Importance of Dukkha Sacca

revised on 2021-01-11

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; (no date)

The saṃsāra is very long for us without knowing the Four Noble Truths. To know one Noble Truth of Dukkha is the most important one.

(In some suttas, the Buddha has said that he only teaches the dukkha and the ending of the dukkha. In the past and the future, what all other Buddhas had taught and will teach is the same thing.)

By penetrating of dukkha sacca, samudaya sacca (i.e., taṇhā) is abandoned. If you don’t cut off from ignorance (avijjā) and the connection with death is never cutting off. If khandha does not disappear, death does not disappear either; for the disappearance of khandha is Nibbāna.

(This is the reason Sayadaw sometimes asked his disciples as: “Do their khandhas disappear or not?”)

Whoever of impermanence has ended, and its dying phenomenon also comes to an end. With the ending of death is seeing the deathless. The seeing of impermanence is the beginning of insight (vipassanā). The arising of phenomenon is udaya and its vanishing is bhaya. For example, a feeling (vedanā) is arising; it’s not there when you observe. In Burmese, it’s phit—arising and pyat—vanishing = phit/pyat. Seeing it with the five path factors—i.e., sati, viriya, samādhi and sammā-diṭṭhi, sammā-saṅkappa.

(These five path factors are called karaka-maggan functional or working path factors. In most of Sayadaw’s talks, he emphasized vipassanā knowledge and it’s also mentioned a lot by the Buddha himself. So, sometimes some Buddhists had misunderstood Sayadaw because it seemed he did not give much emphasis on the arising phenomena. It’s not true if someone doesn’t know the arising and how does he know the vanishing. Buddha Dhamma is simple and direct but profound. Sayadaw’s talks are also like that with listening a lot will develop one’s wisdom faculty.)

How did the commentary on Aṅguttara Nikāya say about impermanence? It was said that with the seeing of impermanence the eight path factors would arise. Therefore, don’t let doubt arise as “Could I attain Nibbāna? (after seeing anicca). The yogi’s duty is discerning of anicca, just contemplate for seeing impermanence.

By discerning of impermanence, you have to know that it arrives to the climax. It’ll continue to see in more details. Later vipassanā knowledge is conducive to the path knowledge as anantara paccayo—proximity condition. If not seeing impermanence still not become the insider of the Buddha–Dhamma—(the insider of the Buddha Sāsana). Because the Buddha Dhamma does not enter into the heart yet. Of these two knowledges of lokiya magga and lokuttara magga (mundane and supramundane knowledges) to get the lokiya magga is more important.

The hindrances (nīvaraṇas) are hindering the mind for seeing anicca and Nibbāna.

(This talk was based on the five hindrances to explain the practice. The following talk also related to the five hindrances).

Kukkucca—remorse and worry could arise at the time of practice and near death.

(Remorse is thinking about negative things which one had done. Worry is thinking about positive things which one has not done yet.)

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revised on 2021-01-11

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• Content of Part 13 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.