Vāyo dhātu, that which is pressure (1st part)

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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 which appears, [it's] not that which is there and gone. This is the way why that which arises and falls away does not appear as it is, but appears as something all the time. Even from intellectual understanding - whatever now appears arises and falls away, never to return - it's only the idea and the thinking about the truth, while no-thing at all is the object of understanding at that moment.

Without the vāyo dhātu, can there be the moving of the lips and tongue at moment of speaking? So, many things are there unknown, appearing and disappearing instantly, and there is attachment to that which becomes the object after that one, which has gone instantly. That's the way the truth of what is there now is covered up, because of ignorance and attachment all the time. There is attachment to anything which is not known like sañña/memory, remembering now that which appears, it does not appear as only that which remembers. The same as vāyo dhātu you're talking now, sañña is there now, who knows? Only learning about each moment there must be the reality which is conditioned by its proper condition to understand the characteristics, only one at a time, as it is. Letting go attachment to that which does not appear, little by little. For example now, there must be vāyo dhātu, but it doesn't show up because no thought about it as - it doesn't show up - and just trying to look for it. What about that which appears now? And we have learned about this truth, but no attention, no awareness, no understanding it as when it appears. And attachment pushes one away from understanding that which is now appearing, all the time. Craving with desire to have it as object of understanding, not understanding that which now appearing as it is. If it's still like this, can it be higher understanding directly of the object which is now appearing? But the reminders about that which is now, seeing hearing thinking liking disliking, can condition moment of being aware, little by little, of that which is there, by conditions, unexpectedly. Is that which is now appearing not so interesting as the other thing that does not appear? And what covers up its truth?

TB. Can you say that again Ajahn?

Su. Like hardness now, no understanding, no direct awareness, just thinking about other things. So, when will it show up as it is? It looks like what appears now is not as interesting as other things which do not appear, until right understanding of this moment develops, little by little, so that it can appear to pañña, to see it well, a little better at a time. So now, is still there any doubts about vāyo dhātu?

TB. Yes. So, I'm just trying to understand correctly what you said, that the vāyo dhātu usually doesn't appear when it arises with pathavi dhātu and tejo dhātu.

Su. But, that it's daily life, at moment of moving, is there vāyo dhātu? But as it's not touched, vitakka is not there, phassa is not there. So how can it appear, even it's there?

(second part here)


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