ARIYAMAGGA BHAVANA(The Sublime Eightfold Way)

Level III - Awakening from the dream of existence

by Ven. Dr. Madawela Punnaji Maha Thera

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ARIYAMAGGA BHAVANA IIITHE SUBLIME EIGHTFOLD WAY

ADVANCED RETREAT

STEPS TO AWAKENING

Instructor

Venerable Dr. Madawela Punnaji Maha Thera

Thisformofmeditationisbasedontheoriginalteachingsof theBuddhaas theyare found in thePaliSuttaPitaka. It isconductedatthreeretreatlevels:

(1) Beginner – SelectiveThinking(anussati)

(2) Intermediate– CultivationofTranquility (sammāppadhāna)

(3) Advanced – AwakeningfromtheDreamof Existence(satta bojjhanga)

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FOREWORD

Thisbookletisthethirdandfinalintheseriesofbookletson the three levels of meditation that provide step-by-stepguidance towardattainmentof the imperturbableserenityofmind–Nibbāna–astaughtbytheBuddhaandrecordedinthePalilanguageintheSuttaPitakaoftheTripitaka.

The reader is invited to readall threebookletsbeforebeginningonthemeditativepath.Thiswillserveasamaptoenable one to understand the terrain to be traversed beforestartingthejourney.

The profound teachings of the Buddha are not easyto decipher and put into practice. Today, the Dhamma is mostlypracticedatthebasicsaddhāand sīlalevels.Themoreadvancedteachingsencompassingsamādhiandpaññāarenotwellunderstoodorpracticed.TheprimaryreasonforthisisthedifficultyindecipheringtheBuddha’sextraordinarilyintelligentdescriptionoftherealitiesoflife,theproblemofexistence,andthesalvationthroughawakeningfromthedreamofexistence.

Theauthorhasdedicatedover60years to the taskofunderstanding and practicing the advanced teachings of theBuddha based on the original teachings as recorded in thescriptures of the Theravada tradition. To do so, the authorreceivedtraininginscience,medicine,philosophy,psychology,astronomy and even comparative religion. These fields ofknowledgegeneratedbyveryintelligentthoughspirituallyun-awakened human beings, whose perspectives may be quitedifferentfromthatoftheBuddha,canstillbeaninvaluableaidtounderstandthedeepinsightfulteachingsoftheBuddha.Thetheoreticalstudiesoftheauthorhasbeenputintopracticeandverifiedthroughhisownexperience.Itistheseunderstandings

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and experiences that the reader is presented within thesebooklets. May this knowledge offered by the author withgreat compassion to the general public translate into properchannels leadingtothegreattransformationsexperiencedbytheAwakenedseekersofthebygoneera.

Many organizations and individuals, impossible to listcompletely,havehelpedinbringingthesebookletstopublication.FirstandforemostistheSasanaAbhiwurdiWardhanaSocietyoftheBuddhistMahaViharaatBrickfields,KualaLumpur,Malaysia.MaytheirstrenuousworkatpropagationofDhammacontinueand extend around the globe. The writer acknowledges thepiousdevoteesall over theworldwhoprovided support andparticipated inDhamma discussions andmeditation retreatsovermanydecades.Specialmentionmustbemadeofanumberofindividuals–BroVongChoongChoy,BroHilsonYeap,BroBillyTan,BroMahendraWijayasinghe,BroVijayaSamarawickrama,BroLimTeikLeong,SisterBodhiandmanyotherswhoassistedinmanywaysincludingproof-readingandmakingillustrationsthatenhancedthequalityofthebooklets.MaythemeritssoacquiredstrengthentheirresolvetoattainNibbāna.

May all beings be well and happy!

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Contents

Prologue................................................................................10 Anapology.......................................................................10 OurPresentation..............................................................13 Messageinbookone.......................................................13 Messageinbooktwo.......................................................13 Messageinbookthree.....................................................14 Is this vipassanā bhāvanāorinsightmeditation?............16

Chapter I – A Marvellous Method.......................................18 TheSupernormalEightfoldWay......................................18 Enlightenmentfirstorlast?..............................................18 Thethreelevelwayisnotthepath..................................19 TheHarmoniousPerspective...........................................20 Onlywaytoemancipation...............................................20

Chapter II – Prevalent Errors................................................22 Isthismindfulness?..........................................................22 Is satipaṭṭhānatheonlyway?..........................................24 Golfasananalogy............................................................25 Satipaṭṭhānanotthebeginning.......................................27 Buddharevealedthepath...............................................28 NineGreatKnowledges....................................................30 Seeingthingsastheyare.................................................31

Chapter III – Practice of Meditation Level III.......................34 CultivationoftheSevenStepstoAwakening (Satta Bojjhanga)...............................................................34 1) SystematicIntrospection(Satipaṭṭhāna).......................35 2) InvestigationoftheExperiencewithin (Dhammavicaya)...........................................................37 Thedividedmind(Citta/Mano)....................................40

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3) StrengthoftheCognitiveovertheAffective(Viriya)....42 4) Cognitiveecstasy(Pīti).................................................43 5) RelaxationoftheBody(Passaddhi)...............................43 6) TranquilityofTemperament(Samādhi)........................44 7) Apperception(Upekkhā)...............................................44 Theparadigmshift(nirodha samāpatti).........................45

Chapter IV – Awakening from the Dream of Existence.......49 Agradualreductionofexperience...................................49 Apperceptionisnon-perception......................................50 Reductionofthecognitiveexperience............................51 Successthroughself-reliance...........................................52 Themindisunderstood...................................................53 Awakeningfromthedreamofexistence.........................54 GenesisrevealedbytheBuddha......................................55 TheCognitiveandtheAffective.......................................57 Theultimateconsequence...............................................58

Chapter V – Concurrence of Logical Antecedents (Paṭicca Samuppāda)...........................................59 Ourregret........................................................................59 ConcurrenceofLogicalAntecedents (Paṭicca Samuppāda)..........................................................61 ConcurrenceofAntecedents (Paṭicca Samuppāda) .........................................................65 TheBuddhistConceptofGenesis....................................66 ConcurrenceofLogicalAntecedentsinmoredetail........69 Theprocessofperception...............................................69 PerceptiondevelopsintoCognition (phassa)....................70 BeginningoftheAffectiveProcess(citta).........................71 Howdidthebodybecomemyself(sakkāya diṭṭhi)?..........72

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Chapter VI – Elucidation of Fundamentals..........................74 Foundation.......................................................................74 Modernscientificresearch..............................................75 ImportanceofCognition..................................................76 TheroleofMeditation.....................................................76 TheBuddha’selucidationoftheFundamentals...............77 ExistenceandEssence......................................................78 ExperienceprecedesExistence........................................78 ErrorofPersonalization....................................................79 TheuninterruptedSamādhi.............................................80 TwokindsofNibbāna......................................................81 WhatisTruth?..................................................................83

Chapter VII – The Fourfold Supernormal Reality................86 TheFirstReality: The problem of existence.................................................86 TheSecondReality: The cause of suffering, which is to be eliminated.............92 TheThirdReality: Realization of the end of suffering...................................95 TheFourthReality: Developing the Supernormal Eight-fold Way...................97

CHAPTER VIII – Life is an Unforeseen Error of Nature......101 Beginningoflife.............................................................101 Evolutionofthehumanbrain........................................103 Theimpersonalityofconsciousness..............................105 Thefiveconstituentsofpersonality (Pañca Upādānakkhandha)...............................................107 Whatisexperience?.......................................................108 Mind,whatitis..............................................................109

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CHAPTER IX – Wonderful Achievement of the Buddha Awakeningfromthedreamofexistence.......................113 Thebeginning................................................................113 TheGreatRenunciation.................................................114 Asceticism......................................................................115 EnteringEcstasy.............................................................116 Howtheobjectiveprocesscreatestheworld................117 Howtheaffectiveprocesscreatesthe“self”.................120 Awakening......................................................................121

CHAPTER X – A Symbolic Presentation of Buddha............122

CHAPTER XI – Concept of God...........................................126

Conclusion...........................................................................133AboutTheAuthor................................................................137

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Prologue

An apology

ItiswithahumbleapologythatwebegintoexplainattheoutsetwhyweuseuncommonterminologyinourwritingstotranslatetheorthodoxPaliterms.Thereasonisthatwehavemadeacarefulefforttounderstandandexpressthemeaning conveyed in a Pali sentence, rather than tomerely translatethe words in the sentence. Our aim has been to lay beforethereader inaprecisemannerthemessageconveyedbytheBuddhainhiswell-chosenwords.

We are greatly indebted, however, to the well-knownEnglishtranslatorssuchas:RhysDavids,F.L.Woodward, I.B.Horner,andmanyothersforgettingtheEnglishreadingpublicinterestedintheteachingsoftheAwakenedOne,theBuddha.Yetthesetranslationsmadebytheearlytranslatorscontainedmanyerrors.Thisdoesnotmeanthatweareattemptingtopickholes in the tremendousworkdoneby thesegreatmenandwomen.Weareverythankfultotheseearlytranslators,andwecannotblamethemfortheirerrorsbecausetheyhadtolearnPali fromSinhalesemonkswhohadnoknowledgeofEnglish.ObviouslytheEnglishtranslatorshadtomakeuseofSinhalesetranslatorswhoknewEnglish, thoughtheirknowledgeofPalicould still be questionable. This explains the difficulty theseEnglishtranslatorswouldhavehadinlearningthePalilanguageandeventranslatingthewordsoftheBuddha.Thisiswhywemust appreciate the work done by these translators despitetheir short comings. They have produced much importantliteraturethatwestillkeepusing.

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Whilerecognizingthesefactswithgratitude,weshouldalso be aware of the possibility for error in these Englishtranslations. Present day readers in English who use thesetranslations seriouslywant toknow thegenuine teachingsofthe Buddha as clearly as possible. Therefore there is a greatneedtorectifythemistakesfortheirbenefit.

We must remember that the success of a translationdependsonthetranslator’sabilitytocomprehendthemeaningexpressedinasentence,morethanonhisunderstandingofthewordsinit.Inotherwords,webelievethatatranslationshouldbemore than a translation of words. It should translate themeaningexpressedbythewordsinasentence.Thewayanideaexpressedinonelanguagediffersfromthewayitisexpressedinanotherlanguage.Veryoftentheideaislostifonetranslatesword for word. If a translator is unable to comprehend themeaningconveyedbyasentence,thetranslationisunsuccessfuland possibly misleading. The way an idea expressed in aEuropean languagediffersverymuchfromthewaythesameidea is expressed in an Indian language. In otherwords, it isimportant to know the idiom of the language. This iswhy itis very difficult for aWesterner to extract themeaning of aPalistatementeveniftheyhadstudiedthegrammarandthevocabularyofthelanguage.

Sanskrit, Pali and Sinhalese are very closely relatedlanguages.Oftenthesamewordisusedtoexpressanideaintheselanguages,thoughinaslightlydifferentform.Thegrammaraswellas idiom in these three languages is very similar.Thisiswhya translationmadebyapersonwhosemother tongueistheSinhaleselanguage,andwhosecommandoftheEnglishlanguage is quite adequate, could be more successful thanthatofaWesternerwhoisproficientinthePalilanguage,butinsufficientlyfamiliarwithitsidiom.

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There is, moreover, another problem commonlyencountered by translators of the teachings of the Buddha.Thisproblemisbasedonthefactthattheseteachingsarenotmerestories,althoughsomestoriesarefoundintheteachings.TheteachingsoftheBuddhaareprofoundlylogical,scientific,philosophical,psychological,andevencontainconceptsusedinmodernscientificthinking.Thereforeapersonwhoisunfamiliarwith at least the basics of these modern subjects, cannotcomprehended these ideas of the Buddha, even though he/shemaybefamiliarwiththePalilanguageorevenlinguistics.WithoutfullycomprehendingthemeaningofaPalistatement,itwouldnotbeeasytotranslateiteffectively.Wedonotclaimtobeexperts in thesehigh-flownsubjects,butour translatorhas spent almost his entire life studying some of these highlevelsubjects,withthehopeofcomprehendingtheprofoundteachings of the Buddha. In addition, the translator has alsotested these ideas,byputting them intopractice, inorder toverifythevalidityofthegenuineteachings.Anintelligentreaderwillbeabletorecognizethisfactashe/shereadsthroughthepagesof thisbooklet. So it isadvisable that the reader takescarefulnoteofthesefactsandnotjumpintohastyconclusionsandbeovercritical.

Itwouldalsobeprofitabletokeepanopenmindwhilereading, and carefully note the new meanings conveyed bythe new translations,whichmay be quite different from themeaning conveyedby the common translations the reader isfamiliar with. The readerwould also have an opportunity tojudge foroneselfwhetherornot thenew translationsgiveameaningthatismoreenlighteningthantheformer,andsobearwitness to the validity of the translation of thewords of anEnlightenedOne.

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For the benefit of those who are puzzled by our useofnew terminology,weplan toprovide in thenear future,aglossarycontainingthenewwordsweuse.Wewillalsoexplainwhyweusethenewtermsinsteadofthecommonlyusedones.

Our Presentation

Thisbookletcontainsthethird and the most advanced level of practice, in our series of lessons in progressive meditationinstruction.

Message in book one

Our first book was about the beginner’s level of meditation,whichwasadiscussionofthefirst five steps of the SupernormalEightfoldWay.IfonepracticedthesefirstfivestepsproficientlyandsystematicallyonecouldenterthelevelcalledStream Entrant (Sotāpanna).Yetthistitlehastobeconfirmedbythe“GreatCommunity”(Mahā Sangha).

Message in book two

In the second book on meditation, which is theintermediate level of practice,wediscussedtheHarmonious Exercise,intheSupernormalEightfoldWay.Thispracticeisalsocalledthe“Four Harmonious Steps” (Cattāri Sammāppadhāni). TheFourstepsare:

(1) Prevention(Saŋvara) (2) Elimination(Pahāna) (3) Cultivation(Bhāvanā) (4) Maintenance(Anurakkhaṇa).

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The aim of this intermediate level ofmeditation is toenterthefour levels of deep tranquillityofmindcalledEcstasy (jhāna),andtherefore it isalsocalledTranquility Meditation (samatha bhāvanā).

We use the term ecstasyinaspecialsensehere.Itmeans,to“standout”(ec=out,stasy=stand).Whenthefirsttwoofthesesteps are practiced proficiently, the mind is withdrawn from the external surroundings, memories,and imaginations, (i.e.standingout)andisreadytobefocused within(introspection= satipaṭṭhāna) for continuous observation (sati sampajañña) ofwhat is going on quite unconsciouslywithin.When this isproperly practiced, the mind becomes completely free of hindrances and the five Constituents of Ecstasy (jhānānga) appear,whichare:inference(vitakka),inquiry(vicāra),serenity(pīti),comfort(sukha),unificationofmind(ekaggatā).

If one practices this second level of practice orintermediate level,conscientiously, it ispossibletoattainthelevelofadvancementcalledtheOnce Returner (Sakadāgāmi). This title too, however, has to be confirmed by the “GreatCommunity”(Mahā Sangha).

Message in book three

The third level of practice, given in this book, is thefinal and themost advanced level of practice, inour systemofmeditation.Inotherwords,thisfinal levelisthepracticeofthe Harmonious Attention (sammā sati), of the Supernormal Eightfold Way, which we refer to as introspection, whichis introversion of attention followed by the constant observation (sampajañña) ofwhat is goingonwithin.Whenthis introspection (satipaṭṭhāna) is constantly maintained(anurakkhaṇa), it results in beginning the Seven Steps to

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Awakening, because introspection (satipaṭṭhāna) is the firststepintheSeven Steps to Awakening.Inotherwords,thisthirdlevel ofmeditationbecomes thepracticeof theSeven Steps to Awakening. This practice therefore is the final stage thatawakensthepractitionerfromthedream of existence.

This Ariyamagga Bhavana Level III,whichisalsocalledVidassana Bhāvanā is for advanced regular meditators, andnot for occasional meditators of short-term duration. It isfor those who have been practicing tranquility meditation (samatha bhāvanā)andhavereachedahighleveloftranquilityor ecstasy (jhāna).Wecomparethispracticeofmeditationtothepracticeofthefinal stepinthegameofgolf,whichisonlyforplayerswhohavealreadycompletedtheearlierstages.Thereader who is unfamiliar with Ariyamagga Bhavana Levels IandIIisencouragedtoreadthempriortoreadingthepresentbooklet,inordertoavoidconfusion.

In practicing the Seven Steps to Awakening (satta bojjhanga) in this way, thefive hindrances (pañca nīvaraṇa) canbecompletely eliminated forever.Whenthemindisthuscompletely free of hindrances the emancipated individualremains with a pure mind throughout his/her life.Thismeans,an emancipated individual or Arahat will be constantly in ecstasy, because he/she standsout of the emotional world, until thedeathof thebody.Thisexplains themeaningof thestatement in the Ratana Sutta:“WhattheBuddhaextolledasthesupreme uninterrupted purity and tranquility” (yam Buddha setthoparivannayīsucin, samādhim-ānantarika aññamāhu). Thisuninterruptedpurityandtranquility(Anantarika samādhi) =theimperturbableserenity (akuppa ceto vimutti),whichistheunshakableNirvana (Nibbāna).Itisalsothereturntotheoriginalstateofclarity(pabassaraṁ idaṁ cittaṁ), or homeostasis.

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This means, if a person practices according to thisfinal level of practiceconscientiously, it ispossibleforsuchapractitionertobecomeanemancipator or Destroyer of Bonds (Arahat), or at least a Non-returner (Anāgami). This too,however,has tobeconfirmed by theMahā Sangha.NoonecanclaimtobeemancipatedwithouttheapprovaloftheMahā Sangha.

“Thisfactisnoteworthy”becausetodayinthemodernworldtherearemanywhoarebelievedtobearahats,andsomeevenclaimtobearahats thoughnotconfirmedby theMahā Sangha.

Is this vipassanā bhāvanā or insight meditation?

ThispropercultivationoftheSeven Steps to Awakening (satta bojjhanga) is the real “Insight Meditation” (vipassanā bhāvanā), as taught by the Buddha, in the Sutta Pitaka.We,however,callourthirdlevelofmeditationvidassana bhāvanā instead of vipassanā, in order to distinguish it from thecommonkindofvipassanā bhāvanāthatistaughtallovertheworld today,which isbasedon the teachings in theVisuddhi Magga,writtenby thewellknownauthorBuddhagosha.OurmethodisnotbasedontheVisuddhi Maggabutonthewordsof theBuddhaas found in the SuttaPitaka.Wedescribeourmethod of vidassanā bhāvanā as “the development of Super-perception” (abhiññā). The term apperception, asweuse it,means:focusing attention on the process of perception, rather thanon theobject perceived.When this isdoneaparadigmshift occurs between existential thinking and experientialthinking,whichresultsinSuper-perception (abhiññā).Thiswillbeexplainedinmoredetailinduecourse.

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In support of our use of the term vidassanā, insteadof vipassanā we quote a passage from the Metta Sutta:“diṭṭhiñca anupagamma sīlavā dassanena sampanno,” whichwe understand as: “Having withdrawn attention from theobjects perceived,thedisciplinedindividualfocusesattentionon the process of perception.” This method of meditationwillbeelaboratedasweproceed. It isdifficult forabeginnerto comprehend this fully at this stage. A peep into theMūlapariyāya SuttaintheMajjhimaNikayacouldbehelpfulincomprehension.

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Chapter I

A Marvellous Method

The Supernormal Eightfold Way

TheBuddhahadspokenoftwowaysofhelpingablindmancrosstheroad.Onemethodistoholdhishandandguidetheway. In sucha case theblindmandoesnot knowwhereweare takinghim.Hemusthaveblind faith inus.Theothermethodisthatofasurgeonwhoperformsanoperationontheblindman’seyetomakehimseeforhimself.Thiswaytheblind faith is eliminated. The Buddha declared that hismethod ofteachingmeditation is similar to themethodof the surgeon.This iswhytheteachingof theBuddha isnotbasedonblindfaith but on clear comprehension. This marvellous methodof the Buddha has eight steps. It is called the Supernormal Eightfold Way, commonly translated as the Noble EightfoldPath. This is themethodwe follow. It is called supernormal becausetheaimoftheBuddhawasnottogetpeopletobelievein him blindly and obey him, but his aim was to transformnormal people with worries and anxieties to a supernormallevelofhappiness.ThisaimoftheBuddhaisthecounterpartofthemodernpsychotherapist’saim,whichistobringabnormalsufferingtoanormallevelofunhappiness.HowTheBuddha’ssupernormal aimisrealized,however,willbemadeclearinduecourse,becausethatisthemainpurposeofthisbooklet.

Enlightenment first or last?

An important question that arises at this point is:whetherenlightenmentarisesaftermeditation,orwhetheroneshouldbeenlightenedbeforethemeditation.Thisseemstobe

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aquestionthataroseinthemindofAcariya BuddhagosawhenbeginningtowritetheVisuddhimagga.Obviously,hethoughtthat knowledge cameaftermeditation. Thiswaswhyhe sawthepathassīla-samādhi-paññā,whichhesawasstartingwithcontrol of behaviour,followedbyconcentration of mind,andendingupingaininginsight.

HeevenquotedthewordsoftheBuddha,insupportofthisposition:

The enlightened human, being disciplined – Sīle patiṭṭhāya naro sapañño

Develops the mood and intellect – Cittaη paññānca bhavayaη

This tranquil intelligent mendicant – Ātāpi nipako bhikkhu

He does solve this problem – So imaη vijaṭaye jataη

The three level way is not the path

Unfortunately, he misunderstood the quotation. Heseems to have ignored the statement: “Enlightened human, being disciplined” (sīle patiṭṭhāya naro sapañño). (naro sapañño=theenlightenedhuman).Thefactthatenlightenment precedes discipline is further supported in the culla vedalla sutta,althoughit isoftenmisinterpretedeventhere. Inotherwords, the path is the Supernormal Eightfold Way and notthe three levels (sīla, samādhi, and paññā). This means thecontrolofbehaviour (sīla)hastobebasedonanunderstandingof the reason for control, as indicated by the precedence ofthe Harmonious Perspective (sammā diṭṭhi). This iswhyThe Supernormal Eightfold Way (Ariya Aṭṭhangika Magga)begins

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withtheHarmonious Perspective (sammā diṭṭhi) followedbythe Harmonious orientation (sammā sankappa)beforegettingintothedisciplineofbehaviour,whichis:Harmonious speech (sammā vācā), Harmonious action (sammā kammanta) andHarmonious life (sammā ājīva). This means, this control ofbehaviour(sīla) isnotsomethingtobedoneonblindfaith. Ifitisdoneonblindfaith,itbecomesaheteronomous morality (sīlabbata parāmāsa),which isamorality subject toexternal impositions. What is needed here is supernormal morality (ariya sīla), which is an autonomous morality based onpersonalconvictionandaquietistandbenevolentorientation(aparāmaṭṭha samādhi sanvattanikaη).

The Harmonious Perspective

Thefirststep,therefore,onthisextraordinarypathistheHarmonious Perspective,commonlytranslatedasRight View, or Right understanding.Inotherwords,westartbyexplaining tothefollowerwhatthe problemis,thecause of the problem, and thesolution to the problem. Inotherwords,weexplainwhatshouldbedone,whyitshouldbedone,andhowitshouldbedone.Thismeanswe explain, sonoonecancomplain. Inotherwords,this isnota“monkeysee,monkeydo”method.Wespeaktointelligentpeoplewhowanttounderstandwhattheyaredoing,andwhytheyaredoingit.

Only way to emancipation

IntheMahāparinibbāna sutta, thatdealswiththe lastdays of the Buddha, we learn of a person called SubhaddawhocametotheBuddhaandasked,“Arethereemancipatedspiritualmeninotherreligioussectsintheworld?”

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TheBuddhareplied,“Idonotwishtotalkaboutotherreligious sects. I will speak only about the views ofmy ownreligious sect. As long as the Supernormal Eightfold Way is practiced, the world would not be devoid of emancipatedspiritualmen.”

This clearly indicates that if wewant to be spiritually emancipated, or to solve the problem of existence, or be freed from the insecurity of life,thepathtobefollowedistheSupernormal Eightfold Way.ThisiswhythemethodofmeditationdiscussedinthisbookletisbasedonthisSupernormal Eightfold Way (ariya aṭṭhangika magga),aspractisedandtaughtbytheBuddha in the Sutta Pitaka. It is not based on the Visuddhi Magga, the famousbookonmeditation,writtenby thewellknownauthorBuddhaghosha.ThisSupernormal Eightfold Way isasfollows:

(1) HarmoniousPerspective(Sammā Diṭṭhi) (2) HarmoniousOrientation (Sammā Sankappa) (3) HarmoniousSpeech(Sammā Vācā) (4) HarmoniousAction(Sammā Kammanta) (5) HarmoniousLifeStyle (Sammā Ājīva) (6) HarmoniousExercise(Sammā Vāyāma) (7) HarmoniousAttention (Sammā Sati) (8) HarmoniousEquilibrium (Sammā Samādhi).

This Supernormal Eightfold Way has been explainedin more detail in the first and second books on meditationpublished by us. The reader is encouraged to read them forfurtherclarification.

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Chapter II

Prevalent Errors

Is this mindfulness?

Amistake frequentlymadebypractitioners is that thefourfold practice of satipaṭṭhāna is today translated as: “thefour establishments of mindfulness.” But the English termmindfulness refers tobeing aware of or recognizing what isgoing on outside. Satipaṭṭhāna, however, means: focusing attentionwithin (sati=attention+upaṭṭhāna=placingwithin.A more appropriate English term to translate the Pali termsatipaṭṭhānawouldbe“introspection.” It is looking within inorder to observe the experience (sampajañña) that is goingonquiteunconsciouslywithin.Whatisgoingonwithin is the emotional reaction to circumstances outside. The emotionaroused is dependent on the interpretation made by thecognitiveprocess.

In one of the Suttas the Buddha has given a veryinterestinganalogytoexplainsatipaṭṭhāna(asintrospection).Let us suppose there is amusical show, alongwith dancing,goingonbeforeanaudience.Aperson isgivenabowl fullofoil,filledtothebrim,andaskedtowalkbetweenthefrontrowoftheaudienceandthestageonwhichtheshowisgoingon.Aferociousmancarryingaswordisfollowinghimsaying,“IfyoudroponedropofoilonthefloorIwillcutoffyourneck.”Imagineyouaretheonewalkingwiththebowlofoilinyourhand.Whatwouldyoubedoing?Willyoubelookingattheshow,orlookingatthebowl?Nodoubtyourattentionwillbeonthebowl.Thatishowtheintrospection(satipaṭṭhāna)hastobepracticed.Thiswill help you tounderstand thedifferencebetween“mindfulawareness” and the “intensive introspection” that has to be

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carriedoutthroughouttheday,whilewalking,standing,sitting,andlyingdown.

SigmundFreud,thefatherofpsychoanalysis,recognisedtheneedtoeliminateemotions.Hesawthattheemotionswereresponsible,notonlyforallneurosesandpsychoses,butalsoforallthecrimes,warsandterrorismintheworld.Hesawthatalthoughemotionshelpedsomeanimalstopreservetheirlivesandevenpropagate,humanbeingshavebeguntouseemotionseven fordestructivepurposes thatoftenharmthemselvesaswellasothers.Humanbeings,however,havesomethingbetterthan emotions, which can be used more constructively, andthatistheabilitytothinkrationally.ThiswaswhyFreudsaid,“Inplaceof the id thereshallbe theego,”where id referred to the emotions,andtheego referred to the rational faculty. Erich Fromm, the Neo-Freudian quotes this passage often.Freudthought,however,thattheemotionscouldnotberootedout, because they were inborn instincts that were built intothesystem.Theonlysolutiontothisproblemthathesawwassublimation,whichwas todirect theenergyof theemotionsinto socially acceptable good channels. He also pointed out,however that to be civilized is to be discontented, becausewhencivilized,theemotionsarenotadequatelygratified.

Themain concern of Sigmund Freud was the conflict betweentheidandtheego,butthemoderndayNeo-Freudians havebeguntoignorethisconflictandfocusonaconflictbetweenthe egoanditsobject.Theyhavebeguntocallthepsychologyof Freud an id psychology,andthemodernpsychologyoftheNeo-Freudiansan ego psychologythatemphasisestherelationbetweentheegoanditsobject. This ego psychologywasreallyanideaintroducedbyAlfred AdlerduringthetimeofFreud.ItappearsthattheNeo-Freudianshavegonethroughaparadigm

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shiftfromthepartlyexperientialmodeofSigmundFreudtothefullyexistentialmodeofAlfredAdler.

Moderncognitive psychologists,however,seemtohavesolved the problem betweenegoand the idbypointingoutthat emotions can be eliminated, by changing the way weinterpret our circumstances (cognition). They are aware thattheemotionthatisarousedisdependentonhowthecognitive process interprets the external circumstances. In cognitivepsychotherapy,theyattempttoremovethearousedemotion,bychanging this cognitive interpretation.

The Buddha recognizedthisfactabouttherelationshipbetweenthecognitiveandtheaffectiveprocessesmorethantwenty-sixcenturiesago.InthefirstverseinthebookofversescalledDhammapada,hepointsoutthat“Cognitionprecedesallexperience”(mano pubbangamā dhammā).Heevenmadeuseofthis facttoabsolutely eliminate allself-centeredemotionswithin him,andeventaught his disciplestofollowsuit.

Is satipaṭṭhāna the only way?

AnotherfundamentalmistakeamongmanywhopracticeBuddhist meditation today is to ignore the Supernormal Eightfold Way altogether and instead practice satipaṭṭhāna. Theybelievethatthepathtoemancipationissatipaṭṭhāna.This,however,isduetoamistakentranslationofthePalistatementin theSatipaṭṭhāna Sutta: “ekayano ayan bhikkhave maggo.” This Pali statement is translated to mean, “satipaṭṭhāna is the only way to Nibbāna (Nirvana).”Asaresult,peoplehavebeguntopracticesatipaṭṭhāna only,withnoreferencetotheSupernormal Eightfold Way (ariya aṭṭhangika magga).

When the mistaken practitioner is questioned, “whyhaveyouignoredtheSupernormal Eightfold Way?Theanswer

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commonlygiven is, “theSupernormalEightfoldWay isonlyathoughtmoment(cittakkhaṇa),”whicharisesatthemomentofenlightenment,whenthemagga cittaisimmediatelyfollowedby the phala citta. That magga citta is the Supernormal Eightfold Way,andphala citta is Full comprehension (Paññā).Inotherwords,theSupernormal Eightfold Way (ariya aṭṭhangika magga) has mistakenly become a mere thought moment (cittakkhaṇa). The Supernormal Eightfold Wayhasalsobecomethe final part of the practice of satipaṭṭhāna, instead of thesatipaṭṭhānabeingthefinalpartoftheSupernormal Eightfold Way. This mistaken interpretation of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta couldbethereasonforthefailure of most serious meditators today,toattainArahatshiporthefinalAwakening.

Golf as an analogy

Inattemptingtoexplainthemeaningofthestatement“ekāyano ayan bhikkhave maggo,”inrelationtotheSupernormalEightfoldWay (ariya aṭṭhangika magga)wemake use of thefollowinganalogyofthegame of Golf:

Most of us are familiar with Golf where players use long metal sticks called clubs to hit a little white ball towards, and finally into, a small hole called cup, in a manicured lawn called a green. The final stage of this game is to strike the small golf ball so that the ball will slowly roll over and enter the tiny hole or cup. This is not everything in the game, however. This is only the last portion, or end of the game.

The game begins far away from the hole. The hole cannot even be seen at the starting point. Therefore a flagstaff is kept at the hole for the player to know where the hole is. It is only at the end of the game that the player sees the hole and hits the ball to go straight into the tiny hole, in one stroke. This game

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can be compared to the practice of the Supernormal Eightfold Way (ariya aṭṭhangika magga).

JustasinthisgameofGolf,theSupernormal Eightfold Waybeginsfarawayfromthegoal,whichisNibbāna (Nirvana). ThebeginningistheHarmonious Perspective (sammā diṭṭhi), which makes one aware of the goal to be sought, just asthe flagstaff does inGolf. TheHarmonious Perspective is anintellectual comprehension of the problem thatwe hope tosolve,whichisformulatedassuffering, its cause, its end,andthe waytoitsend.ThisproblemanditssolutioniscalledtheFourfold Supernormal Reality (cattāri ariya saccāni),commonlytranslatedastheFourNobleTruths.

The end of our game, which is comparable to theGolf ball slowly rolling over and falling into the tiny holeor cup, is the completion of the Seven Steps to Awakening (satta bojjhanga). The Seven StepstoAwakeningbegins with Introspection (satipaṭṭhāna), and ends at the fourth ecstasywithapperception (upekkha),resultinginNirvāna (Nibbāna)

ThisistheendoftheSupernormalEightfoldWay,whichis the Harmonious Equilibrium (sammā samādhi). The stepbeforethisendistheharmonious attention (satipaṭṭhāna) that goes straight into the Harmonious EquilibriumbycompletingTheSevenStepstoAwakening(satta bojjhanga).Thisissimilar to the last stepinthegameofGolf,whichisstrikingthesmallballtogostraightintothesmallholeorcup.

Thismeansthepracticeofsatipaṭṭhāna is the final and specific shotthatgoesstraighttoNirvāna (Nibbāna).ThePalistatement: “ekāyano ayan bhikkhave maggo … Nibbānassa saccikiriyāya,”means,“Monks,this is the specific way to the single goal, which is Nibbāna”(eka=single;āyana =goingto).

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Satipaṭṭhāna not the beginning

Another important fact that needs attention is thatpracticingthesatipaṭṭhānaisnotthe first step in the path to Nibbāna (Nirvana). Everyone knows that a student who hasjust entered the university for studies is not ready to sit forthefinalexamination,untilhe/shehas completed thecourseofstudies. In thesameway, it isonlybycompleting the first seven steps on the eight-stepped path that one is ready tofocus one’s attentionon the last step,which is satipaṭṭhāna practice.Ofcourseitispossibleandevennecessarytopracticea certain level of introspection even at the beginning of theSupernormalEightfoldWay,butthatlevelisdifferentfromthelevelofpracticeatthisfinalpoint.Thisiswhywehavechosentopracticethepathinthreestepsasfollows:

(1) Selective thinking (anussati) =learningtoeliminatethehindrances(pahāna) = sīla

(2) Harmonious exercise (sammāppadhāna) =tranquillity(samatha) = samādhi

(3) Seven Steps to Awakening (satta bojjhanga) =insight(vipassanā) = paññā

It is useful to quote another important passage fromthe Mahāparinibbāna suttaquotedabove,inordertoexplainthereasonforourchoiceofthethreestepswepractice.TheArahat Sariputta,thechiefdiscipleoftheBuddha,cametotheBuddha and expressed his greatappreciation of the Buddha andhisteachingDhamma.TheBuddhainanswerquestioned him as to how he came to recognizethevalueoftheBuddhaandtheDhamma. The answer, the ArahatSariputtagavewas

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thatheknewitbyknowing the path to Nibbāna through his own experience.Hethensummarized the path to Nibbānainthe form of three steps:

(1) OvercomingtheFiveHindrances(pañca nīvaraṇa) = anussati

(2) Four focuses of introspective attention (cattāri satipaṭṭhāna) = sammāppadhāna

(3) Treading the Seven Steps to Awakening (satta bojjhanga) = satta bojjhanga.

ThethreestagesinourmethodofmeditationareexactlythethreestagesdescribedbytheArahatSariputta.

(1) Selective thinking (anussati)isthewaytoovercome the five hindrances.

(2) The Four Harmonious Exercises (sammāppadhāna) isthewaytocompletethepracticeofintrospective attention (cattāri satipaṭṭhāna).

(3) The practice of The Seven Steps to Awakening beginswithintrospective attention (satipaṭṭhāna),andendswithapperception (upekkhā).

Itisatthislaststagethataparadigm shiftoccurs,Super-perception (abhiññā) and the individual awakens from the dream of existence (paññā),which results in thebreaking of bonds (arahatta) or emancipation (vimutti),thusenteringthe“imperturbable serenity” (NIBBĀNA).

Buddha revealed the path

Anotherimportantquotationthatsupportsourmethodis from the Anāpānasati sutta intheMajjhimaNikaya,wheretheBuddhapointsout:

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“Monks,whenAttentiveness to Breathing (anapanasati) is cultivated and developed, it is of great benefit and greatprofit.Ithelpsgetridofthefivehindrances(pañca nīvaraṇa).

(1) Whenattentiveness tobreathing is cultivatedanddeveloped, it fulfills the Four-fold Introspection (satipaṭṭhāna).

(2) When the Four-fold Introspection (satipaṭṭhāna) is cultivatedanddeveloped, they fulfill theSeven Steps to Awakening (satta bojjhanga).

(3) When the Seven Steps to Awakening (satta bojjhanga) arecultivatedanddeveloped,itresultsinFull Comprehension (paññā)andEmancipation (vimutti).”

ThispassagerevealsthatitiswhentheSeven Steps to Awakening (bojjhangas)aredevelopedthattheParadigm Shift (abhiññā) occurs,whichends inFull Comprehension (paññā) and Awakening (sambodhi) and Emancipation (vimutti), resultingintheImperturbable Serenity (Nibbāna).

IfweexaminetheSatipaṭṭhāna Sutta,wefindthatwhenthe Four-fold Introspection (satipaṭṭhāna)isdeveloped,

(1) The Five Hindrancesareremovedfirst,

(2) Secondly the Five Constituents of Personality (pañca upādānakkhandha) are comprehended,

(3) Thirdly the Seven Steps to Awakening are completed,

(4) Fourthly and finally the Four-fold Supernormal Realityisfullycomprehended(paññā).

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This clearly conveys the idea that the real Awakening occursonlybycompleting the Seven Steps to Awakening, whichisattheendoftheSupernormal Eightfold Way.Thisleadstothe Full comprehension (paññā) of the Fourfold Supernormal Reality, resulting in emancipation (vimutti) that ends in theImperturbable Serenity, Nirvana (Nibbāna).

Nine Great Knowledges

It is interesting to note that the Visuddhimagga alsorefers to “Nine Great Knowledges” (nava mahā vidassanā ñāṇa). Such knowledges arenotmentioned anywhere in the suttas,norevenintheRatavinita Sutta,onwhichthisparticularsystemof vipassanā bhāvanāisbased.Thisimpliesthatthismethodinthe Visuddhimaggacouldbea later additionhistorically.

It is also interesting tonote that there is apassage in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, which is frequently repeated withintheSuttaitself,withregardtotheFourfold Focus of Attention (satipaṭṭhāna).Itisasfollows:

(A)One sees the body as body subjectively, one seesthe body as body objectively, one sees the bodyas body both subjectively and objectively. (Iti ajjhattam vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati, bahiddhā vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati, ajjhatta bahiddhā vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati) –(3)

(B)Oneabidesseeing how the body comes into being. One abides seeing how the body ceases to be. Oneabidesseeinghowthebodycomes into being and ceases to be. (Samudaya dhammānupassī vā kāyasmim viharati, vaya dhammānupassī vā kāyasmim viharati, samudaya vaya dhammānupassī vā kāyasmim viharati) –(3)

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(C)Oneregards the body is,whenonepaysattentiontoit,yetonlyasamatterofknowingorpayingattention.(Atthi kāyo’ti vā panassa sati paccupaṭṭhitā hoti yāvadeva ñāṇāmattā ya patissati mattāya)–(1)

(D)Oneabides independent. (anissito ca viharati)–(1)

(E)Onedoes not personalize anything in the world. (na ca kiñci loke upādiyati)–(1).

Similarstatementsarerepeatedregarding the feelings (vedanā), mood (citta),andconcepts (dhammā).Thisaddsuptoninelevelsofinsight.

These seem to be nine stages of insight maturity thatonehas to go throughasoneprogresses in theprocessof Awakening. This could probably be the real “Nine Great Knowledges” (nava mahā vidassanā ñaṇa),whicharereferredto in the Visuddhi Magga but not mentioned in any SuttaotherthantheSatipaṭṭhāna Sutta.Theninegreatknowledge’smentioned in the Visuddhi Magga, however, are not foundanywhereintheSuttasorVinaya.

Seeing things as they are

A statement we often come across is in writings onBuddhism is “Seeing things as they are”whichissupposedtobeaquotationfromtheBuddha.It isreallyatranslation of a statementoftheBuddha,whichwasinPalilanguage.ThePalistatement is “yathā bhūtam pajānāti.” We have translatedit as,understanding of how things come to be.We are notattemptingtoargueagainstthecommontranslation.Weonlypointoutthatthecommontranslation,andourtranslationarebasedontwodifferentwaysofthinkingasfollows:

Thecommontranslation=seeing things as they are=existentialthinking

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Ourtranslation=understanding of how things come to be = experientialthinking

Wemaycomparethistoanotherwell-knownstatement,connected with a person called Bahiya Dharuciriya. Thisstatement:“diṭṭhe diṭṭhamattaṁ bhavissati”isoftentranslatedas, in the seen there is only the seeing,which isunderstoodas “looking at something, without thinking about it.” This interpretation, however, makes it look like, “guarding thesenses”(indriya-samvara).

Our interpretation, however, is: “focusing attentionon the process of seeing instead of looking at the object that is seen.”Thismeans,becomingawareof theprocess of perception, rather than theobject perceived. This change inperceptioniswhatwecallapperception.

When one focuses attention on theobject perceived,the experience is dichotomized into: a subjective and anobjective. Theobjective is alienated as an“external object,” andthesubjectiveispersonalizedas“mine” or “my self.” This leadsontoan“emotional relationship” betweenthesubject and the object, which ends up in: grief, lamentation, pain,depression,andexhaustion.Thesufferermaynotalwaysnoticethisexperienceofsuffering,butothersoftendo.Forexample:acoupleinloveisalwayssuffering.Theyarehappywhentheyaretogether.Themomenttheyseparatetheyareunhappy.Otherscanseethis,butthecoupleneversees it. Instead,theythinktheyareenjoying.Thisexperienceoftheloversissimilartotheexperienceof the infantwith themother. Romantic love is arehearsaloftheexperienceofchildhood.

Apperception is focusing attention on the experience, instead of the object perceived, which brings about a paradigm shift from “existential thinking” which is called Super-perception (abhiññā). Existential thinking is aware of a subject that exists

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and an object that exists. With this existence comes an emotional relationship between the subject and the object. Experiential thinking looks only at the process of perception that creates the subject and the object, and therefore sees no real existing subject or object. When there is no real subject or object, there is no emotional relationship, and therefore there is no suffering experienced. One is then absent in the world of emotional existence, and therefore one does not really exist, even though the body is seen to exist. If one does not emotionally exist, how can there be sorrow or death? This is the Awakening from the dream of existence (sammā sambodhi). This was how Bahiya Dharuciriya became an “emancipator” or a “Bond Breaker” (Arahat) immediately after listening to the Buddha.

It is important to note that the Seven Steps to Awakeningbeginswithintrospection(satipaṭṭhāna)andendswithapperception (upekkhā). This term upekkhā is generallytranslatedas“equanimity,”butthemoreprecisetranslationis“apperception.”The reason for this is that the termupekkhā originatesfromupa+ikkhati (upa=inside+ikkhati=seeing).Thismeans,“seeing the inside.” Thisweunderstandaslooking at the processofperception,“insteadoflookingattheobject perceived.Toperceive is to see the object,andtoapperceive is to see the processofperception.Soinsteadofperceiving,weapperceive. The Mūlapariyāya Suttasupportsthisidea,whenit says: “The emancipated individual, and even the Buddhasuper-perceives a solid (paṭhaviṁ paṭhavito abhijānāti) This super-perception involves a paradigm shift from existentialthinkingtoexperientialthinking.Itisbecausetheemancipatedindividual and Buddha super-perceives (abhijānāti) that they donotconcludethatthe solid exists (paṭhavito na maññati). ThisisexplainedfurtherinourdiscussionoftheMūlapariyāya Sutta, laterinthisbooklet.

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Chapter III

Practice of Meditation Level III

Cultivation of the Seven Steps to Awakening (Satta Bojjhanga)

HavingexplainedtheWHYandtheHOWofoursystemofmeditation,at the third, theadvanced,and thefinal level,wenowgetontoadiscussionoftheWHATofthesystem.Aswesaidearlierwhat we doisthecultivationoftheSeven Steps to AwakeningthatendsupinAwakening from the Dream of Existence.

The Seven Steps to Awakeningareasfollows:

(1) SystematicIntrospection–(Satipaṭṭhāna)

(2) Investigationofexperience–(Dhammavicaya)

(3) Awakeningstrengthofthecognitive(mano)–(Viriya)

(4) Cognitiveecstasy–(Pīti)

(5) PhysicalRelaxation–(Passaddhi)

(6) Affectivetranquility(citta)–(Samādhi)

(7) Apperception – (Upekkhā)

Introspection Investigation of experience

Cognitivestrength

Cognitive satisfaction

Relaxation of the body

AffectiveTranquility Apperception

UpekkhāSamādhiPassaddhiPītiViriyaDhamma vicayaSati

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1) Systematic Introspection (Satipaṭṭhāna)

This Systematic Introspection (satipaṭṭhāna)cannotbeperformed properlywithout completing the first and secondlevels of meditation practice given in the first and secondbookletsonmeditation.Thispracticeofthethirdlevelisonlyacontinuationofthesecondlevelofmeditationpractice.Thismeans these three levelsofpracticegraduallyflow fromonetotheother,becausetheyarethreepartsoftheSupernormalEightfoldWay.Theyarenotseparatepractices.

This practice at the third level comes after theHarmonious Exercise (sammā vāyāma),whichwaspracticedatthesecondlevel,andwhichincludedfourpartsasfollows:

(1) Prevention(Saŋvara) (2) Elimination(Pahāna) (3) Cultivation(Bhāvanā) (4) Maintenance(Anurakkhaṇa).

Thepracticeof sytematic introspection (satipaṭṭhāna) was the third stage in this fourfold practice. Without goingthrough thefirst twostages, it isnotpossible toget into thethirdstage.Thefirsttwostagesare:

(1) Withdrawing attention from perceptual images(indriya saŋvara),

(2) Withdrawing attention frommemory images andimaginationofthefuture(pahāna).

In the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta the Buddha points out howthe introspection should be practiced: “The attention thatis normally focused on external surroundings, is withdrawnfrom surroundings and focused within” (parimukan satin upaṭṭhapetva). In other words, it is only by withdrawingattention fromtheobjectivesurroundings thatonecan focus

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attentionsubjectivelyinwards.Thisfocusofattentioninwardsisachievedinfourways:Focusingonthemovementsofthebody,focusingonthefeelingsinthebody,focusingontheemotionalstateormood,andfocusingonthethoughtsinthemind.

Thetwoproceduresinthefirsttwostagesofthefourfoldpractice is the withdrawal of attention from the externalsurroundings. The third and the fourth procedures is theSystematicIntrospection,wheretheattentionisfocussed,notonobjectsperceived,butontheunconsciousemotionalreactiontothoseobjectsthatgoonwithin.Thisprocedureofconsciouslyfocusingontheunconsciousreactionstocircumstances,stopstheunconsciousemotionalreactions,becausetheunconsciousreactions cannot continue consciously. They can continueonlyunconsciously.ThisprocedureissomewhatsimilartothepsychoanalyticprocedureofSigmundFreud.

Inpracticing this introspectiveattention,onebecomesawareofone’semotional reaction toexternal sights, sounds,smells,tastes,andtouchesinthepresent,aswellasemotionalreactionstomemoriesofthepast,andtoimaginationsaboutthefuture.Whentheattention is focused within inthisway,the reaction is noticed in four ways. Therefore this practiceofSystematic Introspection (satipaṭṭhāna) isdivided intofourpracticesasfollows:

(1) Kāyānupassanā – Observing the physicalmanifestation of the reaction in the body, asmovementsortensionsinthebody.

(2) Vedanānupassanā – Observing the manifestationas feelings in the body: pleasant, unpleasant, orneutral.

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(3) Cittānupassanā – Observing the manifestation intheformofemotionalexcitements,orcalmnessoftemperament.

(4) Dhammānupassana–Observingthemanifestationin the form of thoughts in the mind, which areinterpretationsofcircumstancespast,present,andfuture.

Thus the emotional reaction is observed in fourdifferentways:astwophysicalmanifestationsandtwomentalmanifestations.Asonebecomesmoreandmoreawareofthesereactions,theybegintostopbecausetheunconsciousprocesscannotgoonwhenithasbecomeconscious.Theconsequenceis relaxation of the body and calmness of the temperament.In other words, all emotional disturbances disappear, andonebeginstoenterastateofmental tranquilityandphysicalrelaxation. In other words one enters a state of mental andphysical equilibrium (samādhi). To achieve this state ofmental equilibrium, it is essential tomaintain the SystematicIntrospectionthroughouttheday,without interruption,whilewalking,standing,sitting,orevenlyingdown.

2) Investigation of the Experience within (Dhammavicaya)

This Systematic Introspectionwhen properly practicedendsupinenteringthesecond steptoAwakening.Thissecondstep (dhammavicaya) is to closely examine the emotionalreactiontoexternalstimulationbytheenvironment.Thishelpsonerecognizethatitistheinterpretation of circumstances,bythecognitiveprocessthataroused the emotionsthatmadeonereact emotionally to the circumstances (mano pubbangamā dhammā).

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This makes one realize that most interpretations areconditioned by our past experiences in childhood. Someinterpretationsareinfluencedbythecultureweareborninto,while others are conditionedby thenatureof the influenceswegrewupwith.Whatevercircumstanceswe facetodayareinterpreted through past conditionings. Our present worries,feelings of inadequacy, frustrations, fears and fantasiesabout the futureare thereforeonlymere conceptsbasedonpast experiences. To take them seriously is to create furtheremotionaldisturbances(dukkha).

Whenthis isunderstoodwitha tranquilmind, ithelpsone realize that most interpretations are not necessarilyfacts.Whenthis isrealized,thestrengthoftheinterpretationis diminished. Then even the validity of the interpretation isdoubted,resultinginthetotaleliminationoftheinterpretationsaswellastheself-centeredemotions.

This investigation of the cognitive interpretation occurredasaresultofthepracticeofSystematicIntrospection.This helped one realize that the emotions were arouseddependingontheinterpretationofcircumstances.Bychangingthe interpretation, itwaspossible toeliminate theemotionalagitations.

ThiswaswhathappenedinthepsychoanalysisofSigmundFreudeventhoughitwasnotfullyrealizedbyhim,becausehethoughtemotionswereinstinctsthatcouldnotbeeliminated.ItwasonlyquiterecentlythatWesternpsychologistsbegantorealize the importanceof the cognitiveprocess in controllingtheemotions.Itisnowusedincognitivepsychotherapy.YetitwastheBuddhawhomadeuseofthisfacttothefullestextentmore than twenty-five centuries ago,when he eradicated allemotions without leaving even a trace of it, and became a

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BuddhabyAwakening from the dream existence.Inthewell-knownBuddhistbookof verses called theDhammapada the firstversepointsoutclearlythatthecognitiveprocessprecedestheaffectiveandthereforeitispossibletoeliminateemotionsbyrightthinking.

Cognition precedes all experience, cognitionpredominates,andcognitioncreates Withdestructivecognitionifonespeaksoracts Painfollowsone,asthewheelfollowsthedrawer ofthecart

Mano pubbangamā dhammā, mano seṭṭhā, manomayā Manasā ce paduṭṭhena bhāsati vā karoti vā Tato nam dukkhaman veti, Cakkhan va vahato padam

Cognition precedes all experience, cognitionpredominates,andcognitioncreates Withconstructivecognitionifonespeaksoracts Joyfollowsone,astheshadowfollowstherunner

Mano pubbangamā dhammā mano seṭṭhā manomayā Manasā ce pasannena bhāsati vā karoti vā Tatho nam sukhamanveti, chāyāva anapāyini

-- Buddha

Anotherwell-knownstatementof theBuddha is: “Theaffective (citta), Oh disciples, is naturally immaculate. Onlyforeignpollutantspolluteit.Theuneducatedareignorantofthisfact. Thus they remain impure.” (Pabassaramidaṁ bhikkhave cittaṁ āgantukehi upakkhilesehi upakkiliṭṭhaṁ).

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TheBuddhahaspointedoutthatthedesireforsomethingpleasantarisesdependingonthewayonedescribestheobject.If one described it as something pleasant a desire arises. Toovercomethedesireonemustreflectonitsunpleasantness.Inthesameway,ifwehatetakingabittermedicine,wecanthinkof itshealthgivingproperties.By thinkingof itspleasantnessinthisway,wecantoleratethedistaste.Similarly,theBuddhataught the reflection on the threefold nature of all things(tilakkhana): instability (anicca), painfulness (dukkha), andimpersonality(anatta),inordertoovercomeone’sattachmenttothingsoftheworld.Somecriticscallthispessimismwithoutknowingitstherapeuticvalue.

The divided mind (Citta/Mano)

TheBuddhadrewattentiontothefactthatthereisnoentitycalledmind,orsoulseparatefromthebody,whichcanevenleavethebodyandtraveltootherplacesorevendieandbereborn(MahātanhasankhayaSutta,MajjimaNikaya).

Whatwecommonlyrefer toas themindareonly twoactivitiesofthebody.Theyarecognition(mano)andaffection(citta). Cognition is rational and affection is emotional.Oftenthesetwoactivitiescomeinconflict.Whentheyareinconflictthe emotional affective often tend to win. Generally peopleare dominated by their affective emotions, rather than theircognitivereason.Thereasoningcognitivefacultyofthehumanbeing tends to become the slave of the emotional affectivefaculty. This is why even though the rational faculty of thehumanbeingisfarmoreadvancedtoday,withallthemodernscientific technology, crimehasnot ceased in theworld, andwarhasnotcometoanend.Modernsciencehascreatedthenuclearbombthatarousesinpeoplethefearofanimminentnuclear holocaust. Though themodernworld is dreaming oflove,peace,andhappiness,itisinrealityfullofcrime,war,and

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terrorism, today. This is because the emotions dominate theworld.ThereforetheBuddhasaid:

Emotionsdominatetheworld.Emotionscreatedistress Emotionisthatonething,towhichallstandspellbound

Cittena nīyati loko, cittena parikassati Cittassa eka dhammassa, sabbeva vasamanvagu

– Buddha

TheteachingoftheBuddhaisanefforttoteachpeoplehowtomakethecognitivefaculty(mano)dominatethemindratherthantheaffectivefaculty(citta).Thisisalsothemeaningofmaturityofmind,accordingtotheteachingsoftheBuddha.

EvenSigmundFreud recognized this senseofmaturitywhenhesaid:“Inplaceoftheidthereshallbetheego.”ThisisalsothereasonwhyFreudcalledthecognitivefacultytheego andtheaffectivefacultythe id. Ego istheLatinformof“self”and idistheLatinformof“it”theneutergender.Thismeans,accordingtoFreud,oneshouldnotpersonalizetheemotionalid,andinsteadoneshouldpersonalizetherationalego.Ifonepersonalizedtheego,onewouldactaccordingtoreasonratherthan to emotions. It iswhenonepersonalizes emotions thatoneiscarriedawaybyemotions.Emotionsarenotwhatwedoconsciously,theyonlyhappentousunconsciously,dependingonthenecessaryconditions.Thisiswhytheysay,“loveisblind.”In fact, even anger is blind, and so isworry.Often emotionsputus intodifficultly,quiteunconsciously.This iswhatDanielGolemancalledemotionalhighjacking.Toovercomethispoweroftheunconsciousemotionsoverus,wemuststoppersonalizingthe emotions. Insteadwe should personalize reason and actrationallyratherthanemotionally.

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Daniel Goleman, the author of the famous book“Emotional Intelligence”repeatsthesameideawhenhedefinesemotional intelligenceas:knowingone’semotions,managingemotions,motivatingoneself,recognizingemotions inothers,and handling relationships” (page 46 - 47). In other words,emotional intelligence isnotbeing carriedawaybyemotionsbutusingemotionsintelligently.Thiscanbedone,accordingtoFreud,onlybypersonalizingtheego,andnotthe id.

3) Strength of the Cognitive over the Affective (Viriya)

The realization that the cognitive process (mano) precedes the affective process (citta) gives strength to thecognitive process to overcome the emotions. The cognitiveprocesshasonlytochangetheinterpretationofcircumstancesandtheemotionalexcitementstops.

Self-centeredemotionshavebeenuseful forthe loweranimalsforthepreservationof life,buttheycanalsobeverydestructive,especiallyinthecaseofthehumanbeingwhocanusehis intelligence tomake itbrutallydestructive.Whenthethinkingcognitiveprocess(mano)beginstorealizetheneedtocontrolemotions,andthepowerithastocontroltheemotions,itexperiencesadegreeofsatisfaction.

This strength of the cognitive process arose becausethecognitiveprocessexaminedtheexperiencewithin,andtheexamination was done because introspection was practiced.Thus systematic introspection flowed into examination ofexperience,whichflowed intoawakening the strengthof thecognitiveprocess,whichflowedintosatisfactionofthecognitiveprocess,whichwecallecstasy(pīti).

The experience within was the emotional reaction tostimulationofthesensesbytheenvironment.Byexaminingthis

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experience the cognitive process realized that the emotionalexcitementaroseonlyduetothewayitinterpretedtheincidentin the environment.When thatwas recognized the cognitiveprocesswassatisfied.Thiswaytheexaminationofexperience(dhamma vicaya) gradually flows into cognitive ecstasy, orstandingoutof emotional excitements, in the seven steps toAwakening.

4) Cognitive ecstasy (Pīti)

When the cognitive process was able to gain controlover the blind and powerful affective process, the affectiveprocess became free from emotional disturbances, guilt andremorse.When the cognitiveprocesswas freeand clear, thecognitiveprocessexperiencedaninnerpeacethatstandsoutofemotionaldisturbances,anecstasy(pīti).Withtheexperienceof this cognitiveecstasy themuscles in thebody relaxes (pīti manassa kāyaŋ passambhati).Thusisthegradualflowofeventsasonetreadsthroughthesevenstepstoawakening.

5) Relaxation of the Body (Passaddhi)

When the body is relaxed the body feels comfortable(passaddha kāyo sukhaη vediyati). Withthiscognitiveecstasyand physical comfort the mind becomes free of all fivehindrances (pañca nīvaraṇa) that disturb the mind. So theaffectiveprocessbecomesstill(sukhino cittaη samādhiyati)andentersequilibrium.Thistooisthenaturalflowofeventsintheprocessofawakening.Whenthecognitiveprocessexperiencesaaninnerpeacebystandingoutofemotionsthroughecstasy,the body relaxes and the affective process becomes calm,tranquil, and still, and so experiences a state of equilibrium,whichiscalledsamādhi.

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6) Tranquility of Temperament (Samādhi)

When themind is freeof thefivehindrances, thefiveconstituents of ecstasy (jhāna) are experienced: Conceptualthinking in two parts: 1) inquiry (vitakka), and 2) inference(vicāra), 3) cognitive ecstasy (pīti), 4) Physical comfort(sukha)duetorelaxationofthebody,and5)theunifiedmind(ekaggatā). The mind becomes unified due to absence ofemotionaldisturbancesorcognitivedissonance(vicikicca). This means,onehasenteredthefirst ecstasy (paṭhamajjhāna). This is the sixth step in the seven stepped process of awakening.CognitiveecstasyflowsintoPhysicalrelaxation,whichflowsintotranquillityoftheaffectiveprocess,resultinginthefirstecstasy.Thusisthegradualflowofeventsintheprocessofawakeningleadingtostillnessofmind,ormentalequilibrium(samādhi).

7) Apperception (Upekkhā)

Once in the first ecstasy, the process gradually flowsinto the second, the third, and the fourth ecstasy. At thefourthecstasy themind is unifiedand focusedwithinon theprocess of perception (upekkhā-ekaggatā). The Seven Stepsto Awakening began with introspection (satipaṭṭhāna) andendedinapperception(upekkhā). Thisresultinginaparadigmshiftfromexistencetoexperience(abhiññā).Aswementionedearlier, introspection (satipaṭṭhāna) is looking within, andapperception(upekkhā) is seeingwhatiswithin.Whatiswithinisnottheobject perceivedbuttheprocess of perception. This focusofattentionon the process of perceptioninsteadoftheobjectperceived iswhatwecallapperception. Apperception is a shift from an awareness of the object perceived, to anawarenessof theprocess of perception. It isawithdrawalofattention from the external object perceived, and focusingattentionontheinternalprocessofperception.

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Once the attention is focused on the process ofperception, a paradigm shift occurs. This paradigm shift is started by apperception, but ends in Super-perception (abhiññā). The paradigm shift isashiftfromanawareness of existencetoanawareness of experience.ThisparadigmshiftisalsoknownastheRelease from Existence (bhava nirodha). Theexperienceof thisparadigm shiftmakesoneaspirituallyemancipatedBreaker of Bonds (Arahat).

The paradigm shift (nirodha samāpatti)

Tofocusontheobjectperceivedistobecomeawareoftheobjectperceivedasexisting,whilethesubjectthatperceivestheobjectisalsoseentoexist.Thesubjectispersonalized as “mine,”thuscreatingasenseof“I”or“self”(etan mama, eso hamasmi, eso me attati).Thiswayofthinking iswhatwecallexistential thinking.

Insteadofthinkingexistentiallythisway,ifonefocusesattentionontheprocessofperceptionandnotontheobjectperceived, thenone sees that it is theprocess of perceptionthatcreatestheobjectaswellasthesubject.Theexistenceofthesubjectandtheobject is seenasanappearanceandnota reality. It then isan illusionoradelusion;an illusionbeinga perceptual fallacy,while adelusion is a conceptual fallacy.This kind of thinking where the focus is on the experienceof perception, rather than the subject or object, is calledexperiential thinking.

ThisiswhytheBuddhapointsoutintheMūlapariyāya Sutta, that the normal putujjana perceives a solid as a solidandconcludesthereisasolid.Theemancipated Arahat Super-perceives (abhijānāti)asolidanddoesnotconcludethatasolidexists. This is the difference betweenperception and Super-perception.

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This change from existential thinking to experiential thinkingistherelieving paradigm shift (nirodha samāpatti). It meansoneisrelievedfromthesense of existence (bhava)andexistence disappears.Whenexistenceisnomore,birth,ageinganddeatharenomore.Thisistheend ofallgrief, lamentation, pain, distress andexhaustion. It is in thisway that thegreat mass of suffering comes to an end (eva metassa kevalassa dukkhakkandassa nirodho hoti).

ThiswaswhytheBuddhasaid:“Whenthemindisfullytranquillized Dhamma appears (samāhite citte dhammaṁ pātubhāvo),andalsoonegainstheunderstandingofhowthingscometobe”(samāhite citte yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti).

Toclarifythispointfurther it ishelpfultomakeuseofananalogy. Supposewekeepabird in frontof amirror, thebirdbegins topeckat thefigure in themirror,backedby theassumptionthatthefigureinthemirrorisanotherbirdbehindthemirror.If,ontheotherhand,weplaceahumanfaceinfrontof themirror, the human being knows that the figure in themirrorisareflectionofone’sownface.Herethehumanbeingisawareoftheprocess,bywhichtheimageinthemirrorisseen,andthereforeknowsthatthereisnohumanbeingbehindthemirror.

In a similar way, the emancipated Arahat is aware ofthe process bywhich the object is seen, and therefore doesnotcometotheconclusionthattheobjectreallyexists.ThisiswhatwecalledSuper-perception,asdistinctfromtheordinary perception of the normal human being. When an object isperceivednormally, theobject is seen toexist outside,whiletheprocessofperceptionisseentoexistinside.Inotherwords,bothsubjectandobjectareseenasexisting.Thiswayofthinkingisexistentialthinking.Whatisexperiencedobjectivelyisseenas

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externalphysicalmatter,andwhatisexperiencedsubjectivelyisseenasmentalandpersonal. Inotherwords,wepersonalizethesubjectiveandalienatetheobjective.Whatispersonalizedbecomes the personality or “self” that is supposed to existinside. What is alienated becomes the “world” that existsoutside.Thispersonalizationofthesubjectiveiswhatiscalledupādāna. This iswhywedo not translate the termupādāna as“grasping”or“clinging.”(upa=inside;ādāna=taking).Totakeinsideistopersonalize.

Itisinterestingtonotethatwhenwethinkofourselves,we are thinking of an image in ourmind, not a real existingobjectthatcanbeseen.Thisimagecanevenchangeindifferentcircumstances.Whensomeonetakesapictureofmeandshowsittome,Ibegintothinkitcannotbemyreal“self,”becauseitisdifferentfromthepictureIhaveinmymind.ThisprovesthatwhatIcallmy“self”isonlyaseriesofpicturesinmymindthatchanges fromtime to time, and a series of sensations inmybodythatalsochangesfromtimetotime.Inotherwords,whatIcallmy“self”isonlyacollectionofcinematographicpicturesandsensationsstoredinmymemory,whichIcanreplaywheneverIneed.ThiswaswhytheBuddhacalleditthefivefoldmassof personalized constituents of personality (pañca upādānak khandha).

Existentialthinkingbringsaboutarelationshipbetweenthe “self” that exists, and the “object” perceived as existing.Therelationshipisfilledwithemotionsintheformoflikesanddislikes.Thereforeitisaparadigmofemotionalexistence.Wenormally liveinthisparadigm,whichisamassofsuffering. Itis this paradigm that the Buddha called Being (bhava). This paradigmofbeing is the paradigm of insecurity and suffering (dukkha)becauseitisfilledwithemotional disturbances.

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When we begin to become aware of the process of perceptionthisway,webegintorealizethatsufferingisinvolvedwiththiswayofthinkingandwebegintothink inadifferentway.Theobject perceivedisonlyacreation of the process of perception.When we focus our attention on the process ofperceptionweareawarethatwhatweseeisnotarealobjectoutsidebutamentalimagewhichisinsideourhead.Inotherwords,bothsubjectandobjectarenot seenasexistingas inexistentialthinking.Whateverisseen,heard,smelt,tastedandtouched, isonlyasight,sound,smell, taste,or touchbuttheobject isunderstoodtobeonlyaproductconstructedbytheprocessofperception.

In other words, the object perceived is not a reality butan illusion or delusion.Anillusionisaperceptual fallacy, andadelusionisaconceptual fallacy.Theobjectperceivedisseenasamentalimage(rūpa),likeapicturetakenbyacamera.The mental image is formed by the process of construction(sankhāra)thecoloursseenarethesensations(saññā),whichare felt as pleasant or unpleasant (vedanā). The images areidentifiedasobjects(viññāṇa) bygivingthemnames(nāma).

This transformation of thinking is the paradigm shift from existential thinking toexperiential thinking. Then thereisneithersubjectnorobjectnoremotionalrelationshipwithitsinsecurityandsuffering.Thereisonlytheprocessofperception,tranquilityandpeaceofmind.ThisishowoneAwakens from the dream of existence. Insodoingallsufferingcomestoanend.

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Chapter IV

Awakening from the Dream of Existence

A gradual reduction of experience

Thedreamofexistenceisamentalprocess.Thementalprocesscreatesthedream.Thereforetoawakenistobecomeawareofthismentalprocess.Tobecomeawareofthementalprocesswemuststandoutofthementalprocess.Thisstandingoutisagradualreductionofexperience.

Wehavealreadypointedout that themeaningof theterm“ecstasy,”asweuseit,meansstandingout(ec=out;stasy =standing).Itisthroughaprocessofstandingoutthatagradualreduction of experience takes place. To reduce experience istostopmentalactivity.Soinotherwords,whatwearedoingisagradualstoppingofmentalactivity.Whenoneentersthefirst ecstasy,with the eliminationof thefivehindrances, andtheappearanceofthefiveConstituentsofEcstasy(jhānānga), onehascomeoutofthe“worldofemotionalactivity”(kāma loka)andenteredastateoftranquillity,whichisthefirstecstasy(paṭhamaη jhānaη)orstandingout,orreductionofexperience,orstoppingofmentalactivity.

From there on, one can proceed further, by a gradualreductionofexperience,intotheotherlevelsofecstasy.Progresson the path depends on a gradual abandoning or standingoutof the former level.What is called samādhi is a gradual reduction of experience. It is like climbing a flight of steps,whereateverystepforward,weabandontheformerstep.Thefirst four ecstasies, or standingout, is a gradual reductionofthe affective experience. Following is an enumeration of thisgradual reduction of the constituents of experience, as onepassesthroughthefourecstasies:

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(1) Firstecstasy(jhāna) includes:–inference(vitakka), inquiry (vicāra) (= conceptual thinking), serenity(pīti),comfort(sukha),stillness(ekaggatā)

(2) Secondecstasy(jhāna)includes:–serenity,comfort,stillness.

(3) Thirdecstasy(jhāna)includes:–comfort,stillness

(4) Fourth ecstasy (jhāna) includes: – stillness,apperception (upekkhā) – (no breathing butrespiration).

Apperception is non-perception

Itisimportanttounderstandthatatthefourthecstasy,achangeinthefocusoccurs:Insteadofthefocusbeingdirectedtowardstheobject perceived,thefocusisdirectedtowardsthe process of perception.Theresultiscalledapperception,whichmeansbecomingawareoftheprocess of perception,insteadofthe object perceived.Itisatthispointthatonebecomesawareof the five constituents of the process of perception,whicharetodaytranslatedasthe“five aggregates.” These constituents of the process of perception (pañcakkhandha)whenpersonalized (upādāna)becomesthepersonality or “self.” Inotherwords,personalizationproducesthepersonality or self.

Itisatthisstagethatadistinctionismadebetweentheself and thenot self. Personalizing (upādāna) the subjective process makes it “mine,” andalienating the objectmakes it“not mine.” In otherwords, what ispersonalized (upādāna) turnsitintothepersonality(upādāna paccayā bhavo).”Whatisalienatedbecomestheexternalobject.Itistheexternalobjectthatwemayfallinlovewithorbegintohate.Tofallinloveistowanttomakethe“not mine”object“mine.”

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Reduction of the cognitive experience

Ifonecontinuesthereductionofexperiencebeyondthispoint,thegradual reduction of the cognitive experiencebegins.Thisreductionofthecognitiveexperienceisalsoacaseofletting go of the formerlevelofcognition.Eachprogressivelevelisalettinggo,oranabsenceoftheformerlevelofexperience,orastoppingofmentalactivity.Thiscognitive reductionalsotakesfourstepsasfollows:

(1) The realm of infinite space (akāsanantāyatana)–theobjectsperceived (rūpa)areabsent.

(2) The realm of infinite perception (viññānañcāyatana) –attentionisfocusedontheprocessofperception.

(3) The realm of nothing (akincaññāyatana) – theattention is withdrawn from the process ofperceptionandfocusedonnothing.

(4) The realm of neither sensation nor no sensation (neva saññā nāsaññāyatana) – the attention iswithdrawn even from the awareness of nothing.Therefore the attention is not focused on anysensation,thoughnotremainingtotallyunconscious.Thisisbeingatthethresholdofconsciousness.

Theabovefourlevelsofexperiencearelevelsofcognitivereduction. The two teachers of theBodhisatta, Alara KalamaandUddakaRamaPutta,hadbothreachedonlytherealmofnothing (akincāññayatana). ItwasUddakaRama,theteacherofthesecondteacher,whohadenteredtherealmofneither sensation nor no sensation (neva saññā na asaññāyatana). TheBodhisattalearnedfromthesecondteacherhowtoreachthatstateanddidreachthatstatehimself.Yethewantedtogofurtherbuttherewasnoonetoteachhimhow.

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This was why the Bodhisatta decided to join the fiveascetics and practice asceticism. He practiced asceticism totheultimatelevel.Hefastedtillhebecamealmostaskeleton,andeventriedtostopbreathinguntilhefellunconsciousandpeoplethoughthewasdead.

Success through self-reliance

Hewokeup,however,anditwasthenthathebegantothink:“AllthesedaysIhavebeentryingtolearnfromothers,anddowhatotherpeopledo.Ihadignoredmyownqualifications(pāramitā) that I had earned, through the infinite sacrificesI hadmade,duringmy journey through theendlesschain of births and deaths (saηsāra).Thinkingthisway,herecalledhowheenteredthefirst ecstasy (jhāna) asachild,notbylearningfrom another but by an inborn tendency. Then he thought:“NowIwillbegintofollowmynatural inclination to let go of everything.” So he let go of all his lust, hate, and delusions,and automatically entered the first ecstasy (jhāna), then bygraduallylettinggoindegreesheenteredthesecondecstasy,thenthethird,thenthefourth,thentherealmofinfinitespace,the realm of infinite perception, the realm of nothingness,therealmofneithersensationnornosensation,andthenthe cessation of all sensation and feeling.

Thislaststagecalledcessation of sensation and feeling (saññā vedayita nirodha)wastheultimate levelinthereductionofthecognitiveexperience.Therewasnolevelfurtherthanthis.This is the complete disappearanceofthecognitiveexperience.It is the absence of all experience. This level is the level ofabsolute unconsciousness (avijjā). At this level the physical activity of metabolism (āyu sankhāra) is present, alongwiththe temperatureofthebody (ushna),butno mental activity of any kindispresent.Itissimilar tothestatecalledhibernation

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thatisfoundinthelivesofsomeanimalslikethebear.Theseanimals remain in a dormant state, alive but unconscious,duringthecoldwinter,butwakeupfromthatstateduringthespring.

This statewhichiscalledthecessation of sensation and feeling (saññā vedayita nirodha),whichissimilar to the state called hibernation, isoftenmisunderstood as the experience of Nibbāna (Nirvana). This is a common misunderstanding. Therealmeaningoftheexperience of Nibbāna (Nirvana)willbeexplainedinduecourse.

The mind is understood

Thisstoppingofexperience,calledcessation of sensation and feeling (saññā vedayita nirodha) indicates,however, thatwhatwecallthemind is notanotherentity separate from the body.Itisonlyanactivity of the body,whichcanbestartedorstoppedatwill, justlikebreathing.Modernscientificresearchonthebrainseemstoconfirmthisfact.

Mind andbody seems tobe the sameactivity viewedfrom two different angles. When this activity called mindis observed objectively, it is seenasanactivity of the body. When this same activity is observed subjectively, it is seenas a mental activity.Thismakesitclearthatwhatwecallthebody isanobjectiveexperience,whilewhatwecallthemind is a subjective experience. The Buddha has pointed out thatwhat we commonly refer to asmind aremerely three such activities,whicharetodayknownscientificallyasactivities of the nervous system.Theyare:perception (viññāṇa), cognition (mano), andaffection (citta). Modernscientificfindingspointout that Perceptionisthereactionofthe sensestostimulationby the environment.Cognition is the activity of the cerebral cortexofthehumanbrain,andaffection istheactivityofthe

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endocrine systemofthebody,dependentonthelimbicsystemofthebrain.

There is also evidence to show that there is a part ofthebraincalledtheReticularActivatingSystem(RAS)thatcantogglebetweencognitiveactivitiesofmano and theaffectiveactivitiesofcittasothatapersoncanatonetimebeemotionallyactivated ignoring the principles of behaviour recognized bythe mano,andatanothertimebegintobecalmandcomposedfollowinggoodprinciplesofbehaviourandgoodmanners.ThestoryofDrJekyllandMrHyderemindsusofthiskindoftogglingbehaviour.Thiskindoftogglingisalsodisplayedinsomepeoplewhogetdrunkbyingestingalcohol.Thisalsohappenstoallofussometimeswheninafitofangerorsexualobsession.Thisiswhythisintrospectiveawarenessissoimportantinourlives.Itcanstopthisunconsciousactivityandbegintoactconsciouslyandrationally.

Awakening from the dream of existence

The Bodhisatta did not remain forever in thisunconsciousorhibernatedstatecalledcessation of sensation and feeling (saññā vedayita nirodha). One might remain inthisstate, ifneeded,fornotmorethanoneweek.When one awakensfromthisstate,however,oneisabletowitnesshowthemental process creates the “world,” and even the “self” quiteunconsciously.Thismeans,the“world”thatweareawareof isaproductof theunconsciousprocessofperceptionandconception,andso isthe“self” thatwebelieve“exists intheworld.”The“world” isperceivedas an objective experience, and the “self” is perceived as a subjective experience. It is the cognitive processthatcreatestheobjective “world,”andit is the affective process thatcreatesthesubjective “self.”In

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otherwords, when one awakens from this state of absolute stillness of mind,onebeginstobecomeconsciously aware of the processbywhichperceptionandconceptiontakesplace,culminatinginthe “world” and the “self”comingintobeing.

Genesis revealed by the Buddha

Althoughcritics imaginethattheBuddhawas ignorantofhowtheworldhascomeintobeing,itisinthisexplanationcalled paṭicca samuppāda that he reveals how the world iscreatedbyeachindividualbyoneselfandforoneself.Inshort,wearelivinginaworldofourowncreation.Eachone’sworldisseparatefromthatofothers,althoughwethinkweliveinanexternalworldcommontoall,createdbyanexternalagent.Allhumanbeings are the creatorsof their ownworld. Eachonecreatesone’sownworld.Theworldtheycreateisasimilarworldbecause of the similar structure of their body, and they areabletocommunicatewithothersthroughlanguageandsharetheir experience with others. The result of this unconsciousprocessofcreationofaworldandaself,throughtheprocessof cognition andaffection, is that it creates“the problem of existence,”whichisthe“miserable insecurity of life.”

Thus “the problem of existence,” comes into being,depending on the necessary conditions,followingthenatural law of determinism. This natural law is that every naturaloccurrenceintheworldisdeterminedbythepresenceofthenecessaryconditions.Itisthelawonwhichallmodernscientifictechnology isbased.This lawcametobeknown in theWestonlyinthe18thcentury,whensciencebegan.ThereforepeopleintheWestcallthisperiodthe age of enlightenment. They used thislawtoconquernatureandgratifytheirdesireforcomfort,convenience,security,andeventokilltheirenemies.

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Itwasthissamelaw,however,thatwasintroducedtotheworldbytheBuddhainIndiamorethantwentyfivecenturiesearlier.Hedidnotuse this law toconquerobjectiveexternalnature. He used this same law to transform the subjectivemental nature and solve theproblemof existence.He calledthislawthe Concurrence of Antecedents (paṭicca samuppāda) describedas:“Whenconditionsarepresentitcomesintobeing,butwhenconditionsareabsentitceasestobe”(hetuη paṭicca saηbhūtaη hetu bhaηgā nirujjati).

This Concurrence of Antecedents (paṭicca samuppāda) describedbytheBuddhaismorethanmeredeterminism,whichpoints to the fact that things happen only due the presenceofthenecessaryconditions.Concurrence of Antecedents,ontheotherhand,isalsoadescriptionofhowthingscometobe,includinghowtheworldaswellastheselfcometobebasedona series of antecedents,whicharesubjective mental processes. This process brings about an awareness of a “world” and a“self.”Thismeans,theworldthatweareawareofistheproductof a subjective mental process rather than an independentexistenceofanobjectivereality.Inexistentialterminology,itisanexistencewithoutanessence,whereexistencedenotesthat it is, andessencedenoteswhat it is. InKantian terminology,theworldandselfarephenomenawithoutanoumenon.Instillanotherwayofspeaking,theworldandself are appearances andnot realities.

ThereforewhatiscalledtheConcurrence of Antecedents (paṭicca samuppāda)isanaturalmentalprocessbywhichthe“world”andthe“self”comeintobeing,alongwiththe“miserable insecurity of life.” This is a series of logical antecedents that takes place simultaneously,allatthesametime.ThisiswhyitiscalledThe Concurrence of Antecedents.

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The Cognitive and the Affective

It is essential to understand that there are two mainprocesses that constituteexperience. Theyare, theCognitiveandtheAffective.ItistheCognitiveProcessthatperceivesandconceivesandsomakessenseofthesensoryexperience.Webecomeconsciousofa“world”throughtheCognitiveProcess.ItistheAffectiveProcessthatbecomesconsciousofa“self”andgets involvedinanemotionalrelationshipbetweenthe“self”andthe“world,”resultinginthearisingofthegreat problem of existence.

This Concurrence of Antecedents (paṭicca samuppāda) is a continuous mental process that goes on unconsciously,throughoutourlives,producinganew“world”andanew“self”every moment. This continuous dynamic process of change givesrisetoafalse senseofpermanentstaticexistence.Inotherwords,itisacontinuousprocessoftransformation(nānattatā) or becoming,andnotastaticexistenceorbeing (bhava). From birthtodeath,itisaprocessofchange or becoming,andnotastaticpresenceorbeing.

The fact is that we erroneously think of ourselves asstatic beings,whilewearealsoawareofourbirth, ageing,andimpending death.Wespendourentirelifemakinganefforttoprevent,oratleastdelay, this eventuality,butwithout success. Theobvioussolution is to realizethatwearenot blessedwithastatic existence.Ourexistenceisonly an appearance,andnota reality. If we do not really exist,thenwhy worryaboutthisinevitable death of a bodywhichisnot“me?”

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The ultimate consequence

If the gradual reduction of experience, or the cognitive ecstasy, as described above is practiced seriously andconscientiously, it is possible for the meditator to becomeat least a Non-returner (Anāgami) ifnotaBreaker of Bonds (Arahat). In other words, if the meditation is practiced as describedabove, it ispossibletoAwaken from the dream of existence,andreachthestateofAwakening (sammā sambodhi) astheBuddhadid.Yetitisalso possible to Become Awakened withoutgoingthroughthisprocessofAbsolute Stopping of the Mind (saññā vedayita nirodha). It is to make things easier that theBuddhapointedouttheSupernormal Eightfold Way.

The individual who follows the Supernormal EightfoldWay,andisemancipatedbyAwakeningatthefourthaffectiveecstasy (jhāna), is called a ceto vimutti. The individual whogoes through the cognitive ecstasies, and absolutely stopsthemind, andAwakensbyobserving theprocessof creationiscalledpaññā vimutti.ApersonwhoAwakens in both ways iscalledtheubhato bhāga vimutti.Thechiefdisciplesof theBuddha,SariputtaandMoggallana,areamongthosewhohadgonethroughthis“doubleawakening”(ubhato bhāga vimutti). Weshallgointoadiscussionofthisnatural lawinmoredetailsubsequently.

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Chapter V

Concurrence of Logical Antecedents (Paṭicca Samuppāda)

Our regret

It is unfortunate that since the first century after theBuddha, the pure teachings of the Buddhawere lost due topollutionbyforeignconcepts.Sincethen,thefollowersbegantolayemphasison“kamma and rebirth”ratherthantheFourfold Supernormal Reality (Cattāri Ariya Saccāni).ThisdegenerationoftheteachingshavebeenforetoldbytheBuddhahimselfwhenhesaid:“Inthefuturemyfollowerswillbegintospeakaboutmylowerlevelteachingsratherthanmyhigherteachingslikeemptiness (suññatā).”This ideaof emptinesswas takenoverbytheMahayanistsbuttheywereunabletofullycomprehendthemeaningofemptiness(suññatā).Twowell-knownthinkersattempted to explain suññatā but they differed. They wereNagarjunatheanalystandAsanghatheidealist.

In the Sabbāsawa Sutta in the Majjhima Nikaya theBuddha points out that if a person begins to think in termsofkammaandrebirthhewillneverbeabletoattainNibbāna because by doing so he/she confirms the idea of “self” as(sakkāya diṭṭhi).ThefolloweroftheBuddhaAriya Sāvaka,ontheotherhandthinksonlyofsuffering,itscause,itsend,andthewaytoitsend.ThisdirectshimstraighttoNibbāna.

WhatappearstodayinthemodernworldasBuddhism:whetherTheravada,Mahayana,Vajirayana,Pure-land,orZenareadulteratedformsoforiginalBuddhism.TheoriginalBuddhismisnotcompletelylost,however.ItisavailableatleastinwrittenformintheSuttaPitakapreservedbytheTheravadins,though

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not fully comprehendedby them.An intelligentperson,whois educated in modern science, philosophy, and psychology,who studies the suttas in theory and practice, may be ableto comprehend at least to a workable degree, the profoundteachingsoftheBuddha.

Buddha = Dhamma = Paṭicca Samuppāda

TheBuddhahasoftensaid:“HewhoseesmeseestheDhamma,andhewhoseestheDhammaseesme.”Ashehasalsosaid:“HewhoseestheDhamma sees the Paṭicca Samuppāda,”andHewhoseesthePaṭicca Samuppāda sees the Dhamma,”Wemaythereforeconcludethathe who sees the Buddha sees the Paṭicca Samuppāda and vice versa.Thismeans,ifwehaveneverseentheBuddha,wecouldseetheBuddhaifweseethe Paṭicca Samuppāda.ThiscouldbefarbetterthanlookingatagoldenimageoftheBuddha,orevenonemadeofapreciousstoneormarble.WhatisgreatabouttheBuddhaisnothisbodybut hismind.Paṭicca samuppada represents hismind.Whatthismeans is that the Paṭicca Samuppāda is the foundation on which the entire teaching of the BuddhaandtheBuddhahimselfstands.

WeareequippedtodaywiththePaṭicca SamuppādainthewordsoftheBuddha,butfewscholarshaveunderstoodtherealmeaningof thosewords. Today there aremany versionsoftheexplanation.There isthetraditionalexplanationoftheTheravadaBuddhists,aswellasthetraditionalexplanationoftheMahayana and the Vajirayana Buddhists. There is also apopularversiongivenbyaWesternscholarÑanaweera.Thereareotherinterpretationsofscholarswellknownorunknown.ThosewhoareinterestedcouldgointoacomparativestudyofthesedifferentexplanationsofthewordsoftheBuddha.

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What we offer in this booklet, however, is only theexplanation that we use in our meditation system which ismeaningfultous.Thisisnotsomethingtobeblindlybelievedin,butsomethingthemeditatorwilldiscoverbyoneselfasonemeditates.

It is importanttonotethatpaṭicca samuppāda or the Concurrence of logical Antecedents is a description of theexperienceoftheBuddhaafterhisAwakening from the Dream of Existence (nirodha samāpatti).Itisalsoadescriptionofhow the mental process creates the “world,” the “self,” and the Problem of Existence (bhava dukkha).

Itisnotadescriptionofhowrebirthtakesplace,asthetraditionalcommentators(aṭuvāchariya)makeusbelieve.Thetradition holds that our real problem is rebirth (jāti) but theSuttaPitakapointsoutthattheproblemisexistence (bhava). NirvanahasbeendescribedbytheBuddhanotastheending of rebirth (jāti nirodho),butastheending of existence (bhava nirodho Nibbānaη).Thiswillbeexplainedfurtherinduecourse.

Concurrence of Logical Antecedents (Paṭicca Samuppāda)

This Concurrence of Logical Antecedents is anextraordinary explanation of how the “world” and the “self”came intobeing throughasimultaneouslyoccurringseriesofsubjective mental processes, which are logical antecedents.The physical worldweareawareof isaproduct of a mental processgoingonwithinus.Accordingtothisexplanation,weareconstantlywatchingamovingcinemathroughoutourlives.Allthatweknowisknownthroughthiscinematography,whichisasubjectivementalprocessofexperiencing.

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What we call an experience is a mental process ofperceptionandconceptionthatbeginsatthefivesensebasesand is carried to the brain as the sixth sense through nerveimpulses.Thoughwecallitamentalprocessitisreallyaphysicalactivity.Experienceasunderstoodnormallyisoftwokinds:1)subjectiveexperienceand2)objectiveexperience.Theworldthatweareawareofisnormallyunderstoodtobeanobjectiveexperience, and the mind we are aware of is a subjectiveexperience.WhattheBuddhapointsoutisthattheobjectivelyexperiencedworldisreallyasubjectiveexperiencebecausetheeyeworkslikeacamera.Thepictureisinsidethecameraandnotoutside.Allthatisexperiencedthoughthesensesisinsideandnotoutside.

This process of perception and conception is a seriesofantecedents,onecomingaftertheother.Anantecedent isanincidentthatcomesbeforeanotherincident.Inspeakingof“theconcurrenceofantecedents,”wearereferringtoaseriesofantecedentsoccurringat the sametime.Of course thenaquestionarises:“Ifitisaseriesofincidentsonecomingbeforetheother,howcantheyoccuratthesametime?”

Inordertoanswerthisquestion,wehavetopointoutthat there are three kinds of antecedents: spatial, temporal,andlogical.

(1) Ifwespeakofarowofpillarsthatcomeoneafteranother,thatisaseriesofspatialantecedents.

(2) Ifwespeakoftheringingofabellwhereaseriesofsoundscomeoneafteranother,that isaseriesoftemporalantecedents.

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(3) Ifwe simply count1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,wearereferringtoaseriesoflogicalantecedents.Theyarenotinspaceortime.Logically1comesbefore2,and2comesbefore3,andsoon.

This means when we speak of our “concurrence of logical antecedents,” we are really speaking of a series of logical antecedents that occur at the same time.Thisiswhyitiscalledtheconcurrence of logical antecedents.

DHAMMA,theteachingoftheBuddha,iscalledākalika, whichmeans“not-temporal”becauseitisindependent of time and space. Dhamma is an explanation of how time and space come into being. Therefore Dhammaisthefoundationoftimeandspace.Time and space are dependent on the Dhamma, notviceversa.

Dhamma reallymeans“experience,”orevenbetter, itistheprocessofexperiencing.Inmoredetail,experienceistheperceptualandconceptualprocessofseeing,hearing,smelling,tasting,touching,thinkingandfeeling.Theconcept“existence”is a product of the process of experiencing, and thereforeexperience precedes existence. To exististooccupyspaceandtime.Thereforespace and time are productsofexperience.

Experience isdichotomous. It isdivided intotwopartssubjective and objective. The subjective part we tend topersonalize as “mine” and the objective part is alienated as“other.”Personalizationcreatesapersonal“self”orpersonality,which is separate from the alienated external “world.”This dichotomy becomes the foundation for an emotionalrelationship between the subjective “self” and the objective“other.”

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Whatwe callmatter is an objective experience.Whatwecallmind isasubjectiveexperience.What Icall“I,”“me,”“mine,”or“self,”aresubjectiveexperiences.WhatIcallworld,matter, energy, people, animals, plants, or inanimate objectsareobjectiveexperiences.

Whatwecalltheconcurrence of logical antecedents is thereforenothingbutanaccountoftheprocessbywhichweexperiencetheobjective worldandthesubjective self.ItishowtheBuddhasawthegenesis of the common realityperceivedbymankind.Itistheprocessofexperiencingthe“world”andthe “self”andtheresulting“suffering” (Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkandassa samudayo hoti).Italsopointstheway out of suffering(Evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkandassa nirodo hoti).

Italsopointsoutthattheworldweareawareof,aswellas the “self”weareawareofisonlyadream. We can awaken fromthisdream,andtherebyboth“self”andthe“world”candisappear.Whatweexperiencethenwillbeonlytheexperience – DHAMMA.ThereforetheBuddhasaid:

Non-manifest perception,limitless,andallclear Nosolid,liquid,heatormotioniscognized Notevenatraceofanimageornamemet Whenperceptionisstopped,allobjectsdisappear

Anidassana viññānaη anantaη sabbato pabaη Etta paṭhavi ca apo ca tejo vayo nagādati Etta nāmaη ca rūpaη ca asesaη uparujjati Viññāṇassa nirodena etta etaη uparujjati

Once a deva (celestial being) visited the Buddha andasked a question. “If a person could travel in space at anextremelyhighspeed,canhereachtheendoftheworld?”

“No,”wastheBuddha’sanswer.

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“Yet,withoutreachingtheendoftheworld,onecannotbringsufferingtoanend,”continuedtheBuddha.

Then,hesaidfurther:“Theworld,thebeginningoftheworld, theendof theworld,and theway leading to theendof theworld is in this fathom longbody itself, alongwith itsperceptions and conceptions (saññimhi samānake). In otherwords,this“world”andthe“self” are productsoftheprocessof perceptionandcognition, whichareactivitiesofthebody.

Immediatelyafterhisawakening,theBuddhaissupposedtohavesaid:

Innumerablelives,insaɳsāra,didIrun Seekingthebuilderofthispainfulexistence ButneverdidImeethim,thisterriblebeing Sopainfulisrepeatedbirthanddeath.

O Creator now I see you Nomoreshallyoucreate Yourstructureisdismantled Yourfoundationdestroyed

My mind has stopped creating Theemotionalurgeisnomore.

Comment:Inotherwordshismindwasthecreator.

Concurrence of Antecedents (Paṭicca Samuppāda)

This subjective mental processdescribedbytheBuddhaexplains how theworld, self, and suffering came into beingthrough a series of logical antecedents. It is this descriptionthat is called the Concurrence of Antecedents (paṭicca samuppāda). This Concurrence of Antecedents is based ona natural law onwhich all natural events, both physical and

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mental,arebased.ThislawisrecognizedtodayintheWesternworldasDeterminism,whichisthebasisofallmodernscientifictechnology.ThislawwasrecognizedintheWestonlyduringthe18thCentury,whensciencebegan.Thisperiod is todaycalledthe Age of Enlightenment.BeforethisperiodWesternthoughtwasgovernedbythereligious dogmathateverynaturaleventoccurredonlyduetothepowerofGod,thesupernaturalCreatorof theworld.When this law of determinismwas recognizededucatedpeoplelostfaithinthereligiousdogmas.AsaresultmanyrevolutionstookplacesuchastheFrenchrevolutionandtheMarxistrevolution.

This law of Determinism was used in the West toconquernature,andtransformthenaturalenvironmenttosuittheneedsofhungryhumanity. IntheEast itwasusedbytheBuddhatosolvetheproblem of existence,bytransformingthehumanmind,whichwasdominatedbytheaffectivefacultyoremotions.

The Buddhist Concept of Genesis

Indiscussinggenesis,originoftheworld,theBuddhawasnotreferringtoanobjectivephysicalworld.Hewasreferringtoasubjectiveexperience,whichwecalltheobjectiveworld.

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The words of the Buddha are stated as follows:

Manifestationofsuffering(DUKKHA)

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Theproblemofexistenceisthe insecurity of lifecreatedby a conflict between human reason and human emotion. It is human reason that recognizes the reality of external circumstances,whilehumanemotionsbeingunawareofrealityare blindly concerned about human emotional needs. It is thisconflict thatSigmundFreud, the fatherofpsychoanalysispointedtoasneurosis. It isalsowhat themodernexistentialphilosophers have referred to as, fear and trembling, or anguish.Theyhave,however,beenunabletofindanadequatesolutiontothisproblem,otherthantotaketheleap of faith as Kierkegaarddidorresort to MarxismasSartredid.ItwastheBuddhawhosolvedtheproblemintheEast,notbychanging theexternalcircumstances,butbychangingthemindofman.Hesolveditbyunderstandingthattheobjective worldandthesubjective self,areonlyacreationoftheprocess of perception and feeling, and therefore existence that the existentialists harped onwasnot even a rational concept butwasonly anemotional feelingbasedonimagination.

Thismeans,whatweobserveastheworldandself are not realities but appearances. Both our subjective and theobjective experiences are really subjective, and therefore a delusion. Even the conflict betweenemotion andexternal circumstancesisreallyaconflictbetweenemotionandreason. Sufferingisunderstoodtobebasedonthedelusion or dream of existence. It is only by awakening from this dream of existence that the problem is solved.

Concurrence of Antecedents (paṭicca samuppāda) is a descriptionofaprocessthatbeginswithanunconsciousstate(avijjā). The modern theory of evolution confirms this ideawhenitstatesthatlifebeganasanunconsciouselectrochemicalprocess thatbeganas theprocessofevolution thatended inproducingahumanbrainthatbecameconsciousofaworldand

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aself.Inotherwords,matterwasnotconscioustillthehumanbeing evolved. This awakening into aworldwith a self is anopeningintoanawarenessofobjective sensations (saññā)andsubjective feelings (vedanā).

Concurrence of Antecedents (paṭicca samuppāda) therefore consists of two sequential processes: the cognitive and the affective. It starts with the Cognitive process that beginswithconstruction (sankhāra) andendswithcognition (phassa).ThisisfollowedbytheAffective processthatbeginswith feeling (vedanā) and endswith ageing anddeath (jarā maraṇa).

Concurrence of Logical Antecedents in more detail

The process of perception

1. Concurrence of Antecedents (paṭicca samuppāda), the process that mistakenly creates an existence of a subject and an object begins from a state of Absolute Unconsciousness (Avijjā).

2. From this state of Absolute unconsciousness, mentalConstruction (Sankhāra)begins.

3. The building materials used for construction are thesubjective feelings (Vedanā)andtheobjective sensations (Saññā).

4. Objective Sensations (Saññā) becomethebuildingmaterialfor the Cognitive Processthatbuildstheworld.

5. Subjective Feelings (Vedanā)becomethebuildingmaterialfor the Affective Processthatbuildsthe self.

6. First arises the cognitive process of construction, whichis Perception (Viññāṇa), the rudimentaryawareness thatdistinguishesbetweenoneobjectandanother.

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7. When perception is completed, the five constituents ofperceptioncomesintobeing:

a) MentalImage(rūpa) b) Feeling(vedanā) c) Sensation(saññā) d) Construction(sankhāra) e) Perception(viññāṇa).

Thecontinuationoftheseconstitutesofperceptionisnotastaticexistenceofanentitybutthecontinuityofaprocessofactivitythatcontinueswithoutendlikethecontinuityofaflamethatisdependentonthenecessaryconditions.Thisactivitycanstoponlywhenthenecessaryconditionsareabsent.

Perception develops into Cognition (phassa)

8. Whatisperceivedthroughthefive senses (pañca indriya) isbroughttothethinkingbrainorcerebral cortex (mano), whichusesrationalthoughtandmemorytogivemeaningto what was perceived. This way a percept (viññāṇa) is transformedintoaconcept (dhamma).Throughthisprocessofconceptionanentity intheformofan image (rūpa) is createdwithanidentityintheformofaname (nāma). This wayaworldmadeofSix Sensual Realms (saḷāyatana): of vision, sound, smell, taste, touch,andconcepts (dhamma) comesintobeing.

9. WiththecomingoftheworldofSensualRealms,cognition(phassa) iscompletedanda world consciousnessarises.

10. Cognition(phassa) iscompletedbybeing Consciousofanexternal world.

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Beginning of the Affective Process (citta)

11. Oncetheconsciousnessoftheworld of six realmsoccursdue to the completion of the process of Cognition, anemotional reactionstarts,inrelationtoperceivedfeelings (vedanā).

12. Thisemotional reactionbringsaboutadichotomy of the experienceinto:asubjectiveandanobjective.

13. Thenthesubjective experience is personalized as “mine” andtheobjective experience is alienated as “not mine,” or “other.”

14. Thispersonalizationofthesubjectiveprocessresultsinthenotion of “I”andthenotion of a “self” (etan mama, eso hamasmi, eso me attati).

15. Oncethe“self”hascomeintobeingthroughpersonalization (upādāna), that “self” is only a feeling, andnot a visibleobject.

16. Then thequestionarises:what is the object thatcanbereferred to as the “self”?Theanswernaturallyobtainedisthe Body,becauseonlythebody isseentooccupyspace andtime.

17. Thebody thenbecomes the“self” (sakkāya diṭṭhi). Evenothersbegintorefertothebody,as“my self,” andsodo“I.”

18. Ifthebodythatexistsinspaceandtimeis“my self,”thenthis body, that occupies time, has a past, present, andfuture,whichmeans“I” have a past present and future.

19. Thatmeans,thepast of the bodybecomesmy past,whichis birth (jāti). The future of the bodybecomesmy future, whichisdeath (maraṇa). The present of the bodybecomesmy present,whichisageing (jarā).

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20. Thismeans,by making the body “my self,”Ihavebecome subject to birth, ageing and death. Along with thisidentification with the bodycomesgrief (soka), lamentation (parideva), pain (dukkha), distress (domanassa), andexhaustion (upāyāsa).

21. If thebodywasnot “my self,” therewould beno birth, ageing, and death for me; no grief, lamentation, pain, distress, or despair.

How did the body become my self (sakkāya diṭṭhi)?

22. Thebodybecame“my self”becauseIidentifiedthebody as “my self.”

23. I identified thebody as “my self” because therewasno object to identifyas“myself,”other than the“feelingofself.”

24. The“feeling of self”wastheresult of personalization of the emotional reaction.

25. Itwas only the subjective experience of perception andemotionthatIpersonalized,notthebody.

26. Thispersonalization as “mine”leadtoa“feeling of self,” whichneededanidentityasanobject.

27. TheonlyobjectIfoundasidentitywasthebody,butthisbodythatIrefertoisonlyacollection of mental images.

28. Inotonlyseeacollectionofmental images as the body and“self,” Ialso feel a sensation as the bodyand“self.”

(1) Although the body is seen as an objective experience.

(2) The body is felt as a subjective experience.

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(3) It is the feeling of “self” thatmakesme feel the presenceof“my self.”

29. The image that I am aware of as the body or “self” is constructedusingfeelings,andsensations.Inotherwordswhatwecallthebodyisonlyamental constructcreatedbythe process of perception.

30. My “self” or “personality” therefore is the result of personalizing the subjective experience of perception, represented in the form of the five constituents of the process of perception.

31. Therefore inshort,suffering isnotthesufferingofatrue“self”butthesufferingoffive constituents of perception (body, feelings, sensations, construction, andperception)that are mistakenly personalized as “self” (sankhitthena pañca upādānakkhandhā dukkhā).

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Chapter VI

Elucidation of Fundamentals

Foundation

The comprehension of the Concurrence of Logical Antecedents results in the recognition of the fundamentals. Thisrecognitionbringsabouttheparadigm shiftfromexistencetoexperience. ThismeansExperience is all that we can talk about.Allother thingsoriginate fromexperience.Experienceis the foundation of all. (Sabba Sutta – Samyutta Nikaya). Thereforethemostfundamental.

Peoplenormallythink:theworldexistedfirstandthenI came into being. Then “‘I’ met the ‘world,’ and I saw theworld.”Peoplealso thinkwrongly thatafterdeath theworldwillcontinuewhileIhavedisappeared.

The fact, however, is: seeing arises first and it is onlyfrom the seeing (or perception) that the ‘I’ and the ‘world’ comeintobeing.ThiswaswhytheBuddhasaid:“Intheseeing,thereisonlytheseeing (Diṭṭhe diṭṭha mattaη bhavissati), there isneithertheseernortheseen. Inotherwordsthere isonlytheexperienceofseeing.Thesubjectandobjectareproductsof the experience. In other words, experience precedes existence.Existencedoesnotcomebeforeexperienceas it iscommonlythought.Existenceisonlyaproductoftheprocessof perception, which is experience. Experience produces thesubject and the object that are supposed to exist. It is thisexperiencethattheBuddhaanalysedintothefive constituents of the process of perception (pañcakkhandha), which when personalized becomes the five personalized constituents of personalization. It is this personalization that produces the

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personalityor self. Thispersonality standsout in the formofthebodyanditsproperties.

Modern scientific research

Modern research on the brain has indicated that thisprocesscalledexperienceistheactivityofapartofthebraincalledthecerebralcortexthatdoesthethinking.Thebrainofcourseisapartofthebody.Thereforeitisthebodythatdoesthethinkingandnotthemind.Theterm“mind”refersonlytothreeactivitiesofthebody:thinking, feelingandperception. Thinking and feeling are technically called cognition andaffection. The Buddha had three terms for these activities:perception(viññāṇa),cognition(mano)andaffection(citta).

It iswithcognition (mano) thatwemakemeaningoutof what we perceive. Perception is only the reaction of theorganismtostimulationbytheenvironment.Weareorganismsinanenvironment.Wehavefivesensesthatcanbestimulatedbytheenvironment.Theorganismreactstothisstimulusandsoperceptiontakesplace.Whatisperceivedisbroughttothebrainbynervesandthecerebralcortexgivesmeaningtowhatisperceived.Thisgivingmeaningtowhatisperceivediscalledcognition. According to the meaning given by cognition anemotionisaroused.Thisarousalofemotioniscalledaffection.Theemotionarousedisexpressedinaction.Thisactioniscalledkarma(inSanskrit),orkamma(inPali).Theactionmaybetoobtainwhatwedesire,togetridofwhatwehate,orrunawayfromwhatwefear.

This arousal of emotion iswhat is called stress today.Stressisadisturbanceofthebodyandmind,ifcontinuedtoolongitcanbedamagingnotonlytothebodyandmindbutalsotoothersaroundandsocietyingeneral.Allcrimesintheworld,allwars,murders,andeveryproblematichumandisturbanceisa

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resultofemotions.Theseemotionsareblindandunconsciouslycarriedoutbutdependentonthenecessaryconditions.

Importance of Cognition

It isonly thecognitive faculty that is sensible. It is thecognitivefacultythatshoulddominateourmind,andnottheemotions,butveryoftenitistheemotionaloraffectivefacultythatdominatesourmind.Thisiswhatmakesahumanbeingananimal.Whatisspecialaboutthehumanbeingisthecognitivefaculty.ThegloriousaimoftheBuddhawastomakethenormalhalfhumanbeingasupernormalfullyhumanbeing.

Feeding,sleeping,fearandsex Iscommontobothmanandbeast Cognitiondoesmakemanveryspecial Whenlowincognitionmanisabeast

Āhara nidra bhaya maitunanca Samanya me tad pasubih narānāṁ Dharmohi tesa madiko viseso Dharmena hinah pasubih narānāṁ

The role of Meditation

This illustrates the grave need of man to practicemeditation. What meditation does is to make the cognitivefacultyofmandominatehismindratherthantheaffective.Thisinvolvesachangeinthewaywethink,sothattheemotionswillstopdominatingourmind.

The importance of changing our thinking to stop theunconscious and irrational emotional behaviour has beenrecognized only recently in Western psychology. This factwas fully understood and used by the Buddha to transform

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personalitybyradicallyeliminatingallself-centeredemotions.This was the meaning of becoming a spiritually AwakenedBuddhaoranemancipatedArahat.

It is in the sermon called theMūlapariyāya Sutta that theBuddhaexplainsthedifferencebetweenthethinkingoftheemancipatedindividualandthenormalperson.Inotherwords,thisexplainsthemeaningoftheparadigmshiftfromexistencetoexperience(nirodha samāpatti).

The Buddha’s elucidation of the Fundamentals

The Buddha says in his Discourse on Fundamentals(Mūlapariyāya Sutta):

(1) The ordinary human being perceives a solid as asolid(paṭhaviṁ paṭhavito sanjānati).

(2) TheEmancipatedOne(Arahat) apperceivesasolidasasolid(paṭhaviṁ paṭhavito abhijānāti).

(1) The ordinary human being having perceived thesolid comes to the conclusion the solid exists(paṭhaviṁ paṭhavito saññatva paṭhaviṁ maññati).

(2) The Arahathavingapperceivedthesoliddoesnotcometo theconclusion thesolidexists (paṭhaviṁ paṭhavito abhiññatva paṭhaviṁ namaññati).

This difference in conception between the ordinaryperson and the Arahat is similar to the difference betweenthebirdandthehumanbeinginfrontofamirror,asdescribedearlier.

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Existence and Essence

The Mūlapariyāya Sutta goesfurther:

(1) Theordinarypersonconcludesthatthesolidexistsand also of what it is made (paṭhavito maññati paṭhaviyā maññati).

(2) The Arahat does not conclude that it exists or ofwhat it is made (paṭhavito namaññati paṭhaviyā namaññati).

Itisusefultocomparethisstatementwiththestatementofexistentialphilosopherswhodistinguishbetweenexistenceandessence.Existenceisexpressedbythestatement,“thatitis”andtheessenceexpressedbythestatement,“whatitis.”Forexample,ifthereisacupmadeofclayitsexistenceisexpressedby the statement, “there is a cup.” Its essence is expressedby the statement, “it ismade of clay.” This is how Jean-PaulSartremadethestatement,“existenceprecedesessence,”forsomethingmust exist beforewe can talk ofwhat it ismade.Sartre considered this to be the essential premise on whichexistentialphilosophystands.

Experience precedes Existence

From the Buddhist perspective, however, “experienceprecedes existence.” This is because existence is a conceptthat arose from experience, which is the mental processof perception. In other words, our paradigm has shiftedfrom existential thinking to experiential thinking. Existentialphilosophersdrewattentiontotheproblemofexistence,whichisthateveryhumanbeingisawareofhisownexistenceandalsoawareofhisowndeath,whichbringsaboutanguish:anxiety,worry, fear and trembling. The existential philosophers could

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not, however, solve theproblemother than to take the leapoffaithinGod,orwaittillhumanintelligencegrowsorevolvestoacapablelevel.ItwastheBuddhawhoofferedtheultimatesolution through aparadigm shift.According to the Buddha, the problem was created by existential thinking. Therefore it can be solved only through a paradigm shift from existential thinking to experiential thinking.Thisiswhyexistence (bhava), accordingtotheBuddha,isadelusion, or a dream,fromwhichmankind must Awakenbyswitchingontoexperientialthinking.Entering into experiential thinking is what is called nirodha samāpatti.

Error of Personalization

The Mūlapariyāya Sutta goesfurther:

(1) Theordinarypersonpersonalizesthesolidas“mine” (paṭhaviṁ meti maññati).

(2) TheArahatdoesnotpersonalizethesolidas“mine”(paṭhaviṁ meti namaññati).

(1) The ordinary person takes delight in the solid(paṭhaviṁ abhinandati).

(2) The Arahat does not take delight in the solid(paṭhaviṁ na abhinandati).

(1) Referring to the ordinary person the Buddhaasks, “why does he do so?” (tankissa hetu). Andanswers, “because he does not comprehend”(apariññattassati).

(2) ReferringtotheArahattheBuddhaasks,“whydoeshedoso?”(tankissa hetu).Andanswers,“becausehecomprehends”(pariññattassati).

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This is the essence of the Mūlapariyāya Sutta, whichdiscussesthedifferencesbetweentheordinarypersonandtheAwakenedOne(Arahat)inrelationtoeverythingexperienced,includingNibbāna.

The paradigm shift (nirodha samāpatti) where themeditatorwithdraws fromtheparadigmofexistence (bhava) andgetsestablishedintheparadigmofexperience(nirodha), bringsaboutthefreedomorliberation(vimutti) fromemotionalexcitements (tanhā) and accompanying suffering (dukkha), endingintheimperturbableserenity,Nibbāna.Thismeansthemindthatwaspurifiedwillneverbecomepollutedagain.

The uninterrupted Samādhi

To come out of samādhi is to pollute the mind. He/shecanmove fromone levelofsamādhi toanother,buthe/shehastoremainatleastinthefirstjhāna.Inthefirstjhāna, it is possible to think and reason out and even discuss theDhamma, but not be engaged in emotional thoughts. Thisfact is indicated in the fifth verse in the Ratana Sutta: “TheBuddha has greatly extolled the uninterrupted Samādhi, which is equal to no other” (yambuddhasetto parivannayi suciηsamādhimanantarikaññamahu samādhina tena samona vijjatthi...).

Whenwe say that the emancipator can never be outof samādhi, a question may arise: “Does it mean that theemancipatorisalwaysintheexperientialmode?”Theansweris“no.”

Althoughtheattentioniswithdrawnfromtheexistentialparadigmduringtheparadigmshift(Nirodhasamāpatti), it does notmean that theparadigmofexistence is givenup forever.When it becomes necessary to communicate with ordinary

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people,theAwakenedOnereturnstotheexistentialparadigmfor that purpose, and goes back again to the experientialparadigm.Thesetwomodescanbechangedfromtimetotime,andareseenastwokindsofNibbāna:

Two kinds of Nibbāna

(1) Saupadisesa Nibbāna – experienced when theArahatisintheexistentialmode.

(2) Anupadisesa Nibbāna – experienced when theArahatisintheexperientialmode.

Although this is so, today the Theravada traditionexplains these two kindsofNibbāna in a differentway. Theyexplainitasfollows:

(1) Saupadisesa Nibbāna – experienced when theArahat isalive.

(2) Anupadisesa Nibbāna – experienced after thedeath of the Arahat.

ThispointisclarifiedinaNibbānadhātu sutta #44intheItivuttaka:

Monks, there are two modes of Nibbāna (Dve'me bhikkhave nibbāna dhātuyo).

Whatarethetwo?(Katamā dve).

The personal mode, and the impersonal mode(saupādisesa ca anupādisesa ca nibbāna dhātu).

WhatmonksisthepersonalmodeofNibbāna? (Katamā ca bhikkhave saupādisesā nibbāna dhātu). Inthiscasemonks,amonk is an emancipator, free of influences, has actualizedthe potential, accomplished the task, laid down the burden,realized the ideal, broken the bonds to being, liberated

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through tranquility and insight (Idha bhikkhave bhikkhu arahaη hoti, khīnāsavo, vusitavā, katakaranīyo, ohitabhāro, anuppattasadattho, parikkhina bhavasaññojano, sammadañña vimutti).

Whileinthismode,thefivesensesareactive,andableto experience the pleasant and unpleasant sensations, andtherefore experiences pleasure and pain (Tassa tiṭṭhanteva pañcindriyāni, yesa avighātattā, manāpa amanāpa paccanubhoti, sukhadukkhaη paṭisaηvedeti).

Yet he is free from lust, hate, and delusion (Tassa yo rāgakkhayo, dosakkhayo, mohakkhayo).

This, monks, is the personal mode ofNibbāna (Ayaṃ vuccati bhikkhave saupādisesa nibbāna dhātu).

What, monks, is the impersonal mode of Nibbāna? (Katamā ca bhikkhave anupādisesa nibbānadhātu).

In this casemonks, amonk is anemancipator, freeofinfluences,hasactualizedthepotential,accomplishedthetask,laiddowntheburden,realizedtheideal,brokenthebondstobeing,liberatedthroughtranquilityandinsight(Idha bhikkhave bhikkhu arahaη hoti khīnāsavo vusitavā katakaranīyo ohitabhāro anuppattasadattho parikkhinabhavasaññojano sammadaññā vumutto).

In this very life, monks, he remains experiencing no sensations, insentient (Tassa idheva bhikkhave sabbavedayitāni anabhinanditāni sītī bhavissanti).

Thismonks is the impersonalmode ofNibbāna (Ayaη vuccati bhikkhave anupādisesā nibbānadhātu).

Thesetwodidtheseerexpound("Dve imā cakkhumatā pakāsitā).

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The unconditioned state of Nibbāna (Nibbānadhātu anissitena tādinā).

Oneisthestatetobeexperiencedhereandnow(Ekā hi dhātu idha diṭṭhadhammikā).

With personality but existence ceased (Saupādisesā bhavanettisankhayā).

Other without personality and without existence(Anupādisesā pana samparāyikā).

Whereexistenceofeverykindceases(Yamhi nirujjhanti bhavāni sabbaso).

The experience of apperception without construction(Ye etadaññāya padaη asankhataη).

Theemancipatedmindhasceasedtoexist(Vimuttacittā bhavanettisankhayā).

Has realized the embodiment of Dhamma (te dhammasārādhigamā khaye ratā).

Brought all states of existence to an end (Pahaηsu te sabbabhavāni tādino’ti).

ThusdidtheLordproclaim (Ayampi tho vutto bhagavatā).

ThismeansAnupadisesa Nibbānaisnottheexperienceof the ArahatafterdeathofthephysicalbodybuttheNirodha Samāpatti.

What is Truth?

Being in these twomodesbreaksup the ideaof truthinto existential truth (sammuti sacca) and experiential truth(paramattha sacca). Thismeans there is no such thing as anabsolutetruth.Toholdoneideaastruthistobecomenarrow

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minded,andto ignorethevalidityof itsopposite.This fact isexpressedby theBuddha in theanalogyof theelephantandtheblindmen.TheBuddhapointsoutthisfactalsointheCula-viyuha Sutta,intheSuttaNipatha,inverseformasfollows:

Iftruthisone,andnosecondexists Debateswillneverariseamongfolk Avarietyoftruthstheythemselvesdoform Gurusthereforeneverspeakofonetruth

Ekaṁ hi saccaṁ na dutiyamatthi Yasmiṁ pajā no vivade pajānaṁ, Nānā te saccāni sayaṁ thunanti Tasmā na ekaṁ samanā vadanti

Neverwasthereavarietyoftruths Otherthansensationsalwaysintheworld Creatingviewsusingspeculativelogic Theyspeakofaduality:falsehoodandtruth

Na heva saccāni bahuni nānā Aññatra saññāya niccāni loke, Takkañca diṭṭhisu kapappayitvā Saccaṁ musāti dvayadhammamāhu

IntheAlagaddupama SuttatheBuddhapointsoutthattheFour-foldSupernormalReality(cattāri ariya saccāni)isonlya solution toaproblem,andnot a truth tobebelieved. It iscomparedtoaboatusedtocrossovertheriver.Itisnottobecarriedawayaftercrossingtheriver,butleftbehindforothersto use. Therefore the Four-fold Supernormal Reality (cattāri ariya saccāni)isnotadogmatobebelievedonblindfaith,butonlyasolutiontoaproblem,whichcanbeusedbyanyonetosolve one’s problem. The Buddha takes a pragmatic point ofviewregardingtruth.

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About The Four-fold Supernormal Reality, the Buddhastates:

(1) The first truth is not to be believed, but to be comprehended (pariññeyyam).

(2) The second truth isnot tobebelieved,butto be eliminated (pahātabbaṁ).

(3) The third truth is not to be believed, but to be realized (sacchikātabbaṁ).

(4) The fourth truth is not to be believed, but to be cultivated (bhāvetabbaṁ).

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Chapter VII

The Fourfold Supernormal Reality

The First Reality :The problem of existence

Out of all the animals in the world it is the human animal that is aware of its own existence and also aware of its unpredictable but certain impending death. Anyone’s entire life is devoted to a futile struggle to avoid this unavoidable death. Everyone celebrates births and laments and moans about death. They fail to realize that birth and death are the two ends of the same continuum called life. They live their lives as if they were going to live forever. Death is certain and life is uncertain. This is the insecurity of life.

From the time a baby is born it is suffering, this is why the baby cries. The baby soon begins to realize the insecurity and weakness of life and hopes to be secure and strong when grown up. After growing up one begins to realize that the insecurity becomes even worse.

As an adult one struggles to make ends meet, all one’s life, till ageing and sickness set in. Things get even worse then. The struggle to survive continues till death.

The first reality that the Buddha pointed to was thisinsecurity of life. Life is insecure because of the impending,unpredictabledeaththatcancometoanyindividualyoungoroldatanyage,atanytime.Thisinsecurityisseenveryclearlywhenwelookattheanimalworld.Eachanimallivesbymakingother animals their food. Even the herbivorous animals eatliving plants. Human beings do the same not only in eatingbuteveninthenormalwaysofearningalivingbycompetition

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andexploitation.Ifthenatureoflifeisthis,thereissufficientroomtoquestionthecommonbeliefthatalovingGodwastheCreatorofthislife.

Evenmodern existential philosophers have pointed tothisinsecurityoflifethatbringsaboutanxiety,worry,fear,andallthekindsofanguish.AllreligionsthathopetoreceiveeternallifeandeternalhappinessinHeavenafterdeathareultimatelyattemptingtosolvethissameproblem of existence.

ThispursuitofHeaven,whichcanbeverifiedonlyafterdeath,isbasedontheassumptionthatdeathistheoppositeoflifeandnotapartoflife.Somehavepointedout,however,thatbirthanddeatharemerelythetwoendsofthesamestickcalledlife.Thismeansdeathisapartoflifeandnottheoppositeoflife.

Mankind has from the beginning of history made anefforttoremainalivewithoutdying,despitetheobviousfactofdeath.Thisstruggletoexistwasanimpossiblestruggle.Itwasnotonlyfutile,itwasalsopainful,anditwasalsobasedonthedelusion of eternal existence.

Another attempt to escape from this ever impendingdeath and insecurity of life is to forget about death, and todevote one’s life to enjoying the pleasures of life. We eventhinkthatitispessimistictothinkofdeath.Wetrytohidefromthe factofdeath inmanyways,andattempt tocarryon life,enjoyingthepleasuresofthesenses.Somepeopledonotliketokeepadeadbody in theirhome.Theykeep it ina specialplacehiddenfromthepublic.Theyeventrytopreventchildrenfrom looking at a dead body. They also try to stop childrenspeakaboutdeath.Itisonlyrecentlythatpeoplehavebeguntospeakaboutdeath,orevenwritebooksondeath.Itwasquiterecently that ElisabethKübler-RosswroteherbookonDeath and Dying,whereshedescribesfivestagesofgrief:

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1. Denial—Becauseofthedifficultyinfacingaloss,thefirstreactionisDenial.Thepersontriestoshutout the realityormagnitudeof thesituation,anddevelopsafalserealitythatispreferable.

2. Anger— “Whyme? It's not fair!”; “How can thishappentome?”;“Whoistoblame?Atthesecondstage,theindividualrecognizesthatdenialcannotcontinue,andthereforebecomesangry.Misplacedfeelings of rage appear. Anger canmanifest itselfin differentways such as: angerwith themselves,with others, and especially with close ones. It isimportanttoremainnonjudgmentalwhendealingwithsuchaperson.

3. Bargaining — "I'll do anything for a few moreyears…"or"Iwillgivemylifesavingsif…"

Atthethirdstageahopearisesthattheindividualcan somehow undo or avoid the cause of grief.Psychologically, the individual is saying, "IunderstandIwilldie,butifIcouldjustdosomethingto buy more time…" People facing a less serioustraumacanbargain.Forexample:"Canwestillbefriends?"whenfacingabreak-up.Bargainingrarelyprovidesasustainablesolution,especially if it isamatteroflifeordeath.

4. Depression—Duringthefourthstage,thegrievingpersonbeginstounderstandthecertaintyofdeath."I'msosad,whybotherwithanything?";"I'mgoingtodiesoonsowhat'sthepoint?";Becauseofthis,the individual may become silent, refuse visitorsandspendmuchofthetimecryingandbeingsullenandgloomy.Thisprocessallowsthegrievingpersonto disconnect from things of love and affection,

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possibly in anattempt toavoid further trauma. Itisakindofacceptancewithemotionalattachment.It is natural to feel sadness, regret, fear, anduncertaintywhengoingthroughthisstage.Feelingthoseemotionsshows that thepersonhasbeguntoacceptthesituation.Oftentimes,thisistheidealpathtotake,tofindclosureandmaketheirwaytothefifthstep,Acceptance.

5. Acceptance —In this last stage, individuals begintocometotermswiththeirmortalityorinevitablefuture."It'sgoingtobeokay.""Ican'tfightit,Imayaswellpreparefor it."Thisstagevariesaccordingtotheperson'ssituation.Thistypicallycomeswithacalm,retrospectiveviewfortheindividual,andastablemindset.

Kübler-Ross originally developed this model based onherobservationsofpeoplesufferingfromterminalillnesses.

Shelaterexpandedhertheorytoapplytoanyformofcatastrophicpersonal loss, suchas thedeathof a lovedone,the loss of a job or income, major rejection, the end of arelationshipordivorce,drugaddiction,incarceration,theonsetofadiseaseorchronicillness,aninfertilitydiagnosis,aswellasmanytragediesanddisasters(andevenminorlosses).

Supporting her theory, many (both sufferers andtherapists) have reported the usefulness of the Kübler-RossModel in a wide variety of situations where people wereexperiencingasignificantloss.Theapplicationofthetheoryisintendedtohelpthesufferertofullyresolveeachstage,thenhelpthemtransittothenext–attheappropriatetime–ratherthangettingstuckinaparticularphaseorcontinuallybouncingaroundfromoneunresolvedphasetoanother.

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ItwasalsoquiterecentlythatHansSelyebegantowriteabout stress and stress management. The stress of life waspresentedbyHansSelyeastheGeneral Adaptation Syndrome, whichconsistedofthreestages:

(1) Alarmreaction=Grief(sōka), Lamentation(paridēva)

(2) Stageofresistance=Pain(dukkha), Distress (domanassa)

(3) Stageofexhaustion=Exhaustion(upāyāsa)

It iswonderful tonote that theBuddhadescribed thesamestagesintheGeneral Adaptation Syndromeintheformof grief (sōka), lamentation (paridēva), pain (dukkha), distress (domanassa), andexhaustion (upāyāsa).

Stress is understood today as a complete disturbanceofthebodyaswellasmindwherethebodybeginstochangebehaviourfromnormaltoanabnormalstate,whichifcontinuedtoolongmakesthebodysickleadingultimatelyeventodeath.This disturbance goes through the three stages as indicatedabove.

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7)  Hair  stands  on  end  

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The Buddha explains the three ways in which thisemotionalreactionoccurs:

(1) Meetingtheunpleasant(appiyehi sampayogo)

(2) Partingfromthepleasant(piyehi vippayogo)

(3) Frustrationorfailuretogratifydesires(yampicchaη nalabhati tampi dukkhaη).

The Buddha explains further the insecurity of life bypointingoutthatlifeisnotastaticentitybutadynamicprocessofactivitythatbeginsatbirthandendsatdeath.Thisactivityevengoesbeyonddeathtorebirthcontinuingthealternationofbirthanddeath:

Birth (jāti) Ageing

Ageing(jarā) Birth-------------Death

Death (maraṇa)

ItisimportanttonotethattheBodhisattawhobecametheBuddharenouncedhisprincelylifeandbecameanasceticto solve this same problem of existence, which he came torecognizewhenhesawanoldman,sickmanandadeadcorpse.

The Bodhisatta set out to solve the problem, not byseekinghelp insupernaturalpowers,orhoping toextend lifetoeternity.Hismethodwastosolvetheproblemusingnaturalhumanintelligence.Hewantedtosolveitbyunderstandingtheproblemanditscause,andtosolveitbyremovingthecause,whichwerehisemotions.Healsorealizedthathehadtofindthewaytoremovetheemotionsthatcausedtheproblem.

The Buddha did solve theproblemfinally by stopping this futile and painful emotional struggle to existonrealizing

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that existence is a delusion,whichnormalpeoplearesufferingfrom.Hesawthatthe human being needs to awaken from this dream of existence. Hediscovered theway to awaken from thisdreamandshowedtheworldtheway.

The Second Reality :The cause of suffering, which is to be eliminated

Wehavealreadyrecognizedthatsufferingisexpressedasgrief, lamentation, pain, distress and exhaustion.Thissufferingwasexperiencedduetomeetingtheunpleasantbirth, ageing, sickness,anddeath;partingfromthepleasantyouth, health, and life; and the inability toobtainwhatwedesire,which ispermanent youth, permanent health, andpermanent life of thebody.

Suffering is birth, ageing anddeath of the “self.” It is parting from youth, healthandlifeandmeeting of old age,ill-healthanddeath. It is the inability to have what we want,whichis eternal youth, healthandlife.Weknowthisispossibleonlyinthefantasy of Heaven.Inaddition,theinabilitytohavewhatwewantincludesallthedailyfrustrationsanddisappointmentsthatweexperiencethroughoutourlives.

Whatthenisthecause of this suffering?Isitbecausewehavea“self”thatgrowsold,fallssick,anddies?

What is the “self” that really growsold, falls sick anddies?

Is it the body that is the “self”thatgrows,old,fallssick anddies?

Howdid thisbody become the“self” thatgrows,old, fallssickanddies?

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BecauseIpersonalizedthebody,thinking“this body is mine,” it is my “self” (upādāna ).

If I did not personalizethebody,thisbodywill“not be me.”

Thentheageing, sickness,anddeath of the bodywouldnotbemy suffering.

Included in the body are the feelings, sensations, concepts,andperceptions.

It is important to understand that the personalizedconstituentsofperceptionarethefoundationoftheinsecurityoflife(sankhitthena pañcupādānakkhandhā dukkhā).Inotherwords,itisthenotionof“self.”(sakkāya diṭṭhi and mana). The ageing, sickness, anddeathbecomea sufferingonlybecauseitisconnectedtotheself,andnototherwise.2.SufferingalsooccurswhentheSelfisinemotionalrelationshipwiththeworldintheformoflust,hate,fear,andworry.3.Sufferingalsoarisesdue to insatiable desire for material gains, variety, sensualpleasure, fame, power, conflictwith others, comparisonwithothers,etcthatcausesuffering.

If suffering was the sense of self produced bypersonalization of the impersonal emotional reactiontogetherwiththecognitive process of perception, the blind emotions that personalize the impersonal processes are the cause of suffering.

Thereforeitbecomeseasytorecognizethattherootofsufferingistheemotion.ThisemotionisthecauseofsufferingpointedoutbytheBuddha.ThecommontranslationofthePaliterm tanhā as craving does not convey thismeaning. This iswhywetranslatetanhā as emotion.

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Emotion is the reaction of the organism to feelings that are pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral. It is when theenvironment stimulates the senses that these feelings arise.The data received through the five senses are carried to thebrain where thinking occurs, resulting in the interpretation ofcircumstances.This interpretationresults in thearousal of emotions.Theemotionsarouseddependontheinterpretation. Thisinterpretationcreatesasubjective “self”andanobjective “other,” and an emotional relationship occurs between the“self”and the“other.”Thisemotional relationshipcreatesanemotional bond of existence in relationship. This starts thestruggle to keep on existing forever, quite ignorant of the futility andpainfulness of the struggle. Thisblind desire for existenceclasheswiththereality of non-existence,resultinginsuffering.

It is the blind struggle for existence (bhava-tanhā) that isthecauseofsuffering.Only a struggle continuesbutthereisnorealexistence.Whatexistsisonlyanemotional delusion of existence.

Blind Emotions (tanhā)areofthreetypes:

(1) Desire for pleasant sensations (lobha) – (kāma-tanhā)

(2) Hatredofunpleasantsensations(dosa) – (vibhava-tanhā)

(3) The notion of existence of neutral sensations(moha) – (bhava-tanhā).

The emotional reaction dichotomizes the experienceinto twodistinctparts: thesubjective and theobjective. The subjectiveispersonalized as “mine,” the objective is alienated and regarded as part of anexternal world. The subjective ispersonalizedas “This ismine, this is me, this is I, and this is

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myself” (etam mama, eso'hamasmi, eso me attāti).Thisbringsabouttheconcept“I,” that becomes the “self.”Butthis“self”has tobeanexisting entity. Then thequestionarises,“what entitydowerefertoasthe“I”or“self?”Thenitisthebody that occupies space and timethatisidentifiedasthe“self.”Itisalsothe body that perceivesanobject,andreactsemotionally toit.Thebodythenbecomesthe“self” (sakkāya–diṭṭhi). It is the bodythatotherpeoplecanseeas“me,”andcallmyname,andeventakethephotograph as the image of “me”.

Topersonalize thebody is topersonalize thecognitiveand affective processes, which begins quite unconsciouslyand this begins the suffering and insecurity of life. In short,the personalization of the process of perception is suffering(sankhittena pañcupādānakkhandhādukkha).

Whenthebodyhasbecomethe“self,”the“self”(atta) occupies space and timeandexists.Ifitoccupiestimeithasapast, present,andfuture.

Thenthepastofthebodyisthebirth (jāti)ofthebody,the futureofthebodyisthedeath (maraṇa)ofthebody,andthe presentofthebodyisageing (jarā)ofthebody.Thismeans“I” am born, age, anddie. Inotherwords,when I come intoexistence, I suffer. I suffer because I come intoexistence. Inotherwords,toexist is to suffer.

When I realize, however, that I do not really exist allsuffering comes to an end.

The Third Reality :Realization of the end of suffering

If suffering began unconsciously, it can end only bybecoming consciousoftheprocessofcognitionandaffection.Thatisbybecoming conscious of the Antecedental Concurrence

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(paṭicca samuppāda). The process of cognition and affection creates the “world” and the “self.”This“world”andthe“self”are unstable.Whatisunstableisinsecure.WhatisinsecureisnotasIwant.WhatisnotasIwantisnot under my power. What is not under my power is not mine. What is not mine cannotbeme.Whatcannotbemecannotbemyself.“Whatisnot mine, is not me, not my self” (netam mama, neso'hamasmi, neso me attāti).Whatisnotmineshould be discarded.

This realization brings about the paradigm shift fromexistencetoexperience,whichresultsindispassion.Dispassionresults inemancipation or freedom from suffering (vimutti). Thisresultsintheimperturbable serenityofmind(Nibbāna).

When the cognitive and affective processes are fullycomprehended and the paradigm shift has occurred bothintellectuallyaswellasemotionally,suffering comes to an end.

This is eradication of the delusion of self, or Awakening from the Dream of Existence.

Thismeans, theemotional reaction was the cause ofsuffering. The way to end suffering was the removal of the cause. Thewaytoremove the emotional reactionwastochange the way we interpret our circumstances.Howdowechangethis cognitive interpretation of circumstances? Itistochangefrom existential thinking to experiential thinking. Existential thinking carries a subjective “I” and an objective “other” resultinginanemotional relationshipbetweenthe“I”andthe“other,” ending in suffering. The solution is a paradigm shift from existential thinking to experiential thinking. Experiential thinking is to realize that there is no real subject or objectbutonlyanimpersonal experience.

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The Fourth Reality :Developing the Supernormal Eight-fold Way

This is the medial path between expressing the emotionsand suppressing or repressing theemotions. Everyemotionalarousalinvolvesadisturbanceofthebodyandmind.Thebodybecomestensedanduncomfortablewhilethemindisunhappy.Itistoovercomethisdiscomfortandunhappinessthatweunconsciouslybegintoreleasethetensioninactiontoobtainwhatisdesired,togetridofwhatishatedortorunawayfromwhat is feared.WhattheBuddhapointsout is that it is possible to learn to consciously relax the tension, instead of unconsciously releasing the tension in action. This is the medial way thateliminatesthediscomfortandunhappinesswithout suppression or repression. This avoids the two extremes of expression and suppression bymeansof themedial path of relaxation of bodyandcalmness of mind.

Thismedialpathbeginswiththeproperunderstanding of the problem and its solution which is the Harmonious Perspective. Having understood the need for the eliminationof emotions through theHarmoniousPerspectiveonebeginsa reorientation of one’s life by changing the goal of life totranquility of mind. This results in calmness of behaviour,expressedinspeech,actionsandlifestyle.Havingdoneso,onebegins to purify the mind through theHarmonious Exercise, whichendsinbeginningtotreadtheSevenStepstoAwakening.This results intheparadigm shift that awakens one from the dream of existence. Thus the mind is liberated(vimutti) from all emotional disturbances and suffering, resulting in theimperturbable serenity, NIBBĀNA.Thismedialpath,therefore,is the Supernormal Eightfold Way.

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The far reaching need to focus on the Fourfold Supernormal Reality (Cattāri Ariya Saccāni) is very clearlypointedoutintheSabbasava Sutta:

“The ordinary person uneducated in the Dhamma thinks, ‘Did I exist in thepast?Did I notexist in thepast? InwhatformdidIexistinthepast?FromwhatformtowhatformdidIchangeinthepast?WillIexistinthefuture?WillInotexistinthefuture?InwhatformwillIexistinthefuture?FromwhatformtowhatformwillIchangeinthefuture?DoIexistnow?InwhatformdoIexistnow?FromwhatformdidIcometothisform?TowhatformwillIgofromthisform?Bythinkinginthisway,onearrivesatoneofsixviews:

(1) Ihavea“self.” (2) Ihaveno“self.” (3) Iperceivea“self”with“Self.” (4) Iperceive“notself”with“Self.” (5) Iperceive“Self”with“notself.” (6) Itisthis“self”ofminethatthinks,feels,speaks,acts,

andexperiencestheconsequencesofgoodandbadacts.This“self”ofmineispermanent,everlasting,eternal,notsubjecttochange,itwillendureaslongaseternity.

Thissetofspeculativeviewsiscalledthethicketofviews,thewildernessofviews,thecontortionofviews,thevacillationof views, the fetterof views. Fetteredby this fetterof views,theuneducatedordinarypersonisnotfreedfrombirth,ageing,death,grief,lamentation,pain,depression,andexhaustion.HeisnotfreedfromsufferingIsay.

The supernormal individual who is well educated andskilledintheDhammaanddisciplineunderstandshowtothink,whattothink,andwhatnottothink,andsohethinks:

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(1) Thisissuffering (2) Thisisthecauseofsuffering (3) Thisisthecessationofsuffering (4) Thisisthewayleadingtothecessationofsuffering.

Whenhebeginstothinkwiselyinthisway,threefettersarebrokeninhim: (1) Personalityperspective(sakkāya diṭṭhi) (2) Cognitivedissonance(vicikiccā) (3) Heteronomousmorality(sīlabbata parāmāsa).

The modern traditional way of explaining theAntecedental Concurrence (paṭicca samuppāda) is based onthe notion of “karma and rebirth,” and it appears to be anexplanation of how rebirth takes place, and how it can be stopped.ThisisbecausethemainproblemforthemoderndayBuddhistis:“How can we stop this process of rebirth?”Inotherwords,rebirthistheproblem.Rebirth is sufferingandend of rebirth is the end of suffering.ThusitisclaimedthatNirvana is the stopping of rebirth.

ThefactthatthisisnottheproblemisindicatedinthefollowingquotationfromtheBuddha:

Numerouslivesinsaɳsāra, IraninpursuitoftheCreator;

Anekajātisaṁsāraṁ – sandhāvissaṁ anibbisaṁ

AndneverdidIevermeethim, Sopainfulisrepeatedbirth.

Gahakārakaṁ gavesanto – dukkhā jāti punappunaṁ.

O!CreatornowIsawyou, Nomorewillyoucreateagain;

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Gahakāraka diṭṭho’ si – puna gehaṁ na kāhasi

Yoursupportsarealldestroyed, Yourstructureisfullydismantled;

Sabbā te phāsukā bhaggā – gahakūṭaṁ visaṅkhitaṁ

Mymindhasstoppedcreating theemotionalurgehasceased.

Visaṅkhāragataṁ cittaṁ – taṇhānaṁ khayam ajjhagā.

(Dhammapada verses 153 & 154)

Thefirstverseisadescriptionofhisexperiencebeforeawakening from thedream of existence. Hewas thinking inanexistentialway,searchingfortheCreator.Thenhegotintoexperiential thinkingandsawhowhisownmentalprocessofperceptionwasthecreatoroftheworld.Inotherwords,hesawthe Antecedental Concurrence (paṭicca samuppāda). Whenhesawfromthisdifferentangleofvision,hewasfreefromallsuffering.Thiswastheparadigm shift.

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CHAPTER VIII

Life is an Unforeseen Error of Nature

Beginning of life

Fromamodernscientificpointofview,whatwecalllife is only an unconscious electro-chemical activity that beginsduetothepresenceofthenecessaryconditions,andendsdueto the absence of the necessary conditions. Each necessarycondition is also dependent on other necessary conditionswithoutanultimatebeginning.

Thisdynamicprocessofelectrochemicalactivityfollowsthe natural law of determinism, whichmeansthateveryactivityis determined by the presence of the necessary conditions.Life beganwhen a special kind ofmolecule came into beingdue to presence of the necessary conditions. This moleculehad a special ability to absorb atoms from the surroundingsand produce molecules of its own kind. This self-replicating moleculewasnottheproductofaSupernaturalCreatoreitherGodorDevil.Itcameintobeingonlyduetothepresenceofthenecessaryconditions.

Thismeans,thattheelectrochemicalprocesscalledlife beganautomatically,basedonthenaturallawofdeterminism.Newmolecules thus formed, however, began to break downwhensomenecessaryconditionswereabsent.Thereforetwoprocesses continuedat the sametime:abuildingupprocess(anabolism) and a breaking down process (catabolism),collectively known as “metabolism.” When the building upprocess was faster than the breaking down process, the netresultwasgrowth.Whenthebreakingdownprocesswasfasterthanthebuildingupprocess,thenetresultwasdecay,leadingultimately to death. The continuity of these two processes

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of growthanddecay, iswhatwe call life. Itwas this processof growth and decay that appeared to Charles Darwin as anunconsciousstruggle for existence.

As conditions in the environment changed, however,the environment itself likewise changed, and was no longerfavourable for this struggle to continue. Though mostmolecules were destroyed, a few molecules somehow wereable tosurviveat least for sometime,despite thehardships.This survival became possible only through an adaptation tothechangingenvironment,insomeway.ThiswaswhatmadeDarwinspeakofthesurvival of the fittest,thoughitwasonlyatemporarysurvival,becauseeveryintegrationwassubjecttodisintegrationwhenevenonenecessaryconditionwasabsent.All thesefactshoweverboildowntoonesingle fact that thisunconsciousstrugglewasamission impossible.Itwasastruggletoexistwhereexistence was not possible,becauselifeisonlya dynamic process of activity,ratherthanastatic “existence.” Existence is a static conceptinadynamic reality.

Amongtheearlyscientifictheoriesofhowthefirstself-replicatingmolecule came intoexistencewas the "primordialsoup,"wheresimplemoleculesmixedtogetherinabroththatwasregularlyenergisedbyultravioletlightandelectricstorms.ScientistshavelongbelievedRNAmoleculesweremorelikelytobetheoriginof life thanDNA.Nowtheythink theremusthavebeenasimplermoleculethatspawnedRNA.

This unconscious chemical activity called life, thoughitstartedwithoneself-replicatingmolecule,begantoproduceseveralmolecules of the same kind, and each newmoleculebegan to create a series of othermolecules, andmany suchseries or chains of molecules came into being. Then thesemoleculesbegantocombinetoformcells,andcellscombinedto form tissues, tissues combined to form organs, organs

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combined to form systems, and systems combined to formorganisms. That was how themolecules evolved to produceorganismssuchasplantsandanimals.Itwasthisunconsciouselectro-chemical activity that developed into what is todaycalledthebiochemicalprocessofevolution.CharlesDarwinsawthisunconsciousbiologicalactivityasastruggleforexistence.This struggle thoughunconscious, andnotwilfullydone,wasa mission impossible. It was a futile struggle because real existencewasnotapossibility. Existencewasa static concept inadynamic reality. Inotherwords,existenceisa conceptual fallacyoradelusion.

Evolution of the human brain

Whenthis impossiblestruggleforexistencecontinued,the environment was not always favourable to this struggle.Whentheenvironmentalconditionschanged,manyorganismsdied but a few were able to survive by adapting to theenvironmental conditions. Because the adaptationwas somekindofchangeintheorganism,theorganismsbegantochangeinstructureandfunctioninadaptingtoenvironmentalconditions.Thischangingevolutionaryprocessthereforebegantodeveloporganismswithdifferencesinstructureandfunction.Asaresultofthisadaptationmanydifferentspeciesoforganismsevolved,withavarietyofstructuresandfunctionsbefittingavarietyofenvironmentalconditions.Theyalsobegantodevelopwhatarecalledsystems,whereseveralorganscombinedtodealwithaproblemintheenvironment.Asconditionsintheenvironmentbecame more and more challenging, the systems becamecorrespondinglymoreandmorecomplex.Assystemsbecamecomplex, they began to develop cardiovascular systems that circulated blood, and even nervous systems that carriedmessagesliketelephonewires.Asthenervoussystemsbegan

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todevelopmorecomplex structuresand functions, it lead tothedevelopmentofabrain. Thebrainbegantodevelopfromaprimitivestructurecalledthebrain stemwhichregulatesbasiclife functions suchas respiration,digestion,bloodcirculation,andmetabolism – these are the autonomous functions thatkepttheorganismaliveandhealthy.

Asconditionsintheenvironmentbecamemoreandmorechallenging,thebraingraduallybegantoevolvefurtherandsoaidthesurvivalofthespecies.Thisresultedinthedevelopmentofanotherpartofthebraincalledthelimbic systemthathelpedinstartinganemotionalreactioninresponsetostimulationbytheenvironment.Itisthisreactionthatwenowcallemotional arousal.TheLimbicSystemistheemotional command center oftheorganism,whichisresponsibleforregulatingdifferencesin the mood or temper such as calmness and excitement.WithintheLimbic SystemisastructureknownastheAmygdala whichisresponsibleforscanningtheenvironmentthroughthesenseorgans, todetect signsofpotential threatsanddangerto the organism. When aroused, the Amygdala triggers thefight or flight response,toprotecttheorganismfromharm.It

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is this reaction that is commonlycalledstress today,which ifprolongedcandevelopintothegeneral adaptation syndrome, whichturnsstressintodistress.

Asthebrainevolvedfurther,higherformsoforganismssuchasmammalsevolved,withtheformationoftheCerebrum which contained the Cerebral Cortex, or Neo-cortex that is responsible for thinking. As evolution progressed furtherthe Cerebrum developed into two hemispheres: left andright. Within these two hemispheres of the Cerebral Cortexcamefourmajorpairsof lobes:frontal lobes,temporal lobes,occipitallobes,andparietallobes.InthiswaythehumanbraindevelopedwithaPre-Frontal Cortex (PFC) inthefrontallobes,which equipped the human being with highly advanced andsophisticatedcognitivefunctionssuchasplanning,goalsetting,decision making, judgment, reasoning, rationalization andspeech.

The impersonality of consciousness

Withthedevelopmentofthesespecialpartsofthebraincametheactivitycalledconsciousness.Thuscame intobeingthe species of organism called the Human Being, the most advancedandsophisticatedspeciesthathasthemostadvancedcognitivecapacityandfunctions.Itisthisspeciesthatbecameawareofanenvironmentcalledthe“world,”andalsobecameawareofa“self” that existsintheworld.

In other words, it is this impersonal electrochemicalactivity called consciousness that has given rise to anawarenessofanobjective “world,”andasubjective “self.” It is this consciousnessthathasgivenrisetoanexperiencewhichhastwoparts:asubjectiveandanobjective. The “world” that we are aware of is an objective experience. The “self” that we are aware of is a subjective experience. The self is the

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result of personalization of the subjective experience. Thismeans the “self,” being a product of the subjective processcalled consciousness, does not exist apart from the processofconsciousness.Therefore it isanappearanceratherthanareality.Theworldthatweareawareofisalsoaproductoftheprocessofconsciousness.Ittooisamereappearance.Inotherwords,boththeworldandtheselfaresubjectiveexperiences rather than objective existences that stand apart from the subjective experience. In other words, the “self” and the“world,” thoughtheyaresupposedtoexist,donotreallyexistby themselves. If this is so, the self and theworld are mere delusions.

If this process called Life began as an unconscious electrochemical activity of a self-replicating molecule, it is this unconscious electrochemical activity that produced theconsciousness. It is this consciousnessthatproducedtheself andtheworldthatweareawareof.Ifthisselfandtheworld do notexistapartfromconsciousness, itmeansneithertheself, northeworldhasarealobjectiveexistence.

Althoughour thinking faculty (cognition=mano) may be aware of this fallacy, our emotions (affective = citta) are unaware.Itisourblindemotionsthatdesireexistence,butourreason isaware that thisblinddesireclasheswith the realityofnon-existence.Thisclashbetweenblind desireandreality leadstofrustration.Itisthisfrustrationthatwecallsuffering, or the insecurity of life.

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The five constituents of personality (Pañca Upādānakkhandha)

The Pali termupādāna is translatedhere as personalization and not as clinging or grasping because themeaning conveyed bythe term upādāna is personalization, whichis to regard somethingas mine, me, or myself (etaη mama, eso hamasmi, eso me attāti). Thepersonalityiscreatedby personalizing theconstituents (khandha) as“mine”or“myself.”

The term khandhaistranslatedasconstituentandnotasaggregate becausethetermkhandha refers to the constituents thatconstitutesthepersonality.

Anefforthasbeenmadeheretoconveythemeaningofthe statementinrelationtothemeaningofthewords.

Personality is the product of personalization of theconstituentsofpersonality.Theconstituentsofthepersonality,however,arenot the constituents of the bodyassometendto think. It is the constituents of the subjective process of perception that we tend to personalize and regard as “my self.” It is the process of perceptionthattheBuddhaanalysedas mental image (rūpa), feeling (vedanā), sensation (saññā), construction (sankhāra) andperception (viññāṇa). Therefore it is the constituentsof theprocessofperception,whichare

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personalized to formthepersonality,or“self.”Toexplain thisfurther,weneed to go into a discussionofwhat is called anexperience.

What is experience?

Firstletusseeourselvesasorganismsinanenvironment.Theorganismisabiophysicalenergysystemverymuch likeamachine. There are five senses in the body consisting of theeyes, ears, the nose, tongue and the entire body.When thisorganismisplacedinanenvironment,thesensesarestimulatedbytheenvironment,andtheorganismreactstothestimulus.Perceptionisthereactionoftheorganismtostimulationofthesenses,bytheenvironment.Anexperienceisaproductofthisprocessofperception.

Thereactionoftheorganismisachain reactionthattakesthe form of a series of reactions.Thefirstreactionisperception suchasseeing,hearing,smelling,tasting,andtouching.Whatisperceivediscarriedtothebrainbynerves,andthethinkingpartofthebrain,calledthecerebralcortex,orneocortex,givesmeaningtowhatisperceivedbythesenses.Thismeaningisaconceptaboutthepercept.Thisgivingmeaningorconception iscalledcognition.

According to the meaning given by the process of cognition, anemotion is aroused,which is a reaction of theorganismtothecognition,intheformofadesire,hatred,fear,orworry.Accordingtotheemotionaroused,anactionresults:toobtainwhatisdesired,togetridofwhatishated,torunawayfromwhat is feared,etc. Thisaction alongwith theemotion aroused is called kamma. Before this action (kamma) takesplace,thehumanbeinghastheabilitytodelaythisaction,togetsufficienttimetodecidewhattodointhisgivensituation,

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andisabletostoptheemotionalactionorgoonwithit.Itisthisdecision that iscalledcetanāwhich is therealkamma. If the decisionistoactemotionally,itbecomesabad action (akusala kamma), but if the decision is to act rationally, it becomes agood action (kusala kamma).Thisdecisiontoactrationally isdue the interference of the emotional or affectiveprocessbythe rational or cognitiveprocess.

Mind, what it is

Whatwe call themind is not an entity separate fromthe body, but an activity of the body. Therefore this chainreaction, consisting of perception, conception, emotion, andactionaresuchactivitiesofthebody,andnotseparateentities.Althoughtheyareactivitiesofthebody,thereisatendencytoexperience these activities as activities of a subjective entitycalledthemind or selfthatexistsapartfromthebody.Whatissubjectivelyexperienced,ispersonalizedas“mine”or“myself.”Whatisobjectivelyexperiencedisregardedasathingthatexistsoutsideus.Whatiscommonlyregardedas“myself”thereforeisnotanentityseparatefromthebody,butonlyanactivityofthebody.

It is this chain reaction or process of perception,conception, and emotion that we personalize as “mine” or“myself.”Thisishowwebuildtheconceptof“self.”This“self”buildingprocess,however,isnotpurelyrationalbutrathertoagreatextentemotional.

Whenonebecomesawareoftheprocessofperceptionthroughapperception, however, one becomes awareof howtheprocessofperceptiontakesplace.Thismeansonebecomesawareof thefive constituents of the process of perception. TheBuddhathesefiveconstituentsintheprocessofperception

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have been described by as Pañca Upādāna Khandha, whichmeansthefive constituents of personality. The term khandha isgenerallytranslatedasaggregate,whichdoesnotcarrythenecessarymeaning,whichisconstituent.Thetermupādāna (upa =insideādāna=taking)istoregardas“mine,”ortopersonalize. Becauseoureyesworklikeamoviecameracontinuouslytakingaseriesofpictures,thefivestagesintheprocessofperceptionareaseriesofactivitiesconstitutingtheprocessofperception.ThisiswhytheyarecalledthefiveconstituentsoftheProcessofPerception.Thesefiveconstituentsareasfollows:

(1) MentalImage(rūpa) (2) Feeling(vedanā) (3) Sensation(saññā) (4) Construction(sankhāra) (5) Perception(viññāṇa)

Inspeakingofthesenseofsight,theBuddhaspokeofthe image (rūpa)perceivedfirst.Thenhespokeofthebuilding blocksoftheimageasthefeelings (vedanā)andthesensations (saññā). Next he spoke of the process of construction (sankhāra).Finallyhespokeofthecompletionofthefivestagesintheprocessasperception (viññāṇa)inwhichwedistinguish betweenoneobjectandanotherandtheirrelationship.

It is when these constituents of the process ofperceptionarepersonalized (upādāna) thattheideaof“self”comes into being. To personalize is to say “this is mine.” Allthatispersonalizedas“mine”becomesthe“self.”Personality thereforeistheproductofpersonalizationoftheconstituentsofperception.Thispersonalityhoweverisnotarationalconceptbutanemotionalfeeling.

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Takeforinstancethesenseofsight.Ifweseesomething,wesay“Isee,”butwhereisthe“I”thatsees?Isittheprocessofperceptionthatwerefertoas“I”?The“I”isafeelingratherthananactualobjectperceived. Ifwe look foranobject, theonlyobjecttobeseenisthe body thatoccupiesspaceandtime.This is themeaningofMy Body Perspective (sakkāya diṭṭhi). Theprocessofperceptiontakestheformofthebody.Thebodyispersonalizedas,“this is mine” or “I perceive.”Yetthebodyisnotsomethingweobjectivelysee,otherthanjustthevisiblehands, legs,abdomenorimageinamirror.Thebodythatwethinkofisonlyamentalimageconstructedinthemind.Thebodythatweseeas“my self”isonlyamentalimage,verydifferentfromwhatotherpeopleseeas“me.”Thisiswhywhen“I”seeapictureof“myself”takenbysomeone,itlooksverydifferentfromwhat“I”think“Iam.”Itisbypersonalizingthebodyintheform of a mental image that the notion of personality or “self” comesintobeing.

ItisinterestingtonotethatSigmundFreuddividedthepersonality into three parts: the id, the ego, and the super ego. The id referred to the emotions, and the ego referred to reason. The super ego was the conscience. He found theid coming in conflict with the ego, and even with the super ego.Hefounditdifficulttoresolvetheconflictbetweenblindemotions and the rational intellect. The emotional id couldnotbeeradicated,Freudthought,becausetheywereinstinctsthatwerebuilt intothesystem.Thereforehispartialsolutionwas through sublimation, which was to redirect the energyof the emotions along socially acceptable channels. He alsospokeof thediscontentofcivilization,because tobecivilizedistoconsciouslysuppresslustandhate,whichistoexperiencefrustrationanddisappointment.

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TheBuddhawasawareofthisconflict,althoughhedidnotusethesameterminology.ItisimportanttoknowthattheBuddhapointedoutthatthedifficultyinresolvingtheconflictwasduetopersonalization of the id, ego, and super ego.Hespokeoffour kinds of personalization (upādāna).

(1) personalizationofemotion (kāma upādāna) = id

(2) personalizationofreasoning (diṭṭhi upādāna) = ego

(3) personalization of morals (sīlabbata upādāna) = super ego

(4) personalizationofnotion of self (attavāda upādāna) = personality.

The Buddha pointed out that the conflict can beresolvedonlybyundoing thepersonalization (anupādāna) of the emotion (id), the reasoning (ego), and themorals (super ego). The Buddha took these activities to be impersonalprocesses dependent on conditions, while Freud took themtobepartsofthepersonality.ItisduetopersonalizationthattheresolutionoftheconflictbecamedifficultforFreud.Itwasbyun-personalization (anupādāna) that theBuddhawasableto resolve the conflict. It is important to distinguish thisun-personalizationfromthedepersonalizationdisorderorneurosisreferredtoinpsychiatry.

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CHAPTER IX

Wonderful Achievement of the BuddhaAwakening from the dream of existence

The beginning

This brings us to adiscussion of how the Buddhaawakened from the dreamof existence. He started as aBodhisatta learning to sacrificeeverything he thought he had,including his own body andmind. In one lifetime he saw atigress trying to eat her cubsout of hunger. He sacrificed hisown body to the tigress andthussavedthecubs.Anothertimehewasbornasakingandhesacrificedallhisproperty,hispalace,hischildrenandevenhiswife,andwentintotheforesttolivethere.FinallyhewasbornintheHeavenofContentment(Tusita)astheKingofthatHeaven (Santuṭṭhi)waitingtill thetimewas ready for him tobecomeaBuddha.

Whenthetimewasripe,hewasbornintoaroyalfamilyasPrinceSiddhatta.Fromthetimehewasbornhewaspamperedby the attendants till one day during a ploughing ceremonyhe experienced the first solitude, when the attendantswerebusyattendingtotheceremony.Thatwasthetimeheenteredthefirstecstasy (jhāna) in thisnew lifeasaPrince.Wehaveexplained what an ecstasy was. It was standing out of thesensualworld.Whenhereachedtheageof16his fathergot

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himmarriedagainsthiswishes.Afterhismarriagehewasnotinterestedinthecommonsensualpleasuresofmarriedlife.Sohelivedmarriedfor13yearstilltheageof29,tillhedecidedto renounce theworldly (mundane) life and enter a spiritual(supramundane)life.

The Great Renunciation

Hisdecisiontorenounceoccurredwhenhesawanoldman,asickmanandacorpse.Hebecameawareoftherealitiesof life.Herealizedthateveryplant,animal,andhumanbeingthatisbornmustgrowold,fallsickanddie.Everythingintheworld, even inanimate things, must grow old, fall sick, anddie.Attachment to them is thecauseofall suffering.Normalhuman beings, though aware of this fact, still keep seekingtheseevanescentthingsandsuffer.Whenhesawarenouncedperson,hethought:“Hereisonemanwhodoestheopposite.Thatistherightthingtodo.Iwilldothesame.”Sohegaveuphisprincelylife,hislovingfatherandhislovingauntwhomotheredhim,hisbeautifulwife,hisnewlybornchild,andevenhisfutureasakingoremperor,andwithdrewintotheforest,toliveanascetic life, learningmeditation fromwell-knownmeditationmastersofthetime.Beforeheleftthefamily,however,hedidproduceachild,becausehedidn’twanttoleavethewifealoneandunhappy.

His main purpose in life was to conquer the blind emotionsandsolvethe problem of existence,whichisdeath or mortality itself. We are caught up in a trap, where blindemotionsarecarryingusunconsciouslytowardsaninevitable,unpredictable death that is hanging over our head, like theswordofDamocles,liabletofallandcrushusintopiecesatanytime. It is this sameproblem that all religions (monotheistic,

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polytheistic or humanistic) are attempting to solve in theirownway.Mostreligionsappeartobeescapesfromrealityintoa fantasy, but Prince Siddhattagaveup the theistic approachandtookupahumanisticapproachtosolvetheproblem,usinghuman intelligence.He saw that theobstacle that preventedhimfromusingthehumanintelligencewashumanemotions.Soheremovedallemotionaldisturbancesfromhissystembylearningtopracticetranquillitybylettinggo.Thishelpedhimtochangehisthinking.

Asceticism

Hepracticedtranquillitytothehighestlevelpossible.Atfirsthelearnedthisfromhismeditationteachersbuthecouldnot reach the highest point, because the teachers had notreachedthehighestpoint.Sohedecidedtopracticeasceticismwithfiveascetics.Heevenstoppedeatingtillhebecamelikeaskeleton.Thenhetriedtostopbreathing.This resulted inhisfainting,whensomethoughthewasdead.When,however,hewokeup,hethought:“AllthesedaysIhavebeentryingtolearnfromothersanddowhatotherpeopledid.Now Iwillgomyownway.”

He started to eat to strengthen his body and mind.He recalled how as a child he had entered the first ecstasyautomaticallybylettinggoofeverything.Hethought:“ThisiswhatIwilldonow.Iwill letgo,giveupeverything.”Thiswayhegaveupall thefivehindrances, lust,hate, lethargy,worry,and indecision. This resulted in the appearance of the fiveconstituentsofecstasy:

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Entering Ecstasy

(1) The first ecstasy:with inquiry, inference, serenity,comfort,andstillnessofmind.

(2) Then the second ecstasy: with serenity, comfort,andstillnessofmind.

(3) Thenthethirdecstasy:withcomfortandstillnessofmind.

(4) Then the fourth ecstasy: with stillness andapperception.

1st Jhāna

Inference(vitakka)

Inquiry(vicāra)

Rapture(pīti)

Comfort (sukha)

StillnessofMind(ekaggatā)

2nd Jhāna

Rapture(pīti)

Comfort (sukha)

StillnessofMind(ekaggatā)

3rd

JhānaComfort (sukha)

StillnessofMind(ekaggatā)

4th

JhānaStillnessofMind

(ekaggatā)

Thenhebegantoenterthecognitiveecstasies:

(1) Therealmofinfinitespace (2) Therealmofinfiniteperception (3) Therealmofnothingness (4) Therealmofneithersensationnornosensation (5) Thecessationofsensationandfeeling.

Thislaststatewastheabsoluteunconsciousness(avijjā), where the consciousness was absent though the body wasalive. Itwaswhenhewokeup from this state thathebegantobecomeawareofthementalprocessbywhichthe“world”that we are aware of, the “self” we are aware of, and the

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“suffering” we are aware of, came into being. All this cameout of the process of perception, conception, cognition, andaffection.Thesepsychophysicalactivitiesdidnotarisedue tothecommandmentsofasupernaturalCreator,butonlybecauseofthepresenceofthenecessaryconditions.

Thisexperiencemadehimrealize that themind isnotanentityseparatefromthebody,butanactivityofthebody,whichwhenperceivedsubjectivelyappears tobementalandwhen observed objectively appears to be physical. In otherwords, experience is dichotomized into a subjective and anobjective.Healso saw that the cognitiveprocess creates theobjective“world,”andtheaffectiveemotionalprocesscreatesthesubjective“self,”andtheresultingsuffering.

How the objective process creates the world

Environmentalactivitiesstimulatethefivesenseorgansinthefollowingmanner:

We start with the assumption: organism (A) is in theenvironment (B). Yet the organism and environment areproductsof theprocessofperception,whichneedsA&B tostartwith.Theorganismcontainsthebody, the five senses,andthe brain.

• EYE:isstimulatedbylightintheenvironmentcomingintheformofelectromagneticwaves

• EAR:isstimulatedbysoundwavescomingintheformofmovementsintheair

• NOSE: is stimulated by odorant molecules touchingtheolfactorybulbinsidethenose

• TONGUE:isstimulatedbyflavourmoleculestouchinggustatoryreceptorsinthetastebuds

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• BODY:isstimulatedbyTouch:aspressure,temperature,andvibrationoftactileobjects

Ifweconsiderthesenseofsight,whatisperceivedbytheeyeisonlyavisualimage(rūpa).Theimageisproducedwhenthebody reacts to the stimulus and so experiences a feeling(vedanā)andasensation (saññā).Sensation (saññā) refers to the“colour,”andfeeling(vedanā) referstothepleasantnessorunpleasantnessofthecolour.

In the case of hearing, sensation (saññā) refers to the nature of the sound, and feeling (vedanā) refers to the pleasantnessorunpleasantnessfeltintheear.

Sensation (saññā) is always accompanied by feeling(vedanā)andsotheyareinseparable.Sensationandthefeelingarereactionsoftheorganismtostimulationbytheenvironment.

Sensationandfeelingbecometherawmaterialusedfortheconstructionofmental imagesbythethinkingpartofthebrain.

Thisconstructionprocess (sankhāra)isamentalactivity.Theresultofthisactivityofconstructionistheformationofthemental images,whichareperceived(viññāṇa).Frommomenttomoment,everymentalimage(rūpa)thatarisesfadesawaytobereplacedbyanothermentalimagethatarises.Thishappensin a continuousmanner,making us feel the continuity to beseenasastaticexistence.

Sinceamultiplicityofobjectsarepresentinacomplexmentalimage,adifferentiationbetweenoneobjectandanotherbecomesnecessaryintheprocessofperception (viññāṇa).

All sense organs continuously feed mental images tothebrainandthebrainmakesuseoftheseimagesandformsconceptsabouttheenvironment.Intheformationofconcepts,

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the brain uses past experiences. In doing so it puts imagesintocategories(papañceti),andthatishowwerecognizeandidentifyobjects.Wereactemotionallyaccordingtothewayweidentifyobjects.

Itisthisreactionthatbifurcatestheexperienceperceivedintoasubjectiveandobjective.Thesubjectiveispersonalizedandtheobjectiveisalienated,creatingaself andanother.

Thisishowwecreatetheworldthatweareawareofandthe selfthatlivesintheworld.Thenanemotional relationship develops between the self and the world. This relationshipbeginsthesufferingduetomeetingandparting.

WhenweexaminetheformulalaiddownbytheBuddhaastheConcurrenceofAntecedents,wefindthatitbeginswithunconsciousness.Thismeansthementalprocessofcreationofobjectsbeginsfromastateofunconsciousnessasexperiencedby the Buddha. The Building process begins with feeling and sensation (vedanā and saññā). Asone goes through thecognitiveecstasiesbackwards,onecomestothefourthaffectiveecstasy and from there to (the third affective ecstasy wherebreathingbegins.Itisonlyatthefirstecstasythatconceptual thinking (vitakka vicāra)begins.TheBuddhapointedoutthatconstructionisofthreekinds:

(1) Mental Construction (Citta Saṅkhāra): feeling andsensation (vedanā-saññā)

(2) Verbal Construction (Vacī Saṅkhāra): inquiry andinference(vitakka-vicāra)

(3) PhysicalConstruction(Kāya Saṅkhāra):breathinginandout(assāsa-passāsa).

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Objectsareconstructedby these threeprocesses.Thefeelingsandsensationsarelikethebricksthatbuildawall.Theobject is built using questions and answers such as:What isthis?Thisisatree,orthisisadog,orthisisaman.Thephysicalenergy for this activity of construction is obtained from thebreathing.Theconstructionendsupinperception (viññāṇa).

Whatisperceivedistheobjectintheformofanimage (rūpa), and the name (nāma) that identifies the object. Inthis same way the five senses go into action individuallyand collectively to form images with identities. Whateverinformation is obtained through sensory perception istransferredtothebrainwherethinkingoccurstogivemeaningtowhat is perceived. Thus the sensory world (saḷāyatana) is created.Withthecreationofthesensoryworld,theprocessofcognition (phassa)iscompleted.

How the affective process creates the “self”

From here on the affective process begins. Once thecognitive process gets started, the feelings become readyfor action. The three kinds of feelings (vedanā): pleasant,unpleasant, andneutral, become targets towhichemotional reactions (tanhā)arefired.Atthebeginningduringthecognitiveprocesstheexperiencewasonlyobjectiveandsingle.Nowwiththecomingoftheemotional reaction (tanhā),theexperienceofperceptionisbifurcatedintoasubjectiveandanobjective. Theobjectperceivedbecomestheobjective,andtheemotionalreactionandtheprocessofperceptionbecomesthesubjective.

Whenthishappensthesubjectivepart ispersonalized (upādāna) as “mine.” What is personalized turns into thepersonality, the “self.” The personality is created by theemotional reaction (tanhā). The object is externalized as

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“other.”Whenthequestionarises:Whatarewereferringtoasthe“self?”Theonlyansweristhebody thatoccupiesspaceandtime.Thusbeginsthe“‘I am the body’ perspective” (sakkāya diṭṭhi).

When the body has become the “self,” I have a past,presentandfuture.Thepastofthebodyisbirth, the future of thebodyisdeath.Thepresentofthebodyisageing. With this comes meeting the unpleasant ageing, sickness, and death, and parting from the pleasant youth, health, and life. Not gettingwhatonedesires:eternalyouth,health,life.Thisendswithgrief, lamentation, pain, distress,andexhaustion.

Awakening

Here ends the Concurrence of Antecedents (paṭicca samuppāda). When this is reflected on, one begins to see how things come to be.Thiswayofthinkingiscalledthinking genetically (yoniso manasikāra). This thinking brings aboutthe paradigm shift from personal existence to impersonal experience. This results in awakening from the dream of existence, endingintheimperturbable serenity – NIRVANA.

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CHAPTER X

A Symbolic Presentation of Buddha

Hinduism has not totally rejected Buddhism. It hasabsorbedBuddhismwhile preserving their favourite dogmas.ItwasShankaracharyawhobecameaBuddhistmonktostudyBuddhismandthengaveuprobestowritecommentariestotheVedasusingBuddhistconcepts.ThiswashowheobtainedthenameThe Buddhist in disguise (Pracchanna Bhauddha)bytheBrahminsthemselves.TheotherBrahminPatanjaliwhowrotethePatanjaliYogaSasthraformulatedhismeditationsysteminimitationoftheSupernormalEightfoldPathoftheBuddhaandcalleditthepathtaughtbytheRishiKapilawholivedbeforetheBuddha.YetKapilaisbelievedtohavetaughttheSankyaYogaSastraandnottheAtthangaYogaofPatanjali.

The interesting point, however, is the relationshipbetweenBuddhismandtheThreeMurthi:Brahma,Vishnu,andSiva.Thesethreenamesdonotrefertothreegods.ThesethreewordsrefertothethreeformsofoneGod:Creator,Preserver,andDestroyer.ThesethreeformsofGodarerecognizedeveninChristianity.ItisgenerallybelievedbyHindusthattheBuddhaisanincarnationofVishnu,whichmeansthattheBuddhaisapreserver.Butthefactis,however,thatitismoremeaningfultoconsidertheBuddhaasanincarnationofSiva.ThismeansthattheBuddhaisadestroyerratherthanapreserver.ItwouldevenbemoremeaningfultothinkofSivaasasymbolicrepresentationoftheBuddha.Why?

The reason is that from theoriginal Buddhist point ofview,theBuddha isthedestroyeroftheworld.HedestroyedtheworldbyAwakeningfromtheDream of Existence of a world with a “self” in it.”Thewell-knownversesalreadymentioned,makesthisclear:

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Numerouslivesinsamsara, IraninpursuitoftheCreator;

Anekajātisaṁsāraṁ sandhāvissaṁ anibbisaṁ

AndneverdidIevermeethim, Sopainfulisrepeatedbirth.

Gahakārakaṁ gavesanto dukkhā jāti punappunaṁ.

Nowyouareseen,OhCreator Nomorewillyoucreateagain;

Gahakāraka diṭṭhosi puna gehaṁ na kāhasi

Yoursupportsarealldestroyed, Yourstructureisfullydismantled;

Sabbā te phāsukā bhaggā gahakūṭaṁ visaṅkhitaṁ

Mymindhasstoppedcreating theemotionalurgehasceased.

Visaṅkhāragataṁ cittaṁ taṇhānaṁ khayam ajjhagā.

(Dhammapada verses 153 & 154)

These two verses represent the paradigm shift from existential thinking to experiential thinking. The first versedepictstheexistential paradigm,andthesecondversedepictsthe experiential paradigm. In the existential paradigm theobjective worldandthe subjective selfexists.Intheexperientialparadigmtheydo not exist.

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ThereismoretotherelationshipbetweenBuddhismandSiva.Everypersonwhogoesintomeditationbeginstofeelasifonehasgoneoutofone’snormallife,andisspendingsometimeonvacation.Asoneprogressesinmeditation,thetimecomeswhenonebeginstofeelthatthehoursofmeditationistherealhomeandthetimeoneisnotmeditatingisthevacation.

Herewebegintoexperienceaparadigmshift.Thetime in meditationisspentintheparadigm of experienceandthetime in ordinary lifeisthetimespentintheparadigm of existence. It ispossibletotoggle between the two paradigms theexistentialandtheexperiential,aswehavementionedearlier.

ItisinterestingtonotethatSivaisseenin two forms: Siva in meditation, and Siva indance. These two forms of Siva can be seenasthetwoparadigms:theSiva in dance is the existentialparadigm,andSiva in meditation is theexperientialparadigm.

We have already spoken of the two forms of Nibbāna (Nirvana): (1) Saupādisesā and(2)Anupādisesā (Itivuttaka44–p38):

(1) Saupādisesā Nibbāna (Nirvana) =theexistentialmode

(2) Anupādisesā Nibbāna (Nirvana) =theexperientialmode

These two terms are defined quite differently in thetraditionalTheravadaschoolofthoughttoday.Itisasfollows:

(1) Saupadisesa Nibbāna(Nirvana)=ExperienceoftheBuddhaoremancipator,whileliving.

(2) Anupadisesa Nibbāna(Nirvana)=ExperienceoftheBuddhaoremancipator,afterdeath.

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This interpretationof themodernTheravadaschoolofBuddhism is similar to the Hindu idea of Jeevan mukta andVideha mukta.

(1) Jeevanmukta–(saupadisesa)

(2) Videhamukta–(anupadisesa)

ThisisprobablyaninfluenceorintermixtureofHinduismandBuddhism.

TheBuddhahasalwaysstatedthatNibbāna(Nirvana)is the Cessation of Existence (bhava nirodho Nibbānan). Nirvana is not the destruction of an existing object but a paradigm shift from existential thinking to experiential thinking. Theemancipator can toggle between these two paradigmsoccasionally, butmost of the time he or she remains in theexperientialmode(Nirodha samāpatti).Onlyoccasionally,forapurposelikegoingonthealmsround (pindapāta),ordiscussingthe Dhamma (dhammīvā kathā) does he or she enters theexistentialmode.

Thewell-knownstatementoftheBuddha“Speak on the Dhamma or maintain the Ariya silence (dhammīvā kathā ariyo vā tunhibhāvo) refers to the same toggle. The Ariya silence (ariyo vā tunhibhāvo) isreallytheexperiential mode (Nirodha samāpatti), anddiscussingtheDhammaistheexistentialmode.

It is interestingtonotethatmodernscientificresearchrefers to a toggle switch in the brain called the ReticularActivating System (RAS), which can toggle between thecognitiveandaffectivemodes.Itisprobably the same RAS that the emancipator uses to toggle between the existential andexperientialparadigms.

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CHAPTER XI

Concept of God

The Buddha did have a concept of God though thedefinition of God was not theistic but humanistic. For the Buddha, God is only a human concept. It is the concept ofperfection,inknowledge,power,andgoodness;symbolizedinmonotheisticreligionasomniscience,omnipotence,andomni-benevolence.Thesearetheultimatevaluesthathumanbeingsseek, because they are born ignorant, powerless, andwith atendencytoselfishness,whichisevil.

Although thesevaluesareattributed to theCreator inmonotheistic religion, humanistic philosophers have alwaysquestioned how such a Good Creator could create a worldfullofsufferingandevil,orallowsuchthingstoremaininthisworld.Biblicalreligionsdoprovideareasonforthis,however,byturningtheblameonthedisobedienceofAdamandEve,thefirsthumans.Yetthatdoesnotanswerwhythereisdeathforotheranimals,orevenplantsandinanimatematter.

BuddhistsofcoursedonotbelieveintheCreationofanall-lovingGod. Yet Buddhists do have the concept of an “All-powerfulKiller”(Vasavatti Māra).ThePalitermvasavatti meansall-powerful,andthetermMārameans“Killer.”ThetermMāra alsosymbolizesevil, inBuddhism.ThereforeMararepresentsthe Devil,inBuddhism.“God”and“Devil”inBuddhismreferstothe“good”and“evil”withinhumannature.Thismeans,power,inBuddhism,belongstotheDevil,ratherthantoGod.God,fortheBuddhist,isthepersonificationofgoodnessandWisdom,butnotpower.ThisiswhytheBuddhisttakesrefugeinthewisdomandgoodnessoftheBuddha,ratherthanhispower.Theterm

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“Buddha”referstomanbecomeGod(Brahmabhūto)whichtheactualizationofthehumanpotentialtogainperfection.

CommonmanseeksSupernaturalpowertochangehisnaturalunpleasantcircumstances,buttheenlightenedBuddhistseekswisdomoftheBuddhatochangehimself.TheteachingoftheBuddhaisaboutchangingourselvesandnotaboutchangingour circumstances. Even biological evolution progressed byadaptingtotheenvironment,ratherthanattemptingtochange theenvironment.

“God,”fortheBuddhist,isthehumanideal of perfection that human beings conceive and struggle to realize throughthe practice of religion.Religion, therefore for the Buddhist,is the human efforttosolvetheproblem of existence(whichis death). The human being is able to transcend all humanweaknesses (ignorance, powerlessness and the tendency toselfishness).FromthisBuddhisthumanisticperspective,itwasmanwhocreatedGod,inhisownimage,notviceversa.

Buddhistsbelievethatthisstateofperfectionisahuman potentialthatisactualizedfromtimetotimewhenthehumanbeingbecomesanAwakened One (a Buddha), or God become (Brahma bhūto). This actualization of the human potential istheunionwithGod,which all religions aspire to accomplish.TounitewithGod,fortheBuddhist,istobecomeGod.Justasariverenterstheoceanandlosesitsidentity,soahumanbeingloseshis identity inbecomingGod.This isnot thedeificationofahumanbeing,buttheevolutionofthehumanbeingtoaSuperhumanDivinelevel.Suchapersonwhohasrealized the ideal of perfectionbecomestheAnthropomorphic God of the Buddhist.

To become God, however, is also to become fullyhuman,byeliminatingtheanimalnaturewithin,which is the“self-centeredemotions.”Thedifferencebetweenthehuman

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beingandtheotheranimalsismainlyinthebrain.Thehumanbeingisatahigherevolutionarylevel,becauseofhisabilitytothinkandreasonoutlogically.Themodernscientificdiscoveriesand technology, which have brought so much comfort andconveniences tomankind is the resultof thisability to think.Yet this special ability of the human being ismainly used togratifyhumancravingsandfordestructivepurposes likewarsandcrime.

Thehumanbeing today isnot fully evolved, andhe isnot fully consciousof thedamagehe isdoing tohimselfandothers,andtheworldatlarge.Heisobstructingtheverypeace heiscravingfor.Itislikeababywithunsafetoysorachildwithdangerousweapons. The humanbeing is still like the animalthat is carried away by emotions. Emotions are dominatinghismind.Hisreasonisonlyusedasaslaveoftheemotionstogratifytheemotions.

ThisiswhatSigmundFreud,thefatherofpsychoanalysis,sawinthechildandtheneurotic;theyarebothdominatedbythepleasureprinciple(theid).Thedifferencebetweenneurosisandnormality is only amatterof degree. “All normalpeople(puthujjana),”saidtheBuddha,“areinsane.”Thismeanstheyareeitherpsychoticorneurotictosomedegree.Theyaremainlyfollowingtwoextremewaysofliving,accordingtotheBuddha.Theyaredevotedtosensualpleasureorpracticinganasceticway of life, suppressing the emotions, both being mentallysick. According to Sigmund Freud the healthy personality isdominatedbytherealityprinciple (theego).TheBuddhatoopointedout that thehealthywayof living is themedialpathbetweenemotionalindulgenceandself-mortification,whichisthepursuitoftheimperturbableserenityofmindandbody.

Thismeans,thehealthywayoflivingforthehumanbeingistomaintainatranquilmindandbedominatedbyreasonand

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notbyemotion.Allemotionsareself-centeredaccordingtotheBuddha,andsowas it forFreud.Unselfishgoodbehaviour ispossibleonlywhenthemindisfreeofselfishemotions.Universalgoodwill(mettā)isnotanemotion.Itcomesfromamindfreeoftheself-centeredemotions.Emotionisadisturbanceofthemindandbody. It is a tranquilmindanda relaxedbody thatis free of self-centered emotions. It is such amind that canbecomeinterestedinthewelfareofothersfortheirsake.Thisselflessinterestinthewelfareofallbeings(mettā) isgenuinelove.Thismeanstrueloveandmentalhealthistheabsenceofself-centeredemotions.

Therationalfacultyortheintellectisthespecialqualitythat distinguishes the human being from other animals. Thedevelopmentofthisfacultyandthemindbeingdominatedbyreasoninsteadofemotionisthewaytobecomefullyhuman.Therefore gaining freedom from emotional domination andbeing dominated by reason is not only conducive to mentalhealth,butitisalsothewaytobecomefullyhuman.Thisalsomeans, to realize the religious ideal of unionwith God is tobecome fullyhuman. Tobecome fullyhuman is to transcendall human weaknesses and become superhuman. This fullyhuman state is therefore supernormal or superhuman. It isdivinebecauseitistherealizationoftheidealofperfectionthathumanbeingsworshipasGod.

ThisiswhyBuddhismisahumanisticreligion,whichisaprocessofevolutionofthehumanconsciousnesstotheultimatepointintheevolutionaryprocess.Thehumanbeingtranscendstheordinaryimperfecthumanstateandbecomesfullyhumaninreachingthestateofperfection.IndoingsothehumanbeingentersaSuperhumanDivinestate.ThisfullyhumanstateisnomorehumanbecauseithastranscendedallhumanweaknessesandbecomeunitedwithGodandbecomeGod.

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This Transcendence or Awakening is called the defeatofMara,theKiller(Māra parājaya),whichistheembodimentofevil.Throughouthumanhistory,ineveryreligionandeveryculture,thisideaofaconflictbetweenGodandtheDevil has been expressed. This conflict is in fact the conflict betweengood andevilwithinhumannature. InBuddhist thinking theBuddha takes the place of God andMara takes the place ofthe Devil. In modern psychology, Sigmund Freud recognizedthisconflictastheconflictbetweentheegoandtheid. Today it is expressedas the conflictbetween thecognitive and theaffective. Incommonparlanceitisseenastheconflictbetweenthe headandtheheart.TheaimoftheBuddhawastoresolvethis conflict between emotion and reason. This resolution isachievedthroughthewisdomoftheBuddhaandnothispower.Itwasachievedthroughaprocessofevolutionof thehumanconsciousness.

ThedefeatofMaraalsomeansovercomingdeath.ThismeansthattheBuddhaattainedimmortality.Thisimmortality,however,isnoteternallife.Itdoesnotmeanthathebecameeternal. He simply awoke from the dream of existence. Existence is seen in Buddhism as a dream or delusion. Thenormalhumanbeing isonlydreamingofexistence.He“doesnotreallyexist.”Inotherwords,thenormalhumanbeingisnotfullyconscious.Itisonlywhenhehasbecomefullyconsciousthatheawakens fromthedream.Thisawakening isamatterof growth or evolution. This process of evolution, however,isnotanunconsciousprocess,as inbiologicalevolution. It isa conscious process of psychological evolution. It has to beachieved througha consciouswilful effortof each individual.“Eachindividualhastomaketheeffort,aBuddhacanonlyshowtheway”(Dhammapada verse 276).

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Death is the main problem of life, according to theBuddha.Lifeitself isacontinuousstruggleagainstdeath.ThisiswhatCharlesDarwinsawasthestruggleforexistence.Thisstruggle for existence always ends in death. Every individualwhoisbornmustdie.Everyoneisdefeatedinthisfightagainstdeath.Thereforethisstruggleagainstdeathisfutile.Immortalityisseenasanunrealisticgoal.Thenaturallawisthateverythingthat is integrated is subject to disintegration. This is the lawof determinism, on which scientific discovery and inventionis based. This law is that every occurrence in the world isdeterminedbythepresenceofthenecessaryconditions.

This means the entire process of life, which is thestruggle for existence, is amistake. It is an effort to becomepermanent in an impermanent world. Thismistaken processof life, or struggle for existence, resulting in evolution, hadto continue till the conscious human being evolved with anintelligencetoreasonoutandrealizethatthisstruggletoexistwasamistake.Itisonlythenthatthehumanbeingconsciouslystartedthepsychologicalprocessofevolutionofconsciousnessitself andultimately awoke from thedreamof existence andstoppedthestruggleforexistence,realizingthatthereisnorealexistencetostrugglefor.Itisonlywhenthishasbeenachievedthat theproblemof existence is perfectly solved. This is alsotheperfectmentalhealth.Thismentalhealthisnotnormal;itissupernormalandsuperhumanandthereforedivine.ThisisthetranscendenceofhumannatureandmanbecomingGod,theanthropomorphicGod.

Even before the human being rises to that highestperfectlevelofevolution,ifheturnshismindinthatdirection,and begins to move towards the goal of awakening he hasenteredthestreamthatflowsintotheoceanof“Awakening.”Thisentranceisasublime(ariya)level,atwhichonebeginsto

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enjoyahappinessthatordinarypeopledonotexperience.Suchapersoniscalledonewhohasenteredthestream(sotāpanna). OnlysuchapersonhasbecomeatrueBuddhist.OnedoesnotbecomeaBuddhistbybirthorevenconviction;onebecomesaBuddhistonlybybeginningtheconsciousprocessofevolutionofconsciousness.Thisisalevelofmentalhealthwhereoneisfreefromallneurosisandpsychosis.Atthisstageonebecomesmentallyhealthyinthenormalsense,thoughtheperfectmentalhealthisgainedonlywhenoneawakensfullyfromthedreamofexistence.

Existential philosophers pointed to the problem:“outofall animals it is thehumanbeingwho isawareofhisownexistenceand isalsoawarethathe isgoingtodie.”Thiscreatesanxiety,worry,fear,andanguish.Theisticexistentialistsattemptedtosolvetheproblembytakingtheleapoffaith.Theatheistic existentialists attempted to solve it by using humanpotentials.

It is this same problem of existence, which is deathandunhappiness thatall religionsHOPE to solve, sometimesthroughanescapefromrealityintoafantasyofeternallife.

Itwas theBuddha,however,whosolved the problem of existence by means of a paradigm shift from existential thinking to experiential thinking. He Awakened from the fantasy of eternal existenceintothereality of the absence of existence. This iswhyhe iscalledtheBUDDHA,theonewhohas awakened from the dream of existence.

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Conclusion

Thesystemofmeditationdescribedinthethreebookletsintheformofthreelevelsofmeditativeexperienceisnothingother than the Supernormal EightfoldWay (ariya aṭṭhangika magga).

Wehavetranslatedtheword“ariya”asthe“Supernormal”becausethat is themeaningoftheterm“ariya.” The Buddha used another term puthujjana (normal) to emphasise thedistinction between normal (puthujjana) and supernormal(ariya).Modernpsychologists use the two termsnormal andabnormaltoindicatetwolevelsofconsciousness.TheBuddhaused these terms normal and supernormal to indicate twootherlevelsofconsciousness.

The three levels ofmeditative experience are nothingother than the well-known three levels of practice: purityof behaviour (sīla), emotional purity (samādhi) , intellectualpurity(paññā). ThesethreelevelsofpracticecomeundertheSupernormalEightfoldWay,thetruepathofpurity.

The first five steps in the Supernormal Eightfold Waycoverthepurityofbehaviour (sīla).Thesixthstepcovers theemotionalpurity(samādhi).Theseventhandeighthstepscovertheintellectualpurity (paññā).

The completion of the Supernormal Eightfold Wayinvolves aparadigm shift,which is notmerely an intellectualtransformationbutalsoanemotionalandbehaviouralone.Inotherwords, it isacompletechangeindisposition,character,orpersonality.Aself-centeredindividualistransformedintoaselflessindividual.

The transformed individual becomes a spirituallyemancipated individualwhohasbroken tenbondsor fetters.

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This isbecause the self-centered individual is fetteredby tenfetterstotheexistentialmode.Thetenfetters(samyojana) are asfollows:

(1) Personalbodyperspective(sakkāya–diṭṭhi). (2) Cognitivedissonance(vicikiccā) (3) Heteronomousmorality (sīlabbata–parāmāsa) (4) Avarice(kāma–rāga) (5) Aversion(paṭigha) (6) Visuallust(rūpa–rāga) (7) Lustfornon-visualbeing(arūpa–rāga) (8) Egotism(māna) (9) Excitement(uddhacca) (10) Unconsciousness (avijjā).

Thepracticeof thefirst five steps in the SupernormalEightfoldWayhelpsbreak thefirst three fetters.When theseare broken the practitioner becomes one who has enteredthestream.ThestreamistheSupernormalEightfoldWaythatleadstoNibbāna(Nirvana).Justasariverfallsintotheocean,ultimately,onewhobecomesasteamentererultimatelyentersNibbāna (Nirvana), within seven lives.When one enters thestream one has also entered the Supernormal level, at leastin termsofbehaviour.Onedoesnotpracticegoodbehaviouronly to satisfyothers,or togain somerewards.Onebehaveswellbecauseonehasunderstoodtheneedforgoodbehaviour,especiallyinconsiderationforothersaswellasoneself.Thisisthemeaningofautonomous morality.

ThepracticeofthesixthstepintheSupernormalEightfoldWay,whichistheHarmoniousExercise (sammā vāyāma),helpstobringaboutemotionalpurityandtranquillity (samādhi), at least to the level of thefirst ecstasy (paṭhama jhāna). If this emotionalpurityisaccompaniedbyacertainlevelofintellectualpurity(paññā),thefourthandfifthfetters(kāmarāga paṭigha)

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couldbediminishedtotheextentofbecomingaoncereturner(sakadāgāmi).

The practice of the seventh and eighth steps in theSupernormal Eightfold Way, which are the Harmonious Attention and the Harmonious Equilibrium, which in otherwordsisthepracticeoftheSeven Steps to Awakening,resultsintheparadigm shift,leadingtoAwakening from the “dream of existence,”andexperiencingtheImperturbable Serenity–Nibbāna(Nirvana).

Theteachingof theBuddha isahumandiscovery,andis dealingwith a human problem and its solution, through ahumantechnique.Thisiswhyitisneithertheisticnoratheistic,buthumanistic.

The Buddha offers a method of transcending normalhumannature.ThisiswhythismethodiscalledSupernormal.He deals with the basic problem of human existence, whichis the insecurity of life. Insecurity is the constant impendingdeath, like the sword of Damocles hanging down above thehead,whichcanfallandkilloneatanymoment.Outofalltheanimals intheworldit isthehumanbeingwhoisfullyawareof itsownexistenceandalsoawareof itsowndeath.Yetthenormalhumanbeingpreferstoforgetaboutdeathandenjoylife thinking: “Eatdrinkandbemerry, for tomorrowwedie.”Thatiswhatiscommonlycalledoptimism.

Of course some attempt to solve the problembywayofaflight fromreality intofantasy.Theyattempttostep intoanother world by means of alcohol or hallucinogenic drugs.Whentheevilconsequencesofsuchpracticesarerecognized,however,theytryoutmeditation,hopingitwouldcarryonetoanotherworld,whichissaferthanthedruginducedheaven.

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Other helpers point to amore traditional and historicone. It is one that has stood the times, though the solutioncannotbeverifieduntilonedies.Itistakenwithoutquestion,onblindfaith.Itisbasedonagreat hopethatafterdeaththebelieverwillhaveeternallifeandeternalhappiness.Thenon-believersarecondemnedunmercifully,tosuffereternalhellfire.

It is this same problem of existence that the Buddha setout to solve,butnot throughanescape into fantasy,butthroughapsychological paradigm shiftthatsolvestheproblemhereandnow.ItistheAwakening from the dream of existence.

Thismeansthenormalhumanbeingisnotfullyawake,butisdreaming,orsufferingfromadelusion,thedelusion of existence. ThiswasexpressedbytheBuddhainthewords,“Allnormalhumanbeingsareinsane” (sabbe putujjanā ummattakā). The only solutionwastoawaken from this dream of existence.

PLEASE NOTE

Thethreebookletsonmeditationthatwehavepublishedcontaininformationontheultimate solution of the problem of existence–which isbirth, ageing, sickness,anddeath–The ever-threatening insecurity of life (dukkha).

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

VenerableDr.MadawelaPunnajiMahaThera, a Buddhist monk from Sri

Lanka,hasspentmorethansixtyyearsofresearch,todiscovertheoriginalteachingsof the Buddha, by making an in-depthintensivestudyofboththetheoryaswellasthepracticeofBuddhism.

VenerablePunnajidiscoveredthattheoriginalteachingswere found in thePaliNikayaspreservedbytheTheravadins,thoughnot fullyunderstoodby them.Modern scholarswereunable to get at the original teachings because they focusedtheir attention on a later interpretation of the teachingscalledtheAbhidharmaandcommentaries.Therewereseveralcommentarieswritten by different schools of thought duringthetimeofEmperorAsoka.WhatistodaypopularamongtheTheravada school is a collection of commentaries made bythe Theravada school called Vibhajjavāda. Even reading theTheravadaSuttasbylearningPali,thescripturallanguage,isnotnecessarilysuccessful.ThisisbecausetheinterpretationofthePalilanguageitselfisbasedonthelatercommentaries,whichsometimescanbequitemisleading.Moreover,thetranslationsof the scriptures byWestern scholars have introducedmanyinterpretationalerrorsduetolanguagedifficulties.

Ittakesahighlycriticalandintellectualperson,withanexcellentcommandofbothPaliaswell theEnglish language,and who has a background of modern philosophy, modernpsychology,andmodernscienceaswellashaving testedandexperienced advanced states of meditation to translate intoEnglishthedeeperandprofoundteachingsoftheBuddha.Theauthorcertainlyisverywellequippedforthistask.Venerable

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PunnajiiswellversedinWesternfieldsofscientificknowledge,including medicine, and has a thorough understanding ofcomparativereligions,modernphilosophyandpsychology.Hisinterpretations of the original teachings of the Buddha havebeenmuchenrichedbytheseforaysbeyondamerestudyandpracticeofBuddhism.Nomodernscholarhassofartakenthetime and energy necessary to be able to identify the elusiveoriginalteachingsoftheBuddha.

Hismissionhasbeentodisseminatehisfindingsthroughpublications, sermons, workshops, conference presentations,Internet postings, and meditation retreats to a world-wide audience. He is well known for his clear and accuratepresentationofBuddhismandhasgratefulstudentstheworldover.

The three booklets – AriyamaggaBhāvanā I, II, and III– is an effort to gradually introduce the essence of Buddhistmeditation.Itisbothlogicalandcomprehensive.Acarefulstudyofthecontentswillalsoexposethereadertomanyunknownormisunderstood teachingsof theBuddha. ThisbookletalsorevealshowtheBuddhasolvedtheproblemofexistence,andhow a serious practitioner could Awaken from theDreamofExistence–Nibbāna.

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THE 120 YEAR OLD BUDDHIST MAHA VIHARA, BRICKFIELDS

The Buddhist Maha Vihara was founded in 1894 by the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society (SAWS), the oldest registered Buddhist Society in the Klang Valley.

From its very inception, the Vihara has been managed by the Sinhala Buddhist community but always financially supported by the Chinese and Indian communities. The first structure of the Vihara was the Main Shrine room, completed in early 20th Century. The donors for the Shrine Room, as recorded in the Selangor Government Gazette 1896, pg. 408 are clearly Chinese and Indian communities and among the main donors were:

Kapitan Yeap Quang Seng, Towkay Loke Yew, K. Tambusamy Pillay, R. Doraisamy Pillay, Loke Chow Kit, San Peng and Son, Lim Tua Taw, etc…

The Vihara was always the focal point to mobilize the Buddhist community. The large gathering to protest and stop the screening the then controversial film “Light of Asia” in 1927 in Malaysia was also held at the Vihara, and so was the mass gathering and signature campaign in the 1950s to lobby the government to declare Wesak as a national holiday.

During the Emergency period of 1948-1960, monks from the Vihara made a massive impact reaching out to calm and educate the psychologically disoriented Chinese New Villagers who were evicted from their traditional lands and placed in new settlements by the Government which was fighting a communist insurgency.

Since the 1940s, the Vihara commenced a free Dhamma publications program as a Dhammadutta outreach to the masses which by the year 2012 was made available in 28 languages, with millions of

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copies of books and CDs produced. The Vihara’s Buddhist Institute Sunday Dhamma School (BISDS), founded in 1929, is the oldest Sunday School in the country with an enrolment of more than 1200 students and continues to produce systematic books on Buddhist studies for children.

The Wesak procession organized by the Vihara since the 1890s is the oldest and largest religious procession in the country. The 3-day Wesak celebrations at the Vihara attracts about 100,000 people.

Many students or devotees who have studied and benefited from the BISDS, the Vihara’s Free Publications, Dhamma programs, classes, talks, etc have gone on to set up new Buddhist societies and centers which help to spread Buddhism in the country far and wide.

The SAWS is also one of the founding members of the Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) formed in 1983, a Council which constructively engages the Government on matters affecting non-Muslims in the country. The MCCBCHST Administrative office is based at the Vihara.

In 2004, the Vihara was a major focal point in the country to collect relief aid to assist the South Asian Tsunami that killed almost 280,000 people. Several 40 forty foot container equivalents of relief aid were dispatched out by the Vihara to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Myanmar and Thailand by air, sea and land.

Buddhists remain to be the country’s largest organ donors, thanks to Cornea and Organ Donation Campaign carried out by the Vihara.

The Vihara continues to operate to deliver its obligation to the Buddhist community till this day and is governed and directed by its Vision, 4 Missions, 6 Strategic Objectives and 4 Ennoblers in tribute and gratitude to all our past and current Sangha, volunteers,

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donors, friends, etc. We would be failing in our duty if we fail to mention the name of the foremost amongst them, our late Venerable Chief, ie. Ven Dr Kirinde Sri Dhammananda.

VisionTo be a leading international center for the Learning, Practice and Dissemination of the Buddha Dhamma

MissionTo provide a conducive environment to: - promote scholarship and study of the Buddha Dhamma - propagate the Buddha Dhamma - be the focus of Buddhist activities for the larger community - foster Theravada Buddhist cultural and traditional practices

Six Strategic ObjectivesTo be the Buddhist center of choice for: 1. Learning, Practicing and Realization of the Dhamma 2. Spreading the Dhamma 3. Buddhist Civilization 4. Synergy groupings to sustain the Buddha Sasana 5. Compassion in Action 6. Financial Accountability while delivering Cultural Obligations

Four Ennoblers: 1. Loving Kindness 2. Compassion 3. Altruistic Joy 4. Equanimity

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SERVICES AVAILABLE ATBUDDHIST MAHA VIHARA

• DanaforMonks(atViharaorHome)andBana(Sermons)• BlessingServices/FuneralServicesbyMonks• BookingofFacilitiesforreligiousfunctions/events• MarriageRegistration• FullMoon/NewMoonDayPuja&FreeVegetarianLunch• SundayDhammaClassesforChildren&Adults• Buddhist&PaliUniversityDiplomaCourses• KSriDhammanandaLibrary• Bookshop

WEEkLy ACTIVITIES• DailyPuja 6.30a.m.&7.30p.m.• ChoirPractice Tuesday 8.00p.m.• SpecialTalk Friday 1.00p.m.• DhammaTalk Friday 8.00p.m.• Meditation Mon,Tues&Thurs 8.00p.m.• BojjhangaPuja Saturday 7.30p.m.-8.30p.m.• Puja&Talk Sunday 8.30a.m.• DhammaSchool Sunday 8.30a.m.&11.00a.m.• DharmafortheDeaf Sunday 2.00p.m. (fortnightly)• FeedingtheNeedy Sunday 5.00p.m.

DONATION IN CASH OR kIND CAN BE MADE FOR:• PropagationofBuddhism(Dhammaduta)• FreePublications(MalaysiaandOverseas)-Annuallyabout300,000 booksin30Languages• EducationFund• FullMoonandNewMoonservicessponsorship• GeneralMaintenanceoftheBuddhistMahaVihara• Utilities(Electricity,water,telephone,administrationetc)• Illumination(lighting)oftheMainShrineHall• Illumination(lighting)oftheAwkanaBuddha&Cakra• Monks'Dana• Monks'Requisites• WelfareFund• SpecialReligiousEvents -Wesak -AnnualBlessingService -AnnualMeritOffering -KathinaPinkama(ceremony) -Monks’NovitiateProgramme

MAy THE BLESSINGS OF THE NOBLE TRIPLE GEMBE WITH yOU AND yOUR FAMILy

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Note :

May he rejoice in this meritorious deedand be peaceful and happy.

We also wish to share the merits withour departed relatives, � iends

and sentient beings.May they all attain the

Bliss of Nibbāna

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

In Loving Memory Of

Mr Kenneth Lee Kok Hing

Sabbadānam Dhammadānam Jināti� e Gi� of Dhamma Excels all Gi� s

(500 copies)

Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society佛 陀 教 义 弘 扬 协 会

Buddhist Maha Vihara,123, Jalan Berhala, Brickfields,50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 603-2274 1141 Fax: 603-2273 2570E-Mail: info@buddhistmahavihara.comWebsite: www.buddhistmahavihara.com

www.ksridhammananda.com www.cabe.org.my www.bisds.org