Day 7: 23rd October, 2002 (Eighteen Days In Solitude-- Instructional Dhamma Talks in Retreat)

revised on 2019-12-05

---

It needs to know one’s level of knowledge during the practice. There are the stages of purification. You are undertaking the eight precepts that during the practice not breaking the precepts (sīla). But if you go back home it may be. If you break your resolution is not breaking the sīla but with the purity of the mind.

For the second point of the purification, you have to purify the mind. What are the differences between sīla and purified mind? With sīla you can only purify the bodily actions and speech, but not for the mind. Purified mind is the outcome of Samādhi practice. Making the mind calm down at the entrance of the nostrils is samatha practice. It’s stopping greed, hatred, delusion, conceit, wrong view, etc. to enter the mind. Also, you have to purify the mind from wrong views – diṭṭhivisuddhi. You'll not attain path and fruit if the mind is not pure.

The main wrong views are three kinds; i.e., identity view (sakkāya diṭṭhi), view of eternalism (sassata diṭṭhi) and view of annihilationism (ucchedadiṭṭhi). There are no person and being, no man and woman and only the five aggregates (khandhas) exist. Only mind and form exist. I am not forcing you to see it, but to know the reality. By viewing as after death everything cut off is ucchedadiṭṭhi. This is viewing by materialist and communist, the view of extermination. And taking next life as stable and not changing is view of eternalism. This is the view of after death, the soul or self takes another new body. (It’s like taken off the old clothe and change a new one. Even some monks are thinking in this way.) There is not such kinds of view in Buddhism. You must see it as with the causes and the result arises.

There is nothing such as dying from this life and going into a new body. It’s only the result of action arises (vipāka). It makes rebirth consciousness arises. It’s not the mind and body of this life goes to next life. With volitional conditioning and rebirth consciousness arises. For example, the sound and images broadcast by the T.V station don’t come to this side (into a television). From this side is only receiving its energy. In the same way, the dying person not comes to that side. This is the Hindu Doctrine. (It’s not the same nor different person, only cause and effect relationship. No soul or self is wandering around.) In Buddhism there’s no existence of soul. After death, it’s not annihilated nor stable, only the continuations of causes and effects process.

Kammic result has four kinds.

[(Sayadaw mentioned the result of kamma according to the seven minds moments – javana citta (cognitive process of the mind) in the Abhidhamma.

The first of the seven mind moments can give the result in this life. It’s called diṭṭhadhamma vedanīya kamma.

The seventh mind moment can give the result in next life – upapajja vedanīya kamma.

The second to sixth of the five mind moments can give results at any life time.

The fourth kind of kamma is fruitless kamma – ahosikamma.]

The fourth purification is overcoming doubt – kaṅkhāvitaraṇa-visuddhi. This is overcome by understanding of cause and effect, i.e., seeing the Dependent Arising process. In the process of mind and matter arise; sometimes mind is the cause and matter is the result, sometimes matter is the cause and mind is the result. These are happening in the khandha and to know them with the practice. For wanting to breathe in, mind made air element arises (cittaja vāyodhātu). For wanting to breathe out that mind made air element arises. Wanting to breathe in and out are the causes and the breaths come in and out are the results. You must contemplate the causes and effects; no need to think about them. You can’t follow them in time if you’re thinking. It is enough if you know them.

You know that with the mind of wanting to breathe in and the air arises if you’re watching it with sati. You can try it out by yourself. During the time of eating foods; with the mind of wanting to eat, to take, etc., that eating, taking, etc., arise and can contemplate them. If you can contemplate, then the mind wants to enjoy the taste not arises. And then feeling (vedanā) and craving (taṇhā) not arise. And without samudaya (i.e., taṇhā) and dukkha not arise. Samudaya is the cause and dukkha is the result. In the whole loka (world) nothing is free from causes and effects (except Nibbāna element). It’s only that we don’t know about them.

The grasses are growing. There must have their causes. All happen with their causes. Look at the chair. With the mind of wanting to sit that the chair comes into being. Everything of necessities is the causes. There are a lot of causes for mind and matter. At walking meditation, first, stand with two feet side by side. In standing with the left foot; wanting to lift the foot and it lifts up. The foot does not step forwards without the mind of wanting to step. Here no need to include mind and matter. Only observe the cause and effect. Because of the mind and the air element moves. And then the yogi will know the connection of mind and matter.

(Continued to talk about Sāriputta’s meeting with Ven. Assaji who said a few words to him. It was cause and effect, and Sāriputta entered the stream.)

Whatever result arises and there are causes. With only these words of short instruction, Sāriputta became a sotāpanna. After hearing of what Ven. Assaji told him and turned his mind in the khandha. Even here we practice for 18 days is not easy. But Sāriputta had sharp knowledge and discerned the whole world (loka). There are past causes why I meet you all here. A teacher has his own followers and disciples. Someone could be liberated by Ven. Sāriputta, instead not by the Buddha. This was also cause and effect connection. In the world there are a lot of men and women. Only this man and this woman marry to each other because they have past causes with them.

(Here he talked about the law of kamma, mentioned a story of a man who was the brother-in-law of a professor in Physics. This man’s father was very rich, so he inherited a lot of money. But later he spent all his money and became a beggar and died on a resting place near the road side.)

Someone past kamma is not good but he can make fortune with his present kamma. So, it’s important to understand about kamma. (Continued to explain cause and effect by using the 12 links of DEPENDENT ARISING process in reverse order – paṭiloma.) If you understand the cause and effect relationship and it’s the purification of overcoming doubt. Without repaying the kammic debts no one free from Saṁsāra. Even the Buddha had repaid for it. Therefore Saṁsāra is frightening. (Told the story of Ven. Mahā-Moggallāna murdered by the bandits because of the past kamma of killing his own parents.)

---

revised on 2019-12-05; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4021&p=35457#p35457 (posted on 2018-12-14)

---

• Content of "Eighteen Days in Solitude"

---

• Content of Publications of Ven. Uttamo

---

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.