11. Meditation on five groups of clinging Namo Buddhaya! May homage to the Blessed One, the Noble One, the Perfectly Enlightened One! 11. Meditation on five groups of clinging Meditation-on-five-groups-of-clinging_web11.1 Introduction to five groups of clinging Things that you have learned to this point… You are now aware of many things in the Satara Satipatthāna. That is, you have learned how to practice breathing (Ānāpānasati) meditation. You know how to maintain your posture mindfully and wisely (Sati sampagañña). Also, you know how to be mindful about each of the four postures. You know about foulness meditation (Asubha) and meditation about four elements (Dhātu Manasikāra). Furthermore, you know how to perform meditation on contemplating the nine ways of what happens to a corpse until it transforms into soil on earth, when it is left in a cemetery. You also know what Vēdanānupassanā (meditation on contemplation of feeling) and Chittānupassanā (meditation on contemplation of consciousness) mean. You also know a part of the Dhammānupassanā (contemplation of mind-object) meditation; that part is the meditation on five hindrances. Should build a clear faith… The Supreme Buddha gives a vast realization of life to His disciples. It was the Supreme Buddha who showed the path in realizing the Nibbāna. The Supreme Buddha introduced Himself as, the One who unveils the hidden/unlearned path (Asanjātassa maggassa sanjanētā), the One who tells the untold path to Nibbāna (Anakkātassa maggassa akkhātā), the One who perfectly realized the Path (Maggaññū), the One who perfectly knows that Path (Maggavidū), and the One who is capable of showing that Path (to others) (Maggakōvidō). All these names are used to the Supreme Buddha. It was the Supreme Buddha who showed the path to control this mind. Therefore, you should build a good faith and be pleased about Him. There is no one who could show us the path to Nibbāna other than the Supreme Buddha. He can show us how to control this mind. This is in fact what is called ‘showing the path’. Our parents showed us a path to get a good education, and we followed that path and get educated. Likewise, the Supreme Buddha showed us the path to acquire pleasure in this life by freeing ourselves from suffering. If we follow that path, we will be able to free from suffering by realizing life. That is what this path is helpful. Let us identify the five groups of clinging… For this, we have to have our mindfulness on the Dhammānupassanā. You are going to learn a special type of meditation for this purpose. This meditation is called ‘meditation on five groups of clinging (Panca Upādānaskandha)’. You might have already heard about this word ‘Panca Upādānaskandha’. Do you remember the discourse called the Dammacakka Pawattana Sutta? In that discourse it says, “Dear Bhikkhus, this is the noble truth of suffering. Birth is a suffering. Decay is a suffering. Death is a suffering. Separation from loved ones is a suffering. Association with dislikes is a suffering. Not getting what one likes is a suffering. In short, the whole ‘Panca Upādānaskandha’ is a suffering.” Therefore, this Panca Upādānaskandha belongs to suffering. Realization of Panca Upādānaskandha is in fact realization of suffering itself. Becoming mindful about Panca Upādānaskandha means becoming mindful about suffering. Therefore, that person can get a good idea (realization) about Panca Upādānaskandha. Things that should be contemplated… The Supreme Buddha preached that His disciple understands things as following: this is object (rūpa), this is feeling (vēdanā), this is perception (saññā), this is mental-formation (sanskāra), and this is explicit recognition (viññāna). This is how rūpa forms and how it dies. This is how vēdanā forms and how it dies. This is how saññā forms and how it dies. This is how sanskāra forms and how it dies. This is how viññāna forms and how it dies. In this way, the disciple contemplates about Panca Upādānaskandha, how Panca Upādānaskandha continues to form, and how Panca Upādānaskandha ceases to exist forever. He contemplates these three ways mindfully, and this is what one does in the Panca Upādānaskandha meditation. You have to know this meditation in great detail. If not, you will not be able to understand it properly. It was the Supreme Buddha who clearly used the word ‘Panca Upādānaskandha’. Panca means five, so there are five groups of clinging (Upādānaskandha). Every being has these five groups of clinging in their lives (objects, feelings, perceptions, mental-formations, and explicit recognitions). The difference between Panca Skandha and Panca Upādāna Skandha A person is called ‘a being’ with the meaning of ‘living clung to the panca upādāna skandha’, since the being lives clinging to this panca upādāna skandha. So if someone realizes this panca upādāna skandha and frees oneself from it, that person will no longer has a panca upādānaskandha. He only has a panca skandha. Thus, a normal person has a panca upādāna skandha and not a panca skandha. Only Arahants have a panca skandha. The difference between panca upādānaskandha and panca skandha is that panca upādāna skandha is of lust of desire and it clung to a desire. Once a person frees from that desire, he does not have clinging (Upādāna). He only has a Panca Skandha. And there are five things in this: object (rūpa), feeling (vēdanā), perception (saññā), mental-formation (sanskāra), and explicit recognition (viññāna). First, a disciple identifies these five things well through his life. He first identifies rūpa upādāna skandha. Rūpa has that name rūpa since it gets destroyed and dies (Ruppatīti rūpan). What does get destroyed and die? It is what is formed from the four elements (pathavi dhātu, āpō dhātu, tējō dhātu, and vāyō dhātu). How do these get destroyed and die? It happens due to cold, heat, hunger, thirst, disasters/accidents, sicknesses, and so on and so forth. Therefore, this body formed out of the four elements is called rūpa. Rūpa, which has to be realized… Let us now understand the word ‘skandha’ in the ‘rūpa skandha’. This does not mean a heap of objects. There is a discourse named Mahā punhnhamā Sutta. On one full-moon day, while the Supreme Buddha was sitting outside in meditational posture in Pūrvārāma Temple with lots of Arahants, a Bhikkhu asked the Supreme Buddha, “Dear Sir, Lord Buddha, may I ask you a question?” The Supreme Buddha said, “Dear Bhikkhu, ask your question from where you are sitting. I will answer it.” Then that Bhikkhu asked, “Dear Sir, there is a word ‘skandha’ in the ‘panca upādāna skandah’. Could you please explain the true meaning of the word ‘skandha’?” The Supreme Buddha then answered, “Dear Bhikkhu, if there is an object that has been ceased to exist in the past, if there is going to be an object in the future that has not been formed yet, if there is an object in the present that has been formed, if there is something (an object) built out of four elements considered as mine, if there is something (an object) built out of four elements considered as others’, if there is a rough object, if there is a soft object, if there is an inferior object, if there is superior object, if there is an object in distance, and if there is an object close by, this is called rūpa upādāna skandha.” The existence in time and space… Thus, the word ‘skandha’ was used to that meaning. If some object is present in the past, future, present, within oneself, outside of oneself, rough, soft, inferior, superior, at distance, and at close by, it is called ‘rūpa skandha’. Therefore, the word ‘skandha’ does not mean a heap (of something). The word ‘skandha’ means something that exists in time of past, future, and present and in space of within oneself, outside of oneself, rough, soft, inferior, superior, at distance, and at close by. So, the object, which exists in the four elements, exists in time and space. Therefore, it is called ‘rūpa skandha’. Thus, it is an object that exists in time and space presents in this body. Therefore, this is called rūpa skandha. Also, the word ‘vēdanā skandha’ is used to mean feeling formed due to contact. Saññā skandha is the perception formed due to contact. Sankāra skandha is the intentions formed due to contact. Remember that here, sankāra means intention. Viññāna skandha is the viññāna formed from nāma rūpa. One needs to start realizing this Panca Upādāna skandha through oneself. One needs to practice it keeping mindfulness on it. It is the Upādāna Skandha meditation. 11.2 Detailed description of five groups of clinging You are very lucky… You are listening to something that a human gets to listen rarely. You might have read many newspaper in your life. You might have watched television programs a lot. But, you get something that helps realizing life in seldom. In fact, we do not get such a rare chance at most of the times. Also, you get to learn the unstained Dhamma of the Supreme Buddha without addition of any private views. That is why you are lucky. You are being learning about the meditation on five groups of clinging in the Dhammānupassanā. Earlier, you learned about rūpa (object), which is something that has been built out of the four elements. Skandha is something that exists in time and space. Suffering which has to be realized… Feeling (vēdanā) is also something that exists in time and space. Saññā, sanskāra, and viññāna also exist in time and space. All these belong to the suffering, which needs to be realized. Thus, rūpa upādāna skandha is something that belongs to suffering, which needs to be realized. Vēdanā upādāna skandha… Next, we have Vēdanā upādāna skandha. Vēdanā means feeling. Dear devotees, feeling forms as a result of contact, which occurs in the six faculties. So, the feeling forms from contact. If someone asks you where the feeling does occur, you should remember it in this manner. Feeling occurs from contact. So, if contact exists at some place, feeling can be seen at that place. Saññā upādāna skandha… Next, we have Saññā, which means perception/recognition. What do you recognize? You recognize objects from your eyes. Sounds are recognized from ears. Smells are recognized from nose. Tastes are recognized from tongue. Touch is recognized from body. Objectives/thoughts are recognized from mind. How do you recognize these things? You have eyes, and a figure comes in front of the eyes. Then, viññāna forms in your eyes (due to the figure that eyes see). Then, eye, figure, and viññāna combine with each other making eye to see the figure. This is called contact (of eye). Thus, figures are recognized from eye because of eye’s contact. Sounds are recognized from ear as a result of contact in ear. Smells are recognized from nose as a result of contact in nose. Tastes are recognized from tongue because of contact in tongue. Touch is recognized from body as a result of contact in body. Objectives are recognized by mind as a result of contact of mind. One understands that there are six types of recognitions as a result of contact. Sanskāra upādāna skandha… Next, we have Sanskāra, which means intention or mental formation. Intentions occur when eye sees a figure. As a result of that, one acts from mind, body, and using words accordingly. Intentions occur when sounds are heard from ear, and one acts from mind, body, and using words accordingly. Likewise, intentions occur when nose smells, tongue tastes, body feels touch, and mind thinks thoughts. Intentions are Karma, which means ‘things that form to cause effect.’ Thus when we see a figure and make an intention and think about it from mind, act through word, and act through body, it forms to cause effect (Karma). This is what is called intention or Sanskāra. So, Sanskāra forms from contact. If eye, figure, and viññāna do not combine, contact will not form. Viññāna upādāna skandha… Viññāna is the next one. Viññāna forms from nāma rūpa. If someone asks you where viññāna forms, you should answer in this way. Viññāna forms in six faculties. The Supreme Buddha preached that viññāna forms as a result of eye and figure. Viññāna forms as a result of eye and figure since viññāna forms from nāma rūpa. Do you now remember about nāma rūpa. Nāma means vēdanā, saññā, chētanā, phassa, and manasikāra. Rūpa means the four elements (pathavi, āpō, tējō, vāyō) and the things that are formed from the four elements. This eye is built out of these things (nāma rūpa). It is from these nāma rūpa that ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind have been created. Therefore, everything that forms from the nāma rūpa is formed in six faculties. It is from nāma rūpa that viññāna forms. Viññāna does not exist alone… The Supreme Buddha preached that this viññāna does not exist alone. It does not exist in seclusion. Viññāna does not travel alone. Viññāna does not leave alone (from a being). The Supreme Buddha preached that if someone says that a viññāna comes, goes, leaves, grows, or be born without an object, feeling, perception, and intention, it cannot be happened (Ahamaññatarē rūpāya, aññatarē vēdanāya, aññatarē saññāya, aññatarē sankārēhi viññānhassa āgatin vā gatin vā chutin vā upapattin vā paññāpessāmīti, nētan thānan vijjati). We can thus clearly understand that there is no secluded viññāna in the upādāna skandha. Viññāna lives always in rūpa, vēdanā, saññā, and sanskāra. Thus, viññāna coexists with rūpa, vēdanā, saññā, and sanskāra. Here, we can clearly see that the disciple of the Supreme Buddha does not get this matter confused. Why does not he get it confused? It is because he has a faith about what the Supreme Buddha preached. The disciple contemplates panca upādāna skandha at the beginning based on this faith. The formation of panca upādāna skandha… What we have next is the contemplation of how this panca upādāna skandha forms. Panca upādānaskandha forms in paticca samuppāda (dependent origination). It is in the Paticca Sauppāda that figures formed from four elements transformed into rūpa upādāna skandha, feeling formed from contact transformed into vēdanā upādāna skandha, perception formed from contact transformed into saññā upādāna skandha, intention formed from contact transformed into sanskāra upādāna skandha, and explicit recognition formed from nāma rūpa transformed into viññāna upādāna skandha. Therefore, it is clear that panca upādāna skandha exists in one’s life as long as paticca samuppāda forms in him/her. If panca upādāna skandha exists as long as paticca samuppāda forms, panca upādāna skandha is then an impermanent thing. That means, rūpa, vēdanā, saññā, sanskāra, and viññāna all are impermanent. Is the lamp that lights an entire year permanent? Let me tell you a simple example. Let us consider dolosmahē pahana (a lamp that lights every day). The name dolosmahē pahana means it lights every day in all twelve months of a year. When we see the lamp in January, we can see it lights. In May and also in December, it still lights. What lights in the lamp is the impermanent wick, impermanent oil, and an impermanent flame. After seeing the lamp lightning in January, May, December, and in the entire year if someone says that this lamp’s flame is a permanent fame, he says it without a proper knowledge of what actually happens in a lamp and its flame. It is in fact a false view. That is because, the lamp lights the entire year because oil and wicks were added to the lamp so that it could continue to light. Panca upādāna skandha is also impermanent… Likewise, this viññāna has come a long journey by getting activated in upādāna skandha and formed in the existence of bhava. But, it is not a permanent viññāna that has jumped from one bhava to another bhava. Because a paticca samuppāda existed continuously, a panca upādāna skandha was formed. Therefore, it is clear that panca upādāna skandha forms because of paticca samuppāda. This formation of panca upādāna skandha will cease to exist when the formation of paticca samuppāda ceases. That is, paticca samuppāda will cease to exist when one realized the Four Noble Truths; when ignorance is completely eradicated. Thus, it is very clear to us that the Supreme Buddha’s disciple cultivates Dhammānupassanā with a purpose and not meaninglessly. He sees the formation of panca upādāna skandha from paticca samuppāda. He also sees the cessation of panca upādāna skandha. It is the realization of panca upādāna skandha and not accepting it that results the cessation of panca upādāna skandha. If five upādāna skandha are seen in this manner… If one realized figure formed by four elements as a foam, if one realized feeling formed from contact as a water bubble, if one realized perception formed from contact as a mirage, if one realized intention (sankhāra: puññābhi sankhāra, apuññābhi sankhāra, āneñjābhi sankāra) formed from contact as a person who went searching for a tree with heartwood is actually peeling the bark of a plantain tree without identifying heartwood, if one realized viññāna formed from nāma rūpa as a thing with illusionary characteristics, and if that person sees the trickery performance of this viññāna as a magician performing his tricks at a four-way junction, that person will realize panca upādāna skandha and stop accepting it anymore. Since he does not accept it, he will not bind to it. Since he does not bind to it, his attachment to panca upādāna skandha will be ceased to exist. Since he does not have any attachment to it, the bhava is no longer forms. That is, Karma will not form to cause effects. What happens then? A birth will not form again. Then, that paticca samuppāda gets annihilated. Thus, he becomes free. Sees how it gets changed… This is what is described in panca upādāna skandha meditation. So, a disciple of the Supreme Buddha will go to a secluded place and contemplates this. When he contemplates this truth, he realizes the fact that this is anātma, which means it cannot be kept under one’s influence. Or in other words, it means, there is no owner to this panca upādāna skandha. Figures that are formed from four elements changes when four elements change. Feeling that forms from contact changes when contact changes. Recognition formed from contact changes when contact changes. Intention that forms from contact changes when contact changes. Explicit recognition (viññāna) that forms from nāma rūpa changes when nāma rūpa changes. Frees with a realization… Thus, these resulted things that form due to a cause have the nature of getting destroyed when cause is destroyed. When this realization enters in one’s life, he/she sees an impersonality (anātma). Thus, the disciple does not take this panca upādāna skandha as me, mine, or my soul. He frees himself from these views. Thus by becoming talented in well establishing one’s mindfulness in the Satara Satipatthāna, that person can receive a marvelous freedom. -Skandha meditation- Rūpa skandha Because all figures that ended in the past formed from four elements and quickly get changed, those figures are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those figures are not me… not mine… not my soul… Because all figures that are formed and exist in the present are formed from four elements and quickly get changed, those figures are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those figures are not me… not mine… not my soul… Because all figures that are not yet formed in the future will be formed from four elements and quickly get changed, those figures are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those figures are not me… not mine… not my soul… Because all figures that are considered as me are formed from four elements and quickly get changed, those figures are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those figures are not me… not mine… not my soul… Because all figures that are considered as others are formed from four elements and quickly get changed, those figures are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those figures are not me… not mine… not my soul… Because all figures that are rough are formed from four elements and quickly get changed, those figures are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those figures are not me… not mine… not my soul… Because all figures that are soft are formed from four elements and quickly get changed, those figures are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those figures are not me… not mine… not my soul… Because all figures that are considered to be good are formed from four elements and quickly get changed, those figures are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those figures are not me… not mine… not my soul… Because all figures that are considered to be bad are formed from four elements and quickly get changed, those figures are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those figures are not me… not mine… not my soul… Because all figures that are faraway are formed from four elements and quickly get changed, those figures are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those figures are not me… not mine… not my soul… Because all figures that are close by are formed from four elements and quickly get changed, those figures are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those figures are not me… not mine… not my soul… Vēdanā skandha Because all feelings that ended in the past formed from contact and quickly get changed, those feelings are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those feelings are not me… not mine… not my soul… Feelings that are formed in the present… Feelings to be formed in the future… Feelings that are considered as me… Feelings that are considered as others… Feelings that are rough… Feelings that are soft… Feelings that are good… Feelings that are bad… Feelings that are faraway… Feelings that are nearby… Saññā skandha Because all perceptions that ended in the past formed from contact and quickly get changed, those feelings are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those perceptions are not me… not mine… not my soul… Perceptions that are formed in the present… Perceptions to be formed in the future… Perceptions that are considered as me… Perceptions that are considered as others… Perceptions that are rough… Perceptions that are soft… Perceptions that are good… Perceptions that are bad… Perceptions that are faraway… Perceptions that are nearby… Sanskāra skandha Because all intentions that ended in the past formed from contact and quickly get changed, those feelings are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those intentions are not me… not mine… not my soul… Intentions that are formed in the present… Intentions to be formed in the future… Intentions that are considered as me… Intentions that are considered as others… Intentions that are rough… Intentions that are soft… Intentions that are good… Intentions that are bad… Intentions that are faraway… Intentions that are nearby… Viññānha skandha Because all explicit recognitions that ended in the past formed from nāma rūpa and quickly get changed, those feelings are impermanent… impermanent… impermanent… All those explicit recognitions are not me… not mine… not my soul… Explicit recognitions that are formed in the present… Explicit recognitions to be formed in the future… Explicit recognitions that are considered as me… Explicit recognitions that are considered as others… Explicit recognitions that are rough… Explicit recognitions that are soft… Explicit recognitions that are good… Explicit recognitions that are bad… Explicit recognitions that are faraway… Explicit recognitions that are nearby… By Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thero
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 00:28:24 +0000
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