The Great Discourse on

TRANSLA ED BV U K LAY (ZEYA MAUNG)

Buddhaauana Nuggaha Organization Malaial SAlana YeikthA

Rangoon

THE GREAT DISCOURSE

ON

THE ANATTALAKKBANA SUTTA

By

THE VENERABLE MAHASI SAYADAW Of

BURMA

TR~NSLA. TED By

U Ko Lay (ZflJ8 Maung)

FIRST PUBLISHED 1983

Religious Publication Permission No. 163 Cover Permission No. 036

First Impression 1000

Cover by Aung Thar

Reprinted in Penang February 1989 - 1000 copies

For Free Distribution.

Dhamrnadhana

The contents of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted in part or in whole after the prior

permission of the publisher.

Published by - U Min Swe (Permission No. 15) Buddha 8asana Nuggaha Organization, No. 16, Hermitage Road, Kokkine, Rangoon, Burma.

Printed by - Adprint, Penang.

THE GREAT DISCOURSE

ON

THE ANATTALAKKHANA SUTTA

CONTENTS

FOREWORD FIRST PART

Page

I

Preface 1 The Introduction to the Sutta 2 Date of the Discourse 2 ROpa whicb is wrongly conceived as Atta 5 Reasons showing wby ROpa is not Atta 7 How Ropa inflicts suffering 7 ROpa is not subject to One's will 9 Direct evidence bow Ropa Is not Atta 10 Jlva A tta and Parama Atta 11 Eulogy on Baka Brahma 11 Origin of the belie, in creation 12 Attachment to Atta t3 Without understanding the manner of Atta clinging,

concept of Anatta cannot be grasped thoroughly 15 r our kinds of Atta clingmg 16 Contemplation of Non-self in thl' course of

Vipa.san~ meditation 18 The Summarised translation of tbe Pali Text 22 Mnemonics on Atta cHoging 22

A a

CONTBNTS

SECONT PART Page

Feelini of lensation is not Atta 2-1 Di.cussion on variance between Abhidhamma and

Suttalltas 25 Vedana misconceived as Atta 28 Wily Vedana ia not Self 29 Hew VedaDii inflicts suffering 30 Vedana is unmanageable 32 The Ven8rable Sariputtra's se~rch for Dharnma aod

how he attained to Hiiher knowledge 39 Dighanakha Sutta 41 Weariness through contemplating Vedafla 47 The Path and Fruition through dispassion 48 One who speaks truth does not dispute 49 Arahatship for the Venerable Sariputtra 49 Holding Savaka Sannipata, a congregation of disciples 50 Mnemoaics on Vedaka Atta clinging 51

THIRD PART

Preface sa Reasons showing that S:)iil).a is NO!1_self 54 Direct statement of Perception being oot Self 54 Sankharas are not Self, the living entity of Atta 59 Going against the word of the Biessed On~ 61 Sankhara in the context of this Sutta 61 Reasons why Sankhl:!ra is not self 63 How Sankbaras oppress 0 , 64 Sankbara is Dot amenable to one's wiil 6' Story of a Peta who was tormented by pins and

needles 65 How realization of Non-self comes ab ou t 69

b

CONTBNTS

Page PART FOUR

Preface 72 Consciousness is not Atts, self 72 Reason why ConsciousneSI is not lelf 73 Direct statement of consciousness not betng self 73 How consciousness is oppressing 73 Consciousness is not subject to one's will 75 Resultant of a cause 77 The Story of Bhikkhu Sati 78 Summary of true Dhamma. 81 MnemoniclS 86 Summary of Burmese translation of the Pali Text 86 RDpa is like f th 87 The body is Insubstantial too 87 Vedana il like a bubble Sense Perception is likened to Mirage Sankhara is like a plantain trunk Consoiousnesi is like a conjuror's trick Summary

PART FIVE Preface 101 The characteristic of NOD-self 101 The characteristics of Non-self i8 liard to comprehend 102 Allatta explained by means of Anicca 103 Seeina Non-self through seeing Dukkha 105

Non-~elf explained in termlt of both Anicca and DUkkha 105 Diaputes by the wanderer Saccaka 106 Refuting the Atta which is said to be apart from

the five aggregates 114 Why it is called impermanent 117 The characteristics 8f Impermanence 122 Antocanupll8sana iillQa 122 Two kinde of Dukkha 123 Cbaracteri.tlcs of Dukkha 124 Dutkhanupa ana nl!1)a 124

c

CONTBNTS

How the DilkkhanupassaD4 DS1Ja is developed Clinging with craving, 'This is mine' Clinging with conceit .. 'This I am' Clinging with wrong view .. 'This is my Self'

Preface PART SIX

Vedana is not permanent Impermanence of Sanna, perception Impermanence of volitional activities Impermanence of Vifiniina, consciousness Removal of three typel of clingings (Third r

art of the Sutta) C 1) Contemplation on ROpa What the disciples 8hould contemplate on Only the peesent should be noted initially Contemplation on Netam mama and Anicca ... A

discussion Sotapannas instructed to contemplate OD Non-self Contemplating in eleven ways such 8lS Past, Present,

Future etc

Contemplating on the internal and external riipas Contemplating on ~oarse and fine rOpas Contemplating in terms of inferiority or superiority Contemplating in terms of far and near

Poge 124 135 126 127

130 130 139 141 US

1151 152 152 158

155 157

!f8 161 162 162 163

PART SEVEN Preface 165 (2) Vedanii analYticalIy studied in eleven aspects 165 Vedana contemplated on with regard to three aspects

of time 166 Contemplating on the internal and external VedaDas l6g Contemplating on the coarse and fine Vedanii 170 Contemplation at inferior or superior Vedan4 170

d

( l: C, C T C

C H

CONtBHTS

Page Contemplation on Vedanas, far and near 171

Page (2) Equanimity between pleasant and unpleasant 209 (3) Effortless cootemplatioo 210 (4) It last. loog 21\ (5) Becomes more lubUe with palling of time 241 (6) The attention is not dispersed 212 Developmet of Vutthan8 gamini Vipa ana 213 From distaste, disiult to the knowledge of

Ariya Path and Fruition 216 How the experience aDd d cription match 216 Homage to the Six Arahats 221 The coocluding Prayer 221

( ,

THE GREAT DISCOURSE

ON

THE ANATTALAKKHANA SUTTA

FOREWORD

In the personality of every common worldling or putthujano, moral defilements or human passions kilesii3, such as, greed whicq have a tendency to attachment, are in abundance. Trese klle3ii3 have a craving for senses arising out of the six sense-doors, such as the 88nse of a beautiful sight and so on. Of all these cravings while attachment occurs in respect of all what are pleasant and agreeable, attachment to atta as a 'living entity'. or 'Self' is not only basically fundamental but also most difficult to be dis. carded. It can neither be got rid of by one's own ordinary effort or perseverence nor dispelled by others through nor mal strength or exertio~.

Pacc;eka-Buddhas were capable of extirpating their own feelings of attachment to 'Self' by means of adequate and diligent efforts with their will power without anyone's aid. However, they have no ability to eradicate the attachment to atta that clingl to others. To be able to wipe out the feeling of attachment to atta that lies close to the heart of others, one mU8t have the real aptitude and knowledge to preach and convince others the essence and noble qualities of the Four N(\ble Truth.. Pacceka-Buddhas have no such adequate knowledge or high intellect to teach others. That i. the reason why they are destined to become a single Pacceka-Buddha without any disciple'. A Paccek2-Buddha therefore enters Nibbana singly. He is not omniscient and does not preach the Dhamma to mankind.

g

FORIWOltD

A TTACHMBNT TO A TTA WILL BB ROOTED OUT ONLY IF THE FOUR NOBLE TRUIl'IS ARB FULLY UNDERsrOOD

Supreme Buddhas, the Omniscients, are entlowed with better intellect than Pacceka-Buddhas. The Supreme Buddhas truly realized the Four Noble Truths on their own initiative. They could also preach and teach others to understand clearly the Dhamma relatini to the Four Noble Truths. That is why they became Supreme Buddhas, the fully Enligh. tened Ones. Therefore, the Lord Buddha was able to deli ver the First Serml>n concerning the Four Noble Truths to the five a'ScetiG8 who were present along with all Celestial Beings, such as, Devas and Brahmas. The Sermon is the Great Discourse on the "Setting in Motion the Wheel of Dhamrna or RighteousXss", popularly known as Dhammacakkappavatt6ana Sutta. This Great Dis course was the first Dhamma delivered by the Blessed One on the eve of Saturday night of the Full Moon of Waso, exactly two montha after His attainment of the Supreme Ealightenment. At the cloje of this Great First Sermon. Ashin kodai'ifia, the leader of the five ascetics first became an Ariya Satappana. Having reached the stage of Sotapanna he had got rid of all sceptical doubts about the truth of the Dhamma and of the misconception of Sakkaya "Self" or a living entity. Nevertheless, self-pride still lin gers on his mind assuming that everything could be achie. ved if done or said or imagined accordiog to his owu sweet will. The rest four ascetics had not yet then realized the Special Dhamma "th~ awakening of bigher consciousness.

BBMAVATA SUTTA

The sermon on Dhammacakka Sutt8 came to an end in the first Watch of the night Qn that Full Moon Day. In the middle Watch of that Saturday.night, Satagiri aDd Hema. vata Devas accompanitrd by their ono-thousand warrior-attendants approached the Blessed One, .paid their obeisance to Him and respectfully posed ten questions. The Lord Buddha in the midst of His preaching_ on Dhammacakka Sutta

h

_. -' .;io.: ... , .....

FORBWORD

bad to preach them the Hemavata Sutta. At the end of this sermou. the dawn of enlightenment came upon them and they became SotaptI"nas. Having achievted such an attain. ment. they were able to eliminate their clinging attachment to Alta which had beset them all throughout the whirlpool stream of past existences (Samsara). Thereafter. the Blessed One continued to elaborate on Dhammacakka Sutta. THIIY ALSO AtTAINED tHE SPECIAL DHAMMA

As self-pride or personal ego still had its grip on Ashin Kodaiiiia; and as Ashin Vappa aud the other three of the group of five Bhikkhus had not yet even obtained the 'purE' and spotless Dhamma Eye'. the Blessed One went on preaching andcJlrged them to contemplate and note on the lines of Vipassana Dhamma. They all eventually reached the stage of Sotapanna which had caused the removal of their attachment to Qtta after stlrious meditation with diligence. Ashin Vappa gained progressive icsight on the first waning day of Waso. Ashin Bhaddiya on the second day. Mahanam on the third day. and Shin Asaji on the fourth day. THE PIPrH WANING DAY OF w!so

The Lord Buddha then summoned the whole group of five Bhikkhus who had already gailled Sotapanno, ana preached them His Second Sermon setting forth the famous Anatta Doctrine. It was on Thursday. the 5th. Waning Day of Waso. Having heard this Anattalakkhana Sutta, all five Bhikkhus attained Arahatship by virtue of which they were entirely free from human passions includiBg mana, self-pride. Anatta. lakkhana Sutta as its name implies clearly expounded the "Non-self" Anatta Doctrine as against the heretical or false views of "Self". with full explanations in a critical way. WITHOUt THB MBtHOD OF d>NrEMPLATINO AND NOTING

Thtl Discourse on Anattalakkhana is not a lengthy piece. For instance. in the original book published by the Sixth Buddhist Council, it covered only one page. In that Sutta. there was no mention of method of m6ditation exercile

B i

.onWORD

and of the manner as to how contemplation and noting should be carried on. PreachiDg was done therein only in respect of the nature of the Dhamma. Hence, to those who have Dot acquainted themselves with the method of Vipas. sana exercise, it would be difficult to practise according to the right method of meditation to be able to reflect personally and appreciate the reality of Anatta as envilaged in that Sutta. It had been possible for the five ascetics to see the true light of the Anatta doctrine only because the sermon was delivered by the Lord Buddha himself and because they - the listening audience-happened to be the five asoetics of keen intellect. These Five had not only been equipped with mature experience since the time of the prea ching of the Dhammacakka Sutta but a1so c'1ad reached the stage of Sotdpalma. That is the reason for their speedy attainment of Arahatship after making progressive strides towards realization of the awakening higher consciousness of Dhamma.

AWAKENING OF HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS CANNOT BB ACHIBVED WITHOUT CONIEMPLAIING AND Nonr-G

During the life time of Lord Buddha, people with great intellect who possessed adequate and mature paramitas (per. fections) just like the Five ascetics, had achieved magga.phala while listening to the sermon delivered by the Blessed One. Of course, such an achievement was gained not without diligently practising Vipassana contemplation and noting. The Special Dhamma was attained only because they had been able to devote themselves to serious meditation with deep concentration and accelerated contemplation and noting with such a speed so fast that it would appear as if they had not absorbed themselves in contemplation and noting with intent. Only a few who 'had good knowledge of adequate past perfections were capable of doing so. A good many could not possibly coutemplate and note with great peed. Despite this faot, there are some idlers who wills knowingly say: "If one understands the nature of analta

FORliWOaD

from the preaching mad& by the other, it is not necessary to practise; and one could achieve magga.phala by merely listening to the preaching," with wishful thinking placing themselves on the plane of Ariya which they aspire to reach. Such concept having been entertained by a clus of lazy-bones, the number of people who have so become self_ mad. Ariyas after just listening to the sermon, will not be few. The kind of knowledge of A"atta Dhamma known by those who by merely listening to the sermon without practising Vipassana meditation and doing contemplation and noting, is not a true personal realization but mere book-knowledge only. If mogga.phala.;;au,a can be realized in the manner as stated, almost every Buddhist who knows what is Anatta~octrine, may be considered to have become an Arahat. However, as liuch people have not been found to b,. endowed with the real attributes of an holy Arahat, it is obvious that they are Not the real Arahats. Referring to such improper and wrongful acts, the Venerable Mahasl Sayadaw has given precise and clear instructions in this great Anattalakkhana Sutta to put these people on the right path.

PULL COMPLIMBNTS OF TaB MeTHOD OF CONTEMPLATING AND NOTING

The Anattalakkhana Sutta preached by the Lord Buddha being the desanii describing the nature and characteristics of anatta, does not imbibe the method of meditation with em phasia on contemplation and noting, the bha van a. This present book on Anattalakkhana Sutta Dhamma however contains the full ez:position of the method of contemplating and noting, and explains in detail how Anatta is reflected leading to the attainment of Nibblina through magga.phala. It has not been 80 preacbJld just wishfully without reference to the 8criptural texts. Neither has it been preached promp-ting others to meditate without having had any personal experience in the practical exercise of Vipass8nfi. This hal buen expounded alid preached to the congregation after acquiring personal experience and knowledge in meditcs

k

POUWOID

tiona I practice under the methodical instractionl of t competent teacher and after con ltatioDs beinl mlde referring to various relevant PAU Scripturel and Com ...... taries.

A t the time when delivering his sermon to the Ii .. tening audience, the Venerable SayAdawpayagyi had fully elaborated with his deep compassion, on the brief account of Anattalakkhana Sutta preached by the Lord Buddha. This Sutta when preduced in type-written copy truthfully taken without omitting a word or phrase from the tape recorded originally by U Thein Han, retired Jadge, was a lengthy piece comprising 420 pages in all. U Thein Han had put up that type_written copy to the Ve~erable Sayada. Payagyi to seek permission for printing and publication in a book form for the benefit of those who have not heard of this Sermon. The Sayadawpayagyi gave hi. kind permis&ion to print and publish this Sutta only after summarising this long Sutta into a compendium haviDg 152 pages instead of 429 pages, lest the book shoDld become too bulky in view of the shortage of printing paper. BXTRBMBLY PROFICIBNF

Indeed, the Venerable SaYiidawpayagyi is an adept in amplifying what is concise and in shortening what is Jeng. thy. He has not only abbreviated the lengtlly version of the Anatta!akkhana Sutta and the "Mtthod of Vipassollo mttl,. 10 lion", but also the Dhammacakka Sutta Dhamma at the time of his pre3chiug. In doing so, he is capable of making them compreheDsible to all those who might prefer to read or hear the Dhamma irrespective of whether it is in a concise or an unabbreviated form. This serves as a boon to all concerned. MORI! SINGIFICANCB IS AITACRIID TO ITS NATUllAL MBANING

Whenever he preaches or writes, the Venerable S pa,agyi Jays more emphaail on the eSlence aDd true me.ldIl,

1

POI.BWORD

rather than on the principles of grammar. Despite the fact-that some Nlssaya Ssyadaw might have mentioned "BaranasI yam", as: "At Benares" putting more stress on the gra' mmatical sense_though it may not be regarded as incorrect-the Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw has described is as "In the neighbourhood of Benares", in as much as Buddha bad temporarily resided in Migadavum forest near the City of Benares (or rather in the province of Benares). and also in order to fall in line with the factual truth without, of course, causing deviation from the viewpoint of the grammar. In the same manner in his "MaM Satipatthana Sutta New Nissaya", he had mentioned about t'Kurusu" as "the Country of Kuru". PREFERS TRUTH 1% TRADITiON

Although significance is said to have been given to nature, the Venerable Sayadaw payagyi is Dot used to de-scribing the meaning aloof from the point of grammar which he never fails to attach its importance. In other words, he treats grammar as it deserves giving it the role of its own significance. More than that, paramount impertance is given to the natural sense in giving interpretation. Hence, in his interpretation of the meaning, he does not strictly follow the traditional method; and also when sifting is done, he sticks to the truth of the meaning once he has found it accurate and then e~presses his candid opinon in writing, accordingly. This is clearly evident from his wri-tings and expressions given in the first Volume of the "Method of Practiling Vipallana Meditation" in the Cha-pater relating to "SHa" (moral conduct) at pagea 13 to 23. In that Chapter though some of the ancient texts had stat-ed as amounting to "repaying the deot" when referring to tile use of four main requisitea needed for a monk, namely, dwelling-place (monastery). robes, food and medicine, he had refuted the said statement as being erroneous citing concrete examples in iupport. Moreover, in this Anattalak-khana Sutta Dhamma at page 10 of the Burmese versioD, he had expressed his opinion aI follow8;

m

POR_WORD

"In this regar., the teacheres of the old days haa explained the meaning of the word 'Abadayo' as 'pain' in Burmese. This explanation appears wrong from the point of view of irammar and of its intrinsic meaning. The reason being, the word 'Abadaya' with the syllable 'a' pre fixed to it, cannot be interpreted and Ipoken as 'pain'. It only conveys the meaning iii 'ill-treating'. The meaning 'injury' for the word 'abada' hal therefore been rendered in accordance with the Burmese terminology currently in use. It is so interpreted not because it has been preached as 'likely to cause pain'. As such, the meaning renderd referr. ing to the werd 'abadaya' as 'pain', is regarded as unrealis. tic particulary because it is not only contrary to the innate meaninll of 'bada' which conveys the Qneaning 'of 'ill-treating', but a110 goes out of tUDe with the principles of grammar. Furthermore, the material body or the Tupa as well as saiina, sankhaTa and vliliiina, do not have the chara. cteristic of 'pain', etc., etc.

SEEMINGLY EASY BUT DIFFICULT

The Dhamma relating to Anicctl, Dukkha and Alfatla is, in fact, very familiar to all Buddhists who get it by heart, and is often at the tip of their tongue. Whenever any accident happens, 8uch interjetions are used to be casually muttered by a person all of a sudden invoking his mind. fulness of the Dhamma. Such being the case, it might be considered as the Dhamma which is generally iU;lOwn aDd understood. Undoubtedly, referring to this statement, the Dhamma has been known through hearsay or book-know. ledge; but in reality, it ii a difficult Dhamma to be truth. fully grasped though seemingly ~asy. Among these, the Dhamma on "Anatto" is more difficult and profound. For this reason, the Blessed One had to face very serious opposi. tion from such persons as Sacciika Paribbajako (wanderini religious mendicant) and Baka Brahma who entertained the diawetrically opposite view of Atta.

n

fORB WORD

Prior to the preachings made by the Buddha, tbia Anatla Dhamma not being clearly understood, was considered as closely related to Alta connected with rupa and nama. As against the wrong belief in Alia in respect of rupa and ulima, the Lord Buddha had elucidated these two-the physical and mental phenomena-as truly "Anatta". It is most difficult to preach this Dhamma convincingly to show that it is "Analta" in reality, to make these persons realize the truth, since Atta has been firmly rooted in them throughout the Samsara, the rounds of existence. If this Analla Dhamma could be easily known without difficulty, thne would be even no need for the appearance of a Buddha, the Enlight. ened One. Nor would it be required for the Buddha's dis. ciples like the CVenerable MahUI Sayadaw to preach and write this kind of Anattalakkhana Sutts with great pains. The relentless offorts that have to be made to elucidate this Dhamma evidently stand witness to the quality of this deeply profound doctrille. Even among the heretics, excep. tionally few persoDs really understand what is tlSelf" or "Alta", far less "Anatta Dhamma". The "Thanks-Worthy" Venerable Mabasi Sayadaw has lucidly explained the Anatta Doctrine in this Anattalakkhans Sutta to make those per. sons who entertain a wrollg conception of this Dhamma to be able to tread on the right track.

SHOULD NOT UNDERESIlMAIB

The beli\vers in Paramattha who care mor~ for Abhi. dhamma, the paramattha desanti, are genally inclined to look upon sutla.desanii with underestimation. They generally assume it to be quite easy too. As all Buddha's desanas or teachings were preached with Supremp. Wisdom after Enligh. tenment, it might not bee within easy comprehension by common worldlings with ordinary knowledge. If both the nature of common usage and Abhidhamma become involved in Anattalakkhana Sutta, the exponenta of Paramattha may have to gi'f6 up not knowing distinguishingly the source

o

I1OlI!WOllD

from which the terminology is derived waveriag whether the derivation is from Abhidhamma or from SuUa Dhamma.

Abhidhamma Desanl hal Itated that there is no sensa. tion of suffering (dukkha) and of pleasure (suhha) at the moment of seeing. hearing, and knowing the taste, and that only the neutral sensation (upekkho) is present. However, according to Sutta Desana, all sensations ariBing out of the six sense-doors at the moment of seeing, henring, etc, should be contemplated and noted in respect of all three Vedantis, viz; whether pleasurable (sukha) , or suffering and unpleasantness (dukkhQ), or, neutral feeling. When such a controversial view arises, it is extremely difficult to draw a line and form an opinion so as not to contradict the expression contained in both Abhidhamma i~d Sutta, Such difficulties may arise in Sutta ae(Jona which the Paramattha believers hold in Jow estimation. This sort of difficulty has been fGund to have been competently dealt with by the Venerable Mabasl Sayadaw Payagyi in the Anattalakkbana Sutta Dhamma at page ;-34 (of the Burmese version)reconcil. ing thi:: two divergent Tiews without any contradiction.

COMMON U!AGJ! OR TERMINOLOGY IS NOT EASY

Because of the numerous display of common usages, the Sutta Desana has been given the name of Desana of Common Usage!, by the people of the present day Sasana. To make this Desana of Commn Usages to be understood methodically, various texts of grammar heve been compiled. Considering this fact, it can be clearly known that the usage of common terminology is not at all easy. PakokkO Aletaik Saylidaw U panna in t11e course of his explanation given jn connection with the sUQject of grammar while teaching the famous Tika, had once stated. "One can be fairly conversant with Abhidhamma in three years' time of his constant study, whereas he cannot possibly become a competent grammatician though he may have serioully devotfld himself to the study of grammatical texts for teD

p

FOR8WoRD

years in succession." The common terminology used relat ing to grammar is merely derived and adopted from the vocal sound commonly spoken by people of different races whose languages may be quite different from one anotber depending upon the places where they reside. Dialectic differences may also occur according to times and henc the common usages may vary or alter as time goes on gradually. Therefore, Texts such as, Vohara Dlpanl have to be published.

To the extent the Vohara or the Commonly used gram. matical terms is ciifficult, the Vohara desarrii which is Sultam desana is extfemely difficult. Now that over 2500 years have elapsed since the Dhamma had been personally prea. ched by the uddha Himself, and it has been ages ago. A. such, in some of the expussions, the Pali usages and Bur. mese usages have become different from one another in vocabulary, grammar and synthesis. As an example, in DigDanakha Sutta called "Sabbham me nakhamati" (ma.2. \65), an expression of PaIi aentence as spoken by Diganakha Paribbajako to the Lord Buddha, may be cited. This Pali statement is Quite different from the common usage and the word "Sabbham" in PaIi, the subject, has become an object in BUrOltae languaae while the word "me" has become a subject in the grammatical lense. Dnpite all these differences aOG discrepancies, the Venerable Mahasi SaY!i da w haa been able to explain the usages in explicit terms in this ADattalakkhana Sutta Dhamma.

I HAPPENBD TO &BCOLLBcr

It W.I at the time whea I first arrived at Wetlet Masoyein Monastery. The Ven~rable "Shwezedl" SaYllciaw Payaiyi was taen at "'etlet town where he bad viaited to deliver sermon. While conVersing witla Sandawgyi; I happened to ask him; "Were there such a thing as Uctheda, the dectrine of extinction o{ existence after deatl., aad NibMna, whlch haa a apecial feature; and whether these two

c q

JIOa...,aD

Ilt conltnted aa belDl the aame?". To thla quer" Sayldaw Pa,al,i replied, "Of course, there ia Nibbl ...

_a Ita own g.alit, and attribut.. How could it be wltlao.t .., apeclality?" AI the conv.rlation kad .nded abruptl,. I ha~e no chance of followlag up with a queation al: "What i. the kind of its special characteriltic?" The SayAdaw Pa",yi might ha~e forgotten this insigaUicant episode. Howe~er, when I waa reading through thia Anattalakkha .. Satta, I happened to recollect the said oltl-time con~.rl8-tion a8 I came upon the special explanatioa relatiDg to Uccll,da, the belief that there il no future existence, aDd Nlbbiina. In this Anattalakkhana Sutta Dhamma at page 56 of Burmlse version, clarification has been made by the !dahlai Sayldaw elucidating the distingubjihing features betweeD Ueclledlidittltl, a wroni helief that nothing remainl after death and the existence of a being is completely annU.Uated, and Nibbiina, which haa the peculiar characterta. tics quite different from Ucch,da. Tbe believers of this false belief-have erroneously thought tbat the annihilation of ~xistence and NlbbiiIuJ are the same. This concept is entirely wrong. The two are, in fact, eatirely diff.reDt.

NO FUlun BXlSfBNCB

There is somethiJlg which ought to be kDown regard-ing Ucchedaditthi. About the year 1833 B.E., I managed to convene a congregation for preaching sermo on Satlpatthiina Dhamma after inviting the MahiSi Dbammakatthikas U Sam. vars and U Zawtika to enable my relatives and friends of my own native village to have the benefit of hearing the aermon. I had arranged for delivering a sermOD at Inchaung

~illage where man, of my relatives were then r"idia,. At this congregatioD, one Maung Kyi was present amona the UeteniDg audience. This map < being a leador of the aed Flag Commu~ia' Party, was a staunch believer ia tbe. doctrine of no new life a(ter the present life existence. It eeemeet that he had CGme OYttr to join the coagr tloa apoaiofJd b, me out of aieer courte., II he laap ..... cl to

r

FORBWORD

be one of my relatives. U Samvara and the other preacher had delivered their sermons bearing in mind the mental attitude of that person. Since the preachiDg made having had some sort of bearing on him, the listening audience comprising the village folks were

FORBWOIlD

into priesthood. Plunged in hi. bigotry, Maung Kyl then said to his wife, "You need not do anything in my favour for my next exl.lence. If you prefer to perform the pabbaja mingald (ordination) by novitiating the children into priest. hood, you may do 10 on your own. Only when t he embryo I"""mua i. to be eacorted to the monaatery, I cannot poslibly take the role of a benefactor by carrying the big begging bowl and the fan." In retaliation to thi. statement made by Maung Kyi, his wife responded "Without the benefactor (donor), I cannot lead the would-be samanero. It you can Dot act as a donor (benefactor), I will invariably have to get another benefactor on hire and carryon with t he per formance of the necessary religious ritea." Having heard this retort, Mawal Kyi, the great Believer of'! Ucchtdll Doc trine became very much perturbed and fidgety, and not being able to tolerate or connive at thfi presence of a hired benefactor in his place, he was said .to have been put in a dilemma. I have heard of this incident from the lay devo. teea o~ the village.

I am fully confident that going through this great Anattalakkhana Sutta Dhamma, will add to enhance the treasures of faith and bring about much benefit to all reading public a. had been similarly derived by them after they bad read other Dhammas preached by the illqstrioul MahasJ Sayadaw Payagyi.

Wetlel - Masoyein U Teiktha (17-11-76)

TRANSLATED BY

,U Mia s... (MIN KYAW THU)

Buddha SUrma Nugaaha Organization

t

THB GREAT DISCOURSE

ON THE ANATTALAKKBANA SUTTA

FIRST PART

(Delivered on the Reverence

the Supremely

First Waxing day of Nayone 1325 B.B.) to that Blessed One, the Eltalted One, FJnlighteBed.

PREFAClt

The seri-es of lectures on tbe HemAvata Sutta which followet! our diseourses on the Dhamma-cakk~ Sutta came to an and OIt the full moon day Kasone. From today '" will begin our discourses on the Anatta Lakkhalla Sutta which has aome into its term, be-ing the third in the sequence of the Disoourses given by tho Buddha. It is most essential to have a full und-erstanding of this Sutta 8S well, 8ince it may be said that this Sutta is a compen-dium of the Teachings of the Buddha.

All teachings or beliefs outside of the Buddha's Dis-pensation fall ua.der the categOl'y of beliefs in a self, Atta. They hold to the view that there is such a thins as a soul, a liVing entity. They believe that this soul or living entity aotually resides i1l all living creatures, namely, men, DevA or animals such as ca ttl", buffaloes, dogs etc.

In the midst of the world holding fast to such notions of Self or Soul the Bhfssed One had declared, "Atta, soul or living entity is not a reality; it is only a conven-tional nomenclature. What really exists, in ultimate sense, is a continuous flull of material and mental processes, an impersonal phenomena."

F. 1 1

TUB ANATTALAKKHANA SUTTA

Thus, it is essential to understand thoroughly and comprehensively, this doctrine of Anatta, the doctrine of Impersonality propounded by the Buddha. The doctrine of Anatta had already been dealt with by the Buddha while elaborating of the Four Noble Truths during the course of teaching the Dhammacakka Sutta. At the time of teach. in, the Hemavata Sutta also, this doctrine of Anatta was expounded when the Blessed One explained that 'with the arising of six bases, (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind) there arises a world, a being'- The doctrine of Anatta was again brought forth clearly and comprehensively in thi' Anatta Lakkhana Sutta. Having in view, th~n, the im-portance of this Sutta and the fact that it is its turn to rttceive our attention, being the third disc~lrse given by the Blessed One, we propose to give our series of lectures Oli the Anatta Lakkhana SuUa starting from today. THB INTRODUCTION TO THB SUfTA

The introduction to the Sutta was recorded by the Elders of the First Council in the Khanda Vagga Samyutta Pali Canon in these words.

Evam me sutam. Ekarh samayam Bhagavii Baranajl-yam viharati ltipatane Migadiiye. Tatra kho bhaga,d paficavaggiye bhikkha iimantesi, 'Bhikkhavo' tI. Bhadante Ii Ie Bhikkha Bhagavalo paccassosum. Bhagavii etadavoca - -

"I, Ananda, have heard thus," began the Venerable Allanda in answer to the questions of the Venerable Maha Kassapa who asked him where the Sutta was taught by whom and to whom. He continued, "At one time, the most Exalted One was staying at the pleasance of Isipathanan, the deer sanctuary in the township or Varanasi." DA TB OF 1 HB DISCOURSE

The Dhammacakka SuUa, the first sermon, was deli-vered in the evening of the full moon day of Waso, 2552 years ago counted back from the Burmese era of 1325. At the time of the first Discourse, only .one of the Group

2

OATB OF THB DISCOURSB

of five Bhikkbo, namely the Venerable Kondanna attained the first stage of the Higber Knowledge, the Sotapatti Magga Phala and became a Sotapanna, a Stream. winner. Having fully penetrated into all aspects of tbe Dhamma, with firmly established confidence and unshakeable faith in the Teaching of the Buddha, he had sought and gained admission into the Order of the Buddba. The remaining four Bhikkhus, the Venerable Vappa, the Venerable B haddiya, the Venerable Mahanam and the Venerable Assaji had not yet be. come accompllshed in the Higher Knowledge of the Noble Path and Fruition. The Blessed One, therefore, urged them to engage themselves in the strenuous practice of Dhamma under his personal guidance. They did not go out even for alms rou~. The Blessed One himself also stayed in the monastery c{)nstantiy without going out for alms food in order to attend to them and assist them in removing tbe obstacles, hindrances and impurities that arise in the course of meditation practices. Thus instructed and guided by the Blessed One and striving arduously and incessantly, the Venerable Vappa attained the Path and Fruition and became a Stream Winner on the first waning day of Waso; the Venerable Bhaddhiya attained the Path and Fruition on the 2nd, the Venerable Mabanam on the 3rd and the Ven6rable Assaji on the 4th respectively, and each of them became a Stream Winner.

We had already elaborately dealt with the account of their attainments in the concluding portions of the Dhamma. cakka Sutta Discours~s. We had stated there in that the four Venerable Bhikkhus were not accomplished yet to attain the Higher Knowledge by jllst listening to the Discourse; they still h'ld to strive for it and therefore, the Blessed One required them to engage themselves strenu ously in the practice of tha Dhamma. In view of this fact, we had warned in the last portion . of our Discourse on the Dhammacakka Sutta, not to be led astray by the wrong doctrine, which asserts in a very irresponsible

a

THB ANAtTALAKKHANA SUTTA

mauer, "that the status of Stream Winner could be attained by just listening to the discourse; no effort is needed for the practice of the Vipassani\ m~ditation."

The Commentaries say that after all the five BhikkhOa had become Stream. winners and received ordination as members of the Buddha's Order, the Anattalakkhana Sutta was taught on the 5th waning day of Waso. Thus, 'at one time' in the introduction means the 5th waning day of WdSo, while the Blessed One was still staying in tlle deer Sanctuary near the town of Varanas!.

"At that time, when the Blessed One was staying in the deer Sanctuary in the township of VaranasJ, the Blessed One addressed the Group of Five Bhikkhus, ~Ph, Bhikkhus', and the Group of Five Bhikkhus answered, 'Revered Sir.' Then the Blessed One taught the Dhamma which is pre. sent]y to be recited."

This is the introduction given by the Venerable Ananda in response to the question asked by the Venerable Mahli Kassapa.

The Buddha's words: First part of the Anattalakkhana Sutta.

"Rupam Bhikkho)'e anatta. Rupamca h'ldam Bhikkha.e atta abbavlssa nayidam rupam abaahaya samvatteya; labbhetha ca rupe"evam me rupam hotu, evam me rQpam ma ahositi."

"Bhikkhus, Rapa, the material body is not Self; 80ul' nor a living entity."

People in general think themselves and others to be living entities with a soul or self or ego in each of them. What is taken to be a soul is called Atta in Pali being derived from the Sanskrit expression Atman. This Alta is also known as Jiva, life; thus Atla conveys the concept of life, soul or living entity. Holding the view that there exists a soul or a living entity in man is known as mis-conception on self or wrong belief in Self, Attodltthl.

ROPA WHICH IS WRONGLY CONCBIVED AS ATTA

Ordinary common worlding cannot be said to be free from this wrong belief in Self. The only difference from person to person with regard to this wrong belief lies in whether it is firmly hold and whether it i::; manifested so plainly or not by each individual. In a person who has become accomplished in the knowledge of mental and phy. sical phenomena (Tapa, ncima), this belief in Self may be considerably attenuated; but it cannot be said that he is completely devoid of the notion of Self. He is still liable to misconceive that it is the Soul or Self in him that is the think~r of his thoughts, the doer of his actions, the speaker of his words aud the feeler of the pleasant or un pleasant sensations. The Vipassana Yogi who, 'by taking note of every Ophenomenon, is developing keen Vipassana insight 'that there is no self, no living entity but mere physical and mental process' is free from that wrong notion of self, but only for the' duration of the Vipassana prac. tice. As soon as he ceases taking note of the rising and passing away of nama, rapa, the misconception of Self is likely to return to him.

In order to remove this misconception of Self and make it clear that there is no such thing as soul or living entity in the rapa, nama of one's OWll body or in the rapa, nomos of other's bodies, the Blessed One began the dis course with the pronouncement, 'Rapam, Bhikkhave, onatta Material form, Bhikkhus, is not Self, soul nor living entity.'

ROPA WHICH IS WRONGLY CONCBIVED AS ATTA

What is Rapa, material form which is wrongly con ceived and held as Alta? The following material qualities form the foundation f05 a material form. They are the sensitive part of the eye which enables one to see objects; the sensitive part of the ear which enables one to hear sounds; the sensitive part of the nose which enables one to smell odours; the sensitive part of the tongue which epables one to sample the taste; the sensitive part of the

THB ANATTA~AKKHANA aurTA

body to feel the touch; the material quality of base, that la, the seat of consciousness; and the material quality of the life-principle or vital force. If we consider carefully we can see that eye consciousness arises because of the sensitive material quality of the eye; and with eye con sciousness comes the concept of a Hving entity or A Uti. Similarly, it can be understood, that because of sensitive material qualities of the ear, nose. tongue, and body that we have the consciousness of hearing. smelling, tasting and touching. The material quality of base, which acts as the seat of consciousness is responsible for thoughts aDd thinking, resulting in the notion of Self or living entity. The material quality of the life-principle is the vital force which vivifies all material bodiet and preserves them from decay and decomposition. This life principl", which is just a material quality, is wrongly believed to be a soul, a living entity.

In the absence of the sensitive material qualities such a. the sensitive part of the eye etc., there is no such thing as soul or living entity, Consider, for instance, a wooden figufe of a man which resembles a hving person in appea rance but is devoid of the sensitive material qualities of the seuse organs that can give rise to different cognitions. Consequently such a woode:! figure etc., is never mistaken for a livinS being with a soul or a liviag entity.

There arises also no notion of a soul or a living entity with respect to the body of a person who has just died; the reason being that there i~ no longer any sensitive material Qualities such as the sensitive part of the eye etc., in that body. So long as the sensitive qualities such a8 tlla sensitive part of the eye etc., exist, other material bodiaa which are their co.adjuncts and concommitant with them are also wrongly conceived 8& Self, living entities. Such material bodies are sight which is seen, sound which is heard, odour which is smelt, and tangibility (such al PtJlbinI. T,jo and J'ayo) felt by the seose of touch which a110

6

t f

REASONS SBOWING WHY RUPA IS Nor ATtA

recognizes inairectly moistness and fluidity of the element of Cohesion Ciipo); and material qualities of sex responsible for masculinity and feminity.

Material bodies such as sight, sound, odour etc., which are concommitant with the sensitive material qualities of the eye etc are misconceived as soul or living entities when seen, heard, smelt etc.

In short, the whole material body which is co.existing with the eye etc is regarded to be a living entity. In common parlanc-e, too, the whole body which is compounded of the material qualities is spoken of as self, soul or a living entity. The usage in the daily life of expressions such as self, dt a living entity, is not utterance of fal6e-hood but conforming to the convention of the world; but from the point of view of ultimate, absolute reality., aU the material substance of the whole body are not in reality self or individual or a being, but only the aggregates 6r matter or material qualities. Therefore, the Blessed Oae bad prGnounced definitely and explicity that "although individuals view the -aggregates of material qualities as a living being, a living entity, in reality, it is not Atta er lou1 nor a living entity but merely a physical plaenomenolt."

But exponents of the doctrine of Self, who bold that the material substance in their body is Self, Atta, are bouDd to come up with the question, 'Why is it not Alta ?' Therefore, tJle Blessed One had also provided an explaqa-tion why it is not Atta, in the following manner.

RBASONS SHOWING WRY RUPA IS NOT ATTA

"Bhikkhus, if Tapa IIwere $elf, Atta, the inner core of one's own body, then Tupa would not tend to affliction Dr distress. And one should be able to say of ,apo, 'Let rfipa be thus (in the best of conditions); let my body not be thus (in the worst of conditions).' It should be pO&8ibie to influence Tupa in this manner.

7

raB ANATTALAKKHANA SUTTA

HOW RUPA INFLICTS SUFFERING

"Were Tiipa the inner core of one's body, or Self, it ~hould not cause suffering." But actually Tiipa is imposing suffering in this manner: it does not remain youthful and vigorous; it distresses by growing old and by decaying; it distresses by dying; WitllOUt Tapa, one would be free from afflictions of getting grey in hairs, of fallen teeth, bent hunch back, deafness, poor eye.sight, wrinkled skin infirmity. It is, therefore, Tiipa which is inflicting these sufferings.

Again, because of one's Tupa, one is trouble with sore-eye, ear-ache, tooth-ache, back-ache, flatulence, feeling hot, cold, painful and itching; and with disease! of blood, skin, stomach, urine or . with high blood pressure etc. These ailments arise because of Tapa through which they make their manifestations. We suffer from hunger and thirst because of Tiipa; and because of it, we are subjected to attacks by mosquitoes, insects or affjictions by other oppressors. Suffering in the states of miseries and woes are also due to riipa. In short, one suffers from all these various ailments and afflictions because of Tapa. It is, therefore, Tiipa whose function it is to bring about distress in oIle's body, that is imposing and inflicting suffering on one.

In addition, Tiipa is responsible for the phenomenon of death in human existence. When the material qualities in the body undergo deterioration and decay, death occurs. It may, therefore, be said that Tiipa inflicts suffering by causing death.

Thus we can reflect that if riipa were self, it would not inflict us with sufferings of old age, disease and death. One usually causes sufferings to others but not on oneself. Therefore, if Tapa were self, or the inner core of the body, it should not inflict suffering on itself by bringing about old age etc.

8

I, n e

ROPA IS NOT SUDJBCr TO ONS'S WILL

Furthermore, even before the onset of old age, disease and death, rupa is constantly subjecting one to various distresses. A young person, although free from ailment. and enjoying good health, cannot remain long in any of the body postures such as sitting, standing or walking; he has to change his postures quite often. It is within the experience of all of us that we cannot remain for long. as we wish, in anyone body posture. We find it difficult to remain seated for half an hour or one hour without changing posture; or to lie down tor two or three hours. Constant chaniing of postures is necessitated by feelings of hotness or tiredness in the limbs after a certain time in one position. All these distresses arise because of rilpa; in other words, qt is rupa that is inflicting these distresses.

Thus one may reflect that if rupa were self. it would not impose these sufferings on one.

(Translator's remark: The last three lines on page of the Discourse on Anattalakkhana Sutta by the Venerable MahiisI Sayiidaw and the whole of pages 10 & 11 are left out from translation into English as the said portions deal merely with discussion on tran. slation of the Piili word 'Abhadhaya' into Burmese.)

aOPA IS NOT S UBJBCT TO ONS'S WILL

Furthermore, it is stated, "if rupa were self, the inner core, it should be possible to say of rupa," let my rupa be thus (in the best of conditions). let my rupa not be thus (in the worst of corditions) TrulY. one should be able to exercise one's will on rupa if it were one's self or Atta. All beings desire to have their material body always youtla. ful and healthy in appe

THB ANA1TALAKKHANA SUTTA

alld death. Thus rupa is not amenable to one's control, Rot manageable accordiDg to one's wish. The Blessed One pointed out, therefore, that rapa is not one's Self, the inner core of one's body.

Let us briefly restate the meaning of the PAli passage quoted above: "Bhikkhus, rupa is not Self; if it were Self, it would not inflict suffering. And it should be possible to aay of rupa, "Let rupa be thus (in the best of conditions), let rupa Dot be thus (in the worst of conditions).

If rupa were self, the inner core, there would be no infliction of sufferiDg on oneself, and it should be possi-ble to subject it to one's will. While others may not be amenable to one's control, it should be por-sible to manage oneself as one desires. But the fact of the matter ia that rapa is not Self. not one's inner core. Hence, it inflicts suffering on one and refuses to be controlled. The Bleaeed One continued to further explain this fact.

lualCT EVIDliNCIi OF HOW RUPA IS NOT AHA

Yosma ca kho. Bhikkhave. Tupam analta. tasma rupam abhadaya sam,attati. na ca labbhati rupe'evam me rapam hotu. "vam me rupam n" ahosj'tl.

"Bhikkhus. 8S a matter of fact, rupa is not aelf; since it is not self (not inner substance). it tends to affliction and distress. And it is not possible to say of rupa, 'Let it he thus (in the best of conditions), let it not be thus (in the worst of conditions)." It is not possible to inflaence and manage the Tupa in this manner.

In reality, Tupa is not self, not one's inner c~. BeDco, . rupa oppre8ses with old age, disease etc. Further-more. it is not amenable to one's 'management and coauol. To reiteratt: In reality rupa is not self, not One's in.uer core. Since it is not self, this rupa tends to afnisllcm and distress. It is not possible to manage and control riJPQ by instructing, 'Let it be thu8 (in tho best of COileD. tionl. let it not be thus (in the worat of

BULOGY ON BUA BRAHMA

(Translator's remark: Pages 13 and the first fiv" lines on pages 15 of the Burmese version are left out, not translated into English for similar reasons as statedaboYf.)

1IV.l ATTA AND PAltAMA ATfA

Believers in Alta enunciate Alia to be of two kinds: lIra twa and Parama atla. According to them, each individual creature, whether man, Deva, or animal has a self, and inner soul or s\1bstance called Jiva atta. This soul or living entity is believed to be created by God. But some believers hold that these individual Jiva alia are small segments of Alta which have emanated from the big Alta of the God.

Parama att~is the big Alta of the God who has created the world together with all the creatures in it. According to some believers, this big Atta of the God permeates the whole world, but others say it lies in the Heavtnly Abode. These ideas of small Self and big Self are, of course, are all imaginery beliefs, mere speculation.

Nobody has met or seen the God which is the embo. diment of Parama atta. Belief in creation by God is also an imaginery, speculative belief, which had existed long before the appearance of the enlightened Buddha. This is clear from the eulogy on Baka Brahma.

EULOGY ON B.\KA BRAHM! At one time, the Blessed On8 went to the realm of

the Brahmas for the purpose of clearing up the wrong views held by the great Brahma Baka. On arrival there, the great Brahma Baka welcomed the Blessed One to his realm ia praise of which he spoke thus: "Welcome, the Venerable Gotama; your coming is .good coming although you have taken a long time to do so. This Brahma land is perma nent, stable, everlasting, perfect in every way. And~) one dies or passes away from here."

For this utterance, the Blessed One rebuked the Brahma Baka in these words: Oh, Brahmas, how ignorant is Brahma

11

THB ANATTALAKKHANA SUTTA

Baka! In ignorance, he describes his impermanent realm to be permanent and stable."

Upon this, one of the followers of Brahma Baka laid in indignant protest, "Bhikkhu Gotama, Do not rebuke Brahma Baka, do not rebuke him, This Brahma Baka ia a great Brahma, chief of the Brahmas, conqueror over all; Invincible, he sees all; wielding power and authority over every creature; maker of the world, creator of the whole world, the noblest person; One who assigns to each, king, Brahmin, mp.n, Deva, animals etc his respective station in this world; accomplished in attainments, the father of all the past and future beings, "thus praising the virtues of Brahma Baka. ( ~

In the Brahmajala Sutta where origin of the wrong view of permanency of certain individual was explained, the Buddha had given a similar account of the Brahma.

ORIGIN OF THB BELIBF IN CRBATION

After the previous world has perished away, there was a time when a new world began evolving. The first Brahm! who made his appearance then thought and believed thus: "I am a Brabma, a great Brahma, a conqueror invicible by anyone, who can see everytliing, all mighty to have every wish fulfilled, a Lord, a maker, a creator, the noblest of all, one who assigns to each his station. accomplished in attainments, the father of all the past and the future beings.

The Brahmu who had made their appearance later in the realm of the Brahmas also thought and believed like. wise. Of those Brahmas, who had passed away from the realm of Brahmas to be reborn in the human world, there were some who could recall their past existence in the Brah. ma land. These persons boldly announced that, "th~ great Brahm! created the being::s in the world. The Creator him. IOlf, the Groat Brahma, is permanent, eternal; the creatllfos

12

ATTACHMBNT 10 ATTA

~ he has created, however, do not last permanently; they die and pass away." These bold announcements, as their per-sonal experience, were believed and accepted by those who heard their teachings. The Blessed On", explained that this was how the notion that 'only the creators who first created things are permanent, eternal,' originated.

From the Pali Canon we have just quoted, one can surmise that the so called God who is said to have c.reated the beings, the God who is said to be in the Heavenly abode, could be the great Brah~a who first appeared in the realm of the Brahmas at the beginning of the world. We could also take it that the Paramo atta is the Alta of that great Brahma. orhen it becomes clear from the Teachings of the Buddha that, 'The Parama atta of the great Brahma is of tke same kind as Jiva alta of other beings; it is just miscon-ceiving the continuous flux of material and mental pro-cesses as Alia. Actually, there is no such thing as Atta apart from the psycho_physical phenomena; it is mere fig. ment of illl,igination.'

Furthef~ore, the rupa, ntima of the great Brahma are, just like the rupa, nama of other beings, subject to laws of impermanence. When his life span becomes e~hausted, the great Brahma also faces death and has to pass away. In reality, the great Brahma cannot have every wish of his ful. filled; he cannot maintain the rupas of his body according to his wish. Therefore, the rupa of the great Brahma is also not Alta, his inner core, self but Anatta, Non-self.

ATTACHMENT TO ATTA

But, in general, people hold on to the belief that there is an individual soul, a .. living entity which lasts for the duration of the life ~pan before one dies. (This is the view held by annihilists who believe that there remains nothing ofter death.) But the eternalists believe tha.t the individual soul remains undestroyed after dea th, lives on in other new bodiel, never perishing.

13

THB ANATTALAKKHANA SUTTA

According to the eternalists, the body of a being il made up of two parts: the gross body and the subtle bodJ. At the end of each existence, when death ensues, the iron body gets destroyed but the subtle body departs from the old body to enter into new body, then remaining eternal and never perishing. This view of the eternalists, as describld in their literature, has been reproduced in full in the sub-commentary to the Visuddhi Magga.

We have given a detailed description of the various beliefs in Self together with their origination in order to present more clearly the concept of .Anatta, no soul, nOD-self. Among the general mass, who profess themselves to be Buddhists, there are many who n01"mall~~ believe in the existence of a soul or a living entity, even I though they have not put down their beliefs in so many words in the form of literature. They hold to the view that life departs, on the death of a being, via his nose or his mouth; when conception takes place ill the womb of a mother, life enters through her n03e, her mouth or piercing through her abdomen. And from birth to death, it remains steadfastly in the new body. All thelie views relate to a belief in the existence of a soul, a living entity.

In reality, by death is mea~t just the cessation of psycho-physical process, the non-arisal of new Tiipa and nama, after the termination of death consoiousness at the moment of death. There is no such thing as the depart. ing soul or living entity. The new becoming means the arising of new consciousness at a new site together with the physical base on which it finds its support. Just before death-consciousness terminates at the moment of death, it holds on to one of the objects namely KQmma, Kamma nimilla or Gatl nimitta. Conditioned thus by the objects (held on to) at the last moment of consciousness, a Dew consciousness arises at a new site in the new existeDce. This is called re-birth or re-linkint,l consciousness aa It forms a link between the previous and the new existence.

CONCBPT OP ANA TrA AND HOW IT SI:IOULD BB UNDBRSTooD

When the re-linking consciousness passe. away, it ia followed by Bhava;,ga consciousness, the life-continuum, which goes on continuoualy throughout life as prescribed by one's previous karmic energy. When sense-objects such as sight, sound etc appear at the sense-doors, th6 Bhava;,ga consciousness is replaced, for the respective moments, by eye_consciousness, ear-consciousness, etc. The arising of new consciousness in the new existence as conditioned by Kamma of past existence is conventionally called by common usage, migration from the old to the new existence. But in reality, there is no soul nor living entity which transmigrate from one existence to another.

WIfHOUT tlNDBR&t1'ANDlNG THB MANNER OF ATTA CLINGI~G CONCEPT OF ANATTA CANNOT BE GRASPBD THOROUGHLY

There are peopie who cannot grasp the concept of non-.self, Anatta, because they do not know about the theory of Atta as explained in detail above. They think it is Alta clinging if some one holds on to the shape and form of objects. For instance, to recognise a tree .as a tree, a stone as a stone; a house as a house, a monastery as a monastery, is according to them, clinging to Alta. In their view the fact of Anatta, soulessnes&, is clearly grasped only when concept of shape and form is transcended and replaced by perception of ultimate truth.

As a matter of fact, merely perceiving forms and shapes does not amount to Alta clinging. Neither does it mean that belie( in Anatta is established once shapes and forms are no longer perceived. Recognising inanimate objects such as tree, stone, house or monastery does not constitute a belief in Anatta; it does not amount to self-theory cling. ing; it is merely holdin on to a conventional concept.

It is only when sentient beings with life and conscious ness such as men, Devli, animals etc are assumed to have a soul, a living entity, a self that it amounts to clinging to belief in self. When one assumes oneself to be a living

15

THB ANAnALAKKHANA surrA

soul, or others as living entities, then one is holding the belief in Self. Brahma of the Immaterial realms (ArIi,,,) having no material body, do not perceive themselvea in the conventional shapes and forms, but 1he ordinary woddiag Brahma are not free from the perverted view of lelf, believing as they do, in the existence of self, a living entity. It is only when belief in existence of Self. a living entity, is discarded and one's own body and other's body is perceived as merely psycho-physical phenomena, that knowledge of non-self, Anatta, arises. It is essential to develop true knowledge of non-self.

FOUR KINDS OF ATTA CLINGING

There are four kinds of Alta clingin~ arising out of belief in Self or soul.

( I) Sam; atta clinging: Believing that there is inside one's body, a living entity, who governs and directs every wish and action. It is this living soul which goes, stancis up, sits down. sleeps, speaks whenever it wishes to.

"Siim; otto clingmg is belief in a living entity in one'. body, controlling and directing as it wishes."

The Anattalakkhana SuUa was taught by the BlesBed One particularly to remove this Sami alia clinging. Now, as this Sutta was first taught to the Group of five Bhikkhus who had become by then Stream Enterers, may it not be asked whether a Stream Enterer is still encumbered with AlIa clinging?

"Stream Enterer has abandoned Alia clinging, but still holds on to Conceit."

At the stage of Sotapailna, S,tream Enterer, the fetters of Personality-belief (false view of individuality),doubts aod uncertainty, and adherence to rites and rituals have been completely eradicated. But a Stream Enterer is not yet free from Asmi-mana, the I-conceit. To take pride in one,1 ability, one's status, "I can do; 1 am Doble,"

16

FOUR KINDS OF ATTA CLINGING

is to hold on to the I-conceit. But a Stream Winner', conceit relates only to the genuine qualities and virtues, h8 actually possesses and is not falae pride based on non-existing qualities and virtues.

The Stream Enterer has, therefore, to continue on with the practice of Vipassanli in order to remove the I-conceit clinging which is still a fetter for him. When Vlpassanii-/iii{lQ is considerably developed, thii I-conceit becomes attenuated and is partially removed by the Sakadiigiimi Path. But it is not complet81y adolished yet. The Aniigiimi Path further weakens it, but this Path also could effect only partial removal. It is only the final Arahatta magga that could completely eras,icate the I-conceit. Thus it could be regarded that the Anatta Lakkhana Sutta was taught by the Blessed One in order to bring about total eradication of the I-conceit clinging which was still lingering in the persons of the Group of five Bhikkhu8 although they had attained the stage of Stream Enterer.

( 2) NivaJ; atta clinging: Believing that there is a living entity permanently residing in one's body.

ION/vas; atta clinging is belief in a living entity perma-nently residing in one's body."

It is the common belief of people that they exist permanently as a living being from the moment of birth to the time of death. This is the Nivas; atta clinging. Some hold that nothing remains after death; this is the wrong view of annihilism. Yet others believe in the wrong view of eternalism which holds that the living entity in the body r.emains un destroyed after death; it continued to reside in a new body in .. a new existence. It was with a view to remove these two wrong views together with the I-conceit clinging that the Anatta Lakkhana Sutta was taught by the Blessed One, that is to say, to eradicate the I-conceit clinging which still remains fettering the Group of five Bhikkhus and other Noble Ones; and to

F. 3 17

lHB ANAtTAUKKHANA sUTTA

remove the two wrong views as well as the I-conceit of the ordinary common worldlings.

So long as one clings to the belief that there exists permanently a livlng entity or a soul. so long would OM hold that one's body is amenable to one's control 8S one wishes. It is understood that the Anatta Lakkhana Sutta. was delivered to remove not only the Saml alta clingins but also the Nil'asi otto clinging. Once the Sami otto cling~ ing is removed, other types of Alta clinging and wroDS views are simultaneously eradicated completeiy.

( 3) Karaka alta clinging: Believing that it is the livlnl entity, the soul that effects every physical, vocal and mental action. c.

"Karaka otto clinging is belief in a living entity that is responsible for every physical, yocal and men tal action."

This Karaka otto clinging is more concerned with San. khiirakkhanda, the aggregate of formations. We shall deal more fully with it when we come to the aggregate of formations.

( 4) Vedanii atla clinging: Believing that it is self which feels the sensations, pleasant or unpleasant.

tlVedanii atta clinging is belief in that all sensations whether pleasant or unpleasant are felt by the living entity, the self."

This Vedanii atta clinging is concerned with the Vedanak. khflnda, the aggregate of feelings which we will take up fully on the coming fullmoon day of Nayon.

That Rupakkhandii, the aggregate of materiality is not Self, nor a living entity, Alia but,Non_stlf, A natta has been adequately expounded but it still requires to explaiD how Yogis engaged in VipassaDa meditation come to perceive the nature of Anal/a, non-self with no power being exer. ciseable over it. We shall proceed with an explanation of how it comes abou t.

18

CON1I!MPLAnON OP NON-'SI!LP

)f CONTIIMPLATION OP NON-SBLl< IN TRB COURSB OF YJPASSANI MEDITATION

I f

s

Practical methods of VipaasanA meditation have been elaborately described and explained in many of our dis-courses published in numerous booka. We need not go over them in detail; we will just give a brief description of them.

Vipassana meditation consists of contemplating on the upadanakkhandhii, groups of grasping which manifest themselves at the moment of aeeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touch. ing and thinking. For ~he novice-YogI, however, it is hard to take heedful note of each and every phenomenon of seeing, hear~g, etc. Therefore they have to start their practice with only a few of the most prominent objects of sensation. For instance. while sitting, the Yogi can concentrate on the nature of stiffness and resistance felt in his body and note it as 'sitting, sitting'. If the YogI feels that it is too simple an exercise, requiring not much effort to just keep on noting, 'sitting, sitting', he can com-bine it with Elating of another phenomonon namely, touching and note as 'sitting, touching; sitting, touching.' But the movements of rise and fall of one's abdomen will be more pronounced. Thus if one heedfully notes 'rising' as the abdomen rises, and falling, as it falls, one will come to see distinctly the phenomena of stiffening, resisting, distend-ing, relaxing, moving which are happening inside his abdo. men, These are thr characteristics, function and proxi-mate cause of Vdyodhiitu, the element of motion. Such con templation aad noting is in accordance with Visuddhi Magga which atates that "the nature of nama, rupa should be comprehended by obsening its characteristics, functions and 80 on." "

We have therefore instructed the beginners in the prac-tice of Vipassanl1 to start with observing the rising and falling of the abdomen. But this exercise of noting the risini and falling alone does not comprise all that has to be

19

THB ANATTAUKKHANA !UnA

done in VipassaDA meditation. While noting the rising and falling of the abdomen, any thought that may occur, hal to be noted too. When feeling stiff, hot, cold or painful, the Yogi has to note thele sensations as they arise. When he bends or stretches his arms or legs, these movements should also be noted. As he rises from th~ sitting pOlition, the change of posture should be accompanied by heedful noting. While walking, every motion involved in each step haa to be noted as, 'rising, stepping forward, dropping.' If possi. ble. all physical activities including even the opening and shutting of eye-lids should come under close observation. When there is nothing particular to take note of, Yogi', attention should revert to the rising and falling movement of the abdomen. This is then a brief des6.:iption of exer cises involved in the practice of Vlpassanll meditation.

While thus occupied in taking note of rising, falUag, sitting and touching as they occur, the desire arises in the YogI to change postures in order to release the pain, the aches and sensation of hotness which are developing in his bended arm$ and legs. The YogI should take note of these wishes as they arise but should remain still, with. out immediately yielding to the temptation to stretch the limbs. He should put up with the discomforts as long as he can. If the desire to stretch his arms and legs arises once again, he should first take note of them as before without changing posture. Only when he becomes unbearably distressed with pain and aches, he should slowly stretch out his arms and legs, at the same time noting these actions care fully as 'stretching, stretching.'

During each session of meditation exercise, freqnent change of posture becomes necessa.ry due to discomforting pains and aches. With repeated adjustments of posture, the oppressive nature of the physical body becomes appa. rent. De8pite his inclination to remain still, quietly seated, without changing position for one or two hours, it becomes evident to him that he cannot remain so, a8 he wishes.

20

CONTEMP!.ATlON OF NON-SELF

TheD realization comes to him that Rilpa which is constantly oppressing him, afflicting him, is not Self, or soul nor living entity, but mere physical phenomenon tliat is occur ring in accordance with its own conditions. This realiza. tion is knowledge of contemplation of Non-Self.

One cannot remain very long either seated, lying down or standing. Thus realization comes too that Rupa never obliges one with what one wishes and is unmanageable. Being uncontrollable, it is not Self nor inner substance, but mere physical phenomenon that is occurring in accor dance with its own conditions. This realization, too, is knowledge of contemplation of Non-Self.

Agaio, bei~ repeatedly disturbed by having to answer to the calls of nature, while engaged in meditation in sitting or lying postures, it becomes apparent that Rupa is oppressive, it is unmanageable, not amenable to one's will, and being unmanageable, it is not Self. While contemplating on the behavior of Rapa, its true oppressive nature becomes exposed when bodily filths such as nasal mucus, saliva, phlegm, tears, sweat etc coze out of the body. Cleanliness cannot be maintained as one desires because of this uncontrollable nature of this Rupa, which is, therefore, obviously not Self.

In addition, Rupa oppresses by inflicting hunger, thirst old age and disease on one. Those afflictions are evident truths even to a casual observer. But there is livelihood of the notion of Self persisting in one who observes just casually. It is oniy by noting heedfully that Rilpa is exposed not to be Self nor a Ii ving entity but mere physical pheno. menon which is happening incessantly.

These are just a few examples to indicate the Non-

TBB ANAnAu,U::HANA lUnA

Thus in the course of heedfully noting all the bodlt, actions such as rising, falling, sitting. bending, ItretchiDl and perceiving how Rilpa afflicts one, how it is unmanage-able, ungovernable, the realization ariles in him, through personal knowledge: "Although Rilpa ia my body appears to be Self, since it oppresses me, it is not my "Self" nor my inner core; because it is not amenable to my wish, and unmanageable, it is not Self, my inner core. I have been all along in error to take it to be my 'Self', my inner substance. It is really not Self being unmanageable and not subject to my will." This is the true knowledge of contemplating on Non-Self.

We have fairly comple~ely dealt with how the nature Non-Self is perceived in Rtlpa. We will te~'Ilinate our dis-course today by recapitulating the summarised translation of the Pali Text and repeating the Mnemonics on Alta clinging. THB SUMMARISBD TRA.NSLATION OF THB PALl nxr

"Bhikkhus. Rupa is not Self (inner substance). Were Rupa Self, it would Dot tend to affliction. And it should be possible to say of Rupa: 'Let my body be thus (in the best of conditions): 1et my body not be thus (in the worst of conditions)."

In reality, Rapa is not Self. And because it is not self, it tends to affliction. Furthermore, it is not possible to lay of Rupa, 'Let my body be thus (in the best of condi-tions); let my body not be thus (in the worst of condi-tions). MNBMONICS ON ATTA CLINGING

1. Sami alta clinging is belief in a living entity in oae's body, controlling and directing as it wishes.

2. Nivo$i atta clinging is belief in a living entit, per. manently residing in one's body.

3. Ka,ako otta clinging is belief in a living entity that is responsible for every physical, vocal and mental actloa

MNEMONICS ON ATTA CLINGING

4. Vedaka atta clinging is belief in that all sensations whether pleasant or unpleasant are felt by the living entity, the Self.

By virtue of having given respectful attention to this discourse on Anatta Lakkhana Sutta, may you all, by noting the phenomena of Nama and Rflpa which is happen-ing in the body, perceive unerringly and assuredly, the nature of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness together with unsubstantiality and thereby attain and realiz6 SGOD, the Nibbana, by means of the path and Fruition as you wisb.

~ Sadbu Sadhu Sadbu

End of the First Part of the Discourse on

The Anattalakkhana Sutta

23

THE GREAT DISCOURSE ON

,

THE ANATTALAKKHANA SUTTA SECOND PART

(Deli,u~d on the Fuf/moon day of Nayone 1325 B.E.) We began our discourses on Anatta Lakkhana Sutta

on the eight waxing day of Nayone. We had fully explained then that Rrlpa, Itody, is just aggregate of materirlity, is not &lelf but non-self. We will deal today with Vedanakkhandhii, the aggregate of sensations to show how it ~s also not self. People in general like to meet with pleasant objects and enjoy pleasurable sensations; they dislike unpleasurable lensations. With regard to both the pleasant and unplea. aant sensations, they assume that "1 feel the sensation; I feel pleasant; I feel unpleasant. But in reality, the feeling of sensation is not self, not soul but mere unsubstantiality, Anatta. The Blessed One had explained this true fact as foHows:

nBUNG Of SBNSATION IS Nor AlTA

"Vedanii BfJikkhave anatta, vedana ca h'/dam Bhikkha,e at/a abh,l$sii nayldam ,edana abhadayii samvalteyya lab-bhetha ca vedaniiya evam me vedana hotu evam evam me ,edana ma ohositl. Yasma ca kho Bhlkkhave vedana onatta lasma vedana abhadaYii samvattatl na ca labMan vl'danaya nam me vtdana hotu evam me ,edana ma ahoSiti."

"Bhikkhus, vedaTlii, feeling is not self." There are three categories of. feeling. 1. Sukha 'edanii ........ pleasurable feeling. 2. Dukkha ,edanii ........ unpleasurable feeJiug. B. Upekkhii ,edand ........ equanimous, neutral, feeling, nei.

ther pleasurable nor paiaful.

24

Ie a n;

ng y, as

e tla yo

ei

FI!BLING OF SBNSATION IS Nor AlTA

The equanimous, neutral feeling is generally not pro-minent. The pleasurable feeling and unpleasurable feelings only are commonly known and talked about.

It is such a pleasure to feel the touch of a cool breeze or cold water when the weather is scorching hot; it is very comforting to be wrapped up to warm, woollen blankets during a cold spell; one feels so easeful after one has stretched the limbs or changed positions to relieve the tired stiff limbs. All these comfortable feelings through contact with pleasant objects are as Sukha vedana, pleasurable feelings, which the sentient beings assume to be self; "1 feel plea-sant, I feel comfortable." Therefore they go in pursuit of such pleasurable sensations.

Sufferings that arise on coming into contact with un-pleasant objects, feeling hot, tired in the limbs, discomforts due to intense cold, itchiness etc are classified as Dukkha vedanii, unpleasurable sensations, which is also assumed by sentient beings to be self: "I feel painful, I feel hot, I feel itchy, I feel unpleasant." Therefore, they try to avoid contact with these unpleasant objects as much as possible. But when ever taken by disease that afflicts the body, they have to suffer the pain unavoidably.

What we have just described relate to the pleasurable and unpleasurable fellings with respect to the physical body. In addition we h~ve to consider the feelings that arise in relation to states of mind. Thoughts on pleasant objects give rise to happiness and gladness, Sukha vedanii; while thinking about things and affairs which develop dejection, despondency, defeatism, sadness, grief, timidity and so on, give rise to unhappiness, Dukkha vedonii. Dwelling on ordinary Qveryday affairs" gives rise to neutral, equanimous feeling, Uptkkha -vedalla.

These are three kinds of feelings that are related to thoughts or imaginations. Whilst in such various states of mind, the sentient being assumes these feelings also to be

F.4 25

tHB ANATTALAKKHANA SUnA

Self: "I am feeling glad, happy; I am despondent, unhappy; I am not feeling happy, not unhappy, I am just equanimous."

When pleasant objects are seen, heard, smelt or tasted pleasurable feelings arise in them. These are also regarded as self: "I feel good, I feel h~ppy." Therefore they go after the good things of life, visiting places of entertainments etc. in order to enjoy good sights, good sounds; they use fragrant flowers and perfumes to enjoy pleasant aroma; they go to any length and trouble to satisfy their gustatory demands.

When unpleasant objects are seen. tasted, unpleasant feelings arise in them. assumed to be Self; They try, therefore. to do with unpleasant objects.

heard, smelt or These are also

{::J have nothing

The ordinary every day scene which one sees, hears. Indifferent sense objects, excHe neither a feeling of plea. sure nor feeling of unpleasantness. This is neutral equani. mous feeling which is also assumed to be self. People are never content with this medial condition of neither plea. santness nor unpleasantness. They strive hard, therefore, to attain the state of pleasantness to enjoy pleasurable feIlings.

DlSCUSS!ON ON VARIANCB BBTWflBN ABHIDHAMtd AND SUfTANTAS

According to Teachings in Abhidhamma, there is nei. thet feeling of pleasant nor feeling of unpleasan tness at the moment of seeing, hearing. smelling. tasting, but just equanimous feeling, indifference. But in the Suttantas ars the discourses, which describe how all these Vedanas, Sukkha, Dukkha, and Upekkhii, arise at all ttte sense doors. There are discourse exhorting to contemplate on these feelings at the moment of seeing, hearing so as to comprehend their true nature. The Maha Tika of Visuddhi Magga (p. 326, vol II) has explained how sukkha. d:Jkkha and upekkhiivedanas become evident at the moment of seeing, hearing etc in these words:

26

DISCUSSION ON VARIANCB BBTWBBN ADHIDRAMMI AND SUTTANTAS

"Although it is said that eye consciousness in accom panied by equanimity, the resultant effect of unwholesome act is in the nature of suffering. The resultant effect of un wholesome act cannot be pleasant. Likewise, although it is stated that resultant effect of a wholesome act is equani. mity, it has the nature Gf pleasant feeling, pleasantness. All moral acts bear good, pleasant fruits.

This explanation in the sub-commentary is most appro priate and can be verified through practical experience. When a beautiful object is sighted, the feeling of whole-someness and pleasantness is evident even as the object is being seen. When a terrifying, repulsiVe, hateful object is sighted, the feeJing of horror, aversion Is quite evident too even while seeing the object. These experiences are more pronounced in the case of hearing than in the case of seeing. A sweet, pleasant sound produces a sweet, pleasant effect; a terrible loud din inflicts unbearable pain on the hearer. The resultant effect is distinct still in smelling. A pleasant sensation arises in the nose as soon as a frag. rant aroma is smelt, whereas a foul putrid smell at once seta up nausea resulting in head-ache and other ills. A whiff of poisonous odour may even cause dea.th. The most pro naunced effect may bit experienced in the act of eating. While a tasty, delicious dish produces a delightful sensation on the tongue, the bit ter taste of some medicinal pills is very unpleasant and disagreeable. A poisonous substance will cause intense suffering and may result even in death.

Thus although it is stated that eye-consciousness etc is accompanied by indifference, the immoral resultant equani. mity which experiences disagreeable objects is in the nature of painful suffering; and the moral resultant equanimity which experiences agreeable objects bas the nature of plea. nnt happiness. "These comments of the sub-commentary are most appropriate. We find therefore the Suttas men tioa that all three types of Vedanlis are excited at the moment of seeing etc. Alternatively, as it is possible for all the

THB ANATTALAKKHANA SUITA

three vedaniJs to arise at the moment of ja'iana, impulsion, during the eye avenue thought process (cakkhudvara vlthi). The Sutta mention all the three types of vedanas to be excited when seeing etc. VIIDANA MISCONCBIVED AS ATTA

Therefore, enjoyment of various sense-objects, pleasant or unpleasant, every time they are seen, heard, touched or become known, constitutes vedana. When an agreeable sen aation is felt, there arises the clinging of self. ItI feel pleasant." When the sensation is disagreenble, there arises the clinging of self, "I don't feal pleasant;' or, "previously I have felt pleasant, but now I feel unpieasant, "When the feeling is one of indifference, self is quite pronounced too as "I feel neither pleasant nor unpleasant. 1 foel indif. ferent." This is Atta clinging with respect to vedana, feeling, known as vedaka alta believing that it is self or soul who enjoys the pleasant or unpleasant feelings.

Vedaka atta is belief that it is self or atta who enjoys the pleasant or unpleasant feelings.

This is how every ordinary worldling clings onto the notion of self, In Indian literature, vedana is described as Self, A.tta or having the attributes of a Self or Alta. In Burma, this notion does not seem to be so firmly held to be inscribed in writing. But all the same, there is the clinging to the belief that, on happy occassions, "It is I who enjoys pleasant things; when faced with difficult cir. cumstance~, "It is I who suffers." The reason for such beliefs lies in the fact that inaniruate objects such as atones or sticks do not feel the beat when coming into with it; they do not feel cold when touched with a cold body. They feel neither happy n,or sad under pleasant or unJlleasant circumstances. The animate objects, the sen tients beings, on the other hand, suffer or ejoice Olccording to pleasant or unpleasant circumstances. It is assumed, therefon, that sentient beings must be endowed with an aldmating spirit, a living entity. It is this living entity

28

ion, hi). be

WHY VBDANA IS NOT SBLP

which enjoys on moments of pleasure or suffers on occasions of distress.

In reality, vedanlJ, feeling is not self, a living entity. but only a phenomenon that arises and vanishes as condi-tioned by circumstances. Therefore, the Buddha declared first and foremost the truth which must be firmly held: "Bhikkhus, vedana, feeling is not Self," and he continued to explain the reason why vedana is not self. WHY VBDANA IS Nor SELF

"Bhikkhue, if vedana were self, the inner substance of the body, then vedanii would not tend to afflict or distress. And one should be able to say of vedanii, "Let vedanii be thus (always pleas~t); let vedanii not be thus (always unplea-sant). It should be possible to influence vedanii in this manner as one wishes.

True, if }'edand were self. it should not cause distress to oneself, because it is not in the nature of things to afflict oneself; and it should be possible to manage vedanii as one wishes. These should all obtain and follow from the supposition "if vedanii were sel!:' Furthermore, if vedanii did not tend to afflict, and if our feelings were always pleasant, as we desire and never unpleasant, then we should regard vedana to be truly self.

This hypothetical statement 'if vedanii were self' is a form of in8truction to pause and consider whether it afflicts one or not, whether vedanii can be managed to be always pleasant as one desires. On careful examination, it will become very evident that vedanii is almost always afflicting us and that it arises, not follo-wing one's wish but in accor-dance wi~h its own conditioning circumstances.

Our audience here will find it within their personal experiences that vedana afflicts them now and often; that they can never have their wish fulfilled to be always enjoying good sights, good sounds, good smells, good foods, 80ft touch etc. The will have discovered that unpleasant

29

THB ANATTALAKKHANA SUtTA

vedaniis outweigh pleasant ones. That one cannot have vedana as one wishes is because vedanli is not self nor one's inner substance. The Blessed One continued to explain why vedanii is not self:

Direct evidence of bow vedana is not Self. "Bhikkhus, as a matter \)f feet, vedana is not self. Since

vedana is not self, it tends to affliction. And it is not possible to say of vedana, 'Let vedana be thus (always pleasant); let veiana not be thus (always unpleasant).

In reality. vedana is not self. Hence it oppresses by painful feelings and mental distresses. And it is not amena ble to one's control. being unable to keep it always plea. sant and never unpleasant. So the Blessed O~a had explained that vedanii is Dot self. inner substance, because it tends to afflict; vedanii is Dot Self since it cannot be managed as ODe wishes.

Although it is evIdent that vedanii is oppressive. and ungovernable. there are some people with strong attach ment to wrong belief in Self and intense craving. ta(lhii. who. trusting in pleasurable sensations. cling to vedanti as Self and take delight in it. Careful consideration. however. will reveal that moments of joy and happilless are fe w compared to occasions of suffering and distress.

HOW VBDANI INFLICTS SUFFERING

There has to be constant accomodations and adjusting to conditions to maintain ourselve comfortably. One suffers discomforts of feeling stiff. cramped, hot and of aching when c@nfined to one position for long, unless one makes necessary adjustments in body postures to relieve the pains. The oppressive nature of vedanti ,.is quite evident even if we consider only the case of the eye which needs constant accomodation by frequent winking and occassional blink. ing. Without these adjustments, tiredness in the eye will become unbearable. Other organs of the body also need similar accomodations. Even with co.nstant adjustments,

30

e W

bOW VBDANA INFLICIS SUFPER.IN~

vedana under certain circumstances, is likely to inflict severe pains and sufferings which ma, lead to serious ailment and illness, resulting even in death. Many have been inci. dents where the afflicted person, unable to bear the oppres. sions ot vedana any longer, have sought the termination of their own lives by committing suicide.

The physical pains and sl!ftering just described are not inflicted entirely by vedanii; rap a also contributes its share of oppressions, being the original source of troubles. In the previous discourses on sufferings caused by rupas, we have described different types of feeling!, which may be regarded as afflictions brought about by vedana also.

Mental diCJtresses ana sufferings, on the other hand, are afflictions causes solely by vedana without the aid of rupa. On the death of one's near and dear ones, parents, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, vedana inflicts sorrow, grief, lamentations on the bereaved ones. Like. wise, there is intense mental sufferini, which may even resul t in death, on loss of wealth and property too. Fru. stration and discontent owing to one's failure to solve life's problems, separation from one's associates and friends, unfulfilled hopes and desires are other forms of oppressions inflicted by vtdana.

Even Sukha vedana, the pleasurable sensations which are very conforting by giving happiness while they last, prove to be a source of distress la