The Great Discourse on the Wheel of Dhamma

meditation the true Nibbana nor the path and its fruition. Thus it must be carefully noted that any instruction or teaching to start off with meditation on Nibbana is totally wrong.

The question can arise whether Nibbana may not be taken as an object for meditation on tranquility, upasamd nupassand. Contemplation on the attributive qualities of Nibbana such as virdga, bemg devoid of lust, may be adopted as concentration meditation to gain concentration or tranquility. But this exercise is taken solely for the purpose of achieving one-pointedness of mind; it is not to immediately realize the noble path and fruition. In any case this meditation exercise is most appropriate for the Noble Ones only who have already realized Nibbana and not for the ordinary common worldling. Thus it is definitely a mistaken practice to try to achieve the path and fruition by dwelling on Nibbana from the very start.)

The yogi Bhikkhu leams from his teacher, briefly, that the five aggregates are the truth of suffering and craving is the truth of origin of suffering. Or he may lear more comprehensively that the five aggregates consist of rupakkhandhd, vedanakkhandhd, sannakkhandha, sankkhdrakkhandhdG. vinnakkhandhaé. And rupakkhandhG means the-four primary elements and updddrupas, their drivatives, etc. Thus leaming about the first two truths briefly or comprehensively from his teacher, he recites them repeatedly and contemplates on them in his meditation. With regard to the last two truths, the Bhikkhu just hears from his teacher that the truth of cessation of suffering and the truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering are desirable and laudable. (This means _ that it is sufficient just to hear about these two supramundane truths and bend the mind towards them.)

That Bhikkhu, acting in the way described above, penetrates through to the four truths simultaneously and comprehends them. He makes full grasp of the four truths simultaneously through insight. By pativeda, penetrative knowledge, he comprehends that suffering is to be rightly and well understood; that craving is to be

- abandoned, eradicated; that nirodha, cessation is to be realized and that the path is to be developed. By abhisamaya, insight, he fully grasps that suffering is to be rightly and well understood; that craving is to be abandoned, eradicated; that nirodha, cessation is to be realized and that the path is to be developed.

As described above, before he attains the path, the Bhikkhu yogi's knowledge of the two truths, namely, the truth of suffering and the truth of origin of suffering, comes about by leaming, and hearing from his teacher, by questioning and repeated recitation and by mastering it through penetrative reflection. (The first four processes of acquiring this knowledge constitute merely studying the scriptures; grasping through penetrative reflection only amounts to imsight by vipassand meditation.) The knowledge conceming the truth of cessation of suffering and the truth of the Path leading to the cessation is acquired only by hearing about them. After vipassand meditation, at the moment of realization of the Ariya path, the first three truths are fully grasped by having accomplished the task of knowing rightly and well the truth of suffering, the task of abandoning the origin of suffermg and the task of developing the path leading to the cessation of suffermg. The truth of the cessation of suffering is fully grasped by actual realization.

Thus, in accordance with the commentary, mitially it is sufficient to know only from hearing that the truth of cessation and truth of the path leading to cessation are desirable and laudable, and to bend the mind towards them. It is clear, therefore, that no. effort is needed to contemplate particularly on these two truths. Knowledge about the first two truths should, however, be acquired both by hearing about them as well as by developing insight on them through meditation.

HOW MUCH SUTAMAYA, KNOWLEDGE THROUGH HEARING?

As stated in the Commentary we are quoting, it is sufficient to know only that the five aggregates are the truth of suffering: that craving is truth of origin of suffermg. Here the five aggregates are

the five aggregates of clinging, updddnakkhandha mentioned in this sutta. We have fully explained above that they are the objects which present themselves at the time of seeing, hearing, etc. We have also dealt comprehensively with the truth of the origin of suffering in the section concemed. Knowing the law of dependent origination in a brief manner. In the great sub-commentary on Visuddhimagga, it is definitely stated that what the Venerable Assaji taught, namely, ye dhammG hetuppabhava -- The perfect one has told to cause, of causally arisen things - - constitutes in brief the whole law of dependent origination.

The commentary on Vinaya Mahavagga affirms also that by the words "ye dhammd hetuppabhava" the Venerable Assaji was teaching the five aggregates otherwise called the truth of suffering and by the words "tesam hetum tathdgato aha” he was teaching the truth of origin of suffering. Thus it is clear that having leamt briefly, by hearing, about the dukkhasaccd and samudayasaccG, one has also leamt in a brief manner the law of dependent origination. Those who are preaching that vipassand meditation is not feasible unless one has mastered the law of dependent ongination supported by tables and circular diagrams, are therefore going against these words of the commentary and sub-commentary and causing great harm to patipattisdsand.

In the Cula Tanhdsankhaya sutta of the Mula Pannasa Pali canon, we find the following regarding the brief knowledge to be acquired by leaming, suta; "Oh, king of the devas, in this teaching, the Bhikkhu has heard that it is not fit nor proper to hold the view that all dhammas are permanent, pleasant and self."

It means that if the Bhikkhu has ever heard of the fact that the five khandhas of the ndma, rupa which present themselves at the six doors of senses every time there is seeing, hearing etc., are not proper to be regarded as permanent, pleasant, self, that they are transitory, subject to suffering and not self, then he has sufficient brief knowledge, sufa mayandna, to proceed to engage himself in meditation.

Thus the Buddha continued: "Then that Bhikkhu, who has leamt that much by hearsay, knows by contemplation and actual experience all dhammas." Then the Blessed One taught how to attain by meditation the knowledge of differentitation between ndma and rupa, the ndma rupapariccheda ndna, etc. We have summarised the above thus:

1. All dhammas are transient, subject to suffering and not self.

2.That much is sufficient knowledge acquired by hearing, sufa.

3.Enough to enable, through meditation, to differentiate the

ndma from rupa of the aggregates.

4.And to recognise their nature of impermanence and

unsatisfactoriness.

Nos. 1 and 2 above indicate sufficiency of brief knowledge of sutamaya ndna (to proceed to the practice of meditation). No. 3 shows how by noting every action of seeing, hearing etc., at the moment of occurrence, knowledge is gamed which enables one to distmguish between ndma and rupa, ndmarupa-pariccheda ndna and to know the cause of phenomena of seeing, hearing etc, paccayapariggaha ndna. These two kinds of knowledge are called abhinnd panna, being the ndtaparinnd of the three parinnds. By no. 4 is meant full knowledge of all the dhammas and msight into their nature of impermanency, suffering and non-self, m accordance with "sabbam dhammam abhinndya, sabbam dhammam parijénati." This constitutes the profound knowledge of tirana parinnd and pahdna parinnd.

The main point we wish to emphasise here is that having just leat through hearing that all dhammas are impermanent, suffering and non-self, one has enough sutamaya ndna to proceed to endeavour for attamment of arahatta magga phala. Thus the assertion that, without a comprehensive knowledge of the law of dependent origination, meditation should not be -practised, goes against this Pali text of Culatanhsankhaya sutta, causes demoralisation in those bent on the practice of meditation and is detrimental to the prosperity of patipatti sGsanda.

If, according to their proposition, meditation could be practised only after thoroughly masteing the law of dependent origination together with its explanatory circular diagrams etc., some people who have no time nor chance to study the law of dependent origination or are slow in leaming it comprehensively, are liable to lose the opportunity of gaining the path or fruition even if they are endowed with paramis, sufficient conditions and qualifications, to attain them. To cite an example, during the time of the Blessed One, one Bhikkhu by the name of Culapantaka found it difficult to Memorise a verse of only 45 alphabets although he tried it for four weeks. To leam the whole law of the dependent origination extensively would thus have been an impossible task for him. Yet the same bhikkhu attained Arahatship, accomplished in jhana abhinn4, supemormal knowledge; and vision by practising for one moming only the meditation .exercise prescribed by the Buddha.

We would like to take this opportunity, while giving the discourse on the Tuming of the Wheel of Dhamma, of cautioning those good, leamed persons to refrain from making assertions which may discourage and demoralise those engaged in or bent upon the practice of meditation.

If one intends to strive all alone for the practice of meditation, no doubt one needs to have leamt extensively all about the aggregates, the bases, the elements, the Truths, the faculties and the law of the dependent ongination. But if one is going to work under the guidance of a good, virtuous, leamed and wise teacher, all that one needs to knows is that all dhammas are impermanent, subject to suffering, insubstantial and not-self. It is also sufficient if he has leamt through hearing that a worldling individual is govemed by two mundane truths of causal relations (cause and effect) namely, the five aggregates which is the truth of suffering and craving which is the truth of ongin of suffering.

The majority if the Buddhists of Burma can be taken to be already equipped with this much knowledge; even if not, they can pick this up, just before startmg meditation or during the course of

meditation by listenmg to the sermons of his meditation teacher. Thére should be no wavering or uncertainty on this score of sutamaya nana. All that is required is to start practising meditation in accordance with the instructions given by the reliable, virtuous, leamed and wise teacher.

As to how to launch on to the practice of insight meditation has been described in our third discourse. To recapitulate, the practice consists of developing the path in three stages: Basic, precursor, Aviyan. Path. Developing them leads to Nibbana.

Mula magga, the basic path, is made up of kammassakata sammaditthi, sila and upacara samadhi or the appana samadhi which we have already dealt with fully before. As to the first factor, kammassakata sammaditthi,. majority of the Burmese Buddhists have already been established in this faith since childhood. With regard to sila magga, if the lay yogi is not established in it yet, he can accomplish it by observing sila just before taking up the practice of meditation. The Bhikkhu yogi should_purify his sila by confessional processes if he entertains any doubt about the purity of his sila. As for accomplishment of samadhi, the yogi should take up a samatha exercise such as Gndpdnsa and practise on it till attamment of jhdna or upacdra samadhi. If time or opportunity does not permit, the yogi can begin contemplating on the four primary elements by means of which vipassan@ khanika samadhi which is akin to upacdra samadhi, may be attained. This samadhi dispels the hindrances so that purification of mind may be achieved. This is a brief description of how mula magga is established. DEVELOPMENT OF PUBBABHAGA MAGGA OTHERWISE

CALLED VIPASSANA MAGGA

After developing the Mula magga as described above, the yogi starts observing the reality of the truth of suffering otherwise called upaddnakkhandha by taking continuious note of the phenomena of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, thinking, at the time each phenomenon occurs. F ull account on updddnakkhandha

together with how failure to note them and see them as they really are, leads to clinging to them as nicca, sukha and atta and how seeing their true nature through heedfulness, attachment to them is extinguished, have already been propounded in Part Three as well as in Part Four of these discourses.

When samadhi becomes fully established, one becomes aware with every noting, of the arising and vanishing of ndma and rupa and their true nature of impermanence, suffering and egolessness. How such awareness is developed may be explained thus: While noting each action of rising, falling, sitting, touching, bending, stretching, lifting, stepping forward, moving, resting, the yogi begins to recognize the knowing mind as distinct from the material body. this. discemment is nama rupa pariccheda nGna, knowledge of distinguishing nGma from rupa, the initial basis for the development of vipassana nana. The Blessed One had described how this knowledge may be developed by giving the example of a ruby m Samannaphala sutta of Diga Nikaya and Mahasakuludayi sutta of Majjhima Pannasa.

NAMA AS DISTINCT FROM RUPA, EXAMPLE GIVEN BY THE

BUDDHA

A precious gem named Velurtya which has placed in it a thread of either brown, yellow, red, white or light yellow colour, is taken in the palm of the hand for observation. A man with good eye-sight is able to distinguish the gem from the thread; he can see clearly the coloured thread embedded in the body of the gem. Likewise, the yogi is able to differentiate the knowing mind from the object to be known; he knows also the knowing mind (consciousness) rushing out towards the object to be known. In this simile, the material object is like the precious gem, the knowing mind is like the thread. And like the thread embedded in the gem, the knowing mind plunges towards the object. Thus the differentiation between ndma and rupa is illustrated by the simile. It should be carefully observed that in the simile there is no mention of

knowing as to how many types of rupa how many types of mind and mental concomitants etc, are involved; it mentions only distinguishing the knowing mind from the material objects known.

Again in Visuddhimagga we find the following description of how nama becomes evident to the observing yogi. "For the yogi having discemed by such and such a method the nature of rupa, then in proportion as rupa becomes quite distinct, disentangled and clear to him so the non-rupas, the ndmas that have rupas as their object, becomes plain and evident of themselves too. "Further we find in Visuddhi magga:" "It is when supported by ndma that rupa arises; it is when supported by rupa that ndma arises. When ndma has the desire to eat, to drink, to speak and to adopt a posture, it is rupa that eats, drinks, speaks and adopts a posture." In these passages from Visuddhi magga, on mention was made regarding enumeration of different categories of ndma and rupa; only what will be actually experienced is described. It is plain, therefore, that mere reflection on different categories of ndma and rupa will not result in true ndma rupa pariccheda nana. True ndma rupa pariccheda ndna is developed only when the knowing mind and the. material objectg to be known could be separately recognised while observing the phenomenon of arising and vanishing of ndma and rupa as it occurs.

Abilit to distinguish ndma, the knower from rupa, the known, constitutes sammdditthi, the right view. (Although it may have been leamt from books that ndma, the knowing mind, is separate from the material body), previous to taking up of the meditation practice and at the imitial stage of the practice, the yogi cannot distinguish the knowing mind and the material body through actual experience. Only at the stage when the ndma rupa pariccheda nana is developed that the distinction between these two comes forth spontaneously. When noting the phenomenon of ihinking or painful feeling, as it occurs, the yogi discems separately the thinking mind and the material object or painful feeling and location of pain on the body. This discernment of ndma as distinct from rupa is