Dhamma, the one which has fallen away cannot be understood

(Suitable for beginners) - A. Sujin: I think that at first we should know our own interests, what are we interested now? To understand Dhamma, to know the truth of that which is now appearing? Or just to think about this and that, which doesn't bring any understanding of this moment? Which is so real, because it's there. Feeling is real, it's there, and what is it? There cannot be the understanding the truth of it at all if there are no words which talk about it, or explain about the truth of it. Just seeing and then hearing and then thinking and then nothing else. Just arising and falling away, different moments, different realities. And isn't that life, or what is life? The moment of birth is not this moment, and what is life, from the moment of birth up to now? What are they, where are they, now? They were there and where are they now? No more, just only once in a split second in samsara and then gone. Isn't this true? We have to understand that, from birth to death, if there is no word about this moment, how can there be the understanding of life or the truth of that which is there no more? Just appears and disappears instantly, all the time, succeedingly, unknowingly. Taking it for something permanent like "I was born and now i'm sitting here", but not the same moment at all, not the same reality. So what is the truth of life? Shouldn't it be understood, shouldn't it be known, the truth? Or it just doesn't matter at all, just live and die. And what about those pleasant moments, or [moments of] suffering in life? Gone, completely, not even thinking about it at all. Because even thinking's gone, nothing can stay at all. It just arises and then gone, that's all. Is this not true? To begin to understand what we take for I or the world, or this person, or that thing, actually where are they now? In truth, they are completely gone, absolutely, never to return at all. And is this not life, from moment to moment? That's all, uncontrollable.

Just like the blind person who cannot know at all what is there, because there's no seeing, and seeing is understanding the truth of this moment, otherwise it is blindfolded, like the succession of the arising and falling away of each different one, conditions the mark, the symbol, of whatever is there as something, like people, or even it's not people it's a doll, an arm or whatever, a pistol or whatever is there, just the idea of that which is not there anymore. So what we used to take for I 7 years ago or 20 years ago, where are they? No more at all, it's just this moment, different from previous moment, completely, it can never be the same at all. Even it appears like it's the same, but it's the succession of the conditioned reality to appear as nimitta or sign or mark, the symbol of something there, but actually it's only thinking, because in truth life is only in a moment. At moment of seeing there cannot be thinking, there cannot be hearing, there cannot be other things that can be experienced, only that which is seen, and then gone, who knows? But the truth is there, and when it's so true it's more and more true, deeper and deeper. Because the enlightened moment of the Buddha it's the moment of enlightening the absolute truth of everything, never changes at all, because it's just conditioned to arise and fall away. Who can change that which is gone, completely. Nothing can be done at all. Right now, if there isn't just seeing, there is thinking, and there is hearing, they are not the same, they are different, conditioned realities, different moments. So what moment can be taken for I? Because it's gone, completely, never to return. Just to learn to understand what we take for life, that we don't know the truth of it, but the truth is there, by the Buddha, who had enlightened the truth, and shared it with everyone. The absolute truth, that's so very very precious, to know the truth rather than be blind in one's life, like living in a dream and when one wakes up what was there in the dream is not there anymore.

What was there now it's not there anymore, just like a dream, of each moment. Is this not true? And if it is true it can be known, little by little, until it appears clearly, one by one. So there's no doubt about that which is now there together as something, but actually each reality is just one, it cannot be two. Seeing is seeing and one seeing is not the other seeing. Is this true? Just learn about to understand the truth, that's all. And understanding develops from hearing, considering and understanding, little by little, until it can penetrate the truth which is so very very deep and very very subtle. But the truth is that whenever it appears, it's gone, that is the truth. But now it doesn't appear as it is, that's because lobha just clings to the other thing which arises, so that one which has fallen away cannot be understood, as is not there anymore. And this moment it's so true, every day, anytime, the truth must be the truth. This is the beginning of understanding the truth of what is there from birth to death, no one there.

Before being born this person where were you? No you, but there must be conditioned realities arising and falling away, and that is anatta, no one, no self who can do anything. The way it is, no one can change, the way it has conditions for its arising, so it arises and then gone.

Isn't this worthwhile to be understood? It depends on whether or how much you think that the best thing in life is to understand the truth, because we live in the world which does not [appear] as it is. It seems like we live in the world of people and things, but what is that? What we take for a thing can be broken up into just very tiny pieces. Can that be mountain, can that be flower, can that be bed or anything? Not at all. And it's just there for a very very short moment and then gone, unknowingly. Only when right understanding develops enough, hearing the truth and then consider it, and understand it, it has to be as it is, no one at all, because where was "I" yesterday? Not the "I" of today, and tomorrow? Not this one, but another one. It means that another absolute reality is conditioned to arise, on and on and on and on, differently, different moments, different reality. So that cannot be anyone because they are all gone, completely. If it's not true, how can there be yesterday, today, tomorrow? Born and die, and so what was left after death? Nothing at all, so nothing is left at this moment, it dies, temporarily death, never to return, the same. Is this not true? It's just a metaphor, thinking about the truth, whether it's worthwhile to understand or it is the best thing, the most precious thing for this life, to understand the truth of life, of everything.

David: I have a question about the present moment, when there is pain, if you feel a painful body sensation, or painful thought, something painful. I have to ask, when the Buddha feels something painful, is his mind in a very peaceful state, so is his mind accepting? When you feel a pain can you accept totally what you are experiencing? and is it enough to think this pain is just a moment and it will pass away? Or maybe there's a path which you can follow and then be with your pain in a different way, because now I think even if I am not a great practitioner of meditation, when I feel a pain I can think it will pass away and so I can stay with my pain, but there's something, some thought which tells me yes, but this thing is not very good anyway. So I have to do something.

Su. But that is not the understanding of the pain itself right? What is it? Everyone has pain, painful feeling, but not understanding how come, the painful feeling? And what is there in reality, at moment of pain, painful feeling, is there any other thing appearing? Only pain? Or other thing can be directly experienced, together, in a moment?

D: yes, other things, thoughts, and the soul and other things, other imaginations.

Su. That's why we have to understand each word, what is meant by soul, what is meant by this and that. So now we just talk about the pain itself, not [about] seeing, not hearing, not thinking, only pain. Is it real?

D: yes, I think there is the sensation which is painful.

Su. It's a reality, can we say that? Because it is there, conditioned to be there, no one can make it arise, it is conditioned already, for it to arise, no one can stop its arising, and pain is not seeing and pain is not thinking. So pain is just pain, and it cannot last. As long as there are conditions for its arising, it arises, but when there are no conditions for its arising, it cannot arise at all, is that not true? Just pain, pain must be only pain, can it be hearing? Can pain think? Not at all. And can it last? In truth it arises and falls away in split seconds, but as long as there are conditions for pain to arise it still arises, arising and falling away, until no conditions for its arising anymore. Just like seeing, when one closes one's eyes, or while one is fast asleep, no conditions for seeing to arise, so how can it arise?

Each moment is conditioned just to arise to be only that, and then gone completely, never to return, even seeing right now is not seeing a moment ago, pain right now it's not yesterday's pain. So what is it? That which is conditioned to arise. Arising and falling away, all lives, each life, no matter how long, long time ago. Life is just like this, this life, past lives, future lives, all the same, and it means that what we are talking about, that no one can make it arise, no one can stop its falling away, it's absolute truth, no one can take it for I at all, it's gone, completely, and no matter how much you'd like it to arise, this or that way, it cannot arise, it depends on its proper conditions to arise, just to be such, no one can change it.

A. Sujin: I think that the point should be the understanding of the absolute truth, otherwise it's just the story, even we just talk about the name, citta or cetasikas, and pain or trouble and so on, but what is the reality, the absolute reality? Is there. Pain is pain, seeing it's seeing. Where am "I"? Can seeing be "I"? Because it's gone. We learn to understand the truth that actually there's no one, because when we take that for me or my things, there must be clinging to that object, conditioning more and more trouble, unknown. How come? If there's no seeing at all, can there be life of that object which is seen? Because there's no seeing! So the original realities which conditioned this and that in our life must be reality, there must be realities for sure, because even right now there is a reality: what is there as it is. There is seeing, who can say that there's no seeing? But seeing it's gone, at moment of hearing there is no seeing, so where am "I"? Learn to understand the truth that actually what we take for I or thing is only the succession of the arising and falling away of different realities, by conditions, and it has to be only by its proper conditions, for example, seeing is conditioned when there is the eye-base, without the eye, can there be seeing? Impossible. So how can we take it for "I can do" or "it's me who sees", it's wrong understanding, not understanding the truth of: how come to be born and to die, at all. This is so true but no understanding in all of one's life, thinking about when we were young or children, no such thing yet, because no condition for this to arise. So whatever is now appearing is that which is conditioned by conditions, only that from life to life. That's why each life is different and even one life, for one person, each moment is different and this is so true. It can condition less clinging, with ignorance, to cling to it so much as I "so painful", "so happy" and so on, because they are all gone. To learn to let go the idea of wrong understanding, which is so ignorant, to take that which is not there as it's still there. No I, but the idea is there, that "I am here". What is true, what is not true? And would be like to live in the untrue world, from birth and on and on, or have the understanding of life? It's only that. And it can condition more wholesome happenings in life, because of understanding the truth. No one can condition pain to arise because no one likes to be in pain at all, but it's there, by conditions, and when we understand conditions for every moment, there can be the letting go of clinging which conditions satisfaction, or unhappiness.

A. Sujin: And what about when there is a so very pleasant moment, but no understanding the pleasant moment as it is, and when there's the painful feeling, but at that moment there is the understanding of the pain as it is. What would you select or want, this way or that way? Very pleasant feeling, pleasant time, pleasant moment, but no understanding of that moment at all. Or even it's so painful, but there is the understanding, the truth of pain as it is, what would you like? To be truthful? Because right understanding is so truthful. There can be different answers, according to different accumulation, but the truth is that no matter what the answer is, so what would you like?

Sundara: I think you made a really good point there because when there is pleasant feeling people often are not inclined to think about difficulty in life, things are going because of their attachment, things are going as they would like, according to attachment and because there's no real understanding at all they forget that those moments of so-called happiness are also dukkha and there will invariably be conditions for more dukkha because of that lack of understanding. So I think when we've talked there about pleasant feeling, it's often covers over the levels of ignorance that we've accumulated, so we're less inclined to want to understand life when things are going well and that's unfortunate.

A. Sujin: Different answers come from different accumulation, but they are all true for each different one. That's why we have to understand that even what is there has to be there, to know whether it is what we like, but when time has not come yet, we just answer by our thoughts, thinking this way or that way. But when time comes, the really so pleasant moment, is there conditions enough to understand it as just is, a reality. We don't stop, no one can stop it, no one can make it not to fall away, but even so right understanding which has been developed, and seeing the value of understanding, better than any other thing, can condition that moment, and this is the answer for those who have accumulated the precious moment of the reality of understanding. But for those who begins, even that time comes now, as now, it depends on conditions, one might just not think of anything at all, just enjoy that moment, but for some people they know that there's no people. The accumulation of that person, that one, can understand that moment very naturally, because they are not self, they are no one, but they are conditioned. So in life there must be time for enjoyment, for pleasant moment or for unpleasant moment, suffering and so on, different conditions only. So it depends on that very moment to know the truth, whether how much accumulation of understanding, or of ignorance and attachment, so true, and it's true. So this is the fourth noble truth, so very subtle, only pañña can understand how long to go through ignorance and attachment, to just let go of the idea, the wrong understanding of self, from the very beginning, not of other pleasant moments, or pleasantness. It has to go stage by stage, little by little, but the truth is so true. So it depends on whether one sees that life is so short, it can be only this moment or this evening, or tomorrow, with ignorance or some understanding, what is better?