The Great Discourse on the Wheel of Dhamma

mere trifles, just natural and routine affairs of no importance. We have to suffer the arising of such tanhds only because we cannot subdue them. But the fact remains and this should be seriously bome in mind, that fanhd being a pahdtabba dhamma should be eradicated when possible.

Actually, there are three kinds of tanhd which need elimination. 1. Craving that motivates physical and vocal actions. 2. Craving that excites the mind to revel in imagined delights and fantasies. 3. Craving which is lying dormant awaiting opportune moment to manifest itself. Of the three, the craving that motivates physical and vocal deeds is classified as vitikkama kilesd, the defilements which can be eradicated by sila. A person who is preserving the precepts meticulously does not steal any thing belonging to others, even if he feels the want for it; does not commut sexual misconduct (one who observes the brahmda cariya precept does not indulge in any sexual practice); does not lie and he abstains from intoxicating drinks or drugs. In this way he keeps himself from vitikkama kilesd. This is how craving is eliminated by means of sila.

Craving which manifest itself in imaginative delights and pleasures is classified as pariyutthdna kilesd, the defilement which: can be eradicated by samddhi, the concentrated mind. If one is constantly engaged in the practice of one of the meditation subjects such as Gndpdna, one keeps oneself free from thoughts of desire for, and imagining about, sensuous obiects. Unless thus absorbed in one of the meditation exercises, if the mind were left free on its own, it would engage itself in thinking about desirable senseobjects, yeaming mostly for sensual pleasure. If someone believes that he could keep his mind just as it is free from craving for sensual pleasures, he does not know his own mind.

As a matter of fact, even while occupied incessantly with meditation, before the power of concentration gets strengthened, kéima vitakka, thought of sensuous pleasures keep on coming up. Only when jhdnic concentration is attained through practice of

concentration meditation that thoughts of grosser types of sensual pleasures are brought to cessation, but even then, only for the duration of jhdnic absorption. This is how samadhi removes the craving for sensual pleasures by vikkhambhana pahdna, putting it away to a distance.

Bhava tanh&, craving for existence and vibhava tanhd, craving for non-existgence persist even in the person of jhdnic attainments. They remain with some of the brahmas too. Therefore bhava tanhé and vibhava tanha cannot be eradicated by samatha Concentration. It goes without saying then that ordinary persons uninitiated in concentration and meditation are not free from the craving for their own life and existence. However, such uninstructed people are not aware that their delight in life and existence is tanhd, kilesd, craving or defilement. They even teach the extreme wrong view that 'mind can be kept as it is free from defilements. And mind free from kilesa is Nibbana.' This is definitely going against the teaching of- the Buddha.

The craving which has not actually arisen yet, but will appear when right conditions prevail is called anusaya kilesd, latent defilements. This is of two kinds: 1. The Grammana nusaya, the potential defilement which lies latent in the sense objects. 2. The santana nusaya, the potential defilement lying dormant in oneself (in the continuum of the aggregates.)

There may be objects which manifest themselves at the moment of seeing or hearing but are missed to be noted then as impermanent etc., On retrospection, however, kiles@ can arise in connection with them. Such kilesd is known as Grammand nusaya. Arammand nusaya kilesd& can be put away by vipassand ndna, but vipassand can remove only the kilesd that may arise in the objects which are contemplated on. In the objects which escape contemplation, the potential defilements remain unaffected.

The kilesé which has not yet been eradicated by driva magga and is awaiting opportune moment to arise in the continuum of aggregates of a person is known as santdnd nusaya. This

defilement can be removed only by means of the ariya magga nana. It is to facilitate elimination of the santandnusaya by ariya magga that vipassand bhavand has to be developed.

ANUSAYA KILESA ACTUALLY EXISTS

In spite of definite statements in the sutta and Abhidhamma texts regarding the existence of anusaya kilesd. some people are going round making assertions that there is no such thing as anusaya kilesa; it is only through mental retentiveness that kilesas arise. This is utter irreverence shown towards the teachings of the Buddha.

Just consider for a moment. In the pre-adolescent children, craving for sensual pleasure in the form of taking delight in the opposite sex, has not yet manifested itself. It isnot because they are devoid of kilesG, only because the moment is not opportune yet for this kilesd to arise. It is lymg dormant in them to come up when right conditions prevail. It is common knowledge that, on reaching adolescence, the mere sight and sound of opposite sex at once arouses sex desires in them. It just happens mstantaneously and not because they havé previously seen or heard. about its occurrence and kept it in mind. Actually it happens because there is anusaya kilesa lying dormant in these youths which now finds opportunity to arise.

- Again take the case of some people who have had implicit faith in the three gems, namely, the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. But when influenced by teachers of other religions, they begin to entertain doubts, vicikiccha, about the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. Some even change their faith to embrace wrong views, micchdditthi. Doubts and wrong views arise in them not because of mental retentiveness; they have been all the time lying in them not having been removed yet by the Ariya magga.

The Ariyas of the Buddha's time had had their doubts and wrong views eliminated by sofapanna magga so that no teacher, not even the Sakka or the Mara could influence them to embrace wrong views, to entertain doubts about the triple gems. It was because the

dormant defilements in them, santdna nusaya, had been removed by the ariya magga. . The good people who have this opportunity of hearing the discourse on the Dhammacakka should definitely bear in mind that there lies lurking in them the defilements just waiting for opportune moment to arise and that this craving which is the real cause of suffering should be eliminated by ariya magga through developing vipassana bhdvand.

Knowing that this is the dhamma which should be eradicated is kicca ndna with regard to the truth of origin of suffering. This kicca ndna which knows what should be done with respect to samudaya sacca should have been developed prior to the advent of the ariya magga. Thus kicca ndna is advanced knowledge of what should be known, what shold be abandoned, what should be realized and what should be developed. To the Blessed One, this kicca ndna had appeared without having heard from any one. Therefore he admitted: "This is the noble truth of the ongin of suffering which should be abandoned. Thus, Oh, Bhikkhus, conceming things unheard of before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom: there arose in me penetrative insight and light. Then the Blessed One continued to explain how he had accomplished the task of abandoning.

KATA NANA WITH REGARD TO SAMUDAYA SACCA

Tam kho panidam dukkhasamudayo ariya saccam

pahinanti me, Bhikkhave, pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu,

cakkhum udapddi, n@nam udapadi, panna vdapadi vijja

udapadi, aloko udapadi.

"This noble truth of origin of suffermg has been abandoned. Thus, Oh, Bhikkhus, concerning things unheard of before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, there arose in me penetrative insight and light."

This is an account of how retrospection on the completion of the task of abandonment took place after he had abandoned what

should be abandoned, the craving otherwise called samudaya saccd. This knowledge of completion of the task that should be performed is known as the kata ndna.

What is specially noteworthy in respect of samudaya sacca is that four ariya magga cognize Nibbana by realizing it. At the first instance of such cognition, craving which will lead to the states of woe and misery becomes eliminated; at the second instance, grosser forms of craving for sensuous pleasures, kdma tanhd, get abolished. On the third occasion, the subtler forms of this kaima tanhd disappear. All the remaining tanhds are completely eradicated when Nibbana is cognized for the fourth time. Such eradication of tanh@ is termed knowing samudaya saccd by the four ariya magga or pahdna pativeda, penetrative insight by virtue of abandoning. The act of abandoning or eradicating constitutes knowing what should be known by the anya magga Thus samudaya saccG is that which should be abandoned. This abandonment is pahdna pativeda. This kata nana is also quite important. The goal of practising meditation is really removal of defilements together with this tanhd. Attamment of higher knowledge, accomplishment of what should be done, is complete and assured only when this tanhd and defilements are eradicated. It is essential to scrutinize oneself to see whether one is really free of this tanhd and defilements. If even the lowest stage attainment, that of sotapanna is claimed, craving which prompts akusala kamma that leads to the nether worlds should have been removed; one should be free also of craving which may instigate mfringement of the five precepts. The delight and pleasure accompanied by craving for the wrong view that there is a living entity, a self, shouldhave been discarded. Only when one is fully liberated of all these cravings, the claim of sotapanna attainment may be sustained; otherwise it should be observed that no claim for any attainment is admissible.

we have fully dealt with the three ndnas, saccd, kicca and kata with regard to the samudaya sacca. we shall go on considering the three ndnas conceming the nirodha saccd.

SACCA NANA WITH REGARD TO NIRODHA SACCA

Idam dukkhanirodho ariyasaccamti me, Bhikkhave,

pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu, cakkhum udopadhi, ndénam

os ere panna udapddi, vijjd udapadi, aloko udapadi.

This is the noble truth of cessation of suffering. Thus, Oh Bhikkhus, concerning things unheard of before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom; there arose in me penetrative insight and light."

; 'This' in the above passage of thetext refers to "the complete cessation of tanhd otherwise called samudaya saccd already explamed, when tanhd is abolished, all sufferings of the ndma, rupa, sankhdras cease. The Buddha said the saccd ndna, which knows that this cessation, nirodha saccd, is the truth of cessation of suffermg, had arisen in him. This saccd ndna arises before and after ariya magga and is realized at the moment of the path.

As to how this knowledge arises before the path, the disciples acquire this ndna through leaming from others, that is, on hearsay. The Blessed One, however had gained this knowledge by his Own imtuition even prior to attamment of sofdpatti magga. Thus he said: "Conceming things unheard of before, there arose in me vision, etc." At the moment of ariya magga, this saccd ndna is the same as ariya magga ndna which cognizes Nibbana by realization.

KICCA NANA WITH REGARD TO NIRODHA SACCA

Tam kho panidam dukkhanirodho ariyasaccam

saccikatabbanti me, Bhikkhave, pubbe ananussutesu

dhammesu, cakkhum udapddi, ndnam udapddi, panna

udapddi, vijjd udapddi, aloko udapddi.

"This is the noble truth of cessation of suffering which should be realized. Thus, Oh Bhikkhus, conceming things unheard of before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom; there arose in me penetrative insight and light."

This is nana, knowledge, which knows that nirodha saccd, namely, the nibbdnam, the cessation of tanhd, is that which should

be realized. It is known as kicca ndna, since it is the knowledge that knows what function is to be performed with respect to nirodha saccd,

And this is how realization takes place: at the moment of full and firm establishment of sankhdrupekkha ndna, while observing one of the phenomena of origination and dissolution, the pace of cognition gets faster and faster until the sankhdra objects under contemplation as well as the knowing consciousness plunge into a state of cessation where all sankhdra sufferings come to an end. At the time of thus realizing the cessation of all conditioned things, tanhds also come to a cessation. Thus cessation of tanh is termed nirodha saccG which is cognized by Ariya magga through realization. Such cognition is known as sacchikiriya pativeda, penetrative insight by realization.

Nirodha saccd is the truth to be realized. Such realization is known as sacchikiriya pativeda.

The purpose of taking note of every instance of seeing, hearing, touching, knowing is to accomplish the task of sacchikiriva pativeda through realising nirodha saccd. The Buddha had accomplished the function of sacchikiriya pdtiveda by realization of Nibbana through Arahatta magga phala on the 'unconquered throne! at the foot of the Bo tree. He continued to recount how he had developed the kata ndna which retrospected on the completion of the task, as follows:

KATA NANA WITH REGARD TO NIRODHA SACCA

Tam kho panidam dukkanirodho ariya saccam

sacchikatani me, Bhikkhave, pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu,

cakkhum udapadi, ndnam udapddi, panna udapadi, vijja

VIja

udapadi, aloko udapddi.

"This is the Noble Truth of cessation of suffering which has been realized. Thus, Oh Bhikkhus, conceming things unheard of before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom; there arose in me penetrative insight and light."

This is an account of how retrospection on the completion of the task took place after he had realized nirodha sacc& by means of arahatta magga phala ndna. We shall deal next with the three nana wa respect of magga ndna.

SACCA NANA WITH RESPECT TO MAGGA SACCA

Idam_ dukkhanirodhagdmini patipeda ariyasaccanti

me, Bhikkhave, pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu, cakkhum

udapddi, ndnam udapddi, panna udapddi, vijja udapddi,

aloko udapddi.

"This is the noble truth of the practice that reaches the .cessation of suffering or that leads to the cesation of suffering. Thus, Oh Bhikkhus, conceming things unheard of before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom; there arose in me penetrative insight and light."

This saccd& has a long name but the commentaries shorten it as just magga saccd, the truth of the path. We shall use the short title in our discourse.

Knowing that the noble eightfold path is the practice, the noble truth of the path that leads to the cessation of suffering, peace of Nibbana, is called saccd ndna. This saccd ndna arises before, after and at the moment of ariya magga.

The disciples of the Buddha, who had not yet attamed the ariya magga, leamt of this magga saccda only from hearing about it. Common worldlings have not yet realized, as personal experience, the ariya magga saccG. The commentaries say: "Maggasaccd is a dhama to be desired, to be aspired after and to be appreciated." Learning thus through hearing, the mind should be bent towards it. The preliminary task with respect to magga sacca is accomplished just by bending the mind towards it. Likewise with regard to nirodha saccd otherwise called Nibbana which common worldling cannot perceive, the commentaries say that it requires only to bend the mind towards it as dhamma to be desired, to aspire after, to be appreciated, by which act the preliminary function to be performed