The Great Discourse on the Wheel of Dhamma

teristic of anicca, dukkha and anatta constitutes samma sankappa, the path of right thought. The two paths of right view and right thought are grouped together as the path of insight, pannd magga.

The three paths of right concentration explaned before added to these two paths of insight form the five paths which are classified as kdraka maggas. These magga are responsible for accomplishing the task of noting and knowing every phenomenon Hence they are termed the kdraka maggas, the task force maggas, in the commentary.

The sila magga comprising of right speech, right action and right livelihood has been established even before meditation starts and they remain firm, getting purer during the course of meditation. With these three maggas, the combined total of eight maggas known as the pubbabhdga maggas are being developed with each noting of every phenomenon.

THE PATH OF RIGHT THOUGHT .. SAMMA SANKAPPA MAGGA

We have now dealt elaborately with the seven categories to the Path. We shall now pruceed with consideration of the remaining one, the Path of right thoughts, Sammd sankappa.

"What, Bhikkhus, is mght thoughts ? Thoughts on freedom from sensuous desires, lusts .. Nekkhama sankappa; Thoughts on not killing, on non-desire for killing, thoughts of wishing well to other .. abyGpdda sankappa; Thoughts on non-cruelty, on giving protection out of pity .. avihimsa sankappa. These three modes of thoughts are known as_ right thought, sammd sankappa."

All thoughts of good deeds such as performance of meritorious acts, seeking ordination (entering monkhood), listening to discourses on dhamma, and practising dhamma are factors of renunciation, nekkhama sankappa. (For details see our Discourse on Sallekha sutta, Vol. 2.)

Pabbajj@ pathamam jhanam, nibbananca vipassana

Sabbepi kusala dhamma, nekkhammanti pavuccare.

According to the above verse, it is clear that practising vipassana meditation fulfils the nekkhamma sankappa factor of sammda sankappa. Thoughts of non-killing and wishing well to others form abydpdda sankappa. Especially when Metta bhavana is developed, this factor of abydpddd sankapa is being fulfilled. Thoughts of considerateness and mercy form Avihimsa sankappa which is especially fulfilled while engaged in Karund bhdvand.

In the course of Vipassana meditation, as no thought of killing nor cruelty with respect to the sense-object under contemplation gets the opportunity to arise, it should be considered that these two factors of Sammd sankappa are fulfilled with every act of noting. But the thought involved in Vipassana meditation 1s not intentional exercise of deliberate cogitation or conceiving. It is just slight bending of the mind or giving direction to it toward preceiving the true reality of rupa and ndma, the nature of their origination and dissolution and the truth conceming anicca, dukkha and anatta.

We have discoursed fully on the mula magga as well as on the Eightfold vipassand magga otherwise called pubbabhdga magga. When the vipassand magga is fully developed, it gets transformed into Ariya magga leading to the realization of Nibbana. Therefor Pubbabhaga magga may be called the forerunner heralding the Ariya magga which follows it. In other words, they form the first and last parts respectively of the same continuous Path. To attain, then, the Ariya magga which forms the last part of the Path, the initial portion of it, namely the Vipassana -magga has to be accomplished first. In this manner, the last stage of the Path, the Ariya magga will develop by itself.

To give an illustration, if a person wants to jump across a stream, he should come running to it with speed and jump. Once he has taken the jump, no more effort need be exerted by him. He will land automatically on the other side of the stream. Developing the Vipassan@ magga may be likened to the approach to the stream with speed and jumping. Landing on the otherside of the stream is comparable to the realization of Ariya magga in consequence of the

momentum gained from the vipassand magga. Therefore we summarise again, by reciting ;

Basic, Precurser, Ariya Path,

Developing them leads to Nibbana.

and end the discourse here today.

May you all good people in this audience, by virtue of having given respectful attention to this great Discourse on the Tuming of the Wheel of Dhamma, be able to develop the Middle Path, otherwise called the Noble Eightfold Path and by means of the Path and Fruition according as you wish, attain the Nibbana, the end of all sufferings.

Sadhu ! Sadhu! Sadhu !

End of Part III of the Discourse on Dhammacakka Sutta