The Great Discourse on the Wheel of Dhamma

too lax nor too ngorous, by abandoning the two wrong practices, namely, kamasukhallika which is too lax and attakilamatha which is too austere.

Two extreme paths are wrong,

They are to be avoided.

The Middle is the Right Path.

HOW TO AVOID THE TWO EXTREMES

Of the five sense objects, namely sight, sound, smell, taste and touch, those objects which would not violate observance of Precepts or which would be helpful to the practice of Dhamma may be enjoyed. Eating food which should be normally eaten, wearing clothes which should be normally wom, contributes to easeful practice of Dhamma, thus avoiding the extreme austerity of selfmortification.

Necessary material goods such as food, clothing, medicine and shelter (dwelling place) should be used, accompanied either by reflective contemplation or practice of concentration or insight meditation. Everytime contact is made with five sense objects, they should be noted as objects of insight meditation. By adopting a reflective mood or noting these sense objects as objects of insight meditation, partaking of necessary food, clothes etc does not develop into enjoying them with delight or pleasure, thereby avoiding the other extreme of indulgence in sensuous pleasures. The Blessed One declared, therefore, that "Having avoided these two extreme (parts, practices), I have come to understand the Middle Path.”

ANTIDOTE FOR THE INDIGESTIBLE FOOD

Adopting reflective contemplation or practising Insight meditation amounts to development of mindfulness, concentration, Insight, which are steps in the Noble Eightfold, Path. It is like taking antidotes after taking indigestible unsuitable food. A convalescent, after aserious illness, has to be careful about his diet. He has to avoid the wrong kind of food, which might be harmful. If he can't

resist the temptation to take unsuitable, indigestible food, he has to take digestive medicine to counteract the harmful effects of the food he has taken. In this way, he could satisfy his desire to eat what he wants, and at the same time avoid getting the bad effects from it.

Similarly by contemplating on the material goods we have utilized or noting them as objects of meditation, we have prevented the partaking of them from developing into sensuous enjoyment of them-

For the yogi who notes everytime he sees, hears, contacts, cognizes, and understands thenature of impermanence, suffermg and insubstantiality in every phenomenon that arises and vanishes, greed (loba), hatred (dosa) cannot develop in him, conceming objects he sees, hears etc. When he partakes of the four essential material goods, namely, food, clothing, medicines and shelter, every tume he uses them, if he keeps on noting them, no defilements can develop in connection with these material objects.

Thus he can make use of essential matenal goods for comfortable living, and at the same time avoid development of delight and pleasure in them through practice of reflective contemplation and Insight Meditation. In this manner, the two extremes are avoided. Practice of reflective contemplation and insight meditation at the time of partaking of food, etc. amounts to practice of the Middle Path.

With this practice of the Middle Path which keeps noting every object that appears at the six sense doors, thereby knowing their true nature, vision will arise, the eye of wisdom will open up, leading to the realization of Nibbana. Such are the benefits that accrue from following the Middle Path. The Buddha continued to explain: "The Middle Path understood penetratingly by Tathagata produces vision, produces knowledge."

HOW VISION AND KNOWLEDGE ARE DEVELOPED

Whoever practises the Middle Path, the Noble Eightfold Path, in him vision is produced, knowledge is produced. Here vision

and knowledge connote the same meaning. Dhamma is seen so clearly as if by eyesight, hence vision.

Vision and knowledge cannot arise through indulgence in sensuous pleasure nor through self-torture. They appear only by following the Eightfoid Path. Development of vision and knowledge is very important. In the teaching of the Buddha, meditation is practised for the purpose of developing the Eightfold Path.

When the Eightfold Path is developed, the true nature of matter and mind is clearly discemed as if seen by the eyes. The arising and vanishing of matter and mind is also discemed truly as they occur. The impermanent, suffering and unsubstantial nature of all material and mental phenomena also becomes very clear, not through reading nor listening to the teacher but intuitively by selfexperiencing it. Finally the nature of Nibbana, namely, quiescence of all physical and mental formations, cessation of suffering in the rounds of existence will be clearly seen and fully realized as one’ S OWN experience.

It is important to scrutinize whether such personal realization has been attained.

HOW VISION AND KNOWLEDGE APPEAR STEP BY STEP

To the yogis, engaged in Vipassana Meditation which takes note of Rupa and Nama at the time of each arising and vanishing, appearance of vision and knowledge 1s very clear and vivid. At the beginning of meditation, although the yogi takes note of nsing and falling of abdomen, sitting, touching, seeing, hearing everytime each phenomenon occurs, no extraordinary knowledgé is gained, as his power of concentration is not established yet.

After the lapse of afew days, the mind becomes tranquilized and power of concentration grows. The mind practically stops wandering forth to other sensual objects. It remains rivetted on the chosen object of meditation, namely rupa and nama as they anise. At that time the distinction between rupa, the object of awareness and nama, the mental quality that takes note of it, becomes very

pronounced.

At the start of the meditation exercise, the yogi can hardly distinguish between the physical phenomenon of rising and falling of abdomen and the mental act of noting the phenomenon. He remains under the impression that these separate phenomena are one and the same. As the power of concentration increases, rupa, the object of awareness becomes automatically differentiated with every note-taking, from nama that take note of it. They appear separately, unmixed.

The knowledge arises then that this’ body is made up of only the rupa and nama; there is no live entity in it, only the two elements of material object and the knowing mind existing together. This knowledge appears not through imagination, but as if it is presented on the palm of the hand; hence it is described also as vision, i.e. as if seen by the eyes.

As the samadhim, the power of concentration increases understanding arises that there is seemg because there is eye and sight (object) to be seen; there is hearing because there is ear and sound, bending because of the desire to bend, stretching because o! the desire to stretch, movement because of the desire to move: there is liking because of ignorance about the reality (not knowing what reality is), there is craving, attachment because of liking; and craving motivates action which in tum gives rise to beneficial or baneful results.

Then as samadhi continues to grow, it is vividly seen that the object of awareness and the act of noting it arise and vanish, arise and vanish as if under one's own eyes. Thus the yogi will come to know very clearly himself that nothing is permanent, everything is unsatisfactory, suffering and that there is only ungoverable, uncontrollable phenomena without any. individual or ego entity

When he has fully developed this anicca, dukkha, anatta nama, knowledge about impermanent, suffenng, insubstantial nature of things, he will realize Nibbana, the cessation of all sankharas of rupa and nama, all suffering, through the knowledge of the Ariyapatha- the Ariya Magga Nana, which constitutes the higher vision, higher knowledge.

Thus the yogi who keeps note constantly of the rupa and nama as they arise in accordance with the Satipatthana Sutta, becomes personally convinced that the Eightfold Path produces vision and knowledge as stated in the discourse.

It is clear that such direct personal experience of truth (about anicca, dukkha, anatta) which constitutes higher knowledge cannot be gained just by leaming the Abhidhamma texts and pondering over its contents. No higher knowledge will arise by mere reflection on the text. In time, when reflective contemplation 1s neglected, even the texts will go out of memory, because it is oaly superficial knowledge gained through exercise of intellect, not through personal realization.

KNOWLEDGE DEEPENS THROUGH PRACTICE

If the Path is practised to gain direct personal experience, it is usual that knowledge deepens as time goes on. Once Venerable Ananda paid a visit to the monastery of the Bhikkhunis, who recounted to him that the Bhikkhunis of the monastery dwelt practising the four Satipatthanas and that their knowledge of Dhamma deepened with the passing of time. Ananda agreed and said, "It is usually so."

When afterwards, Ananda reported this account tothe Blessed One, the Blessed One said, "Truly so, Ananda, if any Bhikkhu or Bhikkhuni dwelt in the practice of the four Satipatthanas, it could be definitely believed that they would come to know more deeply and more of the Noble Truths than they had before.”

THE COMMENTARY EXPLANATION

The Commentary explained that the knowledge gained at first was concemed with the discemment of the four Great Elements of Matter, whereas the later enchanced knowledge arose out of discemment of the derived elements. (upada rupa)

Similarly knowledge about all the matreial elements (rupa) is followed by the contemplation and discemment of Mental Elements

(nama). Likewise knowledge about rupa and ndma is follwoed by discemment about their cause.

Knowledge about the cause, which gives rise to rupa and nama is followed by discernment of the three characteristics of their impermanence, suffering and insubstantiality.

Thus the knowledge which arises first leads on to the Noble super-knowledge later on. In the practice of Kayanupassana according to the Sotapanna Sutta, one begins with noting material forms while in the process of going, standing, sitting, lying, bending, stretching moving etc. This amounts to taking note of the characteristics of the wind element (Vayo)- namely, its quality of pushing, stretching and moving. Only after thoroughly understanding the nature of the great elements, can one discem the workings of the derived elements such as eyes, sight, ear, sound, by noting seeing, hearing etc. Having mastered the nature of all the material forms, attention is next given to the arisings of mind and mental formations. In this way, superior knowledge appears step by step in consequential order.

STARTING FROM ANY STEP ACCORDING TO THE

DEFINITIONS OF THE TEXTS

Having leamt the definition and descriptions of rupa, nama etc. from the Abhidhamma texts, one can start from the derived elements (updda) instead of from the great fundamental elements. It is possible too to begin with nama before investigating rupa. Putting aside rupa and ndma, one can start considering Causes and Effects according to the Law of Dependent Ongination or Contemplating the phenomena of arising and vanishing; or the three characteristics of Impermanence, suffering and insubstantuality.

Some say that it is a slow process to begin with the knowledge of differentiation between nama and rupa (ndmarupa pariccheda nana). It would be much quicker to begin with the awareness of constant arising and vanishing of ndma and rupa (udayabbhaya ndéna), and bhanga nana. They even say they prefer

the quicker method.

scmptiors from the texts and beginning to contemplate about them, starting from wherever one desires, will not give rise to true vipassana Insight. Consequently the arising of a later knowdedge supenor to the precedent one, in accordance with the Teaching, cannot be experienced this way. Just as a student increases the retentive power of the text he has leamt by rote by repetitive recitation, so also such practice will help only remember the definitions and descnptions of ndma and rupa. No extraordinary insight will result from such practice.

It has come to our knowledge that at a well-known meditation centre, attempt was made to go through the whole senes of various stages of knowledge development, just by following the stages step by step as they have leamt from the texts. After reaching the stage of sankharupekkha-nana (knowledge acquired by reflecting upon the formations of existence) difficulty was encountered when they come to Anuloma and gotrabhu magga phala- nana stages. So they had to go back nght to the beginning. This is an instance to show that vipassana Insight cannot be realized through short cuts.

By practising meditation in accordance with Satipttahana sutta and developing the Middle Path or Eightfold Path, one is bound to experience deeper superior knowledge after each precedent knowledge as stated in the Dhammacakka sutta: Vision arose, knowledge arose.

THE KILESAS ARE CALMED

The Middle Path also leads to calm, the tranquilization of kilesas. In a person who develops the Eightfold Path, the kilesas remain tranquilized. Vipassana Magga produces momentary calmness while the Ariya Magga brings about a complete anuihilation of kilesds.

Indulgence in sensuous pleasures does not at all lead to the cessation of kilesas. It rather helps develop more and more: of them.

Once it is given in to the temptation for enjoyment of sensuous pleasures, craving for repeated gratification results. Coming into Possession of one sense-object leads to desire to possess more and more. One craving develops more and more craving. There is no end to it.

You have only to take the example of the rich people of the developed countries. They have everything they need. Yet they are never satisfied. There is no end to their desires. It is quite obvious, therefore, that practice of sensuous indulgence does not promote cessation of kilesds. It only causes their multiplication.

Self-mortification practices also do not tend to termination of kilesas. The practitioners of this method may hold the belief that exposures to extreme cold, extreme heat, and strict fasting tend to remove the kilesds. As a matter of fact, it is one's lowered vitality, as a result of extreme practices, that keep the kilesds in check temporarily. During serious illness or suffering from painful diseases, when the physical strength is at a low ebb, kilesds remain dormant. But once the normal health and strength is regained, after the illness, desires for sensual gratification make their appearance as usual.

Thus after coming out of the practice of self-mortification, or stopping the practice for some time, when vitality returns, ki/esds also return as before. Even while self-mortification is: being practised, although gross ki/iesds remain suppressed, fine, subtle kilesas contimue to arise, there will arise desire for comfortable living free from discomforts and pains of the practice. There is bound to arise too kilesds of the wrong view of self- "I am doing the practice." The wrong view of conceit - "No one can do such practice;" the wrong belief in practice - "that it will lead to liberation."

Wrong Belief in_the Practice

SILABBATAPARAMASA DITTHI

Holding a wrong practice as a right practice is called "Silabbataparamasa", wrong belief in the practice. According to the teaching of the Buddha, apart from the Noble Eightfold Path, which