Direct Knowing from Direct Experience

[Tep Sastri]

Hello Everyone -

I often had some confusion --it did not become clear to me then-- what direct knowing of the five aggregates of clinging really was. Indeed I often wondered:

"Is insight of the Dependent Origination doctrine (Paticcasamuppada)  avijja paccaya sankhaara; sankhaara paccaya vinnanam;... the same as 'direct knowing' of the Khandhas? Or does direct knowing only arise with jhaana as the supporting condition when there are no vitakka-vicaara (direct thought and evaluation) such that the mind is settled, unified and concentrated right within?"

Now it has become clear to me that when one sees with the eye of wisdom (yathaabhutam pajaanaati), it is direct knowing. 

Let me give one example. Direct knowing of  form (ruupa, an aggregate of clinging) arises when the Buddhist meditator discerns form ('iti ruupa.m'), the origination of form ('iti ruupassa samudayo'), the cessation of form ('iti ruupassa atthangamo'), the path of practice leading to the cessation of form, the allure of form, the drawback of form, and the escape from form.  His discernment comes as the consequence of a direct experience of the dhamma, not through thinking and reasoning from concepts.

Reference: 

[SN 22.57  Sattatthana Sutta]

"And what is form? The four great existents [the earth property, the liquid property, the fire property, & the wind property] and the form derived from them: this is called form. From the origination of nutriment comes the origination of form. From the cessation of nutriment comes the cessation of form. And just this noble eightfold path is the path of practice leading to the cessation of form, i.e., right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. The fact that pleasure & happiness arises in dependence on form: that is the allure of form. The fact that form is inconstant, stressful, subject to change: that is the drawback of form. The subduing of desire & passion for form, the abandoning of desire & passion for form: that is the escape from form.

"For any priests or contemplatives who by directly knowing form in this way, directly knowing the origination of form in this way, directly knowing the cessation of form in this way, directly knowing the path of practice leading to the cessation of form in this way, directly knowing the allure of form in this way, directly knowing the drawback of form in this way, directly knowing the escape from form in this way, are practicing for disenchantment, dispassion, cessation with regard to form, they are practicing rightly." 

Be well and happy anywhere you are.

[Tep Sastri]

Hello Everyone -

Oftentimes the term 'yoniso manasikaara' --appropriate attention-- was mentioned by the Buddha.

What is yoniso-manasikara? 

It is the dhamma that arises so that the mind gives attention or adverts to wholesomeness (kusala dhammas). 

Yoniso-manasikara arises with and operates on a wholesome mental object such as 'metta' (good will) for abandoning 'dosa' (aversion), on 'asubha nimitta' (sign of unattractiveness) for abandoning 'raaga' (greed, passion), and on the nutriment of 'pa~n~na'  for avoiding 'moha' (delusion, not knowing).   It is a direct knowing, not questioning or contemplating the Dhamma.

References:

[Iti. 16:] "A monk who attends appropriately abandons what is unskillful and develops what is skillful."

[Titthiya Sutta, AN 3.68:] 'But what, friends, is the reason, what the cause, why unarisen aversion arises, or arisen aversion tends to growth & abundance?' 'The theme of irritation,' it should be said. 'For one who attends inappropriately to the theme of irritation, unarisen aversion arises and arisen aversion tends to growth & abundance...')

Be well.

.....................

[Tep Sastri]

Hello Everyone -

Association with a good Dhamma friend (Kalyānamitta) leads to listening to the true Dhamma, and listening to the true Dhamma then leads to conviction (Saddha) and appropiate attention(Yoniso-manasikāra).  This message shows that Yoniso-manasikāra (direct knowing of kusala and akusala dhammas) connects to Yathābhūtañāna-dassana (clear knowing) through Siila and Samma-samādhi . 

It will be shown that  Yathābhūtañāna-dassana (clear knowing) is a direct knowing of the characteristics (ti-lakkhana) of "all phenomena". 

A flow diagram that shows linking (causally dependent) relations among the sabhāva dhammas that lead all the way to Nibbāna can be given as follows:

i) Yoniso-manasikāra ---> Sati-sampajañña ---> Indriya-samvāra (sense restraint)

ii) Hiri-Ottappa ---> Indriya-samvāra ---> Tini-ducaritani (three wholesome conducts)

iii) Tini-ducaritani ---> Satipatthāna ---> Siila (virtues)

iv) Siila ---> Hiri-Ottappa ---> Pāmojja (gladness)

v) Pāmojja ---> Piti(joy) ---> Passadhi (calm) ---> Sukha(unworldly happiness) ---> Samma-samādhi

vi) Siila ---> Samma-samādhi(right concentration) ---> Yathābhūtañāna-dassana (clear knowing)

vii)  Satipatthāna ---> Bojjhañga ---> Vijja-vimutti (right knowledge & release)

viii) Yathābhūtañāna-dassana ---> Nibbida (disenchantment) ---> Vijja-vimutti

The Sutta references for the dependent conditioning of the various kusala dhammas are given in two SD messages #15768 and #15803.

http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SariputtaDhamma/conversations/messages/15768

http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SariputtaDhamma/conversations/messages/15803

Once the above network of kusala dhammas is established in your mind, it should become easier, much easier to recollect the Dhamma (dhamma-anussati) in order to condition Pāmojja (gladness) to arise anywhere, anytime. Without gladness (when the mind is freed from the hindrances), it is not possible for  Yathābhūtañāna-dassana to arise.

'Yathābhūta.m pajānaati', the knowing & seeing 'sabbe dhammas' with ñāna-dassana, the way they really are, is direct knowing of the characteristics (ti-lakkhana) of "all phenomena". 

"Develop concentration, monks. A concentrated monk discerns things as they actually are present". ['Samaadhi.m bhikkhave bhaavetha, samaahito bhikkhave bhikkhu yathaabhuta.m pajaanaatii ti']

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.099.than.html

In other words, experiential knowing (vidita, passato) of arising-and-passing-away phenomena of the five 'aggregates for clinging'(uppadanakkhandha),  that leads to the right understanding of their impermanent ('anicca.m') characteristic, is the result of 'concentration development' .

Tep

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PTS Dictionary: ñāna-dassana: (power of) perception, faculty of apperception, insight either "knowing & seeing," or perhaps "the insight arising from knowledge," perfect knowledge, realization of the truth, wisdom. 

On Saturday, December 29, 2012 8:41:00 AM UTC-6, Tep Sastri wrote:

[Tep Sastri]

Hello Everyone -

Examining and pondering over the first message of this topic (Gladness Anytime), I've come to a conclusion about "direct knowing" as follows:

1. Yoniso-manasikāra arises with and operates on a wholesome mental object such as 'metta' (good will) for abandoning 'dosa ' (aversion), or on 'asubha nimitta ' (sign of unattractiveness) for abandoning 'rāga ' (greed, passion), or on the nutriment of 'paññā '  for avoiding 'moha ' (delusion, not knowing). As such it is a direct knowing, not just questioning about or contemplating on the dhammas.

2. Yathābhūtañāna-dassana (clear knowing) is a direct knowing of the characteristics (ti-lakkhana) of "all phenomena". 

Best wishes.

On Saturday, December 29, 2012 8:41:00 AM UTC-6, Tep Sastri wrote: