Observe the Mind-Body with Paññā

revised on 2021-01-11

Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 28th Feb.1959

In this body only has mind and form (nāma-rūpa). Whatever you want to do is the mind. Whatever movement and action happening are accordingly to the order of the mind. This is form. You have to place a wise man between them. He can observe the mind and form. Mental factor of discernment (paññā cetasika) is wisdom mind. Now, we have three of them. One observes the two. This is vipassanā. If you have a long tongue and it will be long (A Burmese colloquial language and means as talkative.) In short it's only that much. If you can place or insert paññā between them and it becomes vipassanā. Looking for here and there can't become vipassanā, only will find the vipassanā records. We are wasting times with records. The mind and form will send you to Nibbāna. Whatever you have loaded inside the boat, it will arrive at the other shore. The boat is mind and form. The boat man is knowledge (ñāṇa). The other shore is Nibbāna. Whoever rides this boat will arrive there. It's easy. Even though it's easy and too close to us we can't see it. Your eyelashes are the closest to your eyes. Can you see it? You can't. Why is that? It's because you are looking at far distances. But look at near this time. Is there anything closer than mind and form to you? Look at it without moving. When it moves, observe its movement. When it's calm, observe its calmness. Calm mind and moving mind. Calm form and moving form. The mind and body will tell you. Form will tell you that I am not the form before and the later form. Also the mind will tell you that I am not the mind before and the later mind. If they are talking to you like this a lot, in this body nothing is owned to you. Before, we thought it as our own was a big mistake. If you see it rightly become right view vipassanā. It will always tell the truth to the yogi who is watching. If you don't believe what others say is all right, but you must believe what the mind-body itself tells you. They will tell you that we are changing all the times. Then you will want to follow them by nodding your head as "that's right", "that's right". Even, if you don't want to agree with what the Buddha and arahants were said also all right. But when the mind-body tells you must agree. Then you don't need to doubt about it as right or wrong. So, no need for the Buddha and arahants told you that it was not yours only anatta. The mind and body will tell you about this. It doesn't stay or behave as you want them. By knowing one's own mind-body very well is the knowledge of the way as It is or as It Really is (Yathābhūta Ñāṇa). If you arrive that much craziness and blindness are gone. You know how to look at it then craziness and blindness disappear. If you know your mind-body very well and will surely arrive at Nibbāna.

Mostly we are wasting our times without any benefits, because this is without a teacher to show the right way. Looking at other things is samatha. Only looking at the mind-body is vipassanā. Instead of watching at what really exists, we are looking at what does not exists. Therefore, we are in suffering. Vipassanā becomes difficult because without a teacher to show the way. The mind and body tell you the truth. Knowledge (ñāṇa) is the believer. The Buddha said that seeing by yourself and making your own decision would realize Nibbāna (Sayadaw recited the Pali verse. He continued to use Sāriputta's Kāyaṃ imaṃ Gāthā to talk about the vipassanā process.). Sāriputta gāthā:

Kāyaṃ imaṃ sammasatha: watching and observing this body with knowledge; parijānātha punappunaṃ: contemplate it again and again; Kāye sabhāvaṃ disvāna: will see the impermanent nature of this body with insight; dukkhassantaṃ karissathā: and then will see the end of dukkha. According to Sāriputta by watching at mind-body process will realize Nibbāna and watching with the knowledge given by the Buddha. If you have this knowledge the Buddha exists and without it no Buddha. The day the Buddha enters into Nibbāna is the day this knowledge disappears. The mind-body always tells us that it is anicca, dukkha and anatta. It is never lying to us because they are the phenomena of ultimate reality (paramattha dhamma). It's only telling you these things very often that your ears become bitter (A Burmese colloquial language and it means don't want to hear anymore.) And then you become displeasure in it. You have to follow the khandhas to the end. Watching and observing to the end of it. After arriving at the knowledge of not wanting, all the dying process (anicca or dukkha) disappear. The bad things disappear and the good one appears. Impermanence, suffering and loathsome (anicca, dukkha, asubha) disappear and Nibbāna appears. The reason of you can't see the three universal characteristics (i.e., anicca, dukkha, anatta) and Nibbāna is looking at the mind-body with the eyes given by the people of the world. With the eye given by the Buddha you will sure to see it.

revised on 2021-01-11; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=2945&start=10#p32977 (posted on 2016-08-07)

• Content of Part I on "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

• Content of "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

• Content of Publications of Ven. Uttamo

This is only an experimental WWW. It's always under construction (proofreading, revising)!

According to the translator— Ven. Uttamo's words, this is strictly for free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma—Dhamma Dāna. You may re-format, reprint, translate, and redistribute this work in any medium.