Monday, June 26, 2017

Post # 35 – Developing ‘Right View’  by the Lay Householder- Part 2

Are you visiting this Blog for the first time? It would be good if you could visit the 1st Post to know about this Blog and then read the others in sequence.  

In Post # 34 we discussed in outline Right View as advocated in the Noble Eightfold Path. We also discussed in detail the aspect of kammassakata sammaditthi- Kamma & Retribution, in relation to Right View.  

In this Post I will elaborate on the next two aspects of Right View- related to Diyana Samma Ditthi - the way to develop a concentrated mind for realizing Nibbana and Vidarshana Samma Ditthi (seeing Nibbana through insight knowledge).

Diyana Samma Ditthi 

Advancing in serenity meditation to achieve higher levels of one-pointed and absorbed mind is the basis for developing a mind capable of realizing Nibbana. We saw in the Post # 26 that by advancing in serenity meditation one can go from a mind state of Pari-kamma Samadhi (Initial Concentration), to Upchara Samadhi –(Access Concentration) and on to Arapana Samadhi the first material jhana or a high state of concentrated and absorbed mind. This state of Jhana is called arammana upanijhana – a mind that is absorbed in a material object. The mind gaining this state of concentration is a mind progressively gaining the state of Samma Samadhi. This mind experiences five Jhana factors or factors of absorption.  They are initial application- Vittakka (applying the factors of the mind to the object or direct the mind again and again at the object); sustained application- Vichara (keeping the mind anchored on the object or keep the mind examining the object); happiness –Peethi,; rapture – Sukha; and collected and concentrated mind - Ekkaggatha. 

 The nature of these Jhana factors is that they go to counter and suppress the influences of the five hindrances (pancha neewarana) that inhibit our realization of enlightenment. That is Vittakka goes to suppress Sloth and Torpor, (thina midda), Vichara goes to suppress doubt, happiness–Peethi supresses illwill (viyapada), rapture – Sukha suppresses restless and brooding(uddachcha kukukcha) and collected and concentrated mind - Ekkaggatha suppressing sensual desire ( Kamma Chanda).  Such a mind with the five hindrances suppressed is on track for gaining higher Jhanas to reach a mind state of high concentration and equanimity (fourth material Janna). These Jhana factors only suppress the five hindrances and not eliminate them. The root of these hindrances is ignorance. Until ignorance is eliminated the hindrances lie subdued. By developing wisdom, ignorance is eliminated and with it the five hindrances. With the attainment of this wisdom other misconstrued views about the experiencing of the elation and euphoria of a stilled mind and the extraordinary abilities that can be performed by such a  mind,  as liberation are eliminated.
   
Coming out of these higher Jhanas, and with concentrated minds described above, one switches to insight meditation, a targeted and guided insight meditation practice, to gain states of  mind known as lakkana upanijjana or seeing the true nature of  this living being and other phenomena. That is their impermanence, unsatisfactory, and non-self nature (thrilakshnaya). With this wisdom, ignorance which was the root of all hindrances is eliminated and with that the hindrances themselves. These hindrances are known to be the roots of the ten shackles or fetters (Dasa Sanyojana) that tie us down to the Samsaric journey.  Following the  gaining of lakkana upanijjana,  and continuing with  insight meditation one gains the four path visions and the four fruition visions of the path to Nibbana (sathara marga sith and sathara pala sith) or world transcending jhanas progressively.  With the gaining of the wisdom of path visions and fruition visions, the ten shackles or fetters (Dasa Sanyojana) that tie us down to the Samsaric journey are progressively eliminated. With the elimination of the fetters you escape from the Samsaric journey and attain the state of Nibbana

This is the outline related to Diyana Samma Ditthi.  Contemplating regularly and advancing this knowledge of Jhanas with Nibbana as focus one can suitably broaden the understanding of Right View in the Noble Eightfold  Path.
 
Vidarshana Samma Ditthi

Seeing Nibbana through insight knowledge will be the focus of this discussion.

One has to engage in insight meditation (vidharshana) to develop wisdom to see the true nature of all phenomena (yatha bhutha nana). A focused and concentrated mind developed through serenity meditation and engaged in insight meditation, is capable of applying a penetrating vision to a chosen phenomenon and dissecting such phenomenon into its constituent parts to see their true nature. This insight meditation is a guided exercise to experience and test the intellectual understanding (suthamaya nana) as explained in Buddha Dhamma. 

The meditator engaged in this practice, first sees the world as divided into conditioned (sankatha) and unconditioned (asankatha) groups/constituents. The conditioned group is formed by causes and conditions and includes all animate and inanimate formations. The unconditioned group is the rest which includes Nibbana - a special phenomenon. 

The conditioned group segregated into parts has all animate formations as one sub-group and inanimate formations as the other. The formations in the animate group includes this self or 'being' and when segregated into constituents display components referred to as name and form aggregates.  The form aggregate when dissected progressively into constituents, ends up at the basic elements of matter - the four fundamental phenomena - Patavi, Apo, Thejo and Vayo. The nature of these elements is that their influences are in a perpetual cycle of arise, stay, cease and they exist by repetition giving rise to a state of flux (udaya-veya) for all formation which they are a part of. That is a state of impermanence. The name aggregate in animate formations on the other hand when dissected shows the constituents as feelings, perceptions, thoughts and consciousness.  Each of these displays a nature of impermanence. The name and form aggregates of the animate group with the nature of impermanence and  subject to change in a cycle of arise, stay and cease, only due  to causes and conditions and not due to the will or desire of an owner, shows their non-self nature.  Further, the function of living by a being which is  a process of seeing, hearing, knowing, feeling, experiencing, doing, thinking etc. are all happening only  in this basic aggregation of name and form  consisting of the aggregates of form, feelings, perceptions, thoughts (conditional formations) and consciousness. Therefore due to their nature of arising, staying and ceasing or impermanence  and the non-self nature, happening outside the control and participation of an owner, this process is seen to be very undesirable and unsatisfactory. It is referred to in Dhamma as the dukka dukkathwaya nature. In addition one sees their nature of impermanence and being  subject to change in a cycle of arise, stay and cease as their viparinama dukkathwaya state, and due to their nature of being formed due to  causes and conditions signifying their sankatha dukkathwaya state, all culminating in a state of unsatisfactory-ness.  Similarly with a penetrative vision and dis-aggregating the inanimate group also into their constituent components,  shows they arise due to causes and conditions and therefore subject change with the causes giving their impermanent nature and their non-self nature. These for all purposes are seen as unsatisfactory. .

With the realization of the impermanent nature, unsatisfactory nature and nature of non-self - the universal truths - of the conditioned group, the desire, craving and attachments to such worldly phenomena will fade away. Also the views hitherto held of a self, the speculative doubts, and the practices of engaging in mystical rites and rituals to appease these phenomena (sakkaya ditthi, vicchikichcha, and  seelavrutha paramasa) will be seen to make no sense and thus eliminated. Also such avidya or not knowing will be eliminated and a full realization of the teachings in the Dhamma unfolds developing wisdom (vidya vimukkthi nana dharshana), for realizing Nibbana.

This outline on Vidarshana Samma Ditthi will help you to formulate your own listing of facts to contemplate and expand your own  knowledge regularly on this aspect of right view.

Please await the discussion on Chatu Sathya Samma Ditti,  in the next Post.




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