Not a Soul, an Intrinsic Nature

Not a Soul, an Intrinsic Nature (original title: Nor Beings, nor Soul, Only Intrinsic Nature)

Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; no date noted

The Buddha’s Doctrine is to know the arising and passing away of phenomena. This is every Buddha’s Doctrine by watching and observing the khandha, except impermanence and you can’t find hairs, teeth, etc., How do you observe and see it? You have to learn the way from a good teacher, with observation and will see it.

If you have this knowledge, tanhā, upādānā and kamma will cease. Only by seeing impermanence that you are becoming the Sāsana insider (can be said as a true follower of the Buddha). Even universal monarchs (cakkavati rājas) could give the five precepts (sīla).

Outside the Sāsana the Velama brahman (the Bodhisatta) had performed the greatest dāna (offerings). With only dāna and sīla will not attain Nibbāna. But it also needs to do the practice (Dāna and sīla are the supportive conditions and not the direct ways.)

If you are still not seeing the impermanence yet, even though born during the Sāsana is still an outsider. Only by discerning impermanence and ditthi will fall off. By seeing the arising or vanishing and becomes an insider. Then you have the seed of liberation. The knowledge of in accordance with the truth arises in your heart (because of anicca dukkha sacca).

With this knowledge will continue to know the higher knowledges. Discerning impermanence is a cūla – sotāpanna, and will not fall into the painful birth for one life (i.e., next life). If not near death kamma (asanna) can come in and disturb you to fall into painful birth (gave the example of Queen Mallika and the monk Tissa)

So you have to practice hard to discern anicca. Someone not seeing impermanence is sticking with ditthi. And seeing it as an entity and can’t free from the sphere of concept. A type of vedana is arising and if you can discern it as not there with the contemplation.

In this process, the arising and vanishing are the duty of the phenomena (dhamma) and discerning with the contemplation is the duty of the yogi. Even if you’re not observing or looking at it, and also has impermanence by itself. It’s the fixed order of phenomena (dhamma niyāma).

Someone observing it will ditthi fall away and closing the doors of painful existence. If not, ditthi will arise and open the doors to painful existence. Knowledge is closing the doors of painful birth and ditthi opening it. In your heart there are dhamma opening the doors of hell and closing of it.

These are wrong view and right view. If you want to close the doors of painful existence and don’t neglect what the khandha are showing you. I am often reminding you of to be mindful, diligent and contemplate with wisdom.

If you observe in this way and will see it. What is the benefit of seeing impermanence? Tanhā, māna and ditthi will die. Be mindful is satima. Diligent is atapi. Contemplation with paññā is saṁpajañña. These came from the Satipatthāna Pali. Has to practice with 3 of them? Not at all, it comes together. These dhammas are can’t separate.

Khanda is impermanent, therefore the person and being are disappeared. It becomes right view and wrong view has to be disappeared. Its intrinsic nature arises and its intrinsic nature disappears are seeing impermanence. It disappears without a person nor a being. Ni – satta, ni – jiva, sabhāva – this is not a person, nor a soul and just only an intrinsic nature.

Ultimate phenomena (paramattha dhamma) are phenomena of intrinsic nature (sabhāva dhamma). All khandhas are sabhāva arise and sabhāva disappear. Each one of them is sabhāva. (Sayadaw explained them with the example of a lightening). If you discern ni – satta, ni – jiva, sabhāva are seeing rightly.

Every day I am teaching you are about wrong view and right view, and only changing the forms. I make your wrong view into right view. I am helping you discern impermanence (If we study many Sayadaw’s talks can see these points. We can understand the compassion of the Buddha and his noble disciples.

Nothing is more important than closing the doors to painful and miserable births. Even a real Bodhisatta couldn’t escape it. We can see it in the Jataka Stories of the Bodhisatta. Anyone didn’t had the prediction from a Buddha in the past was not a real Bodhisatta and just only in name).

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cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4362&p=36292#p36292 (posted on 2019-04-12)

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• Content of Part 11 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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