How to Pay Your Debts?

revised on 2021-03-15

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 7th December 1961

D. A. process continues because of inversions. Conceit (māna) is not arising together with wrong view. Māna is also taṇhā. Māna arises because of the perception of permanence (nicca saññā). People encounter with law cases with māna. Ordinary taṇhā arises because of the perception of beauty (subha saññā), it mostly happens with consumer goods which make things nice to look with attration.

People buy these things with taṇhā. (Consumerism nowadays does create a big problem in society and environments. There are a lot of needs to contemplate for these human problems connections with taṇhā). What shopkeepers have good sales is subha saññā. Wrong view of stability arises because of the perception of self (atta saññā); e.g., people are looking and searching for the stable things.

All three of them are proliferation phenomena (papañca dhamma). All start from perception. Therefore you must note as nicca saññā extends the D. A. of conceit, subha saññā for taṇhā and atta saññā for diṭṭhi respectively. With these perceptions exist can’t realize Nibbāna. For nicca saññā contemplates anicca. For subha (beauty) contemplates asubha (foulness of the body) or anicca.

We also have to do dāna (giving), sīla (precept) and samatha (calm). You will meet good teachers and Dhamma with these practices.

(These points are important. You can see many evidences in the Nikāyas. One of the nine attributes of the Buddha is vijjā-caraṇa-sampanno. Vijjā is knowledge represents wisdom. Caraṇa is conduct, represents dāna, sīla and samatha. Most Buddhists think only a bodhisatta or a Buddha needs it. Some Buddhists just do caraṇa and neglect vijjā and some in the opposite. It’s a very rare opportunity to come to the human world; so do not just look for sensual pleasure. It’s for the cultivation of goodness for oneself and others and purifying the mind (vijjā-caraṇa) because the human world is the international air-port to other destinations).

These dhammas are decisive support conditions (upanissaya paccayo), distant causes for Nibbāna. Insight knowledge is Path Condition (magga paccayo), near cause to direct Nibbāna. Note this point carefully. If not, may be you can think that with only good merits arrive Nibbāna. In the Conditional Relations (i.e. the Paṭṭhāna, the seventh Abhidhamma book) mentioned that one will never arrive to Nibbāna without the Path factors condition (magga paccayo).

All other dhammas can’t abandon perception (saññā). These are supporting Nibbāna only. For example, an animal can be reborn at human world again. Because of his/her good merits, he/she meets a good teacher and dhamma (see Maechee Kaaw’s Biography); but nothing will happen by sleeping. You must practice vipassanā. Therefore don’t abandon any of them (i.e., vijjā and caraṇa).

(Continued the story of Anāthapiṇḍika and the wanderers, about the Q&A between them)

Amarāvikkhepa diṭṭhi (evasion) means, not giving an exact answer as yes or no if asking a question. Why give this kind of answer? Doesn’t know clearly by oneself and it’s not good to give no answer when asking. (Therefore the person gives an evasive answer); so comes this view. (Sāriputta’s first teacher, Sañjaya held this view).

Wrong view comes from not knowing the anicca and saṅkhata dhammas. Here Anāthapiṇḍika pointed out unwise attention and listening wrong teachings as two causes for their wrong views, to arise. There are eight causes for wrong views and these two points are very important. With unwise attention twelve inversions arise.

The four D. A. processes of taṇhā, dosa, māna and diṭṭhi from the six senses doors are arising uncountable for every day. Black dhammas gives the black results. Most people think only by wholesome and unwholesome volition that results arise. This is the knowledge of ordinary people.

There are more than that (These things are becoming more clear by understanding the D. A. processes. Only by studying the suttas in the Pali Nikāyas understand the dangers of saṁsāra). These kammas will make the khandhas (taṇhā, dosa, māna, diṭṭhi arise from the six senses doors).

Therefore how do you repay for them? You have to repay it with the khandhas. So, I had been told you very often that you were coming here for a visit. Later went back to you permanent places (i.e., four woeful planes). All these things have to be decided with the D. A. processes and not with your sīla. These khandha debts can be only repaid with vipassanā knowledge and the Path Knowledge.

Even in this life time your kammic debts are not few. Also the kammas of the past lives are waiting for the chances to give the results. It’s like this example; someone has million dollars in debt. But he is an ordinary worker. Can he pay back his debts? The Buddha arose in this world for this purpose.

Now, you find the way of how to pay the debts. But it will be never solved by kammas. You must pay the debt with knowledge. For example, the creditor comes and tells you, just licking these salts for once and all you debts are exempted. It’s important for you to realize the Path Knowledge for only once (i.e., sotāpatti magga). Then all the infinity of your debts are exempted.

The life span of blissful planes (sugatis) is like a pebble, throwing upwardly into the sky and staying there for a moment only. The life span in hells is like this pebble falling back to the ground and staying there for a long time (quite painful and frightening indeed). Whatever arises from the six senses doors, can contemplate the impermanence and ten kinds of D. A. process can’t arise (Just mentioned before, taṇhā, dosa, māna, diṭṭhi are arising from the six senses doors).

Therefore even insight knowledges (vipassanā magga) have the great benefit. The Buddha taught three universal characteristics but all are in the arising and passing away (anicca) because impermanence is dukkha sacca. (Three characteristics fall into dukkha sacca. Therefore penetrate dukkha is very important. Only then you can let go of your clinging to things. So the Buddha said he only taught dukkha and the end of dukkha).

All the other animals’ foot prints fall into the foot print of an elephant (Mahā-hatthipadopama sutta, MN 28, Majjma Nikāya). Vipassanā magga can only cut off this life kamma. Lokuttara magga (Supramundane) cut off past, present and future kammas. This is the difference between these two knowledges. The important thing you must remember is doing the job of magga before for the sake of safety death (for not fall into painful births).

Later you can do other things which are not important. It you die earlier before that, will be very difficult for you. The kammas of this life and many of past lives are waiting for you to push you down (to painful births, hells, animals, hungry ghosts) at near death.

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revised on 2021-03-15; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4091&p=35851#p35851 (posted on 2019-01-18)

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• Content of Part 7 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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