Kammic Energy

revised on 2019-08-12

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 5th August 1961

The root of the dangers of ageing, sickness and death are the twelve inversions. These arise by not knowing the true nature of the khandha. Where are the inversions coming from? These come from perceiving, knowing and viewing wrongly of the khandha.

These arise to a worldling who doesn’t has any knowledge about them (assutavā puthujjana). A disciple of a noble one has knowledge about them and doesn’t has it (sutavā ariya sāvaka). Therefore approaching the virtuous and wise people is very important.

You must have a good living if you want a good death and then you have to fix with the ariyan eyes in order to have a good living. Perception is the sharpest one among the inversions (vipallāsas): perception (saññā) knowing (citta) and view (diṭṭhi). It's followed by citta and diṭṭhi after.

Someone without clothes is taken as a crazy person; but you don’t know yourself as a crazy person with clothes. The differences between them are a naked lunatic and a well clothed lunatic only. Nibbāna does not accept the crazy people.

There are 62 types of wrong view (During the Buddha’s time). All wrong views are cleared away if free from sassata and uccheda views. After death consciousness and arises birth consciousness. Does the kamma not ceases and becomes birth consciousness? If the kamma is not ceasing and not dies and doing the job, then become the view of eternalism (sassata).

The Buddha had two ways of teaching, direct and indirect ways. He does it so he receives it. This is indirect way (e.g., kamma follows like a shadow). It seems the kamma is not vanishing and going directly and doing the function. You all have this view. (Most Buddhists have this view on kamma). With this view in your mind and practice can’t realize Nibbāna.

It hinders by the view of eternalism. The Buddha taught by examples and the listeners took it directly. During the kamma functioning, kamma is volition (cetanā) or mind and like a foreman, whereas the body is like a worker. The mind gives order and the body acts. After function together and mind/body cease (i.e., vanishing)

Then why the Buddha taught kamma paccaya jāti? — Action conditions birth. Here the cause is continuing. Even though the mind/body cease and the kammic energy left behind (Modern Science knows this). This kammic energy functions it.

If you take the kamma (volition) as impermanence and can’t follow to somewhere and you are free from the view of eternalism. In the whole country, majority of people takes kamma as eternal. The Buddha said that only cause and effect connection and not the connection of entity (or identity).

The view of changing life to life (reincarnation), the soul or life (jīva) goes out (i.e., a being dies) are views of eternalism. Most Buddhists have these views. (The mistaken ideas and views arise by not knowing the Sutta teachings and no teacher explains properly. And also later Buddhists develop it by thought games).

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revised on 2019-08-12; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4084&p=35747#p35747 (posted on 2019-01-14)

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• Content of Part 6 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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