Not Yours

revised on 2024-07-10

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Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 16th March 1962

You have to know that none of the five khandhas are mine. Whatever khandha arises, you have to contemplate it in this way. You may not believe this. If you practice with faith, it is easy to succeed (without faith, you will never start the practice; with a lot of doubt, it becomes a hindrance). For example, in summer, the body is hot and in winter it’s cold. These are made by temperature. While sitting, due to the pressure of the upper body and the floor beneath, the feeling or sensation of pain and aches arises. This is not made by me and you have to contemplate that this is not mine. (Sayadaw continues to give examples for the other khandhas.)

In the arising of phenomena, there is no inclusion of my effort. In the vanishing of them, there is also no inclusion of me. With the causes, it comes into being and without the causes, it vanishes. Contemplate according to the Buddha’s instruction. What is the benefit of it? You are able to abandon your khandha body (especially near death). You can do it because it’s not mine. This is a teaching on killing of taṇhā. It’s a teaching of killing upādāna, kamma, jāti, and maraṇa. This is the teaching on the cessation of samudaya and dukkha.

Taṇhā, upādāna, and kamma are Samudaya Sacca, and jāti and maraṇa are dukkha sacca. In abandoning Samudaya Sacca, you must know dukkha sacca thoroughly. Abandon the two truths of enemies and associate with two truths of friends. Contemplation is magga. Seeing the cessation is nirodha. When you contemplate that this is not mine, the four truths arise. (This talk is based on Khandha-vagga saṃyutta.)

The Buddha gave the following example. Some people take the grasses in the Jetavana Monastery, some trample on it, and some burn it. Do the monks watching nearby waver? The monks answer – it’s nothing happen** to us because these do not belong to us. Therefore, contemplate on one’s khandha in this way. Even a tooth or head hair are not ours! You make it yours, which become trembling.

The important point is that whatever you are thinking about to say or do, at first, you have to know it as "this is not mine." This is the way the Buddha taught to abandon the two truths which should be abandoned (Samudaya and dukkha).

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revised on 2024-07-10

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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.