From: https://youtube.com/watch?v=dk6P3mMNnEY

Context: Throughout this transcript, Bhante Vimalaramsi is the speaker unless otherwise indicated.

[Music]

thus I heard on one occasion the blessed

one was living it Sawatdee in jeta's

grove anathapindika's park then when

that was evening the venerable maha

cojito rose for meditation with his

students he went to the venerable

sariputta sitting with his students and

exchanged greetings with him when this

courteous and amiable talk was finished

he sat down at one side and said to the

venerable sariputta one who is unwise

one who is unwise is said friend with

reference to what was the said one who

is unwise one does not wisely understand

one does not wisely understand friend

that's why it is said one who is unwise

and what doesn't one wisely understand

one doesn't wisely understand this is

suffering now we're going to go through

the Noble Truths but we're not talking

about surface Noble Truths we're talking

about how the links of dependent

origination each link has the Four Noble

Truths in it and I will show you that in

just a moment

okay this is from the magic birdie Sam

mutiny kiya monk says to those ascetics

and brahmins who do not understand these

things the origin of these things these

things means the first noble truth the

cessation of these things and the way

leading to the cessation of these things

what are those things that they do not

understand whose origins they don't

understand whose cessation they don't

understand in the way leading to the

cessation they don't understand they

don't understand ageing and death first

noble truth its origin

second noble truth its cessation and the

way leading to its cessation they do not

understand birth they do not understand

the virtual tendency they do not

understand clinging they don't

understand craving they don't understand

feeling or contact or the sixth sense

basis mentality and materiality

consciousness formations their origin

their cessation and way leading to their

cessation so right there it says there's

Four Noble Truths in every link and this

is the deeper kind of teaching okay

these are the things they don't

understand whose origin they don't

understand the cessation they don't

understand and the way leading to the

cessation they don't understand these I

do not consider to be ascetics among

ascetics or Brahman among Brahmins these

know these venerable ones do not

understand by realizing it for

themselves with direct knowledge in this

very life and and dwell in the goal

the Siddha system and the goal of

Brahmin hood and that means if you don't

understand dependent origination you're

not going to be able to attain nirvana

okay and if you do understand these

things then you will attain nirvana you

have the potential to take attain

nirvana okay

one doesn't wisely understand this is

the origin of suffering one does not

wisely understand this is a cessation of

suffering one does not wisely understand

this is a way leading to the cessation

of suffering one does not wisely

understand one does not wisely

understand friend that's why it is said

one who is unwise okay so one of the

things that you really have to

understand is the links of dependent

origination is the backbone of the

Buddhist teaching and if you don't

learned about the backbone if you don't

see it for yourself you're not going to

be able to attain nirvana saying good

friend the venerable maha kajita

delighted and rejoiced in the venerable

sariputta swards

maha cojito was foremost in sitting in

meditation he was always sitting in

meditation

and he knew the answers to these but he

was asking these questions for his

students so they could hear then he

asked him a further question one who is

unwise what are one who is wise one who

is wise is said friend with reference to

what was this said one who is wise one

wisely understands one wisely understand

friend that's why it is said one who is

wise what does one wisely understand one

wisely understands this is suffering one

wisely understands which is the origin

of suffering one wisely understands this

is the cessation of suffering one wise

he understands this is a way leading to

the cessation of suffering anytime you

hear wise or wisdom in Buddhist

literature it is referring to dependent

origination consciousness consciousness

is said friend with reference to what is

consciousness said it cognizance it cog

knives that means it sees as it's

happening what is happening

that is why consciousness is said what

does it cognate it cognizes this is

pleasant it cognizes this is painful it

cognizes this is neither painful nor

pleasant it cognizes it cognizes friend

that's why consciousness is said wisdom

and consciousness friend are these

states can joined or disjoint and is it

possible to separate each of these

states from the other in order to

describe the difference between them

wisdom and consciousness friend these

states are conjoined not destroyed and

it's impossible to separate each of

these states from the other in order to

describe the difference between them

listen closely for what one wisely

understands that one cognizes what one

cognizes that one wisely understands

that is why these states are conjoined

not destroying and it's impossible to

separate into these states from the

other in order to describe the

difference between them what is the

difference friend between wisdom and

consciousness these states that are

conjoined not destroyed the difference

friend between wisdom and consciousness

these states that are conjoined not

destroying this is listen closely wisdom

is to be developed consciousness is to

be fully understood

okay feeling feeling as head friend with

reference to what is feeling said it

feels it feels friend that's why feeling

is said what does it feel it feels

pleasure

it feels pain it feels neither pain nor

pleasure it feels it feels friend

that's why feeling is said perception

perception friend with reference to what

his perception said it perceives that

means it means there's also memory in

perception that is why perception has

said what does it perceive now it's

going to talk about colors right now but

that is the very start of conceptual

thinking we only think in concepts okay

this is why Nirvana is such a different

kind of state because it's no more

concepts

there is no more becoming after when

you've attained Ivana at that moment it

perceives blue it perceives yellow it

perceives red it perceives white it

perceives it perceives friend

that's why perception is said feeling

perception and consciousness friend are

these states can blind or disjoined and

is it possible to separate each of these

states from the others in order to

describe the difference between them

feeling perception and consciousness

friendly states that are conjoined not

destroyed and it's impossible to

separate each of these states from the

others in order to describe the

difference between them listen closely

what one feels that one perceives what

one perceives that one cognizes that is

why these states are conjoined not

disjoint and it's impossible to separate

each of these states from the others in

order to describe the difference between

them

knowable by mind alone friend what can

be known by purified mind consciousness

released from the five faculties friend

by purified mind consciousness released

from the five faculties the base of

infinite space can be known now when you

get the infinite space the feeling of

loving kindness changes to a feeling of

compassion and may are definitely

different kinds of feeling that's why

this meditation is a little bit

different than other meditations because

it's not a mental exercise this is a

feeling exercise the base of infinite

space with joy compassion changes to a

feeling of joy can be known thus

consciousness is infinite when you get

into these states there is no more five

faculties now you're in strictly a

mental realm

so when you come to me and tell me about

a meditation pain in your body it's not

in your body it's in mind and when a

meditation pain arises it is a feeling

and perception and consciousness that

arises at that time and pulls your

attention away and u6r and come back

what almost everybody does with this

kind of feeling

meditation pain is resistant I don't

like it I don't want it there and they

tighten their mind around it and not see

that aversion to it so when you have

true mindfulness you see that that is

what's there right right at that moment

yes it's painful but it's only a feeling

it's not my feeling I don't try to

control it I don't need to do anything

with it

but allow it to be there and use your

six R's with it eventually the feeling

will start to fade away if you don't

feed it with your attention the six

hours is Right effort and right effort

says the second part release it

don't keep your attention on it and

relax

bring up hold something wholesome smile

light mind and bring that light mind

back to your object of meditation

you'll see that when that feeling comes

up and it's a painful something in your

shoulder in your back and your buttock

wherever it happens to be the first

thing your mind wants to do is grab on

to it I don't like that feeling and it's

like taking a hot coal and putting it in

your hand and you say oh that's hot that

hurts so what you naturally try to do is

try to squeeze around it and squeeze it

tighter and tighter and you say oh that

really really hurts and that's exactly

the opposite of what you want to do you

want to say yes that hurts but you don't

have to hold on to it it's there it's

painful okay

did I ask this pain to come up no it's

just a hindrance so you allow it to be

there by itself and come back to your

object of meditation with a happy mind

after relaxing and the base of

nothingness can be known there is

nothing when this happens you will

experience deep equanimity when you get

to the fourth jhana you get to

equanimity but this is even deeper kind

of equanimity

it's always kind of fun for me because

people come up and start talking about

nothing being there and their voices and

I ask them questions and their voice is

everything is fine there's no excitement

in their voice at all so it's a real

interesting state to be in

and staying with that feeling of

equanimity as your object meditation is

what you need to do until you go deeper

into the meditation friend with what

does one understand a state that can be

known that's an interesting question

friend one understands a state that can

be known with the eye of wisdom one of

the famous monitor stupas in Nepal has

that I okay and that's talking about the

eye of wisdom understanding how that

process works it's seeing without

thoughts just observing you're just

cognizant and and being very conscious

of that

friend what is the purpose of wisdom the

purpose of wisdom friend is direct

knowledge its purpose is full

understanding its purpose is abandoning

and as you start noticing with your

mindfulness little tiny movements of

minds attention and you relax into that

you're starting to abandon these links

that arise until you get to what's

called an unconditioned state there's

nothing else to arise and that's what

navona is it's the unconditioned right

view friend how many conditions are

there for the arising of right view

friend there are two conditions for the

arising of right view the voice of

another and we're not talking about my

voice we're talking about the Buddha's

voice through the Citiz and wise

attention these are the two conditions

for the arising of right view friend by

how many factors is right you assisted

when it has deliverance of mind for its

fruit deliverance of mind for its fruit

and

path and fruition when it has

deliverance of mind by wisdom for its

path and deliverance by wisdom for its

path and fruition friend right view is

assisted by five factors when it has

deliverance of mind for its path

deliverance of mind for its path and

fruition when it has deliverance of my

of by wisdom for its path and

deliverance by wisdom for its path

information here friend right view is

assisted by virtue keeping your precepts

without breaking them learning

discussion serenity that means jhana and

insight and you've already had some

insights into how these things work and

they're real oh wow swen you see them

when I first came back to America I

wanted to call this the oh wow

meditation I got talked out of it right

view is assisted by these [ __ ] factors

has deliverance of mind for its path

deliverance port of mind for its path

and fruition it has deliverance by

wisdom for its path deliverance by

wisdom for its path and fruition

friend how many kinds of being are there

now when I start talking about this this

is a poly word vibhava bhikkhu bodhi

uses a word becoming he also uses a word

experience and I don't like either one

of those because it's not close enough

to what it actually is

when I'm talking about habitual

tendencies I'm just talking about one of

these kind of beings you experience the

others on your own when you get into

jhana when you get into a Rupert job so

the sets fear being that's the one I'm

talking about mostly where the emotional

states are and now to let go of those

emotional states and that sort of thing

the fine material being means the first

for dramas the in material being means

the four states of immaterial jhana Fred

how is renewal of being in the future

generated friend renewal of being in the

future is generated through the

delighting in this and that on the part

of beings who are hindered by ignorance

not understanding how this process works

and fettered by craving okay so you're

using the six hours and you're teaching

yourself about how the links of

dependent origination work even though

you don't notice that you're doing it

until you get into the deeper states

friend how is renewal of being in the

future not generated friend of faith

with the fading away of ignorance with

the arising of true knowledge and with a

cessation of craving renewal of being in

the future is not generated so now you

start to get more and more a feeling of

how important the six hours are now

we're going to talk a little bit about

the first drama and what is the first

jhana here friend quite secluded from

sensual pleasures secluded from

unwholesome states that means no

hindrances in your mind at all a monk

enters a bond and abides in the first

channel which is accompany by thinking

and examining thought with joy and

happiness born of seclusion this is

called the first jhana another thing you

have to understand is you can be in the

first jhana while you're walking while

you're doing other things and that's

that's been a point of contention ever

since I've come back from from Asia

because I tell people that they can be

even in the fourth drama while or

walking around and oh no when you get to

the fourth jhana you don't feel your

body at all yeah that's true you don't

feel your body but mind has equanimity

in it and you can do all kinds of tasks

without getting caught up in thinking

about

and be in the fourth jhana

where there's true doubts where a loud

sound happens like a flash of like a

thunder like happened a little while ago

this big loud one

but it does if your mindfulness is good

it doesn't make your mind shake it

doesn't make your mind go to it and

start thinking about it your mind just

says oh well that sound just goes right

through as an upset friend how many

factors does the first John I have

friend the first jhana has five factors

here when a monk is entered upon the

first jhana they were occur thinking

examining thought joy happiness and

unification of mind how can you have

those states in your mind while you're

walking around doing different tasks of

course if you're practicing one pointed

concentration no you can't because as

soon as your concentration slips a

little bit you have hindrances arising

when you're in the jhana the hindrances

will not arise if your mindfulness your

observation of how things move is weak

then you're not in the jhana anymore

you're caught by a hindrance friend how

many factors are abandoned in the first

jhana and how many factors are possessed

friend in the first jhana five factors

are abandoned and five factors are

possessed here when a monk has entered

upon the first jhana sensual desire is

abandoned ill-will is abandoned

sleepiness and dullness are abandoned

restlessness and anxiety are abandoned

and doubt is abandoned doubt as to

whether you're doing the practice

correctly or not and there occurs

thinking examining got joy happiness and

unification of mind that is how the

first jhana have five factors are

abandoned and five factors are possessed

now we get to the five faculties friend

and these five faculties each have a

separate field a separate domain and do

not experience each other's field and

domain you don't smell through your ear

that's basically what is saying that is

the eye faculty or faculty nose faculty

tongue faculty and body faculty now of

these five factors have each having

their own separate field there

separate domain do not experience each

other's field and domain what is their

resort what experiences their fields and

domains friend these five faculties each

have a separate field and separate

domain and do not experience each

other's field and domine that is the eye

faculty year faculty nose faculty tongue

faculty and body faculty now these five

faculties each having a separate field

and a separate domain do not experience

each other sylvan domain they have mined

as their resort and mined experiences

their fields and bill Maynes friend as

to these five faculties that is the eye

ear nose tongue and body faculty what do

these five faculties stand in dependence

on interesting question friend as to

these five faculties that is the eye ear

nose town and body these five faculties

stand in dependence on vitality friend

what does vitality stand in dependence

on vitality stands in dependence on heat

friend what does heat stand in

dependence on you're going to love this

answer he stands in dependence on

vitality just now friend we understood

the venerable sorry booted to have said

vitality stands in dependence on e and

now we understand him to say he stands

in dependence on vitality how should the

meaning of this statement be regarded

and that's a reasonable question I would

say in that case friend I shall give you

a simile for some wise men here

understand the meaning of a statement by

means of a simile just as women oil lamp

is burning its radiance is seen in

dependence on its flame and it's flame

is seen in dependence on its radiance

got it

so two vitality stands in dependence on

heat and heat stands in dependence on

vitality vital formations friends are

vital formations things that can be felt

or our vital formations one thing and

things that can be felt another vital

formations friend are not things that

can be felt if vital formation where

things that can be felt then a monk who

has entered upon the cessation of

perception feeling and consciousness

would not be seen to emerge from

when you're in the cessation of

perceptions healing and consciousness

you don't know you're in that state

until you come out when you come out you

go well what was that

because vital formations are one thing

and things that can be felt another a

monk who has entered upon the cessation

of perception feeling and consciousness

can be seen to emerge from it this

happens by itself when the conditions

are right when all of the the awakening

factors are imbalance friend when this

body is bereaved of how many states is

it then discarded in forsaken left lying

senseless like a log friend when the

body is bereft of three states vitality

heat and consciousness it is then

discarded and forsaken left lying

senseless like a log friend what is a

difference between one who is dead who

has completed his time and the person

who has entered upon the cessation of

perception feeling and consciousness

friend in the case of one who is dead

who has completed his time his bodily

formations have ceased and subsided his

verbal formations have ceased and

subsided as mental formations at sea

stand

sited his vitality has exhausted his

heat has been dissipated and his

faculties are fully broken up in the

case of a monk who ever a person who has

entered upon the cessation of perception

feeling and consciousness his bodily

formations have ceased and subsided his

verbal formations as ceased and subsided

his mental formations have ceased and

subsided but his vitality is not

exhausted his heat has not been

dissipated and his faculties become

exceptionally clear this is the

difference between one who is dead and

completed this time and a person who is

entered upon the cessation of perception

feeling and consciousness when somebody

has experienced navona their face

becomes very radiant and very beautiful

and you can see that you can see that

radiance coming off of them anytime you

see somebody that's very radiant it's a

good idea to give them something because

you're making a huge amount of merit

when you do that friend how many

conditions are there for the attainment

of neither painful nor Pleasant

deliverance of mind friend there are

four conditions for the attainment of

the neither painful nor Pleasant

deliverance of mind now we're talking

about getting into the fourth jhana here

with the abandoning of pleasure in pain

with the previous disappearance of joy

and grief a monk enters upon and abides

in the fourth jhana which has neither

pain nor pleasure that's just talking

about being with equanimity and purity

of mindfulness due to that equanimity

these are the four states for the

attainment of neither painful nor

Pleasant feeling our deliverance of mine

friend how many conditions are there for

the attainment of the signless

deliverance of mind the signless

deliverance of mind means getting into

the cessation of perception feeling and

consciousness friend there are two

conditions for the attainment of the

signless deliverance of mind non

attention to all signs so you don't see

anything arising and this says attention

to the sign 'lest

element attention to the Simas element

infers that there's somebody there to

observe it but if there's no

consciousness how can there be attention

so this is first thing that was put in

as a formula and they just followed the

formula without thinking about how

translating it these are the two

conditions for the attainment of Simas

deliverance of my friend how many

conditions are there for the persistence

of the signless deliverance of mind

friend there are three conditions for

the persistence of the signless

deliverance of mind non attention to all

signs

this says attention to the sign this

element when there is no attention

that's their and prior determination of

its duration how i talked to you about

making determinations before you go to

sleep make a determination you're going

to wake up smiling and happy and make a

determination at the time when I was in

Burma and I was going quite deep in the

meditation meditation teachers said

how's your mindfulness said that's

pretty good

he said do you wake up on the in-breath

or the out breath and I went I don't

know so I went to sleep that night and I

was waking up about every half hour to

see whether as awaking up on the

in-breath and the out-breath I went to

the next interview and I was tired I

didn't

not sleep but I found out that I was

waking up on the out-breath I don't know

if it's that way for everybody you check

for yourself if you believe that enter

these are the three conditions for the

persistence of the signless deliverance

of mind now when you get into the

cessation of perception feeling and

consciousness you can make a

determination to stay in that state for

long periods of time up to 7 days

I have students in Indonesia that can do

to sort of say they haven't gone that

long but they can they can go for 24

hours pretty easily take some practice

to be able to get into it for longer but

I told them that they had to start

putting a sign read write a little note

in front of them don't disturb me

because her family members come up and

they get really excited if I don't see

you breathing and they can let's take

him to the hospital get in we have to

get him breathing again and you can wake

up with somebody pounding on your truss

trying to get your breathing going you

wouldn't know that until the end of the

determination

so make it a little sign saying there's

nothing wrong I'll be back in a little

while just let me do the meditation this

way friend how many conditions are there

for the emergence of the signless

deliverance of mine friend there's two

conditions for the emergence of the

signless deliverance of mine attention

to all signs and non attention to the

sinus element so there is when you come

out of that state you don't want to be

attacked by people and how is this and

not asking a lot of questions you feel

like being secluded and very peaceful

and very calm and very uplifted as a

wonderful feeling these are the two

conditions for the emergence of the

zionists deliverance of mind friend the

immeasurable deliverance of mind that is

the brahma vihara the deliverance of

mine through nothingness the deliverance

of mine through voidness and the

signless deliverance of mind are these

states different in meaning and

different in name or are they one in

meaning and different in name only from

the immeasurable deliverance of mind the

deliverance of mine through nothingness

the deliverance of mine through voidness

we'll talk about voidness in a moment

and the signless deliverance of mind

there is a way in which the

it's are different and meaning and

different in name and there is a way in

which they are one in meaning and

different ending only what friend is a

way in which these dates are different

in meaning and different in name here a

monk pervades abides pervading one

quarter with a minding beaut with

lovingkindness

likewise the second likewise the third

likewise the fourth so above below

around and everywhere does that sound

familiar to the people that are doing

that sounds like six directions to me

and to all as to himself he abides

perfectly now all encompassing world

with a mind and Bute with

loving-kindness abundant exalted

immeasurable without hostility and

without ill-will he abides pervading one

quarter of his mind with compassion and

it goes through that whole whole thing

again the six directions he abides

providing one quarter of his mind imbued

now this is something that they they put

in from the commentary they haven't

figured out they call it an altruistic

joy and it's the joy you feel for other

people's success that doesn't have

anything to do with the meditation not

not here it's just joy this kind of joy

is the all-pervading joy it doesn't have

the excitement in it but it is a happy

feeling and your mind is quite

alert and bright he abides pervading one

quarter with a mind imbued with

equanimity likewise the second third and

fourth so above below around and

everywhere and to all as to himself he

abides pervading the all-encompassing

world with a mind imbued with one of

these brahma vihara abandon exalted in

measurable without hostility and without

a will this is called the immeasurable

deliverance of mind and what friend is

the deliverance of mind through

nothingness here with the complete sore

mounting of the base of infinite

consciousness aware that there is

nothing this is where mind stops looking

outside of itself and this is where you

start using your equanimity as your

object of meditation and if you try to

stay with that object with a little bit

too much energy get restless it's not

quite enough you get dull so you have to

learn how to adjust at this level and

you might have to adjust a few times in

a city

a monk enters upon and abides in the

base of nothingness this is called the

deliverance of mind through nothingness

and what friend is a deliverance of mind

through voidness here a person gone to

the forest the root of a tree an empty

Hut reflects this this is void of a self

or of what belongs to itself I did about

six months I think I mentioned this

before I did about six months of

questioning every thought where did that

come from is that me is that mine every

feeling your reason Tatian I kept on

looking at it and it made my mind go

very deep in meditation because of

seeing the impersonal nature of

everything this is called the

deliverance of mind through weakness and

what friend is the signless deliverance

of mind here with non attention to all

science a monk enters upon and abides in

the signless collectiveness of mind this

is called the signless the difference of

mind this is the way in which these

states are different in meaning and

different in name and what friend is a

way in which these states are one in

meaning and differing in name only lust

is a maker of measurement hate is a

maker of measurement delusion is a

a girl of measurement lust hatred

delusion I like that I don't like it I

am that another way of describing

craving and among whose tastes are

destroyed

these are abandoned cut off at the root

made like a palm stump done away with so

that they are no longer subject to

future arising every time you six are

you have a clear spot right after that

where your mind is a bright your mind is

alert but there's no thoughts of all the

kinds of immeasurable deliverance of

mind the unshakable deliverance of mine

is pronounced the best

now that unshakeable deliverance of mine

is void of lust void of hate and void of

delusion no more gravy lust is as

something eight is as something

delusion is as something in among states

are destroyed

these are abandoned cut off at the route

lead like a poem stumped done away with

so that they are no longer subject to

future arising of all the kinds of

deliverance of mine through nothingness

the unshakable deliverance of mine is

pronounced the best so it's saying that

you can attain me Bona even in the lower

all the way I encourage people to go go

through all of them so they can

recognize it now that unshakeable

deliverance of mine is void of lust void

of hate and void of delusion lust is a

maker of science signs

limit us lust is a maker of sight hate

is a maker of science delusion is a

maker of science in among who states are

destroyed these are abandoned cut off at

the root made like a palm stock done

away with so that they are no longer

subject to future arising of all the

kinds of signless deliverance of mind

the unshakable deliverance of mind is

pronounced the best

now that unshakable deliverance of mind

is void of lust void of hate and void of

delusion this is this is the way in

which these states are one in meaning

and different in

only that's what the venerable sorry

puta said the venerable makuhita was

satisfied and delighted in the venerable

sorry booth this works so this gives you

something to consider this is quite a

deep suit that it's it's not a lightly

to die at all seeing that everything is

impermanent everything is a source of

unsatisfactoriness because it's there

and it's impersonal there's no

controller there's only being able to

observe it as you start recognizing that

more and more it's real easy to see must

arise it's a maker of the sign what sign

is it I like it I want it that's the

craving coming up he is a maker of signs

I don't want it I don't like it I want

it to stop I want it to go away and

delusion taking it all personally and

thinking that it's you you're the one

that's causing this to arise but it's an

impersonal process so learning to let go

of all signs and just seeing it as it

actually is

with proper wisdom that means you're

seeing everything is part of a process

instead of this is how my mind works in

my mind not your mind

it arises because of tax actions what

you do with what arises in the present

dictates what happens to happens in the

future okay as you see this distraction

and musics are and allow it to be your

purifying your mind every time you do

that and eventually the six RS will

start to become automatic and you'll see

that something just begins to come up in

your mind runs the six hours and rolls

right over it and now your mind is clear

it takes a while doesn't happen right

away that's why to develop your patient

and you're understanding this is how it

works that's why the definition that I

give you for mindfulness it works 100%

of the time because your your job is to

remember to observe how mine's attention

moves from one thing to another not try

to control it and I try to make it be

something but observe it and relax into

it and let it be there by itself so with

this definition of mindfulness you have

more and more a tendency to see the

impersonal nature of everything much

more easily and that's why you hear me

talk about the six hours all the time

this is going to take you all the way to

navona to our hardship to getting off

the wheel letting go of the craving and

the ignorance when you use the six R's

it becomes more and more clear how this

process works you start catching it a

little quicker and a little quicker

until finally there's no more conditions

for it to arise that's new pun sounds

good to me anyway

[Music]