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NotforSureTWODHAMMATALKSVenerableAjahnChahTRANSLATEDFROMTHETHAIBYTHANISSAROBHIKKHUforfreedistribution2NOTEThetranslationof"Still,FlowingWater"offeredhereisbasedonanentirelynewtranscriptionoftheThaioriginal.
Copyright2007,2013TheSangha,WatPahNanachatWarinChamraab,UbonRatchathani34310,ThailandThisbookmaybecopiedorreprintedforfreedistributionwithoutpermissionfromthecopyrightholder.
Otherwiseallrightsreserved.
3Still,FlowingWaterOKAY,EVERYONE,BEINTENT.
PAYATTENTION.
Eventhoughyou'resittingnearoneanother,don'tletyourmindfocusonthispersonorthat.
It'sasifyou'resittingaloneonamountainorinaforestsomewhere,allbyyourself.
You'resitting.
WhatdoyouhavesittinghererightnowJustbodyandmind,that'sall.
Bodyandmind.
Onlythesetwothings.
Whatyouhavesittinghererightnowisthebodyandthemind.
Everythingsittinginthisphysicallumphereis"body.
""Mind"iswhatthinks,whatreceivesandisawareofpreoccupationsinthepresent.
Oryoucancallthesetwothingsnmaandrpa.
Nmameansanythingthathasnorpa,orform.
Anythinkingaboutanythingatall,oreverykindofsensation,iscallednma—thingslikefeelings,perceptions,thought-fabrications,andconsciousness.
"Feeling,"forinstance,meanswhat'sawareofpleasureorpain.
Itdoesn'thaveanysubstance.
Thesethingsarenma.
Whentheeyeseesforms,thoseformsarecalledrpa.
Theawarenessofformsiscallednma.
Togetherthey'recallednma-dhammaandrpa-dhamma—mentalphenomenaandphysicalphenomena—orsimplybodyandmind.
Everythingthatcomesoutofthesetwothingsisadisturbanceinmanyways,inlinewitheachparticularphenomenon.
Soifyouwantpeace,allyouhavetoknowisrpaandnma,orbodyandmind.
That'senough.
Butthemindasitisrighthereisstilluntrained.
It'sdirty.
Unclean.
It'snottheprimalmind.
Wehavetotrainitbymakingitstillfromtimetotime.
Sotoday,whileI'mgivingyouthisadvice,don'tbeirritatedbyit.
Youdon'thavetobeirritated.
Youhavetoincreasetheknowledgeinyourmind.
Supposethatyou'resittinginconcentration.
Concentrationisn'tjustamatterofsitting.
Whenyouwalk,youcanalsobeinconcentration.
Somepeoplethinkthatconcentrationmeanssitting,butthetruthofthematteristhatstanding,sitting,walking,andlyingdownarepartofthepractice,too.
Youcanpracticeconcentrationatanytime.
Concentrationliterallymeans,"firmintent.
"Atnormalcy,withoutforgetting.
Forexample,eachofyouhascomefromyourhomeheretoDiamondLightCaveMountain.
Eachofyouhascomeawayfromyourhome.
Butinreality,yourmindisalreadyinyourhome,yourrestingplace.
Itgoeswithyoueverywhere.
Whereverithastoendup,that'syourhome.
Practicingconcentrationisn'tamatterofimprisoningthemind.
Somepeoplethink,"Topracticeconcentration,Ihavetogolookforsomepeace,tositwithoutanyissuesarisingatall.
Iwanttositintotalsilence.
"Butthat'sadeadperson,notalivingone.
Topracticeconcentrationistogiverisetoknowledge,togiverisetodiscernment.
Concentrationisafirmintent,focusedonasinglepreoccupation.
WhatkindofobjectisasinglepreoccupationThecorrectpreoccupation.
Ordinarilywesittomakethemindtotallysilent.
Somepeoplereallysufferoverthis—especially4highschoolanduniversitystudents.
Theycometomeandsay,"Itrytositinconcentration,butmymindwon'tstayput.
Firstitrunsoffoneplace,thenitrunsoffsomewhereelse.
Idon'tknowhowtomakeitstopandstayput.
"Butthisisnotthesortofthingyoucanstop.
Whenyousaythatit'srunningbackandforth,it'snotreallyrunning.
There'ssimplyasensationthatarisesrighthere.
Itdoesn'trunbackandforth.
Peoplecomplain,"ItrunsoffandIpullitbackagain,pullitbackhere;thenitwalksoffoverthereagainandIpullitback…"Sotheyjustsittherepullinglikethis.
Theythinktheirmind'srunningaround,butactuallytheonlythingsthatrunareourimpressions.
Forexample,lookatthishallhere:"Wow,"yousay,"it'sawfullybig!
"Butthehallisn'twhat'sbig,justourimpressionofit,that'sall.
Thishallisn'tbig.
It'sjustthesizeitis.
It'sneitherbignorsmall,butwerunaroundafterourthoughtsandimpressionsofthings.
Meditatingtofindpeace:Youhavetounderstandwhatthisword"peace"is.
Ifyoudon'tunderstandit,youwon'tbepeaceful.
Forexample,supposethattodayyouwalkedherefromwhereverandbroughtalongapen—onethatyoulove,anexpensiveonethatcost500or1000baht.
Andsupposethatonyourwayhereyouhappenedtoputthepensomeplace—say,inyourfrontpocket—butlateryoutookitoutandputitinyourbackpocket.
Nowwhenyoufeelforitinyourfrontpocket:It'snotthere!
Youpanic.
Youpanicbecauseyoudon'tseethetruthofthematter.
Yougetallupset.
Standing,walking,comingandgoing,youcan'tstopworrying,thinkingthatyourpenislost.
Butactuallyitisn'tlost.
It'sinyourbackpocket.
Itisn'tlost.
Butbecauseyouthinkthatit'slost,yousufferbecauseofyourwrongthinking.
Thiswrongthinkingissuffering.
Soyouworry:"Whatashame!
Whatashame!
I'veonlyhadthispenforafewdaysandnowit'slost.
"Butthenyouremember,"Oh,ofcourse!
WhenIwenttobathe,Iputthepeninmybackpocket.
"Assoonasyourememberthis,youfeelbetteralready,evenwithoutseeingyourpen.
SeethatYou'rehappyalready;you'vestoppedworryingaboutyourpen.
You'resureaboutitnow.
Asyouwalkalong,yourunyourhandoveryourbackpocket:"Thereitis.
"Yourmindwaslyingtoyou.
Yourpenwasn'tlost,butthemindliedtoyouthatitwas.
Yousufferedbecauseyoudidn'tknow.
Themindwasnaturallyworried.
Butnowwhenyouseethepenandyou'resureaboutit,yourworriescalmdown.
Thissortofpeaceandcalmcomesfromseeingthecauseoftheproblem:samudaya,thecauseofsuffering.
Youweresuffering,andthesamudayawasthecausegivingrisetothatsuffering.
Assoonasyou'resurethatthepenisinyourbackpocket,there'snirodha,thedisbandingofsuffering.
It'sbecauseofthissortofthingthatthemindisalwaysfooled,whichiswhytheBuddhataughtusthatwehavetocontemplatetofindpeace.
Whenwemakethemindpeacefulthroughconcentration,it'ssimplythecalmingofthemind,notthecalmingofthedefilements.
It'snotthecalmingofdefilementsatall.
You'rejustsittingontopofyourdefilementstocalmthem,likearocksittingonthegrass.
Assoonasgrassstartsgrowing,youputarockontopofit.
Thegrassstopsbecausetherockissittingontopofit.
Inthree,four,fivedays,sixdays,sevendaysyouliftuptherock,andthegrassstartsgrowingagain.
Thatmeans5thatthegrassdidn'treallydie.
Itwasjustsuppressed.
Thesamewithsittinginconcentration:Themindiscalmed,butthedefilementsaren'tcalmed.
Thisiswhyconcentrationisn'tforsure.
Tofindrealpeaceyouhavetocontemplate.
Concentrationisonekindofpeace,liketherocksittingonthegrass.
Youcanleaveittheremanydaysbutwhenyoupickitup,thegrassstartsgrowingagain.
That'sonlytemporarypeace.
Temporarypeace.
Thepeaceofdiscernmentislikeneverliftinguptherock,justleavingittherewhereitis.
Thegrasscan'tpossiblygrowagain.
That'sgenuinepeace,thecalmingofthedefilementsforsure.
That'sdiscernment.
Wespeakofdiscernmentandconcentrationasseparatethings,butactuallythey'reoneandthesamething.
Discernmentisjustthemovementofconcentration,that'sall.
Theycomefromthesamemindbuttheycomeoutseparately,withdifferentcharacteristics,likethismangohere.
Thismangoissmall,butthenitgrowslarger,thenit'sripe,andthenit'srotten.
It'sallthesamemango.
They'renotdifferentones.
Whenit'ssmall,it'sthismango.
Whenit'slarge,it'sthismango.
Whenit'sripe,it'sthismango.
Onlyitscharacteristicschange.
Butit'sstillthesamemango.
Sodon'tjumptotheconclusionthatyou'realreadypracticingtheDhammacorrectly,thatwhenyoupracticetheDhamma,oneconditioniscalledconcentration,anotherconditioniscalleddiscernment.
Actually,virtue,concentration,anddiscernmentareallthesamething,notdifferentthings,justliketheonemango.
Whenit'ssmall,it'sthatsamemango.
Whenit'slarge,it'sthatsamemango.
Whenit'sripe,it'sthatsamemango.
Itjustsimplychangesitscharacteristics,andsowekeepingrunning,running,running,runningafterthem.
Actually,inpracticingtheDhamma,whateverhappens,youhavetostartfromthemind.
Beginwiththemind.
DoyouknowwhatyourmindisWhatisyourmindlikeWhereisitYou'reallspeechless.
Wherethemindis,whatit'slike,nobodyknows.
[Laughs]Youdon'tknowanythingaboutitatall.
Youdon'tknow.
Allyouknowisthatyouwanttogooverhereoroverthere,themindfeelshappyorsad,buttheminditselfyoucan'tknow.
WhatisthemindThemindisn't"is"anything.
Whatwouldit"is"We'vecomeupwiththesuppositionthatwhateverreceivespreoccupations—goodpreoccupations,badpreoccupations,whatever—wecall"heart"or"mind.
"Liketheownerofahouse:Whoeverreceivestheguestsistheownerofthehouse.
Theguestscan'treceivetheowner.
Theownerhastostayputathome.
Whenguestscometoseehim,hehastoreceivethem.
SowhoreceivespreoccupationsWholetsgoofpreoccupationsWhoknowsanything[Laughs]That'swhatwecall"mind.
"Butwedon'tunderstandit,sowetalk,veeringoffcoursethiswayandthat:"WhatisthemindWhatistheheart"Wegetthingswaytooconfused.
Don'tanalyzeitsomuch.
WhatisitthatreceivespreoccupationsSomepreoccupationsdon'tsatisfyit,andsoitdoesn'tlikethem.
Somepreoccupationsitlikesandsomeitdoesn't.
Whoisthat—wholikesanddoesn'tlikeIstheresomethingthereYes.
What'sitlikeWedon'tknow.
UnderstandThatthing…Thatthingiswhatwecallthe"mind.
"Don'tgolookingfaraway.
Somepeoplehavetokeepthinking:"WhatisthemindWhatistheheart"—allkindsofthings,keepingatit,backandforthuntiltheygocrazy.
Theydon't6understandanything.
Youdon'thavetothinkthatfar.
Simplyaskyourself,"Whatdoyouhaveinyourself"Therearerpaandnma;orthere'sabodyandthere'samind.
That'senough.
Somepeopleask,"I'veheardthattheBuddhakneweverything.
Well,ifhekneweverything…"TheypracticetheDhammaandstartarguing:"Howmanyrootsdoesatreehave"TheBuddhaanswersthatithastaprootsandrootlets.
"Buthowmanyrootletsdoesithave"Thatshowsthey'recrazy,rightTheywantananswerabouttherootlets:"HowmanyrootletsarethereHowmanytaprootsarethere"Whydotheyask"Well,theBuddhakneweverything,didn'theHe'dhavetoknow,allthewaytotherootlets.
"WhowouldbecrazyenoughtocountthemDoyouthinktheBuddhawouldbestupidlikethatHe'dsaythattherearerootletsandtaproots,andthatwouldbeenough.
It'slikecuttingourwaythroughtheforest.
Ifwefeltwehadtocutdowneverytree,allthebigtreesandallthesmalltrees,we'dbegettingoutofhand.
WouldwehavetouprootthemallinordertogetthroughtheforestWe'dcutbackjusttheonesneededtoopenourway.
That'senough.
WhywouldwehavetoleveleverytreeHowevermanyrootletsthistreehasdoesn'tmatter.
Justknowingthatithasrootlets,andthatitdependsonbigrootsandlittlerootlets:That'senough,don'tyouthinkIt'senough.
TheBuddhasaidthatit'senough.
Hedoesn'twantustogocountingtherootletsoftrees.
It'dbeawasteoftime.
WhatpurposewouldcountingthemserveThetreelivesbecauseofitsroots:That'senough.
Butsomepeoplearen'tsatisfied.
"Thatcan'tbethecase.
TheBuddhakneweverything.
"Ifyouhadtocountalltherootlets,you'dgocrazy,that'sall.
Sodon'tunderstandthingsinthatway.
Inourpractice,whetheryoucallitconcentrationorvipassan(insight)doesn'tmatter.
Let'sjustcallitpracticingtheDhamma,that'senough.
Butyouhavetostartthispracticebeginningwithyourownmind.
WhatisthemindThemindiswhatreceivespreoccupations.
Whenitmakescontactwiththispreoccupation,it'shappy.
Whenitmakescontactwiththatpreoccupation,it'ssad.
Thethingthatreceivespreoccupationsleadsustohappinessandsuffering,rightandwrong,butitisn'tathing.
Wesupposeittobeathing,butit'sreallyonlynma-dhamma.
IsgoodnessathingIsevilathingIshappinessathingIssufferingathingYoucan'tseethattheyare.
AretheyroundorsquareHowshortHowlongDoyouknowThey'renma-dhamma.
Theycan'tbecomparedtothings—butweknowthatthey'rethere.
Thisiswhat'smeantbynma.
Bothrpaandnmagotogether;theydependoneachother.
Sowe'retaughttousenmatocontemplaterpa;usethehearttocontemplatethebody.
Justthesetwothings.
Sowe'retoldtobeginthepracticewiththemind:calmingthemind;makingitaware.
Ifthemindisaware,it'llbeatpeace.
Somepeopledon'tgoforawareness.
Theyjustwanttohavepeacetothepointwherethere'snothing,wheretheyaren'tawareofanything.
ButwhatcouldyoudowithoutthisknowerWhatcouldyoudependonIt'snotshort;it'snotlong;it'snotwrong;it'snotright.
Butpeoplethesedayskeepstudying,lookingtounderstandrightnessandwrongness,goodnessandevil,buttheydon'tknowneither-rightness-nor-wrongness.
Allthey'relookingtoknowiswhat'srightandwrong:"I'mgoing7totakeonlywhat'sright.
Iwon'ttakewhat'swrong.
WhyshouldI"Ifyoutrytotakeonlywhat'sright,soonit'llgowrong.
It'srightforthesakeofwrong.
Peoplekeepsearchingforrightnessandwrongness,buttheydon'ttrytofindwhat'sneither-rightness-nor-wrongness.
Theykeepsearchingformerit,andalltheyknowismeritandevil,sotheystudythem,buttheydon'tstudyfurtheroverthere—wherethere'sneithermeritnorevil.
They'reignorantofit.
Alltheywantareissuesoflongandshort,buttheissueofneitherlongnorshort,theydon'tstudy.
Theystudyjusttheissuesofgoodandbad:"I'mpracticingtotakewhat'sgood.
Idon'twantbad.
"Youwantgoodanddon'twantbad,butwhenthere'snobad,there'snogood,either.
WhatthenThisknifeplacedhere:Ithastheedgeofitsblade,ithasthebackofitsblade,ithasitshandle—allofitsparts.
Whenyouliftitup,canyouliftjusttheedgeofthebladeCanyoupickupjustthebackofthebladeJustthehandleThehandleisthehandleoftheknife.
Thebackofthebladeisthebackoftheknife'sblade.
Theedgeofthebladeistheedgeoftheknife'sblade.
Whenyoupickuptheknife,youalsopickupitshandle,thebackofitsblade,andtheedgeofitsblade.
CoulditsplitoffjusttheedgeofitsbladeforyouThisisanexample.
Youtrytoseparateoutjustwhat'sgood,butwhat'sbadcomesalongwithit.
Youwantjustwhat'sgoodandtothrowawaywhat'sbad.
Youdon'tlearnaboutwhat'sneithergoodnorbad,eventhoughit'srightthere.
Whenthat'sthecase,youwon'tcometotheendofthings.
Whenyoutakewhat'sgood,what'sbadcomesalongwithit.
Theykeepcomingtogether.
Ifyouwantpleasure,paincomesalongwithit.
They'reconnected.
SowhenyoupracticetheDhammatotakejustthegoodandnotthebad,it'stheDhammaofchildren,Dhammaforchildrentotoyaroundwith.
Sure,ifyouwant,youcantakejustthismuch,butifyougrabontowhat'sgood,what'sbadwillfollow.
Theendofthispathgetsallclutteredup.
Toputitinsimpleterms:Youhavechildren.
Nowsupposeyouwanttohavethemonlywhenyoulovethem,andnotwhenyouhatethem.
Ifthatwerethecase,nobodywouldhaveanychildren.
Withthesetwothings,ifyoutakethelove,hatredwillcomerunninginitswake.
SowhenyousetyourheartonpracticingtheDhamma,usediscernment.
Usediscernment,forthesethingscomealongwitheachother.
Studywhat'sgoodandwhat'sbad,justtoseewhatgoodislike,whatbadislike.
Studythesethingsinasmuchdetailasyoucan.
Now,whenyou'refamiliarwithgoodandbad,whatwillyoutake"I'lltakethegood,butnotthebad.
"SeethatIfyoutakethegood,badcomesrunninginitswake.
Youdon'tstudyabouthowtoknowwhat'sneithergoodnorbad.
Theissuethatwouldbringthingstoanend,youdon'tstudy.
"I'mgoingtobelikethis,""I'mgoingtobelikethat"—but"I'mnotgoingtobeanythingbecausethereisn'tanyme":Thiswedon'tstudy.
Allwewanttotakeisgoodness.
Ifwegetgoodness,goodness,goodness,wedon'tunderstandit.
Wegetdrunkwithgoodness.
Ifthingsgettoogood,they'renotgoodanymore.
Theygobad,andsowekeeprunningbackandforthlikethis.
Wedon'tgetanywhereatall.
8Wecometoapeacefulplacetorestandrecover,tomakethemindpeaceful,soastobecomefamiliarwithwhatreceivespreoccupations,toseewhatitis.
That'swhywe'retoldtostartwiththemind,tostartwiththeknower.
Trainthismindtobepure.
HowpureYoucan'tstopwithjustpureenoughtobegood.
Tobereallypure,themindhastobeaboveandbeyondbothgoodandevil,andthenpureaboveandbeyondpure.
Done.
Onlythenarethingsoveranddone.
Sowhenwepracticesittinginconcentration,it'sjusttemporarypeace.
Temporarypeace.
Whenit'speaceful,issuesarise.
Ifthere'sanissue,there'swhatknowstheissue.
There'swhatinvestigatesthecase,interrogates,followsup,passesjudgment.
Ifthemindissimplyblank,thennothinghappens.
Somepeopleteachyoutoimprisonthemind,toreallyimprisonit,thinkingthatthatsortofpeaceisthegenuinepracticeforsure.
Peaceful.
Butpeaceinthemindisnotpeacefulinthatway.
It'speaceapartfrompleasureandapartfrompain.
Before,Iwantedjustthepleasureanddidn'twantpain.
ButasIkeptfollowingalonginthatway,Icametorealize,"Oh.
Takingjustthepleasureturnsouttobeuncomfortable,too,forthesethingscomealongwitheachother.
"OnlywhenIwasabletomakeitsothattherewasnopleasureandnopainintheheart:That'swhenitwasreallyatpeace.
Thisisasubjectthatpeoplehardlyeverstudy,hardlyeverunderstand.
Theywantwhat'sright,butwon'ttakewhat'swrong.
Andsotheycan'tgettowhathasneitherrightnorwrong.
Theydon'tknowwhythey'dstudyit.
Theystudytoknowwhat'srightandwhat'swrongjusttotakewhat'srightandnotwhat'swrong—sotheykeepfollowingoneanother.
It'slikethisknife:"Iwanttoliftupjustitsblade,butthebackofthebladewillhavetocomealongaswell.
"Learntothinkinthisway.
Wherevertherearecauses,thingscanariseagain.
Theywon'tstop.
Totrainthemindintherightway,tomakeitbright,todevelopdiscernment:Don'tthinkyoucandoitbysittingandmakingitjuststill.
That'stherocksittingonthegrass.
It'sdrunk.
Somepeoplegetdrunkonit.
Actually,youcanstandinconcentration,sitinconcentration,walkinconcentration,andliedowninconcentration.
Peoplejumptotheconclusionthatconcentrationissitting.
That'sjustanameforconcentration,butreally,ifthemindhasconcentration,walkingisconcentration,sittingisconcentration—concentrationwiththewalking,concentrationwiththesitting,thestanding,thelyingdown.
That'sthepractice.
Somepeoplecomplain,"Ican'tmeditate.
Igetfedup.
WheneverIsitdownIthinkofthisandthat,Ithinkofmyhouseandmyfamily.
Ican'tdoit.
I'vegottoomuchbadkamma.
Ishouldletmybadkammarunoutfirstandthencomebackandtrymeditating.
"Goahead,justtryit.
Trywaitinguntilyourbadkammarunsout.
Thisishowwethink.
WhydowethinklikethisThat'swhatwe'restudying.
Assoonaswesit,themindgoeswayoverthere.
Wetrackitdownandbringitback—andthenitgoesoffagain.
Thisishowwestudy.
Butmostofusskipclass.
Wedon'twanttostudyourlessons.
We'relikeastudentwhoskipsclass,whodoesn'twanttostudyhislessons.
Whenthemindisn'tpeaceful,wedon'twanttosit.
"Idon'twantthat.
It'sirritating.
"Butthat'sstudy.
We'retruant.
Wedon'twanttoseethemindwhenit'shappy;wedon'twanttoseeitwhenit'ssuffering.
9Wedon'twanttoseeitchange—butthenwhatwillweeverknowWillweeverknowYouhavetostaywiththechanginglikethis.
Getacquaintedwiththis:"Oh,themindislikethis.
Onemomentitthinksofthat;thenextmomentitthinksofthis.
That'sitsordinarynature.
"Soknowit.
Knowwhenitthinks.
Knowwhenitsthoughtsaregood,whenthey'rebad,whenthey'rerightandwrong.
Knowwhatit'slike.
Whenweknowtheaffairsofthemind,thenevenifwe'resimplysitting,thinkingaboutthisorthat,themindisstillinconcentration.
Ifweknowwhatit'supto,wedon'tgetirritatedordistracted.
Letmegiveyouanexample.
Supposeyouhaveapetmonkeyathome.
Mymonasteryhasapetmonkey,too.
Whenyou'rehomeandhaveapetmonkey,themonkeydoesn'tsitstill.
Nowitgrabsthis;nowitgoesthere—allkindsofthings.
That'showmonkeysare.
Nowyoucometomymonastery.
Ihaveamonkeyheretoo,andthismonkeydoesn'tsitstilleither.
Nowitgrabsthis;nowitgoesthere,butitdoesn'tirritateyou,doesitWhyBecauseyou'vealreadyhadapetmonkey.
You'refamiliarwithmonkeys.
"Mymonkeyathomeisjustlikethismonkeyhere.
Stayingatyourmonasteryisjustlikestayingathome.
It'sthesamemonkey.
"Ifyouknowjustonemonkey,thennomatterhowmanyprovincesyougoto,youseethesamemonkey,anditdoesn'tirritateyou,rightThat'ssomeonewhounderstandsmonkeys.
Ifweunderstandmonkeysthenwewon'tbecomemonkeys.
Ifyoudon'tunderstandmonkeys,thenassoonasyouseeamonkey,youbecomeamonkeyyourself,rightWhenyouseeittakingthisandgrabbingthat,"Oh!
"You'reirritated.
You'reupsetatthismonkey.
That'ssomeonewhodoesn'tunderstandmonkeys.
Someonewhounderstandsmonkeysseesthemonkeyathomeandthinks,"It'sthesamemonkey.
ThemonkeyatDiamondLightCaveMonasteryisjustlikethis.
"SowhyshouldtheyirritateyouYouunderstandwhatmonkeysarelike,andthat'senough.
Youcanbeatpeace.
Atpeace.
Ifthemonkeyjumpsinfrontofyouandbehindyou,youcanbeatyourease.
You'renotirritatedbythemonkey.
WhyBecauseyouunderstandmonkeys—soyoudon'tbecomeamonkey.
Ifyoudon'tunderstandmonkeys,yougetirritated.
Whenyougetirritated,youbecomeamonkey—understandThisishowthingsgrowcalm.
Wehavetoknowpreoccupations,observepreoccupations.
Somewelike;somewedon't,butsowhatThat'stheirbusiness.
That'swhatthey'relike—justlikemonkeys.
Allmonkeysarethesamemonkey.
Weunderstandpreoccupations,whattheirconditionsare.
Somewelike;somewedon't.
That'swhatthey'relike.
Wehavetogetfamiliarwiththem.
Whenyou'refamiliarwiththem,letthemgo:"Oh.
Preoccupationsaren'tforsure.
They'reallinconstant,stressful,andnot-self.
"Wekeeplookingattheminthatway.
Ifthey'reirritated,iftheywigglearound,justwatchthem—andthey'renobigdeal.
Whereveryousit,whenpreoccupationspopupviatheeye,ear,nose,tongue,body,ormind,yousee,"Hmm.
They'renobigdeal.
"It'slikewatchingmonkeys.
Thismonkeyisjustlikethemonkeyathome.
It'snobigdeal.
Thenwecanbeatpeace.
Whenpreoccupationsarise,getfamiliarwiththem.
WhyrunafterthemPreoccupationsarenotforsure.
Nowthey'rethisway;nowthey'rethatway.
Sometimestheygobacktowhattheywerebefore.
Theyexistthroughchange.
Andallofushereexistthroughchange.
Aswhenyoubreathe:Sometimesthebreath10goesout;sometimesitcomesbackin.
Itchangeslikethis.
Youliveherethroughchange.
Tryonlybreathingin,withoutbreathingout:CanyoudothatHowmanyminuteswouldyoulastOrtryjustbreathingoutwithoutbreathingin.
Iftherewerenochange,couldyousurviveYoucouldn'tsurviveatall.
Youneedtohaveboththein-breathandtheout-breathlikethis.
Whenyouwalktothemonastery,ifyoujustheldyourbreathallthewayfromhome,you'dbedeadbynow.
Youwouldn'thavemadeit.
Sounderstandthis.
Thesamewithpreoccupations:Theyhavetobethere.
Iftheyweren'tthere,youcouldn'tdevelopanydiscernment.
Iftherewerenowrong,therecouldbenoright.
Youhavetoberightfirstbeforeyoucanseewhat'swrong.
Oryouhavetobewrongfirstbeforeyoucanberight.
That'sthewaythingsnormallyare.
That'showyougaindiscernment.
Themorepreoccupationsyousee,thebetter—especiallyifyou'reahighschooloruniversitystudent.
Buthere,ifyoudon'tlikepreoccupations,youdon'twanttodealwiththem,youdon'twanttowatchthem.
That'scalledbeingastudentwhoskipsclass,whodoesn'twanttolearnortolistentowhattheteacheristeaching.
Thesepreoccupationsareteachingus.
Whenweknowpreoccupationsinthisway,we'repracticingDhamma.
We'reatpeace.
Weseethatpreoccupationsarenobigdeal.
That'swhatthey'relike.
It'slikeseeingmonkeys.
Themonkeyathomedoesn'tirritateyou.
Whenyouseethemonkeyhereitdoesn'tirritateyou—becauseyouunderstandmonkeys,rightYoucanbeatease.
It'sthesamewiththepracticeofDhamma.
ThisiswhattheDhammaislike.
It'snothingveryfaraway.
It'srightwithyou.
TheDhammaisn'taboutdivinebeingsoranythinglikethat.
It'ssimplyaboutwhatyou'redoing,whatyou'redoingrightnow.
YourissuesareallissuesoftheDhamma.
Ifyoulookatbooks,theyhaveyourissueswrittendowninthem,butyouwon'tunderstandthem.
TheissuesoftheDhammaareallyourissues.
Socontemplateyourself.
Sometimesthere'shappiness,sometimessuffering,sometimescomfort,sometimesirritation;sometimesyoulovethatperson,sometimesyouhatethisperson.
ThisisDhamma,rightToknowthisDhamma,youhavetoreadyourpreoccupations.
Onlywhenyou'refamiliarwiththemcanyouletthemgo,seeingthatthey'renotforsure.
Thatwayyoucanbeatease.
Whensomethingcomesflashingup:"Hmm.
Thisisn'tforsure.
"Thenyourpreoccupationschange.
Painarisesandsomethingcomesflashingup:"Thisisn'tforsure.
"Youcanbeatyourease,inthesamewaythatyoucanbeateasewhenseeingthemonkeyinyourhome,andthenthemonkeyatDiamondLightCaveMountain,forthey'rethesamemonkey.
Youcanbeatyourease.
Youwon'thaveanydoubts.
Ifyou'refamiliarwithpreoccupations,you'refamiliarwiththeDhamma.
Youcanletgoofpreoccupations.
Youseethatthere'snothingforsureaboutpreoccupationsinanywayatall.
HaveyoueverbeenhappyHaveyoueverbeensadYoudon'thavetoanswer,Icananswerforyou:"Yes.
"Arethesethingsforsure"No.
"Thiswayyouknowthethingthat'salloneandthesame—thatthey'renotforsure.
ThisistheBuddha.
TheBuddhaistheDhamma.
TheDhammaiswhat'snotforsure.
Whoeverseesthatthingsaren'tforsure,seesforsurethatthat'sthewaytheyare.
Thewaytheyaredoesn'tchange.
ButwhyaretheythatwayThat'swhatthe11Dhammaislike.
Andthat'swhattheBuddhaislike.
TheBuddhaistheDhamma.
TheDhammaistheBuddha.
WhoeverseestheDhamma,seestheBuddha;whoeverseestheBuddha,seestheDhamma.
Ifyouknowinconstancy,not-for-sure-ness,you'llletthingsgoofyourownaccord.
Youwon'tgraspontothem.
Supposeyougetaglass.
Yousay,"Thisismine,anditisn'tbroken.
Lookafteritwell,okayDon'tbreakmyglass,okay"ButcanyoupreventsomethingbreakablefrombreakingIfitdoesn'tbreaknow,it'llbreaklateron.
Ifyoudon'tbreakit,someoneelsewillbreakit.
Ifsomeoneelsedoesn'tbreakit,achickenwillbreakit!
TheBuddhasaystoacceptthis.
Whenheusesthisgoodglass,hepenetratesallthewaytoseeingthatthisglassisalreadybroken.
Heseesthisglassthatisn'tbroken,andhasusknowthatit'salreadybroken.
Wheneveryoupickuptheglass,hehasyousay,"Thisglassisalreadybroken.
"Drinkfromitandputitdown:Hetellsyouthatit'salreadybroken.
RightTheBuddha'sunderstandingwaslikethis.
Hesawthebrokenglassintheunbrokenone.
WhydidheknowthatitwasbrokenBecauseitisn'tbroken.
That'showheknewitasbroken.
"Wheneveritstimeisup,it'llbreak":Hedevelopedthisattitudeandkeptonusingtheglass.
Onedayitslippedoutofhishand:"Smash!
"Noproblem.
Whynoproblem"BecauseIsawitasbrokenbeforeitbroke.
"SeeButyousay,"Myglassissoexpensive.
Don'teverletitbreak.
"Lateronthedogbreaksit:"Hmm.
WhatifIkilledthisdog"Ifyourchildbreaksit,youhateyourchild.
You'rethatwaywithwhateverbreaksit—becauseyou'vedammedyourselfupsothatthewatercan'tflow.
You'vemadeadamwithoutaspillway.
Youjustdamthingsupwithoutaspillway,sotheonlythingthedamcandoisburst,rightWhenyoumakeadam,youhavetomakeaspillway,too.
Whenthewaterrisesthisfar,itcanflowofftotheside.
Whenit'sfulltothebrim,itcanflowoutthatway,rightYouneedaspillway.
TheBuddhasawinconstancy,andthat'sthewaythingsare.
Healreadysawthatthey'reinconstant.
Whenyouseethingsthisway,youcanbeatpeace.
That,inshort,isthepracticeoftheDhamma.
SoI'velearnedtoholdthatwhetherstanding,walking,sitting,orlyingdown,Ikeeponpracticing,usingmindfulnesstowatchoverandprotectthemind.
That'sconcentration.
Discernmentisconcentration;concentrationisdiscernment.
Youcansaythatthey'reboththesamething.
Theydifferonlyintheircharacteristics.
Weseethatwhenthingsareinconstant,they'restressful.
Ifwereallyseeinconstancy,whichmeansthatthingsaren'tforsure,whenwepenetratetoseeclearlythatthingsaren'tforsure,thenwhatweseeisforsure.
SureinwhatwaySurethatthat'sthewaytheyare.
Theydon'tchangeintoanyotherway.
UnderstandWhenyouknowjustthismuch,youknowtheBuddha.
You'veboweddowntohim.
You'veboweddowntohisDhamma.
Takethisprincipleandmullitover.
Aslongasyoudon'tabandontheBuddha,youwon'tsuffer.
Assoonasyouabandonhim,you'llsufferimmediately.
You'llsufferassoonasyouabandontheprinciplesofinconstancy,stress,andnot-self.
Understandthingsinthisway.
12Ifyoucanpracticejustthismuch,Ifeelthatit'senough.
Sufferingwon'tarise,orifitdoesariseyoucandisbanditeasily.
Andthatwillbeacauseforsufferingnottoariseinthefuture.
That'swherethingsfinish,atthepointwheresufferingdoesn'tarise.
Whydoesn'titariseIt'snottherebecausewe'veputanendtothecauseofsuffering,orsamudaya.
Withthecauseofsuffering,thingsarereadytobreak.
Whentheybreak,sufferingarisesrightaway,rightWhenyouknowthatthisisthecausethatgivesrisetosuffering,youhavetocontemplateit—thatit'snotforsure.
It'snotforsure.
It'sthecauseofsuffering.
Whenthingsbreak—pop!
—destroythecausethatwouldgiverisetosuffering.
Alldhammasarisefromcauses.
Whentheydisband,it'sbecausewe'vedisbandedthesecauses.
Ifsufferingarisesbecausethisglassbreaks—yougetangry,yousuffer—tellyourselfthatthisglasswasalreadybroken.
Thecauseofsufferingwilldisband.
It'llnolongerbethere.
Assoonastheglassbreaks,you'veseenthatitwasbrokenalready.
Thebreakinghappensafteryousawit—whichmeansthatit'snotbreaking.
There'snosuffering.
Whenthere'snosuffering,that'snirodha—cessation,disbanding.
Sufferingdisbandsbecauseyou'vedisbandedthecauseofsuffering.
Thisisallthereis.
There'snotmuchatall.
Thisisallthereis,socontemplateit.
Butdon'tstrayawayfromthethreebasicthings:body,speech,andmind.
Keepworkingawayrighthere.
Contemplateonin.
Everythingisrighthere,startingwithyourownheartandmind.
Insimpleterms,youshouldallhavethefivepreceptsasyourfoundation.
Youdon'thavetogostudythePaliCanon.
Thefivepreceptsareamatterofyourbodyandmind,sowatchyourfiveprecepts.
Keepworkingatthemalways.
Dothiswithcare.
Atfirstyou'llmakemistakes.
Whenyourealizeit,stop,comeback,andstartoveragain.
Maybeyou'llgoastrayandmakeanothermistake.
Callyourselfback,eachandeverytime,eachandeverytime.
Yourmindfulnesswillreachahigherfrequency,likewaterpouredfromakettle.
Ifwetiltthekettlejustalittletoletthewaterflowoutindrops—glug…glug…glug—therearebreaksintheflow.
Ifwetiltthekettlealittlebitmore,thewatergoesglug-glug-glug.
Ifwetiltthekettleevenfurther,theglugsdisappear.
Thewaterturnsintoasteadystream.
Therearenomoredrops.
WheredidtheygoTheydidn'tgoanywhere.
They'veturnedintoasteadystreamofwater.
They'resofrequentthatthey'rebeyondfrequency.
Theymeldintooneanother,rightThat'showthey'reastreamofwater.
TheDhammaisjustlikethis,choosinganalogiesforyoutolistento,becausetheDhammadoesn'thaveanything.
DoesithaveacolorIsitroundDoesithavecornersIsitshortThere'snowaytogetacquaintedwithitexceptthroughcomparisonslikethis.
Ifyouunderstandthis,youunderstandtheDhamma.
That'sthewayitis.
Don'tthinkthattheDhammaliesfarawayfromyou.
Itliesrightwithyou;it'saboutyou.
Takealook.
Nowhappy,nowsad,nowsatisfied,nowdissatisfied,nowangryatthisperson,nowhatingthatperson:It'sallDhamma.
Seeyourselfinthisway.
What'stryingtogiverisetosufferingWhenyou'vedonesomethingthatcausessuffering,turnaroundandundoit.
Turnaroundand13undoit.
Youhaven'tseenitclearly.
Whenyouseeitclearly,there'snomoresuffering.
Thecausehasbeendisbanded.
Onceyou'vekilledthecauseofsuffering,therearenomoreconditionsforittoarise,sosufferingcan'tarise.
Ifsufferingisstillarising,ifyoudon'treallyknowit;youhavetoendureit:That'snotyetrightontargetwithit.
Lookatitinreallysimpleterms.
That'showIlookatit.
Seewhereyou'restillwrong.
It'sembarrassingtolookatthat.
Wheneverthere'stoomuchsuffering,rightthereyou'rewrong.
Wheneveryou'resohappythatthemindstartsswellingup—there:Wrongagain!
Whicheversideitcomesfromdoesn'tmatter.
Bringeverythingtogethertothepointthatit'swrong.
Keepexploring.
Ifyoupracticelikethis,you'llbemindfulwhetheryou'restanding,walking,sitting,orlyingdown,comingorgoing,whateveryou'redoing.
Ifyou'realwaysmindfulandalert,ifyou'reaware,you'resuretoknowrightandwrong,happinessandsadness.
You'llbefamiliarwitheverything.
Whenyou'refamiliarwiththesethings,you'llknowhowtoundothemsothattherewon'tbeanysuffering.
Youwon'tlettherebesuffering.
Solongasthemindfeelspleasureandpain,it'sdrunk.
EvenwhilepracticingtheDhamma,it'sdrunk,youknow.
Peoplecangetdrunkeatingrice—there'snoneedtodrinkalcohol.
Ifyoueatalotofrice,youcangetdrunk—drunkonrice.
ThesamewiththeDhamma:Don'tgetdrunkonit.
WhenpeoplearedrunkontheDhamma,theydon'tstop.
Theykeepontalking.
Iftheyseeanybodycoming,theywanttograbhimbythearmandgivehimasermonontheDhamma.
That'sasignthatthey'redrunkonDhamma.
Theygoaftereverybody:"Iwanttoteachthatperson;IwanttodothispersonafavorbyteachinghimtheDhamma"—andsotheydoafavortotheentirecountrybyteachingtheDhamma.
That'sasignofdrunkenness.
BeingdrunkontheDhammaisnodifferentfrombeingdrunkonalcohol.
They'rereallysimilar.
Don'tgothere.
Youhavetolookcarefully,againandagain,forsometimessomethingisDhamma,butit'sdrunk.
That'snotright.
Whenstudyingconcentration,Ihavepeoplestudyconcentrationlikethis.
Whenit'stimetositinmeditation,thensitenoughsothatyou'regoodatit.
That'snotwrong.
Butyouhavetoknowthatconcentrationisn'tjustsittinglikethis.
Youhavetoletthemindspreadouttoencounterdifferentthings.
Whenyou'reawareofsomething,contemplateit.
Whenyou'reawareofsomething,contemplateit.
ContemplatetoknowwhatContemplatetosee,"Oh.
That'sinconstant.
Stressful.
Not-self.
Notforsure.
"Everythingisnotforsure,letmetellyou.
Notforsure.
"Thisissobeautiful,Ireallylikeit.
"That'snotforsure.
"Idon'tlikethisatall.
"Tellit:"This,too,isnotforsure.
"RightAbsolutely.
Nomistake.
Butthat'snothowyougoaboutit.
"That'swhatIwant.
It'srightforsure.
"You'vegoneoffthetrackalready.
Don't.
Howevermuchyoulikesomethingdoesn'tmatter.
Youhavetoadjustthemind.
Tellit:"It'snotforsure.
"Whenweeatsomekindsoffood,wethink,"Wow.
That'sawfullydelicious.
Ireallylikethat.
"Therewillbethatfeelingintheheart,butyouhavetomakeaprotest:"It'snotforsure.
"Doyouwanttotesthowit'snotforsureTakeyourfavoritefood,somethingyoulikeforsureeverytime,andeatiteveryday.
Every,every,everysingleday,okayEventuallyyou'llcomplain,"Thisdoesn'ttasteso14goodanymore.
"It'snotforsure.
You'llthink,"ActuallyIpreferthatkindoffood.
"Theneatthateveryday.
It'snotforsureeither!
Everythinghastogofromonethingtothenext,justlikebreathinginandout.
Wehavetobreatheinandbreatheout.
Weexistthroughchange.
Everythingexiststhroughchangelikethis.
Thesethingsarefoundrightwithus,nowhereelse.
Ifwenolongerhaveanydoubts,thenwecansitincomfort,standincomfort.
Concentrationisn'tjustsitting.
Somepeoplesituntiltheyfallintoastupor.
Theymightaswellbedead.
Youcan'ttellwhetherthey'regoingnorthorsouth.
Don'tholdontoitthatfar.
Ifyoufeelfairlysleepy,thenwalk.
Changeyourposture.
Useyourdiscernment.
Ifyou'retotallysleepy,thenliedown.
Assoonasyouwakeup,getrightupandcontinueyourefforts.
Don'tletyourselfgetdrunk.
Ifyou'reameditator,youhavetopracticelikethis.
Havereasonsforwhatyoudo.
Know.
Knowallaround.
Discernmentmeansknowingallaround.
Youcan'tnotknowallaround.
Youcan'tjustknowonesideofthings.
Youhavetoknowallaround,inafullcirclelikethis.
That'sknowingallaround.
Whateversidethingscomefrom,whateverstancetheytake,you'rereadytotakethemonandfightthemoff.
Whenyouliveinthisway,whatwillyoudoWhatwillhappentoyouWhenyouliveinthisway,youcontemplate.
Whateveryourthoughtfabricationsarelike,you'rereadyforthem.
Whenevertheycome—whetheryou'restanding,walking,sitting,orlyingdown—you'rereadytotakethemon.
That'showitfeels.
Wheneverfabricationsmove,youtakethemon.
Youhavetotakeastancelikethis—andyouwon'thavetocry,youknow.
You'llbeatpeace.
Don'tsettleforpleasure,okayDon'tsettleforpleasure,forsoonit'lldisappear.
Goforpeace,withnoneedforpleasure,noneedforpain.
That'swhatitmeanstobeatpeace.
Goalltheway.
Takeonissuesthatareheavierandheavierinthiswaysoastoknowthemthroughandthrough.
Startknowingfromyourownmindandbody.
Seethemasinconstant.
They'renotforsure,neitherbodynormind.
Thesamegoesforeverything.
It'snotforsure.
Keepthisinmindwhenyouthinkfoodissodelicious.
Youhavetotellyourself:"It'snotforsure!
"Youhavetopunchyourlikesfirst.
Don'tletthempunchyoufirst.
Youhavetopunchthemrightaway,rightYouhavetopunchthemfirst.
Whateverthemindlikes,tellit,"It'snotforsure.
"Punchitfirst.
Butusuallyyoujustletthesethingspunchyoueverytime,everytime.
Ifyoudon'tlikesomething:"Idon'tlikethis.
Idon'tlikeseeingthissuffer"—it'spunchedyou.
Ifyoulikesomething:"Ilikethis"—it'spunchedyoueverytime.
Youdon'tpunchitatall.
Youhavetounderstandinthisway.
Wheneveryoulikeanything,sayinyourheart,"Thisisn'tforsure.
"Wheneveryoudon'tlikesomething,tellyourself,"Hmm.
Thisisn'tforsure.
"Keepatthiseveryday,andyou'llseetheDhammaforsure.
That'showithastobe.
Practiceinallpostures:standing,walking,sitting,lyingdown.
Youcanfeelangerinanyaction,rightWalkingyoucanfeelanger,sittingyoucanfeelanger,lyingdownyoucanfeelanger.
Youcanfeeldesirewitheverymoment.
Sometimesyoufeeldesirewhilelyingdown,desirewhilerunning,desirewhilesitting.
Thisiswhyyouhavetopracticeinallfourpostures—standing,walking,sitting,lyingdown—consistently,withoutanyfrontorback.
Putitinthose15terms,aswhentheysaythatsomeoneisspeakingwithoutanyfrontorback.
Keepatitlikethis.
Onlythencanyouknowallaround.
Whenyousittogetthemindtosettledownandbepeaceful:"Oops.
"Thatissuecomesrunningin.
Tellyourself:"Notforsure.
"Beforeit'sfinished,anotheronecomesrunningin.
Andthenanotherone.
Youstartitchingallover,andthenyou'regone.
Whatyouhavetodoisthat,whentheycomerunninginlikethis,youtellyourself,"It'snotforsure.
"Whatevercomesindoesn'tmatter.
Whenitcomes,"Oh.
Thisisnotforsure.
"Youhavetokeeppunchingthemlikethis,hittingthemfirstlikethis.
Thisiscalledknowingtheirweakpoint.
Thisisimportant.
Ifyouknowthatallthingsaren'tforsure,thenallthethinkinginyourheartwillgraduallyunravel,graduallyunravel,foryou'veseenthatthat'swhat'ssureaboutit.
Withsomethings,you'llfeelreallydisgusted,butwhatever,seethatthey'renotforsure.
You'veexperiencedthembefore—many,manytimesbefore.
"Hmm.
Whatever,it'snobigdeal.
"Onalaterdayyoucontemplateit:"Nobigdeal.
"That'sallthereistoit.
Thisthingisnobigdeal.
Thatthingisnobigdeal.
Youcanmeditateonasinglephrase:"Nobigdeal.
"Whateverarises,yougo,"Nobigdeal.
"Admonishyourselfjustthatmuch,anditshouldbeenough.
AndwhatelsewouldyoulookforWhereexactlywouldyoulookfortheDhamma"Oh.
IhavetolookfortheDhammainbooks.
"PeoplegolookinginbooksfortheDhammawhoknowswhere,butitarisesrighthere.
Ifyoulookforitoverthere,willyouseeitLookforithere.
Ifthere'ssufferingtoday,lookatittoseewhythere'ssuffering,andyou'llseeitrighthere.
"It'sbecausemyglassisbroken:That'swhyI'msuffering.
"Lookrighthere,andyou'llsee:"Oh.
"Or,"I'msufferingtodaybecausemywifesaidsomethingIcouldn'tstand.
"Thecauseisrighthere.
"Oh.
That'snotforsure.
"Killit.
Witheverything,keepsettingfiretoitlikethat.
Keepwalkingaheadofit.
Sofaryou'vebeenwalkingbehindit.
Thesethingsliewithyou.
They'renowhereelse.
Ifyoucansensethingsinthisway,you'llbeatpeace.
Atpeace.
Whereveryougo,yourmindwillbeatpeace.
Buttosayit'satpeaceisnotquiteright.
HaveyoueverseenflowingwaterFlowingwater:HaveyoueverseenitHaveyoueverseenstillwaterIfyourmindispeaceful,it'skindoflikestill,flowingwater.
Haveyoueverseenstill,flowingwater[Laughs]There!
You'veonlyseenstillwaterandflowingwater.
You'veneverseenstill,flowingwater.
Rightthere,rightwhereyourthinkingcan'ttakeyou:wherethemindisstillbutcandevelopdiscernment.
Whenyoulookatyourmind,it'llbekindoflikeflowingwater,andyetit'sstill.
Itlookslikeit'sstill,itlookslikeit'sflowing,soit'scalledstill,flowingwater.
That'swhatit'slike.
That'swherediscernmentcanarise.
Sogiveitatry.
16Suppositions&ReleaseALLTHETHINGSINTHEWORLDaresuppositionsthatwe'vesupposedintobeing.
Oncewe'vesupposedthem,wefallforourownsupposings,sonobodyletsthemgo.
Theyturnintoviewsandpride,intoattachment.
Thisattachmentissomethingthatneverends.
It'sanaffairofsasrathatflowswithoutrespite,withnowayofcomingtoclosure.
Butifwereallyknowoursuppositions,we'llknowrelease.
Ifwereallyknowrelease,we'llknowoursuppositions.
That'swhenyouknowtheDhammathatcancometoclosure.
Takepeople,forinstance.
Whenwestartout,we'rebornwithoutnames.
Thefactthatwehavenamescomesfromtheirbeingsupposedintobeing.
I'vethoughtaboutthisandseenthatifyoudon'treallyknowsuppositions,theycancausealotofharm.
Actually,suppositionsaresimplythingsforustouse.
Ifweunderstandwhatthey'refor,that'senough.
Knowthatifwedidn'thavesuppositions,there'dbenothingwecouldsaytooneanother,nolanguagetousewithoneanother.
WhenIwentabroad,IsawWesternerssittinginmeditationinrowafterrow.
Whentheygotupaftersitting,menandwomentogether,sometimesthey'dgoandtouchoneanotheronthehead,onepersonafteranother!
WhenIsawthisIthought,"Hmm,ifwesetupasuppositionanywhereandclingtoit,itgivesrisetodefilementsrightthere.
"Ifwe'rewillingtoletgoofoursuppositions,wecanbeatpeace.
Likethegeneralsandcolonels,menofrankandposition,whocometoseeme.
Whentheycometheysay,"Oh,pleasetouchmyhead":Thatshowsthatthey'rewilling,sothere'snothingwrongwithit.
Youcanrubtheirheadsandthey'reevengladyoudidit.
Butifyoutriedrubbingtheirheadsinthemiddleofthestreet—ifyoudon'tthinkthere'dbetrouble,justtryitandsee!
Thisisbecauseofclinging.
SoI'veseenthatlettinggoisreallycomfortable.
Whentheyagreetohavingtheirheadstouched,they'vesupposedthatthere'snothingwrongwithit.
Andthereisnothingwrongwithit,justlikerubbingaheadofcabbageoraheadoflettuce.
Butifyourubbedtheirheadsinthemiddleoftheroad—noway!
Forsure.
It'sallamatterofwillingness—accepting,givingup,lettinggo.
Whenyoucandothis,thingsarelight.
Whereveryou'reclinging,there'sbecomingrightthere,birthrightthere,poisonanddangerrightthere.
TheBuddhataughtaboutsuppositionsandhetaughttoundosuppositionsintherightway,toturnthemintorelease.
Don'tclingtothem.
Thethingsthatariseintheworldareallsuppositions.
That'showtheycomeintobeing.
Whenthey'vearisenandbeensupposed,weshouldn'tfallforthem,forthatleadstosuffering.
Theaffairsofsuppositionandconventionareextremelyimportant.
Whoevercanletthemgoisfreefromsuffering.
17Butthey'reanactivityofthisworldofours.
TakeBoonmaa,forinstance.
He'stheDistrictCommissioner.
Hisoldfriend,Saengchai,isn'tadistrictcommissioner,butthey'vebeenfriendsfromwayback.
NowthatBoonmaahasbeenappointeddistrictcommissioner,there'sasuppositionrightthere,butyouhavetoknowhowtouseitinanappropriateway,becausewestillliveintheworld.
IfSaengchaigoestothedistrictofficesandpatsBoonmaaonthehead,it'snotright.
EvenifSaengchaithinksaboutalltheoldtimeswhentheyworkedtogetherastravelingtailorsandaboutthattimetheyalmostdied,it'sstillnotrightforhimtogoplayingaroundwithBoonmaa'sheadinfrontofotherpeople.
Youhavetoshowalittlerespectandactinlinewithoursocialsuppositions.
Onlythencanwelivetogetherinpeace.
Nomatterhowlongyou'vebeenfriends,he'snowthedistrictcommissioner.
Youhavetoshowhimsomedeference.
Whenheleavesthedistrictofficesandgoeshome,that'swhenyoucanpathimonthehead.
It'sstillthedistrictcommissioner'sheadyou'repatting,butifyouweretodoitinthegovernmentofficesinfrontofalotofpeople,it'dbewrongforsure.
Thisiscalledshowingrespect.
Ifyouknowhowtousesuppositionsinthisway,theyserveapurpose.
Nomatterhowlongyou'vebeenclosefriends,ifyoutouchhimontheheadinfrontofalotofpeople,he'ssuretogetangry—afterall,he'snowthedistrictcommissioner.
Thisisallthereistoourbehaviorintheworld:Youneedasenseoftimeandplace,andofthepeopleyou'rewith.
Sowe'retaughttobeintelligent,tohaveasenseofsuppositionsandasenseofrelease.
Understandthemwhenyouusethem.
Ifyouusethemproperly,there'snoproblem.
Ifyoudon'tusethemproperly,it'soffensive.
WhatdoesitoffendItoffendspeople'sdefilements,that'sall—becausepeoplelivewithdefilement.
Therearesuppositionsyouhavetofollowwithcertaingroups,certainpeople,atcertaintimesandplaces.
Ifyoufollowthemappropriately,youcanbesaidtobesmart.
Youhavetoknowwherethesethingscomefromandhowfartheylead.
Wehavetolivewithsuppositions,butwesufferwhenweclingtothem.
Ifyouunderstandsuppositionssimplyassuppositionsandexplorethemuntilyoucometorelease,therearenoproblems.
AsI'veoftensaid,beforewewerelaymenandnowwe'remonks.
Beforeweweresupposedtobelaymenbutnow,havinggonethroughtheordinationchant,we'resupposedtobemonks.
Butwe'remonksonthelevelofsupposition,notgenuinemonks,notmonksonthelevelofrelease.
Ifwepracticesothatourmindsarereleasedfromalltheirfermentations(sava)stepbystep,asstream-winners,once-returners,non-returners,allthewaytoarahantship,thenallourdefilementswillbeabandoned.
Evenwhenwesaythatsomeoneisanarahant,that'sjustasupposition—buthe'sagenuinemonk.
Inthebeginningwestartwithsuppositionslikethis.
Intheordinationceremonytheyagreetocallyoua"monk,"butdoesthatmeanyousuddenlyabandonyourdefilementsNo.
It'slikesalt.
Supposeyoutakeafistfulofsandandsay,"Let'ssupposethisissalt.
"IsitsaltYes,butit'ssaltonlyonthelevelofsupposing.
It'snotgenuinesalt.
Ifyouweretoputitintoacurry,itwouldn't18serveyourpurpose.
Ifyouweretoarguethatit'sgenuinesalt,theanswerwouldhavetobeNo.
That'swhat'smeantbysupposition.
WhydowemakethissuppositionBecausethere'snosaltthere.
There'sonlysand.
Ifyousupposesandtobesalt,it'dbesaltforyou,onthelevelofsupposing.
Butit'snotgenuinesalt,forit'snotsalty.
Itwon'tserveanypurpose—oritcanservesomepurposesonthelevelofsupposing,butnotonthelevelofrelease.
Theword"release":It'sasuppositiontocallitthat,butwhatreleaseactuallyis,liesbeyondsupposition.
It'sreleasedfromsuppositions—butwestillmakeasuppositiontosayit's"release"likethis.
CanwelivewithoutsuppositionsNo.
Ifwedidn'thavesuppositions,wewouldn'tknowhowtotalkwithoneanother.
Wewouldn'tknowwherethingscomefromandhowfartheygo.
Wewouldn'thaveanylanguagetospeakwithoneanother.
Sosuppositionshavetheirpurposes—thepurposeswe'resupposedtousethemfor.
Forexample,peoplehavedifferentnames,eventhoughthey'reallpeoplejustthesame.
Ifwedidn'thavenames,youwouldn'tknowhowtocallthepersonyouwanted.
Forinstance,ifyouwantedtocallacertainpersoninacrowdandsaid,"Person!
Person!
"thatwouldbeuseless.
Noonewouldanswer,becausethey'reall"person.
"Butifyoucalled,"Jan!
Comehere!
"thenJanwouldcome.
Theotherswouldn'thaveto.
Thisishowsuppositionsserveapurpose.
Thingsgetaccomplished.
Sotherearewaysforustotrainourselvesthatarisefromsuppositions.
Ifweknowbothsuppositionandreleaseintheproperway,wecangetalong.
Suppositionshavetheiruses,butinrealitythereisn'tanythingthere.
Thereisn'tevenapersonthere!
There'sjustasetofnaturalconditions,bornoftheircausalfactors.
Theydevelopindependenceontheircausalfactors,stayforawhile,andbeforelongtheyfallapart.
Youcan'tstopthatfromhappening.
Youcan'treallycontrolit.
That'sallthereis.
It'sjustasupposition,butwithoutsuppositionswe'dhavenothingtosay:nonames,nopractice,nowork,nolanguage.
Suppositionsandconventionsareestablishedtogiveusalanguage,tomakethingsconvenient,that'sall.
Takemoney,forexample.
Inthepasttherewasn'tanypapermoney.
Paperwasjustpaper,withoutanyvalue.
Thenpeopledecidedthatsilvermoneywashardtostore,sotheyturnedpaperintomoney.
Andsoitservesasmoney.
Maybesomedayinthefutureanewkingwillarisewhodoesn'tlikepapermoney.
He'llhaveususewaxdroppingsinstead—takesealingwax,meltit,stampitintolumps,andsupposeittobemoney.
We'llbeusingwaxdroppingsalloverthecountry,gettingintodebtallbecauseofwaxdroppings.
Letalonewaxdroppings,wecouldtakechickendroppingsandturnthemintomoney!
Itcouldhappen.
Allourchickendroppingswouldbecash.
We'dbefightingandkillingoneanotheroverchickendroppings.
Evenwhentheyproposenewformsforthings,ifeverybodyagreestothenewsupposition,itworks.
Asforthesilverwestartedoutwith,nobodyreallyknowswhatitis.
Theorewecallsilver:IsitreallysilverNobodyknows.
Somebodysawwhatitwaslike,cameupwiththesuppositionof"silver,"andthat'swhatitwas.
That'sallthereistotheaffairsoftheworld.
Wesuppose19somethingintobeing,andthat'swhatitis—becausethesethingsdependonoursuppositions.
Buttoturnthesethingsintorelease,togetpeopletoknowgenuinerelease:That'shard.
Ourhomes,ourmoney,ourpossessions,ourfamily,ourchildren,ourrelativesareourssimplyonthelevelofsupposition.
Butactually,ontheleveloftheDhamma,they'renotreallyours.
Wedon'tliketohearthis,butthat'sthewaytheyactuallyare.
Ifwedon'thaveanysuppositionsaroundthem,theyhavenovalue.
Orifwesupposethemtohavenovalue,theyhavenovalue.
Butifwesupposethemtohavevalue,theydohavevalue.
Thisisthewaythingsare.
Thesesuppositionsaregoodifweknowhowtousethem.
Solearnhowtousethem.
Eventhisbodyofoursisn'treallyus.
That'sasupposition.
Ifyoutrytofindagenuineselfwithinit,youcan't.
Therearejustelementsthatareborn,continueforawhile,andthendie.
Everythingislikethis.
There'snoreal,truesubstancetoit,butit'sproperthatwehavetouseit.
Forexample,whatdoweneedtostayaliveWeneedfood.
Ifourlifedependsonfoodasitsnourishment,asasupportweneedtouse,thenweshoulduseittoachieveitspurposeforoursurvival,inthesamewaytheBuddhataughtnewmonks.
Rightfromtheverybeginning,hetaughtthefoursupports:clothing,food,shelter,medicine.
Hetaughtthatweshouldcontemplatethesethings.
Ifwedon'tcontemplatetheminthemorning,weshouldcontemplatethemintheeveningafterwe'veusedthem.
WhydoeshehaveuscontemplatethemsooftenTorealizethatthey'refoursupportstomaintainourbody.
Aslongaswe'realivewecan'tescapethesethings.
"You'llusethesethingsallyourlife,"hesaid,"butdon'tfallforthem.
Don'tfallforthem.
They'renothingmorethanthis;theygiveusnothingmorethanthis.
"Ifwelackedanyoneofthesethings,wecouldn'tmeditate,couldn'tchant,couldn'tcontemplate.
Forthetimebeing,wehavetodependonthesethings,butdon'tgetattachedtothem.
Don'tfallforthesuppositionthatthey'reyours.
They'resupportsforkeepingyoualive.
Whenthetimecomes,you'llhavetogivethemup.
Inthemeantime,though,eventhoughtheideathatthey'reyoursisjustasupposition,youhavetotakecareofthem.
Ifyoudon'ttakecareofthem,yousuffer.
Likeacup,forinstance.
Somedayinthefuturethecupwillhavetobreak.
Ifitbreaks,nobigdeal—butaslongasyou'realiveyoushouldtakegoodcareofitbecauseit'syourutensil.
Ifitbreaks,you'llbeinconvenienced.
Ifit'sgoingtobreak,letitbreakinawaythatcan'tbehelped.
Thesamegoesforthefoursupportsthatwe'retaughttocontemplate.
They'rerequisitesforthosewho'vegoneforth.
Understandthembutdon'tclingtothemtothepointwheretheclingingbecomesabiglumpofcravinganddefilementintheheartandmakesyousuffer.
Usethemjustforthepurposeofkeepingalive,andthat'senough.
Suppositionsandreleasearerelatedlikethiscontinually.
Eventhoughweusesuppositions,don'tplaceyourtrustintheirbeingtrue.
They'retrueonlyonthelevelofsupposing.
Ifyouclingtothem,sufferingwillarisebecauseyoudon'tunderstandtheminlinewithwhattheyreallyare.
20Thesameholdsforissuesofrightandwrong.
Somepeopleseewrongasrightandrightaswrong,butwhoserightandwrongtheyare,nobodyknows.
Differentpeoplemakedifferentsuppositionsaboutwhat'srightandwrongwitheveryissue,sobeaware.
TheBuddhawasafraidthatitwouldleadtosufferingifwegotintoarguments,becauseissuesofthissortnevercometoclosure.
Onepersonsays,"right,"anothersays,"wrong.
"Onesays"wrong,"anothersays"right.
"Butactuallywedon'treallyknowrightandwrongatall.
Allweneedistolearnhowtousethemforourcomfort,sothatwecanputthemtoworkinaproperway.
Don'tletthemharmyouorharmothers.
Keepthingsneutralinthisway.
Thatservesourpurposes.
Inshort,bothsuppositionsandreleasearesimplydhammas.
Oneishigherthantheother,butthey'resynonyms.
There'snowaywecanguaranteeforsurethatthishastobethis,orthathastobethat,sotheBuddhasaidtojustputitdownas"notforsure.
"Nomatterhowmuchyoulikesomething,knowthatit'snotforsure.
Nomatterhowmuchyoudislikesomething,understandthatit'snotforsure.
Andthesethingsreallyaren'tforsure.
Keeppracticinguntilthey'redhammas.
Past,present,andfuture:MakethemallanaffairofDhammapractice.
Anditcomestoclosureatthepointwherethere'snothingmore.
You'veletgo.
You'veputdownyourburden.
Everythingends.
I'llgiveyouananalogy.
Onepersonasks,"WhyistheflagflappingItmustbebecausethere'swind.
"Anotherpersonsays,"It'sflappingbecausethere'saflag.
"Thissortofthingnevercomestoanend,liketheoldriddle,"Whichcamefirst,thechickenortheegg"Thisnevercomestoanend.
Itjustkeepsspinningaroundinitscircles.
Allthesethingsaresimplysuppositions.
Theyarisefromoursupposing.
Soyouhavetounderstandsuppositionsandconventions.
Ifyouunderstandthesethings,you'llunderstandinconstancy,stress,andnot-self.
Thisisathemethatleadsstraighttonibbna.
Trainingandteachingpeopletounderstandisreallyhard,youknow.
Somepeoplehavetheiropinions.
YoutellthemsomethingandtheysayNo.
Nomatterhowmuchyoutellthemthetruth,theysayNo.
"I'lltakewhat'srightforme;youtakewhat'srightforyou.
"There'snoendtothis.
Evenifitmakesthemsuffer,theystillwon'tletgo.
I'vetoldyoubeforeaboutthefourmenwhogointotheforest.
Theyhearachickencrowing,"Ekkk-i-ekk-ekkkk!
"Oneofthemcomesupwiththequestion,"Whosaysthat'saroostercrowingWhosaysit'sahen"Forthefunofit,threeofthemputtheirheadstogetherandsayit'sahen.
Theotheronesaysit'sarooster.
Theyarguebackandforthlikethiswithoutstopping.
Threeofthemsayit'sahen,andonlyoneofthemsaysit'sarooster.
"Howcouldahencrowlikethat"heasks.
"Well,it'sgotamouth,doesn'tit"theyreply.
Theonepersonarguesuntilhe'sintears.
Actually,itwasaroostercrowing,inlinewithourstandardsuppositions,buttheonepersonhadtoargueuntilhewasintears,hewassoupset.
Yetontheultimateleveltheywereallwrong.
Thewords"rooster"and"hen"arejustsuppositions.
Ifyouaskedthechicken,"Areyouarooster"itwouldn'tanswer.
Ifyouasked,"Areyouahen"21itwouldn'tgiveanyexplanation.
Butwehaveourconventions:Thesefeaturesarethefeaturesofarooster;thesefeatures,thefeaturesofahen.
Therooster'scrowislikethis;ahen'ssquawkislikethat.
Thesearesuppositionsthatarestuckinourworld.
Butintruththere'snorooster,nohen.
Tospeakontheleveloftheworld'ssuppositions,theonepersonwasright,buttoargueuntilyou'reintearsdoesn'tserveanypurposeatall.
That'sallthereistoit.
SotheBuddhataughtnottoclingtothings.
Ifwedon'tclingtothings,howcanwepracticeWepracticebecauseofnot-clinging.
Tobringyourdiscernmentinhereishard.
Thisiswhyit'shardnottocling.
Youneedtousesharpdiscernmenttocontemplatethis.
Onlythenwillyougetanywhere.
Whenyouthinkaboutit,forthesakeofrelievingsuffering,itdoesn'tdependonwhetheryouhavealotofthingsoralittle.
Whetheryou'rehappyorsad,contentordiscontent,itstartsfromyourdiscernment.
Togobeyondsufferingdependsondiscernment,seeingthingsinlinewiththeirtruth.
TheBuddhataughtustotrainourselves,tocontemplate,tomeditate.
"Meditation"meansundoingtheseproblemscorrectlyinlinewiththeirissues.
Andtheirissuesarethese:theissuesofbirth,aging,illness,anddeath.
Thesearecommon,ordinarythings—reallycommonandordinary.
Thisiswhyhehasuscontemplatethemcontinually.
Hehasusmeditateonbirth,aging,illness,anddeath.
Somepeopledon'tunderstandwhywehavetocontemplatethem.
"BirthWealreadyknowwe'reborn,"theysay.
"DeathWealreadyknowwe'lldie.
"That'sthepoint.
They'resuchordinaryissues—sotrue.
Apersonwhoinvestigatesthesethingsagainandagainwillsee.
Whenyousee,youcangraduallyundotheseproblems.
Althoughyoumaystillhavesomeclinging,ifyouhavethediscernmenttoseethatthesethingsareordinary,you'llbeabletorelievesuffering.
Thisiswhywepracticeforthesakeofundoingsuffering.
ThebasicprinciplesoftheBuddha'steachingaren'tmuch:justtheissuesofsufferingarisingandsufferingpassingaway.
That'swhythesethingsarecallednobletruths.
Ifyoudon'tknowthem,yousuffer.
Ifyouarguefromprideandopinions,there'snoendtoit.
Togetthemindtorelieveitssufferingandbeatease,youhavetocontemplatewhat'shappenedinthepast,what'sinthepresent,what'sgoingtobeinthefuture.
Thingslikebirth,aging,illness,anddeath:WhatcanyoudonottobeworriedaboutthemTherewillbesomeworries,butifyoucanlearntounderstandthemforwhattheyare,sufferingwillgraduallylessen,becauseyoudon'thugittoyourchest.