Chattha Sangayana CD - Vipassana Research Institute
The Munificent Nature of Dhamma

•	S. N. GOENKA

Man is a social being. It is neither possible nor profitable for him to live separated from society. Whatever contribution he makes to the society while being a member of it, in terms of making the social fabric more peaceful and harmonious, is the yardstick of his merit as a useful member of society. The basis of any healthy, harmonious society is always the healthy and harmonious individuals who populate it. Disharmonious people not only remain tense and unhappy themselves, but also make other people around them ill-at-ease because of their tensions and disharmony. Therefore, it is obvious that if we wish to produce a society which is happy, healthy and harmonious, we will also have to make each individual happy, healthy and harmonious. Only if each individual has a pure, peaceful mind can we expect peace in the society. Dhamma is a unique way for attaining peace for the individual, and hence is a way to attain peace and harmony for the society and the world.

Dhamma does not mean a particular sect. Sects, dogmas and creeds always build barriers and divisions, differences between men. The Truth, Dhamma on the other hand, breaks all such barriers and differences and removes these divisions between men; otherwise, what is going under the name of Dhamma no longer qualifies to be called Dhamma.

True Dhamma uproots from the mind the sense of superiority and so also the sense of inferiority which certain segments of society often have; and eliminating its impurities, establishes the mind on a healthy ground of equality where both these unhealthy complexes cannot exist. This purity of mind imparts the quality of equanimity, and one gains the ability to view every situation, every individual and every state of existence in its true nature, in its true colour; one is able to see things as they really are. Such purity also frees the mind of false exaggerations and blind dependence which is often characteristic of individuals steeped in emotional devotion to some supernatural power. Our ability to see things as they really are, without beclouding our vision with the conditioning of the mind, imparts that insight, wisdom and understanding of the Truth. We also attain the ability to conduct self-introspection. Our insight is freed of the veil of ignorance. The conditioning of the mind which may have been a result of our past listening, studies or environments, becomes a barrier to our ability to see things in their true nature and perspective. Our old traditional beliefs and convictions colour our vision so thoroughly that we see existence, things and situations through a distorted vision and fail to see the untarnished reality of these. In the name of Dhamma and Truth, we have chained ourselves in these golden chains of dogma and blind belief, which in ignorance we begin to regard with pride as ornamental achievement and erudite understanding. However, to be totally liberated from all our ignorance and suffering, we will have to break asunder all such emotional and intellectual bondages of dogma and creed.

If we hope to be liberated of hate, greed, delusion, malevolence, envy, fear and all other traits that defile the mind, it is imperative that we set aside all imaginations, emotional devotions and old accepted dogmas and learn to live in the present moment as it is. To live in the reality of the moment is to live in the present. The moments that have passed are no longer real; now we can only have a memory of those moments. Similarly, the moments that are yet to come cannot be real, as we can only have expectations, hopes and fears about them. Living in the present means to be totally aware of whatever is being experienced at this very moment. The pleasant and unpleasant memories of the past, pleasant and unpleasant hopes and fears for the future, take us away from the reality of the moment and thus do not allow us to live a life of reality. A life not lived in the present moment is a life of delusion and unreality which causes all sorts of perverse situations in life and defilements in the mind, resulting in anxiety, tension, dissatisfaction, restlessness and suffering. However, as we learn to live and witness the truth of the present moment, automatically we begin to experience respite and freedom from these negative traits.

By the Supreme Enlightenment obtained by a great man and great Teacher, Lord Buddha, was evolved a way which enables one to live and experience the present moment, cutting the mind off from all past conditioning, eliminating all hate, greed and delusion from it, and thus purifying it and totally freeing it from all suffering. After having completely liberated himself by this method, he taught and preached this way of liberation throughout the rest of his life. He called this liberating technique Vipassana meditation.

The student of this method learns to be completely aware of whatever he experiences at this very moment. Developing mindfulness and awareness about his physical phenomenon, he practises K±y±nupassan±. He develops awareness of sensations that he experiences  pleasant, unpleasant or neutral  and thus practises Vedan±nupassan±. He develops total awareness, of his psychic phenomenon and thereby practises Citt±nupassan±. Similarly, he is mindful of all good and evil states of his mind, their origin, their cause and their nature; and then transcending the entire field of physical and psychic phenomenal experiences, the entire sensual field, the field of relativity, he experiences Nibb±na and he thus practises Dhamm±nupassan±. The practice of such mindfulness eradicates all the deep-rooted conditioning which is caused by unwholesome states of mind. With the lessening and elimination of past conditioning, the mind slowly emerges free from all attachments, from all lust for sensual pleasures, from all loss of equilibrium, which is born out of expectations, from anxieties about the future, from the pain inflicted by the memories of the past, from all frustrations, from all yearnings; and thus it acquires its natural state of calm, peace and purity.

This technique of Vipassana which frees mankind of all evil, which calms the mind brimming over with tensions and anxiety, and teaches man how to be free from all suffering, is good and useful for one and all, regardless of whether the individual belongs to this caste or that community, this country of that ethnic group, this language or that culture. It also does not require that one declare oneself a Buddhist before one can use it or benefit from it. It also is not necessary that one prostrate before the image of Buddha or burn incense or perform any of the traditional rituals of worship. Nor does it require that one meditate on the form or the name of this great teacher who gave us this technique.

When one takes refuge in Buddha, one has to be absolutely clear that this devotion does not turn into blind devotion. Such madness would make us indolent and would have us believe that now Buddha will end all our suffering. On the other hand, after having witnessed the process of purification taking place not only in oneself but also in others with the practice of this technique, if one's sense of gratitude towards the compassionate Enlightened Teacher begins to overflow, then any show of respect and gratitude certainly will not be out of place. When our devotion is aroused by those qualities which liberate and purify us, then such devotion inspires us to acquire these qualities. Devotion of this nature does not become a blind belief and bondage, but is a factor of enlightenment. This enlightenment factor is of great assistance in the process of purification through Vipassana meditation.

Lord Buddha is not the object of Vipassana meditation. The object of this meditation is the moment to moment changing nature of one's own body and mind, the awareness and eternal vigilance of which is developed. This meditation teaches us to be constantly aware and mindful of the real nature of things at each moment. Such a practice which trains us to live in and to be aware of the present moment, to see and experience things as they really are, can be accepted and practised by all men, regardless of their colour, caste, sect, culture, nationality, language or era. Man learns to study his own nature. Man learns to see himself through self-introspection. He examines his own physical and psychic nature. He watches the manifestations of the conditioning of his own mind in the course of life at each moment. He sees thus the arisings of his own cravings, clingings and other defiling attributes. So one can, by the practice of such awareness, liberate oneself from all these mental defilements and thus become a decent human being and get established in True Dhamma. Such a pure being could belong to any sect, as the society holds him in high esteem and is rightly proud of him. Such a man, with mind free from all fetters, is not only by nature himself happy and free, but he also becomes a potent instrument for enhancing the peace and happiness of all others.

May the munificent, all-embracing, benevolent, universal nature of Dhamma reach all suffering human beings and cause them to be free, happy and liberated: such is our wish for peach and happiness for all.

May all be happy!

Witnessing the Truth

•	S.N. GOENKA

Blessed indeed was the night of Vesakha Punnima when that young yogi Siddhartha gained complete victory over himself under the bodhi tree. The darkness of ignorance was dispelled; the light of wisdom shone forth in all its brilliance. The subtlest defilements of mind were washed away. The conditioning of an infinite number of previous births was discarded. The entire psychic structure became infinitely pure. All the shackles were broken. No craving remained for the future; mind became free of all attachments. The veil of ignorance, delusion and illusion was torn asunder. The Ultimate Truth was experienced in all its purity. The effort of infinite lives to find Truth bore fruit. Bodhisattva Gotama Siddhartha gained supreme Enlightenment and became Samma-Sambuddha.

With the taste of supreme liberation, the following words of ecstasy gushed forth from his mouth; the words contain great wisdom and express a beautiful sentiment:

Anekaj±ti sans±ra½

sadh±vissa½ anibbisa½

gahak±raka½ gavesanto,

dukkh± j±ti punappuna½

Gahak±raka! diµµhosi,

puna geha½ na k±hasi

sabb± te ph±suk± bhagg±,

gahakuµa½ visankhita½,

visamkh±ragata½ citta½,

taºh±na½ khayamajjhag±.

Before gaining full enlightenment, he had obtained many supernatural powers with various exercises of mental concentration. With the aid of these supernatural powers, Siddhartha Gotama was able to see his past lives. He saw that he had been born countless times and after each birth he was continuously running towards his death. Who is it that makes me take one birth after another? Who is it that gives me another life after each death? Who makes another abode for me?

To seek this housebuilder I wandered through countless lives, and in each life I had to experience only suffering. This time, however, I have gained that supreme wisdom, enlightenment, which has laid bare before me the Truth in its totality. I have now seen this housebuilder, and he can no more build another abode for me. I have now destroyed all the building materials with which he could build another house for me. I have shattered the ridge pole, I have thrown asunder all the beams. Now there are no bases for the house. This mind is now completely pure; gone are its conditionings from the past, and no possibility is there of its getting defiled in the future, for there is no craving left; all the attachments have been uprooted; all the sensuous cravings, all the cravings for existence and all the cravings for extinction have been destroyed.

Who was this housebuilder after all, whom the Enlightened One had finally seen? In this long struggle for freedom, what he say was only Mara. Was this Mara the housebuilder? Who is this Mara? He is none other than the personification al all the defilements accumulated deep in our minds. Indeed, it is only Mara which prepares a new house for us every time, and through a new birth gives rise to a new body. Mara has been rendered helpless, defenceless, weak; now how could he make a new house? All the building blocks for the house have been destroyed; that is, the conditioning of the past and the desires for the future, which alone cause the process of becoming for us. If both of these are eliminated, then the process of becoming stops automatically, as is the case when a fire exhausts and extinguishes itself when no new fuel is added to it and the old gets consumed. How could the fire go on without fuel?

"Kh%na½ Pur±na½, Nava½ Natthi Sambhava½"  all the old 'sankharas' have been destroyed, no new 'sankharas' are being made, this was the state of total liberation. This was the enlightenment of that Bodhisattva; this was the ultimate victory of light over darkness; this was the victory of deathless over death; the victory of Truth over ignorance.

If we were to applaud in delight this great achievement of Siddhartha Gotama, this alone would not bring us any important benefits. Our benefit lies in gaining that wisdom ourselves, in witnessing that Truth ourselves. If the victory of Siddhartha Gotama over himself inspires us to walk that path which could enlighten hem, and even in small degrees if we were to purify our minds, only then would we experience and possess true peace. So let us understand what the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gotama and how he obtained it.

The Supreme Enlightenment of Prince Gotama was not an act of mercy of some invisible power. This was the fruit of man's own supreme, tireless effort. This was not the product of any intellectual flight of imagination or the result of any blind devotional faith. This was the supreme wisdom, the supreme insight; this was witnessing and experiencing the Ultimate Truth. To achieve this, empty intellectual speculation and blind devotion could not be the routes. In fact, only discarding them totally from the head and the heart makes achievement of such ultrapurity possible. Mind freed itself of all emotional devotion, false imaginations, purified itself with the highest wisdom and was filled with infinite love and compassion. All this was achieved through self  reliance and self  dependence. How can one be totally independent and free through dependence on someone? How can one be thus liberated? Man has to fight his own inner enemies, his own mental defilements and his own wrong views. In such a battle, the clouds o ignorance are blown away and the light of wisdom begins to shine forth through the darkness.

In search of Truth, the student looks within and experiences all that is happening within him, and also begins to understand the reasons for all that is taking place. He then begins to understand that whatever has a cause can cease. He also begins to understand the way in which these causes can be eliminated. So, by such understanding and wisdom, with his own efforts, he destroys the causes, and becomes liberated of all his shackles and shines forth as the dazzling sun in a cloudless sky.

After groping through a maze of different techniques, in many previous births, and even in the last one, for a technique which could break all the bondages, he discovered this simple, straight  forward method and left it for us as a legacy. We too, can achieve through the implementation of this technique the same purity and freedom which he attained.

What was this technique? It was a way to see the Truth as it is: observing the gross reality, we march towards the subtle and to the subtlest; by dissection, dissolution and examination of the solid apparent conventional Truth, we reach the Ultimate Truth. The search for Truth in this manner is only possible if we discard all the coloured glasses of old prejudices and beliefs, and, on the strength of our actual experience, we keep accepting every layer of reality as it manifests itself. "Yath± bh$t± ñ±na  Dassana½"  Observing and understanding reality as it is, from moment to moment, is the process of developing wisdom, insight, which enables one to realize the Ultimate Truth. In this there is neither room for speculation, nor for blind devotion. The great recipient of enlightenment searched for the Ultimate Truth like a research scientist, and succeeded in his efforts by setting aside both of these impediments.

Amidst nature, Siddhartha Gotama took his birth, amidst nature he got enlightened and amidst nature he breathed his last, entering the state of 'Parinibbana'. The three most important events of his life took place in the lap of nature, outdoors, and throughout his life, too, he deeply studied the entire phenomenon of nature. He noted that in this mobile world everything is in a state of flux, in a state of motion. Nothing remains static, nothing stationary. Every moment something or the other is constantly happening, everything is constantly changing: changing from moment to moment, is the nature of the universe. This is why it is called 'Bhava' universe. What we term the stable, solid elements of matter are also evanescent. At their subtlest level, they are also constantly changing at every moment. What we call consciousness is also in a continuous state of flow, flux, change. This phenomenon of change as we see it in nature is also happening within every sentient being, too. This phenomenon of change continues on and on.

The Enlightened One, through introspection, deep within, realized this very Truty. The entire secret of nature unfolded itself. It was clear how due to ignorance we identify ourselves with the aggregate of body and the flow of mind, and cling to both of then we call them 'I', 'I', 'My', 'My'; thus getting more and more entangled, we keep ourselves miserable, tense and twisted like the rope of reed. The secret of both mind and body became apparent as he realized the Ultimate Truth of their nature. Thus he realized not only the Ultimate Truth of the material and mental sensual world, but also experienced the state of Nirvana which transcends both. In this manner, based on the testimony of personal experience, he clearly saw the suffering, he saw the cause of this suffering, and he also saw the state of total liberation which he achieved by eradicating the cause of suffering. Come, let us also see and understand with the testimony of our own experiences the nature of our material aggregate, the nature of our psychic aggregates, and the nature of the combination of these two, the life continuum. Let us understand how a continuous change is taking place in both the mental and material aggregates of our being. Let us also see how, because of ignorance, tensions continue to be created and how complications develop. Then let us clearly understand how we can check the process of tying knots, and creating tensions, how we can untie the old knots, how we can resolve old complications, and how, by experiencing the Ultimate Truth, we can taste the state of total liberation. 'Vesakha Punnima' inspires us to this goal; let us take advantage of this inspiration.

LEt us also see the housebuilder, Mara, in ourselves and vanquish him by making him armless, harmless, powerless. Let us see our own defilements to destroy them. In this lies our liberation; in this lies our well  being.

MAY ALL BEINGS BE LIBERATED. MAY ALL BEINGS BE HAPPY.

Dhamma  Our Shield

•	S. N. GOENKA

Remaining anxious about the future has become man's nature. To have a pleasant and secured future man seeks the refuge in beneficence of various mundane and supernatural phenomena. However, apart form Dhamma, Truth, there is no refuge nor any aid nor any other power which can really shield us which can really secure our future, which can free us from all our anxieties about the future.

The Dhamma that shields us is the Dhamma that we develop within ourselves, the Dhamma that we apply in our lives. This alone fully secures our well-being. The Dhamma that arises and develops in someone else is of little help to us unless it becomes our own. Dhamma developed in others can at the best show us the path and inspire us to develop the same in ourselves by lighting the torch of insight and Truth within us so that we may live the life of Dhamma ourselves. This means that taking refuge in Dhamma is actually taking refuge in our own selves. This really helps us.

Hence Bhagawan Buddha has said: Attasamm±panidhi ca, eta½ mangalamuttama½ - that is, our greatest good lies in directing our attention properly towards our own selves. This is taking refuge in ourself. If we take refuge in some imaginary external power and direct our attention towards it, this can only make us dependent, weak and insecure by entangling ourselves in more and more delusions.

When we direct our attention properly towards our own self, i.e. towards our own changing mind and body, we start purifying ourselves and thus start developing Dhamma within ourselves. In every time of trial, every moment of travail, we have to awaken the Dhamma within us and through our insight we become an island unto ourselves so that our life finds a secure mooring.

The best thing for us to do to ensure our well-being is to remain in wisdom, Dhamma, and with control of our minds keep our Samadhi sharp to continue to purify ourselves, and by restraining our actions of body and speech to remain established in Sila. As we get established more and more in this Dhamma of Sila, Samadhi and Panna, more and more awakened to it, and as we incorporate and practice Dhamma more and more in our lives, in the same proportions through the Dhamma that we have ourselves acquired, the Dhamma protects us and shields us in our lives.

It has been well said by Bhagawan Buddha:

"Dhamma have rakkhati dhammac±ri½"  Dhamma automatically protects the one who practises it. So for complete protection for now and for the future let us keep this torch lit, and let us protect this torch of Dhamma and Truth to keep it shining. In this lies our well-being; in this lies our protection, in this lies our good.

The Path to Ultimate Reality

•	S. N. GOENKA

Practice of Dhamma  the way shown by the Buddha  will lead one from the superficial level of gross, apparent truth, toward subtler levels, and thence to ultimate truth. In fact, it is quite rightly said.

Paññatti thapetv± visesena pattati'te Vipassan±

"Vipassana" is observation of reality in a special way, in the correct way, by disintegrating the apparent truth.

The first important requirement of Vipassana, therefore, is to dissolve the apparent truth and to penetrate to subtler truth.

Ordinarily, observing things at a very gross apparent level, one is aware primarily of the differences, and therefore draws distinctions, giving labels, and forms prejudices of liking or disliking. One prefers Mr. A to Mr. B, or female to male, or human to non-human, white to black, beautiful to ugly. These are all discriminations based on superficial observation, in which objects are distinguished at the level of appearances.

With the practice of Vipassana, the meditator looks inside and begins to see further, to disintegrate the gross, apparent reality and to reach a subtler level. Possibly one might perceive and identify solid bone or liquid blood, gaseous elements or bodily temperature. But although this is an advance in subtlety of perception, it is still observing apparent reality in a composed shape or form. There is still identification, therefore distinctions persist  likes and dislikes, preferences and prejudices.

The meditator goes further and reaches a level where he observes the sub-atomic particles of which all matter is composed, the kal±pa, and their nature of continually arising and vanishing. Now, whatever he observes within himself, whether solid or liquid or gaseous, he has reached a stage where he perceives it as just a mass of vibrations, incapable of differentiation. Then at last, of necessity, the process of drawing distinctions and giving labels ceases. The meditator has disintegrated completely the apparent reality and experienced the ultimate truth pertaining to matter within the framework of his own body. He has appreciated the ultimate truth of matter: constantly changing, constantly in flux, constantly in a flow. Therefore he desists from preferences of prejudices.

Similarly, with the mind and mental factors, one advances from the gross, apparent truth to the ultimate reality. For example, an emotion arises, pleasant or unpleasant, according to one's past conditioning. This is a mental manifestation of a past sankh±ra, and at once the present mental reaction reinforces and multiplies it. At such a moment, the nature of the mind and mental factors is solidified, intensified, since they are operating at the level of gross, apparent reality.

In this situation, one begins to identify and discriminate between pleasant and unpleasant, good and bad, wanted and unwanted. But whether gross, solidified emotion, or gross, solidified material truth, when one starts to observe it, then it is bound to dissolve, to disintegrate. Just as matter is seen to be nothing but subtle wavelets of kal±pas, so also the gross, intensified, solidified emotion dissolves into subtle wavelets. When that happens, then the emotion can no longer overpower the meditator.

Thus, by his own practice, one comes to see the ultimate reality of mind and matter  as it is truly described by one who has experienced it,

Sabbo pajjalito loko

Sabbo loko paka½pito

The entire universe, mind and matter combined, is nothing but a process of combustion and vibrations.

This truth has to be realized, not merely accepted at the intellectual or devotional level. And certainly one can realize it by the practice of Vipassana meditation.

Vipassana, then, is a technique to disintegrate apparent truth and to reach the ultimate truth of matter, mind, and mental factors, and thereafter to transcend these three, and to reach the ultimate truth of Nibb±na.

This ultimate truth of Nibb±na can be experienced only after one has penetrated to the ultimate truth of mind and matter. So long as a meditator has not dissolved the solidity of mind and matter, he is still dealing with apparent truth; and the apparent truth is bound to keep him in the conditioned world of likes and dislikes, which give rise to attachments and sufferings. The more one comes out of attachment, the nearer one approaches the ultimate truth of Nibb±na.

One doesn't have to do anything to create Nibb±na; the only requirement is to come out of illusions about mind and matter. The Nibb±na is there.

In the technique in which we work, one begins with the gross, apparent truth pertaining to the body and the gross, apparent truth pertaining to the mind. And from this starting point, the meditator penetrates further and further in the direction of subtle reality, ultimate reality.

As the process of disintegration continues, he starts experiencing the nature of arising and passing away (Udaya and Vyaya) which leads him to the realization of total dessolution (Bhaªga). This is the free flow throughout the entire physical and mental structure. Even after experiencing this free flow there is every likelihood that from time to time, some deep-rooted sankh±ra of the past will manifest itself in gross form on the mental of physical level. In this situation the meditator must keep on observing equanimously the gross, apparent reality which has again manifested itself, until it dissolves, and once again he experiences a free flow throughout the body of very subtle sensations, without a trace of solidity anywhere. Then again something crops up of a gross nature. But the wise meditator understands that this is how the process of Vipassana works. Old impurities deeply buried in the unconscious mind (anusaya kilesa) must inevitably come up to the surface. When they do so, quite often, they manifest in gross form. If the student maintains equanimous observation of this newly arisen apparent truth, then sooner or later it is bound to get dissolved, and along with it the particular sankh±ra of which it is a manifestation. In this way one keeps on reducing one's accumulation of old sankh±ras, freeing oneself of impurities. This is the path of sankh±ra upekkh±, i. e. one hs to maintain equanimity towards every sankh±ra which has manifested itself as a sensation. This leads to total purification and Nibb±na.

The crucial point is that the direction in which a student works must always be from gross to subtle, disintegrating apparent truth and advancing toward the ultimate. From time to time, because of the law of nature, a gross truth manifests itself. The meditator must deal with it in the same way: observing it dispassionately, with penetrating pañña, until he reaches again to the level of subtlety.

The only way one can proceed from gross to subtle is by remaining fully aware of the reality which has manifested at this moment, at the same time maintaining perfect equanimity. Whenever one reacts, by nature the mind becomes gross and incapable of experiencing subtler reality. Whenever one ceases reacting and remains equanimous, by nature the mind becomes sharper, and automatically starts penetrating from the gross to the subtle. This is the essence of the practice of Vipassana.

The difficulty arises when a student starts playing the game of sensations. Experiencing a free flow of subtle vibrations throughout the body, he becomes highly elated and feels that he attained the final goal, when actually it is still far away. And then, when he again experiences any gross sensation or blind area, he becomes distressed, depressed that apparently he is backsliding in this practice. Equanimity is totally forgotten.

It is very important for every Vipassana meditator to understand that the path will automatically lead hem from gross to subtle. After the experience of free flow, if a gross solidified reality manifests, this is certainly not a regress. Whatever impurities there may be in the unconscious depths of the mind must come to the surface  the conscious level  to be eradicated. This is the purpose of the technique. Hence, the arising of such an impurity is actually a sign of progress, provided the meditator remains equanimous.

The yardstick to measure one's progress on the path of Vipassana is not the type of sensation which one experiences. Without any effort on the part of the meditator, the sensations naturally become more subtle the more one practises properly. The yardstick is the degree to which one has succeeded in ripening one's awareness and equanimity. To develop these two qualities is the proper object of one's effort. If a student bears this nature of the technique in mind, he is in no danger of going astray in the practice, and will certainly keep progressing toward the goal. May all the serious students of Dhamma be free from all delusions. May they continue to progress on the path, by remaining aware and equanimous from moment to moment, in order to penetrate the apparent reality and to attain the ultimate truth of Nibb±na.