Vayo-dhatu: that which is pressure

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[Vincent] When we say feeling is a disease, it's the root because it's the root for disease, or any other khandhas, could you talk more about this?

[A. Sujin] I think that we just talk about everything to understand the word and the term, but not understanding the absolute truth. For example, while one is having food or after having food, sometimes there can be some uneasy feeling too, is that right? and we think that that very moment it's uneasy and it's unpleasant, the bodily feeling. We just know that, but what about the reality which is there? Today, taking food has been very smooth, but sometimes it's not like that at all, so what is there? It's a reality, no matter we call it disease or vayo-dhatu, the wind element, or whatever, but it shows up as: it is just that, it has its characteristic, not as usual after eating or while eating. All realities are there, unknown until the Buddha taught about them, each one as it is, different one. We can explain what one feels at that very unpleasant moment, but what is the truth of that? What is there when there is the stomach trouble? We just understand that it's not good at all, the stomach is not as usual, but what is there? The characteristic of a reality is there, not the word. Anyone who has such experience just knows what it is without words or no... not enough words to explain, but it's there as it is. The feeling experiences it, but the [other] reality cannot experience anything at all, and we just use words to explain it, but the characteristic is not as usual as [while] one's taking food or after taking food: the stomach trouble.

So it's a kind of rupa because at that moment it doesn't experience anything, but it's not hard[ness] or soft[ness] as usual, and there can be the experiencing only [when] it's there, but when it's not there it's not as that. So it means that it's not hard it's not soft, it's not hot or cold, so what is it? So it's a kind of rupa: that which arises, has its own characteristic, but it cannot experience anything, that's the characteristic of rupa, any kind of rupa, but what rupa is there? From the Teachings of the Buddha, what is that? What word did he use to point out to that characteristic which is different from other characteristics? What word is that, what word is used for that? Is there any word of the Buddha just pointing out to that characteristic? In Pali it is vayo-dhatu, but sometimes we use different words like wind element, why do we use the word wind? It moves, it's not still. As much as one can know it when it's that moment of moving. So when it's time that it's different from heat and cold or soft[ness] and hard[ness], it's that which is pressure, which makes that moment uncomfortable. Is there a reality which is like that? It's there when it is there but when it's not there it is not that which shows up as the element which is moving or pressure. [Of] the four primary rupas, that which is hard or soft is experienced most in a day, but through the body, that which is not hard or soft, heat or cold, it's a reality, different from the others. We've heard about the four primary rupas, but when any one appears, is there any understanding of it as not self or anything at all? And when hardness or softness is experienced, can there be moments of thinking about vayo-dhatu? It's there but it doesn't appear. So, when it appears it's not hard, it's not soft, it's not heat or cold, that's why even it's so real it's not easy to understand its nature as no thing, no one at all.

So, when we use the term paramattha-dhamma, abhi-dhamma, or the absolute truth, it has to be the truth, not just anyone at all. And usually so much thinking in a day, whatever is there is the object of thinking, instantly, but at the moment of understanding its nature it's not thinking about words. So, is there motion and pressure in the body? Is there any doubt about it as it's not hard or soft, hot or cold? So there are diseases from the four primary rupas too, when they're not proper enough, to be as usual. Different diseases are conditioned by different dhatus, for example, when it's conditioned by vayo-dhatu or apo-dhatu or pathavi-dhatu or tejo-dhatu. But when there's not enough understanding it's taken for something or I, thinking "I'm having such disturbing situation" and so on.

So the preciousness of understanding is [that] it lets go the idea of things as this or that into understanding the characteristic which appears as it is, only one at a time. Like at moment of hardness no thoughts about other things because hardness is there as the object of experiencing. So the absolute [truth] can be known after hearing the Teachings and considering what is there as it is, little by little. He taught about the four primary rupas, so at moment of touching no word whether it's heat or cold, soft or hard. And when it's vayo-dhatu, no word because it's there as it is, which is different from soft[ness] or hard[ness]. And this can condition the understanding of that which is there, but it's still me or mine as long as it's not directly known as it is, one by one.

So listening to the Teachings of the words about whatever is there at any moment can condition moment of beginning to understand the meaning of His words, just about that which is now appearing. The words of truth, about the absolute truth, can condition right understanding of the truth as: no one and no thing at all, little by little. Otherwise there must be wrong understanding taking everything for something or I all the time, eons and eons ago and on and on. The truthful[ness] to the truth has to be developed too, and this is parami... without understanding why would one listen to the Teachings? To understand what is there now in life, from moment to moment, until what He said it's not forgotten, when time comes to condition the moment of sati, at different levels too. So the truth is the truth, why does one listen to the words of the Buddha? To know what is there in life or to understand the truth of: no one there at all, otherwise there cannot be conditions for direct awareness with understanding of that which is now appearing, developing little by little, so very little at a time. The truth is so very subtle, very deep, but it can be understood, from now [on], little by little, otherwise how can there be the moment of enlightening the truth, of this moment?

Is there's still questions about the vayo-dhatu, or disease, bodily or mentally?