The Moral conduct that is free from any Wrong View - Dittinca Anupagamma Silava

The Buddha recognised three wrong views in the worldly existences.

1.   The first is the view that obstructs becoming in higher realms as well as attaining enlightenment (nirvana). It’s called Saggavarana and Maggavarana,  the former conceals happy destinations, sugathi  while the latter, maggavarana, conceals enlightenment.

This view, said to be the view of the  Materialists (or Nihilists), is identified as the ‘established wrong view’,  Niyatha Micca Ditti, that destines one to lower realms, i.e  four states of deprivation ( sathra apaya).

Key beliefs of the person with a definite wrong view are,

•          No benefit in offering alms
•          No purpose in caring for parents
•          There is no merit or demerit in deeds
•          There aren’t any ascetics who preach dhamma
•          Beings do not pass from one existence to the other.
•          No spontaneous becoming i.e. becoming of gods, brahmas and hungry ghosts etc.

Materialists believe that when the body or the material form 'dies' nothing moves to another existence, hence no rebirth.

2.   The second wrong view does not obstruct Happy States (sugathi) but conceals enlightenment, and is known as saggavarana novena but maggavarana Ditti in the script.Those who maintain this view (Eternalists) believe there is a continuous ‘soul’ (athma) moving from one becoming to another and correspondingly accept the opposite to those of Materialist believers noted above.

They believe that,

•          There is benefit in giving alms
•          There is benefit in looking after parents
•          There are merits and demerits in deeds and so on.

Buddha has said that in comparison to the previous view this is favourable as people with this view will honour righteous living knowing the merits of good deeds and evils of bad deeds in terms of future becoming, either in a Happy State or a state of deprivation.

3.   The third view commonly grasped by lay believers is the Personality View or Sakkaya Ditti. This is a view that does not obstruct reaching Happy States or the path to enlightenment. If it does obstruct, no being can attain enlightenment or reach Happy States.

Two former views, the Materialist and Eternalist (Sassatha and ucceda) are framed within the Personality view. Discarding personality (or identity) view will make one free from all wrong views, satisfying a requisite to become a stream winner.

The scripts identify 20 ways of grasping personality View. i.e in four ways for the  5 aggregates (4x5=20). The four ways of holding onto Personal View can be summarised as,

1.       Considering 5 aggregates as soul- e.g. Form (feeling, perception etc.) is me

2.       Soul having possession of 5 aggregates - e.g. Form belong to me

3.       Aggregates are in the soul- e.g. Form is within me

4.       Soul is within Aggregates - e.g. I am in the form.

‘We need to closely examine how we can discard wrong views, is it that we gain the Clear view or insight vision first by discarding the wrong views or is it that we gain the clear view first in order to discard the wrong views?, In other words do we remove darkness to see light or will the darkness disappear when light is lit.’ The right way, stresses Ven Sudassana, is to bring light in pushing the darkness away. Darkness is the wrong view and the Light is the clear view or insight. Pursuance of the clear view is fundamental to remove wrong views and to reach the path to Enlightenment.

The ‘Personality' View or Sakkaya Ditti  is also the view though which the defilements are formed.

‘Personality’ relating to Sakkaya in pali are also identified as the five clinging aggregates and refers to the state of arising eye contact, ear contact & nose contact etc. ‘This is the sate of not knowing, the unconscious state’.

View or Ditti, does not belong to the former but occurs at the mind consciousness, mano vinnana, level. In Abhidhamma terms this is the state of forming javana. The grasping of aggregates (skandas) as I, me and mine occur here confirming the formation of view.

What is ‘seen’ is different to what is ‘known’, says Ven Sudassana. For instance ten people will see a man as the same person, at the state of eye contact, but will know him probably as 10 different people at the ‘knowing’ state. Another will see him as a father, one as a brother, a friend, a son and so on.

‘This is our journey of moving from Unknown to Known, the cycle that we cannot avoid.’

The state of seeing (former) is not defined, avyakruthe, as it is not identified as having merit or de-merit.

At this point, the first thought that has arisen is already spent on the function of capturing the presence of an object; say an object with colour. This state, known as arising of ‘eye consciousness’ is similar to an image being reflected on a mirror, nothing more is known about it. Notwithstanding, the process does not end here but will proceed to the state of ‘knowing ‘. The next thought arises as soon as the former ceases, deciding an object is being seen which is followed by thoughts that confirm the object upon which the karma is formed leading to ‘prapanca’. The above repetitive thought formation is described in the explanation of a ‘thought process’ in Abhidhamma and is a ‘rule of mind’ – a Citta niyama. In recapping what is described in ‘Madhupindika Sutra’ it is a rule that what is seen is perceived, what is perceived is determined and what is determined is contemplated on, resulting in grasping as me, mine & my-self (prapanca).

At the state of contact, not knowing the object, judgements cannot be made as to the wholesome or unwholesome nature of it and therefore cannot form opinion based on likes and dislikes, to create defilements of greed, hatred or delusion. However, the beings are not spared from proceeding to the subsequent kamma formation state and thus there is no help within the worldly existence to evade this process. If there is any help within the worldly existences, The Eight Laws Relating to the Vicissitude of Life, Ashta loka dharma, will not to be and hence no need for a Buddha to be born.  The only possibility within the mundane state is to move up or down within the limits of the three existences, Sensuous, Material and Non-material, in accordance with the merits (kusal) and demerits (akusal) achieved through ‘good’ or ‘bad’ deeds. Deeds (kamma) with wholesome volitions result in merit, and deeds with unwholesome volitions result in demerit. However, there is no escape from suffering, i.e. decay and death. Buddhas emerge to self-realise this reality and to show the world the way out of this misery.

Results, Vipaka, in the sensuous world are experienced through the sensory capacity gained due to old kamma and can only process limited level of data. For e.g, the human eye can only see a limited portion of the colour spectrum which is considered as adequate to interact in this existence, kama bhumi. Each being experiences according to the aggregates individually formed by them in this manner. Human beings who are born in the sensuous existence are rewarded with and possess compatible senses to share the experiences of that existence as a result of doing deeds of common nature, previously.

If we are happy with the capacity of our senses there is no change and thus we will continue to dwell & experience what is offered here.

Beings in the material existence rejects pleasures in the sensuous world and those in the In-material existence reject the pleasures in the material world. An Arhat is the one who rejects all, who has moved beyond the worldly existences.

As Buddha has said volition (Chetana) itself is the kamma and if ones wish is to possess a bunch of aggregates similar to what you have now in the next existence that’s what you will get and the resultant experiences will not be different to what you have now. Suffering!

Meditation helps to elevate the sensory capacity to a superior level.

If one begins to meditate on the Form as a thing composed of four great elements he will be able to release his attachments to form, to a degree. As he proceeds, he will not identify things or persons strictly by accepted norms, say as Father, brother, son etc. This will be beneficial to some extent, and will acquire merits. The drawback in this approach, in terms of absolute liberation, is that he has already determined the form before he decide to explore it, for e.g. the body is recognised before meditating on it as a thing compose of hair, nails flesh etc. The error has been already been made here in accepting the form before beginning to meditate.

On the other hand if one begins to see that the Form only as an image formed in the mind, with insight, he will begin to identify name aspect in the name-matter composition rather than matter alone. Pursuing his view in this manner, the way he sees will gradually change and his vision will be cleared influencing the result, vipaka. The notion that the object seen is the one definitely present out there will fade away and he will not continue to grasp the name-matter form, produced by contact. He realises that feeling, perception and formation belong to the mind and not to the object, he sees that when name - matter separate, mind and mental factors (citta and chaithasiks) cease - the aggregates ( skandas) cease to exist, hence,  anathma. There is nothing to hold onto, to remember or to come back in search of.  Now, as the volition (kamma) alter the result (vipaka) change as well, to experience beyond the worldly state, at a supermundane state. His sensory capacities are elevated to make him free of the mundane existence towards complete liberation, ultimately to a state of bliss. No more suffering, or decay and death.

Ditthiñca anupagamma silava
Dassanena sampanno
Kamesu vineyya gedham
Na hi jatu gabbhaseyyam punar eti'ti

Karaneeya metta Sutra

The one with a moral conduct free from wrong views

And, with a clear vision (insight)

Can discard sense desires

The one who does so will not return to a womb (will not be reborn)

One needs to eliminate all wrong views to achieve clear view, dittinca anupagamma, in its efforts to discard craving and be free from sensuous existences.

Notwithstanding, the one with the moral conduct falling short of the full insight will not discard craving. He may suppress it temporarily but will come back again. One who does with a vision, without erroneous views, will not return, will be anagami, or arhat.

As the view gets clearer he will not see self in aggregates or will not see self as one associating aggregates.

Gaining clear view (or the right view) in this manner and discarding wrong views is, ‘understanding the things as they are in the world’ - the yathabutha nana dassana.

Depart as the Flame of a Lamp

Beings are not born to a world that exists, it is said that each one forms its own existence (or world) by perceiving through sense basses gained as a result of previous karma. There aren't things that exist externally as we believe there are, but we create the world in our mind according to our likes and dislikes and interact accordingly with it.

One should not believe that he or she uses the sense bases that exist, similarly, one should not believe that the sense bases that he or she has used exist thereafter. They arise in the presence of objects and cease when they are not in contact. Do not ‘see’ things as they exist out there permanently, do not think that you leave things behind as what you have seen, heard, tasted etc. as it will make you to come back seeking them. If one continues to seek what he or she experienced, either as seen or heard, it is due to the wrongful notion of permanence in compounded things.

The Buddha urged to dwell within and to ‘let go’ the external, loka nirodha.

Birth or jathi is defined as becoming of the aggregates and being rewarded with sense bases in relevant existences due to previous kamma. The Eye cannot be seen, ‘anidassana’. It’s known by its function only - The faculty of the ‘eye’. It arises when it meets an object formed by the four great elements, and ceases when the two separate. When the two are in the presence of each other the eye cognition occurs. There is no new kamma formed at this point. What is known as ‘seeing’ here is regulated by the eye faculty which is determined by previous kamma. The role of eye in this context is dependent on factors including the presence of external objects and in the same way, an external object cannot be ‘seen without the eye that has arisen. The two sense bases are interdependent in this instance. The function of seeing proceeds with eye cognition resulting in ‘eye contact’ which gives rise to feeling followed by, perceiving and ending up with the ‘formation’ (of Kamma). The same applies to other senses such as ear, nose, tongue, body and mind.

In Madhupindika Sutra, Arahath. Maha Kaccayana discloses this Dhamma & goes on to say that Chetana or kamma formation itself leads to conceptual proliferation (prapanca) which is also defined as development of craving, wrong view and ego that fuel the process of the dependant origination cycle. He further states that when the eye and the external object are not in contact there is no eye consciousness and therefore no ‘eye contact’. When there is no eye contact no means of perception or karma formation leading to ‘prapanca’. The realisation of the act of ‘seeing’ as a mental process through insight meditation, identifying what is seen is not an object that exist externally, but an image formed in the mind by the great elements present out there, develops the Right View which is paramount in breaking this cycle of re-birth. 

When a Deer spots a mirage in the desert he sees it as water and runs towards it to quench his thirst. The Deer never finds water there but looking around sees the same illusion elsewhere and keeps running back & fourth in the desert being deluded. However, the wise man who sees the same mirage will not be deluded as he knows it’s a mere illusion captured by the eye due to external properties & conditions. Knowing this he will not seek water in a desert plane as he has eradicated the notion of presence of water from its inception with the knowledge that it just occurs in his mind. However, in the same way the Deer who is ignorant is deluded in this instance, the ignorant man is deluded when interacting with worldly objects, developing likes and dislikes on what is presented through his sense doors. The resultant contemplation on these feelings makes him run in search of them similar to the Deer in the desert. The Right View helps one to see things as they really are and develops wisdom to perceive things as he does in the instance of seeing a mirage. Living his life in this manner liberates his mind from being deluded from form and makes him a non- seeker, ultimately reaching the sate of a non–returner, anagaami.  

 Those who have committed kamma to experience (results) in sensuous world (Kama loka) gain necessary eye faculty that permits experiences in that existence. The faculties of beings of higher celestial planes, it is said, are superior and enable them to see finer objects than us. On the other hand the animals and beings of the lower realms possess faculties inferior to us therefore are attracted to things that we reject (e.g. Pigs). Similarly, what humans uphold as wholesome & pleasant are not appealing to the beings of higher realms. If one can change kamma the resultant eye faculty could be changed. If the faculty get elevated, a being can experience the pleasures of the relevant higher celestial planes, but if lowered the being will be exposed to sufferings in the lower realms.

It is said that some hungry ghosts (prethas) see (and smell) water as blood or puss due to degradation of the eye faculty as a consequence of previous kamma and hence are unable to satisfy their thirsts. When the capacity or faculty of senses are elevated, through dhyanas for e.g., one can experience the pleasures of higher celestial planes such as Fine – Material World (Rupa Loka) or immaterial World (Arupa Loka). When the senses are utilised wisely with Right View the sense faculties could be gradually modified to achieve complete release of any attachments to external objects, thereby, ending the occurrence of rebirth consciousness. Pursuing this View further with Right contemplation, effort, livelihood, mindfulness and concentration (The Noble Eight Fold Path) makes one completely liberated.

Khīnam purānam navam natthi sambhavam

Viratta cittā āyatike bhavasmim

Te khīnabījā avirūlhicchandā

Nibbanti dhīrā yathā’yam padīpo

-Rathana Sutra

The sense bases that came to be due to old kamma are no more. No new kammas formed, hence, sense bases are not formed anymore – the mind is free from becoming, jathi ; the seed of re- birth consciousness has exhausted. So does the one with wisdom cease to exist as the flame of an oil lamp goes out .

He sees that things are in a transitionary nature and arise within his self and ceases from within. Sense bases arise and cease and are not permanent. No more ignorance as he sees things as they are, i.e. what you experience is what you form in your mind by what you see hear, smell etc. and are not what exists out there. Avidya Nirodho.

No sankaras are formed as he knows that things that are compound (and that are not present before) arise due to conditions and cease when the conditions are not present, nothing exists afterwards. Sankara nirodho, he realises that what is seen - does not exist, what is heard - does not exist. There for vinnana nirodho. He has eradicated the reasons to re-cognise (prathi-sandi), hence the life ends like the flame of an oil lamp which departs when the oil and the wick run out. Consequently, no more re-birth and any further suffering.

(Based on Dhamma talks by Ven: Mankadawala Sudassana Thero of the Labunoruwakanda Monastry in Kekirawa, Sri Lanka)

DISTORTIONS & DENSITIES

DITORTIONS (VIPALLASAS)

Due to our erroneous judgments, says Ven. Ledi Sayadaw,” we make some serious errors on many levels as we attempt to make sense of the world formed around us. As a result we fail to see three important characteristics of the conditioned phenomena, i.e impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukka) and non-self (anatma)” –The Manual of Buddhism.

This is due to distortions (vipallasa) which are fundamental to the Buddhist teachings of ignorance or delusion. The distortions of the mind work on three levels of scale. First, distortions of perception (sanna-vipallasa) cause us to misperceive the information coming to us through the sense doors. “We might mistake a rope by the path as a snake, for example. Normally such errors of vision are corrected by a more careful scrutiny, but sometimes these sensory mistakes are overlooked and remain.”

Distortions of thought (citta-vipallasa) have to do with the next higher level of mental processing, when we find ourselves contemplating over things in our minds. The mind tends to elaborate upon perception with these thought patterns, and when our thoughts are based upon distortions of perception, then they too will be distorted.

Eventually such thought patterns can become habitual, and evolve into distortions of view (ditti-vipallasa). “We might become so convinced that there is a snake by the path that no amount of evidence to the contrary from our own eyes or reason, nor the advice of others, will shake our beliefs and assumptions. We are stuck in a mistaken view.”

Furthermore, it is noted that these three levels of distortion are cyclical — our perceptions are formed in the context of our views, which are strengthened by our thoughts, and all three works together to build the cognitive systems which develop our sense of personality and its uniqueness.

One should recognize that the particular distortions mentioned above correspond to following three characteristics. Taking what is impermanent (anicca) as permanent, what is inherently unsatisfactory (dukkha) as a source of satisfaction, and what is without a self (anatta) to constitute a self — “these are the primary ways we distort reality to the profound disadvantage of ourselves and others. Seeing the unwholesome (asubha) as wholesome rounds out the traditional list of four vipallasas” says Ven. Shadaw.

Buddha has said

Anicce niccasaññino, dukkhe ca sukhasaññino;
anattani ca attāti, asubhe subhasaññino;
micchādiṭṭhihatā sattā, khittacittā visaññino.

Perceiving permanence in the impermanent, and pleasant in the painful
And self in the impersonal, and beauty in the repulsive
Beings are injured by wrong-views,
minds unhinged, they go mad.

Vipallasa Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya

DENSITIES (GHANA SANNA)

It is further stated that our clear vision is obstructed by Densities or crowding (Ghana) of continuity, of whole, of function and of Object. These give rise to illusions or distortions (Vipallasa) discussed above by three functions of the mind i.e. by perception (sanna), by thought (citta), and by view (ditti) as to create four false notions of Permanence, Wholesomeness, Happiness and Self in what are essentially Impermanent, Unwholesome, Unsatisfactory and without Self.

The above four densities are called  the Density of Continuity or unbrokenness (Santhathi Ghana), the density of Whole  (Samuha Ghana) The Density of Function (Kriya Ghana) and the Density of Object( Arammana Ghana) .

Dr W.F.Jayasuriya in his book ‘The psychology and Philosophy of Buddhism’ writes, “The Continuity is the seeming existence of mind and matter, in time, as continuous things when the truth is the momentariness (Transitionary Nature) in all things. For instance, what is seen as a continuous line to a naked eye is seen as separate dots when seen through a magnifying glass, if a torch be whirled we see it as a single ring of light.”

The nature of seeing a continuation in the arising and passing of aggregates (skandas) in form of name-matter (nama-rupas) is santhathi.

“The Density of Whole is the notion of wholeness of a body whereas it consists of parts and units such as when one imagines a chariot as one whole body though it consists of many parts.” Another example would be seeing and noting a heap of sand when in real terms it’s a pile of sand particles grouped together. 

Density of function is the acceptance as one function in an action which in fact has a number of sub actions on it such as  when the foot is raised, trust forward and then put down.

The density of object is the acceptance of oneness in kind whereas it is not so. “What is seen as white light when sent through a prism splits into the rainbow colours. Although we have an illusion as one colour it consists of a number of colours.”

On account of such densities, Dr Jayasuriya writes, “distortions of three functions of the mind namely, perceiving, knowing and opinion formation occurs and are called Sanna Vipallasa, Citta Vipallasa and Ditti viplasa respectively as mentioned above. These three in respect of each of the four false notions noted before as permanence, happiness, wholesomeness and self make 12 illusions. The liberation from these illusions is the key to the attainment of Nibbana. They are corrected in stages as a person proceeds to the Arahat state.”

Buddha preached four Frames of Mindfulness (Sathara Sathipattana) meditation as the only path, ‘ekayano maggo,’ to overcome these errors of view and to see things as they are (Right View) and thereby to follow the noble eightfold path to supreme bliss of nirvana. Sathara Sathipattana meditation focuses on observing the arising & ceasing phenomenon of aggregates. Through mindfulness regarding the body (kayanupassana) one clears the view to see unwholesomeness, through mindfulness of the feelings or sensations (Vedananupassana)  unsatisfactoriness, through mindfulness of mind or consciousness (cittanupassna),  impermanence and through mindfulness of mental phenomena (dhammanupassna),  non- Self and so on.

References:

Dharma Sermons :

Venerable Pitigala Gunarathana, Venarable Mankadawala Sudassana, Venerable Dankande Dhammarathana.

Books:

Purana Buruma Sathipatthana Bhavana Kramaya: Venearable Rerukane Chandavimala,

The Manual of Buddhism: Venerable Ledi Sayadaw

Psychology & Philosophy of Buddhism: Dr. W.F. Jayasuriya.

හරි දැක්ම ( The Right View)

හරි දැක්ම

දකිනා දෙය තියෙන දෙය නොවෙනා ලෙසම

තියෙනා දේ නොදකිනා බවමය සත්‍ය

දැනගත් විට මෙතැන නිති රැවටෙන බවට 

දුරු කල හැක කෙලෙස් අප සසරේ වෙලන

මිරිඟුව ජලය ලෙස දැක රැවටෙන විලෙස 

මිනිසා නොරැවටෙයි තතු දැනගෙන නියත

එනමුදු සසර සැප දුක විඳිනා අතර

රැවටෙනු කිමද මිරිඟුව දුටු මුවෙකු ලෙස

විමසන විට යමක්  නොපෙනී  යන අතර 

නොපෙනී තිබු දෙයක් මතුවී එන අයුර

දුටු විට හේතු පල දහමක් වනු මෙලෙස

එයමය කිසිම දෘෂ්ටියකට නැති දැකුම

The Right View

What is seen is not what it is and

What is out there is not what is seen

When it’s known that we are deceived here,

The defilements that fetter us to Samsara are no more.

Deer is deceived by the mirage in the desert

The wise man is not

Yet he is, elsewhere in his life,

Pursuing, either joy or sorrow.

When a thing being examined disappears and

Another appears, unknown thus far

Realisation that it’s a process of cause and effect,

Is the vision that is not fixed to any View.

THE DHAMMA THAT WAS UNHEARD BEFORE

In his first sermon to the five disciples, ‘Dhammacakkapavatana sutta’,  Lord Buddha claimed his attainment of a dhamma that was not heard previously from anyone,  whether from a god, ‘the creator’ (brahma) or god of death (mara)-  (pubbe annasussathi dhammesu) and said that  "Such was the Vision, Insight, Wisdom, Knowing and Light that arose in me about things not heard before".

Considering that there were many other known & accepted beliefs prevailing at the time and the fact that he has followed teachings of many such beliefs and practices before attaining the supreme enlightenment, Buddha’s above statement need to be examined in depth.

RIGHT VIEW

Further reference is made in the same sermon where he declared to have gained the knowledge, ‘Yatha buthan Nana Dassanam’, or seeing things as they are whether a Buddha is present in the world or not. This implies that we do not see things as they are, in other words, all objects sensed through our sense bases are identified only as how we assume they are to be. This reality was only seen by a person who attained Supreme Enlightenment (Sammasambuddha) who gain wisdom beyond this world (lokottara nana), which was reavealed to us by Gauthama Buddha as the ‘Right view’ being the first of the noble eight fold path.

‘Wrong view’ to which we are subjected to is due to ignorance (Avidya) due to us having no knowledge of; suffering,  cause for suffering, cessation of suffering and the path for the cessation of suffering (‘ Dukke annanan, Dukka Samudaye annanan, Dukka Nirodaye annanan, Dukka Nirodhagamini Patipadave annanan). It is also the ignorance of impermanence (Anicca ), suffering (Dukka ) & non-self (Anatma ), the three Marks of Buddhism.

In this very first sermon, Buddha went on to teach his disciples  the cause and effect phenomena(hethu-pala dahama) in all conditioned phenomena when he preached , yan kinci samudaya dhammam sabbantham nirodha dhammam, - 'whatever that arises all that are subject to cessation" which is the principle of dependant origination (paticcasamuppada) doctrine, the essence of his dhamma.

The sutta says the eye of Dhamma arose in Kondanna in realising the above. The first disciple of the Buddha to have become a stream-winner (sothapanna) was Ven. Kondanna while he was listening to Dhammacakkapavatana sutta.

Through this unprecedented wisdom attained, Buddha revealed to the world the reality or truth which may be summarised as,

‘The past has ceased, the future is yet to be, and the present is subject to momentary arising and ceasing’.

In this mundane world we believe in that there is a past, present and a future, hence we have the feeling of ‘existence and presence’ which is nurtured by craving. In our minds we have a place as a house from where we came from this morning and a place to go back later in the day, similarly a work place, people we know and so on. In accordance with the dhamma thought by Buddha this is noted as clinging to five aggregates and i.e. suffering. The reality is we only experience what we encounter through our senses at any given moment which ceases away as soon as it arises, hence the world that arises within us through our sense bases ceases away momentarily. ‘Being nonexistent it arises and, ceases without leaving any residue’. This occurrence take place in such a rapid succession that what appears to be a permanent world is created within us as we are deceived of its momentary nature. This will be further discussed in this article.

For us who are caught up in our mundane existence the above dhamma would seem incomprehensible as without past and the present there is no world and thus no existence. Does it mean both bad and good experiences and memories we have are not favourable? The answer is, in the worldly context it is hard to accept but the Buddha’s declaration is on what he saw from beyond this world, lokottara dahama, in relation to the unconditional state ‘nibbana’.

A further clarification to this dhamma is found in Buddha’s answer to a question from Rohitassa, a Deva Putra, or a son of god where he preached,

 “It is in this very fathom-long physical frame with its perceptions and mind, that, I declare, lies the world, and the arising of the world, and the cessation of the world, and the path leading to the cessation of the world.”

Rohitassa Sutta: Samyutta Nikaya

Now the question arises why we do not see things as they are?

The ignorance (also called delusion) is our inability to see (or hear, taste, smell or feel) things ‘as they are’ through our sense bases due to hindrances (nivarana) causing unwise attention or ‘Ayoniso Manasikara’. The Buddha described five kinds of hindrances i.e, Sensual Desire (kamacchanda), Aversions (vyapada), Slop & Toper (tina midda), Restlessness & Worry (uddacca kukkucca) & doubt (vicikicca). Hindrances are to be overcome by cultivating Concentration (Samadi) which in turn requires restraining of senses & thus morality (Sila). Hence,  Concentration, Morality & Wisdom (Sila Samadhi Panna) is described as the path to liberation i.e noble eight fold path which is expanded as the Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech Right Action Right Effort Right Livelihood Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration (Samma Ditti Samma Sankappa Samma vaca Samma kammantha Samma Vayama Samma Ajiva , samma Sathi & Samma Samadhi).

Seeing things as they are develops wisdom with the Right View by removing ignorance. If we are to examine this further, the ignorance is the mistaken identity of mental formations or name-matter (nama rupa) as objects. In other words, accepting the images grasped by the mind as external objects when in fact, these images are mere formations in the mind in relation to external objects consisting of four great elements. This is evident in our ability to remember things exactly the way we first saw it. Here, we retrieve the object in image form (as name-matter or the images created in mind due to eye contact) through mind and take that mental image as something that continue to exist. The same apply to the other objects sensed through ear, nose and so on. What we experience in dreams are no different to this process which we experience when we are said to be ‘awake’, hence, we worldly beings are in fact ‘dreaming’ in our real life which Buddha has referred to as the Dream of Sensuous existence (svapnopaka kama). Buddha is called ‘The ‘Awakened’ one as he was not subject to this existence in ‘life dream’ anymore.

DEPENDENT ORIGINATION

As much as oil, wick & the flame are pre requisites to (lamp) light and formation of a shadow in the presence of sunlight, a tree and the ground, combination of an external object, the eye and eye consciousness result in eye contact or chakku sampassa which creates feeling (vedana) and hence the process of five clinging aggregates. Due to combination of causes a resultant effect is formed & when the causes cease to exist, so does the effect or the product which cease to exist. This is the phenomenon of cause and effect as taught by Buddha, Hetun paticca sambutan hetu banga nirujjathi.

With regard to the examples discussed above, it is clear that the oil, flame or the wick of the lamp alone cannot create the light and the tree, sunlight & ground alone cannot create the shadow of the tree, similarly, eye, object or the eye consciousness alone cannot create the resultant eye contact which is only a product of the former. Therefore, the image seen by the eye due to eye contact is not the object as we are used to believe, but one formed in the mind due to combination of the former. We express either our liking or disliking to the feeling generated by this mental image or name- matter (nama rupa) and accordingly arrive at erroneous conclusions, mistakenly identifying it as the actual object present externally.

All objects are formed by four elements Earth, Water, fire & Air(patavi, apo, thejo and vayu). Forms (rupa) also are subjected to arising passing phenomenon and therefore are in a state of flux. What is seen as explained above is only a product of eye contact resulting from the eye meeting an object and arising of eye consciousness upon a mental image. As soon as the eye contact arises it passes away as a result of parting of causes. Notwithstanding, we grasp the mental image that is formed in our mind, through its feeling and the perception, as an object that permanently exist. Through wise attention (yoniso manasikara) one is able witness the impermanence of this conditioned phenomena.

Venerable Sudassana further explains this with the mirage example where an animal, for instance a deer, being deceived by a mirage in the desert as water. In a similar situation a wise man will identify this occurrence as an illusion created in the mind due to particular conditions. “The dear assumes what is seen is out there whereas the wise man sees that the illusion of water formed in the mind is not out there.” However, it is important to note that the same man fails to realise that in his real life he is being deluded in a similar fashion to that of a deer in the desert.

All things that arise on account of 'causes' are said to be conditioned phenomena or 'sanskara'. Sanskaras are formation, fabrication and determination of form the way we believe they are as we perceive them. Having perceived wrongfully we determine that each object, which is either seen, heard smelled, tasted or felt, erroneously and respond in form of thought, speech or action (citta, vachee or kaya sanskara). These expressions are also classified in accordance to the karma formation as (i) meritorious (punyabhi-sanskara), (ii) sinful (apunyabhi-sanskara) and (iii) static (anenjabhi-sanskara).

An interesting analogy to this dhamma is found in an animal’s response to its reflection in water, for example a dog when it looks into a well, would assume there is another dog inside the well and react by barking at it. A man with knowledge will consider such reflection as it is, and will know that the image will only be there as long as he looks into the well and will disappear when he moves away from the well i.e, when the conditions are no more. However, a dog will keep on barking even after moving away, thinking that another dog in still inside the well. Interestingly the man who is not deceived in this instance is said to be constantly deluded in his worldly existence unable to realise the consistency of this reality, thus he is gripped by the notion of ‘existence ‘and ‘presence’ in compounded things.

Such deluded determination (avidya sankhara) result in re-cognition (prathisandhi vinnana) and hence the continuation of the samsaric existence as shown in the process of the Dependant Origination ( paticca samuppada) chain, Avidya Paccaya Sankara , Sankara Paccaya Vinnana and so on, taught by Buddha, leading to suffering in Jathi, Jara, Marana, and so on.

The Buddha concluded,

‘When this is that is,

When this arises that arises,

When this is not that is not,

When this ceases that ceases’

EXTREMES

Defining the path to liberation as the Middle Path Buddha has said 'Everything exists': That is one extreme. 'Everything doesn't exist': That is a second extreme. Avoiding these two extremes, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma via the middle.”- Kaccayana Gotta Sutra, Samyuththa Nikaya.

Responding to a question by Ven.Kaccayana on the definition of the Right View, Buddha clarified, “This world, Kaccayana, is generally inclined towards two views: existence and non-existence, to the person who perceives with right wisdom the arising of the world as it come to be, the notion of non-existence in the world does not occur. Kaccayana, to him who perceives with right wisdom the ceasing of the world as it come to be, the notion of existence in the world does not occur.”

In his first discourse Buddha rejected adherence to self indulgence (kamasukallikanu) & self mortification (atta kilamatanu) as two extreme practices.

Corresponding to these two extremes of self indulgence & self mortification, the Buddha further referred to the two extremes known as eternalism and nihilism (Sassatha ditti and Ucceda ditti), where the former relates to the belief of a continuous self that goes from one life to the other. Accordingly some believe that good deeds help you to be born in heavenly existences and the bad deed to the lower levels. This was proclaimed by the preachers at the time who were able to see their past lives having achieved higher levels of dyanas and who were able to see their previous existences. In accordance with nihilist or materialist believers, (ucceda vadi)) believers there is no life after death and thus one just need to enjoy in this life to the maximum. These preachers of this belief, though they had achieved higher levels of dyanas were unable to see their past lives as their previous existences in Material /Immaterial worlds (brahma loka) spans a number of eons beyond which they are not able to look back. Therefore, they believed that there were no previous existences and thus no future existences either. Buddha was critical of both extremes and preached the middle path, the causal effect existence.

‘Things arise being non-existent before and cease without a trace’ confirms for instance that the extremes of the ‘past’ and ‘future’ or ‘pleasant’ and ‘unpleasant’ are irrational. 

When one sees that things arise due to conditions the nihilist view  is released when he sees the cease or passing away due to separation of conditions, the view of eternalism releases.

When one realises through insight meditation that he is deluded in view in the manner discussed above, he or she sees suffering as due to ignorance, or mistaken identity, of the objects (not seeing things as they are) and identifies the cause for suffering as responding to the mistaken identity & fabrications or determinations in accordance with ones preferences (likes and dislikes). Consequently his attachment to his own fabrication or determination falls apart and when detached the cause for attachment, craving, ends. Then he sees cease of suffering and reach the path to liberation leading to supreme bliss of nirvana.

This is the sandittika quality of the dhamma as emphasised in the Buddhist stanza Swakkatho Baghavatho dammo sandittika, which mean results in this existence itself, here and now, to the one who follows the path.

Dharma Sermons: Venerable Pitigala Gunarathana, Venarable Mankadawala Sudassana.