"When we say 'meditation sitting,' let's examine: is it a person sitting or is it just sitting? What enables us to sit now - is it a person or supporting air element? Standing - is it a person or supporting air element? Walking and moving - is it a person or moving air element?
Isn't the air element material form (rūpa)? Isn't the knowing of air element mental form (nāma)? These are the two elements - nāma and rūpa. When meditating, do we find people or nāma-rūpa? Do we find men and women or nāma-rūpa?
We only find nāma-rūpa, isn't this what's taught as ñāta pariññā (knowledge of the known)? What we think are humans, devas, and brahmas - what we find is just nāma and rūpa. Shouldn't we take what we actually find as truth?
Let's sit in our mind and wisdom. When we sit, doesn't our bottom touch the floor? When there's contact, shouldn't we be mindful? Isn't this taught as 'contact-knowing-mindfulness'?
When being mindful, do we find floor or hardness? Do we find buttocks or body-sensitivity? Because of sensitivity, doesn't the knowing mind arise? Does this knowing mind know 'floor' or know 'hardness'?
That consciousness (viññāṇa) which knows hardness, body-consciousness - can we point to where it exists before the contact of two material elements? It only arises when two material elements meet.
Can knowing hardness occur with consciousness alone? Don't feeling (vedanā), perception (saññā), and volition (cetanā) accompany it?
Is the feeling of hardness human feeling, deva feeling, or brahma feeling? Is the perception of hardness human, deva, or brahma perception? Is the volition that drives feeling and perception self or non-self?
When feeling, perception, and volition combine, don't they complete the four mental aggregates? Only when these four are complete does contact-consciousness arise. Are these human, deva, brahma, or just four mental aggregates?
Is body-sensitivity human, deva, or brahma? Is hardness (earth element) human, deva, or brahma? When we analyze the aggregates, don't we find material aggregate?
Four mental aggregates plus material aggregate make (Five aggregates, Venerable Sir). What we think are humans, devas, brahmas - what we find are five aggregates. Shouldn't we take what we find as truth?
Upon these five aggregates, don't people designate various kinds of humans, devas, brahmas, animals, petas, and hell beings?
These are just designations and names. Whether designated or not, there are just five aggregates. Didn't the Buddha call Ānanda 'brother,' Rāhula 'son,' and disciples 'dear children'?
Did the Buddha reject these conventional designations? What did he reject? Isn't it worth examining? Don't we think 'person'? But what we find - is it a person or nāma-rūpa? We only find nāma-rūpa.
Isn't it clear that we find nāma-rūpa? Is it because a person exists or doesn't exist that we don't find one? Shouldn't we say this is what's rejected? Strive to reach this understanding..."
Test on Meditation and the Nature of Existence
Learning Objectives
- Understand the concepts of nāma (mental form) and rūpa (material form).
- Analyze the relationship between consciousness, perception, and the material world.
- Evaluate the implications of the five aggregates in understanding existence.
- Apply knowledge of meditation to real-world contexts and personal experiences.
Test Structure
Total Questions: 25
Multiple Choice (5 Questions)
What does 'nāma' refer to in the context of meditation?
- A) Material form
- B) Mental form
- C) Human existence
- D) Physical sensations
Which of the following best describes the relationship between nāma and rūpa?
- A) They are identical
- B) They are opposites
- C) They are complementary elements of existence
- D) They are irrelevant in meditation
What arises when two material elements meet?
- A) Consciousness
- B) Emotions
- C) Perception
- D) Memory
Which aggregate is NOT one of the four mental aggregates?
- A) Form
- B) Feeling
- C) Perception
- D) Volition
What term describes the awareness that arises from contact between two material elements?
- A) Feeling
- B) Contact-consciousness
- C) Mental aggregate
- D) Material form
True/False (5 Questions)
True or False: The Buddha rejected all conventional designations such as 'human' or 'deva'.
True or False: The feeling of hardness can be classified as a human feeling only.
True or False: When meditating, one discovers humans, devas, and brahmas.
True or False: The five aggregates consist of both mental and material forms.
True or False: Contact-knowing-mindfulness involves awareness of both the floor and the sensation of hardness.
Fill-in-the-Blank (5 Questions)
When we meditate, we only find _ and _.
The four mental aggregates are feeling, perception, volition, and __.
The __ element is associated with material form.
The Buddha used the term 'brother' to refer to his disciple __.
The complete understanding of existence according to the teachings is based on the recognition of the __ aggregates.
Matching (5 Questions)
Match the terms in Column A with their descriptions in Column B.
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| 16. nāma | A) Awareness of the material world |
| 17. rūpa | B) Mental form |
| 18. viññāṇa | C) Consciousness |
| 19. vedanā | D) Feeling |
| 20. saññā | E) Perception |
Short Answer (3 Questions)
Discuss how mindfulness in meditation can alter one's perception of reality.
Explain the significance of 'contact-knowing-mindfulness' in understanding the nature of existence.
Describe how the aggregates contribute to our understanding of self and non-self.
Essay (2 Questions)
Analyze the implications of the five aggregates in distinguishing between existence as a concept versus the reality of nāma-rūpa. Provide examples from personal experience or observation.
Evaluate the teachings of the Buddha regarding conventional designations. How do they challenge our understanding of identity and existence? Discuss the relevance of these teachings in contemporary society.
Evaluation Criteria
- Multiple Choice/True/False: 1 point each
- Fill-in-the-Blank: 1 point each
- Matching: 1 point for each correct match
- Short Answer: 5 points each, based on clarity, relevance, and depth of analysis
- Essay: 10 points each, based on argument strength, coherence, and integration of concepts
Feedback Suggestions
- Review the explanations for incorrect answers in multiple-choice and true/false sections to clarify misunderstandings.
- Encourage students to explore additional resources on nāma and rūpa.
- Suggest group discussions on the significance of mindfulness in daily life as a follow-up to the essay questions.
