June 5, 2021– DN 33 – The Chanting Together – Third Recitation – sets of six

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, everyone. I hope you are all doing well. So I'm going to continue with the Digha Nikaya number 33, the Sangiti Sutta, which is translated by Maurice Walsh, and today we're going to be discussing the sets of six things. So let me begin. There are sets of six things which were perfectly proclaimed by the Lord. Six internal sense spheres: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind sense sphere. Six external sense spheres: sight object, sound object, smell object, taste object, tangible object, and mind object. So it's important to see here that when we talk about the six sense spheres there's an internal and an external, so there's a dyad there, and then there will be a triad, as you'll see, with the six groups of consciousness: the eye consciousness, the ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mind consciousness.

So that means when there is, for example, a form, that is the external sense sphere, that then makes contact with the internal, which is to say the eye. And then the meeting of those two is the contact, and dependent upon that comes the eye consciousness via attention, and therefore there's contact and then feeling. So that contact is the six groups of contact: the eye contact, the ear contact, the nose contact, the tongue contact, the body contact, and mind contact. So dependent upon these six contacts there's then the feeling, and that feeling is either a physical experience in the way of the five physical senses or a mental experience in the mind, and it can be pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. So it says six groups of feeling.

Feeling based on eye contact, so feeling dependent on eye contact, dependent on ear contact, dependent on nose contact, dependent on tongue contact, dependent on body contact, and dependent on mind contact. From this feeling, intertwined with that feeling, is also perception. Six groups of perception: perception of sights, of sounds, of smells, of tastes, of touches, and of mind objects.

So when there is a feeling, there is also a perception of what that feeling is. And that perception is also dependent upon contact arising. With the arising of contact, there is feeling and perception. Six groups of volition: volition based on sights, based on sounds, based on smells, based on tastes, based on touches, and based on mind objects.

So volition here is intention. Here in the Pali, it is the sun chetana. So chetana really means intention. Sun means together, or a product of. And really this arcs back to the volitional intentions that are there in formations. So whenever you have any kind of contact, let's say, using that example of seeing a tree outside, and upon seeing that tree, there is the contact of the form of the tree, and that meets with the eye, and then there is an eye consciousness dependent upon that, and an experience of seeing that tree. That seeing of that tree can be pleasant, unpleasant or neutral, but whatever it is, that contact can cause an intention. Which is to say, the intention could be to look away from that tree, or walk towards that tree, or start to think about something else related to that tree. So this volition, this intention, is dependent upon contact as well. Six groups of craving: craving for sights,

sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and mind objects. So this craving is dependent upon feeling. Only when there is some kind of an experience, whether it is a sensory experience or a mental experience, is there then craving possible. And that craving can arise dependent upon these different sensual experience or mental experience six kinds of disrespect here a monk behaves disrespectfully and discourteously towards the teacher the dhamma the sangha the training in respect of earnestness of hospitality so this is to say disrespect meaning one doesn't actually have any proper conduct or proper respect towards the teacher in this case in the context of the suttas and in that time that would be the buddha and the dhamma the sangha and the training itself that is to cultivate morality sila to cultivate samadhi practice and to cultivate wisdom if not one does not have respect towards the dhamma towards the teacher towards the buddha the dhamma and the sandha then what to speak of the training because the training is part of the dhamma the training is conducted by the sangha and the training is taught by the teacher by the buddha

In respect of earnestness: this is appamada, and this is essentially having mindfulness, having the not being careless, because appamada is carelessness, and so appamada is the paying attention to being careful, being mindful, using yoniso manasikara. So with that training, if one doesn't respect the ability to be careful, then there's no point in doing that training. And of hospitality: that is to say have gratitude for people who share their resources with you. In the case of monks or monastics, that is having respect and having gratitude towards the generosity of people. Likewise for lay people, being able to have respect and gratitude for the things that people share with you, whether it's food, whether it's shelter, medicine, clothing, whatever it might be. Six kinds of respect. And so there a monk behaves respectfully and courteously towards the teacher, the Dhamma, the Sangha, the training, in respect of earnestness and of hospitality. So one should have the respect, one should have courtesy, should have

polite attitudes towards the teacher, have respect for the Dhamma. It is the Dhamma itself which provides one with the wisdom to leave the cycle of samsara, and so one understands the importance of that, and then of having a Sangha, of having like-minded individuals who are all aiming for that same goal of entering the stream and destroying the asavas and becoming an arahant. And one has respect for the training, the training itself, which is the cultivation of virtue, which is the samadhi practice, which is the cultivation of insight, and of hospitality. So that means being courteous and being respectful of people who provide you with generosity, who will provide you with the different resources that they want to offer to you, and be respectful of that, and mindful of that, and appreciative of that. Six pleasurable investigations: when, on seeing a sight object with the eye, on hearing a sound with the ear, smelling an odour with the nose, tasting a taste with the tongue, touching the tangible with the body, and knowing a mind object with the mind, one investigates a corresponding object productive of pleasure.

Likewise there are six unpleasurable investigations and six indifferent investigations. So the translation here says investigation, and they probably picked it up because of the last part of that word, which is vichara. Vichara being reflection. It can also mean reflection, it can mean analysis, or just the general thinking process. So upavichara is really to be preoccupied with a specific thought, or to be proliferating different thoughts around whatever one experiences. So it's another synonym for mental proliferation or conceptual proliferation. So you will see this upavichara first through the experience of feeling, that is to say starting to identify with it. And then, if there's craving for it, where if it's a pleasurable feeling, a pleasant experience, then you might start to crave for it. The mind might start to just look at it as personal and want more of it, and start to get preoccupied with it. This causes further restlessness and further clinging to the sensual pleasure. Or one can just see it as unpleasant.

And then experience displeasure because of it, experience aversion, experience ill will and hatred. And then this can further proliferate into clinging, in the sense of holding on to an identity or creating an identity around what you don't like and what you hate, and thereby creating the bhava of an experience or an identity, with those habitual tendencies. In reference to the six indifferent investigations, that is to say, one does not have either sensual craving or aversion towards the experience, but one can still proliferate thoughts around the experience when it is neutral. That is to say, identify with it, and it can start to cause other thoughts and other views. So there can still be craving in the sense of craving for existence in relation to that experience, or craving for non-existence in relation to that experience. Craving for existence can also be equated with the experience of sensual craving, but this is something else entirely. Even craving for non-existence can be considered to be aversion, but this is on a more existential level. This is on the level of identity, so a person identifies

with that experience and starts to create ideas around it based on that experience, and then that further proliferates all kinds of thoughts and analysis that can lead to further bhava. And that bhava is an existence in which one has this kind of personality type around that experience. Six things conducive to communal living: as long as monks, both in public and in private, show loving kindness to their fellows in acts of body, speech and thought; share with their virtuous fellows whatever they receive as a rightful gift, including the contents of their alms bowls, which they do not keep to themselves; keep consistently unbroken and unaltered those rules of conduct that are spotless, leading to liberation, praised by the wise, unstained, and conducive to concentration or collectedness, and persist therein with their fellows both in public and in private; continue in that noble view that leads to liberation, the utter destruction of suffering, remaining in such awareness with their fellows both in public and in private. So

this is talking about things conducive to communal living, that is to say things that are conducive to the Sangha, conducive to the community of fellow meditators. So one shows loving kindness to all, whenever one interacts, whether it is within the community or outside of the community. But one also has loving and kind thoughts towards people in the community or in the Sangha, even if they are not meeting them.

So even if they're not there, when they think about them, they don't have any ill will towards them. They don't have any wrong intentions of harm or hatred towards them. They still maintain loving kindness towards them. And so that's in acts of body, speech and thoughts: so having thoughts related to loving kindness towards them, speaking in a polite manner, speaking in a way that conveys that loving kindness to those people, and of course acts, so being generous with them, sharing your resources, helping them out in whatever way they might ask you, or see if they require any assistance. Share with their virtuous fellows whatever they receive as a rightful gift, including the contents of their alms bowls, which they do not keep to themselves. So here again, exercising that generosity with everyone, and that generosity is exercised whenever there is loving kindness behind that intent of sharing. Keep consistently unbroken and unaltered those rules of conduct that are spotless, liberated, leading to liberation, praised by the wise, unstained, and conducive to collectedness. So the rules of conduct here, the patimokkha for the monastics, they have to make sure that they follow

It, and of course more than that, make sure that that leads to development by following it to the letter. With lay people, they can choose to follow the five precepts or the eight precepts and continue to do that as a way to cultivate a mind that is conducive to collectedness, to samadhi, and persist therein with their fellows, both in public and in private. Continue in that noble view that leads to liberation, so that noble view, that is to say the right view, and that right view is the four noble truths. Continuously be able to see the four noble truths in every moment: seeing when craving arises, and then using that craving, or understanding that craving, as something to be abandoned, and then experiencing the relief from that craving. So wherever the mind is in the flow of dependent origination, if there is craving present, one recognizes that craving, they release their attention away from it, relax the mind and body that were caused by that craving.

We smile to uplift the mind, return to a more balanced mind, return to that tranquil mind, or return to loving kindness, and repeat whenever craving arises. By doing so you are exercising and seeing the four noble truths, and you can use the four noble truths in the context of dependent origination for any of the links. So in that example, let's say it was contact and feeling: you see that feeling is the first noble truth, the cause of that feeling is the second noble truth, which is contact, letting go of contact through the process of the eightfold path, the fourth noble truth, you experience the release from feeling. And so that is nirodha, nirodha of feeling, the cessation of feeling, to the utter destruction of suffering, remaining in such awareness with their fellows, both in public and in private. Six roots of contention.

So vivada, vivada really is to be of a mindset to fight all the time, to argue and to debate and to be basically belligerent. And so here it says: here a monk is angry and bears ill will, is disrespectful and discourteous to the teacher, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, and does not finish his training. He stirs up contention within the Sangha, which brings woe and sorrow to many, with evil consequences, misfortune and sorrow for devas and humans. If friends you should discover such a root of contention amongst yourselves or among others, you should strive to get rid of just that root of contention. If you find no root of such contention, then you should work to prevent its overcoming you in the future. So that's the first, that would be ill will. Then the second is: a monk is deceitful and malicious. So deceitful here is essentially deceiving others on the mental level and the emotional and physical level, but also having a deceptive nature in the sense of

not presenting yourself as you truly are, in the sense that if you do have weaknesses, or if you do have hindrances, and you don't let people know about it, those people who can help you then are not able to help you. So you're deceiving them by not being forthright with what might be a problematic situation. And malicious here, that comes from policy. So malicious here is really prone to the quarreling, prone to denigration, prone to criticizing others. And so in that case one is unable to finish their training; it doesn't have respect for the Dhamma, doesn't have respect for the teacher, for the Sangha, and so on. And so that brings sorrow and so on. So that's the second. The third is: a monk is envious and mean. So having envy, having jealousy, that causes the mind to have all sorts of thoughts and restlessness, and then further craving. And this can lead to a state of woe, as the Buddha talks about, as sorry, as he talks about it, it can lead to a state of a lower realm. And being mean, again, being critical and just being outright

outright mean about things or about people, that causes one to be starting to cultivate more of that hatred, more of that cruelty. A monk is cunning and deceitful, so we already spoke about that. A monk is full of evil desires and wrong views. So wrong views here is views such as eternalism or annihilationism. Someone has views that there is a self and it continues on, like the Sati the fisherman who thought that it was the same consciousness that goes from life to life. Or they have the view of annihilationism, where they equate the self with one of the five aggregates, and so upon the dissolution of five aggregates

there will be no more self. Both these views lead to a mindset that can cause suffering in their mind. In the case of the eternalists, they're not able to go beyond just cultivating morality and see no purpose, when the mind, or the soul, or the self is eternal, there's no point in really doing anything, because they might believe in an eternal heaven. But of course on the other end, if they believe in eternal hell, it can cause dukkha as well. In the case of the mind that thinks that the body or the other aggregates are equated with self, such a mindset is not prone to cultivating sila. Such a mindset is not prone towards developing morality, because for them, in their logic, it leads to pessimism and meaninglessness. There's no meaning to it, so why do it? So these are the wrong views that are cultivated, and because of that there comes up evil desires and so on. A monk is opinionated, obstinate and tenacious.

So to have opinions that are anything other than the Dhamma, to have opinions about the Dhamma, and then along with that being very obstinate, being very stubborn and tenacious, protecting those views, protecting those opinions, and saying no, I am right and you are wrong. So not being able to see that they could probably better their understanding if they were more open-minded, but because they are close-minded they will only remain there, and it shuts off the potential for further progress and evolution in the Dhamma. If friends you should discover

The more you do this, the more you weaken those roots, and finally, with the non-activity of those roots, they wither away and fall away, they fade away. Six elements: the earth, water, fire, air, space element, and the consciousness element. So usually we talk about the four great elements, which make up form. We have the earth element, the water element, the fire element and the air element. So the earth is related to solid matter, the water to liquid, fire to plasma, air to gases. And then we see that in the context of the body. The space element is really just space. It's the space that you see in terms of the space where there are stars and planets and galaxies and so on and so forth, but in the context of the

in the context of the body, it is the space. It's the space between the bones, and in the nose and in the mouth and so on. It's the space in the body itself, through which air can pass, through which the blood can pass, and so on and so forth. The consciousness element here, it's translated from the Pali vinnana dhatu, so dhatu means an element but it can also mean a sphere. So here vinnana, it's not to say that there is a vinnana outside. There is a consciousness

outside that is all-pervading. That's the mistake some people might make when they read this, which is to say there is some kind of substratum of consciousness from which all of this arises. That understanding actually comes from the Upanishads, and you read the open issues, it talks about these six elements and the substratum, the basis for all of these is consciousness, but there is no external consciousness element, so to speak. In that same understanding, rather, first there is a consciousness that arises and passes away dependent on various causes and conditions. So there's the consciousness that one experiences, and the consciousness in terms of the consciousness that becomes rooted in name and form. So that consciousness element can also be understood on the macro level of rebirth. There is the final consciousness that arises when the body dies, when there is complete death, and then that links to a new mentality-materiality, into a new name and form, or a new nama-rupa. That part can be understood as the consciousness element, but that too is impermanent as soon as it is established in a new name and form.

Driving forward the formations from the past, previous lifetime, it dissipates and gives rise to new form, new formations, which then give rise to new consciousnesses. Six elements making for deliverance. Here a monk might say: I have developed the emancipation of the heart, ceto vimutti, by loving kindness, expanded it, made it a vehicle, and the base established, worked well on it, said it well in train, and yet ill will still grips my heart. He should be told: no, do not say that, do not misrepresent them, blessed one, it is not right to slander him thus, for he would not have said such a thing. Your words are unfounded and impossible.

If you develop the emancipation of the heart through loving kindness, ill will has no chance to envelop your heart. This emancipation through loving kindness is the cure for ill will. So it could be understood that if you have cultivated loving kindness for yourself and towards others, any ill will that arises means that there is not enough loving kindness in the mind. There's not enough cultivation of loving kindness. It's not that there's something wrong with the practice itself, it's just that one has not made enough of an effort, and the mind has not become free from that ill will. So if you make enough of an effort, which is to say put your attention on the loving kindness, whether it's towards yourself or a spiritual friend, or radiating it in all directions, that should free the mind of ill will. That means that the hindrance of ill will will not arise in the mind. If it has arisen, then the mind is not paying enough attention to the loving kindness, but if it is, then the mind is freed from that hindrance.

or he might say, I have developed the emancipation of the heart through compassion, and yet cruelty still grips my heart. Or he might say, I have developed the emancipation of the heart through mudita, through empathetic joy, and yet aversion still grips my heart. Or he might say, I have developed the emancipation of the heart through equanimity, and yet lust grips my heart. So again he talks about the other brahmaviharas, and when you develop compassion, then you don't have cruelty. Whenever you have compassion present, when the mind is liberated, or free, of cruelty, then it is because of being freed by that compassion. When you develop empathetic joy, you let go of jealousy and envy, let go of the aversion towards things, so that mind is free. Whenever there is some empathetic joy present, that mind is free of any kind of sensual craving. Whenever there's equanimity present, so if you see that a hindrance like that arises

then that means there's not enough attention to the brahmaviharas. And so when they say the ceto vimutti, they're talking really about the liberation of the mind, but that is liberation of the mind through jhana practice and ayatana practice, through the form jhana, rupa jhana practice, and the arupa jhana practice. So it's not to say that it's the liberation of the mind from the asavas or the taints, but it's the temporary liberation of the mind, whenever one is in jhana and there is no hindrance present, or whenever one is in ayatana where there is no hindrance present. The mind is freed of ill will when living loving kindness is present, freed from thoughts of harm and cruelty whenever compassion is present, freed from aversion and jealousy and envy whenever mudita is present, empathetic joy is present, and free from craving whenever there is equanimity present. Or he might say, I have developed the signless emancipation of the heart, and yet my heart still hankers after signs.

So this is the signless state. This is the signless samadhi, or signless collectedness, where the mind goes into quiet mind and lets go of even that perception of quiet mind, and takes nothing as an object. So if the mind still continues to try to look at an object, whether it's a thought or whether it's loving kindness or quiet mind, which is to say it hankers after signs, then it's not fully immersed. It's not fully attentive towards the signless state, which is to continue to let go and come to this state where the mind is completely just aware but it's not aware of or attentive towards any signs. It's like the signless state is basically like this: you have an object, and the attention is a light or a laser beam.

And when the object goes away, then the light or the laser beam just continues onward. It's a very, very subtle state. It's a state in which there is no object present at all. So if you start to identify or see signs, then the mind is not attentive enough to be able to continue to let go of those signs. He might say, this idea 'I am' is repellent to me. I pay no heed to the idea 'I am this', yet doubts, uncertainties and problems still grip my heart. And so to each of them the reply would be no. Do not say that. Do not misrepresent the Blessed One. It is not right to slander him thus, for he would not have said such a thing. Your words are unfounded and impossible.

If you develop any of these, then you will not experience... your mind will not be affected by the things that they are liberating the mind from. In the case of understanding the idea of 'I am' and letting go of that, you let go of any identification, and so there won't be any doubts, there won't be any thoughts at all. When you have complete non-identification, there won't be any uncertainties, there won't be any problems, because there's no movement in the mind at all. And if there is any movement, it is because there is a sliver of conceit arising, a sliver of 'I am' arising, which then gives rise to that rest, a general restlessness, which is the movement of the mind. Six unsurpassed things: certain sites, things heard, gains, trainings, forms of service, and objects of recollection. So this is really in reference to the site of the Buddha, the site of a teacher who can provide the Dhamma, the listening to the Dhamma, and listening to someone proclaim the Dhamma and teach the Dhamma, and so on. Gains, that is to say, having

having gains from having practiced Dhamma, having the training from the Dhamma. So anything related to the Dhamma is completely unsurpassed, because they are all factors leading towards nibbana, leading towards nirodha, and leading towards the destruction of the taints. Same with forms of service, objects of recollection, that is the recollection of the Buddha, of the Dhamma, of the Sangha, of virtues, of generosity, of the devas. And so whenever one recollects this, it brings immediate joy in the mind, and then that joy turns into sukha, into happiness, and so on and so forth. So you start getting to a state of jhana when you have these different kinds of recollection, which are unsurpassed.

So here are the six subjects of recollection: the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha, morality or virtue, renunciation or letting go, and of the devas. So having the recollection of the Buddha is as simple as understanding that the Buddha is the one who rediscovered this path, who rediscovered the process. We discovered the four noble truths, we discovered and was able to proclaim the Dhamma of dependent origination, and seeing the six different qualities of the Dhamma, which is that it is effective, it is open to experiment and see for oneself, and so on. The Sangha, being able to see that the Sangha is consisting of the eight different types of people, that is to say the four attainments and the path and the fruition, and that they are worthy of offering, that they're worthy of generosity, of virtue, so keeping one's precepts and maintaining them, and then seeing that becoming

samadhi easily, becoming a mind that is collected because of that morality, renunciation, letting go of any attachments to any experience of the senses or the mind. When you recollect this, you immediately come into a state that is tranquil and mindful and filled with equanimity. Of the devas, in this case one is aware of the virtues of the devas, aware of what kinds of virtues lead to the deva realms. You know, being generous, having maintained your precepts, having that nekkhama or renunciation, providing yourself with tranquility and tranquilizing the mind, experiencing loving kindness and equanimity, and so on. All of this, maintaining the precepts and causing oneself to be virtuous and continuing to maintain that virtue, leads to the experience of the deva realms.

Psychologically, in the mind itself, it uplifts the mind. The mind becomes data like whenever you continue to maintain these virtues, maintain this morality, the sila. Then beyond that, of course, the brahma realms and so on, and you do that whenever you get into jhana. Every jhana is associated with the brahma realm, and every ayatana with the formless realm. So every time you recollect the jhanas by going through the process of samadhi, you are also remembering that the devas or the brahma is related to that, or the realms related to those genres and ayatanas. Six stable states: on seeing an object with the eye, hearing a sound, smelling a smell, tasting a flavor, touching a tangible object, or cognizing a mental object with the mind, one is neither pleased nor displeased.

but remains equitable or filled with equanimity, mindful and clearly aware. So this is the natural mindfulness that arises when you are collected, when the mind sees, or has any experience of, the six sense bases. As a feeling, has a perception, it is just completely aware of it, and having that awareness, having that recognition, having that attention rooted in reality, that yoniso manasikara, being aware, being mindful, taking heed, prevents any craving from arising. So whether it is something that is neutral in terms of the feeling, whether it's something that is pleasurable in terms of the feeling, or painful in terms of the feeling, one still maintains a balanced mind. And how does one maintain that balanced mind? Through the understanding and the remembrance of the three characteristics: being able to understand any feeling that arises is impermanent and therefore not worth holding on to. And if it is impermanent, it is liable to cause dukkha, and if that's the case, one should not consider it to be self. And so it is an impersonal process. It is dependent upon contact, it is dependent upon other causes and conditions.

therefore one should not take it personally. When one doesn't take anything personally, one has this natural equanimity and natural tranquility towards all experiences. Six species, so this comes from the word abhijati. I would say this is the six classifications of rebirth. So he says here: one born in dark conditions lives a dark life. One born in dark conditions lives a bright life. One born in dark conditions attains nibbana, which is neither dark nor bright. One born in bright conditions lives a dark life. One born in bright conditions leads a bright life. One born in bright conditions attains nibbana, which is neither dark nor bright. So these are the six classifications of birth or rebirth. So a being can be born in unwholesome circumstances

In whatever way that might be, they might be born in a family that is unable to maintain their welfare, or they're born in a war-torn country, or whatever it might be, but the conditions cause them to continue to be unwholesome. It causes them to have ill will and hatred and craving, and so on, and so it continues that rebirth of dark action or unwholesome action, unwholesome karma, or one is born in those same conditions.

but lives a bright life. So understanding these to be unwholesome conditions, one tries to uplift oneself. One tries to practice generosity, practices being tranquil, practices maintaining the precepts, and so on, and starts to cultivate these wholesome intentions, which bring up wholesome speech and wholesome actions. And so there is the birth of wholesome actions, and one lives a bright life. Or one who is born in dark conditions attains nibbana, which is to say they then are introduced to the Dhamma. They might suffer and realize that there must be, or want to know if there is, a way out of suffering, are introduced to the Dhamma and start to walk the eightfold path.

because the eightfold path is really the cessation of kama whether it's good or bad kama unwholesome or wholesome kama it is leading to nibbana which cannot be which cannot be named by any conditions of good or bad dark or bright or whatever it might be the entire eightfold path by following it one doesn't lead a bright life or a

There is wholesomeness through the process of having right intention, right speech, right action and right behavior. But it's like a three-rung ladder. You start from the unwholesome, understand that you come to the wholesome, and therefore let go of and abandon the unwholesome by starting to do the wholesome activities. But then you see identification with the wholesome, which can still continue to lead to rebirth. But by letting go of identification with the wholesome, you start to create or have kamma that is neither wholesome nor unwholesome, and so this is like an actionless kamma. It's a non-rebirth producing kamma, so to speak. And so when you experience nibbana, then you enter the stream, and now you're bound for conditions that will be always wholesome, or that won't lead you to a dark condition, that won't lead you to lower realms. But because you have already rooted yourself in wisdom, that continues to lead you towards more experiences of nibbana and more attainments, until you come to that point where

you let go of complete identification with the wholesome as well. By doing that, then you get to that state of actionless action, which is to say the non-fruit-bearing action or the non-rebirth producing action. Then there is one who is born in bright conditions and lives a dark life. One who is born in bright conditions can have a life that is uplifting. Maybe they're born into a wealthy family, or they're born in certain conditions that create the structures and the ability to live a wholesome life, but they get deviated somehow through the process of karma and through their own choices and intentions to start to break the precepts. Maybe they indulge in drugs or indulge in alcohol, or whatever that causes heedlessness, and that causes them to continue to break the precepts. Then that creates a fall from the wholesome condition into an unwholesome condition.

One is born in bright conditions and leads a bright life. So with that foundation of a wholesome upbringing, one continues to be uplifting towards oneself and towards others, continues to have wholesome conditions, having wholesome tendencies, wholesome intentions, speech, action and behavior. But that only will lead to continual wholesome births. It won't lead to the cessation of birth. But one is born in bright conditions and attains nibbana, so attains the path which neither is wholesome nor unwholesome, in the process of attaining arahatship. And in that same way again, whatever action they produce will not bear fruit into any kind of rebirth, of a new action or a rebirth into a new existence.

Six perceptions conducive to penetration, that is to say six perceptions conducive to attaining wisdom, to penetrate the different aspects of reality and to come to the true nature of reality. There is a perception of impermanence, of anicca; of the suffering in impermanence, of seeing dukkha in anicca; of impersonality in suffering, of seeing the anatta in the dukkha. So in other words, taking the example of the five aggregates, one sees each of the five aggregates arising due to causes and conditions, and therefore they are impermanent. They are liable to arise and pass away, and so because of that it can cause suffering. Anything that arises and passes away is liable to cause suffering, so because of that dukkha. In seeing that dukkha one cannot consider any of those five aggregates as self, and so this is seeing the anatta in the crossing the impersonality in suffering. So one abandons any clinging or craving in relation to any of the five aggregates. When one abandons this, one has dispassion. This dispassion then leads to the perception of cessation, that is to say the cessation of dukkha.

So this is experienced on two levels. When you do the 6R's process, when you notice that something is there in the way, a hindrance or craving or whatever it might be, you recognize, you release your attention away from it, and you relax. The perception of that relaxation is twofold. It's the perception of abandoning, so letting go of the craving, but it's also the perception of the cessation of that craving, and hence that cessation of suffering. So actually it's threefold, because the dispassion is there, which is to say when you let go of the craving, you experience a mind that is very tranquil, that is dispassionate, doesn't cling to anything. And in that there is the mundane nirvana, which is the perception of that cessation of suffering. So it's important to really record, to notice, to really pay attention to that relaxed step, because in doing that you are also perceiving or having these perceptions of abandoning, of dispassion and of cessation.

These are the sets of six things which were perfectly proclaimed by the Lord. Does anybody have any questions, comments? - Just regarding the last part, when you're talking about the perception of cessation, is it referring mainly to the mundane, the like nirvana, that you are able to see that's happening, of that, really, that way, that relax and relieve of that mind, like attention, intention? There is that correct? - It's more referring to one day, yeah, yes. It's referring to mundane about it, which is to say you're letting go of craving. When you relax the body, relax the mind, or relax just any kind of craving that's present in the mind, you are abandoning first and foremost that craving. You're abandoning the second noble truth of

of that craving. Then by doing so you experience this clarity of mind, a mind that doesn't hold on to anything. There is dispassion, and it is also the cessation of suffering. So you're perceiving that experience of mundane nibbana in that relaxed state after having done the relaxing. So it's mostly in our like observations in the sitting that if we are able to run through that step, sometimes we find there is a change of the mind energy, to a state of very relief, that is such a weight off. Seeing, okay, the second part of that would be also, to when you notice the arising and passing away of phenomena in general, what happens is the mind starts to tend towards the arising, or tend towards that space between the arising and the passing away, where it's just there. But when that happens, when it does cease, the mind experiences suffering. But if the mind has equanimity and just pays attention to the cessation of all experiences

because you see the arising and passing away, you see the cessation of an experience or of a phenomena. Your mind continues to incline towards cessation naturally, and when that happens the mind is naturally quiet and naturally clear. - Can it be referred to as a non-sitting experience, of a shifted perspective? Like a total paradigm shift, like you understand, oh, this is the other way, it's a flip of the coin? - That is also, yes, yes, your perception. Okay, thank you. I think I, thank you.

- You're welcome. Hi Delson, thank you for your talk. So when you started reading this section, the first thing that came to mind was the Majjhima Nikaya 148, the six sets of six, because there's just six senses: six exterior senses, six interior senses, six consciousnesses, six feelings. But in the six sets of six it goes from feeling to craving, to clinging, and here I felt like it went from six feelings to six perceptions. And I thought, okay, I know perception and feeling always go together, so it's not really a big deal. Yeah, it's not a big deviation from 148, and then it adds intention and then craving, right? So it seemed like there's this extra step. So now it was just a little, I felt like I finally understood, well, that's an exaggeration. I felt like I'm getting my mind around the six sets of six and just trying to understand my experiences in terms of this chain, from feeling to craving, feeling to craving, and kind of noticing that. But now there's this extra step of intention.

And I'm trying to understand, like, what exactly does that look like, and how does that affect, from feeling to craving? I always thought craving is a sort of reaction to the feeling that I was having, pleasant, unpleasant, whatever. But now there's an intention, so I have to have intention before there's craving. Anyways, that's my, yeah, I hope that makes sense. That's a little bit my trying to reconcile both texts. Yeah, let me just give you a little more context.

The six sets of six in itself is a text worthy of just contemplation and meditation. I mean, just listening to it, one gets into a very quiet state of mind. That's a wonderful text. Here the context is more about understanding the broader elements of the Dhamma completely. So the six sets here is actually a smaller segment. There's a set of one, there's a set of two, a set of three, a set of four, a set of five, all the way to a set of ten. But coming to that part of the question in regards to intention, you can look at intention as being rooted in the formations, and the formations have these. So there's the three formations, that's one thing, but to clarify I'm going to be talking about something else. There is the three roots that come into mental formations, and these roots are basically the mental, well, that's basically greed, hatred and delusion. So I'll just name them first: greed, hatred and delusion.

when the mind already has made choices that are rooted in having some kind of greed having some kind of hatred or some kind of delusion meaning identifying with something or having the sense of i am and not seeing three characteristics not understanding the four noble truths and so on the more one makes those choices it feeds back energy towards the formations those formations then automatically create some kind of intention so those roots are already within that intention it's not like you make a conscious intention to crave i see it's actually unconscious but the conscious the conscious aspect here is the choice where you say or you experience the feeling and start to notice the craving but let it go so now with that intention which is rooted in right intention which is the ne comma letting go of sensual craving

Loving kindness, having compassion, when that choice is rooted in the right intention, then in the next arising of those formations, those formations will be rooted in the opposite roots, the wholesome roots, which is non-greed, or which is non-attachment, non-hatred, or having loving kindness and compassion, and non-delusion, or having awareness, mindfulness and understanding of this process. So it's like two roads. So this road is automatic when it comes to the unwholesome, until you start to notice the unwholesome intentions in the form of you seeing the craving arising. So if you have in your mind a thought that reacts to the stimulus, which is whatever it might be, whether it's a sight, sound, touch, whatever it might be, when you notice the thought itself, that thought has already arisen as the rebirth of mental action, but you can prevent the expression of that through cravings, the expression that might be rooted in craving, by letting go of that thought.

When you let go of that thought, then the next set of formations you have already conditioned with that idea of letting go. But the more you do this, the easier it becomes for you to be mindful, the easier it becomes for you to recognize when it happens and let go. And because of the non-activity of choosing to crave, meaning automatically clinging or inclining towards the craving, through that non-use, those fetid formations, the formations rooted in those unwholesome tendencies, just start to drift away and are replaced by these wholesome formations. But ultimately, after that, one has to let go of the identification of the conceit. When you let go of that as well, then there's no mental action that produces wholesome states, which will cause wholesome rebirth, which is to say rebirth in a wholesome set of circumstances, or rebirth in a wholesome existence, like a next lifetime or something. When you let go of the conceit and the identification

Then you let go completely of any fuel for rebirth, any factor of rebirth. So then you prevent any kind of rebirth from happening, and that's when you attain arahant. Okay. So let me make sure I understood what you said. So it sounds like there's intention at two levels, like when there's a stimulus, the first thought that comes up, right? So that first thought, just for the sake of argument, I suppose it's rooted in greed for my formations. So that intention, if you will, at that basic level is more like an inclination, like every time there's this particular stimulus, like, something beautiful comes up, every time there's something beautiful comes up, my mind is inclined or predisposed to, like, Wana Lachan.

So there's that level of intention. But then there's the choice, or the 6R-ing, if you will, where now I see, like, oh, these thoughts that come up are always going in this direction, are always going to grabbing on. And so now there's this second level of intention, where I say, I'm going to 6R and I'm going to release that and I'm going to let that go. And this is more like the choice level of the conscious intentioning, if you will. And so then when I make this, when I say, make a wholesome choice and release, now this feeds back into my base formations, if you will, and starts to kind of shift their inclinations

to the wholesome. So the next time I see something beautiful, the first thought that pops up is not going to be the grasping. Right? But that's not the whole story, because you might think, oh, now that I'm done with the unwholesome thoughts, you know, my formation is now inclined me to the wholesome thoughts. It's like, no, because even if I keep having wholesome thoughts, right, these wholesome thoughts are still attached to an I am, and so it'll still keep me rooted in rebirth. So ultimately the idea is to get even beyond that, so that when I do act, or do have, when I make choices or act, there is no more kamma being produced, because there's no more I am, nothing to keep me anchored to anything in this world. And that's, you know, when someone becomes an arahant. Is that the kind of right understanding of what you're saying?

That was a great summary of exactly what I said. Thank you for the explanation. You're welcome, Delson. I have a continuation question too for that. Yes, yes, actually. I can understand, like, coming to the wholesome states, but I feel like I'm stuck in the place of letting go of wholesome. Wow, you don't have to let go of the wholesome. You don't have to look at this. Yeah, go ahead. I can see that, like, even the small intention of bringing some wholesome state at that point can cause a subtle state of dukkha.

Because there is slight tension that gets formed out of that. How to let go, that means I have, I am experiencing that in my practice. So exactly what I'm experiencing is, there is a wholesome state, but even a small intention to keep that wholesome state is also causing a state of dukkha, very subtle. Yeah, yeah. So that's the underlying tendency towards being, the underlying tendency towards craving. So let's say you're talking about in your meditation, there is this inclination to want to have a wholesome state of mind, let's say love and kindness and so on, but there's also an inclination or an underlying tendency to become, to be something. So that's a very subtle tension that you notice. So one of the ways to understand it is to come back to understanding the three characteristics, so seeing this whole process as impermanent, seeing this whole process as being made up of causes and conditions.

So when you start to look at your meditation practice in that way, where you're seeing wholesome thoughts arising not because you produce them, in the sense that there is an I am that's producing them, but because they arose through causes and conditions, so that's one of the suggestions I have. When you meditate, is to just sit there for a few minutes and start to notice where the mind is and what it's doing, and to let the mind start to collect itself together towards some kind of an intention, and start to observe it, like you're watching a movie. So observe how that intention arises, because if you become the intender, if you become or you identify with that intention, that's going to cause that slight tension. So if you watch, put a distance between this observation and the experience of the jhana or the experience of the meditation

they're watching how these things unravel, how they just sort of come together. And when you get out of the way, which is to say you literally get out of the way, meaning you let the mind completely let go of any sense of I am making this progress or I am experiencing the jhana, and seeing this process as just being impersonal, that it's just happening, as long as there's observation, it's maintained, as long as there's some kind of attention, and the only effort you make is to 6R whenever that observation drifts away. So if you start to observe in this way, then you won't have any kind of tension of I am present there. It will just be a process of jhana occurring, a process of loving kindness being radiated, or whatever it might be that you're doing in the meditation. I have another question, continue, uh, related to this, uh, like I think even it is not necessary to note which jhana I am in. Is it right to say that

Yeah, you don't need to know what jhana you're in. You just need to keep observing until you get cessation. That's it. As if you have any kind of... go ahead, please explain. No, because if you kind of say that I am in the fifth jhana, or I am in the sixth jhana already, the I am is there, number one. Yeah. The second part is it starts to have the mind obsess over that, so then the mind wants to repeat that process again instead of letting that go, because the very fact that you transition from one jhana to the other shows the impermanent nature of the jhanas themselves, shows the conditioned nature of the experience itself. So all that you're doing here is allowing those conditions to naturally arise.

Observing how those conditions arise and pass away from one jhana to the next, and so on and so forth, and keep watching. You don't need to know which jhana you're in. You just need to know that you're continuing to let go of any attachment to it, letting go of any kind of identification to it, and keep observing until cessation occurs. Thank you. I think my next question got answered already. Okay, what was your next question? It was, uh, the balance between, like, I had this small, like in the seven enlightenment factors, I have this

analytic, like analyzing what it is, was overpowering than the equanimity, but the balance was very, very small. But I even should let go that and just keep watching. Yes, yes. Delson, sorry, just I wanna follow up on what he was asking. So when you transition from jhana to jhana, do you see the impermanent nature and conditions? They're there because of, you know, causes and conditions. So cessation, the experience of cessation, is also conditioned, correct? And if it is also conditioned, then how

how or why would an experience of cessation be tied to, say, attaining a path, because I thought, like, nibbana is unconditioned? Yes, it is unconditioned, but there's the path factors that lead to nibbana. So the jhana process of these conditions leads to subtler and subtler levels of mind, and the actual cessation is the cessation of all conditions. We have the cessation of perception, and the cessation of feeling, and cessation of consciousness. So you could say technically that it's conditioned by letting go, but you're actually letting go of conditions. So it's just the process of letting go of all conditions.

until there's nothing left in the way of conditions so even the slightest formations that arise like this the subtlest formations that arise are related to that i am you know and then built upon that there are more formations about when am i going to get to nirvana or you know how do i get to nirvana and all kinds of other things when you're in that very subtle state but letting go of that continually letting go of that all you're doing is actually abandoning factors so each of the jhana each of the jhanas are built about because come about because of these conditions then those conditions change based on the jhana you get into until you get to the seventh and eighth where especially in the eighth there's very little that you see it's the neither perception and non-perception to the very subtle formations but those formations cease so in that sense with the cessation of all formations comes the cessation of suffering it's not that it causes it or it conditions it rather because of the cessation of this there is a cessation of that

It is still cause and effect, but it's reversed. It's not that this is causing this to build up, this to build up, this; but because this ceases, that ceases. And so, ultimately, because all formations cease, all experiences in the way of perception, feeling and consciousness, so when there's the cessation of all conditions, that's the nirvana, that's the nirvana experience. I see. Okay, thank you. Any last questions?

Okay, sorry, sorry. I just want to, if I was going to ask another question, and I have another question, so go ahead, just to make sure I understand. Because you can attain nibbana from any of the jhanas, correct? So it's not necessary for someone to experience the signless, which I know is this super ultra subtle, like even beyond the quiet mind as an object. So if one never experiences a signless state as a jhana, for example, then nothing to worry about, correct? Because you can still reach nibbana from other jhanas? Yes, there are sutta references where, the experiences where you see one of the jhanas, let's say the first jhana, and you notice the different factors of that jhana, and you see the impermanent nature of the factors of that jhana, that leads you to letting go of the jhana itself, and it lets go to such a level that it completely ceases all activity.

And that leads to the experience of nirvana. So the way that it is sort of described is you see the impermanent nature, you see the anatta, not-self nature, and you let go of any attachment to that jhana, and then the mind naturally inclines towards nirvana. So it then experiences, it kind of just jumps into experiencing disenchantment, experiencing the destruction of craving, dispassion, tranquilizing the formations. And I mean, it's not in order, but in order it would be tranquilizing the formations, the destruction of craving, disenchantment, dispassion, and then seeing things as they are in an experience in nibbana, or that cessation, and then that nibbana. So basically, by really letting go of all sense of identity with that process, the mind becomes so quiet that it can incline towards that nibbanic experience.

Through that, through that step of steps of processes that are talked about in that description: letting go of formations, tranquilizing them, experiencing dispassion, and ultimately leading to nibbana. So it can happen from any of the jhanas. It doesn't need to be one through eight, or it doesn't even need to be one through eight. And the signless state, the signless state is very subtle, and it happens only when you have sharp enough mindfulness to notice it, and to be able to let go of all perceptions of signs. So that comes about at a later period in time, when the mind is well developed in the jhana practice itself and really starts to notice the different variations of perception, the different subtle layers of perception. But all of that is not required. All that's required is to continue to let go. That's it. Keep letting go, keep letting go. Not identify, detach, experience dispassion and cessation.

Well, thank you, that's a relief, because it always feels for me, it has always felt like I have to go, someone has to go through the progression of jhanas, and if you don't go through the progression of jhanas and you don't get to nibbana, but it sounds more like it's more like a flat 'here are the jhanas,' and if you get into one in the right way and you let go, you will drop into the cessation from any of these jhanas, rather than 'I need to go through all of these to get here and then drop.' Is that okay? That's right, that's correct. So that should give you motivation enough to just keep disidentifying with the jhana practice, keep seeing the jhana as impersonal. Yeah, thank you, thank you, thank you so much. You're welcome, you're welcome. Okay, let's share some merit. May suffering once be suffering free and the fear struck fearlessly, may the grieving shed our grief and may all beings find relief. May all beings share this merit that we have thus acquired for the acquisitions 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.