Mar 7 2021 - MN 8 - Effacement - The Path and 44 Factors Leading to the Destruction of Conceit

And the list will be published. With that, I'd like to give the word to you. Morning, good afternoon, good evening, everyone. I am reading from Majjhima Nikaya number eight. This is a translation by Bhikkhu Bodhi, and the sutta is the Salekha Sutta, which is also known as Effacement. In this case, effacement refers to the erosion of the fetter of conceit primarily, but also the other fetters. So I'll start reading. Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. Then when it was evening, the Venerable Maha Cunda rose from meditation and went to the Blessed One. After paying homage to the Blessed One, he sat down at one side and said to him: "Venerable sir, various views arise in the world associated either with doctrines of a self or with doctrines about the world." So he's talking about other Dhammas, other teachings, where there are ideas of a permanent self, or ideas of a finite world or infinite world, or the idea that the self and the world are the same, and so on.

Now, does the abandoning and relinquishing of those views come about in a bhikkhu who is attending only to the beginning of his meditative training? So there are a few ways this has been interpreted. One is just in the sense that somebody who becomes a sotapanna essentially relinquishes these views of a self, or just that they have understood it and start to relinquish it and come to that stream-entry state. As to those various views that arise in the world, associated either with doctrines of a self or with doctrines about the world, if the object, whether that's the self or the world, in relation to which those views arise, which they underlie, and which they are exercised upon,

is seen as it actually is with proper wisdom, thus: "This is not mine. This I am not. This is not myself." Then the abandoning and relinquishing of those views comes about. So these views he's talking about arising, or which they underlie, or which they are exercised upon, the views arising come from a state of wrong view, or an understanding that is not in alignment with right view, with the understanding of impermanence, with the understanding of suffering, and with the understanding of non-self to some level. And which they underlie, this is referring to the anusaya, so understanding in the sense that they are just... this is referring to the underlying tendencies related to those views, which are exercised upon through clinging. So when one sees these views in relation to a self or in relation to views of eternalism or annihilationism, one should understand with proper wisdom, by reflection and understanding things as they really are, that it is not mine, this is this, I am not this, this is not myself. So this is the understanding that there is no permanent self, and all is impersonal.

The world and the sense of self arise because of causes and conditions, not because it arose because of some creation, or it arose before, and it will be destroyed because of the destruction that is infinite or final. It's more of an understanding in relation to suffering: what is suffering, in relation to what are the causes of suffering, in relation to how to relieve that suffering, and the way to relieve that suffering. So when one enters the stream, when one becomes a stream-enterer, one experiences that understanding, which is that there is no permanent self. Arising, one immediately understands this at the level of infinite consciousness, when the different iotas of consciousnesses arise and pass away, and one sees that each consciousness that arises is impermanent

and is not worth holding on to, and that there's no control here. That experience deepens when one experiences the post-cessation event, where one has sharp mindfulness and understands this all as a series of causes and conditions that are occurring through the process of dependent origination. And then the Buddha says: "It is possible here, Cunda, that quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, some bhikkhu enters upon and abides in the first jhana, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with rapture and pleasure born of seclusion."

"He might think thus: 'I am abiding in effacement.' But it is not these attainments that are called effacement in the noble one's discipline. These are called pleasant abidings here and now in the noble one's discipline." So here the Buddha is talking about the first jhana, and he's going to go through each of the jhanas and the ayatanas and explain, in the same way, that in being in these states one doesn't experience effacement. Effacement arises through insight and wisdom. That is possible through jhana practice, that is, it occurs through understanding what is arising and the states of mind that arise through the jhana process, when one sees it with wisdom and one sees it with insight. One gains greater clarity into what one is seeing, within the context of impermanence

suffering, and not-self. So it's not just the jhana. The jhana itself is a state of understanding, through how mind arises in joy and bliss born of seclusion in the case of the first jhana, and so on and so forth. But it just allows the mind to be collected enough to then be able to see those insights, and it's through those insights that then inform the actions that one takes, which we will see in the next section of the sutta. So the effacement that arises comes through the deep understanding of what one should do or should not do in relation to the context of what leads to nibbana and what doesn't lead to nibbana. So jhana, or understanding jhanas through this process, fulfills right collectedness, but the insight that one understands through right collectedness then informs one's actions, so that it further deepens the way towards effacement, towards the erosion of conceit.

Because in fact the jhanas can be a source of attachment, and one can actually become proud of being in jhana and have attachment to jhana, and that causes conceit to arise. So then he says: "It is possible here that with the stilling of applied and sustained thought, some bhikkhu enters upon and abides in the second jhana, which has self-confidence and singleness of mind without applied and sustained thought, with rapture and pleasure born of collectedness. You might think thus: 'I am abiding in effacement.'" So even that statement, "I am abiding in effacement",

there is the "I am", there is the conceit that "I am in this jhana", and therefore by being in the jhana one experiences relief. There is definitely relief, but one doesn't experience the insight and wisdom that that relief can provide, or that relief can arise from. So that "I am" conceit can arise just as simply in absorption concentration as well. But these are called pleasant abidings here and now in the noble one's discipline. "It is possible here that with the fading away as well of rapture, some bhikkhu abides in equanimity, and mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure with the body, he enters upon and abides in the third jhana, on account of which noble ones announce: 'He has a pleasant abiding, who has equanimity and is mindful.' He might think thus: 'I am abiding in effacement.' But these are called pleasant abidings here and now in the noble one's discipline." So again, with the third jhana there is that sense of conceit, "I am", experiencing insight through this. Even the idea that I am experiencing insight creates pride and conceit.

And so this pleasant abiding here and now is just what it is. It's just the state of mind that is cultivated deep enough for one to have the insights arise. Now, it's important to understand that that doesn't mean that it's absorption concentration. Rather, the state of mind is quite collected and has basically activated the awakening factors, for the mind to be collected enough to see reality as it is, so that the insights that arise from seeing very reality as it is, in other words dependent origination, allow one to let go of attachment and aversion and the other fetters. "It is possible here that with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, some bhikkhu enters upon and abides in the fourth jhana, which has neither pain nor pleasure, and purity of mindfulness due to equanimity."

"He might think thus: 'I am abiding in effacement.' But these are called peaceful abidings in the noble one's discipline." Notice that when the Buddha refers to the first four jhanas, he talks about them as pleasant abidings here and now, and when he gets into the arupa jhanas, he talks about peaceful abidings. So the reason he's talking about it in the sense of peaceful abiding is that, even though he refers to the four jhanas as pleasant abiding, once you get into the formless attainments, your sense of balance and your mind are deep enough. The ayatanas have become extensions of the four jhanas, and it just gets more and more peaceful, more and more refined. So you are entering states of experience and levels of perception that become further and further refined, and that lead to a more refined state of mind that allows you to see the formations and deeper aspects of the mind.

And now there are 44 different aspects that we go through individually. He says, others will be cruel, we shall not be cruel, here effacement should be practiced. So he starts off with non-cruelty. Above anything else, he starts off with the right intention of being compassionate, even when others might be cruel towards us or towards others. We can still show compassion to them and to others. By doing this, the reason why this compassion arises is because you let go of the need to control the situation. When somebody is acting negatively towards you, or acting cruelly towards you, you understand that what they are saying or what they might be doing to you is just their kamma. How you respond to that is your kamma. So if you decide to reciprocate that cruelty, that's only going to further strengthen that sense of self, or that sense of ego.

So one should understand that by having the right intention of being non-cruel and of being compassionate, effacement should be practiced. Thus: others will kill living beings, we shall abstain from killing living beings, here effacement should be practiced. Thus: others will take what is not given, we shall abstain from taking what is not given, here effacement should be practiced. Thus: others will be uncelibate, we shall be celibate, here effacement should be practiced. Thus, so here he's referring to keeping the precepts while others might be cruel and while others might harm other beings, while others might kill living beings. One should abstain from that and maintain the precept of refraining from killing other beings. Maintain the precept of refraining from taking what is not given. Refrain from the precept of not having, or refraining from sexual misconduct.

Here he says others will be uncelibate and we shall be celibate. Now, for a lay person, that really just means someone who is faithful and someone who doesn't have sexual misconduct, but it can also refer to sensual misconduct. The word celibate here is one translation of the word brahmacharya. But another way to understand the Pali, and even the Sanskrit, which is brahmacharya, is brahma and charia. So you're essentially brahma, here referring to a higher path, referring to a greater path, a more divine path, a more refined and enlightened path. Let's say acharya being controlled. So what you're doing is really controlling, or having this of the senses, including sexuality if you're a lay person, and having this restraint of the senses is done so by having mindfulness. So if you have mindfulness, you can understand if the mind is going towards the senses, or understands that there is a version of craving present, and lets that go. Then he says, others will speak falsely, we shall abstain from false speech. Here effacement should be practiced. Thus: others will speak maliciously, maliciously, maliciously.

We shall abstain from malicious speech. Here effacement should be practiced. Thus: others will speak harshly, we shall abstain from harsh speech. Here effacement should be practiced. Thus: others will gossip, we shall abstain from gossip. Here effacement should be practiced. Thus. Now he's getting into what is really right speech. He's saying we shall not speak falsely.

We shall refrain from false speech, so not dealing in lies. We shall abstain from malicious speech. We shall abstain from harsh speech. So malicious speech, you're referring to talking bad about others, or talking bad to others about whatever it is they're doing, and harsh speech really being abusive language, using harsh speech in that way. Abstaining from gossip, one should not gossip at all. If there is something that one intends to talk about about another person, one should first consider: would they say the same thing they're about to say face-to-face to that person?

And if they are, is it going to be detrimental to that person, or is it going to be a wholesome thing about that person? And of course, if it's going to be true. So one should understand it through this acronym of THINK, T-H-I-N-K, the five filters of speech. Is it timely? Is it the right time to say what one wants to say? Is it honest? Is it true? Is it right in what one is about to say? Is it intentional? Also, is it something that is coming from right intention, coming from loving kindness and coming from compassion? Is it something that is necessary for the benefit of all involved? And is it kind? Are the words you're going to say kind? So this is really practicing right speech.

Then he says, others will be covetous, we shall be uncovetous. Here effacement should be practiced thus. Here covetous is really referring to craving in the form of jealousy, and wanting something that one doesn't possess just because another person has it. So you have to look at it in the sense of: do I really require them? So it's all about intention. Is the intention that you see somebody else possessing something and you want it because they have it, and you want to be better than them? Or do you see that it's useful for that person, and it could be beneficial for your livelihood and for your living? That's a different intention. So the intention here should not be one of covetousness, which can cause craving and even ill will and hatred. Here it says others will have ill will, we shall be without ill will. How is one without ill will? By practicing loving kindness.

Effacement should be practiced thus: others will be of wrong view, we shall be of right view. Here effacement should be practiced thus. So now he's getting into the wrong path and the right, the eightfold path. So wrong view refers to any view related to eternalism or annihilationism, a view that is related to that there is no meaning in giving, there is no meaning in having generosity, there is no meaning in the idea of karma or rebirth, or having gratitude for this life and one's parents. There's no meaning, or there are no sages or other beings who have this wisdom, and this idea that there is existence elsewhere, and so on. And the right view, so this is referring to the mundane right view, which is that there is meaning in giving and generosity, there is meaning in kamma, and understanding rebirth, there is meaning in being grateful for this life and for one's parents who gave this life and gave one this life, and that there is meaning in understanding the wisdom that sages have, and that there are other existences.

Possible: others will be of wrong intention, we shall be of right intention. So what is wrong intention? It is the intention to create, the intention to hold onto the sensory experiences that are happening in every moment, considering them to be self. Then there is also having this sense of this is me, this is mine, this I am. And therefore this idea of defending the sense of self causes one to be violent, causes one to be cruel, causes one to be hateful, if it means defending the sense of self. But the right intention here is letting go, that's nekkhamma, renunciation.

Letting go of the attachment to sensory experiences and considering them to be self. Cultivating loving kindness and cultivating compassion. Others will be of wrong speech. We shall be of right speech. We already talked about this. Effacement should be practiced thus. Others will be of wrong action. We shall be of right action here. So wrong action, we also discussed earlier in this section, which is to refrain from killing, refrain from taking what is not given, refrain from sexual misconduct, and refrain from lying.

So this also incorporates the understanding of refraining from taking intoxicants, although you rarely find that in the suttas, but it is understood that not taking intoxicants is leading a mindful lifestyle. So that can be categorized within right action and also in mindfulness. That's something that aids in mindfulness, which is the refraining from taking intoxicants. So wrong action here is killing. Wrong action here is lying. Wrong action here is taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, and so on. So right action is the refraining of those things. Effacement should be practiced thus.

Others will be of wrong livelihood. We shall be of right livelihood. So wrong livelihood is essentially, for a lay person, trading in five things: trading in meat, trading in alcohol or intoxicants, trading in weapons, trading in poisons, and human trafficking, trading in people. And so the right livelihood here is developing a career path or having a job that doesn't deal in any of these things. Effacement should be practiced thus.

Others will be of wrong effort. We shall be of right effort here. Effacement should be practiced thus. So wrong effort here is holding onto whatever one sees in the way of hindrances, instead of understanding them and then letting them go, and then cultivating a more wholesome state of mind and maintaining that wholesome state. So this causes one to be unmindful. This causes one to have more craving. This causes one to have more aversion, and builds up that sense of self, builds up that conceit. But the moment you notice that the hindrance has arisen, and you prevent it from arising by recognizing it, stopping its flow, letting go of what has already arisen, and then cultivating a wholesome state, generating a wholesome state, and maintaining that, you are essentially letting go of the hindrances.

By not identifying with them, and cultivating the wholesome states that lead more towards the effacement of conceit, because really what you're doing is cultivating the enlightenment factors that lead to nibbana, and that is also the destruction of conceit. Others will be of wrong mindfulness, we shall be of right mindfulness. Here effacement should be practiced thus. Others will be of wrong mindfulness. So wrong mindfulness is really not paying attention the way the Buddha has described in the sutta. So getting carried away with your thoughts, getting carried away with your reflection about the body, getting carried away about the feelings inside that you are experiencing, the emotions you're experiencing, getting carried away by all the different phenomena. Whereas right mindfulness is understanding the phenomena as it arises and as it passes away, not holding on to anything, but just watching with attention, placing your attention and understanding how mind's attention moves as the phenomena arise and pass away. At the same time, also seeing and understanding what is arising, and if what is arising is causing craving, so that one can use right effort to let go of that craving or aversion.

Others will be of wrong collectedness, we shall be of right collectedness. Effacement should be practiced thus. So wrong collectedness, or wrong concentration, is really number one: an absorption state, a state of mind where the mind becomes so deeply connected to its object of meditation that it becomes essentially indivisible from its attention, so that attention becomes so absorbed that it really suppresses the mind into a deep state of consciousness, into a deep state of bliss or whatever the joyful experience might be. But it's not an open awareness that allows the mind to have insights to arise at the same time. It doesn't allow the space for one to be able to see and acknowledge the hindrances and then be able to let those go. So wrong concentration also refers to this understanding that samadhi, these absorption states or these blissful states, can arise from the senses. So there are some practices where one gets engrossed in music and experiences a deep state of mind. One gets engrossed in art and in literature or in poetry, or anyone who is in a creative field, or just thinking very deeply about something, and therefore

experiencing this very deep state of mind because of that concentration, but that is not right samadhi. That is not right collectedness. Right collectedness is within the mind, void of experience of the senses, void of having an absorption state. So that also means that that collectedness is open enough for those insights to be realized. Others will be of wrong knowledge, we shall be of right knowledge. Effacement should be practiced thus. So here, the knowledges are referring to the insight into the four noble truths. So it basically

provides mind deliberation of understanding what is suffering, recognizing the causes of suffering, letting go of those causes, and then cultivating and experiencing that nirvana experience, and then cultivating the path. So it's understanding suffering, understanding the cause of suffering, and then letting go of those causes, experiencing the bottom and cultivating the path towards the bottom. So you're talking about the four noble truths. So wrong knowledge here is anything other than having experienced the four noble truths, which then further inform right view, and which leads to the liberation of mind. Which here it says: others will be of wrong deliverance, we shall be of right deliverance. Effacement should be practiced thus. Wrong deliverance is anything other than the destruction of the taints. So right deliverance is the destruction of the taints, which means the destruction of all the betters, and therefore a mind that is liberated and has experienced the fruit of arahatta. Then he says: others will be overcome by sloth and torpor

we shall be free from sloth and torpor here. So this is the hindrance of sloth and torpor. How is one free from the hindrance of sloth and torpor? By exercising and cultivating the enlightenment factor of collectedness, tranquility and equanimity. Others will be restless, we shall not be restless here. Effacement should be practiced thus. So restlessness in this case is the mind that is too active, and so one balances that with the enlightenment factor of, I'm sorry, I made a mistake. Sloth and torpor should be understood as a mind that is lethargic, so that means that you should cultivate instead investigation. Understand, you should cultivate joy and enthusiasm. That's my mistake. Restlessness instead has the activity, so there you cultivate the collectedness, the tranquility and the equanimity.

Others will be doubters, we shall go beyond doubt here. Effacement should be practiced thus. So this is the hindrance of doubt. The hindrance of doubt is understood as where one is confused about the practice or doesn't know if they're doing the practice correctly or not. When you notice this, you just use the 6R's process to let go of that doubt and continue to maintain the awareness and attention of your object of meditation. Others will be angry, we shall not be angry here. Effacement should be practiced thus. So now this is talking about other states of mind that are negative and that can cause further hindrances in the mind. Others will be resentful, we shall not be resentful here. Effacement should be practiced thus. Others will be contemptuous, we shall not be contemptuous here. Effacement should be practiced thus.

Others will be insolent. We shall not be insolent here. Effacement should be practiced thus. Others will be envious. We shall not be envious here. Effacement should be practiced thus. Others will be avaricious. We shall not be avaricious here. Effacement should be practiced thus. Others will be fraudulent. We shall not be fraudulent here. Effacement should be practiced thus. Others will be deceitful. We shall not be deceitful here. Effacement should be practiced thus. Others will be obstinate. We shall not be obstinate here. Effacement should be practiced thus. Others will be arrogant. We shall not be arrogant here. Effacement shouldn't be practiced thus. Others will be difficult to admonish.

We shall be easy to admonish. Effacement should be practiced thus. Others will have bad friends. We shall have good friends here. Effacement should be practiced thus. So let's just go through a couple of these. It says you're difficult to admonish and easy to admonish. So one should have a mind that is open enough to understand if one has made a mistake. If somebody points out the mistakes for one's benefit, one should not take that to be personal criticism, but understand that the person giving you that advice or that instruction is doing so for your benefit. So if you hold on to a sense of self and consider that criticism, or whatever the person might be telling you, as personally attacking that sense of self, you'll further hold on to it. But if you understand that this is for the benefit of cultivating your own mind, then you let go of any attachment to that and intend to follow that criticism, to follow that suggestion. Others will have bad friends, we shall have good friends here. So bad company. Bad company is anyone who basically

instigates one to commit breaking of the precepts, and good friends are those who support you in your practice and who are probably also practicing with you. Others will be negligent, we shall be diligent here. Negligent meaning being unmindful, diligent meaning being mindful, meaning being attentive to what is arising in every moment, so that one sees if there is any creating a horizon. Others will be faithless, we shall be faithful here. Faithless here refers to a mind that doesn't have any reverence for the Dhamma, just doesn't have any faith in the Dhamma, in the teachings, in the Buddha and the Sangha. And of course that is cultivated with the open mind that says, let me see what this is about and practice and see for myself. And so faith is cultivated in that way. But if a person starts off with a mind that is doubtful, a mind that is critical and skeptical

then they haven't really taken the full plunge into trying to understand this practice in the Dhamma. Others will be shameless, we shall be shameful here. So this is referring more to understanding that there is a sense of moral shame. Meaning it's not a negative sensation. It's just allowing one to understand what is moral and what is immoral, and having the sense of not committing what is immoral. So in the sense, others will have no fear of wrongdoing, you shall be afraid of wrongdoing, and that fear is not just because one understands that it will cause suffering

in, let's say, a next life, but even in the here and now you can see, if one doesn't follow the precepts, there will be the hindrances that will arise. So being afraid of wrongdoing is more of a cautiousness, understanding and maintaining the precepts and understanding the importance of maintaining precepts. Others will be of little learning, we shall be of great learning here. Effacement should be practiced thus. So here little learning is more referring to one who hasn't really read the suttas, one who hasn't really had time to listen to Dhamma talks or to really practice and then understand the suttas in the context of that practice, that is informed by Dhamma talks, that is informed with correct mindfulness and correct collectedness

Others will be lazy, we shall be energetic here. Effacement should be practiced thus. Others will be unmindful, we shall be established in mindfulness here. So one should be established in the four foundations of mindfulness. Others will lack wisdom, we shall possess wisdom here. Effacement should be practiced thus. So that lack of wisdom is ignorance. So this refers to a sort of intellectual ignorance, where one doesn't really have an understanding of the Dhamma, doesn't have an understanding of the path. But once one does have some kind of understanding, starts to practice and deepens that understanding, one carves away at that ignorance, and finally the ignorance of the four noble truths, by seeking for oneself how the links of dependent origination arise, and possesses wisdom. Others will adhere to their own views, hold on to them tenaciously and relinquish them with difficulty

we shall not adhere to our own views or hold on to them tenaciously we shall not adhere to our own views or hold on to them tenaciously but shall easily relinquish them will it we shall easily relinquish offacement should be practiced us so here it's referring to holding on to any wrong views or holding on to views that don't help one to cultivate the path towards nthana and if one holds on to them one is really holding on to or clinging to views clinging to some sort of self-view and then that creates the underlying tendencies towards those views and creates the sense of being that sense of self from which one acts which will cause suffering and further karma and so on so if you are able to easily let go of views with an open mind with the mind that is calculated with the right intention

and is able to be mindful enough to see that this view doesn't serve your path towards nibbana, you can easily let it go. If you're unable to do that, then it will only continue to cause further links of the dependent origination, from craving, clinging, being and onwards, causing further suffering. So the effacement of conceit is understood as following these principles that the Buddha has laid out, following these courses of action that the Buddha has laid out, and following the understanding that the Buddha has laid out in the sutta. And so then he says, Chunda, I say that even the inclination of mind towards wholesome states is of great benefit. So what should be said of bodily and verbal acts conforming to such a state of mind? So he's talking about wholesome states, the inclination meaning the right intention, bodily and verbal acts, that is right speech and right action. And so then he continues in the same way the 44 different aspects. Then he talks about, first, he talks about cultivating those states of mind through having right intention

And then he talks about avoidance. He says, "Chunda, suppose there were an uneven path and another even path by which to avoid it. And suppose there were an uneven ford and another even ford by which to avoid it." So here the uneven path is really all the different unwholesome things that have been related in those 44 aspects, or the uneven ford. Ford being the shallow path to cross to the other shore, to cross the river to Nibbana. So the right ford there is following the wholesome states, cultivating the wholesome states, following the eightfold path and letting go of the unwholesome states. So this is how one avoids them.

And so he continues in that avoiding. He says, a person given to cruelty has non-cruelty by which to avoid it. So if you have an uneven path and you have an even path, you will use the even path to go around the uneven path. Or you use the shallow ford instead of the deeper ford, the even ford. So when you know that non-cruelty is accessible to you, you cultivate that non-cruelty so that you avoid cruelty. In the same way, one given to killing living beings has abstention from killing living beings by which to avoid it. One given to taking what is not given has abstention

from taking what is not given by which to avoid it. One given to being uncelibate has celibacy by which to avoid it. Remember, celibacy here also refers to restraint of the senses, because sensual misconduct can be avoided by having restraint of the senses. One given to false speech has abstention from false speech by which to avoid it. One given to malicious speech has abstention from malicious speech by which to avoid it. One given to harsh speech has abstention from harsh speech by which to avoid it. One given to gossip has abstention from gossip by which to avoid it. One given to covetousness has uncovetousness

by which to avoid it one given to ill will has not ill will by which to avoid it one given to wrong view has right view by which to avoid it one given to wrong intention has right intention by which to avoid it one given to wrong speech has right speech by which to avoid it one given to wrong action has right action by which to avoid it one given to wrong livelihood has right livelihood by which to avoid it one given to wrong effort has right effort by which to avoid it one given to wrong mindfulness has right mindfulness by which to avoid it one given to wrong collectedness has right collectiveness by which to avoid it one given to wrong knowledge has right knowledge by which to avoid it one given to wrong deliverance has right deliverance by which to avoid it one given to slot and torpor has freedom from slot and torpor by which to avoid it in other in other words one has who has been who has who has the inclination to what slot and torpor can cultivate

the enlightenment factors that are active, the enlightenment factors of investigation, of energy, enthusiasm and joy, by which to avoid it. When given to restlessness, has non-restlessness, which is the tranquility, collectedness and equanimity, by which to avoid it. When given to doubt, has a state beyond doubt by which to avoid it. One given to anger has non-anger by which to avoid it. One given to resentment has non-resentment by which to avoid it. One given to contention has non-contention by which to avoid it. One given to insolence has non-insolence by which to avoid it. One given to envy has non-envy by which to avoid it. One given to avarice has non-avarice by which to avoid it. One given to fraud has non-fraud by which to avoid it. One given to deceit has non-deceit by which to avoid it. One given to obstinacy has non-obstinacy by which to avoid it.

One given to arrogance has non-arrogance by which to avoid it. One given to being difficult to admonish has being easy to admonish by which to avoid it. One given to making bad friends has making good friends by which to avoid it. When given to negligence has diligence by which to avoid it. One given to faithlessness has faith by which to avoid it. One given to shamelessness has shame by which to avoid it. One given to fearlessness of wrongdoing has fear of wrongdoing by which to avoid it. One given to little learning has great learning by which to avoid it. One given to laziness has the arousal of energy by which to avoid it. One given to unmindfulness has the establishment of mindfulness by which to avoid it.

One given to lack of wisdom has the acquisition of wisdom by which to avoid it. One given to adhere to his own views, who holds on to them tenaciously and relinquishes them with difficulty, has non-adherence to his own views, not holding on to them tenaciously and relinquishing them easily, by which to avoid it. So here the Buddha is talking about the wholesome and the unwholesome. When you understand that there is an unwholesome present, you can understand the opposite of that, which is the wholesome. So you replace the unwholesome with the wholesome. You do this through right effort as well. On a practical level, when you see that the mind is given to, for example, a mind that is angry, a mind that has ill will, you recognize that there is ill will present. You let it go. You cultivate loving kindness to yourself and to others and continue on with that path. So here the uneven path would be anger, the uneven ford would be anger, but the even path, the even ford, is the one by which you recognize

the non-ill will or the loving kindness, the one that you cultivate, the one that you take to circumnavigate that, to avoid that and go through the straight path towards Nibbana. Chunda, just as all unwholesome states lead downwards and all wholesome states lead upwards, so too, he refers to a person given to cruelty has non-cruelty to lead him upwards.

One given to killing living beings has abstention from killing living beings to lead him upwards, and so on. So he talks about all 44 aspects in reference to the unwholesome and the wholesome. So you go from the unwholesome to the wholesome, and that wholesome then leads you to Nibbana. And here he talks about the way of distinguishment of Nibbana. Chunda, that one who is himself sinking in the mud should pull out another who is sinking in the mud is impossible.

That one who is not himself sinking in the mud should pull out another who is sinking in the mud is possible. That one who is himself or herself tamed, undisciplined, with defilements unextinguished, should tame another, discipline another, and help extinguish their defilements, is impossible. That one who is tamed, disciplined, with defilements extinguished, should tame another, discipline another, and help extinguish their defilements, is possible. So here it's saying before one continues to try to teach other people, one should first cultivate the same principles that one is teaching others. So if there is somebody who has a mind that is untamed, who is not mindful, it would be incorrect of them to teach others about mindfulness, because they have not for themselves cultivated that mindfulness. They have not for themselves cultivated the ability to be mindful. It's better to teach from experience rather than to teach from theory. So if there is a being who understands mindfulness, who understands a path, it makes more sense, not only for themselves but for the other person learning, that they teach from experience

and so if they have experienced Nibbana, they understand the path to Nibbana, and they can give tips and solutions to the other person who is on the path but is unable to get all the way to Nibbana. So he continues in the same way. A person given to cruelty has non-cruelty by which to extinguish it. So here it's understood in a couple of ways. Number one, a person who is non-cruel can show another person who is cruel how not to be cruel. A person who has compassion can show compassion towards one who is not compassionate, by which they can actually understand compassion. And secondly, the wholesome states in general are required to extinguish the unwholesome states, and those wholesome states are then the foundation to get into full extinguishment

which is Nibbana. So he talks about all 44 aspects in that way, and then he says, so Chunda, the way of effacement has been taught by me. The way of inclining the mind has been taught by me. The way of avoidance has been taught by me. The way leading upwards has been taught by me. And the way of extinguishing has been taught by me. What should be done for his disciples out of compassion by a teacher who seeks their welfare and has compassion for them, that I have done for you. There are these roots of trees, these empty huts. Meditate on them. Do not delay, or else you will regret it later. This is our instruction to you. This is what the Blessed One said. Venerable Maha Chunda was satisfied and delighted in the words of the Blessed One.

Questions? Comments? Thank you. So what I understand is that one needs to have good thinking to cultivate wholesome and to let go of unwholesome. So in that case, my question is, if there is a child who doesn't know how to think at all, and he or she needs to first develop thinking, then only can he develop wholesome, and he can maybe attain Nibbana or go for the right.

So is it necessary that one needs to first develop thinking properly? Yeah, if you look at thinking and how you're referring to it, it makes me look at it in the way of right intention. So cultivating right intention is how one then cultivates right speech, right action, and so on. But when it comes to children, perhaps they might not quickly grasp what we are referring to in terms of thinking.

Perhaps they might, perhaps they might not. But the easiest way to help them go towards the path is to lead by example. Children absorb a lot of information by seeing things, seeing the behaviour of their parents, and then they incorporate those behaviours into themselves. So if, as a parent, one continues to cultivate the eightfold path, then that child will see that as a way of living, as a way of interacting with the world. Of course, you can't completely shield the child away from unwholesome states, because they go to school, or they meet other people, and they see something that might not be wholesome. But if you continually, as a parent or as one, are able to have right speech and right action, even in the outside world, especially in the outside world, then that child will see that this is the correct way, or the most effective way, of dealing with people or with situations. So leading by example would be a good start to get them on the right path.

Thanks for the answer. I have another extension question for the same one. So actually I came across a situation where there is one child who has some maybe a disease, she cannot develop proper thinking. So in that case, can that being not develop Buddha's teaching, cannot understand Buddha's teaching, and maybe utilize Buddha's teaching for maybe nibbana? Is it possible for such beings who cannot develop right thinking? So how can they benefit from Buddha's teaching?

So even if they have, let's say, some kind of a maybe learning deficiency or any kind of a mental deficiency or whatever it might be, they still know how to be happy. Children still know how to laugh, still know how to smile. They still know how to play, be playful, and so on. So you can still continue to cultivate loving kindness in such a person and then allow things to happen and unfold as they would. I would not say that somebody who is, let's say, having mental deficiencies

would not be able to attain Nibbana, because yes, you need to have some form of understanding, of insight, but insight doesn't just come from reflection and analysis. It comes from experience, and sometimes, or more often than not, that experience cannot be relayed in words and cannot be relayed in verbal thinking. It's just a feeling. So who's to say that even the child who might have mental deficiencies or whatever it might be would not be able to experience those insights? They might not be able to tell you, maybe they might not be able to communicate, but they might still experience it in their mind in whatever way they can. Thank you. Thank you. Nelson. Hi, Delson.

I like to ask questions regarding this right collectiveness, you know, open awareness versus like one pointed, you know, sometimes, time to time, even myself, like I notice it started out with open awareness, like loving kindness, but time to time get into the one pointed, you know, it's just, you know, what would be the best way to to to to balance it out it's sometimes it's too open awareness and then i noticed that it doesn't have like an anchor per se like you know use it loving kindness as a anchor but sometimes you know like um if i i time to time i'm trying to practice this just a um a sadipatana you know type of awareness.

And in this scenario, situations, mine is pretty quickly go down to the one-point. I just try to experiment with things. And how can one balance it out? It may be not a correct question, but I don't know if it makes sense. When it comes to absorption states, you have to notice there are a couple of ways to recognize it. Number one, when you recognize it in the meditation itself, so that can happen where you immediately realize that you are in absorption state. At that point, you let go of that attachment to the absorption state, and then just pull back your attention, make the mind a little more open, that collectedness and that attention open. The second is the

the review phase of the meditation see that's something that one talks about when one is in neither perception or non-perception but after every sip one should actually do this is just reflect for a few moments on how the practice went then when you notice oh okay the mind was in absorption state you can recognize when a mind is in absorption state when yes you experience uh some amount of like like bliss or some amount of clarity some or some amount of uh joy or whatever it might be but then it fades away after a while and the mind just continues to have invents and begins to have distractions without the ability to do anything with it whenever it arises so when you notice this and you realize that the mind was in an absorption state and then you use that as a foundation for the mind to say that in your next session your mind is going to be less concentrated

less focused and it's going to open up that attention so by doing that you're actually allowing the intuition of your mind to be exercised so that for the next practice your mind will be more open okay thank you hi delson Just an extension from what Kim was asking, and I'm thinking specifically around the collectiveness, especially in the daily, maybe problem solving at work, etc. And is this the same principle that you would recommend when one's realized that your mind is totally absorbed into the actual problem solving rather than staying collected and being mindful?

So when you realize that you essentially step back and create that space, would that be the same technique that one would use in daily living? Oh yes, definitely. I mean, there are times when one could be doing whatever work that they're doing and the mind becomes so absorbed by it that, for one, you might feel tension in the body, you might feel tension in the mind because the mind has become so focused and so concentrated. So when you start noticing that there's pain in the body, your attention, the mind and the body, you recognize that you release it and you let it go and relax. So you use right effort, you use mindfulness and right effort to realize that, and then come back to the open awareness, open up your focus, and then have the intention of continuing to be open enough to definitely stay mindful of the work you're doing, but at the same time notice if the mind becomes too absorbed, because if the mind becomes too absorbed

there is a tendency for craving or aversion to arise. Like if some sound or somebody passes by, it can irritate the mind because the mind becomes so concentrated. But if the mind recognizes that, lets that go, and then has the intention of just being open in its awareness, then that same distraction that might arise a second time is not as overpowering as it was the first time, and you just see it and you let it go and continue. Thank you. We'll wait a few more seconds, see if anybody has any questions.

Hi Delson. Hello. I have a question. You mentioned about for those who are able to get into a deep state of mind, especially those who are from the creative field, sometimes they do it through passion. And then I often heard they talked about this thing called the creative flow. So in a way, is it because the mind is so absorbed that they are not mindful of the intensity that they put in, in order to get into those absorption states? Every time they mention the creative flow, it seemed to be not very relaxed, I don't think so, but feel good afterward. But during the course of it, I would assume there's a lot of intensity going on.

Yes, you're right. In the creative flow that you're talking about, like whether somebody's doing painting, writing, or making music, or performing a piece of music, in that moment, in that process of creativity, the mind can become so absorbed to the point that it forgets, or it doesn't even know, that for example, if the body is hungry, seven hours can go by, and the mind is so fully absorbed in that creative processing that it forgets or is unaware of the needs of the body, unaware of the needs of the mind, and after one comes out of that so-called flow

one can feel drained, one can feel good in the initial parts of that post-creative process, but usually the mind and the body feel tired after a while because it has become so concentrated and so absorbed that it has just suppressed the mind. So the flow that people talk about is definitely a kind of samadhi, but it is miccha samadhi, which means it is wrong samadhi. It's not the samadhi that allows you to have greater ease of mind, that allows you to see insights and realize. So it actually is good to have an open awareness even while you're creating. Let's say if you are in a creative field, the ability to have an open awareness allows you to have more insights and allows you to see things in a different way and make greater connections

rather than becoming absorbed in just one thing and not being able to think, let's say, outside the box as well. Thank you. Okay, so let's share some merit. May suffering ones be suffering free, and the fear-struck, fearless being. May the grieving shed all grief, and may all beings find relief. May all beings share this merit that we have thus acquired, for the acquisition of all kinds of happiness. May beings inhabiting space and earth, devas and nagas of mighty power, share this merit of ours. May they long protect the Buddha's dispensation. Thank you, Delson. Thank you for... Thank you, Delson. Thank you, everyone. Thank you.