187: Particulars (Pakinnaka)

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Ramato Sama Sambudassa Nammo Asambhagumato Arhamato Sama Sambudassa Nammo Asambhagumato Arhamato Sama Sambudasa Tiravara Buddhism series Dhamma talk number ten. The topic is particulars Paking Nakat Mental Factors in Pali Chidasika. They depend on the consciousness to arise. They pass away together with the consciousness to the same object and they arise from the same base. And this mental factor is the one that gives characters to the consciousness. Without these, consciousness has no character. And are divided into six groups. The first group is called common to another. Anyat samanyat and pali. What it means is these mental factors are acutely neutral. They are neither good nor bad. They are neither good, wholesome or unwholesome, but they are adaptable to a wholesome condition or unwholesome condition. When they are in the wholesome condition, they become wholesome particulars. When they are in the unwholesome condition, they become unwholesome mental factors. Altogether there are thirteen of them. Again, let's say as an example, a person, when that person hangs around in the environment of gangs, the person become a gang member. Without those environments, he's just simply neutral, neither a gang member or a monk. That is anyat samanyat. Common to another. Else we see this first group has thirteen mental factors. And this first group is divided into two subgroups. The first group is called universal. Common to all. Initial application. Translated into English as initial application. As always, most of the words or phrases are given two different presentations in Buddhist teaching. In the sutta, which is most common to everybody, lay person, to the larger mass, one version. And another one is Abhidharma. That has a different version. They are the same but presented in totally different ways, different styles. So this vitaka initial application. Meaning, it is presented in the sutta. But in Abhidhamma, it's very specific. The meaning is very specific. Videka V-I-T-A-K-K-A. Videka. Videka is an application of the associated mental factors to the object. Whenever a mental factor arises, never they never arise singularly. They arise as a group. And each one of them has their own job, responsibility, things to do or function. And each one do their job in conjunction with the other. All together at the same time. But they do their own function. Let's say different departments working together towards the same goal. So vidaka is the it applies. It applies other mental factors to the object. That is its job. That is how one can recognize vidaka. The function of this vidakat. The job of this vidaka is to strike or to hit the object. The first one is the character. Characteristic. And it manifests as the leading of the mind to the object. Mind means consciousness and mental factors. This Vidaka leads this consciousness as mental factor to the object. And of course, the proximate cause is the object itself. In the scripture, it's written as this vitakka associated with fifty-five kinds of consciousness. Not 121, only with 55. There are three types of vitakat. Once I give a full English meaning, in this case is initial application. So that you become used to it. Because translations are never fully cover the true meaning of the word. Three types of vidakka. The first one is ordinary, everyday vidakat. Whatever you are doing, seeing normally in your daily life. You are applying that vidakat, so we call it ordinary. And the second one is the develop vidakkat. What it means is you purposely make yourself become an expert in this vidakat. You practice it again and again, consciously, mindfully, purposefully. You direct the mind, you apply the mind towards the object. In meditation, you're always putting it on the object, making sure the mind is always on the breath. This vitakat is the one that is applying the mind to the breath. That is the developed vitakka. And when it is developed, it becomes a jhanic factor. There are five factors of absorption, jhanic factor. At that time they call it jhanic factor. And the third one is called Supramandane Vitakat. Supramandane means Lokotra, Supramandane Vitakat. What it is is Samasankapat, right thought. It is one of the eightfold noble path. Sama Sankappa right thought. So depending on the where it is, what way it is developed or trained. They take a different role, but they are all with a cut. So this is the first of the six particulars. Second one is called Wisara. V-I-C-A-R-A. Sustained application. Wisara is a an application of continuous pressure onto the associated mental factor. To repeatedly rub or engage with the object to examine it. So in here, not vitaka can be just one time. And to be visara, it has to be many, many, many times of this vitaka. One after the other, applying onto the object. So it is more like giving pressure to sustain the awareness on the object. For what? To examine it, to understand it. To get a face-to-face understanding, not a second hand understanding. That's what vitaka is. Sorry? Visara is. That's his function, his job, to sustain it, not to drop down. It manifests as striking the mind to the object. And also it is one of the five factors of jhana. We the we stara the first jhanic factor, second jhanic factor. In the scripture it's given the example. Like a bee. Of course, looking for food. And then when the bee saw the flower, it dived towards the flower. That diving towards the flower is initial application. We deck out. And then when it got very close, it hover. It hovers on and around the flower. That is we sara, just staying there, didn't leave, hovering around. That's C example for initial application and sustained application. B and a flower. Diving and hovering. The third one is decision. In Pali it's called adhi malkat. Adhi Malkat decision. Translated says decision. Adimokhat means releasing the mind onto the object. Releasing the mind onto the object. Just like the bee is first hovering. And then finally, the bee is quite sure. This is the flower, this is the food, this is what I like. It just sit on it and suck the juices. Because the bee had made the decision. Once the decision is made, it's locked in. So dhimaka is decision. Or different way of expressing is making up the mind. Or choosing. And once you do that, the mind is unwaver. Unwavering. This adimaka has the quality of unwavering. Without doubt. The bee is very sure this is the food I like, the best kind. There's no doubt, no vichika. Once a decision is made, one does not change. Locked in. That is the third particular. The fourth one is called vrriat. You all have heard that word so many times. It's translated as effort or energy or exertion. Actually, it is the state of a very energetic person. State of a very energetic person. And it is the mental effort that it is referring to, not physical effort. It is the mental effort. It is the characteristics of exerting, supporting, upholding, and sustaining the other mental factors that are associated with it. Its function is to support, to uphold the associated mental factors so that they can keep on doing their job. He's giving a more like a cheerleader. Go ahead, go ahead, do, do something like that. It's support. That's just manifestation. And the proximate cause is a sense of urgency. Whenever you feel this just has to be urgently done, this is very important. This uriya effort just jumped up to the front of the line of all other mental factors. In meditation, it helps its associated mental factors to stay with the object of meditation. Not to just take a detour or wandering or shifting or drifting. If one has vriya, effort and energy, the mind stays with the meditation object. But once the energy wanes or becomes slack or low, one drops out of meditation. It is one of the five controlling mental factors. Pincha Indriyak. And then when these five controlling mental factors become very strong. Strong, powerful controlling factors. Two to print group. One is a little ordinary class, the other one is the upper class, higher class. We talk about it a few Dhamma Taks ago. A deeper deep predominance. It's one of the four. And in this predominance, it can overcome difficulties. And also it is one of the full means of accomplishment. And partly it bada. You can accomplish it anything you set your mind on it. If the effort is super powerful. And it is also one of the seven factors of enlightenment. And finally, it is one of the eightfold part. One of the eightfold part. It's a noble truth. Ordinary effort in all different types and kinds it's participated, and it can even uplift to the point of the noble truth. Understanding, experiencing of the noble truth. It is a very very important mental factors for, especially for practicing yogis. But it's also useful for everyday life, matters, tasks, projects as well. And the particular number five. Particulars, pakeinaka. The fifth one is PT. English translation pleasurable interest. Joy, rupture, zest. Many words. But my teacher told me that pleasurable interest is the closest to what it means for piti even though it doesn't cover completely. It is one of the five factors of jhana. Piti. The first one is vitakka, jhanak factor, initial application. Second one is visara, sustained application. And the third one is once you sustain it for some time, piti, this rupture or pleasurable interest arises. The third factor of jhana. But one need to be very careful in understanding. This piti, even the pleasurable interest and joy and zest and so on, it is not a feeling. It is not Vedana. It is not feeling, it is not Vedana. It is not the experience of the abject object at all. You are not experiencing the object. But it is the expectation, expectation of a pleasurable object. It is explained or in the scriptures is as an awareness traveling across the desert, sunny, very hot, tired, thirsty, and suddenly he saw an oasis about a mile or two from where he stand. Suddenly saw it from the little tip of the palm tree, some leaves. At that moment, suddenly a rush of excitement experience. Energies come up. Totally refreshed. He wasn't at the oasis yes, he just saw it. It's an expectation what he could get at the oasis. And all those things, excitements and thrills and joys, at that moment, at that place, at that time is pity. Interest and the pleasurable possibility of the pleasurable experience of the object. That is why it is translated. The most suitable word is pleasurable interest. Characteristics is endearing the associated mental factors. It's endeared. The associated mental factors. Function is to refresh all these mental factors. They might be a little withered, a little dull or drunk. It refreshed it. So that they are functioning full force again. To pervate with joy and rupture to the mind and the body. But you can feel it in the mind as well as in the body. It pervades. So there are five kinds of petit based on the intensity and the type, I guess. The first one is simply a little flesh crawling. It's easier to describe with the physical. A little twitch here, a little twitch there, a little tick here, tick there. And the body, you are meditating quiet. Suddenly those little things happen. It is not like a joy or rupture or things like that. But that is not unpleasant. That is that little tick or that little twist in the flesh or on the skin. It's interesting. Interesting. That's the first and the basic one. The second one is. Just like that, like a little the duration of a lightning strike. And it actually runs through like lightning from point A to point B and then gone. That is a second level of pity. And the third one is called wave-like. It comes onto your body like one wave after another. Like feeling of joy or rupture. One wave comes in, just like the waves in the ocean. Disappear, another wave comes in, another wave comes in. That's the fourth one. And the fifth one is called Ubiga. Ubiga is you're meditating and suddenly you feel your body. Feel very light. Very light. There's no pressure. There's no stress in any part of the body. It seems like against gravity. It seems like floating. Accurately you felt like you're floating. You may or may not. And there are some cases. Actually, it floats and moves in the scripture. And that is called farana piti. Like it soaks every cell of your body with that joy and rupture and lightness and degravity feeling. Those are the five kinds of piti, pleasurable interest. And the sixth and the final one is chanda, wishing or wanting. Some translate it as desire. But as soon as the word desire is used, people might tend to think there's a greed or lust is involved. Actually, it is a mere wishing or a mere wanting to do or to act. It is neither wholesome or unwholesome in that. It becomes unwholesome chanda or unwholesome wish if it associated with the unwholesome condition. That's why chanda is the translated word is called ethically variable. It is adaptable to any condition, good or bad. Its characteristic is wishing or wanting to do. Its function is looking for an object. When you want something, you look for an object. That's its function, looking for an object. It manifests as a need for an object. When you feel like you need something, that is the manifestation of chandak. The proximate cause is the object itself. But when you want to make this chandat very specific, good or bad, they use the word karma chandat. It's one of the five hindrances. Kama chandat ni varanat. Hindrance of sense desire. Kama chandat, then it's become unwholesome from the Buddhist point of view. Desire for sense pleasure. And the other end of the spectrum is dhamma chandat. Desire for wholesome things. Wholesome desire. Dhamma chandat. If you don't put the prefix of karma and dhamma, it is simply chandat, neutral. Those are the six particulars. And we have already talked about seven universal mental factors. Six plus seven, thirteen. Common to another samanya. Division or group. Because all of them, they are neutral by themselves, and they can become wholesome or unwholesome based on their associates. By understanding these mental factors, it will help you to understand the Buddha Dharma more precisely and correctly and apply in your meditation with a clear understanding of your own experience. May all of you be able to practice mindfulness inside meditation seriously and perpetually, and may you attain nippana as soon as possible. Thank you very much.