The newcomer, or being puzzled by what is there now

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(Excerpt from a Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin Boriharnwanaket on Zoom on Sat Nov 19th 2022.)


00:00 - Is there now?
[A. Sujin] I think that we shouldn't forget that a newcomer is a newcomer, no idea at all about the truth about life about any moment. That’s why if we just give her or that person many many things, many many words not familiar to that person at all, what would that be?

That's why I think that the question or food for thought for considering is most important for anyone's own understanding even it seems... sometimes one may think like it's too easy, or crazy or not suitable at all, but in truth, can there be the answer to: is there now? Just very simple [question], is there now? Newcomer, can someone stand for the newcomer? For the newcomer, what's that "is there now?". What is "now"? What is the meaning of "is there now?" Is it true or not true? Beginning to consider the truth, what is the answer for this very simple question: is there now? Yes or no?

[Sukin] Ajahn, when you say "now" I already think about citta and cetasikas and it's already going wrong.

[A. Sujin] That's the subtlety of all dhammas, otherwise we think that Dhamma is quite very easy, very simple, [that] it can be known [just] by words only, but in truth it's not like that. Isn't it there all the time? Now and now and now and now, moment to moment, eons and eons ago, no understanding of what is there at all. And on and on and on if there's no questions to think carefully about why there is such question: is there now? See, just live. So, is there now? Very simple. But [is it] easy or difficult to understand the meaning of now?

02:33 - What is there now?
[Harji] But we don't have any understanding of now, we can say that now citta and cetasikas and all that...

[A. Sujin] A newcomer hasn't heard about these three words citta, cetasikas and rupa, no idea at all, but just now, is there now? [Yes] When one says there is now, what is there now?

[Harji] Seeing, hearing ...

03:04 - One moment seeing, another moment hearing: just different nows
[A. Sujin] Okay, one moment seeing, another moment hearing: just different nows, right? [Yes] So, there is seeing and what is seeing? It's there... No understand of seeing at all. Otherwise, what is seeing? It's there, the right answer is the understanding of it.

It is quite puzzling, what is there now. Is there now? Yes, there is now. So, what is there now? More than just "there is now", but what is there now? Because one just answered that there is now, it means that there is no understanding of now. Because the question is: what is there? Newcomer, don't forget. Quite new, every word of truth is so new to the newcomer, very difficult, because now, now, now, no understanding of any now at all.

So, who can understand now has enlightened the truth of what is there all the time: now, now, now. That's why when there is no understanding and if there is questioning, talking, for understanding the truth, it cannot be known, what is there now. You can ask anyone what is there now, no idea at all. So, pretend or suppose [to be] the newcomer. Would anyone like to stand as newcomer? So, what is there? Is there now? Yes or no?

[Alan] I'll answer that question. Yes, there is now, there is seeing now.

[A. Sujin] Okay, what is seeing? Because you said there is seeing, it's there, so what is it.

[Alan] It's "I see".

[A. Sujin] "I see", okay, so seeing is I, right? But when there's no seeing, where's the I?

[Alan] There's no I when there's no seeing.

[A. Sujin] So, at moment of hearing is "I hear", but when there's no hearing, where's the the I?

[Alan] Yes, there's no I when there is no hearing, so when I'm fast asleep, there's no I because there's no seeing and no hearing.

06:03 - What is that "now"?
[A. Sujin] You're thinking about moments of being asleep, but we're talking just about the moment which is there now to be known. This is something in the mind of those who have heard some or a lot of truth about it, but [for] the newcomer, no idea at all. Is there now? They might think why such question was asked, but the truth is that there is now. So, when they think [about it] they can answer [the question] "is there now?" [with] "there is now", but what is that "now"? And when there is seeing... it has to be the idea of someone who has heard about the truth, otherwise how could they think about seeing, they would think about the story: flowers or things like that.

So, for the newcomer, no idea about the truth at all. The truth is there to be talked about, to consider about that, in truth, what is it? It's a moment, just a moment of seeing, is that right? Let them think and have confidence of their understanding, of their answers, little by little. So, there isn't always seeing, some moment seeing and some other moments hearing and then different ones all the time. So, where is the "I"? Let them find out by themselves.

Is there I or is there seeing? Little by little, to understand that actually, what is there is by conditions, little by little. Who can make seeing arise? And something like that, little by little, for them to understand what is meant by reality or dhamma, because what is real is real, it's a reality, it has its own characteristic to [be] understood, [just] beginning, not very deep, but later on more confidence of the truth, that seeing cannot be anyone at all, and without conditions seeing cannot arise. So, in truth is there I or things around?

08:29 - Talking about one doorway at a time
Just talk about one doorway at a time, for them to think, to consider in truth, to have more confidence of: actually what is there is only a reality conditioned by many conditions, little by little, from one word to another word, to understand the difference between that which experiences and that which cannot experience. The point is that actually there is no permanent thing, no one at all, only a moment of conditioned realities, no one can stop the arising of what is there which is conditioned to arise right now. What can be known is now. Now there is seeing, while we are talking, and seeing just sees non stop, it seems like that, but what is the truth? Let them consider just a moment, a moment. Seeing is not moment of hearing, not moment of thinking, so what are there in life? Six doorways. And what is there cannot be taken for the other, or I or anything at all.

Seeing is there by conditions, so it just arises to see and then gone. That's all. Isn't that true? Beginning to help them to hatch the idea of the truth, that the truth is there but if no one had enlightened the truth, no words about it at all. Can there be helping time for the newcomer to have the understanding of the ultimate truth? No one can make seeing arise, no one can change seeing to be other moment and no one can stop seeing to arise at all, all by conditions. Let them have confidence of the truth, little by little, to understand the truth that's all around [us] in a day: no understanding of anything at all.

And so ignorance is a reality too, different from right understanding, so, they begin to see the difference of one reality from another reality, on and on and on. The "I" cannot be found because it's not there at all, there is no reality which is "I" at all, seeing is seeing, hearing is hearing, thinking is thinking, feeling is feeling, remembering is remembering.

11:17 - More confidence to understand paccayas, conditions
Can this help the newcomer to understand the truth of this moment? Not in Pali terms or not the paccaya (condition) in the beginning, but "what is there?", when they have confidence they can understand what kind of paccaya is there, for the citta (consciousness) and the cetasikas (mental factors), even they are different, they arise together by conditions, they cannot be separated at all. And that is by conditions: sampayutta (association) paccaya, sahajata (conascence) paccaya... they are there from the very beginning, but we don't have to name the until there is understanding of the truth of any condition. Afterwards, when we use the word or the name for it they'll understand instantly, no doubt about: whatever is there is conditioned, by many conditions too.

So how can there be anyone or anything because of what is there is gone, never to return at all, only once in samsara. And the understanding of this, more and more, firmer and firmer, conditions the moment of the directly understanding what is there as it hasn't been known before at all, right now. For example, hardness and that which experiences it, that which sees, and that which is experienced is seen, they are all there to be known, but the truth of it is that nothing can be permanent at all, very very briefly, just to be condition and then gone, so rapidly, that's why it cannot be known. And very, very subtle too.

Consider each word to have more confidence, one moment of experiencing can experience only one object, by conditions: ekaggata (one-pointedness) cetasika is there... little by little, learning one reality at a time, not all together at the [same] time, and not understanding anyone at all, but to learn when a moment is there to be known, can the citta which sees also hear? Impossible, different conditions, the visible object is seen: it's the object of seeing, but the sound is heard, and so the sound is not the seen. No one can make it arise, but it's there all the time in life from moment to moment, by conditions. Learning to understand conditions, in order to understand the truth, that without conditions, nothing can arise at all. And it arise just for a very short moment, split seconds of a moment... and split seconds of a split second: now.

As soon as one opens one's eyes, what is seen are many things, but in truth, the white color is not the black color, it has to be seen one at a time, not together at all. This is the way to let them understand what is there in life.

14:40 - The reality which considers the truth
And not just an intellectual understanding, pariyatti, but it has to understand what's meant by each word of the truth, deeper and deeper, stage by stage. That's why it's so very subtle, that it cannot be known without the word of the truth from the Enlightened One. Because in a day, no time at all to think about the truth of what is there in life. But it's there, it can be known, and the reality which cannot understand is there, and understanding, a reality which considers the truth, little by little, until it can understand what is there as it is, it's different realities, and we use the word avijja (not understanding) and vijja (understanding) and so on to understand what is there, not just the words and no understanding of what is there, even now, at all.

Beginning to learn to understand the truth, word by word, one by one until it's clear. For example, what is seeing? Who can answer that it sees? Because without understanding what it is, it's impossible to think that it sees only because usually it's I see.

16:18 - More understanding = less ignorance
What is true, what is real, what is reality? It can be known because it is condition in life, by many, many words of truth like anusaya (unwholesome latent tendencies), asaya (all latent tendencies) and so on. To understand the difference between one moment to another moment, different conditions added, or less, more ignorance or less ignorance? A little more understanding, a little less moments of ignorance.

And I think that that's the only way: let them think and consider, no one can force anyone to believe, to change one's idea. But it can be studied, it can be considered wisely, carefully, little by little, until it lets go of the idea of: I would like to know, I would like to do, I would like to experience, I would like to become sotapanna and so on.

If there's no understanding of the subtlety of each reality one might think that it's not as difficult, it's not as profound, it's not as very subtle, but in truth all dhammas are subtle, even hardness right now, it does not appear as it is, only one, so how can it be known clearly as no one and no thing at all.

Just learn to understand one reality at a time, to know that in life there is only seeing, hearing smelling tasting touching, thinking and moments when there's no experiencing through any of the six doorways at all. For example, at moment of being fast asleep, not dead yet, by conditions.

So, what conditions the moment of seeing right now and then no more, by conditions. We learn to understand conditions for each moment. What is there in life can be known, can appear, can show up, little bit little, to understanding only because now it's there as it is, but ignorance can not understand it at all, but when there is understanding, it's there. It's there, it's not I who sees.

In a day even after hearing a lot about dhammas or what is there as reality, no one, it's not enough to condition moment of direct awareness with understanding of even hardness. But when it's there: by conditions, suddenly, instantly, unexpectedly because it hasn't arisen yet right now. But what is there now accumulated? To understand what is there when it appears, by conditions. Not under anyone's control, even right now.