The Fifth Lesson

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THE FIFTH LESSON

What five Concepts, when seen to the Root with Penetrating Knowledge, and understood to the broadest limits, such that their repellant nature is seen as it really is and one has released them in their entirety, can bring one to the Uttermost Freedom of Detachment?

PANC'UPADANA-KKHANDHA (Pa¾c'up¤d¤nakkhandha = The Five Bound-up Stockpiled K-KHA PILES, The 5-Dimensional Stockpiled Pile of Componants Forming Existance, most often translated: The Grasping Groups, or the Groups of Existence)

RUPA: Matter. The having-become-a-thingness of a thing, including sounds and ideas

VEDANA: Sense Experience, the Pleasant, Unpleasant, or Not-Unpleasant-but-Not-Pleasant sensation experienced as a consequence of the contact of the Eye and Sights, the Ear and Sounds, the Nose and Scents, the Tongue and Tastes, the Body and Touch, and the Mind and Ideas

SANKHARA: The making into one’s own of RUPA, VEDANA, SANNA, and VINNANA. The creation of one’s own world. The Gestalt. Identification with the World. SANKHARA like KAMMA is both the act of creating (by identification with the intent behind acts of body, speech and mind) and the Rebounding Consequence

VINNANA: Double Knowing Knowing. Self Awareness, Consciousness, Cognition, Knowing Awareness.

NOTE: VEDANA, SANNA, and VINNANA are aspects of a continuous process and cannot be individually distinguished (Middle Length Sayings, I #43, PTS ed. pp 352), in the same way as Heat, Flame, and Light are aspects of Fire. It is only when one injects "ownership" into the process, or "Identifies" with the process (SANKHARA) that the Individual becomes subject to KAMMA and destined to suffer DUKKHA.

Kindred Sayings III: The KHANDHA Book: Tissa
[An example of how Lesson 5 is used. Also, I am including a lot -- not all -- of the repetitions and formal dialogue so as to give a flavor of how the originals appear and of how people in those days behaved. My trans.]

Once Upon a Time, the Lucky Man, Savatthi Town, Anathapindika Park came-a ReVisiting, and at that time BrokeTooth (BHANTE>BHADANTE) Tissa, Gotama's cousin said this to a number of Beggars:

"Truth is, my friends, it's like my body is drugged, the four directions are dim, and the Dhamma is confusing to me. Lazy Ways and Inertia overpower my Mind and I am without Enthusiasm for the Life. I fear I am falling away."

At that, a number of those Beggars went to The Lucky Man [Bhaggava], greeted him with closed palms, and, sitting to one side, said:

"Bhaggava, BrokeTooth Tissa, the Bhaggava's cousin has said this: 'Truth is, my friends, it's like my body is drugged, the four directions are dim, and the Dhamma is confusing to me. Lazy Ways and Inertia overpower my Mind and I am without Enthusiasm for the Life. I fear I am falling away.'"

So then the Lucky Man motioned to a certain Beggar: "Come here, Beggar, go to Beggar Tissa and ask him to come, saying: 'Friend Tissa, The Master (SATTHA-- say YASA MAHASATTHA like you were a Southern Slave, "Master" is in the sense of Headmaster, Teacher) wishes to speak with you.'"

"Yes BrokeTooth!" replied the Beggar, and going to BrokeTooth Tissa, he said: "Friend Tissa, the Master wishes to speak with you."

"So be it, Beggar!" said Tissa, and coming to the LuckyMan, greeted him with closed palms and sat to one side.

"Is it true, Tissa? They say you said: 'Truth is, my friends, it's like my body is drugged, the four directions are dim, and the Dhamma is confusing to me. Lazy Ways and Inertia overpower my Mind and I am without Enthusiasm for the Life. I fear I am falling away.'"

"In that case, Tissa, what do you think? In Material (RUPA) associated with Lust (RAGA=rage "it's all the rage"), associated with wanting, associated with love, associated with thirst, associated with passion, associated with hunger (TANHA), is such Material subject to setbacks and reversals, Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery?"

"Well said, well said, Tissa! And is it not the same with Perception, Sense Experience, The Personal World, and Consciousness? [Text abbreviates here, and mixes up the order.]"

"Well said, well said, Tissa! So then, Tissa, what do you think? Is Material free from Lust, free from wanting, free from love, free from thirst, free from passion, free from hunger, is such Material subject to setbacks and reversals, Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery?"

"Well said, well said, Tissa! And is it not the same with Perception, Sense Experience, the Personal World, and Consciousness?"

"Well said, well said, Tissa! So then, Tissa, what do you think? Is Material unchanging (NICCA) or changeable (ANICCA)?

"And how is it with Perception, Sense Experience, the Personal World and Consciousness? Unchangeable or Changeable?"

"So seeing, Tissa, the well tamed, well trained, well educated student of the Aristocrats Disassociates from Material, disassociates from Perception, disassociates from Sense Experience, disassociates from A World of His Own, disassociates from Consciousness. Disassociated, he does not Lust after it. Not lusting after it, he is freed. In freedom he sees freedom. In freedom seeing freedom he knows: "I am Free!" and has Penetrating knowledge that: "Rebirth has been left behind. Lived is the Best Life. Done is Duty's doing. No more It'n-n-At'n [being any kind of an "it" at any place of being "at'] for me!"

Imagine, Tissa, two men: one unskilled about the way, and the other skilled as to The Way. The one who is unskilled asks directions of the one who is skilled. The one Skilled as to The Way answers: 'This is the Way, Good Man: Go on a little further on This Way, and when you see the way divide, leave the left hand way and take the right hand way. Go on a little further on This Way, and you will come to a Deep Forest. Keep going on a little further on This Way and you will come to a Swamp. Keep going on a little further on This Way and you will come to a Cliff. Keep going on a little further on This Way and you will reach a pleasant patch of high ground.

This, Tissa, is the meaning of the parable I have devised: By "one unskilled about the way" is meant, the untamed, untrained, uneducated common man. By "one Skilled as to The Way" is meant the TATHAGATA (The That-that-got-that, the teacher who teaches from personal experience), ARAHATO (an individual who has attained NIBBANA in this life) SAMMASAMBUDDHASSA (Number One Number One Wide Awakened One-The Buddha). By "seeing the way divide" is meant Doubt. "The left hand way" means the way contrary to the Way. "The right hand way" is a Name for The Aristocratic Multidimensional Way, that is: High Views, High Principles, High Talk, High Works, High Lifestyle, High Self Control, High Mental Preparation, and High Getting High. The "Deep Forest" is a name for Blindness (not seeing, ignorance). The "Swamp" is a name for Desire. The "Cliff" is a name for Dashed-hope-anger. "A pleasant patch of high ground," is a name for NIBBANA.

Be well, Tissa! Be well, Tissa! I have instructed you. I have assisted you. I have spoken to you.

Thus spake the Bhaggava and the BrokeTooth Tissa was given peace of mind and made happy as a consequence of what the Bhaggava said.

"Do ye abide, brethren, islands unto yourselves, refuges unto yourselves: taking refuge in none other; islanded by the Norm, taking refuge in the Norm, seeking refuge in none other."

Once Upon a Time, the Lucky Man, Savatthi Town, Anathapindika Park, came-a ReVisiting. There he said:

Self-illuminated[3], Beggars, live self-protected, by not else protected; Dhamma-illuminated, Dhamma-protected, by not else protected.

Self-illuminated, Beggars, living self-protected, by not else protected; Dhamma-illuminated, Dhamma-protected, by not else protected, look into the womb[4] this way: "What is the birth, what is the beginning of Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery, and Despair?"

What is the birth, what is the beginning of Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery, and Despair?

Here, Beggars, the common man, not seeing Aristocrats, unwise to the Aristocratic Dhamma, untrained in the Aristocratic Dhamma, not seeing Real men, unwise to the Dhamma of Real men, untrained in the Dhamma of Real men[2], holds the view: material[5] is self, or self has material, or material is in self, or self is in material. For such a one that material changes and becomes something else. For such a one, that material changing and becoming something else is the appearance of the birth of Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery, and Despair.

Or he holds the view: perception is self, or self has perception, or perception is in self, or self is in perception. For such a one that perception changes and becomes something else. For such a one, that perception changing and becoming something else is the appearance of the birth of Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery, and Despair.

Or he holds the view: sense experience is self, or self has sense experience, or sense experience is in self, or self is in sense experience. For such a one that sense experience changes and becomes something else. For such a one, that sense experience changing and becoming something else is the appearance of the birth of Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery, and Despair.

Or he holds the view: personalization is self, or self has personalization, or personalization is in self, or self is in personalization. For such a one that personalization changes and becomes something else. For such a one, that personalization changing and becoming something else is the appearance of the birth of Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery, and Despair.

Or he holds the view: consciousness is self, or self has consciousness, or consciousness is in self, or self is in consciousness. For such a one that consciousness changes and becomes something else. For such a one, that consciousness changing and becoming something else is the appearance of the birth of Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery, and Despair.

But viewing material, Beggars, as changing, corrupt, dying out, ending, thinking "Before, as well as in the here and now, material was a changeable, painful phenomena subject to dying out," and thus with penetrating knowledge seeing it as it really is, he lets go of Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery, and Despair, and Letting Go is not Dissatisfied, and not dissatisfied, lives pleasantly, and living pleasantly, they say "This Beggar is cool."

Or viewing perception, Beggars, as changing, corrupt, dying out, ending, thinking "Before, as well as in the here and now, perception was a changeable, painful phenomena subject to dying out," and thus with penetrating knowledge seeing it as it really is, he lets go of Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery, and Despair, and Letting Go is not Dissatisfied, and not dissatisfied, lives pleasantly, and living pleasantly, they say "This Beggar is cool."

Or viewing sense experience, Beggars, as changing, corrupt, dying out, ending, thinking "Before, as well as in the here and now, sense experience was a changeable, painful phenomena subject to dying out," and thus with penetrating knowledge seeing it as it really is, he lets go of Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery, and Despair, and Letting Go is not Dissatisfied, and not dissatisfied, lives pleasantly, and living pleasantly, they say "This Beggar is cool."

Or viewing personalization, Beggars, as changing, corrupt, dying out, ending, thinking "Before, as well as in the here and now, personalization was a changeable, painful phenomena subject to dying out," and thus with penetrating knowledge seeing it as it really is, he lets go of Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery, and Despair, and Letting Go is not Dissatisfied, and not dissatisfied, lives pleasantly, and living pleasantly, they say "This Beggar is cool."

Or viewing consciousness, Beggars, as changing, corrupt, dying out, ending, thinking "Before, as well as in the here and now, consciousness was a changeable, painful phenomena subject to dying out," and thus with penetrating knowledge seeing it as it really is, he lets go of Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery, and Despair, and Letting Go is not Dissatisfied, and not dissatisfied, lives pleasantly, and living pleasantly, they say "This Beggar is cool."

[1] This SUTTA discusses one of the handful of central ideas which are absolutely unique to the teachings of Gotama: the idea of ANATTA: not-self. Please carefully register the idea that this is not the idea of NO SELF. This is one of the most difficult of Buddhist concepts to grasp, but it is essential for making any sense of the system, so give it your best shot: The idea is that there is NO THING THERE that can accurately be called the Self of one. That includes everything conceivable. And yet there is no denial of Self. The idea is that the notion of "self" is dependent on point of view: One man holds that the self is there based on conventional common sense -- he calls what he sees the self; another looks at the atomic structure and dig as he might can find no atom that is the self and concludes that there is no self. The Buddha’s instruction is that whether or not the self exists, Pain exists, and it does so dependent upon the holding of that view of self, [because we "personalize" the world, we identify with one thing or another as the self, and suffer with it; completely unnecessary] so let go of the view.

[2] Please note the way this is translated compared to the way I usually present it:

In the case of this case, Beggars, we have the case of the Untamed, Untrained, Uneducated Common man. Untamed to the discipline of the Aristocrats, Untrained in the Manners of the Aristocrats, Uneducated in the Teachings of the Aristocrats; Untamed to the Ways of the Sappurisa, Untrained in the Craft of the Sappurisa, Uneducated to the Lore of the Sappurisa,

The first adheres closely to the Pali, the second shows the variety of meanings of Dhamma. We could use a good translation for the term "Sappurisa." Some others are "Puremen" "Superman" "Worthy ones."

"Purisa" is a term meaning "male" [Pass up sun one], and "Sapp-" means "Clairified" as in butter, or gold. Interesting that our culture does not have a good word for a good man (or may be I’ve just never heard it!).

ATTADIPA can mean Self-Island, or Self-lit so: "Live as a light unto yourself" is, at the least, heard.

ATTASARANA Self surrounded, in the sense of "protected" and, also, self-recollected

ANAÑÑASARANA [AÑÑA>AN=not; YA=whatsoever; Latin alius, Gothic aljis, Old Anglo Saxon elles>English else] Not Other-Surrounded or protected

So we can contrast ATTA with ANAÑÑA and be relatively sure the idea is Self/Not Other or Else

So we can contrast ATTASARANA with ANAÑÑASARANA and be relatively sure the idea isn’t Self-recollected and Other-recollected.

On the other hand, there is an old link in the word "SARANA" to SARANGSA, The Sun’s Rays. "Bathed in Light" comes to mind as a root idea of surrounded and protected.

DhammaDIPA which would mean Dhamma-Islanded as with Woodward, or Dhamma-lit or illuminated

DhammaSARANA taking refuge in the Dhamma or Surrounded by or Protected by Dhamma

So I am saying: While Be an Island unto one’s self is nice, be the Dhamma unto one’s self doesn’t fit, and there is the underlying theme of light, so mine.

[4] The one other difference I would like to point out is that which is made to the mental picture when translating "YONI" [womb] as "origin" versus leaving it as "womb." [indicated by square brackets]

PALI [with apologies for the lack of diacritical marks] Attadipanam bhikkhave viharatam attasarananam anannasarananam dhammadipanaµ dhammasarananam anannasarananaµ [yoni] yeva upaparikkhitabbo . . . kiµjatika sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupayasa kimpahotika ti . . .

Woodward: By them who are islands unto themselves, brethren, who are a refuge unto themselves, who take refuge in none other who are islanded by the Norm, take refuge in the Norm, seek refuge in none other -- by them the very [source] of things is to be searched for: thus -- "What is the source of sorrow and grief, of woe, lamentation and despair? What is their origin?"

MO: Self-illuminated, Beggars, living self-protected, by not else protected; Dhamma-illuminated, Dhamma-protected, by not else protected, look to the [womb] this way: "What is the birth, what is the beginning of Grief and Lamentation, Pain and Misery, and Despair?"

[5] Rupa is translated by Woodward as "Body", which is a fairly standard interpretation. I use "material" because the meaning is broader and because there is another closer Pali word for body in "KAYA" I believe the broader meaning was intended because the discussion is of that which individuals consider their own or themselves. Some individuals conception of what material constitutes the self of them extends beyond (some beings out there think the whole world is their own), or is less than the body [while it is in you, does excrement constitute a part of your idea of yourself or not? Is it a part of the body or not?].