Nibbāna: The Ending of Dukkha

revised on 2021-01-11

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 5th September 1958

Call it in short Nibbāna. Make it in Noble Truth, then Dukkha Nirodha Sacca ~ The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Dukkha. No khandha in Nibbāna. You must ask without a khandha how can we live? There are 2-types of khandha: khandha afflicted by wound and non-afflicted by wound. As an example, you have a wound on your body. After treatment it’s disappeared. At first, you are living with the wound; after the cure you are living with no wound. In the same way you are living with khandha dukkha. No dukkha then you are living with none of them. You must say Nibbāna is living with no dukkha, and the disappearance of dukkha. Because you can’t discern the truth of khandha dukkha that the problem of how can we live without the khandha has arisen. If you take Nibbāna as nothingness it becomes a concept. It includes in the 4-realities (paramattha dhamma) that its existence is clear. You don’t know dukkha and saying Nibbāna is not exist. All of you don’t like without a khandha. But khandha is Dukkha Sacca; therefore you must know Nibbāna is without the dukkha khandha. It has no connection with any dukkha. Noble beings (arahants) wanted to leave the khandhas behind because they did not want to live with the great dukkha. They really saw the true happiness that wanting to abandon it. You may ask how it does be.

The process of this body is ageing, sickness and death. There is also a nature of no ageing, no sickness and no death. Only by knowing about the khandha you will know Nibbāna. First, know about the khandha. You know about khandha and then you know dukkha. What we want to abandon dukkha is by means of knowing itself. If you really want to know Nibbāna, put effort to know the khandha dukkha. Don’t look for a person where he has gone after dukkha has ceased, because it’s different nature you can’t find it. Don’t take it as not exists. If you are in the same nature you will find it. If kilesas are dried up even you are not there yet but you will see it. Only when you get the glasses of right view will you make your own decision. At first even the Bodhisatta knew Nibbāna by speculation. As an example, if there is heat there will be coolness. It exists and so you see it. If not exists and you will not see it. (See the Dhammacakka-pavattana Sutta or Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta) It doesn’t exist as dukkha but exist as without dukkha. Really exists as a nature of happiness. Looking anywhere in the khandha you only find impermanent dukkha sacca. If not, a yogi cannot see dukkha and sukha. A true yogi will find it. You don’t know where dukkha ceases so you don’t go there although you are going towards dukkha without knowing.

Path Knowledge has 4-functions. Like the example of a burning oil lamp, it is the fire that dispels darkness and light appears. Dry up the oil and the wick disappears are also the fire. Here, darkness is discerning dukkha, the light knows dukkha ceases ~ Nibbāna, oil drying up is kilesas, and the wick is the disappeared khandha. Someone who sees the cessation of dukkha will never confuse, because it's followed by fruitions (phala cittas) and the reviewing mind (paccavekkhana) after the Path Knowledge.

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revised on 2021-01-11; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4028&p=35556#p35556 (posted on 2018-12-14)

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• Content of Part 2 on "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

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• Content of "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

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• Content of Publications of Ven. Uttamo

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