The Great Discourse on the Wheel of Dhamma

for nirodha saccd is accomplished.

It must therefore be remembered that ariya magga sacca need not be thought of and contemplated on; likewise Nibbana needs no prior contemplation nor thinking about. As for the Buddha, just as he had previously arrived at the knowledge of the noridha saccd through intuitive insight he also gained knowledge of this magga saccd through intuition. That is why he said in admission that "conceming things unheard of before, there arose in me vision, etc --".

At the moment of aviya magga, only nirodha sacca otherwise peace of Nibbana is perceived by realization. Magga dhammas realized in this way actually appear in one's person and as such the task of developing them in one's person is accomplished. This is known as bhdvand pativeda, knowledge by development. Thus magga saccG should be developed in one's person and this development is bhdvand pativeda.

What is meant here is that when ariya magga appears in one's person, it amounts to seeing the ariva magga; it also means the task of knowing it is accomplished at the same time. As the ariya magga has been developed in one's person, retrospection will reveal it very clearly. However, it is not possible to develop the ariya magga straight away. One must begin’ by developing the pubbabhaga magga as a first step. For this reason vipassand also is to be regarded as a correct practice that leads to nirodha, cessation. We have already mentioned above in Part Six how Sammohavinodani commentary also recomends that vipassana should be regarded as such.

KICCA NANA WITH REGARD TO MAGGA SACCA

Tam kho panidam dukkhonirodhagdémini patipada

ariya saccam bhavetabbanti me, Bhikkhave, pubbe

ananussutesu dhammesu, cakkhum udapddi, ndénam udapddi,

panna duapddi, vijja udapdadi, aloko udapddi.

"This is the noble truth of the path that leads to cessation of suffermg and this has to be developed. "Thus, Oh, Bhikkhus, conceming things unheard of before, there arose in me_ vision, knowledge, wisdom; there arose in me penetrative insight and light."

Knowing that magga saccd is a dhamma that should be developed within oneself is called kicca ndna; it is the knowledge that knows what should be done with respect to dukkha saccd ? It should be fully and rightly comprehended. What should be done with respect to magga saccd ? It should be developed within one's Own person. This must be definitely remembered.

That magga saccd is the dhamma that should be developed was taught for the first time by the Buddha in this Dhammacakka sutta. Thus to develop magga is to practise for the attamment of Nibbana in accordance with the wishes of the Blessed One. But the practice cannot be started with development of magga saccd straight away. One must start wita pubbabhvadga magga otherwise called vipassana maggga. In order to develop ariya magga saccda then, one must begin with developing vipassana magga.

In order to develop this pubbabhdga or vipassand magga, dukkha sacc& must be contemplated on. Dukkha saccG means upddanakkhandha which has been extensively explained in Part Four. Contemplating on the aggregates that appear, at every instant of their arising, there is developed first the knowledge of distinction between the object of awareness and the knowing mind. This is followed by understanding the law of cause and effect. As one proceeds, one comes to know the nature of flux, the constant arising and passing away of ndma and rupa. Since it arises just to perish the next moment, it is unstable, impermanent, pure suffering; not self, since it arises and vanishes away on its won accord. Personal realization of these realities is sammdditthi. It has been explained before that when sammdditthi is developed, sammdsankappa and other maggas are also: developed. How to develop these maggas has also been described before.

Briefly, it consists first in noting any of the sensations of touch one experiences. In order to simplify the practice, we have recommended to start with contemplation of the phenomenon of rising and falling of the abdomen. While in the process of observing the rising and falling of the abdomen, the yogi may happen to start thinking about something else. He should make a note of such thoughts too as they arise. He should also note the painful sensations such as stiffness, feeling hot, feeling painful, itching etc, as they arise. Changing of bodily movements should also be noted as they occur. Attention should be given too to any extraordinary thing, seen or heard. Thus while observing every phenomenon, at every instant of noting, knowledge of reality as it is, sammdditthi and vipassand maggas will be developed. When vipassana becomes fully established, the eightfold Ariya magga is evolved. thus contemplating on the actual phenomena of the aggregates, the dukkha saccG, amounts to development of the eightfold noble path. To recapitulate,

1. Only by developing the pubbabhdga otherwise called

vipassaana, Ariya magga may be attained.

2. To develop vipassand magga, the phenomena of seeing,

hearing, the dukkha saccG, should be carefully observed.

3. At every instance of noting the phenomenon of seeing,

hearing or dukkha saccd, the eightfold noble path is

developed.

Therefore we have composed the mnemonics:

Basic, Precursor, Ariya paths,

Developing them leads to Nibbana.

Some people have been previously under the wrong impression that the purpose is served by acquiring a book—knowledge of the phenomena of the aggregates and the nature of anicca, dukkha, anatta, etc. Only when they have practised meditation in acordance with Satipatthana meditation and gained extraordinary experiences, they begin to see their mistakes. They openly state their realization then that unless they engage themselves in the actual practice of

watching the phenomena of seeing, hearing, etc at the instant of their occurrence, the parinng kiccd, the function of fully and ritghtly understanding the dukkha saccd remains unaccomplished; the task of developing the eightfold magga also remains uncompleted. These are the admissions made by leamed people well versed in the scniptures. They have, by personal experience, come to understand the right way for higher attainments.

The Buddha's teaching embodied in this Dhammacakka sutta "that eightfold path is the dhamma which has to be developed by contemplating on the phenomena of ndma and rupa at the moment of their occurrence, should be noted with all seriousness. It should be carefully and steadfastly remembered too that," knowing the function conceming the magga saccd is kicca nana; that this nana should be acquired from leaming by hearing prior to the advent of ariya magga, that only then could vipassand magga be developed by observing the actual phenomena of upadanakkhandha or dukkha saceG at the time of their occurrence; that only by developing the vipassana magga, the ariya magga otherwise called bhdvetabba magga saccG could be developed and Nibbana realized. KATA NANA WITH REGARD.TO MAGGA SACCA

Tam kho panidam dukkhanirodhagdmini patipada

ariya saccam bhavitanti me, Bhikkhave, pubbe anaussutesu

dhammesu, cakkhum udapddi, ndnam udapddi, panna

duapadi, vijja udapadi, aloko udapddi.

"This is the noble truth of the path that leads to the cessation of suffermg and this has been developed. Thus, Oh, Bhikkhu, conceming things unheard of before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom; there arose in me penetrative insight and light." ;

This is the admission by the Blessed One of how kata nana had arisen through retrospection of having accomplished the deveiopment of magga saccd till attamment of arahatta magga. The three ndnas, namely, saccd, kiccd and kata with respect to the four truths have now been completely explained in twelve ways, that is

fourfolds of three ndnas.

To recapitulate these twelve ways:

1. Knowing the Four Truths before, after and at the mo-

ment of magga is saccd ndna.

Knowing that this is the truth of suffering, this is the truth of origit. of suffering, this is the truth of cessation, this 1s the truth of thepath leading to the cessation of suffering, is saccd nana. This ndna appears also in advance of the magga. For the disciples, saccd ndnam in respect of nirodha saccd and magga sacca is acquired before megga, only sutamaya, hearsay. Nirodha sacca is by petceived also through realization at the moment of magga. The remaining three maggas are perceived at the moment of magga by accomplishing the tasks of fully and rightly understanding, giving up and developing, that is, by accomplishing the three functions, “Nsu kiccato," as the commentaries say. How these are perceived after the attainment of magga is very clear and needs no elaboration.

2. Prior knowdege of what should be known, what should

be abandoned, what should be realized and what should

be developed is kicca nana.

"That dukkha should be fully and rightly comprehended, samudaya should be abandoned, nirodha should be realized and magga should be developed within one's person." Knowing them constitutes kicca ndna which knows what should be done in respect of the four truths. This nana arises before vipasand meditation starts as well as during the time of vipassand practice prior to the advent of ariya magga.

3. Knowing that the necessary function has been accom-

plished is kata nana.

In mundane affairs there is knowledge of completion when the task tobe done has been done. Likewise when the four functions of rightly comprehending, giving up, realizing and developing have been performed, this fact is known through retrospection. This is known as kata nana, knowledge of completion of what has to be done.

What we have described are the twelve kinds of ndna made up of four kinds of sacc@ ndnas, four kinds of kicca ndnas and four kinds of kata ndnas. Of these twelve, it is of utmost importance to know clearly how saccd ndna arises and the four functions to be performed. We shall go over them briefly again.

1. Dukkha sacc& should be rightly and fully compre-

hended; such comprehension is known as parinnd

pativeda.

2. Samudaya saccd should be abandoned; such abandon-

ment is known as pahdna_ pativeda.

3. Nirodha sacc& should be realized; such ralization is

known as sacchikriya pativeda.

4. Magga sacca should be developed in one's person; such

development is known as bhavand pativeda.

Knowing the four truths simultaneously at the moment of ariva magga.

At the moment of magga, only nirodha saccd is perceived through realization. The remaining three truths are perceived through compietion of required tasks by parinnd pativeda, pahdna pativeda, and bhdvana pativesa respectively. Therefore the commentary says: "The three truths are known by the completion of the tasks and norodha by realization."

5: When magga sees one of the four truths.

6. All the four pativedas are accomplished.

Just as with the ariya magga, at the moment of practising vipassana too, by observing on dukkha saccd alone as object, the task of knowing the remaining three saccds is also done. It happens in this manner: The sense object which is being perceived through meditation as embodiment of anicca, dukkha, anatta cannot arouse tanh& which would take delight in it under the delusion of nicca, sukha, atta. This is tadanga pahdna pativeda, the temporary abandonment of tanhd. The avijja, the delusion which would misapprehend the observed object as niccd, sukha and atta, as well as the sankhara, vinndna etc., gets no opportunity to arise and ceases

consequently. This is realization through temporary cessation, fadanga nirodha. Vipassané magga which perceives every thing as anicca, dukkha, anatta is being developed at every instant of awareness. This is bhdvand pativeda. Thus while practising vipassand mediation by knowing dukkha saccd through contemplation, the remaining three truths are percived by completion of the tasks of pahdna, sacchikiriya and bhdvand pativedas. Thus it may be said that all four truths are perceived at the same time.

We have come to the conclusion of the consideration of twelve ways of perceiving the four truths in four folds of three n@nas. We shall stop here today.

May you all good people present 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 fully and rightly understand the truth of suffering, dukkha saccd, etc by contemplating on the phenomena of hearing, seeing, etc and through whatever path and fruition you have chosen, achieve speedy realization of Nibbana, the end of all sufferings.

Sdhu ! Sadhu ! Sadhu !

End of Part Seven of the Discourse on the

Dhammacakka Sutta