Sangha ratana: such a long way, but so true, so clear

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[Tadao] I have one more question, in what sense the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha are ratana, gems?

[A. Sujin] What's the meaning of ratana or gem? The most precious thing among everything in the world, what is the most precious thing, reality?

[Tadao] I'd like to say they are important things for life.

[A. Sujin] Yes, but with what is the most important thing not to be blind or ignorant [of]?

[Tadao] As a buddhist, the Buddha and Dhamma and Sangha are very important.

[A. Sujin] But actually, what is the three or the triple gem? Without right understanding, can there be any of the three gems? So, just [for an] ordinary person to become Buddha, by what? Without any understanding? Or only the highest understanding, not to anyone, only one who had developed paramis enough, to have such understanding, so great. What he taught was just like some few leaves in his hand, while his understanding was like the leaves in the forest. So even just one word he said it's not very easy to take it just as "I understand it". For example dhamma, just that word, it means no one, but now it's so many people and things. And how can there be the moment of understanding the truth of that: just only one at a time, to be sharp enough, firm enough to let go the idea of the self which has been accumulated in aeons and aeons. So, right understanding at that level is gem, the best, the most precious thing.

Only one to [be] that very person who has enlightened the truth: the Buddha. So, Buddha ratana, one gem, is the Enlightened One, the Buddha: without him how could anyone not have been blind to the truth of this very moment anymore? So great, so precious, in samsara, not just in this very moment. It had to be accumulated on and on and on, of the truth, which is now to realize the truth of it naturally, by conditions, otherwise it cannot let go the idea of self, if someone can do, but no one there. This is the point, the highest point at the end of listening: to attain the truth.

And without his Teachings, Dhamma ratana, how can there be understanding of that? So, what is Dhamma ratana? Nibbana and lokuttara Dhammas. And how can there be the moment of attaining the truth? From the Teaching of the truth. So, each word of Dhamma conditions the understanding of the truth of what is there now.

So, the [last] one, Sangha ratana, is one who has developed the understanding of the precious thing in life, in the world and listened and developed right understanding. So, the people or the person who have enlightened the truth, anytime, not just in the past, even right now or in the future, it depends on samsara and the plane of existence that the Buddha taught about, everything. [One] who has enlightened the truth as the Buddha has enlightened, but not by himself, but from the Teachings of the Enlightened One. At the moment of becoming enlightened, that person is Sangha ratana, no matter monks or lay people, man or woman, boy or aged, it doesn't matter because it's the pañña which has developed on and on and on: [by] walking, going on the path little by little, until reaching the goal, the enlightenment of the truth of what is there now: no doubt, whatever, any time.

Sangha ratana means only the ariyan who has enlightened the truth. So the monk now is not the Sangha if that monk [is not an ariyan]. So, can a person be Sangha ratana? Like Visakha Migaramata, Anathapindika? Because, who are Sangha ratana? Those who are enlightened, those, anyone. It's not limited to monks or anyone, but to pañña which has enlightened the truth.

[Sarah] And that's why one pays respect to the Sangha, to those who have become enlightened and taught the truth no matter who or when or whether male female monk, lay person, old or young.

[Tadao] I have these gems in my safety deposit box in my bank...

[A. Sujin] Is there any understanding, in being rich? What about if you are poor but have enlightened the truth? Or what about if you are so rich but no understanding of the truth? Who's poorer?

[Tadao] Yes, understanding is important.

[A. Sujin] This is firm confidence, a little more, a little more. No matter what happened, not by you or anyone but by conditions. Developing on and on over aeons and aeons, each moment, to be this very moment. If one doesn't think that Dhamma is so very easy one can understand the subtlety of the enlightenment, what does it mean: enlightening the truth, and what is the truth? That which now has arisen by conditions and gone. Otherwise it cannot let go the idea of self, permanently or absolutely.

[Tadao] Understanding realities as they are is most important in our lives but for instance when I listen to your talks in Thai on the net I have a sort of not strong but underlying desire to have more sati and pañña.

[A. Sujin] Does that mean the understanding of Dhamma? When there is the desire to be such and such, which is not the understanding of the truth.

[Tadao] Yeah, no no no, it's not.

[A. Sujin] So, what's the purpose of listening to the Teachings, the true words about the truth of what is there now, what is the point?

[Tadao] To better understanding.

[A. Sujin] That's why understanding can be at any time, of anything, when it's the moment of considering each word clearer and clear and clearer, more firm, to be Sangha ratana, in the end. So, one can understand that the best moments in life are the moments of understanding, and that can condition more interest in the truth of this very moment. Because usually it goes a long way away from this very moment, thinking about this and that and the money in the bank and on and on, but what is this very moment? It's gone, no one. When there's no thinking about money in the bank, where's the money? Where's the "I" who has such amount of money? Impossible, so, actually the truth is no one, what is now appearing is a reality to be known because it's there as it is, as not self, to develop the understanding of letting go. Because when death comes, where is the money belonging to someone? Only at the moment of thinking about it. While one is asleep, where's "the money"? Where is "I", where is "my friend" and where is "my possessions", "my honor" or whatever? Never appears at all because actually it's not there. What is there is only bhavanga citta, who can control it or stop it? Impossible, by conditions.

And it's so true because who knows how long one will live in this life? It could be only this evening, or tomorrow, what about the understanding and letting go the clinging and ignorance of that which is always there from moment to moment in life. And this is the best thing, the most precious ratana, to get closer and closer to the truth to realize the lokuttara Dhamma, Dhamma ratana, to be[come] Sangha ratana, not me or not anyone: it's only Sangha ratana, realities, natures, not anyone who attains or who has enlightened the truth. So, each word should be considered carefully, so very carefully, again and again and again, what for? To condition firm confidence of the truth of this moment, it has to be now only, to be known and it has to be this moment only which can be known.

[Tadao] You often say that we have to think carefully again and again but kicca-ñana (direct understanding) is not the easiest thing, I really do not understand how one can think about realities of this moment.

[A. Sujin] So, right understanding understands that actually that is a moment of not understanding what is taken for "I". For example, feeling is there, memory is there, sankhara khandha is there, vinññana khandha is there, not known. Just attending to that which is there and usually as something. And instead of thinking of something it begins to understand... even just thinking about the words "no I", "it's not me". It can be repeated in mind, but it's not the moment of awareness of the characteristics which is not self, but it is the beginning of not forgetting about the truth, even thinking in words is conditioned.

So, one knows how much understanding of the words of the Teachings [is there], in a day. What about when there's no hearing that day at all and hearing again, sometime in the day. This is the difference, this is the development of right understanding, by conditions too. No one can do, only understanding lets go, more and more by little and little at a time, to understand what is there, directly. That's why there are different stages of understanding, intellectual understanding, it seems like someone says it's easy, but actually it's not easy at all to know that what can be known is this very moment. Who thinks about it? Just thinking about the story of what is said, but what for, to listen to the words of truth? To condition moment of understanding what is there now. Otherwise it's not the second stage, the patipatti (direct understanding), it's only the pariyatti (intellectual understanding). And this is courageous... courage, patience to understand the truth which is now there as it is and it can show up to pañña which lets go of clinging to that which is before the moment of direct understanding and [to] that which follow this moment, with attachment, covering up the truth.

That's why the Buddha taught about everything, for example: what is the opposite of metta? What is it, the enemy of metta, that [which] hinders the arising of metta? Not "how can I...?", impossible, that's wrong. So, the understanding of Dhamma is not enough as long as there is the idea to do, not understanding the truth of anatta. So the Buddha taught about why metta cannot arise, there must be conditions too. And what is the near enemy there to metta? Without understanding only, just craving to have metta... impossible, not letting go anything at all, and each word of the Buddha conditions letting go. What about having metta with understanding of not me, no one: "I'm just having metta". What is the Teaching of the Buddha? To consider each word which means the truth, the absolute truth, the subtlety of the reality, of each reality. Even metta, only right understanding can can tell or can know whether it's not attachment, it's metta. Or whether it is attachment, not metta at all, and it's there in daily life, not known.

And learning the Teaching, considering it carefully, will condition little by little to have more understanding, which is the reality which lets go of wrong understanding and ignorance. So subtle, so natural. So long but so true. So, there can be the moment of considering whether there can be other ways to realize the truth, to let go ignorance and clinging right now, and more in the future, not just only one moment of ignorance and attachment.

[Alberto] Ajahn, the second gem is the Teachings of the Buddha but also the lokuttara Dhammas and nibbana, is that Dhamma ratana, right?

[A. Sujin] Is [it] the word ratana or is it the truth ratana? For example, Iti'pi So Bhagavā, what does it mean? We can talk about or learn about the virtues of the Buddha: Iti'pi So Bhagavā. And then for Dhamma ratana: Svākkhāto Bhagavatā Dhammo, Sandiṭṭhiko and so on. Without the enlightenment of the Buddha, can a person become an enlightened one? So, when we use the term Buddha what do we mean? The virtues of that special one, only one in the whole world, in samsara or in the universe. And for Dhamma, if it's not the lokuttara Dhammas, can lobha, which is dhamma, be ratana?

[Sukin] The lobha of course it's not ratana, but without the Teachings there cannot be understanding of lobha as lobha.

[A. Sujin] That's why when we talk about Svākkhāto Bhagavatā Dhammo: taught by the Buddha, sandiṭṭhiko, akāliko, ehipassiko... all concern the enlightenment, the lokuttara Dhammas include the Teachings of the Buddha: Svākkhāto Bhagavatā Dhammo. And for the sāvaka, different ones: Suppaṭipanno Bhagavato [Sāvakasaṅgho] and so on. Otherwise we just recite the words, not understanding the meaning of each word, the difference between the three. Because Sangha ratana doesn't include the Teachings... of whom? The Enlightened One. Because the Teaching is just about the development of understanding to realize the Dhamma, the lokuttara Dhammas.

[Sukin] So Ajahn, what are you're saying is that, similarly to pariyatti, it's not just the word, when we say Dhamma ratana we also refer to the reality of those dhammas.

[A. Sujin] That's why each word should be studied to understand its absolute truth, so very subtle. Just "Buddha", who's the Buddha? If there is no understanding of reality, can there be the understanding or the knowing [of] who's the Buddha, and what's meant by Buddha? Buddha has enlightened the truth and the savaka also enlightens the truth, but who's the Buddha and who's the savaka? That's why there are three ratanas. Can we change the three ratanas not to be Buddha ratana, Dhamma ratana and Sangha ratana? Sangha ratana [to] be Dhamma ratana?

[Alberto] All three are about right understanding but different aspects of the same reality which is pañña... I don't know.

[A. Sujin] That's why [these] three words should be understood clearly, otherwise no understanding when we say Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi, Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Because, can the savaka, even the savaka who has enlightened the truth, be the Buddha ratana and Dhamma?

[Alberto] No way, not at all.

[A. Sujin] So, even Dhamma ratana is just Dhamma ratana, but the [first] one who has enlightened... not as the others... only one, that is the Buddha and the one who has enlightened from hearing considering developing, to the level of Sangha, can he/she be changed to another level? Impossible. That's why there are three ratanas: Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, the truth cannot be changed.

[Sarah] I think that when referring to the truth here is referring to the realization of the truth.

[A. Sujin] Is sotapanna Sangha ratana? Even they're not arahattas. So who are Sangha ratana it's taught: because of the truth. Even [if] sotapanna is not arahatta, but she or he is Sangha ratana, because of the enlightenment of the truth.

[Sundara] And it says that clearly, Tan Ajahn, when we pay tribute to Sangha when it's referred to the sotapatti magga and phala, those two moments are acknowledged as the wisdom which realizes nibbana.

[A. Sujin] Isn't a joy to know that it can be realized, to become sotapatti magga or Sangha ratana? Such a long way, but so true, so clear, no doubt about what is meant by the reality which has its characteristic, in a day, at any time in life in samsara. That's why they're all learning, savakas, only arahatta is not a learning one.