Concept, Reality and Nibbāna (ver. 2)

[Translator's NOTE: This was already translated in group 2 (part2-10) .]

revised on 2021-03-15

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 17th October 1961

There are four Nibbānas: Sotāpanna’s Nibbāna, Sakatagami’s Nibbāna, Anagami’s Nibbāna and Arahant’s Nibbāna. The fifth Nibbāna is after the ending of the khandha with the existence of peace — santi sukha Nibbāna (i.e., the passing away of arahants — parinibbāna). What I want you to know is after the realization of the first Nibbāna, you can live in peace (that is no need to concern about anything).

For the other Nibbānas, you already have the momentum. Even you don’t listen to Dhamma; it will attract you and go upwardly for the higher levels of Nibbāna. Therefore to realize that first Nibbāna is more important.

The higher levels of Nibbāna are nothing in special on practice. Just go back to the impermanent process. If you ask; “Why couldn’t I get Nibbāna before?” Without knowing, you take the near as far away. You have to strip off three wrong views if you want the first Nibbāna. You will be sure to get it after the explanation. Diṭṭhi nirodho nibbānaṁ — Cessation of wrong view is Nibbāna.

This refers to the first Nibbāna. Don’t pray for any life. Only the earth increases and you’ll be suffered. Don’t take these words as insignificance. Anyone is asking for it will suffer. I am correcting you for your strong mistake. You all want to enjoy is the feeling aggregates. Convert them into truth and it becomes dukkha sacca.

Your desires for the repeated enjoyments in the human and heavenly worlds are superficial actions. But it’s the same as encountering repeated sufferings in the human and heavenly worlds. Sacca is the truth. Feeling and enjoyment are not the truth. I am explaining clearly your great mistakes. It’s very rare indeed to encounter someone to correct our mistaken ideas and views. (What the Sayadaw mentioned here was very true indeed. Even later Buddhists encourage people to increase DUKKHA for repeated births).

You only see the enjoyment of feeling, but not the truth in it. You are dancing by the strings of taṇhā (Here Sayadaw referred to human being like a puppet). Feeling arising means you are in danger. Its vanishing is you are in suffering. Therefore it is dukkha sacca. This kind of prayers is covering up Nibbāna.

(So Buddhists should know clearly what the outcomes of their actions, vows. and aspirations are. Taṇhā, māna and diṭṭhi-craving, conceit and wrong view are under the guise of metta, karuṇā and paññā-kindness, compassion and wisdom).

You are making prayers with diṭṭhi and taṇhā. Not knowing is worse than not having with ignorance and delusion men can do all sorts of things foolishly and stupidly. The dukkha khandha you are praying for is covering up Nibbāna. You are making it as this is me and mine can’t penetrate the khandha. You are serving the khandha like a slave and Nibbāna is hidden. Craving for khandha and wrong view on khandha are covering Nibbāna. So, you cannot reach toward Nibbāna.

[Sayadaw continued to talk on Ven. Yamaka. He had the view of annihilation on Nibbāna. He held the view that after the arahant died and totally extinct. Ven. Sāriputta questioned him which of the five khandhas was arahant? (After he was entering the stream and became a sotāpanna and this question was put to him).

He answered that no arahant in anyone of the five khandhas. In the Yamaka Sutta, Ven. Sāriputta used the question and answering system to strip off Yamaka’s wrong view to let him understand concept and reality; and then taught him to observe the nature of the khandha and became a sotāpanna. After he became a sotāpanna, Ven. Sāriputta questioned him, if someone asked him what happened to an arahant after he died.

His answer was the five khandhas were anicca and it was dukkha. Only dukkha arose and dukkha ended. This answer was very important. Because only someone had abandoned wrong view and doubt could answer in this way. Dukkha ends and Sukha exists. The Buddha always emphasized that he only taught dukkha and the ending of dukkha. ]

The view of after an arahant dies and nothing exists is the same as no Nibbāna. The Buddha taught in many different ways that Nibbāna really existed. (For example, in Udāna Pali). In real there is no arahant, just a concept. Only the five khandhas really exist. Arahanta means, someone who has destroyed kilesa. Puthujjana (worldling) means someone who has a lot of kilesa.

After stripping off the concept and contemplate the paramattha dhamma will develop to Nibbāna. Yamaka had uccheda view. Because of not encountered a teacher to help him for uncovered the concepts and found out the paramattha dhamma.

People are praying for Nibbāna is without knowing about it. There is a place without dukkha. Also it must have to exist. It is Nibbāna which only exists with sukha (This is not the sukha of feeling aggregate). Dukkha covers on Nibbāna that is hidden.

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revised on 2021-03-15; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4084&p=35761#p35761 (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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