(b) Unpleasant feeling or sensation,
(c) Neutral feeling or sensation.
Pleasant feeling or pleasant sensation is called sukha-vedana (sukha means pleasant, vedana is feeling or sensation). Unpleasant sensation or unpleasant feeling is called dukkha-vedana in Pali (dukkha here means unpleasant). Neutral feeling or neutral sensation is called upekkha-vedana (upekkha means neutral - neither pleasant nor unpleasant). When pleasant feeling, unpleasant feeling or neutral feeling arises, a meditator must be mindful of it as it is. Some meditators think that unpleasant feeling should not be observed because it is unpleasant. Actually, all kinds of feeling must be noted very attentively as they really occur. If we do not observe or note the pleasant or unpleasant feeling or sensation, we are sure to become attached to it or repulsed by it. When we like a particular feeling or sensation, we become attached to it. That attachment or tanha arises depending on the feeling or sensation. In this case, the pleasant feeling is the cause and attachment is the effect.
If a meditator practises strenuously and perseveringly, his concentration will become deep and strong. When the meditator's concentration becomes deep and strong, he feels happy and experiences rapture because his mind is, at that moment, quite free from all defilements such as greed, hatred, delusion, conceit and so on. The persevering meditator has attained a very good stage of insight because his mind is now calm, tranquil and serene. If the meditator enjoys it and is satisfied with what he is experiencing, it means he is attached to it, and thus he cannot progress to the higher stages of insight. Such an experience can be attained in the first part of the fourth stage of insight. If he understands that, he should just observe the experience he has attained at this stage. Whatever he is experiencing at this stage, he will not become attached to it if he observes his experience very attentively and energetically. When the meditator notes it attentively and persistently, that happiness, tranquility or serenity will not be manifested in his mind very distinctly.
What he realises at that moment is just feeling that arises and passes away. Then another feeling arises and passes away. He cannot differentiate between pleasant and unpleasant feelings, thereby, he becomes detached from his experience and proceeds to practise for a higher stage of insight. Only then can he go beyond this stage of insight.
If a meditator walks very mindfully, noting the six parts of the step: lifting of the foot, raising of the toes, pushing the foot forward, dropping it down, touching, and pressing, and as a result, his concentration is good, deep and strong, he will not be aware of the form of the foot. Nor is he aware of the body or bodily form. What he knows is just movement of the foot. The movement may also feel light; he may feel as if he is walking in the air. He may feel as if he is lifted in the sky. At this stage, he is experiencing excellent meditation experiences. If he does not observe these experiences mindfully, he will like them and may desire more of them. He may become very satisfied with his practice and he may think this is nibbana (the cessation of all kinds of suffering) because this is the best experience he has ever had. All this happens because he does not observe his pleasant experiences, and so is attached to them. This attachment arises depending on the pleasant feeling or pleasant sensation about his good experience.
If a meditator enjoys this pleasant feeling or sensation about his good experience without being mindful of it he is sure to become attached to it. So, he should observe and be aware and mindful of whatever experience he has encountered at this stage. He must not analyse it or think about it, but must be aware of the experience as it really occurs, in order to realise that this experience of the mental process or mental state is subject to impermanence. Whenever he notes, he finds that the experience is not everlasting. When the 'noting mind' becomes constant, sustained and powerful, it penetrates into the nature of his experience, i.e. the mental state. The mind begins to realise that the experience has disappeared. Whenever it arises, the mind notes it, and again it disappears. He then concludes that this pleasant feeling together with his experience is impermanent (anicca), because he has comprehended the nature of impermanence through his personal experience of the Dhamma. Here, Dhamma means mental as well as physical processes. Because he has realised that the pleasant feeling or sensation together with the good experience is impermanent, he will not be attached to it. Attachment will not arise when the meditator rightly understands the true nature of good mental states or a good experience.
Chain of Cause and Effect
When attachment does not arise, grasping or upadana will not arise. When grasping does not arise, there will not be any wholesome or unwholesome actions, verbal, physical or mental. The action that is caused by grasping is known as kamma-bhava. This may be wholesome or unwholesome. Wholesome bodily action is kusala kaya-kamma. Unwholesome bodily action is akusala kaya-kamma. Wholesome verbal action is kusala vaci-kamma. Unwholesome verbal action akusala vaci-kamma. Wholesome mental action is kusala mano-kamma. Unwholesome mental action is akusala mano-kamma. These actions or kamma arise through the grasping which is the result of attachment to pleasant or unpleasant feeling or sensation.
When any bodily, verbal or mental action is carried out, it becomes a cause. This cause has its result which may occur in this life, or future lives. So in this way, a being is reborn again through his wholesome or unwholesome action. That action is caused by the grasping which has attachment as its root. Attachment, in turn, is conditioned through reeling or sensation, vedana In this way, a being has to be reborn in the next existence to experience a variety of suffering because he does not observe his pleasant feelings together with his experience.
Therefore, if a meditator thinks that feelings should not be observed, he will be carried away along the Chain of Dependent Origination (paticcasamuppada) to be reborn in the next existence and suffer from a variety of dukkha. That is why the Buddha teaches us to be mindful of any kind of feeling or sensation whether pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.
Mindfulness of Feeling
Mindfulness of sensation or contemplation of sensation is known as Vedananupassana Satipatthana. Usually at the beginning of the practice, the meditator feels the unpleasant physical sensations as well as mental sensations. Here we need to explain again the two kinds of sensation:
If the feeling or sensation arises depending on physical processes, it is known as Kayika-vedana We may translate it as physical feeling or sensation, or bodily feeling or sensation. If the reeling or sensation arises depending on mental processes, it is called cetasika-vedana. We may render it as mental feeling or mental sensation. Actually, every feeling, every sensation is a mental process, not a physical process. However, sometimes feeling or sensation arises depending on the physical process of discomfort. When a meditator feels discomfort in his body, then unpleasant sensation arises. That unpleasant sensation is called k~yika vedan~ because it arises depending on physical processes.
In the beginning of the practice, a meditator generally experiences mostly unpleasant mental and physical sensations. But whatever sensation he may experience, he must observe it very attentively, energetically and precisely so that he can realise the true nature of that feeling or sensation. The specific and the general characteristics or the reeling must be thoroughly realised so that he will not be attached to it or repulsed by it. This is Vedananupassana Satipatthana - mindfulness of feelings or sensations. Whenever feeling arises, it must be observed and noted as it really occurs.
It is natural for a meditator to be afraid of unpleasant physical sensation which he experiences in his meditation practice, but painful sensation is not a process that should be feared. Pain is a natural process that should be thoroughly understood by being aware of it as it really occurs. When a meditator can observe pain successfully with persistent effort, then he can realise its true nature - the specific and general nature of pain. Then the penetrating insight into the true nature of that pain or unpleasant sensation will lead the meditator to the higher stages of insight. Eventually, he could attain enlightenment by means of this painful sensation.
Mindfulness of Consciousness
The third Foundation of Mindfulness is Cittanupassana Satipatthana which means mindfulness of consciousness and the states (cetasika) that arises with consciousness. According to the Abhidhamma, every 'mind', so to say, is composed of consciousness and its concomitants. Concomitants here means its associates. Consciousness never arises independently. It arises together with its associates. In short, whatever consciousness or whatever 'mind' or mental state arises, must be mindfully noted or observed as it really occurs. This is Cittanupassana Satipatthana. The mental states may be good, the emotional states may be better. Whatever it may be, it must be noted as it really occurs. Therefore, when you have consciousness with lust or attachment, you must be mindful of it as it really is. If you have consciousness with anger, you must note it as consciousness with anger. Consciousness with anger can be noted as 'angry' or 'anger' in accordance with the Maha Satipatthana Sutta. When mindfulness is powerful, the anger will disappear. The meditator will then realise that anger is not everlasting - it arises and passes away. By observing anger, a meditator has two kinds of benefit:
1. The overcoming of anger.
2. Realisation of the true nature of anger (the arising and passing away of anger or the anicca nature of anger).
Anger is one of the mental states that can lead the meditator to the cessation of suffering if he notes it with mindfulness.
Mindfulness of Dhamma
The fourth Foundation of Mindfulness is Dhammanupassana Satipatthana which means contemplation of dhamma or mindfulness of dhamma. Here dhamma includes many categories of mental or physical processes. The first category is the five nivarana (hindrances):
1. Kamacchanda. Sense desire - desire for visible objects, sounds, odours, tastes and tangible objects.
2. Vyapada. Anger or ill-will.
3. Thina-middha. Sloth and torpor - sleepiness, mental dullness, heaviness.
4. Uddhacca-kukkucca. Remorse, worry or unhappiness about past deeds. Unhappiness at the failure to do what should have been done in the past is the first aspect. The second aspect is unhappiness about a deed which you did though you should not have done it, i.e., an unwholesome deed which would produce a bad result.
5. Vicikiccha. Doubts.
So long as the mind is defiled, a meditator cannot realise any mental process or physical process. Only when the mind is well concentrated on the object of meditation (either mental or physical processes), is it free from all kinds of defilements or hindrances. Thus the mind becomes clear and penetrative; so penetrative that it realises the true nature of mental and physical processes as they really are. So whenever any one of the five hindrances arises in a meditator's mind, he must be aware of it. For example, when a meditator hears a sweet song from outside and does not note it, he may have a desire to listen to the song. He likes to hear this song repeatedly and he indulges in it. That desire to listen to the song is sense desire - kamacchanda. So, when he hears any sweet song, he must note 'hearing, hearing'. Still, he may be overwhelmed by the song if his mindfulness is not powerful enough. If he knows that this sense desire for the song can lead him to undesirable events' or accidents, or can be an obstacle to his progress in meditation, he will note it as 'desire, desire' until it has been destroyed by strong mindfulness. When the mindfulness becomes constant and strong, that desire will disappear. The desire disappears because it has been observed very attentively and energetically. When a meditator observes or is mindful of his sense desire as it really is, making a mental note, 'desire, desire', he is following strictly what the Buddha taught in the Maha Satipatthana Sutta. Being mindful in this manner is Dhammanupassana-Satipatthana or the contemplation of mind objects, i.e. contemplation of the hindrances (nivaranas).
Thina-middha, sloth and torpor, actually means sleepiness. Sloth and torpor is a very 'old friend' of meditators. When a meditator feels sleepy, he enjoys it. If any other pleasant sensation arises in him, he is able to observe it. But when sleepiness arises in him, he is unable to be aware of it because he likes it. That is why sloth and torpor or sleepiness is an 'old friend' of a meditator. It makes him stay longer in the cycle of rebirth. If he is unable to observe sleepiness, he cannot overcome it. Unless he has realised the true nature of sloth and torpor or sleepiness, he will be attached to it and enjoy it.
When we are sleepy, we should make more strenuous effort in our practice; that means we must observe more attentively, energetically and precisely so that we can make our mind more active and alert. When the mind becomes active and alert, it will be free from sleepiness. Then the meditator can overcome sleepiness.
Uddhacca-kukucca is the fourth of the hindrances. Uddhacca is restlessness or distraction, kukucca is remorse. Here uddhacca means distraction of the mind, restlessness of the mind, wandering of the mind. When the mind wanders or thinks about something else instead of noting the object of meditation, it is uddhacca. When your mind wanders, you must be aware of it as it really is. At the beginning of the practice a meditator may not be able to observe it. He does not even know that the mind is wandering. He thinks the mind is staying with the object of meditation, i.e. the abdominal movements or respiration. When he is aware that the mind has wandered, he must note 'wandering, wandering' or 'thinking. thinking'. That means uddhacca-kukkucca is observed.
The fifth hindrance is vicikiccha or doubt. You may have doubt about the Buddhathe Dhamma, the Sangha, or about the technique of meditation. Whatever doubt arises, it must be very attentively observed, you must be mindful of it as it really is. This is known as Dhammanupassana Satipatthana - mindfulness of dhamma. So these are the four Foundations of Mindfulness:
CHAPTER FIVE
THE SEVEN STAGES OF PURIFICATION
To attain enlightenment we must go through seven stages of purification (visuddhi).
Purification of Moral Conduct
The first is sila-visuddhi, Purification of Moral Conduct. Meditators have to observe at least five precepts, if not eight, so that they can attain purification of sila. The third of the five precepts is abstention from sexual misconduct, whereas the third of the eight precepts is abstention from all kinds of sexual contact. If a meditator does not abstain from sexual contact, his mind will be defiled by the hindrance of sense desire kamacchanda nivarana). Only when the mind is purified from all hindrances can meditators realise mental and physical processes in their true nature.
Of course it is better if meditators can observe the eight precepts. If they do not, they may have desires for taste, food, visible things, audible things, odours and tangible things - five kinds of sense desire (kammacchanda) in their mind. By observing eight precepts, one can purify one's deeds and speech which is purification of moral conduct (Citta-visuddhi). When moral conduct is purified, the mind is also purified to some extent.
When the mind becomes purified, it becomes calm, serene, tranquil and happy and can concentrate on the object of meditation. Then the meditator attains Purification of Mind, i.e. Citta-visuddhi the second stage of purification.
When Venerable Uttiya, one of the disciples of the Buddha was sick in bed, the Buddha visited him and asked about his health. Venerable Uttiya told the Buddha about his sickness:
Venerable sir, my sickness is not decreasing but increasing. I do not know whether I can or cannot live out today or tomorrow. So I want to meditate to destroy all kinds of defilements through to the fourth stage of enlightenment, arahantship, before I die. Please give a short instruction which will enable me to develop my meditation practice to attain Arahantship.
Then the Buddha said:
Uttiya, you should cleanse the beginning. If the beginning is purified, then you will be all right, i.e. able to attain Arahantship.
The Omniscient Buddha asked the question, "What is the beginning?" He himself replied, "Herein the beginning is purified moral conduct or sTia and right view (Samma-ditthi). Right view means the acceptance of and belief in the Law of Cause and Effect (action reaction) or the Law of Kamma." The Omniscient Buddha continued:
Uttiya, you should cleanse your moral conduct and right view. Then, based on the purified moral conduct or Sila, you should develop the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. Practising thus, you will attain the cessation of suffering.
The Omniscient Buddha lays stress on the purification of sila or moral conduct because it is a basic requirement for progress in concentration as well as insight. When moral conduct is purified, the mind becomes calm, serene and happy. If he cultivates mindfulness, then he can easily concentrate on any object of the mental and physical processes. So purity of moral conduct is a pre-requirement for a meditator to make progress.
Purification of Mind
The second purification is Purification of Mind (Citta-visuddhi). If we want to attain insight knowledges, the mind must be purified from all kinds of defilements. When the mind is well concentrated on any mental or physical phenomena, it is free from all these hindrances. This is known as purification of mind - Citta-visuddhi. With this purification, the mind can penetrate into the mental and physical processes in their true nature. First of all, he distinguishes between mental process and physical process (nama and rupa) through his own experience. That is known as Namarupapariccheda-nana - knowledge of the difference between mentality and physicality.
Purification of View
The third is Purification of View (Ditthi-Visuddhi). When a meditator penetrates into the true nature of mental and physical processes, he does not take them to be a person or a being, a soul or a self. Then he has purified his view, he has attained Ditthi-visuddhi.
Purification by Overcoming Doubt
The fourth is Purification by Overcoming Doubt (Kankhavitarana visuddhi). 'Kankha' means doubt, 'visuddhi' means purification by overcoming doubt. When a meditator has attained the second stage of insight knowledge - Knowledge of Cause and Effect (Paccayapariggaha-nana), he no longer has doubts about his past existence. Thus, he overcomes doubt. This is purification by overcoming doubt.
To attain this knowledge he has to observe every intention, wish or want before every action or movement. All actions are preceded by intention, wishing or wanting. That is why we have to be mindful of every intention before every action or movement. When we have an intention to lift our foot, we should note it as 'intending, intending', then 'lifting, lifting'. When we have an intention to bend our arm, we should note 'intending, intending', then 'bending, bending'. While we are eating, we have an intention to open our mouth to take food, then first of all, we should note 'intending, intending', then 'opening, opening'. In the act of opening the mouth, the intention is the cause, and the opening of the mouth is the effect.
Without wishing or wanting to come here, could you come here? Then what is the cause and what the effect? The act of coming is the effect, the intention is the cause. Then why do you sit on the chair? Yes, it is the intention that makes you sit on the chair. Is there any sitter? If you think there is a person who sits on the chair, then we should bring a corpse from the hospital and make it sit on the chair.
It cannot sit because there is no intention. It is only intention, the mental process, that causes an action or movement. So is the sitting posture a man or a woman, a samanera or a bhikkhu? It is none of these. In the sitting posture, there is a physical process supported by the wind element (vayyo-dhatu - the internal and external wind element). Sitting is a physical process.
So if we want to sit, first of all, we have to note 'intending, intending', then 'sitting, sitting, sitting'. All the sitting movements must be observed after we have noted intention. When we bend our arm, we must first of all note the intention, then the movements of bending the arm. When we stretch out our arm, first of all, we must note intention, then the movements of stretching as stretching, stretching, stretching'. When our concentration is deep enough, by being aware of intention and the actions that follow it, we come to realise that nothing arises without a cause. Everything arises depending on a cause.
Therefore, a so-called person, a man or a woman is just the process of cause and effect. There is no doer, no one that does anything. If we believe that there is a person who does the sitting, it is called Sakkaya-ditthi or Atta-di!tht (wrong view of a doer). If we thoroughly realise the cause and effect relationship, what we realise is just a natural process. Then there is no 'person' that became a president, there is no 'person' that became a king. Then what existed in the past? In the past. there existed only the process of cause and effect. Then we have no doubt about our past existence. In this way, we can overcome doubts about our past existence - so, this is known as purification by overcoming doubt (Kankhavitarana-visuddhi).
Some meditators find it difficult to observe intention before every action because they are not patient enough. To observe, we must be patient with our actions or movements so that we can observe the intention before every action or movement. When we observe intention before lifting our foot. we will come to realise how the intention is related to the lifting of the foot. Then again, when we observe intention before the pushing of the foot, we will come to realise how intention is related to the pushing movement of the foot. When we observe the intention before the dropping of the foot, we will also come to realise how the intention is related to the dropping movement of the foot and so on. When we come to realise this relationship of cause and effect, we have almost completely realised the Law of Cause and Effect. By this realisation we overcome doubt as to whether there is any personality or entity which is everlasting in us. Then what really exists is just the process of cause and effect.
Purification of Knowledge and Vision of Path and Non-Path
The fifth visuddhi is Purification of Knowledge and Vision of Path and Non. Path visuddhi). In this stage of insight, you get very good experiences; lightness, happiness, tranquility, serenity etc. Sometimes you may feel your body has become light, as if it has been lifted, or as if you were flying in the sky. Your mindfulness is very keen. Your effort is steady; neither slack nor vigorous, nor rigid. Your effort is moderate, steady and firm. Your concentration is deep, so you experience peace, calmness, serenity, tranquility, happiness, rapture and so on. This is a very good stage that meditators must go through. This stage may be experienced in about two weeks if meditators practise strenuously, but some meditators go through this stage within a week. With such good experiences, meditators may think 'This must be nibbana- this is great, I have never experienced it before, it is better than having a million dollars - now I have attained nibbana Thus, he does not go further because he is clinging to it. He thinks that if he goes further, he will go beyond nibbana. If a meditator holds that this stage is nibbana, this is the wrong path. Therefore, he must continue to meditate and practise strenuously. This is only a very minor and trivial experience and he should not be content with it, but must go ahead with his practice.
Purification of Knowledge and Vision of the Course
The sixth Visuddhi is Patipada-nanadassana-visuddhi. 'Patipada'means the course of practice, 'nana' means knowledge, 'dassana' means vision. 'Nina' and 'dassana' are here referred to in the same sense. In order to lay emphasis on penetration, the text used the two words in the same sense-knowledge and vision. So Patipada-nanadassana-visuddhi means Purification of Knowledge and Vision of the Course of Practice. It means that when we have passed Maggamaggananadassana-visuddhi, we are on the right path which leads to Arahantship or the cessation of suffering.
If we were on the wrong path, we would stop at Maggamagga-nanadassana-visuddhi. Because we are on the right path, we have to go through the nine stages of insight and are approaching the goal, so we can judge that our course of practice is right. Then we do not have any doubt about the course of practice. That doubt has been destroyed by knowledge and vision of the course of practice. Then there is purification of knowledge and vision of the right course of practice - patipada-nanadassana-visuddhi. When you reach that stage, you have attained Anuloma-nana (knowledge of adaptation) because your experience is in conformity with the lower stages of insight knowledge and with the higher stages of insight.
Knowledge of Maturity
If we continue with our practice, we will come to the borderline in a short time. In two or three thought moments we have reached the line and stand on it. The border here means the border between an ordinary person (puthujjana) and a Noble One (ariya). When you are on the boundary, do you want to go ahead or go back? If you want to go back, your attentions towards the past, but if you want to go ahead your attention is ahead. Ahead is the cessation of compounded things, i.e. the cessation of all kinds of mentality (nama) and physicality (rupa). If you want to proceed, standing on the boundary or border, you look ahead as well as behind. Then you will know, "If I go ahead, all kinds of suffering will cease to exist. So should I go ahead?" You will think about it. The answer is yes, because you have been suffering for many aeons (kappas). The word 'kappa' means countless numbers of existences. When you are at the boundary, you will reflect on your past experiences, "I have been suffering for countless existences in this cycle of dukkha. I've had enough of this I must put an end to this suffering."
Your attention is then towards the cessation of suffering. That borderline knowledge is known as Gotrabhu-nana. 'Gotra' means Puthujjana or descendants. On this border, descendants of a Puthujjana are cut off totally. Then there is no more Puthujjana. Once you pass that borderline, you become a Noble One (Ariya) because you have cut off the Puthujjana lineage. Venerable Nyanaponika Thera translates it as maturity knowledge or knowledge of maturity because the meditator's knowledge is mature enough to attain the path. Actually, we can translate it literally as the knowledge which has cut off the Puthujjana lineage. When the Puthujjana lineage has been cut off, the meditator has attained Sotapatti-magga nana - he becomes a Noble One, an Ariya.
Immediately after the borderline knowledge of maturity, there is Path Knowledge (Magga-nana) which realises the Four Noble Truths thoroughly:
Purification of Knowledge and Vision
Because he realises these Four Noble Truths, his knowledge and vision of the Truths is purified. So this insight knowledge is known as Nanadassana-visuddhi, Purification of Knowledge and Vision.
The seventh visuddhi refers to Sotapatti-nana, the first knowledge of the Path - Nanadassana-visuddhi. 'Nana' is knowledge, 'dassana' is vision, 'visuddhi' is purification.
When you have attained the seventh visuddhi you have become a Sotapanna 'Sota' means stream; 'apanna' means enterer. 'Sotapannameans stream-enterer. When you have attained Sotapatti-nana, you have entered into the current of the Noble Eightfold Path. Only then have you attained Nanadassana-visuddhi - purification of knowledge and vision.
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