Worldlings with Wrong Eyes and Defiled Minds

revised on 2024-03-27

Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 10th March 1962

[Here is two talks on wrong views on the same day]

We’re walking in the whole of saṁsāra with the two eyes of micchā-diṭṭhi and micchā-saṅkappa (i.e., deluded or blind eyes) Now, you’re encountered with the good teacher, it’s important to fix with the two eyes of sammā-diṭṭhi and sammā-saṅkappa (i.e., wisdom eyes). If you live with these two eyes will end dukkha. Without them is wandering in Saṁsāra sometimes in sugati (good destinations) and sometimes in dugati (bad destinations) [mostly in apāyas which are our permanent homes] This is not lack of perfections (pāramītas) because of with the wrong eyes or blind eyes. They’re fermented with taints of the wrong view (ditthāsava). With people who they have affections wanting them to survive and with people whom they hate wanting them to die. (i.e., sassata and uccheda people, e.g some politicians and western super-powers). If a person is a good teacher he has to teach people how to worship the Buddha in purified ways and how to do dāna untainted ways. (This point is very important for Dhamma teachers. Sayadawji taught people what he himself has done in his whole life. Most teachers are lacking this quality) People who can cultivate pure merit are indeed very rare.

In the Itivuttaka Pāli— the Buddha was making the distinction between sassata and uccheda persons. If a teacher teaches about Nibbāna, the sassata person doesn’t like it (he has bhāva-taṇhā super glue which modern scientists still can’t produce it). He attaches to becoming (bhāva). If the teacher teaches him the cutting of bhāva, he trembles. The uccheda person is wearisome and disgusting of becoming and wanting it to be totally cut off but he doesn’t want Nibbāna, and also to ageing, sickness and death. He likes it when nothing ever happens again. Sassata-person doesn’t know dukkha sacca and uccheda-person doesn't know nirodha sacca. Only discern anicca by moving away from these two wrong views, and then become disenchantment, later with not wanting of dukkha and Nibbāna arises. At last the person frees from sassata and uccheda and knowing it thoroughly in the knowledge. Therefore, the words on discernment of anicca, its disenchantment and its ending is not a small speech.

Sassata-person believes in this life and next life and good and bad results of actions. He has the habit of doing merits and afraid of doing demerits. If teaching about the results of merits he quite appreciates it and it is difficult to abandon his view. Therefore, it’s difficult to help him, even encountering the Buddha. His fault is not very great. Pulling the time to abandon his view. It’s more difficult to teach him than the uccheda-person. he has great Taṇhā for clinging to the realms of existence. Even he has the chance for liberation by meeting the Buddha and it takes him in slow action.

The fault of an uccheda-person is big and easy to correct. You all have to note the differences between a greedy-person (lobha) and a hatred-person (dosa). He has great faults regarding his view but easy to liberate. He also believes in bhāva.

His desire for cutting off becoming (bhāva) is another matter. He also believes in the results of merits and de-merits, but doesn’t want to do merits. He prefers the extinction of bhāva that regarding to demerits very dare to commit it. If he encounters the Buddha it is easy to be liberated and abandon his view. Uccheda-person is near Nibbāna and sassata-person is far from it. The greedy-person has no restraint in speech (talk actively, talk too much). Uccheda-person is short in speech and blunt in speech. Actually in accordance with nature both of them are not good (because of diṭṭhi). But if the uccheda-person has the chance to meet the Buddha or arahant it’s easy for liberation. Near to Nibbāna is the only excelling point between them (i.e., uccheda-person). Sassata-person doesn’t know dukkha sacca and craving for bhāva and uccheda-person doesn’t know nirodha sacca and preferring the cutting off bhāva, so both of them are far away from Nibbāna.

Therefore, you have to ask the sassata-person to discern dukkha which is unstable and not permanent that can make him liberated. Sassata-person discerns dukkha sacca will abandon his view. For an uccheda-person even he discerns dukkha sacca still not abandon his view, and only arrive at the end of its cessation and his wrong view is abandoned. No understanding of truth never liberate from diṭṭhi. Therefore, it’s clear that wrong views are preventing magga and phala. You observe and contemplate the khandha with samādhi and whatever it is talking to you is only dukkha sacca. You have to watch and observe the khandha from the beginning to the end. Even though you’re taking pleasure in the arising and if you discern its vanishing can’t take pleasure in it.

If I have to give you an example— the matter of establishing a family life. You all have a short view about it that encountering a long Dukkha. (?? You are all short-sighted and will suffer long-term Dukkha. OR You all had a short-sighted view of it and suffered a long Dukkha. ??) you have to find out the cause (It’s an important point for Buddhists). In the beginning it starts with taṇhā, and now it becoming of clinging (upādāna). Before you only give your hand to her. Now, both of you hold each other's hands very tightly. With older is with more foolishness, it was like a lemon fruit, it becoming bigger and becoming more sour. Don’t believe each other's words when encountering problems. All these are worldling speeches. Only someone has the Wisdom-eyes can strip off these two diṭṭhis.

Here Sayadaw gave an instruction on dukkha and asubha nature. He said that we do not understand these two natures because we have never thought about the whole process of them from beginning to end. In the beginning when they were young men and women established a family, but when later getting old a lot of problems and difficulties are arising (Compare this with the life of a monk, and it will be very clear.) In Burmese— the Burmese word has two meaning-establish a family and a home prison)

In the same way a beautiful young woman dies and her body becomes changing stage by stage and looking ugly and disgusting.