No more conditions to condition the arising of every thing

1:08:18

[Jonothan] For the enlightened being, the sotapanna, who has no more wrong view of self, there is still the idea of body and arms and legs.

[A. Sujin] What is something?

[J] An idea.

[Su] No reality? What things are something?

[J] Just citta thinks of something.

[Su] Yes, we can say that, but there must be a reality at that moment as well: in life there seems to be so many things, but actually there are only different realities, not known as they are, as not self or anything. We use the word self and it depends on the understanding of its meaning, but when we use words just in ordinary [sense] like "what is something?", what does it mean, "something"?

[J] In ordinary conversation it refers to conventional objects, things.

[Su] No understanding that it's a moment of a reality, right? Only the idea, from birth, about this and that. Always "thing" and "something", all the time, is that right? From birth.

[J] Yes, from birth.

[Su] But without any reality at all, can there be moment of thinking of "something"? See, even that it's not known as no one, but it's the reality which can experience an object, we don't know anything about experiencing, and object of experiencing, but the truth is that, the enlightenment knows that, actually what we take for thing or something, without any reality at all there would not be such moment of thinking, experiencing some-thing. And something is a thing, no matter it is that which experiences or that which cannot experience, because no understanding of the truth of anything at all, from birth to death, each life without hearing the truth, the absolute truth, of what is "thing". There is always "thing", but some-thing, whether it's known as legs or arms or birds or food or whatever, but it's thing, a thing, some thing, when there's no understanding of the way it is as concept: as food, or bed, but it's some thing there all the time.

So that something, one knows what is that, but it's a reality, all the time. For example, whenever there is the idea of something, to understand: what does it mean "something"? there must be thing and that thing we take for "thing" actually are the absolute realities, unknown until hearing about the truth of what is there at this very moment. The seeing is something, right? Even the seeing, not that which is seen, even the seeing itself is some-thing, right? Or no-thing at all?

This is the way to understand how deep the idea of self is there, not just taking this for me or that for that person, but anything there, a reality there it's not known. So it is some thing all the time, and we use different terms, like whether self means just this and not that, not including that, but actually the idea without any word is a thing: "what is that"? A thing, unknown, and then "what is that"? It's something, more and more, whether it is the microphone or whether it is the ground or the tree or whatever, but no understanding of the absolute truth, that actually what is meant by no-one and no-thing includes everything which is there, when it's conditioned to be there. No one can make it arise at all.

This is the way for wearing away, letting go the idea of self, from understanding the truth, the absolute truth which is there all the time, but it's covered up by not knowing, not understanding it as it is.

So it's it, even that seeing is it, it sees. The hearing is it, it hears. So, beginning to understand what's meant by no self and no thing: includes everything, even the idea of "what is that", see, that is something in mind, "what is that?", to know what it is, but actually the truth is that it's gone completely, all the time, even right now. So we learn to understand what is life, what is real, and what is the absolute truth, to let go of that which is conditioned, until no more conditions to condition the arising of every thing. To understand the truth that the absolute meaning of no-thing and no-self means no-one, nothing there at all, when there are no conditions.

But who can stop the conditions for each moment which is conditioned, but the understanding of the truth begins to let go the ignorance of that as: it's not like we think: people and things, but it's only different realities in life, from moment to moment. Listening more, understanding more, at that moment it's the way to let go, from the moment of understanding. To let go of the idea of self very very deeply rooted, very very difficult to dig up and see it as it is, or [for] pañña to go deep down, to understand the moment of arising and falling away, now.

That's why understanding each word, even just the word no-one and no-thing. But "what is that?", it's a thing usually, but actually it is not anything because it's conditioned to just appear as that and then gone, completely. And learn a little more about the conditions for its arising, to have more confidence about the truth of: actually no-thing no-one, nothing at all, only that which is conditioned, arising and falling away, never to return at all, only once in samsara. From this moment, on and on and on, to next life, to another life, samsara, never ends when there is no understanding of the truth of it as it is. We use the word no-self and no-thing, but the meaning is that no matter what word we use, it's there, as it is. So even "what is something?" can bring about understanding of what is the meaning of that.

Video image: Railing detail, Bharhut stupa