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.