The Ovadapatimokkha (Part 2)

You haven’t yet developed the Dhamma or satipaññā to be effective enough to destroy the kilesas. For this reason, the kilesas can still infiltrate your investigation. Though you might try to investigate this body to see it as asubha, or repulsive, as aniccaṁ, dukkhaṁ and anattā, the kilesas can still prevent you from seeing it as such. All you can see is a human being, I, and mine. You see this heap of filthiness or paṭikkūla, this living cemetery as a living person, attractive, and delightful. This is how you see this body, every piece, every organ. This is how you contradict the Dhamma and are beguiled by the kilesas. It’s, therefore, absolutely vital to develop satipaññā to direct your investigation. You have to investigate over and over again until you see the truth. You have to see the truth of kesā, lomā, nakhā, dantā and taco. When you truly see it, you’ll be overcome by your disillusion. This has happened to me. When I got to see it clearly, I was so deeply moved by it that tears started rolling down my cheeks. I couldn’t help thinking: ‘Why? Why? Why didn’t I see this body like this before? I have been investigating this body from the first day of my going forth, for the purpose of seeing the truth of this body following the teaching of the Lord Buddha. But why didn’t I see this before, and why today? It’s as if this body just appeared today although it has always been with me for all these years. But why didn’t I get to see it until today?’

I was really impressed by this realization. Whenever I looked at any particular part of the body, paññā would spread over me like ink spreading over blotting paper. This is how paññā will probe, then the truth will appear, and I became profoundly moved. Paññā examines every aspect and every organ of the body, both the top and the bottom part, as they are all the same, impermanent and repulsive. So, how could I not be impressed? When I visualized the body gradually decomposing, I could see this very clearly. It gradually decomposes and dissolves. What will it look like when it’s dead? I had to keep on visualizing until the body began to decompose and dissolve, leaving behind just the skeleton. I became more impressed whilst the citta became very light, as if it was about to fly. During the time that I was investigating, my heart became deeply moved. That’s the way you’ll see the body. I saw it that way.

But you won’t see the body the same way every time you investigate it. You’ll see it differently each time. But it’s still definitely seeing the truth of the body. You also won’t be moved with the same intensity, because each realization differs from one another. The emotional impact, therefore, has to differ accordingly, depending on the nature of your investigation. This is the way you should investigate with paññā. You have to keep a tight rein on your investigation, not allowing it to stray from your object of investigation. You can investigate the body as a body internally, externally, and both internally and externally. For example, you can investigate any particular part of the body, such as head-hair, body-hair, nail, teeth, or skin. This is contemplating the body as a body. You can investigate another person’s body, and then compare it with your body. The Lord Buddha had clearly elucidated in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta or the discourse on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, that you should investigate both the internal and the external body for the removal of the kilesas, taṇhā, āsava, avijjā and upādāna. This is the task of the bhikkhu. This is how you should investigate.

You shouldn’t be concerned or worried about anything. Just think that you’re alone with a heap of bones that you carry wherever you go, whether you’re walking, sitting, sleeping, or discharging excrement. You’re entirely consumed by your concern and worry for this body, because it’s its nature to do so. The more you become attached to it, considering it to be I and mine, the more heavy will your worry become to the point where you’ll not be able to put forth your exertion. Whatever you do, you’ll become very tired and weary, weak and exhausted, devoid of any mental strength. This is how to lose to the kilesas. To become enlightened, the Lord Buddha and the sāvakas had to traverse the road of the four noble truths, the road of dukkha and samudaya. Let’s face it, dukkha is dukkha. Wherever dukkha appears, that’s where you have to probe. You have to examine this dukkha and the object that is undergoing dukkha. Separate them apart to see their true nature, because according to the natural principle, dukkha-vedanā is a mental phenomenon. It isn’t the flesh, the body, or the skin, the body-hair, the head-hair, the nails, or the teeth, which are physical phenomena.

Even when dukkha is completely engulfing the body, the body doesn’t know that it’s being afflicted with dukkha. It doesn’t know anything. The dukkha that appears also doesn’t know dukkha or any particular part of the body. None of them know anything. They merely appear because it’s their nature to do so. You should investigate with paññā to see them as they are, then you’ll be able to tell them apart. You should look at dukkha until you realize its true nature. What gives rise to this dukkha, and where does this dukkha appear? You should examine with paññā the object that’s being afflicted with dukkha. You must not retreat, but must really concentrate on your investigation of the bones that are being afflicted with dukkha, and are about to burst apart with you feeling a lot of pain. What is really being afflicted with dukkha? Is the bone really being afflicted with dukkha? In a dead person, is there any dukkha? When the bones are being burnt, do they show any signs of pain, show any signs of anxiety, or show any signs that they are being afflicted with dukkha? Of course not!

The skin, flesh and bones are similar in nature and don’t know what they are. It’s the citta that interprets and defines them and then becomes deluded with its own interpretation and definition, by thinking that they’re dukkha, that they’re me and mine. Once dukkha and the body become entwined, the citta will be duped into shouldering a lot of dukkha. If you investigate with paññā, you’ll see very clearly that dukkha is just a phenomenon or sabhāva-dhamma, and the body is also a phenomenon. All of your interpretations and definitions are the work of saññā that’s being manipulated by the kilesas that use saññā to conjure up the notions that this or that object is afflicted with dukkha, that they are this and that. You have to keep on investigating. Is the citta dukkha? Are they the same thing?

You must now separate the citta from dukkha. The citta merely knows. It’s not dukkha. Dukkha is just dukkha. Bones are just bones. Dukkha is real, so is the citta, the one who knows dukkha. After you’ve analyzed up until the point of seeing the truth clearly, then the dukkha and the citta will separate. Then the dukkha won’t be magnified and get out of hand. No matter how painful the body might be, it won’t afflict the citta, because the citta now thoroughly understands the nature of dukkha, the nature of the body, and the nature of the citta itself, due to the investigative power of paññā that enables the citta to see them as they are. You can now live in peace and in comfort. This is the way when one investigates with paññā.

When you get into a crisis, paññā will step in. You can’t remain ignorant and helpless. When you’re up against the wall, you’ll have to rely on yourself to develop satipaññā to get you to safety. This has already happened to me. I’m telling you this from my own experience and not from speculation. I said to myself: “You’re not forever ignorant or stupid. When you’re in a crisis, you can become wise and smart, because you’ll be forced to develop paññā to deal with the crisis, like when you’re driven into a corner by dukkha.” Every part of my body seemed to burst apart. That was how severe the dukkha was. But I kept on investigating with satipaññā until I understood the nature of dukkha, the nature of the body, and the nature of the citta. Then the dukkha wouldn’t intensify. Even if it does, like when you’re about to die, it would merely be the dukkha of the body. The citta wouldn’t be affected in anyway; it would remain calm and collected. You’ll see this very clearly.

So how can you have any qualms about dukkha or death. Because dukkha, death and the citta—the one who knows sukha and dukkha— are all real. Paññā is also real, they all are real, so they won’t disturb each another. At the time of death when the dukkha becomes very severe and you can’t stand it anymore, then you should just let it happen. You’ve been investigating birth, ageing, illness, and death from the very first day of your practice. So when death beckons, you shouldn’t run away from it if you practice for enlightenment. After you’ve become enlightened, you won’t become deluded again. What could you be deluded about, when they’re all real? You wouldn’t be bold or fearful either. What is there to be bold about? What is there to fear? They are all sammati or conventional reality. But if you’re not enlightened, you’ll still be fearful and bold. When it’s time for you to be bold, you’ll be bold, for this is the nature of paññā or magga, to be fearless in facing up to dukkha-vedanā or pain. You’ll keep on fighting relentlessly until you die. When you traverse the path for the cessation of dukkha, you have to be bold. But after you’ve achieved your goal, after you’ve become enlightened then there won’t be any fear or boldness left, because you’ve arrived at the realm of normality, where everything is perfect, peaceful and natural, and where nothing can cause it to increase or decrease, because it’s the absolute reality.

This is the way of investigating with paññā. You have to be resourceful, and versatile. It will be helpful if you can come up with different techniques every now and then. When you continually investigate, satipaññā will be very powerful, and you’ll be able to probe the entire body, as well as the entire world of saṁsāra. You’ll investigate everything, internally and the externally until you become enlightened. Then you’ll become a Lokavidū, a knower of the world, one who has truly realized his true nature, as well as the true nature of the world, the true nature of saṁsāra, and the true nature of sammati. What then is there to be deluded about? Such is the power of paññā. You should therefore vigorously develop this enterprising paññā, and must not remain complacent. You’re now living in a secluded and quiet environment. I have tried my best to provide you with as much time as possible for your practice, so that you can concentrate your sati, paññā, saddhā and viriya on rescuing the heart, which is constantly calling for help, from all the oppressive kilesas.

Whether you’re standing, sitting, walking, or lying down, your hearts are constantly being oppressed and subjugated by the kilesas. You must, therefore, help your hearts with your viriya, sati, paññā and saddhā, in acquiring freedom, or at least to alleviate some of your dukkha. To alleviate dukkha, you have to curtail samudaya, the creator of dukkha. If samudaya is not curtailed, then your dukkha won’t be alleviated. Therefore, samudaya is the chief culprit. In the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta or the First Discourse, the Lord Buddha pointed out the three aspects of samudaya namely, craving for sensuality, craving for becoming, and craving for not-becoming. They are in your hearts and not in the scriptures. The real craving for sensuality or kāma-taṇhā is not in the scriptures, but in your hearts. The scriptures just list the names of kāma-taṇhā, the kilesas and the Dhamma. You have to rely on the Dhamma to guide you in your practice because it’s the only correct way. You should first study and commit them to memory, and then apply them in your practice of mental development.

You have to strive and exert yourselves to the utmost at all times, day and night. If you’re not engaged in any physical activity, and your body becomes very lethargic, then you should do a lot of walking meditation to exercise your body. If you do a lot of sitting meditation, it can be very painful to the various parts of your body, and the utilization of your body postures is not in balance. This is not good for your health. You should equally stand, walk, sit, and lie down. After you’ve got out of the sitting position, you should then do walking meditation until you get really tired before changing into another posture. This is the proper way of practicing mental development. It’s also healthy for your body, and makes your body function smoothly. During the three month period of vassa or the rains retreat, you should intensify your practice. Don’t be concerned with anything. Your food and living requisites have been plentifully supplied by the laity. You take up the dhutanga or austere practices in order to consume and receive a small amount to speed up your meditation practice. But you end up getting more than you normally do. Look at the number of times that you have to empty your bowls on your almsround!

That’s the lay devotees’ way of making merit by generously supporting this monastery. But you shouldn’t take the lay supporters for granted or get intimate with them. You should always be intimate with the Dhamma and take the Dhamma as your refuge. As far as being hungry or full, having plenty or not is concerned, this is just the nature of this world that is full of aniccaṁ, dukkhaṁ and anattā. Nothing in this world is certain, but you shouldn’t be concerned. You should consistently concentrate on your practice. This is the correct way. As far as the dhutanga practice of not accepting any food after piṇḍapāta or almsround is concerned, I have practiced this ever since I began my teaching career to serve as an example for my students to follow. You should really exert yourselves. Don’t waste your time wondering about other people’s business. You should only look at your heart that is constantly craving and producing a lot of samudaya. You should take control and discipline your hearts with the various techniques of practice and paññā. It can be tedious if you keep meditating with the same meditation subject. You should try different techniques of satipaññā to turn your citta around. It’s not good when your practice becomes dull. You should use paññā to come up with new initiatives and ideas that will attract your interest. I myself have done this before.

(Ajahn Maha Boowa “Forest Desanas”)