123: Retreat Dhamma Talk 18: Becoming a Skillful Meditator: Five Phases Needed to Accomplish

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SPEAKER_01 0:01

Namo tasabhavato rahato samma sambudasa namo tasa bhagavato rahato sama bau dasa namo dasam bhagavato arahato sama sambu dasa retreat series dhamato number eighteen. We're being talking about everything is based around this Satipatana Vipassana practice, mindfulness inside meditation. And as we are talking about it, it is appropriate to talk about five stages to accomplish, to become a skillful practitioner. We are practicing mindfulness in sight, and it is our objective is to become very skillful. And to become skillful you need to go through five stages. You must accomplish this five stages. Related to that in every aspect from different angles so that you truly understand about it. It is not only how to then, it's about how, when, where, why, what, all these aspects related to this mindfulness and sight. It is discussion and questions and answer. That's a step two. And once you got the step one and step two, still you are in a more of a theoretical basis. Number three is one must start to contemplate. In other words, one must start to practice what you understood. And when you are practicing, it's a stages, two stages going back and forth, back and forth. In other words, contemplation and reflecting, contemplation and reflecting. You are practicing, which means contemplation. And as you are in the earlier stage, what you are contemplating, what you are practicing, you always try to correlate and reflect with the theory that you have learned. Theory that you have learned. And it's a series of contemplation and reflection. In other words, figuring out what you are doing is correct as you have understood. The way you heard, the way you discuss. That's the stage number three. Now you are quite well. Know how to know all aspects of it through discussion. And then even bridge between the theory and practice. And at that point, one must start to construct something. What it is is you can make your own little formula or technique. What you have learned. You can make up a formula so that you can understand. Or you can make up a poem, okay, for those that you have understood in both theory and practice. Or verses. In other words, one must learn in terms of verses or poems or formula. In your own way, construct and put it into memory. In other words, just short little verses that you can remind yourself repeatedly in stages. One can do that way. And in some cases, okay, example is that we are studying Padasamupada. Okay, we're learning about theory and also try to bridge with the practice. And also we are memorizing that verse. Avayja Pychya Sankara Sankara Pycha Vijnana. Automatically those must be back and forth, forth and back, back and forth. You know it, understand it. Put it into memories or put it into by heart based on the existing verses or making up your own salient points into a certain formula or certain technique. By doing so, you become even more deeply understood in your practice. That's number four. And the fifth one is now you have got everything. And then you practice. And here there's no more thinking, no more reflection, no more going back and forth or not reciting anything. Everything is practice, practice, practice, practice repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly. You practice to such an extent, finally you become the master of that observation technique in a full force, all-rounded way. Those are the five stages one needs to go through step by step, in some cases little overlap, so that one can become a skillful practitioner, a skillful meditator. So in here we just had it all in English. The Buddhist gives each one in Pali, they have their own little words and phrases. But if we repeat it here, it is simply just hearing the words that you don't understand. So the first one, okay, one must know how to observe the object that is arising at the present moment. That is how to. And how would you know that? It's by listening, of course. Listening is in Pali word called sutta. Basically, hearing. In the olden days, it is going the repeated hearing. You heard these things taught or lectures from your teachers and teachers and teachers and hand it down, hand it down, hand it down. That is how it started. That's why it's called sutta. You got the theoretical knowledge from listening. Nowadays, of course, you can listen, you can go to lectures, conferences, also you can go to the internet, listen, and also, of course, you can read from the books. Everything is accumulating information of how to practice in an all-rounded way correctly. Which what we are doing for the last 14 days. And while we are talking about how to practice, it also involved what we are practicing, how we are practicing, why we are doing, why we are doing this, when and where, what time is suitable, appropriate, all these things are come in. Everything is suited. And in here, second stages, there will be areas and parts that you are not quite clear about it. And whichever area that you are not clear about that you start discussion, talking, discussion, back and forth, asking questions. And that is the javannot discussion part, questions and answer parts, till you thoroughly understand intellectually or theoretically, you understand every aspect of the part one, which is the listening or learning or having knowledge from books and lectures, and here you go to discussion. Number one is we have covered in details, okay, for the last 14-15 Dharma talks. And number two, discussion. And in discussion too, okay, when you're asking, we need to know some guideline related to this discussion, question and answer. One must ask questions for things that you don't understand, not clear about it. That's the way it has been presented. And in here, when you ask a question, okay, you do not ask in a combatant way. You're not asking in a trying to stick somebody up, trying to show I know better than you, or trying to be a debating way. If your motive or if your intention is in that way, something to show off or something to confirm or something to how can I break down? Combatant way. If you ask that way, that is the wrong way to ask questions or discussion. That is the number one guideline it is given when we come to questions and answer and discussion. But you can ask anything and everything, but based on sincerity and honesty. Not in a sense of showing off your intelligence. Sincerity and honesty do ask things that you don't understand what is being talked about or discuss about. Any confusion, and even if you see a weak point, okay, a loophole, point it out in a skillful way, not in a combatant way. But what do you think about this? What do you think about that? Sometimes it goes beyond the scope of what we are talking, it goes farther. And when it goes farther still, that becomes a very wide discussion. And you can take in this direction and it will be a never-ending discussion. So try to limit the scope of your questions to based on what we are doing, what we are discussing, where we are. Not going far into the future. So sincerely, honestly, and the intention behind this is to understand whatever it is said or heard so that you can thoroughly understand. That is the way one needs to put questions and answers or discussion. Otherwise, it will be a this phase or stage will be a never-ending stage. Eventually coming to the heated discussion and debate. That is the number two part. And in number two part, let's see. Some of the areas, like most of the yogis, like to know. There are many of course, but in Buddhism, there's one word or one concept that is quite misunderstood or become elusive or even to the point of unacceptable because it doesn't go with your with the view, with the belief you have, with your experience you have. Let's take it as an example and put it into this number two. Okay? Let's talk about it, discuss about it. And this thing comes up quite often in our practice in meditation, especially when the teachers give you an opportunity at the end of retreat. Okay, everybody can ask one question or two questions right down. And this one comes up quite often. Always somebody is asking. Okay, and what is that? That one is the concept of anatta. Okay, concept of anatta. Anatta, you say non-self, no soul. Directly translated, you say non-self, no soul. So based on the viewpoint that we have, based on the concept or belief that we have already accepted, it becomes quite difficult to take it. I exist.

SPEAKER_00 16:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

And even some to the point of I exist, the spirit exists, the soul exists, Atmar exists, Jiwa exists. These are the concepts that all of us have. Even if we don't take it, soul exists or ziwa exists or Atman exists, even if you don't say that. At the same time, every day the way we live, we live in a way that we believed. According to the actions, the action is showing we believe I exist. So that's why that is the question most commonly asked, especially at the beginning, especially for people who read a lot, and especially for people who come from the different faith and different belief system. So that is the most common question. And that is, at this point, all that we can do is go through discussion, questions, and answer. We can't go through that any means, because you are asking at the earlier stages, and also you are asking based on what you have consciously or subconsciously accepted. That questions. What is anatta? So to talk about anatta you have to talk about the opposite word called atha, atha or atman, a self or soul, a spirit. We'll call it jiwa or atman. I id ego. Ego is not that confused in that one is, but once you come to the jiwa and atman and soul, it becomes difficult for you to shake loose and at the same time you want to know. Because this is the one, for lack of a better word, religion, Buddhist religion, who comes, the only one, the lone one that says there is no atta, no atma. So that's a question. So let's go through that process and see. Atta and what we are doing, we are practicing this mindfulness inside meditation. And in this meditation, what are we doing? We are observing the object. We are observing the object that is arising at the present moment. And that object can be physical, physicality or physical object. Or that object can be mentality or mental object or mind or consciousness. One or the other is arising. Of course, that covers all things, whether it is the mind or whether it is the matter, you are observing it. So whenever you are observing is the object that are arising is mind or matter, mind or matter, matter, matter, mind, mind. You observe, you observe, you observe. And when you put into practice, you're observing the matter, the matter arises at the present moment, and right under your observation it disappears. And then the mind arises. You observe it while you are observing it disappear. And again, the same thing. In a matter, we just use the word matter, but you know all in details. They are through representations are Mahabhuta for great elements. In terms of that, we go into matter, and they are satellite qualities, we go into that, and these qualities are arising, arising, you observe, they arise, you observe, and they disappear. And the mind as well. Sometimes it is simply a various emotional states arise. Emotional states are part of this J to Sikh mental factors. You observe it, anger arises, disappear. Happiness arises, disappear, and so on and so on and so on. And also consciousness itself. You can see them in a seeing basis, hearing basis, a right disappear. And there's a countless number of intentions and intentions and everything is associated with intentions. You observe these intentions, they arise and they disappear. You see all these things. So all that we do is we observe what is arising at the moment, regardless of whatever the object is. And what happened, they arise and they disappear. And then also they have a nature associated with this inefficiency or unsatisfactoriness. Or broken down at all times. This nature also you see them in association with it. The first one arises and passes under the word anicha. And at the same time you keep observing, and what you see is they all arise and pass away, arise and pass away under your nose, and you found that there's nothing you can do about it. There is nothing you can do about it. So anatta. So when one is observing, according to the instruction it is given, you will come to notice these things and everything that you observe. They are always rising and passing away, and they are totally inefficient. Unsatisfactory natures are associated with it, and they come and go as they please. There is nothing you can do about it. You come to understand these things, and when you come to understand that thing, theoretically speaking, and everything that you observe in this mind and matter, okay, there's no such thing as I, no such thing as id, no such thing as jiwa or self or soul. Because those are everything day in, day out, you're observing. Many hours a day, seven days a week, and there all that you see is all these things. They arise and pass away, arise and pass away, and you couldn't nail or figure out anything that resemble or that could be a simile of the atta or a soul. They just simply arises and disappear. So in here, that is what will unfold. But how does it unfold? That is, these unfolding are not from simply thinking. You have to actually practice and your experience will come to it. Of course, it's very short to say, but to actually experience this thing, it takes a long time. You must become very skillful as represented to thee by the five different stages to accomplish. Approach it. This is simply theoretically talking about it, which will unfold if you are observing. Now let's take an incident. What is our life? Our life is full of actions. Even though we say full of actions, there are only three kinds of actions: physical actions, physical deeds, verbal actions, speech, mental actions, thought. Only three types. They are invariably happening all the time. Thoughts are always all the time based on it. And based on the thoughts, when it becomes intense, it comes into speech, and very intense it comes into deed. Thoughts, speech, and deed. And these thoughts, speech, and deeds, where are they arising from? Okay, how do they come to be? They arise in and come to be all in your sensory areas, which means at your eyes, at your ears, at your nose, at your tongue, at your body, and the mind base. Six in those areas these arises. Seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and so on. And that is also what we are observing all the time. We are observing, seeing, seeing, hearing, hearing, and so on. Let's take one of it. Okay, let's take one. Hearing. What is hearing? When you say hearing, hearing is we can look at in terms of three elements. Let's approach hearing in terms of three elements. Okay, one is you have the to have a hearing, you must have a good ear. Good ear means you have a good eardrum and good head that captures all the sound in your ear in good order. In other words, that is the receptor or antenner or receiver where it can receive a sound. Okay, that is one bass. A bass where you can receive the sound. Basically, those little hairs in your ear at a sudden spot of the ear. Receiver. And then to hear, there must be a sound. A sound has to come from outside, mostly from outside. But strictly speaking, a sound arises when two material strike or when they are in a friction, when two substance rubbed, when they are for friction, sound arises. And these sound travels through the sound wave. And if there is no barrier in between, it comes in contact with the ear. So there's the receiver. Receiver is the ear. And there is the sound. We know how it arises. That sound travel and it strike the ear. So that's called the ear is a receiver or receiving element. And the sound is striker, striking, striking element. Two elements, receiving element and striking element. If there is a good ear functioning, okay, for the good ear functioning, it must be in a live person, not in a dead corpse. Functioning in full order, and if the sound arises, if they come into contact, they have to contact in there. At the moment of contact, hearing happens. Hearing happen is at the it is the consciousness that knows the sound. When the sound strikes the eardrum or ear, okay, at that moment there is the consciousness that knows the sound. Consciousness that knows the sound. It arises. At the same time, altogether at one moment, one point. Receiver is there, striker is there, and the consciousness that knows the sound or that is aware of the sound arises. And that consciousness we'll call it in terms of elements. It's called igniting elements. That consciousness is ignited. Example we give is a matchbox, a matchbox and a matchsticks. Matchbox is a receiver and a stick is a striker. When they come into contact, sparks or flies or flame. The same thing, eardrum hit by the sound, at that moment it sparks or it ignites the consciousness. Without those two, without the receiver and the striker, that spark cannot arise. That spark or that consciousness arose only because of the other two, but they all happen simultaneously, concurrently together. So there are three elements. One is the receiving element, one is the striking element, one is the igniting element or a spark. If you look at it, that receiving element is not a jiwar or attack. And at the same time, if you look at the striking element, the sound, that is not a self or a soul. And now you look at the hearing or awareness of the sound, that consciousness. If you look at it, that consciousness cannot arise without the receiving element and the striking element. That consciousness arose because of the other two. And if that is the a self or a soul or atta, it cannot, it must be ahead of all things. But in here is this hearing consciousness cannot arise without the other two. Because of that, you can see there's no such thing as a soul to define, but simply a phenomenon of hearing, awareness of sound arises because all the conditions are met. That's the way you can understand what hearing is in terms of three elements: receiving elements, striking elements, and the igniting element. And if you look at it that way, theoretically, but at the same time, partly is the facts of the nature that we can comprehend. We can't find, we can't define or we can't nail where atta is or a self or a soul is. The base is also the they call it the heart base. The heart base is actually a physical base. We already know what the hardy Awit II is. In general, it is a material in the blood which is in the heart, not any blood, a quality in the blood which is in the heart. That is the material base. From there it arises. What arises? Arises the phenomenon of knowing or the consciousness, it arises. But if we are going to talk about it, it is not in the hearing or seeing, it is the thought or reflection. Thought or reflection. What is it and how can we understand it a little more clearly? Lastly, we are observing ourselves. When we are observing, when the anger arises, you observe the anger. Okay? Anger is the object. Anger is the object, you are observing it. Simply an anger, singularly, whether it's a joy or happiness or sorrows or lamentation, you observe it. Whether it is anger or happiness, in other words, pleasant or unpleasant nature. Okay, loba or dosa or raga or dosa. Simply this is an object or a screenshot of observation of the mind. Singularly. But let's put it this way, you are observing singularly. Okay? Physical object, mental object, or rising, falling, anger, sadness, and so on. And suddenly, what happened? You slip away. You are not on the object that is arising. When you slip away, what happened? You are in a thought process, a thought form, and a story. This story or this thought processes basically it's a series of raga and dosa. Okay, raga and dosa, sense desire and aversion. Those two. Those two series are playing very rapidly and forming a story. When you are observing a series of raga and dosa or like sentences like spinning up a web, if you're observing that, that object is called mental object. Dhamma object, mental object. You are not simply observing something as it is. Actually, you are not even observing at all. You are observing and you slip away. When you slip away, you are in a series of raga and law, raga and dosat, playing in a web, painting a web in a thought. That is a thought you slip away, and when you slip away, that is become dharma. Dhamma object. Dhamma means something it goes into a story in this particular case. You are not able to observe that. And that is called mental object. The other word was singularly, you are observing the object that is arising at the moment. A thought is a series of those raga and laka, dosat playing into a web, painting into a web, and that's a thought. And at that moment you can't observe. So thought, we call it the mental object. Those kind of things happen. And when these things happen, simply as soon as you become aware of it, you just note it with the thinking, thinking, thinking. That's why don't go into the content of the thought. Content of the thought simply is a series of raga and dosas. Okay, weaving a web. That's why one must not go into the content. At that moment, simply look at his overall thinking, remembering, planning, and so on. That is how it comes to be. So in here, let's see what is anatta. Okay, what is anatta? Anatta is nama and rupa is anatta. Okay, what is anatta? Nama and rupa is anatta. This mind and body, mind and consciousness is anatta. That's simply by definition. But most of the others, philosophies and ideas of religion define this nama and rupa is a self or a soul. Okay, this nama and rupa is atta. But in Buddhist, the same thing. This nama and rupa is anatta, non-self. What is anatta? What is non-self? Nan-self means nama and rupa. So in this nama and rupa, what is happening? How can you recognize this anatta? Okay, we can simply say this mind and body is anatta.

SPEAKER_00 42:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 42:31

Of course, we look at the mind and body, we can say anata, anatta, anatta. That means nothing. You're like a parrot repeating. So how can one recognize this anatta, non-self? One can recognize this through its characteristics. Okay, that's in Buddhism. Buddha taught us whenever you want to recognize or cognize something, you have to go through its characteristics. Through its characteristics, one can recognize this. And what is the characteristics of Anatta? The characteristics of Anatta is defined as becoming and passing away. Becoming and passing away. Or arising and passing away. It becomes and it disappears. That characteristic becomes and disappear. If you see that arising and passing or becoming and dissolving, that we call it anatta. That's the definition of anatta. And at the same time, if you look at mind and body, nama and rupa, nama arises and passes away. Rupa arises and passes away. So what is anatta? Anatta is nama and rupa. What are the characteristics of anatta? Arising and passing away. So in here, what is anathana nupassana? Observation of anatta. Anatta nupasana is you are observing, you're not thinking anymore, you're observing anything that is arising and seeing whatever object arise and pass away, arise and pass away. It's called anathsana. Observation or being mindful of anatta. And if you truly understand this arising and passing away, what it is is you are the owner of anatta. You fully understand it. So in that way one needs to understand. And when you're observing it, of course, they arise and passed away. In a different word, that experience arising and passing away is called an eachha impermanence. Simply knowing the arising and passing away of an object is a nica. But that process is repeating with every object constantly, continuously. Whatever object is happening continuously, constantly, seamlessly, even like a flow that arising and passing away is happening. And that constant passing away is called dukkha. In other words, dukkha is the oppressed nature. The arising and passing away has the oppressed nature to all things. That is dukkha. Constant arising and passing away. In other words, it's the oppressed by the arising and passing away is dukkat. And now you are observing, you are seeing these things arising and passing away. And at the same time, you cannot stop them. You cannot make them not disappear. You cannot hold them not to come to be. You have no control over it. You are helpless. That helpless nature that you have no control over it is called Natatnan self. If you are a self, you are indestructible for eternity. But here is constantly being oppressed by arising and passing away, and you cannot stop it, control it. Neither any other powerful being can come and stop that process either. As long as the condition is there, something arises and passed away. Another condition there, something arises and passes away. It's a natural phenomenon. No powerful being can come and stop that and change that. And that's why we call it anatta. Nicha duka anatta. That is how anatta unfold in your practice. Okay, we can go farther, of course, there's a little treat. But what is this this consciousness that know, that consciousness, consciousness, consciousness that know? Or chitta. Knowing. You can ask that question. Yeah, of course, it's a valid question. But when you are practicing, but of course, you become very skillful. You are on the fourth stage or the fifth stage of the five accomplishments that one requires. You are very skillful. At that moment, physicality, rupa is easy, arise and passed away. And there's a mind that knows those things arise and pass away, and seems like that mind is there sitting and arise, watching all the arising and passing away. So it seems like there is something, and then we can call it as a consciousness that knows that the argument, some come in. This is a valid argument. Based on the yogi are at that stage, then that is the question it will ask, and it is a fair question to ask. He's asking honestly and sincerely not to put a wrench into the system because that is his experience. It's arising and passing away, anger passes, sorrows passes, material passes, but I know, I know, I know, or no, no, no. And then no no no to I know I know I know. But simply keep on observing, keep on observing. But when your mindfulness become, momentum become even stronger, even stronger, which means your concentrations become more powerful. At that moment you start seeing, you observe an object. Okay, let's say hearing a sound, you observing, you actually, so to speak, see or sense or feel or know that sound arises and passed away. And then suddenly you also sense or feel or see. The consciousness that knows the sound also arises and passes away with the sound. But to be able to experience that both material and mental arises and pass away, you have to have a deeper level of concentration, which means quite powerful mindfulness. It will unfold. And at that moment, the question that you ask, there is the consciousness that is knowing. Before that consciousness is quite solid, quite unbreakable. But when you actually experience that hearing consciousness also arises and passed away, then your doubt about that consciousness exists. Consciousness does exist, of course, but consciousness exists as a solid, eternal, unbroken nature. That concept just dissolves. At the beginning. And some yogis who are very strong in mindfulness, number one, very, very strong in mindfulness. And also their nature, let's say the seed, when they are born, we all have a different level of intelligence built in. That's why when the children go to school, some always stood out first, second, third, and some always stay at the last of the class. Because we have a different level of intelligence. The same thing for those people with very sharp intelligence and very strong concentration, they can see, feel and sense. The material arises and passed away, and the mind that knows that material or that knows the sound arises and passes away, and there's another consciousness, another mind, the observing mind also arises and passed away. Even before it was just a one consciousness, the knowing mind arises and passes away. And in here, the knowing mind that knows the object arises and passes away, and there's another mind, observing mind that knows the whole process also arises and passes away. One can experience it. That's how anatta will unfold in your practice. So those are the kind of questions will arise. And when these questions come in, you don't sit down and talk, of course, about it. You meditate, you meditate, you meditate, and every day you come and report. When you report, report everything sincerely and honestly. Whatever you think important, report. Whatever you think not important, report. Whatever thing that you consider trivial, report. That is very important. Sometimes what you consider very trivial seems to be a very important thing for you to understand. And then the teacher will guide you through. Sometimes you experience something. Based on the previous information that you have, you think that's what it is. But in fact, it is not that what it is. You think that what it is, but it is proximity to it, close to it, similar to it, but not the true thing. To give an example, quite a few yogis come and say, I experience what you call.

SPEAKER_00 54:36

Okay.

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Proper word, the way they put this, cessation of my mind and matter. Okay, in other words, goes through a period, I'm not aware of anything. I'm not aware of the physical object or mental object. Cessation of mind and matter, I'm aware of. Experience it. Okay, certainly, if you don't have a proper communication, cessation of mind and matter is basically you are experiencing nibbana. You are becoming an aria already. You think that's what it is, but there is a many different kinds, many different levels of cessation of mind and matter, which are not a hundred percent. Those kind of things can happen, and that is the reason one needs to report. And a teacher will explain to you and lead you through when you are experiencing that nature. That's just an example. So reporting is very easy through that reporting and through your direct experience. Report is about your experience. You will unfold the true nature of anatta. And they are all overlapping. There's a question and answer. Interviews are questions and answers. You're reporting and not in a form of questions, you're reporting in terms of facts, and the teacher is answering and building up a concept around it, and what you believe or what you don't believe is true or not. That is how anatta is unfold. May all of you be able to practice Satipattana Vipassana meditation and may you be able to unfold the true nature of Anatta as soon as possible. Let's share our merit. Dambuchami Damanu Damapatipatiya Sangambujami Adha imaya padipatiya Charamama Primochesami Idamepunya Aswatya Wah Du Idamesilam Metapalanyana Sa Picho Hima noya Badam Sabha Sadhanam De Ma Sabesada Sukida Hondu Sadhu Sadu Sadam Bujami Dhampuje Shangam Puj