Importance Of Knowing Oneself

revised on 2024-03-27

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 15th October 1961

You must see your own mind. There are two kinds of seeing; eye seeing and nyan (ñāṇa) seeing. Mind is mind object (dhammārammaṇa) and never seen it with the eyes. You have to take it as ñāṇa seeing. Asking you to contemplate the mind which you can see only with ñāṇa seeing (According to Sayadaw U Candima only with the 4th rūpajhāna or the 3rd bhavaṅga samādhi. See my translation of Right Samādhi and Right insight). If you’re asking me— “Do I have to contemplate the seeing, the hearing, etc. ?” You have to follow whatever mind arises with ñāṇa seeing. If the seeing mind arises with the five path factors and you discern it. This is the seeing mind of number one, and this is the contemplating mind of number two. Observe the number one with number two-which I remind you. Number one is after arising and passes away. Number two is after the number one not existing you see it. At the time of seeing it number one is not existing anymore. Number one not existing is anicca, the seeing number two is magga— the path factors. So observe your own mind. How many kinds of minds do you have? You only have 13 kinds (for a worldling). There is only one kind arising.

[Note: For the 13 kinds of mind in Mogok Sayadaw’s instruction— see my translation of The Reality and the Knowing, in Part 5.] You have to observe without fail whatever arising. You have to practise the vanishing and the magga fit together (the same as practise to know its not existing).

This point the Buddha taught to the monk— Moliya Sivali as it’s visible here and new (sandiṭṭhiko). This is how one sees or discerns one's own mind. He knew his mind's nature. This is knowing oneself. It’s knowing the nature of the birth and death process. Knowing it as it’s not my khandha. Before we take it as our khandhas. Now knowing is after arising with causes and it passes away. We thought this khandha would last for a hundred years. Now, it does not last for even a minute. This is one knows about one’s khandha. How much is knowing it with penetration? A person's aggregate (khandha) is always in the midst of suffering (dukkha). Vipassanā is observing to discern one’s death. Someone seeing one’s own death— Does he desire this kind of death? If someone seeing one’s death and taṇhā dies out. Future taṇhā has died. Will future khandha arise? What is the benefit of seeing one’s death? Only have the benefit of future taṇhā dies. At the present of contemplation also diṭṭhi dies. (if seeing anicca). So there are two benefits at present diṭṭhi dies and the future of taṇhā dies. It’s not MINE that has to be vanished. Could you stop it? This is a happy dying dhamma. The path knowledge has done three duties-it kills the preceding diṭṭhi; the following taṇhā; also it kills the diṭṭhi and taṇhā to apāyas which will lead to dukkha khandha in the future (i.e., the future apāyas khandha not arise) [Here we should read the above sentence carefully. The path knowledge at the moment of arising it abandons diṭṭhi-taṇhā of present. It also eradicates diṭṭhi-taṇhā of anusaya (latent defilements), i.e., eradicates the apāya dukkha existences.]

It arises by sati and effort (i.e., discerning anicca). Diṭṭhi and future taṇhā die that I am asking you urgently for the contemplation. You have to listen me with ñāṇa ears. To Nibbāna you have to go with nyan (ñāṇa). Seeing, hearing, …… thought consciousness and whatever wholesome and unwholesome minds arise contemplate it.

You see your khandha death. So vipassanā is observing one’s death. Along the whole of saṁsāra khandhas arise by diṭṭhi-taṇhā and living with Dukkha. Now, with this task the next khandha will not arise. Diṭṭhi and taṇhā fall off. I’ll talk about how avijjā falls off? It’s also the water root of saṁsāra (with taṇhā). No contemplation of insight you can’t discern anicca. Not seeing is avijjā. Before you didn’t see your death. Now, with the seeing avijjā ceases and discerning with vijjā ñāṇa. Discerning the death of anicca which is the right view that not seeing ignorance ceases. How much benefit insight has? Wrong view, craving and ignorance die. Wrong view dies by knowing as not belonging to us. Ignorance falls off by discerning one’s own death, and then taṇhā can’t arise. Therefore, avijjā, taṇhā and diṭṭhi fall off. According to the Buddha discerning anicca even once was nobler than building a pagoda, ceti, and monastery. Why is that? This is the dhamma cut off saṁsāra; ageing, sickness and death can’t arise. So it’s valuable, deep and profound. I am also able to talk about it that it becomes clear to you. You all have the perfection (pāramī) of knowing that much. You’ll never think of it as having that much benefit. Pāpañca dhamma (taṇhā, māna and diṭṭhi) dies by discerning this point. As diṭṭhi and taṇhā are extinguished, māna will also be extinguished. You don’t have to make it happen. You only know what the khandha has told you. If you make it happen then it’s not insight. You have to listen to what the dhamma is telling you. This is the matter of observation whatever khandha tells you. Khandha tells the right thing. What you make is wrong. It’ll become one's own seeing by observing with ñāṇa to the dhamma.

Vipassanā is observing the anicca without break. Its process is also non-stop. The views of stable, constant, governable die away by discerning anicca. Ignorance ceases by seeing what is not seen before. Not wanting this khandha by seeing only deaths and taṇhā dies. It becomes visible here and now (sandiṭṭhiko) by seeing it yourself. The death of taṇhā, upādāna and kamma is akāliko— non-temporal or without delay. The other side no khandha arises (birth, ageing and death) is Nibbāna. Ehi-passiko = Dhamma is calling at you to come and contemplate me. The arising mind is the caller and you are the contemplator. It’s asking you to come and see what is happening to him. Dhamma shows us two points. After it shows you anicca and will show Nibbāna.

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revised on 2024-03-27

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• Content of Part 14 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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