Wholesome Kamma with Knowledge

revised on 2019-11-05

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 9th December 1960

[This talk was given to a couple who came to stay with Sayadaw and practiced under his guidance. The husband first met Sayadaw and later introduced his wife to him. So here Sayadaw encouraged her in the practice. Later they gave up their business and very closed to Sayadaw until he passed away. The husband, U Kyaw Thein, knew his own death six months before. ]

Desire of wanting to become a woman will become a woman; and the same as for to become a man. It is nothing to do with a man or a woman to have sharp knowledge (ñāṇa) or not. It relates to your past lives when you had done good kammas combined with ñāṇa or not.

Meeting a good teacher and having good kammas with ñāṇa, these two factors are very important. These were mentioned in the Saṃyutta Nikāya. Associate with the wise can become a sotāpanna means that kamma is a different thing (Here Sayadaw emphasized the main point and not rejected the wholesome kammas).

The kammic results are related to kamma. To get Path and Fruition Knowledge are related to ñāṇa. For example, the lay woman Visākhā (Migāramātā) became a noble person (sotāpanna) and her husband Puṇṇa (Puṇṇavaddhana) was not. He had only good kamma and without ñāṇa. Again layman Visākha and his wife Dhammadinnā both had good kamma and ñāṇa.

(Visākha was anāgāmin and Dhammadinnā was arahant). (Sayadaw told the story of Vajira bhikkhunī encountering with Mara, the Tempter). Having samādhi and following with the knowledge are important. It’s nothing to do with as a man or a woman.

After that, with the practice, go onwards with the three stages of knowledge. Today I’ll talk about the process of the practice: ① Intellectual understanding ② Contemplation ③ Abandoning (study, practice and realization). For the intellectual understanding, can be measured is the body (rūpa) and can’t be measured is the mind (nāma). For the four mind aggregates have to contemplate the most prominent one. (e.g., if feeling — vedanā is prominent, and then contemplate vedanā, etc.)

Mind and body are arising together. If form arises, contemplate form (rūpa), and if mind arises, contemplate mind. Contemplate the most prominent one. For example, in a pot of soup, salt, oil, sweet, etc. are in there respectively. If the salt is prominent, you feel the salt more than the others. If form arises, know it as form. If mind arises, know it as mind.

For example, if you put your foot down, paṭhavī — earth element is prominent and you feel the heaviness. If you lift it, air element is prominent and you feel lightness. If you are discerning anicca, it’s developing into insight. It’s tīraṇa pariññā − full understanding by contemplation. This knowledge is the most important. You have to know it thoroughly with the practice.

In this way contemplative knowledge become success. First it's discerning of arising and passing way, and then dissolution. After that, it develops into disenchantment. At that time don’t stop at it. If you stop it, knowledge will go down.

I am urging you to concentrate in the contemplation with the disenchantment. After that, you will develop the knowledge of watching it like an alien (i.e., saṅkhār'upekkhā ñāṇa — knowledge of equanimity towards formations).

At that time watching it like an alien. It’ll appear as watching your own practical knowledge. These are knowledge of right seeing. It’s dukkha sacca — the truth of disgusting and useless. With continue contemplation and affection on the khandha with the self-view, falls away in a blip. From behind clinging and action with wrong views are cut off. Why?

Because of knowing dukkha sacca, khandha disappears and are left behind with the contemplative mind (ñāṇa). And you do not see dukkha anymore. Just only see dukkha nirodho — the cessation of dukkha. The cessation of dukkha is nirodha sacca. The Path Knowledge is called pahāna pariññā − abandoning with full understanding.

After the Path Knowledge ceases, two or three Fruition Knowledges arise. After they cease and reviewing knowledge arises. Reviewing as there is no dukkha anymore. This is reviewing dukkha, as not there. All the Path Knowledge, Fruition Knowledge, and Reviewing Knowledge are seeing no dukkha.

If you see it in line (serially) and enter the stream (become sotāpanna). So these three knowledges are seeing Nibbāna. Because of their powers, the doors to painful births are closed (i.e., Apāya bhūmi).

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revised on 2019-11-05; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4202&p=36035#p36035 (posted on 2019-02-26)

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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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According to the translator— Ven. Uttamo's words, this is strictly for free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma—Dhamma Dāna. You may re-format, reprint, translate, and redistribute this work in any medium.