Temporary death because it conditions the arising of next moment
(Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin in Sai Gon (VN) 01/03/2024 am.)
[T. Bach] So we heard that there are three kinds of death: the death at each moment, the momentary death. The ordinary death that everyone knows. And the death when the last citta of the arahatta falls away. So could you explain these three kinds of death, please.
[A. Sujin] Begin again, all the time, to consider the truth, which is right now. What do you think about death? What does it mean, death? We just use the word, but what is the meaning of it? That which is there falls away, never to arises again, is that the meaning of death? That which is there falls away completely, absolutely, ultimately, never to arise again. Is that what everyone knows about death? So now, what is there now falls away instantly, never to arise again, isn't that death too? So now, seeing sees, and where is now? It fell away instantly, never to arise again, the death of seeing, of whatever arises. And this is temporary death because it conditions the next moment to see again, hear again, think again, as long as one thinks that one lives: until death.
So the sammuti death, conventional death, is when someone dies, the end of this life, never be this person anymore, even for just a moment. And everyone knows that it's death, never to be this personality or this person anymore after that moment of death falls away. Common to every moment, even seeing right now falls away and the death moment arises and falls away, but it ends up this life to be this person. So now, as long as the death consciousness, the death moment, hasn't arisen yet, so it's not that which we take for death.
But right now, whatever arises falls away never to arise again, it's dead. It's not just to believe, but to understand the truth, little by little. That's why we're learning about the truth and the truth is every moment, to be learned, that is actually no one at all. Whatever arises, appearing now, falls way instantly, never to arise again. Is that another meaning of death? Temporary death. Seeing is so very, very short. Hearing is so very short. Nothing can stay long. Nothing can last. As soon as it has arisen, this is the truth that the Buddha had enlightened: as soon as whatever arises, performs its function, and then is gone instantly, never to arise again.
So the birth moment is the same, temporary death. And the other moment after seeing, the same the same, until death, the same, but what is meant by death? No more that person, after the death consciousness, a moment of a consciousness performing the function of departing, or never be this person again. And as soon as death has fallen away, new life, next life, next moment begins.
So there has to be another kind of death, the final death for arahatta. After death moment has fallen away, no more anything to arise after death because all conditions which condition each moment now, can never be there at all, completely eradicated. When there's no cause, there's no result. When there's no previous moment with akusala, anusaya, the accumulation of akusala on and on, which are passed from one moment to another one, ends up. Nothing can condition the next moment. And that is the final death for arahatta only.
So there can be the understanding of each word. What is death? Is that which can never arise again after it has fallen away. So how long will this person be for? Who knows? Can be just only now, or this evening or tomorrow and more than that, months and years, who knows? Depending on conditions. Whatever arises falls away instantly, no matter its birth moment or death moment or seeing now or hearing now, is it true? It's there from birth here, but who knows the truth that what is there appearing has to be conditioned to arise, no one can make it arise at all. Seeing right now is conditioned. Hearing right now is conditioned. Thinking about that which is seen or heard, it's here only a moment and then gone. So life exists only in a moment, only, never two moments together at all. And each moment arises and falls away, temporary death, never to return, until the end of this life, no more this person. That is the death that we know, the sammuti death, conventional death. And the final death, is it possible? Nothing arises after that moment has fallen away, the death consciousness of arahatta.
So now, the Teachings of the Buddha are not far away from this moment, so close. Just a moment, a moment, a moment by conditions. That's why no matter we think that we are learning about Dhamma, it's not about the words, but it's about the truth, represented by the words, for each one, as seeing is a moment of a consciousness of the reality which, whenever it arises, experiences an object. Can anyone stop it from performing its function to arise to experience the object through the eyes or ears or nose or tongue or body or mind, or even not through those six doorways, it's there from birth unknown. That's why the Buddha taught what is birth, without that which arises and experiences the object, is it birth? And how come the body? What conditions it, arising together at the moment of birth.
That's why we learn about the truth, which is there from birth to death, that is here, and that is the meaning of learning about the truth of life or understanding each word of the Teachings, is just to understand what is there now from moment to moment. Otherwise, there can never be the understanding of the truth of what is now appearing, at moment of seeing, from birth, it's always I-see because it's moment of something is seen and the seeing itself sees it, but no understanding of the truth of these two at all.
That's why it's always a moment of seeing, no one, so it's me or I-see. At moment of hearing right now, no one at that moment of hearing, so it's I-hear, unknowingly, but it's there. That's why the Teachings of the Buddha about the truth is so very, very subtle. It's there, but what appears it's just the surface of that which is so very deep. Now seeing arises and falls away, seeing the truth, but it's so deep. Hearing is not seeing, and many cittas arise and fall away, in order, by conditions, see. Everything is by conditions. That's why there are so many conditions for whatever arises.
Very easy example is seeing, without the eye base, the eye, and that which can impinge on the eye, can there be seeing? Before seeing there's no seeing, but by such conditions, it conditions, seeing just to see, only that which impinge on the eyebase and then fall away, all of them. Even that which impinge on the eye, seeing or the seen, or that which is the base for seeing to arise, all gone, dead, each one.
No doubt about death now right now, until the end of this life, no more this person. Just like no more last person in the last life and next life and on and on. Just understand the truth of it, whether it's true or not right now, seeing is not moment of hearing, there cannot be seeing and hearing together, by conditions. That's why the dhamma, the truth of what is there in life, it's so very subtle. But it can be studied, beginning to understand what is dhamma, the truth of whatever is there and where is dhamma, it's not far away, so close. We don't have to go anywhere to find it, to study it, but it's there now. So now it's time to study the truth, which is so close. Isn't it now, death?
Mp3 audio file:
2024-03-01-am_death is now.mp3
#dhammahometv source video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GzH0ysvuCA