DHAMMAPADA (verses 21 & 22)
Diligence
The one who develops virtue, concentration, and wisdom diligently reaches the deathless, Nibbāna. The negligent, one who is intoxicated by sense pleasures, repeatedly dies. The diligent Dhamma practitioner goes beyond death. The negligent are as if already dead.
The diligent, wise Dhamma practitioner clearly understands the difference between diligence and negligence. Delighting in the dwelling of the
noble ones which is the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment, they rejoice in diligence.
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Guided Meditation
Meditation on the Skeleton | Mediation on the Skeleton to help you realize the true nature of your body.
Dhatu Manasikara: Mindfulness of Elements Meditation | Mindfulness of Elements meditation to help you realise the true nature of your body.
Asubha Meditation: Mindfulness of the Impurities of the Body | The Buddha taught the meditation on the body parts as a way to overcome attachment to our own bodies as well as the bodies of others.
Mettā Bhāvanā: Loving-Kindness Meditation | Spreading loving kindness to one self and others helps you to abandon anger and hatred within the mind resulting in a calm, friendly, peaceful mindset.
Maranasati: Reflection on Death | Thinking about the reality that one day you will have to leave this world will make one diligent in practicing what is good and wholesome.
Buddhanussati Meditation: Recollection of the Qualities of the Supreme Buddha | Buddha’s Qualities are immeasurable, unequalled and foremost; hence the results we gain by wisely contemplating such a Great Person are indeed extraordinary. Let’s meditate!
Guided Meditation
Meditation heals our lives more than anything else. It helps us find inner peace and calm our mind and is conducive to developing wisdom. Meditation broadens our perspective of life. It help us see life for what it really is and experience happiness through contentment and understanding.
Practicing meditation is a remarkable way to develop your mind. It is our teacher, the Supreme Buddha, who first taught us the possibility of developing our minds.
The Supreme Buddha developed his mind to the highest level possible and showed us the way to achieve the same. Thus, the technique that is used to develop the mind is known as meditation.
Meditation enriches and gives more meaning to life. Meditation is a specialized technique to improve the mind. It was the Buddha who first taught us that the mind could be developed. He developed his mind to the highest level and taught us the way to develop our minds as well. We call this technique of mind development ‘meditation’. If you practice this technique, you too could improve your mind rapidly. For this, you need the capacity to think and analyze. If you are unable to do this, it is not possible to improve your mind. Only a few people in this world has the potential to train and improve one’s minds. You, too, can try to include yourself into that few people if you make an effort to practice meditation.
The initial qualification for successful meditation is your confidence in the Buddha’s knowledge. It is called “saddhā”. We believe that Buddha is the greatest teacher who developed the mind fully. We can only improve our minds when we follow guidelines set by a teacher who himself has improved his mind. The Buddha is the ultimate teacher for this purpose. Therefore, if you have confidence in the Buddha, learn his instructions well and conduct your life according to his guidelines, and you too can develop your mind through meditation.
When a person who has the capacity to think comes across the “Dhamma”, the Buddha’s teachings, and is impressed by the Dhamma, it is called “khano” or momentous opportunity. This is very rare. The Buddha and his followers often said that those who do not take advantage of this momentous opportunity suffer in hell. This life passes very quickly. We have a life that is subject to sickness. We have a life that is limited by death. Therefore, before we die, before we become terminally ill, before our sense faculties deteriorate, while we have mental alertness, while we have good hearing, while we still have the capacity to think and while we are able to understand, we must utilize this momentous opportunity. If you have confidence in the Buddha’s teachings and assurance in following his teachings, you have already obtained this momentous opportunity.
However, be aware that it is the nature of the mind not to sustain anything for long. Whether we try to practice virtue, self-control, or mind development, it becomes almost impossible after a while, and before we know it we are back where we started. You must understand this nature and have the determination to internalize the Dhamma. Think along the Dhamma and improve your mind according to the Dhamma.
The greatest change you will notice when developing your mind is that good human qualities develop within yourself. As your mind improves, you will develop a certain personality, which gives rise to a certain noble quality called “dignity”. This quality can only enhance your life. It leads you away from jealousy and envy, and away from anger and revenge. You can be happy for the well-being of others as well as for yourself. These are the indicators of a developed mind. This nature can only be attained by developing one’s mind.
These are the characteristics of a mind on the way to improvement and they will become evident within you. When it starts happening to you, you should understand that inside you there is a mind that is capable of being improved.
These are the characteristics of a mind on the way to improvement, and they become evident within you. When it starts happening to you, you should understand that inside you there is a mind that is capable of being improved.
Meditation is a way of taming one’s the mind. This method of conducting our mind leads to the purification of our inner self. This will gradually lead to a much calmer and happier life making you much more determined, effortful and diligent. You can gain all these benefits by developing one’s mind.
The ability to think independently is a very precious skill to have. When Dhamma is being taught to you, if you feel confident that you too can practice this Dhamma, then that is thinking independently. Then, even if others try to discourage you from Dhamma practice saying ‘meditation is pointless, there’s no point in trying to understand the reality of life’ you will be able to stay uninfluenced by such wrong ideas, opinions and views. Therefore, have strong confidence that this Dhamma can be realized and that confidence will gradually help you to enter the path to Nibbana!
The first one is “samatha bhāvanā” or “calm-abiding meditation” and the second is “vipassanā bhāvanā” or “insight meditation”. The Buddha very clearly emphasized that both these methods are equally helpful to the understanding of life. By practicing calm-abiding meditation, you settle and strengthen your mind. By practicing insight meditation, wisdom is developed. These two methods cannot be separated.
These two methods cannot be separated.
A person who is attempting to understand life through the Buddha’s teachings (the Dhamma) first practices calming meditation and then turns it into insight meditation. Alternatively, some start with insight meditation and then calming meditation. There are also some who practice both calming meditation and insight meditation simultaneously.
There are no records of any persons who have entered the path to enlightenment by focusing on just one of these two methods of meditation. In other words, it does not seem possible to enter the path to enlightenment without practicing both these meditations. By practicing calm-abiding meditation, you settle and strengthen your mind. By practicing insight meditation, wisdom is developed.
Thus, it is important to understand calming meditation and insight meditation in greater detail.
When you practice calm-abiding meditation and improve your mind, you lose weaknesses in your mind, and reduce the tendency of the mind to digress. You strengthen your mind and you are then able to comprehend things as they really are. This means that through calming meditation, your mind becomes profoundly workable. Such a mind can be used to analyse and understand realities of life.
Calming meditation prepares the mind by improving and strengthening it. In this method, we overcome ‘nīvarana’ or hindrances and calm the mind. The word samatha means calming down or the total absence of conflict in your own mind. When we experience problems in our lives we resolve it. Samatha is like that. Samatha means the resolution of all conflicts in the mind and settling the mind. We are then able to calm the mind and come to a resolution of all conflict of the mind. Calming meditation gives us this ability.
Insight meditation is investigating the truth of something. Wisdom is the ability to see the truth as it is. Again, insight meditation helps you understand the nature of life as it is. This understanding comes through wisdom.
Insight meditation is the way to see the basic nature of all things or their fundamental characteristics. As an example, the Buddha said that anything that arises as a result of a cause is impermanent. What then is the most fundamental nature of all things? It is impermanence. If this impermanence is common to all things, we, too, have this characteristic of impermanence within us. Impermanence is evident throughout our lives. Although we are fooled by this life, although we ignore this impermanence, there is no way we can prevent impermanence from occurring. Until we understand this true nature, we will grieve when things become impermanent. All things that we find pleasure in are impermanent. Not understanding this impermanent nature leads to suffering. In addition, when things go wrong in our life, if we can understand that this too will change and become impermanent, we can remain calm, which indicates that we have developed wisdom. We cannot control this impermanent nature. We cannot sustain our bodies in a state of constant youthfulness and good health. We have no control over that. Therefore, we cannot claim ownership of our bodies. Thus, there is nothing that is ours.
Not having true control over change and impermanent things, not truly owning anything is called “anatta” or non-self. Seeing impermanent things as impermanent, seeing suffering as suffering, and seeing non-self as non-self is called “seeing the reality.” When investigating things mindfully and wisely, we will gradually begin to see impermanence, suffering and non-self within this life. We will then be able to see through most things. This ability to see things in its true light is wisdom. The method of developing this ability to see things in its true nature or through wisdom is vipassanā.
We must think intelligently here. We could be warned that as lay people living a homely life, vipassanā is harmful to the lay life. We must be able to think independently and realize that the Buddha would never teach us anything that could be damaging to our lives. Harmful things to our lives are taught by ordinary, unwise people. The Buddha is not an ordinary person, he is an enlightened one who eradicated all defilements and taught the Dhamma to ordinary people to overcome the ordinary state of life. The noble community of monks is the community that is heading towards enlightenment, overcoming ordinary states. I have gone for refuge to this Triple Gem: Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. The doctrine of impermanence, suffering, and non-self belongs to the Triple Gem in which I took refuge. Therefore, if someone says that this doctrine of impermanence is not important to our lives, that person doesn’t belong to the triple gem. He is an ordinary person who holds wrong view. You must identify that person clearly in this manner, and act with a complete knowledge of mind. The Buddha had infinite compassion towards the world and acted only for the benefit of people. This is where our confidence in the Buddha’s words comes in.
Establishing mindfulness is a way of looking at life in a clear and profound way. In general, we need mindfulness to do our daily chores. We walk on the edge of the street so that we can avoid being hit by vehicles. We cross the road after checking for oncoming traffic. All these we do with awareness and care. This is our usual mundane mindfulness. If we become absent minded and lose mindfulness, we lose track of what we are doing. What meditation does is improve this normal mundane mindfulness to a higher plane where we become aware of our inner selves. This improvement to a higher plane is called sammā sati or right mindfulness.
The four establishments of mindfulness or ‘cattāro satipatthāno’ taught by the Buddha raise our mindfulness to a higher plane. That is called sammā sati, or right mindfulness. Again, you must realize that our day-to-day mindfulness is somewhat different from sammā sati. No matter how much of our daily tasks we do with mindfulness, unless we develop that mindfulness to the level of sammā sati, it will not help us understand reality of life. The satipatṭhāna or the establishments of mindfulness are entirely composed of sammā sati or right mindfulness.
The terms ‘right view’ and ‘right understanding’ are commonly used to mean sammā ditthi but are not strictly accurate. The Buddha explained sammā ditthi as the knowledge of the Four Noble Truths. This life is based on the law of cause and effect. Its nature is that in order to eliminate the effect the cause has to be eliminated. The impermanent nature of this world is founded on the law of cause and effect. To go beyond this impermanence, in order to reach ultimate bliss, one has to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. If someone understands this law of cause and effect, if someone understands the need to go beyond and reach the ultimate bliss following the Noble Eightfold Path, that person can conduct one’s mindfulness very skillfully. Such a person possesses ‘right mindfulness’.
So now you know that right mindfulness can only be established through sammā ditthi, or right understanding, which derives from initial knowledge of the Four Noble Truths. Inversely, knowledge of the Four Noble Truths gives us sammā ditthi, which is necessary for right mindfulness in realizing the true nature of life. The Buddha, with great compassion, clearly shows in Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta that the Establishment of Mindfulness will result in purification of the mind for all of us; the eradication of grief, sorrow and lamentation; the abandoning of physical and mental pain, and profound understanding of life leading to ultimate bliss, Nibbāna.
We cannot achieve anything without commitment and dedication. It is the same for Meditation. It is essential that we understand why we meditate, why it is necessary, and how it benefits us. In general, our lives are limited to what we experience externally. So many people think that meditation helps to maintain good health, improve memory, lessen stress, and helps us lead an organized life. Although this is correct, these should be expected as secondary benefits. The number one goal of meditation is to understand the reality of life. The person focused on understanding the reality of life through meditation thus experiences a healthy mind. The person who focuses on understanding the reality of life through meditation thus experiences enhanced memory skills. The person who focuses on understanding reality of life through meditation thus experiences lower stress levels. The person who focuses on understanding reality of life through meditation thus experiences a more organized life. The person who focuses on understanding the reality of life through meditation thus becomes unshaken by the ups and downs of life. So, if you expect such worldly benefits from meditation you will get them as additional benefits as you focus on understanding the reality of life. Therefore, our aim of meditation should become, understanding the reality of life. This understanding can be achieved through the Four Establishments of Mindfulness.
We have an ordinary mindfulness, which really is no help at all when we want to stop pain or sorrow. This mundane mindfulness cannot carry us to an understanding of life or eradicate sorrow. It cannot calm or collect our restless minds. But right mindfulness or sammā sati can do this. This right mindfulness is developed within the establishments of mindfulness. The Buddha taught that there are four systems through which mindfulness can be developed. These are called the Four Establishments of Mindfulness.
- Kāyānupassanā, which is establishing mindfulness of the body.
- Vedanānupassanā, which is establishing mindfulness of feelings.
- Cittānupassanā, which is establishing mindfulness of thought.
- Dhammānupassanā, which is establishing mindfulness of facts that contribute to understanding the reality of life.
These four establishments of mindfulness lead to understanding the reality of life.
Since the Buddha taught the results of practicing satipatṭhāna (the Four Establishments of Mindfulness) at the very beginning of the discourse, we should have no doubts about the satipatṭhāna or its results. It is clear that we will be able to gain tremendous amounts of benefit if we cultivate the Dhamma and cultivate our minds. The first satipatṭhāna we develop is kāyānupassanā or mindfulness of the body. In kāyānupassanā meditation, the first method is “ānāpānasati” or mindfulness of breathing. From the moment, we were born we have been inhaling and exhaling. But most of us are not aware that we can use breathing to establish mindfulness and purify our minds. But the Buddha discovered this over 2500 years ago. Since then, millions of people have benefited from this method. So, this is a tried and tested way that yields result. His teachings of the Four Noble Truths are as follows:
- There is suffering in this life
- There is a cause for this suffering
- This suffering can be overcome and that state is called “Nibbāna”
- There is a process to overcoming this suffering, which is the Noble Eightfold Path.
We need to keep this at the forefront of our minds as we learn about meditation.
Breathing Meditation (Anapanasati)
When beginning to practice mindfulness of breathing, we must first find an appropriate spot to be seated. Acquiring a spot under a shady tree, or an empty space, solitary spot where you won’t be disturbed is best suited for this meditation. If one plans to meditate with others in a room, everyone should plan to close their eyes and sit quietly and they will each be isolating themselves. This is also suitable as it is in accordance with empty space.
When practicing the mindfulness of breathing mediation, the meditator should sit with folded legs, cross-legged with a straight back. For most people this is a very difficult thing to do. There are solutions to this problem. You can make yourself a solid cushion or a little seat about three to four inches high. We should not become accustomed to leaning against the wall.
Also, if we have difficulty maintaining this position we should not be discouraged if others can sit for a long period with cross legged and straight back but we cannot do it. It takes a little practice and we will be able to do it in the end. It is very important to have a balanced and stable body posture so we can sit for a long period without being distracted by our posture. This way, the first requirement to breathing meditation is fulfilled.
Our breathing is the subject or ‘nimitta’ of this meditation. We don’t need to attempt to focus on any other nimittas or subjects. Buddha explains what the subject of breathing is very clearly.
“So satova assasati,” – he breaths in mindfully.
“Sotova passasati,” – he breathes out mindfully.
Buddha advised us to be aware of how we breathe in, and breathe out.
As the initial step before starting breathing meditation, you can contemplate the great qualities of the Buddha. Think for a few a minutes about the Buddha’s great qualities in any language you are comfortable with, recollecting the meaning of each quality: The Buddha is free from defilements (arahaṁ), fully enlightened (sammā sambuddho), endowed with true knowledge and virtue (vijjā carana sampanno), discovered the noble eightfold path (sugato), knower of all worlds (lokavidū), incomparable teacher of those to be tamed (anuttaro purisadamma sārathi), teacher of gods and humans (sattha deva manussānaṁ), the compassionately taught the Dhamma (buddho), is blessed hold such great qualities (bhagavā). In this way, develop a pleasant mind by recollecting these great qualities of the Buddha. When you think about the Buddha, your mind clears and settles down as suspended particles in a murky pond settle on the bottom and leave the water clear. You begin to feel content and happy. This contentment and happiness becomes a great aid in the development of meditation.
So now, you inhale with mindfulness and you exhale with mindfulness. This is all you need to do at this stage. This introductory step is not difficult. You can see for yourself how simple this sounds. However, once you try to stay aware of the breath entering and leaving your body, you should soon realize how disobedient your ordinary mind is. You will realize that it is not that easy to sustain mindfulness on a single subject. This, too, is then anatta or non-self because it is not something within your control. You will realize how your thoughts leap from one attraction to another. One moment you are aware of your breath, the next moment your thoughts roll along memory lane, and the next moment building future dreams or your thoughts get distracted by external sounds. You will soon understand the nature of this mind. So, what do you do now? The answer is viriya or effort. When your mind starts to wander off bring it back gently to the breath. You have to keep in mind that the Buddha taught the meditator to free yourself from both attachments and aversions while developing mindfulness.
There are three skills to sustain mindfulness of breathing. These are:
- Ātāpi:improving through perseverance is the skill of overcoming weaknesses of your mind.
- Sampajañña:using your intelligence skillfully.
- Satimā:the skill of staying totally aware and mindful.
The way to build up the establishments of mindfulness is through perseverance with intelligence and profound awareness. When you grasp the importance of these three skills, you are no longer the casual meditator. You are the meditator who understands that if your mind splits from an attraction to attraction or if your mind splits from aversion to aversion, then you are not ready to meditate. So, you create an atmosphere where you can focus on meditating.
You can isolate yourself, sit with folded legs and a straight spine and be mindful of your breathing. Even if your mind wanders to the past or to the future, persevere and gently draw back to your breath. The mind must be totally free of anxiety in order to be successful at this. You must not be discouraged if your thoughts keep splitting to different focus points. Persevere and gently draw it back to your breath. Mindfully you will inhale; mindfully you will exhale. This practice should enhance your life immensely.
Sammā sati or right mindfulness is what leads us to understanding our life. Right mindfulness is essential for this. Sometimes you hear people say that in order to meditate you need to find a teacher, tell them your personal details, and ask them to recommend a meditation method for you, as it could be dangerous to meditate without a teacher. This is not the Buddha’s advice. In Buddhist meditation, the teachings or the Dhamma is the instructor, not a person.
So, we will take instruction from the Dhamma the Buddha taught, and the vinaya or the behavioural cord he set. The Buddha himself said to venerable Ānanda, who was his personal attendant and who later recited all the suttās at the First Council, that when the Buddha was no more, his teachings, the Dhamma and the behavioural cord for the Sangha should be considered the great instructor. If we go to a teacher, we can soon discover whether they teach in the same manner as the Buddha. Instructions from the suttās can be easily verified.
If, in addition to the instructions from the suttās, there are personal instructions or secret instructions, there is reason to doubt that instructor. The Buddha has stated “Tathāgathappavedito Dhamma vinayo vivato virocati no paticchanno,” the teachings of the Buddha shine when open, not when hidden in mystery. The facet of the Buddha’s Dhamma is that it invites people to approach and discover the Dhamma for themselves (ehipassika). So, by definition there cannot be any secrets in the Buddha’s teachings.
You could have another question: if we are to reveal our personal opinions and personal achievements in public, isn’t that going to be an obstacle for others? If that is the case, the Buddha should have mentioned it first. In the Dhamma, there are no incidents where the Buddha secretly advised a person to meditate and secretly sent him away. All the advice the Buddha gave have been told to Venerable Ānanda and recorded, and all the monks and nuns have heard them. Therefore, there is no secret teaching in the Buddha’s Dhamma. There are no secret advice in the teaching that invites one to ‘come and see.’ If secret advices for mediation are given, you should indeed suspect it.
In the next step of Ānāpānasati meditation, you will be able to distinguish the differences in your breathing. Sometimes you will feel a long inhalation, which means you are having a stretched breathing. Since you were mindful about your breath, you realize that you are taking a lengthy breath in. Other times, there will be lengthy exhales. You will recognize those lengthy exhalations since you are mindful of your breath. Suddenly, breath could be short. Since you are aware of your breath, you will realize that your inhalation is short. When you are breathing out short exhalations, you will realize them since you are mindful of your breathing out is short. You notice this because of your sustained attention on the breath (without external distractions). However, this depends on your perseverance, intelligence, and mindfulness. That is, if you stop persevering, your mind can drop back to the state where it was before you started meditation.
As the third step, you direct your attention to the complete breath. That is, you observe when an inhalation starts, continues, and ends. You observe the beginning, continuation, and the end of the exhalation phase of a breath as a certain entity of the body. So, with improving the sensitivity you observe a breath as a certain entity of the body. This entity of entire breath is referred to as kāya sankhāra or a fabrication of the body, as a breath is associated with the body. When your mind becomes concentrated in this way, your breath becomes lighter.
As the fourth step, with improving tranquility you experience this lightening of your breath.
So, in mindfulness of breathing meditation, you first practice sustaining your awareness on your breath,
then you observe differences in length of your breath,
next you follow the complete breath, and then you observe the inhalation and exhalation as one entity as it becomes light, calm, and tranquil.
As the breath gradually becomes lighter, you could begin to feel a profound happiness or joy. This is called pīti. You might be distracted by this joy to the extent that you forget to be mindful of the breathing procecss and focus on the joy instead. This would result in the interruption of the concentration. Instead, you should understand the joy and while experiencing it, continue to focus on your inhalation and exhalation.
One of the main problems meditators face is assuming that the state of tranquil concentration or samādhi happens by chance. Actually, this state of tranquil concentration occurs because the causes for it to occur were in place. Atāpi, or profound perseverance on purifying our minds, sampajāno or profound intellect, and satimā or profound mindfulness. This state of tranquil concentration is a result of these causes. Be aware that this state ends when you rise from the meditation posture.
Another problem meditators face is the urge to rush through the initial stage in order to reach the previously acquired tranquil concentrated state and remain there longer. They pay less attention to the mindfulness on breathing and expect a samādhi or tranquil concentration stage to come to them. They forget that tranquil concentration stage is a result of causes, which were the initial hard work of focusing on the mindfulness of the breath.
This causes a downward spiral. When they cannot experience the Samadhi or tranquil concentration stage the second time, they feel disappointment, thinking, “I used to be able to experience Samadhi, but now I have failed.” This sometimes causes diffusion of the mind. Due to this diffusion, the mind cannot settle and the mind becomes restless. Because of this restlessness, we cannot keep our minds on the breath. When we cannot keep our mind on the breath, we cannot sustain awareness on the breath.
This means we cannot focus our minds on the breath. Therefore, we are unable to achieve the stage of profound concentration. Then we feel disappointment and the cycle starts again. So, we must keep in mind that the stage of tranquil concentration is a result of causes and that the causes must be in place for it to occur. This means you need to start from the beginning at each meditation sitting.
When our minds become accustomed to mindfulness of breathing meditation, and our minds become settled we experience profound joy. This profound joy is not the sort of ordinary pleasure we get from listening to good music, watching a movie, or sharing a delicious meal with loved ones. Those are very coarse pleasures. The joy from tranquil concentration is more refined. It is a kind of light and profound joy that comes from utter contentment, resolution, and freedom from worries. When we start to experience this profound joy, and continue to watch our breath we feel a sense of exultation, which slowly settles and we then start to feel a sense of profound wellbeing, or sukha. This sense of wellbeing is both physical and mental.
We talked about the breath becoming very light. This does not mean that it disappears. If we cannot feel the breath, we cannot sustain our attention on it. Sometimes when meditators are meditating with mindfulness of their breaths, after sometime they stop being mindful and simply watch their breaths. Then, when the breath becomes very light they tend to forget what they were doing and become confused. Because of this, we must always stay mindful and be aware of the breath. We need to remember that the breath will not disappear just yet. If we are like this we need to make an affirmation to ourselves as we sit to meditate that we will not let the mindfulness towards the breath disappear. We will stay aware and mindful on the breath. If we still cannot feel the breath, at that point, we can investigate with awareness and we should be able to find the breath and redirect our awareness towards it. When we continue to sustain our attention on the breath in this manner we realize the sukha or profound joy through the breathing. We recognize the breath well enough to understand that this is an inhalation and exhalation. We breathe in and breathe out while feeling this profound joy and with cognition of each in breath and out breath. This feeling and perception are called “citta sankhāra”. The term citta sankhāra is used because ‘feeling and perception’ are associated with the mind.
So, when we continue to breathe in and breathe out with profound understanding of this feeling and cognition associated with the mind, even this feeling and recognition become very light. We should prevent ourselves from being distracted by this lightness. We need to understand this but keep our attention and mindfulness on the breath. In the Buddha’s teachings, the word used for this understanding in the preliminary stages of meditation is pajānāthi. Pajānāthi means understanding with mindfulness. This leads to a greater understanding of the way things are. Later, He uses the word sikkhathi, which means practice or training. This means that we must train ourselves to prevent the mind from wondering here and there and develop the skill of being mindful on our breath. In other words, understand the lightening of the breath and skillfully maintain mindfulness on it. Gradually, the ‘citta sankhāra’ becomes subdued, and we feel joy, or pīti. Knowing and understanding this pīti, we maintain mindfulness on the breath. Then, we feel physical and mental lightness. Experiencing this lightness, we continue to maintain mindfulness on the breath, which enables us to have a feeling of intense comfort or sukha. Experiencing and knowing this sukha we continue to focus our mindfulness on the breath. We must practice this.
As you increase your skills on being mindful on the breath through these stages, your mind will understand clearly how kāya sankāra and citta sankāra become subdued while you still keep your mindfulness on the breath. Your mind then achieves a spiritual rapture. You have a sense of clarity. The Five Hindrances are totally subdued now. Your mind is now at the stage of the first jhāna. The first jhāna is relatively easy to achieve through ānāpāna sati. When you have practiced the first jhāna skilfully, you can achieve a state of samādhi without thought or vitakka. This is the second jhāna. When you have practiced the second jhāna well, you can achieve the third jhāna. When you practice the third jhāna well, you can achieve the fourth jhāna.
When you hear the word jhāna, you may become somewhat scared or reluctant to strive for it. You may think, I am a householder, I have responsibilities, so how can I practice jhāna? Such thoughts occur for those who do not understand the pure Dhamma, and when your confidence in Dhamma is not strong enough and you have no experience of its practicality. It is not a shortcoming of the Dhamma. There are many people around the world who practice this method and experience jhāna and who benefit greatly from it. Therefore, you should place a strong confidence in the Buddha’s words and without any fear, continue with your practice of concentration and improve it.
We are still talking about samatha meditation. If you develop your mind in the way we have described up to this point, you will be able to develop the calming meditation but there are various methods to follow in this world when the concentration is not cultivated. Be careful not to get trapped in those ideas. Some people may tell you that it is a simple thing for them and that they could put you in a jhāna within just ten minutes. Some would also say that if you can stay in concentration for thirty minutes then that would push you to the first jhāna. They say these things to check how badly you want it. But it just shows their lack of proper knowledge. The very important thing you must be aware of here is that there are no short cuts to jhāna. Until you can subdue and eradicate the five hindrances, which take time and effort, you cannot achieve sustained mindfulness on the breath, which leads to jhāna. Once the five hindrances are subdued, concentration is naturally achieved.
We are now progressing through the mindfulness of breathing meditation. We find a peaceful spot, keep the back straight, and keep our mind on the point of focus that is our breathing. The breath is also called the object of meditation. We improve our mindfulness totally within the inhalation and exhalation. The breath is the object of our meditation. We should not look for or not expect other objects or “nimitta”. Other than the Satipatthāna sutta, further information on mindfulness of breathing meditation can be found in the Girimānanda sutta, which is in the chapter of tens in the Anguttara Nikāya or the Numerical discourses, and also in the satipatṭhāna samyutta as well as the ānāpānasati samyutta of the fifth book of the Samyutta Nikāya or Connected Discourses. We can get a comprehensive understanding of breathing meditation from these. This is not a personal opinion. It is directly the Buddha’s words.
We must have total confidence in the Buddha’s teachings throughout this meditation, as it was the Blessed One who originally attained enlightenment through developing mindfulness of breathing meditation. It was He who discovered this method and instructed His followers to attain supreme freedom through this method. It was highly successful then and it will work today as well. If there was a method by which someone could end all suffering and attain arahantship, it is explained very clearly by the Buddha in the Discourses. He had total understanding on this subject and if anyone had an equal understanding that person would be a Buddha too. There is no need to edit or modify this method by saying you can try to meditate in other ways. If someone tries to modify, it only shows that individual’s lack of confidence in the Buddha and the foolish attempt to go beyond the Buddha’s unsurpassed knowledge. We must practice this Dhamma not as teachers but as followers of the Buddha.
We learned that there are two methods of meditation explained in the Satipatthāna sutta by the Buddha, namely samatha and vipassanā. We are now learning samatha-calming meditation. Now, we will explore calming meditation in greater depth as taught by the Buddha.
“Iti ajjhattaṁ vā kāye kāyānupssī viharati,” – one sustains the mind in the inhalation and exhalation ; one understands the nature of the breath and understands how to sustain the mind on the breath.
“Bahiddhā vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati,” – as one understands the nature of the breath inside oneself, one understands that in others too, the breath is of the same nature.
We, then, understand that this is the nature of the breath within ourselves and outside ourselves.
Then, the Buddha taught that, when we sustain our mind on the breath; it is kāyānupassanā, when we see the origination of the breath; it is the samudaya Dhammānupassi vā.
This means body is originated from nutriment. Even the continuation of the cycle of rebirth solely depends on nutriment. But in this instance we are considering our bodies. Our bodies exist because of nutriment. Therefore, respiration is composed of the elements of nutriment. Respiration arises due to causes. Therefore, respiration too is impermanent. Realizing the phenomenon that things arise due to causes is samudaya dhammānupassī vā.
Once, the Buddha was asked, “How can one gain wisdom?”
The Buddha preached,
“Saddhāno arahatam Dhammam nibbānapattiyā ” – “the Buddhas teach the Dhamma that leads to ultimate freedom, Nibbāna.”
“Sussūsā labhatē paññā appamattā vicakkhanā ” – “The one who listens to that Dhamma very attentively, placing confidence in the teachings and investigates it with diligence, gains wisdom.”
According to the Buddha, it is very obvious that one should listen to the Buddha’s teachings in order to gain wisdom. There is a school of thought that if you continue to meditate you will automatically gain wisdom. If this were true, there would have been no need for the Buddhas to expound the Dhamma.
The Buddha once said to his liberated disciples, “two monks should not go on one road. Teach the Dhamma clearly to everyone you meet along the way.” The Buddha continued, “If people don’t get to hear the Dhamma, they will commit unwholesome actions and be born in planes of misery…… There will be people who would realize the Dhamma if it is preached to them.”
This clearly shows us that this Dhamma can be realized. This clearly shows that learning the Dhamma is necessary to realize the true nature of things. So, we need to understand well that we must cultivate wisdom.
Now you have some knowledge about mindfulness of breathing meditation, ānāpānasati. You have gained this knowledge through the Buddha’s teachings. When you practice this meditation according to the great teachings, you will be feeling a natural respect coming from your heart for the Buddha. This respect will help you further develop this Dhamma.
When one develops insight realizing impermanence as impermanence, which leads to the realization of suffering which in turn leads to the realization of non-self. This realization does not come automatically. While maintaining a total mindfulness, you must contemplate impermanence and only then will you be able to realize impermanent things as impermanent. If you can practice contemplation of impermanence through mindfulness of breathing, Buddha teaches that you will be able to refrain from being attached to anything (naca kinci loke upādiyati ). That means the meditator will not grasp a view of I, mine, or myself with regard to breathing and will have a mind of total freedom. This will help us further develop wisdom, further develop awareness and attain a complete understanding of life.
In the Buddha’s teachings, there are no inferior goals. We do not meditate to improve memory or for health benefits, although they are byproducts of meditation. Meditating for health and memory skills is very much a worldly concept. The Buddha’s way of meditation is a revolution for freedom of thought. So, if you want to follow this method,you must understand the right goal, learn and practice the teachings and meditate. Only then can you achieve a true and honest effort; a genuine need aligns with our conscience and a real desire to understand life.
Now you have learned how to attain concentration or samādhi through ānāpānasati or mindfulness of breathing meditation and how to cultivate insight through ānāpānasati. In developing wisdom, you must keep in mind that this is a contemplation of impermanence. Inhalation and exhalation is impermanent; then you feel the breath; the feeling of breath is impermanent. You perceive the breath, that perception is impermanent. In the breath you create a thought, and form volition. These volitions too are impermanent. You are conscious of the breath, that consciousness too is impermanent. When you continue to contemplate impermanent things as impermanent with wisdom, you will be able to see impermanence as impermanent.
Now you have some knowledge about mindfulness of breathing meditation, ānāpānasati. You have gained this knowledge through the Buddha’s teachings. When you practice this meditation according to the great teachings, you will be feeling a natural respect coming from your heart for the Buddha. This respect will help you further develop this Dhamma.
Awareness Meditation (Satisampajañña)
It is about living with clear mindfulness and awareness. What is the advantage of living with clear mindfulness and awareness? One advantage is that when we are conscious of every moment we can prevent unwholesome mental states in our life and simply let in wholesome mental states. A person who is ready to meditate should already be living a life with a good moral conduct by observing the five precepts. The unwholesome mental states we mean here are the five hindrances (panca nīvarana). In order to avoid or overcome these hindrances, we should first recognize them.
1. “Kāmacchanda”that is the mind being attracted to form, sound, smell, taste, and tactile sensations.
2. “Vyāpāda”the mind being repelled by and in conflict with such objects.
3. “Thīnamiddha”laziness, sleepiness, or being discouraged from meditation.
4. “Uddhacca kukkuccha”regret, remorse, and diffusion of the mind.
5. “Vicikicchā”doubt which results from lack of confidence in this process.
These hindrances are always with us in our daily lives. The meditator should be fully aware of these in order to avoid being distracted by these hindrances. The Buddha taught that when the meditator goes forth and when he returns, he must always do so with mindfulness avoiding the hindrances. When he looks around himself, he must do so with mindfulness. Try not to let hindrances overcome the mind, and safeguard the mind from the five hindrances
The wise awareness when looking around is called “ālokite vilokite sampajāna kārī hoti.”
Even when moving the limbs, the skillful meditator does it with mindfulness. He must know why and when he moves his limbs and do it with awareness. This awareness should run through his daily routines.
Let us consider getting dressed for instance. when we dress, we have to be aware about the purpose of dressing. The fundamental purposes of dressing is protection of privacy, protection from insects, and protection from extreme environmental conditions. When we dress, we must be conscious of these purposes and dress accordingly and with awareness.
Now, let us consider our intake of food. When eating, the Buddha has taught us a reflection. It is called “paccavekkhanā”. Paccavekkhanā means reflecting something mindfully over and over again. Buddha taught Dhamma practitioners shouldn’t be followers of food or servants of food. Dhamma practitioners use food only as a means of sustaining their bodies. Buddha instructs us to reflect on food thus, “This food is eaten not for physical power, not for mere pleasure, not to build up muscles, not to beautify this body, but to terminate feelings of hunger in order to meditate without distraction.”
The Buddha further instructs even when using the washroom, we must maintain this awareness. We need to realize that our lives are composed of a series of postures and stances. Even when we use the washroom we should safeguard our minds from defilements. The Buddha asked us to maintain our awareness when we are walking, standing, sitting, even when we are awake, and also when staying awake throughout night, which in Pāli is called “jāgarite.” This constant awareness, by not letting the hindrances creep into our minds will protect us from much harm.
The Buddha explained a beautiful story in “Sakunaggī sutta” about awareness.
A hawk was flying overhead when it spotted a little brush bird flying in the air below it. The hawk caught the little bird. The little bird screamed out, “Oh this calamity befell me because I tried to fly in an unfamiliar territory. There is a habitat I inherited from my forefathers. If I had only remained there this hawk would never have caught me”.
This awakened the hawk’s interests and hawk asked the little bird “what is the habitat you inherited from your forefathers”. The little bird said, “When this field is ploughed and the earth is turned, under a sod there is a little cave like place. That is the habitat I inherited from my forefathers”.
The hawk found this quite amusing. He said to the little bird, “I will let you go now; you can go and hide in the little habitat you inherited that you are so proud of. I will still catch you”.
The little bird flew directly down to stand on a turned sod of earth and shouted to the hawk “come and catch me now”. The hawk drove directly down to the sod of earth but the little bird crept into the little cave like space under the sod; and the hawk hit his chest hard on the sod of earth.
In this story, the Buddha shows us that mindfulness is the habitat that we inherit from our forefathers. The Buddha said,
“Monks, the Tathāgata is your father. Your inheritance from the Tathāgata is based in your awareness on the four establishments of mindfulness.”
***This Dhamma we have received is complete and fertile. This means it gets results. If anyone says they do not get the results from following this Dhamma that means that they are not following the profound way. This Dhamma when followed truly thus yields results.
To recap, in satisampajañña, the meditator sustains mindfulness when looking around, when moving his limbs, when coming and going, when dressing, when eating, and when going to the toilet. He practices this constantly in order to stay vigilant, so the hindrances do not overcome him. When he is mindful, he needs an object to focus his mind on. That object of mindfulness should be impermanence and this gives him a good opportunity to reflect on impermanence.
Now, this may be interpreted like this or misinterpreted like this. When we are doing some tasks, we could be wholly aware of what we are doing and expect the same benefits. For example, while cutting vegetables one could think, I am cutting, cutting, cutting…and expect their wisdom to grow. The awareness while carrying out mundane chores like this would help us complete the chores with care but would not necessarily lead us to the cultivation of wisdom. The way to cultivate wisdom is through mindfully contemplating the impermanence of things through profound vigilance, which prevent the hindrances from taking control of our minds. Through this, the meditator can improve his wisdom, his awareness, skill, and effort.
Mindfulness of Postures (Iriyapata)
In this chapter, we will explore mindfulness on postures or “iriyāpata” meditation. There are four main postures identified by the Buddha, namely, standing, walking, sitting, and lying down. We can use any of these postures for meditation.
Walking is a common posture used for meditation. Walking meditation is particularly useful to many meditators for they come to realize Dhamma points most often while practicing walking meditation. Therefore, even if at the beginning we are affected by the hindrances, we should not be discouraged. We should persevere in this.
At the time of the Buddha, there was a monk who tried to meditate; he was very sleepy. Now imagine what we would do if we were sleepy. We would put off meditating and go to bed thinking there isn’t any point of meditating since we would waste time sleepily nodding off anyway. This monk was very persevering and did not give up. He decided to try walking meditation. He was walking in the walking meditation path and when he fell asleep he fell down. Still he did not give up. He got up, brushed the sand off himself and resumed his task and was soon able to control his mind. So, we can see that this is the nature of our minds. At one moment, it is sleepy, the next, tired and lazy. However, with skillful effort and mindfulness it can be overcome and our goal of profound awareness can be achieved. This shows that the nature of our mind is such that it follows our inputs. It can be the same for walking meditation as well.
Now, in walking meditation you may hear of some meditators saying as you lift your left foot think ‘left’, as you lift your right foot think ‘right’, or you may be told as you lift your foot think ‘lifting’. As you set your foot down think ‘setting down’. We must be aware that the Buddha’s instructions say nothing of the sort. The Buddha’s instructions are thus: “Gacchanto va gacchāmīti pajānāti,” when walking stay profoundly aware that you are walking. When sitting stay profoundly aware that you are sitting. When standing stay profoundly aware that you are standing. When lying down be profoundly aware that you are lying down. In this manner, we should be totally mindful of each posture our body adopts. This profound awareness is not limited to walking meditation. It is true that we can prevent being distracted if we keep our mind on left, right etc. as we raise each foot. However, this was not what our supreme teacher taught. His instructions were to keep attention on this body while it is moving. We only need to sustain our awareness that this is the posture of our body at the moment, which is walking. There is no need to pay special attention to whether we are lifting our foot or setting it down. We need to keep in mind that the aim of this meditation is to develop wisdom. That is, to understand things as they really are.
There was one arahant named Pārāsariya who said that when the posture is maintained in this manner and the mind is well based on the four establishments of mindfulness physical movement and posture become very smooth, like a stream of fine oil. This means that the meditator’s movements and the posture become superbly refined and flowing.
So, if we stand with the intention of doing walking meditation, we look at the path ahead of us and determine a spot in front of us. Then, we affirm to ourselves that we will walk to that spot with mindfulness. We lift the left foot, we carry the left foot forward, we lower the left foot. We do not label these actions as such but carry them out with awareness. Then, we follow through with the right foot the same way until we get to the predetermined spot. Then, we stop. When we stopped, we are aware that we have stopped. Then, we turn around with awareness, predetermine the next spot to go to and resume walking meditation with our minds on the movements of our limbs. The whole process is done with total awareness.
Let us say we are going somewhere or returning home on foot or just going out for a walk. This is a good time for walking meditation. When our minds are fully focused on the movements of our limbs, there is no room for unwholesome thoughts to pervade our mind. In fact, the awareness of our movements could be so profound that our mindfulness could develop within this meditation and improve. The Buddha has described walking meditation as a method by which we could sustain our concentration for a long period. Therefore, if we find it difficult to develop our concentration, walking meditation may be a way for us to develop concentration.
We can landscape our backyards to create a path for walking meditation. If there is a stretch of land 70-100 centimeters wide and about 7-10 meters long, we can pave it with sand and use it for walking meditation. It would have to be kept clear of obstructions and clutter. Such a feature would enhance our backyards and our homes.
This close awareness of our posture and movements has many benefits. The most important one is that when we are paying attention to how our bodies move and act, there is no room in our minds for idle thoughts, which could lead us astray. Under ordinary circumstances, we waste a lot of energy on letting our minds dwell on the past or the future. But if we act with mindfulness all the time, our minds are bent on cultivating wisdom and that leaves no opportunity to think of mundane things.
Now, most of us are familiar with the story of Ānanda thero, who was the personal assistant of the Buddha for 25 years. He had a superior memory and was acknowledged by the Buddha as such, and also retained and recited all of the suttās first told by the Buddha. He had only attained the state of stream enterer or sotapanna during the Buddha’s life time. He wanted to attain liberation before the first Dhamma council, where the entire teachings of the Buddha were to be recited by liberated ones. The night before the council of the Sangha, he was doing mindfulness of the body or kāyānupassanā meditation using walking as the posture. It was said that when he was about to change the posture from walking to lying down, when he had lifted his feet off the floor but his head had not quite hit the pillow and his body was semi reclined he attained enlightenment. This means he was not in any one of the four postures. However, he has been practicing kāyānupassanā meditation developing mindfulness of the body. This is another instance where walking meditation helped someone attained the supreme goal.
Now, we understand the value of walking meditation. Let us develop this meditation in order to make our lives successful.
Mindfulness of Impurities of Body (Asubha)
This is a meditation that is discovered by the Supreme Buddha himself. The Buddha disclosed the unseen fact of our body and how one can develop mindfulness upon that as a meditation which directly leads one to Nibbana. If a person develops this mindfulness on the foulness of the body, one can become completely free from all lust. Just as when a feather is burnt that process cannot be reversed, one is able to become completely free from lust such that lust will never arise in the mind again!
One day someone asked arahant Uttara thero, “Venerable Sir, you preach the Dhamma beautifully. Is this Dhamma originated within you? Or do you preach this Dhamma by learning from someone else?”
Then, arahant Uttara answered, “Dear friend, if there’s anything that’s well-said, all of it belongs to the words of the Supreme Buddha. We just abstract those words when we speak.”
Furthermore, an example was presented to realize the Buddha’s Dhamma. “Let’s say there is a heap of grains, and anyone could take as much grain as one wants from that pile of grains. Thus, each person takes as much grain as they want. Likewise, a person learns the Dhamma according to one’s talent.”
In the same way, you will penetrate this Dhamma that you are learning now according to your own skill.
The meditation method you are about to learn may be somewhat unpleasant to you. It is called asubha bhāvanā or mindfulness of impurities of body. It is all about our bodies and individual body parts inside and out. Even though this seems to be an unpleasant subject at first glance, we can gain a lot of insight from this meditation. Before we get into it, it is important to talk about a couple of myths surrounding this meditation. There is a common belief that lay people should not meditate on asubha or the impurities of body as such meditation would destroy family life and life as a lay person. If that were true, consider what doctors and nurses do for a living. They see this repulsive side day in and day out and still manage to have good family lives. It seems the people who have been intoxicated and infatuated by sense pleasures feel revulsion towards the subject and reject the Buddha’s teachings on it.
“Dhamma dessī parābhavo,” – Such people lose success.
“Dhamma kāmo bhavaṁ hoti,” – The followers of Dhamma achieve success.
We must keep in mind that if we lean towards the teachings we cannot go wrong.
What is important is whether you are ready to realize the truth about this life or not. For this, you must first gain some knowledge about the meditation before you actually start it. Asubha meditation is the contemplation of thirty-two impure parts of the body in its true nature.
Let us take hair for example. Let us imagine someone with long hair. They love their hair and stroke it with much affection. When brushing it they do it with much care. Let us take another person who loves her nails. She files them into shape, buffs or polishes them, and admires them. Then, let us consider someone who loves their teeth. This person worries about keeping his or her teeth in top condition; brushing constantly and grinning in front of the mirror to admire the teeth. Then, consider someone who spends a lot of time on the care of his or her skin. To someone who has such a lifestyle, this contemplation of the impurities is indeed something very strange.
But, let us consider the Buddha’s words here. If our hair would always remain thick, smooth and lustrous, if our nails would always remain attractive, if we can maintain this beautiful life, then, we have no problem. But it is time for a reality check. Our bodies are always deteriorating. There comes a time when we have to face reality and accept this truth. This meditation will help us immensely to realize this truth.
The Buddha said that skillful contemplation of the impurities of body is like burning a hen’s feather. When you hold a hen’s feather to a candle it shrivels. It can never be unfolded again. The person who contemplates on the impurities according to this guideline, develops a very realistic mind where lust is shriveled such that it never return to its previous state. This happens through a clear and comprehensive understanding of things as they really are. This meditation is very helpful for developing Samadhi or concentration. Therefore, we must remain fully aware of the validity of concentration gained through this meditation as well. But keep in mind that if we feel revulsion at any point while meditating we have not truly practiced the contemplations of the impurities of body. If we are repulsed, we have really been contemplating the body parts just in an attractive manner.
The Buddha advised us to think of a sac containing mixed seeds, which has openings at both ends. A person with good eyesight takes this sac and unties the openings, carefully acknowledging the seeds by type as: this is rice, this is chickpeas, this is mung beans, this is lentils, this is barley, this is corn, and so on. In this manner, the wise meditator begins to look at his body part by part from head to toe.
How does he contemplate? He goes to a calm place and silently thinks about the impure parts of this body. He sees these impure body parts separately, one by one. There is hair in this body. There are nails in this body. There are teeth in this body. There is a skin in this body. There is flesh in this body. There are veins in this body. There are bones in this body. There is bone marrow in this body. There is a kidney in this body. There is a heart in this body. There is a uterus in this body. There are lungs in this body. There is a liver in this body. There are small intestines in this body. There are large intestines in this body. There are feces in this body, etc. In this manner, that person contemplates the impure parts of this body.
He also sees that there is bile in this body. There is phlegm in this body. There is pus in this body. There is blood in this body. There is sweat in this body. There is a fat layer that flows with water in this body. There are tears in this body. There is synovial fluid in this body. There is saliva in this body. Also, there is mucus in this body. There is bone-marrow in this body. There is urine in this body. He contemplates on these impure body parts one by one, separately. It is like looking at a sack of grains that has openings on both sides.
Now you can imagine how profoundly and realistically the Buddha contemplated this life and achieved liberation. We should be able to see how looking at life this way can give us freedom. This helps us realize that true happiness and freedom does not lie with attractions. It is freedom from bonds and ties through comprehensive understanding that makes our lives truly beautiful. Therefore, contemplation of these body parts that are subject to deterioration helps beautify our lives. We envision these body parts through our imagination. Therefore, it should not lead to family break ups. If that were the case, going to the toilet should result in family break ups. This method of meditation helps us understand that this nature exists in our bodies too. We see this truth; we realize it; and understand it well. We need to practice this gradually and absorb it into our lives. Even for someone who finds it difficult to concentrate, practicing contemplation of the impurities should prepare them for ānāpānasati or mindfulness of breathing meditation by reducing attachment to sensual pleasures.
The Buddha didn’t instruct that everyone should do mindfulness of breathing meditation. It is more appropriate for people who are naturally skilled in developing mindfulness. Practicing the contemplation of impurities of body for at least 20-30 minutes a day would help us enhance our lives as well as prepare us for other meditation methods like mindfulness of breathing meditation.
- Since head hairs on this body are rotting away, smelling, living on a filthy body, and deteriorating, head hairs are disgusting to see and touch.
- Since body hairs…
- Nails
- Teeth
- Skin
- Flesh
- Sinews
- Bones
- Bone-marrow
- Kidneys
- Heart
- Liver
- pancreas
- Spleen
- Lungs
- Small intestines
- Large intestines
- stomach
- Excrement
- The brain
- Bile
- Phlegm
- Pus
- Blood
- Sweat
- Fat
- Tears
- Grease
- Saliva
- Snot
- Fluid of the joints
- Urine
Mindfulness of Elements (Dhatu manasikara)
If we consider the different meditation methods, loving kindness meditation is one we should be doing all the time; mindfulness of breathing meditation can be somewhat difficult for us initially. If this is the case, mindfulness of the impurities of body or mindfulness of the elements would be very beneficial to you as a precursor to mindfulness of breathing meditation.
Once, the little monk Rāhula was instructed by the great arahant Sāriputta to practice mindfulness of breathing meditation. At that point, the monk Rāhula did not know how to do mindfulness of breathing meditation. He went to the Buddha and asked him for instructions on practicing mindfulness of breathing meditation. It was at that point that the Buddha told him to start with the mindfulness of the elements. Contemplation of the elements is an accelerated and effective path to understanding life. The elements or dhātu is the basic or the fundamental nature of things. The term contemplation here refers to skillful investigation of four fundamental or basic natures of things: “paṭhavi’ or solidity, “āpo” or fluidity, “tejo” or heat, and “vāyo” or air. Paṭhavi is associated with earth, āpo is associated with water, tejo is associated with fire, and vāyo is associated with wind.
In this meditation method, it is crucial that we understand the fact that these words are used to contemplate our bodies and not the outside world. The Buddha preached to consider by wisdom paṭhavi dhātu like the earth; see it as something that is similar to earth. The Buddha further preached us to consider āpo dhātu like water, tējo dhātu like fire, and vāyo dhātu like the wind.
From all these methods, the great teacher’s intention was always to show us the path for the realization of truth. He did not want to mislead or deceive us. The Buddha gave a similar like this. A butcher kills a cow, cuts the meat and sets up a stall at a crossroads. This butcher does not have a sense of selling a cow. The buyers of meat have no sense that they are buying a cow. At this point, the usage of the term cow has been transcended and is referred to as ‘meat’ or in this case beef. This is how we contemplate the elements, which make up our bodies. We can use this example to understand how to separate our body’s composition of the basic natures of solidity, liquidity, heat, and air. That which decomposes to become earth is the element of solidity or paṭhavi; that which flows or runs is the element of liquidity or āpo; that which is warm is the element of heat or tejo; and that which moves like the air is the gaseous element or vāyo. We can recognize parts, which are solid in our body which would eventually turn into earth. We can recognize components which are liquid in our body. We can recognize components which have warmth within our body. We can recognize movement of gas or air within our body.
Your task now is to see these elements separately as the separate cuts of meat in a butcher’s stall. You should consider these as follows:
you can find a tranquil spot and contemplate separately those parts of your body, which are of the earth element.
The hair is of the earth element. You can consider the hair thus- Until now, how much hair have I lost from my head? What has happened to that hair? Most of it had already decayed and become part of earth as soil. A part of your life has become part of the earth while you are still living. What has happened to other body hairs and nails that you have removed from your body? Consider teeth. You may not have even one tooth in your mouth by now; all of us have lost at least our baby teeth. What happened to the teeth that you lost? They have all become part of the earth. Your skin is constantly regenerating itself. When you scrub your body, you can feel and see the dead skin leave your body to instantly become part of the earth. You see your flesh as becoming part of the earth. You see your blood vessels as becoming part of the earth. You see your bones as part of the earth element. You see your bone marrow as becoming part of the earth. You see your kidneys as becoming part of the earth. You see your heart as becoming part of the earth. You see your liver as being part of the earth element. You consider your pancreas as becoming part of the earth. You look at your spleen as becoming part of the earth. You see your lungs as becoming part of the earth. You look at your large intestine as being a part of the earth element. You consider your small intestine as a part of the earth element. You see your stomach as becoming part of the earth. You see your fecal matter in the intestine as becoming part of the earth. These body parts belong to the element of earth.
It is crucial for us to think in this way. The Buddha gave these guidelines not for the investigation of the nature of the earth or other universes. But rather to help us be free from suffering, both physically and mentally. We try to find comfort through material things, which actually takes us deeper into suffering. The Buddha’s instructions were that if we want eternal happiness we must find the point where suffering or un-satisfactoriness arises. That is what we are trying to do. When you reflect on these things that become part of earth, you become more and more humble. Think of the lords or kings throughout history who killed for thrones, power, or for other gains! All these people became part of earth at the end. This shows us that there is nothing in this world to seize. Everything we have eventually becomes part of the earth. Those who understand this are able to live freely, without cruelty but rather with a mind full of compassion and loving-kindness. Such a person does not envy, does not seek revenge; and does not indulge in eye for gratification. Such a person knows that this life is made up of parts, which become part of the earth in the end. Now, we can see how worthwhile it would be to practice this meditation of contemplation on the elements.
In a similar fashion, you need to consider the parts of the body which flow with the water element or āpo dhātu. The body has fluids such as bile which has a nature similar to water; therefore, it is of the water element. Then consider phlegm. This is the frothy liquid, which flows and is of the water element. This body has pus. The body creates pus when there are infections. Pus is of the water element. This body makes blood. Blood flows and is of the water element. This body sweats, this is of the water element and it flows. Along with sweat, there is the body fat. This is of the water element too. This body creates tears, which is of the water element. The saliva produced by this body is also of the water element. This body produces mucus, which is of the water element. This body has synovial fluids, which lubricate joints, which can be moved. This fluid is also of the water element. This body creates urine, which is of the water element or āpo dhātu.
Similarly, this body has a warm nature. This is made up of the heat element or tejo dhātu. There are fluctuations of this warm nature, which are also of the heat element. Then, the food we consume is digested by this heat. That is also the tejo dhātu. The aging process of the body is also because of the tejo dhātu.
Similarly, this body has components belonging to the wind or gaseous element, which is called vāyo dhātu. There is gas created in the stomach. This sometimes comes up through the gullet and is called “uddhangamanīya” or upward wind. The gas created in the intestines escapes from our bottom end, and it is called “adhogamanīya” or the downward wind. Then, this body has gaseous element that circulates throughout the body, which is called “angamangānusarī” or circulatory air. Then, there is the air we breathe in and out. All these components are of the wind element or vāyo dhātu.
if you understand this correctly, as you mature in age, you would become somebody who understands life very well indeed. These instructions have been given by the Buddha. So, it is beneficial to practice the contemplation of elements. We can be totally confident that we are on the right track to understanding life.
Pay close attention to your body. In the head, we have hairs and they are like leaves on a tree. They fall when they have matured. If all of your hair is detached, it will drop on to the earth. Let’s say all of this hair came out from our head and on to our hands. We will not keep it. We will throw it away, and it will gradually decay and transform into soil in the earth. Therefore, hair is something that transforms into soil, and it is paṭhavi dhātu.
Body-hairs in this body is also like scalp hairs. They get detached from this body. When all these body hairs are detached from the body, they fall onto earth and decay until they transform into soil. It is like those matured leaves on a tree falling onto the ground and changing into soil after their deterioration.
Nails of this body grow. They get cut at some point. Nails that were cut were thrown away onto the ground. These transform into soil with time, and we don’t even notice it. In this way, nails on these fingers and toes mix with soil in earth and vanish forever.
Teeth are also something that transforms into soil. Teeth get decayed when they are still inside our mouths. Teeth rot, decay, and get crushed. Teeth that break from the mouth fall into the ground and decay until they transform into soil. How many teeth of countless people may have fallen onto the ground and transformed into soil? Teeth are something that transforms into soil. They are paṭhavi dhātu.
This skin is also like that. The skin gets scratched. This skin suffers from various things such as injuries, scabies, and eczema. This skin contracts, wrinkles, and when we grow old, it rubs off. Someday when this skin falls onto the ground, it will disappear into the soil.
Tendons are also like that. These tendons also fall onto the ground and decay, transform into soil, and vanish someday.
We all have bones in our bodies. We all have a skeleton. How many countless skeletons we may have had in our past lives? In each life, we thought the skeleton like what have now is ours. There is a skull inside this head. There are neck-bones inside the neck. There are collar-bones. There are bones inside hands, elbows, and wrists. There are chest-bones, back-bones, waist-bones, thigh-bones, knee-bones, and calf-bones. There are lots of bones inside this body. One day, all these bones will fall onto the ground and decay, transform into soil, and completely vanish.
There is bone-marrow inside our bones. This bone-marrow also decays, transform into soil, and vanish together with bones.
There will be a day that kidneys also fall into the ground. Then, they will decay and transform into the soil.
The heart will also decay and mix with the soil.
The liver will also fall onto the ground. It will also decay and transform into soil.
The lungs expand when we breathe in. They shrink when we breathe out. These also fall onto the earth, decay, and transform into soil.
Then, there is the small-intestine in this body. It is like a large, coiled rope. There is also a large-intestine. All these rots and mix with soil in the earth. They transform into soil by decaying.
What we ate leaves our bodies as feces, which also transforms into soil after some time.
In this way, all these things have the nature of transforming into soil. They are paṭhavi dhātu. There are also things in this body that dissolve.
Bile in this body dissolves in water and vanishes. It is āpo dhātu.
There is also phlegm in this body. It is a foamy liquid. It also dissolves in water and vanishes. It is āpo dhātu.
Pus in this body forms when blood has rotted. It is a yellowish liquid. That pus also dissolves in water and disappears. Pus is also āpo dhātu.
There is also blood in this body. Blood also dissolves in water and disappears. Blood is āpo dhātu.
In this body, there is a liquid that forms throughout this body, from the head to the soles of the feet. It is called sweat. It also dissolves in water and disappears. Sweat belongs to āpo dhātu.
Fat is a sticky thing that comes out with sweat. It also dissolves in water.
There are also tears in this body. Tears come out from the eyes and also dissolve in water. Tears are āpo dhātu.
In this body, mucus also flows and come out from the nose. Sometimes it comes out suddenly. Mucus also gets dissolved.
We have saliva in this body which flows. Right now, it doesn’t come out from our mouths because we swallow it and close our mouths. If we do not swallow, saliva that flows in the mouth will come out. If that is the case, we will have to either wipe it off or wash it away.
Also, there is urine in this body. Urine also dissolves in water and vanishes. It is āpo dhātu.
These are the things that belong to āpo dhātu. They dissolve in water. All these can be found in this body.
There is also heat in this body. This body is created with that heat.
When that heat increases, we sweat and get fever.
When food and drink goes inside this body, that heat digests them and helps the body to absorb its nutrient. This happens by tējo dhātu.
It is also this tējo dhātu that ages this body. It also deteriorates this body until it gets destroyed completely. All these are impermanent things.
Next, this body has things that blow with wind. Air that comes to the throat blows away with wind.
Air that comes out from the back also mixes with wind and blows away.
Air we breathe in also blows away with wind. Air that we breathe out is of the same nature. This air that we inhale and exhale also blows away with wind.
There is also air that moves here and there inside this body. This belongs to vāyo dhātu.
So, you can see that these are the things that we have in our body. The things that transform into soil are paṭhavi dhātu. Things that dissolve are āpo dhātu. Things with the nature of warmth are tējo dhātu. Airy things are vāyo dhātu. This is what we have as our body. The Buddha taught us to contemplate well the fact that these kinds of things are in this body. He taught us to divide up this body like a butcher who sells beef after he killed a cow and cut its flesh into pieces. That is when we can see the truth of this body. Then, the attachment we have will become weakened and disappear.
Nine Cemetery Contemplations (Navasiwatika)
This is called “navasīvathika”. This means relating the nine stages of deterioration of a dead body. This, too, is a way of realizing the way things are with greater depth. The truth may be unpleasant until we realize it for what it is.
In the time of the Buddha, the common practice was that when a person died the body would be taken away and thrown into a charnel ground, which was usually located some distance away from human habitation. No one went there at other times. The bodies of the dead would slowly deteriorate. In this meditation, the Buddha teaches us the way to contemplate about the nine stages of the deterioration of a dead body.
The first stage of the deterioration of the dead body takes place within a day or two after death. It will bloat, discolor, become blue, and ooze. The first contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate such a dead body with wisdom and mindfulness and relate it to our lives in this way: this body of mine too will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body too has not transcended such a fate. When one contemplates this, one’s mind becomes less obsessed by defilements and easier to calm and settle. This contemplation helps the meditator develop concentration easily.
The second stage of the deterioration of a dead body, which is about a week after the first stage, is that a stench will emanate from it and attract animals. Vultures, dogs, crows, foxes and other carrion eaters will break the dead body from limbs and eat it. Then, the body becomes food for animals and changes drastically from what it looked like. The second contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness relate it to our lives this way. This body of mine too will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not transcended such a fate.
It is common for people to have a reluctance to think about dead bodies, and even if we have a dream about it we call it a nightmare. There is a valid reason for meditating on these subjects. It helps us accept reality more readily. We may feel this is difficult or unpleasant. We may feel that this meditation method is unfair. Why are we being instructed to contemplate such gruesome objects? Looking at life with rose tinted glasses gets us nowhere. Jealousy, anger, revenge, and other emotions we are used to experiencing will not go away by continuing to look at life the old way. We should understand that living in a world of make-believe beauty does not really rid us from jealousy and anger, etc.… Therefore, what Buddha teaches here is the truth. His instructions directly lead to the realization of life. When we are on the track to understand the reality of life, it is a natural result that we become more virtuous. We become patient, we do not experience jealousy, we do not get angry, and we do not seek revenge. These are characteristics of a righteous life. These virtues are cultivated when we practice this meditation.
Now, we move to the third stage of the deterioration of the dead body. It would now be unrecognizable and would be in pieces and parts of bone would be visible. There would be bits of flesh strewn about and dry pools of blood around the remains. Now, you should investigate such a stage. The third contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness and relate it to our lives this way: this body of mine will also become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not transcended such a fate. When you contemplate this with wisdom, your mind gradually becomes oriented towards understanding life. When contemplating a dead body on a charnel ground, you must have atāpi, sampajañña, and satimā. We learned about these in a previous chapter. Atāpi is improving through perseverance, the skill of subduing the accumulated weaknesses of our minds. Sampajañña is using our intelligence skilfully and satimā is the skill of staying totally aware and mindful.
It is not uncommon for humankind to be easily startled and hold an immature perception about a dead body. If we see a dead body in our dreams we awaken frightened. All we need to do is realize that this is reality and that contemplating on this gives us strength to face any calamity that could befall us.
There is a name for liberated ones who have understood life. It is “tādī.” Tādī is imperturbability in gain and loss, fame and defame, praise and insult, and wellbeing, and suffering, the eight natures – ups and downs of the world. The liberated ones have cultivated imperturbability by contemplating these realities of life.
Let us return to the dead body, in the fourth of the nine stages of deterioration in the charnel ground. There would be no flesh now and there would be traces of dried blood on bones that are now visible. There are no flies, no worms, no carrion eaters; it is just the skeleton without flesh. Now you should investigate such a stage. The fourth contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and mindfulness, relate it to our lives in this manner. This body of mine, too, will become like this: the dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not transcended such a fate. While you contemplate the deteriorating body in the charnel ground, your mind has no room for thinking unwholesome thoughts. This is a benefit we expect from this meditation. This is how our minds prepare to become free of fetters.
Let us investigate the dead body now in its fifth stage. The traces of blood have disappeared now. It is only the partial skeleton with dried sinews here and there. Now, we should investigate such a stage. The fifth contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness and relate it to our lives in this way: this body of mine will also become like this: the dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not transcended such a fate. When you practice this, your mindfulness and wisdom are further developed.
In the sixth stage of the deterioration of a dead body on the charnel ground, the meditator contemplates on the scattered skeleton thus; the skull is in one place, the ribs are strewn about, the clavicle elsewhere, and the bones of arms and fingers are strewn about too. The pelvic bone to one side and the bones of the legs and feet are in another place. Now, the dead body is reduced to a heap of bones strewn about. The sixth contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness and relate it to your life in this way. This body of mine too will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not exceeded such a fate.
In the seventh stage of the deterioration of a dead body on the charnel ground, the meditator contemplates on the scattered bones thus; the bones strewn about become bleached to the colour of a conch shell. The seventh contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness relate it to your life in this manner: this body of mine, too, will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not transcended such a fate. The meditator starts thinking, “do I perceive this life as me, mine, and myself?” When the meditator starts to think like this with mindfulness, his attachments are loosened, his mind becomes settled, and tends towards the understanding of life. This is a huge gain in his life.
In the eighth stage of deterioration of the dead body on the charnel ground, which is a few years after death, the bones are broken into little pieces and lose identity. The eighth contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness relate it to your life in this manner: this body of mine, too, will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this brief period of time. This body too has not transcended such a fate.
The Buddha once said that in an eon or “kalpa”, if the skeletons of one person did not deteriorate and piled on top of another after each death they would form a huge mountain. This shows us how far we have travelled in this cycle of birth and death. During this very short period of roughly 50-60 years of life, we struggle to maintain this body because we have no understanding of it. A wise person decides to live this life with understanding.
The ninth stage of deterioration of a dead body on the charnel ground is when the bones are just fragments, have become dust, and are mixed with the earth. The ninth contemplation of the nine cemetery contemplations is to investigate this stage with wisdom and with mindfulness relate it to your life in this way: this body of mine, too, will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. This body, too, has not transcended such a fate.
The meditator investigates his body through these nine stages of deterioration. Then, he must realize that all other bodies, too, have not transcended this fate. So, he contemplates the fact that nobody has transcended this fate. He relates the nine stages of deterioration of the dead body on the charnel ground to his life in this manner. Everybody will become like this. The dead body on the charnel ground has undergone a massive change in this short period of time. Nobody has transcended such a fate. With the nine stages of deterioration of the dead body on a charnel ground, the Buddha’s teachings on Kāyānupassanā meditation or the contemplation of the body within the four establishments of mindfulness is complete.
First, imagine a corpse before starting the Nava Sīvathika, or Nine Cemetery Contemplations meditation. Take a look at the corpse a few times from head to toe in your mind. Now, think about how it is left in an empty cemetery. Think about this corpse being left in an empty cemetery for some time.
(1) Next, think like this: two days have gone by. The corpse is swollen. Its lips are swollen. It has a darker color. Now, three days are gone. The corpse is swollen more than before. Its lips are swollen. Its face is swollen and distorted. The mouth is open. Its color is darker than before. Now, it has been a few days. The whole corpse is swollen. The lips are swollen. The face is swollen and distorted. The mouth is open. The eyes are open. The legs and hands are also swollen. The stomach is swollen. Now, the corpse is dark blue and pus is coming out from its mouth. Pus is coming out from its nose, ears, eyes, and all the openings of the body. The corpse’s skin has cracked, and pus is coming out from those cracks.
My body is also like this. Someday, this will happen to my body too. The bodies of others will also reach this state of flowing pus. Everyone’s bodies will become like this at one point. (Contemplate in this manner repeatedly and get that perception established well in your mind.)
(2) Next, the corpse in the cemetery is eaten by animals. Crows have landed on the corpse and pecked the flesh out of it and eaten it. They dug out the corpse’s eyes. Wolves have come and eaten the corpse’s flesh, dragging it by its hands and legs. Dogs have eaten the corpse’s flesh, dragging it here and there. There are pieces of flesh around the corpse. Its hands and legs are twisted. Intestines are dragged out from the dead body. Birds drag and eat those intestines.
This will happen to my body too. One day, my body will also become like this. Others’ bodies will also be eaten by animals like this. Everyone’s bodies will be eaten by animals like this. (Contemplate in this manner repeatedly and get that perception established well in your mind.)
(3) Next, the corpse’s bones can be seen scattered here and there. Some flesh that is left after being eaten by animals can be seen on some parts of the dead body. The whole skeleton is wrapped in tendons. It is smeared with blood.
This will happen to my body too. One day, my body will also become like this. Ohers’ bodies also will be reduced to skeletons like this. Everyone’s bodies will become like this. (Contemplate in this manner repeatedly and get that perception established well in your mind.)
(4) Next, the skeleton of that corpse is completely open. There is no flesh at all. The entire skeleton is coiled with tendons and smeared with blood.
This will happen to my body as well. One day, my body will also become just a skeleton smeared with blood without any flesh. Others’ bodies also have the same nature. Everyone’s bodies will become like this. (Contemplate in this manner repeatedly and get that perception established well in your mind.)
(5) Next, the corpse only has a skeleton. The skeleton is coiled with tendons, but no flesh is present. Blood and pus is gone. Only the skeleton with tendons is left.
This will happen to my body as well. One day, my body will become like this. Others’ bodies will also become like this. Everyone’s bodies will become like this. (Contemplate in this manner repeatedly and get that perception established well in your mind.)
(6) Next, that corpse’s skeleton is scattered here and there. The skull is in one place. The neck bones are in another. Collar bones, shoulder bones, finger bones, back bones, hip bones, thigh bones, calf bones, leg bones, and foot bones are scattered in all other directions. The entire skeleton is now scattered.
This will happen to my body too. The skeleton of my body will also be scattered like this. Others’ skeleton will also be scattered like this. Everyone’s skeleton will be scattered like this. (Contemplate in this manner repeatedly and get that perception established well in your mind.)
(7) Next, the color of the skeleton is white, like that of a conch shell. All the bones that have been scattered here and there now have this white color.
The skeleton of my body will also turn this white color. The color of skeletons of others’ bodies will also transform into this white color, like that of a conch shell. Everyone’s skeletons will change to a white color and decay. (Contemplate in this manner repeatedly and get that perception established well in your mind.)
(8) There are now bones heaped up here and there. These bones have been aged for a long time now. These bones cannot be identified now as one thing or another. It is only a heap of decayed white bones gathered together.
This will happen to the skeleton of my body as well. Someday, this body’s skeleton will also get decayed and heaped up. Others’ bodies are also like this. The skeletons of everyone’s bodies will decay like this. (Contemplate in this manner repeatedly and get that perception established well in your mind.)
(9) Next, a skeleton cannot be seen. Pieces of bones have deteriorated completely. It has transformed into a white powder. It has become soil in the earth. Those bones have deteriorated entirely.
My body will also decay and transform into soil in the earth. Bodies of others will also decay and transform into soil in the earth. Everyone’s bodies will also decay and transform into soil in the earth like this. (Contemplate in this manner repeatedly and get that perception established well in your mind.)
There is another term that is used for these meditations and that is called “kāyagatasati,” mindfulness that must be developed, taking the body as the base.
Kāyānupassanā meditation has fourteen methods. In summary they are,
- Ānāpānasati:the mindfulness of breathing meditation
- Satisampajañña:mindfulness of actions meditation
- Iriyāpatha:mindfulness of posture meditation
- Asubha bhāvanā:the mindfulness of the impurities of the body
- Dhātumanasikāra: the meditation of the four great elements
- – 14.Navasīvathika: Nine stages of the deterioration of a dead body
We started with mindfulness of in breath and out breath, which is closely connected with the body. We have progressed to a much wider outlook of life. Now, you will understand that this Dhamma is not one that can be found through prayer or wishing. A life free from deterioration and death is just not possible. This means that there is a reality in this life, which we cannot avoid. This Dhamma taught by the Buddha helps us see this reality and gives us the wisdom to face it. The person who realizes that this is the path to see the reality will live a worry-free life. That is what kāyānupassanā is for. We see now that there is a course of action that we must undertake to a worry-free life. We must also realize that our lives become cluttered through these courses of actions we undertake. But kāyānupassanā is a course of action that purifies our lives.
Therefore, you can see how practical the Dhamma of the Buddha is. When we learn the Dhamma in a language we could understand, we can realize how important it is to our lives. We will see the Dhamma’s akāliko quality (it can be realized at any time period) when we truly try to practice that Dhamma little by little. So, you have this rare moment at your fingertips. Don’t throw away the Dhamma that you are learning. Practice this Dhamma as best as you can. You will witness the development of your life when you practice the Dhamma. You will then understand that this Dhamma is well preached by the Buddha. That means the Dhamma is svakkhāto (well-preached). The Dhamma preached by the Buddha is something that needs to be realized in this life. That is what is called sanditṭiko (needs to be realized in this life). The Buddha’s Dhamma can be realized at any time period (akāliko ). There is nothing hidden in the Buddha’s Dhamma. It can be spoken about openly. One can invite wise people to ‘come and see the Dhamma ’. This quality of the Dhamma is known as ‘ehipassiko’. The Buddha’s Dhamma needs to be applied to oneself. That is why the Dhamma is called opanyko. The Buddha’s Dhamma is realized by the wise, each for himself. Therefore, the Dhamma is called Paccattaṁ Vēditabbo Viññūhi.
These qualities are in the Dhamma we discussed. We learned about breathing meditation, awareness meditation, postural meditation, impurities of the body meditation, meditation on contemplating elements, and meditation on the nine cemetery contemplations. All these are included in Kāyānupassanā – contemplations on the body.
In the four establishments of mindfulness, there are three other sections: vedanānupassanā or contemplation of feeling, cittānupassanā or contemplation of mind, and Dhammānupassanā, which is the contemplation of nature of things. We will learn these methods of meditation too. While doing kāyānupassanā meditation, it is advisable to practice just the kāyānupassanā for a long period. Within kāyānupassanā we can improve our awareness, wisdom, and effort greatly.
Mindfulness on Feelings (Vedananupassana)
In this chapter, we will learn “vedanānupassanā” or the contemplation of feelings within the four establishments of mindfulness as taught by the Buddha.
The Buddha describes the term “vedanā” as a feeling, which could be either painful or pleasurable or a feeling that is neither painful nor pleasurable. This feeling arises due to contact, which is a result of the six sense bases, which are eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Feeling arises when any of these sense bases are stimulated. Thus, pain, pleasure, and neutral feelings are all associated with these six sense bases. Contact is defined as a union of three factors: an internal sense base, the object external to it, and the consciousness. For example, when there is a sound we hear it because we have the ear, the sound exists itself, and the consciousness. Contact is the union of these three factors: the internal sense base, which is the ear, the external object, which is the sound, and the consciousness. We have to be aware that contact exists as long as those three conditions exist together. When the contact is pleasant, the feeling is pleasant. When the contact is unpleasant, the feeling is unpleasant. When the contact is neutral, the feeling is neutral.
In Satipatṭhāna sutta, the Buddha divided these feelings into two further categories, “sāmisa vedanā – worldly feelings” and “nirāmisa vedanā – spiritual feelings”. Some people practice noticing aches in the body during meditation and reflect on them. But the Buddha hasn’t given such instruction. The Buddha teaches, “Sāmisaṁ vā sukhaṁ vedanaṁ vediyamāno sāmisaṁ sukhaṁ vediyāmīti pajānāti,” when one feels a worldly pleasant feeling he knows that he feels a worldly pleasant feeling. Sāmisa vedanā are feelings that arise through reacting to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations, which can be pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Nirāmisa vedanā are feelings that arise apart from sense pleasures. Nirāmisa vedanā too can be pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral.
Let us say that when we are performing a meditation, that meditation does not develop within us as we expected. Then, we feel a suffering/sadness. That suffering did not form based on the five sense pleasures. It is a feeling that formed based on something nirāmisa[spirituality]. Such feeling is called nirāmisa feeling. The feeling we took as an example is a disagreeable nirāmisa feeling.
Let us say that your mind concentrates when you are performing the meditation. Then, you feel a pleasure. That is an agreeable nirāmisa feeling. Next, you will have times at which you perform mental actions that do not have agreeable or disagreeable feelings. That feeling is called a neutral or nirāmisa feeling.
The Buddha described feelings with the simile of the air bubble in the water. When a rain drop falls into the water it creates an air bubble. As soon as another rain drop falls near the bubble, it bursts and a new air bubble is created. Likewise, when a particular contact exists, a feeling exists, and the moment a new contact arises a new feeling arises. Vedanānupassanā is the contemplation of feeling. Knowing with mindfulness whether each feeling is pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral based on sense pleasures or whether each feeling is pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral based on spiritual actions.
The Buddha advised us to focus our mindfulness on feelings. That is, he should be aware of whether it is a pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral feeling based on the five sense pleasures (sāmisa vedanā) or niramisa feeling. He contemplates on feelings through his wisdom and establish mindfulness on it.
Then, he will realize that this unpleasant feeling he feels is based on the five sense pleasures. When he feels a pleasant feeling, he realizes that this pleasant feeling he feels is based on the five sense pleasures. Likewise, when he feels a neutral feeling, he realizes that it is based on the five sense pleasures. He establishes his mindfulness on sāmisa feelings in this manner.
Next, it is the nirāmisa feeling. When a person who meditates could not cultivate the meditation and concentration, he could feel a sense of sadness (an unpleasant feeling). Then, he should understand that he is feeling an unpleasant nirāmisa feeling. When he continues his meditation, he feels pleasure. Then, he should understand that he is feeling a pleasant nirāmisa feeling. When he further cultivates his meditation, he starts to feel neutral feelings that are not pleasant or unpleasant. He realizes it as neutral nirāmisa feeling.
When cultivating this mindfulness of feelings, the meditator becomes proficient at understanding that others too have these nine feelings and he realizes that this has the same nature within all beings. When he meditates this way, he sees with mindfulness that feelings change when contact changes. The Buddha taught “Tinnaṁ saṁgati phasso,” contact is the coming together of three things: the union of the eye, the form, and the eye consciousness is eye-contact. The union of the ear, the sound, and ear consciousness is the ear-contact. The union of the nose, the smell, and the nose consciousness is nose-contact. The union of the tongue, the taste, and the tongue consciousness is tongue-contact. The union of the body, the tactile sensations, and the body consciousness is the body-contact. The union of the mind, the mind-object, and mind consciousness is mind contact.
We need to understand the mind is one thing, the mind-object is another, and mind consciousness is yet another. These three together make up the mind contact. To understand this, when a mind object arises the mind knows this. This knowing is the mind consciousness. The mind and the mind-objects or thoughts are not one and the same. We can see this because let us say the mind remembers something. When we remember this, the mind consciousness will know that thing. The mind can choose to retain or replace that thing. We can do that only because, the mind and the mind object are two different entities.
When the meditator contemplates in this manner he realizes “Samudaya dhammānupassī vā vedanāsu viharati, vaya dhammānupassī vā vedanāsu viharati,” [when contact exists, feeling exists. When contact changes, feeling changes and when contact ceases, feeling ceases ].
When we meditate on vedanānupassanā, we realize that these occurrences have no controller, they are non-self. They are the result of conditions that are in place and that when the conditions no longer exist the result is eliminated. This is a natural order, which the meditator understands. Thinking of this feeling as me, thinking I am the feeling, thinking I own this feeling or thinking that this feeling owns me, the meditator will realize that thinking is faulty and correct himself. He avoids identifying with feeling as me, mine, and under my control. This contemplation helps him to improve his mindfulness and wisdom further. He is heading towards the realization of life. That is how vedanānupassanā becomes complete in him.
According to contemplations of feeling sections in Satipathāna sutta, it is very clear that contemplation of feeling means not reflecting on aches of the body, but being mindful of worldly and spiritual feelings.
Worldly pleasant feeling that arose based on sense pleasures in the past arose due to contact and ceased when the contact ceased. Therefore, it was impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Worldly pleasant feelings that arose based on sense pleasures in the past was not me, not mine, not myself.
Worldly pleasant feeling that has arisen based on sense pleasures in the present has arisen due to contact and cease when the contact ceases. Therefore, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Worldly pleasant feelings that has arisen based on sense pleasures in the present is not me, not mine, not myself.
Worldly pleasant feeling that will arise based on sense pleasures in the future will arise due to contact and will cease when the contact ceases. Therefore, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Worldly pleasant feeling that will arise based on sense pleasures in the future is not me, not mine, not myself.
Worldly unpleasant feeling that arose based on sense pleasures in the past arose due to contact and ceased when the contact ceased. Therefore, it was impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Worldly unpleasant feeling that arose based on sense pleasures in the past was not me, not mine, not myself.
Worldly unpleasant feeling that has arisen based on sense pleasures in the present has arisen due to contact and cease when the contact ceases. Therefore, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Worldly unpleasant feeling that has arisen based on sense pleasures in the present is not me, not mine, not myself.
Worldly unpleasant feeling that will arise based on sense pleasures in the future will arise due to contact and will cease when the contact ceases. Therefore, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Worldly pleasant feeling that will arise based on sense pleasures in the future is not me, not mine, not myself.
Worldly neutral feeling that arose based on sense pleasures in the past arose due to contact and ceased when the contact ceased. Therefore, it was impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Worldly neutral feeling that arose based on sense pleasures in the past was not me, not mine, not myself.
Worldly neutral feeling that has arisen based on sense pleasures in the present has arisen due to contact and cease when the contact ceases. Therefore, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Worldly neutral feeling that has arisen based on sense pleasures in the present is not me, not mine, not myself.
Worldly neutral feeling that will arise based on sense pleasures in the future will arise due to contact and will cease when the contact ceases. Therefore, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Worldly neutral feeling that will arise based on sense pleasures in the future is not me, not mine, not myself.
Spiritual pleasant feeling in the past arose due to contact and ceased when the contact ceased. Therefore, it was impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Spiritual pleasant feeling that arose was not me, not mine, not myself.
Spiritual pleasant feeling that has arisen in the present has arisen due to contact and cease when the contact ceases. Therefore, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Spiritual pleasant feeling that has arisen in the present is not me, not mine, not myself.
Spiritual pleasant feeling that will arise in the future will arise due to contact and will cease when the contact ceases. Therefore, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Spiritual pleasant feelings that will arise in the future is not me, not mine, not myself.
Spiritual unpleasant feeling that arose in the past arose due to contact and ceased when the contact ceased. Therefore, it was impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Spiritual unpleasant feeling that arose in the past was not me, not mine, not myself.
Spiritual unpleasant feeling that has arisen in the present has arisen due to contact and cease when the contact ceases. Therefore, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Spiritual unpleasant feeling that has arisen in the present is not me, not mine, not myself.
Spiritual unpleasant feeling that will arise in the future will arise due to contact and will cease when the contact ceases. Therefore, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Spiritual unpleasant feeling that will arise in the future is not me, not mine, not myself.
Spiritual neutral feeling that arose in the past arose due to contact and ceased when the contact ceased. Therefore, it was impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Spiritual neutral feeling that arose in the past was not me, not mine, not myself.
Spiritual neutral feeling that has arisen in the present has arisen due to contact and cease when the contact ceases. Therefore, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Spiritual neutral feeling that has arisen in the present is not me, not mine, not myself.
Spiritual neutral feeling that will arise in the future will arise due to contact and will cease when the contact ceases. Therefore, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Spiritual neutral feeling that will arise in the future is not me, not mine, not myself.
All unpleasant feelings that arise due to causes are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. All unpleasant feelings that arise due to causes are not me, not mine, not myself.
All pleasant feelings that arise due to causes are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. All pleasant feelings that arise due to causes are not me, not mine, not myself.
All neutral feelings that arise due to causes are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. All neutral feelings that arise due to causes are not me, not mine, not myself.
Mindfulness of thoughts. (Cittānupassanā)
There is something special in our inner life. It is the mind. You are now going to learn about the cittānupassanā-contemplation of mind meditation. This meditation focuses on contemplating mind by establishing mindfulness on it. The Buddha preached the cittānupassanā meditation as the third section in the Satipatṭhāna sutta. First and second parts were the kāyānupassanā meditation and vedanānupassanā meditation, respectively. The third part is the cittānupassanā meditation.
Mind is something that arises due to a cause. It ceases with the cessation of cause. Also, mind is something that can follow evil paths when it is led astray. It follows good paths when it is directed properly. Mind is something that follows whichever path is directed. Therefore, the Buddha preached that the mind is something that needs to be tamed. He also preached that a tamed mind brings pleasure (cittaṁ dantaṁ sukhā vahaṁ). The Buddha clearly preached about it because He has already tamed His mind.
Just like a tamed animal is useful in different ways, a tamed mind is also useful. So, cittānupassanā is the meditation that helps us to tame the mind and establish mindfulness on it. In the cittānupassanā meditation, the Buddha taught us to contemplate the mind in sixteen different ways.
These sixteen different ways are as follows:
- Contemplate passionate mind as a mind that is passionate. A mind gets passionate because of causes and not without such causes. These causes help one to identify a passionate mind in the process of acquiring a profound realization about life. One gets to know about it because he is mindful about it.
- A mind gets dispassionate also because of causes (vītarāgaṁ vā cittaṁ vītarāgaṁ cittaṁti pajānāti). A mind also gets tainted or purified due to certain causes. So, one mindfully knows about a dispassionate mind when it is dispassionate.
- If the mind is angry, one mindfully knows about it as an angry mind. He also mindfully knows the reasons why the mind became angry.
- When the mind is free of anger, he knows that the mind is now free of anger due to reasons that made it free of anger. He understands that this mind is free of anger now.
- When the mind is suspicious and deceived, he also understands that nature of the mind. He understands that this is a mind of delusion.
- If the delusion of the mind is gone and attained realization, he is mindful about that nature. He now knows that this mind is free of delusion.
- If this mind is contracted, he also knows about the contracted nature of the mind from his wisdom. (A contracted mind means it is not awakened, lazy to do anything, and it is unable to see the mind’s nature.)
- If the mind is in a scattered state, he understands that the mind is now scattered (mind is contracted inward and dispersed outward). With good mindfulness, he understands both these natures of the mind.
- If the mind is exalted, he knows it is exalted.
- If the mind is unexalted, he knows that it is unexalted.
- The meditator understands surpassed mind as surpassed mind.
- He understands unsurpassed mind as unsurpassed mind.
- If the mind is concentrated, he understands that it is concentrated. If the mind is developed into a state of jhāna he understands that as well.
- If the mind is not concentrated, he understands that it is not concentrated. If a concentration is not cultivated into a state of jhāna he also knows it.
- If the mind is free of defilements and has reached liberation, he also understands it as being freed from defilements.
- If the mind is not freed from defilements, he understands that as well.
In this manner, the Buddha has taught us the way to cultivate mindfulness, so that one could see the changes that happen in his mind when it transforms from a passionate one to a defilement-free mind. Here, one does not think as passion… passion… passion… when a passion comes into the mind or thinks as anger… anger… anger… when anger comes into mind. The Buddha hasn’t asked the meditators to recollect like that.
In the Supreme Buddha’s preaching, it says one should investigate as to what caused the mind to be in such state and establish mindfulness by realizing it as an effect that resulted due to a cause.
Now, you can understand that a disciple of the Buddha does not see his life carelessly. He does not practice a meditation that has been done through an influence of a feeling, or without a realization and understanding of life. It is not a mere meditation that has been practiced without a clear aim. Here, the Buddha is describing a contemplation of mind by one’s wisdom and with a properly established mindfulness.
When one is wisely considering the mind in this manner, he realizes his mind’s nature very well. He also understands that everyone else’s minds are also of this similar nature. He further realizes that this mind is something that arises due to causes (Samudaya dhammānupassī vā cittasmiṁ viharati).
What is the cause for the arising of the mind? The Buddha preached clearly that this mind arises dependent on mentality and materiality. There is a discourse named Satipatṭhāna Samudaya sutta in the Satipatthāna chapter of the book of the Saṁyutta Nikāya. In that discourse, the Buddha clearly taught that with the arising of mentality and materiality, mind arises (Nāmarūpa samudayā citta samudayo).
Don’t get confused about the word nāmarūpa; it is clearly described in the discourses of the Buddha. There are five factors in the mentality. These are vedanā (feeling), saññā (perception), cetanā (volitions), phassa (contact), and manasikāra (attentiveness). Materiality is the four great elements (earth, water, fire, wind) and things made up of the four great elements. Thus, if the four great elements or something that is made from them is present together with a feeling, a perception, a volition, a contact, or and attentiveness, then the mind arises there. Thus, minds of both mine and yours are formed as a result of mentality and materiality. All of the above-mentioned states arise in the mind. The state of being passionate, dispassionate, angry, free of anger, in delusion, free of delusion, contracted, scattered, concentrated, not concentrated, in a jhāna state, not in a jhāna state, with defilements, and free of defilements all arise in a mind that is formed due to that mentality and materiality. See, how much realization we could gain from what we learned here!
Therefore, we must understand that those who tamed their minds were the ones who won this world. People who realized this mind were the ones who freed themselves from these physical and mental sufferings. They were the ones who were released from the wrong notions of I, mine, and myself.
If one really needs to take something as me, mine, and myself, the Buddha preached to consider this body (as me, mine, and myself). That is because one can see this body being present for some time, let us say for one year, for ten years, for twenty years, for eighty or ninety years, and it dies after that. Thus, he sees this body existing at least for a short period of time.
The Buddha preached that this mind is not like that. He showed us that this mind is like a monkey who jumps from one tree branch to another. A mind jumps from one object into another. The Buddha told us not to take the mind with such character as me, mine, or myself.
When we have the opportunity to achieve such a remarkable realization of the mind, why don’t we take this Dhamma practice seriously? Do not miss this esteemed opportunity. It is you who will risk being reborn in planes of misery and suffer if you miss this rare chance. It is you who will have to carry your own Kamma with you. Moreover, what is important for us is that this Dhamma is taught by the Buddha with great compassion. Place confidence in the Buddha. Place confidence in the Dhamma preached by the Buddha. Place confidence in the Liberated Ones, who followed the Dhamma and attained Nibbāna. Then only will you be able to cultivate this mindfulness practice in your life as well. You can contemplate on your mind mindfully and attain the realization of life.
Contemplation on Mind (Dhammanupassana)
1- Mindfulness on Five Hindrances (Pancha-neewarana)
The final section of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness starts with the explanation of the five hindrances. The Buddha advised that one needs to establish his mindfulness in the true nature of the five hindrances properly.
If sense desire has arisen, then one should be mindful that the sense desire is present in him. The purpose of mindfulness here is to terminate that sense desire here, and not to reflect on it, thinking, “sense desire…sense desire….” The meditator understands that the sense desire arises because of two factors: pleasant objects and unwise consideration. One who cultivates the dhammānupassanā meditation starts to establish himself in the Dhamma by focusing his mind in getting rid of distorted perception on that pleasant object. Once the sense desire is gone, he realizes that the sense desire is not present in him.
Also, when anger arises in his mind, he understands his mind using wisdom. But, reflecting on anger thinking “Anger… anger…” is not what one should do here. What should be done here is to be mindful and think, ‘that anger has arisen due to the Patigha nimitta or the mental image that caused our anger and unwise consideration. Using wise consideration, now, he can develop thoughts of loving kindness. Thus, he realizes the change that occurred in him. The ill will hindrance that he had is no longer in him now.
Then, when drowsiness, laziness, dislike, and discontent in practicing the Dhamma have arisen in him, he realizes that thīnamiddha [drowsiness and laziness] has arisen in him. When thīnamiddha arises in him, he understands that it arises as a result of unwise consideration and heedlessness. He further thinks that he should get rid of the laziness and sleepiness. ‘I need to overcome this thīnamiddha.’ He then gets rid of the laziness and sleepiness based on wise consideration and heedfulness.
He establishes his mind on mindfulness of death thinking ‘I could die right now. Who knows if I am going to die today? I could be in an accident today. Who could say what kind of tragedy would come to this life. Therefore, I should practice this Dhamma before something like that happens to me.’ In this manner, he establishes his mindfulness and continues it promptly. Thus, he gets rid of laziness and sleepiness and handles his life free of drowsiness and laziness with a great effort.
Now, he’s mindful to see if there is any remorse, which means regretting past incidents and distractions. If there is any, he understands they have arisen due to unwise consideration. He further investigates these past incidents that cause regret and remorse by thinking, ‘these are impermanent. There’s no need to think about these things again. What happened in the past is now in the past. I am a new person now. I am someone who has now come to the Dhamma. I am a person who tries to cultivate my mind. Therefore, it is a hindrance for me to have these things in my effort of developing my mind in this path of the Dhamma.’ Reflecting in this manner, he gets rid of being sad about what has happened in the past. Then, when the mind is distracted, he understands this mind is distracted due to unwise consideration. He abandons this unwise consideration and instead of hard effort, he patiently continues to establish mindfulness with an investigation of mind.
Next, a doubt may form in him about this Dhamma, ‘Is this meditation I am doing correct? Is this method I am practicing correct? Would I be able to cultivate my mind in this manner? Would I be able to obtain results?’ When he keeps thinking like that a doubt arises in him. As long as this doubt is present, he could not focus his mind in practicing the Dhamma. His mind starts to establish in other useless things. This could happen because of doubt. One needs to acquire a proper realization of the Dhamma in order to free from that doubt. The Buddha preached that a person who is in doubt all the time thinking, ‘how is this and how is that -should discipline himself in a path that helps to attain wisdom (Kathaṁ katī ñāyapathāya sikkhe ). Then he will develop faith toward the Buddha. It is indeed by developing faith that one could free himself from doubt.
Faith means placing confidence in the enlightenment of the Supreme Buddha. Most people just state their own views and prevent people from realizing the Dhamma. That shows their unfaithfulness towards the Buddha.
So, it is not what we should do. One should think that, ‘this is the Buddha’s Dhamma. Most people freed themselves by practicing this Dhamma. Oh! This Dhamma is also for my refuge, for my liberation!’ And, he should thus develop his confidence and free his mind from the five hindrances.
When he continues to discipline his mind in this manner he realizes that these five hindrances act in others in a similar manner. He, thus, sees this change by seeing it acting similarly even in his own life. He uses this knowledge to realize this life. Then, he understands that these five hindrances arise due to causes and cease with the cessation of those causes. He, then, understands both arising and cessation of these five hindrances. Therefore, when they arise in him, he does not take the five hindrances as me, mine, or myself. He becomes mindful about not getting attached to any of those since the five hindrances have the nature of arising and ceasing. That mindfulness helps him to cultivate wisdom, mindfulness, and effort further.
2- Mindfulness on the Five Aggregates of Clinging (Pancha-upadanakkhanda)
Now, you will learn the meditation on the five aggregates of clinging within the establishment of mind.
In the very first sermon the Buddha gave, the ‘Dhammacakkappavattana’ sutta or the discourse on the turning of the wheel of the Dhamma, he disclosed the noble truth of suffering as follows: Birth is suffering; Aging is suffering; Sickness is suffering; Death is suffering; Separation from loved ones and desirable things is suffering; Association with undesirable people and things is suffering; and not to gain what one desires is suffering. In brief, the five aggregates of clinging is suffering. Understanding the five aggregates of clinging is understanding suffering. The Buddha said, the noble disciple understands this is form, this is how form arises, and this is how form ceases; this is feeling, this is how feeling arises, and this is how feeling ceases; this is perception, this is how perception arises, and this is how perception ceases; this is volitional formations, this is how volitional formations arise, and this is how volitional formation cease; and this is consciousness, this is how consciousness arises, and this is how consciousness ceases.
This meditation involves contemplating on the five aggregates of clinging. What are the five aggregates of clinging, how do the five aggregates of clinging come into existence repeatedly, and how are the five aggregates of clinging fully ceased. It is important to know comprehensively about the five aggregates of clinging. The Buddha teaches that the aggregates are form or rupa, feeling or vedana, perception or sañña, volitional formations or saṁkhāra, and consciousness or viññāna. These five aggregates of clinging define a living being. The definition of a being is one who clings to these five aggregates. Should the beings free themselves from clinging to these aggregates through wisdom, they become enlightened and they do not have these five aggregates of clinging. They only have five aggregates without clinging. They are liberated ones.
When there is desire and clinging towards the five aggregates, these aggregates are called clinging aggregates. However, when desire and clinging are released from the aggregates, they are called just aggregates.
As meditators, you first recognize the clinging aggregate of form or rūpa. “Ruppatīti rūpaṁ,” the term form is used to things that are subject to destruction. What is this form? Form is things made up of the four great elements- earth, water, fire, and air. These forms deteriorate due to cold, heat, hunger, thirst, accidents and disasters, and sickness. According to this, rūpa is another name for this body that is made of the four great elements.
There is a discourse named Mahāpunnamā sutta. On one full-moon day, while the Buddha was sitting outside in meditational posture in Pubbārāma Temple with lots of arahants, a certain monk asked the Buddha, “Bhante, may I ask a question?” The Buddha said, “Monk, be seated and ask your question. I will answer it.”
Then, that monk asked, “Bhante, what is the meaning of aggregate? Then, the Buddha answered, “Monk, any form, past, future, or present, whether internal or external, whether gross or subtle, whether inferior or superior, and whether far or near, this is called the aggregate of form.” Therefore, the word ‘aggregates’ does not mean a heap or pile of things. The word ‘aggregates’ means the existence of something within time and space. This is the extent of form. Past, present, and future are the time dimension. Internal, external, gross, subtle, inferior, superior, far, and near are the space dimensions. Therefore, this is called the form aggregate.
The same definition applies to the aggregate of feeling. Any feeling past, present, or future, whether internal or external, whether gross or subtle, whether inferior or superior, and whether far or near is called the aggregate of feeling.
Similarly, the same definition applies to the aggregate of perception. Any perception past, present or future, whether internal or external, whether gross or subtle, whether inferior or superior, and whether far or near is called the aggregate of perception.
The same definition applies to the aggregate of volitional formations. Any intentional thought past, present, or future, whether internal or external, whether gross or subtle, whether inferior or superior, and whether far or near is called the aggregate of volitional formation.
The same definition applies to the aggregate of consciousness. Any consciousness past, present, or future, whether internal or external, whether gross or subtle, whether inferior or superior, and whether far or near is called the aggregate of consciousness.
These aggregates exist within time and space. The four great elements are the conditions, which designate the aggregate of form. Phassa or contact is the condition that designates the aggregate of feeling. Phassa or contact is the condition that designates the aggregate of perception. Phassa or contact is the condition that designates the aggregate of volitional formation. Nāma-rūpa or mentality and materiality is the condition that designates the aggregate of consciousness. Understanding the five aggregates of clinging through your own life and contemplating it is the meditation on the five aggregates of clinging within the four establishments of mindfulness.
You are listening to something that a human being gets to listen to very rarely. You might have read many newspapers in your life. You may have watched a lot of television programs. But to get something that helps one realize life is seldom. In fact, we do not get such a rare chance most of the time. Also, you get to learn the pure Dhamma of the Buddha without the addition of any personal opinions. That is why you are fortunate. In the last section, you learnt the meditation of five aggregates of clinging within the four establishments of mindfulness. This is the dhammānupassanā meditation. In this section, we will further elaborate on our understanding of the meditation of five aggregates of clinging within the four establishments of mindfulness.
Rupa or form is composed of the four great elements. “Khandha” or aggregate is that which exists in the time and space continuum. Vedanā or feeling also exists within the time and space continuum. Saññā or the perception is the same. Volitional formations are the same and consciousness is also the same. All of these comprise of suffering, which must be realized.
Vedanā upādhānakkhandha or the aggregate of feeling arises when there is contact or phassa associated with the six sense bases. The sense bases are eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Feeling arises when there is contact or phassa. Where there is contact, there we find feeling. When that contact ceases feeling ceases.
Sañña or perception arises where there is contact or phassa. Where there is contact, you will find sañña. When that contact ceases the sañña ceases. What do you perceive? With your eyes, you perceive sight. Through your ears, you perceive sound. Through your nose, you perceive smell. Through your tongue, you perceive taste. Through your body, you perceive tactile sensations. Through your mind, you perceive mental objects. How do you perceive these?
- There is an object; it connects with the eye and the eye consciousness arises. The union of these three is eye contact. When this eye contact arises, perception of form arises.
- There is a sound; it connects with the ear, and the ear consciousness arises. The union of these three is ear contact. When this ear contact arises, perception of sound arises.
- There is an odor, it connects with the nose, and the nose consciousness arises. The union of these three is nose contact. When this nose contact arises, perception of smell arises.
- There is a taste; it connects with the tongue and the tongue consciousness arises. The union of these three is tongue contact. When this tongue contact arises, perception of taste arises.
- There is a tactile sensation; it connects with the body and the body consciousness arises. The union of these three is body contact. When this body contact arises, perception of tangibles arises.
- There is a mind object (thought); it connects with the mind and the mind consciousness arises. The union of these three is mind contact. When this mind contact arises, perception of thought arises.
Thus, when these six kinds of phassa or contact arise, the six kinds of perception also arise.
Now, we look at volitional formations. These are thoughts or volitions. Thoughts or volition arise when we see objects. We react with the mind, body and speech. Thoughts or volitions arise when we hear sounds. Then, we react with mind, body and speech. Thoughts or volitions arise when we smell odours. Then, we react with mind, body or speech. Thoughts or volition arise when we taste….Thoughts or volitions arise when we feel a tactile sensation….Thoughts or volitions arise when mind objects arise. Then, we react with mind, body or speech. What then is thought or volition? It is “kamma” or that which forms a result. Then, every time we see an object with the eye, we react with mind, body or speech and kamma is generated, which will lead to a result. This is thought or volition or “cetanā” and is also known as volitional formations. Thus, volitional formations too are formed by phassa or contact. If the eye, eye consciousness and forms do not merge, eye contact will not arise. If eye contact does not arise, neither will volitional formation.
What is consciousness? Consciousness arises, dependent on mentality and materiality (Name and form). If we are asked where consciousness arises, here is the answer: consciousness arises in the six sense bases. The Buddha taught that dependent on eye and form, eye consciousness arises. The reason for that is because consciousness arises dependent on mentality and materiality. Mentality is- feeling, perception, volitional formations, contact, and attentiveness. Materiality is the four great elements themselves and things made up of the four great elements. The eye is made of feeling, perception, volitional formations, contact, attentiveness, and the four great elements. Similarly, the other five sense bases, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind are also made of feeling, perception, volitional formations, contact, attentiveness, and the four great elements. Consciousness too is made of mentality and materiality.
The Buddha taught that this consciousness is not an independent entity. (Ahamaññatra rūpāya, aññatra vēdanāya, aññatra saññāya, aññatra saṁkhārehi viññānassa āgatiṁ vā gatiṁ vā cutiṁ vā upapattiṁ vā paññāpessāmīti, nētaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjhati) “Monks, though someone might say: ‘apart from form, apart from feeling, apart from perception, apart from volitional formations, I will make known the coming and going of consciousness, it’s passing away and rebirth, it’s growth, increase, and expansion, that is impossible.”
Now, it’s very clear that the consciousness only exists dependent on form, feeling, perception, and volitional formations. The disciple of the Buddha is very clear on this because he has placed confidence on the knowledge of the Buddha. Based on this confidence, he starts to contemplate on the five aggregates of clinging. You need to contemplate on how these five aggregates of clinging arise. This happens according to the phenomenon of cause and effect. The form, which arises from the four great elements, becomes the clinging aggregate of form. The feeling, which arises from contact, becomes the clinging aggregate of feeling. The perception, which arises from contact, becomes the clinging aggregate of perception. The volitional formations that arise from contact become the clinging aggregate of volitional formations. The consciousness that arises from mentality and materiality becomes the clinging aggregate of consciousness.
Now it is obvious that all this happen through the phenomenon of dependent co-arising of “paticcasamuppāda”. So, we understand that as long as this phenomenon of dependent co-arising is formed within one’s life, the five aggregates of clinging exist. Therefore, the five aggregates of clinging are impermanent. Thus, form, feeling, perception, volitional formations and consciousness are all impermanent.
As a simple example, let us take the traditional twelve-month oil lamp found in some places of worship, which burns all year around. In January, when you look at it, it is a light. When you look at it in mid-year it is still a light. In December, when you look at it, it is still burning. It may give the impression that the flame is permanent. However, it is fueled by oil, supported by wicks which are also impermanent. If someone thinks, “I saw this flame in January, I saw this flame in July, and I still can see it in December, it is a permanent thing”; they are deluded. If the oil and wicks are not replenished in timely intervals, the flame would be extinguished. Similarly, this consciousness, which co-exists with five aggregates of clinging setting in motion the process for continuous existence, is not something permanent. Due to the continuous formation of dependent co-arising, the five aggregates of clinging continuously come into existence. Once the dependent co-arising is ceased, the continued existence of the five aggregates of clinging is stopped. In other words, the moment ignorance is totally eradicated, when the Four Noble Truths are fully realized, the dependent co-arising is completely eradicated.
Thus, we see the Buddha’s followers are serious practitioners of dhammānupassanā or the contemplation of the nature of things. They see how the five aggregates of clinging arise through the phenomenon of dependent co-arising. They see how the five aggregates of clinging cease too. This cessation happens when the disciple fully comprehends the workings of the five aggregates of clinging and eradicates clinging.
If one has understood forms made of the four great elements as ‘froth’, feeling that arise from contact as a ‘water bubble’, perceptions born of contact as a ‘mirage’, volitional formations born of contact as peeling layers of a banana tree trunk in search of heartwood, and consciousness born of mentality and materiality as a magician showing an illusion, one understands that there is nothing to call me, I or mine in the five aggregates of clinging. Therefore, he does not cling. Because there is no clinging, passion is eliminated. When passion is eliminated, arranging of kamma to be ripened is ceased. That means that rebirth is stopped. Dependant co-arising is destroyed, and the disciple becomes liberated.
This is how the Buddha described the contemplation of the five aggregates of clinging. The disciple of the Buddha finds a solitary spot and while he contemplates this profoundly, he realizes that the formation of the five aggregates of clinging is non-self or beyond his control. Forms comprising the four great elements will change when the four great elements change. Feelings arising from contact will change when contact changes. Perceptions arising from contact will change when contact changes. Volitional formations arising from contact will change when contact changes. Consciousness arising from mentality and materiality will change when mentality and materiality changes. Thus, these results that arise due to causes change or cease when the causes are changed.
Through this realization, he understands non-self nature as well. Understanding this non-self nature, he doesn’t consider the five aggregates of clinging as “I am, mine, and myself.” He becomes liberated from them. It is remarkable how much freedom one can experience by establishing one’s mind on the four establishments of mindfulness.
Form aggregate:
Forms that were in the past, formed from the four elements and have changed: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Forms that are in the present, formed from the four elements and are changing: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Forms that will be in the future will be formed from the four elements and will change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Internal forms formed from the four elements and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
External forms formed from the four elements and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Gross forms formed from the four elements and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Subtle forms formed from the four elements and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Inferior forms formed from the four elements and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Superior forms formed from the four elements and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Forms that are far away, formed from the four elements and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Forms that are nearby, formed from the four elements and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Feeling aggregate
Feelings that were in the past that arose from contact and have changed: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Feelings that are in the present that arise from contact and are changing: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Feelings that will be in the future that will arise from contact and will change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Internal feeling that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
External feelings that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Gross feelings that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Subtle feelings that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Inferior feelings that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Superior feelings that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Feelings that are far away that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Feelings that are nearby that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Perception aggregate
Perceptions that were in the past that arose from contact and have changed: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Perceptions that are in the present that arise from contact and are changing: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Perceptions that will be in the future that will arise from contact and will change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Internal perceptions that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
External perceptions that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Gross perceptions that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Subtle perceptions that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Inferior perceptions that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Superior perceptions that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Perceptions that are far away that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Perceptions that are nearby that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Volitional formations aggregate
Volitional formations that were in the past that arose from contact and have changed: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Volitional formations that are in the present that arise from contact and are changing: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Volitional formations that will be in the future that will arise from contact and will change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Internal volitional formations that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
External volitional formations that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Gross volitional formations that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Subtle volitional formations that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Inferior volitional formations that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Superior volitional formations that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Volitional formations that are far away that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Volitional formations that are nearby that arise from contact and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Consciousness aggregate
Consciousness that was in the past that arose from mentality and materiality and have changed: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Consciousness that is in the present that arise from mentality and materiality and are changing: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Consciousness that will be in the future that will arise from contact and will change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Internal consciousness that arises from mentality and materiality and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
External consciousness that arises from mentality and materiality and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Gross consciousness that arises from mentality and materiality and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Subtle consciousness that arises from mentality and materiality and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Inferior consciousness that arises from mentality and materiality and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Superior consciousness that arises from mentality and materiality and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Consciousness that is far away that arises from mentality and materiality and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
Consciousness that is nearby that arises from mentality and materiality and are subject to change: they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. They are not me, not mine, not myself.
3- Contemplation on Six Sense Bases (Ayatana)
This is a dhammānupassanā meditation. While contemplating on the impermanence of six sense faculties, you may use any comfortable posture.
Next, the Buddha taught about the meditation on the six sense bases. The six sense bases are eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and the mind. It is through these six sense bases that the entire five aggregates of clinging and the phenomenon of dependent co-arising are formed. The meditations mentioned above have been practiced and many people have achieved the results throughout a long history. The Buddha teaches the obtaining of an eye, an ear, a nose, a tongue, a body, or a mind is the obtaining of suffering. That is the existence of diseases. That is the appearance of aging and death. Therefore, the Buddha taught that these six sense bases are suffering and must be realized as such.
The Buddha taught in the Satipatṭhāna sutta “Cakkhuṁ ca pajānāti,” the meditator clearly understands the eye. “Rūpe ca pajānaāti,” the meditator clearly understands the visible object or form. “Yaṁ ca tadubhayṁ paticca uppajjati saṁyojanaṁ taṁca pajānāti,” the meditator clearly understands the bondage of passion and desire owing to the visual object. This bondage arises, dependent on the eye and the visual object. “Yathā ca anuppanassa saṁyojanassa uppado hoti taṁca pajānāti,” the meditator clearly understands how a bondage that had not arisen has arisen. Such bondage arises due to unwise consideration or ayonisomanasikāro. The meditator clearly understands how bondage that has now arisen is eradicated. Such bondage is eradicated by seeing things as they truly are through wise consideration or yonisomanasikāro. The meditator clearly understands how bondage that has now been eradicated through right understanding will in future never arise.
In order to understand the meditation on the sense bases, there needs to be a better understanding of the workings of these sense bases. Once, there was a discussion between the great arahants Sāriputta and Mahākotṭhita. The arahant Mahākotṭhita asked the great Arahant Sāriputta.
“Is the eye fettered by the form or is the form fettered by the eye? Is the ear fettered by sound or is the sound fettered by ear? Is the nose fettered by smell or is the smell fettered by nose? Is the tongue fettered by taste or is the taste fettered by tongue? Is the body fettered by the tangible or is the tangible fettered by body? Is the mind fettered by thought or is the thought fettered by mind?”
The reason for this question is that it usually seems like the eye and the form are bound together, the ear and sound are bound together, the nose and smell are bound together, the tongue and taste are bound together, the body and the tangible are bound together, and the mind and thought are bound together. But the truth is different. These internal objects and external objects are completely separate and independent from each other. The great arahant Sāriputta answered, “The eye is not bound to form, neither is form bound to the eye. The ear is not bound to sound, neither is sound bound to the ear. The nose is not bound to smell, neither is smell bound to the nose. The tongue is not bound to taste, neither is taste bound to the tongue. The body is not bound to the tangible, neither is the tangible bound to the body. The mind is not bound to thought, neither is thought bound to the mind.” The great arahant Sāriputta then said, “Had they been bonded, attaining Nibbāna would not be possible through this noble eight-fold path. He then presented a wonderful explanation thus: if a white cow and a black cow is tied together with a rope wherever the white cow goes, the black cow also goes. Wherever the black cow goes, the white cow also goes. One may say, the white cow goes because of the black cow or one may say the black cow goes because of the white cow. The truth is they both go because of the rope.
What you need to understand from this story is that when the rope is broken both cows go free. Likewise, the Buddha teaches it is the bondage of desire that holds the internal sense base and the external object together. The person who has such bonds looks at the working of his sense bases with clear mindfulness. Then he sees the impermanence of the eye. He also sees the impermanence of the form. He realizes that the eye exists dependent on nāma-rūpa or mentality and materiality. Some believe that the eye is composed of just the four great elements. If this were so, it would be possible to create an artificial eye and create a consciousness within that artificial eye. That is impossible. As the eye arises dependent on mentality and materiality, it is also based on all the characteristics of mentality and materiality. This is true for the other five sense bases as well. That is why in the explanation of the dependent co-arising, the Buddha taught “Nāmarūpa paccayā salāyatanaṁ,” with the arising of mentality and materiality, six sense bases arise.
When contemplating with clear mindfulness the eye that arises dependent on mentality and materiality, the meditator sees the impermanence of the eye. When contemplating with clear mindfulness the ear that arises dependent on mentality and materiality, he sees the impermanence of the ear. When contemplating with clear mindfulness the nose that arises dependent on mentality and materiality, he sees the impermanence of the nose. When contemplating with clear mindfulness, the tongue that arises dependent on mentality and materiality, he sees the impermanence of the tongue. When contemplating with clear mindfulness the body that arises dependent on mentality and materiality, he sees the impermanence of the body. When contemplating with clear mindfulness the mind that arises dependent on mentality and materiality, he sees the impermanence of the mind. He understands that as the mentality and materiality are impermanent, the six sense bases too are impermanent.
In the same way, he understands that forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, and thoughts are all impermanent. When contemplating in this manner, if there arises a fetter due to the impermanent eye and the impermanent form, he realizes the nature of the fetter, how it arises and how it ceases. In this manner, he understands the impermanent nature of the six sense bases.
You are now aware that these six sense bases are impermanent. Why are they impermanent? They are impermanent because as they arise dependent on mentality and materiality, which too are impermanent.
In the Saṁyutta Nikāya, or the connected discourses of the Buddha, there is a chapter named Okkanti chapter. Okkanti means being emerged. Here the emergence is in the Dhamma or the phenomenon of the nature. If you want to be emerged in the path to ultimate freedom, the noble eightfold path, you first need saddhā or confidence. Without saddhā this ultimate freedom is not possible.
When you understand that this teaching about reality was taught by the Buddha, you develop confidence in that Dhamma as follows: the eye which arises dependent on mentality and materiality is impermanent; the ear which arises dependent on mentality and materiality is impermanent; the nose which arises dependent on mentality and materiality is impermanent; the tongue which arises dependent on mentality and materiality is impermanent; the body which arises dependent on mentality and materiality is impermanent, and the mind which arises dependent on mentality and materiality is impermanent.
Similarly, you place confidence in the Dhamma as follows: forms, sounds, odours, tastes, tangibles, and thoughts are impermanent. You also place confidence in the Dhamma as follows: eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mind consciousness are also impermanent.
Similarly, you place confidence in the Dhamma as follows: eye contact, which is the union of the eye, form, and the eye consciousness, is impermanent. Likewise, the ear contact, nose contact, tongue contact, body contact, and mind contact are also impermanent. You establish your confidence in this manner and investigate further with wise consideration.
Then you place confidence in the Dhamma as follows: the feelings born from these six types of contact are impermanent. You also place confidence in the Dhamma as follows: the perception of the form, the sound, the odour, the taste, the tangible and thought are all impermanent too.
You place confidence in the Dhamma as follows: volitions based on perceived forms are impermanent, volitions based on he perceived sounds are impermanent, volitions based on the perceived smells are impermanent, volitions based on perceived tastes are impermanent, volitions based on perceived tangibles are impermanent, and volitions based on perceived thoughts are impermanent.
You place confidence in the Dhamma as follows: the desires are also impermanent. If you think of something you really liked a few years ago, which you are quite indifferent to now, you can see the truth behind this. Similarly, things you disliked as a child maybe highly liked by you now. Who knows what your preferences will be in the future. In the future, you will let go many things you treasure now. So, you know that desires are very transient and impermanent.
The moment you establish confidence within yourself about the impermanence nature, you have emerged into the Noble Eightfold Path. A disciple who has emerged into the Noble Eightfold Path is known as “saddhānusārī” or the disciple with confidence. The Buddha teaches that the saddhānusārī disciple uses his confidence as a foundation to investigate this process further. He is then known as “dhammānusārī” or a disciple who has partially realized the nature of things but has not yet attained the state of stream enterer. Both saddhānusārī disciples and dhammānusārī disciples are on the fruit of stream entry. If one continues to tread this path further with diligence, he will become a stream enterer. At some point on his journey, such a person will realize “Yaṁ kiṁci samudaya Dhammaṁ sabbaṁ taṁ nirodha Dhammaṁ,” all things that arise due to causes will cease once the causes cease to exist, thereby realizing the impermanent nature of things. This realization arises with the direct goal of realizing the four noble truths. Such a disciple has the sammāditṭhi or right view. Such a disciple has recognized the Noble Eightfold Path and is immersed in the path. He is called a noble disciple who is accomplished in view, accomplished in vision, who has arrived at this perfect Dhamma, who sees this perfect Dhamma, who possesses a trainee’s knowledge, a trainee’s true knowledge, who has entered the stream of the Dhamma, a noble one with penetrative wisdom, one who stands squarely before the door to Nibbāna.
When the disciple is mindful of the six sense bases in this meditation, he involuntarily becomes more in command on his senses. That is how he remains unbound to external objects. The moment a fetter is created, the paticcasamuppāda or dependent co-arising comes into effect. When the six sense bases arise, contact arises. When contact arises, feeling arise. When feeling arises, craving arises. When craving arises, clinging arise. When clinging arises, formation of kamma to be ripened arises. Due to the arranging of kamma, one goes to the next birth. Through this meditation, he will realize how this dependent co-arising arises from the six sense bases. So, he meditates in an effort to prevent bonds, fetters, and defilements from forming by cultivating mindfulness on these sense bases.
When he recognizes these impermanent sense bases within himself, he realizes that other beings too have impermanent sense bases. Outside of him, whatever forms, sounds, odours, tastes, tangibles, and thoughts exist, he understands that they are impermanent and that it is the same for him, and for others too. Therefore, he remains detached. “Yathā ca uppannassa saṁyojanassa pahānaṁ hoti taṁca pajānāti,” as he investigates this with insight, when existing fetters are finally destroyed, he understands how that happens. This is done by yonisomanasikāra or investigation of this process using wise consideration, as you just learned. It is by applying yonisomanasikāra which will enable you to develop the ability to see the true nature of things. Investigating with wise considerations means investigating the way the Buddha taught us. It is through seeing correctly, that you can destroy these fetters that bind you to continued existence. If you do not do this, you continue to be attached.
“Rūpaṁ disvā satimutṭhā,” when you see a form without mindfulness; “Piya nimittaṁ manasikaroto,” You begin to grasp this form and imagine it in an attractive enticing way. “Sārattha citto vedeti,” you keep enjoying signs and features of the visual object with an attached mind. “Taṁca ajjhosāya titṭhati,” the mind gets established in the object. “Tassa vaddhaṁti vedanā anekā rūpa sambhavā,” this creates many sensations based on this form. Your mind becomes plagued by desire and exertion. You engage in unwise consideration. In this way, you hold onto suffering and push away the ultimate freedom of Nibbāna. Your usual lifestyle is geared to take you away from this ultimate freedom. By continuing down this mundane road and wishing or hoping for freedom is futile. Therefore, if you want to head for the ultimate freedom, it is imperative that you develop mindfulness on the impermanence of these six sense bases. When mindfulness on the impermanence of these six sense bases is developed and the arising and the cessation of the sense bases are seen as impermanent, there will be no perceiving of any of the sense bases as me, mine or under my control.
Eye
Because the eye arises due to causes and changes quickly, the eye is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Eye is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because forms arise due to causes and change quickly, forms are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Forms are not me, not mine, not myself.
Because eye consciousness arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Eye consciousness is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because the union of eye, form, and eye consciousness arise due to causes and change quickly, eye contact is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Eye contact is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because feeling born from eye contact arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. The feeling born from eye contact is not me, not mine, or not myself.
Because the perception of form arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. perception of form is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because volitions regarding form arise due to causes and change quickly, they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Volitions regarding form are not me, not mine, not myself.
Because the desire for forms arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Desire for forms is not me, not mine, not myself.
Ear
Because the ear arises due to causes and changes quickly, the ear is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. The ear is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because sounds arise due to causes and change quickly, sounds are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Sounds are not me, not mine, not myself.
Because ear consciousness arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Ear consciousness is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because the union of ear, sound, and ear consciousness arise due to causes and change quickly, ear contact is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Ear contact is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because feeling born from ear contact arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. The feeling born from ear contact is not me, not mine, or not myself.
Because the perception of sound arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Perception of sound is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because volitions regarding sound arise due to causes and change quickly, they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Volitions regarding sounds are not me, not mine, not myself.
Because the desire for sound arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Desire for sounds is not me, not mine, not myself.
Nose
Because the nose arises due to causes and changes quickly, the nose is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. The nose is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because smells arise due to causes and change quickly, smells are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Smells are not me, not mine, not myself.
Because nose consciousness arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Nose consciousness is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because the union of nose, smells, and nose consciousness arise due to causes and change quickly, nose contact is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Nose contact is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because feeling born from nose contact arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. The feeling born from nose contact is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because the perception of smells arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Perception of smells is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because volitions regarding smells arise due to causes and change quickly, they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Volitions regarding smells are not me, not mine, not myself.
Because the desire for smells arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. desire for smells is not me, not mine, not myself.
Tongue
Because the tongue arises due to causes and changes quickly, the tongue is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. The tongue is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because tastes arise due to causes and change quickly, tastes are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Tastes are not me, not mine, not myself.
Because tongue consciousness arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Tongue consciousness is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because the union of tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness arise due to causes and change quickly, tongue contact is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Tongue contact is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because feeling born from tongue contact arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. The feeling born from tongue contact is not me, not mine, or not myself.
Because the perception of taste arises due to causes and
changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Perception of taste is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because volitions regarding taste arise due to causes and change quickly, they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Volitions regarding taste are not me, not mine, not myself.
Because the desire for taste arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Desire for taste is not me, not mine, not myself.
Body
Because the body arises due to causes and changes quickly, the body is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. The body is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because tangibles arise due to causes and change quickly, tangibles are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Tangibles are not me, not mine, not myself.
Because body consciousness arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Body consciousness is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because the union of body, tangibles, and body consciousness arise due to causes and change quickly, body contact is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Body contact is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because feeling born from body contact arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. The feeling born from body contact is not me, not mine, or not myself.
Because the perception of tangibles arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Perception of tangibles is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because volitions regarding tangibles arise due to causes and change quickly, they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Volitions regarding tangibles are not me, not mine, not myself.
Because the desire for tangibles arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Desire for tangibles is not me, not mine, not myself.
Mind
Because the mind arises due to causes and changes quickly, the mind is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Mind is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because thoughts arise due to causes and change quickly, thoughts are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Thoughts are not me, not mine, not myself.
Because mind consciousness arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Mind consciousness is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because the union of mind, thought, and mind consciousness arise due to causes and change quickly, mind contact is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Mind contact is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because feeling born from mind contact arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. The feeling born from mind contact is not me, not mine, or not myself.
Because the perception of thought arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Perception of thought is not me, not mine, not myself.
Because volitions regarding thought arise due to causes and changes quickly, they are impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Volitions regarding thought are not me, not mine, not myself.
Because the desire for thoughts arises due to causes and changes quickly, it is impermanent, impermanent, impermanent. Desire for thoughts is not me, not mine, not myself.
4- Seven Factors of Enlightenment (Satta bojjhanga)
This comprises the seven factors of enlightenment, the satta bojhjaṁgas. Bojjhaṁgas are the factors that aid to comprehend the Four Noble Truths.
Bojjhaṁgas are the factors that aid to comprehend the Four Noble Truths. There are seven of these:
- “Sati”or mindfulness
- “Dhammavicya”or investigation of the Dhamma
- “Viriya”or effort
- “Pīti”or rapture
- “Passaddhi”or tranquility
- “Samādhi”or concentration
- “Upekkhā”or equanimity
All these can be cultivated within you through cultivation of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness. It is only through the cultivation of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness that the seven factors of enlightenment can be cultivated within you. These seven factors cannot grow within you through wishing or prayer. If it was possible, then there would be no need of the appearance of Buddhas into this world; there would be no need to listen to the Dhamma. Since the Buddha’s teachings are extremely essential for future generations to realize the reality life, liberated monks preserved this Dhamma with utmost dedication.
When the Buddha’s life ended, liberated monks each took a section of the Dhamma and organized it for future. The section of the Long Discourses was memorized by the student monks of liberated monk Ānanda. The section of the Middle Discourses was memorized by the student monks of liberated monk Sāriputta. The section of the Connected Discourses was memorized by the student monks of liberated monk Kassapa. The section of the Numerical Discourses was memorized by the student monks of liberated monk Anuruddha. So, it could be passed down through generations of dedicated Sangha. This Dhamma, therefore, is still in a very pure form and must be studied in order to gain the knowledge, which would then lead to profound understanding of the way things really are.
There is no practical methodology or experience that leads to ultimate freedom apart from the Dhamma. If there is some truth you comprehend, it is in the Dhamma. Whatever is in the Dhamma is what you would understand. True realization and the Dhamma are the same. Therefore, when one practices the four establishments of mindfulness, it is the seven factors of enlightenment they realize. You should cultivate the four establishments of mindfulness with the aim of developing the seven factors of enlightenment. Then, the factors needed to understand the Four Noble Truths will develop in you. This course of action is very clear, straightforward and there are no contradictions or unclear instructions.
Sati saṁbojjhaṁgo is the first factor of enlightenment. This is the four establishments of mindfulness. When the four establishments of mindfulness lead to the realization of the Four Noble Truths, it is called sati saṁbojjhaṁga. When this factor is developed within you, you will know it with mindfulness. When this factor is undeveloped within you, you should know that too and continue with diligence to develop it.
The second factor, Dhammavicaya saṁbojjhaṁga is the result of investigation of the Buddha’s teachings. This is done by seeing impermanence as impermanent; seeing suffering as suffering; seeing things beyond our control, as things beyond our control; as well as comprehending the nature of dependent co-arising. When you constantly meditate on these with mindfulness, you will develop ‘Dhammavicaya saṁbojjhaṁga’ as a factor leading to the comprehension of the Four Noble Truths. When this factor is developed within you, you will know it with mindfulness. When this factor is undeveloped within you, you should know that too and continue with diligence to develop it.
The third factor is “viriya” or effort. That means you will make:
(1) the effort to eradicate any unwholesome actions that have arisen,
(2) the effort to prevent unwholesome actions that have not yet arisen,
(3) the effort to develop wholesome actions that have already arisen, and
(4) the effort to cultivate wholesome actions that have not yet arisen.
Unwholesome defilements are: desire, anger, envy, revenge, retaliation, resentment, quarrelling, and disobedience. As a meditator, you are aware when these arise within you and make an effort to eradicate these and prevent these from arising in the future. This is viriya sambojjanga.
Wholesome actions are renunciation, loving kindness, compassion, virtue, tranquility, concentration, and wisdom. As a meditator, you are aware when these have not yet arisen in you. The effort you put to cultivate these within you is viriya saṁbojjhaṁga. All this effort is made with the comprehension of the Four Noble Truths as the goal. When this factor is developed within you, you will know it with mindfulness. When this factor is undeveloped in you, you should know that with continued diligence you can develop it. When your viriya is developed in this way with unwholesome actions becoming subdued and wholesome actions becoming enhanced, you will have established viriya saṁbojjhaṁga, or the enlightenment factor of effort.
In this way, when wholesome actions increase and unwholesome actions decrease, the meditator’s mind is filled with a spiritual rapture, or pīti. You develop this rapture thus, “I am subduing unwholesome actions; I am cultivating wholesome actions”. This happiness is a result of the effort within you.
There are two main factors that help to enhance the Dhamma path: the first is humility and the next is dedication. Generally, when we try to develop the Dhamma path we should practice humility. We must never consider ourselves above others just because we follow this path. If we do so, it will be a block to our dhamma path. Instead, we should humbly practice this dhamma.
In this way rapture becomes a factor that leads to the understanding of the Four Noble Truths. When this factor is developed within you, you will know it with mindfulness. When this factor is undeveloped within you, you should know that too and continue with diligence to develop it.
When this rapture grows within you, you develop a sense of physical and mental lightness or tranquility. This lightness is called kāyapassaddhi and cittapassaddhi. Passaddhi means lightness or calmness of the body and the mind, which is produced by the rapture. This is the fifth factor of enlightenment, passaddhi saṁbojjhaṁgo, or tranquility. This tranquility is also a factor that leads to the realization of the Four Noble Truths. When this factor is developed within you, you would know it with mindfulness. When this factor is undeveloped within you, you should know that too and continue with diligence to develop it.
When this tranquility grows within you, it leads to concentration. That is the sixth factor of enlightenment. Concentration means the unification of mind on a wholesome object. Without this concentration, there can be no comprehensive understanding of the Four Noble Truths. Liberated ones and non-returners possessed higher levels of concentration. Even once-returners and stream-enterers possess a certain level of concentration. In general, concentration must be developed up to the fourth jhāna at the stage of non-returning. Concentration of the liberated ones is fully developed. This factor is connected to meditation. Concentration is attaining the first jhāna, second jhāna, third jhāna, and the fourth jhāna. This concentration is a facilitating factor for the understanding of the Four Noble Truths. When this factor is developed within you, you will know it with mindfulness. When this factor is undeveloped within you, you should know that too and continue with diligence to develop it.
When the meditator develops this concentration profoundly, and he sees this as a factor aiding in the understanding of the Four Noble Truths, he does not become attached to this concentration. Instead of indulging in this state of concentration, he begins to see its impermanence. At this point, his mind gains equanimity. This is the seventh factor of enlightenment. At this stage, he does not become captivated by this equanimity. He does not become deluded by this equanimity. Rather, this equanimity becomes a facilitating factor in the realization of the Four Noble Truths.
What then are the Four Noble Truths? There is a noble truth called ‘suffering’. This needs to be comprehensively understood. This suffering is formed because we cling to it. This clinging and craving to suffering is the second noble truth of the arising of suffering. This should be eradicated. When clinging and craving are eradicated, he is free from suffering. This freedom is called the third noble truth of the cessation of suffering. This truth needs to be realized. The clinging and craving to suffering are not automatically eradicated. It is done by following a certain path, the Noble Eightfold Path. This path is the fourth noble truth, the path leading to the cessation of suffering. These four noble truths has to be realized.
When this factor of equanimity is developed within you, you would know it with mindfulness. When this factor is not developed within you, you should know that too and continue with diligence to develop it.
This meditation on the bojjhaṁgas means developing these seven factors within you with the goal of realizing the four noble truths. In summary, the seven factors of enlightenment are, “sati” or mindfulness; “Dhammavicya” or investigation of the Dhamma; “viriya” or effort; “pīti” or rapture; “passaddhi” or tranquility; “samādhi” or concentration; and “upekkhā” or equanimity. These seven bojjhaṁgas are developed profoundly within you and it would lead you to inner purity. For this, it is imperative that we practice the four establishments of mindfulness. Now, it is extremely clear that the Buddha’s teachings show us the perfect way to realizing the true nature of life.
Anussati Meditations
- Buddhanussati Meditation
- Dhammanussati Meditation
- Sanghānussati Meditation
- Sīlānussati Meditation
- Cāgānussati Meditation
- Devatānussati Meditation
In the following sections, we will explain the recollection meditations or Anussati bhāvanā. Anussati bhāvanā is practiced on several themes. The themes are Buddhānussati bhāvanā or meditation on the qualities of the Buddha; Dhammanussati bhāvanā or meditation on the qualities of the Dhamma; Sanghānussati bhāvanā or meditation on the qualities of community of Noble Monks; Seelanussati bhāvanā or meditation on one’s own virtue; Chaganussati bhāvanā or meditation on one’s own generosity; Devatanussati bhāvanā or meditation on heavenly beings, and Marananussati or meditation on death. In the following sections, we will discuss each of these meditation techniques in detail.
In Buddhānussati meditation, one recollects the marvelous and unsurpassed qualities of the Buddha. The Gautama Buddha was the greatest sage who lived on the earth and taught the Dhamma, which he himself had realized without anyone’s guidance, with compassion to beings, in particular for humans and gods, in order to help them understand the reality of the life. If one recollects the qualities of the Buddha, even for a moment, one is practicing Buddhānussati meditation. Each moment one recollects the qualities of the Buddha, one purifies, tranquilizes, and settles his mind. By practicing Buddhāussati meditation, one begins a new life without even knowing it.
The Buddha had a heart free from all defilements. His mind was free from passion. The Buddha was not furious about anything at all; he was free from hatred. The Buddha was not deceived or charmed by the illusions of the world as he was free from delusion. Therefore, the Buddha is an arahant. By thinking about incomparable qualities of the Buddha, you can purify your mind. The Buddha did not commit immoral acts even in secret. As he was free from all defilements, he was free from all suffering. The Buddha realized the Four Noble Truths without any guidance of a teacher. The Buddha fully realized the entire world system and all kinds of living beings in it, as well as their passing away and rebirth. By showing the direct and the right path to end suffering, which is the Noble Eightfold Path, he became the perfect and most capable teacher of gods and humans. In this way, whenever you can recollect the qualities of the Buddha, you think about the supreme sage, the Buddha who introduced the golden era to the world.
The instant you start to recollect the qualities of the Buddha, from that very moment on, your mind starts to be free from defilements and calms down. A Buddha is born into this world very rarely. You can recognize who the Buddha is only if you can develop your wisdom. That wisdom must be gained through listening to the Buddha’s teachings. You can recognize the Buddha through the Dhamma, based on your wise consideration.
The Buddha’s purity, marvelous wisdom, great compassion, unsurpassed concentration, and extraordinary energy, all of these incomparable qualities, will illuminate your world.
You can recollect on the qualities of the Buddha, thinking about the meanings of Arahaṁ quality, Sammā Sambuddho quality, Vijacarana Saṁpanno quality, Sugato quality, Lokavidu quality, Annutaro purisadamma sārati quality, Satta Devamanusanaṁ quality, Buddho quality, and Bhagavā quality. Be familiar with this contemplation by constantly practicing it. This is a very beneficial contemplation.
Human life is like a stream of water that is being dried out gradually. As a human being, you have the rare opportunity to develop wisdom before you lose this human life by practicing the Buddhānussati meditation.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, possessed extraordinary qualities.
I pay homage to my great teacher, supreme Buddha, who possessed incomparable wisdom and great compassion.
- My great teacher, supreme Buddha, was free from all defilements.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, did not engage in unwholesome acts, even in secrecy.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, escaped from all evil.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, was worthy of accepting material and spiritual offerings.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, did not cling to, was not repelled by, and was not deceived by forms seen with the eyes; he eradicated desire for all forms.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, did not cling to, was not repelled by, and was not deceived by sounds heard with the ears; he eradicated desire for all sounds.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, did not cling to, was not repelled by, and was not deceived by odours smelled by the nose; he eradicated desire for all odours.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, did not cling to, was not repelled by, and was not deceived by tastes sensed by the tongue; he eradicated desire for all tastes.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, did not cling to, was not repelled by, and was not deceived by sensations felt by the body; he eradicated desire for all bodily sensations.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, did not cling to, was not repelled by, and was not deceived by thoughts cognized by the mind; he eradicated desire for all thoughts.
Because of these great qualities, my great teacher, Supreme Buddha is an Arahant. - My great teacher, supreme Buddha, realized “suffering”, as the first noble truth, without having guidance from a teacher.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, realized “the origin of suffering”, as the second noble truth, without having guidance from a teacher.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, realized “the cessation of suffering”, as the third noble truth, without having guidance from a teacher.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, realized “the path leading to cessation of suffering”, as the fourth noble truth, without having guidance from a teacher.
Supreme Buddha realized each Noble Truth in three steps making twelve aspects; these steps are, knowledge of truth (sattya ñāna), knowledge of what needs to be done (kruttya ñāna), and knowledge of fulfillment of what needs to be done (kruttak ñāna).
Because of his great achievement my great teacher, Supreme Buddha is Sammā Sambuddho. - My great teacher, supreme Buddha, possessed supernatural powers; he walked in the sky, walked on water and passed through solid objects.
In this way, my great teacher, supreme Buddha possessed the knowledge of infinite supernatural powers (iddhivida ñāna).
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, acquired the divine eye (dibba cakkhu ñāna) which enabled him to see things from any distance.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, acquired the divine ear (dibba sota ñāna) which enabled him to listen to sounds from any distance.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, acquired the ability to recollect past lives of beings (pubbe nivāsānussati ñāna).
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, acquired the ability to see passing away and arising of beings based on actions (cutūpapāta ñāna).
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, acquired the knowledge of eradicating all hidden taints (āsavakkhaya ñāna).
Because of his great knowledge, because of his great virtue, and because of his great concentration, my great teacher, Supreme Buddha is Vijjacarana Saṁpanno. - My great teacher, supreme Buddha, discovered the excellent path to Nibbāna, and by following it, reached the supreme bliss of Nibbāna.
Because of his great discovery, my great teacher, supreme Buddha is Sugato. - My great teacher, supreme Buddha, understood completely all brahma worlds, all divine worlds, the human world, the ghost world and the four hells; he escaped from these worlds.
Because of his great comprehension, my great teacher, supreme Buddha is Lokavidu. - My great teacher, supreme Buddha, tamed arrogant divine beings and humans using his superhuman abilities.
The Buddha tamed and directed them to Nibbāna with his supernatural powers (iddhi patihariya), reading their minds (adesana pratiharya) and preaching Dhamma (anusasani pratiharya).
Because of his great talent in taming beings, my great teacher, supreme Buddha is Anuttaro Purisa Dhammasarathi. - My great teacher, supreme Buddha, showed the path to cross over the cycle of rebirth and attain Nibbāna to wise divine beings and wise humans.
Because he guided gods and humans to Nibbāna, my great teacher, supreme Buddha is Satthā Devamanussanaṁ. - My great teacher, supreme Buddha, taught the Four Noble Truths clearly, pleasantly, and meaningfully using clear words and clear definitions helping others realize Dhamma.
Because he taught Dhamma profoundly, my great teacher, supreme Buddha is Buddho. - My great teacher, supreme Buddha, was blessed with all of these noble qualities.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, was blessed with the brightest wisdom, that surpasses the sun and moon.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, was blessed with a heart full of limitless compassion.
Because of his great fortune, supreme Buddha is Bhagavā.
My great teacher, supreme Buddha, possessed extraordinary qualities.
I pay homage to my great teacher, supreme Buddha, who possessed incomparable wisdom and great compassion.
In this section, we will discuss Dhammānussati bhāvanā or recollection on the qualities of the Dhamma.
If this world is a dry desert, the Dhamma proclaimed by the supreme Buddha is a stream of water that flows through the desert. By listening to the Dhamma, people suffering from sorrow and grief became purified and peaceful. Because of the power of the Dhamma, Angulimāla and others who had cruel mindsets and evil habits were transformed into noble ones with extremely kind hearts. The helpless lady Patācāra, who was once out of her mind and went astray, later became a virtuous and courageous arahant nun because of the power of the Dhamma. The Dhamma, taught by the Buddha, can appease your mind. The Four Noble Truths is the essence of the teachings of the Buddha. You are fortunate if you hear, think or contemplate the Four Noble Truths; you are among the few who contemplate this rare teaching.
A Buddha appears into this world to achieve one goal, just one. That only goal is to teach the Four Noble Truths to beings suffering in this samsara in order to escape from this samsara and attain nibbana. Therefore, the realization of the Four Noble Truths is a miracle of mind, an intellectual transformation. The miracle occurs only through the knowledge of Dhamma expounded by the Buddha.
Since the Four Noble Truths are well expounded by the Buddha, it is ‘svakkhāto’. The Dhamma is ‘sanditṭhiko’ since the Dhamma can be realized in this very life. The Dhamma is ‘akāliko’ as it can be realized at any time period. It is called ehipassiko because anyone can be asked to “come and see (investigate) this Dhamma”. Because the Dhamma needs to be understood and investigated within oneself, it is ‘opanyko’. As any wise person can realize this Dhamma through wise consideration it is known as ‘paccattaṁ vēditabbo viññuhi’. The contemplation of the great qualities of Dhamma, as listed above, is Dhammānussati meditation. Dhammānussati meditation is possible only if you know the teachings of the Buddha well enough. The message of Dhamma is pleasant and peaceful; one cannot obtain the same calmness by engaging in mundane tasks such as watching movies and television, reading books, novels and newspapers, or listening to music and comedy. The mundane sensual pleasures cannot eliminate sorrow and pain you experience.
When you listen to the teachings of the Buddha, when you retain the Dhamma, when you investigate the Dhamma within your life, and when you examine the world through the Dhamma, a serene transformation will happen within you. You will be happy and peaceful. Therefore, determine to contemplate Dhammānussati, starting from this very moment; at least for a moment each day.
- My great teacher, Supreme Buddha, well proclaimed the noble Dhamma.
The beginning of that exalted Dhamma is excellent because it develops virtue.
The middle of that exalted Dhamma is excellent because it develops concentration.
The end of that exalted Dhamma is excellent because it develops wisdom.
My great teacher, Supreme Buddha, taught the Dhamma using clear words and clear definitions.
Through the Dhamma, my great teacher, Supreme Buddha, showed the path leading to wholesome and defilement-free life.
Because the Dhamma is well expounded by the Supreme Buddha, the Dhamma is svākkhāto.
I take refuge in the Dhamma that is svākkhāto.
I pay homage to the Dhamma that is svākkhāto. - The Dhamma, proclaimed by the Supreme Buddha with great compassion, can be realized in this very life.
The Dhamma, proclaimed by the Supreme Buddha, can be developed as virtue, concentration, and wisdom.
The Dhamma, proclaimed by the Supreme Buddha, can be realized by reaching the stage of stream entry (sotapanno), the stage of once returning (sakadāgāmi), the stage of non-returning (anāgāmi), and the stage of arahant (Arahaṁ).
Because the Dhamma can be realized in this very life, the Dhamma is sanditṭhiko.
I take refuge in the Dhamma that is sanditṭhiko.
I pay homage to the Dhamma that is sanditṭhiko. - The Dhamma, proclaimed by the Supreme Buddha, can be realized at any time period.
The Dhamma can be realized in any period of time because virtue, concentration, wisdom, the noble path, noble states and the Four Noble Truths are eternal truths.
Because the Dhamma can be realized at any point of time, whether in the past, present, or future, the Dhamma is akāliko.
I take refuge in the Dhamma that is akāliko.
I pay homage to the Dhamma that is akāliko. - The Dhamma, proclaimed by the Supreme Buddha, is open for investigation by gods and humans.
The Dhamma does not contain hidden sermons, hidden advice, or hidden discussions.
The Dhamma shines openly like the sun and the moon free from clouds.
Because the Dhamma is open for investigation, the Dhamma is ehipassiko.
I take refuge in the Dhamma that is ehipassiko.
I pay homage to the Dhamma that is ehipassiko. - The Dhamma, proclaimed by the Supreme Buddha, should be applied to one’s life by listening, retaining, reciting, investigating wisely, and practicing it.
Because the Dhamma should be applied to one’s life, the Dhamma is opanyko.
I take refuge in the Dhamma that is opanyko.
I pay homage to the Dhamma that is opanyko. - The Dhamma, proclaimed by the Supreme Buddha can be realized by the wise who are honest and direct, irrespective of their race, cast, and clan.
Because the Dhamma can be realized by the wise each for themselves, the Dhamma is paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhi.
I take refuge in the Dhamma that is paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhi.
I pay homage to the Dhamma that is paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhi.
Sanghānussati bhāvanā is the recollection on the qualities of the community of noble monks. The greatest community in the world is the community of disciples of the Buddha. When a Buddha is born into this world and preaches the Dhamma, wise humans listen to that Dhamma; follow, investigate and experience Dhamma for themselves. They develop virtue, concentration, and wisdom leading to the realization of the Four Noble Truths. The first critical step in this path is the attainment of right view or sammā ditṭhi. Only the disciples of the Buddha, namely, monks, nuns, male lay followers, and female lay followers are endowed with right view. Having developed right view, the disciples follow the Noble Eightfold Path and attain the stage of stream entry. They achieve the initial knowledge of the Four Noble Truths. Stream-enterers will attain Nibbāna within seven lives at the most. By practicing the Noble Eightfold Path further, these disciples attain the stage of once-returning; they are born only once and attain Nibbāna. By practicing the Noble Eightfold Path further, these disciples attain the stage of non-returning; they are born in a brahma world and attain Nibbāna. The disciples who attain the stage of arahantship will attain final extinguishing in this very life; at the completion of their life-span. There is no more rebirth for them. These disciples exist only in the dispensation of a Buddha. Therefore, the Buddha said, “monks, you may cry a lion’s roar (say fearlessly) that the first recluse (stream enterer), second recluse (once returner), third recluse (non -returner), and the fourth recluse (arahant) are only seen in a dispensation of the Buddha.”
The community of the disciples of the Buddha is unsurpassable in their virtue among various groups of people who practice various teachings. Because these disciples follow the path leading to the eradication of passion, hatred, and delusion and attainment of Nibbāna, the community of noble disciples is known as “supatipanno”. Since they follow the straight path to Nibbāna, which is the Noble Eightfold Path, the community of noble disciples is “ujupatipanno” The community of noble disciples is called “ñāyapatipanno” since they follow the path for the realization of the Four Noble Truths. Because the community of noble disciples teaches Dhamma to gods and humans encouraging them to understand the Four Noble Truths, the community of noble monks is “sāmīcipatipanno”. Those disciples of the Buddha who follow the Noble Eightfold Path are identified as eight types of individuals and four pairs of persons. (They are: those who are practicing the path to stream-entry and those who have attained the stage of stream-entry; those who are practicing the path to once returning and those who have attained the stage of once returning; those who are practicing the path to non-returning and those who have attained the stage of non-returning, and those who are practicing the path to arahantship and those who have attained the stage of arahantship.) The Buddha said that these disciples are worthy of gifts brought from afar; they are worthy of hospitality; they are worthy of making offerings in order to collect merit; and they are worthy of reverential salutation by others. The disciples of the Buddha who possess these noble qualities are supreme among worldly beings and are the unsurpassed field of merit. In this way, you can place confidence in the community of noble disciples of the Buddha.
In order to do sanghānussati meditation, you need to recollect the noble qualities of the community of disciples, who dedicate their lives whole heartedly aspiring utmost purity. By frequently recollecting the qualities of the community of noble disciples, may you develop confidence in the noble disciples and become a true disciple of the Buddha with the intention of realizing of the Four Noble Truths.
- The noble disciples of the Buddha have entered the path of cultivating virtue, concentration, and wisdom in order to eradicate passion, hatred, and delusion.
Therefore, the community of disciples of the Buddha is supatipanno.
I take refuge in the community of disciples of the Buddha that is supatipanno.
I pay homage to the community of disciples of the Buddha who is supatipanno. - The noble disciples of the Buddha follow the straight path to Nibbāna, the Noble Eightfold Path.
Therefore, the community of disciples of the Buddha is ujupatipanno.
I take refuge in the community of disciples of the Buddha that is ujupatipanno.
I pay homage to the community of disciples of the Buddha who is ujupatipanno. - The noble disciples of the Buddha follow the path leading to realization of the Four Noble Truths.
Therefore, the community of disciples of the Buddha is ñāyapatipanno.
I take refuge in the community of disciples of the Buddha that is ñāyapatipanno.
I pay homage to the community of disciples of the Buddha who is ñāyapatipanno. - The noble disciples of the Buddha teach the Dhamma and spread the Dhamma in the world with great reverence to Dhamma.
Therefore, the community of disciples of the Buddha is sāmīcipatipanno.
I take refuge in the community of disciples of the Buddha that is sāmīcipatipanno.
I pay homage to the community of disciples of the Buddha who is sāmīcipatipanno. - The noble disciples of the Buddha are four pairs of persons and eight types of individuals. They consist of those who are in the path and those who have reached the stage of stream entry, once-returning, non-returning, and arahantship.
I take refuge in the noble disciples who are four pairs of persons and eight types of individuals.
I pay homage to the noble disciples who are four pairs of persons and eight types of individuals. - The noble disciples of the Buddha, who are on the path and attained the stages of enlightenment, are worthy of offerings of robes, food and drinks, dwellings, and medicine prepared and brought from afar.
Therefore, the community of disciples of the Buddha is āhuneiyo.
I take refuge in the community of disciples of the Buddha that is āhuneiyo.
I pay homage to the community of disciples of the Buddha who is āhuneiyo. - The noble disciples of the Buddha, who are on the path and attained the stages of enlightenment, are worthy of offerings of robes, food and drink, dwellings, and medicine when they arrive as guests.
Therefore, the community of disciples of the Buddha is pāhuneiyo.
I take refuge in the community of disciples of the Buddha that is pāhuneiyo.
I pay homage to the community of disciples of the Buddha who is pāhuneiyo. - The noble disciples of the Buddha, who are on the path and attained the stages of enlightenment, are worthy of offerings of robes, food and drink, dwellings, and medicine given by those wanting to collect merit.
Therefore, the community of disciples of the Buddha is dakkhineiyo.
I take refuge in the community of disciples of the Buddha that is dakkhineiyo.
I pay homage to the community of disciples of the Buddha who is dakkhineiyo. - The noble disciples of the Buddha, who are on the path and attained the stages of enlightenment, are worthy of reverential worship by gods and humans.
Therefore, the community of disciples of the Buddha is añjalikaraneiyo.
I take refuge in the community of disciples of the Buddha that is añjalikaraneiyo.
I pay homage to the community of disciples of the Buddha who is añjalikaraneiyo. - The noble disciples of the Buddha, who are on the path and attained the stages of enlightenment, are the unsurpassed field of merit that helps gods and humans acquire merit.
Therefore, the community of disciples of the Buddha is anuttaraṁ puññakkettaṁ lokassa.
I take refuge in the community of disciples of the Buddha that is anuttaraṁ puññakkettaṁ lokassa.
I pay homage to the community of disciples of the Buddha who is anuttaraṁ puññakkettaṁ lokassa.
We will discuss another noble quality that must be developed by a noble disciple who has taken refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. In contemplation of virtue, also known as “sīlānussati bhāvanā”, one investigates on one’s own virtue developed through disciplining bodily and verbal actions. Having seen the virtue, one exalts and enjoys it. By practicing sīlānussati, one gets the opportunity to examine one’s strengths and weaknesses with respect to observing the precepts or sīla.
A disciple wakes up in the morning and determines to pay attention to bodily actions and verbal actions mindfully throughout day and night to avoid breaking precepts. At the end of the day, by contemplating on the precepts, one would be happy thinking, “Today, I didn’t use my body to commit any evil deed; I did not kill or hurt living beings; I did not take what was not given; I did not engage in sexual misconduct; and I did not take intoxicants”. Also, that person would be happy thinking, “Today, I didn’t deceive others with lies; I didn’t hurt others with harsh words; I did not speak malicious words to break relationships or to hurt others; and I did not speak meaningless idle words to waste time of others and mine.” In this way, one will be glad about one’s virtue and if there are lapses clearly identifies any blemishes in virtue just as seeing a stain on a clean white cloth. Any failure to comply with precepts shall be identified; broken precepts shall be re-observed with a strong determination to protect them from that moment onwards. In this manner, a disciple develops his or her virtue through contemplation.
A disciple cultivates virtue by thinking, “I do not engage in bodily misconduct; I do not engage in verbal misconduct; I am a person committed to observe precepts; and I develop peace and calmness in me”. In this manner, gradually, one becomes virtuous and consequently, others will trust his words and deeds. No society accepts indecent, corrupted people, liars or criminals. By investigating one’s own virtue, by contemplating on one’s virtue, a person can purify one’s bodily and verbal conduct. This process of recollecting one’s virtue is known as sīlānussati. The disciples of the Buddha frequently practice sīlānussati. Recollection on virtue develops peace and eliminates remorse, confusion and restlessness of mind. Tranquility of mind, thus acquired, will establish concentration (samādhi). One easily develops concentration (samādhi) through sīlānussati, which is a noble gain. We must strive to cultivate sīlānussati as the Buddha has taught.
- My great teacher, the Supreme Buddha, is virtuous.
The Supreme Buddha disciplined his body and his speech.
The Supreme Buddha led a life free from all defilements.
The Supreme Buddha mindfully investigated and eradicated all defilements of the body.
The Supreme Buddha mindfully investigated and eradicated all defilements of speech.
The Supreme Buddha avoided wrong livelihood and practiced right livelihood.
The Supreme Buddha fulfilled the noble virtue.
Having attained noble virtue, the Supreme Buddha taught about virtue with great compassion for gods and humans.
I will practice virtue as instructed by the Supreme Buddha.
I will practice virtue as a noble disciple of the Supreme Buddha with the intention of realizing the Four Noble Truths. - With the intention of attaining Nibbāna, I observe the precept of abstaining from killing beings.
Mindfully, I strive to observe the precept of abstaining from killing beings.
I practice loving kindness to all beings. I do not intentionally hurt beings, large or small.
Because I observe the precept of abstaining from killing beings, I am free from fear.
May all beings be free from fear! May all beings live happily!
I observe the precept of abstaining from killing beings and I encourage others to observe the precept of abstaining from killing beings. In doing so, I experience joy.
This joy will help to concentrate my mind. - With the intention of attaining Nibbāna, I observe the precept of abstaining from taking what is not given.
Mindfully, I strive to observe the precept of abstaining from taking what is not given.
By any means and anywhere, with a mind to steal, I do not take what is not given, big or small.
As I adore my property, valuables and money, others too adore their possessions.
I do not take what is not given by deceiving others through fraud or with a mind to steal.
Because I observe the precept of abstaining from taking what is not given, I am free from fear.
May all beings be free from fear! May all beings live happily!
I observe the precept of abstaining from taking what is not given and I encourage others to observe the precept of abstaining from what is not given. In doing so, I experience joy.
This joy will help to concentrate my mind. - With the intention of attaining Nibbāna, I observe the precept of abstaining from sexual misconduct.
Mindfully, I strive to observe the precept of abstaining from sexual misconduct.
I do not engage in sexual activity with a man or woman who is not my husband or wife.
I am trustworthy to my spouse.
I am trustworthy to my children.
I develop unblemished conduct.
Because I observe the precept of abstaining from sexual misconduct, I am free from fear.
May all beings be free from fear! May all beings live happily!
I observe the precept of abstaining from sexual misconduct and I encourage others to observe the precept of abstaining from sexual misconduct. In doing so, I experience joy.
This joy will help to concentrate my mind. - With the intention of attaining Nibbāna, I observe the precept of abstaining from lying.
Mindfully, I strive to observe the precept of abstaining from lying.
By any means and anywhere, I do not deceive others by lying. I do not hurt others by lying.
I speak the truth. I stand for the truth.
I speak pleasant and kind words.
Because I observe the precept of abstaining from lying, I am free from fear.
May all beings be free from fear! May all beings live happily!
I observe the precept of abstaining from lying and I encourage others to observe the precept of abstaining from lying. In doing so, I experience joy.
This joy will help to concentrate my mind. - With the intention of attaining Nibbāna, I observe the precept of abstaining from taking intoxicants.
Mindfully, I strive to observe the precept of abstaining from taking intoxicants.
I do not take any intoxicant that leads to impaired mental activity and unwholesome bodily and verbal actions.
I do not take any intoxicant as a way to celebrate my happiness or when I am depressed.
I abstain from taking intoxicants that leads to affliction, that harms my wealth and safety, and that causes diseases.
Because I observe the precept of abstaining from taking intoxicants, I am free from fear.
May all beings be free from fear! May all beings live happily!
I observe the precept of abstaining from taking intoxicants and I encourage others to observe the precept of abstaining from taking intoxicants. In doing so, I experience joy.
This joy will help to concentrate my mind. - These precepts that I observe diligently and mindfully delight me.
These precepts that I observe diligently and mindfully help my wellbeing here in this life and in future lives.
These precepts, that I observe diligently and mindfully, develop right effort in me.
These precepts, that I observe diligently and mindfully, develop right concentration in me.
These precepts, that I observe diligently and mindfully, will help me to realize the Four Noble Truths.
Mindfully, I maintain these precepts.
May practicing meditation on virtue develop joy, rapture and concentration in me and help me to realize the Four Noble Truths!
(One may practice sīlānussati for eight-precept and ten-precept as well, by appropriately modifying the content.)
In this section, you will learn “cāgānussati” or reflection on one’s generosity. A disciple of the Buddha, who practices the Buddhānussati, Dhammānussati, Sanghānussati, and Sīlānussati and progresses in virtue, considers cultivating generosity and has the ability to donate with a happy mind. Greed is a defilement of the mind. Because of greed, because of thoughts of greed, one engages in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, and mental misconduct. Giving with a happy mind is wholesome and will not lead to unwholesome actions by body, speech or mind.
One must overcome miserliness in order to be generous. It is relieving to be free from miserliness. It is a great gain to be free from miserliness. It is indeed truly gratifying to be free from miserliness. Miserliness is the nature of disliking to give what one has for the benefit of another. Being miserly makes a person become rude and unkind whereas being generous one becomes gentle. The Buddha said that one must overcome greed and be ready to donate at anytime and anywhere. For example, if you have two mangoes, one good and the other spoilt, to be truly generous, you must be able to give the good mango keeping the bad one for yourself. If someone asks for clothing, a generous person will donate a dress that makes the receiver happy and delighted and will not give old rags. A person who donates the best he could, such as excellent food, excellent clothes, and excellent gifts will receive the best for himself. In order to cultivate noble generosity, one should always donate what one likes the most.
The disciples of the supreme Buddha have excelled in generosity. When donating, a donor should not consider the social status or weaknesses of the receiver; instead, one should donate with a pleasant mind. A donor who recollects his or her own generosity will experience joy; will be joyous; both his body and mind will be relaxed and tranquilized. The joy he thus develops will lead to concentration. Knowing this, the disciples of the Buddha practice cāgānussati; excel in cāgānussati. You should strive to practice cāgānussati regularly, as part of the daily meditation. This human life is short. In this short time, one should practice generosity, let go of stinginess; develop wholesome qualities and a tranquil mind, which in turn will help to realize the Dhamma.
- I have taken refuge in the Supreme Buddha, I have taken refuge in the Supreme Dhamma, and I have taken refuge in the Supreme Sangha.
I practice generosity in order to realize the Four Noble Truths and end suffering.
I donate and offer almsfood to monks and nuns using my hard earned and honestly earned money.
I am glad to see others using what I have donated.
I am glad to see that virtuous monks and nuns who strive to end suffering, have gained physical strength and mental strength because of food and drink I have donated.
I am delighted thinking that my contributions would help them in realizing the Four Noble Truths.
I am joyous to offer food and drinks to virtuous monks who are the unsurpassed field of merit as stated by the Supreme Buddha.
I am a person donating without miserliness.
I am a person who maintains a happy mind before giving, while giving, and after giving.
I am glad to donate the best I have.
Regularly, I donate and I am committed to donating.
I am glad to prepare alms food purely and with consideration.
I am glad to offer almsfood that suits the needs of virtuous monks and nuns.
I do not wish for worldly gains by offering alms food and donations.
I do not wish for beauty by offering alms food and donations.
I do not wish for long life by offering alms food and donations.
I do not wish for honor and praise by offering alms food and donations.
I do not wish for recognition or status by offering alms food and donations.
I do not wish for heavenly pleasures after death by offering alms food and donations.
I offer alms food and donations only as a way for cleansing my mind.
I offer alms food and donations only for the development of my wisdom and to end suffering.
Because I offer alms food and donations, I am delighted. My body and mind are relaxed.
With a relaxed body and mind and with delight, I will develop concentration.
My donations and offerings will help me in the realization of the Four Noble Truths. - I know that one who trains in the Noble Eightfold Path practices generosity as a power of a trainee.
I am a trainee in the Noble Eightfold Path in order to end suffering.
In this way, I develop generosity as a power of a trainee.
May my generosity help me in the realization of the Four Noble Truths!
I will strive to eradicate passion, hatred and delusion.
By practicing generosity I will attain arahantship.
Because I practice generosity I am delighted, my body and mind are relaxed.
With a relaxed body and mind and with delight, I will develop concentration.
My donations and offerings will help me in the realization of the Four Noble Truths. - The Supreme Buddha said generosity is the wealth of a noble disciple.
The generosity that I practice is my wealth. In this way, I own noble wealth.
I will practice generosity by spending my wealth. I always grow with the wealth of generosity.
I will practice generosity until I attain arahantship.
I know generosity is the noble wealth I possess.
Generosity provides me protection and security.
I will practice generosity knowing that it is a gain not a loss.
I will train for generosity in different ways.
I am glad to know that generosity is a noble wealth.
Because I practice generosity I am delighted. My body and mind are relaxed.
With a relaxed body and mind and with delight, I will develop concentration.
My donations and offerings will help me in the realization of the Four Noble Truths.
Next, we will introduce you to the Devatānussati bhāvanā, a new technique of meditation, which you have not known before. Devatānussati bhāvanā is the contemplation on gods, the heavenly beings. The Buddha teaches Dhamma not only to humans, but also to gods and brahmās. The Buddha is the teacher of gods and humans (satthādevamanussānaṁ). Heavenly beings also listen to the Buddha’s teaching and practice it. The Buddha is the knower of the world. With the Blessed One’s divine eye, the Buddha saw many heavenly worlds. The Buddha said that there are six heavenly worlds, namely, Cātummahārājika, Tāvatiṁsa, Yāma, Tusita, Nimmānarati, and Paranimmita Vasavatti. In addition, there are brahma worlds. The Buddha said gods and brahmās were born in those worlds because they cultivated five noble qualities when they were in the human world. These qualities are:
- Saddhā, which is the confidence in the Buddha
- Sīla or virtue, which is disciplining body and speech
- Suta, which is the knowledge of Dhamma
- Cāga, which is generosity
- Paññā is the wisdom to understand the Four Noble Truths
These are collectively known as ‘sekha bala’, or ‘powers of a trainee’. The humans who develop sekha bala will be reborn in the heavenly worlds upon death.
The disciple recollects thus: “Supreme Buddha, my teacher, taught that there are six heavenly worlds; they are, Cātummahārājika, Tāvatiṁsa, Yāma, Tusita, Nimmānarati, and Paranimmita wasavatti. Supreme Buddha, my teacher, taught that heavenly beings possess five noble qualities; they are Saddhā, Sīla, Suta, Cāga, and Paññā. Supreme Buddha, my teacher, taught that heavenly beings developed these noble qualities when they were in the human world. I also possess Saddhā, Sīla, Suta, Cāga, and Paññā, the noble qualities that heavenly beings possess. Whatever noble qualities the gods have, I also have those noble qualities”.
In this manner, one contemplates thinking that one possesses the same noble qualities of gods. One’s ability to see qualities of heavenly beings in him or her and one’s ability to see one’s noble qualities in gods is the devatānussati meditation.
During the time of the Buddha, disciples practiced devatānussati. There is a recent myth in society that one cannot make merit in heavenly worlds, which is untrue. Many disciples of the Buddha were born in the heavenly worlds. You, too, have the opportunity to develop this divinity in your life. By practicing devatānussati, one develops equanimity on the pleasures of the human world. Thus, one establishes his or her mind in heaven. At the breakup of the body, one who practices devatānussati will be reborn in the heavenly worlds. Having been born in heaven, one continues to practice Saddhā, Sīla, Suta, Cāga, and Paññā and develop the noble path leading to Nibbāna. Hence, devatānussati mediation helps with the realization of the Four Noble Truths.
- Gods of the Cātummahārājika had developed great confidence (saddhā ) in the Supreme Buddha, Supreme Dhamma, and Supreme Sangha, when they were in the human world.
Because of their great confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, at the breakup of the body they were born in heaven.
I have also developed great confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha similar to the confidence of gods.
The great confidence I have in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha is a great gain for me, a great protection, and a true refuge for me. - Gods of the Cātummahārājika had abstained from killing beings, abstained from stealing, abstained from sexual misconduct, abstained from lying and abstained from taking intoxicants when they were in the human world.
Gods of the Cātummahārājika had observed five precepts and eight precepts (sīla ) when they were in the human world.
Having practiced precepts, at the breakup of the body, they were reborn in the Cātummahārājika heaven.
I also observe the five precepts regularly and eight precepts four times a month on uposatha [on the four phases of the moon] days.
My virtue is a great gain for me, a great protection, and a true refuge for me. - Gods of the Cātummahārājika had developed knowledge of the Dhamma (suta ) when they were in the human world by listening to the Dhamma, by remembering Dhamma and by wise-consideration of Dhamma.
Having developed knowledge of the Dhamma, at the breakup of the body they were born in the Cātummahārājika heaven.
I also develop knowledge of the Dhamma by listening to the Dhamma, by remembering the Dhamma and by wise-consideration of the Dhamma.
My knowledge of the Dhamma is a great gain for me, a great protection, and a true refuge for me. - Gods of the Cātummahārājika had abandoned stinginess when they were in the human world, and donated to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, joyfully and believing in kamma and its results.
Having practiced generosity (cāga), at the breakup of the body they were born in the Cātummahārājika heaven.
Regularly, abandoning stinginess, I also donate to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha.
My generosity is a great gain for me, a great protection, and a true refuge for me. - Gods of the Cātummahārājik a had understood impermanence (anicca ), suffering (dukkha ) and non-self (anatta ) as well as the arising and cessation of body as taught by the Supreme Buddha when they were in the human world.
In this way, having developed wisdom (paññā ) at the breakup of the body they were reborn in the Cātummahārājika heaven.
I also live with the understanding of arising and cessation of body in relation to the four great elements (dhātu), the six sense faculties (salāyatano ) and five aggregates of clinging (panca upādānakkhando ).
My wisdom is a great gain for me, a great protection, and a true refuge for me.
In this manner, a disciple practices the devatānussati meditation considering devas of other heavenly worlds, namely, Tāvatiṁsa, Yāma, Tusita, Nimmānarati, and Paranimmita wasavatti. He further considers that,
- Gods of the Cātummahārājika … Tāvatiṁsa… Yāma … Tusita … Nimmānarati … and Paranimmita wasavatti were born in these heavenly worlds by developing the powers of a trainee (sekha bala: saddhā, sīla, suta, cāga and paññā ).
I too possess the same powers of a trainee.
My powers of a trainee are a great gain for me, a great protection, and a true refuge for me.
Mindfulness on Death Meditation (Maranānussati)
In this last section, we will introduce you to the Maranānussati bhāvanā or contemplation on death.
The Buddha once said that footprints of all animals, despite them being two-legged, four-legged or multi-legged, could be placed within the footprint of an elephant. Similarly, all wholesome qualities can be assembled under “Appamādo”, that is heedfulness or diligence. The Buddha said that a disciple should be heedful in order to generate merit and to end suffering.
The Buddha said, “mā bhikkhave punnānaṁ bhāyitta,” monks, you should not be afraid of generating merit; “kattabbaṁ kusalaṁ bahuṁ,” do wholesome deeds frequently. The merits we gather in this life will ripen in lives to come. In this life, we are born as human beings because of merit from past lives. To be born in the human world and in the heavenly world, one needs merit. Nonetheless, merit generates the right conditions for the realization of noble Dhamma. The Buddha said that he would never, not for a moment, appreciate the continuation of this cycle of rebirth. Therefore, the disciple should be heedful to end suffering.
Many postpone practicing Dhamma because of their engagements of the mundane life. Ordinary human beings consider employment, housing and good education for their children as great challenges of life; but they are unable to recognize the grave crisis of the mankind; which are, aging, sickness and death. Many consider retirement is the best time to practice Dhamma; this is because they do not realize that death can occur at any moment, without warning. They are preoccupied with planning for the future and often die before realizing their dreams for the future. The Buddha said that wise people should practice mindfulness of death to develop heedfulness. One who practices mindfulness of death is keen to practice calming and insight meditations for the realization of the noble Dhamma.
- All beings that are born are subject to death.
Beings in heaven, beings in the Brahma world, beings in the animal world, and beings in the planes of misery are subject to death.
No being escapes death.
No one knows when and where death occurs.
Death comes in the womb. Death comes in infancy. Death comes in youth. Death comes in middle age. And death comes in old age. Death is independent from age. - No one predicts when, where, and how one will die.
Death comes to the rich. Death comes to the poor. Death comes to the learned. Death comes to the unlearned. Death comes to the highborn. Death comes to the lowborn. Death comes to the noble. Death comes to the ignoble. Death comes to the beautiful. Death comes to the ugly. Death comes to the skilled; and death comes to the unskilled.
Death does not discriminate. - Death comes in the morning. Death comes in the day. Death comes in the evening. And death comes in the night.
Men and women die independent of time. - Death occurs from drowning. Death occurs from fire. Death occurs from poisoning. Death occurs from sickness. Death occurs from earthquakes. Death occurs from flooding. Death occurs from natural disasters. Death occurs from accidents. Death occurs from biting. Death occurs from callous actions. Death occurs from suffocation. Death occurs from choking. Death occurs from stumbling; and death occurs from the completion of lifespan.
Beings die in multitude of circumstances. - Death comes to a Supreme Buddha. Death comes to a Private Buddha. Death comes to an enlightened one. And death comes to those who are on the noble path.
- Death comes closer as day and night pass.
One may die between an inhalation and an exhalation.
Death occurs in an instant.
All who are born inherit death.
Knowing this, I will engage in wholesome activities.
Knowing this, I will practice calm and insight meditation.
Knowing this, I will work to end suffering like one trying to put out a fire on their head.
Four Divine Dwellings (Brahmavihāra)
Cattāro Brahma Vihāro (the four divine dwellings) are four methods of meditation that you will learn in this chapter. These four divine dwellings are taught by the Buddha; they are mettā or loving kindness, muditā or appreciative joy, karunā or compassion, and upekkhā or equanimity. They are called divine dwellings because the Mahā Brahma possesses these dwellings. If one practices the four divine dwellings habitually, at the breakup of the body, he or she will be reborn in a Brahma world.
Mettā is the genuine friendship one extends to oneself and to others. One who is friendly to oneself will not harm oneself. One who is friendly to others will not harm others. The friendship that benefits both oneself and others is mettā. According to the Anuruddha sutta of the Middle-length Discourses, the arahant Anuruddha explained two methods of developing loving kindness meditation: they are ‘appamāna ceto vimutti’ or infinite- mental-emancipation and ‘mahaggata ceto vimutti’ or great-mental-emancipation.
The spread of loving kindness to beings on the four main directions (North, East, South and West), four intermediate directions (Northeast, Southeast, Northwest and Southwest) and above and below, infinitely (appamāna) is known as appamana ceto vimutti. Thus, in this meditation one spreads loving kindness on ten directions. This is the way to practice appamana ceto vimutti, if one prefers spreading loving kindness to beings infinitely:
- May all beings in the North be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- May all beings in the Northeast be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- May all beings in the East be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- May all beings in the Southeast be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- May all beings in the South be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- May all beings in the Southwest be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- May all beings in the West be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- May all beings in the Northwest be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- May all beings in the direction above be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- May all beings in the direction below be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
Mahaggata ceto vimutti is the spreading of loving kindness to beings, progressively expanding the land area covered. In this mediation, one first develops loving kindness to oneself. Then, expand the land area of spreading loving kindness to include the beings in the village where he or she resides; next include all beings in the city; then include the beings in the province; then include the beings in the country; next include beings in this world; and finally include all living beings. If one prefers spreading loving kindness to beings progressively based on land area covered, this is the way to practice mahaggata ceto vimutti.
- May I be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may I live in peace; may I live happily.
- As I wish for myself, may all beings in this village be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- As I wish for myself, may all beings in this city be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- As I wish for myself, may all beings in this province be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- As I wish for myself, may all beings in this country be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- As I wish for myself, may all beings in this world be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
- As I wish for myself, may all beings be free from anger; be free from ill-will; be free from jealousy; be free from mental and physical suffering; may they live in peace; may they live happily.
The Buddha said that loving-kindness meditation can be developed up to the third jhāna. One who wishes to develop jhāna through loving kindness meditation must practice as the Buddha had instructed. When one develops loving kindness meditation as instructed by the Buddha, the mind gets concentrated suppressing the five hindrances. By practicing loving kindness meditation in that concentrated mind, one develops the first jhāna experiencing vitakka (applied thought), vicāra (sustained thought), nirāmisa pīti (non-sensual rapture), sukha (gladness), and ekaggatha (one-pointedness- or unification-of-mind). Having developed the first jhāna, one may continue to practice loving kindness mediation in the same manner to develop up to the third jhāna.
The benefits of practicing loving kindness meditation are enormous. The Buddha taught the great benefits of the loving kindness meditation in the Mettānisaṁsa sutta. Accordingly, one who practices loving kindness meditation will experience the following benefits here in this very life.
- One sleeps peacefully.
- One wakes up peacefully.
- One does not have nightmares.
- One becomes dear to humans.
- One becomes dear to non-humans.
- Gods protect you.
- One is unharmed by fire, poison and weapons.
- One develops concentration easily.
- One gets an attractive face.
- One passes away mindfully.
- One is born in a brahma world, if one does not attain higher stages of enlightenment.
Muditā is the genuine happiness one experiences upon seeing others’ success. If one does not feel envy having seen others righteously gain wealth and property,and instead develops appreciative joy, he or she is said to have muditā. When others around us gain fame and praise, succeed in education, or grow in beauty, we should be happy for them. If one develops jealousy instead, then one must suppress such evil thoughts, eradicate such defiled thoughts and develop altruistic joy.
The Buddha said that developing appreciative joy helps eliminate ‘arati’, which is developing displeasure in wholesome activities. In order to develop concentration, muditā meditation can be practiced as appamāna (infinite) and mahaggata (great) following the same approach as explained under mettā meditation. As explained below, one may practice muditā meditation based on mahaggata ceto vimutti:
- May I grow in lifespan; may I grow in power; may I grow in beauty; may I grow in pleasure; may I grow in fame; may I grow in praise; and may I grow in wisdom.
- As I wish for myself, may everyone in this house grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- As I wish for myself, may everyone in this village grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- As I wish for myself, may everyone in this city grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- As I wish for myself, may everyone in this province grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- As I wish for myself, may everyone in this country grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- As I wish for myself, may everyone in this world grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- As I wish for myself, may all beings grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
Below is the way to practice muditā meditation based on appamāna ceto vimutti.
- May I grow in lifespan; may I grow in power; may I grow in beauty; may I grow in pleasure; may I grow in fame; may I grow in praise; and may I grow in wisdom.
- May all beings in the North grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- May all beings in the Northeast grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- May all beings in the East grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- May all beings in the Southeast grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- May all beings in the South grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- May all beings in the Southwest grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- May all beings in the West grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- May all beings in the Northwest grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- May all beings in the direction above grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
- May all beings in the direction below grow in lifespan; may they grow in power; may they grow in beauty; may they grow in pleasure; may they grow in fame; may they grow in praise; and may they grow in wisdom.
Karunā is the compassion towards others when seeing them suffer physically and mentally. We who live in the human world suffer from one or another form of affliction every moment; physically and mentally people suffer due to sickness, natural disasters etc. One may practice karunā ceto vimutti (compassion based mental-emancipation) either as mahaggata (great) or as appamāna (infinite) by following the same approach as explained under mettā and muditā meditation. One may develop the ability to eradicate taints through practicing insight within karunā ceto vimutti. Karunā meditation is developed contemplating as follows:
- May I be free from physical suffering; may I be free from mental suffering; may I be physically healthy; may I be mentally healthy, and may I live happily.
- As I wish for myself… (Apply the same pattern as mentioned in the mettā meditation) may all beings be free from physical suffering; may they be free from mental suffering; may they be healthy, physically and mentally; and may they live happily.
Daily, we grieve on painful encounters; we exhilarate with pleasurable encounters. In contrast, equanimity is one’s neutral stance in facing both good and bad experiences of life. One who develops equanimity will not grieve in pain and will not elate in gain but experience life with neutrality and calmness. It is a must for human beings to face eight vicissitudes (ups and downs) of life or atṭha loka Dhamma. By practicing equanimity, one develops the mind and face vicissitudes of life with a neutral attitude. Concentration that develops through practicing equanimity is known as upekkhā ceto vimutti (equanimity based mental-emancipation). Upekkhā meditation may be practiced as appamāna (infinite) or mahaggatha (great). By practicing insight through upekkhā ceto vimutti, one may develop the ability to eradicate taints. Given below is the way to contemplate on equanimity.
- May I not be overjoyed by gain, may I not be saddened by loss; may I not be overjoyed by praise, may I not be saddened by blame; may I not be overjoyed by fame, may I not be saddened by disrepute; may I not be overjoyed by physical pleasure, may I not be saddened by physical pain, may I not be overjoyed by mental pleasures, may I not be saddened by mental suffering; and may I live in peace.
- As I wish for myself… (Apply the same pattern as mentioned in the mettā meditation) may all beings not be overjoyed by gain, not be saddened by loss; not be overjoyed by praise, not be saddened by blame; not be overjoyed by fame, not be saddened by disrepute; not be overjoyed by physical pleasure, not be saddened by physical pain, may I not be overjoyed by mental pleasures, may I not be saddened by mental suffering; and may I live in peace.
In the same way as we have discussed for mettā, muditā and karunā meditations, upekkhā meditation can be developed as mahaggata (great) and appamāna (infinite) following the same approach.
Perception on Skeleton (Aṭṭhika-sagngnā)
Atṭhika saññā bhāvanā is the contemplation on the parts of a skeleton. By practicing atṭhika saññā frequently, one may advance the meditation for the abandonment of defilements. One develops passion, hatred, and delusion because of the unrestrained eye, which is attracted to the details of forms seen. The eye can be restrained by practicing atṭhika saññā, which helps to control the eye from being attracted to enticing forms.
In ancient Sri Lanka, a Buddhist monk named Tissa was travelling on foot from Mihintale, a small town, to Anuradhapura, a big city, to venerate the Sri Mahā Bodhi tree, which was a sapling of the sacred Bodhi tree in India. The monk met a woman on the way while she was running away from home; she smiled at the monk and walked away. Her husband who followed the woman met with the monk and enquired whether the monk had seen a woman. The monk replied saying that “I saw a skeleton but couldn’t tell whether it was a man or a woman”. This incident, reported in the ancient writings, illustrates the disciplining of the eye by practicing atṭhika saññā.
One may develop the mind to eradicate defilements by practicing insight within the concentration developed through atṭhika saññā. In order to practice atṭhika saññā, one sits in front of a skeleton or a picture of a skeleton and focuses on the skeleton. By carefully observing the details of the skeleton, from head to toe, one develops a mental image of the skeleton. Once the image of the skeleton is well established in the mind, he or she contemplates on the skeleton while sitting at the same place or after moving to an appropriate location.
Find a suitable place for meditation and sit comfortably. Close your eyes and reflect on the image of a skeleton. Continue reflecting on a skeleton until a clear image of the complete skeleton is visualized.
- Now, look at the skull. Instead of eyes, there are two large holes where the eyes were. Beautifully painted eyebrows are no longer there. Instead of the nose there is a hole. Teeth are exposed. Beautifully painted lips are missing. Earlobes decorated with earrings are no longer there. Cheeks embellished with makeup and perfumes are missing. What remains is only the skull, which is like a dried-out pumpkin. Because it is a conditioned thing, arising out of causes, this skeleton made of the four great elements is impermanent, impermanent. This skeleton is not mine, not myself, I am not.
- Collarbones are connected to sternum and ribs. Ribs are arranged like a bird-cage. Ribs resemble bamboo strips. Along the skeleton run the vertebrae resembling pearls on a string. My body too will become a skeleton. Because it is a conditioned thing, arising out of causes, this skeleton made of the four great elements is impermanent, impermanent. This skeleton is not me, not mine, not myself.
- Vertebrae end by attaching to the pelvis. The pelvis resembles the wings of a butterfly. The pelvis supports the hips. Leg bones are connected to the pelvis. Leg bones are like dried out bamboo canes. Leg bones end by connecting to foot bones. Foot bones are hooked to toes. Because it is a conditioned thing, arising out of causes, this skeleton made up of the four great elements is impermanent, impermanent. This skeleton is not me, not mine, not myself.
- My body too will become a skeleton. On top of this skeleton, muscles are fastened, bound with blood vessels, and covered with skin. I call this structure my body and cling to it. When skin is peeled off, flesh is taken off, and vessels are pulled out, only the skeleton will remain. This skeleton helps to bear the weight of the body. It helps in the movement of the body. The body I protect always, the body I clean and beautify always is only a skeleton. Because it is a conditioned thing, arising out of causes, this skeleton made of the four great elements is impermanent, impermanent. This skeleton is not me, not mine, not myself.