Dhamma, beginning to understand the way it is
Excerpt from the Dhamma discussion in English with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Sat May 24th 2025.
Mp3 audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RL6bVNMBq2z-H4B-V7DYoHFnHwzgoGnY
The Teachings of the Buddha are about what is there right now
Shall we talk and discuss about the Teachings of the Buddha? What did he say after His enlightenment? All dhammas are anatta. Is that right? But we have not yet understood the truth of Dhamma. Just the word dhamma, what is it? See, some would say "it's the Teachings of the Buddha", but about what? What did He teach about? About the truth of each moment: sacca dhamma. Dhamma is whatever is real, it has its own characteristic, appearing, to be understood that it's just real: it's a reality. And that is the first of the of the Four Noble Truths. The first truth is dukkha ariya-sacca. If we don't know what is sacca and what is dukkha, how can we understand the Teachings of the Enlightened One? The ultimate truth of whatever is there, any moment, even right now. If He didn't teach about what is there right now, how can there be the understanding of this moment, and the other moments, from moment to moment, what are there, real? That's why it's not just dreaming about the truth, about vipassana, about anything, without any understanding of the truth of this moment as it is.
Thinking about that which was there as sign of something known
Before hearing the Teachings of the Buddha, who knows what is there now? And life is just at this very moment, only one moment at a time. So, what is life now, this moment? It's the moment of seeing. So, is that life? Isn't seeing part of life or a moment of life? Because we were born to see, to hear, to smell, to taste, to touch, and to think about anything after seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching; thinking about that which was there - by shape and form, as sign of something known: as people and things, but in truth, what is seen cannot be anything or anyone at all. Isn't that what He taught for 45 years? Abhidhamma, Sutta, Vinaya, all are dhammas, all are paramattha dhammas, the ultimate truth. It cannot be changed, whatever is there it's as it is, nobody can change the moment when it's there to be different. So, what is real now? Hasn't the Buddha realized the truth and taught about what can be known, which is not permanent?
Dukkha ariya-sacca, just like before it arose - it's not there anymore
Dukkha ariya-sacca: whatever is there, arising and falling away, never to return at all. Even seeing right now, is there just that moment of seeing, and then gone, never to return. So, how can it be "I" see, a dog sees, a cat sees, someone sees? Because seeing just arises and falls away. Isn't that the meaning of the dukkha ariya-sacca, the first noble truth? Is that right? Sacca-parami. Understanding the truth is pañña-parami, without the development of pañña from the very beginning in order to realize the truth, it is not the Teachings of the Buddha, but understanding is different from ignorance: no understanding of seeing at all, just dreaming to realize the four noble truths, the first truth... but the first truth is: whatever arises falls away, never lasts at all, all gone instantly. So, is it pleasant? From nothing to be something and then nothing again! So, what's the use, what is the benefit of just arising and falling away? It's just like before it arose, it's not there anymore. Isn't that what He taught? Isn't that the word of the Buddha? Dukkha ariya-sacca, whatever arises, falls away instantly, so very rapidly, very quickly, one after the other. So the arising and falling away of each one is covered up by the rapidity of the succession from moment to moment - right now. This moment is not the previous moment, it's not a future moment, just one moment at a time and gone, from birth to death, just born to see, to hear, to smell, to taste, to touch, and to think - right now, isn't it? The truth is that whatever arises is conditioned to arise by its proper conditions, that which impinges on the eye-base conditions seeing to see just that which is there, impinging on the eye-base. Right now, who knows? These are the words of the Enlightened One.
Only the reality which arose to experience an object is born and dies - no one
So, what did the Buddha realize or enlighten? The nature, the reality right now as it is, seeing is just a moment, arising to see and then gone. Hearing is not seeing, it can never be at the same moment, but at a different one, different moments from moment to moment in life, from birth to death, isn't that the Teachings of the Buddha? Nothing is permanent, whatever arises falls away instantly, but what is born and what dies? No one, only the reality which was born or arose to experience its object, from the first moment in life, it's there, just arising to experience its object. But the object of birth's moment is not known because it's not an object of this world, it's not that which is seen, heard, smelled, tasted, touched and so on. Each moment is different by conditions. The Buddha taught the details of each moment and the conditions for whatever arises, so very in details.
So, that is the way to gradually let go of the clinging to what is there with ignorance and attachment because of not understanding the truth that it's not there anymore, even right now. Is that true? Just listen, consider the truth. By then, at moment of understanding the subtlety of the reality right now, it's time to know who's the Enlightened One, who's the Buddha, and what His Teachings are about: the truth of each moment in life. If they're not the Teachings for understanding the truth of whatever is there in life, each moment, could that be what we call, and pay respect to, as the Buddha, the Enlightened One? Could that be the truth? And to be true to the truth is sacca-parami, only the understanding, the confidence in the truth of what is there as it is, is the only way to develop the understanding of each reality which arises and falls away in split seconds.
Understanding intellectually the truth of all four ariya-sacca
So complex, what are there now? Many things, it seems like in a moment, but in truth, what is real is just in a moment of a split-second moment. Isn't that right? Isn't this in the Tipitaka? Isn't it Abhidhamma, Sutta and Vinaya? It's just all about the ultimate truth of what is there as not self: all dhammas are anatta. That's why the Teachings of the Buddha have to be stage by stage, level by level. So, there are three rounds of the Four Noble Truths, the four ariya-sacca: the first round, understanding intellectually the truth of all four ariya-sacca: dukkha ariya-sacca, dukkha samudaya ariya-sacca, dukkha nirodha ariya-sacca, and the path, the magga ariya-sacca: leading to understand directly what is there, so very close, since it's there from head to toe. The world is there: seeing is there, hearing is there, thinking is there, liking is there, disliking is there, whatever in life, from head to toe, can never be got away. Is that true? It's not just to believe, but to understand whether it's true or not, to have confidence of the truth, that the truth is the truth. The moment of seeing is not the moment of hearing, and each different moment is conditioned by different conditions. Seeing sees different objects, they can condition attachment or aversion by conditions, see. Each moment can be studied, can be learned, can be developed, there can be directly awareness of its nature as it is, to let go gradually of wrong understanding and the idea of something or someone or "I" right now. Is that the Teachings of the Buddha? Or Buddha didn't say anything about this moment? Otherwise how can He became the Buddha, the Enlightened One, without understanding the subtlelty of the moment now as no-one and no-thing, just dhamma, different dhammas?
Seeing - from dot to dot until it conditions a shape and form
So, what is dhamma? It's a reality. How do we know that it is a reality? It has its own characteristic appearing to be known. There is seeing right now, everyone knows. Seeing sees that which is seen, which impinges on the eye base, it cannot be taken for anything: just one dot, one split second moment of seeing. It cannot see that tall building, the window, or the chair, or the bed, or the dog. It's just a dot, from dot to dot, dot to dot, until it conditions the shape and form, big or small, brown or red, as what we take for something, by different shape and forms. Is that true? Without color, different colors, can there be any shape and form to be taken for something? The shoes, the mirror, the television, see. Isn't that true? It's not just to believe, but considering the truth now, this moment. We are talking about what is there as it is, realized by the Enlightened One, the Buddha Himself. After His enlightenment, what did He say? Dhamma is so very subtle, but it can be studied, it can be known, it can be realized. It can. How? By listening to the word about it, as it is, to consider it, as it is, begin to understand the way it is little by little, until right understanding is strong enough, sharp enough, deep enough, to realize the truth of what is there right now, from moment to moment, by conditions: anatta.
Wrong understanding of the word meditation or contemplation
Without someone or "I" that can try to develop, to concentrate, to meditate... to know what? Is that the Teaching of the Buddha? So, we have wrong understanding of the word meditation or meditating or contemplation, or any word you use, because it's not just sitting and doing something, concentrating, without any understanding at all, just wanting to experience something, unknown what it is. But it's not now, to be known, because it tries to do something, to know something, unknown what it is. Isn't that right? To be truthful to the truth.
[Sarah] Prakash, I think these questions Ajahn's asking, it's helpful if you can reply to them, so please continue, Ajahn.
[A. Sujin] Are you ready to answer some questions? Khun Sarah, what would you say, please?
[Sarah] Usually bhavana is translated as meditation, and people immediately have the idea, like you mentioned at the beginning, of sitting and focusing, following a practice.
[A. Sujin] So, are we now bhavana? Dana, sila. Is it bhavana, just the kusala moment? So, are we now bhavana, at level of bhavana, or not yet?
[Prakash] I am beginning to understand what realities are, and the others are concepts, or ideas.
Bhavana - learning about what is there each moment in life
[A. Sujin] So, is there Dhamma now? [Yes.] What dhamma is it now? [Hearing, seeing.] Okay, why is it a dhamma? Isn't it because it's real? At moment of hearing, hearing is real. So, whatever is real is dhamma. And is sound also dhamma? [Yes.] Why sound is a dhamma? Whatever is real... Dhamma means whatever is real, in different languages, in English, in Thai, and in Pali, dhamma is whatever is real. Why is real? Because it's there. Seeing's there now, seeing. Hearing is there now, hearing, sound is there now, heard. No matter what, whatever is real, it has its own characteristic, to be real. Whatever is real is a dhamma, right? So, it's not a cat, it's not a dog... what is it? When you see what you take for a dog or a cat, in truth what is there? What is true? What is real? So, seeing is seeing, or is seeing a dog? [Seeing is not a dog, seeing is just seeing.] So seeing is not anyone, it's seeing itself. And this is the understanding of the truth, the ultimate truth of Dhamma: whatever is real has its own characteristic, right? Sound cannot be smell, but it's real. Sound is real, smell is real, seeing is real, thinking is real, attachment is real, aversion is real, whatever is there is real. So, each day what are there cannot be anyone or anything, only different conditioned realities arising and falling away from moment to moment, from morning to evening, different moments, arising and falling away. Is that dukkha? [Yes, it's dukkha.] And when one gets sick, is that dukkha? [That is also dukkha.] What is there then? What is the nature of that we call sickness? What is its nature? What is suffering? Now we are learning about what is there each moment in life, not far away at all, so close. So, when there is unpleasant feeling, what is real? This is studying Dhamma, this is bhavana, beginning to understand, developing clear understanding little by little. [Okay.]
So, what is there at moment of unpleasant feeling? Is feeling a dhamma? [Yes.] What dhamma is it? [It is vedana cetasika.] Right, because when we say "it's a dhamma", "it's a vedana cetasika", what is vedana and what is cetasika? Clearer and clearer, little by little. See, we learn about the word, you might remember it, but now no condition to think about it yet, but what is being learned has been learned before, right? The five khandas... so, feeling... is feeling real? Unpleasant feeling, pleasant feeling? [Feeling is real, feeling is a dhamma.] That's it, because it's there, it feels, right? it is there, happy, it's there unpleasant, so it's a reality. That's why we learn to understand what are there in life are different realities. Not anyone, not anything, nobody can make it arise because even while we are talking now, there are seeings all the time. How come? By conditions. But seeing is a reality, feeling is a reality, hardness is a reality, no matter what, if it's real, it is a dhamma. And whatever is there arising and falling away, seeing, does not stay long at all, as soon as it has risen, it falls away instantly.
Sankhara, learning one word at a time to have right understanding of it
That's why all dhammas, all conditioned dhammas, are sankhara dhamma, we learn to understand some new words, more and more, word by word. We learn to know what is dhamma and then what is there is conditioned to arise by many conditions. We learn to understand the 24 conditions, even we don't name them, but whatever arises has to have conditions for its arising, paccayas, as conditions. So, whatever is conditioned, it has to arise when it's there, conditioned. That is sankhara dhamma, learning a little more about dhamma, and whatever arises has to be conditioned, so it is sankhara dhamma, conditioned by many conditions, that we can learn later, but we know no one makes it arise, but it's arising, by conditions, to see... arising to hear... So, whatever is real is dhamma and whatever arises is sankhara dhamma. Is that right? To understand sankhara dhamma, not just remembering the word, but understanding what is meant by sankhara dhamma. Is seeing sankhara dhamma? [Yes Ajahn, seeing is a sankhara dhamma, a vipaka citta]. We learn just one word at a time to have confidence and right understanding of that word. For example, dhamma is whatever is real, no matter it's sound - it's real, it's a dhamma, hardness is dhamma, so seeing is dhamma and feeling is dhamma. Whatever arises, without its proper condition, it cannot arise. Without the eye, without that which impinges on the eye, seeing cannot arise. That's why whatever arises is conditioned by many different conditions, to be learned little by little, later on. But understanding that no matter what, even seeing, it cannot just arise by itself or just by the eye, because when nothing impinges on it, on the eye, there can never be seeing. So, even a moment of a reality that is there arising - all by conditions. That's why another word for conditioned realities is sankhara dhammas. We've heard many times about the term sankhara and also sankhara dhamma, later on sankhara khandha, and later on sankhara in paticca-samuppada, more subtle, little by little. And this is not anyone: abhidhamma, so very subtle and very complex and very deep, but it can be learned, little by little. And learning to understand stage by stage is bhavana, the development of understanding from the very beginning. That's why we are not hurrying to understand this and that, but to have firm confidence of the truth of anatta and dhamma. So later on, no matter what we hear, it is dhamma, sankhara dhamma, see. So now, no doubt about dhamma, right? [Yes.] No doubt about sankhara dhamma.
Understanding can see whatever is there in darkness as it is
So, what is there now? Again and again and again, to be reminded, the answer can be anything that you have understood. What is there now? Any answer? [Seeing, hearing.] Just one at a time, to have a little more understanding of the subtlety of the truth. Shall we talk about seeing or hearing? [Hearing.] Okay, hearing. Close your eyes, can there be hearing? [Yes.] So, at moment of hearing, it's dark, isn't it? [Yes, it's dark.] And what about at moment of smelling, isn't it also dark? [Yes.] Smelling, tasting, touching, thinking, all in darkness, right? So, the world, the truth does not appear as it is. That's why the truth is totally covered up, each moment - not as it is. That's why learn to be truthful to the truth, what are there, each moment, in darkness? Only a dot of light at moment of seeing only is not dark, but right understanding can understand whatever is there in darkness as it is. Right understanding understands what is there as it is, in darkness, so, the world does not appear as when there's no understanding of the truth at all. That's why right understanding is so brave, to understand the truth that the world is dark, and only moment of seeing is light. And what is seen cannot be any shape and form of anything yet. At the moment of seeing, it just experiences that which can impinge on the eye base, so very tiny, because the eye base is so very tiny, right? So many moments of dots and dots and dots, to just condition a shape and form to be known as something. At moment of taking it for something, it's not seeing, that's the way it is. The moment of experiencing one doorway to the other doorway, so very rapidly, no one can separate them at all, no one, but the truth is the truth. So panna begins to understand the very subtle truth, so that when it's sharp and clear and keen enough, it experiences the reality as it is.
Living in the world of atta - always something or someone all the time
That's why learning to have confidence of the truth, that is sacca parami, each moment of understanding what is there conditions moment of kusala, because of seeing the danger of akusala, even just a moment, it is added and added, a little more ignorance and attachment and other kinds of akusala in a day, compared to moment of kusala... That's why right understanding conditions wholesome moments, sometimes with understanding and sometimes without understanding, but they are wholesome, to see the danger of akusala. So now, why we come here and listen about that which is all around, just as simple as sound or hardness or anything, but which has not been known at all before, as it is, as it's there, only when it appears. It seems like there is the whole body, from head to toe. In truth, nothing at all, only one moment of experiencing an object and then gone, unknown because of the rapidity of the succession of the arising and falling away is so very fast. That's why we live in the world of atta, always something, always someone, all the time, this country, that country, the tree, the flower and so on. The world of idea, something, atta, until the development of understanding the Four Noble Truths, the first round: understanding each reality as it is, dukkha, whatever arises, falls away, but even so, by way of nimitta of a reality, because just one moment of seeing cannot be experienced directly by paññā, by way of process: there must be citta before seeing, and seeing falls away, and the next citta does not see but experiences the same object, because that which is seen hasn't fallen away yet. We learn to understand the truth, to let right understanding work its way. Because ignorance cannot understand anything, attachment, it covers up the truth that what is there has fallen away, while it seems like it's still there, right now. That's why be truthful to the truth - sacca-parami is so very important.
Crawling on the path from moment to moment, little by little
The bodhisatta developed kusala, parami. Some lives he might have broken some rules or had unwholesome moments, but sacca-parami, no matter what, always been truthful to the truth. So, sacca-parami conditioned that paññā parami, keeping on seeing the danger of ignorance and the benefit of understanding the truth. Otherwise, there will not be any moment of understanding the truth of that which arises and falls away in split seconds, right now, on and on and on, to be this evening and tonight and tomorrow, each moment. It just crawls on from moment to moment, little by little, gradually, so very gradually, no one knows. That's why, no matter who, in order to become enlightened to the four noble truths, it has to be there, right understanding with all kinds of wholesomeness - dana, sila, bhavana, until less moment of akusala and more moments of kusala with understanding. That's why there are many degrees of understanding. When there's no hearing about the truth at all, no one knows that life is so short, as short as just a split-second moment. That's why there is the word kāṇika-marana, marana is death, and kāṇika is moment - momentary death. Exactly the same as death, because when this moment has gone... nobody, as now one takes it from my body, my life, at all. New conditions, new moment, just follows the death moment instantly, no time to regret, to be sorry, to sorrow about this and that at all, because it's just in split seconds, seeing again, hearing again, smelling again, different objects, different ideas from life to life, that's all. So, it's the very precious moment, the moment of understanding the truth, even just a little, so very little, about the truth, but it can be developed on and on, deeper, greater, with more confidence, on and on.
The next moment pops up unknowingly until it's known - no one there
Sacca-parami conditions viriya-parami, khanti-parami, adhitthana-parami, nekkhama-parami, all kinds of parami. Otherwise, ignorance and attachment is always there, different degrees: by way of asava, and then ogha, yoga, and so on, unknown, the way they work, the kusala dhammas, see. So, the Buddha taught about realities, to be understood little by little, to be true to the truth, sacca-parami, little by little, in order to, one day there will be enough conditions, to directly experience the truth, unexpectedly, so anatta, even right now, each moment is anatta, no one knows what the next moment will be, but it's there, by conditions, popping up unknowingly, until it pops up to be known so clearly - no one there, and that's the Teachings which lead to develop more understanding of the truth, less ignorance and akusala, little by little. That's why, no matter how long it will take to develop understanding, of this moment - it has to be understanding of that which has arisen now, because it's there, by conditions. So, gradually, the words of the Buddha are enrooted deeper and deeper and deeper, that they're so true. So, this conditions the wholesome character, being more friendly, with compassion, forgiveness, so life gets purer and purer, because of saddha cetasika being there, purifying the citta and cetasikas which arise together, not allowing the akusala ones to get closer, or getting in at all. Isn't this right? Isn't this understanding? Not just doing something without any understanding, just hoping, wishing to experience... what? When there's no understanding, how can it understand what is there? Because all are dhammas, unexpected realities, unexpected moment, all the time, from now on and on and on.
Never doing anything - because of what is there already just now
So, right understanding from hearing, considering: the first round of the Four Noble Truths, it has to be clear understanding, very sharp understanding, great understanding, enough to condition the second round of the Four Noble Truths. People do not understand the way it is, the three rounds of ariya-sacca, without any understanding, just expecting to experience such and such. What about right now? It's not known, so, they're there: avijja-asava, bhava-asava, ditthi-asava, kama-asava, unknown, the very latent akusala. So, learn to understand the truth and be truthful to the truth, sacca parami, it will condition all other paramis too, to support the moment of having firm confidence of the truth. Never doing anything, because of what is there arisen just now, understanding that which has arisen right now. Is that right? Each word is so very deep, because it's so very subtle, but at moment of understanding, it can understand that which is so subtle, but can be understood. Not by thinking, dreaming, or doing something, but by hearing and considering what are there at that very moment. No one at all, so, what are there? Each citta has its own characteristic, with different cetasikas arising together, each performing differently, by itself, because citta is the chief of experiencing what is there now. We don't talk about any cetasika yet, right? Just talking about that which is seeing now is not known as it is yet. It seems as there's no doubt: "it's a reality, because it sees now", but what is it? Its characteristic is not attended, to know that it's different from that which is seen. In life, is there any moment understanding the differences between the seeing and that which is seen? So, it's time now to say sawadii kha.
#Dhammahome source video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE8ZDrFhOWE