Sectarian [Book Of The Threes] - Anguttara Nikaya

Sām Sām Sām Sām Sām Sām Sām Sām Sām Sām Welcome to Buddha Sangha.

Today we'll do a sutta from Anguttara Nikaya.

It is from the book of threes and it's sutta number 61.

So it would be 3.

61 from Anguttara Nikaya.

The name of the sutta is sectarian.

Just to give you a background,

During Buddha's time there were a lot of different sects,

As in people belonging to a particular group that carry a particular religious belief.

When you belong to a particular group,

A particular sect,

You limit your understanding to certain beliefs.

Buddha helped people from all sects to get out of sectarianism,

To get out of limiting beliefs and to see the truth as it really is.

So this is one of those suttas which helps you drop the limitations of concepts and beliefs belonging to a particular section of society and just to see the truth in its entirety as it really is.

Because there are these three sectarian tenets which when questioned,

Interrogated and cross-examined by the wise and taken to their conclusion,

Will eventuate in non-doing.

What is the meaning of non-doing?

It means even where things are required of you,

You will not do.

Or where things are required of you to not do,

You will end up doing those.

Just by certain limitations of certain beliefs,

You can end up in a situation where you do not do that which is right.

And what are the three?

Number one,

There are because some ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and view as this.

Whatever this person experiences,

Whether pleasure,

Pain or neither pain nor pleasure,

All that is caused by what was done in the past.

So there is a section of society that has this religious belief that whatever is happening to me today is happening because of my past deeds.

To draw a parallel from the Vedic side,

It is those people who believe in Daivam.

Daivam means the past action.

That which I did in the past determines my future,

Is the understanding of these people.

Number two,

There are other ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and view as this.

Whatever this person experiences,

Whether pleasure,

Pain or neither pain nor pleasure,

All that is caused by God's creative activity.

So there is a sect where people believe that everything is caused by God.

Whatever I do,

It doesn't matter.

It won't change anything.

God is the one who decides what needs to happen.

And number three,

And there are still other ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and view as this.

Whatever this person experiences,

Whether pleasure,

Pain or neither pain nor pleasure,

All that occurs without a cause or condition.

And there are the third sect of people who believe that there is just no particular logical cause for anything to happen.

And all events that happen,

Happen randomly.

So now let's look at number one.

Because I approach those ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and view as this.

Whatever this person experiences,

Whether pleasure,

Pain or neither pain nor pleasure,

All this is caused by past deeds.

And I said to them,

Is it true that you venerable ones hold such a doctrine and view?

When I ask them this,

They affirm it.

Then I say to them,

In such a case,

It is due to past deeds that you might destroy life.

Take what is not given.

Indulge in sexual activity.

Speak falsehood.

Utter divisive speech.

Speak harshly.

Indulge in idle chatter.

That you might be full of longing,

Have a mind of ill will and hold wrong view.

So when Buddha asked them,

Is it that you hold this view that everything happens because of the past deeds or because of daivam or because of karma of the past?

And they said yes.

So then Buddha says that means whatever you do today is because of your past deeds.

And you will say,

Oh I do wrong because of my daivam,

My karma as such.

That is why I speak falsehood.

That is why I continue to do idle chatter.

That is why I continue to indulge in sexual misconduct.

I continue to do all the wrong things.

Giving an excuse that it is because of my past karma or my past daivam is that which has already decided the course of my future.

You check,

Do you have this kind of an understanding where you give all kinds of excuses for the wrong things that you do?

Things that you can avoid doing,

You choose not to avoid.

You choose to indulge in it.

And the excuse that your mind gives you is that in the past I have been like this.

Yeah,

So when really we give this kind of an excuse,

We are saying that my past action determines everything.

Time for a reality check.

If until today you have not managed to get out of those wrong habits,

Is it because somewhere your mind has this understanding that whatever is my past,

So will be my future.

And even if I try to do something different,

My past deeds will dictate my future.

Those who fall back on past deeds as the essential truth have no desire to do what should be done and to avoid doing what should not be done.

Nor do they make an effort in this respect.

You check,

Do you have this kind of a tendency?

You always feel that,

Oh,

What is the point of changing myself and doing good and avoiding the bad right now?

Whereas in the past,

I did all these bad things and still everything is not so bad with me today.

So there is this kind of feeling and excuse that your mind is giving you to continue to do the wrong things and to avoid any transformation or change.

Since they do not apprehend as true and valid anything that should be done or should not be done,

They are muddle-minded.

They do not guard themselves and even the personal designation ascetic could not be legitimately applied to them.

This was my first legitimate refutation of those ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and view.

So homework number one for you.

You recognize,

Are you muddle-minded?

Do you not care to guard yourself from all the negative aspects that can create an unwholesome inner environment for yourself?

Check.

Time for a reality check whether you fall into this first category.

A valid question can arise in the minds of people who follow the karma theory.

So they would question that does this mean that karma is not responsible for the future?

That is not what Buddha is saying.

Buddha gives a very clear-cut definition of karma.

In the same book,

In another sutta,

In the book of sixes,

Sutta number 63 which is 6.

63,

Very clearly he has mentioned it is volition because that I call kamma.

For having will one acts by body,

Speech or mind.

That means karma is just that will.

In my mind I have a will to act in a particular way,

To speak particular things or to think in a particular way.

Just that will itself is karma.

Of course the way you think,

Act or speak leads to your future karma phalam.

But it is not just karma.

Karma is just one of the factors that leads to future karma phalam.

There are n number of conditions required he says.

So if you believe just in karma you will say oh I was bad in the past and I'm continuing to be bad in the future because I was bad in the past and nothing can change that.

There is another condition,

The current condition.

There is a current will as well that can lead to a future karmic fruit.

So even if there is a karma that I created in the past and its effect is supposed to manifest today,

This is not a linear equation.

There are many more conditions required for this particular karma phalam or fruit of action to manifest in the now.

So that is why Buddha says just believing that my past action determines my future is the wrong understanding.

Yes it is one of the many conditions required and the past will is not so strong as the present will.

The present will can supersede the past will.

In Yogamashishta's language purushartha is stronger than daivam.

Yes so those who follow just daivam saying that it is the past action that determines my future are limiting their understanding.

Is number one very clear?

So karma is just will.

And there's one more sentence in this sutta that he speaks about.

What is the source and origin of karma?

Contact is its source and origin.

And what because is the cessation of karma?

With the cessation of contact there is cessation of karma.

Very clearly he is saying that even if I will to act,

Will to speak or will to think,

This will has developed because of contact.

So there is a previous condition that is required for this will to come up in me.

If I find a way to seize this contact,

This will will not come up.

So just karma by itself is not sufficient to determine how your future will shape up.

Just past action cannot shape your future.

So far very clear?

So we go back to our sutta.

Now the second sect.

Then because I approach those ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and view as this,

Whatever this person experiences,

Whether pleasure,

Pain or neither pain nor pleasure,

All this is caused by God's creative activity.

And I said to them,

Is it true that you venerable ones hold such a doctrine and view?

When I ask them this,

They affirm it.

Then I say to them,

In such a case,

It is due to God's creative activity that you might destroy life,

Take what is not given,

Indulge in sexual activity,

Speak falsehood,

Utter divisive speech,

Speak harshly,

Indulge in idle chatter,

That you might be full of longing,

Have a mind of ill will and hold wrong view.

Those who fall back on God's creative activity as the essential truth have no desire to do what should be done and to avoid doing what should not be done.

Nor do they make an effort in this respect.

Since they do not apprehend as true and valid anything that should be done or should not be done,

They are muddle-minded.

They do not guard themselves and even the personal designation ascetic should not be legitimately applied to them.

This was my second legitimate reputation of those ascetics and brahmins who hold such a doctrine and view.

So the second type of people fall into the sect that believes that God does everything.

Everything is run by God.

So if I'm speaking harshly,

It is God's will.

God is making me do it.

If I am killing somebody,

God is making me do it.

If I am indulging in sexual misconduct,

Oh God is making me do this.

So such a person who has this kind of a belief will not see the value of self-transformation because he will believe whatever I try to do.

Anyway,

God does what he wants.

So nothing is in my control.

So why transform myself?

Why even try to do good or avoid doing bad?

Let me continue doing what I am doing.

So this is where the wrong understanding comes up and then such a person does not make an effort for self-transformation.

You check.

Does your mind come up with the excuse that,

Oh if it is God's will then this will happen?

This is an excuse that the mind gives so that it does not have to work hard or make an effort on its own to change.

Or if it is God's grace,

This will change.

Or if it is God's blessing,

This will change.

Many sects also have that if it's a guru's blessing,

It will change.

But this does not hold water.

You cannot continue to gossip,

Speak falsehood,

Do wrong things and expect a transformation to happen through a blessing falling from the sky into your lap.

This does not make sense at all.

Therefore,

Buddha challenged even the second type of Brahmins and ascetics and very clearly said that they should not even be designated as ascetics.

Homework number two.

Are you in this second category of people where you feel that God's blessing will do it?

The guru's grace will do it?

Somebody else will do it.

Some higher power will take care of it.

I don't have to change myself.

I don't have to make any effort.

This was the second type of sect that Buddha said will not be able to see the truth as it is because of this wrong view that a third party like God or guru or a higher power will bless and make the transformation happen.

Then because I approach those ascetics and Brahmins who hold such a doctrine and view as this.

Whatever this person experiences,

Whether pleasure,

Pain or neither pain nor pleasure,

All that occurs without a cause or condition and I said to them,

Is it true that you venerable ones hold such a doctrine and view?

When I asked them this,

They affirm it.

Then I say to them,

In such a case,

It is without a cause or condition that you might destroy life.

Take what is not given.

Indulge in sexual activity.

Speak falsehood.

Utter divisive speech.

Speak harshly.

Indulge in idle chatter that you might be full of longing.

Have a mind of ill will and hold wrong view.

So if one believes that everything just happens randomly,

There is no condition for anything to happen anyways.

There is no God.

There is no karma.

There is nothing.

There is no law out there.

Anything happens at any time randomly.

So such a person will find an excuse to do wrong things.

Oh,

And if I hurt somebody,

It just happened.

It's got nothing to do with me or with God or with karma.

Or if I speak harshly or I kill something or somebody,

It's all happening randomly.

So the mind finds this as an excuse.

Homework number three.

Do you fall in this third category of people?

Check.

Those who fall back on absence of cause and condition as the essential truth have no desire to do what should be done.

And to avoid doing what should not be done.

Nor do they make an effort in this respect.

Since they do not apprehend as true and valid,

Anything that should be done or should not be done,

They are muddle minded.

They do not guard themselves and even the personal designation ascetic could not be legitimately applied to them.

This was my third legitimate refutation of those ascetics and Brahmins who hold such a doctrine and view.

These pikus are the three sectarian tenets which when questioned,

Interrogated and cross-examined by the wise and taken to their conclusion will eventuate in non-doing.

Very clear.

Either if you say that everything is Daivam or past karma,

You will say there is no need for me to do anything.

Even if I do something,

Karma will intervene and make only that happen which is a product of my past deeds or Daivam.

This is a wrong understanding.

Number two,

If you say everything God does.

So even if I try to change myself,

God will not allow me to change because God has his own agenda and he makes things happen in his own way.

This is a second sect and a third sect.

Those people who say,

Oh there is no karma,

There is no God,

There is nothing,

There is no cause and condition,

Everything happens randomly.

So even if I try to change myself,

What's the point?

What needs to happen randomly,

That is what will happen.

So these are the three excuses for not transforming your own self,

For not doing that which is right for you to do.

You check,

Do you fall in either of these three?

Sometimes superficially we might not see it but when we are in a difficult situation in life.

That is the time of the true test and that is the time where you need to avoid doing certain wrong things.

Look back,

Did you really avoid doing that wrong thing or did you indulge?

And if you indulge,

What was the excuse your mind gave you?

Oh anyways,

Bad people get away,

Then I will get away.

Anyway there is everything is happening randomly,

It doesn't matter.

Or oh look at the bad people,

They are so rich and they are enjoying themselves and they have everything in the world.

If they can do wrong and get away with it,

Why not me?

You will find these little excuses hidden somewhere in the deeper corners of your mind.

If you are very sincere about self-transformation,

You will be able to dig out these deeply hidden reasons of the mind.

Start working now.

But because this Dhamma taught by me is unrefuted,

Undefiled,

Irreproachable and unsensured by wise ascetics and Brahmins.

And what is the Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted,

Undefiled,

Irreproachable and unsensured by wise ascetics and Brahmins?

These are the six elements.

This because is the Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted,

Undefiled,

Irreproachable and unsensured by wise ascetics and Brahmins.

These are the six bases for contact.

These are the 18 mental examinations.

These are the four noble truths.

This because is the Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted,

Undefiled,

Irreproachable and unsensured by wise ascetics and Brahmins.

So now we will go deeper into what the Buddha taught.

It is not karma,

It is not God and it is also not without any cause and condition that experiences happen.

When it was said,

These are the six elements.

This because is the Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted,

Undefiled,

Irreproachable and unsensured by wise ascetics and Brahmins.

For what reason was this said?

There are these six elements.

Earth element,

Water element,

Fire element,

Air element,

Space element and consciousness element.

When it was said,

These are the six elements.

This because is the Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted,

Undefiled,

Irreproachable and unsensured by wise ascetics and Brahmins.

It is because of this that this was said.

We know the six elements.

Earth,

Water,

Fire,

Ether,

Air and consciousness element.

He regards consciousness as element here.

When it was said,

These are the six bases for contact.

This because is the Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted,

Undefiled,

Irreproachable and unsensured by wise ascetics and Brahmins.

For what reason was this said?

There are the six bases for contact.

The eye as a base for contact,

The ear as a base for contact,

The nose as a base for contact,

The tongue as a base for contact,

The body as a base for contact and the mind as a base for contact.

When it was sent,

These are the six bases for contact.

This bhikkhus is the Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted,

Undefiled,

Irreproachable and unsensured by the vice ascetics and brahmins.

It is because of this that this was sent.

We know the six bases of contact.

All the organs that see,

Touch,

Taste,

Smell,

Hear and have the thought object.

When it was sent,

These are the 18 mental examinations.

This bhikkhus is the Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted,

Undefiled,

Irreproachable and unsensured by vice ascetics and brahmins.

For what reason was this sent?

Having seen a form with the eye,

One examines a form that is the basis for joy.

One examines a form that is the basis for dejection.

One examines a form that is the basis for equanimity.

So first he talks about the six elements out of which this body-mind complex is comprised of earth-water,

Fire,

Ether,

Air and the consciousness.

A permutation combination of all these elements creates the different organs of contact like the eye,

The nose,

The tongue etc.

Now when the eye comes in contact with an external form,

Three kinds of feelings come up.

Either there is joy or there is dejection or it is an equanimous neither painful nor pleasurable feeling.

Having heard a sound with the ear,

One examines a sound that is a basis for joy.

One examines a sound that is a basis for dejection.

One examines a sound that is a basis for equanimity.

So you hear a sound either there is joy welling up in you if the sound is a pleasurable sound.

If the sound is not so pleasurable then there is dejection coming up in you and if the sound is neither painful nor pleasurable there is equanimity.

Having smelled an odor with the nose,

One examines an odor that is a basis for joy.

One examines an odor that is a basis for dejection.

One examines an odor that is a basis for equanimity.

Similarly the odor either if it is pleasurable it evokes joy,

If it is not so pleasurable it evokes dejection and if it is neither painful nor pleasurable then it evokes equanimity in you.

Having tasted a taste with the tongue,

One examines a taste that is a basis for joy.

One examines a taste that is a basis for dejection.

One examines a taste that is the basis for equanimity.

Having felt a tactile object with the body,

One examines a tactile object that is the basis for joy.

One examines a tactile object that is the basis for dejection.

One examines a tactile object that is the basis for equanimity.

Having cognized a mental phenomena with the mind,

One examines a mental phenomena that is a basis for joy.

One examines a mental phenomena that is the basis for dejection.

One examines a mental phenomena that is the basis for equanimity.

When it was said these are the 18 mental examinations,

This bhikkhu is the Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted,

Undefiled,

Irreproachable and unsensured by vice ascetics and brahmins.

It is because of this that this was said.

So what is the homework for you here?

Do you see reality as it is?

Are you adept at mental examinations or do you get lost in external objects and think that the cause of pain and pleasure in your life are these external objects?

Time for another self-examination.

When it was said these are the four noble truths,

This bhikkhus is the Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted,

Undefiled,

Irreproachable and unsensured by vice ascetics and brahmins.

For what reason was this said?

Because on the six elements the descent of a future embryo occurs.

When the descent takes place there is name and form.

With name and form as condition there are six sense bases.

With the six sense bases as condition there is contact.

With contact as condition there is feeling.

Now it is for one who feels that I proclaim this is suffering and this is the origin of suffering and this is the cessation of suffering and this is the way leading to the cessation of suffering.

And what bhikkhus is the noble truth of suffering?

Birth is suffering,

Old age is suffering,

Illness is suffering,

Death is suffering,

Sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain,

Dejection and anguish are suffering.

Not to get what one wants is suffering.

In brief the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.

This is called the noble truth of suffering.

Yeah what are the five aggregates?

Rupa which is form.

Vinyana which is consciousness.

Sanya perception.

Vedana feeling and sankhara the mental formations.

These are the five aggregates.

Very beautifully he has explained that an embryo is formed only in dependence of the six elements only when the six elements are there can an embryo form.

When that embryo is formed now there is a name and a form there is a body and the word body that is the name so there is a name and form.

Now when there is a name and form obviously there are the six sense bases the eye,

Nose,

Tongue,

Ear,

Skin and the mind.

So once there are the six sense bases there is contact with these six sense bases of this external world of people situations and things.

The moment there is contact there is feeling and the moment there is feeling either you like the feeling or you dislike the feeling and that itself is suffering.

So in short birth is suffering,

Old age is suffering,

Illness is suffering,

Death is suffering.

This entire equation called life itself is suffering because of this constant clinging to every object in this world.

This is called the noble truth of suffering and what because is the noble truth of the origin of suffering with ignorance as condition volitional activities come to be.

How did the suffering originate?

Because of ignorance.

There is ignorance and therefore there are impressions formed in your consciousness.

Impressions in other words is the same as volitional activities.

With volitional activities as condition consciousness comes to be.

Yeah either the eye consciousness comes up,

Ear consciousness comes up.

There is a little craving to see,

To touch,

To smell,

To hear and that is why the consciousness comes up.

With consciousness as condition name and form come to be.

With name and form as condition the six sense bases come to be.

With six sense bases as condition contact comes to be.

The moment there is contact feeling comes to be.

With feeling as condition craving comes to be.

With craving as condition clinging comes to be.

With clinging as condition existence comes to be.

With existence as condition birth comes to be.

With birth as condition old age and death,

Sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain,

Dejection and anguish come to be.

Such is the origin of this whole mass of suffering.

This is called the noble truth of the origin of suffering.

So if you see very clearly it is not just karma.

There are many multiple conditions required for any experience to happen to you.

It is a maze of conditions,

Environmental conditions,

External conditions,

Conditions because of other people,

Conditions because of your own past karmas.

Everything comes together and then you have a particular experience.

Your clinging to your experience leads to your future suffering.

This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering.

And what because is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering?

Obviously now that you know that the origin of suffering is the clinging in every aspect,

The craving in every aspect.

So what would obviously be the solution,

The cessation for this suffering?

Obviously non-clinging.

With the remainderless fading away and cessation of ignorance comes cessation of volitional activities.

When ignorance goes away you obviously stop craving,

Stop clinging.

That's how ignorance goes away and then there is no more impression on volitional activities created.

With the cessation of volitional activities,

Cessation of consciousness,

With cessation of consciousness cessation of name and form,

With cessation of name and form cessation of sixth sense basis with the cessation of sixth sense basis cessation of contact with the cessation of contact cessation of feeling with the cessation of feeling cessation of craving,

With the cessation of craving,

Cessation of clinging,

With the cessation of clinging,

Cessation of existence,

With the cessation of existence,

Cessation of birth,

With the cessation of birth,

Old age and death,

Sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain,

Dejection and anguish seize.

Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.

This is called the noble truth of the cessation of suffering.

If you've seen every link of this dependent origination,

There is craving,

That is how it moves to the next link.

Because there is a little amount of craving in ignorance,

It leads to volitional activities.

There is a craving in volitional activities,

That is why consciousness comes up.

There is a little craving in the consciousness and that is what leads to name and form.

Because there is little craving in the name and form,

It leads to the sex sense basis.

There's a craving in that,

Therefore it leads to contact.

There's craving in contact,

Therefore there is feeling.

And then once there is this feeling,

There is this massive craving that comes up,

That leads to clinging.

Are you saying this?

That leads to the birth or happening of that particular thing that you cling for and that leads to sorrow,

Lamentation,

Pain and death.

So in every link there is craving.

If this craving is taken away,

If this craving ceases,

The next condition does not arise or the next effect is not born from this previous condition.

It ceases to be a condition.

This is the noble truth of cessation of suffering.

And what causes the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering?

It is just this noble eightfold path,

That is right view,

Right intention,

Right speech,

Right action,

Right livelihood,

Right effort,

Right mindfulness and right concentration.

Concentration is also collectiveness or samadhi.

This is called the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering.

We have done this eightfold path before.

You can revise from that video if required.

This eightfold path is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering.

Have you imbibed in your life right view,

Right intention,

Right speech,

Right action,

Right livelihood,

Right effort,

Right mindfulness and right collectiveness or concentration yet?

If not,

This is the right time to begin.

When it was said,

These are the four noble truths,

This because is the Dhamma taught by me that is unrefuted,

Undefiled,

Irreproachable and unsensured by vice ascetics and Ramans.

It is because of this that this was said.

This was an important revision today.

The most important aspect of today's learning is to recognize if you belong to a particular sect and if you can gather the courage to drop this previous sectarian view and look at reality as it is,

Not as you want it to be and not as you want it to not be but just as it is.

You don't have to believe me.

Don't believe the Buddha.

You experiment on your own mind and arrive at your own truth.

Apo Deepo Bhava.

Be your own light.