Four Nibbānas

revised on 2019-11-05

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 1st July 1960

There are four Nibbānas: sotāpanna Nibbāna, sakatāgāmi Nibbāna, anāgāmi Nibbāna and arahant Nibbāna. There are four abandonments with four Nibbānas. To become a sotāpanna have to kill diṭṭhi – wrong view. To become sakatāgāmi, anāgāmi and arahant have to kill taṇhā.

Now, you are worldlings – puthujjana and must kill diṭṭhi. By killing diṭṭhi and the coarser taṇhā with it also gone. Taṇhā is not a leading factor here, instead diṭṭhi is the leader. If you ask which taṇhā dies with diṭṭhi? This is the coarser taṇhā leading to woeful planes. By killing diṭṭhi, this taṇhā dies with it.

The cup is also with it if you are taking water. Diṭṭhi is sticking in the khandha. The eyes contact with visual form is phassa. With phassa good or bad vedanā arises.

The I (self) concepts on phassa and vedanā are falling away if you know in this way because it is only the paramattha dhamma arising. Whatever dhamma arises and follow with knowledge and diṭṭhi falls away. It dispels diṭṭhi because we don’t want birth to arise. (Sayadaw explained up to kamma – bhava on dispelling diṭṭhi)

If you know the present moment D.A. process and diṭṭhi is falling away. In all day, the D.A. processes are going on from the six senses-doors. The assemblages of dukkha are going on in turn. These are going on until before death. For birth you have to go after death.

From the six senses-doors whatever arising is only dukkhakkhandhassa – the assemblage of dukkha because every time it arises and not knowing is wrong view (taking the experiences as me and mine). It becomes satipaṭṭhāna – mindfulness if you know it.

At the time of sleep, no diṭṭhi is with it and only the bhavaṅga cittas are arising with sleep. These minds (i.e., bhavaṅga cittas) can’t give the bad or good results. The mind is doing the natural breathing.

(Sayadaw said that each day the actions of the D.A. process are arising in uncountable numbers. Therefore the results are also uncountable. It’s quite terrifying. Therefore to understand the Buddha’s Teachings rightly and correctly, it needs to understand the D.A.

We shouldn’t interpret the Buddha’s Teachings with our own views and philosophy. It was quite clear why the Buddha only taught dukkha and the end of dukkha. The Buddha own enlightenment could not separate from it).

The wholesome merits you have made are insignificant, if comparison with the diṭṭhi kammas. These you are creating in the whole day from the six senses-doors. (Just think about your whole life) How much terrifying it’s? (Even wholewsome actions, they are diṭṭhi kamma if doing them with identity views – sakkāya diṭṭhi.)

(Therefore the Buddha warned us that our frequent homes were the four apāya-bhūmis – woeful planes.) D.A. processes are at rest is only in the sleeping time. In dispelling diṭṭhi you have to know the arising dhamma. If you know the arising dhamma will also know the vanishing dhamma.

For example, looking at the lightning; after a bright light and it instantly disappears. Why? It’s too fast. Diṭṭhi falls off if you know the arising, and knowing the vanishing becomes vipassanā. It’s easy, and not difficult at all. Diṭṭhi becomes thinning out with taṇhā if you contemplate a lot. With the knowing and ignorance also thins out.

(continued to talk about Ven. Anurādha.) The Buddha was a doctor and only gave the medicines. It can cure only by taking it. Therefore, we have to extinguish our own hell fire. There are only these two dukkhas: dukkha arising and dukkha ceasing in the world (loka).

No person, no beings exist. Only the arising dukkha and the vanishing dukkha exist. After that comes Nibbāna – the permanent extinction of dukkha. A person not knows dukkha and only looking for dukkha. Not knowing the arising is looking for dukkha.

Because of not knowing the truth (sacca) and saṁsāra is becoming very long. Only can penetrate dukkha sacca and dukkha will cease.

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revised on 2019-11-05; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4241&p=36222#p36222 (posted on 2019-04-01)

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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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