Dying All The Time

revised on 2024-03-27

---

Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 15th November 1961

You all are carrying by the taṇhā water and arriving near the whirl pool to sink in. If you don’t listen and practise Dhamma means you have no sympathy for yourself. I am exposing this point just for your ignorance. The process is really in this way. Don’t give me the reasons which will lead you to apāyas. If it’s like this, you don’t have a way to the human world (apāyas are becoming permanent homes). You don’t have to follow with the arrangement of kamma, instead follow with the arrangement of ñāṇa. Don’t be mistaken with the unreliable. I am urging you especially for this. Kamma sends you towards the dangers of ageing, sickness and death. Ñāṇa sends you towards freedom from ageing, sickness and death. You have to follow the leadership of the right view. Except Nibbāna there are no places free from diseases (This point referred to Ven. Bākula who had no illness or disease in his whole life)

[Here Sayadaw described humourously about many foolish things with most people]

There are two kinds of death and dying; everyone knows and doesn’t know. As an example A mind hungry for food arises. After its arising and with no eating it dies (vanishes). Before we thought in one life only to die once. Now, it dies all the time. This is where you see yourself dying. Vipassanā is practising to see one’s own death. You don’t want the next khandha by seeing one’s own death. This is taṇhā dies. Wrong view which takes the khandha as stable and constant also dies by seeing one’s death. It becomes taṇhā nirodho nibbānam— the cessation of craving is Nibbāna. Contemplating one’s own death is vipassanā. Knowing about oneself is vipassanā. We don’t know our deaths because of the stupidity of ignorance. Why don’t you stop your stupidity when you are in this old age? This is what I have to blame you for (to the old disciples). Because of ignorance it connects to life (bhāva, see the D.A. chart).

You send metta— loving kindness (good will) and also do the task of sympathizing oneself. If not, you talk one thing and do another thing. When you are sending metta for yourself to free from dangers as— ahaṃ avero homi (may I be free from dangers), but for your family members you’re doing whatever Taṇhā asking you. When people are sick nobody can save another, e.g., one of them is sick between husband and wife. Only this task can save oneself. Dakar and Dakarma! (Burmese, male and female followers) It’s not tiring at all by observing one’s death. I am teaching you-observing the death and observing the replacement. You discern your death, its disenchantment and its ending. If you can make the decision as it’s truly Dukkha Sacca and it is Nibbāna.

(This is a humorous talk on ignorance— avijjā)

---

revised on 2024-03-27

---

• Content of Part 14 on "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

---

• Content of "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

---

• Content of Publications of Ven. Uttamo

---

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.