Humans Take Dukkha as Sukha

revised on 2024-03-27

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 15th November 1961

Discern things by yourself means ñāṇa seeing. This khandha is the connection of cause and effect of paṭṭhāna khandha (conditional relations), dependent co-origination khandha and sacca khandha (samudaya and dukkha). if you still have not found a teacher you only have these truths (dukkha and its cause). These are fuel and fire burning around within you. Turning around with burning and emptying, burning and emptying, etc. is called Saṁsāra.

In this world, craving (taṇhā) requires having more and more things. This is called happiness. In reality, it is suffering. How do you live in Saṁsāra? This is like the ignorance (avijjā) of the owner of the ox-cart asking the driver (taṇhā) to always use the suffering ox - the saṁsāric traveller (i.e., a good analogy). In saṁsāra, the ox always dies from exhaustion due to being overburdened. This is you never own (or) having the sandiṭṭhiko before (not seeing the reality by oneself). Someone doesn’t have possessions (grimaced person) thinking about and taking Sukha as Dukkha and wanting to die (take wealth and possession or power as Sukha and without any of them as dukkha so this person doesn’t want to live on). But someone has possessions (smiling person) taking Dukkha as Sukha (the opposite of the above person). Humans are getting lost. (It makes me remember Tibetan Yogi Milerepa’s words. ──If you have more with more Dukkha, having little with little Dukkha and with none and no more Dukkha. What he taught was how he lived it. He only possessed a small bowl (for eating) and a piece of white cloth covered the body. True happiness only comes from the purity of mind. Arahants are the true happiest people in the world.)

Wandering in saṁsāra, there are only smiles and grimaces. To put an end to the dhamma of smiling and grimacing, there is only sandiṭṭhiko - visible here and now. If you are skillful and have this one, you’ll become a stream enterer. The grimaced person is atta-kilamathānuyoga-yogi and the smiling person is kāma-sukhallikanuyoga-yogi (kāma-yogi). Neither smiling nor grimaed person is majjhimapaṭipadā-yogi. The smiling and grimaced people can’t see Dukkha Sacca (They can only see ghosts, animals and hell fire and wok). Someone walking between these two extremes can discern it. In the cycle of existence, we have never traveled the middle path, and thus we are still not liberated. When the Dhamma calls us, we sometimes follow kāma-sukhallika and sometimes atta-kilamatha (i.e., greed and anger (lobha and dosa) ). We cannot follow it correctly and have never been in the middle of the way. We have been on the wrong path.

We should not follow with lobha and dosa and instead follow with magga. For example, we have an itch in the body. Don’t follow with your hand. When follow with ñāṇa— ehi-passiko is the caller with anicca and the following ñāṇa is discernment of sandiṭṭhika. Lobha and dosa do not arise and it’s in the middle way. If you follow the middle way, then you are sure to achieve Nibbāna. Your discernment of anicca dukkha sacca with ñāṇa magga sacca is the middle way of seeing the truth. If you can follow behind ehi-passiko the calling with sandiṭṭhiko of discerning is the true middle way. Mind, feeling, whatever dhamma is calling at you with its calling and vanishing that not a person, not a being and not me. At last you have to be remembered is ehi-passiko not calling you is impossible. Only you all not follow it and become your biggest enemy. What is the reason to become your enemy? Because it's forgetful or heedless. Heedless is avijjā: -avijjā → saṅkhāra →etc. (see D.A. chart) If you can follow its calling and taṇhā, māna and diṭṭhi die by magga coming in.

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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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