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    eBUD

    DH A N E T ' S

    B O O K L IB R ARY

    E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.buddhanet.net

    Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.

    Ven. Sayadaw U Kundala

    Dhamma Discourses onVipassana Meditation

    Dhamma Discourses onVipassana Meditation

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    Dhamma Discourses

    Contents

    Biography Of The Saydaw U Kundalbhivamsa........................4

    Translators Note.......................................................................... 5

    1 The First Dhamma Talk.....................................................6! How A Yogi Can Enumerate The Benefits

    Of Vipassan Meditation............................................ 7! HowDukkha Vedan(Suffering) Is Dominant

    In The Early Stages Of Vipassan Meditation............ 8! Detailed Explanation Of Vedanupassan

    Satipatthna...............................................................11

    2 The Second Dhamma Talk ............................................. 20! Khanti (Patience).......................................................21!

    Nibbna (Enlightenment).......................................... 25! Sabba Ppaca Akarana Ducarita(Deeds Of Bad Conduct) .......................................... 33

    ! Kusalaca Upasampada Pu a-Kiriya Vatthuni(Items Of Meritorious Actions).................................. 37

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    3 The Third Dhamma Talk................................................. 39! The Day Of Aspiration.............................................. 40! The Day Of Birth......................................................42! The Day Of Enlightenment....................................... 43! The Day Of Parinibbna........................................... 45

    4 Cut The Chain Of Paticcasamuppda (The WheelOf Life) By Practising Vipassan Meditation..................60

    5 Instruction On Meditation For The Yogis........................67

    6 Sharing Of Merits............................................................83

    7 Blessing By The Saydaw............................................... 85

    8 Contemplation Before Meals........................................... 86

    9 Quick Reference From Pali To English Language........... 87

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    The Biography of the SaydawU Kundalbhivamsa

    The Saydaw was born in Waw Township, Myanmar in 1921.He became a samanera at the age of nine at Waw Monastery.He studied at various teaching monasteries, amongst which arethe famous Shwe-hintha Forest Monastery and the MaydhiniForest Monastery.

    He attained the title of Dhamma Lectureship in 1956, andanother title of Dhamma Lectureship in 1958. He had taughtBuddhist Scriptures to 200monks daily at Maydhini ForestMonastery for 20 years. After having meditated under thetutelage of the late Venerable Mahasi Saydaw for a year, hedecided to teach meditation. He started theSaddhammaransiMahsi Meditation Centrein 1978; It is now catering for 150

    yogis daily. The Saydaw is a prolific writer and has publishedseveral Dhamma books. He is one of the Chief AdvisorySanghas in the Main Mahsi Center, Yangon.

    He came to Singapore to undergo a cataract operation duringthe months of May andJune, 1992. He resided at the BuddhistOasis of the Singapore Buddha-Yana Organisation (SBYO),

    situated at 15, Jalan Belibas, Upper Thomson, Singapore.The book consists of three of his five dhamma talks given inSBYO during his stay.

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    Translators Not e

    When the Sayadaw came over to Singapore, we requested theSayadaw to give Dhamma talks at SBYO, and I had theprivilege of translating his talks from Myanmar to English forthe audience. Whenever I listen to the recorded tapes, theircontents overwhelm me. It is never enough for me and thesatisfaction I gain remains with each additional listening. Itherefore wish to share this Dhamma with all non-Myanmar-

    speaking friends who are seeking to progress in VipassanaMeditation.

    If anyone finds something amiss in this book, I apologise forthe lack of skill in my English translation of the Sayadawspreachings. If anyone gains some benefits out of this book, myforwardness in bringing out this book will be justified.

    Most Sayadaws of Myanmar believe that explanation of Dhamma infused with Pali words is good. The Pali language isthe most proficient in expressing the Buddhas Dhamma interms of absolute truth (paramattha sacca); whereas otherlanguages are more concerned with the sensual world(kamasukhallika). Also, if the yogi wishes to acquire the in-depth knowledge of the Dhamma, now is the chance for him toget familiar with Pali. That is why this book is flowing withPali words.

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    The First Dhamma Talk

    I shall talk on the subject of Vipassan Meditation in threeparts tonight:

    Part 1 How a yogi can enumerate the benefits of VipassanMeditation.

    Part 2 Howdukkha vedan(suffering) is dominant in theearly stages of Vipassan Meditation.

    Part 3 Detailed explanation of VedanupassanSatipatthna.

    !

    Dhamma talk given on the 27 th of April 1992, at the SBYOby the Saydaw U Kundalbhivamsa of SaddhammaransiMahasi Meditation Centre, Yangon, Myanmar .

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    expect to find well-being. Now, it is not turning out as I hadexpected. I have no control whatsoever upon the happenings of this body anatta.

    As the yogi listens and follows his teachers instructionsattentively and faithfully, the yogi will find a change in hisexperience. He overcomes the dukkha and tastes the oppositeexperience. It is the fourth Vipassanna Udayabbayana.4

    The body of the yogi becomes very soft, very light, verystrong and very well-behaved. The yogi, who had needed tochange his position a few times in his previousna, nowneeds no change of position at all. The mind, as well as thebody, is very well-behaved. Some yogis, who could sit throughone hour in the previousna stages, can now sit for two tothreehours.

    The conscious mind is doing its business of noting auto-matically. In the previousna stages, the yogi had to try veryhard to note the rising and falling inside the body. Now, theyogi reports to the teacher that he is just sitting to observe theautomatic notingkyika dukkha(bodily pain) as well ascetasika dukkha(mental suffering) are abundant in the lowerna stages. Now, the yogi haskyika sukkha(bodily comfort)as well ascetasika sukkha(mental bliss). The yogi enjoyspti(joy) andsukkha(comfort).

    The type of pti and sukkha that the yogi experiences at theUdayabbayana stage far exceeds in quality those of human

    4. The fourthna is the insight into the rising and passing awayof phenomena.

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    bliss; even better than those of the average celestial beings. Inthe Texts it is explained as follows:

    The yogi who goes to a quiet sanctuary, who manages tocultivate a tranquil mind, and who is mindful of the arisingand cessation of nma and rupa; the yogi who can finddanger in them; that yogi will enjoy the pleasures (pti andsukkha of vipassan) which exceed and are far better thanthose of human and of celestial beings.

    The yogi who reaches the Udayabbaya na can enjoy hismeditation. The teacher need not worry, nor encourage theyogi, as he is walking on the right path now. In accordancewith hisparamita (perfections), he is bound to reach Nibbna.This na is called the forerunner of Nibbna. Therefore allyogis should strive to reach thisna at the very least.

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    Some yogis say there are three points:

    1. the cessation of painful sensation,2. the cessation of consciousness, and3. the cessation of the noting mind.

    As the cessation comes so fast, the yogi is absorbed in thenoting only. To note each cessation is so important to the yogithat thedosa (unhappiness triggered by the pain) is discarded(or ignored) already. His meditation is on the smooth path bythen. One noting brings about one cessation. Vedan is notpermanent ved an anicca. Still, the yogi keeps on noticingthe rapid succession of the cessation of the phenomenon. Thisis suffering vedan dukkha. He has no control over thismatter. He cannot change the situation so as to ease himself abit vedan anatta (non-self). Here, the yogis noting hasover-ridden (overwhelmed) the vedan.

    2. Sukkha Vedan

    When the yogi is facing (experiencing) thesukkha vedan, it isso pleasing and so pleasant that he wants it to go on. This istermed in Pali asraga-nusaya kilesa(attachment towards thepleasant sensation). The yogi must be able to eradicate thedefilement caused by the sukkha vedan.

    Sukkha vedan can be experienced in the fourthna stage.The yogi has the following:

    ! The buoyancy of mental properties, bouyancy of thebody as well as of mind. By buoyancy, it is meant thatthe mental properties become light.

    ! The pliancy of mind and body.

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    ! The fitness to work of mind and body.

    ! The proficiency of mind and body.

    The yogi starts to enjoy one or a few of the five types of pti(pleasurable interest of mind). From the joyous state of mind,is borne theptija-rupa (pleasurable buoyancy of body). Thereariseslobha-tanh, craving for more. The yogi feels attachedto it. He expects and wishes to have sukkha vedan at allnotings. That israga-nusaya kilesa. When the yogi comesacross sukkha vedan, he has to note it so as to see it (sukkhavedan) as dukkha. Then only, lobha-tanh will be discarded.Otherwise, the yogis progress is going to be stationary for astretch of time.

    At the early stage of Udayabbaya, the yogi sees pleasantimages in his mind; such as monasteries, stupas, Buddhaimages, celestial beings, gardens, all sorts of happy scenes.These are some forms of sukkha vedan. As thena matures,the yogi understands the arising of the phenomenon and thepassing away (cessation) of the phenomenon. The beginningof the rising of the abdomen, as well as the ending of therising of the abdomen, is clear to him. The beginning of thefalling of the abdomen,as well as the ending of the falling of the abdomen, is clear. The middle part is not so clear to himanymore. Asna increases, the beginning of the rising of theabdomen as well as the cessation of the rising of the abdomenis clearer. The beginning of the falling of the abdomen as wellas the cessation of the falling of the abdomen is clearer. Lateron, he notices the successive arising and successive cessationsof the rising of the abdomen. He notices the successive arising

    and successive cessations of the falling of the abdomen. Bythen, his Vipassanna is very strong and powerful.

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    Whichever phenomenon the yogi notes, the phenomenonarises successively and then passes away successively. Thearising of the phenomenon as well as the passing away of it is

    very distinct to him.The yogi should note mindfully that, it is peaceful when henotices the experience of peacefulness of his body. If thepeaceful state of mind is more distinct, he must note it, too.Then the yogi will realize that as peacefulness of mind occurs,it ceases to exist at the immediate noting of it. Whatever the

    yogi notes, all phenomena cease to exist. It is so much and sofast. Buddha explained that, in the duration of one flick of aneyelash, there arises several trillions of consciousness. Someyogis may not be able to cope with occurrences individually,they must then try to be aware of (or know) roughly. To be ableto catch up with the stream of consciousness, the yogi finds itdukkha(suffering). This is the ripe stage of UdayabbayaVipassan na. He finds that sukkha vedan is in factdukkha. He manages to get rid himself of theRga-nusayakilesa.

    3. Upekkha Vedan

    The Pali word upekkha is translated as indifference. It is

    sometimes called asukkha-adukkha Vedan. The defilementattached to it ismoha (delusion). When the yogi reachesSankharupekka na, the yogi is able to detach himself or feelindifferent towards all sankharas (mental formations). In theSayadaws meditation centre, yogis reported that:

    ! The risingof the abdomen and the falling of the

    abdomen are happening by themselves.

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    On the other hand, if he does not cultivate khanti, the yogi maylose his patience and:

    a. Be hated by most people.b. Have many enemies.c. Be faulty in his actions.d. Have an unhappy state of mind.e. Reach the four suffering states after he passes away.

    Vipassan meditation

    By practising vipassan meditation, the yogi can face theoutside, as well as the inner sufferings. The yogi is instructedto be mindful of all feelings. The yogi will react tounfavourable feelings such as mosquito bites, by merelynoting, biting, biting, biting. When feeling the intense heat,the good yogi will note the warm sensation in his body. He

    notices the passing away of the warm sensation. The cessationof the warmth is of prime interest for the noting yogi. Heceases to react to the heat. When others are blaming him, he isnoting it as hearing, hearing, hearing. The yogi who reachesBhanga na will merely be aware of the passing away of onesingle vowel after another. The noting mind for that singlesound will perish, so also the conscious mind. The blaming

    words bring no meaning whatsoever to the mindful yogi. He isnoting as, and when, it occurs. When the yogi with eightprecepts feels hungry in the evenings, he notes his hunger.When he reaches Bhanga na, some of his minor physicalillnesses can be cured. As he notes, pain, pain, pain, thepain ceases to exist at the point of noting, so also the notingmind. One noting brings about one cessation. The perishable

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    Nibbna (Enlightenment )

    Nibbna is the most noble dhamma, the audience here isstriving to reach Nibbna. Some wonder whether it really isthere. Nibbna cannot be seen with the eyes. Just as air cannotbe seen by us, but everyone knows that it is there.

    How can we see Nibbna?By practising VipassanMeditation. When the yogi reaches theMagga (path) andPhala (fruition); the yogi sees Nibbna. It is appropriate toexplain the series of Insight Knowledge (Vipassan na) asfollows:

    The First Insight: Nama-rupa Pariccheda na

    When the yogi enters the meditation centre to note on the riseand fall of his abdomen; he thinks that his abdomen is rising,his abdomen is falling. He is noting. When noting the senseof touch while sitting, his body is sitting and touching, andhe is noting. As concentration increases, he will find that themanner of the rising of the abdomen is one separate entity, andthe conscious mind knowing the rise of the abdomen isanother separate entity. The phenomena such as rising, falling,sitting,touching arerpa-dhammawhich do not haveconsciousness. The noting mind isnma-dhamma. Someforeign yogis reported to the Sayadaw that, in the early days of their retreat, there was just themselves, one and only one. Now,it seemed there were two of themselves all the time.

    Having reached the firstna, the wrong view of the conceptof I, (sakkya-ditthi) is destroyed. The yogi understands thatthe terms such as I, he arelokavohra (conventional usage).

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    The Second Insight: Paccaya Pariggaha na

    All phenomena such as the rise of the abdomen, the fall of theabdomen, sitting, touching all happen first; the notingconsciousness follows to note the above bodily phenomena.The bodily phenomena are the causes, and they cause the mindto notice. The noting mind is the effect.

    Some yogis experience variations in the pattern of the rising orthe falling of the abdomen; the abdomen does not rise upstraight towards the front. Sometimes, it rises nearer to oneside of the body in a lopsided manner. Sometimes, it risestowards the back of the body. Sometimes, it is rotating whilerising. Sometimes, the yogi notices that the rise occurs at thetop of his head, sometimes on his hand.

    The changing mode of rising is the cause. The noting mindfollowing is the effect. The yogi who understands that can becalled Cula-sotapanna (one whose future is ensured in thesense that his next existence will not be in anapaya region). Itis much to be striven for. He achieves supportive results out of the Buddhasssana. He is sure to be insugati (a happy state)in his rounds of rebirth. Whatever other religions say about hispractice, he will not be shaken.

    Some believe that things happen naturally without cause. It istermedahetuka-ditthi (causeless belief). The yogi will neveraccept that. He knows that the disparity between poor and richmust have some cause.

    Some believe that all beings are created by the Brahma, orCreator. It is termedvisama-hetuka-ditthi (unequal belief in

    creators). In fact, if the Brahma had created all beings, theBrahma, being full of metta (love and compassion) would have

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    on noting for two to three hours at a stretch. He does not feelfrightened. He is not suffering. He can face all phenomenawith equanimity.

    Some serious ailments of yogis, when they reach thisna, arecured completely. His vipassan is recognized as of standard.This na is explained as the insight arising from equanimity.

    The Twelfth Insight: Anuloma-na

    Buddha said thisna is worthy of reaching Magga and Phala.It happens in a very short duration. It is an adaptive knowledgewhich rises in connection with the Four Noble Truths.

    The Thirteenth Insight: Gotrabhu na

    The linkage to being a common worldling (puthujjana) istotally cut off. The yogi becomes a member of thedistinguishedNoble Men (Ariya). A yogi reports that he feelsas though he is coming out of a region which is full of miseryand which is burning, and then entering a region which is verycool and very peaceful. Just one noting in thisna can maturethe concentrationof the yogi to move on to the nextna.

    The Fourteenth Insight: NibbnaIn thisna, defilements which take the yogi to the foursuffering states have been broken off. Some defilements arecompletely destroyed. The sense of self doubt, scepticism, amisunderstanding of rules and rituals and disciplines will becut off.

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    There is no happening. There is no awareness of anything.Feeling and awareness suddenly cease. The sense-objects andthe noting mind both cease to function in the state of Nibbna.

    The f irst cessation of sensation isGotrabhu naand it hasNibbna as its object. It lies between the mundane andsupramundane existence. The next cessation of sensation isMagga naand it has Nibbna as its object. It is supra-mundane. Defilements are eradicted. The final cessation iscalledPhala na; it has Nibbna as its object. It isSupramundane. In Phala na, Nibbna can be experiencedagain and again. That is how the yogi comes and sees Nibbnahimself.

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    Sabba Ppaca Akarana Ducarita(Deeds of Bad Conduct)

    In this chapter,Ovadana Patimokkharequires monks

    ! not to kill others.

    ! not to ill-treat others.

    It is only for monks, whereas for lay disciples, the following

    points are required sabba papaca akarana:sabba every;ppa evil-doing;akarana non-action

    One must not do ill. One must avoid doing evil (ducarita).There are ten types of ducarita in brief.

    Kaya-ducarita (physical wrong doing)

    1. Pntipta: injuring and killing living beings.2. Adinndna: taking or destroying animate and

    inanimate properties which have not been given.3. Kamesumicchcra: committing sexual misconduct.

    Vaci-ducarita (verbal wrong doing)

    4. Musvda: telling lies.5. Pisunavc: backbiting and calumny.6. Pharusavc: using abusive language.7. Samphappalpa: taking part in frivolous conversation.

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    Mano-ducarita (mental wrong doing)

    8. Abhijjh: covetousness.9. Bypda: malevolence.10. Micchditthi: wrong views.

    The first four types of wrongdoing are understood by mostBuddhists. The fifth type is malice (pisunavc). By yourspeech, if it could cause dissension between friends thatspeech is pisunavc. It is not beneficial at all. Furthermore, soas to create a good impression of yourself, if you speak out andif that speech causes a bad impression of others that speechwould be considered pisunavc. Even monks have to becareful about it. Monks cannot say, Only their school is of goodsila and highsamadhi; others schools are not of thisstandard of sila and samadhi. That is pisunavc. Somefamilies say Only their family members are of good

    conduct. Other families are deficient in conduct. That ispisunavc.

    The sixth type of wrongdoing is to use abusive language.Sometimes, parents speak harshly to teach their children.Meditation teachers use harsh speech to impress upon theirstudents the importance of meditation. These types of speechare not considered aspharusavaca.

    To illustrate: once, a mother got into a harsh argument withher son. The son decided to leave the house. Not wishing himto leave, the mother said that he may encounter a buffalo onthe street, and get knocked down by it. The son left the house,and came across a wild buffalo crashing down on him. Heimmediately remembered his mother, and said, if my mothersaid those words without really intending it to happen; may

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    The last type ismicchditthi(wrong views). Some peoplethink that killing does not bring about ill-effects on the killers.They do not believe in the Law of Cause and Effect. They do

    not believe in the Law of Kamma.Buddha forbids his disciples to commit any of these ten kindsof immoral conduct. All kinds of livelihood and all kinds of physical, verbal and mental actions that involve immoralconduct, are bad volitional actions.

    These ten types of misconduct can be enlarged to forty. Forexample, the first misconductpanatipata (killing others) canbe expounded as follows:

    1. Killing personally.2. Persuading, or hiring others to kill.3. Praising the benefits of any act of killing.4. Feeling happy when hearing of the killing.

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    such a man as able as he was, he could not find muchsatisfaction for himself to swim alone across this sea of Samsra. Like the Dpankara Buddha, he would strive to attain

    the utmostself -awakening (namely,Sabbannuta na) first, sothat he would be able to pull out the populace, humans as wellas devas, from the sea of Samsra. Only afterwards would heattain parinibbna himself.

    This way seemed more suitable for him, rather than becomingenlightened right at the feet of Dpankara Buddha. He laid

    himself down and made the resolve for Buddha-status.Dpankara Buddha knew of the resolve of Sumedha and alsothat Sumedha had accumulated enoughparamita (perfections).So, Dpankara Buddha declared to the assembly that when ahundred thousand aeons and four incalculable had passed, thisascetic would become the Buddha named Gotama. This

    happened on the Vesak Day.

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    The Day of Parinibbna

    After having preached the Dhamma to all beings for the spaceof forty-five years. Buddha entered Nibbna on the full moonday of Vesak. The Buddha entered the Sala Grove of the MallaKings at Kusinara. He asked the Venerable Ananda to preparea couch with the head pointing to the North, between the TwinSala trees. He then laid himself down and entered Parinibbna.

    There exist three utterances of Buddha. They are calledBuddha Vacana. No Buddha in his time has omitted makingthem.

    1. Pathama Buddha Vacana

    The first utterance was exclaimed when he attained fullenlightenment.

    An kajti samsran sand hvassam anibbisamGahakrakam gav santo dukkh jti punappunamGahakraka, ditthosi puna geham na khasiSabb te phsuk bhagg gahakutam visamkhitamVisamkhragata cittam tanhnam khayam ajjhag.

    Through the endless round of birth and rebirth,Seeking in vain, I hastened on,To find who framed this edifice.What misery! birth incessantly!O builder! Ive discovered thee!This fabric thou shalt neer rebuild!Thy rafters all are broken now

    And the pointed roof lies demolished!

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    This mind has demolition reached,And seen the last of all desire!

    2. Majjhima Buddha VacanaThe middle utterance was all the Dhamma that he expoundedduring his forty-five years of Buddahood, namely 84thousands of Dhammakhanda, i.e. theTri-pitaka.

    The Tri-pitaka consists of :

    1. Sutta Pitaka2. Vinaya Pitaka3. Abhidhamma Pitaka

    Sutta Pitaka is for the benefit of lokiya (mundane) andlokuttara (supramundane). It shows the good ways for peopleto take up. It varies a lot, according to the paramita of the

    individual listener. If the yogi is of high paramita, the suttawill be on the subject of meditation to help him reachNibbna. If the yogi is a beginner in the Dhamma Path, thesutta will involve subjects such asdana and sila.

    The Vinaya Pitaka consists of rules and orders laid down bythe Buddha himself for the sangha and all noble beings to

    follow. Acts that the sangha, as well as all beings shouldrefrain from doing so as to avoid causing mental faults,verbal faults and physical faults are all laid down. Butmostly, itconcerns physical and verbal actions. The sangha has227 codes of conduct to follow, in general. If explained indetail, it would expand to over ninety billions of physicalverbal rules. Vinaya Pitaka does not consider the mental faults.

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    forgetfulness. They will sink into theapya the four woefulstates in their future lives.

    Ordinary forgetfulnessIt refers to those who are enjoying life; who are absorbed intheir daily routines with good food, good cars and happyfamily lives. People usually are involved with the pleasures of the sensual world, and forget to meditate. This too, is not good.Because of their forgetfulness, they will be in the sea of

    samsra for a long time, after his life. They will face thedukkha of old age, the dukkha of sickness, the dukkha of deathand the dukkha of rebirth again and again and again. Mostyogis in this audience will be in this category, too. But whengathering wealth, if you have some intention of doing dana outof that wealth, then it is not so bad.

    Forgetting what should not have been forgottenIt refers to those yogis who leave home to go to the forests andmeditation centres to practise meditation to know Path andFruition in this very life. Sometimes, the yogi, in the midst of his meditation, becomes forgetful in some of his notings. Hewill be delayed in reaching Nibbna. One can be forgetful to

    be mindful, even in the meditation centre.In the last utterance of Buddha, do not forget is theimportant reminder.

    If we do not forget the act of Dana;If we do not forget the act of Sila;If we do not forget Samatha Bhvan;

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    After 20 days of constant sitting, it becomes evident to thenaked eye that:

    the shell is very thin. the glue is quite dried. and the chick is quite ready to come out. The chick is

    full of energy. The kicking of its legs, the pricking by itsbeak can be detected.

    After 28 days:

    the shell is so thin. The outside light can go throughthe shell. the glue is completely dried. the chick is very strong. The shell is broken by its

    strength and the chick comes out of its shell.

    Likewise, the benefits of the Vipassan Meditation become

    clearer at the middle and latter phase. In the early periods of the yogis meditation, he is in no position to realise:

    how much the avijja is thinning. how much the tanh glue is getting dried up at

    each noting. how mature his Vipassan na is.

    Later when his samdhi develops; the yogi knows by hisexperience:

    how the avijja in him is thinning. how the tanh glue (the attachment towards human

    existence, celestial existence, Brahm existence, theattachment towards the higher existences) is very dried.

    The yogi by then does not for long for any particularexistence. Like the matured chicken, when the

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    truth), the yogi must confine his awareness to the sense of movement only.

    Two-Steps NotingWhen the yogi is lifting his foot to move, he notes lifting.The manner of movement of his foot upwards is to be noted.When the yogi puts his foot down, he notes putting down.The manner of downward movement is the only interest of meditation to the yogi.

    Three-Steps Noting

    When the yogi lifts his foot up, the manner of upwardmovement must be noted. When the foot moves forward, henotes the forward motion. Then he notes the gradualdownward press of his foot to the ground.

    In Vipassan Meditation, conventional names and forms arenot the interest of noting. The yogi should try to see themanner of movement in terms of the four constituent elements(dhtu) in all matter, namely:

    1. Pathavi-dhtu (element of extension or earth elements)2. po-dhtu (element of cohesion or water element)3. Tejo-dhtu (element of kinetic energy or fire element)4. Vyo-dhtu (element of support of motion, or wind

    element)

    When he lifts his right foot, he would notice that it becomeslighter and lighter as it goes up. That is the indication of thepresence of the element of fire and the element of wind. When

    he puts his foot down to the ground, he would notice that it

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    becomes heavier and heavier. That is the indication of thepresence of the element of earth and the element of fluidity.Knowing the four constituent elements is a significant step for

    the yogi. Only then can he comprehend paramattha sacca. Theessence of Vipassan Meditation is the ability of the yogi to beaware of all phenomena (1) as it is, and (2) when it happens.

    Six-Steps Noting

    The yogi notes the beginning of the lifting of his foot (heels).

    Next he notes the end of the lifting of his foot. Third henotes the beginning of the forward movement of his foot.Fourth he notes the end of the forward movement of his foot.Fifth he notes the beginning of the downward movement of his foot. Lastly, he notes the end of the downward movementof his foot.

    If the yogi makes full use of his walking meditation time, inaddition to his sitting meditation time, within the forty-fivedays of hisretreat, he is bound to reach the second Vipassanna (Pacccayapariggaha na). He will find that, becausehe desires to lift his foot, his foot starts to lift. Because hedesires to move forward, the foot actually moves forward.Because he desires to put his foot down, the foot comes down.

    The desire (nma) arises first to cause the physical behaviour(rpa) to happen.

    An alternative six-steps noting is as follows:

    The yogi notes the starting of the lifting of his foot. Then henotes that he lifts his f oot. Third he notes that his foot ismoving forward. Fourth he notes that his foot is going down.Fifth he notes that the foot is touching the ground. Sixth

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    Cut the chain of Paticcasa muppda (the Wheel of Life) by practising Vipassan Meditation

    All Buddhists understand that to be able to reach Nibbna where all dukkha are destroyed the Wheel of Life, which isthe root cause of the endless round of rebirth in the sea of samsara, must be broken. Therefore, Buddhists seek to find thedhamma that can cut the Wheel of Life. In fact, VipassanMeditation is the powerful dhamma in cutting the Wheel of

    Life.Among the twelve factors pertaining to the causality of theround of rebirth,avijja (ignorance) andtanh (craving) are thetwomulabhuta(most fundamental) dhammas that are the twomain causes of Paticcasamuppda. The cessation of these twocauses will lead to the complete termination of the Wheel of

    Life, and the realization of the Nibbna.Therefore, anyone who wishes to cut off avijja and tanh mustpractise Vipassan Meditation. Along the path of progress of Vipassan Meditation, when the yogi reaches Udayabbayana and Bhanga na, the yogi will realize by experiencethat it is possible to extinguishavijja and tanh.

    How the chain of paticcasmuppada is started by avijja

    Avijja(ignorance) is the non-knowledge of the SupremeEnlightenment. In other words, not knowing the Four NobleTruths isavijja. Moha (delusion) anda na (non-knowledge)are synonyms of avijja. It is also not-knowing the Law of Dependent Origination (Paticcasamuppda). Owing to thisignorance, the uninstructed worldling entertains wrong views.

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    Meditation the root cause avijja is terminated and the Cycle of Paticcasamuppda is no more.

    How theW heel of L ife is caused by tanha

    Tanh (craving) exerts pressure upon us to find all sense-objects pleasant, and hence desirable. Because of this craving,updna (attachment),bhva (becoming) etc. arise insequence and cause the Cycle of Paticcasamuppda.

    How to cut the Wheel of Life caused by tanhBy practising Vipassan Meditation, when the yogi reaches theBhangana, upon every event of hearing, seeing, smelling,eating, touching, reflecting, the watching consciousnesspromptly notes every psycho-physical phenomenon. The yogifinds the instantaneous passing-away of both the sense-object

    and the consciousness, upon noting. He finds all phenomenaas dukkha since they are afflicting him constantly with theirrepeated cessation. Because he no longer finds it pleasurable,the craving tanh is extinguished. Hence,updna etc. are nomore. Vipassan Meditation has destroyed the root causetanh, and hence cut the Wheel of Paticcasamuppda.

    Cutting the Wheel of Life by noting the vedanWhen summing up the formula of the Dependent Origination;vedan (feeling) causestanh (craving) to arise. Tanh causesupdna (attachment). Updna causesbhava (becoming) tohappen, and so on.

    Because of the vedan, the very foundation of the Wheel of Life, namely tanh, arises. Tanh will go on feeding the Wheel

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    of Paticcasamuppda. The yogi must be able to watch thevedan to such a degree of concentration that the cessation of Tanh will happen. Then the Wheel of Paticcasamuppda will

    be broken.Three factors which enable the Wheel of Paticcasamuppda tofunction, originate from vedan incessantly. They are:

    1. Rga-nusaya lobha tanh which dwells in the sukkhavedan,

    2. Patigha-nusaya dosawhich dwells in the dukkhavedan

    3. Avijja-nusaya Mohawhich dwells in the upekkhavedan.

    How the raga-nusaya lobha tanh dwells in thesukkha vedan

    By practising the Vipassan Meditation, when the yogi reachesUdayabbayana, he has the pliancy of mind and body as wellas the proficiency of mind and body. It seems to the yogi thatthe sense-object and the noting consciousness are happeningby themselves. It is as if the yogi sat there watching thespontaneous occurrences. Vipassanpti arises in the mind of the yogi. A bodily state of well-being and a delightful state of mind arise. Hence, the attachment towards the sukkha vedanarises in the yogi again and again. That is howrga-nusayalobha tanh dwells in the meditating yogi.

    How the yogi can get rid of the rga-nusaya lobha tanh

    As soon as the yogi realises the occurrence of theraga-nusayalobha tanh in his Vipassan Meditation, he should note his

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    state of mind as peaceful, peaceful, delightful,delightful, attentively. The yogi with the Udayabbayanawhen he notes peaceful, peaceful; will find the arising of

    the sukkha vedan and then the quick disappearance of thesukkha vedan. Upon finding it thus, he summarises that therapid arising is followed by the rapid disappearance (passing-away) of the sukkha vedan. Sukkha vedan cannot beenjoyed. He even finds it as suffering (dukkha). He cuts off thelobha-tanh in the sukkha vedan. Because tanh has beenextinguished, updna, bhava are also extinguished. Hence, theWheel of Paticcasamuppda cannot carry on.

    How patigha-nusaya dosa dwells in dukkha vedan

    When the yogi reaches Sammsanana in his practice of Vipassan Meditation, bodily aches and pains, all the dukkhavedan re-appear. The yogi feels upset about the appearanceand thedomanassa-dosa appear repeatedly in his mind. Thatis how the patigha-nusaya dosa dwells in the dukkha vedan.

    The yogi wishes to escape from the dukkha vedan, and longsfor sukkha. The longing (craving) is the tanh which helps theCycle of Paticcasamuppda.

    How the yogi can get rid of the patigha-nusaya dosaAs soon as the Vipassan yogi realises that he has the patigha-nusaya dosa in his dukkha vedan, he should carefully, withdeep attention, watch the dukkha vedan. When the yogireaches Udayabbayana and notes painful, painful, he willfind that the painful dukkha vedan appears and then quickly

    disappears. The yogi tries to note all the rapid appearances andthen the rapid disappearances of the pain. His mind is focused

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    touching, perish at all notings, and at a very fast speed. He willfind that his noting consciousness also perishes.

    As the yogi finds that all sense-objects (namely rising, falling,sitting, touching) and the conscious mind perish atallnotings, he realises that nothing is permanent (anicca). hebegins to acquire the anicca-na, and the avijja-nusaya mohain his upekkha vedan is extinguished. Because the root causehas been cut off, the Wheel of Paticcasamuppda cannotgo on.

    Therefore, the raga-nusaya lobha tanh in the sukkha vedan,the patigha-nusaya dosa in the dukkha vedan, and the avijja-nusaya moha in the upekkha vedan can all be extinguished byVipassan Meditation. And hence the Wheel of Life(Paticcasamuppda) can be cut for good.

    !

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    Instruction on Meditation for the Yogis(translated by Daw Hnin Yi, Mawlamyaing, Myanmar )

    Individuals who have come to meditate would like to knowwhat Vipassan Meditation is.

    This is the first lecture on the Basic Exercises or BasicPrinciples of Mindfulness Meditation by the most ReverendSayadaw of Saddhammaransi Yeiktha (Meditation Centre) for

    those yogis who have come to practise Vipassan Meditationat Saddhammaransi Yeiktha (meditation centre).

    Those who have already started meditating would like toobserve and attain a higher standard of concentration veryquickly. To be able to acquire the highest goal quickly, youmust listen and practise according to the Practice ExercisesOf Mindfulness Meditation.

    There are three kinds of Practice Exercises Of MindfulnessMeditation. They are:

    1. Meditating while in the sitting position;2. Meditating while walking; and3. Meditating while performing daily activities.

    Meditating while in the sitting position

    Firstly, meditating while in the sitting position will beexplained. Pick a quiet and peaceful place. Then choose themost comfortable posture which will enable you to meditatefor quite some time.

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    You may sit with your knees bent under you or you may sitcross-legged, but you mustchoose the position which willenable you to meditate for a long time. When you are satisfied

    with your sitting position, keep your back and head straight.Then close your eyes and focus your attention on yourabdomen and breathing.

    When you inhale, or breathe in, you must note carefully thatthe abdomen rises as you inhale and thus expands it. In thesame way when you exhale or breathe out, the abdomen

    contracts or falls gradually.Thus you will note the expansion and contraction of theabdomen when you breathe in and breathe out.

    But you should not concentrate on the abdomen only, alsocontemplate your mind on the progress of breathing how theair when inhaled affects some pressure that pushes up from theinside. You must try to feel and know orrealize this pushingup of the air from the inside and not on the abdomen, becausethe abdomen is there for its namesake only (pa atti).Vipassan is not for its namesake but for its true nature(paramattha).

    The pushing up of air from inside is paramat (paramattha),

    the real thing that is happening when you breathe in. Youmust note as carefully as you can that when you breathe out,the air that was being pushed up or forced up now gradually orslowly falls back into place or recedes and the abdomencontracts.

    Thus you must be mindful of these two movements that take

    place when you inhale (breathe in) and exhale (breathe out).You will realize that when you breathe in, your abdomen rises

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    gradually and thus you say to yourself, rising, rising, rising.Then when you exhale, the extended abdomen falls back intoplace gradually and you say to yourself, falling, falling,

    falling.At the same time that you are mindful of these twomovements, you will concentrate more on the gradual force of air that makes the abdomen rise and the gradual contraction of the abdomen when you breathe out.

    If you feel that these two points of mindfulness rising and falling are not effective, you may add another and say rising,rising, falling, falling, touching, touching.

    When you want to realise the touching part, you should notallowed yourself to be carried away with the shape of thelimbs or objects that are touching each other, but concentrateon the hardness of the touch and say, touching, touching,rising, rising, falling, falling.If you still cannot concentrate with these three movements,then you can add another and say, rising, rising, falling,falling, sitting, sitting, touching, touching.

    When you are sitting, you will realize the fact that the upperpart of your body is erect and taut. You must not think of theshape of your head, body, hands or legs at all, but you mustrealize that your body is taut with the force of air that haspushed you up into the sitting position, and the hard feelingthat you have when you are sitting, that is touching.

    So now, you have four things to make a mental note of:

    rising, falling, sittingand touching,

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    And when you do that, your mind will become calm. Whenyour mind is calm and at peace, your concentration willbecome stronger and then insight will arise. If you think

    rising, falling, sitting, touching, seems effective, you maymeditate concentrating on them . But if your mind is tooanxious, you can suit yourself by choosing either way, i.e. twoor three or four thingsto make a mental note of.

    A beginners thoughts may wander here and there either to thepagoda, or monastery or to the market or to the house. When

    this occurs, you must make a note of your wandering thoughtsand say to yourself, wandering, wandering, imagining,imagining, planning, planning, if your concentration isstrong, your wandering thoughts will disappear within a shorttime if you observe them precisely, closely and well.

    At first it may take some time to observe your wandering

    thoughts, but later, with a determined mindfulness, they willdisappear quickly. Not only will your wandering thoughtsdisappear, but also your mindfulness of those wanderingthoughts will disappear too, because nothing is everlasting orpermanent. And that isanicca. Transient indeed are allcomponent things. All component things arise, but perishwithin a twinkling of an eye. It is obvious that they are all

    subject to birth and decay. This coming into being and thenperishing or disappearing is nothing butdukkha suffering:and this suffering cannot be warded off in any way or byanyone and you cannot do anything about it, and that isanatta uncontrollable by any force or means. There and then youwill come to realise the truth that all component things aretransient, all component things are objects of suffering and allcomponent things are uncontrollable.

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    As you go on concentrating on rising, falling, sitting, touchingfor about half an hour or forty five minutes, you will noticethat your limbs will start to ache, or become painful or numb.

    When this occurs, you must try to realize such suffering bychanging your concentration fromrising, falling, sitting,touchingonto the pain, or by concentrating your mind on thepain.

    There are three ways of mindfulness meditation with regard topain:

    1. The first is to concentrate on the pain so as to make thepain disappear.

    2. The second is to make this pain go away in anaggressive manner.

    3. The third is to contemplate and realize the truth aboutthe pain you are suffering.

    The first way is when your mind is concentrated on the pain tomake it pass away with the intention of being relieved of thepain and to attain pleasure. That is done by greed (lobha), thatis, being greedy for your pleasure. Mindfulness meditation isnot for pleasure but to stop the greed in you, and if you cannotkill your greed you will not be able to realize its true nature.So you should not contemplate in this way.

    The second way, where you determine yourself to get rid of this suffering, is not good either, because there is anger in thedetermination. In other words, determination is coloured withanger, and mindfulness meditation does not allow anger tocreep in.

    The third way is how you should concentrate your mind on thepain itself how it has come about and what are its qualities.

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    When pain occurs, yogis would like to pull themselvestogether. You must let your body and mind relax. You must notbe anxious and ask yourself, Will I have to stay like this for

    the whole hour? or Will I have to go on suffering like this allthe time ?

    Pain or suffering will come as it will, and your duty is to bemindful of that pain. You must keep a calm mind and bepatient. You must have the patience which is the main thing,because it is with patience that you can reach Nibban

    (patience is the most useful thing in mindfulness meditation).You must be calm both in mind and body and relaxed. Dontbe too taut. Keep your mind on the pain and think where youcan pinpoint it and feel how painful it is where is the painmost crucial on the flesh? on the skin? or down to the veins,bones or marrow? You must concentrate very deeply on theparticular part of your body where the pain occurs and say toyourself painful, painful; aching, aching and know exactlywhere they occur and how painful it is. Superficialmindfulness meditation is not allowed. If you are mindful of such pain, numbness and aches, you will notice that thosepains and aches will become more severe and unbearable. Justas the pain occurs and become unbearable, so also will thatpain lessen and subside naturally. But you should not lessenyour concentration. You should earnestly and enthusiasticallycontinue being mindful of them and say to yourself, painful,painful, aching, aching until they disappear one by one, oruntil the painful areas change places.

    When you become very energetic and enthusiastic inmindfulness meditation, insight will arise. As yourconcentration becomes stronger or advanced, the pains and

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    aches will disappear as soon as they appear. You will noticethat the pain does not go on for long neither does yourmindfulness meditation, nor does the knowledge of the pain.

    All things are not everlasting or permanent they are allimpermanent or transient. Birth and decay are so quick andpainful and protection from such transcience and pain is notpossible. So we come to know that,

    Pain isanicca impermanent.Pain isdukkha suffering.

    Pain isanatta uncontrollable.While you are meditating, you will hear sounds, see things andsmell things that are around you. You will hear especially thesound of cocks, birds, hammering, and beating sounds and of men and cars. When you hear such sounds you will make amental note and say, hearing, hearing but your mind must

    not follow those sounds.If your concentration power is strong, these sounds that youare hearing will become indistinct and they will be carried faraway, or they may become loud and near or hoarse and notclear. In time you will come to realise that as you say toyourself hearing, hearing, the sounds will disappear slowly so will the knowledge or awareness of hearing and yourmindfulness meditation of hearing.

    The sounds you heard at first will vanish one by one, or thesyllables of a word you heard willnot be connected with oneanother to make sense. For example, the word gentlemancould become disconnected as gen-tle-man. Just as thesounds disappear, so will the awareness of hearing and the

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    Meditating while walking

    There are four kinds of noting in walking meditation. Eachstep is observed closely and carefully as one object of movement, or as two objects of movement, or as three objectsof movement, or as six objects of movement.

    The first way is to make a note of the step as one object of movement and say to yourself (left foot forward, right footforward), keeping your mind close on the forward movementof the step and not on your foot. In other words, your mindmust not be attached to the shape of the foot. It is veryimportant that it is the gradual moving forward of the footwhich you must be interested in, and not the foot itself.

    The second way is to observe your step as two objects of movementslifting, dropping; lifting, dropping. In this case,you must be aware of the gradual upward lifting of your foot .You must detach yourself from the shape of your foot becauseit is there for its namesake (pa atti) only. What you mustrealise is the awareness of the element of motion that is goingup gradually into the air when you lift your foot. Knowing thatit goes up and being aware of it is (paramattha) the realthing that is happening at the moment, i.e. mental and bodilyprocess lifting, dropping.

    The third kind is when you are aware of the three objects of movement of your step.Lifting, pushing, dropping; lifting,pushing, dropping. When you are lifting your foot you mustattentively note the gradual upward movement of your foot.Then, when you push your foot forward, you must be aware of your foot moving forward slowly and then, when you drop

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    your foot, you must be aware of your foot falling or droppingdown lower and lower, slowly.

    All these three objects of movement must be keenly observedand watched very closely and attentively, so that you know thatwhen your foot is being lifted slowly inch by inch, then youwill realise that it gets lighter and lighter as you lift it. Whenyou push your foot forward you will notice and observe thegradual forward movement. Then, when you drop or put yourfoot down, you will experience the heavy feeling that you have

    as your foot descends or gets lower and lower to the ground orthe floor. When you have this awareness in mind, you arebeginning to have some sort of insight or penetratedknowledge.

    Lightness is brought upon bytejo, element of warmth andvyo, element of motion or movement. Heaviness is caused by

    pathavi, element of toughness or hardness andpo, element of liquidity.

    The knowledge or awareness of such mental and physicalphenomena is the beginning of having penetrated knowledgeof the intrinsic nature of mental and bodily process as it reallyis. That is the third way of walking mindfulness meditation lifting, pushing, dropping.

    Now the fourth way is when you observe one step as sixobjects of movement beginning to lift, lifting; beginning topush, pushing; beginning to drop, dropping.

    When you begin to lift your foot, the heel is lifted first. Onlyafter that are the toes raised and lifted when you lift your leg.

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    When you begin to push your foot forward you must know thatthe movement of your foot is going forward and not backward.Then when you are about to drop your foot, your forward

    movement is checked a bit, later when you begin to put yourfoot down it drops downwards slowly and, finally, your foottouches the ground or floor and your foot is dropped.

    Another way of observing your step as six objects of movement is intending to lift, lifting, intending to push,pushing, intending to drop, dropping.

    Here again, you must realise and be mindful of both mentaland physical phenomena.

    There is still another way of noting the step as six objects of movement lifting, raising, pushing, dropping, touching,pressing.

    When you are lifting, you must be aware of the heel liftingitself and saylifting, lifting. Then your toes will risethemselves upwards and you will realise it asraising, raising.Next you will push your foot forward and notepushing,pushing.

    After pushing your foot forward you will drop it, and it isimportant that you must observe carefully your foot comingdown slowly to the floor and note dropping, dropping. Then,as it comes down, you must know and feel the touching of thefoot with the floor or the ground and saytouching; touching.

    Finally, in order to lift the other foot you must press this footand notepressing, pressing. This is the last of the realisationof one step as six objects of movement.

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    Meditation while performing daily activities

    As yogis, you will have to practise mindfulness meditationalso in your daily activities during your daily routine.

    It is not the time for sitting meditation nor walking meditation.During your daily routine, it is being mindful of the smalldaily tasks or activities that you do when you return to yourhostel, i.e. when you open and close the door, make your bed,fold the sheet, change clothes and wash them, arrange orprepare meals, eat, drink and perform other small activities. Itisnt only these that you have to be aware of, you also have tonote how you eat. When you see your lunch, you sayseeing,seeing. When you stretch your hand to eat you saystretching,stretching. When you touch it you saytouching, touching.When you prepare your lunch you saypreparing, preparing.When you take it you saytaking, taking. When you open your

    mouth you sayopening, opening. When you put your meal intoyourmouth you sayputting, putting. When you raise yourhead you sayraising, raising. When you chew you saychewing, chewing. When you know how it tastes like you sayknowing, knowing. When you swallow you sayswallowing,swallowing. This is what Mahsi Saydaw himself practisedand was mindful of when eating a mouthful of lunch. So you

    should all be mindful of such movements closely, preciselyand enthusiastically.

    Those obedient and diligent yogis who wish to practise just amouthful of lunch will not find it easy to be aware of allmovements at the beginning. Sometimes they may forget somemovements but you must not be discouraged if this happens.

    Later when your knowledge or power of mindfulness becomes

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    stronger and advanced, your penetrated knowledge willenableyou to remember every movement.

    When you begin practising your mindfulness of dailyactivities, you should be aware of the daily activity ormovement which is the most prominent for you. For example,if stretching your hand is the most distinctive activity, then youshould say,stretching, stretching. If bending your head is moreprominent, saybending, bending. If chewing is moreprominent then notechewing, chewing. You must be mindful

    of only one prominent movement. If your mind which isfocussedon thatone distinctive movement becomes reallyconcentrated, then you can practise being mindful of the othermovements one by one until your contemplation becomes deepand advanced and then, later on, you will gain insight.

    Our benefactor Mahsi Saydawhad said that chewing is the

    most outstanding and distinct movement.It is only the lower jaw that is working when we say chewing.If you are aware of this lower jaw movement you will be ableto contemplate on the chewing movement easily and well.

    I think practise exercise in eating lunch is now quite complete.Sitting, touching, bending, stretchingare minute details. When

    the idea of wanting to sit becomes distinct to you, sayinten-ding to sit, intending to sit . Then you sit down, and when youare in that sitting position, you saysitting, sittingand you sit.

    You must dissociate yourself from your head and hands andgradually and slowly lower yourself down to the floor, at thesame time realising the heaviness you feel when lowering

    yourself to the floor, In this way, you contemplate on themental and bodily process.

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    Then when you want to stand up or get up you sayintending tostand up, intending to stand up. Your mind, which wants ordesires to get up, is forced by the element of motion, Vayo,

    which pushes you up, and you sayfilling up my energy, fillingup my energy, supporting myself with my hand, supportingmyself with my hand .

    When you feel that your energy is up to the mark you willgradually feel yourself moving upward slowly with your handssupporting you and you will find yourself standing, and you

    say standing, standing.Words are for namesake (pa atti) only, What you must realiseor contemplate is the slow and gradual upward movement stepby step. Watch it precisely, closely, and well. You must knowand observe, closely and enthusiastically, the slow gradualelement of motion involved in the standing up position

    because this is the real thing (paramattha) we want to contem-plate.

    When getting up, yogis themselves know they become light asthey rise. When they sit down they feel somewhat heavy. Ayogi knows that when you stand you become light and whenyou sit you become heavy. Rising makes your body light andthat is tejo-vayo, sitting down makes you heavy and that ispathavi-apo.

    When a yogi comes to realise the truth about nature, i.e.mental and physical phenomena, it is said that enlightenmentabout mental and bodily process is attained.

    That which comes into being and that which decays cannot be

    seen clearly. But the truth that mental and physical phenomenais not everlasting is true. Nothing at all is permanent.

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    The action or movement is impermanent; the knowledge of mindfulness is neither permanent nor is it mental and physicalphenomena.

    Whatever arises is subject to disappearance or passing away,that isanicca. The arising and passing away or birth and decayof mental and physical phenomena is so quick and sotroublesome that it isdukkha. How can we protect ourselvesfrom thisdukkha? We cannot protect ourselves from thisdukkha nor can we stop it from arising or disappearing, so it

    is anatta.If you come to know about anicca, dukkha and anatta, you aresaid to be thorough insamanna lakkhana. And if you arethorough or skilled in samanna lakkhana, then you will attainthe penetrated knowledge or insight you wish to have.

    Bending and stretching are small daily activities. Wanting tobend and noting attentively the gradual movement of the arm the lightness experienced when one raises the arm. When onewant to stretch again the action of stretching appearing andthe arm stretching slowly and slowly and becoming stretchedand getting heavy and falling down heavily and gradually. Allthese natural physical phenomena will be experienced by theyogi himself or herself.

    The bending or stretching is not everlasting. Neither is themindfulness meditation of these actions or movementspermanent. All these cannot be warded off so it is uncon-trollable. So if you study and practise this mindfulnessmeditation earnestly and closely you will be able to acquirethat precious Penetrated Knowledge or Insight about

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    Vipassan Meditation. May you all acquire that noble andvaluable insight you have been searching for.

    As you have listened to the briefing on these three basicprinciples of mindfulness meditation, may you all be able topractise accordingly and thereupon soon be able to acquire theextinction of greed, the extinction of anger, the extinction of delusion, and thus attain Nibban for which you have beensearching.

    Sdhu Sdhu Sdhu.

    !

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    Venerable Sir, on this (Vesak ) day, we have acquired the meritsof dana kusal; sila kusal; bhvan kusal, veyyavaccakusal, dhamma savanakusal. By the strength of thesemerits, starting from today, may all dangers disappear. May wemaintain health and happiness. In all our future existences,may we be able to practise to fulfill all perfections(paramitas), as all Bodhisattas and all noble people have done.

    Venerable Sir, for what we have done today, may our fathersand mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, all relatives andfriends, know of it. We share our merits with them.

    Guardian devas of our bodies, of this building, of thiscompound, of this estate, of this town, as well as the guardian

    devas of Buddhas ssana, devas from all heavenly realms may they share our merits.

    Not only devas and humans. but also all other beings areinvited to share our merits. Parents, teachers and all beings,may they share our merits, too.

    May they be well and happy!

    Sdhu Sdhu Sdhu.

    !

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    Quick Reference: From Pali to English

    A

    abhijjh covetousnessadinndna taking or destroying animate and inanimate

    properties which have not been givenadukkha asukkha vedanor upekkha vedan indifferent feelingahetuka-ditthi Causeless belief akarana non-actionAmata Decayless stateAngami Non-returnerAnpna Satipatthna Mindfulness on respirationanatta non-self

    anatta-lakkhana indication of non-self anicca impermanenceapcayana paying reverence to the sanghas and the elderspati offenceapya woeful statearahat person who has attained the last and highest stage of

    the Path

    ariya noble beingsavakkhaya na comprehension of cessation of corruptions

    atta-ditthi speculation about oneself, Personality Belief yatana sense-organ, sense-bases

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    B

    bbaya understanding the nature of cessation, passing away of the phenomenon

    bhva existencebhvan meditation (Samatha bhavana, Vipassan bhavana)bhikkhu buddhist monkbhikkhuni buddhist nunBodhisatta A being destined to attain Buddha-hoodBrahm CreatorBuddha Vacana Utterances of Buddhabypda malevolence

    C

    cetasika dukkha mental sufferingcetasika sukkha mental blissCula-sotapana One whose future is ensured in the sense that

    his next existence will not be in an apaya regionCutpapta na or Dibbacakkhu na Perception of the

    disappearing and reappearing of Beings

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    D

    dana act of givingdeva deityDhamma Wisdom propounded by Buddha

    Dhammadesan Exposition of Dhamma Dhamma savana Listening to Dhamma Nma-dhamma Dhamma concerning mind factor Rpa-dhamma Dhamma concerning material

    compositionDhammacakkappavattana Sutta Buddhasfirst discoursedhtu primary elementsditthi view or belief

    Ahetuka-ditthi causeless belief atta-ditthi speculation about oneself ditthijukamma making ones view straight micchditthi wrong views sakkya-ditthi concept of I visama-hetuka-ditthi unequal belief (belief of Creators)

    dosa angerducarita deeds of bad conduct

    kya-ducarita physical wrong doing mano-ducarita mental wrong doing vaci-ducarita verbal wrong doing

    dukkha Suffering cetasika d ukkha mental suffering kyika dukkha bodily pain samsra dukkha suffering due to ones wandering inthe rounds of rebirth

    Dukkha Lakkhana Indication of Dukkha

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    loka world or populationlokavohra ordinary way of expressionlokiya mundane

    lokuttara supramundane

    M

    Mahparinibbna Great DeceaseMagga PathMagga na Knowledge of Pathmano-ducarita mental wrong doingmetta loving kindnessmicchditthi wrong viewsmoha or moha-kilesa delusion

    mokkha escape from the sea of Samsaramusvda telling lies

    N

    nma mindnma-dhamma dhamma concerning mind factorna Knowledge or insight

    (1st)Nma-rpa pariccheda na knowledge of thereality of nama (mind) andrupa (matter)

    (2nd)Paccaya pariggaha na knowledge of causesand effects

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    (3rd)Sammsana na Insight into the threecharacteristics of existence

    (4th)Udayabbaya -nupassana na (for further

    explanation see alsoUdaya and bbaya) Insight intothe rising and passing away of phenomena

    (5th)Bhanganupassana na Insight into passingaway; the perishable nature of composite things

    (6th)Bhaynupassana na Knowledge of thepresence of fear of composite things

    (7th)dnavnupassana na Knowledgewhichreflects on the danger of composite things

    (8th)Nibbidnupassana na Knowledge whichreflects on feelings of disgust aroused by compositethings that are dangerous

    (9th)Mu cituka-myata na Knowledge of the desirefor release from composite things which cause feelingsof disgust

    (10th)Patisankhnupassana na Insight arising outof further contemplation (11th)Sankhrupekkha na Insight arising from

    equanimity (12th)Anuloma na Adaptive knowledge which rises

    in connection with the Four Noble Truths

    (13th)Gotrabhu na Knowledge which destroys thelineage of common worldlings (14th)Nibbna Enlightenment Sotapatti Magga na knowledge of entering the

    stream of the Path Sotapatti Phala na Knowledge of the Fruition of the

    Stream-Winner

    nimitta signs

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    O

    ovda teaching of BuddhaOvdana Ptimokkha(see also separate explanation for

    Ovda, Pti and Mokkha) Exhortations concerning therules of the order

    P

    pntipta injuring and killing living beingspa atti conventional truthParamattha Absolute truthParamattha desan Ultimate TeachingParanibbna Complete Nibbanappa evil-doingParamita Perfections

    Pti Those who listen to the teaching of Buddhapattnumodana feelingdelightful and accepting the sharingof merit

    pattidn transferring of merits to othersPaticcasamuppda The Law of Dependent Origination

    (Wheel Of Life)phala fruition

    phala na knowledge of the fruitionpharusavc using abusive languagepisunavc backbiting and calumnypti joy, bliss, or pleasurable interest of mindptija-rpa pleasurable buoyancy of body (or filled with pti)pubb nivsanussati na reminiscence of past birthspu a-kiriya-vatthunior kusal items of meritorious actionsputhujjana common worldling

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    vac -ducarita verbal ill-actionvedan sensation (feeling)Vedannupassana Satipatthana Mindfulness on SensationVeskha or Vesak name of the month of May in the Indian

    calendarveyyavacca attending to the needs of ceremonies concerning

    Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha and to the needs of elders.vi nam consciousness

    Vipassan InsightVipassan na ability of attaining insightVipassan Meditation Insight Meditationvisama-hetuka-ditthi unequal belief (belief of creators)

    !