By Nina van Gorkom
This book is not yet published in print format and this online version is in unedited text format without correct Pali accents.
December 1998
This is a report of the discussions on Buddhism which took place for five days in the North of Thailand. These sessions were organised by the Dhamma Study and Propagation Foundation, an association formed by lay people in Thailand, with the aim of encouraging the study of Buddhism according to the Pali Scriptures. They have radio programs daily throughout Thailand, and they publish and distribute books and tapes. Acharn Sujin Boriharnwanaket is the principal teacher of the Foundation and she discusses with endless patience questions from monks and laypeople alike. Acharn Sujin inspires everybody with her deep knowledge and understanding; she exhorts people to develop understanding of all that is real and that appears at the present moment.
The Foundation holds now and then sessions with discussions outside Bangkok so that people who live in the provinces can take part in them. Khun Sukol Kalyanamit had organized this trip to the North of Thailand and he greatly contributed to it that our stay in the different places was very agreeable. Acharn Somphon Srivarathit and Acharn Santi Phantha Keong-Amon who are both experts in Pali assisted Acharn Sujin in explaining the Dhamma and answering questions. Acharn Somphon translates commentaries from Pali into Thai.
For the writing of this report I elaborated on the topics of the discussions, and I also used Acharn Sujins radio programs and tapes. I added suitable texts from the Scriptures.
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Listening to the Dhamma
There is no Self
Chapter I
The Value of Listening
The value of listening to the Dhamma was one of the main themes of our Dhamma sessions in the North of Thailand. We had heard before about the benefit of listening, but this time we gained more confidence in its value.
The Buddha, during his past lives as a Bodhisatta , listened to former Buddhas and considered what they taught. In his last life he penetrated the true nature of all that is real and attained Buddhahood. He taught the truth to his disciples who listened to him, who developed understanding of what is real and attained enlightenment. Today we can still listen to the Dhamma. The Dhamma is subtle, difficult to grasp, and therefore we have to listen again and again, we have to consider carefully each word of the teachings. By listening we learn what we did not know before, we learn what is true in the ultimate sense and what is true merely in conventional sense. Before we listened to the Buddhas teachings we took it for granted that there are people, that there is "my body", "my mind", but what we take for a person or self are only mental phenomena, nama, and physical phenomena, rupa, which are impermanent and not self. A person is real in conventional sense, but nama and rupa are real in the ultimate sense. It is difficult to accept that there is no self, but the truth can be verified by developing understanding of nama and rupa, the realities in and around ourselves. We have to listen a great deal, investigate what we hear, and ponder over it, so that ignorance of nama and rupa can be eliminated. The goal of listening to the Dhamma is detachment from the idea of self.
We read in the "Kindred Sayings" (IV, Salayatana Vagga, Kindred Saying on Sense, Second Fifty, Ch 2, 69, Upasena):
Once the venerable Sariputta and the venerable Upasena were staying near Rajagaha in Cool Grove, at Snakeshood Grotto .
Now at that time a snake had fallen on the venerable Upasenas body. Then the venerable Upasena called to the monks, saying: "Come here, friends, lift this body of mine on to a couch and take it outside before it be scattered here and now, just like a hanful of chaff."
At these words the venerable Sariputta said to the venerable Upasena: "But we see no change in the venerable Upasenas body, no change for the worse in his faculties."
Then the venerable Upasena repeated what he had said, adding: "Friend Sariputta, he who should think, I am the eye, The eye is mine, or I am the tongue, the tongue is mine, or I am the mind, the mind is mine,- in him there would be a change in his body, there would be a change for the worse in his faculties. But I, friend, have no such ideas. How then could there be any change in my body, any change for the worse in my faculties ?"
Now the venerable Upasena had long since quelled the lurking tendencies that make for "I" and "mine". Therefore the venerable Upasena had no such ideas as, "I am the eye, the eye is mine," or "I am the tongue, the tongue is mine," or "I am the mind, the mind is mine."
So those monks put the venerable Upasenas body on a couch and bore it outside. And the venerable Upasenas body there and then was scattered just like a handful of chaff.
Upasena had listened to the Buddhas teaching and developed right understanding of nama and rupa so that attachment to the "self" could be completely eradicated. What we call dying occurs at each moment: the body consists of rupas which arise and then fall away very rapidly. Rupas which have fallen away are replaced by new ones and therefore we do not notice that rupas are impermanent. Evenso what we call mind are namas which arise and fall away. We may think of the fact that everything in life is impermanent, but this is not the direct realisation of the truth of impermanence. The Buddha taught the way to develop the understanding which can penetrate the truth of impermanence, the arising and falling away of nama and rupa. The development of this understanding will take a long time, it may take many lives. However, the development of understanding begins with listening to the Buddhas teachings.
During our journey in Thailand we listened to the Dhamma in different locations, under different circumstances. We experienced a great deal of hospitality and thoughtfulness from our friends in Thailand. When we were in Bangkok Khun Banyong Jongjitrnant and Khun Sukol invited us for a lunch together with Acharn Sujin, so that we could meet old friends and new friends. Acharn Sujin is our true friend in Dhamma and our teacher who explains the Dhamma with tireless efforts. We met Jack Tippayachan and his wife Oj who had come from Los Angeles together with other friends, and later on Pinna Indorf from Singapore whom we knew already for a long time joined us. We spoke with Acharn Sujin about the practice of Dhamma when problems arise concerning the behaviour of those who are close to us. It is difficult to be patient under all circumstances. We were reminded to be an "understanding person". The troubles in the world arise through lack of understanding. When we understand that our experiences at this moment arise because of the appropriate conditions we will be less inclined to correct other people. When they say unpleasant things or act in a disagreeable way they do so because of inclinations which have been accumulated from the past and therefore, how could we change them? We continued our conversation in the house of Ell and Ivan Walsh for several hours. Acharn Sujin reminded us that no matter what kind of problems arise, we can only solve them by remembering that in the ultimate sense there is no person, only citta, consciousness, cetasika, mental factors which accompany citta, and rupa. Citta and cetasika are nama. Each citta is accompanied by several cetasikas which arise together with the citta and fall away immediately together with the citta. The citta which falls away is succeeded by the next citta, and each citta conditions the next citta. Good and bad qualities are different cetasikas, they fall away together with the citta, but these qualities are accumulated from one moment of citta to the next moment of citta, from life to life. When we have more understanding that life is actually citta, cetasika and rupa, we will be less inclined to think of a "self", of this or that person who speaks or acts in a particular way towards "us". We make our life complicated when we think with worry about situations, about problems concerning people, about the way we should act in this or that situation. Instead of thinking of problems we should remember that there are only citta, cetasika and rupa. Thinking and worry are only namas which arise because of conditions and which are beyond control. By right understanding of citta, cetasika and rupa problems can be solved in a more direct, effective way.
Acharn Santi who was also present reminded us that listening to the Dhamma is not merely hearing, or listening passively. We should listen with attention and respect, and carefully consider what we hear. We read in the "Gradual Sayings" (III, Book of the Fives, Ch XVI, IV, The confounding of Saddhamma ) :
Monks, these five things lead to the confounding, the disappearance of Saddhamma. What five?
Herein, monks, carelessly the monks hear Dhamma; carelessly they master it; carelessly they bear it in mind; carelessly they test the meaning of the things borne in mind; knowing the meaning and knowing Dhamma, carelessly they practise Dhamma by Dhamma.
(But acting with care in respect to these five leads to its stability, to its being unconfounded, to its non-disappearance.)
It depends on someones accumulated understanding to what degree he can benefit from listening. We should carefully investigate all the details of the teachings and ponder over them, we should verify in our daily life the truth of the Dhamma. In that way understanding can develop. Understanding is a cetasika arising because of its own conditions. If we expect understanding to develop rapidly there is clinging to the concept of self, whereas the goal is detachment from the self.
The next day, in the house of Kunying Nopphrath Snidwong, we discussed the nature of different types of citta. Kunying Nopphrath gives once a month in her house the opportunity for a day of Dhamma discussions with Khun Sujin, and here Acharn Somporn and Acharn Santi assist with the explanation of ultimate realities and of the Pali terms which designate them. This time the subject of discussion was "rootless cittas", ahetuka cittas, cittas which are neither wholesome, kusala, nor unwholesome, akusala. There is one citta at a time and each citta experiences an object. Cittas experience objects through six doors. Seeing-consciousness experiences through the eyes what is visible, visible object or colour; hearing-consciousness experiences through the ears sound; smelling-consciousness experiences through the nose odour; tasting-consciousness experiences through the tongue flavour; body-consciousness experiences through the bodysense tangible object, namely: hardness or softness, heat or cold, motion or pressure. The sixth door is the mind-door and through this door citta can experience all realities, namas and rupas and also concepts which are not real in the ultimate sense.
A citta which experiences an object through one of the six doors arises in a process or series of cittas all of which experience that object. Seeing, for example arises in a process of cittas succeeding one another. Seeing is neither kusala nor akusala, it is vipakacitta, a citta which is the result of kamma, of a deed done in the past. We receive pleasant or unpleasant objects through the senses, and nobody can control which kind of objects are experienced. When a pleasant object is experienced through the senses, it is the result of kusala kamma, and when an unpleasant object is experienced it is the result of akusala kamma. After the vipakacittas have fallen away kusala cittas or akusala cittas experience the object in a wholesome or unwholesome way. When the object which is experienced is pleasant, cittas whith attachment may arise, and when it is unpleasant cittas with aversion may arise.
Some cetasikas are "roots", hetus, three of which are akusala hetus, unwholesome roots: lobha or attachment, dosa or aversion and moha or ignorance. Three hetus are sobhana hetus, beautiful roots: alobha or non-attachment, adosa or non-aversion and panna or wisdom. Akusala citta is accompanied by several akusala cetasikas, and it can be rooted in moha and lobha, in moha and dosa, or it may have moha as its only root. Kusala citta is accompanied by several sobhana cetasikas, and it can be rooted in alobha and adosa, or in alobha, adosa and panna. The cetasikas which are hetus are so called because they are the foundation of the citta just as the roots of a tree are its foundation. Thus, in a process of cittas which experience an object through the five senses and the mind-door, some cittas are accompanied by roots, namely akusala cittas and kusala cittas, and some are ahetuka, not accompanied by roots, and these are neither kusala nor akusala .
Cittas can be of four jatis (nature or class): kusala, akusala, vipaka and kiriya. Kiriyacittas or "inoperative cittas", also arise in a process, such as the five-sense-door adverting-consciousness, panca-dvaravajjana-citta, which adverts to the object before the sense-cognition (seeing, hearing etc.) which is vipakacitta arises in a sense-door process. The kiriyacittas which arise in a process of cittas in the case of non-arahats , are ahetuka cittas.
One may find the subject of ahetuka cittas not interesting, but ahetuka cittas arise time and again in daily life. Seeing is an ahetuka citta, but we do not know that seeing is a citta so long as we take it for self. Seeing is real in the ultimate sense, it is dhamma. Everything which is real is dhamma. Visible object or colour is real, it is dhamma. Dhammas have each their own inalterable characteristic which cannot be changed. Attachment is real, it has its own characteristic. We can call it by another name, but its characteristic cannot be changed. Aversion has its own characteristic; we can call it by another name but its characteristic cannot be changed. The name seeing can be changed, but its characteristic cannot be changed: it experiences what is visible through the eyes. Colour is appearing because there is a citta which sees. Seeing is dependent on conditions: eyesense and colour are conditions for seeing. Seeing is result of kamma, vipakacitta, and eyesense is also result of kamma, it is the physical result of kamma. If kamma would not produce eyesense we could not see. Kamma produces the senses throughout our life so that sense objects can be experienced.
The dhammas which arise in our daily life are beyond control, we cannot own them. Seeing and hearing do not belong to us, they are non-self. We cannot choose what we see and hear, this depends on the appropriate conditions.
After our discussions in Bangkok we went to the North of Thailand, to Chiangmai, Chiang Dao and Thaton where we continued our discussions. We had many opportunities for anumodana dana, the appreciation of other peoples kusala, which is a way of generosity. In Chiangmai we stayed in the "Holiday Resort" of Khun Walee and Khun Chaknop Khullar. Khun Walee and her husband have adopted children of poor families and in this way they give them opportunities to learn a profession and find a job. When these children are grown up they adopt again other small children and thus far they have adopted twentysix children. Khun Walee and her husband who greatly support the printing of books by the "Dhamma Study and Propagation Foundation" in Thailand gave our group much hospitality. Friends from Chiangmai took great trouble to cook three times daily the most delicious food for us.
Listening to the Dhamma can have a great impact on ones life. We were impressed when we heard about someone with severe alcohol problems who could start to change his life after he listened to Acharn Sujin. He moved away from where he used to live in order to avoid the company of bad friends and now he is openminded for the Dhamma and he can gradually change his behaviour towards his wife and children.
After our stay in Chiangmai we traveled to Chiang Dao, but on the way we visited the Dong Devi Temple, where Khun Sukols brother is the Abbot. Here we had a very beneficial discussion on the development of understanding. People who lived in the surroundings of the temple cooked lunch and dinner for us with great care and kindness. After a night in Chiang Dao we went on to Thaton near the Burmese border. We stayed in a resort near the river which belongs to a relative of Khun Sukol. Here we had Dhamma discussions morning, afternoon and evening in the most pleasant surroundings.
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Chapter 2
The Meaning of Dhamma.
In the Dong Devi Temple the Abbot reminded us of our ignorance of dhamma. We do not know the meaning of dhamma, that which is real in the ultimate sense. We should not merely say, "everything is dhamma", without deeply considering the meaning of what dhamma is. We should come to know the characteristic of the dhamma appearing at this moment. But for the development of understanding we need patience and perseverance. It is not difficult to learn the terms of citta, cetasika and rupa, but this is not enough. They are realities, each with their own characteristic which can be directly known when they appear at the present moment. The Abbot stressed that seeing is dhamma, that there is no "I" who sees. Hearing is dhamma, there is no "I" who hears. Seeing and hearing are nama-elements, realities which experience something, they experience an object. Seeing experiences colour, which is rupa, a reality which does not know anything. Sound is rupa, a reality which does not know anything. When people hear about seeing, colour, hearing and sound, they may find this subject too ordinary. However, we are ignorant about these realities when they actually appear. We are confused with regard to ultimate truth, nama and rupa, and conventional truth, concepts and ideas. Seeing is a citta experiencing colour which is a kind of rupa. However, we still think that we see people or trees. People and trees are concepts we think of but which do not appear through eyesense. On account of what is seen we can think of concepts, the thinking is conditioned by seeing. We believe that we can hear words, but hearing only hears sound, that which appears through the ears, and on account of what is heard we can think of words and their meaning. What we hear is interpreted immediately, it seems that hearing and knowing the meaning of words occur all at the same time, but in reality there is only one citta at a time which experiences one object. There are many different cittas which arise and fall away extremely rapidly, succeeding one another, but it is difficult to distinguish between them. It is the same in the case of the other sense-cognitions, we interprete immediately what kind of odour is smelt, what kind of flavour is tasted, what thing we are touching. We think of concepts for a long time, we are forgetful of ultimate realities which are non-self. We can gradually learn the difference between ultimate realities, paramattha dhammas, and concepts. When we are not thinking but seeing, paramattha dhammas are the object of citta. When we are not thinking but hearing, paramattha dhammas are the object of citta. They appear in between the moments of thinking about the meaning of what we experience. When we listen to the Dhamma we can begin to understand the meaning of anatta, non-self. Paramattha dhammas are anatta.
We are used to thinking of "my body", "I see", "I hear", "I think". We have to consider carefully what the Buddha taught about nama and rupa so that understanding of the truth can develop. Our life consists of nama and rupa which are impermanent and non-self. We are attached to the idea of "my body", "my hand", "my feet", but the body consists of different kinds of rupas which arise and then fall away. The rupas which have fallen away are replaced by new rupas so long as there are conditions. It seems that the body lasts for some time, but in reality there are only different rupas which are impermanent. There are four factors which produce rupas of the body: kamma, citta, temperature (or heat) and nutrition. These factors keep on producing rupas throughout our life. The body as a whole is a concept we can think of, it is not real in the ultimate sense. One characteristic of rupa at a time such as hardness or heat can be experienced and these are ultimate realities. Gradually the difference between ultimate realities and concepts can be understood. Also understanding is impermanent and non-self, it is a cetasika which arises for a moment and then falls away, but it can be accumulated so that understanding can arise again.
The Buddha classified realities in different ways in order to help people to develop understanding of them. He classified realities as four paramattha dhammas, ultimate realities, namely as citta, cetasika, rupa and the unconditioned reality which is nibbana . Another way of classification is by way of ayatanas, sometimes translated as bases or sources. They are:
eye visible object
ear sound
nose odour
tongue flavour
bodysense tangible object
mind-base (manayatana) mind-object (dhammayatana)
Manayatana includes all cittas, and dhammayatana includes objects which can be experienced only through the mind-door, namely: subtle rupas , cetasikas and nibbana.
Visible object "meets" the eyebase so that there can be seeing, the experience of visible object. It is the same with sound and the other sense-objects, they "meet" the respective sensebases so that the sense-cognitions arise. The association of objects with the different bases occurs at this moment, we can verify the truth of the Buddhas teachings. If visible object would not meet the eyebase, seeing could not arise. Visible object and the eyebase are rupas. The eyesense is a rupa in the eye which is capable to receive visible object or colour, so that seeing can experience it. Rupa arises and falls away, but it does not fall away as rapidly as citta. Visible object is experienced by seeing and by several other cittas arising in a process of cittas, the eye-door process. When a pleasant visible object is experienced attachment is likely to arise and when an unpleasant object is experienced aversion is likely to arise and this happens already during the eye-door process, before we think of the meaning of what we experience. It all occurs because of conditions, it is beyond control what type of citta arises within the processes of cittas. The cittas arising in the different processes do so according to a specific order and nobody can change this order. After the sense-door process of cittas is over, the same object is experienced through the mind-door, and after that mind-door processes of cittas may arise which think about the object. One rupa lasts as long as it takes seventeen cittas to arise and fall away in succession . Visible object and the eyebase have not fallen away yet when the cittas of the eye-door process arise and experience visible object. Thus we see that the conditions for the different cittas which arise are very intricate. Visible object does not meet the ear-base, it can only meet the eyebase. When there is seeing, there cannot be at the same time the meeting of sound and the ear-base.
This is a difficult subject we discussed for many hours while we were in Thaton. However, we did not only sit, we were also walking in between the sessions on the terrace above the river. Acharn Sujin thinks of the welfare of everybody, she arranges for agreeable places to stay. She also thought of my husband Lodewijk who does not understand Thai and could not follow the sessions. One should not torture oneself by sitting all day, that is not the "Middle Way". She herself took a short boat trip on the river. Lodewijk was reading my "Abhidhamma in Daily Life" on a terrace above the river, while we were having our sessions in the garden under an awning. Here we were somewhat protected from the cold wind which was blowing in the early morning and in the evening.
No matter we are walking or sitting, discussing Dhamma, there are conditions for all the ayatanas of daily life, for the sense-bases and the sense objects, for the mind-base, mental objects, and for the cittas which experience these objects.
We read in the "Visuddhimagga" (XV, 5, 6) about the ayatanas:
Furthermore, base (ayatana) should be understood in the sense of place of abode, store (mine), meeting place, locality of birth and cause...
And these various states of consciousness and its concomitants (cetasikas) dwell in the eye, etc., because they exist in dependence on them, so the eye, etc., are their place of abode. And they frequent the eye, etc., because they have them (respectively) as their (material ) support and as their object, so the eye, etc., are their store. And the eye, etc., are their meeting place because they meet together in one or other of them, (using them) as physical basis, door, and object. And the eye, etc., are the locality of their birth because they arise just there, having them as their respective supports and objects. And the eye, etc., are their reason (hetu or cause) because they are absent when the eye, etc., are absent.
Seeing-consciousness and its accompanying cetasikas "dwell in the eye", the eye is their place of dependence and the place where they originate: seeing-consciousness arises at the eyebase; hearing-consciousness arises at the ear-base and the other sense-cognitions arise at their respective bases.
The "Atthasalini " (I, Part IV, Ch II, Discourse on the Section of Exposition, 141) explains that in the case of manayatana, mind-base, which includes all cittas, the three terms of birth-place, meeting-place and reason (or cause) are suitable:
...For mind is ayatana in the sense of birth-place as in the passage:- "dhammas such as contact (phassa) , are born in the mind." And mind is ayatana in the sense of a meeting-place, as in the passage:- "External objects, visible, audible, olfactory, gustatory and tangible assemble there as objects in the mind." And mind is ayatana in the sense of reason (or ground), because of its being the cause-in-relation of the co-existence, etc., of contact and so on.
Citta is the leader in experiencing an object, and the cetasikas (contact and the other accompanying cetasikas) perform each their own function while they experience the same object. The cetasikas could not arise without citta, citta is their reason or cause.
There are six pairs of ayatanas, each pair comprising an inner ayatana and an outer ayatana. The five sensebases and the manayatana are the inner ayatanas, the sense objects and dhammayatana (mental objects) are the outer ayatanas. Cetasikas arise together with the citta, but they are included in dhammayatana which is an outer ayatana . Dhammayatana are the objects which can be experienced only through the mind-door. Cetasikas such as contact or feeling can be experienced only through the mind-door.
The "Visuddhimagga" (XV, 15) states about the ayatanas which are conditioned realities :
As to how to be seen: here, however, all formed (conditioned) bases should be regarded as having no provenance and no destination. For they do not come from anywhere previous to their rise, nor do they go anywhere after their fall. On the contrary, before their rise they had no individual essence, and after their fall their individual essences are completely dissolved. And they occur without mastery (being exercisable over them) since they exist in dependence on conditions and in between the past and the future. Consequently they should be regarded as having no provenance and no destination.
Likewise they should be regarded as incurious and uninterested. For it does not occur to the eye and the visible object, etc., "Ah, that consciousness might arise from our concurrence." And as door, physical basis, and object, they have no curiosity about, or interest in, arousing consciousness. On the contrary, it is the absolute rule that eye-consciousness, etc., come into being with the union of eye with visible object, and so on. So they should be regarded as incurious and uninterested.
Furthermore, the internal ayatanas should be regarded as an empty village because they are devoid of lastingness, pleasure and self; and the external ones as village-raiding robbers because they raid the internal ones. And this is said: "Bhikkhus, the eye is harassed by agreeable and disagreeable objects" (Kindred Sayings, IV, 175).
We read in the text to which the "Visuddhimagga" refers, in the "Kindred Sayings" (IV, Salayatana Vagga, Kindred Sayings on Sense, The fourth Fifty, Ch 5, The Chapter on the Snake, 197, The Snake) that the Buddha explained by way of similes the disadvantages and danger of conditioned dhammas. He compared the inner ayatanas to an empty village and the outer ayatanas to robbers who plunder the village:
"The empty village", monks,- that is a name for the personal sixfold sense-sphere (inner ayatanas). For if a man, however wise, clever, intelligent he be, searches it through by way of the eye, he finds it empty, finds it void, unoccupied. If he searches it through by way of the tongue... by way of the mind, he finds it empty, finds it void, unoccupied.
"The village-plunderers", monks, - that is a name for the external sixfold sense-sphere (outer ayatanas). For the eye, monks, destroys with entrancing shapes, the ear destroys with entrancing sounds, the nose... the tongue with entrancing savours... the body... the mind destroys with entrancing mind-states....
Acharn Somphon reminded us time and again that we think of "our eyes, our ears", but in reality they are empty, devoid of "self". The teaching of the ayatanas pertains to daily life. We attach great importance to our eyes, ears and all the sense-organs, we are attached to seeing, hearing and the other sense-impressions. We are attached to the objects we experience. However, they arise because of their appropriate conditions and they are beyond control. The teaching of the ayatanas makes clear that the experiences through the senses and the mind-door are conditioned. As we read in the "Visuddhimagga", "it is the absolute rule that eye-consciousness, etc., come into being with the union of eye with visible object." It is the absolute rule that hearing comes into being with the union of ear and sound, it is the absolute rule that smelling comes into being with the union of nose and odour, and so it is with the other sense-cognitions. It is beneficial to be reminded that we are attached to our eyes and ears, because most of the time we do not realize this. There are ayatanas at this moment: seeing and hearing do not last, they fall away immediately. They are vipakacittas, results of kamma, but we forget that they are results of kamma which have to arise when it is the right time.
As we read in the above quoted sutta text of the "Kindred Sayings", "the eye, monks, is harassed by entrancing shapes" and the same is true with regard to the other doorways. When a pleasant sense object is experienced there is likely to be clinging. So long as there is clinging there will be rebirth and the cycle of birth and death will continue. Birth is followed by old age, sickness and death and this is dukkha, suffering. Actually, each moment of life is dukkha, because what arises has to fall away, it is impermanent and thus it is dukkha, unsatisfactory. Being infatuated by the sense objects, is destructive, it is dangerous. We read in the same sutta that the man who is in terror and flees from danger sees a great broad water, of which this side is full of dangers, and the other side free from danger. He makes a raft to cross over to the other shore. The other shore is nibbana and the raft is the ariyan eightfold Path. He has crossed over and stands on dry land, this means: he has reached arahatship.
We read in the "Samyutta Nikaya" (I, Part I, Ch I, The Devas, 7, 10 The world) that the world is in trouble because of the ayatanas. We read:
What being given, comes the world to pass?
What being given holds its intercourse?
On what depending does it hold its way?
Because of what is it so sore oppressed?
"Six" being given , comes the world to pass.
"Six" being given, holds its intercourse .
On "Six" depending does it hold its way.
Because of "Six" it is so sore oppressed.
In the planes where there are nama and rupa the six bases arise. The meeting of the bases and the objects causes one to be agitated: after the sense-cognitions defilements such as like or dislike are bound to arise. So long as defilements arise one is not freed from birth, old age, sickness and death, not freed from dukkha. The Buddha taught the development of right understanding of paramattha dhammas so that defilements can finally be eradicated.
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Chapter 3.
The Development of Satipatthana
In all the different places where we were we discussed satipatthana, because satipatthana is the essence of the Buddhas teaching. The term satipatthana has three meanings: it can mean the object of sati, of mindfulness, classified as the four Applications of Mindfulness ; it can mean the way the Buddha and his disciples went to realize the four noble Truths: the Truth of dukkha, the Truth of the cause of dukkha, which is craving, the Truth of the ceasing of dukkha which is nibbana and the Truth of the Way leading to the ceasing of dukkha; finally it can mean sati, mindfulness, which is aware of nama and rupa.
Sati is a cetasika, a mental factor which accompanies sobhana citta, beautiful citta. Each kusala citta is accompanied by sati which is non-forgetful of what is wholesome. There are many levels of sati: there is sati when we perform deeds of generosity; there is sati of the level of sila, which is non-forgetful to abstain from unwholesomeness; there is sati with mental development which includes the development of calm, the study or teaching of the Dhamma and the development of insight, vipassana. Sati of satipatthana is sati of vipassana which is mindful of paramattha dhammas.
The object of satipatthana is not a concept or a name but a characteristic of nama or rupa as it appears one at a time through the sense-doors or the mind-door. By being directly aware of the reality which appears understanding can gradually develop so that eventually nama and rupa can be seen as they are, as impermanent and non-self. The object of satipatthana is not a concept, because a concept is not real in the ultimate sense, it is merely an object of thinking. Concepts do not arise and fall away, they do not have the characteristics of impermanence and non-self which are the objects of understanding.
When we listen to the Dhamma and investigate nama and rupa which appear we can think in the right way of realities and this way of thinking is accompanied by sati. Then we begin to have right understanding of realities. Sati which is directly aware of the characteristic of a reality which appears is still another level of sati and this is different from thinking of realities. When there is awareness of a reality, understanding of that reality can gradually develop at that moment. Understanding, panna, is a sobhana cetasika, a beautiful cetasika. Panna does not accompany each kusala citta: some kusala cittas are accompanied by panna, some are not.
When we develop satipatthana we come to understand the difference between realities, paramattha dhammas, and concepts. A chair, for example, is a concept. When we touch a chair , chair is not experienced through touch, but the reality of hardness can be experienced through the bodysense. Through the bodysense the following rupas can be experienced: the Element of Earth or solidity, appearing as hardness or softness, the Element of Fire, appearing as heat or cold, and the Element of Wind, appearing as motion or pressure .
When we see a chair, the chair does not impinge on the eyesense, it is colour or visible object which impinges on the eyesense and can be experienced through the eyes. Someone asked what seeing-consciousness sees, whether particular colours like red or blue are experienced by seeing-consciousness. Seeing-consciousness sees whatever is visible, all that appears through the eyesense, but it does not pay attention to a particular colour like red or blue. When we notice that something is red or blue, it is not seeing, but there are cittas arising in a mind-door process which think of visible object or define it. When there is no sati we confuse paramattha dhammas and concepts. When I was watching someone who was talking on T.V., Acharn Sujin reminded me, asking, "Can visible object talk?" When we see the outlines of things, when we notice the shape and form of things it is not seeing but there are cittas arising in a mind-door process which define what was seen. Because of remembrance of former experiences we know the meaning of things. Remembrance, sanna, is a cetasika which accompanies each citta and which remembers or marks the object so that it can be recognized later on.
Through ears hearing-consciousness hears sound. It seems that we hear words spoken by someone, but at such moments there are cittas arising in a mind-door process which think of concepts. Cittas arise and fall away very rapidly and only when satipatthana is developed the difference between such moments can be discerned. Through the nose odour appears, through the tongue flavour appears, there is only one reality at a time appearing through one of the six doors. Because of our accumulated ignorance we join different realities together into a "whole" of a person or a thing, instead of being aware of realities as they appear one at a time.The remembrance of a "whole" hides the characteristic of anatta. We do not see that what we take for a person consists of different elements which arise and fall away and are not self.
When a rupa such as colour appears there is also nama which experiences colour, otherwise colour could not appear. It is the same in the case of the other sense objects. If there were no cittas arising in the different processes nothing could appear. The characteristics of nama and rupa are different: rupa does not know anything and nama experiences an object. Visible object appears, but the nama which experiences it seems to be hidden. It is difficult to distinguish between the characteristics of nama and rupa, they seem to be together. When visible object appears there is also the nama which experiences it, but when sati arises it is aware of only one characteristic at a time. It depends on conditions of which object sati is aware, be it nama or rupa, nobody can direct sati. So long as nama and rupa are not clearly distinguished from each other there is still "personality belief", sakkaya ditthi.
There are paramattha dhammas all the time, but we do not know that they are paramattha dhammas, Acharn Somphon reminded us several times. He stressed that our clinging to a self is deeply rooted: we cling to "our eyes, our ears, our body". We heard these words before, but when we have investigated realities more thoroughly, the same words become more meaningful. They can be the condition for the development of more understanding of realities. That is why listening to the Dhamma was stressed so often. Listening is most valuable for those who have not heard the Dhamma before, as well as for those who have already studied the teachings. Listening is a true treasure. In the "Gradual Sayings" (IV, Book of the Sevens, Ch I, 6) we read about the seven treasures of faith, virtue, conscientiousness, fear of blame, listening, bounty and wisdom. We read about the treasure of listening:
...Consider the ariyan disciple who listens much; there is a retaining, a storing of things heard; and those things, lovely in the beginning, lovely in the middle, lovely in the end, which set forth in meaning and in detail the divine life , wholly fulfilled, perfectly pure; all those are heard much by him, retained in mind, familiarized by talk, pored over, well penetrated by right view. This is called the treasure of listening...
When we see the benefit of listening we gain more confidence in the Dhamma. We can never listen enough. Ariyans, those who have attained enlightenment, are called "those who have heard much" ; listening was for them the condition to develop understanding and even attain enlightenment. When we listen and consider the Dhamma samma sati, right mindfulness of the eightfold Path, will arise when there are the right conditions for its arising. Acharn Sujin repeated time and again that we cannot do anything to have more sati because there is no self who "has" sati. Moreover, the goal should not be to have many moments of sati, but the elimination of ignorance by the development of understanding, panna. By listening we gain more understanding of realities. Sanna, remembrance, is the proximate cause of sati. We remember what we heard and we ponder over it. The object of theoretical understanding is the same as the object of panna which is developed by direct awareness of realities. The objects, nama and rupa, are the same, but, as understanding develops, their characteristics are more clearly understood. Acharn Sujin reminded us that when we try very hard to have sati life becomes a heavy burden. The development of satipatthana should not make our life heavy but light. If there is clinging to sati it hinders its development.
When we were in the Dong Devi Temple people asked the Abbot how one can know the value of sati. The Abbot did not want to answer this question because when samma-sati, right mindfulness of the eightfold Path , arises one can see for oneself its value. The goal of satipatthana is not to obtain something for oneself but detachment. The Abbot warned us not to be impatient, we should learn the meaning of endurance, patience and perseverance. There may be one moment of sati and then it may not arise for a long time. He repeated: "It does not matter, it does not matter." He said: it is easy to know the terms of the teachings, but that is not enough. Sati should be aware of the characteristics which appear. The development of satipatthana should be the most natural matter, he stressed. It is not natural when we have desire for sati. We know in theory that sati is anatta, non-self, but we may still cling to sati and take it for self.
We may not notice that the belief in a self motivates our deeds, speech, feelings and thoughts. Before we realize it there may be an idea of self who notices characteristics of realities. We may for example try to find out what seeing is, but we forget that seeing falls away immediately. It arises, appears just for an extremely short moment and then disappears, it cannot be found again. When we try to be aware of seeing we may be only thinking of an idea we conceive of seeing. Attachment lures us all the time, but also attachment should be the object of understanding, otherwise it can never be eradicated.
The whole day we touch things such as a plate, a cup, a table. Body-consciousness experiences hardness. Usually we are absorbed in the objects we handle and we do not pay attention to the characteristic of hardness. But sometimes there are conditions for considering the characteristic of hardness. This is conditioned by listening to the Dhamma. When sati arises one may begin to see the difference between the moments we are absorbed in concepts and the moments that there is awareness and a beginning of understanding of a reality which appears. However, we should not expect to have clear understanding of realities immediately. One may have doubt whether there was sati or only thinking of realities. When thinking arises it does so because of conditions and it should be known as a type of nama, not self. This is the way to continue developing satipatthana. There should be no worry, because whatever happens is conditioned.
When panna has been developed to the degree that the first stage of insight is reached, the characteristic of nama is clearly distinguished from the characteristic of rupa. However, sati can arise even when this stage is not realized yet. There has to be a beginning, sati has to be aware over and over again of whatever reality appears, this is the only way that panna can develop. When sati is attentive, aware of a characteristic, panna can investigate that reality.
Before we listened to the Dhamma there was complete ignorance of realities, we did not know the difference between concepts and paramattha dhammas. Through satipatthana we can verify that what the Buddha taught is true. The theory of the teachings is in agreement with what is realized through the practice, the development of panna.
As understanding develops confidence in the teachings will grow. The ariyan, the person who has attained enlightenment, has strong confidence, saddha, he has confidence to the degree of "power" . We read in the "Gradual Sayings" (III, Book of the Fives, Ch I, 2, The Powers in detail) about the power of faith:
And what monks, is the power of faith?
Herein, monks, the ariyan disciple has faith and believes in the enlightenment of the Tathagata: Of a truth he is the Exalted One, arahat, fully enlightened, abounding in wisdom and right, the well-gone, the world-knower, the incomparable tamer of tamable men, the teacher of devas and men, the Buddha, the Exalted One. This, monks, is called the power of faith....
Chapter 4
The Stages of Insight
Vipassana or insight is panna which sees the characteristics of realities as they are. Vipassana nana is panna which has become accomplished in the development of the understanding of realities. There are several stages of vipassana nana, beginning with clearly distinguishing the difference between the characteristics of nama and rupa, and continuing on with higher stages until the attainment of enlightenment.
We should know what the realities are which panna should penetrate. They are not different from visible object, sound and the other objects as they appear at this moment through the six doors. They have been classified as the four "Applications of Mindfulness": Mindfulness of the body, including rupas, of feelings, of cittas and of dhammas which includes all objects not classified under the first three Applications of Mindfulness. There is no rule of which object sati is aware, it depends on conditions. Sati is not self, nobody can direct sati. At one moment sati may be aware of rupa, at another moment of feeling, of citta or of dhamma. Panna which arises together with samma-sati, right mindfulness, gradually begins to notice and to investigate the characteristics of nama and rupa which appear. Panna has to consider these very often, over and over again, until it clearly distinguishes between the characteristics of nama and rupa, and that is the first stage of vipassana nana, which is only a beginning stage.
When we were in the Dong Devi Temple we discussed the stages of insight in general. The Abbot warned us not to wait for the arising of the stages of insight. That is attachment, lobha, and if we do not realize this panna cannot develop. We should not be impatient because the development of panna takes a long time, even many lives. When we consider the amount of ignorance we have accumulated during countless lives we understand that panna cannot develop rapidly. We have to scrutinize ourselves in order to find out whether there is an idea of self who develops understanding. Acharn Sujin said that even when we think that we do not have expectations there may still be an idea of "self who does not expect anything". We were very grateful for all the reminders concerning impatience or clinging to the self, because these are helpful for the continuation of the development of understanding. When we listen and consider the Dhamma, when we read and study, there are conditions for awareness, but we cannot predict when it will arise. When we think in the right way of nama and rupa, there is sati of the level of thinking, and when there is direct awareness of one reality at a time right understanding of the eightfold Path can begin to develop. It is difficult to know the difference between nama and rupa. Knowing this in theory is not enough. Visible object which is rupa appears through the eyes. Seeing does not appear through the eyes. Sound which is rupa appears through the ears. Hearing does not appear through the ears. Nama appears only through the mind-door, but we are ignorant of the mind-door. At the first stage of insight panna realizes the difference between the characteristics of nama and rupa through the mind-door and then there is no doubt about what the mind-door is. When that stage has not yet been reached there are moments of doubt about realities, but inspite of this, the development of understanding can continue little by little. When sati can be aware of rupa but not of nama, we should not worry about this. Later on there can be conditions for awareness of more kinds of objects, also of nama. We should not expect clear understanding in the beginning.
The first stage of insight is nama-rupa-pariccheda-nana, "defining" of nama and rupa. It is the direct realization of the different characteristics of nama and rupa through the mind-door. The objects which usually appear as the world, appear as devoid of self, as anatta. The insight knowledge, vipassana nana, arising at that moment is not taken for self either. In this way the wrong view of self can eventually be eradicated. When someone believes that he knows the difference between nama and rupa he may know this with an idea of self who understands and that means that he has not attained any stage of insight. Or someone may believe that when the first stage of insight arises, the difference between seeing and visible object, hearing and sound should be known. However, there cannot be any selection of objects of sati, it entirely depends on the sati of which object there is awareness and understanding. The objects may be hardness and feeling for example, but there is no rule. There is no rule that realities must be known in pairs, such as seeing and visible object, hearing and sound. Vipassana nana distinguishes the characteristics of the different objects from each other and it realizes one object at a time as devoid of self. The moments of vipassana nana occur in mind-door processes of cittas, and when they have fallen away the world appears as it used to appear, as a whole, as different persons and things. Panna has to continue developing understanding of all realities which appear so that there can be conditions for the following stage of insight, the second stage.
The second stage of insight is paccaya-parigghaha-nana, discerning the conditions of nama and rupa. This is panna which realizes the dependency on conditions of nama and rupa when they are arising. This stage of insight cannot arise before the first stage of insight. If nama is not known as nama and rupa as rupa, how could there be clear understanding of their different conditions? Seeing is dependent on the eye and on visible object, without the rupas which are eyesense and visible object there could not be seeing. The conditionality of nama and rupa pertains to our daily life. When we speak the citta produces speech sound, so that words can be uttered. In reality there is no self who thinks of words, there are only nama and rupa depending on conditions which arise and fall away within splitseconds. When we study the ayatanas we can ponder over the conditions for nama and rupa, but at such moments there is still the deeply rooted idea of "I" who thinks about conditions. This is different from the panna which directly realizes through the mind-door the conditionality of nama and rupa. At the moments of vipassana nana there is no idea of self who understands.
The third stage of vipassana nana is sammasana nana, comprehension by groups. This is panna which clearly realizes the succession of nama and rupa as they arise and fall away very rapidly. Someone who has not reached even the first stage of insight may erroneously think that he can experience the arising and falling away of cittas. However, this is impossible. First the difference between nama and rupa must be realized, otherwise one does not clearly know what is nama, entirely different from rupa. The order of the stages of insight cannot be altered, each stage is a condition for the following stage, provided panna has been developed to the degree that a following stage can be reached. The first three stages of insight are still beginning stages, "tender insight", "taruna vipassana". The following stages are maha-vipassana.
The first stage of maha-vipassana is udayabbhaya nana, knowledge of the arising and falling away of nama and rupa. This stage is different from the third stage, because panna considers more clearly the arising and falling away of each kind of nama and of rupa seperately, as they appear. It sees more clearly the danger and disadvantage of the arising and falling away of nama and rupa, and this leads to more detachment from them. This stage of insight and the eight following stages are balava vipassana, insight as power. Insight has become a power, it can arise in any circumstance. Summarizing the stages of maha-vipassana, they are :
udayabbhaya nana, knowledge of arising and falling away
bhanga nana, knowledge of dissolution
bhaya nana, knowledge of terror
adinava nana, knowledge of danger
nibbida nana, knowledge of dispassion
muccitukamyata nana, knowledge of desire for deliverance
patisankha nana, knowledge of reflection
sankharupekkha nana, knowledge of equanimity about sankhara
dhammas, conditioned realities
anuloma nana, adaptation knowledge.
If insight is not developed this list of terms seems to be theoretical, but these terms indicate stages of panna which becomes keener and keener and which leads to detachment. The knowledge of dissolution turns more towards the falling away of nama and rupa and sees that these cannot be any refuge. At the subsequent stages panna sees more and more the danger and disadvantages of nama and rupa. The knowledge of reflection penetrates more the three general characteristics of impermanence, dukkha and anatta, and the adaptation knowledge arises during the process when enlightenment is attained. This nana is followed by the gotrabhu nana, change of lineage knowledge, maha-kusala citta which has nibbana as object, and by magga nana, path knowledge which is lokuttara panna experiencing nibbana. The path knowledge is followed by phala nana, fruition knowledge arising with the phala-cittas, lokuttara vipakacittas, and this is followed by paccavekkhana nana, reviewing knowledge. The reviewing knowledge arises with the cittas which consider what has just been attained, the magga-cittas, the phala-cittas, the defilements which have been eradicated, and in the case of non-arahats, the defilements which are still remaining and nibbana. Vipassana nanas are classified in different ways, and sometimes the four last nanas I just mentioned are added after anuloma nana, adaptation knowledge.
The summing up of all these stages of vipassana nana can remind us that the development of pana is very, very gradual. When the first stage of "tender insight" is reached there is at those moments no self, no world; panna realizes the difference between the characteristics of nama and rupa as they appear one at a time. When those moments have fallen away the usual world appears again. This means that the knowledge gained at that stage of insight has to be applied to all kinds of realities which appear so that there will be conditions for the next stage of insight. Thus, in between the stages of insight panna must continue to investigate nama and rupa. This kind of panna is called parinna, or full understanding . There are three degrees of parinna :
nata parinna or full understanding of the known
tirana parinna or full understanding as investigation
pahana parinna or full understanding as abandoning
The full understanding as the known considers the characteristics of nama and rupa, applying the knowledge gained at the first stage of insight, which is then a foundation for the further development of panna. Panna should penetrate the characteristics of other realities, besides those which were realized at the moments of vipassana nana. The full understanding as investigating, tirana parinna, considers the characteristics of all namas and rupas which appear without selecting any specific ones. It sees them as equal, that means: it sees them as only realities which are conditioned. Then panna becomes more accomplished so that it can realize the arising and falling away of nama and rupa at the first stage of maha-vipassana, uddayabbhaya-nana. As panna develops it penetrates more and more the three general characteristics of the dhammas which appear, of their nature of impermanence, dukkha and anatta. The third parinna, full understanding as abandoning, extends from the knowledge of dissolution onwards, until enlightenment is attained, because from then on there can be more detachment from nama and rupa. Panna sees more and more the danger and disadvantage of conditioned realities.
In the development of satipatthana we should not make any selection of realities, we should not have expectations with regard to the arising of specific realities. Panna should also know akusala which arises as it is, as only a conditioned reality. Acharn Somphon reminded us that people dislike dosa, aversion or hate, but that they forget that all akusala is conditioned by ignorance; and thus, ignorance should be eliminated by panna. The goal of the development of panna is to have less ignorance of realities. Do we see dhammas already as "equal", as just dhammas? We do not like to have unwholesome thoughts, but they arise because of conditions, akusala has been accumulated also in countless former lives. We dislike akusala and think that there should be only kusala, but nobody is the owner of the realities which arise. Acharn Sujin reminded us that akusala citta falls away in splitseconds, "It is gone", she said. But we forget that it is gone and keep on thinking about our akusala which has fallen away already. We are clinging to the self and have aversion about "our akusala". Lobha is very deceitful and lures us all the time. We may try to select objects of awareness, but that is wrong practice. Only the sotapanna (streamwinner), the person who has attained the first stage of enlightenment, has eradicated wrong practice. Panna must become very keen, very refined, so that it understands any reality which appears. In this way panna can realise that what arises because of conditions is non-self.
We may know in theory what kusala is and what its benefit, what akusala is and what its disadvantage. However, if the difference between nama and rupa has not been penetrated by panna at the first stage of vipassana, the characteristics of kusala and of akusala cannot be clearly understood, and therefore the knowledge of the benefit of kusala and of the disadvantage of akusala can only be superficial. We do not clearly know yet the nature of nama. This should not discourage us, because even when panna is not accomplished to the degree of vipassana nana, there can be a beginning of investigation of kusala citta and of akusala citta when they appear. The teaching of the parinnas shows us that the development of panna is very intricate and that panna has to become keener and keener so that it can penetrate more and more the true nature of nama and rupa and realize the four noble Truths at the attainment of enlightenment.
Acharn Sujin explained that it takes courage to face the truth. In theory we know that there is in the ultimate sense no self, no dear persons, no husband, wife or children, but theoretical understanding is different from panna which directly realizes the truth of non-self. In the ultimate sense there are no people around us, we are alone with nama and rupa. The self we love above all is only nama and rupa. Without panna one has aversion about being alone with nama and rupa. Acharn Sujin exhorted us to have courage and gladness about the truth. In the suttas, for example in the "Ratthapala Sutta" (Middle Length Sayings II, no. 82) we read that when brahmans and householders came to see the Buddha, "the Lord gladdened, roused, incited and delighted them with a talk on dhamma."
Even at the stage of the first vipassana nana one must be brave, because at those moments there is no self, no world, there are no persons, there are only nama and rupa appearing one at a time. In order to attain the first stage of enlightenment, the stage of the sotapanna, we should have courage and perseverance to develop panna so that all stages of vipassana nana can be reached. But all those who attained enlightenment had to begin with listening to the Dhamma, in order to have right understanding of satipatthana. We read in the following sutta about three characteristics of a "believer", someone who has great confidence in the teachings, and these are actually the characteristics of a sotapanna who has eradicated stinginess and who has the "power" of confidence, saddha, that is, unshakable confidence in the teachings. We read in the "Gradual Sayings" (Book of the Threes, Ch V, 42, Characteristics) that the Buddha said:
Monks, a believer is to be recognized by three characteristics. What three?
He desires to see the virtuous; he desires to hear Saddhamma; with heart free from the taint of stinginess he dwells at home, a generous giver, clean handed, delighting in giving up, one to ask a favour of, one who delights to share gifts with others. By these three characteristics a believer is to be recognized as such....
The Commentary to this sutta, the "Manorathapurani" relates a story of a woman with strong confidence who wanted to listen to the Dhamma. She put her small child under a tree and stood listening to the preaching of the Dhamma during the night. She saw that a snake bit her child, but she thought that if she would speak about this it would disturb the listening to the Dhamma. She thought about the fact that her child was going around in the cycle of birth and death and that in former lives he was many times her child. She wanted to practise the Dhamma, and she stood listening the whole night, developing understanding so that she became a sotapanna. At daybreak the poison was withdrawn from the childs body because of her realisation of the truth and her strong confidence in the truth. She took up her child and went away. The commentary adds that people who are like that are persons who have the wish to listen to the Dhamma.
Some people may misunderstand this story and believe that the mother neglected her child. However, we should grasp the point brought forward by this story. When vipassana has been developed panna clearly sees the conditions for all that happens, it directly understands that vipaka is produced by kamma. When it is the right time for akusala vipaka nobody can prevent it. She saw the disadvantages of being in the cycle of birth and death, of being born again and again. In the course of the development of vipassana, panna sees more and more the disadvantages of the arising of nama and rupa. What arises has to fall away, it is dukkha. She had clearly understood that in the ultimate sense there is no mother, no child, only conditioned nama and rupa. She had the courage to face the truth and because of her confidence in the truth the poison in her childs body was removed.
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