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eBUDDHANET'SBOOK LIBRA

RY

E-mail: [email protected] site: www.buddhanet.net

Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.

Ven. Sayadaw U Kundala

hamma iscourses onVipassana Meditation hamma iscourses onVipassana Meditation

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Dhamma Discourses

Contents

Biography Of The Saydaw U Kundalbhivamsa

........................

4

Translators Note

................................

................................

..........

5

1

The First Dhamma Talk

................................

.....................

6

!

How A Yogi Can Enumerate The Benefit

s

Of Vipassan Meditation

................................

............

7

!

HowDukkha Vedan

(Suffering) Is Dominant

In The Early Stages Of Vipassan Meditation

............

8

!

Detailed Explanation Of Vedanupassan

Satipatthna

................................

...............................

11

2

The Second Dhamma Talk ................................

.............

20

!

Khanti

(Patience)

................................

.......................

21

!

Nibbna

(Enlight

enment)

................................

..........

25

!

Sabba Ppaca Akarana Ducarita

(Deeds Of Bad Conduct) ................................

..........

33

!

Kusalaca Upasampada Pu

a

-

Kiriya Vatthuni

(Items Of Meritorious Actions)

................................

..

37

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3

3

The Third Dhamma Talk

................................

.................

39

!

The Day Of Aspiration

................................

..............

40

!

The Day Of Birth

................................

......................

42

!

The Day Of Enli

ghtenment

................................

.......

43

!

The Day Of Parinibbna

................................

...........

45

4

Cut The Chain Of Paticcasamuppda

(The Wheel

Of Life) By Practising Vipassan Meditation

..................

60

5

Instruction OnMeditation For The Yogis

........................

67

6

Sharing Of Merits

................................

............................

83

7

Blessing By The Saydaw

................................

...............

85

8

Contemplation Before Meals

................................

...........

86

9

Quick Reference From Pali To English Language

...........

87

!

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4

The Biography of the Saydaw

U

Kundalbhivamsa

The Saydaw was born in Waw Township, Myanmar in 1921.He became a samanera at the age of nine at Waw Monastery.He studied at various t

eaching monasteries, amongst which arethe famous Shwe

-

hintha Forest Monastery and the MaydhiniForest Monastery.

He attained the title of Dhamma Lectureship in 1956, andanother title of Dhamma Lectureship in 1958. He had taughtBuddhist Scriptures to 200

monks daily at Maydhini ForestMonastery for 20 years. After having meditated under thetutelage of the late Venerable Mahasi Saydaw for a year, hedecided to teach meditation. He started the SaddhammaransiMahsi Meditation Centre

in 1978; It is now cat

ering for 150

yogis daily. The Saydaw is a prolific writer and has publishedseveral Dhamma books. He is one of the Chief AdvisorySanghas in the Main Mahsi Center, Yangon.

He came to Singapore to undergo a cataract operation duringthe months of May and

June, 1992. He resided at the BuddhistOasis of the Singapore Buddha

-

Yana Organisation (SBYO),

situated at 15, Jalan Belibas, Upper Thomson, Singapore.

The book consists of three of his five dhamma talks given inSBYO during his stay.

!

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5

Translators Not

e

When the Sayadaw came over to Singapore, we requested theSayadaw to give Dhamma talks at SBYO, and I had theprivilege of translating his talks from Myanmar to English forthe audience. Whenever I listen to the recorded tapes, theircontents overwhelm m

e. It is never enough for me and thesatisfaction I gain remains with each additional listening. Itherefore wish to share this Dhamma with all non

-

Myanmar

-

speaking friends who are seeking to progress in VipassanaMeditation.

If anyone finds something amis

s in this book, I apologise forthe lack of skill in my English translation of the Sayadawspreachings. If anyone gains some benefits out of this book, myforwardness in bringing out this book will be justified.

Most Sayadaws of Myanmar believe that expla

nation ofDhamma infused with Pali words is good. The Pali language isthe most proficient in expressing the Buddhas Dhamma interms of absolute truth (

paramattha sacca

); whereas otherlanguages are more concerned with the sensual world(

kamasukhallika

). Also, if the yogi wishes to acquire the in

-

depth knowledge of the Dhamma, now is the chance for him toget familiar with Pali. That is why this book is flowing withPali words.

!

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6

The First Dhamma Talk

I shall talk on the subject of Vipassan Meditat

ion in threeparts tonight:

Part 1

How a yogi can enumerate the benefits of VipassanMeditation.

Part 2

How dukkha vedan

(suffering) is dominant in theearly stages of Vipassan Meditation.

Part 3

Detailed explanation of VedanupassanSatipatthna

.

!

Dhamma talk given on the 27

th

of April 1992

,

at the SBYO

by the Saydaw U

Kundalbhivamsa of SaddhammaransiMahasi Meditation Centre

,

Yangon

,

Myanmar

.

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7

How a Yogi can enumerate the

benefits of Vipassana Meditation.

Assuming a yogi can manage one noting every second (in fact,a lot of notings per second is possible for most yogis), he canmanage sixty notings in a minute, 3,600 notings in an hour. Al

lthese notings of Vipassan Meditation are never wasted or lostin the mind process of the yogi. The strength of his VipassanMeditation will cumulate till he reaches Nibbna.

When the yogi notes on the rise and fall of the abdomenaccording to the instr

uction of the late Venerable MahasiSayadaw, the following will happen:

At the moment of noting the rise of the abdomen, there is nochance for lobha

(greed) to surface; lobha is longing for theother forms of mental consciousness. So, lobha ceases to exi

st.Attachment (

upadana

) caused by lobha will also cease to exist.Thus, all kamma incited by upadana are extinguished. Andexistence (

bhava

) cannot be formed. The dukkha

(suffering) ofold age, the dukkha of sickness, the dukkha of worry, and thedukkha o

f death; all these samsara dukkha

cease to exist. In anhour of meditation, the yogi has eliminated 3,600 existences.

If the yogi sits down to meditate for an hour, even if hisconcentration is not deep enough for him to notice any benefitout of his sitti

ng, he can feel certain that he has eradicated thepossibility of 3,600 future existences. Thus his samsaric cycleis shortened.

!

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How Dukkha Vedana (Suffering) is dominant

in the early stages of Vipassana Meditation.

When a yogi passes through the first

Vipassan

na calledmarpapariccheda na

,

1

the yogi has to practise bodilyand mental restraint throughout the sitting so that he can sitwithout being distracted by body movement, and note withoutbeing distracted by the minds wandering. Practising

restrainton the mind so that it does not wander is suffering (

dukkha

).

There is no enjoyment; only physical and mental dukkha.

When a yogi relentlessly continues noting, he reaches thesecond insight

na, called Paccayapariggaha na

.

2

Theyogi still ha

s to discipline his mind as well as his body.

When he reaches the third

na, called Sammasana na

,

3

thethree characteristics, namely, anicca

, dukkha

and anatta

, arevery clear to the yogi. He has more suffering than in theprevious

na. As soon as the yogi sits down, he experiencespain, nausea, itchiness, heaviness of the body, aches all overthe body, etc. Dukkha is the dominant factor in that

naexperience. The yogi has mental suffering as well as physicalsufferings. He comes to feel that his body

is a heap of dukkha.

Also, a yogi realizes that the dukkha vedan

is not permanent.The type (nature) of vedan changes. The place of occurrenceof vedan also shifts. It is so impermanent anicca

. The yogireflects, I come to practice Vipassan Meditat

ion because I

1

.

The first

na is the knowledge of the reality of mind (nma

) andmatter (rpa)

.

2

. The second

na is the knowledge of causes and effects.

3

. The third

na is

the insight into the three characteristics of existence.

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expect to find well

-

being. Now, it is not turning out as I hadexpected. I have no control whatsoever upon the happenings ofthis body anatta

.

As the yogi listens and follows his teachers instructionsattentively and faithfully, the yogi will find a change in hisexperience. He overcomes the dukkha and tastes the oppositeexperience. It is the fourth Vipassan

na Udayabbayana

.

4

The body of the yogi becomes very soft, very light, verystrong and very well

-

behaved. The yogi, who had n

eeded tochange his position a few times in his previous

na, nowneeds no change of position at all. The mind, as well as thebody, is very well

-

behaved. Some yogis, who could sit throughone hour in the previous

na stages, can now sit for two tothree

hours.

The conscious mind is doing its business of noting auto

-

matically. In the previous

na stages, the yogi had to try veryhard to note the rising and falling inside the body. Now, theyogi reports to the teacher that he is just sitting to observe th

eautomatic noting kyika dukkha

(bodily pain) as well ascetasika dukkha

(mental suffering) are abundant in the lower

na stages. Now, the yogi has kyika sukkha

(bodily comfort)as well as cetasika sukkha (mental bliss). The yogi enjoyspti(joy) and s

ukkha

(comfort).

The type of pti and sukkha that the yogi experiences at theUdayabbaya

na stage far exceeds in quality those of human

4

.

The fourth

na is the insight into the rising and passing awayof phenomena.

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bliss; even better than those of the average celestial beings. Inthe Texts it is explained as follows:

The yogi who goes to a quiet sanctuary, who manages tocultivate a tranquil mind, and who is mindful of the arisingand cessation of nma

and rupa

; the yogi who can finddanger in them; that yogi will enjoy the pleasures (pti andsukkha of vipassan) which exceed and are far better thanthose of human and of celestial beings.

The yogi who reaches the Udayabbaya na can enjoy hismeditation. The teacher need not worry, nor encourage theyogi, as he is walking on the right path now. In accordancewith hisparamita

(per

fections), he is bound to reach Nibbna.This

na is called the forerunner of Nibbna. Therefore allyogis should strive to reach this

na at the very least.

!

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Detailed explanation of

Vedanupassana Satipatthana

It is necessary to distinguish between t

he three types ofvedan:

1. dukkha vedan

2. sukkha vedan

3. dukkha asukkha vedan

(

upekkha vedan

)

In dukkha vedan

lies dosa

(anger). In sukkha vedan

lieslobha

(greed). In upekkha vedan

lies moha

(delusion). Theyogi must be able to obliterate

, eradicate and cut off thosethree defilements in his meditation.

1.

Dukkha Vedan

In meditation retreats, dukkha vedan is encountered first. InSammasana na, bodily pains, headache, nausea, itchiness,all bodily dukkha, lead to the yogis mental disco

mfort. Theyogi wonders, Why such troubles? How long must I suffer?If the yogi can overcome this by meditation, that means he hasmanaged to cut off his dosa

-

defilement.

In the Scriptures, it is stated as follows:

The yogi is compared to a man going in

to the forest tocollect wood. When a thorn pricks his hand, he must takethe thorn out of his hand first, before he carries on pickingwood. If the man tries to ignore the thorn and carries onwith his work, it will be just a waste of time. Likewise the

y

ogi who faces intense dukkha vedan but who carries onnoting the rise and fall of his abdomen will be ignoring the

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most prominent feature in his meditation. His mind cannotbe calm and dosa will arise in him. If he is afraid of alldukkha in the sea of sa

msra, he must note hard on the

dukkha vedan, until the vedan is overcome. Only then ishe able to discard dosa. The yogi must prepare himself tobe tolerant. Patience leads to Nibbna is an old Burmesesaying.

Once, an old monk tried very hard to medi

tate contin

-

uously throughout the night. He had very bad wind

complaints in his stomach, so bad that he could not standor sit. When lying down on the couch, he could not keepon meditating. He tossed and turned to relieve himself. Hisfellow disciples cou

ld only help him by covering him withhis robes, which were disarrayed. One learned monk camein and said to the sick monk, Oh venerable sir, monks areto cultivate the habit of tolerance, is it not so?. The sick

monk replied,

Sadhu

(meaning well

-

said)

. The sickmonk remembered to discard his dosa. He meditated withdeep concentration, starting from the centre of hisabdomen upwards. When his noting reached the midpointof his chest, he reached the third Magga and third Phala.He passed away as a non

-

re

turner (

Anagami

). That is howpatience leads to Nibbna.

Following this example, the yogi should not worry whether heis going to suffer throughout the whole sitting.

To note is myduty

is what he should reflect on. When the pain is toostrong, the yog

i should not grit his teeth, either. Too muchindustry can deviate his noting from the present. One mustrelax the body as well as the mind when vedan is extreme.

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There are three types of mental approach in that sort ofsituation.

The yogi says to himself

:

!

I hope I will overcome this pain at the end of thissitting, so that the pain will not be with me at the nextsitting

.

!

I will work very hard this sitting. This pain cannotstay on but must disappear completely. Until that

happens. I will n

ot stop meditating

.

!

I will meditate to know the true nature of this pain

.

The yogi with the first type of attitude is hoping for peacefulmeditation (that is lobha

). There will not be much progress.The second type has dosa

(aversion). The third typ

e is theright one.

When facing dukkha vedan. the yogi should just be aware ofit. With a relaxed mind and a relaxed body, the yogi of thisthird type can put his noting mind right on the present; righton the vedan. He must not be anticipating the futur

e, nor puttoo rough a mind on the present.

The yogi should try to find out,

Is this pain on my skin, or isit within my flesh, or in my veins, or in the bones; where

?With concentration, the yogi must watch the pain. Sometimes,the pain becomes worse, s

ometimes, the pain recedes.Sometimes, after four or five notings, either the intensity orthe location of the pain changes. The yogi will conclude fromhis own experience that he cannot be continuously in pain:

pain is changing with every noting. He feels

encouraged andinterested. He works harder.

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After one or two notings, the change in the intensity orlocation of pain will be visible. Later, he will find that at everynoting, it is changing.

The word, Udayabbaya

in fact consists of two parts:

Udaya

understanding the nature of happening, arising,coming into being;

bbaya

understanding the nature of cessation, passing awayof the phenomenon.

The yogi notices the arising of vedan, as well as the passingaway of vedan. The succession of vedan is so great and sospeedy, that all that the yogi notices is the arising and then thepassing away of vedan, not the inflicting nature of sufferingitself.

When the yogi industriously carries on, he reaches the fifth

na,Bhanga na

.

5

The arising of the ph

enomenon is notdistinct, just the passing away of the phenomenon is distinct.When the yogi notices the pain, as soon as he notes it, the painceases to exist. The yogi has no dukkha of the arising of thepain. Even the dukkha vedan of passing away is no

t distinct.Vedan is over

-

ridden by the power of the yogis observation.

Some yogis report that there consists two points in each notingat that

na stage. When the yogi notes the pain, he notices:

1. the cessation of the pain, as well as2. the ces

sation of the consciousness.

5

. The fifth

na is the insight into passing away: the perishable nature ofcomposite things.

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Some yogis say there are three points:

1. the cessation of painful sensation,

2. the cessation of consciousness, and3.

the cessation of the noting mind.

As the cessation comes so fast, the yogi is absorbed in thenoting only. To note each cessation is so important to the yogithat the dosa

(unhappiness triggered by the pain) is discarded(or ignored) already. His meditation is on the smooth path bythen. One noting brings about one cessation. Vedan is notpermanent ved

an anicca

. Still, the yogi keeps on noticingthe rapid succession of the cessation of the phenomenon. Thisis suffering vedan dukkha

. He has no control over thismatter. He cannot change the situation so as to ease himself abit vedan anatta

(non

-

se

lf). Here, the yogis noting hasover

-

ridden (overwhelmed) the vedan.

2.

Sukkha Vedan

When the yogi is facing (experiencing) the sukkha vedan

, it isso pleasing and so pleasant that he wants it to go on. This istermed in Pali as raga

-

nusaya kilesa

(att

achment towards thepleasant sensation). The yogi must be able to eradicate thedefilement caused by the sukkha vedan.

Sukkha vedan can be experienced in the fourth

na stage.The yogi has the following:

!

The buoyancy of mental properties, bouyancy o

f thebody as well as of mind. By buoyancy, it is meant thatthe mental properties become light.

!

The pliancy of mind and body.

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!

The fitness to work of mind and body.

!

The proficiency of mind and body.

The yogi starts to enjoy one or a few of th

e five types ofpti

(pleasurable interest of mind). From the joyous state of mind,is borne theptija

-

rupa

(pleasurable buoyancy of body). Therearises lobha

-

tanh

, craving for more. The yogi feels attachedto it. He expects and wishes to have sukkha ved

an at allnotings. That is raga

-

nusaya kilesa

. When the yogi comesacross sukkha vedan, he has to note it so as to see it (sukkhavedan) as dukkha. Then only, lobha

-

tanh will be discarded.Otherwise, the yogis progress is going to be stationary for astretch of time.

At the early stage of Udayabbaya, the yogi sees pleasantimages in his mind; such as monasteries, stupas, Buddhaimages, celestial beings, gardens, all sorts of happy scenes.

These are some forms of sukkha vedan. As the

na matures,the yogi understands the arising of the phenomenon and thepassing away (cessation) of the phenomenon. The beginningof the rising of the abdomen, as well as the ending of therising of the abdomen, is clear to him. The beginning of thefalling of the abdomen,

as well as the ending of the falling ofthe abdomen, is clear. The middle part is not so clear to himanymore. As

na increases, the beginning of the rising of theabdomen as well as the cessation of the rising of the abdomenis clearer. The beginning of

the falling of the abdomen as wellas the cessation of the falling of the abdomen is clearer. Lateron, he notices the successive arising and successive cessationsof the rising of the abdomen. He notices the successive arising

and successive cessations o

f the falling of the abdomen. Bythen, his Vipassan

na is very strong and powerful.

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Whichever phenomenon the yogi notes, the phenomenonarises successively and then passes away successively. Thearising of the phenomenon as well as the passing away of i

t is

very distinct to him.

The yogi should note mindfully that, it is peaceful when henotices the experience of peacefulness of his body. If thepeaceful state of mind is more distinct, he must note it, too.Then the yogi will realize that as peacefulne

ss of mind occurs,it ceases to exist at the immediate noting of it. Whatever the

yogi notes, all phenomena cease to exist. It is so much and sofast. Buddha explained that, in the duration of one flick of aneyelash, there arises several trillions of cons

ciousness. Someyogis may not be able to cope with occurrences individually,they must then try to be aware of (or know) roughly. To be ableto catch up with the stream of consciousness, the yogi finds itdukkha

(suffering). This is the ripe stage of Udaya

bbaya

Vipas

san na. He finds that sukkha vedan is in factdukkha. He manages to get rid himself of theRga

-

nusayakilesa

.

3.

Upekkha Vedan

The Pali word

upekkha

is translated as indifference. It is

sometimes called

asukkha

-

adukkha Vedan

. The defilementattached to it is moha

(delusion). When the yogi reachesSankharupekka na

, the yogi is able to detach himself or feelindifferent towards all sankharas (mental formations). In theSayadaws meditation centre, yogis reported that:

!

The rising

of the abdomen and the falling of the

abdomen are happening by themselves.

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!

The noting mind is working by itself. it is as if the yogisits there watching the spontaneous occurrences.

!

Noting is so easy. The yogi is able to note all that isappeari

ng. It is so easy that moha

(delusion) sets in.The yogi does not realize the cessation of thephenomenon. As it is very comfortable, the yogismind dwells on the upekkha vedan. The yogi must bevery careful.

Sankhrupekkha na

6

starts from Bhanga na. The yogishould be able to see the cessations of phenomena. However,the yogi at times may find his noting easily flowing but maynot find the cessations of phenomena at all. The teacher has totell the yogi to put in more industry; to watch more clo

sely.Then the yogi can find the quick cessation of the rising of theabdomen. He will find the fast cessations of the rising of the

abdomen, as well as the fast cessations of the notingconsciousness. When the yogi is noting that he is sitting, themanner

of his sitting ceases to exist, then follows the cessationof his noting mind. When the yogi is noting the touch of hisbody, the manner of his touch ceases to exist, followed by thecessation of his noting consciousness. All the phenomena,when noted, ce

ase to exist. All the phenomena are not

permanent. All rpa

-

dhamma

, as well as all nma

-

dhamma

are not permanent. The moha is discarded from the mind ofthe yogi. Upekkha vedan is difficult to note. The yogi mustcome back to the body, where the upekkha v

edan arises.

6

. Sankhrupekkha

na is the insight arising from equanimity.

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If the yogi can find anicca

(impermanence) from the upekkhavedan, he has overcome the moha

-

kilesa

. In the Scriptures,upekkha vedan is explained with a simile:

In the forest, while a man was elsewhere, a deer walkedover the mans seat. Wh

en he came back, the deer was nolonger in the vicinity. But he saw the footprints of the deerwalking towards the seat, as well as the footprints walkingaway from the seat. The man could conclude from thosetwo sets of footprints that a deer had walked o

ver his seat.

Upekkha vedan is like that. The incoming footprints aresimilar to those of dukkha vedan of the yogi. Theoutgoing footprints are like those of sukkha vedan.Upekkha vedan is between dukkha vedan and sukkhavedan.

The yogi should attac

h his noting seriously on his body to find

upekkha vedan

.

!

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20

The Second Dhamma Talk

Todays talk is on the fundamental precepts laid down forregu

lating the conduct of Buddhas disciples who have beenadmitted as Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis in the Ord

er. For twenty

years, after the establishment of the Order, there was neitherinjunction nor rule concerning pati

(offences). The membersof the Order of the early day were all Ariyas, the leastadvanced was a stream

-

winner. There was no need forprescrib

ing the rules relating to grave offences. OvadaPatimokkha

(the exhortations concerning the Rules of theOrder) was the only one existing.

Today, the Sayadaw is going to talk on the subject

OvdaPtimokkha

. Ovda

the Teaching of Buddha;pti

thosewho listen to it; mokkha

will escape from the sea ofSamsara.

It is divided into four chapters, as follows:

Part 1 Khanti

(Patience)

Part 2 Nibbna

(Enlightment)

Part 3 Sabba Ppaca Akarana Ducarita

(Deeds of bad conduct)

Part 4 Kusalaca Upasa

mpad Pu

a

-

kiriya

-

vatthuni

(Items of meritorious actions)


th

of

June 1992

,

at the SBYOby the Saydaw U

Kundalbhivamsa of SaddhammaransiMahasi Meditation Centre

,

Yangon

,

Myanmar

.

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21

Khanti (Patience)

Khanti

is a noble habit. The yogi who aims to taste the bliss

of Nibbna must cultivate the habit of khanti towards:

!

the disturbances from the outside world, as well as

!

the sufferings within himself.

Only then can he develop samdhi

(concentration) to findinsight in his vipassan meditation.

Outside disturbances are numerous, such as mosquitoes, sun,heat, wind, as well as gossip and slander from his neighbours.Inner s

ufferings are numerous, too, such as pain, headache,itchiness, nausea, etc. The yogi needs to tolerate his pain whilemeditating, with a determination that he will carry on even ifhe were to die from the pain.

How can the yogi train himself to tolerate t

he disturbances? Hecan do so by:

1.

Cultivating the attitude of khanti, and

2.

Vipassan meditation.

Cultivating the attitude of khanti

Cultivation of the attitude of khanti will yield the yogi thefollowing good results:

a.

Respect from others.

b.

Ha

ving no enemies.

c.

Being without fault in whatever he does.

d. Having good nimitta

(signs) when dying.

e.

Reaching at least the deva plane in his next existence.

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22

On the other hand, if he does not cultivate khanti, the yogi maylose his patience and:

a.

Be hated by most people.

b.

Have many enemies.

c.

Be faulty in his actions.

d.

Have an unhappy state of mind.

e.

Reach the four suffering states after he passes away.

Vipassan meditation

By practising vipassan meditation, the yogi can face theout

side, as well as the inner sufferings. The yogi is instructedto be mindful of all feelings. The yogi will react tounfavourable feelings such as mosquito bites, by merelynoting, biting, biting, biting. When feeling the intense heat,the good yogi will note the warm sensation in his body. He

notices the passing away of the warm sensation. The cessationof the warmth is of prime interest for the noting yogi. Heceases to react to the heat. When others are blaming him, he isnoting it as

hearing, hearing,

hearing

. The yogi who reachesBhanga na will merely be aware of the passing away of onesingle vowel after another. The noting mind for that singlesound will perish, so also the conscious mind. The blaming

words bring no meaning whatsoever to the mind

ful yogi. He isnoting as, and when, it occurs. When the yogi with eightprecepts feels hungry in the evenings, he notes his hunger.When he reaches Bhanga na, some of his minor physicalillnesses can be cured. As he notes,

pain, pain, pain

, thepain c

eases to exist at the point of noting, so also the notingmind. One noting brings about one cessation. The perishable

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23

nature of all the phenomena is the major imprint in the mindof the yogi. Bliss of Nibbna is now within his grasp.

Once, an old man who h

ad been the father of Buddha in theprevious five hundred existences, grew sickly. He was overninety years of age and knew that he had one last chance to seeBuddha. He went and told Buddha that he was getting old andsickly; he would never get well again

; and asked Buddha togive him one last teaching. Buddha told the old man that noone was free from disease and old age. If someone said he was

free from disease, it would only be that he did not knowhimself well. He was just foolish. But the teaching is:

Let itbe painful in your body, do not let it be painful in your mind

.

On the way out of Buddhas monastery, he met the VenerableSariputta. The monk noticed the brightness of the mans eyes.Knowing that the old man loved Buddha like a son and was

very

close to Buddha, he asked the man about the teaching.After hearing it, the monk supplemented the whole teachinggiven by Buddha as:

1.

Some feel pain in the body, as well as in the mind.

2.

Let it be painful in the body, but not in the mind.

The fi

rst type of persons are those who do not have the insight

that differentiates between nma

and rpa

. They do notunderstand the concepts of the five constituent aggregates of:

1.

The body (

rpa

)

2. The sensation (

vedan

)

3. The perception (

sa

)

4. The volitional activities (

sankhra

)

5. The consciousness (

vi

nam

)

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24

25 comprise nma

.

When the body is suffering of its own accord, the yogi thinks

that he is suffering. When the vedan is reacting of its ownaccord, the yogi thinks that he i

s reacting. When the sa

,the sankhra, the vi

nam are reacting of their ownaccord, the yogi thinks that he is reacting.

If the yogi understand nma and rpa, he will feel painful onlyin his body, not in his mind. Twenty kinds of attaditthi

a

retotally destroyed from the yogis mind. Sometimes, the yogireports to the Sayadaw that the pain is one thing, and thenoting mind is a separate thing. Some even report that the painseems to be outside the body, somewhere else.

When the yogi reaches Bh

anga na, one noting brings aboutone cessation. The yogi is not disturbed by the pain. Althoughthe yogis body has pain, the mind of the yogi, which is

concentrating on catching up with the process of cessation isnot painful.

!

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25

Nibbna (Enlightenment

)

Nibbna

is the most noble dhamma, the audience here isstriving to reach Nibbna. Some wonder whether it really isthere. Nibbna cannot be seen with the eyes. Just as air cannotbe seen by us, but everyone knows that it is there.

How can we see Nibbna?

By practising VipassanMeditation. When the yogi reaches theMagga

(path) andPhala

(fruition); the yogi sees Nibbna. It is appropriate toexplain the series of Insight Knowledge (

Vipassan na

) asfollows:

The First Insight: Nama

-

rupa Pariccheda na

When the yogi enters the meditation centre to note on the riseand fall of his abdomen; he thinks that his abdomen is rising,

his abdomen is falling. He is noting. When noting the senseof touch while sitting, his body is sitting and touching, andhe is noting. As concentration increases, he will find that themanner of the rising of the abdomen is one separate entity, andthe conscious mind knowing the rise of the abdomen isanother separate entity. The phenomena such as rising, falling,sitting,

touching are rpa

-

dhamma

which do not haveconsciousness. The noting mind is nma

-

dhamma

. Someforeign yogis reported to the Sayadaw that, in the early days oftheir retreat, there was just themselves, one and only one. Now,it seemed there were two of th

emselves all the time.

Having reached the first

na, the wrong view of the conceptof I, (

sakkya

-

ditthi

) is destroyed. The yogi understands thatthe terms such as I, he are lokavohra

(conventional usage).

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26

The Second Insight: Paccaya Pariggaha na

All phenomena such as the rise of the abdomen, the fall of the

abdomen, sitting, touching all happen first; the notingconsciousness follows to note the above bodily phenomena.The bodily phenomena are the causes, and they cause the mindto notice. The noting mind is the effect.

Some yogis experience variations in the pattern of the rising orthe falling of the abdomen; the abdomen does not rise upstraight towards the front. Sometimes, it rises nearer to oneside of the body in a lopsided manner. Someti

mes, it risestowards the back of the body. Sometimes, it is rotating whilerising. Sometimes, the yogi notices that the rise occurs at thetop of his head, sometimes on his hand.

The changing mode of rising is the cause. The noting mindfollowing is the e

ffect. The yogi who understands that can be

called

Cula

-

sotapanna

(one whose future is ensured in thesense that his next existence will not be in an apaya

region). Itis much to be striven for. He achieves supportive results out ofthe Buddhas ssana

. He is sure to be in sugati

(a happy state)in his rounds of rebirth. Whatever other religions say about hispractice, he will not be shaken.

Some believe that things happen naturally without cause. It istermed ahetuka

-

ditthi

(causeless belief). The yogi w

ill neveraccept that. He knows that the disparity between poor and richmust have some cause.

Some believe that all beings are created by the Brahma, orCreator. It is termed visama

-

hetuka

-

ditthi

(unequal belief in

creators). In fact, if the Brahma had cr

eated all beings, theBrahma, being full of metta

(love and compassion) would have

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27

wanted all beings to be the best. But some are very wealthy,very beautiful, and of noble mind; whereas some are verypoor, very ugly and of a wicked disposition. The cause which

is metta from the Brahma, has the effect of disparity. Thecause and the effect are not in balance. The yogi will notaccept that. The yogi knows by his meditation that, if hecultivates a noble attitude, his behaviour, his manners will allbe pleasi

ng and pleasant. When he is defective in his attitude,his actions, his looks will be coarse and ugly. He will notbelieve in the concept of creation. People are rich now, due to

their past good kamma. He will avoid doing evil deeds and hewill choose to d

o good deeds. Therefore, his present kamma isall good kamma. He will not go to the apya

-

regions (woefulstates) in his next life.

The Third Insight: Sammsana na

The yogi faces all types of pains, aches, nausea, stomach

-

aches, shaking of his body, swa

ying of his body throughout hismeditation. He faces mental as well as physical suffering. Hefeels that his khandha

(body) is a load of suffering (

dukkha

).He also finds that suffering varies and changes places.Suffering itself is not permanent (

anicca

).

The yogi feels thatalthough he came to meditate to find peace and bliss, at thatmoment, he cannot obtain, nor create, what he had anticipated.He has no say in the matter. His khandha is not responding tohis desire (

anatta

). Sammsana

na

is explained

as theknowledge of investigation of the three characteristics ofcomposite things.

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28

The Fourth Insight: Udayabbaya

-

Nupassana na

The yogi does not have physical pain anymore. Therefore, the

mind also is free from suffering. The yogis body as well as his

mind are light, soft, pliant and well

-

behaved. Those who usedto change positions two times during one sitting, may need nochange of position at all. The sense

-

objects and the notingmind are very compatible. The yogi enjoys physical well

-

beingas well a

s mental well

-

being. He enjoys bliss (

pti

). He seeslight, colours, celestial beings, monasteries, stupas, etc. These

are the manifestations of early Udayabbaya

na

.

As insight matures, the yogi notices the arising and then theperishing of the rise of t

he abdomen. He notices the arisingand then the perishing of the fall of the abdomen. Allphenomena have two parts, coming into being and thenpassing away. The yogi is happy because he can note all.

Udayabbaya

na

is explained as the knowledge of rising andpassing away of phenomena.

The Fifth Insight: Bhanganupassana na

This

na emphasizes the perishable nature of all phenomena.The beginning of the rise of the abdomen is not clear to himany more. Only the passing away of the rise of the abdomen isd

istinct. While walking, he cannot find the beginning of hislifting the foot, nor the beginning of his movement forward,nor the beginning of the downward motion of his foot. Henotices the end part of his lifting, the end part of his forwardmovement, and

the end part of his downward press. Ending ofall phenomena is distinct. The sense

-

object as well as the

consciousness perish all the time. He does not find any formor matter in his khandha (

body

). This is called strong and

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29

successful Vipassan. He can

not find anything permanent inhis khandha (

anicca lakkhana

). The flux of cessation is somuch and so fast that he finds suffering (

dukkha lakkhana

). He

cannot prevent nor correct it (

anatta lakkhana

).Bhanga

na

is explained as knowledge which reflects o

n the breaking up orperishable nature of composite things.

The Sixth Insight: Bhayanupassana na

Whatever the yogi notes, it just perishes. The yogi feels afraid

of his khandha. This

na

is explained as knowledge of thepresence of fear of composite thi

ngs.

The Seventh Insight: dnvanupassana na

Since all phenomena out of his khandha perish all the time, hebegins to find his khandha as a decaying, rotting heap. He

finds fault with it.dnva

na

is explained as knowledgewhich reflects on the dang

er of composite things.

The Eighth Insight: Nibbidnupassana na

The yogi feels disgusted with his khandha. He wants to discardit very much. This

na is explained as the knowledge which

reflects on feelings of disgust aroused by composite things thatar

e dangerous.

The Ninth Insight: Mu

cituka

-

Myat na

The yogi does not wish to go on noting. He wants to discardhis meditation.This

na is explained as the knowledge of the

desire for release from composite things which cause feelingsof disgust.

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30

The Ten

th Insight: Patisankhnupassana na

The yogi finds that he cannot stop just like that. He feels that

he has to go on noting. So, he carries on with his meditation.In the Text, this situation is explained with a simile.

A man went to a shallow pond, takin

g a net with him, to catchfish. He threw the net into water. He saw movements inside thenet. He bent down and put one hand under the net to seize thefish. He held the fish tightly and brought it out of the water.Then, he realized that it was not a fish

, but a poisonous snakewith three stripes on its neck. He felt frightened. He wanted todiscard it, but he could not simply drop it there. He felt fed upof holding it, so he took a deep breath. He held his hand veryhigh, aimed well and then threw the sn

ake to the farthestdistance.

Similarly, the yogi finds that his khandha is like a poisonous

snake. The three stripes on the neck of the snake are the threecharacteristics of composite things. At this

na stage, pains,aches, dukkha vedan appear again. However much he puts ineffort to concentrate, the yogi finds that he wishes to changeposition very often. His mind is restless; also, his body isrestless. He requires a lot of encouragement from the teacher.If the yogi doggedly carries on his hard work

, he will reach thenext

na soon.

The Eleventh Insight: Sankhrupekkha

-

na

Suddenly, the yogi who felt that he was nearly failing, findsthat he can meditate again. All sense

-

objects as well as thenoting mind are doing their work spontaneously again. A

s timegoes on, noting become very soft and subtle. The yogi can go

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31

on noting for two to three hours at a stretch. He does not feelfrightened. He is not suffering. He can face all phenomenawith equanimity.

Some serious ailments of yogis, when they reach this

na, arecured completely. His vipassan is recognized as of standard.This

na is explained as the insight arising from equanimity.

The Twelfth Insight: Anuloma

-

na

Buddha said this

na is worthy of reaching Magga and Phala.It happens in a very short duration. It is an adaptive knowledgewhich rises in connection with the Four Noble Truths.

The Thirteenth Insight: Gotrabhu na

The linkage to being a common worldling (

puthujjana

) istotally cut off. The yogi becomes a member of thedistinguished

Noble Men (

Ariya

). A yogi reports that he feelsas though he is coming out of a region which is full of miseryand which is burning, and then entering a region which is verycool and very peaceful. Just one noting in this

na can maturethe concentration

of the yogi to move on to the next

na.

The Fourteenth Insight: Nibbna

In this

na, defilements which take the yogi to the foursuffering states have been broken off. Some defilements arecompletely destroyed. The sense of self doubt, scepticism, amis

under

standing of rules and rituals and disciplines will becut off.

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32

There is no happening. There is no awareness of anything.Feeling and awareness suddenly cease. The sense

-

objects andthe noting mind both cease to function in the state of Nibbna.

The f

irst cessation of sensation is Gotrabhu na

and it hasNibbna as its object. It lies between the mundane andsupramundane existence. The next cessation of sensation isMagga na

and it has Nibbna as its object. It is supra

-

mundane. Defilements are erad

icted. The final cessation iscalled Phala

na

; it has Nibbna as its object. It isSupramundane. In Phala na, Nibbna can be experienced

again and again. That is how the yogi comes and sees Nibbnahimself.

!

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33

Sabba Ppaca Akarana Ducarita

(Deeds

of

B

ad

Conduct)

In this chapter, Ovadana Patimokkha

requires monks

!

not to kill others.

!

not to ill

-

treat others.

It is only for monks, whereas for lay disciples, the following

points are required sabba papaca akarana

:

sabba

every;ppa

evil

-

doing; a

karana

non

-

action

One must not do ill. One must avoid doing evil (

ducarita

).There are ten types of ducarita

in brief.

Kaya

-

ducarita (physical wrong doing)

1.

Pntipta

: injuring and killing living beings.

2.

Adinndna

: taking or destroying animate an

dinanimate properties which have not been given.

3.

Kamesumicchcra

: committing sexual misconduct.

Vaci

-

ducarita (verbal wrong doing)

4.

Musvda

: telling lies.

5.

Pisunavc

: backbiting and calumny.

6.

Pharusavc

: using abusive language.

7.

Samphap

palpa

: taking part in frivolous conversation.

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34

Mano

-

ducarita (mental wrong doing)

8. Abhijjh

: covetousness.

9. Bypda

: malevolence.

10. Micchditthi

: wrong views.

The first four types of wrongdoing are understood by mostBuddhists. The fifth type is malice (

pisunavc

). By yourspeech, if it could cause dissension between friends thatspeech is pisunavc. It is not beneficial at all. Furthermore, soas to create a good impression of yourself, if you speak out andif that speech causes a bad impress

ion of others that speechwould be considered pisunavc. Even monks have to becareful about it. Monks cannot say, Only their school is ofgood sila

and high samadhi

; others schools are not of thisstandard of sila and samadhi. That is pisunavc. So

mefamilies say Only their family members are of good

conduct. Other families are deficient in conduct. That ispisunavc.

The sixth type of wrongdoing is to use abusive language.Sometimes, parents speak harshly to teach their children.Meditation te

achers use harsh speech to impress upon theirstudents the importance of meditation. These types of speechare not considered aspharusavaca

.

To illustrate: once, a mother got into a harsh argument withher son. The son decided to leave the house. Not wish

ing himto leave, the mother said that he may encounter a buffalo onthe street, and get knocked down by it. The son left the house,and came across a wild buffalo crashing down on him. Heimmediately remembered his mother, and said, if my mother

said tho

se words without really intending it to happen; may

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35

this buffalo go away! The animal suddenly turned away fromhim. Despite her harsh speech, her intention (mind) was kind.It is, therefore, not considered aspharusavc

.

Generally, an action is considere

d as pharusavc if both thespeech and the intention (mind) are harsh.

Sometimes, people with harsh intentions, use soft and politespeech. Nevertheless, this is also considered to bepharusavc

.

To illustrate: once, a king was giving an audience to seve

ralprinces from neighbouring countries. A criminal had beencaught at that time. The king had ordered, beforehand, that thecriminal must be brought to him immediately, as soon as hehad been caught. The king pleasantly told the guard to take thecriminal

to the forest and to let him sleep. The order actually,was to put the criminal to death in the forest! Despite his

seemingly pleasant words, the kings intention (mind) washarsh. It is, therefore, considered aspharusavc

.

The seventh type of wrongdoin

g is samphappalpa

.Conversations which do not bring about benefit for loka

(theworld, the population), as well benefit for Dhamma, areconsidered samphappalpa. Poems and song about men and

women are in that category.

The eighth type is covetousness; to be jealously eager for thepossession of something, especially the property of anotherperson.

The ninth type is bypda

; wishing evil to others, which canbring about their decline.

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36

The last type is micchditthi

(wrong views). Some peoplethink that killi

ng does not bring about ill

-

effects on the killers.They do not believe in the Law of Cause and Effect. They do

not believe in the Law of Kamma.

Buddha forbids his disciples to commit any of these ten kindsof immoral conduct. All kinds of livelihood and a

ll kinds ofphysical, verbal and mental actions that involve immoralconduct, are bad volitional actions.

These ten types of misconduct can be enlarged to forty. Forexample, the first misconductpanatipata

(killing others) canbe expounded as follows:

1.

Killing personally.

2.

Persuading, or hiring others to kill.

3.

Praising the benefits of any act of killing.

4.

Feeling happy when hearing of the killing.

!

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37

Kusalaca Upasampada Pu

a

-

Kiriya

-

Vatthuni

(Items of Meritorious Actions)

Kusalaca Upasampad

: kusalaca

meritorious, upasampad

undertaking. The yogi must try to be full of meritoriousactions.

Avoiding all ducarita

is called sucarita

. It is kusal

(meritorious action). The Dhamma that the yogi must live by

is composed of the following ten ite

ms of meritorious action(

pu

a

-

kiriya

-

vatthuni

). They are:

1.

Dana

(giving)

2. Sila

(morality)

3.

Bhvan

(meditation) samatha

& vipassanbhvan

4.

Apacayana

(paying reverence to the sanghas and theelders)

5.

Veyyavacca

(attending to the needs of

ceremoniesconcerning Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha; and to theneeds of elders)

6.

Pattidna

(transferring of merits to others)

7.

Pattnumodana

(feeling delightful and accepting the

sharing of merit)

8.

Dhamma savana

(listening to Dhamma)

9.

Dhamma desan

(

exposition of Dhamma)

10.

Ditthijukamma

(making ones views correct).Ditthijukamma

means the yogi believes that:

!

If he has meritorious deeds, he will enjoy thebenefit of his deeds in this life, in future lives, untilreaching Nibbna.

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38

!

If he has ill

-

deeds, he will face the bad effectsof his action in this life, in his future lives. He willgo to hell.

These 10 items of meritorious actions can be enlarged into 40detailed categories. For example, the first action, dana,

can bepractised as follo

ws:

1.

Doing dana personally.

2.

Organizing others to do dana.

3.

Talking about the merits of dana. The benefits can beseen in this life; in future lives until reaching Nibbna.

4.

Feeling happy to see the dana

-

acts of others. Admiringthat others can share.

The benefits of dana

are:

!

Longevity in this life, as well as in future existence.

!

Beauty.

!

Happiness and health.

!

Attendance (good friends)

!

Being able to manage his belongings.

The practice of the second action sila

will bring forth t

hefollowing benefits:

!

Ease in acquiring wealth.

!

Fame (popular with everyone).

!

Respected by everyone in all circumstances.

!

Good nimitta on nearing death.

!

Reaching the deva plane in his next life.

!

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39

The Third Dhamma Talk

The most impor

tant of the Buddhist festivals is Vesakha(sometimes written as Vesak). Vesak is the name of an Indianmonth, the month of May. It was the month, upon the fullmoon of which, the four important events pertaining toGotama Buddha took place. On that day, al

l Buddhists do a lotof meritorious acts in commemoration of our Gotama Buddha.

Part 1 The Day of Aspiration.

Part 2 The Day of Birth.

Part 3 The Day of Enlightenment.

Part 4 The Day of Parinibbana.

!


th

(

Vesakha Day

)

of May 1992

,

at the

SBYO by the Saydaw U

Kundalbhivamsa of Saddhammaransi

Mahasi Meditatio

n Centre

,

Yangon

,

Myanmar

.

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40

The Day of Aspiration

A hundred thousand ae

ons and four incalculable ago, theDpankara Buddha had arisen in the world. During that time,there lived an ascetic by the name of Sumedha. Having beenabsorbed in the ecstasies of theJhanas

that he had attained, hedid not realize either the coming of Dpankara Buddha to thehuman world, or the birth of the Buddha, or the enlightenmentof the Buddha, or the preaching of the First Discourse

Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta

.

One day, Dpankara Buddha, together with four hundredthousand monks, was invited to v

isit a city. The inhabitants ofthat city hurriedly tried to clear and decorate the road.Sumedha, the ascetic, was coming out from his hermitageground. He was traveling through the sky and noticed the

people clearing the way. He descended to the ground t

o ask thereason why. He was told of the coming of Buddha. Uponhearing the word Dpankara Buddha, he was overwhelmedwith joy. He knew by his intuitive knowledge that he couldbenefit a lot from this Buddha, and that he could reachNibbna at the feet o

f this Buddha. He asked the people togive him one section of the road to clear. The place allotted to

him was covered with muddy water and extremely hard toclear. He was not able to clear his section in time, but when hesaw Buddha approaching the place,

Sumedha decide to throwhimself flat on the ground, loosening his hair and spreadingthe antelopes hide over his body. He had offered himself as abridge for the Buddha and the four hun

dred thousand monks towalk over. Suddenly, the idea struck him tha

t he could reach

Nibbna in this Dpankara Buddhas Sasana. However, for

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41

such a man as able as he was, he could not find muchsatisfaction for himself to swim alone across this sea ofSamsra. Like the Dpankara Buddha, he would strive to attain

the utmost

self

-

awakening (namely, Sabbannuta na

) first, sothat he would be able to pull out the populace, humans as wellas devas, from the sea of Samsra. Only afterwards would heattain parinibbna himself.

This way seemed more suitable for him, rather than be

comingenlightened right at the feet of Dpankara Buddha. He laid

himself down and made the resolve for Buddha

-

status.

Dpankara Buddha knew of the resolve of Sumedha and alsothat Sumedha had accumulated enoughparamita

(per

fections).So, Dpankara Buddh

a declared to the assembly that when ahundred thousand aeons and four incalculable had passed, thisascetic would become the Buddha named Gotama. This

happened on the Vesak Day.

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42

The Day of Birth

On the full moon day of May, in the year 623 B.C., the Quee

nMahamaya was on the way to visit her fathers kingdom,carrying in her womb the ten

-

month

-

old Bodhisatta. Betweenthe two cities, there was a pleasure

-

grove of Sal trees, calledLumbini Grove. The grove was full of flowers, from theground to the top

-

mos

t branches of the trees. She reached outand grabbed hold of one of the branches. Immediately, her

labour pains started. While standing up, and keeping hold ofthe Sal tree branch with her right hand, her delivery tookplace. The newly born child walked se

ven paces towards thenorth. Then he halted and exclaimed thus:

Aggo

-

hamasmi lokassa

Jettho

-

hamasmi lokassa

Settho

-

hamasmi lokassa

Ayam antim jti

Natthidni punabbhavoti

.

The chief am I in the world

There is no equal to me

I am supreme

This i

s my last birth

No rebirth for me

.

He uttered the above five sentences on the full moon day ofVesak. All buddhists celebrate Vesak day, feeling a greatindebtedness to the compassionate Buddha who has shown usthe Path of Enlightenment.

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43

The Day of Enli

ghtenment

On the full moon day of Vesak, the Siddhattha Gotamaattained the Buddha

-

hood. In the first watch of the night, theredawned on him the first knowledge. It is calledPubbenivasanussati na

(The Reminiscence of Past Birth).He recollected his pr

evious births in all their details andspecial relations.

In the second watch of the night, there dawned on him hissecond knowledge. It is called Cutupapata na

or,sometimes,Dibbacakkhu na

(The Perception of theDisappearing and Reappearing of Beings

). He started toconcentrate on the death and the rebirth of beings. He saw thatbeings, whose deeds, words and thoughts are not right andwho reproach noble ones and accept false beliefs, are born

after their death in bad states such as hell. He also saw,

on theother hand, the birth in good states, such as deva planes, ofbeings who are of right deeds, words and thoughts; and whohonour the noble ones and accept right beliefs. He also sawthat beings are born according to their actions, words andthoughts

.

In the last watch of the night, the third knowledge dawned onhim. It is calledAsavakkhaya na

(The Comprehension ofthe Cessation of Corruptions). He realized suffering in itsentirety; then the cause of suffering; then the cessation ofsuffering; and

finally the path leading to the cessation ofsuffering. He realized the flowing defilements in their entirety,the cause of defilements, the cessation of defilements and the

path leading to the cessation of defilements.

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44

At the dawn of the full moon day of

Vesak, the Buddhaattained full enlightenment

Sabbanuta na

. All Buddhistscelebrate Vesak Day, showing utter joy for the Buddha.

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The Day of Parinibbna

After having preached the Dhamma to all beings for the spaceof forty

-

five years. Buddha entered Nibbna on the full moonday of Vesak. The Buddha entered the Sala Grove of the MallaKings at Kusinara. He asked the Venerable Ananda to preparea couch with the head pointing to the North, between the TwinSala trees. He then laid himself down and entere

d Parinibbna.

There exist three utterances of Buddha. They are called

Buddha Vacana

. No Buddha in his time has omitted makingthem.

1. Pathama Buddha Vacana

The first utterance was exclaimed when he attained fullenlightenment.

An

kajti samsran sand

hvassam anibbisam

Gahakrakam gav

santo dukkh jti punappunam

Gahakraka, ditthosi puna geham na khasi

Sabb te phsuk bhagg gahakutam visamkhitam

Visamkhragata cittam tanhnam khayam ajjhag

.

Through the endless round of birth and rebirth,

Seekin

g in vain, I hastened on,

To find who framed this edifice.

What misery! birth incessantly!

O builder! Ive discovered thee!

This fabric thou shalt neer rebuild!

Thy rafters all are broken now

And the pointed roof lies demolished!

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This mind has demolitio

n reached,

And seen the last of all desire!

2. Majjhima Buddha Vacana

The middle utterance was all the Dhamma that he expoundedduring his forty

-

five years of Buddahood, namely 84thousands ofDhammakhanda

, i.e. the Tri

-

pitaka

.

The Tri

-

pitaka consists of

:

1.

Sutta Pitaka

2.

Vinaya Pitaka

3.

Abhidhamma Pitaka

Sutta Pitaka

is for the benefit of lokiya (

mundane

) andlokuttara (

supramundane

). It shows the good ways for peopleto take up. It varies a lot, according to the paramita of the

individual listener. I

f the yogi is of high paramita, the suttawill be on the subject of meditation to help him reachNibbna. If the yogi is a beginner in the Dhamma Path, thesutta will involve subjects such as dana

and sila

.

The Vinaya Pitaka

consists of rules and orders la

id down bythe Buddha himself for the sangha and all noble beings to

follow. Acts that the sangha, as well as all beings shouldrefrain from doing so as to avoid causing mental faults,verbal faults and physical faults are all laid down. Butmostly, it

concerns physical and verbal actions. The sangha has227 codes of conduct to follow, in general. If explained indetail, it would expand to over ninety billions of physicalverbal rules. Vinaya Pitaka does not consider the mental faults.

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The other two Pi

takas deal with mental correctness.pati

(offence) for the sangha, is caused only when committedverbally or physically. Because if pati includes mental

behaviour too, it would be extremely difficult for most peopleto enter the Order and to remain as sa

ngha, and to carry onteaching Dhamma in the Ssana.

Abhidhamma Pitika

the teachings in this Pitaka surpassthose of the Sutta Pitaka. In Sutta Pitaka, there is just a shortmention of the subjects about five aggregates, twelve yatana

,

eighteen dhtu

, f

our Satipatthna

and Paticcasamuppada

.Abhidhamma

, as the term implies, is the Higher Teaching ofthe Buddha. It is the ultimate teaching (

paramattha desan

).Both mind and matter are scientifically analyzed. Intricatepoints of Dhamma are clarified. To wi

se truth

-

seekers,Abhidhamma is an indis

pensable guide. It is extremely helpfulto comprehend fully the words of Buddha.

3. Pacchima Buddha Vacana

The last utterance while lying down on a couch in the SalaGrove of the Malla kings, before he entered Mah

aparinibbna,Buddha requested the Venerable Ananda to assemble all thebhikkus and exhorted them to practise the doctrines that he

had taught in order that the religious life might last long.

Handa dni bhikkhave, mantaymivo;

Vayadhamm sankhra,

Ap

pamdena sampdetha

.

Come now, monks, I address you;

Component things are subject to decay,

Strive with earnestness.

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These were the last words of Buddha. All sankhra, alldhamma are subject to decay. The only thing which is notsubject to decay is Nibb

na. Therefore, Nibbna is sometimes

called amata

(decayless state). Buddha asked all his bhikkusnot to delay in their practice towards Nibbna.

Do not forget,practise with earnestness

was the last utterance of Buddha.They are the most important, the most valuable words utteredby Buddha. The ordinary unforgetfulness is when the yogipractises dana

, sila

and samatha bhvan

, which will lead himtowards human wealth, celestial wealth and Brahmas wealth.

The real intention of the true meaning of unforg

etfulness isfor us not to forget the Satipatthna Vipassan Meditation.

For all those hundred thousand aeons and four incalcu

la

bles,the Bodhisatta had strived and fulfilled all theparamita

. Thereason for his effort was not merely to give the populac

e thewealth of men, devas and Brahms. Since the time when he

was the ascetic Sum

dha in front of Dpankara Buddha, theBodhissatta had intended to pull all the populace out of the seaof samsra and to help the populace taste the bliss of Nibbna.

Not t

o forget the practice of Vipassan Meditation

is thecorrect interpretation of Buddhas last utterance. There arethree types of forgetfulness:

1.

Serious forgetfulness.

2.

Ordinary forgetfulness.

3.

Forgetting what should not have been forgotten.

Seri

ous forgetfulness

It refers to persons who are with ducarita

all the time. Killingothers, stealing others properties, etc., are called serious

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forgetfulness. They will sink into the apya

the four woefulstates in their future lives.

Ordinary forget

fulness

It refers to those who are enjoying life; who are absorbed intheir daily routines with good food, good cars and happyfamily lives. People usually are involved with the pleasures ofthe sensual world, and forget to meditate. This too, is not good

.Because of their forgetfulness, they will be in the sea of

samsra for a long time, after his life. They will face thedukkha of old age, the dukkha of sickness, the dukkha of deathand the dukkha of rebirth again and again and again. Mostyogis in this audience will be in this category, too. But whengathering wealth, if you have some intention of doing dana outof that wealth, then it is not so bad.

Forgetting what should not have been forgotten

It refers to those yogis who leave home to go to the fores

ts andmeditation centres to practise meditation to know Path andFruition in this very life. Sometimes, the yogi, in the midst ofhis meditation, becomes forgetful in some of his notings. Hewill be delayed in reaching Nibbna. One can be forgetful to

be mindful, even in the meditation centre.

In the last utterance of Buddha,

do not forget

is theimportant reminder.

If we do not forget the act of Dana;

If we do not forget the act of Sila;

If we do not forget Samatha Bhvan;

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Mainly, if we do not forget t

o practise VipassanMeditation, then we are behaving to the linkingof our Buddha.

The benefits of meditation are not obvious in the beginning.But they become quite noticeable in the middle and the latterphases of meditation. Buddha gave an analogy of the hatchingof the egg. The mother hen sat on her egg every day regularlyto hatch it. Likewise, the yogi needs to devote some time in hisVipassan Meditation. How is the progress of meditation

compared with the hatching of an egg? i.e.

1.

the shell of the egg.

2.

the egg white.

3.

the egg yolk.

Theshell of the egg

resembles the avijja

which is present allthe time in the mind of the yogi (avijja is the cloud of darkness

that blocks the vision of the way out of the sea of samsra).

The egg white

resem

bles the tanh

glue which ties the yogi tothe Wheel of Life.

The egg yolk

resembles the Vipassan na in the mind of theyogi.

The hen sits on the egg for many days. For the first few days, itis not evident to the naked eye:

how thin the shell has be

come. how dried up the glue is

how mature the chick inside is.

The benefits are not clear in the early days of the meditationeither.

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After 20 days of constant sitting, it becomes evident to thenaked eye that:

the shell is very thin.

the glue is quite dried.

and the chick is quite ready to come out. The chick isfull of energy. The kicking of its legs, the pricking by itsbeak can be detected.

After 28 days:

the shell is so thin. The outside light can go throughthe shell.

th

e glue is completely dried.

the chick is very strong. The shell is broken by itsstrength and the chick comes out of its shell.

Likewise, the benefits of the Vipassan Meditation become

clearer at the middle and latter phase. In the early periods ofthe yogis meditation, he is in no position to realise:

how much the avijja is thinning.

how much the tanh glue is getting dried up ateach noting.

how mature his Vipassan na is.

Later when his samdhi develops; the yogi knows by hisexpe

rience:

how the avijja in him is thinning.

how the tanh glue (the attachment towards humanexistence, celestial existence, Brahm existence, theattachment towards the higher existences) is very dried.

The yogi by then does not for long for any p

articularexistence. Like the matured chicken, when the

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Vipassan na ripens, the yogi notices the benefits ateach noting. He finds that his psycho

-

physicalphenomena all perish at his noting. They are

impermanent (

anicca

). They perish at a great speed.They have the afflicting nature (

dukkha

). He can in noway prevent these afflictions, i.e. Uncontrollable nature(

anatta

).

By his Vipassan Nna, the yogi acquires the penetrativeknowledge that nothing is permanent (

anicca

), nothing is

enjoyable (

dukkha

),

and nothing is controllable (

anatta

).

The benefits become very obvious. By his continuos noting,once he reaches the Sotapatti Magga na, the avijja cloudwhich has been pushing him to the four woeful states will beextinguished.

Some yogis, after having

cultivated the habit of Vipassan

Meditation, can spend the rest of their lives with mindfulness.The yogi who reaches Sotapatti Magga na

and SotapattiPhala na

has seen Nibbna. He will free from the fourwoeful states in his future existences. He ha

s acquired enoughcourage to move in the sea of samsra, only for seven moreexistences. In this life, even if he has wealth and fame, he willmerely be detached about them. His only ambition would be tobecome an Arahat in this life or in the near future.

He will notbe happy to spend his time on the various distractions of taste,smell and looks. He can be happy only with the acts of dana,sila, bhvan. He is happy with the chores concerning Buddha,Dhamma and Sangha.

The yogi who has passed the state of

Sankhrpekkha na

is

free from lobha

, dosa

and moha

most of the time, even when

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he is not in the meditation centre. He is of a tranquil state ofmind. This is one benefit of meditation the clear and tranquilstate of mind.

Secondly, the mind of a trai

ned yogi is strong and well

-

behaved. If a person is not strong willed, when he faces sense

-

objects of great attraction, he will find himself getting veryattached to them. His lobha will drive him to act unwisely. Hiswavering mind will lead him at whateve

r cost, to achieve whathis lobha drives at. When he cannot get what he wants, his

dosa will drive him to do disgraceful bodily actions anddisgraceful verbal actions. The yogi with Sankhrpekkhana will face pleasant as well as very unpleasant situatio

nswith equanimity. Such things will not disturb his peaceful stateof mind.

Thirdly, when the yogi is in his early Udayabbaya na, his

body and mind are very pliant and very well

-

behaved. Heenjoyspti

(joy). Hence, theptija

-

rupa

(body filled with pit

i)will arise. Minor illnesses, such as headaches, migraine, andstomach

-

aches will be cured completely. Serious illnesses,which cannot be treated by physicians; which are not too fargone yet; can be cured at Sankhrpekkha na too. Samdhioverwhelms t

he disease. The samdhi attained at the

Sankhrpekkha na corresponds to that of the Fourth Jhnalevel. The late Venerable Mhsi Saydaw has explained thatin detail.

These three benefits are ordinary (mundane) benefits. Thegreatest benefit is to have

cut off bad kamma that the yogi haddone in his previous lives all the bad kamma that would have

taken him to the four woeful states in his future existences.

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Once the yogi has seen Nibbna, the gates to the woeful stateswill be closed to him forever. In this present life, too, in hisignorance, the yogi might have done some kamma bad enough

to send him to the four woeful states. Those kamma will haveno chance to take effect, once the yogi has reached the Pathand Fruition. It is like a tree which has been struck down bylightning. The tree will never grow again. Likewise the yogiwill never break his five precepts. All the coarser lobha

,coarser dosa

, coarser moha

are eradicated from himcompletely.

As a common worldling (

puthujjana

), it is very diffic

ult forhim not to break the five precepts. Noble people, old people they all have to remind themselves again and again, not tobreak the five precepts. After practising Vipassan Meditation,after having seen the Path and Fruition, it will be the yogis

second nature to practise the five precepts.

Methods Of Meditation

1.

Sitting Meditation

2.

Walking Meditation

3.

General (Detailed) Noting

Sitting Meditation

The yogi approaches a quiet place; sits comfortably, keepinghis body straight and his head erect; closes his eyes and startsto meditate. If the yogi chooses Anpna Satipatthna thetouch of air on one point of his nostril will be noted. Incomingbreath will cause a sensation of touch on that point of the

nostril; so also the outgoing breath, w

hich will cause a

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sensation of touch on that same point of the nostril. The yogijust focuses his mind on that sense of touch.

If the yogi is following the instructions of the late VenerableMhsi Saydaw, the rise of his abdomen caused by incomingbreath

will be noted. Also the fall of his abdomen caused bythe outgoing breath will be noted. The mind of the yogi, whiletrying to concentrate on the rise and fall of the abdomen at alltimes, will wander outside his body a lot, too.

The following sets of ap

proaches are recommended stage bystage:

1. The yogi should note the rise of the abdomen. The nextnoting is on the fall of the abdomen, the third noting is onthe sense of touch of his bottom on the seat (hardness). Ifthe yogi finds that his mind is sti

ll wandering, thefollowing second approach is recommended.

2.

The yogi should note the rise of the abdomen. The nextnoting is on the fall of the abdomen, the third noting willbe on the manner of sitting, then fourthly, on the sense oftouch of his botto

m on the seat. When noting the mannerof his sitting, the yogi should disassociate his mind fromthe shape or the features of his body. He must note the

sense of support (rigidity) in his body. If the yogi finds ittoo stressful to note four

-

steps, he shou

ld change to thethree

-

steps noting. If he still finds it difficult, he shouldchange to the two

-

steps noting. When the mind wanders,he must note the wandering mind two to three times. Hewill find that the wandering mind ceases to exist at one ofhis not

ings.

There are four kinds of Satipatthna Meditation:

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1.

Kynupassan

-

satipatthna

: Mindfulness of bodilyprocess.

2.

Vedanupassan

-

satipatthna

: Mindfulness of

sensations.

3.

Cittnupassan

-

satipatthna

: Mindfulness ofthoughts or mental process (con

sciousness).

4.

Dhammnupassan

-

satipatthna

: Mindfulness ofmind objects.

Noting of the rise and fall of the abdomen is kynupassan

-

satipatthna

.

Noting of the pain is vedanupassan

-

satipatthna

.

Noting of the wandering thoughts is cittnupassansatip

atthna

.

Noting of the sense of hearing, noting of whatever the yogi

sees while walking is dhammnupassan

-

satipatthna

.

Walking Meditation

For the yogi who aims to reach the Path and Fruition, it is veryimportant to practise walking meditation. It contri

butes a lot tohis sitting meditation, and as much to his general noting.

One

-

Step Noting

When the yogi is moving his left foot, he notes

walking

.When he is moving his right foot, he notes

walking

. Theshape and form of the foot must not be in the mi

nd of thenoting yogi. Shapes and forms arepa

atti

(conventionaltruths) only. When striving to find theparamattha

(absolute

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truth), the yogi must confine his awareness to the sense ofmovement only.

Two

-

Steps Noting

When the yogi is lifting his foot t

o move, he notes

lifting

.The manner of movement of his foot upwards is to be noted.When the yogi puts his foot down, he notes

putting down

.The manner of downward movement is the only interest ofmeditation to the yogi.

Three

-

Steps Noting

When the y

ogi lifts his foot up, the manner of upwardmovement must be noted. When the foot moves forward, henotes the forward motion. Then he notes the gradualdownward press of his foot to the ground.

In Vipassan Meditation, conventional names and forms arenot the interest of noting. The yogi should try to see themanner of movement in terms of the four constituent elements(

dhtu

) in all matter, namely:

1.

Pathavi

-

dhtu

(element of extension or earth elements)

2.

po

-

dhtu

(element of cohesion or water elemen

t)

3.

Tejo

-

dhtu

(element of kinetic energy or fire element)

4.

Vyo

-

dhtu

(element of support of motion, or windelement)

When he lifts his right foot, he would notice that it becomeslighter and lighter as it goes up. That is the indication of thepr

esence of the element of fire and the element of wind. When

he puts his foot down to the ground, he would notice that it

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becomes heavier and heavier. That is the indication of thepresence of the element of earth and the element of fluidity.Knowing the fo

ur constituent elements is a significant step for

the yogi. Only then can he comprehend paramattha sacca. Theessence of Vipassan Meditation is the ability of the yogi to beaware of all phenomena (1) as it is, and (2) when it happens.

Six

-

Steps Noting

Th

e yogi notes the beginning of the lifting of his foot (heels).

Next he notes the end of the lifting of his foot. Third henotes the beginning of the forward movement of his foot.Fourth he notes the end of the forward movement of his foot.Fifth he n

otes the beginning of the downward movement ofhis foot. Lastly, he notes the end of the downward movementof his foot.

If the yogi makes full use of his walking meditation time, inaddition to his sitting meditation time, within the forty

-

fivedays of his

retreat, he is bound to reach the second Vipassanna (

Pacccayapariggaha na

). He will find that, becausehe desires to lift his foot, his foot starts to lift. Because hedesires to move forward, the foot actually moves forward.Because he desires to p

ut his foot down, the foot comes down.

The desire (

nma

) arises first to cause the physical behaviour(

rpa

) to happen.

An alternative six

-

steps noting is as follows:

The yogi notes the starting of the lifting of his foot. Then henotes that he lifts his f

oot. Third he notes that his foot ismoving forward. Fourth he notes that his foot is going down.Fifth he notes that the foot is touching the ground. Sixth

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He notices the whole of his weight on that foot, so as to startlifting the other foot. Thi

s approach is good for young peoplewho have a lot of wandering thoughts.

If the yogi really can work as suggested, adhering to all thenotings in walking meditation, he is sure to find the Path andthe Fruition very quickly.

!

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Cut the chain of Paticcasa

muppda (the Wheel

of Life) by practising Vipassan Meditation

All Buddhists understand that to be able to reach Nibbna where all dukkha are destroyed the Wheel of Life, which isthe root cause of the endless round of rebirth in the sea ofsamsara, m

ust be broken. Therefore, Buddhists seek to find thedhamma that can cut the Wheel of Life. In fact, VipassanMeditation is the powerful dhamma in cutting the Wheel of

Life.

Among the twelve factors pertaining to the causality of theround of rebirth, avi

jja

(ignorance) and tanh

(craving) are thetwo mulabhuta

(most fundamental) dhammas that are the twomain causes of Paticcasamuppda. The cessation of these twocauses will lead to the complete termination of the Wheel of

Life, and the realization of the Nibbna.

Therefore, anyone who wishes to cut off avijja and tanh mustpractise Vipassan Meditation. Along the path of progress ofVipassan Meditation, when the yogi reaches Udayabbayana and Bhanga na, the yogi will realize by experiencethat it is possible to extinguish avijja

and tanh

.

How the chain of paticcasmuppada is started by avijja

Avijja

(ignorance) is the non

-

knowledge of the SupremeEnlightenment. In other words, not knowing the Four NobleTruths is avijja

.Moha

(delusion) and a

na

(no

n

-

knowledge)are synonyms of avijja. It is also not

-

knowing the Law ofDependent Origination (

Paticcasamuppda

). Owing to thisignorance, the uninstructed worldling entertains wrong views.

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Illusion dominates the unmindful person, and makes him blindto the

afflicting nature of all sense

-

objects.

Vipassan contemplation means watching and ceaselesscontemplation of all psycho

-

physical phenomena thatcomprise both the sense

-

objects and the correspondingconsciousness. The Vipassan practice leads to the fullawareness of their nature. As concentration develops; the yogi upon seeing, upon hearing, upon smelling, upon eating,upon touching, upon reflecting, realises the arising and then

the instant vanishing of them. He finds out that every psycho

-

physical phe

nomenon does not remain permanent, but passesaway the instant after it arises. However, when he isunmindful, he fails to see that. And he thinks wrongly that itis permanent, it is pleasu

rable, it is satisfactory. He seeksthe pleasant object

-

obje

cts. Avijja leads him to effort andactivity (

sankhra

and kamma

). Because of avijja, there arises

sankhra, kamma, and hence the inevitable results of the roundof rebirths.

How to cut the Wheel of Life started by avijja

When the yogi who practises Vipass

an Meditation reachesBhanga

na, upon every event of hearing, seeing, smelling,

eating, touching, reflecting, the watching consciousnesspromptly notes every psycho

-

physical phenomenon. Uponnoting, the yogi finds the instantaneous passing

-

away of boththe sense

-

objects and the consciousness. The yogi realises theimpermanent nature of all things (

anicca

), the suffering(

dukkha

), and the uncontrollable nature of things (

anatta

).Because he understands the truth now, The un

-

truth (

avijja

) is

extinguished.

Sankhra etc. are also cut off. By Vipassan

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Meditation the root cause avijja is terminated and the Cycle ofPaticcasamuppda is no more.

How theWheel of Life is caused by tanha

Tanh

(craving) exerts pressure upon us to find all sense

-

objects pleasant, and hence desirable. Because of this craving,updna

(attachment), bhva

(becoming) etc. arise insequence and cause the Cycle of Paticcasamuppda.

How to cut the Wheel of Life caused by tanh

By practising Vipassan Meditation, when the yogi reaches theBhanga

na, upon every event of hearing, seeing, smelling,eating, touching, reflecting, the watching consciousnesspromptly notes every psycho

-

physical phenomenon. The yogifinds the instantaneous passing

-

away of both the sense

-

object

and the consciousne

ss, upon noting. He finds all phenomenaas dukkha since they are afflicting him constantly with theirrepeated cessation. Because he no longer finds it pleasurable,the craving tanh is extinguished. Hence, updna

etc. are nomore. Vipassan Meditation ha

s destroyed the root causetanh, and hence cut the Wheel of Paticcasamuppda.

Cutting the Wheel of Life by noting the vedan

When summing up the formula of the Dependent Origination;vedan

(feeling) causes tanh

(craving) to arise. Tanh causesupdna

(attachment). Updna causes bhava

(becoming) tohappen, and so on.

Because of the vedan, the very foundation of the Wheel ofLife, namely tanh, arises. Tanh will go on feeding the Wheel

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of Paticcasamuppda. The yogi must be able to watch thevedan to

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