[10] Concept, Reality & Wise Attention
You have to remember, wise attention is important. You must expose the relity (paramattha dhamma). Because of the concepts, the dhamma to Nibbāna are hidden beneath the concepts. First, have to strip off the concepts. And must talk about dhamma to expose the reality.
After uncovering the concept & the reality will appear. And then moving away the dhamma which covered up Nibbāna. Three kinds of dhamma are here. To discern anicca, dukkha, anattā & dukkha sacca, you must move away the hindrances. With only discovering of anicca, dukkha & anattā dhamma become wise attention.
If you don’t have wise attention concepts will torment you. (Talked about Ven. Tissa who died & born as a louse. He had sīla but died with the attachment to his new robes). Mind & form, anicca, dukkha and anattā not appeared to him, and so he had unwise attention.
Therefore he was born as a louse. In the world there are a lot of wrong attentions for us (Mentioned some of them in the daily life.). With wrong attentions beings are born in bad destination (dugati). Therefore beings were missing the chances with each Buddha. They’re living with things with wrong attention (family members, wealth, etc.).
Wasting their time with things with wrong attention. They also not encounter with good teacher. And taking pleasures in things with wrong attention that they are arriving in woeful planes. A place not good to live is with a lot of fetters (samyojana). You have to work hard with the practice.
If become a habitual kamma & no need to be afraid of bad destination. (i.e, acinna kamma of regular practice) But with wrong attention becomes near death kamma (asanna kamma), and send beings to painful destinations. With right attention and right view, & with wrong attention and wrong view arise. With the teaching to expose the reality and will have the right attention.
The things you can touch are not man or woman. These are just only form. It’s only the beginning for right attention. The things arising in you can’t be touch are mind dhamma. Only has these 2 kinds of dhamma. Can be measured is form & can’t be measured is mind.
Want to eat, good to eat, etc. “Are these things can be measured?” (explained the 4 nāma dhama with examples) If you’re taking the medicine of truth and will be free from death. Only with the dāna, sīla & samatha practices are changing deaths. If you don’t start from the mind & body will not reach to right attention.
If the mind abandons form & it’ll fall apart. You must remember mind is the leader. Mind is giving the order & form is following the orders. Only the foreman &worker exist. Now, we’re taking off the man & woman concepts. And ditthi is cleared up. Without the heavy element of ditthi will not fall into the apāya.
We still have to uncover cause & effect process. This is to be freed from doubt (vicikiccha). Mind & body nature are changing & perishing. Except the impermanent process & nothing exists. With the right attention develops to the knowledge of rise &fall (udayabbaya ñāna)
If you prefer mind & contemplate the mind; if vedana & contemplate vedana. You’ll see the arising & passing away. Only the arising dukkha & the vanishing dukkha exist. At last you’ll make the decision that it hasn’t any sukha (happiness) but only dukkha (suffering).
This is penetrating dukkha thoroughly. Only with the penetrating of dukkha thoroughly that substitute with nirodha- the cessation of dukkha.
Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw--Part 12
Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw--Part 11
[11] Simple & Direct
Right attention comes with the sitting meditation. With family matters & business it’ll not arise. First, doing with just knowing the in breath coming in and the out breath going out, for 15 or 20 minutes. This is for someone not doing it before. Someone already discerns impermanence no need for it.
(If we only listen a few talks by Sayadaw we can misinterpret some of his talks. For general listerners he always asked them to calm the mind down for some time with the ānāpānasati. Thai forest monks were also doing the same thing. They always sat for samādhi before contemplation. Some even talked about Sayadaw’s instruction as vipassanā yanika way (dry insight).
Even though he didn’t mention much about samādhi, his instructions to close disciples on samādhi was not the dry insight practice. For e.g, see the instruction given to U Kyaw Thein, one of his close disciples. In many of his talks he emphasized the contemplation of impermanence. If you don’t have samādhi how do you contemplate impermanence.)
You have to know every time it going out & every time coming in. If you are continuously knowing in this way and the mind not running away to anywhere. And you know it continuously. You bind your mind at the post of in breath & out breath.
When you’re knowing like this & if the body becomes hot or cold or whatever arising, with the samādhi, khandha will tell you. It can be also told you itches, pains, aches, numbness, tiredness, etc.… It can be also told you hot, cold, calmness, vibrations, etc. Someone has samādhi & knows them. No samādhi & doesn’t know them.
For e.g., this room is 18 feet (55.7m) high. At around mid-night if a small lizard falls from the ceiling can hear the thud sound. With a lot of people like now we don’t know it. Because with the interference of the sound of the machine & human voices.
Someone has samādhi knows everything what the khandha tells him. The khandha talks about its nature. Its nature is here one thing & there another thing. The khandha is changing (viparināma). Even it’s changing before the samādhi, but we don’t know it.
Samāhito yathabhūtaṁ pajanati-someone had samādhi knew about the khandha rightly, which was mentioned by the Buddha in the suttas on samādhi. How to know it rightly? If the khandha is itching & telling you that I am the feeling aggregates (vedanakkhandha), with pain & also the same.
Different kinds of feelings arise & you know them. Different mind states arise & you know them. Forms are changing from hot to cold. After you arrive back home just try it out.
The Buddha taught that khandha was called viparināma-change. Everytime a new one is arising with the abandoning of the old one. Someone has samādhi, by observing the change & seeing its dissolution. Viparināma is arising & dissolution is vanishing. So it’s arriving back to the rise & fall of phenomena.
In the khandha only rise & fall exist. In the khandha only change & dissolution exist. Only by seeing the change & dissolution that it is not a man nor a woman. It is no need to dispel ditthi for you. At that moment the face, & the hairs not appear to you.
By observing the changing & vanishing phenomena, man & woman naturally disappear. Men & women are the saying of the society, which were taught by your father & mother. You close the 5 sense-door & observe with the mind door.
If you observe with the mind eye and only seeing the change & dissolution. Viparināma lakkhanaṁ dukkha saccaṁ-the characteristic of change is truth of dukkha. Change is abandoning of its nature.
Dissolution is abandoning of its nature. Note the change & dissolution of phenomena as dukkha sacca. At that time don’t separate them as mind & body, because you contemplate them as truth (sacca). So it becomes dhammanupassana satipatthāna.
Change & dissolution are dukkha sacca and seeing is magga sacca. It becomes right attention. Yoniso & paññā are going together. With right attention & you found dukkha sacca. It’s the vijjā eye, sammā-ditthi eye & nyan eye.
You get the eye of seeing dukkha. Normally you take them as man and woman and never think about it as dukkha. Now, you know the differences of your body &dukkha sacca. It happens with its nature, & unstoppable.
It’s the nature of not-self. Therefore anicca, dukkha, & anattā are including in the dukkha sacca. At last only seeing the truth & enter Nibbāna. Ven. Sariputta had said, it was like all the foot prints of other animals had to be entered into the foot print of an elephant.
If you observing only the change & dissolution, anicca, dukkha, anattā and asubha all are including in it. Contemplation of impermanence is contemplation of sacca. With the contemplation of impermanence, indulgence of sensual pleasures not arise (kāmasukhalikānuyogo). Also the indulgence of self-mortifications not arise (attakilamathānuyogo).
This is not the way of pleasure & suffering. It’s the middle way. If, for the pleasure of mind & body & becomes the way of tanhā. And it is for the suffering of mind & body and becomes the way of dosa. Without them & you’re on the middle way. Seeing the change & dissolution is the middle way. Seeing it longer & become mature. By seeing a lot of change & dissolution & become disenchantment.
Why is that? Because we attain the changing & vanishing things. Normally we take it as having a good thing with us. Actually we get the disgusting & hateful thing with us. After that not only for disenchantment but also with the contemplation don’t want to stay with it. And develop to the knowledge of not wanting to get it. As soon as with the development of this knowledge, the changing & vanishing things disappear.
The khandha also disappears. With own knowledge seeing the place of not changing is nirodha sacca. The stability of no change appears. Nibbāna arises. How does it appear? Note it as a movie show. At first it’s complicating with pictures on the screen.
When the movie is ended the white screen appears. Here also in the same way. Contemplate with samādhi & seeing the complex. With the contemplation of not wanting arises, & it becomes clear away things like seeing a white screen.
Right attention comes with the sitting meditation. With family matters & business it’ll not arise. First, doing with just knowing the in breath coming in and the out breath going out, for 15 or 20 minutes. This is for someone not doing it before. Someone already discerns impermanence no need for it.
(If we only listen a few talks by Sayadaw we can misinterpret some of his talks. For general listerners he always asked them to calm the mind down for some time with the ānāpānasati. Thai forest monks were also doing the same thing. They always sat for samādhi before contemplation. Some even talked about Sayadaw’s instruction as vipassanā yanika way (dry insight).
Even though he didn’t mention much about samādhi, his instructions to close disciples on samādhi was not the dry insight practice. For e.g, see the instruction given to U Kyaw Thein, one of his close disciples. In many of his talks he emphasized the contemplation of impermanence. If you don’t have samādhi how do you contemplate impermanence.)
You have to know every time it going out & every time coming in. If you are continuously knowing in this way and the mind not running away to anywhere. And you know it continuously. You bind your mind at the post of in breath & out breath.
When you’re knowing like this & if the body becomes hot or cold or whatever arising, with the samādhi, khandha will tell you. It can be also told you itches, pains, aches, numbness, tiredness, etc.… It can be also told you hot, cold, calmness, vibrations, etc. Someone has samādhi & knows them. No samādhi & doesn’t know them.
For e.g., this room is 18 feet (55.7m) high. At around mid-night if a small lizard falls from the ceiling can hear the thud sound. With a lot of people like now we don’t know it. Because with the interference of the sound of the machine & human voices.
Someone has samādhi knows everything what the khandha tells him. The khandha talks about its nature. Its nature is here one thing & there another thing. The khandha is changing (viparināma). Even it’s changing before the samādhi, but we don’t know it.
Samāhito yathabhūtaṁ pajanati-someone had samādhi knew about the khandha rightly, which was mentioned by the Buddha in the suttas on samādhi. How to know it rightly? If the khandha is itching & telling you that I am the feeling aggregates (vedanakkhandha), with pain & also the same.
Different kinds of feelings arise & you know them. Different mind states arise & you know them. Forms are changing from hot to cold. After you arrive back home just try it out.
The Buddha taught that khandha was called viparināma-change. Everytime a new one is arising with the abandoning of the old one. Someone has samādhi, by observing the change & seeing its dissolution. Viparināma is arising & dissolution is vanishing. So it’s arriving back to the rise & fall of phenomena.
In the khandha only rise & fall exist. In the khandha only change & dissolution exist. Only by seeing the change & dissolution that it is not a man nor a woman. It is no need to dispel ditthi for you. At that moment the face, & the hairs not appear to you.
By observing the changing & vanishing phenomena, man & woman naturally disappear. Men & women are the saying of the society, which were taught by your father & mother. You close the 5 sense-door & observe with the mind door.
If you observe with the mind eye and only seeing the change & dissolution. Viparināma lakkhanaṁ dukkha saccaṁ-the characteristic of change is truth of dukkha. Change is abandoning of its nature.
Dissolution is abandoning of its nature. Note the change & dissolution of phenomena as dukkha sacca. At that time don’t separate them as mind & body, because you contemplate them as truth (sacca). So it becomes dhammanupassana satipatthāna.
Change & dissolution are dukkha sacca and seeing is magga sacca. It becomes right attention. Yoniso & paññā are going together. With right attention & you found dukkha sacca. It’s the vijjā eye, sammā-ditthi eye & nyan eye.
You get the eye of seeing dukkha. Normally you take them as man and woman and never think about it as dukkha. Now, you know the differences of your body &dukkha sacca. It happens with its nature, & unstoppable.
It’s the nature of not-self. Therefore anicca, dukkha, & anattā are including in the dukkha sacca. At last only seeing the truth & enter Nibbāna. Ven. Sariputta had said, it was like all the foot prints of other animals had to be entered into the foot print of an elephant.
If you observing only the change & dissolution, anicca, dukkha, anattā and asubha all are including in it. Contemplation of impermanence is contemplation of sacca. With the contemplation of impermanence, indulgence of sensual pleasures not arise (kāmasukhalikānuyogo). Also the indulgence of self-mortifications not arise (attakilamathānuyogo).
This is not the way of pleasure & suffering. It’s the middle way. If, for the pleasure of mind & body & becomes the way of tanhā. And it is for the suffering of mind & body and becomes the way of dosa. Without them & you’re on the middle way. Seeing the change & dissolution is the middle way. Seeing it longer & become mature. By seeing a lot of change & dissolution & become disenchantment.
Why is that? Because we attain the changing & vanishing things. Normally we take it as having a good thing with us. Actually we get the disgusting & hateful thing with us. After that not only for disenchantment but also with the contemplation don’t want to stay with it. And develop to the knowledge of not wanting to get it. As soon as with the development of this knowledge, the changing & vanishing things disappear.
The khandha also disappears. With own knowledge seeing the place of not changing is nirodha sacca. The stability of no change appears. Nibbāna arises. How does it appear? Note it as a movie show. At first it’s complicating with pictures on the screen.
When the movie is ended the white screen appears. Here also in the same way. Contemplate with samādhi & seeing the complex. With the contemplation of not wanting arises, & it becomes clear away things like seeing a white screen.
Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw--Part 12-12
[12] Insight for Everyone
You can sit & also can lying down. It doesn’t matter (For a beginner it is not suitable for lying down in practice. If a person is sick or has difficulty in sitting, then no other choice. Also it is necessary to train in lying posture. Because at near death most people can’t escape from lying down).
With the normal breathing, knowing the in breath comes in & goes out. Just doing this, by doing it & if at somewhere has pain & stop at watching the in breath & out breath.
And turning the mind towards the pain (Here Sayadaw was using the word sending the mind towards. Most Buddhists still believe that the mind can be gone here & there.
Therefore still many Buddhists are holding the view of a soul. So many of them accept the view of reincarnation, instead of rebirth. The mind has the ability of inclination towards anywhere).
It’s changing. Before it’s not in pain, but it happens now. At the time of observation the pain turns into dissolution. From its own nature becomes change. In living beings two minds can’t arise at the same moment. Only after the pain disappears & nyan mind can arise.
Therefore you’ll see the change & dissolution. Because by watching the khandha & you are seeing it. Change and dissolution are anicca dukkha sacca. It is anicca & also dukkha. The knowing nyan mind is lokiya magga sacca. Contemplate like this in the khandha & only dukkha sacca & magga sacca exist.
(For people no contemplation only dukkha sacca and samudaya sacca exist without knowing). And lobha samudaya sacca ceases (i.e, the cessation without the arising). With the cessation of upādāna & kamma, the future jāti, jāra, marana also cease. The maggan which see the change & dissolution make it ceases. Therefore vipassanā practice is watching the khandha.
Ven. Sariputta taught: kayamimaṁ sammappatha- watching & observing this khandha. It’s rising & falling (anicca) / magga. Then you get the maggan by watching & observing. And if you’re searching for it & can’t find it. In the Milindapañha, Ven. Nāgasena said; tigers in the forest were not fast in chasing its preys.
Therefore they had to wait & catch the animals. If you say; “I don’t know how to do it?” And then it means you’re not watching; the khandha is showing its nature here & there. These shows are dukkha sacca & observing is magga sacca. Dying of tanhā is samudaya sacca & the next khandha not arises is nirodha sacca.
It’s clear that we’re practicing for the 4 noble truths. Originally it’s the diseased khandha. Therefore it’ll show its diseases. It’ll only show rise & fall, rise & fall, etc.…… If kilesa not come in between them & you can attain Path & Fruition within 7 days. It was mentioned in the satipatthāna sutta. We were not doing the watching before that saṁsāra was very long for us.
If you don’t have anything to observe, then going back to the in breath & out breath. These are also rise and fall. After watching & observing for a long time this khandha not shows you anicca, dukkha, anattā & asubha, instead dukkha sacca. And nyan develops.
Therefore you know very clear that having the human life is dukkha sacca. You’re thoroughly penetrating dukkha. So you attain maggan (path factors) not with prayers. This is the task of watching & observing. It appears as dukkha sacca without any sukha. You’re only seeing dukkha & becoming disenchanted. Seeing the rise & fall is yathabhūta ñāna.
Disenchantment with the rise & fall dukkha sacca is nibbida ñāna. After sometime nyan becomes sharp, & knowledge of not wanting to stay with these dukkha sacca arises. This knowledge arises & all the dukkha disappear. The ending of dukkha sacca disappears is nirodha sacca, & seeing this ending is magga sacca.
If dukkha disappears & magga arises. Seeing dukkha is vipassanā magga (insight path factors). If you are following to the ending of the practice, dukkhassa antaṁ karissati – seeing the ending of dukkha with magga ñāna – the Path Knowledge. This was taught by Ven. Sariputta & also the Buddha.
Therefore today onwards you must do the work of watching & observing. If rise & fall are becoming more by practice & don’t be lazy. Why so many death? Why so much dukkha? The arising is dukkha & vanishing is dukkha. By not taking pleasure in the rise & fall, tanhā & dukkha will cease.
So Nibbāna is far or near? (It’s very near, Ven. Sir.) Then you all were not arriving there before was never doing the task of watching & observing. Therefore in saṁsāra hell fire & hell woks were burning & boiling for all of you. It had never been extinguished because ditthi- tanhā not ceased.
Ditthi – tanhā create the hell fire. Tanhā has 2 kinds; tanhā to hell (the 4 apāyas) & -tanhā to sugati. It happened because ditthi—tanhā not ceased. (The permanent places of most living beings are the four planes of misery.)
You can sit & also can lying down. It doesn’t matter (For a beginner it is not suitable for lying down in practice. If a person is sick or has difficulty in sitting, then no other choice. Also it is necessary to train in lying posture. Because at near death most people can’t escape from lying down).
With the normal breathing, knowing the in breath comes in & goes out. Just doing this, by doing it & if at somewhere has pain & stop at watching the in breath & out breath.
And turning the mind towards the pain (Here Sayadaw was using the word sending the mind towards. Most Buddhists still believe that the mind can be gone here & there.
Therefore still many Buddhists are holding the view of a soul. So many of them accept the view of reincarnation, instead of rebirth. The mind has the ability of inclination towards anywhere).
It’s changing. Before it’s not in pain, but it happens now. At the time of observation the pain turns into dissolution. From its own nature becomes change. In living beings two minds can’t arise at the same moment. Only after the pain disappears & nyan mind can arise.
Therefore you’ll see the change & dissolution. Because by watching the khandha & you are seeing it. Change and dissolution are anicca dukkha sacca. It is anicca & also dukkha. The knowing nyan mind is lokiya magga sacca. Contemplate like this in the khandha & only dukkha sacca & magga sacca exist.
(For people no contemplation only dukkha sacca and samudaya sacca exist without knowing). And lobha samudaya sacca ceases (i.e, the cessation without the arising). With the cessation of upādāna & kamma, the future jāti, jāra, marana also cease. The maggan which see the change & dissolution make it ceases. Therefore vipassanā practice is watching the khandha.
Ven. Sariputta taught: kayamimaṁ sammappatha- watching & observing this khandha. It’s rising & falling (anicca) / magga. Then you get the maggan by watching & observing. And if you’re searching for it & can’t find it. In the Milindapañha, Ven. Nāgasena said; tigers in the forest were not fast in chasing its preys.
Therefore they had to wait & catch the animals. If you say; “I don’t know how to do it?” And then it means you’re not watching; the khandha is showing its nature here & there. These shows are dukkha sacca & observing is magga sacca. Dying of tanhā is samudaya sacca & the next khandha not arises is nirodha sacca.
It’s clear that we’re practicing for the 4 noble truths. Originally it’s the diseased khandha. Therefore it’ll show its diseases. It’ll only show rise & fall, rise & fall, etc.…… If kilesa not come in between them & you can attain Path & Fruition within 7 days. It was mentioned in the satipatthāna sutta. We were not doing the watching before that saṁsāra was very long for us.
If you don’t have anything to observe, then going back to the in breath & out breath. These are also rise and fall. After watching & observing for a long time this khandha not shows you anicca, dukkha, anattā & asubha, instead dukkha sacca. And nyan develops.
Therefore you know very clear that having the human life is dukkha sacca. You’re thoroughly penetrating dukkha. So you attain maggan (path factors) not with prayers. This is the task of watching & observing. It appears as dukkha sacca without any sukha. You’re only seeing dukkha & becoming disenchanted. Seeing the rise & fall is yathabhūta ñāna.
Disenchantment with the rise & fall dukkha sacca is nibbida ñāna. After sometime nyan becomes sharp, & knowledge of not wanting to stay with these dukkha sacca arises. This knowledge arises & all the dukkha disappear. The ending of dukkha sacca disappears is nirodha sacca, & seeing this ending is magga sacca.
If dukkha disappears & magga arises. Seeing dukkha is vipassanā magga (insight path factors). If you are following to the ending of the practice, dukkhassa antaṁ karissati – seeing the ending of dukkha with magga ñāna – the Path Knowledge. This was taught by Ven. Sariputta & also the Buddha.
Therefore today onwards you must do the work of watching & observing. If rise & fall are becoming more by practice & don’t be lazy. Why so many death? Why so much dukkha? The arising is dukkha & vanishing is dukkha. By not taking pleasure in the rise & fall, tanhā & dukkha will cease.
So Nibbāna is far or near? (It’s very near, Ven. Sir.) Then you all were not arriving there before was never doing the task of watching & observing. Therefore in saṁsāra hell fire & hell woks were burning & boiling for all of you. It had never been extinguished because ditthi- tanhā not ceased.
Ditthi – tanhā create the hell fire. Tanhā has 2 kinds; tanhā to hell (the 4 apāyas) & -tanhā to sugati. It happened because ditthi—tanhā not ceased. (The permanent places of most living beings are the four planes of misery.)
Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw--Part 12-13
[13] Dying & undying
Amatato- undying dhamma is Nibbāna. In the world there are 2 kinds of dhamma; dying & undying. It’s like there is heat & there is cold. The 5 khandhas are dying dhamma, & without is undying dhamma. Beings are going the wrong way that they have to die. If they are going the right way will arrive to the cool place.
This place is not good & people are changing to other places. Wherever you’re changing just only changing death. With this khandha wherever you’re going will never free from dangers. Nibbāna is a safety place without the 11 kinds of fire for burning. So it has no aging, sickness & death.
The khandha is the fuel for 11 kinds of fire. So you have to die again & again. (The eleven kinds of fire are; greed, anger, delusion, birth, ageing, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief & despair. It needs to be contemplated often with human life & see more clear.)
The 6 sense doors love sukha vedana & beings are murdered by them. Therefore beings die by the killers of vedana paccaya tanhā, upādāna & kamma. If you can make vedana becomes ending will free from death. Beings swallow the poisons of vedana with tanhā & kill by ageing & death. If you know the khandha as poison tree & you don’t want it. (continued on Ven. Radha).
Ven, Radha asked the Buddha; “Who is the murderer?” He asked about the king of the death. Here was maro. The Buddha answered as the 5 khandhas. Human never takes his khandha as a poison tree. All the 5 khandhas are poisons. If you observe one of the khandhas & will see its death with its own poison.
Amatato- undying dhamma is Nibbāna. In the world there are 2 kinds of dhamma; dying & undying. It’s like there is heat & there is cold. The 5 khandhas are dying dhamma, & without is undying dhamma. Beings are going the wrong way that they have to die. If they are going the right way will arrive to the cool place.
This place is not good & people are changing to other places. Wherever you’re changing just only changing death. With this khandha wherever you’re going will never free from dangers. Nibbāna is a safety place without the 11 kinds of fire for burning. So it has no aging, sickness & death.
The khandha is the fuel for 11 kinds of fire. So you have to die again & again. (The eleven kinds of fire are; greed, anger, delusion, birth, ageing, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief & despair. It needs to be contemplated often with human life & see more clear.)
The 6 sense doors love sukha vedana & beings are murdered by them. Therefore beings die by the killers of vedana paccaya tanhā, upādāna & kamma. If you can make vedana becomes ending will free from death. Beings swallow the poisons of vedana with tanhā & kill by ageing & death. If you know the khandha as poison tree & you don’t want it. (continued on Ven. Radha).
Ven, Radha asked the Buddha; “Who is the murderer?” He asked about the king of the death. Here was maro. The Buddha answered as the 5 khandhas. Human never takes his khandha as a poison tree. All the 5 khandhas are poisons. If you observe one of the khandhas & will see its death with its own poison.
Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw--Part 12-14
[14] The burdened Khandha
Nibbāna is not made by anyone & no dissolution. The Buddha at the time of near his passing away &smiled because he had to lay down his burdened khandha. Because the khandha was arising, presence & dissolution (the 3 sub-moments of birth- ageing- death).
He would be separated from ageing, sickness & death & stayed with no ageing, no sickness &deathless. Someone abandons the 5 khandhas can be smiled & no sadness. He has to smile because will be stayed with no ageing, no sickness and the deathless. He had been carried the khandha quite a long time & no time for a rest.
Nibbāna has the power of stability & coolness. The knowledge wanting to free form the present khandha is the path of liberation. We have to come out from the knowledge of not wanting the present khandha. Ven. Sariputta recited these Pali verses near the time of laying down his burdened khandha. (Sayadaw recited the Pali verses).
The khandha was always burning with fire. I had never been in peace & happiness. I had never been freed from any life not to carry the khandhas made by tanhā. It was heavier than carrying the great Mt. Meru on my back. Even Mt. Meru would turn into ashes at the time of Doomsday. But the burdened khandha had to carry on in the other world. I never had the chances to lay it down before.
Nibbāna is the Dhamma for everyone takes joy in it, when the time comes to put down the burdened kandha. (Arahant had penetrated dukkha thoroughly for 4 times on the way of practice. And also rested the mind in fruition state for many time & before) The path of liberation is easy if the eacher shows the way.
Leaving the eye of the worldling aside & with the eye of ariyan &the khandha is never free from diseases. Therefore don’t pray for the khandha. If you’re taking the khandha as very good & you don’t want to be freed from it.
Only you know about its evils, & want to be freed form it (These points are important for Buddhists to contemplate. Dukka means disgusting & useless. Therefore it only gives us troubles & sufferings in saṁsāra, except we use it for liberation. With bhava tanhā we will come back again & again for sufferings & no other purposes).
The khandha only showing you what originally has. Sitting at a place, watching & observing for what it will show you. With the watching & observing will see the dissolution of the khandha. Nyan has to follow behind its ehi passiko-khandha is calling at come and see me. If you’re following it and will see its not-existing.
Why is that? For e.g., pain arises and at the time when nyan follows it & not there anymore. Its calling is the arising & not seeing it is the vanishing. With more samādhi & there are more callings. In the khandha only the change & dissolution exist. The calling is the change & not existing is the vanishing.
Nibbāna is not made by anyone & no dissolution. The Buddha at the time of near his passing away &smiled because he had to lay down his burdened khandha. Because the khandha was arising, presence & dissolution (the 3 sub-moments of birth- ageing- death).
He would be separated from ageing, sickness & death & stayed with no ageing, no sickness &deathless. Someone abandons the 5 khandhas can be smiled & no sadness. He has to smile because will be stayed with no ageing, no sickness and the deathless. He had been carried the khandha quite a long time & no time for a rest.
Nibbāna has the power of stability & coolness. The knowledge wanting to free form the present khandha is the path of liberation. We have to come out from the knowledge of not wanting the present khandha. Ven. Sariputta recited these Pali verses near the time of laying down his burdened khandha. (Sayadaw recited the Pali verses).
The khandha was always burning with fire. I had never been in peace & happiness. I had never been freed from any life not to carry the khandhas made by tanhā. It was heavier than carrying the great Mt. Meru on my back. Even Mt. Meru would turn into ashes at the time of Doomsday. But the burdened khandha had to carry on in the other world. I never had the chances to lay it down before.
Nibbāna is the Dhamma for everyone takes joy in it, when the time comes to put down the burdened kandha. (Arahant had penetrated dukkha thoroughly for 4 times on the way of practice. And also rested the mind in fruition state for many time & before) The path of liberation is easy if the eacher shows the way.
Leaving the eye of the worldling aside & with the eye of ariyan &the khandha is never free from diseases. Therefore don’t pray for the khandha. If you’re taking the khandha as very good & you don’t want to be freed from it.
Only you know about its evils, & want to be freed form it (These points are important for Buddhists to contemplate. Dukka means disgusting & useless. Therefore it only gives us troubles & sufferings in saṁsāra, except we use it for liberation. With bhava tanhā we will come back again & again for sufferings & no other purposes).
The khandha only showing you what originally has. Sitting at a place, watching & observing for what it will show you. With the watching & observing will see the dissolution of the khandha. Nyan has to follow behind its ehi passiko-khandha is calling at come and see me. If you’re following it and will see its not-existing.
Why is that? For e.g., pain arises and at the time when nyan follows it & not there anymore. Its calling is the arising & not seeing it is the vanishing. With more samādhi & there are more callings. In the khandha only the change & dissolution exist. The calling is the change & not existing is the vanishing.
Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw--Part 12-15
[15] Time & Timeless
Because of the sun and the moon, day & night times arise. With them temperature (utu) arises. With temperature ageing & sickness arise. Everyday the temperature is eating & chewing the khandha. Eaten by time (kāla) & become old.
These are the change of the khandha. Time (kāla) is cold & hot temperatures. With them you can’t free from dangers. Therefore I am urging you try to become akālika-timeless. The Buddha didn’t like the beings were living with time. If you’re living with time & have to make companions with ageing, sickness & death.
The Buddha had arisen in the world for the beings became timeless- akālika. But when day time appears you all are happy. If night time arises also you all are happy with it. And you are taking rest at night time. These are not seeing the dangers of time. The mind wants to transcend time can’t arise.
It’s akālika-timeless & can be experienced here & now (with the practice of the Noble Paths). This quality of the Dhamma is not for worshipping, but for practice. Akālika is Nibbāna- Timeless Dhamma. Therefore the Buddha taught that in Nibbāna there were no sun & no moon.
There is no heat element to eat & chew the khandha, and no causes for ageing, sickness &death. If you’re running around the 31 realms of existence & will has the sun & the moon. (Sayadaw gave the example for this as how living beings looked like in saṁsāra.
It was like a dog following by a man behind & who was beating it with a stick inside a room but this dog just running around the room.) Time eats all the living beings. (Sayadaw recited the Pali verses of the Buddha.)
This is the path of people not knowing the truth. Therefore we must consume the time. We never know the faults of time. The faults are very great indeed. (Sayadaw continued to use the D.A chart to explain the dhamma of time). Some people when their children are born they advertise it in the newspaper.
They don’t know that it’s for avijjā & saṅkhāra. And it is for the sake of eaten by kāla. It’s clear that Nibbāna is free from the 3 periods of time. (See the 12 links of D.A chart). People think that nothing is existing in Nibbāna. It’s not so. It means the freedom from the sun & the moon- the 3 periods of time, & not becoming the eating & chewing stuffs.
Therefore Nibbāna is free & safety from dangers. You have to go there. Is it Nibbāna far or near? (It’s near, Ven, Sir.) Why peole not arrive there? Because not encounter a good teacher & not knowing the way. At the ending of khandha Nibbāna exists. (At the end of section 2, i.e, viññānaṁ → nāma/ rūpaṁ → salayatanaṁ → phassa → vedana).
You have to practice between vedana & tanhā. The ending of khandha is Nibbāna. The ending of tanhā is Nibbāna. If you attain maggan & time is eaten by you. If you don’t attain maggan & you have been eaten by time.
Because of the sun and the moon, day & night times arise. With them temperature (utu) arises. With temperature ageing & sickness arise. Everyday the temperature is eating & chewing the khandha. Eaten by time (kāla) & become old.
These are the change of the khandha. Time (kāla) is cold & hot temperatures. With them you can’t free from dangers. Therefore I am urging you try to become akālika-timeless. The Buddha didn’t like the beings were living with time. If you’re living with time & have to make companions with ageing, sickness & death.
The Buddha had arisen in the world for the beings became timeless- akālika. But when day time appears you all are happy. If night time arises also you all are happy with it. And you are taking rest at night time. These are not seeing the dangers of time. The mind wants to transcend time can’t arise.
It’s akālika-timeless & can be experienced here & now (with the practice of the Noble Paths). This quality of the Dhamma is not for worshipping, but for practice. Akālika is Nibbāna- Timeless Dhamma. Therefore the Buddha taught that in Nibbāna there were no sun & no moon.
There is no heat element to eat & chew the khandha, and no causes for ageing, sickness &death. If you’re running around the 31 realms of existence & will has the sun & the moon. (Sayadaw gave the example for this as how living beings looked like in saṁsāra.
It was like a dog following by a man behind & who was beating it with a stick inside a room but this dog just running around the room.) Time eats all the living beings. (Sayadaw recited the Pali verses of the Buddha.)
This is the path of people not knowing the truth. Therefore we must consume the time. We never know the faults of time. The faults are very great indeed. (Sayadaw continued to use the D.A chart to explain the dhamma of time). Some people when their children are born they advertise it in the newspaper.
They don’t know that it’s for avijjā & saṅkhāra. And it is for the sake of eaten by kāla. It’s clear that Nibbāna is free from the 3 periods of time. (See the 12 links of D.A chart). People think that nothing is existing in Nibbāna. It’s not so. It means the freedom from the sun & the moon- the 3 periods of time, & not becoming the eating & chewing stuffs.
Therefore Nibbāna is free & safety from dangers. You have to go there. Is it Nibbāna far or near? (It’s near, Ven, Sir.) Why peole not arrive there? Because not encounter a good teacher & not knowing the way. At the ending of khandha Nibbāna exists. (At the end of section 2, i.e, viññānaṁ → nāma/ rūpaṁ → salayatanaṁ → phassa → vedana).
You have to practice between vedana & tanhā. The ending of khandha is Nibbāna. The ending of tanhā is Nibbāna. If you attain maggan & time is eaten by you. If you don’t attain maggan & you have been eaten by time.
Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw--Part 12-16
[16] Dying, saṁsāra & Nibbāna
[Sayadaw delivered quite a few talks on Yamaka. Here are 3 talks of Sayadaw based on Yamaka Sutta. I had already translated some of them on Ven, yamaka before. Therefore here only translate some of the parts for contemplation.]
Not understanding the khandha process that wrong view arises. The 5 mind moments also arose for the Buddha & arahants at near death. For the worldlings after the 5 mind moments & death consciousness arises. His death consciousness is dukkha sacca & his birth consciousness is also dukkha sacca.
Therefore if wordlings die & dukkhas cease & continue to other dukkhas. For the arahants after the 5 mind moments & death consciousness arises, but not continues to birth consciousness. Instead with the cessation of dukkha & Nibbāna arises. The permanent happiness arises.
The stable happiness arises (The Buddha referred to Nibbāna as the Supreme Happiness. Not the feeling happiness- sukha vedana as some Buddhists took it as the permanent heavenly bliss). Is it not the extinction? Some think that if an arahant dies & becomes totally extinct.
If you take it as nothing exists & become the view of annihilation. (uccheda ditthi). For the worldlings the processes are; dukkha to dukkha. For arahants; dukkha to sukha. It is very different. In the teaching (of Buddhism or the right Buddha’s teachings) you can’t separate D.A process & the truths. (i.e, the 4 Noble Truths).
(This point is very important for the right understanding of the Buddha’s Teachings. Because some Buddhists thought that the arahants still had defilements. Their minds were not totally pure, because they still had vasana-habitual tendency & selfishness.
These misunderstanding arose because of not understanding of the D.A process & the 4 Noble Truths clearly. The 4 Noble Truth, D.A process & the Patthāna Conditional Relations are the same things, from simple to detail processes.)
Worldlings continue the D.A process; i.e, continue to dukkha. Arahants cut off the D.A processes, i.e, cut off dukkha & sukha Nibbāna arises.
(Continued the Yamaka’s story) After the arahant dies dukkha sacca ceases & sukha sacca arses (the arising of Nibbāna element). Without understanding of this point that people don’t want Nibbāna
(This is one of the great problems of living beings. Because their bhava tanhā were so strong that very difficult to let go of their craving, clinging & view on this point. Even the highest beings, the brahma gods have bhava tanhā. Therefore some Buddhists preferred Nibbāna to be atta.
In Thailand some monks belong to a Buddhist sect even teach people as Nibbāna is attā & wanting to make it becomes a popular Buddhism.)
it’s becoming clear that the concepts of man & woman cover up on the 5 khandhas. If you separate & analyze each one of the 5 khandhas, then an arahant is only a sign-board. With the contemplation of the khandha & you’ll not see the arahant but only impermanence.
After dispelling ditthi & it is easy to enter the stream. There are 8 causes for identity view-sakkāya ditthi to arise. (Talked about Ven. Tissa broke his legs for guarantee to the bandits who wanted to take his life)
He practiced by separating vedana was using the anicca nyan. If you ask me; “Are the pains & aches cause by vedana?” You’ll only see the arising & passing away. And it becomes anicca & magga. Is there any displeasure (domanassa) arise such as it’s too painful? Only has bodily pain (kāyika dukkha) & no mental pain arises (cetasika dukkha). Pains & aches not arise in the mind. People are not seeing impermanence that getting up & running away.
If you discern its impermanence & not vedana anymore. If not, with the repetition condition (āsevanapaccayo) & it becomes increasing & you can’t bear it. Even Ven. Tissa could contemplate & overcame the great pain struck with the stone meant it was not vedana anymore.
If an arahant dies & it is not cutting off. And then what happen to him? Only dukkha not exists. With the exception of dukkha sacca ceases & Nibbāna arises than nothing exists (Nibbāna is not permanent heavens for special beings).
In the verse of anicca vata saṅkhāra with the impermanence (anicca) vanishes & the conditioned arises (saṅkhāra). Again the saṅkhāra ends up with anicca. Vanishing is anicca & arising is saṅkhāra. In this way anicca & saṅkhāra are going on in turn. Pains, numbness & aches are vedana. With the dissolution of them are anicca.
Because the Buddha taught-viparinama lakkhanaṁ dukkha saccaṁ- the characteristic of change is truth of suffering. Your dukkha is also known by animals (i.e, painful feeling). It can’t be realize the Path & Fruit. It abandons its intrinsic nature is dukkha. You must discern this point.
In the khandha all the conditioned phenomena are arising & vanishing with a blip that even you can’t put a tip of a needle inside them. It’s in dukkha & nothing is attainable. The 5 khandhas are except in perishing/ dissolution & nothing exists. Therefore it’s dukkha sacca. Doing the merits of dāna & sīla with the wishes of not wanting this khandha is good.
If not you’ll get back dukkha. Someone is alive without knowing the truth is like animals. So don’t live a life like a human beast. Discerning impermanence is knowing the truth. (Continued Ven. Yamaka’s story). Mind/ body dhamma arising are for dying. After that & it dies.
This is the dying disease arising & its death. Can you say it as my khandha, or it happens in accordance with the dhamma nature? It happens in accordance with the dhamma nature and not-self (anattā). You just contemplate the impermanence. It’ll enter the stream by itself.
The first knowledge is turning towards rising & falling. After if you don’t want dukkha & nyan turns towards Nibbāna. The yogi knows his own cessation of dukkha. It also had evidence; if no, I’ll not talk about it. (i.e, evidence of the suttas)
King Milinda asked Ven. Nagasena; “How to contemplate & realize Nibbāna? The process was the same as mentioned before. You’ll ask me; “Does this physical body disappear?” The yogi is seeing impermanence and not the body, hands & feet.
With the continuous contemplation of impermanence & nyan becomes mature to the point of just only dukkha & not wanting. And then all the impermanence disappear. With this the voidness arises. Nibbāna arises in the knowledge. People outside him see the khandha. But the yogi himself not sees it (i.e, his own body). Your duty is the contemplation of impermanence. And Nibbāna arises by itself.
When it’s arising how the yogi experiencing it? It’s like pouring with 100 buckets of water & feeling coolness in the knowledge. Normally the khandha is burning with the fire of lust, anger & delusion. If you’re practicing hard without giving up & it can happen at any time.
So don’t doubt about it. It was like a sore on your hand, after it was cured & sukha left behind. With dukkha ceases, peace & coolness – santi sukha is leaving behind. Therefore, “Is it totally disappear or dukkha ends?”
(Sayadaw continued to talk about Ven. Yamaka, later became arahant after entered the stream). The 5 khandhas are coming to murder you. But you’re looking after it. You have to leave them as strangers. Keeping them as insiders that in every life you were murdered by it.
You were not murdered by others, but with one of the 5 khandhas. (gave some of the examples). Every dukkha comes from the 5 khandhas. Pilanato-their nature are oppressive. Contemplate them as these are not me, not I am & not mine. And then, they can’t kill you. Asking you for the contemplation is to know them as strangers.
If you know them as aliens & no affection for it. With the samudaya dies & it can’t make the khandha. They come to murder us. But we go and attache them that meet with dangers. Wanting to attain the higher Path knowledge must talk about on killing tanhā. It is also seeing the impermanence (also start with anicca). But contemplate them as murderer, alien (vadakato, parato).
[Sayadaw delivered quite a few talks on Yamaka. Here are 3 talks of Sayadaw based on Yamaka Sutta. I had already translated some of them on Ven, yamaka before. Therefore here only translate some of the parts for contemplation.]
Not understanding the khandha process that wrong view arises. The 5 mind moments also arose for the Buddha & arahants at near death. For the worldlings after the 5 mind moments & death consciousness arises. His death consciousness is dukkha sacca & his birth consciousness is also dukkha sacca.
Therefore if wordlings die & dukkhas cease & continue to other dukkhas. For the arahants after the 5 mind moments & death consciousness arises, but not continues to birth consciousness. Instead with the cessation of dukkha & Nibbāna arises. The permanent happiness arises.
The stable happiness arises (The Buddha referred to Nibbāna as the Supreme Happiness. Not the feeling happiness- sukha vedana as some Buddhists took it as the permanent heavenly bliss). Is it not the extinction? Some think that if an arahant dies & becomes totally extinct.
If you take it as nothing exists & become the view of annihilation. (uccheda ditthi). For the worldlings the processes are; dukkha to dukkha. For arahants; dukkha to sukha. It is very different. In the teaching (of Buddhism or the right Buddha’s teachings) you can’t separate D.A process & the truths. (i.e, the 4 Noble Truths).
(This point is very important for the right understanding of the Buddha’s Teachings. Because some Buddhists thought that the arahants still had defilements. Their minds were not totally pure, because they still had vasana-habitual tendency & selfishness.
These misunderstanding arose because of not understanding of the D.A process & the 4 Noble Truths clearly. The 4 Noble Truth, D.A process & the Patthāna Conditional Relations are the same things, from simple to detail processes.)
Worldlings continue the D.A process; i.e, continue to dukkha. Arahants cut off the D.A processes, i.e, cut off dukkha & sukha Nibbāna arises.
(Continued the Yamaka’s story) After the arahant dies dukkha sacca ceases & sukha sacca arses (the arising of Nibbāna element). Without understanding of this point that people don’t want Nibbāna
(This is one of the great problems of living beings. Because their bhava tanhā were so strong that very difficult to let go of their craving, clinging & view on this point. Even the highest beings, the brahma gods have bhava tanhā. Therefore some Buddhists preferred Nibbāna to be atta.
In Thailand some monks belong to a Buddhist sect even teach people as Nibbāna is attā & wanting to make it becomes a popular Buddhism.)
it’s becoming clear that the concepts of man & woman cover up on the 5 khandhas. If you separate & analyze each one of the 5 khandhas, then an arahant is only a sign-board. With the contemplation of the khandha & you’ll not see the arahant but only impermanence.
After dispelling ditthi & it is easy to enter the stream. There are 8 causes for identity view-sakkāya ditthi to arise. (Talked about Ven. Tissa broke his legs for guarantee to the bandits who wanted to take his life)
He practiced by separating vedana was using the anicca nyan. If you ask me; “Are the pains & aches cause by vedana?” You’ll only see the arising & passing away. And it becomes anicca & magga. Is there any displeasure (domanassa) arise such as it’s too painful? Only has bodily pain (kāyika dukkha) & no mental pain arises (cetasika dukkha). Pains & aches not arise in the mind. People are not seeing impermanence that getting up & running away.
If you discern its impermanence & not vedana anymore. If not, with the repetition condition (āsevanapaccayo) & it becomes increasing & you can’t bear it. Even Ven. Tissa could contemplate & overcame the great pain struck with the stone meant it was not vedana anymore.
If an arahant dies & it is not cutting off. And then what happen to him? Only dukkha not exists. With the exception of dukkha sacca ceases & Nibbāna arises than nothing exists (Nibbāna is not permanent heavens for special beings).
In the verse of anicca vata saṅkhāra with the impermanence (anicca) vanishes & the conditioned arises (saṅkhāra). Again the saṅkhāra ends up with anicca. Vanishing is anicca & arising is saṅkhāra. In this way anicca & saṅkhāra are going on in turn. Pains, numbness & aches are vedana. With the dissolution of them are anicca.
Because the Buddha taught-viparinama lakkhanaṁ dukkha saccaṁ- the characteristic of change is truth of suffering. Your dukkha is also known by animals (i.e, painful feeling). It can’t be realize the Path & Fruit. It abandons its intrinsic nature is dukkha. You must discern this point.
In the khandha all the conditioned phenomena are arising & vanishing with a blip that even you can’t put a tip of a needle inside them. It’s in dukkha & nothing is attainable. The 5 khandhas are except in perishing/ dissolution & nothing exists. Therefore it’s dukkha sacca. Doing the merits of dāna & sīla with the wishes of not wanting this khandha is good.
If not you’ll get back dukkha. Someone is alive without knowing the truth is like animals. So don’t live a life like a human beast. Discerning impermanence is knowing the truth. (Continued Ven. Yamaka’s story). Mind/ body dhamma arising are for dying. After that & it dies.
This is the dying disease arising & its death. Can you say it as my khandha, or it happens in accordance with the dhamma nature? It happens in accordance with the dhamma nature and not-self (anattā). You just contemplate the impermanence. It’ll enter the stream by itself.
The first knowledge is turning towards rising & falling. After if you don’t want dukkha & nyan turns towards Nibbāna. The yogi knows his own cessation of dukkha. It also had evidence; if no, I’ll not talk about it. (i.e, evidence of the suttas)
King Milinda asked Ven. Nagasena; “How to contemplate & realize Nibbāna? The process was the same as mentioned before. You’ll ask me; “Does this physical body disappear?” The yogi is seeing impermanence and not the body, hands & feet.
With the continuous contemplation of impermanence & nyan becomes mature to the point of just only dukkha & not wanting. And then all the impermanence disappear. With this the voidness arises. Nibbāna arises in the knowledge. People outside him see the khandha. But the yogi himself not sees it (i.e, his own body). Your duty is the contemplation of impermanence. And Nibbāna arises by itself.
When it’s arising how the yogi experiencing it? It’s like pouring with 100 buckets of water & feeling coolness in the knowledge. Normally the khandha is burning with the fire of lust, anger & delusion. If you’re practicing hard without giving up & it can happen at any time.
So don’t doubt about it. It was like a sore on your hand, after it was cured & sukha left behind. With dukkha ceases, peace & coolness – santi sukha is leaving behind. Therefore, “Is it totally disappear or dukkha ends?”
(Sayadaw continued to talk about Ven. Yamaka, later became arahant after entered the stream). The 5 khandhas are coming to murder you. But you’re looking after it. You have to leave them as strangers. Keeping them as insiders that in every life you were murdered by it.
You were not murdered by others, but with one of the 5 khandhas. (gave some of the examples). Every dukkha comes from the 5 khandhas. Pilanato-their nature are oppressive. Contemplate them as these are not me, not I am & not mine. And then, they can’t kill you. Asking you for the contemplation is to know them as strangers.
If you know them as aliens & no affection for it. With the samudaya dies & it can’t make the khandha. They come to murder us. But we go and attache them that meet with dangers. Wanting to attain the higher Path knowledge must talk about on killing tanhā. It is also seeing the impermanence (also start with anicca). But contemplate them as murderer, alien (vadakato, parato).
Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw--Part 12-17
[17] Don’t Get Lost in Sufferings
You all want happiness is seeking for the world of beings (satta loka) & the world of planes (ākāsa loka). If you’re praying for satta loka & that is praying for ageing, sickness & death. Changing of ākāsa loka is also changing the places for burying the corpses. (i.e, the 31 planes of existence).
The conditioned world is also not good (i.e, saṅkhāra loka). It’s ending with impermanence. Formations are saṅkhāra (i.e, the 5 khandhas). Vanishing is anicca. These are arising & vanishing. Therefore you have to practice for the transcending of saṅkhāra loka. Saṅkhāra loka is the world worn-out living beings.
(Saṅkhāra loka is the most important one of the three. Without it all living beings are in peace & supreme happiness. Understanding of saṅkhāra loka or saṅkhāra dukkha on the conventional & ultimate levels are very important for all Buddhists, especially for yogis. Only with these 2 knowledges we can walk or work on the middle way & letting go of all clingings which are the sources of all different kinds of dukkha.
Human beings & societies are the best dhamma lessons & dhamma objects for studies & contemplations which confirm what the Buddha taught for 45 yrs. Satta loka & ākāsa loka are mostly coming from the human mind the saṅkhāra loka).
Any loka is not good. If we don’t get out from these 3 worlds can’t stop sufferings to happen. If you’re looking for goodness in loka & will never have it. If I give you the blessings also become empty. In loka nothing can be finished. It’s going on & on.
If seeing impermanence, nyan abandons khandha & kilesa. Therefore ditthi & tanhā die. Someone dies with this mind & born in sugati (here referred to the heaven). After arriving there will enter the stream. Death consciousness & birth consciousness are close to each other (anantara paccayo- proximity condition, no intermediate state & not a soul or entity.)
Therefore these dhamma are arising there. Even enter the stream is earlier then arriving there. (Sayadaw didn’t explain what it meant & why? With the Abhidhammea knowledge it can be possible because the mind is rising & falling faster than the body in 20 times).
Therefore insight knowledge is quite beneficial. With ditthi falls off & entering the stream. With the ditthi tanhā dies & not falls into apāya.
(He continued to talk on the practice up to the path knowledge arises)
Insight knowledge (vipassanā magga) abandons the khandha & kilesa but not see Nibbāna. Path knowledge abandon the khandha & kilesas and also sees Nibbāna. These were mentioned in the Milinda Pañha & Visudhimagga Texts. After vipassanā magga ends & Nibbāna arises (anantarapaccayo – proximity condition).
(continued to talk on the 5 faculties- indriyas. In the 5 faculties mindfulness (sati) is never in excessive. You must always have it & watching the objects.
You all want happiness is seeking for the world of beings (satta loka) & the world of planes (ākāsa loka). If you’re praying for satta loka & that is praying for ageing, sickness & death. Changing of ākāsa loka is also changing the places for burying the corpses. (i.e, the 31 planes of existence).
The conditioned world is also not good (i.e, saṅkhāra loka). It’s ending with impermanence. Formations are saṅkhāra (i.e, the 5 khandhas). Vanishing is anicca. These are arising & vanishing. Therefore you have to practice for the transcending of saṅkhāra loka. Saṅkhāra loka is the world worn-out living beings.
(Saṅkhāra loka is the most important one of the three. Without it all living beings are in peace & supreme happiness. Understanding of saṅkhāra loka or saṅkhāra dukkha on the conventional & ultimate levels are very important for all Buddhists, especially for yogis. Only with these 2 knowledges we can walk or work on the middle way & letting go of all clingings which are the sources of all different kinds of dukkha.
Human beings & societies are the best dhamma lessons & dhamma objects for studies & contemplations which confirm what the Buddha taught for 45 yrs. Satta loka & ākāsa loka are mostly coming from the human mind the saṅkhāra loka).
Any loka is not good. If we don’t get out from these 3 worlds can’t stop sufferings to happen. If you’re looking for goodness in loka & will never have it. If I give you the blessings also become empty. In loka nothing can be finished. It’s going on & on.
If seeing impermanence, nyan abandons khandha & kilesa. Therefore ditthi & tanhā die. Someone dies with this mind & born in sugati (here referred to the heaven). After arriving there will enter the stream. Death consciousness & birth consciousness are close to each other (anantara paccayo- proximity condition, no intermediate state & not a soul or entity.)
Therefore these dhamma are arising there. Even enter the stream is earlier then arriving there. (Sayadaw didn’t explain what it meant & why? With the Abhidhammea knowledge it can be possible because the mind is rising & falling faster than the body in 20 times).
Therefore insight knowledge is quite beneficial. With ditthi falls off & entering the stream. With the ditthi tanhā dies & not falls into apāya.
(He continued to talk on the practice up to the path knowledge arises)
Insight knowledge (vipassanā magga) abandons the khandha & kilesa but not see Nibbāna. Path knowledge abandon the khandha & kilesas and also sees Nibbāna. These were mentioned in the Milinda Pañha & Visudhimagga Texts. After vipassanā magga ends & Nibbāna arises (anantarapaccayo – proximity condition).
(continued to talk on the 5 faculties- indriyas. In the 5 faculties mindfulness (sati) is never in excessive. You must always have it & watching the objects.
Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw--Part 12-18
[18] Three Knowledges of the First Discourse
[This was a talk on sacca ñāna, kicca ñāna & kata ñāna mentioned in the First Discourse of the Buddha. And it has to be related to all Buddhists whatever their traditions are. Sayadaw’s explanations were simple, profound & clear. And it was always for the practical purposes.
It made us to remember the teachings & the greatness of the Buddha’s chief & great disciples, such as Ven. Sariputta, Ven. Mahā Kaccāyana, Ven. Mataniputta Punna, etc. A lot of gratitude arise for the Buddha, Dhamma & Sangha.
But some Buddhists took them as selfish beings were totally wrong & misunderstood the Dhamma. It was like saying as the purified mind was dark and ignorant, or a totally purified water still had pollutants.]
To know the truth (sacca) is the most important. Others such as dāna, sīla, samādhi & insight knowledge are supporting factors. A person doesn’t know the truths only turning towards dukkha.
People are seeking things wrongly, even though the teachings on the truths are still existing. (These wrong seeking are; family matter, wealth, fame, etc ) You all are encountering the great things. You have a good teacher who can teach sacca dhamma. You have the nyan ear for listening.
The Buddha Sāsana still exists. You are still alive. You have the kammas to attain the Path & Fruit with these 4 points. (To support his points, Sayadaw gave the simile of a blind turtle in the ocean. And also mentioned the former 2 teachers of the Bodhisatta). I’ll talk & let you know the truths.
There are 3 knowledges;
① sacca nyan – knowledge of the truths. It’s the lower level of the knowledge.
② Kicca nyan – The functional knowledge. It is the middle level of the knowledge
③ Kata nyan – the higher level of the knowledge.
① is knowing about the 4 truths.
② is the practicing knowledge of the development and the abandoning of defilements for the realization.
③ is the accomplishment of the practice.
Whatever dhamma arising and knowing as dukkha sacca is sacca nyan (except lobha or tanhā, greed or craving). Knowing about tanhā is knowing about samudaya sacca. Knowing lobha or tanhā arising is samudaya sacca. With tanhā ceases & know as Nibbāna is nirodha sacca.
Whatever dhamma arising & knowing with the truths are sacca nyan. (i.e, this is dukkha sacca, this is samudaya sacca, etc.) It is not contemplating with insight yet. Whatever dhamma arising & know the 4 truths with the analyzing. These were the knowledge of Kondañño in the First Discourse. This knowledge is knowing with the analytical knowledge of whatever arising dhamma.
Let’s talk about the functional knowledge (kicca nyan). This knowledge is important. Sacca nyan is knowing in accordance with the teacher’s teachings. Whatever arising dhamma know its arising & falling away of both. And then knowing them as dukkha thoroughly is kicca nyan.
Only dukkha arising & dukkha falling away, & nothing mixed up with it. This is knowing dukkha sacca with fully understanding (pariññaya). The impermanence of dukkha is the function of dhamma & knowing about it. The function of knowledge kicca nyan is practical knowledge. Sacca nyan is normal knowledge.
Kicca nyan is penetrative knowledge. Whatever arising in the khandha thoroughly knowing as except dukkha & nothing exists, is kicca nyan. Khanda is always telling about its function. But you don’t connect them with nyan. Therefore you don’t get kicca nyan. You must have to connect with it.
Everyday it’ll tell you the uncountable functions. Every time if you’re connecting with it & attain the uncountable kicca nyan. For e.g, from the carcass of the putrid cow whichever part you cut it with the knife & only get the putrid meat.
(it was quite a strange simile, but it touched the point. Whichever part of the human body is beautiful? It’s only foul & loathsome, give us a lot of troubles & sufferings. So Sayadaw translated dukkha as disgusting & useless, duk=disgusting, kha=useless).
In the same way whatever the khanda is showing you with only dukkha, & not showing you as sukha.
[This was a talk on sacca ñāna, kicca ñāna & kata ñāna mentioned in the First Discourse of the Buddha. And it has to be related to all Buddhists whatever their traditions are. Sayadaw’s explanations were simple, profound & clear. And it was always for the practical purposes.
It made us to remember the teachings & the greatness of the Buddha’s chief & great disciples, such as Ven. Sariputta, Ven. Mahā Kaccāyana, Ven. Mataniputta Punna, etc. A lot of gratitude arise for the Buddha, Dhamma & Sangha.
But some Buddhists took them as selfish beings were totally wrong & misunderstood the Dhamma. It was like saying as the purified mind was dark and ignorant, or a totally purified water still had pollutants.]
To know the truth (sacca) is the most important. Others such as dāna, sīla, samādhi & insight knowledge are supporting factors. A person doesn’t know the truths only turning towards dukkha.
People are seeking things wrongly, even though the teachings on the truths are still existing. (These wrong seeking are; family matter, wealth, fame, etc ) You all are encountering the great things. You have a good teacher who can teach sacca dhamma. You have the nyan ear for listening.
The Buddha Sāsana still exists. You are still alive. You have the kammas to attain the Path & Fruit with these 4 points. (To support his points, Sayadaw gave the simile of a blind turtle in the ocean. And also mentioned the former 2 teachers of the Bodhisatta). I’ll talk & let you know the truths.
There are 3 knowledges;
① sacca nyan – knowledge of the truths. It’s the lower level of the knowledge.
② Kicca nyan – The functional knowledge. It is the middle level of the knowledge
③ Kata nyan – the higher level of the knowledge.
① is knowing about the 4 truths.
② is the practicing knowledge of the development and the abandoning of defilements for the realization.
③ is the accomplishment of the practice.
Whatever dhamma arising and knowing as dukkha sacca is sacca nyan (except lobha or tanhā, greed or craving). Knowing about tanhā is knowing about samudaya sacca. Knowing lobha or tanhā arising is samudaya sacca. With tanhā ceases & know as Nibbāna is nirodha sacca.
Whatever dhamma arising & knowing with the truths are sacca nyan. (i.e, this is dukkha sacca, this is samudaya sacca, etc.) It is not contemplating with insight yet. Whatever dhamma arising & know the 4 truths with the analyzing. These were the knowledge of Kondañño in the First Discourse. This knowledge is knowing with the analytical knowledge of whatever arising dhamma.
Let’s talk about the functional knowledge (kicca nyan). This knowledge is important. Sacca nyan is knowing in accordance with the teacher’s teachings. Whatever arising dhamma know its arising & falling away of both. And then knowing them as dukkha thoroughly is kicca nyan.
Only dukkha arising & dukkha falling away, & nothing mixed up with it. This is knowing dukkha sacca with fully understanding (pariññaya). The impermanence of dukkha is the function of dhamma & knowing about it. The function of knowledge kicca nyan is practical knowledge. Sacca nyan is normal knowledge.
Kicca nyan is penetrative knowledge. Whatever arising in the khandha thoroughly knowing as except dukkha & nothing exists, is kicca nyan. Khanda is always telling about its function. But you don’t connect them with nyan. Therefore you don’t get kicca nyan. You must have to connect with it.
Everyday it’ll tell you the uncountable functions. Every time if you’re connecting with it & attain the uncountable kicca nyan. For e.g, from the carcass of the putrid cow whichever part you cut it with the knife & only get the putrid meat.
(it was quite a strange simile, but it touched the point. Whichever part of the human body is beautiful? It’s only foul & loathsome, give us a lot of troubles & sufferings. So Sayadaw translated dukkha as disgusting & useless, duk=disgusting, kha=useless).
In the same way whatever the khanda is showing you with only dukkha, & not showing you as sukha.
Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw--Part 12-19
[19] Instruction on Dying
When you all were young & with ignorance had done foolish things before. You should never think about these things during the practice & non-practice. You have to forget about them. If you’re making merits, don’t let worry (kukkucca) comes in such as; it’s still not finish yet.
Restlessness (uddhacca) & worry are arising to people who have dispersed minds. Without dispersion it’ll not arise. These are 2 fearful dhammas. After doing bad things & become worry is kukkucca. Worrying about not yet doing good things is also kukkucca.
Everyone has these dhammas. When these dhammas will arise? These can come as near death kammas (asanna kamma) Even you have been looked after your sīla & done merits for your whole life, they can come in & give the results. (Sayadaw gave the e.g of Queen Mallikā).
Asanna kamma is close to death. After death & birth comes. Therefore it is also close to birth. The mental state of worry & difficulty with this thing sent her to hell. (Queen Mallikā had performed great dāna & merits in her life. But once she had lied to the king for a minor thing & worry arose in her near death.
Sayadaw continued to talk that at near death instead of contemplation one’s own merits-caganusati, better to contemplate the khandha with insight. For this point he gave the example of Ven. Phugguna. So every Buddhist should prepare for this before hand.)
Now you all are getting up when become tired, & also in torpor (i.e, during sitting practice). At the time of death except vipassanā & there is nothing can be relied on. So if you make exertion can become a sotāpanna to arahant (At the Buddha’s time some attaind Dhamma in this way; e.g, Ven. Tissa, Ven. Channa, etc).
This is near death wholesome kamma (kusala asanna kamma). At that time who’ll relax on his effort & desire (chanda). Also before death with the practice of the contemplation of impermanence & become habitual kamma (acinna kamma). And near death continue with the practice & become near death kamma.
(Continued the story of Ven. Sona’s father who was a hunter before. Later ordained as a novice & near death saw the sign for the bad destination. But with the help of Sona & changed the bad to good destination).
So near death kamma can be changed. Worry & remorse can be changed. Therefore at near death good teachers & friends are important to help for the dying people. The best way is changing by oneself with the contemplation of impermanence (Because of the uncertainty of the dying moments.
So practice is important for the preparation). (Told another story of Ven. Tissa & his new robes). This was one’s belongings tormenting oneself. The Buddha had mentioned that foolish people had wealths & fortunes were frightening. Without these things were better for them.
(Here bāla means foolish person who is doing things harmful to himself & others in this life & future to come. Even the Buddha was saying all the human problems, sufferings & natural disasters were made by bāla people not by the pandita-wise person. The Buddha mentioned about them in many suttas the causes of the problems & the ways to deal with them).
The old things become renew again & tormenting you. Don’t think about the old unwholesome things. You have to think what is happening in the present khandha (this becomes right thinking). Thinking back the bad things become active phase of cognitive process.
This mind is retormenting you. By thinking of not good thoughts encounter sufferings. If they arise & contemplate its impermanence. And it becomes anicca & magga. You are changing them into anicca. Queen Mallikā & Ven. Tissa were not changing them in this way that fell into hell & became a louse. Continue with the vipassanā practice also make it not arises.
If they come in & contemplate its impermanence become maggas & no need to fear about it. It becomes vipassanā and also a good change. If you don’t know how to die & fall into bad destinations. If you know how to die & to good destinations & Nibbāna.
I am teaching you to Nibbāna with the worry & remorse dhammas. In another way, I am teaching you how to die. Restlessness-uddhacca arises & you think that the mind is running away. The mind doesn’t go anywhere. It’s only aiming at the object. (I.e, Thoughts/dhammaroms).
Like a telescopic mirror aiming far away. Restlessness arises at the heart-base (hadaya vatthu), and it may be aimed at the far away object. Restlessness arises at the heart base and falls away at the same spot. Don’t contemplate at the object, but at the place which arises.
Turning your mind towards the heart base where it arises & falls away. If you take the mind as running away is the view of enternalism (sassata ditthi). It’s the same view as the soul/life goes out.
(The view of the existence of a soul is a great problem. Even still many Buddhists are thinking in this way, & including some Buddhist monks. What a pity?)
When you all were young & with ignorance had done foolish things before. You should never think about these things during the practice & non-practice. You have to forget about them. If you’re making merits, don’t let worry (kukkucca) comes in such as; it’s still not finish yet.
Restlessness (uddhacca) & worry are arising to people who have dispersed minds. Without dispersion it’ll not arise. These are 2 fearful dhammas. After doing bad things & become worry is kukkucca. Worrying about not yet doing good things is also kukkucca.
Everyone has these dhammas. When these dhammas will arise? These can come as near death kammas (asanna kamma) Even you have been looked after your sīla & done merits for your whole life, they can come in & give the results. (Sayadaw gave the e.g of Queen Mallikā).
Asanna kamma is close to death. After death & birth comes. Therefore it is also close to birth. The mental state of worry & difficulty with this thing sent her to hell. (Queen Mallikā had performed great dāna & merits in her life. But once she had lied to the king for a minor thing & worry arose in her near death.
Sayadaw continued to talk that at near death instead of contemplation one’s own merits-caganusati, better to contemplate the khandha with insight. For this point he gave the example of Ven. Phugguna. So every Buddhist should prepare for this before hand.)
Now you all are getting up when become tired, & also in torpor (i.e, during sitting practice). At the time of death except vipassanā & there is nothing can be relied on. So if you make exertion can become a sotāpanna to arahant (At the Buddha’s time some attaind Dhamma in this way; e.g, Ven. Tissa, Ven. Channa, etc).
This is near death wholesome kamma (kusala asanna kamma). At that time who’ll relax on his effort & desire (chanda). Also before death with the practice of the contemplation of impermanence & become habitual kamma (acinna kamma). And near death continue with the practice & become near death kamma.
(Continued the story of Ven. Sona’s father who was a hunter before. Later ordained as a novice & near death saw the sign for the bad destination. But with the help of Sona & changed the bad to good destination).
So near death kamma can be changed. Worry & remorse can be changed. Therefore at near death good teachers & friends are important to help for the dying people. The best way is changing by oneself with the contemplation of impermanence (Because of the uncertainty of the dying moments.
So practice is important for the preparation). (Told another story of Ven. Tissa & his new robes). This was one’s belongings tormenting oneself. The Buddha had mentioned that foolish people had wealths & fortunes were frightening. Without these things were better for them.
(Here bāla means foolish person who is doing things harmful to himself & others in this life & future to come. Even the Buddha was saying all the human problems, sufferings & natural disasters were made by bāla people not by the pandita-wise person. The Buddha mentioned about them in many suttas the causes of the problems & the ways to deal with them).
The old things become renew again & tormenting you. Don’t think about the old unwholesome things. You have to think what is happening in the present khandha (this becomes right thinking). Thinking back the bad things become active phase of cognitive process.
This mind is retormenting you. By thinking of not good thoughts encounter sufferings. If they arise & contemplate its impermanence. And it becomes anicca & magga. You are changing them into anicca. Queen Mallikā & Ven. Tissa were not changing them in this way that fell into hell & became a louse. Continue with the vipassanā practice also make it not arises.
If they come in & contemplate its impermanence become maggas & no need to fear about it. It becomes vipassanā and also a good change. If you don’t know how to die & fall into bad destinations. If you know how to die & to good destinations & Nibbāna.
I am teaching you to Nibbāna with the worry & remorse dhammas. In another way, I am teaching you how to die. Restlessness-uddhacca arises & you think that the mind is running away. The mind doesn’t go anywhere. It’s only aiming at the object. (I.e, Thoughts/dhammaroms).
Like a telescopic mirror aiming far away. Restlessness arises at the heart-base (hadaya vatthu), and it may be aimed at the far away object. Restlessness arises at the heart base and falls away at the same spot. Don’t contemplate at the object, but at the place which arises.
Turning your mind towards the heart base where it arises & falls away. If you take the mind as running away is the view of enternalism (sassata ditthi). It’s the same view as the soul/life goes out.
(The view of the existence of a soul is a great problem. Even still many Buddhists are thinking in this way, & including some Buddhist monks. What a pity?)