1-6 Present moment & Sabhava dhamma
1-6-1 Sabhava Dhamma (the True State of the Nature)
1-6 Present moment & Sabhava dhamma top
The present meoment (arompaccupan) can be defined as:
(1) Nama and rupa which occurs at a given time independently of our desire.
(2) Nama and rupa seen with the Three nama: atapi, sati, and sampa-janna (yogavacara).
If you are to realize the present moment,
(a) the object of the 3 Nama must be ultimate reality (paramattha = not man, not woman, not self, etc.), which is rupa and nama;
(b) the object has to be in the 4 Foundations of Mindfulness. The various objects (foundations) should not be mixed. For example, when observing sitting rupa, if sitting rupa has pain, don't observe the nama that knows sitting rupa has pain. Just know that sitting rupa suffers. Observe only ˇ§body in body;ˇ¨
(c) the object must be observed by the 3 Nama (yogavacara = earnestness, mindfulness, and clear comprehension);
d) nama and rupa, to be seen in the present moment, must occur independently of our desire. We cannot create the present moment. Examples of the latter would be slow walking for the purpose of creating insight, or slow movement of the arm to see the groups (kalapas) rising and falling. These are not the present moment;
e) and example of the true present moment is awareness (sati-sampajanna) observing sitting rupa, but there is a little bit of kilesa, perhaps a hidden desire to see sitting rupa. Then a thunder-clap occurs. Awareness leaves sitting rupa and hears the thunder. Automatically there is nama hearing. This is true present moment (vipassana) because at that moment there is no kilesa.
There are two kinds of present moment: cinta present moment and Vipassana-panna present moment. Cinta present moment is seen in ordinary good practice. Cinta present moment precedes and leads to Vipassana wisdom, in the way that two dry sticks rubbed together lead to fire.
If practice is done correctly with aromapaccupan, it will destroy abhijjha and domanassa (like and dislike) in the five aggregates (khandas). Then Vipassana Panna will occur.
Vipassana present moment is very elusive, like trying to catch a fish in a pond with the hands.
Vipassana present moment sees that the one that sits is sitting rupa not ˇ§youˇ¨.
It is not even you that knows sitting rupa ˇV it is the Three Nama (ˇ§yokiˇ¨).
And in fact, thereˇ¦s not even sitting rupa, only sabhava.
See footnote, Sec. 2.1.2. Also Glossary, ˇ§yogavacaraˇ¨.
That sabhava that we call sitting rupa doesnˇ¦t know anything . The nama that knows the object (sitting rupa) is sabhava too.
There are only two sabhavas in the world: the one that knows nothing and the one that knows.
The Vipassana present moment is elusive, because of the existence of kilesa. It also takes practice. Catching the Vipassana present moment is the trying to read before learning the alphabet. Until you know the shape of the letters, you canˇ¦t recognize words.
Even when changing from sitting to standing, the present moment should be maintained, otherwise kilesa will enter. When present moment is maintained continuously, kilesa is kept out and the Vipassana present moment arises and destroys moha (ignorance).
Q: How does the yogi know he is in the present moment?
A: He will have sati and sampajanna all the time. If there is sati and sampajanna, it is the present moment. The reverse is also true: if there is present moment there is sati and sampajanna. The yogi should be continually in the present moment. If this is so, the truth will appear; that truth is dukkha. Rupa and Nama.
(sati and sampajanna actually work together in the present of rupa and nama and destroy abhijjha and domanassa in the ˇ§worldˇ¨ of the Five Khandas.)
This practice leads the yogi to reach sabhava ˇV the True State of the Nature ˇV thus changing the wrong view that rupa and nama is ˇ§youˇ¨.
1-6-1 Sabhava Dhamma (the True State of the Nature)
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Sabhava Dhamma is the true state of the nature of everything in the universe. It is reality ˇV but it is not man or woman, person or soul. For example, sitting rupa is the sabhava of the sitting position. (Actually, when the true state of the nature is realized it is not even sitting rupa, it is just sabhava).
The universe is not empty of reality, as some types of Buddhism say, just empty of self or soul. Sabhava dhamma is composed of nama and rupa ˇV with nama divided into three parts, as below:
4 Sabhava Dhamma (Ultimate Reality)
(For Sabhava Dhamma in more detail see Figure 2-2)
Notes (Fig. 1-3):
(a) All four of these elements of ultimate reality are paccupanad-hamma. As covered below (in the following paragraph), paccupanadhamma is the true state of the nature ˇV except that we don't always see it.
b) The first three are nama and rupa, and are mundane dhamma. Rupa in practice, is just the object ˇV it doesnˇ¦t ˇ§know anything.ˇ¨ Nama is also an object: but nama also knows nama (nama seeing and nama hearing). This is the mundane spher (lokiya) ˇV and still in the wheel of rebirth (samsara-cakka)
In the supramundane (lokuttara), nibbana becomes the object. Magga-citta (path consciousness) and phala-citta (result) now know nibbana as an object. It is magga-citta that destroys kilesa. In the mundane sphere, sati-sampajanna is vipassana wisdom. In the supramundane, sati-sampajanna becomes magga-citta. (Magga-citta, which literally is ˇ§path consciousness,ˇ¨ actually refers to path completion, or magga-nana ˇV which is the 14th yana). Nibbana is supramundane (lokutturadhamma), out of the 5 Khandas.
There are two kinds of paccupan (paccupan means ˇ§presentˇ¨):
(1) Paccupanadhamma. Rupa and nama rising and falling away very fast. But we don't see it because the kilesa is hidden. But there is only sitting rupa, standing rupa, etc
We think that ˇ§we sitˇ¨, ˇ§we standˇ¨, ˇ§we are hotˇ¨ etc. This is paccu-panadhamma, and it exists whether we see it or not ˇV even at home, when not practicing.
(2) Paccupanarom (present moment) Rupa and nama which occurs at a given time independently of our desire ˇV ˇ§sitting rupaˇ¨, ˇ§ standing rupaˇ¨, etc. When we are practicing we use paccupanadhamma and it develops into paccupanarom. The Three Nama work together and ˇ§we sitˇ¨ becomes sitting rupa ˇV and so it is paccupannarom (present moment).
To be paccupanarom (arompaccupan), sati and sampajanna have to have rupa and nama in the present moment. The first three objects above (Fig. 1-3) are seen without kilesa. Noama and rupa are the objects until the Vipassana-nana (12th: anulomanana), then abandoned. At this point nibbana becomes the object of maggacitta and phalacitta and the lokuttara or supra ˇVmundane state is reached.
The present moment is nama or rupa being observed. They can be kusala, akusala, or abyakata (neutral) ˇV but they have to be in one of the 4 foundations of satipatthana.
Vipassana can work only when kilesa exists. It must also work, or be applied, where the kilesa is. For example when a sound is heard, kilesa will think that ˇ§we hearˇ¨, and so Vipassana reminds us that ˇ§nama hearsˇ¨, and erases the kilesa.
Q. The 3 Nama that observe the present moment and the 3 Nama that catch the present moment ˇV are they the same?
A. The name ˇ§present momentˇ¨ is the same, but the 3 Nama that observe (cinta wisdom) and the 3 Nama that catch the present moment (Vipassana wisdom) are different. The Yogi should practice catching the present moment, in the same way he would learn the alphabet in order to read. Cinta wisdom is like practicing the ABCs and Vipassana wisdom, which follows,is like reading.
An arahant, having no kilesa, does not need to practice Vipassana.
Q. Is it desirable to take a given position in order to see the rupa of that position?
A. A yogi should never sit to see sitting rupa, or walk to see walking rupa. All positions must be taken to cure suffering from a previous position. Then sitting rupa or walking rupa can be seen naturally, as it arises.
Q. Is it desirable to take a given position in order to see the rupa of that position?
A. A yogi should never sit to see sitting rupa, or walk to see walking rupa. All positions must be taken to cure suffering from a previous position. Then sitting rupa or walking rupa can be seen naturally, as it arises.
Q. When the yogi is in the present moment, he automatically has sila, samadhi and panna. Why?
A. when the yogi realizes sitting rupa by vipassana wisdom, ˇ§obvious kilesaˇ¨ (the kind in the precepts) is suppressed. This proves sila is present. Mental defilements (nivaranas) are momentarily erased. This proves samadhi is present. Finally, the hidden kilesa (asava) of wrong view is momentarily erased. This proves panna is present, because vipassana wisdom leads to right view ˇV sammaditthi ˇV that no ˇ§youˇ¨ sits.