Do Buddhists Have Wrong Views?

revised on 2019-09-12

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 6th December 1961

This khandha is not following your desire. Therefore it’s not-self (anatta). We take this body with sweat, pimples, etc. (i.e., 32 parts of the body) as beautiful (subha). Why the Buddha taught the three universal characteristics? To let the proliferations (papañca dhamma — taṇhā, māna and diṭṭhi) die out.

The Buddha was giving the three names to the arising and passing away phenomena. Therefore I myself take this as a main point to teach you. Seeing the arising and passing away and all are becoming clear. Wanting to discern the three characteristics must have wise attention.

The discovering knowledge kills papañca. Therefore the Buddha taught these Pali words very often. Netaṁ mama, neso haṁ asmi, na meso attā — This is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself. These view, knowledge and seeing are coming to someone, then he will be free from it (papañca).

You must discern those three characteristic and have wise attention (i.e., anicca, dukkha, anatta and asubha), if you want taṇhā, māna and diṭṭhi to die out. It is the real Nibbāna after taṇhā, māna and diṭṭhi die out.

(Continued the Anāthapiṇḍika’s story and explained about the three lokas. These are: saṅkhāra loka — conditioned world, satta loka — world of living beings and okāsa loka — space world). It is saṅkhāra loka that the conditioned phenomena are arising and passing away. This includes both conceptual saṅkhāra and ultimate saṅkhāra.

(The other two lokas depend on the saṅkhāra loka; they can’t exist without it). Therefore condensing these three lokas, it's only arising and passing away. The wanderers were talking about their different views to Anāthapiṇḍika.

I am teaching you every day for wise attention and no need to correct for it; but I must correct on listening talks. By listening to the sutta discourses and view of eternalism can arise (sassata diṭṭhi). For example, Visākha died and became a female deity in Tusita Heaven. Visākha was a name and a concept.

The real existence was mind and body. Mind and body arose here and passed away here. Could it be gotten there? Even a little piece of it was not going there. It didn’t have any power to go. It simply took wrongly as this viññā arose in Tusita.

(Burmese word for viññāṇaṁ is viññā. It also represents the soul in Burmese. This viññā here is moving there. This wrong view really exists in Buddhists. For example: His life has gone out and I/you/we don’t know where it’s becoming. People use it in this way. Burmese language has some words representing the soul. These are: viññā, life and butterfly.).

In Burma, sassata diṭṭhi might arise on people if they are listening to the sutta discourses (In the Mahātaṇhā­saṅkhaya Sutta (MN 38), Majjhima Nikāya, Bhikkhu Sāti held this view). This is called Buddhist wrong view.

It can’t get the Path and Fruition Knowledges to practice with this wrong view; but it doesn’t prevent from going to blissful rebirths (sugati).

He can’t correct it with wrong teacher. You may ask: Nothing is going there from here, then what is happening there? Is there nothing having any connection with here? It's the view of annihilation (uccheda diṭṭhi). It becomes fruitless after death by taking wholesome and unwholesome kammas which one has done. So after being free from sassata diṭṭhi, it becomes uccheda diṭṭhi again. It becomes uccheda diṭṭhi if taking the view of nothing is connection with here. It's very difficult to have right view without encountering with a good teacher.

I’ll help you to dispel uccheda diṭṭhi. Visākha died and her name and form (mind/body) were ceasing here. And similarity of name and form arose there by causes. The name and form from here caused the result of name and form to arise there. Nothing was followed there from this side.

The cause is not cut off. The name and form result another name and form, but not being followed there. It’s just connection between cause and effect and this is free from uccheda diṭṭhi. Combine together; ① It is free from sassata diṭṭhi that these name and form are not followed there. ② But they have connection between cause and effect connection, this is free from uccheda diṭṭhi.

These two words are very important. Only a Buddha arose and could teach these dhammas. Therefore Anāthapiṇḍika criticized the wanderers with these two points which were very important, i.e., unwise attention and listening to the wrong teachings. Among the Buddhists sassata diṭṭhi is in connection with life after death. With uccheda diṭṭhi is connection with Nibbāna. Because they take it as nothing exists. Their argument is after name and form cease and if nothing arises what is the use of it?

I will explain for it. You will see Nibbāna if you get the Path Knowledge. It exists that so you see it. The Buddha said, “Atthi bhikkhave nibbānaṁ — Bhikkhu Nibbāna is existed.” After name and form cease become cool and peaceful. But if you don’t get the Path Knowledge, how do you know about it? This was asked by King Milinda to Ven. Nāgasena. He gave the answer that it was known by inference.

You want to be cured when a sore grows on your hand. After the medical treatment and it has been cured. The sore grows at this place and also has cured at the same place. So, Nibbāna exists like the place where the sore has cured. Dukkha sacca of the khandha disappears and sukha Nibbāna appears. This is known by inference. You’ll know its real existence if you really want to know it; then just practice.

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revised on 2019-09-12; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4091&p=35852#p35852 (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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