Day 2 2022 SN 12.23 'Transcendental' Dependent Origination -with Delson Armstrong

So today I'm going to be reading from what's known as the Upanisa Sutta. And this is Samyutta Nikaya 12.23. And so a lot of things that I'll be discussing in this Sutta, there'll be a lot of information and don't worry if it doesn't fully register, just listen and just understand where this whole process is leading. So this is giving you a preview of what's going on through the process of this retreat.

So the English title for this is called Proximate Cause at Savati. Because I say that the destruction of the taints is for one who knows and sees, not for one who does not know and does not see. For one who knows what? For one who sees what? Does the destruction of the taints come about? So this is the ultimate goal in this practice is the destruction of the taints.

That is basically arahatship. We have these three taints that the mind has. And these three taints are the taint of sensual desire, the taint of craving for existence, and the taint of ignorance. The taint of sensual desire is basically the mind that latches onto some kind of a sensorial experience, sensory experience. When you are in your meditation, you might hear birds chirping in the air, or you might hear the lawnmower going out and going outside. You might hear somebody clearing their throat. You might feel a fly land on your skin. You might hear the fly buzzing around you. All of these are sensory experiences.

Now how do you deal with those sensory experiences? Does the mind get caught up by them? Does the mind get irritated when it hears the lawnmower? Does it attach itself to the buzzing of the fly? Or when the fly lands on your skin? Or when somebody clears their throat or opens and closes the door?

When you hear the birds chirping, does your mind fly through them? And does your mind now think about those birds? Does your mind now think about those birds? What kind of birds are they? Or does it go into some kind of memory? All of these are distractions.

The beginning of distractions are actually the taints, the asavas. So the taints are described as affluence or influxes or outflows or inflows because they're the beginning of a stream. Think about it from the analogy of a river. It starts off with this very basic stream that comes out. And as the vortex increases, other things happen. So the taint of sensual desire is really that almost unconscious way of dealing with situations where the mind always tends towards a certain way of dealing with a sensory experience when it comes to the taint of sensual desire.

So how do you let go of that kind of attachment to sensory experience? Or an aversion to sensory experience? You use the 6R's. You recognize that the mind is distracted because it's taking personally this sensory experience, whether it's hearing something, feeling something on the body, tasting something, whether it's smelling something, whatever it might be.

And you recognize that the mind is distracted, that the mind is no longer on its object of meditation. Once you recognize that the mind is no longer on its object of meditation, you release your attention from that attachment. You release your attention from grasping onto or having resistance towards some kind of sensory experience. You let go of all of that. You accept it and let go.

Once you release, you relax and you are relaxing the tightness and tension in your mind and in your body. You remember yesterday, I said that craving manifests as tightness and tension in your body. The reason is because when you crave for something, there is this immediate reactivity in your body. It's a neutral experience saying that this is a neutral experience saying that this is me, this is me, this is mine, this is myself. So when you relax, what you're doing is you're letting go of that craving.

You're dealing with that taint of sensual desire at the very, very basic level. You're letting that go. When you relax, your mind feels spacious. Your mind feels expansive. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your eyes is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. My mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky.

Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. Your mind is like a cloudless, clear blue sky. So this tranquility also arises naturally as a result of keeping your mind attentive towards your object. Staying here, being undistracted, your mind rid of any kind of hindrances, it experiences a level of relief from those hindrances. This is the tranquility that you experience, which deepens at a certain level of meditation, which we'll talk about tomorrow. But just understand that these are the factors that you want to be aware of. Not that you have to look out for them, but just know that they are present.

And when they are present, you're aware and you know that you are on the right track. Anytime you feel pain, anytime you feel despair, anytime you feel agitation, anytime you feel restlessness, anytime you feel like you need to do something, anytime you feel like you have to suppress something, anytime you feel like you feel like you feel like you feel like you feel like you feel like you feel. for tranquility. It should be said rapture. Rapture comes from the Pali word piti. Piti means joy or bliss. This is one of the factors of the levels of meditation, the first two levels of meditation that you will see tomorrow. And that too arises naturally. Remember, these are all passive states.

That arise and pass away. You don't need to hold on to them. You don't need to try to construct a state of joy. You don't need to try to bring up joy. It will arise naturally as a result of your mind being more and more collected. Don't look for these states to happen. Just be aware that they are present when they happen. Right? So your mind becomes very relaxed. Your mind becomes collected. And as a result, it feels happy and it feels that joy. So if you're experiencing that, know that you're on the right track. But here's a key point. Don't hold on to the joy. If the joy goes away, that's fine.

Don't try to keep it. Don't try to retain it. Allow it to be there when it is there, and allow it to go when it goes. Because that joy, as your mind becomes more collected, will get to the next level. It will experience more collected. It will experience more equanimity. So don't worry if anything goes away.

If you notice that it goes away and your mind is distracted, whether it is by the joy or by something else, use the 6R's to bring your mind back into orbit to stay with its object of meditation. I say this because that rapture too does not lack a proximate cause. It does not lack a proximate cause. It does not lack a proximate cause. And what is the proximate cause for rapture? It should be said gladness.

Gladness comes from the word pamoja. That is the happiness of the Dhamma. And this gladness can also be equated to what's known as non-regret. Having a mind that is not agitated. How does agitation arise? How does restlessness and remorse arise? They arise every time your mind has an intention of breaking a precept.

Most of the time. Sometimes restlessness will arise because you've had too much caffeine. Or you're anxious about something. Whatever it might be. But generally speaking, this is where you should understand that there is a connection and interrelation between keeping the precepts and the hindrances that arise. There are these five hindrances: sensual craving, aversion, restlessness, sloth and torpor, and doubt.

Sensual craving is the mind that becomes obsessed with some kind of a sensory experience. It's a pleasant feeling. And the mind says, I want more of that. Aversion says, I don't want any more of that. Aversion pushes away, has resistance towards something that is unpleasant in the mind or to the body.

Restlessness is a mind that is agitated. That's because you're trying too hard. When you try too hard, the restlessness that arises causes tightness and tension in the mind and body. And then what happens? And then what happens? Sloth and torpor is when you try too hard. Sloth and torpor is when you have a lack of energy. There's not enough interest in your object of meditation.

Sometimes what can happen is that your mind hasn't had enough sleep. Now this can be experienced by some of you in the first couple of days. You might be meditating or you think you might be meditating. You might be meditating or you might be meditating. If a hindrance arises, there's no need for you to feel guilty that it arose because you broke a precept.

If that's happening, then you have other issues to deal with, which we'll talk about personally in our interviews. But just know that if a hindrance has arisen, you don't need to get so flustered by it. Just recognize there's a hindrance. Let your attention go from that. Release your attention. Relax. Re-smile. Return. And repeat whenever you get distracted.

So keeping the precepts is a hindrance. So keeping the precepts is a wonderful protectant against the hindrance. Because the more you commit to keeping the precepts is a wonderful protectant against the hindrance. Because the more you develop keeping the precepts, the more you commit to keeping the precepts, the less agitated your mind becomes generally. Why? Because when there is an intention to break the first precept, to harm or kill a living being, what happens?

There is ill will that arises. There is aversion that arises. And this can give rise to the hindrance of aversion at some point in time. When you break the precept of taking what is not given, that can give rise to restlessness and remorse. That's the hindrance of restlessness and remorse.

When you have sensual misconduct or sexual misconduct, when you have sensual misconduct, you have sensual misconduct. When you break a precept in that obsession of grasping onto that sensory experience, that's sensual misconduct. And that cultivates the hindrance of sensual craving. When you tell a lie, when you gossip, when you slander, when you break that precept of refraining from lying, you create doubt in yourself. You create doubt about others. Because if you can lie to others, who's to say others aren't lying to you? That's the mindset that you cultivate when you do that.

And so that gives rise to the hindrance of doubt. And then indulging in intoxicants. Any intoxicant that causes dullness of mind will invariably lead to sloth and torpor. But broadly speaking, that can also be where the mind becomes obsessed in overindulging in something. That could be going on a Netflix binge and watching six seasons of a show over a weekend. How does your mind feel when it does that at the end of it?

Just blank. And it's not a good kind of blank. It's just very dull. So know the moderation in consumption. Whether it's food, whatever it might be. So this gladness that we're talking about arises as a result of knowing that you have kept your precepts.

So tune into that. In the morning when you take your precepts, allow that natural gladness to be cultivated in your mind. And allow that to inform your meditation. Allow that to be the foundation from where you then bring up that feeling of loving kindness.

And stay with that until you get distracted, six hour, and then come back. I say this because that gladness too has a proximate cause. It does not lack a proximate cause. And what is the proximate cause for gladness? It should be said faith. This word faith comes from the Pali word saddha. So this faith is really twofold.

You guys all came here to do the retreat because you're willing to understand what this retreat is all about. You're willing to listen to what the instructions are. And you're willing to try, see, and try for yourself how this practice works. That's a type of faith. As a result of that, your mind makes it a point to stay with the object of meditation. But before that, it makes it a point of cultivating and keeping the precepts, as a result of which the gladness arises.

And as a result of which the piti arises, the joy arises. As a result of which there is happiness and comfort and ease. As a result of which there is tranquility. As a result of which there is more collectedness. Or whatever it might be.

So this willingness to see how this practice works is a type of faith. As a result of which, when you go through this process, you experience what's known as conviction. Conviction in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Because you have seen for yourself that this path actually works.

So that's the two-fold understanding of faith. Now we're going through this path, and we're going through this path. It should be said suffering. Why did you guys come here on retreat? You were experiencing some kind of suffering.

I know through coming to this retreat you experienced some kind of suffering. Right. Some kind of suffering. Whether it's the suffering of change, or the suffering of stress, or the suffering of whatever it might be. You know, lack of control over your life. Whatever it might be. Right. And then that led you to say, you're not going to take you to feel relaxed.

In fact, you will only add more to your suffering if you think that all life is suffering. So what you have to understand is that there is something known as suffering in life. But there is also something known as joy in life. There is also something known as freedom of mind in life.

So we will explore all of these links in greater detail. But just for now, understand that these are the different links. They end in suffering. The whole mass of suffering. I say this because that suffering too has a proximate cause. It does not lack a proximate cause. And what is the proximate cause for suffering? It should be said birth.

Now birth here has a lot of connotations. Birth can mean the birth into existence, or the birth of action that produces results rooted in some kind of suffering. Don't worry if this is getting too complicated. But we will discuss this in greater detail. Just for now, understand what's going on here in terms of causation.

Cause and effect. Conditionality. With the arising of this, there is the arising of that. With the passing of this, there is the passing of that. So the birth that we're talking about here can mean different things. It can mean the birth of being, the birth of inter-existence, the birth of action, or a classification that results in some kind of suffering. So, the identification with something that results in suffering.

I say, bhikkhus, that birth too has a proximate cause. It does not lack a proximate cause. And what is the proximate cause for birth? It should be said existence. So here, existence comes from a proximate cause. It comes from the word bhava. And bhava can mean being, or to become something, to incline towards something.

It can mean habitual tendencies. Certain kinds of reactions. A library of reactions in your mind based on what is met in every situation. And from these reactions, from these habitual tendencies, the mind acts and causes itself suffering. And from those habitual tendencies, there is a certain birth of action that can lead to some kind of suffering. I say bhava. And what is the proximate cause for habitual tendencies?

It should be said clinging. There are certain types of clinging. The craving basically is the mind that kind of rationalizes why it says what it likes. The mind says, I like this and I want this and I want this. That's the craving. And then the mind says, I want this because of so and so. And so that's the clinging.

The association with that particular kind of craving, whether it's craving or aversion or identification, that's the process of clinging. It's the mind. It's the mind that tries to justify in that sense: why it says that this pursuit of craving, or this resistance from aversion, or this standpoint of identifying with whatever process is going on as me, mine or myself. That rationalizing, that is the clinging.

Craving here is threefold. There is the craving for sense experiences. There is a craving for existence. And there is a craving for non-existence. And there is a craving for sensory experiences, attaching a sense of self, taking personally whatever is happening through your five physical senses.

Craving for existence is: I want to be in this particular state of mind. I want to be adept at this particular meditation. I want to get to this particular Brahma Vihara. And becoming obsessed by that. Making the chanda, the wholesome inclination of inclining your mind towards release, and becoming obsessed by that. That's a type of craving.

The craving for existence, the craving for non-existence. I don't want to be radiating this particular Brahma Vihara, or I don't want to be in this jhana. That's the flip side of that. Or the very extreme form of craving for non-existence can be suicide. The mind becomes so encumbered by all kinds of experiences that it's unable to contain all of that. It's unable to deal with that in the present.

And it feels overpowered. And as a result, it feels like the relief that will arise will be by ending all of it. And that is the craving for non-existence, at the most extreme form. That's suicide. I say because that craving too has a proximate cause. It does not lack a proximate cause. And what is the proximate cause for craving? It should be said feeling.

So what is feeling? Feeling comes from the word Vedana. And the root word of Vedana is veda: to know, to understand, to experience. So Vedana is any kind of experience that is to be felt. That can be any experience that happens through the five sense basis. That is to say through the eyes, through the ears, through the nose, through the tongue, through the body, or through the mind. That's just an experience.

And that experience can be categorized or felt or cognized as being pleasant. Something that feels good. Unpleasant. Something that feels bad. Or neither pleasant nor painful. Something that feels good. Or feeling. It should be said that the proximate cause is contact. So contact is the initial spark. That propagates that experience.

In other words, the light, the photons, bounce off of an object and hit the eye. That process is contact. The vibrations in the atmosphere touch the ear, and that creates the sound. That is the contact with the ear. The molecules connect with the olfactory bulbs. That is the smelling that happens. That's the fragrance or the odor that you experience. That initial spark. When those molecules hit your nose, that is the contact.

When you taste a piece of food, that initial experience, that initial spark, that's contact. When the wind blows and you're meditating outside, that initial spark, that initial experience. When your mind makes contact with loving kindness, or with a hindrance.

That is contact, that initial experience. For contact, it should be said: the six sense basis. The six sense basis are basically the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind.

That's all it is. So it's the physical organs that receive sensory information. These are the six sense basis. For the six sense basis, name and form. Mentality. Materiality. This is a very, very interesting, particular link, because there's a lot to be talked about here. There's a lot to explore here. But just understand that the name and form basically means mind and body that allows that have faculties.

For you to be able to experience contact, for you to be able to perceive what it is that you're feeling. Perception means to be able to recognize, to know, what it is that you're experiencing. In other words, if you've seen the color black before, you know that this is the color black.

Because you've learned it before. That perception is rooted in a memory of an experience. And that allows the faculties of intention to incline the mind towards one way or the other, and attention, to pay attention to something. And then the form itself, which is the body, for name and form. It should be said consciousness.

So consciousness here basically means the six sense-based consciousnesses, the awareness. Consciousness comes from the word vijnana. Vijnana means knowledge, to know something. And vi means to divide that knowledge up. So you're becoming aware of an experience, whether it's the awareness of your eyes and the experience that your eyes are having, the awareness of your ears and the experience that your ears are having, the awareness of the nose, the tongue, the body, or the mind.

And the experiences that they're having, it's to cognize, to understand what is present. Consciousness here is not about some kind of all-pervading consciousness that is providing life to this body. And that is a permanent kind of consciousness. We will explore this more because it's a very subtle understanding of what consciousness is. And there's an interdependency between consciousness and mentality, materiality.

Without mentality, materiality, you can't experience consciousness. Without consciousness, you can't be aware of mentality, materiality. So we'll explore that also in the coming days. But just understand, on a very simple level, consciousness is to be aware of something, to cognize something. Consciousness, the proximate cause, are volitional formations. This comes from the word sankhara. Sankhara basically means to cook up something, to prepare something, to form something.

So that is to form a certain kind of experience for your intention, for your attention. There are three types of formations: bodily formations, verbal formations, mental formations. Bodily formations allow you to engage with the physical world through breathing, and walking, and so on. Verbal formations allow you to express in speech, and talk. So you have thinking and examining thought, which means you think about something, and you examine it, and then you have something that you want to say. This is facilitated by verbal formations. So they can be understood as synapses in general.

So they can be understood as synapses that allow the mind to then experience something. So they allow you to feel and perceive. I say, bhikkhus, that volitional formations too have a proximate cause. They do not lack a proximate cause. And what is the proximate cause for volitional formations?

It should be said ignorance. The reason we say this, why it's understood in this way, is because ignorance, remember, is the lack of understanding the four noble truths. The lack of mindfulness of what's going on, which means you're taking things personally. When that happens, that actually activates formations or impressions in the mind, or synapses, that have been strengthened by taking things personally. And they color the rest of the links that arise in this series of experiences.

So ignorance is really the beginning of this. But that ignorance also has a foundation, which we'll explore later, which are the taints. So it comes full circle. How do you let go of these processes that cause craving? You use the 6R's. Every time you use the 6R's, you're recognizing, which means you become mindfulness. You have mindfulness.

When you become mindful. You're aware of what's happening. You're aware of what's happening, which means that the ignorance starts to subside. When you let go of the craving, whether it's craving for existence or sensual craving, you're letting go bit by bit that taint of sensual desire and that taint of craving for existence.

With clinging as proximate cause, disenchantment comes to be. With clinging as proximate cause, the knowledge of the taints comes to be. Here endeth the lesson. Questions? The three taints are always going to be there until you become an arahant. Actually, the taint of sensual desire goes away when you become an anagami, when you let go of sensual craving and lust. The craving for existence and the ignorance goes away when you become an arahant. The three characteristics are separate.

The three characteristics have to do with understanding all things are conditioned. Everything that you experience here is conditioned. Everything that is conditioned is bound to arise and pass away, which is impermanence, anicha. The understanding of this gives you the perception of suffering because you realize that you become bored by it. It becomes too much for you to keep seeing the arising and passing away of things. And then you realize that there is no controller here. That this is no controller here. That this is no controller here. This is no controller here. They happen naturally. They happen naturally. They happen naturally.

As you become more collected. As you experience the different levels of meditation. You see for yourself the impermanent nature of things. You see for yourself the suffering aspect. And then you see for yourself the impersonal nature. Once that happens, you drop everything and you experience this deep sense of equanimity, which is the knowledge and vision of things as they are. When you deepen that, then you have the disenchantment. Then you have the cessation. Then you have the cessation that happens. So you don't have the cessation that happens.

You don't have to say in your mind, oh, this is impermanent, or hold on to the idea that this is impermanent. Your mind, by going through the different progressive steps of meditation, which we'll talk about tomorrow, at a certain level, will see for itself that anicca. Will see for itself the dukkha and will see for itself the anatta.

It's a very clear experience that happens. No, no, no, it is found in the suttas. Actually, yeah, because what it says is that the perception of anicca leads to the perception of dukkha, which leads to the perception of anatta. That perception of anatta leads to the perception of equanimity, which leads to the perception of disenchantment, which leads to the perception of dispassion, which leads to cessation. Actually, there is a sutta in Digha Nikaya number 33, the Sangeeti Sutta, where Sariputta is going through all of the different categories of experiences in the Dhamma. And he talks about these six or seven levels of perception that first begin with the perception of anicca. But that is facilitated by right effort and by right collectedness. Okay, let's share some merit. Thank you. May they long protect the Buddha's dispensation.