From: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-mljTPKMr2g

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

[Music]

so today we're going to read from angota

nikaya 10.2

this is called

chaitana or volition

and this is going to be

for what you do after retreat

because you've been doing this all

retreat long anyway

so now you will understand how

this whole process works

so far we've been talking about

dependent origination and the path and

so on and so forth

but there is one aspect of an

origination that we haven't covered

which

is really the pen origination is 23

links we've covered 12 links

which lead to suffering

now we're covering another 11 links

which lead to the cessation of suffering

because for a virtuous person

one whose behavior is virtuous

no volition need be exerted

let non-regret arise in me

it is natural

that non-regret arises in a virtuous

person

one whose behavior is virtuous

so the path actually starts with

suffering

suffering dukkha because it is through

suffering

that a being

has

two choices

either they continue in confusion

by

trying to numb that suffering trying to

numb that pain

with alcohol or drugs or

internet or games or whatever it might

be just distracting the senses

you know using the senses

which become a source of pain by

identifying with them by craving for

them craving for their experiences

or having aversion when something

painful arises

when this happens then as we know

craving arises clinging arises becoming

arises

birth of action arises and then

suffering the whole mass of suffering

but there is another path that a person

takes

that is coming from some vega

some vega means

dismay or

you could say

spiritual urgency is another word for it

another term for it

some veigar arises when you see

that there is suffering

but there must be a way out of the

suffering

so

you don't

try to numb it you don't try to ignore

it you acknowledge that here is the

suffering there must be a way out of it

and so this is known as the search

the search for the end of suffering

dependent upon that what arises is two

things

in tandem

there is faith that arises

that is an openness to explore a path

that ends suffering

so you

search for something that leads to the

end of suffering

that can be signing up for a retreat i

could be searching on youtube that could

be whatever

whatever way it comes up

some people read a book and see oh this

is interesting i want to know more

some people are introduced to the dhamma

in different ways

but however they are introduced they

have an openness to learn a willingness

to learn this is the faith

that faith

that sadha as it's known in pali

is the

openness to

explore what it is that the buddha said

explore what it is that the dhamma is

all about

and to explore

a sangha a community that they can

explore with

in tandem with that one is introduced to

what is known as the precepts to seela

so that is virtue that is keeping the

precepts

you are introduced to the precepts and

then you make a commitment to take those

precepts

you take them and you make a commitment

to keep those precepts

and so as you do so you refrain from

harming and killing

intentionally

you refrain from taking what is not

given

you refrain from

sexual misconduct you refrain from false

speech

you refrain from indulging in

intoxicants

when you do so every time you make a

choice

to refrain from these

habits from these

non-virtuous things

you are reconditioning the mind to

incline towards that which is virtuous

by keeping those precepts

as you do that what happens

the mind becomes less

agitated

the mind becomes less agitated because

it no longer feels guilt or remorse

whenever you break a precept

there is mental activity that arises in

the form of

i shouldn't have done that

or

why did i did that i do that it's a

remorse that comes up

so here the buddha is saying for

the non for the virtuous person one

whose behavior is virtuous

there is no need

for them to say let non-regret arise in

me

so there is an intention to keep the

precepts so when he says there's no

volition needed to be exerted it means

that there's nothing you have to do

beyond keeping the precepts because the

supporting condition of keeping the

precepts

creates

for you in there that mind that has no

regret

non-regret

a mind doesn't that doesn't get agitated

a mind that doesn't become restless and

remorseful

for one without regret

no volition need be exerted

let joy arise in me

it is natural that joy arises in one

without regret

think about that

when the mind is free

of guilt free of remorse free of

restlessness

the mind feels happy

so this joy that they're talking about

is pomoja

and that pamoja

is the gladness that arises when you are

introduced to the dhamma

so when you are introduced to the dharma

the mind is naturally uplifted a mind

feels naturally energetic energetic

so when the mind is rid of that guilt

rid of the agitation

then what naturally arises is a happy

mind

a mind that is

free the conscience that is free from

regret

so when he says for one without regret

no volition need be exerted let joy

arise in me it means that don't look for

the joy don't look for the gladness it

will arise naturally

you make the effort you make the

intention

of keeping the precepts therefore the

non-regret is there the mind naturally

is peaceful

and when the mind is naturally peaceful

there is gladness that arises because

the mind feels happy that it's able to

keep the precepts

it is natural that joy arises in one

without regret

for one who is joyful

no volition need be exerted

let rapture arise in me

it is natural that rapture arises in one

who is joyful so now that you feel happy

now you feel uplifted

there is a greater experience that that

happens which is the joy the pt

so here it's understood as rapture it's

translated as

rapture

so that rapture is the pp that you

experience it's the uplifted energetic

feeling

so

when the gladness arises

it's not like you have to say okay now

let joy arise

the joy happens to ha to be

because the right conditions are there

the condition for keeping the precepts

leads to the condition of non-regret

which leads to the condition of

gladness which leads to the condition of

joy

for one with a rapturous mind

no volition need be exerted

let my body be tranquil

it is natural that the body of one with

a rapturous mind is tranquil

so the mind

is happy the mind is joyful and how is

the body

the body is free of tension

free of tightness

the body is relaxed

tranquil

so this is the tranquility factor you

experience

before that you experience the joy

factor the enlightenment factor of joy

so when you keep the precepts

you become more mindful you become more

attentive because there's less scattered

and less dispersal of the attention

the attention becomes clearer

the mind becomes clearer which means the

mindfulness factor arises

then because of that you also have

investigation of states you realize oh

my mind is free of guilt

you know that there is no state of guilt

no state of regret

and then the mind becomes happy

and because of that the mind makes more

effort

so there arises the enlightenment factor

of energy

and then because of that there is the

enlightenment factor of joy

and from there there is the

enlightenment factor of tranquility

you feel like the body feels very

relaxed very loose

no pain in the body

for one tranquil in body

no volition need be exerted

let me feel

sukkah let me feel pleasure

it is natural that one tranquil in body

feels pleasure

so once you become joyful

once you have the pithi

the ba the body feels relaxed and once

the body feels relaxed it experience

ease in the body comfort in the body

the body is loose and naturally

free-flowing

and so this is the sukkah that arises

for one feeling pleasure or sukkah

no volition need be exerted let my mind

be collected

it is natural that the mind of one

feeling pleasure is collected

now you experience sukkah so the mind

becomes more collected

and now you have stabilized the

enlightenment factor of collectiveness

the enlightenment factor of samadhi

so now you go into jhana and you

experience deeper joy through the

factors of joy

and sukkah in our

joy and happiness or joy and pleasure

in the first jhana and in the second

channel

then in the third jana the joy fades

away and you have more sukkah

and then you come to the fourth genre

where the mind is

completely collected fully collected

in the first jhana the mind is

rid of the unwholesome states

free from the hindrances

secluded from sensual pleasures

the mind has vitika and vichara the mind

has intention and verbalizing

that is the thinking and examining

thought you start off with an image you

start off with wholesome verbalization

whatever it might be may i be happy may

i be free may i be

may i have loving kindness whatever it

might be

but then after the first jhana the

second jhana just has the joy and the

sukkah the self-confidence and

collectedness

there is the joy and the sukkah born of

collectedness

the vitaka in vichara disappears because

now the mind has has self-confidence

the mind is flowing in that experience

of loving kindness for example

then the tranquility factor becomes more

present in the third journal

now there is

deeper equanimity deeper relaxation

deeper sukkah deeper pleasure and

comfort and ease in the body

and because of that the mind is further

collected

and for one who is collected

no volition need be exerted

let me know and see things as they

really are

it is natural that one who is collected

knows and sees things as they really are

so

when you become collected what arises

after the collectiveness factor

equanimity

equanimity is

knowing and seeing things as they really

are

this is also known as

means reality

things as they are

reality as it is

means knowledge dasana means vision

so it is the knowledge and vision of

things as they are

when you have deep equanimity

your mind doesn't get pulled one way or

the other

it's completely balanced

with that balanced mind

you see things as they are

there's no filter there

it's just oh

here is pain

here is pleasure

here is comfort here is so and so you're

just aware of things as they are

and so that means when you're collected

the equanimity naturally arises you

don't have to intend let there be

equanimity

you just have to allow the the condition

of of collectedness

to deepen just be with it

having that intention what naturally

arises is deeper equanimity

for one who knows and sees things as

they really are

no volition need be exerted

let me be disenchanted and dispassionate

it is natural that one who knows and

sees things as they really are

is disenchanted and dispassionate

so once you have the equanimity this is

now the equanimity of the seventh

jhana of nothingness

that equanimity arose because you saw

impermanence you saw dukkha

and you saw anatha you saw

the emptiness of self at infinite

consciousness

that gave rise to equanimity in

nothingness

as you continue to deepen that

equanimity that changes to

disenchantment

this enchantment is sometimes translated

as revulsion

because the idea is

well one example would be we had

chocolate cake today

finally

talk about it yeah

exactly

so we had chocolate cake

and we decided to eat one piece of

chocolate cake and that was good that

was great

but let's say craving a rose and i said

you know what let me try one more piece

of chocolate cake

you took that

and then cravings still continued

and then somebody offered you a third

piece and you said no i can't but you

still eat it

by the fourth time you want to throw up

that wanting to throw up is

disenchantment

why

because when you experience formations

in neither perception a non-perception

you're just like i've seen this before i

don't want to deal with this anymore

you get sick of it you get tired of it

just like okay you're there

whatever

right it's not indifference please

understand it's not indifference it's

not apathy

it's not the opposite of equanimity it's

not the enemy of equanimity

this enchantment is seeing things as

they are and deciding

all right i'm not going to allow the

mind to

engage in it so anything that arises

just glides on through in the mind

so that this enchantment is a mind that

is like teflon it's a non-stick pan

nothing sticks to

it and then from there comes dispassion

now that this passion

comes from the word viraga which comes

from the word vairagya in

sanskrit

aragya means

detachment

a mind that is above all these things so

now you rise above these formations so

to speak

now you see them as they are

don't let them stick into your mind

don't let them

stick to your attention

so oftentimes when you are in what's

known as the signless collectedness of

mind

whatever you're seeing you're not

looking at it

you're looking through it

meaning you're no longer paying

attention to that

you're just seeing things you're just

noticing them but then not getting

caught up in them

so seeing through them means that you

are above them you're no longer attached

to them detached

you're no longer identifying with them

for one who is disenchanted and

dispassionate

no volition need be exerted

let me realize the knowledge and vision

of liberation

it is natural that one who is

disenchanted and dispassioned

realizes the knowledge and vision of

liberation

so there's a few things that happen here

in between this process you have the

disenchantment

that further leads to an attitude of

detachment dispassion

then that further leads to cessation

there comes a point when you're there in

the eighth genre or if you're in the

signless collectedness of mind

where you're just not looking at

anything not bothered by anything

and eventually

the feel for your attention

that is to say the objects the different

formations that arise start to dissipate

and there's basically no vibrations

going on

and they can happen for a long time

happen for 20 minutes 30 minutes

an hour

an hour and a half two hours three hours

no vibration at all

they can arise boredom because the mind

is waiting for something to happen and

then you notice there's the craving

so you let that go

you relax that come back to a more

balanced mind

otherwise the mind feels restlessness so

then you just use tranquility relax

just

put a little micro dose of relaxation

and watch what happens and then the mind

balances itself

if the mind feels too dull if the mind

has slot and torpor

just add a little bit more interest a

little bit more joy and just wait and

see what happens

and then you come back

right one of the analogies that

peru and i karuna and i discussed was

the laboratory

you're like a scientist looking at the

different beakers and all these

different things and you put a little

bit of this a little bit of that you put

too much

boom

right

you have a mess in the lab

but just little bits and start observing

what happens

doing so then your mind becomes balanced

and then when the mind becomes balanced

and there is no more identification with

this process

the last thing to go the last formation

to go

is a formation of conceit

the sense of i am

the sense of

me mine and myself

when that goes away there is no more

fuel for the mind's attention at all and

when there is no more fuel the attention

ceases

mind ceases

and there is the cessation of perception

feeling and consciousness

there is dukkha nirodha as well that is

to say

the cessation of suffering completely

because there's no there's no formations

arising at that point

in that experience of cessation the mind

is utterly pure

because no conditions

arise

it is understood that the faculties the

sixth sense bases are completely serene

completely clear

because when you're out of cessation and

you're here listening to me and going

about your day

you're picking up all of this

input of data

and it's tiring out your eyes tiring out

your ears tiring out your mind

tiring out all of the six sense spaces

because there's these

data packets of sensory information

but in cessation of perception feeling

and consciousness

those data packets don't make contact

and penetrate and become into feeling

and perception

and so that is why the faculties are

serene and

clear

then

there is that

condition or we should say the

unconditioned

which is to say now that there is a

cessation of all conditions

the mind has no conditions to attach

itself to

so when the mind comes out of cessation

when

there is a rebooting of

the mind

in that first

point

there is contact

and this is the contact with the nibana

element

this contact is understood to be three

things

signless

undirected

and

void

it is signless because nibana cannot be

taken as an object

it is undirected because there is no

intention in nibana

and it is void

because

there is no sense of personal self in

nibana

so in other words having seen

impermanence

you realize

that all objects are impermanent

therefore it is signless

realized that intending towards this or

that with craving

there arises

therefore you see it all as undirected

and having seen that taking things

personally causes suffering

further suffering

you see the emptiness of self of all

things and so that's why it is void

that initial

point

where the mind comes out of cessation

is the point where it makes contact with

nepana

when it makes contact with nirvana

there is joy and relief that arise

when there is contact

what does it give rise to

what does contact give rise to

feeling

specifically

i know that the other day we talked

about you know contact is almost always

the right answer right to everything but

here specifically it gives rise to

feeling

the feeling of joy and relief

so when you

make contact when the mind makes contact

with the body rather when they're cut

when the banana happens

then the relief and

joy come up that's the feeling

but as you see that you also see the

links of dependent origination because

that first initial contact what else

does it give rise to it gives rise to

formations

it gives rise to

perception gives rise to

feeling and all these other things so

then the formations that arise next that

you see

when you see the links you see those

formations

they are utterly pure

in that time span

because they're utterly pure there's no

craving there

there's no identification there

there's no conceit there

but then that gives rise to that

consciousness that is non-reflective

then that consciousness then gives rise

to the further feeling that here is a

feeling of joy and relief

but then what happens

i want that again

how do i experience that again

you identify with that joy and relief

when you identify with that joy and

relief there is craving for that joy and

relief

and so what happens in the next arising

of formations

again they are fettered by craving again

they are fed by ignorance again they are

fettered by

identification again they are fettered

by conceit

so

but you let go of something the first

time around

you let go of

the belief in a personal self

because now you see this whole process

as impersonal

you let go of any doubt

in the buddha dhamma and sangha because

you have seen for yourself you have

walked the path

yourself and seen that this leads to

nirvana now you're completely sure

this is the path

and you don't have any clinging to

rights and rituals with the hope that

they're going to lead you to nibana

you no longer put your faith

in rights and rituals you understand

self-effort

the right effort

leads to nibana

so you've let go of wrong view and now

right view is established in your mind

but they were still craving because you

saw the joint roof you were like oh wow

i want that again so the joy the the

craving is still there

if at the

second attainment the experience happens

then there is again contact with nirvana

and then what arises you see the joy you

see the relief

but it's not as

vibrant as it was before because now

you've let go of

some amount of sensual craving some

amount of aversion

having let go of that

the mind doesn't have so much craving

for it still identifies with but still

has a little bit of craving so there's a

diminishing

of craving and aversion and at this

point now the mind can identify when

craving arises much quicker

so it might actually notice it as the

seed of craving or the seed of aversion

arise and let go of it

or if it becomes full-blown craving it

can notice it and let go of it if the

mind gets upset by something it

immediately says oh i shouldn't have

done that i better just let that go

then as you continue this process so

what does that mean as you continue to

do this you're doing the same thing over

and over again again it's rinsing and

repeating just like you have the cycle

of samsara

through the links of dependent

origination that cause suffering

you have the wheel of dharma

through the links of transcendental

dependent origination and you have to

keep

doing it

until you let go of all feathers

so you continue rinse and repeat keep

the precepts keep the gladness going

keep the meditation going keep using

right effort

keep six houring

and you continue to recognize craving

continue to recognize aversion keep

letting it go keep letting it go so that

the next time this happens and the mind

makes contact with nibana

then there is what arises is not really

joy as such but deeper equanimity

now the mind is very balanced

not looking forward to anything

so when the contact arises you see

dependent origination it's much clearer

now but now you're not so

bothered by it you have more equanimity

and that equanimity becomes stabilized

which means now you don't have the

craving for that experience you don't

have the aversion

so then the next arising of formations

that arise

don't have the craving in them

they don't have the aversion in them the

greed and the hatred

but there might still be delusion

because the mind says oh i've done it

again

and so there's some pride there there's

some conceived yeah i'm here now

i achieved this i have accomplished this

there's an identification with it

and so that's the conceit the fetter of

conceit that has to be let go of

so what do you do continue to follow the

wheel of dharma

continue to keep your precepts continue

to have faith continue to have gladness

continue to have joy continue to have

tranquility continue to have sukkah

continue to be collected continue to

have equanimity

and continue to 6r anytime that the mind

identifies with one or more of the five

aggregates

and the more you do it you're whittling

away at that fetter of conceit

the more you do it you're whittling away

at that feather of restlessness

the more you do it you're whittling away

at that feather for

the craving for a form john or the

craving for formless china

the more you do it

the more your wisdom arises and the more

you grind away at the fetter of

ignorance

eventually when that experience happens

again

when you go through that process of

seeing things as they are you have

further deeper disenchantment you have

further deeper dispassion

then that leads to another cessation

experience at some point

and then that's a

cessation experience

from there there is contact with nirvana

again that contact is

signless undirected and empty of self

so anything that arises is pure contact

giving rise to pure formations but this

time around you understand dependent

origination completely

now right view is established ignorance

is destroyed so now you don't identify

with this process and see it completely

impersonal

so the next arising of formations are

still pure

now they've been let go they have been

eradicated of

any kind of conceit and identification

any craving for bhava

any kind of craving for existence

now those formations that arise are

conditioned by wisdom

conditioned by right view right view

replaces ignorance

wisdom replaces ignorance

therefore the formations that arise are

purified by that wisdom

rooted in that wisdom

those formations give rise to the

non-reflective consciousness

no longer projecting any kind of idea of

self onto the experience

of nama rupa of mentality materiality or

the sixth sense basis or contact feeling

so the contact and feeling that arise

are not rooted in any craving not rooted

in any identification so mind being

utterly non-reflective and clear

sees things as they are all the time

which means it does not take this

personally any experience

therefore there won't be new karma in

the form of further craving clinging

becoming birth of new action and the

whole mass of suffering

now any formations that arise will

always be rooted in

wisdom

and so any karma that arises is just all

karma cascading down to be experienced

as

a feeling

and so that mind being non-reactive

non-reflective

unestablished

empty of craving empty of delusion

seeing things as they are

only understands that feeling to be

impersonal

because of that there is no more fuel

for becoming

birth is destroyed there is no more

renewal of being what had to be done has

been done the holy life has been lived

and so on

and so that is why you have the

liberation of the mind the vision that

the mind is liberated

and the knowledge that the mind is

liberated that knowledge that arises

comes in that form

that stock phrase of the holy life has

been lived and so on

so the knowledge and vision of

liberation

gives rise to the knowledge of the fact

that

the taints have been destroyed the

knowledge of the destruction of the

taints

and so because of that one sees

the five aggregates as they are

they understand form as it actually is

they understand the source of form they

arising and passing away a form they

understand feeling as it actually is

they see the source and origin and

passing away of feeling they understand

perception as it actually is they

understand the source the origin

and

the passing away of perception

they understand formations as they

actually are they understand the source

of these formations they understand they

are dependently arisen they understand

they are impermanent and so on and

likewise for consciousness

so that mind is always seeing everything

as impermanent

so that mind never projects any kind of

personal

self to an experience

seeing things as they are

that is to say in the scene there is

only the scene

in the herd there is only the herd

in the cognized there is only the

cognized

when in seeing that there is no you

there

there is no you before that process

there is no you after that process

there is no projection of self in that

process of feeling there's no

superimposition of self

after the feeling

there's no superimposition of self when

consciousness arises

then mind holds on to nothing naturally

and so mind is fully liberated

it is natural

that one who is disenchanted and

dispassionate

realizes the knowledge and vision of

liberation

thus because

the knowledge and vision of liberation

is the purpose and benefit

of disenchantment and dispassion

this enchantment and dispassion are the

purpose and benefit of the knowledge and

vision of things as they really are

the knowledge and vision of things as

they really are

is the purpose and benefit of

collectedness

collectedness is the purpose and benefit

of

pleasure

pleasure is the purpose and benefit

of tranquility

tranquility is the purpose and benefit

of rapture

rapture is the purpose and benefit of

joy

joy is the purpose and benefit of

non-regret

and non-regret is the purpose and

benefit of virtuous behavior

thus because one stage flows into the

next stage

one stage fills up the next stage for

going from the near shore

to the far shore

well afterwards that's that's fine

i i do want to leave you with a passing

word actually

a couple of things

you know bante always says if you take

care of the dhamma the dhamma takes care

of you

and in my personal experience that has

always been the case

so the one thing you should understand

when you get off retreat is to take care

of the dharma

what does that mean to take care of the

dharma

it basically means to follow the path

follow the dharma

you can revere the dhamma all you want

you can show respect for the dhamma all

you want but what's the point if you

don't follow it

so continue to keep your precepts

continue to practice samadhi

continue to gain insights continue to

see things as they are

and that's how you take care of the

dharma

and in turn the dharma takes care of you

because every time you radiate loving

kindness every time you radiate

compassion every time you radiate joy

every time you radiate equanimity

you're purifying your own mind

and anything that arises is seen

as it actually is so you don't get so

bothered by it or you don't get bothered

by it at all

which means you don't add to your karmic

repository

that's how the dharma takes care of you

and the dhamma takes care of you by

the fact that as you continue to

cultivate wholesome states of mind

those become your inclinations

and then when you interact with people

in the world around you

the world mirrors

your inclinations

when you're happy the world around you

starts to just become happy

when you have loving kindness people

respond to you with loving kindness

when you're compassionate people

understand you

i mean one very

very silly and mundane example of that

would be from my own personal experience

is that you know when you go back out

into the real world and you go to the

airport

it's so busy over there right it's so

hectic a lot of things to do i have to

go do this i have to go through security

and this and that

and then when you go to

check in and everything at the counter

the person who checks you and has all

has met with all of these people who are

just grumpy or they have to get things

done or they're just like irritated or

impatient

but when i show up to them

they immediately smile and say how can i

help you

genuinely

they're happy

right and then my whole process just

goes smoothly

so the check-in process goes smoothly

the security process goes smoothly i

make jokes with the tsa the tsa jokes

with me

you know and then i go in and everything

else so

that's just one very mundane example

but

that's still a very good example so when

you go to the airport

tomorrow

radiate loving kindness see how things

change for you

right every time you do that the dharma

will take care of you

all right

let's share some merit

may suffering ones be suffering free may

the fear of struck 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 the buddha's

dispensation

so there's

[Music]

you