Who speaks the truth

(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 the whole, as something. Flower, plate, bed, room, bird and so on. But actually, the world, the real world is not like that at all. When we talk about just one reality and pañña develops to understand each one, it means that at that moment, there's no thinking about other thing at all. And even thinking, what is there, it's not known because so many things in a day are so of very, very fine and subtle, no thought about it at all. Taking it for the whole all the time, but just one, even that word, to understand the wisdom, the great virtue of wisdom of the Buddha, to enlighten the truth of just one, what is there in one? See, but what appear in a moment? Different. Because what appears can appear only one at a time.

So now, how many times, how many moments? Because there are so many things around, but in truth, what is there appearing has to be just only one at a time. So what is the world? Not as we're used to live, at all, much different, because pañña can understand that clearer because only one appears as object, but now there can be the understanding of how much ignorance, not understanding anyone, just only one, clearly enough at all. We just talk about in general, seeing is that which experiences, but it has does not appear as only one. So the right understanding is not keen and clear and firm enough to let go the idea of things around even we don't speak out, but it's there, by the nature of it, the rapidity, the succession of that from moment to moment, how fast it is, just thinking about that very, very tiny, which impinges on the eye-base because the cup, the whole one, cannot impinge on it, but the eye-base is so very tiny and that which impinges on it has to be so tiny too, in a moment, from moment to moment, building up to be so many things around, right now. So begin to see how much ignorance, not understanding the truth, but begin to have more confidence of the truth, that the world appears only one at a time. Is it right or wrong? It's the beginning of having more confidence of the truth, firmer and firmer understanding of how much ignorance is there, unknown. That's why, pañña develops very little, but it's so true, it can understand what is right and what is not right. Just one at a time. Can that be object? If not, how can there be the understanding of one reality? And if there's not the moment of understanding that only one, can it be clear? because there are many things together, appearing together, no clear understanding of anyone of them, just understanding one reality. And how come pañña knows that the truth is that, in a moment there cannot be people and things and the whole world, but there must be just the absolute reality, which can impinge on the bases like the eye-base, ear-base and so on. Is it not true?

So the truth is quite far apart from ignorance because before this can appear to let go the idea of self, which has been accumulated quite a long, long time, aeons and aeons, only few words cannot eliminate the idea of self. As long as a reality does not appear yet in a moment, only one at a time, pañña cannot understand it as it is. We're just talking about that which experiences, but sound is there, visible object is there. Where is that which experiences? Different moments, different ones. And since reality arises and falls away so very rapidly as the Buddha taught about the details of the processes from one moment to another moment, never the same at all, by conditions. It can begin to understand the reality, as so far from as it really is. The world is dark, blind because of no understanding of the truth of only one at a time. But if the characteristic of that only one does not appear, how can there be the confidence of the truth? It's just like what Buddha taught from his enlightenment, and he showed the way to understand that as he taught, little by little, from intellectual understanding, and pañña knows that now, when only one object does not appear, it's impossible to understand that object as no self, because of ignorance. The table is not [taken to be] 'I' because it cannot experience anything, but only that which arises and experiences, and [because of] ignorance, not understanding its nature, that it is conditioned to arise and see, but [because of] not understanding the seeing, there is the idea of seeing as 'I'.

Even the near or far rupas, all are just ideas about realities, about the truth of it, until it appears, shows up, little by little because of understanding is there. Just like what we use to talk about. hardness, it's there, but the idea is that: it's something, but actually it's the nimitta of hardness, even it's not known as something like a thing, a hand or a table or whatever it is. That's why the world is just different from what it is, when there is understanding it's different from moment of no understanding about the truth. But when there is the understanding from hearing, right understanding knows that it's not the direct understanding of one reality yet, but the Buddha taught from his enlightenment of each one, which he, his great wisdom, experienced, the truth, quite incomparable.

That's why deep understanding begins to understand the truth of the word that it's just [being] talked about now, but even it does not appear as it is yet because right understanding is not enough, it's only knowing about: that which experiences, arises and falls away, [is] different from that which arise and does not experienced anything. Begins to understand the truth of each one, clearer, firmer, about no self. Otherwise we just try to get rid of the self, but no understanding of the truth, which is so very deep, very subtle, but the truth is that: what is now appearing, because the reality which experiences is conditioned to arise and falls away so very rapidly that it cannot be known and the object, which is experienced little by little, from moment to moment, conditions the nimitta, the shape and form of something, that can be known as what we take for flower or shoes or whatever. And what about the citta? It arises and falls away much more [faster] than the arising and falling away of rupa.

So the clinging to the self is so very, very strong, very sticky, that it cannot be taken away, just by the self, trying so hard, no understanding of anything at all. But to know that that is quite far to go, because the truth is the truth. Nobody can change the truth at all. The truth has to be the truth. And now we are talking about the truth, no matter who experienced it or not, but from his enlightenment, it can be known, little by little. Teaching the others to understand the truth of it, the absolute truth. Life is just that which is conditioned to arise to experience and to arise and not experiencing anything. Beginning to understand what is there now as the truth of it is so very deep, very subtle. But the truth is that in a moment there must be the object only one at a time, and one moment of experiencing at a time too, and what it's meant by, at a time, one at a time, at a time. And the truth is that it has to be just one at a time. That's why whatever appears, no matter what level of pañña, [is] that which arise as falls away so very rapidly.

So, what appears is just the nimitta of one reality, and from that nimitta of one thing, when they arise and fall together as shape and form and together like I all the time, seeing, hearing, thinking all the time. To understand the truth, no one, we don't have to try so hard to think about this and that, to understand that there's no I, but the truth of just one word, one at a time, one reality. And what appears is the nimitta of one reality, before it can be shape and form of bird and house and things. Is this not true? It depends on considering the truth. And that is pañña, no one at all, but pañña has to develop on and on and on to let go the idea of self and doubt, which is also upanissaya paccaya, or the very subtle kilesa, anusaya kilesa. Each word can lead to more understanding of the truth as not me, even that moment, there is doubt. It shows up as a reality as not me, but when there is no understanding, like seeing now, I see. So at that moment, I doubt, but actually they are different realities by conditions. So there can be the beginning of understanding what is meant by anatta no self at all, no one at all, and no thing, but they had different realities, arising and falling away so rapidly, that it cannot be known. So even sotopanna cannot change the way. Sotopanna, Buddha, Sariputta sees people and things.

But no doubt, no misunderstanding, no wrong understanding about that because the truth of each one appears and shows up through different stages of vipassana nana. No one, just, its time to talk about the truth to understand, that's it. And pañña begins and develops little by little, the way it is. Just to have more confidence of the truth, that the actual world, the truth of it, it's not just like we think, or what appears, because it appears to ignorance, no understanding of the succession of the way it is conditioned to arise and fall away, as long as there still are conditions for its arising, it has to arise because no one can stop [the] conditions for its arising.

And condition is not anyone at all, it is a characteristic of a reality. That's why, what is true is just a reality only so short, never to arise again, suññata, anatta. And the understanding is no one, not me, but it begins to understand the meaning the Buddha taught about this word, one moment, nimitta of reality and nimitta of things. And it's now, to begin to understand as much, by conditions. If there is more time to hear, to read, to think about it, it can condition more understanding. Because the truth is there any time, no regret about the past with ignorance, because all gone, no one.

[Nina] Ajahn mentioned the nimitta or realities and the nimitta of things, I would like to know the difference.

[A. Sujin] Is there seeing now? Seeing is not that which is seen, not that which is taken for flowers or shoes or house or window at all. Seeing [means]: when it cannot appear just only one, the succession of the arising and falling away now of that which sees can be known by nimitta, not just one moment of seeing. So, even the nimitta, from the nimitta of a reality to the nimitta of many realities arising so very rapidly, forming up the idea of shape and form and people and things. But what is the absolute truth? So, just one reality at a time, can bring more understanding, to be aware directly, with direct understanding, of only that which is the object of awareness right now, very normal, very natural, by conditions, no preparation, no expectation. Otherwise there cannot be the understanding of anatta and suññata. So anatta and suññata is not the word, but it's the reality and the word represents the truth of it, anatta. Not under anyone's control, no control, no one. Seeing now cannot be changed to other things, and it's gone.