Worthless And Worthy

revised on 2024-07-30

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; (no date)

(In the beginning, Sayadaw, using the D.A process, describes many kinds of unwholesome and wholesome minds arising. With the unwholesome mind, a person lives a bad life, and with a wholesome mind, one lives a good life). The preceding mind is paṭiccasamuppāda – the cause and the following mind is paṭiccasamuppanna – the result. Mostly living with bad minds means that after death, one must go to apāyas. If the person dies, don’t make merits for them. If one can use or insert knowledge (ñāṇa) in selling and buying businesses, one is living a good life (i.e., with mindfulness in daily life). Killing whatever of cause arises with the maggaṅga means being alive with the path factors. You can be alive with only one mind, which is a good life. You must correct it. Follow behind with the maggaṅga of discerning anicca. Most of the worldlings are living a bad life.

(This important point is good for contemplation. Most beings come to this world as humans living worthless lives; even most Buddhists can’t escape from it. Therefore, the apāya existences are open to most human beings who create foolish, useless, and harmful actions for themselves, others, and nature. The most harmful people are some influential and wealthy people whose impacts can be seen at the international or global levels – instability, insecurity, natural disasters, etc. arise.) If you are able to observe your minds and be alive with the vipassanā ñāṇa, you will be protected. (Note: There are two important suttas in Aṅguttara Nikāya for guarding the mind and self-examination. The Book of Fours, Sutta No. 117 and The Book of Tens, Sutta No. 51) You do not need to be afraid of lobha and dosa arising, but you have to be afraid of not knowing when they are arising.

In the satipaṭṭhāna sutta, the Buddha said – you have to know them (when arising). In the worldling’s mind, it’ll arise. They arise for connecting the D.A processes. If lobha and dosa minds do not arise, it is better. If you contemplate their arising, the enemies become friends. To pay attention to dhammas means the dhammas are the preceding mind arising and paying attention is contemplation. Contemplating the preceding mind with the following mind is paying attention to the dhammas. The preceding mind is anicca and the following mind is magga.

This khandha is a saṅkhāra dhamma, conditioned by kamma, citta, utu, and āhāra. Therefore, it’s not good to be subordinate to others. It is never free from dissolution. You have to go toward the place of the unconditioned until arriving there. Go there with the maggaṅga train. It’ll send you to the end place of saṅkhāra dhammas. The end of conditioned dhammas is Nibbāna. The path factors do not arise by themselves. Only with the knowledge of saṅkhāra will they arise. Knowledge of the perishing nature of saṅkhāra dhammas will cause weariness to arise.

After that, you will not want it and it’ll end. This ending is arriving at the unconditioned Nibbāna. You have to follow the path to the end of aniccas. The ending of anicca is Nibbāna. Could you distinguish when you’re worthy and when you’re worthless? If you follow the maggaṅga, you are worthy. Without following it, you become worthless.

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revised on 2024-07-30

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• Content of Part 16 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.