158: Retreat Dhamma Talk 53: Clear Comprehension and Feeling

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Retreat series, Dhamma Talk number 53. Recently we have been discussing about mindfulness of the body and how it is related to the other three. And also based on that, how the samadhi concentration and effort need to be balanced in that work. So we are actually practicing full foundation of mindfulness. It is tough for people who are starting or who are at the beginning of the process. Just look at it. Our whole life we are used to eating delicious food, oily food, fat food, high calories food, spicy food. All tasty and nice. And we are used to it our whole life. And suddenly, let's say for a health reason one needs to change. So you have to eat organic food, low salt food, low-fat food, nutritious food. And if you eat them, it will be healthier. So when you start eating them, it is very difficult. You don't feel satisfied. You are irritated, agitated. But as you are forced to eat because of a health condition, you eat, you eat, you eat, and after a while you become accustomed to it. And also you begin to see the result, the benefits of it. You become a little fresher, more alert, less bloated, you lose a few pounds of fats. When you see the benefit, wow, this is good. And then you begin to have a accustomed to the taste. And at that point, even if one asks you to go back to the felty, fatty, salty food, junk food, sugary food, you won't go back because you know the benefits. Just like that, full foundation of mindfulness, when you start it, it's quite difficult. Because you are used to staying in a mood of stimulant at all times, all different kinds of stimulants. And that keeps your mind alive and excited and happy. And suddenly when you stay within the domain of full foundation of mindfulness, you feel restricted. But if you keep on practicing, if you keep on practicing, you will start seeing or feeling or experiencing the benefits. And once you really taste the benefits of the practice, even if someone asks you to stop, you won't. It will become a part of your life. So keep that in mind, especially for beginners. You might feel restricted and you don't want it. Vidana translated in English as feeling. So first of all, this feeling or vidana, we need to know very clearly. Some have a confusion about it. Number one, that feeling or vidana is purely a mental state. Nothing physical, purely a mental state. Basically it's the whenever one comes in contact with a physical object or mental object, whether it is external physical object, internal, in your body, physical object, or mental objects, thoughts, etc. At that time, what happens is when you come in contact with these objects, a certain feeling arises. The Buddha just chooses right down to the core, to the ascent. Whatever the situation may be, if you come in contact with the pleasant nature, you have the you feel pleasantness. If it is a repulsive, ugly object, then you feel, you experience unpleasantness. And also there are objects which is neither good nor bad, whether likable or disagreeable. At that time you have a neutral feeling. So these pleasant feeling, unpleasant feeling, neutral feeling arises out of the contact of the physical and mental objects with the mind. At that moment, at that mental contact, these feelings arises. So these feelings are don't think that it is in your knees or in your body. They are always happening there in the body or in the mind, but it is the mind that experiences it. That's why Vedana is feeling is purely mental. There might be a big pain on your big toe. So you think, oh, this is physical. No, that's the source where the pain arises. But it is the mind that knows it and the mind that experiences the pain. So it's very important this feeling, pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral feeling is it's a mental, a mindset. So there are three kind of feelings we already talked about it. Let's start with the unpleasant feeling. Unpleasant feeling in Pali is called dukkha vidana. Dukkha in here translated as unpleasant. It means suffering. And here is a feeling that is suffering. You can call it all unpleasant feeling. Such as you know there's a sore in your body, a pain, aches, exhausted, stressful, distressed. All these things are dukkha vidana, unpleasant feeling. It might be from the physical source or it might be from the mental source. But they are all unpleasant feeling or dukkha vidana. When you are practicing, observing meditation, you feel a lot of these things. Aches and pains, your knees, your backs, your legs, your neck, and so on and so on. All sort of pain, painful sensation. Those are to come with an unpleasant feeling. But you follow the instruction and you observe and you observe and observe. And once in a while, once in a while, out of the blue you feel calm. Suddenly you feel calm. And when you feel calm, suddenly the body and the mind, both the body and the mind experience a certain degree of comfort or feeling a little bit of relax. Relax, comfortable, and calm. Right in the middle of all this pain, there might be a flash or it might be a few seconds or it may be a minute. You might feel that feeling. And that is called suka vidana, which other words is called pleasant feeling. So in your meditation, mostly are duka vidana, especially for the beginners. And there's the third kind of feeling. It's called neutral feeling. So in here is this neutral feeling is especially for beginners. They don't know it is arising. Or even if they know they are not very clear about it, quite obscurely, maybe, maybe not that kind of feeling, especially for beginners. Just like you are in a dark room and you can't describe the object. There's an object but you can't describe. There's a feeling, neutral feeling, but you simply can't describe because you don't know. You don't know how to describe, you don't know how it is. Let's give an example. Example is, okay, let's say you're walking to and fro here and there. Okay. Step, step, step, you walk here, walk there. You walk doing a walking process in other words, stepping, stepping, stepping. And of course, normally in your normal when you're walking around, you might be doing gardening or you might be picking up flowers and so on. You walk. And suddenly on one step, you step on a little pebble or a stone. At that moment, there is a certain degree of discomfort, and suddenly you're aware of it. Or you might be walking and then you come into the house and you step on your plush carpet and you feel the softness, nice comfort, you feel the pleasant feeling. See, only at that point you feel the unpleasant feeling and pleasant feeling. But other than that, you're walking for about you know hundreds of steps here and then you're not even aware of it. But there is a feeling. There's a feeling in all those steps. Feelings are arising. And that feeling that you don't know, that you are not aware of, where your attention is not there, is neutral feeling. So in that way you will understand, or one should understand, what neutral feeling is. It is there, but you are not aware of it. So three kind of feelings dukkha vidana, unpleasant feeling, sukkha vidana, pleasant feeling, and upika vidana, okay, neutral feeling. So for the beginners and meditation, these two pleasant and unpleasant are the most commonly experienced all the time. And especially for a meditator, these unpleasant feeling, bad feeling, painful feeling, yucky feeling are more frequent than the pleasant feeling for the beginners. Now we are a group of people who practice pure vipassana, or you can call it satipatthana vipassana. Okay, mindfulness insight method, we follow that. So for those people we always start with unpleasant feeling, or let's call it bad feeling, unpleasant feeling. So in here we start with a bad feeling, but as we said, while you are observing now and then your concentration established for a moment or for a few moments, at that moment you experience pleasant feeling, that calmness, comfortable, pleasantness, automatically it establishes because that is the result or effect of concentration. But in here for mindfulness insight practitioner, our object is not to have that calm, tranquil, serene feeling. Our objective or our goal is to understand, to have insight into the nature of mind and matter. That is our objective. So because of that, we don't zoom into that or chase after that pleasantness or calmness. We simply observe it. When they disappear, suddenly what you will be experiences because of the power of that calm, power of the concentration, you begin to see these aches and pains and numbness and all these unpleasant sensations even clearer, very, very clear. Before you know, but now you know it clearly and sharply. You can even see it bit by bit, segment by segment. That kind of clarity you see because of that concentration, because you have reached the calm zone. So in here, when you see those things, to be able to you must observe those things that you are in direct contact. Okay. Every step of the way, very closely, very intently, without taking any break or without having any gap. That's the way one must observe. So in other words, you stick with the object every step of the way. That sticking with that object every step of the way, we use one word quite often, penetrating. Observe penetratively. In other words, stick with the object every step of the way. That's what it means by penetrating. So as you stick with the object very closely and intently, what is actually happening? What is actively happening is whenever you stick with the object, whenever you are with the object, wherever you can sustain your attention with the object, that also have another name in meditation, especially in samatha meditation, concentration meditation. They have five jhani factors. The first one is called applied thought. You direct your mind towards the object. Second one is called sustained thought, you stick with the object. That is the second factor in the jhanic state. Concentration. But the difference is in vipassana we observe the object that is arising at the present moment. And then when it is passed away or dissolved or gone, you let it go. So you have this second janic factor for the span of the object from the arising to passing away. Just a little moment you have that very good deep penetrative concentration. That's why this concentration has a different name. It's called kanika samadhi. Kanika means momentary. Momentary concentration. That concentration lasts from the moment the object arises till it passed away. But regardless, we have established a more like a second jhana factor, visara. Sustained thought. So when you have these visara, sustained thought, what's happening? What happening is one is observing that object. During that period, observing the object without leaving anything behind. Or in other words, you are watching it in details. And that is the wisara. You observe without leaving anything behind, details thoroughly and completely. That is the manner that you are observing. And to have that kind of observation, you need something. You need to apply urgent effort, not ordinary effort, urgent effort. There's a word that used quite often, adhabi, heated up. Heated up means if there's a moisture, if the heat really come in, the moisture is all gone, it burns up all the moisture, heat. That's the way it's presented, adhabi. In other words, you put great effort, great effort. And what's the moisture in here? Moisture means kilisa, mental defilement is considered wet, moist. And if this urgent effort comes in, they try that. So one must apply this urgent effort. As soon as you say urgent effort, you are applying it very boldly and very bravely. You are not timid at all. In other words, you are ready to face anything very boldly and lightly. So when you observe that way, that observation has powerful energy, it creates a very powerful energy. When you apply urgent effort and observe very boldly and blindly, it creates a powerful energy. And when you have this powerful energy with that kind of observation, at that moment it is said you have mindfulness, Sati. Only then sati arises, only then mindfulness arises. By applying ardent effort boldly and bravely, that observation created enormous energy, and there mindfulness, correct mindfulness is established. And when the correct mindfulness, Sati is established, whatever you are observing, you don't forget. In other words, you don't miss. You don't miss even a tiny little bit. And also whatever you are observing, it makes a deep impression in your mind. Deep impression in your mind. And because of that, when you are reporting, you have to report to the teacher every day for about five to fifteen minutes your practice. And you will be able to describe that experience of the object beautifully. If you don't have that, you won't be able to report it. That's what reporting is about. So we know now there's a direct relationship between the powerful observation and establishment of sati. Without powerful observation, mindfulness or sati cannot be established. That's one thing we didn't know. And once the sati is established, what happened? At that moment, the mind doesn't wander anymore. The mind is not dispersed anymore. And that mind not wandering, not dispersing, is actually you have developed the momentary concentration, effort, mindfulness, and then concentration. How do you know there is concentration? Your mind doesn't wander or disperse, stay with the object. And at that moment, at that moment, one really knows the object as it is truly. One really knows the object as it is in its true nature. We always say that. One knows the object without likes and dislikes. You're observing the object. There is no liking towards it. There is no dislike toward it. Without likes and dislike, that means you have a very objective understanding, objective knowing of the object. As soon as the traces of likes and dislikes come in, you are not objective anymore. That's what it's meant by knowing as it is. So in here, if one is observing powerfully and precisely, if one is observing powerfully and precisely onto the object that is arising at the moment, what happened? At that moment, sati mindfulness, samadhi concentration and pinya, insight arises in sequence. First of all, sati and then concentration and then insight arises in sequence. So in here, this observation, you see there's one urgent effort, two, there's mindfulness, sati, three, concentration, full pinya, full different mental state. They arises. And that arising, all four of them having together in an observation, is called nupassana. In other words, in English it's called contemplation. Contemplate, contemplate, contemplate. Contemplate means whenever you are observing, those full mental states are right there. Effort, mindfulness, concentration, and insight. And if those four mental states are present, you are doing the proper contemplation or anutasana in Pali. But one thing was, it is not just on one observation. On every observation, you have to repeat that a sequence of fall repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly on every observation. In such a way there is no break. You don't take any break. You don't let have any gap and you watch it very closely. Observing that way is called contemplation. So in here, in every observation, the power, the power of this effort. The power of this mindfulness, the power of this concentration and the power of this insight must be associated with it. Every observation must be associated with it. And if you have those all these things in one way, we can say that you have established that the strong and powerful momentary concentration. In other words, momentary concentrations become continuous one after the other and it's become very powerful. That's what it is. And at that moment, at that particular moment, the mind has no mental movement. You're observing the and these factors are in there, mental factors are in there. You have established a powerful momentary concentration, and at that moment there is no mental movement in your mind because of or due to raga. Raga is lust. Or simply put loba, desire, wanting. Due to lust or desire, because of that, you do not have any mental movement in your mind, even though one might be experiencing or facing directly with the object that could arouse such kind of lust and desire. Lustful object, desirable object is right in front of you, but your mind has no mental movement. In other words, that object, desirable object has no effect on your mind anymore. That is called samadhi. When you have samadhi, that's what happened. And also if you are facing an unpleasant object, whenever you face an unpleasant object, what happens? When you have unpleasantness, number one, you want to make it disappear. Or in other words, you want to replace that unpleasantness with the pleasantness. That is our auto-response because of our lifelong conditioning process. That's what happens. But when there is that samadhi concentration, the mind has no mental movement. In other words, your mind cannot be shaken by these unpleasant situations, unpleasant conditions. No mental movement at all. So in here, if there is, let's say, no samadhi, no mental concentration, if these objects are there, these unpleasant objects are in front of you face to face and you have no samadhi, what will happen? You become intolerance. And you cannot let go of that situation. You can't accept it, you can't let go. Unforgiven, these are the nature, which is the natures are the manifestation of dosa, anger. Anger, these are the manifestation of dosa. You can't tolerate, you can't forgive, you can't let go. Dosa or unpleasant feelings and sensations produce these kinds, manifested as such. So in here, another one is how can you recognize, how can you know other than manifestation, these dosa or unpleasant feelings are there? We always feel irritating, very irritating, very frustrating. We are not satisfied, we feel anger and hate. And those are the characteristics of dosa. The first one is the manifestation of dosa. This is the characteristics of dosa. But when you have the correct concentration, these sense, desire, and which is called ranga, and these ill will, which is called dosa, they cannot move you, they cannot shake you if you have a proper concentration. And when you have a very correct, powerful observation, with the great exertion, you won't have any laziness, you will not be timid at that moment, but you'll be bold and brave. Even at the even if you are face to face with a great pain, unbearable pain, or any kind of difficult situation, you will always be bold and brave. You won't be timid, you are ready to face them. At that moment, when you are facing, you have no anxiety or no worry even. You're simply marching on. And when you are observing in such a way, at that moment, you know or you see or you feel the object with full clarity, very sharp and very clear, and you have no doubt about that object because you are seeing with such a clarity and sharpness, not vague, not obscure. And as you see and as you know in such a way, it means that you have no doubt about that object. So there's another one, samadik. When you have samadik, you have no doubt. In other words, you are very sure of whatever you are seeing, experiencing, or knowing. You have no doubt. So to sum it up, all these things, what I'm just saying, if there is concentration in your mind, there is no mental movement due to loha, dosha, and moha, mental defilement, due to greed, anger, and hatred. Greed and anger and hatred cannot move your mind, cannot shake your mind, cannot vibrate your mind when there is mental concentration. So if that's the case, all the enemies of kusala, wholesomeness, what are the enemies of kusala? Any kind of kusala, they cannot disturb your mind. Now we have established this kanika, samadhi, momentary concentration, concentration in this pure vipassana method, powerful one. And when you have this kanika sabadhi again and again and again, okay, day after day, weeks after weeks, months after months, when you are experiencing and establishing these things, certainly your understanding of the objects change. Okay, objects, we keep on saying objects, they are only under two categories. One is the physical object or your body, one is the mental object or your consciousness, mind and matter. Your understanding of this object change. You will be experiencing these unpleasant feelings, unpleasant sensations with clarity, very sharp and very clear. These unpleasantness become even sharper, but without the mental defilements. Normally, whenever these unpleasant feelings arise, what happened? We become exhausted, our mind becomes withered, minds become weak, we are feel depressed. These kind of weak weather depressed are the function of unpleasant feeling. Whenever unpleasant feeling arises, they do something, that's a job. Their job is to make you weak, to make you exhausted, to make you withered, to make you crumble. That is the function of unpleasant feeling. And how does this unpleasant feeling manifest it as in one word? It's manifestation. Manifestation is torturing, it manifests as a torturer, it tortures the mind. Whenever your mind is tortured, that is the manifestation of unpleasant feeling. And how can you know, how can you cognize this unpleasant feeling? In one word, it has the quality of disagreeability. It is disagreeable, you won't be agreeable with you, it will be always in a state of disagreeable. That's what it is. You come to understand the characteristics of unpleasant feeling, the manifestation of unpleasant feeling, and the function of unpleasant feeling directly from your observation experientially, you understand that. That's what it means by details, and that is due to Vedana Nupasana, mindfulness of the feeling. If you practice mindfulness of the feeling properly and correctly, as instructed, these are the qualities, let's call it qualities, you will come to know. It's Vedana Nupasana, mindfulness of the feeling. So you know in so many different ways now. So let's try and see from a a different wording in the scripture of all these things. Knowing or understanding in such a way we have described it. In the scripture they use one word they call sambajanya, in English called clear comprehension. Knowing in such a fashion is called sambajanya or clear comprehension. And knowing these things in such a way is not out of reflective mode or reflection or imagination, but it is from direct experience that knowing comes from direct experience, not from thinking, not from reflection, not from imagination. Because there is also knowing through thinking or reflection. We can't deny that most of us live with that, with our reasoning power, logic, rationalization, in other words, thinking and reflection. From there too, we come to know and we do pretty good. But one thing was knowing through those thinking and reflection, sometimes they are dead-on, they are right, correct, as it should be, and also sometimes they are wrong. So you don't know which one you will fall on. It could be right, it could be wrong. That is knowing from thinking and reflection. But knowing from direct observation, direct observation of the object at the present moment. That knowing is nothing but right. You always know exactly as it is, as it should be what it is. That is knowing from direct observation of the object at the present moment. That is always right, you know rightly, and that is called sampachanya. Okay, trying to understand sampachanya clear comprehension. That way of knowing is samjana, and also knowing these unpleasant feelings, to ka vidana, pain or misery, but you know these things with clarity, not trying to avoid, not trying to run away, not obscurely, not trying to shield or block, but you go face to face and you know it very clearly and sharply about this unpleasant feeling. But at the same time, at that moment, you have no mental defilements, no liking to this unpleasant, no dislike to the unpleasant, but you know with full clarity. And that is called clear comprehension, samba janya. If you know that way, that's called clear comprehension, samba janya. And also, let's try another one. Knowing correctly, whatever it is you're observing, knowing correctly, thoroughly, completely in details. Knowing correctly, thoroughly, completely in details aspect, with a special, unique and extraordinary way. Not simple way, it's a special way of knowing, unique way of knowing, extraordinary way of knowing. Through your own effort. Through your own effort. From your direct experience, you know, put it in a different way, you know the characteristic manifestation and function of the object with direct experience in a very unique way. Don't think in terms of the words, it is very different, very different. That's why reporting is necessary in retreat. When you report, they are totally sounds or seems like different from what it is written in the book, but they are not. So it is not from knowing from a book, or knowing from a lecture or a talk, or knowing from your guesswork, not that kind of knowing, but very unique and extraordinary way of knowing. And that is called clear comprehension, sambajanya. And also we can say knowing the objects explicitly in many different unique ways, knowing the object explicitly in many different unique ways, and having an imprint of that information in your mind. And through that you know it is dukkha suffering. You know the object in a very simplicity, very unique way, and it just drilled into your mind, and this is you know this is suffering. You know it is unpleasant. Such way of knowing is called samhajanya, clear comprehension. So let's these are bit by bit trying to explain what sambajanya is. And here let's summarize this. What is sambajanya? And this is how it is described by Buddha, but try my best to render in English. By one's own effort, one comes to experience and know correctly, thoroughly, completely, in an extraordinary, special, and unique way, and in a various way on the object, all objects. In other words, about the mind and matter. If you know that way, that's called samhajanya. Buddha used these kind of very precise words and a certain aspect that's related to our practice. So compare these words to your experience. Some of you have been practicing for some time, you have many experiences. Compare your experience with these words set down by the Buddha and see whether you are clearly comprehending the mind and matter. May all of you be able to practice mindfulness inside meditation and may you be able to experience clear comprehension on the nature of mind and matter as soon as possible. Thank you very much.