The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

15 June 2023

Question:  What is the purpose of contemplation of the 32 parts of the body?  

Than Ajahn:  It’s to know about the body completely. Right now you only know the body partially, and this gives rise to your delusion—thinking that the body is good looking or attractive. If you study the whole body completely, you’ll find out that the body is not attractive at all. 

So the purpose is to stop your sexual desire, that is, your attraction toward other people's body and your infatuation with your own body. 

Sometimes people get infatuated with their own body. They want to keep the body looking good all the time, right? They groom the body. 

They have to make the body looks good. They do weight lifting so that they have muscles and so forth. This is a form of infatuation with your own body. With other people, you've got attracted to other people's body. But once you’ve seen the complete picture of the body, then this attraction to your own body or other people’s body can be eliminated. 

You should think that your body as being a bodysuit. Your skin and your flesh are like the bodysuit that you wear when you go for scuba diving. When you go for scuba diving, you have to put on a bodysuit right? Well, the body is just like that. You have a bodysuit that keeps the skeleton and all the inner organs inside. If you unzip it, you take out the skin and flesh, then what is left? It’s left with the skeleton and all the organs (like the heart, the lungs) right? 

So you want to have a complete picture of the body so that you will not become delusional regarding the body.

So the main goal is to stop your sexual attraction and also your infatuation with your own body. 

This is what we call asubha contemplation. 

People now keep on doing cosmetic surgery. 

They inject Botox to keep the body young and looking good. 

The face must be beautiful, no scars, no nothing. But just look under the skin. If you peel off the skin, you’ll see what it is under your skin. Your face is just a skin mask that's covering the skull. But you never see the skull every time you look at your face right? Why not? It’s just right there, right behind your skin. 

Because you never teach your mind to look at it that way. If you keep teaching it, eventually when you look at your face, you look at the skull right behind your skin. 

“Dhamma in English, Nov 8, 2022.”

- - - - - - - -

Question:  After I practiced asubha contemplation for several times, I felt disgusted and felt bad toward the person I live with. Does this mean that my practice is improving?  

Than Ajahn:  As long as you don’t hate the person you live with. You can feel negative toward the unpleasant parts of the body, but you still have to maintain a good relationship with the people you live with. Because the asubha contemplate is for your information, for you to know that the body is not pleasant. It’s for you to get rid of your sexual desire, but not for you to hate someone else at the same. 

Sometimes you have to stop asubha contemplation and then use mettā instead, when you start to feel any aversion for the people whom you live with. If there is aversion, it means you’ve overdone your asubha contemplation. Then you have to come back to mettā contemplation, to have love and compassion for the people whom you live with.

“Dhamma in English, Nov 27, 2022.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

YouTube:  Dhamma in English.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

27 January 2023

Student:  If people cheat us, how should we react to it?

Than Ajahn:  Well, think of it as giving it to charity. You give dāna to that person. Then you’ll feel happy and won’t have any problems with that person. 

Student:  Ajahn said about being cheated by others and we should see it as dāna.  Than Ajahn always managed to change my perspective quickly and help me feel better. I never thought about it that way because usually I would feel bad if someone cheated my money. By thinking about it as dāna, I feel good right away, ‘Oh! It’s okay.’

Than Ajahn:  Why should you lose twice? You lost your money already. Don’t lose your mind. 

You can protect your mind from going crazy by thinking of it as giving to a charity because you’re not going to get the money back anyway, right? 

Student:  I never have that kind of wisdom to think that way. After you switched my perspective about it, I feel good right away. I just have to change the way I look at things. 

Than Ajahn:  If you look at everything as anattā (everything doesn’t belong to you), then you just return it to the owner, that’s all. The money doesn’t belong to you. The person who took your money is the real owner of the money. That’s wisdom. You can look at it this way too. Or, you owed somebody money in your past lives, now that person come to take it back from you. 

You pay back your debt. 

Student:  At that moment when our mind feel good, do we turn it into good karma for ourselves?

Than Ajahn:  That’s making merits. You are doing charity right away. You’re forced to do charity. [all laugh!]

Student:  So in that instant moment when we changed, instead of getting angry, we become happy as we think of it in this [wisdom] way of thinking, then this is merit.

Than Ajahn:  Yes. It’s like two sides of the same coin. One side is Dhamma, the other side is defilement. 

So which side do you get when you toss the coin? If you get the defilement side, you get angry, you get dukkha. If you get the Dhamma side, you get peace and happiness. So it depends on how you look at it. If you look at it as ‘This is my money. I’ve been cheated,’ then this is defilement. But if you say, ‘This is not my money, this is your money for me to give it to charity,’ then this is Dhamma. Because you’ll lose it anyway when you die. You are not going to take your money with you when you die. 

Student:  And this is also the type of dāna that the Buddha was referring to. 

Than Ajahn:  That’s right. Dāna is to let go of your attachment to money, to your possession. 

Not just letting go of your attachment to money, but to everything. The Buddha said ‘Give up your money, give up your organs, give up your life, to get the Dhamma’. In order to get the Dhamma, you have to give up everything. You won’t get angry when you lose your money. You won’t feel sad when you have to lose your eyes or your arms. You won’t feel sad when you have to lose your body because you are doing charity. Because everything doesn’t belong to you anyway, right?

Student:  It sounds so simple, but I just don’t have that kind of wisdom.

Than Ajahn:  To have wisdom, you need upekkhā. If you don’t have upekkhā, you can’t let go. 

When you have upekkhā, you’ll see that as soon as you become attach to something, your upekkhā will be gone. So you want to protect your upekkhā by letting go of what you are going to lose. So you have to practice a lot of mindfulness and samādhi, you will then be able to apply wisdom.  

“Dhamma in English, Jun 28, 2022.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

YouTube:  Dhamma in English.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

10 July 2023

There is nothing in this world as wholesome and invaluable as one's peace of mind. For peace of mind will bring you happiness—a kind that surpasses any other.

It is a kind of happiness that lasts,

One that endures in the heart—

The ultimate happiness, or paramaṁ sukhaṁ.

It is not a kind of happiness

That is anicca, dukkha, and anattā—

Impermanent, suffering, and non-self.”

🌻🏵️🌷🌺🌸🌹💮🥀

Don’t be discouraged.

To practise in order to surpass that sense of suffering (dukkha-vedanā) takes a lot of time and effort.

It is like digging a tunnel. You can only dig a few metres deep in a day, but you have to keep digging regularly and continuously in order to go deeper and eventually cut through. If you don’t carry on regularly, whatever you’ve dug will erode and you will have to start from the beginning all over again.

It is the same with sitting meditation. A sense of suffering arises with each sitting, so you have to keep doing it. Don’t be discouraged. 

Once you manage to get through, you won’t feel any pain. You have to be diligent, especially as a monk, since you have a lot of time. Once you get through it, you’ll feel wonderful.

By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

Youtube: Dhamma in English

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

The 4 NOBLE TRUTHS

The 4 NOBLE TRUTHS :

- their explanation, revealing, making known and setting forth

- their opening up, analysing, and making plain

---

Saccavibhaṅgasuttaṁ

( The Discourse giving the Analysis of the Truths )

---

Evaṁ me sutaṁ:

Thus I heard:

ekaṁ samayaṁ Bhagavā Bārāṇasiyaṁ viharati Isipatane Migadāye.

at one time the Fortunate One was dwelling near Bārāṇasī in the Deer Park at Isipatana.

Tatra kho Bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:

There it was that the Fortunate One addressed the monks, saying:

“Bhikkhavo!” ti, “Bhadante!” ti te bhikkhū Bhagavato paccassosuṁ,

“Monks!”, “Reverend Sir!” those monks replied to the Fortunate One,

Bhagavā etad-avoca:

and the Fortunate One said this:

“Tathāgatena bhikkhave Arahatā Sammāsambuddhena,

“The Realised One, monks, the Worthy One, the Perfect Sambuddha,

Bārāṇasiyaṁ Isipatane Migadāye,

while near Bārāṇasī, in the Deer Park at Isipatana,

anuttaraṁ Dhammacakkaṁ pavattitaṁ,

has set rolling the unsurpassed Dhamma Wheel,

appativattiyaṁ samaṇena vā brāhmaṇena vā

and it cannot be rolled back by an ascetic or by a brahmin

devena vā mārena vā brahmunā vā kenaci vā lokasmiṁ.

or by a god or by a demon or by a deity or by anyone in the world.

Yad-idaṁ catunnaṁ ariyasaccānaṁ ācikkhanā,

o That is to say, the explanation, revealing, making known, setting forth,

desanā, paññāpanā, paṭṭhapanā, vivaraṇā, vibhajanā, uttānīkammaṁ.

opening up, analysing, and making plain of the four noble truths.

Katamesaṁ catunnaṁ?

Of which four?

Dukkhassa ariyasaccassa ācikkhanā,

o The explanation, revealing, making known, setting forth,

desanā, paññāpanā, paṭṭhapanā, vivaraṇā, vibhajanā, uttānīkammaṁ.

opening up, analysing, and making plain of the noble truth of suffering.

Dukkhasamudayassa ariyasaccassa ācikkhanā,

o The explanation, revealing, making known, setting forth,

desanā, paññāpanā, paṭṭhapanā, vivaraṇā, vibhajanā, uttānīkammaṁ.

opening up, analysing, and making plain of the noble truth of the arising of suffering.

Dukkhanirodhassa ariyasaccassa ācikkhanā,

o The explanation, revealing, making known, setting forth,

desanā, paññāpanā, paṭṭhapanā, vivaraṇā, vibhajanā, uttānīkammaṁ.

opening up, analysing, and making plain of the noble truth of the cessation of suffering.

Dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ariyasaccassa ācikkhanā,

o The explanation, revealing, making known, setting forth,

desanā, paññāpanā, paṭṭhapanā, vivaraṇā, vibhajanā, uttānīkammaṁ.

opening up, analysing, and making plain of the noble truth of the practice leading to the cessation of suffering.

Tathāgatena bhikkhave Arahatā Sammāsambuddhena,

The Realised One, monks, the Worthy One, the Perfect Sambuddha,

Bārāṇasiyaṁ Isipatane Migadāye,

while near Bārāṇasī, in the Deer Park at Isipatana,

anuttaraṁ Dhammacakkaṁ pavattitaṁ,

has set rolling the unsurpassed Dhamma Wheel,

appativattiyaṁ samaṇena vā brāhmaṇena vā

and it cannot be rolled back by an ascetic or by a brahmin

devena vā mārena vā brahmunā vā kenaci vā lokasmiṁ.

or by a god or by a demon or by a deity or by anyone in the world.

Yad-idaṁ imesaṁ catunnaṁ ariyasaccānaṁ ācikkhanā,

o That is to say, the explanation, revealing, making known, setting forth,

desanā, paññāpanā, paṭṭhapanā, vivaraṇā, vibhajanā, uttānīkammaṁ.

opening up, analysing, and making plain of these four noble truths.

 

Sevetha bhikkhave Sāriputtamoggallāne,

Associate with Sāriputta and Moggallāna, monks,

bhajatha bhikkhave Sāriputtamoggallāne,

keep company with Sāriputta and Moggallāna, monks,

paṇḍitā bhikkhū anuggāhakā sabrahmacārīnaṁ.

they are wise monks who assist those living the spiritual life.

Seyyathā pi bhikkhave janettī evaṁ Sāriputto,

Sāriputta is just like one who gives birth, monks,

seyyathā pi jātassa āpādetā evaṁ Moggallāno;

Moggallāna is just like a wet nurse to the one new-born, monks;

Sāriputto bhikkhave sotāpattiphale vineti,

Sāriputta guides to the fruit of stream entry, monks,

Moggallāno uttamatthe vineti.

Moggallāna guides to the supreme good.

Sāriputto bhikkhave pahoti

Sāriputta is able, monks,

cattāri ariyasaccāni vitthārena ācikkhituṁ desetuṁ

o to explain, reveal, make known, set forth, open up,

paññāpetuṁ paṭṭhapetuṁ vivarituṁ vibhajituṁ uttānīkātun”-ti.

analyse, and make plain the four noble truths in detail.”

Idam-avoca Bhagavā,

The Fortunate One said this,

idaṁ vatvā Sugato uṭṭhāyāsanā vihāraṁ pāvisi.

and after saying this, the Happy One rose from his seat and went into his living quarters.

 

Tatra kho āyasmā Sāriputto acirapakkantassa Bhagavato,

Then venerable Sāriputta, not long after the Fortunate One had gone,

bhikkhū āmantesi: “Āvuso bhikkhavo!” ti.

addressed the monks, saying: “Venerable monks!”

“Āvuso!” ti kho te bhikkhū āyasmato Sāriputtassa paccassosuṁ,

“Venerable friend!” those monks replied to venerable Sāriputta,

āyasmā Sāriputto etad-avoca:

and venerable Sāriputta said this:

“Tathāgatena āvuso Arahatā Sammāsambuddhena,

“The Realised One, friends, the Worthy One, the Perfect Sambuddha,

Bārāṇasiyaṁ Isipatane Migadāye,

while near Bārāṇasī, in the Deer Park at Isipatana,

anuttaraṁ Dhammacakkaṁ pavattitaṁ,

has set rolling the unsurpassed Dhamma Wheel,

appativattiyaṁ samaṇena vā brāhmaṇena vā

and it cannot be rolled back by an ascetic or by a brahmin

devena vā mārena vā brahmunā vā kenaci vā lokasmiṁ.

or by a god or by a demon or by a deity or by anyone in the world.

Yad-idaṁ catunnaṁ ariyasaccānaṁ ācikkhanā,

o That is to say, the explanation, revealing, making known, setting forth,

desanā, paññāpanā, paṭṭhapanā, vivaraṇā, vibhajanā, uttānīkammaṁ.

opening up, analysing, and making plain of the four noble truths.

Katamesaṁ catunnaṁ?

Of which four?

Dukkhassa ariyasaccassa ācikkhanā,

o The explanation, revealing, making known, setting forth,

desanā, paññāpanā, paṭṭhapanā, vivaraṇā, vibhajanā, uttānīkammaṁ.

opening up, analysing, and making plain of the noble truth of suffering.

Dukkhasamudayassa ariyasaccassa ācikkhanā,

o The explanation, revealing, making known, setting forth,

desanā, paññāpanā, paṭṭhapanā, vivaraṇā, vibhajanā, uttānīkammaṁ.

opening up, analysing, and making plain of the noble truth of the arising of suffering.

Dukkhanirodhassa ariyasaccassa ācikkhanā,

o The explanation, revealing, making known, setting forth,

desanā, paññāpanā, paṭṭhapanā, vivaraṇā, vibhajanā, uttānīkammaṁ.

opening up, analysing, and making plain of the noble truth of the cessation of suffering.

Dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ariyasaccassa ācikkhanā,

o The explanation, revealing, making known, setting forth,

desanā, paññāpanā, paṭṭhapanā, vivaraṇā, vibhajanā, uttānīkammaṁ.

opening up, analysing, and making plain of the noble truth of the practice leading to the cessation of suffering.

 

🍂The First Noble Truth and its Analysis🍂

Katamañ-cāvuso dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ?

Now what, venerable friends, is the noble truth of suffering?

Jāti pi dukkhā

Birth is suffering

jarā pi dukkhā

also old age is suffering

vyādhi pi dukkho

also sickness is suffering

maraṇam-pi dukkhaṁ

also death is suffering

sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā pi dukkhā

also grief, lamentation, pain, sorrow, and despair, is suffering

yam-picchaṁ na labhati tam-pi dukkhaṁ

also not to obtain what one longs for is suffering

saṅkhittena pañcupādānakkhandhā dukkhā.

in brief, the five constituent groups (of mind and body) that provide fuel for attachment are suffering.

 

Katamā cāvuso jāti?

Now what, venerable friends, is birth?

Yā tesaṁ tesaṁ sattānaṁ tamhi tamhi sattanikāye

For the various beings in the various classes of beings

jāti, sañjāti, okkanti, abhinibbatti;

there is birth, being born, appearing, turning up;

khandhānaṁ pātubhāvo, āyatanānaṁ paṭilābho:

the manifestation of the constituent groups (of mind and body), the acquisition of the sense spheres:

ayaṁ vuccatāvuso jāti.

this, venerable friends, is called birth.

 

Katamā cāvuso jarā?

Now what, venerable friends, is old age?

Yā tesaṁ tesaṁ sattānaṁ tamhi tamhi sattanikāye

For the various beings in the various classes of beings

jarā, jīraṇatā, khaṇḍiccaṁ, pāliccaṁ, valittacatā

there is aging, agedness, broken teeth, greying hair, and wrinkled skin;

āyuno saṁhāni, indriyānaṁ paripāko:

the dwindling away of the life span, the decay of the sense faculties:

ayaṁ vuccatāvuso jarā.

this, venerable friends, is called old age.

 

Katamañ-cāvuso maraṇaṁ?

Now what, venerable friends, is death?

Yā tesaṁ tesaṁ sattānaṁ tamhā tamhā sattanikāyā

For the various beings in the various classes of beings

cuti, cavanatā, bhedo, antaradhānaṁ, maccu, maraṇaṁ, kālakiriyā

there is a fall, a falling away, a breaking up, a disappearance, a dying, a death, a making of time;

khandhānaṁ bhedo, kalebarassa nikkhepo:

the break up of the constituent groups (of mind and body), the throwing off of the body,

idaṁ vuccatāvuso maraṇaṁ.

this, venerable friends, is called death.

 

Katamo cāvuso soko?

Now what, venerable friends, is grief?

Yo kho āvuso aññataraññatarena byāsanena samannāgatassa,

For he who has, venerable friends, some sort of misfortune or other,

aññataraññatarena dukkhadhammena phuṭṭhassa,

who is touched by some sort of pain or another,

soko, socanā, socitattaṁ, antosoko, antoparisoko:

there is grief, grieving, the state of grieving, inner grief, great inner grief:

ayaṁ vuccatāvuso soko.

this, venerable friends, is called grief.

 

Katamo cāvuso paridevo?

Now what, venerable friends, is lamentation?

Yo kho āvuso aññataraññatarena byāsanena samannāgatassa,

For he who has, venerable friends, some sort of misfortune or other,

aññataraññatarena dukkhadhammena phuṭṭhassa,

who is touched by some sort of pain or another,

ādevo, paridevo, ādevanā, paridevanā, ādevitattaṁ, paridevitattaṁ:

there are laments, great laments, lamenting, great lamenting, the state of lamenting, great lamentation:

ayaṁ vuccatāvuso paridevo.

this, venerable friends, is called lamentation.

 

Katamañ-cāvuso dukkhaṁ?

Now what, venerable friends, is pain?

Yaṁ kho āvuso kāyikaṁ dukkhaṁ, kāyikaṁ asātaṁ,

That, venerable friends, which is bodily pain, bodily disagreeableness,

kāyasamphassajaṁ dukkhaṁ, asātaṁ vedayitaṁ:

pain born of contact with the body, disagreeable feeling:

idaṁ vuccatāvuso dukkhaṁ.

this, venerable friends, is called pain.

 

Katamañ-cāvuso domanassaṁ?

Now what, venerable friends, is sorrow?

Yaṁ kho āvuso cetasikaṁ dukkhaṁ, cetasikaṁ asātaṁ,

That, venerable friends, which is mental pain, mental disagreeableness,

vedayitaṁ manosamphassajaṁ dukkhaṁ, asātaṁ vedayitaṁ:

pain born of contact with the mind, disagreeable feeling:

idaṁ vuccatāvuso domanassaṁ.

this, venerable friends, is called sorrow.

 

Katamo cāvuso upāyāso?

Now what, venerable friends, is despair?

Yo kho āvuso aññataraññatarena byāsanena samannāgatassa,

For he who has, venerable friends, some sort of misfortune or other,

aññataraññatarena dukkhadhammena phuṭṭhassa,

who is touched by some sort of pain or another,

āyāso, upāyāso, āyāsitattaṁ, upāyāsitattaṁ:

there is desponding, despairing, despondency, despair:

ayaṁ vuccatāvuso upāyāso.

this, venerable friends, is called despair.

 

Katamañ-cāvuso yam-picchaṁ na labhati tam-pi dukkhaṁ?

Now what, venerable friends, is the suffering from not obtaining what one longs for?

Jātidhammānaṁ āvuso sattānaṁ evaṁ icchā uppajjati:

To those beings subject to birth, venerable friends, this longing arises:

“Aho vata mayaṁ na jātidhammā assāma,

“Oh, might we not be subject to birth,

na ca vata no jāti āgaccheyyā!” ti

may birth not come again!”

Na kho panetaṁ icchāya pattabbaṁ:

But that cannot be attained merely by longing for it:

idaṁ pi yam-picchaṁ na labhati tam-pi dukkhaṁ.

this is the suffering from not obtaining what one longs for.

 

Jarādhammānaṁ āvuso sattānaṁ evaṁ icchā uppajjati:

To those beings subject to old age, venerable friends, this longing arises:

“Aho vata mayaṁ na jarādhammā assāma,

“Oh, might we not be subject to old age,

na ca vata no jarā āgaccheyyā!” ti

may old age not come again!”

Na kho panetaṁ icchāya pattabbaṁ:

But that cannot be attained merely by longing for it:

idaṁ pi yam-picchaṁ na labhati tam-pi dukkhaṁ.

this is the suffering from not obtaining what one longs for.

 

Vyādhidhammānaṁ āvuso sattānaṁ evaṁ icchā uppajjati:

To those beings subject to sickness, venerable friends, this longing arises:

“Aho vata mayaṁ na vyādhidhammā assāma,

“Oh, might we not be subject to sickness,

na ca vata no vyādhi āgaccheyyā!” ti

may sickness not come again!”

Na kho panetaṁ icchāya pattabbaṁ:

But that cannot be attained merely by longing for it:

idaṁ pi yam-picchaṁ na labhati tam-pi dukkhaṁ.

this is the suffering from not obtaining what one longs for.

 

Maraṇadhammānaṁ āvuso sattānaṁ evaṁ icchā uppajjati:

To those beings subject to death, venerable friends, this longing arises:

“Aho vata mayaṁ na maraṇadhammā assāma,

“Oh, might we not be subject to death,

na ca vata no maraṇaṁ āgaccheyyā!” ti

may death not come again!”

Na kho panetaṁ icchāya pattabbaṁ:

But that cannot be attained merely by longing for it:

idaṁ pi yam-picchaṁ na labhati tam-pi dukkhaṁ.

this is the suffering from not obtaining what one longs for.

 

Sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsadhammānaṁ

To those beings subject to grief, lamentation, pain, sorrow, and despair,

āvuso sattānaṁ evaṁ icchā uppajjati:

venerable friends, this longing arises:

“Aho vata mayaṁ na sokaparidevadukkha-

o “Oh, might we not be subject to grief, lamentation, pain,

domanassupāyāsadhammā assāma,

sorrow, and despair,

na ca vata no sokaparidevadukkha-

may grief, lamentation, pain,

domanassupāyāsa āgaccheyyun!”-ti.

sorrow, and despair not come again!”

Na kho panetaṁ icchāya pattabbaṁ:

But that cannot be attained merely by longing for it:

idaṁ pi yam-picchaṁ na labhati tam-pi dukkhaṁ.

this is the suffering from not obtaining what one longs for.

 

Katamā cāvuso saṅkhittena pañcupādānakkhandhā dukkhā?

Now what, venerable friends, are the constituent groups (of mind and body) that provide fuel for attachment that are suffering?

Seyyathīdaṁ:

They are as follows:

rūpūpādānakkhandho

the form constituent group that provides fuel for attachment

vedanūpādānakkhandho

the feelings constituent group that provides fuel for attachment

saññūpādānakkhandho

the perceptions constituent group that provides fuel for attachment

saṅkhārūpādānakkhandho

the (mental) processes constituent group that provides fuel for attachment

viññāṇūpādānakkhandho.

the consciousness constituent group that provides fuel for attachment.

Ime vuccantāvuso saṅkhittena pañcupādānakkhandhā dukkhā.

These, venerable friends, are called the constituent groups (of mind and body) that provide fuel for attachment and that are suffering.

Idaṁ vuccatāvuso dukkhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ.

This, venerable friends, is called the noble truth of suffering.

 

🍂The Second Noble Truth🍂

Katamañ-cāvuso, dukkhasamudayaṁ ariyasaccaṁ?

Now what, venerable friends, is the noble truth of the arising of suffering?

Yā yaṁ taṇhā ponobhavikā,

It is that craving which leads to continuation in existence,

nandirāgasahagatā, tatratatrābhinandinī, seyyathīdaṁ:

which is connected with enjoyment and passion, greatly enjoying this and that, as follows:

kāmataṇhā

craving for sense pleasures

bhavataṇhā

craving for continuation

vibhavataṇhā.

craving for discontinuation.

Idaṁ vuccatāvuso dukkhasamudayaṁ ariyasaccaṁ.

This, venerable friends, is called the noble truth of the arising of suffering.

 

🍂The Third Noble Truth🍂

Katamañ-cāvuso dukkhanirodhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ?

Now what, venerable friends, is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering?

Yo tassā yeva taṇhāya asesavirāganirodho -

It is the complete fading away and cessation without remainder of that craving -

cāgo, paṭinissaggo, mutti, anālayo.

liberation, letting go, release, and non-adherence.

Idaṁ vuccatāvuso dukkhanirodhaṁ ariyasaccaṁ.

This, venerable friends, is called the noble truth of the cessation of suffering.

 

🍂The Fourth Noble Truth and its Analysis🍂

Katamañ-cāvuso dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā ariyasaccaṁ?

Now what, venerable friends, is the noble truth of the practice leading to the end of suffering?

Ayam-eva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo, seyyathīdaṁ:

It is this noble path with eight factors, as follows:

i. sammādiṭṭhi

right view

ii. sammāsaṅkappo

right thought

iii. sammāvācā

right speech

iv. sammākammanto

right action

v. sammā-ājīvo

right livelihood

vi. sammāvāyāmo

right endeavour

vii. sammāsati

right mindfulness

viii. sammāsamādhi.

right concentration.

 

Katamā cāvuso sammādiṭṭhi?

Now what, venerable friends, is right view?

Yaṁ kho āvuso dukkhe ñāṇaṁ

That, venerable friends, which is knowledge about suffering

dukkhasamudaye ñāṇaṁ

knowledge about the arising of suffering

dukkhanirodhe ñāṇaṁ

knowledge about the cessation of suffering

dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ñāṇaṁ.

knowledge about the practice leading to the cessation of suffering.

Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso sammādiṭṭhi.

This, venerable friends, is called right view.

 

Katamo cāvuso sammāsaṅkappo?

Now what, venerable friends, is right thought?

Nekkhammasaṅkappo

The thought of renunciation

avyāpādasaṅkappo

the thought of good will

avihiṁsāsaṅkappo.

the thought of non-violence.

Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso sammāsaṅkappo.

This, venerable friends, is called right thought.

 

Katamā cāvuso sammāvācā?

Now what, venerable friends, is right speech?

Musāvādā veramaṇī

Refraining from false speech

pisuṇāvācā veramaṇī

refraining from malicious speech

pharusāvācā veramaṇī

refraining from rough speech

samphappalāpā veramaṇī.

refraining from frivolous talk.

Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso sammāvācā.

This, venerable friends, is called right speech.

 

Katamo cāvuso sammākammanto?

Now what, venerable friends, is right action?

Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī

Refraining from killing living creatures

adinnādānā veramaṇī

refraining from taking what has not been given

kāmesu micchācārā veramaṇī.

refraining from sexual misconduct.

Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso sammākammanto.

This, venerable friends, is called right action.

 

Katamo cāvuso sammā-ājīvo?

Now what, venerable friends, is right livelihood?

Idhāvuso ariyasāvako micchā-ājīvaṁ pahāya,

Here, venerable friends, a noble disciple, having given up wrong ways of livelihood,

sammā-ājīvena jīvikaṁ kappeti.

earns his living by a right way of livelihood.

Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso sammā-ājīvo.

This, venerable friends, is called right livelihood.

 

Katamo cāvuso sammāvāyāmo?

Now what, venerable friends, is right endeavour?

Idhāvuso bhikkhu anuppannānaṁ pāpakānaṁ

o Here, venerable friends, a monk generates desire not to take up bad

akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ anuppādāya chandaṁ janeti,

and unwholesome things that have not yet arisen,

vāyamati viriyaṁ ārabhati cittaṁ paggaṇhāti padahati.

(in this regard) he endeavours, instigates energy, exerts his mind, and makes an effort.

 

Uppannānaṁ pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ

o He generates desire to give up bad and unwholesome things

pahānāya chandaṁ janeti,

that have already arisen,

vāyamati viriyaṁ ārabhati cittaṁ paggaṇhāti padahati.

(in this regard) he endeavours, instigates energy, exerts his mind, and makes an effort.

 

Anuppannānaṁ kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ uppādāya chandaṁ janeti,

He generates desire to take up wholesome things that have not yet arisen,

vāyamati viriyaṁ ārabhati cittaṁ paggaṇhāti padahati.

(in this regard) he endeavours, instigates energy, exerts his mind, and makes an effort.

 

Uppannānaṁ kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ ṭhitiyā, asammosāya,

o He generates desire for the endurance of wholesome things that have arisen, their non-forgetting,

bhiyyobhāvāya, vepullāya, bhāvanāya, pāripūriyā chandaṁ janeti,

multiplicaton, extension, development, and fulfilment,

vāyamati viriyaṁ ārabhati cittaṁ paggaṇhāti padahati.

(in this regard) he endeavours, instigates energy, exerts his mind, and makes an effort.

Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso sammāvāyāmo.

This, venerable friends, is called right endeavour.

 

Katamā cāvuso sammāsati?

Now what, venerable friends, is right mindfulness?

Idhāvuso bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati,

Here, venerable friends, a monk dwells contemplating (the nature of) the body in the body,

ātāpī, sampajāno, satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ.

ardent, clearly knowing, and mindful, after removing avarice and sorrow regarding the world.

 

Vedanāsu vedanānupassī viharati,

He dwells contemplating (the nature of) feelings in feelings,

ātāpī, sampajāno, satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ.

ardent, clearly knowing, and mindful, after removing avarice and sorrow regarding the world.

 

Citte cittānupassī viharati,

He dwells contemplating (the nature of) the mind in the mind,

ātāpī, sampajāno, satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ.

ardent, clearly knowing, and mindful, after removing avarice and sorrow regarding the world.

 

Dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati,

He dwells contemplating (the nature of) things in (various) things

ātāpī, sampajāno, satimā, vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ.

ardent, clearly knowing, and mindful, after removing avarice and sorrow regarding the world.

Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso sammāsati.

This, venerable friends, is called right mindfulness.

 

Katamo cāvuso sammāsamādhi?

Now what, venerable friends, is right concentration?

Idhāvuso bhikkhu vivicceva kāmehi, vivicca akusalehi dhammehi,

Here, venerable friends, a monk, quite secluded from sense desires, secluded from unwholesome things,

savitakkaṁ, savicāraṁ, vivekajaṁ pītisukhaṁ,

having thinking, reflection, and the happiness and rapture born of seclusion,

paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati.

dwells having attained the first absorption.

 

Vitakkavicārānaṁ vūpasamā

With the ending of thinking, and reflection,

ajjhattaṁ sampasādanaṁ, cetaso ekodibhāvaṁ,

with internal clarity, and one-pointedness of mind,

avitakkaṁ, avicāraṁ, samādhijaṁ pītisukhaṁ,

being without thinking, without reflection, having the happiness and rapture born of concentration,

dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati.

he dwells having attained the second absorption.

 

Pītiyā ca virāgā upekkhako ca viharati,

With the fading away of rapture he dwells equanimous,

sato ca sampajāno, sukhaṁ ca kāyena paṭisaṁvedeti,

mindful, clearly knowing, experiencing happiness through the body,

yan-taṁ Ariyā ācikkhanti: “Upekkhako satimā sukhavihārī” ti,

about which the Noble Ones declare: “He lives pleasantly, mindful, and equanimous,”

tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati.

(thus) he dwells having attained the third absorption.

 

Sukhassa ca pahānā, dukkhassa ca pahānā,

Having given up pleasure, given up pain,

pubbeva somanassadomanassānaṁ atthaṅgamā

and with the previous disappearence of mental well-being and sorrow,

adukkhaṁ, asukhaṁ, upekkhāsatipārisuddhiṁ

without pain, without pleasure, and with complete purity of mindfulness owing to equanimity,

catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati.

he dwells having attained the fourth absorption.

Ayaṁ vuccatāvuso sammāsamādhi.

This, venerable friends, is called right concentration.

Idaṁ vuccatāvuso dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā ariyasaccaṁ.

This, venerable friends, is called the noble truth of the practice leading to the cessation of suffering.

 

Tathāgatena āvuso Arahatā Sammāsambuddhena,

The Realised One, friends, the Worthy One, the Perfect Sambuddha,

Bārāṇasiyaṁ Isipatane Migadāye,

while near Bārāṇasī, in the Deer Park at Isipatana,

anuttaraṁ Dhammacakkaṁ pavattitaṁ,

has set rolling the unsurpassed Dhamma Wheel,

appativattiyaṁ samaṇena vā brāhmaṇena vā

and it cannot be rolled back by an ascetic or by a brahmin

devena vā mārena vā brahmunā vā kenaci vā lokasmiṁ.

or by a god or by a demon or by a deity or by anyone in the world.

Yad-idaṁ imesaṁ catunnaṁ ariyasaccānaṁ ācikkhanā,

o That is to say, the explanation, revealing, making known, setting forth,

desanā, paññāpanā, paṭṭhapanā, vivaraṇā, vibhajanā, uttānīkamman”-ti.

opening up, analysing, and making plain of these four noble truths.”

Idam-avoc' āyasmā Sāriputto,

Venerable Sāriputta said this,

attamanā te bhikkhū āyasmato Sāriputtassa bhāsitaṁ abhinandun-ti.

and those monks were uplifted and greatly rejoiced in venerable Sāriputta’s words.

☸️☸️☸️

https://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/Texts-and-Translations/Short-Pieces/Saccavibhangasuttam.htm

[In pondering of Tsunami 2014 ]

 [In pondering of Tsunami 2014 ]

Vandanā 

Homage [to the Buddha]  

禮敬佛陀  

Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammāsambuddhassa. (x3) 

Homage to that Blessed One, 

the Arahant and Perfectly Self-Awakened One. 

禮敬世尊、阿羅漢、圓滿自覺者。

Tirokuṭṭasuttaṁ 

Without-the-Wall  Discourse  

牆外經 

Tirokuṭṭesu tiṭṭhanti 

Sandhisiṅghāṭakesu ca; 

Dvārabāhāsu tiṭṭhanti 

Āgantvāna sakaṁ  gharaṁ. 

Pahūte  annapānamhi 

Khajjabhojje   upaṭṭhite; 

Na  tesaṁ  koci  sarati 

Sattānaṁ  kammapaccayā. 

Evaṁ  dadanti  ñātīnaṁ 

Ye  honti  anukampakā; 

Suciṁ  paṇītaṁ  kālena 

Kappiyaṁ  pānabhojanaṁ; 

Idaṁ  vo  ñātīnaṁ  hotu, 

Sukhitā  hontu  ñātayo. 

Te  ca tattha samāgantvā 

Ñātipetā  samāgatā; 

Pahūte  annapānamhi 

Sakkaccaṁ  anumodare. 

Ciraṁ  jīvantu no  ñātī, 

Yesaṁ  hetu labhāmase; 

Amhākañca katā  pūjā, 

Dāyakā  ca anipphalā. 

Na hi  tattha kasi  atthi, 

Gorakkhettha na vijjati; 

Vaṇijjā  tādisī  natthi, 

Hiraññena  kayokayaṁ; 

Ito  dinnena yāpenti 

Petā  kālaṅkatā  tahiṁ. 

Unname  udakaṁ  vuṭṭhaṁ 

Yathā  ninnaṁ  pavattati; 

Evameva ito  dinnaṁ 

Petānaṁ  upakappati. 

Without  the  walls  they  stand  and  wait, And  at  the  junctions and  road-forks; Returning  to  their  erstwhile  homes, They  wait  beside  the  jambs of  gates. 

他們站著在牆外，以及路的交接處， 

他們站在門柱旁，來到了自己的家。 

But  when  a  rich  feast  is set  out With food and  drink  of  every  kind, The  fact  that  no  man  does  recall These  creatures stem  from  their  past  acts.

準備豐盛的食物，飲料副食與主食， 

卻沒人記得他們，這些業生的有情。 

So  they  who  are  compassionate At  heart  do  give  for  relatives Such drink  and  food  as  may be  pure And  good  and  fitting  at these  times; ‘Then  let  this be  for  relatives; ‘May  relatives  have  happiness.’ 

所以悲憫的人們，應為親戚們布施； 

飲料食物皆清淨，殊勝適時與適宜。 

「願這（施與）親戚們，願親戚們都快樂。」 

These  ghosts  of  the  departed  kin Foregathered  and  assembled  there Will  eagerly  their  blessing  give For  [plentiful]  rich  food and  drink: 

來此聚集諸亡親，他們來集在此處， 

豐富食物並飲料，他們恭敬地隨喜：

‘So  may  our  relatives live  long, ‘Owing  to  whom  we  have  this  gain; ‘For  honour  to  us  has  been  done, ‘No  giver  ever  lacked  the  fruit.’ 

「願我們親戚長壽，因彼等我們得此； 

已對我們做供養，施者並非無果報。」 Now there  is  never  ploughing  there, Nor  any  cattle-herding  found, Nor  merchandizing  just  the  same, Nor  bartering  for  coin  of  gold: The  ghosts  of  the  departed  kin Live  there  on  giving  given here. 

那裡既沒有農耕，那裡也沒有牧牛， 

同樣的沒有貿易，也沒有黃金買賣。

依靠這裡的布施，那裡鬼亡親過活。 

As  water  showered  on  the  hill Flows  down  to reach  the  hollow  vale, So  giving  given  here  can  serve The  ghosts  of  the  departed  kin. 

猶如高處的雨水，向著低處而運流； 

如是在此的布施，利益做鬼的亡親。 

Yathā  vārivahā  pūrā 

Paripūrenti  sāgaraṁ; 

Evameva ito  dinnaṁ 

Petānaṁ  upakappati. 

Adāsi  me  akāsi  me, 

Ñātimittā  sakhā  ca me; 

Petānaṁ  dakkhiṇaṁ  dajjā 

Pubbe  katamanussaraṁ. 

Na hi  ruṇṇaṁ  vā  soko vā, 

Yā   caññā   paridevanā; 

Na  taṁ  petānamatthāya, 

Evaṁ  tiṭṭhanti  ñātayo. 

Ayañca kho  dakkhiṇā  dinnā 

Saṅghamhi  suppatiṭṭhitā; 

Dīgharattaṁ  hitāyassa, 

Ṭhānaso  upakappati. 

So  ñātidhammo  ca ayaṁ  nidassito,

Petāna pūjā  ca katā  uḷārā; 

Balañca bhikkhūnamanuppadinnaṁ,

Tumhehi  puññaṁ  pasutaṁ  anappakan’ti. 

–  KN,  Khuddakapāṭha  7 

Etena saccavajjena dukkhā  vūpasamentu te. 

Etena saccavajjena bhayā  vūpasamentu te. 

Etena saccavajjena sokā  vūpasamentu  te. 

As rever-beds  when  full  can  bear The  water  down  to  fill the  sea, 

So  giving  given  here  can  serve 

The  ghosts  of  the  departed  kin. 

正如河水滿溢時，水流注入到海洋； 

如是在此的布施，利益做鬼的亡親。 

‘He  gave  to  me,  he  worked  for  me,

‘He  was  my  kin,  friend,  intimate.’ 

Give  gifts,  then,  for  departed  ones, 

Recalling  what  they  used  to  do. 

「他曾給我為我做，是我的親友同伴。」

憶及先前他所做，應為餓鬼行布施。 

No weeping,  nor  yet  sorrowing, 

Nor  any  kind  of  mourning,  aids Departed  Ones,  whose  kin  remain [Unhelpful  to  them  acting]  thus. 

不是哭泣非憂愁，亦非任何的悲泣， 

如此做的親戚們，對那鬼亡親無益。 

But  when  this  offering  is  given Well placed  in  the  Community For  them,  then  it  can  serve  them  long In  future  and  at  once  as  well. 

做了這樣的布施，妥善建立於僧團， 

對他有長久利益，也能當下即得益。 

The  Dhamma  for  relatives has thus  been  shown, And  how  high  honour  to departed  ones  is  done, And  how  the  bhikkhus  can be  given  strength as  well, And  how  great  merit  can  be  stored  away  by you. 

已經示此親戚法，殊勝供養予餓鬼， 

及給諸比丘體力，你們所做福非小。 

By  this  speaking  of  the  truth,  may you  relieve  from suffering. By  this  speaking  of  the  truth,  may  you relieve  from  fear. By  this  speaking  of  the  truth,  may  you relieve  from  grief.

藉此真實話語，願你平息痛苦； 

藉此真實話語，願你平息恐懼； 

藉此真實話語，願你平息憂愁。

15 January 2023

Guarding the Doors of the Citadel Nyanatiloka Mahathera

Guarding the Doors of the Citadel
Nyanatiloka Mahathera, in The Word of the Buddha,  1967, has written about the six senses: --

Sense-Bases (ayatana)

“The disciple dwells in contemplation of the mind-objects, namely of the six ‘Subjective-Objective Sense-Bases’. He knows the eye and visual objects, ear and sounds, nose and odors, tongue and tastes, body and bodily impressions, mind and mind-objects; and the fetter that arises in dependence on them, he also knows. He knows how the fetter comes to arise, knows how the fetter is overcome, and how the abandoned fetter does not rise again in future.” (Nyanatiloka  67, 1967.)

Just as a mental exercise – in the place of unskillful, restless thinking during the day –  try to think of  instances in which consciousness arising through eye contact … could become a mental hindrance, leading you, at least temporarily, off of the path to deliverance. 

Then, think of consciousness arising through the ear … and how it could be detrimental for you … consciousness arising through the sense of smell … consciousness arising through a craving for tastes … consciousness arising and developing through imagined mental conditions and intellectually desired states, which might even be able to bring you to the point of ecstasy. 

If you do not take time to observe and analyze the consciousness-process of your mind, it is both capable of and likely to fall victim to the insatiable dragon of the mind [he dragon of six sense consciousness] which is certainly sure to bedevil you. 

If you are able to, you should search-for, find, isolate and  bring these potential conscious arisings of imagined mental cravings out into the bright-light-of-day, and examine, observe and analyze just what it is about them that so attracts or repels you. 

You should develop the powers of analysis to learn to discern the actual root causes of why you want what you want or don’t want, and ask if the short term result of fulfilling your volitions would be good for you in the long run – and if you know they will not be good for you, you need to decide exactly what you should do about it. 

Since no one else can get into your mind but you, you should become familiar with its leanings and tendencies.  You should  know what to do when such tendencies try to catch you by surprise and gain control over you. 

If you can learn to control your mind, you can learn how to avoid letting whole hoards of unwholesome tendencies (figutatively Mara’s armies) gain power over you. 

But to be able to do this successfully, first you must learn to be a successful sentinel guarding and watching the doors of the citadel of the mind.

You should learn to examine your mental life so there is nothing that can sneak-in or leak-out [prior to a surprise attack] which will bring harm on you. 

Impulses are usually just fleeting phenomena of the moment which bring no lasting pleasure, which have no lasting value, and if you can learn to control such fleeting impulses or simply let them go as momentarily passing flashes – if you can learn not to grasp after such empty phenomenal images – you will be better-off in the long run.

Once you feel you are gaining benefit from the above exercise of the mind watching the mind, you can also, then, analyze the relationship in your consciousness between the six sense doors and anger, hate and envy. 

Learn to live an examined life so you will be prepared and better in control of the mind, when such potentially arising states try to hit you when you are not looking, right between the eyes, and momentarily blind you – perhaps  even making it possible for you to strike-out at someone upon impulse – and thereby provoking an action which could harm you in a way that you would regret for the rest of your life  or  for many lives to come. 

Think of the story of the son who killed his beloved-mother in an impulsive moment because she was late in bringing his lunch-box out to the field.  Could this be you?

Learn to live the self-examined life so that you will be careful about the consequences of everything you do, in any momentary act of your life, until, one day, you suddenly have the insight to see that reacting to such a psycho-physical impulse is just energy exploding wastefully and harmfully. 

Learn to, remain independent and detached from any such potential action arising – standing-back with the mind watching the mind – watching, dispassionately, with equanimity. 

The key to understanding the dangers of the sense doors is maintaining detachment and equanimity as a continuing mental exercise in going against the stream.

You should learn to aviod potential situations that could arise and arouse anger, hate or envy in you in a harmful way that would potentially backlash on you. 

Another way of  examining arising consciousness is that instead of thinking about what you do not like about others, ask what is wrong with you. Examine how and why and where you have the latent potential to lash out in anger, to react with intense hate – or to be so envious of another that you want to  perpetrate harm upon him. 

Once you get to know the potential of the mind for both harm and good, you can practice feeling compassion for yourself for the potential harm you might do and you can also practice loving-kindness and sympathetic joy arising out of knowing the good you can do as a result of avoiding unwholesome states and replacing them with wholesome states in which you radiate goodness towards others, whom you might have potentially hated had you reacted harmfully. 

Once you learn to feel compassion for yourself, in your own sorry state, you will not continue to hate – you will begin to feel compassion for others who are sorrowfully sunk in the same state as you.

If you want to see what is wrong with the world observe and analyze the roots of your own unmindful actions, and, then, ask yourself how the world would be if everyone felt and acted like you? And if you don’t want the world to be like that, the place to start changing the world is by starting on changing yourself. 

If you can start to set yourself straight because you see the potential for suffering which uncontrolled impulses of consciousness can do to others  then, it is just possible that there are a few or even many more individuals, like you, out there in the world, who have compassion and pity for others, and who do not want others to suffer in the way that you and he have both had to do during your lives. 

If you can practice controlling the six senses, and this starts working for you, and if you can keep countering the Five Hindrances, while simultaneously practicing the Four Sublime States,  this form of practice will be very beneficial for you and others too.

Reference:

Nyanatiloka Mahathera. 1967. The Word of the Buddha. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society.

14 January 2023

The Four Foundations of Mindfulness by Ajahn David Dale Holmes

The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
 by Ajahn David Dale Holmes

A good way of cultivating morality (sila ) is by directing the light of  concentration upon the (i) body, (ii) feeling, (iii) mind and (iv) phenomena in order  to eliminate disturbing elements which cause imbalance and suffering in our lives. 

The Four Foundations of Mindfulness might be figuratively described as the establishming, upon four pilings, of a strongly-supported foundation, firmly in balance, as a base for grappling with and finally eradicating impurities arising within seas of potentially harmful phenomena.  

Another way to explain is to say that if we want to overcome and be free of the prevalence of mental impurities causing suffering, we must develop the skill needed to liberate ourselves from three  unskillfil actions which are: – (akusalakamma) —the three basic roots of evil—which may be translated as “lust, (lobha) hatred, (dosa) and delusion, (moha).” 

Wresting ourselves free of attachment to unskillful actions, depends upon our gradually developing mental culture (bhavana). The cultivation of virtuous conduct helps us relinquish lust. The calm of right concentration and mental culture (bhavana) helps us to relinquish hatred. Insight through right understanding meditation evolves into wisdom which helps us to see through and dispel ignorance.

The opening passage of the Mahasatipanna Sutta is as follows: 

“This is the only way monks for the purification of beings, for   the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the disappearance of pain and grief, for reaching the Noble Path, for the realization of Nibbana, namely the Four Foundations of Mindfulness.

“Herein Monks (in the teaching), a monk dwells in contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, overcoming covetousness and grief in the world; he dwells contemplating the feeling in the feelings, ardent clearly comprehending and mindful, overcoming covetousness and grief in this world; he dwells contemplating the consciousness in the consciousness, ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, overcoming covetousness and grief in this world; he dwells contemplating phenomena, (the dhamma in the dhammas) ardent, clearly comprehending and mindful, overcoming covetousness and grief in this world.” 

We should note that, in the above quotation, the Buddha is implying that there is only one way for the purification of beings—which is The Four Foundations of Mindfulness—which means not only is there no way other than by penetrating directly through the contemplation of body, feeling, consciousness and the dhammas, but also that there is only one person who can penetrate through your wrong view  and that person is you. 

There is only one way to purification and freedom from pain and grief and that is through the one mind that can see what is going on within, as long as you continue to pursue peace of mind through observing, contemplating  and comprehending sensation and feeling. The only one person who can complete the cleaning up of the impurities within your mind is you. 

This means the mind is capable of becoming strong enough, through comprehension and mindfulness, so that emotions such  as attachment, hatred, depression and sorrow will slowly but surely be efinally disappear. 

Sati means cultivating objective penetration by focussing with clear awareness. Sati means penetrating to the root-core of an emotion and realizing that there is actually nothing there which could cause covetousness and grief.  

The seventh factor of the Noble Path is called the controlling factor. Venerable Nyanasatta Thera, (in Wheel Series 19) citing the Satipatthana Sutta, says “Right Mindfulness (samma sati) has to be present in every skillful or karmically wholesome thought moment (kusala acitta). 

“It is the basis of all earnest endeavour (appamada) for liberation and maintains in us the ardent energy to strive for Enlightenment or Nibbana.”

In his highly-respected and helpful book, The Path to Deliverance, the Venerable Nayanatiloka Maha Thera, has translated in slightly different wording, cites the Buddha from the classical texts (MN. 77) as follows:

“And further … I have shown to my disciples the way to develop the four applications of mindfulness (satipatthana):

“Here the monk dwells in contemplation of the body … feeling … mind… mind-objects, ardent, clearly conscious and mindful, after putting away worldly greed and grief. 

“And, further, I have shown them the way to develop the four right efforts (sammappadhana): Here the monk incites his will, strives, puts forth his energy, strains his mind, in order to avoid the arising of evil, unwholesome states ... To overcome them … to arouse wholesome states … to bring them to growth and full development. 

“And further I have shown them the way to develop the four paths of power (iddhipada): Here the monk develops the road to power accompanied by concentration of will … energy … mind … reflection.

“And further, I have shown them the way to develop the five mental faculties (indiriya): Here the monk develops faith … energy … mindfulness … concentration … wisdom …, leading to peace and enlightenment.

“And further I have shown them the way to develop the five mental powers (bala). Here the monk develops the power of faith … energy … mindfulness …concentration …wisdom, leading to peace and enlightenment.

“And further I have shown them how to develop the seven factors of enlightenment (bojjhanga): Here, the monk  develops the factors of  enlightenment, bent on solitude,  on detachment, on cessation, and ending in deliverance, namely, mindfulness … investigation of phenomena … energy …rapture … tranquillity …concentration … equanimity.

“And further I have shown them the way to develop the Noble Eightfold Path (ariya-atthangika-magga): Here the monk develops right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.”

Now, this may seem a lot to understand on just one reading, but the thing to do is to go back to the beginning of the quotation and think your way through what the Buddha is saying as an  introduction to doing it properly once you become more firm in the foundations of your practice.

The above text might seem intimidating and tend to make us shy off, thinking, “This is too much for me to comprehend! It is too much to accomplish all at once!” But don’t fall into the mental trap of backing off and saying it would be impossible to accomplish.  

Just as a temple is built, stone by stone, with a monk working physically, concentrating with one-pointed mindfulness on the laying of one stone at a time, so the practice is developed and gradually built-up in a series of successive actions, one by one. 

If you know how to read and understand the above quotation. carefully, and there will be no secrets about the path—there are only stages which albeit cannot be explained using conventional language, because experience on higher planes can only be known through direct practice and knowing. 

Moreover, there is, in reality, no temple: – there is only a series of stones, being built up, one by one, coming together, forming into a temporary unity and, then, eventually, with time, starting to break apart and deteriorate, one by one, until everything has turned into particles of dust which again in their turn devolve within a process into base elements arising and ceasing, one by one, dependently arising and ceasing, through a process that knows no beginning and knows no end.  

I reality, there is no monk either. What we call “he” or “him” is also just a process of changing elements – a part of a larger process – that has no beginning and no end. Yet, in common language, as a result of wrong view we continue to speak of temples and monks and bricks as though they were solid, permanently abiding objects.

Someone may ask me if it is a big job to write a big book on the Dhamma, and I would have to answer that this is the wrong way of putting the question. 

Actually, just as a temple is an accumulation of bricks and other materials, so a book is just an accumulation of words, sentences, and punctuation marks, and a writer, like a monk working as a stone mason, puts the bricks or sentences and pieces and bits and dots into sequence and series, one by one, and, if one observes and analyzes the process of writing closely and carefully, the sentences become accumulations of words which are typed with concentration, one by one, and if the writer is even-more concentrated, and happens to be writing by hand, he will even write each curl and loop and line of each letter of each word with the same kind of focussed and one-pointed precision, even with totally focussed concentration, absorbed in a process of mental-physical energy that is arising and ceasing. 

I reality, there is no paper either. What once was a tree and made into pulp and then paper breaks down into particles and vibrations of energy. Just as in the oft-quoted analogy that “There is no flag and there is no wind”—as cited in one of Ajarn Chah’s popular Dhamma talks—similarly there is no writer and there is no book. It is all just a process of elements arising and ceasing, in a process of energy arising and burning up to the point of ceasing. 

How energy should be directed or expended depends on right view and right intention.

In learning about the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, we start by focussing, with skilfulness—in every thought moment—and the most obvious place to begin is with the body and the breath, which is always there in ever-present consciousness, and this is where breathing meditation plays its primary important role in Buddhist meditation. 

The Buddha recommends mindfulness of breathing in these words: 

“This concentration through mindfulness of breathing, when developed and practiced much, is both peaceful and sublime, it is an unadulterated blissful abiding, and it banishes at once and stills evil, unprofitable thoughts, even as they arise. Breathing meditation helps calm agitation from the start and helps establish tranquillity.”

What makes the cultivated breath blissful and ultimately sublime is emptiness.

13 January 2023

Do it Yourself by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Do it Yourself by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

The Venerable Ananda, the Buddha's personal attendant, spent twenty- five years with the Buddha serving him. The Buddha asked him several times to strive hard and attain enlightenment. He had known all the Dhamma and theories of meditation. However, as he enjoyed serving the Buddha and other fellow bhikkhus, he neglected his own attainment of enlightenment until finally a great pressure came from the 499 Arahants assembled to hold the first Buddhist council. 

They insisted that he should attain enlightenment before the designated date for the council planned for the third month after the Buddha's passing away.

Buddha had already said: "Monks, meditate. Don't be heedless. Don't let your mind be filled with defilements. 

Don't weep and wail saying: This life is full of trouble, full of misery, full of pain, full of agony." 

The mind not developed through the practice of mindfulness meditation creates tension, anxiety and worry. Don't keep crying and repeating the same mistakes. You cannot run away from reality. Life is not rosy. It has ups-and-downs and bumps all over. These are facts we face every day.

The practice of mindfulness meditation is similar to a the shock absorbers in a car. If the shock absorbers are not good, you will see how difficult it will be when you drive. This vehicle of ours - the body and mind, this combination - is full of such difficult moments. 

There is no place to run away from them. Even if you go to the moon (not an impossibility these days), still you will go with your body and mind filled with all kinds of impediments still existing in the mind. 

You cannot leave them here and go over there. They follow persistently and doggedly wherever you go, and they keep bothering you, day and night. Most people experiment with three solutions.

They perceive the problem is "over there, in the world." 

Therefore, they think that by correcting the world, trying to solve society's ills, they can solve their problems. They wish to make the environment "proper, beautiful" and free from problems. 

Only then can they live happily. So they get engrossed and, sometimes, even obsessed, in trying to straighten out society. Of course, the desire to improve society's ills, itself, is commendable. They see suffering and become compassionate and then act. 

They may keep themselves fully occupied trying to correct the society's ills. They might think that they keep themselves out of trouble without realizing that they actually are forgetting their own nagging problems. They continue to have their own pains and suffering unattended primarily because they do not have time for themselves. These people are very compassionate, understanding, ready to render their service to the society selflessly or without any reward from the society. We read many wonderful accounts of many such noble persons who at the expense of their own attainment of enlightenment dedicate their lives to the society. External activities might hinder solving one's own problems.

Although we live in society with people, each one of us has a little world of our own, views about the world, our own perception and understanding of the world. 

Each follows his or her perceptions, and views of the world. We may sometimes think that all the problems we experience are generated from the outer world. Therefore, we turn our energies to the world believing involvement in doing something to correct society will solve our problems.

The second line of thinking which people pursue to solve their problems is to think that there is no problem at all. 

They believe that everything is imaginary. They think: "I exist by myself, I am most important, and I am all alone, and nothing else matters to me." The third way to solve personal problems is to run away from our problems.

We may receive temporary solace, temporary comfort thinking either the problem exists over there in the external world or it does not exist, or diverting our attention to something, ignoring that there is a problem, or running away from the problem.

The real solution lies in none of these methods. The real solution, according to the Buddha's teaching, is to discover a way to purify the instrument, the agent, which makes the world happy or unhappy, peaceful or miserable, pleasant or painful. 

That which creates problems and suffering for everybody. This instrument is our mind. 

Purification of this mind is one of the purposes of mindfulness meditation.

As we all know, all our thoughts, words and deeds originate in the mind. Mind is the forerunner. 

All conditions which we experience are mind-made. They are created in the mind, directed and led by the mind. Mind puts them into action. "All actions are all led by the mind: mind is their master, mind is their maker. 

Act or speak with a defiled state of mind, then suffering follows like the cart-wheel that follows the foot of the ox. All actions are all led by the mind; mind is their master, mind is their maker. 

Act or speak with a pure state of mind, then happiness follows like a shadow that remains behind without departing."  

(Dhammapada 1-2)

The analogy of the ox pulling the cart is most appropriate to illustrate our problems. The ox pulling the cart does not enjoy pulling the cart. He is not happy with this burden; it is not a pleasure. This poor bull pulling the cart has a terrible time. The whole burden of the cart is on his shoulders, and he will be in pain. 

The bull would have done better if he had not been born a bull. The condition of the bull is compared to the condition of ignorance, and stupidity - not seeing the truth as is. An unenlightened life is full of ignorance and given to defilements of all kinds. 

Therefore, an unenlightened person committing thoughts, words, and deeds with impure minds suffers very much like the bull who always suffers by pulling this heavy cart. On the other hand, when we speak or do something with a pure mind we feel happy, and have no regrets, no pain, no suffering following us.

Our purpose in life is to improve ourselves everyday and become happy. We do many things to gain happiness. However, most of the things we do to gain happiness may generate unhappiness, pain, suffering and trouble because our minds are not pure. It is the pure mind that can generate happiness, not the impure mind. Therefore, the first purpose of practicing meditation is to purify our mind; that generates peace and happiness.

The second purpose of meditation is to overcome sorrow and lamentation. When a meditator begins to see the truth he or she can bear and conquer sorrow and lamentation caused by impermanence.

The third purpose is to overcome suffering and disappointment caused by greed and hatred.

The fourth purpose of meditation is to tread the wise path, the correct path which leads to liberation from grief, sorrow, disappointment, pain and lamentation. This is the path of mindfulness - the only path that liberate us from suffering.

The fifth purpose of meditation is to liberate ourselves completely and totally from mental pain and defilements and to free our minds from greed, hatred and delusion.

These five purposes are very noble purposes. All other purposes of meditation may be overlooked because none of them is capable of generating these results making us really peaceful and happy by eliminating our problems. We don't try to ignore or avoid them but mindfully we face and tackle them as they arise in our minds.

Certain people simply want to meditate without having any background knowledge of meditation. They think knowledge of the theory of meditation is an impediment. 

This attitude can be compared to the attitude of a traveler who wishes to go to a definite destination - let us say Washington DC. The traveler has great confidence in his ability and believes his confidence alone is sufficient to get him there. This person may have a vehicle - a car. 

Then, getting into the car, sitting behind the steering wheel, he starts to drive. 

However, there has been no preparation for the journey. There is no knowledge of the roads or the conditions of the roads or of the weather. He hasn't even consulted a map. 

All he has is a car and confidence and some experience in driving. The car may carry a sufficient quantity of gas, oil, and other items, so, the traveler gets into the car and starts driving. He may be on the road for a long time spending a good deal of money on gas, time and energy. Indeed, driving will lead him somewhere, but not necessarily to his destination. 

A wise driver, on the other hand, studies the map in detail, determines the detours, and may ask others who are more experienced.

If the driver wishes to go to Washington DC and if there is a place called Washington DC, the driver will find it. Similarly, we need to have a goal in meditation. We want to reach this goal and realize our purpose. 

And we do need some guidelines. We do not necessarily need a great deal of philosophical and speculative theory. The guidelines are road signs to follow so that we will know (not guess) if we are heading in the right direction. Certainly confidence is necessary, but in itself, is not sufficient. In addition, we need understanding and knowledge of the theory.

Then what is meditation? How do we reach this goal of purifying the mind, overcoming grief and lamentation, overcoming pain and disappointment, treading the path leading to liberation from pain, suffering and samsara - this world of birth and death?

There is a way to attain it. When we refer to "the Way" it may turn many people off. They might think the speaker is trying to sell something and trying to deprecate everything in the world, and say "If this is the only way, we are not prepared to buy it." Now, when you wish to go to Washington DC, there are a number of ways to get there. Flying is the quickest way these days, of course. In other times, we would use a car or boat, or only our two feet. Whatever the means of transportation, we have to cover a specific distance to arrive in Washington DC. What is essential is that we get there - whether by slow or fast means. Therefore, "the Way" means "The Way of Mindfulness" that transverses a certain distance or area to realize our destination.

This way of Mindfulness does not, however, lie in a geographical area or in space. It is in our own mind. We have to do certain things. That doing is also "the Way" -- the way to cultivate our minds to accomplish this journey. Cultivating the mind means practicing mindfulness. When no mindfulness is present, when we are unmindful all the time, we are entrapped by "red herrings." 

We are caught in all kinds of confusion. We don't understand things as they really are. To enable us to get to our destination, we need a clear understanding of where we are. Clear understanding is born from mindfulness. No matter what else we do or other practices we engage in they have their own purposes and goals. We learn that they do not purify the mind.

The very word meditation means cultivation. We know what we mean when we say, "We cultivate a land." 

We know that there has to be a land and some means of cultivating it. We have to do certain things, such as cutting down the trees to clear the land, remove weeds and other things, and till it over and over and fertilize it. Then we can plant seeds and nourish it and grow certain crops. Similarly in the practice of meditation, we need to mentally cultivate the mind. We do not need to sit in one place just waiting for something to happen. We may wait indefinitely, or for a very long time, without anything happening. We might say that we have spent so much time in meditation. Sitting in one place doing nothing is not meditation. And also simply watching our breath all the time is inadequate and insufficient. Of course, mindfulness of breath is an important part of meditation. Simply watching the breath without any mindfulness may be called the practice of tranquillity meditation, however, it is not Right Concentration without mindfulness. We begin, however, with watching our breath. This meditation which is totally distinct to Buddhism is called Vipassana meditation or Insight meditation. There are guidelines for the practice of Insight or Vipassana meditation. These guidelines are given in the Sutta called the Four Foundations of Mindfulness.

These Four Foundations of Mindfulness are: Mindfulness of the Body, Mindfulness of Feeling, Mindfulness of the mind and Mindfulness of Mental Objects. We will explain them in turn.

Let me take the first part - Mindfulness of the Body. Mindfulness of the body is divided into six sections. 

The first of them is Mindfulness of breathing. Now, why is the breath included in the mindfulness of the body? The breath is a part of our body. This body, as we know it, is made up of four basic elements: the element of extension (solid parts), the element of cohesion (the liquid part), the element of heat (radiation) and the element of air (oscillation or movement). 

Therefore, when we try to practice mindfulness of the body we begin with the mindfulness of the breath which is the element of air.

In this meditation, we do not dwell upon some imaginative fairy land. We are not trying to induce self hypnosis. We are not trying to discover the hidden, mystical elements of the universe. We are not trying to become absorbed in the whole universe. We are not trying to become "One" with the whole universe. All these are interesting words. We are trying to use this personality of ours: our own body and mind. We watch mindfully this body and mind and their activities, we investigate them because they are what we carry with us wherever we go. 

This body and mind is our laboratory. All we have to work with is there -- the raw material, chemical substance, gases, heat, air, water, extension -- all are there. It is in this body, in this personality that we find all this. My laboratory is my body and mind. I always try to watch them within me. I cannot work in your laboratory. You have to work in your own laboratory. Most of us forget our own laboratories and try to get into somebody else's laboratory. We try to see what so-and-so is eating, what so-and-so is doing, whom so-and-so is associating with, where so-and-so is going, what so-and-so is reading, how much money so-and-so has, etc. We always forget our own laboratories. We may never know what is in this laboratory within ourselves. We, in this practice of Insight meditation, become introspective, mindful and careful to watch what is happening here in this mind and body in the present moment. That is what Vipassana meditation is all about; methodical investigation in the laboratory within ourselves.

Source: Bhavana Society, USA, http://www.bhavanasociety.org/

12 January 2023

The Universal Teaching of the Buddha by S.N. Goenka A Dhamma talk given by Mr S.N. Goenka in Singapore

The Universal Teaching of the Buddha by S.N. Goenka
A Dhamma talk given by Mr  S.N. Goenka in Singapore

Most Venerable Bhante Dhamma-Ratanaji, devotees and admirers of Lord Buddha,

You are all assembled here this evening to understand the universality of the teaching of the Buddha. A Buddha always teaches Dhamma, nothing else but Dhamma. And Dhamma means truth, nature, the law of nature, which is universal. Dhamma can never be sectarian; it is the universal law of nature. There were many at the time of the Buddha, contemporaries of the Buddha, and there were many before Gotama Buddha who tried to teach the same thing, but they were not successful.

I come from a family, from a tradition, of very staunch conservative Hindus, and because I come from that tradition, I know the background of Indian spirituality, I know the teachings. When I went to my teacher for the first time to take a Vipassana course, nothing seemed new to me. Buddha taught sila (morality), and the conservative Hindus, and also the Jain tradition of India, give importance to sila. Buddha taught samadhi, mastery over the mind, and I found that this was there also. Every tradition teaches how to control the mind, how to develop mastery over the mind. Buddha teaches panna, wisdom; and it seemed that that also was not new to me. In the tradition from which I come, one has to work to purify the mind - to come out of raga, i.e. craving; to come out of dosa, i.e. aversion; to come out of moha, i.e. ignorance. 

Nothing was new, and yet everything was new. Every step that I took was wonderful. And why? Let me explain why.

Like many teachers of different religions Buddha also taught about sila, the five precepts, the panca sila, and like others he explains to people, in different ways, why they should observe sila. You should not kill. 

Why should you not kill? If somebody comes and kills you, you certainly don't like it. Therefore when you try to kill somebody, that person won't like it. What you don't like, others don't like. So refrain from actions which, if performed by others towards you, you won't like. You should not do something which will hurt or harm others. Therefore don't kill.

If somebody steals something belonging to you which is very dear to you, you won't like it. Certainly you don't like it. Therefore don't take something belonging to somebody else, which is dear to that person. You don't steal it because you don't like that to be done to you.

If someone commits rape or adultery with a member of your family, you don't like it. So you should not do something like that. Somebody speaks lies and deceives you. You don't like it. Therefore you should not do a thing like this which others won't like. You may agree to these four precepts-"Yes, I understand I should not kill. I should not steal. I should not commit sexual misconduct. I should not speak lies and yet when you get intoxicated you might commit all these four. You are helpless. You are a slave of the intoxicant. You are not the master of yourself. Therefore don't take any intoxicant. Wonderful!

Another way of explaining: if you don't break any one of the sila, after death you will get this heaven or that heaven. Again wonderful!

Another approach: you are a human being and every human being has to live in society. A householder has to live with the members of his own family, members of the society. Even if someone renounces the householder's life, yet one remains in contact with the society. As a member of the society you should not do anything which will disturb the peace and harmony of the society. You cannot enjoy peace and harmony if all around you there is no peace and harmony at all. If you want to live a life of peace and harmony, that means you must encourage peace and harmony around you. If you are surrounded by burning fire, don't think that you won't suffer from that fire. The heat of the fire will make you miserable. 

If you want peace, then don't do anything at the physical level or at the vocal level which will disturb the peace and harmony of others, which will harm and hurt others. Wonderful! Wonderful!

People keep listening to such discourses, but they listen with this ear, and it goes out the other ear. This happens with everyone's teaching. We are not here to condemn the teaching of other religions but to understand the difference. A drunkard knows very well that drinking is not good for him. He wants to come out of it. A gambler understands that gambling is not good for him. He would like to come out of it; and yet when the time comes, he or she can't control himself or herself. He or she commits the same thing. 

One understands that one should not do it, and yet one is a slave of one's own mind, because one does not have mastery over the mind.

So the next step is to develop samadhi, mastery over the mind. Again, the teaching of samadhi was not just the monopoly of the Buddha. The contemporary teachers at the time of the Buddha were teaching samadhi. Before the Buddha became Buddha, he himself went to two teachers, Alara Kiama and Uddaka Ramaputta from whom he learned the technique of deep samadhi up to the seventh jhana (absorbed concentration) and the eighth jhana. So samadhi was being taught. Different types of practices of samadhi were there, and yet the teaching of the Buddha is wonderfully different. There can be no comparison between the samadhi that was practiced in those days, the lokiya-jhana (mundane absorption), and what he developed and taught others, the lokuttara-jhana (supramundane absorption).

It is the same with the teaching of panna, wisdom. This mind, this body, which includes the entire sensorium, is impermanent, anicca, anicca. This cannot be a source of happiness for us. This is only a source of misery, dukkha, dukkha. This phenomenon is not "I," is not "mine," is not "my soul." Anatta. To many people it seems that this was the contribution of the Buddha. But this is not so. Even at the time of the Buddha we find instances when people who were not his disciples came to him and he questioned them, "Kim mannasi? What do you believe about this mind-matter sensorium? Is it nicca or anicca, permanent or impermanent?" And the listener answered, "Anicca." "Is this sukha or dukkha?" and he said, "Dukkha". "Is this I, me, mine, myself, or no I, no me, no myself?" "It is no I, no me, no myself - anatta". 

He was Bahiya (an outsider), not a follower of Buddha, and yet he gave these answers. Then what was the wonderful contribution of Buddha?

First he questioned this person, "Kim mannasi? What do you believe? Is it anicca? Is it dukkha? Is it anatta?" And this person replied, "Yes, this is anicca. It is dukkha. It is anatta." And then the Buddha said, "Evam passa (by observing it so, one becomes liberated from misery). Mere believing won't help you. Passa: you observe the reality; and with your own observation, jana: direct experience, then you understand this is anicca, this is dukkha, this is anatta." Herein lies the beauty of the Buddha's teaching.

It is very easy to give sermons and easier still to listen to sermons. "Let's talk about Dhamma and listen to words of Dhamma. Oh wonderful! Buddha's teaching is wonderful." With this approach, one becomes an admirer of the Buddha, one becomes a good devotee of the Buddha, but one does not become a follower of Buddha. To follow the Buddha, passa-yana: by Vipassana you experience for yourself the truth, the law of nature. And then you understand. Then it is your wisdom. Otherwise it is the wisdom of the Buddha, a borrowed wisdom, not your wisdom.

Each individual has to develop his or her own wisdom. Each individual has to develop his or her own enlightenment. The wisdom developed by Siddhatta Gotama could only help one person, and that person was Siddhatta Gotama, none else. This person became fully enlightened because he developed the wisdom himself. Others can get inspiration; others can get guidance: "Oh, this is how the Buddha practised, and this is how he became Buddha." But each individual has to take every step on the path to reach the final goal. If I don't take any step on the path and just keep on praying, "Buddha-Oh wonderful Buddha," I keep on admiring Buddha-"Oh wonderful Buddha-and wonderful Dhamma". It doesn't help. For my whole life I may keep on praying to the Buddha. For my whole life I may keep on admiring the Buddha and Dhamma. But if I don't practise Dhamma, I don't get the fruits of Dhamma. This was the basic difference between the Buddha's teaching and the teaching of all other teachers.

Because I come from a particular tradition, everything that I learned from my teacher at the theoretical level was nothing new to me. But at the practical level my tradition had nothing new to offer. Later on I found that no tradition had anything to offer. It was all just talking, talking, talking. There was no way out. 

One should practice Vipassanas the Buddha wanted you to practise. "Passa-yana: you observe the reality within yourself. And then you will understand why I am teaching like this, why I want you to observe sila." All the other reasons that are given are so superficial or so gross.

The teaching of the Buddha takes you from the gross, olarika, to sukhuma, the subtle: subtle mind and matter. A constant interaction of mind and matter is going on throughout one's life. From the time one takes birth to the time when one passes away, there is a constant interaction. The mind, the matter are influencing each other - are getting influenced by each other. Mind arises because of matter, the matter arises because of mind-currents, cross currents, under-currents, and all of this is happening within the framework of the body.

As you practise Vipassana you will find that there are sensations throughout your body; but don't take them merely as physical sensations. The body alone cannot feel; the mind is involved - mind is feeling. A particular sensation has come - mind feels it and a part of the mind reacts to it. If it is pleasant, it reacts with craving. If it is unpleasant, it reacts with aversion. When the mind is reacting with aversion, the unpleasant sensation becomes more unpleasant. This interaction is going on, every moment and one does not know what is happening.

As you start experiencing these sensations, you will notice that as and when you kill you generate a tremendous amount of anger or hatred or ill will or animosity. This dosa must arise in your mind - only then will you kill someone. If you are a good Vipassana meditator, you will find that as soon as you generate any negativity in your mind - anger, hatred, ill will, animosity-you are getting agitated, you are becoming miserable. You can't enjoy peace when you generate anger. As soon as you generate anger you are the first victim of your anger. This is Dhamma, the law of nature. When anyone arouses anger it makes no difference if he or she is a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian or a Jain; a Singaporean, an Indian, an American or Russian, a black, a white or a brown. Anyone who generates anger, or any negativity, gets punishment here and now. You have broken the law of nature. When you break the law of the state, the state punishes you. You might escape that punishment, but when you break the law of nature, you can't escape it. If you break the law of the state, the punishment may come after a few years, after going to this court or that court, but with the law of nature there is no wait.

This was the enlightenment of the Buddha. As soon as you perform any action at the physical level or at the vocal level, you defile your mind, you generate negativity in your mind. As soon as you generate negativity in your mind, misery starts. At the surface of the mind you do not know because you have not gone deep inside. But deep inside you have started suffering.

It is the same with stealing. You can't steal unless you generate greed in your mind. You can't commit sexual misconduct unless you generate passion in your mind. You can't lie and deceive others unless you generate ego or craving or some impurity or the other in your mind. The law of nature is such that as soon as you generate any negativity in your mind, you start suffering. And it is not that the result of this action will come after death. It will come after death also but nature doesn't wait for that - it starts punishing you here and now and it keeps punishing you.

Idha tappati, pecca tappati, papakari ubhayattha tappati.

He suffers now, he suffers after death, in both cases the wrongdoer suffers.

If you perform any action, sinful action, unwholesome action, at the physical or vocal level - you start suffering, suffering, suffering. This was the Buddha's teaching which is universal. Anybody who performs any action, physical or vocal, which harms, hurts or disturbs the peace and harmony of others, starts suffering immediately.

Manasa ce padutthena bhasati va karoti va.

When you perform any action, physical or vocal, with a defiled mind, then what happens?

Tato nam dukkhamanveti cakkam'va vahato padam.

Then misery will keep following you - following you, like the wheel of the cart follows the bullock, that is yoked to the cart. Wherever it runs, because it is yoked to the cart, the wheel is there, the wheel is there. Because you perform an action, physical or vocal, with the base of a defiled mind, you have multiplied your habit pattern of reacting with the defiled mind. And this habit pattern keeps multiplying, keeps generating misery for you. One understands this by practicing Vipassana. Every moment that I react with aversion, I become miserable. The sensation that I experience while generating aversion is a very unpleasant sensation. It makes me feel so unhappy, and I realize, "Look nature is punishing me, nature is punishing me now, here and now and will continue to punish me unless I come out this habit pattern."

This is the law of nature. The Buddha did not create it. Buddha is not the creator of Dhamma. Dhamma is there. The Buddha discovered it. He went to such a depth that he discovered the law of nature at the experiential level, which made him an enlightened person.

Everyone can practise the technique that he discovered and they will get the same result. Everyone can explore the truth within the framework of the body and can understand the interaction: "Look what is happening. As soon as I defile my mind the punishment is there." When you become more and more established in this truth at the experiential level your sila becomes perfect. If I place my hand on the fire - knowingly or unknowingly - it burns. The next time I will be very careful: "Oh, I should not place my hand on the fire - it burns - look, it burns and I don't like this burning. I want to keep my hand away." As the fire outside burns you as soon as you touch it, so also, your impurities burn you as you start generating them, and you start experiencing this burning. You won't want to generate more misery for yourself when you start experiencing the truth inside.

This is what the Buddha called passa-yana: "With Vipassana you observe directly; experience this truth and understand the reality. Then you understand my teaching properly." Otherwise, for your whole life you may say "Everything is anicca, everything is dukkha, everything is anatta-. We are the believers in anicca, we are the believers in dukkha, we are the believers in anatta." What do you gain? Tell me,what do you gain? It is a big delusion. I didn't gain anything until I practised. Buddha is not in favor of any devotional or emotional entertainment. Buddha is teaching the actual practice of Dhamma. He taught sila and people reached the stage, whereby, experiencing the truth inside, they naturally abstained from breaking sila.

He taught samadhi, which before him was just the eight jhanas. As you go deeper in the technique, you will understand the difference between the eight jhanas of those days, which are lokiya jhanas, and how Buddha gave a twist, a tum towards liberation making them lokuttara. Sampajanna in its true sense: constant thorough understanding of impermanence, was not included in the eight jhanas of those days. Buddha started the practice with sati-sampayana. By the time one attains the third jhana, the third jhana samapatti (attainment), the sampajanna is perfect. Sampajanna is perfect only if you are aware of these sensations - arising, passing; arising, passing; continuously aware day and night.

One who practises Vipassana properly will start understanding the importance of the words of the Buddha when he says sampajannam narincati, sampajannam na rincati: You can't afford to miss even one moment of sampajanna. Every moment-sampajanna, sampajanna, arising; passing, arising; passing, then it is not just a theory, then it is not just a philosophy, it is a practice. When you are with this arising, passing; arising, passing; anicca, anicca, anicca, you can't generate a new impurity. And when you are with this anicca the old impurities keep coming on the surface. They come on the surface and get eradicated, layers after layers of impurities, come and pass away. Then you become the master of your mind, and the samadhi is not mere samadhi, panna is included with it.

With sampajanna included, Buddha's practice takes one to the first phala samapatti; as one becomes sotapanna one experiences the first jhana. Proceeding on the path one gets the second phala samapatti:sakadagami, which may come with the first jhana or higher jhanas. As one attains the third phala samapatti: anagami, and the fourth: Arahant, the third and fourth jhanas are useful. It is not absolutely necessary to practise the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth jhanas to attain the phalas, though one can easily do so after these stages if one wants. But in these first four jhanas, he included sampajanna, sati-sampajana, which at the time was not available anywhere.

Of course, there had been other Buddhas, but since the passing of the teaching of the previous Buddha nobody prior to the Gotama the Buddha or at the time of Gotama the Buddha or other teachers that came after Gotama the Buddha could understand the proper meaning of sampajanna. This word had percolated down from the time of previous Buddhas but the real meaning was lost. In the teaching of the lokiya jhanas it had the meaning of, "knowing intentionally, or deeper, precise awareness." But the wisdom of anicca was absent so the actual teaching and practice of sati-sampajana was far away. This wisdom was the contribution of the Buddha, the wonderful contribution of the Buddha.

And then, with this experiential understanding inside, it becomes so clear that there is no sectarian teaching at all. This is just the law of nature. It is not necessary that I must call myself a Buddhist to practise the teaching of Buddha. I may keep calling myself by any name, because it doesn't make any difference. Even if I call myself a Buddhist, if I generate raga/lobha, I generate dosa, and I generate moha - is there any Buddha above the clouds who will come and save me? I will have to suffer; calling myself a Buddhist won't help. If I really want to come out of suffering I must come out of lobha, I must come out of dosa, I must come out of moha.

The beauty of Buddha's teaching is that he discovered this law in depth, made use of it for his own enlightenment and then distributed it to others. "Look; I got enlightenment by this, I got liberated by this. 

You can also get liberated, everyone of you. You just try - you just work with the practice.

And it is the beauty of Buddha's teaching that he says, "I am not teaching to have you as my pupils." In the Udumbara Sutta he says, "I am not interested to make you my pupil, I am not interested in breaking you from your old teacher - I am not interested. I am not interested even to change your goal, because everyone wants to come out of suffering. Just give me seven days of your life." Buddha says, "Just give me seven days of your life and try it. Try something that I have discovered and then judge for yourselves whether it is good or not good for you. If it is good for you, then accept it. Otherwise, don't accept it." This is Buddha's way of teaching. He is not interested in snaring pupils. Nor is he interested in establishing a sect, a particular sect. How will the world benefit if everyone in the world calls himself or herself a Buddhist but no one practises Dhamma? Rather these people will be helped and the world will be helped when people practise sila, samadhi, and panna. This starts to benefit oneself and others. The whole atmosphere becomes purified. It becomes charged with Dhamma - with the vibration of purity with the vibration of metta, because one starts practising. The Buddha wants us to practise, not to play intellectual games. These games will not help; they are a big delusion.

Take as an example the taste of a piece of cake. The cake is very sweet. You accept that it is sweet because the Buddha said so. And you have great devotion in Buddha, so you accept it. This is mere acceptance. "Kim mannasi - what do you believe? I believe Buddha's teaching is wonderful." This is merely your belief. Or suppose you take one step further and you try to intellectualize: "Oh, Buddha says this is so. 

Others say something different. Buddha's words are so rational, so scientific - ah, wonderful! Buddha's teaching is so wonderful. "Again, what do you gain? The cake is very sweet because it contains sugar. So naturally it is sweet. It must be sweet.

But is the cake really sweet or not? Only when you put it on your own tongue and you taste it can you say, "Yes, it is sweet." It is sweet on your tongue . If you do not practise Buddha' s teaching - you just keep admiring his teaching - then you are a wonderful admirer of Buddha. You are also a wonderful devotee of Buddha but you are not a follower of Buddha. And one does not get anything unless one follows what Buddha taught.

Devotion is wonderful. Saddha- (devotion) is the first step on the path of Dhamma. I say saddha is like preparing a field for cultivation. You plough the field, you remove all the pebbles and stones, you cultivate it well-and then you sit near this field and keep praying. "Now I have prepared the field. Oh field, give me a wonderful crop; please give me a fruitful crop." Similarly, "Oh Buddha, please do something to give me a wonderful crop." But nothing comes up. You have to plant the seeds in the field; you have to irrigate it; you have to fertilize properly. Only then will you find that healthy crops have grown. Devotion is like preparing the ground but don't stop there. It is a very important step, no doubt. But then, you have to take the next steps and those you have to take yourself, nobody else can do that for you. A Buddha cannot do that for you. Your guru cannot do that for you. Your teacher cannot do that for you. You have to work yourself.

Tumhe hi kiccam atappam, akkhataro Tathagata.

You yourself must earnestly practise, the enlightened ones only proclaim the path.

A Tathagata, will only show the path; he won't carry you on his shoulders to the final goal. Nobody can carry you on his shoulders to the final goal. Tumhe hi kiccam atappam: you have to work out your own salvation - you have to work out your own emancipation. Someone can guide you because he has walked over the path, step by step. As the Buddha explained, "I walked over this path. I benefitted. If you want to come along, then you also walk. Start taking steps." As many steps as you take, you will get that much benefit. If you take all the steps on the path, then you will reach the final goal.

The path is universal. One comes to a course of ten days or longer to practise what the Buddha taught. 

And the first requisite is: when you come you have to observe five precepts during your stay. It doesn't matter whether you have been observing them in the past or not. While you are in a retreat, when you are trying to practise what he wanted you to practise, at least for these ten days, you must observe these five precepts very scrupulously. Hindu or Muslim, Christian,Buddhist or Jain, all will take five precepts. They don't disagree; they accept this discipline-because the precepts are universal. Which religion will say, "Yes, you can kill; it doesn't matter. Go ahead, you can steal; it doesn't matter. You can commit adultery; doesn't matter. You can speak lies." No religion will teach that, because moral conduct is the greatest common denominator of all the religions.

So the first step is to practise moral physical and vocal actions. Next you are asked to sit down comfortably. You are not required to sit in a lotus or half-lotus posture. You choose whichever way you can sit comfortably, keeping your back straight. You close your eyes, close your mouth and your guide will say, "Observe your breath." This is what Buddha taught: "Observe your breath, natural breath - as it comes in - as it goes out."

Suppose along with the awareness of the breath, one is instructed to mentally recite a word. This is what happens in various kinds of meditation. I passed through such practices, so I know what happens. You are asked to breathe in while mentally reciting one word; breathing out, you mentally repeat another word. 

For example, if I am a Hindu, I breathe in: "Rama, Rama"; if I am Sikh: "Sata-nama, Sata-nama."Like this, some word is used, whatever it might be. One who calls himself a Buddhist will say, "Buddha, Buddha, Buddha."

This is not Buddha's teaching. It is sectarian, because whenever one is given any word to recite, that word is almost always a sectarian word. How can a non-Buddhist say "Buddha, Buddha, Buddha"? Certainly, mentally repeating "Buddha, Buddha," the mind will get concentrated. In the same way if you recite, "Rama, Rama, Rama,"your mind will get concentrated. You can say, "Christ, Christ, Christ," your mind will get concentrated. If you say, "Allah, Allah," it will get concentrated. But these are sectarian words and Buddha's path must remain universal. Even if you use an ordinary word, like, "clock, clock,clock, clock," the mind will get concentrated. If you repeat any word continuously, your mind will get concentrated. This is a law of nature. But the Buddha never gave his followers any word to concentrate on.

Buddha's instruction is to observe the breath just breath, natural breath. The breath cannot be Hindu, breath cannot be Muslim, cannot be Christian. You can't give it a title. This fellow who is breathing: can we say his breath is a Muslim breath, is it a Hindu breath? No. Breath is breath, natural breath. Buddha's object of meditation is so universal.

In my teaching, everywhere around the world, I find people coming from different sects, different communities, different beliefs. I ask them to observe breath. It doesn't go against their religion and they accept it, "Yes, observing breath is not against my religion." If, along with the breath, I were to instruct them, "You must say, 'Namo tassa bhagvato...'," many would react, "Oh no, no, no, I can't say this." But if I tell them, "Observe only breath," then yes, they accept it.

Another way of concentration was very common at the time of Buddha, and it still continues today. Along with the breath a meditator imagines some image - a shape, a form of this god or that god, of this saintly person or that saintly person, founder of this religion or that religion. Again, as soon as one imagines this shape or form, it becomes sectarian, because one shape or form belongs to this particular sect, another shape or form belongs to that particular sect. Nothing doing! Buddha says no shape, no form, no verbalization, no visualization, no imagination. Yathabhuta nana dassanam (realization of the truth as it is). This is Buddha's teaching. Yathabhuta: as it happens, as it is happening at this moment. The breath has come in. That's all. The breath has gone out. That's all. If it is deep you are just aware that it is deep. If it is shallow, you are just aware that it is shallow. You don't interfere with the natural flow of the nature. If it passes through the left nostril, you are just aware: it is passing through the left nostril. If it passes through the right nostril, you are just aware that it is passing through the right nostril. If it is passing through both the nostrils, you are just aware. Your job is to develop the faculty of awareness.

You are asked to keep the attention at the entrance of the nostrils. For three days you keep working continuously because nothing else is allowed in a Vipassana course. From 4:00-4:30 in the morning until 9:00-9:30 at night, you are permitted no reading, no discussions, no arguments, no newspapers, no TV, no radio; nothing else. You are just observing yourself. What will reading the newspaper do? It will make you more extroverted. If you are extroverted you can't observe yourself as Buddha wants you to observe yourself. So no distractions are permitted, no disturbances from outside. You simply observe your breath. 

You observe your breath and you are asked to be aware of this area - the entrance of the nostrils where the breath comes in, where it goes out.

One day, two days, three days pass, then you begin to notice that besides this breath going in and coming out, something else is happening. What is happening? Some biochemical reaction or the other. Every moment there is some biochemical reaction throughout your body, but at the conscious level you are unaware of this. At a deeper level your mind keeps feeling these biochemical flows and keeps reacting to them. There is some sensation happening everywhere in the body. It may be heat or perspiration; it may be throbbing, pulsing,itching, tickling something or the other keeps happening. But you are instructed to keep your attention on the area of the nostrils.

On the third day you start feeling something happening here. Again, your teacher will say, "Just observe. 

Do nothing. If it is itching, just observe. Don't scratch it. Don't rub it. Just observe the itching. See how long it lasts." You observe, observe, observe. . . and it passes away. No itching is eternal; it doesn't stay forever. It increases and decreases, and sooner or later it goes. "Oh, anicca. Oh, anicca. After all,it passes away; sooner or later it passes away." You understand anicca. Like this, everything that arises, arises to pass away; it arises to pass away.

Initially you are concentrating on the area at the entrance of the nostrils. By the time you reach the fourth or fifth day, you will explore the entire physical structure and you will find that everywhere there is some sensation or the other. There is no particle, not the tiniest particle in the body, where there is no sensation. 

Wherever there is life, there is sensation. Again, you just observe: yathabhuta. You are observing objectively: yathabhuta nana dassanam. You are not identifying yourself with this sensation. It is not necessary that you start naming this sensation. Instead of naming the sensation, you understand its nature. 

Whatever sensation has come up, you are trained to observe: "Let me see how long it lasts. Let me see how long it lasts." And you find that sooner or later, it passes away: anicca, anicca. Buddha wanted you to understand this anicca at the experiential level. If you simply understand at the intellectual level - "Well, everything in this world is anicca. Look, see how people take birth and die. Buildings get erected and later they get demolished. Oh, everything is anicca" - this is merely intellectual understanding; it is not the passa-jana that Buddha wants you to have. With Vipassana you must understand, "Look how very impermanent, how very ephemeral! Arising, passing; arising, passing; constantly arising, passing; arising, passing.Everywhere throughout the physical structure arising, passing; arising, passing; arising, passing."

Again this is universal. This is not something Buddha created for you, me or for anybody else. This is true for everybody but people don't have the eye of wisdom. They don't have this technique of Vipassana, to feel this process of mind and matter interaction - arising, passing; arising, passing; arising, passing. And this is the specialty of Buddha's teaching. As I say, in the tradition from which I came, that teaching was there: "You must be free from craving-ra-ga"; in that teaching vita raga is the highest goal. "You must come out of aversion"; vita dosa is the highest goal. "You must come out of ignorance"; vita moha is the highest goal. I used to recite all that in the Gita. I used to recite these in different Upanishads of Vedanta. 

But how to come out of raga? How to come out of dosa? How to come out of moha? These are nothing but sermons: "Oh, you people of the world,you must come out of greed; this is very dangerous for you. 

Oh, you people of the world, you must come out of aversion; this is very dangerous for you. People of the world, you must come out ignorance; it is very dangerous for you."

If Buddha had also said only this, then there would have been no difference between Buddha and other teachers. Buddha tells us how to come out of our suffering: "Look, here is a technique. Where the greed starts, you go to the depth where it is generated. Where the aversion starts, you go to the depth and you see how it starts." By practising Vipassana you will start to understand. Initially you will experience very unpleasant sensations, gross, solidified sensations like heaviness or pressure or heat. But as you keep observing, observing, observing, you will find that they get disintegrated, they get dissolved. And then you come to very subtle vibrations throughout the body. There is nothing but a flow of subtle vibrations which is very pleasant. One feels like having more and more. Students come to me in the middle of the course and they say, "Oh, wonderful! Oh, Goenkaji, today's meditation was so wonderful. I had a free flow, so much piti (joyful delight). So wonderful! So wonderful!"

At this point we must remember Buddha's words: - adinava (dangerous), bhaya (fearful). This is dangerous for you. When you start experiencing pleasant sensation, if there is assada (relishing), a very big danger has come. You will start to generate craving for it. You will start generating attachment to it; and then, as soon as you miss this pleasant flow of sensation, you will come running to me. "Oh, my meditation has gone very bad. Please do something, Goenkaji. I'm not getting that wonderful flow. "Oh, this is dangerous. So when you get a very pleasant sensation-flow throughout the body the teacher will remind you, "Anicca. Look, this is also anicca."

Samudaya dhammanupassi va kayasmim viharati. vaya dhammanupassi va kayasmim viharati. samudaya-vaya dhammanupassi va kayasmim viharati.

The meditator dwells observing the phenomenon of arising in the body. He dwells observing the phenomenon of passing away in the body. He dwells observing the phenomenon of simultaneous arising and passing away in the body.

When you experienced gross sensation, there was arising - samudaya dhammanupassi viharati. After some time, vaya dhammanupassi viharati - look, it has arisen, and after some time, it has passed away. But it comes to a stage when it turns into very subtle vibration. Then the change occurs with such high velocity - samudayavaya dhammanupassi viharati. There is no gap between samudaya and vaya, arising and passing away. But it is all anicca. Whether it passes away after some time or it passes away instantly, it does pass away. It is not permanent. Experiencing this one starts changing the habit pattern of the mind.

Unless you go to the depth of the mind, you can't change its habit pattern at the deepest level. This is what the Buddha found by practising all eight jhanas - the anusaya kilesa (sleeping impurities) remain. These impurities are the behavior pattern of the mind from so many lives and they will continue in future lives unless you strike at the root, unless you cut that root. Otherwise there is no possibility of getting liberated. 

Practising these lokiya jhanas, you may enjoy wonderful ecstasy which does bring purity of mind at the surface level. With this layer of mental purity, after death you may attain this loka (plane of existence) or that loka; but still you are rolling. You are rotating in the loka. You cannot go beyond that. Only when you cut the root - the root of all the anusaya kilesa, where the impurities arise - only then will you get liberated.

Understand that there is a big barrier, a very big barrier between the so-called "conscious mind" and what is called the half-conscious or unconscious mind by Western psychologists. Buddha never used these words because no part of the mind is unconscious. What is called "conscious mind" he called paritta citta, a very tiny part of the mind.

But still, if you understand the Western psychological terminology, then call them conscious, half-conscious, unconscious. Day and night the so- called unconscious mind is aware of these sensations in the body-day and night, every moment. And it is not only aware of them; it is reacting to them - every moment, it is reacting. That means it is multiplying the behavior pattern of craving, of aversion; of craving, of aversion. Either the sensations are pleasant or unpleasant, and this part of the mind keeps reacting, over and over. The conscious mind doesn't know what is happening at all. This tiny mind at the surface doesn't know at all.

An example - it is night time and you have gone to bed. You are in deep sleep. Who is in deep sleep? The conscious mind is in deep sleep. But the so-called unconscious mind never sleeps. It is constantly in contact with these body sensations. You are in deep sleep. A mosquito has come and bitten you. The unconscious mind immediately feels - there is an unpleasant sensation - and it reacts. It will drive the mosquito away or kill the mosquito. Still, this unpleasant sensation is going on. Now it will scratch and the conscious mind doesn't know at all. In the morning if somebody asks you, "During the night, how many mosquitoes bit you?" You don't know. You will know nothing about it, and yet the whole night you were reacting to these mosquito bites.

And it does not happen only at night. This barrier remains all the time, twenty-four hours a day. For example now, at this moment, I am sitting. If I am not a good Vipassana meditator, what happens? While I am talking, my conscious mind is working: "Look, I have said so much. Now I must conclude in this way. 

Time is getting short. I must finish the talk now. And whatever I am saying - are people listening to it? Are they understanding or are they getting bored? They have started yawning. They are looking at their watches. I must stop talking." My conscious mind is doing this job. The unconscious mind has nothing at all to do with it. The unconscious mind is busy feeling sensations. Sitting for one hour in one position with this heavy weight, a pressure starts somewhere in my body. When a pressure starts this unconscious mind says, "I don't like it. You better move." So I move a little. After some time another pressure appears. Again I move a little. Some itching might start up and automatically I scratch it. My conscious mind doesn't know what I am doing. Try observing someone. Keep watching him or her for 15 minutes. Do nothing: just observe the person. You will notice how frequently he or she is shifting like this and fidgeting here and there. What is he doing? Even the person himself or herself does not know what he or she is doing. 

This is because there is such a big barrier between the conscious and the unconscious part of the mind. 

The conscious mind is occupied with so many things. The unconscious mind is busy only feeling sensations and reacting, feeling sensations and reacting.

This barrier needs to be broken. You may have the intellectual understanding: "Oh everything is anicca, everything is anicca, there should be no lobha, no dosa." And yet there is lobha, there is dosa. This mind, this unconscious mind does not understand that this is anicca. When there is pain, it doesn't like it: "Oh, this is unpleasant. I don't like it." It keeps on reacting. Now, with Vipassana, you go to the depth where the mind feels the body sensations. It is at the level of the bodily sensations that the unconscious mind is reacting; and it is at this level that you can stop this unconscious mind from reacting. Whatever may have been understood at the intellectual level, now this mad mind, the blind mind, also starts understanding: "Look-anicca, Look, these sensations are anicca." Then the behavior pattern at the depth of the mind starts changing.

This was Buddha's enlightenment: this paticca samuppada (dependent origination). He said whether there is a Buddha present or not, the law of paticca samuppada is always there. Other teachers will say, "Oh, you must not react with craving to anything pleasant that you see, or to anything pleasant that you hear, or to any pleasant thing you smell, taste, touch or think. You must not react with craving. Or, whatever unpleasant experience there may be, something that you see, you hear, you smell, you taste, you touch, or you think - do not have aversion." This teaching was there. Even today many are giving this teaching. 

Buddha found out that there is a gap between the outside object coming in contact with the six sense doors and the reaction of craving or aversion. He discovered a missing link, and that missing link is vedana, the sensation on the body.

Salyatana paccaya phasso; phassa paccaya vedana; vedana paccaya tanha.

With the base of the six senses, contact arises; with the base of contact, sensation arises; with the base of sensation, craving and aversion arise.

I may think that I am free from craving or aversion when I hear something pleasant or unpleasant, but deep inside where the sensations have started, my mind keeps reacting. At the depth it keeps reacting. If I do not work with this link which is deeper than my superficial, intellectual understanding, I cannot come out of my misery because I cannot change the habit pattern of my mind. This is what the Buddha found out: salayatana paccaya phasso - at the six sense doors, there is contact. Phassa paccaya vedana: at every contact, there is sensation. When there is a contact at the ear sense door, or eye sense door, or nose sense door, or tongue sense door, or body sense door, or mind sense door - there is bound to be sensation on the body: vedana. Then vedana paccaya tanha: only after vedana will this craving and aversion arise. 

If you miss vedana, how will you know where the tanha has started? You won't even know that tanha has started. 

You may try to keep the impurities away at the surface level of the mind, but at the depth, long before the reaction becomes strong enough to emerge at the conscious level, it has already tied so many knots, so many knots! The behavior pattern becomes stronger and stronger. You can't come out of it by working only at the intellectual level.

The beauty of Buddha's teaching is that he gave this wonderful technique, which is universal. Anybody who goes to the depth and takes out all the impurity becomes a liberated person, and can keep calling himself by any name. It makes no difference. But someone who cannot penetrate to this depth keeps on rotating in misery. This law is universal, applicable to one and all. Buddha rediscovered this law, made use of it for himself, became liberated and then started distributing it to others with so much love, so much compassion. As people started practising it, they benefitted from it.

People of this wonderful island, I am glad you have so much devotion to Buddha. You admire Buddha. 

You admire Buddha's teaching. Therefore the base is wonderful. You all have the seed of Dhamma in you. 

Otherwise you would not have come to a talk like this. By now, perhaps, you would have been in some theatre or some cinema or some dance hall or somewhere else. You are here. That shows that you have got the seed of Dhamma in you. But if for the whole life the seed remains only a seed, you won't get anything. 

The seed must grow and give wonderful fruits. And certainly the seed can give wonderful fruits. I invite all of you. As Buddha says, "Give me seven days of your life. Just give a trial." I am not a Buddha. I say, "Give me ten days of your life and try. Just try." Accept it only after you have passed through these ten days. You will find that Buddha's way is really beneficial - that it gives results, akaliko, here and now. You won't have to wait until after death. You will benefit here and now, and keep on benefitting.

Idha nandati pecca nandati katapunno ubhayattha nandat.

Here and now he rejoices, after death he rejoices, in both cases the well doer rejoices.

The moment you start practising Dhamma, you will see that you are benefiting. In the beginning, it is beneficial; in the middle, it is beneficial; at the end, it is beneficial. But it is beneficial only when you practice.

I hope all of you, sooner or later, will find the time to begin the practice of Buddha's teaching. You have done a lot of intellectual entertainment already. Today also you have listened for one hour, which was only intellectual entertainment. But now take this hour and turn it into the strong determination that whenever you find time, you will pass through a practice of ten days.

May all of you pass through a practice of ten days.

May all of you get the best benefit of Buddha's teaching,the best fruits of Buddha's teaching.

May all of you enjoy real peace, real harmony, real happiness.

S.N. Goenka

                                             -oOo-

Shri S.N. Goenka learned this technique in 1955 from the late Sayagyi U Ba Khin of Burma, a reknowned teacher of Vipassana. For nearly fourteen years Goenkaji received training under his teacher. Sayagyi wished that the technique of Vipassana should return to India, the place of its origin and from there spread throughout the world to help liberate mankind from its suffering.

Goenkaji has taken this as his life's work; he has been teaching Vipassana in India since 1969 and in other countries since 1979. In that time he has conducted over 350 ten-day courses attended by tens of thousands of students from many countries and from all walks of life. Since 1982 he has trained and appointed over 100 assistant teachers who conduct courses of Vipassana using Goenkaji's taped instructions and discourses. The main centre for the training and practice of Vipassana is the Vipassana International Academy at Igatpuri, India, about 135 kilometers from Bombay. In addition, students have founded several other centres in India, Australasia, Europe. North America, and Asia.