Pay Your Debts with Knowledge

revised on 2019-11-05

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 28th December 1960

Only vipassanā is the real refuge.

(Sayadaw told the story of Milakkha Tissa, the hunter. Because of working many years as a hunter, his unwholesome kamma ripened even in this life. Later with saṁvega and fright he ordained as a monk and practiced. But a lot of hindrances (restless and worry) appeared in his practice and then he wanted to give up and back to lay life.

Before disrobing, his teacher the arahant gave him a duty to collect some wet woods and burn it down. He was not in success because it was so wet. The arahant with his supernormal power showed him the hell, went there and fetched the hell fire of the size of a firefly. And then put it on the wet woods and it burnt down instantly into ashes. Tissa was very frightened.

Instead of disrobing he worked very hard in practice and became a non – returner. All his kammic debts for hells were paid with knowledge.)

Hells are not ordinary and very severe and frightening. You have to pay your debts in hells with khandhas (for unwholesome kammas) if you don’t practice.

Among you everyone had been there before because you are always living with greed, hatred, delusion, envy and avarice. Then, how do you protect yourselves? Protect with the Dhamma.

For someone, he has not these debts and no need to teach him. But for someone, who has these debts must practice very hard. It’s not important for someone without debts and in sleep. For someone has the hell debts should not be in sleep. You have to pay your debts with the khandhas if death comes to you earlier. If you pay them with knowledge (ñāṇa) and you will be free from debts. Paying with khandhas will never be free from it.

Nibbāna is the matter of knowledge. The whole day a lot of lobha, dosa and moha are arising within you.

(Sayadaw continued to talk on cittānupassanā system) Insight knowledge prevents the kammas not arising yet. And also it prevents kammas already had arisen. People had committed the five heavy kammas and the path factors will not arise.

The path factors can cut off wholesome and unwholesome kammas had already done. It's not good to be in sleep for you if you have debts. And then borrow again these debts are not good. (i.e., without the practice and unwholesome mental states arise).

If you discern impermanence and half of the debts are paid. At last, if you die with impermanence and will arrive heaven and become a sotāpanna there. Dāna, sīla, samatha only prevent unwholesome kammas to be done. But they can’t destroy unwholesome kammas that already had been done. (i.e., not let the result arise for some time.)

There are two kinds of medicine; preventive and cure. Dāna, sīla and samatha are like the preventive medicines and vipassanā is the medicine for cure. Therefore don’t let go off the preventing medicine. And also have to drink the medicine for cure. This oral medicine can exist only during the Buddha Sāsana.

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revised on 2019-11-05; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4241&p=36082#p36082 (posted on 2019-03-08)

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• Content of Part 10 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.