Day 8 2022 MN 7 The 16 types of Defilements -with Delson Armstrong

Today I am going to be reading from Majjhima Nikaya 7, Vatthupama Sutta, the simile of the cloth. Thus have I heard, on one occasion the Blessed One was living at Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's Park. There he addressed the bhikkhus thus, Bhikkhus. Venerable Sir, they replied. The Blessed One said this, Bhikkhus, suppose a cloth were defiled and stained, and a dyer dipped it in some dye or other, whether blue or yellow or red or carmine.

It would look poorly dyed and impure in color. Why is that? Because of the impurity of the cloth. So too, when the mind is defiled, an unhappy destination may be expected. When he talks about the mind being defiled, he says this in a couple of different contexts. A way to understand mind is it can be citta, it could be vinnana, or it could be mano.

There is a way in which these words are different in name and different in meaning, different in name and same in meaning. Here we're going to explore it in the way that mind also refers to consciousness, vinnana. So what we're talking about is the defilement of consciousness. Citta is basically mindset. It's a collection of different kinds of thoughts that make up a mindset. Vinnana is the awareness or consciousness.

Mano is the mind itself, the different components that make up the mind, for example. So here we're talking about the link of consciousness. So we understand that formations can be either pure or impure. They can be rooted in greed, hatred, or delusion. They are rooted in what is known as the akusala. Or formations can be rooted in the kusala.

Non-greed, non-hatred, non-delusion. If the fetters are present in the formations, if there is craving, if there is ignorance, if there is conceit in the formations, then the consciousness will be impure. And this is what we're talking about, where we talk about mind being defiled. If the mind is defiled, it can lead to unhappy states of mind. It can lead to unhappy destinations.

Unhappy destinations are the hell realms, the animal realm, and the hungry ghost realm, or a human realm that isn't all that great. So if the mind is defiled by certain things, if the consciousness is defiled by certain things, if the formations are fettered by those particular akusala, the unwholesome, and they give rise to a certain consciousness that is defiled, that can lead to the mind having further craving, having further clinging, having further conceit, having further wrong views and so on. And because of that, that could lead that being into a different destination that is completely unhappy.

So what is it that is creating these impurities in the mind, in consciousness? They are the upakilesas. That's what we are going to discuss today. The 16 upakilesas, the 16 mental defilements. So think about it in this way. Consciousness itself is completely like a window. There's nothing in there. As soon as the formations that arise, if they are impure, if they are rooted in the unwholesome, they will tinge, they will stain that window with a certain color. And that certain color is a certain kind of upakilesa, a certain kind of mental defilement.

So that's what we're going to explore today. What bhikkhus are the imperfections that defile the mind? Covetousness and unrighteous greed is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Ill will is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Anger is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Resentment is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Contempt is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Insolence is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Envy is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Avarice is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Deceit is an imperfection that defiles the mind.

Fraud is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Obstinacy is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Rivalry is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Conceit is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Arrogance is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Vanity is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Negligence is an imperfection that defiles the mind. So these are the 16 imperfections.

These are the 16 mental defilements. So that is covetousness and greed. That's one. Ill will, anger, resentment, contempt, insolence, envy, avarice, deceit, fraud, obstinacy, rivalry, conceit, arrogance, vanity, and negligence. So let's explore these so you're better acquainted with them, so you can recognize when they arise in the mind and how they arise in the mind. So when we talk about covetousness and unrighteous greed as an imperfection, covetousness and unrighteous greed, that's basically craving. That's the mind that says, I want that. If the formations are fettered in craving, or fettered by craving,

then the consciousness that arises can be rooted in that imperfection of craving, and that can give rise to a bit of craving in the nama-rupa, mentality-materiality, a bit of craving in the sixth sense spaces, and a bit of craving in contact and in feeling. The underlying tendency that arises can be the underlying tendency towards craving. And if the mind decides to hold on to that and says I want it and has craving towards it, then it will give rise to further clinging, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, action, and the whole mass of suffering.

So what kind of craving are we talking about here? First and foremost we're talking about sensual craving. Sensual craving is a craving for any kind of experience that arises from contact with the five physical senses. You see a beautiful movie or a beautiful sunset or a beautiful photo or a picture or whatever, and now your eyes are enamored by that. There's contact with that beautiful pleasant experience, and then that contact gives rise to formations that can be fettered by craving. Those formations then give rise to a consciousness that says I want that, a mindset. So think about consciousness as being a mindset.

Think of consciousness as being a collection of thoughts that then grasp onto that feeling and saying, "I want that." And so that experience thing results in the mind tending towards craving through the underlying tendency towards craving. So that sensual craving manifests how? The mind makes contact through the five physical sense bases with one or more of the sensual experiences.

Now if the mind says that's a wonderful experience, or that's a pleasant experience, or I really like that, and these kinds of things, that in and of itself doesn't denote craving. But if the mind says I want to own that, I want to keep that for myself. I'll do anything I can to keep this. I hope that this does not go away.

I hope this beautiful sunset doesn't go away. I hope this beautiful piece of music doesn't end. I hope I can have one more piece of that chocolate cake. Whatever it might be. That is denoting the underlying tendency towards craving. And then when one acts from there. So how do you know when you have that kind of craving?

The tightness and tension that arises in the mind and body, that grasping, right? When we think about the six R's, what is it doing? The six R's are reconditioning the formations, reconditioning consciousness, reconditioning how you respond to feeling. So the six R's basically: what are they? Recognize that you are distracted. Release your attention from it. Relax the tightness and tension. Re-smile. Return to your object. And then repeat whenever necessary. Those are the six R's. The crucial part here is the relax. Let's just explore the relax step here. Why are we relaxing?

Think about how the mind reacts to something. When it comes to a sensual experience, when there's craving or any of these imperfections when they arise, what's going on? The mind and body feel agitation. They need to own it. I need to own this thing. I need to keep this. I need to hold it so that it doesn't leave me. Or any of these different imperfections: I need to have it now. There's agitation, there's tension. The satisfying of that craving: the mind says I need to possess that, it possesses it, and it feels satisfaction, and then it feels relief.

And so what is happening? The mind is conditioned to thinking that anytime it feels agitated because of something that it wants, it should just go for it and crave for it and act on that craving. And that's how it will experience relief. That's how it will experience contentment and satisfaction. So what are we doing with the six R's? We're experiencing relief. We're experiencing relaxation before the craving even sets in.

Being relaxed, being relieved, being content right there and then, there is no agitation that will come. The mind and the body will not grasp towards that object because it already feels relief. It's already content. It doesn't need anything more to feel satisfaction. So this is what you're doing with the six R's. You're reconditioning the way the mind responds to a situation.

Instead of the old model, where the mind says I want that and it tries to grasp onto it and it goes for it and then feels contentment after having that, the new model is to recognize that agitation, that tension that arises from wanting that thing, and then release and relax that, and then cultivate something wholesome in its place so that it feels contentment right there and then. Because of that, no further craving will arise. So when you're doing the six R's, this is what you're doing: you're reconditioning your mind's reactions, you're reconditioning the way the mind perceives situations and experiences. Instead of trying to own them to feel the relief, your mind already feels relief.

And so it doesn't go forward in that process of craving, clinging, becoming, and so on. Now what about ill will? What is ill will here? Ill will is agitation, irritation, frustration, getting bothered by something. The mind that says, I don't like this. I don't want this. Take this away from me. So that could be sensual ill will as well.

Right? So before we continue, let me also just tell you about the other two kinds of craving. We have the craving for existence and craving for non-existence. So the craving for existence says, I want to be in this situation. I want to be in this jhana. I want to be in this meditative state. I want to be a sotapanna. I want to be a sakadagami. Now that in itself isn't so bad, because there's chanda there. There's a wholesome intention, wholesome inclination.

But then letting the mind become obsessed by it to the point that you're not able to function beyond that, now your mind is just thinking about that. Now that becomes a distraction. Now that becomes a hindrance in the mind. So that kind of craving for existence, if you can recognize that, realize that the mind is agitated, not happy with the present moment, let that go, release your attention from that, relax, re-smile, come back to your object, then that craving for existence does not continue to clinging. That doesn't continue into becoming, or birth, or action, or suffering. Craving for non-existence says, I don't like being in this situation, I want out, I don't want to be part of this retreat.

I don't want to be part of this family. I don't want to be in this country. I don't want to be in this job. I don't want to be. That's really the craving for non-existence. The most extreme form of craving for non-existence is the desire for suicide. Wanting to kill oneself. Why does anyone kill themselves? Because they feel so affected by all of the inputs that are coming in. They feel so out of control, out of touch with what's going on. It becomes too much for the mind to understand.

It becomes too much for the mind to experience. And so the only relief that person believes they will have is by ending it all. But that will lead to an unhappy destination. When that happens, the very last thought that arises when someone commits suicide is regret, is remorse. What have I done? That thought then gives rise to a new consciousness that then takes birth in a lower plane, where there is remorse and regret.

So suicide is the extreme form of craving for non-existence. But anytime you catch yourself saying, I want to be, or I don't want to be, or I want this, and I need to have that. Every time you recognize the tightness and tension around that thought pattern, you can use the 6R's to let go of that. And then come to a mind that is void of craving. A mind without craving. A mind without any agitation.

Now, coming to ill will, which is frustration, being upset, of discontentment with the present moment. Ill will can result in larger forms of that, including anger, which we'll get to. But ill will is basically being dissatisfied with the present moment by saying, I don't like being here, I don't want this. You want to push it away. There's a certain form of resistance to the present moment as it actually is. And so what happens? The mind is conditioned to think, here is my object of ill will, my object of resistance.

I will only feel relief when that object goes away, whether that's that person, whether that's the situation, whether that's the relationship, whatever it might be, that frustration with that. Somebody keeps barging in and out of the meditation hall. The door keeps opening and closing, opening and closing. And the mind now gets agitated and upset by that, gets irritated by that. And now the attention is just there, on the closing and opening of the door. Now based on that, the mind says, who is that idiot who keeps opening and closing, right? So that's the ill will that comes up.

When you can recognize that, when you can recognize that frustration and release your attention from it, relax, re-smile, come back to your object. And you just have to do it a few times. Now that ill will might not be gone fully. It might come back again, but it will be weaker because you don't give into that ill will. The moment you give into that ill will, that creates further craving in the form of aversion. That creates further clinging to an idea of what should be and what shouldn't be. That gives rise to becoming.

Now there's a sense of self that's irritated. And then there's the mental action that gets angry at that person. Wishes ill will on that person. Calls that person mean things. And you don't even know who that person is. It's just a sound that arose. And now you're irritated by that sound, or you're irritated by the air conditioning, or whatever it might be.

So this agitation, this aversion in the mind, this results in tightness and tension in the mind and body. The more you can recognize this and let it go using the 6R's, the easier it becomes for you to be able to recognize the seeds of ill will. You can recognize as soon as the mind starts to grasp onto that sound. And you can let that go.

And eventually, you develop such equanimity, such balance of mind, that no matter how many times somebody opens and closes the door, you don't get bothered by it. Now your mind is content in itself. The mind is content within mind. There is no agitation. There is no aversion. What about anger? Anger is a big one. Anger can be intoxicating.

Anger, people sometimes enjoy becoming angry. They don't realize it, but that's why they become so short-tempered. They get so irritated by something and get upset. And by acting on that anger, what happens? There's all of this build-up. All of this build-up is that whole process of dependent origination. There is the formation that's rooted in that hatred. Then there's the consciousness, the mindset that's rooted in that ill will and in that anger. And then when you see something, that contact with whatever it is, it could be something very, very innocent. But because all of this stuff has been built up in the mind, any little thing that comes in the way, that becomes an object of irritation, an object of anger.

And what happens? The mind lashes out. The person lashes out at the other person. And then they feel relief. Just for a few seconds, they feel relief. All of this tension was building up in the form of that hatred in the formations, in the form of the anger and ill will in consciousness or mindset. And then the contact, just that initial contact, gave rise to some feeling. And mind you, the feeling could have been a pleasant feeling, could have been an unpleasant feeling, could have been a neutral feeling. But because the mindset was tainted, tinged, colored by that anger, everything you see is tinted by that anger.

And it just needs one little thing for you to get into an outburst of that anger. And then you act upon that anger. And so now you have full-blown aversion from that. And then there's clinging. You justify, you rationalize why you were angry in your mind. And then there's a becoming of why it is that you are justified. Right, you are the person who was, you know, somebody said something to you and now you are that person. You are the victim. You are the person who says, I have to defend myself and I have to get angry at that person, and so on.

And then that gives rise to the birth of that action, and then that gives rise to the whole mass of suffering. Initially, you feel relief. And what happens naturally? I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have done that. Now that's a form of suffering. The grief, the despair, the sorrow, the lamentation. I shouldn't have done that. So the anger, that's just a build-up. So how do you let go of that anger? How do you deal with that anger?

Recognize its initial popping up in the form of some kind of a thought rooted in ill will. You can start recognizing whenever there's an unpleasant feeling. Somebody says something to you, and maybe it's a criticism. Maybe they lash out at you. Maybe they start abusing you. They start getting angry and using abusive words at you. And now, because of the self-image you have about who you think you are, that is being poked holes at, right? And now the mind feels like, I have to do something about this. So the formations rooted in that conceit, the formations rooted in that hatred, in that delusion, come up. And they activate a consciousness that is tinted, tinged, painted, or stained by that anger.

And now you lash out from there. There's no thinking at all, no rationale at all. Or you can recognize that and realize, oh wait, I'm starting to get angry at this person. And it's just a matter of letting things slow down. Not everything has to be a fire drill here. Just because somebody is lashing out at you, you can just let that sound be there. It's just the sound of a person lashing out at you.

Once you truly understand everything as being an impersonal process, then you realize that even that lashing out, it's just that person's suffering. That person is suffering. Why do you want to add to their suffering? And why do you want to add to your suffering by reacting in the same way? So you recognize that initial irritation that comes up.

You release your attention from that. You relax. You re-smile. Maybe don't smile at the person lashing at you, because they might get even further aggravated, but uplift the mind and come back to some equanimity, loving kindness, compassion, whatever it might be. And then your mind will be rooted in wisdom, rooted in compassion, and then it will speak in right speech, trying to de-escalate that conflict instead of adding further to it.

So you're doing two things here. You're helping yourself and you're helping the other person, because the other person doesn't is ignorant, they're not aware that they're doing this. But now you're de-escalating the situation. You're trying to calm them down, which means now their formations are calming down, tranquilizing, and now their consciousness is getting away from that anger, and now they're starting to realize what they said and they start to calm down and they start to become more rational, more reasonable.

Like I said, not everything is a fire drill. Just because somebody says something to you and expects an answer right this moment, doesn't mean you have to give it. You don't have to do anything. There's nothing to do, nothing to be, really. This whole samsara that we're experiencing is just this collective idea of how things should be or how things need to be. So you've grown up experiencing life a certain way because of the way your elders, your parents, your teachers have told you this is how you react. And as you go out into the world and you see other people behave, you pick that up and you say, that is how I have to behave.

Maybe you watch movies and television and they're not conditioned the way you think you have to react. But you don't have to react. Why do you think you have to react? You don't have to react. Slow things down. Somebody gets upset at you, somebody gets angry at you. What's the initial thing? The reaction is, I've got to lash out back at them. Slow it down, relax, soften, keep the mind expanding. Once you do that, then you give the mind enough space to respond instead of react.

A lot of the crimes of passion that happen in the heat of the moment happen because it's just quick reactivity. Not thinking, just letting that monkey mind take over and then react. But if you give enough space, just a couple of moments, just a few seconds, this person said something to you or they did something to you, just relax, give it a couple of seconds. On the neuroscientific level, what's going on is you're giving the space for the prefrontal cortex to respond, which means now you're responding rooted in rationality and in wisdom.

If you give that pause, you're responding rather than reacting. So it is going to be challenging. But I see every challenge as an opportunity to see that. Okay, here's anger coming up. I can choose to lash out at this person right there and then. Or I can recognize my own anger, release my attention from that, relax, uplift the mind, come back to equanimity, come back to compassion, and then respond. And because you give that pause, because you give that space, your intuition comes in. And your intuition will always guide you in the right way. Your intuition will provide you with the right speech, with the right action required for that particular situation at hand.

Resentment. What is resentment? Now that anger boils over and it festers like a wound. They said this to me, they said that to me. My mother said this, my father said that, my brother did this to me, my sister did that to me. All of these kinds of ideas continue to circulate in the mind over and over and over again. And that becomes a wound that festers.

And then that festering wound becomes resentment. Now, every time you see that person, maybe they didn't say something to you or did something to you 20 years ago. But when you see that person, the contact of seeing that person opens up that wound again. And so now that contact with that person gives rise to formations rooted in that memory, rooted in that hatred, rooted in the delusion.

That gives rise to a mindset, a consciousness that has resentment. And now, however you behave, even if you try to hide it in your mind, you have that resentment. So your actions, your speech, they will have that resentment. Even though you think you're trying to act nice with that person, even though you think you're trying to act kindly with that person, your actions will be rooted in that resentment.

So that image of the person as being that person who hurt you, who said this to you, who did that to you, that is what's projected onto them. What if that person changed? What if that person sought your forgiveness? What if that person made changes to their lives? What if they realize their mistakes and they let go of that? But the resentment in your mind doesn't allow you to forgive them.

In your mind, you continue to punish them through your actions. You continue to punish them through your thoughts. You continue to punish them through your speech. You're not being fair to them. You're not allowing them the space to grow. That is the true compassion there. Giving that person the space to grow out of their suffering. And so a wonderful antidote to resentment is forgiveness.

You can do the forgiveness meditation. And that will really help. And then understanding also that everybody has their own karma. If you really understand this, then you're not going to be so affected by that person who is the object of your resentment, or that situation, or whatever it might be. Because then you understand that that person did that because of whatever arose in terms of dependent origination.

Now, in your mind, you could think that's unfair, and whatever it might be, and you forgive yourself for that. But you also realize that their karma is their karma, your karma is your karma. Now you don't use the idea of karma saying that it is some kind of a system where you're going to get justice because of that. You're not going to look at karma as saying that it's going to be retribution for what they did. That's not the way to look at karma. Karma is just your intentions and your actions rooted in your intentions. Karma is their intentions and their actions rooted in their intentions.

Now, whatever happens to them is their karma. Whatever happens to you is your karma. So don't take even that karma personally. Now, this might take some time to understand, and the best way to get to that understanding is some self-compassion, which is forgiveness, really. Forgiveness really clears away those blocks that don't allow you to fully experience loving kindness for yourself or for others.

Once you start experiencing that, then you don't take it personally. Now when you see that person, if you've truly forgiven them, when you see that person, you see that person for who they are in that moment. Not as that person who was my abuser. Not as that person who said this to me. Not as that person who did that to me. Just as a person.

You have total equanimity towards that person. Complete compassion towards that person. So one of the best antidotes, the most practical antidotes, is to use the forgiveness meditation, the forgiveness practice, when you notice that there is resentment in the mind. Contempt. When we talk about contempt, contempt is this idea that you are right and that person is wrong. Contempt is thinking that you are better than the other person and they don't have a right to their own opinion. Contemptuous. So this is a kind of defilement that happens because you have a certain kind of self-image. You have a certain kind of conceit that arises.

And now you have contempt for that person. You look down on that person. You look up at yourself and you look down on that person. And so now when you do that, there is karma that arises from that intention. So that contempt is rooted in formations that are fettered by delusion of who you think you are, and in the consciousness, the mindset that activates is looking at everybody else, or a certain person or group of people, in a certain way. And so whenever your mind makes contact with that person, it feeds back to the energy of the formations, which continue to feed and activate that particular mindset or that particular consciousness. So your reactions to that kind of person will always be looking down at them.

It's a little subtler because you have a certain self-image. You have to be able to recognize that. That's why that exercise of writing down, who do you think you are? Who am I? Writing that down. And then what kind of ideas and beliefs do you have about what you think is a self, what you think is yourself? And then in relation to the people that you know in your life or groups of people, right? Whether that group, you have a certain idea of a group of people, because it might be something that is prejudiced against that group of people.

So really look deep down into what kind of defilements are present in the mind. What kind of upakilesas are present in the mind? But don't criticize yourself for that. Just have total equanimity. One exercise that you can do is go into the fourth jhana. Develop very deep equanimity and look back into your thoughts. Go deep down into understanding who you think you are and what kind of ideas you have about yourself and others.

And if they're rooted in the unwholesome, let those go. Recognize them. Release your attention from them. Relax. Re-smile. Come back to the equanimity. Insolence. Insolence means a person who thinks that they are who they think they are, but they're not really. They're misguided. They overestimate themselves. They think that they are accomplished in a certain kind of skill, but they're not. They think they're accomplished in a certain kind of profession, but they're not.

They think that they're skilled in some kind of an attainment, but they're not. So this is another kind of conceit that arises. This is another kind of self-projection that arises. So really, again, go back into your mind, start looking and recognizing, do you have any overestimations about yourself, about your own skills? This is easier said than done because most people will always believe their press.

I had a mentor who would say that to me. He would say, never believe your own press. That doesn't mean don't accept a compliment. It just means don't let your mind become infatuated by that. Don't let your mind become drunk and enamored and intoxicated by what people say about you. Because that creates this wall around your mind in thinking that, oh, I am that person.

Oh, I am great. I am unique. It's like that old saying, right? You are unique, just like everyone else. So, it is good for understanding what qualities are present in your mind, truly, and appreciating yourself for that. But also, understand, are you overestimating what you think you are? Are you overestimating your own skills? And if you are, let go of that.

Learn from that. And understand where the mind actually is. Envy. So envy is jealousy. Jealousy is not being happy for another person's success. Why are they happy? Why are they successful? And why am I not successful? Again, this comes from a type of conceit. This comes from a type of idea that this is who I am and this is who that other person is, and now you're comparing.

And now when you compare, you have dissatisfaction, you have suffering. So now the formations rooted in that delusion activate a type of mindset rooted in that envy, rooted in that jealousy. It starts off when you're a little kid. Let's say you have a sibling, or you have a cousin, or you have friends, and your parents or your teachers, they say, oh, this person, this child is really wonderful at this. And now you think, why didn't they say anything about me? Why didn't they praise me?

That's the seeds. That starts from there, because now you're starting to compare, and now you become jealous. You become envious of that person. That can give rise to ill will, that can give rise to anger, that can give rise to resentment towards that person. So what is the antidote for jealousy, for envy? Mudita, empathetic joy.

When you understand the brahmavihara of empathetic joy, it is basically being happy for another person's success. Being happy, of course, that success should be wholesome. Being happy for that person's wholesome success, celebrating in their joys, just being happy for them. So look in your own mind. Is there anyone that you are jealous of? Is there anyone you are envious of?

How come that guy has more money than me? Why does that guy have a bigger house than I do? Why does he have a bigger TV than I do? How come he has that great looking car and I don't? If you start to recognize thoughts like this, release them, let them go, relax your mind, uplift the mind, bring up mudita, and genuinely, sincerely, take that person that you feel jealous of, and start sending them mudita, and being happy for what they have.

There's one of our friends in the TWIM community, I won't mention who it is. But he was telling me that we were at the gas station and he was telling me, whenever I see somebody who has this great looking car, if I see somebody who has this great house, you know what comes into my mind? Good for them.

He really is. He becomes happy for them. He has mudita for them. He doesn't say, how come that person is driving that car? I want that car. Oh, they must have gotten that car through some means. They start to justify it, saying it's through black money. So he doesn't have thoughts like that. He just has mudita immediately. When he sees somebody happy, he sees somebody successful, good for them, I'm so happy. So if you have jealousy or envy for another person, develop and cultivate and perfect that experience of mudita. Avarice. Avarice comes from the word macchariya, which means being stingy,

not being generous. Whatever it is that you have in this world, it is given to you through your own efforts, through your own karma. Whether that's money, whether that's a house, whether that's possessions, whatever it might be. Now, of course, for the bhikkhus and the bhikkhunis, for the monastics, it's their robes, it's their shelter, it's their bowl, it's their alms food and so on. But as lay people, some people are blessed with a lot of money. Some people are blessed with a great house. Some people are blessed with great health. Some people are blessed with whatever it is.

But now, being blessed with that, why are you blessed with that? Why is it that people sometimes have that great wealth? Why is it that some people have all of the things that they want in their life? It's because they are generous. It's because they're willing to share. I had a mentor in San Diego. He was a really, really wealthy guy. Very wealthy.

He made a lot of money in the past and he had a great house and all of this stuff, and he was so openly generous. I remember going with him on car rides, and we would go and stop at the bank, and I'd sit in the car waiting for him. He'd go to the ATM. He'd come back and say, here, here's a thousand dollars. I made sure to go on that car ride with him every time.

Let's take a trip to the bank. But because he was so open, because he was generous, he received more. Having that generous attitude takes away that concept of stinginess in your mind. Because what is a stingy mind? What is a mind that is filled with avarice? It's a contracted mind. It's a mind that says, I don't have enough. It's a mind that has scarcity. But being willing to share, being willing to help another person, or just being happy that you're able to help that person, right? There was a quote by John D. Rockefeller, and he said,

Giving isn't a duty, giving is a privilege. So if people find themselves in a position of wealth, a position where they have enough for themselves and more, then it's a privilege for them to be able to share that with others. It's not about it being a duty. It's a privilege. You get to do that, you have the opportunity to do that. So stinginess, see in your own mind, whenever somebody asks you for something, how does the mind respond? Did you want to ask a question? Okay. So when somebody asks you for something, how does the mind react? Does it say, oh, that's mine, you can't have that?

Or are you openly willing to give? If somebody takes something, how does your mind react? Oh, that's my possession, why are they taking that? Right? So in samsara we have this concept of ownership. This is my car, this is my house, this is my whatever it is. How do you think it is in the deva realms? Do you think in the deva realms they're saying, oh, this is my house. This is my mansion. Nobody else gets to stay here.

This is my celestial vehicle. Nobody else can borrow it. You see, the devas are devas because they were so generous. They were so giving. They were forgiving. They were compassionate. They were helpful. They shared everything with everyone. So up there in the deva realms, everyone's enjoying themselves, because there's no such thing as avarice over there, no such thing as jealousy over there, no such thing as why do they have a bigger mansion than I do? So if you notice in your mind that there's an initial sense of, oh, that's mine, why are they asking for that, that mind grasps around, like Gollum in Lord of the Rings, my precious.

If you notice that happening in the mind, let go of that. Recognize that. Release your mind from it. Release your attention from it. Relax the tightness and tension. Come back to the smile. Come back to a wholesome object of mind. And then from that wholesome object of mind, give to that person. Allow them to have whatever it is that they're asking for.

Deceit. Deceit is basically deceiving people, right? Deceiving people to get something from them. So that's another form of lying, a form of trickery. You deceive a person, and you create some kind of a story, you create some kind of idea about who you are, and you create all of these ideas, and you deceive them. That's just straight-out lying.

It's just being a con man. So hopefully none of you are doing that. But if you notice in your mind that idea of, oh, maybe I should create these stories, or maybe I should create some kind of a concept to persuade this person into giving me money or giving me that particular item, right? That kind of deceit.

If you recognize that, release that, let that go, relax, re-smile. Deceit comes from delusion. It's another form of conceit. It's like, oh, I am this person, that person has that, I can get that from them by tricking them, by deceiving them. Fraud. Now, fraud is basically, you know that you are not this person, but you claim to be that person.

You know that you are not at this particular attainment, but you claim to be at that attainment. So fraud is basically knowing that what you are saying is in fact false, is in fact untrue. So it's not overestimating only. It's knowing that you're not that and then conveying to people what you are, what you are not, right? So people have an idea that they think you are this kind of a person, or you have this kind of an attainment, or whatever it might be, but in your mind you know the truth, you know that that's not the case. So if you recognize that you're trying to impress other people, you're trying to say, oh, I'm this and that, you're not really that, you're lying to yourself and lying to the other person. That's going to lead to an unhappy destination as well. That could lead to a destination of the hungry ghost realm, that could lead to even a worse realm than that, and I'm not only talking about in terms of physical realms, I'm talking about psychological as well. So if you recognize that, release that, relax that

bring up the smile and be honest with yourself, be truthful to yourself and be truthful to others. Being truthful, that's always a very important element. Keeping the precepts in general is a huge element to having a mind that is non-agitating, to having a mind that is calm and naturally collected. So being truthful, it doesn't seem to be the case in a lot of places that you go to. A lot of people have different ways of convincing you of things that might not be completely honest.

It's everywhere you go. Or it can be anywhere you go. But if you are truthful to yourself, if you are honest with yourself, and if you're truthful to others, and if you're honest with others, then you don't have doubt in your mind about your own self, and you don't have doubt about others. You can easily trust others, and there's nothing wrong with that.

You have to be able to trust other people. But if you continue to deceive, if you continue to be fraudulent, if you continue to lie, you think everybody else is a cheat, everybody else is a trickster, everybody else is a charlatan. So you don't trust anyone. And so every time you're always looking out, like, okay, is this person trying to deceive me? Maybe they're genuinely trying to help you, but you're not able to accept that because you have all of this deceit and fraud in your mind, all of this doubt about yourself and others in your mind.

And so that gives rise to, in the meditation, the hindrance of doubt. It gives rise to, am I doing this practice correctly? What is wholesome? What is unwholesome? This has been my experience. So your mileage may vary. But I had noticed that whenever you go, especially in Asia, and especially in India, I've been to India and Cambodia specifically, people there are not always honest. They're always doing different kinds of business deals and transactions that are always a little bit shady.

And sometimes they'll trick you. They'll use all of these sweet words. Oh, everything's going to be fine, you know. Just give me 500 rupees and you'll make 5,000 or whatever it might be. So now if you are truthful and if you're honest, you won't get yourself in those situations and you'll start to recognize those situations and your intuition, your radar. That's different from where you mistrust everyone. Everybody's out to get you. That's different.

What I'm saying is here your intuition, your ability to discern what is true and what is false becomes very heightened. And it is understood in some ancient Indian traditions that if you're always honest and if you're always true, then whatever it is you say will come to happen. Because your mind is so pure, it's so purified of any kind of deceit and fraud, that it's able to just discern the truth all the time. And whatever it thinks, whatever it wants, it happens.

Obstinacy. Obstinacy is stubbornness, being stubborn. It comes from the Pali word stambha, which means a pillar. You know, it's just there. It's just rooted. It's not going to budge. It's not going to move anywhere. And so when you're in an argument, when you are in an argument or when you're in a debate, you don't budge from your particular viewpoint.

But what if your viewpoint is actually wrong? What if your viewpoint is not beneficial? What if your viewpoint is detrimental? If you have stubbornness, if you have obstinacy, you won't be able to see that. So that also can come from a type of conceit which thinks that I know it all. I know better than you do. Don't tell me, I know it.

And so you hold on to that view. You hold on to that idea that I know what is to be true. And if that happens, then you won't be able to grow. You won't be able to learn. You have to have the attitude to be able to always be a learner. Now, in the suttas and in Pali, there's two words. Sekha and Asseka. Sekha means one who learns, one who is in training. And Asseka is the non-learner. Sometimes it's translated as the unlearned, but it's a play on words, because the arahant is the Asseka. It's the unlearned because there's nothing left to learn. They've already learned everything in relation to the Dhamma.

But that doesn't mean they won't be willing to learn about other things. They don't think like they know it all. So you have to be willing to be open about your views, be open, be willing to be open about correcting yourself if somebody points out, well, I know this is what you said about the Dhamma, or I know this is what you think about meditation, but have you considered this, or what do you think about this? If you've already made up your mind that you are right, what's the point of having that conversation? So be willing to have that polite conversation with people and say, oh okay, let me consider that, let me think about that. And chances are you might be able to see that, oh wait, yeah, this was wrong information that I was given. This information is more accurate. This information is more helpful, more beneficial to me.

So that's just a mindset that is basically saying, okay, I'm open to and willing to learn from everyone, doesn't matter who it is. So you let go of that conceit that you think you know it all, and you let go of the conceit that you are perfect. Rivalry. This is a rivalry in terms of, you know, this person is that, and I have to become better than that person. This person is accomplished in the first jhana, I have to get to the second jhana. This person is a sotapanna, I have to get to becoming a sakadagami. This person has perfect determinations, I have to be even better than that. This person sat in Nirodha for two days.

I should sit for three days. Or I should sit for two days and one minute. Now I'll be better than that person. That's rivalry. I have to be better than that person. Again, that comes from conceit. This idea that, oh, this person is great, but now I can do better. So you create this rivalry. In your own mind, you think that person is a rival. That person probably doesn't even know you.

But you've already made them your rival. So if you can see that, that competitiveness, that competitive attitude, it's actually not helpful at all. It's a detriment to your practice. Don't do the practice because you need to be better than someone else. Do the practice so that you can let go of all of these defilements for your own peace of mind, for your own cessation of suffering.

So understand your intention behind what it is that you want to do, whether that's the practice, the Dhamma, anything that you're doing. If you're going to be that kind of person who tries to keep up with the Joneses, right? They're better, so we need to do something more better than they are, right? If you have that kind of attitude, then you're not living for yourself.

You're just living for others. And that's a pretty sad and pathetic life. So you have to let go of that. Recognize that mindset that says, oh, this person is this, I have to do better than they are. Do it because you will find satisfaction in it. So recognize when that intention comes up, let it go, release your attention from that, relax, come back to the smile, come back to a wholesome object of meditation, a wholesome mind object.

Conceit. So now we're going to get to the crux of this whole thing. That's where you guys have those sheets. Do you have an extra one for me? Nice. So there are these 55 types of conceit. And they're all here on this one sheet. Hey, that rhymed. So let's see what we have here. Now this comes from the Khuddaka Nikaya. This comes from the Culla and Maha Niddesa in the Khuddaka Nikaya. So there is the one-fold conceit where the mind feels superior.

The two-fold where one brags about oneself and belittles others. The three-fold of I am better than, or I am equal to, or I am worse than that person. The four-fold conceit of identification with gains, fame, praise, pleasure. That's the believing in your own press. The five-fold in relation to experiencing as an I am in feeling, forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles. In other words, I am that form, or I am that particular sensual experience. So the five physical sense-based experiences.

Six-fold in identifying with the functions of the six sense-bases. So now that adds also with the mind. So that is where we talked about yesterday when you are in meditation, you have that idea that I am meditating, where instead of just watching mind meditate, or I am experiencing this factor of jhana, or I am experiencing this loving kindness, instead of just watching mind bring up that experience and feeling that experience. Sevenfold conceit of pride, arrogance, boastfulness, self-loathing, overestimation, the sense of I am with a false sense of equality.

The eightfold conceit arising from the eight vicissitudes of existence, pride of gain, fame, praise and pleasure, and self-hatred, being unhappy with oneself, being self-critical due to loss. I'm such an idiot, I should not have invested my money in that. You know, that kind of thing. Infamy, blame, and pain. Ninefold conceit of the threefold conceits, each experienced in three cases. In other words, where one is actually superior to another and feels superior, one is inferior or equal to that person, is inferior to another and feels superior,

inferior or equal to that person is equal to another person and feels superior, inferior or equal to that person. And this can be in reference to your sila, through your morality. I keep the precepts better than anybody else does. I'm the most moral person here. You know, that kind of conceit. Or practice, or wisdom, or anything else. Samadhi, right? I can get into the first jhana in three minutes.

I can get into the second jhana faster than anybody here - that kind of conceit. The tenfold conceit in relation to one's status: family, beauty, wealth, education, occupation, creativity, knowledge, learning ability, or ability to convey information in an eloquent manner. So when you add up all of these different kinds of conceit, those are the 55 types of conceit.

So recognize where your conceit lies. Where does your self-image lie in relation to any of these? Do you feel like you're a better speaker than someone? Do you feel like you have more wealth than another person? Do you feel like you're more handsome than that guy? Do you feel like you're more beautiful than that lady? You feel like you're able to learn quicker than others. You feel like you have more knowledge than others.

You feel like you're better at being in this jhana than others, or that person is better at being in that jhana than you are. So it's comparison. That's what conceit is. Comparing yourself with others. So mana, which is the word for conceit, means to measure. It's measuring up. Do I measure up to this? And it's not just measuring up with another person. Do I measure up to the idea of who I think I am? That's the other kind of conceit.

The self-image itself. Arrogance. So arrogance comes from the word atimana. Basically that means great conceit. It's like conceit squared. Just arrogance. I'm better than everybody. You have this air of arrogance about you, everybody else is stupid around me, I'm the best, that kind of thing. And then vanity. So vanity is self-infatuation, basically, infatuated with the idea of who you think you are. Again, that comes to believing your own press, but just being like, oh yeah, I'm really great, I'm really, I'm the best in everything. Maybe you are the best, you are the best in everything. But having that idea, that infatuation, that can be very intoxicating for the mind, and then that can give rise to negligence, which is the next one. Negligence. That comes from the word pamada.

So negligence also means heedlessness or carelessness. It's a lack of mindfulness. That's why it's rooted in ignorance, rooted in delusion. So negligence means not being mindful. Basically, it's as simple as not knowing where your mind is. Do you guys know where your mind is right now? Can you find your mind? Is it running off somewhere? Pay attention to where your attention is.

Pay attention to what you're thinking about. It's as simple as recognizing, is there a craving present in my mind? That's the opposite of negligence. That's heedfulness. That's being careful. And that is facilitated by yoniso manasikara, attention rooted in reality. Being aware of every experience you're having. This is what I mean when I say, whatever experience you're having, experience it fully, but without the sense of I.

When you have that level of mindfulness, none of these other defilements can arise in the mind. No craving can arise in the mind because you're fully there with every experience. And as soon as you recognize, oh, here is craving, as soon as you recognize this inkling of aversion coming up, this inkling of conceit coming up, you can let that go and you're okay. Now there's no more craving, no more clinging. No more becoming, no more birth of action, no more whole mass of suffering.

Knowing that covetousness and unrighteous greed is an imperfection that defiles the mind, a bhikkhu abandons it. Knowing that ill will, anger, resentment, contentment, insolence, envy, avarice, deceit, fraud, obstinacy, rivalry, conceit, arrogance, vanity, and negligence is an imperfection that defiles the mind, a bhikkhu abandons it. So in other words, now you guys know what those defilements are. Now you'll be able to recognize when they come up.

Maybe not all the time, but eventually you'll be able to recognize when it comes up. And then as soon as you recognize here is present this particular imperfection, knowing that it is an imperfection that will cause you suffering, you let it go. You use the six R's, let it go, and you abandon it. When a bhikkhu has known that covetousness and unrighteous greed is an imperfection that defiles the mind and has abandoned it, when a bhikkhu has known that ill will, anger, resentment, contempt, insolence, envy, avarice, deceit, fraud, obstinacy, rivalry, conceit, arrogance, vanity, negligence is an imperfection that defiles the mind and has abandoned it, he acquires unwavering confidence in the Buddha thus: the Blessed One is accomplished, fully enlightened, perfect in true knowledge and conduct, sublime, knower of worlds, incomparable leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of gods and humans, enlightened and blessed.

He acquires unwavering confidence in the Dhamma thus. The Dhamma is well-proclaimed by the Blessed One, visible here and now, immediately effective, inviting inspection, onward leading, to be experienced by the wise for themselves. He acquires unwavering confidence in the Sangha thus. The Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is practicing the good way, practicing the straight way, practicing the true way, practicing the proper way. That is, the four pairs of persons, the eight types of individuals.

This Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, the unsurpassed field of merit for the world. So in other words, they gain stream entry. When you let go of all of these different defilements in the mind, now the formation is rooted in those impure fetters. Rooted in those fetters, rather. Rooted in the akusala, in the unwholesome.

When they cease, all formations cease, all consciousness ceases, now you have cessation. Coming out of cessation, your mind makes contact with Nibbana, and for that moment your mind is completely pure and experiences stream entry. It gains confidence, experiential confidence, in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. And then eventually those other two fetters go away. So really the crux of stream entry is the experiential confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.

In the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, there is a question that Ananda asks the Buddha, because the Buddha is going to go now, he's going to enter Mahaparinibbana. He asks the Buddha, how will we recognize, or now that you will be gone, because only a Buddha can really assess where someone is at in terms of their attainments, now that you will be gone, how are we to know who someone is? How are we to know specifically that somebody has entered the stream? And the Buddha provides him with what's known as the mirror of the Dhamma. The mirror of the Dhamma is: does this person have the experiential confidence in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha? In this way it's not about just having faith. It's about having walked the path.

And assessed for yourself, and seen how this path leads to Nibbana, and thereby attaining that experiential confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. And also as a result, you realize the impersonal nature of all things. That's the first fetter. And then you also let go of any kind of clinging to rites and rituals, because now you understand that they are not going to lead you to Nibbana. Now you have walked the path and you've understood that this is the way leading to Nibbana. So you let go of that. But the crux of it is that experiential conviction. That conviction born of actually seeing for yourself the Dhamma. Walking the path of the Dhamma and experiencing the fruits of the Dhamma.

So now what we are talking about here is the experience of what's known as the transcendental dependent origination. You guys thought there was only one dependent origination, didn't you? There is another one that is the transcendental, which we'll talk about soon. What he's talking about first is that initial conviction, the willingness to try this path and see for yourself how it works. And in relation to that, there is not just the faith in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. It's not the experiential conviction yet. But there is the faith, the willingness to try it, and along with that, the virtue, the sila, the keeping of the precepts. When that happens, he gains inspiration.

Once he has inspiration, he gets gladness. That's pamojja. Pamojja is gladness of the Dhamma. Being happy because your mind has no regrets. Your mind is purified by keeping the precepts. Now that gladness then leads to rapture. That is the joy, the piti, that you experience. That rapture makes you feel tranquil. The body feels tranquil. That's the passaddhi. That's the mind that becomes tranquil. That happens when you relax all formations.

In one who is rapturous, the body becomes tranquil. One whose body is tranquil feels pleasure. In one who feels pleasure, the mind becomes collected. So even when you gain stream entry, it is quite possible that you have the fruition right after. Not always, but it can happen maybe after a few minutes, or it can happen after a few days. It will definitely happen at some point. But the idea here is you review and you realize, oh, I have let go of an ocean of suffering. I feel so much joy. I feel so much relief. And your mind becomes gladdened by that. Being glad, then you go back through that process again. And without any expectations, your mind experiences that fruit again.

You realize, oh, I've let go of these defilements. You realize, I've let go of these imperfections in the mind. I've let go of these fetters. And your mind becomes glad. It goes through that whole process of transcendental dependent origination and experiences another cessation. And possibly a fruition or another attainment, whatever it might be. Bhikkhu. If a bhikkhu of such virtue, that is one who keeps the precepts, such a state of collectedness continues to develop and cultivate jhana, and such wisdom, who has the panna, who has the insight, who has the understanding of dependent origination, eats alms food consisting of choice hill rice along with various sauces and curries, even that will be no obstacle for him.

Now, this is referring to the anagami. Why? Because for the anagami, they have let go of any kind of sensual craving. They have let go of any kind of aversion. So no matter what kind of food you give them, no matter whatever pleasurable thing you give them, that will not be an obstacle for them in their practice because they no longer have any kind of sensual craving.

Just as a cloth that is defiled and stained becomes pure and bright with the help of clear water, or just as gold becomes pure and bright with the help of a furnace, so too, if a bhikkhu of such virtue, such a state of collectedness and such wisdom eats alms food consisting of choice hill rice along with the various sauces and curries, even that will be no obstacle for him. And doing so, he abides pervading one quarter with the mind imbued with loving kindness.

There is this, there is the inferior, there is a superior, and beyond this, there is an escape from the whole field of perception. Four things, what could those be? The four noble truths. There is this, there is suffering, there is the inferior, the cause or origin of that suffering. There is a superior, the cessation of that suffering. And beyond, there is an escape from this whole field of suffering.

That's the Eightfold Path. When a person, their mind becomes fully liberated, and they have the complete experience of the Four Noble Truths, which means they have fully understood suffering, they have fully understood dependent origination, and they have fully abandoned all kinds of conditions for suffering, the craving, the greed, the hatred, the delusion, the clinging, the becoming, the ignorance, the conceit, all of these things they have let go of. They fully abandoned that. And because of that, they have fully realized Nibbana, fully realized and experienced Nirodha, the full cessation of suffering,

and perfected the cultivation and the development of the Eightfold Path, then they are said to be an arahant. And so that's why he says, when he knows and sees thus, his mind is liberated from the taint of sensual desire, from the taint of being, from the taint of ignorance. Those are the asavas. The asavas are actually sort of the substratum of dependent origination.

Because if you were to ask, what is the cause and condition for ignorance? The cause and condition for ignorance are the asavas themselves. The asavas are like the virus in the software. They are the corrupted coding in the programming of your mind. The taint of sensual desire, that gives rise to sensual craving throughout that whole process of dependent origination.

The taint of being, that gives rise to the desire for existence, the desire for being someone, the desire of conceit. And the taint of ignorance itself, which leads to lack of mindfulness. Now, every time you indulge in sensual craving or aversion, you feed back to that energy of the taint of sensual desire or aversion. Every time you have the desire to become something, or you have this sense of conceit arising in you, you feed back to that taint of bhava, the taint for the desire for becoming.

And every time you have lack of attention, lack of mindfulness, you feed back energy to the taint of ignorance. So how do you stop that feedback loop? The 6R's. You recognize craving comes up, you let go. Now you're whittling away at that influx of desire. You recognize the conceit coming up, you let that go. And now you're whittling away at that taint of becoming.

You recognize you are not on your object and you got distracted, your attention is not here or there, you let go of that and you come back, and now you're whittling away at the ignorance and recognizing and realizing for yourself the four noble truths, because every time you 6R, you are experiencing the four noble truths. When you recognize a hindrance present in the mind, you recognize a distraction present in the mind, you recognize your mind is no longer in its object, that's a form of suffering.

You have understood that there is suffering. When you release your attention from that, then you have abandoned the fuel for that hindrance, because your attention is what feeds that hindrance. When you relax and experience that mundane Nibbana, you are experiencing the third noble truth. When you come back to the re-smile and you cultivate the object of meditation again, you are cultivating the fourth noble truth of the Eightfold Path. So every time you 6R, you are seeing for yourself the four noble truths. This is how it would be best to understand it.

Now, there's a reason why he said this. You'll see why in the subsequent passages. Now, on that occasion, the Brahmin Sundarika Bharadwaja was sitting not far from the Blessed One. Then he said to the Blessed One: But does Master Gautama go to the Bahukar River to bathe? Why, Brahmin, go to the Bahukar River? What can the Bahukar River do?

Master Gautama, the Bahukar River is held by many to give liberation. It is held by many to give merit, and many wash away their evil actions in the Bahuka River. Then the Blessed One addressed the Brahmin Sundarika Bharadwaj in stanzas: Bahuka and Adikakha, Gaya and Sundarika too, Payaga and Sarasati, and the stream Bahumati. A fool may there forever bathe, yet will not purify dark deeds.

What can the Sundarika bring to pass? What the Payaga? What the Bahuka? They cannot purify an evildoer, a man who has done cruel and brutal deeds. One pure in heart has evermore the feast of spring, the holy day. One fair in act, one pure in heart, brings his virtue to perfection. That's a very important passage there. One who can cultivate loving kindness, compassion, purify their heart completely.

where you can feel loving kindness at a moment's notice. You can feel compassion at a moment's notice. You don't even have to bring it up. It's just there in your mind. There you have completely perfected virtue because you have continued to keep your precepts. It is here, Brahmin, that you should bathe to make yourself a refuge for all beings. And if you speak no falsehood, nor work harm for living beings, nor take what is not offered.

With faith and free from avarice, being one who has faith in the Dhamma and being one who is generous, what need for you to go to Gaya? For any well will be your Gaya. When this was said, the Brahmin Sundarika Bharadwaja said: Magnificent Master Gautama, Magnificent Master Gautama. Master Gautama has made the Dhamma clear in many ways, as though he were turning upright what had been overthrown, revealing what was hidden, showing the way to one who was lost, or holding up a lamp in the dark for those with eyesight to see forms. I go to Master Gautama for refuge, and to the Dhamma and to the Sangha of Bhikkhus. I would receive the going forth under Master Gautama.

I would receive the full admission, meaning he wanted to be fully ordained as a bhikkhu. And the Brahmin Sundarika Bharadwaja received the going forth under the Blessed One, and he received the full admission. And soon, not long after his full admission, dwelling alone would draw on diligent, ardent, and resolute. The Venerable Bhardwaja, by realizing for himself with direct knowledge here and now, entered upon and abided in that supreme goal of the holy life for the sake of which clansmen rightly go forth from the home life into homelessness.

Yeah, there you go, you had a question. So, in the context of the Buddhist teachings, we have these. There are 31 realms, right? And so the very lower realms are the hell realms. And within those hell realms, there are different kinds of sub-hells. So depending upon what you've done, you'll go to a certain kind of hell. And there's hot hells. There's no warm hells. There's hot hells or there's cold hells. There's all kinds of disgusting things that happen in those hellish realms. And Yama over there is the one who's like the, he's the concierge, the receptionist of hell. You go there and he just writes down who you are and everything. All right, this is where you check in, right?

He doesn't judge what you did. He just says, did you see this? Did you see that? And you say, no. And he says, well, didn't you see old age? Didn't you see death? Didn't you see what happens when you get punished? And you say, yes, I did. Well, that was your message. Obviously, you didn't get the message, that's why you're here, so here I check you in here. So that's the hell realms.

Above that is the hungry ghost realms. So the hungry ghost realms are those beings who are hungry all the time. They're never satisfied, and they have a lot of suffering, and there's nothing they can do about it. There are different hungry ghosts, different ways you can see a hungry ghost, let's say. There are different forms. And usually what happens is they have this very, very small craning neck and a pinhole for a mouth and really huge bellies. But they're never satisfied.

And so you have to look at it from the idea that there are physical realms, but also psychological. So think about a psychological state of a hungry ghost. You have everything you need, but you're still hungry for more. You're never satisfied. And above that is the animal realms. So those are all of the animals we see here in this realm.

Above that is the human. So the three lower realms, those are the realms of unhappy destinations. Now above the humans, there are the six sensual heavens. There's the Tavatimsa, Tusita. Well, then there's the realm of the four great kings, which is right below Tavatimsa. So the realm of the four great kings, that's where all of the things that you hear in legends, you know, dragons and fairies and leprechauns and genies and all of these magical creatures and things like that, that's where they kind of reside, if you will. And the four great kings basically preside over that realm. And above that, you have the Tavatimsa, the gods of the 33, where Sakka is the leader. You have Tusita, where the present Bodhisattva is there.

The Buddha to become is there right now, just chilling out with his buddies. And then above that, there are the other sensual heavens related to other things that you've done in your life, which have been beneficial for you and beneficial for others. So again, the deva mindset is a mindset that keeps its precepts, is generous, is compassionate, is forgiving, is patient, is loving and kind and so on. If you have that kind of psychology, then you are already set to have heaven on earth in that sense. So you have a deva kind of mentality.

Now above that, you have the different brahma lokas. So each brahma loka is associated with a jhana. The first jhana is related with the Brahmas and the Mahabrahmas. And then the second jhana is related to the Abhasara beings. The third jhana is related to the Subhakinna beings. The fourth jhana is related to the fourth jhana. Actually, the fourth jhana realm also has the pure abodes.

So some of the anagamis and arahats who wore anagamis there and then became arahats live there. And out of that, there's a subset of the pure abodes, which are five pure abodes. And then there's the realm of the unconscious beings. And then above that, there is the formless realms related to infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception or non-perception. So these are basically just a good summary of all of the realms that are there. And they also have to do with your psychology. you can still experience those realms depending upon whether you're in jhana or whether you're in a certain kind of psychological state well i mean you think about the animals we have here They got a pretty good life.

Sukha and Duke, and Sukha especially. I mean, look at him. So there are some animals who are well tended for, well cared for. And there are some animals who live in the wilderness, and it's just a really terrible place to be, a terrible state to be in. Some people think that it's there below the human realms, but it's actually just below the Tavatimsa. Those are the asuras. They are always in rivalry with the gods of the 33. So Saka and the asuras are always fighting. This is the idea.

They have some suffering. So people who are still generous, who are still compassionate, who still have their precepts, but who still have some defilements in them like jealousy or anger and things like that, could get into that state of the asura. So it's a mix. And then there are some beings like Yama, the king. In the daytime he's living in his celestial mansions in the deva realm, and in the nighttime, well, actually, his day job is being the manager of hell, and then he goes back to his palace at night and comes back. So you have mixed karma there as well. Some beings experience being hungry ghosts for some time and then go into the celestial palaces and come back as hungry ghosts. So it's not always so clear-cut, this whole process of karma. The asuras are actually underwater. The idea is they're underwater, because they fell from Tavatimsa and resided in... they're like the modern-day understanding of the Titans.

The gods who took over or were taken over by... And what I'll also say is they're very similar to the cosmology of the Egyptians and the Greeks and the Romans and the Vikings as well. Saka, for example, who is the king of the gods in the 33, is very similar to Zeus, very similar to Indra in Hinduism, who wields the thunderbolt, or very similar to Thor, the Norse god. So whether they're real or not, I mean, the idea is that they are present both as psychological states as well as outside of our experience here. Right. The Maha Brahma, he thought that he was the creator.

It's so he had a lot of conceit, and the idea is that he fell into this particular Brahma loka and he was the first one there, and he's like, oh, what's going on over here? And then he thinks, maybe I should have some friends, maybe I should have some more people here, and other people pop up there, and he thinks that because he thought that he created them into existence. So these are the ideas about the Brahma loka.

May suffering ones be suffering free. May the fear struck fearless be. 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. Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu.