CHAPTER 18
THE BUDDHA said that the root cause of falling into Apayagati (woeful and miserable plane of existence) must be exterminated and uprooted. The root cause is the manifestation of Miccha Ditthi. Those who have Miccha Ditthi inherent in them have no compunction to take life of a being, to steal, to commit sexual misconduct and to even commit the greatest crime of shedding the blood of the Buddha. Hence all sorts of wrong doings and misdeeds are the outcome of Miccha Ditthi.
Therefore the Buddha said the root cause of falling into Apayagati must be exterminated and uprooted.
The majority of the people consider that it is the Akusala Kamma which is responsible for the Apayagati but through examination reveals that the real culprit is Miccha Ditthi. There is no doubt that it is the hangman who executes the condemned man, but the real power is the magistrate who passes the capital sentence.
In the same way, it is the Ditthi which sends the sentient being (Satta) to Apayagati.
Kamma, which only hurls away, is not the real culprit, hence Ditthi is so harmful and deleterious. Why Ditthi is the root cause may be explained as follows.
There arises thought for eating, thought for sleeping, thought for speaking and all sorts of thought will arise which are mistaken for personality such as, I want to eat, I want to sleep, I want to speak and so on. Such a mistaken notion develops into personality or Ego as I, I am or Mine, on the arising of each phenomenon. A thought or consciousness arises as the result of the impact of Arammana (object) and Dvara (sense door). This is how, and from where the idea if personality, I or Ego or Mine or Me comes in, Therefore, we must be careful not to misconceive any doer. This is the resultant effect of the Causal Law. When Dosa Citta (hatred), or Lobha Citta (craving) arises, they are to be understood, observed and cognised as Dosa Citta, Lobha Citta and so on. It must be understood that they arise in accordance with their own function and assignment. After some practice it will concur to the Yogi that there is nothing but consciousness. At this stage, more emphasis should be given that the arising of the mental states is mere phenomenal, and that there is nothing but consciousness, as such there is no I or Ego or Me or Mine.
Again, there will arise jealousy, or thought for almsgiving, whatever thought or consciousness may arise it is to be understood and noted that they are mental states. When a thought for smoking arises, it should be understood and noted that it is a thought or consciousness only and not I, who want to smoke. They arise according to their won function and assignment and nothing else which can be identified as I or Ego. It must be understood and noted that consciousness arises in series of sequences as the result of two phenomena and must be understood as such.
When consciousness or thought of inbreathing arise, it must be mentally noted as such, and when the consciousness or thought of outbreathing arises, it must also be noted as such, and not as I or Ego, who breaths in or out. This is very important for the Yogis to remember because most of the Yogis indulge themselves in Anapana with the wrong notion it is I, who is beathing in and breathing out. When the personality or identify of I, Egoism is eliminated to some extent, Sakkaya Ditthi is said to be dispelled to some extent. This is possible only if intensive practice is exercised with the Right View (Samma Ditthi) as the predominant factor.
It must be mentioned here that, in the Elimination of Ditthi, the function of Samadhi is to help the leader (Samma Ditthi) with the setting up of one-pointedness of mind.
Contemplation must not be led by Samma Samadhi or concentration, nut it must be led by Samma Ditthi, Samma Sankappa, followed by Samma Vayama, Samma Sati and Samma Samadhi.
Sakkaya Ditthi is prevalent when there is the idea of I, or Ego, or Me or Mine. However, whenever consciousness or Vedana or Sankhara arises, one should understand and comprehend that it is consciousness and nor I or Ego. Similarly, it is Vedana and not I, or Ego; it is Sankhara not I, or Ego. When the Yogi reaches this stage Sakkaya Ditthi is to be said to be eliminated temporarily. To practise is not so easy as to read about it in these pages. There may be many occasions which escape the Yogi's mental noting, even under the most intensive contemplation. The more escapes there are from the mental noting, the longer will be the duration to exterminate Ditthi.
Should there be more uninterrupted mental notings, the cognition will be more pronounced and it will take less time to achieve one's purpose. The Yogi must develop his penetrative knowledge of his Khandhas by observing the consciousness, Vedana and Sankhara, are arising one after another and they arise as a matter of course or insequence.
This is called contemplation for eliminating Ditthi and not Anupassana yet, which contemplates on Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta, i.e., the arising and vanishing of Khandhas.
This stage is called Nama Pariccheda Nana and when this is fully understood, there is another and yet higher stage for the Yogi to take up. This is Aniccanupassana which will be dealt with in the following chapters.
CHAPTER 18