Staying with the Truly Reliable Dhamma

revised on 2019-11-05

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 15th October 1962

[This was the last talk of Sayadaw because he passed away on the 17th of October. Actually he had to give a talk on that day (October 17th) for the Kaṭhina Robe offering Ceremony. Also it was unnecessary for the lay supporters who offered the robes and requisites because he had given a talk for them on the 11th as a preliminary offering for the family members together with the yogis practicing there, creating a situation for them to concentrate what they were doing. But he couldn’t make it again on the 17th for the general lay supporters. ]

With the contemplation of bhāvana by teaching and listening at the same time, all of them were gaining liberations (Khemaka and the sixty monks were becoming arahants. It referred to the Khemaka Sutta of Saṃyutta Nikāya here). If I am asking all of you where you are coming from, your answer could be “I don’t know”. Dhamma sent you here (to the human existence).

Dhammas are parents, so you have to follow its arrangements. Therefore, is it possible without it? You don’t know at all where you are coming from. Sent by dhammas, you all arrived here. Therefore, there are only dhammas have to rely on.

After enlightenment the Buddha thought, “Why I became a Buddha? If there is anyone excels me in sīla, samādhi, and paññā, I’ll take refuge and worship him.” Therefore, he looked for that being in the 31 realms of existence. But he couldn’t find anyone excelled him in sīla, samādhi, and paññā. With Dhamma he became a Buddha.

So he took refuge in the Dhamma. Sent by dhamma, you arrived here. After that, you will be sent by dhamma to somewhere. If I am asking you; “Do you prefer to be sent by ① dāna (or) ② sīla (or) ③ samādhi (or) ④ vipassanā (or) ⑤ unwholesome dhammas?” Therefore, there are five questions.

Unwholesome dhammas send you to woeful planes of existence. Nobody wants to go there. Dāna sends you to human and heavenly worlds. These are the places with the dangers of ageing, sickness and death. Sīla is also the same. Samādhi sends you to the worlds of 20 types of Brahma Gods, with the useless long life. With the long life of dukkha because carry dukkha sacca with them.

Vipassanā dhamma sends you to Nibbāna — the ending of dukkha. Before you were confused and sent by unwholesome dhammas. You had been to human and heavenly worlds for many times. In the end met with ageing, sickness, and death, sorrow and lamentation. With sīla is in the same way.

If you want to go to a place without dukkha, then practice hard in vipassanā. And will arrive to the Path Knowledge. Except Nibbāna, it’ll send you to nowhere. Send you to be free from three vaṭṭas, i.e., kilesa, kamma, and vipāka vaṭṭas.

Before not knowing the truth and sent by dhammas without any choices and arrived randomly to everywhere. Some are sent by dhammas to the Hells. Some are sent by dhamma to heavenly worlds and after that, fell down from there in ugly ways (for example, the 500 celestial nymphs of Subrahmā Devata).

In the Brahma Worlds are also the same. (In the Dhammapada stories, the Buddha mentioned about a sow, he met during alms round. She was a brahma god before. After died and born as human being. And after died as human being and born as a sow). By knowing the truth and don’t want to go anywhere.

I have talked on sacca dhamma and let you know how to make the choices. I want to say you all for looking the truly reliable dhammas. Not knowing the truth and don’t know how to look for it. Don’t let kammas making the arrangements. But let ñāṇa do it. Kammic arrangements are 31 realms of existence. Ñāṇa arrangement is transcending them.

Ñāṇa also has five kinds:

① Kammassakatā ñāṇa — do good and has good results. Don’t follow it. I do it and I get it — so it has wrong views with it. It sends beings to higher planes and afterwards pulls them down again.

(Sayadaw gave the simile of a bird hit with a poison arrow. It flies up to some distance and falls down again after the poison spreading out in the body. Subrahmā devas story was a good example.

② Nāma-rūpa pariggaha ñāṇa — Discernment of mind and matter. Also don’t rely on it. Why? It’s a cūḷa-sotāpanna and free from apāyabhūmi only for one life.

③ Paccaya pariggha ñāṇa — Discernment of the conditions of mind and matter; knowledge of knowing the D. A. process, freeing from apāyabhūmi only for one life. So it's not a happy dying.

④ Vipassanā ñāṇa — knowledge of knowing impermanence. Don’t be satisfied with it. Have to take rebirth in the second life.

⑤ Therefore, the best way is practicing for the cessation of all dukkha. Don’t be satisfied with only one cessation but four times of cessations. These are the four Path Knowledges. Among the five knowledges, the Path Knowledge is the best one. There is no other truly reliable thing except the Path Knowledge; because there is no dukkha.

You never heard it before in your whole life. People never had been analyzed that much, mostly talking about one kind of merits only. U Aung Zan Way and U Than Maung, we are getting old now. You all have to practice hard with the thought of in the future this sāsana will not exist. (Both lay men were a little older than Sayadaw and met him in his last year of life.

Here mentioned this sāsana (teaching) will not exist had double meanings. One referred to the teaching of the Buddha, and the other Sayadaw’s talks. Here was referring to his teaching. Next two days he would lay down his burdened khandha. This was a hinting to his passing away soon.)

Mahamedin (in Burmese refers to Islamic Faith) is sassata view — Eternalism. Communism is uccheda view — Annihilationism. Even they don’t have the first and second knowledges (have faith in laws of kamma and the knowledge of the five khandhas).

In the world, only these views exist and the world was overwhelmed by them. They rely on weaponry and wealth to converting people (at that time, it was like a prediction for the future). Even not including us, next generation will follow them.

Our Dhamma (Buddha Dhamma) have to walk between sassata and uccheda views only if you discern impermanence and in the middle way.

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revised on 2019-11-05; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4202&p=36006#p36006 (posted on 2019-02-22)

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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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