The Two Root Causes (Continued from Yesterday)

So, in the forward cycle, avijjā (ignorance) is the leader and taṇhā (craving) is the follower. In the reverse cycle, taṇhā is the leader and avijjā is the follower. In truth, they are inseparable. If one exists, both exist (sahajāta - co-arisen). Because these two root causes work together in unison, striving for the perpetuation of saṃsāra, the Most Venerable Mogok Sayadaw placed them at the very center, the hub, of the great wheel. Yesterday, it was explained that the Buddha taught to abandon the forward cycle in order to refute uccheda-diṭṭhi (the view of annihilation) and to abandon the reverse cycle in order to refute sassata-diṭṭhi (the view of eternalism). It is clear that we now need to further explain, in connection with the word diṭṭhi (view), the following: How many types of diṭṭhi are there? Why is it necessary to abandon diṭṭhi? How significant is the difference between having and not having diṭṭhi? How can one assess which diṭṭhi is present in one's own mind? Only when we know these things will our study of Dependent Origination (Paṭicca Samuppāda) be fruitful. First, I will introduce the types of diṭṭhi. You have likely heard that there are 62 types of diṭṭhi. You do not need to spend time studying all 62. There are only three most important types of diṭṭhi you need to know: 1. Sakkāya-diṭṭhi (Personality Belief) 2. Sassata-diṭṭhi (Eternalism) 3. Uccheda-diṭṭhi (Annihilationism) Sakkāya refers to the five aggregates. The mistaken perception, the wrong view, that these clearly existing five aggregates are "I" or "mine" is diṭṭhi. The five aggregates are sakkāya; the mistaken perception is diṭṭhi; combined, it is sakkāya-diṭṭhi. The belief that the five aggregates regarded as "I" are solid, indestructible, permanent, unchanging, and remain in their original state is sassata-diṭṭhi — the diṭṭhi of perceiving permanence. The diṭṭhi that believes the five aggregates regarded as "I" will be completely cut off at the end of this life and will not be reborn again is uccheda-diṭṭhi. Attitudes like "I dare to do it, so I must dare to face the consequences" or "If I dare to kill, I must dare to face death" are common among holders of uccheda-diṭṭhi. Why couldn't we escape the cycle in the presence of the Buddhas, who are more numerous than the sands of the Ganges? Why have we faced the perils of the lower worlds (apāya), poverty, separation, aging, sickness, and death life after life? Why have we not attained Nibbāna, where all suffering ceases and is cool and peaceful? If you take an inventory of yourself, the answer that emerges is because one of these three types of diṭṭhi is present. Diṭṭhi obstructs the attainment of the Path Knowledge (magga-ñāṇa) and Fruition Knowledge (phala-ñāṇa), so we haven't even had a whiff of Nibbāna. Therefore, the Most Venerable Mogok Sayadaw called diṭṭhi "the Dhamma that obstructs the Path and Fruition." It should be clear by now that diṭṭhi prevents the attainment of Nibbāna. If one cannot attain the Path and Fruition, there is no way to attain Nibbāna by any means. However, diṭṭhi only obstructs the Path, Fruition, and Nibbāna; it does not obstruct a happy destiny (sugati). To use the words of the Most Venerable Mogok Sayadaw, "Diṭṭhi vetoes Nibbāna, but it does not veto a happy destiny." With diṭṭhi still present, one can perform wholesome deeds (kusala kamma) and be reborn in the human realm or the deva realm. If one practices concentration (samatha), one can even reach the Brahma realms. But when that wholesome kamma is exhausted, one will return to one's old place — the prison of the lower worlds (apāya) ("Cattāro apāyā saka-geha-sadisā" - The four lower worlds are like one's own home). One cannot stay in a happy realm forever; the lower realms, however, are always waiting. If one cannot remain in any happy realm, the lower realms are always ready to welcome you. The point is that as long as diṭṭhi exists, one is not free from the lower worlds. Therefore, the Most Venerable Mogok Sayadaw repeatedly said that diṭṭhi is "the seed for hell, the seed for the lower worlds." As long as one lives with diṭṭhi, any time in a happy realm or freedom from the lower worlds is only temporary. Later, when conditions align, one can return to one's original state. However, if one becomes free from diṭṭhi and attains the stage of a Stream-enterer (Sotāpanna), the fires of hell are automatically extinguished. For oneself, there is no more hellfire, no hell pot, no hell realm, and no lower worlds. They cease to exist for you (though they still exist for others). One's own suffering is not eradicated until one eradicates it oneself. Therefore, we must strive diligently, without laxity, while we have this human life, to extinguish our own hellfire. If we do not extinguish the hellfire that is manifest for us, no one else can come and extinguish it for us. If, to extinguish our own hellfire, we strive to eradicate diṭṭhi not just with intellectual understanding (ñāta-pariññā) and practice understanding (tīrana-pariññā), but with the understanding of eradication (pahāna-pariññā), then we become a Stream-enterer and all hellfires are completely extinguished for us. For us, the lower realms cease to exist. Out of the 31 planes of existence, the 4 lower realms are reduced. Since 4 realms are removed for cycling in saṃsāra, the domain of saṃsāra becomes narrower. Although the domain narrows, the disappearance of the lower realms is a cause for joy, not sadness. It is freedom from the suffering of the lower worlds! Precisely. It is because of diṭṭhi that one falls into the lower worlds. Diṭṭhi is the seed (bīja), the visa, for the lower worlds. As long as diṭṭhi is not eradicated, one holds a visa for the lower worlds — a visa one will use, whether one wants to or not. Once diṭṭhi is eradicated, the visa for the lower worlds expires. Once expired, it cannot be reissued. So, one can now imagine how much suffering is eliminated in a life free from diṭṭhi. Understand that it is because of being free from diṭṭhi that the hellfires are extinguished, the sufferings of the lower worlds are removed, and one gains the ability to finally break free from the negative cycle of saṃsāra. Therefore, make an effort to understand diṭṭhi. Before removing it through the wisdom of development (pahāna-pariññā), first try to remove it through the wisdom of intellectual understanding (ñāta-pariññā). Work on impermanence (anicca) and suffering (dukkha) afterwards. Work on removing diṭṭhi with intellectual understanding first (ñāta-pariññā). To remove diṭṭhi with intellectual understanding, we must prioritize and first strive to understand the discourse on Dependent Origination (Paṭicca Samuppāda). Remember the essence: (Work on anicca and dukkha later; remove diṭṭhi first). Ven. Dr. Parami