( from Sayagyi U Ba Khin's Dhamma discourse)
Anicca (continuous change, impermanence), dukkha (suffering), Anatta (egolessness) — are the three
essential characteristics of things in the teaching of the Buddha. If you
experience anicca correctly, by practice of Vipassana, you will know dukkha as its
corollary and anatta as ultimate truth. It takes time to understand the
three together.
Impermanence
(anicca) is, of course, the essential fact which must be first
experienced and understood by practice of Vipassana. Mere
book-knowledge of the Dhamma will not be enough for the correct understanding
of anicca because the experiential aspect will be missing. It is only
through experiential understanding of the nature of anicca as an
ever-changing process within you that you can understand anicca in the
beneficial Dhamma way. As in the days of the Buddha, so too now, this
understanding of anicca can be developed by persons who have no
book-knowledge whatsoever of Buddha's universal, practical teachings.
To
understand impermanence (anicca) one must follow strictly and diligently
the Eightfold Noble Path, which is divided into the three groups of Sila,
Sammadhi and Pañña — Morality, Mastery of the Mind and Wisdom.
The Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India, was built to commemorate the birth centenary year of Sayagyi U Ba Khin (1899 - 1971)
Sila,
or living a wholesome life (without killing, stealing, wrong speech such as
lying, hiding the truth, back-biting, speaking harshly, sexual misconduct such
as adultery, refraining from taking any intoxicants even in small quantities)
is the basis for Sammadhi, or
mastery of the mind leading to one-pointedness of the mind.
It
is only when Sila is good that Sammadhi is good, and only when Sammadhi is good
that one can develop Pañña. Therefore, Sila and Sammadhi are the prerequisites
for Pañña. By Pañña is meant the understanding of anicca, dukkha and anatta through the practice of Vipassana, i.e., insight meditation.
Whether
a Buddha has arisen or not, the practice of Sila and Sammadhi may be present in
the human world. They are, in fact, the common denominators of all religious
faiths. They are not, however, sufficient means for the goal of the path of
Dhamma — the complete end of suffering. In his search for the end of suffering,
Prince Siddhattha, the future Buddha, worked his way through to find the path
which would lead to the end of suffering. After solid work for six years, he
found the way out, became completely enlightened, and then taught men
and gods to follow the Path which would lead them to the end of suffering.
In
this connection we should understand that each action — whether by deed, word
or thought — generates an active force called 'Sankhara" (conditioning of
the mind, generated by habit-pattern of blind reaction). Each action, with good
or bad kamma, goes to the credit or debit account of the individual, according
to whether the action is good or bad. There is, therefore, an accumulation of
past sankharas with everyone, which
functions as the supply-source of suffering and for creating a new life,
which is inevitably followed by suffering and death. It
is by the development of the power inherent in the understanding of anicca, dukkha and anatta , that one is able to rid oneself of past sankharas
accumulated in one's own personal account.
This
process begins with the correct understanding of anicca, while further
accumulations of fresh actions and the reduction of the supply of energy to
sustain life are taking place simultaneously, from moment to moment and from
day to day.
It
is, therefore, a matter of a whole lifetime or more to get rid of all one's
accumulated sankharas. He who has rid himself of all sankharas comes to the end
of suffering, for then no sankhara remains to give the necessary energy to create another lifetime. On the termination of their lives the
perfected saints, i.e., the Buddhas and arahants, pass into Parinibbana,
reaching the end of suffering.
For
us today who take to Vipassana meditation, it would suffice if we can
understand anicca well enough to reach the first stage of an ariya (a
Noble person), that is, a sotapanna or stream-enterer, who will not take more
than seven lives to eradicate all sankhraras amd come to the end of suffering.
The
fact of anicca, which opens the door to the understanding of dukkha and anatta and eventually to the end of suffering, can be encountered in its
full significance only through practicing the teachings of a Buddha - for so long as Vipassana practice and teaching relating to the Eightfold Noble Path and the Thirty-Seven Factors of
Enlightenment (bodhipakkhiya dhamma) remains intact and available to the
aspirant.
For
progress in Vipassana meditation, a student must keep experiencing anicca
as continuously as possible. The Buddha's advice to monks is that they should
try to maintain the awareness of anicca, dukkha or anatta in
all postures, whether sitting, standing, walking or lying down. Continuous
awareness of anicca and so of dukkha and anatta (at the level of bodily sensations) is the
secret of success.
The
last words of the Buddha just before he breathed his last and passed away into Maha-parinibbana
were: "Decay (or anicca) is inherent in all component things. Work
out your own salvation with diligence." This is in fact the essence of all his teachings during the forty-five years of his Dhamma service. If you will
keep up the awareness of the anicca that is inherent in all component
things, you are sure to reach the goal in the course of time.
As
you develop in the understanding of anicca, your insight into
fundamental truths of nature will become greater and greater, so much so that
eventually you will have no doubt whatsoever of the three characteristics of anicca, dukkha and anatta.
It
is then only that you will be in a position to go ahead for the goal in view.
Now that you know anicca as the first essential factor, you would try to
understand what anicca is with real clarity as extensively as possible
so as not to get confused in the course of practice or discussion.
The
real meaning of anicca is that impermanence or decay is inherent
nature of everything that exists in the Universe — whether animate or inanimate
- and the Vipassana practitioner experiences this truth of anicca at the
level of objectively observing one's constantly changing, impermanent bodily
sensations. The Buddha taught that everything that exists at the material
level is composed of kalapas.
Kalapas
are material units very much smaller than atoms, which die out immediately
after they come into being. Each kalapa is a mass formed of the eight basic
constituents of matter, the solid, liquid, calorific and oscillatory, together
with color, smell, taste, and nutriment.
The
first four are called primary qualities, and are predominant in a kalapa. The
other four are subsidiaries, dependent upon and springing from the former. A
kalapa is the minutest particle in the physical plane — still beyond the range
of science today. It is only when the eight basic material constituents unite
together that the kalapa is formed.
In
other words, the momentary collocation of these eight basic elements of matter makes a mass just for that moment, which is known as a
kalapa. The life-span of a kalapa is termed a moment, and a trillion such
moments are said to elapse during the wink of a man's eye.
These
kalapas are all in a state of perpetual change or flux. To a developed student
in Vipassana meditation they can be felt as a flow of subtle sensations,
rapidly arising and passing away.
The
human body is not, as it may appear, a solid stable entity, but a continuum of
matter (rupa) co-existing with mentality (nama). To know that our
very body is tiny kalapas all in a state of change is to know the true nature
of change or decay. This change or decay (anicca) occasioned by the
continual breakdown and replacement of kalapas, all in a state of combustion,
must necessarily be identified as dukkha , the truth of suffering.
It
is only when you experience impermanence (anicca) as suffering (dukkha
) that you come to the realization of the truth of suffering, the first of
the Four Noble Truths basic to the doctrine of the Buddha. Why?
Because
when you realize the subtle nature of dukkha from which you cannot
escape for a moment, you become truly afraid of, disgusted with, and
disinclined towards your very existence as mentality-materiality (nama-rupa),
and look for a way of liberation to a state beyond dukkha , and so to nibbana, the end of suffering through total purification of the mind.
What
that end of suffering is like, you will be able to taste, even as a human
being, when you reach the level of sotapanna, a stream-enterer, and develop
well enough by practice to attain to the unconditioned state of nibbana, the peace within. But even in terms of everyday, ordinary life, no sooner than you
are able to keep up the awareness of anicca in practice will you know
for yourself that a change is taking place in you for the better, both
physically and mentally.
Before
entering upon the practice of Vipassana Meditation, that is, after Sammadhi has
been developed to a proper level, a student should acquaint himself with the
theoretical knowledge of material and mental properties, i.e., of rupa and nama.
For
in Vipassana one experiences not only the changing nature of matter,
but also the changing nature of the mind, of the thought-elements of attention
directed towards the process of change going on within matter. At times the
attention will be focused on the impermanence of the material side of
existence, i.e., upon anicca in regard to matter, and at other times on
the impermanence of the thought-elements or mental side, i.e., upon anicca
in regard to mind.
When
one is contemplating the impermanence of matter, one realizes also that the
thought-elements simultaneous with that awareness are also in a state of
transition or change. In this case one will be knowing anicca in regard
to both mind and matter together.
All
I have said so far relates to the understanding of anicca through bodily
sensations of the process of change of rupa or matter, and also of
thought-elements depending upon such changing processes. You should know that anicca
can also be understood through other types of feeling as well. anicca
can be contemplated through feeling:
(i)
by contact of visible form with the sense organ of the eye;
(ii) by contact of sound with the sense organ of the ear;
(iii) by contact of smell with the sense organ of the nose;
(iv) by contact of taste with the sense organ of the tongue;
(v) by contact of touch with the sense organ of the body;
(vi) and by contact of mental objects such as thoughts, emotions, memories
etc, with the sense organ of the mind.
One
can thus develop the understanding of anicca through any of six sense
organs. In practice, however, we have found that bodily sensations cover
the widest area for introspective meditation to purify the mind at the deepest
level.
There
are ten levels of knowledge in Vipassana, namely:
(i)
Sammasana: theoretical appreciation of anicca, dukkha and anatta
by close observation and analysis.
(ii)
Udayabbaya: knowledge of the arising and dissolution of rupa and nama by direct
observation, at the level of bodily sensations.
(iii)
Bhanga: knowledge of the rapidly changing nature of rupa and nama as a swift
current or a flow of rapidly arising and passing away subtle
sensations; in particular, clear awareness of the phase of dissolution.
(iv)
Bhaya: knowledge that this very existence is dreadful
(v)
Adinava: knowledge that this very existence is full of evils.
(vi)
Nibbida: knowledge that this very existence is disgusting.
(vii)
Muncitukamyata: knowledge of the urgent need and wish to be liberated from this very
existence.
(vii)
Patisankha: knowledge of the fact that the time has come to work with full
realization for salvation with anicca as the base.
(ix)
Sankhara upekkha: knowledge that the stage is now set to get detached from all
conditioned phenomena (sankhara) and to break away from egocentricity.
(x)
Anuloma: knowledge that would accelerate the attempt to reach the Dhamma goal.
These
are the levels of attainment which one goes through during the course of
Vipassana meditation; in the case of those who reach the goal in a short time
they can be known only in retrospect.
Along
with one's progress in understanding anicca, one may reach these levels
of attainment, subject, however, to adjustments or help at certain levels by a
competent teacher. One should avoid looking forward to such attainments in
anticipation, as this will distract from the continuity of awareness of anicca,
which alone can and will give the desired reward.
Let
me now deal with Vipassana meditation from the point of view of a householder
in everyday life and explain the benefit one can derive from it — here and now
— in this very lifetime.
The
initial object of Vipassana is to activate the experience of anicca
in oneself and to eventually reach a state of inner and outer calmness and
balance. This is achieved when one becomes engrossed in the feeling of anicca
within. The world is now facing serious problems which threaten all mankind. It
is just the right time for everyone to take to Vipassana and learn
how to find a deep pool of quiet in the midst of all that is happening today.
Anicca is inside of everybody. It is within
reach of everybody. Just a look into oneself and there it is — anicca to
be experienced. When one can feel anicca, when one can experience anicca,
and when one can become engrossed in anicca, one can at will cut oneself
off from the world of ideation outside. Anicca is, for the householder,
the gem of life which he will treasure to create a reservoir of calm and
balanced energy for his own well-being and for the welfare of the society.
The
experience of anicca, when properly developed, strikes at the root of
one’s physical and mental ills and removes gradually whatever is bad in him,
i.e., the causes of such physical and mental ills. This experience is not
reserved for men who have renounced the world for the homeless life. It is for
the householder as well. In spite of drawbacks which make a householder
restless in these days, a competent teacher or guide can help a student to get
the experience of anicca activated in a comparatively short time.
Once
he has got it activated, all that is necessary is for him to try and preserve
it; but he must make it a point, as soon as time or opportunity presents itself
for further progress, to work for the stage of bhangañana – the experience of
dissolution of the solidity of the body, as a flow of rapidly arising, passing
of subtle sensations.
If
he reaches this stage of bhanga there
will be little or no problem because he should then be able to experience anicca
without much ado and almost automatically. In this case anicca will
become his base, to which all his physical and mental activities return as soon
as the domestic needs of daily life for such activities are over.
However,
there is likely to be some difficulty for one who has not reached the stage of bhanga. It will be just like a tug-of-war for him between anicca within,
and physical and mental activities outside. So it would be wise for him to
follow the motto of work while you work, play while you play. There is no need
for him to be activating the experience of anicca all the time. It
should suffice if this could be confined to a regular period, or periods, set
apart in the day or night for the purpose.
During
this time, at least, an attempt must be made to keep the attention focused
inside the body, with awareness devoted exclusively to anicca; that is
to say, his awareness of anicca should go on from moment to moment so
continuously as not to allow for the interpolation of any discursive or
distracting thoughts which are definitely detrimental to progress. In case this
is not possible, he will have to go back to respiration-mindfulness, because sammadhi
is the key to the contemplation of anicca. To get good samadhi, Sila
(morality) has to be perfect, since sammadhi is build upon Sila. For a
good experience of anicca, sammadhi must be good. If sammadhi is
excellent awareness of anicca will also become excellent
There
is no special technique for activating the experience of anicca other
than the use of the mind, adjusted to a perfect state of balance, and attention
projected upon the object of meditation.
In Vipassana
the object of meditation is anicca, and therefore in the case of those
used to focusing their attention on bodily feelings (sensation), they can feel anicca
directly. (It is must be clearly understood that the understanding of anicca
is the objective awareness of the arising and passing of bodily sensations.)
In
experiencing anicca in relation to the body, it should first be in the
area where one can easily get his attention engrossed, changing the area of
attention from place to place, from head to feet and from feet to head, at
times probing into the interior. At this stage, it must clearly be understood
that no attention is to be paid to the anatomy of the body, but to the
formations of matter — the kalapas — and the nature of their constant change,
as experienced at the level of sensations.
If
these instructions are observed, there will surely be progress, but the
progress depends also on paramis (accumulation of merits) and the devotion of
the individual to the work of meditation. If he attains high levels of
knowledge, his power to understand the three characteristics of anicca, dukkha
and anatta will increase and he will accordingly come nearer and
nearer to the goal of the ariya or noble saint, which every householder should
keep in view.
This
is the age of science. Man of today has no Utopia. He will not accept anything
unless the results are good, concrete, vivid, personal, and here-and-now. When
the Buddha was alive, He said to the Kalamas:
Now
look, you Kalamas. Be not misled by report or tradition or hearsay. Be not
misled by proficiency in the scriptural collections, or by reasoning or logic
or reflection on and approval of some theory, or because some view conforms
with one's inclinations, or out of respect for prestige of a teacher.
But
when you know for yourselves: these things are unwholesome, these things are
blameworthy, these things are censured by the wise; these things when practiced
and observed, conduce to loss and sorrow — then you reject them. But if at any
time you know for yourselves: these things are wholesome, these things are
blameless, these things are praised by the intelligent; these things, when practiced
and observed, conduce to welfare and happiness, then, Kalamas, do ye, having
practiced them, abide.
The
time-clock of Vipassana has now struck — that is for Vipassana in practice
throughout the world. We have no doubt whatsoever that definite results would
accrue to those who would with an open mind sincerely undergo a course of
training under a competent teacher — I mean results which will be accepted as
good, concrete, vivid, personal, here-and-now, results which will keep them in
good stead and in a state of well-being and happiness for the rest of their
lives.
May
all beings be happy and may peace prevail in the world.
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