Guide to Knowing the Truth

Don’t wonder what "Truth" is when you hear the word often. Any one of the five aggregates is the Truth. That is the Truth of Suffering (Dukkha Sacca). If you can truly know any one of the five aggregates—if you deeply understand the aggregates, their nature, and their condition—you are knowing the Truth. Knowing "it itches, so I scratch" isn’t truly knowing the Truth of Suffering. Even when you know it itches, if you feel frustrated and think, "How annoying!" then you’re dwelling in aversion. That frustration is suffering. The Venerable Ananda taught: "When you feel compassion for relatives and friends, don’t leave them worldly inheritances. Leave them just one legacy: the knowledge of Truth. Then they will be freed from suffering." Finding Truth is simple. But don’t seek Truth in texts—seek only the Truth that appears here and now in your own body and mind. Merely knowing scriptures won’t lead to Nibbāna. Book-knowledge is mere perception (saññā); knowing within your own aggregates is wisdom (paññā). Perception and wisdom differ: perception doesn’t break dependent origination (paṭiccasamuppāda); wisdom does. Perception can’t cut through suffering; wisdom can. Dependent origination is suffering. You may study texts thoroughly, but if you don’t examine the aggregates themselves, you’re merely searching in records. That’s like looking for money in an account book—it won’t be found. So don’t rely on scholars alone. You still need wisdom that penetrates the aggregates. Truth is found within the body-mind. For example: A sound arises in the ear—this hearing consciousness arises. Recognize it: "This hearing mind is my own aggregate, the consciousness aggregate (viññāṇakkhandha)." Each time hearing occurs, note: "Consciousness aggregate has arisen—here, in my own continuum, not in another’s." Know: "This aggregate is the Truth of Suffering." Thus, you begin knowing: "The Truth of Suffering has appeared in my own stream." This makes Truth simple to grasp: Truth is this very hearing mind. The hearing consciousness arises and ceases. When you hear your child’s voice, another hearing consciousness arises. Then when you hear the child cry, another arises. Hearing the cry, affection arises: "It’s my child crying!" Now the hearing consciousness is gone; clinging (upādāna) has taken its place. This affection is also the Truth of Suffering—another consciousness aggregate arising in your stream. Is hearing merely neutral? No—clinging has arisen. Craving (taṇhā) ceased, giving way to clinging. Affection is suffering; clinging is suffering. Then you say, "I must go!"—and verbal action (vacī kamma) arises through volition. This too is suffering. See how all is only the Truth of Suffering: - Hearing consciousness → Suffering - Affection → Suffering - Clinging → Suffering - Speech → Suffering Reflecting on dependent origination, you realize: "All that has arisen is a mass of suffering" (dukkhakkhandhassa). This is the Truth the Buddha revealed—suffering exists right here in your own continuum. The Truth of Suffering isn’t rare; it’s abundant. Though suffering is everywhere, we remain unaware. Truths fill the aggregates, but without wisdom to recognize them, they remain worthless—just unseen suffering. Did you know suffering before? When bitten by a dog, you knew pain. When food tasted bad, you knew displeasure. But that was aversion-knowing (dosa), not wisdom-knowing. Wisdom-knowing is crucial. Only wisdom-knowing cuts dependent origination and ends suffering. How to end suffering with wisdom: Suppose you hear your child cry. Recognize: "This hearing consciousness is suffering." Know: "It arose from contact at the ear-door. It arises and ceases—impermanent, unsatisfactory." See it as a corpse-like Truth of Suffering (asubha dukkha sacca). When hearing arises, wisdom notes: "A Truth of Suffering has appeared." This isn’t another’s consciousness ceasing—it’s your own aggregate dying. Your suffering. What aggregate? The consciousness aggregate. Knowing its death, you see its foulness (asubha) and its suffering. Two insights arise. When you know "This hearing consciousness in my stream is suffering," affection doesn’t follow. Clinging ceases. Kammic actions stop. Thus, without new kamma (kammabhava), rebirth (jāti) cannot arise. Aging, death (jarāmaraṇa), sorrow, and lamentation (soka-parideva) cease. "The mass of suffering comes to cessation" (dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hoti). The moment wisdom knows hearing as the Truth of Suffering: - Future suffering ceases entirely. - This is dhammānupassanā satipaṭṭhāna (mindfulness of mental objects). - Seeing arising and passing: arising is suffering, passing is suffering (saṅkhittena pañcupādānakkhandhā dukkhā). - Any aggregate arising in your stream is the Truth of Suffering. The breakthrough: When hearing arises, wisdom immediately knows: "This is the Truth of Suffering." With that insight: - The mass of suffering ceases (dukkhakkhandhassa nirodho hoti). - You’ve learned to quench your own suffering. Knowing "hearing is suffering" is vijjā (knowledge)—light arises, wisdom arises. This wisdom-knowing (vijjā ñāṇa) is the Path Truth (magga sacca). The vijjā magga sacca (knowledge-path truth) cuts off all future birth, aging, death, and sorrow. The mass of suffering ceases. Summary: - Truth isn’t theoretical—observe it now in your aggregates. - Wisdom-knowing (paññā) ends the cycle where perception (saññā) cannot. - One moment of seeing an aggregate as dukkha sacca with wisdom liberates. Venerable Dr. Ashin Parami See also: http://myakyunthar.blogspot.com/?m=1