prise six types:
1.
5 kinds of
gross, transparent materiality
........................
(pasda rpa)
(five material sense
-
doors)
2.
16 kinds of subtle materiality
................................
.............
(sukhuma rpa)
3.
6 kinds of consciousness element
................................
....
(vi!!na dhtu)
4.
52 kinds of associated mental factors
................................
.....
(cetasika)
5.
The Nibbna element, the unformed eleme
nt
.....
(Asankhata Dhtu)
6.
The infinite number of concepts
................................
................
(pa!!atti)
(e.g. the concept of the breath, the kasina object, and names
1
The Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw refers t
o the simile in the
Atthaslin
(
The Expos
i
tor
B114/PTS96): When sunlight strikes a bird sitting on a branch, a shadow falls at the same time on
the ground. In the same way, when the object strikes its material door, it a
p
pears at the same time in
the mind
-
door.
2
More precisely:
(1)
visible
-
/chromatic
-
,
(2)
auditory
-
,
(3)
olfactory
-
,
(4)
gustatory
-
, and
(5)
tang
i-
ble/tactile o
b
jects.
Knowing
and Seeing
10
for the ultimate realities, without which we cannot commun
i-
cate.)
As The Buddha explained, when one of the six sense
-
doors
comes
t
o
gether with its appropriate object, consciousness arises.
We have thus six types of consciousness:
1.
Eye
-
consciousness
................................
................................
.
(cakkhu
-
vi!!na)
2.
Ear
-
consciousness
................................
................................
.......
(sota
-
vi!!na)
3.
Nose
-
consciousness
................................
...............................
(ghna
-
vi!!na)
4.
Tongue
-
consciousness
................................
............................
(jivh
-
vi!!na)
5.
Body
-
conscious
ness
................................
................................
.
(kya
-
vi!!na)
6.
Mind
-
consciousness
................................
................................
(mano
-
vi!!na)
As The Buddha also explained to the Brahmin, when an object
strikes upon one of the five material sense
-
doors, it strikes also
upon the mental sense
-
door. When you have d
e
veloped strong
and powerful co
ncentration, you will be able to see that the object
is reflected in the mind
-
door as in a mirror.
Then will you also be able to see that the consciousnesses that
arise in one of the material sense
-
doors are very weak. They 'just
pick up` the object
(abhi
niptamatt)
. The actual knowing of the o
b-
ject is done by a series of mind
-
consciousnesses
(mano vi!!na)
that
arise later.
1
For example, when a material object such as colour strikes the
mat
e
riality of the eye
-
door, and strikes at the same time the mind
-
d
oor (the bh
a
vanga), a mind
-
consciousness arises followed by an
eye
-
con
scious
ness: they do not 'know` the o
b
ject; they do not
know that it is colour. The object is known by mind
-
conscious
-
nes
ses that arise afte
r
wards.
We may thus understand that to know
mentality
-
materiality we
need to know each type of mentality, each type of mat
e
riality, and
how they work together. We need to know:
1.
The materiality of the door.
1
Please see Table 6, p.
213
, and quotation p.
154
, from
Dispeller of Delusion
.
Introduction
11
2.
The materiality of the object.
3.
The mentality that arises in the material door and mind
-
doo
r.
We need to know and see the eye
-
door, its object (colour), and
the mind
-
consciousnesses and eye
-
consciousness that arise when
colour strikes the eye
-
door. And we need to know and see that
without the mater
i
ality of the eye
-
door, no eye
-
consciousness
ar
ises, without the materia
l
ity of the heart
-
base no mind
-
con
-
sciousness arises either, and without the materiality of the object
(co
l
our), no eye
-
or mind
-
consciousness arises either. We need to
know and see this for the ear, the nose, the tongue, and body
too,
and need to know and see that there are objects known by mind
-
consciousnesses alone, which also arise depen
d
ent on heart
-
base
materiality.
But these realities are not to be known only as concepts, b
e-
cause that is only to know and see things as they a
p
pear, which
means we remain what The Buddha called a
foolish common person,
blind and sightless, who does not know and does not see.
To know and see these things as they really are we need to
pene
trate to ult
i
mate reality
(param
attha sacca)
; we need to
know and
see ultimate menta
l
ity
-
materiality
(paramattha nma
-
rpa)
.
Knowing and Seeing The First Noble Truth
We need to know and see each and every type of mentality. We
need to see that in the five sense
-
bases arises one of two types of
co
n
sciousness, '
two times five consciousness`
(dve pa!ca vi!
!na)
:
1.
Wholesome resultant consciousnesses
............
(kusala vipka vi!!na)
2.
Unwholesome resultant consciousnesses
.....
(akusala vipka vi!!na)
That is in total ten types of consciousness. And in the heart
-
base
arise all o
ther types of consciou
s
ness:
x
12 types of unwholesome consciousness
......................
(akusala citta)
Knowing
and Seeing
12
x
8 types of rootless consciousness
................................
......
(ahetuka citta)
(the same type as the ten types of 'two times five consciou
s-
ness`)
x
24 types of
sense sphere beautiful consciousness
...................
(km
a so
b
hana citta)
x
15 types of fine material world consciousness
....
(rpvacara citta)
x
12 types of immaterial world consciousness
......
(arpvacara citta)
x
8 types of supramundane consciousness
.....................
(lokuttar citta)
This gives eighty
-
nine types of consciousness. And whe
n
ever one
of these types of consciousness arises, there arise also a number
of associated mental factors, of which there are fifty
-
two in total.
Mentality comprises thus eighty
-
nine types of consciou
s
ness and
fifty
-
two types of associated mental factors.
1
To know and see the Noble Truth of Suffering as it really is, we
need thus to directly know and directly see all these types of co
n-
sciousness and associated mental factors. But as The Buddha e
x-
plained, in this our five aggregates world, mentality arises d
e-
pendent on materiality; the individual consciousness arises d
e-
pendent on its respective base. That means we need to directly
know and directly see also the mater
i
ality.
To know and see materiality as it really is we need to know and
see how materiality co
nsists of sub
-
atomic part
i
cles that are in
Pl i called
rpa
-
kal
pas
. They arise and pass away very quickly,
but that is only conceptual reality
(vijjmnapa!!atti)
, not ultimate
materiality
(parama
t
tha rpa)
. To know and see materiality as it really
is, w
e need to penetrate the concept of rpa
-
kalpas (penetrate the
delusion of compactness
2
) and see the ultimate r
e
alities
(paramattha
sacc)
that are the individual elements that comprise the ind
i
vidual
types of rpa
-
kalpa.
1
When doing
nma
-
kammatthna
(mentality meditation) one knows and sees these things d
i
rectly
(please see also below p.
199
ff
). Until then, one is referred please to the
A
bhidhammattha Sangaha
(e.g.
A Comprehensive Manual of Abhi
d
hamma
, Ed. Bhikkhu Bodhi, BPS.)
2
For details about penetrating the delusion of compactness, please see Answer 1.3, p.
60
, and 'How
You Analyse the R
pa
-
Kalpas`, p.
152
.
Introduction
13
In the
`Mahgoplaka Sutta'
1
Th
e Buddha explains the know
l-
edge of materiality that is necessary for a bhikkhu to progress in
the Dhamma and Vinaya:
How does a bhikkhu have knowledge of materiality
(rpa!! hoti)
?
Here a bhikkhu understands as it really is:
'All materiality of whatever
kind consists of
the four great elements and materiality derived from the four great el
e
ments
(cattri mahbhtni, ca
t
unna!ca mahbhtnam updyarpan'ti)
.`
That is how a bhikkhu has knowledge of mat
e
riality.
And He says that without this knowledge
the bhikkhu is
incapable of growth, increase, and fulfilment in this Dhamma and Vinaya.
This means we need to know and see all twenty
-
eight types of
materia
l
ity: primary materiality
(bhta)
, which is:
x
The four great elements
................................
.............................
(mah bhta)
(earth
-
, w
a
ter
-
, fire
-
, wind
-
element
(
pathav
-
, po
-
, tejo
-
, vyo
-
dhtu)
)
And the twenty
-
four types of derived materiality
(upd rpa)
, such
as:
2
x
The five types of transparent mat
e
riality
.......................
(pasda rpa)
(the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body transparent
-
element
(cakkh
u
-
, sota
-
, ghna
-
, jivh
-
, kya pasda)
, which comprise the five
phys
i
cal sense
-
doors)
x
The four types of sense
-
field materiality
.......................
(gocara rpa)
(colour, sound, odour, flavour
(vanna, sadda, gandha, rasa)
)
x
Nutr
i
tive
-
essence
................................
................................
.........................
(oj)
x
Life
-
faculty
................................
................................
........................
(jvitindriya)
x
Heart
-
materiality
................................
................................
.........
(hadaya rpa)
(the physical base for mind
-
consciousnesses
(mano
-
vi!!na)
and
their associated mental factors.)
1
M.I.iv.3
`Mahgoplaka Sutta'
('Great Cowherd Sutta`)
2
For a complete list of the twenty
-
eight types of materiality, please see Table 1 'The Twenty
-
Eight
Material Elements`, p.
169
f
Knowing
and Seeing
14
How You Know and See
the First and Second Noble Truth
You Develop Concentration
To be able to see the individual elements of in
dividual rpa
-
kalpas is to be able to see ultimate materiality, and that r
e
quires
strong and powerful concentration. Only strong and powerful
con
centration is able to know and see things as they really are. It
is e
x
plained by The Buddha in, for example,
the
`Samdhi Sutta'
('Concentration Sutta`) of the
`Sacca Samyutta'
('Section on the
Truths`):
1
Bhikkhus, develop concentration. Having attained concentration, a
bhi
k
khu u
n
derstands dhammas
2
as they really are
........
(yathbhtam pajnti)
.
And what does he und
erstand as it really is?
[1]
He understands as it really is: 'This is suffering.`
[2]
He understands as it really is: 'This is the origin of suffe
r
ing.`
[3]
He understands as it really is: 'This is the cessation of suffering.`
[4]
He understands as it really is: 'This is
the path
leading to the cessation of su
f
fering.`
Bhikkhus, develop concentration. Having attained concentration, a bhi
k-
khu unde
r
stands dhammas as they really are.
That is why, at Pa
-
Auk, we teach first to develop the strong and
powerful con
centration o
f the jhnas (absorption co
n
centration
(ap
pan sam
dhi)
) using, for example, mindfulness
-
of
-
breath
ing
(n
-
p
nasati)
and the ten kasinas, or access concentr
a
tion
(upacra samdhi)
3
using four
-
elements meditation
(
catu
-
dhtu vavatthna)
.
4
1
S.V.XII.i.1 'Concentration Sutta`
2
Here,
dhammas
refers to the Four Noble Truths together, or one of them alone. Please see further
foo
t
note
1
, p.
307
.
3
For a
discussion about the different types of concentration, please see Answer 3.1, p.
115
.
4
For mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing, please see Talk 1 'How You Develop Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to
Absorption` p.
37
ff
, for the ten kasinas, please see Talk 2 'How You Develop Absorption on Other
Please see further next page
Introduction
15
You Develop t
he Light of Wisdom
Strong and powerful concentration produces strong and powe
r-
ful light, and it is by that strong and powerful light that you are
able to penetrate to ultimate reality
(param
attha sacca)
. It is explained
by The Buddha in the
`bhvagga'
('
Splendour Chapter`) of the
Anguttara Nikya
:
1
x
Bhikkhus, there are four splendours. What four? The splendour
of the moon, of the sun, of fire, and of wisdom
...........................
(pa!!
-
bh)
.
x
Bhikkhus, there are four radiances. What four? The radiance
of the moon, of the sun,
of fire, and of wi
s
dom
.......................
(pa!!
-
pabh).
x
Bhikkhus, there are four lights. What four? The light
of the moon, of the sun, of fire, and of wisdom
...........................
(pa!!
-
loko)
.
x
Bhikkhus, there are four brilliances. What four? The brilliance
of the moon, of the sun, of fire, a
nd of wi
s
dom
........................
(pa!!
-
obhso)
.
x
Bhikkhus, there are four brightnesses. What four? The brightness
of the moon, of the sun, of fire, and of wi
s
dom
......................
(pa!!
-
pajjoto)
.
And He refers to the light also in His very first teaching, the
Dhammacakkappavattana
Sutta, whe
n He explains His enligh
t-
enment:
2
.thus, bhikkhus, in regard to things
(dhamm)
unheard before,
there arose in me vision
(cakkhu)
, knowledge
(!na)
, wisdom
(pa!!)
,
true know
l
edge
(vijj)
and light
(loko)
.
Consciousnesses of mundane insight produce str
ong and powe
r-
ful 'light of enlightenment`
(vipassanobhso)
, but consciousnesses of
supramundane insight produce light that is extremely strong and
Subjects`, p.
67
ff
; for four
-
elements meditation, please see Talk 4 'How You Discern Materiality`,
p.
131
ff
1
A.IV.III.v.1
-
5
`bh
-
', `Pabh
-
', `loka
-
', `Obh
-
',
and
`Pajjota Sutta'
2
S.V.XII.ii.1 'Dhamma
-
Wheel Rolling Sutta`
Knowing
and Seeing
16
powerful: for example, the light of the Enligh
t
ened One`s enlight
-
enment spread throughout the ten
-
thousand
-
f
old world sy
s
tem.
1
How does this light arise? The mind that is in deep concentr
a-
tion is a
s
sociated with wisdom
(pa!!)
. Such a mind produces
many generations of consciousness
-
produced materiality
(cittaja
rpa)
of great brightness.
2
Using that light, we ar
e able to pen
e-
trate to u
l
timate reality
(param
attha sacca)
; to see things as they really
are. It is like going into a dark room: we need light to see the o
b-
jects there.
You Protect Your Concentration
But it is not enough just to develop deep concentration
, because
to be able to penetrate to ultimate reality is deep and profound,
and is an opportunity we must not lose. We teach therefore also
how you protect yourself and your meditation by developing the
four Sublime Abidings
(Brahmavihra)
up to jhna or a
ccess concen
-
tr
a
tion:
3
1.
Lovin
g
kindness
................................
................................
...........................
(mett)
to overcome anger and hatred.
4
2.
Compassion
................................
................................
................................
.
(karun)
to overcome ill
-
will and cruelty.
1
Vs.xx
`Vipassanupakkilesa Kath' B634
('Insight Imperfection Explan
a
tion`107). The light is
the result of wholesome dhammas and
is in itself not an imperfection. But it can be the basis for i
m-
perfection
(uppakilesa
-
vatthu)
if the yogi who experiences it becomes very attached to it, and deve
l-
ops the wrong view that he has thereby attained Path and Fruition. Please see also SA.V.XII.
ii.1
`Dhamma
cakkappavattana Sutta'
('Dhamma
-
Wheel Rolling Sutta`), and below 'How You Ove
r-
come the Ten Imperfections of Insight`, p.
271
.
2
For details about the light that arises with very deep concen
tration and i
n
sight meditation, please
see, 'Consciousness
-
produced Materiality`, p.
138
, and Answer 4.10, p.
194
3
Please see The Buddha`s analysis of the f
our divine abidings, A.VI.I.ii.3
`Nissranya Sutta'
('E
s-
cape Sutta`), and
M.II.ii.2
`M
a
hrhulovda Sutta'
('Great Advice
-
to
-
Rhula Sutta`), and Answer
2.2, p.
86
4
Please see The Buddha`s advice,
`Meghiya Sutt
a'
(
Udna
.iv.1), discussed also 'Su
m
mary`, p.
112
,
and Answer 7.13, p.
290
Introduction
17
3.
Appreciative joy
................................
................................
........................
(mudit)
to overcome envy.
4.
Equanimity
................................
................................
................................
(upekkh)
to overcome indifference towards beings.
For the same r
eason, we teach also the four Protective Medit
a-
tions
(caturrakkha kammatthna)
up to jhna or access concentration:
1.
Lovingkindness
................................
................................
...........................
(mett)
to protect you against dangers from other beings.
1
2.
Recollection
-
of
-
The Buddha
................................
...................
(Buddhnussati)
to protect you agai
nst fear,
2
and dangers from other beings.
3.
Foulness meditation
................................
................................
.
(asubha bhvan)
to protect you against lust and desire.
3
4.
Recollection
-
of
-
death
................................
................................
.
(marannussati)
to protect you against laz
i
ness in meditation: to fire you with a
sense of urgency
(sam
vega)
.
4
W
ith the jhna concentration or access concentration that you
have already developed, these subjects do not take long to d
e-
velop.
5
You Penetrate to Ultimate Reality
Penetrating to Ultimate Materiality
If you are a Samatha yogi, with strong and powerful conc
entr
a-
tion that is well protected, we then teach you how to know and
1
Please see The Buddha`s explanation of the benefits of lovingkindness practice, A.XI.ii.5
`Metta
Sutta
'
('Lovingkindness Sutta`): quoted p.
105
. For an example of this meditation`s efficacy, please
see also A
n
swer 2.2, p.
86
2
Please see The Buddha`s advice, S.I.XI.i.3
`Dhajagga Sutta'
('Sta
n
dard Sutta`)
3
For details on this meditation, please see below p.
111
f
4
Please see The Buddha`s advice, A.VI.ii.10&11
`Pathama
-
'
&
`Dutiyamarana
s
sati Sutta'
('First
-
`
& 'Second Recoll
ection
-
of
-
Death Sutta`)
5
For the sublime abidings and protective meditations please see Talk 3 'How You Develop the
Su
b
lime Abidings and Protective Meditations`, p.
97
ff
Knowing
and Seeing
18
see materiality as it really is, using four
-
elements meditation
(catu
-
dhtu vavatthna)
.
1
But if you prefer not to develop Samatha, and
prefer to develop only access co
n
centration, you go
straight to
four
-
elements meditation.
We teach the discernment of materiality first for several re
a-
sons. One reason is that to discern materiality is very subtle and
profound. But although materiality changes billions of times per
second, it does not chang
e as quickly as menta
l
ity does. This
means that once you have completed the profound discernment of
materiality, the more profound discernment of mentality becomes
easier for you to do. Another reason is that mentality depends on
m
a
teriality, and unless on
e can see the specific materiality that a
consciousness depends upon, one cannot see the menta
l
ity at all.
To be able to see it, one needs to see its arising.
2
Four
-
elements meditation means you discern the four elements
in materiality, and you start with
the materiality that is your own
body, that is, you start with materiality that The Buddha called i
n-
ternal
(ajjhatta)
. The Buddha explains four
-
elements meditation in
the
`M
a
hsatipat t hna Sutta'
:
3
Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu reviews this body, however it
may be placed or
disposed, in terms of the elements
(dhtu)
: 'There are in this body
[1]
the earth
-
element
................................
................................
...........
(pathav
-
dhtu)
,
[2]
the w
a
ter
-
element
................................
................................
.................
(po
-
dhtu)
,
[3]
the fire
-
element
................................
................................
.....................
(tejo
-
dhtu)
,
[4]
the wind
-
element
................................
................................
...............
(vyo
-
dhtu)
.`
1
For four
-
elements meditation please see Talk 4 'How You
Discern Materiality`, p.
131
ff
2
This is explained Vs.xviii
`Nmarpapariggaha Kath' B669
-
671
('Mentality
-
Materiality Defin
i-
tion Explanation`16
-
23), where is added that if one does not complete the discernment of materia
l-
ity bef
ore proceeding to discern mentality, one 'falls from one`s meditation subject like the [foo
l
ish]
mountain cow.`. A.IX.I.iv.4
`Gv
-
Upam Sutta'
('Cow Simile Sutta`) mentioned p.
56
. ). But this
refers only to sensual realm mentality, no
t fine
-
material mentality (jhna). Please see also p.
200
3
D.ii.9 'Great Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness` (Also M.I.i.10). Please see also
M.II.ii.2
`Mahrh
u
lovda Sutta'
('Great Advice
-
to
-
R
hula Sutta`)
Introduction
19
It is easier to start with one`s own mate
riality because it is ea
s-
ier to know that one`s own materiality is hot or cold or hard or
soft than it is to know it in external materiality such as the mater
i-
ality of another being. But once you have become skilled in di
s-
cerning internal materiality, you
will need to discern also the r
e-
maining ten types of materiality en
u
merated by The Buddha:
past,
future, present, external, gross, subtle, inferior, sup
e
rior, far and
near.
1
The Buddha taught four
-
elements meditation in order that we
may be able to know an
d see ultimate materiality. First, you d
e-
velop the ability to know and see the different characteristics of
the four elements in your body as one compact mass of materia
l-
ity, as one lump. As your skill and concentration develops you
will event
u
ally be able
to see the rpa
-
kalpas, and then, using
the light of conce
n
tration that you have developed, you will then
be able to penetrate the delusion of compactness,
2
penetrate to u
l-
timate materiality, to know and see, to identify and analyse the
individual elemen
ts in the di
f
ferent types of rpa
-
kalpa.
Penetrating to Ultimate Mentality
Having now truly known and seen the different elements that
are u
l
timate materiality, you can proceed to knowing and seeing
ultimate mentality
, which is meditation on mentality
(
n
ma ka
m-
matthna)
.
We can discern mentality either by way of the six sense
-
bases
or by way of the six sense
-
doors.
3
But, since you discerned mat
e-
1
Please see
`Khandha Sutta'
('Aggregates Sutta`) quoted above, p.
5
2
For details regarding the delusion of compactness, please see Answer 1.3, p.
60
, and 'How You
An
a
lyse the Rpa
-
Kalpas`, p.
152
.
3
When you discern by way of the sense
-
bases, you discern the consciousnesses and associated
me
n
tal factors that arise dependent on each of the sense
-
bas
es. (E.g. you discern the eye
-
base (the
eye
-
transparent element), and then the eye
-
consciousness (1) and associated mental factors (7) that
arise dependent on the eye
-
base.) When you discern by way of the six sense
-
doors, you discern the
different types of
consciousness in the cognitive processes of each door. For example, the diffe
r
ent
Please see further next page
Knowing
and Seeing
20
r
i
ality by way of the sense
-
doors, the
Visuddhi Magga
says you
should do the same for mentality:
1
When he has dis
cerned materiality
thus, the immaterial states become plain to him in acco
r
dance with the sense
-
doors.
And the commentary says further that to discern mentality by
way of the doors is to be
free from co
n
fusion
.
2
The six sense
-
doors and their objects were m
entioned earlier,
and are:
1.
The eye
-
door, which takes colour objects.
2.
The ear
-
door, which takes sound objects.
3.
The nose
-
door, which takes odour objects.
4.
The tongue
-
door, which takes flavour objects.
5.
The body
-
door, which takes touch objects.
6.
The mind
-
door (
bhavanga), which takes the previous five objects of
the five material sense doors, and dhamma objects.
3
When one of the six types of object strikes its respective door, a
series of consciousnesses
(citta)
arise, and with each consciousness
arise also a n
umber of
associated mental factors
(cetasika)
: this is
according to
the natural law of consciousness
(citta n
i
yma)
.
A such
series of consciousnesses and associated mental factors is called a
cognitive pro
c
ess
(vthi)
, and there are accordingly six types:
[1]
Eye
-
door cognitive
-
process
................................
...............
(cakkhu
-
dvra vthi)
[2]
Ear
-
door cognitive
-
process
................................
....................
(sota
-
dvra vthi)
[3]
Nose
-
door cognitive
-
process
................................
.............
(ghna
-
dvra vthi)
[4]
Tongue
-
door cognitive
-
process
................................
..........
(jivh
-
dvra vthi)
[5]
Body
-
door cognitive
-
process
................................
...............
(kya
-
dvra vthi)
[6]
Mind
-
door cognit
ive
-
process
................................
..............
(mano
-
dvra vthi)
consciousness and associated mental factors of the eye
-
door cognitive process. Please see also above
p.
11
and followin
g.
1
Vs.xviii
`Nmarpapariggaha Kath'
B664 ('Mentality
-
materiality Definition Explanation` 8)
2
VsTi.ibid. For each of the five sense
-
bases only one such type of consciousness arises, but for the
heart
-
base, there arise all other types of consciousnes
s. Unless one is well familiar with the Abhi
d-
hamma`s explan
a
tion of the different types of consciousnesses in the different types of cognitive
process, this may be very confusing to the b
e
ginning yogi.
3
Please see
above p.
9
for explanation of 'dhamma objects`.
Introduction
21
When a material object strikes upon its material door, a cogn
i-
tive
-
process of the first five doors arises: this is called a five
-
door
cognitive
-
process
(
pa!ca
-
dvra vthi)
. But a cognitive process of the
sixth door, the mind
-
door (the bhavanga), is called a mind
-
door
cogn
i
tive
-
process
(mano
-
dvra vthi)
.
As also mentioned before, when one of the five types of mat
e-
rial object strikes upon its material door, it strikes at the same
time upon the mind
-
door (bhavanga):
1
both a fi
ve
-
door
-
and a
mind
-
door cognitive
-
process arise. When, for example, a colour
o
b
ject strikes upon the eye
-
door, it strikes at the same time upon
the mind
-
door (bhavanga), which gives rise first to an eye
-
door
cognitive pro
c
ess, and then to many mind
-
door c
ognitive
-
process.
2
This too takes place according to the natural law of
consciousness
(ci
t
taniyma)
.
It is thus clear that to know and see mentality, we need first to
know and see materiality, because to know and see these cogn
i-
tive processes, we need fir
st to know and see the sense
-
doors and
their objects. This you did when you discerned materiality.
3
When discerning mentality, you first discern the di
f
ferent types
of cognitive process, which means you discern how many co
n-
sciousness moments
(cittakkhana)
there are in each cognitive
-
pro
-
cess, and discern the different types of consciousness
-
moment.
But that is not ultimate mentality
(paramattha nma)
. Just as you with
materia
l
ity had to break down the delusion of compactness that is
the rpa
-
kalpa, so do y
ou here need to break down the delusion
of compactness that is the cognitive
-
process.
4
Each cognitive process comprises what we call co
n
sciousness
moments
(cittakkhana)
, and each consciou
s
ness moment is the time
it takes for one consciousness
(citta)
and
its associated mental fa
c-
tors
(cetasika)
to arise, stand and pass away. A consciou
s
ness does
not arise alone: it arises always together with associated mental
1
Please see 'Unnbha Brahmin Sutta` (quoted) etc. above, p.
8
ff
2
For details, please see Tables 5 and 6, p.
211
ff
3
Please see Talk 4 'How You Discern Materiality`, p.
131
ff
4
For details regarding the delusion of compactness, please see also Answer 1.3, p.
60
.
Knowing
and Seeing
22
factors. Likewise, associated mental factors do not arise alone:
they arise always together with
a consciousness. Hence, a co
n-
sciousness and its associated mental factors arise as a co
m
pact
group.
To break down this co
m
pactness, you need to analyse each
type of consciousness
-
moment and know and see the ind
i
vidual
consciousness and its associated menta
l factors. That is knowing
and seeing ult
i
mate mentality
(paramattha nma)
. It is far subtler than
knowing and seeing the el
e
ments of materiality, but you can do it
because of the strong and powerful light of conce
n
tration that you
have developed, and beca
use of the power of di
s
cernment that
you developed when discerning materia
l
ity.
Mentality comprises, as mentioned,
1
eighty
-
nine types of co
n-
scious and fifty
-
two types of associated mental factors. But eight
of those consciousnesses are supramundane
(lokutt
ar citta
:
four
Paths and four Fruitions), and arise only when you do Vipa
s
san
practice on one of the remaining eighty
-
one types of consciou
s-
ness (all mundane), and its associated mental factors. In other
words, the o
b
jects of Vipassan are only the munda
ne eighty
-
one
types of consciousness, and their associated mental factors,
whereas the results of that Vipassan are the eight supramundane
consciou
s
nesses.
Furthermore, included in those eighty
-
one types of mundane
consciousnesses are the jhnas. But you
cannot discern unless
you have attained them. Should you therefore be a pure
-
insight
yogi, you leave out the discernment of jhna consciou
s
nesses.
What you will now be able to discern is explained by the Bu
d-
dha in the
Mahsatipat t hna Sutta
:
2
Again, bhikk
hus, how does a bhikkhu abide contemplating
consciou
s
ness
as
consciousness?
Here, bhikkhus,
[1]
a bhikkhu understands
(pajnti)
a consciousness associated with lust as
a co
n
sciousness associated with lust
................................
............
(sarga citta)
.
1
1
Please see above p.
12
f
2
'Great Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness` (Also M.I.i.10)
Introduction
23
[2]
He understands a consciousness disso
ciated from lust as
a consciousness dissoc
i
ated from lust
................................
........
(vtarga citta)
.
[3]
He understands a consciousness associated with hatred as
a consciousness assoc
i
ated with hatred
................................
.......
(sadosa citta)
.
[4]
He understands a consciousness dissociated from hatred as
a cons
ciousness di
s
sociated from hatred
................................
..
(vtadosa citta)
.
[5]
He understands a consciousness associated with delusion as
a consciousness assoc
i
ated with delusion
................................
...
(samoha citta)
.
[6]
He understands a consciousness dissociated from delusion as a co
n-
scious
ness di
s
sociat
ed from delusion
................................
........
(vtamoha citta)
.
[7]
He understands a contracted
2
consciousness as
a contracted consciou
s
ness
................................
.........................
(samkhitta citta)
.
[8]
He understands a distracted consciousness as
a distracted consciou
s
ness
................................
............................
(vikkhitta citta)
.
[9]
He understands an exalted
3
consciou
sness as
an exalted consciou
s
ness
................................
...........................
(mahaggata citta)
.
[10]
He understands an unexalted consciousness as
an unexalted consciou
s
ness
................................
...................
(amahaggata citta)
.
[11]
He understands a surpassed
4
consciousness as
a surpassed consciou
s
ness
................................
............................
(sa
-
uttara citta)
.
[12]
He understands a
n unsurpassed consciousness as
an unsurpassed con
sciou
s
ness
................................
.....................
(anuttara citta)
.
[13]
He understands a concentrated
5
consciousness as
a concentrated consciou
s
ness
................................
......................
(samhita citta)
.
1
In ordinary language, this is 'a mind with lust`. More precisely, however, it is a
consciou
s
ness
(citta)
, the lustful quality of which is determined by the associated mental factor
(cet
a
sika)
of lust.
2
D.ii.9:
contracted
shrunken, slothful and torpid, without interest in the object;
distracted
agitated,
restless, worried
3
ibid.
exalted
of a fine
-
material/immaterial sphere (jhna);
unexalted
of a sense
-
sphere. This covers
all types of mundane consciousnesses.
4
ibid.
surpassed
of a sense
-
sphere;
unsurpassed
of a fine
-
material/immaterial sphere (jhna). This
covers all types of mundane co
nsciousnesses.
5
ibid.
concentrated
with access
-
concentration or jhna;
unconcentrated mind
without. This covers all
types of mundane consciousnesses.
Knowing
and Seeing
24
[14]
He understands an unconcentrated consciousness as
an unconcentrated con
sciou
s
ness
................................
.........
(asamhitam citta)
.
[15]
He understands a liberated
1
consciousness as
a liberated consciou
s
ness
................................
.............................
(vimuttam citta)
.
[16]
He understands an unliberated consciousness as
an unliberated con
sciou
s
ness
................................
....................
(avimuttam citta)
.
Thus,
he abides contemplating consciousne
ss as consciousness internally
(ajjhattam)
,
or
he abides contemplating consciousness as consciousness externally
(bahi
d
dh)
,
or
he abides contemplating consciousness as consciousness
both inte
r
nally and externally.
Here, The Buddha explains mentality
as comprising sixteen
types of consciousness. That means you should know and see
each pair, such as a consciousness associated with lust, and one
dissoc
i
ated from lust, as they really are, by way of each of the six
sense
-
doors, and do it internally, extern
ally and both internally
and externally. Then will you have penetrated to ultimate menta
l-
ity, and know and see it as it really is.
The Three Purifications
Having now known and seen mentality
-
materiality as they
really are, you have realized what is called
the three purific
a-
tions.
2
The
Visuddhi Magga
,
3
e
x
plains:
1
1
ibid.
liberated
at this stage, this refers to a consciousness that is temporarily liberated owing to
wi
se attention or because the hindrances have been suppressed by concentration
unlibe
r
ated
not so.
This covers all types of mundane consciousnesses.
2
Please see further p.
92
.
3
(Purification Path)
authori
tative and extensive instruction manual on meditation, compiled from
ancient, orthodox Sinhalese translations of the even earlier Pli Commentaries (predominantly 'The
Ancients`
(Porn)
, dating back to the time of The Buddha and the First Council) as well
as later
Sinhalese Commentaries, and translated back into Pli by Indian scholar monk Venerable Buddha
g-
hosa (approx. 500 A.C.)
Introduction
25
[1]
.purification of morality
................................
................................
.......
(sla visuddhi)
is the quite purified fourfold morality beginning with
P(imakkha
r
e
straint
[2]
.purification of consciousness
................................
............................
(citta visuddhi)
,
namely, the eight attainments
[the jhnas]
together with access concentr
a
tion
2
[3]
.purificat
ion of view
................................
................................
............
(ditthi visuddhi)
is the correct seeing of mentality
-
materiality
(nmarpnam ythvada
s
sanam)
.
Knowing and Seeing the Second and Third Noble Truth
To attain Nibbna, however, we need to know and see also the
Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffe
ring. The N
o
ble Truth of the
Origin of Suffering is explained by The Buddha in the
Dhamma
-
cakka
p
pavattana Sutta
:
3
Now this, bhikkhus, is the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffe
r
ing:
it is this craving
(tanh)
that leads to renewed existence,
accompanied
by d
e
light and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is,
[1]
craving for sensual pleasures
................................
...........................
(kmatanh)
,
[2]
craving for existence
................................
................................
.........
(bhavatanh)
,
[3]
craving for exterm
i
nation
................................
.............................
(vibhavatanh)
.
In more detail, The Buddha explains the Noble Truth of the
Origin of
Suffering as dependent origination
(paticcasamuppda)
:
4
And what, bhikkhus, is the
Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering?
.............
(dukkha samudayam ar
i
yasaccam)
x
With ignorance
[1]
as condition
................................
...............
(avijj paccay)
,
x
volitional formations
[2]
[come to be]
................................
..............
(sankhr)
;
x
with volitional formations as condition, consciousness
[3]
..........
(vi!!na)
;
x
with consciousness as condition, mentality
-
materiality
[4]
....
(nma
-
rpa)
;
1
Vs.xviii
`Ditthi
-
visuddhi Niddesa' B587
('View
-
Purification D
e
scription`1
-
2)
2
For how concentration purifies the mind, pleas
e see also Answer 7.8, p.
285
.
3
S.V.XII.ii.1 'Dhamma
-
Wheel Rolling Sutta`
4
A.III.II.ii.1
`Titthyatana Sutta'
('Sectarian Doctrines Sutta`)
Knowing
and Seeing
26
x
with mentality
-
materiality as condition,
the six sense
-
bases
[5]
1
................................
................................
.....
(salytan)
;
x
with the six sense
-
bases as con
dition, contact
[6]
...........................
(phassa)
;
x
with contact as condition, feeling
[7]
................................
..................
(vedan)
;
x
with feeling as condition, craving
[8]
................................
...................
(tanh)
;
x
with craving as condition, clinging
[9]
................................
............
(updna)
;
x
with clinging as condition, existence
[10]
................................
............
(bhava)
;
x
with existence as conditio
n, birth
[11]
................................
......................
(jti)
;
x
with birth as condition, ageing and death
..............................
(jar, marana)
,
x
sorrow, lamentation
................................
................................
..
(soka, parideva)
,
x
suffering, grief and despair
[12]
.........................
(dukkha, domanassa, upysa)
come to be.
This is the origin of the whole mass of suffering.
This, bhik
khus, is called the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffe
r
ing.
Also this needs to be known and seen as it really is, which is to
know and see how five causes in one life (ignorance, volitional
formations, craving, clinging and existence
2
) give rise to rebirt
h,
which is five results (co
n
sciousness, mentality
-
materiality, the six
sense
-
bases, contact and feeling). You need to see how this ong
o-
ing process continues from life to life.
How You Know and See the Third Noble Truth
But it is not enough to see d
e
penden
t origination only as the
arising of formations; you need also to see it as the passing
-
away
and cessation of formations:
3
And what, bhikkhus, is the
1
sa/ytan
(
six sense
-
bases
) (1)
eye
-
,
(2)
ear
-
,
(3)
nose
-
,
(4)
tongue
-
,
(5)
body
-
,
(6)
mind
-
base. The
sixth
yatana
, the mind
-
base
(manyatana)
,
comprises all co
n
sciousnesses.
2
There are two types of existence
(bhava)
: 1) kamma
-
process existence
(kamma bhava)
, which is
the production of kamma; 2) r
e
birth
-
proces
s existence
(upapatti bhava)
, which is the result of kamma
(genesis in any sphere of existence).
3
A.III.II.ii.1
`Titthyatana Sutta'
('Sectarian Doctrines Sutta`)
Introduction
27
Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering?
...........
(dukkha nirodham ar
i
yasaccam)
x
With ignorance`s
[1]
cessation
................
(avijjya tveva asesavirga nirodh)
,
x
volitional formations
[2]
cease
................................
............
(sankhra nirodho)
;
x
with volitional formations` cessation, consciousness
[3]
ceases
;
x
with consciousness`s cessation, mentality
-
materiality
[4]
cease
;
x
with mentality
-
materiality`s cessatio
n, the six sense
-
bases
[5]
cease
;
x
with the six sense
-
bases` cessation, contact
[6]
ceases
;
x
with contact`s cessation, feeling
[7]
ceases
;
x
with feeling`s cessation, craving
[8]
ceases
;
x
with craving`s cessation, clinging
[9]
ceases
;
x
with clinging`s cessation,
existence
[10]
ceases
;
x
with existence`s cessation, birth
[11]
ceases
;
x
with birth`s cessation, ageing and death,
sorrow, lamentation, suffering, grief and despair
[12]
cease.
This is the cessation of the whole mass of suffering.
This, bhikkhus, is called
the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffe
r
ing.
You need to see the momentary cessation of formations that
takes place from consciousness
-
moment to consciousness
-
mo
-
ment, which is knowing and seeing the mundane Truth of Suffe
r-
ing. And you need to co
n
tinue
until you see that you in the future
attain arahantship and later attain Parinibbna.
When you in the future attain arahantship, ignorance
[1]
will
have been destroyed, and there will have been the remainderless
cessation
(avasesa nirodh)
of vol
i
tional f
ormations
[2]
,
craving
[8]
, and
clinging
[9]
: the causes for suffering will have ceased. But suffe
r-
ing itself will not have ceased, b
e
cause the results of past kamma
still operate: you will still be po
s
sessed of the five aggregates.
1
(Even The Buddha was p
ossessed of the five aggregates, and su
f-
fered pleasant and unpleasant fee
l
ings.
2
) It is only at your
Parinibbna that the five aggregates cease without remainder: it is
1
The five aggregates are the same as consciousness
(3)
, mentality
-
materiality
(4)
, the six s
ense
-
bases
(5)
, contact
(6)
, and feeling
(7)
.
2
The Buddha suffered, for example, because of a back pain (please see p.
297
), and at old age b
e-
cause of that (please see quotation p.
311
).
Knowing
and Seeing
28
only at your Parinibbna that suffering ceases. This means there
are two types of cessa
tion:
1.
the cessation at your attainment of Arahantship
2.
the cess
a
tion at your Parinibbna
The cause for these two cessations is the Arahant Path Know
-
ledge, which knows and sees (Unformed
(Asankhata)
) Nibbna, the
N
o
ble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering
(lokuttara Nirodha Sacca)
.
But this does not mean that when you now look into the f
u
ture
and know and see your attainment of arahantship and Parini
b-
bna, you know and see Nibbna: you do not at this stage know
and see Ni
b
bna. At this stage you know and se
e only when the
five causes that give rise to formations cease, there are no more
formations. With that knowledge, you understand that your
Parinibbna will have been rea
l
ized.
Without seeing this, says The Buddha, you cannot realize Ni
b-
bna, the goal of a
sceticism and Brahminhood:
1
Bhikkhus, those ascetics or Brahmins
...............................
(saman v brhman v)
[1]
who do not understand ageing
-
and
-
death,
[2]
who do not understand ageing
-
and
-
death`s origin
..................
(samudaya)
,
[3]
who do not understand ageing
-
and
-
death`s cessation
................
(nirodha)
,
an
d who do not understand
[4]
the way leading to ageing
-
and
-
death`s cessation
.......
(nirodha gmini pat
i-
padam)
;
who do not understand birth. existence. clinging. craving. fee
l
ing.
contact. the six sense
-
bases. mentality
-
materiality. consciousness. vol
i-
tional formations, their origin, their cessation, and the way leading to their
cessation: these I do not consider to
be ascetics among asce
t
ics or Brahmins
among Brahmins, and such venerable ones do not, by realizing it for the
m-
selves with direct knowledge, in this very life enter and dwell in the goal of
asceticism or the goal of Brahmi
n
hood.
1
S.II.I.ii.3
`Samanabrhmana Sutta'
('Ascetics and Brahmins Sutta`)
Introduction
29
But you can enter and dw
ell in the goal of asceticism, you can
see these things, because you have developed strong and powe
r-
ful concentration. The Buddha e
x
plains in
the
`Samdhi Sutta'
('Concentration Sutta`) of the
`Khandha Samyutta'
('Section on
the A
g
gregates`):
1
Bhikkhus, d
evelop concentration. Having attained concentration a bhikkhu
u
n
derstands dhammas
2
as they really are
........................
(yath bhtam pajnti)
.
And what does he understand as it really is?
[1]
The origin and cessation
3
of materiality
................................
............
(rpassa samudaya!ca a
t
thangama!ca)
.
[2]
The
origin and cessation
of feeling
................................
.................
(vedanya samudaya!ca a
t
thangama!ca)
.
[3]
The origin and cessation
of perception
................................
............
(sa!!ya samudaya!ca a
t
thangama!ca)
.
[4]
The origin and cessation
of mental formations
....................
(sankhrnam samudaya!ca a
t
thangama!ca)
.
[5]
The origin and cessa
tion
of consciousness
................................
.
(vi!!nassa samudaya!ca a
t
thangama!ca)
.
You Know and See Dependent Origination
The
splendour, radiance, light, brilliance and brightness
of wi
s-
dom that you have developed enables you to go back along the
line of successive mentality
-
materiality from the present to the
moment of your r
e
birth in this life, to the moment of your death
in your past life, and further back in the same way to as many
lives as you can discern, and then also look into the future, to the
time of your own Parini
bbna.
4
By looking at the individual
co
n
stit
u
ents of mentality
-
materiality, you will be able to identify
the causes and effects.
1
S.III.I.i.5 The Pli is quoted p.
114
2
For
dhammas
, please see footnote
2
, p.
14
.
3
a
t
thangama
and
nirodha
are synonyms for 'cessation`.
4
For details please see Talk 6 'How You See the Links of Dependent
-
Origination`, p.
227
ff
Knowing
and Seeing
30
At the time of practising diligently and with a mind that is pur
i-
fied by strong and powerful concentration, e
n
gaged in the dee
p
and profound practice of di
s
cerning ultimate mentality
-
materi
-
ality, you will see that in the future there is the attainment of final
cessation: Nibbna. But if you stop meditating etc., the conditions
will have changed, in which case the f
u
ture results
will also have
changed.
An example of this is Mahdhana the Treasurer`s Son and his
wife.
1
They both inherited very much wealth, but Mah
d
hana
squandered it on drink and entertainment. F
i
nally, he and his wife
had nothing at all, and were begging in the st
reets. The Buddha
e
x
plained to nanda that if Mahdhna had become a bhikkhu
when young, he would have become an ar
a
hant; if he had become
a bhikkhu when mi
d
dle
-
aged, he would have become a non
-
returner; and if he had become a bhikkhu when elderly, he woul
d
have become a once
-
returner: such were his pram s. But because
of drink, he a
t
tained nothing at all, and was now a beggar. This
shows that our future is determined all the time by our present.
That is why, at the time of practising deep and profound med
it
a-
tion continuously over a period, you will see your own Parinib
-
bna either in this life or in the f
u
ture.
Without seeing past lives and future lives it is impossible for
you to understand dependent origination as it really is: to know
and see how past
causes have given results in the present, and
present causes will give results in the future, and how the cess
a-
tion of the causes gives the cessation of the results. And without
knowing and seeing dependent origination, it is impossible to
know and see the
Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering as it
really is. It is explained in the
Visuddhi Magga
:
There is no one, even in a dream, who has got out of the fearful round of r
e
births,
which is ever destroying like a thunderbolt, unless he has severed with the
knife of
knowledge well whetted on the stone of sublime concentration, this Wheel of Beco
m-
ing, which offers no footing owing to its great profundity, and is hard to get by owing
1
Dhp.A.xi.9
`Mahdhanasetthiputtavatthu'
('The Case of Mah
dhana, the Trea
s
urer`s Son`)
Introduction
31
to the maze of many methods.
And this has been said by the Blessed One:
Thi
s dependent origination is profound, nanda, and profound it appears.
And, nanda, it is through not understanding, through not penetrating it,
that this ge
n
eration has become a tangled skein, a knotted ball of thread,
matted as the roots in a bed of reeds
, and finds no way out of the round of r
e-
births, with its states of loss, u
n
happy destinations. perdition.
1
Once you have known and seen the Second Noble Truth, and
the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering as it really is, you will
have overcome doubt
about the three divisions of time: present,
past, and future. It is explained in the
Visuddhi Magga
:
2
When he has thus seen that the occurrence of mentality
-
materiality is due to cond
i-
tions
(paccayato)
, then he sees
(samanupassati)
that, as now, so in the
past too its occu
r-
rence was due to conditions, and in the future too its occurrence will be due to cond
i-
tions.
Having reached this stage, you have realized the Purification by
Overcoming Doubt
(Kankhvitarana Visuddhi)
.
3
It is only at this stage
that yo
u can b
e
gin to practice Vipassan, because it is only at this
stage that you know and see ultimate reality: you cannot practise
Vipassan until you have seen dhammas
4
as they really are.
You Practise Vipassan
When practising Vipassan, you go back and aga
in know and
see the Noble Truth of Suffering as it really is, and the Noble
Truth of the Origin of Suffering as it really is: you know and see
the arising and passing away of all eleven types of mentality
-
ma
-
1
Vs.xvii
`Bhavacakka Kath'B659
('The Wheel of Becoming Explanation` 314) The quotation is
from D.ii.2
`M
a
hnidna Sutta'
('Great Causation Sutta`)
2
Vs.xix
`Paccayapariggaha Kath' B679
('Condition Dependence Explan
a
tion`5)
3
For the discernment of dependent origination/cessation, and past and future mentality/materiality,
please see Talk 6 'How You See the Links of Dependent Origination`, p.
227
ff
4
For
dhammas
, please see footnote
2
, p.
14
Knowing
and Seeing
32
teriality. But this time you know and see them a
s impermanence
(anicca)
, suffe
r
ing
(dukkha)
and without a self, non
-
self
(anatta)
. You
know and see formations as they really are, and reflect on them
according to the instru
c
tions given by The Buddha in His second
teaching, the
`Anatt
a
lakkhana Sutta'
('No
n
-
self Characteristic
Sutta`), which He taught to the group of five bhikkhus
(pa!ca va
g
giy
bhikkh)
:
1
What do you think, bhikkhus,
[1]
is materiality permanent or imperm
a
nent?
.........
(niccam v aniccam v'ti')
(
Impermanent, Venerable Sir.
)
That which is impermanen
t,
[2]
is it suffering or happiness?
..............................
(dukkham v tam sukham v'ti')
(
Suffering, Vene
r
able Sir.
)
Is that which is impermanent, suffering and subject to change,
[3]
fit to be r
e
garded thus: 'This is mine;
................................
......
(`Etam mama,)
this I am;
................................
..............
(esohamasmi,)
this is my sel
f`?
...............................
( eso me att'ti')
(
No, Venerable Sir.
)
Therefore, bhikkhus, whatever kind of materiality there is, whether past, f
u-
ture, or present; internal or external; gross or subtle; inferior or superior;
far or near, all materiality should be seen as it really
is with right wisdom
thus: 'This is not mine
................................
................................
.............
(netam mama)
;
this I am not
................................
................................
..................
(nes
o
hamasmi)
;
this is not my self`
................................
................................
.........
(na meso att)
.
Whatever kind of feeling there is.. Whatever kind of perception there is..
Whatever kind of mental formations there are.. Whate
ver kind of co
n-
sciousness there is.. should be seen as it really is with right wisdom thus:
'This is not mine; this I am not; this is not my self`.
2
1
S.III.I.II.i.7
2
The commentary to the
`Channovda Sutta'
('Advice to Channa Sutta`; M.III.v.2) explains that
'This is not mine` is a reflection on imperm
a
nence; 'This I am not` is a reflection on su
ffering; 'This
is not my self` is a reflection on non
-
self.
Introduction
33
In other words, formations
(sankhr)
, which is mentality
-
materi
-
ality and their causes, pass away as soon
as they arise, which is
why they are impermanent
(anicca)
; they are subject to constant
arising and passing
-
away, which is why they are suffering
(dukkha)
;
they have no self
(atta)
, or stable and indestructible e
s
sence, which
is why they are non
-
self.
Yo
u Know and See the Unformed
Through a series of exercises in which you contemplate the ri
s-
ing and passing
-
away of formations, and then only the passing
-
away of formations, you progress through the remaining Know
l-
edges
(na)
, after which you will eventuall
y know and see the u
n-
formed
(Asankhata)
, which is Nibbna. When you know and see the
unformed, you know and see the Deathless
(Amata)
. This is e
x-
plained by The Buddha:
1
Let him look on the world as void:
Thus, Mogharja, always mindful,
He may escape t
he clutch of death
By giving up belief in self.
For King Death cannot see the man
Who looks in this way on the world.
When The Buddha says we must know and see the world as
void, He means that we must know and see it as void of perm
a-
nence
(nicca)
, void
of happiness
(sukha)
and void of self
(atta)
.
2
In o
r-
dinary language, we may say that you must see abs
o
lute zero.
But this does not mean that the mind is absolute zero: the mind
is fully aware: it is the object that the mind knows and sees which
is abs
o
lut
e zero. The object that the mind is fully aware of and
knows and sees is the Nibbna element: the u
n
formed element
1
Sn.v.15
`Mogharjamnavapucch'
('Young Brahmin Mogharja`s Que
s
tions`), quoted Vs.xxi
`Sankhrupekkh!na Kath' B765
'Equanimity
-
Towards
-
Formations
-
Knowledge Explanation`
60)
2
Further to the
perception of voidness, please see also Answer 5.9, p.
225
Knowing
and Seeing
34
(Asankhata Dhtu)
.
1
This is the realization of the Supramundane
Eightfold Noble Path, when all eight factors take Nibbna as o
b-
ject.
2
You Ful
ly Realize the Four Noble Truths
It is at this stage that you will have realized the Four Noble
Truths as they really are, and that has been possible only b
e
cause
the necessary conditions for doing so have been present. In the
Kt gra Sutta
('Pinnacled Ho
use Sutta`) me
n
tioned above, the
Buddha explains also how those conditions make it possible to
put a complete end to suffe
r
ing:
3
Indeed, bhikkhus, if anyone said:
'Having built the room of a pinnacled house, I shall erect the roof`, such a
thing is poss
ible.
So too, if anyone said:
[1]
'Having realized the Noble Truth of Suffering
as it really is
.........................
(dukkham ariya saccam yath bhtam abh
i
samecca)
;
[2]
ha
v
ing realized the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering
as it really is;
[3]
having realized the Noble Truth of
the Cessation of Su
f
fering
as it really is;
[4]
having realized the Noble Truth of the Path to the Cessation of Suffering
as it really is,
I shall put a co
m
plete end to suffering`; such a thing is possible.
And He adds:
Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion s
hould be made
.........................
(yogo karanyo)
to unde
r
stand:
1
For a discussion of the inevitable full awareness at the realization of Nibbna, please see p.
117
2
For the realization of Nibbna, please see Talk 7 'How You Develop the Insight
-
Knowledges to
See Ni
b
bna`, p.
255
ff
3
S.V.XII.v.4 'Pinnacled House Sutta`.
Introduction
35
[1]
'This is su
f
fering.`
................................
................................
............
(idam dukkhan'ti)
Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion should be made to understand: 'This is
[2]
the origin of su
f
fering.`
................................
................
(idam dukkha samudayan'ti)
Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion should be
made to understand: 'This is
[3]
the cessation of su
f
fering.`
................................
...............
(idam dukkha nirodhan'ti)
Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion should be made to understand: 'This is
[4]
the path to the cessation of suffering.`
(idam dukkha nirodha gmin pat
i
pad'ti)
May all beings
find the opportunity to make the necessary exe
r-
tion to fully realize the Four Noble Truths, and put a com
plete
end to suffering.
odd page
Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw
Pa
-
Auk Tawya Monastery
Knowing
and Seeing
36
37
Talk 1
How You Develop
Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to Absorption
Introduc
tion
We are very happy to have come to Taiwan, at the invitation of
some Taiwanese monks and nuns who stayed at Pa
-
Auk Forest
Mo
nastery, near Mawlamyine in Myanmar.
1
While in Taiwan we
should like to teach you something about the system of med
i
ta
-
tion tau
ght at Pa
-
Auk Forest Monastery. It is based upon i
n
struc
-
tions found in the Pl i
2
Buddhist texts and the
Visuddhi Magga
.
3
We believe that the meditation taught in the Pl i Bu
d
dhist texts is
the same as the meditation
practised by The Buddha Himself, and
taught by Him to His disciples du
r
ing His lifetime.
Why Meditate?
First we should ask ourselves, 'Why did The Buddha teach
medi
tation?` or, 'What is the purpose of meditation?`
The purpose of Buddhist meditation
is to attain Nibbna
. Nib
-
bna is the
cessation of mentality
(
nma
)
and materiality
(rpa)
. To
reach
Nibbna, therefore, we must completely destroy both
wholesome mental formations, rooted in
non
-
greed, non
-
anger,
and non
-
delusion, and unwholesome mental formations, rooted in
greed, an
ger, and delusion, all of which produce new birth, ag
e-
ing, sick
ness and death. If we destroy them totally with the path
know
ledge
(ariyamagga)
, then we will ha
ve r
e
alized Nibbna. In
1
Pa
-
Auk Tawya
= Pa
-
Auk Forest
2
For untranslated Pli terms, please s
ee Appendix 1, p.
341
.
3
(Purification Path)
authoritative and extensive instruction manual on meditation, compiled from
ancient, orthodox Sinhalese translations of the even earlier Pli Commentaries (predominantly 'The
Ancie
nts`
(Porn)
, dating back to the time of The Buddha and the First Council) as well as later
Sinhalese Commentaries, and translated back into Pli by Indian scholar monk Venerable Buddha
g-
hosa (approx. 500 A.C.)
Knowing
and Seeing
38
other words,
Nibbna is release and fre
e
dom from the suffering of
the round of rebirths
(
samsra
)
, and is the cessation of rebirth, age
-
ing, sickness, and death. We are all subject to the
su
f
fering of re
-
birth, ageing, sickness, and death, and so to free ourselves from
the many forms of suffering we need to meditate. Since we wish
to be free from all suffering, we must learn how to meditate in or
-
der to attain
Ni
b
bna.
What Is Meditation?
So what is meditation? Meditation consists of
Samatha and V
i-
pas
san med
i
tation, which must both be based upon moral con
-
duct of body and speech. In other words, medit
a
tion is the deve
-
lopment and perfection of the Noble Eigh
t
fold
Path
(ariya atthangika
magga)
. The Noble Eightfold Path
is:
1.
Right view
................................
................................
.........................
(samm ditthi)
2.
Right thought
................................
................................
.............
(samm sankappa)
3.
Right speech
................................
................................
......................
(samm vc)
4.
Right action
................................
................................
...............
(samm ka
m
manta)
5.
Right livelihood
................................
................................
...............
(samm jva)
6.
Right effort
................................
................................
....................
(
samm vyma)
7.
Right mindfu
l
ness
................................
................................
..............
(samm sati)
8.
Right concentr
a
tion
................................
................................
...
(samm samdhi)
Right view The Buddha called Vipassan right view
(v
i
passan
samm ditthi)
and path right view
(magga samm ditthi)
. Right view and
right thought are together called the tra
ining of wisdom
(pa!!)
.
Right speech, right action, and right liv
e
lihood are to
gether
called the training of morality
(sla)
.
Right effort, right mind
fulness, and right concentration are t
o-
gether called the train
ing of concentr
a
tion
(samdhi)
, which i
s
Samatha meditation
(samatha bhvan)
.
The Noble Eightfold Path
Now, let us look a little bit more at each of the eight factors of
the Noble Eightfold Path
.
1
-
How You Develop
Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to Absorption
39
The first factor is right view
(samm ditthi)
. What is
right view?
Right view consists of four kinds of knowledge:
1.
The insight
-
knowledge of the Noble Truth of Suffering, which is
the five aggregates of clinging.
2.
The insight
-
know
ledge of the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffe
r-
ing, which discerns the causes
for the five aggregates of clinging, in
other words, it is the insight
-
knowledge of dependent
-
origination.
3.
The realiza
tion and knowledge of the Noble Truth of the Cessation
of Suffering,
w
hich is the cessation of the five ag
gregates of
clin
g
ing, Ni
b
bna.
4.
The knowledge of the Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Ce
s-
sation of Suffering, which is the way of practice leading to the r
e-
alization of Nibbna, the Noble Eightfold Path.
The second factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is right thought
(samm sankappa)
. Right thought too is four
-
fold:
1.
Applied thought to the object of the Noble Truth of Suffering,
which is the five ag
gregates of clin
g
in
g.
2.
Applied thought to the ob
ject of the Noble Truth of the Origin of
Suffering, which is the causes for the five aggregates of clin
g
ing.
3.
Applied thought to the object of the Noble Truth of the Cessation of
Suffering, which is
Nibbna.
4.
Applied thought to the object of the Noble Truth of the Path Lea
d-
ing to the Cessation of Suffering, which is the N
o
ble Eightfold
Path.
Thus, right thought applies the mind to the object of the Truth
of Suffering, the five aggregates o
f clinging, and right view u
n-
der
stands it as it really is. These two factors work together to a
p-
ply the mind to each of the Four Noble Truths, and to unde
r
stand
them. Since they work together in this way, they are called the
training of wisdom
(pa!! sikkh)
.
The third factor of the N
o
ble Eightfold Path is right speech
(samm vc)
. Right speech is to abstain from l
y
ing, slander, harsh
speech, and useless tal
k.
Knowing
and Seeing
40
The fourth factor of the N
o
ble Eightfold Path is right action
(samm kammanta)
. Right action is to abstain from killing, from theft,
and from se
x
ual misconduct.
The fifth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is right livelihood
(samm jva)
. Right livel
i
hood is to abstain from obtaining a liv
ing
by wrong speech or wrong actions, such as killing, steal
ing, or l
y-
ing. For laypeople it includes to abstain from t
he five types of
wrong trade: trade in weapons, humans, animals for slaugh
ter, i
n-
toxicants, and po
i
sons.
The three factors of right speech, right action, and right liveli
-
hood are called the traini
ng of mora
l
ity
(sla sikkh)
.
The sixth factor of the N
o
ble Eightfold Path is right effort
(samm
vyma)
. Right effort is also of four kinds:
1.
The effort to pre
vent the arising of unwholesome states that hav
e
not yet arisen;
2.
The effort to remove unwhol
e
some states that have already arisen;
3.
The effort to arouse the arising of whol
e
some states that have not
yet arisen;
4.
The effort to increase wholesome states that have a
l
ready arisen.
In order to develop th
ese four types of right effort, we must
practise and develop the three trainings of mo
rality, concen
-
tration, and wi
s
dom.
The seventh factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is right min
d
ful
-
ness
(samm sati)
.
Right mindfulness is also of four kinds:
1.
Mindfu
l
ness of the body
2.
Mindfulness of feelings
3.
Mindful
ness of consci
ousness
4.
Mindfulness of dhammas
Here, dhammas are the fifty
-
one associated mental factors
e
x
clu
d
ing feeling, or the five aggregates of clin
ging, or the twelve
internal and external sense
-
bases, or the eighteen elements, or the
seven factors of enlight
enment, or the Four N
o
ble Truths, etc. But
the four types of mind
fulness can in fact be reduced to just two,
mindfulness of materiality and mi
ndfu
l
ness of mentality.
1
-
How You Develop
Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to Absorption
41
The eighth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is right concentra
-
tion
(samm samdhi)
.
Right concentration is the first
jhna
(
absor
p-
tion), second jhna, third jhna, and fourth jhna. These are called
right concentration according to the
`Mahsa
tipat t hna Sutta
'
,
the 'Great Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness
`.
1
In the
Visuddhi Magga
,
2
right concentration is explained further as the
four fine
-
mate
rial jhnas
(rpa jhna)
, the four imm
a
terial jhnas
(arpa jhn
a)
and
access conce
n
tration
(upacra samdhi)
.
Some people have a great accumulation of pram s
, and can at
-
tain
Nibbna by sim
ply listening to a brief or d
e
tailed talk on the
Dhamma. Most people, however, do not have such pram s, and
must practise the Noble Eightfold Path in its gradual order.
They
are called person
-
to
-
be
-
led
(ne
yya
-
puggala)
, and must develop the
Noble Eightfold Path step by step, in the o
r
der of morality, con
-
centration, and wisdom. After purifying their morality they must
train in concentration, and after purif
y
ing their mind by way of
concentration practice, th
ey must train in wisdom.
How You Develop Concentration
How should you develop concentration?
There are forty subjects of Samatha
meditation, and a person
can develop
any of these to attain concentr
a
tion.
Those who cannot decide which meditation subject to develop
should start with
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing)
. Most
people succeed in meditation by using either
npnasati
or four
-
elements med
i
tation. Therefore, let us now look briefly at how to
practise
npnasati
.
1
D.ii.9 (Also M.I.i.10) For bibliograph
i
cal
abbreviations and source references, please see above
p.
xvii
.
2
Vis.xviii
`Ditthi
-
Visuddhi Niddesa'
B662 ('Description of Purification of View`1) Here, the
Visuddhi Magga
explains that 'Purification of Consciousness` is
'the eight attainments together with
a
c
cess concentration`: this is the same as Right Concentration.
Knowing
and Seeing
42
How You Develop Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing
The development
of
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing) is
taught by The Buddha in the
`Mahs
a
tipat t hna Sutta'
1
He says:
Bhikkhus, here in this Teaching, a bhikkhu having gone to the fo
rest, or to
the foot of a tree, or to an empty place, sits down cross
-
legged and
keeps his
body erect and establishes min
d
fulness on the meditation object.
Ever min
d
fully he breathes in, and ever mind
fully he breathes out.
[1]
Breathing in a long breath, he knows, 'I am breathing in a long breath`;
or breathing out a long breath, he kno
ws, 'I am breat
h
ing out a long
breath`.
[2]
Breathing in a short breath he knows, 'I am breathing in a short
breath`; or breathing out a short breath, he knows, 'I am breath
ing out
a short breath`.
[3]
'Experiencing the whole breath body, I will breathe in`, thus
he trains
hi
m
self; and, 'Experiencing the whole breath body, I will breathe out`,
thus he trains himself.
[4]
'Calming the breath body, I will breathe in`, thus he trains him
self, and,
'Calming the breath body, I will breathe out`, thus he trains hi
m
self.
To begin meditating, sit in a comfortable pos
i
tion and try to be
aware of the breath as it enters and le
aves the body through the
nos
trils. You should be able to feel it either just below the nose or
somewhere around the nostrils. Do not fo
l
low the breath into the
body or out of the body, because then you will not be able to pe
r-
fect your concentration. Just
be aware of the breath at the most
obvious place it brushes against or touches, e
i
ther the top of the
upper lip or around the nostrils. Then you will be able to de
velop
and perfect your concentr
a
tion.
Do not pay attention to the individual characteristics
(sa
b
hva lak
-
khana)
, general characteristics
(samma!!a lakkhana)
or co
lour of the
nimitta
(sign of concentration).
The individual character
istics are
1
D.ii.9'Great Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness` (Also M.I.i.10)
1
-
How You Develop
Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to Absorption
43
the characteristics of the four elements in the breath: har
d
ness,
roughness, flowing, heat, supporting, pushing, etc.
The general
characteristics are the impermanent
(anicca)
, suf
fering
(dukkha)
, and
non
-
self
(anatta)
characteri
s
tics of the breath. This means, do not
note 'in
-
out
-
impermanent`, or 'in
-
out
-
suffering`, or 'in
-
out
-
no
n
-
self`. Simply be aware of the in
-
and
-
out breath as a co
n
cept.
The concept of the breath is the object of
npnasati
. It is this
object you must co
n
centrate on to develop con
centration. As you
conce
ntrate on the concept of the breath in this way, and if you
practised this medit
a
tion in a previous life, and developed some
pram s, you will easily be able to conce
n
trate on the in
-
and
-
out
breath.
If not, the
Visuddhi Magga
suggests coun
t
ing the breaths. You
should count after the end of each breath: 'In
-
out
-
one, in
-
out
-
two,` etc.
1
Count up to at least five, but to no more than ten. We suggest
you count to eight, because that re
minds you of the Noble Eigh
t
-
fold Path, which you are trying to develop. So you should count,
as you like, up to any number between five and ten, and deter
-
mine that during that time you will not let your mind drift, or go
els
e
where, but be only calmly awa
re of the breath. When you
count like this, you find that you are able to conce
n
trate your
mind, and make it calmly aware of only the breath.
After concentrating your mind like this for at least half an
hour,
you should proceed to the first and second stage of the medit
a-
tion:
[1]
Breathing in a long breath, he knows, 'I am breathing in a long breath`;
or breathing out a long breath, he knows, 'I am breat
h
ing out a long
breath`.
[2]
Breathing in a short breath,
he knows, 'I am breathing in a short
breath`; breathing out a short breath, he knows, 'I am breath
ing out a
short breath`.
1
Vs.viii
`npnasati Kath B223ff'
('Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing Explanation` 90
f
f
)
Knowing
and Seeing
44
At this stage, you have to d
e
velop awareness of whether the in
-
and
-
out breaths are long or short. 'Long` or 'short` here do not re
-
fer to length in feet and inches, but length in time, the dur
a
tion.
You should decide for yourself what length of time you will call
'long`, and what length of time you will call 'short`. Be aware of
the d
u
ration of each in
-
and
-
out breath. You will notice
that the
breath is som
e
times long in time, and sometimes short. Just
know
ing this is all you have to do at this stage. Do not note, 'In
-
out
-
long, In
-
out
-
short`, just 'In
-
out`, and be aware of whether the
breaths are long or short. You should know this by
b
e
ing just
aware of the length of time that the breath brushes against and
touches the upper lip, or around the nostrils, as it enters and
leaves the body. Sometimes the breath may be long throughout
the sitting, and som
e
times short, but do not purposely
try to make
it long or short.
At this stage the nimitta may appear, but if you are able to do
this calmly for about one hour, and no nimitta a
p
pears, you
should move on to the
third stage;
[3]
'Experiencing the whole breath body, I will breathe in`,
thus he trains hi
m
self and;
'Experiencing the whole breath body, I will breathe out`,
thus he trains himself.
Here The B
uddha is i
n
structing you to be aware of the whole
breath from beginning to end.
As you do this the nimitta may now
appear. If it does, do not immed
i
ately shift your mind to it, but
stay with the breath.
If you are ca
lmly aware of the breath from beginning to end for
about an hour, and no nimitta appears, you should move on to the
fourth stage:
[4]
'Calming the breath body, I will breathe in`, thus he trains him
self and,
'Calming the breath body, I will breathe out`, thu
s he trains hi
m
self.
To do this, you should decide to make the breath calm, and go
on being continuously aware of the breath from begi
n
ning to end.
1
-
How You Develop
Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to Absorption
45
You should do nothing else, otherwise your concentration will
break and fall away.
The
Visuddhi Magga
gives
four factors for making the breath
calm:
1
1.
Concern
................................
................................
................................
........
(bhoga)
2.
Reaction
................................
................................
.............................
(samannhra)
3.
Attention
................................
................................
...............................
(manasikra)
4.
Reviewing
................................
................................
......................
(paccavekkhana)
And they are explained first with a si
m
ile:
Suppose a man stands still after running or after descending from a hill
, or pu
t
ting
down a load from his head; then his in
-
breaths and out
-
breaths are gross, his nostrils
become inad
e
quate, and he keeps on breathing in and out through his mouth. But
when he has rid himself of his fatigue and has bathed and drunk and put a wet
cloth
on his chest, and is lying in the cool shade, then his in
-
breaths
and
out
-
breaths eve
n-
tually occur so subtly that he has to invest
i
gate whether they exist or not.
Likewise, says the
Visuddhi Magga
, the bhikkhu`s in
-
and
-
out
-
breaths are gross to begi
n with, become increasingly su
b
tle, after
which
he has to investigate whether they exist or not
.
To further explain why the bhikkhu needs to investigate the in
-
and
-
out
-
breaths, the
Visuddhi Magga
says:
Because previously, at the time when the yogi had not
yet discerned the
[in
-
and
-
out
breath]
there was no concern in him, no reaction, no attention, no reviewing, to the e
f-
fect that
[he knew]
'I am progressively tranquillizing each grosser bodily form
a
tion
[the in
-
and
-
out breath]
.` But once he has di
s
cerned
[
the in
-
and
-
out breath]
, there is. So
his bodily formation
[the in
-
and
-
out breath]
at the time when he has di
s
cerned
[it]
is
subtle in comparison with what it was at the time when he had not
[di
s
cerned it]
.
1.
Concern
................................
................................
................................
......
(bhoga)
You pay initial attention to th
e breath, you apprehend the
breath, you advert the mind towards the breath, to the e
f
fect:
'I will try to make the breath calm.`
1
Vs.viii
`npnasati Kath'
B220
('Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing Explanation` 178).
Knowing
and Seeing
46
2.
Reaction
................................
................................
...........................
(samannhra)
You continue to do so, i.e. you pay su
s
tained attention to the
breath that way, do it again and again,
keep the breath in the
mind, to the effect: 'I will try to make the breath calm.`
3.
Attention
................................
................................
.............................
(man
a
sikra)
Literally 'deciding to make the breath calm`. A
t
tention is the
mental factor that makes the mind advert towards the object.
A
t
tention makes the mind
conscious of the breath and know
the breath.
4.
Reviewing
1
................................
................................
..................
(paccavekkhana)
You review
(vmamsa)
the breath, make it clear to the mind, to
the effect: 'I will try to make the breath calm.`
So all you need to do at this stage is to decide to calm the
breat
h, and to be contin
u
ously aware of it. That way, you will
find the breath b
e
comes calmer, and the nimitta may ap
pear.
Just before the nimitta appears, a lot of yogis encounter diffi
-
culties. Mostly they fin
d that the breath becomes very su
b
tle and
unclear; they may think the breath has stopped. If this hap
pens,
you should keep your awareness where you last n
o
ticed the
breath, and wait for it there.
A dead person, a foetus in the womb, a drowned person, an
u
n-
con
scious person, a person in the
fourth jhna, a person in the a
t-
tainment of cessation
(n
i
rodha sampatti)
2
, and a brahm: only these
seven types of person do not breathe. Reflect on the fact that you
are not one of the
m, that you are in reality breathing, and that it is
just your min
d
fulness which is not strong enough for you to be
aware of the breath.
When it is subtle, you should not make the breath more obvi
ous,
as the effort will cause agitation, and your concentr
a
tion will not
1
Here,
vimamsa
is synonymous with
paccavekkhana
, and is the term employed in the subcomme
n-
tary`s discussion.
2
When consciousness, associated mental factors, and materia
lity produced by co
n
sciousness are
suspended. For details regarding this attainment, please see p.
217
.
1
-
How You Develop
Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to Absorption
47
develop. Just be aware of the breath as it is, and if it is not clear,
simply wait for it where you last noticed it. You will find that, as
you apply your mindfulness and wisdom in this way, the breath
will rea
p
pear.
The Nimitta
The nimitta
of
npnasati
varies a
c
cording to the individual.
To some the nimitta is pure and fine like
cotton wool, or drawn
out cotton,
moving air or a
draught, a bright light like t
he
mor
-
ning star Venus, a
bright ruby or gem, or a
bright pearl. To others
it is like the stem of a
cotton plant, or a shar
p
ened
piece of wood.
To yet others it is
like a
long rope or string, a
wreath of flowers, a
puff of smoke, a stretched out
co
b
web, a film of
mist, a
lotus, a
chariot wheel, a
moon, or a
sun.
In most cases, a pure white nimitta like cotton wool is the
ug
-
gaha
-
nimitta (taken
-
up sign or learning sign), and is usually dull
and opaque. When the nimitta b
e
comes bright like the morning
star, brilliant and clear, it is the pat ibhga
-
nimitta (counterpart
sign). When like a dull ruby or gem, it i
s the uggaha
-
nimitta, but
when bright and sparkling, it is the pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta. The other
images should be unde
r
stood in this way too.
So, even though
npnasati
is a single meditation subject, it
produces various types of nimitta: the nimitta a
p
pears
differently
to different people.
The
Visuddhi Magga
explains that this is
be
cause the nimitta is
produced by perception.
1
And the Commentary to the
Visuddhi
Magga
explains that it is the different perceptions which the di
f-
ferent yogis had before the nimit
ta arose.
2
Thus, the nimittas are different because of perception. But pe
r-
ception does not arise alone. It is a mental formation that arises
always together with the individual consciousness and other me
n-
tal formations: these mental formations associated w
ith the ind
i-
1
Vs.viii
`npnasati Kath'
B231
('Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing Explanation` 216)
2
VsTi.ibid.
Knowing
and Seeing
48
vidual consciousness are called associated mental factors
(cetasika)
.
1
So, for example, if a yogi conce
n
trates on the npna nimitta
with a happy mind, the mental fa
c
tors are not only the one per
-
cep
tion, but are altogether thirty
-
four, such
as, contact, volition,
one
-
pointed
ness, attention, applied thought, sustained thought,
dec
i
sion, effort, and desire: not only perception differs, but also
all the other mental factors di
f
fer.
This is in fact explained elsewhere in the
Visuddhi Magga
, in
its
explanation of the attainment of the base of ne
i
ther
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception
(nevasa!!
-
nsa!! yatana jhna)
, the fourth immat
e-
rial jhna.
2
There, the
Visuddhi Magga
explains that the perception in that
jhna is very subtle, which is why we cal
l it the attainment of ne
i-
ther
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception. But it is not only the perce
p-
tion that is very subtle. The feelings, the consciousness, the co
n-
tact and all the other mental formations are also very su
b
tle. Thus,
says the
Visuddhi Magga
, in th
e attainment of neither
-
perception
-
nor non
-
perception there is also neither
-
feeling
-
nor
-
non
-
feeling,
neither
-
consciousness
-
nor
-
non
-
consciousness, neither
-
contact
-
nor
-
non
-
contact, etc.
3
So, when the commentaries say the nimittas are different b
e-
cause of pe
rception, they are merely explaining the npna
-
nimitta from the single point
-
of
-
view of perception, in terms of
perce
p
tion
(sa!!ssa)
, using perception as their example.
But, whatever the shape or colour of your nimitta, whatever
your perception of the
in
-
and
-
out breath, it is important not to
play with your nimitta. Do not let it go away, and do not inte
n-
tionally change its shape or appearance. If you do, your conce
n-
tration will not d
e
velop any further and your progress will stop.
Your nimitta will prob
ably disappear. So when your nimitta first
1
Please
see also footnote
1
, p.
202
.
2
For details regarding this jhna, please see p.
82
.
3
Vs.x
`Nevasa!!
-
nsa!!
-
yatana Kath'
B287
('Neither
-
P
erception
-
Nor
-
Non
-
Perception Base
Explanation` 50)
1
-
How You Develop
Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to Absorption
49
ap
pears, do not move your mind from the breath to the nimitta. If
you do, you will find it disa
p
pears.
If you find that the nimitta is stable, and your mind by itself has
become fixed on it, then just leave your
mind there. If you force
your mind to come away from it, you will probably lose your
concentration.
If your nimitta appears far away in front of you, ignore it, as it
will probably disappear. If you igno
re it, and simply conce
n
trate
on the breath at the place where the breath touches, the nimitta
will come and stay there.
If your nimitta appears at the place where the breath touches, is
stable, and appears as the breath itself, and the breath as the
nimit
ta, then forget about the breath, and be aware of just the
nimitta. By moving your mind from the breath to the nimitta, you
will be able to make further progress. As you keep your mind on
the nimitta, the nimitta becomes whiter and whiter, and when it is
w
hite like cotton wool, it is the u
g
gaha
-
nimitta.
You should determine to keep your mind calmly concentrated
on the white uggaha
-
nimitta for one, two, three hours, or more. If
you can keep your mind fixed on the uggaha
-
nimitta for one or
two hours, it shoul
d become clear, bright, and brilliant. This is
then the
pat ibhga
-
nimitta (counterpart sign). Determine and
prac
tise to keep your mind on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta for one, two,
or three hours. Practise until
you su
c
ceed.
At this stage you will reach either access
(upacra)
or
absorp
tion
(appan)
concentr
ation. It is called access concentr
a
tion be
cause it
is close to and precedes jhna.
Absorption concentr
a
tion is jhna.
Both types of concentration have the pat ibhga
-
nimitta as their
object. The only differen
ce between them is that in access co
n-
centra
tion the jhna factors are not fully developed.
For this re
a-
son bhavangas still occur, and one can fall into bhavanga
(l
ife
-
continuum consciousness). The yogi will say that
every
thing
stopped, and may even think it is Nibbna
. In reality the mind has
not stopped, but the yogi is just not suffi
ciently skilled to discern
this, as the bhavangas are very su
b
tle.
Knowing
and Seeing
50
How You Balance the Five Controlling Faculties
To avoid dropping into bhavanga and to develop fu
r
ther, you
need the help of the five controlling faculties
(
pa!cindriy
)
to push
the mind an
d fix it on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta. The five control
ling
facu
l
ties are:
1.
Faith
................................
................................
................................
..............
(sa
d
dh)
2.
E
ffort
................................
................................
................................
................
(vriya)
3.
Mindfulness
................................
................................
................................
.....
(sati)
4.
Concentr
a
tion
................................
................................
..........................
(samdhi)
5.
Understan
d
ing
................................
................................
.............................
(pa!!)
The five controlling faculties are the five powers that co
n
trol
the mind, and keep it from straying off the path of Samatha (tran
-
quillity) and Vipassan (insight) that leads to
Nibbna. If one or
more of the co
n
trolling faculties are in excess, there will be an
im
balance.
The first controlling faculty is
faith in what one should have
faith in, such as the Triple Gem, or
faith in kamma and its results.
It is important to have faith in the enlightenment of The Buddha,
b
e
cause without it, a person will regress from his work in medita
-
tion. It is also important to have faith in the teac
h
ing of The Bud
-
dha, namely the Four Pa
ths, the Four Fruits, Ni
b
bna, etc. The
teaching of The Buddha shows us the way of med
i
tation, so at
this stage it is important to have co
m
plete faith in it.
Let us say the yogi thinks, 'Can jhna really
be a
t
tained by just
watching the in
-
breath and out
-
breath? Is it really true that the
uggaha
-
nimitta is like white cotton wool, and the pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta like clear ice or glass?` If these kinds of thought persist,
they result in
views such as, 'Jhna cannot be at
tained in the pr
e-
sent age,` and the yogi`s faith in the teach
ing will d
e
cline, and he
will be unable to stop himself from giv
ing up the deve
l
opment of
Samatha.
So a person who is developing concentration with
a meditation
subject like
npnasati
needs to have strong faith. He should
develop
npnasati
without any doubts.
He should think, 'Jhna
1
-
How You Develop
Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to Absorption
51
can be achieved if I follow the instruc
tions of The Fully Enligh
t-
ened Bud
dha systemat
i
cally.`
If, however, a person lets his faith become excessive, and here it
is faith in the meditation pat ibhga nimitta, his conce
n
tration will
decrease. Excessive faith co
n
tains excessive joy
(piti)
, which leads
to emotions. This means the yo
gi`s mind is disturbed by joyful
excitement, and wisdom is unable to understand the pat ibhga
nimitta. Then, because e
x
cessive faith has decided on the object,
wisdom is not clear and firm, and also the remaining faculties, e
f-
fort, mindfulness and concentr
ation are weakened: effort is u
n-
able to raise ass
o
ciated mental formations to the pat i
bhga ni
-
mitta, and keep them there; mindfulness is unable to establish
knowledge of the pat i
b
hga nimitta; concentration is unable to
pre
vent the mind from going to a
nother object; and wisdom is u
n-
able to see the pat ibhga nimitta penetratively. Thus excessive
faith leads actually to a d
e
crease in faith.
If effort is too strong, the remaining faculties, faith, mindfu
l-
ness, concentration, and wisdom, will be unable to
respectively
decide, establish, pre
vent distraction, and develop penetrative
discer
n
ment. Thus excessive effort causes the mind not to stay
calmly conce
n
trated on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta.
This can be illustrated by the case of the Venerable Sona. In the
cit
y of
Rjagaha,
he heard the Buddha teach, and wi
n
ning faith,
he got his parents` consent and ordained. The Buddha taught him
a subject for meditation, and he went to the monastery S
tavana.
He worked
very hard, but pacing up and down in medit
a
tion with
gre
at energy, he developed painful sores on his feet. He did not
lie down and sleep, and when he could no longer walk, he
crawled on his hands and knees. He worked so hard that his med
i-
tation path was stained with blood. Even so, he won no attai
n-
ment and was
filled with d
e
spair.
The Buddha, on
Gijjhakta
(
Vulture Peak
mountain)
, b
e
came
aware of his despair and visited him. And The Buddha reminded
him that when he as a layman had played the
v n
(a type of I
n-
dian lute), the lute was not tuneful or playable if
the strings were
strung either too tight or too loose: they had to be strung evenly.
Knowing
and Seeing
52
The Buddha explained that in the same way, too much energy or
effort ends in flurry, and too little energy or effort ends in idl
e-
ness. The Venerable Sona profited from the
lesson, because not
long afterwards, having reflected on the lesson, he became an
Ar
a
hant.
To balance
faith with wisdom, and concentr
a
tion with effort, is
praised by the wise. If, for i
n
stance, faith is strong and wisdom is
weak, a p
erson will develop faith in, and r
e
spect for objects with
-
out use and essence. For instance, he will develop faith in, and
rever
ence for objects revered and respected by religions ou
t
side
orthodox Buddhism, such as guardian spirits or protective de
i
ties.
If, on the other hand, wisdom is strong and faith is weak, a pe
r
-
son can become quite crafty. Without meditating, he will spend
his time simply passing judgements. This is as difficult to cure as
to cure a
disease caused by an overdose of med
i
cine.
If faith and wisdom are balanced, however, a person will have
faith in objects he should have faith in: the Tr
i
ple Gem, kamma,
and its effects. He will believe that if he meditates in
acco
r
dance
with The Buddha`s instructions, he will be able to attain the
pat ibhga
-
nimitta, and jhna.
Again, if concentration is strong and effort is weak, a person
can become lazy. For example, if, when the yogi`s conce
n
tration
improves, he pays attenti
on to the npna pat ibhga
-
nimitta with
a relaxed mind, without knowing it penetr
a
tively, he may become
lazy. The five jhna
-
factors will in that case not be strong enough
to maintain the high level of concentration, which means his mind
will very often f
all into bhavanga.
But if ef
fort is strong, and concentration weak, however, he can
become agitated. When concentration and effort are balanced, he
will become neither lazy, nor agitated, and will be able to a
t
tain
jhna.
When a person wishes to cultivat
e a Samatha subject, it is in
any case good to have very strong faith. If he thinks, 'I will cer
-
tainly reach jhna, if I develop conce
n
tration on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta`, then by the power of that faith, and by conce
n
trating on
1
-
How You Develop
Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to Absorption
53
the pat ibhga
-
nimitta, he wi
ll definitely achieve jhna. This is be
-
cause jhna is based primarily on concentr
a
tion.
For a person developing Vipassan it is good that wisdom be
strong, because when wisdom is strong he will be able to know
and see the three characteristics of imperman
ence, su
f
fering, and
non
-
self penetratively.
Only when concentration and wisdom are balanced can mun
-
dane jhnas
(lokiya jhna)
arise. The Bu
d
dha taught that this ap
plies
equally to supramundane jhnas
(lokuttara jhna)
, which
fur
ther r
e-
quire that concentration and wisdom be balanced with e
f
fort and
faith.
Mindfulness is necessary under all circumstances, because it
pro
tects the mind from agit
a
tion due to excess faith, effort, or
wis
dom, and f
rom laziness due to excess concentration. It bal
-
ances faith with wisdom, concentration with effort, and conce
n-
tra
tion with wi
s
dom.
So mindfulness is always necessary, as is the seasoning of
salt
in all sauces, and a prime minister for all the king`s a
f
fairs. Hence
the ancient commentaries say the The Blessed One said, 'Min
d-
fulness is always necessary in any meditation subject.` Why? B
e-
cause it
is a refuge and protection for the meditating mind. Min
d-
fulness is a refuge, because it helps the mind arrive at special and
high states it has never reached or known before. With
out min
d-
fulness the mind is incapable of attaining any spe
cial and extrao
r-
d
inary states. Mindfulness protects the mind, and keeps the object
of meditation from b
e
coming lost. That is why to one discerning
it with insight
-
knowledge, mindfulness appears as that which pr
o-
tects the o
b
ject of meditation, as well as the mind of the yog
i.
Without mindfulness, a person is unable to lift the mind up or r
e-
strain the mind, which is why The Bud
dha said it is necessary in
all i
n
stances.
1
1
Please see also Vs.iv
`Dasavidha
-
appan Kosallam'
B62
('The Ten Kinds of Skill in Absor
p
tion`
45
-
49) and VsTi.ibid.
Knowing
and Seeing
54
How You Balance the Seven Factors of Enlightenment
If one is to ach
ieve jhna using
npnasati
, it is also important
to balance the
Seven Factors of Enligh
t
enment. They are:
1.
Mindfulness
................................
................................
................................
.....
(sati)
Remembers the pat ibhga
-
nimitta and di
s
cerns it again and again.
2.
Investigation of Phenom
ena
................................
....................
(dhammavicaya)
Un
derstands the pat ibhga
-
nimitta penetratively.
3.
Effort
................................
................................
................................
................
(vriya)
Brings the enlightenment factors together, and balances them on the
pat ibhga
-
nimitta; and especially reinforces itself, and the Fa
c
tor of
Investiga
tion of Phenomena.
4.
Joy
................................
................................
................................
.........................
(pti)
Gladness of the mind when experiencing the pat ibhga
-
nimitta.
5.
Tranquillity
................................
................................
.............................
(passaddhi)
Calmness of the mind and associated mental factors, that have the
pat ibhga
-
nimitta as their object.
6.
Concentration
................................
................................
..........................
(samdhi)
One
-
pointedness of the mind on the p
at i
b
hga
-
nimitta.
7.
Equanimity
................................
................................
................................
(upekkh)
Evenness of mind that neither be
comes e
x
cited, nor withdraws from
the pat ibhga
-
nimitta.
A yogi must develop and balance all seven enlightenment fa
c-
tors. With insufficient effort the mind will fall away from the o
b-
ject of meditation, in this case the pat ibhga
-
nimitta. Then one
should not develop tranquillity, concentration, and equanimity,
but instead develop investigation of phenomena, e
f
fort, and joy.
That way the mind is raised up again.
When there is too much e
ffort, however, the mind will become
agitated and distracted. Then one should do the opposite, and not
de
velop investigation of phenomena, effort, and joy, but i
n
stead
develop tranquillity, concentration, and equani
m
ity. This way the
agitated and di
s
tract
ed mind becomes restrained and calmed.
This is how the five controlling faculties, and seven factors of
enlightenment are balanced.
1
-
How You Develop
Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to Absorption
55
How You Attain Jhna
When the five controlling faculties, faith, effort, mindfulness,
con
centration, and understanding are
sufficiently developed, co
n-
cen
tration will go beyond access, up to jhna, absorption concen
-
tration.
When you reach jhna, your mind will know the pat i
b
-
hga
-
nimitta without interruption. This can co
n
tinue for se
veral
hours, even
all night, or for a whole day.
When your mind stays continuously concentrated on the pat i
b-
hga
-
nimitta for one or two hours, you should try to di
s
cern the
area in the heart where the bhavanga
-
consciousness rests, that is
the heart
-
materiality. The bhavanga
-
consciousness is bright and
luminous, and the commentaries explain that it is the mind
-
door
(manodvra)
. If you try many times, again and again, you will eve
n-
tually discern both the mind
-
door (bhavanga), and pat ibhga
-
nimitta as it appears there.
You should then discern the five jhna
factors one at a time. With continued pra
c
tice, you will be able to
discern them all at once. In the case of
npnasati
, the five
jhna fa
c
tors are:
1.
Applied thought
................................
................................
.....................
(vitakka)
Directing and placing the mind on the npna pat ibhga
-
nimitta.
2.
Sustained thought
................................
................................
..................
(vicra)
Maintaining the mind on the npna pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta.
3.
Joy
................................
................................
................................
.....................
(p ti)
Liking for the npna pat ibhga
-
nimitta.
4.
Bliss
................................
................................
................................
..............
(sukha)
Happiness about the npna pat
ibhga
-
nimitta.
5.
One
-
pointedness
................................
................................
................
(ekaggat)
One
-
pointedness of mind on the npna pat ibhga
-
nimitta.
The jhna factors are together called jhna. When you are just
be
ginning to practise jhna, you should practise entering jhna for
a long time, and not s
pend too much time discerning the jhna
fac
tors. You should develop
mastery
(vas
-
bhva)
of the jhnas.
There are five masteries:
1.
To enter jhna whe
n
ever desired.
Knowing
and Seeing
56
2.
To resolve
(
adhitthna
)
to stay in jhna for a deter
mined dur
a
tion, a
nd
carry out the resolve.
3.
To emerge from jhna at the determined time.
4.
To advert to the jhna factors.
5.
To review the jhna factors.
1
In the
'
Pabbateyyagv Sutta
` of the
Anguttara
Nikya
,
2
The
Bud
dha says one should not try going to the second jhna b
e
fore
mastering the first jhna. He explains that if one does not ma
s
ter
the first jhna completely, and tries to go to higher jhnas, one
will lose the first jhna, as well as be una
ble to attain the other
jh
nas.
One will lose all the jhnas.
When you have mastered the first jhna, you can try to pro
gress
to the second jhna. You need to enter the now familiar first
jhna, emerge from
it, reflect on its faults, and reflect on the a
d-
va
n
tages of the second jhna. That is: the first jhna is close to
the five hin
drances, and has the gross jhna fa
c
tors of applied and
sus
tained thought, making it less calm than the second jhna,
which is
with
out them. So, with no desire now for those two
jhna fac
tors, a desire for only joy, happiness, and one
-
pointedness, you should again concentrate on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta, and attain the first jhna. When you now emerge from the
first jhna, and aga
in r
e
view the jhna factors with mindfulness
and full awareness, the two jhna factors of a
p
plied thought and
sustained thought will ap
pear gross to you, while joy, happ
i
ness
or bliss and one
-
pointed
ness appear peaceful. So, in order to
abandon the gross
fac
tors and obtain the peaceful factors, you
should again conce
n
trate on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta.
1
Adverting and reviewing occur in the same mind
-
doo
r cognitive
-
process
(manodvra
-
vthi)
. Adver
t-
ing is performed by the mind
-
door adverting consciousness
(mano
d
vrvajjana)
, which in this case
takes as object one of the five jhna factors. It is fo
l
lowed by the four, five, six, or seven reviewing
impulsion
consciousnesses, which have the same object. For details, please see Talk 5, p.
199
, and
Table 6, p.
213
2
A.IX.I.iv.4 'Mountain Cow Sutta`, also called
`Gv
-
upam Sutta'
('Cow
Simile Sutta`)
1
-
How You Develop
Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing to Absorption
57
This way you will be able to attain the second jhna, possessed
of only those three fa
c
tors, joy, bliss, and one
-
pointedness. You
should then de
velop the fiv
e maste
r
ies of the second jhna.
When you have succeeded, and want to develop the third jhna,
you should emerge from the now familiar second jhna, reflect on
its faults, and reflect on the advantages of the third jhna. That is:
the se
c
ond jhna is close
to the first jhna, which has the gross
jhna factor of applied
-
and sustained thought. And the second
jhna itself has the gross jhna fa
c
tor of joy,
1
making it less calm
than the third jhna, which is wit
h
out it. So, with no desire now
for that gross fa
ctor, a desire for only the peaceful factors, you
should again concentrate on the pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta, and attain the
second jhna. When you now emerge from the second jhna, and
again review the jhana fa
c
tors, the jhna factor of joy will appear
gross to yo
u, while bliss and one
-
pointedness appear peaceful.
So, in order to abandon the gross factor and obtain the peaceful
factors, you should again conce
n
trate on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta.
This way you will be able to attain the third jhna, possessed of
only happ
i
ness and one
-
pointedness. You should then develop the
five ma
s
teries of the third jhna.
When you have succeeded, and want to develop the fourth
jhna, you should emerge from the now familiar third jhna, r
e-
flect on its faults, and reflect on the advanta
ges of the fourth
jhna. That is, the third jhna is close to the second jhna, which
has the gross jhna factor of joy. And the third jhna itself has the
gross jhna factor of happiness, ma
k
ing it less calm than the
fourth jhna, which is without it. Wit
h the de
sire now to attain the
fourth jhna, you should again concentrate on the pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta and attain the third jhna. When you now emerge from
the third jhana, and again review the jhna factors, the jhna fa
c-
tor of bliss will appear gross to you
, while equani
m
ity and one
-
pointedness appear peaceful. So, in o
r
der to abandon the gross
1
The Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw explains that the jhna factor of joy
(pti)
is a contributory
fa
c
tor towards developing attachment for jhna happiness
(jhna sukha)
, which, because the object
is very subtle, cannot develop into sensu
al happiness
(rga)
; it is only subtle
(pha)
.
Knowing
and Seeing
58
factor and obtain the peaceful factors, you should again conce
n-
trate on the pat i
b
hga nimitta.This way you will be able to attain
the fourth jhna, possessed of only
equani
m
ity and one
-
pointedness. You should then develop the five ma
s
teries of the
fourth jhna.
With the attainment of the fourth jhna, the
breath stops com
-
pletely. This completes the fourth stage in the development of
n
pnsati
:
[4]
'Calming the breath body, I will breathe in`, thus he trains him
self, and,
'Calming the breath body, I will breathe out`, thus he trains hi
m
self.
This stage began just before the nimitta appeared, and as co
n-
cen
tration developed through the
four
jhnas, the breath be
came
pr
o
gressively calmer and calmer, until it stopped in the fourth
jhna.
The four jhnas are also called fin
e
-
material
-
realm jhnas,
(r
-
pvacara jhna)
, because they may cause rebirth in the fine
-
mate
rial
realm.
But here we do not e
n
courage you to develop jh
nas for
the sake of attaining rebirth in the fine
-
material realm, but for
the
sake of using them to develop Vipassan med
i
tation.
When a yogi has reached the fourth jhna by using
npn
a-
sati
, and has d
eveloped the five masteries, the light of concentr
a-
tion is bright, brilliant and rad
i
ant, and he can, if he wishes, move
on to develop Vipassan medit
a
tion. The yogi can, on the other
hand, continue to develop Samatha meditation.
That will be the
subject of our next talk, namely, how you develop Samatha
med
i
t
a
tion on the thirty
-
two parts of the body, the skeleton, ten
kasinas, etc.
Even page
59
Questions and Answers 1
Question
1.1
How do we, in the four stages of
npnasati
(min
d-
fulness
-
of
-
breathing), d
e
cide when to go from one stage to an
-
other?
Answer 1.1
The Buddha taught
npnasati
step by step: long
breath, short breath, whole breath and subtle breath, only for easy
understan
ding. At the time of actual practice, all four stages may
occur at the same time.
Then, if you can concentrate on the whole long breath, and the
whole short breath for about one hour, then (as your concen
tra
-
tion improves) the breath will automat
i
cally b
e
come subtle, and
you can change to concentrate on the subtle breath. When the
subtle breath is long, you should try to know the whole, long,
su
b
tle breath; when the subtle breath is short, you should try to
know the whole, short, subtle breath.
If the b
reath does not become subtle by itself, you should co
n-
centrate on it (attention
(man
sikra)
)
with the decision that it should
be subtle.
1
That way it will become su
b
tle, but you must not
make the breath subtle on purpose, nor make it long or short on
pur
pose; just decide that it should be calm.
In this way, long
breath, short breath, whole breath and subtle breath, all the four
stages, are included in a single stage.
At the early part of the fourth stage, the breath becomes only
very subtle. It does not
cease entirely.
The breath ceases entirely
only at the fourth jhna. This is the subt
lest stage.
Question 1.2
Is it necessary, in med
i
tation, to have a nimitta?
Answer 1.2
In some meditation subjects
(kammatthna)
like
n
pn
a-
sati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing), kasina meditation and repulsiv
e-
ness meditation
(asubha)
, a nimitta is necessary. If one wants to a
t-
tain
jhna in other meditation subjects, like recollection
-
of
-
The
-
Bud
dha
(Buddhnussati)
,
a nimitta is not
possible. In lovingkind
ness
1
For more details about calming the breath, please see p.
44
.
Knowing
and Seeing
60
meditation
(mett bhvan)
, breaking down
the barr
i
ers is called the
nimitta.
1
Question 1.3
Some say that while practising
npnasati
(mindfu
l-
ness
-
of
-
breathing) their soul goes out of the body. Is that true, or
are they on the wrong path?
Answer 1.3
A concentrated mind can usually create a nimit
ta. When
concentration is deep, strong, and powerful, then because of di
f-
ferent perceptions, different nimittas appear. For exa
m
ple, if you
want the nimitta to be long, it will be long; if you want it to be
short, it will be short; if you want it to be rou
nd, it will be round;
if you want it to be red, it will be red. So various percep
tions may
arise while practising
npnasati
. You may pe
r
ceive yourself as
outside the body. It is simply a mental creation, not because of a
soul. It is not a problem. Just
ignore it, and return to being min
d-
ful of your breath.
Only when you discern ultimate mentality
-
materiality
(paramat
tha
nma
-
rpa)
internally and externally, can you solve the pro
b
lem of a
soul: you will not find a soul anywhere. So, you need to break
dow
n the compactness of mentality and materia
l
ity, and realize
ultimate mentality and materiality.
Nndhtaya rinibbhajitr ghanarinibbhage kate
anatta/ak
khaam ythr
a
sarasata apa((hti
(
When we break down co
m
pact
ness,
the perception of non
-
self
(anatta sa!!)
will arise.
)
2
It is because of the perception of compactness, that the perce
p-
tion of a soul arises.
To break down the compactness of materiality, you must first
dis
cern the rpa
-
kalpas (small particles). Then you must di
s
cern
the differ
ent types of ultimate materiality, which are at least eight
1
Only a name, for it is in fact not a nimitta.
2
Vs.xxi
`Upakkilesavimutta
-
Udayabbaya!na Kath'
B739
('
Knowledge of Contemplation of Rise
and Fall II`.4)
Questions and Answers 1
61
in each rpa
-
kalpa. Without doing this the pe
r
ception of a soul
will not di
s
appear.
1
Similarly, without breaking down the compactness of menta
l
ity,
the perception of a soul will not disappear. F
or exa
m
ple, when
your mind wanders, you may think that the wandering mind is
your soul.
And how do you break down the compactness of mentality?
Take, for example a mind
-
door cognitive
-
process of access co
n-
centration that has the npna pat ibhga
-
nimitta a
s o
b
ject.
Such a cognitive
-
process has one mind
-
door adverting
-
con
-
sciousness and seven impulsion
-
consciousnesses
(javanas)
. In the
mind
-
door adverting
-
consciousness moment there are twelve
mental form
a
tions, and in each impulsion moment there are
thirty
-
four mental formations.
There are four types of compactness in such a cognitive process
that need to be broken down by insight knowledge:
1.
Compactness of continuity
................................
..................
(santati ghana)
:
to break this down, you need to
discern how a different co
n-
sciousness, and
its associated mental factors, arises in each
consciousness
-
moment throughout the cogn
i
tive process.
2.
Compactness of group
................................
..........................
(samha ghana)
:
to break this down, you need to
discern each consciousness
and each of its associated mental factors in every consc
iou
s-
ness
-
moment throughout the co
g
nitive
-
process.
3.
Compactness of function
................................
........................
(kicca ghana)
:
to break this down, you
need to discern the characteristic,
function, manifestation and proximate cause of each co
n-
sciousness and each of its associated me
n
tal facto
rs.
4.
Compactness of object
................................
....................
(rammana ghana)
:
to break this down, you need to
discern the insight
-
knowledge cognitive
-
process that discerned the cognitive
process you have just examined (the mind
-
door cognitive
-
process of access conce
n
tration). This
means
the cognitive
-
1
For the delusion of compactness in materiality, please see also 'How You Analyse the Rpa
-
Kalpas`, p.
152
Knowing
and Seeing
62
process that knew needs itself to be known by a subsequent
cogn
i
tive process.
If you break down the four types of compactness of mentality
this way, you will see only the rapid arising and pas
s
ing
-
away of
consciousnesses and their associate
d mental factors.
With that perception of impermanence, one can no longer think
one`s consciousness is one`s soul, because with the pe
r
ception of
impermance comes the perception of non
-
self. As said by The
Buddha, in the
`Meghiya Sutta'
:
1
Ani
c
casa!!ina
meghiya anattasa!! sa(hti
.
(
For those who have powerful insight
-
knowledge of imperm
a
nence,
insight
-
knowledge of non
-
self will also appear clearly.
)
Question 1.4
Where does the [
npna
] nimitta come from? What
makes it appear?
Answer 1.4
Most mind
states that arise dependent upon the heart
-
base produce breathing. A real npna
-
nimitta comes from the
breath. But not every mind state produces a nimitta. Only a
deeply concentrated mind produces a nimitta. Ther
e
fore, the
breath produced by a deep and c
oncentrated mind makes an
npna
-
nimitta appear. If the nimitta is far from the nostrils, it is
not a real nimitta. A nimitta may appear because of concentr
a
tion,
but not necessarily the real npna
-
nimitta. If the nimitta pr
o-
duces jhna, we call it an
npna
-
nimitta. But if it does not pr
o-
duce jhna, it is not the real npna
-
nimitta. If you concentrate
on that nimitta, jhna will not arise. Usually the concentr
a
tion
cannot become strong and powerful. If you meditate on that
nimitta, it will very soon
di
s
appear.
Question 1.5
What are the seven stages of purification and si
x
teen
insight
-
knowledges?
Answer 1.5
The seven stages of purification are:
1
U.iv.1 (also A.IX.I.i.3)
Questions and Answers 1
63
1.
Purification of Morality
................................
................................
.............
(sla visuddhi)
2.
Purification of Mind
................................
................................
.................
(citta visuddhi)
3.
Purification of View
................................
................................
................
(ditthi
visuddhi)
4.
Purification of Overcoming Doubt
................................
.........
(kankhvitarana visuddhi)
5.
Purification of Knowledge and Vision of
What Is and What Is Not the Path
....................
(ma
g
gmagga!nadassana visuddhi)
6.
Purification of Knowledge and Vision of the Way
.....
(patipad!nada
s
sana visuddhi)
7.
Purification of Knowledge and Vision
................................
.......
(!nadassana visuddhi)
And the sixteen insight
-
knowledges are:
1.
Knowledge of Analysing Mentality
-
Materiality
.................
(nma
-
rpa paric
cheda !na)
2.
Knowledge of Discerning Cause and Condition
........................
(paccaya
-
pariggaha !na)
3.
Knowledge o
f Comprehension
................................
................................
..........
(sammasana !na)
4.
Knowledge of Arising and Passing
-
Away
................................
....................
(udayabbaya !na)
5.
Knowledge of Dissolution
................................
................................
............................
(bhanga !na)
6.
Knowledge of Terror
................................
................................
................................
.........
(bhaya !na)
7.
Knowledge of Danger
................................
................................
................................
....
(dnava !na)
8.
Knowledge of Disenchantment
................................
................................
..................
(nibbid !na)
9.
Knowledge of Desi
re for Deliverance
................................
...................
(mu!citukamyat !na)
10.
Knowledge of Reflection
................................
................................
.......................
(patisankh !na)
11.
Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Formations
..............................
(sankhrupekkh !na)
12.
Knowledge of Conformity
................................
................................
..........................
(anuloma !na)
13.
Knowledge of Change
-
of
-
lineage
................................
................................
..........
(gotrabhu !na)
14.
Knowledge of the Path
................................
................................
................................
.....
(magga !na)
15.
Knowledge of Fruition
................................
................................
................................
.......
(phala !na)
16.
Knowledge of Reviewing
................................
................................
.............
(paccavekkhana !na)
Now you know the names of the insight
-
knowledges: have you
experienced them? No. That is why to have only the
o
retical
knowledge is not enough; you must practise wi
th great e
f
fort to
also realize them.
[At the end of this talk the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw added the
follo
w
ing comment on the five hindrances.]
Now let us discuss briefly the five hindrances
(nv
a
rana)
:
1.
Sensual Desire
................................
................................
.................
(kmacchanda)
2.
Ill
-
Will
................................
................................
................................
........
(byp
da)
3.
Sloth and Torpor
................................
................................
.............
(thina middha)
Knowing
and Seeing
64
4.
Restlessness and Remorse
................................
................
(uddhacca kukkucca)
5.
Doubt
................................
................................
................................
........
(vicikicch)
The first hindrance, sensual desire
(kmacchanda)
, is attachment to
property or people. It is the desire for sense objects. For example,
you may get attac
hed to your
kut i
1
or room. While medita
t
ing
you may think, 'Oh, it would be good if my
kut i
were beautiful.`
Or you may think, 'Oh, it would be good if the whole room b
e-
longed to me!` If you are overwhelmed by sensual d
e
sire, you
will not be able to concen
trate well on your meditation object.
You must exert strong mindfulness and make effort to stop the
ari
s
ing of sensual desire.
The second hindrance is ill
-
will
(bypda)
. It is hatred for or di
s-
satisfaction with people or things. For example, if the yogi s
itting
next to you, while sitting down, makes a noise with his robes, you
may become angry and think, 'Oh, why is he making so much
noise!!` If your mind is overwhelmed by hatred or dissatisfaction,
you will not be able to concentrate well on your medit
a
ti
on object
either.
The third hindrance is sloth and torpor
(thina middha)
. If the mind
is weak, or not interested in the meditation object, sloth and to
r-
por can occur. Sometimes, however, sleepiness may be due to
tiredness, illness, or lack of rest.
The fou
rth hindrance is restlessness and remorse
(uddhacca ku
k-
kucca)
. If your mind is restless, it will be like a heap of ashes hit by
a stone, flying about and scattering. The mind is scattered. While
med
i
tating, you must not relax the mind, and let it leave you
r
meditation object. If you do, restlessness will occur. Remorse is
to regret bad deeds done, and good deeds not done in the past.
Here too, you must exert strong mindfulness, and make great e
f-
fort to stop the arising of restlessness and r
e
morse.
The fifth
hindrance is doubt
(vicikicch)
. It is ha
v
ing doubts about:
1.
The Buddha
1
A
kuti
is a mona
stic dwelling for one, a cell or lodge.
Questions and Answers 1
65
2.
The Dhamma
3.
The Sangha
4.
The three trainings: morality, concentration, and wi
s
dom.
5.
The past five aggregates
(khandh)
, which is past lives.
6.
The future five aggregates, which is future li
ves.
7.
Both the past and future five aggregates, which is past and future
lives.
8.
Dependent
-
Origination
(paticcasamuppda
), which includes the pr
e
sent
five aggregates.
If you have doubts about the training in concentration, you ca
n-
no
t meditate well. For example, you may think: 'Is it possible to
attain jhna through
npnasati
(min
d
fulness
-
of
-
breathing)?
Can jhna be attained by co
n
centrating on the npna
-
nimitta?`
The five hindrances are opposite to
jhna co
n
centration.
Odd page
Knowing
and Seeing
66
67
Talk 2
How You Develop Absorption
on Other Subjects
In the previous talk we discussed how to develop the meditation
su
b
ject of
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing) up to the
fourth jhna
, and how to develop the five masteries. As discussed,
the light of concentration is then bright, bri
l
liant and radiant,
which means the yogi can, if he wishes, move on to develop V
i-
passan medit
a
tion.
But at this point the yogi can also go on to develop h
is Samatha
meditation further. Today, we shall discuss how to d
e
velop other
Samatha subjects: medit
a
tion on the thirty
-
two parts of the body,
the skeleton, ten kasinas, etc.
How You Develop the Thirty
-
Two Parts of the Body
If you want to develop med
i
tation
on the thirty
-
two parts of the
body, you should first re
-
establish the fourth npna
-
jhna so the
light of concentration is bright, brilliant, and radiant. You should
then use the light to try to di
s
cern the thirty
-
two parts of the body,
one at a time.
T
he thirty
-
two parts of the body are twenty parts with predom
i-
nantly the earth
-
element, and twelve parts with predominantly the
water
-
element. The twenty earth
-
element parts should be di
s-
cerned in four sets of five:
I
II
III
IV
1.
head hairs
2.
body hairs
3.
nai
ls
4.
teeth
5.
skin
6.
flesh
7.
si
n
ews
8.
bones
9.
bone ma
r
row
10.
ki
d
neys
11.
heart
12.
liver
13.
me
m
brane
14.
spleen
15.
lungs
16.
intestines
17.
mesentery
1
18.
gorge
1
19.
fa
e
ces
20.
brain
1
Mesentery
the fastenings of the bowels
Knowing
and Seeing
68
The twelve water
-
element parts should be discerned in two sets
of six:
I
II
1.
bile
7.
tears
2.
phlegm
8.
grease
3.
pus
9.
saliva
4.
b
lood
10.
snot
5.
sweat
11.
synovia
2
6.
fat
12.
urine
Discern the parts in the given order, but one at a time. Try to see
each part as distinctly as you would see your face in a clean mi
r-
ror.
If, while doing this, the light of concentration should fade, and
the part of t
he body being discerned become unclear, you should
re
-
establish the fourth npna
-
jhna, so the light is again bright
and strong. Then return to discerning the parts of the body. Do
this whenever the light of concentr
a
tion fades.
Practise so that you are,
from head hairs down to urine, or from
urine back to head hairs, able to see each one clearly and with
penetrating knowledge; keep practising until you become ski
l
ful.
Then, again using the light of concentration and with your eyes
still closed, you shoul
d try to discern another being close by. It is
especially good to discern someone in front of you. Di
s
cern the
thirty
-
two parts of the body in that person or being, from head
hairs down to urine, and from urine back to head hairs. Di
s
cern
the thirty
-
two pa
rts forwards and backwards many times. When
you have succeeded, discern the thirty
-
two parts once internally,
that is in your own body, and once exte
r
nally, that is in the other
person`s body; do this many times, again and again.
1
gorge
undigested food, contents of the stomach
2
synovia
unctuous fluid in the joints
2
-
How You Develop Absorption
on Other Subjects
69
When you are able to disce
rn internally and externally like this,
the power of meditation will increase. You should thus grad
u
ally
extend your field of discernment bit by bit, from near to far. Do
not think that you cannot discern beings far away. Using the bri
l-
liant light of the f
ourth jhna, you can easily see b
e
ings far away,
not with the naked eye, but with the eye of wisdom
(
!n
acakkhu)
.
You should be able to extend your field of discernment in all ten
d
i
rections: above, below, east, west, north, south, north east,
south east,
north west, south west. Take whomever you discern,
be they human, animal or other beings, in those ten directions,
and discern the thirty
-
two parts, once internally and once exte
r-
nally, one person or other being at a time.
When you no longer see men, women
, devas, or buffaloes,
cows, and other animals as such, but see only groups of thirty
-
two
parts, whenever and wherever you look, internally or exte
r
nally,
then can you be said to be successful, skilful, and expert in
di
s
cer
n
ing the thirty
-
two parts of the
body.
The Three Entrances to Nibbna
Here, let us look at what is called the three entrances to Ni
b-
bna. In the
`Mahsatipat t hna Sutta'
,
1
The Buddha teaches that
the four foundations of mindfulness is the only way to
Nib
bna.
The commentary explains further that there are three en
trances to
the way to Ni
b
bn
a. They are the Samatha subjects of the co
l
our
kasinas
(vanna kasina)
, repulsiveness
(patikkla mana
sikra)
, and voidness
of self
(su!!ata)
, which is four
-
elements medit
a
tion.
2
Therefore, when a person has become proficient in discerning
the thirty
-
two
parts of the body, i
n
ternally and externally, he can
1
D.ii.9
'Great Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness` (Also M.I.i.10)
2
The entrance
of colour kasinas is mentioned in the
`Mah Parinibbna Sutta'
('Greath Parinibbna
Sutta` D.ii.3), the
`Abhibhyatana Sutta'
('Place of the Vanquished Sutta` A.VIII.V.ii.5), and the
`Abhibhyatana kath '(
'Explanation of Place of the Vanquished` DhsA.1).
The entrance of repu
l-
siveness and voidness (of self) are me
n
tioned in the
`Mah Satipatthna Sutta'
('Great Sutta on the
Foundations of Mindfulness` D.ii.9) in the section
`Kya Nupassan'
('Contemplation of the Body`).
Further to the perception of voidnes
s, please see above p.
33
, and A
n
swer 5.9, p.
225
Knowing
and Seeing
70
choose to develop any of those three entrances. The first e
n
trance
we shall discuss is repulsiveness meditation.
How You Develop Skeleton Meditation
To develop meditation on repu
l
siveness
(patikkla mana
si
kra)
you
take as object either all thirty
-
two parts of the body or only one
part. Let us look at how to meditate on, for example, the skel
e
ton,
the bones, which is one of the thirty
-
two parts of the body.
You should first re
-
establish the fourth npn
a
-
jhna, so the
light is bright, brilliant and r
a
di
ant. Then use the light to discern
the thirty
-
two parts in your own body, and then in a being nearby.
Discern thus internally and e
x
ternally once or twice. Then take
the internal skeleton as a whole, and
dis
cern it with wisdom.
When the whole skeleton is clear, take the repulsiv
e
ness of the
skeleton as object, that is the concept, and note it again and again
as either: 'repulsive
-
repulsive`; or 're
pulsive skeleton
-
repulsive
skeleton`; or 'skeleton
-
skel
e
ton.
Note it in any language you like. You should try to keep your
mind calmly concentrated on the object of repulsiv
e
ness of the
skeleton for one or two hours. Be careful to see the colour, shape,
po
sition and delimitation of the skeleton, so that i
ts repu
l
sive na
-
ture can arise.
Because of the strength and momentum of the fourth
-
jhna con
-
centration based on
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing), you
will find that this meditation will also become deep and fully e
s-
tablished: you will be able to pro
duce, su
s
tain and develop the
perception and knowledge of repulsiveness.
Once your concentration on the repulsiveness of the skeleton is
established, you should drop the perception of 'skel
e
ton`, and just
be mindful of the repulsiveness.
According to the
V
isuddhi Magga
, seeing the colour, shape,
p
o
s
i
tion, and delimitation of a part is seeing the uggaha
-
nimitta.
2
-
How You Develop Absorption
on Other Subjects
71
Seeing and discerning the repulsiveness of that part is seeing the
pat i
b
hga
-
nimit
ta.
1
By concentrating on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta of the repulsiveness
of the skeleton, you can attain the first jhna, at which time the
five jhna factors will be present. They are:
1.
Applied thoug
ht
................................
................................
.....................
(vitakka)
D
irecting and placing the mind on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta of the r
e-
pulsiveness of the skel
e
ton.
2.
Sustained thought
................................
................................
...................
(vicra)
M
aintaining the mind on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta of the repulsiveness
of the skel
e
ton.
3.
Joy
................................
................................
................................
......................
(pti)
L
iking for the pat ibhg
a
-
nimitta of the repul
siveness of the skel
e-
ton.
4.
Bliss
................................
................................
................................
..................
(sukha)
H
appiness associated about the pat ib
hga
-
nimitta of the repulsiv
e-
ness of the skeleton.
5.
One
-
pointedness
................................
................................
....................
(ekaggat)
O
ne
-
pointedness of mind on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta of the repulsiv
e-
ness of the s
kele
ton.
You can, in a similar way, attain the first jhna on the repu
l
sive
-
ness of one of the other parts of the body.
A question arises: 'How can joy and happiness arise with the re
-
pulsiveness of the skeleton as object?` The answer is that, al
-
though
you are concentrating on the repulsiveness of the skel
e
ton,
and experience it as really repulsive, there is joy because you
have undertaken this meditation, because you have unde
r
stood
the benefits of it, and because you have u
n
derstood that it will
help
you to eventually attain freedom from ageing, sickness, and
death. Joy and happiness can arise also because you have r
e-
moved the defilements of the five hi
n
drances, which make the
mind hot and tired.
1
Vs.viii
`Kyagatsati Kath'
B214
('Mindfulness of the Body Explanation` 141)
Knowing
and Seeing
72
It is just like a scavenger would be delighted to see a
big heap
of garbage, thinking, 'I will earn a lot of money from this.` Or
like a person who is severely ill would be happy and joyful when
re
lieved by vomiting or having diarrhoea.
The
Abhidhamma Commentary
explains that whoever has a
t
-
tained the first j
hna on the repulsiveness of the skeleton, should
go on to develop the five masteries of the first jhna. After that,
the yogi should here too take the nearest being, best of all a pe
r-
son sitting in front of him, and with his light of concentra
tion take
t
hat person`s skeleton as object. He should con
centrate on it as
repulsive, and develop this perception until the jhna factors b
e-
come prominent. Even though they are promi
nent, it is, according
to the commentary, neither access con
centration
(upacra sa
m
dhi)
nor absorption concentration
(ap
pan samdhi)
, because the object is
living.
1
If, however, you concentrate on the external skeleton as
if it were dead, you can, according to the sub
-
commentary to the
Abhidhamma
, the
Mlat k
, attain access concent
ration.
2
When the jhna factors are clear, you should again concentrate
on the internal skeleton as repulsive. Do this alternately, once i
n-
ter
nally then once externally, again and again. When you have
meditated like this on the repulsiveness of the skele
ton, and it has
be
come deep and fully developed, you should extend your field
of discernment in all ten directions. Taking one direction at a
time, wherever your light of concentration reaches, develop each
direction in the same way. You should apply your
penetra
t
ing
know
l
edge both near and far, in all directions, once internally and
once externally. Practise until wherever you look in the ten di
-
rections, you see only skeletons. Once you have su
c
ceeded, you
are ready to develop the white kasina meditati
on.
1
VbhA.vii.1
`
Suttantabhjanya Kynu
passan Niddesa'
('By Sutta
Reflec
tion
-
of
-
theBody D
e-
scription`)
2
VbhTi.ibid.
2
-
How You Develop Absorption
on Other Subjects
73
How You Develop the Ten Kasias
The Colour Kasias
There are four colours used for kasina meditation: blue, ye
l
low,
red, and white. 'Blue`
(nla)
can also be translated as 'black`, or
'brown`. All four
kasinas can be developed up to the fourth jhna
by using as object the colours of di
f
ferent parts of the body.
According to the
Abhidhamma Commentary
, the head hairs,
body hairs, and irises of the eyes can be used for the blue, brown,
or black kasina up t
o the fourth jhna; fat and urine can be used
for the yellow kasina; blood and flesh can be used for the red
kasina; and the white parts, the bones, teeth, and nails can be used
for the white kasina.
1
How You Develop the White Kasia
It says in the suttas,
that the white kasina is the best of the four
colour kasinas, because it makes the mind clear and bright.
2
For
that re
a
son, let us first discuss how to develop the white kasina.
You should first re
-
establish the fourth npna
-
jhna, so the
light of conce
ntration is bright, bri
l
liant, and radiant.
You should
then use the light to discern the thirty
-
two parts of the body inte
r-
nally, and then externally in a being nearby. Then discern just the
skele
t
on. If you want to discern it as repulsive you can, if not,
sim
ply discern the external skel
e
ton.
Then take either the whitest place in that skeleton, or, if the
whole skeleton is white, the whole skeleton, or the back of the
skull, and concentrate on it
as 'white
-
white`.
Alternatively, if you want to, and your concentration is really
sharp, you can, if you have seen the internal skeleton as repu
l
sive
1
VbhA.ibid.
2
A.X.I.iii.9
`Pathamakosala Su
t
ta'
('First Kosala Sutta`)
Knowing
and Seeing
74
and reached the first jhna, take the skeleton as white, and use
that as your preliminary object.
You
can also discern first the repulsiveness in an external skele
-
ton, and make that perception stable and firm, thus ma
k
ing the
white of the skeleton more evident. Then, you can change to the
perception of it to 'white
-
white`, and instead develo
p
the white
kasina.
With one of the objects of white in the external skeleton as o
b
-
ject, you should practise to keep the mind calmly conce
n
trated for
one or two hours.
Because of the strength and momentum of the fourth
-
jhna con
-
centr
a
tion based on
npnasati
(min
dfulness
-
of
-
breathing), you
will find that your mind will stay calmly concentrated on the o
b-
ject of white. When you are able to concentrate on the white for
one or two hours, you will find that the skeleton disappears and
only a white circle remains.
When
the white circle is white as cotton wool, it is the uggaha
-
nimitta (taken
-
up sign). When it is bright and clear like the mor
n-
ing star, it is the pat ibhga
-
nimitta (counterpart sign). B
e
fore the
uggaha
-
nimitta arises, the skeleton nimitta from which it aris
es, is
the parikamma
-
nimitta (preparatory sign).
Continue to note the kasina as 'white
-
white` until it becomes
the pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta. Continue concentrating on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta until you enter the first jhna. You will find, however,
that this co
n
ce
ntration is not very stable and does not last long. In
order to make it stable and last a long time, you need to e
x
pand
the nimitta.
To do this, you should concentrate on the white pat ibhga
-
nimitta for one or two hours. Then determine to expand the white
circle by one, two, three, or four inches, depending on how much
you think you are able to expand it. See if you succeed, but do not
try to expand the nimitta without first determi
n
ing a limit: make
sure to determine a limit of one, two, three, or four inc
hes.
While expanding the white circle, you may find that it b
e
comes
unstable. Then go back to noting it as 'white
-
white` to make it
2
-
How You Develop Absorption
on Other Subjects
75
stable. But as your concentration increases the nimitta will b
e-
come stable and calm.
When the first expanded nimitta has b
ecome stable, you should
repeat the process, that is, again determine to expand it by a few
inches. This way you can expand the nimitta in stages, until it is
one yard in size, then two yards, and so on. Do this until it e
x-
tends in all ten directions aroun
d you, without limit, and so that
wherever you look, you see only white. Do it till you see not even
a trace of materiality, whether internal or exte
r
nal.
If you developed the white kasina in a past life, during this or a
previous Buddha`s dispensation, th
at is, if you have white kasina
pram , then you will not need to expand the pat ibhga
-
nimitta,
because as you concentrate on it, it will automatically e
x
pand in
all ten directions.
You should in either case now keep your mind calmly conce
n-
trated on the ex
panded white kasina, and when it is stable
,
then
just like hanging a hat on a hook, put your mind on one place in
that white kasina. Keep your mind there, and co
n
tinue to note
'white
-
white`.
When your mind is calm and stable, the white kasina will also
b
e calm and stable, and will be exceedingly white, bright, and
clear. This too is a pat ibhga
-
nimitta, produced by expanding the
orig
i
nal white kasina pat ibhga
-
nimitta.
You must continue to meditate, until you can concentrate on
that white kasina pat ibhga
-
nimitta continuously for one or two
hours. Then the jhna factors will become very prominent, clear,
and strong in your mind, and you will have reached the first
jhna. The five jhna factors are:
1.
Applied thought
................................
................................
........................
(vitakka)
D
irecting and placing the mind
on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta of the
white kasina.
2.
Sustained thought
................................
................................
......................
(vicra)
M
aintaining the mind on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta of the white kasina.
3.
Joy
................................
................................
................................
.........................
(pti)
L
iking for the pat ibhga
-
nimitta of the white kasina.
Knowing
and Seeing
76
4.
Bliss
................................
................................
................................
..................
(sukha)
H
appiness about the pat ibhga
-
nimitta
of the white kasina.
5.
One
-
pointedness
................................
................................
....................
(ekaggat)
O
ne
-
pointedness of mind on the pat ibhga
-
nimitta of the white
kasina.
The jhna factors are together called jhna. In the way des
cribed
in the talk on
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing), develop
the fi
ve masteries
1
of the first white kasina jhna, and then d
e-
velop the second, third, and fourth jhnas, and the masteries of
them too.
How You Develop the Remaining Colour Kasias
If you have developed the white kasina
meditation up to the
fourth jhna using the white of an external skeleton, then you will
also be able to develop the brown, blue, or black kasina using e
x-
ternal head hairs, the yellow kasina using exte
r
nal fat or urine,
and the red kasina using e
x
ternal bl
ood, etc. You can also use
those parts in your own body.
When you have succeeded, you can develop the colour kasinas
using the colour of also flowers, or other external o
b
jects. All
blue and brown flowers are calling out, inviting you to develop
the blue k
asina. All yellow flowers are calling out, inviting you to
develop the yellow kasina. All red flowers are calling out, invi
t-
ing you to develop the red kasina. All white flowers are calling
out, inviting you to develop the white kasina. Thus, a skilled yogi
can use whatever he sees to develop kasina concentration and i
n-
sight, be it animate or inanimate, inte
r
nal or external.
According to the Pl i texts, The Buddha taught ten kasinas.
They are the mentioned four colour kasinas, plus a further six: the
earth,
water, fire, wind, space, and light kasinas.
2
1
Please see p.
55
2
M.II.iii.7
Mahsakuludy Sutta'
('
Great Sakuludy Sutta`) & Dhs.I
`Atthakasinam Solasakkha
t-
tukam'
('Eight Kasinas & Sixteen Times`)
2
-
How You Develop Absorption
on Other Subjects
77
Now, let us discuss how to develop the remaining six types of
kasina.
How You Develop the Earth Kasia
To develop the earth kasina, you should find a piece of plain
earth, which is reddish brown like the sky at
dawn, and with no
sticks, stones, or leaves. Then with a stick or some other instru
-
ment, draw a circle about one foot across. That is your medit
a
tion
object: an earth kasina. You should concentrate on it, and note it
as 'earth
-
earth`. Concentrate on i
t for a while with your eyes
open, and then close them, and visualize the earth kasina. If u
n-
able to visua
l
ize the nimitta in this way, you should re
-
estab
lish
the fourth npna
-
, or white kasina
-
jhna. Then use the light of
conce
n
tration to look at the
earth kasina. When you see the
nimitta of earth as clearly as if you were looking at it with your
eyes open, and it is thus an uggaha
-
nimitta, you can go and d
e
-
velop it somewhere else.
You should not concentrate on the colour of the earth nimitta, or
the
characteristics of hardness, roughness etc.of the earth
-
element, but concentrate on only the concept of earth. Co
n
tinue to
develop this uggaha
-
nimitta until it becomes pure and clear, and
is the pat ibhga
-
nimitta.
You should then expand the pat ibhga
-
nimit
ta a li
t
tle at a time,
in all ten directions, and develop this meditation up to the fourth
jhna.
How You Develop the Water Kasia
To develop the water kasina, you should use a bowl, bucket or
well of pure, clear water. Concentrate on the concept of water
as
'water
-
water` till you get the uggaha
-
nimitta, and then d
e
velop it
as you did the earth kasina.
Knowing
and Seeing
78
How You Develop the Fire Kasia
To develop the fire kasina, you should use a candle, a fire, or
any other flames you remember seeing. If unable to vis
u
al
ize it,
you can make a screen with a circular hole in it about one foot
across. Put the screen in front of a wood
-
or grass
-
fire, so you see
only the flames through the hole.
Ignoring the smoke, and burning wood or grass, concentrate on
the concept of fire
as 'fire
-
fire` till you get the uggaha
-
nimitta,
and then develop it in the usual way.
How You Develop the Wind Kasia
The wind kasina is developed through the sense of touch, or
sight. You should concentrate on the wind coming in through a
window or do
or, touching the body; or the sight of leaves or
branches moving in the wind. Concentrate on the concept as
'wind
-
wind` till you get the uggaha
-
nimitta. You can discern the
nimitta of the wind by re
-
establishing the fourth jhna with a
n-
other kasina objec
t, and using the light of concentration see this
movement externally. The uggaha
-
nimitta looks like steam co
m-
ing off hot milk rice, but the pat ibhga
-
nimitta is motionless. D
e-
velop the nimitta in the usual way.
How You Develop the Light Kasia
To develop
the light kasina, you should look at rays of light, as
they stream into a room through, for example, a crack in the wall,
and fall on the floor, or as they stream through the leaves of a tree
and fall on the ground. You can also look up through the branche
s
of a tree, at the light in the sky above. If unable to vis
u
alize it,
you can put a candle or lamp inside an earthen pot, and place the
pot in such a way that rays of light come out of the opening of the
pot, and fall upon the wall. Concentrate on the cir
cle of light on
the wall as a concept, as 'light
-
light` till you get the uggaha
-
nimitta, and then d
e
velop it in the usual way.
2
-
How You Develop Absorption
on Other Subjects
79
How You Develop the Space Kasia
To develop the space kasina, you should look at the space in a
doorway, window, or keyhole. I
f unable to visualize it, you can
make a circular hole in a piece of board, about eight inches to one
foot across. Hold the board up so you see only the sky through
the hole, no trees or other objects. Concentrate on the space
within that circle as a conce
pt, as 'space
-
space`, and d
e
velop the
nimitta in the usual way.
The Four Immaterial Jhnas
Once you have attained the four jhnas with each of the ten
kasinas, you can proceed to develop the
four immaterial
jhnas
(arpa jhna)
, also called the four i
m
material states. They are:
1.
The Base of Boundless Space
................................
...........................
(ksna!cyatana)
2.
The Base of Boundless Consciousness
................................
.............
(v
i
!!na!c
yatana)
3.
The Base of Nothingness
................................
................................
....
(k
i
!ca!!yatana)
4.
The Base of Neither
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception
...........
(nev
a
sa!!
-
nsa!!yatana)
You can develop them with all the kasinas except the space
kasina.
1
How You Develop
the Base of Boundless Space
To develop the four immaterial jhnas, you should first reflect
upon the
disadvantages of materiality. The human body produced
by the sperm and egg of your parents is called the pr
o
duced body
(karajakya)
. Since you have a produced body, you are open to a
s-
sault with weapons such as knives, spears, and bullets, and to b
e-
ing hit,
beaten, and tortured. The pr
o
duced body is also subject to
many diseases of, for example, the eyes, ears, and heart. So you
should consider with wi
s
dom that because you have a produced
1
Please see footnote
1
, p.
80
Knowing
and Seeing
80
body made of materiality, you are subject to various kinds of su
f-
ferin
g, and that if you can be free of that materiality, you can also
be free of the suffe
r
ing.
Even though a fourth fine
-
material jhna su
r
passes gross physi
-
cal materiality, it is still based on it. Thus you need to
surmount
the kasina materiality. Having considered this, and with no desire
now for the kasina materia
l
ity, you should re
-
establish the fourth
jhna with one of the nine kasinas
1
, such as the earth kasina,
emerge from it, and reflect on its disa
d
vantages:
it is based on
materiality, which you no longer desire; it has joy of the third
jhna as its near enemy; and it is grosser than the four immaterial
jhnas. But you do not need to reflect on the disadva
n
tages of the
mental formations (jhna factors) in the
fourth jhna, b
e
cause
they are the same as in the immaterial jhnas. With no d
e
sire now
for the fourth fine
-
material jhna, you should also reflect on the
more peaceful nature of the imm
a
terial jhnas.
Then expand your nimitta, say, of the earth kasina, s
o that it is
boundless, or as much as you wish, and replace the kasina mater
i-
ality with the space it occupies, by concentrating on the space as
'space
-
space` or 'boundless space
-
boundless space`. What r
e-
mains is the boundless space formerly o
c
cupied by
the kasina.
If unable to do so, you should discern and concentrate on the
space of one place in the earth
-
kasina nimitta, and then expand
that up to the infinite universe. As a result, the entire earth
-
ka
s
ina
nimitta is replaced by boundless space.
Contin
ue to concentrate on the boundless space nimitta, until
you reach jhna, and then develop the five masteries. This is the
first immat
e
rial jhna, also called the base of boundless space
(
ksna!cyatana
)
.
1
Since space is not materiality, the space kasina cannot be used t
o su
r
mount the kasina materiality
to attain an immat
e
rial jhna.
2
-
How You Develop Absorption
on Other Subjects
81
How You Develop
the Base of Boundless Consciousne
ss
The second immaterial jhna, also called the base of boundless
consciousness
(v
i
!!na!cyatana citta)
, has as its object the base
-
of
-
boundless
-
space consciousness
(ksna!cyatana citta)
, which had
boundless space
as its o
b
ject.
To develop the base of boundless consciousness, you should r
e-
flect on the disadvantages of the base of boundless space: it has
the fourth fine
-
material jhna as its near enemy, and is not as
peaceful as the base of boundless consciousness.
With no d
e
sire
now for the base of boundless space, you should also reflect on
the more peaceful nature of the base of boundless consciou
s
ness.
Then concentrate again and again on the consciousness that had
boundless space as its object, and note it as 'bo
undless co
n-
sciousness
-
boundless consciousness` or just 'co
n
sciousness
-
consciousness`.
Continue to concentrate on the boundless
-
consciousness
nimitta, until you reach jhna, and then develop the five maste
r-
ies. This is then the second immaterial jhna,
also called the base
of boun
d
less consciousness.
How You Develop
the Base of Nothingness
The third immaterial jhna, also called the base of nothingness
(
ki!ca!!yatana)
, has as its object the absence of the
co
n
sciousness
that
had boundless space as its object, and which was itself the
object of the base of boundless consciou
s
ness.
To develop the base of nothingness, you should reflect on the
dis
advantages of the base of boundless consciousness: it has the
base of boundless spa
ce as its near enemy and is not as peac
e
ful
as the base of nothingness. With no desire now for the base of
boundless consciousness, you should also reflect on the more
peace
ful nature of the base of nothingness. Then concentrate on
the absence of the cons
ciou
s
ness that had boundless space as its
object. There were two jhna
-
consciousnesses: first the cons
-
Knowing
and Seeing
82
ciousness of base of boundless space
(ksna!cyatana citta)
and then
that of the base of boun
d
less consciousness
(vi!!na!cyatana citta)
.
Two consciou
snesses cannot arise in one consciou
s
ness
-
moment
(cittakkhana)
. When the consciousness of the base of boundless
space was present, the other consciousness could not be pr
e
sent
too, and vice versa. So, you take the absence of the consciou
s
ness
of the base o
f boundless
-
space as ob
ject, and note it as 'nothin
g-
ness
-
nothingness` or 'a
b
sence
-
ab
sence`.
Continue to concentrate on that nimitta, until you reach jhna,
and develop the five masteries. This is then the third immat
e
rial
jhna, also called the base
of nothingness.
How You Develop
the Base of Neither
-
Perception
-
Nor
-
Non
-
Perception
The fourth immaterial jhna is also called the base of neither
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception
(nevasa!!nsa!!yatana)
.
That is b
e-
cause the perception in this jhna is extremely subtle. In fact, all
the mental formations in this jhna are extremely su
b
tle; there is
also neither
-
feeling
-
nor
-
non
-
feeling, neither
-
consciousness
-
nor
-
non
-
consciousness, ne
i
ther
-
contact
-
nor
-
non
-
co
ntact etc. But the
jhna is explained in terms of perception, and it has as object the
consciousness of the base of not
h
ingness.
1
To develop the base of neither
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception,
you should reflect on the disadvantages of the base of nothin
g-
n
ess: it has the base of boundless consciousness as its near e
n-
emy, and is not as peaceful as the base of neither
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception. Furthermore, perception is a disease, a boil and a
dart. With no desire now for the base of nothingness, you sho
uld
also reflect on the more peaceful nature of the base of neither
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception. Then concentrate again and again
on the consciousness of the base of nothingness as 'peaceful
-
peaceful`. Continue to concentrate on the 'peaceful
-
peacefu
l`
1
This is discussed in connection also with the different nimittas in mindfu
l
ness of breathing
(npnasati)
, p.
48
.
2
-
How You Develop Absorption
on Other Subjects
83
nimitta, until you reach jhna, and develop the five maste
r
ies.
This is then the fourth immaterial jhna, also called the base of
neither perception nor non
perception.
Today we discussed how to develop the ten kasinas, and the
eight attainments: the f
our fine
-
material jhnas and the four i
m-
material jhnas. In the next talk, we shall discuss how to develop
the four sublime abidings
(brahmavihra)
of lovingkindness, compa
s-
sion, appreciative
-
joy, and equanimity; and the four protective
meditations
(catur
ra
k
kha bhvan)
of lovingkindness, recollection
-
of
-
The
-
Buddha, foulness medit
a
tion and recollection
-
of
-
death.
odd page
Knowing
and Seeing
84
85
Questions and Answers 2
Question 2.1
How should beginners balance the faculties
(
indriya
)
of
concentration and wisdom? How shoul
d they practise wi
s
dom in
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing)?
Answer 2.1
We already talked about balancing the five contro
l
ling
faculties in the very first talk, but we can summarize what was
said. It is not so important for beginners to balance concen
tration
and wisdom. This is because they are only begi
n
ners, and their
five controlling faculties are not yet developed. In the beginning
of meditation, there is usually much res
t
lessness in the mind. So
the fa
c
ulties are not yet strong and powerful. Only
when they are
strong and powerful is it necessary to balance them. But if begi
n-
ners are able to balance the faculties already at the beginning
stage, that is of course also good.
For example, you are now practising
npnasati
;
npnasati
is mindfulness
-
o
f
-
breathing. Knowing the breath is wi
s
dom
(pa!!)
. Being mindful of the breath is mindfulness
(sati)
. One
-
pointedness of mind on the breath is concentration
(samdhi)
. The
effort to know the breath clearly is effort
(vriya)
. Having
f
aith that
npnasati
can lead to jhna is faith
(sa
d
dh)
.
Beginners must try to develop strong and powerful controlling
faculties. Their faith in
npnasati
must be strong enough. Their
effort to know the breath clearly must be strong enough. Their
mindf
ulness of the breath must be strong enough. Their conce
n-
tration on the breath must be strong enough. They must see the
breath clearly. They must try to make their five controlling facu
l-
ties strong and powerful, as well as try to balance them. If one is
exc
essive, the others cannot function pro
p
erly.
For example, if faith is too strong and powerful, it produces
emotion. This means that the effort faculty cannot maintain ass
o-
ciated mental formations on the breath; mindfulness
cannot b
e-
come established on the
breath; the concentration fa
c
ulty too,
cannot concentra
t
e deeply on the breath; and wisdom cannot
know the breath clearly.
Knowing
and Seeing
86
When, for example, effort is excessive, it makes the mind res
t-
less, so the other controlling faculties become again weak, and
cannot
function properly. When mindfulness is weak, you cannot
do anything, because you ca
n
not concentrate on the breath, will
make little or no effort to discern the breath, and may have no
faith.
Now you are practising Samatha. In Samatha meditation, strong
and
powerful concentration is good, but excessive co
n
centration
produces laziness. With laziness, the other faculties become again
very weak, and cannot function pro
p
erly.
At this stage wisdom is very dull or inferior. It knows only the
natural breath. So for
the beginner who is practising Samatha
meditation, it is enough just to know the breath clearly. When the
uggaha or pat ibhga
-
nimitta appears, wisdom knows the u
g
gaha
or pat ibhga
-
nimitta. Too much general knowledge apart from
this is not good, as you may
always be discussing and criticizing.
If a yogi discusses and criticizes
npnasati
too much, we can
say his wisdom is excessive, which also makes the other contro
l-
ling faculties weak, and unable to function pro
p
erly.
So, even though it is not yet very i
mportant, it is still good for a
beginner to balance his five controlling faculties. How to balance
them? We must practise with strong and powerful mindfu
l
ness
and effort to know the breath clearly, and co
n
centrate on the
breath with faith.
Question 2.2
W
hy don`t we, after attaining the fourth
jhna, go
straight to discern the five aggregates, their nature of imperm
a-
nence, suffering, and non
-
self, and attain
Nibbna? Why do we
before attaining Nibbna need to pra
c
tise meditation on the thirty
-
two parts of body, skeleton, white kasina, four
-
elements, mater
i-
ality, mentality, dependent
-
origination, and V
i
passa
n?
Answer 2.2
The Buddha taught the five
-
aggregates method of pra
c-
tising Vipassan to three types of person: those who have sharp
wi
s
dom, those whose insight
-
knowledge of mentality is not clear,
and those who prefer to practise Vipassan in the brief way.
Questions and Answers
2
2
87
What are the five aggregates? What is the difference between
the five aggregates and mentality
-
materiality? Do you know the
a
n
swer?
Before answering your second question, let us discuss menta
l-
ity
-
materiality and the five aggregates. There are four ultimat
e r
e-
alities
(paramattha)
: consciousnesses
(citt)
, associated mental factors
(cetasik)
, materiality
(rpa)
, and
Ni
b
bna.
To attain
Nibbna, the fourth u
l
tim
ate reality, we must see the
impermanent, suffering and non
-
self n
a
ture of the other three, that
is, we must see:
1.
Eighty
-
nine types of consciousness
2.
Fifty
-
two associated mental factors
3.
Twenty
-
eight types of materiality
1
The eighty
-
nine types of conscious
ness are called the co
n-
sciousness
-
aggre
gate
(vi!!nakkhandha)
. Of the fifty
-
two associated
mental fa
c
tors, feeling is the feeling
-
aggregate
(vedankkhandha)
;
perception is the perception
-
aggregate
(sa!!kkhandha)
; and the r
e-
maining fifty ass
o
ciated mental
factors are the formations
-
aggregate
(san
k
hrak
-
khandha)
. Sometimes the consciousnesses
(citt)
and associated mental factors
(cetasik)
together are called menta
l-
ity
(nma)
. Sometimes they are seen as four aggregates, the feeling
-
aggregate, the pe
r
ceptio
n
-
aggregate, the formations
-
aggregate
and the consciousness
-
aggre
gate, which together are the menta
l-
ity
-
aggregate
(nma khandha)
. The materiality
-
aggregate
(rpakkhandha)
is the twenty
-
eight types of materiality. The consciousnesses, a
s-
sociated mental fac
tors and materiality together are called 'me
n-
tality
-
materiality`
(nmarpa)
. They are sometimes also called the
five aggregates: m
a
teriality, fee
ling, perception, formations, and
consciousness. Their causes are also only menta
l
ity
-
ma
teriality.
These five
aggregates subject to clinging are
Dukkha sacca
Dhamm
: the dhammas of the N
o
ble Truth of Suffering. They
1
For a full list, please
see Table 1, p.
169
Knowing
and Seeing
88
need to be understood as such. In the '
Mahnidna Sutta
` of the
D gha Nikya
, The Buddha explains:
This dependent origination is profound, nanda, a
nd profound it appears.
And, nanda, it is through not knowing, through not pen
e
trating this
Dhamma, that this generation has become
become a tangled skein, a knotted
ball of thread, matted as the roots in a bed of reeds
, and finds no way out of
the round
of rebirths wi
th its states of loss, unhappy destinations.pe
r
dition.
1
With regard to this statement, the commentaries explain:
There is no one, even in a dream, who has got out of the fearful round of rebirths,
which is ever destroying
[beings]
like a thu
n
derbolt, u
nless he has severed with the
knife of knowledge, well whetted on the stone of sublime concentration, this Wheel of
Becoming
[Dependent
-
Origination]
, which offers no footing owing to its great profu
n-
dity and is hard to get by owing to the maze of many meth
ods
.
2
This means that the yogi who does not know, and has not pen
e-
trated Dependent
-
Origination by the different stages of insight
know
l
edge, cannot escape from the round of rebirths.
And in the '
Titthyatana Sutta
` of the
Anguttara Nikya
, this
was said
by The Bu
d
dha:
3
And what, bhikkhu, the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffe
r
ing?
With ignorance as condition,
[there are]
volitional formations; with vol
i-
tional formations as condition, consciousness; with consciousness as cond
i-
tion, menta
l
ity
-
materiality;
with mentality
-
materiality as condition, the six
sense
-
bases; with the six sense
-
bases as condition, contact; with contact as
condition, feeling; with feeling as condition, craving; with craving as cond
i-
tion, clinging; with clinging as condition, existenc
e; with existence as cond
i-
1
D.ii.2
`Mahnidna Sutta'
('Great Causation Sutta`)
2
VbhA.vi.1
`Suttantabhjan
i
ya Vannan
'
('By Sutta Comment`). Vs.xvii
`Bh
a
vacakka Kath
'
B661
('The Wheel of Beco
m
ing Explanation` 344.)
3
A.III.I
I.ii.1
`Titthyatana Sutta'
('Sectarian Doctrines Sutta`)
Questions and Answers
2
2
89
tion, birth; with birth as condition, ageing
-
and
-
death, sorrow, lamentation,
pain, displea
s
ure and despair come to be.
Such is the origin of this whole mass of suffering. This, bhikkhus, is called
the Noble Truth of the Origin of
Suffe
r
ing.
This is also called dependent origination. And The Buddha says
dependent origination is the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffe
r-
ing
(Sam
u
daya Sacca)
.
The Noble Truth of Suffering, which is the five clinging aggr
e-
gates, and the Noble Truth of t
he Origin of Suffering, which is
dependent origination, are called formations
(sankhr)
. They are
the object of Vipassan, insight knowledge. At the different
stages of insight knowledge you comprehend these formations as
impermanence
(anicca)
, as sufferi
ng
(dukkha)
, and as non
-
self
(anatta)
.
Without knowing and penetrating them, how can you compr
e-
hend them that they are impermanent etc.? That is why we teach
V
i
passan systematically.
To know ultimate materiality, the materiality
-
aggregate of
clinging, you
must practise four
-
elements meditation till you see
that materiality consists of small particles that we call
rpa
-
kalpas
, and you need to see the four elements in those small pa
r-
ticles.
1
And you need to discern both the base and its object t
o-
gether.
2
Wi
thout discerning materiality this way, you cannot di
s-
cern mentality, the four mental aggregates of clinging. That is
why we teach Vipa
s
san stage by stage.
Now your second question. According to the Theravda trad
i-
tion, there are two types of meditation su
bject
(kammatthna)
:
pr
i-
hriya kammat t hna
and
sabbatthaka kammat
t hna
.
Prihriya
kammat t hna
is the meditation subject by which the individual
yogi develops conce
n
tration to be used for Vipassan.
The yogi
must always use that medi
tation subject as his foundation.
Sa
b-
batthaka kammat t hna
, on the other hand, is the meditation su
b-
1
For four elements meditation and related details, please see Talk 4, p.
131
.
2
Please see further 'Introduction` p.
6
ff
Knowing
and Seeing
90
jects to be developed by all yogis alike.
1
They are the four pr
o-
tective meditations:
1.
Lovingkin
d
ness meditation
................................
......................
(mett bhvan)
2.
Recollection
-
of
-
The
-
Buddha
................................
..................
(Buddhnu
s
sati)
3.
Recollection
-
of
-
death
................................
................................
.
(m
a
rannussati)
4.
Foulness meditation
................................
................................
.
(asu
bha bhvan)
So although a yogi uses
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing)
as his
prihriya kammat t hna
, he must practise the four prote
c-
tive meditations before going on to Vipassan. This is the orth
o-
dox proc
e
dure.
To develop
lovingkindness meditation up to jhna, it is better if
the yogi has already deve
l
oped the white
-
kasina meditation up to
the fourth jhna. An e
x
ample of this is the five hundred bhikkhus
to whom The Bu
d
dha taught the
`Kara
n
yamett Sutta'
.
Those
bhikkhus were expert in the ten kasinas and eight attainments
(sampatti)
, had practised V
i
passan up to the Knowledge of Arising
and Passing Away
(
uda
y
abbaya !na)
, and had gone to the forest to
meditate further. But they returned to the Buddha, b
e
cause the
devas resident in the forest had become annoyed and had frigh
t-
ened the bhikkhus. The Buddha taught the bhikkhus the
`Kara
n
-
yamett Sutta'
both as a meditation subject and as a protective
chant
(paritta)
.
As a meditation subject it is for those
who have a
l-
ready attained lovingkin
d
ness jhna
(mett jhna)
, and have broken
down the barriers between the different types of person.
2
The
`Karan yamett Sutta'
is a more specialized practice of lovin
g-
kindness, in which one practises up to the third jhna
by exten
d-
ing lovingkindness to eleven categories of b
e
ings with the
thought:
`Sukhino v
khemino hontu, sabbe satt bhavantu sukh
i-
tatt'
(May all beings be happy and secure etc.). The Texts say
The Buddha knew those five hu
n
dred bhikkhus would very easily
1
For how and why you must protect your meditation, please see above p.
16
; for details, pleas
e
see
Talk 3 'How You Develop the Sublime Abidings and Protective Meditations`.
2
For details about lovi
ngkindness jhna, please see 'How You Develop the Su
b
lime Abidings and
Protective Meditations`, p.
97
.
Questions and Answers
2
2
91
be able to do this, because they were already expert in the ten
kasinas. And how is lovin
g
kindness jhna made
easier by kasina
meditation?
In the
Anguttara Nikya
, The Buddha taught that of the four
colour kas
i
nas, the white kasina is best.
1
The white kas
ina makes
the yogi`s mind clear and bright. A clear and tranquil mind is s
u-
perior and powerful. If a yogi practises lovin
g
kindness meditation
with a clear mind, free from defilements, he usually attains lo
v-
ingkindness jhna within one sitting. So if one en
ters the fourth
white
-
kasina jhna, and after emerging from it, practises lovin
g-
kindness jhna, it is very
easy to su
c
ceed.
In order to attain the fourth white
-
kasina jhna, a yogi should
first practise skeleton meditation
internally and externally, b
e-
cause this makes the white
-
kasina meditation very easy. Ther
e-
fore, after the fourth npna jhna we usually teach yogis to do
the thirty
-
two parts of the body, skeleton meditation and white
-
kasina meditation. In our exper
i
enc
e, most yogis say that the
fourth white
-
kasina jhna is better than the fourth npna jhna,
because it pr
o
duces a clearer, brighter and more tranquil mind,
which is also very helpful for practising other meditation su
b-
jects. So we usually teach white
-
kas
ina meditation before lovin
g-
kin
d
ness meditation.
There is also a problem common to beginners. You may have
practised lovin
g
kindness meditation. Did you attain jhna? In
practice, if a yogi wants to extend lovingkindness to som
e
one of
the same sex, he shoul
d first take the smiling face of that person
as object, and then develop lo
v
ingkindness towards him with:
'May this good person be free from mental suffering, etc.`
With a
beginner that smiling face very soon disappea
rs. He cannot co
n-
tinue his lovingkindness medit
a
tion, because there is no object,
and so he cannot attain lovingkindness jhna or an
y
thing.
If he uses the fourth white
-
kasina jhna, it is different. He
emerges from the jhna, and when he develops lovingkin
d
ness,
1
A.X.I.iii.9
`Pathamakosala Sutta'
('First Kosala Sutta`)
Knowing
and Seeing
92
then because of the preceding concentration the smiling face will
not fade away. He is able to concentrate deeply on that i
m
age,
and able to attain up to the third lovingkindness jhna within one
sitting. If he practises systematically up to the bre
aking down of
ba
r
riers between the different types of person, he can even prac
-
tise the eleven ways of the
`Karan yamett Sutta'
, and five hun
-
dred and twenty
-
eight ways mentioned in the
Pat isambhid
-
magga
Pl i Text.
1
For this reason too, we usually teach
the
white
-
kasina meditation before lovin
g
kindness meditation.
You may also have practised recollection
-
of
-
The
-
Buddha
(Buddhnussati)
. Did you attain access conce
n
tration? When those
who have succeeded in lovingkindness jhna practise recolle
c-
tion
-
of
-
The
-
Bu
ddha, they are able to reach access concentration
within one sitting, again because of the preceding concentration.
Foulness meditation
(asubha)
too becomes easy. If a yogi practises
foulness meditation up to the first jhna, and then recollection
-
of
-
death
(marannussati)
, he is able to succeed within one si
t
ting.
That is why we teach the white
-
kasina med
i
tation before the
four protective meditations. If, however, a yogi wants to go
straight to Vipassan, without practising the four protective med
i-
tations,
he can do so: no pro
b
lem.
Question 2.3
Why, after having discerned materiality and menta
l
ity,
must one practise the first and fifth methods of depen
d
ent
-
origin
-
ation
(paticcasamuppda)
? What are the first and fifth met
h
ods?
2
Answer 2.3
There are, accordi
ng to the Theravda tradition, seven
stages of purification
(visuddhi)
. The first five are:
1.
The Purification of Morality
................................
......................
(sla visuddhi)
Morality
(sla)
of four types:
3
i
Ptimokkha restraint
......................
(ptimokkh samvara sla)
ii
Sense r
e
straint
................................
...........
(indriya samvara sla)
1
Ps.II.iv
`Mett Kath'
('Lovingkindness Explanation`)
2
For deta
ils about how you practise the first and fifth methods of dependent origination, please see
Talk 6, p.
227
ff
.
3
Vs.i.
`Slappabheda Kath' B13ff
'Morality
-
Classification Explanation` 42 for d
e
tails.
Questions and Answers
2
2
93
iii
Livelihood purification
.........................
(jva prisuddhi sla)
iv
With regard to requisites
..................
(paccayasannissita sla)
2.
The Purification of Mind
................................
............................
(citta visuddhi)
Access concentration
(upacra samdhi)
and the
eight attai
n
ments
(sampatti)
.
1
3.
The Purification of View
................................
.........................
(ditthi visuddhi)
:
The Knowledge of Analysing Mentality
-
Materiality
(nma
-
rpa
-
pariccheda !na)
.
4.
The Purification by Overcoming Doubt
...........
(kankhvitarana visuddhi)
:
The Knowledge of Discerning Cause and Condition
(paccaya pari
g-
gaha
!na)
, in other words, seeing dependent
-
origination
(pati
c-
casamuppda)
.
5.
The Purification by Knowledge and Vision of What Is and What Is
Not the Path
................................
................
(maggmagga!nadassana visuddhi)
:
The Knowledge of Comprehension
(sammasana !na)
and Know
l
edge
of Arising
and Passing
-
Away
(udayabbaya !na)
which is the begi
n-
ning of Vipassan.
So before Vipassan there are four purifications. Why? Vipa
s-
san is insight, to comprehend the impermanence, suffe
r
ing, and
non
-
self nature of mentality
-
materiality and their causes.
Wit
h
out
knowing mentality
-
materiality and their causes, how can we
comprehend that they are impermanent, suffering, and non
-
self?
How can we practise Vipassan? It is only after we have tho
r-
oughly discerned mentality
-
materiality and their causes, that we
can practise Vipassan meditation.
Mentality
-
materiality and their causes are called 'form
a
tions`
(sankhr)
. They pass away as soon as they arise, which is why they
are impermanent; they are subject to constant arising and pas
s
ing
-
away, which is why they
are su
f
fering; they have no self
(atta)
, or
stable and indestructible e
s
sence, which is why they are non
-
self.
Comprehending impermanence, suffering, and non
-
self in this
way is real Vipassan. So before Vipassan, we teach yogis to
1
Vis.xviii
`Ditthi
-
Visuddh
i Niddesa'
B662 ('Description of Purification of View`1)
Knowing
and Seeing
94
discern mentality, mate
riality and dependent
-
origination. The
commentary explains it as, '
aniccanti pa!cakkhandh
.`
,
1
and
`ani
c
canti khandha pa!cakam.
`
2
That
means, 'impermanence is
the five aggregates.` The five aggregates are, in other words,
mentality
-
materiality and their ca
uses. So real Vipassan r
e
quires
that you know the five aggregates, and their causes and e
f
fects.
The Buddha taught according to the character of his listeners,
and taught four methods for discerning dependent
-
origination. In
the
Pat isambhidmagga
, there i
s yet another method.
3
Alt
o
gether
there are five methods. The first of the methods taught by The
Bud
dha is to discern dependent
-
origination in forward order:
Arij
j paccay sankhr,
sankhra paccay ri!!am,
ri!
!a pa
c
cay nma
-
rpam
etc.
(W
ith
ignorance as condition, for
mations come to be; with formations as
condition, consciousness; with consciousness as condition, me
n
tality
-
materiality;
[etc.]
)
The first method is popular in Theravda Buddhism, but may be
very difficult for those who have n
o Abhi
d
hamma knowledge.
Even yogis with good Abhidhamma knowledge may have many
diff
i
culties.
The fifth method taught by the Venerable Sriputta
, and r
e-
corded in the
Pat isambhid
magga
Pl i Text, is easy for begi
n-
ners. It is to discern that five past causes have produced five
pr
e
sent e
f
fects, and that five present causes will produce five
future effects. This is the main principle in the fifth method. If
you want to know it with d
irect experience, you should pra
c
tise
up to this stage.
1
Vs.viii
`npnasati Kath'
B236
(Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing Explanation 234). Vs.xxi
`Upak
-
kil
e
savimutta
-
Udayabbaya!na Kath'
B740
('Knowledge of Contemplation of Rise and Fall II`6)
2
VbhA.ii.1
`Suttantabhjan
i
ya Vannan
'
('By Sutta Comment`)
3
Ps.I.i.4
Dhammatthiti!na Niddeso
('Standing
-
on
-
Phenomena Knowledge Descri
p
tion`)
Questions and Answers
2
2
95
After practising the fifth method systematically, you will not
have much difficulty in practising the first method. For this re
a-
son we teach the fifth method before the first method. We teach
all five
methods to those who have time, and want to practise fu
r-
ther. But although The Buddha taught dependent
-
origination a
c-
cording to the character of his listeners, one method is enough to
attain Nibbna. Even so, because the first method is popular in
Therav
da Buddhism, we teach both the fifth and first met
h
ods.
One day, the Venerable nanda practised d
e
pendent
-
origina
tion
in all four ways. In the evening, he went to Th
e Buddha and said,
Bhante, although dependent
-
origination is deep, it is easy to me.
The Buddha r
e-
plied:
1
Etassa cnanda, dhammassa ana
na
badh, appa(iredh eramayam paj
tantka/ak
a
jt, ka
/
ga(hikajt, ma!japabbajabht apyam daggatim
riniptam s
amsram nt
i
rattati
.
This means that without knowing d
e
pendent
-
origination, with
the
anubodha !na
and the
pat ivedha !na
, one cannot escape
the round of re
births
(samsra)
, and four woeful realms
(apya)
. The
anub
o
dha !na
is the Knowledge of Analysi
ng Mentality
-
Mate
ri
-
ality
(nma
-
rpa pariccheda !na)
, and Knowledge of Discerning Cause
and Cond
i
tion
(paccaya pariggaha !na)
. The
pat ivedha !na
is all the
insight
-
knowledges
(vipassan !na)
. So without knowing depen
d
ent
-
origination with the
anubodh
a !na
and
pat ivedha !na
, one
cannot attain
Nibbna. With this quotation, the commentary says
that without knowing dependent
-
origina
tion, no one can escape
from the round of r
e
births, even in a dream.
2
odd page
1
D.ii.2
`Mahnidna Sutta'
(Great Causation Sutta`)
2
For further details, please see 'Introduction` p.
31
.
Knowing
and Seeing
96
Even pag
e
97
Talk 3
How You Develop
the Sublime Abidings and Protective Meditations
Introduction
Today let us look at how you develop the four sublime abidings
(
cattro
brahmavihr)
, and four protective meditations
(caturra
k
kha
bhvan)
. The four sublime abidings a
re the meditation subjects of
1.
Lovingkindness
................................
................................
...........................
(mett)
2.
Compassion
................................
................................
................................
.
(karun)
3.
Appreciative joy
................................
................................
........................
(mudit)
4.
Equanimity
................................
................................
...............................
(
upekkh)
The four protective meditations
(caturrakkha bhvan)
are the med
i-
tation subjects of
1.
Lovingki
ndness
................................
................................
...........................
(mett)
2.
Recollection
-
of
-
The
-
Buddha
................................
..................
(Buddhnussati)
3.
Foulness meditation
................................
................................
.
(asubha bhvan)
4.
Recolle
c
tion
-
of
-
death
................................
................................
.
(maran
nussati)
How You Develop Lovingkindness
Introduction
To develop the sublime abiding of lovingkindness
(mett)
, you
need first of al
l be aware that it should not be developed towards
a person of the opposite sex
(lingavisabhga)
, or a
dead person
(klakatapu
g
gala)
.
A person of the o
p
posite sex should not be used
as object, be
-
cause lust towards him or her will probably arise. After you have
attained jhna, however, it is po
s
sible to develop lovingkindness
towards the opposite sex as a group with, for example, 'May all
women be happy.` A dead pe
r
son should at no t
ime be used, be
-
cause you cannot attain lovin
g
kindness jhna with a dead person
as object.
The people you should develop lovingkind
ness t
o
wards are:
Knowing
and Seeing
98
x
Yourself
................................
................................
................................
...............
(atta)
x
A person you like and respect
................................
.....................
(piya puggala)
x
A person you are indifferent to
................................
..........
(majjhatta
pu
g
gala)
x
A person you hate
................................
................................
.............
(ver puggala)
In the very beginning, though, you should develop lovingkin
d-
ness towards only the first two,
yourself and the person you like
and resp
ect. This means that in the very beginning, you should
not develop lovingkindness towards the following types of pe
r-
son: a person you do not like
(appiya puggala)
, a person very dear to
you
(atippiyasahyaka puggala)
, a person you are indifferent to
(majjh
atta
pu
g
gala)
, and a person you hate
(ver puggala)
.
A person you do not like is one who does not do what is benef
i-
cial to you, or to those you care for. A person you hate is one who
does what is detrimental to you, or to th
ose you care for. They are
in the beginning both difficult to develop lovingkindness t
o
wards,
because anger may arise. It is in the beginning also difficult to
develop lovingkindness towards
a person to whom you
are
indi
f
fe
r
ent. In the case of
a person who is very dear to you, you
may be too a
t
tached to that person, and be filled with concern and
grief, and even cry if you hear som
e
thing has happened to him or
her. So th
ese four should not be used in the very beginning. Later,
though, once you have attained lovingkindness jhna, you will be
able to develop lovingkindness t
o
wards them.
You cannot attain jhna using yourself as object even if you
were to develop that medita
tion for a hundred years. So why b
e-
gin by developing lovingkindness to yourself? It is not to attain
even access concentration, but because when you have developed
lovingkindness towards yourself, with the thought, 'May I be
happy`, then are you able to
identify you
r
self with others; to see
that just as you want to be happy, do not want to suffe
r
, want to
live long, and do not want to die, so too do all other beings want
to be happy, not want to suffe
r
, want to l
ive long, and not want to
die.
3
-
How You Develop
The Sublime Abidings and Protective Meditations
99
Thus you are able to develop a mind that desires the happiness
and prosperity of other beings. In the words of The Bu
d
dha:
1
Sabb dis anaparigamma cetas,
Nerajjhag
piyatara mattan kraci.
Eram piya patha att paresam,
Tasm na himse paramattakma.
(
Having searched in all directions with the mind, one cannot find anyone
an
y
where whom one loves more than oneself. In this same way do all beings
in all d
i
rections
love themselves more than anyone else, therefore, one who
desires his own we
l
fare should not harm others.
)
So in order to identify yourself in this way with others and
make your mind soft and kind, you should first develop lovin
g-
kindness towards you
r
sel
f with the following four thoughts:
1.
May I be free from danger
................................
...................
(aham a
v
ero homi)
2.
May I be free from mental pain
................................
............
(abypajjo homi)
3.
May I be free from physical pain
................................
..............
(angho homi)
4.
May I be well and happy
................................
........
(sukh attnam par
i
harmi)
If one`s mind is soft, kind,
understanding, and has empathy for
others, one should have no difficulty developing lovin
g
kindness
towards another. So it is important that the lovingkindness you
have developed towards yourself be strong and powerful. Once
your mind has become soft, kind
, understanding, and has emp
a-
thy for other beings, then can you begin to develop lovingkin
d-
ness towards them.
How You Develop Lovingkindness Person by Person
If you have a
t
tained the fourth npna
-
, or white kasin
a
-
jhna,
you should re
-
establish it so the light is bright, brilliant, and rad
i-
ant. With the light of partic
u
larly the fourth white
-
kasina jhna, it
1
S.I.III.i.8
`Mallik Sutta'
('Mallik Sutta`)
Knowing
and Seeing
100
is really very easy to d
e
velop lovingkindness meditation
(mett
bhvan)
.
1
The re
a
son is that with the conc
entration of the fourth
jhna the mind is purified of greed, anger, delusion, and other d
e-
filements. After having emerged from pa
r
ticularly the fourth
white
-
kasina jhna, the mind is pliant, work
a
ble, pure, bright,
brilliant and radiant, and because of thi
s, you will in
a very short
time be able to develop powerful and perfect lovingkin
d
ness
(mett)
.
So, with the strong and bright light, you should direct your mind
towards a person of your own sex, whom you like and r
e
spect:
maybe your teacher or a fellow yogi. You will find that the light
spreads out around you in all directions, and that whomever you
pick as object becomes visible. You then take an
image of that
person, sitting or standing, and s
elect the one you like most, and
which makes you the happiest. Try to r
e
call the time when he or
she was the happ
i
est you ever saw, and choose that image. Make
it appear about one yard in front of you. When you can see the
image clearly before you, develop
lovingkindness t
o
wards him or
her with the four thoughts:
1.
May this good person be free from danger
.............................
(ayam sappuriso a
v
ero hotu)
2.
May this good person be free from me
n
tal pain
...............
(ayam sappuriso abypajjo hotu)
3.
May this good
person be free from physical pain
.................
(ayam sa
p
puriso angho hotu)
4.
May this good person be well and happy
...........
(ayam sappuriso sukh a
t
tnam pariharatu)
Extend lovingkindness towards that person with these four
phrases three or four times, and then select the one
you like most,
for example, 'May this good person be free from danger`. Then,
with a new image of that person, in this case free from danger,
e
x
tend lovingkindness using the corresponding thought, in this
case, 'May this good person be free from danger
-
may this good
person be free from danger`. Do it again and again, u
n
til the mind
is calm and steadily fixed on the object, and you can discern the
jhna factors. Then, keep practising until you reach the second,
1
In this regard, please see further Answer 2.2, p.
86
ff
.
3
-
How You Develop
The Sublime Abidings and Protective Meditations
101
and third jhnas.
After that take each of the other three phrases
and develop lovingkindness up to the third jhna. You should
have an appr
o
priate
image for each of the four phrases, that is,
when thinking
'May this good person be free from da
n
ger`, you
should have a particular image of that person as free from danger;
when thinking 'May this good pe
r
son be free from mental pain`,
you should have another image, one of that person as free from
mental pain, a
nd so on. In this way you should d
e
velop the
three
jhnas, and remember in each case to practise the five ma
s
teries
(vas
-
bhva)
.
When you have succeeded with one person you like and r
e
spect,
do it again with anot
her person of your own sex whom you like
and respect. Try doing this with about ten people of that type, u
n-
til you can reach the third jhna using any of them. By this stage
you can safely go on to people, still of your own sex,
who are
very dear to you
(atipp
i
yasahyaka)
. Take about ten people of that
type, and develop lovin
g
kindness towards them one by one, in the
same way, until the third jhna.
Then you can also take
about ten people of your own sex whom
you are indifferent to, and in the same way develop lovingkin
d-
ness towards them until the third jhna.
You will by now have mastered the lovingkindness jhna to
such an extent t
hat you can in the same way develop it t
o
wards
about ten people of your own sex whom you hate. If you are a
type of Great Being like the bodh
i
satta
when he was Mahkapi,
the
monkey king, who never hated anyone who harmed him, and
you really neither hate, nor despise an
y
one, then do not look for
someone to use here. Only those who have people they hate or
despise can develop lovingkindness t
o
wards that type.
Practisi
ng lovingkindness in this way, that is, by developing
concentration up to the third jhna on each type of people, pr
o-
gressively from one to the next, from the easiest to the more diff
i-
cult, you make your mind increasingly soft, kind and pliant, u
n
til
you a
re finally able to attain jhna on any of the four types: those
you respect, those very dear to you, those you are indifferent to,
and those you hate.
Knowing
and Seeing
102
How You Break Down the Barriers
As you continue to thus
develop lovingkindness, you will find
that your lovingkindness towards those you like and r
e
spect, and
those very dear to you, becomes even, and you can take them as
one, as just people you like. Then you will be left with only these
four types of pe
r
son:
1.
Yourself
2.
People you like
3.
People you are indi
f
ferent to
4.
People you hate
You will need to continue developing lovingkindness towards
these four, until it becomes balanced and without distin
c
tions.
Even though you cannot at
tain lovingkindness jhna with you
r-
self as object, you still need to include yourself in order to ba
l-
ance the four types.
To do this, you need to re
-
establish the fourth npna
-
, or
white kasina
-
jhna. With the strong and bright light, extend lo
v-
in
g
kindn
ess to yourself for about a minute or even a few seconds;
then t
o
wards someone you like, then someone you are indifferent
to, and then someone you hate, each one up to the third jhna.
Then again yourself briefly, but the other three types must now
each be
a different person. Reme
m
ber to develop them with each
of the four phrases, 'May this good pe
r
son be free from danger`
etc. each, up to the third jhna.
Thus you should every time change the person of each of the
three types: a person you like, one you ar
e indifferent to, and one
you hate. Do this again and again, with different groups of four,
many times, so that your mind is continuously developing lo
v-
ingkindness without interruption, and without distinctions. When
you are able to develop lovingkindness
jhna towards an
y
of the
four without distinction, you will have achieved what is called
'breaking down the barriers`
(smsambheda)
. With the barriers b
e-
tween types and individuals broken down, you will be able to fu
r-
ther develop your lo
v
ingkindness medit
ation, by taking up the
3
-
How You Develop
The Sublime Abidings and Protective Meditations
103
method taught by the
Venerable Sriputta; recorded in the
Pat i
s-
ambhidmagga.
1
The Twenty
-
Two Categories
The metho
d in the
Pat isambhidmagga
involves
twenty
-
two
categories by which to extend one`s lovingkindness: five unspec
i-
fied categories
(anodhiso pharan)
, seven specified categories
(odhiso
pharan)
, and ten directional
cat
e
gories
(dis pharan)
.
The five unspec
i
fied categories are:
1.
All beings
................................
................................
..............................
(sabbe satt)
2.
All breathing things
................................
................................
.........
(sabbe p
n
)
3.
All creatures
................................
................................
.......................
(sabbe bht)
4.
All people
................................
................................
........................
(sabbe puggal)
5.
All individuals
................................
........................
(sabbe at
tabhvapariypann)
The seven specified cat
e
gories are:
1.
All women
................................
................................
.........................
(sabb itthiyo)
2.
All men
................................
................................
...............................
(sabbe puris)
3.
All enlightened beings
................................
................................
....
(sabbe ariy)
4.
All unenlightened beings
................................
...........................
(sabbe anariy)
5.
All devas
................................
................................
...............................
(sabbe dev
)
6.
All human beings
................................
................................
........
(sabbe manuss)
7.
All beings in the lower realms
................................
.............
(sabbe viniptik)
The ten directional categ
o
ries are:
1.
To the east
................................
................................
..............
(puratthimya disya)
2.
To the west
................................
................................
..............
(pacchimya disya)
3.
To the north
................................
................................
...................
(utt
arya disya)
4.
To the south
................................
................................
.............
(dakkhinya disya)
5.
To the south
-
east
................................
...........................
(puratthimya anudisya)
6.
To the north
-
west
................................
............................
(pacchimya anudisya)
7.
To the north
-
east
................................
................................
...
(uttarya anudisya)
8.
To the south
-
west
................................
.............................
(dakkhinya anudisya)
1
Ps.II.iv
`Mett Kath'
('Lovingkindness Explanation`)
Knowing
and Seeing
104
9.
Downwards
................................
................................
..............
(hetthimya disya)
10.
Upwards
................................
................................
.....................
(uparim
ya disya)
How You Develop
the Unspecified and Specified Categories
To develop this method of lovingkindness meditation, you
should as before re
-
establish the fourth jhna with the white
kasina, and develop lovingkindness towards yourself, a person
you re
spect or who is dear to you, one you are indifferent to, and
one you hate, until there are no barriers between them and you.
Then use the bright and brilliant light to see all the beings in as
big an area as possible around you, around the building or mon
a
s-
tery. Once they are clear, you can develop lovingkindness t
o-
wards them according to the five unspecified cat
e
gories, and
seven specified categories: twelve in total. You should at each
category pervade lovingkin
d
ness in four ways:
1.
May they be free from danger,
2.
May they be free from mental pain,
3.
May they be free from physical pain,
4.
May they be well and happy.
'They` is in each case one of your twelve categories, all beings,
all devas, etc. Thus you will be pervading lo
vingkindness in a t
o-
tal of
forty
-
eight ways
((7+5) x 4 = 48)
.
The beings in each category should be clearly visible in the light
of concentration and understanding. For example, when you e
x-
tend lovingkindness to all w
omen, you should actually see, in the
light, the women within the determined area. You should actually
see the men, devas, beings in lower realms etc., in the determined
area.
1
You must develop each category up to the third jhna b
e-
fore moving on to the ne
xt. You should practise in this way until
1
This do
es not mean that the yogi can actually see every single woman, man, deva etc. within the
determined area: it means that the yogi should extend lovingkindness with the
intention
that it is for
every single woman, man, deva etc., and that insofar as he can,
he should see them all.
3
-
How You Develop
The Sublime Abidings and Protective Meditations
105
you become proficient in pervading lovingkin
d
ness in all forty
-
eight ways.
Once proficient, you should expand the determined area to i
n-
clude the whole mo
nastery, the whole village, the whole tow
n-
ship, the whole state, the whole country, the whole world, the
whole solar system, the whole galaxy, and the whole of the inf
i-
nite universe. Develop each of the expanded a
r
eas in the forty
-
eight ways up to the thir
d jhna.
Once proficient you may proceed to the ten directional categ
o-
ries.
How You Develop
the Ten Dire
c
tional Categories
The ten directional categories of lovingkindness involve the
previously discussed forty
-
eight categories in each of the ten d
i-
re
c
tion
s.
You should see all beings in the whole of the infinite universe
to the east of you, and extend lovin
g
kindness to them in the forty
-
eight ways. Then do the same thing to the west of you, and so on
in the other dire
c
tions.
This gives a total of four hund
red and eighty ways to extend
lovingkindness
(10 x 48 = 480)
. When we add the original forty
-
eight categories of pervasion, we get five hundred and twenty
-
eight ways to extend lovingkin
d
ness
(480 + 48 = 528)
.
Once you master these five hundred and twenty
-
e
ight ways of
pervading lovingkindness, you will experience the eleven ben
e
fits
of practising lovingkindness, which The Buddha taught in the
Anguttara Nikya
:
1
Bhikkhus, when the mind
-
deliverance of lovingkindness is cultivated, d
e-
veloped, much practised,
made the vehicle, made the foundation, established,
consol
i
dated, and properly undertaken, eleven benefits can be expected.
What are the eleven?
1
A.XI.ii.5
`Metta Sutta'
('Metta Sutta`)
Knowing
and Seeing
106
[1]
A man sleeps in co
m
fort;
[2]
wakes in comfort; and
[3]
dreams no evil dreams;
[4]
he is dear to human beings;
[5]
he is dear
to non
-
human b
e
ings;
[6]
devas guard him;
[7]
fire, poison and weapons do not affect him;
[8]
his mind is easily conce
n
trated;
[9]
his complexion becomes bright;
[10]
he dies unconfused; and
[11]
if he penetrates no higher, he will be reborn in the Brahma World.
How You Develop Compassion
Once you have developed lovingkindness as just described, it
should not be difficult to develop the sublime abiding of compa
s-
sion
(karun)
. To develop compassion, you should first select a li
v-
ing perso
n of your own sex who is suffering. You should arouse
compassion for him by reflecting on his su
f
fering.
Then re
-
establish the fourth jhna with the white kasina, so the
light is bright and clear, and use the light to see that pe
r
son, and
then develop lovi
ngkindness up to the third jhna. Emerge from
it, and develop compassion towards that suffe
r
ing person with the
thought, 'May this good person be released from suffering`
(ayam
sa
p
puriso dukkh muccatu)
. Do this many times, again and again, until
you attai
n the first, second, and third jhnas, and the five maste
r-
ies of each. After that, you should develop compassion as you did
lo
v
ingkindness
,
that is, towards yourself, towards a person you
like, one you are indifferent to, and one you hate, up to the third
jhna, u
n
til the barriers have been broken down.
To develop compassion towards beings who are not suffering in
any apparent way, you should reflect on the fact that all u
n-
enlightened beings are liable to experience the results of the evil
they have done wh
ile wandering through the round of rebirths,
and therefore to be reborn in the lower realms. Furthermore,
3
-
How You Develop
The Sublime Abidings and Protective Meditations
107
every being is worthy of co
m
passion, because they are not free
from the suffering of ageing, sic
k
ness, and death.
After reflecting thus, you should al
so here develop compassion
as you did lovingkindness: towards yourself and the usual three
types of person up to the third jhna, until the barriers have been
br
o
ken down.
After that you should develop co
m
passion in the same hundred
and thirty
-
two ways yo
u developed lovingkindness, namely: five
unspecified categories, seven specified categories, and one hu
n-
dred and twenty directional categ
o
ries
(5 + 7 + (10 x 12) = 132)
.
How You Develop Appreciative Joy
To develop the sublime abiding of appreciative joy
(m
udit)
, you
should select a living person of your own sex who is happy, the
sight of whom makes you happy, and whom you are very fond of
and friendly with.
Then re
-
establish the fourth jhna with the white ka
s
ina, so the
light is bright and clear, and use
the light to see that pe
r
son, and
then develop the third lovingkindness jhna. Emerge from it and
develop compassion jhna. Emerge from that, and develop appr
e-
ciative joy towards the happy person with the thought: 'May this
good person not be separated fro
m the prosperity he has attained,`
(ayam sappuriso yathladdhasampattito mvigacchatu)
. Do this many times,
again and again, until you attain the first, second and third jhnas,
and the five masteries of each.
Then develop appreciative
-
joy jhna towards yo
urself and the
usual three types of person up to the third jhna, until the barriers
have been broken down.
Finally develop appreciative
-
joy towards
all beings in the infinite universe in the hu
n
dred and thirty
-
two
ways.
How You Develop Equanimity
To devel
op the sublime abiding of equanimity
(
upekkh)
, you
should first re
-
establish the fourth jhna with the white kasina.
Knowing
and Seeing
108
Then choose a living person of your own sex, towards whom you
are indifferent, and develop lovingkindness, compassion, and a
p-
preci
a
tive jo
y each up to the third jhna. Then emerge from the
third jhna and reflect on the disadvantages of those three su
b-
lime abidings, namely their closeness to affection, to like and di
s-
like, and to elation and joy. Afterwards reflect on the fourth jhna
based
on equanimity as peaceful. Then develop equanimity t
o-
wards a person you are indiffe
r
ent to with the thought: 'This good
person is heir to his own kamma
(ayam sappuriso kammassako)
`. Do this
many times, again and again, until you attain the fourth jhna and
the five masteries of it. With the support of the third jhnas of
lovingkindness, co
m
passion, and appreciative
-
joy, it should not
take you long to develop the fourth jhna of equanimity.
Afte
r
wards develop it towards a person you respect or who is
dear t
o you, one who is very dear to you, and one you hate. Then
again towards yourself, a pe
r
son you respect or who is dear to
you, one you are indifferent to, and one you hate, until you have
broken down the barriers b
e
tween you.
Finally develop equanimity to
wards all beings in the infinite
uni
verse in the above hundred and thirty
-
two ways.
This completes the development of the Four Sublime Abi
d
ings.
How You Develop
the Four Protective Meditations
The four meditation subjects of lovingkindness, recollection
-
of
-
The
-
Buddha, foulness meditation and recollection
-
of
-
death are
called the 'Four Protections`, or the 'Four Protective Medit
a-
tions`. This is because they protect the yogi from various dangers.
It is for this reason worthwhile to learn and develop them be
fore
proceeding to Vipassan meditation. We have already discussed
how to develop loving
-
kindness, so we need now only discuss
how to develop the other three protective meditations. Let us b
e-
gin with recolle
c
tion
-
of
-
The
-
Buddha.
3
-
How You Develop
The Sublime Abidings and Protective Meditations
109
How You Develop
Recollectio
n
-
of
-
The
-
Buddha
Recollection
-
of
-
The
-
Buddha
(Buddhnussati)
can be developed by
looking at the nine qualities of The Buddha, using a fo
r
mula He
gives frequently in the
suttas:
1
Itipi Sa Bhagar
(
The Blessed One is such
)
:
[1]
Araham
[2]
Samm Sambaddha
[3]
Vijj
-
Caraa Sampanna
[4]
Sagata
[5]
Lakarid
[6]
Anattara Parisadamma Srathi
[7]
Satth Dera Manassnam
[8]
Ba
d
dha
[9]
Bhagar'ti.
This can be explained as:
1.
This Blessed One, having destroyed all defilements, is
a wo
r-
thy one:
Araham
.
2.
He has attained perfect enlightenment by Himself:
Samm Sa
m
baddha
.
3.
He is perfect in knowledge and morality:
V
i
jj
-
Caraa Sam
panna
.
4.
He speaks only what is beneficial and true:
Sagata
.
5.
He knows the worlds:
Lakarid
.
6.
He is the uns
urpassed tamer of men fit to be tamed:
Anattara Par
i
sadamma Srathi
.
1
D.iii.1
`Pathika Sutta'
('Sutta of Provisions for a journey`);
V
i
naya
.I.1
`Vera!jakanda'
('Vera!ja
Section`); Vs.vii
`Buddhnussati Kath' B125
-
130
('Recollection of The Buddha Explanation
` 4
-
25)
Knowing
and Seeing
110
7.
He is the teacher of devas and human beings:
Satth Dera Mana
s
snam
.
8.
He is an Enlightened One:
Baddha
.
9.
He is the most fortunate possessor of the results of previous
meritorious actions
:
Bhagar
.
Let us discuss how to develop concentration with, for example,
the first quality,
Araham
. According to the
Visuddhi Magga
, the
Pl i word
Araham
has five defin
i
tions:
1.
Since He has removed totally, without rema
inder, all defil
e-
ments and habitual tendencies, and has thereby distanced
Himself from them, The Buddha is a worthy one:
Ar
a
ham
.
2.
Since He has cut off all defilements with the sword of the
Arahant Path, The Buddha is a worthy one:
Ar
a
ham
.
3.
Since He has broke
n and destroyed the spokes of the wheel of
dependent
-
origination, beginning with ignorance and craving,
The Buddha is a worthy one:
Ar
a
ham
.
4.
Since His virtue, concentration, and wisdom are unsu
r
passed,
The Buddha is paid the highest reverence by brahms, de
vas,
and men, and is a worthy one:
Ar
a
ham
.
5.
Since He does not, even when in seclusion and unseen, do
any evil by body, speech, or mind, The Buddha is a wo
r
thy
one:
Ar
a
ham
.
To develop this meditation, you should memorize these five
definitions well enough t
o recite them. Then re
-
establish the
fourth npna
-
, or white kasina
-
jhna, so the light is bright and
clear. Then use the light to visualize a Buddha image you r
e-
member, like, and respect. When it is clear, see it as the real Bu
d-
dha and conce
n
trate on it
as such.
If you were in a past life fortunate enough to meet The Buddha,
His image may re
-
appear. If so, you should conce
n
trate on also
the qualities of The Buddha; not just His image. If the i
m
age of
The real Buddha does not appear, then first see the vi
sualized i
m-
3
-
How You Develop
The Sublime Abidings and Protective Meditations
111
age as The real Buddha, and then recollect His qualities. You can
choose the definition of
Araham
you like most, take the meaning
as o
b
ject, and recollect it again and again as '
Araham
-
Araham
`.
As your concentration develops and becomes stronge
r, the i
m-
age of The Buddha will disappear, and you should simply remain
concentrated on the chosen quality. Continue to concentrate on
that quality until the jhna factors arise, although you can with
this meditation subject attain only access
-
jhna
(upac
ra
-
jhna)
. You
can concentrate on the remaining qual
i
ties of The Buddha too.
How You Develop Foulness Meditation
The second protective meditation is foulness meditation
(asubha
bhvan)
on a corpse. To develop it you should re
-
establish the
fourth npna
-
, or white kasina
-
jhna, so the light is bright and
clear. Then use the light to visualize the foulest corpse of your
own sex, that you r
e
member seeing. Use the light to see the
corpse e
xactly as it was when you really saw it in the past. When
it is clear, make it appear as repu
l
sive as possible. Concentrate on
it, and note it as, 'repulsive
-
repulsive`
(patikkla, patikkla)
.
1
Co
n-
centrate on the object of the repulsive
ness of the corps
e until the
u
g
gaha
-
nimitta (taken
-
up sign) beco
mes the pat ibhga
-
nimitta
(counterpart sign). The uggaha
-
nimitta is the image of the corpse
as you really saw it in the past, and is a hideous, dreadful, and
frightening sight, but the pat i
b
hga
-
nim
itta is l
ike a man with big
limbs, lying down after having eaten his fill. Continue to conce
n-
trate on that nimitta, until you reach the first jhna, and then d
e-
velop the five maste
r
ies.
How You Develop Recollection
-
of
-
Death
The third protective meditation is reco
llection
-
of
-
death
(maran
-
nussati)
. According to the
'
Mahsatipat t hna Sutta
`
2
and the
1
Here,
asubha
(foulness) and
patikkla
(repulsiveness) are synonyms.
2
D.ii.9 ' Great Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness ` (also M.I.i.10)
Knowing
and Seeing
112
Visud
dhi Magga
,
1
recollection
-
of
-
death to
o can be developed u
s-
ing a corpse you remember se
e
ing. Therefore, you should re
-
establish the first jhna with the repu
l
siveness of a corpse, and
with that external corpse as object, r
e
flect: 'This body of mine is
also of a nature to die. Indeed, it will d
ie just like this one. It ca
n-
not avoid beco
m
ing like this.` By keeping the mind concentrated
on and mindful of your own mo
r
tality, you will also find that the
sense of urgency
(samvega)
deve
l
ops. With that knowledge, you
will probably see your own body as
a repulsive corpse. Percei
v-
ing that the life
-
faculty has in that image been cut off, you should
concentrate on the absence of the life
-
faculty with one of the fo
l-
lowing thoughts:
1.
My death is certain; my life is uncertain
...
(maranam me dh
u
vam, jvitam me adh
uvam)
2.
I shall certainly die
................................
................................
...
(maranam me bhavissati)
3.
My life will end in death
................................
..............
(maranapariyosnam me jv
i
tam)
4.
Death
-
death
................................
................................
..................
(maranam
-
maranam)
Choose one and note it in any language. Continue to conce
n
trate
on the image of the absence of the life
-
faculty
in your own
corpse, until the jhna factors arise, although you can with this
meditation subject attain only access conce
n
tration.
Summary
As mentioned earlier, the four meditation subjects of lovin
g-
kindness, recollection
-
of
-
the
-
Buddha, foulness, and recol
le
c
tion
-
of
-
death are called the Four Protections, or the Four Protective
meditations, because they protect the yogi from various da
n
gers.
In the
'
Meghiya Sutta
` of the
Khuddaka N
i
kya
it says:
2
Asabh bhretabb rgassa pahnya, mett bhretabb byp
dassa p
a-
hnya, npnassati bhretabb ritakkapacchedya.
1
Vs.viii
`
Marannussati Kath' B168
('Death
-
Mindfulness Explanation` N6
-
7)
2
U.iv.1 '
Meghiya Sutta'
(
'Meghiya Sutta`) (also A.IX.I.i.3)
3
-
How You Develop
The Sublime Abidings and Protective Meditations
113
(
For the removal of lust, meditation on foulness should be developed; for
the removal of anger, lovingkindness should be deve
l
oped; and
npnasati
should be developed for the cu
t
ting off of disc
ursive thought.
)
According to this sutta, foulness meditation is the best weapon
for removing lust. If you take a corpse as object, and see it as r
e-
pulsive, it is called 'foulness of a lifeless body`
(avi!!naka asubha)
.
To take the thirty
-
two parts of th
e body of a b
e
ing, and see them
as repulsive (as taught in the
'
Girimnanda Sutta
` o
f the
Angut
-
tara Nikya
1
) is called 'foulness of a li
v
ing body`
(savi!!naka asu
-
bha)
. Both these forms of foulness meditation are weapons for re
-
mo
v
ing lust.
The best weapon for removing anger is to develop lovingkin
d-
ness, and for removing discursive thou
ght
npnasati
is the best
weapon.
Furthermore, when faith in meditation slackens, and the mind is
dull, the best weapon is to develop recollection
-
of
-
The
-
Buddha.
When the sense of urgency is lacking, and you are bored with
striving in meditation, the bes
t weapon is recolle
c
tion
-
of
-
death.
Today we discussed how to develop the Four Sublime Abi
d
ings
and Four Protective meditations. In the next talk, we shall discuss
how to develop Vipassan meditation, begi
n
ning with the four
-
elements meditation, and analysi
s of the various kinds of mater
i-
ality.
Benefits of Samatha
Before ending, we should like to discuss briefly the relation b
e-
tween Samatha and Vipassan.
In the
'
Samdhi Sutta
` of the '
Khandhavagga
` in the
Samyutta
Nikya
, The Bu
d
dha said:
2
1
A.X.II.i.10
2
S.III.I.i.5, quoted also above p.
29
, and mentioned Answer 4.6, p.
186
Knowing
and Seeing
114
Samdhim, bhikkhare, bhretha; samhita, bhikkhare, bhikkha yathbhtam
pajnti. Ki!ca yathbhtam pajnti? Rpassa sam
a
daya!ca atthangama!ca,
redanya samadaya!ca atthangama!ca, sa!!ya samadaya!ca a
t-
thangama
!ca, sankhrnam samadaya!ca atthangama!ca, ri!!assa sam
a-
daya!ca a
t
thangama!ca.
(
Bhikkhus, you should develop concentration.
A bhikkhu who is conce
n
trated, bhikkhus, knows dhammas as they really
are. And what
[are the dhammas]
he knows as they really ar
e? The arising of
materiality and the passing
-
away thereof; the arising of feelings, of perce
p-
tion, and of formations, and the passing away of feelings, of perception and
formations; the arising of consciou
s
ness and the passing away thereof.
)
Therefore, a
bhikkhu who is concentrated knows the five aggr
e-
gates and their causes, and their arising and passing away. He
sees clearly that because of the arising of their causes the five a
g-
gregates arise, and b
e
cause of the complete cessation of their
causes, the f
ive aggr
e
gates also completely cease.
The Samatha we discussed in the first two talks and today pr
o-
duces strong concentration. It is the light of this concentr
a
tion
that lets you see ultimate mentality
-
materiality for Vipa
s
san.
With that deep, strong and
powerful concentration, you can see
clearly the impermanent, suffering, and non
-
self nature of menta
l-
ity
-
materiality and their causes. This clarity is a great benefit
co
m
ing from Samatha.
Samatha also gives you a resting
-
place. There is much to di
s-
cern in
Vipassan and tiredness may occur. In that case, you can
stay in one of the
jhnas for a long time. That rests and refreshes
your mind, and then you can go back to Vipassan. Whenever
tire
d
ness occurs, you can again enter jhn
a to rest.
It is good to remember these benefits of Samatha, when in the
following talks we discuss Vipassan.
Even page
115
Questions and Answers 3
Question 3.1
In
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing), there are
the par
i
kamma
-
nimitta, the uggaha
-
nimitta, a
nd the pat ibhga
-
nimitta. What is the parikamma
-
nimitta? Is the parikamma
-
nimitta always grey? What is the difference between the par
i-
kamma
-
nimitta and the uggaha
-
nimitta?
Answer 3.1
In
npnasati
, there are three types of nimitta, three
types of concent
ration
(samdhi)
and three types of meditation
(bhvan)
.
The three types of nimitta are:
1.
The par
i
kamma
-
nimitta
................................
...................
(preparatory sign)
2.
The uggaha
-
nimitta
................................
................................
.
(taken
-
up sign)
3.
The pat ibhga
-
nimitta
................................
......................
(counterpart sign)
The three types of concentration are:
1.
Prep
aratory concentration
................................
...............
(parikamma samdhi)
S
ometimes called mome
n
tary concentration
(khanika samdhi)
.
2.
Access concentration
................................
..............................
(upacra samdhi)
3.
Absorption concentr
a
tion
................................
......................
(appan samdhi
)
A
lso called jhna concentration: the eight a
t
tainments.
1
The three types
of meditation are:
1.
Preparatory meditation
................................
.....................
(parikamma bhvan)
2.
Access meditation
................................
................................
....
(upacra bhvan)
3.
Absorption med
i
tation
................................
............................
(appan bhvan)
The object of preparatory concentration can be the par
i
kamma
-
nimitta, the uggaha
-
nimitta, and occasionally the pa
t i
b
hga
-
ni
-
mitta. Preparatory meditation is the same as preparatory conce
n-
tration.
Real access concentration, and real access meditation are very
close to absorption concentration (
jhna); this is why they are
1
eight attainments
: the four mat
erial jhnas, and four immaterial jhnas.
Knowing
and Seeing
116
cal
led 'access`. But sometimes deep and strong concentration
b
e-
fore absorption concentration, with the pat ibhga
-
nimitta as o
b-
ject, is as a metaphor also called 'access concentration` or 'access
meditation`. When preparatory concentration, or momentary co
n-
cen
tration, is fully developed it leads to access concentr
a
tion.
When access concentration is fully developed, it leads to absor
p-
tion concentr
a
tion (jhna).
We already discussed the nimitta in previous talks. There are, as
mentioned, three types of nimitta: t
he parikamma
-
nimitta, the u
g-
gaha
-
nimitta, and the pat ibhga
-
nimitta.
1.
The parikamma
-
nimitta (preparatory sign): The natural breath
is a nimitta. The touching point is also a nimitta. Here the
nimitta is the object of concentration. The Commentary says
the
no
s
tril nimitta
(nsika nimitta)
, and upper
-
lip ni
mitta
(mukha
nimitta)
are the parikamma
-
nimittas for beginners. When the
concentration is a little stronger, a smoky grey usually a
p-
pears around the nostrils. This smoky grey is also the par
i-
kamma
-
nimitta.
It may have another colour too. The conce
n-
tration and meditation at the parikamma
-
nimitta stage are
prepar
a
tory.
2.
The uggaha
-
nimitta (taken
-
up sign): When the prepar
a
tory
concentration increases in strength and power, the smoky
grey usually changes to whit
e: white like cotton wool. But it
may become another colour, owing to a change in perce
p-
tion.
1
When the perception changes, the colour and shape of
the nimitta may also change. If the colour and shape change
very often, the concentration will gradually dec
rease. This is
because whenever yogi`s perception changes, his object
there
by also changes, which means he has different objects.
So the yogi should ignore the colour and shape of the nimitta.
He should concentrate on it only as an npna
-
nimitta. The
co
ncentration and medit
a
tion on the uggaha
-
nimitta are also
preparatory.
1
For further details on the relationship between the nimitta and perception, please see p.
48
.
Questions and Answers 3
117
3.
The pat ibhga
-
nimitta (counterpart sign): When the conce
n-
tra
tion has become even stronger and more powerful, the u
g-
gaha
-
nimitta changes to the pat ibhga
-
nimitta. Usually the
pat ib
hga
-
nimitta is clear, bright and radiant, like the mor
n-
ing star. In this case too, if the perception changes, the nimitta
may also change. If, when the concentration is strong and
powerful, the yogi wants the nimitta to be long it will become
long; if he want
s it to be short it will become short; if he
wants it to be ruby red, it will become ruby red
.
The
Visuddhi
Magga
says one should not do so.
1
If one does, then even
though the concentration is
deep, it will gradually decrease.
This is because one has different perceptions, and thereby di
f-
ferent ob
jects. So a yogi should not play with the nimitta. If
he plays with it he cannot a
t
tain jhna.
The beginning stage of concentration and meditation o
n the
pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta are also preparatory. But close to jhna they are
access concentration, and access meditation. When absor
p
tion
arises, the nimitta is still the pat ibhga
-
nimitta, but the concentr
a-
tion is now absorption concentration, and the medita
tion is a
b-
sorption medit
a
tion.
Question 3.2
What is the difference between access concentr
a
tion
and absorption concentration?
Answer 3.2
When the pat ibhga
-
nimitta appears, the concentration
is powerful. But at this stage, which is the stage of access con
ce
n-
tration, the jhna factors are not fully developed, and bhavangas
(life
-
continuum consciousnesses) still occur; one falls into bh
a-
vanga. The yogi will say that everything stopped, or may think it
is
Nibbna, and say:
'I knew not
h
ing then.` If he practises in this
way, he can eventually stay in bh
a
vanga for a long time.
In any kind of practice, be it good or bad, one will achieve one`s
aim, if one practises again and again. 'Practice makes pe
r
fect.` In
this case too, i
f he practises again and again, in the same way, he
1
Vs.iii
`Cattlsakammatthna Vannan' B47
('Forty Meditations Subjec
ts Comment` 113)
Knowing
and Seeing
118
may fall into bhavanga for a long time. Why does he say he knew
nothing? Because the object of the bhavanga is the o
b
ject of the
near
-
death consciousness in the past life. That object may be
kamma, a kamm
a sign
(kamma nimitta)
or a rebirth sign
(gati nimitta)
.
But the yogi cannot see this, because he has not yet discerned d
e-
pendent
-
origi
na
tion. It is only once he has di
s
cerned dependent
-
origi
na
tion that he sees that the bhavanga took one of those o
b-
jec
ts.
If a yogi thinks it is Nibbna, this idea is a very big 'rock`
blocking the way to Nibbna. If he does not remove this big
'rock`, he cannot attain Nibbna. Why does this idea occur?
Many yogis think that a disciple
(svaka)
cannot know menta
l
ity
-
mater
iality as taught by The Buddha. So they do not think it is
necessary to develop sufficiently deep concentration in order to
discern mentality
-
materiality and their causes as taught by The
Buddha. Thus their concentration is only weak, and bhavangas
still o
ccur, because the jhna factors too are weak. Their conce
n-
tration cannot be maintained for long. If one purposely pra
c
tises
to fall into bhavanga, one will achieve one`s aim, but it is not
Nibbna. To attain
N
ibbna we must practise the seven stages of
purification step by step; without knowing ultimate mentality, u
l-
timate materiality, and their causes, one cannot a
t
tain Nibbna.
The problem of thinking that the attainment of knowing not
h
ing
is Nibbna needs pe
rhaps to be explained further.
Nibbna is
visankhra
: that is, 'without formations`. Form
a
tions
(sankhr)
are mentality
-
materiality and their causes, and Nibbna
is without either of them. The mind that knows Nibbna is called
visankhragata citta.
But i
t is not itself
visankhra
: the act of
se
e
ing Nibbna requires the formation of consciou
s
ness.
The consciousness that is formed when, for example, a Buddha
or arahant enters the fruition attainment, and sees Ni
b
bna, is the
arahant fruition
-
consciousness
(arahattaphala citta)
, t
o
gether with its
associated mental factors. If the arahant fruition
-
consciou
s
ness is
entered upon from the first jhna, and is thus a first
-
jhna arahant
fruition
-
consciousness, there are thirty
-
seven mental for
m
a
tions.
This princ
iple applies in all the other Path and Fruition Know
l-
Questions and Answers 3
119
edges. Together with their associated mental factors, they all take
Nibbna as object; and Nibbna has the character
i
s
tic of peaceful
bliss.
Whenever a Noble One
(ariya)
enters the fruition attainment,
he
knows Nibbna, and with the knowledge of fruition e
n
joys the
peaceful bliss that is Ni
b
bna.
It is therefore, impossible to enter one of the Fruition attai
n-
ments and say about it: 'Everything stopped: I knew nothing
then.` Before entering a fruition at
tainment, one determines how
long it will last, for example one or two hours. And for the dur
a-
tion of that period, Nibbna is known continuously as the peac
e-
ful bliss it is
(santisukha)
.
It is therefore clear that when the yogi knows nothing, it is not
be
cause he has attained Nibbna; it is because his concentr
a
tion is
still weak.
When the npna pat ibhga
-
nimitta appears, the yogi`s mind
may fall into bhavanga, because the jhna factors are not yet
strong. Just like, when learning to walk, a
small child who is too
weak to stand by hi
m
self, will fall down again and again. In the
same way, at the access concentration stage, the jhna factors are
still not fully developed, and one may fall into bh
a
vanga: it is n
ot
Nibbna.
To avoid falling into bhavanga, and to develop concentration
fur
ther, you need the help of the five controlling faculties: faith
(saddh)
, effort
(vriya)
, mindfulness
(sati)
, concentration
(samdhi)
, and
wisdom
(pa!!)
, to push the mind and f
ix it on the pat ibhga
-
ni
mit
-
ta. It takes effort to make the mind know the pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta
again and again, mindfulness to not forget it, and wisdom to
know it.
At the absorption
-
jhna stage, the jhna factors are fully deve
l-
oped. Just like a
strong and powerful man can stand up straight
the whole day, a yogi can, taking the pat ibhga
-
nimitta as object,
stay in absorption jhna for a long time without falling into bh
a-
vanga. Complete a
nd uninterrupted absorption may continue for
one, two, three hours, or more.
At that time he does not hear a
Knowing
and Seeing
120
sound. His mind does not go to other objects. Apart from the
pat ibhga
-
nimitta, he knows not
h
ing.
Question 3.3
Under what co
nditions, or in what state, can we say
that a meditation experience is access concentration or absorption
co
n
centration?
Answer 3.3
If many bhavangas occur during concentr
a
tion, one can
say that it is access concentration. But the nimitta must be the
pat ib
hga
-
nimitta. Only if one is able to stay in complete absor
p-
tion for a long time, without interruption, with also the pat ibhga
-
nimitta as object, can one say it is absorption concentration.
How does a yogi know his mind is falling into bhavanga? When
he n
otices that he has very often been u
n
aware of the pat ibhga
-
nimitta, he knows there were bhavangas. His mind may also for
brief moments have thought of an object other than the pat ibhga
-
nimitta. This does not happen in absorption concentration. In a
b-
sorpt
ion concentration there is only complete absorption without
inte
r
ruption.
Question 3.4
Is there access concentration, as well as absorption
con
centration at each of the four jhnas? What are their characte
r-
istics?
Answer 3.4
Let us take the example of the npna jhnas, which
take the npna pat ibhga
-
nimitta as object. There are four le
v-
els of access concentration, and four levels of absorption conce
n-
tration. At each level there is access jhna first, a
nd then absor
p-
tion jhna. Both take the same npna pat ibhga
-
nimitta as o
b-
ject. So it is the level of concentration that is diffe
r
ent.
In the first, second, and third access
-
jhna, there are five jhna
factors. But in the fourth access
-
jhna, there is no
bliss
(sukha)
,
only applied thought
(vitakka)
, sustained thought
(vicra)
, equanimity
(upekkh)
and one
-
pointedness
(ekaggat)
. A
l
though they take the
same nimitta as object, the jhna factors become i
n
creasingly
powerful at each access
-
jhna.
The jhna f
actors at the first access
-
jhna suppress physical pain
(kyika dukkha vedan)
; at the second, mental suffering
(dom
a
nassa ve
dan)
;
at the third, physical pleasant feeling
(kyika sukha vedan)
; and at the
Questions and Answers 3
121
fourth, mental pleasant feeling or happiness
(som
anassa vedan)
. This
is how we distinguish between the different levels of access co
n-
centration, especially the fourth. At that level, the breath is the
subtlest, and has nearly stopped. It stops completely at the fourth
absor
p
tion
-
jhna.
We distinguish be
tween the absorption
-
jhnas also by looking
at the jhna factors. In the first absorption jhna, five jhna fac
-
tors are pr
e
sent: applied thought, sustained thought, joy, bliss and
one
-
pointedness; in the second, three: joy, bliss and one
-
pointed
-
ness; in
the third, two: bliss and one
-
pointedness; and in the
fourth, also two: equanimity and one
-
pointedness. By loo
k
ing at
the jhna factors, we can say, 'This is the first absorption jhna`,
'This is the second absorption jhna`, etc. Also, here the conce
n-
tra
tion increases level by level. Fourth
-
jhna concentr
a
tion is the
highest. How is it the highest? You should try for your
self. Many
yogis report that the fourth jhna is the best and the quietest.
Question 3.5
Under what conditions does a yogi drop, or r
egress
from absorption to access concentration? Under what co
n
ditions
does a yogi in access concentration attain absorption concentr
a-
tion?
Answer 3.5
If the yogi does not respect his meditation practice, but
respects objects other than the pat ibhga
-
nimitt
a, many hi
n-
drances
(nvarana)
will arise. Many thoughts of sensual pleasure and
hatred will arise. They arise due to unwise attention
(ayoniso man
a-
sikra)
. Those objects reduce the concentration, because whol
e-
some dhammas and unwholesome dhammas are always
in opp
o-
sition. When wholesome dhammas are strong and powerful, u
n-
wholesome dhammas are far away, and when, because of unwise
attention, unwholesome dhammas are strong and powerful,
wholesome dhammas are far away. Wholesome and unwhol
e-
some dhammas cannot a
rise simultaneously in one consciou
s-
ness
-
moment or cognitive
-
process.
Here we need to understand wise attention
(yoniso manasikra)
and
unwise attention
(ayoniso manasikra)
. When a yogi practises
n
p
-
na
sati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing), and concentrates
on the natural
Knowing
and Seeing
122
breath, his attention is wise attention. When the uggaha
-
nimitta or
pat ibhga
-
nimitta appears, and the yogi concentrates on it, his a
t-
tention is still wise attention. If, in Vipassan meditation, a yogi
sees: 'This is mat
e
riality`, 'This is
mentality`, 'This is cause`,
'This is effect`, 'This is impermanence`, 'This is suffering`, or
'This is non
-
self`, his attention is also wise atte
n
tion.
But if he sees: 'This is a man, a woman, a son, a daughter, a f
a-
ther, a mother, a deity, a brahm, an
animal, etc.`; 'This is gold,
money, etc.` then his attention is unwise attention. Generally
speaking, we can say that because of wise attention many whol
e-
some dhammas arise, and because of unwise attention many u
n-
wholesome dhammas arise. If, while you are
practising medit
a-
tion, unwise attention arises, then hindrances or defilements will
certainly follow; they are unwholesome dhammas. Those u
n-
wholesome dhammas reduce the concentration, or cause it to r
e-
gress and drop.
If you look at your meditation object
with wise attention, again
and again, then wholesome dhammas will arise and i
n
crease.
Jhna wholesome dhammas, for example, are among those
wholesome dha
m
mas. So, if you concentrate on the nimitta, such
as the npna pat ibhga
-
nimitta, again and again, it
is wise
a
t
te
n
tion. If you develop this wise attention to full strength, then
from access concentration you will attain absorption concentr
a-
tion.
Question 3.6
When a person dies, a kamma
-
nimitta may arise b
e-
cause of past wholesome or unwholesome kamma. Is
this ph
e-
nomenon similar to that which occurs during meditation, when
images of past events, which the yogi had forgotten, appear?
Answer 3.6
There may be some similarity, but only in some cases. It
may be similar to the arising of a kamma
-
nimitta in those
whose
death took place quickly.
Question 3.7
While meditating, images of events from more than
thirty years back, which the yogi had forgotten, appear. Is this
due to lack of mindfulness, which lets the mind leave the o
b
ject?
Questions and Answers 3
123
Answer 3.7
It could be. But
it could also be because of attention
(m
a-
nasikra)
. Many yogis do not know about atte
n
tion. Only once they
have practised meditation on mentality do they unde
r
stand it.
Cognitive
-
processes occur very quickly, so they do not unde
r-
stand that these images app
ear because of attention. But no fo
r-
mation occurs by itself, without a cause. This is because all fo
r-
mations are cond
i
tioned.
Question 3.8
If, when dying, a person has strong mindfulness, can he
prevent a kamma sign
(kamma nimitta)
of previous u
n
wholesome
or
wholesome kamma from arising?
Answer 3.8
Strong, powerful mindfulness can prevent such nimi
t
tas
from arising; but what is strong, powerful mindfulness? If a yogi
enters
jhna, and keeps it completely stable right up to the time of
death, you can say that the mindfu
l
ness of that jhna is strong and
powerful. That type of mindfulness can prevent an unwholesome
sign or sensual
-
realm whol
e
some sign from arising. It takes only
the jhna object, for example, an npna pat ibhga
-
nimitta
or
white
-
kasina pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta.
Another type of strong, powerful mindfulness is the mindfu
l-
ness associated with insight
-
knowledge. If a yogi`s insight
-
know
-
ledge is the Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Formations
(san
k-
hrupekkh !na)
, and if he practise
s V
i
passan up to the near
-
death
moment, then his near
-
death impulsion is insight
-
know
ledge a
s-
sociated with strong and powerful mindfulness. That type of
mind
fulness can also prevent unwholesome signs from appea
r
ing,
as well as prevent other wholesome si
gns from replacing his V
i-
passan sign. The Vipassan sign is the impermanent, suffering,
or non
-
self nature of a chosen form
a
tion. He may die with such a
sign as the object of his near
-
death impulsion
(ma
ra
n
sanna javana)
. It
can produce a deva r
e
birth
-
linking conscious
ness
(deva patisandhi
-
citta
)
, so that he is spontan
e
ously reborn as a deva.
Knowing
and Seeing
124
Concerning the benefits that this type of yogi may get in his f
u-
ture life as a deva, The Buddha says in the
`Sotnugata Sutta'
of
the
Anguttara Nikya
,
`C
a
tukka Nipta'
:
1
Sa ma((hassati k/am karamna a!!ataram deranikyam apapajjati. Tassa
tattha sakhina dhammapad p/
a
ranti. Dandha bhikkhare satappda, atha sa
satta khippamera rises
a
gm hati
.
(
Bhikkhus, a worldling
(puthujjana)
who has heard the Teachings, often r
e-
peated Them, reflected upon Them, and thoroughly penetrated them with i
n-
sight knowledge, if he dies, he may be reborn in one of the deva realms,
where all formations a
p
pe
ar clearly in his mind. He may be slow to reflect on
the Dhamma or to do Vipassan, but he a
t
tains Nibbna very quickly.
)
Why do formations appear clearly in his mind?
Because the
near
-
death impulsion
-
consciousness of the prev
ious human life,
and the bhavanga
-
consciousness of the following deva life take
the same object, in this case the impermanent, suffe
r
ing, or non
-
self nature of formations. The host, the bhavanga that is, already
knows the Vipassan object, which is why ins
ight knowledge can
easily be developed. So according to that sutta, strong mindfu
l-
ness associated with insight
-
knowledge can prevent unwhol
e-
some signs from appearing, as well as other wholesome signs that
may replace his Vipa
s
san sign. You should try to p
ossess this
type of mindfulness b
e
fore death takes place.
An example of this is the
`Sakkapa!ha Sutta'
, about three bhik
-
khus who practised Samatha and Vipassan.
2
They had good m
o-
rality and good
concentration, but their minds inclined toward
s
life as male
gandhabbas
.
3
When they died they went to the deva
realm. They were reborn as very beautiful and shiny
gandhabbas
,
who looked si
x
teen years old. During their lives as bhikkhus, the
three bhikkhus
had gone to a laywoman`s house every day for
1
A.IV.IV.v.1
`Sotnugata Sutta'
('One Who Has Heard Sutta`), mentioned also p.
183
, and p.
248
2
D.ii.8
`Sakkapa!ha Sutta'
('Sakka`s Que
s
tions Sutta`)
3
Musicia
n
s and dancers in
the deva realm.
Questions and Answers 3
125
almsfood, and had taught her Dhamma. She had b
e
come a
stream
-
enterer, and when she died, she was reborn as Gopaka, the
son of Sakka. The three
gandhabbas
pe
r
formed for the son of
Sakka, and he saw that they wer
e very beautiful and shiny. He
thought: 'They are very beaut
i
ful and shiny. What was their
kamma?` He saw they were the three bhikkhus who had come to
his house when he was a laywoman. He knew that their virtue,
concentration and wisdom had been very good.
So he r
e
minded
them of their past life. He said: 'When you listened to the teac
h-
ings and practised the Dhamma, what were your eyes and ears d
i-
rected at?` Two of the gan
d
habbas remembered their past lives
and were ashamed. They developed Samatha and Vipass
an
again, quickly attained the non
-
returning path and fru
i
tion, and
died. They were reborn in the realm of
Brahma Parohit
(Brah
-
ma`s Ministers),
1
and attained arahantship there. The third bhi
k-
khu was not ashamed, and remained a
gan
d
habba
.
So, it is not n
ecessary to contact a
life insurance company. This
type of mindfu
l
ness is the best insurance.
Question 3.9
Is it necessary when discerning the twelve characteri
s-
tics in four
-
elements m
editation, to start with hardness, roug
h-
ness, and heaviness in that sequence? Can one choose to start
with any one of the characteristics?
Answer 3.9
In the beginning we can start with a characteristic that is
easy to discern. But once we can discern all t
he chara
c
teristics
easily and clearly, we must follow the sequence given by The
Buddha: earth
-
element
(pathav
-
dhtu)
, water
-
element
(
po
-
dhtu)
, fire
-
element
(tejo
-
dhtu)
, and wind
-
element
(vyo
-
dhtu)
. This is because
that sequence produces strong, power
ful conce
n
tration. When we
see the rpa
-
kalpas, and are able to easily discern the four el
e-
ments in each one, the sequence is not important; what is very
important then is to discern them simultan
e
ously.
Why? The life span of a rpa
-
kalpa is very short.
It may be
less than a billionth of a second. When discerning the four el
e-
1
DA
-
II
-
8
`Sakkapa!ha Sutta'
('Sakka`s Questions Sutta`)
Knowing
and Seeing
126
ments in a rpa
-
kalpa there is not enough time to recite 'earth,
water, fire, wind`, so we must discern them simultaneously.
Question 3.10
Practising four
-
elements meditation enabl
es one to
balance the four elements in the body. One may at some time get
sick because the four elements are out of balance. When one is
sick, can one practise four
-
elements meditation with strong min
d-
fulness to cure the sickness?
Answer 3.10
There are man
y types of affliction. Some affli
c
tions are
due to previous kamma, such as The Buddha`s back pain. Some
afflictions are due to unbalanced elements. The afflictions pr
o-
duced by previous kamma cannot be cured by balancing the four
elements. But some of the a
fflictions that occur because of unba
l-
anced elements, may disappear when the yogi tries to balance
them.
There are also afflictions that occur because of food, temper
a-
ture
(utu)
or the mind
(citta)
. If an affliction arises b
e
cause of the
mind, and we can c
ure the mind, the affliction may disappear; if
the affliction arises because of temperature, fire
-
element, as with
cancer, malaria, etc.,it can be cured only by taking med
i
cine, not
by balancing the elements. This is the same for afflictions pr
o-
duced by un
suitable food.
Question 3.11
Before we attain the fourth jhna, and eradicate
1
ign
o-
rance
(avijj)
, many unwholesome thoughts still arise due to bad
habits. For example, in our daily life (outside a meditation retreat)
we know that greed or hatred arises.
Can we use foulness medit
a-
tion
(asubha)
, or lovingkindness meditation
(mett bhvan)
to remove
them? Or should we ignore them and just concentrate on our
meditation subject, and let them disappear aut
o
matically?
Answer 3.11
Unwholesome kamma has ignorance
(avijj)
as a latent
cause, and unwise attention as the proximate cause. Unwise atte
n-
tion is very harmful. If you are able to replace unwise attention
1
The fourth jhna does not eradicate ignorance; it only suppresses ignorance. Please see further A
n-
swers 7.7, 7.8 and 7.9 p.
285
ff
Questions and Answers 3
127
with wise attention, the greed or hatred will di
s
appear for a while,
or maybe forever, if the wise atten
tion is very strong and powe
r-
ful. We already discussed wise and unwise attention in a previous
question.
You can use foulness meditation or lovingkindness meditation
to remove greed and hatred. These meditations are also wise a
t-
tention. But Vipassan is th
e best weapon to destroy defilements.
It is the best wise attention.
Question 3.12
How does the bhavanga function in the sensual
realms, fine
-
material realms, immaterial realms and supramu
n-
dane realm? Would the Sayadaw please explain with exa
m
ples?
Answer
3.12
The function of the bhavanga is the same in the first
three types of realm.
1
It arises so the consciousness
-
moments in a
life do not stop; it maintains the
mentality,
which is
the
life
-
con
-
tinuum. This is because the kamma that pr
o
duces this life has
not
yet been exhausted.
Since there is materiality
-
mentality
(nma
-
rpa)
in the sensual and fine
-
material realms, and mentality in the i
m-
material realms, there is also a bhava
n
ga there.
In the sensual realms
(
k
vacar
a bhmi)
, the bhavanga may have as
ob
ject a kamma, kamma sign
(kamma nimitta)
or rebirth sign
(gati
nimitta)
. For example, one being`s bhavanga may have as object the
Kyaikthiyo Pagoda, while a
n
other`s may have as object the
Shwedagon Pagoda:
2
these objects are concepts.
In the fine
-
material
realm
(
r
vacar
a bhmi)
, the bhavanga has as
object only a kamma sign: no kamma and no rebirth sign.
The
bhavanga of one in a fine
-
material realm is called the fine
-
material resultant jhna
(rpvacara vipka jhna)
, because it is the r
e-
sult of the jhna
-
attainment at death in the foregoing life. Since
the object of the bhavanga is
thus the same as
the object of the
1
The three realms: (1) The se
nsuous realm
(kmvacara)
, which includes the human world, the an
i-
mal
-
, ghost
-
, and asura worlds, the hells and the deva
-
worlds. (2) The fine
-
material realm
(rpv
a-
cara)
, which includes the Brahma worlds, where the materiality is very subtle. (3) The immat
erial
realm
(arpav
a
cara)
, where there is only mentality
.
2
The two most famous pagodas in Myanmar.
Knowing
and Seeing
128
jhna attainment, the object of the bhavanga will
depend upon the
jh
na.
For example, the bhavanga of one who has reached a fine
material real
m due to npna
-
jhna will have as o
b
ject the
npna
-
pat ibhga
-
nimitta, while the one who is there due to
mett
-
jhna will have as object all beings in the infinite universe:
both these objects are co
n
cepts.
In the immaterial realms
(
ar
vacar
a bhmi)
,
the bhavanga has as
object only kamma or a kamma sign: no rebirth sign. For exa
m-
ple, in the realm of the base of boundless space one`s bhavanga
will have as object boundless space, and in the realm of the base
of noth
ing
ness, it will have as object the t
he a
b
sence of the base
-
of
-
boundless
-
space consciousness: both these objects are co
n-
cepts.
In the realm of the base of boundless consciousness, one`s bh
a-
vanga will have as object the conscious
ness of the base of boun
d-
less space, and in the realm of the ba
se of ne
i
ther
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception, it will have as object the consciousness of the
Base of Nothingness: being consciousnesses, these objects are
kamma.
When we say 'sensual realms`, 'the fine
-
material realms` and
'the immaterial realms`, we are r
eferring to realms that e
x
ist,
places that exist. But when we say 'supramundane realm`
(l
o
kut
tara
bhmi)
, the word 'realm` is only a metaphor. It is, in fact, not a
place at all. When we say 'supramundane realm` we mean only
the four paths, four fruitions
, and
Nibbna; not a place. Hence,
there is no bhavanga in the supramundane realm. There is none in
the four path
-
and four frui
tion
-
consciousnesses, and
s
ince there
is no mental
ity
-
materiality
(nmarpa)
in
Nibbna, there is no me
n-
tality for the bhavanga to maintain
, which means
there ca
n
not be
any bhavanga in Nibbna.
Question 3.13
What is the difference between mundane
jhnas
(lokiya
jhna)
and supramundane jhnas
(l
o
kuttara jhna)
?
Answer 3.13
The mundane jhnas are the four fine
-
material
-
sphere
jhnas and four immaterial
-
sphere jhnas
(arpvacara jhna)
, that is,
the eight attainments
(sampatti)
. The supramund
ane jhnas are the
Questions and Answers 3
129
jhna factors associated with the Path and Fruition Know
l
edges.
When you discern the mental formations of, for example, the
mundane fine
-
material
-
sphere first jhna as impermanence, su
f-
fering or non
-
self, and if you see
Nibbna, your Path Knowledge
is the first jhna. This is a supramu
n
dane jhna.
Why? In the mundane fine
-
material
-
sphere first jhna, which
was the object of Vipassan, there are the five jhna factors: a
p-
plied thought, sustained tho
ught, joy, bliss and one
-
pointedness.
In the supramundane first jhna there are the same five. This is
how the path and fruition can be the first jhna path, and first
jhna fruition. The other jhnas can in the same way be (the co
n-
ditions for their respec
tive) supramundane (jhnas).
Odd page
Knowing
and Seeing
130
Even page
131
Talk 4
How You Discern Materiality
Introduction
Today, we shall discuss four
-
elements meditation
(catu
-
dhtu vava
t-
thna)
, which is discerning the elements
(dhtu)
of m
a
teriality
(rpa)
.
Materiality is
the first of the five aggregates of clinging, and the
remaining four (feeling, perception, mental form
a
tions, and con
-
sciousness
(vedan, sa!!, sankhr, vi!!na)
) can t
o
gether be called
men
tality
(nma)
. In the world of five aggregates
(pa!cavokra)
, me
n-
tality depends on materiality, which means that consciousnesses
arise dependent on their respective mat
e
rial base. For eye
-
, ear
-
,
nose
-
, tongue
-
and body materiality, the base and the door are the
same thing. Thus, an eye
-
cons
cious
ness arises dependen
t on the
materiality that is the eye
-
door; an ear
-
consciousness arises d
e-
pendent on the materia
l
ity that is the ear
-
door etc. But the mind
-
door, dependent upon which a mind
-
conscious
ness arises, is me
n-
tality (the bh
a
vanga), and the materiality it depends
on is the
mind
-
base, which is l
o
cated in the blood in the heart: hence the
materiality on which the mind
-
door d
e
pends is also called the
heart
-
base.
1
To see this, you need to see the individual elements that co
m-
prise mater
i
ality, which means you need firs
t to penetrate to the
sub
-
atomic particles called rpa
-
kalpas. You need to see that
materiality is nothing except these rpa
-
kalpas. But they are not
ultimate rea
l
ity.
2
To penetrate to ul
timate reality, you need to see
that the individual type of rpa
-
kalpa consists of individual el
e-
ments
(dhtu)
:
3
only then can you see what materiality really is,
1
For The Buddha`s explanation of the n
e
cessity for discerning the elements of materiality etc.
(M.I.iv.3
`Mahgoplaka Sutta'
('Great Cowherd Sutta`)) plea
se see also 'Introduction` p.
13
2
For the difference between rpa
-
kalpas and ultimate materiality, please see also Answer 7.6,
p.
285
3
dhtu
(
element:
substance that cannot be analysed further) Please see, for example, M.III.ii.5
`B
a-
hudhtuka Sutta'
('Many Kinds of Element Sutta`).
The
Visuddhi Magga
explains that the elements
Please see further next page
Knowing
and Seeing
132
and can see how it is related to menta
l
ity. That is the aim of four
-
elements medit
a
tion.
Bu
t, before explaining the meditation, let us discuss briefly the
different types of rpa
-
kalpa and their elements, and then e
x-
plain about the origin of materiality, in order that it may be easier
for you to understand the profound medit
a
tion that is four
-
e
le
-
ments meditation
(catu
-
dhtu vava
t
thna)
.
1
Three Types of Rpa
-
Kalpa
As mentioned, materiality is nothing except rpa
-
kalpas, and
there are basically three types of rpa
-
kalpa:
1.
Octad
-
kalpas
................................
................................
................................
.................
(atthaka)
With a basic eight elements.
2.
Nonad
-
kalpas
................................
................................
................................
...............
(nav
aka)
The basic eight plus a ninth.
3.
Decad
-
kalpas
................................
................................
................................
.................
(dasaka)
The nine plus a tenth.
Generally speaking, the materiality of our body is composed of
these three types of rpa
-
kalpa mixed together in di
f
ferent ways.
The Elements of the Three Types of Rpa
-
Kal
pa
The first type of rpa
-
kalpa comprises the four elements
(catu
dhtu)
, which are
the four 'great elements`
(mahbht)
,
and four
elements of derived materiality
(upd rpa
);
2
in total eight el
e-
ments:
1.
Earth
................................
................................
................................
...........
(pathav)
2.
Water
................................
................................
................................
................
(po)
3.
Fire
................................
................................
................................
....................
(tejo)
'cause the individual characteristic to be carried`
(attano sa
b
hvam dhrent
ti dhtuyo
) (Vs.xv
`Dhtuvitthra Kath'B518
('Elements Details Explanation`21)) .
1
Please see also Answer 2.2 p.
86
2
derived materiality
so called because it derives from, depends on the four great elements
.
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
133
4.
Wind
................................
................................
................................
...............
(vy
o)
5.
Colour
................................
................................
................................
...........
(vanna)
6.
Odour
................................
................................
................................
..........
(gandha)
7.
Flavour
................................
................................
................................
............
(rasa)
8.
Nutritive essence
................................
................................
.............................
(oj)
Because it has eight elements, this type of rpa
-
ka
lpa is called
an octad
-
kalpa
(atthaka kalpa)
, and because nutritive es
sence is the
eighth, it is also called a nutritive
-
essen
ce o
c
tad
-
kalpa
(ojatthamaka
kalpa)
.
1
They are found throughout the body, are opaque materi
-
ality
(n
a
pasda rpa)
, and are inanimate, without life.
2
The second type of rpa
-
kalpa comprises these basic eight
elements and a ninth, life
-
faculty
(jvitindriy
a)
.
3
Because it has nine
elements, this type of rpa
-
kalpa is called a nonad
-
kalpa
(na
-
vaka)
, and b
e
cause it has life
-
faculthy as the ninth, it is also called
a life nonad
-
kalpa
(jvita navaka
-
kalpa)
. They are found throughout
the body and are also opa
que. B
e
cause they have life
-
faculty,
they are animate, have life.
The third type of rpa
-
kalpa comprises the basic eight el
e-
ments, life
-
faculty as the ninth, and a tenth. Because it has ten
elements, this type of rpa
-
kalpa is called a decad
-
kalpa
(das
aka)
.
There are three types of decad
-
kalpa:
1.
Eye
-
, ear
-
, nose
-
, tongue
-
, and body decad
-
kalpas
................................
.................
(cakkhu
-
, sota
-
, ghna
-
, jivh
-
, kya dasaka
-
kalpa)
1
The Pli for the different types of rpa
-
kalpa is
kalpa that has x as the y
th
2
The fire
-
element of rpa
-
kalpas that have life
-
faculty sustains concomitant o
c
tad
-
kalpas, which
is why, although they are without life
-
faculty, they are an
i
mate. Withou
t the heat of the life
-
faculty,
the materiality rots, such as ha
p
pens when a person dies: the animate body becomes an inanimate
corpse.
3
There are also rpa
-
kalpas of derived materiality that need to be discerned but are here not di
s-
cussed, for example,
rpa
-
kalpas with sound/bodily intimation as the ninth/twelfth; verbal intim
a-
tion as the tenth/thirteenth; lightness as the eleventh. For these and other elements, please see Vs.xiv
`Rpakkhandha Kath'
('Materiality Aggregate Explanation`), or the Ve
n
erab
le Pa
-
Auk Tawya
Sayadaw`s little book
Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing and Four
-
Elements
-
Medita
tion
(WAVE Public
a-
tions, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Knowing
and Seeing
134
Their tenth element is eye
-
, ear
-
, nose
-
, tongue
-
, and body transpa
r
ent
-
element
(pasda rpa)
.
2.
Heart d
ecad
-
kalpas
................................
............................
(hadya dasaka
-
kalpa)
Their tenth element is the heart
-
element
(hadya
-
rpa)
, which is opaque
(n
a-
pa
sda)
.
3.
Sex decad
-
kalpas
................................
................................
.
(bhva dasaka
-
kalpa)
Their tenth element is the sex
-
element
(bhva
-
rpa)
, which is also opaque.
1.
Eye
-
, ear
-
, nose
-
,
tongue
-
, and body decad
-
kalpas
are found
in the respective organ. Their tenth, the tran
s
parent
-
element
(pa
-
sda rpa)
, is the respective sense
-
base. The five material sense
-
bases are also the five material sense
-
doors, i.e., the five material
sense
-
bases
(vatthu)
(eye
-
, ear
-
, nose
-
, tongue
-
and body
-
base) are
also the five mat
e
rial sense
-
doors
(dvra
)
1
(eye
-
, ear
-
, nose
-
, ton
-
gue
-
and body
-
door).
2.
Heart decad
-
kalpas
are found in the blood in the heart. Their
tenth, the opaque
-
element, is also the sense
-
bas
e: the heart
-
base
(vatthu)
. But it is not the mind
-
door (the bh
a
vanga), because the
mind
-
door is mentality, although it depends on the material tenth,
opaque
-
el
e
ment of a heart decad
-
kalpa.
Whenever an object strikes upon one of the five sense
-
doors, it
strikes the sixth sense
-
door (the mind
-
door, bh
a
vanga) at the
same time.
2
For example, when a colour
-
object
3
strikes upon the
eye
-
door, it strikes upon the transparent, tenth el
e
ment of an eye
decad
-
kalpa,
4
and upon the mind
-
door (bhavanga) at the same
ti
me, and the mind
-
door is based on the opaque, tenth element of
1
The term
dvra
(door) describes the fact that objects need an entrance through which to be known
by a consciousness.
2
Please see also S.V.IV.v.2
`Unnbhabrhmana Sutta'
('Unnbha Brahmin Sutta`) quoted in
'I
n
trodu
c
tion`, p.
8
3
Strictly speaking a visual/chromatic object, and a sound
-
object is an auditory object etc.
Please see
footnote
2
, p.
9
4
Eye
decad
-
kalpa
: (8) the basic eight elements [
1
-
earth
2
-
water
3
-
fire
4
-
wind
5
-
colour
6
-
odour
7
-
flavour
8
-
nutritive essence] & (9) life
-
faculty & (10) eye transparen
t
-
element.
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
135
a heart decad
-
kalpa.
1
The co
l
our object is known first by a
mind
-
con
scious
ness, second by an eye
-
consciousness, and is then
known by fu
r
ther mind
-
consciousnesses. When a sound
-
object
strikes
upon the ear
-
door, it strikes upon the transparent, tenth
element in an ear decad
-
kalpa etc. Apart from the o
b
jects that
also strike the five sense
-
doors, there are also objects that strike
the mind
-
door (bh
a
vanga) alone: they are the six types of
dhamma
objects.
2
3.
Sex
-
materiality decad
-
kalpas
are found throughout the body.
Their tenth, the opaque
-
element, is sex mat
e
riality
(bhva)
, which
is of two types:
3
i)
Male sex
-
materiality
................................
................................
......
(purisa bhva)
which provides the physical chara
c
teristics of males, by whic
h we know:
'This is a male.` It is found in only males.
ii)
Female sex
-
materiality
................................
................................
......
(itthi bhva)
which provides the physical cha
rac
teristics of females, by which we know:
'This is a female.` It is found in only f
e
males.
It is because their tenth element is
transparent that eye
-
, ear
-
,
nose
-
, tongue
-
, and body decad
-
ka
l
pas are transpa
r
ent. All other
types of rpa
-
kalpas are without the transparent el
e
ment, which
is why they are opaque, as, for example, sex
-
and heart decad
-
kalpas just discussed.
Material
ity`s Four Types of Origin
Having now discussed the basic structures of ultimate materia
l-
ity, we can go on to a general discussion about the origin of mat
e-
riality, which you will also need to discern when doing four
-
elements meditation. Materiality has one
of four or
i
gins: kamma,
1
Heart
decad
-
kalpa
: (8) the basic eight elements [
1
-
earth
2
-
water
3
-
fire
4
-
wind
5
-
colour
6
-
odour
7
-
flavour
8
-
nutritive essence] & (9) life
-
faculty & (10) heart el
e
ment. Please see also Table 4, p.
173
2
Please see 'Introduction` p.
9
3
Also referred to as
purisindriya
and
itthindriya
(
indriya
= faculty)
Knowing
and Seeing
136
consciousness, temperature and nutriment, which means we have
four types of m
a
teriality:
1
1.
Kamma
-
produced materiality
................................
......................
(kammaja rpa)
2.
Consciousness
-
produced materiality
................................
..............
(cittaja rpa)
3.
Temperature
-
produced materiality
................................
...................
(utuja rpa)
4.
Nu
triment
-
produced materiality
................................
...................
(hraja rpa)
As mentioned, the materiality of our body is nothing except
rpa
-
kalpas, and all rpa
-
kalpas have at least the basic eight
elements: earth, water, fire, wind, colour, odour, flavour and n
u-
tritive essence. The
eighth, nutritive essence, maintains materia
l-
ity, which is why when there is no longer nutritive essence, the
mat
e
riality falls apart.
Let us now look further at each of the four types of or
i
gin for
materiality.
Kamma
-
Produced Materiality
Kamma
-
produced m
ateriality
(kammaja rpa)
co
m
prises life no
nad
-
kalpas, and decad
-
kalpas: eye
-
, ear
-
, nose
-
, tongue
-
, body
-
,
heart
-
and sex decad
-
kalpas. Having life
-
faculty, they are an
i-
mate. Their nutritive essence
(oj)
is kamma
-
pro
duced
(kammaja oj)
.
It is in kam
ma
-
produced materiality that we see something of
the realities of the Second Noble Truth, the Noble Truth of the
Origin of Suffe
r
ing. Animate materiality is materiality with life,
which is rebirth, the First Noble Truth. And, as e
x
plained by The
Buddha in
the
`M
a
hsatipat t hna Sutta'
,
2
rebirth (suffering)
takes place because of craving
(tanh)
, and craving arises in an
y-
thing that is agreeable and pleasant: sights through the eye, stri
k-
ing upon the tran
s
parent element of eye decad
-
kalpas (the eye
-
1
In the
Visuddhi Magga
, the order of the four origins of materiality is:
(1)
kamma,
(2)
consciou
s-
ness,
(3
)
nutriment,
(4)
temperature. The order here is that taught by the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya
Sayadaw.
2
D.ii.9 ('Great Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness`)
`Samudayasacca Ni
d
deso'
('Origin
-
Noble
-
Truth Description`), and Vs.xiv
`Rpakkhandha Kath'
('Mate
riality A
g
gregate Discussion`).
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
1
37
door) and
the bhavanga (mind
-
door); sounds through the ear,
striking upon the transparent el
e
ment of ear decad
-
kalpas (the
ear
-
door) and the bhavanga (mind
-
door) etc. The transparent el
e-
ment that is the five sense
-
doors/bases, and the opaque element
that is the hea
rt
-
base e
x
ist because of craving for pleasant and
agreeable sights, sounds, odours, flavours, tangibles and me
n
tal
objects.
As the Buddha also explains, the direct cause for rebirth is
kamma, but for there to be a result, it requires craving. And a
l-
though
the kamma that produces the materiality at a human r
e-
birth
1
of a human life is kusala, rebirth itself has taken place b
e-
cause of clinging, which is conditioned by craving, which is co
n-
ditioned by ignorance: not understanding the Four Noble Truths.
Kamma
-
pr
oduced materiality is being produced all the time. It
is the foundation of all other materiality. Each consciou
s
ness
-
moment
(cittakkhana)
(of the 17 that are materiality`s life
-
span) has
three stages:
1.
arising
................................
................................
................................
...........
(uppda)
2.
standing
................................
................................
................................
..............
(thiti)
3.
passing away
................................
................................
..............................
(bhang
a)
At each stage, new kamma
-
produced materiality is arising. This
means that during one cogn
i
tive
-
process, 51 (17 x 3) kamma
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas are produced. Their temper
a
ture produces
temperature
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas, and their nutr
i
tive
-
essence
pro
duces new nutriment
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas, and the temper
a-
ture and nutritive
-
essence of those rpa
-
kalpas pr
o
duce also
more etc.
2
1
At a human rebirth, in the womb, the very first materiality is only heart
-
, body
-
and sex decad
-
kalpas, all kamma
-
produced.
2
For details, please see Table 5, p.
211
Knowing
and Seeing
138
Consciousness
-
Produced materiality
Consciousness
-
produced materiality
(cittaja rpa)
comprises octad
-
kalpas. Their nutritive
e
s
sence is consciousness
-
produced
(cittaja
oj)
, and is produced only by consciousnesses that arise dependent
on the heart
-
base, not co
n
sciousnesses of the five sense
-
doors/
bases. And, apart from the rebirth
-
linking consciousness, all co
n-
sciousnesses tha
t arise dependent on the heart
-
base produce co
n-
sciousness
-
produced materia
l
ity.
An example is anger and worry. Anger and worry are both h
a-
tred
(dosa)
, and a consciousness of hatred produces consciousness
-
produced materiality with predominant fire
-
element.
That is why,
when we are angry or wo
r
ried, we get hot.
Another example is bodily movement: moving the limbs and
body forwards and backwards, up and down. For example, when
we walk, the mind is directed at the leg and foot. That intention
produces conscio
usness
-
produced materiality in the leg and foot,
and throughout the body: it has predominant wind
-
element. Just
as wind carries o
b
jects along, so too the wind
-
element carries the
limbs and body along. The movement is a long series of di
f
ferent
consciousnes
s
-
pro
duced rpa
-
kalpas b
e
ing produced in different
places. The con
sciousness
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas that arise at the
raising of the foot are different from the consciou
s
ness
-
produced
rpa
-
kalpas that arise at the lowe
r
ing of the foot. Each rpa
-
kalpa
arises and passes away in the same place, and new rpa
-
kalpas arise els
e
where and pass away there.
A third example is Samatha, Vipassan, Path and Fruition co
n-
sciousnesses. Such consciousnesses are very pure, very powerful
and superior, because there are
no
upakkilesa
(imperfections).
That means these consciousnesses produce very many gener
a-
tions of pure and superior consciousness
-
produced mater
i
ality of
which the earth
-
, wind
-
and fire
-
element are very soft and su
b
tle.
When those soft and subtle rpa
-
kal
pas touch the body
-
door (the
tenth element in the body decad
-
kalpas) the yogi experiences
great bodily comfort, with no heaviness (the earth
-
ele
ment).
Since, as me
n
tioned before, the fire
-
element of all rpa
-
kalpas
produces te
m
perature
-
produced rpa
-
ka
lpas, the fire
-
element in
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
139
those superior co
n
sciousness
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas produces
many temper
a
ture
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas inside and outside the
body.
The radiance, brilliance and brightness that arises with those
superior consciousnesses is produced
by the brilliance of the co
l-
our
-
materiality of the consciousness
-
and temperature
-
produced
materiality.
1
This accounts also for the clear and bright skin and
faculties of yogis who develop these superior consciousnesses.
2
The materiality produced by, for e
xample, the Venerable An
u-
ruddha`s divine
-
eye consciou
s
nesses
(dibba
-
cakkhu abhi!!na)
spread
throughout a thousand world
-
systems: they were lit up by the s
u-
perior consciousness
-
produced materiality and became visible to
him. You too, if you, develop suffic
iently concentrated and pure
consciousness, may be able to see other realms of exi
s
tence etc.
3
Temperature
-
Produced materiality
Temperature
-
produced materiality
(utuja rpa)
comprises octad
-
kalpas. Being octad
-
kalpas (without the ninth, life
-
faculty) th
ey
are in themselves inanimate.
4
Their nutritive essence is temper
a-
ture
-
produced
(utuja oj)
, which comes from the fire
-
element
(tejo
dhtu
), the third el
e
ment of all rpa
-
kalpas.
5
The fire
-
element of
all rpa
-
kalpas produces temperature
-
produced rpa
-
ka
lpas,
which themselves have fire
-
element that produces temperature
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas, which themselves have fire
-
element etc.
6
1
Fo
r The Buddha`s description of this light, please see Introduction p.
15
2
Frequently referred to in the Texts, e.g. the ascetic who meets the newly enligh
t
ened Buddha says:
'Friend, your faculties are clear,
the colour of your skin is pure and bright.` M.I.iii.6
`Ariyapariy
e-
san Sutta'
('N
o
ble Search Sutta`)
3
AA.VIII.I.iii.10
`Anuruddha Mahvitakka Sutta'
('Anuruddha Great Thought Sutta`)
4
But please see footnote
2
, p.
133
.
5
tejo
(fire) and
utu
(temperature) refer to the same phenomenon.
6
E.g. The fire
-
element
(tejo)
of a kamma
-
produced
(kammaja)
rpa
-
kalpa itself produces temper
a-
ture
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas
(utuja)
:
kammajat
1
st
utuja
t
2
nd
utuja
t
3
rd
utuja
t
4
th
utuja
t
5
th
utuja
Knowing
and Seeing
140
That is how, according to its power, the fire
-
element produces
materiality through a nu
m
ber of generations.
All inanimate ma
teriality is produced and maintained by temp
e
-
rature. A good example is plants. Their materiality is temper
a-
ture
-
produced materiality and is produced by the fire
-
element
originally in the seed. Their growth is nothing except the conti
n-
ued production of te
m
perature
-
produced materiality through
many generations. It takes place with the a
s
sistance of the fire
-
element from the soil, sun (hot), and w
a
ter (cold).
The fire
-
element in, for example, stones, metals, minerals and
hardwood is very powerful, and produ
ces very, very many ge
n-
erations of materiality. That is why that materiality can last long.
But the fire
-
element in, for example, softwood, tender plants,
flesh, food and water is very weak, not very many generations of
materiality are produced, which is w
hy the materiality soon falls
apart. When materiality falls apart, it is because the fire
-
element
no longer produces new mater
i
ality but instead consumes itself:
the materiality rots, falls apart, and dissolves.
When materiality is consumed by fire, such a
s when wood is
burning, it is because the fire
-
element of the external materia
l
ity
(the flames that strike the wood) supports the fire
-
element of the
internal materiality (the wood), and an huge amount of fire
-
element bursts forth, which means the fire
-
ele
ment becomes pr
e-
dominant and the materiality is co
n
sumed.
Nutriment
-
Produced Materiality
Nutriment
-
produced materiality
(hraja rpa)
also comprises o
c-
tad
-
kalpas. Their nutritive essence is nutriment
-
produced nutr
i-
tive essence
(hraja oj)
.
It is produc
ed by the food and drink that
we consume. The food in the bowl, the food in the alimentary c
a-
nal (the food in the mouth, the newly eaten undigested food in the
stomach, semi
-
digested
-
and fully d
i
gested food in the intestines,
the faeces), pus, blood and u
rine are the same: nothing but inan
i-
mate temperature
-
produced nutritive
-
essence o
c
tad
-
kalpas.
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
141
The digestive heat is the fire
-
element of life nonad
-
kalpas,
which are (as mentioned
1
) produced by kamma. When the dige
s-
tive heat meets with the nutritive esse
nce of the temper
a
ture
-
produced nutritive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas
(utuja
ojatth
amaka
-
kalpa)
of
the undigested, and semi
-
digested food, fur
ther n
u
tritive
-
essence
octad
-
kal
pas are produced: they are nutriment
-
produced nutr
i-
tive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas, wit
h nutriment
-
produced nutritive
-
essence
(ahraja oj)
as the eighth. Again, when that nutritive
-
essence meets the (kammically produced) digestive heat, it repr
o-
duces further through many generations of nutritive
-
essence o
c-
tad
-
kalpas. And it su
p
ports also t
he nutritive
-
essence in kamma
-
,
consciou
s
ness
-
, and temperature
-
produ
ced rpa
-
kalpas, and the
existing nutr
i
ment
-
produced rpa
-
kal
pas.
The nutriment of food taken in one day may reproduce in this
way for up to seven days, although the number of gener
a
t
ions
produced depends on the quality of the food. Divine nutriment,
which is of the deva
-
realm and is most sup
e
rior, may reproduce
this way for up to one or two months.
Since life nonad
-
kalpas are found throughout the body, the
pro
cess of digestion found
in the alimentary canal is found to a
weaker degree throughout the body. That is why, for example,
when medicinal oil is applied to the skin, or an injection of med
i-
cine is made under the skin, the med
i
cine spreads throughout the
body (is 'digested`). But
if very much oil is applied, the weakness
of the digestion may mean it takes long to digest.
That concludes the brief discussion of the origins of mater
i
ality.
There is much more that could be explained, but this should be
sufficient for you better to und
erstand four
-
elements medit
a
tion,
which will now be discussed.
If you want to attain Nibbna, you need to know and see all
these things, because you need to see mater
ia
l
ity as it really is,
not only as a concept.
2
You need first to see that materia
l
ity
(
rpa)
1
Please see 'Kamma
-
Produced Materiality`, above p.
136
2
For The Buddha`s words on the need to see the ultimate realities of materiality, please see Intr
o-
duction, p.
13
(M.I.iv.3
`Mahgoplaka Sutta'
('Great Cowherd Sutta`))
Knowing
and Seeing
142
consists of rpa
-
kalpas, after which you need to penetrate the d
e-
lusion of compactness to see the individual elements of the ind
i-
vidual rpa
-
kalpa, which is to see ult
i
mate materiality, and then
you need to analyse the materiality: see the differen
t elements,
their origin, and how they fun
c
tion. To be able to do that, you
start with four
-
elements meditation, which is to know and see the
four great elements
(mahbht)
: earth
-
, w
a
ter
-
, fire
-
and wind
-
element.
The Beginning of Vipassan
Although you a
re here not practising Vipassan proper, we may
say that this is the beginning of Vipassan, because at the end of
four
-
elements meditation you will have developed the ability to
discern ultimate materiality, which is necessary for Vipassan.
We can say th
at you are now collecting the material necessary to
do the work of Vipassan.
That is why it is necessary for all yogis to develop four
-
ele
-
ments meditation. Whether one`s path to Vipassana is first to d
e-
velop a Samatha subject of meditation (such as
np
nasati
(mind
fulness
-
of
-
breathing) up to jhna), or one`s path begins with
four
-
elements meditation (that leads only up to access concentr
a-
tion), one needs to complete four
-
elements meditation before one
can do Vipassan. Both paths are taught at the Pa
-
A
uk monaste
r-
ies in Myanmar. If one has first developed a Samatha subject of
meditation, one should please enter the fourth jhna at every si
t-
ting, and ha
v
ing emerged from it, begin four
-
elements meditation.
How You Develop Four
-
Elements Meditation
In the Pl i texts, there are two ways to develop four
-
elements
meditation: in brief and in d
e
tail. The brief is for those of quick
under
standing, and the d
e
tailed for those who have difficulty with
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
143
the brief one. The B
uddha taught the brief method in the
`Mah
Satipa
hna Sutta'
:
1
A bhikkhu reviews this very body, however it be positioned or placed, as
co
n
sisting of just
elements, thus, 'There are in this body just
[1]
the earth
-
element
................................
................................
...........
(pathav
-
dhtu)
,
[2]
the water
-
element
................................
................................
.................
(po
-
dhtu)
,
[3]
the fire
-
element
................................
................................
.....................
(tejo
-
dhtu)
,
[4]
the wind
-
element
................................
................................
...............
(vyo
-
d
htu)
.`
The
Visuddhi Magga
e
x
plains further:
2
So firstly, one of quick understanding w
ho wants to develop this meditation should
go into solitary retreat. Then he should advert to his entire material body, and di
s-
cern the el
e
ments in brief in this way, 'In this body,
[1]
what is hardness or roughness is the earth
-
element;
[2]
what is flowing or co
hesion is the water
-
element;
[3]
what is maturing or heat is the fire
-
element;
[4]
what is pushing or supporting is the wind
-
element,`
3
and he should advert and give attention to it, and review it again and again as 'earth
-
element, water
-
element, fire
-
element,
wind
-
element,` that is to say, as mere elements,
not a being, and sou
l
less.
As he makes effort in this way, it is not long before concentr
a
tion arises in him,
which is reinforced by un
der
stand
ing that illuminates the classification of the el
e-
ments, and
which is only a
c
cess and does not reach absorption because it has states
with individual essences as its o
b
ject.
Or alternatively, there are these four
[bodily]
parts mentioned by the Elder Sr
i-
putta, for the purpose of showing the absence of any living b
e
ing in the four great
primary elements thus: 'When a space is enclosed with bones, sinews, flesh, and skin,
there comes to be the term 'material form`
(rpa)
`. And he should resolve each of
these, separating them out by the hand of know
l
edge, and then dis
cern them in the
way already stated thus
[above]
: 'In these what is hardness... as its o
b
jects.`
1
D.ii.9 ' Great Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness ` (Also M.I.i.10)
2
Vs.xi
`Catu
-
Dhtu Vavatthna Bhvan' B306
('Four
-
Elements Definition Meditation
` 41
-
43)
3
Please see also footnote
1
, p.
149
Knowing
and Seeing
144
As taught at Pa
-
Auk Tawya Monastery (in accordance with the
Dhammasangin
),
1
you should discern the four elements in the
whole body as twelve characteri
s
tics:
1.
Earth
-
element:
................................
............
(1)
hardness
(2)
roug
h
ness
(3)
heaviness
(4)
sof
t
ness
(5)
smoothness
(6)
ligh
t
ness
2.
Water
-
element:
................................
.......
(7)
flowing
(8)
cohesion
3.
Fire
-
element:
................................
...........
(9)
heat
(10)
coldness
4.
Wind
-
element:
................................
........
(11)
supporting
(12)
pushing
To develop this me
ditation, you must learn how to discern each
of the twelve characteristics, one at a time. Usually, the begi
n
ner
is first taught the characteristics easier to discern, and later the
more difficult ones. They are usually taught in this order: pus
h-
ing, hardn
ess, roughness, heaviness, suppor
t
ing, softness, smo
-
othness, lightness, heat, coldness, cohesion, flowing. Each cha
-
rac
te
r
istic must be discerned in first one place in the body, and
then throughout the body.
How You See the Twelve Characteristics
1.
To di
scern pushing, begin by being aware, through the sense
of touch, of pushing in the centre of your head as you breathe
in and out. When you discern it, concentrate on it until it b
e-
comes clear to your mind. Then move your awareness to a
part of the body nea
rby, and look for pushing there. This way
you will slowly be able to discern pus
h
ing first in the head,
then the neck, the trunk of the body, the arms, and the legs
and feet. Do it again and again, many times, until wherever
you place your awareness in the
body you see pushing ea
s-
ily.If the pushing of the breath in the centre of the head is not
easy to discern, then try to feel the pushing as the chest e
x-
pands, or the abdomen moves when breathing. If that is not
1
The first book of the
Abhidhamma
.
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
145
clear, try to feel the pulse, or any other ob
vious form of pus
h-
ing. Wherever there is movement, there is pushing.
Wherever you begin, you must slowly develop your understan
d-
ing, so that you discern pus
h
ing throughout the body, from head
to feet. In some places it will be obvious, in other places les
s so,
but it is present throug
h
out the body.
2.
When you are satisfied that you can see pushing, look for
hardness. Begin by discerning the hardness in the teeth. Bite
them together and feel how hard they are. Relax your bite,
and feel their hardness. When yo
u can feel this, try to discern
har
d
ness throughout the body systematically from head to
feet, in the same way as you did to discern pushing. Do not
deli
b
erately tense the body.
When you can discern hardness throughout the body, again look
for pushing thro
ughout the body. Alternate b
e
tween these two,
pushing and hardness, again and again, discerning pushing
throughout the body, and then hardness throughout the body,
from head to feet. Repeat this many times until you are satisfied
that you can do it.
3.
Then l
ook for roughness. Rub your tongue over the edge of
your teeth, or brush your hand over your robe, or the skin of
your arm, and feel roughness. Now try to discern roughness
throug
h
out the body systematically as before. If you cannot
feel roughness, try loo
king at pushing and hardness again,
and you may di
s
cern it with them.
When you can discern roughness, go back to discern the three,
pushing, hardness, roug
h
ness, one at a time, again and again,
throughout the body, until you are sa
t
isfied.
4.
Then look for h
eaviness. Place one hand on top of the other
in your lap, and feel the heaviness of the top hand, or feel the
heaviness of the head by bending it forward. Practise
syste
m
at
i
cally until you discern heaviness throughout the
body.
When you can discern heavine
ss clearly, look for the four,
pus
h
ing, hardness, roughness, and heaviness, in turn, throughout
the body, until you are sati
s
fied.
Knowing
and Seeing
146
5.
Then look for supporting. Relax your back, so your body
bends forward. Then straighten it, and keep it straight. The
force th
at keeps the body straight is supporting. Practise sy
s-
tematically until you discern supporting throug
h
out the body.
If it is not clear, try to discern it together with har
d
ness, as
this can make it easier.
Then, when you can discern suppor
t
ing easily, loo
k for the five,
pushing, hardness, roughness, heaviness, and supporting throug
h-
out the body.
6.
Next look for softness by pressing your tongue against the i
n-
side of your lower lip to feel its softness. Then relax your
body, and practise systematically until y
ou can discern sof
t-
ness easily throughout the body.
Now look for the six, pushing, hardness, roughness, heaviness,
supporting, and sof
t
ness throughout the body.
7.
Next look for smoothness by wetting your lips and ru
b
bing
your tongue over them from side to s
ide. Practise until you
can discern smoothness throughout the body.
Then look for all seven chara
c
teristics throughout the body.
8.
Next look for lightness by wagging a finger up and down, and
feeling its lightness. If you cannot feel it, look for heaviness
again. When you can feel the heaviness of the whole body,
then again wag a finger up and down and feel its lightness.
Practise until you can discern lightness throug
h
out the body.
And then look for all eight characteri
s
tics.
9.
Next look for heat (or warmth
) throughout the body. This is
usually very easy to do. Begin by being aware, through the
sense of touch, of heat in any place where it is clear to you.
And then look for all nine characte
r
istics.
10.
Next look for coldness by feeling the coldness of the bre
ath
as it enters the nostrils, and then discern it systemat
i
cally
throughout the body.
You can now discern ten chara
c
teristics.
The first ten characteristics are all known directly through the
sense of touch, but the last two characteristics, flowing and
coh
e-
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
147
sion, are inferred from the other ten characteristics. That is a good
re
a
son to teach them last.
11.
To discern cohesion, be aware of how the body is held t
o-
gether by the skin, flesh, and sinews. The blood is held inside
by the skin, like water in a ball
oon. Without cohesion the
body would fall into separate pieces and particles. The force
of gravity that keeps the body stuck to the earth is also coh
e-
sion. If this is not clear, discern all ten qualities again and
again, one at a time throughout the body.
When you have b
e-
come skilled in that, you will find that the quality of cohesion
also becomes clear. If it is still not clear, di
s
cern just the
qualities of pushing and hardness again and again. Then you
should feel as if your whole body was wound up in ro
pe. Di
s-
cern this as cohesion, and develop it as you developed the
other cha
r
acteristics.
12.
To discern flowing, be aware of the saliva flowing in the
mouth, the blood flowing through the blood vessels, the air
flo
w
ing into the lungs, or heat flowing througho
ut the body.
If this is not clear, look at it together with coldness, heat, or
pushing, and you may discern flo
w
ing.
When you can discern all twelve characteristics clearly
throughout the body, from head to feet, you should discern them
again and again in
this order. When satisfied you should rea
r-
range the order to the one first mentioned in the beginning: har
d-
ness, rough
ness, heaviness, softness, smoothness, lightness, flo
w-
ing, cohesion, heat, coldness, supporting, and pushing. In that o
r-
der try to disce
rn each characteristic, one at a time from head to
feet. You should try to d
e
velop this until you can do it quite
quickly, at least three rounds a minute.
While practising in this way, the elements will for some yogis
become unbalanced, some elements may b
ecome exce
s
sive and
even unbearable. Particularly hardness, heat, and pushing can b
e-
come excessive. If this occurs, you should co
n
centrate more on
the opposite quality, and continue to develop concentr
a
tion in that
way.
Knowing
and Seeing
148
For example, if flowing is in exces
s concentrate more on coh
e-
sion, or if supporting is in excess concentrate more on pushing.
The opposites are: hardness and softness, roughness and smoot
h-
ness, heaviness and lightness, flowing and c
o
hesion, heat and
coldness, and supporting and pushing.
It
is for the sake of balancing the elements that twelve charac
-
teristics were taught in the first place. When the elements are ba
l-
anced, it is easier to attain concentr
a
tion.
Having now become skilled in the discernment of the twelve
characteristics in the w
hole body, with the twelve chara
c
teristics
having become clear, you should di
s
cern the first six at one
glance as the earth
-
element, the next two at one glance as the w
a-
ter
-
element, the next two as the fire
-
element, and the last two as
the wind
-
element. Yo
u should thus continue to discern earth, w
a-
ter, fire, and wind, in order to calm the mind and attain concentr
a-
tion. You should do this again and again hundreds, thousands, or
mi
l
lions of times.
A good method for keeping the mind calm and conce
n
trated is
to
no longer move your awareness from one part of the body to
another. Instead, take an overview of the body. It is us
u
ally best
to take the overview as if you were looking from behind your
shoulders. It can also be done as if loo
k
ing from above your head
do
wn, although this may lead to tension and imbalance of the
elements.
The Ten Ways to Develop Your Concentration
The subcommentary to the
Visuddhi Magga
says now to d
e-
velop your concentration in ten ways.
1
You should discern the
four el
e
ments
1.
In sequence
................................
................................
.............................
(
anupubbato)
E
arth, water, fire, and wind: the s
e
quence given by The Buddha.
1
VsTi.xi
`Catudhtu
-
vavatthna
-
bhvan'
D308 ('Four
-
Elements Definition Meditation`)
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
149
2.
Not too fast
................................
................................
...............................
(ntisghato)
If you discern the four el
e
ments too fast, you will not see them
clearly.
3.
Not too slow
................................
................................
...........................
(ntisanikato)
If you discern the four el
e
ments too slowly, you
will not reach the
end.
4.
Warding off distractions
................................
......................
(vikkhepapatibhanato)
You should keep the mind with only the object of meditation, the
four el
e
ments, and not let it wander.
5.
Going beyond concepts
................................
...................
(pa!!attisamatikkamanato)
You should not just mentally no
te, 'earth, water, fire, wind`, but be
aware of the actual realities the concepts represent:
hardness, roughness, heaviness, softness, smoothness, lightness,
flowing, cohesion, heat, coldness, su
p
porting, and pushing.
6.
Discarding what is unclear
................................
.................
(anupatth
namu!canato)
Once you can discern all twelve characteristics, you may tempora
r-
ily leave out characteristics that are unclear, but not if it leads to
pain or tension, because of an imbalance in the elements. You need
also to keep at least one characteristi
c for each of the four elements.
You cannot work on just three, two, or one element. And it is best if
all twelve characteri
s
tics are clear, with none left out.
7.
Discerning the characteristics
................................
................................
(lakkhanato)
When you begin to meditate, and the characteristic
s of each el
e
ment
are not yet clear, you can also concentrate on the function and ma
-
ni
festation of the elements.
1
When your concentration gets better, however, you should conce
n-
1
earth
Natural
Characterist
ic
: hardness (1), softness (2), roughness (3), smoothness (4), heav
i
ness
(5), lightness (6);
Function
: act as foundation (for all other types of materiality);
Manifestation
: r
e-
ceive (all other types of materiality within the same rpa
-
kalpa)
water
C
: flui
dity/flow/trickle (7);
F
: expand/dilate;
M
: bind/cohere [here
C
and
M
are som
e
times seen as the same thing] (8)
fire
C
:
heat (9)/cold(10);
F
: warm/age/digest/
con
sume/
mature;
M
: soften (as in cooking raw materials into
edible food)
wind
C
: Support (11)
F
: move/push (12)
M
: carry. Please see also M.II.ii.2
`Mahrh
u-
lovda Sutta'
(Great Advice
-
to
-
Rhula Sutta`), and Vs.xi!
`Catudhtuvavatthnabhvan'!
B350
('Defin
i
tion of the Four Elements` N93)
Knowing
and Seeing
150
trate on only the natural characteristics
(sabhva lakkhana)
: the har
d-
ness a
nd roughness of the earth
-
element, the flowing and cohesion
of the water
-
element, the heat and col
d
ness of the fire
-
element, and
the supporting of the wind
-
element.
At this point you will see only elements, and not see them as a pe
r-
son or self.
8
-
9
-
10.
Th
e sub
-
commentary further recommends that you develop your
concentr
a
tion according to:
(8)
`Adhicitta Sutta'
('Higher Mind Sutta`)
(9)
`
S ti
b
hva Sutta'
('Becoming Cool Sutta`)
(10)
`Bojjhanga Sutta'
('Enlightenment Fa
c
tors Sutta`)
1
In those three suttas, The Buddha
advises balancing the
five facul
-
ties
(indriya)
: faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration, and u
n
der
-
standing; and balancing the seven factors of enlightenment
(boj
-
jhanga)
: mindfulness, investigation of phenomena, effort, joy, tran
-
quillity, concentrati
on and equani
m
ity. They were discussed in the
first talk.
2
How You See Ultimate Materiality
Seeing the Body Transparent
-
Element as One Block
As you continue to develop concentration on the four el
e
ments,
and approach access concentration
(upacra samdhi
)
, you will see
different kinds of light. To some yogis it is a smoky
grey light. If
you continue to concentrate on the four elements in that grey
light, it will b
e
come whiter like cotton wool, and then bright
white, like clouds, and your whole body will a
ppear as a white
form. As you co
n
tinue to concentrate on the four elements in the
1
(8) A.III.II.v.11 (Also called
`Nimitta Sutta'
('Sign Sutta`)
); (9) A.VI.IX.1
`Stibhva Sutta'
('B
e-
coming Cool Sutta`); (10) S.V.II.vi.3 'Enlightenment Fa
c
tors Sutta` also called
`Aggi Sutta'
('Fire
Sutta`)
2
Balancing the five faculties, please see p.
50
ff,
and the en
lightenment factors, please see p.
54
ff
.
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
151
white form, it will eventually become tran
s
parent like a block of
ice or glass.
This transparent materiality is the five sensitivities
(pasda)
,
which we call also the five '
transparent
-
elements`: the body
-
,
eye
-
, ear
-
, nose
-
, and tongue transparent
-
elements. The body
transpa
r
ent
-
element is found throughout the body, in all six
sense
-
bases, which is why your whole body appears transparent.
You see the transparent
-
elements as o
ne transparent form or
block, b
e
cause you have not yet seen through the three kinds of
compactness
(ghana)
: compactness of continuity, of group and of
fun
c
tion.
1
How You See the Rpa
-
kalpas
If you continue to discern the four elements in the transparent
f
orm (or block), it will sparkle and emit light. When you can co
n-
centrate on the four elements in this form (or block) continuously
for at least half an hour, you have reached access concentration.
With the light, discern the space
-
element in the transparen
t form,
by looking for small spaces in it. You will now find that the tran
s-
parent form breaks down into small particles; they are called
rpa
-
kalpas.
2
Having reached this stage, which is purification of
mind
(citta visuddhi)
, you can proceed to develop pu
rific
a
tion of view
(ditthi visuddhi)
, by analysing the rpa
-
kalpas. That is the beginning
of Vipassan medit
a
tion.
(
Benefits of Concentration
)
Before explaining how to develop Vipassan meditation, let us
look at a practical benefit that is to be gained f
rom both the access
co
n
centration that a pure
-
insight yogi has here reached, and the
jhna concentr
a
tion of a Samatha yogi.
1
Regarding compactness of materiality and mentality, please see also Answer 1.3, p.
60
2
Rpa
(materiality) +
kalpa
(group/cluster)
Knowing
and Seeing
152
There is much to discern in Vipassan meditation, and tiredness
will usually occur. When this ha
p
pens,
it is good to take a rest.
There is a simile in the commentary to the
`Dvedhvitakka Sutta'
1
of the
Majjhima Nikya
, which e
x
plains how
a yogi can rest in
jhna. It says that during a battle, sometimes the wa
r
riors feel
tired. The enemy may be strong, and many arrows flying. So the
warriors retreat to their fortress. Inside the fortress they are safe
from the e
n
emy`s arrows and can rest. T
hen, when they feel
strong and powerful again, they leave the fortress and return to
the battle
-
field. Jhna is like a fortress, and can be used as a res
t-
ing
-
place during Vipassan meditation. Pure
-
Vipassan yogis,
who have no jhna, and have started direc
tly with four
-
elements
meditation, can instead use their access concentr
a
tion as a fortress
to rest in. In both cases, the yogi can then return to the
battle
-
field
of V
i
passan clea
r and refreshed. There is thus great benefit in
having a res
t
ing
-
place.
Let us then go back to discussing how you develop Vipa
s
san
meditation, and start with the analysis of rpa
-
kalpas.
Transparent and Opaque Rpa
-
kalpas
Rpa
-
kalpas fall into two grou
ps: transparent rpa
-
kalpas and
opaque ones. Rpa
-
kalpas that contain one of the five transpa
r-
ent
-
elements (eye
-
, ear
-
, nose
-
, tongue
-
or body transparent
-
ele
m
-
ent) are the transparent rpa
-
kalpas. All other rpa
-
kalpas are
opaque.
How You Analyse the
Rpa
-
kalpas
How You See the Four Elements
You should first discern the four elements, earth, water, fire,
and wind, of individual transparent
-
and opaque rpa
-
kalpas.
1
MA.I.ii.9
`Dvedhvitakka Sutta'
('Two Kinds of Thought Sutta`)
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
153
You will find that the rpa
-
kalpas arise and pass away very, very
quickly, and will b
e unable to analyse them, because you still see
them as small part
i
cles with size. Since you have not yet seen
through the three kinds of compac
t
ness, you are still in the realm
of concepts
(pa!!atti)
, and have not arrived at ultimate reality
(p
a-
ramattha)
.
1
It is because you have not seen through the concepts of group
and shape that the particles, the small lumps, remain. If you do
not go any further, but try to do Vipassan by contemplating the
arising and passing away of those small lumps, which are the
rpa
-
kalpas, you will be trying to do Vipassan on concepts.
2
So
you must analyse the rpa
-
kalpas further, until you can see the
elements in single ones: in order to reach ultimate reality.
If, because they arise and pass away very, very quickly, you are
unable to discern the four elements in single rpa
-
kalpas, then
ignore their arising and passing away: just as when meeting
someone you do not want to meet, you would pretend not to see
or notice him. You should in the same way take no notice of the
ari
s
ing and passing away of the rpa
-
kalpas, and concentrate on
only the four elements in single ones. It is possible for you to do
this because of the power of your concentration.
If you are still unsuccessful, you should concentrate on the
earth
-
element alt
ernately in the whole body at once and in a si
n-
gle rpa
-
kalpa. And do the same with the water
-
, fire
-
, and
wind
-
element. You need to discern the four elements in a single
transparent rpa
-
kalpa and a single opaque one.
This is the procedure that we teach
at Pa
-
Auk: you discern the
elements one
-
by
-
one. The Texts explain that one should discern
all the el
e
ments at once, but they were composed by skilled yogis
and also meant for skilled yogis. Because discerning the elements
of materiality is very profound,
the power of Vipassan of begi
n-
ners is usually not yet strong and powerful enough for them to see
1
Compactness of continuity
(santati
-
ghana)
, of group
(samha
-
ghana)
, and of function
(kicca
-
ghana).
For details
about compactness of materiality and menta
l
ity, please see Answer 1.3 p.
60
2
For a discussion of Vipassan on concepts, please see 'Introduction` p.
11
ff
Knowing
and Seeing
154
all the el
e
ments at once. So we teach them to discern the elements
one
-
by
-
one, base
-
by
-
base, from the easiest to the more difficult.
Then, when they have beco
me very skilled in the practice, they
can see all four elements (eight characteristics) in a rpa
-
kalpa at
once.
1
When you have seen the four elements in a single transparent
-
and a single opaque rpa
-
kalpa, it is the end of your Samatha
practice, the e
nd of Purification of Mind
(citta visuddhi)
, and the b
e-
ginning of your Vipassan practice, the beginning of Purification
of View
(ditthi visuddhi)
: you have begun discerning ultimate menta
l-
ity
-
materiality
(nma
-
rpa pariggaha)
and analysing ultimate menta
l-
ity
-
materiality
(nma
-
rpa pariccheda)
. That is how four
-
elements
meditation comprises both Samatha and V
i
passan.
When you have succeeded, discern the four elements in a nu
m-
ber of transparent and opaque rpa
-
kalpas of the six sense
-
bases:
the eye
-
, ear
-
,
nose
-
, tongue
-
, body
-
and heart
-
base in turn.
As mentioned before, transparent and opaque rpa
-
kalpas all
comprise a basic eight elements. You will now have di
s
cerned the
first four, and should go on to discern the remaining four: colour,
odour, flavour,
and nutritive essence.
But before proceeding, let us first discuss the ge
n
eral procedure
for discerning these four elements.
The Dispeller of Delusion
, an Abhidhamma commentary, says:
2
Sabbapi panesa pabheda manadrrikajaraneyera /abbhati.
(
All phenome
na are known by the mind
-
door impu
l
sion
(javana)
3
alone.
)
4
1
Although the yogi has discerned twelve characteristics, he can discern only eight characteristics in
one given rpa kalpa: (1) hardness, (2) roughness, (3) heaviness (
or
(1) softness, (2) smoothness,
(3)
lightness), (4) flowing, (5) cohesion, (6) heat (
or
coldness), (7) supporting, (8) pushing. There are
not opposing characteristics within one rpa kalpa.
2
VbhA.xvi.1
`Ekakaniddesa Vannana'
B766
('One
-
Description Comment`)
3
The actual
knowing
of an object
is performed by seven
javana
co
n
sciousnesses in the mind
-
door
cognitive process, this regardless of the door through which the o
b
ject has arrived. Please see also
'Introduction` p.
10
, and Table 6, p.
213
4
For The Buddha`s explanation of how the mind
-
faculty knows the objects of the other five facu
l-
ties, please see quotation above, p.
8
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
155
The earth
-
, water
-
, fire
-
and wind
-
elements of a rpa
-
kalpa you
knew with mind
-
consciousnesses alone. And you can know, for
example, also the colour, odour, and flavour of a rpa
-
kalpa that
way.
But although it is easy to see colour with a mind
-
conscious
-
ness alone, it is difficult to see odour and flavour that way, b
e-
cause it is a life
-
long habit to use the nose and tongue. Therefore,
until your meditation has become strong and powerful, you use
a
nose
-
or tongue
-
consciousness to help you.
Having now explained the two ways for discerning an object,
we can then look at how you discern the colour, odour, flavour
and n
u
tritive
-
essence in rpa
-
kalpas.
How You See Colour
Colour
(vanna)
is the fifth e
lement to be discerned, is the object of
sight
(rprammana)
, and is found in all rpa
-
kalpas. It is very ea
s-
ily known with a mind
-
consciousness alone, because by seeing
the rpa
-
kalpas you have already seen colour. Colour is always
the colour of somethi
ng, and that something is the four elements.
1
How You See Odour
Odour
(gandha)
is the sixth element to be discerned, is the object
of smell
(gandhrammana)
, and is also found in all rpa
-
kal
pas. B
e-
cause it is a lifelong habit to use the nose to smell wi
th, you will
in the beginning need a nose
-
conscious
ness to help you know
odour with a mind
-
consciousness.
To do this, you need first to discern the materiality that the two
types of consciousness depend on, namely the nose transparent
-
element and opaque h
eart
-
materiality. The nose tran
s
parent
-
ele
-
1
The Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw explains that just as we see the tran
s
parency of a glass by
looking at the glass, so do we see the transparency of a rpa
-
kalpa by discerning the four elements:
they are the 'glass` that possesses the transparency.
Knowing
and Seeing
156
ment is the tenth element of a nose decad
-
kalpa, and heart
mat
e
ri
a
l
ity is the tenth element of a heart decad
-
kalpa.
To find the nose transparent
-
element, first discern the four el
e-
ments in the nose, but be sure
to look at a decad
-
kalpa in the
nose that is of the nose
-
base and not of the body
-
base. Only nose
decad
-
kalpas have the nose transparent
-
element.
Next, to find heart
-
element, you need to discern the bright, l
u-
minous mind
-
door (the bhavanga).
1
It should
be easy to do b
e-
cause you have already discerned the four elements in the tran
s-
parent and opaque rpa
-
kalpas of the six sense
-
bases.
Having now discerned the nose transparent
-
element (the nose
-
door) and the bhavanga (the mind
-
door), you can proceed to di
s-
cern the odour of a rpa
-
kalpa near the nose decad
-
kalpa where
you discerned the transparent
-
element. You will see that the
odour impinges on the nose
-
and mind
-
door at the same time.
How You See Flavour
Flavour
(rasa)
is the seventh element to discern,
is the object of
taste
(gandhrammana)
, and is also found in all rpa
-
kalpas. As with
the nose, you will in the beginning need a tongue
-
co
n
sciousness
to help you know flavour with a mind
-
consciousness. And here
too, you need first to discern the mater
i
a
lity that the two types of
consciousness depend on: the tongue transparent
-
element and
opaque heart
-
materiality. Having done that, you then discern the
flavour of a rpa
-
kalpa. You can take a rpa
-
kalpa from the s
a-
liva on your tongue.
1
To speak of the bha
vanga`s luminosity is to use a metaphor, because it is in fact the luminosity of
the rpa
-
kalpas produced by the bhavanga: consciousness
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas, the temperature
of which produces further bright rpa
-
kalpas. A Samatha
-
Vipassan mind produce
s particularly
bright rpa
-
kalpas because there are no
upakkilesa
(imperfections). For details, please see above
'Consciou
s
ness
-
Produced Materiality` p.
138
.
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
157
How You See Nutriti
ve Essence
Nutritive essence
(oj)
is the eighth element to di
s
cern. It is also
found in all rpa
-
kalpas, and is, as mentioned earlier, of four
types:
1
1.
Kamma
-
produced nutritive
-
essence
................................
...................
(kammaja oj)
2.
Consciousness
2
-
produced nutritive
-
essence
................................
........
(cittaja oj)
3.
Temperature
-
produced nutritive
-
essence
................................
...............
(utuja oj)
4.
Nutriment
-
produced nutritive
-
essence
................................
..............
(hraja oj)
Examine any rpa
-
kalpa, and you will find nutritive essence
from which rpa
-
kalpas are seen to multiply forth again and
again.
Having now discerned th
e eight basic elements that are found in
all rpa
-
kalpas, you should try to discern the remaining three b
a-
sic elements that are found in specific rpa
-
kalpas: the life
-
faculty
-
, sex
-
, and heart
-
element.
3
How You See Life
-
Faculty
-
and Sex
-
element
The life
-
faculty
(jvitindriya)
element sustains only kamma
-
pro
-
duced mat
e
riality, which means it is found only there. Since, as
explained earlier,
4
all transparent rpa
-
kalpas are kamma
-
pro
-
duced, it is easiest for you to discern life
-
faculty first in a tran
s-
1
For an explanation of kamma
-
, consciousness
-
, temp
erature
-
and nutriment
-
produced mater
i
ality,
please see above p.
135
ff
2
According to usage in the Pli Texts,
citta
is usually 'mind`, but som
e
times also 'con
sciousness`,
which means it is sometimes synon
ymous with
vi!!na
(the usual term for 'co
n
sciousness`), as is
the case here (Please see also
S.II.I.vii.1
`Assutav Sutta'
('Unlearned Sutta`))
. Out of respect for the
authority of the Pli Texts, the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Saya
daw remains faithful also t
o the te
r-
minology used in the particular Pli Text, which is why he will often use more than one Pli term for
the same thing: depending on which text he is refe
r
ring to.
3
When discerning odour and flavour, it was the mind
-
door (mentality), not the mind
-
base (materia
l-
ity) that was discerned. The base needs still to be discerned.
4
Please see 'Kamma
-
Produced Materiality` above p.
136
Knowing
and Seeing
158
par
ent rpa
-
kalpa. Discern an eye decad
-
kalpa,
1
and see that
the life
-
faculty element sustains the elements of its own rpa
-
ka
-
lpa only, not the mat
e
riality of others.
Then you need also try to discern the life
-
faculty element in an
opaque rpa
-
kalpa. The
body has three types of opaque rpa
-
kalpa with the life
-
faculty element:
1.
Heart decad
-
kalpas
2
................................
..........................
(hadaya dasaka
-
kalpa)
only in the heart.
2.
Sex decad
-
kalpas
2
................................
...............................
(bhva dasaka
-
kalpa)
throughout the body.
3.
Life no
nad
-
kalpas
2
................................
................................
(jvita navaka
-
kalpa)
throughout the body.
It is easiest first to discern the life
-
faculty element of either a
life nonad
-
kalpa or a sex decad
-
kalpa. To tell the two rpa
-
ka
-
l
pas apart, you
look for the sex
-
element
(bhva rpa)
.
Just now you discerned the life
-
faculty element in a transparent
rpa
-
kalpa of the eye, so look again in the eye and di
s
cern an
opaque rpa
-
kalpa with the life
-
faculty element. Since life
nonad
-
kalpas and sex deca
d
-
kalpas are found in all six sense
-
organs, it will be either one. If it has the sex
-
element, it is a sex
decad
-
kalpa, if not, it is a life nonad
-
kalpa. In that case, discern
a
n
other opaque rpa
-
kalpa until you discern the sex
-
element,
and then look fo
r it in a rpa
-
kalpa of also the ear, nose, tongue,
body and heart.
To discern an opaque rpa
-
kalpa of the heart, you concentrate
again on the bright, luminous mind
-
door, the bhavanga. To see it
very clearly, wiggle your finger, and see the consciou
s
ness
that
wants to wiggle the finger. Then try to discern the rpa
-
kal
pas
that support the bh
a
vanga. You should be able to find them in the
1
Eye
decad
-
kalpa
: (8) the basic eight elements [
1
-
earth
2
-
water
3
-
fire
4
-
win
d
5
-
colour
6
-
odour
7
-
flavour
8
-
nutritive essence] & (9) life
-
faculty & (10) eye transparent
-
element.
2
Heart
decad
-
kalpa
: (8) the basic eight elements [
1
-
earth
2
-
water
3
-
fire
4
-
wind
5
-
colour
6
-
odour
7
-
flavour
8
-
nutritive essence] & (9) life
-
faculty & (10
) heart el
e
ment.
Sex
decad
-
kalpa
: (8) the basic
eight elements & (9) life
-
faculty & (10) sex
-
materiality.
Life
nonad
-
kalpa
: (8) the basic eight el
e-
ments & (9) life
-
faculty. Please see also T
a
bles 2
-
4, p.
171
ff
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
159
lower part of the bhavanga: they are opaque, heart decad
-
kal
-
pas.
1
With this, you have completed the discernment of a
ll the el
e-
ments in rpa
-
kalpas: earth, water, fire, wind, colour, odour, fl
a-
vour, n
u
tritive essence, life
-
faculty and sex
-
materiality. And you
have discerned them in the appropriate transparent and opaque
rpa
-
kalpas in all six sense
-
organs. The next sta
ge in discerning
materiality is to an
a
lyse the materiality of each of the six sense
-
organs: the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and heart, and see the di
f-
ferent types of rpa
-
kalpa there.
2
Y
ou start by analysing just the
two types of transparent
-
element.
How
You
Analyse
Each Sense O
r
gan
How You Analyse the Transparent
-
Elements
Each organ has several kinds of rpa
-
kalpa mixed together.
The eye, ear, nose, and tongue have, for example, two types of
transparent rpa
-
kalpa mixed together like rice
-
and wheat fl
our:
the transparent rpa
-
kalpa of the respective organ and transpa
r-
ent rpa
-
kalpa of the body. The two types of transparent rpa
-
kalpa in, for example, the eye are:
1.
The eye decad
-
kalpa
................................
..........................
(cakkhu dasaka
-
kalpa)
The tenth element is the eye transparent
-
e
lement.
2.
The body decad
-
kalpa
................................
...........................
(kya dasaka
-
kalpa)
T
he tenth element
is
the b
ody transparent
-
element.
1
Heart
decad
-
kalpa
: (8) the basic eight elements [
1
-
earth
2
-
water
3
-
fire
4
-
wind
5
-
colour
6
-
odour
7
-
flavour
8
-
nutritive essence] & (9) life
-
faculty & (10) heart element. Please see also Table 4, p.
173
2
These six sense
-
organs are referred to also as the six 'sense
-
bases`, but since the bases have a
l-
ready been explained as being in fact only the tenth element in the appropriate rpa
-
kalpas, it has
been considered safer to say 'sense
-
o
r
gan` here, referr
ing to the actual physical entity, the eye
-
ball
etc.
Knowing
and Seeing
160
Body decad
-
kalpas are found throughout the six sense
-
organs
(eye, ear, nose
-
, tongue, body and heart), mixed with the decad
-
kalpas there: in the eye mi
xed with the eye decad
-
kalpas, in the
ear mixed with the ear decad
-
kalpas
(sota dasaka
-
kalpa)
etc. Sex de
-
cad
-
kalpas too are found throughout the six sense
-
organs, and
are also mixed with the tran
s
parent rpa
-
kalpas. To see all this,
you need to analy
se the tran
s
parent rpa
-
kal
pas in the five
sense
-
organs, and identify the tran
s
parent
-
element respective to
each (the eye
-
, ear
-
, nose
-
and tongue transparent
-
ele
ment) as
well as the body transpa
r
ent
-
element there.
1.
The eye transparent
-
element
................................
...................
(cakkhu
pasda)
It is sensitive to co
l
our, whereas the body transparent
-
element is
sensitive to touch (tangible objects). This difference allows you to
know which is which. First discern the four elements in the eye to
discern a transparent rpa
-
kalpa, and discer
n that rpa
-
kalpa`s
transparent
-
element. Then look at the colour
-
element of a group of
rpa
-
kalpas some di
s
tance away from the eye. If it impinges on the
transparent
-
element, the tran
s
parent
-
element is an eye
-
transparent
-
element (of an eye decad
-
kalpa).
Otherwise it is a body transpa
r-
ent
-
element (of a body decad
-
ka
lpa).
2.
The body transparent
-
element
................................
....................
(kya pasda)
It is sensitive to touch, to tangible o
b
jects. Tangible objects are the
earth
-
, fire
-
, and wind
-
elements. Again discern a transparent
-
el
e
-
ment
in the eye. Then look at the earth
-
, fire
-
, or wind
-
element of a
group of rpa
-
kalpas nearby. If it impinges on the transparent
-
element, the transparent
-
element is a body transpa
r
ent
-
element (of a
body decad
-
kalpa).
3.
The ear transparent
-
element
................................
.........................
(sota pas
da)
It is sensitive to sound. Discern a transparent
-
element in the ear.
Then listen. If a sound impinges on the transparent
-
element, the
transparent
-
element is an ear transpa
r
ent
-
element (of an ear decad
-
kalpa). Then discern the body transparent
-
element
as you did in
the eye.
4.
The nose transparent
-
element
................................
..................
(ghna pasda)
It is sensitive to odour. Discern a transparent
-
element in the nose.
Then smell the odour of a group of rpa
-
kalpas nearby. If it i
m-
pinges on the transparent
-
element, the transparent
-
elem
ent is a nose
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
161
transparent
-
element (of a nose decad
-
kalpa). Di
s
cern the body
decad
-
kalpa as you did in the eye and ear.
5.
The tongue transparent
-
element
................................
...............
(jivh pasda)
It is sensitive to taste. Discern a transpa
r
ent
-
element in the tongue.
Then taste the fl
avour of a group of rpa
-
kalpas nearby. If it i
m-
pinges on the transparent
-
element, the transparent
-
element is a
tongue transparent
-
element (of a tongue decad
-
kalpa). Di
s
cern the
body decad
-
kalpa as you did in the eye, ear and nose.
Once you have analys
ed the two types of transpa
r
ent
-
element in
each of the five sense
-
organs, you need also to see that the body
transparent
-
element (in body decad
-
kalpas) is found in also the
heart, and that also the opaque sex
-
element (in sex decad
-
kalpas)
is found in all
six sense
-
organs.
Having done that, you will have analysed all five types of tran
s-
parent element,
1
and two of the six types of opaque element.
Now you need to analyse the remaining opaque elements in each
sense
-
o
r
gan.
Fifty
-
Four Elements in the Eye
So f
ar, we have discussed three basic types of rpa
-
kalpa:
1.
The decad
-
kalpas of each of the six sense
-
organs
(the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and heart).
2.
The life nonad
-
kalpas.
3.
The octad
-
kalpas.
The eye, ear, nose, tongue, and heart co
m
prise, as we h
ave now
seen, a seven types of rpa
-
kalpa, with altogether sixty
-
three
elements.
2
But when analysing the
materiality of each sense
-
1
(1)
eye
-
,
(2)
ear
-
,
(3)
nose
-
,
(4)
tongue
-
,
(5)
body transparent
-
element;
(1)
heart
-
,
(2)
sex
-
,
(3)
life
-
faculty
-
,
(4)
consciousness
-
produced
-
,
(5)
temperature
-
produced
-
,
(6)
nutriment
-
produced materia
l
ity.
2
Taking the eye as example:
(1)
eye decad
-
kalpas (ten elements);
(2)
body decad
-
kalpas (ten el
e-
ments);
(3)
sex decad
-
kalpas (ten elements);
(4)
life nonad
-
kalpas (nine elements);
(5)
consciou
s-
ness
-
produced octad
-
kalpas (eight elements);
(6)
tem
perature
-
produced octad
-
kalpas (eight el
e-
ments);
(7)
nutriment
-
produced octad
-
kalpas (eight elements) (10 + 10 + 10 + 9 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 63
Please see further next page
Knowing
and Seeing
162
organ, the Pl i Texts say you should
look at only six types of
rpa
-
kalpa (not the life nonad
-
kalpas): you should conce
n
tr
ate
on only fifty
-
four types of materiality (63
-
9 = 54).
1
The life
nonad
-
kalpas you discern in a
n
other way later. And since one of
the six types of rpa
-
kalpa is (as you just saw) the body de
cad
-
ka
lpa, when you analyse the materiality of the body it
self (ou
t-
side the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and heart), you can an
a
lyse only
five types of rpa
-
kalpa, only forty
-
four types of materiality (54
- 10 = 44).
Let us then look at the said fifty
-
four types of materiality of, for
e
x
ample, the eye. The six types
of rpa
-
kalpa in the eye are first
the three types of rpa
-
kalpa you just discerned and analysed, a
l-
together thirty types of mat
e
riality:
1.
The eye decad
-
kalpa
2
................................
...................
(cakkhu dasaka
-
kalpa)
It is sensitive to co
l
our, is transparent, and produced by kamma.
2.
The
body decad
-
kalpa
2
................................
....................
(
kya dasaka
-
kalpa
)
I
t is sensitive to tangible objects
(
earth
-
, fire
-
, and wind
-
elements),
is transparent, and pr
o
duced by kamma.
3.
The sex decad
-
kalpa
2
................................
....................
(bhva dasaka
-
kalpa)
It is opaque, and produced by kamma.
And then there are three more types of rpa
-
kalpa, with eight
types of materiality each, altogether twenty
-
four (3 x 8 = 24).
They are the three types of nutritive
-
essence o
c
tad
-
kalpas
, which
are opaque:
elements) The same equation applies for the ear, nose, tongue, and heart. The body has only (63
-
10) fifty
-
three el
e
ments.
1
The life nonad
-
kalpas are included in only the analysis of what is called the forty
-
two parts of the
body (Vs.xviii. 'Mentality
-
materiality Definition Explanation` B664/6). Only then (fo
l
lowing the
Texts) does the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw
instruct the yogi to discern the life nonad
-
kalpas. Ne
v
ertheless, the yogi can, if he so wishes, include them at this point.
2
Eye
decad
-
kalpa
: (8) the basic eight elements [
1
-
earth
2
-
water
3
-
fire
4
-
wind
5
-
colour
6
-
odour
7
-
flavour
8
-
nutritive essence]
& (9) life
-
faculty & (10) eye transpa
r
ent
-
element.
Body
decad
-
kalpa
:
(8) the basic eight elements & (9) life
-
faculty & (10) body transpa
r
ent
-
element.
Sex
decad
-
kalpa
:
(8) the basic eight elements & (9) life
-
faculty & (10) sex
-
materiality.
Nutritive
-
essen
ce
octa
d
-
kalpas
: (8) the basic eight elements, which includes nutritive essence as the eighth. Please see also
T
a
ble 2, p.
171
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
163
4.
The consciousness
-
produced kalpa
................
(ci
t
taja
ojatthamaka
-
kalpa)
5.
The temperature
-
produced kalpa
.......................
(utuja
ojatth
amaka
-
kalpa)
6.
The nutriment
-
produced kalpa
.......................
(hraja
ojatth
amaka
-
kalpa)
The first three types of rpa
-
kalpa (the decad
-
kal
pas) are
kam
ma
-
produced, whereas the last three types of rpa
-
kalpa (o
c-
tad kalpas) are either temperature
-
, consciousness
-
, or nutriment
-
produced. As discussed in the beginning of this talk, there are
four origins of mat
e
riality.
1
Since you have by no
w discerned the
kamma
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas, we will discuss how to di
s
cern
which type of octad kalpa is which.
How You See Consciousness
-
Produced Materiality
As also mentioned in the introduction,
2
every single consciou
s-
nes
s that arises dependent on h
eart
-
materiality (apart from the r
e-
birth
-
linking consciousness) produces a great number of con
sci
-
ou
s
ness
-
produced nutritive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas
(cittaja
ojatth
a
maka
-
kalpa)
. They are opaque and spread throughout the body.
That is why, if you concentr
ate on the bhavanga, you will see
many co
n
sciousnesses dependent on heart
-
materiality producing
rpa
-
kalpas. If it is not clear, concentrate again on the bh
a
vanga,
and again wiggle one of your fingers. You will then see a large
number of rpa
-
kalpas bein
g produced because the mind wants
to wi
g
gle the finger. And you will see that such rpa kalpas can
arise anywhere in the body.
1
For a brief discussion of the four origins of materiality (kamma, consciousness
, temperature and
nutriment) please see above p.
135
ff
2
For a brief discussion (with examples) of consciousness
-
produced materiality, please see above
p.
138
ff
Knowing
and Seeing
164
How You See Temperature
~
Produced Materiality
As mentioned in the introduction,
1
the fire
-
element
(tejo)
is also
called 'temperat
ure`
(
utu
)
, and is found in all rpa
-
kalpas. The
fire
-
element of all rpa
-
kalpas produces temperature
-
produced
nutritive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas
(utuja
ojatth
amaka
-
kalpa)
. They the
m-
selves contain the fire
-
element, which produces further temper
a-
ture
-
produc
ed nutritive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas. You need to see
that this process takes place in all the types of rpa
-
kalpa in each
sense
-
organ.
First discern the fire
-
element in, for example, an eye
-
decad
-
kalpa. Then see that it produces temperature
-
produced nutri
tive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas: that is the first gener
a
tion. Then discern
the fire
-
element in a rpa
-
kalpa of that first generation of te
m-
perature
-
produced nutritive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas, and see that it
too reproduces: that is the second gener
a
tion. In thi
s way, see that
the temperature in the eye decad
-
kalpa (which is itself kamma
-
produ
ced)
2
reproduces through four or five generations.
3
You need to see that this process takes place for each type of
rpa
-
kalpa in each sense
-
organ, and need yourself to s
ee how
many generations of temperature
-
produced nutritive
-
essence o
c-
tad
-
kalpas each type of rpa
-
kalpa produces.
How You See Nutriment
-
Produced Materiality
As mentioned above,
4
four parts of the body, namely, und
i-
gested food, digested food (faeces), pus
, and urine, are nothing
but inanimate temperature
-
produced nutr
i
tive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas
(utuja
ojatth
amaka
-
kalpa)
. And the body`s digestive heat
1
For a brief discussion (with examples) of temperature
-
produced materiality, please see above
p.
139
ff
2
For a brief discussion (with examples) of kamma
-
produced materiality, please see above p.
136
ff
3
The fire
-
element
(tejo)
of a kamma
-
produced
(kammaja)
rpa
-
kalpa produces temper
a
ture
-
produced
(utuja)
rpa
-
kalpas through five generations:
kammajat
1
st
utuja
t
2
nd
utu
ja
t
3
rd
utuja
t
4
th
utuja
t
5
th
utuja
4
For a brief discussion (with examples) of nutriment
-
produced materiality, please see above p.
140
ff
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
165
(which is most powerful in the al
i
mentary canal) is just the fire
-
element of life nonad
-
kalpas
(jvita na
vaka
-
kalpa)
, which are
kamma
-
produced.
1
When the nutritive essence of the temperature
-
produced nutr
i-
tive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas meets with the digestive heat, further
materiality is produced
, namely, nutriment
-
produced nutritive
-
essence o
c
tad
-
kalpas
(
h
raja
ojatth
amaka
-
k
a
l
pa
)
. They have them
-
selves nutritive
-
essence (nutriment
-
pro
du
ced nutritive essence
(
hraja
oj)
) which reproduces in the same way through many ge
n-
erations.
Nutriment taken in one day repr
o
duces like this for up to
a week, during
which time it also su
p
ports the nutritive essence in
kamma
-
, consciousness
-
, and te
m
perature
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas,
as well as preceding nutriment
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas.
2
Divine
nutriment r
e
produces
for up to one or two months.
To see these things you med
itate when eating. At that time the
nutriment
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas can be seen to spread throug
h-
out the body, from the entire alimentary canal: the mouth, the
throat, the stomach, and the intestines. First you di
s
cern the four
elements in the newly eaten
food in those places, and see the
rpa
-
kalpas there. Continue to look until you see that when
the
dige
s
tive heat (the fire
-
element of the life nonad
-
kalpas) meets
the nutritive essence of the newly eaten food (temperature
-
produ
-
ced nutritive
-
essence o
c
ta
d
-
kalpas), many generations of nutri
-
ment
-
produced nutritive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas are produced,
which spread throughout the body. See that they are opaque, and
contain the eight types of materiality.
You can also see these
things after you have eaten, in
which case you analyse the und
i-
gested food in the stomach and inte
s
tines.
Next, you need to discern these
nutri
ment
-
produced nutritive
-
essence o
c
tad
-
kalpas
as they spread out through the body, and
reach, for example, the eye. Discern the eight types of
materiality
in them there, and see that their nutritive e
s
sence is nutriment
-
produced nutritive essence. Then see what happens when it meets
1
For a brief discussion (with examples) of kamma
-
produced material
ity, please see above p.
136
ff
2
preceding nutriment
-
produced rpa
-
kalpas
please see below p.
166
.
Knowing
and Seeing
166
the kamma
-
produced nutritive e
s
sence of the eye decad
-
kalpas:
together with the digestive heat, it causes the nut
ritive essence of
the eye decad
-
kalpas
(cakkhu dasaka kalpa)
to produce four or five
generations of n
u
triment
-
produced nutritive
-
essence octad
kalpas.
1
The number of generations produced depends on the
strength of both the nutritive e
s
sences.
Again, in
those four or five generations of rpa
-
kalpas, there is
temperature. Try again to discern that at its standing phase it too
reproduces through many ge
n
erations.
Try also to discern that when the nutriment
-
produ
ced nutr
i
tive
essence meets the nutritive es
sence of the eye`s kamma
-
produced
body
-
and sex decad
-
kalpas, four or five generations of nutr
i-
ment
-
produced nutritive
-
essence octad kalpas are produced. In
also these many generations, the temperature reproduces through
many ge
n
erations.
Furthermore, wh
en the nutriment
-
produ
ced nutr
i
tive essence
meets the nutritive essence of the eye`s consciousness
-
produced
nutritive
-
essence octad
-
kalpa
(cittaja
ojatth
amaka
-
kalpa)
two or three
generations of nutriment
-
produced nutr
i
tive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas are prod
uced, and in also these generations, the temper
a-
ture reproduces through many generations.
And again, there are two types of nutriment
-
produced nutritive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas: preceding and succeeding.
When the preceding nutriment
-
produced nutritive
-
essenc
e
meets the succeeding nutritive
-
essence of nutriment
-
produced n
u-
tritive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas and the digestive heat, ten to twelve
generations of nutriment
-
produced nutritive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas are produced: the temperature also there reproduces
throu
gh many generations.
In every case, the nutritive essence of any rpa
-
kalpa (pr
o-
duced by either kamma, consciousness, temperature or nutriment)
reproduces only when it is supported by digestive heat.
1
The nutriment
-
produced nutritive
-
essence and digestive
heat are the supporting cause, and the n
u-
tritive
-
essence of the eye decad
-
kalpas is the generating cause.
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
167
Having discerned all the types of nutritive
-
essence oct
ad kal
-
pas in the eye, how they reproduce, and how the elements in the
rpa
-
kalpas that they produce also reproduce, you will have di
s-
cerned all fifty
-
four types of element in the eye. You should then
do the same for all the types of element in the remai
ning five
sense
-
organs: the ear, nose, tongue, body and heart.
Summary
Today, we have discussed very briefly how to analyse rpa
-
ka
-
l
pas, but the actual practice involves much more. For example,
the so
-
called detailed method, involves analy
s
ing what are
called
the forty
-
two parts of the body mentioned in the
`Dhtuvi
b
hanga
Sutta'
of the
Majjhima Nikya
: twenty earth
-
element parts,
twelve water
-
element parts, four aspects of the fire
-
element, and
six aspects of the wind
-
element.
1
If you wish to know how to
d
e-
velop this, you should approach a proper teacher. By practising
systematically, you will gradually become proficient in the di
s-
cernment of rpa
-
kalpas, which are produced by the four causes:
kamma, consciousness, temperature, and nutriment.
With the c
omplete discernment of materiality, you will have
fi
n
ished the first part of the first insight
-
knowledge, the Know
l-
edge of Analysing Men
tality
-
Materi
ality
(nma
-
rpa pari
c
cheda !na)
.
We shall summarize the discernment of materiality
(
rpaka
m-
matthna
)
:
x
T
o see the rpa
-
kalpas, you must develop concentration up
to access concentration by concentrating on the four el
e-
ments: earth, w
a
ter, fire, and wind.
x
When you can see the rpa
-
kalpas, you must analyse them
to see all the elements in single rpa
-
kalpas,
for exa
m
ple: in
one eye decad
-
kalpa, you must see earth, water, fire, wind,
co
l
our, odour, flavour, nutritive
-
essence, life
-
faculty, and eye
transpa
r
ent
-
ele
ment.
1
M.III.iv.10
`Dhtuvibhanga Sutta'
'Elements Analysis Sutta`
Knowing
and Seeing
168
x
With the brief method you must discern fifty
-
four of the el
e-
ments in one sense
-
organ, and th
en do the same for the r
e-
maining five sense
-
organs.
x
With the detailed method you must discern all the types of
mat
e
riality in all forty
-
two parts of the body.
When you have completed the discernment of materiality
(
rpakammatthna
)
, you will be skilful en
ough to see all the elements
of all six sense
-
organs at a glance, and see also all forty
-
two parts
of the body at a glance. This was what you were aiming at as you
progressed through the meditation, going from element to el
e-
ment, and then from sense
-
organ
to sense
-
organ: from the easier
to the more di
f
ficult.
It is like looking at ten banisters that support a hand
-
rail. We
may look at them individually, as one, two, three, four etc. up to
ten, and we may look at all ten at once, at a glance. When you are
ab
le to see all types of element at a glance, they become your o
b-
ject for Vipassan: you see all the elements as impermanence,
suffering and non
-
self.
1
But if, even after completing the di
s-
cernment of materiality, you are still unable to see them all at a
gl
ance, you take them individually, one
-
by
-
one, do it again and
again, and try to see them all at a glance.
2
This completes our discussion of the discernment of materiality
(
rpakammatthna
)
. In the next talk we shall discuss how to discern
menta
l
ity
(nma
ka
mmatthna
)
.
1
For details, please see 'Knowledge of Comprehension`, p.
256
.
2
There are two ways of discerning: As a group
(kalpa sammsana)
and one
-
by
-
one
(an
u
pada)
.
Please see Vs.xx
B606 `Maggmagga nadassana Visuddhi Niddesa'
('Description of P
u
rification
by Knowledge and V
i
sion of What Is the Path, and
What Is Not the Path` 704). Please see also e.g.
M.III.ii.1
`Anupada Sutta'
('One
-
by
-
One Sutta`
)
, mentioned below at Answer 4.6, p.
186
ff
.
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
169
Table 1:
The Twenty
-
Eight Material Elements
At the end of discernment of materiality, the yogi will have e
x-
amined the eighteen types of real materia
l
ity and nine of the ten
types of not
-
real materiality.
1
The eighteen types of real materia
l
ity are:
Four Great Elements
(mah bhta)
:
T
o
tal
1.
Earth
-
element
................................
.......................
(
pathav
-
dhtu
)
2.
Water
-
element
................................
............................
(
po
-
dhtu
)
3.
Fire
-
element
................................
................................
(
tejo
-
dhtu
)
4.
Wind
-
element
................................
...........................
(
vyo
-
dhtu
)
4
Five Types of Transparent Materiality
(
pasda rpa
)
:
1.
Eye transparent
-
element
................................
.
(
cakkhu pasda
)
2.
E
ar transparent
-
element
................................
.......
(sota pasda)
3.
Nose transparent
-
element
................................
.
(ghna pasda)
4.
Tongue transparent
-
element
..............................
(jivh pasda)
5.
Body transparent
-
element
................................
..
(kya pasda)
5
Four Types of Sense
-
field Materiality
(gocara rpa)
:
1.
Colour
................................
................................
....................
(vanna)
2.
Sound
................................
................................
.....................
(sadda)
3.
Odour
................................
................................
..................
(gandha
)
4.
Flavour
................................
................................
....................
(rasa)
4
Nutritive essence
................................
................................
..............
(oj)
1
Life
-
faculty
................................
................................
............
(jvitindriya)
1
Heart
-
materiality
................................
.............................
(hadaya
-
rpa)
1
Two Types of Sex
-
materiality
(
bhva
-
rpa
)
:
1.
Male sex
-
materiality
................................
...
(
purisa bhva
-
rpa
)
2.
Female sex
-
materiality
................................
..
(itthi bhva
-
rpa)
2
18
The ten ty
pes of not
-
real materiality are:
1
They yogi will not have examined Growth of Real Materiality beca
use it refers only to the initial
generation of materiality in one life. It brings to completion the faculties of the foetus in the womb.
This materiality the yogi discerns first when he discerns dependent origination. Please see below
p.
229
ff
Knowing
and Seeing
170
1.
Space
-
element
................................
...........................
(ksa
-
dhtu)
2.
Bodily Intimation
................................
.....................
(kyavi!!atti)
3.
Verbal Intimation
................................
....................
(vacvi!!atti)
4.
Lightness of Real Materiality
1
................................
......
(lahut)
5.
Softness of Real Materiality
1
................................
.......
(mudut)
6.
Wieldiness of Real Materiality
1
..........................
(kamma!!at)
7.
Growth of Real Materiality
................................
.........
(upacaya)
8.
Continuity of Real Materiality
................................
......
(santati)
9.
Ageing of Real Materiality
................................
..............
(jarat)
10.
Impe
r
manence of Real Materiality
..........................
(aniccat)
1
These exist only in consciousness
-
, temperature
-
, and nutriment
-
produced materiality.
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
171
Ta
ble
2:
The Basic Elements of the Eye
a
(3 types of decad
-
kalpa [3 x 10 = 30]+ nonad kalpas [9] + 3 types of octad
-
kalpa[3 x 8= 24] = [63 el
e
ments])
type
EYE DECAD
-
KALPA
b
BODY DECAD
-
KALPA
b
SEX DECAD
-
KALPA
b
qaa
/
ity
transparent
transparent
opaque
ari
gin
kamma
kamma
kamma
praperty
c
sensitive to light
c
sensitive to touch
c
(earth, fire,and wind)
determ
i
native of sex
c
1
earth
earth
earth
2
water
water
water
3
fire
fire
fire
4
wind
wind
wind
5
colour
colour
colour
6
odour
odour
odour
7
flavour
fla
vour
flavour
8
nutritive essence
nutritive e
s
sence
nutritive e
s
sence
9
life
-
faculty
life
-
faculty
life
-
faculty
10
d
eye transparent
-
el
e
ment
d
body transparent
-
l
e
ment
d
sex
-
element
d
a.
With due changes, please read the same for the ear, nose and tongue. For
the body and heart,
please see Tables 3 and 4.
b.
For the ear, nose and tongue, please read
EAR DECAD
-
KALPA
,
NOSE DECAD
-
KALPA
and
TONGUE DECAD
-
KALPA
respe
c
tively.
c.
For the ear
-
, nose
-
and tongue
-
door, please read sound, odour, and flavour respe
c
tively.
d.
F
or the ear
-
, nose
-
and tongue
-
door, please read ear
-
, nose
-
and tongue tran
s
parent
-
element
r
e
spectively.
+
type
LIFE NONAD
-
KAL
PA
OCTAD-KAL
PA
qaa
/
ity
opaque
opaque
opaque
opaque
ar
i
gin
kamma
consciousness
temperature
nutr
i
ment
1
earth
earth
earth
ea
rth
2
water
water
water
water
3
fire
fire
fire
fire
4
wind
wind
wind
wind
5
colour
colour
colour
colour
6
odour
odour
odour
odour
7
flavour
flavour
flavour
flavour
8
nutritive essence
nutritive essence
nutritive e
s
sence
nutritive e
s
sence
9
life
-
fac
ulty
The life nonad
-
, and octad
-
kalpas are the same throughout the six sense
-
organs.
Knowing
and Seeing
172
Table 3:
The Basic Elements of the Body
(2 types of decad
-
kalpa [2 x 10 = 20] + nonad kalpas [9] + 3 types of octad
-
kalpa [3 x 8= 24] = 53 el
e
ments)
"#$%!
BODY DEC
AD
-
KALPA
SEX DECAD
-
KALPA
qaa/ity
transparent
opaque
arigin
kamma
kamma
praperty
sensitive to touch
(earth, fire,and wind)
determinative of sex
1
earth
earth
2
water
water
3
fire
fire
4
wind
wind
5
colour
colour
6
odour
odour
7
flavour
flavour
8
nutritive essence
nutritive essence
9
life
-
faculty
life
-
faculty
10
body transparent
-
element
sex
-
element
These two types of decad
-
kalpa are found in all six sense
-
organs.
+
type
LIFE NONAD
-
KAL
PA
OCTAD-KAL
PA
qaa
/
ity
opaque
opaque
opaque
opaque
ar
i
gin
kamma
co
n
sciousness
temperature
nutr
i
ment
1
earth
earth
earth
earth
2
water
water
water
water
3
fire
fire
fire
fire
4
wind
wind
wind
wind
5
colour
colour
colour
colour
6
odour
odour
odour
odour
7
flavour
flavour
flavour
flavour
8
nutritive e
ssence
nutritive e
s
sence
nutritive e
s
sence
nutritive e
s
sence
9
life
-
faculty
The life nonad
-
, and octad
-
kalpas are the same throughout the six sense
-
organs.
4
-
How You Discern Materiality
173
Table 4:
The Basic Elements of the Heart
(3 types of decad
-
kalpa [3 x 10 = 30] + nonad kal
pas [9] + 3 types of octad
-
kalpa [3 x 8= 24] = 63 elements)
type
HEART DECAD
-
KALPA
a
BODY DECAD
-
KALPA
a
SEX DECAD
-
KALPA
a
qaa
/
ity
opaque
transparent
opaque
arigin
kamma
kamma
kamma
praperty
supporting the mind
-
and mind
-
consciousness
el
e
ment
sensiti
ve to touch
(earth, fire,and wind)
determinative of sex
1
earth
earth
earth
2
water
water
water
3
fire
fire
fire
4
wind
wind
wind
5
colour
colour
colour
6
odour
odour
odour
7
flavour
flavour
flavour
8
nutritive essence
nutritive e
s
sence
nutritive
e
s
sence
9
life
-
faculty
life
-
faculty
life
-
faculty
10
heart
-
element
body transparent
-
el
e
ment
sex
-
element
a
Eye
-
, ear
-
, nose
-
, tongue
-
and body
-
consciousnesses arise dependent upon the transpa
r
ent, tenth
element (the door) of re
spectively the eye
-
, ear
-
, nose
-
, tongue
-
and body decad
-
kalpas, where
as all
other consciousnesses (which comprise the mind element and mind
-
consciousness element) arise
dependent upon the opaque, tenth element of heart decad
-
kalpas. Please see also p.
133
ff
+
type
LIFE NONAD
-
KAL
PA
OCTAD-KAL
PA
qaa
/
ity
opaque
opaque
opaque
opaque
ar
i
gin
kamma
consciou
s
ness
temperature
nutr
i
ment
1
earth
earth
earth
earth
2
water
water
water
water
3
fire
fire
fire
fire
4
wind
wind
wind
wind
5
colour
colour
colour
colour
6
odour
odour
odour
odour
7
flavour
flavour
flavour
flavour
8
nutritive e
s
sence
nutritive e
s
sence
nutritive e
s
sence
nutritive e
s
sence
9
life
-
faculty
The life
-
nonad
-
, and octad kalpas are the same throughout the six sens
e
-
organs.
Knowing
and Seeing
174
175
Questions and Answers 4
Question 4.1
Is a
bodhisatta, including Arimetteyya Bodhisatta, a
worldling
(puthujjana)
? If Arimetteyya Bodhisatta is a worldling like
us, then at the time for him to come down to b
e
come Metteyya
Buddha, what is the difference between the co
n
dit
ions for him to
become a Bu
d
dha and for us?
1
Answer 4.1
The difference is that his pram s have matured, as they
had for our Sakyamuni Buddha as the
bodhisatta
Prince Siddha
t-
tha. Such bodhisattas will for many lives have been cultivating
their pram s. There are ten pr
am s:
1.
Generosity
................................
................................
................................
.......
(dna)
2.
Virtue
................................
................................
................................
..................
(sla)
3.
Renunciation
................................
................................
.......................
(nekkhamma)
4.
Wi
s
dom
................................
................................
................................
..........
(pa!!)
5.
Energy
................................
................................
................................
.............
(vriya)
6.
Patience
................................
................................
................................
..........
(
khant)
7.
Truthfulness
................................
................................
................................
..
(sacca)
8.
Resolution
................................
................................
.............................
(adhitthna)
9.
Lovingkindness
................................
................................
...........................
(mett)
10.
Equanimity
................................
................................
................................
(upekkh)
When these ten pram s are mature, they push the bod
hisatta to
renounce the world, even though he is enjoying sensual pleasures.
In his last life, a
bodhi
satta marries and has a son; this is a law of
nature. We forget the names of Metteyya Bodh
i
satta`s wife and
son. According to
the Thera
vda Tipi
aka, it is his last life, b
e-
cause no arahant, including The Buddha, is r
e
born after his
Parinibbna. His Parinibbna is the end of his round of rebirths.
He will not be reborn an
y
where.
2
Take our Sakyamuni Bodhisatta: in his last life,
before his en
-
lightenment, he was a worldling. How? When he was si
x
teen
1
The Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw`s audience was almost only Bu
d
dhists of the Mahyana
tradition, for whom the goal is not arahantshi
p but Buddh
a
hood.
2
Please see also The Buddha`s words quoted below p.
222
.
Knowing
and Seeing
176
years old, he became prince Siddhattha and married princess
Yasodhar. They had a son.
He enjoyed sensual plea
s
ures for
more than
thirteen years. He did not have five hundred female
deities on his left, and five hundred female deities on his right,
but was surrounded by twenty thousand princesses. This is
km
a-
sukhallikanuyogo
: enjoyment of sensual pleasures, indulgence in
sensual pl
ea
s
ures.
After he had renounced those sensual pleasures, he practised
self
-
mortification in the Uruvela forest. After six years of that f
u-
tile practice, he abandoned it, practised the middle way, and b
e-
fore long attained enlightenment. After His enligh
t
enm
ent, in His
first sermon, the
`Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta'
, He declared:
1
Kmesa kmasakha//ikanayaga
hna, gamma, path
a
jjanika, anariya, anatthasamhita
.
(
This enjoyment of sensual pleasur
es is inferior
(hno)
,
the practice of villagers
(gammo)
, the practice of worldlings
(puth
u
jjaniko)
.
It is the pra
c
tice of unenlightened ones
(anariyo)
.
It is unbeneficial
(ana
t
thasamhito)
.
)
This means that the enjoyment of sensual pleasures is not the
practice of enlightened ones. And sensual pleasures are unben
e-
ficial because although they provide mundane benefit such as
human ha
p
piness, deva happiness and brahma happiness, they do
not provide the supramundane benefit that is Nibbna happiness,
which
can be enjoyed only by Path
-
and Fruition Knowledge.
So, in His first sermon The Buddha declared that anyone who
enjoys sensual pleasures is a worldling. When he was still a b
o-
dhisatta, he too had enjoyed sensual pleasures, that is, with
Yasodhar in the
palace. At that time, he too was a worldling, b
e-
cause enjoyment of sensual pleasures is the practice of a worl
d-
ling.
This is not only for our bodhisatta, but for every bodhisatta.
There may be many bodhisattas here among the present audience.
1
S.V.XII.ii.1 'Dhamma
-
Wheel Rolling Sutta`
Questions and Answers 4
177
You should co
nsider this car
e
fully: are the bodhisattas here
world
lings
(
puthujjana)
or noble ones
(ariya)
? We think you may
know the a
n
swer.
Question 4.2
After finishing the meditation course, can a yogi attain
Path
(magga !na)
and Fruition Knowledges
(phala !na)
and? If not,
why not?
Answer 4.2
Maybe he can; it depends on his pram s. Take, for e
x-
ample, the case of Bhiya Druciriya.
1
He practised Samatha
-
Vipassan up to the Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Form
a-
tions
(sankhrupekkh !na)
in the time of Kassapa Bu
ddha`s dispen
-
sation. He had about twenty thousand years of practice, but did
not attain any Path and Fruition Knowledges, because he had r
e-
ceived a definite prophecy from Padumuttara Buddha. It was that
he was to be the
khippbhi!!a
, the quickest to attai
n arahantship
in Sakyamuni`s dispensation. Hence, his pram s would m
a
ture
only then.
2
In the same way, other disciples
(svaka)
, who attained
the Four Analytical Knowledges
(pa
isam
bhid !na)
in this Saky
a-
muni Buddha`s di
s
pensation, had also practised S
amatha
-
Vipas
-
san up to the Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Formations in
the dispensation of previous Buddhas; this is a law of nature. The
four analytical knowledges they a
t
tained are:
1.
The analytical knowledge
of meaning
................................
................................
......
(attha patisambhid !na)
The i
nsight
-
knowledge of effect, which is the Noble Truth of Su
f-
fering.
2.
The analytical knowledge
of dhamma
................................
................................
(dhamma patisam
bhid !na)
The insight
-
knowledge of cause, which is the No
ble Truth of the
Cause for Suffe
r
ing.
3.
The analytical knowledge
of enunciatio
n of language
................................
.....
(nirutti patisambhid !na)
Knowledge of grammar, espe
cially Pl i gra
m
mar.
1
Apadna.II.liv.6 (&A.)
`Bhiyatthera Apadna'
(Bhiyatthera`s Heroic Deed`)
2
AA.I.XIV
.iii
`Bhiya Drucriyattheravatthu'B216
(The Case of Bhiya Drucriyatthera`)
Knowing
and Seeing
178
4.
The analytical knowledge
of the kinds of knowledge
...............................
(pa
t
ibhna pa
t
isambhid !na)
The insight
-
knowledge that knows the above three analytical know
-
l
edges.
There are
five causes for attaining these four analytical know
l-
edges:
1
1.
Achievement
................................
................................
..........................
(adhigama)
T
he attainment of the Arahant Path and Fruition, or any other Path
and Fru
i
tion.
2.
Mastery of scriptures
................................
................................
............
(pariyatti)
L
earning the Dhamma scri
p
tures.
3.
Hearing
................................
................................
................................
.........
(
savana
)
L
isten
ing to Dhamma explanations atte
n
tively and respectfully.
4.
Inquiry
................................
................................
................................
....
(
paripuccha
)
D
iscussing the difficult passages and explanations in the texts and
co
m
mentaries.
5.
Prior effort
................................
................................
............................
(
pubbayoga)
T
he practice of Samatha
-
Vipassan up to the Knowledge of
Equanimity To
wards Formations
(
sankhrupekkh
!n
a
)
during the
dispensations of fo
r
mer Buddhas.
If those who practise in this dispensation do not attain
Nibbna,
it is because their pram s have not yet matured. The reason may
also be tha
t they have received a definite prophecy from a prev
i-
ous Buddha, or have made an aspir
a
tion to escape from the round
of rebirths
(samsra)
in a future di
s
pensation such as Arimetteyya
Buddha`s. For e
x
ample, there were two thousand bhikkhun s, all
ordinary
arahants, who a
t
tained Parinibbna on the same day as
Yasodhar. They had, du
r
ing D pan
kara Buddha`s time, made an
aspiration to escape from the round of rebirths
(samsra)
in the di
s-
pensation of Sakyamuni Buddha, which would be four incalc
u-
lables and one
hundred thousand aeons later. To become an ord
i-
nary arahant does not r
e
quire that one cultivate one`s prmis for
1
Vs.xiv
`Pa!!pabhedakath'!
B429!
('How Many Kinds of Understanding Are There? [`s t
i
tle]`
28)
Questions and Answers 4
179
that long, but these two thousand bhikkhunis had r
e
mained in the
round of rebirths for that long period because of their aspiration
only, not
because of a definite prop
h
ecy.
Question 4.3
A yogi who has finished the meditation course, but not
yet attained the Path Knowledge
(magga!na)
and Fruition Know
l-
edge
(phala!na)
, if his concentration drops, will his insight
-
know
-
ledge also drop? Can he
be reborn in a wo
e
ful state
(apya)
?
Answer 4.3
Maybe his insight
-
knowledge will also drop, but it is
very rare. If he does not practise for a long time, his Samatha
-
Vi
-
passan may slowly weaken. The force of kamma, however, r
e-
mains as latent e
n
ergy.
There
is an example of this in the Pl i Texts.
1
It takes place in
Sri Lanka. Some thirty bhikkhus and novices
(smaneras)
had paid
homage at the Great Shrine at Kalyn , and as they were coming
down the fo
r
est track on to the main road, they saw a man coming
in
the opposite direction. He had been working in a cha
r
coal
burner`s field b
e
side the road; his body was smeared with ashes,
and the si
n
gle yellow loin
-
cloth he wore hitched up was also
smeared with ashes, so that he seemed like a charcoal stump.
Having don
e his day`s work, he had picked up a bundle of half
-
burnt wood and was coming along a by
-
path with his hair han
g-
ing down his back; and he stood facing the bhikkhus.
The novices, when they saw him, joked with each other, saying,
'That is your father, that i
s your grandfather, your u
n
cle!` and
laughed as they went along. Then they asked 'What is your name,
lay follower?`. On being asked his name, the man was r
e
morseful
and, putting down his bundle of wood and arranging his clothes,
he did obeisance to the Mah
thera in order to d
e
tain him for a
while.
The bhikkhus waited, but the novices came up and laughed even
in front of the Mahthera. The man said to the M
a
hthera:
'Bhante, you laugh on seeing me. You think you fulfill the bhi
k-
1
VbhA.viii.1
`Suttantabhjanyavannan'
('By Sutta Comment`)
Knowing
and Seeing
18
0
khu`s life just on account of
your robes. But you have not attained
so much as mental one
-
pointedness.
I was once a recluse like you, and I was mighty with the ps
y
chic
powers and powerful in this dispens
a
tion. I treated the air like the
earth and the earth like the air; I treated the
far like the near and
the near like the far. I pen
e
trated in a moment the one hundred
thousand worlds systems. You see my hands now? Now they are
like the hands of a mo
n
key.
Then pointing to a tree, he said further, 'Sitting under that tree I
would touch w
ith these very hands the moon and the sun. I would
sit with the moon and the sun as the ground on which to rub these
very feet. Such were my psychic powers, but they vanished
through negligence. Do not be negligent. Through negl
i
gence
people reach ruin suc
h as this. But those who live strenuously
make an end of birth, old age and death. Therefore, take me as an
example, and do not neglect pra
c
tising Samatha
-
Vipassan
wholesome dhammas. Be strenuous, Vene
r
able Sirs.`
Thus, he admonished and warned them. Impe
lled by the u
r-
gency of his words, standing in that place, thirty Bhikkhus pra
c-
tised Samatha
-
Vipassana and attained Arahantship. So Samatha
-
Vipassana may drop temporarily because of negl
i
gence
(pamda)
,
but the force of kamma remains.
There are four types
of person who attain
Nibbna. The first
type is a Paccekabuddha, which we shall not discuss. The remai
n-
ing three types are:
(
1)
a bodhisatta,
(2)
a chief disciple
(agga
svaka)
or great disciple
(mah svaka)
,
and
(3)
an ordinary di
s
ciple
(pakati s
-
vaka)
.
1.
Our
bodhisatta
had the eight attainments
(sampatti)
and five
mundane psychic powers during D pankara Bu
d
dha`s time.
He had in past lives also practised Samatha
-
Vipassan up to
the Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Formations
(sa
nk
hr
u-
pekkh !na)
. Had he really wanted to attain Nibbna, he could
have a
t
tained it quickly, by listening to a short stanza by D
-
pankara Buddha about the Four Noble Truths. But he did not
want only to attain Nibbna, so he made an aspir
a
tion to be a
Buddha in the future, after which he received a definite
Questions and Answers 4
181
prophecy from D pankara Buddha.
During the four incalculables
(asa
n
khyeyya)
and one hundred
thou
sand aeons
(kappa)
which followed, that
is from D pankara
Buddha`s time to Kassapa Buddha`s time, our
bodhisatta was
ordained as a bhikkhu in nine lives, each time under the gui
d-
ance of a Bu
d
dha. In each life as a bhikkhu, our bodhisatta`s
training included s
even practices:
1
1.
Study of the Three Pit akas
by recitation
2
................................
..........
(tipitakam Buddhavacanam uggamhitv)
2.
Purification
in the four types of morality
3
.....................
(catu prisuddhi sle supat
i
tthya)
3.
The thirteen ascetic practices
...........................
(terasa
dhutangni samdya
)
4.
Always the forest
-
dweller ascetic practice
4
................
(
ara!!am pavisitv
)
5.
The eight attainments
................................
...........................
(attha sampattiyo
)
6.
The five mundane psychic powers
................................
.......
(pa!ca abhi!!)
7.
Vipassan meditation up to
................................
................................
.................
Knowledge of Conformity
5
......
(vipa
s
sanam vaddhatv yva anuloma!nm)
These pram s must be f
ulfilled for the attainment of Omni
s-
cient Knowledge
(sabba!!uta !na)
. But before his pram s had
m
a
tured, that is, from the time of his definite prophecy till his
birth as Prince Siddhattha, our
bodhisa
tta was sometimes r
e-
born in the animal kingdom because of previous unwhol
e-
1
MA.II.iv.1
`Gha
tikra Sutta'
('Ghatikra Sutta`). This text lists only 1, 2, 3 and 4, with a fifth
being:
gata
-
paccgata
-
vattam prayamn
samanadhammam
karont
(practising the 'going
&going
-
back duty recluse practice`), which refers to full
-
time meditation
(Samatha and
V
i
passan)
,
also when
going
out for alms, and
going back
to the dwelling from alms. From sources that explain
the Bodhisatta
`s practice, this fifth one may be understood specifically to be 5,6 & 7. In other co
n-
texts, however,
samana dhamma
(recluse practic
es) refers to all these seven pra
c
tices.
2
This is
gantha dhura
(book burden/obligation), which is also called
pariyatti
(learning), and 2
-
7
are
Vipa
s
san dhura
(Insight burden/obligation), which is also called
patipatti
(practice)
. Please see
above, p.
xxi
3
For the four types of purification of morality, please see above Answer 2.3, p.
92
4
Although the forest
-
dweller practice is included in the thirteen a
scetic practices, the Commentary
mentions it separately for reasons of emphasis.
5
This is the Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Formations
(sankhr
u
pekkh !na)
Knowing
and Seeing
182
some kamma. The lives as a bhikkhu, and the lives as an
animal, however, were very far apart. This is the nature of a
bodh
i
satta.!
2.
Some
chief disciples
will also have received a defin
ite prop
h-
ecy; for example, the Venerables Sriputta
and
Ma
hmog
gal
-
lna had received one from Anomadass Buddha. Also great
disciples will sometimes have received a definite prophecy;
the Venerables Kassapa and nanda had received one from
Padumuttara Buddha. In our Buddha`s time, all these disc
i-
ples became arah
ants possessed of the Four Analytical Know
-
ledges.
1
This type of arahants will also have been ski
l
ful in
Samatha
-
Vipassan up to the Knowledge of Equanimity T
o-
wards Formations
(sa
nk
hrupekkh !na)
, in times of many prev
i-
ous Buddhas; this is a law of n
a
tur
e. Even so, from the time
of their definite prop
h
ecy till the time of our Buddha, some of
them were sometimes reborn in one of the four woeful states,
because of unwholesome kamma, sometimes t
o
gether with
our bodhisatta. This is the nature of a chief or gr
eat disc
i
ple.
2
3.
As for
ordinary disciples
, if they have pra
c
tised Samatha
-
Vi
-
passan thoroughly up to the Knowledge of Cause and
Co
n
d
i
tion
(paccaya
-
pariggaha !na)
or the Knowledge of Arising
and Passing
-
Away
(udayabbaya !na)
, or the Know
l
edge of Equa
-
ni
mity Towards Formations
(sa
nk
hr
u
pekkh !na)
, they will not
be reborn in one of the four wo
e
ful realms
(apya)
after death,
even though they may not have a
t
tained Path and Fruition in
this life. This is e
x
plained in the
Visuddhi Magga
as:
.
/addhasssa /
addhapati((ha n
i
yatagatika c
asatpanna nma hati
(
.he has found relief in the Buddha`s Dispensation,
he has found a secure place, he has a sure, good destin
a
tion,
so he is called a Lesser Stream
-
Enterer
(cla sot
panna)
.
)
1
For the Four Analytical Knowledges, please see above Answer 4.2, p.
177
2
Vs.xiv
`Pa!!pabhedakath'!
B429!
('How Many Kinds of Understanding Are There? [`s t
i
tle]`
28)
Questions and Answers 4
183
Lesser Stream
-
Enterers may
thus be reborn in the deva realm,
and then there are four things that can happen. In the
`Sotnugata
Sutta'
, The Bu
d
dha taught which four:
1
1.
If, as soon as he attai
ns rebirth in the deva realm, the Lesser
Stream
-
Enterer reflects on the Dhamma, it will be clear to his
i
n
sight
-
knowledge, and he can attain
Nibbna quickly.
2.
If he does not attain Nibbna by reflecting on the Dhamma
with insi
ght
-
knowledge, he can attain Nibbna by listening to
a bhi
k
khu who has psychic powers, and has come to the deva
realm to teach the Dhamma.
3.
If he does not get the opportunity to listen to the Dhamma
from a bhi
k
khu, he may get the opportunity to listen to i
t
from Dhamma
-
teaching devas
(Dhamma
-
kathika deva)
, like
Sanankumra Brahm, etc.,and attain Ni
b
bna by listening to
them.
4.
If he does not get the chance to listen to the Dhamma from
Dhamma
-
teaching devas, he may get the chance to meet
friends who were fell
ow yogis in his past human life in a di
s-
pensation. Those fellow yogis may say, for example: 'Oh
friend, please remember this and that Dhamma which we
practised in the human world.` He may then remember the
Dhamma, and if he practises Vipassan, he can atta
in Ni
b-
bna very quickly.
An example of a Lesser Stream
-
Enterer who was reborn in the
deva realm, and who attained Nibbna very quickly a
f
terwards, is
the Venerable Samana
-
devaputta. He was a bhikkhu who pra
c-
tised Samatha
-
Vipassan earnestly. He died while
practising, and
was reborn in the deva realm. He did not know he had died, and
continued meditating in his ma
n
sion
in the deva realm. When the
female devas in his mansion saw him, they realized he must have
been a bhikkhu in his pr
e
vious life, so they put
a mirror in front
of him and made a noise. He opened his eyes, and saw his image
1
A.IV.IV.v.1
`Sotnugata Sutta'
('One Who Has Heard Sutta`), mentioned also p.
124
, and p.
248
Knowing
and Seeing
184
in the mirror. He was very disappointed, because he did not want
to be a deva; he wanted only Ni
b
bna.
So immediately he went down to The Buddha to listen to the
Dhamma. The
Buddha was teaching Dhamma about the Four
Noble Truths. After listening to the Dhamma, Samana
-
devaputta
attained the Stream
-
Entry Path Knowledge
(sotpatti magga
!na)
and
Stream
-
Entry Fruition Know
l
edge
(sotpatti phala!na)
.
1
Thus, when an ordinary disc
iple practises Samatha and Vipa
s-
san very hard, and even attains the Knowledge of Cause and
Condition, the Knowledge of Arising and Passing
-
Away, or the
Knowledge of Equanimity towards Formations, a
l
though he may
not attain a path and fruition in this life
, the practice he has done
does mean that he will very likely a
t
tain them in one of his future
lives.
At the time of death, a yogi may not have strong Samatha or
Vipassan, but because of the powerful Samatha
-
Vipassan med
i-
tation wholesome kamma, a good ni
mitta appears at his mind
-
door. Death may take place with that good nimitta as object, and
because of this wholesome kamma, he will def
i
nitely reach a
good place, and can in there attain Nibbna.
If, however, he practises Vipassan up to the moments of the
near
-
death impulsion
(maransanna javana)
, he will be of the first type
of person mentioned in the
`Sotnugata Sutta'
, which we just di
s-
cussed.
Question 4.4
Can a yogi who has finished the course, but not yet a
t-
tained Nibbna, attain the Knowledge Stand
ing on Ph
e
nomena
(dhammatthiti !na)
? If so, can it r
e
gress?
Answer 4.4
Yes, he can attain that knowledge.
Pabbe kha Sasma dhamma((hiti!am pacch nibbne !am.
(
The Knowledge Stan
d
ing on Phenomena
(dhammatthiti !na)
comes first,
the Path Knowledge that takes Nibbna as object comes next.
).
1
S.I.I.v.6
`Acchar Sutta'
('Deva Sutta`) & SA.ibid.
Questions and Answers 4
185
This was The Buddha`s explanation to Sus ma.
1
Sus ma was a
wa
n
derer
(paribbjaka)
, who ordained
to 'steal` the Dhamma. But
The Bu
d
dha saw that he would attain Nibbna within a few days,
so He accepted him.
Sus ma had heard that many arahants went to The Buddha and
re
ported that they ha
d attained arahantship. So Sus ma asked
them whether they had the eight attainments and five psychic
powers. They answered 'No`. 'If you do not have the eight a
t-
tainments and five psychic powers, how did you attain arahan
t-
ship?` Then they answered '
Pa!!vi
mutt kho mayamvuso
Sus ma
`: 'Oh, friend Sus ma, we are free from defil
e
ments, and
attained ara
hant
ship by the pure
-
Vipassan vehicle
(suddha
-
vipas
san
ynika)
.` He did not understand, so he asked The Buddha the same
question. The Buddha said:
Pabbe
kha Sasma dham
ma((hiti!am pacch Ni
b
bne !am.
(
The Knowledge Standing on Phenomena comes first;
the Path Knowledge that takes Ni
b
bna as object comes next.
)
What does this mean? The Path Knowledge is not the res
ult of
the eight attainments and five psychic powers, it is the r
e
sult of
insight
-
knowledges. So the Path Knowledge can occur only after
the insight
-
knowledges have occurred. In the
`Sus ma Sutta'
, all
insight
-
knowledges are referred to as the Knowledge St
anding on
Phenomena. The Knowledge Standing on Phenomena is the i
n-
sight
-
knowledge of the impermanent, suffering and non
-
self n
a-
ture of all formations, cond
i
tioned things
(sa
n
khra dhamma)
, that is,
mentality, materiality, and their causes. This is how the
Know
-
ledge Standing on Phenomena comes first, and the Path Know
l-
edge that takes Nibbna as o
b
ject comes next.
Afterwards, The Buddha gave a Teaching on the Three Rounds
2
(teparivatta Dhamma
-
desan)
, which is like the
`Anatt
a
lakkhana Sutta'
1
S.II.I.vii.10
`Susma Sutta'
('Susma Sutta`)
2
Here, the three rounds refer to the three characteristics: impermanence, suffe
r
ing, and non
-
self.
Knowing
and Seeing
186
'Non
-
self Charac
teristic Sutta`.
1
When the teaching was fi
n
ished,
Sus ma attained arahantship, even though he did not have the
eight a
t
tainments or five psychic powers. He too became a pure
-
Vipassan
-
vehicle person. At that time he understood clearly the
meaning of The Bu
ddha`s di
s
course.
If a yogi attains the Knowledge Standing on Phenomena, then
although he does not attain Nibbna in this life, his i
n
sight
-
know
-
ledge will not decrease. His latent Vipassan kammic force is still
powerful. If he is an ordinary disciple, he
may attain
Nibbna in
his next life.
Question 4.5
Can one attain supramundane states with only a
c
cess
concentration?
2
Answer 4.5
Yes, one can. At access concentration there is also
bright, brilliant and radiant light. With t
hat light, one can di
s
cern
the rpa
-
kalpas, ultimate materiality, ultimate mentality, and
their causes. One can then continue with Vipassan medit
a
tion
stage by stage.
Question 4.6
Can one with only momentary concentration
(khanika
samdhi)
, practise min
dfulness of
feeling
(vednnupassan satipat
thna)
to
attain supr
a
mundane states?
2
Answer 4.6
Here we need to define momentary concentration. What
is momentary concent
ration? There are two types of momentary
concentration:
1.
Momentary concentration in Samatha meditation
2.
Momentary co
n
centration in Vipassan meditation
In Samatha meditation there are three types of concentration:
1.
Momentary concentration (a type of pre
paratory concentration)
2.
Access concentration
3.
Absorption concentration
1
S.III.I.II.i.7, quoted 'I
ntroduction` p.
32
2
For a discussion of the different types of concentration, please see also
115
Questions and Answers 4
187
The momentary concentration in Samatha refers in particular to
the concentration that takes a pat ibhga
-
nimitta as object, like the
npn pat ibhga
-
nimitta. It is the concentration
before access
concentr
a
tion. This is for a Samatha vehicle person
(samatha ynika)
.
There is another type of momentary concentration
for a pure
-
Vipassan vehicle yogi
(suddha
-
vipassan ynika)
. A pure
-
Vipas
san
-
vehicle yogi must usually begin with four
-
elements meditation in
order to attain access concentration or momentary concentr
a
tion,
and see the rpa
-
kalpas, and the four elements in one kalpa.
The
Visuddhi Magga
says that is access concentration. But the
sub
-
commentary to the
Visuddhi Mag
ga
says it is only a met
a-
phor, not real access concentration, because
real access conce
n-
tration is close to jhna co
n
centration.
But jhna cannot be attained with four
-
elements meditation.
When one is able to see the
four elements in indivi
d
ual rpa
-
kalpas there is deep concentration. Even so, one cannot a
t
tain
jhna using them as object. There are two re
a
sons for this:
1.
To see the four elements in individual rpa
-
kalpas is to see
ultimate materiality
(paramattha r
pa)
, and to see ultimate mater
i-
ality is deep and profound. One cannot attain jhna with ult
i-
mate rea
l
ity as object.
2.
One cannot concentrate deeply on the four elements in ind
i-
vidual rpa
-
kalpas because the rpa
-
kalpas pass away as
soon as they arise. Tha
t means the object is always changing.
One cannot attain jhna with an object that is always chan
g-
ing.
Thus, since four
-
elements meditation does not produce jhna,
we may understand that the access concentration which takes the
four
elements in individua
l rpa kalpas as object is not real a
c-
cess concentr
a
tion, but momentary concentration.
Knowing
and Seeing
188
Then let us discuss the momentary concentration in Vipassan.
It is discussed in the section on
npnasati
(min
d
fulness
-
of
-
breathing) of the
Visuddhi Magga
.
1
Here you should know that Vipassan momentary concentration
is seeing thoroughly the impermanent, suffering, and non
-
self n
a-
ture of u
l
timate mentality
-
materiality and their c
auses. Without
seeing ultimate me
n
tality
-
materiality and their causes, how can
there be Vipassan momentary concentration? It is imposs
i
ble.
When a Samatha
-
vehicle yogi wants to practise Vipassan, who
has a
t
tained npn jhna enters
the first jhna. This is Samatha.
He emerges from it, and discerns the thirty
-
four mental form
a-
tions of the first jhna, and then impermanence, suffering or non
-
self by seeing the ari
s
ing and passing
-
away nature of those jhna
form
a
tions
(jhna dhamma)
. H
e does the same with the second jhna,
etc.
At the time of discerning there is still concentration. He conce
n-
trates on the impermanent, suffering, or non
-
self n
a
ture of those
jhna formations. His concentration is at that time deep and pr
o-
found, and does n
ot go to other objects. This is momentary co
n-
centration, because the object is m
o
mentary; as soon as it arises,
it passes away.
In the same way, when a yogi is practising Vipassan to see e
i-
ther the impermanent, suffering, or non
-
self nature of u
l
timate
me
ntality
-
materiality and their causes, then us
u
ally his mind does
not leave the object. His mind has sunk into one of the characte
r-
istics. This is also called mome
n
tary concentration.
If a yogi can see ultimate mentality
-
materiality and their causes
thorou
ghly and clearly, without having done any Samatha medit
a-
tion, it is of course not necessary for him to pra
c
tise Sam
atha
meditation. If not, he should cultivate one of the Samatha medit
a-
tion subjects, and develop sufficient concentr
a
tion so as to be able
t
o see ultimate mentality
-
materiality and their causes.
1
Vs.viii
`npnasati Kath'B235
('Mindfulness
-
of
-
B
reathing Explanation` 232)
Questions and Answers 4
189
But in the
`Samdhi Sutta'
of the
`Khandha Sa
m
yutta'
The
Buddha says:
1
Samdhim bhikkhare bhretha,
samhita bhikkhare bhikkha yathbhtam p
a
jnti
.
(
Develop concentration, bhikkhus,.
Having deve
loped concentration, bhikkhus,
a bhikkhu understands dhammas as they really are
(yathbhtam p
a
jnti)
.
)
So, you should cultivate concentration to know the five aggr
e-
gates, their causes and cessation; you should cultivate concentr
a-
tion to know their natu
re of impermanence, su
f
fering, and non
-
self. Their cessation you will be able to see at the time of the ar
a-
hant path and Parini
b
bna.
Also in the
`Samdhi Sutta'
of the
Sacca Samyutta
, The Buddha
says one should cultivate concentration, to know the Four N
oble
Truths.
2
Now, if a yogi wants to discern only fee
l
ing, he should be aware
of the following facts explained by The Buddha:
Sabbam, bhikkhare,
anabhijnam aparijnam arirjayam appajaham abhabba dakkhakkhayya
.
Sabba!ca kha, bhikkhare,
abhijnam parijnam rirjayam pajaham bhabba dakkhakkh
a
yya.
(
Bhikkhus,
if a bhikkhu does not know all mentality, materiality, and their causes
with the three types of full
-
understanding
(
pari!!
)
,
he cannot attain Ni
b
b
na.
Only those, bhikkhus,
who know them with the three types of full understanding
can attain Ni
b
bna.
)
1
`Samdhi Sutta'
(
'Concentration Sutta`) of the
`Khandha Samyutta'
(
'Section on the A
g
gregates`)
S.III.I, quoted above, p.
29
.
2
`Samdhi Sutta'
(
'Concentration Sutta`) of the
`Sacca Samyutta'
(
'Section on the Truths`)
S.V.XII
quoted above, p.
14
.
Knowing
and Seeing
190
This is from the
`Apar
i
jnana Sutta'
in the
`Sal yatana Vagga'
of the
Sa
m
yutta Nikya
.
1
In the same way, The Buddha says in the
`Kt gra Sutta'
of
the
`Sacca Vagga'
that, without kn
owing the Four Noble Truths
with insight
-
knowledge and Path Knowledge, one cannot reach
the end of the round of rebirths
(samsra)
.
2
So if a yogi wants to a
t-
tain Nib
bna, he must try to know all mentality, materiality, and
their causes with the three type
s of full understan
d
ing.
What are the three types of full understanding? They are:
1.
The Full Understanding as the Known
................................
..
(!ta pari!!)
This is the Knowledge of Analysing Mentality
-
Materiality
(
nma
-
r
-
pa
paricched
a !na
)
, and Knowledge of Discerning Cause and Cond
i-
tion
(
paccaya
-
pariggaha !na
)
. They are the insight
-
knowledges that
know all u
l
timate mentality
-
materiality and their causes.
2.
The Full Understanding as Investigation
...........................
(trana pari!!)
This is the Knowledge
of Comprehension
(sammasana !na)
, and
Knowledge of Arising and Passing
-
Away
(udayabbaya !na)
. These
two insight
-
knowledges comprehend clearly the impermanent, su
f-
fering, and non
-
self nature of ultimate menta
l
ity
-
materiality and
their causes.
3.
The Full Un
derstanding as Abandoning
...........................
(pahna pari!!)
This is the higher insight
-
knowledges from the Knowledge of Di
s-
sol
u
tion
(bhanga !na)
to the Path Knowledge
(magga !na)
.
The teaching in those two suttas, the
`Aparijnana Sutta'
and
`Kt gra Sutta'
, is very im
portant. So, if a yogi wants to pra
c-
tise Vipassan beginning with mindfulness of feeling, he should
remember the following:
x
He must have discerned ultimate materiality.
x
Discer
n
ing feeling alone is not enough: he must also discern the
mental formations as
sociated with feeling in the six
-
door cogn
i
tive
-
processes.
1
S.IV.I.iii.4
`Pathama
-
aparijnana Sutta'
('First Non
-
Understanding Sutta`)
2
S.V.XII.v.4 'Pinnacled House Sutta`, quoted 'Introduction`
p.
2
Questions and Answers 4
191
Nevertheless, it is in fact possible to become enlightened by
discerning only one dhamma, but that is only so long as all the
other dhammas have been discerned before: e
i
ther in this life or
in a
past life. Take for, example, the Venerable Sriputta. When
he heard the Venerable Assaji utter one sentence of Dhamma, he
became a stream
-
enterer. Then he became a bhikkhu and pra
c-
tised meditation. In the
`Anupada Sutta
1
The Buddha describes
how the Vener
able Sriputta was very skilled in discerning the
individual mental formations of his jhna attainments.
2
But even
though the Venerable Sriputta med
i
tated hard, he did not attain
arahantship.
Then one day, The Buddha taught the
`D ghanakha Sutta'
to the
Venerable Sriputta`s nephew, explaining one dhamma: feeling
(vedan)
.
3
At this time, the Venerable Sriputta was standing b
e-
hind The Buddha fanning Him, and listening to the teaching. At
the end of the teaching, the Venerable Sriputta attained arahan
t-
shi
p, and his nephew attained stream
-
entry. He attained arahan
t-
ship by reflecting on only one dhamma, but that was because he
had meditated on all five aggregates befor
e
hand.
4
We shall repeat: The Buddha said that if a bhikkhu does not
know all mentality
-
mate
riality and their causes with the three
types of full
-
understanding, he cannot attain Nibbna. It is, ther
e-
fore, not enough if a yogi tries to discern feeling alone, such as
unpleasant feeling, and does not discern ultimate mentality
-
materiality tho
r
oughly
. Here 'it is not enough` means he will not
attain Nibbna.
1
M.III.ii.1
`Anupada Sutta'
('One
-
by
-
one Sutta`)
2
For details about how to discern the individual mental formations of one`s jhna attainments,
please see 'How You Discern Jhna Cognitive
-
Processes`, p.
201
3
M.II.iii.4
`Dghanakha Sutta'
('Dghanakha Sutta`)
4
For details regarding the past practice of those who attain, please see Answer 4.3, p.
180
, and A
n-
swer 5.2
, p.
219
Knowing
and Seeing
192
Question 4.7
The Buddha was a great arahant. What was the diffe
r-
ence between Him, and disciples like the Venerables Sriputta
and Mahmoggallna who were also ar
a
hants?
Answer 4.7
A Buddha`s Ara
hant Path is always associated with
Omni
scient Knowledge
(sabba!!uta !na)
, but the Arahant Path of
disciples is not. The Arahant Path of disciples comprises the
enlightenment
(bodhi)
of the three types of disciples:
1.
Chief Disciple Enlightenment
................................
..........
(a
g
gas
vaka bodhi)
2.
Great Disciple Enlightenment
................................
..........
(mahsvaka bodhi)
3.
Ordinary Disciple Enlightenment
................................
.
(pakatisvaka bodhi)
The Arahant Path of disciples is sometimes assoc
i
ated with the
Four Analytical Know
ledges
(patisambhid !na)
;
1
sometimes with
the Six Direc
t Knowledges
(abhi!!)
;
2
sometimes with the three
Direct Knowledges
(tevijja)
;
3
or is som
e
times a pure Arahant Path:
either Both Ways Liberated
(ubatobhga vimutta)
,
4
or Wisdom Libe
r-
ated
(pa!! vimutta)
).
5
But it is never assoc
i
ated with Omniscient
Knowled
ge
(sabba!!uta !na)
. Thus, for example, the Venerables
Sriputta`s and Mahmoggallna`s Arahant Paths were not ass
o-
ciated with Omniscient Knowledge. A Bu
d
dha`s Arahant Path, on
the other hand, is not only associated with Omniscient Know
l-
edge, but also all
the other knowledges, as well as all special
qualities of a Bu
d
dha.
Another thing is that Buddhas have, because of their matured
pram s, attained the Path, Fruition, and Omniscient Knowledges
by themselves, without a teacher. But a disc
i
ple can only atta
in
1
For the Four Analytical Knowledges, please see Answer 4.2, p.
177
2
(1)
various kinds of supernormal power
(iddhi
-
vidh)
,
(2)
divine ear
(dibba sota)
,
(3)
knowledge of
the
minds of others
(parassa ceto
-
pariya!na)
,
(4)
divine eye
(dibba cakkhu)
,
(5)
recollection of past
lives
(pubbe nivsnussati)
,
(6)
destruction of the taints
(savakkhaya)
.
3
(4)
,
(5)
,
(6)
of the Direct Knowledges just mentioned.
4
Both Ways Liberated
(ub
hatobhga vimutta)
:
this refers to those who escape first from the material
sphere with the a
t
tainment of the immaterial jhnas, and second, escape also from the immaterial
sphere with the a
t
tainment of arahantship.
5
Wisdom Libe
r
ated
(pa!! vimutta)
: this
refers to pure
-
insight arahants.
Questions and Answers 4
193
the Path and Fruition Knowledges by listening to Dhamma r
e-
lated to the Four Noble Truths from a Buddha, or a Buddha`s di
s-
ciple. They cannot practise by themselves, wit
h
out a teacher.
These are the differences.
Question 4.8
What is the 'intermediate lif
e`
(antara bhava)
?
Answer 4.8
According to the Theravda Pit aka there is no such thing
as an intermediate life
(antara bhava)
. Between a death consciou
s-
ness
(cuti citta)
and its subsequent rebirth
-
linking consciousness
(patisandhi citta)
, there are no cons
ciousness moments, or anything
resembling an intermediate life. If a pe
r
son were to reach the
deva world after death, then between his death
-
consciousness and
the deva`s rebirth
-
linking consciousness, there would be no co
n-
sciousness moment or anything like
an intermediate life. As soon
as death takes place, the deva rebirth
-
linking consciousness
arises. In the same way, if a pe
r
son were to reach hell after death,
then between his death
-
consciousness and the rebirth
-
linking co
n-
sciousness in hell, there would
be no such thing as an intermed
i-
ate life. He would go to hell directly after death.
The idea of an intermediate life usually arises when som
e
one
dies, inhabits the peta world for a short time, and is then reborn as
a human being again. He may think his pe
ta life was som
e
thing
like an intermediate life, even though it was, in fact, nothing like
an intermediate life. What really ha
p
pened is this: after the human
death
-
consciousness had passed, the peta rebirth
-
linking co
n-
sciousness arose; after the peta deat
h
-
consciousness had passed, a
human rebirth
-
linking consciousness arose again. The person su
f-
fered in the peta world because of his unwhol
e
some kamma. The
kammic force of that unwholesome kamma finished after only a
short time, and he took a human rebirth
-
linking consciousness
again, because of wholesome kamma that had matured.
The short life in the peta world is mistaken for an intermediate
life by those who cannot see the reality of the round of rebirths or
dependent
-
origination. If they could discern d
e
p
endent
-
origin
-
ation with insight
-
knowledge, then this misbelief would disa
p-
pear. So we should like to suggest that you discern dependent
-
Knowing
and Seeing
194
origination with your own insight
-
knowledge. Then the question
about an intermediate life will disa
p
pear from your mind
.
Question 4.9
Are the methods for
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing) and four
-
elements meditation the same? Why must we
practise four
-
elements med
i
tation only after
npnasati
?
Answer 4.9
No, the methods are not the same.
In Vipassan you must disce
rn materiality and mentality, and
their causes, which is why there are two types of meditation: di
s-
cernment of m
a
teriality and discernment of mentality.
When The Buddha taught discernment of materiality, he always
taught four
-
elements meditation, either in
brief or in d
e
tail. So if
you want to discern materiality, you must practise according to
The Buddha`s instru
c
tions. It is better to practise four
-
elements
meditation with deep concentration like the fourth npn
jhna,
because it h
elps us see ultimate materiality, ultimate me
n
tality,
and their causes clearly.
But if you do not want to practise Samatha meditation like
npnasati
, you can practise the four
-
elements meditation d
i-
rectly: no problem. We discussed this in a previous que
s
tion.
Question 4.10
Could the Sayadaw please explain the light exper
i-
enced in meditation scientifically?
Answer 4.10
What is the light seen in meditation? Every consciou
s-
ness
(citta)
, except rebirth
-
linking consciou
s
nesses, which arises
dependent upon the
heart
-
base
(hadaya
-
vatthu)
produces consciou
s-
ness
-
produced mater
i
ality
(cittaja rpa)
, also called rpa
-
kalpas.
One consciousness produces many consciousness
-
produced rpa
-
ka
lpas. Of the heart
-
base
-
dependent consciousnesses, Samatha
meditation
-
consciou
snesses
(samatha bhvan
-
citta)
and Vipassan
meditation
-
consciousnesses
(v
i
passan bhvan
-
citta)
are very strong
and powerful; they produce very many rpa
-
kalpas. When we
analyse those rpa
-
kalpas, we see the eight types of materiality.
They are: the e
arth
-
, water
-
, fire
-
, and wind
-
elements, colour,
odour, flavour, and nutr
i
tive essence. The materiality of colour is
bright. The more powerful the Samatha and Vipassan medit
a-
tion
-
con
sci
ousnesses are, the brighter is the colour. Since, rpa
-
Questions and Answers 4
195
kalps arise
simu
l
taneously as well as successively, the colour of
one rpa
-
kalpa and the colour of another rpa
-
kalpa arise
closely together like in an electric bulb: that is why light a
p
pears.
Again, in each rpa
-
kalpa produced by Samatha and V
i
passan
meditation
-
consciousnesses, there is the fire
-
element, which also
produces many new rpa
-
kalpas. They are called tem
perature
-
produced materiality, because they are pr
o
duced by the fire
-
element, which is temperature
(utu)
. This occurs externally as well
as internal
ly. When we an
a
lyse these rpa
-
kalpas we see the
same eight types of materiality: the earth
-
, w
a
ter
-
, fire
-
, and wind
-
elements, colour, odour, fl
a
vour, and nutritive essence. Colour is
again one of them. Because of the power of the Samatha and V
i-
passan m
edit
a
tion
-
consciousnesses, that colour too is bright. So
the brightness of one colour, and the brightness of another colour
arise closely t
o
gether, like in an electric bulb.
The light of consciousness
-
produced materiality and temper
a-
ture
-
produced materiali
ty appear simultaneously. Consciousness
-
produced colour
-
materiality arises internally only, but temper
a-
ture
-
produced colour
-
materiality arises both internally and exte
r-
nally and spreads in all directions up to the whole world system
or universe
(cakkavla)
or farther, depen
d
ing on the power of the
Samatha and Vipassan meditation
-
consciousnesses. A Buddha`s
Knowledge of Analysing Mentality
-
Materiality produces light in
up to ten thousand world systems. The Venerable Anuruddha`s
divine
-
eye consciou
s
ness
(dib
ba
-
cakkhu citta)
produced light in up to
one thousand world systems. Other disciples` insight
-
knowledge
produces light going up to one league
(yojana)
, two leagues, etc.,in
every direction depending on the power of their Samatha and V
i-
passan medit
a
tion
-
co
nsciousnesses.
Usually many yogis realize that this light is a group of r
pa
-
kalpas, when they have reached the Know
l
edge of Arising and
Passing
-
Away. While practising Samatha meditation, they do not
yet understand that it is a group of rpa
-
kalpas, b
e
c
ause the
rpa
-
kalpas are very subtle. It is not easy to unde
r
stand, and see
the rpa
-
kalpas when practising only Samatha meditation. If you
want to know with certainty, you should try to acquire the
Knowing
and Seeing
196
Knowledge of Arising and Passing
-
Away. That is the most
scie
n-
tific way to understand the light e
x
perienced in meditation.
Question 4.11
Can those who have discerned the thirty
-
two parts of
the body see them in someone else, with their eyes open?
Answer 4.11
It depends. Beginners can with their eyes open see o
nly
the external parts. They can see the i
n
ternal parts only with their
insight
-
knowledge eyes. If you want to know this scientif
i
cally,
please try to see it yourself with your insight
-
knowledge.
A Mahthera, however, may because of previous pra
c
tice, be
a
ble to see another`s skeleton with his eyes open, like the
Vene
-
rable Mah Tissa, who was an expert in skeleton meditation. He
always practised internal skeleton
meditation as repulsiveness up
to the first jhna, and then Vipassan. He discerned mentality
-
materiality, their causes, and nature of impermanence, suffering,
and non
-
self. This was his usual pra
c
tice.
One day he went for alms
(pin
apta)
, from Anuradhapu
ra to M
a-
hgma village. On the way, he met a woman who tried to attract
his attention with loud laughter. When he heard the sound, he
looked her way, saw only her teeth, and then used them for skel
e-
ton meditation. Because of his previous constant practice
he saw
her as a skeleton, and not as a woman. He saw only a skeleton.
Then he concentrated on his own skeleton, attained the first
jhna, and practised Vipassan quickly. He attained the arahant
path standing in the road.
The woman had quarrelled with her
husband, and had left home
to go to her parents` house. Her husband fo
l
lowed her, and also
met Mah Tissa Mahthera. He asked him, 'Bhante, did you see a
woman go this way?` The Mahthera a
n
swered, 'Oh, lay
-
sup
-
porter
(dyaka)
, I saw neither man nor woman,
I saw only a skel
e-
ton going this way.` This story is mentioned in the
Visuddhi
Magga
in the Morality Chapter.
1
1
Vs.i
`Indriyasamvaraslam' B15
('Sense Restraint Morality` 55)
Questions and Answers 4
197
This is an example of how someone who has, like Mah Tissa
Mahthera, practised skel
e
ton meditation thoroughly may be able
to see another`s skel
eton with his eyes open.
odd page
Knowing
and Seeing
198
199
Talk 5
How You Discern Mentality
Introduction
In our last talk, we discussed how to develop four
-
elements
meditation, and also how to analyse the particles of materia
l
ity
called 'rpa
-
kalpas`. In this talk, we shall di
scuss briefly about
how to discern mentality
(nma kammatthna)
, which is the next stage
in Vipassan medit
a
tion.
Let me begin by explaining briefly the basic facts of the mind
necessary to understand the discernment of menta
l
ity.
As is explained in the Ab
hidhamma, the mind consists of a co
n-
sciousness
(
citta
)
that knows its object, and associated mental fa
c-
tors
(
cetasika
)
that arise with that co
n
sciousness. There are fifty
-
two
such associated mental factors, for example: contact
(phassa)
, fee
l-
ing
(vedna)
,
perception
(sa!!)
, intention
(cetan)
, one
-
pointed
ness
(ekaggat)
, life
-
faculty
(jvitindriya)
, and attention
(man
a
sikra)
.
1
There are a total of eighty
-
nine types of consciousness,
2
and
they can be class
i
fied according to whether they are wholesome,
unw
holesome, or indeterminate, or according to their realm of e
x-
istence, the sensual realm
(kmvacara)
, fine
-
material realm
(rpv
a-
cara)
, immaterial realm
(arpvacara)
, or supramundane realm
(l
o-
kuttar)
.
3
We may, however, speak of just two basic types of co
n-
sciou
s
ness:
1.
The consciousness of the cognitive
-
process
(citta vthi)
.
2.
The 'process
-
freed`
(vthi mutta)
conscious
ness outside the co
g-
nitive
-
process: at rebirth and death, and in the bh
a
vanga.
4
1
Mentality consists thus of 1 consciousness + 52 mental factors = 53 types of mentality
2
For the eighty
-
nine types of consciousness, please see p.
12
3
For the four realms of existence, please see footnote
1
, p.
127
4
For details regarding the bhavanga, please see Answer 3.12, p.
127
, and Tables 4&5 p.
173
ff.
Knowing
and Seeing
200
There are six types of cognitive
-
process. The first five a
re the
eye
-
door
-
, ear
-
door
-
, nose
-
door
-
, tongue
-
door
-
, and body
-
door
cognitive
-
processes, whose r
e
spective objects are visible forms,
sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles. They are together called the
'five
-
door cognitive
-
process`
(pa!cadvra vthi)
.
1
The
sixth type of
cogn
i
tive
-
process has all objects
2
as its objects, and is called the
'mind
-
door cognitive
-
process`
(manodvra vthi)
.
3
Each cogn
i
tive
-
process comprises a series of different types of consciou
s
ness.
The consciousnesses in any one cognitive
-
pr
ocess occur accor
d-
ing to the natural order of consciousness
(cittaniyma)
. If you want to
discern mentality, you must see them as they occur in that natural
o
r
der.
To do so, you must first have developed concentration with e
i-
ther
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
o
f
-
breathing), another Samatha
meditation su
b
ject, or four
-
elements meditation. A pure
-
Vipas
-
san
-
vehicle yogi must also have finished the discernment of m
a-
teriality
(rpa kammatthna)
, before he starts on discernment of me
n-
tality
(nma kam
matthna)
. A Sam
atha
-
vehicle yogi, however, can
choose: he can first discern materiality, or first discern the me
n-
tality of the jhnas he has a
t
tained (fine
-
material
4
/immaterial
men
tality
5
). Although to di
s
cern sensual realm mentality, he too
needs first to have finished
the discernment of mater
i
ality.
6
The Four Stages to Discerning Mentality
Mentality is discerned in four stages:
1.
To discern all the types of consciousness
(
citta
)
that occur i
n-
ternally.
1
Please see also Table 5, p.
211
2
For the mind
-
faculty`s taking of all obje
cts, please see quotation p.
8
('Unnbha Brahmin Sutta`)
3
Please see also Table 6, p.
213
4
These are the four jhnas.
5
These are the immaterial jhn
as, but not the Base of Neither
-
Perception
-
Nor
-
Non
-
Perception.
(Vs.xviii
`Ditthi Visuddhi Niddesa' B663
('D
e
scription of Purification of View`) 3
-
4).
6
VsTi.xviii
`Ditthi Visuddhi Niddesa' D664
('D
e
scription of Purification of View`)
5
-
How You Discern Mentality
201
2.
To discern each and every mental formation
(
nma dhamma
)
in
all the
types of co
n
sciousness.
3.
To discern the sequences of consciousnesses, that is, the co
g-
nitive
-
processes
(vthi)
that occur at the six sense
-
doors
(
dvr
)
.
4.
To discern external mentality
(
bahiddha nma
)
generally.
1
How You Discern Jhna Cognitive
-
processes
If
you have attained jhna with, for example,
npnasati
(mind
fulness
-
of
-
breathing), the best place to start to discern me
n-
tality is the jhna consciou
s
nesses and associated mental factors.
There are two reasons for this. The first r
eason is that when d
e-
veloping jhna, you discerned the five jhna factors, which means
you have some experience in discerning those associated mental
factors. The second reason is that the jhna impulsion
-
conscious
-
nesses
(jhna javana
-
citta)
occur many ti
mes in succe
s
sion, and are
therefore prominent, and easy to di
s
cern. This is in contrast to a
sensual
-
realm cognitive
-
process
(kmvacara vthi)
, in which impu
l-
sion
(javana)
occurs only seven times before a new cognitive
-
process o
c
curs.
2
So, to discern the
mentality of jhna you begin by re
-
establish
-
ing the first jhna with, for example,
npnasati
. Emerge from it
and discern the bhavanga (mind
-
door), and the npna
pat i
-
bhga
-
nimitta together. When the nimitta appea
rs in
the bh
a-
vanga, discern the mental formations that are the five jhna fa
c-
tors according to their individual characteristic. The five jhna
factors are:
1.
Applied thought
................................
................................
........................
(vitakka)
D
irecting and placing the mind on the npna pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta.
1
M.I.i.10
`Satipatt
hna Sutta'
('Mindfulness Foundations Sutta`)
In this way he abides contemplating
mind as mind i
n
ternally, or he abides contemplating mind as mind externally.
. This is not the psychic
power of penetrating the mind of others
(ceto
-
pariya
-
!na)
, but Vipassan power. Hence, it is usually
not possible to discern external mentality in detail. Please see also quotation 'Aggregates Sutta` p.
5
2
Jhna cognitive processes are fine
-
material realm cognitive processes
(rp
va
cara)
.
Knowing
and Seeing
202
2.
Sustaine
d thought
................................
................................
......................
(vicra)
M
aintaining the mind on the npna pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta.
3.
Joy
................................
................................
................................
.........................
(pti)
L
iking for the npna pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta.
4.
Bliss
................................
................................
................................
..................
(sukha)
H
appiness about the npna pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta.
5.
One
-
pointedness
................................
................................
....................
(ekaggat)
O
ne
-
pointedness of mind on the npna pa
t ibhga
-
nimitta.
Practise until you can discern these five mental form
a
tions
(mental factors) all at once in each first
-
jhna impulsion
-
con
sci
-
ous
ness
(javana
-
citta)
.
Having discerned the five jhna factors in this way, you need to
discern the r
e
mainin
g twenty
-
nine mental formations.
1
You begin
with either consciousness
(vi!!na)
, contact
(phassa)
, or feeling
(v
e-
dan)
; whichever is most prominent. Then add one mental form
a-
tion at a time: discern first one type, then add one, so you discern
two types of
mental formation; add one more, so you see three;
add one more, so you see four etc. until eventually you see all
thirty
-
four types of mental formation in each first
-
jhna impu
l-
sion
-
consciousness.
After this, discern all the types of mental formation in t
he s
e-
quence of six types of consciousness that comprises a mind
-
door
cognitive
-
process
(manodvra vthi)
of the first jhna. The six types of
consciousness are first:
1.
A mind
-
door adverting
-
consciousness
.........................
(mano
d
vrvajjana)
(12 me
n
tal formations)
1
The thirty
-
four mental formations of the first jhna are the jhna consciousness, and its thirty
-
three
mental factors: (The five in
italics
ar
e the jhna factors.)
(1)
consciousness
(2)
contact
(3)
feeling
[bliss]
(4)
perception
(5)
volition
(6)
one
-
pointedness
(7)
life faculty,
(8)
attention
(9)
applied
thought
(10)
su
s
tained
thought
(11)
decision
(12)
energy
(13)
joy
(14)
desire
(15)
faith
(16
)
mindfulness
(17)
shame of wrongdoing
(18)
fear of wrongd
o
ing
(19)
non
-
greed
(20)
non
-
hatred
(21)
neutrality of mind
(22)
tranquillity of mental body
(23)
tranquillity of consciou
s
ness
(24)
lightness of mental body
(25)
lightness of consciousness
(26)
mal
leabi
l
ity of mental body
(27)
malleability of consciousness
(28)
wieldiness of mental body
(29)
wieldiness of consciousness
(30)
proficiency of mental body
(31)
pr
o-
ficiency of consciousness
(32)
rectitude of mental body
(33)
rectitude of consciousness
(34)
wisdom
fa
c
ulty.
5
-
How You Discern Mentality
203
2.
A prepa
ratory
-
consciousness
................................
........................
(parikamma)
(34 me
n
tal formations)
3.
An access
-
consciousness
................................
................................
.....
(upacra)
(34 me
n
tal formations)
4.
A conformity
-
consciousness
................................
.............................
(an
u
loma)
(34 me
n
tal formations)
5.
A change
-
of
-
lineage consciousness
................................
..............
(gotrabhu)
(34 me
n
tal formations)
6.
An uninterr
upted sequence of jhna impulsion
-
consciousnesses
(jhna javana
-
citta)
(34 mental formations), which you have by now a
l-
ready di
s
cerned.
To discern all these mental formations, you must again re
-
esta
-
blish the first jhna, such as the first npn
-
jhna,
emerge from
it, and again discern the bhavanga and pat ibhga
-
nimitta t
o
gether.
When the nimitta appears in the bhavanga, discern the jhna
mind
-
door cognitive
-
process that just occured. You discern each
of the different consciousnesses in the first
-
j
hna mind
-
door co
g-
nitive
-
process, and their twelve or thirty
-
four types of mental for
-
m
a
tion.
After this, and to give you an understanding of menta
l
ity
(nma)
as a whole, discern the characteristic common to all me
n
tality
(nma)
, to all thirty
-
four mental
formations, which is the characte
r-
istic of bending towards
(
namana
)
and adhering to the object, in this
case, the npna pat ibhga
-
nimitta.
You need, in the same way, to discern and analyse the mentality
of also the se
c
ond, third, and fourth npn
-
jhna
s, as well as
any other jhnas of other meditation subjects that you have a
t-
tained; for example, foulness
-
, white kasina
-
, and lovingkindness
-
jhna.
If, however, you have only access concentration, with four
-
ele
-
ments meditation, you must begin your discer
nment of mentality
there: you cannot discern the me
n
tality of a jhna
-
conscious
ness
without jhna. In that case, you must with four
-
elements medit
a-
tion re
-
establish access concentration, where the transparent form
of your body sparkles and emits light. Af
ter resting there for
Knowing
and Seeing
204
some time, turn to Vipassan with a refreshed and clear mind, and
discern the mentality of that co
n
centration.
Having now discerned the different cognitive
-
processes in all
your previous Samatha practice, be it access or jhna concent
r
a-
tion, you then move on to discern the different mental formations
of a cognitive
-
process of the sensual realm
(kmv
a
cara vthi)
.
1
How You Discern Sensual Realm Cognitive
-
processes
Wise and Unwise Attention
A cognitive
-
process of the sensual realm is eit
her wholesome or
unwholesome: it depends on wise atte
n
tion
(yoniso manasikra)
or
unwise attention
(ayoniso manasikra)
. Attention determines whether a
sensual
-
realm co
n
sciousness is wholesome or unwholesome.
If you look at an object and know it as materi
ality, mentality,
cause or effect, impermanence, suffering, non
-
self, or repulsiv
e-
ness, then your attention is wise attention, and the impulsion
-
consciousness is whol
e
some.
If you look at an object and see it as a concept, such as a pe
r
son,
man, woman, bei
ng, gold, silver, or see it as permanence, happ
i-
ness, or self, then your attention is unwise attention, and the i
m-
pulsion
-
consciousness is unwholesome.
In exceptional cases, however, an impulsion
-
consciousness con
-
nected with a concept may be whol
e
some, fo
r example, when
prac
tising lovingkindness and making offerings. You will see the
difference when you discern those cognitive
-
processes.
1
The three realms: (1) The sensuous realm
(kmvacara)
, which includes the human world, the hells
and the deva
-
worlds. (2) The fine
-
material realm
(rpvacara)
, which includes the Brahma worlds,
where the materiality is very subtle. (3)
The imm
a
terial realm
(arpavacara)
, where there is only
mentality
.
5
-
How You Discern Mentality
205
How You Discern Mind
-
Door Cognitive
-
processes
To discern sensual
-
realm cognitive
-
processes, you should start
by discern
ing a mind
-
door cognitive
-
process, because there the
types of consciousness are fewer. You may start with a whol
e-
some mind
-
door cognitive
-
process.
A wholesome mind
-
door cognitive
-
process of the sensual realm
consists of a sequence of
three types of
co
n
scio
usness:
1.
A mind
-
door adverting
-
consciousness
.......................
(mano
-
d
vr
-
vajjana)
(12 mental formations)
2.
Seven impu
l
sion
-
conscious
nesses
................................
............
(javana
-
citta)
(34/33/32 mental form
a
tions)
3.
Two registr
a
tion
-
conscious
nesses
................................
..
(tadrammana
-
citta)
(34/33/32/12/11 mental form
a
t
ions)
To discern all this, you cause a mind
-
door cognitive
-
process to
occur. First, you discern the bhavanga (mind
-
door), and then the
eye tran
s
parent
-
element
(cakkhu pasda)
in a rpa
-
kalpa in the eye.
When it appears in the bhavanga, you cognize it as:
'This is eye
-
transparent element`, or 'This is materiality` (or impermanent,
suffering, non
-
self or repulsive), and see how there occurs a
mind
-
door cogn
i
tive
-
process.
Then, to discern the different types of mental formation in the
consciousnesses of tha
t mind
-
door cognitive
-
process, you then do
as you did with the jhna mind
-
door cognitive
-
process: begin
with either consciousness, feeling, or contact: whichever is most
prominent. Then add one mental form
a
tion at a time: discern first
one type, then add o
ne, so you discern two types of mental form
a-
tion; add one more, so you see three; add one more, so you see
four etc. u
n
til eventually you see all thirty
-
four, thirty
-
three or
thirty
-
two types of mental formation in each co
n
sciousness of a
wholesome mind
-
do
or cogn
i
tive
-
process of the sensual realm.
You should do this again and again until you are satisfied.
You need to thus discern the mind
-
door cognitive
-
processes that
take place when you look at each of the eighteen types of real m
a-
Knowing
and Seeing
206
teriality
(
rpa
-
rpa
)
, a
nd ten types of artificial materiality
(
arpa
-
rpa
)
examined when you discerned mater
i
ality
(rpa kamatthna)
.
1
How You Discern Five
-
Door Cognitive
-
processes
Once you have finished discerning the mind
-
door cognitive
-
processes, you should go on to discern t
he five
-
door cogn
i
tive
-
processes, starting with the eye
-
door cognitive
-
process.
To discern the mental formations of each consciousness in an
eye
-
door cogn
i
tive
-
process, you cause an eye
-
door cognitive
-
process to occur. First, you first discern the eye
-
door
, then the
bhavanga (mind
-
door), and then both at once. Then concentrate
on the colour of a nearby group of rpa
-
kalpas as it a
p
pears in
both doors, cognize it as 'This is colour`, and see how there o
c-
curs first an eye
-
door cognitive
-
process, and then (in
accordance
with the natural o
r
der of the mind
(
citta niyma
)
)
many mind
-
door
cognitive
-
processes, all with the same o
b
ject.
The eye
-
door cognitive
-
process will consist of a sequence of
seven types of co
n
sciousness.
1.
A
five
-
door adverting
-
consciousness
...........................
(p
a!cadvrvajjana)
(
11 mental formations)
2.
A
n eye
-
consciousness
................................
................................
(cakkhuvi!!na)
(
8 mental formations)
3.
A
receiving
-
consciousness
................................
.......................
(sampaticchana)
(
11 mental formations)
4.
A
n investigating
-
consciousness
................................
.....................
(santrana)
(
11/12 mental formations)
5.
A
determining
-
consciou
sness
................................
.......................
(votthapana)
(
12 mental formations)
6.
S
even impulsion
-
consciousnesses
................................
............
(javana
-
citta)
(
34/33/32 mental formations)
7.
T
wo registration
-
consciousnesses
................................
..
(tadrammana
-
citta)
(
34/33/32/12/11 mental formations)
1
When discerning materiality, all these types of materiality need to be discerned. Talk 4 'How You
Discern Materiality` e
x
plains only how to discern . For a list of the eighteen types of r
eal materiality,
and ten types of artificial m
a
teriality, please see 'Table 1` p.
169
5
-
How You Discern Mentality
207
After this follows a sequence of bhavanga
-
consci
ousnesses, and
then the three types of consciousness of the mind
-
door cogn
i
tive
-
process, as described before:
1.
A
mind
-
door adverting
-
consciousness
2.
S
even impulsion
-
consciousnesses
3.
T
wo registration
-
consciousnesses
Having discerned the above two series, y
ou then discern all the
remaining types of mental formation of the mind
-
door cognitive
-
processes: the mind
-
door cognitive processes that with the same
object (colour) fo
l
low the eye
-
door cognitive process.
1
Here
again, you begin with the most pro
minent of
either conscious
ness,
contact, or feeling. As before, add one at a time, until you see all
the different types of mental formation in each co
n
sciousness.
As you did for the eye
-
door, you then discern the cogn
i
tive
-
processes of the other four doors
: the ear, nose, tongue, and body.
By this stage, you will have developed the ability to discern
mentality associated with wholesome co
n
sciousnesses, and now
need to discern mentality associated with also unwholesome co
n-
sciousnesses. To do this, you simply
take the same o
b
jects as you
did for the wholesome consciousnesses, and instead pay unwise
atte
n
tion to them.
This is merely a brief explanation, but the examples given here
should be suff
i
cient for you at least to understand what is invol
-
ved in discern
ing mentality inte
r
nally.
In summary, you have so far completed the first three stages of
discerning me
n
tality:
1.
You have discerned all the types of consciousness
(
citta
)
that
occur internally.
2
2.
You have discerned each and every mental formation
(
nma
dha
mm
)
in all the types of consciou
s
ness.
1
For details, please see Tables 5 & 6, p.
213
f
2
It is understood that the supramun
dane types of consciou
s
ness are as yet out of reach.
Knowing
and Seeing
208
3.
You have discerned the sequences of consciousnesses, that is,
the cognitive
-
processes
(vthi)
that occur at the six sense
-
doors.
As mentioned earlier, there is also a fourth stage to discerning
mentality.
How You Di
scern External Mentality
The fourth stage is to discern mentality also externally. You b
e-
gin by discerning the four elements internally, and then externally
in the clothes you are wea
r
ing. You will see that your clothes
break down into rpa
-
kalpas, and th
at you are able to discern the
eight types of materiality in each. They are temperature
-
produced
nutritive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas
(utuja
ojatth
amaka
-
kalpa)
, and the tem
-
perature they arise from is the temperature in rpa
-
kalpas.
1
You should alternate betw
een the internal and external materia
l-
ity three or four times, and then with the light of concentration
di
s
cern external materiality a little farther away, such as the floor.
You will also there be able to discern the eight types of materia
l-
ity in each r
pa
-
kalpa, and should again alternate between the
i
n
ternal and exte
r
nal three or four times.
In this way, gradually expand your field of discernment to the
materiality in the building in which you are si
t
ting, the area
around it, including the trees, other
buildings, etc., until you di
s-
cern all inanimate materiality externally. While doing this, you
will see also
animate materiality
(transparent materiality, etc.) in
the i
n
animate objects: it is the insects and other small animals in
the trees, buil
d
ings, e
tc.
Once you have discerned all inanimate materiality externally,
you now go on to discern all animate materiality: the materiality
of other living beings, external m
a
teriality that has consciousness.
You are discern only their materia
l
ity, and see that th
ey are not a
man, a woman, a person, or a being: only materiality. Di
s
cern all
1
For details regarding temperature
-
produced nutritive
-
essence octad
-
kalpas etc., please see p.
139
5
-
How You Discern Mentality
209
external materiality at once, then all the different types of mater
i-
ality both internally and exte
r
nally.
To do this, you should first see the six basic types of rpa
-
kalpa
1
in
your own eye, and then in an external eye, another b
e-
ing`s eye. As when you analysed mat
e
riality, discern the fifty
-
four types of materiality, but now do it both internally and exte
r-
nally.
2
Do the same for the remaining five sense
-
bases, and r
e-
maining typ
es of materia
l
ity.
Having now discerned materiality completely, you proceed to
discern mentality internally and externally.
You discern mentality internally by again starting with the
mind
-
door, and then five
-
door cognitive
-
processes, discer
n
ing all
their
wholesome and unwholesome mental form
a
tions.
To do this externally, you do as you did internally, but discern
the eye
-
door and bhavanga (mind
-
door) of other beings in ge
n-
eral. Then, when the colour of a group of rpa
-
kalpas appears in
both doors, discern
also here the eye
-
door cognitive
-
process that
o
c
curs, and the many mind
-
door cognitive
-
processes that occur,
all with the same o
b
ject.
You should do this again and again, internally and exte
r
nally, and
again for each of the other four sense
-
doors, until
you are
sati
s-
fied.
If you have jhna, you should (if you can) also discern e
x-
ternal jhna mind
-
door cognitive
-
processes. That may be in a
n-
other meditator, although jhna concentration is now very, very
rare in the human world. But you will find beings in j
hna in the
deva
-
and Brahma
-
worlds.
Following the same procedure as before, you should gradually
extend your range of discernment until you can see materiality
throughout the infinite un
i
verse, and can see mentality throughout
1
Six basic types of rpa
-
kalpa:
(1)
eye decad
-
kal
pas;
(2)
body decad
-
kalpas;
(3)
sex decad
-
kalpas;
(4)
consciousness
-
produced octad
-
kalpas;
(5)
temperature
-
produced octad
-
kalpas;
(6)
n
u-
triment
-
produced octad
-
kalpas. Please see also p.
162
f.
2
Althoug
h you have in fact discerned sixty
-
three types of materiality, you do here discern only
fifty
-
four. Why you do this is explained in detail, p.
161
f
.
Knowing
and Seeing
210
the infinite universe. Then
you should discern them together
through
out the infinite un
i
verse.
Lastly, you define all that mentality and materiality with wi
s-
dom to see no beings, men, or women: only mentality and mater
i-
ality throughout the infinite universe. That concludes the di
s
ce
rn
-
ment of mentality
(nma kammatthna)
.
Having reached this stage in your meditation, you will have d
e-
veloped conce
n
tration, and will have used it to discern all twenty
-
eight kinds of materiality,
1
and all fifty
-
three kinds of me
n
tality
through
out the in
finite universe:
2
you will have completed the
first insight
-
knowledge, the Know
l
edge of Analysing Men
tality
-
Materi
ality
(nma
-
rpa pari
c
cheda !na)
.
Our next talk will be about the next stage of insight: the di
s-
cernment of dependent
-
origination
(paticca
samu
p
pda)
.
Even page
1
For the twenty
-
eight types of materiality, please see p.
169
2
For the fifty
-
three types of mentality, please see above footnote
1
, p.
199
.
2
1
1
T
a
b
l
e
5
T
h
e
F
i
v
e
-
D
o
o
r
C
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
P
r
o
c
e
s
s
(
p
a
!
c
a
d
v
r
a
v
t
h
i
)
w
i
t
h
e
y
e
-
d
o
o
r
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
a
s
e
x
a
m
p
l
e
.
1
E
y
e
-
d
o
o
r
C
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
P
r
o
c
e
s
s
C
a
k
k
h
u
-
D
v
r
a
V
t
h
i
M
a
t
e
r
ia
l B
a
s
e
V
a
tth
u
H
e
a
r
t
H
a
d
a
y
a
E
y
e
C
a
k
k
h
u
H
e
a
r
t
H
a
d
a
y
a
1
0
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
4
1
5
1
6
1
7
O
b
j
e
c
t
r
a
m
m
a
n
a
K
a
m
m
a
,
k
a
m
m
a
s
ig
n
(
k
a
m
m
a
-
n
im
itta
)
o
r
r
e
b
ir
th
s
ig
n
(
g
a
ti-
n
im
itta
)
C
o
l
o
u
r
O
b
j
e
c
t
R
r
a
m
m
a
n
a
K
a
m
m
a
,
k
a
m
m
a
s
ig
n
o
r
r
e
b
ir
th
s
ig
n
.
C
o
n
s
c
io
u
s
n
e
s
s
C
itta
L
i
f
e
-
C
o
n
t
i
n
u
u
m
B
h
a
v
a
n
g
a
n
p
P
a
s
t
L
i
f
e
-
C
o
n
t
i
n
u
u
m
A
t
t
a
B
h
a
v
a
n
g
a
n
p
T
r
e
m
b
l
i
n
g
L
i
f
e
-
C
o
n
t
i
n
u
u
m
B
h
a
v
a
n
g
a
C
a
l
a
n
a
n
p
A
r
r
e
s
t
L
i
f
e
-
C
o
n
t
i
n
u
u
m
B
h
a
v
a
n
g
-
u
p
a
c
c
h
e
d
a
n
p
F
i
v
e
-
d
o
o
r
A
d
v
e
r
t
i
n
g
P
a
!
c
a
-
D
v
v
a
j
j
a
n
a
n
p
E
y
e
C
a
k
k
h
u
-
v
i
n
n
n
a
n
p
R
e
c
e
i
v
i
n
g
S
a
m
p
a
t
i
c
-
c
h
a
n
a
n
p
I
n
v
e
s
t
i
g
a
t
i
o
n
S
a
n
t
r
a
n
a
n
p
D
e
t
e
r
m
i
n
i
n
g
V
o
t
t
h
a
p
a
n
a
n
p
1
s
t
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
2
n
d
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
3
r
d
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
4
t
h
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
5
t
h
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
6
t
h
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
7
t
h
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
1
s
t
R
e
g
i
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
T
a
d
r
a
m
m
a
n
a
n
p
2
n
d
R
e
g
i
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
T
a
d
r
a
m
m
a
n
a
n
p
L
i
f
e
-
C
o
n
t
i
n
u
u
m
B
h
a
v
a
n
g
a
n
p
x
F
i
v
e
-
d
o
o
r
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
e
s
o
f
e
i
t
h
e
r
d
o
o
r
(
e
y
e
-
,
e
a
r
-
,
n
o
s
e
-
,
t
o
n
g
u
e
-
a
n
d
b
o
d
y
-
d
o
o
r
)
h
a
v
e
t
h
e
s
a
m
e
s
t
r
u
c
t
u
r
e
,
w
i
t
h
t
h
e
i
r
r
e
s
p
e
c
t
i
v
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
.
x
T
h
e
c
o
n
s
t
i
t
u
e
n
t
s
a
n
d
s
e
q
u
e
n
c
e
o
f
f
i
v
e
-
d
o
o
r
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
-
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
e
s
a
r
e
t
h
e
s
a
m
e
f
o
r
a
l
l
:
a
c
c
o
r
d
i
n
g
t
o
t
h
e
n
a
t
u
r
a
l
l
a
w
o
f
t
h
e
m
i
n
d
(
c
i
t
t
a
-
n
i
y
m
a
)
.
x
T
h
e
d
u
r
a
t
i
o
n
o
f
o
n
e
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
i
s
a
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
-
m
o
m
e
n
t
(
c
i
t
t
a
k
k
h
a
n
a
)
.
T
h
e
l
i
f
e
-
s
p
a
n
o
f
m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l
i
t
y
i
s
e
q
u
a
l
t
o
1
7
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
-
m
o
m
e
n
t
s
.
x
E
a
c
h
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
(
c
i
t
t
a
)
h
a
s
a
r
i
s
i
n
g
s
t
a
g
e
(
u
p
p
d
a
)
(
n
)
,
a
s
t
a
n
d
i
n
g
s
t
a
g
e
(
t
h
i
t
i
)
(
)
,
a
n
d
a
p
a
s
s
i
n
g
-
a
w
a
y
s
t
a
g
e
(
b
h
a
n
g
a
)
(
p
)
.
x
T
h
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
o
f
t
h
e
l
i
f
e
-
c
o
n
t
i
n
u
u
m
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
e
s
i
s
t
h
e
s
a
m
e
t
h
r
o
u
g
h
o
u
t
o
n
e
l
i
f
e
.
I
t
i
s
t
h
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
o
f
t
h
e
l
a
s
t
i
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
-
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
o
f
t
h
e
p
r
e
-
v
i
o
u
s
l
i
f
e
.
2
x
I
n
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
e
a
c
h
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
-
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
a
r
i
s
e
a
n
y
n
u
m
b
e
r
o
f
l
i
f
e
-
c
o
n
t
i
n
u
u
m
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
e
s
,
d
e
p
e
n
d
i
n
g
o
n
t
h
e
p
e
r
s
o
n
.
A
B
u
d
d
h
a
h
a
s
v
e
r
y
f
e
w
l
i
f
e
-
c
o
n
t
i
n
u
u
m
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
e
s
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
e
a
c
h
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
-
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
.
1
F
o
r
f
u
r
t
h
e
r
d
e
t
a
i
l
s
,
p
l
e
a
s
e
s
e
e
T
a
l
k
4
'
H
o
w
Y
o
u
D
i
s
c
e
r
n
M
a
t
e
r
i
a
l
i
t
y
`
(
p
.
1
3
1
f
f
)
,
T
a
l
k
5
'
H
o
w
Y
o
u
D
i
s
c
e
r
n
M
e
n
t
a
l
i
t
y
`
(
p
.
1
9
9
f
f
)
,
a
n
d
T
a
b
l
e
s
2
-
4
(
p
.
1
7
1
f
f
)
a
n
d
t
h
e
A
b
h
i
d
h
a
m
m
a
t
t
h
a
S
a
n
g
a
h
a
(
e
.
g
.
A
C
o
m
p
r
e
h
e
n
s
i
v
e
M
a
n
u
a
l
o
f
A
b
h
i
d
h
a
m
m
a
,
E
d
.
B
h
i
k
k
h
u
B
o
d
h
i
,
B
P
S
.
)
2
P
l
e
a
s
e
s
e
e
a
l
s
o
A
n
s
w
e
r
3
.
1
2
,
p
.
1
2
7
.
K
n
o
w
i
n
g
a
n
d
S
e
e
i
n
g
2
1
2
x
T
h
e
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
o
n
o
f
t
h
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
i
s
p
e
r
f
o
r
m
e
d
b
y
t
h
e
s
e
v
e
n
i
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
e
s
.
x
T
h
e
f
i
v
e
-
d
o
o
r
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
-
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
o
n
l
y
'
p
i
c
k
s
u
p
`
t
h
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
;
o
n
l
y
c
o
g
n
i
z
e
s
t
h
a
t
t
h
e
r
e
i
s
c
o
l
o
u
r
,
d
o
e
s
n
o
t
'
k
n
o
w
`
t
h
e
c
o
l
o
u
r
o
r
t
h
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
y
e
t
.
T
h
e
'
k
n
o
w
i
n
g
`
o
f
t
h
e
c
o
l
o
u
r
a
n
d
t
h
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
i
s
p
e
r
f
o
r
m
e
d
b
y
s
u
b
s
e
q
u
e
n
t
m
i
n
d
-
d
o
o
r
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
-
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
.
1
1
P
l
e
a
s
e
s
e
e
a
b
o
v
e
T
a
b
l
e
6
,
p
.
2
1
3
.
2
1
3
T
a
b
l
e
6
T
h
e
M
i
n
d
-
D
o
o
r
C
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
P
r
o
c
e
s
s
(
m
a
n
o
d
v
r
a
v
t
h
i
)
w
i
t
h
c
o
l
o
u
r
o
b
j
e
c
t
a
s
e
x
a
m
p
l
e
.
1
M
a
t
e
r
i
a
l
B
a
s
e
V
a
t
t
h
u
H
e
a
r
t
H
a
d
a
y
a
!
1
0
O
b
j
e
c
t
r
a
m
m
a
n
a
K
a
m
m
a
,
k
a
m
m
a
s
i
g
n
o
r
r
e
b
i
r
t
h
s
i
g
n
.
C
o
l
o
u
r
O
b
j
e
c
t
R
r
a
m
m
a
n
a
K
a
m
m
a
,
k
a
m
m
a
-
o
r
r
e
b
i
r
t
h
s
i
g
n
.
C
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
!
C
i
t
t
a
L
i
f
e
-
C
o
n
t
i
n
u
u
m
B
h
a
v
a
n
g
a
n
p
M
i
n
d
-
d
o
o
r
A
d
v
e
r
t
i
n
g
M
a
n
o
-
D
v
v
a
j
j
a
n
a
n
p
1
s
t
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
2
n
d
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
3
r
d
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
4
t
h
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
5
t
h
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
6
t
h
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
7
t
h
I
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
J
a
v
a
n
a
n
p
1
s
t
R
e
g
i
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
T
a
d
r
a
m
m
a
n
a
n
p
2
n
d
R
e
g
i
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
T
a
d
r
a
m
m
a
n
a
n
p
L
i
f
e
-
C
o
n
t
i
n
u
u
m
B
h
a
v
a
n
g
a
n
p
x
M
i
n
d
-
d
o
o
r
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
e
s
m
a
y
a
r
i
s
e
w
i
t
h
a
p
r
e
c
e
d
i
n
g
5
-
d
o
o
r
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
;
t
h
e
y
m
a
y
a
r
i
s
e
w
i
t
h
a
n
o
t
h
e
r
p
r
e
c
e
d
i
n
g
m
i
n
d
-
d
o
o
r
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
.
x
T
h
e
c
o
n
s
t
i
t
u
e
n
t
s
a
n
d
s
e
q
u
e
n
c
e
o
f
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
-
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
e
s
a
r
e
t
h
e
s
a
m
e
f
o
r
a
l
l
:
a
c
c
o
r
d
i
n
g
t
o
t
h
e
n
a
t
u
r
a
l
l
a
w
o
f
t
h
e
m
i
n
d
(
c
i
t
t
a
-
n
i
y
m
a
)
.
x
E
a
c
h
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
h
a
s
a
r
i
s
i
n
g
s
t
a
g
e
(
u
p
p
d
a
)
(
n
)
,
a
s
t
a
n
d
i
n
g
s
t
a
g
e
(
t
h
i
t
i
)
(
)
,
a
n
d
a
p
a
s
s
i
n
g
-
a
w
a
y
s
t
a
g
e
(
b
h
a
n
g
a
)
(
p
)
.
x
T
h
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
o
f
t
h
e
l
i
f
e
-
c
o
n
t
i
n
u
u
m
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
e
s
i
s
t
h
e
s
a
m
e
t
h
r
o
u
g
h
o
u
t
o
n
e
l
i
f
e
.
I
t
i
s
t
h
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
o
f
t
h
e
l
a
s
t
i
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
-
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
o
f
t
h
e
p
r
e
v
i
o
u
s
l
i
f
e
.
2
x
I
n
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
e
a
c
h
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
-
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
a
r
i
s
e
a
n
y
n
u
m
b
e
r
o
f
l
i
f
e
-
c
o
n
t
i
n
u
u
m
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
e
s
,
d
e
p
e
n
d
i
n
g
o
n
t
h
e
p
e
r
s
o
n
.
A
B
u
d
d
h
a
h
a
s
v
e
r
y
f
e
w
l
i
f
e
-
c
o
n
t
i
n
u
u
m
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
e
s
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
e
a
c
h
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
-
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
.
x
T
h
e
'
k
n
o
w
i
n
g
`
o
f
e
a
c
h
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
-
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
i
s
p
e
r
f
o
r
m
e
d
b
y
t
h
e
s
e
v
e
n
i
m
p
u
l
s
i
o
n
c
o
n
s
c
i
o
u
s
n
e
s
s
e
s
.
x
A
f
t
e
r
t
h
e
f
i
r
s
t
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
(
t
h
e
f
i
v
e
-
d
o
o
r
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
)
,
f
o
l
l
o
w
s
a
s
e
r
i
e
s
o
f
m
i
n
d
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
-
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
e
s
.
T
h
e
w
h
o
l
e
p
r
o
c
e
d
u
r
e
i
s
:
1
F
o
r
f
u
r
t
h
e
r
d
e
t
a
i
l
s
,
p
l
e
a
s
e
s
e
e
,
T
a
l
k
5
'
H
o
w
Y
o
u
D
i
s
c
e
r
n
M
e
n
t
a
l
i
t
y
`
(
p
.
1
9
9
f
f
)
,
A
n
s
w
e
r
s
3
.
5
,
3
.
1
1
,
7
.
9
,
7
.
1
1
,
7
.
1
2
,
a
n
d
t
h
e
A
b
h
i
d
h
a
m
m
a
t
t
h
a
S
a
n
g
a
h
a
(
e
.
g
.
A
C
o
m
p
r
e
h
e
n
s
i
v
e
M
a
n
u
a
l
o
f
A
b
-
h
i
d
h
a
m
m
a
,
E
d
.
B
h
i
k
k
h
u
B
o
d
h
i
,
B
P
S
.
)
2
P
l
e
a
s
e
s
e
e
a
l
s
o
A
n
s
w
e
r
3
.
1
2
,
p
.
1
2
7
.
K
n
o
w
i
n
g
a
n
d
S
e
e
i
n
g
2
1
4
1
.
F
i
v
e
-
d
o
o
r
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
t
h
a
t
'
p
i
c
k
s
-
u
p
`
t
h
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
;
i
n
t
h
e
c
a
s
e
o
f
t
h
e
e
y
e
a
n
d
a
c
o
l
o
u
r
o
b
j
e
c
t
,
i
t
c
o
g
n
i
z
e
s
o
n
l
y
t
h
a
t
t
h
e
r
e
i
s
c
o
l
o
u
r
.
1
2
.
M
i
n
d
-
d
o
o
r
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
t
h
a
t
p
e
r
c
e
i
v
e
s
t
h
e
c
o
l
o
u
r
;
c
o
m
p
a
r
e
s
t
h
e
p
r
e
s
e
n
t
c
o
l
o
u
r
w
i
t
h
a
p
a
s
t
c
o
l
o
u
r
;
k
n
o
w
s
t
h
e
p
a
s
t
c
o
l
o
u
r
.
3
.
-
"
-
-
"
-
k
n
o
w
s
w
h
i
c
h
c
o
l
o
u
r
i
t
i
s
;
k
n
o
w
s
t
h
e
c
o
l
o
u
r
`
s
n
a
m
e
.
4
.
-
"
-
-
"
-
k
n
o
w
s
t
h
e
'
m
e
a
n
i
n
g
`
o
f
t
h
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
;
s
e
e
s
t
h
e
w
h
o
l
e
i
m
a
g
e
,
a
c
o
n
c
e
p
t
,
d
e
t
e
r
m
i
n
e
d
b
y
p
a
s
t
e
x
p
e
r
i
e
n
c
e
(
p
e
r
c
e
p
-
t
i
o
n
(
s
a
!
!
)
)
.
5
.
M
i
n
d
-
d
o
o
r
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
t
h
a
t
j
u
d
g
e
s
a
n
d
f
e
e
l
s
.
T
h
i
s
i
s
t
h
e
b
e
g
i
n
n
i
n
g
o
f
t
r
u
e
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
o
n
,
w
h
e
n
m
e
n
t
a
l
p
r
o
l
i
f
e
r
a
t
i
o
n
t
a
k
e
s
p
l
a
c
e
(
p
a
p
a
!
c
a
)
a
n
d
k
a
m
m
a
i
s
p
e
r
f
o
r
m
e
d
,
a
s
w
e
p
e
r
c
e
i
v
e
t
h
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
t
o
b
e
p
e
r
m
a
n
e
n
t
(
n
i
c
c
a
)
,
h
a
p
p
i
n
e
s
s
(
s
u
k
h
a
)
,
a
n
d
s
e
l
f
(
a
t
t
a
)
.
(
T
h
e
V
i
p
a
s
s
a
n
m
i
n
d
-
d
o
o
r
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
s
e
e
s
t
h
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
a
s
i
m
p
e
r
m
a
n
e
n
t
(
a
n
i
c
c
a
)
,
s
u
f
f
e
r
i
n
g
(
d
u
k
k
h
a
)
,
a
n
d
n
o
n
-
s
e
l
f
(
a
n
a
t
t
a
)
)
.
6
.
W
i
t
h
t
h
i
s
s
a
m
e
o
b
j
e
c
t
a
r
i
s
e
c
o
u
n
t
l
e
s
s
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
-
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
e
s
(
m
e
n
t
a
l
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n
s
(
s
a
n
k
h
)
)
,
r
e
-
i
n
f
o
r
c
i
n
g
t
h
e
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
o
n
.
I
t
i
s
f
r
o
m
t
h
e
f
i
f
t
h
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
o
n
w
a
r
d
s
t
h
a
t
t
h
e
r
e
i
s
t
h
e
k
n
o
w
i
n
g
o
f
t
h
e
c
o
n
c
e
p
t
u
a
l
r
e
a
l
i
t
y
:
'
a
m
a
n
`
,
'
a
w
o
m
a
n
`
,
'
a
p
o
t
`
,
'
a
s
a
r
o
n
g
`
,
'
g
o
l
d
`
,
'
s
i
l
-
v
e
r
`
e
t
c
.
A
n
d
i
t
i
s
f
r
o
m
t
h
a
t
c
o
g
n
i
t
i
v
e
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
o
n
w
a
r
d
s
t
h
a
t
w
h
o
l
e
s
o
m
e
m
i
n
d
-
s
t
a
t
e
s
a
r
i
s
e
f
r
o
m
w
i
s
e
a
t
t
e
n
t
i
o
n
(
y
o
n
i
s
o
m
a
n
a
s
i
k
r
a
)
,
w
i
t
h
,
f
o
r
e
x
a
m
-
p
l
e
,
r
e
s
p
e
c
t
f
o
r
a
n
d
w
o
r
s
h
i
p
o
f
o
n
e
`
s
t
e
a
c
h
e
r
,
a
B
u
d
d
h
a
-
s
t
a
t
u
e
o
r
a
b
h
i
k
k
h
u
;
o
r
u
n
w
h
o
l
e
s
o
m
e
m
i
n
d
-
s
t
a
t
e
s
a
r
i
s
e
f
r
o
m
u
n
w
i
s
e
a
t
t
e
n
t
i
o
n
(
a
y
o
n
i
s
o
m
a
-
n
a
s
i
k
r
a
)
,
w
i
t
h
,
f
o
r
e
x
a
m
p
l
e
,
a
t
t
a
c
h
m
e
n
t
t
o
o
n
e
`
s
h
u
s
b
a
n
d
,
w
i
f
e
,
c
h
i
l
d
r
e
n
,
p
r
o
p
e
r
t
y
e
t
c
.
T
h
i
s
p
r
o
c
e
s
s
c
o
n
t
i
n
u
e
s
u
n
t
i
l
a
g
a
i
n
t
h
e
m
i
n
d
a
d
v
e
r
t
s
t
o
w
a
r
d
s
a
n
e
w
o
b
j
e
c
t
.
1
P
l
e
a
s
e
s
e
e
T
a
b
l
e
5
a
b
o
v
e
,
p
.
2
1
1
.
215
Questions and Answers 5
Question 5.1
The eight attainments
(sampatti)
1
make it possible to a
t-
tain the Knowledge of A
nalysing Mentality
-
Materiality
(nma
-
rpa
pariccheda !na)
, and to see their su
b
tle arising and pass
ing
-
away, so
as to become disgusted with them, and attain the Path Knowledge
(magga!na)
. Are there, apart from this, other benefits to the eight
attai
n
me
nts?
Answer 5.1
There are five benefits to jhna concentr
a
tion:
2
The
first ben
e
fit
of jhna concentration is a blissful abiding here
and now
(ditthadhamma sukha vihra)
: enjoying jhna happiness in this
very life. This refers to
arahants. Even though
pure Vipassan
arahants naturally possess the supramundane jhnas
(lokuttra
jhna)
, they may still want to develop the mundane jhnas
(lokiya
jhna)
, because
they want to e
n
joy the blissful abiding of jhna.
Since they are arahants,
with all defilements r
e
moved by Path
Know
ledge (which means also their hindrances have been r
e-
moved
3
), it is very easy for them to develop jhna. Another re
a-
son why they will usually develop jhna is that they want to attain
cessation
(nirodhnisamsa)
: it
requires mastery of the eight attai
n-
ments.
A bhikkhu`s duty is to learn the scriptures
(par
i
yatti)
, to practise
Vipassan meditation
(pat
i
patti)
, and to attain the four paths and
four fruitions
(pativedha)
. That is what
ar
a
hants have done, so there
is no more work for them to do. They practise jhna co
n
cen
tra
-
tion for no reason other than the enjo
y
ment of
jhna bliss
(jhna
sukha)
in this very life.
The
second bene
fit
of jhna concentration is the benefit of i
n-
sight
(vipassannisamsa)
:
Jhna concentration is a su
p
port for insight
-
know
ledge, because with jhna, one can see
ultimate mentality
-
1
The four mundane jhnas, and four immaterial jhnas.
2
Vis.xi
`Samdhi Niddesa'
B362 (
`
Description of Concentration
'
120
ff
)
3
The hindrances are
removed already at the attainment of Non
-
Return
(angmi)
.
Knowing
and Seeing
216
materi
ali
ty and their causes clearly, and can discern their impe
r-
manent, suffering, and non
-
self n
a
ture.
When a yogi has practised Vipassan thoroughly, especially up
to the Path Knowledge
(magga!na)
and Fruition Knowledge
(phala
-
!na)
, or the Knowledge of Equanim
ity Towards Formations
(sa
n
k-
hrupekkh !na)
, jhnas are usually stable. They make the insight
-
knowledge clear, bright, strong and powerful. That strong and
powerful i
n
sight
-
knowledge in its turn, also protects the jhnas
from fa
l
ling down.
Then again, wh
en a yogi has been practising V
i
passan for a
long time, tiredness may occur. Then he should go into jhna for
long, to rest the mind. Refreshed he can then switch back to V
i-
passan.
When it happens again he can again rest in jh
na.
1
So, because of concentration, Vipassan is clear, bright, strong
and powerful, and well protected. Vipassan in its turn destroys
the defilements that hinder concentration, and keeps it stable.
Samatha protects Vipa
s
san and vice
-
versa.
Furthermore, the concentration of the eight attainments is not
only a support for the discernment of mentality
-
materiality and
their causes, because those eight attainments are themselves me
n-
tality, and
included in the discernment of mentality.
2
And if a
yogi has discerned mentality
-
materiality and their causes (inclu
d-
ing the eight attainments) as impermanence, suffe
r
ing, and non
-
self, up to the Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Formations
(sa
nk
hr
u
pekkh
!na)
, he can thereafter keep his discernment of the
jhna formations to only one of the eight attainments. This is yo
k-
ing
(yuganaddha)
Samatha and Vipassan together, like
tw
o bu
l
locks
pulling one cart. It is another support for the attainment of the
Path, Fruition, and
Nibbna.
The
third benefit
of jhna concentration is
psychic powers
(abhi!
-
!
nisamsa)
: If one wants to master the mundane psychic powers,
like the recollection of past lives
(pubbenivsnussati abhi!!)
, the d
i-
vine eye
(dibba cakkhu)
, the
divine ear
(dibba sota)
, know
ing the mind
1
For a more detailed explanation, please see p.
151
2
Please see p.
201
ff
Questions and Answers 5
217
of ot
h
ers
(paracitta vijnana)
, and the supernormal powers
(iddhividha)
,
flying,
wal
k
ing on water, etc.,one must de
velop the ten kasinas
and eight attainments
(sampatti)
in fou
r
teen ways.
1
The
fourth benefit
of jhna concentration is what is called 'a
specific
existence`
(bhavavisesvahnisamsa)
. That is, if one wants r
e-
birth in a brahma realm at death, one must develop concentration
such as the ten kasina
-
, npn
-
, or lovingkindness
-
jhna. But
to
be sure of rebirth in a brahma realm mean
s the jhna must be
mai
n
tained up to the moment of death.
The
fifth benefit
of jhna concentration is cessation
(niro
d
hni
-
samsa)
: the attainment of cessation
(nirodha sampatti)
, whi
ch is the
temporary cessation of consciousness
(citta)
, associated mental fa
c-
tors
(cetasika)
and consciousness
-
produced materiality
(cittaja rpa)
.
'Temporary` means usually for a day up to seven days, depending
on one`s prior determination
(adh
i
tthna)
.
Only non
-
returners
(angmi)
and arahants can attain cess
a
tion.
And for arahants, apart from when they are asleep, and apart from
when they pay attention to concepts, they never st
op se
e
ing the
arising and passing
-
away, or just the passing
-
away of menta
l
ity
-
materiality and their causes: all day, all night, for days, months,
and years.
2
Sometimes they get dise
n
chanted and 'bored`, and
just do not want to see those 'phenomena of passi
ng
-
away`
(bha
n
ga
dhamma)
anymore. But, because their life span is not over, it is not
yet time for their
Parinibbna. Therefore, to stop seeing those
phenomena of passing
-
away, they enter ce
s
sation.
Wh
y do they never stop seeing those phenomena? Because,
with arahantship, they have destroyed the hi
n
drances opposite the
jhna factors, and have therefore concentration. The concentrated
mind sees ult
i
mate phenomena
(paramattha dhamma)
as they really
are, s
o it sees always u
l
timate mentality
-
materiality as they really
1
For details, please see Vs.xii
`Iddhividha Niddesa'
('Description of Direct Knowledge`)
2
For related details, please see below, 'Knowledge of Arising and Passing
-
Away` p.
264
ff
.
Details regarding the path to arahantship, and thence the a
rahant`s 'permanent dwelling` (seeing
only the continuous rising and pasing
-
away of formations) are described by The Buddha in
S.III.II.i.5
`Sa
t
tatthna Sutta'
('Seven Cases Sutta`).
Knowing
and Seeing
218
are, which are the 'phenomena of passing
-
away`. When one e
n-
ters cessation, let`s say for seven days, one does not see the ph
e-
no
m
ena of passing
-
away, because (for as long as the attainment
lasts
) the consciousness and assoc
i
ated mental factors that would
have known those pheno
m
ena have ceased.
Although arahants are able to abide in Nibbna
-
attainment, they
may still prefer to abide in cessation, because although the Ni
b-
bna
-
attainment takes the U
n
formed as object, there remains the
mental formation of feeling. But in the attainment of cessation the
only formation that remains is the material formation of kamma
-
,
temperature
-
and nutriment
-
produced materiality: no consciou
s-
ness
-
produced materiality
, and no co
n
sciousness.
To enter cessation, one must establish the first jhna, emerge
from it, and discern the first
-
jhna dhammas as impermanence,
suf
fering, or non
-
self. One must do the same progressively up to
the base of boundless consciou
s
ness, which is the second immate
-
rial jhna
(vi!!na!cyatana jhna)
. Then one must en
ter the base of
nothingness, the third i
m
material jhna
(ki!ca!!
ya
tana jhna)
,
emerge from it and make
four determin
a
tions:
1.
To reflect on the limit of one`s life
-
span, and then within that to d
e-
termine a period for the attainment of cessation (for example, seven
days), at the end of which one will emerge from the attainment.
2.
To emerge from
the attainment of cessation should one be wanted
by a Buddha.
3.
To emerge from the attainment of cessation should one be wanted
by the Sangha.
4.
That one`s requisites not be destroyed by, for example, fire.
Then one enters the base of neither
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
percep
-
tion, the fourth immaterial jhna
(nevasa!!
-
nsa!!yatana jhna)
. After
only one or two consciousness
-
moments in that attain
ment, one
enters cessation for the determined period, for e
x
ample, seven
days. One does not see anything while in the a
ttain
ment, because
all consciou
s
ness and associated mental factors have ceased.
1
1
Vs.xxiii
`Nirodhasampatti Kath' B879
('Cessation
-
Attai
n
ment Explanat
ion` 43)
Questions and Answers 5
219
Question 5.2
Which is easiest and quickest for the attainment of
Nibbna: using theory to perceive imperm
a
nence, suffering, and
non
-
self, or using concentration to discern u
ltimate pheno
m
ena
(paramattha dhamma)
?
Answer 5.2
What is impermanence? Impermanence is the five a
g-
gregates.
1
This definition is me
n
tioned in many commentaries. If
a yogi sees the five aggregates clearly, he can see impermanence,
suffering, and non
-
self: n
o pro
b
lem. But without seeing the five
aggregates, how can he see imperm
a
nence, suffering and non
-
self? If he tries to do so without seeing the five aggregates, his
Vipassan will be only reciting Vipa
s
san; not true Vipassan.
Only true Vipassan produces
the Path and Fruition Know
l
edges.
What are the five aggregates? They are the materiality
-
aggre
-
gate, the feeling
-
aggregate, the perception
-
aggregate, the forma
-
tions
-
aggregate and the consciousness
-
aggregate. The m
a
terial
ity
-
aggregate is the twenty
-
eight
types of materiality
(
rpa
)
. The fee
l-
ing
-
, perception
-
and formations
-
aggregate are the fifty
-
two ass
o-
ciated mental factors
(
cetasika
)
. The consciou
s
ness
-
aggregate is the
eighty
-
nine types of consciousness
(citta)
. The twenty
-
eight types
of materiality ar
e what is called materiality, and the fifty
-
two a
s-
sociated mental factors and eighty
-
nine types of consciousness
are what is called mentality. So, the five aggregates and menta
l
-
ity
-
materiality are one and the same thing.
These are all ultimate mentality
-
m
ateriality. If a yogi sees these
ultimate menta
l
ity
-
materiality, he can practise Vipassan, and see
the impermanent, suffering, and non
-
self nature of these menta
l-
ity
-
materiality. But if he cannot see ultimate me
n
tality
-
materiality, how can he practise Vip
a
s
san, since they and their
causes are the necessary objects of insight
-
knowledge? This is
true Vipassan. Only true Vipassan produces the Path and Fru
i-
tion Knowledges.
1
Aniccanti khandapa!cakam
.
Pa!cakkhandh aniccanti
. (
VbhA.ii.1
`Suttantabhjan
i
ya Vannan
'
('By Sutta Comment`)).
Quoted also above Answer 2.3, p.
92
Knowing
and Seeing
220
In the
`Mahsatipat t hna Sutta'
1
The Buddha taught that to a
t-
tain Nibbna there is on
ly one way
(ekyana)
: no other way. What is
the way? The Buddha said to practise conce
n
tration first, because
a concentrated mind can give rise to the seeing of ulti
mate me
n-
tality
-
materiality and their causes. Again, a concen
trated mind
can give rise to
the seeing of impermanence, suffering, and non
-
self nature of ultimate menta
l
ity
-
materiality and their causes. But
we cannot say which is the quickest way to attain Nibbna: it d
e-
pens
on one`s pram s.
For example, the Venerable
Sriputta
needed a
bout two weeks`
hard work to attain the arahant path and fruition, whereas the
Venera
ble Mahmoggallna needed only seven days. And,
B
hi
-
ya Daruciriya needed only to listen to a very short discourse:
'
D
i-
((he di((h
a
mattam
.`
(
In the seeing there is only the seeing.
)
2
The spe
ed
with which they each attained arahant
ship was because of their
individual pram s.
The Venerables Sriputta and Mahmo
g
gallna had developed
their pram s for one incalculable
(asankhyeyya)
and a hundred tho
u-
sand aeons
(kappa)
, and Bhiya Dar
u
ciriya f
or about one hundred
thousand aeons. The Venerables Sriputta and Mahmoggallnas`
arahant paths were associated with the Knowledge of Enlighte
n-
ment of a Chief Disciple
(aggasvaka bodhi !na)
, whereas Bhiya D
a-
ruciriya`s arahant path was associated with o
nly the Knowledge
of Enlightenment of a Great Disciple
(m
a
hsvaka bodhi !na)
. The
Knowledge of Enlightenment of a Chief Disciple is higher than
the Knowledge of Enlighte
n
ment of a Great Disciple.
3
Since there is only one way to attain Nibbna, these dis
ciples
did not attain arahantship because of a wish: they attained ar
a-
hantship through present effort supported by their past effort,
their pram s.
1
D.ii.9 'Great Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness`
2
U.i.10
`Bhiya Sutta'
('Bhiya Sutta`)
3
For the four types of person who attains Nibbna, please see p.
180
; for the four typ
es of ar
a
hant
path, please see Answer 4.7, p.
192
.
Questions and Answers 5
221
Question 5.3
The round of rebirths
(samsra)
is without begi
n
ning
or
end. Beings are also infinite in number, so those who have been
our mother are infinite too. How can we develop lovin
g
kindness
by contemplating that all beings have been our mother? Can we
attain lovingkindness jhna
(mett jhna)
by contempla
t
ing that
all
beings have been our mother?
Answer 5.3
Lovingkindness meditation does not concern the past
and future. It co
n
cerns only the present. Only an object of the
present can produce lovingkindness jhna
(mett jhna)
, not one of
the past or future: we cannot
attain jhna by extending lovin
g-
kindness to the dead. In the endless round of r
e
births
(samsra)
,
there may very well be no one who has not been our father or
mother, but lovingkindness med
i
tation is not concerned with the
endless round of rebirths. It is
not nece
s
sary to consider that this
was our mother, this our f
a
ther.
In the
`Karan yamett Sutta'
, The Buddha said:
Mt yath niyampattamyas ekapattamanarakkhe;
erampi sa
b
babhtesa, mnasam bhraye aparimam
.
This means that just as a mother with an only son would give up
even
her life for him, so a bhikkhu should e
x
tend lovingkindness
to all beings. This is The Buddha`s instru
c
tion. But the attitude of
a mother cannot alone lead to jhna. If we extend lovingkindness
with the thought, 'May this person be well and happy` it will
pr
o-
duce jhna.
Question 5.4
(
The following questions are all covered by the same
answer.)
x
Was there a bodhisatta during The Buddha`s time? If so, did he a
t-
tain a path or was he just a worldling
(puth
u
jjana)
?
x
Why can a noble one
(ariya)
not become a bodhi
satta?
x
Can a disciple
(svaka)
change to become a bodh
i
satta? If not, why
not?
x
When by following the Sayadaw`s teaching one is able to attain the
Path and Fruition Knowledges of Stream
-
Entry
(s
o
tpatti magga!na
and
sotpatti phala!na)
, can one choose to
not do so, because of a d
e-
sire and vow to practise the bodh
i
satta path?
Knowing
and Seeing
222
Answer 5.4
One can change one`s mind before attaining a path or
fruition, but not afterwards. In many suttas, The Bu
d
dha taught
that the path occurs according to a
law of nature
(sammatta niyma)
.
The law of nature says:
x
The Stream
-
Entry Path
(sotpatti magga)
pr
o
duces the Stream
-
Entry Fruition
(sotpatti phala)
, after which one can pr
o
gress to
t
he once
-
returner
(sakadgmi)
stage, but one cannot regress to
the worldling
(
puthujjana
)
stage.
x
A once
-
returner can pr
o
gress to the non
-
returner
(angmi)
stage, but cannot regress to the stream
-
enterer or worldling
stages.
x
A non
-
returner can progress to
arahantship, but cannot r
e-
gress to the once
-
returner, stream
-
enterer or worldling stages.
x
An arahant attains Parinibbna at death, and cannot regress to
the lower noble stages, the worldling stage, or any other
stage.
Arahantship is the end. This is a la
w of nature
(sammatta niyma)
.
Referring to arahan
t
ship, The Buddha said many times:
1
Ayamantim jti, natthidni panabbharati.
(
This is the last r
e
birth, now there is no new rebirth.
)
This means that one cannot change one`s mind, and decide to
become
a bodhisatta after having attained a path or fru
i
tion.
Moreover, one cannot change one`s mind after having received a
definite prop
h
ecy from a Buddha or arahant. But one may wish to
wait, and become an arahant some time in the future, and then
change one`
s mind, and a
t
tain arahantship in this life.
The
Visuddhi Magga
gives an examp
le of a M
a
hthera, the
Venerable Mahsangharakkhita, who did this.
2
He was expert in
the four found
a
tions of mindfulness, had practised Samatha
-
Vipassan up to the Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Form
a-
tions, and had never pe
r
formed a bodily or verbal actio
n without
1
For example, D.iii.6
`Psdika Sutta'
('Delightful Sutta`)
2
Vs.i
`Pathamaslapa!cakam'
B20
('First Morality Pentad` 135)
Questions and Answers 5
223
mindfulness. And he had developed sufficient Samatha
-
Vipassan pram s to be able to attain arahan
t
ship if he wanted
to. But, because he wanted to see Arimetteyya Buddha, he had
decided to wait, and become an arahant only in that dispens
a
tion.
Ac
cording to the law of nature we just mentioned, he would not
be able to see Arimetteyya Buddha, if he attained ar
a
hantship
now.
But, at the time near his death, a large number of people gat
h-
ered, because they thought he was an arahant, and thought he was
g
oing to attain Parinibbna, although he was in fact still a worl
d-
ling. When his disciple told him many people had gathered, b
e-
cause they thought he was going to attain Parinibbna, the M
a-
hthera said, 'Oh, I had wanted to see Arimetteyya Bu
d
dha. But
if the
re is a large assembly, then let me meditate.` And he pra
c-
tised Vipassan. Now that he had changed his mind, and because
he had in his past lives not received a definite prophecy, he very
soon attained ar
a
hantship.
During The Buddha`s time there was no mention of a definite
prophecy to a bodhisatta except for Arimetteyya Bodh
i
satta, who
was a bhikkhu named Ajita. The Tipit aka does not say either
when the next Buddha a
f
ter Arimetteyya Buddha will arise, so we
can
not say how many bodhisattas there were during The Bu
d-
dha`s time.
Question 5.5
Is it possible to practise the path to liberation
(vimutt
i-
magga)
and the path of
bodhisatta [path to Buddh
a
hood]
1
at the
same time? If so, what is the method?
Answer 5.5
Liber
ation
(vimutti)
means escape from defilements or the
round of rebirths. When a bodhisatta becomes a Buddha, he e
s-
capes from the round of rebirths at his Parinibbna. If you, as a
disciple
(svaka)
, try to a
t
tain arahantship and succeed, you will
also escap
e from the round of rebirths at your Parinibbna. A pe
r-
1
The Venerable Pa
-
Auk Sayada
w`s audience was almost only Bu
d
dhists of the Mahyana tradition,
for whom the path is not towards arahantship (liberation) but the bodhisatta path towards Buddh
a-
hood (saving all beings).
Knowing
and Seeing
224
son cannot become a Buddha as well as a disc
i
ple. He must
choose either one or the other, but they both escape from the
round of rebirths when they attain ar
a
hantship. The way to attain
the arahant pat
h is the final path to liberation
(vimutt
i
magga)
.
Question 5.6
Is this method [of meditation] for liberation only, or is
it also for the bodhisatta path?
Answer 5.6
It is for both. In a previous talk, we mentioned that
Sakyamuni Bu
d
dha was a bhikkhu in ni
ne of his past lives as a
bodhisatta.
1
If we look at his pra
c
tice in those nine lives, we see
the three trainings: morality
(sla)
, concentration
(samdhi)
, and wi
s-
dom
(pa!!)
.
The bodhisatta was able to practise the eight attai
n-
ments, five mundane psychic po
w
ers, and Vipassan up to the
Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Form
a
tions.
Now you too are developing Samatha
-
Vipassan meditation
based on virtuous conduct. When you
have pra
c
tised the three
trainings up to the
Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Form
a-
tions, you can choose either way. If you want liber
a
tion you can
choose to go to
Nibbna; if you want to become a bodhisatta you
can choose the
bodhisatta way: no pro
b
lem.
Question 5.7
Do all the good and bad kammas of an arahant m
a
ture
prior to his Parinibbna?
Answer 5.7
Not all. Some good and bad kamma may mature and
produce their results. If they do not mature they do not pr
o
duce a
result, and are lapsed kamma
(ahosi kamma)
, kamma that no longer
bear any fruit. For example, the unwhol
e
some kamma of one of
the
Venerable Mahmo
g
gallna`s past lives produced its results
just before his Parini
b
bna. In one of his past lives he had tried
unsuccessfully to kill his blind parents. Due to that unwholesome
kamma, he suffered in hell for m
any thousands of years, and
when he escaped from hell, he was killed in about two hu
n
dred
lives. In each of those lives his skull was crushed. In his last life
too, every bone in his body was crushed, including his skull.
1
Please see p.
181
Questions and Answers 5
225
Why? The unwholesome kamma had mat
ured. Unless unwhol
e-
some and wholesome kammas have m
a
tured, they do not produce
any results. They are kamma by name only.
Question 5.8
After His enlightenment, did The Buddha say, 'Orig
i-
nally all beings have the
Tathgata`s wisdom and other qual
i-
ties`?
Answer 5.8
Now you have accepted that Sakyamuni Buddha a
t-
tained enlightenment. You should consider whether the Tath
-
gata`s qualities of enlightenment are present in all beings, esp
e-
cially in yourself. Do you p
ossess any of the Tathgata`s qual
i-
ties?
Question 5.9
Is the arahant`s perception of voidness
(su!!at)
in his
own five aggregates the same as his perception of voi
d
ness in
outside inanimate things? Is Nibbna the same as entering voi
d-
ness?
Answer 5.9
The
perception of voidness in one`s five aggregates and
in outside i
n
animate things is the same.
Nibbna was given the name voidness
(su!!at)
because of the
path. When a yogi knows formations
(sa
n
khra dhamma)
as non
-
self,
and if at that time he sees
Nibbna, his Path Knowledge is called
the void liber
a
tion
(su!!at vimokkha)
. Just like the path is called the
void liberation, so is the object of the path, which is Nibbna,
also called voidness. Here the void li
b
eration means the
escape
from defilements by seeing the non
-
self nature of form
a
tions.
1
Question 5.10
Are all suttas taught by The Buddha only?
Answer 5.10
Most of the suttas in the Tipit aka are taught by The
Buddha. A few su
t
tas are
said to be taught by disciples like the
Venerable Sriputta, the Venerable Mahkaccyana, and the
Venerable nanda. But the suttas taught by disciples have the
same meaning as had they been taught by The Buddha. This is
1
Further to Nibbna as the perception of voidness, please see also p.
33
, and the three entrances to
Ni
b
bna, p.
69
Knowing
and Seeing
226
evident when The Buddha in some of
the suttas gives his a
p-
proval by uttering,
It is good
(sdhu)
, for example, in the
`Mahkaccyana Bhaddekaratta Sutta'
, of the
Majjhima N
i
kya
.
1
Question 5.11
Since we cannot see The Buddha while in concent
r
a-
tion, can we see Him by psychic powers to discuss Dhamma with
Him?
2
Answer 5.11
No, you cannot. One of the
psych
ic powers is called
recollection of past lives
(pubbenivasnussati)
. If a yogi po
s
sesses this
psychic power, and met a Buddha in one of his past lives, he can
see that as a past experience only, not as a new e
x
perience. If
Dhamma was discussed, there will
be only old questions and a
n-
swers; there cannot be new questions and answers.
Even page
1
M.III.iv.3
`Mahkaccyana
-
Bhaddekaratt
a Sutta'
('Mahkaccyana One
-
Good
-
Attachment
Sutta`)
2
Please see further the end of 'Recollection of The Buddha`, p.
110
.
227
Talk 6
How You See
the Links of Dependent
-
Origination
Introduction
In our last talk, we discussed how to discern mentality
(nma)
,
and in the talk before that, how to
discern mate
ri
ality
(rpa)
. If you
are able to discern mentality and materi
ality in the way then d
e-
scribed, you will also be able to discern their causes. This means
discerning dependent
-
origination
(pati
c
casa
mup
pda)
. Dependent
-
origination is about
how causes and e
f
fects operate over the three
periods of past, present, and f
u
ture.
The Buddha taught four ways to discern dependent
-
origin
ation,
a
c
cording to the character of his listeners, and there is a fifth
method taught by the Venerable Sriputta,
recorded in the
Pa
t
i
s-
ambhidmagga
.
1
It would take some time to e
x
plain the many
methods in detail, so we shall look at onl
y the two methods we at
the Pa
-
Auk mona
s
teries teach most often to yogis. They are what
we call the Venerable Sr
i
putta`s fifth method, and then what we
call the first method, taught by The Buddha, in for example, the
`M
a
hnidna Sutta'
in the
D gha Nikya
, and the
`Nidna Vagga'
in the
Samyutta Nikya
.
2
Both methods involve discerning the five aggregat
es
(khandha)
of
the present, of the past, and of the future
3
, discer
n
ing which of
1
Ps.I.i.4
Dhammatthiti!na Niddeso
('Standing
-
on
-
Phenomena Knowledge Descri
p
tion`). Plea
se
see also Vs.xvii
`Pa!! Bhmi Niddesa'
B653
('Description of the Soil of Understanding`)
284
ff
2
`Mahnidna Sutta'
('Great Caus
a
tion Sutta` D.ii.2);
`Nidna Vagga'
('Causation Section` S.II)
3
The Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw is here speaking of in
sight
(Vipassan)
power, which e
n-
ables you to see only the five aggregates of clinging. (SA.III.I.viii.7
`Khajjanya Sutta'
('Being Co
n-
sumed Sutta`). He is
not
speaking of
the psychic power, Recollection of Past Lives
(pubbenivsnu
s-
sati abhi!!)
, which enables you to see: 1) The aggregates
(
khandh)
associated with s
u
pramundane
states
(lokuttaradhamma)
, which are the aggregates (four/five in the Brahm world
; five in the
deva/human world) of beings who have attained one of the four path consciousnesses and four fru
i-
Please see further next page
Knowing
and Seeing
228
them is cause and which is effect. When you can do this, you can
also learn how to discern depen
d
ent
-
origination in the other ways
taught in the suttas and commentaries.
The
Fifth Method
The Three Rounds of Dependent
-
Origination
Dependent
-
origination
(paticcasamuppda)
consists of twelve fa
c-
tors.
1
They can be
said to co
m
prise three rounds
(
va
tt
a
)
, two rounds of
causes (five causes), and one round of results (five results)
:
2
1.
The defilements round
................................
...................
(kil
e
savatta)
:
x
Ignorance
................................
................................
...
(avijj)
x
Craving
................................
................................
.......
(tanh)
x
Clinging
................................
................................
.
(upadna)
2.
The kamma round
................................
.........................
(kammavatta)
:
x
Volitional format
ions
................................
......
(sankhr)
x
Kamma
-
process becoming
.....................
(kammabhava)
3.
The results round
................................
............................
(vipkavatta)
:
x
Consciousness
................................
......................
(vi!!na)
x
Mentality
-
materiality
................................
.....
(nmarpa)
x
Six sense
-
bases
................................
...............
(salyatana)
x
Contact
................................
................................
......
(phassa)
x
Feeling
................................
................................
.....
(vedna)
tion consciou
s
nesses; 2) The aggregates of clinging
(updnak
khandh)
; 3) Clan, appearance, food,
pleasure and pain etc; 4) Concepts such as name
s and race.
1
(1)
ignorance,
(2)
volitional formations,
(3)
consciousness,
(4)
mentality
-
materiality,
(5)
six sense
-
bases,
(6)
contact,
(7)
feeling,
(8)
craving,
(9)
clinging,
(10)
becoming (also translated
as
existence
),
(11)
birth,
(12)
ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, suffering and despair. Please see e.g.
`Mahnidna Sutta'
('Great Causation Sutta` D.ii.2), or
`Titthyatana Sutta'
('Secta
r
ian Doctrines
Sutta` A.III.II.ii.1) quoted 'Introductio
n` p.
25
2
Please see footnote
1
, p.
226
.
6
-
How You See
the Links of Dependent Origination
229
The defilements round is the cause for the kamma r
ound, which
is the cause for the results round, which is, in other words, birth,
ageing and death (the eleventh and twelfth factors). The discer
n-
ment of dependent
-
origination involves seeing this sequence of
rounds, and starts with discer
n
ment of the past.
How You Discern Your Past
To discern the past, you begin by making an offering of either
candles, flowers, or incense at a p
a
goda, or to a Budd
ha image.
You should make a wish for the rebirth you d
e
sire, for example,
to become a monk, nun, man, woman, or deva.
Afterwards, you should go and sit in meditation, develop co
n-
centration, and discern in turn inte
r
nal and external mentality
-
materiality
(
nma
-
rpa
)
.
This is necessary, because if you ca
n
not
discern external mentality
-
materiality, you will have great diff
i-
culty discerning past mentality
-
materiality. Th
at is because the
discernment of past mentality
-
materiality is similar to the di
s-
cernment of external menta
l
ity
-
materiality.
Then you should discern the mentality
-
materiality that occurred
when you made the offering at the pagoda or Buddha image, as if
the
y were external objects. When doing this, an image of yourself
at the time of offering will appear: you should discern the four
elements in that image.
When the image breaks into rpa
-
kalpas, discern all the mate
-
rial el
e
ments of the six doors, especially the fifty
-
four elements in
the heart
-
base.
1
You will then be able to discern the bhavanga
-
con
s
ciousnesses, and the many mind
-
door c
ogn
i
tive
-
pro
ces
ses
that arise in
-
between. You should look among those many mind
-
door cognitive
-
pro
ces
ses, searching backwards and forwards, u
n-
til you find the
defilements round
(kilesavatta)
mind
-
door cognitive
-
process with twenty mental formations in each impulsion co
n-
sciousness
-
moment, and kamma
-
round
(ka
m
mavatta)
mind
-
door
1
For how you do this, please see above Talk IV,
'How You Discern Materiality`.
Knowing
and Seeing
230
cognitive
-
process
(manodvra vthi)
with thirty
-
four mental form
a-
tions in each impulsion co
n
sciousness
-
moment.
Let us illus
trate with a practical example: the case of ma
k
ing an
offering of candles, flowers, or incense to a Buddha image, and
making a wish to be reborn to b
e
come a monk.
In this case,
x
ignorance is to deludedly think that 'a monk` truly exists;
x
craving is the d
esire and longing for life as a monk; and
x
clinging is the attachment to life as a monk.
These three, ignorance, craving, and clinging, are all found in
the co
n
sciousnesses that make up the defilements round
(kilesa
vatta)
.
If, you had instead made a wish to be reborn to become a
woman, then
x
ignorance would be to deludedly think that a woman truly exists;
x
craving would be the desire and longing for life as a woman; and
x
clinging would be the attac
h
ment to life as
a woman.
In the examples, volitional formations
(sa
n
khra)
are the whol
e-
some intentions
(
kusala
cetan)
of the offering, and kamma is their
kammic force. Both are found in the consciou
s
nesses that make
up the kamma round
(kamma vatta)
o
f depen
d
ent
-
origination.
When you are thus able to discern the mentality
-
materia
l
ity of
the defilements round and kamma round of the
recent past, you
should go back to the more distant past, to some time previous to
the o
f
fering, and in the same way discern the mentality
-
material
-
ity. Then go back a little further again, and repeat the process. In
this way, you di
s
cern t
he mentality
-
materiality of one day ago,
one week ago, one month ago, one year ago, two years ago, three
years ago and so on.
Eventually you will be ab
le to discern right
back to the mentality
-
materiality of the rebirth
-
linking consciou
s-
6
-
How You See
the Links of Dependent Origination
231
ness
(patisandhi citta)
that arose at the conce
p
tion of your present
life.
1
When looking for the causes of conception, you go back even
further, and see either the mental
ity
-
materia
l
ity of the time near
death in your previous life, or the object of the near
-
death impu
l-
sion
-
consciousness
(maransanna javana
-
citta)
.
There are three possible objects for the near
-
death impu
l
sion
-
consciousness:
1.
Kamma
................................
................................
................................
......................
:
Again having the thoughts that
produced a particular good or bad
action in the past, for example, an offering or kil
l
ing.
2.
Kamma sign
................................
................................
...................
(kamma nimitta)
For example, a pagoda, a monk, flo
w
ers, or an object offered.
3.
Rebirth sign
................................
................................
.........................
(gati nimitta)
The place where you will be reborn (your destin
ation). For a h
u
man
rebirth it is the future mother`s womb, and is us
u
ally red like a red
carpet.
The object appears b
e
cause of the kammic force that produced
the rebirth
-
linking consciousness
(patisandhi citta)
.
2
When you di
s-
cern this, you will be able t
o discern also the volitional form
a-
tions and kamma that pr
o
duced the resultant
(vipka)
aggregates of
this life, and the preceding ignorance, craving, and clinging.
3
A
f-
ter that, you should discern the other mental formations of that
kamma round and defil
e
m
ents round.
1
In the five
-
aggregates realm, mentality
-
materiality arises dependent on consciousness, and vice
-
versa. Please see p.
6
2
Please see also Answer 3.12, p.
127
3
There are also so
-
called non
-
resultant
(avipka)
aggregates: they are the product
(phala)
of a cause
(hetu)
, as in, for example, consciousness
-
produced materiality, which is not the product of kamma.
Knowing
and Seeing
232
Examples
What a Female Yogi Discerned
To make this clearer, let us give an example of what one yogi
was able to discern. When she discerned the menta
l
ity
-
materi
ality
at the time near death,
she saw the kamma of a woman offering
fruit to a Buddhist monk. Then, beginning with the four elements,
she examined further the me
n
tality
-
materiality of that woman.
She found that the woman was a very poor and uneducated vi
l-
lager, who had reflected on he
r state of suffering, and had made
an o
f
fering to the monk, with the wish for life as an educated
woman in a large town.
In this case,
x
ignorance
(avijj)
is to deludedly think that an ed
u
cated woman in a
large town
truly exists;
x
the d
e
sire and longing for life as an educated woman is craving
(tanh)
;
x
the attachment to life as an educated woman is clin
g
ing
(updna)
;
x
the wholesome intentions
(kusala cetan)
to offer fruit to a Buddhist
monk are volitional formatio
ns
(sa
n
k
hr)
, and
x
the kamma is their kammic force.
In this life the yogi is an educated woman in a large town in
Myan
mar. She was able (with right view) to discern directly how
the kammic force of offering fruit in her past life produced the r
e-
sultant
five aggr
e
gates of this life.
The ability to
discern causes and effects in this way is called the
Knowledge of Discerning Cause and Condition
(pa
c
caya
-
pariggaha
!na)
.
What a Male Yogi Discerned
Here is a slightly di
f
ferent example. A man discerned that
around the time of the
near death impulsion
(maransanna javana
-
citta)
,
there were four competing kammas. One was the kamma of
teaching Buddhist texts, another teaching dhamma, another pra
c-
6
-
How You See
the Links of Dependent Origination
233
tising meditation, and finally one teaching meditation. When he
investigated which of the
four kammas had produced the resultant
five aggregates of this life, he found it was the kamma of practi
s-
ing meditation. When he inve
s
tigated further (to discern which
meditation subject had been practised) he saw it was Vipassan
meditation, seeing the t
hree cha
r
acteristics, impermanence
(anic
ca)
,
suffering
(dukkha)
, and non
-
self
(anatta)
in mentality
-
materi
ality.
With further investig
a
tion, he saw that before and after each
meditation sitting, he had made the wish to be r
e
born as a human
male, to becom
e a monk, and be a monk who disseminates The
Bu
d
dha`s teachings.
In this case,
x
ignorance is to deludedly think that a man, a monk, or a monk who
disseminates The Buddha`s teachings is an ult
i
mate reality;
x
cravi
ng is the desire and longing for it, and
x
clinging is the a
t
tachment to it;
x
volitional formations are the acts of practising Vipassan medit
a
tion,
and
x
the kamma is their kammic force.
How You Discern More Past Lives
When you are able to discern your imme
diate past life in this
way, and are able to see the five causes in the past life, i
g
norance,
craving, clinging, volitional formations, and kamma, and their
five results in the present life, the rebirth
-
linking consciousness
(patisandhi citta)
, mentality
-
m
ateriality, the six sense
-
bases, contact,
and feeling, you need in the same way to discern pr
o
gressively
back to the second, third, fourth, and as many lives back as you
can.
Should you discern a past
-
or f
u
ture life in the brahma realm,
you will see only three sense
-
bases, eye, ear and mind, in contrast
to the six sense
-
bases that you see in the human
-
, and deva
realms.
Knowing
and Seeing
234
How You Discern Your Future
Once the power of this insight
-
knowledge has been developed
(by discerning the causes and e
f
f
ects through those past lives),
you can, in the same way, discern the causes and effects in f
u
ture
lives. The future you will see, and which may still change, is the
result of both past and present causes, one of which is the medit
a-
tion you are doing.
1
To
discern the future, you begin by discer
n-
ing the present mentality
-
materiality, and then look into the future
until the time of death in this life. Then either the kamma, kamma
sign, or rebirth sign will appear, because of the force of a partic
u-
lar kamma yo
u pe
r
formed in this life. You will then be able to
dis
cern the rebirth
-
linking mentality
-
materiality
(patisandhinmarpa)
that will be pr
o
duced in the future life.
2
You must discern as many lives into the future as it takes till i
g-
norance ceases without r
emainder. This happens with the attai
n-
ment of the arahant path
(arahatta magga)
, that is, your own attai
n-
ment of
arahantship. You should then continue discerning into the
future, un
til you see that the five aggr
e
gates, mentality
-
materi
-
ality, cease without remainder, that is, at the end of the arahant
life, at your own
Parinibbna. You will thus have seen that
with
the cessation of ign
o
rance, mentality
-
materiality cease. You will
have seen the complete cessation of phenomena
(dhamma)
, that is,
no fu
r
ther rebirth.
Discerning, in this way, the five aggregates of the past, pr
e
sent,
and future, and also discerning
their causal relation, is what we
call the fifth method; taught by the Venerable Sriputta. Having
co
m
pleted it, you can now learn what we call the first method, the
one taught by The Buddha.
1
For how the futur
e can change, please see further p.
30
f
2
Rebirth
(jti)
is the manifestation of the aggregates, which is also mentality
-
materiality. For d
e
tails,
please Vs.xvii
`Pa!! Bhmi Niddesa'
('Description of the S
oil in Which Understanding Grows`
218
ff
)
6
-
How You See
the Links of Dependent Origination
235
The First Method
The first method
1
of discerning dependent
-
origi
nation
(pati
c
casa
-
muppda)
goes over three lives, and in forward order. It begins with
the causes in the past life, that is, ignorance and volitional form
a-
tions. They cause the r
e
sults in the present life: the resultant con
-
sciousnesses (beginning with the
rebirth
-
linking conscious
ness),
2
mentality
-
materiality, the six sense
-
bases, contact, and feeling.
There are then the causes in this life, craving, clinging, and b
e-
coming, which cause the results of birth, ageing, death, and all
forms of suffering in the
f
u
ture life.
You have to look for ignorance, craving and clinging in the d
e-
filement round, see how it causes the kamma round, and how the
kammic force of the kamma round in turn causes the five aggr
e-
gates at conception, and in the course of existence.
Tha
t concludes our brief explanation of how to discern depen
d-
ent
-
origination according to the fifth
-
and first met
h
ods. There are
many more details that you can learn by practising with a proper
teacher.
When you have fully discerned the causes of mentality
-
m
ateriality in the past, present, and future, you will have co
m-
pleted the second insight
-
knowledge, the Knowledge of Discer
n-
ing Cause and Condition
(paccaya
-
pariggaha !na)
.
1
Please see
`Mahnidna Sutta'
('Great Causation Sutta` D.ii.2);
`Nidna Vagga'
('Causation Se
c-
tion` S.II)
2
As an example of this, the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw mentions The Buddha`s back
-
pain
(painful body
-
consciousness), which arose from past unwholesome kamma: please see below p.
297
.
Knowing
and Seeing
236
237
Questions and Answers 6
Question 6.1
How should a yogi who practises
npnasat
i
(min
d-
fulness
-
of
-
breathing), but who cannot see a nimitta, check hi
m-
self physically and mentally, so that he can improve and enter
jhna? In other words, what are the cond
i
tions needed to have a
nimitta?
Answer 6.1
Constant practice is necessary in all ty
pes of medit
a
tion.
In
npnasati
you should be mindful of the breath in every bo
d-
ily posture, and be so with respect. Walking, standing or sitting,
take no o
b
jects apart from the breath: you should watch only the
breath. Try to stop thinking; try to stop
talking. If you try co
n-
tinuously in this way, your concentration will slowly improve.
Only deep, strong and powerful concentration can pr
o
duce a
nimitta. Wit
h
out a nimitta, especially the
pat i
bhga
-
nimitta, one
can
not attain jhna, because the npn jhna`s object is the
npn pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta.
Question 6.2
Does the sitting posture affect the ability for begi
n
ners
to concentrate, and enter jhna? There are many yogis who sit on
a sma
ll stool to meditate; can they e
n
ter jhna?
Answer 6.2
The sitting posture is best for beginners. But those who
have enough pram s in
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing)
can enter jhna in any po
s
ture. A skilled yogi too can enter jhna
in any po
s
ture.
So they can go into jhna sitting on a stool or
chair.
The Venerable Sriputta
and the Venerable Subhti
are exa
m-
ples of this. The Venerable Sriputta was expert in the attainment
of cessation
(nirodha sampatti)
.
1
When he went for alms in the vi
l-
lage, he always entered the attainment of cessation at every
house, before accep
t
ing their offerings. He accepted the off
erings
only after having emerged from the attainment of cessation. That
was his nature.
1
For details regarding this attainment, please see p.
217
Knowing
and Seeing
238
The Venerable Subhti was expert in lovingkindness medit
a-
tion. He entered the lovingkindness jhna also at every house b
e-
fore accepting the offerings. After emerging fr
om the lovingkin
d-
ness jhna he accepted the offe
r
ings. Why did they do this? They
wanted the donor to get the maximum benefit. They knew that if
they did this, immeasurable and sup
e
rior wholesome kamma
would occur in the donor`s cognitive
-
process. They had
such lo
v-
ingkindness for the donors to want to do this. Thus they were able
to enter an attainment while in the standing po
s
ture. You should
think about npn jhna in the same way.
Question 6.3
What is the object of the fourth npn jhna? If there
i
s no breath in the fourth jhna, how can there be a nimitta?
Answer 6.3
There is still a
pat ibhga
-
nimitta in the fourth npn
jhna, although there is no in
-
and
-
out
-
breath. That npn pat i
b-
hga
-
nimitta arose from the ord
i
nary, nat
ural breath. This is why
the object is still the in
-
and
-
out
-
breath
(asssa
-
passsa)
. It is e
x-
plained in the
Visuddhi Magga
sub
-
commentary.
1
Question 6.4
Can one enter an immaterial jhna attainment
(arpa jhna
sampatti)
, or practise lovingkindness medit
ation directly from
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing)?
Answer 6.4
One cannot enter an immaterial jhna attainment d
i-
rectly from the fourth npn jhna. Why not? Immat
e
rial
jhnas, especially the base of boundless
-
space jhna
(ksna!c
-
yatana jhna
)
, are attained by removing a kasina object. After re
-
mo
v
ing the kasina object and concentrating on the space
(ksa)
left behind, the object of the base of boun
d
less
-
space jhna will
appear. When one sees the space, one must extend it gradually,
and when
it extends in every dire
c
tion, the kasina object will have
disappeared. One must extend the space further out to the boun
d-
less universe. That is the o
b
ject of the base of boundless
-
space
1
In this case,
the npna
-
nimitta which arises depending on the ordinary, natural breath is also said
to be as
asssa
-
passsa
(in
-
and
-
out breath).
(Asssa
-
passsa nissya uppa
n
nanimittampettha
asssa
-
passsa sma!!ameva vu
t
tam.)
(VsTi.viii
`npnasati Kath B215'
'Min
dfulness
-
of
-
Breathing Explanation`).
Questions and Answers 6
239
jhna, which in its turn is the object of the base of boundless co
n-
sc
iousness jhna
(vi!!na!cyatana jhna)
. The a
b
sence of the base of
boundless
-
space jhna is the object of the base of nothingness
jhna
(ki!ca!!yatana jhna)
, which is finally the o
b
ject of the base of
neither
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception jhna
(neva
-
s
a!!
-
n
-
sa!!
-
yatana jhna)
. So the four immaterial jhnas are based on a fourth
kasina jhna, and its o
b
ject. Without removing the kasina one
cannot go to the immat
e
rial jhnas. So if a yogi practises
npnasati
up to the fourth jhna, and then wants to
go to imm
a-
terial jhnas, he should first pra
c
tise the ten kasinas up to the
fourth jhna. Only then can he go on to the immaterial jhna.
1
If he wants to practise lovingkindness meditation
(mett bhvan)
from the fourth npn jhna he can do so; no pro
blem. He must
see the person who is the object of lovingkin
d
ness with the light
of the fourth npn jhna. If his light is not strong enough it
may be a little bit problematic. But that is exceptional. If after the
fourth kasina jhna, e
s
pecially the fou
rth white kasina jhna, he
practises lovingkindness he may succeed quickly. That is why we
teach white kasina meditation before lovingkindness medit
a
tion.
2
Question 6.5
How can one decide when to die, that is, choose the
time of one`s death?
Answer 6.5
If
you have practised
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing) up to the arahant path, you can know the exact time of
your Parinibbna. The
Visuddhi Magga
mentions a Mahthera
who attained Parinibbna
while wal
k
ing.
3
First he dre
w a line on
his walking path, and then told his fellow
-
bhikkhus that he would
attain Parinibbna when reaching that line, and it happened e
x-
actly as he had said. Those who are not arahants can also know
their life span if they have practised dependent
-
orig
ination
(pati
c-
casamuppda)
, the relationship between causes and effects of the
past, present and future, but not exactly like the Mahthera just
1
For details regarding how you develop the immaterial jhnas, please see p.
79
ff
2
For details in this regard, please see Answer 2.2., p.
90
3
Vs.viii
`npnasati Kath B238'
'Mindfulness
-
of
-
Breathing Explanation` 244
Knowing
and Seeing
240
mentioned. They do not know the exact time, maybe only the p
e-
riod in which they will die.
But these people do n
ot die and attain Parinibbna accor
d
ing to
their own wish: it is according to the law of kamma. There is a
stanza uttered by the Venerable Sriputta:
1
Nbhinandmi jritam, nb
hinandmi maraam;
k/a!ca pa(
i
ka
n
khmi, nibbisam bhataka yath
.
(
I do not love life, I do not love death;
I await the time of Parinibbna, like a gover
n
ment servant who waits for pay
-
day.
)
To die when one has desired to do so is called 'death by desire
`
(adhimutti marana)
.
This can usually be done by matured b
o
dhisattas
only. Why do they do so? When they are reborn in the celestial
realms, where there is no opportunity to d
e
velop their pram s,
they do not want to waste
time, so sometimes they d
e
cide to die,
and take rebirth in the human world, to develop their pram s.
Question 6.6
If one day we were to die in an accident, for e
x
ample in
an air crash, could our mind at that time 'leave` so that we would
not have any bo
dily pain? How? Can one, depending on the
power of one`s med
i
tation, be without fear at that time, and be
liberated? What degree of concentration is r
e
quired?
Answer 6.6
The degree of concentration required is that of the ps
y-
chic power of supernormal power
s
(iddhividha abhi!!)
. With those
powers you can escape from danger, but not if you have a m
a-
tured unwholesome kamma ready to produce its r
e
sult. You
should remember the case of Venerable Mahmoggallna
. He
was ex
pert in psychic powers, but on the day when his unwhol
e-
some kamma matured he could not enter jhna. This was not b
e-
cause of defilements or hindrances: it was only because of his
m
a
tured u
n
wholesome kamma. That is why the bandits were able
to crush his bone
s to the size of rice grains.
2
Thinking he was
1
Theragth
.XVII.2 (v.1002)
`Sriputtattheragth'
('Venerable Sriputta Verses`):
2
For details, please see
224
Questions and Answers 6
241
dead, the bandits left, and only then could he enter jhna again,
and regain his psychic powers. He made a determination
(adh
i-
tthna)
that his body should become whole again, and then went to
request The Buddh
a for pe
r
mission to attain Parinibbna. Then he
returned to his Kalas la Monastery, and attained Parinibbna
there. His matured unwhol
e
some kamma first produced its result,
after which it lost its power, and only then could he regain his
ps
y
chic powers.
Th
us, if you have no unwholesome kamma about to mature, and
have psychic powers, you can escape from an air crash. But ord
i-
nary jhna concentration and insight
-
knowledge, cannot save you
from such danger. We can in fact say that the reason why one
meets with
this type of accident in the first place may be that
one`s unwhol
e
some kamma is about to mature.
The mind cannot leave the body, because the mind arises depen
-
d
ent upon one of the six
-
bases. The six
-
bases are the eye
-
base,
the ear
-
base, the nose
-
base, the
tongue
-
base, the body
-
base and
the heart
-
base. These six bases are in your body. A mind ca
n
not
arise in this human world without a base. That is why the mind
cannot leave the body.
1
We can, however, suggest that if you have jhna, you should at
the time o
f danger quickly enter jhna. That means you need to
have fully developed the mastery of entering jhna. If you e
n
ter
jhna at the time of danger, then that wholesome kamma may
save you, but we cannot say for sure. If you are in jhna at the
moment of deat
h, you may go up to one of the brahma realms.
If you are skilled at Vipassan, then you should practise it at the
time of danger. You should discern the impermanent
(anicca)
, su
f-
fering
(dukkha)
, and non
-
self
(anatta)
nature of formations
(sa
n
khra
dhamma)
.
If you can practise Vipassan thoroughly b
e
fore death
takes place, you may attain one of the paths
(magga)
and fruitions
(phala)
, and reach a happy realm after death. But if you attain ar
a-
hantship, you attain Parinibbna. Should you, ho
w
ever, not have
1
For the dependence between mind and body (mentality
-
materiality), please see also p.
6
Knowing
and Seeing
242
psy
chic powers, nor jhna, nor be able to practise Vipassan, you
may still escape, due to good kamma alone. If you have good
enough kamma, which e
n
sures a long life, there may also be a
chance to escape from this danger, just like
Mahjanaka bodh
i-
satta. He was the only person to survive a shipwreck. After
swimming for seven days and seven nights, he was eve
n
tually
saved by a deva.
Question 6.7
After attaining the path and fru
i
tion, a noble one
(ariya)
does not regress to become a worldling
(puthujjana)
, this is a law of
n
a
ture
(sammatta niyma)
. Similarly, one who has received a definite
prophecy cannot abandon his bodh
i
satta practice. This too is a
natural law. But The Buddha declared that ever
ything is impe
r-
manent
1
. Are these fixed laws in accordance with the law of
i
m
perm
a
nence?
Answer 6.7
Here you should understand what is fixed and what is
permanent. The law of kamma says unwhol
e
some kammas
(akusala
kamma)
produce bad results, and wholesome
ka
m
mas
(kusala kamma)
produce good results. This is the natural law of kamma
(kamm
a n
i-
yma
)
. Does that mean that the wholesome and unwhol
e
some
kammas are permanent
(nicca)
? Please think about it.
If the wholesome kammas are permanent then consider this:
No
w you are listening to Dhamma concerning The Buddha A
b-
hidhamma. This is called wholesome kamma of li
s
tening to
Dhamma
(Dhammasvana kusala kamma)
. Is it permanent? Please think
about it.
If it were permanent, then during your whole life you would
have only
this kamma, no other. Do you understand? Wholesome
kammas produce good results and unwholesome kammas produce
bad r
e
sults. This is a natural law, but it does not mean that the
kammas are permanent. Wholesome intentions
(kusala cetan)
and
unwholesome inte
n
tions
(akusala cetan)
are kamma. As soon as they
arise they pass away; they are impermanent. That is their n
a
ture.
1
The Buddha did not say: 'Everything is impermanent`; He said:
All formations are impermanent
.
(Dhp. v
.277 )
Questions and Answers 6
243
But the force of kamma, the capacity to produce the r
e
sults of
kammas, still exists in the mentality
-
materiality pro
c
ess.
Suppose there is
a
mango tree. Now there is no fruit on the tree,
but it is ce
r
tain that one day it will bear fruit. This is a natural
law. You could say the capacity to produce fruit exists in the tree.
What is that capa
c
ity?
If we study the leaves, branches, bark and
stems we cannot see it, but that does not mean it does not e
x
ist,
because one day that tree will produce fruit. In the same way we
do not say whol
e
some and unwholesome kammas are permanent.
We say the force of kam
ma exists in the mentality
-
materiality
process as a capa
c
ity, and that one day, when the force matures, it
produces its r
e
sult.
Let us now discuss the natural fixed law, the law of nature
(sa
m-
matta niyma)
. We say path and fruition dhammas are dhammas of a
nat
u
ral law, but we do not say they are permanent
(nicca)
. They are
also impermanent
(anicca)
, but the force of Path Knowledge e
x
ists
in the mentality
-
materiality process of those who have a
t
tained a
path, fruition, and Nibbna. That force exists because
of a natural
fixed law, and has a natural result. For example, the force of the
Stream
-
Entry Path
(Sotpatti magga)
results in the Stream
-
Entry Fru
i-
tion
(Sotpatti phala)
, and is a contributing cause for higher and
higher fruits. But it cannot result in lo
wer fruits. This is also a law
of nature.
Here you should think about this: to attain arahan
t
ship is not
easy. You have to practise with great e
f
fort: strong and powerful
perseverance is necessary. For example, in his last life our
Sakyamuni b
o
dhisatta pr
actised very hard (for over six years) to
attain arahantship associated with Omniscient Know
l
edge
(sabba!!uta !na)
. You can imagine how hard it was. So if after a
t-
taining arahantship with enormous difficulty, he became a worl
d-
ling
(puthujjana)
again, what
would be the fruit of the pra
c
tice? You
should think about this car
e
fully.
Knowing
and Seeing
244
In this connection, let us look at when a bodhisatta can r
e
ceive a
definite prophecy.
1
Manassattam /ingasampatti, heta satthrad
assanam;
P
abbjj gaasampatti, adhikra ca chandat;
A((hadhammasamadhn abhinhra samijjhati.
He can receive a definite prophecy when the follo
w
ing eight
conditions are fulfilled:
1.
Manassattam
: he is a human being.
2.
Lingasampatti
: he is a male.
3.
Heta
(
c
ause or root): he has sufficient pram s to attain arahan
t
ship
while listening to a Buddha utter a short stanza related to the Four
Noble Truths. That means, he must have practised Vipassan tho
r-
oughly up to the Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Formations
(
sa
nk
hrupe
k
kh !na)
.
4.
Satthradassanam
(
sight of the Master):
he meets a Bu
d
dha.
5.
Pabbjj
(going forth): he has gone forth as a hermit or bhi
k
khu, and
has strong and firm faith in the law of kamma.
6.
Gaasampatti
(possession of qualities): he has acquired th
e eight a
t-
tainments
(sampatti)
and five mundane psychic powers
(abhi!!na)
.
7.
Adhikra
(extreme dedication): he has sufficient pram s to r
e
ceive a
definite prophecy from a Buddha. That means he must in previous
lives have practised the pram s necessary fo
r attaining Omniscient
Know
l
edge
(
sabba!!uta !na
)
. In other words, he must have sowed the
seeds of knowledge
(vijj)
and conduct
(cara
n
a)
for Omniscient
Knowledge in a previous Buddha`s dispensation. A
c
cording to the
`Yasodhar Apadna'
, the future prince
Siddha
t
tha had made the
wish to attain (and the future princess Yasodhar had made the wish
for him to attain) Omniscient Knowledge in the presence of many
billions of Buddhas, and had developed all the pram s u
n
der their
guidance. And one way in which h
e developed his pram s was to
make a bridge of himself for D pankara Buddha and a hundred
thousand bhikkhus to cross, knowing that this act would cost him
his life.
1
Buddhavamsa
.ii
.
59
`Sumedha
-
patthan Kath'
(
Chronicle of Buddhas
: 'Sumedha`s Aspirations
Expl
a
nation`)
Questions and Answers 6
245
8.
Chandata
(strong desire): he has a sufficiently strong desire to attain
Omniscient Knowled
ge. How strong is that desire?
Su
p
pose the
whole world were burning charcoal. If someone told him that he
would attain Omniscient Knowledge by crossing the burning cha
r-
coal from one end to the other
, he would go across the burning
charcoal wit
h
out hesitation. Here we ask you: Would you go across
that burning charcoal? If not the whole world, then if just from
Taiwan to Pa
-
Auk it were all burning charcoal, would you go
across it? If it were certain th
at one could attain Omniscient Know
l-
edge that way, the bodhisatta would go across that burning cha
r-
coal. That is the strength of his desire for Omniscient Knowledge.
If these eight factors are present in a bodhisatta he will ce
r-
tainly receive a definite p
rophecy from a Buddha. They were pr
e-
sent in our
Sakyamuni bodhisatta, when he was the hermit
Sumedha, at the time of D pankara Buddha. That is why he r
e-
ceived a definite prophecy from D pankara Buddha with the
words:
1
You shall attain Omni
s
cient Knowledge
after four incalculables
(asankhye
yya)
and a hundred thousand aeons
(kappa)
,
and shall bear the name of Gotama.
Now, what does it mean that the prophecy is 'definite`? It is
definite because it cannot be changed. That does not mean it is
permanent. D pankara Buddha`s mentality
-
materi
ality were i
m-
permanent. Sumedha`s mentality
-
materiality were also imperm
a-
nent. This is a fact, but the force of kamma, especially the ka
m-
mic force of his pram s, could not perish so long as he has not
a
t
tained Omniscient Knowledge. D pankara Buddha`s word
s, that
is the definite prop
h
ecy, also could not be changed, and could not
be false. If those words were changed so that the definite prop
h-
ecy was not true, then there would be another problem, namely
that a Buddha would have uttered false speech. A Bu
d
dha
gives a
definite prophecy only when he sees that the above eight cond
i-
1
ibid.
Knowing
and Seeing
246
tions have been fulfilled. For example, if a person skilled in agr
i-
culture saw a
b
a
na
na tree that was under the right conditions, he
would be able to tell you that the tree was going to
bear fruit in
four months. Why? Because he was skilled in agriculture, and he
saw flowers and small leaves gro
w
ing out from the tree. In the
same way, when someone has fulfilled the eight conditions, a
Buddha can see that he will attain the fruit of Omnis
cient Know
l-
edge, which is why he makes a definite prophecy.
At the time of D pankara Buddha, our Sakyamuni Bodhisatta
was the hermit Sumedha, a worldling
(puthujjana)
. As Prince Sid
-
dhattha, before attaining enlightenment he was still a worl
d
ling.
Only aft
er his enlightenment did he become Saky
a
muni Buddha.
After attaining the arahant path associated with Omni
s
cient
Know
ledge, he could not change his arahant path; this is a nat
u
ral
fixed law
(sammatta niyma)
. Here fixed law means that the result of
that a
rahant path cannot change. This does not mean that the ar
a-
hant path is permanent. It means that its result comes b
e
cause of a
force of kamma that cannot change. What does this mean e
x-
actly? It means that it is certain the arahant path will produce ar
a-
hant
fruition, and certain that it will destroy all the defilements,
all the unwholesome kamma and all the whol
e
some kamma,
which would otherwise have produced their result after the
Parinibbna. This law of kamma is called a natural fixed law and
cannot be cha
nged. So a natural fixed law and a definite pro
phecy
are not contrary to the law of imperm
a
nence.
Here again, a further comment is necessary. Making an aspir
a-
tion or wish alone is not enough to attain Omniscient Knowledge.
When b
o
dhisattas receive a defin
ite prophecy, the eight con
-
ditions must already be fulfilled. Moreover, a definite prophecy
alone cannot produce Buddhahood. Even after the definite prop
h-
ecy, they must continue to develop the ten pram s on the three
levels:
Questions and Answers 6
247
1.
The ten basic pram s
1
................................
................................
.......
(pra
m)
Giving up their sons, daughters, wives and external pro
p
erty.
2.
The ten medium pram s
................................
...........................
(upapram)
Giving up their limbs and organs, such as eyes and hands.
3.
The ten superior pram s
................................
.............
(paramattha pram)
Giving up their life.
Alt
o
gether there are thirt
y pram s. If we summarize them we
have just:
1.
Giving
................................
................................
................................
.............
(dna)
2.
Mora
l
ity
................................
................................
................................
...........
(sla)
3.
Mental cultivation
................................
................................
..............
(bhvan)
Samatha and Vipassan.
They are superior whole
some kammas. Bodhisattas must pe
r-
fect them by giving up animate and inanimate pro
p
erty, their
limb
s, and their lives. If you believe you are a bodh
i
satta, can you
and will you perfect these pram s? If you can, and if you also
have received a definite prophecy from a Buddha, then you shall
one day attain Omni
scient Knowledge. But according to the
Ther
avda teachings, only one Bu
d
dha can appear at one given
time. And for how long must they perfect their pram s? After he
had received his definite prophecy, our
Sakyamuni B
o
dhisatta
developed the pram s for four incalculables and a hundred tho
u-
sand aeons. This is the shortest time. But we cannot say exactly
how long it takes prior to the definite prophecy.
So you should
remember: making an asp
i
ration or wish alone, is not enough to
become a Bu
d
dha.
Question 6.8
When an ordinary disciple has practised Samatha
-
Vipassan up to the Knowledge of Discerning Cause and Cond
i-
tion, the Knowledge of Arising and Passi
ng
-
Away, or the Know
l-
edge of Equanimity T
o
wards Formations, he will not be reborn in
any of the four woeful realms. Even if he loses his Samatha
-
1
For a list of the ten prams, please see Answer 4.1 ,p.
175
Knowing
and Seeing
248
Vipassan due to negligence, the kamma of having practised
Samatha
-
Vipassan still exists. The
`Sotn
u
gata Sutt
a'
says also
that he will attain Nibbna quickly.
1
So, why did the Sayadaw, in
the Question
-
and
-
Answer session of June 2nd, say that a bodh
i-
satta who has received a def
i
nite prophecy from a Buddha can,
even if he has practised meditation up to the Knowledg
e of Equ
a-
nimity Towards Fo
r
mations, be reborn in a woeful state?
2
In
which sutta is this me
n
tioned?
Answer 6.8
This is because the bodhisatta way, and ordinary disc
i-
ple way are not the same. You can find this in The
Buddhavamsa
and
Cariyapit aka
Pl i Texts.
How are the two ways different? Although a bodhisatta has r
e-
ceived a definite prophecy from a Buddha, his pram s have at
that time not yet matured for him to attain Omniscient Know
l-
edge. He must cultivate his pram s further. For e
x
ample, after
receivin
g the definite prophecy from D pankara Buddha, our
Sakyamuni Bodhisatta had to continue cultiva
t
ing his pram s for
four incalculables and a hundred thousand aeons. B
e
tween the
definite prophecy and the penultimate life, a bodhisatta is som
e-
times reborn in the ani
mal kingdom, because of previous u
n-
wholesome kamma. At this time he is still unable to totally d
e-
stroy that unwholesome kammic force. So when those unwhol
e-
some kammas mature, he cannot escape their r
e
sults. This is a
law of nature.
But ordinary disciples,
who have attained the Knowledge of
Discerning Cause and Condition, the Know
l
edge of Arising and
Passing
-
Away, or the Knowledge of Equanimity Towards Form
a-
tions, have pram s mature enough to attain the Path Know
l
edge
and Fruition Knowledge. For this reason
, they attain path and fru
-
ition, that is, see
Nibbna, in this life or in their subsequent future
life. This is also a law of nature.
1
A.IV.IV.v.1
`Sotnugata Sutta'
('
One Who Has Heard Sutta`). Mentioned p.
124
and
183
2
Please see Answer 4.3, p.
179
Questions and Answers 6
249
Question 6.9
An arahant can also give a definite prophecy; what is
the definition of defin
ite prophecy here? In which sutta or other
source can this information be found?
Answer 6.9
For that please refer to The
Buddhavamsa Pl i
(
Chro
-
nicle
of Buddhas
) and
Apadna
Pl i
(
Valorous Deeds
). But only
arahants who po
s
sess particularly the Knowledge of
Discerning
the Future
(an
gatamsa !na)
, a power secondary to the d
i
vine eye
(dibba cak
khu)
, can give a definite prophecy. And they can see only a
limited number of lives into the future, and not many incalc
u-
lables
(asa
n
k
hyeyya)
, or aeons
(kappa)
, as ca
n a Buddha.
Question 6.10
Can one practise
Vipassan while in the base of ne
i-
ther
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception attainment
(nevasa!!
-
nsa!!
-
yatana s
ampatti)
? In which sutta or other source can the a
n
swer be
found?
Answer 6.10
One cannot practise Vipassan while in any jhna a
t-
tainment, and the base of neither
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception
is a jhna. Why? Because in developing Vipassan, we do usuall
y
not use the same objects as we use for developing jhna.
1
Also,
jhna we develop by concentrating on one and the same o
b
ject
(e.g. the npna
-
, or kasina
-
nimitta), whereas Vipassan we d
e-
velop by examining different objects. For example, the o
b
ject of
t
he npna
-
jhnas is the npna pat ibhga
-
nimitta: a concept,
not ultimate reality. But the object of Vipassan is not a concept;
it is ultimate mentality
-
materiality and their causes, including the
jhna dhammas (e.g. the thirty
-
four mental formations of
the first
jhna, the thirty
-
two mental formations of the second jhna, the
thirty
-
one mental fo
r
mations of the third, fourth and immaterial
jhans).
2
Only after having emerged from the jhna can one prac
tise V
i-
passan meditation on, for exa
m
ple, the jhn
a
-
cons
ciousness and
1
Exceptions are, for example, the second and fourth immaterial jhnas, when you concentrate
on
the consciou
s
ness of the preceding immaterial jhna (not a concept). For details, please see above
'The Four Immaterial Jhnas`, p.
79
.
2
For how you discern jhna cognitive processes, please see above p.
201
.
Knowing
and Seeing
250
its associated mental factors, in this case the thirty
-
one mental
formations. It is mentioned in the
`An
u
pada Sutta'
in the
Majjhima Nikya
.
1
There The Buddha describes in detail the
Venerable Sriputta
`s meditation in the fifteen days after he had
a
t
tained stream
-
entry.
The Venerable Sriputta entered, for example, the first jhna.
He emerged from it, and discerned the thirty
-
four first
-
jhna me
n-
tal formations, one by one, as imperm
anence, suffering, and non
-
self, by seeing their arising
-
, static
-
and pas
s
ing
-
away stages. He
discerned in this manner up to the base of nothingness jhna. This
is Vipassan of Individual dha
m
mas
(anupadadhamma vipassan)
, in
which the mental formations a
re discerned one by one. But when
he reached the base of ne
i
ther
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception, he
could discern only the mental formations as a group. This is V
i-
passan of Co
m
prehension in Groups
(kalpa sammasana vipassan)
.
Only a Buddha can discern the
mental formations of the base of
neither
-
perception
-
nor
-
non
-
perception one by one. Because they
are extremely subtle, even a Chief Disciple like the Venerable
Sriputta ca
n
not discern them one by one.
2
Question 6.11
Can a person who is mentally abnormal,
hears voices,
has schizophrenia, a brain disease, stroke or malfun
c
tion of the
brain and nerves, practise this type of med
i
tation? If he can, what
kinds of precaution should he take?
Answer 6.11
Such people can practise this type of meditation, but
usuall
y they do not succeed, because they cannot conce
n
trate
long enough. By 'long enough` is meant that when one`s conce
n-
tration is strong and powerful, it must be mai
n
tained for many
hours, and many sittings. Usually, such people`s concentration is
inconstant.
This is a problem. They may su
c
ceed, if they can
main
tain their concentration over many successive sittings, over
many days or many months.
1
M.III.ii.1
`Anupada Sutta'
('One by One Sutta`), mentioned also in connection with insight into
only feeling, Answer 4.6, p.
186
.
2
ibid.A.
Questions and Answers 6
251
There is a famous example: the case of Pat cr. Her husband,
two children, pa
r
ents, and brothers all died on the
same day. She
went mad with grief, and wandered about with no clothes on. One
day she came to the Jetavana mo
n
astery in Svatthi where The
Buddha was teaching Dhamma. Her pram s of previous lives
were ready to mature. Due to this, as well as to the loving
kin
d-
ness and compassion of The Buddha, she was able to listen to the
Dhamma with r
e
spect.
Slowly her mind became quiet, and she understood the
Dhamma. Very soon she became a stream
-
enterer
(sotpanna)
. She
ordained as a bhikkhun , and continued her meditat
ion. She could
mai
n
tain her concentration and insight
-
knowledge, and one day
her meditation matured. She became an arahant with the five
mundane psychic powers, and Four Analytical Know
l
edges.
1
Of
the bhikkhun s who were expert in the monastic rule, she wa
s
first. She observed the rule very strictly, and learnt it by heart, i
n-
cluding the co
m
mentaries.
She had been developing her pram s from Padumuttara Bu
d-
dha`s dispensation till Kassapa Buddha`s dispensation, and pa
r-
ticularly during Kassapa Bu
d
dha`s dispen
sation. At that time she
was the daughter of a King Kik . She practised
komri brahma
-
cariya
for twenty thousand years.
Komri brahmacariya
is to o
b-
serve the five precepts, but in place of the ordinary precept of a
b-
stinence from sexual misconduct, complete
chastity is observed.
She cultivated the three trainings, morality
(sla)
, concentration
(samdhi)
, and wi
s
dom
(pa!!)
, as a lay devotee, for twenty
-
thousand
years. Those pram s matured in Gotama Buddha`s dispensation.
So, although she had gone mad, she
was able to regain her mind,
pra
c
tise the three trainings well, and became an arahant.
When they practise meditation, such people need
k
a
lyna mitta
,
which is good teachers, good friends, and spiritual friends. Proper
medicine and proper food also helps. F
rom our exper
i
ence, we
1
For the Four An
alytical Knowledges, please see Answer 4.2, p.
177
Knowing
and Seeing
252
know that most of them cannot maintain their concentration for a
long time. Usually they do not su
c
ceed.
Question 6.12
If a person, who does not have good human relations,
succeeds in attaining the fourth jhna, will this i
m
prove hi
s skill
in communicating with others? Can attaining jhna co
r
rect such
problems?
Answer 6.12
These problems occur usually because of hatred
(dosa)
.
It is one of the hindrances. As long as a person is u
n
able to
change this attitude, he cannot attain jhna.
But if he can r
e
move
this attitude, he can attain not only jhna, but also the paths and
fruitions up to arahantship. A famous e
x
ample is the Venerable
Channa Thera. He was born on the same day as our bodhisatta, in
the palace of King Suddhodana in Kapilav
atthu. He was the son
of one of King Suddh
o
dana`s female slaves. He became one of
the bodhisatta prince Siddha
t
tha`s playmates, when they were
young. This gave later rise to much conceit in him. He thought
things like: 'This is my King; The Buddha was my p
la
y
mate; the
Dhamma is our Dhamma; when he renounced the world, I fo
l-
lowed him up to the bank of the Anom River. No one else did.
Sriputta and M
a
hmoggallna etc.are flowers that blossomed
later, etc.` Because of this, he always used harsh language. He d
id
not show respect to Mahtheras like the Venerable Sriputta, the
Venerable M
a
hmoggallna and others. So no one had friendly
relations with him. He could not attain jhna or path and fruition
in The Buddha`s lifetime, because he was unable to r
e
move his
conceit and hatred.
On the night of The Buddha`s Parinibbna, The Buddha told the
Vene
r
able nanda to mete out the noble punishment
(brahmadan
a)
on the Venerable Channa. It means that no one was to talk to the
Ve
n
erable Channa, even if he wanted to. When
nobody talked
with the Venerable Channa, his conceit and hatred disa
p
peared.
This act of the Sangha
(sa
n
gha kamma)
took place in the Ghositrma
monastery in Kosamb , five months after The Buddha`s Parini
b-
bna.
Questions and Answers 6
253
The Venerable
left Ghositrma, and went to the Isipatana
monastery in the deer park near Benares. He worked hard on
meditation but was, in spite of great effort, not succes
s
ful. So one
day, he went to t
he Vene
r
able nanda and asked him to help him.
Why was he not successful? He discerned the impermanent, su
f-
fering, and non
-
self nature of the five aggregates, but did not di
s-
cern dependent
-
origination
(paticcasamuppda)
. So the Venerable
nanda taught him
how to discern d
e
pendent
-
origination, and
taught him the
`Kaccnagotta Sutta'
.
1
After listening to the Ve
n-
erable nanda`s Dhamma talk, the Venerable Channa attained
stream
-
entry. He co
n
tinued his practice and very soon became an
arahant. So if a person can
change his bad cha
r
acter, and practise
Samatha
-
Vipas
san in the right way, he can attain jhna, path and
fru
i
tion.
1
S.II.I.ii.5
`Kaccnagotta Sutta'
'Kaccnagotta Sutta`, and S.III.1.ix.8
`Channa Sutta'
('Channa
Sutta`)
Knowing
and Seeing
254
255
Talk 7
How You Develop
the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
Introduction
In the last talk, we discussed briefly how to discern dependen
t
-
origination according to the fifth and first methods. T
o
day, we
shall discuss briefly how to develop the insight
-
know
ledges to see
Ni
b
bna.
There are sixteen insight
-
knowledges
(!na)
that need to be de
-
ve
l
oped p
rogressively in order to see Nibbna.
The first insight
-
knowledge is the Know
l
edge of Analysing
Men
tality
-
Materiality
(nma
-
rpa pariccheda !na)
. This knowledge was
explained when we discussed how to discern mentality and
mat
e
ri
a
l
ity.
The second insigh
t
-
knowledge is the Knowledge of Discer
n
ing
Cause and Condition
(paccaya
-
pariggaha !na)
. This knowledge was
explained in our last talk, when we discussed how to discern the
causes of mentality
-
materiality in the past, present, and f
u
ture,
which is to disce
rn dependent
-
origination.
After you have developed those two knowledges, you need to
complete them, by again discerning all mentality, all m
a
teriality,
and all the factors of dependent
-
origination, according to their i
n-
dividual characteristic, function, ma
nifestation, and proximate
cause. It is not really possible to explain this in a brief way, so it
is best to learn the details at the time of actually practi
s
ing.
Now let us look briefly the remaining know
l
edges.
Knowing
and Seeing
256
How You Develop the Knowledge of Comprehens
ion
The third insight
-
knowledge is the Knowledge of Comprehe
n-
sion
(sammasana !na)
, which is to comprehend formations by cat
e-
gories. To develop it you divide formations into categ
o
ries:
1
x
T
wo categories, as mentality and
materiality
x
F
ive categ
o
ries, as the five aggregates
2
x
T
welve categories, as the twelve bases
3
x
T
welve categories, as the twelve factors of dependent
-
origin
a
tion
4
x
E
ighteen categories, as the eighteen el
e
ments
5
You then see the three characteristics, imperman
ence
(anicca)
,
suffering
(dukkha)
, and non
-
self
(anatta)
in each cat
e
gory.
For example, in the case of the five categories, The Buddha
teaches in the
`Anatta Lakkhana Sutta
'
6
to discern the five aggr
e-
gates ( all materiality, feeling, perception, formations, and
co
n
sciou
s
ness) with right understanding in three ways, as:
1.
'This is not mine`
................................
................................
...
(netam mama)
2.
'This I am not`
................................
................................
.........
(nesohamasmi)
3.
'This is not my self`
................................
.............................
(na
meso att)
7
1
VsTi.xiv
`Pa!! Kath'
('Understanding Explan
ation`), and Vs.xx
`Maggmagga nadassana
Visuddhi Niddesa'
B694
('Description of Purification by Knowledge and Vision of What is the Path,
and What Is Not the Path`
9
2
five aggregates (materiality, feeling, perception, formations, consciousness), pleas
e see p.
4
3
twelve bases: eye/sights
(1x2)
,
ear/sounds
(2x2)
,
nose/odours
(3x2)
,
tongue/flavours
(4x2)
,
body/touches
(5x2)
,
mind/dhammas
(6x2)
. Please see also p.
6
ff
4
twelve factors of dependent origination:
(1)
ignorance,
(2)
volitional formations,
(3)
co
n
sciousness,
(4)
mentality
-
materiality,
(5)
six sense
-
bases,
(6)
contact,
(7)
feeling,
(8)
craving,
(9)
clinging,
(10)
b
e-
coming (also translated as
existence
),
(1
1)
birth,
(12)
ageing and death, sorrow, lament
a
tion, pain,
suffering and despair.
5
The twelve bases and their respective six types of consciousness: eye
-
, ear
-
, nose
-
, tongue
-
, body
-
,
and mind
-
consciousness
(12 + 6 = 18)
. Please see p.
6
6
S.III.I.II.i.7
`Anattalakkhana Sutta'
('Non
-
self Characteristic Sutta`), quoted 'I
n
troduction` p.
31
7
The commentary to the
`Channovda Sut
ta'
('Advice to Channa Sutta`; M.III.v.2) explains that
'This is not mine` is a reflection on imperm
a
nence; 'This I am not` is a reflection on suffering; 'This
is not my self` is a reflection on non
-
self.
7
-
How You Develop
the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
257
And in the
`Khandha Sutta'
, He e
x
plains, 'all` as
past, future, and present; internal and external;
gross and subtle; inferior and sup
e
rior; far and near
.
1
To develop this knowledge, you first re
-
establish
the fourth
jhna. If you, as a p
ure
-
insight individual, have developed only
the four
-
elements meditation, you re
-
establish concentration u
n
til
the light is bright and strong. In either case, you take materiality
as your first category. That is, you discern the real materiality
2
of
each o
f the six sense
-
doors,
3
see its ari
s
ing and passing
-
away,
and know it as impermanence
(anicca)
. You need to do this inte
r-
nally and externally, alternately, again and again. While doing
this externally, you should gradually extend your range of perce
p-
tion f
rom near to far, to the infinite un
i
verse.
Then, following the same procedure, see the pain and suffering
one has to constantly experience because of that mater
i
ality`s
arising and passing
-
away, and know it as suffering
(dukkha)
. Lastly,
see the materialit
y as devoid of a perm
a
nent self, and know it as
non
-
self
(anatta)
.
The next category in which you need to see impermanence, su
f-
fering and non
-
self is mentality. First discern all the menta
l
ity at
the six sense
-
doors, that is, the consciousness and associa
ted
me
n
tal fa
c
tors in each consciousness
-
moment of each sense
-
door
cognitive
-
process
(vthi)
, and the bhavanga
-
consciousnesses that
occur between them. You follow the proc
e
dure is the same as
with mat
e
riality.
Having seen these two categories (the material
ity and menta
l
ity
of the six sense
-
doors of the present), you need now to see the
impermanence, suffering and non
-
self of the materiality and me
n-
tality of this entire life, from the rebirth
-
linking consciousness up
to the death
-
consciousness. Here again, y
ou see the three chara
c-
1
`Khandha Sutta'
('Aggregates Sutta`) S.III.I.v.6,
quoted 'Introduction` p.
5
2
For a list of real materiality, please see Table 1, p.
169
.
3
For how you do this, please see p.
168
Knowing
and Seeing
258
teristics one at a time, again and again, both internally and exte
r-
nally.
After doing this life, you need to see the impermanence, suffe
r-
ing, and non
-
self of the past, present and future lives that you di
s-
cerned when discerning depen
dent
-
origination. Here too, you see
the three characteristics one at a time, internally and externally,
again and again, in all materiality and mentality of the past, pr
e-
sent, and f
u
ture.
And then you need also to see the impermanence, suffering and
non
-
se
lf of each of the twelve factors of dependent origination
1
for the past, present and future, according to the first method of
d
e
pendent origination:
2
one at a time, again and again, internally
and exte
r
nally.
At this stage, you may find that you develop th
e higher insight
-
knowledges quickly, stage by stage, up to the attainment of ar
a-
hantship. If not, there are several exercises to increase your i
n-
sight.
How You Increase Your Insight Knowledge
The Forty Perceptions
The first exercise is to see the impermane
nt, suffering, and non
-
self of mentality and materiality, internally and exte
r
nally, in the
past, present, and future according to forty different perce
p
tions
(
cattrskra anupassan
)
.
3
In Pl i they all end with the su
f
fix '
to
`, so
we call them the forty
'
to
`.
There are ten different perceptions of impermanence:
1
The t
welve factors of dependent origination:
(1)
ignorance,
(2)
volitional formations,
(3)
co
n-
sciousness,
(4)
mentality
-
materiality,
(5)
six sense
-
bases,
(6)
contact,
(7)
feeling,
(8)
craving,
(9)
clin
g-
ing,
(10)
becoming (also translated as
existence
),
(11)
bir
th,
(12)
ageing and death, sorrow, lament
a-
tion, pain, suffering and despair.
2
For the first method of dependent origination, please see above p.
235
3
Vs.xx
`Maggmagga nadassana Visuddhi Niddesa'
B697
('Descriptio
n of Purification by
Knowledge and Vision of What is the Path, and What Is Not the Path`
18
7
-
How You Develop
the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
259
1.
Impermanence
................................
................................
......................
(
aniccato
)
2.
Disintegrating
................................
................................
..........................
(palokato)
3.
Fickle
................................
................................
................................
..............
(calato)
4.
Perishable
................................
................................
.............................
(pabhanguto)
5.
Unenduring
................................
................................
............................
(addhuvato)
6.
Subject to change
................................
.............................
(viparinmadhammato)
7.
Coreless
................................
................................
................................
...
(asr
a
kato)
8.
Subject to annihila
tion
................................
................................
.......
(vibhavato)
9.
Subject to death
................................
................................
......
(maranadhammato)
10.
Formed
................................
................................
................................
...
(sankhatato)
There are twenty
-
five perceptions of suffering:
1.
Suffering
................................
................................
................................
...
(dukkhato)
2.
A disease
................................
................................
................................
......
(rogato)
3.
A calamity
................................
................................
................................
...
(aghato)
4.
A boil
................................
................................
................................
...........
(gandato)
5.
A dart
................................
................................
................................
.............
(sallato)
6.
An affliction
................................
................................
............................
(b
d
hato)
7.
A disaster
................................
................................
.............................
(upa
dd
a
vato)
8.
A terror
................................
................................
................................
........
(bhayato)
9.
A plague
................................
................................
................................
.........
(tito)
10.
A menace
................................
................................
.............................
(upasa
g
gato)
11.
No protection
................................
................................
.............................
(atnato)
12.
No shelter
................................
................................
................................
....
(alenato)
13.
No refuge
................................
................................
................................
(asaranato)
14.
Murderous
................................
................................
..............................
(vadh
a
kato)
15.
The root of calamity
................................
................................
........
(aghamlato)
16.
A danger
................................
................................
................................
..
(dnavato)
17.
Subject to taints
................................
................................
......................
(ssavato)
18.
Mara`s bait
................................
................................
...........................
(m
rmisato)
19.
Subject to birth
................................
................................
................
(jti
d
hammato)
20.
Subject to ageing
................................
................................
..........
(jardhammato)
21.
Subject to illness
................................
................................
......
(bydhidhammato)
22.
Cause of sorrow
................................
................................
............
(sokadhammato)
23.
Cause of lamentation
................................
...........................
(parideva
d
hammato)
24.
Cause of despair
................................
................................
....
(upaysadhammato)
25.
Subject to defilement
................................
......................
(samkilesika
d
hamm
ato)
Knowing
and Seeing
260
There are five perceptions of non
-
self:
1.
Non
-
self
................................
................................
................................
......
(anattato)
2.
Void
................................
................................
................................
..............
(su!!ato)
3.
Independent
................................
................................
................................
.
(parato)
4.
Empty
................................
................................
................................
.............
(rittato)
5.
Vain
................................
................................
................................
.............
(tucchato)
While seeing the forty '
to
` in mentality and materiality, inte
r-
nally and externally, in the past, present, and futu
re, some pe
o-
ple`s insight progresses to the attainment of arahan
t
ship.
If not, there are then the exercises called the seven ways for ma
-
ter
i
ality
(
rpa sattaka
)
, and the seven ways for mentality
(arpa sat
ta
ka)
.
1
The Seven Ways for Materiality
The ma
teriality you discern in the seven ways for materiality
the four types according to origin (kamma
-
, temperature
-
, co
n-
sciousness
-
, and nutriment
-
produced materiality).
2
(1)
In the first of the seven ways for materiality, you see the imper
m-
nence, suffering and
non
-
self of the materiality of this entire lif
e-
time, from rebirth
-
linking to death, both internally and externally.
(2)
In the second way for materiality you see the the impermanence,
suffering and non
-
self of the materiality of different periods in this
lif
e
time, both internally and externally. You consider this lifetime
to be a hu
n
dred years, and divide it into three periods of thirty
-
three
years. Then see that the materiality in one period arises and ceases
there, and does not pass on to the next period, wh
ich means it is
imperm
a
nent, suffering and non
-
self.
You then divide this lifetime into progressively smaller periods, and
do the same. Divide the hundred years of this lifetime into: ten p
e-
riods of ten years, twenty periods of five years, twenty
-
five peri
ods
of four years, thirty
-
three periods of three years, fifty periods of two
1
Vs.xx
`Rpasattakasammasana Kath'B706ff
, ('Material Septad
-
Group Explanation` 46
ff
);
`Arpasattakasammasana Kath'B717ff
, ('Immaterial Septad
-
Group Explanation
` 76
ff
)
2
For details on these four types of materiality, please see above p.
135
ff
7
-
How You Develop
the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
261
years, and one hundred periods of one year; then three hundred p
e-
riods of four months, six hundred periods of two months, and two
thousand four hu
n
dred periods of half
-
a
-
month; an
d finally divide
each day into two per
i
ods, and then six periods. In each case see
that the materiality in one p
e
riod arises and ceases there, and does
not pass on to the next period, which means it is impermanent,
su
f
fe
r
ing and non
-
self.
You reduce the pe
riods further to the duration of each mov
e
ment of
the body: the periods of going forth and going back, looking ahead
and looking away, and bending a limb and stretching a limb. Then
you d
i
vide each footstep into six periods: lifting, raising, moving
forwar
d, lowering, placing and pressing. Again see the imperm
a-
nence, suffering and non
-
self in the materiality of each period every
day in this hu
n
dred
-
year lifetime.
(3)
In the third way for materiality you see the impermanence, suffe
r-
ing and non
-
self of nutriment
-
produced materiality.
1
That is, you
see them in the materiality of the periods when hungry, and when
satisfied, and see that it does not pass on from a period of hunger to
a period of satiety (and vice
-
versa), every day in this hundred
-
year
lif
e
time.
(4)
In th
e fourth way for materiality you see the impermanence, suffe
r-
ing and non
-
self of temperature
-
produced materiality. That is, you
see them in the mater
i
ality of the periods when hot, and when cold,
and see that it does not pass on from a period of feeling ho
t to a p
e-
riod of feeling cold (and vice
-
versa), every day in this hu
n
dred
-
year
lifetime.
(5)
In the fifth way for materiality you see the impermanence, suffering
and non
-
self of kamma
-
produced materiality. That is, you see that
the mat
e
riality of each of the s
ix sense
-
doors arises and ceases
there, and does not pass on to another door, every day in this hu
n-
dred
-
year lifetime.
(6)
In the sixth way for materiality you see the impermanence, suffe
r-
ing and non
-
self of the consciousness
-
produced materiality. That is,
yo
u see them in the materiality of the periods when happy and
1
This means that you discern all the four types of materiality that have arisen owing to the support
of nutriment
-
produce
d materiality. This principle applies also to the discernment of kamma
-
,
co
n
sciou
s
ness
-
, and temperature
-
produced materiality.
Knowing
and Seeing
262
pleased, and when unhappy and sad, every day in this hundred
-
year
lif
e
time.
(7)
In the seventh way for materiality you see the impermanence, su
f-
fering and non
-
self of present inanimate mater
i
ality: ma
teriality
with none of the six internal sense
-
bases, such as iron, steel, copper,
gold, silver, plastic, pearls, ge
m
stones, shells, marble, coral, soil,
rocks, concrete and plants. That type of materiality is found only
exte
r
nally.
These are the seven way
s for materiality.
The Seven Ways for Mentality
In the seven ways for mentality, you see the impermanence, su
f-
fering and non
-
self of the insight
-
minds (the me
n
tality) that saw
those three characteristics in the seven ways for mater
i
ality. This
means your o
bject is in each case an insight
-
mind, which you see
with a subsequent i
n
sight
-
mind.
1
(1)
In the first of the seven ways for mentality you see the
impermanence, suffering and non
-
self of the materia
l
ity of the
seven ways for materiality, but see the materiali
ty as a group. You
then see the i
m
permanence, suffering and non
-
self of the mentality
that saw this. That means, you see the grouped materiality as
i
m
perm
a
nence, and then see the impermanence, suffering and non
-
self of that insight
-
mind i
t
self with in each
case a subsequent
insight
-
mind. You do the same with the grouped materiality seen as
suffe
r
ing and non
-
self.
(2)
In the second way for mentality you see the impermanence, suffe
r-
ing and non
-
self of the mentality for each of the seven ways for m
a-
teriality. That
means, you see the materiality in each of the seven
ways for materiality as impermanence, and then see the imperm
a-
nence, suffering and non
-
self of that insight
-
mind itself with in each
case a subsequent insight
-
mind. You do the same with the materia
l-
1
insight
-
mind
insight mind
-
door cognitive
-
process: one mind
-
door adverting consciousness and
seven impulsions, sometimes followe
d by two registering consciousnesses. In the mind
-
door adver
t-
ing
-
consciousness there are twelve mental formations, and in each impu
l
sion consciousness, there
are thirty
-
four, thirty
-
three or thirty
-
two mental formations. Please see also Table 6, p.
213
.
7
-
How You Develop
the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
263
ity s
een as suffering and non
-
self, and do it with each of the insight
-
minds for the given periods in each day of this hundred
-
year lif
e-
time.
(3)
In the third way for mentality you see again the impermanence, su
f-
fering and non
-
self of the mentality for each of the
seven ways for
materiality, but do so four times in succession. That means, you see
again the materiality in each of the seven ways for materiality as
impermanence, and then see the impermanence, suffering and non
-
self of that first insight
-
mind with a sec
ond insight
-
mind, and the
second with a third etc.,until you with a fifth insight
-
mind see the
impermanence, suffering and non
-
self of the fourth i
n
sight
-
mind.
(4)
In the fourth way for mentality you do as before, but continue until
you with an eleventh insigh
t
-
mind see the impermanence, suffering
and non
-
self of the tenth i
n
sight
-
mind.
(5)
In the fifth way for mentality you see the impermanence, suffering
and non
-
self of mentality for the removal of views. Here again, you
see the insight
-
minds of the seven ways fo
r materiality, but inte
n-
sify the perception of non
-
self, so as to overcome views, especially
the view of self.
(6)
In the sixth way for mentality you see the impermanence, suffering
and non
-
self of mentality for the removal of conceit. Again you see
the i
n
sigh
t
-
minds of the seven ways for materiality, but intensify
the perception of imperm
a
nence, so as to overcome conceit.
(7)
In the seventh way for mentality you see the impermanence, suffe
r-
ing and non
-
self of me
n
tality for the ending of attachment. Again
you see t
he insight
-
minds of the seven ways for materiality, but i
n-
tensify the perception of suffering, so as to overcome attachment.
These are the seven ways for mentality. It is best, although not
strictly necessary, to have done these exercises for the material
ity
and mentality of the present, past and future, internally and exte
r-
nally.
With the exercises completed, materiality and mentality will
have b
e
come very clear to you.
Now the explanation of how to develop the knowledge of fo
r-
mations in categories is co
mplete, so let us discuss how to d
e-
velop the Knowledge of Arising and Passing
-
Away of form
a-
tions.
Knowing
and Seeing
264
How You Develop the
Knowledge of Arising and Passing
-
Away
1
Introduction
The Knowledge of Arising and Passing
-
Away
(
Udayabbaya !na
)
is
to know the arising an
d passing
-
away of formations: mentality
-
materiality, the five aggr
e
gates, the twelve bases, the eighteen
elements, the Four Noble Truths, and dependent origination, i
n-
ternally and externally, in the present, past and future.
2
This
knowledge consists, in fa
ct, of two know
l
edges:
1.
Knowledge of the causal
................................
................................
..
(paccayato)
(Causal arising and passing
-
away of form
a
tions.)
2.
Knowledge of the momentary
................................
...........................
(khanato)
(Momentary arising and passing
-
away of form
a
tions.)
To see the causal arising and passing
-
away of formati
ons, you
see it, for example, according to the fifth method of dependent
origin
a
tion, as described in our previous talk.
3
To see the momentary arising and passing
-
away of form
a
tions
you see how the five aggregates arise and pass away in every
consciousnes
s
-
moment from rebirth to death of every life you
have discerned.
There are two methods for developing the Knowledge of Ari
s-
ing and Passing
-
Away: the brief method (seeing only the mome
n-
tary nature of formations), and the d
e
tailed method (seeing both
the cau
sal and momentary nature of formations). I shall explain
only the d
e
tailed method.
The detailed method is developed in three stages. You see:
1
Passing
-
way
is here used for
vaya
,
cessation
for
nirodha
, although the two Pli terms are (as are the
En
g
lish) synonymous.
2
Vs.xx
`Maggmagga nadassana Visuddhi Niddesa'
B723
('Description of Purificati
on by
Know
l
edge and Vision of What is the Path, and What Is Not the Path`
93
3
For the 'fifth method`, please see p.
228
ff
.
7
-
How You Develop
the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
265
1.
Only the arising
................................
................................
..........................
(
udaya
)
(causal and momentary arising of formations)
2.
Only the passing
-
away
................................
................................
..............
(
vaya
)
(causal and
momentary passing
-
away of formations)
3.
Both the arising and passing
-
away
................................
...........
(
udayabbaya
)
(causal and momentary arising and passing
-
away of formations)
How You Develop
the Knowledge of Arising and Passing
-
Away
According to the Fifth Method of Dependent Origi
nation
The Observation of the Nature of Arising
To begin the detailed method for developing the Knowledge of
Arising and Passing
-
Away, you should see again and again the
causal arising of formations, and then their momentary ari
s
ing.
This is the Observati
on of the Nature of Arising
(samudayadhamm
-
n
u
passi).
For example, you see the causal arising of materiality accor
d
ing
to the fifth method of dependent
-
origination, as just me
n
tioned.
This means you look back again to the near
-
death m
o
ments of
your past li
fe, to see the five past causes that caused the arising
(
udaya
)
in this life of kamma
-
produced materiality.
1
One by one,
you see how the arising
(1)
of ignorance,
(2)
of craving,
(3)
of clin
g-
ing,
(4)
of volitional formations, and
(5)
of kamma, each caused
the
arising in this life of kamma
-
produced materiality.
Afterwards, you see the momentary arising of kamma
-
produced
materiality in every consciousness
-
moment from rebirth to death.
This means you see the five aggregates at the arising
(
udaya
)
of
the proce
ss
-
freed co
n
sciousnesses
(
vthi
-
mutta citta
)
:
the rebirth
-
linking consciousness
(
pa
t
isa
n
dhi citta
)
, bhavanga
-
con
scious
ness and
death
-
consciousness
(
cuti citta
)
. You see also the arising of the five
aggregates of each consciousness
-
moment in any of the in
terve
n-
1
For a brief explanation of materiality produced by kamma (with examples), please see p.
136
f
Knowing
and Seeing
266
ing six sense
-
door cognitive
-
processes
(
vthi
)
.
1
You see this in
every past life that you have discerned, and in all the future lives
up to your Parinibbna.
2
You need then to see, one after the other, also the causal arising
of temperature
-
, of cons
ciousness
-
, and of nutriment
-
produced
mat
e
riality.
3
You see how:
x
Consciousness caused the arising of consciousness
-
produced
mater
i
a
l
ity.
x
Temperature caused the arising of temperature
-
produced materiality.
x
Nutriment caused the arising of nutriment
-
produce
d materiality.
In each case, you see also the momentary arising of the partic
u-
lar type of materia
l
ity.
After this you have to see, in the same way, the causal and m
o-
mentary arising of mentality, and see the arising of mat
e
riality
and mentality in the nex
t life. It would, however, take some time
to list the details, so we shall pass them over, and in each instance
explain the details for only materia
l
ity.
The Observation of the Nature of Passing
-
Away
After seeing the causal and momentary arising
(
udaya
)
o
f mater
i-
ality and mentality, you now see again and again only their pas
s-
ing
-
away
(vaya)
. This is the Observation of the Nature of Passing
Away
(vayadhamm
n
u
passi)
.
The passing
-
away of ignorance, craving, clinging, volitional
formations, and the kammic forc
e
4
takes place when you attain
arahantship, and the ce
s
sation of the five aggregates takes place at
1
For a brief explanation of process
-
freed consciousnesses etc., please see above p.
199
2
In some cases, the yogi begins with this life alone, and then
looks at past and future lives.
3
For a brief explanation of materiality produced by consciousness, by temperature, and by nutr
i-
ment (with exa
m
ples), please see p.
139
ff
4
There is, though, still the kamm
ic force that underlies the present five aggregates: the arahant still
feels pleasure and pain owing to past kamma. There is no kammic force in the present volitional
formations, however, to pr
o
duce
new
kamma. Please see also above, p.
27
.
7
-
How You Develop
the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
2
67
your Parini
b
bna. Whereas the causal arising is the individual
type of ignorance, craving, clinging, volitional formation and
kammic force that you discern
at each life where it takes place,
the cess
a
tion is always in the same life: when the five aggregates
at Parinibbna no longer arise. But, actual Nibbna and the Ar
a-
hant Path is not evident to us, because we have not yet realized
the Four Path
-
Knowledges
(
magga !na)
and Four Fruition Know
l-
edges
(phala !na)
: we understand that our Parinibbna has taken
place, because there is no more arising of the aggr
e
gates.
For example, you see the causal cess
a
tion
(
niro
dha
)
of materiality,
again according to the fifth
method of depen
d
ent
-
origination.
1
That is when you look forward to the time when you become an
arahant, and see that when you attain the Arahant Path and Fru
i-
tion
(arahattamagga
and
arahattaphala)
, all defil
e
ments cease, and that at
the end of that life a
ll formations cease: it is d
i
rectly seeing your
Parinibbna, after which no new materia
l
ity or mentality arises or
passes away. Should you attain arahantship in this very life, it
will be in the future: should you attain arahantship in one of your
future l
ives, it will also be in the future. One by one, you see that
the cessation
(
nirodha
)
(1)
of ignorance,
(2)
of cra
v
ing,
(3)
of clinging,
(4)
of volitional formations, and
(5)
of kamma respectively, each
cause the cessation of kamma
-
produced materiality.
Ha
ving in that way seen the causal cessation of kamma
-
produced materiality, you now see only its momentary pas
s
ing
-
away.
Afterwards, you see the momentary passing
-
away of kamma
-
produced materiality in every consciousness
-
moment from rebirth
to death, in ever
y past and future life that you have discerned.
2
This means you see the five aggregates at the arising
(
udaya
)
of the
process
-
freed consciousnesses
(
vthi
-
mutta citta
)
:
the rebirth
-
linking
consciousness
(
pa
t
isa
n
dhi citta
)
, bhavanga
-
con
scious
ness and deat
h
-
consciousness
(
cuti citta
)
. You see also the arising of the five aggr
e-
1
For causal cessation according to fifth method of dependent origination, please seee p.
234
2
Sometimes the Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw instructs the yogi to start by look
ing at this life,
and then to look at past lives and the future.
Knowing
and Seeing
268
gates of each consciousness
-
moment in any of the intervening six
sense
-
door cognitive
-
processes
(
vthi
)
.
1
You need then to see, one after the other, the causal passing
-
away of consciou
sness
-
, of temperature
-
, and of nutriment
-
produced materia
l
ity. You see how:
x
The cessation of consciousness causes the cessation of consciou
s-
ness
-
produced mat
e
riality.
x
The cessation of temperature causes the cessation of temperature
-
produced materiality.
x
The cessation of nutriment causes the cess
a
tion of nutriment
-
produced materiality.
In each case, you see also the momentary cessation of the pa
r-
ticular type of mat
e
riality.
After this you have to see the causal and momentary cess
a
tion
of mentality.
The O
bservation of the Nature of Arising And Passing
-
Away
Once you have seen both the causal and momentary cess
a
tion of
materiality and mentality, you now see again and again both their
arising and passing
-
away. This is the Observation of the Nature
of Arising
And Passing
-
Away
(samudayavayadhamm
n
upassi)
. It invol
-
ves seeing first their causal arising and passing
-
away, and then
their m
o
mentary arising and passing
-
away. You see each one in
three ways successively:
1.
The arising of the cause and its result.
2.
The p
assing
-
away of the cause and its result.
3.
The impe
r
manence of the cause and its result.
For example, you see one by one how:
1
For a brief explanation of process
-
freed consciousnesses etc., please see above p.
199
7
-
How You Develop
the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
269
1.
The arising of each cause (
(1)
ignorance,
(2)
craving,
(3)
clin
g
ing,
(4)
volitional formations,
(5)
kamma) causes the arising of
kamma
-
produced materiality.
2.
The cessation of each same cause, causes the ces
sation of
kamma
-
produced materiality.
3.
Each cause and the materiality it produced is impermanent.
Likewise, you see one by one how:
1.
Consciousness causes the arising of consci
ousness
-
produced
mat
e
riality.
2.
The cessation of consciousness causes the cessation of
consciousness
-
produced materia
l
ity.
3.
Consciousness is impermanent, and consciousness
-
produced
materiality is impermanent.
And you see the same for temperature
-
, and nu
triment
-
pro
du
ced
materiality.
This is how you see both the causal and momentary arising and
passing
-
away of materiality. After that, you have to see the causal
and momentary arising and passing
-
away of me
n
tality.
So, in the way just outlined, you see the
causal and mome
n
tary
arising and passing
-
away of also the five aggr
e
gates, and see the
three characteristics of impermanence, suffering, and non
-
self in
them. You should do this for the five internal aggregates, the five
exte
r
nal aggregates, and the five
aggregates of the past, present,
and future.
How You Develop
the Knowledge of Arising and Passing
-
Away
According to the First Method of Dependent Origination
Next, you need to develop this insight with also the first method
of d
e
pendent
-
origination.
1
In
that case, to see the casual arising
1
Please see also p.
235
Knowing
and Seeing
270
of formations, you see the factors of dependent
-
origination one
-
by
-
one in forward o
r
der, and see that:
1
x
I
g
norance
[1]
causes
volitional
formations
[2]
;
x
volitional formations cause co
n
sciousness
[3]
;
x
consciousness caus
es mentality
-
materiality
[4]
;
x
menta
l
ity
-
materiality cause the six sense
-
bases
[5]
;
x
the six sense
-
bases cause contact
[6]
;
x
contact causes feeling
[7]
;
x
feeling causes craving
[8]
;
x
craving causes clinging
[9]
;
x
clinging causes becoming
[10]
;
x
b
e
coming causes bi
rth
[11]
;
x
birth causes ageing, death,
sorrow, lamentation, physical pain, me
n
tal pain, and despair
[12]
.
To see the causal cessation of formations at arahantship, and the
resultant Parinibbna, you see the factors of depen
d
ent
-
cessation
one
-
by
-
one in for
ward order, to see that:
2
x
With the remainderless fading away and cessation of ignorance
[1]
volitional form
a
tions
[2]
cease;
x
with the cessation of volitional formations consciousness
[3]
ceases;
x
with the cessation of consciousness mentality
-
materiality
[4]
cease;
x
with the cessation of mentality
-
materiality the six sense
-
bases
[5]
cease;
x
with the ce
s
sation of the six sense
-
bases contact
[6]
ceases;
x
with the cessation of contact feeling
[7]
ceases;
x
with the cessation of feeling craving
[8]
ceases;
x
with th
e cessation of craving clinging
[9]
ceases;
x
with the cessation of clinging becoming
[10]
ceases;
x
with the cessation of becoming birth
[11]
ceases;
1
M.I.iv.8
`Mahtanhsankhaya Sutta'
('Great Craving
-
Destruction Sutta`)
2
ibid.
7
-
How You Develop
the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
271
x
with the cessation of birth, ageing, death,
sorrow, lamentation, physical pain, mental pain, and d
e
spair
[
12]
cease.
It is in this way that all forms of suffe
r
ing cease.
As before, you see both the causal and momentary arising and
passing
-
away of formations. You see the factors of dependent
origination and dependent cessation one
-
by
-
one in forward order.
For
example, in the case of ign
o
rance, you see:
1.
Ignorance causes vol
i
tional formations.
2.
With the remainderless fading away and cessation of ignorance,
v
o
litional formations cease.
3.
Ignorance is impermanent, volitional formations are impermanent.
You see e
ach of the factors of dependent
-
origination in the
same way, internally and externally, in the past, present, and f
u-
ture.
This is a very brief explanation of how you develop the Know
l-
edge of Arising and Passing
-
Away of formations.
How You Overcome
the Ten
Imperfections of Insight
It is at this stage that, as you apply these methods, and your i
n-
sight becomes stronger, the ten imperfections of insight
(d
asa upak
-
kilesa
)
may arise. The ten imperfections are:
1
1.
Light
................................
.....
(o
b
hsa)
2.
Insight
................................
......
(!na)
3.
Joy
................................
.................
(pti)
4.
Tranquil
lity
...................
(passa
d
dhi)
5.
Bliss
................................
.........
(sukha)
6.
Confidence
................
(adhimo
k
kha)
7.
Effort
................................
..
(pa
g
gaha)
8.
Mindfulness
.................
(upatthna)
9.
Equanimity
......................
(upe
k
kh)
10.
Attachment
........................
(n
i
kanti)
1
Please see also Vs.xx
`Vipassanupakkilesa Kath' B634
('Insight Imperfection Explan
a
tion`
107).
Knowing
and Seeing
272
With the exception of light and attachment, the i
m
perfections
are wholesome states, and are as such not imperf
ections. But they
can become the objects for unwholesome state (you may become
attached to them), which is why they are called impe
r
fections.
Should you e
x
perience one of the ten imperfections of insight,
you need to ov
e
come the attachment and desire that
may arise, by
seeing it as impermanence, suffering, and non
-
self: that way, you
can continue to make pr
o
gress.
How You Develop the Knowledge of Dissolution
After you have developed the Knowledge of Arising and Pas
s-
ing
-
Away, your insight concerning formatio
ns is stea
d
fast and
pure. Then you have to develop the Knowledge of Dissolution
(bha
n
ga !na)
. To do this, you concentrate on only the momentary
passing
-
away
(
vaya
)
and di
s
solution
(
bhanga
)
of formations. You see
neither the arising
(
u
p
pda
)
of formations,
nor the standing
(t
hiti
)
of
formations, nor the signs
(
nimitta
)
of ind
i
vidual formations, nor the
occurrence
(
pavatta
)
of the origination of formations. Using the
power of your insight
-
knowledge, you see only the dissolution of
fo
r
mations, and perceive th
em as impermanence, suffering and
non
-
self.
1.
You see the destruction, fall, and dissolution of formations, to
see their impermanence.
2.
You see the continuous dissol
u
tion of formations as fearful,
to see the suffering in them.
3.
You see the absence of any perm
anent essence in formations,
to see non
-
self.
You have to see the impermanence, suffering and non
-
self in
not only the dissolution of mentality
-
materiality, but also in the
dissolution of those i
n
sight
-
minds that saw this. That means, you
see the dissolu
tion of materiality and know it is impermanent.
That is your first i
n
sight mind. Then, with a second insight
-
mind
you see the dissol
u
tion of the first insight
-
mind, and thus know it
too is impermanent. You do the same for mentality, and then
7
-
How You Develop
the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
273
again for mate
riality and mentality to know them as su
f
fering and
non
-
self. You r
e
peat these exercises again and again, alternating
between internal and external, materiality and menta
l
ity, causal
formations and resultant formations:
1
past, present and f
u
ture.
You Know
the First Eleven Knowledges
As you continue to discern the passing
-
away and ceasing of
formations in this way, your strong and powerful insight will pr
o-
gress through the next six insight
-
knowledges.
At this stage, you will have developed the first eleven o
f the si
x-
teen knowledges. The first five knowledges that you have already
developed are:
1.
The Knowledge of
Analysing Mentality
-
Materiality
2
...............................
(nma
-
rpa paric
cheda !na)
2.
The Knowledge of
Discerning Cause and Condition
3
................................
....
(paccaya
-
pariggaha !na)
3.
The Knowled
ge of
Comprehension
4
................................
................................
.............
(sammasana !na)
4.
The Knowledge of
Arising and Passing
-
Away
5
................................
..........................
(udayabbaya !na)
5.
The Knowledge of
Dissolution
6
................................
................................
............................
(bhanga !na)
And the next six knowledges that you will progress through are:
1
The causal formations are the factors of dependent orig
ination ignorance,volitional form
a
tions,
consciousness, mentality
-
materiality, six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, b
e
coming.
The resultant formations are kamma
-
, consciousness
-
, temperature
-
, and nutriment
-
produced mater
i-
ality (please see
p.
135
ff
), and resultant mental formations.
2
Please see Talk 4 'How You Discern Materiality` (p.
131
ff
), and Talk 5 'How You Discern Menta
l-
ity`, p.
199
ff
.
3
Please see Talk 6 'How You See the Links of Dependent Origination`, p.
2
27
ff
.
4
Please see above 'How You Develop the Knowledge of Comprehension`, p.
256
ff
.
5
Please see above, 'How
You Develop the Knowledge of Arising and Passing
-
Away`, p.
264
ff
.
6
Please see above, 'How You Develop the Knowledge of Dissolution`, p.
272
f
.
Knowing
and Seeing
274
6.
The Knowledge of
Terror
................................
................................
................................
.........
(bhaya !na)
7.
The Kn
owledge of
Da
n
ger
................................
................................
................................
....
(dnava !na)
8.
The Knowledge of
Disenchantment
................................
................................
....................
(ni
b
bid !na)
9.
The Knowledge of
Desire for Deliverance
................................
............................
(mu!citukamyat !na)
10.
The Knowledge of
Reflection
................................
................................
...........................
(pat
i
sa
n
kh !na)
11.
The Knowledge of
Equanimity Towards Form
a
tions
................................
..........
(sankhrupekkh
!na)
Since you developed the first five insight
-
knowledges tho
r-
oughly, these six knowledges d
e
velop quickly. There are a few
instructions for them, but we do not have time to e
x
plain.
You Know and See Nibbna
After realizing these knowledges, as you cont
inue to see the
passing
-
away and vanishing of each formation, with a wish for
r
e
lease from them, you will find that eventually all fo
r
mations
cease. Your mind knows and sees Nibbna directly: it is fully
aware of the (unformed)
Nibbna as o
b
ject.
When your mind sees Nibbna, you go through the remaining
five knowledges with the arising of the path cognitive
-
process
(magga vthi)
. The remaining five knowledges are:
12.
Knowledge of
Conformity
................................
................................
............................
(anuloma !na)
13.
K
nowledge of
Change
-
of
-
lineage
................................
................................
..............
(gotrabhu !na)
14.
Knowledge of
the Path
................................
................................
................................
.....
(magga !na)
15.
Knowledge of
Fruition
................................
................................
................................
......
(phala !na)
16.
Knowledge of
Reviewing
................................
................................
...................
(paccavekkhana !na)
7
-
How You Develop
the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
275
The Path Cognitive
-
Process by which the last five knowledges
arise has seven stages:
1.
A min
d
-
door adverting consciousness arises that sees
form
a-
tions as impermanence, suffering or non
-
self, depending on
how the Knowledge of Equanimity towards Form
a
tions
1
arose.
2.
A first impulsion consciousness
(javana)
arises ('preliminary
work`
(par
i
kamma)
), wh
ich sees formations in the same way. It
maintains the continuity of consciousness.
2
3.
A second impulsion consciousness arises ('a
c
cess`
(upacra)
),
which also sees formations in the same way.
4.
A third impulsion consciousness arises ('conformity`
(an
u-
loma)
),
which also sees fo
r
mations in the same way.
(The three impulsion
-
consciousnesses co
m
prise, in fact, the
twelfth knowledge:
Knowledge of Conformity
................................
.................
(an
u
loma !na)
.
Con
formity to what? To what came before, and to what will come
after. It conforms to the
functions of truth in the eight i
n
sight
knowledges that came before (from the Knowledge of Arising
and Passing Away to the Knowledge of Equanimity Towards
Formations), and it conforms to the thirty
-
seven dhammas of the
Path Consciousness
3
that partake of t
he enlightenment that will
come a
f
ter. The Knowledge of Conformity is the last knowledge
that has form
a
tions as its object.
1
Knowledge No. 11
2
In so
me cases, if the yogi`s insight is very strong, this consciousness does not arise, and the first
impulsion consciousness is 'access`
(upacra)
, which in this case is number three. Please see also T
a-
ble 6, p.
213
.
3
These are the
thirty
-
seven factors of enlightenment
(Bodhipakkhiyadhamma)
: t
he four foundations of
mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four roads to power, the five faculties, the five po
w
ers, the
seven enlightenment factors, and the Noble E
ightfold Path. For a brief explanation, please see b
e
low
p.
302
ff
, and Vs.xxii
`nadassana Visuddhi Niddesa'
('Description of Purification by Knowledge
and Vision` 32)
Knowing
and Seeing
276
5.
A fourth impulsion consciousness arises, with Nibbna as o
b-
ject. This is the thirteenth knowledge:
Knowledge of Change
-
of
-
Lineage
...............................
(
gotrabhu !na)
.
Although this consciousness knows the (unformed) Nibbna, it
does not destroy the defilements: its function is to change the
lineage from worldling to noble.
6.
A fifth impulsion consciousness arises, with Nibbna as o
b-
ject. This is the four
teenth knowledge, which destroys the a
p-
propriate defilements:
1
Knowledge of the Path
................................
............................
(magga !na)
.
7.
A sixth and seventh
2
impulsion consciousness arises, with
Nibbna as object. They are the fifteenth know
l
edge:
Knowledge of Fruition
................................
..............................
(phala !na)
.
You Revi
ew Your Knowledge
After this, follows the last and sixteenth knowledge, the R
e-
viewing Knowledge
(paccavakkhana !na)
. It is a reviewing of five
things:
1.
Reviewing the Path Knowledge.
2.
Reviewing the Fruition Knowledge.
3.
Reviewing Nibbna.
4.
Reviewing the defile
ments that have been destroyed.
5.
Reviewing the defilements that have yet to be destroyed.
3
1
For example, Stream
-
Entry de
stroys the first three fetters
(samyojana)
(
(1)
personality view
(sakkya
ditthi)
,
(2)
doubt about The Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha,
(3)
clinging to rule
-
&
-
rite), and cuts of
lust, hatred and delusion powerful enough to lead to a rebirth lower than a human on
e. Complete d
e-
stru
c
tion of the defilements is achieved only at Arahantship.
2
If no 'preliminary work`
(parikamma)
consciousness arose, these consciousnesses will be a fifth,
sixth and seventh (three) to complete the necessary seven impulsion consciousness
es. Please see also
T
a
ble 6, p.
213
.
3
1, 2, 4, and 5 you need to do deliberately, and require that you know how to do it.
7
-
How You Develop
the Insight
-
Knowledges to See Nibbna
277
Then you will have attained true knowledge of the Four Noble
Truths, and will for yourself have realized Nibbna. With this r
e-
alization, your mind will have become p
urified and free from
wrong views. If you continue in this way, you will be able to a
t-
tain arahan
t
ship and Parinibbna.
There are many more details about this development of insight,
but we have had to leave them out, so as to make this e
x
planation
as brie
f as possible. The best way to learn about this practice is by
undertaking a meditation course with a competent teacher, b
e-
cause then you can learn in a syste
m
atic way, step by step.
1
1
For contact addresses, please see Appe
n
dix 2, p.
345
.
Knowing
and Seeing
278
279
Questions and Answers 7
Question 7.1
What is the difference between p
erception
(sa!!)
and
the perception
-
aggregate
(sa!!kkhandha)
, and between feeling
(vedna)
and the feeling
-
aggregate
(vednkkhandha)
?
Answer 7.1
The eleven types of perception
(sa!!)
together are called
the perception
-
aggregate
(sa!!kkhandha)
. The ele
ven types of fee
l-
ing
(vedn)
together are called the feeling
-
aggre
gate
(vednk
khan
dha)
.
What are the eleven? Past, present, fu
ture, internal, external,
gross, subtle, inferior, superior, near, and far. All five aggr
e
gates
should be understood in the
same way. Please refer to the
`Khandha Sutta'
1
of the
`Khandha Vagga'
in the
Samyutta
Nikya
for the explan
a
tion.
Question 7.2
To which associated mental factors do
memory, infe
r-
ence and creativity belong? They are part of the five a
g
gre
gates,
but how do they become suffering
(du
k
kha)
?
Answer 7.2
What is memory? If you remember Samatha meditation
-
objects, such as a kasina
-
or npna
-
nimitta is right mindfu
l-
ness
(sam
m sati)
. If you can see past, present, and future ultimate
mentality
-
materiality
(parama
t
tha nma
-
rpa)
and their causes, and see
them as impermanence
(anicca)
, suffering
(dukkha)
, and non
-
self
(anatta)
, this is also right mindfulness
(samm sati)
; the m
indfulness
associated with insight
-
know
ledge. This mindfulness is assoc
i-
ated with thirty
-
three men
tal formations, which together are the
four mentality aggre
gates
(nmakkhan
dha)
. Remembering The Bu
d-
dha, the Dhamma, the Sangha, and offerings made in th
e past is
also right mindfulness
(samm sati)
. When the remembering of
a
c
tions pr
o
duces wholesome dhammas
(kusala dhamm)
, it is also
right mindfulness, but not when it pr
o
duces unwholesome
dhammas
(akusala dhamm)
. These are unwholesome perceptions
(akusa
la sa!!)
, perceptions associated with u
n
wholesome dhammas;
they are also the four mentality aggr
e
gates.
1
`Khandha Sutta'
('Aggregates Sutta`) quoted p.
5
Knowing
and Seeing
280
The wholesome and unwholesome mentality aggregates are i
m-
permanent. As soon as they arise, they pass away; they are su
b-
ject to constant arising and pas
sing
-
away, which is why they are
su
f
fering.
Question 7.3
Which associated mental factor does 'Taking an o
b
ject`
involve?
Answer 7.3
All consciousnesses
(citta)
and associated mental factors
(cetasika)
take an object. Without an object they cannot occur. C
o
n-
sciousness and associated mental factors are the subject. The su
b-
ject,
rammanika dhamma
, cannot arise without an object
(ra
m-
mana)
.
rammanika
is the dhamma or phenomenon that takes an
object. In other words, the dhamma that knows an object. If there
is
no object to be known, then there is no dhamma that knows.
Different groups of consciou
s
ness and associated mental factors
take different objects. There are eighty
-
nine types of consciou
s-
ness
(citta)
, and fifty
-
two types of associated mental factor
(cetas
ika)
;
they all take their respective object. For example, the path
-
and
fruition
-
consciousnesses and associated mental factors
(magga
-
citta
cetasika
and
phala
-
citta cetasika)
take only one object,
N
ibbna; an
npn jhna
-
consciousness and associated mental factors take
only one object, the npn pat i
b
hga
-
nimitta; the earth
-
kasina
jhna takes only the earth
-
kasina pat ibhga
-
nimitta as object.
They are supramundane and fine
-
material sphere conscio
u
s-
nesses. But a sensual
-
realm consciousness
(kmvacara citta)
takes
different objects, good or bad. If you want to know in detail, you
should study the Abhidhamma; more exactly the
rammana
se
c-
tion of the
Abhidhamma
t
tha Sangaha
.
1
Question 7.4
Does work f
or the Sangha affect one`s meditation?
Does it depend on the individual, or can one achieve a certain d
e-
gree of concentration, after which work has no e
f
fect?
Answer 7.4
In many suttas The Buddha criticizes bhikkhus who
practise the following:
1
e.g.
A Comprehensive Manual of Abhi
d
hamma
, Ed. Bhikkhu Bodhi, BPS
Questions and Answers 7
281
x
Pleasure in
working
................................
................................
.......
(kammrmat)
x
Pleasure in talking
................................
................................
..........
(bhassrmat)
x
Pleasure in sleeping
................................
................................
.........
(niddrmat)
x
Pleasure in company
................................
..............................
(sanghanikrmat)
x
Not controlling the faculties
................................
.......
(indriyesu aguttadvrat)
x
Not knowing the proper amount of food to take
....
(bhojne amatta!!ut)
x
Not trying to practise Samatha
-
Vipassan with vigilance
(mo
d
erate sleep)
................................
................................
....
(jgariye ananuyutt)
x
Laziness in Samatha
-
Vipassan practice
........................
(kusita
[or]
kosajja)
So if there is any work you have to do for the Sangha or you
r-
self, try to do it as quickly as poss
ible, and then return to your
me
ditation with a peaceful mind.
If you enjoy working too much, it is a hindrance to medit
a
tion,
because strong and powerful mind
ful
ness on the meditation o
b-
ject can then not be attained: enjoying work does not produce
goo
d concentration.
Question 7.5
Can a person who develops the jhnas with evil intent
benefit from attaining them? And how about a person who has,
for exa
m
ple, spent the money of a Sangha
1
for his per
sonal use,
and does not think it is wrong. When he a
t
tain
s jhna up to the
fourth jhna, does his mind or view change?
Answer 7.5
In this case you should distinguish between a layman
and a bhikkhu. If a bhikkhu has committed an o
f
fence
(patti)
, it is
a hindrance to attain jhna. For example, if he has appropria
ted
the allowable requisite of a Sangha for his pe
r
sonal use, it is not
easy for him to attain jhna, unless he corrects that offence
(patti)
.
That means he must pay it back with requisites of equal value to
the allowable requisites he used. Then he shoul
d confess his of
-
fence in front of the Sangha, or to another bhikkhu. That means
he should do a confession of offence
(pattipatidesan)
. After correc
t-
1
The Buddha made it a serious offence against the monastic rule
(Vinaya)
for a monk
to accept, r
e-
ceive, possess, or handle money. This prohibition is observed by the Vene
r
able Pa
-
Auk Tawya
Sayadaw.
Knowing
and Seeing
282
ing his fault, if he pra
c
tises Samatha
-
Vipassan, he can attain
jhna, path, and fruition. If, without co
rrecting his fault he really
did attain jhna, then maybe he is not a real bhikkhu, and so the
offence was in fact not an o
f
fence.
For lay
-
people, purification of conduct is also necessary, and it
is better if they purify their conduct before meditating, t
hat is, if
they undertake either the five or eight precepts. That way, while
meditating, their conduct is pure, and they can attain jhna, a
l-
though they were evil before meditation. For example, in the
Dhammapada Comme
n
tary
, there is a story about the serv
ant
Khujjuttar.
1
She was a se
r
vant of King Udena`s wife Queen
Smvat . Every day King Udena gave her eight coins to buy
flowers for the queen, and every day Kh
u
jjuttar put four of the
coins into her pocket, and bought flowers with only the other
four. O
ne day, The Buddha came with the Sangha for almsfood at
the flo
rist`s house. Khujjuttar helped the florist give the alm
s-
food. After the meal The Buddha gave a Dhamma
-
talk, during
which Khuj
juttar developed shame at having stolen the money,
and d
e
cided
not to steal any more. Her decision is an example of
morality purified while listening to the Dhamma. With medit
a-
tion, Kh
u
jjuttar became a stream
-
enterer
(sotpanna)
. On that day
she did not put four coins in her pocket, but bought flo
w
ers for all
eight c
oins. When she gave the flowers to Queen Smvat , the
queen was surprised because there were more flowers than usual.
Then Khujjuttar co
n
fessed.
Consider also the case of the Venerable Angulimla. Before he
became a bhikkhu, he was a notorious murderer.
But as a bhi
k-
khu, he purified his conduct and strove hard in meditation. So he
was able to a
t
tain arahantship.
Consider also this fact: in the round of rebirths everybody has
done good and bad a
c
tions. There is no one who is free from bad
actions.
2
But i
f they purify their conduct while meditating, then
1
DhA.I.ii.1
`Smvat Vatthu'
('Smvat Case`)
2
In other words, if bad actions in the past made it impossible to attain jhna, no one woul
d be able
to jhna.
Questions and Answers 7
283
previous bad actions cannot pr
e
vent them from attaining jhna.
That is, however, only as long as those previous bad actions are
not any of the five immediate kammas
(ana
n
tariya kamma)
.
1
The five immediate
kammas are:
1.
Killing one`s mother,
2.
Killing one`s father,
3.
Killing an arahant,
4.
With evil intention shedding the blood of a Buddha,
5.
Causing a schism in the Sangha.
If any of these evil actions has been done one cannot attain
jhna, path, and fruition, just l
ike King Ajtasattu. King Ajt
a-
sattu had enough pram s to become a stream
-
enterer
(sot
panna)
a
f-
ter listening to the
`S
ma!!aphala Sutta'
.
2
But because he had
killed his own f
a
ther, King Bimbisra, it did not happen.
You asked whether after attaining jhna, such people`s mind or
view changes. Jhna can remove the hi
n
drances for a long time.
'A long time` mean, if they ente
r jhna for about an hour, then
within that hour the hindrances do not occur. When they emerge
from jhna, the hindrances may recur because of unwise atten
-
tion. So we cannot say for certain whether such a pe
r
son`s mind
will change with jhna. We can say o
nly that so long as he is in
jhna, the hindrances do not o
c
cur.
3
There are exceptions, as for example, with the Mahthera M
a-
hnga.
4
Although he had practised Samatha and Vipassan
meditation for more than sixty years, he was still a worldling
(pu
t-
hujjana
)
. Even so, because of his strong, powerful Samatha and V
i-
passan practices, no defilements a
p
peared in those sixty years.
Due to this, he thought he was an arahant. But one of his disc
i-
1
Please see e.g.
A.V.ix.3
`Parikuppa Sutta'
('Festering Sutta`).
These five kammas are called 'i
m-
mediate`, because they will definitely ripen in the pr
e
sent life, and give rise to rebirth in the big hell
of Avci, or one of its minor he
lls, as was the case for King Ajt
a
sattu.
2
D.2 'Fruits of Recluseship Sutta`
3
Regarding jhna and Vipassan and views, please see also Answer 7.7, and Answer 7.9
4
Vs.xx
`Vipassanupakkilesa Kath' B733
('I
n
sight Imperfection Explanation` 110
-
113)
Knowing
and Seeing
284
ples, the arahant Dhammadinna, knew he was still a worldling,
and help
ed him realize indirectly that this was so. When M
a-
hnga Mahthera discovered that he was still a worldling, he
practised Vipassan, and within a few minutes attained arahan
t-
ship. But this is a most e
x
ceptional case.
You should remember another thing too:
he was expert in the
scriptures
(pariyatti)
as well as practice
(patipatti)
. He was also a me
-
ditation teacher
(kammatthncariya)
, and there were many arahants
who, like Dhammadinna, were his disciples. Although he was e
x-
pert in Samatha and Vipassan, so
metimes misunderstan
dings
occured in his mind, because of a similarity in e
x
periences. So if
you think to yourself, 'I have attained the first jhna, etc.`, you
should examine your experience tho
r
oughly over many days, and
many months. Why? If it is real
jhna and real Vipa
s
san, then
they are beneficial to you, as they can help you attain real
Nibbna, which is the 'Pureland`
1
of Theravda Buddhism. But
artif
i
cial jhna and artificia
l Vipassan cannot give rise to this
benefit. Do you want the real benefit or the artificial ben
e
fit? You
should ask yourself this question.
So we should like to suggest, that you do not say to others, 'I
have attained the first jhna, etc.` too soon, b
e
ca
use there may be
some
one who does not believe you. It could be that your exper
i-
ence is genuine, but it could also be false like with Mahnga
Mahthera. You should be aware of this problem.
Question 7.6
What is the difference between rpa
-
kalpas and ult
i-
mate materiality
(paramattha rpa)
?
2
1
Pure
land
The so
-
called 'Western Land`, 'Land of Ultimate Bliss` in Mahyna teaching, where a
Buddha called Amitabbha Buddha is waiting. Rebirth there is obtained by reciting his name. The
aim in the Mahyna tradition is, on the whole, rebirth in Pureland, as
all who go there will b
e
come
Buddhas, and then go and save all beings of all world sy
s
tems. The Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya
Sayadaw speaks here of 'the Pureland of Theravda Buddhism` only as a metaphor for Nibbna
that will suit his Mahyna audience: he is
not sugges
t
ing that Nibbna is a place, or in any way to
be compared with the 'Western Land` etc. Please see 'supramundane realm`
(lokut
tara bhmi)
e
x-
plained
Answer 3.12, p.
127
2
For details between rpa
-
kalpas and ultimate materiality, please see further p.
152
Questions and Answers 7
285
Answer 7.6
Rpa
-
kalpas are small particles. When a yogi ana
lyses
those little particles, he sees ultimate materiality
(parama
t
tha rpa)
. In
a rpa
-
kalpa, there are at least eight types of materiality: earth,
water,
fire, wind, colour, odour, flavour, and nu
tritive e
s
sence.
These eight types of materiality are ultimate materiality. In some
rpa
-
kalpas there is a ninth too: life
-
faculty materiality
(jvita rpa)
;
and in others a tenth: sex
-
materiality
(bhva rpa)
or
tran
s
parent
-
element m
a
teriality
(pasda rpa)
. These eight, nine or ten types of
materiality are all ultimate mat
e
riality.
Question 7.7
When a yogi is able to see rpa
-
kalpas or ultimate m
a-
teriality, will his mind
(citta)
and views
(d
i
tthi)
change?
A
nswer 7.7
When he with insight
-
knowledge sees ultimate materi
-
a
l
ity in each rpa
-
kalpa, his mind and views change, but only
tem
porarily, because insight
-
knowledge r
e
moves wrong views
and other defilements only temporarily. It is the noble path
(ariy
a-
magg
a)
that stage by stage destroys wrong views and other defil
e-
ments t
o
tally.
1
Question 7.8
How does concentration purify the mind
(citta visud
dhi)
?
What kinds of defilement
(
kilesa
)
are removed by con
cen
tr
a
tion?
Answer 7.8
Concentration practice is direc
tly opposite the five hi
n-
drances. Access
-
and first
-
jhna concentration remove the five
hindrances for a long time. Second
-
jhna concentration r
e
moves
applied thought
(vitakka)
and sustained thought
(vicra)
. Third
-
jhna
concentration removes joy
(pti)
. F
ourth
-
jhna concentration r
e-
moves bliss
(sukha)
. In this way, the mind is purified by concentr
a-
tion and that is called purific
a
tion of mind
(citta visuddhi)
.
2
Question 7.9
How does Vipassan purify views
(ditthi visuddhi)
? What
kinds of defilement
(
kilesa
)
are removed by Vipassan?
Answer 7.9
Before seeing ultimate mentality
-
materiality, their
causes, and nature of impermanence, suffering, and non
-
self, a
1
Regarding jhna and Vipassan and views, please see also Answer 7.5, and Answer 7.9
2
For details regarding the different jhnas, please see 'H
ow You Attain Jhna`, p.
55
ff
Knowing
and Seeing
286
yogi may have wrong views or wrong perce
p
tions, such as, 'This
is a man, a woman, a mother, a father,
a self, etc.` But when he
sees ultimate mentality
-
materiality, their causes, and nature of
impermanence, suffering, and non
-
self clearly, this wrong view is
r
e
moved temporarily. Why is it removed? He sees that there are
only ult
i
mate mentality
-
materiality
and their causes. He sees also
that as soon as they arise, they pass away, which is their nature of
impermanence. They are a
l
ways subject to arising and passing
-
away, which is their nature of suffe
r
ing. There is no self in these
mentality
-
materiality and c
auses, which is their nature of non
-
self. This is insight
-
knowledge
(vipassan !na)
. It is right view
(samm ditthi)
, and r
e
moves wrong views
(micch ditthi)
. Insight
-
knowledge also removes defilements such as attachment and co
n-
ceit, which are 'partners`
to wrong view. So while a yogi is pra
c-
tising Vipassan, right view is present. But it is only temporary,
because when he stops meditating, wrong view recurs b
e
cause of
unwise attention
(ayoniso manasikra)
. He again perceives: 'this is a
man, a woman, a mo
ther, a father, a self, etc.,` and the associated
defilements such as attachment, conceit, and anger, will also r
e-
cur. But, when he goes back to Vipassan meditation, this wrong
view again disappears. So insight
-
knowledge r
e
moves wrong
views and other defi
l
e
ments only temporarily. When he reaches
the path and fruition, however, his Path Knowledge
(mag
ga !na)
will d
e
stroy those wrong views and other defilements completely,
stage by stage.
1
Question 7.10
What is the difference between
citta
and
d
i
t t hi
?
Ans
wer 7.10
Citta
means mind, but in
citta visuddhi
(
purification of
mind), it refers especially to a consciousness: an a
c
cess
-
con
cen
-
tra
tion consciousness
(upacra
-
samdhi citta)
or absorp
tion
-
jhna co
n-
sciousness
(appan
-
jhna citta)
.
2
Dit t hi
means wrong
view, and is a
associated mental factor
(cetasika)
. It arises together with the four
1
Regarding jhna and Vipassan and views, please see also Answer 7.5, and Answer 7.7
2
Regarding the different kinds of concentration etc., please see Answer 3.1, p.
115
Questions and Answers 7
287
con
sciousnesses rooted in greed. A co
n
scious
ness rooted in greed
(lobhamla citta)
is associated with either wrong view or co
n
ceit.
One wrong view is the perception of
self
(atta sa!!)
. There are
two types of perception of self.
1.
The world`s general perception of self
..........
(loka sama!!a a
t
tavda)
This is wrong view as a conse
quence of convention: the pe
r-
ception that there is a man, woman, father, mother, etc.
2.
Wrong view o
f self
................................
................................
..........
(atta ditthi)
This is wrong view as a consequence of craving
(tanh)
: the
perception of an indestruct
i
ble self
(atta)
, which may include
the perception that the indestructible self is cre
ated by a cre
a-
tor
(p
a
ramatta)
.
In the thirty
-
one realms ther
e is no self, only mentality
-
mate
ria
-
lity and their causes. They are always impermanent, su
f
fering,
and non
-
self. Outside the thirty
-
one realms there is no self either.
This insight
-
knowledge is Vipassan right view
(vipassan sam
m d
i-
tthi)
. It destroys
wrong view
(micch ditthi)
temporarily, including
wrong view of self. But the Path Know
l
edge
(magga !na)
, which is
path right view
(magga samm ditthi)
, destroys wrong view co
m
ple
te
-
ly. So what we have is in fact three types of view:
1.
Wrong view
................................
................................
.......................
(micch
ditthi)
2.
Vipassan right view
................................
....................
(vipassan samm ditthi)
which is mundane
(l
o
kiya)
.
3.
Path right view
................................
................................
.....
(magga samm ditthi)
which is supramun
dane
(l
o
kut
tara)
.
In the
`Brahmajla Sut
ta'
, all sixty
-
two types of wrong view
that exist are discussed.
1
They all go u
n
der wrong view of self,
which is also called 'personality wrong view`
(sakkya ditthi)
. Pe
r-
sonality
(sakkya)
is the five a
g
gregates, so personality wrong view
is to see the fi
ve aggr
e
gates as self. There are also many types of
right view, such as the right views called 'Right Views about the
Four Noble Truths`
(c
a
tusacca samm ditthi)
:
1
D.
i.1
`Brahmajla Sutta'
('Supreme Net Sutta`)
Knowing
and Seeing
288
x
Jhna right view
................................
................................
......
(jhna samm ditthi)
Jhna knowledge associated with the jhna factors.
x
Di
s
cernment
-
of
-
mentality
-
materiality right view
..
(nma
-
rpa
-
pariggaha
samm ditthi)
Know
ledge of U
l
timate Mentality
-
Materiality.
x
Kamma and kamma
-
result right view
.............
(kammass
a
kat samm ditthi)
Knowledge of Dis
cerning Cause and Condition.
x
Vipassan right view
................................
......................
(
vipa
s
san sam
m
ditthi)
Insight
-
knowledge of the impermanent, suffering, and non
-
self n
a-
ture of mentality
-
mate
ri
ality and their causes.
x
Path right view
................................
................................
.......
(magga samm ditthi)
Knowledge of Nibbna.
x
Fruition right view
................................
................................
.
(phala samm ditthi)
Knowledge of Ni
b
bna.
Question 7.11
How should a yogi practise wise attention
(yoniso man
a-
sikra)
in his daily life, and how in his Samatha
-
Vipassan prac
-
tice?
1
Answer 7.11
The best wise attention is Vipassan. If you practise up
to the Vipassan level, you will have
the truly best wise attention.
If you then practise Vipassan in your daily life, it will pr
o
duce
good results, such as path and fruition that see
Nibbna. But if
you cannot practise up to the Vipassan level, you sh
ould co
n-
sider the fact that all conditioned things are impermanent
(sabbe
sankhr anicc)
. This is also wise attention, but very weak, and only
se
c
ond
-
hand.
You can also practise the four sublime abidings
(brahma vihra)
,
and especially the sublime abidin
g of equanimity
(upe
k
kh brahma
vi
-
h
ra)
. That is superior wise attention, because to practise the su
b-
lime abiding of equanimity is to see the law of kamma in '
sabbe
satt kammassak
`: 'All beings are the owners of their kamma`.
You can also sometimes ref
lect on the effects of unwise attention.
Unwise attention causes many unwholesome kammas to come
one by one. These unwholesome kammas will produce much su
f-
fering in the four woeful realms
(apya)
. To know this is wise a
t-
tention. You should practise it in y
our daily life.
1
For details regarding wise/unwise attention, please see also 'Wise and Unwise Attention`, p.
204
.
Questions and Answers 7
289
Question 7.12
What is the difference between attention
(manasi
kra)
and practising the seven enlightenment factors
(b
o
jjh
a
n
ga)
?
Answer 7.12
When you practise the seven enlightenment factors,
they are usually at the head of thirty
-
four men
tal fo
r
mations that
include attention. Sometimes the thirty
-
four mental form
a
tions
are called 'insight
-
knowledge`, because the thirty
-
fourth mental
-
formation, wisdom
(pa!!)
is the main fa
c
tor.
In this connection, you should know the three types of atte
n
ti
on:
1.
Attention
as the basic cause for the object
.................
(rammana patipdaka man
a
sikra)
2.
Attention
as the basic cause for the cognitive
-
process
....
(vthi patipdaka m
a
nasikra)
3.
Attention
as the basic cause for the impulsion
................
(javana patipdaka man
a
sikra)
Attent
ion as the basic cause for the object
is the associated me
n-
tal factor of attention. Its function is to make the object clear to
the yogi`s mind.
Attention as the basic cause for the cognitive
-
process
is the
five
-
door adverting
-
consciousness
(pa!cadvrvajj
ana)
in the five
-
door cognitive
-
process
(pa!cadvra vthi)
. Its function is to enable all
five
-
door cognitive
-
processes to take their respective o
b
ject.
Attention as the basic cause for the impulsion
is the mind
-
door
adverting
-
consciousness
(manodvrvajja
na)
in the mind
-
door cogn
i-
tive
-
process
(manodvra vthi)
, and determining
-
consciousness
(votth
a-
pana)
in the five
-
door cognitive
-
process. It is either wise attention
or unwise attention. Its function is to make the impulsion
(javana)
occur. If it is wise at
tention, the impulsion
(javana)
is for worl
d-
lings
(puthujjana)
and learners
(sekkha)
wholesome, and for ara
hants
only functional
(kiriya)
. When it is unwise attention, the impulsion
is always unwholesome, and cannot occur in arahants.
Question 7.13
Could
the Sayadaw please explain the di
a
gram? Is it
necessary, in this system of meditation, to practise the more than
thirty types of meditation su
b
ject
(kammatthna)
? What are the be
-
nefits in doing so?
Knowing
and Seeing
290
Answer 7.13
We are not interested in diagrams. It is bas
ed on a dia
-
gram drawn by a school teacher, who is very interested in di
a-
grams.
In Pa
-
Auk we teach many types of Samatha meditation to those
who want to practise them. If they do not want to practise all of
them, but only one, such as
npnasati
(mindful
ness
-
of
-
breathing), then we teach only that Samatha medit
a
tion. When
they have jhna, we take them straight to Vipassan, systemat
i-
cally, stage by stage.
While practising Samatha
-
Vipassan, there may sometimes be
hindran
ces such as lust
(rga)
, anger
(do
sa)
, and discursive thought
(vitak
ka)
, which will disturb their concentration and Vipa
s
san
meditation. The following meditation subjects are the best wea
p-
ons to remove those hi
n
drances.
The Buddha gives them in the
`Meghiya Sutta'
:
1
x
Asabh bhretabb rgassa pahnya
.
(
You should practise repulsiveness meditation
(asubha bhvan)
to r
e
move
lust
(rga)
.
)
x
Mett bhretabb bypdassa pahnya
.
(
You should practise lovingkindness meditatio
n
(mett bhvan)
to r
e
move
hatred or anger
(dosa)
.)
x
npnasati bhretabb ritakkapacchedya
.
(
You should practise
npnasati
(mindfulness
-
of
-
breathing)
to remove di
s-
cursive thought
(v
i
takka)
.
)
Furthermore, a concentrated mind can see ultimate dhammas
(paramattha dhamma)
as they really are.
2
Of the concentration practi
-
ces, the eight attainments
(sampatti)
are very high and powerful; so
to those who want to practise the eight attainments thoroughly,
we teach kasina meditation too. If you want to unders
tand the
1
U.IV.1 and A.IX.I.i.3 'Meghiya Sutta`
2
These, The Buddha`s words, are quoted above p.
14
, and p.
29
Questions and Answers 7
291
diagram thoroughly, you need to practise Samatha
-
Vipassan up
to the Path and Fruition Knowledges. Only then will you fully un
-
der
stand the di
a
gram.
Why are we not interested in diagrams? Because it is not
enough to show the whole system on one p
age. We have e
x-
plained the whole system in more than three thousand six hu
n-
dred pages in Bu
r
mese: one page is not enough.
Question 7.14
Can a hating mind produce many generations of te
m-
perature
-
produced octad
-
kalpas
(utuja
ojatth
amaka
-
kalpa)
, and make
t
he eyes flash?
Answer 7.14
To say 'a consciousness produces light` is only a me
ta
-
phor, because in fact, apart from the rebirth
-
linking co
n
scious
ness
(patisandhi citta)
, all consciousnesses that arise depend
ent upon the
heart
-
base
(hadaya
-
vatthu)
produ
ce consciou
s
ness
-
produced rpa
-
ka
-
lpas
(cittaja kalpa)
.
1
Among these rpa
-
kalpas there is always
colour
(vanna)
. It is brighter if the consciousness is a Samatha
-
, or
Vipa
s
san
-
consciousness. This is discussed in the Pl i Texts,
Com
mentaries, and Sub
-
c
ommentaries. But it does not say that
co
n
sciousness
-
produced materiality produced by a hat
ing mind
also pr
o
duces light.
Question 7.15
Is the seeing mind that sees mentality
-
ma
teriality itself
included in mentality
-
materiality? Is it i
n
cluded in wisdom?
Answer 7.15
Yes, it is.
2
You can see it at all the stages of Vipa
s
san,
especially at the stage of
Know
l
edge of Dissolution
(bha
n
ga !na)
. It
says in the
Visuddhi Magga
:
3
ta!ca !a!ca abhapi ripassati
.
(
We must practise Vipassan on both the known
(!ta)
and know
l
edge
(!na)
.
)
1
For a discussion of conscious
ness
-
produced materiality, please see p.
163
, and in relation to the
light produced by Samatha and Vipassan consciousnesses, please see also Answer 4.10, p.
194
2
For details in this regard, please see 'The Seven Ways for Mentality`, p.
262
ff
, and 'How You D
e-
velop the Know
l
edge of Dissolution`, p.
272
f.
3
Vs.xxi
`Bhangnup
assan!na Kath' B742
('Dissolution
-
Contemplation Knowledge` 13)
Knowing
and Seeing
292
'The known` means the five aggregates and their causes, which
should be known with i
n
sight
-
knowledge. 'Knowledge` means
the insight
-
knowledge
that knows the impermanent, suffering,
and non
-
self nature of the five aggregates and their causes, which
are all formations
(sa
n
khra dhamma)
. I
n
sight
-
knowledge is wisdom,
Vipassan right view. Usually, Vipassan right view arises t
o-
gether with thirty
-
thr
ee or thirty
-
two mental formations, which
gives thirty
-
four or thirty
-
three mental formations respectively.
They are called 'insight
-
knowledge`. They are mentality dham
-
mas, because they incline towards the object of the impermanent,
suffering or non
-
self
nature of form
a
tions.
Why do you need to see the insight
-
knowledge itself as impe
r-
manence, suffering, and non
-
self? Because some yogis may ask,
or think about whether insight
-
knowledge itself is per
manent or
impermanent, happiness or suffering, self or no
n
-
self. To answer
this question, you need to see the Vipassan cognitive
-
process i
t-
self as impermanence, suffering, and non
-
self, especially the
thirty
-
four mental formations in each impulsion moment, headed
by that insight
-
knowledge. Furthermore, some yog
is may become
a
t
tached to their insight
-
knowledge. They may become proud,
because they can practise Vipassan well and successfully. It is
also to remove and prevent these defilements that you need to see
the insight
-
knowledge, or Vipassan cognitive
-
proce
ss itself as
impermanence, suffering, and non
-
self.
Question 7.16
How to overcome the uninterested and bored mind
state that occurs during long periods of meditation, or sta
y
ing
alone in the forest? Is this kind of mind state an unwhol
e
some
dhamma?
Answer
7.16
This type of mind state is called indolence
(kosajja)
, and
is usually a weak unwholesome dhamma a
s
sociated with greed or
hatred, etc. This type of mind state occurs because of unwise a
t-
tention. If a person`s unwise a
t
tent
ion is changed to and replaced
with wise attention, then he may succeed in his meditation.
To overcome this mind state you should sometimes recall that
our Sakyamuni Bodhisatta`s success was due to his perseverance.
Questions and Answers 7
293
You should also recall the st
o
ries of a
rahants who had striven
hard and with great difficulty to succeed in their meditation, to
eventually attain arahantship. No one can have great success
without striving. It is necessary especially in meditation to pers
e-
vere. Wise attention too is very impor
tant. You should try to pay
attention to the nature of impermanence, suffe
r
ing, and non
-
self
in conditioned things. If you do like this, you may one day su
c-
ceed.
Question 7.17
Could the Sayadaw please give an example of a wish
that is not associated with ign
o
rance
(avijj)
, craving
(tanh)
and
cling
ing
(updna)
?
Answer 7.17
If you practise Vipassan when performing whole
some
kammas, and also see the impermanence, suffering, or non
-
self
nature of those wholesome
kammas, then ignorance
(avijj)
, cra
v-
ing
(tanh)
and clinging
(updna)
do not arise. If you cannot practise
Vipassan, then make the following
wish: '
Idamme pu!!am
Nibb
nassa paccayo hotu
`: 'May this m
erit be a contributing
cause for the realization of Ni
b
bna.`
Question 7.18
If the five aggregates are non
-
self, then who, Saya
daw,
is giving a Dhamma talk? In other words, if the five aggre
gates
are non
-
self, no Sayadaw is giving a Dhamma talk. So is t
here a
relationship between the five aggregates and the self?
Answer 7.18
There are two types of truth: conventional truth
(sammuti
sacca)
and
ultimate truth
(p
a
ramattha sacca)
.
You should differentiate clea
rly between these two types of
truth. According to conventional truth there is a Buddha, a Saya
-
daw, a father, a mother, etc. But accor
d
ing to ultimate truth, there
is no Buddha, no Sayadaw, no father, no mother, etc. This you
can see if you have strong en
ough insight
-
knowledge. If you look
at The Buddha with insight
-
knowledge, you see ultimate mental
-
ity
-
materiality, which are the five aggregates. They are imperm
a-
nent, suffe
r
ing, and non
-
self. There is no self. In the same way if
you look at me, or at a fa
ther, or mother etc.,with insight
-
knowl
-
edge, you see only ultimate mentality
-
materiality, the five aggr
e
-
gates, which are impermanent, suffering, and non
-
self. There is
Knowing
and Seeing
294
no self. In other words, there is no Buddha, Saya
daw, f
a
ther,
mother, etc. The five a
ggregates and their causes are called fo
r-
ma
tions. So, formations are talking about formations, some
times
about Nibbna. There is no self at all. So how can we speak of a
relatio
n
ship?
For example, if someone were to ask you, 'Are rabbit horns
long or short?`, how should you a
n
swer? Or if they asked, 'Is the
body hair on a tortoise black or white?`, how should you a
n
swer?
If the self does not exist at all, we cannot speak of a relationship
between it and the five aggregates. Even The B
uddha did not a
n-
swer this type of question. Why? Suppose you said ra
b
bit horns
are long; that would mean you accept that ra
b
bits have horns.
And if you said rabbit horns are short; that too would mean you
accept that they have horns. Again, if you said a t
ortoise has
black body hair, that would mean you accept that a tortoise has
hair. If you said tortoise hair
is white, that too would mean you
accept it has hair. In the same way, if The Bu
d
dha said the five
aggregates and the self are
related, it would mean he accepted
that there is a self. And if he said the five a
g
gregates and the self
are not related, it would also mean he a
c
cepted that there is a self.
That is why The Buddha did not answer this type of question. So
we should like t
o suggest that you try to practise medit
a
tion up to
the Vipassan level. Only then can you remove this view of self.
Question 7.19
The Buddha taught the Snake Mantra to bhikkhus. Is
chanting the Snake Mantra the same as loving
-
kindness? Is chan
t
-
ing a ma
ntra a Brahmanic tradition brought into Bu
d
dhism?
Answer 7.19
: What is a mantra? What is the Snake Ma
n
tra
? We do
not know whether mantras have been handed down from Hind
u-
ism. But in the Theravda Texts there is a pr
o
tective sutta
(pari
tta
sutta)
called the
`Khandha Paritta'
.
1
The Buddha taught this pr
o-
1
A.IV.II.ii.7
`Ahirja Sutta'
('Snake Kings Sutta`), called the
Khandha
(Group)
Paritta
(Protective
Chant) because
mett
is extended to all beings in groups: the four types of snake, being
s with no legs
(leeches, worms, fish etc.), with two legs (devas, human beings, birds), with four legs (elephants,
dogs, li
z
ards etc.), and with many legs (ants, scorpions, centipedes, spiders etc.).
Questions and Answers 7
295
tective sutta for bhikkhus to recite every day. There is a discipl
i-
nary rule
(Vinaya)
which says that if a forest
-
dwelling bhikkhu or
bhikkhun
fails to recite this protective sutta at lea
st once a day,
he or she will have committed an o
f
fence.
Once, in The Buddha`s time, a bhikkhu was dwelling in the fo
r-
est when a veno
m
ous snake bit him. He died. Because of this,
The Buddha taught the
'
Khandha Paritta
`. The purpose of this
protective sutta is similar to lovingkindness medit
a
tion. In that
sutta there are different ways of extending
loving
kind
ness to di
f-
ferent types of snak
e or dragon. There is also an assertion of truth
concerning the Triple Gem, and the qualities of The Buddha and
arahants. We shall recite this protective sutta tonight. It is very
powerful. You may call it the 'Snake Mantra`. The name is not
important. You
can call it wha
t
ever you like. Some bhikkhus in
Myanmar use this protective sutta for those who have been bitten
by a
veno
mous snake. It is effective. When they chant this prote
c-
tive sutta many times, and when the victi
ms drink the protective
water, the venom slowly decreases in them. Usually they r
e
cover.
But the effect is not the same in every case. The Buddha taught
this protective sutta to prevent bhikkhus from being bitten by
venomous snakes. If a bhikkhu recites th
is protective sutta with
respect, and extends lovingkindness to all beings, including
snakes, he will meet with no danger. Usually, if he also observes
the m
o
nastic code, no harm will come to him.
Knowing
and Seeing
296
297
Talk 8
The Buddha`s Wishes
for His Disciples and His Te
achings
(Talk given on Veskha Day)
The Buddha` Relinquishes the Will to Live
The Buddha
spent His last rains
(vassa)
in the village of Vel uva.
At that time there arose in Him a severe affli
c
tion. On the full
-
moon day of As
l ha, a sharp and deadly back pain came upon
Him, because of previous kamma
.
In one of his past lives, the
b
o
dhisatta, who was to become
Sakyamuni Buddha, was a wrestler. Once he threw do
wn an o
p-
ponent and broke the opponent`s back. When mature, that un
-
wholesome kamma
(akusala kamma)
pr
o
duced its result, which was
ten months before Sakyamuni Buddha`s Parinibbna. The effect
of that kamma was so powerful that it would last u
n
til death.
Suc
h an affliction is called 'feeling ending at death`
(maranan
tika
vedna)
. It ceases only when death occurs.
1
The Buddha prevented that affliction from arising through e
n-
tering an Arahant Fruition and making a determination
(adhitthna)
.
First The Buddha e
ntered the Arahant
-
Fruition Attainment
(ara
hat
-
ta
phala
sampatti)
based on the Seven Ways for Materia
l
ity
(rpa sat
taka
vipassan)
and Seven Ways for Mentality
(arpa sattaka vipas
san)
.
2
A
f-
ter those Vipassan practices and just before entering the ar
a
hant
fruition
-
attainment, The Buddha determined, 'From today until
the day of my Parinibbna, may this affli
c
tion not occur`, and
then He entered the arahant fruition
-
attainment.
Arahant fru
i
tion
-
attainment means that the arahant fruition
-
con
sciousness,
with
Nibbna as object, o
c
curs continuously for a long
time. Because
the Vipassan practices were strong and powerful, the ar
a
hant
fruition
-
attainment too was strong and powerful. Because of the
1
DA.II.3
`Mahparinibbna Sutta' 164
('Great Parinibbn
a Sutta`)
2
For the Seven Ways for Materiality/Mentality, please see above, p.
260
ff
Knowing
and Seeing
298
eff
ort of the Vipa
s
san and the effort of the fruition
-
attain
ment
the affliction did not occur in the ten months that were left until
the day of The Buddha`s Parinibbna. But He had to e
n
ter that
fruition
-
attainment every day until then.
1
After the vassa, Th
e Buddha wandered from place to place, and
eventually reached Vesl . Three months b
e
fore Veskha full
-
moon day, on the full
-
moon day of February, at the Cpla
Cetiya, The Buddha decided to relinquish the will to live
(yusa
n
k-
hra ossajjana)
. What does th
at mean? On that day He decided:
2
Temsamattamera pana sampattim sampajjitr tata param na sampa
j-
jissmti cittam appdesi.
(
From today until the full
-
moon day of Veskha I shall practise this fruition
a
t
tainment. Then I shall no longer practise it.
)
!
The Buddha Declares His Wishes
So on that day, in front of the assembled Bhikkhu Sangha, in
the assembly hall of the Mahvana monastery, The Buddha a
n-
nounced that He had relinquished the will to live. He said to the
Bhikkhu Sangha:
3
Tasmtiha bhikkhare
ye te may dhamm abhi!! desit, te ra sdhakam a
g-
gahetra seritabb bhr
e
tabb baha/ktabb
.
(
Bhikkhus, you, to whom I have made known the Truths about which I have
direct knowledge, having thoroughly learnt them, should cultivate them, d
e-
velop them, an
d fr
e
quently practise them.
)
The Buddha taught only the Dhamma about which He had d
i-
rect experience. Here The Buddha declared His wishes for His
teac
h
ings, and instructed the Sangha as follows:
1
For details with regard to these The Buddha`s practices and attai
n
ments, please see endnote, p.
314
2
DA.II.3
`M
a
hparinibbna Sutta' 169
('Great Parinibbna Sutta`)
3
D.ii.3
`Mahparini
b
bna Sutta' 184
('Great Parinibbna Sutta`)
8
-
The Buddha
`s Wishes
for His Disciples and His Teachings
299
1.
They should learn His Teachings (Dhamma) thoroughly by heart
,
but learning by heart alone is not enough. This was The Bu
d
dha`s
first wish.
2.
He instructed them to cultivate His Teachings
(Dhamma)
. In Pl i it
is called
sev
i
tabb
, and means that we must try to know this
Dhamma in practice again and again. It is transl
ated as cul
tiv
a
tion.
This was The Buddha`s second wish.
3.
Finally, He instructed them to develop
(bhvetabb)
the Truths.
When
we cultivate, growth and progress are nece
s
sary.
What does that mean? When we practise the Dhamma, only whol
e-
some dhammas
(kusal
a dhamma)
must occur in our cognitive
-
processes. That is, wholesome morality dhammas
(sla kusala dhamma)
,
wholesome co
n
centration dhammas
(samdhi kusala dhamma)
and
wholesome wisdom dhammas
(pa!! kusala dhamma)
. These whol
e-
some dhammas must occur withou
t a break until arahantship. If a
disciple
(svaka)
of The Buddha attains arahantship, his practice
(bhvan)
is over. So a disc
i
ple of The Buddha must practise The
Buddha`s Teachings until he attains that goal: the cultivation must
be developed until arah
antship. To reach arahantship we must pra
c-
tise again and again. For that reason The Buddha gave the instru
c-
tion of
bahul ktabb
, which means we must practise frequently.
This was The Bu
d
dha`s third wish.
These wishes occured in The Buddha`s cognitive
-
pro
cesses.
Why?
1
Yathayidam brahmacariyam addhaniyam assa cira((hitikam.
(
So that the pure Teaching may be established and last long.
)
That is, to maintain the pure Teaching so that it can last for a
long time.
1
ibid.
Knowing
and Seeing
300
Our Duty as Buddhists
It is very important t
hat every Buddhist mai
n
tains the pure
Teaching, so that it is not lost. We must try. What should we try
to do? We repeat:
1.
We should try to learn The Buddha`s Teachings
(Dhamma)
tho
r-
oughly by heart.
2.
We should try to practise The Buddha`s Teachings so as to
know
them through personal experience.
3.
We should try to practise The Buddha`s Teachings until arahan
t-
ship.
These are the duties of all Buddhists. If one is a Buddhist one
must follow these three instructions. If one does not fo
l
low them
then one is a Bud
dhist in name only: not a real Buddhist. If one
fo
l
lows these three instructions thoroughly, then one is a real
Buddhist. So you can today dete
r
mine:
1.
We will try to learn The Buddha`s Teachings tho
r
oughly by heart.
2.
We will try to practise The Buddha`s Tea
chings so as to know them
through personal e
x
perience.
3.
We will try to practise The Buddha`s Teachings until ar
a
hantship.
How We May Benefit the World
If we do that, it can be said that we breathe according to The
Buddha`s instructions. Why should we do so?
1
Tadassa bahajanahitya bahajanasakhya /aknakampya atthya hitya sa
k-
hya deramanassnam.
(
For the welfare and happiness of the multitude,
out of compa
s
sion for the world,
for the welfare and happiness of devas and human b
e
ings.
)
1
ibid.
8
-
The Buddha
`s Wishes
for His Disciples and His Teachings
301
If we practise
according to The Buddha`s instructions, we will
be able to give the Dhamma to future generations as an inher
i-
tance. We will be able to teach devas and human beings the fo
l-
lowing:
1.
To try to learn The Buddha`s Teachings thoroughly by heart.
2.
To practise The
Buddha`s Teachings, so as to know them through
pe
r
sonal experience.
3.
To practise The Buddha`s Teachings until arahantship.
By doing that, those devas and human beings will receive ben
e-
fits and happiness in this world, up to the attai
n
ment of Nibbna.
But i
f we do not learn the Teachings by heart, and do not pra
c
tise
those teachings, how can we teach devas and human beings to
learn the Teachings of The Buddha, and teach them how to pra
c-
tise those Teachings, since we have no knowledge of them? So, if
we have
strong enough faith
(saddh)
in the Teachings of The Bu
d-
dha, we Buddhists should try to learn those Teachings by heart,
cultivate them in practice, and develop them until arahan
t
ship.
How We May Show Our Faith
Do you have strong enough faith in the teachin
gs of The Bu
d-
dha?
It is said in the
`Ghat kra Sutta
'
Comme
n
tary:
1
Pasanna ca pasannkram ktam sakkhissati
.
(
True devotees of the Triple Gem can show their devotion through pra
c
tice.
)
If a ma
n or woman cannot show devotion, we cannot say that he
or she is a real devotee. If you have real faith in The Buddha`s
Teachings, you should learn those teachings thoroughly, practise
them, and not stop before attaining arahantship. These are impo
r-
tant wo
rds of The Bu
d
dha before He passed away. If we have
faith in The Buddha we should obey those words. If we have faith
1
MA.II.iv.1
`Ghatkra Sutta
'
('Ghatkra Sutta`)
Knowing
and Seeing
302
in our parents we should obey their instructions. In the same way
we should obey our Father`s words; our Father is The Buddha.
What We Mus
t Learn and Practise
So, what are those Teachings? They are:
1
x
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
....................
(
cattaro
s
a
tipatthn)
x
The Four Right Efforts
................................
..............
(cattaro sammappadhn)
x
The Four Bases of Success
................................
.................
(cattaro iddh
i
pd)
x
The Five Controlling Faculties
................................
................
(pa!c
indriyni)
x
The Five Powers
................................
................................
.............
(pa!ca balni)
x
The Seven Factors of Enlightenment
................................
..
(satta b
o
jjhang)
x
The Noble Eightfold Path.
................................
........
(ariyo a
t
thangiko maggo)
There are altogether Thirty
-
Seven Requisites of Enlighte
n
ment
(bodhipakkhiyadhamma
)
. Let us discuss them briefly. In the Pl i Canon,
The Bu
d
dha taught the Thirty
-
Seven Requisites of Enlightenment
in different ways, a
c
cording t
o the inclination of his listeners. The
teachings in the Pl i Canon can be reduced to just the Thirty
-
Seven Requisites of Enlighte
n
ment. If they are condensed, there
is only the Noble Eightfold Path. If it is condensed, there are only
the three trainings:
morality, concentr
a
tion, and wisdom.
The Basis for Practice
We must first learn the training of morality to practise. If we do
not know the training of morality, we cannot purify our conduct.
Then we must learn Samatha meditation to control and conce
n-
trat
e our mind. If we do not know about Samatha meditation, how
can we cultivate concentration? If we do not practise concentr
a-
tion, how can we control our mind? Then we must learn how to
cultivate wisdom. If we do not know the training of wi
s
dom, how
can we c
ultivate wisdom?
1
D.ii.3
`Mahparini
b
bna Sutta' 184
('Great Parinibbna Sutta`)
8
-
The Buddha
`s Wishes
for His Disciples and His Teachings
303
So, to purify our conduct, to control our mind, and to develop
our wisdom, we must first learn the Dhamma by heart. Secondly,
we must cultivate and develop it up to ar
a
hantship.
Therefore, in the
`Mahparinibbna Sutta'
, The Bu
d
dha urged
His disciples many times:
1
Iti s/am, iti samdhi, iti pa!!.
S/aparibhrita samdhi mahappha/a hati m
a
hnisamsa;
samdhiparibhrit pa!! mahappha/ hati mahnisams.
Pa!!paribhritam cittam sammadera sarehi rimaccati,
seyyathidam kmsar bharsar d
i
((hsar arijjsar.
(
Such is morality; such is concentration; such is wisdom.
Great is the result, great is the gain of concentration
when it is fully developed ba
sed on mora
l
ity;
great is the result, great is the gain of wisdom
when it is fully developed based on concentr
a
tion.
The mind that is fully d
e
veloped in wisdom
is utterly free from the taints of lust, becoming, wrong views and ign
o
rance.
)
We all have
a mind. If, based on morality, we can control our
mind, then the power of that concentrated mind is wo
n
derful.
That mind can penetrate into ultimate materiality. Materiality
arises as rpa
-
kalpas. They are smaller than atoms. Our body is
made of those r
pa
-
kalpas. The concentrated mind can an
a
lyse
those rpa
-
kalpas. The concentrated mind can also penetrate into
the ultimate reality of mentality. The concentrated mind can
pen
e
trate into their causes. The co
n
centrated mind can penetrate
into the n
ature of arising and passing
-
away of mentality, materia
l
-
ity, and their causes. This insight
-
knowledge is called wisdom.
This wisdom progresses because of concentration based on m
o-
ral
ity. The conce
n
trated mind and wisdom are will
-
power. This
will
-
power ca
n lead to the attainment of
Nibbna, the destruction
of all attachment, all defilements and all suffe
r
ing.
1
ibid. e.g.186
Knowing
and Seeing
304
Everybody has a mind. When the mind is fully d
e
veloped
through concentration, the insight
-
knowledge, the wisdom, can
fr
ee one from the taints of lust and the round of rebirths co
m-
pletely. But that concentration must be based on moral
ity. For
la
y
people, the five precepts are necessary. They are:
1.
To abstain from killing any beings
2.
To abstain from stealing
3.
To abstain from s
exual misconduct
4.
To abstain from telling lies
5.
To abstain from taking intoxicants
These five precepts are necessary for all lay
-
Buddhists. If one
breaks any of these five precepts, one is automatically not a real
lay
-
Buddhist
(upsaka/upsik)
. One`s refug
e in the Triple Gem has
been made invalid. Buddhists must also abstain from wrong liv
e-
li
hood. They must not use possessions a
c
quired by killing, by
theft, by sexual misconduct, by lies, by slander, by harsh speech,
or by friv
o
lous speech. They must not en
gage in the five types of
wrong trade: trading in weapons, in humans, in animals for
slaughter, in intoxicants, or in po
i
sons.
So morality is very important for all Buddhists, not only to a
t
-
tain
Nibbna, but also to rea
ch a happy state after death. If one`s
conduct is not purified, it is not easy to reach a happy state after
death, because at the time of death, those mi
s
deeds usually stick
to one`s mind, appear in one`s mind. By taking one of those mis
-
deeds as the objec
t of the mind, us
u
ally one goes to one of the
four woeful realms after death.
Morality is also important to find happiness and peace in the
present life. Without purification of co
n
duct, one cannot find
happiness or peace. Someone with a bad character is n
aturally
surrounded by enemies. One who has many en
e
mies cannnot find
any happiness.
8
-
The Buddha
`s Wishes
for His Disciples and His Teachings
305
Samatha and Vipassan Meditation
Then The Buddha taught the following:
1
Ya ca rassasatam jre, dass/a asamhita;
E
kham jritam seyya, s/arantassa jhyina.
(
Though
one should live a hundred years
without virtue and with
out conce
n
tration,
one`s life is not worthy of praise;
I
t is better to live a single day with the practice of virtue and concentr
a
tion.
)
Why? Because the mind that is fully developed through c
once
n-
tration can produce great wisdom, which can see
Nibbna, the
end of the round of rebirths, and can destroy all d
e
filements and
suffering.
So we must practise Samatha and Vipassan meditation based
on morality. When
we practise Samatha and Vipassan medit
a-
tion, we must practise the Four Foundations of Mindfulness
(
ca
t
tro
sat
i
patthn)
:
1.
Mindfulness of the body
................................
.....
(kynupassan satipatthna)
2.
Mindfulness of feeling
................................
.....
(vedannupassan satipatthna)
3.
Mindfulness of conscio
usness
..........................
(cittnupassan satipatthna)
4.
Mindfulness of dhammas
............................
(dhammnupa
s
san satipatthna)
What is 'the body`
(kya)
? There are two types of body in Vipa
s-
san: the materiality
-
body
(rpa
-
kya)
and the me
n
tality
-
body
(nma
-
kya)
. The materiality
-
body is a
group of twenty
-
eight types of m
a-
teriality. The mentality
-
body is a group of co
n
sciousnesses and
their
associated mental factors. In other words, the two bodies are
the five aggregates
(khandha)
: materiality, feel
ing, perception,
fo
r
m
a
tions, and consciou
sness.
But Samatha meditation objects such as the breath, the thirty
-
two parts of the body as foulness
(asubha)
, and the four
-
elements
are also called body. Why? They are also compactness of mater
i-
1
Dhp.viii.10
`Sahassa Vagga'
('Thousands Chapter`)
Knowing
and Seeing
306
ality. For example, breath is a group of rpa
-
kalpas produ
ced by
co
n
sciousness. If we analyse those rpa
-
kalpas, we see that there
are nine types of materiality in each one: earth
-
, water
-
, fire
-
, and
wind
-
element, colour, odour, flavour, n
u
tritive essence, and
sound. The skeleton too is compactness of rpa
-
kal
pas. If the
skel
e
ton is alive, there are a total of five types of rpa
-
kalpa. If
we analyse those rpa
-
kalpas, we see that there are forty
-
four
types of materia
l
ity.
1
Under mindfulness of the body
(
kynupa
s
san
)
, The Buddha
taught two types of meditatio
n: Samatha and Vipassan. Under
contemplation of the body, He included
npnasati
(mindfu
l-
ness
-
of
-
breathing), and the thirty
-
two parts of the body etc. So, if
you are practising
npnasati
, you are practising contemplation
of the body. All those Samatha
practices go under contemplation
of the body. After you have succeeded in Samatha practice, you
change to Vipassan meditation, and see the twenty
-
eight types of
materiality. That is also practising conte
m
plation of the body. At
the time of practising disc
ernment of me
n
tality
(nma kammatthna)
,
when you discern feelings, it is contemplation of feelings; when
you discern consciousnesses, it is contemplation of consciou
s-
nesses; when you discern contact it is contemplation of dhammas.
But di
s
cerning only feel
ings, con
sciousnesses, and contact is not
enough to a
t
tain the insight
-
know
ledges. So we must discern the
remaining associated mental factors. After having discerned me
n-
tality and mat
e
riality, we must discern their causes in the past,
present, and
future. This is the Knowledge of Di
s
cerning Cause
and Condition
(paccaya
-
parig
gaha !na)
. After the Knowledge of Di
s-
cerning Cause and Condition, when you will have reached Vipa
s-
san, you can em
pha
size either materiality, feelings, consciou
s-
nesses or con
tact. 'Emph
a
size` does not mean you should discern
one state only. You can emphasize materiality, but you must not
1
For details, please see 'How You Analyse the Rpa
-
Kalpas`, p.
152
, and Table 3, p.
172
8
-
The Buddha
`s Wishes
for His Disciples and His Teachings
307
omit mentality. That is, you must discern feeling, con
sciou
s
ness,
and dhammas too.
1
You may emphasize feelings instead. But feelings alone a
re not
enough. You must also discern their associated mental form
a-
tions, their sense
-
bases, and their objects. The five sense
-
bases
and their objects are materiality. It is the same for the consciou
s-
nesses and dhammas.
2
So here, Vipassan is contemplating
the impermanent, suffe
r-
ing, and non
-
self nature of mentality
-
materiality and their causes.
Those dhammas pass away as soon as they arise, so they are i
m-
permanent. They are oppressed by constant ari
s
ing and passing
-
away, so they are suffering. In those dham
mas there is no soul,
nothing is stable, permanent and immo
r
tal, so they are non
-
self.
Discernment of the impermanent, suffering, and non
-
self nature
of mentality
-
materiality, and their causes and effects, is called
Vipassan meditation. When you practise
Samatha and Vipassan
meditation, we can say you are practising the Four Found
a
tions of
Mindfulness.
When you practise the Four Foundations of Mindfulness you
must arouse enough of the Four Right Efforts
(
cattro sammappa
d
hna
)
.
They are:
1.
The effort to pr
event unwholesome states from arising.
2.
The effort to eradicate unwholesome states that have arisen.
1
There are four foundations of mindfulness: (1) body (2) feeling (3) consciousness (4) dhammas.
Dhammas are the remaini
ng constituents of the mentality body
(nma
-
kya)
. The Buddha explains
dhammas also as the five aggregates, twelve bases, five hindrances, seven enlighte
n
ment factors, and
Four Noble Truths. It is in fact not possible to separate these many aspects of the
Dhamma, because
each one includes all the others. For, example, to fully understand the Four Noble Truths is to fully
understand the Noble Eightfold Path. To fully understand the Noble Eightfold Path is also to fully
understand the Seven Factors of Enlight
enment. It is also to fully understand menta
l
ity
-
materiality;
and the five aggregates, and the twelve bases etc. Hence, all thirty
-
seven factors of enlightenment
(Bodhipakkhiyadhamma)
need to be fully understood for enlighte
n
ment to take place.
2
The Vener
able Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw discusses Vipassan by way of discerning only feelings in
Answer 4.6 above, p.
186
.
Knowing
and Seeing
308
3.
The effort to produce wholesome states that have not yet arisen
(concentration wholesome
-
dhammas, Vipassan whol
e
some
-
dhammas, path whol
e
some
-
dhammas, etc.)
.
4.
The effort to develop those wholesome states up to arahan
t
ship.
How should you practise? You should practise according to the
Four Found
a
tions of Mindfulness. When practising you must
arouse enough of the four types of effort just me
n
tioned: 'Even if
my
flesh and blood were to dry up, leaving bones and sinews
only, I will not give up my meditation.`
When you practise you should have the Four Bases of Su
c
cess
(
cattro iddhipd
)
:
1.
Desire
................................
................................
................................
............
(chanda)
We must have strong and powerful desire to reach
Ni
b
bna.
2.
Energy
................................
................................
................................
.............
(vriya)
We must have strong and powerful energy to reach Ni
b
bna.
3.
Consciousness
................................
................................
................................
(citta)
We must have strong and powerful consciousness to reach
Ni
b
bna,
4.
Investigation
................................
................................
............................
(vimamsa)
W
e must have strong and p
owerful insight
-
knowledges to reac
h
Nibbna.
If we have strong enough desire we will attain our goal. There
is nothing we cannot achieve if we have enough d
e
sire. If we
have strong enough energy we will attain our goal. There is not
h-
ing we cannot achieve
if we have enough energy. If we have
strong enough consciousness we will a
t
tain our goal. There is
nothing we cannot achieve if we have a strong and powerful
mind. If we have strong enough insight
-
knowledge we will a
t
tain
our goal. There is nothing we cann
ot achieve if we have enough
wi
s
dom.
When we practise Samatha and Vipassan based on morality,
we should also have the Five Controlling Faculties
1
(
pa!cindr
i
yni
)
.
They are:
1
For a discussion of the Five Controlling Faculties, please see p.
50
ff
8
-
The Buddha
`s Wishes
for His Disciples and His Teachings
309
1.
Faith
................................
................................
................................
..............
(saddha)
We must have sufficiently strong faith in The Buddha and His
teach
ings.
2.
Effort
................................
................................
................................
................
(vriya)
We must make sufficiently strong effort.
3.
Mindfulness
................................
................................
................................
.....
(sati)
We must have sufficiently strong mindfulness on the meditation o
b-
ject. If it is a Samatha object, it must be an object like the npna
-
nimitta or kasina
-
nimitta. If it is a
Vipassan object, it must be me
n-
tality, materia
l
ity, and their causes.
4.
Concentration
................................
................................
..........................
(samdhi)
We must have sufficiently strong concentration on the Samatha and
V
i
passan objects.
5.
Wisdom
................................
................................
................................
..........
(pa!!)
We must have sufficient understanding about Samatha and Vipa
s-
san objects.
These five controlling faculties control the yogi`s mind, so it
does not go away from the
Noble Eightfold Path, which leads to
Nibbna. If you do not have any of these controlling faculties,
you c
annot reach your goal. You cannot control your mind. These
controlling faculties have the power to control your mind, so that
it does not go away from your medit
a
tion object. This power is
also called will
-
power
(bala)
. From the point
-
of
-
view of will
-
power
, the Five Controlling Faculties are called the Five Po
w
ers
(
pa!ca balni
)
.
Apart from the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, there are also
the Seven Factors of Enlightenment
(
satta bojjhang
)
, which are very
important. They are:
1.
Mindfulness
................................
................................
................................
.....
(sati)
2.
Invest
igation of Phenomena
................................
...................
(dhamma vicaya)
(This is i
n
sight
-
knowledge.)
3.
Effort
................................
................................
................................
................
(v
riya)
4.
Joy
................................
................................
................................
.........................
(p
ti)
5.
Tranquillity
................................
................................
.............................
(passaddhi)
6.
Concentration
................................
................................
..........................
(samdhi)
7.
Equanimity
................................
................................
................................
(upekkh)
Knowing
and Seeing
310
Finally, there is the Noble Eightfold Path
(
ariyo a
tt
hangiko maggo
)
:
1.
Right View
................................
................................
........................
(samm d
itthi)
2.
Right Thought
................................
................................
...........
(samm sankappa)
3.
Right Speech
................................
................................
......................
(samm vc)
4.
Right Action
................................
................................
.............
(samm kammanta)
5.
Right Livelihood
................................
................................
.............
(samm jva)
6.
Right Effort
................................
................................
...................
(samm vyma)
7.
Right Mindfulness
................................
................................
.............
(samm sati)
8.
Right Concentration
................................
................................
..
(samm samdhi)
It is, in other words, morali
ty
(sla)
, concentration
(samdhi)
, and
wisdom
(pa!!)
: the three trainings. We must practise these three
trainings systematically.
Altogether, there are Thirty
-
Seven Requisites of Enlightenment
(bodhipakkhiyadhamma)
. It was The Buddha`s wish that His di
s
ciples
learn these Thirty
-
Seven Requisites of Enlighte
n
ment by heart,
and practise them until arahantship. If we do that, we can give
this inheritance to future generations. Doing so, we and future
generations will receive benefits and happ
i
ness in this wo
rld, up
to the attainment of Nibbna.
The Buddha`s Exhortations to the Sangha
The Buddha said further:
1
Handa dni bhikkhare mantaymi ra,
rayadhamm sa
n
khr
appamdena sampd
e
tha.
(
Bhikkhus, all formations are subject to dissolution;
ther
e
fore strive with diligence.
)
All mentality
-
materiality and their causes are called formations
(sa
n
khra)
, because they are produced by their respe
c
tive causes.
Format
ions are always impermanent.
1
D.ii.3
`Mahparini
b
bna Sutta' 185
('Great Parinibbna Sutta`)
8
-
The Buddha
`s Wishes
for His Disciples and His Teachings
311
You should not forget about the nature of impermanence. It is
because you forget about the nature of i
m
permanence, that you
aspire for yourself, for sons, daughters, family, etc. If you knew
anything of the n
a
ture of impermane
nce, then throughout your
life you would try to escape from it. So you should not forget
how The Buddha exhorted us:
Bhikkhus, all formations are subject to dissolution;
ther
e
fore strive with diligence.
The Buddha then said:
Na ciram Tathgatassa Pa
rinibbnam bharissati.
Ita tinnam msnam accayena Tathgata parinibbyissati.
(
The time of the Tathgata`s Parinibbna is near.
Three months from now the Tathgata will attain Parini
b
bna.
)
That means He would pass away completely. Those words
were r
eally sad words to hear.
The Buddha said also:
Paripakka raya mayham, parittam mama jritam.
(
My years are now full ripe; the life span left is short.
)
He d
e
scribed His old age to the Venerable nanda:
1
Now I am frail, nanda, old, aged, far gone in ye
ars.
This is my eightieth year, and my life is spent.
Even as an old cart, nanda, is held together with much diff
i
culty,
so the body of the Tathgata is kept going only with su
p
ports.
It is, nanda, only when the Tathgata, disregarding exte
r
nal obje
cts, with
the cessation of certain feelings, attains to and
abides in the signless conce
n-
tration of mind,
2
that His body is comfor
t
able.
1
ibid.
165
2
Arahant Fruition
-
Attainment with the Signless object of Nibbna as object. Please see endnote 1
below, p.
314
Knowing
and Seeing
312
The Buddha said further:
1
Pahya ra gami
s
smi, katam me saraamattana.
(
Departing, I leave you, relying on myself alo
ne.
)
That means He would attain Parinibbna, and depart from
them. He had made His own refuge up to arahan
t
ship.
The Buddha`s Advice to Bhikkhus
That is why The Buddha also said:
2
Therefore, nanda, be islands unto yourselves, refuges unto yourselves,
s
eeking no external refuge; with the Dhamma as your i
s
land, the Dhamma as
your refuge, seeking no other refuge.
And how, nanda, is a bhikkhu an island unto himself, a refuge unto hi
m-
self, seeking no external refuge, with the Dhamma as his i
s
land, the Dham
ma
as his refuge, seeking no other refuge?
The Buddha`s answer was as follows:
3
Appamatt satimanta sas/ hatha bhikkhara:
Sasamhitasankapp sacittam
a
narakkhatha.
(
Be diligent, then, O bhikkhus, be mindful and of virtue pure.
With firm r
e
solve, g
uard your minds.
)
Sas/ hatha bhikkhara
, means, 'Bhikkhus, you should try to purify
your conduct. You should try to be bhikkhus who have complete
purification of conduct.` This means we must cultivate the trai
n-
ing of morality, that is, right speech, rig
ht action and right livel
i-
hood.
1
D.ii.3
`Mahparini
b
bna Sutta' 185
('Great Parinibbna Sutta`)
2
ibid.
165
3
ibid.
185
8
-
The Buddha
`s Wishes
for His Disciples and His Teachings
313
Sasamhitasa
n
kapp
: '
Susamhita
` means we must practise the
training of concentration, which is right effort, right min
d
fulness
and right concentration. '
Sa
n
kapp
` means the training of wi
s-
dom, which is right thought and rig
ht view.
Appamatt
means to see with insight
-
knowledge the nature of
impermanence, suffering, and non
-
self in formations.
Satimanta
means that when we practise the three trainings of vi
r-
tuous co
n
duct, concentration, and wisdom, we must have enough
mindfu
l
ness.
So we must be mindful and diligent. Mindful of what? Mindful
of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, of menta
l
ity
-
materiality,
or in other words, we must be mindful of formations.
Finally, The Buddha said:
Ya imasmim dhamma
-
rinaye a
p
pamatta rihessat
i.
Pahya jtisamsram dakkhassantam karissati.
(
Whoever earnestly pursues the Dhamma and the Discipline shall go b
e-
yond the round of births, and make an end of suffe
r
ing.
)
So, if we want to reach the end of the round of rebirths, we must
follow The Bud
dha`s teac
h
ings; that is, the Noble Eightfold Path.
Let us strive with effort before death takes place.
May all beings be happy.
Knowing
and Seeing
314
Endnote
Gotama Buddha had three kinds of Arahant Fruition
-
Attain
ment:
1
1.
Post
-
Path Fruition
-
Attainment
................................
.........
(maggnantra phala
-
sam
patti)
2.
Resorting Fruition
-
Attainment
................................
.............
(
vala!jana phala
-
sampatti)
3.
Lifespan
-
Maintenance Fruition
-
Attainment
2
.................
(yusankhra phala
-
sampatti
)
1.
Post
-
Path Fruition Attainment
: This arahant fruition
-
attainment comes i
m-
mediately after the Noble Arahant
-
Path whol
esome
-
kamma: it has the
characteristic of immediate fruition, and is referred to as a momentary fru
i-
tion
-
attainment
(khan
ika
phala
-
sam
patti)
. The three fruition consciou
s
ness
-
moments that arise immediately after a Buddha`s Noble Arahant Path co
n-
scious
ness are of this kind.
2.
Resorting Fruition Attainment
: This is the sustained arahant fruition
-
Attainment that an arahant may enter at will, is the Fruition
-
attain
ment that
is the enjoyment of the peac
e
ful bliss of Nibbana, and is also referred to as
a mom
entary fruition
-
attainment
(khanika phala
-
sampatti)
. The Buddha would
enter this attainment at all times, even when, during a discourse, the aud
i-
ence applauded by sa
y
ing 'Sdhu, Sdhu`.
3.
Lifespan
-
maintenance Fruition Attainment: This arahant fru
i
tion
-
atta
inment always follows V
i
passan with the Seven Ways for Materiality
and Seven Ways for Mentality:
3
they were practised by the Bodhisatta on
the threshold of Enligh
t
enment under the Mahbodhi Tree, and daily by
The Buddha from the day his back pain arose at
Vel uva vi
l
lage until His
Pari
nib
bna. About to complete the Vipassan, and enter this arahant fru
i-
tion
-
attainment, The Buddha would emerge, resolve, 'From today until
Mahparinibbna day, may this affliction not occur`, and then resume the
Vipassan to
afterwards enter the arahant fruition
-
a
t
tainment.
The difference between the momentary fruition
-
attainments and the lifespan
maintenance fruition
-
attainment is the preceding V
i
passan. The momentary
arahant
-
fruition attainment that is just the enjoyment o
f the peaceful bliss of
Nibbna is preceded by an ordinary mode of entering into Vipassan, whereas
the lifespan maintenance ar
a
hant
-
fruition attainment is preceded by a higher
1
DA.II.3
`Mahparini
b
bna Sutta' B164
('Great Parinibbna Sutta`)
2
The life
-
span maintenance fruition
-
a
t
tainment
(yusankhra
-
phala
-
sampatti)
is also called
yuplaka
-
phala
-
sampatti
(life
-
span protection fruition
-
attainment) and
jvitasankhra
-
phala
-
sampatti
(life
-
faculty maintenance fruition
-
a
t
tainment).
3
For details on the Seven Ways for Materiality and Seven Ways for Mentality,
please see p.
260
ff
8
-
The Buddha
`s Wishes
for His Disciples and His Teachings
315
mode of Vipassan that requires greater effort, namely, the Seven Ways for M
a-
te
riality
(rpasattaka)
and the Seven Ways for Mentality
(arpasattaka)
. The difference
in effect is that the momentary arahant
-
fruition attainment su
p
presses an ailment
for only as long as the attainment lasts: like a stone that falls into water clears
the
water for only as long as the impact of the stone lasts, after which the water
-
weeds return again. But the lifespan maintenance arahant
-
frui
tion attainment can
suppress an affliction for a dete
r
mined period (here ten months): as if a strong
man were to d
e
scend into a lake and clear away the water
-
weeds, which would
not return for a conside
r
able time.
Knowing
and Seeing
316
317
Talk 9
The Most Superior Kind of Offering
(
Rejoicement Talk to Donors, Organizers and Helpers)
1
Introduction
There are two kinds of offering:
1.
The offering
with full fruition
2.
The offering with no fruition
Which kind of offering do you prefer? Please answer our que
s-
tion.
Let us look at The Buddha`s wishes for His disciples
(svaka)
, r
e-
garding offering in this dispensation. Your wish and The Bu
d-
dha`s wish may
be the same or different. Let us look at the
`Da
k-
khinvi
b
hanga Sutta'
.
2
Once The Buddha was living in the Sakyan country, at Kap
i-
lavatthu in Nigrodha`s Park. Then Mahpajpatig
o
tam went to
The Buddha with a new pai
r of cloths, which she had had made
by skilled weavers. After paying homage to The Bu
d
dha, she sat
down to one side and said to The Buddha: 'Bhante, this new pair
of cloths has been spun by me, and woven by me, specially for
The Buddha. Bhante, let The Bud
dha out of compa
s
sion accept it
from me.` The Buddha then said:
Give it to the Sangha, Gotam. When you give it to the Sangha,
the offering will be made both to Me and to the Sangha.
She asked The Buddha in the same way three times, and The
Buddha answ
ered in the same way three times. Then Ve
n
erable
1
A talk given after an offering, such as is the case here, is in Pli called an
anumodana
talk:
m
o-
dana
means rejoicing, and
anu
means repeatedly. An
anum
o
dana
talk is thus a rejoicement
-
tal
k
meant to elevate the minds of the givers, thereby increasing the good kamma and merit of their a
c-
tion, and imprinting it on the mind.
2
M.III.iv.12 'O
f
ferings Analysis Sutta`
Knowing
and Seeing
318
nanda said to The Buddha: 'Bhante, please accept the new pair
of robes from Mahpajpatigotam . Mahpajpatig
o
tam has been
very helpful to The Buddha. Although she was Your mother`s si
s-
ter, she was Your nu
rse, Your fo
s
ter mother, and the one who
gave You milk. She suckled The Buddha when The Bu
d
dha`s
own mother died.
'The Buddha has been very helpful towards Mahpajpatig
o-
tam . It is owing to The Buddha that Mahpajpatig
o
tam has
gone for refuge to The Bud
dha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. It
is owing to The Buddha that Mahpajpatig
o
tam abstains from
killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from misco
n-
duct in sensual pleasures, from false speech, and from wine, li
q-
uor and intoxicants, which are
the basis of negligence. It is owing
to The Buddha that Mahpajpatigotam possesses perfect conf
i-
dence in The Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha, and that she
possesses the virtue loved by noble ones
(ariya)
. It is owing to The
Buddha that Mahpajpatig
o
t
am is free from doubt about the
Noble Truth of Suffering
(dukkha sacca)
, about the Noble Truth of
the Origin of Suffering
(samudaya sacca)
, about the Noble Truth of
the Cessation of Suffe
r
ing
(nirodha sacca)
, and about the Noble Truth
of the Way Leading t
o the Cessation of Suffering
(magga sacca)
. So
The Buddha too has been very helpful towards Mahpajpatig
o-
tam .`
The Disciple`s Debts to His Teacher
Then The Buddha replied as follows:
That is so, nanda, that is so.
..................
(Evametam nanda, evametam nanda.)
x
When a disciple, owing to a teacher,
has gone for refuge to The Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha,
I say that it is not easy for that disciple to repay the teacher
by paying homage to him, rising up for him, according him reverential
salutation and po
lite services, and by provi
d
ing the four requisites.
x
When a disciple, owing to the teacher, has come to abstain
from killing living beings,
9
-
The Most Superior Type of Offering
319
from taking what is not given,
from misconduct in sensual pleasures,
from false speech, and
from wine
, liquor and intoxicants, which are the basis of negl
i
gence,
I say that it is not easy for that disciple to repay the teacher
by paying homage to him, rising
up for him, according him reverential sal
u-
tation and polite services, and by providing the four
requ
i
sites.
x
When a disciple, owing to the teacher,
has come to possess perfect conf
i
dence in The Buddha, the Dhamma and
the Sangha, and to po
s
sess the virtue loved by noble ones
(ariya)
,
I say that it is not easy for that disciple to repay the teacher
by paying homage to him, rising up for him, accor
d
ing him reverential
salutation and polite services, and by provi
d
ing the four requisites.
x
When a disciple, owing to the teacher, has become free from doubt
about the Noble Truth of Suffering
(dukkha sacc
a)
,
about the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering
(samudaya sacca)
,
about the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering
(nirodha sacca)
, and
about the N
o
ble Truth of the Way Leading to the Cessation of Suffering
(magga sacca)
, I say that it is not eas
y for that di
s
ciple to repay the teacher
by paying homage to him, rising up for him, according him reverential
salutation and polite services, and by providing the four re
q
uisites.
Here, let us discuss what The Buddha means.
If a disc
i
ple knows the Four
Noble Truths through the guidance
of a teacher, his insight
-
knowledge of the Four N
o
ble Truths is
comparatively more beneficial than his acts of respect, and pr
o-
viding of the four requisites to the teacher. If he knows the Four
Noble Truths through Stream
-
Entry Path Know
l
edge
(sotpatti
magga!na)
, and Stream
-
Entry Fruition Knowledge
(sotpatti phala!na)
,
then that i
n
sight
-
knowledge will help him escape from the four
woeful realms
(apya)
. This result is wonderful. Those who neglect
to perform wholesome de
eds, us
u
ally wander the four woeful
realms. The four woeful realms are like their home:
Pamattassa ca
Knowing
and Seeing
320
nma cattra apy sakag
e
hasadis
.
1
They only sometimes visit good
realms. So it is a great opportunity to be able to e
s
cape from the
four woeful realms.
It cannot be compared to the disciple`s acts
of respect, and providing of four re
q
uisites to the teacher.
Again, if a disciple knows the the Four Noble Truths through
Once
-
Return Path Knowledge
(sakadgmi magga!na)
and Once
-
Return Fru
i
tion Knowledge
(sa
kadgmi phala!na)
, he will come back
to this h
u
man world once only. But if he knows the Four Noble
Truths through Non
-
Return Path Knowledge
(angmi magga!na)
,
and Non
-
Return Fruition Knowledge
(angmi phala!na)
, his i
n
sight
-
knowledge will help him es
cape from the eleven sensual realms.
He will definitely be reborn in a brahma realm. He will never r
e-
turn to this sensual realm. Brahma bliss is far superior to sensual
plea
s
ure. In the brahma realm there is no man, no woman, no son,
no daug
h
ter, no family
. There is no fighting and quarrelling. It is
not ne
c
essary to take any food. Their lifespan is very long. There
is no one who can spoil their happiness. They are free from all
dangers. But they are subject to decay; subject to death; subject to
rebirth ag
ain, if they do not attain arahan
t
ship.
Again, if a disciple
knows the Four Noble Truths through the
Arahant Path
(arahatta magga)
and Arahant Fruition
(ar
a
hatta phala)
, his
insight
-
knowledge will lead to his escape from the round of r
e-
births. After his Pa
rinibbna he will definitely attain Nibbna, and
he will have no more suffering at all, no more rebirth, decay, di
s-
ease, death, etc. So these benefits are more valuable than the di
s-
ciple`s acts of respect, and providing the four requisites to the
teacher.
Even if a disciple offers a pile of requisites as high as
Mount Meru, that offering is not enough to repay his debt, b
e-
cause the escape from the round of rebirths, or the escape from
rebirth, decay, disease, and death is more val
u
able.
What are the Four No
ble Truths that the disciple has unde
r-
stood?
1
DhA.I.i.1
`Cakkhup
a
latthera Vatthu'
('Ve
n
erable Cakkhupala Case`)
9
-
The Most Superior Type of Offering
321
1.
The Noble Truth of Suffering
................................
..................
(dukkha sacca)
:
This is the five aggregates.
If a disciple knows the Noble truth of Suffe
r
ing, dependent upon a
teacher, this insight
-
knowledge is more valuable than acts of
respe
ct, and providing the four requ
i
sites to the teacher.
2.
The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering
..................
(samudaya sacca)
:
This is dependent
-
origination.
If a disciple knows dependent
-
orig
i
nation dependent upon a
teacher, this i
n
sight
-
knowledge is also more valua
ble than acts of
respect, and providing the four requ
i
sites to the teacher.
3.
The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering
...............
(n
i
rodha sacca)
:
This is
Nibbna.
If a disc
i
ple knows Nibbna dependent upon a teacher,
this insight
-
knowledge is also more valuable than acts of respect, and providing
the four requ
i
sites to the teacher.
4.
The Noble Truth of the Way Leading to
the Cessation of Su
f
fering
................................
......................
(magga sacca)
:
This is the Noble Eightfold Path. In other words, this is
insight
-
knowledge
(vipassan !na)
and Path Knowledge
(magga!na)
.
If a disciple possesses insight
-
knowledge and Path Know
l
edge
dependent upon a teacher, these insight
-
knowledges are more
valuable than acts of respect, and providing the four requisites t
o
the teacher, because these insight
-
knowledges lead to one`s e
s-
cape from the round of rebirths, whereas acts of respect, and
pr
o
vi
d
ing the four requisites, cannot be a direct cause for escape
from the round of rebirths. Offering the four requisites can, h
o
w-
ever, be an ind
i
rect contributing cause for one who is practising
Samatha
-
Vipassan to attain Ni
b
bna.
Opportunities Not to Be Missed
Here again we should like to explain further. The five aggr
e-
gates are the first Noble Truth, the Noble Truth of Sufferin
g. In
the five aggregates is included the materiality
-
aggregate
(rpakkhandha)
. Materiality
(rpa)
arises as rpa
-
kalpas (small part
i-
cles). When they are analysed, one sees that there are generally
twenty
-
eight types of materiality. Please consider this p
roblem.
Knowing
and Seeing
322
Outside a Bu
d
dha`s dispensation, there is no teacher who can
teach about these types of materiality, and how to classify them.
Only a Buddha and his disciples can discern these types of mat
e-
riality, and teach how to classify them. Again, in the fiv
e aggr
e-
gates are i
n
cluded also the four mentality
-
aggregates
(nmakkhandha)
. Apart from the rebirth
-
linking consciousness, bh
a-
vanga
-
, and death
-
conscious
ness, these mental formations arise
according to cognitive
-
pro
cesses. The Buddha taught exactly how
m
any ass
o
ciated mental factors
(cetasika)
are associated with one
consciou
s
ness
(citta)
in a consciousness
-
moment
(cittakkhana)
, and he
taught how to discern and classify them. There is no teacher ou
t-
side a Buddha`s dispensation who can show and teach these
me
n-
tal formations clearly, because there is no other teacher who fully
unde
r
stands. But if a disciple of this Sakyamuni Buddha practises
hard and systemat
i
cally, according to the instructions of The
Buddha, he can discern these mental formations clearly.
This is a
unique opportunity for Buddhists. You should not miss this
o
p
port
u
nity.
Again, dependent
-
origination is the second Noble Truth, the
Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering. The Buddha also taught
his disciples how to discern dependent
-
origination.
When a disc
i-
ple of The Buddha discerns dependent
-
origination according to
the instructions of The Buddha, he fully understands the rel
a
-
tionship between cause and effect. He can gain the insight
-
know
-
ledge which knows that the past cause produces the pres
ent e
f-
fect, and that the present cause produces the future e
f
fect. He
knows that within the three periods, past, present and future, there
is no creator to create an effect, and that there is nothing which
occurs without a cause. This knowledge can also be
gai
ned in
only a Buddha`s dispensation. You should not miss this
opport
u
nity e
i
ther.
Again, when a disciple discerns dependent
-
origination, he sees
past lives and future lives. If you discern many past lives, you
gain the insight
-
knowledge of knowing whi
ch type of unwhole
-
some kamma produces rebirth in the wo
e
ful realms, and which
type of wholesome kamma produces rebirth in good realms.
9
-
The Most Superior Type of Offering
323
Knowledge of the thirty
-
one realms, and the Law of Kamma, can
be found in the teachings of only a Buddha. Outside a Bu
d
d
ha`s
dispensation, there is no one who can come to know the thirty
-
one realms, and the Law of Kamma, that produces rebirth in each
realm. You should not miss this opportunity e
i
ther.
Again, if a disciple discerns cause and effect in future lives, he
also s
ees the cessation of mentality
-
materiality. He knows fully
when his mentality
-
materiality will cease. This is the third Noble
Truth, the N
o
ble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering. This know
-
ledge can be gained in only a Buddha`s dispensation. You should
no
t miss this opportunity e
i
ther.
Again, The Buddha also taught the way, the fourth Noble Truth,
that is Samatha
-
Vipassan, to reach the state of cess
a
tion. Sama
-
tha
-
Vipassan means the Noble Eightfold Path. The Know
ledge
of Analysing Mentality
-
Materiality
and the Knowledge of Di
s-
cerning Cause and Condition are right view
(samm ditthi)
. The
Know
ledge of the Cessation of Me
n
tality
-
Materiality is also right
view. The Knowledge of the Noble Eightfold Path is also right
view. A
p
plication of the mind to the Fou
r Noble Truths is right
thought
(samm sa
n
kappa)
. Right view and right thought are Vipa
s-
san. To practise Vipassan we must have Samatha concentr
a-
tion, which is right effort
(samm vyma)
, right mindfulness
(samm
-
sati)
, and right concentration
(samm sa
mdhi)
. When we cultivate
Samatha
-
Vipassan, we should have purification of morality, that
is right speech
(samm vc)
, right action
(samm kam
manta)
, and right
livelihood
(samm jva)
. To cultivate Samatha
-
Vipassan based on
morality
(sla)
is to cult
i
vate the Noble Eightfold Path. This Noble
Eightfold Path can be found in only a Bu
d
dha`s dispensation.
You should not miss this opportunity either. Why? Insight
-
know
-
ledge of the Four Noble Truths leads to a di
s
ciple`s escape from
the round of rebirths.
Th
e Fourteen Kinds of Personal Offering
As mentioned, this escape can be assisted by the disc
i
ple`s acts
of offering. In the
`Dakkhinvibhanga Sutta'
, mentioned in the
Knowing
and Seeing
324
beginning of this talk, The Buddha explains the fourteen kinds of
personal offe
r
ing
(ptipuggalika dakkhina)
:
nanda, there are fourteen kinds of personal offering:
[1]
One makes an offering to a Buddha:
this is the first kind of personal offe
r
ing.
[2]
One mak
es an offering to a Paccekabuddha:
this is the se
c
ond kind of personal offering.
[3]
One makes an offering to an arahant, a disciple of The Buddha:
this is the third kind of personal offering.
[4]
One makes an offering to one who has entered upon the way
to th
e realization of the fruit of a ar
a
hantship:
this is the fourth kind of personal o
f
fering.
[5]
One makes an offering to a non
-
returner
(
angmi
)
:
this is the fifth kind of personal offering.
[6]
One makes an offering to one who has entered upon the way
to the
realization of the fruit of non
-
return:
this is the sixth kind of personal offe
r
ing.
[7]
One makes an offering to a once
-
returner
(
sakadgmi
)
:
this is the se
v
enth kind of personal offering.
[8]
One makes an offering to one who has entered upon the way to
th
e realization of the fruit of once
-
return:
this is the eighth kind of personal o
f
fering.
[9]
One makes an offering to a stream
-
enterer
(
s
o
tpanna
)
:
this is the ninth kind of personal offering.
[10]
One makes an offering to one who has entered upon the way to
t
he realization of the fruit of stream
-
entry:
this is the tenth kind of personal o
f
fering.
[11]
One makes an offering to one outside the dispensation
who is free from lust for sensual pleasures due to a
t
tainment of jhna:
this is the eleventh kind of persona
l offe
r
ing.
[12]
One makes an offering to a virtuous ordinary person
(
puthujjana
)
:
this is the twelfth kind of personal offe
r
ing.
[13]
One makes an offering to an immoral ordinary person:
this is the thi
r
teenth kind of personal offering.
9
-
The Most Superior Type of Offering
325
[14]
One makes an offering to
an animal:
this is the fourteenth kind of pe
r
sonal offering.
The Buddha then explained the benefits of these fourteen kinds
of offering:
x
By making an offering to an animal, with a pure mind,
the offe
r
ing may be expected to repay a hundredfold.
T
hat means it can produce its result in a hundred lives. Here
'pure mind` means offering without expecting anything in return,
such as help from the receiver. One makes the offering only to
accumulate whol
e
some kamma, with strong enough faith in the
Law of
Kamma. Suppose som
e
one feeds a dog with the thought:
'This is my dog`. Such a thought is not a pure mind state. But if
someone gives food to the birds, such as pigeons, then the offe
r-
ing is pure, b
e
cause he does not expect anything from the birds.
This app
lies also to the instances mentioned later. For example, if
a person offers requ
i
sites to a bhikkhu, with the thought that it
will bring about success in his business it is not offering with a
pure mind. This kind of offering does not produce superior ben
e-
fits.
The Buddha explained further:
x
By making an offering with a pure mind to an immoral ordinary person,
the offering may be expected to repay a thousan
d
fold.
x
By making an offering to a virtuous ordinary person, the offe
r
ing may be
expected to repay a
hundred
-
thousandfold.
x
By making an offering to one outside the dispensation who is free from
lust for sensual pleasures, due to attainment of jhna, the offering may be
expected to repay a hundred
-
thousand times a hu
n
dred
-
thousandfold.
x
By making an offer
ing to one who has entered upon the way to the real
i-
zation of the fruit of stream
-
entry, the offering may be expected to repay
incalculably, immeasur
a
bly.
x
What then should be said about making an offering to a stream
-
enterer;
or to one who has entered upon
the way to the realiz
a
tion of the fruit of
once
-
return, or to a once
-
returner; or to one who has entered upon the
Knowing
and Seeing
326
way to the realization of the fruit of non
-
return, or to a non
-
returner; or
to one who has entered upon the way to the realization of the fru
it of ar
a-
hantship, or to an arahant; or to a Paccek
a
buddha, or to a Buddha, a
Fully Enlightened One?
Here, an offering means one offers food enough for one meal
only. If a giver offers many times, such as, over many days or
many months, there are no words
to describe the benefits of those
offerings. These are the different kinds of pe
r
sonal offering
(ptipuggalika dakkhina)
.
The Seven Kinds of Offering to the Sangha
The Buddha then explained to the Venerable nanda:
There are,
n
anda, seven kinds of off
erings made to the Sangha
(Sanghika
Dna)
.
[1]
One makes an offering to a Sangha of both bhikkhus and bhikkhunis
headed by The Buddha:
this is the first kind of offe
r
ing made to the Sangha.
[2]
One makes an offering to a Sangha of both bhikkhus and bhikkhunis
after The Buddha has attained Parinibnibbna:
this is the second kind of offe
r
ing made to the Sangha.
[3]
One makes an offering to a Sangha of bhikkhus;
this is the third kind of offering made to the Sangha.
[4]
One makes an offering to a Sangha of bhikkhunis:
this is the fourth kind of offering made to the Sangha.
[5]
One makes an offering, saying:
'Appoint so many bhikkhus and bhikkhunis to me from the Sangha`:
this is the fifth kind of o
f
fering made to the Sangha.
[6]
One makes an offering, saying:
'Appoint so
many bhikkhus to me from the Sangha`:
this is the sixth kind of offe
r
ing made to the Sangha.
9
-
The Most Superior Type of Offering
327
[7]
One makes an offering, saying:
'Appoint so many bhikkhunis to me from the Sangha`:
this is the se
v
enth kind of offering made to the Sangha.
These are the sev
en kinds of offering to the Sangha. The Bu
d-
dha then compared personal offerings to offe
r
ings to the Sangha:
In future times, nanda,
there will be members of the clan who are 'yellow
-
necks`,
immoral, of evil chara
c
ter.
People will make offerings to
those immoral persons on b
e
half of the Sangha.
Even then, I say,
an offering made to the Sangha is incalculable, immea
s
urable.
And I say that in no way does an offering to a person individ
u
ally,
ever have greater fruit than an offering made to the Sa
ngha.
This means that o
f
ferings made to the Sangha
(sa
n
ghika dna)
are
more beneficial than personal offerings
(ptipuggalika dak
khina)
. If
Mahpajpatig
o
tam offered the robes to the Sangha headed by
The Buddha it would be far more beneficial. The r
e
su
lt would be
incalculable and immeasurable. So The Buddha urged her to o
f
fer
them to the Sangha too.
The Buddha also explained the four kinds of purification of o
f-
fering:
The Four Kinds of Purification of Offering
There are four kinds of purification of o
ffering.
What are the four? They are:
[1]
There is the offering that is purified by the giver, but not the receiver.
[2]
There is the offering that is purified by the receiver, but not the giver.
[3]
There is the offering that is purified
by neither the giver n
or the r
e
ceiver.
[4]
There is the offering that is purified by both the giver and the receiver.
[1]
What is the offering that is purified by the giver, but not the receiver?
Here the giver is virtuous, of good character,
Knowing
and Seeing
328
and the receiver is i
m
moral, of evil cha
racter.
Thus, the offering is pur
i
fied by the giver, but not the receiver.
[2]
What is the offering that is purified by the receiver, but not the giver?
Here the giver is immoral, of evil character,
and the receiver is virtuous, of good character.
Thu
s, the offering is p
u
rified by the receiver, but not the giver.
[3]
What is the offering that is purified
by neither the giver nor the receiver?
Here the giver is immoral, of evil character,
and the receiver too is immoral, of evil character.
Thus, the
offe
r
ing is purified by neither the giver nor the receiver.
[4]
What is the offering that is purified by both the giver and the receiver?
Here the giver is virtuous, of good chara
c
ter,
and the receiver too is virtuous, of good character.
Thus, the offer
ing is purified by both the giver and the r
e
ceiver.
These are the four kinds of purification of o
f
fering.
The Buddha explained further:
When a virtuous person to an immoral person gives,
With clear and taintless mind
1
a gift that has been righteously obt
ained,
Placing faith in that the fruit of kamma is great,
The giver`s virtue purifies the offering.ith no attac
h
ment, anger, etc.
To get superior benefits, the giver should fulfil the four cond
i-
tions. Because then, although the receiver is an i
m
moral pers
on,
the offering is purified by the giver.
The commentary mentions the case of Vessantara.
2
Our bod
-
hisatta in a past life as Ve
s
santara, offered his son and daughter
(the future Rhula and U
p
palavann) to Jjaka Brhmana, who
was immoral, of evil cha
r
acte
r. That offering was the final one,
1
With no e
xpectations, attachment, anger, etc.
2
MA.III.iv.12
`Dakkhinvi
b
hanga Sutta'
('Offerings Analysis Sutta`)
9
-
The Most Superior Type of Offering
329
for Vessantara`s generosity pram s to be fulfilled. A
f
ter fulfilling
this last pram , he was ready to a
t
tain en
light
enment: He had
only to wait for the time to mature. Because of this generosity
pram , and other pre
v
i
ous pram s, he was now certain to attain
Omniscient Knowledge
(sabba!
!u
ta
!na)
. So we can say that the o
f-
fering was a support for his attaining enlightenment. It was pur
i-
fied by Vessantara. At that time Vessantara was virtuous, of good
character. Hi
s offering had been rightly o
b
tained. His mind was
clear and taintless, because he had only one desire: to attain
enlighte
n
ment. He had strong enough faith in the Law of Kamma
and its results. So the offering was pur
i
fied by the giver.
An offering is purif
ied by the receiver, when an immoral pe
r-
son, whose mind is unclear, full of attachment, hatred, etc., who
has no faith in the Law of Kamma, makes an unrighteously o
b-
tained offering to a virtuous person. The comme
n
tary mentions
the case of a fisherman. A fi
sherman living near the mouth of the
Kalyn River in Sri Lanka, had three times offered almsfood to a
Mahthera who was an arahant. At the time near death, the fis
h-
erman remembered his offe
r
ings to that Mahthera. Good signs of
a deva realm appeared in hi
s mind, so before he died he said to
his relatives, 'That Mahthera saved me.` After death he went to a
deva realm. In this case the fisherman was i
m
moral and of bad
character, but the receiver was virtuous. So the offering was pur
i-
fied by the receiver.
An
offering is purified by neither the giver nor the receiver,
when an immoral person, whose mind is unclear, full of attac
h-
ment, hatred, etc.,who has no faith in the Law of Kamma, makes
an unrighteously obtained offering to an immoral person. The
comme
n
tary
mentions the case of a hunter. When he died, he
went to the peta realm. Then his wife offered almsfood on his b
e-
half, to a bhikkhu who was immoral, of bad character; so the peta
could not call out, 'It is good
(sdhu)
`. Why? The giver too was
immoral, and
not virtuous, because she had, as the wife of a
hunter, accompanied him when he killed animals. Also, her offe
r-
ing had been unrighteously o
b
tained, as it was acquired through
killing animals. Her mind was unclear because had it been clear
Knowing
and Seeing
330
and understandin
g, she would not have accompanied her hu
s-
band. She did not have enough faith in the Law of Kamma and its
r
e
sults, because had she had enough faith in the Law of Kamma,
she would never have killed beings. Since the r
e
ceiver too was
immoral, of bad character
, the offering could be purified by ne
i-
ther giver nor receiver. She offered alm
s
food in the same way
three times, and no good result occured; so the peta shouted, 'An
immoral person has three times stolen my wealth.` Then she o
f-
fered almsfood to a virtuous
bhikkhu, who then purified the offe
r-
ing. At that time the peta could call out 'It is good`
(Sdhu!)
, and e
s-
cape from the peta realm.
(Here we should like to say to the audience; if you want good
results from offering you should fulfil the following four c
ond
i-
tions:
1.
You must be virtuous,
2.
Your offering must have been righteously obtained,
3.
Your mind must be clear and taintless,
4.
You must have strong enough faith in the Law of Kamma and its
results.
Furthermore, if you are the receiver, and your lo
v
ing
-
kindne
ss
and compassion for the giver is strong enough, you should also be
virtuous. If your virtue is accompanied by jhna and insight
-
knowledge, it is much better. Why? This kind of offe
r
ing can
produce better results for the giver.)
Now, please note the next
kind of offering, the fourth kind of
purification of an offering.
4.
An offering is purified by both the giver and the r
e
ceiver,
when the giver has fulfilled the four conditions:
1.
The giver is virtuous,
2.
The giver`s offering has been righteously obtained,
3.
The
giver`s mind is clear and taintless,
4.
The giver has strong enough faith in the Law of Kamma and its r
e-
sults,
9
-
The Most Superior Type of Offering
331
and the receiver too is virtuous.
As for this kind of offering, The Buddha said:
nanda, I say, this kind of offering will come to full fruitio
n.
This offering can produce incalculable, immeasurable results. If
the receiver`s virtue is a
c
companied by jhna, insight
-
knowledge,
or Path and Fru
i
tion Knowledges, then the virtue of the offering
is superior.
The Six Qualities of an Immeasurable Offer
ing
Here let us look at another sutta: the
`Chal anga
dna Sutta'
in
the
Anguttara Nikya
,
`Chakka Nipta'
.
1
Once The Buddha was
living near Svatthi, at Jet
a
vana in Antha
pin
ika`s Park. Then
Nanda`s mother, a lay disciple of The Buddha, who lived in V
e-
l
ukandaka, offered almsfood. Her offering was endowed with six
qualities, and the receiver was the Bhikkhu Sangha, headed by
the Venerables Sriputta and M
a
hmoggallna. The Buddha saw
the o
f
fering with his divine eye, and addressed the monks thus:
Bhikkh
us, the lay disciple of Velukandaka has prepared an offering
endowed with six qualities to the Sangha,
[which is]
headed by Sriputta and M
a
hmoggallna.
How, bhikkhus, is an offering endowed with six qual
i
ties?
Bhikkhus, the giver should be endowed wit
h three qualities, and the r
e-
ceiver also should be e
n
dowed with three qualities.
What are the giver`s three qualities? Bhikkhus,
[1]
Before giving the giver is glad at heart,
[2]
While giving the giver`s heart is satisfied,
[3]
After giving the giver is joyful.
These
are the three qualities of the giver.
1
A.VI.iv.7 'Six
-
Qualities Offering Sutta`
Knowing
and Seeing
332
What are the three qualities of the receiver? Bhikkhus,
[1]
The receiver is either free from attachment, or
is trying to destroy a
t
tachment,
[2]
The receiver is either free from anger, or is trying to destroy anger,
[3]
The r
eceiver is either free from delusion, or is trying to destroy d
e
lusion.
These are the three qualities of the receiver.
Altogether there are six qualities. If the offering is endowed
with these six qualities, it produces immeasurable and noble r
e-
sults.
The
Buddha explained further:
Bhikkhus, it is not easy to grasp the measure of merit of such an
offering by saying: 'This much is the yield in merit, the yield in
goodliness, accumulated for wholesome kamma hereafter, ripe
n-
ing to happiness, leading to heave
n, leading to happiness, longed
for and loved.` Verily the great mass of merit, wholesome
kamma, is just reckoned unreckonable, immeasu
r
able.
Bhikkhus, just as it is not easy to grasp the measure of w
a
ter in
the great ocean, and to say: 'There are so many
pailfuls, so many
hundreds of pailfuls, so many thousands of pailfuls, so many
hundreds of thousands of pailfuls`; for that great mass of water is
reckoned unrec
k
onable, immeasurable; even so bhikkhus, it is not
easy to grasp the measure of merit in an of
fering e
n
dowed with
the six qualities. Verily the great mass of merit is reckoned u
n-
reckonable, immeasurable.
Why? The giver was endowed with the four qualities me
n
tioned
in the
`Dakkhinvibhanga Sutta'
:
1.
She was virtuous,
2.
Her offering had been righteousl
y obtained,
3.
Her mind was clear and taintless,
4.
She had strong enough faith in the Law of Kamma
and its r
e
sults.
The giver`s three qualities, mentioned in the
`Chal anga
dna
Sutta'
, were also fulfilled:
9
-
The Most Superior Type of Offering
333
1.
Before giving she was glad at heart,
2.
While giving he
r heart was satisfied,
3.
After giving she was joyful.
It is very important that these conditions are present in a giver,
whether male or female. If he or she expects incalc
u
lable and
immeasurable good results, he or she should try to fulfil them.
But accord
ing to the
`Da
k
khinvibhanga Sutta'
, the receiver too
must be virtuous. According to the
`Chal anga
dna Sutta'
, it
should be a bhikkhu or
bhikkhun
who e
i
ther has practised
Samatha
-
Vipassan meditation up to arahantship, or who is cult
i-
vating Samatha
-
Vipas
san meditation to destroy greed
(lobha)
, a
n-
ger
(dosa)
, and del
u
sion
(moha)
.
Offerings at Retreat
There are now, in Yi
-
Tung Temple, many bhikkhus and
bhikkhun
s who are practising Samatha and Vipassan medit
a
tion
to destroy attachment, anger, and delusion
t
o
tally. They are also
virtuous. So we may say:
x
Now there are worthy receivers here.
x
The givers too may be virtuous.
x
Their minds may be clear and taintless.
x
What they have offered has been righteously obtained.
x
They may have strong enough faith in th
e Triple Gem, and the
Law
of Kamma and its results.
x
They were glad before giving.
x
And were satisfied while giving.
x
They were joyful after giving.
So we can say that the offerings made in these two months have
been in accordance with The Buddha`s wish
es. They are noble o
f-
ferings.
Knowing
and Seeing
334
The Giver`s Wishes
If the givers expect good results in the future, certainly this
wholesome kamma will fulfil their expectation. Why? The Bu
d-
dha said in the
`Dnpapatti Sutta'
:
1
Ijjhati bhikkhare s/arata cetapaidhi risa
ddhatt.
(
Bhikkhus,
a virtuous person`s wish will certainly be fulfilled by purification of co
n
duct.
)
So, a virtuous person`s wholesome kamma can make his wish
come true:
x
If he wants to become a Buddha, he can become a Bu
d
dha,
x
If he wants to become a Pa
ccekabuddha
he can become a Paccek
a
buddha,
x
If he wants to become a Chief Disciple
(
aggasvaka
)
,
he can b
e
come a Chief Disciple,
x
If he wants to become a Great Disciple
(
mahsvaka
)
,
he can b
e
come a Great Disciple,
x
If he wants to become an Ordinary Di
sciple
(pakatisvaka)
,
he can become a Ordinary Di
s
ciple.
But this is only when his pram s have matured. Wishing alone
is not enough to attain one of those types of enlightenment
(b
o
dhi)
.
Again:
x
If he wants human happiness after death,
he can get h
uman happ
i
ness in the human realm.
x
If he wants to go to the deva realm,
he can go to the deva realm.
x
If he wants to go to the brahma realm after death,
this whol
e
some kamma can be a support for him to go
to the brahma realm.
How? If his offerin
g fulfils the previously mentioned cond
i-
tions, it means that before, while and and after offering, his mind
1
A.VIII.I.iv.5 'Almsgiving Rebirth Sutta`
9
-
The Most Superior Type of Offering
335
is full of joy, is clear, taintless and happy, and takes the offerings
and receivers as object: the receiver becomes his mind`s object
for the lovin
gkindness meditation. His loving
-
kindness for the r
e-
ceiver is strong. If he at that time practises lovingkindness med
i-
tation
(mett bhvan)
, his loving
-
kindness jhna will take him to the
brahma realm after death. In this way his offering is a support for
him to go to the brahma realm. So, if the giver wants to go to the
brahma realm after death, he should practise lovingkindness
meditation up to jhna. If he has practised lovingkindness jhna,
and offers almsfood, his wholesome kamma will be a superior
an
d very powe
r
ful support for him to go to the brahma realm. So,
if you want good results in the future, you should also practise
lovin
g
kindness meditation up to jhna. Among the three kinds of
happiness; human happiness, deva happiness, and brahma happ
i-
ness
, brahma happiness is the highest. There is no mundane ha
p-
piness higher than brahma happiness. It is the most superior ha
p-
piness in the thirty
-
one realms.
The Most Superior of All Worldly Offerings
That was the first kind of offering mentioned in the begin
ning
of this talk, namely, the offering with full fru
i
tion. Do you prefer
this kind of offering? If you do, then please listen to the following
stanza from the
`Dakkhinvi
b
hanga Sutta'
:
Ya rtarga rtargesa dadti dnam
Dhammena /addham sapasannacitta
A
bhisaddaham kammapha/am a/hram
Tam re dnam misadnnamagganti.
(
Bhikkhus, I say that when an arahant, with clear and taintless mind, pla
c
ing
faith in that the fruit of kamma is great, offers to an arahant what is righ
t-
eously obtained, then that offering
indeed is the most superior of all worldly
offe
r
ings.
)
In this case, the four qualities present in the giver are:
1.
The giver is an arahant,
Knowing
and Seeing
336
2.
The giver`s offering has been righteously obtained,
3.
The giver`s mind is clear and taintless,
4.
The giver has strong
enough faith in the Law of Kamma and its
r
e-
sults.
But a fifth quality is necessary, namely:
5.
The receiver too must be an arahant.
The Buddha taught that this kind of offering, one ar
a
hant giving
to another arahant, is the most superior kind of worldly
offering.
He praised this kind of offe
r
ing as the most superior. Why? This
offering has no result. Why? The giver has destroyed del
u
sion
and all attachment to life. Ignorance
(avijj)
and craving
(tanh)
, are
the main causes for kamma, that is volitional
-
f
ormations
(sa
n
k
hra)
.
In this case, volitional
-
formations means good actions like ma
k-
ing an offering to the receiver. But this kamma does not produce
any result, because there are no supporting causes: there is no i
g-
norance
(avijj)
, and no craving
(tanh)
. If the root of a tree is totally
d
e
stroyed, the tree cannot produce any fruit. In the same way, an
arahant`s offering cannot produce any result, because he has t
o-
tally destroyed those roots; ignorance and craving. He has no e
x-
pectation of a future life.
In the
`Ratana Sutta'
, The Buddha
taught the follo
w
ing stanza:
1
Khnam param nara natthi sambharam
Virattacitt'yatike bharasmim
Te khabj arir/hichand
Nibbanti dhr yathyam padpa
Idampi sanghe ratanam patam
Ete
na saccena saratthi hata.
(
Arahants have exhausted all old wholesome and unwholesome kamma.
New wholesome and unwholesome kamma do not occur in them.
They have exhausted the seeds of rebirth.
2
1
Sn.ii.1 'Jewel Sutta`
2
The seeds of rebirth: ignorance, cravi
ng, and force of kamma.
9
-
The Most Superior Type of Offering
337
They have no expectation of a f
u
ture life.
All their ment
a
l
ity
-
materiality will cease like an oil lamp,
when the oil and wick are e
x
hausted.
By this truth may all beings be happy and free from all da
n
gers.
)
This is an assertion of truth. By the assertion of this truth all the
people in Vesl became free
from da
n
gers.
1
An arahant`s offering is the most superior because it has no r
e-
sult in the future. If there is no future life, there will be no rebirth,
decay, disease and death. This is the most superior. This is the
second kind of offering mentioned at t
he b
e
ginning of this
Dhamma talk: an offering with no fru
i
tion, no result.
But in the case of the first kind of offering mentioned, the
o
f
fe
r
ing with result, such as happiness in the human realm, happ
i-
ness in the deva realm, or happiness in the brahma real
m, there is
still suffering. The very least is that the giver is still subject to r
e-
birth, subject to disease, subject to decay, and subject to death. If
the giver is still attached to sensual objects, animate and inan
i-
mate, then when those objects are des
troyed or have died, he will
experience sorrow, lamentation, physical suffering, mental suffe
r-
ing, and d
e
spair.
Please consider this question: Can we say that an offering is
superior when it produces rebirth, decay, di
s
ease, death, sorrow,
lamentation, phy
sical suffering, mental suffering, and despair?
Please consider also this question: Can we say that an offering is
superior when it produces no result: no rebirth, no decay, no di
s-
ease, no death, no sorrow, no lamentation, no physical suffering,
no mental
suffering, and no despair? This is why The Bu
d
dha
praised the second kind of offering as the most superior. Now you
may understand the meaning of this Dhamma talk. At the begi
n-
ning of this Dhamma talk were mentioned the two kinds of offe
r-
ing:
1
Vesl was a city visited by drought, famine, evil yakkhas (lower devas), and epidemic diseases.
The people of Vesl asked The Bu
d
dha to help them, and He taught them the '
Ratana Sutta
`
Knowing
and Seeing
338
1.
The offering
with full fruition,
2.
The offering with no fruition.
Which kind of offering do you prefer? Now you know the a
n-
swer.
How You Make a Most Superior Offering
But if the giver is not an arahant, how can he then make the
second kind of offering? In the
`Chal anga
dna Sutta'
mentioned
b
e
fore, The Buddha taught that there are two ways he can do this:
when the receiver either is free from attachment, anger, and del
u-
sion, or is trying to destroy attachment, anger, and delusion. You
can say that the offering is also m
ost s
u
perior, if the giver too is
trying to destroy attachment, anger, and delusion; if he at the time
of offering practises Vipa
s
san:
1
x
If he discerns his own mentality
-
materiality, and discerns their i
m-
permanent
(
anicca
)
, suffering
(
dukkha
)
, and non
-
sel
f
(
anatta
)
n
a-
ture;
x
If he discerns the impermanent, suffering, and non
-
self nature of e
x-
ternal mentality
-
materiality, especially the receiver`s me
n
tality
-
materiality;
x
If he discerns the impermanent, suffering, and non
-
self nature of the
ultimate materiality
of the offerings.
x
If he discerns the impermanent, suffering, and non
-
self nature of
wholesome mentality dhammas, which arise in him while offering.
When he looks at the four elements in the offerings, he sees the
rpa
-
kalpas easily. When he analyses the
rpa
-
kalpas, he di
s-
cerns the eight elements: earth
-
, water
-
, fire
-
, and wind
-
element,
colour, odour, flavour and nutritive essence. The rpa
-
kalpas are
generations of temperature
-
produced materiality
(utuja
-
rpa)
, pr
o-
1
Patthna (Conditional Relations)
(fifth
book of the
Abhidhamma
)
`Kusalattika'
('Wholesome Tr
i-
ads` 423
9
-
The Most Superior Type of Offering
339
duced by the fire
-
element in each r
pa
-
kalpa.
1
Then he discerns
their impermanent, suffering, and non
-
self nature. If the giver is
able to do this type of Vipassan, his attachment, anger and del
u-
sion are suppressed at the time of offering, and also, his offering
will usually produce no res
ult. That way, we can say that also this
kind of offering is most s
u
perior.
The giver can do this type of Vipassan before, after or while
offering. But his Vipassan must be strong and po
w
erful. He
must have practised up to the stage of at least Knowledge
of Di
s-
solution
(bha
n
ga !na)
. Only then can he practise this type of Vipa
s-
san. We should not miss this opportunity either. This opport
u-
nity exists only in a Buddha`s dispensation. But you may ask,
how can we make this kind of offering if we have no insig
ht
-
knowledge? We should like to suggest that you then make your
offering with the thought: 'May this offering be a contributory
cause to attaining Nibbna.` This is because The Bu
d
dha many
times taught to make offerings with the wish for Ni
b
bna.
We shoul
d like to conclude our Dhamma talk by repea
t
ing the
stanza from the
`Ratana Sutta'
:
Khnam param nara natthi sambharam
Virattacitt'yatike bharasmim
Te khabj arir/hichand
Nibbanti dhr yathyam padpa
Idampi sanghe ratanam patam
Etena sac
cena saratthi hata.
(
Arahants have exhausted all old wholesome and unwholesome kamma.
New wholesome and unwholesome kamma do not o
c
cur in them.
They have exhausted the seeds of rebirth.
2
1
For details regarding the regeneration of temperature
-
produced materiality, please see p.
139
2
The seeds of rebirth: ignorance, craving, and force of kamma. Please see the three rounds of d
e-
pe
ndent origination, p.
228
Knowing
and Seeing
340
They have no expectation of a f
u
ture life.
All their menta
l
ity
-
materiality will cease like an oil lamp,
when the oil and wick are e
x
hausted.
By this truth may all beings be happy and free from all da
n
gers.
)
May all beings be well and happy.
341
Appendix 1
Glossary of Untranslated P| i
This glossary contains the P
l
i terms left untranslated in the
text. They have been left untranslated because the English
tran
s
l
a
tion has, in some way or other, been considered awkward
or i
n
ad
e
quate, if not misleading. The defini
tions have been kept
as con
cise as at all possible, and refer to the meaning of the terms
as they are used in the text of this book: a
c
cording to the Thera
-
vda tradition. For more exte
n
sive explanations, the reader is
referred to the text itself, where
most of the terms are, at some
time or other, discussed. (An asterisk indicates which of the terms
are discussed in the text itself.)
Some of the terms in this glossary do have an adequate transl
a-
tion, but have been retained in the P
l
i when in compounds,
as in
for example, 'npn
-
jhna`, rather than 'in
-
and
-
out
-
breath
jhna`, for obv
i
ous reasons.
Abhidhamma
third of what are called the Three Baskets
(Tip
i
taka)
of
Theravda Canon; practical teachings of The Buddha that deal with only
ultimate reality, se
en in Vipassan medit
a
tion. (cf.
sutta
)
npna*
in
-
and
-
out
-
breath; subject for Samatha meditation and later
Vipassan. (cf.
Samatha
)
arahant*
person who has attained ultimate in meditation, i.e. enlighte
n-
ment, and has eradicated all defilements; at his or
her death (
Parini
b
bna
)
there is no further rebirth.
(cf.
kamma, Parinibbna
)
Bhante
Venerable Sir.
bhavanga*
continuity of identical consciousnesses, broken only when
cognitive
-
processes occur; the object is that of near
-
death consciou
s
ness
in past
-
life.
(cf.
Abhi
d
hamma
)
bhikkhu / bhikkhun
Buddhist monk / nun; bhikkhu with two hundred
and twenty
-
seven main precepts, and hundreds of lesser
precepts to o
b-
serve; in Theravda
bhikkhun
lineage no longer e
x
tant.
bodhisatta*
a person who has vowed to become a
Buddha; the ideal in
Mahyna tradition; he is a bodhisatta for innumerable lives prior to his
enlightenment, after which he is a Buddha, until He in that life a
t
tains
Parinibbna. (cf.
Buddha, Parinibbna
)
Knowing
and Seeing
342
brahm*
inhabitant of one of twenty in thirty
-
on
e realms very much
higher than human realm; invisible to human eye, visible in light of
conce
n
tration. (cf.
deva, peta
)
Buddha*
a person fully enlightened without a teacher, who has by Hi
m-
self re
-
discovered and teaches the Four Noble Truths; being also an
ar
a-
hant, there is at His death
(Parinibbna)
no further rebirth. (cf.
arahant, b
o-
dhisatta, Paccek
a
buddha, Parinibbna
)
deva
inhabitant of realm just above human realm; invisible to human
-
eye, visible in light of concentration.
(cf.
brahm, peta
)
Dhamma*
(c
apitalized) the Teachings of The Buddha; the N
o
ble Truth.
dhamma*
(uncapitalized) phenomenon; state; mind
-
object.
jhna*
eight increasingly advanced and subtle states of conce
n
tration on
a specific object, with mind aware and increasingly pure. (cf.
Samath
a
)
kalpa*
small particle; the smallest unit of materiality seen in conve
n-
tional reality; invisible to human eye, visible in light of concentration.
kamma*
(Sanskrit:
karma
)
action; force from volition that makes good
actions produce good results, and bad
actions produce bad r
e
sults.
kasia*
meditation object that represents a quality in conventional rea
l-
ity, e.g. earth, colour, space and light; used for Samatha medit
a
tion. (cf.
Samatha
)
Mahyna
Buddhist tradition prevalent in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan,
Mongolia, Nepal, and Bhutan, and Tibet. (The majority of the liste
n
ers
at these talks were Mahyna monks and nuns.) (cf.
Theravda
)
Mahthera
Buddhist monk of twenty years standing or more.
Nibbna*
(Sanskrit:
Nirvana
)
final enlightenment; the cessation e
lement;
an ultimate reality; attained after discerning and surpassing the ult
i
mate
realities of mentality
-
materiality; it is seen after the insight knowledges
have matured; it is non
-
self and uniquely permanent and peac
e
ful: not a
place.
nimitta*
sign; im
age upon which yogi concentrates; product of the mind,
which depends on perception and level of concentr
a
tion. (cf.
kasina
)
x
parikamma
-
nimitta
preparatory sign in meditation.
x
uggaha
-
nimitta
taken
-
up sign; image that is exact mental replica of
object of medi
tation.
x
pa
ibhga
-
nimitta
purified and clear version of uggaha
-
nimitta; a
p-
pears at stable perception and concentration.
Paccekabuddha
person enlightened without a teacher, who has by Hi
m-
self discovered the Four Noble Truths, but does not teach. (cf.
Buddha
)
P| i
ancient Indian language spoken by The Buddha; all Ther
a
vda texts
are in Pl i, language is otherwise dead.
A1
-
Glossary of Untranslated P| i Terms
343
pram
(
pra
= other shore = Nibbna;
m
= reach) ten pram s: genero
s-
ity, morality, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, d
e-
t
ermination, loving
-
kindness, and equanimity; qualities developed a
l-
ways for the benefit of others, although the pram is distinguished from
merit in that the aim is Nibbna.
parikamma
-
nimitta
please
see
nimitta
Parinibbna
death of a Buddha, a Paccekabudd
ha, and all other Ar
a-
hants, after which there is no further rebirth, no more mater
i
ality, and no
more mentality. (cf.
arahant,
Nibbna
)
ptibhga
-
nimitta
please see
nimitta
peta
inhabitant of realm lower than human realm, but higher than an
i-
mals; invisible
to human eye; visible in light of conce
n
tration.
rpa / arpa*
materiality / immateriality.
Samatha*
serenity; practice of concentrating the mind on an object to
develop higher and higher states of concentration, where
by the mind b
e-
comes increasingly ser
ene. (cf. jhna,
Vipa
s
san
)
sangha
multitude, assembly; bhikkhus of past, present and f
u
ture, world
-
wide, as a group; separate group of bhikkhus, e.g. bhikkhus in one mo
n-
astery. (cf.
bhikkhu
)
s la
morality, moral factors of the Noble Eightfold Path: right
speech,
right action, right livelihood; to be observed and cultivated by all Bu
d-
dhists to varying degrees. (cf.
bhikkhu
)
sutta
single discourse in second basket of what is called the Three Ba
s-
kets (
Tipitaka
) of Pl i Canon; teachings of The Buddha on a gene
ral and
conventional level. (cf.
Abhi
d
hamma
)
Tathgata
one who has gone thus; epithet used by The Buddha when r
e-
ferring to Himself.
Theravda
Buddhist tradition prevalent in Sri
-
Lanka, Thailand, Mya
n-
mar (Burma), Laos, Cambodia. (The Pa
-
Auk Sayadaw is a The
ravda
monk.) (cf.
Mahyna
)
uggaha
-
nimitta
please see
nimitta
Vipassan
insight,
discernment of specific characteristics of materiality
and mentality, causes and results, in ultimate reality, and their ge
n
eral
characteristics of impermanence, suffering, a
nd non
-
self.
(cf.
Abhi
d
hamma, arahant, Nibbna
)
Visaddhi Magga
(Purification Path)
authoritative and extensive instru
c-
tion manual on meditation, compiled from ancient, orthodox
Sinhalese
translations of the even earlier Pl i Commentaries (predominantly 'Th
e
A
n
cients`
(Porn)
, dating back to the time of The Buddha and the First
Council), as well as later Sinhalese Commentaries, and translated back
Knowing
and Seeing
344
into Pl i by Indian scholar monk Venerable Buddha
g
hosa (approx. 500
A.C.).
345
Appendix 2
Contact Addresses
For i
nformation regarding Pa
-
Auk Centres, please contact:
Myanmar
The Venerable Pa
-
Auk Tawya Sayadaw
Pa
-
Auk Forest Monastery
c/o Major Kan Saing (Rtd.)
653 Lower Main Road
Mawlamyine
Mon State
U Nay Tun
................................
................................
..............
(Tel: (95) 1
-
661
-
235)
2 Thazinmyaing Lane
Parami Aven
ue, Yankin Post Office
Yangon
Singapore
Cakkavala Meditation Centre
.......
(e
-
mail: [email protected])
Blk 10 Pandan Loop #01
-
152
Singapore
128228
Contact persons.
Lu Ah Lian Esq.
................................
................................
(Tel:
(65) 65
-
64
-
5030)
Ms Ng Pei Fuen
................................
................................
.
(Tel:
(65) 98
-
52
-
8046)
Sri Lanka
The Venerable N. Ariya
d
hamma Mahthera
Sri Gunawardna Yoga
s
ramaya
Galduwa
Kahawa 80312
United States of America
Roland K.Win Esq.
................................
.....................
(Tel: (01) 650
-
994
-
3750)
15 Palmdale Avenue
(Fax: (01) 650
-
994
-
6091)
Daly City
CA 94015
(e
-
mail: [email protected])
Knowing
and Seeing
346
A1
-
Glossary of Untranslated P| i Terms
347