The monk who does not make new kamma
And combs out old defilements as they arise
Has reached that meditative state where there remains
no 'I' or 'mine'.
For him mere babbling makes no sense.
Engrossed in silent practice, he is bent.
The occasion for the utterance of this passage was the sight of a monk sitting
near the Compassionate One, cross-legged, erect and determined. Undergoing the
fruition of his past actions, he was wracked by intense, piercing, gross sensations
but due to his constant distinct awareness of impermanence, he did not lose
his calm or balance of mind. Indeed these few brief lines of Udana set out the
complete technique of Vipassana meditation, the actual way to reach liberation.
Let us try to understand what the Buddha actually meant, in more detail. The
word Vipassana means to see things as they really are-not just as they appear
to be. This is a state of pure observationstate of pure observation without
the cloud of imagination, preconception and illusion. That is why the Buddha
described the state of Vipassana as yatha-bhuta nana-dassanamyatha-bhuta nana-dassanam3
(as it is, so is it observed and understood). To put this into practice is to
realize reality by direct experience and proper understanding.
Egocentricity is the greatest and most dangerous of all the illusions. We can
accept the doctrine of 'Non-Self'doctrine of 'non-self' or anatta on an emotional
or intellectual basis simply because of blind faith or intellectualisation.
But what is the use of this acceptance alone if in our daily life, at the practical
level, we keep on living an ego-centered life? This illusory ego keeps its hold
over us simply because at the actual level we are continually submerged in it.
Even to be totally convinced intellectually about the dangers of this illusion
is simply not enough. In reality we are rolling in suffering because there is
no direct realisation of these dangers, or the means to come out of it.
It is because the intellect is not capable of totally dispelling this illusion
that the Buddha perfected this wonderful technique of Vipassana-the Fourfold
Establishing of Awareness (satipatthana)4 which he called ekayano maggo, the
one and only way for liberation. How could anyone become liberated while rolling
in complete illusion about his own reality? The removal of illusion by truth-realisation,
by self-realisation, is liberation.
The direct experience of our own reality prevents new mental conditioning, while
at the same time eradicating the bondage of the old accumulated kamma-
Khinam puranam, navam natthi sambhavam.5
The past has been destroyed, there is no new becoming.
How does Vipassana help us to stop tying new knots and to open up the old ones,
eradicating all the accumulations of the past? The text says that first, a meditator
should sit correctly nisinno hoti pallankam abhujitva ujum kayam panidhaya6
cross-legged and erect. Then he sits with adhitthana (determination), no movement
of the body of any kind. Now at the grossest physical level, all the bodily
and vocal actions are suspended so there can be no new physical kamma (kayika-kamma)
or vocal kamma (vacika-kamma).
Now one is in a position to try to stop mental kamma formations (mano-kamma).
For this, one has to become very alert, very attentive, fully awake and aware,
all the time maintaining true understanding, true wisdom. Aware of what? Anicca
vata sankhara, uppadavaya-dhammino-the truth of impermanence; the arising and
passing of every compounded phenomenon7 within the framework of one's physical
structure.
A Vipassana meditator soon realizes the difference between apparent and actual
truth. By simply observing objectively and equanimously feeling the sensations
in one's own body in a proper way, one can easily reach a stage where even the
most solid parts of the body are experienced as they really are-nothing but
oscillations and vibrations of subatomic particles (kalapa). What appears solid,
hard and impenetrable at the gross level is actually nothing but wavelets at
the subtlest, ultimate level.
With this awareness, one can observe and realize that the entire pancakkhandha,
the five aggregates, are nothing but vibrations, arising and passing away. The
entire phenomenon of mind and matter has this continuously ephemeral nature.
This is the ultimate truth (paramattha saccaparamattha sacca) of mind and matter-permanently
impermanent; nothing but a mass of tiny bubbles or ripples, disintegrating as
soon as they arise (sabbo loko pakampitosabbo loko pakampito).8 This realisation
of the basic characteristic of all phenomena as anicca (impermanent) leads one
to the realisation of the characteristic of anatta (not 'I', not 'me', not 'mine',
not 'my soul'). The various sensations keep arising in the body whether one
likes it or not. There is no control over them, no possession of them. They
do not obey our wishes. This in turn makes one realize the nature of dukkha
(suffering). Through experience, one understands that identifying oneself with
these changing impersonal phenomena is nothing but suffering.
The more one is established at this level of ultimate truth, the more strongly
and more steadfastly one will be established in real wisdom. In contrast to
this, anyone who is entangled in ignorance will crave for the continuation of
pleasant sensations and crave for the cessation of unpleasant sensations. This
reaction of the mind-volition based on craving and aversion-is the strongest
bondage.
Initially the meditator will find himself in a tug-of-war between his new knowledge
of phenomena as impermanent and transitory, and the old attachment to the flow
of sankhara (reactions), which is based on ignorance. With repeated practice,
he can learn the art of differentiating between what is real and what is illusory.
For longer and longer periods truth will predominate. Each sensation felt is
recognised as impermanent; hence the perception that accompanies each cognition
is free from the self-consciousness of 'I' and 'mine'.
The truth that the sensation immediately passes away begins to predominate,
instead of the tanha (craving) for it to continue, or the tanha for it to pass
away. It is meaningless to like or dislike sensations that pass away as soon
as they arise. It is this liking and disliking which turns into the very strong
attachments that condition the mind and produce the bhava-sankhara, the bhava-kamma
(actions which are responsible to give a new birth) driving individuals along
the endless rounds of becoming.
A non-reacting mind produces no new conditioning. The law of nature is such
that the old accumulation of conditioning in the flow of the consciousness (bhavanga-santati)
will automatically rise to the surface to be eradicated when no new sankhara
are given as input. This comes about by remaining equanimous with the direct
understanding of the wisdom of anicca-anicca-vijja-nanaanicca-vijja-nana. Here
again, it is the practice of Vipassana which enables the meditator silently
and attentively to observe these old bondages of the past, as they arise, in
their true impermanent nature. With heightened equanimity, based on the constant
thorough understanding of impermanence (sampajanna), craving and aversion lose
their grip. In a non-reacting mind, the latent conditions cannot multiply-rather
they are progressively eradicated.
At times, however, the fruition of the old kamma is so intense, that an ordinary
meditator loses all balance of mind. Wisdom fades away and the true perspective
becomes blurred. The impersonal attitude towards the pain is lost, and one begins
to identify with the sensations. One may try intellectually to come out of reactions,
but actually one begins treating the pain as if it will never end, and the reaction
continues.
To realize the impermanent nature of all phenomena and to break the apparent
solidity of perceptions, a meditator must experience the stage of uppadavaya-dhamminouppadavaya-dhammino,
the instantaneous arising and vanishing of the vibrations or wavelets of nama-rupa
(mind and matter). This stage can be reached only by the proper practice of
Vipassana meditation, the sure way to break these bondages. In fact, Vipassana
meditation is for the purpose ofpurpose of vipassana meditation dhunamanassa
pure katam rajamdhunamanassa pure katam rajam-a process of combing out all the
old defilements from the fabric of consciousness. With the process of carding
and combing, knots automatically open up, and every fibre gets separated from
the dirt of defilements. This vibrating string of the pure mind beats out all
the impurities of the past. A Vipassana meditator working on physical sensations
quite distinctly experiences this process.
This combing processcombing process is not complete while even the smallest
knot remains unopened. In the same way, the practice of Vipassana must continue
until all impressions of solidity anywhere in the framework of the physical
and mental structure have been removed.
How can this stage be achieved? As the text says-
Puranakammavipakajam dukkham tibbam kharam katukam vedanam adhivasento.9
The meditator dwells enduring equanimouslyenduring equanimously the fruition
of his or her past actions, no matter how painful, severe, sharp and terrible
they are.
How is this possible? Not enduring (that is, becoming agitated or crying because
of the past habit) would be the complete opposite of the process of purification.
One can only endure such intense sensations by developing awareness and the
thorough understanding of impermanence (sampajanna), resulting in equanimity
(upekkha). It is by knowing perfectly the true nature (anicca) of the present
phenomenon, that one is able to bear these fruits of the past without any reaction.
The meditator becomes an impartial observer of the suffering rather than the
sufferer. This detachment allows the old bondages to get eradicated, and soon,
there will be no observer but mere observationmere observation and no sufferer
but mere sufferingmere suffering.
From time to time, slight agitation or identification with the sensation may
reappear and trigger fresh craving and aversion. But with continuous practice,
a vigilant meditator reaches the stage of amamassa thitassaamamassa thitassa
or the stage where the illusion of 'I' and 'mine' is eradicated. He or she can
bear anything, even the most severe sensations, in the state of avihannamanoavihannamano,
free from agitation. As a result comes sabba kammajahassasabba kammajahassa-the
cessation of all kinds of new kamma formations. Now the meditator is fully engrossed
in dhunamanassa pure katam rajam, or continual purification, because he or she
has stopped making new sankhara, that is, new cetana (volition) or new kamma.
In this way, the old sankhara naturally get eradicated little by little (thokam
thokamthokam thokam) so that the state of visankhara gatam cittamvisankhara
gatam cittam,10 or total purification of mind, is reached. A meditator engaged
in such a task needs to spend all his or her time in actual practice-attho natthi
janam lapetave. Where is the time for useless talk? Every moment is precious,
not to be wasted. The only ones who waste time in talking are those who do not
realize the seriousness of the task, who do not work properly. The noble practice
of truth-realisation is degraded to mere intellectual chatter. Liberation can
only be gained by practice, never by discussion.
That is why the Buddha burst forth in praise of the monk who was so resolutely
practising the sure path of liberation. 'Cross-legged, erect and determined,
undergoing the fruition of his past actions, wracked by intense, piercing, gross
bodily sensations, with sharpened awareness and the constant thorough understanding
of impermanence (sati-sampajanna), making no new kammas, combing out old defilements
as they arise, with nothing remaining of "I" and "mine".'
Notes: (All references VRI edition)
1. In the entire Tipitaka, the word
occurs nineteen times
2. Udana 21
3. Patisambhidamagga 1.18
4. Digha Nikaya 2.373
5. Khuddaka-Patha 6.15; Suttanipata 238
6. Udana 21
7. Digha Nikaya 2.221
8. Samyutta Nikaya 1.1.168
9. Udana 21
10. Dhammapada 154