Dhamma with Ajahn Sujin

Sarah: In in the meantime I've got a topic that we could start with Ajahn about khandhas, about the different khandhas. A few weeks ago Ann, you'll remember you were asking about inner and outer and we discussed different characteristics of rūpas, so I thought we could go through each khandha starting with rūpa and consider the meanings of the different terms used to describe them when the suttas talk about whether past future present, internal external and so on, and then for the other khandhas in turn. So starting with rūpa, any rūpa, any rūpa, whether it's past rūpa, rūpa that's fallen away, future rūpa, rūpa that hasn't arisen or present rūpa, is khandha, it's rūpa khandha. And then we discussed the other day internal/ajjhattika or external/bahira, so the internal, as we discussed are the five sense bases, eye-sense and so on, and the external, the bahira rūpas are the other 23 rūpas, and then it says any rūpa past future present, internal external, gro...

( first part here ) Tam B: I have a question about vāyo dhātu again because in English the translation of vāyo dhātu is usually motion and sometimes I heard it translated as pressure as well. The the trouble I have with motion is it always involves some different moments like moving from here to there, so how can it ever be directly known, because it's already like two different moments. So I wonder whether pressure would be a better word for that and I would like to hear Ajahn comment and everyone's comment on this point. A. Sujin: Can that which is hard move? No, the other tangible object has its own characteristics, but there can be the sense of moving, right? Or is it only just there all the time? Stretching out one's arm, how come? Can the solidity move? It has its characteristic as to be just solid, hardness only, it cannot move, but how can that move? We don't talk about the action which is seen, but the moment of feeling. That's why we have the word...

Tam B: May I ask Ajahn to talk more about vāyo dhātu (motion/pressure element)? A. Sujin: When one is eating, can one swallow? When nothing can move there's no vāyo dhātu at all. At moment of stretching out one's arm, could it be stretched without vāyo dhātu? But when it's there with the other dhātus, mahabhūtarūpas like solidity/pathavi, and āpo (cohesion) and tejo (temperature), it does not appear, because at moment of touching hardness is there, appearing; coldness is there, appearing. But at moment of moving, when it does not appear, what is there? So, when it's not touched, it cannot be known at all, because it has to be known through touching, body-sense, only. So it's not trying to look for it, but what is there should be understood, otherwise one misses the moment, the chance to understand what is there as it is, at that moment ignorance is there, lobha is there, which ignore that which appears to be known, because it attaches instantly to that wh...

2nd part - 40m (1st part here) A. Sujin: Each word of the Buddha is so true, no matter how long ago he taught it, all together for 45 years, so many words... Each word is so true because the truth is that, each moment must be different from the other moment, by different conditions. Nothing can arise without its proper conditions. That's why understanding this is understanding that that is a moment of conditioned reality, no one there, no matter in what sutta. Sometimes there can be just moderation in eating, other times overeating, all depends on conditions, no matter whether that person understands the truth or not. So it doesn't mean that at moment of not overeating there is sati, it can be the idea of self seeing the danger of overeating. Nobody can condition anything to arise at all right now, just now, all appears by conditions. But, is there any understanding of the truth of what is now appearing, no matter when? So, the best thing in life is to understand the...

1st part - 1m ( 2nd part here ) Vincent: The question is about the Sukhavihara sutta from Itivuttaka, the section of The Two beginning by The six door are well guarded, the faculties, the indriyas are all well-guarded, and so they live in comfort, that's the conclusion, but before reaching a conclusion, moderate in eating was mentioned particularly and i just wondered if "moderate in eating" had any significant meaning. A. Sujin: Usually when we use these words, eating food, what do you think about?. V. Usually is for two purposes, enjoying the food, or feeling hungry, to remove the dukkha. Su. So, for the person who guards the doors, what happens? V. That person is well aware, with sati-sampajañña. Su. Yes, so we have to understand the point of reading any sutta: just to understand. Not just to understand the word, but the reality of that word. Not just its meaning, but its truth. So what about the meaning of that word, and the true nature of it, ...

(Transcript and video by Alan available here - Suitable for beginners) [Sundara] We hear people talking about metta (kindness), karuna, (compassion) or pañña (understanding) for that matter. How do we know that they're speaking the truth? [A. Sujin] Because you see that there is no time at all before hearing the teachings to think about understanding the truth of whatever is there. We just take it so easy as this or that as we think, but just one word can be object of considering in order to understand the subtlety of each reality. For example, one at a time. What does it mean? What does it mean? The truth is that, at that very moment when pañña understands just a reality, only one, can there be other realities as object? Just like now. It means there's no understanding of any particular reality at all, just having the idea that they are all dhammas, they're conditioned, they are now appearing because of their arising and falling away, but that is all together, as...