Bhante Phra Ek's Teachings : Dhamma Wheel Sutta (Part 3)

 Notes from 2nd day (part 1)

According to the Buddha, our body (right from the time in the mother’s womb), changes every 7 days (i.e. change in a major way). The oxygen and food all comes from the mother.

When Buddha refers to himself : Tathagata (Thus Come One)

When others refer to the Buddha : Bhagavan (The Blessed One)

Mahabhuta = 4 great primordial elements (earth, water, fire, air)

 

Knowing Dukkha & Nana

-          Doesn’t mean surrendering/letting things go haphazardly

-          Sacca or truth is applicable to all lives; no one can avoid Dukkha

-          By watching Dukkha, the mind learns and that will lead to abandonment of the cause.

-          Before the Buddha’s time, nobody taught Dukkha as an inevitable Truth. So sentient being beings struggled to cover up Dukkha by seeking Sukha to temporarily forget Dukkha. However, the cause of Dukkha is still there.

-          To acknowledge Dukkha with a neutral mind, will let the mind develop one kind of nature that knowing things as it is, namely Nana.

-          Nana is so powerful that it will be able to separate Dukkha from the one that knows. At this stage, Dukkha is something that is not me; not mine.

-          Nana = knowledge (without intention), i.e. it’ll automatically come out. It’s not something strange. If you practise consistently, then it may result in nana. Premonition is also a kind of nana, but it’s not the liberating kind of nana that the Buddha talks about which is more penetrating.

Samudaya Sacca (Cause of Dukkha)

 Dukkha of the 5 aggregates always occur because of the following: -

-          Kamma tanha – craving for sense pleasure (human & heaven)

-          Bhava tanha – craving for existence (e.g. Rupa Brahma realm)

-          Vibhava tanha – craving for supreme existence (Arupa Brahma)

 Sometimes you answer, “It’s my expectation” and sometimes “in order to release suffering”. So far many days, you are tasked to observe your actions, and observe why you do it. ( to know the cause)

 Bhante advises that we shall not dwell too much in questioning about our past lives that brought about the present sufferings. This is because there is no point in lamenting about the past. If karma has ripened, we need to accept it.

 Know & let go the cause. It’s not just saying it, but actually letting go by itself. The cause of our unhappiness (e.g. anger) – there is aways a reason behind, for example, like our desire to make things look neat, our desire for pleasure, etc. (my comment: Bhante is saying sometimes it is our own habits, and when people don’t comply, our anger or unhappiness arises or we cause problems to others)

 Samudaya (cause) – holding the view that Dukkha is mine, i.e. I am the one that suffers. This is an important fetter (samyojana), namely, Sakkayaditthi (the view of self). “Aggregate” means you combine them, so now you need to “dis-aggregate” them, that is, analyse where is the Dukkha.

 

Abandonment of the Cause (samudaya)

1.       Temporary – by knowing Dukkha

2.       Suppression – with mindfulness, effort, Samadhi, mundane magga

3.       Annihilation – with supramundane magga

       

       Dedication

       Chokor Duchen is celebrated by Tibetan Buddhists on July 9. It marks the turning of the Dharma   Wheel for the first time by the World Honoured One. Therefore, this sharing is my small but sincere   offering to the Blessed One to thank Him for doing so. THANK YOU!

        This is another post you may want to read from my previous blogs -   https://buddha-and-  me.blogspot.com/2012/05/ajahn-mahaboowas-enlightenment.html

       #causeofsuffering #samudayasacca #fournobletruths