The Wisdom That Knows the Truth

Understand that the appearance and disappearance of any one of the five aggregates is the Truth. The occurrences and cessations that arise within your own body are indeed the Truth. When a feeling arises, that feeling both arises and ceases. When a mind-state arises, that little mind both arises and ceases. The arising of the mind-state is its occurrence; its disappearance when its lifespan ends is its cessation. This is the Arising and Passing Away – the Truth of Suffering (dukkhasaccā). Knowing this Truth is wisdom (ñāṇa). It is the Wisdom that knows the Truth. The arising and passing away is the Truth of Suffering; the knowing is the Truth of the Path (maggasaccā). Whenever anything arises in the body, you must know it with this Truth of the Path. You must know it with the preliminary path knowledge called Vipassanā. If you continually know every occurrence in the body in this way, then the arising and passing away is the Truth of Suffering, and your own direct seeing of that arising and passing away is itself the Truth of the Path. The reason we have wandered through the round of rebirths (saṃsāra) is that this Wisdom knowing the Truth has not arisen. Since this Wisdom did not get a chance to arise, we have had to fare on in samsara with the dangers of aging, sickness, and death; the dangers of poverty, separation, and the lower realms; and in existences that are sometimes low, sometimes high. If you gain this Wisdom that knows the Truth, the great wheel of suffering that you have been spinning in, for future lives, will come to a stop. If gaining this Wisdom causes the great wheel of suffering to stop, then without gaining it, the great wheel of suffering would have to keep spinning for countless thousands of eons. It is only when the Wisdom that knows the Truth arises that one realizes how frightening this saṃsāra, which one must revolve in, truly is. If this Wisdom does not arise, one doesn't even consider the suffering of having to wander in saṃsāra as something to be afraid of. Not considering it frightening, one doesn't even conceive of trying to escape. Thus, one merely continues living from one lifetime to the next, destined to collide head-on with the immense heap of sufferings that are ever-present in life. Therefore, it is extremely important to gain the opportunity for this Wisdom that sees the inherent suffering present in the body to arise. Remember: the arising and passing away is the Truth of Suffering, and the observing Wisdom is the Truth of the Path. Fearing that if this observing Wisdom does not reach your core, the great wheel of suffering will keep turning, you should run your Wisdom over your body, looking intently. When you run your Wisdom over it and look, you will come to see for yourself that within the body there are only these two phenomena: arising and ceasing. You will find that what arises is a formation (saṅkhāra), and what passes away is impermanence (anicca); you will find that there are only formations and impermanence. If you look at a feeling in the body, it is arising and passing away. If you look at a perception, it is arising and passing away. If you look at a mind-state, it is arising and passing away. If you prefer feelings, contemplate feelings. Whenever a feeling arises, repeatedly follow it with Wisdom. If you prefer mind, contemplate mind. Whenever a mind-state arises, repeatedly follow it with Wisdom. If you prefer the Truth, label it as the Truth and contemplate. Whatever arises – feeling, matter, or mind – since it must arise and then cease, simply contemplate it as: "This is the Truth of Suffering, this is the Truth of Suffering." If you prefer matter, contemplate matter. Whenever little transformations and changes appear in the body, look to see that whatever is subject to change is bound to perish. This is contemplating matter as arising and passing away. When you contemplate in this way, the observing Wisdom, the knowing Wisdom, is itself the Truth of the Path. When you contemplate in this way repeatedly, the Vipassanā path knowledge gradually reaches your core. When the Vipassanā path knowledge reaches your core, the defilements (kilesā), craving (taṇhā), clinging (upādāna), and kamma become attenuated. The observing Wisdom is the Vipassanā path, a weapon. As the sword of the path repeatedly cuts away the mass of defilements, through repeated contemplation, the massive bulk of defilements becomes gradually thinner and thinner. As the mass of defilements thins out, the causes for future bodily suffering (the Truth of Suffering) also become attenuated. Understand that as the causes for future bodies thin out, the resultant future bodies also become fewer. As the causal defilements diminish, the resultant suffering also diminishes accordingly. Therefore, a person with a strong tendency of craving should contemplate feelings as arising and passing away. If one's wanting is strong – seeing this, wanting that; seeing that, wanting this – if one is strongly attached to one's son, daughter, etc., that means one has a strong tendency of craving. A person with a strong tendency of wrong view (diṭṭhi) should contemplate mind. If one holds to "my mind," "my self," "my son," "my daughter," "my wife," "my possessions," etc., and is entrenched in self-view, then understand that as having a strong tendency of wrong view. A person with a strong tendency of intelligence should contemplate the Truth. If one's innate wisdom is sharp and one learns and understands easily, that is a good intellectual faculty. If one's wisdom is dull and one cannot learn anything easily, then one should contemplate matter. If craving is strong, contemplate feelings. If wrong view is strong, contemplate mind. If innate wisdom is sharp, contemplate the Truth. If innate wisdom is dull, contemplate matter. The aggregate of form (rūpakkhandhā) is matter. The aggregate of feeling (vedanākkhandhā) is feeling. The aggregate of consciousness (viññāṇakkhandhā) is mind. The two aggregates of perception (saññākkhandhā) and mental formations (saṅkhārakkhandhā) are the Truth – this is the contemplation of mind-objects (dhammānupassanā). All these five aggregates exist within your own body. Therefore, understand that Vipassanā must be practiced by contemplating the body. How does one contemplate the body? One applies Wisdom to the body. If, when applying Wisdom to the body, feelings arise distinctly for someone, then they are applying it to feelings. If mind-states arise distinctly for someone, then apply it to the mind. If the Wisdom that turns in this way knows both the arising and the ceasing, then it becomes the Wisdom that knows the Truth. When this Wisdom is gained, the defilements that cause saṃsāra to revolve become attenuated. The Truth of the Origin (samudayasaccā) becomes attenuated. As one sees arising and passing away repeatedly, the Wisdom of disgust (nibbidāñāṇa) enters. The Wisdom that is contemplating decides: "I no longer want or desire this great Truth of Suffering, which is constantly oppressed by this endless arising and passing away." When, upon making this decision, the Wisdom that sees the cessation of the arising and passing away arises in a single moment, simultaneously, the genuine Truth of the Path, complete with the eight path factors, appears. With the first Path, one becomes a Stream-enterer (Sotāpanna). With the next Path, one becomes a Once-returner (Sakadāgāmī). With the next Path, one becomes a Non-returner (Anāgāmī). When the final Path arises, one becomes an Arahant. Upon becoming an Arahant, the causal defilements – the Truth of the Origin – for future bodies are completely extinguished, and thus the resultant future bodily suffering – the Truth of Suffering: birth, aging, and death – are utterly cut off and cease. For an Arahant, there is no future existence. When an Arahant's death consciousness passes away, where do they go? They do not go anywhere. There is nowhere to go. Understand that the sufferings have simply come to an end. In the Dependent Origination, since birth has ceased, aging and death cannot come. Sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair also do not come. In this way, all sufferings are brought to an end. Therefore, understand that the Arahant's passing into final Nibbāna (Parinibbāna) is the cessation of suffering. When ordinary worldlings (puthujjana) die, suffering continues. For future lives, birth starts again; wherever one is reborn, suffering is encountered; one continues on to where suffering exists. Understand this: when an ordinary person dies, suffering continues; when an Arahant dies, suffering ends. Now that you understand that the purpose of practicing Vipassanā meditation is to reach the cessation of suffering from the continuation of suffering, and to stop the great wheel of future suffering, may you strive to the best of your ability to develop and practice the Vipassanā Dhamma, in order to sever the resultant suffering of future bodies (aggregates) by attenuating the causal defilements (the Truth of the Origin) for future bodies (aggregates). Ven. Dr. Ashin Parami