EXPERIENCES OF A YOGI

From "BUDDHISM: THEORY AND PRACTICE"
( Chapter V)

          The writer wants to advise the Yogis to read this article (Chapter V)and the next one (Chapter VI) only after they have got Magga and Phala. Otherwise the advance knowledge of the experiences may interfere with their Bhavana. During Bhavana, the Yogi may frequently think of the experiences, which he has read. He may frequently compare his own experiences with those mentioned in the book. He may get disappointed if he does not get those experiences as quickly as he wishes. Thus his awareness may be very seriously damaged. The Mahasi Sayadaw mentioned in his book that many Yogis frequently falter when they reach Sankharupekkhanana, which is the spring-board for reaching Magga and Phala. Among such Yogis, those who have advance knowledge of experiences are the majority.

          After he has got Magga and Phala, he should read these two chapters again and again, in order to compare his own experiences with those mentioned there. This frequent comparing is a very worthy effort.

          If, however, a Yogi is very keen to read them before he practises Bhavana, he may do so on one condition that he forgets what he has read, during the course of Bhavana.

          The Yogi should be forewarned that his experiences need not necessarily be on all fours with those in the book. Some may be similar and some may be even different. Since it is impossible to mention each and every experience in the book, a Yogi should not be disappointed, it he does not find his experiences there. Whatever his experiences may be, he must tell everything to the instructor. The experienced instructors know at once whether the Yogis experiences are in conformity with the teachings of the Buddha.

STAGES OF INSIGHT

          In Burmese version of Pali, Magga is called Magganana. Phala is called Phalanana. Before reaching, Magganana and Phalanana, a yogi has to pass through 13 other Nana. Nana is generally translated as insight.

          A nana is kind of spontaneous realization of the true nature of mind and matter. This realization is not received as a result of thinking or reasoning. It is born out of constant awareness of matter and mind.

          Some of the realizations are very simple. Even a man in the street knows the facts perceived during some realizations without practising the Bhavana. The facts in some other realizations can be easily understood, after a bit of observation or thinking or reasoning. If it is only for the sake of knowing these facts, Bhavana is not necessary. But realization is quite different from knowing the facts.

          The writer wants to submit a personal experience of his, in order to make the difference quite clear. After he has seen the picture of the Empire Building in New York and has read an article about it, he exclaimed "A huge building." After some time, he visited New York. As he stood a few yards from the Empire Building and gazed at it for a few minutes, he exclaimed "A huge building". After this, he took the lift and went up to the top. As he was gazing at the traffic from the top of the building, he exclaimed again "a huge building." And he was filled with thrills.

          The first exclamation was born out of book-knowledge. The second was born out of observation. The third was born out of personal experience.

          Many people are saying that every being has two entities mind and body or matter. Out of these many, some learn this fact from books and some from observation, thinking and reasoning. However, when a Yogi says every being has two entities, mind and body or matter, he says it in a different way. He has seen, through constant awareness, the working of the mind in one way and the working of the body in another way. The realization is so called because it is born out of the Yogi's perception as a result of constant awareness, of the two entities, working in two different ways. And after this realization he is filled with a sort of intellectual satisfaction.

          The realization seldom takes place more than a few seconds. The Yogi should not allow it to recur again and again. After once or twice, concentrating on the fact of its recurrence, he must say "recurring, recurring" till recurrence stops. Frequent recurrence may weaken awareness and there is the danger of this realization degenerating into thinking and reasoning.

          When the Yogi has acquired the 1st insight, his mind becomes fully purged of faith in Soul, Atman, Atta, Leipya kaung etc. When he has acquired the second insight, his mind becomes fully purged of doubt about Kusala Kamma and Akusala Kamma as being the cause of past, present and future, a chain of rebirths. When he has acquired the fourth insight, there dawns upon him a realization that can distinguish the correct from the incorrect path of Bhavana. When he has acquired the fifth insight, there is born in him a faith that the course of awareness, which he is practising is indisputably correct for acquiring magga and phala.

          The mind that is purged, the realization that dawns, the faith that is born are called Visuddhi, which means cleanliness. However, cleanliness at this stage is not yet stable. It may disappear, if the Yogi discontinues the practice of the Bhavana. Only after he has acquired Magga and Phala, it becomes fully confirmed and permanent. Then it shall never disappear. When the Yogi acquires 1st magga, his mind becomes fully and permanently purged of 1) all mental defilements that can make him kill, steal, commit wrongful intercourse, lie and take liquor and drug: 2) faith in Soul, Atman, Atta, Leik-pya-kaung; 3) doubts about Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Therefore the 1st Magga is also called cleanliness.

          The Mahasi Sayadaw, who is the chief of Sasana Yeiktha, a Vipassana Bhavana centre in Burma, has written a book, called Wipat-tha-nar-shu-nee-kyan. It is a wonderful book on Vipassana Bhavana. In that book, he mentioned, among other, stages of insight, based on the teachings of the Buddha, his own experiences as well as those of his deciples. Most of the following are taken from that book.

          At this point, the writer must admit that due to his misunderstanding of certain interpretations in the Mahasi Sayadaw's book, or due to difficulty in translating them into English, there can be errors in mentioning the stages of insight in this book. If there are errors, these are entirely his own.

          1. If a Yogi practises Bhavana, in accordance with the instruction, given in the preceding chapter, he will get Samadhi, in due course. When his Samadhi becomes sufficiently strong, he will be aware that the rising and the mind that is aware of the rising, the falling and the mind that is aware of the falling, the sitting and the mind that is aware of the sitting, the bending of the hand and the mind that is aware of the bending, the stretching and the mind that is aware of the stretching, the raising of the feet and the mind that is aware of the raising, the stepping and the mind that is aware of the stepping, the lowering and the mind that is aware of the lowering and so on, are attached to each other like pairs. When awareness is quite strong, the Yogi will realize that the rising is one entity and the awareness is a different entity, that the falling is one entity and the awareness is a different entity and so on. In this way, he will have a very clear realization of the existence of two different entities —- Rupa (matter) and nama (mind). Soon it will become clear in his awareness that the mind is flying towards Arammanas such as rising, falling, sitting, standing, bending, stretching and so on. When this fact becomes clear in his awareness, the Yogi is said to have perceived the true nature of the mind, i.e., the mind always flies or runs or moves towards Arammanas

          In Visuddhimagga, which is regarded as one of the most authoritative commentaries, it is said that in order to be able to see clearly the flying or moving or running nature of the mind, the Yogi must try to be steadfastly aware of Rupa, such as rising, falling and so on. The more steadfast his awareness of the Rupa becomes, the more clearly he will perceive the nature of the mind.

          When the existence of the two entities becomes very clear in his awareness, if the Yogi is not well versed in the teachings of the Buddha, he may get this kind of realization. "There are only two entities --- rising and awareness; falling and awareness; sitting and awareness; bending and awareness and so on. There is nothing besides these two. A human being is nothing but these two. A man is nothing but these two. A woman is nothing but these two. Besides these two, there is no such thing as Soul or I or Atta. He gets this kind of realization during his awareness of Arammanas, such as rising, falling, sitting, stretching and so on.

          If, however, the Yogi is a person who is well versed in the teachings of the Buddha, his realization may be somewhat modified. Since he sees only two entities —- Rupa and Nama, in his awareness, he may realize in this way. "It is true that there are only two entities --- Rupa and Nama. Besides these two, there are no other separate entities, such as man or woman or soul or I or atta. There exist only the Rupa (matter) that the Nama (or mind) is aware of and the Nama that is aware of the Rupa. Only these two entities are called beings, men, women etc."

          Whenever a Yogi has such realizations, he must not allow them to recur again and again. He must be aware of the recurring and say "recurring, recurring" till the realizations stop. And when they stop, he must concentrate on his set of 4 -— rising, sitting, falling, touching.

          2. When Samadhi grows stronger, the Yogi is aware as soon as he has desire to move any part of his body. In the beginning of the Bhavana, he is not fully aware of the desire, as soon as it appears. Even though he is saying "desiring, desiring," he generally says so only after the desire has disappeared and that part of the body has already moved as a result of the desire. However, when Samadhi grows stronger, as soon as the desire to bend his arm appears, he is fully aware of it. Therefore, he can say "desiring to bend" simultaneously with the appearance of the desire to bend. In the case of other movements also, desire to move and awareness of it take place simultaneously. The awareness of the movements takes place, only after the awareness of the desire has taken place.

          In the beginning of the Bhavana, since generally he misses the desire and says "desiring, desiring" only after that part of the movement has already started, he thinks that the body moves quicker than mind. When the Samadhi grows stronger he feels as if his awareness even precedes the desire and seizes it as soon as it appears, just as a stork, sitting by the side of a stream, picks up the fish as soon as it jumps out of water. At the stage he begins to see very clearly that mind moves faster than body. Since he is fully aware of every desire and every appropriate movement that follows desire, he realizes that desire is the cause and appropriate movement of the body is the effect.

          Because of his constant awareness, he sees the weather has effect on his body the cold weather has cold effect and the hot weather has hot effect.

          While taking his meals also, because of his constant awareness, he clearly sees the food has effect on his body --- the weakness is replaced with strength and vigour.

          While he is concentrating on his set of 4 --- rising, sitting, falling, touching, he clearly perceives that is awareness is jumping from rising to sitting, from sitting to falling, from falling to touching, from touching to rising and so on. And when he suddenly sees a picture on the wall, his awareness leaves his set of four for the picture. While he is saying "seeing, seeing" as a verbal confirmation of his awareness, he hears the barking of a dog. Then his awareness leaves the picture and flies to the sound. While he is saying "hearing, hearing", he suddenly becomes aware of a desire to scratch an itch on the left thigh. After he has said, "desiring, desiring," he is aware of every movement of his hand, stretching to scratch the itch. He says "stretching, stretching." When he scratches, he says "scratching, scratching." At that moment, a thought- Arammana · of his favourite curry of pork cooked with dried mango appears. So he says, " appearing, appearing." All of a sudden. he is aware of the saliva flowing on his tongue. While he is saying "flowing, flowing, "the thought-Arammana of pork curry reappears. He says "reappearing, reappearing" and after a few moments, he becomes annoyed because his favourite pork curry refuses to go. Therefore he will be saying either "being annoyed, being annoyed" or "refusing to go, refusing to go."

          One day, before he came to the Bhavana centre, he and his wife went to see a movie, after they had enjoyed their favourite curry of pork. So while he is saying, "refusing to go, refusing to go," a thought-Arammanaof their visit to the movie appears. So he says "visiting movie, visiting movie." While he is making this mental confirmation of his awareness, he felt a pain on the right thigh, as it is strongly pressed against the chair. So he says "paining, paining." When he is aware of the desire to move that thigh, he says, "desiring, desiring." Then he is aware of every movement of the thigh and says "moving, moving." All of a sudden, the strong smell of fried chilly enters his rooms. He says 'smelling, smelling." After a moment, he becomes annoyed and says "being annoyed, being annoyed." And after that while he is concentrating on his set of 4, he suddenly perceives that whenever there is an Arammana there is awareness.

          Sometimes, when his Samadhi becomes weak, his mind wanders. His mind is deeply absorbed by certain important affairs of his or by certain pleasant memories in which he takes keen delight. As soon as he becomes aware of this wandering, he forgets his set of 4. For a moment, he does not know what to do. He then suddenly perceives that there is no awareness, when there is no Arammana,

          From such experiences, he realizes

• 1. that there is awareness because there is Arammana

• 2. or that Arammana is the cause and awareness is the effect:

• 3. or that there will be no awareness, when there is no Arammana

• 4. or that there will be no effect when there is no cause.

          From such experiences, he will also realize that he sees because there are eyes and sight: he hears because there are ears and sound, he smells because there are nose and smell; he tastes because there are tongue and taste; he feels the touch because there are body and touch: he thinks because there are the mind and the thought. Arammana.or, in other words, eyes and sight are the cause and seeing is the effect. Also in the case of hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling the touch and thinking, the Yogi will easily realize, which is the cause and which is the effect.

          From such experiences

• 1) he will also realize that sometimes matter is the cause and mind is the effect, (For example, rising, sitting, falling, touching are the cause and awareness of them is the effect.)

• 2) he will also realize that sometimes mind is the cause and matter is the effect, (For example, desire to stretch is the cause and the stretching of the hand is the effect.)

• 3) he will also realize that sometimes mind is the cause and mind is the effect, (For example, thought Arammana of an enemy is the cause and anger is the effect.)

• 4) he will also realize that matter is the cause and matter is the effect. (For example, food is the cause and strength and vigour are the effect: cold or hot weather is the cause and cold or hot body is the effect.)

• 5) he will also realize that life is nothing but the sum-total of bodily, verbal and mental activities, generated by the interplay of mind and matter as cause and effect.

          The Yogi is particularly struck by the total absence of the work of any outside agency in all of these activities, except the interplay of mind and matter as cause and effect.

          Before he practices Bhavana, even though he accepts Kamma as the cause of rebirths and all the good and bad things in life, his faith is not stable Sometimes he believes in Kamma and sometimes he has doubts about Kamma. However, when he reaches the present stage of Bhavana, his doubts about Kamma disappear and he begins to perceive very clearly the great cycle of life in which the interplay of mind and matter as cause and effect.

          Before he practices Bhavana. even though he accepts Kamma as the cause of rebirths and all the good and bad things in life, his faith is not stable. Sometimes he believes in Kamma and sometimes he has doubts about Kamma. However, when he reaches the present stage of Bhavana, his doubts about Kamma disappear and he begins to perceive very clearly the great cycle of life in which the interplay of mind and matter as cause and effect generates bodily, verbal and mental activities. These activities produce Kamma. Kamma produces mind and matter. Mind and matter produce activities. These activities produce Kamma. Kamma produces mind and matter. Thus the cycle will go on and on endlessly.

          Out of this clear perception, he gets a spontaneous realization that Kamma or, in other words, what a being decides or speaks or does, is the cause of endless chain of the past, present and future rebirths and all the good and bad things of life that follows every rebirth,

          The Yogi must not allow this realisation to recur again and again. After once or twice, be aware its recurring by saying "recurring, recurring" till it disappears. Then the Yogi must concentrate on his set of 4.

          3. When Samadhi grows stronger, many Yogis experience a good deal of unpleasant feelings, such as, itches, burning sensation, pains, aches, heaviness, strange feelings as if he is tightly bound with ropes or put into a very narrow hole. However, when he stops his Bhavana, these unpleasant feelings disappear. And when he carries on his Bhavana, these unpleasant feelings re-appear. The Yogis need not worry about them.

          When they reach this stage of the Bhavana, such unpleasant feelings generally appear. It they concentrate on them and say "itching, itching" or "paining, paining" or some other appropriate words, as a confirmation of awareness, these unpleasant feelings will gradually disappear.

          In addition to these unpleasant feelings, the Yogi may feel as if he is seeing strange sights, such as, the Buddha and his disciples, moving in the sky, some persons whom he loves and reveres, forests, mountains, gardens, picturesque clouds, decomposed corpses, human skeletons, disintegration of animate beings and inanimate objects, condemned beings In hell, Devas and so on. He may also feel as it he is seeing himself blooding or cut into pieces, or becoming decomposed. He may also as if he is actually seeing his bones, flesh, sinews, entrails and so on. These are only figments of his imagination. At that state of Bhavana, his Samadhi is so very good that as soon as he imagines something. these figments suddenly appear.

          Whenever these appear, the Yogi will be aware of them and say "seeing, seeing." However, If the Yogi is interested in these strange sights or if he is overcome with fear, after seeing such sights, these will not disappear soon. Otherwise, after saying "seeing, seeing" once or twice, these will disappear

          At this stage, the Yogi should take great care that imaginations do not disturb concentration.

          Some Yogis do not have such experiences and they will become bored after concentrating for a long time on their regular set of 4 --- rising, sitting, falling, touching. Then they must concentrate on this fact and say "being bored, being bored" until boredom disappears.

          When the Yogi reaches this stage of Bhavana, his concentration has considerably improved Therefore whenever he is aware of an Arammana he is clearly aware of its beginning, middle and end, In the past, he left the old Arammana, whenever there was a new Arammana. He was not clearly aware of the disappearance of the old Arammana. But now, it is different. He leaves the old for the new Arammana only after he is clearly aware of the disappearance of the old Arammana.

          1) When his concentration is particularly good, as he very clearly perceives the sudden appearance and disappearance of Arammanas, he gets a spontaneous realization that all Arammanas come and go, they are not permanent.

          2) In addition to this, he will also get a new realization that impermanence can never be a source of blies, it can cause only miseries. Or he will get this kind of realization that beings are attached to life because they are ignorant of its impermanent nature. Or he will get the realization that life is terrible and that because of impermanence, beings can die at any moment.

          3) In addition to these two, he will get a new realization that no one can change this impermanence into permanence since impermanence takes place in accordance with Laws of Nature.

          The first, second and third realizations indicate respectively the Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta nature of mind and matter,

          From the known, the Yogi jumps to the unknown and realizes that Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta nature is inherent in every mind and matter, without exception.

          When the Yogi has such realizations, he must not allow them to recur more than once or twice. And he must concentrate on his set of 4 rising, sitting, falling, touching.

          4. While he is concentrating on his set of 4, his awareness improves. Before he reaches this stage, while he was inhaling, he was aware of only one rising of the abdomen. Now because of his improved awareness, he becomes aware of several stages of rising. In the past, while he was exhaling, he was aware of only one falling of the abdomen. Now he becomes aware of several stages of falling. In the case of other bodily movements also, such as bending, stretching, sitting, standing, lying etc., he becomes aware of many more stages of movements.

          Throughout his body also, he becomes aware, in quick succession, of almost all the twitchings, which he was not aware before. Some Yogi's become aware, in quick succession, of extremely alight ichings and pain throughout his body.

          During such an extremely quick succession of awareness, it will not be possible for the Yogi to say something appropriate as a confirmation of his awareness. So whenever an Arammanas appears, he should only try to be aware, without saying anything. However, there are some Yogis who feel that their concentration becomes weak, if they do not say something appropriate. In their case, they amy say something as usual. But since, Arammanas appear in extremely quick succession, they should not make any special effort to say something for every Arammana. If they do so, they will get exhausted. Therefore, they should say something as far as they can without making any special effort. Even if they fail to make verbal confirmations for four or five Arammanas at a time, it does not matter. So long as they are aware of these Arammanas, they are quite correct.

          At this stage, Samadhi is in a very fine state. Whenever there is an Arammana, it appears as if awareness is rushing straight into it. Sometimes it also appears as if the Arammana itself is directly falting on the awareness. The Yogi's awareness is not vague. He can vividly distinguish one Arammana from the other. Because of this powerful Samadhi, if only he follows the Arammana, as each appears, he can be aware of all the Arammana, as they come and go, although the speed with which they come and go is incredibly swift,

          At this stage, he may have a spontaneous thought, that there is nothing more to be aware of, since he is aware of all matters and minds coming and going in the form of Arammana, in extremely quick succession. This thought will fill him with thrills and he will say "Thrilling, thrilling'' till thrills disappear.

          Because of this improved Samadhi, the Yogi will suddenly feel as if the atmosphere around him becomes illumined. In whichever direction he may look, he feels as if he sees some pleasant lights.

          Because of his steadfast awareness, that he may get Piti. It is a kind of ecstasy, which a Yogi usually gets when his Samadhi becomes strong. Because of this ecstasy, pleasant tremors pass through different parts of his body. This ecstasy may cause tears to roll down the eyes. The Yogi' may feel as if he is riding a merry-go-round.

          He may also get Passaddhi. It is a state, in which the body as well as the mind become completely devoid of tension and discomfort. Because of this Passaddhi, he feels very pleasant and comfortable, while he is either sitting or standing or walking or lying. He may also get Sahuta. It is a state in which he becomes very much lightened and mimble. In this state, the Yogi can sit and practise Bhavana for a long time at a stretch, without getting tired. His awareness also remains as good as ever. Throughout that long stretch, he is free from such unpleasant fellings as, aching, paining, having burning sensation, feeling tired and so on. in that state, he is sometimes visited by virtuous thoughts, such as, to refrain from committing sins, to help others, to make a vow to practise Bhavana regularly throughout his..life and so on.

          He may also get Saddha. It is undiluted faith in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Because of this faith, he may have feelings of exultation. It may last a long time. During that moment, some Yogis exclaim exultantly, " Oh Buddha, it is true that you are omniscient. It is true there is nothing besides mind and matter. It is true that all mind and matter are impermanent; impermanence can cause only sufferings: mind and matter are impervious to any agency, other than Law of Nature, to which they are subject." After such exclamations, they get intellectual satisfaction.

         At this stage, the Yogi may have a great surge of desires to meet his friends and to explain to them his experiences, or to bring them to the centre to practise Bhavana. Because of strong Samadhi, he feels as if his awareness is automatic, without any effort on his part. Before he reaches that stage, he sometimes felt bored. But when he reaches this stage, boredom is conspicuous by its absence. He is aware that he becomes genuinely interested in the Bhavana.

          Here the Yogi must be given a note of warning. The strange but pleasant lights he sees around him, the feelings of exultation he has, the wonder which his surprisingly steadfast awareness has caused in him, may consoire and lend him astray from the Bhavana. At the Bhavana centre, there were many cases if Yogis, who has become victims of this conspiracy. Some wept bitterly when they found that together with Samadhi, the light, the feelings of exultation and the steadfast awareness, in which they had taken keen delight, had disappeared.

          Therefore, when the Yogi sees the lights or when he has feelings of exultation or when he is wondering at the steadfast awareness, he must be aware that these are dangerous conspirators. He must not allow himself to hanker after them. As usual, he must say seeing, seeing" or exulting, exulting or wondering, wondering or some other appropriate things, till there conspirators disappear. In the beginning, the Yogi might find it difficult to combat these conspirators, since he himself is very fond of them. But with perseverance and knowledge of the evil consequences, he will triumph over them.

          In certain cases, the light may be quite strong. It might not disappear. In such cases, the Yogis should ignore it entirely and concentrate on other Arammana as each appears on the sense organs. If they have even a slight desire to know whether there is light around, they will see the light. So the Yogi must ignore it completely.

          It will be very helpful, if the Yogi can concentrate, for a few moments, on the disadvantages of hankering after conspirators, such as, pleasant lights, pleasant feelings, bewildered emotions for his steadfast awareness and the advantages of concentrating on the Arammanas, as each appears on the sense organs. He should also warn himself sternly that lights etc. will lead him astray and that only constant awareness of Arammanas will lead him on to Magga and Phala. And then, let him concentrate as usual, on the Arammanas, as each appears.

         While he is thus concentrating on the Arammanas, as each appears, he will clearly perceive the sudden appearance and disappearance of each Arammana. Every time he is aware of the sudden appearance and disappearance of each Arammana, he gets a spontaneous realization that the Arammana that appears, passes away on the spot where it appears. He may also get the realization in every movement, the preceding stage of the movement is entirely independent of the following stage or the preceding stage dies before the following stage begins. Therefore he becomes perfectly satisfied that mind and matter are not permanent. Sometimes, he gets intellectual satisfaction from the knowledge that impermanence can cause only suffering. Sometimes, the realization that there is neither atta nor soul, gives him immense pleasure.

         After a little while, this kind of intellectual satisfaction may lead the Yogi to think that he has known all and that there is nothing more to know about mind and matter. And as a result of this kind of thinking, he may suspend his Bhavana, every now and then. It is wrong to do so. He has not yet come to the end of the journey. He has a long way to go. Therefore he must work harder, without interruption.

          5. When Samadhi grows stronger, the Yogi clearly sees only the end of the Arammanas, without seeing clearly their beginning. When the Yogi sees like this, he thinks that Arammanas are disappearing faster than before. In fact, Arammanas are not disappearing faster than before. But, because of his better Samadhi, he sees more. The explanation is as follows.

          In the past, while he was concentrating on rising of the abdomen, he was aware of the rising only. But now, while he is concentrating on the rising, he is aware not only of the disappearance of the rising, but also of the disappearance of the mind that is aware of the disappearance of the rising. He clearly perceives the disappearance of both the rising and the mind that is aware, the latter following the former in quick succession. Also in the case of other Arammanas, such as, falling, sitting, standing, bending, stretching, aching, inching, scratching and so on, he perceives clearly the disappearance of the Arammanas as well as the mind that is aware.

Some Yogis, whose Samadhi is particularly good, can go up to the 3rd step.

1st Step

The 1st mind is aware of the disappearance of the Arammana.

2nd Step

The 2nd mind is aware of the disappearance of the 1st mind.

3rd Step

The 3rd mind is aware of the disappearance of the 2nd mind.

          However, if a Yogi can go up to the 2nd step, it is quite enough. When this kind of awareness becomes constant, the Yogi's perception of Arammanas becomes radically changed. Whatever he may see, he does not see the form. He sees only the disintegration that is taking place. For example, when he sees a person, he does not see the head, body, hands, legs etc. He sees only something that is disintegrating.

          When he hears a sound, he only hears the sound. He does not know what sound it is. Moreover, before he reaches this stage of Bhavana, when he heard a sound, it appeared to be continuous. But, at the present stage, the sound is not continuous. It is broken up into small batches. He is clearly aware of the disappearance of each batch.

         Also in the case of other Arammanas, such as, smell, taste and touch, he has similar experiences.

          Therefore, in the beginning of this stage, some Yogis think that something is wrong with their awareness or health or sense organs. It is wrong to think like this. The explanation of these strange experiences will be as follows.

         When a person has no Samadhi, whenever he sees a sight, he sees only the elusion. He never sees the reality. Also in the case of other Arammanas, such as, sound, smell, taste, touch, what he hears, what he smells, what he tastes, what he feels from the touch, are illusions. They are not realities.

         In the introduction, under Vithi mind, it has been mentioned that out of 14 minds in a Vithi, only the second mind comes into contact with the Arammana. The rest are thoughts and Javana. They always conspire together to create illusions. Therefore, a person, without Samadhi, never has a chance of coming into contact with the reality of mind and matter.

         However, when he has sufficient Samadhi, the thoughts and Javana that always stand between him and the realities, have no chance to appear. Therefore he sees the realities. Only when he suspends his awareness, the illusions will re-appear So long as he has constant awareness, the illusions will have no chance to re-appear.

          Moreover, even though the awareness of the Yogi' is constant and is taking place in quick succession, whenever Arammanas appear, he may feel that there is a gap between one awareness and the other. It is good for him to feel like that because it is a sign that there is an improvement in his Samadhi.

         In the introduction, under Vithi and Bhavanga minds, it has been mentioned that the life of matter is equivalent to 17 consecutive minds: that as soon as an Arammana, which is matter, expires, the mind drops back to its old Arammana; that only when the next Arammana appears, it jumps forth to the new Arammana and that, therefore, there is a gap between one awareness and the other. A person, without Samadhi, can never be aware of this gap. It is so extremely delicate that even persons with weak Samadhi can not be aware of this gap.

         Sometimes, at this stage, awkward incidents can take place. For instance, as soon as there is desire to bend his hand, the Yogi is aware of this desire. And since the mental stimuli is broken up by the awareness, the Yogi finds himself unable to bend his hand for a moment. Also in other movements, he finds similar experiences. This is a good sign. It shows that his Samadhi is improving. When the Yogi reaches such a stage, he should give up his usual set of four. He should concentrate on the Arammana, as each appears on the sense organs. Only when he becomes tired, or when some powerful distractions disturb his awareness, he should revert to his usual set of four. And as soon as he regains his steadfast awareness, he should abandon his usual set of 4 and concentrate on Arammana as each appears on his sense organs.

         6. After he has constantly seen the disappearance, in quick succession, of Arammana and the minds that are aware of such disappearances he has a spontaneous realisation that, in the past, mind and matter, would have been impermanent, as they are at present and that they will be impermanent in the future also. The Yogi must be aware of this realisation and say "realising, realising" till it disappears.

          Moreover, in between the awareness of Arammana, the Yogi becomes aware of a certain feeling of dread in him. It is not like the feeling of dread one usually has when he encounters a dreadful animal or apparition or object. It is a feeling of dread born out of the deep knowledge of the impermanence of mind and matter. He must be aware of it and say 'dreadful, dreadful,' whenever it appears.

          This feeling of dread pervades all his thoughts. For instance, he thinks of rebirth. And there is this feeling of dread for it. Because he sees it as a source from which the continuous process of impermanence will spring. He thinks of life. And there is this feeling of dread for it. Because he sees it as nothing but the continuous process of impermanence. He thinks of illusions, which beings encounter every moment of their life. There is this feeling of dread. Because he sees them as sources where all mental defilements are bred.

         Whenever he has such realisations, he must be aware and say "realizing, realising till these realisations disappear.

         Because of this pervasive feeling of dread, the Yogi will become very much depressed. The Yogi should not get disappointed on account of these dread and depression. It is a good sign to have dread and depression, at this stage. It shows that the Yogi is on the right track of Bhavana.

         However, he must not allow his thoughts to dwell at great length on the dreadful nature of impermanent mind and matter. If he thinks of it too much, his Samadhi may become weak and his dread will cease to be one born out of awareness. It may change into a sort of dread born out of ordinary thinking. In the case of the feeling of dread, which is born out of awareness of impermanent mind and matter, the Yogi' does not find it unbearable. But when it is born out of ordinary thanking, he will find it unbearable. He will sweat. He will be trembling. He may even find himself in a rage. Therefore, if realisations recur more than once or twice, he must, as usual, say "recurring, recurring" till they disappear. Then he must concentrate on Arammanas, as each falls on sense organs.

         7. The previous state, this stage and the following stage are one and the same. One differs from the other only in degree, not in kind.

         When the Yogi reaches this stage, he becomes aware of the impermanence of the Arammana as well as the mind that is aware of the Arammana, more clearly than in the previous stage. Therefore his abhorrence of mind and matter grows. Now and then he will blame impermanent mind and matter as bad, useless, dangerous: he blames rebirths as being the source which produces sufferings, such as old age, disease, death, worries extreme miseries due to separation from dear ones and so on; he blames illusions that hide the reality from being seen; he blames all attempts to cling to life, that is impermanent and so on. Every time he blames, he will be aware of it and say blaming, blaming.'

          At this stage, he will feel as if his whole body is very rapidly disintegrating. Some Yogi feel as if their bodies become very rapidly decomposed and rotten.

          8. The Bhavana requires every Yogi to be aware of Arammanas, as each appears on the sense organs. Arammanas are nothing but matter and mind. Therefore, when the Yogi reaches this stage of Bhavana, because of his abhorrence of mind and matter, his enthusiasm for Bhavana wanes. He feels like giving up Bhavana in order to get rid of the awareness of mind and matter, which he abhors. However, he finds himself unable to give it up. Because of his strong Samadhi, Bhavana appears to become automatic. Without much effort on his part, he is aware of every Arammana that appears on his sense organs. At that stage, he is very much like a man in the story. The man has to pass through a certain road, which is fully covered with dirt, mud and excreta. He loathes to set his feet on the road. However, since he has a very urgent business to attend to, at the other end of the road, he has to go in spite of his disgust. Therefore even though he hates to be aware of mind and matter, he has to carry on Bhavana, since the road towards the complete annihilation of mind and mater, lies through Bhavana.

          Before Bhavana or even in the beginning of it, when the Yogi thought of affluent and powerful persons, Devas and Brahmas, he felt very much attracted by them. However, when he reaches this stage of Bhavana, the thought of them fills him with abhorrence, since he sees only the reality, that is, the rapid disintegration, without seeing illusions, such as forms, radiance, charm, beauty etc.

         9. When he reaches this stage, because of his strong abhorrence of mind and matter, he clearly feels as if a strong impulse is driving him away from the awareness of mind and matter. He begins to feel that it will be ideal if there are no Arammanas, no sense organs and no mind since they are the causes of suffering: that it will be ideal, if he can escape from these causes of suffering; it will be ideal if he can reach that place where such causes are totally absent.

          The Yogi should not miss these thoughts. But do not let them recur more than once or twice. If these recur more than twice, say "recurring, recurring" till they disappear.

          10. Some Yogi's think that it will be better to suspend their practice of Bhavana since they are aware only of the most depressing and unpleasant things. If a Yogi has such thoughts, he should say "thinking, thinking" till these disappear. However, some Yogis find it difficult to get rid of these thoughts. So after some efforts, they run away from the centre. But, to their amazement, they find that they can not get rid of Bhavana. Even at home, they are aware of every Arammana, that falls on any one of their sense organs. Therefore, after some time, they come back to the centre to continue their practice of Bhavana.

         When a Yogi reaches this stage, and experienced instructor knows it well. The experienced instructor knows also that due to the Yogi's abhorrence of mind and matter, his enthusiasm for Bhavana is waning. Therefore the instructor, during his daily contacts with the Yogi, always emphasizes on the importance of being aware of Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta, since only through this awareness, he can gain Magga and Phala. Acting on this advice, the Yogi works harder.

          However, some Yogis do not need any promptings from the instructor. By themselves, they get realisations to that effect

         At this stage of Bhavana, some Yogis may get unbearable pain. Please do not worry about it. Concentrate on it and say "paining, paining" till it disappears.

         At this stage of Bhavana, he feels as if something is wrong with his awareness. Even though his awareness synchronizes with every Arammana, that appears on one of his sense organs, he feels that sometimes awareness is faster, sometimes it is slower. This kind of feeling is quite natural at this stage. It takes place because of Yogi's eagerness to know more about Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta nature of mind and matter.

          Because of this eagerness, the Yogi becomes somewhat restless. Thinking that he can concentrate better in a different position, he frequently changes from sitting to standing, from standing to lying, from lying to walking, from walking to sitting and so on. He moves his hands and legs frequently. He frequently moves from one place to another.

          The Yogi should not get disappointed. He is on the right path. Whenever he feels restless, he should say ''restless, restless'' till feelings of restlessness disappear. He will certainly get settled down in due course.

         11. When the Yogi reaches this stage, his awareness becomes clearer. He ..feels as if he is aware of even the very insignificant Arammanas, without any effort on his part. Most of his awareness are followed by realisations of either Anicca or Dukkha or Anatta nature of mind and matter. While he is concentrating on Arammanas, as each falls on his sense organs, he feels as if his whole body has disappeared. Only that particular spot of which he is aware for the time being, remains.

          Sometimes, Arammanas, such as, aching, paining, itching, burning sensation, cold sensation, pleasant sensation, unpleasant sensation etc., occur in very rapid succession. In spite of the rapidity with which each Arammana occurs throughout his body, his awareness is quite able to cope with this emergency.

          Sometimes he feels as if he is being lifted up into the air.

          Sometimes he feels as if his whole body is being gently touched with delicate pieces of cotton or velvet.

         Sometimes very few Arammanas appear and he is very calmly aware of them, as Sometimes all the Arammanas disappear together with his body from his awareness. And the Yogi is aware of only his mind coming into being and disappearing.

          Sometimes, because of Piti, he feels as if some very delicate showers are being sprinkled inside his body. He also feels his mind and body are entirely devoid of tension and discomfort. He also feels as if he sees the kind of light, which one sees in the sky when it is cloudless. He must be aware of all of these experiences and as usual, say something appropriate, in order to drive them away from his awareness. Under no circumstances, should these be allowed to interfere with his awareness.

          At this stage, however, the Yogi does not get unusually excited because of these new experiences. He feels pleasant. That is all. When he has such pleasant feelings, do not forget to say, "feeling pleasant, feeling pleasant." If the new experiences and pleasant feelings do not disappear, in spite of your best efforts, ignore them.

          During that stage, the Yogi has a very clear realisation to the effect, that Arammanas and minds, that are aware of Arammanas, are neither atta nor atman nor soul; that they do not belong to any one; that they are taking place in accordance with Laws of Nature; that when there are arrow and awareness, it is one Law of Nature that is aware of another law of nature.

         He finds long series of awareness extremely interesting, even relishing. Even after a very long practice, for example, two or three hours at a stretch, he does not feel tired or bored. He still wants to carry on. Unpleasant feelings, such as itches, pains, aches, numbness etc. seem to have totally disappeared, during that stage. Sometimes, he thinks he has sat on a chair only for a few minutes. But when he looks at his watch, he finds that he has sat there for more than 3 hours, with the hands legs and body in the same places as they were, when he sat down for the practice.

         Sometimes while he is concentrating, the speed of awareness becomes visibly very much accelerated. The Yogi, not knowing what it means, might feel a little worried. He will say "being worried, being worried" till worries disappear. Some Yogis think that their awareness has improved. Then they should say "thinking, thinking." Some expect that they are going to get Magga and Phala. Then they should say "expecting, expecting." Some are delighted with their improved awareness. Then they should say "getting delighted, getting delighted." After that, the Yogi should carry on his concentration as usual.

         Some Yogis miss to be aware of worries, expectations, thoughts, delights etc. These cause their minds to wander from their concentration. Therefore their awareness becomes weaker.

          Some Yogis, hoping that they are close to Magga and Phala, make special efforts. These special efforts very much interfere with their awareness. Therefore it becomes weaker.

          At this stage of Bhavana, steadfast awareness is extremely essential. So the Yogi must not allow worries, thoughts, expectations, delights, to distract his mind. The Yogi must neither make special effort nor relax. Just carry on as usual.

          It will be very helpful if he can concentrate on Arammanas, as each falls on any one of his sense organs. He can not do so, when his Samadhi becomes extremely good. During good Samadhi, the mind has the tendency to rest on a particular Arammana for a long time. Therefore while it can flit about, the Yogi' should take fullest advantage and concentrate on all Arammanas as each falls on any one of the sense organs. It will be very helpful in pushing him towards Magga and Phala.

         However, when Yogi's reach this stage, they are liable to falter because of false steps they have taken. It happens as follows.

          While the Yogi is concentrating on either his usual set for 4 or Arammanas, as each falls on any one of his sense organs, his awareness will become steadfast again. When it becomes steadfast, he will be able to concentrate on the Arammanas without much effort. He is clearly aware of the disappearance of Arammanas, one after another, in quick succession. At that stage, the Yogi' can, under on circumstances, think of anything that can give rise to mental defilements. While he is concentrating, his mind comes into contact with all kinds of Arammanas, good as well as bad, pleasant as well as unpleasant, lovely as well as hateful, tasteful as well as tasteless and so on. However, the Yogi is not aware whether the Arammana are good or bad pleasant or unpleasant, lovely or hateful, tasteful or tasteless and so on. He is only aware that it is an Arammana. That is all. He is indifferent to all Arammanas, as each falls on his sense organs. At this stage, the mental state of the Yogi is exactly like that of the Arahat, who becomes completely devoid of all mental defilements after he has acquired 4th and final Magga and Phala.

          At this stage, since the Yogi is so much indifferent, that no thoughts whatsoever appear in his mind. He is just aware of Arammanas each fells on any one of his sense organs.

          However, if his Nana or insight does not acquire sufficient strength to enable him to proceed to Magga and Phala, his awareness will become weak after some hours. Then thoughts and reasonings will reappear.

          Sometimes, when his awareness becomes accelerated because of very strong Samadhi, all kinds of expectations such as, "Oh I am quite close to Magga and Phala" or "I am going to get Magga and Phala soon" "I have now reached the stage, whence I can jump to Magga and Phala" or "How will I feel when I get Magga and Phala" or "Will my feelings be the same as those mentioned in the book" and so on, may appear. He may also feel overjoyed. On account of these distractions, his Samadhi becomes weaker.

          The Yogi must make it a point to be aware of these distractions as soon as they appear and say something appropriate, as confirmations of his awareness.

          When the Yogi concentrates either on his set of 4 or on Arammanas, as each appears on any one of his sense organs, his Samadhi becomes strong again. However, if his Nana or insight does not get sufficient strength, distractions again set in after some hours.

          In this way, some Yogis falter many times. Among those Yogis, the persons with an advance knowledge of experiences are the majority. Therefore, if a person has the intention of practising Bhavana under the guidance of an experienced instructor, he should not have an advance knowledge.

          When the Yogi reaches this stage, he is quite close to Magga and Phala. Therefore, without getting disappointed, he should carry on with faith and diligence. When his awareness becomes accelerated, he must be very much alert, because it is quite essential to keep himself strictly to the path of awareness. It is a sign that he is approaching Magga and Phala. Therefore, under no circumstances should he allow the distractions, such as, expectations, joys, worries etc. to damage his Samadhi. There are, in fact, the great enemies of Samadhi.

         12. As soon as the preceding Nana or insight reaches the highest point this 12th Nana or insight transforms mind to become qualified to enter threshold of an entirely different Arammana.

         13. This 13th Nana or insight pushes mind across the threshold.

          In the introduction of this book, it has been mentioned that a mind must always have an Arammana. If it is a Bhavana mind, it must rest on the old Arammana. If it is a Vithi mind, it must rest on a "new" Arammana. Mind can never exist without an Arammana.

         In the infinite past, Bhavanga minds has rested on the "old" Arammanas and Vithi minds had rested on one or the other of the new Arammana, namely, sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought. In the present and in the future also, Bhavanga minds and Vithi minds are and will be resting on Arammana in the same way.

          However, when a Yogi's mind crosses the threshold of that entirely different Arammana, for the time throughout infinite rebirths, it leaves behind these Arammanas and rest on an entirely different Arammana, which is neither mind nor matter. The Buddha calls it Nibbana (Nirvana), which means complete annihilation of mind and matter. The writer regrets that he can not explain in further than this. In order to know it, one must realize it.

         14 and 15. When the Yogi reaches these two stages, the mind is resting on Nibbana. Therefore he gets the realization of true nature of Nibbana

         When the Yogis relate their experiences to the instructor,

         1. Some say "Arammanas and awareness suddenly disappeared, as if they were cut off."

         2. Some say "Just as a twig was cut off from the tree, Arammanas and awareness were suddenly cut off."

         3. Some say "Just as a very heavy load was pushed off our heads, we felt suddenly relieved of Arammanas and awareness.

         4. Some say 'Just as something has dropped from our hands, we felt Arammanas and awareness have suddenly dropped.'

         5. Some say "We were suddenly released from Arammanas and awareness, as if we were released from confinement."

         6. Some say "Just as a tiny flame expires, Arammanas and awareness expire suddenly."

         7. Some say "We were suddenly pushed away from Arammanas and awareness, as if we were pushed away from darkness into light."

         8. Some say "We jumped out of Arammanas and awareness, as if we jumped out of the rubbish heap to the clear ground."

         9. Some say "Arammanas and awareness sank as if a heavy stone sank into water."

         10. Some say "Aramman as and awareness stopped, just like a running man who stopped suddenly when he was pushed from the front."

          The duration of the total disappearance of Arammanas and awareness is not a long one. It is as long as Yogi's awareness of an Arammana. However, since it is a phenomenal occurrence, it makes a very strong impact on the Yogis. So they recall their experience and some exclaim" It is an extraordinary experience." Some guess that it must be Magga and Phala. Some people, who have some knowledge of Buddhism, know that total cessation of Arammana and awareness means Nibbana. They also know that they were aware of that total cessation of Arammana and awareness, because they have got Magga and Phala.

          This extraordinary experience makes the Yogi so pleasantly excited that he can not carry on his Bhavana for some time. Just after this experience, his mind slips back from the highest to the 4th stage.

         Even though the instructor is of the opinion that the Yogi' has got Magga and Phala, he does not say anything about it. He simply asks the Yogi to carry on with the Bhavana in order to regain the latest experience of his.

          Every fortnight, the presiding monk of the centre gives a long discourse. The Yogis, who, in the opinion of the instructor, have got Magga and Phala, are sent to listen to that long discourse.

          The discourse takes about 3 hours. In some centres, it is tape recorded and played to the Yogis. During the discourse, the presiding monk mentions, in great detail, all the salient points of Nana or Insight. He deals with all the stages, from the first to the last. He mentions the names of these stages. The discourse is based on his own personal experiences, and experiences of some Yogis. He frequently quotes extracts from the original teachings of the Buddha and the commentaries, to support these experiences. He dwells at some length on extraordinary experiences, a Yogi will have, on acquiring Magga and Phala.

          While listening to the discourse, the Yogi compares his experiences with the facts mentioned in the discourse and decides for himself whether he has actually gone through the stages up to Magga and Phala.

          At the centre, neither the instructor nor the presiding monk will pronounce who has got and who has not got Magga and Phala, just like the educational authorities, who declare the results after the examinations. It is not their work. Only the Buddha could make such a pronouncement. So the instructors and the presiding monk only do what they can and should—i.e, to give a detailed account of Nana or insight for the Yogis to compare with their experiences. After comparing, they decide for themselves whether they have actually gone through all the stages of Nana or insight, including Magga and Phala.

          In the long discourse, the presiding monk will mention a Sermon given by the Buddha. It is called Dhamma Dasa Sutta. It is briefly as follows.

          When some of their relatives died, many persons would come to the Buddha and requested Him to say whether their deceased relatives had got Magga and Phala. When the number of such persons grew, the Buddha said one day that He would give them an infallible formula by which any body could easily find out for himself of herself whether he or she had gained Sotapatti Magga and Phala. The Buddha then said that a person who had got Sotapatti Magga and Phala had two essential qualities.

         1. He was fully and permanently purged of doubts about Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.

          2. He was fully and permanently purged of all mental defilements that could make him kill, steal, commit adultery, lie and take intoxicants.

          These are also the two Yard-sticks by means of which the Yogis can find out whether they have genuinely got Sotapatti Magga and Phala.

Steps to regain Phala

          Here at this stage, the writer wants to re-iterate some facts in order to refresh the reader's memory.

         There are four kinds of Magga and Phala. They are as follows:

1. Sotapatti Magga and Phala.
2. Sakadagami Magga and Phala.
3. Anagami Magga and Phala.
4. Arahatta Magga and Phala.

          A person, who gets the 1st is called Sotapanna: a person who gets the 2nd is called Sakadagami; a person, who gets the 3rd, is called Anagami: a person who gets the 4th is called Arahatta.

          The Sotapanna can get Sotapatti Magga only once. But he can get Sotapatti Phala, as many times as he likes, so long as he has Samadhi. The same rule applies in the cases of the remaining three. Let us see how a Sotapanna can get Sotapatti Phala, as many times as he likes.

          A person, who has never got any of Magga and Phala, is called Puthujjana. A person, who has got any of Magga and Phala, is called Ariya.

          If a Puthujjana wants to get Phala, he starts from the 1st stage.

          If an Ariya wants to regain Phala, which he had already got, he starts from the 4th stage. In order to regain Phala, he does not need to do any other thing. He should do just as he has done to get Magga and Phala. Through awareness, his insight will proceed from one stage to another till he gets Phala.

          A Puthujjana will take many days to get Magga and Phala. An Ariya will take a few minutes to regain his Phala, provided that he can still retain his Samadhi.

         When he got Magga and Phala for the first time, the duration of Magga and Phala was very short. To be accurate, the duration in most cases will be equal to that of 3 consecutive minds—One mind for Magga and two minds for Phala. In the case of specially gifted persons, the duration will be equal to that of four consecutive minds—one mind for Magga and three minds for Phala.

          However, the Phala which he regains, can be many time longer than the 1st. In some cases, it lasts from at least five minutes to three or four hours. It depends upon his Samadhi and the wish, which he expresses before he starts the Bhavana to regain Phala. The wish is a simple one. He says, for example, "May my Phala last five minutes," if he wants it to last five minutes.

          The writer had seen a monk. His Samadhi was good. He expressed the wish for his Phala to last 6 days. Groups were formed to watch him without any break. His wish was fulfilled. In the case of such a very long Phala, Samadhi of the Yogi may become a little weaker after six or seven hours and mental wanderings may take place. However, these do not last long. He is aware of them before they go too far and after he has said "thinking, thinking" or wandering, wandering" as a confirmation of his awareness, they disappear. He regains his Phala in less than a minute.

Phala

          What happens to the Yogi, when he is in a state of Phala?

         When he is in a state of Phala. his mind leaves every other Arammana and rests on an Arammana called Nibbana, which is neither mind nor matter. He is not aware of any other Arammanas, such as, sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought.

          If he enters the state of Phala, while he is sitting, he sits like a statue. If he enters the state of Phala, while he is standing, he stands like a statue. As soon as the state of Phala comes to an end, the Yogi becomes aware of one of the six Arammanas.

          While the Yogis practising Bhavana, to regain Phala, he must strictly observe all the rules, which he has been instructed to observe while he is practising for Magga and Phala. The most important is the rule to refrain from having expectations, joys, excitements etc., when he is approaching Phala. If, by chance, he has them, he must drive them out quickly by being aware of them and by saying "excepting or getting excited" or some other appropriate words, as confirmations of his awareness.

          Some persons whose Samadhi and insight are not strong enough, may be slow in regaining Phala. Even if they regain it, it may not last long.

Checking the Insights.

          Many Yogis leave the centre, just after they have listened to the long discourse. However, it will be beneficial if Yogis can spend a few more days, to check the different Nana or insight, which they had got. They can do that easily, while their Samadhi is still very good. A few hours after they have gone home, Samadhi will disappear and it will be difficult for them to do if. If they want to check their Nana or insight, they do as follows.

         1. They must express the wish to regain a certain Nana or insight for some length of time.

          2. They practise awareness in the same way as they had done before.

          Let us say, for example, the Yogi wants to regain the 4th Nana or insight for half an hour. Then he says two or three times "Let me regain the 4th Nana or insight for half an hour." After this, he practises awareness. As soon as if becomes steadfast, he regains the 4th Nana. After half an hour, his mind goes up to the fifth Nana.

         In-this way, with the exception of the lst 2nd, and 3rd Nana or insight, he should check every one of Nana or insight which he has gained.

         The names of Nana or insight will be mentioned in the next chapter. When the Yogi expresses his wish to regain Nana or insight, he should use these names.

          After this checking, the Yogi should practise Bhavana to regain Phala several times. He can do it only when his Samadhi is good. A few hours after he has gone home, it will certainly disappear. It may take some time, before he regains his Samadhi, through practice of Bhavana. If he can let his fellow Yogis see him in a state of Phala frequently, it will certainly inspire them.

How to get remaining Magga and Phala.

          There is only one way up to the 4th and final Magga. This way is no other than the way of awareness. The only important point to note is to express a wish three or four times before the Yogi advances to the higher Magga and Phala.

          Let us say a Sotapanna wants to advance to the 2nd Magga and Phala. He has decided to spend two months for it. In that case, he will say as follows, before he starts his Bhavana. Within two months from today, I do not want to regain Phala, which I had already got. Therefore let me not regain that Phala during that time. Let me get only the higher Magga and Phala, namely, Sakadagami Magga and Phala."

          If he does not express this wish, it is possible that he frequently regains Phala, which he had already got, without advancing to the second Magga and Phala.

          If he does not mention time limit in his wish, he may have a disappointment in this way. At the end of two months, let us say that he does not get the 2nd Magga and Phala. He then discontinues his Bhavana for the 2nd Magga and Phala. However, when he tries to regain his old Phala, he may not get it. Therefore time-limit is quite essential in expressing the wish, so that he regains it after two months.

         If the Yogi wants to proceed from the 2nd to the third and from the 3rd to the 4th and final Magga and Phala, he must take the two steps mentioned above. They are:- 1) to express the wish and 2) to practise awareness.

         At this point it must be said categorically that not all the Yogis can expect to get Magga and Phala. In Buddhism, Kamma is very important. Those who had not properly practised Vipassana Bhavana in some of their previous existences will find it hard to get Magga and Phala.

          However, this should not deter the people from practising Vipassana Bhavana. Because there is this inevitable question. Who knows whether he had practised Vipassana Bhavana or not in some of his previous existences?

          If a person practises Vipassana Bhavana, during this lifetime, even if he does not get Magga and Phala, he will not get sin, because, during Bhavana, his body, mouth and mind are properly controlled from having bad deeds, words and thoughts.

         Moreover, he will get Kusala kamma which will enable him to get Magga and Phala in the life hereafter. Anyhow, if a Yogi is genuine and practises seriously, he will at least get some positive proofs of the correctness of the Vipassana Bhavana.

Ten Ropes and How they are broken

          In the introduction to this book, ten mental defilements or Ten Ropes, which bind beings to endless rebirths have been mentioned. However, in order to refresh the reader's memory, something about them will be very briefly mentioned here.

1. Sotapatti Magga breaks up the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ropes.
2. Sakadagami Magga does not break any ropes. But it weakens the remaining ropes.
3. Anagami Magga breaks up the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th, ropes.
4. Arahatta Magga breaks up the 8th, 9th and 10th ropes.

Transformation.

          In the cases of good or fair people, transformation can not be seen clearly as a result of the breaking up of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ropes. However, in the case of very bad persons, transformation is very conspicuous.

          About 20 years ago, when the writer and friends first founded Than-tha-na Yeik Thar, the Bhavana centre in Rangoon, some instructors told the writer about the transformation of certain bad persons. After they had acquired Magga and Phala, the drunkards gave up drinking, the robbers gave up their weapons, the adulterers and the adulteresses gave up their bad habits, all of them changed their ways completely. Therefore, the writer sent for one of his friends, who was an extremely bad man. He killed, robbed, committed adultery, lied, drank heavily. During the Second World War, when the British evacuated from Burma, he was in charge of preservation of peace in a certain area. He personally beheaded quite a lot of bad hats and suspected bad hats. He was really the terror of that area.

          After the war, he married a widow. He bullied her frequently. Sometimes his blows were so violent that her face became swollen beyond recognition. After some time, she had to devise a way to save herself. As soon as the bully growled or gave her a stern look, she had to jump out of the house and run away. One day, as she jumped, the bully caught hold of her skirt. She could not care for her modesty. Leaving the skirt in the bully's hand, she had to jump out of the house and run on the road half naked.

         The writer met this man and requested him to go to the Bhavana centre. He said he would not go, since it was not a suitable place for him. The writer told him that with all his sins, he would go to hell after death. He replied he was not afraid of hell. The writer kept him in his house for about 3 days. The writer invited some of their common friends to help him in coaxing the bully. At the end of the 3rd day, he agreed to go to the centre. However, after one or two days at the centre, he ran away because, as he told the writer later, his feelings to kill a roommate became irrepressible. The writer met him again after about 3 months. This time the writer gave him a special room. The writer visited him every day, just to see that he was there till the successful conclusion of the Bhavana. After about 20 days, his demeanour changed. The crooked look on his face became conspicuous by its absence. After a little more than a month, he got Magga and Phala.

          After he had heard the long discourse, he came to the writer and told him he wanted to bring his wife to the centre, She got Magga and Phala, after about 20 days. At present, the writer's friend is more than a good man and good husband.