Lunatics of the World

revised on 2024-03-27

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 29th November 1961

I’ll talk about the significance of wise attention and unwise attention (i.e., yoniso and ayoniso). With unwise attention unwholesome dhammas arise and increase the unwholesome ones which already exist. In accordance with the parental tradition people are taught with unwise attention. Therefore, non-arising unwholesome dhammas arise and increasing ones which already exist. Whenever you observe this khandha it arises and vanishes. This dukkha khandha is oppressed by ageing and sickness. It’s unable to stop that non-self khandha. Excrement, urine, etc. are coming out from it that is a loathsome khandha. In everyday life people are greeting and receiving each other's with anicca as nicca, dukkha and sukha, anatta as atta and asubha as subha (i.e., inconstant as constant, suffering as happiness, non-self as self and loathsome as beautiful). These are unwise attentions. In the world inversions (vipallāsa) are overwhelming people. (So many unwholesome dhammas arise in the world). With unwise attention we’re far from the dukkha ending of Nibbāna and all will fall into apāyas which become for sure. Is there anything in the world more frightening than unwise attention? The unwise attentions come from inversions (vipallāsas) of perception, mind or knowing and view— i.e., saññā, citta and diṭṭhi— vipallāsas.

Therefore, the world of the phuthujano (??) ummattako— worldly lunatics are opposite to the Buddha. The Buddha was likely to appear in the world of the lunatics. All are taṇhā-lunatics, māna-lunatics and diṭṭhi-lunatics (Loka-dhammas and Buddha-Dhammas are opposite). All the deaths of people are lunatic-corpses. No-one dies by curing their craziness.

(Note: I translate the Burmese word— ayū as lunatic instead of abnormal or crazy. In the English Dictionary, lunatic (as noun) describes someone as lunatic, you mean that they behave in a dangerous, stupid or annoying way (lunacy); (as adj) lunatic behaviour is foolish and likely to be dangerous. Today human’s defilements (lunacy) have no limits and quite extremes.

Sayadawji talk itself is humorous and has a heavy tone in it. If we observe today humans, lunatics are more suitable for current human situations, matters and problems. if I have to describe a few of them-9/11, terrorism, wars in many parts of the world, competitions in trade wars and in arms races, climate changes, all sorts of pollution of the internal and external, etc.)

There are more people to apāyas and there is no need to not believe it (the Buddha also said about it). These dhammas will always resist insight knowledge. If you not get vipassanā ñāṇa can’t attain Nibbāna. The culprit of raga-lunatic, diṭṭhi-lunatic is unwise attention. Only with purification of them arrive at Nibbāna. If you become a stream enterer, the inversion of view disappears. There are 12 factors in vipallāsa dhammas, and I need to spend some time explaining them. We don’t have the sense restraints (indriyasaṁvara sīla) that taking the sense objects as good looking, graceful, blessings, etc., and ayoniso covered up anicca, dukkha and anatta to Nibbāna.

If you do the vipassanā practice, craziness becomes better. Craziness will not disappear if you only do merits. (most people doing merits with craving and clinging, with the results they gain power and wealth and becoming super glues and lead to evils-see all the international crisis) There are four cups of medicine to cure lunacy and craziness, abnormality— the four kinds of medicine: anicca, dukkha, anatta and asubha. If people don’t drink them their raga-lunacy and diṭṭhi-lunacy will not cure (even become worst, see some western naked men on the roads). Actually there are three kinds of lunacy (raga, diṭṭhi and moha). The Buddha appears to give us the anicca, dukkha and anatta three cups of medicine. Therefore, he is called satta-deva-manusanam— Teacher of gods and humans or the Great Doctor to Humans or living beings. He gives us the medicines to vomit the poisons of Nicca, Sukha and Atta (Understanding of Buddha dhamma is very difficult even if it's not easy to have a desire or lend an ear for listening to Dhammas).

You're all changing your days or putting off drinking or taking medication. If I am urging you for the practice and your response is— “Let me continue my craziness” or “I’ll do it later”, etc. You all are thinking that Fire and Gold, Excrement and Rice are the same or not much differences as craziness. This is lokiya-lunacy (i.e., by paraloka, black magics etc.) This is sabhāva-lunacy. Craziness comes from many world systems such as Raga-lunacy, Dosa-lunacy and Moha-lunacy. In the whole of Saṁsāra there is not a good one. The Buddha using many ways to prescribe the medicines (e.g., It is in different way for the Buddha to cure Ālavakā Yakkha and Janapada kalyāṇī.) Even people are becoming crazy at pūjā times (at prayer times most Buddhists are praying for sugati— good destinations after death-this is praying for dukkha sacca.) Praying with Raga is Raga-lunatic, not knowing Dukkha Sacca is Moha-lunatic, if I do it I must receive it is Diṭṭhi-lunatic. Therefore, their Craziness will never end or be cured. They stimulate the inversions in front of the Buddha. Even you can’t find the beginning time of when the beings were becoming crazy. Their life span of lunacy is quite long (even can’t find out its starting point). With unwise attention and the 12 inversions come in. (Sayadaw gave some examples in daily life how inversions of perception, knowing and viewing arise continuously.) With them craziness not cured and even increasing everyday. There is nothing more valuable than three cups of medicine which cured craziness.

The Buddha himself offered his bones, flesh and blood for four great incalculable aeons (asaṅkheyya kappas, hundred thousands aeons) to develop the perfections (pāramitās) with difficulties and discovered these three cups of medicine. Now, you all get it easily. Should you drink it or not? The beginning of craziness arises from unwise attention. The Buddha instructs that from seeing, hearing, etc. don’t continue forwards, if you do it become crazy. Just stop at seeing, hearing, etc. Another way is contemplating the anicca of seeing, hearing, etc. Except the three cups of vipassanā medicine there is no other refuge (God or outside powers).

Even the Buddha himself appeared with these three cups of medicine. If you discern anicca is vomiting the poisons. Don’t take it as your practice is not developing. If you discern little and vomit little, if you want to vomit a lot then have to drink it a lot more (practise a lot). You are vomiting the dhammas which make you crazy. The Buddha’s medicines are always cured. If you really take it really cures it. He himself took it and cured it that shared with living beings. He did not give it just hearing from others. If you take it, not much reduces the problem only, and with more it’ll be cured. Don’t look for these medicines in other places (faiths) and you’ll miss it. I am only worried that you don’t know yourself as in craziness. Then you’ll not look for the medicine. Only you take the medicine and know yourself as crazy.

Who built the four Apāyas? Unwise attention built it. In this case-Do you build it yourself or unlucky with you? If you make a mistake and you build a home there! It’s quite a terrible thing. You’re using the tools and machines of 12 inversions to build the home there. You will go and live there where it was built by you. Where do you build Hell? From the human world and it makes sense. (This point is very interesting. While we are still alive, we have created various kamma; these things are already there. During the dying moment one of the results makes the Decision for us.) Nandiya upāsaka built the sālā in the human world and celestial mansions appeared there even before he died.

(Sayadaw told his story in the Dhammapada. In Ajahn Mun’s Biography it mentioned an old nun who had attachment to her niece even before her death; the niece had a pregnancy of her— the nun. The old nun was a good meditator and during a sitting she saw a white thread coming from her heart and going inside to her niece’s womb. She mentioned this to Ajahn Mun, and he asked her to cut off the thread next time in meditation, with the samādhi power. She did it next time and the pregnancy was aborted.

Another story also in the Dhammapada, a pet crane swallowed the ruby gem belonging to the king. The pet owner— the gem polisher was very angry and killed the crane at the spot. The pet dies and conceives in the wife's womb. Because they had a strong kammic link and the crane attached to her. It seems to me one of the factors of ovum and sperm are combined first even before the crane death, as in the old nun’s story.)

Is it not clear it was built from the human world? (i.e., on Nandiya)

After you were born the parents were teaching you the inversions-dhammas. You all have to go there where you built them. Don’t be in low spirits, but also don’t pretend nothing happens to you. You still have time. There is medicine and teachers still exist. You still have time. Don’t waste time. Unwise attention was like a manager and 12 inversions were builders. With the path knowledge arises the 8 great hells and 120 small hells vanish.

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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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