THE EYES, EARS AND NOSE ARE CAUSAL CONDITIONS January 16th, 2525 (1982)

THE EYES, EARS AND NOSE ARE CAUSAL CONDITIONS 
January 16th, 2525 (1982)

Meditation – focus your heart. If you have been able to focus your heart, you will thus know ‘Buddho’ as the Path for the heart. If in meditation you still can’t focus your mind, you will lose out to defilement – defilement is there first. 

You need to have recollection (sati) safeguarding the heart for it to be good. If you don’t have recollection (sati), the mind will go clinging and sticking to that or this, all over the place, leading it into delusion.

When you are deluded – like when you are deluded with something – lift it up and contend with it using investigation. The body, for example – focus on breaking the parts of the body apart, piece by piece. It’s full of things that are unclean, flowing in and out of it all the time, every moment. 

Investigating and breaking it down until you see that it is unattractive is not easy when the mind is pushed around and shaken up, looking for preoccupations. 

We have to rely on putting forth effort, and enduring patience. When the mind has strength, it will thus be peaceful. If we’re caught up in laziness, the mind is no use. The substance of this lethargy and laziness is the substance that lets things go to rot – it’s the substance of defilement. When we sit, we’re quickly yawning, yawning... This is just defilement. If our efforts are complete, we will thus gain strength. If it’s incomplete, there will be no strength. 

That physical body of ours – the one we see as attractive – is because of unclean things filling its stomach and intestines. If there were nothing in the stomach, nothing in the intestines, have a look – would it be attractive? If the contents of the stomach and intestines all came flowing out, the body would be dried and withered – leaving just skin wrapped around the bones. 

If we speak in accordance with truth, the whole body is completely filled with rotten things. And even though it’s like that, we’re still deluded into thinking it’s something beautiful and attractive. 

But the heart doesn’t tell us that it’s filled with unclean things, you know. We have to meditate, investigating backwards and forwards, doubling over and doubling back. We’re deluded over something unattractive – we grab onto that and contend with this – and actually see it as attractive until we’re caught and deluded. 

Meditating – if we lie down to meditate it just becomes ‘sleeping meditation’.^1 In eating, if we eat too much, when we meditate we sit and go to sleep. There are many issues and many complications. If anything is too much, the mind won’t be peaceful. We try to stop it but it doesn’t listen – all the food blots us out. 

All of us have lain in our mother’s womb for nine months, ten months, before we could escape and cry – “Wahhh!” If we were happy, we’d have laughed – but we cried with distress... 

This sensuality – we’ve been caught in it for an uncountable, endless time. 

The Buddha accelerated his effort until he knew clearly and saw truly. Sensuality is the single substance that makes beings die. Kāma-taṇhā (craving for sensuality), bhava-taṇhā (craving for becoming/being) and vibhava-taṇhā (craving for not becoming/annihilation) enter in and become kāma-tan-naa, bhava-tan-daa, and vibhava-tan-jai.^2 

When sensuality comes in and clogs everything up – our face, our eyes, our hearts – then delusion arises. Love, hate and satisfaction arise because of that sensuality. Dissatisfaction is because of sensuality – it arises with the heart.

The eyes are causal conditions. The ears are causal conditions. The nose is a causal condition. They are causal conditions for love and hate. 

The eyes are causal conditions when we have seen a beautiful sight, an attractive sight, or an ugly, detestable sight. The ears are causal conditions – we hear a symphony or beautiful singing, or, really irritating sounds. The nose and the heart are the same – if something is good, we find it adorable and we’re caught in it and deluded. If it’s the opposite, we bristle at it and hate it. Thus, these things are causal conditions. 

Killing each other is because of sensuality. Love is because of sensuality. The entire sky, land and sea is filled with sensuality. Sensuality clogging our faces, being clogging our eyes, and annihilation clogging our hearts. If I were to expand on this, there would be no end at all to sensuality, because satisfaction and dissatisfaction both arise from sensuality, full stop. 

Investigate this really well. However it is, you’ve been thus deluded about it until you’ve been turned into its servant boy.

^1. An untranslatable play-on-words: “If we ‘non bhāvanā’, it just becomes ‘bhāvanon’.” 

[Admin: 'non' (Thai: นอน) means 'sleep' in Thai while 'bhavana' (Thai: phawana ภาวนา) means meditation.]

^2. Another untranslatable play-on-words: “Sensual craving, craving for being and craving for annihilation enter in and become ‘sensuality clogging our face’, ‘being clogging our eyes’ and ‘annihilation clogging our hearts’.” 

[Admin:  To put into context the translation, 'tan' (ตัน) that shares the same sound as the first syllable of 'taṇhā' ('ตัณ' in 'ตัณ-หา' craving) can mean 'clog'. Sensual craving (kāma-taṇhā) becomes kāma-tan-naa [กาม-ตัน-หน้า where naa (หน้า) means face], craving for being (bhava-taṇhā) becomes bhava-tan-daa [ภว-ตัน-ตา where daa (ตา) means eye] and craving for annihilation (vibhava-taṇhā) becomes vibhava-tan-jai [วิภว-ตัน-ใจ where jai (ใจ) means heart].

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

From The Life and Teachings of Luang Pu Waen Suciṇṇo, translated by Hāsapañño Bhikkhu.

The Life and Teachings of Luang Pu Waen Suciṇṇo

PDF: https://sites.google.com/site/wideanglewilderness/downloads/LifeandTeachingsWEB.pdf?attredirects=0 

About Luang Pu Waen:

Luang Pu Waen was one of Luang Pu Mun's early disciples who followed him up into the north of Thailand. Many of Luang Pu Mun's disciples became great monks, but only a handful of them became legendary in their own right. Luang Pu Waen was one of them. 

Reclusive and unworldly by nature, he was the most famous monk in Thailand when he died and was King Bhumiphol's (Rāma IX) favourite Ajaan. Although he was a monk who spoke little, his fame in the last years of his life meant that many of the teachings he did give were recorded. His talks were regarded by monks as extremely profound and absolutely right to the point.

Open Awareness and Open Mindfulness.

Dear friends,

Here’s sharing an article by Bro Piya Tan where he shares his understanding of the terms Open Awareness and Open Mindfulness, his experience on the application of the meditation techniques taught by Āyasma Aggacitta and his appreciation of the teachings of Āyasma Aggacitta.

OPEN AWARENESS, OPEN MINDFULNESS

Malaysian Buddhist Meditation that works

One of the signs of a living religion is that it renews itself. Buddhism is renewed locally by Āyasma AGGACITTA (the one with the foremost mind), a Malaysian Theravāda forest monk of Burmese training. 

His usage of Āyasma translates as “venerable,” better than Bhante, usually rendered “Sir,” a common mode of addressing seniors for both the laity and the monastic. Understandably, Aggacitta prefers being addressed as Āyasma so that we remember him as a monk, which is deeply admirable.

Recently, Aggacitta has introduced new terms during his ongoing teachings on Buddhist Dhamma and meditation, that is, the terms, OPEN AWARENESS and OPEN MINDFULNESS. The most remarkable aspect of these terms is that they are very simple yet effective meditation techniques, especially helpful for the beginner, also for advanced meditators when they have any kind of difficulties in their practice, and mental healing for those who need it.

ALWAYS AWARE

Firstly, OPEN AWARENESS (OA) simply refers the “present-moment” state of our being, that is, ongoing workings of the 5 physical senses and the mind. Whether we know it or not, our 6 senses (the 5 physical senses and the mind) are always seeking and processing their relevant sense-objects, even as we read this. 

In fact, even when we are asleep, our senses are still capable of sensing.

Here, let me venture to say (as I understand the suttas and myself) that, during sleep, the MIND is not aware of the physical sense-activities or “sensations.” However, it may still be aware of itself: that is why we dream. The mind, too, may fall asleep, become unaware of itself (like during deep dreamless sleep or when we are unconscious). This is when the subconscious or bhav’aṅga (the life-continuum) takes over. 

Otherwise, we are dead, since it has been reborn into a new existence.

BEING PRESENT

The most beneficial part is what we do with OPEN MINDFULNESS (OM), which is where Aggacitta’s years as a meditation practitioner guided by strict Vinaya observance has blessed us with his genius of a remarkably simple yet effective meditation technique.  OM is, simply, being present, here and now, with whatever we are SENSING (the 5 physical senses) or MINDING (the mind).

Understandably, we cannot humanly Be MINDFUL of all the 6 sense-activities or “sensations,” even if and when they are actually occurring, say, even now as we are reading this reflection. We can only choose ONE of these sensations, any one, especially the most dominant one.

ENGAGING

For example, right now, as I write this, my attention is on the letters and words appearing on the computer screen. I watch them, as each of them magically appear onscreen. I am also aware of the soft gentle clicks of my mechanical keyboard. That, too, sounds interestingly engaging. 

Occasionally, I notice my thoughts. But they are too fast for me to perceive transforming themselves through my body (arm, fingers, etc) knowing which key to hit at some speed into this reflection. In short, I am enjoying what I am doing.

 TIKKI’S CALL

Then, my cat, Tikki, will meow at me, which usually means she wants some water. When she paws me (touches me with her paw), it means she is really hungry. Here I am writing this important reflection or working on a translation.

Let me say that the thought “What an annoying cat!” never arises. Instead, I hear the words: “Compassion break!” 

Compassion for myself, too, that is, since I need a break from looking at the screen too long, from sitting too long. I answer Tikki’s call.

OPEN AWARENESS YOGA

Similarly, when I do my senior yoga, which combines Buddha Namaskar (a buddhified form of Suriya Namaskar) and half a dozen other postures (asana) to exercise all my limbs, especially by neck and lower back). 

I  will hold each stage of a posture to 

2 recitations of “namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa,” totalling 

3 rounds.

This yoga also helps me exercise with Open Mindfulness. When I think I have forgotten the 2nd round (dutiyam pi) I will do that round “again.” This exercise also keeps me in tandem with my bodily postures. 

I do this every day before the sun sets, also as a kind of Buddha Puja. This is my own understanding and practice of Open Mindfulness.

AGGACITTA’S TEACHING

Aggacitta tells us in his excellent talks—well presented with graphics, slides and snippets of relevant teachings, making it all fun to watch—that he spontaneously came up with the idea of differentiating between Open Awareness and Open Mindfulness. 

From my own understanding of what I have watched of Aggacitta’s teaching videos, I can say that Open Awareness simply refers to the “CONTACT” of sense-faculty, sense-object and sense-consciousness.

He teaches us that what we experience is an OBJECT (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, thought). 

How we react or respond to this experience—whether we see it as pleasant on unpleasant—is the SUBJECT. “Neutral feeling” is usually only known through inference (we will not discuss this to keep this simple.)

IS THIS TAUGHT BY THE BUDDHA?

Aggacitta explains how he searched the suttas to see if his ideas are sutta-based. Happily, we see their roots in at least 2 well known and important teachings, that is,

(1) The Maluṅkya teaching (S 35.95) and the Bahiya teaching (U 1.10):

“In the seen, there is only the seen; in the heard, only the heard … .” (SD 5.9; SD 33.7).

(2) The Bhadd’eka,ratta Sutta series (M 131-134), where we find this famous verse and teaching:

Let one not pursue the past | nor hold fond hope for the future.

For, the past is gone, | and the future has not yet come.

Only the present state | (as it arises) one sees that with insight (tattha tattha vipassati).

(M 131, SD 8.9)

SEE WITH INSIGHT

Aggacitta has not mentioned any canonical Pali equivalents for “Open Awareness” or “Open Mindfulness.” 

However, from the suttas quoted above, we may conclude that the Pali for the action behind Open Awareness is PHASSATI (“touches” in terms of sense-contact or stimulus), and behind Open Mindfulness is VIPASSATI (see clearly, with insight), from which we get the noun VIPASSANĀ.

Aggacitta’s remarkably simple and effective meditation techniques, I predict, will create a new tidal wave in modern meditation, for which we must credit him, also because he has diligently been living as a Dhamma-Vinaya monk, which is very rare today, free of titles and other worldly burdens. He does Malaysian Buddhists (who follow the historical Buddha), and his Burmese teachers and friends proud.

Surely, we may envision him as a Malaysian Mahasi (MM) Sayadaw.

When I first met Aggacitta some 4 decades ago, he was a young reticent monk. We have grown significantly older: we have to continue his Dhamma teachings.

At least, we now have less excuse to complain about difficulties in meditation.

Sadhu.

fb210624 ©piya

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This is an edited video of the online event Sunday Afternoon with Āyasmā Aggacitta held on 21 February 2021 where Āyasmā began by explaining why he changed open awareness to open mindfulness. The event is a live Q&A session where yogis can discuss their practices with Āyasmā. It is a spin-off from the online Mindful Awareness & Serenity Retreat organised by Sāsanārakkha Buddhist Sanctuary in November 2020.

Here's the link for the video: 

https://youtu.be/3Q1lFZ7DBtA

THE CAUSES OF QUARRELLING By Venerable Bhikkhu Sujato.

THE CAUSES OF QUARRELLING
By Venerable Bhikkhu Sujato.

So I have heard. At one time Venerable Mahākaccāna was staying at Varaṇā, on the bank of the Kaddama Lake.

Then the brahmin Ārāmadaṇḍa went up to Mahākaccāna, and exchanged greetings with him. 

When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to Mahākaccāna:

“What is the cause, Master Kaccāna, what is the reason why aristocrats fight with aristocrats, brahmins fight with brahmins, and householders fight with householders?”

“It is because of their insistence on sensual desire, their shackles, avarice, and attachment, that aristocrats fight with aristocrats, brahmins fight with brahmins, and householders fight with householders.”

“What is the cause, Master Kaccāna, what is the reason why ascetics fight with ascetics?”

“It is because of their insistence on views, their shackles, avarice, and attachment, that ascetics fight with ascetics.”

“Master Kaccāna, is there anyone in the world who has gone beyond the insistence on sensual desire and the insistence on views?”

“There is, brahmin.”

“Who in the world has gone beyond the insistence on sensual desire and the insistence on views?”

“In the eastern lands there is a city called Sāvatthī. There the Blessed One is now staying, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. He, brahmin, has gone beyond the insistence on sensual desire and the insistence on views.”

When this was said, the brahmin Ārāmadaṇḍa got up from his seat, arranged his robe over one shoulder, knelt on his right knee, raised his joined palms toward the Buddha, and expressed this heartfelt sentiment three times:

“Homage to that Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha!

Homage to that Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha!

Homage to that Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha!

He who has gone beyond the insistence on sensual desire and the insistence on views.

Excellent, Master Kaccāna! Excellent! As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with good eyes can see what’s there, Master Kaccāna has made the teaching clear in many ways. I go for refuge to Master Gotama, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha. From this day forth, may Master Kaccāna remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”

“Everything you do during your waking hours is recorded by your mind.”

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

19 January 2026

“Everything you do during your waking hours is recorded by your mind.”

- - -

Question (M):  My mother passed away two years ago but I can hear her voice during my meditation. Is our mind a recorder? 

Than Ajahn: Yes, everything you do during your waking hours is recorded by your mind, good or bad thing is recorded in your mind. Sometimes your mind will replay those events in your dreams at night. If you do good deeds, it will be recorded as good memories or good experiences. If you do bad deeds, it will be recorded as bad experiences. When you sleep, these good and bad experiences will be replayed in the forms of good dreams and bad dreams. 

When you die, when there is no physical body, the good dreams and bad dreams will be the ones that your mind experience during the time while you are waiting for a new body. If you have good dreams, we call it, ‘heaven.’ If you have bad dreams, we call it, ‘hell.’ 

So, ‘heaven and hell’ is not a place but a state of mind when there is no physical body. It’s a dreamlike state where you experience good dreams and bad dreams. 

You have the dreams until they expire. When they expire, you will go pick up a new body. And hence, rebirth commence.

Youtube: “Dhamma in English, Dec 9, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

Latest Dhamma talks on Youtube: 

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

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

15th October, 2022

Question:  How to meditate on the 6 elements? 

Than Ajahn:  We usually don’t meditate on the 6 elements. When we meditate, we usually use the breath to calm the mind. So, the 6 elements are not something you have to worry about. 

The 6 elements are more for vipassanā, for the development of wisdom. The 6 elements are the basic building blocks of all existence of everything in the universe. Everything in the universe is made up of these 6 elements. The earth element, the wind element, the fire element, the water element, the knowing element and the space element: these are the building blocks of the universe of life, of everything. So, they are not something you need to meditate on. When you meditate, the goal is to stop your thoughts. You want to calm your mind so you can find peace and happiness. You need to watch the breath or use a mantra—this will stop your thoughts and make your mind calm, peaceful and happy.

“Dhamma in English, Mar 25, 2019.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

YouTube:  Dhamma in English. 

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

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

13 June 2024

Question:  What is the role of the observer or the one who knows in the process of liberation?

Than Ajahn:  Well, the one who knows is just that. It just knows. The problem is the defilements keep telling the one who knows to react. So, you’re here to stop the reactions, to make the one who knows just knows. Right now, the one who knows isn’t just knowing, it reacts to what it knows, so this is the problem. When you react to what it knows, it can cause suffering in the mind, it can cause uneasiness and bad feeling in the mind, because when you react and cannot get what you are reacting for, you become sad or angry. But if you merely know, then you don’t feel anything. So, the goal is to keep the mind or the one who knows merely knows. Don’t react. 

This is why you have to meditate and you have to be mindful because mindfulness can stop the mind from reacting, it keeps the mind in equanimity, and doesn’t react to anything the mind comes to know. 

“Dhamma in English, May 28, 2019.”

- - - - -

Question:  Ajahn, when one gains enlightenment, does it mean that one will not harbor hatred or have extreme happiness but just be peaceful at all time?

Than Ajahn:  When one becomes fully enlightened, one will have no greed, hatred, delusion or fear. One merely lives or exists without having to react or rely on anybody or anything. One can be alone and be happy. One doesn’t need anything to be happy, once one becomes enlightened. That’s the nature of an enlightened mind. An enlightened mind is a contented mind, a happy mind; it doesn’t need to have anything to make it content or happy; it can be happy by itself. 

- - - - -

Question:  Do Arahants still have thoughts that come and go even when they are enlightened? 

Than Ajahn:  Yes, the Buddha still used thoughts to teach the Dhamma to us. The arahant and the ordinary persons have the same 5 khandhas. The difference is that the arahant doesn’t have any defilement in the mind that drives the 5 khandhas. The arahant uses Dhamma to drive the 5 khandhas, while ordinary people use the defilements to direct the 5 khandhas. 

Question:  When an Arahant is sweeping the floor, would thoughts still pop up while they are sweeping the floor?

Than Ajahn:  The arahants have thoughts. They can think and they can also stop thinking if they want to. 

The Arahants have full control of the thoughts. They can tell the mind when to stop thinking and when not to stop thinking. 

“Dhamma in English, Aug 22, 2021.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

YouTube:  Dhamma in English.

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

Sharing by Bhante U Cittara

A sharing on trimming of Bodhi Tree  ........

QUESTION : 

Bhante, I’m very confused. Some say that one should not cut or trim a Bodhi tree for whatever reason and some say that one can do this in a positive way. Please advise.

An MV Devotee

ANSWER: 

Four Citiyas are found in the Buddhist literature. They are :

1)    the relic of the Buddha, pagoda or stupa where the Buddha’s relic is enshrined (dhatu-cetiya),

2)   the teachings of the Buddha including books, CD, VCD of the Dhamma (dhamma-cetiya),

3)   the Buddha image, Buddha statue and painting of Buddha (Uddissa-cetiya), and

4)   requisites of the Buddha like robe, bowl, Bodhi tree etc. (paribhoga-cetiya).

Should a Bodhi tree, paribhoga-cetiya, be cut or trimmed? The answer totally depends on one’s attitude.

Stories of Physician Jivaka and Devadatta are perfect examples to illustrate this.

Physician Jivaka shed the blood of the Buddha when he was operating on the Buddha to heal his illness and Devadatta also shed the blood of the Buddha when he wanted to take the Buddha’s life. Shedding the Buddha’s blood is the same as cutting or trimming the Bodhi Tree and the only difference is the volition which motivated the two actions. So what Jivaka had done was considered a great meritorious deed while what Devadatta had done was a great evil deed.

The Buddha also said, “Oh monks, volition is kamma, I declare (cetanaham, bhikkave, kammam vadami).” 

Come to think of it, if one can shed the Buddha’s blood with a positive attitude, why cannot he or she cut or trim a Bodhi tree?

However, one should perform some religious services like paying respect and asking for forgiveness before he cuts or trims a Bodhi tree because it is a cetiya which deserves respect.

With Metta,

Bhante U Cittara