It's there and then gone by conditions beyond any hope or any will
Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Sat June 15th 2024.
[Alan] Nothing to be done because it's out of control. Each moment is there by itself, by its own conditions. So it's the relief of not having to do anything because there isn't anything, there isn't anyone. So, I can understand that intellectually. [A. Sujin] To have confidence of the truth, see, not just no understanding of what it is at all, but by understanding the truth, it let go clinging to it as before. Because what one likes so much, no more, it's gone, never to arise again. Little by little, gradually developing the understanding of the truth, can let go of the I, no one at all, nothing can be done because it's gone already. Just understanding, and understanding let go of craving because of not understanding the truth. What is that craving? It's a reality, again, to understand the nature of a reality which is there as it is, no matter it is anger or conceit or whatever, it's there by conditions, no one, no more, gone, instantly. So no clinging to that which was there as permanent as before, because it's gone. And the understanding of this let go, very gradually, of taking it for something because of ignorance, not understanding the truth of its nature. So understanding is the best reality in life, any life. Beginning to understand that what is there is not permanent, and life is just the impermanent moment from birth to death. Even right now, it's not permanent at all. So the truth of it is - it's just conditioned to arise, to appear and then disappear, never to arise again. Understanding the truth lets go of clinging, hoping, whatever is there So no matter what is there, right understanding can let go of taking it for a very important reality, or I, or something. It's just a moment of appearing and then gone. Is that true? And understanding the truth lets go of clinging, hoping, whatever is there, as before. No matter what is there now, it's just a moment, different moments, different realities, on and on and on, restlessly, by conditions. So, it is dukkha. What is the use or value or worth of that which is there and then gone, by conditions, beyond any hope or any will. But it's just only thinking if it's not direct understanding with awareness of what is there now, just one reality at a time, because now they are all there together. So how can they be letting go of the idea of something, when they are together? But when it appears as just one, so short and then gone, it's so true, and it can be realized by the firm confidence of the truth. Little by little, it's so true, death can come any moment, unknowingly, because it's just the two moments, unknown, like the moments of citta between seeing and hearing right now, so many moments, unknown. So life is just like that, no one. Just being this person until the moment of the end of kamma, conditioning the moment of death, never being this person anymore. So what is this person? Only very short moment, arising and falling away, just that, no matter seeing yesterday, what was seen yesterday, what was heard, and on and on, gone. So, just live in the moment, only, by conditions. Life is just the experiencing of the object through each door Just understand the truth... it conditions less and less attachment and wrong understanding of that which is taken for something, so permanent, so very precious. But in truth, just what appears, only one of the six doorways, life is just the experiencing of the object through each doorway, six doorways only, by conditions, is that true? So, understanding that the realities are that which is conditioned to arise and fall away, succeedingly, by conditions. So the meaning of unsatisfactory, dukkha, is not just bad feeling, unpleasant feeling, but it's the truth of whatever is there, that it's not permanent, never to arise again. The firm confidence of the truth can let go of clinging, gradually, little by little, because the accumulation of ignorance and attachment is so great. What about a dish, very delicious, can anyone stop having it, taking it? Even that ignorance and attachment is so powerful, so what about that of eons and eons ago? But when there is the understanding, no matter what is there, it's by conditions, no matter it's good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, it's only by conditions. Different feelings just arise by conditions. We learn to understand conditions because whatever is there is conditioned as well. Citta right now is anantara-paccaya, condition for the next one, on and on and on. No need to control it, it's not there anymore So, sleeping, waking, thinking, seeing, all day and gone. And tomorrow, not today at all, not yesterday at all, never come back, never arise again. Can it let go, little by little? Not as sad, regretful as before - the way it is. Even that is a reality, uncontrollable, because it's gone. Why trying to control it? No need, it's not there anymore. So, why are we learning to understand the truth? Otherwise, there must be wrong understanding, taking that which appears as something or someone, some events, on and on, all day, about this and that, so far away from the moment it's seeing now, so close, at the eye base, only that. Without the eye base, nothing could appear as things around, different kind of thinking about so many subjects, about this and that. But in truth, what is it? A moment of a reality is conditioned to arise, to experience, just one moment and then gone. And what is there in a moment? Vitakka, the feet of the world We learn about the cetasikas, different conditions for seeing to arise. Phassa (contact) is there. Without phassa, there could never be seeing, hearing, smelling. And not just phassa, what arises together, feeling towards that which appears. Even it does not see, as sampaticchana (receiving) does not see, but it needs vitakka cetasika to touch the object, to experience it, on and on and on. That's why after seeing, hearing, vitakka is there, it's the feet of the world. Just going on with different ideas, different kind of feeling, and then the end, no more stories about this person, but even right now, no more about anything as something permanent at all. Closer, not just from birth to death, from seeing to hearing, it's just right now. The meaning of the wise and the fool And since reality is there, appearing, so it can be studied, it can be object of attention to its characteristic, its truth, the real characteristic of that which cannot be changed at all. Attachment is attachment, to the favorite dish on and on, music and so on. All day. Would anyone like to stop clinging so much to that which is conditioned to appear and then gone? That's the meaning of the wise and the fool. Even it's not there, memory is there, clinging to it, depending on conditions, how much, about what, more than the others. It's there right now, at moment of thinking, about this, not about that, by conditions. So, what is better, little by little? To arise to experience and then gone! All the time from birth to death, also after death, birth again, death again. Samsara. Can anyone change the way it is? It's there already even the question, does anyone like to change it or can anyone change it? It's gone already and then thinking is there, thinking about it, which is not known, that it's not I who thinks, only a moment of thinking, conditioned, after seeing. If we do not remember or think about it, on and on, how can it become firm, to be able to know the truth? What is meant by beginner? And beginning what? [Alan] Is there a test for the beginner to who they should listen to? [A. Sujin] So, what is meant by beginner? And beginning what? [Alan] Beginning to consider what Buddhism is. [A. Sujin] But if you don't say the word "Buddhism"... just beginning to think about what is there as it is, which was not heard before, at all. Because of talking about what is there now, while the other moments, when the truth about this moment hasn't been heard yet... but when someone explains about seeing, it's there. And the question is, who knows what is seeing or what seeing is? Someone may think that it's useless to talk about seeing, it's not as much exciting as other subjects, but in truth, it's now and any moment in a day it's there, unknown. So, understanding the truth of that is for those who have accumulations to be interested, to understand the truth of life.