Meditation and Vipassana---6
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Buddharatana Monastery of Australia
Fruits and benefits
In DN III,131 the Blessed One said to Venerable Cunda thus: “Friends, those who live given to these four ways of luxurious living could expect four fruits, four benefits. What four? Here, friends, a monk, by the destruction of three fetters, is a stream-entrant, not liable to sink into unlucky existences and is assured of going through to enlightenment. This is the first fruit, the first benefit. Again, friends, a monk, by the destruction of three fetters and the reduction of lust, hate and ignorance, is a once-returner, who returns only once to this world and accomplishes the destruction of ill. This is the second fruit, the second benefit. Again, friends, a monk, by the destruction of the five lower fetters, will be reborn spontaneously (in the pure abodes), not liable to return, attaining parinibbāna there. This is the third fruit, the third benefit. Again, friends, a monk, by the destruction of the cankers, canker-less, mind-freed (cetovimutti), wisdom-freed (paññāvimutti), himself realizing it here and now, attains to and abides therein. This is the fourth fruit, the fourth benefit.”
Therefore checking the words of what the Blessed One said about the five fetters, setting oneself on the right path to eradicate those defilements will definitely earn oneself the fruits and benefits in times to come.
In the “Simile of the Raft”, the Blessed One said: “Even good states of mind has to be abandoned, what more the worst states of mind?” In meditation and vipassana some states of mind are so fine and subtle that a meditator does not discerned them as impermanent, and mistaken them for Enlightenment or cessation of suffering, they are just another states of mind or consciousness, we have to be particularly mindful of when we encounter them, they are to be abandoned as well!
Everything that we do in life is revolved around the building up or strengthening of the self, whether we eat, or sleep, study, or work, fall in love with someone, quarreling or fighting with someone, arguing a point, or forming a family with somebody, or embarking on a new venture, or lamenting over some disaster or loss, struggling with the illness-decimated body for the last breath, the identity of Self is always there.
The Self is but a mental process which is changing constantly with the condition or the environment, it doesn’t stay the same for a second, not even while we sleep, it will only stop when life comes to an end. The rebirth of a being is the phenomena of nama-rupa of a being contaminated with a thick dose of avijjā! This particular fetter we need to understand it fully as it leads to further sufferings. Understanding these sufferings, the cause of sufferings, the way of eliminating the sufferings, and how effectively we eliminate or remove them, would take time only when we have traversed the path fully, and understand the sufferings fully, then it is possible to remove the root cause of our transmigration.
But there were some of the aspirants who attained wisdom-deliverance as recorded in the texts. In the Kitagiri Sutta: "Behold, monks, a certain individual abides, not having attained in the body to those peaceful, formless emancipations that transcend form, but he perceives by his wisdom that the corruptions are extinguished. This individual, monks, is said to be delivered by wisdom." (MN I, 477-478) This is a sukkhavipassaka, i.e., a bare insight worker.
In Putta Sutta it mentioned: "And how, monks, is a person a blue lotus-recluse? Herein a monk, by destroying the cankers (āsavas), has reached the heart’s release, the release by wisdom that is free from the cankers, and having realised it abides therein. Yet he does not abide experiencing with his own person the eight deliverances. Thus, monks, is a person a blue-lotus recluse (samana-pundarika)." (AN II, 87) This is also a sukkhavipassaka, i.e., a bare insight worker. They both can attain jhanas if they wish.
However, the attainment of jhanas is an indispensable part of the training towards enlightenment, and certainly is a more speedily course of the spiritual path.
May you attain peace. Sadhu X3
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Cloncurry, Queensland, 7/7/2007
http://buddhism.sampasite.com
http://groups.google.com/group/learning-buddhism
http://ti-sarana.blogspot.com
http://bratana.earth.prohosting.com/
Saturday, 22 November 2008
Meditation and Vipassana---5
Meditation and Vipassana---5
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Buddharatana Monastery of Australia
Vipassana
All phenomena around us are nothing but composite of materials which are made up by the four basic elements, i.e., earth, water, fire, and air. The Blessed One advised his disciples that to effectively destroy our wrong view that the form or body as ‘me’ or ‘I’ or ‘belongs to me’ is to investigate or contemplate thoroughly from outside of us first, then gradually working inwards to our body. Next you investigate from the past, present, and future times, next you go to other categories as listed below. One by one where a practitioner works his way to eliminate his wrong view or attachment about these forms, with persistent effort one may one day attain the noble fruit (phala), when one is working on those attachment it is considered one is on the path (magga).
The purpose of training of wisdom is to realize Nibbana. There are ten subjects for contemplation and recollection:
1. Contemplation of impermanence (Anicca).
2. Contemplation of selflessness (Anatta).
3. Contemplation of loathsomeness of the body (Asubha).
4. Contemplation of disadvantage (danger).
5. Contemplation of abandonment and renunciation.
6. Contemplation of detachment.
7. Contemplation of liberation (Vimokkha).
8. Contemplation of distaste for the samsaric world.
9. Contemplation of impermanence of all composite things.
10. Mindfulness of in breathing and out breathing. (Anapanasati)(AN V.108)
The Nama Rupa and consciousness are interweaved so tightly that we are often unable to separate them, in SN 47.5.2 the Blessed One said: “by the arising of Nama Rupa comes the arising of mind, by the ceasing of Nama Rupa comes the ceasing of mind.” In DN 11 the Blessed One said: “But, Bhikkhus, you should not ask your question in this way : where do the four great elements; ie. earth, water, fire, and wind, cease without remainder? Instead, you should put the question thus : where do earth, water, fire, and wind find no footing? Where are long and short, small and great, fair and foul, where the Nama Rupa are totally destroyed? And the answer is : Where consciousness is non manifestative, boundless, all luminous; that’s where earth, water, fire, and wind find no footing. There both the long and short, small and great, fair and foul, there Nama Rupa are wholly destroyed. With the cessation of consciousness this is all destroyed.” Therefore the Blessed One shown us clearly that the world arises dependent on the consciousness, the world does not exist independently of the consciousness.
It was further explained in AN IV, 336-347, the Blessed One said: “Monks, when mindfulness and clear comprehension are not there, in him who lacks mindfulness and clear comprehension, the sufficing condition of conscientiousness and fear of doing evil is destroyed; when conscientiousness and fear of doing evil are not there, in him who lacks conscientiousness and fear of doing evil, the sufficing condition of restraint of the senses is destroyed; when there is no restraint of the senses, in him who lacks restraint of the senses, the sufficing condition of virtue is destroyed; when there is no virtue, in him who lacks virtue, the sufficing condition of right concentration is destroyed; when there is no right concentration, in him who lacks right concentration, the sufficing condition of knowledge and vision of things as they really are (yathā-bhūta-ñāna-dassana) is destroyed; when there is no knowledge and vision of things as they really are, in him who lacks knowledge and vision of things as they really are, the sufficing condition of disenchantment-dispassion is destroyed; when there is no disenchantment-dispassion, in him who lacks disenchantment-dispassion, the sufficing condition of knowledge and vision of freedom is destroyed. Just as, monks, twigs, bark, sapwood, and heartwood do not come to perfection in a tree lacking branches and leaves, so, monks, when no mindfulness and clear comprehension are there, the sufficing condition of conscientiousness and fear of doing evil is destroyed....
When there are present mindfulness and clear comprehension, he who is endowed with mindfulness and clear comprehension, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of conscientiousness and fear of doing evil; when there are present conscientiousness and fear of doing evil, he who is endowed with conscientiousness and fear of doing evil, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of restraint of the senses; when there is present restraint of the senses, he who is endowed with restraint of the senses, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of virtue; when there is present virtue, he who is endowed with virtue, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of right concentration; when there is right concentration, he who is endowed with right concentration, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of knowledge and vision of things as they really are; when there is present knowledge and vision of things as they really are, he who is endowed with knowledge and vision of things as they really are, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of disenchantment-dispassion; when there is present disenchantment-dispassion, he who is endowed with knowledge and vision of freedom. Just as, monks, twigs, bark, sapwood, and heartwood come to perfection in a tree possessing branches and leaves, so, monks, when mindfulness and clear comprehension are there, he who is endowed with mindfulness and clear comprehension, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of conscientiousness and fear of doing evil...”
There are sixteen levels of contemplative knowledge, these sixteen knowledge are progressive:
1. Knowledge on the name and form (Namarupa pariccheda ñāna).
2. Knowledge on the causes (Paccaya pariggaha ñāna).
3. Knowledge on the characteristics of phenomena (Comprehension knowledge, Sammasana ñāna).
4. Knowledge on the arising and passing away of phenomena (Udayabbaya ñāna).
5. Knowledge on the decaying of phenomena (Bhanga ñāna).
6. Knowledge on the fearsome of phenomena (Bhaya ñāna).
7. Knowledge on the disadvantages of repetitive birth (Adinava ñāna).
8. Knowledge on the disgust of repetitive birth (Nibbida ñāna).
9. Knowledge on the renunciation (Muncitukamyata ñāna).
10. Knowledge on the reviewing the progress (Patisankha ñāna).
11. Knowledge on the renouncing of the formation (Sankharuppekka ñāna).
12. Knowledge on the entering of the holy stream (Anuloma ñāna).
13. Knowledge on the state of sainthood (Gotrabhucitta)
14. Knowledge on the paths (maggacitta).
15. Knowledge on the fruits (phalacitta).
16. Knowledge on the remainder defilements (Paccavekkhana ñāna).
These sixteen knowledge are gauges which the medieval Theras had devised as way to summarize our experience on the holy path. We have to be mindful of the difference between worded category and experience, and avoid being caught in these arbitrary categories, and lose touch with our practical experience which is real and useful. We should investigate our experience and only use these categories as a milestone to check our progress.
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Buddharatana Monastery of Australia
Vipassana
All phenomena around us are nothing but composite of materials which are made up by the four basic elements, i.e., earth, water, fire, and air. The Blessed One advised his disciples that to effectively destroy our wrong view that the form or body as ‘me’ or ‘I’ or ‘belongs to me’ is to investigate or contemplate thoroughly from outside of us first, then gradually working inwards to our body. Next you investigate from the past, present, and future times, next you go to other categories as listed below. One by one where a practitioner works his way to eliminate his wrong view or attachment about these forms, with persistent effort one may one day attain the noble fruit (phala), when one is working on those attachment it is considered one is on the path (magga).
The purpose of training of wisdom is to realize Nibbana. There are ten subjects for contemplation and recollection:
1. Contemplation of impermanence (Anicca).
2. Contemplation of selflessness (Anatta).
3. Contemplation of loathsomeness of the body (Asubha).
4. Contemplation of disadvantage (danger).
5. Contemplation of abandonment and renunciation.
6. Contemplation of detachment.
7. Contemplation of liberation (Vimokkha).
8. Contemplation of distaste for the samsaric world.
9. Contemplation of impermanence of all composite things.
10. Mindfulness of in breathing and out breathing. (Anapanasati)(AN V.108)
The Nama Rupa and consciousness are interweaved so tightly that we are often unable to separate them, in SN 47.5.2 the Blessed One said: “by the arising of Nama Rupa comes the arising of mind, by the ceasing of Nama Rupa comes the ceasing of mind.” In DN 11 the Blessed One said: “But, Bhikkhus, you should not ask your question in this way : where do the four great elements; ie. earth, water, fire, and wind, cease without remainder? Instead, you should put the question thus : where do earth, water, fire, and wind find no footing? Where are long and short, small and great, fair and foul, where the Nama Rupa are totally destroyed? And the answer is : Where consciousness is non manifestative, boundless, all luminous; that’s where earth, water, fire, and wind find no footing. There both the long and short, small and great, fair and foul, there Nama Rupa are wholly destroyed. With the cessation of consciousness this is all destroyed.” Therefore the Blessed One shown us clearly that the world arises dependent on the consciousness, the world does not exist independently of the consciousness.
It was further explained in AN IV, 336-347, the Blessed One said: “Monks, when mindfulness and clear comprehension are not there, in him who lacks mindfulness and clear comprehension, the sufficing condition of conscientiousness and fear of doing evil is destroyed; when conscientiousness and fear of doing evil are not there, in him who lacks conscientiousness and fear of doing evil, the sufficing condition of restraint of the senses is destroyed; when there is no restraint of the senses, in him who lacks restraint of the senses, the sufficing condition of virtue is destroyed; when there is no virtue, in him who lacks virtue, the sufficing condition of right concentration is destroyed; when there is no right concentration, in him who lacks right concentration, the sufficing condition of knowledge and vision of things as they really are (yathā-bhūta-ñāna-dassana) is destroyed; when there is no knowledge and vision of things as they really are, in him who lacks knowledge and vision of things as they really are, the sufficing condition of disenchantment-dispassion is destroyed; when there is no disenchantment-dispassion, in him who lacks disenchantment-dispassion, the sufficing condition of knowledge and vision of freedom is destroyed. Just as, monks, twigs, bark, sapwood, and heartwood do not come to perfection in a tree lacking branches and leaves, so, monks, when no mindfulness and clear comprehension are there, the sufficing condition of conscientiousness and fear of doing evil is destroyed....
When there are present mindfulness and clear comprehension, he who is endowed with mindfulness and clear comprehension, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of conscientiousness and fear of doing evil; when there are present conscientiousness and fear of doing evil, he who is endowed with conscientiousness and fear of doing evil, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of restraint of the senses; when there is present restraint of the senses, he who is endowed with restraint of the senses, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of virtue; when there is present virtue, he who is endowed with virtue, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of right concentration; when there is right concentration, he who is endowed with right concentration, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of knowledge and vision of things as they really are; when there is present knowledge and vision of things as they really are, he who is endowed with knowledge and vision of things as they really are, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of disenchantment-dispassion; when there is present disenchantment-dispassion, he who is endowed with knowledge and vision of freedom. Just as, monks, twigs, bark, sapwood, and heartwood come to perfection in a tree possessing branches and leaves, so, monks, when mindfulness and clear comprehension are there, he who is endowed with mindfulness and clear comprehension, he is endowed with the sufficing condition of conscientiousness and fear of doing evil...”
There are sixteen levels of contemplative knowledge, these sixteen knowledge are progressive:
1. Knowledge on the name and form (Namarupa pariccheda ñāna).
2. Knowledge on the causes (Paccaya pariggaha ñāna).
3. Knowledge on the characteristics of phenomena (Comprehension knowledge, Sammasana ñāna).
4. Knowledge on the arising and passing away of phenomena (Udayabbaya ñāna).
5. Knowledge on the decaying of phenomena (Bhanga ñāna).
6. Knowledge on the fearsome of phenomena (Bhaya ñāna).
7. Knowledge on the disadvantages of repetitive birth (Adinava ñāna).
8. Knowledge on the disgust of repetitive birth (Nibbida ñāna).
9. Knowledge on the renunciation (Muncitukamyata ñāna).
10. Knowledge on the reviewing the progress (Patisankha ñāna).
11. Knowledge on the renouncing of the formation (Sankharuppekka ñāna).
12. Knowledge on the entering of the holy stream (Anuloma ñāna).
13. Knowledge on the state of sainthood (Gotrabhucitta)
14. Knowledge on the paths (maggacitta).
15. Knowledge on the fruits (phalacitta).
16. Knowledge on the remainder defilements (Paccavekkhana ñāna).
These sixteen knowledge are gauges which the medieval Theras had devised as way to summarize our experience on the holy path. We have to be mindful of the difference between worded category and experience, and avoid being caught in these arbitrary categories, and lose touch with our practical experience which is real and useful. We should investigate our experience and only use these categories as a milestone to check our progress.
Meditation and Vipassana---4
Meditation and Vipassana---4
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Buddharatana Monastery of Australia
Mindfulness of breathing (Anapanasati)
Of all those forty different types of meditation mentioned above, breathing meditation is considered of prime importance, the Blessed One taught this in two different ways; in the Satipatthāna Sutta (MN 10, DN 22) (sati means memorizing) and elsewhere, four steps of practice are given, which also leads one to insights.
1. “Consciously (sato) he inhales; consciously he exhales. Inhaling a long breath, he knows, - ‘ I am inhaling a long breath’. Exhaling a long breath, he knows . ‘I am exhaling a long breath.’ ”
2. “Inhaling a short breath, he knows - ‘I am inhaling a short breath’. Exhaling a short breath, he knows - ‘I am exhaling a short breath.’”
3. “Experiencing the entire (breathing) process (sabbakayapatisamvedt) ‘I will inhale’, thus he trains himself. Experiencing the entire (breathing) process ‘I will exhale’ - thus he trains himself.”
4. “Calming the body of respirations (passambhayam kayasamkharam), ‘I will inhale’ - thus he trains himself. Calming the body of respirations, ‘I will exhale’ - thus he trains himself.” (Satipatthana Sutta)
The 'Discourse on Mindfulness of Breathing' (Ānāpānasati Sutta, MN 118) and other suttas have 16 steps of practice, which divide the practice into four groups of four steps. The first three apply to both tranquility (samatha) and insight meditation (vipassana), while the fourth refers to pure insight meditation only. The second and the third group require the attainment of the absorptions (samadhi).
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Buddharatana Monastery of Australia
Mindfulness of breathing (Anapanasati)
Of all those forty different types of meditation mentioned above, breathing meditation is considered of prime importance, the Blessed One taught this in two different ways; in the Satipatthāna Sutta (MN 10, DN 22) (sati means memorizing) and elsewhere, four steps of practice are given, which also leads one to insights.
1. “Consciously (sato) he inhales; consciously he exhales. Inhaling a long breath, he knows, - ‘ I am inhaling a long breath’. Exhaling a long breath, he knows . ‘I am exhaling a long breath.’ ”
2. “Inhaling a short breath, he knows - ‘I am inhaling a short breath’. Exhaling a short breath, he knows - ‘I am exhaling a short breath.’”
3. “Experiencing the entire (breathing) process (sabbakayapatisamvedt) ‘I will inhale’, thus he trains himself. Experiencing the entire (breathing) process ‘I will exhale’ - thus he trains himself.”
4. “Calming the body of respirations (passambhayam kayasamkharam), ‘I will inhale’ - thus he trains himself. Calming the body of respirations, ‘I will exhale’ - thus he trains himself.” (Satipatthana Sutta)
The 'Discourse on Mindfulness of Breathing' (Ānāpānasati Sutta, MN 118) and other suttas have 16 steps of practice, which divide the practice into four groups of four steps. The first three apply to both tranquility (samatha) and insight meditation (vipassana), while the fourth refers to pure insight meditation only. The second and the third group require the attainment of the absorptions (samadhi).
Meditation and Vipassana---3
Meditation and Vipassana---3
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Buddharatana Monastery of Australia
Developing the five faculties
Besides the seven factors mentioned above, there are five other faculties which we need to look at, they are;
1. The faculty of conviction (saddha),
2. The faculty of persistence (indriya),
3. The faculty of mindfulness (sati),
4. The faculty of concentration (samadhi),
5. The faculty of discernment (pañña).
The faculty of conviction relates to our faith, while persistence is the effort of practice, the faculty of mindfulness is the four foundations of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration is the four meditative jhanas, lastly the faculty of discernment is the investigation of dhammas and the practice of vipassana or the training of wisdom.
In SN 47.1.6 the Blessed One said if we were to direct our attention to the external sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations, we are straying into Mara’s territories, and that would be to our perils! In MN 14 a prominent Sakyan called Mahanama (sakadagamin) came to seek advice from the Buddha saying that even though he contemplates the perils of greed, hatred and delusion yet they still invade his mind, the Blessed One said as long as he does not attain to piti and sukha (3rd and 4th jhanas) that are apart from sensual pleasures, and the unwholesome mental states, or to something more peaceful than that, he may still be attracted to sensual pleasures!
In SN 43 and AN2.11.9 mentioned that right view is established through listening to the deliberation of Dhamma and thereafter pondering over the teaching thoroughly (yoniso manasikara), and this will be the prerequisites for one to attain Sotapanna. In SN55.1.2 it mentioned about the ariya Sotapanna as having faith in the Triple Gems, i.e., Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha and also pure morality (sila), without having to attain meditative jhanas. In MN 22 it mentioned that the Sotapanna as having destroyed the first three fetters i.e., doubt(vicikiccha), adhering to wrong rites and ritual or ceremonies (silabbataparamasa), and wrong view of body(sakkaya ditthi); the Sakadagamin as further weaken the remainder three fetters of greed(lobha), hatred(dosa) and delusion(moha). In AN3.85; 9.12 mentioned that both Sotapanna and Sakadagamin require perfect sila; Anagamin requires perfect sila, samadhi and pañña. This means that both Sotapanna and Sakadagamin do not require meditative jhanas whereas the Anagamin and Arahant require jhanas.
Gradually developing the meditative skills
In AN 4.20.194 and MN 52 both stated clearly that to gain liberation, one needs to develop the meditative skills of jhanas.
The Blessed One taught forty different types of meditation:
1. Ten topics on Anussati (recollection of Buddhist teachings),
2. Ten topics on Kasinas (basic elements and colour light),
3. Ten topics on impurities (asubha, decaying corpse and 32 bodily parts),
4. Four topics on formless realms (arupavacara),
5. Four topics on loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity (appamanna),
6. One topic on the four elements in our body (catudhatuvavatthana),
7. One topic on the contemplation of food consumption (ahare patikkhulasanna).
The most commonly taught is the Anapanasati which is mindfulness on the breaths, this is the best of all methods for anyone, it helps to calm the mind, bring the mind into focus, and when a meditator contemplates about the breaths, he knows clearly that the body is dependent on the breaths, it cannot be my body!
There are four meditative stages; i.e., jhanas:
1. The first jhana requires at least two ingredients: Vitakka and vicara, it means initial attention and sustained attention on the subject of meditation.
2. The second jhana requires at least on ingredient: piti, it means joy.
3. The third jhana requires at least one ingredient: sukha, it means bliss.
4. The fourth jhana requires at least one ingredient: samadhi, it means single pointed mind, or ekaggata, it means single-ness. The other factor is upekkha, it means equanimity. The training on Anapanasati can lead the meditator to all these four jhanas.
The Blessed One said clearly in Samadhi Sutta (SN 3.363): Monks! You must develop your meditative power, a monk with such power can rightly see the truth. What does he know? He knows rightly: ‘this is suffering’; he knows rightly: ‘this is the origin of sufferings’; he knows rightly: ‘this is the cessation of sufferings’; he knows rightly: ‘this is the path leading to the cessation of sufferings’. Therefore meditative skill is an indispensable factors in the Buddhist liberation.
Besides, a meditator should also be able to master the following five skills:
1. Switching jhanas at will; move from one jhana to the other (avajjana vasi).
2. Entering jhanas at will. Move from outside of jhana into jhana (samapajjana vasi).
3. Staying in jhana at will (adhitthana vasi).
4. Leaving jhana at will (vutthana vasi).
5. Examining the factors of jhanas at will (paccavekkhana vasi).
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Buddharatana Monastery of Australia
Developing the five faculties
Besides the seven factors mentioned above, there are five other faculties which we need to look at, they are;
1. The faculty of conviction (saddha),
2. The faculty of persistence (indriya),
3. The faculty of mindfulness (sati),
4. The faculty of concentration (samadhi),
5. The faculty of discernment (pañña).
The faculty of conviction relates to our faith, while persistence is the effort of practice, the faculty of mindfulness is the four foundations of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration is the four meditative jhanas, lastly the faculty of discernment is the investigation of dhammas and the practice of vipassana or the training of wisdom.
In SN 47.1.6 the Blessed One said if we were to direct our attention to the external sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations, we are straying into Mara’s territories, and that would be to our perils! In MN 14 a prominent Sakyan called Mahanama (sakadagamin) came to seek advice from the Buddha saying that even though he contemplates the perils of greed, hatred and delusion yet they still invade his mind, the Blessed One said as long as he does not attain to piti and sukha (3rd and 4th jhanas) that are apart from sensual pleasures, and the unwholesome mental states, or to something more peaceful than that, he may still be attracted to sensual pleasures!
In SN 43 and AN2.11.9 mentioned that right view is established through listening to the deliberation of Dhamma and thereafter pondering over the teaching thoroughly (yoniso manasikara), and this will be the prerequisites for one to attain Sotapanna. In SN55.1.2 it mentioned about the ariya Sotapanna as having faith in the Triple Gems, i.e., Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha and also pure morality (sila), without having to attain meditative jhanas. In MN 22 it mentioned that the Sotapanna as having destroyed the first three fetters i.e., doubt(vicikiccha), adhering to wrong rites and ritual or ceremonies (silabbataparamasa), and wrong view of body(sakkaya ditthi); the Sakadagamin as further weaken the remainder three fetters of greed(lobha), hatred(dosa) and delusion(moha). In AN3.85; 9.12 mentioned that both Sotapanna and Sakadagamin require perfect sila; Anagamin requires perfect sila, samadhi and pañña. This means that both Sotapanna and Sakadagamin do not require meditative jhanas whereas the Anagamin and Arahant require jhanas.
Gradually developing the meditative skills
In AN 4.20.194 and MN 52 both stated clearly that to gain liberation, one needs to develop the meditative skills of jhanas.
The Blessed One taught forty different types of meditation:
1. Ten topics on Anussati (recollection of Buddhist teachings),
2. Ten topics on Kasinas (basic elements and colour light),
3. Ten topics on impurities (asubha, decaying corpse and 32 bodily parts),
4. Four topics on formless realms (arupavacara),
5. Four topics on loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity (appamanna),
6. One topic on the four elements in our body (catudhatuvavatthana),
7. One topic on the contemplation of food consumption (ahare patikkhulasanna).
The most commonly taught is the Anapanasati which is mindfulness on the breaths, this is the best of all methods for anyone, it helps to calm the mind, bring the mind into focus, and when a meditator contemplates about the breaths, he knows clearly that the body is dependent on the breaths, it cannot be my body!
There are four meditative stages; i.e., jhanas:
1. The first jhana requires at least two ingredients: Vitakka and vicara, it means initial attention and sustained attention on the subject of meditation.
2. The second jhana requires at least on ingredient: piti, it means joy.
3. The third jhana requires at least one ingredient: sukha, it means bliss.
4. The fourth jhana requires at least one ingredient: samadhi, it means single pointed mind, or ekaggata, it means single-ness. The other factor is upekkha, it means equanimity. The training on Anapanasati can lead the meditator to all these four jhanas.
The Blessed One said clearly in Samadhi Sutta (SN 3.363): Monks! You must develop your meditative power, a monk with such power can rightly see the truth. What does he know? He knows rightly: ‘this is suffering’; he knows rightly: ‘this is the origin of sufferings’; he knows rightly: ‘this is the cessation of sufferings’; he knows rightly: ‘this is the path leading to the cessation of sufferings’. Therefore meditative skill is an indispensable factors in the Buddhist liberation.
Besides, a meditator should also be able to master the following five skills:
1. Switching jhanas at will; move from one jhana to the other (avajjana vasi).
2. Entering jhanas at will. Move from outside of jhana into jhana (samapajjana vasi).
3. Staying in jhana at will (adhitthana vasi).
4. Leaving jhana at will (vutthana vasi).
5. Examining the factors of jhanas at will (paccavekkhana vasi).
Meditation and Vipassana---2
Meditation and Vipassana---2
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Buddharatana Monastery of Australia
Understanding ourselves
From the previous chapters, where we have discussed how to put in efforts to subdue or remove our hindrances or obstacles (Nīvarana); they are;
1. Sensual desire (kāmacchanda),
2. Ill will (Vyāpāda),
3. Sloth and drowsiness (thīna, middha),
4. Restlessness and anxiety (uddhacca, kukkucca), and
5. Doubt or uncertainty (vicikīcchā).
These are the bad or negative tendencies in ourselves, therefore we have to identify them and have them subdued and removed gradually, because these are the hurdles and obstructions to our progress on the spiritual path.
Promoting our good qualities
From the traditional view, the factors that one should try to promote are the thirty seven stages of practice (bodhipakkiya); i.e., the four foundations of mindfulness, four persistent efforts, four miraculous powers, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, and the eightfold noble path.
We will certainly come to realize that in fostering the seven factors of enlightenment (Satta bojjhangāni), we will make progress in our spiritual practice, and make our spiritual journey much smoother. These factors are;
1. Mindfulness (sati),
2. Investigation of the Dhamma (Dhammavicaya),
3. Energy or persistent effort (Viriya),
4. Rapture or joy (Piti),
5. Calm or meditative calm abiding (Passaddhi),
6. Meditative concentration (Samādhi), and
7. Equanimity (Upekkā) or letting go.
Mindfulness is none other than the four Foundations of mindfulness (satipatthana), ie; mindfulness on the body, mindfulness of the feelings, mindfulness on the mental states, and mindfulness on the Dhamma.
Investigation of the Dhamma is the applying of the medicines for our ills, in the word of the Blessed One, applying loving kindness for our anger and dislike; applying compassion for our hatred and ill will; applying sympathetic joy for our jealously; applying mindfulness on the breath for our wandering mind; applying persistent effort for our laziness; applying faith in the triple gems for our doubts; applying mindfulness of the illumination for our sloth and torpor; applying mindfulness on the impurities and death for our sensual desires; applying mindfulness on the impermanency for our wrong view of permanency; applying mindfulness on the sufferings for our wrong view of pleasantness; applying mindfulness on Dependent Origination for our wrong view of self and ego.
Energy or persistent effort is the applying of effort on four aspects of our activities;
1. Restraining the appearance of negative tendencies,
2. Subduing the appeared negative acts,
3. Fostering the appearance of virtuous tendencies,
4. Developing the appeared virtuous acts.
Rapture or joy is the cultivation of four meditative jhanas.
Calm and meditative calm abiding is the cultivation of four meditative jhanas.
Meditative concentration is the cultivation of meditative jhanas.
Equanimity or the letting go is the realization of the selflessness.
These factors must be cultivated and developed, because with these factors well developed, it leads us to full realization, to wisdom and to Nibbana.
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Buddharatana Monastery of Australia
Understanding ourselves
From the previous chapters, where we have discussed how to put in efforts to subdue or remove our hindrances or obstacles (Nīvarana); they are;
1. Sensual desire (kāmacchanda),
2. Ill will (Vyāpāda),
3. Sloth and drowsiness (thīna, middha),
4. Restlessness and anxiety (uddhacca, kukkucca), and
5. Doubt or uncertainty (vicikīcchā).
These are the bad or negative tendencies in ourselves, therefore we have to identify them and have them subdued and removed gradually, because these are the hurdles and obstructions to our progress on the spiritual path.
Promoting our good qualities
From the traditional view, the factors that one should try to promote are the thirty seven stages of practice (bodhipakkiya); i.e., the four foundations of mindfulness, four persistent efforts, four miraculous powers, five faculties, five powers, seven factors of enlightenment, and the eightfold noble path.
We will certainly come to realize that in fostering the seven factors of enlightenment (Satta bojjhangāni), we will make progress in our spiritual practice, and make our spiritual journey much smoother. These factors are;
1. Mindfulness (sati),
2. Investigation of the Dhamma (Dhammavicaya),
3. Energy or persistent effort (Viriya),
4. Rapture or joy (Piti),
5. Calm or meditative calm abiding (Passaddhi),
6. Meditative concentration (Samādhi), and
7. Equanimity (Upekkā) or letting go.
Mindfulness is none other than the four Foundations of mindfulness (satipatthana), ie; mindfulness on the body, mindfulness of the feelings, mindfulness on the mental states, and mindfulness on the Dhamma.
Investigation of the Dhamma is the applying of the medicines for our ills, in the word of the Blessed One, applying loving kindness for our anger and dislike; applying compassion for our hatred and ill will; applying sympathetic joy for our jealously; applying mindfulness on the breath for our wandering mind; applying persistent effort for our laziness; applying faith in the triple gems for our doubts; applying mindfulness of the illumination for our sloth and torpor; applying mindfulness on the impurities and death for our sensual desires; applying mindfulness on the impermanency for our wrong view of permanency; applying mindfulness on the sufferings for our wrong view of pleasantness; applying mindfulness on Dependent Origination for our wrong view of self and ego.
Energy or persistent effort is the applying of effort on four aspects of our activities;
1. Restraining the appearance of negative tendencies,
2. Subduing the appeared negative acts,
3. Fostering the appearance of virtuous tendencies,
4. Developing the appeared virtuous acts.
Rapture or joy is the cultivation of four meditative jhanas.
Calm and meditative calm abiding is the cultivation of four meditative jhanas.
Meditative concentration is the cultivation of meditative jhanas.
Equanimity or the letting go is the realization of the selflessness.
These factors must be cultivated and developed, because with these factors well developed, it leads us to full realization, to wisdom and to Nibbana.
Meditation and Vipassana---1
Meditation and Vipassana---1
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Buddharatana Monastery of Australia
Why meditate?
We have to do our training of observing the code of conduct (Sila) first, this gives rise to a clean life, and it forms the basis for meditation practice.
Meditation involves both the body and the mind. In meditation we keep our body still and train our mind so that it becomes peaceful and focused (samatha and samadhi), meditation or mind training means simply aware of our being, not judging, not thinking, just being simply aware of ourselves.
Mind training consists of two areas, the Tranquility (Samatha) meditation and the Contemplation (Vipassana) meditation. Samatha means mental tranquility, when mental purity is attained through samatha, it is very sharp and see thing as it is clearly, the developed mind then abandons lust and so the mind is free of entanglement. It also has other auxiliary abilities like clairvoyance, transforming and changing objects, remembering pass lives etc.
In meditation we achieve three things: (1) Our mind become pure and luminous; (2) This pure mind is used as a tools for penetrating to the truths of phenomena; (3) It leads to the spiritual paths and attainments.
The Blessed One said in Anguttara Nikaya: “Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is defiled by incoming defilements. The uninstructed ordinary person doesn't discern that it actually is present, which is why I tell you that -- for the uninstructed ordinary person -- there is no development of the mind." {I,vi,1}
"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements. The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns that it actually is present, which is why I tell you that -- for the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones -- there is development of the mind." {I,vi,2}
The training of wisdom is the third training which leads a practitioner to liberation and freedom. This involves the contemplation (vipassana) of the characteristics of phenomena, they are all impermanent, subject to decay and destruction, and therefore is of the nature of imperfection and suffering, and if these phenomena are such, it naturally leads a meditator to come to investigate whether there is such a person called ‘me’ or ‘I’, for those keen meditator, you can take the advice of the Blessed One that there is no me or I.
The arising of insight or wisdom requires the purification of the morality (Silavisuddhi), and mind (Cittavisuddhi) as its roots. Purification of the morality is the adherence of the Five precepts (panca sila), the stricter Eight precepts (atthanga sila), and the novices’ Ten precepts (dasa sila), and the fourfold virtue of the ordained sangha, i.e., purity of Pātimokkha, restraint of the senses, purity of livelihood, purity in the use of the four requisites of robes, almsfood, lodging and medicine. Purification of mind is the attainment of the four rupa and the four arupa jhanas. Besides, it requires the inhibition of the five hindrances, i.e., sensual desires, ill-will, restlessness, sloth and torpor, and doubts. The insight would not arise if the virtue is not purified and the mental quiescence is not developed.
Vipassana is made up of two words, ‘vi’ is a prefix meaning separation, and ‘passana’ is to see, to observe; combining the two words means to observe and separate from our wrong view. Contemplative meditation is seeing the phenomena as they are, ie. impermanence, unsatisfactory, and selfless, and gaining insights into them so that our attachment and our ignorance to those phenomena around us could be abandoned, and gaining freedom by wisdom. (AN 2.3.10)
In meditation one deepens one’s practice through the practice of the four foundations of Satipatthana, which means the four foundations of mindfulness---mindfulness of the body, feelings, mental states, and the dhammas. With its perfection one develops the mind to a level it cuts off the tendency to fray into thinking easily, and with the purified mind ie. the attainment of meditative jhanas, one can see intuitively and clearly the selfless nature of the five aggregates, which then leads to Enlightenment and ultimately to Nibbana.
Friday, 21 November 2008
The gist of Buddha’s teaching---11
The gist of Buddha’s teaching---11
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Buddharatana Monastery of Australia
The absence of self
What we can called ourselves are but the aggregates of body, feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness, besides these, if we were to search thoroughly there is nothing else that we can called our own. The body is but the combination of the four elements, i.e.; solid element, liquid element, fire element and the air element; or to look at it more closely, we find the thirty-two parts as mentioned in Maha-hatthipadopama Sutta or Maha-rahulovada Sutta, or the twenty four derived components as listed above. They are all impermanent; hence there is no perpetual self! The feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness arise through the six doors (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind) contact the outer phenomena, five of the six door are the body which is impermanent, the mind is able to function due to its base on the five doors, therefore the mind door and the consciousness are all impermanent, hence there is no perpetual self!
Then the Blessed One analysed the impersonality (anattá) and emptiness (suññatā) of the five aggregates in SN. XXII, 49, as:
"Whatever there is of form, feeling, perception, mental formations and consciousness, whether past, present or future, one's own or external, gross or subtle, lofty or low, far or near, this one should understand according to reality and true wisdom: 'This does not belong to me, this is not me, this is not my Ego.' "
And he further analysed it: "Suppose that a man who is not blind were to behold the many bubbles on the Ganges as they are drifting along; and he should watch them and carefully examine them. After carefully examining them, however, they will appear to him empty, unreal and unsubstantial. In exactly the same way does the monk behold all the physical form phenomena ... feelings ... perceptions ... mental formations ... states of consciousness, whether they be of the past, present or future ... far or near. And he watches them and examines them carefully; and after carefully examining them, they appear to him empty, unreal and unsubstantial." (SN. XXII, 95)
The five aggregates are compared, respectively, to a lump of froth, a bubble, a mirage, a coreless plantain stem, and a conjuring trick (SN. XXII, 95).
In the Blessed One’s system of training, the hardest is the stilling of thoughts and consciousnesses, this the Blessed One said: “Where consciousness is signless, boundless, all luminous, that is where earth, water, fire and air find no footing. There are long and short, small and great, fair and foul. There ‘name and form’ are wholly destroyed. With cessation of consciousness, this is all destroyed” (DN I.223) the methods of getting there are nothing but meditation and contemplation.
We are consisted of the two broad components, i.e. the body (rūpa) and the mind (nāma), or a detailed classification of five aggregates (khandha), due to our attachment and extreme grasping on them, the Blessed One termed them as grasped aggregates (upādānakkhandha); these five aggregates are, i.e.,
(1) the form aggregate (rūpa-kkhandha),
(2) the feeling aggregate (vedanā-kkhandha),
(3) the perception aggregate (saññā-kkhandha),
(4) the mental formation aggregate (sankhára-kkhandha),
(5) the consciousness aggragate (viññána-kkhandha).
These five aggregates never exist for a single moment unchanged, permanent, as belonged to an entity of a permanent nature. The fact that these five are so easily misunderstood by the ignorant is that the mind see the continuity of the aggregate, and think they are me or mine.
That is why the Blessed One has to break them down into components like a butcher were to cut open a cow’s carcass and find that there is no such thing as a ‘Cow’.
In SN. XXII, 56, there five aggregates were defined as: "What, O monks, is the physical form? The four primary elements (mahā-bhūta or dhātu) and form depending thereon, this is called the aggregate of form.
The physical form are composed of by the four elements, i.e., the solid, or earth-element (pathavī- dhātu), the liquid, or water element (āpo-dhātu), the heat, or fire-element (tejo-dhātu), the motion, or wind element (vāyo-dhātu).
In Abhidhamma texts, the physical form is further divided into twenty four derived components, i.e., eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, form, sound, smell, taste, femininity (itthindriya), virility (purisindriya), mind base (hadaya-vatthu), bodily expression (kāya-viññatti), verbal expression (vací-viññatti), physical life force (rūpa jívita), space element (ākāsa-dhātu), physical agility (rūpassa lahutā), physical elasticity (rūpassa mudutā), physical adaptability (rūpassa kammaññatā), physical growth (rūpassa upacaya), physical continuity (rūpassa santati), decay (jarā), impermanence (aniccatā), nutriment (āhāra).
"What, O monks, is the aggregate of feeling? There are six types of feeling: reaction to visual impression, to sound impression, to smell impression, to taste impression, to bodily impression, and to mind impression....
All feelings are classified into five types; bodily pleasant feeling (kāyikā sukhā vedanā, sukhā), bodily painful feeling (kāyikā dukkhā vedanā, dukkhā), mental pleasant feeling (cetasikā sukhā vedanā, somanassa), mental painful feeling (cetasikā dukkhā vedanā, domanassa), and indifferent feeling (adukkha-m-asukhā vedanā, upekkhā).
"What, O monks, is the aggregate of perception? There are six types of perception: perception of visual objects, of sounds, of smells, of tastes, of bodily impressions, and of mental impressions....
All perceptions are divided into six types: perception of form, sound, odour, taste, bodily impression, and mental impression.
"What, O monks, is the aggregate of mental formations? There are six types of mental states (cetanā): with regard to visual objects, to sounds, to smells, to tastes, to bodily impressions and to mind objects....
This group comprises fifty mental phenomena, of which eleven are general psychological elements, twenty-five lofty (sobhana) qualities, fourteen karmically unwholesome qualities.
"What, O monks, is the aggregate of consciousness? There are six types of consciousness: eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, and mind-consciousness."
The Blessed One pointed out that these five aggregates are inseparable:
''Whatever, O brother, there exists of feeling, of perception and of mental formations, these things are associated, not dissociated, and it is impossible to separate one from the other and show their difference. For whatever one feels, one perceives; and whatever one perceives, there is consciousness" (MN. 43). This is the greatest difficulty one faced in trying to contemplate and analyse about the body and the mind.
He said further: "Impossible is it for anyone to explain the passing out of one existence and the entering into a new existence, or the growth, increase and development of consciousness independent of physical form, feeling, perception and mental formations" (SN. XII, 53)
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro, Sydney, 1998. Revised in Taipei 3/ 2006, Adelaide 8/2007.
Notes:
[1] Right view on the ownership of kamma: All beings are owners of their kamma, inherit their kamma, are born of their kamma, are created by their kamma, are linked to their kamma and any intentional action (ie, kamma) they do, whether good or bad, the effects of that will be theirs, following them like a shadow, that follows.
[2] Giving alms has good effects, any self sacrifice results in pleasure, small gifts are also beneficial. There is resulting fruition thus of any good and bad behaviour. There is moral efficacy of any relation to mother and father. There is this world and there are other worlds. There are beings who are spontaneously and instantaneously born. There exist good and pure recluses and priests in this world, who having followed the right method of practice, themselves by their own supra-human abilities, have directly experienced the other worlds and who explain them and thereby make them known here.
[3] Right view of such is suffering; Right view of such is the cause of suffering; Right view of such is the end of suffering; Right view of such is the way to end suffering.
[4] Right contemplation is being motivated by a general absence of greed, craving, and desire. It is to give generously by relinquishing possessiveness, and to detach from the five sense-desires of tempting sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches, and to cut attachment to the five clusters of clinging to forms, feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness.
[5] Right contemplation for non ill will is being motivated by universal friendliness, infinite goodwill, care, non anger, free of hate and a sympathy wishing and working for all sentient being's happiness, content, comfort, benefit and welfare.
[6] Right contemplation for harmlessness is being motivated by absolute non violence, absence of cruelty, and by compassionate pity, thereby offering all sentient beings guaranteed safety and protection from any evil, painful, bad or wrong treatment. Such giving of fearlessness is right contemplation or right motivation.
[7] The ten beneficial subjects of conversation: talk on the modesty of having few wants, talk on the bliss of contentment, talk on the joy of seclusion, talk on the ease of disentanglement, talk on the energy of enthusiasm, talk on the advantage of pure morality, talk on the calm of concentration, talk on the insight of understanding, talk on the freedom of release, talk on the direct knowledge and vision of release.
[8] The noble speech are; eliminating any false speech the noble friend dwells avoiding all lies, a truth-speaker, one to be relied on, trustworthy, loyal, not a deceiver of the world.
Abstaining from malicious speech, he does not tell them there, whatever he has heard about those here, or repeat here, whatever he heard there, repeat and harming those there. Thus is he a reconciler of those in conflict and a diplomat ending quarrels? The noble friend is rejoicing in peace, loving it, delighting in it, one who defends peace.
Abandoning all harsh and aggressive speech he refrains from it. He speaks whatever is blameless and pleasing to the ear, agreeable, touching the heart, elegant, gratifying and appealing to many.
Discarding idle and empty chatter, he speaks at the right time and only about what is correct, advantageous and to the point, of Dhamma and self control. He is a speaker whose words are to be treasured, timely, reasoned, well-defined, well-formulated, beneficial and leading to the goal.
[9] The many kinds of idle gossip and frivolous talk: such as talk on kings, robbers, ministers, armies, dangers, wars, foods, drinks, clothing, furniture, jewelry, cosmetics, relatives, vehicles, villages, towns, cities, countries, women, heroes, places, amusements, the dead, trifles, the origin of the world, the origin of the sea, whether metaphysical things are so or are not so. Such talk is pointless, irrelevant, detrimental, and empty of any good.
[10] There are three types of right action; avoiding all killing and injuring of any living being, abstaining from taking and stealing what is not given, stopping all misuse of sexual misconduct.
The first is the ending of intentional killing or destroying of beings either by physical action or by verbal incitement, ranging from killing eggs of lice and bugs, or causing abortion,
to any slaughter of living creatures, including human beings.
Secondly is the restraint from taking, what is not given, means abstaining from taking, with intention to steal, living beings or non-living articles, which have an owner, removing or appropriating them, without the owner's consent, either by physical effort or by inciting another to do so.
Thirdly is the restraint from sexual misconduct means abstention from any kind of sex, which will cause pain and suffering to others. Examples will be adultery, since this causes the disruption of marriage, rape, intercourse with minors protected by parents, and perversion of others.
Included here also is abstention from use of alcohols, drugs and any kinds of intoxicants, which causes carelessness, and gambling with cards, dices, on horses, government supported public gambling etc.
[11] Right livelihood has five types; earning a living not by trading of any living beings, earning a living not by selling any meat nor flesh, earning a living not by selling any weapons, earning a living not by dealing in alcohol nor drugs, earning a living not by selling any poison.
Right livelihood for Buddhist monks and nuns: Neither living nor receiving food by astrology, soothsaying, prediction of future events, nor by palmistry, geomancy, dream reading, charms and spells, or divination, nor by any rituals, running errands nor messages, flattering, arranging marriages, funerals nor divorces, medical praxis, nor by producing art nor poetry, nor by disputation or debate, this is right livelihood. Knowing right and wrong livelihood as right and wrong livelihood is right view. Awareness of presence of right and wrong livelihood is right awareness. Exchanging wrong livelihood with right livelihood is right effort.
[12] There are four types of right efforts: the effort to overcome already present detrimental mental states; the effort to prevent future detrimental mental states from arising; the effort to begin developing yet unarisen advantageous mental states; the effort to maintain and perfect already arisen advantageous mental states.
Again the four types of right efforts are 1: Control 2: Overcoming 3: Development 4: Maintenance.
What is the effort of control? When seeing an object with the eye, one neither grasps after the whole object, nor any of its details, thereby one strives to prevent bad, detrimental states, such as longing and misery, to flood in on one. One guards and controls the sense of sight and do similarly with the other senses.
What is the effort of overcoming? One does not accept any lust, hate or anger that has arisen, but leaves it instantly, dispels it, destroys it, and makes it vanish.
What is the effort of development? One develops the enlightenment factor of awareness, of investigation of Dhamma, of energy, of joy, of tranquility, of concentration, and the enlightenment factor of equanimity based on solitude, detachment, and ceasing, which is leading to maturity and culmination of spiritual self surrender.
What is the effort of maintenance? One dominated by desire maintains firmly in his mind a favourable object of concentration, such as a skeleton, or a corpse that is full of worms, bluish black, full of holes, bloated, while one dominated by anger maintains firmly in his mind a favourable object of concentration, such as infinite loving kindness, compassion, mutual joy or well balanced equanimity. Thus knowing right and wrong effort as right and wrong effort is right view. Awareness of presence of right and wrong effort is right awareness. Right effort has the function of striving, exertion and endurance.
[13] The Buddha said there are four types of Right Awareness: 1: The awareness of the body merely as a transient and compounded form. 2: The awareness of feelings just as assigned and passing emotional responses. 3: The awareness of mind only as a group of habituated and temporary moods. 4: The awareness of phenomena simply as momentary and constructed mental states. Right awareness is aware of these four, while being alert, clearly comprehending and mindful. And put away longing towards and aversion against anything in this world.
[14] The Buddha said: “Having eliminated the five mental hindrances, mental defects that obstruct understanding, quite secluded from sensual desires, protected from any detrimental mental state, one enters and dwells in the 1st jhana; full of joy and pleasure born of solitude, joined with directed and sustained thought. One makes this joy and pleasure born of seclusion drench, saturate, soak, and suffuse the body, so there is no part of the entire body not inundated by this joy and pleasure. Just as a skilled bath man puts soap powder in a copper basin and sprinkling it gradually with water, whips it until the water soaks and pervades all the soap powder, yet without dripping, so too, do the friend make the joy and pleasure born of solitude permeate and pervade the entire body.
Again, friends, with the stilling of directed and sustained thought, one enters and dwells in the 2nd jhana, calmed assurance and unification of mind with joy and pleasure now born of concentration, devoid of any thought! One makes the joy and pleasure born of concentration drench, saturate, soak, and suffuse the body, so there is no part of the whole body not inundated by this joy and pleasure. Just as a lake whose waters welled up from below within it itself, and it had no other sources neither by showers of rain, then this cool fount of water welling up from within would suffuse, fill, and pervade the entire lake, so do one make this joy and pleasure born of concentration infuse this entire body.
Again, friends, with the fading away of joy, the friend dwells in equanimity, aware and clearly comprehending, still feeling pleasure in the body, one enters upon and remains in the 3rd jhana, regarding which the Noble Ones declare: 'In aware equanimity one dwells in pleasure.' One makes the pleasure apart from of joy flood, saturate, soak, and suffuses the body, so there is no part of one's whole body not inundated by this pleasure divested of joy. Just as in a lotus pond some lotuses are born, grow and thrive immersed under the water and the cool water soaks them from their roots to their tips, so too, do a friend make the pleasure divested of joy drench, fill, flood and pervade this entire body.
Again, friends, with the leaving behind of both pleasure and pain, and with the prior disappearance of both joy and sorrow, one enters and dwells in the 4th jhana; a stilled mental state of awareness, purified by an equanimity of neither-pain-nor-pleasure. One sits illuminating the body internally with this pure bright mind, so there is no part of one's whole body not illuminated by this pure bright mind. Just as a man were sitting covered from the head down with a white cloth, so that no part of his whole body was uncovered by this white textile; so one sits encompassing this entire body with a pure bright radiant mind, so there is no part of one's whole body not illuminated by this pure bright and luminous mind. No trivial worldly pleasure surpasses such sublime bliss.”
Bhikkhu Dhammavaro, Brisbane Jetavana Burmese Monastery, 2/5/2008
dhammadhatu@yahoo.com
http://buddhism.sampasite.com
http://groups.google.com/group/learning-buddhism
http://ti-sarana.blogspot.com
http://bratana.earth.prohosting.com/
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
