A Talk To Our Buddhists -- by Ven. Gotami

(......continued from issue 185)

Compassion begins to develop in you in the entire world. No more attachment or aversion arises, it is just beautiful. Your mind is now desperate to see how to get rid of the samsara cycle. When you have a plate of food like a fish you penetrate to see that fish is a mother of yours previously. Understanding comes to you that your mind is pushing yourself to see which is the way to avoid so much of suffering, what are you suppose to do, and the way to go about. You know all the rights and wrongs, what are the things not to do or to do. Whatever it is there is no attachments and aversions. You see the cause. Laypeople cannot see that the body are not theirs, but now you see the body is not yours. They are still ignorant, but now you know and understand.

Now fortunate sons and daughters, please do not cling to any outside object because the thoughts rise from the images we see. It causes so much suffering just because we do not realise that there is no such thing as "I" or "mine", which causes the mind to cling to the sight, the sound, the taste, the touch, and the thought that arise from the contact of six sense-bases with their respective outside components. We must be very careful now because this endless suffering was absolutely due to thoughts created by us and we do not want them. Then due to the environment that we are in and the education that we have received, whatever thing that we come to contact with will cause desires to rise in us. When a job is done with the feeling of pride, the kamma will rise in us again. All these feelings are observed by the mind which is supposed to release the body. Now you have to see the body as a different thing from the mind, which is completely different from the views we had before this.

As we see rising and passing , rising and passing, rising and passing, rising and passing, we also see the passing, passing, passing, passing, passing, of all things. The rising of wisdom on observing of this rising and passing takes place automatically and you may sense some feeling or energy in part of your body during your meditation. These changes are primarily due to rising and passing that come in different forms. Understanding them is the wisdom on rising and passing. Until such time, this body brings pain, it is just a process of rising and passing. It is the mind that observes all these changes, there isn't any body there, you see it all. This mind has seen the cause and effect, the happiness and suffering, and the mind begins to wonder what is this mind all about after letting go of the body. The mind develops the wisdom to see and release the mind, knowing well that itself is also rising and passing away. In thought you see it rising and passing away very fast. Realising the true nature of mind, the continuous "present moment" just keep passing, passing, passing and there is nothing to hold on to. Then comes complete mindfulness, this mind too is only a process, slowly penetrating into the equanimity state towards Nibbana. There rises the 1st fruition, one by one you understand the true nature of things as you advance to 2nd fruition and 3rd fruition, wisdom arises till the realisation of the 4th fruition.

You just begin to see the consciousness rises in you and then you see the pride that rises also due to the mind, the mind conscious seeing the true nature exercise to its maximum potential so as not to go to the Brahma world. Seeing the mind as it is, then it sees that it is the nature of the society at large to behave that way, then whatever praise or blame that come to you will remain undisturbed. Even the others were to throw stones at you, you know its only cause and effect, and it does not affect you. Previously your mind had been burning in fire due to wrong view that you have been holding onto throughout the samsara cycle, now this flame is gone forever, its eternal bliss.

Consciousness arises because of namarupa, now cessation of namarupa has taken place that no more consciousness as a result of the cessation of namarupa. It's a blissful state, there is no fear whatsoever. Such a mind is ready to release this body now, and let go of the values one attached to the body. Earlier attachments such as "I", "my", "mine", "my relatives", "my properties", etc are all gone. No matter when, where or how do I die doesn't matter. I know the system, my own salvation and my virtues. How do I now preach others to realise the body is no more mine, what happens to it, it is not an easy matter. It is not easy for others to face deaths because once they close their eyes, fears, chest pain, fearing of death rising, there is so much of fear in them. For one who has the right understanding, its joy and bliss that the others can never experience due to the wrong view of thinking there is an "I" and "mine". One has to develop their mind in order to be released from attachments and suffering. By doing so, we rejoice. Such being knows all things are just four elements of the nature, we would want to expound the truth to the others. At the time of death there will be no flame of desires, no attachment at all, hence no burning occurs, as a result there's no energy to take us to the another birth.

Therefore, Sons and Daughters, I would like to urge and encourage you to make every effort to diligently practise your meditation whenever you can because we do not know exactly when the condition and bad kamma will materialise.

It is because of the fact that you are doing something very pure, those around you will benefit by your purification of mind. Everyone will experience and see the bliss when around you. This salvaged mind will be able to serve the world as a disciple of the Buddhanama. The service rendered will be based on compassion, loving kindness or whatever term you want to use. So don't delay, let go of this body.

For those who have not developed their samadhi, please progress to develop it. For those who are in fruitions please strive to advance to the next fruition stage i.e. 1st to 2nd , 2nd to 3rd, and 3rd to 4th fruition. See for yourself and realise that namarupa are two different things, constantly place yourself on the alert, it is through this birth that one is here, strive hard to free yourself from the sufferings and end this samsara.

Though everyone sees wrong as right due to attachment and aversion and the wrong view of "I" and "mine", through Lord Buddha's teaching on right view, we see the right as right, we see the true nature, we realise that we are in this endless samsara cycle and it's full of suffering. So hurry up, make use of this birth to ensure the cessation of it. After that you should be able to reap the sweet reward of no birth, and the blissful state of Nibbana is yours. Please make use of this mind to curtail the rising of thoughts, do not have any attachment to this body. This body of ours is piggish, observe and realise that from the holes of the body, piggish things outflow continuously, this is the true nature of the body, it is impermanent, there is no "I" in it, hence it is not worth attaching to.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

(~ End ~)