169: Retreat Dhamma Talk 64: Mindfulness of Dhamma (Part 2of4): 5 Aggregates of Clinging & 12 Sense Bases

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Retrix series, Dhamma Tong number sixty-four. We are dealing with Dhamma Pasana. Mindfulness of Dhamma. Today is the part two of the same heading. Pastor, we discuss on how to practice Dhamanu Pasana on five hindrances. Just to cap it. One must know when a hindrance is present. When it is present, one must know it is present in me. And also one must know the cause of the arising of the hindrance. And also one must know when the hindrance is absent, know as it is absent in me. And also know the cause of the non-arising of the hindrances. And when the hindrances disappear or cease or become absent, at that moment one must put an effort to note. Let's say disappearing, disappearing. One must know the moment when it disappeared, disappearing, disappearing. And these things one must be able to reflect. It is present in me, it is absent in me. And also these hindrances are present in others, and also it will be absent in others. And when you are able to observe that way, you are practicing Dhamat Nupasana on the five hindrances. And Buddha has taught us about the mental world and physical world. Mental world and physical world in terms of five aggregates. And also he taught us these two worlds in terms of full noble truth. He taught us in many different ways, many different approaches, and he used each of these based on the capacity of the audience or the person who is listening, which approach will be most effective for that person. This person will be able to comprehend this way or that way. And based on his capacity to size up the intelligence level and capacity level, he used different approaches, different ways, different views to look at the nature of self, to look at the nature of the physical world and mental world. That's how he taught. That's why he's called the master of the master of all teachers. His skill. One belongs to matter or feeling, perception, formation, consciousness. And these five kavas, both animate as well as inanimate worlds, physical world and mental world. And we need to know all these things are impermanent. Impermanent, and they are subject to suffering. That is the rule of thumb one should understand. On the onset, of course, we fully understand at the end. Right at the beginning, one needs to know. All these five aggregates are impermanent and they are subject to suffering. Now the words kanda, aggregates. What is aggregates? We need to know more precisely what aggregates mean, not a dictionary meaning. Under the aggregates, there's a sense of abscover, a cluster or a heap of things. A cluster of things, a heap of things. One of the quality under aggregates. A cluster or heap of things. And also these cluster or heap of things can be identified in the past. In other words, it has existed in the past. And also it can be identified right now at the present moment. It exists at the present moment as well. And also it can be identified in future. It will also exist in future. So it belongs to three time zones, past, present, and future. That's another quality. And also another quality of aggregates is it could be very subtle and it could be very gross. Gross. Gross form is easily identifiable. Big, huge, solid, humongous, rough, tough. That's a gross. Subtle. Subtle is in a way that you cannot even identify, or very difficult to identify. That's subtle. Let's say in a matter, you can go and see a mountain, easy. A house, easy. Atom. Until and unless you have scientific equipment. It is difficult. But still that's called subtle. Even electron, proton, neutron, even more smaller. That is super subtle. And of course, based on science, we might be even able to find smaller and smaller and some more subtler and subtler and subtler things. The Buddha has described all these things in the scripture. We recorded in the scripture. So that is also another quality of aggregates, subtle outgrows. And also you can find all these things, identify all these things internally, which means in your body, in your personal body from head to toe. And also you can find it in the others. We call it external. All other beings. You can identify all these things as well. And all these put together, combine, composite of all these things, we call it aggregates, kanda. And these aggregates are what? It makes you cling. That's why aggregates of clinging. Upatanek kanda. And as there are five, call it pincha. So one should know what aggregates means in that fashion. And we are observing, we are being mindful, we are observing these. And when we observe it, we have to observe these things, not on a specific form. We have to observe in a pattern of a process or as a phenomenon or a natural presentation. In that way, one must observe if you want to practice the many persona. So these are the general rule of thumbs, what you need to understand and how to observe. And these aggregates, okay, aggregates, these five kandas, you can find these in the mundane world. Mundane world means Lokya. The world of Nama and Rupa, mind and matter. And also you can find them in the ultra-mundane Lokutra world. Lokutra world is once you become a noble person from then that point onwards, it's the Lokudara. So all the aggregates in the mundane world are subject to clinging. But in the ultra-mundane world, Lokutara, there are some sense of feeling vidana, and some sense of sannya and some of Sankara still remain. In other words, in the domains of the nobles, Lokotara. But these aggregates are not subject to clinging and lokotrawa, especially in that you can call it easily patfruction and nibana. Clinging upadana. Kanda aggregates. So let's see one by one and how they go. The first one is aggregates of matter. Or rupa kanda. Rupa, that's the original word. It's translated as an English form, something that you can see. Or matter. We know what matter is. We call it materiality. Material process, material phenomena. And these are all English presentation or translation of the word rupa. For materiality, material phenomena, material process matter. Now we are observing. When we are observing, we observe the abdominal movement. Rising movement and falling movement. And we are observing what? We call it mindfulness of the matter. Mindfulness of the body. That's what we call it. Now here, this is happening, rising and falling. But when it is rising and falling in here, one must know that it is the rising movement or a falling movement. But in here the way you know is a little different. Not just the specific. Let's call it a rising movement. There's a rising movement, but we don't look at it as a rising movement. We call it, we label it. This is rupa. Or there is matter or materiality. That rising movement is the matter or materiality. You know that there is materiality. You know that there is matter arising. Not only that, you know it is there is matter arising and all that it is matter, but nothing else. One must observe, note, and know that way. This is simply matter, but nothing else. There's nothing mixed, it is pure matter. That's the sense of meeting, the meaning. There's matter arising, and there's nothing else or but nothing else. That is the way one must observe and know. That's the first step of how to observe rupa. And then one must also know the cause or the reason of the arising of the rupa. The reason of arising of the rupa. What is that? What is the cause? The cause is this rupa arises. This body arises. We are all based on the body. Why? This body comes into existence. The body that you have, I have, come into existence. Why? Because of the actions that we have done in past life, karma. Because of the karma, these are arising, these come to be. And that karma is conditioned by Datna and Avaya. That rupa form, this body is due to karma. That karma is driven by Datna craving. Avaya ignorance. Craving and ignorance is driving this dana or karma and this karma produce this body. Step by step. So what is the cause of rising? You can call it in one word is due to the away and dana. Ignorance and craving of the past life is producing or making this matter rise. Of course, that one is reflection, thinking process. You cannot see those things. Only Buddha can actually experience it. But we don't. So in other words, we need to know the cause of arising, but on a thinking power, on a reflection power. In other words, you must really understand this line, this process. And also that is simply the arising. When it arises, what happened? The next thing? It passed away, it faded away. So if you are in a practical calm, there's a rising movement and then it stopped. That means the rising movement ceased. The rising movement faded away. In other words, that matter related with the rising movement faded away. And when it faded away, you must know the fading away of the rupa, not fading away of the rising movement. You don't note that way, you must note this is fading away of the rupa. Just in aggregate forms, not in a specific, but you are observing the specific, but you have to see in a larger picture in an aggregate form. The fading away of the rupa. And what as soon as it fade away, you must also note it is fading away. At that moment you can say or you can note disappearing, disappearing, fading, fading, or absent, absent. Whichever words that really click to that experience. Or say when you know, when it disappears, fading, fading, disappearing, disappearing, absent, absent, absent of the rupa. And also you must know the cause of the abandonment. Abandonment of the or you must know the cessation of, you must know the fading away of, you must know the absence of rupa. The cause of the rupa being present. Abandonment of dhna and awakya. If you look at it, what is the cause of arising? Cause of arising is due to craving and ignorance. And if that's the arising, if it disappeared in, what is the cause? The total abandonment, the total disappearance of the rupa would be the abandonment or total abandonment of craving and ignorance. You must know that way. When you know that it's not experiential anymore, it's a thought process, it's a reflection process. In Dhammanupasana, that is the addition, the experiential and reflective understanding of the Dhamma theory related specifically to that situation. And that is called inferential vipassana. This way of reflecting is called inferential vipassana. One must know that way. It is a hand-in-hand process. You actually experience something and then you know its cause, it knows its absence, you know its cause and why it is caused and what are the causes of total abandonment. In other words, you have a clear understanding of the Dharma theory of that. And now I am stating the salient point of these, and one need to know as such, along with that experience. That's how one notes. That is on rubat. Next one is feeling, okay, aggregates of feeling. We don't need to go too detailed now. You understand the pattern. One must know when the feeling is rising. Okay, there's a feeling arising. It is simply a feeling, but nothing else. Nothing is simply a process of feeling. It's a program of feeling, but nothing else. That way one must know and note when there is a feeling arising. And also one must know the cause of arising. One must know the cause of arising and the fading away of the feeling. Must know what's the cause of arising, what's the cause of fading away. So let's see what are the causes of arising. Cause of arising is to be able to feel there must be something. That something is called pain. Physical pain or mental pain. Physical pain or mental pain is the cause. Feeling or experiencing that pain is the effect. So what is the cause? The physical pain or mental pain, or in general, sensation arising out of this physicality and mentality. Sensation, feeling coming out of the physicality and mentality. They must be there. Without those things you can't experience it. And when you experience these feeling and sensation from the physical source and mental source, then it is called Vedana feeling. That's the cause of Vedana feeling. That is the cause of the arising of the feeling. That is, the absence of death is the cause of the fading away of the feeling. One must know as such. And of course, you can go, why do you have the feeling? Right now. That is the proximate cause, immediate. There's an object that brings out painful sensation. There's an object that brings out pleasant sensation. Approximate, approximate cause, immediate cause. But there's a root cause. Root cause, what is it? We have already discussed in the Rupa. The dna and awakja, the craving and ignorance is the root cause. Because that you have craving and ignorance in the past life, of course, if you want to go with there's a physicality, the body. Because of this body, there's a when it comes to contact, there's a feeling, waitana. So the root cause always go back to na and awaita, craving and ignorance. And of course, you're observing that aggregates of feeling, which is nothing else other than that. And when it fades away, when it ceases, you must know its cessation and note, label, disappearing, disappearing. In other words, simply put, you know precise moment of the ending. But you must note disappearing, disappearing, fading away, fading away. And then of course always internal exercises. It is me in me, it is in others, when appropriate. In me is your right there, but only when you're looking at other, engaging with other at that moment, you have to have that inferential reflection. So the third one is sannya. Sanya is perception. And here sannya is it doesn't even cover under the full foundation of mindfulness. But sannya is put under the Dhamma. And one of the reasons is this sanya or perception is not distinct or observable like rupa or vadana, like materiality or feelings. Material and feelings are very obvious to observe, but this perception is not obvious. So when it is not obvious, only a few might be able to perceive it or know it. Others don't. So it is not put as a separate collection. Some yogi as, okay, what about sannya? Where is tanya? Because it is in distinct, not easy to observe. But of course, there are some people. People who can experience it. For those people, you must know the cause of the arising of sunny, the cause of the arising of this perception. What is the cause of the perception? The cause of the perception is an object. Without interfacing with an object, you cannot have any perception. You cannot make any mark to remember. If there is nothing to remember, nothing to mark, how can the sunnah arise? So there must be an object, an object to make a mark so that you can recognize. So proximate cause is the object. And of course, forever. And also the absence or abandonment of sannya is the absence or abandonment of craving and ignorance. One must understand as thus. So this part is very very much in the domain of that inferential or reflection or thinking process. Sunnya, some people in your quite still moment with facing that object, some can actually perceive the perception. You can perceive the perception. And if you do, note it, label it, but know it in this way. Okay, the fourth. The fourth aggregate is called Sinkarakanda, aggregates of mental formation. So if you know these mental formation arising in you, know that. So observation or noting, don't have to stress too much. We have been repeating again and again. But let's go, what are the causes of arising of Sankara? Again, it's the object. Without you interfacing with an object, without you become face to face with a condition or a situation, an object, you will not be doing anything. No mental activities will be forming, no volition will be exercising. So an object is the immediate or proximate cause. And the karma done in the past due to craving and ignorance is the root cause. So those are the causes. And also absence of abandonments of sinkara. Yes what? The abandonments of dana and awitja. Craving and ignorance. That's sankara. So the fifth one aggregates of consciousness in English. And Pali is called Vijnanekanda. And here is this vijnana is simply a consciousness. But how can you experience? How can you experience this vinyana or consciousness? Some of you might already have it. When you are experiencing the bare awareness of an object, when you are experiencing the bare awareness of the existence of an object. When we say an object, that person with that awareness does not know what it is, doesn't know it's a man or a woman, doesn't know it's a tree or a house, doesn't know it's a river or a sky. Simply know there is something without any extra, without size, shape, color, form, pattern, without any emotions, simply an object. There is something that is bare awareness. When you have that bare awareness of an object, then at that moment you are experiencing the consciousness of vinyana. That way. Sometimes you have a mindfulness, sometimes you go deep enough, you are mindful only of a presence of an object, something. That's bare awareness. And also some people will experience a pure but very alert and awake awareness. You know, but you're very alert, you're very awake. And also mixed with nothing, mixed with nothing to such a level, you feel like, you think, you're sure. You know, but there is nothing to know. You know, but there is nothing to know, as if there is no object. Those kind of experiences some will definitely experience. But of course, there's an object. Consciousness cannot arise without having an object, physical or mental, one or the other. But at that moment you experience, you're in your experience, there's simply a knowing power, knowing energy without any object. Of course, let's put it this way. Can you aware of a space? Is there anything in space? There's nothing in space from our perception and comprehension. But space itself is a quality of a materiality. If space is present in you, you won't be able to see or know anything. So there is a little peek into our riddle, as if there is no object. If there is no object, there's a space. You are aware of the space. But in your experience, we are so conditioned to the form. We thought there's nothing. But anyway, that is vinyana. It cannot arise without any object. So those are the five aggregates. If you are observing, that is the way to observe. If you are observing as Dhamma Upassana, there's a lot of reflection and thinking and inferential vipassana involved because the causes are beyond our experiential level. Okay, the next one is another group, 12 sense bases. Okay, 12 sense basis. Okay, so what is ayatana? Ayatana Pali word. It means basis or places where consciousness and some mental factors arise from. It is the basis of places where consciousness and some mental factors can arise from. And that's what we call ayatana. That's why we call it basis. For a consciousness to arise, they must have a place to arise. Without that place they cannot arise. In other words, mind and matter. So basis. We have six internal bases and six external bases. That's why we call it twelve bases. Twelve divided into six and six. Six internal, six external. Okay. What are the six external bases? External. Outside. Outside is visible form. Visible objects. Objects that you can see with our human eyes. Visible objects or form that have size, shape, color. Only then we can see. That is one base. Another one is sound. Another base. The third one, smell, the full taste. The fifth, tangible object, something that you can touch. And the sixth is Dhamma object. Dhamma object. Dhamma is not physical. Dhamma is consists of mental factors. And also subtle form, very, very subtle form of materiality. Something that we cannot really see or feel. Subtle forms of matter. And also nigbana, nirvana. Those are called Dhamma objects. Mental factors, subtle form of materiality, and nigbana. That is the sixth base. Internal basis. Or you can call it a mind. And what are the six external? Six internal bases. Six internal bases are your eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body. That's five. And there's one another basis called Hadeya Buddhu, the heart base. The heart base. So six internal bases. These internal bases, there's another one. These bases, they are called the receiving elements. Receiving elements. The external bases are called striking elements. That's another word they use. If you want to call in terms of elements, that's what they call. External bases are called striking elements. Internal bases are called receiving elements. Because let's say the form. The form, what do they go and strike? They strike the eye. So the eye is the receiver, the form is the striker. Striker and receiver. Or striking elements and receiving elements. One should also understand that way. Because this pair of six, six internal and six external, this pair of sticks respectively and mutually correspond to each other. In other words, form with the eye, sound with the ear, smell with the nose, taste with the tongue, touch with the tangible object with the body. And Dhamma objects with the mind. That's how they correspond to each other. This external object or striking element hit the corresponding internal object, receiving element. To give an example, the form hits the eye. At that moment, corresponding consciousness arises. If it is the eye, eye consciousness arises. If it is sound and ear, hearing consciousness arises. Eye consciousness or seeing consciousness. Ear consciousness or hearing consciousness. Whichever word you prefer. Nose consciousness or smelling consciousness. Corresponding consciousness arises whenever the corresponding external and internal objects strike and receive. So these things are tongue consciousness, body consciousness or thinking mind consciousness arises. When the Dharma object hits the heart base, thinking mind or thinking consciousness arises. So this sixth consciousness in terms of element, we can call it the igniting elements. Ignite it. So you can call it igniting element or you can call it arising elements. Those two come in contact and the consciousness arises. Without the object, consciousness cannot arise. Without the external and internal objects, striking and receiving, consciousness cannot arise. That's why you can call it these are the twelve sense bases, or you can call it eighteen elements. Six striking elements, six receiving elements, and six igniting or arising elements. And whenever a form hits the eye, if the form is pleasant, the consciousness arises is a seeing consciousness. In that seeing consciousness, desire for that form, pleasure for that form also arises. And these desire and pleasure, or for that matter anger, they are called fetus. So whenever one is observing these soup, we call it twelve bases, one must be aware of these eighteen elements. Striking, receiving, and igniting elements, as well as the fatus that arises together with it. That is when you're observing the twelve bases, you must be aware all of them. External object, internal object, and the consciousness and the fatters that come along with it. All those four groups must be observed as a package. If you are observing the Dhamanupasana, observing as the Manu Pasana. Fetters. Three elements, but fetters automatically come because the object has all his own quality. Pleasant quality, unpleasant quality, greed, anger, desire for it, aversion to it, those are the fetters. So simply just call it three elements. But as there are six types, eighteen elements, one must be aware of all these things. If you're observing as nipassana. So fetters. Let's go a little brief so that we have an all-rounded understanding. There are ten kind of factors. Sorry? Ten kind of fetters. Number one is sense desire. Two ill will. Third, conceit. Four wrong view. Five doubt. Six is rites and rituals. Seven is desire for existence. Cling to life. Eight is jealousy and envy. Nine is an English word we don't commonly hear about it. It's called avarisi. In Pali it's called Michuriya. Micherya is not stingy. It is something like you own something, you have something, you don't want to lose anything. You don't want anybody to take it. You do not want to share with anything. A sense of not wanting to deplete or become less in your ownership. That's Michuria. Number ten is ignorance, a witcher. So those tens are called ten factors. So in here we are already talking about observing, knowing, and the causes, we already know it. But abandonment, abandonment, what are the causes of abandonment? In general, of course, we know abandonment of away and na is the cause. But it's a lot more detailed. Abandonment of is when it comes to ten factors, it can be divided into full group. Full groups being based on the full mega, full path, or full noble person to simplify it. The first one, Sotha Pati Magga, the first noble person. In there it eliminates wrongview, doubt, rites and rituals, jealousy and envy and avarice. When you attain the first part consciousness or the first part wisdom, that's what you eliminate. Out of the ten, those are gone. Second one, Sagata Gamay Mekga. Or the part consciousness of second noble person. Or the first second part wisdom of this group. It eliminates the gross form of sense desire. Not all, but gross form of sense desire and also gross form of ill will. The gross form of sense desire and ill will, number one and number two factor are gone. But still subtle forms are still there. But when you reach the anagami mega, the third noble person. At that anagami mega, what happened was ill will. Second factor is totally eliminated. No more. And also the subtle form of sense desire is eliminated. All the subtle form of sense desire is eliminated. But still some left. In the anagami, and the fourth and the final, arahatta mega. And there it eliminates the factor of conceit. Conceit. And the factors of desire for existent. That's why in the third one we said all settled forms of desire are eliminated, but some left. That some is this one. A feeling of wanting to cling on to the existent or to life. Still there. That is the last clinging, the last cling on. Conceit is eliminated, desire for existence is also eliminated, and finally, all form of ignorance, away is eliminated. Awayja is number ten. These four stages of Ariya eliminate different types of factors. Such one needs to know. So let's see, let's cap it, recap it. How to observe, how to practice the manupasana, mindfulness of Dhamma on the twelve basis. Each one is different, the takes a little bit different. So one is observing, one is being mindful. When you are mindful, one must know the eyes. That's it, the first one. The eyes corresponding is the form. As soon as there is an form, and the factors arising with the eye consciousness. You must know forms, and the factors that arise with the consciousness. One must be aware of it. One must know it as a package. And also one must know the reason or the cause of arising or non-arising of these factors. So let's just take it to the key point factors. One must know the reason or the cause of arising or non-arising of the factors. How? Wise reflection, wise attention, wise intention. You must reflect wisely. You must cultivate that reflection wisely. In other words, you must truly understand how this Dharma works, how the Dhamma process works, how this Dhamma phenomenon works. When you have that, you'll become easier. It will become easier. And also knows the reason. Knows the reason why this abandoning of the arisen factors come to be. How does it come about? First abandoning of these factors. The reason, the cause. And also know the reason by which none-arising of these in the future. None arising of these factors in the future of the abandoned factors. In other words, first of all, you are abandoned. It may be only temporarily, it will be only for the moment, it may be for about a month or a year. But it will still come back. But one thing is it will never come back in the future. Total abandonment. Know the reason by which none arising in the future of abandoned factors come to be. By reflection. You have to reflect, you have to think. And what is the reason? All different meggas, tofu different paths, wisdom, those are the reasons that totally eliminate them. So when contemplating or observing directly, one will see all these 18 elements. And when you see them, all of these 18 elements and factors arising and passing away, you come to show oh, there is nothing I can hang on. There's nothing I can cling on. There is nothing I can hold in what we call in a self. Because these eighteen elements, it's what? It's me, it's you, it's us, it's self. There's nothing. You go so detailed and split it into so much factors and elements, and each and each one there's nothing you can hold on. They just arise and pass away. You can't hang on. So whether you call the self in terms of this 18 elements or 12 basis or five aggregates, call anything, any approach you like, there's nothing you can hang on. Whether you are internally in yourself or externally in others, of course, through experience and reflections, experience and reflection, that's what you come to understand, that's what you become to grasp experientially and intellectually. When yogis see all these things clearly, all the things we have discussed clearly, all the above accounts of at that moment you can call that yogi is practicing Dhamma Nupassana based on 12 bases. So that will end 12 basis, Dama Lupasana. May all of you be able to practice Dama Lupasana on five aggregates or on the twelve bases, and may you be able to understand and what we call self. Me, you, I. There is nothing we can hold on, hang on, or grasp upon, or cling on. May that perception become the cause for the elimination of all suffering as soon as possible. Thank you very much.