Dealing with Wrong View and Doubt

revised on 2019-08-12

---

Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 3rd October 1961

[This was a very simple talk to deal with wrong views and doubt for beginner. The listeners were two well known business men came from a far for practice]

You must dispelling three wrong views before doing vipassanā. You only get merits and not the Path Knowledge without doing it. This is not giving an ordinary talk. This is giving the way for your practice. I have to give the intellectual knowledge first. We missed many Buddhas in the past, and had lived with the khandha of painful births.

It was very clear that we were forbidden by these three wrong views. After clearing away wrong views and also for doubt later, I have to illustrate impermanence in the khandha. However it can’t realize the Dhamma even practicing hard if wrong views reside in the five khandhas.

The Buddha also mentioned this point. So, vipassanā comes later and clearing away doubt is before. The stages of practice are: ① Dispelling wrong view, ② Clearing away doubt, ③ Vipassanā practice. This is the right way of practice (For this point Sayadaw gave the story of Ven. Anurādha) Another story was regarding with Ven. Sāriputta and he cleared away Yamaka’s wrong view.

This is very important. Doing Samādhi before with knowing the in-breath and out-breath are only controlling the mind. Wholesome state of mind is one thing and Path and Fruition knowledges are another thing. You must strip of wrong view with the khandha process. For example, if you are turning towards a clock and seeing the clock arises. This mind not exists beforehand (i.e., seeing). Also it not arises by watching.

It is like a shadow appears by the body contacts with the mirror. Seeing is just mind and not man or woman. It is just the seeing nature. After the seeing and the wanting arises. Are the seeing and the wanting the same? It ceases after the seeing. And then wanting arises by substitute. Before is just seeing and not wanting. Now is wanting and not seeing also. These two minds are different. The nature of them is not the same. Seeing arises in the eye and ceases at the same place.

After that, wanting arises in the heart by substitute. This is showing the cause and effect connection. There are two kinds of wanting. Ordinary wanting (i.e., craving-taṇhā) and strong wanting arises. This small wanting mind ceases and big wanting mind arises. And then the big wanting ceases and the buying thing (here, a clock) of bodily action and verbal action arise.

So, the whole process is seeing, wanting, clinging and action. They are arising one after another with the ceasing of one after another. The seeing mind conditions the wanting mind. It's alive with the wanting mind after the seeing ceases. It substitutes with action after the wanting ceases. The seeing mind is just only the seeing mind. Is it a person or a being? This is stripping off the identity view (sakkāya diṭṭhi). The life span of the seeing mind is ① and ②. ① is arising and ② is ceasing. It substitutes with the wanting mind after it ceases. It’s also not a person or a being. You may ask, “Does it arise by no cause?” It doesn’t. The seeing mind conditions it as a substitute. Natthi paccayo — It’s the absence condition. (conditions it without together).

Then this mind (Here is wanting) arises by not automatic, but with causes. Because of the seeing mind and the result of the wanting mind arises. By the cause and the result appears. It is cause and effect connection. With the substitute and you are alive. Without the mind and you’ll die. Someone may think, after the seeing mind ceases and nothing arises.

This is the view of annihilation (uccheda diṭṭhi). It’s not cutting off. Still continues as cause and effect will free from uccheda diṭṭhi. Now, you are free from sakkāya and uccheda diṭṭhis. Wanting mind conditions the clinging mind. Wanting mind ceases and substitutes with the clinging mind. ① is arising and ② is ceasing.

Is the wanting mind permanent or impermanent? It is impermanent. You will be free from sassata diṭṭhi (view of eternalism) if you know it as impermanence. Now, you are free from the three wrong views: sakkāya, sassata and uccheda diṭṭhis.

---

revised on 2019-08-12; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4084&p=35757#p35757 (posted on 2019-01-14)

---

• Content of Part 6 on "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

---

• Content of "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

---

• Content of Publications of Ven. Uttamo

---

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.