Are We Really "Here"? | Ajahn Amaro | 21.01.2021

[Music] [Music] today is the the night of the half moon 21st of january and yesterday we were very happy to welcome lumpur tomato to come back to amravati and to reside here this is a very auspicious time for us very grateful that uh he and ajunasoko made the journey uh safely and uh getting uh settled into the rogue couti now so this is um something to be uh very grateful appreciative of and hopefully they've avoided picking up the covid19 virus along the way fingers crossed every precaution has been being kept so we did our very best to help make sure that um that they haven't been subjected to the the infection and hopefully that will uh that'll bear itself out in time i'll be in quarantine for the next couple of weeks as people know but uh hopefully they are virus free now and will stay that way uh one of the effects of lumpur coming back to live here is that my usual sitting place in the temple has changed a bit and consulted with arjun yanurato and others yesterday considering longpoor's return and how to arrange things appropriately and so this brought to mind a um a few reflections on uh abiding uh the sense of of where we are and and also uh non-abiding uh and the um the the principles of dhamma that surround that so i thought after a few reflections on that area of things abiding and not abiding as a a way of strengthening our practice and deepening the quality of insight for us during this retreat hopefully so every one of us has this sense of being here you know wherever we happen to be geographically placed so i'm sitting on this dummy seat right now uh amongst anacarrica's few laypeople here in the temple sitting in individual spots and every single one of us has the sensation of being here similarly similarly the other people the nuns the anagari cars other lay people around amravati gathered in different places different buildings watching and listening to this through different uh devices and then when this being recorded then whoever listens and watches this around the world wherever uh this is the uh perceived then whoever is is in that position of experiencing of listening of watching every one of us feels like we are here each one of us is the center of our own universe the the heart of the the universe is is your heart you are the center of the world so wherever we are we have that that feeling of of hereness of being in a particular place i don't think anyone would disagree with that and that's a an ongoing experience that we've all had during our throughout our lifetimes wherever we wherever we were geographically whatever country it might have been whatever situation we always have that sense that sensation that perception of being here so i i find it's a useful thing to explore that experience of hereness that sense of of location being in a particular place and then that place being where the universe where life and reality is experienced from uh many years ago when i was living at uh similarly in the winter retreat time when i was living at uh a bayakiri monastery in in those those years this was about 20 years ago now in the early years of papaya it was a very small monastic community we had very few visitors uh the wintertime there is very rainy so as [Music] a lot of encouragement to be uh a being uh uh ready to focus on the the the formal practice and the the inner work of meditation not a lot of distractions and the you know the cool rainy weather would tend to keep the attention focused inwardly and it's a similar period of time about three weeks into the the winter retreat there i found that my mind was very very quiet and there hadn't been many distractions many other responsibilities and so the the the quality of continuity in the practice was was quite strong and and uh so after about three weeks of the retreat now i was uh very uh actively uh using the reflections on anitra anata to be to be exploring the the flow of experience to be in letting go of the feelings of permanence or feelings of of identity and so not to be making any any kind of claims it seemed very very clear and through much of of the days the uh the unsatisfactory nature of experience the changing uncertain impermanent nature of experience and the selfless quality of experience was very apparent and so the the mind was quite clear in some respects but i began to notice i think particularly because it was a very very quiet situation a very plain backdrop there was still this kind of knot of tension this stressing in the in the jitter and now this was curious because i thought well it's this is this is really interesting because you know the mind doesn't seem to be hanging on to any uh any any sense perception from the world around or or the inner world of memories or emotions or ideas or uh in terms of solidity or being who uh being who and what i am being a self being i or me or mine that those uh say perceptions of of identity seem to be quite uh quite void quite uh quite transparent uh empty but there's still this kind of tensing in the system i thought this is curious well what's going on here how where's this coming from and as i could feel this as a a repeated experience several days in a row i was curious about this exploring where is this coming from what is this what's what's this about and then uh after a few days of looking at this this feeling very closely it it suddenly uh dawned oh even though everything is a nietzsche anata everything the the world of experience the world of the the flow of perceptions it's all happening here it it there's this way that the mind is is so making up a place for this to be occurring for this to be known there's this quality of uh of hereness and that was really the first time that i'd i'd noticed that and that uh it was uh quite a an eye opener quite uh quite revealing and and uh helpful to to notice that and it never occurred to me as an issue we tend to think of here and now being kind of a uh well that's an automatic good you know if things are being experienced here and now then then that means that they're being seen without any kind of distortion any any um say any bias or any uh any delusion but in that that in that moment or in that in that period it became clear oh no the way the mind is holding on to this sense of location or hereness that there's some grasping going on there so i i've been using the uh the practice of in a inquiry using questions as a way of of helping to free the mind from attachments to permanence uh or to the sense of i in me and mine so i would say i'd use questions like is this changing or does this uh does this uh feeling satisfy can this be permanently pleasing uh is this me or mine does this have does this moment have an owner is this mind state something that belongs to a me and if it if it belongs what's the what's the me that is doing the owning these kind of questions um uh that in some of the readings we've been taught uh from lumpus tomatoes teachings have been referring to those and many people will be familiar with this kind of practice using questions like who am i or or what am i what is what is aware of this moment these kind of pattern patterns or methods approaches of investigation and inquiry and then at this time then i began to use that kind of inquiry to look at this feeling of location of of of abiding and and looking at that feeling of hereness so i would use questions like where is here or what is it that knows this this hereness or just it's just using the word not even a question just saying the word hereness or hear and and uh being fully uh conscious or as conscious and aware as possible of that uh the way that the mind was was say causing a uh a uh and abiding was taking hold of the experience and in a way grasping that sense of locatedness or or a sense of of hereness and was in a way attaching to three-dimensional space attaching to that aspect of the world of form and i thought to to mention that this and talk about it because i found it was uh it was really illuminating to me at that time that it was a quality of obstruction and delusion that yeah even though i'd been practicing meditation for more than 20 years it had never occurred to me i'd never seen that or appreciated that up to that point so it was one of those experiences where i felt simultaneously both stupid that i hadn't noticed it in 20 years but also relieved or pleased to have seen that there was that layer of of attachment and the the way that the mind held the the the process of experience and also the way that it held the the development of insight oh when we reflect upon it if you if you look at it um in terms of uh the the the way that the the world works or the the the reality of dhamma and nature then the the world of three-dimensional space here and there the physical location or a place that only really relates to rupakanda to the to the uh the world of material form and uh essentially technically and i would say in actuality uh place location doesn't really relate to the world of mind at all the the the world of the namakundas feeling perception mental formations consciousness they in in essence they don't have a connection to to three-dimensional space to the material world this might sound a bit of a of a pointless uh abstraction but uh uh i feel it's uh it's something that's helpful to to explore and to bear in mind to look at because uh that kind of um stressing or that sense of attachment to a place or an abiding uh it's built around that the mind not seeing that um that place is just a physical thing but it's uh it's it's in a way forming attachments and attitudes uh that are taking hold on identifying with this physical location this particular spot and attaching to that and if that's not seen if that's not appreciated then that uh that quality of uh of attachment is gonna carry on if it's not seen if it's not understood and not let go of then that's going to continue to be a an obstruction a distortion a bias in in the in the jitter in the mind so i i for myself i found that a very very helpful reflection just to bring that to mind that it the uh it's only the the um the body the the rupakanda that has any connection with three-dimensional space that the mind doesn't really have any limitation in terms of space it doesn't have any place where it is and just taking that as an idea and taking it to heart considering that and exploring that that helps to give a a bit of perspective on it when we develop the uh the quality of insight developing vipassana meditation we're clarifying that quality of awareness of leecher of of the the natural quality of the heart which which knows and which is awake uh what we call the the puru the the one who knows or the tart rule the element of knowing that's uh the the very heart of the pastor meditation is currently establishing and clarifying that that quality of of knowing and so when you bring that into into uh say into focus then when we consider that and you you can reflect that that which knows the world of form that which knows the formed is formless that quality of awareness has no form it isn't anywhere it is it location doesn't apply it is it's formless it has no no body it's it's present it's it's awake it knows but again without trying to sound too abstract to take this as a principle and consider it that which knows form is unformed the asankata just like in the the the reflections we do on the the unborn the unoriginated the uncreated the unformed in that verse from the udana that when we were having pujas we would chant quite regularly but it's uh helpful to reflect upon ajatang abu tang akatang the unborn the unoriginated the uncreated the unformed so taking this as a way to to reflect and to help loosen that attachment to the sense of being somewhere me being somewhere and identified with this physical location and attached to the sense of of hereness and to to reflect that that which knows form is unformed that which knows uh birth is is unborn that which knows the originated is unoriginated that which knows they they created is uncreated when we're in say developing the quality of insight then it's a it's a a uh a gradual process so that first of all as we develop the pasta there can be a sense of yeah i'm i'm watching the mind i'm watching the rising and passing away of conditions and then that the the eye feeling uh can get more and more uh obvious and more apparent and more easy to identify oh no it's not me watching the mind there is there is a watching there's a knowing of the qualities of of experience the the mind is knowing the eye and me and mine are rising and passing away there's a and that clarity uh is something that steadily and say uh with the deepening of the practice with with the developing of the practice that freedom of that awareness from the the eye and me and mine attachments the the conceits of i am that becomes more uh more apparent more clear so there's a knowing there's that quality of each other awakened awareness and it's watching the uh the mind creating i and me and mine here and there me and you arising and passing away so these reflections uh then on the attachment to to location and i and the sense of of place and abiding and it can also free up the that quality of awareness from being attached to any kind of of place of a a sense of hereness and as a mahabhura described the insight that arose in his mind that was so prior to his enlightenment that i think it was what toy domicidi just shortly after the funeral of venerable archon as he was doing walking meditation this insight arose in his mind and he said it was almost like a sort of fully formed thought almost like hearing a voice in his mind that if there is a a center if there is a point or a center to the knowing anywhere that is the the seed or the the the core of birth in in some realm or other if there is a center to the the quality of knowing if there's a point or a center to that quality of knowing that is the essence of birth in some level of being so i i realize this is quite a refined area of dharma practice but i do feel it's worthwhile exploring and and that particular uh insight and the way that was phrased by a venerable ajah mahabhura i feel is very very significant and very helpful because it's uh it's exactly that sense of a of a center of a place of a this is this is where the knowing is it's it's in this spot that uh that is what he he recognized at that moment and then his full enlightenment came shortly after that insight took took shape within his jitter he kind of reflected on that and and worked with it and then that led to his full and complete liberation so i do feel it's a very significant and helpful area of exploration another way of of exploring this or reflecting on this is a phrase that i like to to use and have been bringing up a few times in recent weeks recent months is that which knows the person is not a person so that quality of awakened awareness is quality of each other even though it's the very uh heart of our uh say our our life our experience of our own being of the world that uh it's it's not personal it's like the force of gravity it's not male or female it's not old or young it doesn't have a a shape and again it doesn't have a place where it is it's it but it knows all the personal qualities it knows the sense of me sitting here with this body with this voice saying these words seeing the people gathered here in the temple that uh it sees these personal qualities it knows these personal qualities the sensations of the body the sound of the voice the sensation of the of the mouth forming words that uh those personal qualities are unknown but that which knows whose personal qualities isn't a person it's not uh it's not it's not a a a being it doesn't belong to a it isn't a self it doesn't belong to a self it's a a a natural quality that is say awake and aware and any attempt to to define what that is in terms of of the five counters is always going to fall short so and that the process of insight meditation is clarifying that quality of awakened awareness collecting that quality of vega operate without it being taken to be a person or a self or an identity a me or a mind or a even a thing that is here even even saying uh that that is say an imposition uh upon that that quality so i i like to uh use that kind of a reflection that the mind is is dhamma it's not a person that jitter is dharma it's not a person that which knows the person isn't a person it's it's dharma it's the quality of nature itself the other teaching that i like to quote very uh very often i also would emphasize in this respect is where the buddha says how the tatargata cannot be defined in terms of the five condors and that in this he's talking about his own nature his own but i feel that's as i said many times i feel when he talks about the tatargata he's talking about the awake aware mind and so that uh in the the teaching of uh of uh uh of the simile of fire the agivator goto and the buddha says that the tatargata cannot be defined in terms of form feeling perception mental formations consciousness that which knows the five condors can't be defined in terms of the five condors that which is aware of the five candice can't be defined in the terms of the five countries it's not limited by that and the target is is liberated from being reckoned in terms of the five condors form feeling perception mental formations consciousness that to target is profound immeasurable unfathomable like the great ocean so this is this again sounds like quite grand language but i feel if we consider what that's saying is that this quality of awakened awareness it knows the world it knows the body and the perceptions our memories our thoughts our emotions our uh it knows the physical world that uh we are a part of that is around us it's aware of that but it is not limited by that it's not bound by that it's not limited by the qualities of time or space or identity so that quality of awakened awareness is not say it knows the world but it is not confined are limited bound by the world so a lot of our effort in the practice then is recognizing the way that the mind identifies with the world identifies with the body with time with place with our personality our name our status where we're sitting in the temple yeah social distancing nowadays all these things that we have arranged in respect to our world that uh it's that this quality of awakened awareness this quality of each it knows the world it knows the patterns of the world but it's not defined or limited by that so like the the the question that lumpur char would would ask very uh regularly at the end the end years the latter years of his teaching career he would ask these these questions you know if you can't go forward you can't go back you can't stand still where do you go where can you go you can't go sideways you can't go up or down either or the buddha dhamma is not to be found in moving forwards or moving backwards nor in standing still so the only way that that kind of puzzle can be solved you can't go forward you can't go back you can't stand still the only way to to solve that is to let go of identity to let go of of time and to let go of location to see that that which is the fundamental nature of the mind that the dhamma itself is outside of time is outside of space is outside of identity and that those habits of identification i am here this is my this is where i am i'm sitting in this spot this is who i am i am this i'm a person i'm a man i'm a human being this is my name this is where i'm sitting this is where i am in the world it's to uh to bring the attention right to that and say well it looks that way but that can't be the whole story you know what is real is not bound or limited or or connected in in an absolute way to time to place to to identity that's the seeming of things that's the challenge that we have is to to to penetrate that apparent seeming quality of the moment-to-moment experience and to awaken to the the the la the reality that underlies it the the timeless unlocated uh non-personal quality of dhamma itself which is mind-blowing it is literally mind-blowing it blows uh it blows the mind which is attached to time and place and identity it blows that apart it it it frees itself from the limitations placed by time by birth by location by identity it sees through those it it is transcendent of those it is say knowing those qualities even though these are quite say subtle or refined principles they are extremely practical and is very very directly connected to ending dukkha i would say that this isn't just to be talking about subtle or abstruse areas of dhamma just for the sake of it but this is all to do with ending dukkha to to uh uh realize that quality of dukkhurniroda that's the point of of looking at these teachings and point of needs talking about them and sharing them and reflecting on them is for the purpose of enabling the the hearts of everybody gathered here everyone listening in watching to to come to that realization of duke and hirota so another of the teachings about location and and going places that is very significant in this regard is uh the the dialogue between the buddha and the deva rohitassa and probably most of you are familiar with um this particular encounter where this devatar rohitasso came to the buddha and and said you know before i i became a deva i was a yogi when i was a human being and i lived as a yogi and i had great powers as a yogi and i'd made this resolution that i would i would walk and i'd keep walking until i reached the end of the end of the world but even though i walked for years and years and i could even walk through the sky i was a he was a skywalker literally not a luke skywalker this is a rohit rohita the skywalker i'm not sure what his what his name was as a yogi but anyway he said i i walked and walked but i no matter how long i walked i couldn't reach the end of the world and i died on the journey and then was reborn as a deva and so then he comes to the buddha and said so yeah even though i tried to walk to the end of the world i i i couldn't achieve my goal i couldn't i couldn't get there and then the buddha said well rohitassa it's impossible to reach the end of the world by walking but i tell you that unless you reach the end of the world you won't reach the end of suffering and then there's this very wonderful dialogue that as the buddha explains what he means by that because it's it's a bit of a puzzle you know you can't get to the end of the world by walking you can't do it in terms of geography but you unless you get to the end of the world you won't reach the end of you and get to the end of suffering and so i feel it's it's a a very helpful reflection on the sense world and also this the the the say the identification with with three-dimensional space with locate with locatedness with uh with our sense of place so then he he goes on to explain it's in this this fathom long body this this six foot long two meter-ish not quite two meter-ish uh body this fathom-long body with its thoughts and perceptions there is the world the origin of the world the cessation of the world and the way leading to the cessation of the world and in that as people will recognize that he's directly relating the world loka with dukkha with with suffering it's a direct parallel to the four noble truths and he in this teaching it's a somewhat unique uh teaching it's not the only place where he uses this language in the sutures but it's it's rare that he does but he is equating loka the world with with dukkha in this respect and insofar as the the the mind makes the world into a real thing it refines and makes it solid and and takes it to be true and solid and real that makes the the the world equivalent to dukkha to to being unsatisfactory so what does he mean by that the the hey you can't reach the uh the the end of the world by walking but you can reach the end of the world in a different way or what he goes on to explain or what uh is say uh teased out in a a separate suitor in the song later on in the song in the section 35 the the the conversation with rohitassa initially is in the the second section of the sanguita so then later on in in the same connected discourses uh suta 116 in section 35 and he he goes on to say that what he means by the world and how you get to the end of the world so is that that whereby one is a perceiver of the world and a conceiver of the world loka and lokamani that is what is called the world in this dharma and discipline and what is it whereby one is a perceiver of the world and a conceiver of the world the eye the ear the nose the tongue the body the mind so reaching the end of the world is seeing the limitations of the sensory experience realizing that the scene the herd the smell the taste of the touch the cognized these are empty of substance these have no fundamental core no essence that they they are mental events with no uh fundamental absolute substantiality so the end of the world i would say how the end of the world is reached is in this very quality of awakened awareness this is where the world ends is is right here right right right now the that in you which is hearing the sound of these words or is seeing the the the shape of the temple or the back of your eyelids or whichever room you happen to be in there or watching the the screen with me talking or feeling the weight of your body the sensation of the the cloth on your your skin the temperature of the the room and the various patterns of mood and feeling coming and going that is where the world ends is in that knowing quality that vicha which knows is seeing smelling tasting touching thinking remembering understanding not understanding patterns of emotion arising and passing they are sunnier they are empty they are essenceless they have no core no no uh no sarah no no heart no essence no substance so that's how the world the world ends in vitra and so that's when the buddha says unless you get to the end of the world you won't get to the end of dukkha so the loka nirodha is the same as dukani rhoda so that when there is a clear knowing when that quality of vicha is fully established is is say obscured unobstructed is operating clearly then in in this moment it knows or this feeling in my leg is a is a is a sensation it has a particular quality the sound of my voice the the content of the words and they have a particular quality these are all mental events patterns of perception consciousness that arise pass away they are intrinsically empty they have no substance no core so the world ends that the the substantiality of the world the solidity of the world uh ends it's it's seen through it's recognized there is no thing there similarly there's a recognition that uh the the sense of of an eye the experiencer and i who is the the one who has the vija or wishes they had the video or is uh is the one who is listening or who's feeling who's uh who's watching who's attending that is also seen as empty that their the sense of i and me and mine is similarly sunnier void of substance essenceless there's no thing here either in the the world of the subject so the uh the ending of dukkha is where the that quality of vegeta that awakened awareness is operating uh say comprehensively completely and effectively and it's illuminating it it shines through the the subject and the object so there's uh it's clearly recognized there's no thing here there's no thing there there's no no uh say a permanent and substantial separate sub-due to object so it's a you can call it a subject-less object-less awareness again not to be too technical but this so this is about the ending of dukkha and uh it's interesting in the body's footnote to that that passage that dialogue with with rohitassa he makes the comment that that uh statement of the buddha that it's within this this fathom-long body with its perceptions and thoughts there is the world the origin of the world the cessation of the world and the way leading to the cessation of the world he refers to that as possibly the most profound statement in human philosophy and he's one who has a a a very comprehensive background both in eastern and western philosophy and he's not one who speaks in in uh in kind of inflated ways it's a very considered statement uh and it's a very brief comment by the buddha to be putting things in that way but it's extraordinarily profound and helpful uh to to really take that to heart and to to use that as a way of relating to the the world the experience of the world and letting the world end so obviously in our western conditioning the idea of the end of the world we tend to have perceptions of ecological collapse or or terrible warfare or the heat death of the of the the universe or the the earth the planet earth being swallowed up by the sun and such like but from the buddha's perspective what is meant by the end of the world is not the sort of um uh the kind of um astronomical planet uh of the world but our experience of the world so that's what he how he defines loka in that passage from the uh from the the latter part of the sanguita sutra 116 of the [Music] section 35 of the uh the uh sanguita the world is the world of uh our conceptions our perceptions that whereby one is a perceiver of the world and a conceiver of the world so that the the task then is to say learn how attached the mind is to the feelings of self the feelings of of uh of location being somewhere going somewhere being and the the uh the challenge with the practice is to be uh looking at those feelings of of time of past present future of identity uh me and you uh and the feelings of location here and there and the conditioning of the senses is is incredibly strong as we know it looks like oh it's now 9 20 9 23 and i'm sitting here and you're sitting there that's the time where i'm in the temple other people are in different buildings around amravati that different people watching this this recording are in different places around the country around the world time place identity they all seem so real so solid and and so uh inarguable according to our ordinary perceptions and so it's a challenge to to be bringing the attention to to this to see this is a constructed formed and conditioned set of perceptions that says me sitting here time is going by i'm here you are there and i am in this this place to let go of of identity to let go of time to let go of location this is it's a challenge but by knowing that these are the things that the mind is attached to and is addicted to taking it as solid and real then that addiction can be addressed that that habituation can be can be addressed it can be challenged it can be explored and and and then through that exploration and the opportunity that we have for this uh winter retreat time is ideal a very plain simple situation the weather is cool and the skies are mostly gray we haven't got any duties or responsibilities outside the basic functionality of our of our life nobody's going anywhere so it's a it's an ideal situation uh as a plain a backdrop as possible uh simple and as and as and as supportive as can be to look at these habits of our perception and self-creation to to look and and feel that and even if sometimes it's a it's it seems that those kinds of conditioning are so strong it's like completely inarguable that i'm here people are out there time is going by and i i am in this spot this is where i am just to be able to notice that that feeling of of uh of hereness the feeling of highness the feeling of of time this this uh this moment and to be aware of the strength that the pull of those those attachments how convincing and how compelling those qualities seem to be it's like that you're you're being conscious of the the pull of gravity or you're if you're hungry that just consciously being aware of the feeling of hunger or or if you're short of breath wanting the next breath wanting a bit more oxygen that you're aware of that pull that in itself is something that can be greatly liberating maybe a final reflection on location and a way of exploring that again using lumpur char's approach uh to to looking at and exploring this uh say this quality and to challenge it is to because all of us are doing a certain amount of walking during the course of the day just walking from our uh our room or our kuti to to the temple to the sailor to uh walking back again up and down the walking path or around the field or walking along can we walk without going anywhere the mind which knows movement isn't moving is always exactly here it's present so no matter even if you're even if the body is walking quickly and you're kind of covering ground at relatively high speed it's still the mind which knows that perceptions of of walking and moving isn't going anywhere location doesn't really apply the mind that knows movement isn't moving space doesn't apply to that that mind you might feel like oh i'm walking along i'm going somewhere but uh use that as a reflection to to bring to mind is there is there anybody going anywhere or is this just the experience of perceptions changing conditions of mine that are changing can we again using lumpur char's approach can we learn to walk just one step at a time to be walking without going anywhere so that it doesn't mean that you have to walk in slow motion or any kind of clumsy or super deliberate way but can we walk one step at a time so the body is walking is moving but that sense of of uh of non-locality of unlocatedness of no center to the knowing cannot be established even as the eyes are open and the body is moving and and there is a need to to balance the body as it moves can there there be that quality of unlocated awareness it's simple enough to even though that might sound a little bit subtle or refined just take a principle like walking one step at a time again it doesn't mean like taking one step freezing and then taking another step but just as the body moves in a fluid way you're just with each step the the heart the mind is attuned to each step and that that that right there is a way in which there can be a developing of that quality of the unlocated selfless awareness there's no time there's no identity there's no place the the mind is is awake even as we're sitting here and as the sensations of the body come and go the the sound of these words come and go can there be the mind established the the openness of attitude the openness of heart that is aware of the the flow of perceptions but is not tied to them it's the the space in which those perceptions are taking shape and dissolving but this is being the place where the world ends being that being that awake aware quality being dumber and that and i would say that that quality of victor awakened awareness that which is say embodied in the tatargata the buddha is that is the the activity of the dhamma so that the the the fundamental substance of reality is dhamma and its principal function is awakened awareness the buddha arises from the dhamma the the the function principle function of dhamma is is that quality of awakened awareness that quality of knowing so i also would say that the uh the mind is dumber the chitta is dumb it's not a person that i say that intrinsic aspect of dhamma is that quality of knowing there's a a brightness a clarity a an awareness a uh unobstructed quality of of knowing awakened aware receptive bright spacious peaceful when there's avija that always leads to dukkha so like the the when the mind is not seeing clearly then the result of that is dukkha is discord even if it's if it's uh subtle even if it's something that's not gross or painful but there that's stressing that tensing in the heart as long as there is dukkha sorry as long as there is avicii and not seeing clearly then the result will be dukkha if there's vicha then that the result of that is duka nirota that's how say the the ending of the world the loka niroda is as say twinned with dukkha nirota so when there is awakened awareness when when the heart is awake and is aware that's where the world ends that's where the dukkha ends that's it's this very quality of vitro which is the embodiment of dhamma that's this is say the the fabric of this very life this very heart of ours is this quality of awaken awareness that can be drawn upon can be applied every moment and this is the challenge that we that we have with the practice is remembering to be awake to be aware to be that uh to be that quality to to be dumber to to embody dhamma to be awake to be aware and then in that embodiment of dhamma being awake being aware being that quality of vijaya there is the ending of dukkha there is a quality of of accord the heart is in tune with the reality of its own nature and the reality of all things it's a say a natural attunement of the heart to the fabric of its own nature which is done by itself so we uh we have this opportunity this uh extraordinary the uh situation these great blessings that we have here at amravati which is say here because of lumpus tomatoes initiative more than 35 years ago and so also i feel very very grateful very glad they were able to host him here back in the sort of the worldly hereness once again physically he's on on the side and they're residing here now so i feel very appreciative and glad that we're able to provide this as a a worldly uh abiding for for him and uh and so greatly appreciative of the the many teachings and and say the standard of practice that he has embodied and passed on to us so that having received so much in the way of teachings and inspiration and example from him uh the opportunity that we have now i say i would say comes a lot as a say an inheritance from all the work that he did in establishing this place and teaching so abundantly for so many years so i just will finish with expressing my great appreciation that we have had these opportunities to hear the teachings to practice the teachings and may we all put our hearts into embodying the reality of them

Channel: Amaravati Buddhist Monastery

Views: 4,879

Rating: 4.9682541 out of 5

Keywords: Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, puja, chanting

Id: 4Yx_8wz8G2M

Length: 57min 7sec (3427 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 22 2021