Talk Five: Sati on Smelling, Tasting, and Sensation (Step by Step)
In the Milindapañhā, the dialogue between King Milinda and Venerable Nāgasena explains that insight is the task of watching and observing the five aggregates (khandhas) with direct knowledge (ñāṇa). It is like a man watching his own monkey: the yogi must observe whatever arises as if it were a stranger.
Before establishing strong samādhi—and after dealing with seeing and hearing—I will now explain smelling consciousness. Smelling arises due to four causes (as explained earlier). If one takes it as “this smell” or “I smell,” identity view (sakkāya-diṭṭhi) arises. One must know it simply as smelling consciousness.
Do not take smells as “fragrant” or “smelly.” Thinking in this way causes greed (lobha) or aversion (dosa) to arise. This is a matter of view. For example, fermented fish paste is considered pleasant by some because they enjoy its smell, while Westerners may find it offensive. Similarly, durian fruit is loved by some and disliked by others.
When noting smells, do not differentiate them as a woman’s smell (such as perfume or body scent) or a man’s smell, as lust can arise in this way. Contemplate smelling at the nostrils, not at the wrong place (such as imagining the smell as coming from outside). Knowing it as smelling consciousness is correct. When there is no smell, return to the in-breath and out-breath.
Eating consciousness arises due to the tongue, saliva, food, and attention. If attention is given to chicken meat, pork, or other foods, identity view arises in the form “I am eating.” Do not pay attention to good or bad flavours. If one does so, it becomes contemplation of feeling rather than insight.
Note on Tastes and Body Consciousness
Note the tastes of sweet, sour, salty, hot, and so on, simply as eating consciousness.
Now I will talk about body consciousness (kāya-viññāṇa). Sometimes it arises together with pleasant feeling or unpleasant feeling. Pain, aches, tiredness, warmth, coolness, and similar sensations arise in the body. These are bodily consciousnesses.
Body sensitivity (kāya-pasāda) also exists in the internal organs, such as the heart, lungs, bones, and so on. It has a wide range, nearly the whole body. During contemplation, do not include the specific place, such as “knee pain” or “back ache,” in your noting. In speech we may mention the place, but in contemplation we should not.
I will explain the difference with an example. If pain arises in the left chest, one may become frightened, thinking of heart disease. In this way, the location becomes identity view (sakkāya-diṭṭhi). You must remember that in the contemplation of body consciousness, one should not include the place where it arises, and one should not differentiate it as good or bad.
The mind is strange. In contact with objects—for example, when touching a man or a woman—if attention is given to concepts, lust can arise. Instead, note it simply as body consciousness, and then return to the in-breath and out-breath.
[Note: Concepts deceive people and beings. Because of wrong view and other defilements, humans create many problems and much suffering.)
Some years ago, when I was staying in a forest, I went to see a dentist who was a woman. I had no other choice. I had to contemplate her as asubha, unattractive. It was also a very hot season, and when I felt her contact, it was sticky and sweaty. This made the experience feel disgusting.
Monks must be very careful when they go to hospitals or clinics for medical checks. They cannot escape contact with female nurses. Therefore, wise attention (yoniso-manasikāra) and mindfulness (sati) are very important in daily life when dealing with defilements.]
Seeing Consciousness to Body Consciousness
From seeing consciousness to body consciousness, the five kinds of sense consciousness are external and arise only from time to time; these are like guest minds. In-breathing and out-breathing minds, however, exist all the time; these are the two host minds.
In insight contemplation, an important point regarding body consciousness is that pain may seem extreme and may even be thought of as life-threatening. This is not actually so. It is not truly a strong painful feeling, but rather appears intense because of the power of samādhi. It is like seeing bacteria through a microscope.
This also happens due to clinging to self-view.
[Therefore, it is important to dispel wrong view (diṭṭhi) beforehand. Sakkāya-diṭṭhi is the most dangerous defilement. It is harmful to humans, and when combined with craving (taṇhā), it can lead to many unwholesome actions. With understanding, humans can avoid many problems and much suffering in today’s world. (See my translation of Bhavaṅga Meditation by Sayadaw U Candimā.)]
The four causes mentioned above have a clear purpose. When the causes cease, the result also ceases. It is “not me,” unstable (anicca), and arises due to causes. If you contemplate in this way, you will not suffer much.
The key point here is whether you have right attention or not. Depending on the kind of attention, greed and anger arise. With understanding, contemplate them with right attention (yoniso-manasikāra). Do not contemplate by trying to control pain or aches; they will only become worse. Contemplate with a relaxed mind.
Now I will talk about changing postures. Pains and aches arise when sitting for a long period. If this happens, you must change the posture—but not impulsively or without mindfulness of mind and body. First, note the desire of the mind to change. Then follow the movements with careful noting, changing slowly and patiently.
The reason for this is that in the beginning of practice, knowing (ñāṇa) is still slow and not sharp enough to follow quick movements. Therefore, one must contemplate movements in detail—moving and stopping, moving and stopping—so that knowing does not fall away. In this way, only then is the posture changed with mindfulness intact.
In all these explanations, contemplation of impermanence (anicca) has not yet been included. If you are able to contemplate the arising clearly, knowing becomes sharp, and you will also be able to discern the vanishing.
By following whatever is arising in oneself and observing it carefully, one does not yet see the arising and falling (impermanence, anicca). Without knowing the truth of suffering (dukkha) yet, one should not force it to happen, as that will disturb the practice.
On the first day, we established mindfulness (sati) through ānāpāna. We had only one task, and the practice was easy and gentle. Now we contemplate the arising phenomena of the five sense doors. With many notings, the practice becomes more demanding, but knowledge (ñāṇa) develops.
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