eBook- Theravada Knowing and Seeing Rev Ed

8/10/2019 eBook- Theravada Knowing and Seeing Rev Ed

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Knowing and Seeing

(Revised Edition)

Talks and Questions

-

and

-

Answers

at a Meditation Retreat in Taiwan

by

The VenerablePa

-

Auk Tawya Sayadaw

A G

I F T N

O T F

O R S

A L E

(First Edition) W.K.Ng (Private), Kuala Lumpur, Malay

sia:1999: Free Distribution

(First Reprint) W

AVE Publications

, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:1999: Free Distribution

(Second Reprint) Penang Buddhist Association, Penang, Malaysia:

2000: Free Distribution

(Revised Edition)W

AVE Publications

, Kuala Lumpu

r, Mala

y

sia

:2003: a gift in the public domain, the m

aterial can

not be cop

y

righted.

The material in this book may be reproduced without the authors pe

r-

mission. It is strongly recommen

ded, however, that unauthorized changes

and other misrepresentatio

n of the Venerable Pa

-

Auk Tawya Sayadawsteachings be avoided.

A G

I F T N

O TF

O RS

A L E


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Editorial Note(Revised Edition)

xxi

is presented here. The P i Texts (Vinaya, Suttas and Abhid-hamma) are, says the Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw, aimed en-tirely at practice. As advised by The Buddha, learning(par i- yatti)goes hand-in-hand with practice(paipatti), practical ex-perience of that knowledge, which leads eventually to realiza-tion (paivedha)of it.

3. The main talks are not descriptive so much as prescriptive.Nevertheless, the book is not to be regarded as a manual butas an overview.

4. Yogis who take the Venerable Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw orone of his authorized teachers as their teacher should knowthat there are no hard and fast rules about how he guides theindividual yogi: in each case the yogis preferences, strengthsand weaknesses etc. are taken into account. The individualyogis practice may therefore, in sequence and detail, verywell dif fer from what is presented here.

Once again, the editors beg forgiveness from their readers andfrom their teacher, the Venerable Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw, for

whatever scratches that still remain after this final polish.May absolutely all parties involved in the production of this ma-terial, from its very inception, reap much merit from their labours.May all the merit of that work; the merit of reading these talks byfuture readers; the merit of the meditation assisted and perhapsengendered by these talks; and the merit of the attainments, mun-dane and supramundane, attained thereby all go towards keepingthe Venerable Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw healthy and happy forlong to come.

Editorsof Pa-Auk Forest Monastery

Knowing and Seeing

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xxvii

Namo Tassa , Homage to Him,

Bhagavato , the Blessed,

Arahato , the Worthy,

Samm - the Perfectly

Sambuddhassa . Self -Enlightened One.

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Knowing and Seeing

xxviii

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Introduction

Knowing

and Seeing


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35

[1]This is suf fering.............................................................................(ida dukkhanti)Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion should be made to understand: This is[2] the origin of suf fering. ................................................(ida dukkha samudayanti)

Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion should be made to understand: This is[3] the cessation of suf fering................................................(ida dukkha nirodhanti)Therefore, bhikkhus, an exertion should be made to understand: This is[4] the path to the cessation of suffering. (ida dukkha nirodha gmin pa i pad ti)

May all beings find the opportunity to make the necessary exer-tion to fully realize the Four Noble Truths, and put a completeend to suffering.odd page

Pa-Auk Tawya SayadawPa-Auk Tawya Monastery

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2 -

How You Develop Absorption

on Other Subjects

nimitta, until you reach jh na, and develop the five maste

r

ies.Thi i h h f h i i l jh l ll d h b f

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This is then the fourth immaterial jh na, also called the base ofneither perception nor nonperception.

Today we discussed how to develop the ten kasias, and theeight attainments: the f our fine-material jh nas and the four im-material jh nas. In the next talk, we shall discuss how to developthe four sublime abidings(brahmavihra)of lovingkindness, compas-sion, appreciative- joy, and equanimity; and the four protectivemeditations(catur rak kha bhvan) of lovingkindness, recollection-of -The-Buddha, foulness meditation and recollection-of -death.

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Questions and Answers 3

jh na factors associated with the Path and Fruition Know

l

edges.When you discern the mental formations of, for example, themundane fine

-

material

-

sphere first jh na as impermanence, su

f-

fering or non

-

self, and if you see Nibb na, your Path Knowledge

Knowing

and Seeing

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129

g y y g

is the first jh na. This is a supramundane jh na.Why? In the mundane fine-material-sphere first jh na, whichwas the object of Vipassan , there are the five jh na factors: ap-plied thought, sustained thought, joy, bliss and one-pointedness.In the supramundane first jh na there are the same five. This ishow the path and fruition can be the first jh na path, and first jh na fruition. The other jh nas can in the same way be (the con-ditions for their respective) supramundane (jh nas).Odd page

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4 -

How You Discern Materiality

Table 4:

The Basic Elements of the Heart(3 types of decad

-

kalpa [3 x 10 = 30] + nonad kal

pas [9] + 3 types of octad

-

kalpa [3 x 8= 24] = 63 elements)

type

HEART DECAD

-

KALPA

a

BODY DECAD

-

KALPA

a

SEX DECAD

-

KALPA

a

qua

l

ity

opaque

transparent opaque

origin

kamma

kamma

kamma

property

supporting the mind

-

and mind

-

consciousness

sensiti

ve to touch

(earth fire and wind)

determinative of sex

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and mind -consciousnesselement

(earth, fire,and wind)

1 earth earth earth2 water water water3 fire fire fire4 wind wind wind5 colour colour colour6 odour odour odour

7 flavour flavour flavour8 nutritive essence nutritive essence nutritive essence9 life-faculty life-faculty life-faculty10 heart-element body transparent-element sex-element

a Eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue-and body-consciousnesses arise dependent upon the transparent, tenthelement (the door) of respectively the eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue-and body decad-kalpas, whereas allother consciousnesses (which comprise the mind element and mind-consciousness element) arisedependent upon the opaque, tenth element of heart decad-kalpas. Please see also p.133 ff

+type LIFE NONAD-KALPA OCTADKALPA

qual ity opaque opaque opaque opaque ori gin kamma consciousness temperature nutr iment 1 earth earth earth earth2 water water water water3 fire fire fire fire4 wind wind wind wind5 colour colour colour colour6 odour odour odour odour7 flavour flavour flavour flavour8 nutritive essence nutritive essence nutritive essence nutritive essence9 life-facultyThe life-nonad-, and octad kalpas are the same throughout the six sense-organs.

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This is an example of how someone who has, like Mah TissaMah thera, practised skel

e

ton meditation thoroughly may be ableto see anothers skel

eton with his eyes open.

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Table 5 The Five-Door Cognitive Process(pacadvrav thi) with eye-door cognitive process as example.1

Eye-door Cognitive Process Cakkhu-Dvra V thi

Material Base Vatthu

Heart Hadaya

Eye Cakkhu

Heart Hadaya

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Object rammaa

Kamma,kamma sign(kamma-nimitta) orrebirth sign(gati-nimitta)

Colour Object R prammaa Kamma,kamma sign orrebirth sign.

Consciousness Citta

Life-PastLife-

TremblingLife-

ArrestLife-

Five-doorAdverting

Eye Receiving

Investigation

Determining

1stImpulsion

2ndImpulsion

3rdImpulsion

4thImpulsion

5thImpulsion

6thImpulsion

7thImpulsion

1stRegistration

2ndRegistration

Life-


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211

Continuum

Bhavaga

Continuum At ta Bhavaga

Continuum Bhavaga Calana

Continuum Bhavag-upaccheda

g

Paca- Dvr vajjana

Cakkhu-via

Sampaic-chana

Sant raa

Vohapana

p

Javana

p

Javana

p

Javana

p

Javana

p

Javana

p

Javana

p

Javana

g

Tad rammaa

g

Tad rammaa

Continuum

Bhavaga

Five-door cognitive processes of either door (eye-, ear-, nose-, tongue- and body-door) have the same structure, with their respective object. The constituents and sequence of five-door cognitive-processes are the same for all: according to the natural law of the mind(citta-niy ma). The duration of one consciousness is a consciousness-moment(cittakkhaa). The life-span of materiality is equal to 17 consciousness-moments. Each consciousness(citta) has a rising stage (upp da) (), a standing stage (hiti) ( ), and a passing-away stage (bhaga) (). The object of the life-continuum consciousnesses is the same throughout one life. It is the object of the last impulsion-consciousness of the pre-

vious life.2 In between each cognitive-process arise any number of life-continuum consciousnesses, depending on the person.

A Buddha has very few life-continuum consciousnesses between each cognitive-process.

1 For further details, please see Talk 4 How You Discern Materiality (p.131 ff ), Talk 5 How You Discern Mentality (p.199 ff ), and Tables 2-4 (p.171 ff ) andthe Abhidhammattha Sagaha (e.g. A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma, Ed. Bhikkhu Bodhi, BPS.)2 Please see also Answer 3.12, p.127.

Knowing and Seeing The cognition of the object is performed by the seven impulsion consciousnesses. The five-door cognitive-process only picks up the object; only cognizes that there is colour, does not know the colour or the object yet. The

knowing of the colour and the object is performed by subsequent mind-door cognitive-process.1

1 Please see above Table 6, p.213.

Table 6 The Mind-Door Cognitive Process(manodvrav thi) with colour object as example.1

MaterialBaseVatthu

Heart Hadaya

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Object

rammaa

Kamma,

kamma sign orrebirth sign.

Colour Object R prammaa

Kamma,

kamma- orrebirth sign.

ConsciousnessCitta

Life- Continuum

Mind-doorAdverting Mano-

1stImpulsion

2ndImpulsion

3rdImpulsion

4thImpulsion

5th Impulsion

6th Impulsion

7th Impulsion

1st Registration

2nd Registration

Life- Continuum


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Bhavaga

Dvr vajjana

Javana

Javana

Javana

Javana

Javana

Javana

Javana

Tad rammaa

Tad rammaa

Bhavaga

Mind-door cognitive processes may arise with a preceding 5-door cognitive process; they may arise with another preceding mind-door cognitiveprocess.

The constituents and sequence of cognitive-processes are the same for all: according to the natural law of the mind(citta-niy ma). Each consciousness has a rising stage(upp da) (), a standing stage (hiti) ( ), and a passing-away stage (bhaga) (). The object of the life-continuum processes is the same throughout one life. It is the object of the last impulsion-consciousness of the previous life.2 In between each cognitive-process arise any number of life-continuum consciousnesses, depending on the person.

A Buddha has very few life-continuum consciousnesses between each cognitive-process. The knowing of each cognitive-process is performed by the seven impulsion consciousnesses. After the first cognitive process (the five-door cognitive process), follows a series of mind cognitive-processes. The whole procedure is:

1 For further details, please see, Talk 5 How You Discern Mentality (p.199 ff ), Answers 3.5, 3.11, 7.9, 7.11, 7.12, and the Abhidhammattha Sagaha (e.g. A Comprehensive Manual of Ab-hidhamma, Ed. Bhikkhu Bodhi, BPS.)2 Please see also Answer 3.12, p.127.

Knowing and Seeing1. Five-door cognitive process that picks-up the object; in the case of the eye and a colour object, it cognizes only that there is colour.1 2. Mind-door cognitive process that perceives the colour; compares the present colour with a past colour; knows the past colour.3. " " knows which colour it is; knows the colours name. 4. " " knows the meaning of the object; sees the whole image, a concept, determined by past experience (percep-

tion (sa )). 5. Mind-door cognitive process that judges and feels. This is the beginning of true cognition, when mental proliferation takes place(papa ca) and

kamma is performed, as we perceive the object to be permanent(nicca), happiness (sukha), and self (atta).

(The Vipassan mind-door cognitive process sees the object as impermanent(anicca), suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anatta)). 6. With this same object arise countless cognitive-processes (mental formations(sakh r )), re-inforcing the cognition.

It is from the fifth cognitive process onwards that there is the knowing of the conceptual reality: a man, a woman, a pot, a sarong, gold, sil- t A d it i f th t iti d th t h l i d t t i f i tt ti ( i ik ) ith f


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6 -

How You Seethe Links of Dependent Origination

The First Method

The first method

1

of discerning dependent

-

origi

nation(pai

c

casa

-

muppda)

goes over three lives, and in forward order. It begins withthe causes in the past life, that is, ignorance and volitional form

a-

tions. They cause the r

e

sults in the present life: the resultant con

-

sciousnesses (beginning with the

rebirth

-

linking conscious

ness),

2

mentality

-

materiality, the six sense

-

bases, contact, and feeling.There are then the causes in this life, craving, clinging, and b

e-

coming, which cause the results of birth, ageing, death, and allforms of suffering in the

f

u

ture life.

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gYou have to look for ignorance, craving and clinging in the de-

filement round, see how it causes the kamma round, and how thekammic force of the kamma round in turn causes the five aggre-

gates at conception, and in the course of existence.That concludes our brief explanation of how to discern depend-ent-origination according to the fifth- and first methods. There aremany more details that you can learn by practising with a properteacher.

When you have fully discerned the causes of mentality-materiality in the past, present, and future, you will have com-pleted the second insight-knowledge, the Knowledge of Discern-

ing Cause and Condition(paccaya- pariggaha

a).

1 Please seeMahnid na Sutta(Great Causation Sutta D.ii.2);Nid na Vagga(Causation Sec-tion S.II)2 As an example of this, the Venerable Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw mentions The Buddhas back-pain(painful body-consciousness), which arose from past unwholesome kamma: please see below p.297.

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The Venerable left Ghosit r ma, and went to the Isipatanamonastery in the deer park near Benares. He worked hard onmeditation but was, in spite of great effort, not succes

s

ful. So oneday, he went to t

he Vene

r

able nanda and asked him to help him.Why was he not successful? He discerned the impermanent, su

f-

fering, and non

-

self nature of the five aggregates, but did not di

s-

cern dependent

-

origination(paiccasamuppda)

. So the Venerablenanda taught him how to discern d

e

pendent

-

origination, andtaught him theKacc nagotta Sutta

.

1

After listening to the Ve

n-

erablenandas Dhamma talk, the Venerable Channa attainedstream

-

entry. He co

n

tinued his practice and very soon became anh t S if

h hi b d h

t d ti

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arahant. So if a person canchange his bad character, and practiseSamatha-Vipassan in the right way, he can attain jh na, path andfruition.

1 S.II.I.ii.5Kaccnagotta SuttaKaccnagotta Sutta, and S.III.1.ix.8Channa Sutta(ChannaSutta)

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7 -

How You Developthe Insight

-

Knowledges to See Nibb na

Then you will have attained true knowledge of the Four NobleTruths, and will for yourself have realized Nibb na. With this r

e-

alization, your mind will have become p

urified and free fromwrong views. If you continue in this way, you will be able to a

t-

tain arahan

t

ship and Parinibb na.

There are many more details about this development of insight,but we have had to leave them out, so as to make this e

x

planationas brie

f as possible. The best way to learn about this practice is byundertaking a meditation course with a competent teacher, b

e-

cause then you can learn in a syste

m

atic way, step by step.

1

1

For contact addresses, please see Appe

n

dix 2, p.

345

.

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tective sutta for bhikkhus to recite every day. There is a discipl

i-

nary rule(Vinaya)

which says that if a forest

-

dwelling bhikkhu orbhikkhun

fails to recite this protective sutta at lea

st once a day,he or she will have committed an o

f

fence.Once, in The Buddhas time, a bhikkhu was dwelling in the fo

r-

est when a veno

m

ous snake bit him. He died. Because of this,The Buddha taught the

Khandha Paritta

. The purpose of thisprotective sutta is similar to lovingkindness medit

a

tion. In thatsutta there are different ways of extending loving

kind

ness to di

f-

ferent types of snak

e or dragon. There is also an assertion of truthconcerning the Triple Gem, and the qualities of The Buddha andarahants. We shall recite this protective sutta tonight. It is verypowerful. You may call it the Snake Mantra. The name is notimportant. You

can call it wha

t

ever you like. Some bhikkhus in

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important. Youcan call it whatever you like. Some bhikkhus in

Myanmar use this protective sutta for those who have been bittenby a venomous snake. It is effective. When they chant this protec-tive sutta many times, and when the victims drink the protectivewater, the venom slowly decreases in them. Usually they recover.But the effect is not the same in every case. The Buddha taughtthis protective sutta to prevent bhikkhus from being bitten byvenomous snakes. If a bhikkhu recites this protective sutta withrespect, and extends lovingkindness to all beings, including

snakes, he will meet with no danger. Usually, if he also observesthe monastic code, no harm will come to him.

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8 -

The Buddha

s Wishesfor His Disciples and His Teachings

mode of Vipassan that requires greater effort, namely, the Seven Ways for M

a-

te

riality(r pasattaka)

and the Seven Ways for Mentality

(ar pasattaka)

. The differencein effect is that the momentary arahant

-

fruition attainment su

p

presses an ailmentfor only as long as the attainment lasts: like a stone that falls into water clearsthe water for only as long as the impact of the stone lasts, after which the water

-

weeds return again. But the lifespan maintenance arahant

-

frui

tion attainment cansuppress an affliction for a dete

r

mined period (here ten months): as if a strongman were to d

e

scend into a lake and clear away the water

-

weeds, which wouldnot return for a conside

r

able time.

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9 -

The Most Superior Type of Offering

duced by the fire

-

element in each r

pa

-

kal pa.

1

Then he discernstheir impermanent, suffering, and non

-

self nature. If the giver isable to do this type of Vipassan , his attachment, anger and del

u-

sion are suppressed at the time of offering, and also, his offeringwill usually produce no res

ult. That way, we can say that also thiskind of offering is most s

u

perior.

The giver can do this type of Vipassan before, after or whileoffering. But his Vipassan must be strong and po

w

erful. Hemust have practised up to the stage of at least Knowledge

of Di

s-

solution(bha

gaa)

. Only then can he practise this type of Vipa

s-

san . We should not miss this opportunity either. This opport

u-

nity exists only in a Buddhas dispensation. But you may ask,how can we make this kind of offering if we have no insig

ht

-

knowledge? We should like to suggest that you then make youroffering with the thought: May this offering be a contributorycause to attaining Nibb na. This is because The Bu

d

dha manytimes taught to make offerings with the wish for Ni

b

b na

Knowing

and Seeing

They have no expectation of a f

u

ture life.All their menta

l

ity

-

materiality will cease like an oil lamp,when the oil and wick are e

x

hausted.By this truth may all beings be happy and free from all da

n

gers.

)

May all beings be well and happy.


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339

times taught to make offerings with the wish for Nibb na.We should like to conclude our Dhamma talk by repeating the

stanza from theRatana Sutta :

Kh na pur a nava natthi sambhavaVirattacitt yatike bhavasmiTe kh ab j avir hichand

Nibbanti dh r yath ya pad po Idampi sanghe ratana pa ta Etena sac cena suvatthi hotu.

(Arahants have exhausted all old wholesome and unwholesome kamma.New wholesome and unwholesome kamma do not occur in them.

They have exhausted the seeds of rebirth. 2

1

For details regarding the regeneration of temperature-produced materiality, please see p.1392 The seeds of rebirth: ignorance, craving, and force of kamma. Please see the three rounds of de-pendent origination, p.228

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Appendix 2

Contact Addresses

For i

nformation regarding Pa

-

Auk Centres, please contact:

Myanmar

The Venerable Pa

-

Auk Tawya Sayadaw

Pa

-

Auk Forest Monastery

c/o Major Kan Saing (Rtd.)

653 Lower Main Road

Mawlamyine

Mon State

U Nay Tun

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

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

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

(Tel: (95) 1

-

661

-

235)

2 Thazinmyaing Lane

Parami Aven

ue, Yankin Post Office

Yangon

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SingaporeCakkavala Meditation Centre.......(e-mail: [email protected])Blk 10 Pandan Loop #01-152Singapore128228

Contact persons:Lu Ah Lian Esq.................................................................(Tel:(65) 65-64-5030)Ms Ng Pei Fuen.................................................................(Tel:(65) 98-52-8046)

Sri LankaThe Venerable N. Ariyadhamma Mah theraSri Gunaward na YogasramayaGalduwaKahawa 80312

United States of AmericaRoland K.Win Esq......................................................(Tel: (01) 650-994-3750)15 Palmdale Avenue (Fax: (01) 650-994-6091)Daly CityCA 94015 (e-mail: [email protected])

346

A1 -

Glossary of Untranslated P i Terms


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