We have been ordained in the Buddha Sāsanā, but we did not become ordained just to hear the story of the Lord Buddha and all the Sāvakas and for nothing else. We must however follow and practise the story of the Lord; the story which tells us how he attained freedom from dukkha and became our teacher and our refuge (saraṇa). In general, the story of the Lord is the story of gaining freedom from dukkha, and we who are interested in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha must get hold of the causes of this—in other words, how were those things done by the Lord in practice, that were causes, from which results were obtained?
Otherwise we will not be able to go the way that the Lord Buddha and all the Sāvakas went. It is as though there was a tree with fruit growing on it, and we are only interested in those growing directly off the main trunk. But we do not think or question how this fruit grew there, or what nutrients the tree needs, or what is the right fertiliser for this fruit to grow and be of value. The story of the Lord Buddha’s enlightenment and the story of the Sāvakas who attained enlightenment after the Buddha is the story of “results”. But the story of “causes” is the way that the Lord Buddha and the Sāvakas lived and acted to attain these ample results. We who are ordained in the Buddha Sāsanā should therefore not only wait to hear the story of the results which they attained. For it is right to hear not only about what results they attained but also about the causes. These causes were the ways in which they went about doing things and the practices which they did that brought about the results that they attained.
And then we should take them up as the means by which each one of us may teach ourselves. To illustrate this, how does the way go from this point to reach that point, or that house, or that town?
And when taking a road to reach any place or town it is important that we start off right. The direction in which the Lord Buddha and the Sāvakas went is a way along which worldly minded people do not like to go, so the Lord Buddha and the Sāvakas differed from others in the world.
After they had attained results from their way, other people in the world felt bound to bow down and reverence the Lord Buddha as being truly excellent, the Dhamma which came from the Lord Buddha as being the excellent Dhamma, and all the Sāvakas who became excellent beyond all others in the world. This way is trodden with difficulty and hardship because it is associated with the use of constraint in going anywhere, in staying anywhere, in sleeping, in eating and in going to the lavatory, etc. Apart from this there is also the constraint of the heart (citta), like a fence, to enclose and surround it. Therefore this way is such that all those who wish to go along with the stream of their own desires will find it difficult to follow the Lord Buddha and the Sāvakas.
But whoever goes against this stream, forcing himself to go the way that the Lord Buddha and the Sāvakas went is bound to reach the shore of happiness—which is Nibbāna. At the present time all of us variously have already taken up the “fighting equipment” in full measure, and all the articles of our “fighting equipment” are like banners of victory derived from the victory of the Lord Buddha. The “fighting equipment” consists of the eight requisites which are given to those who are ordained as bhikkhus and sāmaṇeras in the Buddha Sāsanā. They include the bowl, the skirt robe (sabong), the upper robe (cīvara), the outer robe (sanghāṭi), the belt, a razor, a water filter and a case of needles.
This is our “fighting equipment” and it was given to us who are ordained, to be our own property from the day of our ordination so as to confirm that we are followers of the Tathāgata. He has shown us his methods of practice and ways of doing things in order that we may gain victory over the enemy. The enemy being the kilesa, greed (lobha), hate (dosa) and delusion (moha), which are within ourselves in every case. But the thing of the greatest importance is our own selves. And this time, how hard are we determined to fight so as to gain victory for ourselves? The tools in the fight are sīla, samādhi and paññā, and in accordance with the Middle Way (Majjhimā Paṭipadā) they are subdivided into eight parts, these being: 1. Right view (Sammā-diṭṭhi), Right Thought (Sammā-sankappa)—these two being the factors of Paññā; 2. Right Speech (Sammā-vācā), Right Action (Sammā-kammanto), Right Livelihood (Sammā-ājivo)—these three being the factors of Sīla; 3. Right Effort (Sammā-vāyāmo), Right Mindfulness (Sammā-sati), Right Samādhi (Sammā-samādhi)—these three being the factors of Samādhi; But when grouped together they are called Sīla, Samādhi and Paññā.
This is the path along which the Lord Buddha and the Sāvakas went and along which everyone in the world finds it so difficult to go. To start with the Lord went along this way alone, before anyone else in the world. When he had reached the ‘shore of safety’, with great mettā he brought us this Dhamma with which he had attained enlightenment and proclaimed it and taught it to all people. Those who already had the innate characteristic (upanissaya) of desiring to attain freedom from dukkha were interested as soon as they heard the Dhamma which is the principles of truth that the Lord proclaimed and taught, and belief and faith arose in them. Some people attained Magga and Phala in the presence of the Lord Buddha, some attained Sotāpanna, Sakadāgāmī or Anāgāmī and some even attained Arahant. This is the “fruit” which arises from faith and conviction in the principles of truth which the Lord Buddha proclaimed.
Some of them took up that aspect of Dhamma which they had heard, and they behaved and practised in accordance with it on their own in various places, and there they attained Magga and Phala. A large number did this and this was especially so with those who were ordained and who liked to wander off and stay in places that were generally quiet and solitary. When questions (doubts) arose in regard to Dhamma they went and asked the Lord about them and he gave them explanations until they were satisfied. They then went and practised accordingly, until they were able to know it all with penetrating clarity and they became Sāvaka Arahants and witnesses of the Dhamma, the Truth as experienced by the Lord which is Dhamma that is not false for anyone.
The word Sāvaka means “one who listens (or hears)”; who listens to both good causes and evil causes, good results and evil results; who listens both to things about himself and about others, things which they do by way of body, speech or mind that are wrong—or right, respectively. None of the Sāvakas were discouraged and weak in their practice of sīla, samādhi and paññā, which they all upheld as their practice of diligent effort. Therefore the history of the Sāvakas who were able to “go beyond” and gain freedom from the obstructions which are the mass of dukkha, is the story of people who were brave and cheerful in their dwelling places which were quiet and solitary, and who were glad at heart in the practice of diligent effort. But what will our story be like? We must take the story of the Lord and the Sāvakas and apply it to ourselves with courage, contentment, and satisfaction with little in the way of all the various kinds of requisites and possessions, including our dwelling places. We must try to cut down and minimise all objects of attachment which are things that disturb the heart.
For every object of attachment which acts in such a way as to give rise to the “cause of Dukkha” was called by the Lord “Samudaya”—the sphere of the uprising of dukkha. These we must try to cut down and reduce, or gradually diminish until none remain, by the “Power” of the “Path” (Magga)—which is sīla, samādhi and paññā.
If we are weak in practising diligent effort for getting rid of the kilesas, then we will not be able to stand on our own feet. For day after day there is day and night in the same way, and in themselves they bring no results of good or evil which can rid us of the kilesas, or alternatively cause them to grow and increase in our hearts. Only the actions of our bodies, speech and hearts can bring about either the ending of the kilesas, or the accumulation and increase of them—this is all! Therefore let us submit to the “story” of the Lord Buddha and the Sāvakas so that it becomes our own story, and let us not be overconfident, careless or lackadaisical so that we vainly spoil what we are doing.
We hear only that the Lord had firmness, resolve and diligence and that he hid himself away in the forest—where he could stay without being disturbed and troubled by anything. He set himself to be diligent by day and night, and his practice and diligent effort was made up of unwavering sati and paññā. And we hear that he attained the stages of Sotāpanna, Sakadāgāmī, Anāgāmī and Arahant. But we hear nothing about ourselves! Why is that? It is due to the fact that although the way in which the Sāvakas practised and attained results is still there, we do not practise in that way and so we do not attain what they attained. If we practise properly in accordance with the “blueprint” of their practice, that story will inevitably come back on us as our own story. With regard to the opportunity and good fortune which has been bestowed on us monks, we may consider that we have had better luck than others so far as concerns the practice of diligent effort for tearing ourselves free from dukkha.
If we say that we have no opportunity in spite of the fact that we are in a situation where there is this opportunity, and if while living in this place we say that we cannot practise, then what place will we go to in order to practise well? For there is nobody in the world who has more chance and free time than we have. While living here we say that there is no solitude! Ordained in this Order we say it is not good! But where will we live, and in what Order that it may be good?
These loka-dhātus are all in confusion and turmoil and are full of dukkha. Wherever we live there is nothing but trouble and there is no island or plateau where we can be at peace—which is sukha—except for the island plateau of Sīladhamma. This is the place of peace and happiness, and whoever walks into its shadow even for only a short while will be at peace. We may see this precisely, in the way that those who having faith and belief in the sāsanā take up Dhamma, the teaching of the Lord Buddha, and put it into practice for themselves, and thus come to experience bodily well being and a relaxed ease of heart. This is especially so in those families where there is happiness because there are no suspicions and doubts between husband and wife in regard to each other’s behaviour.
Each will have happiness because they have trust and confidence in each other, and in their behaviour there is the Dhamma of contentment with what they have and satisfaction with their partner in marriage. Each has interest only in their partner in marriage and neither is interested in other men or women. In doing work either at home or away from home it will be work which brings benefit to the family with joy and happiness of heart. Both husband and wife have love and trust in each other in regard to objects of emotional attachment (ārammaṇa) and they have no great longing for other women and men who could otherwise be enemies and agents of destruction in their family and in their Sīla-dhamma. As far as any one family group is concerned, if they act towards each other in this way the weight of dukkha, heartaches and broken hearts will never come to them. The Dhamma teaching of the Lord Buddha can bring peace both to lay people and to those who are ordained, in the foregoing way, because the nature of Dhamma is peaceful, and whoever follows it in practice is bound to become peaceful, and this is the result that comes from the quantity of good causes which have been done and the skill with which they have been done. We are ordained in the sāsanā and we have opportunities and the blessings of good characters.
If in this state of life we are not at peace, there is no other state of life more peaceful than this; so if we are not at peace here where shall we go to be peaceful? We sit in samādhi bhāvanā to become peaceful but we are still troubled, how then shall we become peaceful? We maintain sīla which brings peace, but we are not peaceful. We sit in samādhi which brings peace but it turns to trouble. We train and practise paññā so as to become skilled and able to eliminate the kilesas and āsavas from our hearts but we find that it is still troubled. What then will come and make our hearts peaceful? Where in this world is there a peaceful place? The Lord Buddha (and the Sāvakas) sought before us and nowhere did he find a place where his heart was peaceful, and so the Lord left home to search for a place of peace.
After his ordination he sought for such a place for six years but found nowhere that he could say without reservation: “here” or “there”, it is “peaceful”. With all his power the Lord could not see any such place in the whole wide world. So he turned and went back into the forest where it was quiet and peaceful and where other people did not want to go; and he also turned his thoughts (lit: the flow of his heart) back into the “jungle”—in other words, that territory within the body and mind where the kilesas congregate. He went down into the depths of his citta, going into the four Ariya Sacca (Noble Truths), investigating dukkha which is the “result”, and researching ever deeper until he came to the “cause”, this being the place where dukkha is manufactured in beings so that they may know its taste every day endlessly.
To begin with the Lord fixed his attention on his breathing (ānāpānasati), which is a function of the body, and he went inwards step by step until he came to the nāma dhammas, which include: 1. The three feelings (vedanā), these being sukha, dukkha and upekkhā, which are constantly arising within the body and heart at all times, together with: 2. Memory (saññā) which identifies these three feelings, and: 3. The sankhāras which concoct and create all about these three vedanās so that they follow the way of avijjā, which gives the orders. 4. Even consciousness (viññāṇa), which acknowledges these three vedanās was relentlessly destroyed by the paññā of the Lord on the night of the full moon of the Visākhā month.
All five khandhas, which are the “mass” of the Ariya Sacca and pregnant with dukkha and samudaya were herded into a focal spot by the paññā of the Lord from which they could not disperse because the power of paññā had surrounded them and made an impenetrable boundary. Then it (paññā) spun down into the “tunnel” which is the “fortress” of avijjā whose function was to give orders to do work. In other words, the paññā of the Lord Buddha explored and examined rūpa, vedanā, saññā, sankhāras and viññāṇa until they were clearly revealed to him. The immediate result was that the behaviour of all five khandhas told of their basic cause which was inherent in them and which came from the “fortress” of avijjā—who alone ordered them to work. The Lord then turned his attention away from the five khandhas knowing that they were certainly not the “thief’ (i.e., the kilesas). Then the Lord took his paññā down deep, digging and searching until he came to the fortress of the chieftain of the vaṭacakra—who is avijjā.
Using his paññā which was equal to the occasion he went back and forwards examining and going along with the undulations of avijjā as it displayed itself. This period the Lord called “Examining the Paccayākāra”.1 In other words, that process which takes place after avijjā has given orders for work to be done via the khandhas or the āyatanas, which are the pathways of avijjā. But this time, however inconspicuously avijjā acted, the vijjā, which is the paññā of the Lord, knew it and saw its game entirely. And now, avijjā was being held as the culprit, and the chief detective, who was paññā, was making show him the stolen goods which he had been in the habit of wandering about snatching, stealing, robbing and plundering. This was also the time when he trained his paññā to become both supremely skilled and careful, and the time of the destruction of avijjā. In examining the activities that come from avijjā, or in examining avijjā directly, you who are listening should understand that each time it is done it is the means to destroy the avijjā that is there (where one is examining). When the Lord had taken his paññā down to the focal point of the vaṭacakra, investigating all the time without ceasing, he saw that this was the source of all his dukkha, the source of the changes taking place in the nature of everything round it (anicca), and the source of all anattā—for where should he reckon that his “self was? He examined backwards and forwards until he knew clearly with paññā that this avijjā was the culprit who created all the trouble and confusion so that there was never any calm and contentment for even a moment.
In other words everything mundane (sammuti) flows down and congregates in this one spot, and this is where all dukkha is generated. Until this place has been entirely destroyed, dukkha which is the product of this “generator” will continue to arise endlessly throughout time, not letting up for even as much as a day—and this is the cause of even the most extreme forms of dukkha. If this “cause” is not eliminated it is impossible to get rid of dukkha, because of the delusion in this “cause”: that: “this is self” and “this belongs to self”. Everything that derives from this “cause” then becomes “me” or “mine”. Then dukkha becomes “me” and “mine”. Samudaya (the origin of Dukkha) in its minor aspects becomes “me” and “mine” (this is because samudaya in its major aspects has already become “self” and “what belongs to self”). At this point it spreads out so that good and evil, sukha and dukkha, gain and loss, gladness and sorrow, are “me” or “mine”. Thus what concerns “self” spreads throughout the world—more virulent than an infectious plague.
Although truly it comes from just the one origin—in other words Avijjā paccayā sankhāras—which is the seed for the future of becoming and lives everywhere throughout the world without boundary, even beyond the oceans.
But it was impossible for the “Avijjā paccayā” to stand against the “diamond spade” and the “diamond paññā” which the Lord used relentlessly digging, cutting and searching. Thus the vaṭacakra was made to collapse and was submerged by the power of the Lord Buddha’s paññā. Vijjā and were freed and came to the surface as soon as avijjā was extinguished. In the last watch of the night of the full moon of the sixth month (May)2 Dhammopadīpo—the “Full Dhamma” in the heart of the Lord emerged and there is a saying that on that night the moon and the Dhamma emerged from the clouds at the same time—which was such a wonderful thing as had never been seen before in the world in this age. The historical records tell us how this occurred just this once. The Lord Buddha sought for peace in the same way as all of us and he found it nowhere.
When the Lord turned his heart back into the quiet and solitary forest, and into that “forest” which is the assemblage of the four Ariya Sacca, which are the fundamentals that enabled him to find the “cool shade”, then he found that ultimate spot which was the locus of the whole mass of his dukkha, and he experienced the arising there of a wondrous peacefulness. The Lord’s passions (trouble) arose in himself alone, and dispassion (peacefulness) arose in him alone, and even stupidity and cleverness arose in him alone. Therefore we must come to understand that there is nowhere more passionate (troubled) than the heart of someone who has kilesas, as also the dwelling place of the one who is thus at fault and who is “imprisoned”. Then the most suitable place for raising the citta out of the place of imprisonment (which is the kilesas) is that which follows the example of the Lord Buddha—in other words, the forest, or a dwelling place such as this (Wat) where we are at present, and doing those things which we do here which are for the purpose of becoming peaceful in our hearts and gaining freedom by not returning to this “hole of urine and faeces” again.
The Lord Buddha and the Sāvakas lived in solitary places which were peaceful where they could conveniently do the practice with diligent effort. Therefore all of us must live like them. We must have a fondness for sīla, for samādhi, for paññā and for diligent effort, so that we may dwell at ease in all situations (Lit: postures), and we must be cheerful and joyful in right action—in other words the important task of extracting the kilesas. The foregoing concerns external quietness in regard to the body and internal quietness in the heart. External quietness is the dwelling place of the body and internal quietness is the dwelling place of the heart, and both these places are peaceful and suitable for taking up the practice of diligent effort. They are “good tidings” for someone who is interested in the practice of Dhamma, and the story of the Lord Buddha and the Sāvakas are tidings of this sort.
It is of the utmost importance that one should have sati to be watchful of the way that one fluctuates and changes all the time, so that wherever one ves or goes it always allows Dhamma to support and look after the heart. But don’t bring in the “world” to look after the heart, nor hold to it intimately! If the “world” can enter and take possession of someone’s heart “fire” will come from his heart and the result of this will be “heat” or trouble so that wherever he dwells he will be discontented. This is like the old story of the fox that had a wound on his head in which there were worms biting and boring all the time so that wherever he went he was discontented. He went to stay in the shade of a tree and accused the shade for giving him no satisfaction. He went to live in the open and blamed the open ground for giving him no satisfaction, he went to a secluded place, he lay down in water, he ran over the ground, but wherever he went and wherever he stayed he always complained that they gave him no satisfaction.
He ran here and there taking no food or sleep for he thought that his dukkha came from these various places, not realising that it was due to the wound on his head. But as soon as the wound healed, this fox became contented wherever he went. When we apply this analogy to ourselves, we have “wounds on our heads”; in other words in our hearts where the worms which are the kilesas are biting and boring all the time. This means that the kilesas in the sphere of forms (rūpa—visible objects) are biting into us, and in the spheres of sounds, smells, tastes and things that make contact with us are biting into us. The kilesas are biting into us on all sides, and so we are discontented wherever we are.
We go from here to stay elsewhere and we are discontented; we go from a public place to a secluded place and we are discontented; we go to live in the shade of a tree, in the hills, we go down into water, we get out and live on the ground, in a hut, under the hut, wherever we go we are discontented. What then are we to blame when the wound and the worms—or kilesas—are not in these places but on our own heads—in other words in our own hearts. The way to get rid of these “worms” from our heads is by means of the use of the right tools, these being: Sīla—which is the tool for getting rid of the most gross worms from our hearts. Samādhi—to get rid of the more subtle worms, and paññā—to get rid of the most subtle worms—or kilesas from our hearts. When we have used the three tools of sīla, samādhi and paññā to enter and drive out the gross, the more subtle and the most subtle “worms” (or kilesas) from our hearts until they have all gone, then wherever we dwell it will be “sukho-viveko”— quiet both externally and within our hearts, with nothing to agitate us nor to give rise to anxiety, and no “worms” to bite and bore into us as there used to be.
This is all due to the power of sīla, samādhi and paññā which are equal to the task of driving out the kilesas and getting rid of them completely even though they are deep within our hearts.
Therefore, wherever we are we must never be without sati. We must have sati in all situations—in moving about going here and there, in eating, in sitting, in lying down, omitting only when we are asleep. We must go about our affairs with sati and paññā present, and then we may say that we have Dhamma as our guardian and we will be safe from bad fate (or misfortune). In addition, there is nobody who creates the foregoing state of danger or bad fate apart from us—we create the causes giving rise to misfortunes to ourselves. The result then appears as trouble. This is what happens when sati is lacking; but if we have sati none of this will be able to come and disturb our hearts and this will be for our calm and happiness in all situations. In putting forward diligent effort at all levels of development, sati and paññā are very important Dhammas and they must always be closely associated with diligent effort.
If sati and paññā are absent during any period when we are practising with diligent effort, such periods of practice immediately become useless. Please remember this, so that we shall know that sati and paññā are Dhammas of such importance. Whenever we walk caṅkama or sit in samādhi, if we do not have sati and paññā to accompany and guard our hearts, we are doing no differently from others who walk and sit down normally. In all situations we must have sati and paññā to support the practice of diligent effort steadily and continuously without remission. For the kilesas can bring up their armies from anywhere to trouble our hearts, because what we are is “kilesaselves”3 who cause “destructive fire” in ourselves, resulting in trouble for ourselves. But if we have sati and paññā constantly present together with a saying of Dhamma, or a characteristic of Dhamma 4 which we are relentlessly investigating, this will be the preparation for quenching the fire of the kilesas and taṇhā in this respect.
Then from where will the fire of the kilesas and taṇhā of any kind come to molest and harm us so that we are troubled? There will not be any at all—except for the causes of good and evil which we ourselves have accumulated in our past history. We must not think that all the various types of kilesas dwell in various places and that they enter into our hearts to take possession and rob us of our hearts and take them away. The one heart relies upon the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body to be its pathways along which it goes out. When it flows out in the direction of the eyes, then forms (visible objects) appear, in the directions of the ears, nose, tongue and body, then sounds, odours, tastes and tangibles appear respectively. Then we seize hold of whichever of these sense data (ārammaṇa) we have experienced due to sense contact in association with the appropriate sense organ, and it enters the heart and becomes samudaya (the origin of Dukkha), thus being creative of further dukkha.
What then should we understand by “kilesa-selves”? When dukkha has been initiated so that it arises as the story of ourselves—as what we are, we should understand that this comes from the heart which is without sati and without paññā so that we are permitted to come under the influence of taṇhā—“the impeller”. Then it drags us towards various sensations and emotions, just following the lead of avijjā—stupidity—and taṇhā—wanting which is never satisfied—which compels us to go after what we want. At present we are ordained in the sāsanā and we must try and find out about the ways of the “great tiger” who goes about all day and night, who goes about by way of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, going out towards forms, sounds, smells, tastes and tangibles. Then it brings this sense data (ārammaṇa) which is its food, into its cave which is this body, so as to build up the tiger which is avijjā— and make it strong. Then it accumulates dukkha so that it arises within us all day and night.
All this is because we do not have sati and paññā as “nursemaids” to guard the heart. So there is opportunity for the flowing activity of the heart to sneak out to emotional sensations, which are poison, and to bring them to inflame us, giving rise to trouble the whole time. Therefore we must be people who approach everything with sati and paññā present in all situations! The state of Lokavidū5 is attained as a result of the practice of diligent effort which has sati and paññā as the Dhammas that support and maintain it. But how? Such a person must know clearly both the external world - which means natural things everywhere-and the internal world - which means the heart and all about those things that arise from the heart. Then because the ruling power of sati and paññā are scrubbing clean and polishing all the time, the supreme purity of Buddho will emerge and develop into full maturity in his heart.
Today the story of the Lord Buddha and the Sāvakas has been told, both as regards the practices which they did and the satisfying results which they attained, so that all of us may hear what are the fundamental principles that they used, in order that we may apply them in our own practice so as to follow the way that they went and to receive the same satisfying results in our hearts. The important principles that have been emphasised in this talk today are those of sati together with paññā. These are the most important subjects for anyone who has the aim of freeing himself from dukkha now or in the future. He must be resolute in sati. Anything that makes contact with him he must know by means of the power of sati—and consider it by means of paññā. This includes everything of all kinds and all natures that come into contact with him. They enter and make contact by way of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and heart, and whatever enters in whatever way, it is by means of just those things which make contact with him that he must try to train his sati and paññā. Then all things which make contact with him will become grindstones for sharpening up his sati and paññā so as to make them steadily sharper and stronger.
But if we let the heart go its own automatic way, all things which make contact with us will become enemies to sati and paññā, and to our own hearts.
If we have sati present all the time and paññā always thinking and probing, we may contemplate any of the sabhāva dhammas either external or internal, in other words the body and the heart (mind), and we are bound to come to know them quite clearly. Thus for example by examining our own physical bodies starting from the skin and going inwards we will be able to divide up all the parts of the body into its individual pieces as we want. Then we can contemplate them in terms of the ti-lakkhaṇa. In other words, by way of aniccaṁ—the natural processes of change in the various parts being evident all the time both in the parts of the physical body; the modes of vedanā, which are sukha, dukkha and neutral feeling; all modes of saññā, which is the ability to remember and recognise; all modes of the sankhāras, which are the thoughts and imaginings of the heart; and all modes of viññāṇa, which are the acknowledgements of those things which make contact with the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and heart.
We can also examine by the way of anattā—to see that the foregoing things are not ourselves and not ours, for these things unceasingly display the ti-lakkhaṇa within themselves. It is only that sati and paññā are not in touch with them and so do not know how these Sabhāva dhammas are displaying themselves. “Aniccaṁ” means the process of change that is always going on in nature. Change takes place in external natural things everywhere. Change takes place internally in every part of our physical bodies. Changes take place in the sukha, dukkha and neutral feelings which come to us. Changes take place in saññā— memory. Changes take place in sankhāras—the thoughts that take place in our hearts. Change also takes place in viññāṇa—the acknowledgement of sensation. Each and every one of them always has the process of changing its state inherently within it. As for them being dukkha and anattā, these are like gearwheels which are meshed together with anicca, and they are all within the machine of the ti-lakkhaṇa, so that when any one of the gears starts to move all the others must start to move simultaneously.
If we have sati and paññā continually present while we contemplate in this way, we are bound to come to see the machinery of the ti-lakkhaṇa—which includes anicca, dukkha and anattā—doing their work in our bodies and hearts (minds) and in natural things everywhere. When this is seen clearly, how should we be dull, indifferent and careless hearted, thinking that these natural things are such that we can place our trust in them? Indeed, we shall see that they are fearful (dangerous) things in every respect and that we cannot place even the least confidence in them. All things that have come and gone, all things that have still not come to us, and all things that we see clearly in the present moment are a “mass of fire”. In other words, we rely upon the body, then it breaks up.
We rely upon sukha and it breaks up, upon neutral feeling and it breaks up, upon saññā, upon sankhāras, upon viññāṇa, and each respectively breaks up. Every part is bound to break up, for there are only things which get broken up and destroyed throughout our whole being, so what will we rely upon? If we believe that the body is self, when the body breaks up we have no refuge. If we believe that vedanā is self, when vedanā breaks up we have no refuge. If we believe that saññā—sankhāras—viññāṇa are self, when they break up we have no refuge at all—and then we become “a destitute citta”. Whatever we depend upon they are only things which break up. This is the way in which paññā thinks and searches for what is wrong and lacking in oneself so as to correct it, and it examines yet more deeply—that we sit with dukkha, we lie down with dukkha, that in all four postures we live with the “factory” of the ti-lakkhaṇa. The machinery is working going round and round in our bodies and hearts (minds) and never taking a day off to rest.
And the products that come from this factory are anicca, dukkha and anattā which are distributed throughout the universe. When they experience only a little of it, those who are not clever shout and moan to each other, and so they complain about dukkha, they complain about trouble, they complain that things are defective and insufficient, they complain that there is physical discomfort and that their hearts are not at ease, and they complain that things are not as they would like them to be. We live in an uncertain changing world, in a world of ti-lakkhaṇa—of anicca, dukkha and anattā, and can we find anything to be ourselves? It is we who depend upon them, and these things which have come to us we believe to be ours entirely. So when these things die away and disappear we are sorry. We live in a world that cannot be relied upon so all people and animals are bound to be troubled in the same ways.
This type of contemplation is only for the purpose of seeing what this world is like. In addition, when contemplating and experiencing the ti-lakkhaṇa, it is not necessary to contemplate and to know all three at the same time. It is enough to contemplate and see just one of the ti-lakkhaṇa which can then pervade all three of them. With regard to the meaning of the word lokavidū—in “knowing the worlds”, it is unnecessary to count how many stones and grains of sand there are in the earth and the seas, how many trees and hills there are, how much wealth and how many people and animals there are. Lokavidū means that he knows the ways of the worlds, and he knows the artful tricks of his own heart which goes about assuming the nature of the world to be such and such, and therefore grasping mistaken assumptions which become poison to himself. Then this develops into the uprising of the kilesas, taṇhā and avijjā which lead to drifting round and round through death and birth in saṁsāra, with dukkha over and over again and never stopping for even a moment.
A lokavidū knows the truth of all natural things (sabhāva dhammas) and lets go of them, letting them go their own way in accordance with their nature (sabhāva). Contemplation of the ti-lakkhaṇa is the same sort of thing, for in the body and all its parts we can contemplate just one part and it will enable us to know that all the other parts of the body also have the ti-lakkhaṇa inherently in them in the same way. Having seen this clearly with paññā how could we keep on clinging and maintaining false assumptions? We are bound to get rid of them steadily as, bit by bit paññā sees them clearly. The reason for our attachment and our false assumptions is because of a lack of clear understanding, and the reason for our lack of understanding is because the strength of sati and paññā are still insufficient. If they were sufficiently strong it would be impossible for any attachments to withstand them. For when anicca, dukkha and anattā are seen clearly, we are bound to let go and to know them as they truly are.
The ti-lakkhaṇa in form (rūpa), sound, smell, taste and things which contact the body are the gross aspects of the ti-lakkhaṇa; in vedanā, saññā, sankhāras and viññāṇa are the more subtle aspects of the ti-lakkhaṇa. But the ti-lakkhaṇa in their most subtle aspect are in the avijjā-citta—this being the citta which has avijjā as its ruler. The ti-lakkhaṇa of this (most subtle) kind are always present with the avijjācitta. In other words, at any time when the citta which is full of infatuated delusion goes out to do anything the kilesas are immediately there. We must look into this and make it clear because (at this stage) we already know all the sabhāva dhammas, so what is the nature of this one (the avijjā-citta) that we do not know ourselves? What will the nature of this one be in the future? Or is the nature of this one what we ourselves are? If it is ourselves, then we are stuck with it for ever, and this which is ourselves will go on being born over and over again in all the realms of becoming forever.
We must look into it in this way so as to examine all aspects of it and to go steadily in towards it—because we have already cut away the “twigs and leaves and branches”—in other words we have examined and penetrated the grosser aspects of the ti-lakkhaṇa. And now we must cut through the trunk of the tree and pull it out by the roots so that it will be destroyed and die with nothing remaining that can grow again. Having reached this stage we have “cut away” and we know as they are, form, sound, smell, taste and things which contact us, and also rūpa, vedanā, saññā, sankhāras and viññāṇa. But what is the chief of these things? What is the root of infatuated delusion? What is the one who grasps at birth in the form of dhātus and khandhas? This is the one that initiates the fundamental causes which lead to these states. We must investigate so as to see “this nature” in the same way as we saw all the sabhāvas which we have already dealt with.
What is knowledge of this one? Have we yet come to recognise and let go of “self”, or not? If we still do not know ourselves it shows that we are only skilled externally and that internally we are still stupid. In order to be skilful and thorough we must go in and examine “this nature” once more, for that knowledge which is the chief culprit, the root of vaṭacakra, the root of our going round and round (in saṁsāra), the seed of all dukkha is all concentrated in “this nature”. We must investigate and penetrate into the “nature which knows” and see it as being ti-lakkhaṇa just the same as all the other sabhāvas. Anicca—the sabhāvas throughout us are all changing. Dukkhaṁ—delusion of this is bound to immerse us in dukkha. Anattā—where can we say that this is self or what belongs to self? “This nature” is the most subtle of mundane things and more so than any other mundane thing throughout the universe (ti-loka-dhātu). Generally, in regard to all this, there is nobody who will speak like this and say whether “this nature” is ti-lakkhaṇa or not.
But I ask your forgiveness for speaking by way of natural principles in accordance with what I have practised and experienced, and I have explained this to all of you to the best of my ability from all aspects and angles leaving nothing undisclosed, even though it is not to be found in the text books—for when we investigate closely into these natural principles we find that they are like this. I have spoken in this way so that all of you who practise and are interested will keep this by you as something to bring to mind and think about at such time as it becomes necessary, and as something to lead you on to investigate and to cure yourselves, Because you who practise, who are interested in the higher Dhamma with putting forward diligent effort will have to reach and pass beyond the Dhamma in the natural principles mentioned above for certain! Both so as to know that the principles of the Svakkhāta dhamma and of the Niyyānika dhamma, which the Lord Buddha gave to those who are interested in Dhamma practice is not a “worthless dhamma” associated with vain promises and guess work and leading only to loss.
There is “Sandiṭṭhiko” still hidden within it, so that the Dhamma of the Lord Buddha shall be a banner of victory proving its worth to the world by practical evidence onward into the future. The investigation into the “one who knows”, which is the basis of the saṁsāracakra, is to enable you who practise to see the “end point” of becoming (bhava), or the genuine and true termination of the world. Otherwise it will become such that we know the world only so far that we return back to the delusion that we have Dhamma in ourselves; and the final result will be delusion both as regards the world and Dhamma. In order to know the world and Dhamma as they truly are we must investigate down in the “spot” of the “one who knows” which is prominent and clear until we see with such paññā as is equal to the occasion, that it is basically at fault and wrong and we cannot find a particle of good in it. The heart in this state will explosively blow out the substance of vaṭṭa so that we may then see it to our heart’s content, as well as seeing the danger of it until it shocks and frightens us. It is as though we had unknowingly gone and taken up a place to sleep in a cave where a tiger lived.
When we heard it roar we thought it was the sound of gongs and drums and were engrossed in listening to them. But as soon as there was someone who knew and who told us that this was a tiger’s cave and that this sound was the roaring of the tiger with jealous concern for its cave, we would tremble all over and jump out with such fear that we would lose all restraint and run away taking no heed of distance or obstacles having no time to think of them, because we would value our life more. This is like the roaring tiger avijjā at the moment of its expulsion from the citta. With all who have completely gone beyond the avijjā-tiger, how could this not cause them to be afraid?
While someone still thinks that the sound of the avijjā-tiger is the sound of gongs and drums, the state is that of us who have avijjā. But those who are in the state of vijjā only hear the story of avijjā creating dukkha so that beings are tormented—and so they are afraid. As soon as avijjā has been “blown up”, it means that paññā has broken it up and dispersed it, and it means that we have gained freedom from the tiger’s cave. Having run away from the tiger’s cave trembling with fright, who then would care to return and lie down and listen to the music of the tiger roaring in the cave again? All of those who have got away from the tiger’s cave and come to the end of danger are bound to exclaim in their hearts in the same way in every case that: we have attained freedom from the territory of the mundane (sammuti), from the territory of disordered confusion, from the territory of inadequacy, from the territory of birth, old age, pain and death. The citta which is mundane with the kilesas which are mundane, together and interdependently create the mass of mundane conventions which lead beings to go whirling around. We have passed entirely beyond this fearful nature, and now our citta is not the mundane citta but has become the free (vimutti) citta. This wandering ever round and round which we have been doing has come to an end today and from now on we will never again be “accused” and have to go to “court” to answer the charges of avijjā.
From today our path has parted from that of avijjā which leads to birth and death and we are going different ways, and our citta has reached Dhamma which is not within the territory of avijjā, where it could otherwise be followed and taken possession of by force. Those who have gone away free from the tiger’s cave make this kind of exclamation. The story of the Lord Buddha and the Sāvakas tells how they went about things so that they reached the “land of happiness”. We therefore do things in the way that they did them, steadily going on until we reach the “nature which knows”, which is the friend of avijjā and which is completely destroyed by the power of paññā. After that there are no more mundane assumptions (sammuti) hidden within. But there is the nature which is not mundane to which the Lord gave the pseudonym “vimutti”—so as to conform to the ways of the world which has mundane conventions.
We who practise, let our story be like this, let us go about things like this, and let it happen like this, so that we may be able to experience these things with paññā. Then, not wasting the opportunity in which we have been born as human beings, we who have been ordained in the sāsanā will have gone about things in the same way as the Lord Buddha and all the Sāvakas to the full extent of our ability, both as regards the practice of diligent effort to cure the kilesas and āsavas, and as regards the field of gaining liberation in which we will also have used our ability to the utmost. And so let all of you who are listening submit to the Dhamma which the Lord has with mettā given us to practise.
For if he had kept quiet not saying anything and not favoured beings who were in need, such as ourselves, and if he had entered Nibbāna and gone for good, all hope would be lost for those who had set their hearts on following the way of the Lord and following the way of Dhamma—in accordance with the verse of Dhamma which in our language (the Thai language) says: “Whoever sees Dhamma sees me the Tathāgata”.
But the Lord did not think in this way and so he left his words recorded in all his teachings of Dhamma. Please understand that this is the sāsanā, and whoever upholds Dhamma upholds the sāsanā. We must practise to the utmost of our strength and then the results which we receive will accord with the Dhamma which the “Teacher” taught in every way from the first beginnings up to the state of freedom (vimutti) or Nibbāna, which will be the wealth of all of you without doubt. Now I beg to close this desanā at this point.
Evaṁ.
Ajaan Mahã Boowa Ñãnasampanno Translated by Ajaan Paññavaddho