Dhamma with Ajahn Sujin

(Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin in Vung Tau - VN - on 2024/03/06 am) [A. Sujin] Shall we talk about this moment? Because what we've heard is there now, but it's not known, just heard about it. And the point of listening to the truth is not just hearing, considering, understanding, but it has to be moment of realizing the truth of what is there, just one reality at a time. This is very important, otherwise it's not careful considering at all about just one reality. We talk about now, any moment. So it can be seeing or hearing or thinking. They are different. But what is there as the chief from birth? If there's no understanding enough, there can never be the understanding of seeing right now at all. Just the word about what is there at the moment of seeing, how many cetasikas are there, only words. But now, the most precious moment in life, any life, depending on conditions, is the moment of not just thinking about seeing now, but understanding the n...

( Excerpt from the EN-VN Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Sun May 12th 2024.) [Q] Hiri is the shame of akusala and ottappa is the fear of akusala. So can they arise with domanassa (unpleasant mental feeling)? [A. Sujin] When you use the word shame, what is there? [Q] Usually we feel some negative feeling. [A. Sujin] Unpleasant moment or pleasant moment? [Q] Usually we think of unpleasant moment. [A. Sujin] That's the way we talk about, the usage of that word,but the truth, the reality is far from any word at all. Because there must be considering about the nature of the truth of what is there. For example, the cloth is clean, but when someone puts something on it, when it's black, some might not like it, but when it's other color, someone might like it, to be painted with such color. But thinking about when there's nothing there, only clean cloth, no dots, no color, no dirtiness at all. And the moment when it's there with dots, black dots or blue or ugl...

( Excerpt from the EN-VN Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Sun May 12th 2024.) [Q] So, at this moment I am hearing the Dhamma, there is hearing and there is sound which is heard. [A. Sujin] Who makes the hearing arise? [No one.] That's why there must be conditions for its arising, because before hearing there is no hearing. How come to be hearing? Without kamma as condition it cannot arise at all, but it needs other conditions as well, because kamma conditions birth moment, no hearing yet. That's why there must be other conditions, to condition its arising, is that right? Otherwise who makes it arise? [Yes.] And who can condition birth moment to arise? Seeing, hearing, smelling, any moment, who makes it arise? Why seeing is not hearing? What conditions it to be different, or who makes it to be different? [Kamma.] Okay, it's easy to say It's Kamma, but what is kamma? Without kamma, can there be birth consciousness and seeing and hearing? [No.] So, we understa...

(Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on May 11th 2024.) [Sarah] Any painful bodily feeling now? [Jotika] Well, if I move a little bit, it is there. [Sarah] The moment of laughing, no painful bodily feeling. [A. Sujin] Is laughing now conditioned by kamma? While one is laughing, is that moment conditioned by kamma or what? Or not at all? Laughing, pleasant feeling. [Pleasant.] It's not the vipaka (result), right? Because we are talking about five kinds of feeling. The bodily feelings... only two: pleasant, at the moment of touching, very soft, very pleasant, so that the feeling right then is pleasant feeling. But when it's sore or whatever, one doesn't like, itching and so on, unpleasant bodily feeling. Without body, there cannot be itching or fever or whatever, like stomach ache or head ache, nothing at all when there's no body, right? Head ache, sore throat and so on are conditioned by kamma to condition unpleasant vipaka through the body. So, w...

  Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on May 11th 2024 am [Sarah] Ajahn, there was a question about lobha arising, and Zao's question was, is there vitakka at that moment, or that may have been your question to someone in the discussion. Perhaps you would like to add more for him. [A. Sujin] Yes, just to understand how subtle each moment is. There is seeing right now, who knows that there are only seven cetasikas, arising by kamma, to condition the moment of seeing with the other cetasikas, by kamma. So, the moment, the result of kamma, it's time to see... it arises to see, and each cetasika, seven cetasikas arise together, that's all. It's so very weak, very fast, just only one moment of seeing. Who knows? It's not that which arises before seeing, or that which follows seeing. But each moment is different by conditions. That's why we learn to let go of the clinging to seeing. It has to arise to see by the kamma, ready to produce it to ar...

Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin in Binh Chau (VN) on Mar 4th 2024 am. [Q] I would like to hear more about kaya-gata-sati and kaya-anupassana-sati-patthana. [A. Sujin] If there's no clear understanding of kaya, can there be the understanding of kaya-gata-sati or kaya-anupassana-sati-patthana? That's why we have to understand the meaning of kaya, because there can be other meaning as well, not just only one meaning (i.e. body). But what is there together, together is kaya. Together... kaya (i.e. collection), the eye is here, not there. The ear is here, not there. What is there together, together is kaya. So when the namas arise together, citta and cetasikas, it is nama-kaya. The reality which is nama, which arise together, and rupa-kaya, whatever is there together is kaya. So, when we read about kaya-anupassana-sati-patthana, what is there? In order to understand the meaning of it, or the truth of it. So what are there in kaya-anupassana-sati-patthana? Because...

  (Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin in Binh Chau (VN) 03/03/2024 pm.) [Q]This afternoon Ajahn explained about the second meaning of dukkha... [A. Sujin] Is life dukkha? [Yes.] Okay, now? What kind of dukkha? [Q] At least the third one. [A. Sujin] Right. But it's not directly experienced yet, so we just follow the word. Only all sankhara anicca, fallen away, dukkha, at all, but it's now. [Q] Because it arises and falls away? [A. Sujin] But it's so subtle. That has to be directly experienced as the first noble truth. Otherwise, how can there be letting go of the clinging to whatever is there in life, pleasant objects all around, see, belonging to me. But in truth, nothing is permanent. At that very moment, it's the very, very great pañña, high pañña, keen pañña, being able to penetrate the arising and falling way of whatever is now appearing. That's why it is the noble truth. Nobody can change it, but as long as it's not directly experienced, th...

  (Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin in Binh Chau (VN) 03/03/2024 pm.) [Q.] Can you say more about the second meaning of dukkha (viparinama-dukkha)? [A. Sujin] Is there any time of crying? Why? What condition crying? [Q. Attachment to self] What happened? Now there is attachment to self, is there crying now? [No.] So what condition crying? At moment of crying, no understanding of anything, see? There is crying. But in order to understand what is there and what condition it, to be different from the first dukkha. The first dukkha is the unpleasant feeling, no matter through the mind or body, it's so unpleasant! That's why it's not difficult to understand, it's there, everyone understanding moment of dukkha. But at moment of crying, why cry? Or who do not cry at all? Everyone cries, no understanding at all. When there is no understanding of crying, can there be less crying because of understanding that crying is useless. All depends on right understandin...