Dhamma with Ajahn Sujin

(Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin in Thailand, Cha-Am - June 2022 transcribed by Huong edited by Alberto) Mai: why Ajahn doesn't teach often about conditions? Ajhan Sujin: because they don't know what is there now yet! So how can they understand the conditions? They don't know what seeing is, the reality which is the chief of experiencing that which impinges the eye base. Just this word, how long does it take to understand that it's not any cetasika, so we don't talk about cetasika, or in a day people do not mind about citta at all, just minding about that which is experienced, no thinking about citta which experiences each moment, the chief of experiencing; so the object appears to the citta, clearer than [to] the other realities which arise with citta, as cetasikas. It's not the chief of experiencing, but it is that which is attached immediately to that which is the object, no matter it is visible object or sound or anything. That’s why...

(Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom - Mon May 29th 2023 - part 2) 0:00 - Considering daily life to understand the truth [Vincent] About the cetana, in conventional, in daily life the will plays a very important role, Ajahn could you comment? [A. Sujin] There are so many realities and is any appearing now as it is? Even what we are just talking about: cetana is the word representing a reality which performs its function as: the reality which now arises with other cetasikas and citta, but they are quite different. In order to understand the truth of no-one-there-at-all, it has to be: understand what is there, just one reality at a time, to have more confidence of it, that it's different from the other and it's conditioned just to arise, perform its function and fall away. And all dhammas are so very subtle, that's why there has to be very careful considering about the words of the Buddha, talking about all dhammas in different degrees. Real...

(Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom - Mon May 29th 2023 - part 2) 00:00 - The three stages of pariyatti [A. Sujin] There are three stages of pariyatti: pariyatti of the four noble truths and then it leads to patipatti, pariyatti of patipatti and pariyatti of pativedha: pariyatti at level of understanding what is there as the absolute reality arising and falling away. But [now] it is not the moment when it's there experiencing just one reality at a time, but we're learning to understand one reality at a time, but it's not the moment of understanding one [reality] at a time [yet]: the second stage of pariyatti [patipatti] of the four noble truths, the second round. That's why there can be questions and answers and it seems like we enjoy and [have] piti about it, it's only understanding, the first level, intellectual understanding about what is there, in words, in thoughts. At moment of considering, understanding that seeing is not t...

(Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom - Mon May 29th 2023) [Tadao] Why is it so difficult to become aware of moha-mula-citta? [A. Sujin] What about citta, no matter it is moha[-mula] or seeing or thinking, what is citta? When there's the understanding of citta, no doubt about the moha-mula-citta or any kind of citta because of understanding what citta is. Is seeing very difficult... to understand the citta which sees? Or [is it] easier to understand than the moha-mula-citta? [Tadao] No, they're all difficult. [A. Sujin] That's why no doubt by the moha-mula-citta or lobha-mula-citta or dosa-mula-citta... because not enough understanding of citta... is that right? But when there is the understanding of the nature of citta no doubt about any citta. That's why even citta itself, alone... we don't talk about the other mental factors like cetasikas: anger and so on... just citta itself, it's not lobha, it's not the dosa, it...