After
his enlightenment, the Buddha preached his teachings (Dhamma) for forty-five
years. When these Buddha teachings are
grouped in accordance with the same categories, there become the Three Baskets
of Dhamma or Tipitaka – Vinaya, Suttanta and Abhidhammā.
Among
these Tipiṭaka, Cittānupassanā of Abhidhammā Piṭaka will be taught.
When
the Abhidhammā Piṭaka is summarized, we get four Ultimate Realities: Consciousness
(Citta), Mental factors (Cetasika), Matter (Rūpa) and Nibbāna. How many Ultimate Realities? (four Ultimate
Realities sir.) When these four Ultimate
Realities are summarized again, we get two kinds of the truths "Mind and
matter – Nāma and Rūpa". How many
truths? (two kinds sir). Among these two
kinds of the truth, mind (Nāma) meant consciousness will be preached.
I,
he, she, you, man and woman said by many people in the world are not the truths
according to the Abhidhammā concepts.
They are just only "Panññatti – names or designations". I, he, she, you, man and woman are just only
mind and matter - Nāma and Rūpa according to the Abhidhammā concepts. What are they? (They are mind and matter)
From
the "Mind and matter – Nāma and Rūpa", mind is the
consciousness. It doesn't have physical
conditions. We cannot see it. But, we cannot say that there is no mind as
it cannot be seen. If there is no mind,
we can say that he is a dead person.
People are alive with their minds.
In
the Dhamma Pada Pāli, the Buddha said that all mental phenomena have the mind
as their forerunner; they have the mind as their chief; they are
mind-made. If one thinks, speaks or acts
with an evil mind, the "dukkha or suffering" follow him just as the
wheels follow the hoof-print of the ox that draws the carts.
In
the Citta Sutta in Saṁyutta Pāli of the Suttanta Pitaka, the Buddha said that all
mental phenomena have the mind that leads the world and attracts it. All Dhamma have to follow the control of the
mind.
Body
is the aggregate. If this body is
grouped, we can find the physical group and the mental group. The physical group has one aggregate and the mental
group has four aggregates. Therefore,
Abhidhammā says that there are five aggregates.
How many kinds of aggregates? (Five kinds of aggregates). These five aggregates are led by the mind. There is a proverb that "Broken spirit
drieth the bones. Thus, the mind is the
most important. If we can control our
mind, we can get everything we want. We
can get the happiness of human beings, celestial beings, Brahma beings and
Nibbāna.
If
a person cannot control his mind, he will meet the suffering
"Dukkha". He will be reborn in
the woeful planes – hell, animal, Petas (hungry ghosts) and Asuras realms. Thus the mind must be governed and controlled
by itself (the mind). If the mind is let
to wander without the control, it enjoys evil deeds. No need to see
others. We can see ourselves. We don't want to study our lessons. We want to play. Do you want to study or play? (We want to
play). Yes, this is the nature of the
mind. Thus, mind is the most important
and we must know that it needs to be controlled most. The Buddha preached in the Abhidhammā Piṭaka
that there are 89 kinds of Cittas or minds in brief. How many kinds of Citta? (89 kinds,
sir). The Buddha explained these Cittas
details such as Lokiya Citta, Lokuttara Citta, Kusala Citta, Akusala Citta,
Kāmāvacara Citta, Rūpāvacara Citta, and Arūpāvacara Citta.
Lokiya
Citta is the Citta which appears in the mind of a Puthujjana person and
Lokuttara Citta is the Citta which appears in the mind of an Ariya person. Sotāpatti, Sakadāgāmi, Anāgāmi and Arahatta
persons are Ariya persons. If one is not
become Ariya person yet, he is the Puthujjana person. In short, Lokiya Citta appears in the mind of
a Puthujjana person and Lokuttara Citta appears in the mind of an Ariya
person. The 89 kinds of Cittas can be
divided into 81 kinds of Lokiya Cittas and 8 kinds of Lokuttara Cittas. How many kinds of Lokiya Citta? (81 kinds
sir), How many kinds of Lokuttara Cittas? (8 kinds sir)
Kusala
Citta is the Citta which is free from evil consciousness and can give
benefits. Akusala Citta is the Citta
which is associated with the evil consciousness and can give sufferings. There are 12 kinds of Akusala Cittas. How many kinds of Akusala Cittas? (12 kinds
sir). If 8 greet-rooted consciousness
(Lobhamūla Cittas), 2 hatred-rooted consciousness (Dosamūla Cittas) and 2
delusion-rooted consciousness (Mohamūla Cittas) are added together, there
become 12 kinds of Akusala Citta. How
many kinds of Lobhamūla Cittas? (8 kinds sir).
How many kinds of Dosamūla Cittas? (two kinds, sir), How many kinds of
Mohamūla Cittas? (two kinds, sir). In
short, we can find three kinds of Cittas - Lobhamūla Cittas, Dosamūla Cittas
and Mohamūla Cittas. How many kinds? (three kinds). Therefore, Lobhamūla
Cittas, Dosamūla Cittas and Mohamūla Cittas are Akusala Cittas. We must accept that these Cittas are evil
minds which cause sufferings "Dukkha". Thus, we must control our mind not to arise
such kinds of Akusala Cittas in it.
There
are 31 planes of existences (Okāsa Loka).
They are eleven planes in the Sense spheres (Kāma Loka), sixteen planes
in the Fine-material spheres (Rūpa Loka) and four planes in the Immaterial
spheres (Arūpa Loka) – all together 31 planes.
Thus, the mind appeared in the Sense spheres is called sense sphere
consciousness (Kāmāvacara Citta), the mind appeared in the sixteen planes of
the Fine-material spheres is Fine-material consciousness (Rūpāvacara Citta) and
the mind appeared in the Immaterial spheres is Immaterial consciousness
(Arūpāvacara Citta).
The
mental factors that have to occur depending on the Citta or together with the
Citta are called Cetasika. Cetasika is
composed of 52 types. Each cetasika has
four characteristics. How many
characteristics in the Cetasika? (Four characteristics). They are –
1. Arising together with the mind
2. Passing away together with the mind
3. Having an equal object with the
mind
4. Having an equal basis with the mind
To
understand easily, these Cetasika arise at the time of mind arising, disappear
at the time of mind disappearing, have the object of the mind, and have the
basis of the mind.
As
all you know, matter (Rūpa) is everything we can see. These things are not permanent. They are
always changing. We can see human
beings, they are born, and become children, and then teenagers, and older and
older. They become youths and reach
adult people and then older, they become old and sick. Then finally they die. These are changing and impermanent.
Water
changes to steam due to the hotness and ice due to the coldness. Some people are rich, some are poor, some are
beautiful and some are ugly. For even
twin brothers who are the same faces and cannot be distinguished by the others,
one is polite but another one is rude.
Some people are fat and some are thin.
These matters are changing due to Kamma (volitional action), Citta
(consciousness), Utu (heat) and Āhāra (nutriment). Such kinds of changing are called matter
(Rūpa).
That
matter is classified into different types in Abhidhammā Piṭaka by the Buddha
such as Mahābhūta Rūpa, Upādāya Rūpa, Nipphanna Rūpa and Anipphanna Rūpa.
Actually,
a person is the combination of Citta, Cetasika and Rūpa. In other words, he is Nāma and Rūpa, or five
aggregates. These Nāma and Rūpa, or five
aggregates are impermanence of arising and dissolving. They are sufferings because they are arising
and dissolving. They are non-self
because they do not follow our desire.
The
Buddha preached the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta in the Mahā Vagga Pāli of the Dīghā
Nikāya. The mindfulness is Cetasika,
means not forgetting, always awareness.
The mind associated together with the mindfulness does not forget. The mind associated with the mind knows its
arising and dissolving phenomena. When
we take meditation, the mindfulness is the most important. There is no more mindfulness. It is always necessary. So, the Buddha preached Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna
Sutta.
The
Buddha said that we must watch the body, the mind and matter (Nāma and Rūpa),
and the three characteristics - impermanence, suffering and non-self of the
mind and matter (Nāma and Rūpa) if we practice Vipassanā meditation. In the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, the four
contemplations of mindfulness have been presented. They are body contemplation (Kāyānupassanā),
feelings contemplation (Vedanānupassanā), consciousness contemplation
(Cittānupassanā) and Dhammas contemplation (Dhammānupassanā). Among these four contemplation of Vipassanā,
consciousness contemplation (Cittānupassanā) will be taught.
All
novices, please be calm, and sit cross-legged, keep body and head erect, place
right hand on the left hand with palms turning upwards, and close the
eyes. And breath normally by the
awareness of in-going breath and out-going breath focusing the mind at the tip
of the nostrils. Don't allow the mind to
wander out to other sense objects.
Contemplate in-breath and out-breath time to time by focusing the
awareness at the tip of the nostrils.
The
novices cannot see anything because you are closing your eyes. Eye consciousness does not arise at you, the
novices. Ear consciousness will arise at
you as I, the monk is talking. Nose
consciousness will arise at you if smell somethings. Body consciousness such as itching, biting
and paining may arise as you are sitting.
And then, mind consciousness will arise as your mind is wandering
out. These Cittas must be observed
wisely by concentrating the mind. You
can see that these Cittas are arising and dissolving again and again. When you have weak concentration, you cannot
see the arising and dissolving of every Citta.
But don't be disappointed and try hard.
If you have strong concentration, you can see the arising and dissolving
of every Citta.
Arising
and dissolving of Cittas again and again is Dukkha Sacca. If we contemplate Dukkha Sacca many times, we
could eliminate Samudaya Sacca. And
then, if we could eliminate Samudaya Sacca, we would reach Magga Sacca. If we could reach Magga Sacca, we would
realize Nibbāna called Nirodha Sacca.
Thus,
control the mind firmly. Please observe
the mind to see its arising and dissolving.
Contemplate Dukkha Sacca many times taking mental notes that they are
subject to the three characteristics - impermanence, suffering and
non-self. If you contemplate many times,
you would understand Four Noble Truths which are to know, eliminate, realize
and contemplate, and you would realize Nibbāna which is real peace called Santi
Sukha.
These
are Abhidhammā and Cittānupassanā Teachings.
Please
all call Sadhu. Sadhu – Sadhu - Sadhu.
Aye Mar Way
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