Ebook Buddhism Knowing and Seeing

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edge is the result of insight-knowledges. So the Path Knowledge
can occur only after insight-knowledges; not after the eight at-
tainments and five psychic powers. In this Susima Sutta, all in-
sight-knowledges are taught as the Knowledge of the Relations
of Phenomena. Here the Knowledge of the Relations of Phe-
nomena means the insight-knowledge of the impermanent, suf-
fering and non-self nature of all formations or conditioned things
(savkhara-dhamma), which are mentality, materiality, and their
causes. So the insight-knowledge which sees mentality, materi-
ality, their causes, and their impermanent, suffering, non-self
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nature is called the Knowledge of the Relations of Phenomena.
So the Knowledge of the Relations of Phenomena is first and the
Path Knowledge which takes Nibbana as object is next.
Afterwards the Buddha gave a Teaching on the Three Rounds
of Characteristic5 (teparivattadhamma-desana) which is like the
Anattalakkhana Sutta. When the discourse was finished Susima
attained arahatship, even though he did not have the eight at-
tainments and five psychic powers. He was also a bare-insight
vehicle person. At that time he clearly understood the meaning
of the Buddha s discourse.
If a meditator gets this, then although he does not attain Nib-
bana in this life, his insight-knowledge will not decrease. His
latent Vipassana kammic force is still powerful. If he is an ordi-
nary disciple, he may attain Nibbana in the coming future life.
Question 4.5: Can one attain any supramundane state with only
access concentration?
Answer 4.5: Yes, one can. At access concentration stage there
is also bright, brilliant and radiant light. Because of that light
one can discern kalapas, ultimate materiality, ultimate mentality,
and their causes. One can then continue with Vipassana medita-
tion stage by stage.
Question 4.6: With only momentary concentration (khanika-
samadhi), can one practise mindfulness of feeling (vedananu-
passana-satipatthana) to attain supramundane states?
Answer 4.6: Here we need to define momentary concentration.
What is momentary concentration? There are two types of mo-
mentary concentration: Momentary concentration in Samatha
meditation, and momentary concentration in Vipassana medita-
5
The three rounds of characteristic refer to the three characteristics of
impermanence, suffering, and non-self.
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Questions and Answers (4)
tion. In Samatha meditation there are three types of concentra-
tion; they are momentary concentration (a type of preparatory
concentration), access concentration, and absorption concentra-
tion. That momentary concentration refers in particular to the
concentration which takes a patibhaga-nimitta as object, like
anapana patibhaga-nimitta. This is the type of concentration
before access concentration. This is for a serenity vehicle person
(samatha-yanika).
As for a bare-insight vehicle person (suddha-vipassana-
yanika), there is also another type of momentary concentration.
A bare-insight vehicle person usually must begin with four-
elements meditation. If he practises the four-elements medita-
tion systematically he can attain access concentration or mo-
mentary concentration when he sees kalapas, and the four ele-
ments in each kalapa. The Visuddhimagga says this type of con-
centration is access concentration. But the sub-commentary of
Visuddhimagga explains that this is not real access concentra-
tion. This is only a metaphor because real access concentration
is near jhana concentration.
If a meditator tries the four-elements meditation he cannot at-
tain any jhana because the four elements in each kalapa are very
deep and profound. One cannot thoroughly concentrate on the
four elements in each kalapa; this is because the kalapas pass
away as soon as they arise. So one cannot concentrate deeply.
The four elements in each kalapa are ultimate materiality
(paramattha-rupa). They are deep and profound; it is not easy
to see them clearly with insufficient concentration. So the four-
elements meditation cannot produce any jhana. Because of this,
the access concentration which takes the four elements in each
kalapa as object is not real access concentration. It is in fact
momentary concentration.
Also in Vipassana, there is momentary concentration. This
type of momentary concentration is mentioned in the Anapana
section of the Visuddhimagga. When he wants to practise Vi-
passana, a serenity vehicle meditator who has attained anapana
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Knowing and Seeing
jhana enters into the first jhana. This is Samatha. Having
emerged from the first jhana he discerns the thirty-four mental
formations of the first jhana, and then discerns impermanence,
suffering or non-self by seeing the arising and passing-away na-
ture of those jhana formations (jhana-dhamma). It is the same
for the second jhana, etc&
At that time there is still concentration. He can concentrate on
the impermanent, suffering, or non-self nature of those jhana
formations. His concentration at that time is deep and profound,
without moving to other objects. This type of concentration is
momentary concentration, because the object is momentary; as
soon as it arises, it passes away.
In the same way, when a meditator is practising Vipassana in
seeing either the impermanent, suffering, or non-self nature of
ultimate mentality-and-materiality and their causes, then his
mind usually does not go away from the formations object. His
mind has sunk into one of the characteristics. This type of con-
centration is also called momentary concentration. Here you
should know that Vipassana momentary concentration is thor-
oughly seeing the impermanent, suffering, and non-self nature of
ultimate mentality-and-materiality and their causes. Without
seeing ultimate mentality-and-materiality and their causes, how
can there be Vipassana momentary concentration. It is impossi-
ble. So, if a meditator can see ultimate mentality-and-materiality
and their causes thoroughly and clearly, without doing any
Samatha meditation, it is not necessary for him to practise
Samatha meditation. But if he cannot see ultimate mentality-
and-materiality and their causes, he should cultivate one of the
Samatha meditation because only a concentrated mind can see [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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