The Great Discourse on the Wheel of Dhamma

fully grasped only by those who have practised wipassand meditation effectively and adequately.

(3) Efforts to bring out wholesome things which have not yet arisen. Dana, alms-giving, sila, observance of precepts, samatha bhavand, practice of concentration meditation, vipassand bhdvand, practice of insight meditation are all diffent forms of meritorious deeds. One should make effort to the best of one's ability to perform any of these meritorious deeds which one has not fulfilled as yet.

Some persons are distorting the true teaching of the Buddha -by stating that meritorious deeds will result in prolonging the samsdGra, the rounds of existences, According to them, kusala, meritorious deed, is sankhdra, volitional action, that is conditioned by avijjd, ignorance. In dependent origination, which says "sankhdra paccaya vinndnd "conditioned by sankhdra there arises the rebuth consciousness", kusala sankhdra, meritorious deeds will cause the arising of rebirth consciousness. Hence kusala acts must be abandoned. Such assertion definitely contradicts the true meaning of the Buddha's teaching and is highly misleading.

As a matter of fact, were kusala acts to be given up, one would be left entirely with okusala acts which would not only prolong the rounds of existences but surely would lead to the four nether worlds. The real cause for ceaseless rounds of rebirths is rooted in defilements of avijjid and tanh@. craving. And these defilements can be removed by kusala acts which should therefore be performed with a view to eradication of these defilements. A simple meritorious act can cause rebirth is a good abode (sugati) where Dhamma can be heard and practised to become a noble person, (Ariya), thus escaping from the sufferings of the nether worlds and rounds of existenc&. The story of the Frog Deity serves to illustrate this point. The Frog Deity was a frog in his previous existeuce when it happened to hear a discourse given py the Blessed One. Without understanding a word of the discourse, the frog listened to it with respectful attention and complacence, for which good deed, he was rebom in the deva world. As a deva he

gained the opportunity of listening to the Buddha's Teaching again, by virtue of which he attained the stage of sot&panna.

Thus effort should be made to bring out any form of wholesome things which have not yet arisen, especially the meritorious deeds which would lead to Ariya Path. Every time such effort is made, there develops the Path of Right Effort.

(4) Effort to maintain the wholesome things that have already arisen and to develop them to maturity and full perfection. This is plain enough. A yogi noting everything at the moment of seeing, hearing, touching, knowing is actually making effort to prevent, to deny opportunity to, evil unwholesome things from arising. It also means endeavouring to remove, to eradicate the unwholesome things that have already arisen. The yogi is at the same time striving to develop the higher stage of vipassana kusalas and Ariya Path, merits which have not yet arisen. He is also striving to maintain and to bring to perfection the vipassana kusalas which have already arisen. Thus every time one is noting each phenomenon as a meditation exercise, one is developing the path of the Right Effort or the four sammappadhadnas which can be summarised as follows:

1. Effort to prevent non-ansen akusalas from arising.

2. Effort to get rid of akusalas that have already arisen.

3. Effort to promote, to cause to arise kusalsas which have

not yet arisen.

4. Effort to maintain, develop and to bnng to perfection

kusalas which have already arisen, these are called the

four sammappadhdnas, the four great efforts.

Every time one is engaged in the good deeds of dana, sila and bhavana, one is developing the path of Right Effort or the four great efforts. Especially so when one performs these deeds with a view to escaping from the sufferings of the cycle of samsara. The meritorious deed of vipassana meditation is, needless to Say, part ‘and percel with the Path of nght effort.

Striving to do good deed is Right Effort.

THE PATH OF RIGHT MINDFULNESS

What, Bhikkhus, is the Path of Right Mindfulness? In this Teaching, a Bhikkhu dwells contemplating on the body (material aggregates), which is impermanent, painful, uncontrollable, unbeautiful, unpleasant, perceiving it merely as impermanent, painful, uncontrollable, unbeautiful, unpleasant corporeality or material aggregates. To perceive thus, he dwells intensely ardent, mindful and rightly comprehending, having overcome covetousness and grief (domanassa) for the world of corporeality or the world of the five aggregates; such covetousness and grief on them are liable to arise unless rightly comprehended.

He dwells contemplating on the feelings merely as feeling, impermanent, painful, uncontrollable etc.,he dwells contemplating on the mind, noting it merely as a process of thinking and of consciousness, impermanent, painful, uncontrollable, etc., he dwells contemplating on the mind-objects noting them merely as phenomena of seeing, hearing etc., impermanent, painful, uncontrollable, etc. To perceive thus, he dwells intensely ardent, mindful and rightly comprehending having overcome covetousness and grief for the world of feelings, the world of mind, the world of mind-objects, otherwise the world of the five aggregates. Bhikkhus, being mindful thus so as to comprehend nightly is called Right Mindfulness. These are the Buddha's words elaborating on the Path of Right Mindfulness.

WHETHER THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH WAS

SERMONED IN DETAIL OR NOT

In the Dhammacakka sutta, as we find it today, the Eightfold Path is just mentoned in the form of a heading. When this Dhammacakka discourse was first given by the Buddha, did the Venerable Kondanna together with brahmas and devas who attainec. to higher knowledge then, understand by the mere words of the heading "right mindfulness" that it meant "the four foundations of mindfulness by means of which the natures of the body, the feeling, the mind and the mind-objects (dhamma) are clearly comprehended?

, Did they also understand that "taking note of every bodily action, every feeling, every mental phenomenon, every thought on mindobjects constitute right mindfulness ? And that this Right Mindfulness should be developed by taking! note of every physical and mental phenomenon ?

This is a moot point which neéds to be pondered upon. For unless they had a clear comprehension about it, they would not be able to develop right mindfulness. And in the abscence of right mindfulness, attainment of higher knowledge of the noble path and fruition is an impossiblility.

Two considerations are possible here. The first one is that: the Venerable Kondanna and the brahmas and devas who were already fully mpe with uncommon, unique pdramis, destmed for _ final liberation, on just hearing the words “right mindfulness", at once understood that they should take note of every bodily action etc., and develop the path of right mindfulness. They accordingly did so and in this way attained to higher knowledge.

The second consideration is that: when the discourse was first given, for clear understanding by his audience the Blessed One made elaborations on the headings of the Noble Eightfold Path and expounded also on the four foundations of mindfulness. But at the time of the First council, when reciting the Dhammacakka sutta, the Noble Eightfold Path as such and as a component of the Four Noble Truths was condensed in the form of a heading only, there being in existence expositions or exegeses om them separately in other suttas being recited in condensed form at the First Council. The answer is yes. The Satipatthana sutta in Mula Pannasa is a condensation of the Maha Satipatthana sutta the first portion only of which was recited at the time of the First Council. But now at the proceedings of the Sixth Great Council, the missing portions of the suttas had been filled up and recorded, although the latter portions of the sutta were not mentioned m the commentary to Mula Pannasa. Similarly some long suttas belonging to some other Nikayas were recorded in condensed form in Khuddaka Nikaya.

Thus it may be taken here that expositions on the nght mindfulness given at the time of the discourse were left out and the Sutta recited compendiously during the first great Council. Thus the question need not arise as to how the deeper, detailed meaning of the Noble Eightfold Path could be known from its mere title. Nowadays, the four foundations of mindfulness. which I have just recited is well known by many. And there is the Maha Satipatthana Sutta itself which supplies elaborations on the summansed title of the Noble Eightfold Path. There exist also many commentaries on this sutta. Yet, inspite of them, there are only a few who knows how to develop the path of right mindfulness. Therefore we are personally of the opinion that the Blessed One had actually expounded the path in full detail when he was giving the first discourse for the benefit of many.

Here it must be firmly noted that the path of nght mundfulness is the four foundations of mindfulness. How this path should be developed is provided in the Pali text just quoted. This Pali text is exactly the same as the summarised introductory passage to the Maha Satipatthana Sutta. Finding this compendious account not adequate for full understanding, one can have recourse to deep study of the Maha Satipatthana Sutta itself.

According to the Maha Satipatthana Sutta, kdyanupassanad (contemplation of the body) may be carried out in two ways: either by contemplation of respiration, Gndpdna, that is watching the inbreath and out-breath, or contemplating the 32 constituent parts of the body such as head-hair, body hair etc. The commentary states that these two sections of the Satipatthana Sutta are meditation objects which can produce Samatha appand jhdna, fixed (absorption) concentration. The remaining 19 sections of the Satipatthane Sutta are meditation objects producing access concentration (Upacira Kammathana). By Upacéra Kammathdna, it means Insight Meditation (Vipassana Kammathdna) which produces only Access Concentration.

HOW TO PRODUCE VIPASSANA SATI, INSIGHT MINDFULNESS

It only requires therefore to select any of the meditation objects mentioned in the remaining 19 sections for development of the Path of Insight Mindfulness, Vipassandé Sammdsati magga. In accordance with ‘gacchanto va gacchdmiti pajanati’, as mentioned in the section on body postures, while walking, the body movements involved in the act of walking should be noted; while standing, sitting lying down, body movements involved in each action should be noted. In accordance with ‘yatha yatha va pana’ etc., while sitting etc., if there are other minor body postures involved, they should also be noted carefully. Here special attention should be paid to the grammatical tense employed in ‘gacchanto va@ gacchdmiti' etc. It refers -definitely to noting the present action only. It should be therefore thoroughly understood that leaming by rote and pondering upon the types of corporeality, as enumerated in the Abhidhamma Texts, does not amount to contemplation of the body with mmdfulness, K@yGnupassand satipatthdna.

In addition, as mentioned in the section on Mindfulness with clear comprehension, Sampajanna paths, all body movements imvolved in going forward or going back, looking straight on or looking askant, bending or stretching the limbs should be noted.

EXPLANATION ON INSIGHT MOMENTARY CONCEN-

TRATION (VIPASSANA KHANIKA SAMADHI)

According to the section on ‘Attention given to Elements’, Dhatumanasikara pabba, note should be takien of the Four Great Primaries ‘also as they arise and become manifest. Visuddhi Magga explicitly states that when the hindrances are completely overcome by contemplating on them (the Four Great Primaries). Access concentration arises. This Access concentration, as explained in the Great Sub-Commentary of Visuddhi Magga, is not in the neighbourhood of any Appand samadhi, Absorption concentration and as such, isnot a true Access concentration. Nevertheless, since it is akin to Access concentration in its capacity in overcoming the

hindrances and producing quility. it assumes the name of Access concentration by virtue of identity in capacities.

For purposes of Insight Meditation, Vipassana, we have used the term Vipassana khanika samadhi, Insight Momentary concentration to describe the said concentration. Some people are finding it difficult to understand this usage and criticizing its use. They maintain that Insight, Vipassana, cannot be developed by means of momentary concentration. They argued that, if such were possible, monastic students studymg the scnptures should be able to acquire Insight knowledge. We could accept this view if the student's concentration were strong enough to dispel the hindrances and if, at the same time, they were contemplating on the phenomenon of rupa and ndma at the moment of their arising, in accordance with Maha satipatthana Sutta. But it is quite plain that concentration involved in recitation of and reflection on, the scriptures which students have leamt by heart is not intense enough to overcome the hindrances nor are they taking note of the phenomena of nama and rupa at the moment of their arising. Our critic is therefore obviously not conversant with correct practices of vipassana.

_ In Visuddhi Magga, vipassana khani'a concentration 1s mentioned as Khanika cittakaggaté; in its sub-commentary it is referred to as Khanamattahitiko samadhi, etc. Thus based on the authority of the Commentary and the sub-commentary, we have employed the term Vipassana Khanika Sam@dhi to describe the concentration which is, by virtue of identity, Access Concentration. Once these explanations are well understood, confusion will surely cease in the minds of our critics.

As stated above, if contemplation of corporealty is accomplished by taking note of them as they arise, in accordance with the sections on Body Postures, Clear comprehension and attention to elements (/rivapatha, Sampajannd and Dhatunanasikdra), Access concentration which may be termed vipassana khanika concentration is developed. And together with it, Insight Knowledge, Vipassana nana, which is also known as Vipassana Sammdditthi, Insight of

Right View. is also developed. These are then Sammd Sati Magga, Samma@ samadhi Magga and Sammd Ditthi Magga otherwise called the Foundation of Mindfulness with regard to contemplation of body. kayanupassana Satipatthdna.

With regard to the above statement that ‘Attention to Elements’ is an object of meditation for Access Concentration, we have the authority of the Visuddhi Magga which mentions this meditation object as Catudhatuvavatthaéna. No doubt should also be entertained about our assertion that contemplation of body postures and clear comprehension leads to the Access concentration, because commentary to the Satipatthana Sutta definitely confirms them to be meditation objects for Access concentration.

In addition, according to the section on Contemplation of Feelings ete. mindfulness of feelings, mindfulness of the mind, and mindfulness of mental objects (Dhamma) at the moment of their arising will lead to development of Access Concentration and Insight Knowledge. Therefore Visuddhi Magga gives, at the beginning of the chapter on Purification of Views, a description of how a person who begins practising bare insight stratight away comtemplates on the Four Primary Elements followed by discernment of 18 elements, 12 bases (Ayatanas), 5 aggregates and of rupa and nama. This is in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha as provided in Maha Satipathana Sutta, etc.

By now, having heard the above explanations and considerations, it should be possible to understand how to develop the path of right mindfulness in conformity with the sutta discourses of the Blessed One. And having thus understood, one should be able to determine whether mere recitation of and reflection on what one has learnt from the scriptures instead of mindfully noting the body, the feeling, the mind and the mental objects at the moment of their arising, leads to the true path of mght mindfulness. It is plain also that in the absence of proper path of right mindfulness, proper path of vipassana right view, vipassand sammdditthi magga, can never be established.