The study of Dhamma - not just the words in the book
Dhamma discussion with Ajahn Sujin on Zoom on Sat Aug 30th 2025. (part 1)
No understanding of the truth of what we are talking about
[A. Sujin] Khun Prakash, are we now studying about the truth of this very moment? Are we now talking to understand whatever appears now? Otherwise, it's just thinking about many many things, not understanding anything at all. Keeping on moving away, to this and that matter. So now, being truthful to the truth, what did the Buddha say about what is there right now? Is that right? He told us what is the truth of what is there right now. So, we begin to understand: in truth, there is no understanding of the truth of what is now appearing at all. Is that right? [Yes.]
So now, learn just one word at a time, dhamma, in Pali, it means whatever is real, in Thai, we use the Thai word, in English, the English word, like now, but in Pali, dhamma, it means whatever is real. So, dhamma is a reality, or the moment of what is real, right now. So now, is there any doubt about dhamma? [No, Ajahn.]
Okay, please tell, what is dhamma right now? [There is seeing but no understanding.]
Okay, just one word at a time because there is no understanding of the truth of what we are talking about, for example, seeing; so, we don't move on to hearing and thinking and so on, just having understanding of one reality or one word. So now, no doubt about: what is real is dhamma; so, seeing is real; when is it real? That's why careful considering is the most important factor when listening about the very subtle reality, careful considering about the truth of what is there right now. How can it be known because it's so subtle. That's why consider carefully, seeing is real, right? [Yes.]
When is it real? When it sees, right? Now, seeing, there is seeing which sees and it's real when it's there, seeing, right? Not at other moments at all. So, a little more considering about the truth of seeing, from the words of the Buddha, He had to develop understanding for quite a long, long time, in order to realize the truth of seeing; that seeing which is there now has arisen, is that right? [Yes.] Can anyone make it arise? [No.]
That's why, whatever is arising now, it's by conditions, right? [Yes.] That's why, as soon as it has condition to arise, it does arise, right? [Yes.]
So, the condition has finished its function, it conditioned seeing to arise; so, as soon as seeing arises, it falls away, never to arise again anymore, today or tomorrow. Whatever arises, it's gone instantly, never to return in samsara because it needed its proper conditions.
So, once the condition is gone, it cannot condition its arising anymore, because the condition conditioned seeing, just a moment of seeing, to arise; as soon as it has arisen, it's gone instantly. That's why whatever arises falls away, never to return, and that is the meaning of sankhara dhamma. We're learning to understand dhamma, don't rush to understand this and that as long as there's no understanding of the truth of what is there right now, see, is that true? Understanding has to begin to understand what is there now, otherwise, there cannot be any understanding of anything now, now, now, at all. That's why dhamma is so subtle, anyone who studies dhamma without understanding the subtlety of reality can never realize the truth, because the truth now is: what is there now has arisen and falls away instantly, never to arise again. Are you sure? [Yes.]
And that is confidence, and confidence is parami too, right understanding which is firmer and firmer and firmer, each moment of understanding.
What is real now is not known, keeping on thinking about other things
So, studying dhamma is not just understanding very rapidly the truth - it takes quite a long, long time, eons and eons, to understand the truth. That even if it's now understanding that seeing now has arisen and fallen away, it's not just to be heard and remembered and understood that it's true, but it has to be realized, see. The most precious moment is understanding the truth, to realize the truth, and the moment of realizing the truth has to be by the Teachings of the Buddha, who had developed the path leading to the realization of the truth. So, he taught about the truth, the ariya-sacca dhamma, its three rounds. No one can realize the first truth, the arising and falling away of seeing right now at all, without the first round. What is real now? It's not known, keeping on thinking about other things, no thought about seeing at all in a day. Is that right? [Yes.]
So, it's not the right start, or the beginning of understanding reality, because reality is right now and here.
Just listen to each word of the Buddha, dhamma, no one, dhamma is dhamma, a reality is a reality. If it has no conditions to arise, it cannot arise, so, as soon as it has arisen, it's gone. So, how many moments of seeing right now? [Uncountable, yes.]
Ignorance of each reality in a day, in an hour, in a minute, in a second
So, uncountable moments of ignorance of seeing. So, only the word of the Buddha can condition moments of beginning to understand the truth, of each word of His Teachings about each moment, each reality, from birth to death, on and on and on, to develop right understanding, no-one, only right understanding. From hearing, considering, understanding the truth of just one reality at a time, little by little. So, now we are talking about a reality, a dhamma, which is seeing, so learn to have confidence of seeing, to understand seeing any moment, any time in life, and be true to the truth: what level, what stage of understanding? Because it has to be from confidence of the understanding of different stages. So, now it's not the moment of realizing the arising and falling way of seeing at all. Is that right? [Yes.]
Just learn little by little, not to forget to understand seeing, or then understand whatever is there, little by little. How many different realities in a day? Ignorance of each reality, in a day, in an hour, in a minute, in a second, see.
That's why dhamma is so subtle, this is the beginning, the very, very important, understanding; otherwise, one goes wrong, no understanding of what has to be known: it's right now. Seeing, for example, just one reality at a time, so now, there's seeing right now, what is it? [Seeing is just seeing.]
Is that understanding when one says: seeing is just seeing? See, it has to be the very subtle start of understanding, the very deep and subtle reality that only the Buddha enlight and teach; otherwise, no one would know.
Seeing arises to experience only one color at a time
So now, please, is seeing real? [Yes.] What does it see? [Visible object.]
We're used to say visible object, but what is the characteristic of visible object? No matter what word we use, it sees that which is seen right now, in general. So, when we say visible, it means that it can be seen, and when we don't use any word: what is seen is different by color, right? [Yes.]
So, only color - in thought, or only visible object - in thought, or what is there is seen - in thought, but it's a reality, it's real.
So, what is the difference between the seeing and that which is seen?
[Prakash] That which is seen cannot experience anything. And seeing is the one which experiences the visible object.
[A. Sujin] Okay, now, we learn a little about seeing, it sees because it's the reality which arises to see. We can use the words - which knows what the object is, or - it experiences an object, depending on how one understands, how can there be the understanding of seeing? It's a reality which experiences, because the tree, the chair cannot see, cannot experience anything. So, besides from that which is seen or appears, there is a reality which arises to experience, to know, to see what is there, by different characteristics, through different doorways, right?
So, seeing is a reality, we can say in general, which arises to experience only that which is seen. Is it deep enough now? To understand further, what appears in the world is only that which is seen - only, it's only that which can be seen. And the idea of color, different ones, even we don't say white or black or brown, but the reality which is seen is different, at each moment of seeing, what is seen is different, and seeing is different too, because it arises to experience only one visible object, or color, at a time. So very tiny, because it has to be only that which impinges on the eye-base, and the eye-base is not the whole eye, black and white, but it's the rupa, the reality which cannot experience the object, but it has its proper quality, that it can be impinged on by that which is seen only.
Hardness, depending on the grade or degree of what conditions it
See, beginning to understand dhamma, no one there at all, each dhamma is different. To have more confidence of dhamma, no-body, no-one at all, seeing is seeing, that which experiences is that which experiences, that which cannot experience cannot experience - how can it be anyone? For example, hardness cannot be arm or leg or cat or dog or anything, it has its proper quality, proper characteristic, just to be hard, by different level or degrees. Even it's so soft, but the reality of soft or hard is a reality, depending on the grade or degree of what conditions it to be, very, very soft, also very, very hard, see, one reality, one kind of reality, which cannot be changed. It cannot be sweetness, it cannot be smell, it cannot be anything else, because it arises to be hard, is it dhamma?[Yes. When seeing sees its object, object cannot experience anything.]
Little by little. When seeing arises, it sees, is it right? [Yes.] And that which is seen cannot see. [Yes.]
But it's there, arising as well, and in truth, it has to arise before seeing, see, learn to understand the subtlety of: only one moment of seeing, that which is seen has arisen before seeing, but has not fallen away yet. So, there are conditions for citta, seeing, to experience it, not at will, but by many factors arising together.
That's why we learn little by little about one reality at a time, now we're learning about seeing, it's a reality, it's the reality which arises to experience, and it cannot experience other things, only that which is seen, right? So, no doubt about the reality which arises to experience, not just like hardness or softness or sweetness, which cannot experience anything. That's why even they are dhamma, because they are real, but they are different kinds of dhamma, see, is that right? [Yes.]
The world of colors: at the moment of seeing, no-one
We learn to understand firmer and firmer about the truth of reality or dhamma, to know, little by little, that there are dhammas all the time, every moment, anywhere, all are dhammas; but no idea about it at all if Buddha didn't teach about the truth. That's why we learn to understand, to consider carefully, to become one's own understanding of the truth. If there is no understanding of the truth, how can one know the Buddha? Who is the Buddha? Just paying respect to the Buddha, without any understanding of who is the Buddha! Just the word, that is not the real respect; that's why a moment of understanding seeing - respecting the Buddha. Understanding that which is seen - respecting the Buddha. Is that true? [Yes, Ajahn]
That's why the truth is the truth, but it's so very deep, it takes quite a long time to hear and consider the truth carefully. For example, right now - what is seen - we take it for something, but in truth, what is seen is just different colors. No matter in what life, heaven or hell, or here or there, any moment that seeing is there, it just sees, we can simply say - color. So, it's the color, all the colors of one world, the world of colors, at the moment of seeing, no-one. Beginning to let go of the idea - I'm seeing my friend, my house, and so on, to understand the ultimate truth. And this is savaka, the one who listens to the Teaching of the Buddha because it's so true, not just to follow, not just paying respect, but to understand the truth of - one word at a time, the first word being dhamma.
The study of Dhamma, not just the words in a book
So, all dhamma, can we say that, seeing is a dhamma, hearing is a dhamma, thinking is a dhamma, all dhammas are anatta, cannot be taken to be anyone or anything at all. Why? It's conditioned to arise and falls away instantly, never to arise again. Isn't this the first truth of the four noble truths? If one just thinks - I'll get old, and I'll have sickness, and then I'll die - no understanding of dhamma at all. As long as there is something, it's atta. But in truth, nothing can be atta, because it's conditioned to arise and it falls away instantly, never to arise again. How it can be anything? So, we learn about just one moment, it cannot be anything; there must be many, many moments, continuously, succeeding rapidly, to appear as the sign or the mark of something. Is that true? [Yes, Ajahn].
So, we learn to understand each word, since whatever arises falls away instantly, it cannot appear as it is - just one at a time; so we learn a little more, on and on, about - how come? No-thing - only one reality can be understood or realized, because it's gone so very quickly; and what was there before, and that which will be there after that reality, is not known.
So, what is known now in life, from birth, is only seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, thinking; while there are many, many different others, enlightened by the Buddha, each one to be understood as it is, not the other one, never mixed together. Even if it's so complex, but it can be studied, it can be understood - just one very, very, very subtle reality.
And since just one cannot be known, so we learn little by little, what was there before now, and what is there after now, one moment at a time. And this is the impermanent life, impermanent reality, and what is meant by impermanency? It's so very, very quick, very, very instantaneus. As soon as it has arisen, it's gone, instantly, who knows? Only listening carefully to the Teachings of the Buddha can bring the firm confidence of the truth, never change; to understand just that which now is there, arisen. Is that true? [Yes, Ajahn.]
And this is the study of Dhamma, see, not just the words in a book.
Mp3 audio file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1REHmy6zlTKJDCJYJmD3Ykut22s2o4SXy
#Dhammahome source video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJAP_ZSzzJ8