On Future Humans and Kammas

revised on 2024-06-10

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 22nd to 23rd April 1962

(Sayadaw told the story in the Kukkuravatika Sutta – the Dog – Duty Ascetic, , Majjhima N. MN 57)

If people behave and practice like dogs, cows, cats, monkeys, etc., and after death, they will become such animals. If they believe these wrong views and doctrines to be true and right, they will fall into Hells. After the Buddha—Sāsana disappears, humans will do whatever they desire and crave. Even when the Buddha was still existing in the human world, some humans could engage in these unnatural, abnormal (lowly) practices (in the future, it will become worse). If samudaya (taṇhā, upādāna, and kamma) is great, people will experience significant Dukkha. They don’t recognize Dukkha Sacca and thus prefer kammas. Kamma is dukkha sacca; because of ignorance, they love it. Avijjā covers it up, and they like it.

(Sayadaw in this talk warns about humans in the future: they will do everything they desire and crave. Even though the Buddha's teachings still exist, in today's world, some humans engage in unnatural and abnormal practices, like nudity in public, and micchā-dhamma—homosexuality, etc. As human lifespan decreases and morality breaks down, humans can do anything, such as adhamma-rāga (sexual practices between family members). The Buddha himself mentioned these things in some suttas. Thus, humans should take sexual misconduct very seriously. We should not treat our minds lightly as there will be serious consequences. Exercise restraint and contentment regarding sensual pleasures, or risk becoming animals.)

Samma-diṭṭhi is the right view, but in some places (suttas), it is also taught as right seeing. Although the four satipaṭṭhānas are distinct, in direct practice, it’s about the rise and fall or arising and vanishing. With the knowledge of seeing, there is only one thing. If you contemplate form (rūpa), do not see it as form but just discern its anicca; similarly, see vedanā as anicca. If you still discern form and vedanā, you are only at the stage of discerning form and mind—rūpa and nāma-pariccheda ñāṇa. These are only the lower levels of right views. If you discern anicca, it develops into sammasanañāṇa and udayabbayañāṇa—knowledges of comprehension and the rise and fall of formations. The teacher should not talk about the insight knowledges or process beforehand and let the yogi himself really develop it. If the yogi develops rise and fall knowledge, the body will become light. This is pīti (joy), and if it becomes great, he may even have the power to fly into the air. There is no essence in the khandhas, and you’ll understand their nature of anicca, dukkha, and anatta. Then, with its disenchantment and truth—Sacca will become clear to you. All the five khandhas are dukkha sacca; arising is dukkha and the vanishing is also dukkha, which you know thoroughly. Therefore, it exists only as arising dukkha and vanishing dukkha. There is no dukkha greater than this dukkha. You also can’t run away from it? (See Sayadaw U Candima's own experiences in the Noble Search—autobiography). You know about dukkha thoroughly, thus making decisions on it.

(Sayadaw explained the four meanings of dukkha sacca). It has only four functions (kicca), with no others. It has the nature of oppression, conditioned by arising and vanishing, burning with the fire of Dukkha, seeing it as the nature of change (vipariṇāma) or abandoning its original nature. If the yogi discerns these four points, samudaya dies. During the knowing or seeing of it, samudaya dies, and dukkha ceases (i.e., nirodha). These four truths are apparent to the yogi at the same time. At the time dukkha becomes apparent, it parallels magga sacca, and parallels with the death of samudaya and with nirodha. Why not see Nibbāna? Because it is covered up by dukkha sacca. Dukkha disappears under knowledge as nirodha sacca (nibbāna), knowing it as path knowledge. If you practise, it will arise in this way. The Buddha gave the simile of a boat crossing a river. From this side of the river to the other side are two functions. (i.e., dukkha → nirodha). Crossing the river and (the boat) carrying the loads are two functions (taṇhā river and magga boat). Therefore, it has four functions. The boat performs four jobs, and in the same way, ultimately path knowledge (magga ñāṇa) will perform the four jobs (boat = magga).

Insight knowledge abandons the khandha and taṇhā. Path knowledge abandons khandha and taṇhā while seeing Nibbāna, and does so at that time with eight path factors. Seniya (the dog duty ascetic) abandoned his wrong view and became a noble one (arahant). The path knowledge or path factors can cut off micchā-diṭṭhi kamma (actions with wrong view), representing the dhamma of cutting kamma. [Sayadaw continued to explain about the qualities of a stream-enterer (sotāpanna).]

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revised on 2024-06-10

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• Content of Part 15 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.