Disenchantment with the Monkey

revised on 2021-03-15

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 10th October 1962

The Buddha at Sāvatthi Jetavana Monastery, contemplated on living beings. They didn’t have the disenchantment to their mind and body process and not realized Path and Fruition Knowledges. Thinking of the body in one life lasting for 50, 60, 70 years is let it be.

Citta (mind), mana (mind), viññāṇa (Consciousness) are the same. Citta is the nature of knowing the objects. Mana is thinking and planning. Viññāṇa is also knowing the objects. Citta, mana, and viññāṇa are not the same one in day and night. It’s good to become disenchantment of them.

It should be let it be with attaching to the body as me and mine, I am; because it’s lasting for 60, 70, eighty years in one’s life. But each one of the mind (seeing mind, hearing mind, greedy mind, etc.) is perishing moment to moment. It’s good for disenchantment to the mind.

The Buddha said that the mind was like a monkey. Here what the Buddha wanted to say was human beings attached to the mind clinging with self-view — diṭṭhi-upādāna.

Therefore, he wanted us to contemplate on the mind (from Nidanavagga Saṃyutta, Mahavagga). People having the view of eternalism take the mind as one mind only; and have a lot of wrong views on the mind. For example, every nationality believes in a soul.

Monkey has the habit of jumping from branch to another on the tree. At last no other branches hold on to, embracing and sleeping on it. In the same way mind is at rest taking the object of the past life. (The mind at sleep is life continuum mind, bhavaṅga citta, and taking the object of past life at the moment of death.)

Therefore, it’s sure that there are many different kinds of mind (The monkey hands are changing like many different kinds of mind changing. Jumping from one branch to another branch on the trees are sense objects).

Today talk is comparing the forms and the minds. And the Buddha making the conclusion that wrong view arose because beings didn’t understand D. A. process. (explain the twelve links as minds are changing moment to moment by causes and effects).

And they are ended with the assemblage of dukkha. Therefore, dukkha sacca arising and dukkha sacca ceasing; i.e., impermanence is called dukkha sacca. Only by understanding D. A. process can arrive at this thought. Mind arising is dukkha arising. And mind passing away is dukkha passing away. In the real process mind can’t last long even 1 second; arising and passing away at the speed of hundred thousand billion times /sec (per second).

It’s no need to discern that much. In every second discerning them arising and passing away is enough. Their unstable and uncontrollable nature appears. For example, after death consciousness ceases, birth consciousness arises. And after it ceases, life continuum consciousness (bhavaṅga citta) arises.

Therefore, it’s good to have disenchantment for it. Nibbidānto virijjāti—Dispassion comes with disenchantment. This means the Path Knowledge does not arise without the knowledge of disenchantment arises. If feeling (vedanā) arises, physical feeling (rūpa vedanā) and mental feeling ‐ (citta‐vedanā) arise.

With the cessation of feeling, physical and mental feelings cease. If craving (taṇhā) arises, craving for form (rūpa — taṇhā) and craving for mind (citta-taṇhā) arise. With the cessation of taṇhā, rūpa — taṇhā and citta-taṇhā also cease, etc. …

In vipassanā contemplation without the D. A. process, not become right knowing. If not, with the seeing of passing away phenomenon, doubt can arise. Why is it passing away? With doubt arises and wrong view follows. Having doubt and viewing things with one’s desire.

(Sayadaw explained the impermanence of the mind with an example. Writing the numbers of ①, ②, ③ on the three posts side by side. And then observing them one by one. With seeing no. ② and no. ① ceases, with seeing no. ③ and no. ② ceases).

All of them appear in the eye-sensitivity − cakkhupasāda. Then after the old one ceases, the new one arises. The numbers are evident for this point. This sutta described the importance of D. A. process. It relies on the heart base.

The objects are not the same; arising here and vanishing here. They can’t be moved away from the place. Someone with the knowledge becomes disenchantment. D. A. process is very important in the contemplation of vipassanā. The whole day in the khandha only dukkha arising and ceasing.

Therefore, the Buddha said that every Buddha taught dukkha arising and ceasing. So whatever arising in the khandha is dukkha arising. Sukha can’t arise. From the poison tree only bear the poison fruits. Again it only has poison seeds in the poison fruit. Again it grows a poison tree from the poison seed.

It’ll go like this without stopping: samudaya → dukkha → samudaya → dukkha, etc. Here samudaya is the seed and dukkha is the tree. If don’t get the medicine for killing the poison, tree and the seed never cut off. Therefore, the Buddha said it was like the person wanted to extinguish the fire and repeatedly put dry woods in the fire.

You all are like insects flying towards the fire as taking it gold. Craving for the gold in heavens, everyone prays for rebirth there. After arriving there, die again. Let us extract the main point. Only knowing the non-existence of the before phenomenon, become anicca, dukkha, anatta and asubha (impermanent, suffering, not-self, and loathsome).

Always watch the D. A. process of one’s own khandha. In front, a D. A. dhamma arises and ñāṇa observes from behind, etc.; then it only becomes vipassanā. Paññā cuts off the dhamma connecting with saṁsāra. Don’t say there are many ways on practice. It’s right if you contemplate your own D. A. process.

Here U Aung Zan Way and U Tin have to remember to contemplate the paṭicca-samuppanna dhamma — the result. Contemplate the arising result dhamma. Not on the paṭicca-samuppāda — it is the cause of dhamma. Samuppanna is arising dhamma. Samuppāda is the arisen dhamma.

Therefore, you can’t contemplate it. Have to remember this point carefully. Samuppanna dhamma and ñāṇa have to be in line (one after another). If not in line, it will end up with fruitless. Sometimes people are saying your mind is like a monkey mind. This is not saying with ñāṇa but with hate.

(Note-U Aung Zan Way and U Tin were politicians and became his disciples the year he passed away. Both of them were successful in their practice. Later U Tin became a monk and known as Sayadaw U Dhammasara.)

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revised on 2021-03-15; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4202&p=36000#p36000 (posted on 2019-02-21)

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• Content of Part 9 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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