Truth Is in the Khandha

revised on 2019-10-02

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 15th June 1962

Cutting off saṁsāra is turning ignorance into knowledge. Observe with samādhi and saṁsāra will be cut off. A person no practice is in the whole day doing ignorance and action (avijjā and saṅkhāra). Mind process going on and on is saṁsāra.

The Buddha asked for practice was to know the truth. Where is the truth? It exists in the khandha. This khandha is the truth of dukkha. If you are looking at it and seeing as a lump of matter, and don’t know it yet. For fixing a ñāṇa eye, have to develop samādhi and look at it.

Then you see its changing nature from the old one to the new one as vibrations. This is the truth of dukkha. You have to look at it with the knowledge eye. At normal, we are moving around, we can’t see it even the khandha shows its nature. After establish samādhi and see its change. Its true nature appears to us. There is vibrations, here is itching and there is aching. Different kinds of mind and feeling arise, cold, heat, tiredness, etc.

Its original nature appears to us. After disbanding the beginning of the sitting nature, it tells you its arising new nature. The old nature disappears and new nature arises. The khandha tells you as I am the truth of dukkha. Except the arising and vanishing the khandha has nothing to tell you.

Khandha is the teller and ñāṇa is the observer. (Sayadaw was using the words of the Buddha in the first discourse to express the experience) Cakkhuṁ udapādi — vision arises; ñāṇaṁ udapādi — the knowledge of seeing dukkha sacca arises; aloko udapādi — light arises. Before because of the darkness of ignorance can’t see it, element of light arises for seeing the khandha; vijjā udapādi — knowing arises and not knowing disappears.

Cakkhuṁ udapādi is not the ordinary eye vision but ñāṇa eye. Therefore, the Buddha continued to mention ñāṇaṁ udapādi. It becomes knowledge and D. A. process can’t continue. So, without sati and observation whatever we think, speak and act become ignorance, volitional formation and consciousness (avijjā → saṅkhāra → viññāṇaṁ).

There are arising and ceasing with many ignorances, volitional formations and consciousnesses etc., the whole day. This is saṁsāra. So saṁsāra is the aggregate of dukkha. If you don’t cut it off dukkha is your own property. Khandha process and saṁsāric process are the same. Saṁsāra is; what is happening now. Nothing will become in the future if we can cut it here. With sati and paññā no ignorance and only knowledge arises.

Therefore, saṁsāra is wrong seeing, wrong hearing ……… and wrong thinking and starting from the six senses-doors. If not encounter a good teacher vijjā udapādi not arises. After establish samādhi and follow what the khandha is telling you and become vijjā udapādi. During establishing samādhi is samatha. Become vijjā udapādi is vipassanā.

[Sayadaw reminded yogis how much important to become vijjā udapādi. He quoted the words of the Buddha; if someone comes to you and says, ‘‘I’ll teach you to end identity view — Sakkāya diṭṭhi. But you must take the pain of the body which I’ll use a spear on your body three times a day, each time 300 spears of inflictions’’ The Buddha said ‘‘You must take these pains for the sake of destroying diṭṭhi because dukkha will never end if you don’t realize the truth.’’ (from Saccasaṃyutta)]

If you look at things with the ignorant eye — avijjā eye and think what will happen to me and diṭṭhi come in. Sotāpanna is easy. Listening sacca dhamma and with wise attention (yoniso) will become sotāpanna.

For example, I tell you feeling is dukkha sacca. And you observe the khandha and seeing impermanence. Continue with the practice and sure to become a sotāpanna. Thoroughly penetrating dukkha is knowledge of the fuction — kicca ñāṇa. Dukkha is in the khandha and ñāṇa also in the khandha. It’s very near but we are far away from it.

So, saṁsāra is becoming very long for us. Not knowing the arising does also not knowing the ceasing. And it becomes ignorance. Even it’s closer if the mind observes the mind (i.e., cittānupassanā). Mind is at the heart base (hadaya-vatthu) and ñāṇa also at the same place.

Observing the khandha with good samādhi is your duty. The teacher’s duty is teaching the sacca dhamma. The disciple will enter the stream if he is seeing in accordance with the truth.

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revised on 2019-10-02; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4192&p=35949#p35949 (posted on 2019-02-15)

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• Content of Part 8 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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