From: https://youtube.com/watch?v=VJL0ESaUrjU

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

[Music]

so today

i am going to be reading from majima

nikaya seven

vatsuta the simile of the cloth

festival i heard on one occasion the

blessed one was living at savathi in

jettas grove

anatapendikus park there he addressed

the biku's thus bhikkhus venerable sir

they replied

the blessed one said this

biku suppose a cloth were defiled and

stained and a dyer dipped it in some dye

or other

whether blue or yellow or red or carmine

it would look poorly dyed and impure in

color

why is that

because of the impurity of the cloth

so too when the mind is defiled an

unhappy destination may be expected

when he talks about the mind being

defiled

he says this in

a couple of different contexts

a way to understand mind is it can be

chitta it could be vinyana

or it could be mano

there is a way in which these words are

different in name and different in

meaning

different in name and same in meaning

here we're going to explore it in the

way that mind also refers to

consciousness

vinyana

so what we are talking about is the

defilement of consciousness

chitta is

basically mindset it's a collection of

different kinds of thoughts

that make up a mindset

vidyana is the awareness or

consciousness

mano is the mind itself

the different components that make up

the mind for example

so here we're talking about

the link of consciousness

so we understand that formations can be

either pure or impure

they can be rooted in greed

hatred or delusion and delusion

they are rooted in what is known as the

accrusala

or formations can be rooted in the

kusala

non-greed non-hatred non-delusion

if the ma if the fetters

are there present in the formations

if there is craving if there is

ignorance if there is conceit in the

formations

then

the consciousness will be impure and

this is what we're talking about where

we talk about mind being defiled

if the mind is defiled it can

lead to unhappy states of mind it can

lead to unhappy destinations

unhappy destinations are

the hell realms

the animal realm

and the hungry ghost realm

or a human realm that isn't all that

great

so if the mind is defiled by certain

things

if the consciousness is defiled by

certain things

if the formations are fettered by those

particular accusal the unwholesome

and they give rise to a certain

consciousness

that is defiled

that can lead

to the mind having further craving

having further clinging having further

conceit having further wrong views and

so on and because of that that could

lead

that

being into a different destination that

is completely

unhappy

so what is it that is

creating these impurities in the mind in

consciousness

they are the upperculasas that's what we

are going to discuss today

the 16 upachilesas

the 16 mental defilements

so think about it in this way

consciousness itself is completely

like a like a window

right

there's nothing in there

as soon as the formations that arise

are if they are impure if they are

rooted in the unwholesome

they will tinge they will stain that

window with a certain color

and that certain color

is a certain kind of upperculasa

a certain kind of mental defilement

so that's what we're going to explore

today

what bikus are the imperfections that

defile the mind

covetousness and unrighteous

greed is an imperfection that defiles

the mind

ill will is an imperfection that defiles

the mind

anger is an imperfection that defiles

the mind

resentment is an imperfection that

defiles the mind

contempt

is an imperfection that defiles the mind

insolence

is

an imperfection that defiles the mind

envy is an imperfection that defiles the

mind

avarice is an imperfection that defiles

the mind

deceit is an imperfection that defiles

the mind

fraud is an imperfection that defiles

the mind

obstinacy

is an imperfection that defiles the mind

rivalry is an imperfection that defiles

the mind

conceit

is an imperfection that defiles the mind

arrogance is an imperfection that

defiles the mind

vanity

is an imperfection that defiles the mind

negligence

is an imperfection that defiles the mind

so these are the 16

imperfections

these are the 16 mental defilements

so that is covetousness and greed that's

one

ill will

anger

resentment contempt

insolence

envy

avarice deceit fraud obstinacy rivalry

conceit arrogance

vanity and negligence

so let's explore these so you can better

so you're better acquainted with them so

you can recognize when they arise in the

mind and how they how they arise in the

mind

so we talk about covetousness and

unrighteous greed as an imperfection

covetousness and unrighteous creed

that's basically

craving

that's the mind that says i want that

if the feathers are if the formations

are fettered in craving or fettered by

craving

then the consciousness that arises can

be rooted in that imperfection

of craving

and that can give rise to

a bit of craving in the namarupa

mentality materiality a bit of craving

in the sixth sense spaces and a bit of

craving in contact and in feeling the

underlying tendency that arises can be

the underlying tendency towards craving

and if the mind

decides to hold on to that and says i

want it

and has craving towards it then it will

give rise to further clinging craving

clinging becoming

birth of action and the whole mass of

suffering

so what kind of craving are we talking

about here

first and foremost we're talking about

sensual craving

sensual craving is a craving for

any kind of experience

that arises

from contact with the five physical

senses

you see a beautiful movie or a beautiful

sunset or a beautiful photo or a picture

or whatever

and now your eyes are enamored by that

there's contact with that beautiful

pleasant experience

and then that contact gives rise to

formations

that can be fettered

by craving

those formations then give rise

to a consciousness that says i want that

a mindset

so think about consciousness as being a

mindset

think of consciousness as being

a collection of thoughts

that then grasp onto

that feeling and saying i want that

and so

that experience thing results in the

mind

tending towards craving through the

underlying tendency towards craving

so that sensual craving manifests how

the mind makes contact

through the five physical sense spaces

with one or more of the sensual

experiences

now if the mind says that's a wonderful

experience or that's that's a pleasant

experience or

i really like that and these kinds of

things that in of itself

doesn't denote craving

but if the mind says i want to own that

i want to keep that for myself

i i'll do anything i can to keep this

i hope that this does not go away

i hope this beautiful sunset doesn't go

away i hope this

beautiful piece of music doesn't end

i hope i can have one more piece of that

chocolate cake

you know whatever it might be

that is denoting the underlying tendency

towards craving

and then when one acts from there so how

do you know when you have that kind of

craving

the tightness and tension that arises in

the mind and body that grasping

right when we think about the six r's

what is it doing

six r's are reconditioning the

formations

reconditioning consciousness

reconditioning how you respond to

feeling

so the six hours basically what others

recognize that you were distracted

release your attention from it

relax the tightness and tension every

smile

return to your object and then repeat

whenever necessary those are the six r's

the crucial part here is the relax let's

just explore the relaxed step here why

are we relaxing

think about how the mind reacts to

something when it comes to a sensual

experience when there's craving

or any of these imperfections when they

arise what's going on

the mind and body

feel agitation

that they need to own it i need to own

this thing i need to keep this

i need to hold it so that it doesn't

leave me or any of these different

imperfections

i need to have it now there's agitation

there's tension

the satisfying of that craving

the mind says i need to possess that it

possesses it and it feels

satisfaction

and then it feels

relief

and so what is happening the mind is

conditioned to thinking that anytime it

feels agitated because of something that

it wants

it should just go for it

and crave for it and act on that craving

and that's how it will experience relief

that's how it'll experience contentment

and satisfaction

so what are we doing with the six hours

we're experiencing relief we're

experiencing relaxation

before the craving even sets in

being relaxed

being relieved

being content right there and then

there is no agitation that will come

the mind and the body will not grasp

towards

that object

because it already feels relief it's

already content it doesn't need anything

more to feel satisfaction

so this is what you're doing with the

six r's

you're reconditioning the way the mind

responds

to a situation

instead of the old model

where the mind says i want that and it

tries to grasp onto it and it goes for

it and then feels contentment

after having that

the new model is to recognize that

agitation that tension that arises from

wanting that thing and then releasing

and relaxing that

and then cultivating something wholesome

in its place

so that it feels contentment right there

and then

because of that no further craving will

arise

so when you're doing the six hours this

is what you're doing you're

reconditioning your mind's

reactions you're reconditioning the way

the mind perceives situations and

experiences

instead of trying to own them to feel

the relief your mind already feels

relief

and so it doesn't go forward

in that process of craving clinging

becoming and so on

now what about ill will what is ill will

here

ill will is agitation irritation

frustration

getting bothered by something

the the mind that says i don't like this

i don't want this

take this away from me

so that could be sensual ill will as

well

right

so before we continue let me also just

tell you about the other two kinds of

craving we have the craving for

existence and craving for non-existence

so the craving for existence says

i

want to be

in this situation i want to be in this

channel i want to be in this meditative

state

i want to be

a solar panel i want to be a sakuragami

now that in itself

isn't so bad because there's chanda

there there's a wholesome

intention wholesome inclination

but then letting the mind become

obsessed by it

to the point that you're not able to

function beyond that

now your mind is just thinking about

that

now that becomes a distraction now that

becomes a hindrance in the mind

so that kind of craving for existence if

you can recognize that

realize that the mind is agitated not

happy with the present moment

let that go release your attention from

that relax

re-smile come back to your object

then that craving for existence does not

continue to clinging that doesn't

continue into becoming or birth of

action

or suffering

craving for non-existence craving for

non-existence says i don't like being in

this situation

i want out

right i don't want to be part of this

retreat

i don't want to be part of this family

i don't want to be in this country i

don't want to be in this job i don't

want to be

that's really the craving for

non-existence

the most extreme form

of craving for non-existence is

the desire for suicide

wanting to kill oneself

why does anyone kill themselves

because they feel so

so affected by all of the inputs that

are coming in

that they feel so out of control out of

touch with what's going on

it becomes too much for the mind

to

understand

it becomes too much for the mind to

experience

and so the only relief that person

believes that they will have

is by ending it all

but that will lead

to a unhappy destination

when that happens the very last thought

that arises when someone commits suicide

is regret is remorse what have i done

that thought then gives rise to a new

consciousness

that then takes birth in a lower plane

where there is remorse and regret

so suicide

is the extreme form of craving for

non-existence

but anytime you catch yourself saying i

want to be or i don't want to be

or i want this

and i need to have that

every time you recognize the tightness

and tension around that thought pattern

you can six our

you can use the six r's to let go of

that

and then come to a mind that is void of

craving

a mind without craving a mind without

any agitation

now coming to ill will

which is frustration

ups being upset

discontentment

with the present moment

ill will can result in

like larger forms of that including

anger which we'll get to

but ill will is basically being

dissatisfied with the present moment by

saying i don't like being here i don't

want this

you want to you want to push it away

there's a certain form of resistance

to the present moment as it actually is

and so what happens the mind is

conditioned to think

here is my object of ill-will my object

of resistance

i will only feel relief

when that object goes away

whether that's that person whether

that's the situation whether that's the

relationship

whatever it might be that frustration

with that

somebody keeps barging in and out of the

meditation hall

the door keeps opening and closing

opening and closing and the mind now

gets agitated and upset by that gets

irritated by that

and now the attention is just there on

the closing and opening of the door now

based on that then the mind says who is

that idiot who keeps opening and closing

right so that's the ill will that comes

up

when you can recognize that when you can

recognize that frustration

and release your attention from it relax

we smile come back to your object and

you just have to do it a few times

now that ill will might not be gone

fully

it might come back again

but it will be weaker because you don't

give in to that ill will the moment you

give into that ill will that creates

further

craving in the form of aversion

that creates further clinging to an idea

of what should be and what shouldn't be

that gives rise to becoming

now there's a sense of self that's

irritated

and then there's the mental action

that's that gets angry at that person

which is ill will on that person calls

that person mean things

and you don't even know who that person

is it's just a sound that arose

and now you're irritated by that sound

or you're irritated by the air

conditioning or whatever it might be

so this agitation this aversion in the

mind

this

results in tightness and tension in the

mind and body

the more you can recognize this and let

it go

using the six r's

the easier it becomes for you to be able

to recognize the seeds of ill will you

can recognize as soon as the mind starts

to grasp onto that sound

and you can let that go

and eventually you develop such

equanimity such balance of mind

that no matter how many times somebody

opens and closes the door

you don't get bothered by it

now your mind is content in itself

the mind is content within mind

there is no agitation there is no

aversion

what about anger

anger is a big one

anger can be intoxicating

anger people sometimes enjoy becoming

angry they don't realize it but that's

why they become so short-tempered

they get so irritated by something and

get upset and by acting on that anger

what happens there's all of this buildup

right all of this buildup is that

there's that whole process of dependent

origination there is the formation

that's rooted in that

hatred

then there's the consciousness the

mindset that's rooted in that ill will

and in that anger

and then when you see something that

contact

with whatever it is it could be

something very very innocent but because

all of this stuff has been built up in

the mind

any little thing that comes in the way

that becomes an object of irritation an

object of anger and what happens the

mind lashes out the person lashes out at

the other person

and then they feel relief

just for a few

seconds they feel relief

all of this tension was building up

in the form of that hatred in the

formations

in the form of the anger and ill will in

consciousness or mindset and then the

contact

just that initial contact gave rise to

some feeling and mind you the feeling

could have been a pleasant feeling could

have been an unpleasant feeling could

have been a neutral feeling but because

the mindset was tainted tinged

colored by that anger

everything you see is tinted by that

anger and it just needs one little thing

for you to get into an outburst of that

anger and then you act upon that anger

and so now you have full-blown aversion

from that

and then there's clinging

you

you justify you rationalize why you were

angry in your mind

and then there's a becoming of why it is

that you you are justified right you are

the person who was

you know somebody said something to you

and now you are that person you are the

victim you are the person who says i

have to defend myself and i have to get

angry at that person and so on

and then get that gives rise to the

birth of that action

and then that gives rise to the whole

mass of suffering

initially you feel relief

and what happens

naturally

i shouldn't have said that

i shouldn't have done that

now that's a form of suffering

the grief the despair

the sorrow the lamentation

right i shouldn't have done that

so the anger that's just a buildup

so how do you let go of that anger how

do you deal with that anger

recognize its initial popping up in the

form of some kind of a thought rooted in

ill will

you can start recognizing whenever

there's an unpleasant feeling somebody

says something to you and maybe it's a

criticism maybe they lash out at you

maybe they start abusing you they start

getting angry and using abusive words at

you

and now because of the self image you

have about that about who you think you

are

now that is being poked holes at

right

and now the mind feels like i have to do

something about this so the formations

rooted in that conceit the formations

rooted in that hatred in that delusion

come up

and they activate a consciousness that

is tinted tinged

painted

or stained

by that anger

and now you lash out from there

there's no thinking at all no rationale

at all

or you can recognize that and realize oh

wait i'm starting to get angry at this

person

and it's just a matter of letting things

slow down

not everything has to be a fire drill

here

just because somebody is lashing out at

you you can just let that sound be there

it's just the sound of a person lashing

out at you once you truly understand

everything as being an impersonal

process

then you realize that even that lashing

out it's just that person suffering

that person is suffering why do you want

to add to their suffering and why do you

want to add to your suffering by

reacting in the same way

so you recognize that in you recognize

that initial irritation that comes up

you release your attention from that you

relax

you smile maybe you don't smile at the

person lashing out at you because they

might

you know get even further aggravated but

uplift the mind

and come back to some equanimity

loving kindness compassion whatever it

might be

and then your mind will be rooted in

wisdom

rooted in compassion

and then it will speak in right speech

trying to de-escalate that conflict

instead of adding further to it

so you're doing two things here you're

helping yourself and you're helping the

other person

because the other person

doesn't is is ignorant they're not aware

that they're doing this

but now you're de-escalating the

situation you're trying to calm them

down

which means now their formations are

calming down tranquilizing and now their

consciousness is getting away from that

anger

and now they're starting to realize what

they said and they start to calm down

and they start to become more rational

more reasonable

so

like i said not everything is a fire

drill

just because somebody says something to

you and expects an answer right this

moment doesn't mean you have to give it

you don't have to do anything there's

nothing to do nothing to be

really

this whole samsara that we're

experiencing is just this collective

idea of how things should be

or how things need to

be so you've grown up feel experiencing

a certain life a certain way because of

the way you know your elders your

parents your teachers have told you this

is how you react and as you go out into

the world and you see other people

behave you pick that up and you say that

is how i have to behave

maybe you watch movies and television

and then that conditions the way you

think you have to react

but you don't have to react

why do you think you have to react you

don't have to react

slow things down

somebody gets upset at you somebody gets

angry at you

okay

though what's the initial thing the

reaction is okay i gotta lash out back

at them

slow it down relax soften keep the mind

expanded

once you do that

then you give the mind enough space

to respond

instead of react

a lot of the crimes of passion that

happen in the heat of the moment

happen because it's just quick

reactivity

not thinking just letting them

letting that you know monkey mind take

over and then react

but if you give enough space just a

couple of moments just a few seconds

just

okay this person said something to you

or they did something to you and just

relax

give it a couple of seconds

on the newer scientific level what's

going on is

you're giving the space for the

prefrontal cortex to respond

which means now you're responding rooted

in rationality in wisdom

if you give that pause

you're responding rather than reacting

so

it is going to be challenging

but i see every challenge as an

opportunity to see that okay here's

anger coming up

i can choose to lash out at this person

right there and then or

i can recognize my own anger

release my attention from that relax

uplift the mind

come back to equanimity come back to

compassion

and then respond

and because you give that pause

because you give that space

your intuition comes in

and your intuition will always guide you

in the right way

your intuition will provide you with the

right speech

with the right action required for that

particular situation at hand

resentment what is resentment

now that anger

boils over

and it festers like a wound

they said this to me they said that to

me

my mother said this my father said that

my brother did this to me my sister did

that to me

all of these kinds of ideas continue to

circulate in the mind over and over and

over again and that becomes a wound that

festers

and then that

festering wound becomes resentment

now every time you see that

person maybe they didn't said something

to you or did something to you

20 years ago

but when you see that person the contact

of seeing that person

opens up that wound again

and so now that contact with that person

gives rise to formations

rooted in that memory rooted in that

hatred

rooted in the delusion

that gives rise to a mindset a

consciousness that has resentment

and now however you behave even if you

try to hide it

in your mind you have that resentment

so your actions your speech

they will have that resentment

even though you think you're trying to

act nice with that person even though

you think you're trying to act kindly

with that person

your actions will be

rooted in that resentment

so that image of the person as being

that person

who hurt you

who

said this to you who did that to you

that is what's projected on to them

what if that person changed

what if that person sought your

forgiveness

what if that person

made changes to their lives

what if they realized their mistakes and

they let go of that

but the resentment in your mind doesn't

allow you to forgive them

in your mind you continue to punish them

through your actions

you continue to punish them through your

thoughts

you continue to punish them through your

speech

you're not being fair to them you're not

allowing them the space to grow

that is the true compassion there

giving that person the space to grow out

of their suffering

and so a wonderful antidote

to resentment is forgiveness

you can do the forgiveness meditation

and that will really help

and then understanding also that

everybody has their own karma

if you really understand this

then you're not going to

be so affected by that person who is the

object of your

resentment or that situation or whatever

it might be

because then you understand that that

person did that because of whatever

arose in terms of dependent origination

now in your mind you could think that's

unfair and whatever it might be and you

forgive yourself for that

but you also realize that their karma is

their karma your karma is your karma

now you don't use

the idea of karma saying that it is some

kind of a system

where you're going to get justice

because of that

right you're not going to see you're not

going to look at karma as saying that

it's going to be retribution

for what they did

that's not the way to look at karma

okay

karma is just your intentions and your

actions rooted in your intentions

karma's their intentions and their

actions rooted in their intentions

now whatever happens to them is their

karma whatever happens to you is your

karma

so don't take even that karma personally

now this might take some time to

understand and

the best way to get to that

understanding is some self-compassion

which is forgiveness really

forgiveness

really clears away those blocks that

don't allow you to fully experience

loving kindness

for yourself or for others

once you start experiencing that

then you you don't take it personally

now when you see that person if you're

if you've truly forgiven them when you

see that person you see that person for

who they are in that moment

not as that person who was my abuser not

as that person who said this to me not

as that person who did that to me

just as a person

you have total equanimity towards that

person complete

compassion towards that person

so the

one of the best antidotes

the most practical antidotes

is to use the forgiveness meditation the

forgiveness practice when you notice

that there is resentment in the mind

contempt

so when we talk about contempt

contempt is

this idea that

you are right and that person is wrong

contempt is

you know thinking that you are better

than the other person

and they they don't have a right to

their own opinion

contemptuous

so this is a kind of defilement that

happens because you have a certain kind

of

self-image you have a certain kind of

conceit that arises

and now you have contempt for that

person you look down on that person

you look up at yourself and you look

down on that person

and so

now

when you

do that now there is karma that arises

from that intention

so that

contempt

is rooted in formations that are

fettered by delusion of who you think

you are

and in the consciousness the mindset

that activates

is looking at everybody else or a

certain person or group of people

in a certain way

and so whenever your mind you make

contact with that person

it feeds back to the energy of the

formations which continue to feed and

activate that particular mindset or that

particular consciousness so your

reactions to that kind of person will

always be looking down at them

it's a little subtler because you have a

certain self-image

you have to be able to recognize that

that's why that exercise

of writing down who do you think you are

who am i

writing that down

and then what kind of ideas and beliefs

do you have about what you think is a

self what you think is

yourself and then in relation to the

people that you know in your life

or groups of people

right whether that group you know you

have a certain idea of a group of people

because it might be something that is

prejudiced against that that group of

people

so really looked out and looked deep

down into what kind of

defilements are present in the mind

what kind of upperculasas are present in

the mind

but don't criticize yourself for that

just

have total equanimity

one exercise that you can do is go into

the fourth jhana

develop very deep equanimity and look

back into your thoughts

go deep down into understanding who you

think you are

and what kind of ideas you have about

yourself and others

and if they're rooted in the unwholesome

let those go

recognize them release your attention

from them

relax

re-smile

come back to the equanimity

insolence insolence means you know a

person who thinks that they uh are who

they think they are but they're not

really

they're misguided

they overestimate themselves

they think that they are accomplished in

a certain kind of skill

but they're not

they think they're accomplished in a

certain kind of profession

but they're not

they think that they're skilled in some

kind of an attainment but they're not

so they this is another kind of conceit

that arises

this is another kind of

self-projection that arises

so really again go back into your mind

start looking and recognizing do you

have any overestimations

about yourself

about your own skills

this is easier said than done because

most people will always believe their

press

i had a mentor who would say that to me

he would say never believe your own

press

right

people that doesn't mean don't accept a

compliment it just means

don't let your mind become infatuated

by that don't let your mind become

drunk

and enamored and intoxicated

by what people say about you

right

because that creates this

this

this wall around your mind in thinking

that oh i am that

person

oh i am i am great

i am unique

you know it's like that old thing right

you are unique just like everyone else

right so

it is good for

understanding what qualities are present

in your mind truly

and appreciating yourself for that

but also

understand are you overestimating what

you think you are

are you overestimating your own skills

and if you are

let go of that

learn from that

and understand where the mind actually

is

envy

so envy is jealousy

jealousy is

not being happy for another person's

success

why are they happy

why are they successful and why am i not

successful

again this comes from a type of conceit

this comes from a type of idea that this

is who i am and this is who that other

person is and now you're comparing

and now when you compare

you have dissatisfaction you have

suffering

so now the

the formations

rooted in that delusion activate a type

of

mindset rooted in that envy rooted in

that jealousy

you know it starts off when you're a

little kid let's say you have a sibling

or you have a cousin or you have friends

and your parents or your teachers they

say oh you know this person this child

is really wonderful at this

and now you think why didn't they say

anything about me why didn't they why

didn't they praise me

that's the seeds that starts from there

because now you're starting to compare

you know and now you become jealous you

become envious of that person that can

give rise to ill will

that can give rise to anger

that can give rise to resentment towards

that person

so what is the antidote

for jealousy

for envy

empathetic joy

when you understand the brahma-vihara of

empathetic joy

it is basically being happy for another

person's success

being happy of course that success

should be wholesome

being happy for that person's wholesome

success

celebrating in their joys just being

happy for them

so look in your own mind is there anyone

that you are jealous of

is there anyone you are envious of

how come that guy has more money than me

why does that guy have a bigger house

than i do

why does he have a bigger tv than i do

how come he has that great looking car

and i don't

if you start to recognize thoughts like

this

release them let them go relax your mind

uplift the mind bring up medita

and genuinely

sincerely

take that person that you feel jealous

of and start sending them

and being happy for what they have

you know there's one of one of our

friends in the twin community i won't

mention who it is but

he was telling me that uh you know

we were at the gas station and he was

telling me you know

whenever i see somebody who has this

great looking car

if i see somebody who's you know has

this great house

you know what comes into my mind

good for them

he really is he becomes happy for them

he has mudita for them

he doesn't say

how come that person is driving that car

i want that car

oh they must have gotten that car

through some means you know they start

to justify

this it's through black money you know

so he doesn't have thoughts like that he

just has madata

immediately when he sees somebody happy

he sees somebody successful

good for them i'm so happy

so if you have jealousy or envy for

another person

develop and cultivate and perfect

that experience of madata

avarice so avarice comes from the word

macharya which means

being stingy

not being generous

whatever it is that you have in this

world

it is given to you through your own

efforts

through your own karma

whether that's money whether that's a

house whether that's

you know possessions

whatever it might be

now of of course for the bikus and the

bikunis for the monastics it's their

robes it's their shelter it's their bowl

it's their arms food and so on but as

laypeople

you know some people are blessed with a

lot of money some people are blessed

with a great house some people are

blessed with great health some people

are blessed with whatever it is

but now

being blessed with that

why are you blessed with that why why is

it that people sometimes have that great

wealth why is it that some people have

all of the things that they want in

their life

it's because they are generous

it's because they're willing to share

i had a mentor in san diego

he was really really wealthy guy

very wealthy

he made a lot of money in the past

and he had a great house and all of this

stuff

and he was so openly generous

i remember going with him on car rides

and we would go and stop at the bank and

i'd sit in the car waiting for him and

go to the atm you come back and say here

here's a thousand dollars

i made sure i made sure to go on that

car ride with him every time

let's take a trip to the bank

but because he was so open because he

was generous he received more

having that generous attitude

takes away that that concept of

stinginess in your mind

because what is it what is a stingy mind

what is a mind that is filled with

averse

it's a contracted mind

it's a mind that says i don't have

enough

it's a mind that has scarcity

[Music]

but being willing to share being willing

to

be being willing to

help another person

or just being happy that you're able to

help that person

right there was a quote by

john d rockefeller and he said

giving isn't a duty giving is a

privilege

so if people find themselves

in a position of

wealth in a position where they have

enough for themselves and more then it

it's a privilege for them to be able to

share that with others

it's not about it being a duty

it's a privilege

you get to do that you have the

opportunity to do that

so stinginess

see in your own mind whenever somebody

asks you for something

how does the mind respond

are you did you want to ask a question

so when

when somebody asks you for something

right

how does the mind react does it say oh

that's mine you can't have that

or are you openly willing to give

if somebody takes something

how does your mind react

oh that's my possession why are they

taking that

right so in samsara we have this concept

of ownership right this is my car

this is my house this is my whatever it

is

how do you think it's in the deva

realms do you think in the deva realms

they're saying oh this is my house this

is my mansion nobody else gets to stay

here

this is my celestial vehicle nobody else

can borrow

it see the devas

are devas because they were so generous

they were so given they were forgiving

they were compassionate

they were helpful

they shared everything with everyone

so up there in the day of realms

everyone's enjoying themselves because

there's no such thing as avarice over

there no such thing as jealousy over

there

no such thing as you know

why do they have a bigger mansion than i

do

so if you notice in your mind

that there's an initial like oh there's

a sense of like oh that's mine why are

they asking for that

that mind grasps around that

you know like gollum and lord of the

rings my precious

you know

if you notice that happening in the mind

let go of that

recognize that release your mind from it

release your attention from it relax the

tightness and tension

come back to the smile

come back to a wholesome object of mind

and then from that wholesome object of

mind

give to that person

allow them to have whatever it is that

they're asking for

deceit

so deceit is basically deceiving people

right

deceiving people to get something from

them

so that's another form of lying a form

of trickery

so you deceive a person and you say oh

you know

you know you create some kind of a story

you create some kind of idea about who

who you are and you create all of these

ideas and you deceive them that's just

straight out lying

it's just being a con man

so hopefully none of you are doing that

but if you notice in your mind that idea

of oh maybe i should maybe i should

create these stories

or maybe i should create some kind of a

you know some kind of a concept

to kind of

persuade this person into giving me

money or giving me that particular

item

right that kind of deceit

if you recognize that release that let

that go relax re-smile

deceit comes from delusion it's another

form of conceit it's like oh

i am this person that person has that i

can get that from them by tricking them

by deceiving them

fraud

now fraud is basically

you know that you are not this person

but you claim to be that person

you know you are not at this particular

attainment

but you claim to be not that attainment

so fraud is basically knowing that

what you are saying is in fact

false

is in fact untrue

so it's not overestimating only it's

knowing that you're not that

and then

conveying to people

what you are what you are not

right so people have an idea that they

think that you are this kind of a person

or you have this kind of an attainment

or whatever it might be

but in your mind you know the truth you

know that that's not the case

so if you recognize that you're trying

to impress other people

you're trying to say oh i'm this and

that you're not really that

you're lying to yourself and you're

lying to the other person

that's going to lead to an unhappy

destination as well

that could lead to a destination of the

hungry ghost run that could lead to

even a worse realm than that

and i'm not only talking about in terms

of physical realms i'm talking about

psychological as well

so if you recognize that release that

relax that

bring up the smile

and be honest with yourself be truthful

to yourself

and be truthful to others

you know being truthful that's that's

always a very important element keeping

the precepts in general is a huge

element to

having a mind that is non-agitating

you're having a mind that is calm

and naturally collected

so being truthful it doesn't seem to be

the case in a lot of places that you go

to a lot of people have different ways

of convincing you for convincing you of

things that might not be completely

honest

it's everywhere you go

or it can be anywhere you go

but if you are truthful to yourself if

you are honest with yourself and if you

are truthful to others and if you are

honest with others

then you don't have doubt in your mind

about your own self

and you don't have doubt about others

your you can easily trust others

and there's nothing wrong with that

you have to be able to trust other

people

but if you continue to deceive if you

continue to be fraudulent if you

continue to lie

you think everybody else is a cheat

everybody else is a trickster everybody

else is a charlatan

so you don't trust anyone

and so every time you're always looking

out like okay is this person trying to

deceive me

maybe they're genuinely trying to help

you but you're not able to accept that

because you have all of this deceit and

fraud in your mind all of this

you know doubt about yourself and others

in your mind

and so that gives rise to in the

meditation the hindrance of doubt

gives rise gives rise to

am i doing this practice correctly what

is wholesome what is unwholesome

you know i mean this is this has been my

experience

so

you know your mileage may vary

but i had noticed that

you know where whenever you go

especially in

asia and especially in india i've been

to india and cambodia

specifically

people there are not always honest

they're always doing different kinds of

business deals and transactions that are

always like

a little bit shady

and sometimes they'll trick you they'll

use all of these sweet words oh

everything's going to be fine you know

just give me 500 rupees and you'll make

5 000 or whatever it might be

so now if you are truthful and if you're

honest

right you won't get yourself in those

situations and you'll start to recognize

those situations and your intuition

your radar that's different from where

you'd mistrust everyone everybody's out

to get you that's different

what i'm saying is here your intuition

your ability to discern what is true and

what is false

becomes very heightened

and it is it is understood in some

ancient indian traditions

that if you are always honest and if

you're always true then whatever it is

you say

will come to happen

because your mind is so pure

it's so purified of any kind of deceit

purified from any kind of deceit and

fraud

that it's able to just discern the truth

all the time

and whatever it thinks

whatever it wants

it happens

obstinacy so obstinacy is stubbornness

being stubborn

it comes from the pali word

which it means a pillar

you know it's just there it's just

rooted it's not going to budge it's not

going to move anywhere

and so when you're an argument when you

are in an argument or when you're in a

debate

you don't budge

from your particular viewpoint

but what if your viewpoint is actually

wrong what if your viewpoint is not

beneficial what if your viewpoint is

detrimental

if you have stubbornness if you have

obstinacy you won't be able to see that

so that also can come from a type of

conceit which thinks that i know it all

i know better than you do

don't tell me i know it

and so you hold on to that view you hold

on to that idea that i know what is to

be true

and if that happens

then you won't be able to grow you won't

be able to learn

you have to have to you have to have the

attitude to be able to always be

a learner

now in the sutas and in pali there's two

words

sekha and aseka

seka means to one who learns

one who is in training

and aseka is the non-learner

the un sometimes it translated as as the

unlearned but it's a play on words

because the arahat is the aseka

it's the unlearned because there's

nothing left to learn they've already

learned everything in relation to the

dhamma

but that doesn't mean they won't be

willing to learn about other things

they don't think like they know it all

right so you have to be willing to be

open about your views

be open be willing to be open about

correcting yourself if somebody points

out well

i know this is what you said about the

dharma or i know this is what you think

about meditation but have you considered

this

or what do you think about this

if you've already made up your mind that

you're right

then what's the point of having that

conversation

so be willing to you know have that

polite conversation with people and say

oh okay let me consider that

let me think about that

and chances are you might be able to see

that oh wait yeah this was wrong

information that i was given

this information

is more accurate this information is

more helpful more beneficial to me

so that's just a mindset that is

basically saying okay i'm open to and

willing to learn

from everyone it doesn't matter who it

is

so you let go of that conceit that you

think you know it all and you let go of

the conceit that you are perfect

rivalry

so rivalry this is

this is a rivalry in terms of you know

this person is that and i have to become

better than that person this person is

accomplished in the first jhana i have

to get to the second journal

this person is a sodapana i have to get

to becoming a sake the gummy

this person has perfect

determinations

i have to be even better than that

this person sat in niroda for two days

i should sit for three days

or i should sit for two days and one

minute

now i'll be better than that person

that's rivalry i have to be better than

that person again that comes from

conceit

this idea that oh this person is great

but now i can do better

so that you create this rivalry

you in your own mind you think that

person is a rival that person probably

doesn't even know you

but you've already made them your rival

so if you can see that that

competitiveness a competitive attitude

it's actually not helpful at all

it's it's a detriment to your practice

don't do the practice because you need

to be better than someone else

do the practice so that you can let go

of all of these defilements

for your own peace of mind

for your own cessation of suffering

so understand your intention behind what

it is that you want to do

whether that's the practice the dharma

anything that you're doing

if you're going to be that kind of

person who tries to keep up with the

joneses

right

they're better so we need to do

something more better than they are

right

if you have that kind of attitude then

you're not living for yourself

you're just living for others

and that's a pretty sad and pathetic

life

so you have to let go of that

recognize that mindset that says oh this

person is this i have to do better than

they do they are

do it because you will find satisfaction

in it so recognize when that intention

comes up

let it go

release your attention from that relax

come back to the smile come back to a

wholesome object of meditation a

wholesome mind object

conceit

so now we're going to get to the crux of

this whole thing that's where you guys

have those

sheets

do you have an extra one for me

nice

so there are these 55 types of conceit

and they're all here on this one sheet

hey that rhymed

so let's see what we have here now this

comes from the kudaka nikaya this comes

from the chula and mahanidesa in the

kuda kanakai

so there is the one-fold conceit where

the mind feels superior

the twofold where one brags about

oneself and belittles others

the threefold of i am better than

or i am equal to

or i am worse than that person

the fourfold conceit of identification

with gains

fame

praise

pleasure that's the believing in your

own press

the fivefold in relation to experiencing

as an i am in feeling forms

sounds smells tastes intangibles

in other words i am that form or i am

that particular sensual experience so

the five

physical sense-based experiences

six-fold in identifying with the

functions of the sixth sense spaces so

now that adds also with the mind

so that is where we talked about

yesterday when you are in meditation you

have that idea that i am meditating

where instead of just watching mind

meditate

or i am experiencing this factor of

jhana or i am experiencing this loving

kindness instead of just watching mind

bring up that experience and feeling

that experience

seven-fold conceit of pride arrogance

boastfulness self-loathing

overestimation

the sense of i am with a false sense of

equality

the eightfold conceit arising from the

eight vicissitudes of existence

pride of gain

fame praise and pleasure

and

self-hatred

being unhappy with oneself being

self-critical

due to loss

i'm such an idiot i should not have

invested my money in that you know that

kind of thing

infamy

blame and pain

ninefold conceit of the threefold

conceits each experienced in three cases

in other words

where one is

actually in superior to another and

feels superior

one is inferior or equal to that person

is inferior to another and feels

superior

inferior or equal to that person

is equal to another person and feels

superior inferior or equal to that

person

and this can be in reference to your

sila through your morality

i keep the precepts better than anybody

else does

i'm the most moral person here

you know that kind of conceit

or practice or wisdom or anything else

samadhi right

i can get into the first jhana in three

minutes

i can get into the second genre faster

than anybody here that kind of conceit

the tenfold conceit in relation to one's

status

family

beauty

wealth education occupation

creativity knowledge learning ability or

ability to convey information in an

eloquent manner

so when you add up all of these

different kinds of conceit

those are the 55 types of conceit

so recognize where your conceit lies

where does your self-image lie

in relation to any of these

you feel like you're a better speaker

than someone do you feel like

you have more wealth than another person

you feel like you're more handsome than

that guy or more beautiful than that

lady

you feel like you

you know you're able to learn quicker

than others

you feel like you have more knowledge

than others

you feel like you know you're better at

being in this genre than others or that

person is better being in that genre

than you are

so it's comparison

that's what conceit is comparing

yourself with

others so mana

which is the word for conceit

means to measure

it's measuring up do i measure up to

this and it's not just measuring up with

another person do i measure up to the

idea of who i think i am that's the

other kind of conceit

the self image itself

arrogance so arrogance is uh comes from

the word atimana

basically that means

great conceit

just a

it's like conceit squared

just arrogance you know i'm better than

everybody you know you have this air of

arrogance about you

everybody else is stupid around me you

know i'm the best

you know that kind of thing

and then vanity

so vanity is

self-infatuation basically infatuated

with the idea of who you think you are

again that comes to believing your own

press but just being like oh yeah i'm

really great i'm really you know i'm i'm

the best in everything

maybe you are in the best you are the

best in everything

okay but

having that idea that you know that

infatuation with that

that can be very intoxicating for the

mind

and then that can give rise to

negligence which is the next one

negligence that comes from the word

pamada

so negligence uh also means

heedlessness

or carelessness

it's a lack of mindfulness

that's why it's rooted in ignorance

rooted in delusion

so negligence means

not being mindful

basically it's as simple as

not knowing where your mind is

do you guys know where your mind is

right now

can you find your mind

is it running off somewhere

pay attention to where your attention is

pay attention to what you're thinking

about

it's as simple as recognizing is there

craving present in my mind

right that's the opposite of negligence

that's heed fullness

that's being careful

and that is facilitated by yoni so many

sakara attention rooted in reality

being aware of every experience you're

having this is what i mean when i say

whatever experience you're having

experience it fully

but without the sense of i

when you have that level of mindfulness

no none of these other defilements can

arise in the mind

no craving can arise in the mind

because you're fully there with every

experience

and as soon as you recognize

oh here is craving as soon as you

recognize this inkling of aversion

coming off this inkling of conceit

coming up

you can let that go

and you're okay now there's no more

craving no more clinging no more

becoming no more birth of action no more

whole of suffering

knowing that covetousness and

unrighteous greed is an imperfection

that defiles the mind a biku abandons it

knowing that ill will anger resentment

contentment insolence

envy avarice deceit fraud obstinacy

rivalry conceit arrogance vanity and

negligence is an imperfection that

defiles the mind a beak who abandons it

so in other words

now you guys know

what those defilements are now you're

able to you'll be able to recognize when

they come up

maybe not all the time but eventually be

able to recognize it comes up and then

as soon as you recognize here is present

this particular imperfection

knowing that it is an imperfection that

will cause you suffering

you let it go you use the six hours let

it go and you abandon it

when ebiku has known that covetousness

and unrighteous creed is an imperfection

that defiles a mind and has abandoned it

when ibiku has known that ill will

anger resentment contempt insolence envy

avarice deceit

fraud obstinacy rivalry conceit

arrogance

vanity negligence is an imperfection

that defiles the mind and as abandon it

he

he acquires unwavering confidence in the

buddha thus

the blessed one is accomplished fully

enlightened

perfect in true knowledge and conduct

sublime nowhere of worlds incomparable

leader of persons to be tamed teacher of

gods and humans enlightened and blessed

he acquires unwavering confidence in the

dhamma thus the dhamma is well

proclaimed by the blessed one

visible here and now

immediately effective inviting

inspection onward leading

to be experienced by the wise for

themselves

he acquires unwavering confidence in the

sangha das the sangha of the blessed

one's disciples is practicing the good

way practicing the straight way

practicing the true way practicing the

proper way that is the four pairs of

persons the eight types of individuals

this sangha of the blessed one's

disciples is worthy of gifts worthy of

hospitality worthy of offerings worthy

of reverential salutation the

unsurpassed field of merit for the world

so in other words

they gain stream entry

when you let go of all of these

different defilements in the mind

now this the formations rooted in those

impure feathers

rooted in those feathers rather

rooted in the akusa in the unwholesome

when they cease all formation cease all

consciousness ceases now you have

cessation

coming out of cessation your mind makes

contact with nibana

for that moment your mind is completely

pure

and experiences stream entry

it gains confidence experiential

confidence

in the buddha dhamma and sangha

and

then eventually those other two feathers

go away

so really the crux of stream entry is

the experiential confidence in the

buddha dhamma and sangha

in in the mahapray nibana sutra

there is a question that ananda asks the

buddha because the buddha is going to go

now he's going to enter maha parinibana

and he asks the buddha

how will we recognize or now that you're

gone because only a buddha can really

assess where someone is at in terms of

their attainments

now that you will be gone how are we to

know who someone is

how are we to know specifically that

somebody has entered the stream

and the buddha provides him with what's

known as the mirror of the dhamma

and the mirror of the dhamma is

does this person have the experiential

confidence

the experiential confidence in the

buddha the dhamma and the sangha in this

way

it's not about just having faith

it's about having walked the path

and assessed for yourself

and seeing how this path

leads to nibana

and thereby attaining that experiential

confidence in the buddha and dhamma and

sangha

and also as a result

you realize the impersonal nature of all

things

that's the first fetter

and then

you also let go of any kind of clinging

to rights and rituals because now you

understand

that they are not going to lead you to

nibbana now you have walked the path and

you've understood that this is the

weight leading to nibana

so you let go of that but the crux of it

is that experiential conviction

that conviction born of actually seeing

for yourself the dhamma

walking the path of the dhamma and

experiencing the fruits of the dharma

when he has given up

expelled

released abandoned and relinquished

the imperfections of the mind in part

meaning he's let go of some of the

imperfections

he considers thus

i am possessed of unwavering confidence

in the buddha and he gains inspiration

in the meaning

gains inspiration in the dhamma gains

gladness connected with the dhamma when

he is glad rapture is born in him

in one who is rapturous the body becomes

tranquil one whose body is tranquil

feels pleasure in one who feels pleasure

the mind becomes collected

so now what we're talking about here is

the experience of what's known as the

transcendental dependent origination

you guys thought there was only one

dependent origination didn't you

there is another one that is the

transcendental which we'll talk about

soon

what he's talking about first is that

initial conviction the willingness to

try

this path and see for yourself how it

works

and in relation to that there is not

just the faith in the buddha dharma and

sangha it's not the experiential

conviction yet

but there is the faith the willingness

to try it and along with that the virtue

the sila the keeping of the precepts

when that happens

he gains inspiration

once he has inspiration he gets gladness

that's pamoja pramoja is

gladness of the dharma being happy

because your mind has no regrets your

mind is purified by keeping the precepts

now that gladness then

leads to rapture

that is the joy the pp that you

experience that rapture

makes you feel tranquil the body feels

tranquil

that's the pasady that's the that's the

mind that becomes tranquil that happens

when you relax all formations

from that

tranquility

you feel pleasure

that is

happiness comfort in the body sukkah

in one who feels pleasure the mind

becomes collected now your mind is ready

for samadhi

now your mind is ready to experience the

first jana the second jhana the third

jhana the fourth channel

when he has given up expelled released

abandon and relinquish the imperfections

of the mind in part he considers thus

i am possessed of unwavering confidence

in the dharma and he gains inspiration

in the meaning gains inspiration in the

dhamma

gains gladness

connected with the dhamma

when he is glad

rapture is born in him

in one who is rapturous the body becomes

tranquil one whose body is tranquil

feels pleasure in one who feels pleasure

the mind becomes collected

he considers thus i am possessed of

unwavering confidence in the sangha

and he gains inspiration in the meaning

gains inspiration in the dhamma

gains gladness connected with the dhamma

when he is glad

when he is glad rapture is born in him

in one who is rapturous the body becomes

tranquil one whose body is tranquil

feels pleasure and one who feels

pleasure the mind becomes collected

he considers thus the imperfections of

the mind have in part been given up

expelled released abandoned and

relinquished by me and he gains

inspiration in the meaning gains

inspiration in the dharma gains gladness

connected with the dharma when he is

glad rapture is born in him in one who

is rapturous the mind becomes the body

becomes tranquil one whose body is

tranquil feels pleasure in one who feels

pleasure the mind becomes collected

so even when you gain

even when you gain stream entry

it is quite possible that you have the

fruition right after not always

but it can happen maybe after a few

minutes or it can happen after a few

days

it will definitely happen at some point

but the idea here is you you review and

you realize oh

i have let go of an ocean of suffering i

feel so much joy i feel so much relief

and your mind becomes gladdened by that

being glad then you go back through that

process again

and without any expectations your mind

experiences that fruit again

you realize oh i've let go of these

defilements

you realize

i've let go of these imperfections in

the mind

i've let go of these fetters and your

mind becomes glad

goes through that whole process of

transcendental dependent origination and

experiences another cessation

and possibly

a fruition or another attainment

whatever it might be

if a beku of such virtue that is one who

keeps the precepts such a state of

collectedness continues to develop and

cultivate jhana

and such wisdom

who has the panya who has the insight

who has the understanding of dependent

origination

eats arms fruit consisting of choice

hill rice along with various sauces and

curries

even that will be no obstacle for him

now this is referring to the anagami

why because for the onagami they have

let go of any kind of sensual craving

they have let go of any kind of aversion

so no matter what kind of food you give

them

no matter whatever

pleasurable thing you give them

that will not be an obstacle for them in

their practice because they no longer

have any kind of sensual craving

just as a cloth that is defiled and

stained becomes pure and bright with the

help of clear water

or just as gold becomes pure and bright

with the help of a furnace

so too

if a biku of such virtue

such a state of collectiveness and such

wisdom eats almost food consisting of

choice hill rice along with the various

sauces and curries even that will be no

obstacle for him

and doing so he abides pervading one

quarter with the mind imbued with loving

kindness

likewise the second likewise the third

likewise the fourth so above below

around and everywhere and to all as to

himself he abides pervading the

all-encompassing world with the mind

imbued with loving-kindness abundant

exalted immeasurable without hostility

and without ill will

does that sound familiar

what are you guys doing with the six

directions

radiating in all directions

he abides pervading one quarter with the

mind imbued with compassion

likewise the second likewise the third

likewise the fourth so above below

around and everywhere and to all as to

himself he abides pervading the

all-encompassing world with the mind

imbued with compassion abundant exalted

immeasurable without hostility and

without ill will

with a mind imbued with altruistic joy

with the mind imbued with equanimity

likewise the second likewise the third

likewise the fourth so above below

around and everywhere

and to all as to himself he abides

pervading the all-encompassing world

with the mind imbued with altruistic joy

or with equanimity

abundant exalted immeasurable without

hostility and without ill will

he understands thus

there is this

there is the inferior there is the

superior and beyond there is an escape

from this whole field whole field of

perception

what do you think he's talking about

here

there is this

there is the inferior there is a

superior and beyond this there is an

escape from the whole field of

perception

four things what could those be

the four noble truths

there is this

there is suffering

there is the in fear the cause or origin

of that suffering there is a superior

the cessation of that suffering

and

beyond there is an escape from this

whole field of suffering

that's the eightfold path

so when a person

their mind becomes fully liberated and

they have the complete experience of the

four noble truths which means they have

fully understood

suffering

they have fully understood

dependent origination

and they have fully abandoned all kinds

of conditions for suffering the craving

the greed the hatred the delusion

the

clinging the

becoming

the ignorance

the conceit all of these things they

have let go of they fully abandoned that

and because of that they have fully

realized nibana fully realized and

experienced nirota the full cessation of

suffering

and perfected the cultivation of the

develo and the development of the

eightfold path

then they are said to be in our heart

and so that's why he says when he knows

and sees thus his mind is liberated from

the taint of sensual desire

from the taint of being

from the taint of ignorance

that is the those are the asavas

the asavas are

actually the asavas are sort of the

substratum of dependent origination

because if you were to ask what is the

cause and condition for ignorance

the cause and condition for ignorance

are the asavas themselves the asavas are

like

are like the virus in the software

they are the corrupted coding in the

programming of your mind

the taint of sensual desire

that gives rise to sensual craving

throughout that whole process of

dependent origination

the taint of being that gives rise to

the desire for existence this desire for

being someone the desire of conceit

and the taint of ignorance itself which

leads to lack of mindfulness

now every time you

indulge in sensual craving or aversion

you feed back to that energy of the

taint

of sensual desire or aversion

every time you

have the desire to become something or

you have this sense of conceit arising

you you feed back

to that taint of bhava the taint for

century for the desire for becoming

and every time you have lack of

attention lack of mindfulness

you feedback energy to the taint of

ignorance

so how do you stop that feedback loop

the six hours

you recognize craving comes up you let

go now you're whittling away at that

influx

of desire you recognize the conceit

coming up you let that go and now you're

whittling away at that taint of becoming

you recognize you are not on your object

and you got distracted your attention is

not here or there

you let go of that and you come back

and now you're whittling away at the

ignorance and recognizing and realizing

for yourself

the four noble truths

because every time you six are

you are experiencing the four noble

truths

when you recognize a hindrance present

in the mind you recognize a distraction

present in the mind you recognize your

mind is no longer in its object

that's a form of suffering

you have

understood that there is suffering

when you release your attention from

that

then you have abandoned the fuel for

that hindrance because your attention is

what feeds that hindrance

when you relax and experience that

mundane nibbana you are experiencing the

third noble truth

when you come back to the smile

and you cultivate the object of

meditation again you are cultivating the

fourth noble truth of the eightfold path

so every time you six are you are seeing

for yourself the four noble truths

this is how

it would be best to understand it

when it is liberated there comes the

knowledge it is liberated he understands

birth is destroyed the holy life has

been lived what had to be done has been

done there is no more coming to any

state of being

beku's this beku is called one bathe

with inner bathing

in other words in other words this

person has been completely liberated

completely cleansed

of all of the fetters of all of the

taints

of all the imperfections

now there's a reason why he said this

now you'll see why in the subsequent

passages

now on that occasion the brahmin

sundarika bharadwaja

was sitting not far from the blessed one

then he said to the blessed one but does

master gautama go to the bahukai river

to bathe

why brahmin go to the bahuka river what

can the bahuka river do

master gautama the bahuka river is

held by many to give liberation it is

held by many to give merit and many wash

away their evil actions in the baahuka

river

then the blessed one addressed the

brahmin sundarika bharadwaj in stanzas

bahuka and adikaka

a fool may there forever bathe yet will

not purify dark deeds

what can the sundirika bring to pass

what the payaga what the bahuka

they cannot purify an evil doer a man

who has done cruel and brutal deeds

one pure in heart

has evermore the feast of spring the

holy day

one fear in act one pure in heart

brings his virtue to perfection

that's a very important passage there

one who can cultivate loving kindness

compassion

purify their heart completely

where you can feel loving kindness at a

moment's notif notice

you can feel compassion at a moment's

notice you don't even have to bring it

up it's just there in your mind

there you have completely perfected

virtue

because you have continued to keep your

precepts

it is here brahman that you should bathe

to make yourself a refuge for all beings

and if you speak no falsehood

nor work harm for living beings nor take

what is not offered

with faith and free from everest

being one who has faith in the dhamma

and being one who is generous

one need for you to go to gaya for any

well

will be your gaya

when this was said the brahmana

sundarika bharadwaja said magnificent

master gautama magnificent master

gautama master gautama has made the

dharma clear in many ways

as though he were turning upright what

had been overthrown

revealing what was hidden showing the

way to one who was lost or holding up a

lamp in the dark for those with eyesight

to see forms

i go to the master i go to master

gautama for refuge

and to the dhamma and to the sangha of

bikus

i would receive the going forth under

master gautama i would receive the full

admission

meaning he wanted to be fully ordained

as abiku

and the brahmana sundarika bharadwaja

received the going forth under the

blessed one and he received the full

admission

and soon not long after his full

admission dwelling alone with ron

diligent arden and resolute

the venerable bharadwaja by realizing

for himself with direct knowledge here

and now entered upon and abided in that

supreme goal

of the holy life for the sake of which

clansmen rightly go forth from the home

life into homelessness

he directly knew

birth is destroyed the holy life has

been lived what had to be done has been

done there is no more coming to any

state of being

and the venerable bharadwaja became one

of the arahats

questions

you can almost say that this was the

suit is kind of like the akidama

of the

guy yeah

yeah all of these different

because remember the simile he first

gave was if a cloth is dirty and you try

to put dye on it it won't be perfect but

if the cloth is clean then there's a

perfect die there

yeah buster there you go vattu faster

you had a question

so in the context of uh the buddhist

teachings we have these uh 31 realms

right and so

the very lower realms are the hell

realms and within those held realms

there are different kinds of sub-health

so depending upon you know what what

you've done

you'll go to a certain kind of hell

and there's there's hot hells there's no

warm hills there's hot hills

or there's cold hells

and there's all kinds of disgusting

things that happen

in those hellish films

and uh yama over there is the one who's

like the he's the he's the concierge the

recep the receptionist of hell you go

there and

he just writes down who you are and

everything all right this is where you

check in

right he doesn't judge what you did he

just says did you did you see this did

you see that and you say no and he says

well didn't you see old age didn't you

see death didn't you see what happens

when you get punished and you say yes i

did well that was your message

you obviously you didn't get the message

that's why you're here so

here i check you in here

so that's the hell realms

above that

is the

is the hungry ghost realms

so the hungry ghost realms are those

beings

who

are hungry all the time they're just all

they're never satisfied

and they have a lot of suffering and

there's nothing they can do about it

and they have different ways of

there's different hungry ghost

different ways you can see a hungry

ghost let's say i mean there's different

forms

and usually what happens is they have

like this very very

small craning neck

and a pinhole for a mouth

and really huge bellies

but they're never satisfied

and so you have to look at it from the

idea that there are physical realms but

also psychological so think about a

psychological state of a hungry ghost

you have everything you need but you're

still hungry for more

you're never satisfied

and above that is the animal realms so

those are all of the animals we see here

in this realm

above that is the human

so the three lower realms those are the

those are the realms of unhappy

destinations

now above the humans there are the six

sensual heavens

there's the kawatimsa tusita

uh well then there's the uh the realm of

the four great kings which is right

below

so the realm of the four great kings

that's where all of the things that you

hear in legends

you know dragons and fairies and

leprechauns and genies and all of these

magical creatures and things like that

that's where they kind of reside if you

will and the four great kings

basically preside over that realm

and above that you have the tawadimsa

the gods of the 33 where saka is the

leader you have tusita where the present

bodhisattva is there the buddha to

become is there right now just chilling

out with his buddies

and then above that you know you have

the other sensual heavens related to

other things that you've done in your

life which have been you know beneficial

for you and beneficial for others

so now again the deva mindset is a

mindset that keeps its precepts

is generous it's compassionate it's

forgiving is patient

is loving and kind and so on if you have

that kind of a psychology then you're

already said to have heaven on earth in

that sense

so you have a deva kind of mentality

now above that you have the different

brahmalokas so each brahmaloka is

associated with the jhana the first

jhana is related with the brahmas and

the mahabrahmas

and then the second jannah is related to

the abhasara beings the third jana is

related to the subakina beings the

fourth jhana is related to

the the the fourth jhana actually the

fourth general realm also has the pure

abodes

so some of the anagamis and

you know arahats

who wore onigamis there and then became

arahats live there and out of that

there's a subset of the pure abodes

which are five pure abodes

and then there's the realm of the

unconscious beings

and then above that there is the

formless realms related to infinite

space infinite consciousness

nothingness and neither perception or

non-perception so these are

basically just a good summary of all of

the realms that are there

and they also have to do with their

psychology right you can still

experience those realms depending upon

whether you're in jhana or whether in a

certain kind of psychological state

are equal or

well i mean you think about the animals

we have here they got a pretty good life

sukkah and duke and

[Laughter]

suka especially and look at him

all right

so there are some animals who are well

tended for well cared for and there are

some animals who live in the wilderness

and it's just a

really

terrible place to be in terrible state

to be in

yeah those those so some people

you know they think that it's there

below the human realms but it's actually

just below the theme song

so

those are the asuras they are they're

always in in rivalry with

the the gods of the gods of the 33. so

saka

and the asuras are always fighting this

is the idea

yeah they have some suffering so you

know people who still are generous

people who are still

uh compassionate people who still have

their precepts but they still have some

defilements in them like jealousy or

anger and things like that

they could get into that state of the

asura

so it's

it's a mix and then there are some

beings like yama right the king

the daytime he's living in his celestial

mansions in the deva realm and the night

time he has well actually rather his day

job is being the manager of hell

and then he goes back to his palace in

the night and he comes back so you have

mixed karma there as well some beings

experience being hungry ghosts for some

time and then go into the celestial

palaces and come back as hungry ghosts

so it's not always so clear-cut

this whole process of karma

the asuras actually are under water the

ideas are under water so they because

they fell from tahoe

and they resided into they're like the

modern day understanding of the titans

the gods who took over or were taken

over by

[Laughter]

yeah and what i'll also say is actually

they're very similar to the cosmology of

the egyptians and the greeks and the

romans and the vikings as well

like sakha for example who is the king

of the gods in the 33 is very similar to

zeus

very similar to indra in hinduism who

wheels the thunderbolt

or

who is very similar to uh

thor the norsk at the north god thor

so

you know whether they're real or not i

mean the idea is that they

they are present

both as psychological states as well as

outside of our

experience here

yeah

right the muhammad he thought that he

was the creator yeah

yeah

yeah it's um

so he had a lot of conceit and the idea

is that you know he fell into this

particular brahmaloka and he was the

first one there

and he's like oh what's going on over

here

and then he thinks maybe i should have

some friends maybe i should have some

more people here and other people pop up

there and he thinks that because he

thought that he created them into

existence

so these are the ideas about the

brahmaloka all right

may suffering ones be suffering free may

the fear stroke fearless be

may the grieving shed all grief and may

all beings find relief

may all beings share this merit that we

have thus acquired for the acquisition

of all kinds of happiness

may beings inhabiting space and earth

devas and nagas of mighty power share

this merit of ours

may they long protect with us

dispensations

or something