A Simile of a Spider (Seeing Is Believing)

The spider staying in the middle (center) of the cobweb is likened to the primary object of meditation. This object is suitable for everyone and is always present. First, one must practise samatha (samādhi). Pay close attention (sati) at the entrance of the nostrils in order to know the in-breath and out-breath. Do not follow the air inward; instead, simply know the air going in and out at the nostrils.

In this way, the mind remains with the three factors of samādhi—sati, viriya, and samādhi. After some time, the mind becomes calm and stays where it is directed. After about twenty or thirty minutes, samādhi is gained. Now, with samādhi, the mind contemplates the characteristics of the in-breath and out-breath. The in-breath touches and then vanishes; this cessation is anicca. One must observe its nature with knowledge (ñāṇa). The out-breath is also observed in the same way. This cannot be seen with the normal eye, but only with the ñāṇa-eye.

Seeing the beginning and the ending is anicca—destruction and vanishing (that is, khaya and vaya). Seeing the beginning is samatha (samādhi), and seeing the cessation is vipassanā (insight). Knowing both constitutes the Path factors (maggaṅga). When one sees the ending or cessation, affection, love, or lust does not arise. This is the dying away of craving, or samudaya (the cause of dukkha).

Note: Venerable Ānanda mentioned four ways of realization in the Aṅguttara Nikāya, Book of Fours, Sutta No. 170 (Yuganaddha). Among them, the yuganaddha method is the third. According to Mogok Sayadawgyi, in some of his talks he explained this teaching to lay people as the yuganaddha way—driving two oxen together, that is, samādhi and paññā.

If you do not wish to contemplate touching (sensation) and knowing, you can also contemplate the mind. By watching, contemplate the wanting to breathe in and the wanting to breathe out in the mind. You will find that the “breathing-in mind” and the “breathing-out mind” also vanish.

You may also contemplate feeling (vedanā). Contemplate whatever you prefer. You have to contemplate whatever mind arises—seeing, hearing, smelling, and so forth. If there is nothing arising, contemplate the primary object of the in-breath and out-breath. In this way, this is similar to the “spider method.”

If you are able to contemplate whatever object is clear enough to discern, then it is the object suitable to your character. For example, feeling, according to Mogok Sayadaw, is a khandha that is easy for the yogi to discern.

Insight shown by the khandha arises faster and in greater numbers, and thus has stronger power. Insight observed by oneself (the yogi) is good only if defilements do not intrude during the practice. This is still weak samādhi.

When the insight shown by the khandha becomes prominent, it can help one finish the practice more quickly. There are two stages of insight: insight that comes through watching and observing, and insight shown by dhammas under one’s own knowledge (ñāṇa). The yogi’s duty is to practice a great deal in watching and observing.

With stronger samādhi, dhammas reveal their nature more clearly.

[Note: see my translation of Mogok Dhamma Talks, Part 6—“Two Views on Insight.”]

If the mind becomes purified, light may appear. One may ask: since the mind has no bodily matter, how could it emit light? The mind depends on the blood (the water element) of the heart (the earth element), which emits light because of mental factors (cetasikas).

With a greedy mind, becomes bright red; with anger, it becomes dark red; and with delusion, it becomes reddish as mixed with water (light red).

With non-greed, it emits colorful brightness; with loving-kindness (mettā), it emits white light; and with non-delusion (ñāṇa), the blood in the heart becomes clear. The eyes and the body become bright. The mind and body become clear. Even when the yogi has the eyes closed, there is no darkness; there is light.

[Note: The following information is from Phā-Auk Sayadaw’s talk on insight practice.]

The yogi must establish the fourth rūpa-jhāna samādhi until it becomes firm and produces shining bright light. From the insight knowledge of rise and fall (udayabbaya-ñāṇa) onward, light appears. The Buddha taught that both samādhi and vipassanā possess the light of knowledge. Divine eyes (dibba-cakkhu) also have light. All kasiṇa meditations (colored disk objects) have light. Upacāra and appanā samādhi also have light. Among the ten corruptions of insight, one of them is light (obhāsa).

Consciousness-born matter (cittaja-rūpa) has color (vaṇṇa), which can be bright. These groups of consciousness-born matter (kalāpa) include the heat element (tejo-dhātu). They produce new material phenomena, so that light not only appears internally but can also penetrate externally. The degree of brightness depends on the power of ñāṇa (knowledge).

Although it is called the “light of knowledge,” it does not occur directly in the mind. It is produced by cittaja-rūpa, specifically heat-element or temperature-born matter (utuja-rūpa), which possesses brightness. Mind-born and temperature-born material phenomena exist throughout the whole body. Therefore, other material phenomena—kamma-born matter (kammaja-rūpa) and nutriment-born matter (āhāra-rūpa)—also become bright, because all of them are mixed together and their colors (vaṇṇa) become bright as well.

When the yogi is purified from defilements and freed from pollution, there is no difficulty in contemplation. Contemplation proceeds with a calm mind. The mind and its objects become refined.

The strength of contemplation also becomes strong; the mind no longer moves. With good samādhi power, contemplation becomes stable. When the mind is well established, it becomes stable, clear, and free from pollutants. Then the mind settles in stability, clearly knowing the rising and falling (anicca).

With sloth, torpor, and restlessness, one cannot realize the Dhamma. When the mind has samādhi strength and calmness, it is like the pendulum screw of a clock, which swings from side to side rhythmically in order to function properly. The tightness of the screw is like samādhi, and the rhythmic movement of the pendulum is like rising and falling. Therefore, in the realization of the Dhamma, samādhi is necessary.

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• Content of Seeing Is Believing-- Dhamma Talks by Sayadaw U Nyanabhasa
• Content of Publications of Bhikkhu Uttamo

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