Two Kinds of Disenchantment


revised on 2019-08-12


Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 16th September 1961

Someone becomes the disciple of a noble one (sutavā ariya sāvaka) then his wrong view falls away. After becoming a sotāpanna, he still has taṇhā, but he doesn’t have the coarser one. The coarser taṇhā and māna (craving and conceit) which can let him fall into the planes of misery are gone with wrong view together.

Connection with wrong view the Buddha often mentioned with the ariya sāvaka in the suttas. You have to listen to Dhamma with the wisdom ear and not an ordinary one. The kind of ear in every day what we hear are no values. Hearing things with the wisdom ear, learning and practicing the ariya Dhamma is called sutavā ariya sāvaka.

It’s important to listen to sacca dhamma with the wisdom ear. I take this duty for you. And you have to learn it and practice. For the Path Knowledge of a sotāpanna is not difficult. It’s important to fulfill these two points (i.e., listening sacca dhamma and practice). You also know that you have the seed of hell in your heart. Only with dāna, sīla and samatha practices can’t abandon the seed of hell.

Wrong view is also a latent defilement (anusaya). Anusaya not arises from outside. It arises by conditions and like a blip. It arises until abandon with the Path Knowledge. But we think it as it's not there. It will be latent in the heart as an indifferent nature if it has no conditions. It's called anusaya because it arises by conditions and suitable causes.

One will becomes sutavā ariya sāvaka by listening with the wisdom ear and practice with wisdom. In the Anatta Lakkhaṇa Sutta (SN.22.59 Anattalakkhaṇasuttaṃ), one may become disenchantment by contemplation of feeling. There may be two ways for disenchantment: with saṁvega (sense of urgency) and vipassanā. Disenchantment with saṁvega is seeing the oppression of feeling and knowing that khandha is fearful, and then one becomes disenchantment.

It is nothing to do with the Path Knowledge. Disenchantment with vipassanā is not this kind. You can’t control it not to arise and pass away when feeling arises. Its nature is arising and passing away. It is not disenchanted with pain. One becomes disenchantment by seeing this rising and falling. It’s vipassanā nibbidā ñāṇa. It is saṁvega that suffering with painful feeling becomes displeasure.

Without knowing this and take it as insight knowledge which is sharp. It doesn’t. Not only human being even animal knows it (i.e., painful feeling, not by contemplation). Saṁvega is only frightful knowledge (some intelligent in it). Vipassanā nibbidā ñāṇa is valuable. Can’t control the feeling not to be rise and fall, and then become disenchantment is vipassanā ñāṇa.

Saṁvega only supports vipassanā. It encourages yogi to practice vipassanā. It is vipassanā ñāṇa which really sends yogi to Nibbāna. It’s the decisive support condition (upanissaya paccayo). Becoming of disenchantment is supporting the Path Knowledge. Pain, aches are not the main factor. The main factor is becoming disenchantment by can’t control impermanence. This is vipassanā ñāṇa.

By knowing that this khandha is not the governing atta and become disenchantment. Only hear these things before and clear about it. I have practiced vipassanā quite a long time now. And it does not happen anything yet. Do not complain about it. Wrong view of defilement is eroding slowly if you really do it.

Just continue to do it. After long enough it becomes thin out. With every practice erodes it. Do not let doubt come in, and giving up. It is like the right view hand erodes the wrong view handle of an adze. (The Buddha gave this simile for the practice eroded kilesa slowly). I am not encouraging you. The Buddha himself taught it.

Every seeing of the impermanence of anatta erodes the self view (atta diṭṭhi). Do not let doubt and laziness come in. It will push you down into the planes of misery if diṭṭhi or taṇhā comes. Don’t separate anatta and ñāṇa (i.e., impermanence and ñāṇa).

Feeling aggregate arises depending on the other four aggregates. Going into the sun dukkha vedanā arises. And into the shade sukha vedanā arises. Vedanā vanishes on the spot of arising. It is like a flash of lightening in the cloud. Khandha arises on the khandha (i.e., feeling arises in the body).

You have to note on this point. Not knowing the guest khandha and vipassanā can’t come in. Vedanā is guest khandha. The others also guests. Today I am talking about vedanā and it is guest. The other four are hosts. Not knowing it as guest and talking it as me and mine.

This house and that house are in quarrel because not knowing it as guest (i.e., anatta). Vedanā life span is only ① and ②. Even counting of it takes time. Its impermanence is quicker than that counting. If you know every time the guest visits will realize Nibbāna. It does not matter if you can’t catch on the arising, but you must catch on the vanishing because the contemplative mind can’t come in during the arising.

Only knowing of the guest is not there and knowledge arises (i.e., knowing the vanishing). Not knowing the guest comes and dies is a great fault. Because not knowing is ignorance. It continues the D. A. process (avijjā → saṅkhāra……). You have to practice to know the guest comes in at any time.


revised on 2019-08-12; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4084&p=35755#p35755 (posted on 2019-01-14)


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