To Nibbāna with Stopping

revised on 2021-03-16

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 12th January 1961

[According to Sayadaw, in the whole sutta pitaka, with the stopping method and realized Nibbāna were only two persons, Bāhiya Dārucīriya and Ven. Mālunkyāputta. He gave his view on this stopping method in the following talk. Sayadaw himself was quite a well know teacher in Abhidhamma during his time.

His view on the stopping method was also could be had some connections with his understanding of Abhidhamma teaching. It was not only came from his understanding of the suttas but also well experience in his own practice.

He also taught his disciples to sit for samādhi. But in his many talks he didn’t mention much about it. In this talk he himself supported the Mahasi Sayadaw’s system as right practice.]

Visible form is the sense object (ārammaṇa). Seeing is the eyes. And the knowing is in the heart. Seeing the visible form and the knowing, these can’t connect to the D.A. process. Knowing the visible form as white color, red colour, etc. and can stop there is no fault for us.

Hearing a sound and then know it. It is not a fault with the knowing of just hearing. After knowing, have pleasure in it, or disappointment. It becomes a fault if these things arise. For example, you are riding in a car and seeing trees and knowing it. It's not a fault. No kilesa comes into your mind.

This is also a way to Nibbāna. Practice with smelling and knowing, eating (tasting) and knowing etc. There is no fault about them if you know only as sweet, sour, etc.. You have fault if you disappoint with it. You feel the clothes. It’s rough or coarse and I don’t want to wear it and then it becomes fault.

It's no fault only knowing its coarseness. It's also no fault if you can stop at thinking and knowing it. But now, you all are over passing it (can’t stop at just knowing). You are over passing with greed, hatred, delusion, envy, conceit, etc.

The Buddha said that if you could stop at just knowing and could reach Nibbāna. Then you’ll ask there is no insight in the stopping (vipassanā). Taṇhā – craving thinning out is vipassanā. We are concerning of following behind with the unwholesome dhamma.

This is called abandoning with knowing. This is for the contemplation during the daily life activities. At the sitting meditation, you have to contemplate impermanence. (Sayadaw's suggestion here is very important for yogi's developement and in accordance with the Satipaṭṭhāna Suttta)

This dhamma was taught to Bāhiya Dārucīriya by the Buddha (Told the Story of Bāhiya, including his past life at the time of the Kassapa Buddha’s Sāsana). People didn’t have any right knowledge and took him as an arahant (During the time as a bark – cloth ascetic).

They gave up their lives for the practice in their past lives (i.e., Bāhiya and his other six companion monks). You all also have to die. Therefore, you have to try hard for the realization. Bāhiya instantly became an arahant after listening to the Buddha’s very short discourse.

And it let the monks difficult to believe it. Can stop at just knowing and no kilesa arises is also a practice. If you can practice for no kilesas arise is a practice. Contemplate impermanence also make kilesas not arise. In the suttas, practicing with the stopping were only Bāhiya and Mālunkyāputta.

Some meditation centers are giving this instruction of seeing as just seeing, hearing and just hearing etc. (At that time, Mahasi Sayadaw’s satipaṭṭhāna meditation centers were teaching this method). Don’t take it as wrong. Why I don’t give you this meditation? Among you, no-one can stop like them. (i.e., Bāhiya and Mālunkyāputta did not refer to others.)

Therefore I ask you to contemplate the impermanence of whichever dhamma you prefer (i.e., one of the four satipaṭṭhāna). You all can’t stop at there only with the seeing. You can’t stop, so I ask you to contemplate impermanence. It is not easy for you. If you can stop, it is all right and it is not right if you can’t stop. Not the method is not right, but yourself is not right. During the Buddha 45 years of teaching with this stopping method and gained the realizations were only these two persons. All the others were practicing with impermanence.

Impermanence is relating to the majority of people. So don’t take it as wrong. You can do it if you can control your mind. They didn’t include anicca, dukkha and anatta. They could stop and taṇhā died away.

Ven. Sāriputta and others developed their practices with impermanence. I’ll explain you only on seeing. You see a form, black or white. And nothing is happening to you yet. If, it’s a man or a woman with good looking and ugly come in. Then it’s not only a form/ visual object anymore. You all are deceiving by the later cognitive mind process.

After the just knowing mind and follow behind with the later cognitive mind process. Normally you were taught with lies. (i.e., with concepts in daily life) All of you not only can’t stop, but also deceive by them.

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revised on 2021-03-16; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4241&p=36187#p36187 (posted on 2019-03-25)

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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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