Visible Here and Now

CALLING TO COME AND SEE: THE DHAMMA OF AN INSTANT

Today I would like to bring to you the truth, as I have heard it from the elders, who passed this truth on from generation to generation. It may be that you've heard it; it may be that you haven't. When listening, please set up the mind to listen: listen with sati – samadhi – panna (awareness – steadiness of mind – knowing). Consider these words, and find their actuality at last.

In everything that happens there must be cause and effect. For example, the cause is that we go to work, the effect is that we earn money; the cause is that we go to study; the effect is that we gain knowledge. So the knowledge is the result of the study. Therefore the cause is to be diligent and the effect will be truly useful.

The elders used to teach that the cause is developing sati (awareness), the result is the knowledge that arises. They have said so. Whether or not the Buddha talks in this way, or whether or not your parents and teachers talked in this way, make the experiment, and discover for yourself whether it is true or not. We have to consider and to really know it: the cause is called the developing of sati, the truth is called sacca. Whether or not we know it, it is still there, like something beneath an overturned bowl: we right the bowl, and what was concealed is revealed. Or it is like opening up what was closed. You should try it, and see for yourself whether it is like this or not.

You can sit with legs tucked back to one side, sit with legs outstretched, sit on a chair, or sit in half lotus. Rest your hand on your thigh. Now turn the hand up onto its edge, having awareness of doing it. Turning the hand is the cause; the awareness of doing it is the effect. Turn the hand back down, having awareness of it. The cause is turning the hand down; the effect is the awareness that coincides with the movement. Turn the hand up, being aware of the movement. Turn the hand back down, being aware of the movement in the movement. The cause is turning the hand up and being aware of it and turning the hand down and being aware of it, the effect is that the knowing will accumulate. So when you are doing this, are in the rhythm of it, developing sati, you can say it is the same as the Buddha's Teaching, the same as the elder's teaching. You should develop sati. When you develop sati, panna will arise.

The elders used to tell us that Buddha taught the four satipatthana (the bases of awareness), or the four major postures, which are standing, walking, sitting and lying down. You have sati in these postures, then you have the sati to know other, minor movements. In all minor movements, stretching, bending, and all other movements, have the sati to know it. The effect will be the knowledge that arises.

Some people may say that this accords with the texts; some may say that this does not accord with the texts, but please listen, and try to practice yourself. If it is useful we use it. If it is useless we cast it away. The knowledge that we have learned, we know it already, but the knowledge we have never heard, please try it and find it for yourself.

This is a practice I have done. Sit comfortably, back erect, hands palm-down upon the thighs. Now turn the right hand up onto its edge, being aware of the movement. Then raise the hand straight up to chest height, being aware of the movement. Then bring the hand down to rest on the abdomen, being aware of the movement. Now repeat these three movements with the left hand. Then, having sati in each movement, move the right hand up the chest, then swing it out to above the right leg, then lower it to rest on the thigh, and then turn the hand back down again. And now repeat these four movements with the left hand. This is rhythmic practice. It is called the minor movements.

Humans cannot stay still, so we find some work for the body to do and then use the sati to be with the movement. You can call it sati or you can call it samadhi. The feeling is called sati, samadhi is setting up the mind. When you do it, have awareness of it. If you don't set up the mind, then you will not know. When you blink you know it.

We've blinked since our birth from our mother's womb, but we don't know it. When we look to the left or look to the right, we don't know it. We don't have sati-samadhi. We have only the usual sati-samadhi but we don't set up the mind to know it. If we set up the mind to know it, the sati will be newly built sati. Samadhi is setting up the mind. We've breathed since we were born from our mother's womb, but we don't know it. Now we set up the mind, and breathe in and out, then we know it. When thought arises, then we know it. The knowing is caused by the developing of sati.

So I would like all of you to take this teaching and use it. Ordained, all right; not ordained, all right; believe any religion, all right; wear any uniform, all right; keep the precepts, all right; don't keep the precepts, all right; give a lot of charity, all right; don't give any charity at all, all right. If you don't develop sati then you will not know, even though you make merit, keep the precepts or practice a lot of calmness meditation. The knowing will arise because of the developing of sati.

When we have more and more awareness, then the unawareness, which is moha, or delusion, will fade away. When we have more and more sati, more and more samadhi, panna will arise. This is called panna-parami ("the perfection of wisdom"). I do not talk according to the texts: panna is already there; parami means the readiness to know, if we practice in the right way. If we practice in the wrong way, then we will not know.

Now if we know we know the real thing, not knowing outside ourself. We know within ourself. We know ourself. Sitting here we know ourself to be roop-nahm (body–mind). Turning the hand up is roop-nahm, turning the hand down is roop-nahm, continuing turning the hand up and down is roop-nahm. This is knowing roop-nahm.

Then we know the action of roop-nahm. When roop acts, nahm acts simultaneously. When roop-nahm acts we know it. We know it because of the developing of sati. Panna arises because of the developing of sati.

We know roop-disease –nahm-disease. This born roop has disease, like headache, stomachache, fever, and so on. Another kind of roop-disease –nahm-disease: thought is nahm, but when it thinks it is the roop. When some people talk and that makes us satisfied or dissatisfied, our mind has disease. Really know this thing. The developing of sati is cause; the arising of panna is effect.

After knowing roop-nahm, we come to know dukkham – aniccam – anatta (suffering – impermanence – not self). People have taught that dukkham – aniccam – anatta is white hair, wrinkled skin, broken teeth. That is true, but not true according to the developing of sati. The developing of sati will cause panna to arise; that turning the hand up is dukkham, lowering it is dukkham. Dukkham is with the roop. Roop is a kind of lump-of-dukkha. Dukkham is unbearable. Aniccam is unstable. Anatta is uncontrollable. It is like that all the time. If we know it, it is like that. If we don't know it, it is also like that.

So Dhamma, which makes a person become a Buddha, is there before the Buddha. Dhamma exists in everybody. It depends on the "owner" of each body to make this knowing happen. If we are able to know it, then we will know it. It is like the overturned bowl: whether it is overturned or set aright is up to us.

Now we come to know sammuti (supposition). Know all kinds of sammuti completely. We know that money is just a kind of metal, just a kind of paper, but we conventionalize it. Woman and man are sammuti as well. When we don't know it, we suppose it to be woman and suppose it to be man. But if we don't suppose it, then we don't know them. Ordination and disrobing, monk and novice, all are sammuti: just take a piece of cloth to wear. The knowing is sati – samadhi – panna and sacca is truth. If it is true by sammuti we know it. If it is true by sammuti, we know it. If it is true by paramattha (direct contact by the mind), we know it.

Ghosts and deities are all sammuti. Have we ever seen them? A ghost is a person who acts, speaks or thinks evil. The body doesn't do anything: it is roop, like a doll. The thing that moves is the mind. Deities are the same, we suppose them. When we don't really know sammuti, we don't know. We really don't know. I can guarantee that we don't know. I myself didn't know. But others may have, I don't know.

I have done many kinds of meditation, like "Buddho", "samma-araham", counting breaths, the rise and fall of the abdomen, and sitting and observing the breath, but I really didn't know, the knowing didn't come, didn't arise. It led to calmness and attachment to calmness. So calmness, or samatha-kammatthana (the working-ground for tranquility), is like putting a rock on top of weeds. When we take the rock off, the weeds will grow better than before, because the soil has been kept moist. Vipassana means clear insight, a complete uprooting. This is the real knowing. Anyone that does it will know it. Anyone that was born as a human being can do it, regardless of race, language or religion. But we have to understand the correct method.

Also we know sasana ("religion"). Sasana doesn't mean temples. The temple is just the supposed sasana. This is called sammuti-pannatti (convention of supposing). Paramattha is the real thing, which exists in humans. Everyone is sasana. They say that sasana is teaching, they teach and the ear hears, then sati – samadhi – panna considers it, and becomes knowing. Really know that, "Oh, everyone is sasana." To destroy sasana doesn't mean to destroy temples or Buddha-images or Bodhi-trees. To destroy sasana means to say bad things to people, to hit people, to kill people, which is great evil. So sasana is humanity. To curse someone is to curse sasana, to injure someone is to injure sasana: that is what evil is.

Now Buddhasasana ("Buddhism"). Buddha means one that knows. The body is like a doll. Sati – samadhi – panna is the knowing. So Buddha means sati – samadhi – panna, or the mind that is clean, illuminated and calm, which exists in everybody without exception.

Now we talk about papa ("sin"). Papa is not knowing, darkness, stupidity. We fear papa, but why don't we make ourself realize, so that we will be free of that fear. Punna ("merit") is knowing clearly. People, when they come too close to monks, they fear papa. It is as if monks are the papa itself. That is just sammuti. Now we don't have to fear papa. If we cannot conquer papa then we will have no chance and no time to conquer it. Don't fear papa, but try to conquer papa. This doesn't concern making merit, keeping precepts, or Vinaya (the code monastic discipline). The developing of sati is Dhamma, is Vinaya, is sila (normality), and is everything. We know all this because we develop sati.

If we do not develop sati, but just study, that is only to memorize, not to see clearly or to see really. The developing of sati is to know clearly, to know really. When one knows, one can assure oneself and others. Anyone that does it will know it, because everyone knows the same thing. The knowledge is the shared object of developing sati. The result of developing sati can end dukkha: we don't attach to sammuti, we will not fear ghosts, we will not fear deities. We don't attach to any sammuti at all, because anything that does not exist we don't have to fear. Ghosts and deities have no real existence, just sammuti. A ghost is somebody who speaks, thinks or does evil. A deity is one that speaks good, thinks good or does good. We know how to be human. Ghosts arise in people while they speak, think or do evil. When anger arises, and we can stop anger, that is human. When we can make our mind calm and clean all the time, that is deity, a mind worthy of respect. When we know like this, we can break through.

So vipassana has this object: the six sense-bases, eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind, the five aggregates – that is from the texts – the twelve bases, the eighteen elements, the twenty-two faculties, the four noble truths, and the twelve paticcasamuppada (dependent co-arising). We learn from the texts, we study it, but we don't know it. We just know from memory. When we come to develop sati the knowing will arise, that is the real thing.

When we use sati to watch thought, whenever thought arises we know it, because when we move we have sati. Thought has no real self. When thought arises we have sati and know it, like a cat watching a rat. When the rat emerges the cat catches it immediately. This is the same. When we have sati in each movement, when thought arises we know it, see it and understand it. This means that we can untie it and conquer it. The elders said that to conquer others one hundred or one thousand times has not the benefit of conquering oneself just one time. To conquer oneself is to conquer thought. When thought arises we see it and know it. Then it cannot proliferate. Whenever thought arises we know it. When we develop more and more sati there will arise nana-panna (knowledge arising from full awareness-knowing), to know clearly, to know really.

Vatthu (thingness) means everything in the world and in ourself, we have to know it all. Paramattha means everything that exists in the world and in ourself, seeing it, having it, being it, right now in front of us, touchable with the mind, we have to know it all. Akara means that everything in the world and in us can change. When we clearly comprehend it, then we see, know, understand and touch dosa – moha – lobha (anger – delusion – greed), because it is vatthu – paramattha – akara. After knowing this the mind will be very cheerful, and can see vedana – sanna – sankhara – vinnana (feeling – percept – conceiving – knowingness) not being dukkha. The real phra (noble) inheres in this.

Phra doesn't mean you shave your head, but means the quality of the mind. Paramattha means the real thing. The real phra is in everybody without exception. In this way of developing sati, the feeling of the movement is the cause, the effect is knowing all this. Phra means teacher, one that teaches. When they know this and teach this, there is no dukkha. A real phra knows sammuti-pannatti, paramattha-pannatti, attha-pannatti and ariya-pannatti (the four levels of designation). The mind has changed and we will really know this. If we know other things it is not correct.

We continue the practice. There will arise piti (rapture). We feel comfortable, the mind is light, it is like in darkness there arises the light or the dirty becomes clean again. Or like black and white, or the heavy becoming light. The mind changes from one stage to another. When the knowing arises the not-knowing disappears immediately. When the quality of the real phra arises the quality of not being a phra disappears immediately. When the quality of being deity arises the quality of being ghost disappears immediately. When the quality of being human arises the quality of being other disappears immediately. It arises and substitutes for the other. This is called to be born here and die here. Not being born from the womb of the mother and dying physically, that is another thing. That is also the supposing of dukkham – aniccam – anatta.

Continue the practice. It will be like a pot of water, which has filled to the brim, is now having water removed. When the knowing arises sati will be reduced, not full like the previous stage. In the practice our awareness is full, but when the knowing arises it will attach to the knowing, it will attach to the object. When the object arises we have confidence, and it enters into our memory in the brain and is never forgotten then on. I have known this since I was forty-six, but I haven't forgotten even a little. I know roop-nahm in the morning and know the changing of the mind in the evening. I really know this, and I have the confidence to guarantee that it is the Teaching of the Buddha. The Buddha taught this thing. Making merit, giving charity, keeping precept, that is good in one way, but learning from the texts we do not really know how to practice developing sati, how to deal with mind.

A person who doesn't know teaches a person who doesn't know. The result is not-knowing. One that knows teaches, the result is knowing, because everybody has it, each can become the real phra, a noble individual. Woman, man, child, if they know it they become the real phra, a noble individual. Therefore the phra is a kind of blessing, because she or he teaches people to know. Blessing means noble. The noble knowledge is called giving Dhamma as charity, or giving knowledge as charity. This is the path of the real noble individual.

When we develop sati, and know the movements more and more, nana-panna will occur. When nana (insight knowledge) arises you will really know, you don't have to remember from the texts. You will know kilesa – tanha – upadana – kamma (stickiness – heaviness – attachment – action). Seeing clearly, seeing really, kilesa – tanha – upadana – kamma will reduce or fade away. When we know this point, we don't have to believe anybody. The one that sees it owns it. Suppose that the Buddha comes and tells you that this practice is not correct, you will also not believe him, because it is real. When nana-panna arises you have real confidence.

When you know this point, piti will arise again. When I knew this point during my practice, I went to sleep. After getting up, I started walking back and forth. The cause is walking back and forth, the effect is that the knowing arises again. I walk back and forth and have the knowing. At that time there is a centipede running across my path. The centipede is cause, the effect is that I see the centipede. I light a candle and try to find the centipede. When I cannot find it, I bring the candle back, and then begin to walk back and forth again. Walking back and forth is cause, the effect is knowing sila, silakkhandha – samadhikkhandha – pannakhanda (all that belongs to normality – setting up the mind – knowing). The knowing arises that khandha means vessel, container, to contain, to fight it. You can fight everything. It is like when the container is good and you go to get water, you can have that water to drink. But if the container is broken, when you go to get the water, you cannot get it.

In the texts they call this adhisilasikkha, adhicittasikkha and adhipannasikkha (the training in the higher morality, higher mind and higher wisdom). We can compare them, the texts and the experience. This is called sila has arisen; therefore sila is the tool to get rid of the crude kilesa. Sila is already there in us. So this kind of sila doesn't concern keeping precepts, but only concerns the development of sati. When we practice this kind of developing sati its result will happen in this way. When we know this point, we will understand that sila can really get rid of the crude kilesa. When the crude kilesa is removed, sila will occur. It is like when we plant fruit trees, banana, coconut or palm, the shoots are already there, but to see them we have to wait until they come up. When we see them, that is the result.

Please work diligently and devotedly at developing sati. Whatever people may say, we don't have to pay attention to it. Even though you make merit and give a lot of charity, you will never know this experience. Even though you study a lot, you'll also never know. They do not concern this thing. This can really untie dukkha. When we can cure dukkha, wherever we are we are comfortable. If we are parents, teachers, children, police, soldiers, monks, novices, or whoever, we will be comfortable, because dosa – moha – lobha disappears, the attachment disappears. But we have to go over this object again and again, so as not to forget. But when you really see it you will never forget it. I have seen it, and I have never forgotten it.

Now we come to know samatha (concentration-calmness) or doing calmness. There are two kinds of calmness. Samatha calmness is the calmness of not-knowing. So samatha meditation is only a device to keep the mind calm. Vipassana (liberating insight) means to see clearly, to know really. It is also calmness, but a different kind of calmness. Developing sati, the calmness will arise by itself because it is already there. The arising calmness is the unattachment, not having dosa – moha – lobha.

When people say anything to us, sati will come immediately. It is like having only one chair but there are two people who are running to sit on it. When sati arises sati will sit there: dosa – moha – lobha cannot come because sati – samadhi – panna is already there. It is full. The fullness is already there. The voidness is also already there. It is like an empty glass, which has air inside it but we cannot see the air. When we pour water into it, water will substitute for the air, all of the air. The matter of sati is the same thing. I can really assure you. Suppose there is somebody who says bad things to us. Sati will come, and we can see it clearly. Parents teach us that if there is somebody cursing us or saying bad things to us, we should be patient and not get angry. But we cannot stay still because we don't see it. When there is nobody to say bad things to us, we are already comfortable, because the comfortable is already there. It depends on what we suppose to be the owner of each body to practice and make it occur. When we practice, the clear knowing and the real seeing will occur. I can assure everybody. If somebody does not develop sati and does not make this thing occur, that person doesn't have it, but it is already there. So we should respect each other.

After knowing sila we will know kama (sensuality). Kama means those things that make calmness. Kama is attachment. This is called kama-arammana (the object of sensual enjoyment). It is called kamasava, under the control of kama; bhavasava, under the control of bhava (being) or dukkha: this is bhava and jati (birth); avijjasava: avijja is not knowing. Now we come to know kama, which is deities, rich people, people with authority. They attach to reputation, money, honor, these people who have kama, but I do not blame anybody, I just teach directly. You can bring it into practice, or you might not bring it into practice, it depends on you. When we know kama we see that kama is dukkha, kamasava is dukkha, bhavasava is dukkha, avijjasava is dukkha, because of not-knowing. We also know samatha meditation. People may talk in any manner; we really know the matter of calmness. We know all the stages of it, because it is already in us. We right the overturned bowl, we open up what is covered over, that is to teach the method of practice, the method of arm-movements, the method of turning the hand.

This is one form of the most intensive practice. I have not taught this according to the texts. It may or may not contradict the texts, but I will talk in this way, because doing this way then you know this way. If you study from the texts, when asked about the truth, you don't know. Many of my teachers didn't know. The arm-movement is cause; its result is panna arising. Cause and effect go together.

After knowing this, we know about punna and papa. For any bad bodily action, we know how it is papa-kamma (harmful, benighted action), and, if there is really a hell, into which level we shall fall. For any bad verbal action, we know how it is papa-kamma, and, if there really is a hell, into which level we shall fall. For any bad mental action, we know how it is papa-kamma, and, if there really is a hell, into which level we shall fall. For any bad bodily, verbal and mental actions together, we know how they are papa-kamma, and, if there really is a hell, into which level we shall fall.

For any good bodily action, we know how it is punna-kamma (beneficial wise action), and if there really is a heaven or nibbana, to which level we shall go. For any good verbal action, we know how it is punna-kamma, and if there really is a heaven or nibbana, to which level we shall go. For any good mental action, we know how it is punna-kamma and if there really is a heaven or nibbana, to which level we shall go. For any good bodily, verbal and mental actions together, we know how they are punna-kamma, and if there really is a heaven or nibbana, to which level we shall go.

The shaking of the knowing element is already there in everybody. The developing of sati can apply to everybody. If you don't believe it, just try it. I can guarantee that it will not take longer than three years and you will really know. It is like the fat, fertile grain that we plant in the field. If we practice incorrectly, it is like the empty husk. If you dig the ground, but not in the right place, then you cannot get water. If you dig into the ground in the right place, then you can really get the water. This kind of practice, if you do it correctly you will really get the result. If you do it incorrectly, you will not get the fruit.

When the occurrence happens we know about four elements, earth, water, fire and wind, they come together. When we know this, the occurrence arises. We know the end of dukkha. The end of dukkha is here; it will demolish all and everything. On this thing I do not believe anybody. When we come to the end we will have nana.

Sila is the tool to get rid of crude kilesa. When the crude kilesa comes to an end, sila occurs. Samadhi is the tool to get rid of the median kilesa. When we know the median kilesa, then we know samadhi. Panna is the tool to get rid of the subtle kilesa. When the subtle kilesa is discarded, panna then arises. That arising panna is called nana-panna. Because it is inside us, we know it. If it is not there inside us, then we don't know it. I can assure you that everyone without exception can know it. Women, men, believers of any religion. When I was practicing this method I was not a monk. Sometimes I wore shorts, sometimes I wore trousers. After knowing this Dhamma, I taught brothers, parents, aunts and uncles for three years. They knew, but they knew little, but still they knew the real phra, knew the supposed phra, knew sammuti-pannatti, paramattha-pannatti, attha-pannatti, and ariya-pannatti. The mind changes from commoner to noble individual.

They say that nibbana is tadangapahana (abandoning by substitution of opposites), vikkhambhanapahana (abandoning by suppression), samucchedapahana (abandoning by destruction). Tadangapahana is to come to know oneself thoroughly. There are four levels of knowledge. First, we know until the end of dukkha, but we know only a short time, it doesn't last long. Second, we know longer, like the light of a bigger lamp. Third, we know even longer, like the light of even bigger lamp. And fourth, when we know, we know the end of dukkha, but after we know it is there all the time. It is like the full flame of the lamp, or the light of the sun, the very brightest light.

There are four kinds of nana. We have to really know it. This is learning and practice. Learning means moving the arms. Practice means turning the hand up and down. After learning and practicing this method, the fruit will come, and we will have no doubt, because we know all. We also know the end of dukkha.

Paticcasamuppada (dependent co-arising) is just words. If we want it in our practice we have to come to the cause that is to practice movement until panna arises. When panna arises, when we talk about paticcasamuppada we know it immediately.

So now we come to the conclusion. We practice developing sati, and we come to see thought, we come to see the mind. We do the practice like a boxer: once in the ring, the boxer must box. We do it often, step by step. We do it like a ball in a field. When people do not stop kicking the ball, the ball must continue to roll. When they stop kicking it, the ball comes to rest by itself: it doesn't have to fight nor to escape. We come out of thought, come out of the cave, and we live in the brightness. We see our life–mind at all times. When the mind moves we know it, satipanna (awareness-knowing) is there immediately, like a barrier against all harm. And though the world of others be turbulent and heated, with us the whole world is at peace. Be that way.